No abstract

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are attracting tremendous interest owing to their low toxicity, water dispersibility, biocompatibility, optical properties and wide applicability. Herein, CQDs with an average diameter of (4.0 ± 0.2) nm and high crystallinity were produced simply from the electrochemical oxidation of a graphite electrode in alkaline alcohols. The as-formed CQDs dispersion was colourless but the dispersion gradually changed to bright yellow when stored in ambient conditions. Based on UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), this colour change appeared to be due to oxygenation of surface species over time. Furthermore, the CQDs were used in specific and sensitive detection of ferric ion (Fe(3+)) with broad linear ranges of 10-200 μM with a low limit of detection of 1.8 μM (S/N = 3). The application of the CQDs for Fe(3+) detection in tap water was demonstrated and the possible mechanism was also discussed. Finally, based on their good characteristics of low cytotoxicity and excellent biocompatibility, the CQDs were successfully applied to cell imaging.

Herein, a conceptually new and straightforward aqueous route is described for the synthesis of hydroxyl- and amino-functionalized boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) with quantum yields (QY) as high as 18.3 % by using a facile bottom-up approach, in which a mixture of boric acid and ammonia solution was hydrothermally treated in one pot at 200 °C for 12 h. The functionalized BNQDs, with excellent photoluminescence properties, could be easily dispersed in an aqueous medium and applied as fluorescent probes for the detection of ferrous (Fe ) and ferric (Fe ) ions with excellent selectivity and low detection limits. The mechanisms for the hydrothermal reaction and fluorescence quenching were also simulated by using density functional theory (DFT), which confirmed the feasibility and advantages of this strategy. It provides a scalable and eco-friendly method for preparation of BNQDs with good dispersability and could also be generalized to the synthesis of other 2D quantum dots and nanoplates.

A facile and effective approach for the preparation of functionalized born nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) with blue fluorescence was explored by the hydrothermal treatment of the mixture of boric acid and melamine at 200 °C for 15 h. The as-prepared BNQDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution TEM, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The single layered BNQDs with the average size of 3 nm showed a blue light emission under the illumination of the UV light. The BNQDs could be easily dispersed in an aqueous medium and applied as fluorescent probes for selective detection of Fe with remarkable selectivity and sensitivity (the lowest detection limit was 0.3 μM). The fluorescence fiber imaging demonstrated that the as-prepared quantum dots could be used as a valuable fluorchrome. Therefore, the BNQDs could be envisioned for potential applications in many fields such as biocompatible staining, fluorescent probes, and biological labeling.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a widely used and effective therapy for hematopoietic malignant diseases and numerous other disorders. High-resolution human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype frequency distributions not only facilitate individual donor searches but also determine the probability with which a particular patient can find HLA-matched donors in a registry. The frequencies of the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1, and -DQB1 alleles and haplotypes were estimated among 169,995 Chinese volunteers using the sequencing-based typing (SBT) method. Totals of 191 HLA-A, 244 HLA-B, 146 HLA-C, 143 HLA-DRB1 and 47 HLA-DQB1 alleles were observed, which accounted for 6.98%, 7.06%, 6.46%, 9.11% and 7.91%, respectively, of the alleles in each locus in the world (IMGT 3.16 Release, Apr. 2014). Among the 100 most common haplotypes from the 169,995 individuals, nine distinct haplotypes displayed significant regionally specific distributions. Among these, three were predominant in the South China region (i.e., the 20th, 31st, and 81sthaplotypes), another three were predominant in the Southwest China region (i.e., the 68th, 79th, and 95th haplotypes), one was predominant in the South and Southwest China regions (the 18th haplotype), one was relatively common in the Northeast and North China regions (the 94th haplotype), and one was common in the Northeast, North and Northwest China (the 40th haplotype). In conclusion, this is the first to analyze high-resolution HLA diversities across the entire country of China, based on a detailed and complete data set that covered 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. Specifically, we also evaluated the HLA matching probabilities within and between geographic regions and analyzed the regional differences in the HLA diversities in China. We believe that the data presented in this study might be useful for unrelated HLA-matched donor searches, donor registry planning, population genetic studies, and anthropogenesis studies.

such as layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), [2] hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), [3] metal halides, [4] and black phosphorus, [5] which opened up a new horizon for a novel class of low-dimensional systems with superior properties for applications in optoelectronics, [6] energy conversion, [7] and catalysis. [8] Among these, h-BN nanosheet has its peculiar and fascinating properties such as good electrical insulation, [9] high-temperature stability, [10] high mechanical strength, [11] large thermal conductivity, [12] low toxicity and chemical stability, [13] leading to a variety of potential applications as both structural and electronic materials. [14] With further reducing the size of the layered BN sheets to less than 10 nm, 0D BN quantum dots (BNQDs) with excellent fluorescence properties and good dispersibility can be endowed due to the quantum confinement, edge effects, and defect centers. [13][14][15] Combining with the intrinsic properties of BN, BNQDs were supposed to be promising agents in biological and optoelectronic applications. [15b] However, compared with the widely studied 2D BN nanosheet, [9][10][11]16] BNQDs were much less reported than expected. [13][14][15] First, further exploration is required for the preparation of desired BNQDs products. BNQDs were initially prepared via high intensity ultrasound and subsequent refluxing. [14a] Allwood et al. have also successfully fabricated monolayer BNQDs via three steps of potassium-intercalation, deintercalation, and disintegration of BN edges, but only low quantum yield (QY) of 2.5% was achieved. [15a] Recently, sonication-solvothermal strategy was found to be a facile and universal method for the generation of BNQDs with relatively high QY of 8.6% or 19.5%. [13,15b] Although the filling factor of the autoclave, synthesis temperature and reaction time in the solvothermal process have been investigated, [13] little attention has been paid to how different solvents affect the properties of the BNQDs, which is usually an important parameter to influence the optical properties and QYs of the zero-dimensional QDs. [17] Second, besides the most frequently studied PL properties, electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is also an interesting characteristic Exploration of novel optical features, generation mechanisms, and versatile applicability of boron nitride quantum dots (BNQDs) is still in nascent stage. Herein, BNQDs are prepared using liquid exfoliation-solvothermal treatment of bulk BN in three different solvents. The photoluminescence of BNQDs is blue in ethanol (or N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)) and green in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) under the same UV-irradiation, respectively.The quantum yields (QYs) and average lateral sizes of the BNQDs are 12.6% and 4.1 ± 0.2 nm, 16.4%, and 2.8 ± 0.3 nm, as well as 21.3% and 2.0 ± 0.2 nm in solvents of ethanol, DMF, NMP, respectively. The distinct sizes, QYs, and optical properties of the BNQDs are found to depend on the polarity of these solvents. Different BNQDs can be chosen on-demand for versatile...

As one of the most important parameters of the nanomotors’ motion, precise speed control of enzyme-based nanomotors is highly desirable in many bioapplications. However, owing to the stable physiological environment, it is still very difficult to in situ manipulate the motion of the enzyme-based nanomotors. Herein, inspired by the brakes on vehicles, the near-infrared (NIR) “optical brakes” are introduced in the glucose-driven enzyme-based mesoporous nanomotors to realize remote speed regulation for the first time. The novel nanomotors are rationally designed and fabricated based on the Janus mesoporous nanostructure, which consists of the SiO2@Au core@shell nanospheres and the enzymes-modified periodic mesoporous organosilicas (PMOs). The nanomotor can be driven by the biofuel of glucose under the catalysis of enzymes (glucose oxidase/catalase) on the PMO domain. Meanwhile, the Au nanoshell at the SiO2@Au domain enables the generation of the local thermal gradient under the NIR light irradiation, driving the nanomotor by thermophoresis. Taking advantage of the unique Janus nanostructure, the directions of the driving force induced by enzyme catalysis and the thermophoretic force induced by NIR photothermal effect are opposite. Therefore, with the NIR optical speed regulators, the glucose-driven nanomotors can achieve remote speed manipulation from 3.46 to 6.49 μm/s (9.9–18.5 body-length/s) at the fixed glucose concentration, even after covering with a biological tissue. As a proof of concept, the cellar uptake of the such mesoporous nanomotors can be remotely regulated (57.5–109 μg/mg), which offers great potential for designing smart active drug delivery systems based on the mesoporous frameworks of this novel nanomotor.

The explosive success of graphene opens a new era of ultrathin 2D materials. It has been realized that the van der Waals layered materials with atomic and less atomic thickness can not only exist stably, but also exhibit unique and technically useful properties including small size effect, surface effect, macro quantum tunnel effect, and quantum effect. With the extensive research and revealing of the basic optical properties and new photophysical properties of 2D materials, a series of potential applications in optical devices have been continuously demonstrated and realized, which immediately roused an upsurge of study in the academic circle. Therefore, the application of 2D materials as broadband, efficient, convenient, and versatile saturable absorbers in ultrafast lasers is a potential and promising field. Herein, the main preparation methods of 2D materials are reviewed and technical guidelines for identifying and characterizing layered 2D materials are provided. After investigating the characteristics of 2D materials thoroughly in nonlinear optics, their performances in fiber lasers are comprehensively summarized according to the types of materials. Finally, some developmental challenges, potential prospects, and future research directions are summarized and presented for such promising materials.