RSC Advances最新文献

In cancer therapy, controlled and targeted drug release systems are essential to maximize therapeutic outcomes while minimizing adverse effects. This study introduces an innovative mesoporous silicon nanoparticle (MSN) platform, functionalized with the natural anticancer agent dieckol (Di) and designed for precise drug delivery activated by near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. By embedding Di and grafting fluorescent organic conjugates onto the MSN surface, this innovative nanocarrier demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to NIR stimuli and potent chemo-photothermal effects. Notably, drug release remains stable across different pH conditions (7.4, 6.5, and 5.5), ensuring consistent therapeutic delivery. However, upon NIR exposure, the release can be selectively accelerated, enabling precise, real-time, and on-demand drug release control for enhanced treatment efficacy. Cytotoxicity tests revealed that IPSi-Dox-Di-DQA nanoparticles exhibited potent dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth (SH-SY5Y and B16-F10), while sparing healthy cells (HEK-293), highlighting their specificity. Furthermore, advanced 3D cell viability assays mimic the complexities of in vivo cancer environments, with spheroid disintegration under nanoparticle treatment underscoring the platform's powerful anticancer potential. These findings position IPSi-Dox-Di-DQA nanoparticles as a promising frontier in the development of selective, effective cancer therapeutics through synergistic NIR-controlled drug release and mitochondrial targeting.

Fabricating TiO₂ with heterostructures is one of the important ways to enhance its photocatalytic activity. In this work, we fabricated black Si-doped TiO₂ nanotubes (Ti–Si–O) through anodization and Sn reduction, and constructed In₂O_3−x nanofilm/black Ti–Si–O composite photoanode through electrochemical deposition and Ar annealing. The composition evolution, morphology, optical properties and photoelectrochemical performance of the composite photoanode were investigated. The In₂O_3−x/black Ti–Si–O composite photoanode exhibited excellent PEC hydrogen production performance, with a high photocurrent density of 3.76 mA cm⁻² at 0 V Ag/AgCl, which was 2.16 times that of the black Ti–Si–O photoanode. The synergistic effects of Si doping, Ti³⁺/O vacancies and the modification with In₂O_3−x nanofilms provide a beneficial approach to design of high-efficiency photoanodes.

Cystatin C (CysC), a protein, has replaced creatinine as a biomarker of kidney function and other diseases and has led to a surge in the research on the development of efficient CysC biosensors. The current CysC sensing technologies are remarkable in terms of selectivity and reproducibility. However, the complexity, cost, and space requirements of these methods render them unsuitable for real-time monitoring or point-of-care (PoC) implementations in healthcare settings. This review discusses the most recent developments in the field of CysC biosensing and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first focused review exclusively on CysC biosensing modalities. Our goal is to provide a thorough overview of the current state of CysC biosensors, and presenting mechanisms related to biosensor recognition and transduction. The review starts with clinical significance of CysC detection followed by detailed analysis of different CysC biosensing methods with emphasis on the necessity of PoC monitoring of CysC. We have also highlighted current challenges and an outlook on future perspectives. We anticipate that this study will play a key role in the understanding the working principle of CysC sensors and will aid in the designing of new efficient sensing modalities for the detection of CysC.

Persulfate, a powerful oxidizing agent, is extensively employed in numerous industries. Accurate and rapid detection of persulfate (S₂O₈²⁻) is essential. This study reports the development of a fluorescent sensor based on Am-CDs. It is synthesized from ascorbic acid (AA) and m-phenylenediamine (m-PD) through a one-step hydrothermal method. The fluorescence of Am-CDs demonstrated selective sensitivity to S₂O₈²⁻ via static quenching. A sensitive fluorescent sensor was constructed for S₂O₈²⁻, exhibiting a linear detection range of 1.96 to 15.59 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.94 μM. This fluorescence method was successfully applied to detect S₂O₈²⁻ in water samples, achieving recoveries of 98.07% to 102.33%. The fluorescent sensor developed in this study offers a simple and effective method for quantifying S₂O₈²⁻ in aquatic environments.

Sustainable biomaterials that are both efficient and environmentally friendly are the subject of research and development efforts among scientists and academics from a variety of contemporary scientific disciplines. Due to their significant involvement in several physiological and pathological processes, sulfated polysaccharides (SPs) have garnered growing interest across various application domains, including biomedicine. Nevertheless, mechanical and thermal stability are issues for unmodified polysaccharide materials. Interactions between polymers, such as the mixing of biopolymers with synthetic or biopolymers through chemical interaction or grafting into the main chain structure of raw materials to enhance their therapeutic effects, are essential to meet the high standards of biomedical features. Another way to improve the mechanical and thermal properties is to graft appropriate fillers onto the polysaccharide backbone. The characteristics of polysaccharide bio-nanocomposites in comparison to more traditional polymers have attracted a lot of interest. With an emphasis on anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiviral, immunoregulatory, and anticoagulant properties, this review delves into the most recent biological uses of sulfated polysaccharides. As well as thoroughly outlining the factors that impact the biological properties, such as the extraction process, molecular weight (Mw), the degree of sulfation, distribution/position, modification procedures, and the filler size, etc., this review aims to: (1) provide a systematic and critical overview of the cutting-edge research on SPs and hybrid sulfated polysaccharide bio-nanocomposites; (2) identify the key factors, mechanisms, methods, and challenges impacting SPs bio-nanocomposites; (3) elucidate the current and potential biomedical applications, advantages, manufacturing challenges, and opportunities associated with SPs bio-nanocomposites; (4) offer insights into future research directions by suggesting improvements for bio-nanocomposites, including novel materials, and advanced processing techniques.

Flexible solid state supercapacitors have gained significant importance in energy storage device technology. In this work, flexible solid-state supercapacitors are designed with enhanced capacitance, bending cycle stability and energy density. Activated carbon (AC) is synthesized from cabbage leaves and boron doped reduced graphene oxide (BRGO) is incorporated into AC to improve mechanical flexibility. On the other hand, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and acetonitrile (ACN) as solvent are incorporated into a gel electrolyte. We investigate the concentration of boron in the electrode material and that of CQDs in the gel electrolyte and reveal that the capacitance, bending properties and energy density of the solid-state supercapacitor are simultaneously improved with the optimum composition of AC/BRGO in the CQD/gel electrolyte. This demonstration of composite electrode and electrolyte materials could substantially improve the capacitance, cycle stability and energy density of solid-state supercapacitors.

The structure, i.e. atomic arrangement, of glasses is known to determine many of their properties. This study investigates the structure of three well-known bioactive glass compositions, 45S5 (known as Bioglass), S53P4 (commercialised as BonAlive) and 13-93 (developed for improved high-temperature processing) by Si-29 and P-31 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy. Results show that 45S5 has a more depolymerised silicate structure than the other two glasses, in agreement with its lowest silica content. These structural differences explain the well known high solubility and fast reactivity in vivo of 45S5 compared to the other two compositions. Differences between S53P4 and 13-93, by contrast, originate more from differences in their average modifier field strength, as their network connectivity, i.e. average silicate network polymerisation, is similar. As a result, 13-93 shows the lowest crystallisation tendency of the three glasses but also reacts relatively slowly during contact with aqueous solutions. The structural differences are also reflected in glass viscosity, where at a given temperature 45S5 has the lowest viscosity, 13-93 the highest and S53P4's viscosity is lying in between.

Finding environmentally acceptable and long-lasting catalysts that can convert carbon dioxide into compounds with additional value is of great interest. Using Red Mud (RM), a waste product from the aluminum industry, as a CO₂ reduction agent is also a great idea, given the current environmental problems. In this research, we developed, characterized, and evaluated a series of metal-promoted (M = Na, K, Cs, Ba, Mg, and Sr) RM catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to produce olefins and CO. In the beginning, we synthesized RM that had been treated with acid and base by employing hydrochloric acid (HCl) and potassium hydroxide (KOH), and then we examined the activity of these catalysts in CO₂ hydrogenation. Surprisingly, when tested at 375 °C and 30 bar pressure (CO₂ : H₂ = 1 : 3), pure RM converted 22% CO₂ compared to acid-and base-treated RM, which converted 16% of CO₂. Under identical reaction conditions, the 3%K-promoted RM (3%K@RM) catalyst achieved over 27% of CO₂ conversion activity compared to the other 3%M@RM catalysts (where M = Na, Cs, Ba, Mg, and Sr) in terms of conversion and selectivity for light olefins (C_2–4=).

Here, we present a one-step approach to append N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) to gold nanorods. The nanorods are treated with NHC gold or silver complexes in a mixture of water and dichloromethane. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy and mass spectrometry characterization reveals that this procedure results in a ligand transfer yielding chemisorbed NHCs.

Rapid economic development has led to oil pollution and energy shortage. Thus, it is highly desirable to develop an efficient and environment-friendly approach for oil/water (O/W) separation. Herein, we report a simple and green method for preparing macroscopic COF AG and AG. COF AG was rapidly synthesized at room temperature, washed and freeze-dried to prepare COF AG without any adhesives or additives. Due to its strong hydrophobicity, COF AG is used as an absorbent for removing organic pollutants in O/W separation, and has a certain demulsification performance, which has a certain application prospect in the field of O/W separation. The hydrophobic COF AG material was combined with MA, which was synthesized in one step at room temperature, avoiding the long reaction conditions of traditional high temperature and high-pressure reaction, as well as the post-modification process and complex washing steps. The superhydrophobic sponge material was rapidly prepared. The introduction of MA reduced the amount of COF monomer, improved the adsorption capacity of the material for organic solvents and oil samples, increased from 37 times of the previous maximum adsorption weight to more than 120 times, and the demulsification capacity of O/W emulsion increased to more than 99%, with the ability of direct separation and continuous separation of O/W. Therefore, the prepared superhydrophobic sponge has high adsorption capacity and good reusability, and can be used for O/W separation. This work not only provides a strategy for the construction of functional COF, but also opens up a way for the growth of COF on different carriers for O/W separation.