Sacrificed Carbon-Assisted Synthesis of β‑Tricalcium Phosphate Nanostructures

β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has attracted particular attention in bone tissue engineering because of its excellent biocompatibility, absorbability, and osteoinductivity. In the present study, β-TCP nanoparticles (NPs) and triangular cones were synthesized by a coprecipitation method combined with calcination under high temperature. Different carbon materials, including graphene oxide (GO) and activated carbon (AC), were employed as the sacrificed support in order to prevent the sintering and agglomeration during high temperature calcination. Monodispersed β-TCP NPs were obtained using GO as the sacrificed support, while β-TCP triangular cones were obtained using AC as the sacrificed support. GO not only provided anchoring sites for the nucleation and growth of the precursor through numerous oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of nanosheets, but also promoted the nucleation and growth of β-TCP NPs by decreasing phase transformation temperature and time due to excellent thermal conductivity. These results provide a novel strategy using GO as the sacrificed support for the high-temperature synthesis of β-TCP NPs and other nanomaterials

Additional file 1 of Biocompatible copper formate-based nanoparticles with strong antibacterial properties for wound healing

Supplementary Material 1: Experimental Section; Scheme S1. Dopamine undergoes polymerization in the presence of free radicals, resulting in the formation of polydopamine. Fig. S1. The FT-IR spectra of Cuf-TMB@PDA and Cuf-TMB. Fig. S2. Zeta potentials of Cuf-TMB@PDA NPs using different concentrations of dopamine. Fig. S3. XRD pattern of Cuf-TMB@PDA and Cuf-TMB. Fig. S4. (a) The SAED pattern of Cuf-TMB NPs. (b) HRTEM image of Cuf-TMB NPs. (c) The SAED pattern of Cuf-TMB@PDA. (d) HRTEM image of Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S5. SEM images of (a) Cuf-TMB and (b) Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S6. The Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX) mapping of Cuf-TMB. Fig. S7. Fine XPS spectra of Cuf-TMB NPs: (a) Cu 2p; (b) C 1s; (c) N 1s; (d) O 1s. Fig. S8. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) characterization of Cuf-TMB@PDA and Cuf-TMB. Fig. S9. (a) Reaction-time curves of TMB colorimetric reactions catalyzed by Cuf-TMB@PDA. (b) Comparison of the specific activities of Cuf-TMB@PDA using different concentrations of dopamine. Fig. S10. (a)-(g) Comparison of particle size for Cuf-TMB coated with varying concentrations of dopamine. Fig. S11. (a) Effect of pH value on the POD-like activity of Cuf-TMB@PDA. (b) Effect of temperature on the POD-like activity of Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S12. (a) Evaluation of hemocompatibility of different concentrations of Cuf-TMB@PDA. (b) Hemocompatibility Evaluation, Triton X-100, PBS, Cuf-TMB, Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S13. Comparison of the inhibition effect of Cuf-TMB@PDA acting on bacteria (E. coli and S. aureus). Fig. S14. The growth curves of (a) E. coli and (b) S. aureus after incubation with different concentrations (from 0 to 63 μg mL-1) of Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S15. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of TiO2, Ag, vancomycin antibiotic, Cuf-TMB, and Cuf-TMB@PDA. Fig. S16. The ESR spectra of Cuf-TMB@PDA and Cuf-TMB. Fig. S17. Representative photographs of bacterial cultures taken from S. aureus infected wound areas at different times during the treatment phase. Fig. S18. Dynamic body weight changes of S. aureus infected rats in various groups over 7 days. Tab. S1. Analysis of FTIR spectra of Cuf-TMB@PDA NPs. Tab. S2. Elemental analysis of Cuf-TMB and Cuf-TMB@PDA

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite with Different Morphologies: Influence of Supersaturation of the Reaction System

In the present study, hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca₅(PO₄)₃OH) with different morphologies, such as nanorods, microspheres, hexagonal prisms, and hollow flowerlike structure, were synthesized via a facile hydrothermal route by adjusting reaction parameters. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, the saturation index of the reaction systems under different conditions was approximately calculated in order to explore the formation mechanism of HA. The results indicate that both the saturation index and the intermediates presented at the initial stage of the reaction play crucial roles in the formation of HA with different morphologies. These results provide a promising strategy for the tunable synthesis of HA and other nanomaterials

Synthesis of Cerium Molybdate Hierarchical Architectures and Their Novel Photocatalytic and Adsorption Performances

Cerium molybdate (Ce–Mo) hierarchical architectures (such as the flowerlike, microspheric, and bundlelike structure) are successfully synthesized via a facile route with the assistance of amino acid (lysine, Lys). The influences of reaction parameters on the crystal structure and morphology of Ce–Mo hierarchical architectures are investigated. Samples obtained are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore, the photocatalytic and adsorption performances of samples obtained are investigated using different dyes, such as Cationic red X-GTL, Congo red, Methylene blue, Acid blue 80, and Methyl orange, as the model. The results show that Ce–Mo hierarchical architectures exhibit remarkably high efficiency to photocatalytically decompose Congo red under visible light irradiation, and significant adsorption performance on Cationic red X-GTL and Methylene blue. Contrarily, neither photocatalytic nor adsorption performance was observed on Methyl orange and Acid blue 80. Therefore, the as-synthesized Ce–Mo hierarchical architectures display promising potential for the removal of organic contaminants for environmental protection

Growth Mechanism and Controlled Synthesis of AB-Stacked Bilayer Graphene on Cu–Ni Alloy Foils

Strongly coupled bilayer graphene (<i>i.e.</i>, AB stacked) grows particularly well on commercial “90–10” Cu–Ni alloy foil. However, the mechanism of growth of bilayer graphene on Cu–Ni alloy foils had not been discovered. Carbon isotope labeling (sequential dosing of ¹²CH₄ and ¹³CH₄) and Raman spectroscopic mapping were used to study the growth process. It was learned that the mechanism of graphene growth on Cu–Ni alloy is by precipitation at the surface from carbon dissolved in the bulk of the alloy foil that diffuses to the surface. The growth parameters were varied to investigate their effect on graphene coverage and isotopic composition. It was found that higher temperature, longer exposure time, higher rate of bulk diffusion for ¹²C <i>vs</i> ¹³C, and slower cooling rate all produced higher graphene coverage on this type of Cu–Ni alloy foil. The isotopic composition of the graphene layer(s) could also be modified by adjusting the cooling rate. In addition, large-area, AB-stacked bilayer graphene transferrable onto Si/SiO₂ substrates was controllably synthesized