Hierarchical Yolk-Shell Porous Ionic Liquids with Lower Viscosity for Efficient C3H6/C3H8 Adsorption and Separation.

Yolk-shell metal-organic framework (YS-MOF) liquids are candidate materials in large-size species with high-efficiency separation, owing to their hierarchical porosity, faster mass transfer, better compatibility, and higher solution processability than MOF liquids with micropores. Nevertheless, facile synthesis strategies of yolk-shell porous ionic liquids (YSPILs) with regulations of size and morphology are an ongoing challenge. Herein, we propose a general strategy to construct YSPILs based on Z67@PDA with tunable core sizes and morphologies. Benefiting from the unique hierarchical yolk-shell structure, as-prepared YSPILs exhibit promise in C3H6/C3H8 capture and separation with the increased sizes of core in yolk-shell ZIF-67@PDA. Advanced YS-MOF liquids have improved the adsorption properties and increased our ability to tailor chemical composition and pore architecture. Impressively, the adsorption capacity of C3H6 and C3H8 of YSPILs exhibits an approximately 3-fold enhancement compared with that of the neat ILs, confirming that the accessible porosities are retained. Effective C3H6/C3H8 separation performance of YSPILs over PILs based on ZIF-67, revealing the hierarchical porosity of YS-Z67@PDA liquids, benefits larger-size gas separation. Therefore, we believe that this work can not only help us to rationally design novel hierarchically porous ionic liquids but also promote candidate applications in large-size species separation, catalysis, and nanoreactors.

Electrostatically Assisted Construction Modified MXene-IL-Based Nanofluids for Photothermal Conversion.

Solar energy, as renewable energy, has paid extensive attention for solar thermal utilization due to its unique characteristics such as rich resources, easy access, clean, and pollution-free. Among them, solar thermal utilization is the most extensive one. Nanofluid-based direct absorption solar collectors (DASCs), as an important alternative method, can further improve the solar thermal efficiency. Notably, the stability of photothermal conversion materials and flowing media is critical to the performance of DASC. Herein, we first proposed novel Ti3C2Tx-IL-based nanofluids by the electrostatic interaction, which consists of functional Ti3C2Tx modified with PDA and PEI as a photothermal conversion material and ionic liquid with low viscosity as the flow medium. Ti3C2Tx-IL-based nanofluids exhibit excellent cycle stability, wide spectrum, and efficient solar energy absorption performance. Besides, Ti3C2Tx-IL-based nanofluids maintain liquid state in a range of -80 to 200 °C, and its viscosity was as low as 0.3 Pa·s at 0 °C. Moreover, the equilibrium temperature of Ti3C2Tx@PDA-IL at a very low mass fraction of 0.04% reached 73.9 °C under 1 Sun, indicating an excellent photothermal conversion performance. Furthermore, the application of nanofluids in photosensitive inks has been preliminarily explored, which is expected to play a role in the fields of injectable biomedical materials and photo/electric double-generation thermal and hydrophobic anti ice coatings.

Advances in artificial muscles: A brief literature and patent review.

Background: Artificial muscles are an active research area now. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was performed to evaluate the development of artificial muscles based on research papers and patents. A detailed overview of artificial muscles' scientific and technological innovation was presented from aspects of productive countries/regions, institutions, journals, researchers, highly cited papers, and emerging topics. Results: 1,743 papers and 1,925 patents were identified after retrieval in Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) and Derwent Innovations Index (DII). The results show that China, the United States, and Japan are leading in the scientific and technological innovation of artificial muscles. The University of Wollongong has the most publications and Spinks is the most productive author in artificial muscle research. Smart Materials and Structures is the journal most productive in this field. Materials science, mechanical and automation, and robotics are the three fields related to artificial muscles most. Types of artificial muscles like pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) and dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) are maturing. Shape memory alloy (SMA), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and other novel materials have shown promising applications in this field. Conclusion: Along with the development of new materials and processes, researchers are paying more attention to the performance improvement and cost reduction of artificial muscles.

Disinformation: A Bibliometric Review.

OBJECTIVES: This paper aimed to provide a systematic review of relevant articles from the perspectives of literature distribution, research hotspots, and existing results to obtain the frontier directions in the field of disinformation. METHODS: We analyzed disinformation publications published between 2002 and 2021 using bibliometric methods based on the Web of Science. There were 5666 papers analyzed using Derwent Data Analyzer (DDA). RESULTS: The result shows that the USA was the most influential country in this area, while Ecker and Lewandowsky from the University of Western Australia published the largest volumes of papers. Keywords such as "social media", "COVID-19", and "vaccination" have gained immense popularity recently. CONCLUSIONS: We summarized four themes that are of the biggest concern to scholars: group heterogeneity of misinformation in memory, disinformation mechanism in social media, public health related to COVID-19, and application of big data technology in the infodemic. The future agenda of disinformation is summarized from three aspects: the mechanism of disinformation, social media users, and the application of algorithms. This work can be a meaningful resource for researchers' study in the area of disinformation.

[Development history and prospect of Fel Ursi].

Fel Ursi(bear bile) has been used as medicine for a long history, with wide clinical applications and definite curative efficacy. Fel Ursi has good pharmacodynamic activities in the treatment of liver and gallbladder diseases, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. According to the places of origin, traditional Fel Ursi is divided into "Dongdan" and "Nandan". According to the gallbladder properties, it is divided into "Jindan" "Tiedan" "Caihuadan", and "Youdan". With the development of bear bile drainage technology, Pulvis Fellis Ursi has entered the market and been used clinically instead of Fel Ursi. At present, obtaining artificial Pulvis Fellis Ursi by chemical compounding and biotransformation is the hotspot in medical research, which can solve the shortage problem of bear bile resources, and also protect endangered animals. The quality problem of Fel Ursi in the market is prominent, with counterfeit products prepared from sheep bile, cow bile, pig bile, and chicken bile. Due to the scarcity of bear bile resources, the related research contents are scattered, and there is a lack of systematic analysis and summary. This paper focused on the development of Fel Ursi to clarify the source and classification of traditional Fel Ursi, and summarized the harvesting, processing, identification, and use of Fel Ursi. Additionally, the paper also compared the quality standards of Fel Ursi, summarized the technological development process of Pulvis Fellis Ursi, and prospected the modern research and clinical application of Pulvis Fellis Ursi, which is expected to provided references for the collation of bear bile resources, the clinical application of Fel Ursi, the development of Fel Ursi drugs, and related research on artificial Pulvis Fellis Ursi.

[Efficacy evolution of bear bile and related research on components].

Animal medicine is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Bear bile is one of the rare animal-derived medicinal materials with the functions of clearing the liver, promoting bile secretion, calming the liver, relieving convulsions, clearing heat, and removing toxins. From the Jin Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, bear bile was mainly used to treat internal diseases, surgical diseases, and pediatric diseases with limitations. At present, bear bile has been used to treat various diseases in pediatrics, gynecology, internal medicine, and surgery. Studies on the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of bear bile mostly focused on bile acids. Although the non-bile acids also showed certain pharmacological effects, their mechanism of action was less investigated. At present, the source animals of bear bile are national second-class protected animals. Obtaining transformed bear bile powder through biotransformation is expected to alleviate the shortage of bear bile resources to a certain extent. Although related research on bear bile substitutes has protected bear bile resources, there are problems in functional quantification and modern interpretation. It is necessary to sort out the functions and indications of bear bile recorded in ancient books according to related modern research. This study firstly reviewed the evolution of bear bile functions and indications, analyzed the chemical components of bear bile, sorted out the relevant records of the efficacy and clinical application of bear bile in ancient books, and summarized the research progress in the safety of bear bile based on the modern pharmacological effects and clinical applications of bear bile, which is conducive to the clarification of modern efficacy and functional quantification of bear bile and the tentative exploration of the modern interpretation of bear bile.

Core-Shell ZIF67@ZIF8 Modified with Phytic Acid as an Effective Flame Retardant for Improving the Fire Safety of Epoxy Resins.

Despite many important industrial applications, epoxy resin (EP) suffers from high flammability and toxicity emission, extremely hampering their applications. To circumvent the problem, core-shell structured ZIF67@ZIF8 is successfully synthesized and further functionalized with phytic acid (PA) to obtain PA-ZIF67@ZIF8 hybrids. Then, it is used as an efficient flame retardant to reduce the fire risk of EP. The fire test results show a significant reduction in heat and smoke production. Compared with EP, incorporating 5.0 wt % PA-ZIF67@ZIF8 into EP, the peak heat release rate, total heat release, and peak carbon monoxide production are dramatically reduced by 42.2, 33.0, and 41.5%, respectively. Moreover, the EP/PA-ZIF67@ZIF8 composites achieve the UL-94 V-0 rating and the limiting oxygen index increases by 29.3%. These superior fire safety properties are mainly attributed to the excellent dispersion and the catalytic effect of metal oxide and phosphorus-containing compounds. This work provides an efficient strategy for preparing a promising ZIF-based flame retardant for enhancing flame retardancy and smoke toxicity suppression of EP.

Synergistic Regulation of the Microstructure for Multifunctional Graphene Aerogels by a Dual Template Method.

The performance of graphene aerogels (GAs) is based on the microstructure. However, GAs face a challenge of simultaneously controlling the size and alignment of pores strategically. Herein, we initially proposed a simple strategy to construct GAs with an adjustable structure based on the emulsion and ice dual template methods. Specifically, GAs with a honeycomb structure prepared by conventional freezing (CGAs) exhibited a high specific surface of 176 m2/g, superelasticity with a compressive strain of 95%, isotropic compression and thermal insulation performances, as well as an excellent absorption capacity of 150-550 g/g. Instead, the GAs with a bamboo-like network frozen by unidirectional freezing (UGAs) showed anisotropy in compression and thermal insulation behavior. Furthermore, UGAs exhibited incredible special stress (7.9 kPa cm3/mg) along the axial direction twice than that of the radial direction. Meanwhile, the apparent temperature of UGAs was only 45.6 °C when placed on a 120 °C hot stage along the radial direction. Remarkably, the properties of CGAs and UGAs were significantly improved with the adjustment of the microstructure.

[Cultivation and breeding of industrial Cannabis sativa].

Cannabis sativa,with a long history of cultivation, is a traditional industrial crop widely used for food, textiles, and me-dicine. This study discussed industrial C. sativa and medicinal C. sativa. According to the characteristics of management policies of C. sativa in different periods, we divided the development stages of C. sativa into three stages and analyzed the changes in breeding and cultivation goals under the influence of policies. Meanwhile, a comprehensive analysis was carried out based on the breeding conditions of industrial C. sativa in China. Because of the vast territory of China, the differences in agricultural planting environment, economic development, and social development in the southern and northern areas result in different used parts of C. sativa. To be speci-fic, flowers and leaves are used in Yunnan, fiber in Heilongjiang, and seeds in Shanxi. The breeding of C. sativa varieties highlights fiber, seeds, or both of them. As the value of cannabidiol is explored, medicinal C. sativa has been approved in recent years. Based on the cultivation characteristics and value of industrial C. sativa, it is proposed that industrial C. sativa has a broad application prospect as an important industrial crop, and the existing products contain almost no tetrahydrocannabinol. The cultivation of C. sativa should be rationally guided to promote the development of the C. sativa industry. Moreover, it is recommended to actively apply advanced breeding techniques such as molecular breeding to overcome the problems of the uncertainty of the existing induced breeding and the excessively long hybrid breeding cycle, and develop high value-added applications such as medicinal products of C. sativa to enhance the exploitation of the economic value of C. sativa.

Injectable, Intrinsically Antibacterial Conductive Hydrogels with Self-Healing and pH Stimulus Responsiveness for Epidermal Sensors and Wound Healing.

Torealize intelligent and personalized medicine, it is a huge challenge to develop a hydrogel dressing that can be used as a sensor to monitor human health in real-time while promoting wound healing. Herein, an injectable, self-healing, and conductive chitosan-based (CPT) hydrogel with pH responsiveness and intrinsic antibacterial properties was fabricated via a Schiff base linkage and a hydrogen bond. Due to the introduction of Schiff base bonds, the injectable CPT hydrogel exhibits various excellent properties, such as pH responsiveness to sol-gel transition, self-healing properties, and broad-spectrum antibacterial properties even without additional antibacterial agents. In vitro experiments verify the excellent biocompatibility of the as-prepared hydrogel. An in vivo experiment in a mouse full-thickness skin-wound model was performed to confirm the outstanding effect on wound healing. Meanwhile, as epidermal sensors, the conductive hydrogel that perceives various human activities in real-time could provide the real-time analysis of the patient's healthcare information. Based on these excellent properties, the CPT hydrogel, as a biological dressing with a sensing function, lays a solid foundation for the further realization of personalized medicine.

Biosafe, self-adhesive, recyclable, tough, and conductive hydrogels for multifunctional sensors.

As a bioelectronic material used in personalized medicine, it is necessary to integrate excellent adhesion and stretchability in hydrogels for ensuring biosafety. Herein, a high-performance multifunctional hydrogel of polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate-g-dopamine-silver nanowire-borax (PSAB) is reported. It can not only easily adhere to the surface of various substrates, but also exhibit excellent mechanical properties. Its tensile strength, elongation at break and toughness are 0.286 MPa, 500% and 55.15 MJ m-3, respectively. The excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity guarantee that the PSAB hydrogel can successfully serve as a multifunctional sensor for detecting small activities and large-scale movements of the human body through strain and pressure changes. Meanwhile, the long-lasting potent and broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, combined with good in vitro biocompatibility, guarantees the biological safety and non-toxicity of the PSAB hydrogel. These compelling features, such as high flexibility and elasticity, high adhesion, multi-functional sensing and recyclability, as well as biological safety, pave the way for the application of PSAB hydrogel e-skin in biomedicine.

Effectiveness and safety of aspirin combined with letrozole in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of aspirin combined with letrozole in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Through comprehensive searches of the China Knowledge Network (CNKI), the VIP database (VIP), the Wanfang database, the China Biomedical Database (CBM), PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, the clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published on aspirin combined with letrozole in the treatment of PCOS were collected. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the included studies were screened and quality evaluated, and RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 10 RCTs and 948 patients with PCOS were included. Meta-analysis results showed that compared with letrozole monotherapy, aspirin combined with letrozole could significantly increase the thickness of the endometrium [MD=1.98, 95% CI: 1.63-2.34, P<0.00001], cervical mucus scores (MD =1.65, 95% CI: 1.32-1.98, P<0.00001), the ovulation rate (OR=3.50, 95% CI: 2.08-5.91, P<0.00001), the number of mature follicles (MD=0.65, 95% CI: 0.51-0.78, P<0.00001), and the pregnancy rate (OR=3.06, 95% CI: 2.28-4.12, P<0.00001), and significantly reduced the abortion rate (OR=0.20, 95% CI: 0.11-0.38, P<0.00001). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the 2 groups (OR=0.76, 95% CI: 0.44-1.32, P=0.33). CONCLUSIONS: Aspirin combined with letrozole in the treatment of PCOS is safe and effective. Due to the limitations in the number and quality of the included studies, further verification with multi-center, large-sample, high-quality RCTs is still needed.

[Effects of moxibustion at 45 ℃ on blood lipoids and serum level of ox-LDL and NO in rats with hyperlipidemia].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of moxibustion at different temperatures (38 ℃ and 45 ℃) on blood lipoids and serum level of oxidized low density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) and nitric oxide (NO) in rats with hyperlipidemia, and to explore the correlation between regulating blood fat and anti-oxidative stress and protection of vascular endothelium of moxibustion at 45 ℃. METHODS: According to random number table, 60 SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a model group, a moxibustion at 38 ℃ group and a moxibustion at 45 ℃ group, 15 rats in each group. The rats in the normal group received no treatment; the rats in the remaining three groups were fed with high-fat diet for 8 weeks to prepare rat models of hyperlipidemia. After successful modeling, the rats in the model group received no treatment; the rats in the moxibustion at 38 ℃ group and moxibustion at 45 ℃ group were treated with moxibustion at "Shenque" (CV 8) and "Zusanli" (ST 36), and the temperature was controlled at (38±1) ℃ and (45±1) ℃, respectively. The moxibustion was given for 10 min at each acupoint, once every two days, and totally 4-week treatment was given. After treatment, the levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured by using biochemical colorimetric method; the levels of ox-LDL and NO were measured by using ELISA method. RESULTS: ① Compared with the normal group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly increased in the model group (all P<0.01); compared with the model group and moxibustion at 38 ℃ group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were significantly decreased in the moxibustion at 45 ℃ group (P<0.01，P<0.05); compared with the model group, the levels of TC, TG and LDL-C were insignificantly decreased in the moxibustion at 38 ℃ group (all P>0.05). ② Compared with the normal group, the level of ox-LDL was increased but that of NO was decreased in the model group (both P<0.01); compared with the model group and moxibustion at 38 ℃ group, the level of ox-LDL was decreased but that of NO was increased in the moxibustion at 45 ℃ group (P<0.01, P<0.05); compared with the model group, the level of ox-LDL was decreased but that of NO was increased in the moxibustion at 38 ℃ group (both P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion at 45 ℃ has regulating effects on blood lipid in rats with hyperlipidemia, which can regulate blood lipid through various ways, such as anti-oxidative stress and protection of vascular endothelium.

Gold nanoparticles conjugated to bimetallic manganese(II) and iron(II) Prussian Blue analogues for aptamer-based impedimetric determination of the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 and living MCF-7 cells.

An aptamer-based assay is described for the determination of trace levels of the cancer marker human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) and living MCF-7 cells. The method is based on the use of a bimetallic MnFe Prussian blue analogue coupled to gold nanoparticles (MnFePBA@AuNP). Compared to pristine MnFe PBA nanocubes, the series of MnFePBA@AuNP exhibits a core-shell spherical nanostructure, and the shell thickness decreases from 99.9 nm down to 49.3 nm on increasing the fraction of AuNPs. The composite was placed on a gold electrode and incubated with the aptamer solution through electrostatic interaction. Then the modified electrode was employed to detect HER2 and MCF-7 cells using [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- as redox probe and displays good responses to both of them. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data show that the signal variation between each step during the whole procedure for the HER2 and MCF-7 cells detection can be embodied as the resistance value change between the [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- and electrode surface. The assay has a very low detection limit (0.247 pg∙mL-1) and works in the 0.001-1.0 ng∙mL-1 HER2 concentration range. It was also used to sense HER2 in MCF-7 cells, and this results in an assay that works within the 500-5 × 104 cell∙mL-1 cell concentration range and a 36 cell∙mL-1 detection limit. Furthermore, the aptamer-based assay is selective, acceptably reproducible, stable, and well feasible for the detection of HER2 and living MCF-7 cells in human serum. Graphical abstract Schematic of an electrochemical aptasensor based on the bimetallic MnFe Prussian blue analogue (MnFe PBA) coupling with gold nanoparticles (represented by MnFePBA@AuNPs). It was employed as the aptasensor for human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2), and living MCF-7 cells.

Two-dimensional oriented growth of Zn-MOF-on-Zr-MOF architecture: A highly sensitive and selective platform for detecting cancer markers.

Fabricating novel bimetallic metal organic framework (MOF) architectures and exploiting them as aptasensor scaffolds for detecting diverse analytes, especially cancer markers, have aroused widespread research attention. Herein, we report a novel strategy for obtaining ZnZr bimetallic MOFs via the MOF-on-MOF method and exploit them as an aptasensor platform for detecting the cancer marker protein tyrosine kinase-7 (PTK7). Basic characterizations reveal that the chemical structure, crystalline properties, and surface functionality of bimetallic ZnZr-MOFs can be modulated by changing the order of addition of metal precursors and organic ligands. The Zn-MOF-on-Zr-MOF hybrid exhibits a hierarchically decussated foliace, whereas Zr-MOF-on-Zn-MOF demonstrates a multilayered nanosheet structure. The electrochemical results reveal that Zr-MOF facilitates aptamer strand immobilization, whereas the Zn-MOF stabilizes the G-quadruplex formed by aptamer strands and PTK7. The Zn-MOF-on-Zr-MOF-based aptasensor outperforms the Zr-MOF-on-Zn-MOF-based one, providing ultralow detection limits of 0.84 and 0.66 pg mL-1, as obtained by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively, within the PTK7 concentration range of 1.0 pg mL-1 to 1.0 ng mL-1. The proposed Zn-MOF-on-Zr-MOF-based aptasensor exhibits high selectivity in the presence of various interferences, good stability, reproducibility, and acceptability in human serum. The proposed strategy provides a new approach for fabricating ultrasensitive and selective bimetallic MOFs-based aptasensors and contributes to efforts to broaden their applications in early cancer diagnosis.

Tunable Hollow Bimetallic MnFe Prussian Blue Analogue as the Targeted pH-Responsive Delivery System for Anticancer Drugs.

Owning to the improved ability of selectivity and penetration toward cancer cells, drug delivery systems (DDSs) play essential roles in chemotherapy for solid tumors. Herein, a series of bimetallic MnFe Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) with a tunable nanostructure was prepared by using sodium citrate (SC) as a structure regulator (represented by MnFe-PBA-SC). An advanced targeted drug delivery system was obtained by adding folic acid (FA) to the preparation system of MnFe-PBA-SC nanospheres (denoted as MnFe-PBA-SC-FA). The shape of pure MnFe PBA was changed from a typical nanocube to a hollow nanosphere when adding SC, leading to the formation of the core-shell nanospheres of the MnFe-PBA-SC-FA composite. The hollow nanostructures and intrinsic cavities in PBA can carry large amounts of doxorubicin (DOX), showing a high loading efficiency of MnFe-PBA-SC1.0-FA (91.8%), which was higher than that in MnFe-PBA-SC0.5 (63.2%). Additionally, the series of MnFe-PBAs showed pH-responsive drug release behaviors. A cell viability assay illustrated no remarkable cytotoxicity of MnFe-PBA-SC-FA against human breast cancer cells, Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cells, for 24 h. Confocal laser scanning showed that the MnFe-PBA-SC1.0-FA/DOX system significantly entered FA receptor-expressing MCF-7 cells in vitro and in vivo, while an increased DOX release was observed in the cytoplasm of the MCF-7 cells. In consequence, this novel anticancer delivery system based on bimetallic PBAs can be potentially applied to drug delivery.

Aptamer-Templated Silver Nanoclusters Embedded in Zirconium Metal-Organic Framework for Bifunctional Electrochemical and SPR Aptasensors toward Carcinoembryonic Antigen.

This study reported a novel biosensor based on the nanocomposite of zirconium metal-organic framework (Zr-MOF, UiO-66) embedded with silver nanoclusters (Ag NCs) using the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-targeted aptamer as template (AgNCs@Apt@UiO-66). The synthesized AgNCs@Apt@UiO-66 nanocomposite not only possesses good biocompatibility, active electrochemical performance, and strong bioaffinity, but also can be dispersed to form two-dimensional nanocomposite with nanoscale thickness. As such, the use of the AgNCs@CEA-aptamer enables AgNC@Apt@UiO-66 with sensitive and selective detection capacity of trace CEA, further concurrently being exploited as scaffold for surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy (SPR) and electrochemical biosensors. The results showed that the proposed electrochemical AgNC@Apt@UiO-66-based aptasensor exhibits high sensitivity with a low detection limit (LOD) of 8.88 and 4.93 pg·mL-1 deduced from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively, within a broad linear range of the CEA concentration (0.01-10 ng·mL-1). Meanwhile, the developed SPR biosensor exhibited a slightly high LOD of 0.3 ng·mL-1 within the CEA concentration of 1.0-250 ng·mL-1. Both the electrochemical and SPR aptasensors displayed high selectivity, good reproducibility, stability, acceptable regenerability, and applicability in real human serum samples. These results proved that the proposed aptamer-targeted Zr-MOF nanocomposite can be utilized in multiple-functionally biosensing, further promoting the potential application of Zr-MOF-related nanomaterials in clinical diagnosis.

Two-Dimensional Zirconium-Based Metal-Organic Framework Nanosheet Composites Embedded with Au Nanoclusters: A Highly Sensitive Electrochemical Aptasensor toward Detecting Cocaine.

Two-dimensional (2D) zirconium-based metal-organic framework nanosheets embedded with Au nanoclusters (denoted as 2D AuNCs@521-MOF) were prepared via a one-pot method under mild conditions. The optimized 2D AuNCs@521-MOF nanosheets not only possessed high specific surface area, physicochemical stability, and good electrochemical activity but also exhibited strong bioaffinity toward biomolecule-bearing phosphate groups. Consequently, a large amount of cocaine aptamer strands can be immobilized onto the substrate modified by 2D AuNCs@521-MOF nanosheet, further leading to the formation of a constructed biosensitive platform, which can be used to successfully detect cocaine through the specific binding interactions between cocaine and aptamer strands. The results demonstrated that the 2D AuNCs@521-MOF-based aptasensor had high sensitivity for detecting cocaine within the broad concentration range of 0.001-1.0 ng·mL-1 and the low limit of detection of 1.29 pM (0.44 pg·mL-1) and 2.22 pM (0.75 pg·mL-1) as determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and differential pulse voltammetry, respectively. As expected, with the advantages of high selectivity, repeatability, stability, and simple operation, this new strategy is believed to exhibit great potential for simple and convenient detection of cocaine.

Self-assembled 2D supramolecular networks of copper(I) carborane complexes through C-H..H-B dihydrogen bonding interactions.

Three dinuclear copper(I) complexes with the formula [Cu2(mu-X)2(1,2-(PiPr2)2-1,2-C2B10H10)2] (X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3)) containing the closo carborane diphosphine ligand 1,2-(PiPr2)2-1,2-C2B10H10 have been prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR and X-ray structure determination. The X-ray structure analyses revealed that the three complexes were isostructural and crystallized in the monoclinic system and space group C2/m. The carborane cage ligand was coordinated bidentately to the Cu(I) center through its two phosphorus atoms, and the coordination geometry around each copper atom was distorted tetrahedral. Two halogen atoms bridged the metal centers forming a dimer structure [Cu2(mu-X)2(1,2-(PiPr2)2-1,2-C2B10H10)2], which were linked into 2D supramolecular networks through novel C-H...H-B dihydrogen bonding interactions

[1,2-Bis(diisopropyl-phosphino)-1,2-dicarba-closo-dodeca-borane-κP,P']dichloridomercury(II).

In the title complex, [HgCl(2)(C(14)H(38)B(10)P(2))], the Hg(II) atom is in a distorted HgCl(2)P(2) tetra-hedral coordination environment. The chelation of the Hg atom by two P atoms and two C atoms from the carborane skeleton results in a nearly planar five-membered ring.