Nanoscale Horizons最新文献

Two-dimensional nanomaterials such as phosphorene and arsenene have emerged as transformative platforms for next-generation biosensing, owing to their exceptional electronic, optical, and mechanical properties. Phosphorene, derived from black phosphorus, offers a tunable direct bandgap, high carrier mobility, and strong anisotropy, enabling highly sensitive and rapid detection of biomolecular interactions through variations in conductivity, photoluminescence, and strain. Arsenene, a structurally analogous 2D allotrope of arsenic, exhibits comparable advantages, including a direct bandgap and pronounced light-matter coupling, which facilitate precise and label-free detection across optical, electrochemical, and field-effect transistor platforms. Recent advances in plasmonic coupling, surface functionalization, and hybrid nanostructure engineering have further expanded their versatility, enabling the development of multimodal and sensor-fusion approaches that integrate electronic and photonic responses for enhanced signal transduction. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental properties, synthesis strategies, and biosensing mechanisms of phosphorene and arsenene, linking their structure-property relationships to device-level performance. We also discuss challenges related to stability, large-scale fabrication, and integration into practical diagnostic, environmental, and food-safety platforms. Overall, these 2D pnictogen nanomaterials hold immense potential to advance plasmonic and multimodal biosensing technologies, paving the way toward intelligent and adaptive next-generation diagnostic systems.

DNA hydrogels have emerged as promising natural biomaterials for next-generation energy storage systems, offering a unique combination of biocompatibility, programmability, tunability, and self-assembly capabilities. Traditionally developed using synthetic DNA strands or DNA origami, efforts are turning toward naturally derived genomic DNA, such as that obtained from salmon sperm, chicken blood, and other biowaste sources, offering a more sustainable and cost-effective route. These hydrogels possess inherent sequence diversity and tunable network structures, making them ideal candidates for enhancing ionic conductivity, mechanical stability, and electrochemical performance in devices like batteries and supercapacitors. This review explores the foundational principles, synthesis strategies, and recent advancements in using DNA hydrogels as components in batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Compared to traditional materials, DNA hydrogels provide sustainable advantages such as biodegradability, mechanical flexibility, and designable structures that respond to environmental stimuli. While challenges like limited conductivity, stability, and scaling issues remain, ongoing research is addressing these through chemical modifications, hybrid composites, and integration with nanomaterials. Looking ahead, the development of smart, multifunctional DNA hydrogels holds significant potential to transform energy storage technologies and contribute to global sustainability goals. This review highlights key opportunities and calls for interdisciplinary efforts to fully realize the capabilities of DNA hydrogels in future energy systems.

Bio-inspired neuromorphic computing offers a revolutionary approach by replicating brain-like functionalities in next-generation electronics. This study presents two flexible resistive memory devices fabricated using DC magnetron sputtering, D₁(Nb/V₂O₅/Ni) and D₂(Nb/NbO_x/V₂O₅/Ni). Device D₁ exhibits abrupt SET and gradual RESET switching, while D₂ demonstrates fully gradual resistive switching (GRS), highly desirable for analog synaptic behavior. Mechanistically, D₁ is primarily governed by oxygen vacancies, whereas D₂ benefits from the synergistic interplay between oxygen vacancies and interfacial NbO_x/NiO layers, confirmed by XPS depth profiling. These interfacial layers significantly enhance D₂'s GRS performance and synaptic fidelity. Both devices exhibit temperature-dependent control of oxygen vacancies, which dynamically increases the memory window, lowering the ON/OFF ratio. Multilevel resistive states are generated in both devices by controlling the compliance current, with D₂ outperforming D₁ by exhibiting a higher memory window (∼552) and exceptional endurance beyond 7000 cycles. Moreover, both devices effectively replicate biological synaptic functions such as LTP and LTD. However, D₂ also mimics complex neural dynamics, including spike time-dependent and rate-dependent plasticity. Simulation of D₂'s artificial neural network demonstrates ∼86.75% excellent accuracy level, attributed to its linear, symmetric analog weight modulation and multiple conductance states. These results highlight the potential of V₂O₅-based devices for high-performance neuromorphic computing.

The evolution of bacterial resistance to antibiotics has resulted in a global public health crisis, necessitating the development of novel antibiotic-independent antimicrobial strategies. In this study, MoS₂/Au-Ag@PEG nanosheets (MAAP NSs) were prepared via sequential deposition of gold and silver nanoparticles onto MoS₂ nanosheets (MoS₂ NSs), which were then used for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Compared to MoS₂ NSs, MAAP NSs exhibit a significantly enhanced near-infrared region II (NIR-II) absorption at 1064 nm (a 7.51-fold increase), and the photothermal conversion efficiency improves by 50.7%, reaching 19.9%. Theoretical simulations reveal that the plasmonic coupling effect between adjacent Au-Ag nanoparticles (Au-Ag NPs) on the surface of MAAP NSs leads to the formation of hot spots and significantly enhances NIR-II light absorption, thereby improving the NIR-II photothermal performance. Moreover, the release of silver ions (Ag⁺) can be effectively controlled by NIR laser irradiation. In vitro experimental results show that, upon NIR-II laser (1064 nm) exposure, MAAP NSs can effectively eliminate established MRSA biofilms with a bacterial inactivation efficiency of 99.992%. Notably, benefiting from the superior tissue penetration of the NIR-II laser, MAAP NSs exhibit potent therapeutic efficacy against both superficial wound infection and subcutaneous implant-associated MRSA biofilm infection in mouse models. In vivo results demonstrate that, under NIR-II laser stimulation, MAAP NSs can not only effectively kill 99.95% of MRSA in infected wounds and accelerate wound healing, but also remove MRSA biofilms from subcutaneous implant surfaces, achieving a 99.92% bacterial reduction. This work presents a novel strategy for designing NIR-II responsive antibacterial nanoagents based on plasmonic coupling effects in two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets and provides a promising solution for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) are well-known adjuvants that induce innate immunity, particularly dendritic cell activation, by stimulating Toll-like receptor 9. However, the stimulatory efficacy of CpG ODNs is limited by their negative charge, which causes electrostatic repulsion from the cell membrane and hinders cellular uptake. In addition, CpG ODNs are rapidly degraded by nucleases under physiological conditions. To address these challenges, various nanoparticle (NP)-based delivery systems have been developed and applied across biomedical fields. Although various types of NPs have been utilized, the relationship between their physical properties and CpG delivery efficiency remains under investigation. In this study, we selected three commonly used and well-established nanocarriers-DNA micelles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and liposomes-which differ in size and rigidity and are known for their effectiveness in drug delivery. We aim to evaluate and compare the in vivo delivery efficiency and immunostimulatory activity of these NPs when functionalized with CpG ODNs, thereby providing insights into how NP properties influence CpG-mediated immune activation.

Colloidal indium phosphide (InP) quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a compelling class of heavy metal-free nanomaterials due to their low toxicity and size-tunable optoelectronic properties, showing great potential in solar-driven energy conversion applications. Here, a variety of synthetic techniques for preparing high-quality InP QDs, including hot-injection, heat-up, cluster-mediated growth, and cation exchange, are thoroughly reviewed. To realize enhanced photocatalytic (PC) and photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance, diverse strategies such as core/shell engineering, hybrid ligand modification and elemental doping of InP QDs are discussed in detail, which are beneficial to build various efficient QDs-based systems for hydrogen evolution, CO₂ reduction, ammonia synthesis, and H₂O₂ production. Moreover, the main challenges and future research directions of InP QDs are briefly proposed, providing guidelines to achieve future low-cost, eco-friendly, scalable and high-efficiency QDs-based solar energy conversion technologies.

Metals are essential components of bioelectronic systems, such as contact electrodes, interconnects, and sensors. However, their inherent rigidity poses major challenges for integration in soft bioelectronics. In particular, the mechanical mismatch between metals and biological tissues can cause reduced signal fidelity and unwanted tissue damage. To address these issues, various geometrical engineering approaches have been explored to increase the deformability of metals. For example, strain-relief layers have been investigated; however, physically laminated structures often fail to adequately dissipate strain under deformation. Here, we present a chemically conjugated, monolithic metal–hydrogel bilayer, imparting high deformability to metals with minimal compromise in electrical conductivity. The formation of chemically anchored ligand interactions between the metal and hydrogel induces uniform wrinkles in the metal layer, effectively mitigating stress concentration. Consequently, the monolithic bilayer exhibits ultrasoft mechanical properties and metallic electrical performance, including high electrical conductivity, low impedance, tissue adhesion, and stretchability. The chemical anchoring process is spatially programmable, making it suitable for the fabrication of arrays of soft bioelectronic devices. We validated the performance and functionality of this platform in cardiac applications, demonstrating its efficacy in both electrophysiological recording and electrical stimulation.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials have garnered notable research interest due to their extraordinary properties. Assembling two or more 2D materials into heterostructures introduces properties that are not present in any individual components, leading to a spectrum of nanodevices and applications. The lifetime and performance of nanodevices can be largely dictated by the working temperatures, and the heat dissipation in 2D materials and heterostructures is vital to the reliability and functionality of devices. However, mechanical effects encountered can potentially impact thermal transport. A comprehensive understanding of the interplay between mechanical loadings and thermal transport in 2D materials and their heterostructures is fundamental to devising effective cooling strategies for devices operating under complex conditions. The tunable thermal properties of these materials offer a platform for designing mechanically adjustable devices and reversible performance optimization. This review starts with a summary of the thermal conductivities (TCs) in various 2D materials adjusted by mechanical loadings. A brief overview of the underlying tuning mechanism is provided, followed by a discussion on the effect of structural designs. Several potential applications based on the thermo-mechanical correlation are mentioned. Finally, the current limitations and challenges in the field are included, and several suggestions for future research directions are discussed.

Novel hyaluronic acid hydrogels functionalized with polymerized DNA nanostructures using rolling circle amplification were developed. These hydrogels exhibited enhanced cell attachment and proliferation through functional DNA-mediated interactions. The system maintained favorable physicochemical properties and enhanced interactions with biological interfaces, demonstrating potential for advanced 3D cell culture applications.

Construction of a molecular assembler from DNA that executes a programmed sequence of chemical reactions is a formidable challenge but worthwhile because it would allow assembly and evolution of functional polymers. We present a mechanism using parallel DNA and a DNA polymerase to address two challenges that currently block progress.