ACS Materials Letters最新文献

We investigated the photovoltaic properties of Sm-doped flexible BiFeO₃ (SBFO) deposited on flexible Pt/mica substrates under the influence of the Sm doping concentration. The SBFO thin films, with Sm doping concentrations ranging from 0 to 15%, were deposited as preferentially (111)-oriented polycrystals. The SBFO thin films with a doping concentration of 10% Sm exhibited the best ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties as multiferroic thin films. In particular, the SBFO thin film with a 10% Sm doping concentration demonstrated improved photovoltaic characteristics with an open-circuit voltage of ∼0.61 V and a short-circuit current of ∼0.45 mA/cm².

Swift proton release in solid-state proton conductors can enhance the proton conductivity. Two new polyoxometalates-based metal–organic frameworks (POMOFs), [Cu₂(HBip)₂(H₂O)₆(TeMo₆O₂₄)] (CUST-860) and [Co₃(Bip)₂(H₂O)₁₀(TeMo₆O₂₄)] (CUST-861), have been fabricated via combining Anderson-type POMs (TeMo₆), 3,5-bis(imidazole-1-yl)pyridines (Bips), and transition metal ions under hydrothermal method. The related tests such as powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that both compounds exhibit excellent thermal stabilities and water stabilities. Alternating current (AC) impedance tests showed that the highest proton conductivity of CUST-861 was 2.96 × 10^–2 S cm^–1 under 90 °C and 98% relative humidity (RH), which is 3 orders of magnitude higher than CUST-860. Furthermore, theoretical calculation results indicated that the uncoordinated pyridine nitrogen sites of ligands in CUST-861 have a lower pK_a value than the uncoordinated imidazole nitrogen sites of ligands in CUST-860, which is more conductive to proton transfer. This study provides insights into the synthesis of solid proton conductors based on POMs.

With the development of nuclear energy and the widespread use of precious metals, the threat to the environment and human health from radioactive iodine isotopes and metal ions has increased. Therefore, the development of efficient adsorbents for pollutants and precious metals is crucial. Herein, a novel nitrogen-rich covalent organic framework (TPDA-DPTA-COF) containing tertiary amines, imine linkages, and pyridine units is designed from N,N,N′,N′-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)-1,4-benzenediamine (TPDA) and 2,5-di(pyridin-4-yl)terephthalaldehyde (DPTA). TPDA-DPTA-COF exhibits excellent performance in iodine capture (6.85 g g^–1 for I₂ vapor and 2570 mg g^–1 for I₂ solution in n-hexane) and gold recovery (3014 mg g^–1 Au(III) in HAuCl₄ solution) due to the nanotrap effect arising from nanoporous nitrogen-rich structure. Even in dilute acid leachate from discarded CPUs, TPDA-DPTA-COF exhibits exceptional selective extraction ability toward Au(III). The unique nanotrap structure makes TPDA-DPTA-COF a powerful adsorbent for iodine and Au(III), which paves promising application in nuclear waste treatment and resource recovery.

Programmed cell death (PCD) is crucial for cell renewal, embryogenesis, the immune response, tissue growth regulation, and other essential biological processes. Recent evidence underscores the potential of harnessing PCD to combat bacterial infections, particularly in eradicating antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Extensive efforts have been devoted to developing PCD-mediated anti-infective agents by drawing insights from materials science, chemistry, immunology, and microbiology. In this review, the challenges in addressing bacterial infections and the potential of PCD-based approaches to revolutionize treatment are first summarized and discussed. Then, a comprehensive examination of PCD-mediated nanoantibacterial therapy, encompassing various pathways, such as bacterial apoptosis, ferroptosis, cuproptosis, immunogenic cell death, NETosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis, is provided. Finally, the barriers and prospects of PCD-driven antimicrobial strategies are explored.

Biochemical reactions are essential biological processes of living systems, which are also significant in many fields, such as biomedicine, cytobiology, synthetic biology, and chemical biology. However, there remains an everlasting requirement for the improvement of efficiency, rate, and controllability of biochemical reactions. Inspired by biological systems that enable precisely controlled multistep biochemical reactions by spatially arranging reactants in a highly organized manner for improving the cascade reaction rate and efficiency, a lot of strategies have been used to organize reactants and construct artificial biochemical reactions. With the advantages of easy programmability, site addressability, and biocompatibility, DNA self-assembly technology has shown great promise in improving biochemical reactions. In this review, we introduce the biochemical reaction improvement strategies and DNA self-assembly technology as well as summarize the recent advances in the applications of DNA self-assembly technology for improving biochemical reaction performances, including DNA cascade reactions, enzyme cascade reactions, receptor reactions, organelle interactions, and cell–cell interactions. We also present the existing challenges and further perspectives of applying DNA self-assembly technology in biochemical reaction regulation and improvement.