Assembly of Discrete Chalcogenolate Clusters into a One-Dimensional Coordination Polymer with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Stability.

Interlinking discrete supertetrahedral chalcogenolate clusters with conjugated bipyridine linkers form a one-dimensional coordination polymer, [Cd6Ag4(SPh)16(DMF)(H2O)(bpe)]n (1a), displaying a broader visible-light absorption and a narrower band gap than those of the discrete cluster. More importantly, the coordination polymer demonstrates enhanced activity and stability for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye in water.

Smart nanovehicles based on pH-triggered disassembly of supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles for efficient intracellular drug delivery.

A novel type of nanovehicle (NV) based on stimuli-responsive supramolecular peptide-amphiphiles (SPAs, dendritic poly (L-lysine) non-covalently linked poly (L-leucine)) is developed for intracellular drug delivery. To determine the pH-dependent mechanism, the supramolecular peptide-amphiphile system (SPAS) is investigated at different pH conditions using a variety of physical and chemical approaches. The pH-triggered disassembly of SPAS can be attributed to the disappearance of non-covalent interactions within SPAs around the isoelectric point of poly (L-leucine). SPAS is found to encapsulate guest molecules at pH 7.4 but release them at pH 6.2. In this way, SPAS is able to act as a smart NV to deliver its target to tumor cells using intracellular pH as a trigger. The DOX-loaded NVs are approximately 150 nm in size. In vitro release profiles and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) images of HepG2 cells confirm that lower pH conditions can trigger the disassembly of NVs and so achieve pH-dependent intracellular DOX delivery. In vitro cytotoxicity of the DOX-loaded NVs to HepG2 cells demonstrate that the smart NVs enhance the efficacy of hydrophobic DOX. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and CLSM results show that the NVs can enhance the endocytosis of DOX into HepG2 cells considerably and deliver DOX to the nuclei.

Molecular surface modification of silver chalcogenolate clusters.

This study presents a molecular surface modification approach to synthesizing a family of silver chalcogenolate clusters (SCCs) containing the same [Ag12S6] core and different surface-bonded organic ligands (DMAc or pyridines; DMAc = dimethylacetamide), with the aim of tuning the luminescence properties and increasing the structural stability of the SCCs. The SCCs displayed strong and tuneable luminescence emissions at 77 K (from green to orange to red) as influenced by the peripheral pyridine ligands. In addition, SCC 5 protected by pyridine molecules was stable in ambient air, humid air and even liquid water for a long time (up to 1 week), and it was more structurally stable than SCC 1 bonded with DMAc molecules under the same conditions. The high structural stability of SCC 5 can be explained by the ability of pyridine molecules to form strong coordination bonds with silver atoms. This study offers a new way of designing structurally stable metal nanoclusters with tuneable physicochemical properties.

Carbon nanostructure-reinforced SiCw/Si3N4 composite with enhanced thermal conductivity and mechanical properties.

Carbon nanostructures (CNS) as a kind of reinforcement material can remarkably enhance the mechanical and thermal properties of ceramics. This research presents an analysis of the influence of CNS on the thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of SiCw/Si3N4 composites. The SiCw/Si3N4 composites containing various types of CNS e.g. carbon nanofibers (CNF), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) and graphene nano-platelets (GNP) were fabricated by hot-press sintering. XRD analysis confirmed a complete transformation of α-Si3N4 to ß-Si3N4 and microstructural analysis shows a uniform distribution, as well as a pullout and bridging mechanism of CNS. The results revealed that the thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of SiCw/Si3N4 composites increased with the addition of CNS. Maximum values of fracture toughness (9.70 ± 0.8 MPa m1/2) and flexural strength (765 ± 58 MPa) have been achieved for the MWCNT-containing SiCw/Si3N4 composite, whereas the maximum values of Young's modulus (250 ± 3.8 GPa) and hardness (27.2 ± 0.9 GPa) have been achieved for the CNF-containing SiCw/Si3N4 composite. Moreover, thermal conductivity also improved with the addition of CNS and reached a maximum value of 110.6 W m-1 K-1 for the CNF-containing SiCw/Si3N4 composite. This work provides a useful approach for the fabrication of high-performance multifunctional composites for emerging engineering applications.

Interlinking supertetrahedral chalcogenolate clusters with bipyridines to form two-dimensional coordination polymers for photocatalytic degradation of organic dye.

Chalcogenolate clusters Cd6Ag4(EPh)16(DMF)3(CH3OH) (E = S, Se) with supertetrahedral structures are isolated. Further interlinking the clusters with organic linker 4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine in the stepwise assembly approach forms two-dimensional coordination polymers. The clusters and the coordination polymers show tunable band gaps and efficient photocatalytic activities for the degradation of aqueous dye solution. This study demonstrates the great potential of using chalcogenolate clusters and their coordination polymers in photocatalysis applications.

Folate-Modified Poly(malic acid) Graft Polymeric Nanoparticles for Targeted Delivery of Doxorubicin: Synthesis, Characterization and Folate Receptor Expressed Cell Specificity.

A novel amphiphilic biodegradable cholesterol and poly(ethylene glycol)-folate grafted poly(α,ß-malic acid) (PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA) was synthesized and characterized as self-assembled nanoparticles for targeted delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). The nanoparticles showed extremely low critical aggregation concentrations (CAC), appropriate zeta potential, narrow size distribution, good stability in serum conditions and negligible toxicity. After encapsulation'of DOX, PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles showed significantly reduced cell viability (up to 30% for Hela and 27% for 4T1 cells) compared with the non-targeted ones on carcinoma cells with different levels of folate receptor (FR) expression. While no difference was detected on HEK293 cells (FR receptor negative) between the two nanoparticles. Addition of extra free folate obviously decreased the cellular mortality and inhibited the cellular uptake of targeted nanoparticles. In the Hela/HEK293 co-culture model, folate conjugated nanoparticles showed specific affiliation with Hela cells other than HEK293 cells, indicating good targeting property of the delivery system. As detected from ex vivo fluorescent imaging, PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles could accumulate at tumor site with higher selectivity compared to PMA-g-Chol/PEG nanoparticles and DOX x HCl. In vivo antitumor studies confirmed the significant tumor inhibition efficacy of drug-loaded PMA-g-Chol/PEG-FA nanoparticles with lower toxicity to normal tissues than DOX x HCI at the same dosage.

A novel micelle of coumarin derivative monoend-functionalized PEG for anti-tumor drug delivery: in vitro and in vivo study.

In this paper, a novel micelle for anti-tumor drug delivery was reported. Two 7-carboxymethoxy coumarin molecules were immobilized on the terminal group of a methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) chain via l-lysine as linker. The amphiphilic 7-carboxymethoxy coumarin monoend-functionalized methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG-Lys-DCOU) chains were self-assembled micelles. Anti-tumor drug doxorubicin was loaded in the mPEG-Lys-DCOU micelles and the release profile was studied. The cytotoxicity of mPEG-Lys-DCOU was evaluated by NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. The drug-loaded micelles were incubated with HepG2 tumor cells to investigate the in vitro anti-tumor effect. The in vivo inhibition efficacy of drug-loaded micelles was carried out on 4T1 breast cancer animal model. The results showed that both hydrophobic and π-π stacking interactions within mPEG-Lys-DCOU amphiphiles were contributed to the self-assembly. Both blank and drug loaded micelles were monodisperse nanoparticles with the average diameters around 300 nm. The release profile exhibited certain pH dependence. The drug release rate at pH = 5.5 was much faster than that at pH = 7.4. mPEG-Lys-DCOU amphiphiles were non-toxic to NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that the inhibition efficacy of drug-loaded micelles were comparable to that of doxorubicin hydrochloride. mPEG-Lys-DCOU micelles are promising carriers for anti-tumor drug delivery.

Anti-tumor drug delivery of pH-sensitive poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-histidine-)-poly(L-lactide) nanoparticles.

pH-sensitive poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-histidine)-poly(L-lactide) (PEG-PH-PLLA) nanoparticles were prepared and used as carriers for anti-tumor drug delivery. The morphology and properties of the nanoparticles such as pH sensitivity, zeta potential and mean diameters were investigated. The cytotoxicity of PEG-PH-PLLA nanoparticles was evaluated. Doxorubicin (DOX) was encapsulated in the nanoparticles to explore the release profile. The drug-loaded nanoparticles were incubated with HepG2 cells to study the in vitro anti-tumor effect. The results showed the sizes of both blank nanoparticles and drug-loaded nanoparticles in pH 7.4 were smaller than those of nanoparticles in pH 5.0, and the mean diameter of drug-loaded nanoparticles was much bigger than that of blank nanoparticles. The PEG-PH-PLLA nanoparticles were nontoxic to both NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and HepG2 cells. The release profile showed that the release of DOX in pH 5.0 was much faster than that in pH 7.4. The in vitro experiments demonstrated that the anti-tumor effect of drug-loaded nanoparticles was preferable to free doxorubicin. The pH-sensitive PEG-PH-PLLA nanoparticles are promising carriers for anti-tumor drug delivery.