Selective detection of toxic pollutants present in water has been a severe challenge to the scientific community for a long time. The noble integration of optical fiber-based interferometry with a bio-recognizing element molecular imprinting polymer (MIP) exhibits a promising technique for selective and susceptible biochemical detection. Here, we report a compact, stable, reproducible, and label-free optical sensor using a combined approach of photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-based modal interferometry and MIP nanoparticles (MIP-NPs) for selective detection of water pollutant p-cresol with an extremely low limit of detection (LOD). The MIP-NPs having a greater surface-to-volume aspect ratio allows more target analytes to bind. The sensor immobilized with MIP-NPs shows unprecedented sensitivity of 1.865 × 108 nm/M with specific and repeatable detection performance for a broad dynamic detection range of 10–8–10–3 M. The sensor offers a remarkable detection ability of as low as 1.55 nM concentrations of p-cresol in the aqueous medium, for water quality monitoring. Fast response, high resolution, compact size, label-free broad detection range, and selective reusable performance of the proposed sensor exhibit potential for board practical utilizations, including medical sectors, online and remote biosensing, and water resource monitoring.

Electrochemical supercapacitors (SCs) are high-efficiency electrochemical energy storage devices that can deliver energy at a very fast rate. Metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are promising materials with great potential for commercial SC applications. In this study, a two-step synthetic strategy was developed to produce porous nanostructured ZnCoNi-LDH nanosheets (NSs) from bimetallic MOFs through a chemical reduction method. All the as-synthesized materials were characterized for their crystal structure, phase, morphology, and surface construction. The optimized ZnCo2Ni-LDH composition exhibited the best charge storage ability and specific capacitance among the different as-synthesized compositions. The specific capacitance of the fabricated device ZnCo2Ni-LDH||cellulose paper-KOH||ZnCo2Ni-LDH was found to be 348.2 F g–1 at 1.0 A g–1, with a maximum energy density of 54.4 W h kg–1 and a power density of 4439.0 W kg–1. After 10,000 continuous charge–discharge cycles, the device retained 86% of its capacitance. It also delivered a high-capacitance-specific Coulombic efficiency (57–60%). A mechanistic study corroborated the experimental results that the high pore volume, possible insertion of a greater number of electrolyte ions, multioxidation states of Ni and Co ions, and their synergistic effect with Zn2+ all contributed to the diffusion-controlled charge storage behavior. The charge storage characteristics of the device were found to be a combination of redox and electrostatic effects, forming a facile hybrid SC.

Recently, novel two-dimensional materials, e.g., Xenes (graphdiyne, phosphorene, bismuthene, antimonene, etc.) and MXenes, have drawn great attention in nanophotonics due to their excellent flexibility, high photothermal conversion efficiency, and large thermal conductivity. Although the Xenes and MXenes have achieved rapid progress in many fields over the past decade, their relatively poor photodetection and nonlinear photonics have still limited their practical applications. In this work, a mixed-dimensional 2D MXene V2CTx nanosheet (NS)/0D bismuth quantum dot (Bi QD)-based heterostructure fabricated by a combination of selective etching and the hydrothermal method was simply deposited onto a clean poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate with an embedded regular Ag lattice to prepare a flexible photoelectrochemical (PEC) electrode. The PEC result shows that the as-fabricated flexible electrode not only exhibits significantly improved photocurrent density (32.7 μA cm–2) and photoresponsivity (906 μA W–1) compared to individual MXene V2CTx NSs and Bi QDs but also displays high stability with a stable photocurrent density even after 200 bending cycles at 60°. Taking advantage of the Kerr effect of both MXene V2CTx NSs and Bi QDs, an all-optical switcher based on this mix-dimensional heterostructure for the spatial cross-phase modulation has also been realized with a preferred modulation depth. Density functional theory calculations provide direct evidence for the strong internal built-in electric field (7.3 × 107 eV m–1) created by the heterostructure for the enhancement of both photodetection and nonlinear photonics. The integration of Xenes or MXene-based mixed-dimensional heterostructures provides a concept and fundamental guidance to construct next-generation optoelectronic and photonic devices.

UV irradiation on native graphene oxide (GO) surfaces in a cation-forming liquid yields surface cationic species that graft the reaction product directly on the GO surface. These surface cations also enhance the intrinsic photoluminescence of GO. The formation of pyrylium as the surface cation is proposed to be responsible for both effects. Using a micrometer-scale photomask, GO itself is used as a 2D platform to form chemical patterns by photoluminescence, cationic polymerization, and reactions with nucleophiles under UV or visible light exposure. Postpatterning by adsorption and fabricating a functionally graded surface are also described for further applications. Our finding offers a versatile light-exposure-based technique to mass-produce the GO microchips with a high integration density.

This study investigates the acoustic response of phospholipid-coated, hydrophobically modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles (PL-HMSNs) for image-guided drug delivery. PL-HMSNs were first stabilized with a PEGylated lipid, DSPE-PEG2k-methoxy, and the effect of particle concentration on the high-intensity focused ultrasound-induced cavitation threshold was explored. We found that increasing the particle concentration from 0 to 200 μg/mL decreased the acoustic pressure threshold for cavitation from ∼14 to ∼11 MPa, depending on the formulation. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)-, distearoylphosphatidylcholine (DSPC)-, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DOPC)-, and 1,2-dibehenoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DBPC)-HMSNs gave similar cavitation thresholds. Dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC)-stabilized particles showed little to no cavitation, which was attributed to DLPC’s high critical micelle concentration. DOPC-HMSNs had a higher uptake into HTB-9 human urinary bladder cancer cells than DSPC HMSNs, which is consistent with liposome delivery reports using unsaturated lipids. Finally, the effect of mixed lipid tail lengths was investigated by combining fluid-forming DOPC with gel-forming lipids. Cavitation signal intensities for mixed lipid-stabilized HMSNswere significantly higher than those for pure lipids, which was ascribed to reduced line tension of mixed lipids. Our findings highlight that higher particle concentrations and longer lipid tail lengths can lower the cavitation threshold of PL-HMSNs, and combining saturated lipids with DOPC can amplify the cavitation response. These results provide insights for optimizing lipid-stabilized solid ultrasound contrast agents for drug delivery applications and show how common lipid formulations can be imparted with acoustic activity.

In our original paper (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acsanm.3c00351), eqs 6 and 8 need corrected. The authors note that the corrections do not change the conclusions of the paper but should be noted for understanding Figure 8. The authors apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. On page 6659, eq 6 should be On page 6659, eq 7 should be This article has not yet been cited by other publications.

Frictional losses are one of the main factors affecting the reliability and service life of mechanical components. In this article, black phosphorus quantum dots (BPQDs) were prepared using the sonication exfoliation approach and investigated as aqueous solution lubrication. The prepared BPQDs with average diameters of 3.1 ± 0.6 nm were evenly distributed in pure water and exhibited excellent dispersion stability. Pure water and BPQDs aqueous solution were added at the same amount each time between the ball (GCr15 steel) and the plate (diamond-like carbon coating deposited on the surface of TC4 titanium alloy) to evaluate the differences in their tribological properties. The addition of BPQDs to pure water resulted in a 36.5% reduction in the coefficient of friction (COF) compared to pure water. The calculated wear rates also decreased by 59.0% at the same time (10 N). The initial Hertzian contact pressure ranged from 1000 to 1300 MPa. Additionally, the superior friction reduction and antiwear performance of the BPQD aqueous solution are principally attributable to the tribofilm that forms on the worn surface as well as its adsorption and rolling effect. This work aims to provide some meaningful guidelines for tribologists on the future study of BPQDs with low friction and low wear in the field of solid–liquid composite lubrication systems.

In an attempt to develop a nanomedicine with the ability to produce combination chemo- and photodynamic therapeutic effects in cancer, herein, we fabricated poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) using human serum albumin (HSA) as the surface modifier via the emulsification technique to co-deliver both a photosensitizer, chlorin e6 (Ce6), and a chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel (PTX). The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs were characterized for size, morphology, drug loading, entrapment efficiencies, drug release, hemolytic tendency, and kinetic/storage stabilities by dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), ultraviolet (UV), infrared (IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis. The protein integrity in NPs was verified by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl–sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The ability to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Ce6 was monitored biochemically using DMA, RNO, and singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG). Next, cell studies using murine melanoma (B16F10) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (FaDu) were performed to determine cellular uptake, laser irradiation-assisted cytotoxicity, combination drug effect, and cell death mechanisms. The in vivo therapeutic efficacy was analyzed using tumor (B16F10)-bearing mice. The NPs released both PTX and Ce6 sustainably with the enhancement of drug release at a low pH of 4.6. The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs exhibited photostimulated ROS production, resulting in enhanced cytotoxicity than monotherapies and induced a synergistic therapeutic response in FaDu cells (24 and 48 h of treatment). The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs exhibited extensive apoptotic induction, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage in the G2/M phase, and mitochondrial membrane perturbation compared to the free Ce6 and PTX and Ce6- or PTX-loaded NPs. The Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs reduced the tumor weight by 5.99% compared to the control and ∼2.66% compared to the free drugs, demonstrating the most effective treatment modality of all the tested formulations in the in vivo experiment using B16F10 tumor-bearing mice and in the immunohistochemistry analysis. Ce6/PTX-H/P NPs could be a promising treatment option for solid tumors.

As a fundamental component for health monitoring, human–machine interactions, and electronic skin, a flexible pressure sensor always faces the challenge of either a limited sensing range or inferior sensitivity. To overcome the trade-off between high sensitivity and a wide sensing range, here, we constructed a mass-gradient distribution of Cu onto a textile coated with Ti3C2Tx nanosheets through an additive-assisted electrodeposition technique. The synergistic effects of the flexible and knitted structural textile substrate and the mass-gradient distribution of the as-deposited Cu gave a continuous change in not only the contact area but the conductivity of the contact points of the sensor under compressive loading. Thus, the sensor exhibited both a high sensitivity of up to 67.91 kPa–1 and a wide sensing range of 905 kPa, simultaneously. In addition, the sensor demonstrated excellent cycling stability after 1000 cyclic loadings, a fast response/recovery time of 30/50 ms, and excellent breathability, which endows it with wide applications, including monitoring human physiological signals, transmitting encrypted information, and distinguishing the spatial distribution of pressure in real time.

Developing multifunctional electronic fabrics with sensing capabilities, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and Joule heating performance holds great significance for health monitoring and medical protection. However, most fabrics struggle to combine multiple functions and optimize them simultaneously. For example, achieving both high sensitivity and a wide detection range in sensing devices remains a challenge. In this paper, we present a multidimensional composite structure comprising MXene Ti3C2Tx nano lamellar, self-assembled lotus leaf-like MXene/EGaIn and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) assembled on the surface of thermoplastic polyurethane to create a multifunctional MXene EGaIn/MXene CNT fabric (MEMC fabric). The multidimensional materials form a stable conductive network under tension. As a strain sensor, the MEMC fabric exhibits a large sensing range (0–360%) and ultra-high sensitivity (GF ∼ 114,700), making it suitable for artificial eardrum research. Additionally, MEMC demonstrates excellent EMI shielding effect (∼73 dB) and maintains good EMI shielding performance under tensile conditions. The fabric also showcases outstanding Joule heating performance (low voltage drive ∼2 V, fast heating time ∼13 s, and high heating stability ∼4000 s). This paper also demonstrates the multifunctional combination of MEMC fabrics, achieving simultaneous sensing, EMI shielding, and Joule heating functions under stretching. This work offers a forward-looking approach for constructing multifunctional composite fabrics, and the resulting MEMC composite materials hold potential applications in portable electronic devices and defense industries.

Discovering sources of transition metals, such as Ni, Co, and Mn, has become crucial due to their broad applicability, particularly as electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Upcycled spent batteries have emerged as alternatives for transition metal sources for the OER electrocatalysts. In this work, Ni–Co–Mn oxalates were extracted from the spent LiNixCoyMnzO2 (NCM) cathode of lithium-ion batteries. The extracted oxalates were further processed via ball milling as a rapid and scalable mechanochemical route to engineer their structures. After calcination, Ni–Co–Mn oxides with nanosized granules on the surface that mainly consist of MnCo2O4 were obtained. With a correlation of morphology and trimetallic oxide formation with the OER catalytic performance, Ni–Co–Mn oxides exhibit OER overpotentials of 367 and 732 mV in alkaline and neutral media, respectively, showing OER catalytic activity in a wide pH range. The results indicate that ball milling can induce particle size reduction and bond formation between metals to facilitate mixed-metal oxide formation. Furthermore, the resulting material is also applicable as the catalyst in the air cathode of Zn-air batteries, where the battery achieved a power density of 85.42 mW cm–2 and 100 h of cycling stability, showing comparability with a battery with a Pt/C–Ir/C catalyst.

A highly sensitive pressure sensor with nanoscale features was developed based on the gradient concentration of Ti3C2Tx (MXene). The fabrication strategy involved electrostatic adsorption and capillary action utilizing a carbonized sponge as the substrate. In this approach, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was added dropwise to the bottom of the carbonized melamine sponge, facilitating the self-assembly of MXene and achieving a gradient attachment of conductive fillers onto the substrate. Furthermore, a layer of polyvinyl alcohol fibers was electrospun between the sensor bottom and the electrode to enhance sensor sensitivity. The pressure-sensitive sensor prepared by this method exhibited an exceptionally strong response within the pressure range of 0–3 kPa. It demonstrated an ultrahigh sensitivity of 381.91 kPa–1, with a rapid deformation response of 100 ms and a quick recovery response of 30 ms. Notably, the sensor also demonstrated outstanding durability, enduring 8000 loading–unloading cycles without performance degradation. Moreover, it achieved a minimum detection limit as low as 0.1 Pa. Finite element numerical analysis confirmed that the MXene/CTAB/CMF composite prepared using this approach exhibited superior sensing performance under similar deformation conditions. Importantly, this pressure sensor’s exceptional sensing capabilities extended to detecting various physiological signals in the human body and daily work scenarios. When integrated with a microprocessor, it accurately processed complex data sets, highlighting its great potential for practical applications.

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been increasingly used as nanomedicine platforms due to their exceptional magnetic properties, which emerged from their nanoscopic sizes. Recently, SPIONs with a riboflavin (Rf)-citrate ligand were developed and showed increased internalization in breast cancer cells, with exceptional properties as T2 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The interactions of the Rf-coated SPIONs with proteins from fetal bovine serum (FBS) were previously characterized to understand how the nanoparticles will interact with biomolecules. To closer mimic the human biological environments, human serum (HS) has been suggested as a better model. Therefore, in this work, protein coronas of bare, citrate-coated, and Rf-coated SPIONs formed with HS were studied by proteomic analysis to identify and quantify the nanoparticle–protein interaction. The results were compared with the FBS-derived coronas to understand the differences in the protein corona formation from different serum origins. Furthermore, the interactions of the SPIONs with riboflavin carrier protein (RCP), which is a target protein for the Rf-SPIONs, were also studied. The overall physical properties of the corona proteins were similar between the FBS and HS groups, but some specific homologous proteins interacted differently. The RCP was found to bind more to the citrate-coated SPIONs than the Rf-coated one. The outcome could be explained by molecular dynamics simulation, where the orientation of the Rf ligand did not favor the binding with RCP. The simulation results also showed the influence of surface hydrophilicity of the SPIONs on the RCP interaction. The combined data from proteomic and simulation analyses suggested a way to improve the Rf ligand to enhance the interaction with RCP and reduce the interactions with the serum proteins, which could enhance the specific cellular interactions and improve the Rf-SPIONs as MRI contrast agents for breast cancer.

Conventional SiO2 aerogels composed of 0-dimensional nanoparticles do not have large-scale compression, tensile, and shear deformation capabilities, and the poor mechanical properties hinder their further development and application. We report a scalable strategy to construct the nanoporous network of a SiO2 aerogel by alternately linking octa(aminophenyl)-T8-POSS and hexaphthalic acid. The resulting SiO2 aerogel exhibits high strengths (compression, tensile and shear strengths are 26.4, 9.16, and 8.31 MPa, respectively), excellent deformabilities (fracture compression, tensile, and shear strains are 82.63%, 57.81% and 108.02%, respectively), flexbile processability and good structural stability (only 1.7% plastic deformation occurs after 100 load–unload cycles at a large compression strain of 70%). Also, the mesoporous interconnected nanoskeleton with high porosity and the composition of fully hydrophobic groups also give the aerogel low thermal conductivities (0.02854 W/(m K) at 25 °C and 0.04638 W/(m K) at 300 °C) and superhydrophobic properties (hydrophobic angle 160° and saturated mass moisture absorption rate about 0.375%). The combination of these excellent properties ensures that the aerogel can be used as an efficient thermal insulation material for extreme environments, such as those where comprehensive mechanical and hydrophobic properties are strictly required.

The rational design of multiphasic interfaces is an efficient way to fabricate favorable catalysts for bifunctional oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR/OER). Herein, the hybrid metallic nanoparticles composed of Co, CoO, and Ce-doped WO3 are anchored on the external surface of the preprepared catalysts (PZF-2-700) by pyrolyzing a unique polyoxometalate (POM)-containing metal–organic framework (MOF) precursor. The multiple heterointerfaces in the PZF-2-700 material surface provide defects as the catalytic active sites for the OER. Besides, the Co and CoO with Co–N–C, N–C, and Co–O in PZF-2-700 afford efficient catalytic performance for the ORR. Furthermore, the strong built-in field of PZF-2-700 enables the heterointerfaces with opposite charges and facilitates the electron transfer capacity throughout the structure. Based on this, the produced PZF-2-700 exhibits a small potential gap of 679 mV between the ORR and the OER. The homemade zinc–air battery (ZAB) with PZF-2-700 as the cathode catalyst displays a power density of 146.9 mW cm–2 and a charge/discharge cycling stability for 311 h with a charge–discharge period of 10 min, which offers a promising cathode catalyst for environment-friendly ZABs.

One-dimensional iron–nickel (Fe–Ni) heterogeneous nanowires with superior electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption were successfully prepared by a magnetic-field-assisted liquid-phase reduction method. The electromagnetic properties of the absorber were controllably tuned by changing the atomic molar ratio of Fe to Ni. The composite with an Fe:Ni atomic molar ratio of 1:1.5 exhibited the finest EMW absorption characteristics. With a matched thickness of 2.175 mm, the minimum reflection loss (RLmin) at 18 GHz can be as high as 26.106 dB. Also, the majority of the Ku-band is covered by the effective absorption bandwidth (EAB, RL ≤ −10 dB), which is up to 6.08 GHz at 2.6 mm with a filler content of 25%. The excellent absorber performance is due to one’s own rich heterogeneous interface to conciliate the dielectric and magnetic losses. The successful exploration of the one-dimensional heterogeneous structure EMW absorber provides important insights for the future sensible fabrication of absorbers with excellent EMW absorption capability.

We developed a promising deposition method for fabricating controllable layer-by-layer (LbL) quantum-dot (QD) structures. We introduced a spray coating method to induce desired properties of QD thin films as well as to control the thickness of QD layers. An intermediate heat treatment was applied between spray pass cycles to induce rapid evaporation of the surface ligands and solvent in the QD solution, which successfully prevents the formation of clusters on spray-coated QD (Sr-QD) films. Furthermore, we observed that the LbL structure of Sr-QDs has fewer surface defects and better crystallinity, leading to improved performance of optoelectronic devices compared to conventional solution-processed devices. Thus, our study suggests that this spray coating process enables detailed control of the properties and thickness of the QD films due to the highly controllable LbL structure of QD monolayers (MLs).

Synergistic therapeutic nanomedicine with great biosafety was regarded as a promising strategy for cancer therapy in clinic. Due to the drug resistance and insufficient performance of chemotherapy, the response rate in non-small cell lung cancer is limited. As another effective strategy against tumor, ferroptosis may enhance the sensitivity of chemotherapy. Herein, we reported a biomimetic iron metal–organic framework (Fe-MOF) nanomedicine responding to the intracellular environment of non-small cell lung cancer therapy to accelerate tumor cell death by inducing the ferroptosis and apoptosis of tumor cells. We demonstrated that the doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded biomimetic Fe-MOF (mFe-MOFDOX) could dramatically promote degradation for Fe2+ generation and release of DOX in the intracellular acidic microenvironment. The mFe-MOFDOX nanoparticles enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce comparable glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)-mediated ferroptosis and assisted DOX-mediated apoptosis. Eventually, the combination of biomimetic nanoparticle-induced ferroptosis and chemotherapy-induced apoptosis inhibited tumor growth and lung metastasis, suggesting the promising potential of ferroptosis induction for promoting non-small cell lung cancer chemotherapy.

The presence of hydroxyl (OH) groups on the photocatalyst surface is crucial for the volatile organic compounds’ (VOCs) degradation. However, there is still limited knowledge on how OH groups are formed and their role in the magnetic-field-dependent photocatalytic degradation process. In this work, magnetic-field-assisted photocatalytic degradation of toluene was built by taking magnetic semiconductor material ZnFe2O4 nanospheres as the photocatalyst. Through a combination of experimental techniques, in situ DRIFTS analysis, and DFT calculations, we discovered that applying a vertical magnetic field activated the OH groups on the surface of ZnFe2O4, leading to an increase in the adsorption capacity of toluene. Additionally, the magnetic-field-induced Lorentz force facilitated the conversion of toluene to benzaldehyde, a significant step in the degradation process. As the magnetic field intensity increased, the way in which toluene was adsorbed changed. Overall, our study provides a valuable view for the role of OH groups and the effect of magnetic fields in the VOCs’ photocatalytic degradation.

Graphene-asphalt nanocomposites are considered to be the next generation of major pavement materials. At present, the rheological properties of graphene-asphalt nanocomposites are basically clear, but the mechanism of performance evolution is not well understood, especially the multiscale interaction mechanism at the interface, which has not been reported. In this study, density functional theory, molecular dynamics simulation, microstructure characterization, and property evaluation were used to explore the interfacial mechanism and multiscale correlation of graphene-asphalt nanocomposite. The results show that graphene and asphalt have excellent compatibility and that there is no chemical reaction between them. There are three interactions at the interface: mechanical entanglement, van der Waals force, and benzene ring stacking, and there is no hydrogen bond. Graphene significantly improves the shear resistance, deformation resistance, rutting resistance, and elasticity of asphalt because graphene and asphalt have good interface properties. The graphene interfacial shear stress barrier is 248.93 MPa, and the interfacial bonding energy barrier is 6.634 kcal/mol/A2, which ensure the integrity and stability and promote stress transfer at the interface of graphene-asphalt nanocomposites. Graphene also improves the aging resistance of asphalt because graphene has a wrapping effect on aromatics and saturates. This study can provide a theoretical basis for the application of 2D nanomaterials to asphalt pavements.