In vivo Kinetic Biodistribution of Nano‐Sized Outer Membrane Vesicles Derived from Bacteria

Evaluation of kinetic distribution and behaviors of nanoparticles in vivo provides crucial clues into their roles in living organisms. Extracellular vesicles are evolutionary conserved nanoparticles, known to play important biological functions in intercellular, inter‐species, and inter‐kingdom communication. In this study, the first kinetic analysis of the biodistribution of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs)—bacterial extracellular vesicles—with immune‐modulatory functions is performed. OMVs, injected intraperitoneally, spread to the whole mouse body and accumulate in the liver, lung, spleen, and kidney within 3 h of administration. As an early systemic inflammation response, increased levels of TNF‐α and IL‐6 are observed in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, the number of leukocytes and platelets in the blood is decreased. OMVs and cytokine concentrations, as well as body temperature are gradually decreased 6 h after OMV injection, in concomitance with the formation of eye exudates, and of an increase in ICAM‐1 levels in the lung. Following OMV elimination, most of the inflammatory signs are reverted, 12 h post‐injection. However, leukocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid are increased as a late reaction. Taken together, these results suggest that OMVs are effective mediators of long distance communication in vivo.     

Molybdenum carbide embedded in carbon nanofiber as a 3D flexible anode with superior stability and high-rate performance for Li-ion batteries

The fabrication process and material design of flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are essential in flexible portable devices. In particular, the carbon nanofiber (CNF)-based active anodes with flexibility synthesized using an electrospinning technique showed fairly stable cycling performance in the LIBs. In this study, we synthesized the molybdenum carbide (MoC) embedded in CNFs as an anode for LIBs (MoC/CNF) using an electrospinning technique with amorphous Mo precursor and polyacrylonitrile as the molybdenum and carbon sources, respectively, and using a heating process under an N₂ atmosphere. The as-prepared flexible MoC/CNF showed a 3D porous structure consisting of crystalline MoC and amorphous CNF. MoC/CNF, directly utilized as an active electrode without binder, conductor, or current collector, exhibited superior LIB performance, i.e. high capacity, cyclability, and high-rate properties. In particular, at a considerably high charge/discharge rate of 10?A?g^?1, the specific capacity of MoC/CNF (109?mAh?g^?1) was significantly higher than that of pure CNF electrode (3?mAh?g^?1).     

A study on the thermoelectric properties of ALD-grown aluminum-doped tin oxide with respect to nanostructure modulations

The thermoelectric properties of aluminum-doped tin oxide (ATO) thin films synthesized by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) were studied with respect to the aluminum concentration. The overall aluminum content in each layer was modulated by adjusting the relative number of tin oxide (SnO₂) and aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) growth cycles, where a sequential process involving n cycles of SnO₂ growth followed by 1 cycle of Al₂O₃ deposition was performed (building up a super-cycle). The electrical conductivity (620 S/cm), free carrier concentration (1.23x10²¹ cm^-3), and power factor (0.49 mW/K²m) increase until their maximum values are reached when the Al content is approximately 1.50 at% of the cations, and decrease as more Al is added in. On the other hand, the Seebeck coefficient decreases monotonically as the Al content increases up to about 2.88 at%, and begins to increase with further Al doping. Here the thermoelectric efficiency is therefore determined primarily by the free carrier concentration, while the Seebeck coefficient appears to be influenced by the overall crystal structure.     

Recent Progress of Fiber Shaped Lighting Devices for Smart Display Applications—A Fibertronic Perspective

Advances in material science and nanotechnology have fostered the miniaturization of devices. Over the past two decades, the form-factor of these devices has evolved from 3D rigid, volumetric devices through 2D film-based flexible electronics, finally to 1D fiber electronics (fibertronics). In this regard, fibertronic strategies toward wearable applications (e.g., electronic textiles (e-textiles)) have attracted considerable attention thanks to their capability to impart various functions into textiles with retaining textiles' intrinsic properties as well as imperceptible irritation by foreign matters. In recent years, extensive research has been carried out to develop various functional devices in the fiber form. Among various features, lighting and display features are the highly desirable functions in wearable electronics. This article discusses the recent progress of materials, architectural designs, and new fabrication technologies of fiber-shaped lighting devices and the current challenges corresponding to each device's operating mechanism. Moreover, opportunities and applications that the revolutionary convergence between the state-of-the-art fibertronic technology and age-long textile industry will bring in the future are also discussed.