Nanopatterning is a well-established approach to fabricating nanostructures in electronics and optics, and exploiting patterning strategy to achieve smaller feature sizes and higher precision is urgently and constantly pursued. State-of-the-art extreme ultraviolet lithography and electron beam lithography have proven to produce smaller sizes. However, for such energetic radiation-based approaches, the serious diffusion behavior of the radiolytic low-energy secondary electrons will result in unpredictable defects in the unexposed matrix, limiting the ultimate resolution and hindering its potential in sub-10 nm patterning. Herein, we report significant progress in high-resolution patterning via suppressing of residues caused by secondary electron diffusion, and 10 nm line-space nanostructures are achieved by utilizing a free radical quencher in patterning a highly sensitive zirconium-containing photoresist. Lithography evaluation combined with theoretical calculation reveals this novel radical quencher approach can effectively suppress undesired electronic excitation and ionization reactions, thereby significantly improving resolution and edge roughness. By inhibiting secondary electron-induced active species, this quenching mechanism is found to increase the onset dose and effectively narrow the energy deposition; thus improving the patterning contrast and facilitating the acquisition of straight lines with sharp edges. This work provides a new perspective on active species diffusion control for higher precision nanoscale fabrication.

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a rapidly growing technology with a significant capacity for translational applications in both biology and medicine. 3D-printed living and non-living materials are being widely tested as a potential replacement for conventional solutions for testing and combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The precise control of cells and their microenvironment, while simulating the complexity and dynamics of an in vivo environment, provides an excellent opportunity to advance the modeling and treatment of challenging infections and other health conditions. 3D-printing models the complicated niches of microbes and host-pathogen interactions, and most importantly, how microbes develop resistance to antibiotics. In addition, 3D-printed materials can be applied to testing and delivering antibiotics. Here, we provide an overview of 3D printed materials and biosystems and their biomedical applications, focusing on ever increasing AMR. Recent applications of 3D printing to alleviate the impact of AMR, including developed bioprinted systems, targeted bacterial infections, and tested antibiotics are presented.

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Reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and improving the utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) are urgently needed to mitigate the effect of increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, which has led to global temperature rising and climate change. Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) is a promising strategy for converting CO2 into high-value-added multi-carbon compounds (such as ethylene:C2H4 and ethanol: C2H5OH) through proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) steps, in which copper (Cu) is to date the only metal that can promote C–C coupling to produce C2 products in aqueous solutions. However, due to the inherent moderate adsorption capacity of Cu on carbon-containing small molecule groups and the variety of C2 products intermediates, low product selectivity remains the dominant drawback of metal Cu-based catalysts. A large number of strategies have been investigated to optimize the distribution of electrolysis products, including alloying, anion and cation species regulation, facet design, and tandem catalysis. In this review, we first elaborate the reaction mechanism of C2 products generation on Cu-based catalysts, aiming to provide guidance for designing more selective catalysts. Then, with the intention of providing new insights into improving C2 olefins and oxides, we summarize the aspects, including catalysts, electrolytes microenvironment, electrolyzer design, and other factors that affect the selectivity of C2 products in catalytic systems. Finally, the main challenges and prospects for the future of Cu-based catalytic systems are outlined. The review is expected to stimulate more extensive studies on highly selective electrocatalysts of C2 products by ECR.

Microparticles have been drawing extensive interests over recent years due to their unique shapes, complex structures, and the capability of incorporating various functions within a single entity. They have been demonstrated to have promising prospects in diverse fields such as biological analysis and diagnosis, tissue engineering, anticounterfeiting, mechanical engineering, and structural materials. Compared with the traditional preparation methods, microfluidic lithography has opened up a new way for the preparation of high precision, good monodispersity, and high throughput microparticles. There is a great need for a most comprehensive review that systematically summarizes the research findings emerging in recent years and also provides guidance for future development in this area. Here, the recent progress of microfluidic lithography methods and the obtained microparticle morphologies are discussed based on a comprehensive summarization of the basic elements used in microfluidic lithography (i.e., microfluidic devices, precursors, masks, and UV light). The postprocessing techniques including self-assembly and sintering are presented to potentially bridge microparticles with practical applications. Furthermore, the application prospects of microparticles are analyzed from the aspects of cell manipulation, bioassay, and anticounterfeiting. Finally, the limitations of functional microparticles are summarized and their future advances are prospected, aiming to provide help for the controllable preparation and application of functional microparticles.

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The piezoelectricity and pyroelectricity of third-generation semiconductor materials (such as ZnO, GaN, and CdS) distinguish them from traditional semiconductors and give rise to two novel effects: the piezo-phototronic effect and the pyro-phototronic effect. The piezo-phototronic effect is to use the piezoelectric polarization charges at the heterointerface to tune the electron-hole separation or recombination in optoelectronic processes. For the pulsed incident light, local generated heating results in a strong pyroelectric effect, which gives a high output voltage and current. This is the pyro-phototronic effect. In this review, we give a systematic introduction to the two effects. Following that, recent advances in piezo-phototronic and pyro-phototronic effects enhanced broadband photosensing, including applications of the piezo-phototronic and pyro-phototronic effects in broadband photodetectors and their synergy effect, are thoroughly summarized. Finally, a perspective is given regarding their future impacts.

Extreme fossil fuel consumption results in increasing the emanation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere and fosters ecocrisis. The CO2 electrocatalytic reduction has together functioned of deteriorating the concentration of greenhouse gas and transforming it into useful products. The research on low-cost, efficient and stable catalysts has gained great attention due to the fundamental CO2 chemical inertness. Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have a lot of potential in terms of maximal atomic efficiency, CO2 reduction activity, selectivity, and stability making them good candidates for next-generation catalyst development. In spite of significant attempts to create diverse single-atom active sites, the resulting catalysts' performance remains poor. Fortuitously, SAC activity and selectivity for CO2 removal can be improved through microenvironment modulation. In the current review, first, the fabrication methods of SACs, characterization technologies and reaction mechanism pathway of CO2 reduction on SACs are described. Additionally, new developments in the tuning of SACs microenvironment are thoroughly summarized in detail, for enhancing the CO2 reduction activity and selectivity. Finally, future directions of CO2 reduction on SACs and other analogous techniques are highlighted by giving perspectives on lasting obstacles of SACs and newfound microenvironment engineering.

Interconnected porous materials have recently emerged as hybrid porous materials, comprising (meso/micro)pores with interconnected (micro/meso)porous walls. Benefiting from structural, morphological, and geometrical properties, interconnected porous materials are endowed with high porosity, specific surface area, mass transfer capacity, tailored pore sizes, volume and shape compatibility. These hybrid materials can be synthesized and further functionalized into a wide range of nanomaterials by either modifying conventional strategies or involving novel strategies such as pillared-layer assembly, defect-formation and/or the use of structure-directing agents. Owing to their exceptional properties, functionalized materials have already exhibited remarkable potential in various practical applications including reduction, sensing, purification, detection of gases, harvesting, conversion, and storage of energy, photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, chemical synthesis, as well as non-automotive applications. A brief description of recent advancements in catalysis and energy conversion/storage applications of functionalized interconnected materials as well as prospects is provided in this contribution.

Preventing plant loss and improving their health status are essential for agricultural industry. Correspondingly, the deprivation of plants severely impacts our ecological system. As such, global efforts have been intensely made to promote the development of advanced sensing and treatment platforms to forestall plant loss. Existing technologies mainly encounter a number of challenges in providing results in a non-invasive, rapid turnaround, and affordable fashions. Accordingly, notable progressions in innovative approaches—particularly biosensing and delivery platforms, are vastly required for agriculture realm. In this regard, microneedles have emerged as a pivotal technological tool that plays multifaceted roles in biosensing and delivery systems, with attention of growing towards agriculture. Simply put, microneedles offer several advantages over conventional methods for being less invasive, rapid, and highly precise. In this review, recent advancements in microneedle technologies including their implementations in agriculture are highlighted coherently. In particular, extracting DNA from plant leaves and expressing transient genes using microneedles are elaborated in details. Microneedle-based sensing platforms for detecting essential compounds and secondary metabolites are discussed as well. Recent advances focusing the delivery of agrochemicals and nanotherapeutics via microneedles are elaborated. By this means, this review aims to bridge the existing gaps between microneedles and agriculture precisely.

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Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a potential non-invasive therapeutic to overcome the limitation of depth and to enhance immunotherapy by converting “cold” to “hot” tumors. However, the intervention effect of SDT-induced hot tumors may not be sufficient to effectively enhance the effect of immunotherapy due to the intricate tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, a multifunctional and potent sonosensitizer based on layered double hydroxides (LDHs) with a suitable bandgap and diverse immunological effects (activation of T cells and enhancement infiltration of T cells) was designed to facilitate high-performance SDT combined with immunotherapy. Briefly, Ca2+ was introduced into MgFe-LDH to construct MgCaFe-LDH to achieve excellent SDT performance, outstanding modulated TME ability, and a tremendous prognosis effect. The better SDT efficiency was attributed to the optimized electron structure and bandgap with increasing Ca2+ introduction. The regulation of the intricate TME by improving the hypoxic microenvironment and decreasing the concentration of glutathione (GSH) with reducibility to enhance oxidation stress further boosted the SDT effect. In addition, bioactive MgCaFe-LDH exhibited an excellent immunological function, resulting from Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions synergistically activating CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and enhancing the infiltration of T cells into tumor tissues. Moreover, the combined therapy with SDT and αCTLA-4 also displayed a suppressive effect on the bilateral tumor model. Our work highlights novel bioactive LDH sonosensitizers that integrate TME regulation, SDT, and immunological effects for efficient cancer therapy.

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Microbial electrochemical carbon fixation can directly convert CO2 to renewable fuels, holding the promise of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Whereas its further development is largely shadowed by the unclear correlation between the coordination environment and carbon-fixation biohybrids. Here, we report a single-atom engineering approach to control extracellular and interspecies charge exchange pathways for high electron efficiency via synergistic effects of Co-N4 coordination and microbiome biohybrids in the electro-methanogenesis system. Optimized carbon-fixation microbial community structures composed of electroactive methanogens and boosted extracellular polymeric substance-mediated charge exchange achieved a 21.49 times methane production rate of 568.7 mmol/m2/day (up to a maximum value of 1014 mmol/m2/day at −1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl) and a 4.76 times faradic efficiency of 90.1% at −0.9 V vs. Ag/AgCl compared to control groups. Density functional theory calculations indicate that high Co-N/Co-C incorporation promotes the conversion of redox electron carriers for CO2 reduction, and Co-N/Co-C reduced the energy barrier of conductive substances and facilitated the electron storage at the bio/abiotic interface. The synergistic effect between Co-N4 structure and microbiome biohybrids facilitates an effective electron transfer, serving as reliable guiding principles for other microbial electrochemical systems to synthesize sustainable and value-added products.

Phosphorescence and thermally activated delayed-fluorescence (TADF) devices have been developed as highly efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, they suffer from short device lifetimes despite having high external quantum efficiencies. Therefore, it is essential to overcome lifetime hurdles in phosphorescent and TADF OLEDs based on a deep understanding of their degradation mechanisms. In this work, detailed degradation processes of phosphorescent and TADF OLEDs are compared from the viewpoint of material and device degradation. In the case of phosphors, stabilization of the chemical bond between the heavy metal and the ligand is key to chemical stability. To chemically stabilize TADF emitters, increasing bond dissociation energy between nitrogen of donor and the p-linker or acceptor is of importance. Considering the device degradation mechanisms, triplet–triplet and triplet–polaron annihilation are critical to device lifetime in both phosphorescent and TADF OLEDs, with singlet–triplet annihilation further degrading TADF OLED device lifetimes. Several device approaches have been used to address degradation processes, and device lifetimes of phosphorescent and TADF OLEDs have recently been dramatically improved. Potential solutions and future prospects for high-efficiency and long-lifetime OLEDs are proposed in this review.

Metallic materials have been used as antibacterial agents since antiquity. Gallium (Ga), an abiogenic metal, has shown pharmaceutical effects in developing unconventional anticancer and antibacterial drugs. Recent advances have disclosed the potential of Ga-based materials in creating bactericidal medicine (GaBM) that is safe, efficacious, multifunctional, and even smart, showing promising results both in the lab research and in clinical trials. Here, we describe the chemical and toxicological principles underlying the antibacterial activity of various types of GaBM, including ions, colloids, and composites, and discuss their in vitro and in vivo performances in different disease models. We expect that GaBM is rapidly advancing towards broad-spectrum antimicrobial medicine in combating bacterial pathogens, fungi, and viruses, and other microorganisms; interdisciplinary research is on the way to improve molecular levelled understanding of GaBM and facilitate its future collaborations with drug discovery, nanotechnology, and precision medicine. Our study offers a comprehensive guidebook for the design, fabrication, and implementation of GaBM, which could benefit a wide range of communities including chemists, material chemists, and drug engineers working on developing next-generation antimicrobial materials, medications, and devices.

We report the generation of boron nitride nano-onions (BNNOs) from pure hexagonal-BN crystallite powder in vacuum, via a one-pot, non-toxic, catalyst-free, rapid and potentially scalable high-temperature lamp ablation procedure. An array of characterization procedures revealed nanoparticle (a) shapes and sizes, morphing from polyhedral for diameters of order 101 nm to quasi-spherical at diameters of order 102 nm, and (b) composition, with a 1:1 B:N ratio while also confirming the absence of contaminants. A formation mechanism is proposed whereby BNNOs evolve from the initial thermal exfoliation of the bulk precursor powder into nano-platelets. They fold and close into hollow nano-cages that are more stable thermodynamically. Reactor temperatures were measured to be ∼ 1500–1600 K for experiments yielding the largest amounts of BNNOs. A relatively narrow range of ∼ 1300–1800 K can be established for viable BNNO generation. Structural modeling sheds light on the relative stability of the nanostructures as a function of shape, size and number of layers.

Owing to the deficiency of infiltrating immune cells and the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells in tumor microenvironment (TME), immunotherapy remains enormous challenges in colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, CRC was found to be sensitive to cuproptosis which could further evoke immune responses and mediate immune resistance. Thus, a cuproptosis-mediated immunotherapy nanoreactor (CCJD-FA) was constructed by encapsulating copper-based shell-coated CaO2 and bromodomain-containing protein 4 inhibitor JQ-1 with DSPE-PEG-FA. Within tumor cells, CCJD-FA was disassembled under GSH environment, and the exposed CaO2 could generate H2O2 under the acidic condition, which reacted with the released Cu2+ via Fenton-like reaction to produce O2 for relieving hypoxia and Cu+ for inducing cuproptosis. Furthermore, CCJD-FA could also inhibit intracellular glycolysis and ATP generation, then blocking the Cu+ efflux protein ATP7B. Meanwhile, the IFN-γ-induced PD-L1 expression could be exactly reduced by the BRD4 suppression and oxygen supply. These effects sensitized cancer cells to cuproptosis, further evoking systemic immune responses and reshaping immunosuppressive TME to inhibit tumor growth.

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