Tumor Supplying Artery Injection of Liposome@Sunitinib Could Effectively Inhibit the Progression of Kidney Tumor.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the urinary system and is not sensitive to chemotherapy or radiotherapy in its advanced stages. Sunitinib is recommended as a first-line target drug for unresectable and metastatic RCC by targeting tyrosine kinase-related signaling pathways, but its therapeutic effect is unsatisfactory. Recently, nanomaterials have shown great prospects in the medical field because of their unique physicochemical properties. Particularly, liposomes are considered as ideal drug delivery systems due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and ideal drug-loading efficiency. Considering that tumor supplying artery injection can directly distribute drugs into tumor tissues, in this study, liposomes were employed to encapsulate water-insoluble sunitinib to construct the liposome@sunitinib (Lipo@Suni) complex, so that the drug could directly target and distribute into tumor tissue, and effectively trapped in tumor tissues after tumor supplying artery injection for the advantage of the physicochemical properties of liposomes, thereby achieving a better therapeutic effect on advanced RCC. Here, we found that compared with the peripheral intravenous administration, trans-renal arterial administration increases the content and prolongs the retention time of liposomes in tumor tissues; accordingly, more sunitinib is dispersed and retained in tumor tissues. Ultimately, trans-renal arterial administration of Lipo@Suni exerts a better suppressive effect on RCC progression than peripheral intravenous administration, even better than the conventional oral administration of sunitinib.

Life Cycle Assessment of Production of Hydrochar via Hydrothermal Carbonization of Date Palm Fronds Biomass.

This study presents novel life cycle assessment (LCA) findings on hydrochar production from Saudi-Arabia-based date palm fronds biomass waste using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC). The LCA procedure incorporated normalization, weighting, and improvement assessment. The system boundary encompassed water consumption and energy requirements within a lab setting representing a gate-to-gate process. The OpenLCA 1.11.0 software with the European Life Cycle Database 3.2 (ELCD 3.2) was utilized for the study and we employed the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) 2016 and Environmental Footprint 3.0 (EF 3.0) impact assessment methods. The results indicated that fossil fuel usage represented the most significant impact category with the HTC and drying processes identified as major contributors. It was also observed that the HTC process exerted far greater detrimental impacts on the environment than the biomass grinding process. The overwhelming impact of fossil fuel resources could be mitigated by optimizing the batches of biomass or hydrochar samples in each operation, which could alleviate fossil fuel consumption by up to 94%. The findings emphasize the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the environmental burden and contribute to sustainable hydrochar production.

Distribution and potential health risks of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water, sediment, and fish in Dongjiang River Basin, Southern China.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have attracted worldwide attention due to their high stability, refractory degradation, and bioaccumulation. The Dongjiang River is one of the most important water sources in the Pearl River Delta region. It flows from Jiangxi Province to Guangdong Province and finally into the Pearl River, providing domestic water for cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. In this study, 17 PFASs in water, sediment, and fish in the Dongjiang River Basin in southern China were investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total PFAS concentrations ranged from 20.83 to 372.8 ng/L in water, from 1.050 to 3.050 ng/g in sediments, and from 12.28 to 117.4 ng/g in fish. Among six species of fish, Oreochromis mossambicus (mean: 68.55 ng/g) had the highest concentration of PFASs, while Tilapia zillii (36.90 ng/g) had the lowest concentration. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) predominates in water and sediments, while perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) predominates in fish. Long-chain perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs) and perfluorosulfonates (PFSAs) showed higher bioaccumulation, and the field-sourced sediment-water partition coefficients (Kd) and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) of PFASs increased with the length of perfluorocarbon chains. PFAS concentration in the lower reaches (urban area) of the Dongjiang River is higher than that in the upper and middle reaches (rural area). The calculated hazard ratio (HR) of PFOS and PFOA levels in fish in the Dongjiang River Basin was far less than 1; hence, the potential risk to human health was limited.

Ligand-Induced Cation-π Interactions Enable High-Efficiency, Bright, and Spectrally Stable Rec. 2020 Pure-Red Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Achieving high-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) with pure-red electroluminescence for practical applications remains a critical challenge because of the problematic luminescence property and spectral instability of existing emitters. Herein, high-efficiency Rec. 2020 pure-red PeLEDs, simultaneously exhibiting exceptional brightness and spectral stability, based on CsPb(Br/I)3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) capping with aromatic amino acid ligands featuring cation-π interactions, are reported. It is proven that strong cation-π interactions between the PbI6 -octahedra of perovskite units and the electron-rich indole ring of tryptophan (TRP) molecules not only chemically polish the imperfect surface sites, but also markedly increase the binding affinity of the ligand molecules, leading to high photoluminescence quantum yields and greatly enhanced spectral stability of the CsPb(Br/I)3 NCs. Moreover, the incorporation of small-size aromatic TRP ligands ensures superior charge-transport properties of the assembled emissive layers. The resultant devices emitting at around 635 nm demonstrate a champion external quantum efficiency of 22.8%, a max luminance of 12 910 cd m-2 , and outstanding spectral stability, representing one of the best-performing Rec. 2020 pure-red PeLEDs achieved so far.

Synthesis of Carbon Microspheres from Inedible Crystallized Date Palm Molasses: Influence of Temperature and Reaction Time.

In this work, carbon microspheres (CMs) were prepared by hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of inedible crystallized date palm molasses. The effects of temperature and reaction time on the prepared materials were studied. Experiments were carried out at different temperatures (180, 200, 230 and 250 °C) with reaction times ranging from 2 to 10 h. It was found that temperature had the greatest influence on the mass yield of the CMs. No solid products were observed at a temperature of 180 °C and a reaction time less than 2 h. The highest yield was found to be 40.4% at 250 °C and a reaction time of 6 h. The results show that the CMs produced were approximately 5-9 µm in diameter. The results also show that the largest diameter of the CMs (8.9 µm) was obtained at a temperature of 250 °C and a reaction time of 6 h. Nonetheless, if the reaction time was extended beyond 6 h at 250 °C, the CMs fused and their shapes were deformed (non-spherical shapes). The synthesized materials were characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Branuer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). BET surface areas for the four samples were found to be less than 1 m2/g. The methylene blue adsorption studies indicated that the equilibrium adsorption capacity was reached after 15 min, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 12 mg/g. The recycling of date palm molasses (a known processed waste) to generate a useable carbon microsphere represents a beneficial step in the application of sustainable processing industries in the Middle East.

Characterizing in-cabin air quality and vehicular air filtering performance for passenger cars in China.

The rapidly growing vehicle population has become a crucial contributor to severe air-pollution and public health issues. In urban areas, vehicles have become one of the important sources of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). In particular, the on-road concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) are typically many times higher than normal ambient concentrations, potentially leading to high in-vehicle exposure levels to TRAPs. Limited studies have focused on the variability in in-vehicle concentrations of TRAPs and linked the pollution level to both out-cabin conditions and the in-cabin filtration performance during real-world travels. Therefore, this study measured on-roadway, in-cabin concentrations of PM2.5 and carbon dioxide (CO2) by using well-calibrated low-cost sensors during various conditions. Our results indicate that, although in-cabin PM2.5 concentrations are correlated to out-cabin PM2.5 concentration levels, the control efficiency would be affected by the ventilation mode and the adoption of vehicular filtration device. The PM2.5 reduction efficiencies could achieve 45% and 77% for in-use and new filters made by vehicle manufacturers respectively, with the average CO2 concentration remained at a safe level (<800 ppm) under the in-vehicle outside air ventilation. The application of a high-efficiency cabin air (HECA) filter can further enhance the PM2.5 filtration efficiency up to 85-96%, indicating the significance of advanced cabin air filtration technology for improving in-cabin air quality and reducing health risk of Chinese drivers.

Self-assembly hydrogels of therapeutic agents for local drug delivery.

Advanced drug delivery systems are of vital importance to enhance therapeutic efficacy. Among various recently developed formulations, self-assembling hydrogels composed of therapeutic agents have shown promising potential for local drug delivery owing to their excellent biocompatibility, high drug-loading efficiency, low systemic toxicity, and sustained drug release behavior. In particular, therapeutic agents self-assembling hydrogels with well-defined nanostructures are beneficial for direct delivery to the target site via injection, not only improving drug availability, but also extending their retention time and promoting cellular uptake. In brief, the self-assembly approach offers better opportunities to improve the precision of pharmaceutical treatment and achieve superior treatment efficacies. In this review, we intend to cover the recent developments in therapeutic agent self-assembling hydrogels. First, the molecular structures, self-assembly mechanisms, and application of self-assembling hydrogels are systematically outlined. Then, we summarize the various self-assembly strategies, including the single therapeutic agent, metal-coordination, enzyme-instruction, and co-assembly of multiple therapeutic agents. Finally, the potential challenges and future perspectives are discussed. We hope that this review will provide useful insights into the design and preparation of therapeutic agent self-assembling hydrogels.

Engineered Exosomes Loaded with miR-563 Inhibit Lung Cancer Growth.

The malignancy of lung cancer (LC) is serious in the world. Exosomes are well-known natural nanovesicles, which are reported to have the potential to carry functional miRNAs as natural carriers and deliver chemotherapeutic drugs. However, the safety and functions of the engineered exosomes for delivering miRNA for the treatment of LC remain to be evaluated. In this study, we found that miR-563 is related to lung cancer from GeneCard database. RT-qPCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) were used to assess miR-563 expression in clinical samples. We prepared and verified the engineered exosomes loaded with miR-563 both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro, flow cytometry, Western blot, and other experimental methods were performed to evaluate the antitumor effect of miR-563 loaded exosomes. In in vivo, the LC mouse model was used to observe the effect of the prepared exosomes. The safety of using this exosomes was accessed by liver function test, hematological analysis, and H&E staining in major organs of the mice. Our findings indicated that the miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes inhibit the A549 cells growth in vitro, by inhibiting the tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoting apoptosis. In in vivo, these engineered exosomes were enriched in tumor tissue after injecting to LC model mice and impacted tumor tissue by inhibiting the tumor volume and tumor weight. Importantly, our study indicated that miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes have the potential for clinical application for LC treatment with acceptable safety profiles. Our findings indicate a novel potential therapeutic target for lung cancer patients by miR-563 loaded engineered exosomes.

Room-temperature epitaxial welding of 3D and 2D perovskites.

Formation of epitaxial heterostructures via post-growth self-assembly is important in the design and preparation of functional hybrid systems combining unique properties of the constituents. This is particularly attractive for the construction of metal halide perovskite heterostructures, since their conventional solution synthesis usually leads to non-uniformity in composition, crystal phase and dimensionality. Herein, we demonstrate that a series of two-dimensional and three-dimensional perovskites of different composition and crystal phase can form epitaxial heterostructures through a ligand-assisted welding process at room temperature. Using the CsPbBr3/PEA2PbBr4 heterostructure as a demonstration, in addition to the effective charge and energy transfer across the epitaxial interface, localized lattice strain was observed at the interface, which was extended to the top layer of the two-dimensional perovskite, leading to multiple new sub-bandgap emissions at low temperature. Given the versatility of our strategy, unlimited hybrid systems are anticipated, yielding composition-, interface- and/or orientation-dependent properties.

Quantized Exciton Motion and Fine Energy-Level Structure of a Single Perovskite Nanowire.

The quantum-confinement effect profoundly influences the exciton energy-level structures and recombination dynamics of semiconductor nanostructures but remains largely unexplored in traditional one-dimensional nanowires mainly due to their poor optical qualities. Here, we show that in defect-tolerant perovskite material of highly luminescent CsPbBr3 nanowires, the exciton's center-of-mass motion perpendicular to the axial direction is severely confined. This is reflected in the two sets of photoluminescence spectra emitted from a single CsPbBr3 nanowire, each of which consists of doublet peaks with linear polarizations perpendicular and parallel to the axial direction. Moreover, different exciton states can be mixed by the Rashba spin-orbit coupling effect, resulting in two single photoluminescence peaks with linear polarizations both along the nanowire axis. The above findings mark the emergence of an ideal platform for the exploration of intrinsic one-dimensional exciton photophysics and optoelectronics, thus bridging the long-missing research gap between the well-studied two- and zero-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures.

Comparison of various chemical compounds for the removal of SO2 and NOx with wet scrubbing for marine diesel engines.

Seawater, NaOH, NaClO, NaClO2, H2O2, and KMnO4 were used as scrubbing liquids to react with SOx and NOx separately in a customized wet scrubber. The absorption of SO2 in the aqueous phase was influenced by three factors: pH, ionic concentration, and oxidation potential. For NOx removal, the effectiveness of various chemical compounds can be ranked from least to most effective as follows: seawater, NaOH, H2O2 < NaClO < KMnO4 < NaClO2. This effectiveness was influenced by the chemical compound's ability to oxidize NO to NO2, absorb the NO2 that was formed, and retaining the nitrogen in the aqueous phase. High oxidation potential promoted the oxidation of NO to NO2 but hindered the absorption of NO2. NaClO2 was superior compared to NaClO in all three categories of oxidizing, absorption and retention. NaClO could not retain a significant amount of NO2 which it absorbed in the aqueous phase. The pH around 8 provided a good balance between oxidation versus absorption/retention and reactant utilization for the chlorine-based oxidants. KMnO4 had the lowest reactant consumption rate; only half a mole was consumed for every mole of NO removed, compared to around 2-3 mol of chlorite or 3-5 mol of hypochlorite.

Color-Stable Blue Light-Emitting Diodes Enabled by Effective Passivation of Mixed Halide Perovskites.

Bandgap tuning through mixing halide anions is one of the most attractive features for metal halide perovskites. However, mixed halide perovskites usually suffer from phase segregation under electrical biases. Herein, we obtain high-performance and color-stable blue perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs) based on mixed bromide/chloride three-dimensional (3D) structures. We demonstrate that the color instability of CsPb(Br1-xClx)3 PeLEDs results from surface defects at perovskite grain boundaries. By effective defect passivation, we achieve color-stable blue electroluminescence from CsPb(Br1-xClx)3 PeLEDs, with maximum external quantum efficiencies of up to 4.5% and high luminance of up to 5351 cd m-2 in the sky-blue region (489 nm). Our work provides new insights into the color instability issue of mixed halide perovskites and can spur new development of high-performance and color-stable blue PeLEDs.

Exciton-acoustic phonon coupling revealed by resonant excitation of single perovskite nanocrystals.

Single perovskite nanocrystals have attracted great research attention very recently due to their potential quantum-information applications, which critically depend on the development of powerful optical techniques to resolve delicate exciton photophysics. Here we have realized resonant and near-resonant excitations of single perovskite CsPbI3 nanocrystals, with the scattered laser light contributing to only ~10% of the total collected signals. This allows us to estimate an ultranarrow photoluminescence excitation linewidth of ~11.32 µeV for the emission state of a single CsPbI3 nanocrystal, corresponding to an exciton dephasing time of ~116.29 ps. Meanwhile, size-quantized acoustic phonons can be resolved from a single CsPbI3 nanocrystal, whose coupling with the exciton is proposed to arise from the piezoelectric potential. The ability to collect resonance fluorescence from single CsPbI3 nanocrystals, with the subsequent revelation of exciton-acoustic phonon coupling, has marked a critical step towards their steady advancement into superior quantum-light sources.

Highly Luminescent and Stable CsPbI3 Perovskite Nanocrystals with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Ligand Passivation for Red-Light-Emitting Diodes.

CsPbI3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have recently emerged as promising materials for optoelectronic devices because of their superior properties. However, the poor stability of the CsPbI3 NCs induced by easy ligand desorption represents a key issue limiting their practical applications. Herein, we report stable and highly luminescent black-phase CsPbI3 NCs passivated by novel ligands of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Theoretical calculation results reveal a stronger adsorption energy of SDS molecules at the CsPbI3 surface than that of commonly used oleic acid. As a result, the defect formation caused by the ligand loss during the purification process is greatly suppressed. The optimized SDS-CsPbI3 NCs exhibit significantly reduced surface defects, much enhanced stability, and superior photoluminescence efficiency. The red perovskite light-emitting diodes based on the SDS-CsPbI3 NCs demonstrate an external quantum efficiency of 8.4%, which shows a 4-fold improvement compared to the devices based on the oleic acid-modified CsPbI3 NCs.

Phenylalkylammonium passivation enables perovskite light emitting diodes with record high-radiance operational lifetime: the chain length matters.

Perovskite light emitting diodes suffer from poor operational stability, exhibiting a rapid decay of external quantum efficiency within minutes to hours after turn-on. To address this issue, we explore surface treatment of perovskite films with phenylalkylammonium iodide molecules of varying alkyl chain lengths. Combining experimental characterization and theoretical modelling, we show that these molecules stabilize the perovskite through suppression of iodide ion migration. The stabilization effect is enhanced with increasing chain length due to the stronger binding of the molecules with the perovskite surface, as well as the increased steric hindrance to reconfiguration for accommodating ion migration. The passivation also reduces the surface defects, resulting in a high radiance and delayed roll-off of external quantum efficiency. Using the optimized passivation molecule, phenylpropylammonium iodide, we achieve devices with an efficiency of 17.5%, a radiance of 1282.8 W sr-1 m-2 and a record T50 half-lifetime of 130 h under 100 mA cm-2.

Vacancies on 2D transition metal dichalcogenides elicit ferroptotic cell death.

Sustainable developments of nanotechnology necessitate the exploration of structure-activity relationships (SARs) at nano-bio interfaces. While ferroptosis may contribute in the developments of some severe diseases (e.g., Parkinson's disease, stroke and tumors), the cellular pathways and nano-SARs are rarely explored in diseases elicited by nano-sized ferroptosis inducers. Here we find that WS2 and MoS2 nanosheets induce an iron-dependent cell death, ferroptosis in epithelial (BEAS-2B) and macrophage (THP-1) cells, evidenced by the suppression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), oxygen radical generation and lipid peroxidation. Notably, nano-SAR analysis of 20 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) disclosures the decisive role of surface vacancy in ferroptosis. We therefore develop methanol and sulfide passivation as safe design approaches for TMD nanosheets. These findings are validated in animal lungs by oropharyngeal aspiration of TMD nanosheets. Overall, our study highlights the key cellular events as well as nano-SARs in TMD-induced ferroptosis, which may facilitate the safe design of nanoproducts.

Transition from Doublet to Triplet Excitons in Single Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as novel semiconductor nanostructures possessing great potential for optoelectronic, photovoltaic, and quantum information processing applications. Success in these applications requires a comprehensive understanding of the perovskite NCs' electronic structures, which mysteriously exhibit either doublet or triplet peaks of exciton luminescence at the single-particle level. Here we show that the transition from doublet- to triplet-exciton peaks can be triggered in single CsPbI3 NCs from the same batch of samples when they are stored in the ambient environment. We propose theoretically that the doublet-exciton peaks originate from two in-plane dipole moments, while the optical transition arising from the out-of-plane dipole moment becomes prominent only after the crystal-field splitting is strongly reduced by the structural transformation in the deterioration process. Furthermore, the quantum-confinement effect is strongly reinforced in the single CsPbI3 NCs with a triplet-exciton configuration, leading to enhanced Auger recombination and allowing us to extract the emission-energy dependence of the exciton-energy-level fine structure.

Lead-Free Halide Double Perovskite Cs2 AgBiBr6 with Decreased Band Gap.

Environmentally friendly halide double perovskites with improved stability are regarded as a promising alternative to lead halide perovskites. The benchmark double perovskite, Cs2 AgBiBr6 , shows attractive optical and electronic features, making it promising for high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. However, the large band gap limits its further applications, especially for photovoltaics. Herein, we develop a novel crystal-engineering strategy to significantly decrease the band gap by approximately 0.26 eV, reaching the smallest reported band gap of 1.72 eV for Cs2 AgBiBr6 under ambient conditions. The band-gap narrowing is confirmed by both absorption and photoluminescence measurements. Our first-principles calculations indicate that enhanced Ag-Bi disorder has a large impact on the band structure and decreases the band gap, providing a possible explanation of the observed band-gap narrowing effect. This work provides new insights for achieving lead-free double perovskites with suitable band gaps for optoelectronic applications.

Single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white light-emitting diodes employing segregated mixed halide perovskite crystals.

Metal halide perovskites have demonstrated impressive properties for achieving efficient monochromatic light-emitting diodes. However, the development of white perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) remains a big challenge. Here, we demonstrate a single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white PeLED using a mixed halide perovskite film as the emissive layer. The perovskite film consists of separated mixed halide perovskite phases with blue and red emissions, which are beneficial for suppressing halide anion exchange and preventing charge transfer. As a result, the white PeLED shows balanced white light emission with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates of (0.33, 0.33). In addition, we find that the achievement of white light emission from mixed halide perovskites strongly depends on effective modulation of the halide salt precursors, especially lead bromide and benzamidine hydrochloride in our case. Our work provides very useful guidelines for realizing single-emissive-layer all-perovskite white PeLEDs based on mixed halide perovskites, which will spur the development of high-performance white PeLEDs.