ChemNanoMat最新文献

Crystal polymorph engineering represents a pivotal strategy for enhancing the antitumor efficacy of pharmaceuticals. Current investigations on crystal engineering of antitumor agents are predominantly focused on organic small-molecule drugs, whereas the correlation between crystal structure and bioactivity in inorganic nanomaterials remains underexplored. Herein, we report a comparative study on two crystalline polymorphs of manganese sulfide (MnS), α-MnS and γ-MnS, to unravel their distinct antitumor performances. Compared with γ-MnS, α-MnS demonstrates superior capacity in inducing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, leading to enhanced cytotoxicity against 4T1, A549, and MCF-7 tumor cells. In a 4T1 tumor-bearing mouse model, α-MnS treatment significantly reduces tumor volume relative to γ-MnS, while maintaining excellent biosafety profiles. These findings shed light on the structure–activity relationship of inorganic nanomaterials, providing a novel theoretical paradigm for the rational design of high-performance nanotherapeutics with precise crystal form-bioactivity matching.

Featured by inherent advantages of low cost and high safety, zinc-ion energy storage devices have emerged as a pivotal focus in the field of energy storage research. However, their large-scale application is hindered by critical challenges: the instability of zinc anodes, which are plagued by dendritic growth and severe detrimental interfacial side reactions. In this study, by utilizing the inherent reducibility of the Zn anode and adding sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-Na) as an electrolyte additive, we have prepared in situ cross-linked CMC-Na/polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel electrolytes to improve the stability of the Zn anode. The proposed synergistic optimization strategy effectively suppresses interfacial side reactions triggered by active water molecules. Moreover, this dual-strategy intervention mitigates anode corrosion and dendrite growth through cooperative regulatory mechanisms. Consequently, the symmetric cells assembled with the in situ-formed hydrogel electrolyte deliver stable cycling performance for 1000 h at a current density of 1 mA cm⁻². For the hybrid capacitor integrated with the CMC-Na/PAM hydrogel electrolyte, it maintains efficient operation over 10,000 cycles even at a high current density of 10 mA cm⁻². This study demonstrates the superior efficacy of the integrated dual optimization strategies, offering a practical pathway for the advancement of high-performance zinc-ion hybrid capacitors.

Soaring environmental apprehension about the watercontamination due to the industrial dye effluents has incited the researchers for the advancement of photocatalytic environmental remediation. Classical methods often fall short in the removal of the extremely water-soluble dyes, making photocatalysis a persuasive surrogate. TiO₂ has pervasive bid in the field of photocatalysis due to its high stability, nontoxicity, and strong oxidation potential. Moreover, the rare earth metal doping on the TiO₂ showcase the surface area modifications, charge carrier dynamics, extension of light absorption region, and procrastination of photogenerated excitons. In the preview, this review provides an insightful analysis of rare earth metal (Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Er)-doped TiO₂ nanophotocatalysts synthesized via various chemical techniques. Furthermore, the plausible mechanism of photocatalytic dye degradation via rare earth metal-doped TiO₂ has also been discussed in detail. Recent advances, challenges, and future perspectives of photocatalytic systems have been highlighted.

Large amounts of CO₂ are released into atmosphere with the fast development of industry and other human activities. The increase of CO₂ concentration in atmosphere causes greenhouse effect and potential global disaster. Porous nanomaterials have attracted multidisciplinary researches because of their remarkable physicochemical properties such as porous structures, active sites, high stability, and excellent catalytic activities. Herein, the capture and utilization of CO₂ through a photo-/electrocatalytic reduction with adsorption strategy using porous nanomaterials as catalysts are summarized. Different reaction mechanisms are discussed from the macrolevel experimental results, spectroscopic analysis, and computational simulations. The porous structures, abundant active sites, doping of metals, good mass transfer, and high stability are most important parameters for capture and photo-/electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to C₁ or C₂/C₂₊ products with high selectivity and efficiency. Next, different porous photo-/electrocatalysts as well as effective modification strategies for CO₂ reduction are provided in detail. At the end, perspectives and challenges on practical application of porous nanomaterials in CO₂ photo-/electrocatalytic reduction are presented for future development of this field. This review is helpful for readers to understand the approaches in material design for a high CO₂ capture-reduction rate and reaction process.

The continuous existence of antibiotic pollutants presents a grave threat to the ecological environment. This study aims to develop an efficient and stable hybrid photocatalytic membrane for degrading tetracycline (TC) in aqueous solutions. Inspired by setaria, the novel hybrid ZIF-8@ZnO/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes (PZM) are successfully prepared by in situ growth of ZnO nanowires on PVDF membranes via hydrothermal synthesis, followed by incorporation of the metal–organic framework material ZIF-8. The preparation conditions for ZnO nanowires are systematically optimized. Results indicate that the prepared ZnO/PVDF membranes (PZ) exhibit optimal photocatalytic activity when the ZnO precursor concentration is 0.5 wt% and the hydrothermal growth time is 2 hr. Additionally, with the increased stirring rate of the reaction system, the superior piezoelectric properties of the PVDF nanofiber membranes are applied to accelerate TC degradation. Most importantly, compared to pure PZ membranes, the hybrid PZM membranes significantly enhance the photocatalytic degradation efficiency of TC. Under visible light irradiation, the hybrid PZM nanofiber membranes achieve TC degradation efficiency of 75%, which is increased by 66% compared to that of ZnO powder. This investigation offers a potentially viable approach for the design and construction of hybrid photocatalytic materials for effectively eliminating emerging organic pollutants from water.

The exploration of lead-free halide double perovskites has intensified due to their tunable structural and electronic properties combined with enhanced environmental compatibility. In this work, we introduce two novel Ru-based halide double perovskites, Rb₂ZnRuCl₆ and Cs₂ZnRuCl₆, investigated through first-principles calculations within the framework of density functional theory (DFT). Structural analysis confirmed the cubic $$ (no. 225) phase with stable tolerance and octahedral factors. The cohesive energies of –4.47 and –4.34 eV/atom, together with formation energies of –7.66 and –7.72 eV for Rb₂ZnRuCl₆ and Cs₂ZnRuCl₆, respectively, indicate strong energetic and thermodynamic stability. Both compounds exhibit direct bandgaps of 1.54 and 1.53 eV at the X point, with density of states analysis highlighting the dominant contribution of Ru d and Cl p orbitals near the Fermi level. Phonon dispersions revealed no imaginary modes, confirming dynamical stability, while mechanical analysis verified elastic stability with moderate bulk and shear moduli. Notably, Cs₂ZnRuCl₆ presents reduced elastic anisotropy compared to its Rb counterpart, suggesting a more isotropic mechanical response. These results establish Rb₂ZnRuCl₆ and Cs₂ZnRuCl₆ as promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronic and energy-related applications.

Achieving simultaneous enhancement of high specific surface area (SSA) and high electrical conductivity remains a critical challenge in the development of high-performance supercapacitors. In this study, sodium humate derived from biomass was employed as a carbon precursor, leveraging the structural directing effect of surfactant F127 in combination with KOH activation. By precisely controlling the pyrolysis temperature, a hierarchical porous carbon material was successfully synthesized. It was observed that increasing the activation temperature not only enhanced the structural ordering of carbon microcrystals, but also significantly reduced surface oxygen-containing functional groups. The optimized sample exhibited a SSA of up to 2025 m² g⁻¹ and an electrical conductivity of 128 S m⁻¹, eliminating the need for conductive additives during electrode fabrication. Owing to the synergistic contribution of the hierarchical pore architecture and highly conductive carbon network, the material delivered a high energy density of 48.1 Wh kg⁻¹ in a 3.2 V organic electrolyte and retained 98% of its initial capacitance after 10,000 cycles at a current density of 2.5 A g⁻¹, demonstrating outstanding cycling stability.

This research entailed the synthesis and functionalization of mesoporous materials with sulfonic acid groups, subsequently embedding a binuclear Zn complex into the porous matrices. The modified was comprehensively analyzed utilizing several techniques like XRD, NMR, BET, UV, TEM, XPS, etc. The outcomes validate the successful integration of the essential functional groups and Zn complex, as well as the preservation of phase purity, crystalline structure, and morphology. The material showed remarkable photodegradation efficiency when exposed to visible light. Methylene blue, crystal violet, and malachite green exhibited 99% degradation within 15, 10, and 5 min, respectively, illustrating their potential to address environmental challenges associated with organic dye pollution. Moreover, a substantial 91% degradation of rhodamine B transpires within a 30-min period. This modified material performs exceptionally well in challenging settings, including elevated pH and salinity, showcasing their versatility and resilience across diverse environmental contexts. Additionally, a machine learning pipeline was developed to predict the dye deterioration rate under varying input conditions. Through feature engineering, data preprocessing, and hyperparameter tuning, optimized boosting regressors were utilized for prediction. Performance metrics and feature importance scores revealed that adsorption dosage exerts the greatest influence on the predicted dye deterioration rate. The novelty lies in developing a modified material demonstrating ultrarapid photodegradation of diverse organic dyes under visible light, coupled with exceptional resilience in harsh environmental conditions.

Nitrofurantoin (Nit), a widely used antimicrobial agent classified as a Group 3 carcinogen, demands rapid, sensitive detection and practical monitoring for environmental and food safety. This study's unique contribution lies in developing bifunctional nitrogen-doped yellow-green carbon dots (YG-CDs) integrating sensitive Nit detection and oxygen “breathing color” tracking. YG-CDs were synthesized via a one-step solvothermal method using bromothymol blue and 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, with structural/optical characterization via Fourier transform infrared, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis, and fluorescence spectroscopy; YG-CDs-gelatin composites were fabricated for visualization. Key findings: YG-CDs emit at 555 nm (long-wavelength) with a quantum yield of 26.1%, excellent stability (salt, temperature, UV), and high selectivity/anti-interference for Nit, achieving a detection limit of 2.1 μM and 96.5–100.5% recovery in lake water. The YG-CDs-gelatin composite exhibits oxygen-responsive color shifts (yellow-green to green), enabling instrument-free food freshness monitoring. This work provides a novel, integrated strategy for on-site antibiotic residue detection and intelligent packaging, advancing practical applications in environmental monitoring and food safety.

Herein, varied structural arrangements of CuO nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using Brønsted-acidic 2-methyl-1,3-disulfoimidazolium [MDSIM]⁺ ionic liquids of different anions ([OAc]⁻, [BF₄]⁻, and [PF₆]⁻) for in situ generation of complex anionic speciation [BF₄.Cu(OAc)₂]⁻/[PF₆.Cu(OAc)₂]⁻/Cu(OAc)₃]⁻ as precursor templates after reaction with hydrated copper acetate in solvent-free grinding method. The structural differences of CuO NPs were identified by analytical techniques. High-resolution transmission electron microscope images showed their unique morphological nanostructures as nanospheres, well-dispersed nanocapsules, and a fiber-like network against the anions [OAc]⁻, [BF₄]⁻, and [PF₆]⁻ of ionic liquids, respectively. Their observed bandgap variations from Tauc plots evidenced the effects of anions of ionic liquids on fabricating the optical properties of CuO NPs as porous materials. The reactivity of these nanoparticles was investigated as efficient recyclable heterogeneous catalysts for reduction of nitroarenes to arylamines in aqueous medium at mild reaction conditions.