A unique hybrid nanostructure of ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets on CMK‐3 is designed and fabricated as an anode material for lithium‐ion batteries. With advantages of the nanosheets‐on‐channel architecture, the MoS2@CMK‐3 electrode is able to deliver a high discharge capacity of 934 mAh g−1 even after 150 cycles at a current density of 400 mA g−1.

One-dimensional hierarchical nanostructure of NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets@halloysite nanotubes was successfully prepared through a facile coprecipitation method followed by a thermal annealing treatment. The microstructure and chemical composition of NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets@halloysite nanotubes are investigated by SEM, TEM, HRTEM, XRD, and XPS. The specific capacitance of the unique NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets@ halloysite nanotubes is 1728 F g −1 at the end of 8600 cycles when the charge−discharge current density is 10 A g −1 , leading to only 5.26% capacity loss. Broadly, the as-obtained NiCo 2 O 4 nanosheets@halloysite nanotubes reveal ultrahigh capacitance and remarkable cycling stability in virtue of the ultrathin and hierarchical nanosheets and intense cation/anion exchange performance of halloysite.

MoS2 nanosheet@TiO2 nanotube hybrid nanostructures were successfully prepared by a facile two-step method: prefabrication of porous TiO2 nanotubes based on a sol-gel method template against polymeric nanotubes, and then assembly of MoS2 nanoclusters that consist of ultrathin nanosheets through a solvothermal process. These hybrid nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. When evaluated as an electrode material for lithium ion batteries, the results of the electrochemical test show that the unique MoS2 nanosheet@TiO2 nanotube hybrid nanostructures exhibit outstanding lithium storage performances with high specific capacity and excellent rate capability. The smart architecture of the MoS2 nanosheet@TiO2 nanotube hybrid nanostructures makes a prominent contribution to the excellent electrochemical performance.

A novel CdS/ZnO heterojunction constructed of zero-dimensional (0D) CdS quantum dots (QDs) and two-dimensional (2D) ZnO nanosheets (NSs) was rationally designed for the first time. The 2D ZnO NSs were assembled into ZnO microflowers (MFs) via an ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal procedure (100 °C, 12 h) in the presence of a NaOH solution (0.06 M), and CdS QDs were deposited on both sides of every ZnO NS in situ by using the successive ionic-layer absorption and reaction method. It was found that the ultrasonic treatment played an important role in the generation of ZnO NSs, while NaOH was responsible to the assembly of a flower-like structure. The obtained CdS/ZnO 0D/2D heterostructures exhibited remarkably enhanced photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution from water splitting in comparison with other CdS/ZnO heterostructures with different dimensional combinations such as 2D/2D, 0D/three-dimensional (3D), and 3D/0D. Among them, CdS/ZnO-12 (12 deposition cycles of CdS QDs) exhibited the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 22.12 mmol/g/h, which was 13 and 138 times higher than those of single CdS (1.68 mmol/g/h) and ZnO (0.16 mmol/g/h), respectively. The enhanced photocatalytic activity can be attributed to several positive factors, such as the formation of a Z-scheme photocatalytic system, the tiny size effect of 0D CdS QDs and 2D ZnO NSs, and the intimate contact between CdS QDs and ZnO NSs. The formation of a Z-scheme photocatalytic system remarkably promoted the separation and migration of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The tiny size effect effectively decreased the recombination probability of electrons and holes. The intimate contact between the two semiconductors efficiently reduced the migration resistance of photogenerated carriers. Furthermore, CdS/ZnO-12 also presented excellent stability for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution without any decay within five cycles in 25 h.

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The chemopreventive actions exerted by green tea are thought to be due to its major polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). However, the low level of stability and bioavailability in the body makes administering EGCG at chemopreventive doses unrealistic. We synthesized EGCG encapsulated chitosan-coated nanoliposomes (CSLIPO-EGCG), and observed their antiproliferative and proapoptotic effect in MCF7 breast cancer cells. CSLIPO-EGCG significantly enhanced EGCG stability, improved sustained release, increased intracellular EGCG content in MCF7 cells, induced apoptosis of MCF7 cells, and inhibited MCF7 cell proliferation compared to native EGCG and void CSLIPO. The CSLIPO-EGCG retained its antiproliferative and proapoptotic effectiveness at 10 μM or lower, at which native EGCG does not have any beneficial effects. This study portends a potential breakthrough in the prevention or even treatment of breast cancer by using biocompatible and biodegradable CSLIPO-EGCG with enhanced chemopreventive efficacy and minimized immunogenicity and side-effects.

Atherosclerosis is the key pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, which is a silent killer and a leading cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerosis starts with the adhesion of inflammatory monocytes on the activated endothelial cells in response to inflammatory stimuli. These monocytes can further migrate into the intimal layer of the blood vessel where they are differentiate into macrophages, which take up oxidized low-density lipoproteins and release inflammatory factors to amplify the local inflammatory response. After accumulation of cholesterol, the lipid-laden macrophages are transformed into foam cells, the hallmark of the early stage of atherosclerosis. Foam cells can die from apoptosis or necrosis, the intracellular lipid is deposed in the artery wall forming lesions. The angiogenesis for nurturing cells is enhanced during lesion development. Proteases released from macrophages, foam cells and other cells degrade the fibrous cap of the lesion, resulting in rupture of the lesion and subsequent thrombus formation. Thrombi can block blood circulation, which represents a major cause of acute heart events and stroke. There are generally no symptoms in the early stages of atherosclerosis. Current detection techniques cannot easily, safely and effectively detect the lesions in the early stages, nor can they characterize the lesion feature such as the vulnerability. While the available therapeutic modalities cannot target specific molecules, cells, and processes in the lesions, nanoparticles appear to have a promising potential in improving atherosclerosis detection and treatment via targeting the intimal macrophages, foam cells, endothelial cells, angiogenesis, proteolysis, apoptosis, and thrombosis. Indeed, many nanoparticles have been developed in improving blood lipid profile and decreasing inflammatory response for enhancing therapeutic efficacy of drugs and decreasing their side effects.

In this work, a novel porous nanoneedlelike MnO-FeO catalyst (MnO-FeO nanoneedles) was developed for the first time by rationally heat-treating metal-organic frameworks including MnFe precursor synthesized by hydrothermal method. A counterpart catalyst (MnO-FeO nanoparticles) without porous nanoneedle structure was also prepared by a similar procedure for comparison. The two catalysts were systematically characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction, ammonia temperature-programmed desorption, and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFT), and their catalytic activities were evaluated by selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH. The results showed that the rationally designed MnO-FeO nanoneedles presented outstanding low-temperature NH-SCR activity (100% NO conversion in a wide temperature window from 120 to 240 °C), high selectivity for N (nearly 100% N selectivity from 60 to 240 °C), and excellent water resistance and stability in comparison with the counterpart MnO-FeO nanoparticles. The reasons can be attributed not only to the unique porous nanoneedle structure but also to the uniform distribution of MnO and FeO. More importantly, the desired Mn/Mn and O/(O + O) ratios, as well as rich redox sites and abundant strong acid sites on the surface of the porous MnO-FeO nanoneedles, also contribute to these excellent performances. In situ DRIFT suggested that the NH-SCR of NO over MnO-FeO nanoneedles follows both Eley-Rideal and Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanisms.