Facile Synthesis of Novel Ti2C Nano Bipyramids for Photothermal and Photodynamic Therapy of Breast Cancer.

Photo-responsive synergetic therapeutics achieved significant attraction in cancer theranostic due to the versatile characteristics of nanomaterials. There have been substantial efforts in developing the simplest nano-design with exceptional synergistic properties and multifunctionalities. In this work, biocompatible Ti2C MXene nano bipyramids (MNBPs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method with dual functionalities of photothermal and photodynamic therapies. The MNBPs shape was obtained from two-dimensional (2D) Ti2C nanosheets by controlling the temperature of the reaction mixture. The structure of these Ti2C MNBPs was characterized by a high-resolution transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The Ti2C NBPs have shown exceptional photothermal properties with increased temperature to 72.3 °C under 808 nm laser irradiation. The designed nano bipyramids demonstrated excellent cellular uptake and biocompatibility. The Ti2C NBP has established a remarkable photothermal therapy (PTT) effect against 4T1 breast cancer cells. Moreover, Ti2C NBPs showed a profound response to UV light (6 mW/cm2) and produced reactive oxygen species, making them useful for photodynamic therapy (PDT). These in-vitro studies pave a new path to tune the properties of photo-responsive MXene nanosheets, indicating a potential use in biomedical applications.

Highly Efficient Light Helicity Detection of Enantiomers by Chiral Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films.

The potential of chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for circularly polarized (CP) optics has been largely unexplored. Herein, we have successfully deposited monolithic and highly oriented chiral MOF thin films prepared by a layer-by-layer method (referred to as surface-coordinated MOF thin films, SURMOF) to fabricate CP photodetection devices and distinguish enantiomers. The helicity-sensitive absorption induced by a pair of enantiopure oriented SURMOF was found to be excellent, with an anisotropy factor reaching 0.41. Moreover, the chiral SURMOFs exhibited a pronounced difference in the uptake of the l- and d-tryptophan enantiomers. To demonstrate the potential of these novel MOF thin films for chirality analysis, we fabricated a portable sensor device that allows for chiral recognition by monitoring the photocurrent signals. Our findings not only introduce a new concept of using chiral building blocks for realizing direct CP photodetectors but also provide a blueprint for novel devices in chiral optics.

A metal-porphyrinic framework film as an efficient optical limiting layer in an electro-optical switchable device.

Herein we report a 2D surface-coordinated porphyrinic metal-organic framework film (SURMOF) CuTCPP prepared by a layer by layer method as an optical limiting layer in a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) device. The results show that the CuTCPP SURMOF/PDLC device has excellent switchable transparency and optical limiting performance, providing a new route to achieve mutilfunctional electro-optical applications.

The Characteristics and Motivations of Taiwanese People toward Advance Care Planning in Outpatient Clinics at a Community Hospital.

Advance care planning (ACP) provides access to complete advance decisions (ADs). Despite the legalization of ACP in Taiwan, it is underutilized in community settings. The objective of this study is to describe the service at a community hospital in Southern Taiwan. We retrospectively analyzed participants who were engaged in ACP consultations from January 2019 to January 2020. The characteristics, motivations, content, and satisfaction of participants are reported. Factors associated with refusing life-sustaining treatments (LST) or artificial nutrition/hydration (ANH) were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. Of the 178 participants, 123 completed the ACP. The majority were female (64.2%), aged 61 on average and more than 80% had never signed a do-not-resuscitate order. In the ADs, most participants declined LST (97.2%) and ANH (96.6%). Family-related issues (48.9%) were the most prevalent motivations. Rural residence (OR 8.6, p = 0.005), increased age (OR 7.2, p = 0.025), and reluctance to consent to organ donation (OR 5.2, p = 0.042) correlated with refusing LST or ANH. Participants provided a positive feedback regarding overall satisfaction (good, 83%) compared to service charge (fair/poor, 53%). The study demonstrated high AD completion when refusing LST or ANH. These findings may facilitate the development of ACP as a community-based service.

N-Heterocyclic Carbene as a Surface Platform for Assembly of Homochiral Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films in Chiral Sensing.

N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have attracted increasing attention on surface assembly due to their strong metal binding property, but an NHC-modified metal surface as a new growth platform to assemble other functional materials is still a challenge. Here, we report the preparation and chiral sensing properties of homochiral metal-organic framework thin films on carboxyl-containing NHC self-assembled monolayer-modified gold (Au(NHC)) substrates. By using a liquid-phase epitaxial layer-by-layer method, enantiopure [Cu2(cam)2dabco]n thin films with preferred [110] crystal orientation have been successfully grown on Au(NHC) surfaces. The results of electrochemical cyclic voltammetry and quartz crystal microbalance uptakes of (R)- and (S)-1-phenylethanol show that the chiral porous thin film on the robust Au(NHC) surface has good enantiomeric electrochemical recognition and enantioselective adsorption. The present work is a new step to develop metal-NHCs as surface platforms for the preparation of multifunctional thin films for sensing applications.

Liquid-Phase Epitaxial Growth of Azapyrene-Based Chiral Metal-Organic Framework Thin Films for Circularly Polarized Luminescence.

Development of chiral metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) is a challenging but important task. In this work, we report a first example of azapyrene-based chiral MOF thin films [Zn2Cam2DAP]n grown on functionalized substrates (named SURchirMOF-4) for CPL property. By using a liquid-phase epitaxial layer-by-layer method, the resulted SURchirMOF-4 was constructed from chiral camphoric acid and 2,7-diazapyrene ligand, which has high orientation and homogeneity. The circular dichroism, CPL, and enantioselective adsorption results show that SURchirMOF-4 has strong chirality and CPL property as well as good enantioselective adsorption toward enantiomers of methyl-lactate. The synthesis of azapyrene-based chiral MOF thin films not only represents an ideal model for studying the enantioselective adsorption, but also will be a valuable approach for development of the chiral thin film exhibiting CPL property.