Short-Time Relaxation and Anomalous Diffusion in Dynamic Covalent Networks.

Introducing dynamic covalent chemistries into polymer networks allows access to complex linear viscoelasticity, owing to the reversible nature of the dynamic bonds. While this macroscopic mechanical behavior is influenced by the dynamic exchange of these chemistries, connecting the microscopic dynamics to the bulk properties is hindered by the time scale conventional techniques can observe. Here, light scattering passive microrheology is applied to probe short-time dynamics of dynamic covalent networks that consist of telechelic benzalcyanoacetate (BCA) Michael acceptors and thiol-functionalized cross-linkers.

High Performance Transmission-Type Daytime Radiative Cooling Film with a Simple and Scalable Method.

Transmission-type radiative cooling textiles represent a vital strategy for personal thermal management. However, traditional preparation methods based on heat-induced phase separation face significant challenges regarding cost, environmental impact, and optical performance. Herein, a novel preparation method is devloped by blending mid-IR transparent solid styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS) with solid polyethylene (PE), enabling the creation of pores through dissolving SEBS.

33 Unresolved Questions in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges.

Chemically Tailorable Dissolution Pathways of Individual CuAs Nanocrystals.

The optical, electronic, and catalytic properties of nanocrystals (NCs) are often determined by their size, shape, and materials. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of shape-controlled synthesis and transformation is crucial for revealing fundamental reaction kinetics, enabling the design of more precisely controlled materials. Liquid cell transmission electron microscopy (LCTEM) enables the observation of individual NC growth and dissolution with millisecond time resolution and subnanometer space resolution.

Prospects of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals: 2025 Edition.

Nanocrystals (NCs) of various compositions have made important contributions to science and technology, with their impact recognized by the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery and synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). Over four decades of research into NCs has led to numerous advancements in diverse fields, such as optoelectronics, catalysis, energy, medicine, and recently, quantum information and computing. The last 10 years since the predecessor perspective "Prospect of Nanoscience with Nanocrystals" was published in ACS Nano have seen NC research continuously evolve, yielding critical advances in fundamental understanding and practical applications.

Zeaxanthin augments CD8 effector T cell function and immunotherapy efficacy.

The detailed mechanisms underlying the regulatory significance of dietary components in modulating anti-tumor immunity remain largely unknown. Here, we apply a co-culture-based screening approach using a blood nutrient compound library and identify zeaxanthin (ZEA), a dietary carotenoid pigment found in many fruits and vegetables and known for its role in eye health, as an immunomodulator that enhances the cytotoxicity of CD8 T cells against tumor cells. Oral supplementation with ZEA, but not its structural isomer lutein (LUT), enhances anti-tumor immunity in vivo.

Analysis and management of thermal loads generated in vivo by miniaturized optoelectronic implantable devices.

Miniaturized implantable optoelectronic technologies for in vivo biomedical applications are gaining interest, but require strict thermal management for safe operation. Here, we introduce a comprehensive framework combining analytical solutions and numerical modeling to estimate and manage thermal effects of optoelectronic devices. We propose Green's functions to analytically solve temperature distributions in tissue from a point source with coupled thermal-optical power, capturing the influence of critical tissue properties and spatiotemporal parameters.

Perspectives on non-genetic optoelectronic modulation biointerfaces for advancing healthcare.

Advancements in optoelectronic biointerfaces have revolutionized healthcare by enabling targeted stimulation and monitoring of cells, tissues, and organs. Photostimulation, a key application, offers precise control over biological processes, surpassing traditional modulation methods with increased spatial resolution and reduced invasiveness. This perspective highlights three approaches in non-genetic optoelectronic photostimulation: nanostructured phototransducers for cellular stimulation, micropatterned photoelectrode arrays for tissue stimulation, and thin-film flexible photoelectrodes for multiscale stimulation.

Implantable bioelectronic devices for photoelectrochemical and electrochemical modulation of cells and tissues.

Electroceuticals are bioelectronic devices that provide or modulate electrical or electrochemical signals to regulate physiological functions. In particular, devices designed for energy conversion are capable of transforming electrical energy into alternative forms of energy, such as heat or light, or vice versa, thereby enabling the photoelectrochemical and electrochemical modulation of biological systems, for example, to control muscle movement or cardiac rhythm. Such energy conversion approaches offer remote control and enhanced precision, surpassing the limitations of direct tissue and cell stimulation with traditional electroceutical devices, such as pacemakers, including mechanical mismatch at interfaces and wired communication.

Materials and device strategies to enhance spatiotemporal resolution in bioelectronics.

Spatiotemporal resolution is a cornerstone of bioelectronics, enabling precise observation and control of biological events at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels. In this Review, we analyse recent advancements in spatiotemporal resolution essential for applications such as neuroprosthetics, cardiac monitoring and biosensing, with a focus on devices utilizing electrical, electrochemical and optoelectronic signal transduction. We define the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of spatial and temporal resolution and highlight high-performance materials and device architectures - including electrodes, transistors and optoelectronic interfaces - that drive these capabilities.

Computation of Auger Electron Spectra in Organic Molecules with Multiconfiguration Pair-Density Functional Theory.

Efficient and accurate computation of molecular Auger electron spectra for larger systems is limited by the rapid increase in the number of doubly ionized final states as the system size grows. In this work, we benchmark the application of multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory with a restricted active space (RAS) reference wave function for computing the carbon K-edge decay spectra of 20 organic molecules. Decay rates are computed within the one-center approximation.

Timescale of environmental change modulates metabolic guild cohesion in microbial communities.

Microbial communities experience environmental fluctuations across timescales from rapid changes in moisture, temperature, or light levels to long-term seasonal or climactic variations. Understanding how microbial populations respond to these changes is critical for predicting the impact of perturbations, interventions, and climate change on communities. Because communities typically harbor tens to hundreds of distinct taxa, the response of microbial abundances to perturbations is potentially complex.

The integrated stress response promotes macrophage inflammation and migration in autoimmune diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Macrophages infiltrate islets early in T1D pathogenesis, preceding the influx of T- and B-lymphocytes. The integrated stress response (ISR), a cellular pathway activated during stress, coordinates adaptive changes in gene expression to maintain cell function and survival.

A fluorescent-protein spin qubit.

Quantum bits (qubits) are two-level quantum systems that support initialization, readout and coherent control. Optically addressable spin qubits form the foundation of an emerging generation of nanoscale sensors. The engineering of these qubits has mainly focused on solid-state systems.

Scalable metasurface-enhanced supercool cement.

Structural materials with the capability for passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) show promise for the sustainable cooling of buildings. However, developing durable PDRC structural materials with optical robustness, ease of deployment, and scalability remain a challenge for civil engineering applications. We synthesized a metasurface-enhanced cooling cement using a universal, scalable pressure-driven fabrication strategy during a low-carbon production process.

Mechanism for oil-phase separation by the lipid droplet assembly complex.

Cells store metabolic energy as triglyceride (TG) oils in lipid droplets (LDs). LDs form from the endoplasmic reticulum. How the lipid droplet assembly complex (LDAC), composed of seipin and LDAF1, catalyzes the organized formation of an oil phase in a membrane bilayer before spontaneous phase separation is triggered is unknown.

Prediction of αβ integrin structures along its minimum free energy activation pathway.

The adhesion protein integrin is a transmembrane heterodimer that plays a pivotal role in cellular processes such as cell signaling and cell migration. To execute its function, integrin undergoes extensive conformational changes from a bent-closed to an extended-open state. Resolving the structures across these changes remains a challenge with both experimental and computational methods, but it is crucial for understanding the activation mechanism of integrin.

Nonunitary Variational Quantum Eigensolver with the Localized Active Space Method and Cost Mitigation.

Accurately describing strongly correlated systems with affordable quantum resources remains a central challenge for quantum chemistry applications on near and intermediate term quantum computers. The localized active space self-consistent field (LASSCF) approximates the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) by generating active space-based wave functions within specific fragments while treating interfragment correlation with mean-field approach, hence is computationally less expensive. Hardware-efficient ansatzes (HEA) offer affordable and shallower circuits, yet they often fail to capture the necessary correlation.

Light-triggered toll-like receptor activation in a nanoscale metal-organic framework for synergistic PDT and cancer immunotherapy.

Although innate immune modulators (IIMs) have shown promise as cancer immunotherapeutics, their clinical application is hindered by the challenge of achieving tumour-specific activation while minimizing systemic immune-related toxicity. Nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have emerged as effective carriers for photosensitizers to enable photodynamic therapy (PDT), which induces immunogenic cell death reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. We hypothesized that covalent conjugation of IMMs to nanoscale MOFs through ROS-cleavable linkers could localize immune activation to the tumour microenvironment while synergizing with PDT to enhance antitumour immunity.

MC-PDFT Nuclear Gradients and L-PDFT Energies with Meta and Hybrid Meta On-Top Functionals for Ground- and Excited-State Geometry Optimization and Vertical Excitation Energies.

Multiconfiguration pair-density functional theory (MC-PDFT) is a post-MCSCF multireference electronic-structure method that explicitly models strong electron correlation, and linearized pair-density functional theory (L-PDFT) is a recently developed multistate extension that can accurately model conical intersections and locally avoided crossings. Because MC-PDFT and L-PDFT rely on an on-top energy functional, their accuracy depends on the quality of the on-top functional used. Recent work has introduced translated meta-gradient-approximation (meta-GA) on-top functionals, and specifically the MC23 hybrid meta-GA on-top functional, which is the first on-top functional specifically optimized for MC-PDFT.

Sustainable Conversion of Husk into Viscoelastic Hydrogels for Value-Added Biomedical Applications.

Natural plants provide a wealth of valuable materials for healthcare, with much of their potential often overlooked in what is commonly considered waste. This study focuses on the (), whose fruit, (PDH), has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine. By investigating PDH husk's swelling behavior, we efficiently extracted its polysaccharides without harsh chemicals.

Impact of the Atomic Structure at the BiVO/TiO Interface on the Electronic Properties and Performance of BiVO/TiO Photoanodes.

In photoelectrochemical cells, semiconductor electrodes are usually interfaced with protection layers to extend their stability. Ideally, the protection layer should not decrease photocurrent generation. Hence, the conduction band minimum (CBM) and valence band maximum (VBM) of the protection layer should appropriately align with those of the underlying semiconductor electrode to facilitate the desired interfacial charge transfer with minimal interfacial recombination.

Sweat-sensitive adaptive warm clothing.

Thermal regulation in warm clothing is essential for enhancing human comfort in cold environments. However, traditional warm clothing lacks the ability to adapt to dynamic changes in the human body's microenvironment. Here, we present an adaptive warm cloth, featuring a filling made of a natural bacterial cellulose membrane that responds to human sweating.

Advances in Quantum Defect Embedding Theory.

Quantum defect embedding theory (QDET) is a many-body embedding method designed to describe condensed systems with correlated electrons localized within a given region of space, for example spin defects in semiconductors and insulators. Although the QDET approach has been successful in predicting the electronic properties of several point defects, several limitations of the method remain. In this work, we propose multiple advances to the QDET formalism.