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Phototherapy, encompassing photothermal therapy and photodynamic therapy, is gaining attention as an appealing cancer treatment modality. To enhance its clinical implementation, a comprehensive exploration of the pivotal factors influencing phototherapy is warranted. In this study, the L/d-cysteine (Cys)-copper ion (Cu 2+ ) chiral nanoparticles, through the assembly of L/d-Cys-Cu 2+ coordination complexes, were constructed. We found that these nanoparticles interacted with chiral liposomes in a chirality-dependent manner, with d-Cys-Cu 2+ nanoparticles exhibiting more than three times stronger binding affinity than l-Cys-Cu 2+ nanoparticles. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the d-Cys-Cu 2+ nanoparticles were more efficiently internalized by Hela cells in contrast with l-Cys-Cu 2+ . On this basis, indocyanine green (ICG), acting as both photothermal and photodynamic agent, was encapsulated into L/d-Cys-Cu 2+ nanoparticles. Experimental results showed that the l-Cys-Cu 2+ -ICG and d-Cys-Cu 2+ -ICG nanoparticles displayed almost identical photothermal performance and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) generation capability in aqueous solution. However, upon laser irradiation, the d-Cys-Cu 2+ -ICG nanoparticles achieved enhanced anti-tumor effects compared to l-Cys-Cu 2+ -ICG due to their chirality-promoted higher cellular uptake efficiency. These findings highlight the crucial role of chirality in phototherapy and provide new perspectives for engineering cancer therapeutic agents., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has recently emerged as a promising, targeted treatment modality for glioblastoma (GBM) which is the most vicious type of brain tumor. Successful GBM-PDT hinges upon light activation of a photosensitizer accumulated in the tumor. However, inadequate tumor accumulation of photosensitizer severely limits the success of PDT of GBM. To tackle this difficulty, we herein propose a drug delivery strategy of "platelets with photo-controlled release property". This strategy exploits platelets as carriers to deliver a photosensitizer which, in the current study, is a nano-composite (BNPD-Ce6) comprised of chlorine e6 (Ce6) loaded to boron nitride nanoparticles with a surface coating of polyglycerol and doxorubicin. To demonstrate the working mechanism and therapeutic advantage of this strategy, we loaded mouse platelets with BNPD-Ce6 to yield the nano-device BNPD-Ce6@Plt. In vitro experiments showed BNPD-Ce6@Plt to have a high loading capacity and efficiency. Laser irradiation (LI) at a wavelength of 808 nm induced ROS generation in BNPD-Ce6@Plt which displayed rapid activation, aggregation, and speedy discharge of BNPD-Ce6 into co-cultured GL261 mouse GBM cells which in turn, after LI, exhibited marked ROS generation, DNA damage, reduced viability, and cell death. In vivo animal experiments, mice that were intravenously injected with BNPD-Ce6@Plt exhibited rapid and extensive BNPD-Ce6 accumulation in both subcutaneous and intra-brain GL261 tumors shortly after LI of the tumors and the tumors displayed massive tissue necrosis after LI for a second time. Finally, a PDT regimen of two intravenous BNPD-Ce6@Plt injections each followed by multiple times of extracranial LI at the tumor site significantly inhibited the growth of intra-brain GL261 tumors and markedly increased the survival of the host animals. No apparent tissue damage was found in vital organs. Our findings make a compelling case for the notion that platelets are efficient carriers that can photo-controllably deliver nano-photosensitizers to achieve highly targeted and efficacious PDT of GBM. This work presents a novel approach to GBM-PDT with great translational potential., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Photothermal therapy is a promising tumor ablation technique that converts light into heat energy to kill cancer cells. Prussian blue (PB), a biocompatible photothermal reagent, has been widely explored for cancer treatment. However, the translational potential of PB is severely hampered by its low photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) and poor stability. To tackle these issues, we adopted the biomineralization modality where PB was integrated with calcium phosphate (CaP) through the binding between calcium ions and PB. The mineralized PB (CaP&PB) demonstrated significantly improved PCE (40.2%), resulting from a calcium-induced bandgap-narrowing effect, and exhibited superior suspension stability. Using a 4T1 orthotopic breast cancer BALB/c mouse model, we observed that mineralized PB showed a significant temperature increase within the tumor, which led to better tumoricidal activity compared with CaP and PB when identical NIR treatment was applied. These achievements demonstrated the success of introducing calcium phosphate into Prussian blue by biomineralization to improve the PCE and stability of photothermal reagents, suggesting an alternative translational strategy for enhanced cancer photothermal therapy.

The combination of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising strategy for complete tumor ablation therapy. Herein, a boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-conjugated hyaluronic acid polymer that can self-assemble to form the nanoparticles (BODIPY-HA NPs) was prepared for combined cancer PDT and PTT. The fluorescence emission and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation of BODIPY-HA NPs were inhibited because of the π-π stacking behavior of BODIPY, resulting in photothermal effect under 808 nm light irradiation. Upon the internalization by cancer cells, the BODIPY-HA NPs could disassemble into BODIPY-HA molecules, with the recovery of the fluorescence and ROS generation for PDT. Importantly, in vitro results confirmed that combined PTT and PDT have exhibited better anticancer effect than PTT alone upon 808 nm laser irradiation. These results showed that the self-assembled BODIPY-HA NPs may be a promising nanomedicine for synergistic cancer PDT and PTT.

The phytotoxicity of nanoparticles has attracted considerable interest, given the broad applications of nanomaterials in different fields. Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a major forage crop grown worldwide with a high protein content. The molecular regulation mechanisms involved in nanomaterial-treated alfalfa were examined in this research. In our lab, 18 cDNA libraries of Golden Empress (GE) and Bara 310SC (SC) under control (CK), middle (10 g kg -1 )- and high (20 g kg -1 )-graphene stress treatments were constructed in 2019. All clean reads were matched to the reference Medicago_truncatula genome, the mapping ratio was higher than 50%, and a total of 3946 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were obtained. The number of DEGs that reflect transcriptional activity is proportional to the degree of stress. For example, 1241/610 and 1794/1422 DEGs were identified as significant in the leaves of GE/SC under mid- and high-graphene treatment, respectively. Furthermore, GO analysis of the DEGs annotated in some significant biochemical process terms included 'response to abiotic stimulus', 'oxidation-reduction process', 'protein kinase activity', and 'oxidoreductase activity'. KEGG pathway analysis of the DEGs revealed strongly mediated graphene-responsive genes in alfalfa mainly linked to the 'biosynthesis of amino acids', 'isoflavonoid biosynthesis', 'linoleic acid metabolism', and 'phenylpropanoid biosynthesis' pathways. In addition, hundreds of DEGs, including photosynthetic, antioxidant enzyme, nitrogen metabolism, and metabolic sucrose and starch genes, have been identified as potentially involved in the response to graphene. Physiological findings revealed that enzymes related to the metabolism of nitrogen play a crucial role in the adaptation of graphene stress to alfalfa. Ultimately, in response to graphene stress, a preliminary regulatory mechanism was proposed for the self-protective mechanism of alfalfa, which helps to explain the phytotoxicity of the molecular mechanism of nanoparticle-treated crops., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of activatable photosensitizers (PSs) is of particular interest for achieving tumor photodynamic therapy (PDT) with minimal side effects. However, the in vivo applications of PSs are limited by complex physiological and biological delivery barriers. Herein, boron dipyrromethene (BDP)-based nanoparticles are developed through the self-assembly of a multifunctional "one-for-all" building block for enhanced tumor penetration and activatable PDT. The nanoparticles show excellent colloidal stability and long circulation lifetime in blood. Once they reach the tumor site, the first-stage size reduction occurs due to the hydrolysis of the Schiff base bond between polyethylene glycol and the cyclic Arg-Gly-Asp peptide in the acidic tumor microenvironment (pH~6.5), facilitating tumor penetration and specific recognition by cancer cells overexpressing integrin α ν β 3 receptors. Upon the endocytosis by cancer cells, the second-stage size reduction is triggered by more acidic pH in lysosomes (pH~4.5). Importantly, the protonated diethylamino groups can block photoinduced electron transfer from the amine donor to the excited PSs and accelerate complete disassembly of the nanoparticles into single PS molecule, with the recovery of the fluorescence and photoactivity for efficient PDT. This study presents a smart PS delivery strategy involving acidity-triggered hierarchical disassembly from the nano to molecular scale for precise tumor PDT., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we recruited chitosan (CS) both for selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) synthesis and for the development of a thermoresponsive nanocomposite hydrogel with the addition of glycerol phosphate (GP). Considering that SeNPs are toxic at high concentrations, five different ingredients of the nanocomposite hydrogel system with low concentrations of SeNPs (1.25-20 μg/mL) were prepared. The gelation conditions, structural characteristics, and mechanical properties of SeNPs-loaded thermosensitive CS/GP hydrogels were investigated. We also evaluated their antioxidizing activities and biocompatibility of the CS/GP/SeNPs hydrogels. Our study demonstrated that the incorporation of SeNPs in the hydrogel improved its mechanical properties, antioxidant activity, and degree of swelling. According to the properties of SeNPs and CS/GP thermosensitive hydrogels, the combination of these two technologies in an appropriate manner would be a promising antioxidant system for drug delivery and tissue engineering.

Bladder cancer, with the highest recurrence rate in all malignancy, is a common urologic cancer that arises on the bladder mucosa. Currently, tumor resection followed by intravesical chemotherapy is the primary treatment of bladder cancer, which has limited effectiveness ascribe to short dwell-time of intravesical drugs in bladder. Therefore, there is a need to develop mucoadhesive and sustained drug delivery systems to increase drug residence time for intravesical chemotherapy. In this study, poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers were modified onto the surface of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) through a layer-by-layer grafting method. A series of PAMAM-modified MSNPs were prepared and compared for their mucoadhesive capabilities on pig bladder wall and controlled drug release properties. Results demonstrated an increase in the mucoadhesive capacity of PAMAM-modified MSNPs upon an increase in the number of PAMAM amino groups, and the maximum nanoparticle mucoadhesivity was observed after two-generation PAMAM were grafted on the surface of MSNPs. An antineoplastic, doxorubicin, was encapsulated in the mesopores of PAMAM-modified MSNPs, and the drug-loaded nanoparticles can provide a sustained drug release triggered by acidic pH. The present study demonstrates that the mucoadhesive and drug release properties of MSNPs can be controlled by the layer number of PAMAM dendrimers on the nanoparticle surface, holding significant potential for the development of mucoadhesive drug delivery systems for bladder cancer therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A series of thirty one melampomagnolide B-triazole conjugates was synthesized via Copper(I) oxide nanoparticles catalyzed click chemistry. These conjugates were evaluated for their anti-cancer activities against a panel of five human cancer cell lines. The most active compound 6e showed high activity against HCT116 cell line with IC 50 value of 0.43 μM, which demonstrated 11.5-fold improvement compared to that of the parent compound melampomagnolide B (IC 50  = 4.93 μM). Compound 6e showed significant efficacy of inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation and migration of HCT116 cells. The preliminary molecular mechanism of 6e was also investigated. On the base of these results, compound 6e might be considered as a promising candidate for further evaluation as a potential anti-cancer drug., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Liposomes possess good biocompatibility and excellent tumor-targeting capacity. However, the rapid premature release of lipophilic drugs from the lipid bilayer of liposomes has negative effect on the tumor-targeted drug delivery of liposomes. In this study, a lipophilic antitumor drug-chlorambucil (CHL)-was encapsulated into the aqueous interior of liposomes with the aid of albumin to obtain the CHL-loaded liposomes/albumin hybrid nanoparticles (CHL-Hybrids). The in vitro accumulative release rate of CHL from CHL-Hybrids was less than 50% within 48 h, while the accumulative CHL release was more than 80% for CHL-loaded liposomes (CHL-Lip). After intravenous injection into rats, the half-life (t 1/2β  = 5.68 h) and maximum blood concentration (C max  = 4.58 μg/mL) of CHL-Hybrids were respectively 1.1 times and 3.5 times higher than that of CHL-Lip. In addition, CHL-Hybrids had better tumor-targeting capacity for it significantly increased the drug accumulation in B16F10 tumors, which contributed to the significantly control of tumor growth compared with CHL-Lip. Furthermore, CHL-Hybrid-treated B16F10 melanoma-bearing mice displayed the longest median survival time of 30.0 days among all the treated groups. Our results illustrated that the proposed hybrids drug delivery system would be a promising strategy to maintain the controlled release of lipophilic antitumor drugs from liposomes and simultaneously facilitate the tumor-targeted drug delivery.

In this paper, we first synthesized a novel disulfide-coupled bis-(cyclic carbonate) (TDCSS) monomer. After ring-opening co-polymerization (ROP) of TDCSS and trimethylene carbonate (TMC) initiated by mono-methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol), the crosslinked reduction-sensitive copolymer PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCSS) was obtained via a facile one-step procedure for efficient delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) into cancer cells. To serve as controls, PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCCC), which has an analogous structure without disulfide bond, and a linear polymer PEG-PTMC were also prepared. The copolymers could self-assemble to form nano-sized micelles in an aqueous solution. As compared to PEG-PTMC, crosslinked PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCSS) and PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCCC) showed lower CMC values and thus induced a much better micelle-forming ability. In vitro release studies revealed that the drug release behavior of DOX-loaded PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCSS) micelles, which could be accelerated in the presence of 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT), showed a similar trend in the absence of DTT compared to DOX-loaded PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCCC) micelles. Furthermore, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicated that DOX-loaded PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCSS) micelles were efficiently internalized into HeLa cells, releasing DOX into the cytoplasm after which the drug finally entered the nuclei, while MTT assays also demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells. DOX was mainly located in the cytoplasm for reduction-insensitive PEG-P(TMC-co-TDCCC) and PEG-PTMC controls.

A "turn-on" thiol-responsive fluorescence probe was synthesized and integrated into polymeric nanoparticles for sensing intracellular thiols. There is a photo-induced electron transfer process in the off state of the probe, and this process is terminated upon the reaction with thiol compounds. Configuration interaction singles (CIS) calculation was performed to confirm the mechanism of this process. A series of sensing studies were carried out, showing that the probe-integrated nanoparticles were highly selective towards biological thiol compounds over non-thiolated amino acids. Kinetic studies were also performed to investigate the relative reaction rate between the probe and the thiolated amino acids. Subsequently, the Gibbs free energy of the reactions was explored by means of the electrochemical method. Finally, the detection system was employed for sensing intracellular thiols in cancer cells, and the sensing selectivity could be further enhanced with the use of a cancer cell-targeting ligand in the nanoparticles. This development paves a path for the sensing and detection of biological thiols, serving as a potential diagnostic tool in the future.

In this study, a type of intracellular redox-triggered hollow mesoporous silica nanoreservoirs (HMSNs) with tumor specificity was developed in order to deliver anticancer drug (i.e., doxorubicin (DOX)) to the target tumor cells with high therapeutic efficiency and reduced side effects. Firstly, adamantanamine was grafted onto the orifices of HMSNs using a redox-cleavable disulfide bond as an intermediate linker. Subsequently, a synthetic functional molecule, lactobionic acid-grafted-β-cyclodextrin (β-CD-LA), was immobilized on the surface of HMSNs through specific complexation with the adamantyl group, where β-CD served as an end-capper to keep the loaded drug within HMSNs. β-CD-LA on HMSNs could also act as a targeting agent towards tumor cells (i.e., HepG2 cells), since the lactose group in β-CD-LA is a specific ligand binding with the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R) on HepG2 cells. In vitro studies demonstrated that DOX-loaded nanoreservoirs could be selectively endocytosed by HepG2 cells, releasing therapeutic DOX into cytoplasm and efficiently inducing the apoptosis and cell death. In vivo investigations further confirmed that DOX-loaded nanoreservoirs could permeate into the tumor sites and actively interact with tumor cells, which inhibited the tumor growth with the minimized side effect. On the whole, this drug delivery system exhibits a great potential as an efficient carrier for targeted tumor therapy in vitro and in vivo., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Efficient siRNA/drug codelivery carriers can offer great promises to cancer treatment on account of synergistic effect provided from cancer-associated gene and anticancer drugs. In this work, a redox-responsive drug/siRNA codelivery vehicle based on mesoporous silica nanoparticles was fabricated to simultaneously deliver siRNA and doxorubicin (Dox) in vitro and in vivo., Results: The nanoparticle surface was functionalized with the adamantane (AD) units. Formation of stable host-guest complex between disulfide bond linked-AD and ethylenediamine-modified β-cyclodextrin is capable of fully blocking drugs inside the nanopores, while amino groups can complex with siRNA via electrostatic interaction. Relatively high concentration of glutathione in biophysical environment provides natural reducing agent to trigger drug/siRNA release by cleaving pre-introduced disulfide bonds. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) siRNA was codelivered to silence Bcl-2 protein expression in HeLa cells, resulting in enhanced chemotherapy efficacy in vitro. In vivo delivery experiment carried out in transgenic zebrafish larvae indicates that the delivery of Dox inhibits the development of choroid plexus in a dose-dependent manner, leading to successful decrease of green fluorescence protein transcription in choroid plexus. Reduction of liver tumor was also demonstrated after injection of Dox-loaded nanoparticles., Innovation: We successfully demonstrated that functional nanoparticles could serve as an efficient carrier for the delivery of Bcl-2 siRNA and Dox in HeLa cells and in transgenic zebrafish larvae, leading to enhanced therapeutic efficacy., Conclusion: Enhanced cytotoxicity caused by simultaneous delivery of Bcl-2 siRNA and Dox was observed in HeLa cells. Drug-loaded nanoparticles were internalized in vivo, inhibiting the development of choroid plexus and the progression of liver tumor.

The synthesis of a series of β-cyclodextrin modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles with hydroxyl, amino, and thiol groups was described. A comparison of their mucoadhesive properties and potential as a drug delivery system for superficial bladder cancer therapy was made. The thiol-functionalized nanoparticles exhibit significantly higher mucoadhesivity on the urothelium as compared to the hydroxyl- and amino-functionalized nanoparticles. This is attributed to the formation of disulfide bonds between the thiol-functionalized nanoparticles and cysteine-rich subdomains of mucus glycoproteins. An anticancer drug, doxorubicin, was loaded into the mesopores of the thiol-functionalized nanoparticles, and sustained drug release triggered by acidic pH was achieved. The present study demonstrates that thiol-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles are promising as a mucoadhesive and sustained drug delivery system for superficial bladder cancer therapy.

Bacterial biofilms pose a serious threat to human health, as they prevent the penetration of antimicrobial agents. Developing nanocarriers that can simultaneously permeate biofilms and deliver antibacterial agents is an attractive means of treating bacterial biofilm infections. Herein, photosensitive metal–organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles were developed to promote the penetration of antibiotics into biofilms, thereby achieving the goal of eradicating bacterial biofilms through synergistic photodynamic and antibiotic therapy. First, a ligand containing benzoselenadiazole was synthesized and incorporated into MOF skeletons to construct benzoselenadiazole-doped MOFs (Se-MOFs). The growth of the Se-MOFs could be regulated to obtain nanoparticles (Se-NPs) in the presence of benzoic acid. The singlet oxygen (1O2) generation efficiencies of the Se-MOFs and Se-NPs were evaluated. The results show that the Se-NPs exhibited a higher 1O2 generation efficacy than the Se-MOF under visible-light irradiation because the small size of the Se-NPs was conducive to the diffusion of 1O2. Afterward, an antibiotic drug, polymyxin B (PMB), was conjugated onto the surface of the Se-NPs via amidation to yield PMB-modified Se-NPs (PMB-Se-NPs). PMB-Se-NPs exhibit a synergistic antibacterial effect by specifically targeting the lipopolysaccharides present in the outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria through surface-modified PMB. Benefiting from the synergistic therapeutic effects of antibiotic and photodynamic therapy, PMB-Se-NPs can efficiently eradicate bacterial biofilms at relatively low antibiotic doses and light intensities, providing a promising nanocomposite for combating biofilm infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significantly enhanced dielectric constant and energy storage density positively facilitate miniaturising dielectric capacitors for various applications in electronics and electrical devices. Herein, a fluoropolymer is coated on BaTiO3 (BT) nanoparticles to form a core–shell structure (BT@PF80), which is used as additional dipoles to enhance the dielectric constant and energy density of polymer nanocomposites. Characterizations with various techniques show uniform dispersion of nanoparticles and good compatibility of interfaces in polymer nanocomposites. Furthermore, the dielectric constant increases from 7.85 of neat polymer to 9.43 of the nanocomposites filled with BT@PF80 while the dielectric loss further decreases from 0.05 to 0.04 at 1 KHz. In addition, 7.79 J cm−3 of energy density is achieved at the nanocomposites filled with BT@PF80, which is 2.65 times higher than that of the neat polymer. This work presents a simple and effective means to enhance dielectric constant and energy density, which tends to fertilize the fabrications of polymer dielectrics for electric energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Series of Er3+/Yb3+/Fe3+-tridoped NaBiF 4 nanoparticles were synthesized through a simple precipitation reaction method at room temperature. The effect of the Fe3+ ions on the microstructure and upconversion (UC) luminescence properties of the developed samples were studied in detail. Through the Fe3+ ions doping engineering, the enhancement in both green and red UC emission intensities were observed and the optimal doping concentration for Fe3+ ions was revealed to be 30 mol%. Owing to the fluorescence intensity ratio technology, the optical thermometric performances of the resultant products in the temperature range of 303–543 K were investigated and the maximum sensor sensitivity of the studied nanoparticles was 0.0053 K−1 at 543 K. Moreover, the internal heating behaviors of the obtained nanoparticles were investigated and the product temperature was improved to 399 K when the pump power was set at 260 mW. Our systematic and complementary studies suggested that the Er3+/Yb3+/Fe3+-tridoped NaBiF 4 nanoparticles with splendid UC behaviors were poised as next-generation promising candidates for nanothermometer and optical heaters. • The Er3+/Yb3+/Fe3+-tridoped NaBiF 4 nanoparticles were successfully prepared at room temperature. • With introducing of Fe3+, both microstructure and UC emission performance of studied samples were tailored. • The maximum sensor sensitivity of the synthesized nanoparticles as high as 0.0053 K−1 at 543 K. • The prepared nanoparticles can convert the excitation light source into heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

W/W2C heterostructured nanoparticles encapsulated by N,P dual-doped carbon (W/W2C@NPC) fabricated by the carbonization of in situ polymerized polyaniline (PANI) and phosphotungstic acid require low overpotentials of 55 mV and 82 mV vs. RHE to achieve a cathodic current density of 10 mA cm−2 in acidic and alkaline electrolytes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report a facile method to synthesize ruthenium phosphides with diameter 1 nm and an amorphous structure at room temperature. Only 31 mV vs. RHE overpotential is required to deliver 10 mA cm−2 and no degradation in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance is recorded after 24 h of catalysis at 100 mA cm−2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• ZSM-5 zeolite doped with Zn species showed excellent EDC cracking performance. • The acidity of the zeolite catalyst played a decisive role in EDC cracking reaction. • The catalytic performance was investigated by DFT calculations. The acidity and porosity of zeolite catalysts are crucial parameters affecting the catalytic performance. In this work, alkali treatment and metal species loading were used to modify the porosity and acidity of ZSM-5 zeolite to prepare an efficient catalyst for the 1,2-dichloroethane cracking reaction. After optimization, the highly active catalyst Zn (1%) /ZSM-5-120 was obtained, and 78% conversion of EDC and 99% selectivity toward VCM could be achieved under the conditions of 300 °C and 3.0 h−1 (WHSV). A detailed investigation was conducted on the effects of acidity, texture properties and metal species loaded on ZSM-5 zeolite on the 1,2-dichloroethane cracking reaction. Catalytic cracking of 1,2-dichloroethane to produce Vinyl Chloride Monomer using zeolite catalysts. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low durability and fuel cell performance block the widespread application of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Here, we deposit platinum nanoparticles on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) before coating by end-capped hyperbranched sulfonated macromolecules (E-HBM), which could provide sufficient proton conductivity in catalyst layer thanks to the presence of −SO3H groups. The fabricated electrocatalyst loses 43 % of initial electrochemical surface area (ECSA) after 200 000 potential cycles from 1.0 V to 1.5 V vs. RHE, which is 3 and 20 times higher than that of noncoated and commercial electrocatalysts, respectively. The mass and specific activities of newly fabricated electrocatalyst measured before and after durability test are 1.4 times higher than that of commercial carbon black/Pt. Nafion ionomer-free membrane electrode assembly is fabricated from the newly designed electrocatalyst, and its fuel-cell performance reaches 668 mW cm−2 with Pt loading of 0.1 mg cm−2, which is twice higher than that of commercial CB/Pt thanks to the homogeneous conductive macromolecules (E-HBM) layers on CNTs acting as ionomer and facilitating the proton delivery in the catalyst layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing state-of-the-art materials for protecting human from unwanted ionizing radiations is urgent and significant for the rapid development of nuclear facilities. Here, bismuth borate nanoparticles have been fabricated via a facile sol-gel process. Characterization with X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy reveals that the product is composed of high-purity orthorhombic Bi 6 B 10 O 24 phase and exhibits a typical single crystal with the size ranging from 100 to 300 nm. The product has an excellent ability to jointly attenuate both neutron and γ-ray. This significant work provides a material with not only good radiation shielding but also other fascinating features, such as environment-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multivalent mannose-functionalized nanoparticles self-assembled from amphiphilic β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs) facilitate the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs to specific cancer cells. Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded nanoparticles equipped with multivalent mannose target units were efficiently taken up via receptor-mediated endocytosis by MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells that overexpress the mannose receptor. Upon entering the cell, the intracellular pH causes the release of DOX, which triggers apoptosis. Targeting by multivalent mannose significantly improved the capability of DOX-loaded nanoparticles to inhibit the growth of MDA-MB-231 cancer cells with minimal side effects in vivo. This targeted and controlled drug delivery system holds promise as a nanotherapeutic for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise control over the configuration, size and density of Au nanoparticles (NPs) has offered an efficient route to enhance and optimize the performance and usability of various NP-based applications. In this study we successfully demonstrate precise control of the configuration, size and density of self-assembled Au nanostructures on 4H-SiC (0001) via systematic variation of the deposition amount, annealing temperature and duration. Depending on the deposition amount at a fixed annealing temperature and duration, the self-assembled Au NPs are successfully fabricated based on the Volmer–Weber growth model, and the NPs nucleate as round dome shapes and evolve into hexagonal nano-crystals with facet formation along with the increased deposition amounts. For the variation of annealing temperature, the Au nanostructures radically develop into two distinct regimes: i.e. irregular Au nano-mounds (regime I) between 400 and 700 °C based on the diffusion limited agglomeration (DLA) model and round dome-shaped droplets (DPs) (regime II) between 750 and 1000 °C. The dwelling time, size and density evolution of the round dome-shaped Au DPs are discussed based on the Ostwald ripening theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering multifunctional nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery shows promising potentials to revolutionize the cancer chemotherapy. Simple methods to optimize physicochemical characteristics and surface composition of the drug nanocarriers need to be developed in order to tackle major challenges for smooth translation of suitable nanocarriers to clinical applications. Here, rational development and utilization of multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) for targeting MDA-MB-231 xenograft model breast cancer in vivo are reported. Uniform and redispersible poly(ethylene glycol)-incorporated MSNPs with three different sizes (48, 72, 100 nm) are synthesized. They are then functionalized with amino- β-cyclodextrin bridged by cleavable disulfide bonds, where amino- β-cyclodextrin blocks drugs inside the mesopores. The incorporation of active folate targeting ligand onto 48 nm of multifunctional MSNPs (PEG-MSNPs48-CD-PEG-FA) leads to improved and selective uptake of the nanoparticles into tumor. Targeted drug delivery capability of PEG-MSNPs48-CD-PEG-FA is demonstrated by significant inhibition of the tumor growth in mice treated with doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles, where doxorubicin is released triggered by intracellular acidic pH and glutathione. Doxorubicin-loaded PEG-MSNPs48-CD-PEG-FA exhibits better in vivo therapeutic efficacy as compared with free doxorubicin and non-targeted nanoparticles. Current study presents successful utilization of multifunctional MSNP-based drug nanocarriers for targeted cancer therapy in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The nanosized pit-like film is formed on aluminum after chemical etch by NaOH solution. [•] High hydrophobic films were prepared by immersed etched aluminum in an ethanol solution containing stearic acid. [•] Aluminum shows a low friction with long wear life by combining chemical etch and stearic acid overcoat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A bifunctional maleimido-tetra(ethylene glycol)-poly(glycerol monoacrylate) (MAL-TEG-PGA) polymer was synthesized and used as a linker to couple functional biomolecules to iron oxide nanoparticles. The cell-penetrating peptide Tat was chosen as a model ligand and successfully conjugated to the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles using MAL-TEG-PGA. The Tat-conjugated Fe3O4 nanoparticles can be prepared simply by applying the linker to the iron oxide nanoparticles and then coupling the Tat peptide to the maleimide terminus or by coating the nanoparticles with a pre-coupled linker. Cell-uptake studies demonstrated that the Tat peptide was an efficient functional biomolecule to translocate iron oxide nanoparticles into the cell nucleus. Tat-conjugated nanoparticles thus prepared may be useful for drug or gene delivery. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Pt nanoparticles embedded at the interface between CdS and NaNbO 3. • 18%CdS/2%Pt/N-NaNbO 3 nanorods shows the highest activity of 14,218 μmol⋅ g−1⋅ h−1. • The unique Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism is proposed. • The Pt nanoparticle bridge plays the important role. The development of heterojunction photocatalysts is still limited by poor interfacial charge carriers separation efficiency. In this work, we have successfully designed CdS/Pt/N-NaNbO 3 multilayer bridged nanostructure by embedding of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) into the interface between CdS quantum dots (CdS QDs) and perovskite N-doped NaNbO 3. The Pt NPs not only play the role of bonding CdS QDs and NaNbO 3 , but also provide a motive force for the charge carriers transfer and enormously shorten the migration path. Apart from the efficient Z-scheme charge transmission path of the CdS/Pt/N-NaNbO 3 nanorods, strong visible light absorption (400−800 nm) can also be tailored by N doping and introducing of Pt NPs, CdS QDs, demonstrated by the UV–vis. DRS measurement. As expected, the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate of 18 %CdS/2%Pt/N-NaNbO 3 nanorods is 134 and 28 times higher than that of bare NaNbO 3 nanorods and CdS QDs, respectively, under visible light (λ > 420 nm). This is the highest value so far reported among the NaNbO 3 -based photocatalysts. This study has important implications for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and novel fabrication of NaNbO 3 -based materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel amino-functionalized ZIF-8 (ZIF-8-NH 2) nanoparticles were prepared and incorporated in polymeric (PVA) matrix. • The synthesized ZIF-8-NH 2 exhibits uniform morphology, smaller size, controllable pore size, enhanced hydrophilicity, and beneficial amino groups. • Mixed Matrix Membranes (MMMs) embedded with ZIF-8-NH 2 nanoparticles show better compatibility and excellent separation performance. • 7-ZIF-8-NH 2 /PVA MMM displays high separation factor and a comparable total flux. • Long-term stable operation of the ZIF-8-NH 2 /PVA MMMs have obvious production benefits in practical applications. The incorporation of attainable amine functionality in zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) is utilized to enhance the pervaporation performance for ethanol/ water separation applications. Using 2-aminobenzimidazole, a ligand with NH 2 -functionalized group, displacement of the ZIF-8 original ligand during de novo synthesis while preserving the ZIF-8 initial structure, which produces a novel mixed- linker ZIF material (ZIF-8-NH 2) with smaller nanocrystal size, controllable pore size, and enhanced hydrophilicity. A series of different mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were fabricated by incorporating ZIF-8-NH 2 into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) matrix. Various characterization techniques, such as FTIR, 1H NMR, XRD, SEM, TGA, and Contact angle etc. were employed to demonstrate the properties of prepared ZIF nanoparticles and the MMMs. The results indicated that ZIF-8-NH 2 and the MMMs were perfectly fabricated, which were attributed to better dispersion and compatibility between them. In particular, 7-ZIF-8-NH 2 /PVA MMM exhibited a comparable total flux of 142 g/m2·h and water/ethanol separation factor of 925, which were increased by 73 and 524%, on the basis of the pristine PVA membrane. In addition, different nanofillers, APTES crosslinking, ZIF-8-NH 2 loading, operating temperature, feed concentration, and membrane stability were evaluated in detail. This study might provide a promising prospect for designing MOF-based MMMs with the introduction of various functional groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Triazole moiety is frequently employed in drug discovery and optimization. However, most syntheses of triazole drugs involve isolation of highly explosive azides. Herein we report safe and high efficient syntheses of triazole drugs in aqueous/organic solvent systems with Cu2O nanoparticle (Cu2O-NP) as the catalyst of azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Since Cu2O-NP can be efficiently dispensed in aqueous and some organic solvents, the azide solutions from the previous preparation could be used directly in the next CuAAC stage without isolation. Therefore, this synthetic strategy is safe, convenient, and high yielding for the syntheses of triazole drugs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging cancer treatment combining light, oxygen, and a photosensitizer (PS) to produce highly cytotoxic reactive oxygen species that cause cancer cell death. However, most PSs are hydrophobic molecules that have poor water solubility and cannot target tumor tissues, causing damage to normal tissues and cells during PDT. Thus, there is a substantial demand for the development of nanocarrier systems to achieve targeted delivery of PSs into tumor tissues and cells. This review summarizes the research progress in PS delivery systems for PDT treatment of tumors and focuses on the recent design and development of multifunctional nanoparticles as PS delivery carriers for enhanced PDT. These multifunctional nanoparticles possess unique properties, including tunable particle size, changeable shape, stimuli-responsive PS activation, controlled PS release, and hierarchical targeting capability. These properties can increase tumor accumulation, penetration, and cellular internalization of nanoparticles to achieve PS activation and/or release in cancer cells for enhanced PDT. Finally, recent developments in multifunctional nanoparticles for tumor-targeted PS delivery and their future prospects in PDT are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]