Surface Modification of Porous Silicon-Based Films Using Dichlorosilanes Dissolved in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Porous silicon-based sensing and delivery platforms for wound management applications

Wound management remains a great challenge for clinicians due to the complex physiological process of wound healing. Porous silicon (PSi) with controlled pore morphology, abundant surface chemistry, unique photonic properties, good biocompatibility, easy biodegradation and potential bioactivity represent an exciting class of materials for various biomedical applications. In this review, we focus on the recent progress of PSi in the design of advanced sensing and delivery systems for wound management applications. Firstly, we comprehensively introduce the common type, normal healing process, delaying factors and therapeutic drugs of wound healing. Subsequently, the typical fabrication, functionalization and key characteristics of PSi have been summarized because they provide the basis for further use as biosensing and delivery materials in wound management. Depending on these properties, the rise of PSi materials is evidenced by the examples in literature in recent years, which has emphasized the robust potential of PSi for wound monitoring, treatment and theranostics. Finally, challenges and opportunities for the future development of PSi-based sensors and delivery systems for wound management applications are proposed and summarized. We hope that this review will help readers to better understand current achievements and future prospects on PSi-based sensing and delivery systems for advanced wound management.

Recent Advances in Spectroscopy Technology for Trace Analysis of Persistent Organic Pollutants

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have attracted significant attention because of their bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity. As anthropogenic products, POPs mainly contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OPs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and they pose a great threat to human health and the environment. To deal with these toxic contaminants, many different kinds of strategies for sensitively detecting POPs have been developed, such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and fluorescence. This paper mainly summarized the achievements of spectroscopy technologies, which generally consist of SERS, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and fluorescence, in the detection of low-concentration POPs in different matrices. In addition, a retrospective summary is made on several critical considerations, such as sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of these spectroscopy technologies in practical applications. Finally, some current challenges and future outlooks for these spectroscopy technologies are provided in regards to environmental analysis.

Applicability of Effective Fragment Potential Version 2-Molecular Dynamics (EFP2-MD) Simulations for Predicting Dynamic Liquid Properties Including the Supercritical Fluid Phase

Effective fragment potential version 2-molecular dynamics (EFP2-MD) simulations, where the EFP2 is a polarizable force field based on ab initio electronic structure calculations, were applied to predict the static and dynamic liquid properties of compressed liquid NH₃. By analyzing the temperature dependence of the radial distribution function, the autocorrelation functions of velocity ( C_v( t)) and reorientation ( C_r( t)), and the self-diffusion constant, we clarified that the ab initio EFP2 force field can effectively describe the properties of compressed liquids. These descriptions can be performed with at least semiquantitative accuracy and at a sufficiently low computational cost. In the EFP2-MD protocol, no force field training is required. This training is mandatory when simulating liquid properties with classical MD techniques (especially in extreme conditions with high pressures and temperatures). EFP2-MD is a promising technique for predicting the physicochemical properties of novel functional compressed liquids, including supercritical fluid phase properties.