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Research Article Issue
Built-in electric field induced S-scheme g-C3N4 homojunction for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution: Interfacial engineering and morphology control
Nano Research 2024, 17 (6): 4961-4970
Published: 05 March 2024
Downloads:38

S-scheme possesses superior redox capabilities compared with the II-scheme, providing an effective method to solve the innate defects of g-C3N4 (CN). In this study, S-doped g-C3N4/g-C3N4 (SCN-tm/CN) S-scheme homojunction was constructed by rationally integrating morphology control with interfacial engineering to enhance the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance. In-situ Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) confirms the transport of photo-generated electrons from CN to SCN. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the generation of a built-in electric field between SCN and CN enables the carrier separation to be more efficient and effective. Femtosecond transient absorption spectrum (fs-TAS) indicates prolonged lifetimes of SCN-tm/CN3 (τ1: 9.7, τ2: 110, and τ3: 1343.5 ps) in comparison to those of CN (τ1: 4.86, τ2: 55.2, and τ3: 927 ps), signifying that the construction of homojunction promotes the separation and transport of electron hole pairs, thus favoring the photocatalytic process. Under visible light irradiation, the optimized SCN-tm/CN3 exhibits excellent photocatalytic activity with the hydrogen evolution rate of 5407.3 μmol·g−1·h−1, which is 20.4 times higher than that of CN (265.7 μmol·g−1·h−1). Moreover, the homojunction also displays an apparent quantum efficiency of 26.8% at 435 nm as well as ultra-long and ultra-stable cycle ability. This work offers a new strategy to construct highly efficient photocatalysts based on the metal-free conjugated polymeric CN for realizing solar energy conversion.

Research Article Issue
Modularly designed peptide-based nanomedicine inhibits angiogenesis to enhance chemotherapy for post-surgical recurrence of esophageal squamous cell carcinomas
Nano Research 2023, 16 (5): 7347-7354
Published: 12 January 2023
Downloads:61

Traditional surgical treatment is difficult to thoroughly remove esophageal squamous cell carcinomas (ESCC), and postoperative recurrence caused by residual tumor cells is a critical factor in the poor prognosis. Since surgical resection promotes the local angiogenesis at the tumor site, further exacerbating the proliferation and invasion of residual tumor cells, it is urgent to inhibit angiogenesis after surgery. Here, a functional peptide-based nanomedicine was obtained from peptide–drug conjugates, which are composed of a hydrophilic targeting motif (vascular endothelial growth factor family and their receptors (VEGFR) targeting peptide for anti-angiogenesis), and an ester-linked hydrophobic oridonin (ORI). The nanomedicine exhibits esterase-catalyzed disassembly and drug release, and significantly enhanced the anti-tumor efficacy of chemotherapeutics in a postoperative tumor recurrence model through synergistic anti-angiogenic strategies. This study provides an integrated solution for anti-angiogenesis-augmented chemotherapy and demonstrates the encouraging potential for postoperative treatment.

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