Latest ArticlesThe 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.
Epoxy resin-reinforced graphite composites have found extensive application as bipolar plates in fuel cells for stationary power supplies, valued for their lightweight nature and exceptional durability. To enhance the interfacial properties between graphite and epoxy resin (EP), surface oxidation of graphite was carried out using diverse functional groups. Experimental assessments illustrated that the composites with graphite oxide resulted in heightened mechanical strength and toughness compared to pristine graphite, which could be attributed to the excellent interface connection. Moreover, these composites displayed remarkable conductivity while simultaneously retaining their mechanical attributes. Furthermore, molecular dynamics simulations outcomes unveiled that the inclusion of oxygen-containing functional groups on the graphite surface augmented the interfacial energy with EP, and the interface morphology between graphite and resin exhibited heightened stability throughout the stretching process. This simple and effective technique presents opportunities for improving composites interfaces, enabling high load transfer efficiency, and opens up a potential path for developing strong and tough composite bipolar plates for fuel cells.
As a vital negative regulator of Wnt signaling pathway, human Notum (hNotum) plays a crucial regulatory role in the progression of many human diseases. Deciphering the relevance of hNotum to human diseases requires practical and reliable tools for visualizing hNotum activity in living systems. Herein, an enzyme-activatable fluorogenic tool (IR-783 octanoate) was rationally engineered for sensing and imaging hNotum activity in living systems by integrating computer-aided molecular design and biochemical assays. IR-783 octanoate showed good optical properties, excellent specificity and high binding-affinity towards hNotum (Km = 0.98 µmol/L). IR-783 octanoate could be well up-taken into the cancerous cells or tumors that over-expressed organic anion transporting polypeptides (OATPs), and then hydrolyzed by cellular hNotum to release free IR-783 ketone, which created brightly fluorescent signals around 646 nm. Further investigations showed that IR-783 octanoate achieved a good performance for in-situ functional imaging of hNotum in both living cells, cancerous tissues and organs. It was also found that some SW620 cells with multipolar spindles could be stained by IR-783 octanoate to emit extremely bright signals, suggesting that this agent could be used as a novel visualizing tool for tracing the cells undergoing abnormal cell mitoses. Collectively, this study devises a highly specific fluorogenic tool for in-situ functional imaging of hNotum in living systems, which offers a practical and reliable tool to dynamically track the changes in hNotum activity under various conditions.
Metal batteries have attracted considerable attention from researchers because of their low reduction voltage and high specific capacity. However, the reduction in the capacity and lifespan of batteries caused by the dendrite growth of metal anode limits the development of metal batteries. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can be used to protect metal anodes owing to their advantages of ideal specific surface area, tunable porosity, and physiochemical stability in electrolytes. Therefore, MOFs have been extensively investigated in metal batteries. The introduction of MOFs to the metal anode interface can greatly improve the performance of batteries. In this review, the synthesis methods of typical MOFs and their derivatives, their protective mechanism on the metal anode, including Li, Na, K, Zn, and Mg, and their effects on the performance of metal batteries were elucidated. This review would help to design and apply MOFs to the anode interface in metal batteries.
Enhancing the active tumor targeting ability and decreasing the clearance of reticuloendothelial system (RES) are important issues for drug delivery systems (DDSs) in cancer therapy. In recent years, cell membrane camouflage, as one of the biomimetic modification strategies, has shown huge potential. Many natural properties of source cells can be inherited, allowing the DDSs to successfully avoid phagocytosis by macrophages, prolong circulation time, and achieve homologous targeting to lesion tissue. In this study, a cancer cell membrane camouflaged nanoplatform based on gelatin with a typical core-shell structure was developed for cancer chemotherapy. Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded gelatin nanogel (NG@DOX) acted as the inner core, and 4T1 (mouse breast carcinoma cell) membrane was set as the outer shell (M-NG@DOX). The M-NG platform enhanced the ability of homologous targeting due to the surface protein of cell membrane being completely retained, which could promote the cell uptake of homotypic cells, avoid phagocytosis by RAW264.7 macrophages, and therefore increase accumulation in tumor tissue. Meanwhile, due to the better controlled drug release capability of M-NG@DOX, premature release of DOX in circulation could be reduced, minimizing side effects in common chemotherapy. As a result, the biomimetic nanoplatform in this study, obtained by a cancer cell membrane camouflaged drug delivery system, efficiently reached desirable tumor elimination, providing a significant strategy for effective targeted therapy and specific carcinoma therapy.
Aliphatic C(sp3)–H moieties are ubiquitous in numerous organic compounds. Direct functionalization of inert C(sp3)–H bonds is a powerful and straightforward approach for the efficient construction of diverse carbon–carbon or carbon–heteroatom bonds. Chelating group directed metal-catalyzed remote functionalization of readily available alkenes has emerged as an appealing strategy for rapidly accessing various value-added aliphatic molecules. With the aid of directing groups, various α-, β- and γ-functionalized alkanes could be synthesized smoothly with excellent regioselectivity. The preferred formation of a stable five- or six-membered metallacycle intermediate terminates the chain-walking at a specific methylene site, which serves as the driving force for excellent site-selective migratory functionalization. This review herein is aimed at summarizing the recent progress on the metal-catalyzed regiodivergent functionalization of unactivated alkenes by merging alkene isomerization and cross-coupling with the assistance of directing auxiliary. Last but not least, the current situations and future directions in this field are highlighted and discussed.
Melanoma treatment has been revolutionized with the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies, which shows a positive influence on the patients. However, the long-term efficaciousness of such therapy is restricted by side effects, limited clinical effects as well as quick resistance to treatment. In this work, we prepared magnetocaloric carrier-free bimetallic hydrogels, named manganese-iron oxide nanocubes@polyethylene glycol-hydrogels (MFO@PEG-Gels), to realize ion-interferential cell cycle arrest for melanoma treatment. In detail, the tumor site was exposed to alternating magnetic field (AMF) after intratumorally injected MFO@PEG-Gels, which generated hyperthermia and promoted the sol-gel phase transition for MFO sustained release. Under the tumor microenvironment, hydrogen peroxide triggered MFO degradation to induce Mn2+ and Fe3+ release. On one hand, Mn2+ blocked G1/S phase through the activation of p27 pathway. On the other hand, Fe3+ could arrest the G2/M phase by upregulating the polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4) expression as well as inhibiting autolysosome formation to achieve the enhanced cell cycle arrest, thereby promoting the apoptosis of melanoma cells. In summary, this study proposed ion-interferential cell cycle arrest strategy by a multifunctional and injectable magnetic bimetallic hydrogel for melanoma treatment, which provided a secure and sustainable regimen for enhancing anti-tumor efficacy.
Silicon (Si) is considered as one of the most promising anode materials for advanced lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity, environmental friendliness, and widespread availability. However, great challenges such as volumetric expansion, limited ionic/electronic conductivity properties and complex manufacturing processes hinder its practical applications. Herein, a novel plasma-enhanced reduced graphene oxide fibers/Si (PrGOFs/Si) composite anode is first proposed by using wet-spinning technology followed by plasma-enhanced reduction method. The PrGOFs provide large space to accommodate the volume expansion of Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) by forming a flexible 3D conductive network. Compared to the conventional thermally reduced graphene oxide fibers/Si (TrGOFs/Si) sample, the PrGOFs/Si anodes demonstrate higher conductivity, specific surface area, and superior fabrication efficiency. Accordingly, the PrGOFs/Si anodes exhibit a reversible capacity of 698.3 mAh/g, and maintain a specific capacity of 602.5 mAh/g at a current density of 200 mA/g after 100 cycles, superior to conventional TrGOFs/Si counterparts. This research presents a novel strategy for the preparation of high-performance Si/carbon anodes for energy storage applications.
Nanozymes are the paradigm for bridging inorganic nanomaterials with biology and environment for taking the spontaneous responsibilities to outplay natural enzymes. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are mesoporous materials of inorganic-organic coordination, bearing ampoules of active/target sites and having the tendency to mimic natural enzymes. Thus MOF-based nanozymes (NZs) could be recognized for their tremendous potential for bio-catalysis. However, MOFs are of four types namely: modified MOFs, pristine MOFs, MOF-derived materials and MOFs comprised of natural enzymes. The MOFs-based NZ modulated via ultrasound, light, and heat revealed diversified applications. This article is concentrated on different methods for the preparation of MOF-based NZ for mimicking the responses of catalases, multi-functional enzymes, oxidases, superoxide dismutase, hydrolases, and peroxidases, progress and challenges of MOFs/MOF-based materials for exploiting their recent and futuristic approaches in biomedical sector.
Antibacterial agent of activatable photosensitizer not only has the advantages of traditional photosensitizers, such as good curative effect and low resistance, but also has better selectivity for bacteria and lower toxicity to normal tissues. Limited reports of activatable photosensitizer can be used to treat drug-resistant bacteria. In order to meet this challenge, we designed and synthesized an activatable photosensitizer (Ce-OHOA), which can not only selectively identify methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) with high expression of β-lactamase by fluorescence imaging, but also kill MRSA with less than 10 times the concentration and 10 times the irradiation dose of CySG-2 reported. Ce-OHOA not only combines the dual functions of fluorescence diagnosis and photodynamic therapy, but also selectively acts on bacteria with high expression of β-lactamase and has little toxicity to normal cells. We expect that the study of this activating photosensitizer will provide a new solution for antibacterial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) of drug-resistant bacteria.
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