Enhanced affinochromism of polydiacetylene monolayer in response to bacteria by incorporating CdS nano-crystallites

By incorporating bio-specific receptors, such as p-10,12-pentacosadiyne-1-N-(3,6,9-trioxaundecylamide)-alpha-D-mannopyranoside (MPDA), into 10,12-pentacosadiyonic acid (PDA) monolayer, the MPDA/PDA monolayer underwent affinochromatic transition in response to the bacteria binding to the receptor. Here, we described a new method to study the membrane/macromolececular interaction between Escherichia coli (E. coli) and mannose and its relative affinochromism by modifying MPDA/PDA with CdS nano-crystallites (MPDA/PDA-CdS). CdS not only triggered the strong tropism of the bacteria but also reduced the rigidity of the MPDA/PDA backbone, resulting in the enhanced affinochromism. This discovery might be of significance in basic biophysical studies of membrane/macromolececular and designing novel biosensor.     

Microstructural evolution during oxidative ablation in air for polyacrylonitrile based carbon fibers with different graphite degrees

Polyacrylonitrile‐based carbon fibers with different graphite degrees were oxidative ablated at 500 and 600 °C in air. By Thermal gravimetric (TG), Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and SEM, the mass loss, microstructure, and surface morphology of carbon fibers were investigated. The mass loss of carbon fiber increases linearly with increasing oxidative ablated time under 500 and 600 °C. The carbon fiber with higher graphite degree shows higher oxidative resistance, and the surface roughness increases gradually because of chemical ablation during the whole oxidation. A gloss morphology appears on the surface primarily because of physical denudation for carbon fibers with lower graphite degree and then burn off according to carbon and oxygen reaction. The crystallite size (La) decreases significantly, while interlayer spacing(d₀₀₂) remains nearly unchanged. SEM observation suggests the two kinds of ablation mechanisms for carbon fibers with different graphite degrees indicating that CC band in sp³ hybridization prefers to be attacked by oxygen molecule more than that in sp² hybridization during oxidation ablation in air. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Fe-N-C Nanozyme with Both Accelerated and Inhibited Biocatalytic Activities Capable of Accessing Drug–Drug Interactions

Emerging as a cost-effective and robust enzyme mimic, nanozymes have drawn increasing attention with broad applications ranging from cancer therapy to biosensing. Developing nanozymes with both accelerated and inhibited biocatalytic properties in a biological context is intriguing to peruse more advanced functions of natural enzymes, but remains challenging, because most nanozymes are lack of enzyme-like molecular structures. By re-visiting and engineering the well-known Fe-N-C electrocatalyst that has a heme-like Fe-N_x active sites, herein, it is reported that Fe-N-C could not only catalyze drug metabolization but also had inhibition behaviors similar to cytochrome P450 (CYP), endowing it a potential replacement of CYP for preliminary evaluation of massive potential chemicals, drug dosing guide, and outcome prediction. In addition, in contrast to electrocatalysts, the highly graphitic framework of Fe-N-C may not be obligatory for a competitive CYP-like activity.     

Facile Preparation of WO3−x Dots with Remarkably Low Toxicity and Uncompromised Activity as Co-reactants for Clinical Diagnosis by Electrochemiluminescence

The exceptional nature of WO_3−x dots has inspired widespread interest, but it is still a significant challenge to synthesize high-quality WO_3−x dots without using unstable reactants, expensive equipment, and complex synthetic processes. Herein, the synthesis of ligand-free WO_3−x dots is reported that are highly dispersible and rich in oxygen vacancies by a simple but straightforward exfoliation of bulk WS₂ and a mild follow-up chemical conversion. Surprisingly, the WO_3−x dots emerged as co-reactants for the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) of Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ with a comparable ECL efficiency to the well-known Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/tripropylamine (TPrA) system. Moreover, compared to TPrA, whose toxicity remains a critical issue of concern, the WO_3−x dots were ca. 300-fold less toxic. The potency of WO_3−x dots was further explored in the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) with the most competitive limit of detection so far.     

The Fe‐N‐C Nanozyme with Both Accelerated and Inhibited Biocatalytic Activities Capable of Accessing Drug–Drug Interactions

Emerging as a cost‐effective and robust enzyme mimic, nanozymes have drawn increasing attention with broad applications ranging from cancer therapy to biosensing. Developing nanozymes with both accelerated and inhibited biocatalytic properties in a biological context is intriguing to peruse more advanced functions of natural enzymes, but remains challenging, because most nanozymes are lack of enzyme‐like molecular structures. By re‐visiting and engineering the well‐known Fe‐N‐C electrocatalyst that has a heme‐like Fe‐N_x active sites, herein, it is reported that Fe‐N‐C could not only catalyze drug metabolization but also had inhibition behaviors similar to cytochrome P450 (CYP), endowing it a potential replacement of CYP for preliminary evaluation of massive potential chemicals, drug dosing guide, and outcome prediction. In addition, in contrast to electrocatalysts, the highly graphitic framework of Fe‐N‐C may not be obligatory for a competitive CYP‐like activity.     

苯乙烯-甲基丙烯酸羟基乙酯共聚物微球固载金属卟啉催化剂的制备及其催化性能

 将酰氯化的羧基金属卟啉 (MP) 与表面含羟基的苯乙烯-甲基丙烯酸羟基乙酯共聚物微球 (P(St-co-HEMA)) 进行酯化反应, 制备了共聚物微球固载的金属卟啉催化剂 (P(St-co-HEMA)MP). 采用扫描电镜、紫外-可见光谱、红外光谱和热重等手段对微球进行了表征, 并考察了它在“金属卟啉?抗坏血酸?分子氧”体系中催化环己烷羟化反应性能. 结果表明, 共聚物微球固载的金属卟啉比非固载的金属卟啉具有更高的催化活性, 催化剂重复使用 4 次, 仍保持较高催化活性. 各共聚物微球固载的金属卟啉催化活性顺序为 P(St-co-HEMA)FeP > P(St-co-HEMA)MnP > P(St-co-HEMA)CoP.     

异质结太阳电池硅衬底绒面陷光结构的优化

硅异质结(SHJ)太阳电池作为备受关注的新型高效太阳电池,是在单晶硅表面沉积非晶硅薄膜制备而成的。将绒面结构的单晶硅衬底应用于异质结太阳电池,可以减少光的反射,增强光吸收的效率,从而提高太阳电池短路电流密度。利用湿法化学腐蚀对单晶硅衬底表面进行制绒,通过优化影响绒面形貌的几个关键参数,包括异丙醇浓度、时间、衬底类型和硅酸钠的含量,最终通过在n型单晶硅衬底上制绒,使波长为1011 nm处最低反射率从制绒前的34.7%降低到了9.14%,将制绒衬底应用到异质结太阳电池上,短路电流由32.06 m A/cm-2提升到36.16 m A/cm-2,有效地改善了SHJ太阳电池的性能。     

Ion-exchange synthesis of a micro/mesoporous Zn2GeO4 photocatalyst at room temperature for photoreduction of CO2

Micro/mesoporous Zn(2)GeO(4) with crystalline pore-walls was successfully synthesized via a simple ion exchange method at room temperature. This structure showed enhanced activity in photoreduction of CO(2) in comparison with Zn(2)GeO(4) prepared by a solid state reaction.     

Directing single-walled carbon nanotubes to self-assemble at water/oil interfaces and facilitate electron transfer

Both the behavior and the general key factors for assembling flexible SWNT films at the water/oil interface were investigated; the electron transfer, one of the most fundamental chemical processes, at the SWNT-sandwiched water/oil interface was also firstly illustrated using scanning electrochemical microscopy.     

Insight into Iron Leaching from an Ascorbate-Oxidase-like Fe−N−C Nanozyme and Oxygen Reduction Selectivity**

Ascorbate (H₂A) is a well-known antioxidant to protect cellular components from free radical damage and has also emerged as a pro-oxidant in cancer therapies. However, such “contradictory” mechanisms underlying H₂A oxidation are not well understood. Herein, we report Fe leaching during catalytic H₂A oxidation using an Fe−N−C nanozyme as a ferritin mimic and its influence on the selectivity of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Owing to the heterogeneity, the Fe-N_x sites in Fe−N−C primarily catalyzed H₂A oxidation and 4 e⁻ ORR via an iron-oxo intermediate. Nonetheless, trace O₂⋅⁻ produced by marginal N−C sites through 2 e⁻ ORR accumulated and attacked Fe-N_x sites, leading to the linear leakage of unstable Fe ions up to 420 ppb when the H₂A concentration increased to 2 mM. As a result, a substantial fraction (ca. 40 %) of the N−C sites on Fe−N−C were activated, and a new 2+2 e⁻ ORR path was finally enabled, along with Fenton-type H₂A oxidation. Consequently, after Fe ions diffused into the bulk solution, the ORR at the N−C sites stopped at H₂O₂ production, which was the origin of the pro-oxidant effect of H₂A.