Ascorbic Acid Induced the Improved Oxygen Vacancy Defects of Bi4O5Br2 and Its Application on Photoelectrochemical Detection of DNA Demethylase MBD2 with Improved Detection Sensitivity.

Oxygen vacancy defects (OVs) are one of the main strategies for nanomaterials modification to improve the photoactivity, but current methods for fabricating OVs are usually complicated and harsh. It is important to develop simple, rapid, safe, and mild methods to fabricate OVs. By studying the effects of different weak reducing agents, the concentration of the reducing agent and the reaction time on fabrication of OVs, it is found that L-ascorbic acid (AA) gently and rapidly induces the increase of OVs in Bi4O5Br2 at room temperature. The increased OVs not only improve the adsorption of visible light, but also enhance the photocurrent response. Based on this, the preparation of OVs in Bi4O5Br2 is employed to the development of a photoelectrochemical biosensor for the detection of DNA demethylase of methyl-CpG binding domain protein 2 (MBD2). The biosensor shows a wide linear range of 0.1-400 ng mL-1 and a detection limit as low as 0.03 ng mL-1 (3σ). In addition, the effect of plasticizers on MBD2 activity is evaluated using this sensor. This work not only provides a novel method to prepare OVs in bismuth rich materials, but also explores a new novel evaluation tool for studying the ecotoxicological effects of contaminants.

SOCS5-RBMX stimulates SREBP1-mediated lipogenesis to promote metastasis in steatotic HCC with HBV-related cirrhosis.

Abnormal lipid metabolism promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression, which engenders therapeutic difficulties owing to unclear mechanisms of the phenomenon. We precisely described a special steatotic HCC subtype with HBV-related cirrhosis and probed its drivers. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining of 245 HCC samples revealed a special HCC subtype (41 cases) characterized by HBV-related cirrhosis and intratumoral steatosis without fatty liver background, defined as steatotic HCC with HBV-related cirrhosis (SBC-HCC). SBC-HCC exhibits a larger tumor volume and worse prognosis than non-SBC-HCC. Screening for driver genes promoting fatty acid (FA) biosynthesis in the Gao's HBV-related cirrhosis HCC cases and GSE121248' HBV-related HCC cases revealed that high expression of SOCS5 predicts increased FA synthesis and that SOCS5 is upregulated in SBC-HCC. Through proteomics, metabolomics, and both in vivo and in vitro experiments, we demonstrated that SOCS5 induces lipid accumulation to promote HCC metastasis. Mechanistically, through co-IP and GST-pulldown experiments, we found that the SOCS5-SH2 domain, especially the amino acids Y413 and D443, act as critical binding sites for the RBMX-RRM domain. SOCS5-RBMX costimulates the promoter of SREBP1, inducing de novo lipogenesis, while mutations in the SH2 domain, Y413, and D443 reverse this effect. These findings precisely identified SBC-HCC as a special steatotic HCC subtype and highlighted a new mechanism by which SOCS5 promotes SBC-HCC metastasis.

Dynamic multicolor emissions of multimodal phosphors by Mn2+ trace doping in self-activated CaGa4O7.

The manipulation of excitation modes and resultant emission colors in luminescent materials holds pivotal importance for encrypting information in anti-counterfeiting applications. Despite considerable achievements in multimodal and multicolor luminescent materials, existing options generally suffer from static monocolor emission under fixed external stimulation, rendering them vulnerability to replication. Achieving dynamic multimodal luminescence within a single material presents a promising yet challenging solution. Here, we report the development of a phosphor exhibiting dynamic multicolor photoluminescence (PL) and photo-thermo-mechanically responsive multimodal emissions through the incorporation of trace Mn2+ ions into a self-activated CaGa4O7 host. The resulting phosphor offers adjustable emission-color changing rates, controllable via re-excitation intervals and photoexcitation powers. Additionally, it demonstrates temperature-induced color reversal and anti-thermal-quenched emission, alongside reproducible elastic mechanoluminescence (ML) characterized by high mechanical durability. Theoretical calculations elucidate electron transfer pathways dominated by intrinsic interstitial defects and vacancies for dynamic multicolor emission. Mn2+ dopants serve a dual role in stabilizing nearby defects and introducing additional defect levels, enabling flexible multi-responsive luminescence. This developed phosphor facilitates evolutionary color/pattern displays in both temporal and spatial dimensions using readily available tools, offering significant promise for dynamic anticounterfeiting displays and multimode sensing applications.

"Nano Killers" Activation by permonosulfate enables efficient anaerobic microorganisms disinfection.

The development of effective nanomaterials for killing anaerobic bacteria is essential for human health and economic development. Here, we propose a new bactericidal mechanism where theoretical calculations are in good agreement with experimental results. The "poison arrow-head" of MoS2 nanosheets enables the vigorous extraction of lipids from the cell membrane. Based on density functional calculations, oxidation active species (OAS) are generated due to the strong adsorption energy between S vacancies in MoS2 and chemical substrates (permonosulfate (PMS) and H2O). These OAS can be visualized as numerous moving "nano killers", constantly oxidizing the lipids around MoS2; thereby, re-releasing the surface of the sharp knife. The process of physical extraction collaborated with chemical oxidation not only precisely positions the cell membrane but also allows for continuous sterilization. This work digs into the mechanism of anaerobic bacterial sterilization, which sheds significant light on biological analysis, antibacterial, cancer therapy, and anti microbiologically influenced corrosion.

Flexoelectricity Driven Fano Resonance in Slotted Carbon Nanotubes for Decoupled Multifunctional Sensing.

Multifunctionality, interference-free signal readout, and quantum effect are important considerations for flexible sensors equipped within a single unit towards further miniaturization. To address these criteria, we present the slotted carbon nanotube (CNT) junction features tunable Fano resonance driven by flexoelectricity, which could serve as an ideal multimodal sensory receptor. Based on extensive ab initio calculations, we find that the effective Fano factor can be used as a temperature-insensitive extrinsic variable for sensing the bending strain, and the Seebeck coefficient can be used as a strain-insensitive intrinsic variable for detecting temperature. Thus, this dual-parameter permits simultaneous sensing of temperature and strain without signal interference. We further demonstrate the applicability of this slotted junction to ultrasensitive chemical sensing which enables precise determination of donor-type, acceptor-type, and inert molecules. This is due to the enhancement or counterbalance between flexoelectric and chemical gating. Flexoelectric gating would preserve the electron-hole symmetry of the slotted junction whereas chemical gating would break it. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the slotted CNT junction provides an excellent quantum platform for the development of multistimuli sensation in artificial intelligence at the molecular scale.

Sr-Doped Cubic In2O3/Rhombohedral In2O3 Homojunction Nanowires for Highly Sensitive and Selective Breath Ethanol Sensing: Experiment and DFT Simulation Studies.

In recent years, it is urgent and challenging to fabricate highly sensitive and selective gas sensors for breath analyses. In this work, Sr-doped cubic In2O3/rhombohedral In2O3 homojunction nanowires (NWs) are synthesized by one-step electrospun technology. The Sr doping alters the cubic phase of pure In2O3 into the rhombohedral phase, which is verified by the high-resolution transmittance electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy, and is attributable to the low cohesive energy as calculated by the density functional theory (DFT). As a proof-of-concept of fatty liver biomarker sensing, ethanol sensors are fabricated using the electrospun In2O3 NWs. The results show that 8 wt % Sr-doped In2O3 shows the highest ethanol sensing performance with a high response of 21-1 ppm, a high selectivity over other interfering gases such as methanol, acetone, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, and benzene, a high stability measured in 6 weeks, and also a high resistance to high humidity of 80%. The outstanding ethanol sensing performance is attributable to the enhanced ethanol adsorption by Sr doping as calculated by DFT, the stable rhombohedral phase and the preferred (104) facet exposure, and the formed homojunctions favoring the electron transfer. All these results show the effective structural modification of In2O3 by Sr doping, and also the great potency of the homojunction Sr-doped In2O3 NWs for highly sensitive, selective, and stable breath ethanol sensing.

Nearly spherical CoP nanoparticle/carbon nanosheet hybrids: a high-performance trifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and water splitting.

Developing active multifunctional electrocatalysts composed of earth-abundant and cheap elements is an urgent demand in energy conversion applications. This study presents a facile approach for the scalable synthesis of nanostructured cobalt phosphide embedded in carbon nanosheets (CoP NPs/CNSs). The hybrid structures show highly efficient trifunctional electrocatalytic activities toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under alkaline condition. The catalytic performances, which are remarkably superior to those of the previously reported CoP nanostructures enclosed by single or a few low index facets, can be attributed to the nearly spherical shape of the CoP nanoparticles with many more exposed crystal planes. Density functional theory (DFT) computations are performed to investigate the facet effects of CoP on electrocatalytic activity, and they reveal the relatively low overpotentials of (101) facets towards the OER and the free energy of water dissociation (ΔG H2O) and adsorbed H intermediates (ΔG H*) of (311) toward the HER being close to thermoneutral. This work is expected to inspire the design and fabrication of multifunctional and high-efficiency electrocatalysts by selectively exposing specific crystal planes.

Engineering the interlayer exchange coupling in magnetic trilayers.

When the thickness of metal film approaches the nanoscale, itinerant carriers resonate between its boundaries and form quantum well states (QWSs), which are crucial to account for the film's electrical, transport and magnetic properties. Besides the classic origin of particle-in-a-box, the QWSs are also susceptible to the crystal structures that affect the quantum resonance. Here we investigate the QWSs and the magnetic interlayer exchange coupling (IEC) in the Fe/Ag/Fe (001) trilayer from first-principles calculations. We find that the carriers at the Brillouin-zone center (belly) and edge (neck) separately form electron- and hole-like QWSs that give rise to an oscillatory feature for the IEC as a function of the Ag-layer thickness with long and short periods. Since the QWS formation sensitively depends on boundary conditions, one can switch between these two IEC periods by changing the Fe-layer thickness. These features, which also occur in the magnetic trilayers with other noble-metal spacers, open a new degree of freedom to engineer the IEC in magnetoresistance devices.