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The interplay between hybridization, orbital occupancy and spin that governs the macroscopic transport and magnetic properties of ultra-thin manganites is revealed using a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray absorption, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and transport measurements.
Inspired by the intrinsic morphology of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), a micropatterned hydrogel is developed to direct and define the boundary conditions for efficient SMC differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The results show that in conjunction with TGF-β1 treatment, muscle-mimicking shapes with intermediate aspect ratios ranging from 5:1 to 10:1 exert the strongest pro-SMC differentiation effects in a structural–contractile force-dependent manner. These findings are expected to provide critical insights and design rules for vascular-related engineered tissue grafts.
A series of new poly(glycidyl methacrylate)-based supramolecular polycations with Gd3+ chelation were designed for low-toxicity and high-efficiency multifunctional gene delivery systems.
Reversible electric-field-driven magnetization switching between perpendicular-to-plane and in-plane orientations in Cu/Ni multilayers on ferroelectric BaTiO3 is demonstrated at room temperature. Fully deterministic magnetic switching is based on efficient strain transfer from ferroelastic domains in BaTiO3 and the high sensitivity of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Cu/Ni to electric-field-induced strain modulations. The magnetoelectric coupling effect can also be used to realize 180° magnetization reversal if the out-of-plane symmetry of magnetic anisotropy is temporarily broken by a small magnetic field.
Regenerative underwater superhydrophobicity was achieved in hierarchical ZnO/Si surfaces via hydrogen gas from photoelectrochemical reaction and unique surface structures for capturing and retaining a stable gas layer. Furthermore, we developed a model to determine the optimum structural factors of hierarchical ZnO/Si for complete regeneration of superhydrophobicity.
Confining quantum dots (QDs) into one-dimensional polymer nanostructures, we develop an inter-dot spacing control technique by which we can effectively isolate QDs in the solid-state film. The resultant isolated QDs in this nanostructure have clear monomeric features caused by attenuation of several problematic interactions, such as self-quenching. By incorporating isolated QD as an auxiliary light harvester, we can improve the performance of light-harvesting devices due to its additional absorption and efficient energy transfer. This study provides a general strategy that could be potentially useful for the spatial control of other functional moieties in various devices.
We made ‘Gd-peapod’, which is a double-walled carbon nanotube filled with gadolinium chloride. After Gd-peapods were injected to a rat via tail vein, we evaluated the organs by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). As a result, the peapods in rats were easily visualized by MRI and the change in signal intensity was dose dependent. This newly developed method can be used to monitor carbon nanotube biokinetics in vivo without tedious tissue preparation.
A general method for assembling patterned interfaces of uniform, flexible mesoporous iron oxide nanopyramid islands is presented. The 3D porous interfaces possess a unique mesostructure that features a large surface area, a large pore size and excellent flexibility. Furthermore, the 3D porous Au–NPI interfaces allow efficient immobilization of cytochrome c and a significant enhancement of localized surface plasmon resonance. More importantly, the ultrasensitive integrated interfaces demonstrate over 1000-fold enhancement of the photocurrent variation on the 3D mesostructures based on the switchable direct electrochemistry cytochrome c. The strategy of interfacial assembly offers new possibilities for the chemical design of patterned mesoporous semiconductors with high flexibility and tailored photocatalytic characteristics.
The as-prepared multifunctional upconversion–nanoparticles–trismethylpyridylporphyrin–fullerene nanocomposite (UCNP–PEG–FA/PC70) nanocomposite not only could utilize UCNPs to convert NIR light to ultraviolet–visible one to activate PC70 producing 1O2 for killing cancer cells under low-oxygen conditions, but also could act as a theranostic agent for trimodal fluorescence/upconversion luminescence/magnetic resonance imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). The synthesized UCNP–PEG–FA/PC70 would pave the way of efficient PDT, namely, limited penetration depth and oxygen-deficient microenvironment, which hinder the efficiency of PDT.
Wu et al.1 demonstrated a two-dimensional (2D) material-based laser that required only 1 W cm−2 of pump power to reach the threshold limit. This value is low enough to be optically driven by a regular household light bulb! Reducing the power level for the onset of lasing action is a desirable goal in laser science. A series of design choices led to this breakthrough: (1) the 2D gain material exhibited high conversion efficiencies; and (2) the laser cavity—a photonic crystal cavity (PCC)—had a high quality factor (Figure 1).
