Baiting bacteria with amino acidic and peptidic corona coated defect-engineered antimicrobial nanoclusters for optimized wound healing

Keeping steps ahead of the bacteria in the race for more efficacious antibacterial strategies is increasingly difficult with the advent of bacterial resistance genes.Herein,we engineered copper sulfide nanoclusters(CuS_(x) NCs)with variable sulfur defects for enhanced dual-treatment of bacterial infections by manipulating photothermal effects and Fenton-like activity.Next,by encasing CuS_(x) NCs with a complex mixture of amino acids and short peptides derived from Luria-Bertani bacterial culture media as a protein corona,we managed to coax E.Coli to take up these CuS_(x) NCs.As a whole,Amino-Pep-CuS_(x) NCs was perceived as a food source and actively consumed by bacteria,enhancing their effective uptake by at least 1.5-fold greater than full length BSA protein BSA-corona CuS_(x) NCs.Through strategically using defect-engineering,we successfully fine-tune photothermal effect and Fenton-like capacity of CuS_(x) NCs.Increased sulfur defects lead to reduced but sufficient heat generation under solar-light irradiation and increased production of toxic hydroxyl radicals.By fine-tuning sulfur defects during synthesis,we achieve CuS_(x) NCs with an optimal synergistic effect,significantly enhancing their bactericidal properties.These ultra-small and biodegradable CuS_(x) NCs can rapidly break down after treatment for clearance.Thus,Amino-Pep-CuS_(x) NCs demonstrate effective eradication of bacteria both in vitro and in vivo because of their relatively high uptake,optimal balanced photothermal and chemodynamic outcomes.Our study offers a straightforward and efficient method to enhance bacterial uptake of next generation of antibacterial agents.

Enhanced carbon capture with motif-rich amino acid loaded defective robust metal-organic frameworks

The use of metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)as solid adsorption materials for carbon capture is promising,but achieving efficient and reversible adsorption with a balance of capacity and selectivity for carbon dioxide(CO_(2))over N_(2) remains a challenge.To take full advantage of the strong channel traffic and robustness of MOFs with relatively small pores,it is highly necessary to employ a defect-engineering strategy to construct a broader channel structure that can facilitate the loading of functional motif-rich amino acids(AAs).This strategy can greatly enhance the CO_(2) adsorption performance of MOF.In this study,motif-rich amino acids are loaded into the defective and robust porous frameworks via combined defect-engineering and post-synthetic methods.The defective Zr/Hf-MOF-808s modified with AAs,especially for the 18 mol%4-nitroisophthalic acid,generated defective products allowing for the loading of L-serine(L-Ser).This modification resulted in a significant improvement in both the adsorption capacity(248%improvement at 298 K,100 kPa)and the selectivity of CO_(2)/N_(2) using the ideal adsorbed solution theory(IAST),with the selectivity increasing to 120.55 and 38.27 at 15 and 100 kPa,respectively,while maintaining good cycling performance.Density functional theory(DFT)simulation,CO_(2) temperature-programmed desorption(CO_(2)-TPD),and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)were further employed to have a better understanding of the enhanced CO_(2) adsorption capacity.Interestingly,unlike the AAs loaded pristine MOF-808s that showed the best CO_(2) adsorption capacity with the loading of short and small glycine(Gly),the broadened channel size in our work enables the loading of functional motif-rich L-serine,which brings more active binding sites,improving CO_(2) adsorption.