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According to the World Health Organization, the number of cancers (all cancers, both sexes, all ages and worldwide) in 2020 reached a total of 19 292 789 new cases leading to 9 958 133 deaths during the same period. Many cancers could be cured if detected early. Preventing cancer and detecting it early are two essential strategies for controlling this pathology. For this purpose, several strategies have been described for imaging cancer cells. One of them is based on the use of carbon nanoparticles called carbon dots, tools of physical chemistry. The literature describes that cancer cells can be imaged using carbon dots obtained from folic acid and that the in cellulo observed photoluminescence probably results from the interaction of these nanoparticles with the folic acid-receptor, a cell surface protein overexpressed in many malignant cells. However, this interaction has never been directly demonstrated yet. We investigated it, for the first time, using (i) freshly synthesized and fully characterized carbon dots, (ii) folate binding protein, a folic acid-receptor model protein and (iii) fluorescence spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry, two powerful methods for detecting molecular interactions. Our results even highlight a selective interaction between these carbon made nano-objects and their biological target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical CO2 reduction presents a sustainable route to the production of chemicals and fuels. Achieving a narrow product distribution with heterogeneous Cu catalysts is challenging and conventional material modifications offer limited control over selectivity. Here, we show that surface‐immobilised molecular species can act as inhibitors for specific carbon products to provide rational control over product distributions. Combined experimental and computational results showed that anchoring of a thiol‐functionalised pyridine on Cu destabilises a surface‐bound reaction intermediate to energetically block a CO‐producing pathway, thereby favouring formate production. The nitrogen atom was shown to be essential to the inhibition mechanism. The ability of molecules to control selectivity through inhibition of specific reaction pathways offers a unique approach to rationally modify heterogeneous catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroreduction of CO2 to CO is one of the simplest ways to valorise CO2 as a source of carbon. Herein, a cheap, robust, Cu‐based hybrid catalyst consisting of a polymer of Cu phthalocyanine coated on carbon nanotubes, which proved to be selective for CO production (80 % faradaic yield) at relatively low overpotentials, was developed. Polymerisation of Cu phthalocyanine was shown to have a drastic effect on the selectivity of the reaction because molecular Cu phthalocyanine was instead selective for proton reduction under the same conditions. Although the material only showed isolated Cu sites in phthalocyanine‐like CuN4 coordination, in situ and operando X‐ray absorption spectroscopy showed that, under operating conditions, the Cu atoms were fully converted to Cu nanoparticles, which were likely the catalytically active species. Interestingly, this restructuring of the metal sites was reversible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is generally believed that CO2 electroreduction to multi‐carbon products such as ethanol or ethylene may be catalyzed with significant yield only on metallic copper surfaces, implying large ensembles of copper atoms. Here, we report on an inexpensive Cu‐N‐C material prepared via a simple pyrolytic route that exclusively feature single copper atoms with a CuN4 coordination environment, atomically dispersed in a nitrogen‐doped conductive carbon matrix. This material achieves aqueous CO2 electroreduction to ethanol at a Faradaic yield of 55 % under optimized conditions (electrolyte: 0.1 m CsHCO3, potential: −1.2 V vs. RHE and gas‐phase recycling set up), as well as CO electroreduction to C2‐products (ethanol and ethylene) with a Faradaic yield of 80 %. During electrolysis the isolated sites transiently convert into metallic copper nanoparticles, as shown by operando XAS analysis, which are likely to be the catalytically active species. Remarkably, this process is reversible and the initial material is recovered intact after electrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alloying strategies are commonly used to design electrocatalysts that take on properties of their constituent elements. Herein, such a strategy is used to develop Zn–Cu alloyed electrodes with unique hierarchical porosity and tunable selectivity for CO2 versus H+ reduction. By varying the Zn/Cu ratio, tailored syngas mixtures are obtained without the production of other gaseous products, which is attributed to preferential CO‐ and H2‐forming pathways on the alloys. The syngas ratios are also significantly less sensitive to the applied potential in the alloys relative to pure metal equivalents; an essential quality when coupling electrocatalysis with renewable power sources that have fluctuating intensity. As such, industrially relevant syngas ratios are achieved at large currents (−60 mA) for extensive operating times (>9 h), demonstrating the potential of this strategy for fossil‐free fuel production. A certain ratio: A series of bimetallic Zn–Cu electrodes are prepared and used for the production of syngas by electroreduction of CO2. A broad range of H2/CO ratios is obtained, which is independent of the applied potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanoscale distribution of magnetic anisotropies is measured in core@shell MnFe2O4@CoFe2O4 7.0 nm particles using a combination of element selective magnetic spectroscopies with different probing depths. As this picture is not accessible by any other technique, emergent magnetic properties are revealed. The coercive field is not constant in a whole nanospinel. The very thin (0.5 nm) CoFe2O4 hard shell imposes a strong magnetic anisotropy to the otherwise very soft MnFe2O4 core: a large gradient in coercivity is measured inside the MnFe2O4 core with lower values close to the interface region, while the inner core presents a substantial coercive field (0.54 T) and a very high remnant magnetization (90% of the magnetization at saturation). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroreduction of CO 2 to CO is one of the simplest ways to valorise CO 2 as a source of carbon. Herein, a cheap, robust, Cu-based hybrid catalyst consisting of a polymer of Cu phthalocyanine coated on carbon nanotubes, which proved to be selective for CO production (80 % faradaic yield) at relatively low overpotentials, was developed. Polymerisation of Cu phthalocyanine was shown to have a drastic effect on the selectivity of the reaction because molecular Cu phthalocyanine was instead selective for proton reduction under the same conditions. Although the material only showed isolated Cu sites in phthalocyanine-like CuN 4 coordination, in situ and operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed that, under operating conditions, the Cu atoms were fully converted to Cu nanoparticles, which were likely the catalytically active species. Interestingly, this restructuring of the metal sites was reversible., (© 2020 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Alloying strategies are commonly used to design electrocatalysts that take on properties of their constituent elements. Herein, such a strategy is used to develop Zn-Cu alloyed electrodes with unique hierarchical porosity and tunable selectivity for CO 2 versus H + reduction. By varying the Zn/Cu ratio, tailored syngas mixtures are obtained without the production of other gaseous products, which is attributed to preferential CO- and H 2 -forming pathways on the alloys. The syngas ratios are also significantly less sensitive to the applied potential in the alloys relative to pure metal equivalents; an essential quality when coupling electrocatalysis with renewable power sources that have fluctuating intensity. As such, industrially relevant syngas ratios are achieved at large currents (-60 mA) for extensive operating times (>9 h), demonstrating the potential of this strategy for fossil-free fuel production., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The synthesis and characterization of original ferrite multishell magnetic nanoparticles made of a soft core (manganese ferrite) covered with two successive shells, a hard one (cobalt ferrite) and then a soft one (nickel ferrite), are described. The results demonstrate the modulation of the coercivity when new magnetic shells are added., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)