Two-Dimensional Tellurium:Progress,Challenges,and Prospects

Since the successful fabrication of two-dimensional(2D)tellurium(Te)in 2017,its fascinating properties including a thickness dependence bandgap,environmental stability,piezoelectric effect,high carrier mobility,and photoresponse among others show great potential for various applications.These include photodetectors,field-effect transistors,piezoelectric devices,modulators,and energy harvesting devices.However,as a new member of the 2D material family,much less known is about 2D Te compared to other 2D materials.Motivated by this lack of knowledge,we review the recent progress of research into 2D Te nanoflakes.Firstly,we introduce the background and motivation of this review.Then,the crystal structures and synthesis methods are presented,followed by an introduction to their physical properties and applications.Finally,the challenges and further development directions are summarized.We believe that milestone investigations of 2D Te nanoflakes will emerge soon,which will bring about great industrial revelations in 2D materials-based nanodevice commercialization.

Black phosphorus-based photothermal therapy with aCD47-mediated immune checkpoint blockade for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

Here,we describe a combination strategy of black phosphorus(BP)-based photothermal therapy together with anti-CD47 antibody(aCD47)-based immunotherapy to synergistically enhance cancer treatment.Tumour resistance to immune checkpoint blockades in most cancers due to immune escape from host surveillance,along with the initiation of metastasis through immunosuppressive cells in the tumour microenvironment,remains a significant challenge for cancer immunotherapy.aCD47,an agent for CD47/SIRPαaxis blockade,induces modest phagocytic activity and a low response rate for monotherapy,resulting in failures in clinical trials.We showed that BP-mediated ablation of tumours through photothermal effects could serve as an effective strategy for specific immunological stimulation,improving the inherently poor immunogenicity of tumours,which is particularly useful for enhancing cancer immunotherapy.BP in combination with aCD47 blockade activates both innate and adaptive immunities and promotes local and systemic anticancer immune responses,thus offering a synergistically enhanced effect in suppression of tumour progression and in inducing abscopal effects for inhibition of metastatic cancers.Our combination strategy provides a promising platform in which photothermal agents could help to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy.

Recent advances in the development of nanomedicines for the treatment of ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is still a serious threat to human life and health,but there are few therapeutic options available to treat stroke because of limited blood-brain penetration.The development of nanotechnology may overcome some of the problems related to traditional drug development.In this review,we focus on the potential applications of nanotechnology in stroke.First,we will discuss the main molecular pathological mechanisms of ischemic stroke to develop a targeted strategy.Second,considering the important role of the blood-brain barrier in stroke treatment,we also delve mechanisms by which the blood-brain barrier protects the brain,and the reasons why the therapeutics must pass through the blood-brain barrier to achieve efficacy.Lastly,we provide a comprehensive review related to the application of nanomaterials to treat stroke,including liposomes,polymers,metal nanoparticles,carbon nanotubes,graphene,black phosphorus,hydrogels and dendrimers.To conclude,we will summarize the challenges and future prospects of nanomedicine-based stroke treatments.

Two-Dimensional Borophene:Properties,Fabrication,and Promising Applications

Monoelemental two-dimensional(2D)materials(Xenes)aroused a tremendous attention in 2D science owing to their unique properties and extensive applications.Borophene,one emerging and typical Xene,has been regarded as a promising agent for energy,sensor,and biomedical applications.However,the production of borophene is still a challenge because bulk boron has rather intricate spatial structures and multiple chemical properties.In this review,we describe its excellent properties including the optical,electronic,metallic,semiconducting,photoacoustic,and photothermal properties.The fabrication methods of borophene are also presented including the bottom-up fabrication and the top-down fabrication.In the end,the challenges of borophene in the latest applications are presented and perspectives are discussed.