Upconversion-Nanoparticles-Functionalized Janus Micromotor for Efficient Detection of Uric Acid

We report an enzyme-powered upconversion-nanoparticles-functionalized Janus micromotor, prepared by immobilizing uricase asymmetrically onto the surface of silicon particles, to actively and rapidly detect uric acid. The asymmetric distribution of uricase...

Effect of Short Solution Heat Treatment Time on the Microstructure and Properties of Al-Si-Mg-Cu Alloys

In this work, a solution heat treatment of Al-Si-Mg-Cu casting alloy was analyzed. A new short solution heat treatment (SHT) with only 60 min has been allowed. The results revealed that this short SHT enables the improvement of the dendritic structure and the spheroidization of the eutectic silicon particles. Furthermore, the alloy showed improved mechanical properties when compared to the same alloy subjected to a longer SHT of 4 h. It was observed that increasing the SHT temperature can accelerate the dissolution and homogenization of the silicon particles and intermetallic precipitates in the matrix.

The Application of Nanomaterials in Cell Autophagy

Autophagy is defined as separation and degradation of cytoplasmic components through autophagosomes, which plays an essential part in physiological and pathological events. Hence it is also essential for cellular homeostasis. Autophagy disorder may bring about the failure of stem cells to maintain the fundamental transformation and metabolism of cell components. However, for cancer cells, the disorder of autophagy is a feasible antitumor idea. Nanoparticles, referring to particles of the size range 1-100 nanometers, are appearing as a category of autophagy regulators. These nanoparticles may revolutionize and broaden the therapeutic strategies of many diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, tumors, muscle disease, and so on. Researches of autophagy-induced nanomaterials mainly focus on silver particles, gold particles, silicon particles, and rare earth oxides. But in recent years, more and more materials have been found to regulate autophagy, such as nano-nucleic acid materials, nanofiber scaffolds, quantum dots, and so on. The review highlights that various kinds of nanoparticles have the power to regulate autophagy intensity in stem cells of interest and further control biological behaviors, which may become a reliable treatment choice for disease therapy.

Electrophysical Properties of Two Structured Polycrystal Silicon

The article first describes the results obtained in the study of the electrophysical and charge transfer processes of two structural polycrystalline silicon obtained by bonding silicon particles with sunlight. The results of the study show that the charge transfer processes in such structures are found to be different from each other. In particular, at T~300-800 K, a decrease in the surface area of both structures µ was observed, and the temperature dependence of p and n differed from each other. For example, (a) in the surface area T~300-350 K and T~600-710 K p increases and n decreases, at T~350-550 K p decreases and n increases. Conversely, the surface area of the sample (b) is characterized by an increase in p and a decrease in n at T≤575 K, a decrease in p in the later stages of temperature increase, and an increase in n.

Microcructure of Polycrystal Silicon Heated by Sunlight

The article describes the method of obtaining polycrystalline silicon by combining silicon particles with sunlight, its microstructure and the mechanisms of formation of intergranular boundary areas. The results of the study show that the microstructure of the surface areas where sunlight falls (a) and does not fall (b) differs from each other. This is explained on the basis of the formation of temperature differences in the surface areas (a) and (b) for the uniform accumulation of silicon particles.

Various multipole combinations for conical Si particles

In this work, we investigated the possibility of creating various multipole combinations in conical silicon nanoparticles. It was found that in conical silicon particles it seems possible to create key effects for nanophotonics, such as various kinds of Kerker effects (Generalized Kerker, Transverse Kerker), Hybrid anapole state, Bound states in the continuum. This greatly simplifies the manufacturing process of photonic devices due to the easier production of nanocones in practice. Also, conical particles allow an additional degree of freedom, which opens up new horizons for obtaining previously unknown effects.