Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaohong Zhu, Changxiong Huang, Na Li, Xinyao Ma, Zhen Li, Jun Fan
Summary: Two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene nanosheets and graphene oxide nanosheets, can adhere onto or insert into a biological membrane, leading to changes in membrane properties and biological activities. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that graphene nanosheets act as inhibitors of interleaflet lipid translocation, while graphene oxide nanosheets catalyze phospholipid transport between membrane leaflets.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ming-Hao Li, Daniel P. Raleigh, Erwin London
Summary: The natural asymmetry of cellular membranes affects their properties. Methods involving cyclodextrin have been developed for preparing asymmetric vesicles, enhancing their resistance to leakage and improving stability.
Article
Optics
F. Bagheri, M. Soroosh, F. Haddadan, Y. Seifi-Kavian
Summary: A compact graphene-based plasmonic D flip-flop structure is proposed for optical integrated circuits, with high contrast ratio outputs suitable for sequential circuit applications. The design features two output ports Q and Q' for signals Q and Q' respectively, in contrast to previous work which only had one port for signal Q.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Optics
Mir Hamid Rezaei, Abbas Zarifkar
Summary: This paper presents an optical Set-Reset (SR) flip-flop based on dielectric-loaded graphene-plasmonic waveguides (DLGPWs) operating in the mid-infrared region. The design utilizes an additional signal called Bias and the interference effect between input signals. The flip-flop's performance is evaluated using the Kubo formula for graphene modeling and the finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD). Various scenarios and the impact of potential imperfections, such as synchronization issues and fabrication errors, are examined. The proposed structure has a footprint of 13.52 μm2, a maximum frequency of 886 GHz, and a high extinction ratio (ER), making it a promising candidate for high-speed and efficient optical sequential devices.
OPTICS AND LASER TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Malavika Varma, Markus Deserno
Summary: The asymmetric lipid membranes of eukaryotic cells help to maintain stability, with cholesterol distribution between leaflets determined by chemical equilibrium. By controlling cholesterol mixing, it is possible to counteract biases in phospholipid numbers and regulate stress in the membrane under asymmetric conditions.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
F. Bagheri, M. Soroosh
Summary: An all-optical plasmonic D flip-flop based on graphene is proposed in this study. By sandwiching a graphene layer between two SnO2 layers, the confinement and transmission of surface plasmon polaritons is achieved. The designed resonant ring allows for constructive interferences at a wavelength of 12.9 μm. The compact subwavelength flip-flop with an area of 0.27 μm2 shows low cross-talk of -7.78 dB and offers promising potential for use in optical circuits.
DIAMOND AND RELATED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Chenyu Wei, Andrew Pohorille
Summary: Through experiments and simulations, it has been shown that dipeptides can promote fusion between fatty acid micelles and membranes, leading to the growth and division of vesicles. This process provides an evolutionary advantage to precursors of cells in the transition from inanimate matter to life.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Hiroyuki Nakao, Minoru Nakano
Summary: This article discusses the regulation of lipid transbilayer movement and its importance in various physiological processes. It also explores the use of model transmembrane peptides for investigating lipid-peptide interactions.
CHEMICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yisa Zhou, Ya Zhang, Jian Xue, Rui Wang, Zongjie Yin, Li Ding, Haihui Wang
Summary: In this study, a continuous g-C3N4-GO membrane with excellent H2 permeation performance and good stability was successfully prepared by utilizing graphene oxide nanosheets to cover and repair defects in two-dimensional graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanosheets.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Zhen Lin, Chuan Hu, Qinglin Liu, Qiugen Zhang
Summary: This work demonstrates a versatile strategy to create nanosheet-templated water channels in laminar graphene oxide membranes with controllable interlayer spacing. The resulting membranes have higher water permeance and good molecule separation properties compared to unintercalated membranes. This intercalation and sacrificing nanosheets strategy has higher potential in controlling d-spacing of laminar membranes than traditional intercalation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ryugo Tero, Yoshi Hagiwara, Shun Saito
Summary: The gel-phase domains preferentially distributed on graphene oxide (GO) flakes in a binary supported lipid bilayer, while the liquid crystalline phase increased on the bare SiO2 surface. The gel-phase domain was condensed more effectively on GO at the lower cooling rate.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yang Yu, Yi Yang, Ling Yu, Kok Yuen Koh, J. Paul Chen
Summary: In this study, a silver nanoparticles-graphene oxide hybrid nanosheet was synthesized as a bactericidal agent to mitigate membrane biofouling, significantly impacting the membrane performance and lifespan. Through surface modification, the membrane exhibited excellent anti-microbial activity, effectively reducing the adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa on the membrane surface.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Patricia P. M. Mathiassen, Anant K. Menon, Thomas Guenther Pomorski
Summary: A new fluorescence microscopy-based assay was developed to study phospholipid scramblase activity of membrane proteins. This assay involves bleaching the fluorescence of ATTO-dye labeled phospholipids with the membrane-impermeant reductant sodium dithionite. The methodology proved suitable for studying scramblase activity of yeast endoplasmic reticulum at the single vesicle level.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Che Zhang, Yuke Ge, Xuemei Lu, Zhonglan Chen, Jiaojiao Liu, Mengling Zhang, Kai Yang, Bing Yuan
Summary: The study demonstrates that low-concentration C-60 and GO can still mechanically perturb cell membranes, affecting the function realization of membrane active proteins/peptides. The impact of nanomaterials on cell membrane structures depends on particle properties and membrane environments.
Article
Microbiology
Ilaria Camponeschi, Arianna Montanari, Marzia Beccaccioli, Massimo Reverberi, Cristina Mazzoni, Michele M. Bianchi
Summary: The response to environmental light in Kluyveromyces lactis involves changes in growth rate, mitochondrial functioning, ROS metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis, indicating light as a stress source and the role of the hypoxia responsive and lipid biosynthesis transcription factor KlMga2 in light-stress response. Furthermore, the involvement of KlMsn2 and KlCrz1 in light stress was explored, with the former showing a function in this response while the latter did not.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Changxiong Huang, Zhen Li, Xiaohong Zhu, Na Li, Xinyao Ma, Jun Fan
Summary: Solid-state nanopore sequencing faces problems of pore clogging and fast speed, and this study proposes nanoslit sensing based on the planar heterostructure of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride. Molecular dynamics simulations show that DNA molecules are confined within the heterostructure and can permeate through nanoslits in two ways. This study sheds light on the sensing mechanism and provides theoretical guidance on designing devices controlling molecular transportation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yue Sun, Yuhang Wang, Liwei Jiang, Dejian Dong, Wanwan Wang, Jun Fan, Yi-Chun Lu
Summary: A hybrid-solvent electrolyte was designed by dispersing non-nucleophilic and non-fluorinated compounds in a weakly coordinating solvent, which significantly improved the cycle life of a magnesium anode and realized a stable cycle life of Mg-Mo6S8 full cells.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Na Li, Yulu Zhan, Haishun Wu, Jun Fan, Jianfeng Jia
Summary: MXene based sulfur hosts have a strong affinity towards soluble sodium polysulfides (NaPSs) in room temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries. A series of single non-noble transition metal (TM = Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) atoms anchored on Ti2CS2 (TM@Ti2CS2) were proposed as bifunctional sulfur hosts for Na-S batteries, showing enhanced chemical interaction and improved electrocatalytic performance. The results suggest that constructing single atom catalysts is an effective strategy to further improve the electrochemical performance of MXene based sulfur hosts for Na-S batteries.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yuhang Wang, Ninggui Ma, Yaqin Zhang, Bochun Liang, Jun Zhao, Jun Fan
Summary: In this study, S-functionalized V2B was investigated as an electrode material for Li/Na/K ion batteries using first-principles calculations. The results showed that V2BS2 has good electrical conductivity, dynamic and thermal stability, high theoretical specific capacity, and low open circuit voltage, making it a promising electrode material for rechargeable metal ion batteries.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Xinyao Ma, Xiaohong Zhu, Changxiong Huang, Jun Fan
Summary: This study evaluated the desalination performance of Ti3C2TX nanoslits using molecular dynamics methods, and discussed the factors influencing their performance, including the termination group, slit width, temperature, pressure, and thickness. Simulation results showed that MXene nanoslit exhibits excellent desalination performance due to its charge features. The increase of slit width, temperature, and pressure all promote water permeance but deteriorate ion rejection performance, while the termination groups can mediate the tradeoff between water flux and ion rejection rate. Increasing MXene layer number effectively improves the desalination performance by considering both water flux and ion rejection performance. This work provides valuable suggestions for the design of water desalination membranes with exceptional performance by manipulating the electrostatic properties of membranes.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiaohong Zhu, Changxiong Huang, Na Li, Xinyao Ma, Zhen Li, Jun Fan
Summary: Two-dimensional nanomaterials, such as graphene nanosheets and graphene oxide nanosheets, can adhere onto or insert into a biological membrane, leading to changes in membrane properties and biological activities. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that graphene nanosheets act as inhibitors of interleaflet lipid translocation, while graphene oxide nanosheets catalyze phospholipid transport between membrane leaflets.
JOURNAL OF COLLOID AND INTERFACE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yu Wang, Tairan Wang, Shuyu Bu, Jiaxiong Zhu, Yanbo Wang, Rong Zhang, Hu Hong, Wenjun Zhang, Jun Fan, Chunyi Zhi
Summary: The authors present a reverse micelle electrolyte structure that enhances the reversibility of the zinc metal anode, resulting in an ampere-hour-level pouch cell with a lifespan of five months. Aqueous zinc metal batteries have potential for grid energy storage, but their performance is hindered by the inadequate electrochemical reversibility of the zinc metal negative electrode.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Ting Si, Xinyao Ma, Tairan Wang, Sai Tak Chu, Jun Fan
Summary: Due to its large surface area, rich termination groups, and good electrical properties, MXene is considered as one of the most promising 2D materials for seawater desalination. The optimization strategy of MXene membranes has been a current research focus. This paper proposes a new method for optimizing membranes by investigating the arrangement of homogeneous MXene membranes using molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the arrangement of heterogeneous MXene membranes improves desalination performance, providing a new membrane strategy for better desalination performance.
SEPARATION AND PURIFICATION TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yaqin Zhang, Yuhang Wang, Ninggui Ma, Bochun Liang, Yu Xiong, Jun Fan
Summary: This study reports the enhanced catalytic performance of Ti2CO2 MXene with biaxial tensile strain engineering. The strain modifies the electronic structure and formation energy of oxygen vacancy, resulting in improved intermediate adsorption and superior nitrogen electrocatalytic reduction. Additionally, the different response speeds of intermediates to strain and the diverse adsorption behaviors are observed, providing insights into the catalytic mechanisms.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jiafeng Lei, Yaqin Zhang, Yanxin Yao, Yang Shi, Ka Lok Leung, Jun Fan, Yi-Chun Lu
Summary: In this study, a new molecular catalyst, riboflavin sodium phosphate (FMN-Na), was developed to improve the reaction rate of polysulfides in flow batteries. The catalyst showed a significant decrease in overpotential and good cycle stability, indicating its potential for practical energy storage applications.