Original Article in 2017

Magneto-core–shell nanoassemblies by loading μ-oxo-bridged Fe complex (Fe(salen) (core)) inside PCL-b-PPy block copolymers (shell) are fabricated, without the use of common magnetites and toxic solvents. By taking a surface functionalization with natural biomolecules (bovine serum albumin/gum arabic (BSA/GA)), the nanoassemblies endow to hold tunablity of core-size and magnetism, biocompatibility, and colloidal stability. Moreover, distinguishing their multifunctional features of cancer targeting include magneto-guided drug delivery, MRI, and triggered hyperthermia in responsive to multi (magnetic, thermo, and pH) stimuli, which allow them a promising potential for a wide-variety of ‘minimally-invasive’ theranostic clinics, as an alternative candidate to conventional magnetite-based anticancer targeting.

Novel magnetophoretic device resembling a spider web network, being integrated with planar Hall resistance sensor, has been developed for the simultaneous concentric transportation and monitoring of superparamagnetic streptavidin-loaded cargos (particles). The multilayer sensor and permalloy network tracks have been fabricated by successive micropatterning processes of film deposition and photolithography. The transporting particles are precisely manipulated on the magnetic tracks towards the sensor by an external magnetic field, where the sensor signal varies with the accumulated particle number. This effective collection and monitoring platform could open novel bioassays overcoming limitation of Brownian transportation of biomolecules to the sensor surface.

The electrochemical activity of Ni²⁺/³⁺ redox couple in the mixed-polyanionic framework Na₄Ni₃(PO₄)₂(P₂O₇) is reported for the first time. The application of a carbon coating and the use of an ionic liquid-based electrolyte enable the reversible Na⁺ (de-)insertion in the host structure accompanied by the redox activity of Ni²⁺/³⁺ at operating voltages as high as 4.8V vs. Na/Na⁺. These results represent an important step towards the realization of Ni- based mixed polyanionic compounds with improved electrochemical activity and pave ways for the discovery of new Na-based cathode materials and the formulation of Na-ion batteries with very high operating voltages.

We present a novel biodegradable cancer therapeutic system based on DNAzyme nanoflowers for targeted dual gene silencing. The therapeutic system was constructed by copying rolling circle amplification template to produce long single-stranded DNAs with cell targeting and dual gene silencing capability. The structure of the nanoflowers collapsed at acidic pH due to decomposition of the co-assembled magnesium pyrophosphate, generating Mg²⁺ ions which act as cofactors for the DNAzymes and increase their ability to recognize and cleave target mRNAs. Considering its enhanced therapeutic effect and biocompatibility, this platform is expected to be of great interest for clinical treatment of cancers.

We report a new carbon allotrope belonging to a class of topological nodal line semimetals, based on global optimization and first-principles density functional calculations. The new carbon phase in monoclinic C2/m space group, termed m-C₈, consists of five-membered rings with sp³ hybridized bonds and sp²-bonded carbon networks. The band structure exhibits linear dispersions around the Fermi level where the valence and conduction bands touch each other. Based on the analysis of X-ray diffraction spectra and enthalpy-pressure curves, we propose that m-C₈ can be present in detonation soot and a phase transition from graphite to m-C₈ can occur under pressure.

A novel chitosan–fibrin (CF) injectable, self-healing hydrogel (modulus ~1.2 kPa) is developed. The CF hydrogel has excellent self-healing properties and induces vascular endothelial cells to form capillary-like structure. The self-healing and angiogenic capacities are associated with the interpenetrating network structure of the hydrogel. The hydrogel degrades ~70% in 2 weeks. Injection of the CF hydrogel alone can promote angiogenesis in the perivitelline space of zebrafish and rescue the blood circulation in ischemic hindlimbs of mice. This biomimetic hydrogel has potential applications in vascular repair.

Highly transparent and conductive three-dimensional ITO branches were used as a scaffold to improve the optical properties of electrochromic device (ECD). During the operation of ECD, Ag nanoparticles were spatially separated on ITO branches. This unique geometry of ITO branch and Ag nanoparticle showed a strong plasmonic light absorption, resulting in deep black state (average reflectance of 8.78%). Also, the ECD could reversibly switch the three states of transparent, mirror and black states for 10 000 cycles without degradation.

Crystalline Ga₂O₃ is an ultra-wide bandgap oxide semiconductor, but electron conduction in amorphous Ga₂O_x has never been attained to date. Here we succeeded in converting amorphous Ga₂O_x to a semiconductor with the bandgap of ~4.12 eV and the electron mobility ~8 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. The key is to suppress charge compensation defects by increasing the film density and suppress formation of oxygen-poor and oxygen-excess defects. It produces thin-film transistors and Schottky diodes with high on currents and on/off ratios.

Electrical therapy has been recognized as an alternative medical treatment for tissue repair in recent years. The principle of electrical therapy is the modulation of cell behavior by applying electrical signals. However, to date, the effectiveness of electrical therapy is limited. Herein, we developed electroresponsive and conductive polydopamine-polypyrrole microcapsules on the surfaces of electrical therapy devices, which can locally and precisely release drugs and apply electrical stimulation to modulate cell behaviors.

This work focuses on the thermoelectric properties inherent to p-type GeTe by tuning the carrier concentration. Compared with PbTe and SnTe, GeTe shows the highest Seebeck coefficient (a) and power factor (b) in the important carrier concentration range of 1–3 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. Provided all are fully optimized in carrier concentrations, GeTe shows the highest thermoelectric figure of merit, zT at all temperatures (c). This originates from its highest degeneracy of the first valence band (along Σ line) in the low temperature phase, and the smallest effective masses for both L and Σ bands in the high temperature phase (d).

An array-based system for cancer cell sensing has been developed by using a ‘chemical nose/tongue’ approach that exploits subtle changes in the physicochemical nature of different cell surfaces. This electrochemical sensing array has ultrahigh sensitivity, which reaches low detection limit (about 1 cell) for the detection of single-cell type and can discern different cell types at level as low as 100 cells with high accuracy, such as (i) different cell types; (ii) cancerous, multidrug-resistant cancerous and metastatic human breast cells; (iii) artificial circulating tumor cells (CTCs).

Structural color coatings are prepared using the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of SiO₂ and carbon black particles. The arrangement of the particle array is controlled by varying the deposition condition. The angular dependence of the structural color changes dramatically with the arrangement of the particle array. Variously colored coatings can be produced on materials with complicated shapes.

We developed a self-assembled nanocomposite photoanode composed of epitaxial BiVO₄ (BVO) matrix embedded with WO₃ (WO) mesocrystal for photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting in the visible-light regime. The well-defined WO₃-BiVO₄ interface and controllable thickness provide a template for the fundamental understanding of photoactivity in the nanocomposite. The interfacial coupling of the mesocrystal and matrix improves the separation of photoexcited carriers and the properties of charge transfer, resulting in a significantly enhanced PEC performance. The utilization of the interface-to-volume ratio to optimize the charge interaction of the nanocomposite is essential for the advance design of novel mesocrystal-embedded nanocomposite photoelectrodes.

A series of ultrathin lanthanide-based MOF (MOF-Ln) nanosheets were synthesized and characterized. These MOF-Ln nanosheets exhibit interesting fluorescence quenching ability toward dye-labelled DNA. The fluorescence quenching or recovery on the MOF-Ln nanosheets is determined by the charge properties (positive or negative) of the labeled fluorophores. In aptameric sensing, the negatively charged fluorophore experiences a fluorescence ‘turn-down followed by turn-down’ process; while the positively charged fluorophore follows a fluorescence ‘turn-down followed by turn-up’ process. This work reveals the novel properties of MOF nanosheets.

Radio-frequency (RF) was used to control ultrasound wave propagating through a phononic crystal based metamaterial device. The tunable metamaterial was realized by interstitially filling the spacing in the phononic crystal with high-k, 10% KF doped BaTiO₃ nanoparticles dispersed in poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-based hydrogels. The introduction of high-k nanoparticles enables the hydrogel to have an RF response, thus making a composite with highly variable elastic properties susceptible to RF light. The non-contact mode of applied RF results in a broadening and shift of the transmission spectra resulting in the realization of novel ultrasonic filters and modulators. The RF field also eliminates hybridization and resonance features in the spectra. The metamaterial exhibits tuning of ultrasound waves in both water and air medium.

Compared with monotonous grain-size skutterudites, panoscopic approach for skutterudite synthesized by one-step-PAS technique possess lower lattice thermal conductivity and higher ZT.

The novel switching behavior is observed in solution-processed silver-doped zinc oxide thin films. This switch exhibited high on-current density of 1 MA cm^-2, ultra-low off-current of 100 fA, excellent thermal stability up to 250 °C, abrupt turn-on with 5 mV per decade and a high on/off ratio of 10⁹. This study demonstrates that the switch devices can be applicable for selectors in ultra-high-density cross-point memory devices with excellent operation margin and extremely low power consumption.

Mechanical force applied on the surface of Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ film generates by an AFM tip will effectively drive a transition of the local ferroelastic strain state, reverse both the polarization and magnetization in a way similar to an electric field. Manipulation of both ferroelectric and magnetic domains of Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅ thin film using electric field and external mechanical force is reported, which confirms the magnetoelectric coupling in Bi₅Ti₃FeO₁₅, indicates the electric and magnetic orders are coupled through ferroelasticity. Current work provides a framework for exploring cross-coupling among multiple orders and potential for developing novel nanoscale functional devices.

The complex three-dimensional surface, such as a ‘Venus de Milo’ statue is radiating heat by Joule-heating due to the highly flexible and stretchable copper fibers. The highest temperature can reach up to 328 °C due to self-fused junctions at the copper fiber network.

Selective control of vortex structures in closely packed nanodisks with a robust, yet simple, electrode architecture by applying current through electrode.