Latest ArticlesLong-term fluorescence monitoring of subcellular organelles is crucial for cellular physiology and pathology studies. Lipid droplets (LDs) are increasingly recognized for their involvement in various biological processes, to influence disease development through diverse behaviors However, existing LD probes face challenges in achieving high targeting and long-term monitoring due to poor photostability and long-term phototoxicity. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have gained prominence due to their exceptional fluorescence properties, but their prevalent blue excitation wavelength presents difficulties for long-term imaging. Herein, we synthesized red-emissive carbon quantum dot (R-CQDs) with superior photobleaching resistance and red-emission, thus enabling harmlessly fluorescence monitoring of cells longer than 3 h. In addition, R-CQD exhibits suitable amphiphilicity and remarkable solvatochromic effect, allowing rapid targeting to LDs for immediate imaging without cumbersome washing steps. Hence, R-CQD shows high performance for extended observation of dynamic LD behavior in various biological processes, which is confirmed by documenting the course of LDs during starvation as well as lipotoxicity. Compared to commercial probes, R-CQD extends live cell imaging time by at least 9-fold, facilitating the study of LD behavioral characteristics under diverse physiological or pathological conditions. This work provides a reliable fluorescence tool for tracking intercellular microenvironment dynamically thus to understand the divers biological or disease mechanism.
Amorphous alloys, with unique atomic structures and metastable nature, are treated as superior candidates for environmental wastewater remediation due to their superior catalytic capabilities. Given the strong demand for environmental protection, the field of amorphous alloys in wastewater treatment has great development prospects, and numerous research results have been published in recent years. As a promising catalyst, it was demonstrated that amorphous alloys could exhibit many excellent properties in wastewater treatment, such as high catalytic efficiency, easily adjustable parameters and reliable sustainability. This paper aims to summarize recent research trends regarding amorphous alloys in the field of catalysis, focusing on the preparation methods, physical performance, catalytic mechanisms and environmental application. Meanwhile, this review also investigates the challenges encountered and future perspectives of amorphous alloys, offering new research opportunities to enlarge their applicability spectra.
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common and fatal malignancy for which there is no effective systemic therapeutic strategy. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA), a derivative of artemisinin, has been shown to exert anti-tumor effects through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and resultant mitochondrial damage. However, clinical translation is limited by several drawbacks, such as insolubility, instability and low bioavailability. Here, based on a nanomedicine-based delivery strategy, we fabricated mitochondria-targeted carrier-free nanoparticles coupling DHA and triphenylphosphonium (TPP), aiming to improve bioavailability and mitochondrial targeting. DHA-TPP nanoparticles can be passively delivered to the tumor site by enhanced penetration and retention and then internalized. Flow cytometry and Western blot analysis showed that DHA-TPP nanoparticles increased intracellular ROS, which increased mitochondrial stress and in turn upregulated the downstream Bcl-2 pathway, leading to apoptosis. In vivo experiments showed that DHA-TPP nanoparticles exhibited anti-tumor effects in a mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma. These findings suggest carrier-free DHA-TPP nanoparticles as a potential therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma.
Deep oxidation of NO molecules to nitrate species by photocatalysis with virtually no toxic byproduct NO2 generation is a challenging task. In this study, TiO2 in-situ grows based on NH2−MIL-125(Ti) (NM-125) not only inhibited TiO2 agglomeration, but also contacted more tightly to obtain efficient interfacial effects, thus displaying excellent photocatalytic NO removal activity (68.08%). The formation of TiO2 is directly confirmed by characterizations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Meanwhile, UV–vis, photoluminescence, and photoelectrochemical analysis indicate that TiO2 formation effectively improves the optical properties. Moreover, the strong electron interaction and electron transport direction between NM-125 and TiO2 are investigated by density functional theoretical (DFT) calculation. Finally, combined with the results of electron spin resonance (ESR) and in-situ FT-IR test, the intermediate processes of NO adsorption and photocatalytic oxidation reaction are discussed in depth, where the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under light is the key factor in the successful degradation of NO. Compared with NM-125 which can only produce •OH through photogenerated electrons since the lower valence band position, NMT-2 can directly produce •OH through photogenerated holes, thereby relieving the pressure on photogenerated electrons and producing more ROS. This study will provide reasonable guidance for the modification of NM-125 for photocatalytic removal of ppb-level NO.
Infections frequently occur after skin injuries, posing a significant challenge in current clinical care. Frequently changing dressings to minimize wound infections and adhesions results in large amounts of medical waste. Therefore, developing environmentally friendly multifunctional dressings has considerable application and translational significance. This study aimed to prepare a wound dressing with favorable antimicrobial properties and biosafety by grafting a natural antimicrobial peptide, polylysine, onto a traditional cotton textile dressing. The cotton textile dressing offers excellent moisture absorption and softness, while polylysine provides excellent biocompatibility, a broad antimicrobial spectrum, and high stability. Furthermore, both materials are natural and biodegradable, making them ideal for environmentally friendly wound dressings.
Na-ion cathode materials with a fast charge and discharge behavior are needed to develop future high-energy sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, inevitably complicated phase transitions and sluggish kinetics during insertion and removal of Na+ in P2-type layered transition metal oxides generate structural instability and severe capacity decay. To get rid of such a dilemma, we report a structural optimization strategy to promote P2-type layered transition metal oxides with more (010) active planes as an efficient cathode for SIBs. As a result, as-prepared hexagonal-prism P2-type layered Na0.71Ni0.16Li0.09Co0.16Mn0.6O2 cathode with more (010) active planes delivers a reversible capacity of 120.1 mAh/g at 0.1 C, impressive rate capability of 52.7 mAh/g at 10 C, and long-term cycling stability (capacity retention of 95.6% over 200 cycles). The outstanding electrochemical performance benefited from the unique hexagonal-prism with more (010) active facets, which can effectively shorten the diffusion distances of Na+, increase the Na-ion migration dynamics and nanostructural stability during cycling verified by morphology characterization, Rietveld refinement, GITT, density functional theory calculations and operando XRD.
Defects at the surface and grain boundaries of the perovskite films are extremely detrimental to both the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a simple and stable quaternary ammonium halide, named chlormequat chloride (i.e., chlorinated choline chloride, CCC), is introduced to regulate the upper surface chemical environment of perovskite films. The anion (Cl−) and cation [ClCH2CH2N(CH3)3]+ in CCC could effectively self-search and passivate positively and negatively charged ionic defects in perovskites, respectively, which contributes to inhibited nonradiative recombination and reduced energy loss in PSCs. As a result, the champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs can be significantly enhanced from 22.82% to 24.07%. Moreover, the unencapsulated device with CCC modification retains 92.0% of its original PCE even subject to thermal aging at 85 ℃ for 2496 h. This work provides guidance for the rational design of functional molecules as defect passivators in PSCs, which is beneficial for the improvements in both device performance and stability.
Zinc metal is regarded as one of the most promising anodes for Zn-based batteries in next-generation energy storage systems. However, the dendrite growth and interfacial corrosion lead to poor reversibility and cycle life of Zn anodes. Herein, we synthesize a 2-phosphate-1,2,4-butane tricarboxylic acid modified hyperbranched polyamidoamine containing rich terminal groups of phosphate and carboxyl (HPC) as modified layer for the Zn anodes. Importantly, the in situ acid-etching promotes the exposure of (002)Zn plane and the generated salt-polymer complexes could be adhered to the Zn anodes tightly. This greatly favors the uniform deposition of Zn and inhibits interfacial corrosion. Consequently, stable HPC@Zn anode plating/stripping for over 1200 h at a high areal capacity of 4 mAh/cm2 and a current density of 4 mA/cm2 is obtained. This study provides a new avenue of hyperbranched polymer in interfacial design for highly reversible and stable Zn metal anodes.
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