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In recent years, photonic therapy (photothermal and photodynamic therapy) has gradually aroused great interest among researchers in related fields as a new method of tumor treatment. However, a single phototherapy modality alone, such as photodynamic therapy or photothermal therapy, has shown limited therapeutic efficacy in tumor treatment. To overcome the limitations of monotherapy, a combined photothermal–photodynamic treatment strategy based on graphite-phase carbon nitride quantum dots (g-CNQDs) and silver nanospheres (AgNSs) has been employed in this work. Specifically, a g-CNQDs@AgNSs nanocomposite was prepared by loading g-CNQDs onto the surface of AgNSs through metal amino coordination and in situ reduction methods. g-CNQDs serve as the photosensitizer whereas AgNSs act as a photothermal agent. This nanocomposite not only has good biocompatibility but also has good photothermal properties and generates excellent reactive oxygen species under near-infrared light irradiation. In vitro or cellular experimental results show that combination therapy provides a significant improvement in photothermal and photodynamic efficacy as compared to monotherapy. In essence, this work offers a secure and powerful strategy for efficient combination therapy of tumors with promising applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modifiable one-dimensional materials are extremely desired in various applications, especially in room-temperature (RT) chemiresistive gas sensing. New one-dimensional (1D) CdS-based metal chalcogenide nanowires with a surface fully covered amino group (denoted as Cd-ATP) were prepared by the coordination self-assembly method. Featuring densely covered organic functional motifs, Cd-ATP is able to selectively recognize H2S through hydrogen bonding interaction between the amino group and H2S. Cd-ATP exhibits high sensitivity, an ultra-low limit-of-detection (116.49 ppt) and fast response/recovery among all reported room temperature H2S sensing non-composite materials. This work provides inspiration for the design and preparation of novel surface fully functionalized 1D materials for various chemical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoS2 is an anode material that has produced high expectations in sodium ion batteries, mainly due to its layered structure and high theoretical specific capacity. However, it faces drastic volume changes during the ion insertion/extraction process, which restricts its electrochemical performance. Therefore, improving the structural stability and electrical conductivity of MoS2 is a key issue to promote the potential application. Herein, a nitrogen-doped three-dimensional (3D) hollow carbon framework is designed to wrap MoS2 in the holes to improve the stability of the structure and expose more active sites by a sequential freeze-drying, carbonization, and hydrothermal reaction method. The MoS2 encapsulated in the 3D hollow carbon framework assembled half-cell exhibits a high capacity of 413.3 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1 for 100 cycles and excellent stability at a high rate of 225.2 mA h g−1 at 2 A g−1 for 400 cycles. The improved conductivity and stability from the 3D hollow carbon frameworks justify the excellent sodium ion storage performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An organocatalytic enantioselective Friedel–Crafts alkylation of β-naphthols with isatins has been developed. The process is catalyzed by a simple thiourea derivative to give enantioenriched 3-(naphthalen-1-yl)-3-amino-2-oxindoles in excellent yields of 89–95% with high enantioselectivities (90–97% ee). The catalyst type and the substrate scope were broadened using this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, organic–inorganic hybrid metal halides have emerged as a highly promising class of semiconducting light emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their fascinating photoluminescence properties. Here, by specifically selecting different organic cations as templates, a series of new hybrid cuprous halides have been solvothermally prepared, namely [Me-Py]CuI2 (1), [(Me)2-DABCO]Cu2I4 (2), [Me-MePy]Cu2I3 (3), and [H2DABCO]Cu3X5 (X = I (4) and Br (5)). These hybrid cuprous halides feature one-dimensional (1D) [CuI2]−, [Cu2I3]− and [Cu3X5]2− (X = Br, I) chains surrounded and charge-balanced by organic cations. Under UV photoexcitation, these hybrid cuprous halides exhibit strong tunable photoluminescence from cyan (480 nm) to red (675 nm) emissions with large Stokes shifts (345 nm). The intrinsic nature of PL emissions is also investigated based on temperature-dependent PL emission, lifetime, photoluminescence quantum efficiencies, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we prepared the first series of 3D hybrid iodoplumbates with novel porous frameworks of [Pb8I21]5− directed by transition metal complex (TMC) cationic dyes of [TM(2.2-bipy)3]2+. The microporous materials exhibit outstanding visible light-driven photoelectric properties due to the effective photosensitization of the TMC dyes. The coexistence of stronger face- and weaker corner-shared connecting manners affords the feasibility of tailoring the 3D framework into low-dimensional skeletons, which provide a new structural prototype to modify the semiconducting properties similar to those of classic perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The enormous volume expansion during cycling and poor electron conductivity of SnS2 limit its cycling stability and high rate capability. Herein, flower-like SnS2 anchored on 3D carbon nanofiber structures were designed and synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. Pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose as 3D carbon nanofibers can not only offer a continuous pathway of Li+ and electrons, but can also migrate the serious volume change of SnS2 during charging and discharging. The obtained composite shows a specific capacity of 408.8 mA h g−1 even after 1500 cycles at 10 A g−1, and almost no specific capacity decay after 20 cycles with a retention of 97.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing an ionic-liquid (IL) type electrolyte with both high voltage window and wide temperature window, especially the low temperature range, is crucial to increase the energy density of the associated electrical double layer capacitors. We proposed the addition of γ-butyrolactone (GBL) in EMIMBF4 to form a binary electrolyte. The melting point (∼15 °C) of EMIMBF4 disappeared and the glass transition point decreased from −95 °C (for pure EMIMBF4) to −126 °C for the binary electrolyte. The binary electrolyte also exhibited improved ionic conductivity (26 and 0.31 mS cm−1 at 20 and −70 °C, respectively) and allowed an electrode of mesoporous graphene to exhibit a capacitance of 131 F g−1 and energy density of 61 W h kg−1 at −70 °C and 3.7 V, the highest values reported so far. NMR and ATR-IR characterization validated the strong interaction between GBL and EMIMBF4 for breaking the ion pairs of the latter but without forming the solvated ions, as in the system of EMMIBF4 with propylene carbonate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catalyst-free preparation method for zinc nanocrystals on a silicone oil surface is developed at room temperature. The growth tendency of one- and two-dimensional zinc crystals, which may be tunable by the deposition rate, can be attributed mainly to the preferential growth characteristics of the crystals. The formation of zinc crystal mounds with nanoscale steps results from both the preferential growth characteristics and strong step-edge barriers. A new aggregation mechanism involving competitive growth among the preferential growth directions is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of S doping at the oxygen site on the thermoelectric properties of BiOCuSe have been investigated. The partial substitution of S ions at the O sites of BiOCuSe was achieved by sulfurization using CS2 gas. Analysis of the powder X-ray diffraction data indicates that the ZrCuSiAs structure of BiOCuSe is retained after sulfurization. Substitution of O with S leads to an increase in the lattice parameters and a decrease in the band gap. The electrical conductivity rises due to the increase of the electronic contribution with doping. S-doped BiOCuSe materials behave as a p-type semiconductor. The thermoelectric properties of S-doped BiOCuSe materials can be understood through the analysis of the electronic band structure and the density of states close to the Fermi level. The substitution of O sites with S provides possible directions toward the enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit of oxide materials with low electrical conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidosomes are three dimensional superstructures composed of building blocks with various morphologies and would have great application potentials in many fields. However, complicated synthesis procedures have restricted their extensive applications. In this work, we reported a facile one-pot synthesis approach to fabricate hollow core–shell α-Fe2O3 colloidosomes via a solvothermal method. The colloidosomes have an average diameter of 3 μm and both the core and the shell of the α-Fe2O3 colloidosomes are assembled by α-Fe2O3 nanoplates, which are composed of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles. When evaluated as a lithium-ion battery anode, these core–shell α-Fe2O3 colloidosomes exhibited high reversible discharge and charge capacities and stable cyclability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four novel manganese phosphonate clusters, namely Cl@[Mn6(t-BuPO3)8(H2O)2(CH3OH)4][OH] (1), Br@[Mn6(t-BuPO3)8(H2O)2(CH3OH)4][OH]·4H2O (2), [Mn13O6(t-BuPO3)10(OH)6(CH3OH)6][Mn13O6(t-BuPO3)10(OCH3)6(t-BuPO3H2)2(H2O)4]·2CH3OH·10H2O (3) and [Mn15K2O8(t-BuPO3)10(CH3O)4(C6H5COO)4(H2O)8]·6H2O (4), have been successfully synthesized in the presence of tert-butylphosphonic acid, carboxylic acid, NBun4MnO4 and different manganese sources. These clusters were characterized by elemental analyses, IR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric (TG) analyses and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Single-crystal structure analyses reveal that the structures of 1–4 are diverse. The structure of cluster 1 is analogous to that of cluster 2, which displays a cage-like arrangement with one halide ion (Cl−, Br−) lying inside the centre of the cave. Cluster 3 is a carboxylate-free manganese phosphonate cluster consisting of two similar Mn13 structural units. Moreover, there exist two potassium ions and fifteen manganese ions in the heterometallic cluster 4. In addition, solid-state DC magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate the existence of overall antiferromagnetic (AF) exchange interactions between the Mn ions in all clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastewater reclamation and reuse is a promising way to relieve water scarcity by substituting for natural water consumption by industrial cooling. However, health concerns regarding cooling water originating from reclaimed water are increasing because an abundance of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) has been detected in reclaimed water. To assess the potential increase of ARB risks in reclaimed water after reuse for industrial cooling, the prevalence of six types of ARB was investigated in water and sediment samples from Lake Gaobeidian, which serves as an artificial circular storage reservoir for reclaimed water for cooling reuse. The effect of treated wastewater and cooling water drainage on the ARB distribution in water and sediment samples was also studied. The results showed that the concentration levels of six types of ARB in lake water samples were as high as those in treated wastewater. The annual median concentrations of total heterotrophic bacteria (HPC) and ARB in discharged cooling water after usage were 0.6-log and 0.4-log higher than those in treated wastewater and the cooling water intake site, respectively, indicating that the process of cooling water usage enhanced the proliferation of HPC and consequently increased the concentrations of ARB. Furthermore, the percentages of penicillin-, ampicillin-, and cephalothin-resistant bacteria in water were 30–57%, 36–48%, and 23–40% higher than those in sediment, respectively. However, the proportions of chloramphenicol-resistant bacteria in water were 35–85% lower than those in sediment. Quantitative evaluation of antibiotic resistance showed that HPC in water had a significant tolerance to penicillin and chloramphenicol, with 50% inhibitory concentrations reaching 22.90 mg L−1 and 29.11 mg L−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first asymmetric reaction of indol-2-yl carbinols with indole derivatives catalyzed by chiral phosphoramides for the 0 enantioselective synthesis of 2,3'-diindolylarylmethanes in excellent yields of over 90% as well as high enantioselectivity of up to 96% ee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, organic-inorganic hybrid metal halides have emerged as a highly promising class of semiconducting light emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their fascinating photoluminescence properties. Here, by specifically selecting different organic cations as templates, a series of new hybrid cuprous halides have been solvothermally prepared, namely [Me-Py]CuI 2 (1), [(Me) 2 -DABCO]Cu 2 I 4 (2), [Me-MePy]Cu 2 I 3 (3), and [H 2 DABCO]Cu 3 X 5 (X = I (4) and Br (5)). These hybrid cuprous halides feature one-dimensional (1D) [CuI 2 ] - , [Cu 2 I 3 ] - and [Cu 3 X 5 ] 2- (X = Br, I) chains surrounded and charge-balanced by organic cations. Under UV photoexcitation, these hybrid cuprous halides exhibit strong tunable photoluminescence from cyan (480 nm) to red (675 nm) emissions with large Stokes shifts (345 nm). The intrinsic nature of PL emissions is also investigated based on temperature-dependent PL emission, lifetime, photoluminescence quantum efficiencies, etc.

The enormous volume expansion during cycling and poor electron conductivity of SnS2 limit its cycling stability and high rate capability. Herein, flower-like SnS2 anchored on 3D carbon nanofiber structures were designed and synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method. Pyrolyzed bacterial cellulose as 3D carbon nanofibers can not only offer a continuous pathway of Li+ and electrons, but can also migrate the serious volume change of SnS2 during charging and discharging. The obtained composite shows a specific capacity of 408.8 mA h g-1 even after 1500 cycles at 10 A g-1, and almost no specific capacity decay after 20 cycles with a retention of 97.5%.

We present the first asymmetric reaction of indol-2-yl carbinols with indole derivatives catalyzed by chiral phosphoramides for the enantioselective synthesis of 2,3'-diindolylarylmethanes in excellent yields of over 90% as well as high enantioselectivity of up to 96% ee.

Reactions of [Mn6O2(piv)10(py)2.5(piv)1.5], Ln(NO3)3·6H2O and N-mdeaH2 in MeCN in the presence of Me3SiCl generated a family of octanuclear Mn/Ln complexes [Mn6(III)Mn(II)Ln(N-mdea)3(N-mdeaH)(piv)8O2(OH)3(NO3)(H2O)]·xCH3CN·xH2O [Ln = Gd (1), Dy (2), Er (3), pivH = pivalic acid, N-mdeaH2 = N-methyl diethanolamine]. Each complex possesses a [Mn6(III)Mn(II)Ln(μ3-O)2(μ3-OH)3](16+) core containing two butterfly-like subunits of [Mn3Ln(μ3-OH)2] and [Mn4(μ3-O)2] sharing a common vertex, and an outer Mn atom ligated to one of the subunits through a μ3-OH(-) ligand. The core topology represents a new Mn/Ln core type. The magnetic susceptibility study of 1-3 indicates the presence of dominant antiferromagnetic interactions within the complexes. For complex 1, which contains an isotropic Gd(III) atom, fitting of the obtained M/(NμB) vs. H/T data gave S = 4, g = 1.90, and D = -0.31 cm(-1). The results were further supported by ac data. Complex exhibits out-of-phase ac susceptibility signals, indicating it may be a SMM.

Metal-catalyzed direct C(sp(3))-H bond amination of 2-alkyl azaarenes with N=N double bonds has been developed, which expands the scope of C(sp(3))-H bond activation reactions and provides a new access to medicinally important azaarene derivatives.

To identify glucocorticoid induced cataract (GIC)-specific modified crystallins and related changes, we analyzed rat crystallins and related changes in lenses exposed to dexamethasone (Dex). To carry out proteomics analyses, we separated soluble lens proteins with two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and modified crystallins were analyzed with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS/MS). Related changes in mRNA, protein levels and morphological and functional changes of modified crystallins were also determined. Measured masses (except for γD-crystallin as the larger and cross-link form), the isoelectric points (PIs; except for βB3-crystallin as the alkalinization form) and amino acid sequences of all known rat crystallins matched previously reported data. Analysis by 2-DE indicated that αA, αB, βB3 and γD increased when lenses were exposed to 5 μM Dex; βA4 increased when lenses were exposed to 1 μM Dex and the five proteins that had the highest expressional trend were identical with the results of Q-PCR. βA3/A1 crystallin (expressional trend identical with results of Q-PCR) and the serum albumin precursor gradually disappeared when exposed to 1-50 μM Dex. Results of Western blotting, immunohistochemistry or fluorescence analysis showed that αA and αB increased most when exposed to 5 μM Dex and βA1/A3 and KI-67 decreased obviously when exposed to 1-50 μM Dex. Electron microscopy showed that the condition of the lens was better when lenses were exposed to 5 μM Dex than at other levels and cracks between the fiber cells became larger when lenses were exposed to 1-50 μM Dex. A chaperone role of α-crystallin protecting heated catalase (CAT) and the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and caspase-3 were highest when exposed to 5 μM Dex. Moreover, αA-crystallins were associated with increased phosphorylation (PI decreased). In conclusion, the proteomics analysis and related changes of rat crystallins when lenses were exposed to Dex in this study will be useful for comparison with normal lens proteins and GIC. We also provided a mechanism for GIC from a proteomics aspect based on the in vitro model.