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The longitudinal vibration behavior of cracked nanorods is analyzed by using the weak form quadrature element method along with an equivalent variational formulation. Multiple representative cases are examined, and the results are contrasted with existing analytical and numerical solutions, highlighting the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed formulation.

In this study, the hydrogen evolution performance of CdS nanorods is improved using ZnCo 2 O 4 . ZnCo 2 O 4 nanospheres are synthesized using the hydrothermal and calcination methods, and CdS nanorods are synthesized using the solvothermal method. From the perspective of morphology, numerous CdS nanorods are anchored on the ZnCo 2 O 4 microspheres. According to the experimental results of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, the final hydrogen evolution capacity of 7417.5 µmol·g −1 ·h −1 is slightly more than two times that of the single CdS, which proves the feasibility of our study. Through various characterization methods, it is proved that the composite sample has suitable optoelectronic properties. In addition, ZnCo 2 O 4 itself exhibits good conductivity and low impedance, which shortens the charge-transfer path. Overall, the introduction of ZnCo 2 O 4 expands the adsorption range of light and improves the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. This design can provide reference for developing high-efficiency photocatalysts.

Amyloid fibrils, which are closely associated with various neurodegenerative diseases, are the final products in many protein aggregation pathways. The identification of fibrils at low concentration is, therefore, pivotal in disease diagnosis and development of therapeutic strategies. We report a methodology for the specific identification of amyloid fibrils using chiroptical effects in plasmonic nanoparticles. The formation of amyloid fibrils based on α-synuclein was probed using gold nanorods, which showed no apparent interaction with monomeric proteins but effective adsorption onto fibril structures via noncovalent interactions. The amyloid structure drives a helical nanorod arrangement, resulting in intense optical activity at the surface plasmon resonance wavelengths. This sensing technique was successfully applied to human brain homogenates of patients affected by Parkinson’s disease, wherein protein fibrils related to the disease were identified through chiral signals from Au nanorods in the visible and near IR, whereas healthy brain samples did not exhibit any meaningful optical activity. The technique was additionally extended to the specific detection of infectious amyloids formed by prion proteins, thereby confirming the wide potential of the technique. The intense chiral response driven by strong dipolar coupling in helical Au nanorod arrangements allowed us to detect amyloid fibrils down to nanomolar concentrations.

Metastasis is responsible for most cancer-related deaths, but the current clinical treatments are not effective. Recently, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were discovered to inhibit cancer cell migration and prevent metastasis. Rationally designed AuNPs could greatly benefit their antimigration property, but the molecular mechanisms need to be explored. Cytoskeletons are cell structural proteins that closely relate to migration, and surface receptor integrins play critical roles in controlling the organization of cytoskeletons. Herein, we developed a strategy to inhibit cancer cell migration by targeting integrins, using Arg–Gly–Asp (RGD) peptide-functionalized gold nanorods. To enhance the effect, AuNRs were further activated with 808-nm near-infrared (NIR) light to generate heat for photothermal therapy (PPTT), where the temperature was adjusted not to affect the cell viability/proliferation. Our results demonstrate changes in cell morphology, observed as cytoskeleton protrusions—i.e., lamellipodia and filopodia—were reduced after treatment. The Western blot analysis indicates the downstream effectors of integrin were attracted toward the antimigration direction. Proteomics results indicated broad perturbations in four signaling pathways, Rho GTPases, actin, microtubule, and kinases-related pathways, which are the downstream regulators of integrins. Due to the dominant role of integrins in controlling cytoskeleton, focal adhesion, actomyosin contraction, and actin and microtubule assembly have been disrupted by targeting integrins. PPTT further enhanced the remodeling of cytoskeletal proteins and decreased migration. In summary, the ability of targeting AuNRs to cancer cell integrins and the introduction of PPTT stimulated broad regulation on the cytoskeleton, which provides the evidence for a potential medical application for controlling cancer metastasis.

A complementary DNA (cDNA) was designed to simultaneously hybridize with the ochratoxin A (OTA) aptamer and the fumonisin B1 (FB1) aptamer to form a unique Y-shaped DNA structure and to achieve simultaneous detection. Gold nanorods (AuNRs) were used to immobilize thionine (Th), thiolated ferrocene (Fc), thiolated OTA aptamer (Apt1), and thiolated FB1 aptamer (Apt2), to form an amplified signal element and a recognition element. The Apt1-AuNRs-Th complex and the Apt2-AuNRs-Fc complex hybridize with cDNA to form a unique Y-DNA structure on a gold electrode. This produces two initial electrochemical signals [with 177 μΑ cm −2 near −0.2 V, and 3121 μΑ cm −2 near +0.46 V (vs. Ag/AgCl)] by differential pulse voltammetry. Upon addition of 0.1 ng mL −1 OTA and 0.1 ng mL −1 FB1, the aptamers bind the two toxins. This results in the release of Apt1-AuNRs-Th and Apt2-AuNRs-Fc, so the peak currents densities decrease to 115 μΑ cm −2 and 209 μΑ cm −2 . The assay allows simultaneous determination of OTA and FB1 in the 1.0 pg·mL −1 to 100 ng·mL −1 concentration ranges, with LODs of 0.47 and 0.26 pg·mL −1 . The assay is reproducible, stable and specific. It was applied to the determination of OTA and FB1 in spiked beer, with recoveries between 89.0% and 102.0%. Graphical abstract Schematic representation of OTA and FB 1 detection based on Apt 2 -AuNRs-Fc/Apt 1 -AuNRs-Th/cDNA/AuE. (AuNRs: Gold nanorods; Th: thionine; Fc: ferrocene; SH: thiol; BSA: Bovine serum albumin; cDNA: Complementary DNA; Apt 1 : Aptamer1; Apt 2 : Aptamer2; OTA: Ochratoxin A; FB 1 : Fumonisin B 1 ).

Atmospheric pressure hydrolysis without stirring and a combustion–calcination method were utilized to fabricate magnetic Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3 heterogeneous nanorods. First, the β-FeOOH nanorods were fabricated via hydrolysis, and the concentration of Fe3+, hydrolysis temperature, and hydrolysis time were optimized. The optimal fabrication conditions were as follows: a 0.1 M FeCl3 solution was hydrolyzed at 90 °C for 2 h. The average length and diameter of the β-FeOOH nanorods fabricated under the optimal conditions were approximately 216 and 58 nm, respectively. Subsequently, Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3 heterogeneous nanorods were fabricated via a combustion–calcination process. The volume of absolute ethanol, calcination temperature, and calcination time were investigated to optimize the fabrication conditions of Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3 heterogeneous nanorods under the following conditions: absolute ethanol: 50 ml; calcination temperature: 300 °C; and calcination time: 2 h. Magnetic Fe3O4/α-Fe2O3 heterogeneous nanorods fabricated under optimal conditions were characterized with an average length of 199 nm, an average diameter of 51 nm, a zeta potential of +17.2 mV, and a saturation magnetization of 13 emu·g–1.

The use of bacteriophages (phages) for antibacterial therapy is under increasing consideration to treat antimicrobial-resistant infections. Phages have evolved multiple mechanisms to target their bacterial hosts, such as high-affinity, environmentally hardy receptor-binding proteins. However, traditional phage therapy suffers from multiple challenges stemming from the use of an exponentially replicating, evolving entity whose biology is not fully characterized (e.g., potential gene transduction). To address this problem, we conjugate the phages to gold nanorods, creating a reagent that can be destroyed upon use (termed “phanorods”). Chimeric phages were engineered to attach specifically to several Gram-negative organisms, including the human pathogens Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio cholerae, and the plant pathogen Xanthomonas campestris. The bioconjugated phanorods could selectively target and kill specific bacterial cells using photothermal ablation. Following excitation by near-infrared light, gold nanorods release energy through nonradiative decay pathways, locally generating heat that efficiently kills targeted bacterial cells. Specificity was highlighted in the context of a P. aeruginosa biofilm, in which phanorod irradiation killed bacterial cells while causing minimal damage to epithelial cells. Local temperature and viscosity measurements revealed highly localized and selective ablation of the bacteria. Irradiation of the phanorods also destroyed the phages, preventing replication and reducing potential risks of traditional phage therapy while enabling control over dosing. The phanorod strategy integrates the highly evolved targeting strategies of phages with the photothermal properties of gold nanorods, creating a well-controlled platform for systematic killing of bacterial cells.

Abstract Introduction of the photothermal effect into transition‐metal oxide photoanodes has been proven to be an effective method to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water‐splitting performance. However, the precise role of the photothermal effect on the PEC performance of photoanodes is still not well understood. Herein, spinel‐structured ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles are deposited on the surface of hematite (Fe2O3), and the ZnFe2O4/Fe2O3 photoanode achieves a high photocurrent density of 3.17 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (VRHE) due to the photothermal effect of ZnFe2O4. Considering that the hopping of electron small polarons induced by oxygen vacancies is thermally activated, we clarify that the main reason for the enhanced PEC performance via the photothermal effect is the promoted mobility of electron small polarons that are bound to positively charged oxygen vacancies. Under the synergistic effect of oxygen vacancies and the photothermal effect, the electron conductivity and PEC performance are significantly improved, which provide fundamental insights into the impact of the photothermal effect on the PEC performance of small polaron‐type semiconductor photoanodes.

Gold nanorods (AuNRs)-assisted plasmonic photothermal therapy (AuNRs-PPTT) is a promising strategy for combating cancer in which AuNRs absorb near-infrared light and convert it into heat, causing cell death mainly by apoptosis and/or necrosis. Developing a valid PPTT that induces cancer cell apoptosis and avoids necrosis in vivo and exploring its molecular mechanism of action is of great importance. Furthermore, assessment of the long-term fate of the AuNRs after treatment is critical for clinical use. We first optimized the size, surface modification [rifampicin (RF) conjugation], and concentration (2.5 nM) of AuNRs and the PPTT laser power (2 W/cm²) to achieve maximal induction of apoptosis. Second, we studied the potential mechanism of action of AuNRs-PPTT using quantitative proteomic analysis in mouse tumor tissues. Several death pathways were identified, mainly involving apoptosis and cell death by releasing neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) (NETosis), which were more obvious upon PPTT using RF-conjugated AuNRs (AuNRs@RF) than with polyethylene glycol thiol-conjugated AuNRs. Cytochrome c and p53-related apoptosis mechanisms were identified as contributing to the enhanced effect of PPTT with AuNRs@RF. Furthermore, Pin1 and IL18-related signaling contributed to the observed perturbation of the NETosis pathway by PPTT with AuNRs@RF. Third, we report a 15-month toxicity study that showed no long-term toxicity of AuNRs in vivo. Together, these data demonstrate that our AuNRs-PPTT platform is effective and safe for cancer therapy in mouse models. These findings provide a strong framework for the translation of PPTT to the clinic.

With the increasing demand for smart wearable clothing, the textile piezoelectric pressure sensor (T-PEPS) that can harvest mechanical energy directly has attracted significant attention. However, the current challenge of T-PEPS lies in remaining the outstanding output performance without compromising its wearing comfort. Here, a novel structural hierarchy T-PEPS based on the single-crystalline ZnO nanorods are designed. The T-PEPS is constructed with three layers mode consisting of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane, the top and bottom layers of conductive rGO polyester (PET) fabrics with self-orientation ZnO nanorods. As a result, the as-fabricated T-PEPS shows low detection limit up to 8.71 Pa, high output voltage to 11.47 V and superior mechanical stability. The sensitivity of the sensor is 0.62 V·kPa −1 in the pressure range of 0–2.25 kPa. Meanwhile, the T-PEPS is employed to detect human movements such as bending/relaxation motion of the wrist, bending/stretching motion of each finger. It is demonstrated that the T-PEPS can be up-scaled to promote the application of wearable sensor platforms and self-powered devices.