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In order to effectively avoid the side effects induced by multiple components and tedious synthesis process, a simple therapy system based on one material to simultaneously realize both photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) under single laser irradiation will promote the overall phototherapeutic efficiency and make the PTT/PDT system easier to operate. Here, by using transferrin (Tf) as protein template, ultrasmall CuS@transferrin nanodots (CuS@Tf NDs) were successfully synthesized through a facile one-pot protein-based biomineralization method. The obtained CuS@Tf NDs exhibited not only excellent photothermal conversion ability (34.4%) but also high photoactivated formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon 980 nm near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. By loading the drug doxorubicin (DOX) to CuS@Tf NDs, a synergistic therapy system with multiple therapeutic effects combined PTT, PDT, chemotherapy (CT) and tumor targeting properties could be perfectly implemented together by CuS@Tf-DOX NDs without any complicated post-modification process. Results from the in vitro cell experiments confirmed that these CuS@Tf-DOX NDs could produce excellent effect on cancer cells with 88.5% cell inhibition rate. In comparison with the complicated systems based on "multiple-components-in-one" strategy, this therapy system based on one single material but possess multifunctional purpose is easy to operate and more suitable for clinical applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Recently, due to their properties of high surface-to-volume ratio, easy penetration of the blood-brain barrier and easily modified surfaces, nanoparticles (NPs) have been recognized as promising inhibitors for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis and therapy. However, to achieve clinical application, the design and synthesis of specific NPs with good biocompatibility and degradability still are the main focus of research. In this paper, EGCG-Fe(iii)/PVP (EFPP) NPs with ultra-small size and good biocompatibility were first fabricated by the coordination reaction between Fe 3+ , EGCG and PVP. The obtained EFPP NPs exhibited effective influence on the inhibition of Aβ40 fibrillation and disaggregation of existing Aβ40 fibrils. The inhibitory effect was mainly derived from the synergistic effect of the weak hydrophobicity from PVP and antioxidant activity of EGCG. With the advantages of easy synthesis, high stability in simulated body fluid, high performance towards the antifibrillation of Aβ40 and biodegradability, it is reasonable to consider that the as-prepared EFPP NPs have good application prospects in the treatment of AD.

Ag 2 Se quantum dots (QDs) with near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence have been widely utilized in NIR fluorescence imaging in vivo because of their narrow bulk band gap and excellent biocompatibility. However, most of synthesis methods for Ag 2 Se QDs are expensive and the reactants are toxic. Herein, a new protein-templated biomimetic synthesis approach is proposed for the preparation of Ag 2 Se QDs by employing bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a template and dispersant. The BSA-templated Ag 2 Se QDs (Ag 2 Se@BSA QDs) showed NIR fluorescence with high fluorescence quantum yield (≈21.2 %), excellent biocompatibility and good dispersibility in different media. Moreover, the obtained Ag 2 Se@BSA QDs exhibited remarkable photothermal conversion (≈27.8 %), which could be used in photothermal therapy. As a model application in biomedicine, the Ag 2 Se@BSA QDs were used as "gatekeepers" to cap mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) by means of electrostatic interaction. By taking the advantages of NIR fluorescence and photothermal property of Ag 2 Se@BSA QDs, the obtained MSN-DOX-Ag 2 Se nanoparticles (MDA NPs) were employed as a nanoplatform for combined chemo-photothermal therapy. Compared with free DOX and MDA NPs without NIR laser, the laser-treated MDA NPs exhibited lower cell viability in vitro, implying that Ag 2 Se@BSA QDs are highly promising photothermal agents and the MDA NPs are potential carriers for chemo-photothermal therapy., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A novel sensing platform for monitoring small molecules without the need for sample separation and washing is developed by using a commercialized personal glucose meter based on bioresponsive controlled release of glucose from aptamer-gated mesoporous silica nanocontainers.

Due to the limitations of impedance matching and attenuation matching, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) employed alone have a weak capacity to attenuate electromagnetic wave (EMW) energy. In this work, B and N co-doped CNTs with embedded Ni nanoparticles (Ni@BNCNTs) are fabricated via an in situ doping method. Compared with a sample without B doping, Ni@BNCNTs demonstrate a superior EMW absorption performance, with all minimum reflection loss values below −20 dB, even at a matching thickness of 1.5 mm. The experimental and theoretical calculation results demonstrate that B doping increases conduction and polarization relaxation losses, as well as the impedance matching characteristic, which is responsible for the enhanced EMW absorption performance of Ni@BNCNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide even with low concentration in environment is very pernicious to the health, Therefore, the design of gas sensors for detecting H2S is highly desirable. In this work, porous spinel ZnCo2O4 nanosheets (NSs) were synthesized via a hydrothermal method and followed by the thermal treatment. Structural characterizations indicate that the porous NSs are composed of ~ 14 nm interconnected ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles. The porous spinel ZnCo2O4 NSs exhibit enhanced H2S sensing performance in comparison to Co3O4 NSs. The detection limit of the porous ZnCo2O4 NSs is down to 100 ppb H2S with a sensor response value of 1.32 even at relatively low operating temperature of 120 °C. Furthermore, the porous ZnCo2O4 NSs have fascinating selectivity and good long-term stability and relatively rapid response time. The gas sensing mechanism of the ZnCo2O4 NSs gas sensor is also discussed in terms of the effects of oxygen vacancies. In view of the exciting gas-sensing properties and facile preparation method, the porous ZnCo2O4 NSs are ideal candidates for the H2S sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general strategy based on the nanoscale Kirkendall effect has been developed to grow hollow transition metal (Fe, Co or Ni) oxide nanoparticles on graphene sheets. When applied as lithium-ion battery anodes, these hollow transition metal oxide-based composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance, with high reversible capacities and long-term stabilities at a high current density, superior to most transition metal oxides reported to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoO 3 nanorods/Fe 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 nanoparticles composite has been prepared by a hydrothermal method combined with an in situ diffusion growth process. Single cells based on 300 μm LSGM electrolyte have been fabricated with the MoO 3 nanorods/Fe 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 nanoparticles composite anode and a composite cathode consisting of Sr 0.9 Ce 0.1 CoO 3− δ and Sm-doped ceria (SDC). The peak power densities reach 225, 50, 75 mW cm −2 at 900 °C in H 2 , CH 4 and C 3 H 8 , respectively. The cell shows excellent long-term stability at 850 °C. The preliminary results demonstrate that the MoO 3 nanorods/Fe 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 nanoparticles composite is a promising alternative anode for solid oxide fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline SnO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with a diameter less than 6 nm are synthesized using potassium stannate trihydrate as the precursor in a basic system. The synthesized NPs can detect ethanol at a ppm level even at 100°C. Furthermore, the NPs have good selectivity to ethanol. The excellent ethanol sensing performances are attributed to the small size effect according to the space-charge model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene (G)-Fe3O4 nanohybrids were fabricated by first depositing β-FeOOH crystals with diameter of 3-5 nm on the surface of the graphene sheets. After annealing under Ar flow, β-FeOOH nanocrystals were reduced to Fe3O4 nanoparticles by the graphene sheets, and thus G-Fe3O4 nanohybrids were obtained. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles with a diameter of about 25 nm were uniformly dispersed over the surface of the graphene sheets. Moreover, compared with other magnetic materials and the graphene, the nanohybrids exhibited significantly increased electromagnetic absorption properties owing to high surface areas, interfacial polarizations, and good separation of magnetic nanoparticles. The maximum reflection loss was up to -40.36 dB for G-Fe3O4 nanohybrids with a thickness of 5.0 mm. The nanohybrids are very promising for lightweight and strong electromagnetic attenuation materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A general strategy based on the nanoscale Kirkendall effect is developed to grow hollow transition metal (Fe, Co or Ni) oxide nanoparticles on graphene sheets. When applied as lithium‐ion battery anodes, these hollow transition metal oxide based composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performance with high reversible capacities and long‐term stabilities at a high current density, superior to most transition metal oxides reported to date. More information can be found in the Full Paper by Y. Chen, C. Sun, P. Gao et al. on page 1638 ff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the use of glass fiber reinforced poly‐ether‐ether‐ketone (GF/PEEK) with low laser absorbance in laser assisted tape winding/placement (LATW/LATP), a method for dyeing GF/PEEK prepreg with nanoparticle fillers (NFs) is presented. First, the effects of carbon black (CB) and graphite (G) NFs on composites laser absorbance and reflection pattern were quantified, and the complex refractive index model was derived. Next, the effects of NFs on composites transverse thermal conductivity were tested, and the accuracy of four thermal conductivity prediction models were compared. Finally, the effects of NFs on composites interlayer performance were studied. The optical test results showed that NFs could improve laser absorbance while not changing reflection pattern, and the increase rate of absorbance for CB was higher than for G. As calculated by complex refractive index model, GF/PEEK with 1‐layer thickness could achieve complete laser absorption by addition of either 2.74%CB or 3.78%G. The thermal conductivity test results showed that NFs could improve composites transverse thermal conductivity. The increase rate of thermal conductivity for G was higher than for CB. Among the four prediction model, the Lewis‐Nielsen model had correct prediction regularity and was within 10% predict deviation. Based on this model, the transverse thermal conductivity of GF/PEEK/2.74%CB was 0.557 W/m K, and of GF/PEEK/3.78%G was 0.592 W/m K. The mechanical test results showed that the CB loading ≤4% had little effect on interlayer performance, while the G decreased interlayer performance. Consequently, adding CB at a low loading is a better way to realize GF/PEEK application in LATW/LATP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nitrogen-doped carbon sheets containing Fe 3 C nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped graphene shells are fabricated through heating the mixture of urea and ferric acetylacetonate and the subsequent treatment in hot acid solution. The nitrogen-doped carbon sheets have a lateral length ranging from hundred nanometers to several micrometers, while the Fe 3 C nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped graphene have a diameter of approximately 60 nm. The nitrogen-doped carbon sheets exhibit excellent electromagnetic wave absorption property. Typically, the optimal sample has the effective absorption bandwidth of 6.0 GHz at the absorber thicknesses of only 2.0 mm, favorably comparable to those of the magnetic absorbers reported previously. The excellent electromagnetic wave absorption property of nitrogen-doped carbon sheets containing Fe 3 C nanocapsules encapsulated in the nitrogen-doped graphene shells can be explained by their better impedance matching character and enhanced dielectric loss. Graphical abstract The optimal sample has the effective absorption bandwidth of 6.0 GHz at the absorber thicknesses of only 2.0 mm. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel sonication method has been successfully developed for the preparation of anthracene nanoparticles. The as-prepared nanoparticles are characterized using transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence excitation and emission spectroscopy. Nanoparticles prepared with sonication are smaller and better dispersed than with magnetic stirring. Surfactants cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, bis(2-ethylhexyl)sodium sulfosuccinate, sodium dodecyl sulfonate and polyvinylpyrrolidone are used to control the size and morphology. Excimer band is found at 445 and 472 nm and possible mechanism is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this study, nitrogen (N)-doped graphene-coated FeNi nanoparticles were fabricated onto N-doped carbon (NC) nanosheets (FeNi@NGLs/NC) by a simple method. The simulations based on the Havriliak–Negami (H–N) model show two relaxation peaks resulting from the dipole and interfacial polarizations in the dielectric spectra of FeNi@NGLs/NC, Ni@NGLs/NC, and Fe 3 C/Fe@NGLs/NC. Among these samples, Ni@NGLs/NC exhibits the largest dielectric loss, which is related to its high conduction loss below 8 GHz and relaxation loss over the range 2–18 GHz. Through simulations based on the Gilbert modification of the Landau–Lifshitz equation, different numbers of resonance peaks are derived from the permeability-frequency plots of these samples. Further theoretical calculations indicate that the number and position of these resonance peaks are dependent on the type of metal nanoparticles (NPs) in the samples. Despite having the largest dielectric loss, Ni@NGLs/NC exhibits the worst electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption properties among the three samples, because of its poor impedance matching characteristics, caused by the skin effect. These results not only uncover the origin of dielectric and magnetic losses in magnetic carbon composites, but also demonstrate the importance of the balance between the loss and impedance matching for an EMW absorber. • N-doped graphene-coated FeNi nanoparticles on N-doped carbon nanosheets (FeNi@NGLs/NC) were obtained using a simple method. • The permittivity and permeability of FeNi@NGLs/NC were discussed based on the H–N model and LLG equation. • FeNi@NGLs/NC exhibited excellent electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption property. • Our results indicated the importance of the balance between loss and impedance matching characteristics to EMW absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]