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The utilization of biomass for the production of agricultural green inputs is regarded as a crucial strategy for achieving low-carbon development in agriculture, while also fully harnessing the potential of renewable resources. Pesticides, as a vital agricultural input, often encounter issues pertaining to inefficient usage, resulting in significant environmental pollution and economic losses. As a main component of lignocellulosic biomass, lignin has become one of the most appealing biopolymers for the construction of advanced pesticide delivery systems. This review aims to provide a thorough summary of the advancements in lignin-based controlled release formulations (LCRFs) for the precise delivery of pesticides. The research in this field has experienced rapid growth in the past five years, making it an important area of study. Common LCRFs are introduced, and the factors influencing the release of active ingredients (AIs) within different LCRFs are analyzed. Special emphasis is placed on intelligent-responsive LCRFs, encompassing an overview of the existing formulations and an exploration of their potential application scenarios and development strategies. It is crucial to promote innovation in pesticide formulations based on the actual demands of agricultural production. We hope this review will stimulate the high-value utilization of lignin and the green development of plant protection technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a multifunctional drug delivery platform (Au NR@SiO2/Ce@Dox@PDA@aptamer, abbreviated as PP-Dox nanocomposites) for enhancing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment with controlled drug release, magnetic targeting and specific cancer cell targeting. The platform is composed of polydopamine (PDA) as gatekeepers, gold nanorods (Au NRs) as local photothermal generators, S6 aptamers as targeting ligands and magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (mSiO2) containing high payloads of Ce with cross-linking ligands as drug containers and magnetic targeting agents. Upon uptake into cells or stimulation under a near-infrared (NIR) laser, pH and photothermally triggered drug release was observed. When target cancer cells are absent, the cellular uptake of PP-Dox nanocomposites is suppressed and displays poor treatment effect. However, when target cancer cells are present, more PP-Dox nanocomposites enter into cells because of the specific recognition between aptamers and targeted cells, resulting in an excellent treatment effect. Furthermore, the magnetic field and photothermal effect also supply a more effective therapeutic outcome than chemotherapy alone. We believe that the PP-Dox multifunctional platform has great potential in targeted cancer therapy for enhancing therapeutic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of a breathing support with superior binding affinity for the facile immobilization of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) for remotely controlled chemical reactions is of immense scientific interest in catalytic applications. Herein, a straightforward and fast electrostatic self-assembly of Au NPs onto near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive plasmonic core–shell thermosensitive ionic microgels, which are based on gold nanorods (Au NRs) coated with microgel shells of ionic liquids, has been constructed. These self-assembled nanocomposites exhibit high catalytic activity and controllability as compared to other Au-based catalysts reported in literature for the reduction of 4-nitrophenol. In the entire catalytic process, the NIR laser acts as a motor to drive the plasmonic core–shell ionic microgels for breathing and thereby tunes the progress of the catalytic reaction. Our results may provide a novel strategy, which is completely different from other traditional modes, to regulate the catalytic activity. The realization of this breathing modulation method induced by a remotely controlled way may create possibilities for the design of functional nanomaterials that can serve as intelligent catalysts with excellent catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The functional and structural properties of self-assembly materials are regulated by their building blocks with regards to structural functional motifs or the introduction of valuable responsiveness. In this work, fluorescent carbon quantum dots with magnetic [GdCl3Br]− counterions (CQDGd) were firstly synthesized, and they further served as building blocks for self-assembly with groups of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), including phosphate, guanine and cytosine, generating regular hybrid DNA nanospheres. Through a self-assembly process involving hybrid DNA nanospheres, a conformational transition of ssDNA occurred, and this changed the fluorescence properties of CQDGd. In addition, the structures of the building blocks could have a direct influence on the properties of the hybrid DNA nanospheres; for example, the base pair number of the single-stranded DNA could manipulate the circular dichroism as well as the fluorescent properties of the hybrid DNA nanospheres. The integrative self-assembly of CQDGd and single-stranded DNA will pave an avenue for the preparation of smart self-assembled materials using single-stranded DNA and magneto-responsive carbon quantum dots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, two-dimensional MXene Ti3C2Tx was modified on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to improve its performance for electrochemical detection. The morphology and structure of Ti3C2Tx were characterized by SEM and TEM. A new modified electrode was then fabricated by coating MXene solution on GCE for quercetin detection. The performance of MXene/GCE was determined by various methods, which showed an enhanced electrochemical activity. Direct electrochemistry of quercetin was investigated, and a pair of well-shaped redox peaks appeared with a peak-to-peak separation of 67 mV. The detection of quercetin by this proposed electrode was studied in detail, and presented a lower detection limit of 33 nM (3S0/S) with electrochemical parameters such as the electron transfer number (n), electron transfer coefficient (α) and reaction rate constant (ks) calculated as 1.99, 0.65 and 0.29 s−1, respectively. MXene/GCE was successfully utilized for the analysis of quercetin content in Ginkgo tablet samples with recoveries from 100.92% to 104.66%. Besides, MXene/GCE showed good anti-interference performance, good stability and reproducibility for the detection of quercetin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]