Simple but Precise Engineering of Functional Nanocapsules through Nanoprecipitation

A general, rapid, and undemanding method to generate at will functional oil‐filled nanocapsules through nanoprecipitation is reported. On the basis of polymer and hexadecane/water/acetone phase diagrams, the composition can be set so that polymer chains preferentially stick at the interface of the oil droplets to create nanocapsules. The nanocapsules can be decorated with biorelevant molecules (biotin, fluorescent tags, metal nanoparticles) within the shell and loaded with hydrophobic molecules in a simple one‐pot procedure.     

Cationic Vesicles Based on Amphiphilic Pillar[5]arene Capped with Ferrocenium: A Redox‐Responsive System for Drug/siRNA Co‐Delivery

A novel ferrocenium capped amphiphilic pillar[5]arene (FCAP) was synthesized and self‐assembled to cationic vesicles in aqueous solution. The cationic vesicles, displaying low cytotoxicity and significant redox‐responsive behavior due to the redox equilibrium between ferrocenium cations and ferrocenyl groups, allow building an ideal glutathione (GSH)‐responsive drug/siRNA co‐delivery system for rapid drug release and gene transfection in cancer cells in which higher GSH concentration exists. This is the first report of redox‐responsive vesicles assembled from pillararenes for drug/siRNA co‐delivery; besides enhancing the bioavailability of drugs for cancer cells and reducing the adverse side effects for normal cells, these systems can also overcome the drug resistance of cancer cells. This work presents a good example of rational design for an effective stimuli‐responsive drug/siRNA co‐delivery system.     

Salt,Shake, Fuse—Giant Hybrid Polymer/Lipid Vesicles through Mechanically Activated Fusion

Large (200 nm) poly(ethylene oxide)‐b‐poly(butadiene) polymer vesicles fuse into giant (>1 μm) vesicles with mild agitation in dilute aqueous NaCl solutions. This unusual effect is attributed to the salt‐induced contraction of the poly(ethylene oxide) corona, reducing steric resistance between vesicles and, with agitation, increasing the probability of contact between the hydrophobic cores of adjacent membranes. In addition, NaCl and agitation facilitated the creation of giant hybrid vesicles from much smaller homogeneous polymersomes and liposomes. Whereas lipid vesicles do not readily fuse with each other under the same circumstances, they did fuse with polymersomes to produce hybrid polymer/lipid vesicles.     

Boron‐Double‐Ring Sheet,Fullerene, and Nanotubes: Potential Hydrogen Storage Materials

Similar to carbon‐based graphene, fullerenes and carbon nanotubes, boron atoms can form sheets, fullerenes, and nanotubes. Here we investigate several of these novel boron structures all based on the boron double ring within the framework of density functional theory. The boron sheet is found to be metallic and flat in its ground state. The spherical boron cage containing 180 atoms is also stable and has I symmetry. Stable nanotubes are obtained by rolling up the boron sheet, and all are metallic. The hydrogen storage capacity of boron nanostructures is also explored, and it is found that Li‐decorated boron sheets and nanotubes are potential candidates for hydrogen storage. For Li‐decorated boron sheets, each Li atom can adsorb a maximum of 4 H₂ molecules with g_d=7.892 wt %. The hydrogen gravimetric density increases to g_d=12.309 wt % for the Li‐decorated (0,6) boron nanotube.     

纳米结构Au/Fe_2O_3的制备、表征及催化氧化性能

分别以纳米和块状氧化铁为载体,通过沉积沉淀法制备了Au/Nano-Fe2O3和Au/Bulk-Fe2O3,并对其进行了表征和催化氧化性能测试。结果表明:对于Au/Nano-Fe2O3,5 nm Au颗粒被尺寸相当的Nano-Fe2O3所包覆,形成新颖的类似核壳结构;对于Au/Bulk-Fe2O3,3 nm Au颗粒高度分散于Bulk-Fe2O3的表面。在1-苯乙醇的氧化反应中,Au/Nano-Fe2O3显示出比Au/Bulk-Fe2O3更好的催化活性。活性的增强主要与小尺寸的Nano-Fe2O3以及Au和Nano-Fe2O3更大的接触界面有关。相比于广泛受到重视的Au的尺寸效应来说,对于Au/Nano-Fe2O3而言,Fe2O3尺寸的影响更大。     

Intrinsic Peroxidase‐like Activity of Porous CuO Micro‐/nanostructures with Clean Surface

Porous CuO micro‐/nanostructures with clean surface, prepared through Cu₂(OH)₂CO₃ precursor followed by calcination in air, were proven to be an effective peroxidase mimic. They can quickly catalyze oxidation of the peroxidase substrate 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of H₂O₂, producing a blue color. The obtained porous CuO micro‐/nanostructure have potential application in wastewater treatment. The apparent steady‐state kinetic parameter was studied with TMB as the substrate. In addition, the potential application of the porous CuO in wastewater treatment was demonstrated with phenol‐containing water as an example. Such investigation not only confirms the intrinsic peroxidase‐like activity of micro‐/nanostructured CuO, but also suggests its potential application in wastewater treatment.