Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) and nitrogen dioxide (NO[Formula: see text], two of the most dangerous environmental toxins, pose significant threats to human health and safety. In this study, we report a new approach to fabricating Ag@Au core@shell with controllable Au shell thickness using two-step pulsed laser ablation in liquid (PLAL). This approach enables accurate tuning of the Au shell thickness to maximize gas-sensing properties. In contrast to traditional methods, in which the shell’s characteristics are always uncontrolled, the PLAL method for adjusting the shell’s thickness yields a more sensitive and selective sensor. The Ag@Au core–shell NPs were used for dual gas sensing on PS, and sensitivities of up to 68% and 54% to H2S and NO 2 , respectively, were achieved between 200 ∘ C and 250 ∘ C. The sensor with an Au shell layer deposited over a period as short as 1 min exhibited excellent response time (52–55[Formula: see text]s) and recovery time (23–33[Formula: see text]s). In contrast, the 2[Formula: see text]min Au-induced shell sensor displayed an outstanding balance between sensitivity (51% for H 2 S and 41% for NO[Formula: see text] and long-term stability, which has potential for repeated, reliable detection in many real-world situations. This work emphasizes the unparalleled benefit of facile, systematic adjustment of the Au shell thickness via PLAL, resulting in a significant enhancement in dual-gas sensing. It also highlights the practical feasibility of this method for fabricating high-performance gas sensors for environmental monitoring and industrial safety.

Truncated PNA-functionalized porous silicon biosensor for low-cost and early detection of troponin T in myocardial infarction.

Deep learning-assisted SERS platform for label-free detection of celecoxib in serum using ag@Pt@porous silicon Bragg mirror composite substrate.

Structural design strategies for porous silicon anodes to reduce stack pressure in all-solid-state batteries

Phase-separated plasma membranes show elevated viscosity and reduced line tension of liquid-ordered domains.

MXene-coated porous silicon encapsulated in electrospun carbon nanofibers as a self-supporting anode for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Silicon is among the most promising anodes for high-energy lithium-ion batteries due to its ultrahigh theoretical capacity; however, its catastrophic volume fluctuations and interfacial instability remain the primary obstacles to practical application. Here, we report a covalently integrated MXene-infiltrated porous silicon (MPSi) architecture that simultaneously delivers mechanical resilience, electronic continuity, and interfacial stability. Distinct from conventional surface-coating designs, few-layer Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets are driven deep into micron-scale porous silicon via ethanol-assisted wetting and vacuum-impregnation, forming a three-dimensional conductive network throughout the entire particle interior. Subsequent mild annealing induces dehydration condensation between Si-OH and Ti-OH groups, creating robust Si-O-Ti bonds that chemically anchor MXene to the silicon framework. This confinement-induced interfacial chemistry effectively suppresses MXene delamination, regulates solid electrolyte interphase evolution, and ensures long-range charge transport even under repeated volumetric expansion. Benefiting from the synergistic contributions of hierarchical internal voids, embedded MXene pathways, and covalent interfacial adhesion, the MPSi anode achieves high reversible capacity (906.3 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles at 1 A g-1), excellent rate capability (543.3 mAh g-1 at 5 A g-1), and improved initial Coulombic efficiency. Furthermore, the practical viability of this architecture is validated in full cells paired with NCM811 cathodes, which exhibit stable cycling with 80.2% capacity retention after 200 cycles. Detailed kinetic analysis further reveals dominant pseudocapacitive behavior enabled by the MXene-reinforced porous network. This work establishes an infiltration-driven, covalently bonded MXene-Si architecture that addresses both mechanical and electrochemical degradation of silicon anodes, offering a scalable strategy toward next-generation high-energy lithium-ion batteries.

Electropolishing is an essential process for the surface treatment of metallic materials. To determine the appropriate replacement timing of electropolishing solutions for their efficient use and improved productivity, it is important to periodically analyze the amounts of dissolved metals in the solutions. However, these solutions are typically highly corrosive, and on-site analytical techniques that can be easily applied at production sites have not yet been established. In this study, we demonstrated microvolume liquid analysis using low-energy laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) combined with a porous silicon substrate fabricated by metal-assisted etching (metal-assisted chemical etching) and a non-contact gas-blowing pretreatment. In the analysis of electropolishing solutions used for niobium superconducting cavities and stainless steel products, emission lines of niobium and of iron and chromium were successfully detected after blowing the respective microdroplet samples on porous silicon, and linear correlations were observed between the spectral line intensity and the polished amounts. The present results provide a basis for future on-site application of LIBS to highly corrosive electropolishing solutions in the metal finishing industry.

Abstract Palladium nanoparticles and thin films show promising applications in the detection of hydrogen and organic molecules. Among the numerous preparation methods, the chemical redox method has the advantages of simplicity and low cost. In this work, palladium nanoparticles and thin films were prepared on three types of porous silicon with nanostructures, nano-straight pore composites, and regular arrays via redox electroless plating. The morphologies of the palladium particles and thin films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. And Senor properties were performed in analyzing N2-O2 mixed gases. The results show that palladium particles of tens of nanometers can be formed in the pores of all three types of porous silicon and maximum probability of diameter is sized around 190 nm. Due to the slow diffusion of the electrolyte during the immersion process, the number of palladium particles in the pores is relatively small. Nevertheless, a continuous palladium film with a thickness of 100 - 200 nm was formed on the surface of nano-porous silicon. This phenomenon is related to the continuous reduction of palladium chloride by Si-Hx dangling bonds. Finally, the senor properties show the current response and the response delay in measuring are approximately linear as a function of the N2 concentration.

Silicon is a well-known anode material for lithium-ion batteries that has attracted a lot of interests because of its high theoretical specific capacity (4200 mAh g-1). However, its severe volume expansion during cycling leads to structural degradation and rapid capacity fading. The design of porous silicon architectures has emerged as a fundamental and effective strategy to mitigate these issues by accommodating mechanical stress and preserving electrode integrity. Concurrently, the development of advanced in situ/operando characterization techniques has shifted the research paradigm, enabling direct observation of dynamic structural and interfacial evolution under operating conditions. This review systematically summarizes recent progress in the rational design of porous Si-based anodes and critically examines how state-of-the-art in situ methods provide direct mechanistic validation of these designs. The work highlights the synergistic interplay between targeted material engineering and in situ/operando characterization, offering a roadmap for the development of high-performance porous silicon anodes.

We report a facile centrifugation‐based method for assembling polystyrene (PSSH)‐functionalized gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) onto porous silicon (pSi) substrates in two distinct configurations: two‐ and three‐dimensional (2D and 3D) assemblies. The 2D assemblies are densely packed monolayer coatings of the exposed Si‐surfaces including the inner pore walls, whereas the 3D structures result from Au NPs clustering inside the pores. Remarkably, this shift from 2D to 3D architectures was achieved by minor modification of the PSSH coating thickness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization confirmed the homogeneity and high packing density of these assemblies extending over several thousand square micrometers. This approach offers a straightforward and versatile route for the fabrication of well‐ordered pSi–Au NP hybrid nanostructures with potential applications in catalysis, surface‐enhanced spectroscopy and optical metamaterials.

A porous silicon composite coated with a defect-rich carbon network for use as a high-performance anode material in lithium-ion batteries

This paper demonstrates the results of constructive technological research on the development of a catalyst with a Ni/PSi@Pt structure. This catalyst eliminates the use of gold in the structure of μ-FC electrodes. This work uses the main technological solutions for the formation of a gold-containing "core-shell" structure on the inner surface of pores. Comparative data on the results of assessing the durability of porous silicon electrodes with both Pt catalysts and composite catalysts of the Pt/In2O3, Pt/SnO2, Pt/Au and Pt/Ni types are also presented.

ABSTRACT Porous silicon carbide (SiC) materials hold significant promise for applications in photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis due to their large active area and excellent photoelectronic properties. However, the main challenge of porous SiC‐based catalysts is the unclear growth mechanism governing porous SiC formation via chemical vapor deposition (CVD), resulting in difficulty in the precise control of pore size. In this study, porous SiC coating on graphite substrate was synthesized by hot‐wall CVD through process parameter modulation. The characterization results demonstrate that the coating exhibits a porosity of 40.3%, with a corresponding average pore size of 2.85 µm. The growth mechanism of porous SiC coatings mainly includes the competitive growth of the 4H‐SiC and the rapid growth along prismatic planes of 4H‐SiC hexagonal grains. This work enriches the theoretical understanding of SiC competitive growth for 3C‐ and 4H‐SiC and provides substantial support for the porous SiC applied in catalysis and related fields.

We present a one-dimensional photonic crystal biosensor based on a Thue-Morse quasi-periodic structure incorporating parity-time (PT) symmetry and exceptional point (EP) engineering for enhanced cancer detection. By integrating alternating porous silicon gain-loss layers with graphene nanolayers, the proposed design achieves strong optical confinement and pronounced resonance sharpening near EP conditions. A systematic parametric study identified the optimal graphene chemical potential and relaxation time as 0.408eV and 0.5 ps, respectively, leading to a maximum sensitivity of 1054nm/RIU and a minimum detection limit of 9.875 × 10- 4 RIU. Moreover, the analysis reveals that increasing the number of graphene layers results in a progressive enhancement in sensitivity accompanied by a reduction in the optimal porosity percentage, highlighting the strong influence of graphene-induced field confinement on device performance. These results surpass those of conventional one-dimensional biosensors, demonstrating the combined advantages of PT symmetry and graphene-assisted field enhancement. Fabrication tolerance analysis confirmed the structural robustness, underscoring its potential for practical implementation. Overall, the findings establish PT-symmetric Thue-Morse photonic crystals as a versatile platform for ultra-sensitive, label-free biomedical sensing, paving the way for next-generation optical diagnostic technologies.

Spherical surfactant micelles, widely used as templates for synthesizing porous inorganic materials, suffer from undeterminable atomic-level structures. Developing structurally precise spherical micelle-like architectures is therefore highly beneficial for understanding template syntheses yet remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate a series of micelle-like π-stacked architectures self-assembled from tripodal synthons ([ML(SO4)], [ML(SCN)]+, or [H3L(HPO4)]+, where M = Co2+ or Zn2+ and L = tris(2-benzimidazolylmethyl)amine). These structures form through anion-coordination-regulated π-π stacking. While a honeycomb architecture of oppositely aligned neutral [CoL(SO4)] forms without the directing of anions, various cationic micelle-like π-stacked architectures of [ML(SCN)]+ and [H3L(HPO4)]+ are successfully constructed via anion coordination-regulated π-π stacking. Within these assemblies, the π-stacked tripodal synthons and the H-bonded anion networks mutually template each other, reminiscent of how surfactant micelles template porous inorganic materials. Remarkably, this approach yields two new Frank-Kasper (FK) C15 phases, representing the first FK C15 complexes formed by small-molecule assembly. These results establish a universal strategy leveraging the interplay between π-π stacking and anion coordination to access complex supramolecular FK structures, potentially enabling new synthetic approaches for porous inorganic materials such as zeolites and porous silicon.

This research introduces a photonic sensor designed to detect gamma-ray radiation, utilizing a one-dimensional regular ternary annular photonic crystal (1D APhC) structure. The sensor consists of alternating layers of porous silicon, silicon dioxide, and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) polymer, which is doped with crystal violet and carbol fuchsine dyes. Exposure to varying levels of gamma-ray radiation alters the refractive index of the doped polymer, resulting in a shift in the photonic bandgap (PBG). The analysis of this dosimeter emphasizes how the intensity and position of the left band edge of the PBG are affected. Theoretical investigations are performed using Bruggeman’s effective medium equation and the transfer matrix method (TMM). The study examines the impact of gamma-ray radiation intensity, ranging from 0 to 70 Gy, on the refractive index of the polymer. Furthermore, it explores how critical parameters, such as the movement of the left and right band edges, PBG width, and sensor sensitivity, are influenced by structural modifications. Under optimized conditions, the sensor achieves a sensitivity of 200.8351 nm/RIU in detecting gamma-ray radiation exposure from 0 to 70 Gy. This highly sensitive dosimeter design holds significant potential for various scientific applications, facilitating accurate detection of gamma-ray radiation.

Pathogenic bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) can disrupt the blood–brain barrier (BBB), leading to neuroinflammation. Prior in vitro studies of this process were performed in simple models that may have lacked important physiological factors. We sought to determine if treatment with Escherichia coli–derived BEVs could directly compromise the integrity of a BBB lab-on-chip model or if an immune component was required. Our device featured isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived brain microvascular endothelial-like cells (BMECs) and pericytes separated by an ultrathin, porous silicon nitride membrane. BEVs and free lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were capable of causing upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on the BMEC surfaces, which is important for immune cell recruitment. However, neither BEVs nor LPS at physiological doses caused pronounced loss of BMEC tight junction proteins, nor did they increase barrier permeability to small dye molecules. In contrast, stimulating THP-1 macrophages with BEVs led to increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and conditioned media from the stimulated macrophages disrupted BMEC tight junctions and increased barrier permeability. Our work demonstrates the importance of incorporating an immune component in studies of BEV-mediated disruption of BBB models.

Conventional cancer therapies have been limited by severe side effects and low treatment specificity, leading to reduced survival rates and a reduced quality of life. In particular, the heterogeneity of the reductive conditions, such as high glutathione (GSH) and H2O2 levels and acquired drug resistance, remains a major obstacle that traditional drug delivery systems (DDS) struggle to overcome. While GSH is especially essential for maintaining cellular redox, its upregulation in cancers facilitates tumor survival and therapeutics, making it a pivotal target. Therefore, the development of multimodal therapeutic platforms capable of reductive condition-responsive activation, multimechanistic action, and selective cellular targeting is in high demand. In this study, we developed a redox-responsive multimodal nanoplatform (Cu-pSiDox-Glu) based on porous silicon nanoparticles (pSiNPs), which incorporate a copper(Cu)-silicate surface layer, the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (Dox), and a glucosamine (Glu) moiety for tumor targeting. The system was designed to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under GSH/H2O2-rich conditions and to accumulate selectively in tumor cells via glucose transporter (GLUT)-mediated uptake. Cu-pSiDox-Glu showed enhanced copper-induced ROS generation via a Fenton-like reaction. Cellular analysis revealed selective uptake and potent cytotoxicity in Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells while maintaining low toxicity in normal HEK293 cells. These findings suggest that Cu-pSiDox-Glu is a promising multimodal nanoplatform for precise and effective cancer therapy through reductive condition-responsive ROS production and chemotherapeutic delivery.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) typically exist in the form of powders or dispersed crystals, which limits their direct application in practical engineering scenarios that require monolithic structures and processability. To address this issue, the present study successfully anchored MOF (zeolitic imidazolate framework-8, ZIF-8) nanocrystals within a porous silicon carbide (p-SiC) substrate via a facile in situ growth strategy, achieving both stable macroscopic loading and intimate microscopic interfacial bonding. The resulting ZIF-8/p-SiC composite exhibits a hierarchical porous structure, with a specific surface area approximately 183 times higher than that of the raw p-SiC, alongside a substantially enhanced CO2 adsorption capacity. By utilizing a low-cost p-SiC support and mild ZIF-8 synthesis conditions, this work demonstrates excellent reproducibility and scalability, providing a facile and effective pathway for fabricating MOF/porous media composite systems that possess both superior mechanical properties and tailored pore structures. Additionally, the developed MOF/p-SiC composites can serve as controllable rock-analog porous media, offering new perspectives for investigating MOF-rock interfacial interactions and CO2 geological sequestration mechanisms, thereby establishing an organic link between fundamental materials science and geological engineering applications.