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With the aim of gaining new insight into the underlying apoptosis mechanisms and in vivo efficacy of cyclometalated Ir(III) complexes as metalodrugs, six new cyclometalated Ir(III)–quinoline complexes, [Ir(1a)(2pq)2] (2a), [Ir(1b)(2pq)2] (2b), [Ir(1c)(2pq)2] (2c), [Ir(1d)(2pq)2] (2d), [Ir(1e)(2pq)2] (2e), and [Ir(1f)(2pq)2] (2f) (2pq = 2-phenylisoquinoline), have been synthesized using 5,7-dihalo-8-hydroxylquinoline ligands (1a–1f) and [Ir(2pq)2Cl]2 precursors and characterized. Complexes 2a–2f have shown potent anticancer activity against cisplatin-resistant SK-OV-3/DDP and A549/DDP cells (IC50 = 0.11–1.83 μM), following the order 2e > 2f > 2b > 2c > 2d > 2a. Confocal microscopy images suggest that 2e and 2b could act as red-color probes for specific cell imaging and efficiently initiate apoptosis and autophagy in the mitochondria, cell cytosol, and nucleus. Overexpression of beclin1, caspase-9, cytochrome c, LC3II, and apaf-1; inhibition of p62, cyclin D1, cyclin A2, and CDK2; and a substantial rapid accumulation suggest a paraptotic mode of cell death induced by autophagy, DNA damage, and mitochondrial stress. In addition, the inhibitory rate of 2e on A549/DDP tumor growth was 64.1% at a concentration of 10.0 mg kg−1, which is clearly higher than that of cisplatin. According to the biological assay, the cyclometalated Ir(III)–quinoline complex 2e exhibited a higher anticancer effect than 2b, which may be associated with the electronic effect of the methyl group of the 1e ligand of 2e playing a key role in the mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel porous boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) were successfully developed as superior adsorbents to rapidly remove cadmium and copper ions from water. The resultant BNNRs possessed large specific surface areas and small average porosity (866 m2 g−1 and 2.1 nm, respectively). The width of a single nanoribbon was approximately 660 nm. The maximum adsorption capacities for Cd2+ and Cu2+ ions were about 530 mg g−1 (C0 = 600 mg L−1, pH 6, dosage = 1 g L−1) and 331 mg g−1 (C0 = 500 mg L−1, pH 5, dosage = 1 g L−1), respectively. Further, BNNRs possessed the ability to rapidly adsorb Cd2+ and Cu2+ within 10 min and 20 min, respectively. Interference and reuse experiments demonstrated that BNNRs exhibited superior adsorption performance with easy recyclability and sustainability, indicating that the adsorbents might be applied to purify heavy metal ions from diversified water including wastewater and drinking water at pH 3–8 or under the interference of other metal ions. The XPS and FTIR analyses revealed that the possible mechanism of adsorption is the chelation and attraction of heavy chemical metals by surficial chemical bonds, such as B–O and –NH2 bonds. With regard to the cadmium (1 mg L−1) and copper (10 mg L−1) contents of simulated real water, the WHO standard can be reached within 10 min and 1 min for BNNRs (dosage = 1 g L−1), respectively. Therefore, the as-prepared BNNRs are ideal candidates for water purification applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) have been thought to be applicable for display and lighting due to their advantages such as simple device architecture, low-voltage operation and compatibility with inert cathode metals. Among the emissive materials of LECs, ionic transition metal complexes (iTMCs) exhibit relatively higher emission efficiency but they show relatively broader emission spectra, resulting in lower color saturation for display application. Here, we demonstrated that by integrating perovskite-based color conversion layers (CCLs) with blue iTMC–LECs, highly saturated green, yellow, red and deep-red and high color-rendering-index (CRI) white LECs can be obtained. The Commission Internationale de l’E’clairage (CIE) 1931 coordinates of the highly saturated single-color LECs are almost on the boundary of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) color gamut, showing their potential application in display. By mixing perovskites of different colors at an appropriate ratio in the CCLs, the white LECs show a CRI ＞90, which is among the highest reported values, and a correlated color temperature of 2649 K. Hence the proposed technique can also be one of the good candidates for lighting applications. In addition, both the highly saturated single-color and white LECs still exhibit efficient emission for display and lighting applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]