Abstract: Ultrafast laser irradiation can induce morphological and structural changes in plasmonic nanoparticles. Gold nanorods (Au NRs), in particular, can be welded together upon irradiation with femtosecond laser pulses, leading to dimers and trimers through the formation of necks between individual nanorods. We used electron tomography to determine the 3D (atomic) structure at such necks for representative welding geometries and to characterize the induced defects. The spatial distribution of localized surface plasmon modes for different welding configurations was assessed by electron energy loss spectroscopy. Additionally, we were able to directly compare the plasmon line width of single-crystalline and welded Au NRs with single defects at the same resonance energy, thus making a direct link between the structural and plasmonic properties. In this manner, we show that the occurrence of (single) defects results in significant plasmon broadening.

Abstract: Plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis is receiving ever increasing attention, especially in packed bed dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors. The latter typically operate in the filamentary regime when used for gas conversion applications. While DBDs are in principle well understood and already applied in the industry, the incorporation of packing materials and catalytic surfaces considerably adds to the complexity of the plasma physics and chemistry governing the ammonia formation. We employ a plasma kinetics model to gain insights into the ammonia formation mechanisms, paying special attention to the role of filamentary microdischarges and their afterglows. During the microdischarges, the synthesized ammonia is actually decomposed, but the radicals created upon electron impact dissociation of N2 and H2 and the subsequent catalytic reactions cause a net ammonia gain in the afterglows of the microdischarges. Under our plasma conditions, electron impact dissociation of N2 in the gas phase followed by the adsorption of N atoms is identified as a rate-limiting step, instead of dissociative adsorption of N2 on the catalyst surface. Both elementary Eley−Rideal and Langmuir−Hinshelwood reaction steps can be found important in plasma-catalytic NH3 synthesis.

Abstract: Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals, mainly synthesized from fossil fuels for fertilizer applications. Furthermore, ammonia may be one of the energy carriers of the future, when it is produced from renewable electricity. This has spurred research on alternative technologies for green ammonia production. Research on plasma-driven ammonia synthesis has recently gained traction in academic literature. In the current review, we summarize the literature on plasma-driven ammonia synthesis. We distinguish between mechanisms for ammonia synthesis in the presence of a plasma, with and without a catalyst, for different plasma conditions. Strategies for catalyst design are discussed, as well as the current understanding regarding the potential plasma-catalyst synergies as function of the plasma conditions and their implications on energy efficiency. Finally, we discuss the limitations in currently reported models and experiments, as an outlook for research opportunities for further unravelling the complexities of plasma-catalytic ammonia synthesis, in order to bridge the gap between the currently reported models and experimental results.

Abstract: Bimetallic nanoparticles with tailored size and specific composition have shown promise as stable and selective catalysts for electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2R) in batch systems. Yet, limited effort was devoted to understand the effect of ligand coverage and postsynthesis treatments on CO2 reduction, especially under industrially applicable conditions, such as at high currents (>100 mA/cm2) using gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) and flow reactors. In this work, Cu–Ag core–shell nanoparticles (11 ± 2 nm) were prepared with three different surface modes: (i) capped with oleylamine, (ii) capped with monoisopropylamine, and (iii) surfactant free with a reducing borohydride agent; Cu–Ag (OAm), Cu–Ag (MIPA), and Cu–Ag (NaBH4), respectively. The ligand exchange and removal was evidenced by infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis, whereas high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) showed their effect on the interparticle distance and nanoparticle rearrangement. Later on, we developed a process-on-substrate method to track these effects on CO2R. Cu–Ag (OAm) gave a lower on-set potential for hydrocarbon production, whereas Cu–Ag (MIPA) and Cu–Ag (NaBH4) promoted syngas production. The electrochemical impedance and surface area analysis on the well-controlled electrodes showed gradual increases in the electrical conductivity and active surface area after each surface treatment. We found that the increasing amount of the triple phase boundaries (the meeting point for the electron–electrolyte–CO2 reactant) affect the required electrode potential and eventually the C+2e̅/C2e̅ product ratio. This study highlights the importance of the electron transfer to those active sites affected by the capping agents—particularly on larger substrates that are crucial for their industrial application.

Abstract: This Special Issue on “Advances in Plasma Oncology Toward Clinical Translation” aims to bring together cutting-edge research papers within the field in the context of clinical translation and application [...]

Abstract: Wearable electrochemical sensors capable of noninvasive monitoring of chemical markers represent a rapidly emerging digital-health technology. Recent advances toward wearable continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems have ignited tremendous interest in expanding such sensor technology to other important fields. This article reviews for the first time wearable electrochemical sensors for monitoring therapeutic drugs and drugs of abuse. This rapidly emerging class of drug-sensing wearable devices addresses the growing demand for personalized medicine, toward improved therapeutic outcomes while minimizing the side effects of drugs and the related medical expenses. Continuous, noninvasive monitoring of therapeutic drugs within bodily fluids empowers clinicians and patients to correlate the pharmacokinetic properties with optimal outcomes by realizing patient-specific dose regulation and tracking dynamic changes in pharmacokinetics behavior while assuring the medication adherence of patients. Furthermore, wearable electrochemical drug monitoring devices can also serve as powerful screening tools in the hands of law enforcement agents to combat drug trafficking and support on-site forensic investigations. The review covers various wearable form factors developed for noninvasive monitoring of therapeutic drugs in different body fluids and toward on-site screening of drugs of abuse. The future prospects of such wearable drug monitoring devices are presented with the ultimate goals of introducing accurate real-time drug monitoring protocols and autonomous closed-loop platforms toward precise dose regulation and optimal therapeutic outcomes. Finally, current unmet challenges and existing gaps are discussed for motivating future technological innovations regarding personalized therapy. The current pace of developments and the tremendous market opportunities for such wearable drug monitoring platforms are expected to drive intense future research and
commercialization efforts.

Abstract: Despite recent advances, the synthesis of colloidal InSb quantum dots (QDs) remains underdeveloped, mostly due to the lack of suitable precursors. In this work, we use Lewis acid–base interactions between Sb(III) and In(III) species formed at room temperature in situ from commercially available compounds (viz., InCl3, Sb[NMe2]3 and a primary alkylamine) to obtain InSb adduct complexes. These complexes are successfully used as precursors for the synthesis of colloidal InSb QDs ranging from 2.8 to 18.2 nm in diameter by fast coreduction at sufficiently high temperatures (≥230 °C). Our findings allow us to propose a formation mechanism for the QDs synthesized in our work, which is based on a nonclassical nucleation event, followed by aggregative growth. This yields ensembles with multimodal size distributions, which can be fractionated in subensembles with relatively narrow polydispersity by postsynthetic size fractionation. InSb QDs with diameters below 7.0 nm have the zinc blende crystal structure, while ensembles of larger QDs (≥10 nm) consist of a mixture of wurtzite and zinc blende QDs. The QDs exhibit photoluminescence with small Stokes shifts and short radiative lifetimes, implying that the emission is due to band-edge recombination and that the direct nature of the bandgap of bulk InSb is preserved in InSb QDs. Finally, we constructed a sizing curve correlating the peak position of the lowest energy absorption transition with the QD diameters, which shows that the band gap of colloidal InSb QDs increases with size reduction following a 1/d dependence.

Abstract: Biological membranes are under constant attack of free radicals, which may lead to lipid nitro-oxidation, pro­ ducing a complex mixture of nitro-oxidized lipids that are responsible for structural and dynamic changes on the membrane. Despite the latter, nitro-oxidized lipids are also associated with several inflammatory and neuro­ degenerative diseases, the underlying mechanisms of which remain elusive. We perform atomistic molecular dynamics simulations using several isomers of nitro-oxidized lipids to study their effect on the structure and permeability of the membrane, as well as the interaction between the mixture of these products in the phos­pholipid membrane environment. Our results show that the stereo- and positional isomers have a stronger effect on the properties of the membrane composed of oxidized lipids compared to that containing nitrated lipids. Nevertheless, nitrated lipids lead to three-fold increase in water permeability compared to oxidized lipids. In addition, we show that in a membrane consisting of combined nitro-oxidized lipid products, the presence of oxidized lipids protects the membrane from transient pores. Is well stablished that plasma application and photodynamic therapy produces a number of oxidative species used to kill cancer cells, through membrane damage induced by nitro-oxidative stress. This study is important to elucidate the mechanisms and the molecular level properties involving the reactive species produced during that cancer therapies.

Abstract: Skin cancers have the highest prevalence of all human cancers, with the most lethal forms being squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Besides the conventional local treatment approaches like surgery and radiotherapy, cold physical plasmas are emerging anticancer tools. Plasma technology is used as a therapeutic agent by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). Evidence shows that inflammation and adaptive immunity are involved in cancer-reducing effects of plasma treatment, but the role of innate immune cells is still unclear. Natural killer (NK)-cells interact with target cells via activating and inhibiting surface receptors and kill in case of dominating activating signals. In this study, we investigated the effect of cold physical plasma (kINPen) on two skin cancer cell lines (A375 and A431), with non-malignant HaCaT keratinocytes as control, and identified a plasma treatment time-dependent toxicity that was more pronounced in the cancer cells. Plasma treatment also modulated the expression of activating and inhibiting receptors more profoundly in skin cancer cells compared to HaCaT cells, leading to significantly higher NK-cell killing rates in the tumor cells. Together with increased pro-inflammatory mediators such as IL-6 and IL-8, we conclude that plasma treatment spurs stress responses in skin cancer cells, eventually augmenting NK-cell activity.

Abstract: Earth-abundant and eco-friendly manganese oxides are promising platforms for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water electrolysis. Herein, a versatile and potentially scalable route to gold-decorated manganese oxide-based OER electrocatalysts is reported. In particular, MnxOy(MnO2, Mn2O3) host matrices are grown on conductive glasses by plasma assisted-chemical vapor deposition (PA-CVD), and subsequently functionalized with gold nanoparticles (guest) as OER activators by radio frequency (RF)-sputtering. The final selective obtainment of MnO2- or Mn2O3-based systems is then enabled by annealing under oxidizing or inert atmosphere, respectively. A detailed material characterization evidences the formation of high-purity Mn(x)O(y)dendritic nanostructures with an open morphology and an efficient guest dispersion into the host matrices. The tailoring of Mn(x)O(y)phase composition and host-guest interactions has a remarkable influence on OER activity yielding, for the best performing Au/Mn(2)O(3)system, a current density of approximate to 5 mA cm(-2)at 1.65 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) and an overpotential close to 300 mV at 1 mA cm(-2). Such results, comparing favorably with literature data on manganese oxide-based materials, highlight the importance of compositional control, as well as of surface and interface engineering, to develop low-cost and efficient anode nanocatalysts for water splitting applications.

Abstract: The nanoscale morphology of polymer blends is a key parameter to reach high efficiency in bulk heterojunction solar cells. Thereby, research typically focusing on optimal blend morphologies while studying nonoptimized blends may give insight into blend designs that can prove more robust against morphology defects. Here, we focus on the direct correlation of morphology and device performance of thieno[3,4-b]-thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene (PTB7):[6,6]phenyl C-71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) blends processed without additives in different donor/acceptor weight ratios. We show that while blends of a 1:1.5 ratio are composed of large donor-enriched and fullerene domains beyond the exciton diffusion length, reducing the ratio below 1:0.5 leads to blends composed purely of polymer-enriched domains. Importantly, the photocurrent density in such blends can reach values between 45 and 60% of those reached for fully optimized blends using additives. We provide here direct visual evidence that fullerenes in the donor-enriched domains are not distributed homogeneously but fluctuate locally. To this end, we performed compositional nanoscale morphology analysis of the blend using spectroscopic imaging of low-energy-loss electrons using a transmission electron microscope. Charge transport measurement in combination with molecular dynamics simulations shows that the fullerene substructures inside the polymer phase generate efficient electron transport in the polymer-enriched phase. Furthermore, we show that the formation of densely packed regions of fullerene inside the polymer phase is driven by the PTB7:PC71BM enthalpy of mixing. The occurrence of such a nanoscale network of fullerene clusters leads to a reduction of electron trap states and thus efficient extraction of photocurrent inside the polymer domain. Suitable tuning of the polymer-acceptor interaction can thus introduce acceptor subnetworks in polymer-enriched phases, improving the tolerance for high-efficiency BHJ toward morphological defects such as donor-enriched domains exceeding the exciton diffusion length.

Abstract: The development of catalysts with high intrinsic activity towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) plays a critical role in sustainable energy conversion and storage. Herein, we report on the development of efficient (photo)electrocatalysts based on functionalized MnO(2)systems. Specifically,beta-MnO(2)nanostructures grown by plasma enhanced-chemical vapor deposition on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) or Ni foams were decorated with Co(3)O(4)or Fe(2)O(3)nanoparticles by radio frequency sputtering. Upon functionalization, FTO-supported materials yielded a performance increase with respect to bare MnO2, with current densities at 1.65 Vvs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) up to 3.0 and 3.5 mA/cm(2)in the dark and under simulated sunlight, respectively. On the other hand, the use of highly porous and conductive Ni foam substrates enabled to maximize cooperative interfacial effects between catalyst components. The best performing Fe2O3/MnO(2)system provided a current density of 17.9 mA/cm(2)at 1.65 Vvs. RHE, an overpotential as low as 390 mV, and a Tafel slope of 69 mV/decade under dark conditions, comparing favorably with IrO(2)and RuO(2)benchmarks. Overall, the control of beta-MnO2/substrate interactions and the simultaneous surface property engineering pave the way to an efficient energy generation from abundant natural resources.

Abstract: The design of eco-friendly electrocatalysts for ethanol valorization is an open challenge towards sustainable hydrogen production. Herein we present an original fabrication route to effective electrocatalysts for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). In particular, hierarchical MnO(2)nanostructures are grown on high-area nickel foam scaffolds by a plasma-assisted strategy and functionalized with low amounts of optimally dispersed Au nanoparticles. This strategy leads to catalysts with a unique morphology, designed to enhance reactant-surface contacts and maximize active site utilization. The developed nanoarchitectures show superior performances for ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. We reveal that Au decoration boosts MnO(2)catalytic activity by inducing pre-dissociation and pre-oxidation of the adsorbed ethanol molecules. This evidence validates our strategy as an effective route for the development of green electrocatalysts for efficient electrical-to-chemical energy conversion.

Abstract: Heterogeneous single-site catalysts can combine the R precise active site design of organometallic complexes with the efficient recovery of solid catalysts. Based on recent progress on homogeneous thioether ligands for Pd-catalyzed C-H activation reactions, we here develop a scalable metal-organic framework-based heterogeneous single-site catalyst containing S,O-moieties that increase the catalytic activity of Pd(II) for the oxidative alkenylation of arenes. The structure of the Pd@MOF-808-L1 catalyst was characterized in detail via solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, N-2 physisorption, and high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and the structure of the isolated palladium active sites could be identified by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. A turnover frequency (TOF) of 8.4 h(-1) was reached after 1 h of reaction time, which was 3 times higher than the TOF of standard Pd(OAc)(2), ranking Pd@MOF-808-L1 among the most active heterogeneous catalysts ever reported for the nondirected oxidative alkenylation of arenes. Finally, we showed that the single-site catalyst promotes the oxidative alkenylation of a broad range of electron-rich arenes, and the applicability of this heterogeneous system was demonstrated by the gram-scale synthesis of industrially relevant products.

Abstract: Electron tomography (ET) has become a well-established technique to visualize nanomaterials in three dimensions. A vast richness in information can be gained by ET, but the conventional acquisition of a tomography series is an inherently slow process on the order of 1 h. The slow acquisition limits the applicability of ET for monitoring dynamic processes or visualizing nanoparticles, which are sensitive to the electron beam. In this Perspective, we summarize recent work on the development of emerging experimental and computational schemes to enhance the data acquisition process. We particularly focus on the application of these fast ET techniques for beam-sensitive materials and highlight insight into dynamic transformations of nanoparticles under external stimuli, which could be gained by fast in situ ET. Moreover, we discuss challenges and possible solutions for simultaneously increasing the speed and quality of fast ET.