Light can be coupled into propagating electromagnetic surface waves at a metal-dielectric interface known as surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). This process has traditionally faced challenges in the ...polarization sensitivity of the coupling efficiency and in controlling the directionality of the SPPs. We designed and demonstrated plasmonic couplers that overcome these limits using polarization-sensitive apertures in a gold film. Our devices enable polarization-controlled tunable directional coupling with polarization-invariant total conversion efficiency and preserve the incident polarization information. Both bidirectional and unidirectional launching of SPPs are demonstrated. The design is further applied to circular structures that create radially convergent and divergent SPPs, illustrating that this concept can be extended to a broad range of applications.
Uniform and patterned orientation of a crystallographic direction of ordered materials is of fundamental significance and of great interest for electronic and photonic applications. However, such ...orientation control is generally complicated and challenging with regard to inorganic and organic crystalline materials due to the occurrence of uncontrollable dislocations or defects. Achieving uniform lattice orientation in frustrated liquid‐crystalline phases, like cubic blue phases, is a formidable task. Taming and tailoring the ordering of such soft, cubic lattices along predetermined or desired directions, and even imparting a prescribed pattern on lattice orientation, are more challenging, due to the entropy‐domination attribute of soft matter. Herein, we disclose a facile way to realize designed micropatterning of a crystallographic direction of a soft, cubic liquid‐crystal superstructure, exhibiting an alternate uniform and random orientation of the lattice crystallographic direction enabled by a photoalignment technique. Because of the rewritable trait of the photoalignment film, the pattern can be erased and rewritten on‐demand by light. Such an oriented soft lattice sensitively responds to various external stimuli such as temperature, electric field, and light irradiation. Furthermore, advanced reflective photonic applications are achieved based on the patterned crystallographic orientation of the cubic blue phase, soft lattice.
A facile way to realize designed micropatterning of a crystallographic direction of a soft, cubic liquid‐crystal superstructure is disclosed, exhibiting an alternate uniform and random orientation of the lattice crystallographic direction, enabled by a photoalignment technique, which has not been accomplished before.
Self‐organized stimuli‐responsive smart materials with adjustable attributes are highly desirable for a plethora of device applications. Simple cubic lattice is quite uncommon in soft condensed ...matter due to its lower packing factor. Achieving a stable simple cubic soft lattice and endowing such a lattice with dynamic reconstruction capability solely by a facile light irradiation are of paramount significance for both fundamental studies and engineering explorations. Herein, an elegant stable self‐organized simple cubic soft lattice, i.e., blue phase II, in a chiral liquid crystal (LC) system is disclosed, which is stable down to room temperature and exhibits both reversible lattice deformation and transformation to a helical superstructure, i.e., cholesteric LC, by light stimulation. Such an amazing trait is attained by doping a judiciously designed achiral photoresponsive molecular switch functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane nanocage into a chiral LC host. An unprecedented reversible collapse and reconstruction of such a high symmetric simple cubic blue phase II driven by light has been achieved. Furthermore, a well‐defined conglomerate micropattern composed of simple cubic soft lattice and helical superstructure, which is challenging to fabricate in organic and inorganic crystalline materials, is produced using photomasking technology. Moreover, the promising photonic application based on such a micropattern is demonstrated.
A reversible and dynamic transformation between a stable simple cubic lattice and a helical superstructure is achieved via light irradiation in a photoresponsive blue phase liquid crystal enabled by a molecular‐switch‐functionalized nanocage. Leveraging this capability, unprecedented light‐driven recording, erasing, and rewriting of well‐defined biphasic micropatterns are demonstrated and photonic applications of such micropatterns are explored.
Manual intervention in the self‐organization of soft matter to obtain a desired superstructure is a complex but significant project. Specifically, optical components made fully or partially from ...reconfigurable and stimuli‐responsive soft materials, referred to as soft photonics, are poised to form versatile platforms in various areas; however, a limited scale, narrow spectral adaptability, and poor stability are still formidable challenges. Herein, a facile way is developed to program the optical jigsaw puzzle of nematic liquid crystals via pixelated holographic surface reliefs, leading to an era of manufacturing for programmable soft materials with tailored functions. Multiscale jigsaw puzzles are established and endowed with unprecedented stability and durability, further sketching a prospective framework toward customized adaptive photonic architectures. This work demonstrates a reliable and efficient approach for directly assembling soft matter, unlocking the long‐sought full potential of stimuli‐responsive soft systems, and providing opportunities to inspire the next generation of soft photonics and relevant areas.
Multiscale optical jigsaw puzzles with tailored functions are established by programming pixelated holographic surface reliefs. The robust reliefs and stimuli‐responsive liquid crystals (LCs) endow the optical jigsaw puzzles with broad spectral adaptability, unprecedented stability, and reliable durability, which builds up a new way for soft materials in adaptive flat optics.
Although the efficiency of small-size perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has reached an incredible level of 25.25%, there is still a substantial loss in performance when switching from small size devices ...to large-scale solar modules. The large efficiency deficit is primarily associated with the big challenge of coating homogeneous, large-area, high-quality thin films via scalable processes. Here, we provide a comprehensive understanding of the nucleation and crystal growth kinetics, which are the key steps for perovskite film formation. Several thin-film crystallization techniques, including antisolvent, hot-casting, vacuum quenching, and gas blowing, are then summarized to distinguish their applications for scalable fabrication of perovskite thin films. In viewing the essential importance of the film morphology on device performance, several strategies including additive engineering, Lewis acid-based approach, solvent annealing, etc., which are capable of modulating the crystal morphology of perovskite film, are discussed. Finally, we summarize the recent progress in the scalable deposition of large-scale perovskite thin film for high-performance devices.
Resident microglia are the major immune cells in the brain, acting as the first defense of the central nervous system. Following cerebral ischemia, microglia respond to this injury at first and ...transform from surveying microglia to active state. The activated microglia play a dual role in the ischemic injury, due to distinct microglia phenotypes, including deleterious M1 and neuroprotective M2. However, microglia show transient M2 phenotype followed by a shift to M1. The high ratio of M1 to M2 is significantly related to ischemic injury. Many signal pathways participate in the alternation of microglial phenotype, presenting potential therapeutic targets for selectively modulating M2 polarization of microglia. In this review, we discuss how the M2 phenotype mediates neuroprotective effects and summarize the alternation of signaling cascades that control microglial phenotype after ischemic stroke.
•Microglia play a dual role in ischemic stroke.•In ischemic stroke, microglia show transient neuroprotective M2 phenotype followed by a shift to destructive M1 phenotype.•Multi-signal pathways regulating the alternation of microglial phenotype are reviewed.•Selective modulation of microglia polarization to M2 phenotype may be a possible therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.
Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) are considered promising candidates as next-generation energy storage devices due to their high safety, low cost, ample resources and environmental benignity. ...Nevertheless, some critical issues such as the formation of zinc dendrites at the anode and the shuttle effect of some typical cathode materials (
i.e.
, iodine cathode) hinder the practical and large-scale applications of AZBs. The above-mentioned issues are closely related to the ion transport properties in AZBs. As an indispensable component in batteries, the separator controls the cation/anion transport and thus is an ideal candidate for regulating the ion transport properties. In this case, to realize an insightful and comprehensive understanding of the roles of the separators in AZBs, it is necessary to discuss and categorize the working mechanism of the separators. Accordingly, initially, we discuss the advantages and existing challenges associated with AZBs. Then, the strategies for addressing these challenges in AZBs utilizing functional separators are discussed and summarized. Finally, some future perspectives towards the development of separators in AZBs are presented. This review highlights the recent advances and offers new insights into the design of functional separators for highly stable AZBs.
This study summarizes the recent advances of functional separators for stable aqueous zinc batteries.
Iridoid glycosides (IGs) are found in many medicinal and edible plants, such as Gardenia jasminoides, Cistanche tubulosa, Eucommia ulmoides, Rehmanniae Radix, Lonicera japonica, and Cornus ...officinalis. Loganin, an IG, is one of the main active ingredient of Cornus officinalis Sieb. et Zucc., which approved as a medicinal and edible plant in China. Loganin has been widely concerned due to its extensive pharmacological effects, including anti‐diabetic, antiinflammatory, neuroprotective, and anti‐tumor activities, etc. Studies have shown that these underlying mechanisms include anti‐oxidation, antiinflammation and anti‐apoptosis by regulating a variety of signaling pathways, such as STAT3/NF‐κB, JAK/STAT3, TLR4/NF‐κB, PI3K/Akt, MCP‐1/CCR2, and RAGE/Nox4/p65 NF‐κB signaling pathways. In order to better understand the research status of loganin and promote its application in human health, this paper systematically summarized the phytochemistry, analysis methods, synthesis, pharmacological properties and related mechanisms, and pharmacokinetics based on the research in the past decades.
The past several years have witnessed the blooming of emerging immunotherapy, as well as their therapeutic potential in remodeling the immune system. Nevertheless, with the development of biological ...mechanisms in oncology, it has been demonstrated that hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME) seriously impairs the therapeutic outcomes of immunotherapy. Hypoxia, caused by Warburg effect and insufficient oxygen delivery, has been considered as a primary construction element of TME and drawn tremendous attention in cancer therapy. Multiple hypoxia-modulatory theranostic agents have been facing many obstacles and challenges while offering initial therapeutic effect. Inspired by versatile nanomaterials, great efforts have been devoted to design hypoxia-based nanoplatforms to preserve drug activity, reduce systemic toxicity, provide adequate oxygenation, and eventually ameliorate hypoxic-tumor management. Besides these, recently, some curative and innovative hypoxia-related nanoplatforms have been applied in synergistic immunotherapy, especially in combination with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), immunomodulatory therapeutics, cancer vaccine therapy and immunogenic cell death (ICD) effect. Herein, the paramount impact of hypoxia on tumor immune escape was initially described and discussed, followed by a comprehensive overview on the design tactics of multimodal nanoplatforms based on hypoxia-enabled theranostic agents. A variety of nanocarriers for relieving tumor hypoxic microenvironment were also summarized. On this basis, we presented the latest progress in the use of hypoxia-modulatory nanomaterials for synergistic immunotherapy and highlighted current challenges and plausible promises in this area in the near future.
Cancer immunotherapy, emerging as a novel treatment to eradicate malignant tumors, has achieved a measure of success in clinical popularity and transition. However, over the last decades, hypoxia-induced tumor immune escape has attracted enormous attention in cancer treatment. Limitations of free targeting agents have paved the path for the development of multiple nanomaterials with the hope of boosting immunotherapy. In this review, the innovative design tactics and multifunctional nanocarriers for hypoxia alleviation are summarized, and the smart nanomaterial-assisted hypoxia-modulatory therapeutics for synergistic immunotherapy and versatile biomedical applications are especially highlighted. In addition, the challenges and prospects of clinical transformation are further discussed.
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Dynamic electric field frequency actuated helical and spiral structures enable a plethora of attributes for advanced photonics and engineering in the contemporary era. Nevertheless, leveraging the ...frequency responsiveness of adaptive devices and systems within a broad dynamic range and maintaining restrained high-frequency induced heating remain challenging. Herein, we establish a frequency-actuated heliconical soft architecture that is quite distinct from that of common frequency-responsive soft materials. We achieve reversible modulation of the photonic bandgap in a wide spectral range by delicately coupling the frequency-dependent thermal effect, field-induced dielectric torque and elastic equilibrium. Furthermore, an information encoder prototype without the aid of complicated algorithm design is established to analogize an information encoding and decoding process with a more convenient and less costly way. A technique for taming and tailoring the distribution of the pitch length is exploited and embodied in a prototype of a spatially controlled soft photonic cavity and laser emission. This work demonstrates a distinct frequency responsiveness in a heliconical soft system, which may not merely inspire the interest in field-assisted bottom-up molecular engineering of soft matter but also facilitate the practicality of adaptive photonics.
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