The dipyridophenazine (dppz) based ruthenium polypyridyl complexes are known as molecular ‘light-switches’ for DNA. This property is poised to serve in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, but the poor cellular uptake restricts their use in live cells. Herein, we show that the cellular uptake, and more interestingly and surprisingly, the nuclear...
Sporosarcina pasteurii is known to produce calcite or biocement in the presence of urea and Ca²⁺. Herein, we report the use of novel ultramicrosensors such as pH, Ca²⁺, and redox sensors, along with a scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM), to monitor a real-time, bacteria-mediated urea hydrolysis process and subsequent changes in...
Nanotechnology is of increasing significance. Curation of nanomaterial data into electronic databases offers opportunities to better understand and predict nanomaterials’ behaviour. This supports innovation in, and regulation of, nanotechnology. It is commonly understood that curated data need to be sufficiently complete and of sufficient quality to serve their intended purpose....
Previous studies have reported that the metastable vaterite phase of calcium carbonate can be stabilized in solution by acidic additives. Here we demonstrate that vaterite can also be stabilized directly at surfaces by engineered peptides. Our data show that the mineralisation occurs in a 'self-templating' process where calcium ions restructure...
NMR spectroscopy is the go-to technique for determining the solution structures of organic, organometallic, and even macromolecular species. However, structure determination of nanoscale aqueous inorganic clusters by NMR spectroscopy remains an unexplored territory. The few hydroxobridged inorganic species well characterized by ¹H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR) do not provide...
Low-frequency vibrations are foundational for material properties including thermal conductivity and chemical reactivity. To resolve the intrinsic molecular conformational dynamics in condensed phase, we implement time-resolved third-harmonic generation (TRTHG) spectroscopy to unravel collective skeletal motions in calcite, water, and aqueous salt solution in situ. The lifetime of three Raman-active modes...
A low-voltage plateau at ∼0.3 V is discovered during the deep sodiation of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ by combined computational and experimental studies. This new low-voltage plateau doubles the sodiation capacity of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃, thus turning it into a promising anode for Na-ion batteries.
The metal organic framework, MOF-74(Ni), was synthesized in a continuous flow microwave-assisted reactor obtaining a high space-time yield (~90 g h⁻¹ L⁻¹) and 96.5% conversion of reagents. Separation of the nucleation and growth steps was performed by using uniform and rapid microwave heating to induce nucleation, which allowed a substantial...
The study of the effects of diethyldithiocarbamate (DEDTC) in some diseases is in focus for many years. However, DEDTC is a metal chelator that can present neurotoxicity as side effects. Here we investigate the effect of DEDTC on brain Zinc (Zn) content and behavior. To address this issue we used...
Combined plasmonic nanocrystals and metal–organic framework thin-films are fabricated for sensing gases in the near-infrared range. This nanocomposite thin-film shows a highly sensitive response in near-infrared absorption, which is attributed to preconcentration of gas molecules in metal–organic framework pores causing close proximity to the electromagnetic fields at the plasmonic nanocrystal...