Latest ArticlesOxygen evolution reaction (OER), occurring at the anode of electrochemical water splitting requires a comprehensive understanding of oxygen electrocatalysis mechanism to optimize its efficiency. Atomically dispersed transition metal supported by nitrogen-doped carbon is featured with excellent catalytic performance. Herein, we report a Mg/Co bimetal site which utilizes Mg 3p electrons with strong binding of *OH (the first key reaction intermediates in the free energy diagram) to trigger the OER reaction and Co 3d itinerant character to regulate the binding strength of *O. Benefiting from the fine-tuned adsorption/desorption possesses, the optimized catalyst delivers superior OER activity with low overpotential, i.e., 310 mV at a current density of 10 mA/cm2 and 455 mV at 100 mA/cm2. Moreover, the current density is able to be maintained at 10 mA/cm2 for 10 h, consistent with the theoretical simulations for oxidization process, which demonstrates stable configurations after multiple *OH modification, revealing robust applicability in alkaline medium.
Effective design of nanoheterostructure anode with high ion/electron migration kinetics can give electrode with superior electrochemical performance. However, the design and preparation of nanoheterostructure composites with high-capacity and long cycling life in half and pouch full cells remain a big challenge. Here, a novel micro-pore MnS/Mn2SnS4 heterostructure nanowire were in situ encapsulated into the N and S elements co-doped amorphous carbon tubes (abbreviated as (MnS/Mn2SnS4)@N,S-ACTs) and showed superior energy storage properties in Na-/Li-ion half cells and pouch full cells. The Na-/Li-storage capabilities improvement are attribute to the strong synergistic effect between MnS/Mn2SnS4 heterostructure and N,S-ACTs protective layer, the former induces an local built-in electric field between Mn2SnS4 and MnS during charging/discharging, accelerating interfacial ion/electron diffusion dynamics, the latter effective maintains the morphology and volume evolution during Na+/Li+ charging/discharging, achieving a long-term cycling stability (e.g., high discharge capacity of 79.2 mAh/g with the capacity retention of 79.3% can be gained after 2200 cycles at 3 C in (MnS/Mn2SnS4)@N,S-ACTs//LiFePO4 pouch full cells; a high capacity of ~34 mAh/g at 10 C can be got with a Coulombic efficiency of 100% after 1000 cycles in pouch (MnS/Mn2SnS4)@N,S-ACTs//Na3V2(PO4)2O2F full cells.
A novel approach was developed to fabricate a label-free electrochemical aptasensor for specific detection of mercury ions (Hg2+). This involved modifying polylysine (PLL)-coated black phosphorus-porous graphene (BP-PG) nanocomposites (PLL/BP-PG) onto the surface of glassy carbon electrodes (GCE), which were further modified with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to combine with a thiolated aptamer (Apt) capable of specifically recognizing Hg2+. BP-PG was synthesized using the solvothermal method and covalently bonded to form BP-PG nanosheets, resulting in significant enhanced electrochemical properties of the PLL/BP-PG composite. Furthermore, the PLL/BP-PG composite was improved environmental stability of BP and provided a considerable quantity of -NH2 for bonding to AuNPs firmly by assembling. The physical properties and electrochemical behavior of the substrate materials were investigated using various characterization techniques, and analytical parameters were optimized. It is shown that, the Apt/AuNPs/PLL/BP-PG/GCE had a linear response (R2 = 0.999) with good selectivity and high sensitivity over the Hg2+ range of 1–10,000 nmol/L. The proposed sensor has a detection limit of 0.045 nmol/L and can be employed for detecting of Hg2+. It also obtained satisfying results in river water, soil and vegetable samples.
The complicated and diverse deep defects, voids, and grain boundary in the CZTSSe absorber are the main reasons for carrier recombination and efficiency degradation. The further improvement of the open-circuit voltage and fill factor so as to increase the efficiency of CZTSSe device is urgent. In this work, we obtained K-doped CZTSSe absorber by a simple solution method. The medium-sized K atoms, which combine the advantages of light and heavy alkali metals, are able to enter the grain interior as well as segregate at grain boundary. The K-Se liquid phase can improve the absorber crystallinity. We find that the accumulation of the wide bandgap compound K2Sn2S5 at grain boundary can increase the contact potential difference of grain boundary, form more effective hole barriers, and enhance the charge separation ability. At the same time, K doping passivates the interface as well as bulk defects and suppresses the non-radiative recombination. The improved crystallinity, enhanced charge transport capability and reduced defect density due to K doping result in a significant enhancement of the carrier lifetime, leading to 13.04% device efficiency. This study provides a new idea for simultaneous realization of grain boundary passivation and defect suppression in inorganic kesterite solar cells.
Triple-negative breast cancer, due to its aggressive nature and lack of targeted treatment, faces serious challenges in breast cancer treatment. Conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy, are encumbered by a range of limitations, and there is an urgent need for more effective treatment strategies. Ferroptosis, as an iron-dependent form of cell death, has exhibited promising potential in cancer treatment. Combining ferroptosis with other cancer therapies offers new avenues for treatment. Tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN), a novel DNA-based three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterial, is promising drug delivery vehicle and can be utilized for functionalizing inorganic nanomaterials. In this work, we have demonstrated the preparation of Fe3O4-PEI@TDN-DOX nanocomposites and elucidated their antitumor mechanism. The TDN facilitated the enhanced cellular uptake of polyetherimide (PEI)-modified Fe3O4, and the delivery of the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) further augmented their anti-tumor effect. This novel strategy can destroy the tumor redox homeostasis and produce overwhelming lipid peroxides, consequently sensitizing the tumor to ferroptosis. The integration of ferroptosis with other cancer therapies opens up new possibilities for treatment. This research provides valuable mechanistic insights and practical strategies for leveraging nanotechnology to induce ferroptosis and amplify its impact on tumor cells.
Skin wound healing is an important aspect of regenerative medicine. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted considerable attention as promising nanomaterials for skin wound healing due to their remarkable versatility, tunable pore size, surface area, targeted delivery of various therapeutic agents, and controlled release properties. The combination of these materials with biocompatible and synthetic polymers can help improve their performance in wound regeneration. This review examines the potential of MOF-polymer composites in skin wound healing. Physical and biological chemical properties and methods of making MOFs and their composites have been investigated. In the final section of this review, challenges and future prospects for the development of MOF-polymer composites are stated.
For the first time, proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTAC) technology was utilized to achieve the isoform-selective degradation of class Ⅰ phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) in this study. Through screening and optimization, the PROTAC molecule ZM-PI05 was identified as a selective degrader of p110α in multiple breast cancer cells. More importantly, the degrader can down-regulate p85 regulatory subunit simultaneously, thereby inhibiting the non-enzymatic functions of PI3K that are independent on p110 catalytic subunits. Therefore, compared with PI3K inhibitor copanlisib, ZM-PI05 displayed the stronger anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cells. In brief, a selective and efficient PROTAC molecule was developed to induce the degradation of p110α and concurrent reduction of p85 proteins, providing a tool compound for the biological study of PI3K-α by blocking its enzymatic and non-enzymatic functions.
Nanoparticles that employ stimuli-responsive polymeric delivery carriers have emerged as intelligent nanoplatforms with great potential in cancer theranostics, mainly including cancer diagnosis, controlled/triggered drug delivery, and real-time monitoring of therapeutic response. Particularly, tumor microenvironment (TME)-responsive polymeric nanocarriers in response to weak acidity, hypoxia, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glutathione (GSH), or tumor enzymes in the TME show great promise in facilitating tumor accumulation, enhancing tumor penetration, prolonging tumor retention, and achieving controlled drug release, thereby improving the efficiency of tumor therapy. Besides, the combination of chemotherapy and phototherapy presents a promising endeavor for the treatment of tumors, which allows for the integration of the advantages of each treatment modality, addressing the shortcomings of the two methods, and amplifying the efficacy of tumor treatment while reducing adverse reactions. This review focuses on the latest progress in the development of TME-responsive polymeric nanoparticles for synergetic chemo-photo therapy, and discusses the critical challenges and future considerations involved in the fabrication of TME-responsive nanocarriers.
Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) relying on the transformation of endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals (•OH) based on the catalysis of Fenton/Fenton-type reactions exhibits great potentiality for cancer treatment. However, the inadequate H2O2 supply and intricate redox homeostasis in tumor microenvironment (TME) severely impair the efficacy of CDT. Herein, we design self-assembled 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine conjugated polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG)-modified Fe(Ⅲ)-juglone nanoscale coordination polymers (FJP NCPs) as redox homeostasis disruptors for juglone-enhanced CDT. Responding to glutathione (GSH)-rich and acidic TME, the Fe2+/Fe3+-guided CDT and GSH consumption by Fe3+ are activated, resulting in •OH downstream and up-regulation of lipid peroxidation (LPO). In addition, the released juglone not only depletes GSH through Michael addition, but also elevates intracellular H2O2 level for achieving •OH further bursting. With the impressive efficiency of GSH exhaustion and reactive oxygen species (ROS) storm generation, ferroptosis and apoptosis are significantly enhanced by FJP NCPs in vivo. In brief, this facile and efficient design for versatile nanoscale coordination polymers presents a novel paradigm for effectively elevating CDT efficiency and tumor synergistic therapy.
The low drug bioavailability of eye drops challenges the therapy of ocular disorders with high efficacy. One of solutions is to extend the corneal retention and enhance the penetration of drug into cornea. Here we synthesize two fluorophore-conjugated peptide based analogs rich in positive charges (i.e., NBD-FFKK) and with a specific ligand (i.e., NBD-FFRGD), respectively, to visualize their performances in vitro and in vivo. The peptides both can self-assemble into supramolecular hydrogels with the microstructure of nanofibers. The in vitro experiments exhibit that two peptides are both uniformly distributed in cytoplasm, and the intracellular amount of peptide rich in positive charges is significantly larger than that of peptide with a specific ligand. The living corneal fluorescence shows that two peptides enter the corneal stroma within 15 min, and the peptide rich in positive charges is accumulated more extensively throughout the entire cornea, revealing that the supramolecular hydrogel eye drops penetrate the cornea more efficiently via electrostatic interaction than that via ligand-receptor interaction. This work, as a comparative study of supramolecular hydrogel eye drops on penetrating efficiency, indicates a possible direction for the design of eye drops with efficient corneal penetration.
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