Phthalates are a group of diesters of ortho‐phthalic acid (dialkyl or alkyl aryl esters of 1,2‐benzenedicarboxylic acid). Higher‐molecular‐weight phthalates, such as di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), ...are primarily used as plasticizers to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, while the lower‐molecular‐weight phthalates, such as diethyl phthalate (DEP), di‐n‐butyl phthalate (DBP), and butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP), are widely used as solvents to hold color and scent in various consumer and personal care products. Phthalates have become ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to volatilization and leaching from their widespread applications, and thus contamination of the environment has become another important source for phthalates in foods in addition to migration from packaging materials. Human exposure to phthalates has been an increased concern due to the findings from toxicology studies in animals. DEHP, one of the important and widely used phthalates, is a rodent liver carcinogen. DEHP, DBP, BBzP, and several phthalate metabolites, such as monobutyl phthalate, monobenzyl phthalate, and mono‐(2‐ethylhexyl) phthalate, are teratogenic in animals. Since foods are the major source of exposure to phthalates, information on levels of phthalates in foods is important for human exposure assessment. The objective of this review is to identify the knowledge gaps for future investigations by reviewing levels of a wide range of phthalates in a variety of foods, such as bottled water, soft drinks, infant formula, human milk, total diet foods, and others, migration of phthalates from various food‐packaging materials, and traditional and new methodologies for the determination of phthalates in foods.
Dense point defects can strengthen phonon scattering to reduce the lattice thermal conductivity and induce outstanding thermoelectric performance in GeTe‐based materials. However, extra point defects ...inevitably enlarge carrier scattering and deteriorate carrier mobility. Herein, it is found that the interstitial Cu in GeTe can result in synergistic effects, which include: 1) strengthened phonon scattering, leading to ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.48 W m−1 K−1 at 623 K; 2) weakened carrier scattering, contributing to high carrier mobility of 80 cm2 V−1 s−1 at 300 K; 3) optimized carrier concentration of 1.22 × 1020 cm−3. Correspondingly, a high figure‐of‐merit of ≈2.3 at 623 K can be obtained in the Ge0.93Ti0.01Bi0.06Te‐0.01Cu, which corresponds to a maximum energy conversion efficiency of ≈10% at a temperature difference of 423 K. This study systematically investigates the doping behavior of the interstitial Cu in GeTe‐based thermoelectric materials for the first time and demonstrates that the localized interstitial Cu is a new strategy to enhance the thermoelectric performance of GeTe‐based thermoelectric materials.
Dense point defects can strengthen phonon scattering, however, inevitably strengthen carrier scattering and deteriorate carrier mobility. Herein, it is demonstrated that the localized interstitial Cu can induce a synergistic effect, leading to high µ (80 cm2 V−1 s−1) and ultralow κl (0.48 W m−1 K−1), thus approaching a high zT of ≈2.3 at 623 K in the Ge0.93Ti0.01Bi0.06Te‐0.01Cu.
Free‐standing flexible films, constructed from two‐dimensional graphitic carbon nitride and titanium carbide (with MXene phase) nanosheets, display outstanding activity and stability in catalyzing ...the oxygen‐evolution reaction in alkaline aqueous system, which originates from the Ti–Nx motifs acting as electroactive sites, and the hierarchically porous structure with highly hydrophilic surface. With this excellent electrocatalytic ability, comparable to that of the state‐of‐the‐art precious‐/transition‐metal catalysts and superior to that of most free‐standing films reported to date, they are directly used as efficient cathodes in rechargeable zinc–air batteries. Our findings reveal that the rational interaction between different two‐dimensional materials can remarkably promote the oxygen electrochemistry, thus boosting the entire clean energy system.
A fascinating catalyst structure: Free‐standing flexible films composed of strongly coupled carbon nitride and titanium carbide nanosheets through Ti–Nx interactions (see picture) exhibited outstanding electrocatalytic activity and stability towards the oxygen‐evolution reaction (OER). The films could be directly used as efficient cathodes in rechargeable Zn–air batteries.
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•Pt-loaded ZnO nanosheets were synthesized by a simple one-pot hydrothermal route.•Pt/ZnO-based sensor exhibited remarkably enhanced response toward CO at 180 °C.•Pt/ZnO-based sensor ...could achieve rapid detection of low concentration of CO.•The sensitization mechanism of Pt/ZnO-based CO gas sensor was proposed.
Unloaded and Pt-loaded ZnO nanosheets with 120–170 nm sizes were successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot hydrothermal route followed by a calcination treatment. The as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It can be clearly observed that Pt nanoparticles with the diameter of 3–5 nm were uniformly loaded on the surface of ZnO nanosheets. A contrastive study based on CO gas sensing performance of bare ZnO and Pt/ZnO was carried out. According to the measurement results, the loading of Pt remarkably upgraded the sensing capability toward CO. The 0.50 at.% Pt/ZnO based gas sensor exhibited an obvious response value of 3.57 toward 50 ppm CO and fast response/recovery time (6/19 s). Besides, the detection limit was as low as 0.10 ppm and the optimal operating temperature was decreased from 210 °C to 180 °C. The enhanced CO sensing performance by Pt nanoparticles could be attributed to the combination of chemical sensitization and electronic sensitization. The 0.50 at.% Pt/ZnO is an efficient sensor material for rapidly detecting low-concentration CO.
According to the Mott's relation, the figure‐of‐merit of a thermoelectric material depends on the charge carrier concentration and carrier mobility. This explains the observation that low ...thermoelectric properties of GeTe‐based materials suffer from the degraded carrier mobility, on account of the fluctuation of electronegativity and ionicity of various elements. Here, high‐performance CuBiSe2 alloyed GeTe with high carrier mobility due to the small electronegativity difference between Cu and Ge atoms and the weak ionicity of CuTe and BiTe bonds, is developed. Density functional theory calculations indicate that CuBiSe2 alloying increases the formation energy of Ge vacancies and correspondingly reduces the amount of Ge vacancies, leading to an optimized carrier concentration and a high power factor of ≈37.4 µW cm−1 K−2 at 723 K. Moreover, CuBiSe2 alloying induces dense point defects and triggers ubiquitous lattice distortions, leading to a reduced lattice thermal conductivity of 0.39 W m−1 K−1 at 723 K. These synergistic effects result in an optimization of the carrier mobility, the carrier concentration, and the lattice thermal conductivity, which favors an enhanced peak figure‐of‐merit of ≈2.2 at 723 K in (GeTe)0.94(CuBiSe2)0.06. This study provides guidance for the screening of GeTe‐based thermoelectric materials with high carrier mobility.
The thermoelectric properties of GeTe‐based materials usually suffer from reduced carrier mobility. In this study, alloying CuBiSe2 into GeTe allows high intrinsic carrier mobility and a high zT of ≈2.2 at 723 K and an average zT of 1.4 from 300 to 723 K in (GeTe)0.94(CuBiSe2)0.06.
Compatible p‐ and n‐type materials are necessary for high‐performance GeTe thermoelectric modules, where the n‐type counterparts are in urgent need. Here, it is reported that the p‐type GeTe can be ...tuned into n‐type by decreasing the formation energy of Te vacancies via AgBiTe2 alloying. AgBiTe2 alloying induces Ag2Te precipitates and tunes the carrier concentration close to the optimal level, leading to a high‐power factor of 6.2 µW cm−1 K−2 at 423 K. Particularly, the observed hierarchical architectural structures, including phase boundaries, nano‐precipitates, and point defects, contribute an ultralow lattice thermal conductivity of 0.39 W m−1 K−1 at 423 K. Correspondingly, an increased ZT of 0.5 at 423 K is observed in n‐type (GeTe)0.45(AgBiTe2)0.55. Furthermore, a single‐leg module demonstrates a maximum η of 6.6% at the temperature range from 300 to 500 K. This study indicates that AgBiTe2 alloying can successfully turn GeTe into n‐type with simultaneously optimized thermoelectric performance.
By proper structure engineering, exotic n‐type GeTe‐based materials with hierarchical architectural structures are reported. This unique architecture can simultaneously increase electrical performance and decrease thermal performance, and demonstrating high thermoelectric conversion efficiency. The high‐performance n‐type GeTe‐based material matching well with p‐type GeTe‐based materials can promote the corresponding practical applications.
Non-invasive methods of detecting cancer by circulating exosomes are challenged by inefficient purification and identification. This study hereby proposed an automated centrifugal microfluidic disc ...system combined with functionalized membranes (Exo-CMDS) to isolate and enrich exosomes, which will then be processed by a novel aptamer fluorescence system (Exo-AFS) in order to detect the exosome surface proteins in an effective manner. Exo-CMDS features in highly qualified yields with optimal exosomal concentration of 5.1 × 109 particles/mL from trace amount of blood samples (<300 μL) in only 8 min, which truly accomplishes the exosome isolation and purification in one-step methods. Meanwhile, the limit of detection (LOD) of PD-L1 in Exo-AFS reaches as low as 1.58 × 105 particles/mL. In the trial of clinical samples, the diagnostic accuracy of lung cancer achieves 91% (95% CI: 79%–96%) in contrast to the exosome ELISA (area under the curve: 0.9378 versus 0.8733; 30 patients). Exo-CMDS and Exo-AFS display the precedence in the aspects of inexpensiveness, celerity, purity, sensitivity and specificity when compared with the traditional techniques. Such assays potentially grant a practicable way of detecting inchoate cancers and guiding immunotherapy in clinic.
This study establishes an integrated platform for exosomes isolation and detection. The process takes only 8 min to yield purified exosomes from 270 μL sample via centrifugal microfluidic disc system. Using aptamer fluorescence detection, the limit of detection is 50-fold lower than that of ELISA. The accuracy for lung cancer diagnosis reaches 91%, which strongly supports its clinical practicability. Display omitted
This study investigated the tissue- and species-specific bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Hg, Zn, As, Cd, and Pb) in three benthic bivalves (the ark shell, Scapharca subcrenata; the surf ...clam, Mactra veneriformis; and the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum) collected from the coast of Laizhou Bay in the Bohai Sea. The results demonstrated that the visceral masses of the bivalves tended to accumulate heavy metals more efficiently than their muscles. The capacities of the bivalves to bioaccumulate metals followed a similar order: Cd>Hg>Zn=As>Cu>Cr=Pb. The conditions of metal contamination in the bivalves tended to be worse along the eastern coast than in other regions. Overall, the Manila clam was more severely contaminated by heavy metals than the surf clam and ark shell. Judging by the hazard quotients (HQ) of the metals in the muscles of the bivalves, the greatest hazard risk to human health comes primarily from As.
•Visceral masses in bivalves accumulate metals more efficiently than muscles.•Manila clam was more contaminated by metals than surf clam and ark shell.•Cd showed the highest capacity to accumulate in bivalves among all metals.•Metal pollution in bivalves along the eastern coast was worse than other regions.•As exhibited the greatest hazard risk to human health from consuming bivalves.
Reining in the outliers: An efficient approach for enantioselective hydrogenation of 3,4‐disubstituted isoquinolines was successfully developed. When isoquinolines are treated with ...Ir(cod)Cl2/(R)‐synphos in the presence of 1‐bromo‐3‐chloro‐5,5‐dimethyl‐hydantoin (BCDMH), the chiral 3,4‐disubstituted tetrahydroisoquinoline derivatives are obtained with ee values as high as 96 % (see scheme; cod=1,5‐cyclooctadiene).
Lonicera japonica Thunb, rich in chlorogenic acid (CHA), is used for viral upper respiratory tract infection treatment caused by influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus, ...ect in China. It was reported that CHA reduced serum hepatitis B virus level and death rate of influenza virus-infected mice. However, the underlying mechanisms of CHA against the influenza A virus have not been fully elucidated. Here, the antiviral effects and potential mechanisms of CHA against influenza A virus were investigated. CHA revealed inhibitory against A/PuertoRico/8/1934(H1N1) (EC
= 44.87 μM), A/Beijing/32/92(H3N2) (EC
= 62.33 μM), and oseltamivir-resistant strains. Time-course analysis showed CHA inhibited influenza virus during the late stage of infectious cycle. Indirect immunofluorescence assay indicated CHA down-regulated the NP protein expression. The inhibition of neuraminidase activity confirmed CHA blocked release of newly formed virus particles from infected cells. Intravenous injection of 100 mg/kg/d CHA possessed effective antiviral activity in mice, conferring 60% and 50% protection from death against H1N1 and H3N2, reducing virus titres and alleviating inflammation in the lungs effectively. These results demonstrate that CHA acts as a neuraminidase blocker to inhibit influenza A virus both in cellular and animal models. Thus, CHA has potential utility in the treatment of the influenza virus infection.
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