{"title":"Semiconductor photocatalytic antibacterial materials and their application for bone infection treatment","authors":"Ruizhong He, Yulong Gu, Jiye Jia, Feng Yang, Ping Wu, Pei Feng and Cijun Shuai","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00542B","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00542B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Bacterial infection in bone tissue engineering is a severe clinical issue. Traditional antimicrobial methods usually cause problems such as bacterial resistance and biosecurity. Employing semiconductor photocatalytic antibacterial materials is a more controlled and safer strategy, wherein semiconductor photocatalytic materials generate reactive oxygen species under illumination for killing bacteria by destroying their cell membranes, proteins, DNA, <em>etc.</em> In this review, P-type and N-type semiconductor photocatalytic materials and their antibacterial mechanisms are introduced. Type II heterojunctions, P–N heterojunctions, type Z heterojunctions and Schottky junctions have been reported to reduce the recombination of carriers, while element doping, sensitization and up-conversion luminescence expand the photoresponse range. Furthermore, the applications of semiconductor photocatalytic antibacterial materials in bone infection treatment such as osteomyelitis treatment, bone defect repair and dental tissue regeneration are summarized. Finally, the conclusion and future prospects of semiconductor photocatalytic antibacterial materials in bone tissue engineering were analyzed.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 4","pages":" 681-698"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143027560","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":"Enhanced upconversion and photoconductive nanocomposites of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles functionalized with low-vibrational-energy inorganic ligands†","authors":"Jia-Ahn Pan, Xiao Qi and Emory M. Chan","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00555D","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00555D","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) convert near-infrared (IR) light into higher-energy visible light, allowing them to be used in applications such as biological imaging, nano-thermometry, and photodetection. It is well known that the upconversion luminescent efficiency of UCNPs can be enhanced by using a host material with low phonon energies, but the use of low-vibrational-energy inorganic ligands and non-epitaxial shells has been relatively underexplored. Here, we investigate the functionalization of lanthanide-doped NaYF<small><sub>4</sub></small> UCNPs with low-vibrational-energy Sn<small><sub>2</sub></small>S<small><sub>6</sub></small><small><sup>4−</sup></small> ligands. Raman spectroscopy and elemental mapping are employed to confirm the binding of Sn<small><sub>2</sub></small>S<small><sub>6</sub></small><small><sup>4−</sup></small> ligands to UCNPs. This binding enhances upconversion efficiencies up to a factor of 16, consistent with an increase in the luminescent lifetimes of the lanthanide ions. Annealing Sn<small><sub>2</sub></small>S<small><sub>6</sub></small><small><sup>4−</sup></small>-capped UCNPs results in the formation of a nanocomposite comprised of UCNPs embedded within an interconnected matrix of SnS<small><sub>2</sub></small>, enabling each UCNP to be electrically accessible through the semiconducting SnS<small><sub>2</sub></small> matrix. This facilitates the integration of UCNPs into electronic devices, which we demonstrate through the fabrication of a UCNP–SnS<small><sub>2</sub></small> photodetector that detects UV and near-IR light. Our findings show the promise of using inorganic capping agents to enhance the properties of UCNPs while facilitating their integration into optoelectronic devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 596-604"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142977021","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}
Guozhen Zhu, Xinsong Xu, Yiyao Zhang, Jiale Lian, Yuhan Li, Zhen Yang and Renchao Che
{"title":"Effects of porous hedgehog-like morphology and graphene oxide on the cycling stability and rate performance of Co3O4/NiO microspheres†","authors":"Guozhen Zhu, Xinsong Xu, Yiyao Zhang, Jiale Lian, Yuhan Li, Zhen Yang and Renchao Che","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00504J","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00504J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >A porous hedgehog-like Co<small><sub>3</sub></small>O<small><sub>4</sub></small>/NiO/graphene oxide (denoted as PHCNO/GO) microsphere was prepared by a facile solvothermal method, followed by an annealing treatment under argon atmosphere. Benefiting from the thin Co<small><sub>3</sub></small>O<small><sub>4</sub></small>/NiO nanosheets with a large specific surface area, abundant pores distributed between the Co<small><sub>3</sub></small>O<small><sub>4</sub></small>/NiO nanosheets, and GO firmly wrapped around the surface of PHCNO microspheres, the PHCNO/GO microspheres showed excellent lithium storage performance. The Co<small><sub>3</sub></small>O<small><sub>4</sub></small>/NiO nanosheets provided numerous active sites, achieving a high reversible specific capacity. The pores distributed between the Co<small><sub>3</sub></small>O<small><sub>4</sub></small>/NiO nanosheets created numerous diffusion pathways for lithium ions and relieved stress from the charging/discharging process. Meanwhile, GO supported the PHCNO microspheres, enhancing their cycling stability. A high reversible specific capacity of 383.9 mA h g<small><sup>−1</sup></small> was maintained after 1000 cycles at 3000 mA g<small><sup>−1</sup></small>. In addition, GO improved the conductivity of PHCNO microspheres and then achieved a good rate performance; a high reversible specific capacity of 526.7 mA h g<small><sup>−1</sup></small> was obtained at 5000 mA g<small><sup>−1</sup></small>. This work provided a reference for synthesizing high-performance lithium-ion battery anode materials.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 628-634"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143045058","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":"Biocomposites of 2D layered materials","authors":"Mert Vural and Melik C. Demirel","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00530A","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00530A","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Molecular composites, such as bone and nacre, are everywhere in nature and play crucial roles, ranging from self-defense to carbon sequestration. Extensive research has been conducted on constructing inorganic layered materials at an atomic level inspired by natural composites. These layered materials exfoliated to 2D crystals are an emerging family of nanomaterials with extraordinary properties. These biocomposites are great for modulating electron, photon, and phonon transport in nanoelectronics and photonic devices but are challenging to translate into bulk materials. Combining 2D crystals with biomolecules enables various 2D nanocomposites with novel characteristics. This review has provided an overview of the latest biocomposites, including their structure, composition, and characterization. Layered biocomposites have the potential to improve the performance of many devices. For example, biocomposites use macromolecules to control the organization of 2D crystals, allowing for new capabilities such as flexible electronics and energy storage. Other applications of 2D biocomposites include biomedical imaging, tissue engineering, chemical and biological sensing, gas and liquid filtration, and soft robotics. However, some fundamental questions need to be answered, such as self-assembly and kinetically limited states of organic–inorganic phases in soft matter physics.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 4","pages":" 664-680"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/nh/d4nh00530a?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142996489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nanoparticle assembly with customisable fluorescence properties and excellent biocompatibility†","authors":"Ignacio Insua","doi":"10.1039/D4NH90084G","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH90084G","url":null,"abstract":"<p >This article highlights the recent work by Wang, Qi, <em>et al.</em> (<em>Nanoscale Horiz.</em>, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1039/D4NH00400K) on the full-color peptide-based fluorescent nanomaterials assembled under the control of amino acid doping.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 421-422"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142941644","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}
Wen Ai, Xiaohui Hu, Tao Xu, Jian Yang and Litao Sun
{"title":"Dipole-induced transitions from Schottky to Ohmic contact at Janus MoSiGeN4/metal interfaces†","authors":"Wen Ai, Xiaohui Hu, Tao Xu, Jian Yang and Litao Sun","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00493K","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00493K","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Janus MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> monolayers exhibit exceptional mechanical stability and high electron mobility, which make them a promising channel candidate for field-effect transistors (FETs). However, the high Schottky barrier at the contact interface would limit the carrier injection efficiency and degrade device performance. Herein, using density functional theory calculations and machine learning methods, we investigated the interfacial properties of the Janus MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> monolayer and metal electrode contacts. The results demonstrated that the n-type/p-type Schottky and n-type Ohmic contacts can be realized in metal/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> by changing the built-in electric dipole orientation of MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small>. Specifically, the contact type of Cu/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> (Au/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small>) transfers from an n-type Schottky (p-type Schottky) contact to an n-type Ohmic (n-type Schottky) contact when the contact side of MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> switches from Si–N to Ge–N. In addition, the Fermi level pinning (FLP) effect of metal/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> with the Si–N side is weaker than that of metal/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> with the Ge–N side due to the effect of intrinsic dipole and interface dipole. Notably, a simplified mathematical expression Δ<em>V</em>/<em>W</em><small><sub>M</sub></small> is developed to describe the Schottky barrier height at metal/MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small> interfaces using the machine learning method. These findings offer valuable guidance for the design and development of high-performance Janus MoSiGeN<small><sub>4</sub></small>-based electronic devices.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 635-646"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142982186","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}
Linqing Liao, Wangyan Gou, Mingkai Zhang, Xiaohe Tan, Zening Qi, Min Xie, Yuanyuan Ma and Yongquan Qu
{"title":"Spillover of active oxygen intermediates of binary RuO2/Nb2O5 nanowires for highly active and robust acidic oxygen evolution†","authors":"Linqing Liao, Wangyan Gou, Mingkai Zhang, Xiaohe Tan, Zening Qi, Min Xie, Yuanyuan Ma and Yongquan Qu","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00437J","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00437J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Over-oxidation of surface ruthenium active sites of RuO<small><sub><em>x</em></sub></small>-based electrocatalysts leads to the formation of soluble high-valent Ru species and subsequent structural collapse of electrocatalysts, which results in their low stability for the acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Herein, a binary RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small>/Nb<small><sub>2</sub></small>O<small><sub>5</sub></small> electrocatalyst with abundant and intimate interfaces has been rationally designed and synthesized to enhance its OER activity in acidic electrolyte, delivering a low overpotential of 179 mV at 10 mA cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small>, a small Tafel slope of 73 mV dec<small><sup>−1</sup></small>, and a stabilized catalytic durability over a period of 750 h. Extensive experiments have demonstrated that the spillover of active oxygen intermediates from RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> to Nb<small><sub>2</sub></small>O<small><sub>5</sub></small> and the subsequent participation of lattice oxygen of Nb<small><sub>2</sub></small>O<small><sub>5</sub></small> instead of RuO<small><sub>2</sub></small> for the acidic OER suppressed the over-oxidation of surface ruthenium species and thereby improved the catalytic stability of the binary electrocatalysts.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 586-595"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142968778","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}
Abdallah Kamal, Baosong Li, Abdullah Solayman, Shaohong Luo, Ian Kinloch, Lianxi Zheng and Kin Liao
{"title":"Mechanical properties of two-dimensional material-based thin films: a comprehensive review","authors":"Abdallah Kamal, Baosong Li, Abdullah Solayman, Shaohong Luo, Ian Kinloch, Lianxi Zheng and Kin Liao","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00425F","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00425F","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Two-dimensional (2D) materials are materials with a thickness of one or a few atoms with intriguing electrical, chemical, optical, electrochemical, and mechanical properties. Therefore, they are deemed candidates for ubiquitous engineering applications. Films and three-dimensional (3D) structures made from 2D materials introduce a distinct assembly structure that imparts the inherent properties of pristine 2D materials on a macroscopic scale. Acquiring the adequate strength and toughness of 2D material structures is of great interest due to their high demand for numerous industrial applications. This work presents a comprehensive review of the mechanical properties and deformation behavior of robust films composed of 2D materials that help them to attain other extraordinary properties. Moreover, the various key factors affecting the mechanical performance of such thin films, such as the lateral size of nanoflakes, fabrication technique of the film, thickness of the film, post-processing, and strain rate, are elucidated.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 512-536"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/nh/d4nh00425f?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142875536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Matchbox Janus membrane fog collector with highly efficient directional transport†","authors":"Feifeng Hu, Huayang Zhang, Guangyi Tian, Shangzhen Xie and Zhiguang Guo","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00458B","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00458B","url":null,"abstract":"<p >Coordinating the droplet capture, transport, and shedding processes during fog collection to achieve efficient fog collection is a major challenge. In this study, a copper mesh with different wettability was prepared by chemical etching and thiol modification. The Cu(OH)<small><sub>2</sub></small> needle structure on the surface of the samples was characterized by FE-SEM and EDS tests, and the surface of the samples was chemically analyzed by infrared and XPS analyses. A Janus membrane matchbox fog collector was thus designed and assembled with directional transport properties. While achieving directional transport of fog droplets on a grid, the fog capture efficiency was also improved. We built a fog collection test rig in the laboratory and tested the samples at a fog flow rate of 0.8 m s<small><sup>−1</sup></small>, and the highest fog collection efficiency reached 6.9 g h<small><sup>−1</sup></small> cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small>, enabling a long-term and efficient fog collection process even in dynamically changing fog environments. This study demonstrates a wide range of applications to achieve green, low-cost, and efficient fog collection strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 576-585"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142913304","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}
Jeremy B. Essner, Abhijit Bera, Maharram Jabrayilov, Abhishek Chaudhari, Benjamin T. Diroll, Julia V. Zaikina and Matthew G. Panthani
{"title":"Elucidating the role of oxidation in two-dimensional silicon nanosheets†","authors":"Jeremy B. Essner, Abhijit Bera, Maharram Jabrayilov, Abhishek Chaudhari, Benjamin T. Diroll, Julia V. Zaikina and Matthew G. Panthani","doi":"10.1039/D4NH00387J","DOIUrl":"10.1039/D4NH00387J","url":null,"abstract":"<p >We report a synthetic protocol that yields hydrogen-terminated 2D silicon nanosheets with greatly reduced siloxane (<em>e.g.</em>, Si–O–Si, O<small><sub><em>x</em></sub></small>Si) content. These nanosheets displayed weak, broad photoluminescence centered near 610 nm with a low absolute photoluminescence quantum yield (as low as 0.2%). By intentionally oxidizing the nanosheets, the photoluminescence peak emission wavelength blueshifted to 510 nm, and the quantum yield increased by more than an order of magnitude to 8.5%. These results demonstrate that oxidation of 2D silicon nanosheets modulates the material's bandgap and suggests that previously reported photoluminescence properties for this material resulted, in part, from oxidation.</p>","PeriodicalId":93,"journal":{"name":"Nanoscale Horizons","volume":" 3","pages":" 605-615"},"PeriodicalIF":8.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2025/nh/d4nh00387j?page=search","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142996495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}