In this paper, we report on the simple, reliable synthesis of polypyrrole (PPy)/graphene oxide (GO) composite nanosheets by using sacrificial-template polymerization method. Herein, MnO2 nanoslices were chosen as a sacrificial-template to deposit PPy, which served as the oxidant as well. During the polymerization of pyrrole on surface of GO nanosheets, MnO2 component was consumed incessantly. As a result, the PPy growing on the surface of GO nanosheets has the morphology just like the MnO2 nanoslices. This method can provide the fabrication of PPy nanostructures more easily than conventional route due to its independence of removing template, which usually is a complex and tedious experimental process. The as-prepared PPy/GO composite nanosheets exhibited an enhanced properties for Cr(VI) ions removal in aqueous solution based on the synergy effect. The adsorption capacity of the PPy/GO composite nanosheets is about two times as large as that of conventional PPy nanoparticles. We believe that our findings can open a new and effective avenue to improve the adsorption performance in removing heavy metal ions from waste water.

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Plasma-catalytic CO 2 hydrogenation for methanol production is gaining increasing interest, but our understanding of its reaction mechanism remains primitive. We present a combined experimental/computational study on plasma-catalytic CO 2 hydrogenation to CH 3 OH over a size-selected Cu/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst. Our experiments demonstrate a synergistic effect between the Cu/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalyst and the CO 2 /H 2 plasma, achieving a CO 2 conversion of 10% at 4 wt % Cu loading and a CH 3 OH selectivity near 50%, further rising to 65% with H 2 O addition (for a H 2 O/CO 2 ratio of 1). Furthermore, the energy consumption for CH 3 OH production was more than 20 times lower than with plasma only. We carried out density functional theory calculations over a Cu 13 /γ-Al 2 O 3 model, which reveal that the interfacial sites of the Cu 13 cluster and γ-Al 2 O 3 support show a bifunctional effect: they do not only activate the CO 2 molecules but also strongly adsorb key intermediates to promote their hydrogenation further. Reactive plasma species can regulate the catalyst surface reactions via the Eley−Rideal (E−R) mechanism, which accelerates the hydrogenation process and promotes the generation of the key intermediates. H 2 O can promote the CH 3 OH desorption by competitive adsorption over the Cu 13 /γ-Al 2 O 3 surface. This study provides new insights into CO 2 hydrogenation through plasma catalysis, and it provides inspiration for the conversion of some other small molecules (CH 4 , N 2 , CO, etc.) by plasma catalysis using supported-metal clusters.

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Automated microfluidic reaction parameter scanning reveals optimal conditions for bright and narrow emission from cesium lead bromide nanocrystals.

The recent discovery of magnetic two-dimensional (2D) crystals offers a platform to study the spin-related phenomena in van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Here, we investigate the anomalous Hall effect in the bilayer all-vdW heterostructure of Fe3GeTe2 (FGT)/WTe2. In such devices, the coercivity of thin-FGT flakes can be effectively modulated by the current, which is mainly attributed to the Joule heating effect generated at the interface of the FGT/WTe2 bilayer because of the low interfacial thermal conductance. The gradient ΔHc/ΔJFGT is as large as 0.55 kOe MA−1 cm2 at 10 K. Our work provides great guidance for the design of next generation spintronic devices based on atomically thin van der Waals heterostructures.

BackgroundLung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors and the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. As a component of the nuclear division cycle 80 complex, NUF2 is a part of the conserved protein complex related to the centromere. Although the high expression of NUF2 has been reported in many different types of human cancers, the multi-omics analysis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of NUF2 remains to be elucidated.MethodsIn this analysis, NUF2 expression difference analysis in non-small cell lung cancer was evaluated by Oncomine, TIMER, GEO, and TCGA database. And the prognosis analysis of NUF2 based on Kaplan-Meier was performed. R language was used to analyze the differential expression genes, functional annotation and protein-protein interaction (PPI). GSEA analysis of differential expression genes was also carried out. Mechanism analysis about exploring the characteristic of NUF2, multi-omics, and correlation analysis was carried out using UALCAN, cBioportal, GEPIA, TIMER, and TISIDB, respectively.ResultsThe expression of NUF2 in NSCLC, both lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous lung cancer (LUSC), was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. The analysis of UALCAN database samples proved that NUF2 expression was connected with stage and smoking habits. Meanwhile, the overall survival curve also validated that high expression of NUF2 has a poorer prognosis in NSCLC. GO, KEGG, GSEA, subcellular location from COMPARTMENTS indicated that NUF2 may regulate the cell cycle. Correlation analysis also showed that NUF2 was mainly positively associated with cell cycle and tumor-related genes. NUF2 altered group had a poorer prognosis than unaltered group in NSCLC. Immune infiltration analysis showed that the NUF2 expression mainly have negatively correlation with immune cells and immune subtypes in LUAD and LUSC. Furthermore, quantitative PCR was used to validate the expression difference of NUF2 in LUAD and LUSC.ConclusionOur findings elucidated that NUF2 may play an important role in cell cycle, and significantly associated with tumor-related gene in NSCLC; we consider that NUF2 may be a prognostic biomarkers in NSCLC.

A rapid, highly sensitive, and quantitative colorimetric paper‐based analytical device (PAD) based on silver nanoplates (AgNPls) and loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is presented. It is shown that cauliflower‐like concatemer LAMP products can mediate crystal etching of AgNPls, with a threefold signal enhancement versus linear dsDNA. Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antimicrobial resistant bacterium that poses a formidable risk with persistently high mortality, is used as a model pathogen. Due to the excellent color contrast provided by AgNPls, the PAD allows qualitative analysis by the naked eye and quantitative analysis using a smartphone camera, with detection limits down to a single copy in just 30 min, and a linear response from 1 to 104 copies (R2 = 0.994). The entire assay runs in situ on the paper surface, which drastically simplifies operation of the device. This is the first demonstration of single copy detection using a colorimetric readout, and the developed PAD shows great promise for translation into an ultrasensitive gene‐based point‐of‐care test for any infectious disease target, via modification of the LAMP primer set.