Article
Energy & Fuels
Lichao Ge, Xiaoyan Liu, Hongcui Feng, Han Jiang, Huaqiang Chu, Chang Xu, Zhihua Wang
Summary: This study found that cationic additives of different valence states have different effects on lignite microwave dehydration, and the promotion effect of additives is related to the valence state, hydration radius, and solubility of cations.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Weijun Zhou, Lunyu Zhao, Hanlin Cheng, Jizhang Chen, Jianyong Ouyang
Summary: Ionic thermoelectric (ITE) materials have high thermopower and their properties can be enhanced by introducing sodium (Na+) as a dopant in the ionogels.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Jing Chen, Zhaoquan Zheng, Die Li, Zhangbin Guan, Xiaoling Xu, Cenyao Shang, Qiang Zhang, Guang-Zhao Li
Summary: Quaternization-induced self-assembly was used to fabricate sugar-containing nanoassemblies in water. Block copolymers of PCL-b-P4VP and PMA-b-PDEAEMA reacted with unprotected monosaccharides, resulting in glycol assemblies PCL-b-P4VP-G and PMA-b-PEAEMA-G. These assemblies showed binding ability against concanavalin A. Additionally, the antibacterial activity and biocompatibility mechanism of glycol micelles with different cationic amine moieties were investigated.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Peiying Li, Philipp Holliger, Shunsuke Tagami
Summary: Macromolecular aggregates are believed to have played a crucial role in the origin of life. This study reveals that hydrophobic-cationic peptides can form insoluble aggregates that reversibly bind to RNA and enhance RNA polymerization, suggesting their potential contribution to the emergence and evolution of longer, functional RNAs in the early Earth.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Jun Wang, He Huang, Orakan Hanpanich, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study demonstrates that the catalytic activity of a Na+-dependent DNAzyme can be enhanced by adding a cationic copolymer and PEG in a molecular crowded environment, resulting in a significant increase in reaction rate.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Edward A. Curtis
Summary: It was previously believed that nucleic acids mainly functioned in information storage and transfer, but artificial evolution experiments have shown that DNA and RNA have much greater functional potential. Research on artificial evolution can identify nucleic acids with extreme functions, expanding our understanding of DNA and RNA functionality.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Hongjun Jin, Ziyan Wu, Weilin Lin, Yinye Chen, Jingran Zhang, Ruyi Zheng, Haibing Wei, Qinghua Chen, Qingrong Qian, Jianbin Huang, Jie Zhang, Yun Yan
Summary: In this study, size-controllable tetragonal nanoprisms were formed through crystallization-directed ionic self-assembly (CDISA) by evaporating a micellar solution on solid substrates. The length and width of the nanoprisms can be easily tuned by varying the initial concentration. This precise size-control strategy is expected to provide new possibilities for designing advanced materials with size-controllable anisotropic nanostructures.
Article
Biophysics
Bradley I. Harding, Nina M. Pollak, Darko Stefanovic, Joanne Macdonald
Summary: This study presents a novel method for controlling DNAzyme using a ligand-responsive allosteric RNA aptamer. The results demonstrate that this method can effectively determine the concentration of theophylline and enhance the information processing and control capabilities in biological systems.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiao-Qiong Li, Yi-Lei Jia, Yu-Wen Zhang, Hong-Yuan Chen, Jing-Juan Xu
Summary: This paragraph discusses the unparalleled potential of DNA molecular machines based on DNA logic circuits in precision medicine. However, the challenge lies in delivering these nanomachines into biological systems and ensuring their specific, quick, and logical functioning. The authors have developed an efficient DNA molecular machine that integrates transfer-sensor-computation-output functions to achieve high fidelity detection of intracellular biomolecules. The introduction of pH nanoswitches and spatial confinement of the DNA triangular prism enable the machine to process complex information at the nanoscale with higher sensitivity and shorter response time, providing a new insight into the construction of efficient DNA molecular machines.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhaopeng Yu, Xiaohu Feng, Chenqi Zhao, Jiajun Li, Ruofan Liu, Yushun Jin, Yibo Wu
Summary: Linear and star-shaped telechelic polyisobutylene with hydroxyl-terminated ends were successfully synthesized through living cationic polymerization using propylene oxide/Titanium tetrachloride as the initiator system. The one-step method using epoxide as the functional initiator shows potential for industrial application, and the polymerization mechanism was proposed based on end structure analysis and Gaussian calculation results.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Shuai Zhang, Kuanjun Fang, Xiuming Liu, Xiran Qiao, Jinkun Wang
Summary: This study reports a simple method to prepare hydrophobic and UV-resistant multifunctional colored cotton fabrics by using the self-curing technique of cationic polyethyleneimine dye polymer (CPNP(R218)) nanospheres. The CPNP(R218) nanospheres were synthesized and formulated into polymer membranes on the surface of cotton during the dyeing process. The dyed cotton fabric showed good color properties and hydrophobicity, with a static water contact angle (WCA) of 138.4 degrees. The UV protection factor (UPF) value of the dyed cotton was significantly higher than that of the original cotton fabric, indicating the potential of this self-curing film formation method for the construction of multifunctional colored cotton fabrics.
SURFACES AND INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun Wang, Hayashi Raito, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study investigates the effects of a series of cationic copolymers on DNA catalytic hairpin assembly, revealing that one copolymer significantly enhances the reaction rate by 30-fold and alleviates the dependency on toehold length and GC content, thus improving the circuit's robustness against interference. The use of this cationic copolymer proves to be an efficient approach to enhance the operation rate and robustness of toehold-mediated DNA circuits, opening up possibilities for more flexible design and broader application.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yanjie He, Yachao Liang, Shuang Liang, Yeu-Wei Harn, Zili Li, Mingyue Zhang, Dingfeng Shen, Zhiwei Li, Yan Yan, Xinchang Pang, Zhiqun Lin
Summary: A robust amphiphilic-diblock-copolymer-enabled strategy has been developed for crafting highly-stable anisotropic CsPbBr3 nanosheets. These dual-protected nanosheets exhibit remarkable stabilities and find application in white-light-emitting diodes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Lihan Deng, Mengfan Wu, Zhihua Yang, Shujuan Han, Shilie Pan
Summary: Sn3B10O17Cl2 was successfully synthesized and its structure and optical performance were studied. The compound exhibits a large optical anisotropy and the structure-performance relationships were analyzed through theoretical calculations.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Riku Yamanaka, Ayae Sugawara-Narutaki, Rintaro Takahashi
Summary: The polymerization of solvophobic monomers from both ends of solvophilic polymers produces BAB triblock copolymers in solution, which can lead to network formation and gelation through the self-assembly of the extending solvophobic blocks. This polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) process in triblock copolymers is of significant interest, but its underlying mechanism has been poorly understood compared to that of PISA in diblock copolymers. In this study, the PISA and gelation process of triblock copolymers were monitored for the first time using two independent in situ time-resolved techniques - small-angle X-ray scattering and oscillatory rheology. It was discovered that the gelation proceeds instantaneously after an induction period and is distinct from conventional gelation processes involving polycondensation or cross-linking reactions of polymers. This study sheds light on the entire process of PISA and network formation during the synthesis of triblock copolymers.
Article
Biophysics
Orakan Hanpanich, Atchara Lomae, Atsushi Maruyama, Tanapat Palaga, Orawon Chailapakul, Nattaya Ngamrojanavanich
Summary: This study reports the development of an isothermal, label-free electrochemical biosensor for point-of-care (POC) diagnostic applications. The biosensor is designed based on target-driven MNAzyme cleavage activity and can rapidly detect DNA and RNA. Integration of an artificial chaperone-enhanced MNAzyme system further enhances the analytical performance of the biosensor, reducing the detection time and improving the detection limit. The proposed biosensing platform shows simple fabrication and operation, good selectivity, and versatility in complex mixtures of total RNA.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Atsuhiro Kojima, Juki Nakao, Naohiko Shimada, Naoki Yoshida, Yota Abe, Yu Mikame, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, Takehiko Wada, Atsushi Maruyama, Asako Yamayoshi
Summary: In the process of cell development and differentiation, 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) plays an important role in transcriptional regulation and abnormal DNA methylation is associated with various diseases. This study discovered a photo-crosslinking property of Ps-Oligo to ds-DNA containing 5-mC in the presence of PAA-g-Dex, which could be a powerful tool for detecting 5-mC in genomic DNA.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jun Wang, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study demonstrates the use of a cationic copolymer, PLL-g-Dex, to enhance the efficiency of DNA hybridization chain reaction (HCR). PLL-g-Dex accelerates the initiation and growth steps of HCR, resulting in increased production of high molecular weight HCR products. Furthermore, PLL-g-Dex protects the HCR system from nucleases, enabling HCR in the presence of serum components.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yamato Tanaka, Chun Hao Niu, Taira Sasaki, Shouhei Nomura, Atsushi Maruyama, Naohiko Shimada
Summary: Ureido polymers demonstrate unique phase behavior and have a positive effect on protein refolding through liquid-liquid phase separation. Incubation at a specific temperature enhances protein release and refolding.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Tsukuru Masuda, Shutaro Takahashi, Takuro Ochiai, Takayoshi Yamada, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: Lipid bilayer transformations are important in cellular engineering and drug delivery technology. By adding specific peptides and cationic copolymers, cell-sized lipid vesicles can be transformed into 2D nanosheets. The design of a thermoresponsive copolymer allows for spontaneous 2D/3D transformation in response to temperature, enabling the creation of smart nanointerfaces and convertible biomaterials based on lipids.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Shuya Fan, Tadao Takada, Atsushi Maruyama, Mamoru Fujitsuka, Kiyohiko Kawai
Summary: Fluorescence imaging uses changes in intensity and wavelength to analyze multiple targets. Blinking, as an additional parameter, can increase the number of targets that can be identified simultaneously. By using DNA as a platform, the processes of electron transfer leading to blinking were elucidated, and different blinking patterns were observed depending on the DNA sequence. The blinking patterns were successfully described using a combination of electron transfer rate constants. Thus, molecules with various blinking patterns can be developed by tuning electron transfer, increasing the number of targets that can be analyzed simultaneously.
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Atchara Lomae, Pattarachaya Preechakasedkit, Orakan Hanpanich, Tugba Ozer, Charles S. Henry, Atsushi Maruyama, Ekawat Pasomsub, Angsana Phuphuakrat, Sirirat Rengpipat, Tirayut Vilaivan, Orawon Chailapakul, Nipapan Ruecha, Nattaya Ngamrojanavanich
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of portable diagnostic tools for detecting and controlling the spread of the disease. In this study, a smartphone-assisted Sensit Smart potentiostat was combined with a paper-based electrochemical sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2. The sensor utilized a disposable paper-based device with a modified working electrode that captures the target DNA. The developed sensor demonstrated high specificity and achieved accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 in patient samples.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jun Wang, Hayashi Raito, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study investigates the effects of a series of cationic copolymers on DNA catalytic hairpin assembly, revealing that one copolymer significantly enhances the reaction rate by 30-fold and alleviates the dependency on toehold length and GC content, thus improving the circuit's robustness against interference. The use of this cationic copolymer proves to be an efficient approach to enhance the operation rate and robustness of toehold-mediated DNA circuits, opening up possibilities for more flexible design and broader application.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Seiya Takemura, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: Molecular chaperones play essential roles in physiological reactions by regulating biomacromolecules. This study demonstrates the photoresponsive activation of a cationic comb-type copolymer as a molecular chaperone, enhancing the disruptive activity of proteins and inducing morphological changes.
JOURNAL OF BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE-POLYMER EDITION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Wancheng Zhang, Shutaro Takahashi, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: By changing the pH within the physiological range, lipid nanosheets with high structural stability can be reversibly converted to cell-sized vesicles using the membrane disruptive peptide E5 and a cationic copolymer anchored on lipid membranes.
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Jun Wang, He Huang, Orakan Hanpanich, Naohiko Shimada, Atsushi Maruyama
Summary: This study demonstrates that the catalytic activity of a Na+-dependent DNAzyme can be enhanced by adding a cationic copolymer and PEG in a molecular crowded environment, resulting in a significant increase in reaction rate.
BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Takuya Komachi, Shunya Kawai, Yuki Hirayama, Atsushi Maruyama, Naohiko Shimada
Summary: This study found that liquid droplets resulting from liquid-liquid phase separation can be formed when two types of polymers are mixed in aqueous media. Cooling-induced liquid droplets formed by PAU can entrap DNAzyme, significantly enhancing its activity. This phenomenon suggests that the liquid droplets induced by PAU are efficient reaction media for DNAzymes.