Suppression of Lung Tumorigenesis by Leucine Zipper/EF Hand–Containing Transmembrane-1

Leucine zipper/EF hand-containing transmembrane-1 (LETM1) encodes for the human homologue of yeast Mdm38p, which is a mitochondria-shaping protein of unclear function. However, a previous study demonstrated that LETM1 served as an anchor protein for complex formation between mitochondria and ribosome, and regulated mitochondrial biogenesis.Therefore, we examine the possibility that LETM1 may function to regulate mitochondria and lung tumor growth. In this study, we addressed this question by studying in the effect of adenovirus-mediated LETM1 in the lung cancer cell and lung cancer model mice. To investigate the effects of adenovirus-LETM1 in vitro, we infected with adenovirus-LETM1 in A549 cells. Additionally, in vivo effects of LETM1 were evaluated on K-ras(LA1) mice, human non-small cell lung cancer model mice, by delivering the LETM1 via aerosol through nose-only inhalation system. The effects of LETM1 on lung cancer growth and AMPK related signals were evaluated. Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of LETM1 could induce destruction of mitochondria of lung cancer cells through depleting ATP and AMPK activation. Furthermore, adenoviral-LETM1 also altered Akt signaling and inhibited the cell cycle while facilitating apoptosis. Theses results demonstrated that adenovirus-LETM1 suppressed lung cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.Adenovirus-mediated LETM1 may provide a useful target for designing lung tumor prevention and treatment

Polymer solar cells based on inkjet-printed PEDOT: PSS layer

In this article, we have demonstrated solar cell performance of the inkjet-printed PEDOT:PSS layer and the roles of additives in device efficiency. The newly proposed PEDOT:PSS inks with additives of glycerol and surfactant show the improved surface morphology and high conductivity resulting in the enhanced photovoltaic performance. Using the optimized ink formulation of PEDOT:PSS, we have demonstrated a 3.16% efficient solar cell with an inkjet printing

Flexible Piezoelectric Generators by Using the Bending Motion Method of Direct-Grown-PZT Nanoparticles on Carbon Nanotubes

Recently, composite-type nanogenerators (NGs) formed from piezoelectric nanostructures and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs), have become one of the excellent candidates for future energy harvesting because of their ability to apply the excellent electrical and mechanical properties of CNTs. However, the synthesis of NG devices with a high proportion of piezoelectric materials and a low polymer content, such as of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), continues to be problematic. In this work, high-piezoelectric-material-content flexible films produced from Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT)-atomically-interconnected CNTs and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are presented. Various physical and chemical characterization techniques are employed to examine the morphology and structure of the materials. The direct growth of the piezoelectric material on the CNTs, by stirring the PZT and CNT mixed solution, results in various positive effects, such as a high-quality dispersion in the polymer matrix and addition of flexoelectricity to piezoelectricity, resulting in the enhancement of the output voltage by an external mechanical force. The NGs repeatedly generate an output voltage of 0.15 V. These results present a significant step toward the application of NGs using piezoelectric nanocomposite materials

All-Printed Wearable Triboelectric Nanogenerator with Ultra-Charged Electron Accumulation Polymers based on MXene Nanoflakes

The multilayer triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are widely developed to enhance the output performance of device. However, these TENGs consisting of electron transfer, transport, trap layers toward a large volumetric charge density should be wearable and mass-produced for commercialization. Thus, appropriate material selection in respective layers and fabrication method are crucial for the commercialization of multilayer TENG. This study presents all-printed, sustainable wearable TENGs based on electron accumulation polymers (EAPs) with superior charge retention capability. The EAPs consisting of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), carboxyl functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs:COOH), and Ti3C2Tx (MXene) in a fluorinated polymer matrix, are used. Compared to the reference, the EAPs not only lead to approximately six times higher output performance (300 V and 40 mu A) but also four times more sustainable charge retention capability (92%) for an hour. These are attributed to the three-step electron-trapping mechanism with electron transfer/transport from PTFE/SWCNT and electron trapping in MXene. In addition, TENGs with EAPs exhibit excellent mechanical stability and reliability with fascinating single-electrode demonstrations. Finally, the TENG with EAPs can efficiently operate various portable electronics and pH monitoring systems with a pH sensor and a seven-segment display in realistic scenarios.FALS

Synthesis of 1T WSe2 on an Oxygen-Containing Substrate Using a Single Precursor

The metallic property of metastable 1T' WSe2 and its promising catalytic performance have attracted considerable interest. A hot injection method has been used to synthesize 1T' WSe2 with a three-dimensional morphology; however, this method requires two or more precursors and long-chain ligands, which inhibit the catalytic performance. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of 1T' WSe2 on a substrate by a simple heating-up method using a single precursor, tetraethylammonium tetraselenotungstate [(Et4N)(2)WSe4]. The triethylamine produced after the reaction is an electron donor that yields negatively charged WSe2, which is stabilized by triethylammonium cations as intercalants between layers and induces 1T' WSe2. The purity of 1T' WSe2 is higher on oxygen-containing crystalline substrates than amorphous substrates because the strong adhesion between WSe2 and the substrate can produce sufficient triethylammonium (TEA) intercalation. Among the oxygen-containing crystal substrates, the substrate with a lower lattice mismatch with 1T' WSe2 showed higher 1T' purity due to the uniform TEA intercalation. Furthermore, 1T' WSe2 on carbon cloth exhibited a more enhanced catalytic performance in the hydrogen evolution reaction (197 mV at 10 mA/cm(2)) than has been reported previously

Preparation and characterization of nano-scale ZnO as a buffer layer for inkjet printing of silver cathode in polymer solar cells

Less-populated and well-isolated ZnO nanorods were prepared from a simple solution method by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) surfactant molecules. The structural and morphological information provided by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) demonstrated the high purity of the ZnO nanorods that were free from any unknown impurities. Furthermore, annealing treatment was used to increase the length of the ZnO nanorods further at an elevated temperature. This ZnO was used as a buffer layer for polymer solar cells (PSCs) in the device configuration of ITO/ PEDOT:PSS/P3HT-PCBM/ZnO/Ag, in which the Ag cathode was prepared by the inkjet printing method using silver ink. The present study discusses and compares the performance of the devices with and without the ZnO buffer layer