2D metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) for sensors and biosensors.

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/11/8/259/pdf

Two-Dimensional Material-Based Colorimetric Biosensors: A Review.

Separation and characterization of microplastic and nanoplastic particles in marine environment

Peptide molecule has high bioactivity, good biocompatibility, and excellent biodegradability. In addition, it has adjustable amino acid structure and sequence, which can be flexible designed and tailored to form supramolecular nano-assemblies with specific biomimicking, recognition, and targeting properties via molecular self-assembly. These unique properties of peptide nano-assemblies made it possible for utilizing them for biomedical and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we summarize recent progress on the motif design, self-assembly synthesis, and functional tailoring of peptide nano-assemblies for both cancer diagnosis and therapy. For this aim, firstly we demonstrate the methodologies on the synthesis of various functional pure and hybrid peptide nano-assemblies, by which the structural and functional tailoring of peptide nano-assemblies are introduced and discussed in detail. Secondly, we present the applications of peptide nano-assemblies for cancer diagnosis applications, including optical and magnetic imaging as well as biosensing of cancer cells. Thirdly, the design of peptide nano-assemblies for enzyme-mediated killing, chemo-therapy, photothermal therapy, and multi-therapy of cancer cells are introduced. Finally, the challenges and perspectives in this promising topic are discussed. This work will be useful for readers to understand the methodologies on peptide design and functional tailoring for highly effective, specific, and targeted diagnosis and therapy of cancers, and at the same time it will promote the development of cancer diagnosis and therapy by linking those knowledges in biological science, nanotechnology, biomedicine, tissue engineering, and analytical science.

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Supramolecular peptide nano-assemblies for cancer diagnosis and therapy: from molecular design to material synthesis and function-specific applications.

The escalating quests for wearable electronics have induced evolution of flexible energy storage gadgets. MXene (M-X) present prospects as flexible electrodes because of extreme volumetric specific capacitance, available surfacial chemistry, metallic conductivity, as well as superior hydrophilicity. Hence, this paper presents recent advancements in M-X oriented nanomaterials (NM) in flexible energy storage gadgets (ESG), especially in pristine M-X, M-X carbon affiliated composites, M-X metallic oxide oriented composites, as well as M-X conducting polymeric nanoarchitectures. The potentials for anticipated development of M-X oriented NMs as effective material for development of efficient energy storage gadgets is presented. Furthermore, emerging trends within the scientific sector for designing effective energy storage architectures is elucidated. 

On energy storage capacity of conductive MXene hybrid nanoarchitectures

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted increased interest and exhibited extended applications from nanotechnology to materials science, biomedicine, tissue engineering, as well as energy storage and environmental science. With the development of the synthesis and fabrication of 2D materials, a new family of 2D materials, metal carbides (MCs), revealed promising applications in recent years, and have been utilized for the fabrication of various functional 2D and three-dimensional (3D) nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications, ascribing to the unique physical and chemical properties of MCs. In this review, we present recent advance in the synthesis, fabrication, and applications of 2D and 3D MC-based nanomaterials. For this aim, we first summarize typical synthesis methods of MCs, and then demonstrate the progress on the fabrication of 2D and 3D MC-based nanomaterials. To the end, the applications of MC-based 2D and 3D materials for chemical batteries, supercapacitors, water splitting, photodegradation, removal of heavy metals, and electromagnetic shielding are introduced and discussed. This work provides useful information on the preparation, hybridization, structural tailoring, and applications of MC-based materials, and is expected to inspire the design and fabrication of novel and functional MXene materials with improved performance.

Recent Advance in the Fabrication of 2D and 3D Metal Carbides-Based Nanomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications.

As an efficient, rapid and label-free micro-/nanoparticle separation technique, dielectrophoresis (DEP) has attracted widespread attention in recent years, especially in the field of biomedicine, which exhibits huge potential in biomedically relevant applications such as disease diagnosis, cancer cell screening, biosensing, and others. DEP technology has been greatly developed recently from the low-flux laboratory level to high-throughput practical applications. In this review, we summarize the recent progress of DEP technology in biomedical applications, including firstly the design of various types and materials of DEP electrode and flow channel, design of input signals, and other improved designs. Then, functional tailoring of DEP systems with endowed specific functions including separation, purification, capture, enrichment and connection of biosamples, as well as the integration of multifunctions, are demonstrated. After that, representative DEP biomedical application examples in aspects of disease detection, drug synthesis and screening, biosensing and cell positioning are presented. Finally, limitations of existing DEP platforms on biomedical application are discussed, in which emphasis is given to the impact of other electrodynamic effects such as electrophoresis (EP), electroosmosis (EO) and electrothermal (ET) effects on DEP efficiency. This article aims to provide new ideas for the design of novel DEP micro-/nanoplatforms with desirable high throughput toward application in the biomedical community.

On the design, functions, and biomedical applications of high-throughput dielectrophoretic micro-/nanoplatforms: a review.

With the aim of developing green coatings, styrene–acrylic emulsion has been widely used in architectural coatings due to its excellent environmental protection and energy conservation. Nevertheless, the lack of water and oxygen resistance of water-based styrofoam coatings has promoted various nanomaterials being studied for modification. To improve the performance of waterborne styrofoam coating, we introduced the graphene nanopowder and expected to enable it with the function of electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding to reduce the damage of electromagnetic radiation. In this paper, the problem of poor interface compatibility between graphene and polymer resin was successfully addressed by in situ polymerization. In the process of pre-polymerization of styrene–acrylic emulsion monomer, graphene-modified styrene–acrylic emulsion was obtained by introducing graphene aqueous dispersion. The results showed that the styrene–acrylic emulsion with 4 wt% aqueous graphene dispersions exhibited the best dispersion stability, improved water and oxygen resistance, and the conductivity reached 1.89 × 10−2 S/cm. Then, the graphene-modified coating for building was prepared by using graphene-modified styrofoam emulsion. All the performance indexes of the coating are in line with the industry standards, and it still showed benign EMI shielding effect even when the graphene content was low. It is demonstrated that in situ polymerization technology and the application of graphene in resin coatings modification will promote the development of green coatings.

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Fabrication of Graphene-Modified Styrene–Acrylic Emulsion by In Situ Aqueous Polymerization

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) enables continuous and label-free separation of (bio)microparticles with high sensitivity and selectivity, whereas the low throughput issue greatly confines its clinical application. Herein, we report a novel design of the DEP separator embedded with cylindrical interdigitated electrodes that incorporate hybrid floating electrode layout for (bio)microparticle separation at favorable throughput. To better predict microparticle trajectory in the scaled-up DEP platform, a theoretical model based on coupling of electrostatic, fluid and temperature fields is established, in which the effects of Joule heating-induced electrothermal and buoyancy flows on particles are considered. Size-based fractionation of polystyrene microspheres and dielectric properties-based isolation of MDA-MB-231 from blood cells are numerically realized, respectively, by the proposed separator with sample throughputs up to 2.6 mL/min. Notably, the induced flows can promote DEP discrimination of heterogeneous cells. This work provides a reference on tailoring design of enlarged DEP platforms for highly efficient separation of (bio)samples at high throughput.

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Rational Design and Numerical Analysis of a Hybrid Floating cIDE Separator for Continuous Dielectrophoretic Separation of Microparticles at High Throughput

An effective approach for monodesulfonation of polyphenol sulfonate under ultrasonic irradiation was reported. Series of substituted ortho-, meta- or para-hydroxylphenol sulfonates or 5-hydroxy-1,3-phenylene bis(4-methylbenzenesulfonate) were obtained specifically in the presence of sodium hydroxide in acetonitrile. With treatment of potassium carbonate in alcohol, alkyloxylphenol sulfonates was provided via one-pot monodesulfanation followed by alkylation under ultrasonicated solvent-free conditions. The alcohol had been regarded as green alkylation reagent. The results of the exploration of the scalability of monodesulfonation and one-pot monodesulfonation-alkylation of resorcinol bissulfonate indicated that such modes had the potential application value in scale production. 

Yalin Li

Papers

Recent Advance in the Fabrication of 2D and 3D Metal Carbides-Based Nanomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications.

On the design, functions, and biomedical applications of high-throughput dielectrophoretic micro-/nanoplatforms: a review.

Fabrication of Graphene-Modified Styrene–Acrylic Emulsion by In Situ Aqueous Polymerization

Rational Design and Numerical Analysis of a Hybrid Floating cIDE Separator for Continuous Dielectrophoretic Separation of Microparticles at High Throughput

Ultrasound‐Mediated Monodesulfonation of Polyphenol Sulfonate and One‐Pot Generation of Alkyl Aryl Ether under Solvent‐Free Conditions