Nanostructured 2D Diporphyrin Honeycomb Film: Photoelectrochemistry, Photodegradation, and Antibacterial Activity

Protoporphyrin-sensitized degradable bismuth nanoformulations for enhanced sonodynamic oncotherapy

Decreasing the scavenging capacity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and enhancing ROS production are the two principal objectives in the development of novel sonosensitizers for sonodynamic therapy (SDT). Herein, we designed a protoporphyrin-sensitized bismuth-based semiconductor (P-NBOF) as a sonosensitizer to generate ROS and synergistically depleted glutathione for enhanced SDT against tumors. The bismuth-based nanomaterial (NBOF) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor. Sensitization by protoporphyrin made it easier to excite electrons under ultrasonic stimulation, and the energy of the lowest unoccupied electron orbital in protoporphyrin was higher than the conduction-band energy of NBOF. Under ultrasound excitation, the excited electrons in the protoporphyrin were injected into the conduction band of the NBOF, increasing its reducing ability leading to the production of more superoxide anion radicals and also helping to increase the charge separation of protoporphyrin leading to the production of more singlet oxygen. Meanwhile, P-NBOF continuously depleted glutathione, which was not only conducive to breaking the redox balance of the tumor microenvironment to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of SDT, but also promoted its degradation and metabolism. The construction of this P-NBOF sonosensitizer thus provided an effective strategy to enhance SDT for tumors. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: To enhance the efficacy of sonodynamic tumor therapy, we developed a degradable protoporphyrin-sensitized bismuth-based nano-semiconductor (P-NBOF) by optimizing the band structure and glutathione-depletion ability. Protoporphyrin in P-NBOF under excitation preferentially generates free electrons, which are then injected into the conduction band of NBOF, improving the reducing ability of NBOF and promoting the separation of electron-hole pairs, thereby enhancing the production capacity of reactive oxygen species. Furthermore, P-NBOF can deplete glutathione, reduce the scavenging of reactive oxygen species, and reactivate and amplify the effect of sonodynamic therapy. The construction of the nanotherapeutic platform provides an option for enhancing sonodynamic therapy.

Biopolymer Honeycomb Microstructures: A Review

In this review, we present a comprehensive summary of the formation of honeycomb microstructures and their applications, which include tissue engineering, antibacterial materials, replication processes or sensors. The history of the honeycomb pattern, the first experiments, which mostly involved the breath figure procedure and the improved phase separation, the most recent approach to honeycomb pattern formation, are described in detail. Subsequent surface modifications of the pattern, which involve physical and chemical modifications and further enhancement of the surface properties, are also introduced. Different aspects influencing the polymer formation, such as the substrate influence, a particular polymer or solvent, which may significantly contribute to pattern formation, and thus influence the target structural properties, are also discussed.

Progress on photocatalytic semiconductor hybrids for bacterial inactivation

Due to its use of green and renewable energy and negligible bacterial resistance, photocatalytic bacterial inactivation is to be considered a promising sterilization process. Herein, we explore the relevant mechanisms of the photoinduced process on the active sites of semiconductors with an emphasis on the active sites of semiconductors, the photoexcited electron transfer, ROS-induced toxicity and interactions between semiconductors and bacteria. Pristine semiconductors such as metal oxides (TiO₂ and ZnO) have been widely reported; however, they suffer some drawbacks such as narrow optical response and high photogenerated carrier recombination. Herein, some typical modification strategies will be discussed including noble metal doping, ion doping, hybrid heterojunctions and dye sensitization. Besides, the biosafety and biocompatibility issues of semiconductor materials are also considered for the evaluation of their potential for further biomedical applications. Furthermore, 2D materials have become promising candidates in recent years due to their wide optical response to NIR light, superior antibacterial activity and favorable biocompatibility. Besides, the current research limitations and challenges are illustrated to introduce the appealing directions and design considerations for the future development of photocatalytic semiconductors for antibacterial applications.

Cell-friendly photo-functionalized TiO2 nano-micro-honeycombs for selectively preventing bacteria and platelet adhesion

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is a widely used biomaterial. It is a great challenge to confer antibacterial and antithrombotic properties to TiO₂ while maintaining its cell affinity. Here, we developed a new strategy to achieve the above goal by comprehensively controlling the chemical cues and geometrical cues of the surface of TiO₂. Using colloidal etching technology and UV irradiation treatment, we obtained the photofunctionalized nano-micro-honeycomb structured TiO₂. The honeycomb structured increased the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂, which endowed TiO₂ with photo-induced superhydrophilicity to inhibit bacterial adhesion. The high photocatalytic activity also induced the strong photocatalytic oxidation of TiO₂ surface organic adsorbates to suppress fibrinogen and platelet attachment. In addition, owing to the micropore trapping-isolation effect on the bacteria and the nano-frames' contact guidance effect on the growth and spreading of platelet pseudopods, the honeycomb structure also shows a considerable inhibiting effect on bacterial and platelet adhesion. Therefore, due to the controlled chemical and geometrical cues' synergistic effect, the photo-functionalized TiO₂ honeycomb structure shows excellent bacterial-adhesion resistance and antithrombotic properties. More importantly, the photo-functionalized TiO₂ honeycomb did not inhibit the adhesion and growth of endothelial cells (ECs) after culturing for 3 d, indicating a good cell affinity that the traditional antifouling surfaces do not possess.

Electrostatic Assembly of Porphyrin-Functionalized Porous Membrane toward Biomimetic Photocatalytic Degradation Dyes

Porphyrin-based catalytic oxidation is one of the most representative biomimetic catalysis. To mimic the biomimetic catalytic oxidation of nature, a positive charged porous membrane, quaternized polysulfone (QPSf) membrane with spongelike structure, was prepared for supporting meso-tetraphenylsulfonato porphyrin (TPPS). The influence of polymer concentration, coagulation bath, and additives on the structure of the substrate membrane was explored, and the optimized membrane with porosity of 87.1% and water flux of 371 L·m^-2·h^-1 at 0.1 MPa was obtained. Monolayer TPPS was adsorbed on the QPSf membrane surface by the electrostatic self-assembly approach, and the adsorption process followed the pseudo second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation. The resulting TPPS@QPSf membrane showed excellent visible light response, and the photocatalytic performance for dyes was then enhanced dramatically after TPPS was immobilized on the membrane. The removal efficiencies for rhodamine B (RhB), methylene blue (MB), and methyl orange (MO) were 92.1, 94.1, and 92.1% under visible light irradiation, respectively. The primary photocatalytic degradation of the dye was a zero-order reaction, and the secondary reaction of degradation followed pseudo first-order kinetics. Finally, the TPPS@QPSf membrane can be reused for photocatalytic degradation of RhB for 10 cycles with no obvious change on removal efficiency, which indicated that this membrane is a promising material for dyeing water treatment coupled with visible light irradiation.

Arginine-Induced Self-Assembly of Protoporphyrin to Obtain Effective Photocatalysts in Aqueous Media Under Visible Light

The fabrication of controlled supramolecular nanostructures via self-assembly of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) was studied with enantiomerically pure l-arginine and d-arginine, and we have shown that stoichiometry controlled the morphology formed. The nanostructure morphology was mainly influenced by the delicate balance of π-π stacking interactions between PPIX cores, as well as H-bonding between the deprotonated acidic head group of PPIX with the guanidine head group of arginine. PPIX self-assembled with l-/d-arginine to create rose-like nanoflower structures for four equivalents of arginine that were 5–10 μm in length and 1–4 μm diameter. We employed UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) techniques to characterize the resulting self-assembled nanostructures. Furthermore, we investigated the catalytic activity of PPIX and arginine co-assembled materials. The fabricated PPIX–arginine nanostructure showed high enhancement of photocatalytic activity through degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) with a decrease in dye concentration of around 78–80% under simulated visible radiation.

Ag-Bridged Z-Scheme 2D/2D Bi5FeTi3O15/g-C3N4 Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalysis: Mediator-Induced Interfacial Charge Transfer and Mechanism Insights

Heterojunction photocatalysts have attracted widespread interest in photocatalysis because of their high-efficiency interfacial charge-transfer characteristics of nanoarchitectures. In this study, Ag-bridged 2D/2D Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅/ultrathin g-C₃N₄ Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts with powerful interfacial charge transfer has been synthesized via a facile ultrasound method coupled with a photoreduction strategy for efficient photocatalytic degradation of antibiotics. The morphology analysis displays that the bridged Ag nanoparticles were anchored on the interface of layered Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅ and ultrathin g-C₃N₄ nanosheets. Owing to its unique 2D/2D ternary heterostructure, the Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅/2%Ag/10% ultrathin g-C₃N₄ composite exhibited the best tetracycline degradation performance under visible-light and simulated solar irradiation. Meanwhile, the intermediates and degradation pathways were proposed by a liquid-phase mass spectrometry system. Characterizations and density functional theory studies together verify that the matched band structure of Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅ and g-C₃N₄ could induce a superfast Z-scheme interfacial charge-transfer path. More importantly, bridged Ag nanoparticles in the 2D/2D heterojunction extended the light absorption range and prolonged the lifetime of photogenerated electron-holes induced by Bi₅FeTi₃O₁₅. This work affords a promising approach for designing multicomponent Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for highly efficient photocatalytic application.

Porphyrin-based metal-organic frameworks: protonation induced Q band absorption

In this work, porphyrin-based MOF nanosheets were formulated. The as-developed Gd-TCPP MOF nanosheets could be protonated significantly in an acidic solution, which greatly enhanced the UV-vis absorption at 665 nm. Also, a significant structural reorganization occurred to achieve a nanowire structure. As the center of the porphyrin had a metal coordination atom, the Q band absorption had better stability due to their inability to be protonated. These results confirm that the UV-vis absorption of the MOFs can be regulated via porphyrin protonation, and the protonation of the nanosheets in the acidic solution can be avoided by adding a metal coordination atom to the porphyrin center. We also found that zinc ions had better coordination ability with the pyrrole nitrogen of the inner porphyrin core of Gd-TCPP MOF nanosheets. Finally, the protonation of MOFs was confirmed by the yield of singlet oxygen. Also, metallic oxide nanoparticles can be formed in situ and adsorbed on the Gd-TCPP MOF nanosheets. These results are useful for the preparation of metallic oxide nanoparticle-loaded nanomaterials. This work may open novel avenues for changing the UV-vis absorption of porphyrin-based nanomaterials.

Designing 3D Biological Surfaces via the Breath-Figure Method

The fabrication of biointerfaces that mimic cellular physiological environments is critical to understanding cell behaviors in vitro and for the design of tissue engineering. Breath figure is a self-assemble method that uses water droplets condensed from moisture as template and ends up with a highly ordered hexagonal pore array; this approach is used to fabricate various biological substrates. This progress report provides an overview of strategies to achieve topographical modifications and chemical-patterned arrays, such as modulation of the pore size, shape and selective decoration of the honeycomb holes. Using recent results in the biological fields, potential future applications and developments of honeycomb structures are commented upon.

Construction of Three-Dimensional Hemin-Functionalized Graphene Hydrogel with High Mechanical Stability and Adsorption Capacity for Enhancing Photodegradation of Methylene Blue

A three-dimensional hemin-functionalized graphene hydrogel (Hem/GH) was prepared by a facile self-assembly approach. The as-prepared Hem/GH showed good mechanical strength with a storage modulus of 609-642 kPa and a high adsorption capacity to organic dye contaminants (341 mg g^-1 for rhodamine B). Moreover, Hem/GH could be used as a photosensitizer for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes and displayed superior photodegradation activity of methylene blue (MB). This result was better than that of counterparts such as graphene hydrogel (GH) and commercial catalyst P25. The excellent cycling performance of the Hem/GH was well maintained even after multiple cycles on adsorption process and photocatalytic reaction. Interestingly, after the photodegradation of MB, a light-induced pH change of the solution from alkaline pH 8.99 to acidic pH 3.82 was observed, and 10 wt % total organic carbon remained. The liquid chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/TOF-MS) analysis confirmed the generation of acidic degradation products. The photocatalytic mechanism was further investigated by trapping experiments, which revealed that the MB degradation was driven mainly by the participation of O₂^•- radicals in the photocatalytic reaction. As an extended application, visually intuitive observation showed the as-prepared Hem/GH also had strong antibacterial properties. These results suggest that Hem/GH could be potentially used for practical application due to its high adsorption ability, excellent photocatalytic activity, and strong antibacterial properties.

Studies on DNA interaction of organotin(IV) complexes of meso-tetra(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine that show cellular activity

The interaction of the diorgano- and triorganotin(IV) derivatives of meso-tetra-(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine (Me₂Sn)₂TPPS, (Bu₂Sn)₂TPPS, (Me₃Sn)₄TPPS and (Bu₃Sn)₄TPPS to natural DNA was analysed (together with free meso-tetra-(4-sulfonatophenyl)porphine (TPPS^4-) for comparison purposes). Particular attention was paid to (Bu₃Sn)₄TPPS, a species that shows significant cellular action. Preliminary tests were done on the solution properties of the organotin(IV) compounds (pK_A and possible self-aggregation). Spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric experiments showed that all the investigated organotin(IV) derivatives strongly interact with DNA, the binding energy depending on the dye steric hindrance. In all cases experimental data concur in indicating that external binding mode prevails. Interestingly, fluorescence quenching and viscosity experiments show that the Bu-containing species, and in particular (Bu₃Sn)₄TPPS, are able to noticeably alter the DNA conformation.

Porphyrin-Based Nanostructures for Photocatalytic Applications

Well-defined organic nanostructures with controllable size and morphology are increasingly exploited in optoelectronic devices. As promising building blocks, porphyrins have demonstrated great potentials in visible-light photocatalytic applications, because of their electrical, optical and catalytic properties. From this perspective, we have summarized the recent significant advances on the design and photocatalytic applications of porphyrin-based nanostructures. The rational strategies, such as texture or crystal modification and interfacial heterostructuring, are described. The applications of the porphyrin-based nanostructures in photocatalytic pollutant degradation and hydrogen evolution are presented. Finally, the ongoing challenges and opportunities for the future development of porphyrin nanostructures in high-quality nanodevices are also proposed.

Breath Figure Method for Construction of Honeycomb Films

Honeycomb films with various building units, showing potential applications in biological, medical, physicochemical, photoelectric, and many other areas, could be prepared by the breath figure method. The ordered hexagonal structures formed by the breath figure process are related to the building units, solvents, substrates, temperature, humidity, air flow, and other factors. Therefore, by adjusting these factors, the honeycomb structures could be tuned properly. In this review, we summarized the development of the breath figure method of fabricating honeycomb films and the factors of adjusting honeycomb structures. The organic-inorganic hybrid was taken as the example building unit to discuss the preparation, mechanism, properties, and applications of the honeycomb films.