Glucose-fueled Micromotors with Highly Efficient Visible Light Photocatalytic Propulsion

Synthetic micro/nanomotors fueled by glucose are highly desired for numerous practical applications because of the biocompatibility of their required fuel. However, currently all of the glucose-fueled micro/nanomotors are based on enzyme-catalytic-driven mechanisms, which usually suffer from strict operation conditions and weak propulsion characteristics that greatly limit their applications. Here, we report a highly efficient glucose-fueled cuprous oxide@N-doped carbon nanotube (Cu_2O@N-CNT) micromotor, which can be activated by environment-friendly visible-light photocatalysis. The speeds of such Cu_2O@N-CNT micromotors can reach up to 18.71 μm/s, which is comparable to conventional Pt-based catalytic Janus micromotors usually fueled by toxic H_2O_2 fuel. In addition, the velocities of such motors can be efficiently regulated by multiple approaches, such as adjusting the N-CNT content within the micromotors, glucose concentrations, or light intensities. Furthermore, the Cu_2O@N-CNT micromotors exhibit a highly controllable negative phototaxis behavior (moving away from light sources). Such motors with outstanding propulsion in biological environments and wireless, repeatable, and light-modulated three-dimensional motion control are extremely attractive for future practical applications

Ultrafine-Grained Materials Fabrication with High Pressure Torsion and Simulation of Plastic Deformation Inhomogeneous Characteristics

Utilization of severe plastic deformation (SPD) methods has provided a convenient approach for producing ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials exhibiting outstanding characteristics especially mechanical properties. HPT as one of the SPD methods can lead both to smaller grains and to a higher fraction of high-angle grain boundaries, which is an especially attractive procedure by researchers. In order to understand the nonlinearities relationship between the mechanical properties and the developed strain during plastic deformation, local deformation analysis using the finite element methodwas applied for the HPT process. In this chapter, results are reported of an investigation on the deformed microstructure and mechanical properties of different materials samples during the HPT process using experiments and FEM simulations. Simulation results indicate that the disks show inhomogeneity development and distribution of strain and stress during the plastic deformation. Microstructure and hardness investigation results can give a well support to verify the rules of inhomogenous plastic deformation in the early stage of the HPT disks. Furthermore, the friction and anvil geometry play important roles in the homogeneity of the deformation. After the hollow cone high pressure torsion (HC-HPT), the thermal stability of Zr64.13Cu15.75Ni10.12Al10 BMGs is enhanced, while the elastic modulus of BMG will be decreased

Intrinsic FGFR2 and Ectopic FGFR1 Signaling in the Prostate and Prostate Cancer

Advanced castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a poorly prognostic disease currently lacking effective cure. Understanding the molecular mechanism that underlies the initiation and progression of CRPC will provide new strategies for treating this deadly disease. One candidate target is the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling axis. Loss of the intrinsic FGF7/FGF10-type 2 FGF receptor (FGFR2) pathway and gain of the ectopic type 1 FGF receptor (FGFR1) pathway are associated with the progression to malignancy in prostate cancer (PCa) and many other epithelial originating lesions. Although FGFR1 and FGFR2 share similar amino acid sequences and structural domains, the two transmembrane tyrosine kinases elicit distinctive, even sometime opposite signals in cells. Recent studies have revealed that the ectopic FGFR1 signaling pathway contributes to PCa progression via multiple mechanisms, including promoting tumor angiogenesis, reprogramming cancer cell metabolism, and potentiating inflammation in the tumor microenvironment. Thus, suppression of FGFR1 signaling can be an effective novel strategy to treat CRPC