Self‐Assembled Semiconducting Polymer Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Near‐Infrared Afterglow Imaging of Metastatic Tumors

Detection of metastatic tumor tissues is crucial for cancer therapy; however, fluorescence agents that allow to do share the disadvantage of low signal‐to‐background ratio due to tissue autofluorescence. The development of amphiphilic poly(p‐phenylenevinylene) derivatives that can self‐assemble into the nanoagent (SPPVN) in biological solutions and emit near‐infrared afterglow luminescence after cessation of light irradiation for ultrasensitive imaging of metastatic tumors in living mice is herein reported. As compared with the counterpart nanoparticle (PPVP) prepared from the hydrophobic PPV derivate, SPPVN has smaller size, higher energy transfer efficiency, and brighter afterglow luminescence. Moreover, due to the higher PEG density of SPPVN relative to PPVP poly(ethylene glycol), SPPVN has a better accumulation in tumor. Such a high sensitivity and ideal biodistribution allow SPPVN to rapidly detect xenograft tumors with the size as small as 1 mm³ and tiny peritoneal metastatic tumors that are almost invisible to naked eye, which is not possible for PPVP. Moreover, the oxygen‐sensitive afterglow makes SPPVN potentially useful for in vivo imaging of oxygen levels. By virtue of enzymatic biodegradability and ideal in vivo clearance, these organic agents can serve as a platform for the construction of advanced afterglow imaging tools.     

Alpha-Like Clustering in $$^{}$$Ne from a Quartetting Wave Function Approach

The signal of electric response in superfluid helium was recently observed at the excitation of a second sound standing wave in an acoustic resonator (Rybalko in Low Temp Phys 30:994, 2004). It has been suspected that similar resonance signals may be observed also in a first sound wave; however, earlier experiments showed the absence of any electric response induced by the pressure wave. Here, we report the first experimental evidence of electrical activity that arises at the fundamental frequency of the first sound resonance. It is found that the signal of electric response agrees fairly well with the fundamental frequency of the first sound resonance. The absence of the signal of interest in the original experiment is discussed.     

Impact of Ni dopant on structure and electrical properties of PMN-0.1PT ceramics

The Ni-doped PMN-0.1PT (PMN-0.1PT-xNi) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were prepared by two-step columbite precursor method, and the effects of Ni dopant on the phase structure, dielectric, ferroelectric and electrostrictive properties were systematically investigated. The introduction of Ni dopant significantly improved the densification and grains size in the ceramics, but also profoundly modified the phase structure. It demonstrated that the substitution of Ni dopant for B-site in PMN-0.1PT lattice could affect electrical properties of PMN-0.1PT binary ceramics. Properly increasing the amount of Ni dopant led to the enhancement of dielectric and ferroelectric and remarkably increased the electrostrictive response. Results in this study indicated that at a composition x of 2.0 mol%, a large strain response could be obtained with maximum strain as high as 0.11% under the low field of 15 kV/mm at room temperature.     

2D MXene–TiO2 Core–Shell Nanosheets as a Data-Storage Medium in Memory Devices

MXenes, an emerging class of 2D transition metal carbides and nitrides with the general formula M_n+1X_nT_x (n = 1–4), have potential for application as floating gates in memory devices because of their intrinsic properties of a 2D structure, high density-of-states, and high work function. In this study, a series of MXene–TiO₂ core–shell nanosheets are synthesized by deterministic control of the surface oxidation of MXene. The floating gate (multilayer MXene) and tunneling layer (TiO₂) in a nano-floating-gate transistor memory (NFGTM) device are prepared simultaneously by a facile, low-cost, and water-based process. The memory performance is optimized via adjustment of the thickness of the oxidation layer formed on the MXene surface. The fabricated MXene NFGTMs exhibit excellent nonvolatile memory characteristics, including a large memory window (>35.2 V), high programming/erasing current ratio (≈10⁶), low off-current (<1 pA), long retention (>10⁴ s), and cyclic endurance (300 cycles). Furthermore, synaptic functions, including the excitatory postsynaptic current/inhibitory postsynaptic current, paired-pulse facilitation, and synaptic plasticity (long-term potentiation/depression), are successfully emulated using the MXene NFGTMs. The successful control of MXene oxidation and its application to NFGTMs are expected to inspire the application of MXene as a data-storage medium in future memory devices.     

Immunomodulation-Enhanced Nanozyme-Based Tumor Catalytic Therapy

Nanozyme-based tumor catalytic therapy has attracted widespread attention in recent years. However, its therapeutic outcomes are diminished by many factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME), such as insufficient endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) concentration, hypoxia, and immunosuppressive microenvironment. Herein, an immunomodulation-enhanced nanozyme-based tumor catalytic therapy strategy is first proposed to achieve the synergism between nanozymes and TME regulation. TGF-β inhibitor (TI)-loaded PEGylated iron manganese silicate nanoparticles (IMSN) (named as IMSN-PEG-TI) are constructed to trigger the therapeutic modality. The results show that IMSN nanozyme exhibits both intrinsic peroxidase-like and catalase-like activities under acidic TME, which can decompose H₂O₂ into hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and oxygen (O₂), respectively. Besides, it is demonstrated that both IMSN and TI can regulate the tumor immune microenvironment, resulting in macrophage polarization from M2 to M1, and thus inducing the regeneration of H₂O₂, which can promote catalytic activities of IMSN nanozyme. The potent antitumor effect of IMSN-PEG-TI is proved by in vitro multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) and in vivo CT26-tumor-bearing mice models. It is believed that the immunomodulation-enhanced nanozyme-based tumor treatment strategy is a promising tool to kill cancer cells.     

Reliability study on rheological and cracking behavior of mastics using different sized particles

The objective of this present work was to evaluate the rheological and cracking behavior of mastics fabricated with different sized particles and asphalt types. Two asphalts (base and modified) and three fillers with different sized particles (C, M and F) were investigated. The rheological functions including the creep and recovery property and the fatigue property were measured by multiple stress creep-recovery (MSCR) and time sweep (TS) tests, respectively, while the cracking behavior of asphalt materials was investigated using extensile (ES) tests. Moreover, the dispersion characteristics of various sized particles inside a bituminous matrix and the associated mastic morphology were assessed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that the presence of coarse-sized particles in matrix increased the non-recoverable compliance and fracture energy but decreased fatigue life of the mastics. The presence of medium-sized particles in matrix enhanced the high-temperature elasticity recovery behavior and degraded the low-temperature fracture energy and the cohesive strength of asphalt mastics, regardless of asphalt types. When filler particle size dropped down to a minimum dimension, asphalt type had negligible effects on the fatigue response and exerted a positive effect on the low-temperature cohesive strength for the related mastics. In addition, the dispersion characteristics of various sized particles inside a bituminous matrix and the associated mastic morphology can account for the rheological response and cracking behavior of the corresponding mastics.     

Recycling of steel slag as an alkali activator for blast furnace slag: geopolymer preparation and its application in composite cement

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - The recycling–utilization rate of steel slag in China is less than 30%. Steel slag is rich in CaO and can produce the Ca(OH)2 after hydration,...     

Effects of Fiber Architectures on the Impact Resistance of Composite Laminates Under Low-Velocity Impact

Applied Composite Materials - This present work focuses on evaluating the impact resistance of five marine superstructure laminated structures according to the engineering application requirements,...     

Hollow Nanostructures for Photocatalysis: Advantages and Challenges

Photocatalysis for solar‐driven reactions promises a bright future in addressing energy and environmental challenges. The performance of photocatalysis is highly dependent on the design of photocatalysts, which can be rationally tailored to achieve efficient light harvesting, promoted charge separation and transport, and accelerated surface reactions. Due to its unique feature, semiconductors with hollow structure offer many advantages in photocatalyst design including improved light scattering and harvesting, reduced distance for charge migration and directed charge separation, and abundant surface reactive sites of the shells. Herein, the relationship between hollow nanostructures and their photocatalytic performance are discussed. The advantages of hollow nanostructures are summarized as: 1) enhancement in the light harvesting through light scattering and slow photon effects; 2) suppression of charge recombination by reducing charge transfer distance and directing separation of charge carriers; and 3) acceleration of the surface reactions by increasing accessible surface areas for separating the redox reactions spatially. Toward the end of the review, some insights into the key challenges and perspectives of hollow structured photocatalysts are also discussed, with a good hope to shed light on further promoting the rapid progress of this dynamic research field.