Good Stability Research Articles

Research Progress on Using Nanoparticles to Enhance the Efficacy of Drug Therapy for Chronic Mountain Sickness

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) poses a significant health risk to individuals who rapidly ascend to high altitudes, potentially endangering their lives. Nanoparticles (NPs) offer an effective means of transporting and delivering drugs, protecting nucleic acids from nuclease degradation, and mediating the expression of target genes in specific cells. These NPs are almost non-toxic and easy to prepare and store, possess a large surface area, exhibit good biocompatibility and degradability, and maintain good stability. They can be utilized in the treatment of CMS to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of drugs. This paper provides an overview of the impact of NPs on CMS, discussing their roles as nanocarriers and their potential in CMS treatment. It aims to present novel therapeutic strategies for the clinical management of CMS and summarizes the relevant pathways through which NPs contribute to plateau disease treatment, providing a theoretical foundation for future clinical research.

Phototriggered Hydrogen Persulfide Donors via Hydrosulfide Radical Formation Enhancing the Reactive Sulfur Metabolome in Cells.

Hydrogen persulfide (H2S2) is an important sulfur-containing signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in the homeostasis of various organ systems, such as the renal, cardiovascular, liver, and gastrointestinal systems. However, research on H2S2 in biological settings is still challenging due to its instability and high reactivity. Compounds that can controllably release H2S2 (also known as donors) are thus crucial research tools. Currently, available H2S2 donors are still very limited, with most of them relying on modified disulfide templates. These templates possess an unavoidable limitation of being susceptible to cellular disulfide exchange which can compromise their efficacy. In this work, we explored nondisulfide-based and nonoxidation-dependent templates for the design of H2S2 donors. We found that tertiary naphthacyl thiols could undergo phototriggered C-S homolytic cleavage to form H2S2 via hydrosulfide (HS) radicals. In addition, the release of H2S2 was associated with the formation of a product with strong blue fluorescence, which allowed for real-time monitoring of the release process. This reaction was demonstrated to proceed effectively in both buffers and cells, with the ability to enhance intracellular production of persulfides, including GSSH, CysSSH, H2S2, H2S3, etc. It provides a unique photocontrolled H2S2 donor system with distinct advantages compared to known H2S2 donors due to its good stability and spatiotemporal control ability.

Establishment of rabbit knee osteoarthritis model by simple anterior cruciate ligament disruption

The rabbit knee osteoarthritis(KOA) model was established by simple anterior cruciate ligament disruption. The selected 40 adult white rabbits were randomly divided into two groups, blank group with 6 rabbits and model group with 34 rabbits. The rabbits in model group were given the disruption of anterior cruciate ligament of right knee joint. In the fourth, eighth and the twelfth weeks of modeling, different degrees of degenerative changes have been observed on the rabbits articular cartilages from both macroscopic and microscopic aspects. At 4, 8 and 12 weeks after modeling, the articular cartilage of the rabbits in the model group showed degenerative changes in different degrees. At 8 and 12 weeks, the typical pathological manifestations of KOA in the middle and late stages were found in the infrapatellar fat pad and synovium, respectively. There were no changes in articular cartilage, infrapatellar fat pad and synovial membrane in the blank group at the same time. There were significant differences in the gross score between the model group and the blank group at 4 weeks [(1.300±0.674) vs 0.000], 8 weeks [(2.400±0.516) vs 0.000] and 12 weeks [(3.583±0.668) vs 0.000] (P<0.05), the histopathological scores were significantly different, at 4 weeks [(2.900±0.567) vs 0.000], 8 weeks [(7.500±1.178) vs (0.500±0.707)], 12 weeks[(11.833±1.337) vs (1.500±0.707)], (P<0.05). The establishment of rabbit knee arthritis model by simply cutting the anterior cruciate ligament is simple and feasible, with good stability, high success rate, small trauma, short modeling cycle and less changes in animal physiological structure. The rabbit knee arthritis model established by simply cutting the anterior cruciate ligament has good modeling effect on different stages and grades of knee osteoarthritis, and the postoperative infection and trauma can be controlled, which can meet the test requirements.

Cloning and functional analysis of heat shock protein Hsp70 from Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

To clarify the roles of the heat shock protein gene Hsp70 in the sclerotial formation and pathogenicity of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, we employed reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) to clone Hsp70 from S. sclerotiorum and performed sequence analysis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was employed to determine the relative expression levels of Hsp70 at different growth stages and under the stress induced by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and low and high temperatures. The thermal stability of Hsp70 was measured. The Agrobacterium-mediated method was employed to construct the Hsp70-silenced strain. The pathogenicity and fungicide resistance of strains were tested by inoculation in detached rapeseed leaves and cultivation in the media containing procymidone and thiophanate-methyl, respectively. The results showed that the cloned Hsp70 had a total length of 1 890 bp and close relationship with the Hsp70 gene of Ciborinia. Hsp70 showcased the highest expression level in sclerotia, which was more than 30 times higher than that in hyphae. The cAMP stress significantly induced the expression of Hsp70. The expression level of Hsp70 showed an increasing-decreasing-increasing trend at 40 ℃ and no significant change at 4 ℃. Recombinant strain with high expression of Hsp70 showed good thermal stability. The Hsp70-silenced transformant did not form sclerotia, with decreased pathogenicity and fungicide resistance. This study reveals that Hsp70 plays an important role in the sclerotial formation and stress resistance of S. sclerotium, providing reference for further in-depth research on the biological roles of Hsp70 in S. sclerotium.

Performance analysis of solar-assisted ground source heat pump in severe cold regions

ABSTRACT Long-term operation of a ground source heat pump (GSHP) in severe cold regions leads to a gradual decrease in subsurface soil temperature, affecting system performance. This paper proposes a solar assisted ground source heat pump (SAGSHP) system consisting of solar photovoltaic thermal (PV/T) and GSHP. Through TRNSYS software, the system was analyzed for 10 years of dynamic simulation in a severe cold region. The results are listed below: (1) The SAGSHP system is capable of effectively lessening the maximal temperature of photovoltaic (PV) modules in Changchun, Shenyang, and Harbin, China, by 21.73%, 13.67%, and 19.10%, respectively. The power generation efficiency of PV modules in these three locations can be maintained at about 22% year-round. (2) After ten years of operation, the coefficients of performance (COP) of the heat pumps have increased by 5.70%, 6.80%, and 5.01%, respectively, relative to the first year, showing good stability. (3) The soil temperatures at all three locations were stabilized during the ten years of operation. This study provides a theoretical basis for devising and installing SAGSHP in severe cold regions.

Mechanistic Study of Highly Active Bifunctional Double-Atom Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reactions.

Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) can be very effective for catalyzing both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, we present theoretical evidence of a new class of highly active DACs, namely, the double-atom embedded in nitrogen-doped graphene sheet 2M-N-C (M = Mn, Fe) on the basis of density functional theory calculations. Importantly, we find that the double active sites of 2M-N-C DACs entail an unconventional catalytic reaction pathway for ORR and OER. We also show that the local coordination environment of the active sites can significantly affect the stability and oxygen catalytic activity of 2M-N-C DACs. In particular, MnFe-N-C DAC not only exhibits good stability but also possesses outstanding bifunctional ORR/OER catalytic activity with the potential difference (ΔE) between the OER and ORR as low as 0.34 V, notably lower than most bifunctional electrocatalysts reported in the literature. This finding suggests a new strategy toward the design of stable and highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for both ORR/OER.

Performance of carbon felt as cathodes in magnesium corrosion method to recover phosphate from swine wastewater

With the large-scale development of the livestock and poultry breeding industries, swine wastewater with high nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations has become an urgent problem. Given the continuous demand for phosphorus resources in industrial production, the study of phosphate recovery in phosphorus-rich wastewater is of great value for the sustainable utilization of phosphorus resources and for alleviating the eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems. In this study, a magnesium metal corrosion method was used to recover phosphorus resources from swine wastewater using carbon felt as the cathode instead of traditional cathode materials such as graphite and titanium plates. The effects of different cathode materials on the corrosion potential of magnesium metal plates were compared, and the effects of carbon felt as a cathode plate on the removal rate and pH of phosphate from wastewater were discussed. Additionally, the economic feasibility of phosphate recovery from swine wastewater was evaluated. The experimental results showed that the effect of carbon felt on the corrosion potential of the magnesium metal plate was more evident than that of the graphite and titanium plates (Ecorr = −1.74676). When carbon felt was used as the cathode plate, the most energy-saving reaction conditions were as follows: reaction time T = 30 min, ratio of wastewater volume to plate area V: S = 500 cm3:50 cm2, aeration rate Re = 8 L/min, stirring rate r = 400 rpm, phosphate recovery rate = 92.3%, and pH = 8.83. The economic feasibility assessment shows that the proposed method is $2.047 g-1 PO4-P without considering the reuse of carbon felt. Carbon felt has good stability and can be recycled eight times or more, and the proposed method achieves a more efficient phosphate recovery rate at a relatively low cost.

Artemisia campestris L. as a promising source of potential antiviral drugs for SARS-CoV-2: Docking and dynamic simulation studies

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been considered as global public health security threats. Due to its rapid spread, high mortality rate and unavailability of treatment, we need to find a potent drug against SARS-CoV-2. Natural products are useful agents for the discovery of new potential drugs to combat coronavirus. Artemisia campestris, an aromatic plant widely used in traditional medicine, particularly in southern region of Algeria, is recognized for its essential oils and phenolics compounds possessing a wide range of biological activities. This study selected sixty-nine compounds from this plant to determine their binding interactions with the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) and receptor-binding domain of the spike (S-RBD) protein, by using computational methods. Rutin, isoquercetin, and quercetin-3-O-glucuronide were shown to be the most potent inhibitors for Mpro and S-RBD with docking scores and Ki values ranging from -16.06 to -10.67 Kcal/mol and 0.005 to 30.01 nM, respectively. Evaluation of ADMET pharmacokinetic properties and the drug likeness in silico revealed that only 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, 3–4–5-tricaffeoylquinic acid, isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, and rubescensin A could be more effective drugs against COVID-19. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations (100 ns) and MM-GBSA calculations confirmed the stability of ligand-protein complexes via hydrogen bonding interactions with crucial residues. The analysis of structural parameters (RMSD, RMSF, H-bonds, Rg, and SASA) indicates that 3,4,5-tricaffeoylquinic acid and rubescensin A compounds have good stability and significant binding affinity with the Mpro and S-RBD protein. Taken together, our findings confirm that Artemisia campestris as a plausible source of anti-SARS-COV-2 phytochemicals and suggest that may play important role in this activity.

Superhydrophobic Electrospun PI/PTFE Membranes with Ultralow Dielectric Constants for High-Frequency Telecommunication.

High-frequency, high-power, and high-speed telecommunication in a complex environment promotes the development of dielectric materials toward a low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, good thermal properties, and long-term reliability. Here, polyimide/polytetrafluoroethylene (PI/PTFE) nanofiber membranes with an inherent super hydrophobicity, excellent dielectric properties, good thermal stability, and enhanced tensile strength were prepared via a simple electrospinning strategy and an imidization reaction. The obtained PI/PTFE membranes demonstrate a superlow average dielectric constant of 1.22-1.27 and a dielectric loss of 0.032-0.048 in high frequency, together with an enhanced tensile strength, benefiting from the special nanofiber-bead structure formed in the composite membrane. The mixing of polyamic acid (PAA) and PTFE in the electrospinning solution endows the obtained PI/PTFE nanofiber membrane with a uniform distribution of PTFE and thus an inherent superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 156.1 and 159.2° for PI/PTFE-30% and PI/PTFE-40%, respectively. Besides, the hydrophobicity could be kept even after standing more than 10,000 water drops, and the thermal properties exhibited promising results with Tmax = 587 °C and Td5% = 423 °C, rendering these PI/PTFE membranes favorable alternatives for prospective telecommunication.

Solid‐State Electrolytes for Lithium‐Air Batteries

Li‐air batteries (LABs) have attracted widespread attention due to their extremely high theoretical capacity and energy density. However, liquid LABs face safety issues such as flammability and leakage, which hinder their practical application. In comparison, solid‐state electrolytes (SSEs) possess excellent mechanical strength, good chemical stability, a wide electrochemical window, and non‐flammable characteristics, offering a feasible strategy for achieving stable and practical LABs. In this review, we will focus on the development and challenges of different kinds of SSEs, further their interfacial issues with electrodes, and finally propose strategies and outlooks for advanced solid‐state lithium‐air batteries (SSLABs). It is expected that this review will provide a systematic understanding and theoretical guidance for design of high‐performance SSLABs.

Hierarchical Heterojunctions of Metal Sulfide WS2 Nanosheets/Metal Oxide In2O3 Nanofibers for an Efficient Detection of Formaldehyde

The construction of transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) heterojunctions for high-performance gas sensors has garnered significant attention due to their capacity to operate at low temperatures. Herein, we realize two-dimensional (2D) WS2 nanosheets in situ grown on one-dimensional (1D) In2O3 nanofibers to form heterostructures for formaldehyde (HCHO) gas sensors. Capitalizing on the p-n heterojunctions formed between WS2 and In2O3, coupled with the high surface-to-volume ratio characteristic of 1D nanostructures, the WS2/In2O3 NFs sensor demonstrated an elevated gas response of 12.6 toward 100 ppm HCHO at 140 °C, surpassing the performance of the pristine In2O3 sensor by a factor of two. Meanwhile, the sensor presents remarkable repeatability, rapid response/recovery speed, and good long-term stability. The superior sensing capabilities of WS2/In2O3 NFs heterojunction are attributed to the combined impact of the increased charge transfer and the presence of more sites for gas adsorption. The research endows a potent approach for fabricating TMD heterojunctions to significantly enhance the gas sensing properties of gas sensors at relatively low temperatures.

Multi-Noncentrosymmetric Polar Order in 2D Hybrid Lead Chloride with Broadband Emission and High-Temperature Second-Harmonic Generation Switching.

Two-dimensional lead halide perovskites represent a fascinating class of hybrid semiconductors for solar cell, light-emitting, nonlinear optical (NLO), and ferroelectric applications. A notable subset within this category is luminescent ferroelectrics, which have garnered considerable attention for their potential in integrated photoelectronic devices. In this study, we employed an organic amine halogenation strategy (also referred to as halogen engineering), which is renowned for its efficacy in inducing polar order through crystal engineering. Consequently, we synthesized a layered Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) lead chloride comprising 3-chloropropylammonium cations (CPA+), with the chemical formula CPA2PbCl4. This compound features as many as four temperature-dependent crystal phases, with phase transitions observed at T1 = 353.1 K (343.9 K), T2 = 211.7 K (208.6 K), and T3 = 182.0 K (178.2 K) in the heating (cooling) cycles. Employing a multitechnique approach─including thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, dielectric and pyroelectric current measurements, Raman spectroscopy, and second-harmonic generation (SHG) studies─we determined the mechanisms of the structural phase transitions. Our findings demonstrate polar order of phase II (space group Cmc21), phase III (space group Pna21), and phase IV (space group Pca21), while also confirming the centrosymmetric nature of phase I (space group Cmce). X-ray diffraction data revealed that the I to II PT is of a ferroelectric nature, devoid of ferroelastic strain, a conclusion further supported by pyroelectric measurements. CPA2PbCl4 features negative linear thermal expansion and broadband emission, which transitions to white light above 180 K. Remarkably, CPA2PbCl4 also demonstrates high-temperature SHG on-off switching with a high contrast ratio of 300:1 along with good switching stability, as evidenced by SHG cycling studies at heating/cooling rates ranging from 5 to 50 K/min. This SHG study also sets new standards for the field of SHG switching by providing a method to quantify the thermal responsiveness of SHG-switchable materials using the treq (time requirement) parameter. Overall, our findings show that the halogenation strategy has led to the discovery of a rare example of an RP perovskite exhibiting coexistence of white-light emission, SHG on-off thermal bistability, ferroelectricity, and negative linear thermal expansion.

Dual quenching ECL strategy based on AgInZnS quantum dots and a new co-reaction promoter oxygen vacancy-modified P5AIn/TiO2 for sensitive CEA detection

A novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor for the sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was constructed, utilizing environmentally friendly AgInZnS quantum dots (AgInZnS QDs) and a new co-reaction promoter enriched with oxygen vacancies, namely titanium dioxide/poly(5-aminoindole) (Ov-TiO2/P5AIn). The composite of P5AIn and TiO2 significantly enhanced the reaction rate of AgInZnS QDs with tripropylamine (TPrA). In addition, the presence of oxygen vacancies significantly enhances the electron migration rate of the electrode material, leading to more efficient catalysis of TPrA+ generation and a significant enhancement of ECL signals. Furthermore, a dual-quenching sensing strategy was employed using cuprous oxide-triaminophenol (Cu2O@APF) as the quencher, enabling the biosensor to switch. Through dual quenching of the ECL emission from AgInZnS QDs by Cu2O and APF, the biosensor achieves an extremely low “off” state of the ECL signal. Furthermore, a signal amplification strategy driven by the synergistic action of exonuclease III (ExoIII) and restriction endonuclease (Nt.BbvCI) was designed for a dual-site DNA walker, achieving cyclic amplification of the target signal and ECL signal, thereby turning the signal “on” again. The above mechanism significantly improved the specificity and sensitivity of the biosensor for CEA detection. The prepared biosensor exhibits good stability, selectivity, and sensitivity. The linear range for CEA detection is 5 × 10−14 to 10−8 M, with a detection limit of 16 fM. Additionally, the biosensor demonstrates satisfactory analytical capability for CEA in real blood samples. This strategy provides a reliable new approach for the sensitive detection of CEA and other tumor markers.

Catalytic enhancement of water gas shift reaction with Cu/ZnO/ZSM-5: Overcoming challenges of CO2 and H2 rich feeds

Water gas shift (WGS) reaction commonly converts CO to CO2 using H2O and produces H2 and CO2 in a catalytic fixed bed reactor. This study aims to develop a Cu/ZnO/ZSM-5 catalyst loaded in water gas shift reactor for converting typical synthesis gas produced from dry reforming of methane (DRM) at medium temperature shift (MTS, 200–350 oC) conditions and for preventing reverse reaction due to high feed concentrations of CO2 and H2. The Cu/ZnO/ZSM-5 catalyst was prepared by impregnation method with lower Cu metal loading of 5, 10, and 15 wt%, respectively, compared to commercial catalysts. The synthesized catalyst was characterized using XRF, XRD, SEM, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, and TGA. The catalyst activity and stability for the WGS reaction were tested in the fixed bed reactor at atmospheric pressure and temperature of 325 °C. The experimental results show that CO conversion increases with increasing Cu loading. The 15 wt% Cu/ZnO/ZSM-5 catalyst showed the best results with a CO conversion of 35% and a yield of H2 of 36% and showed good stability for 32 h. Based on the TGA, the 15 wt% Cu/ZnO/ZSM-5 catalyst forms a 0.04 g carbon/g catalyst, which is much lower when compared to commercial catalyst (0.105 g carbon/g catalyst). The relative activity of the synthesized catalyst indicates 2.4 times better when compared to commercial catalysts. High concentrations of H2 and CO2 in the feed may initiate side reactions, including reverse WGS, methanation, and carbon formation, which will decrease H2 yield.

Optical Fiber HMS Ammonia Sensor with Cellular-like N-CQDs/MgxZn1-xO at Room Temperature.

This paper presents an optical fiber hollow malposition structure (HMS) elaborated with cellular-like N-CQDs/MgxZn1-xO for detecting ammonia (NH3) at room temperature. The gas detection was realized by combining the HMS to excite the surface evanescent field on the outer surface of the hollow core fiber (HCF) and the surface-coated cellular-like N-CQDs/MgxZn1-xO material for improving sensitivity. Experimental results demonstrate that the sensor coated with N-CQDs/Mg0.2Zn0.8O exhibits the highest sensitivity, reaching 8.9 pm/ppm, which is 11.6 times higher than that with Mg0.2Zn0.8O. Additionally, the NH3 sensor can determine a minimum concentration of 1 ppm and has response and recovery times of 6.2 and 7.1 s, respectively. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirm that N-CQDs reduces the bandgap of the composite material and increase the carrier concentration on its surface, thereby enhancing gas adsorption capacity. The intrinsic characteristics of the proposed sensor including small size, high sensitivity, and good stability reveal its promising prospects in detecting low concentrations of NH3.

Application of computational fluid dynamic simulation of parent blood flow in the embolization of unruptured A1 aneurysms

To investigate the effect of microcatheter shaping based on the parent artery mainstream line of blood flow simulated using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique on embolization of unruptured aneurysms on the posterior wall of the anterior cerebral artery (ACA) A1 segment. Patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms on the posterior wall of the ACA A1 segment were retrospectively enrolled and treated with endovascular embolization after microcatheter shaping. The clinical, embolization and follow-up data were analyzed. Eight patients were enrolled and treated with endovascular embolization. Eight microcatheters were steam shaped in vitro and were all successfully navigated to the right location in the in vitro experiment. During the embolization procedure, seven microcatheters were successfully navigated to the right location for embolization. In the remaining one patient who had tortuous cerebral arteries, reshaping of the microcatheter based on the parent artery mainstream of blood flow made successful navigation of the microcatheter to the right place. Complete occlusion was obtained in seven (87.5%) aneurysms and residual aneurysm neck in the remaining one (12.5%). At angiographic follow-up in 6 (75%) patients, the Raymond grade was I in 5 (83.3%) and II in the rest one (16.7%). Use of CFD simulation of parent artery blood flow for microcatheter shaping in the embolization of unruptured aneurysms on the posterior wall of the ACA A1 segment is safe and effective in navigating the microcatheter to the right location for embolization, resulting in good stability and support for the embolization.

Plasmonic chitosan cross-linked dialdehyde chitosan aerogels as 3D surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates for sensitive and reliable detection

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) has the advantages of non-destructive detection and high sensitivity, however, low hotspots utilisation and inhomogeneous distribution limit its application. In response to the problem of underutilization of hotspots in most SERS substrates, a crosslinking of chitosan with dialdehyde chitosan aerogels loaded with Ag NPs (CDSA) as SERS substrates with chitosan (CS) as the main body and dialdehyde chitosan (DACS) as the reducing and cross-linking agent were prepared. Unlike other 3D structures such as hydrogels, CDSA can capture probe molecules in a much shorter period of time and enhance SERS signals by collapse. The SERS performance of CDSA was evaluated by rhodamine 6 G (R6G) and methylene blue (MB), indicating that the CDSA substrate has good stability (90 days), repeatability (RSD=4.15 %) and reproducibility (RSD=4.86 %). The enhancement factors (EFs) was 1.3×108 for R6G and 9.2×107 for MB. Both gas sample and liquid sample were detected to evaluate the performances of CDSA in practical application. 4-Aminothiophenol (4-ATP) was utilized to test the efficacy of CDSA on gas-phase to-be-tested substances and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.59 mg/L. The tests performed on sildenafil (SD) in real samples showed recoveries ranging from 97.5 % to 103.4 % with a LOD of 0.055 mg/L. It was indicated that the CDSA substrate could serves as a satisfactory SERS sensor for sensitive and rapid detection for both gas phase and liquid samples.

Coumarin-Based ACQ-AIE Conversion Photosensitizer for Mitochondrial Imaging and Synergistic Cancer Therapy.

Most of the traditional fluorescent molecules have the advantages of high fluorescence quantum yield, good stability, and excellent structural adjustability, but they exhibit the characteristics of fluorescence quenching caused by aggregation, which restricts their application in aqueous solutions or solids. The excellent luminescence properties and photosensitive potential of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials in a condensed state have made them widely concerned in the scientific research field, so it is very challenging to regulate the transformation of traditional aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) fluorophores into AIE fluorophores. In this study, the traditional coumarin fluorophore was used as a matrix. After conjugating the triphenylamine AIE group, the triphenylphosphine cation was linked through the alkyl chain to obtain a molecular probe NCTPP with excellent AIE characteristic, water solubility, mitochondrial green light imaging, chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy capabilities. As far as we know, it was the first time that the photosensitivity of coumarin fluorescent molecules was imparted by the ACQ-AIE conversion method.

Deutelio approach to fusion energy with the Polomac

Deutelio is a private initiative promoting an alternative path to fusion energy. The Tokamak research line pursued worldwide since 1970 met several difficulties, heavily jeopardising the objective of commercial energy production from fusion before 2050, as a support to the global effort towards Net Zero Emissions. As a result, new plasma magnetic confinement concepts, such as Stellarators or overlooked alternatives like the poloidal confinement are being pursued to achieve more efficiency and better performance. The Polomac is a poloidal magnetic configuration where the outboard magnetic lines are deviated aside together with the plasma, to open some accesses to the dipole coils located inside the plasma. These accesses, called magnetic tunnels, are used to support, feed and cool the dipole coil. They avoid the impact with plasma which led to abandon past poloidal experiments, despite their good stability and confinement efficiency. The poloidal confinement can achieve Deuterium-Tritium reactor conditions with a magnetic field 3 times weaker than the Tokamak, in steady state rather than pulsed. With the same high field as in the Tokamak the poloidal confinement can achieve Deuterium-Deuterium reaction, thus avoiding the development of the breeding blanket to produce the Tritium. This paper presents the Polomac system, explains the development strategy of Deutelio through a small prototype focused to tune and assess the magnetic tunnels, and describes the possibility of deuterium-deuterium reaction.

Ideal Photothermal Materials Based on Ge Subwavelength Structure

Photothermal materials often prioritize solar absorption while neglecting thermal radiation losses, which diminishes thermal radiation conversion efficiency. This study addresses this gap by introducing a germanium (Ge) subwavelength structure (SWS) designed to optimize both solar absorption and infrared emissivity. Using a self-masked reactive ion etching (RIE) technique, we achieved a peak absorption of 98.8% within the 300 nm to 1800 nm range, with an infrared emissivity as low as 0.32. Under solar illumination of 1000 W/m2, the structure’s temperature increased by 50 °C, generating a heating power of 800 W/m2. Additionally, it demonstrated good mechanical and thermal stability at high temperatures and possessed a hydrophobic angle of 132°, ensuring effective self-cleaning. These characteristics make the Ge SWS suitable for application in solar panels, displays, sensors, and other optoelectronic devices.