Highly stretchable and sensitive strain sensors based on modified PDMS and hybrid particles of AgNWs/graphene.

High-performance strain sensors have received extensive attention due to their wide range of applications in pulsebeat detection, speech recognition, motion detection, and blood pressure monitoring. However, it is difficult to simultaneously attain high sensitivity and excellent stretchability. In this work, a strain sensor based on modified polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and conductive hybrid particles of silver nanowires (AgNWs)/graphene was successfully fabricated. A facile solvothermal polymerization process was used to change the structure of cross-linking networks and to obtain the PDMS elastomer with excellent stretchability. The application of the modified PDMS endows the strain sensor with a large strain range (∼20%), which is 100% higher than that of the strain sensor with unmodified PDMS. The AgNWs/graphene hybrid particles were prepared by a simple coprecipitation, reduction, and drying method. AgNWs serve as bridges between graphene sheets, endowing the strain sensor with a large gauge factor (GF = 400). The stability of the strain sensor was also verified. Besides, the strain sensor was successfully used in fields such as finger bending and speech recognition. Considering its high sensitivity, excellent stretchability, and high working stability, the sensor has great potential in health monitoring and motion detection.

Preparation of doxorubicin-loaded porous iron Oxide@ polydopamine nanocomposites for MR imaging and synergistic photothermal-chemotherapy of cancer.

Recently, the development of biosafe nanocomposites with integrated diagnosis and therapeutic modality is received great attention in anti-cancer drug delivery. In this sturdy, we developed a multifunctional PION@PDA-PEG nanocomposite that combines the functions of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemotherapy into one single nanoprobe. The spherical and uniform-sized porous iron oxide nanoparticles (PION) were synthesized via a simple solvothermal method. Subsequently, a near-infrared light (NIR) sensitive polydopamine (PDA) shell was directly coated on the surface of PIONs to form monodisperse and biosafe core-shell nanocomposites, Thereafter, the surface of nanocomposites was further modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to prolong their blood circulation lifetime. The prepared PION@PDA-PEG showed excellent biocompatibility and promising MR imaging contrast agent capability. Furthermore, the porous structure of PION and the abundant functional groups of PDA shell permitted the remarkable drug loading capacity of more than 24.1 wt%. In addition, the synergistic photothermal- chemotherapy exhibited obvious enhanced anti-tumor effect in in-vitro cell experiment. These results suggest that the developed PION@PDA-PEG nanocomposite can be utilized as an efficient drug nanocarrier for biomedical applications including MR imaging and photothermal-chemotherapy.

Study on the Regulation Effect of Optogenetic Technology on LFP of the Basal Ganglia Nucleus in Rotenone-Treated Rats.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurological degenerative disease that cannot be completely cured, although drugs can improve or alleviate its symptoms. Optogenetic technology, which stimulates or inhibits neurons with excellent spatial and temporal resolution, provides a new idea and approach for the precise treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, the neural mechanism of photogenetic regulation remains unclear. Objective: In this paper, we want to study the nonlinear features of EEG signals in the striatum and globus pallidus through optogenetic stimulation of the substantia nigra compact part. Methods: Rotenone was injected stereotactically into the substantia nigra compact area and ventral tegmental area of SD rats to construct rotenone-treated rats. Then, for the optogenetic manipulation, we injected adeno-associated virus expressing channelrhodopsin to stimulate the globus pallidus and the striatum with a 1 mW blue light and collected LFP signals before, during, and after light stimulation. Finally, the collected LFP signals were analyzed by using nonlinear dynamic algorithms. Results: After observing the behavior and brain morphology, 16 models were finally determined to be successful. LFP results showed that approximate entropy and fractal dimension of rats in the control group were significantly greater than those in the experimental group after light treatment (p < 0.05). The LFP nonlinear features in the globus pallidus and striatum of rotenone-treated rats showed significant statistical differences before and after light stimulation (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Optogenetic technology can regulate the characteristic value of LFP signals in rotenone-treated rats to a certain extent. Approximate entropy and fractal dimension algorithm can be used as an effective index to study LFP changes in rotenone-treated rats.

Graphene and its Derivatives-Based Optical Sensors.

Being the first successfully prepared two-dimensional material, graphene has attracted extensive attention from researchers due to its excellent properties and extremely wide range of applications. In particular, graphene and its derivatives have displayed several ideal properties, including broadband light absorption, ability to quench fluorescence, excellent biocompatibility, and strong polarization-dependent effects, thus emerging as one of the most popular platforms for optical sensors. Graphene and its derivatives-based optical sensors have numerous advantages, such as high sensitivity, low-cost, fast response time, and small dimensions. In this review, recent developments in graphene and its derivatives-based optical sensors are summarized, covering aspects related to fluorescence, graphene-based substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), optical fiber biological sensors, and other kinds of graphene-based optical sensors. Various sensing applications, such as single-cell detection, cancer diagnosis, protein, and DNA sensing, are introduced and discussed systematically. Finally, a summary and roadmap of current and future trends are presented in order to provide a prospect for the development of graphene and its derivatives-based optical sensors.

Photocatalyst for High-Performance H2 Production: Ga-Doped Polymeric Carbon Nitride.

A photocatalyst system is generally comprises a catalyst and cocatalyst to achieve light absorption, electron-hole separation, and surface reaction. It is a challenge to develop a single photocatalyst having all functions so as to lower the efficiency loss. Herein, the active GaN4 site is integrated into a polymeric carbon nitride (CN) photocatalyst (GCN), which displays an excellent H2 production rate of 9904 µmol h-1 g-1 . It is 162 and 3.3 times higher than that of CN with the absence (61 µmol h-1 g-1 ) and presence (2981 µmol h-1 g-1 ), respectively, of 1.0 wt % Pt. Under light irradiation the electron is injected and stored at the GaN4 site, where the LUMO locates. The HOMO distributes on the aromatic ring resulting in spatial charge separation. Transient photovoltage discloses the electron-storage capability of GCN. The negative GaN4 promotes proton adsorption in the excited state. The positive adsorption energy drives H2 desorption from GaN4 after passing the electron to the proton. This work opens up opportunities for exploring a novel catalyst for H2 production.

Novel yellow solid-state fluorescent-emitting carbon dots with high quantum yield for white light-emitting diodes.

Fluorescence quenching of carbon dots (CDs) occurs in their aggregated state ascribed to direct π-π interactions or excessive resonance energy transfer (RET). Thus, CDs have been severely restricted for applications requiring phosphors that emit in the solid state, such as the fabrication of white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). In this report, novel CDs with bright solid-state fluorescence (SSF) were synthesized by simple microwave-assisted synthesis method, using 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (cyclen) and citric acid as precursors. Under 365 nm UV light, these CDs emit bright yellow SSF, indicating they successfully overcome the aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching (ACQ) effect. When the excitation wavelength (λex) is fixed at 450 nm, the emission peak of the CDs is centered at 546 nm with the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage chromaticity (CIE) coordinates of (0.43, 0.55), which means that they can be combined with a blue-emitting chip in order to fabricate WLEDs. More importantly, the absolute quantum yield (QY) of these CDs powder reached 48% at λex of 450 nm, which was much higher than many previously reported SSF-emitting CDs and indicating their high light conversion ability in solid-state. Thanks to the excellent optical property of these CDs powder, they were successfully used in the preparation of high-performance WLEDs. This study not only enriches SSF-emitting CD-based nanomaterials with good prospects for application, but also provides valuable reference for subsequent research on the synthesis of solid-state fluorescent CDs.

Tumor Targeted Multifunctional Magnetic Nanobubbles for MR/US Dual Imaging and Focused Ultrasound Triggered Drug Delivery.

The development of multifunctional nanoplatforms that are safe and have multiple therapeutic functions integrated with dual- or multi-imaging modality is one of the most urgent medical requirements for active cancer therapy. In our study, we prepared multifunctional magnetic nanobubbles (MF-MNBs) by co-encapsulating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and doxorubicin into polylactideco-glycolide-polyethylene glycol-folate (PLGA-PEG-FA) polymer-based nanobubbles for tumor-targeted ultrasound (US)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and focused ultrasound (FUS)-triggered drug delivery. Hydrophobic SPIONs were successfully embedded into MF-MNBs by a typical double emulsion process. The MF-MNBs were highly dispersed with well-defined spherical morphology and an average diameter of 208.4 ± 12.58 nm. The potential of MF-MNB as a dual-modal contrast agent for US and MR imaging was investigated via in vitro study, and the MF-MNB exhibits promising US/MR contrast ability. Moreover, tumor targeting ability was further enhanced by folate conjugation and assessed through in vitro cell test. Furthermore, FUS, as a non-invasive and remote-control technique, was adopted to trigger the release of doxorubicin from MF-MNB and generate the sonoporation effect to enhance drug release and cellular uptake of MF-MNBs. The 4T1 cell viability was significantly decreased by FA ligand-receptor-mediated targeting and FUS sonication. In addition, the developed MF-MNB also exhibits enhanced accumulation in tumor site by FA ligand-receptor-mediated tumor targeting, in which the accumulation of MF-MNB was further enhanced by FUS sonication. Hence, we believe that the MF-MNB could be a promising drug nanocarrier for US/MR-guided anticancer drug delivery to improve cancer treatment efficacy.

Highly efficient wurtzite/zinc blende CdS visible light photocatalyst with high charge separation efficiency and stability.

Mixed phase TiO2 (Degussa P25) exhibits superior photocatalytic performance and stability due to the formation of the hetero-phase junction between anatase and rutile. However, the large bandgap limits its visible light activity. CdS is a photocatalyst with a broad light absorption band up to 550 nm. Constructing a hetero-phase junction will greatly promote the photocatalytic activity of CdS. In this work, the one-step solvothermal method was used to synthesize CdS hetero-phase junction with both hexagonal wurtzite (WZ) and cubic zinc blende (ZB) phases. The ratio of WZ and ZB phases can be tuned by adjusting the solvent ratio and reaction time to construct type I junction and effectively separate the photogenerated electron-hole pair. Under visible-light illumination, the optimal photocatalytic activity of the prepared material reaches 7.96 mmol h-1 g-1, and the quantum efficiency is 36.7% at 420 nm, which is three times higher than that of any single-phase sample (cubic or hexagonal phase) and maintains high photocatalytic stability as well. It is expected that this work will provide a feasible prospect for the practical application of high-efficiency homogeneous junction photocatalysts.

Ultrasensitive Optical Detection of Water Pressure in Microfluidics Using Smart Reduced Graphene Oxide Glass.

Despite recent progresses in the field of microfluidics, the effect of liquid pressure on the detection accuracy has been rarely studied. Here, we perform a quantitative analysis of such effect, by utilizing the sensitive optical responses of graphene to the refractive index (RI) change of its surrounding environment. We utilize a reflection coupling configuration by combining the total internal reflection (TIR) and ultrasonic waves. The high-performance graphene is processed on common glasses by using the solution-processable oxidation-reduction method. We find that the RI change of water caused by a pressure as small as 500 Pa generated by the liquid level change in the microfluidics can be measured directly. The detection accuracy and response time limits are approximately 280 Pa and 100 ns, respectively. The Maxwell's boundary conditions, Fresnel's law, and Pascal's law are used in theoretical analyses. This work highlights the importance of liquid pressure in microfluidics and provides guidance in designing and accurate detection of microfluidic devices.

Role of Nickel Nanoparticles in High-Performance TiO2 /Ni/Carbon Nanohybrid Lithium/Sodium-Ion Battery Anodes.

Super-small sized TiO2 nanoparticles are in situ co-composited with carbon and nickel nanoparticles in a facile scalable way, using difunctional methacrylate monomers as solvent and carbon source. Good control over crystallinity, morphology, and dispersion of the nanohybrid is achieved because of the thermosetting nature of the resin polymer. The effects of the nickel nanoparticle on the composition, crystallographic phase, structure, morphology, tap density, specific surface area, and electrochemical performance as both lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery anodes are systematically investigated. It is found that the incorporation of the in situ formed nickel nanoparticles with certain content effectively enhances the electrochemical performance including reversible capacities, cyclic stability and rate performance as both lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery anodes. The experimental I-V profiles at different temperatures and theoretical calculations reveal that the charge carriers are accumulated in the amorphous carbon regions, which act as scattering centers to the carriers and lower the carrier mobility for the composite. With increasing nickel content, the mobility of the charge carriers is significantly increased, while the number of the charge carriers maintains almost constant. The nickel nanoparticles provide extra pathways for the accumulated charge, leading to reduced scatterings among the charge carriers and enhanced charge-carrier transportation.

Enhanced photocatalytic N2 fixation by promoting N2 adsorption with a co-catalyst.

Photocatalytic N2 fixation involves a nitrogen reduction reaction on the surface of the photocatalyst to convert N2 into ammonia. Currently, the adsorption of N2 is the limiting step for the N2 reduction reaction on the surface of the catalyst. Based on the concept of photocatalytic water splitting, the photocatalytic efficiency can be greatly enhanced by introducing a co-catalyst. In this report, we proposed a new strategy, namely, the loading of a NiS co-catalyst on CdS nanorods for photocatalytic N2 fixation. Theoretical calculation results indicated that N2 was effectively adsorbed onto the NiS/CdS surface. Temperature programmed desorption studies confirmed that the N2 molecules preferred to adsorb onto the NiS/CdS surface. Linear sweep voltammetry results revealed that the overpotential of the N2 reduction reaction was reduced by loading NiS. Furthermore, transient photocurrent and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated that the charge separation was enhanced by introducing NiS. Photocatalytic N2 fixation was carried out in the presence of the catalyst dispersed in water without any sacrificial agent. As a result, 1.0 wt% NiS/CdS achieved an ammonia production rate of 2.8 and 1.7 mg L-1 for the first hour under full spectrum and visible light (λ > 420 nm), respectively. The catalyst demonstrated apparent quantum efficiencies of 0.76%, 0.39% and 0.09% at 420, 475 and 520 nm, respectively. This study provides a new method to promote the photocatalytic efficiency of N2 fixation.

Nonlinear analysis of local field potentials and motor cortex EEG in spinocerebellar ataxia 3.

This study explores the potential usefulness of EEG for patient diagnosis by analyzing SCA3 and wt mice. Self-made implantable electrodes were constructed and implanted to extract EEG signals from the cerebral motor cortex and the cerebellar areas that are affected by the disease. Nonlinear dynamic analysis and EEG energy were used to distinguish between SCA3 and WT mice, and we found that all four were increased in SCA3 mice. The alpha and theta bands of LZ complexity were significantly higher in SCA3 mice than in the control group. Therefore, it was possible to distinguish between the two groups by the LZ complexity of their alpha and theta bands. Analysis of C0 complexity and approximate entropy showed that the random part in the disease group was larger than in the control group, and that in addition the randomness was increased in SCA3 mice. The spatial learning and memory were analyzed by means of the Morris water maze test (MWM), The results showed that the swimming velocity, distance traveled and latency to reach the platform in SCA3 mice were increased when compared with WT mice during the 4 training days (p < 0.05, 0.01 or 0.001). And the results are conform to the results of EEG signals. In conclusion, EEG signals could be used to identify SCA3 in mice. They may also be clinically useful for the diagnosis of cerebellar ataxia in patients, and for additional studies aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of spinal cerebral ataxia.

Enhancing photocatalytic performance by constructing ultrafine TiO2 nanorods/g-C3N4 nanosheets heterojunction for water treatment.

Photocatalysis is considered to be a clean, green and efficient method to purify water. In this report, we first developed a highly efficient ultrafine TiO2 nanorods/g-C3N4 nanosheets (TiO2 NR/CN NS) composites via a simple hydrothermal method. Tiny TiO2 nanorods (diameter: ∼1.5 nm and length: ∼8.3 nm) were first loaded in situ on the CN NS by adding graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to the reaction solution. The TiO2 NR/CN NS composites present high charge separation efficiency and broader light absorbance than P25 TiO2. Furthermore, we illustrate that the TiO2 NR/CN NS catalyst possesses high performance for the photocatalytic degradation of the common and stubborn pollutants in water, such as the rhodamine B (RhB) dye and phenol. Under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation, the apparent rate of the TiO2 NR/CN NR is 172 and 41 times higher than that of the P25 TiO2 and TiO2 NR, respectively. Additionally, we speculated that the heterojunction formed between TiO2 NR and CN NS, which is the basis for the experiments we have designed and the corresponding results. We demonstrated that reactive oxidative species such as superoxide anion radical and holes play critical roles in the degradation, and the hydroxyl radical contributes nothing to the degradation.

Microshell Arrays Enhanced Sensitivity in Detection of Specific Antibody for Reduced Graphene Oxide Optical Sensor.

Protein-protein interactions play an important role in the investigation of biomolecules. In this paper, we reported on the use of a reduced graphene oxide microshell (RGOM)-based optical biosensor for the determination of goat anti-rabbit IgG. The biosensor was prepared through a self-assembly of monolayers of monodisperse polystyrene microspheres, combined with a high-temperature reduction, in order to decorate the RGOM with rabbit IgG. The periodic microshells allowed a simpler functionalization and modification of RGOM with bioreceptor units, than reduced graphene oxide (RGO). With additional antibody-antigen binding, the RGOM-based biosensor achieved better real-time and label-free detection. The RGOM-based biosensor presented a more satisfactory response to goat anti-rabbit IgG than the RGO-based biosensor. This method is promising for immobilizing biomolecules on graphene surfaces and for the fabrication of biosensors with enhanced sensitivity.

Fast Growth and Broad Applications of 25-Inch Uniform Graphene Glass.

A unique ethanol-precursor-based LPCVD route is developed for the fast (4 min, improved 20 times) and scalable (25 inch, improved six times) growth of high-quality graphene glass. The obtained graphene glass presents high uniformity across large areas and is demonstrated to be an excellent material for constructing switchable windows and biosensor devices, owing to its excellent transparency and conductivity.

Constructing bulk defective perovskite SrTiO3 nanocubes for high performance photocatalysts.

Defects (Ti3+ or oxygen vacancies) have been demonstrated to promote the charge separation process in TiO2 based photocatalysts. Particularly, the bulk defects within a certain concentration can give a great enhancement for both light absorption and charge separation efficiency. In this report, we explored a one-step molten salts route to synthesize SrTiO3 nanocubes with bulk defects (Ti3+ doped) by using SrCO3 as a Sr source, and TiO2 and Ti powder as Ti sources. The amount of defects can be tuned by changing the molar ratio of Ti/TiO2. The corresponding bandgap of SrTiO3 can be changed from 3.29 to 2.73 eV with the increase of defects. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy disclose that SrTiO3 is highly crystalline and has a cubic morphology. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance indicate that the as-prepared SrTiO3 is close to the Ti3+ doped SrTiO3. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and field-induced SPS confirm that Ti3+ doping in the SrTiO3 turns it from an n-type semiconductor to p-type. The SrTiO3 with an optimal amount of defects exhibits highly enhanced photocatalytic performance. An excess amount of defects results in a weak SPS response and photocatalytic performance.

Chemically modified graphene films for high-performance optical NO2 sensors.

Various graphene-based gas sensors that operate based on the electrical properties of graphene have been developed for accurate detection of gas components. However, electronic graphene-based gas sensors are unsafe under explosive atmospheres and sensitive to electromagnetic interference. Here, a novel optical graphene-based gas sensor for NO2 detection is established based on surface chemical modification of high-temperature-reduced graphene oxide (h-rGO) films with sulfo groups. Sulfo group-modified h-rGO (S-h-rGO) films with a thickness of several nanometers exhibit excellent performance in NO2 detection at room temperature and atmospheric pressure based on the polarization absorption effect of graphene. Initial slope analysis of the S-h-rGO sensor indicates that it has a limit of detection of 0.28 ppm and a response time of 300 s for NO2 gas sensing. Furthermore, the S-h-rGO sensor also possesses the advantages of good linearity, reversibility, selectivity, non-contact operation, low cost and safety. This novel optical gas sensor has the potential to serve as a general platform for the selective detection of a variety of gases with high performance.

Reduced graphene oxide nanoshells for flexible and stretchable conductors.

Graphene has been extensively investigated for its use in flexible electronics, especially graphene synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). To enhance the flexibility of CVD graphene, wrinkles are often introduced. However, reports on the flexibility of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) films are few, because of their weak conductivity and, in particular, poor flexibility. To improve the flexibility of RGO, reduced graphene oxide nanoshells are fabricated, which combine self-assembled polystyrene nanosphere arrays and high-temperature thermal annealing processes. The resulting RGO films with nanoshells present a better resistance stabilization after stretching and bending the devices than RGO without nanoshells. The sustainability and performance advances demonstrated here are promising for the adoption of flexible electronics in a wide variety of future applications.

High-Precision Twist-Controlled Bilayer and Trilayer Graphene.

Twist-controlled bilayer graphene (tBLG) and double-twisted trilayer graphene (DTTG) with high precision are fabricated and their controllable optoelectronic properties are investigated for the first time. The successful fabrication of tBLG and DTTG with designated θ provides an attractive starting point for systematic studies of interlayer coupling in misoriented few-layer graphene systems with well-defined geometry.