Latest ArticlesDiabetic wound healing is often complicated due to bacterial infections that intensify inflammation. Employing hydrogel dressings with inherent antibacterial properties can significantly reduce reliance on antibiotics for treating infected wounds in diabetics. Traditional hydrogels typically rely on the infiltration of bacteria into their porous structure to manifest antibacterial effects. However, this infiltration process is not only prolonged but can also exacerbate inflammation, further delaying the healing of the wound. Thus, promptly capturing and eliminating bacteria is crucial for enhancing the antibacterial efficiency of the hydrogel. In this context, we present a multifunctional hydrogel dressing, termed SIP, designed to tackle drug-resistant bacterial infections in diabetic wounds. This dressing integrates ionic liquid functional groups into a sericin-based matrix: phenylboronic acid for the immobilization of bacteria and imidazole for their subsequent annihilation. Expectedly, the SIP system demonstrates potent antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, verified through in vitro and in vivo experiments. As a result, SIP emerges as a promising candidate in the realm of hydrogel dressings with innate antibacterial properties, showcasing considerable potential for addressing diabetic wounds plagued by drug-resistant bacterial infections.
Rare–earth supramolecular compounds, such as lanthanide organic polyhedrons (LOPs), are of particular interest due to their many possible applications in various fields. Here we report the first syntheses of Ln4(L•+)4–type (Ln, lanthanides; L•+, radical ligand) radical–bridged lanthanide organic tetrahedrons by self–assembly of face–capping triphenylamine (TPA)–cored radical ligand with different lanthanide ions. Remarkable coordination enhanced radical stability has been observed, with half–life times (t1/2) for L1•+, La4(L1•+)4, Eu4(L1•+)4, Gd4(L1•+)4, Tb4(L1•+)4 and Lu4(L1•+)4 estimated to be 53 min, 482 min, 624 min, 1248 min, 822 min and 347 min, respectively. The TPA radical in Ln4(L1•+)4 containing paramagnetic Ln ions (Ln = EuⅢ, GdⅢ and TbⅢ) is observed to be more stable than that in Ln4(L1•+)4 (Ln = LaⅢ and LuⅢ) constructed by diamagnetic Ln ions. This difference in radical stability is possibly due to the magnetic interactions between paramagnetic LnⅢ ions and L1•+ ligands, as confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in La4(L)4 (L = L1 and L1•+) and Tb4(L)4 (L = L1 and L1•+), and magnetic susceptibility measurements in Tb4(L)4 (L = L1 and L1•+). Our study reveals the coordination of radical ligands with lanthanide ions can improve the radical stability, which is crucial for their applications.
Carbon dioxide photocatalytic reduction (CO2-PR) is an efficient method for controlling CO2 emissions and generating cleaner energy while mitigating global warming. Tungsten oxides (WxOy) have attracted considerable attention for CO2-PR due to their excellent spectral absorbance. However, comprehensive reviews are lacking on the use of WxOy for CO2-PR. Therefore, this review provides a detailed summary of t research progress made with WxOy-based catalysts in CO2-PR. It also explains the fundamental principles of CO2-PR and evaluates key performance indicators that affect the activity of WxOy-based photocatalysts, including yield, selectivity, stability, and apparent quantum yield. Additionally, this review explores opportunities for synthesizing high-performance WxOy-based photocatalysts and highlights their potential for the green preparation of C1/C2 products through CO2-PR. These innovative strategies aim to address the challenges and pressures associated with energy and environmental issues, particularly by enhancing artificial photosynthesis efficiency.
Two CoⅡ-based complexes, {[Co(dps)2(N3)2]·H2O} (1) and [Co(dps)2(N3)2] (2), show a 1D chain and a 3D network, respectively. The central CoⅡ ions in the complexes have the same coordination environment with the [Co(dps)4(N3)2] unit. Although the differences in crystal parameters are nearly negligible, their magnetic properties are very different. AC susceptibility data show that 1 behaves as a typical field-induced single-ion magnet (SIM) with the out-of-phase (χM'') signals, while 2 shows ac signals of χM'' without peaks even under applied dc filed within our measurement window. Far-IR magneto-spectra (FIRMS) show strong spin-phonon couplings at 0 T in 2, likely making the magnetic relaxation in 2 fast, while the couplings are negligible in 1. Small spin-phonon coupling in 1 likely leads to slower magnetic relaxation, making 1 a SIM. The difference in the properties is due to the structural rigidity of 2 in its 3D network, leading to stronger spin-phonon coupling. Combined high-field EPR (HF-EPR) and FIRMS studies give spin-Hamiltonian parameters, including D = 64.0(9) cm-1, E = 15.7(2) cm-1 for 1 and D = 80.0(2) cm-1, E = 19.0(1) cm-1 for 2.
Photocatalytic H2 production from water splitting is a promising candidate for solving the increasing energy crisis and environmental issues. Herein we report a novel g-C3N4/AgInS S-scheme heterojunction photocatalyst for water splitting into stoichiometric H2 and H2O2 under visible light. The catalyst was prepared by depositing 3D bimetallic sulfide (AgInS) nanotubes onto 2D g-C3N4 nanosheets. Owing to the special 3D-on-2D configuration, the photogenerated carriers could be rapidly transferred and effectively separated through the abundant interfacial heterostructures to avoid recombination, and therefore excellent performance for visible light-driven water splitting could be obtained, with a 24-h H2 evolution rate up to 237 µmol g−1 h−1. Furthermore, suitable band alignment enables simultaneous H2 and H2O2 production in a 1:1 stoichiometric ratio. H2 and H2O2 were evolved on the conduction band of g-C3N4 and on the valance band of AgInS, respectively. The novel 3D-on-2D configuration for heterojunction construction proposed in this work provided alternative research ideas toward photocatalytic reaction.
Prostate cancer (PCa) is characterized by high incidence and propensity for easy metastasis, presenting significant challenges in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive nanomaterials provide a promising prospect for imaging-guided precision therapy. Considering that tumor-derived alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is over-expressed in metastatic PCa, it makes a great chance to develop a theranostics system with ALP responsive in the TME. Herein, an ALP-responsive aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) nanoprobe AMNF self-assembly was designed for enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of metastatic PCa. The nanoprobe exhibited self-aggregation in the presence of ALP resulted in aggregation-induced fluorescence, and enhanced accumulation and prolonged retention period at the tumor site. In terms of detection, the fluorescence (FL)/computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) multi-mode imaging effect of nanoprobe was significantly improved post-aggregation, enabling precise diagnosis through the amalgamation of multiple imaging modes. Enhanced CT/MR imaging can achieve assist preoperative tumor diagnosis, and enhanced FL imaging technology can achieve "intraoperative visual navigation", showing its potential application value in clinical tumor detection and surgical guidance. In terms of treatment, AMNF showed strong absorption in the near infrared region after aggregation, which improved the photothermal treatment effect. Overall, our work developed an effective aggregation-enhanced theranostic strategy for ALP-related cancers.
In this study, a simple and effective ratiometric fluorescence method has been developed for carbaryl detection, utilizing red emissive carbon dots (R-CDs). The underlying principle of this proposed strategy relies on the rapid hydrolysis of carbaryl under an alkaline condition and production of 1-naphthol with blue-emission at 462 nm. Furthermore, the as-synthesized R-CDs (Em. 677 nm), serve as a reference, enhancing the visual tracking of carbaryl through the transformation of fluorescent color from red to blue. The concentration of carbaryl exhibits a commendable linear correlation with the ratio of fluorescence intensity, ranging from 0 to 20 µg/mL (R2 = 0.9989) with a low detection limit of 0.52 ng/mL. Additionally, the described methodology can be used for the enzyme-free visual assay of carbaryl, even in the presence of other carbamate pesticides and metal ions, in tap water and lake water samples with excellent accuracy (spiked recoveries, 94%–106.1%), high precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) ≤ 2.42), and remarkable selectivity. This fast and highly sensitive naked-eye ratiometric sensor holds immense promise for carbaryl detection in intricate environments and food safety fields.
The interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and pollutants affects their bioavailability and toxicity. However, the processes by which NPs and pollutants change in vivo have rarely been explored. Here, using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP–MS), we found that both nanoplastics and ZnO NPs caused more Cd to accumulate in zebrafish larvae, but with distinct pathways. Nanoplastics could adsorb Cd2+ and transfer it into the larvae through the "Trojan horse" effect. The coexposure of nanoplastics and Cd2+ caused Cd to accumulate in the abdomen where the nanoplastics were located without dissociation, showing a lower toxic effect than Cd2+ exposure alone. ZnO NPs weakly adsorbed Cd2+, but they increased the Zn and Cd contents in larvae by enhancing the expression of metal transporters. The coexposure of ZnO and Cd2+ evenly distributed Cd in the larvae, revealing a more severe toxic effect than Cd2+ exposure alone. Our results demonstrated the changing bioavailability and toxicity of Cd induced by different NPs. This also shows the vital role LA-ICP-MS plays in revealing the relationship between toxicity and bioavailability. In addition, the long-term effect of bioavailability on heavy metal toxicity and nanosafety deserves further investigation.
Efficient selective adsorption and separation using porous frameworks are critical in many industrial processes, where adsorption energy and dynamic diffusion rate are predominant factors governing selectivity. They are highly susceptible to framework charge, which plays a significant role in selective adsorption. Currently, ionic porous frameworks can be divided into two types. One of them is composed of a charged backbone and counter ions. The framework with zwitterionic channels is another type. It is composed of regular and alternating arrangements of cationic and anionic building units. Herein, we report a hydrogen-bonded ionic framework (HIF) of {(CN3H6)2[Ti(μ2O)(SO4)2]}n with 1D channel exhibits unique adsorption selectivity for Ar against N2 and CO2. Density functional theory (DFT) results suggest that CO2 cannot be adsorbed by HIF at the experimental temperature due to a positive adsorption free energy. In addition, due to a relatively large diffusion barrier at 77 K, N2 molecules hardly diffuse in HIF channels, while Ar has a negligible diffusion barrier. The unique net positively-charged space in the channel is the key to the unusual phenomena, based on DFT simulations and structural analysis. The findings in this work proposes the new adsorption mechanism and provides unique perspective for special separation applications, such as isotope and noble gasses separations.
We propose and investigate a novel stable two-dimensional (2D) AlO2 with anomalous stoichiometric ratios based on first-principles calculation. 2D AlO2 has metallic properties. It possesses the rare in-plane and out-of-plane negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) phenomenon, originating from its special sawtooth-like structure. The absolute value of the NPR decreases as the number of layers increases. The adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including CH2O, C2H3Cl and C6H6 by AlO2 exhibit small adsorption distance, large adsorption energy, large charge transfer and significant density of states (DOS) changes, indicating the presence of strong interactions. The desorption time of each gas molecule on the AlO2 surface is also evaluated, and the results further suggest that the desorption of VOCs can be controlled by changing the temperature to achieve the recycling of AlO2. These interesting properties make 2D AlO2 a promising material for electronic, mechanical and sensing applications for VOCs.
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