A new lithographic editing system with an ability to erase and rectify errors in microscale with real-time optical feedback is demonstrated. The erasing probe is a conically shaped hydrogel (tip size, ca. 500 nm) template-synthesized from track-etched conical glass wafers. The "nanosponge" hydrogel probe "erases" patterns by hydrating and absorbing molecules into a porous hydrogel matrix via di...

Understanding the photoexcitation processes in semiconductors is critical for the design of advanced photocatalytic materials. Nevertheless, traditional viewpoints focus on photogenerated free charge carriers, which are somehow invalid once the many-body effects are taken into account, especially for polymeric photocatalysts. Here we systematically investigate the photoexcitation processes invo...

A novel approach has been adopted for synthesizing composite polymer electrolytes with a blend of atactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (a-PMMA) and isotactic PMMA (i-PMMA) owing to their ability to form stereocomplex structures, especially double helix like structures. Nanocomposite polymeric electrolytes based on gel polymeric electrolyte (GPE) consisting of stereocomplex PMMA, propylene carbonat...

Biodegradable polymeric materials are the most common carriers for use in drug delivery systems. With this trend, newer drug delivery systems using targeted and controlled release polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) are being developed to manipulate their navigation in complex in vivo environment. However, a clear understanding of the interactions between biological systems and these nanoparticulates...

The 17-juxtamembrane cytoplasmic residues of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor contain an autonomous basolateral targeting signal that does not mediate rapid endocytosis (Casanova, J. E., G. Apodaca, and K. E. Mostov. Cell. 66:65-75). Alanine-scanning mutagenesis identifies three residues in this region, His656, Arg657, and Val660, that are most essential for basolateral sorting and two res...

In order to improve the dispersion of nano-TiO₂ particles and enhance its self-cleaning properties, including photocatalytic degradation of pollutants and surface hydrophilicity, we prepared nano-TiO₂-coated SiO₂ microsphere composite self-cleaning materials (SiO₂-TiO₂) by co-grinding SiO₂ microspheres and TiO₂ soliquid and calcining the ground product. The structure, morphology, and self-clean...

Novel carbon quantum dot (CQD)-modified BiOI photocatalysts were prepared via a facile hydrothermal process. The CQD-modified BiOI materials were characterized by multiple techniques. The CQD with an average size around several nanometers was distributed on the surface of BiOI microsphere. Its photocatalytic activity was investigated sufficiently by the photodegradation of methylene orange (MO)...

Two polymeric substances, a poly{N-[tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide} (THMMA) substituted with adamantyl moieties and a beta-cyclodextrin/epichlorohydrin polycondensate, formed a host-guest type complex, which resulted in the gel formation upon mixing of these two compounds at appropriate conditions. Introduction of a drug molecule, i.e., naproxen, that was able to fill the beta-cyclodextri...

The highly selective and efficient capture of heterogeneous types of phosphopeptides is critical for comprehensive and in-depth phosphoproteome analysis, but it still remains a challenge since the lack of affinity material with large binding capacity and controllable specificity. Here, a new affinity material was prepared to improve the enrichment capacity and endue the tunable specificity by i...

Removal of the natural vitreous body from the eye and its substitution with a tamponade agent may be necessary in cases of complicated retinal detachment. Many materials have been variously proposed and tested over the years in an attempt to find an ideal vitreous substitute. This review highlights the evolution of research in the field of vitreous replacement and chronicles the main advances t...