Spiky Magnetic Microparticles Synthesized from Microrod-Stabilized Pickering Emulsion.

Tailoring the microstructure of magnetic microparticles is of vital importance for their applications. Spiky magnetic particles, such as those made from sunflower pollens, have shown promise in single cell treatment and biofilm removal. Synthetic methods that can replicate or extend the functionality of such spiky particles would be advantageous for their widespread utilization. In this work, a wet-chemical method is introduced for spiky magnetic particles that are templated from microrod-stabilized Pickering emulsions. The spiky morphology is generated by the upright attachment of silica microrods at the oil-water interface of oil droplets. Spiky magnetic microparticles with control over the length of the spikes are obtained by dispersing hydrophobic magnetic nanoparticles in the oil phase and photopolymerizing the monomer. The spiky morphology dramatically enhances colloidal stability of these particles in high ionic strength solutions and physiologic media such as human saliva and saline-based biofilm suspension. To demonstrate their utility, the spiky magnetic particles are applied for magnetically controlled removal of oral biofilms and retrieval of bacteria for diagnostic sampling. This method expands the toolbox for engineering microparticle morphology and could promote the fabrication of functional magnetic microrobots.

Wetting ridges on slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces.

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) show remarkable liquid repellency, making them useful for many coating applications. The outstanding repellency of SLIPS comes from a lubricant layer stabilized within and at the surface of a porous template. The stability of this lubricant layer is key for SLIPS to exhibit their unique functionality. The lubricant layer, however, is depleted over time, causing degradation of liquid repellency. The formation of wetting ridges surrounding liquid droplets on the surface of SLIPS is one of the primary sources of lubricant depletion. Here, we present the fundamental understanding and characteristics of wetting ridges and highlight the latest developments that enable the detailed investigation and suppression of wetting ridge formation on SLIPS. In addition, we offer our perspectives on new and exciting directions for SLIPS.

Targeting biofilm infections in humans using small scale robotics.

The eradication of drug-resistant microbial biofilms remains an unresolved global health challenge. Small-scale robotics are providing innovative therapeutic and diagnostic approaches with high precision and efficacy. These approaches are rapidly moving from proof-of-concept studies to translational biomedical applications using ex vivo, animal, and clinical models. Here, we discuss the fundamental and translational aspects of how microrobots target the infection sites to disrupt the structural and functional traits of biofilms and their antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. We emphasize current approaches of mechanochemical disruption and on-site drug delivery that are supported by in vivo models and preclinical testing, while also highlighting diagnostics potential. We also discuss clinical translation challenges and provide perspectives for development of microrobotics approaches to combat biofilm infections and biofouling in humans.

Tin dioxide nanomaterial-based photocatalysts for nitrogen oxide oxidation: a review.

Semiconducting SnO2 photocatalyst nanomaterials are extensively used in energy and environmental research because of their outstanding physical and chemical properties. In recent years, nitrogen oxide (NO x ) pollutants have received particular attention from the scientific community. The photocatalytic NO x oxidation will be an important contribution to mitigate climate change in the future. Existing review papers mainly focus on applying SnO2 materials for photocatalytic oxidation of pollutants in the water, while studies on the decomposition of gas pollutants are still being developed. In addition, previous studies have shown that the photocatalytic activity regarding NO x decomposition of SnO2 and other materials depends on many factors, such as physical structure and band energies, surface and defect states, and morphology. Recent studies have been focused on the modification of properties of SnO2 to increase the photocatalytic efficiency of SnO2, including bandgap engineering, defect regulation, surface engineering, heterojunction construction, and using co-catalysts, which will be thoroughly highlighted in this review.

Revisiting the Key Optical and Electrical Characteristics in Reporting the Photocatalysis of Semiconductors.

Photocatalysis has been studied and considered as a green and practical approach in addressing environmental pollution. However, factors that affect photocatalytic performance have not been systematically studied. In this work, we have presented a comprehensive roadmap for characterizing, interpreting, and reporting semiconductors' electrical and optical properties through routinely used techniques such as diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, electrochemical techniques (Mott-Schottky plots), photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy in the context of photocatalysis. Having precisely studied the band structure of three representative photocatalysts, we have presented and highlighted the essential information and details, which are critical and beneficial for studies of (1) band alignments, (2) redox potentials, and (3) defects. Further works with a comprehensive understanding of the band structure are desirable and hold great promise.

Polymer-Infiltrated Nanoparticle Films Using Capillarity-Based Techniques: Toward Multifunctional Coatings and Membranes.

Polymer-infiltrated nanoparticle films (PINFs) are a new class of nanocomposites that offer synergistic properties and functionality derived from unusually high fractions of nanomaterials. Recently, two versatile techniques,capillary rise infiltration (CaRI) and solvent-driven infiltration of polymer (SIP), have been introduced that exploit capillary forces in films of densely packed nanoparticles. In CaRI, a highly loaded PINF is produced by thermally induced wicking of polymer melt into the nanoparticle packing pores. In SIP, exposure of a polymer-nanoparticle bilayer to solvent vapor atmosphere induces capillary condensation of solvent in the pores of nanoparticle packing, leading to infiltration of polymer into the solvent-filled pores. CaRI/SIP PINFs show superior properties compared with polymer nanocomposite films made using traditional methods, including superb mechanical properties, thermal stability, heat transfer, and optical properties. This review discusses fundamental aspects of the infiltration process and highlights potential applications in separations, structural coatings, and polymer upcycling-a process to convert polymer wastes into useful chemicals.

Color Data v2: a user-friendly, open-access database with hereditary cancer and hereditary cardiovascular conditions datasets.

Publicly available genetic databases promote data sharing and fuel scientific discoveries for the prevention, treatment and management of disease. In 2018, we built Color Data, a user-friendly, open access database containing genotypic and self-reported phenotypic information from 50 000 individuals who were sequenced for 30 genes associated with hereditary cancer. In a continued effort to promote access to these types of data, we launched Color Data v2, an updated version of the Color Data database. This new release includes additional clinical genetic testing results from more than 18 000 individuals who were sequenced for 30 genes associated with hereditary cardiovascular conditions as well as polygenic risk scores for breast cancer, coronary artery disease and atrial fibrillation. In addition, we used self-reported phenotypic information to implement the following four clinical risk models: Gail Model for 5-year risk of breast cancer, Claus Model for lifetime risk of breast cancer, simple office-based Framingham Coronary Heart Disease Risk Score for 10-year risk of coronary heart disease and CHARGE-AF simple score for 5-year risk of atrial fibrillation. These new features and capabilities are highlighted through two sample queries in the database. We hope that the broad dissemination of these data will help researchers continue to explore genotype-phenotype correlations and identify novel variants for functional analysis, enabling scientific discoveries in the field of population genomics. Database URL: https://data.color.com/.

Multifunctional composite films with vertically aligned ZnO nanowires by leaching-enabled capillary rise infiltration.

Nanocomposite films (NCFs) with vertically aligned nanowires (NWs) provide several useful properties owing to their unique morphology. One of the key challenges in producing such an NCF is retaining the vertical alignment of NWs during NCF fabrication. Although current methods such as layer-by-layer assembly and solution-based processes with field-induced alignment of NWs have been successfully demonstrated, these approaches require multiple steps thus are time-consuming, and only suitable for lab-scale production, consequently limiting their widespread applicability. Herein, we describe a new method for fabricating an NCF with vertically aligned ZnO NWs by inducing leaching-enabled capillary rise infiltration (LeCaRI) of uncross-linked and mobile oligomer chains from a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) slab into the space between the vertically aligned ZnO NWs. PDMS-infiltrated ZnO NW NCFs have a suite of useful properties including superhydrophobicity, self-cleaning, solvent resistance, and anti-icing properties as well as high transparency and anti-reflection properties. The NCF can easily recover its superhydrophobicity after it has been compromised through repeated plasma treatments or even exposure to intense UV irradiation. Moreover, our approach represents a straightforward, efficient, and potentially scalable strategy to produce multifunctional NCFs with vertically aligned NW arrays which could be easily extended to other types of materials and NW arrangements toward a wide range of properties and applications.

Photoreduction route for Cu2O/TiO2 nanotubes junction for enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Here, we synthesized copper(i) oxide and titanium dioxide nanotubes (TNTs) heterojunctions (HJs) by a photoreduction method using a low-power UV lamp without involving any additional steps, such as chemical reduction, surfactant, or protection agents. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectra, and photoluminescence spectroscopy were carried out to verify the formation of a HJ between the Cu2O nanoparticles (Cu2O NPs) and TNTs. The efficiency and the rate of methylene blue photo-degradation over the Cu2O/TNTs HJ were found to be nearly double and triple compared to the isolated TNTs. The enhanced efficiency is attributed to the narrow band gap and defect states caused by the oxygen vacancies in the vicinity of HJs. Moreover, the type II band alignment of Cu2O NPs and TNTs naturally separates the photo-generated carriers and constrains the recombination process owing to the internal electric field across the Cu2O/TNTs interface.