Advanced Materials Interfaces最新文献

Nanocarbons are emerging at the forefront of nanoscience, and a wide variety of nanocarbons with unique structures have appeared over the past two decades. Currently, many carbon nanostructures have not been synthesized in the field of nanocarbons. The focus of this work is to present a new ideology and report two carbon nanostructures that have never been reported before. Inspired by the phenomenon of crystal growth, a new concept of thought is proposed. In brief, the diversity of crystal structures is utilized to enable surfactants to replicate their framework structures to create carbon nanomaterials with novel structures. In this work, carbon nanoframes (CNFEs) and hollow carbon nanocubes (HCNBs) synthesized by the 3-(N,N-dimethyldodecylammonio) propanesulfonate (SB3-12)@NaCl self-assembly strategy are used as proof of the ideology concept. It is shown that the prepared CNFEs have tunable dimensions (320–565 nm) and specific optical properties (fluorescence). The obtained HCNBs are 575 ± 20 nm in size and have fluorescent properties. It is found that changes in the concentration of SB3-12 are a key driver of size changes, especially morphological evolution. It is believed that the ideology of this work provides a new entry point for the synthesis of carbon nanomaterials.

PCR-free approaches are the most promising technologies for molecular point-of-care (PoC). In this context, the detection of not amplified genetic targets through electro-optical transduction is successfully investigated. While PCR-free approaches are widely studied, there are only a few studies investigating the factors that modulate both the kinetics and the effectiveness of target capture. Among these, the probes grafting density and the isoelectric properties of the biointerface are crucial since they conditionate the charge field around biomolecules during and after the target recognition. In this work, an experimental and theoretical study of a gold biointerface functionalized with oligonucleotide probes is presented for the direct detection by cooperative hybridization of the kinetoplast (k)DNA of Leishmania infantum(LI). The biointerface is characterized by surface free energy (SFE) analysis and contact angle (CA) to investigate the grafting of probes and the surface isoelectric properties upon the duplex formation with the genetic target. Experimental data are compared with a theoretical model, based on the prediction of adsorption energies, which effectively reflects the charge profile of the functionalized surface. Lastly, the biointerface is characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and the sensing performances assess in the frame of its suitability for PoC applications.

The collective rotations of oxygen octahedra play an important role in determining the physical properties of functional perovskite oxides. The epitaxial strain can serve as an effective means to modify the oxygen octahedral symmetry (OOS), i.e., oxygen octahedral rotation or tilt (OOR/OOT). However, the strain-OOS coupling that may alter the details of the OOS, thereby the physical properties, has not been fully understood. In this work, it is demonstrated that epitaxial strain can not only induce a structural phase transition but also precisely tune the degree of OOR. The correlated metal CaNbO₃, which is orthorhombic, is studied by growing as epitaxial thin films. By imposing epitaxial strain, it is found that the film undergoes a structural phase transition from orthorhombic to tetragonal upon fully straining (i.e., from a⁺b⁻b⁻ to a⁰a⁰c⁻). In unstrained films, the octahedral rotation along the c-axis is as large as 15.7° that can be tuned to 6.6° by strain. This finding offers a general approach to manipulating OOR/OOT via strain engineering in complex oxide heterostructures.

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) offer immense opportunities to deliver drugs and biomolecules to targeted tissues. However, it's unclear to their effects on fat metabolism. Here, it is demonstrated that nitrogen-doped carboxylate-functionalized MWCNTs (N-MWCNTs) inhibit fat deposition both in vivo and in vitro. N-MWCNTs <0.5 µg mL⁻¹ do not affect the viability of HEK293 cells and adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). Intramuscular administration of N-MWCNTs does not affect the body weight gain and feed intake of mice, but reduces the fat mass. In in vitro-cultured adipocytes, N-MWCNTs suppress fat accumulation, accompanied by decreased and increased expression of adipogenic and lipolysis genes, respectively. Transcriptome analysis further certifies the N-MWCNT alteration of fat metabolism-related genes. Interestingly, the internalization of N-MWCNTs by macrophage-like cells via Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging is observed. The mRNA sequencing data also shows remarkable variation of the genes involved in the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) pathway, exhibiting down- or up-regulation of inflammatory factors, of which TNF-α, IL-1, IL-7, IL-10, and IL-12 are decreased, whereas IL-6 and IL-11 are increased. In conclusion, N-MWCNTs trigger immune responses and reduction of fat deposition.

Bi_xO_yBr_z/TiO₂ composites have been synthesized by hydrothermal method, with TiO₂ nanoparticles being employed as substrate. During the process of hydrothermal reaction, both temperature and pH have been utilized to effectively regulate the Bi/Br atomic ratio of Bi_xO_yBr_z/TiO₂ composites. In essence, the competitive reaction between OH⁻ and Br⁻ in the solution is the key factor to form Bi_xO_yBr_z with different Bi/Br atomic ratios. Under visible light, the prepared Bi₄O₅Br₂/TiO₂ heterojunction demonstrates higher photocatalytic activity than other Bi_xO_yBr_z/TiO₂ composites for phenol and Rh B. The removal rate of phenol with Bi₄O₅Br₂/TiO₂ heterojunction is up to 92.1% after irradiation for 75 min. The excellent photocatalytic activities of Bi₄O₅Br₂/TiO₂ heterojunction are mainly attributed to its optimized microstructure and the matching band energy structure, whereby TiO₂ nanoparticles with ≈10 nm diameter uniformly arranged on ≈10.2 nm thick Bi₄O₅Br₂ nanosheets. Moreover, the heterojunction structure promotes the separation of photo-generated electrons and holes in Bi₄O₅Br₂/TiO₂, while $��·�O_2^{-}�$ and h⁺ are the main active species during its photocatalytic processes.

The field of technical textiles has grown significantly during the last two decades, with a focus on functionality rather than aesthetics. However, the advancement of NanoFusion technology provides a novel potential to combine better functionality and aesthetic value in textile finishes. NanoFusion incorporates nanoparticles into textile treatments to improve waterproofing, stain resistance, durability, and breathability. This is performed without affecting the textile's visual appeal or aesthetics and may even improve them. This textile finishing revolution is expected to impact industries such as athletics, outdoor clothing, car upholstery, and luxury fashion. It offers cutting-edge functionality while maintaining style and design integrity. Furthermore, the use of nanoparticle textile coatings opens up new opportunities for personalization and modification. Manufacturers and designers can now experiment with different color combinations, patterns, and textured finishes while maintaining performance characteristics. NanoFusion technology has the potential to transform the textile industry by providing hitherto unattainable levels of performance and aesthetics. This study reviews the current state of the art in nanofinishes for garment textiles, focusing on their many varieties, techniques, mechanisms, and applications. In addition, it addresses significant concerns such as sustainability and the environmental footprint, paving the way for a new era in textile manufacturing.

A chemical “lego nanoset” has been used to realize different structures on gold surfaces. Three building blocks have been designed, in order to chemically link the surface and self-assemble in an ordered manner. Self-assembled films are arranged on a gold surface into 3D suprastructures via consecutive deposition of different mono-layers, taken together by thymine-adenine hydrogen bonds. Three films, composed of one, two, and three helical peptide layers, both containing a zinc-tetraphenylporphyrin dye as an external sheet, are built and characterized by spectro-electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques. All films are found to generate current under illumination, and their photoresponse and stability are studied as a function of the number of peptide layers. The efficiency of the photoconversion process has been correlated to the molecular organization of the porphyrin dyes in the film and to the templating role of the bridge between the porphyrin and the gold surface.

Compound eye biomimetics are extensively studied owing to their high level of functionality. However, optimizing material-dependent parameters, such as refractive index, is essential for maximizing lens function. Therefore, metal films are deposited on Pantala flavescens compound eyes using a magnetic mirror magnetron cathode, which deposits films at low temperatures without plasma impingement. By increasing the thickness of the film on the compound eye surface, a compound eye mold is successfully fabricated with high heat tolerance. Lens fabrication is achieved using a high-temperature-curable resin. The resulting lens comprises numerous uniformly shaped functional units. This method offers a highly reproducible lens-pouring molding technique using various materials, marking a significant advancement in developing imaging devices and sensors that accurately replicate the functionalities of dragonfly eyes.

The rational design of surfaces at the molecular level is essential toward realizing many engineering applications. However, molecular-scale defects affect processes such as triboelectrification, scaling, and condensation. These defects are often detectable via contact angle hysteresis (CAH) measurements. Liquid-like surfaces exhibit extremely low CAH (≤5°) and rely on the use of highly flexible molecular species such as long-chain alkyls or siloxanes. Their low glass transition temperatures lead to the so-termed self-smoothing behavior, reducing sensitivity to defects formed during fabrication. However, utilizing rigid molecular species such as perfluoroalkyl chains often results in higher hysteresis (10° to 60°) as defects are not self-smoothed after fabrication. Consequently, state-of-the-art perfluoroalkylated surfaces often show sub-optimal interfacial properties. Here, a customizable chemical vapor deposition process creates molecularly-thick, low-defect surfaces from trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl)silane. By implementing moisture-exposure controls, highly homogenous surfaces with root-mean-square roughness below 1 nm are fabricated. CAH is achieved down to ≈4° (average: 6°), surpassing the state-of-the-art by ≈5°. Reduction of CAH (26° to 6°) results in condensation suppression, decreasing surface droplet density by one order and surface droplet coverage by 40%. This work guides the synthesis of high-quality surfaces from tri-functional perfluoroalkylsilanes with liquid-like properties despite their molecular rigidity.

Hydrogel Foams

Coupled with rheology, X-ray microtomography analysis is a powerful tool to understand the key factors affecting the morphology of hydrogel foams. From the raw 3D image (top left), the analysis of the structure thickness (top right), the identification of single cells (bottom right) and of their size (bottom left) allow a full structural characterization. More details can be found in the article 2400337 by Manon Jouanlanne, Aurélie Hourlier-Fargette, and co-workers.