High-throughput calculation-based rational design of Fe-doped MoS_(2) nanosheets for electrocatalytic p H-universal overall water splitting

Electrocatalytic water splitting is crucial for H2generation via hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)but subject to the sluggish dynamics of oxygen evolution reaction(OER).In this work,single Fe atomdoped MoS_(2)nanosheets(SFe-DMNs)were prepared based on the high-throughput density functional theory(DFT)calculation screening.Due to the synergistic effect between Fe atom and MoS_(2)and optimized intermediate binding energy,the SFe-DMNs could deliver outstanding activity for both HER and OER.When assembled into a two-electrode electrolytic cell,the SFe-DMNs could achieve the current density of 50 mA cm^(-2)at a low cell voltage of 1.55 V under neutral condition.These results not only confirmed the effectiveness of high-throughput screening,but also revealed the excellent activity and thus the potential applications in fuel cells of SFe-DMNs.

Charge-reversible crosslinked nanoparticle for pro-apoptotic peptide delivery and synergistic photodynamic cancer therapy

Although anti-cancer nanotherapeutics have made breakthroughs,many remain clinically unsatisfactory due to limited delivery efficiency and complicated biological barriers.Here,we prepared charge-reversible crosslinked nanoparticles(PDC NPs)by supramolecular self-assembly of pro-apoptotic peptides and photosensitizers,followed by crosslinking the self-assemblies with polyethylene glycol to impart tumor microenvironment responsiveness and charge-reversibility.The resultant PDC NPs have a high drug loading of 68.3%,substantially exceeding that of 10%–15%in conventional drug delivery systems.PDC NPs can overcome the delivery hurdles to significantly improve the tumor accumulation and endocytosis of payloads by surface charge reversal and responsive crosslinking strategy.Pro-apoptotic peptides target the mitochondrial membranes and block the respiratory effect to reduce local oxygen consumption,which extensively augments oxygen-dependent photodynamic therapy(PDT).The photosensitizers around mitochondria increased along with the peptides,allowing PDT to work with pro-apoptotic peptides synergistically to induce tumor cell death by mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathways.Our strategy would provide a valuable reference for improving the delivery efficiency of hydrophilic peptides and developing mitochondrial-targeting cancer therapies.

Deep tumor-penetrating nano-delivery strategy to improve diagnosis and therapy in patient-derived xenograft(PDX)oral cancer model and patient tissue

Nanoprodrugs that are directly assembled by prodrugs attract considerable attention with high anticancer potentials.However,their stability and efficiency of tumor-targeted delivery remain a major challenge in practical biomedical applications.Here,we report a new deep tumor-penetrating nano-delivery strategy to achieve enhanced anti-cancer performance by systematic optimization of a porphyrin-doxorubicin-based nanoprodrug using various PEGylations/crosslinks and co-administration of targeting peptide iRGD.Polyethylene glycols(PEGs)with different molecular weights and grafts are employed to crosslink the nanoprodrug and optimize size,charge,tumor accumulation and penetration,and anti-cancer efficiency,etc.The tumor penetration was validated in syngeneic oral cancer mouse models,patient-derived xenograft(PDX)models,and oral cancer tissue from patients.The optimized nanoprodrug co-administrated with iRGD remarkably enhances the accumulation and penetration both in tumor vascular and PDX tumor tissue.It is effective and safe to improve in vivo therapeutic efficacy via the passive tumor targeting dependent and independent mode.Our tumor-penetrating nano-delivery strategy is promising to strengthen the nanoprodrugs in clinical implementation.

Materials genome engineering:a promising approach for the development of high-performance metal–organic frameworks

The“modular”structural features of metal–organic frameworks(MOFs),that is,inorganic nodes and organic ligands that are used as building blocks and assembled according to a certain topology,endow MOFs with an almost unlimited number of varieties.Although thousands of MOFs are synthesized every year.

Excipient-free porphyrin/SN-38 based nanotheranostics for drug delivery and cell imaging

Nanotheranostics with comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities show exciting cancer treatment potentials.Here,we develop an excipient-free drug delivery system for cancer diagnosis as well as therapy,in which a near infra-red photosensitizer and a chemotherapeutic drug can be self-delivered without any carriers.The building block of the drug delivery system was synthesized by covalently conjugating four anticancer drugs(7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin,SN-38)with a photosensitizer(porphyrin)via hydrolyzable ester linkage,which endows the drug delivery system with 100%active pharmaceutical ingredients,excellent imaging,and therapeutic functionalities.The conjugates can readily self-assemble into nanosheets(PS NSs)and remain stable for at least 20 days in aqueous solution.In PS NSs,fluorescence resonance energy transfer(FRET)dominates the fluorescence of SN-38 and enables to monitor the drug release fluorescentiy.The PS NSs also show excellent anticancer activity in vitro,due to the increased cell uptake with the synergistic effect of photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy.

A unique Janus PdZn-Co catalyst for enhanced photocatalytic syngas production from CO_(2) and H_(2)O

The development of excellent catalyst to achieve photocatalytic syngas production from CO_(2) and H_(2)O is a prospective and sustainable strategy to alleviate environment and energy crisis. In this study, a unique Janus PdZn-Co catalyst is prepared by annealed the Pd/IRMOF-3(Co, Zn) precursor. Due to the strong interaction, the electron transfers from PdZn terminal to Co terminal in the Janus structure. The electron-received Co terminal facilitates Co sites coordinate with the electrophilic C atom of CO_(2) and the electron-donated PdZn center is easier to coordinate with nucleophilic O atoms of H_(2)O or C=O bonds.The charge redistribution enhances the absorption of CO_(2) and H2O, which promotes H_(2) evolution and CO production. In addition, the carbon shell effectively suppresses the metal core agglomeration and facilitates the electron transmission from photosensitizer to metallic active sites. Meanwhile, the ratio of CO/H_(2) can be regulated(~3:1 to 2:1) by adjusting the proportion of Co and PdZn. The Janus structure and graphite carbon synergistically play a profound impact on improving the photocatalytic performance.The optimized PdZn-Co catalyst exhibits a superior photocatalytic CO production rate(20.03 μmol/h) and the H_(2) generation rate(9.90 μmol/h) with a ratio of CO/H_(2)= 2.02.