Facile Synthesis of Nanosized Lithium-Ion-Conducting Solid Electrolyte Li_1.4Al_0.4Ti_1.6(PO₄)₃ and Its Mechanical Nanocomposites with LiMn₂O₄ for Enhanced Cyclic Performance in Lithium Ion Batteries

Nanoparticles of fast lithium-ion-conducting solid electrolyte Li_1.4Al_0.4Ti_1.6(PO₄)₃ (LATP) are prepared by a modified citric-acid-assisted sol–gel method that involves a two-step heat treatment in which the dry gel is calcined first in argon and then in air. The obtained LATP exhibits smaller particle size (down to 40 nm) with a narrower size distribution and less aggregation than LATP prepared by a conventional sol–gel method because of a polymeric network that preserves during LATP crystallization. It has a high relative density of 97.0% and a high room-temperature conductivity of 5.9 × 10^–4 S cm^–1. The as-prepared superfine LATP is further used to composite with a spinel LiMn₂O₄ cathode in lithium ion batteries by simple grinding. This noncoating speckled layer over the LiMn₂O₄ particle surface has a minimal effect on the electronic conductivity of the electrode while offering excellent ionic conductivity. The cycling stability and rate capability of LiMn₂O₄ are greatly improved at both ambient and elevated temperatures. After 100 cycles at 25 and 55 °C, the capacity retentions are 96.0% and 89.0%, respectively, considerably higher than the values of pristine LiMn₂O₄ (61.0% at 25 °C; 51.5% at 55 °C) and mechanical LiMn₂O₄ composite with LATP made by a conventional sol–gel method (85.0% at 25 °C; 71.4% at 55 °C)

Influence of Uptake Pathways on the Stereoselective Dissipation of Chiral Neonicotinoid Sulfoxaflor in Greenhouse Vegetables

Stereoselectivity is of vital importance in our environment and needs to be taken into account for comprehensive risk assessment and regulatory decisions of chiral neonicotinoid sulfoxaflor. However, little is known about the dissipation of sulfoxaflor stereoisomers with respect to stereoselectivity in plants under greenhouse cultivation. To bridge the knowledge gap, the current study was initiated to investigate the stereoselective degradation of sulfoxaflor in solar greenhouse cucumber and tomato from foliage and root uptake pathways. The stereoselective dissipation of sulfoxaflor was not statistically different between enantiomer pairs from foliage and root pathways of vegetables (<i>P</i> < 0.05). The persistence of sulfoxaflor stereoisomers was consistently prolonged under the foliage uptake pathway (<i>t</i>_1/2, 3.38–14.09 days) compared to the root uptake pathway (<i>t</i>_1/2, 2.65–5.07 days) in both vegetable fruits. Nevertheless, the concentrations of (+)-sulfoxaflor A and (−)-sulfoxaflor B were both slightly higher than that of their antipode. The tiny difference should be emphasized because it might be magnified to a significant difference by the high-potential bioaccumulation of sulfoxaflor in the food chain

Multifunctional Mesoporous Silica-Coated Graphene Nanosheet Used for Chemo-Photothermal Synergistic Targeted Therapy of Glioma

Current therapy of malignant glioma in clinic is unsatisfactory with poor patient compliance due to low therapeutic efficiency and strong systemic side effects. Herein, we combined chemo-photothermal targeted therapy of glioma within one novel multifunctional drug delivery system. A targeting peptide (IP)-modified mesoporous silica-coated graphene nanosheet (GSPI) was successfully synthesized and characterized, and first introduced to the drug delivery field. A doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded GSPI-based system (GSPID) showed heat-stimulative, pH-responsive, and sustained release properties. Cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated that combined therapy mediated the highest rate of death of glioma cells compared to that of single chemotherapy or photothermal therapy. Furthermore, the IP modification could significantly enhance the accumulation of GSPID within glioma cells. These findings provided an excellent drug delivery system for combined therapy of glioma due to the advanced chemo-photothermal synergistic targeted therapy and good drug release properties of GSPID, which could effectively avoid frequent and invasive dosing and improve patient compliance

Residue analysis and persistence evaluation of fipronil and its metabolites in cotton using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry - Fig 1

<p>UPLC-MS/MS MRM chromatograms of fipronil and three metabolites of (A) standard (5 mg/kg), (B) cottonseed spiked at 10 mg/kg, (C) total ion chromatogram of the four test compounds in the 0-day (2 h) cotton plant sample.</p

Synthesis of Core–Shell Graphitic Carbon@Silica Nanospheres with Dual-Ordered Mesopores for Cancer-Targeted Photothermochemotherapy

Tumor site-directed multifunctional therapeutic platforms such as photothermochemotherapy that respond to tumor-focused physical and biological stimuli are highly demanded for effective cancer therapy. Herein, targeting peptide-conjugated core–shell graphitic carbon@silica nanospheres with dual-ordered mesopores (MMPS) were successfully fabricated and developed as antitumoral doxorubicin (DOX) delivery system (MMPSD) for synergistic targeted photothermal chemotherapy of breast cancer. The hydrophilic mesoporous silica shell guarantees good water dispersity of MMPSD. The hydrophobic graphitic mesoporous carbon core provides excellent hydrophobic drug loading, immediate contact between the drug and photothermal hotspots, and high NIR photothermal conversion efficiency. SP13 peptide facilitates MMPSD for targeted and enhanced delivery of DOX within HER2-positive SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells, while PEGylation ensures biocompatibility. Thus, the MMPSD system exhibited efficient drug loading capacity, high targeting ability, sensitive NIR/pH-responsive DOX release, sustained release, and excellent combined antitumor activity

Degradation of Kresoxim-Methyl in Different Soils: Kinetics, Identification of Transformation Products, and Pathways Using High-Resolution-Mass-Spectrometry-Based Suspect and Non-Target Screening Approaches

This study investigated the degradation of strobilurin fungicide kresoxim-methyl (KM) in three typical agricultural soils from China by aerobic and anaerobic degradation experiments, focusing on degradation kinetics of KM, identification of transformation products (TPs), and prediction of toxicity end points via in silico approaches. KM showed a pronounced biphasic degradation in different soils and could rapidly degrade, with DT50 of <3 days. Four TPs were identified by high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and three of them have never been reported before. Possible degradation pathways of KM in soil were proposed, including hydrolysis, oxidation, and reduction, and the main mechanism involved in the biodegradation of KM was the hydrolysis of methyl ester regardless of aerobic or anaerobic conditions. The results of toxicity evaluation indicated that some TPs are more toxic than KM and may have a developmental toxicity and mutagenicity, and further risk assessment should be carried out

Linear regression parameters of the calibration curve of fipronil and its three metabolites in all matrix matrices and solvents for 0.005–0.25 mg/kg.

<p>Linear regression parameters of the calibration curve of fipronil and its three metabolites in all matrix matrices and solvents for 0.005–0.25 mg/kg.</p

UPLC-MS/MS conditions of fipronil and its three metabolites.

<p>UPLC-MS/MS conditions of fipronil and its three metabolites.</p

Half-life (T_1/2) and other statistical parameters for fipronil dissipation in the cotton field conditions.

<p>Half-life (T_1/2) and other statistical parameters for fipronil dissipation in the cotton field conditions.</p

Redox-Activated Light-Up Nanomicelle for Precise Imaging-Guided Cancer Therapy and Real-Time Pharmacokinetic Monitoring

Simultaneous tumor imaging, therapy, and pharmacokinetic monitoring can offer a safe and effective strategy for cancer therapy. This work describes the design of a fluorescence light-up nanomicelle that can afford precise imaging-guided drug delivery and pharmacokinetic monitoring in a real-time fashion for cancer chemotherapy. The nanomicelle, which contains a boron dipyrromethene based fluorescent probe as the hydrophobic core and a redox-triggered detachable poly­(ethylene glycol) (PEG) shell, can accumulate at the tumor site <i>via</i> enhanced permeation and retention effect. The PEG detachment induced by tumoral and intracellular glutathione can destabilize the nanomicelle, leading to fluorescence light up and simultaneous drug release. Importantly, the fluorescence intensities generated by the nanomicelles in different organs are well-correlated with released drug concentrations in both temporal and spatial manners, suggesting its precise role for imaging-guided drug delivery and pharmacokinetic monitoring <i>in vivo</i>. The tumor growth can be effectively inhibited by the docetaxel-loaded nanomicelle formulation, and the nanomicelles are monitored to be excreted <i>via</i> hepatobiliary routes. This nanomicelle for precise imaging-guided chemotherapy provides a safe and robust theranostic strategy for the evaluation of cancer nanomedicine