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5b, the two SEM images for "After irradiation" and "1 week" were not measured on the same batch as the other two SEM images in the figure representing "4 weeks" and "8 weeks". This Article contains an error in Fig. [Extracted from the article]

The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of Hb A1c and fasting plasma glucose ( FPG) in identifying dysglycaemic status among Chinese participants., Fasting plasma glucose and Hb A1c were measured in 2318 subjects with at least one risk factor for diabetes but without being previously diagnosed with diabetes., Using Hb A1c to diagnose diabetes resulted in the same classification as FPG for 90.5% of the study participants, with 21.0% ( n = 487) classified as having diabetes by both FPG and Hb A1c and 69.5% ( n = 1610) classified as not having diabetes by both FPG and Hb A1c. The kappa (κ) coefficient of the FPG criterion with the Hb A1c criterion for diabetes was 0.75 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.72-0.78). The overlap index regarding diabetes diagnosed by FPG or Hb A1c was 68.8%. Of 1610 subjects with FPG < 126 mg/dL and HbA1c < 6.5%, 220 (13.7%) had FPG ≥ 100 mg/dL and Hb A1c < 5.7%, whereas 277 (17.2%) had FPG < 100 mg/dL and Hb A1c ≥ 5.7%. The κ coefficient of the FPG criterion with the Hb A1c criterion for prediabetes was 0.30 (95% CI 0.25-0.35). The overlap index between subjects diagnosed as having prediabetes by FPG of 100-125 mg/dL (impaired fasting glucose ( IFG)) or Hb A1c of 5.7-6.4% (increased Hb A1c ( IGH)) was 35.9%., The Hb A1c criterion demonstrates reasonable concordance with the FPG criterion for diabetes. Hence, Hb A1c and FPG can be used for the diagnosis of diabetes. However, the IGH shows limited overlap with IFG for prediabetes. Introduction of the IGH criterion in addition to IFG for the screening of prediabetes could lead to the identification of more people with this condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CdMnTe ( x = 0, 0.1, 0.2) nanocrystals have been synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) Cd, Mn, and Se elemental powders. XRD patterns and HRTEM images confirmed the formation of cubic CdMnTe nanocrystals. All the diffraction peaks from elemental Cd, Mn, and Te powders disappeared completely in those XRD patterns of as-milled CdMnTe nanocrystals for more than 20 h. When the MA process was carried out for 40 h, typical zinc blende structure diffraction mode was exhibited in the XRD pattern. Subsequently, capping the surface of as-milled CdMnTe nanocrystals with long chain trioctylphosphine/trioctylphosphine oxide/nitric acid (TOP/TOPO/NA) molecules has achieved colorful dispersion solution, which shows similar optical properties to those CdTe nanocrystals prepared by wet chemical process. The grain size is within the range of 2-8 nm for the capped CdMnTe nanocrystals being ball milled for 40 h. The PL excitation peak red shifts to longer wavelength side with increasing Mn concentration. Pure CdTe nanocrystals show ferromagnetism behavior at room temperature, the saturation magnetization value and magnetic hysteresis loop increase with the content of substituting Mn ions within the CdMnTe nanocrystals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between C60 and quantum dots (QDs) has attracted much attention recently due to its potential applications in solar cells, for example, as a promising renewable energy source. In this paper, monolayer self-assembled CdSe/ZnS core/shell QDs films were prepared and drop-coated with different amounts of C60. A significant photoluminescence quenching and an emission lifetime reduction were observed in the QDs-C60 composite films, and the quenching efficiency was increased with the increasing of the C60 content. Together with the reduced emission lifetime, the results here provide direct evidence for the charge transfer process in the QDs-C60 system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the increase of the radiative decay rate of heptamethine cyanine NIR laser dye within core-shell Ag/SiO2 nanowires. The photoluminescence intensity and lifetime of the heptamethine cyanine dye are affected by the Ag nanowires. Both the photoluminescence intensity and the decay rate of the heptamethine cyanine dye are greatly enhanced by the Ag nanostructures and are caused by the interactions between the excited-state fluorophore and the local electric field near the metal particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible and robust memristors with controllable resistance‐switching characteristics are important to neuromorphic computing. However, the nanomaterials‐based, solution‐processed resistance switching layer usually has poor reliability and tunability due to uneven morphology and invariable surface properties. Herein, phosphorylated graphene nanoflakes (phos‐GPs) are synthesized for high‐performance solution‐processed flexible memristors. In situ conductive atomic force microscopy reveals that the tightly stacked uniform nanoflakes and modified phosphorate groups jointly reduce the formation barrier of the conductive filaments. Furthermore, phosphorylation gives rise to surface silver ion coordination leading to enhanced radial growth of the conductive filaments. The memristor shows volatile characteristics in the Ag/phos‐GPs/ITO architecture and exhibits non‐volatile properties in the Ag/Ag+‐(phos‐GPs)/ITO structure. Both types of memristors display consistent I‐‐V curves during long‐term cycling and under repetitive mechanical bending, in addition to excellent synaptic plasticity. Moreover, ultrasmall nonlinearity is observed from non‐volatile long‐term synaptic potentiation and depression. By utilizing the tunable artificial synapses, the processes of memory‐forgetting and re‐recognition are simulated, and the image recognition tasks are accomplished by the artificial neural networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: CRISPR/Cas9 system as a potential gene editing platform has been widely applied in biological engineering and disease therapies. To achieve precise gene targeting, active CRISPR/Cas9 components must be efficiently transported to targeted cells. As a simple and effective strategy, Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) treatment has been demonstrated for the transmembrane delivery of various exogenous materials. In comparison with carrier-dependent delivery methods, this carrier-free platform provides a promising alternative to circumvent the obstacles of biosafety and complicated preparation processes. In this work, a CAP-based CRISPR/Cas9 carrier-free delivery platform has been established and corresponding mechanism related to efficient transportation has been explored. Briefly, the efficient production of bioactive species in culture media after CAP treatment alters cell membrane potential and permeability, which facilitates cytosolic delivery of active CRISPR/Cas9 components via passive diffusion and ATP-dependent endocytosis pathways, resulting in efficient genome editing and gene silencing. This carrier-free strategy using CAP-based transportation may also be extended to other active biomolecules in drug delivery and gene therapy. A carrier-free CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein delivery strategy for genome editing mediated by a cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is described. The CAP is promising in many biomedical applications due to efficient production of bioactive ionized species. The MCF-7 cancer cells after CAP exposure exhibit increased extracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and altered membrane potential and permeability. Hence, transmembrane transport of Ca2+ into the cells increases and accelerates ATP hydrolysis, resulting in enhanced ATP-dependent endocytosis. Afterwards, the increased Ca2+ and ATP contents promote the release of cargo into cytoplasm due to the enhanced endosomal escape. The increased membrane permeability also facilitates passive diffusion of foreign species across the membrane into the cytosol. After CAP exposure, the MCF-7 cells incubated with Cas9 ribonucleoprotein (Cas9-sgRNA complex, Cas9sg) with a size of about 15 nm show 88.9% uptake efficiency and 65.9% nuclear import efficiency via passive diffusion and ATP-dependent endocytosis pathways. The efficient transportation of active Cas9sg after the CAP treatment leads to 21.7% and 30.2% indel efficiencies in HEK293T and MCF-7 cells, respectively. This CAP-mediated transportation process provides a simple and robust alternative for the delivery of active CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein. Additionally, the technique can be extended to other macro-biomolecules and nanomaterials to cater to different biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) have wide applications in the biomedical field due to their outstanding physical and chemical properties. However, the potential adverse effects and related mechanisms of IONPs in human organs, especially the lung, are still largely ignored. In this study, we found that group-modified IONPs (carboxylated, aminated and silica coated) induce slight lung cell damage (in terms of the cell cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, cell membrane integrity and DNA damage) at a sublethal dosage. However, aminated IONPs could release more iron ions in the lysosome than the other two types of IONPs, but the abnormally elevated iron ion concentration did not induce ferroptosis. Intriguingly, amino-modified IONPs aggravated the accumulation of intracellular peroxides induced by the ferroptosis activator RSL3 and thus caused ferroptosis in vitro , and the coadministration of amino-modified IONPs and RSL3 induced more severe lung injury in vivo. Therefore, our data revealed that the surface functionalization of IONPs plays an important role in determining their potential pulmonary toxicity, as surface modification influences their degradation behavior. These results provide guidance for the design of future IONPs and the corresponding safety evaluations and predictions. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nitrogen-doped porous phosphorus sphere features fast and robust ion-transport-pathways during lithiation/de-lithiation, delivering high-rate-capacity of 735 mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1 in half-cells and capacity-retention exceeding 90% after 200 cycles at 2 mA cm−2 in full-cells. [Display omitted] Phosphorus anode has shown great potential for the high-rate and high-energy–density lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, it still suffers from possible electrode cracking, ion-transport restrictions, and active-particle decomposition resulting from repeated alloying/de-alloying. To address the aforementioned issues, a nitrogen-doped flower-like porous phosphorus (f-P) sphere has been developed. The abundant micro-mesopores facilitate ion diffusion and enhance the internal bonding strength of the electrode. Concurrently, the doped nitrogen promotes the generation of a favorable solid electrolyte interphase constructed by fast-ion-conductors. As a result, the f-P exhibits a high-rate capacity of 735mAh g−1 at 20 A g−1 and maintains high Coulombic efficiencies over 900 cycles at 10 A g−1. Furthermore, coin full-cells comprising the f-P anode and lithium cobalt oxide cathode demonstrate stable operation at a high current density of 6 mA cm−2. The combination of a porous structure and doping strategy represents a viable approach for strengthening the durability of electrodes and optimizing the ion transport kinetics of advanced alloy anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this work, two-photon-excited photoluminescence dynamics in ZnS functionalized ZnO nanotetrapods were investigated. Comparing to the bare ZnO nanotetrapods, the emission peaks of the ZnO/ZnS nanotetrapods red-shifted by 5–10nm, and the photoluminescence intensity and lifetime of the ultraviolet exciton radiative transition increased more than 20 times due to the passivation effect of the core/shell structure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Photoelectrochemical Ammonia Synthesis: Photoelectrochemical Synthesis of Ammonia with Black Phosphorus (Adv. Funct. Keywords: 2D materials; black phosphorus; nitrogen reduction reaction; photoelectrochemical catalysis; synthesis of ammonia EN 2D materials black phosphorus nitrogen reduction reaction photoelectrochemical catalysis synthesis of ammonia 1 1 1 06/13/20 20200615 NES 200615 Black phosphorus (BP) is developed as a highly efficient metal-free photoelectrochemical (PEC) ammonia synthesis catalyst for the first time. 2D materials, black phosphorus, nitrogen reduction reaction, photoelectrochemical catalysis, synthesis of ammonia. [Extracted from the article]

Graphene field‐effect transistors (GFETs) are widely used in biosensing due to their excellent properties in biomolecular signal amplification, exhibiting great potential for high‐sensitivity and point‐of‐care testing in clinical diagnosis. However, difficulties in complicated fabrication steps are the main limitations for the further studies and applications of GFETs. In this study, a modular fabrication technique is introduced to construct microfluidic GFET biosensors within 3 independent steps. The low‐melting metal electrodes and intricate flow channels are incorporated to maintain the structural integrity of graphene and facilitate subsequent sensing operations. The as‐fabricated GFET biosensor demonstrates excellent long‐term stability, and performs effectively in various ion environments. It also exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity for detecting single‐stranded nucleic acids at a 10 fm concentration. Furthermore, when combined with the CRISPR/Cas12a system, it facilitates amplification‐free and rapid detection of nucleic acids at a concentration of 1 fm. Thus, it is believed that this modular‐fabricated microfluidic GFET may shed light on further development of FET‐based biosensors in various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the semiconductor industry calls for the exploration of novel semiconductors to cater to modern technical and commercial needs. Recently, black phosphorus (BP) has emerged as a new class of 2D semiconducting material and has attracted intensive research attention. The high carrier mobility and tunable direct bandgap of BP deliver great promise in photonic and optoelectronic device applications. Furthermore, the unique intrinsic anisotropy arising from the puckered structure can be exploited in the design of new devices. This review briefly introduces the history of BP and puts emphasis on recent advances pertaining to its optical properties and applications in the photonic and optoelectronic fields. From the perspective of mass production and practical use of BP, some of the research challenges and opportunities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights from the article: B Recent advances in the anti-cancer effects b of various types of low-dimensional nanomaterials with inherent chemotherapeutic bioactivity are described by W. Zhou, X.-F. Herein particular emphasis is put on black phosphorus nanosheets, which is a new and exciting material with excellent inherent bioactivity, selectivity, and biocompatibility in cancer therapy. Chemotherapeutic agents, anti-cancer, low-dimensional nanomaterials, inherent bioactivity.

2D materials with large specific surface area and robust mechanical properties are appropriate for electrocatalysis. However, the unsatisfactory adsorption energy and limited active sites restrict their commercial application. Herein, a facile and rapid electrochemical strategy enabling synchronous exfoliation and doping is designed to directly synthesize metal‐doped 2D materials from the bulk crystals. By using black phosphorus as a model, various metal doped phosphorene such as BP(Co), BP(Mo), and BP(Ni) is obtained, and a synergistic synthesis mechanism is proposed. Notably, the dopant introduces electronic band transformation, charge redistribution, and state occupation confirmed by density functional theory calculations. Owing to the enhanced electro‐conductivity, abundant metal‐P active sites, and optimized adsorption energy by doping, the BP(metal) exhibits enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction activities and stability in comparison to the bare phosphorene. Particularly, BP(Co) presents highest activity with a potential of 0.294 V at 10 mA cm−2 (the current density is normalized with electrochemical surface area by using a double‐layer capacitance method). This study provides new access to synthesize highly efficient electrocatalysts, and also enriches the structure modulation means for layered 2D materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The celebrated discovery of graphene has spurred tremendous research interest in two‐dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) with unique attributes in the quantum regime. In 2DLMs, each layer is composed of a covalently bonded lattice and is weakly coupled to its neighboring layers by van der Waals interactions. There are abundant members in this 2DLM family beyond graphene, such as transition metal dichalcogenides (MX2, M = Mo, W; X = S, Se, Te), semimetal chalcogenide (InSe), black phosphorus, etc. The 2DLMs afford rich and ideal material platforms for studying quantum effects and their corresponding applications in the two‐dimensional (2D) limit. In this review, the emerging quantum effects in 2DLMs are examined with particular focus on their band structure evolvement, valleytronics, and quantum Hall/quantum spin Hall effects. Based on the summary of quantum effects discovered in 2DLMs, the future research directions and prospective applications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a layered nano-sheet material, layered graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has attracted attention in multifunctional photocatalytic applications. However, g-C3N4 is electrochemically inert consequently hampering electrochemical applications. In this work, low-temperature nitrogen plasma processing was conducted to modify g-C3N4 to enhance the electrocatalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The plasma produced significant morphological and chemical changes on the surface of g-C3N4 via active species, and nitrogen atoms were incorporated into the surface while the bulk properties did not change. The modification improved the surface hydrophilicity and electrocatalytic HER activity, as well as excellent stability in HER after 2000 cycles. Our results revealed that plasma treatment was a promising technique to improve the HER of carbon-based layered nano-sheet materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quasi‐2D perovskite quantum wells are increasingly recognized as promising candidates for direct‐conversion X‐ray detection. However, the fabrication of oriented and uniformly thick quasi‐2D perovskite films, crucial for effective high‐energy X‐ray detection, is hindered by the inherent challenges of preferential crystallization at the gas‐liquid interface, resulting in poor film quality. In addressing this limitation, a carbonyl array‐synergized crystallization (CSC) strategy is employed for the fabrication of thick films of a quasi‐2D Ruddlesden‐Popper (RP) phase perovskite, specifically PEA2MA4Pb5I16. The CSC strategy involves incorporating two forms of carbonyls in the perovskite precursor, generating large and dense intermediates. This design reduces the nucleation rate at the gas‐liquid interface, enhances the binding energies of Pb2+ at (202) and (111) planes, and passivates ion vacancy defects. Consequently, the construction of high‐quality thick films of PEA2MA4Pb5I16 RP perovskite quantum wells is achieved and characterized by vertical orientation and a pure well‐width distribution. The corresponding PEA2MA4Pb5I16 RP perovskite X‐ray detectors exhibit multi‐dimensional advantages in performance compared to previous approaches and commercially available a‐Se detectors. This CSC strategy promotes 2D perovskites as a candidate for next‐generation large‐area flat‐panel X‐ray detection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient metal‐free photocatalyst composed of black phosphorus (BP) and graphitic carbon nitride (CN) is prepared on a large scale by ball milling. Using economical urea and red phosphorus (RP) as the raw materials, the estimated materials cost of BP/CN is 0.235 Euro per gram. The BP/CN heterostructure shows efficient charge separation and possesses abundant active sites, giving rise to excellent photocatalytic H2 evolution and rhodamine B (RhB) degradation efficiency. Without using a co‐catalyst, the metal‐free BP/CN emits H2 consistently at a rate as large as 786 µmol h−1 g−1 and RhB is decomposed in merely 25 min during visible‐light irradiation. The corresponding electron/hole transfer and catalytic mechanisms are analyzed and described. The efficient metal‐free catalyst is promising in visible‐light photocatalysis and the simple ball‐milling synthetic method can be readily scaled up. Metal‐free black phosphorus/graphitic carbon nitride (BP/CN) heterostructures are prepared by ball milling using economical urea and red phosphorus as the raw materials. Without using a co‐catalyst, BP/CN emits H2 consistently at a rate as large as 786 µmol h−1 g−1 and rhodamine B is decomposed in merely 25 min, demonstrating excellent performances in visible‐light photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using economical urea and red phosphorus as the only raw materials, a low‐cost black phosphorus/graphitic carbon nitride (BP/CN) heterostructure is prepared on a large scale by ball milling in article number 1801321 by Xue‐Feng Yu and co‐workers. The metal‐free heterostructure acts as an efficient and stable photocatalyst for both hydrogen evolution and dye degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elasticity is a fundamental mechanical property of two-dimensional (2D) materials, and is critical for their application as well as for strain engineering. However, accurate measurement of the elastic modulus of 2D materials remains a challenge, and the conventional suspension method suffers from a number of drawbacks. In this work, we demonstrate a method to map the in-plane Young's modulus of mono- and bi-layer MoS2 on a substrate with high spatial resolution. Bimodal atomic force microscopy is used to accurately map the effective spring constant between the microscope tip and sample, and a finite element method is developed to quantitatively account for the effect of substrate stiffness on deformation. Using these methods, the in-plane Young's modulus of monolayer MoS2 can be decoupled from the substrate and determined as 265 ± 13 GPa, broadly consistent with previous reports though with substantially smaller uncertainty. It is also found that the elasticity of mono- and bi-layer MoS2 cannot be differentiated, which is confirmed by the first principles calculations. This method provides a convenient, robust and accurate means to map the in-plane Young's modulus of 2D materials on a substrate. Elastic properties: quantitative mapping of MoS2 Young's modulus A robust and accurate determination of the in-plane Young's modulus of 2D materials can be accomplished directly on the supporting substrate. A team led by Jiangyu Li at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology and University of Washington developed a method to map the in-plane Young's modulus of 2D materials supported on a substrate with high spatial resolution. Considering the case of mono- and by-layered MoS2, bimodal atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used in combination to the finite element method to map the effective spring constant between the AFM tip and the sample, whist also accounting for the effect of the substrate. The in-plane Young's modulus of monolayer MoS2 was found to be 265 ± 13 GPa, with less than 5% uncertainty, whereas that of bilayer MoS2 is indistinguishable from the monolayer counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]