Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-12DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202402237
Haewoon Seo, Ah Young Lee, Eun Hye Lee, Dong Won Kim, Hyo Jin Hwang, Sunghoon Kim, Jong H Kim, Sang-Wook Kim
{"title":"High-Performance PbSe Quantum Dots with Palmitoyl Chloride and Their Application to Short-Wavelength Infrared Photodetector Devices.","authors":"Haewoon Seo, Ah Young Lee, Eun Hye Lee, Dong Won Kim, Hyo Jin Hwang, Sunghoon Kim, Jong H Kim, Sang-Wook Kim","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202402237","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202402237","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Quantum dots (QDs), particularly those in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) range, have garnered significant attention for their unique optical and electrical properties resulting from 3D quantum confinement. Among the various chalcogenide-based QDs, lead chalcogenides, such as PbS and PbSe, are extensively studied for infrared photodetection applications. While PbSe QDs offer advantages over PbS, including a narrower bandgap and higher carrier mobility, they suffer from stability issues due to surface oxidation and particle aggregation. Conventional synthesis methods require additional post-synthesis treatments for surface passivation with halides, which complicates the process. In this work, a novel synthesis approach that incorporates palmitoyl chloride (PalCl) into the traditional PbSe QD synthesis is introduced, effectively passivating the surface with Cl<sup>-</sup> ions during the synthesis process. This method not only enhances the optical performance by producing a sharp exciton peak and allowing precise tuning of the absorption spectrum from 1100 to 1900 nm but also significantly improves the stability of the QDs in solution. The resulting QDs are successfully integrated into SWIR photodetectors (PDs), demonstrating exceptional specific detectivity of 1.08 × 10<sup>12</sup> Jones at 1460 nm. This achievement draws great potential of the proposed synthetic method for advancing infrared optoelectronic devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2402237"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143603065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Double-Angling-Subspace Enabled Laser-Induced Fluorescence Method for Determining the Types and Mass Ratio of Marine Microplastics.","authors":"Xiongfei Meng, Yongxin Song, Shimeng Chen, Dongqing Li, Lanjun Sun, Yuehong Gong","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202401587","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202401587","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Currently, the laser-induced fluorescence method faces challenges in reliably determining the types and mass ratios of marine microplastics due to overlapped fluorescence spectra of different microplastics. To address this issue, this paper proposes a double-angling-subspace (DAS) method to differentiate the overlapped fluorescence spectra. The key idea is to span subspaces with vectors converted by known fluorescence spectra, followed by calculating the angle between vectors and subspaces. Specifically, it is found that the angle between the vectors converted from fluorescence spectra of unknown microplastics and their projections on the subspaces, as well as the angle between these vectors and the vectors spanning the subspaces, is indicative of microplastic types. The vector of an unknown microplastic belongs to the subspace spanned by the vectors converted by the known microplastics, and the mass ratios of unknown samples can be determined by analyzing the linear correlation between the vectors of both unknown and known microplastics. The reliability of the proposed DAS method is validated with real marine microplastic samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2401587"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595935","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202401952
Roberto Maria-Hormigos, Carmen C Mayorga-Martinez, Jeonghyo Kim, Martin Pumera
{"title":"High-throughput Photoactive Magnetic Microrobots for Food Quality Control.","authors":"Roberto Maria-Hormigos, Carmen C Mayorga-Martinez, Jeonghyo Kim, Martin Pumera","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202401952","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202401952","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ensuring food quality and safety according to stringent global standards requires analytical procedures that are accurate, cost-effective, and efficient. This present innovative high-throughput microrobots designed for the detection of antioxidants in food samples. These microrobots consist of photocatalytic bismuth subcarbonate anchored on silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles. Upon exposure to UV light, they generate reactive oxygen species via photocatalysis, which oxidize the colorless dye into a green-colored radical cation. The presence of antioxidants inhibits this reaction, allowing for the quantification of antioxidant activity. The magnetic Fe₃O₄/SiO₂ core enables steering of the microrobots using a transverse rotating magnetic field, facilitating automated assays on a custom-designed 3D-printed sensing platform. This results demonstrate that these magneto-photocatalytic microrobots can perform automated, high-throughput assessments of food quality, representing a significant advancement in food analysis technology.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2401952"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202402082
Ruopian Fang, Ke Chen, Zhenhua Sun, Da-Wei Wang, Feng Li
{"title":"Harnessing Lithiophilic Hetero-Interfacial Chemistry for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries with Low Negative/Positive Capacity Ratios.","authors":"Ruopian Fang, Ke Chen, Zhenhua Sun, Da-Wei Wang, Feng Li","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202402082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202402082","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lithium (Li) metal batteries hold great promise for next-generation energy storage due to their high energy density. However, their application is hindered by uncontrollable Li plating/stripping, leading to limited cycle life, especially under practical conditions with a low negative/positive (N/P) capacity ratio. Here, it is demonstrated that stable cycling of low N/P ratio Li metal batteries can be realized by harnessing hetero-interfacial redox chemistry to regulate Li nucleation and deposition behavior. It is shown that replacing pure Li metal with intercalated Li in graphite facilitates the formation of an increasingly lithiophilic heterointerface upon discharge, which homogenizes Li deposition during subsequent charge, resulting in highly reversible Li plating/stripping with minimal active Li loss under lean Li conditions. This enables Li metal cells with a Li/graphite hybrid anode to demonstrate remarkable improvements in cycling life, even with an N/P ratio as low as 0.4, compared to those with a pure Li metal anode. This strategy provides new insights into the role of hetero-interfacial chemistry in constructing highly reversible composite anodes for high-energy and long-cycling Li metal batteries.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2402082"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-11DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202402249
Yanlei Zhan, Zhichao Chang, Chang Liu, Ziyu Zhang, Runtong Zhang, Yi Lu, Jianping Qi, Wei Wu, Haisheng He
{"title":"Tracking In Vivo Lipolysis of Lipid Nanocarriers Using NIR-II Polarity-Sensitive Fluorescent Probes.","authors":"Yanlei Zhan, Zhichao Chang, Chang Liu, Ziyu Zhang, Runtong Zhang, Yi Lu, Jianping Qi, Wei Wu, Haisheng He","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202402249","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202402249","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Elucidating in vivo lipolysis is crucial for clarifying the underlying mechanisms and in vivo fates of lipid-based nanocarriers, which are essential oral drug delivery carriers. Current mainstream methodologies use various in vitro digestion models to predict the in vivo performance of lipid formulations; however, their accuracy is often impeded by the complicated environment of the gastrointestinal tract. Although fluorescence labeling with conventional probes partly reveals the in vivo translocation of lipid nanocarriers, it fails to elucidate the lipolysis process because of poor signal discrimination among nanocarriers, free probes, and mixed micelles (lipolysis end-products). Here, a polarity-sensitive probe (PN-C18) with aggregation-caused quenching properties for labeling lipid nanocarriers is developed and optimized. PN-C18 successfully eliminates interference from both free probes and mixed micelles during lipolysis. In a representative in vitro lipolysis model, PN-C18 labeling shows stronger correlation between fluorescence intensity and lipolysis progression than those of previous methods. In vivo, the translocation and lipolysis of lipid nanoparticles are clearly visualized and effectively monitored, owing to the high tissue-penetrating capability of PN-C18 NIR-II photons. This study provides practical means for elucidating the in vivo fate of lipid-based drug delivery systems and offers valuable insights and reference for further studies in this domain.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2402249"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143595944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-10DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202402231
Liuna Luo, Bing Sun, Dong Wang
{"title":"Controllable Interfacial Growth of 2D Covalent Organic Framework Films for Organic Electronic Applications.","authors":"Liuna Luo, Bing Sun, Dong Wang","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202402231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202402231","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) are crystalline porous materials with predesignable topologies, periodic structures, and tunable functionalities constructed from molecular building blocks through covalent bonds. Their modular design allows for the integration of various functionalities, making 2D COFs highly suitable for optoelectronic applications. 2D COF films have emerged to integrate 2D COFs into optoelectronic devices, avoiding the low dispersibility and poor processability of powder COF materials. Interfacial polymerization is a blooming method to fabricate 2D COF films at the liquid-solid, liquid-liquid, water-air, and solid-gas interfaces. Obtaining high-quality 2D COF films is key to exploring their performance in organic electronics. This review first discussed the synthetic strategies for constructing highly crystalline and oriented 2D COF films by interfacial polymerization, including general nucleation-growth process, field-induced assembly and nucleation-growth, and other methods. The applications of 2D COF films in organic electronic devices are reviewed, including photodetectors, organic transistors, electrochromic devices, resistive memory, and neuromorphic devices. Finally, the challenges and perspectives in synthesizing of 2D COF films and their applications are outlined.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2402231"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584147","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhancing the Dispersibility and Stability of Graphene in Water Using Porphyrin-Based Compounds.","authors":"Katerina Anagnostou, Evangelos Sotiropoulos, Nikolaos Tzoganakis, Christos Polyzoidis, Konstantinos Rogdakis, Anna Katsari, Katerina Achilleos, Evitina Triantafyllou, Georgios Landrou, Emmanouil Nikoloudakis, Georgios Charalambidis, Athanassios G Coutsolelos, Emmanuel Kymakis","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202401431","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202401431","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although graphene's superior electrical, optoelectronic, thermal, and mechanical properties have been evident for 20 years now, its poor water dispersibility has hindered its incorporation in many types of applications and technologies. Strong examples of this are biomedical and environmental applications and devices that require non-toxic, biocompatible media and not toxic organic solvents like N-N'-Dimethylformamide, in which graphene is readily dispersible. In this work, we investigate a new way to prepare high-concentration and stable graphene dispersions in water by employing porphyrin-based compounds as stabilisers. To this end, electrochemically exfoliated graphene (EEG) and assess the potential of five porphyrins and metalloporphyrins are prepared to disperse EEG in water successfully. The dispersibility and stability of EEG in each porphyrin aqueous solution are evaluated by recording their UV-vis absorption spectra. Two of the synthesised compounds, namely sodium salt of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrin or TCPP and sodium salt of [5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)-porphyrinato]tin(IV) or Sn-TCPP , are successful in stably dispersing EEG in water. The intermolecular interaction between the EEG flakes and [H<sub>2</sub>TCPP]Na<sub>4</sub> and [Sn(OH)<sub>2</sub>TCPP]Na<sub>4</sub> molecules are investigated via fluorescence emission spectroscopy. Finally, solid thin films of the EEG(TCPP) and EEG(Sn-TCPP) dispersions are prepared via spray-coating, and their optoelectronic properties and surface morphology are investigated.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2401431"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-09DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202500136
Jing Yang, Emily Hearty, Yingli Wang, Deepthi S Vijayraghavan, Timothy Walter, Sommer Anjum, Carsten Stuckenholz, Ya-Wen Cheng, Sahana Balasubramanian, Yicheng Dong, Adam V Kwiatkowski, Lance A Davidson
{"title":"The TissueTractor: A Device for Applying Large Strains to Tissues and Cells for Simultaneous High-Resolution Live Cell Microscopy.","authors":"Jing Yang, Emily Hearty, Yingli Wang, Deepthi S Vijayraghavan, Timothy Walter, Sommer Anjum, Carsten Stuckenholz, Ya-Wen Cheng, Sahana Balasubramanian, Yicheng Dong, Adam V Kwiatkowski, Lance A Davidson","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202500136","DOIUrl":"10.1002/smtd.202500136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanical strain substantially influences tissue shape and function in various contexts from embryonic development to disease progression. Disruptions in these processes can result in congenital abnormalities and short-circuit mechanotransduction pathways. Manipulating strain in live tissues is crucial for understanding its impact on cellular and subcellular activities, unraveling the interplay between mechanics and cells. Existing tools, such as optogenetic modulation of strain, are limited to small strains over limited distances and durations. Here, a high-strain stretcher system, the TissueTractor, is introduced to enable simultaneous high-resolution spatiotemporal imaging of live cells and tissues under strain applications varying from 0% to over 100%. We use the system with organotypic explants from Xenopus laevis embryos, where applied tension reveals cellular strain heterogeneity and remodeling of intracellular keratin filaments. To highlight the device's adaptability, the TissueTractor is also used to study two other mechanically sensitive cell types with distinct physiological roles: human umbilical vein endothelial cells and mouse neonatal cardiomyocytes, revealing cell morphological changes under significant strain. The results underscore the potential of the TissueTractor for investigating mechanical cues that regulate tissue dynamics and morphogenesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2500136"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Large-Scale, Reliable Fabrication of Indium Oxide Nanowire Transistors on Paper Using a Combination of High Throughput Solution Processing Techniques.","authors":"Mohammed Hadhi Pazhaya Puthanveettil, Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan, Sandeep Kumar Mondal, Subho Dasgupta","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202500235","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202500235","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The growing demand for electronic gadgets generates a large volume of electronic waste, resulting in significant environmental risks and health hazards. Therefore, it is essential to promote the use of recyclable materials for a sustainable future. Typically, the substrate of an electronic component comprises most of its material weight. Therefore, the use of biocompatible cellulose/paper as the substrate can be a game-changer for high-volume wearable and consumer electronics. However, papers limit the process temperature of thin film transistors (TFTs) to ≤100 °C; consequently, the only possible solution-based approach would be the use of high-quality, pre-synthesized semiconductor materials, such as oxide nanowires. However, the nanowires are difficult to process/ align using high throughput and scalable techniques. In this regard, it is shown that a combination of solution-processing methods can enable the fabrication of high-performance, large-scale indium oxide nanowire TFTs on paper, where the nanowires are dielectrophoretically-aligned, and electrolytic insulator and gate electrodes are inkjet-printed. The solution-processed TFTs demonstrate excellent device performance, an On/Off ratio >10<sup>7</sup>, an average linear mobility as high as 42 cm<sup>2</sup> V<sup>-1</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>, low device-to-device variability, extreme tensile strain tolerance of 10%, and excellent environmental stability. Furthermore, the depletion-load type pseudo-CMOS inverters demonstrate a low dynamic power consumption of 35 nW.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2500235"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584166","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Small MethodsPub Date : 2025-03-09DOI: 10.1002/smtd.202401145
Qishi Dong, Yi Yang, Ziye Luo, Haipeng Shen, Xingjie Shi, Jin Liu
{"title":"Robust Spatial Cell-Type Deconvolution with Qualitative Reference for Spatial Transcriptomics.","authors":"Qishi Dong, Yi Yang, Ziye Luo, Haipeng Shen, Xingjie Shi, Jin Liu","doi":"10.1002/smtd.202401145","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/smtd.202401145","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Many spatially resolved transcriptomic technologies have been developed to provide gene expression profiles for spots that may contain heterogeneous mixtures of cells. To decompose cellular composition and expression levels, various deconvolution methods have been developed using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data with known cell-type labels as a reference. However, in the absence of a reliable reference dataset or in the presence of heterogeneous batch effects, these methods may introduce bias. Here, a Qualitative-Reference-based Spatially-Informed Deconvolution method (QR-SIDE) is developed for multi-cellular spatial transcriptomic data. Uniquely, QR-SIDE provides a detailed map of spatial heterogeneity for individual marker genes and performs robust deconvolution by adaptively adjusting the contributions of each marker gene. Simultaneously, QR-SIDE unifies cell-type deconvolution with spatial clustering and incorporates spatial information via a Potts model to promote spatial continuity. The identified spatial domains represent a meaningful biological effect in potential tissue segments. Using simulated data and three real spatial transcriptomic datasets from the 10x Visium and ST platforms, QR-SIDE demonstrates improved accuracy and robustness in cell-type deconvolution and its superiority over established methods in recognizing and delineating spatial structures within a given context. These results can facilitate a range of downstream analyses and provide a refined understanding of cellular heterogeneity.</p>","PeriodicalId":229,"journal":{"name":"Small Methods","volume":" ","pages":"e2401145"},"PeriodicalIF":10.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143584235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}