Nanoscale Horizons最新文献

The coexistence of electric and magnetic orders with intrinsic coupling, referred to as magnetoelectric coupling in multiferroics, has been extensively studied in oxide materials but remains relatively unexplored in van der Waals materials. Among these, CuCrP₂S₆ (CCPS) is notable for its emergent antiferromagnetic (AFM) and antiferroelectric (AFE) characteristics. However, investigations into magnetoelectric coupling in CCPS are limited, and the effects of dopants on its magnetic properties have yet to be fully addressed. In this study, we synthesized CuCr_1-xFe_xP₂S₆ (CCFPS) samples using the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method to investigate the influence of iron doping on the magnetic and nonlinear optical properties of the CCFPS system. Our results indicate that the AFM state is preserved, while the Néel temperature (T_N) varies with the doping concentration. First-principles calculations were employed to assess the exchange interactions among magnetic atoms. Notably, for samples with doping concentrations x < 0.5, we observed both magnetic-dielectric coupling and second harmonic generation (SHG) effects. However, these effects were absent at higher doping levels. Furthermore, our analysis revealed a distinct odd-even dependence of SHG, suggesting the presence of interlayer symmetry-breaking coupling. These findings advance our understanding of two-dimensional (2D) multiferroic materials and lay the groundwork for designing and optimizing magnetoelectric coupling materials with enhanced performance.

Hard carbon and antimony (Sb) are two promising anode candidates for future potassium-ion batteries. Herein, we successfully solve the low-capacity problem of highly conductive carbon and poor cycling stability of high-capacity Sb through uniformly dispersing and embedding sub-nano and nanoscale Sb particles (∼36.4 wt%) inside nitrogen-doped two-dimensional hard carbon nanosheets to form a multi-scale carbon@Sb mesoporous composite, denoted as Sb₃@HCNS. The electrochemical results show that the optimized Sb₃@HCNS anode exhibits an exceptional potassium-ion storage performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 580.8, 413.0, and 215.5 mA h g^-1 at the current density of 0.1, 1, and 4 A g^-1, respectively. Furthermore, it still maintains a high capacity of 382 mA h g^-1 at a high current density of 2 A g^-1 after 1000 cycles. The characterization results further manifest that the in situ localized electrochemical pulverization activation of Sb during the (de)alloying process and the pseudo-capacitive effect of good electronic conductive hard carbon nanosheets are mainly responsible for the exceptional properties of Sb₃@HCNS. Together with its controllable preparation strategy, the newly-developed Sb₃@HCNS composite is expected to be a promising anode material for high-performance potassium-ion batteries.

DNA detection via nanoporous-based electrochemical biosensors is a promising method for rapid pathogen identification and disease diagnosis. These sensors detect electrical current variations caused by DNA hybridization in a nanoporous layer on an electrode. Current fabrication techniques for the typically micrometers-thick nanoporous layer often suffer from insufficient control over nanopore dimensions and involve complex fabrication steps, including handling and stacking of a brittle porous membrane. Here, we introduce a bottom-up fabrication process based on the self-assembly of high molecular weight block copolymers with sol-gel precursors to create an inorganic nanoporous thin film directly on electrode surfaces. This approach eliminates the need for elaborate manipulation of the nanoporous membrane, provides fine control over the structural features, and enables surface modification with DNA capture probes. Using this nanoarchitecture with a thickness of 150 nm, we detected DNA sequences derived from 16S rRNA gene fragments of the E. coli genome electrochemically in less than 20 minutes, achieving a limit of detection of 30 femtomolar (fM) and a limit of quantification of 500 fM. This development marks a significant step towards a portable, rapid, and accurate DNA detection system.

Understanding the phase behavior of immiscible elements in bimetallic nanomaterials is essential for controlling their structure and properties. At the nanoscale, the miscibility of these immiscible elements often deviates from their behavior in bulk materials. Despite its significance, comprehensive and quantitative experimental insights into the dynamics of the immiscible-to-miscible transition, and vice versa, remain limited. In this study, we investigate the nucleation and growth kinetics of silica-embedded AgPt nanoparticles (NPs) across a wide range of annealing temperatures (25 °C to 900 °C) to elucidate temperature-dependent nanoalloy phase transitions and NP size distribution. Our findings reveal that the alloy phase persists up to 400 °C, with a corresponding average NP size of ∼2 nm. Beyond this temperature, phase instability begins to occur. We propose a three-stage process of nucleation and growth: (1) initial AgPt nanoalloy formation during deposition, (2) growth via thermal energy-assisted diffusion up to 400 °C, and (3) Ag atom emission from the nanoalloy above 500 °C, indicating Ag diffusion towards the surface, followed by partial sublimation of Ag atoms at 900 °C. These results provide crucial insights into the thermal limits for the dealloying of NPs, growth kinetics, and phase stability or instability under varying thermal conditions.

Photothermal therapy (PTT) stands as an emerging and promising treatment modality and is being developed for the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and a series of superficial tumors. This innovative approach harnesses photothermal agents (PTAs) that convert near-infrared light (NIR) energy into heat, efficiently heating and ablating localized lesion tissue. Notably, the low scattering of NIR-II (1000-1500 nm) band light within biological tissue ensures superior penetration depth, surpassing that of NIR I (700-900 nm) band light. Consequently, developing PTAs with excellent absorption performance and biocompatibility in the NIR-II band has attracted significant attention in photothermal therapy research. We successfully synthesized phosphomolybdenum blue (PMB) nanoparticles using single-strand DNA (ssDNA) as a template in this innovative study. Subsequently, we delved into this material's absorption characteristics and photothermal properties across the NIR-I and NIR-II spectral regions. Furthermore, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of PMB on 4T1 cells and tumor-bearing mouse models of breast cancer. Our findings revealed that PMB not only exhibits remarkable biocompatibility but also possesses stellar photothermal performance. Specifically, under 808 nm and 1064 nm laser irradiation, PMB achieved photothermal conversion efficiencies of 21.37% and 28.84%, respectively. Notably, compared to 808 nm laser irradiation, even when transmitting through a 2 mm thick tumor tissue homogenate, the 1064 nm laser irradiation maintained a robust tumor ablation effect. What's more, PMB possesses critical pH-responsive degradation properties. For instance, PMB nanoparticles degrade rapidly under physiological conditions (pH 7.2-7.4) while degrading slower in the acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 6.0-6.9). This unique characteristic significantly mitigates the systemic toxicity of PMB and enhances the safety of photothermal therapy implementation. Moreover, our study represents the first instance of utilizing ssDNA as a template for synthesizing a PMB nano photothermal agent and demonstrating its exceptional tumor thermal ablation efficacy. This groundbreaking work offers novel insights into the development of safe, efficient, and pH-responsive photothermal agents for cancer therapy.

This article highlights the recent work of D. M. Arboleda and V. Amendola et al. (Nanoscale Horiz., 2025, 10, 336-348, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NH00449C) on the synthesis of rhodium nanospheres for ultraviolet and visible plasmonics.

Reviewing emerging biomedical applications of MagnetoElectric NanoParticles (MENPs), this paper presents basic physics considerations to help understand the possibility of future theranostic applications. Currently emerging applications include wireless non-surgical neural modulation and recording, functional brain mapping, high-specificity cell electroporation for targeted cancer therapies, targeted drug delivery, early screening and diagnostics, and others. Using an ab initio analysis, each application is discussed from the perspective of its fundamental limitations. Furthermore, the review identifies the most eminent challenges and offers potential engineering solutions on the pathway to implement each application and combine the therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities of the nanoparticles.

High-refractive-index (HRI) dielectrics are gaining increasing attention as building blocks for compact lasers. Their ability to simultaneously support both electric and magnetic modes provides greater versatility as compared to plasmonic platforms. Moreover, their reduced absorption loss minimizes heat generation, further enhancing their performance. Here, we employ a scalable soft nanoimprinting lithography method to create a series of two-dimensional (2D) periodic square hole arrays in polymeric films (SU-8), which are coated with an HRI dielectric layer (TiO₂). These structures exhibit low-threshold lasing from an organic dye-doped SU-8 layer deposited on top. We study arrays with different lattice parameters and a sample with a random distribution of holes, finding that the optimal laser performance occurs when the optical resonances of the array align with the emission wavelength range of the dye. Furthermore, we observe that the anisotropy in the TiO₂ coating breaks the polarization degeneracy of the square arrays, leading to the emergence of new modes and enabling the simultaneous appearance of multiple lasing peaks. Our work shows that, despite the simplicity of their fabrication process, the HRI structures studied here exhibit a high degree of complexity, leading to a rich optical response and enabling multiband lasing. This offers an innovative approach to building robust HRI platforms for lasing with improved control over their emission properties.

In this work, we use experimental and theoretical techniques to study the origin of the boosted hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity of two pyridyl-pyrrolidine functionalized C₆₀ fullerenes. Notably, the mono-(pyridyl-pyrrolidine) penta-adduct of C₆₀ has exhibited a remarkable HER catalytic activity as a metal-free catalyst, delivering an overpotential (η₁₀) of 75 mV vs. RHE and a very low onset potential of -45 mV vs. RHE. This work addresses fundamental questions about how functionalization on C₆₀ changes the electron density on fullerene cages for high-performance HER electrocatalysis.

A porous hedgehog-like Co₃O₄/NiO/graphene oxide (denoted as PHCNO/GO) microsphere was prepared by a facile solvothermal method, followed by an annealing treatment under argon atmosphere. Benefiting from the thin Co₃O₄/NiO nanosheets with a large specific surface area, abundant pores distributed between the Co₃O₄/NiO nanosheets, and GO firmly wrapped around the surface of PHCNO microspheres, the PHCNO/GO microspheres showed excellent lithium storage performance. The Co₃O₄/NiO nanosheets provided numerous active sites, achieving a high reversible specific capacity. The pores distributed between the Co₃O₄/NiO nanosheets created numerous diffusion pathways for lithium ions and relieved stress from the charging/discharging process. Meanwhile, GO supported the PHCNO microspheres, enhancing their cycling stability. A high reversible specific capacity of 383.9 mA h g^-1 was maintained after 1000 cycles at 3000 mA g^-1. In addition, GO improved the conductivity of PHCNO microspheres and then achieved a good rate performance; a high reversible specific capacity of 526.7 mA h g^-1 was obtained at 5000 mA g^-1. This work provided a reference for synthesizing high-performance lithium-ion battery anode materials.