3 research outputs found
Biomimetic Ag/ZnO@PDMS Hybrid Nanorod Array-Mediated Photo-induced Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Sensor for Quantitative and Visualized Analysis of Microplastics
Microplastics are persistent pollutants that accumulate
in the
environment and can cause serious toxicity to mammals. At present,
few technologies are able to quantitatively detect chemicals and provide
morphological information simultaneously. Herein, we developed a dragonfly-wing-mimicking
ZnO nanorod array decorated with AgNPs on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
as a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and photo-induced
enhanced Raman spectroscopy (PIERS) substrate for trace analysis of
microplastics. The Ag/ZnO@PDMS hybrid nanorod array endows the sensor
with high sensitivity and signal repeatability (RSD ⌠5.89%),
ensuring the reliable quantitative analysis of microplastics. Importantly,
when the noble metalâsemiconductor substrate was pre-radiated
with ultraviolet light, a surprising PIERS was attained, achieving
an additional enhancement of 11.3-fold higher than the normal SERS
signal. By combining the PIERS technology with the âcoffee
ring effectâ, the sensor successfully discerned microplastics
of polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) at a trace level of 25 ÎŒg/mL
even with a portable Raman device. It was capable of identifying PS
microspheres in contaminated tap water, lake water, river water, and
seawater with detection limits of 25, 28, 35, and 60 ÎŒg/mL,
respectively. The recovery rates of PS microspheres in four water
environments ranged from 94.8 to 102.4%, with the RSD ranging from
2.40 to 6.81%. Moreover, quantitative and visualized detection of
microplastics was readily realized by our sensor. This portable PIERS
sensor represents a significant step toward the generalizability and
practicality of quantitative and visual sensing technology
Rationally Designed Graphene/Bilayer Silver/Cu Hybrid Structure with Improved Sensitivity and Stability for Highly Efficient SERS Sensing
A simple and cost-effective strategy
was rationally designed to
fabricate a special sandwich structure consisting of graphene, bilayer
silver, and a copper plate, which was used as a surface-enhanced Raman
scattering (SERS) substrate for highly efficient SERS sensing and
detection of trace molecules. Silver dendrite (AgD) nanostructures
were subsequently grown on a silver nanosphere (AgNS)/Cu surface to
form a bilayer silver/Cu structure, which showed a 1.5-fold Raman
enhancement compared to that of the AgNS/Cu substrate. After depositing
graphene on the bilayer silver/Cu substrate to obtain a sandwich structure,
a higher SERS enhancement and better durability were enabled. The
SERS performances, measured by a portable Raman instrument, showed
that the optimized sandwich structure substrate exhibited high SERS
sensitivity to crystal violet (CV) and rhodamine 6G (R6G) with low
limit of detection of 10<sup>â9</sup> and 10<sup>â8</sup> M, respectively. Such a sandwich-structured substrate exhibited
good reproducibility across the entire detection areas with an average
relative standard deviation less than 5.9%, which permits its reliable
quantitative detection of CV and R6G molecules. In addition, graphene
both effectively improved the SERS performances and protected Ag nanocrystals
from oxidation, which endowed the sandwich structure a long-term stability
with deviation of characteristic peaksâ intensity lower than
3.6% after 25 days. This study indicates that the graphene/bilayer
silver/Cu sandwich structure as a SERS substrate has a great potential
in detecting environmental pollutants
Structure-Based Discovery and Optimization of Benzo[<i>d</i>]Âisoxazole Derivatives as Potent and Selective BET Inhibitors for Potential Treatment of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer (CRPC)
The
bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family proteins have gained
increasing interest as drug targets for treatment of castration-resistant
prostate cancer (CRPC). Here, we describe the design, optimization,
and evaluation of benzoÂ[<i>d</i>]Âisoxazole-containing
compounds as potent BET bromodomain inhibitors. Cocrystal structures
of the representative inhibitors in complex with BRD4(1) provided
solid structural basis for compound optimization. The two most potent
compounds, <b>6i</b> (Y06036) and <b>7m</b> (Y06137),
bound to the BRD4(1) bromodomain with <i>K</i><sub>d</sub> values of 82 and 81 nM, respectively. They also exhibited high selectivity
over other non-BET subfamily members. The compounds potently inhibited
cell growth, colony formation, and the expression of AR, AR regulated
genes, and MYC in prostate cancer cell lines. Compounds <b>6i</b> and <b>7m</b> also demonstrated therapeutic effects in a C4-2B
CRPC xenograft tumor model in mice. These potent and selective BET
inhibitors represent a new class of compounds for the development
of potential therapeutics against CRPC