Meng Zhou

Bio: Meng Zhou is an academic researcher from University of Miami. The author has contributed to research in topics: Nanoclusters & Excited state. The author has an hindex of 30, co-authored 71 publications receiving 4457 citations. Previous affiliations of Meng Zhou include Chinese Academy of Sciences & Northeast Normal University.

Atomically Precise Colloidal Metal Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles: Fundamentals and Opportunities

Abstract: Colloidal nanoparticles are being intensely pursued in current nanoscience research. Nanochemists are often frustrated by the well-known fact that no two nanoparticles are the same, which precludes the deep understanding of many fundamental properties of colloidal nanoparticles in which the total structures (core plus surface) must be known. Therefore, controlling nanoparticles with atomic precision and solving their total structures have long been major dreams for nanochemists. Recently, these goals are partially fulfilled in the case of gold nanoparticles, at least in the ultrasmall size regime (1–3 nm in diameter, often called nanoclusters). This review summarizes the major progress in the field, including the principles that permit atomically precise synthesis, new types of atomic structures, and unique physical and chemical properties of atomically precise nanoparticles, as well as exciting opportunities for nanochemists to understand very fundamental science of colloidal nanoparticles (such as the s...

H-ferritin-nanocaged doxorubicin nanoparticles specifically target and kill tumors with a single-dose injection.

Abstract: An ideal nanocarrier for efficient drug delivery must be able to target specific cells and carry high doses of therapeutic drugs and should also exhibit optimized physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. However, it is a tremendous challenge to engineer all of the above characteristics into a single carrier particle. Here, we show that natural H-ferritin (HFn) nanocages can carry high doses of doxorubicin (Dox) for tumor-specific targeting and killing without any targeting ligand functionalization or property modulation. Dox-loaded HFn (HFn-Dox) specifically bound and subsequently internalized into tumor cells via interaction with overexpressed transferrin receptor 1 and released Dox in the lysosomes. In vivo in the mouse, HFn-Dox exhibited more than 10-fold higher intratumoral drug concentration than free Dox and significantly inhibited tumor growth after a single-dose injection. Importantly, HFn-Dox displayed an excellent safety profile that significantly reduced healthy organ drug exposure and improved the maximum tolerated dose by fourfold compared with free Dox. Moreover, because the HFn nanocarrier has well-defined morphology and does not need any ligand modification or property modulation it can be easily produced with high purity and yield, which are requirements for drugs used in clinical trials. Thus, these unique properties make the HFn nanocage an ideal vehicle for efficient anticancer drug delivery.

Manipulating aggregation and molecular orientation in all-polymer photovoltaic cells.

Abstract: Manipulating molecular orientation at the donor/acceptor interface is the key to boosting charge separation properties and efficiencies of anisotropic-materials-based organic photovoltaics (OPVs). By replacing the polymeric donor PBDTBDD with its 2D-conjugated polymer PBDTBDD-T, the power conversion efficiency of OPVs featuring the anisotropic polymer acceptor PNDI is drastically boosted from 2.4% up to 5.8%.

Ferritin Nanocarrier Traverses the Blood Brain Barrier and Kills Glioma.

Abstract: Over the last decades, considerable efforts have been put into developing active nanocarrier systems that cross the blood brain barrier (BBB) to treat brain-related diseases such as glioma tumors. However, to date none have been approved for clinical usage. Here, we show that a human H-ferritin (HFn) nanocarrier both successfully crosses the BBB and kills glioma tumor cells. Its principle point of entry is the HFn receptor (transferrin receptor 1), which is overexpressed in both BBB endothelial cells (ECs) and glioma cells. Importantly, we found that HFn enters and exits the BBB via the endosome compartment. In contrast, upon specifically targeting and entering glioma cells, nearly all of the HFn accumulated in the lysosomal compartment, resulting in the killing of glioma tumor cells, with no HFn accumulation in the surrounding healthy brain tissue. Thus, HFn is an ideal nanocarrier for glioma therapy and possesses the potential to serve as a therapeutic approach against a broad range of central nervous s...

Atomically Precise Colloidal Metal Nanoclusters and Nanoparticles: Fundamentals and Opportunities

Abstract: Colloidal nanoparticles are being intensely pursued in current nanoscience research. Nanochemists are often frustrated by the well-known fact that no two nanoparticles are the same, which precludes the deep understanding of many fundamental properties of colloidal nanoparticles in which the total structures (core plus surface) must be known. Therefore, controlling nanoparticles with atomic precision and solving their total structures have long been major dreams for nanochemists. Recently, these goals are partially fulfilled in the case of gold nanoparticles, at least in the ultrasmall size regime (1–3 nm in diameter, often called nanoclusters). This review summarizes the major progress in the field, including the principles that permit atomically precise synthesis, new types of atomic structures, and unique physical and chemical properties of atomically precise nanoparticles, as well as exciting opportunities for nanochemists to understand very fundamental science of colloidal nanoparticles (such as the s...

Organic solar cells based on non-fullerene acceptors.

Abstract: Organic solar cells (OSCs) have been dominated by donor:acceptor blends based on fullerene acceptors for over two decades. This situation has changed recently, with non-fullerene (NF) OSCs developing very quickly. The power conversion efficiencies of NF OSCs have now reached a value of over 13%, which is higher than the best fullerene-based OSCs. NF acceptors show great tunability in absorption spectra and electron energy levels, providing a wide range of new opportunities. The coexistence of low voltage losses and high current generation indicates that new regimes of device physics and photophysics are reached in these systems. This Review highlights these opportunities made possible by NF acceptors, and also discuss the challenges facing the development of NF OSCs for practical applications.

Non-fullerene acceptors for organic solar cells

Abstract: Non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) are currently a major focus of research in the development of bulk-heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs). In contrast to the widely used fullerene acceptors (FAs), the optical properties and electronic energy levels of NFAs can be readily tuned. NFA-based OSCs can also achieve greater thermal stability and photochemical stability, as well as longer device lifetimes, than their FA-based counterparts. Historically, the performance of NFA OSCs has lagged behind that of fullerene devices. However, recent developments have led to a rapid increase in power conversion efficiencies for NFA OSCs, with values now exceeding 13%, demonstrating the viability of using NFAs to replace FAs in next-generation high-performance OSCs. This Review discusses the important work that has led to this remarkable progress, focusing on the two most promising NFA classes to date: rylene diimide-based materials and materials based on fused aromatic cores with strong electron-accepting end groups. The key structure–property relationships, donor–acceptor matching criteria and aspects of device physics are discussed. Finally, we consider the remaining challenges and promising future directions for the NFA OSCs field. Non-fullerene acceptors have been widely used in organic solar cells over the past 3 years. This Review focuses on the two most promising classes of non-fullerene acceptors — rylene diimide-based materials and fused-ring electron acceptors — and discusses structure–property relationships, donor– acceptor matching criteria and device physics, as well as future research directions for the field.

Fullerene-Free Polymer Solar Cells with over 11% Efficiency and Excellent Thermal Stability

Abstract: A nonfullerene-based polymer solar cell (PSC) that significantly outperforms fullerene-based PSCs with respect to the power-conversion efficiency is demonstrated for the first time. An efficiency of >11%, which is among the top values in the PSC field, and excellent thermal stability is obtained using PBDB-T and ITIC as donor and acceptor, respectively.