Surface Passivation and Positive Band-Edge Shift of p-Si(111) Surfaces Functionalized with Mixed Methyl/Trifluoromethylphenylacetylene Overlayers

Chemical functionalization of semiconductor surfaces can provide high-efficiency photoelectrochemical devices through molecular-level control of the energetics, surface dipole, surface electronic defects, and chemical reactivity at semiconductor/electrolyte junctions. We describe the covalent functionalization by nucleophilic addition chemistry of p-Si(111) surfaces to produce mixed overlayers of trifluoromethylphenylacetylene (TFMPA) and methyl moieties. Functionalization of Cl-terminated Si(111) surfaces with TFMPA moieties introduced a positive surface molecular dipole that in contact with CH₃CN or Hg produced a positive band-edge shift of the semiconductor relative to junctions with CH₃-Si(111) surfaces. Methylation of the Cl/TFMPA surfaces using methylmagnesium chloride resulted in the degradation of the TFMPA moieties, whereas methylation using methylzinc chloride allowed controlled production of mixed TFMPA/methyl-terminated surfaces and permitted reversal of the order of the functionalization steps so that nucleophilic addition of TFMPA could be accomplished after methylation of Cl–Si(111) surfaces. Mixed TFMPA/methyl functionalization resulted in a Si(111) surface with surface recombination velocities of 2 × 10² cm s⁻¹ that exhibited an ∼150 mV positive band-edge shift relative to CH₃–Si(111) surfaces

Surface Passivation and Positive Band-Edge Shift of p-Si(111) Surfaces Functionalized with Mixed Methyl/Trifluoromethylphenylacetylene Overlayers

Chemical functionalization of semiconductor surfaces can provide high-efficiency photoelectrochemical devices through molecular-level control of the energetics, surface dipole, surface electronic defects, and chemical reactivity at semiconductor/electrolyte junctions. We describe the covalent functionalization by nucleophilic addition chemistry of p-Si(111) surfaces to produce mixed overlayers of trifluoromethylphenylacetylene (TFMPA) and methyl moieties. Functionalization of Cl-terminated Si(111) surfaces with TFMPA moieties introduced a positive surface molecular dipole that in contact with CH₃CN or Hg produced a positive band-edge shift of the semiconductor relative to junctions with CH₃-Si(111) surfaces. Methylation of the Cl/TFMPA surfaces using methylmagnesium chloride resulted in the degradation of the TFMPA moieties, whereas methylation using methylzinc chloride allowed controlled production of mixed TFMPA/methyl-terminated surfaces and permitted reversal of the order of the functionalization steps so that nucleophilic addition of TFMPA could be accomplished after methylation of Cl–Si(111) surfaces. Mixed TFMPA/methyl functionalization resulted in a Si(111) surface with surface recombination velocities of 2 × 10² cm s⁻¹ that exhibited an ∼150 mV positive band-edge shift relative to CH₃–Si(111) surfaces

Primary Corrosion Processes for Polymer-Embedded Free-Standing or Substrate-Supported Silicon Microwire Arrays in Aqueous Alkaline Electrolytes

Solar fuel devices have shown promise as a sustainable source of chemical fuels. However, long-term stability of light absorbing materials remains a substantial barrier to practical devices. Herein, multiple corrosion pathways in 1 M KOH(aq) have been defined for TiO₂-protected Si microwire arrays in a polymer membrane either attached to a substrate or free-standing. Top-down corrosion was observed in both morphologies through defects in the TiO₂ coating. For the substrate-based samples, bottom-up corrosion was observed through the substrate and up the adjacent wires. In the free-standing samples, uniform bottom-up corrosion was observed through the membrane with all wire material corroded within 10 days of immersion in the dark in 1 M KOH(aq)

Reductant-Activated, High-Coverage, Covalent Functionalization of 1T′-MoS₂

Recently developed covalent functionalization chemistry for MoS₂ in the 1T′ phase enables the formation of covalent chalcogenide–carbon bonds from alkyl halides and aryl diazonium salts. However, the coverage of functional groups using this method has been limited by the amount of negative charge stored in the exfoliated MoS₂ sheets to <25–30% per MoS₂ unit. We report, herein, a reductant-activated functionalization, wherein one-electron metallocene reductants, such as nickelocene, octamethylnickelocene, and cobaltocene, are introduced during functionalization with methyl and propyl halides to tune the coverage of the alkyl groups. The reductant-activated functionalization yields functional group coverages up to 70%, ∼1.5–2 times higher than the previous limit, and enables functionalization by weak electrophiles, such as 1-chloropropane, that are otherwise unreactive with chemically exfoliated MoS₂. We also explored the dependence of coverage on the strength of the leaving group and the steric hindrance of the alkyl halide in the absence of reductants and showed that functionalization was ineffective for chloride leaving groups and for secondary and tertiary alkyl iodides. These results demonstrate a substantial increase in coverage compared to functionalization without reductants, and may impact the performance of these materials in applications reliant on surface interactions. Furthermore, this method may be applicable to the covalent functionalization of similar layered materials and metal chalcogenides

Reductant-Activated, High-Coverage, Covalent Functionalization of 1T′-MoS₂

Recently developed covalent functionalization chemistry for MoS₂ in the 1T′ phase enables the formation of covalent chalcogenide–carbon bonds from alkyl halides and aryl diazonium salts. However, the coverage of functional groups using this method has been limited by the amount of negative charge stored in the exfoliated MoS₂ sheets to <25–30% per MoS₂ unit. We report, herein, a reductant-activated functionalization, wherein one-electron metallocene reductants, such as nickelocene, octamethylnickelocene, and cobaltocene, are introduced during functionalization with methyl and propyl halides to tune the coverage of the alkyl groups. The reductant-activated functionalization yields functional group coverages up to 70%, ∼1.5–2 times higher than the previous limit, and enables functionalization by weak electrophiles, such as 1-chloropropane, that are otherwise unreactive with chemically exfoliated MoS₂. We also explored the dependence of coverage on the strength of the leaving group and the steric hindrance of the alkyl halide in the absence of reductants and showed that functionalization was ineffective for chloride leaving groups and for secondary and tertiary alkyl iodides. These results demonstrate a substantial increase in coverage compared to functionalization without reductants, and may impact the performance of these materials in applications reliant on surface interactions. Furthermore, this method may be applicable to the covalent functionalization of similar layered materials and metal chalcogenides

Atomically dispersed nickel-nitrogen-sulfur species anchored on porous carbon nanosheets for efficient water oxidation

Developing low-cost electrocatalysts to replace precious Ir-based materials is key for oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Here, we report atomically dispersed nickel coordinated with nitrogen and sulfur species in porous carbon nanosheets as an electrocatalyst exhibiting excellent activity and durability for OER with a low overpotential of 1.51 V at 10 mA cm(-2) and a small Tafel slope of 45 mV dec(-1) in alkaline media. Such electrocatalyst represents the best among all reported transition metal- and/or heteroatom-doped carbon electrocatalysts and is even superior to benchmark Ir/C. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the well-dispersed molecular S vertical bar NiNx species act as active sites for catalyzing OER. The atomic structure of S vertical bar NiNx centers in the carbon matrix is clearly disclosed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron radiation X-ray absorption spectroscopy together with computational simulations. An integrated photoanode of nanocarbon on a Fe2O3 nanosheet array enables highly active solar-driven oxygen production

SCAMP3 Regulates EGFR and Promotes Proliferation and Migration of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells through the Modulation of AKT, ERK, and STAT3 Signaling Pathways

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive, metastatic, and lethal breast cancer subtype. To improve the survival of TNBC patients, it is essential to explore new signaling pathways for the further development of effective drugs. This study aims to investigate the role of the secretory carrier membrane protein 3 (SCAMP3) in TNBC and its association with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Through an internalization assay, we demonstrated that SCAMP3 colocalizes and redistributes EGFR from the cytoplasm to the perinucleus. Furthermore, SCAMP3 knockout decreased proliferation, colony and tumorsphere formation, cell migration, and invasion of TNBC cells. Immunoblots and degradation assays showed that SCAMP3 regulates EGFR through its degradation. In addition, SCAMP3 modulates AKT, ERK, and STAT3 signaling pathways. TNBC xenograft models showed that SCAMP3 depletion delayed tumor cell proliferation at the beginning of tumor development and modulated the expression of genes from the PDGF pathway. Additionally, analysis of TCGA data revealed elevated SCAMP3 expression in breast cancer tumors. Finally, patients with TNBC with high expression of SCAMP3 showed decreased RFS and DMFS. Our findings indicate that SCAMP3 could contribute to TNBC development through the regulation of multiple pathways and has the potential to be a target for breast cancer therapy