Jason

Gold nanoclusters (GNCs) attract increasing attention due to their potential applications in sensing, catalysis, optoelectronics, and biomedicine. Herein, the formation of highly fluorescent glutathione (GSH)-capped GNCs is achieved through the delicate control of the reduction kinetics and thermodynamic selection of the Au(I)–SG complexes. Furthermore, the GNCs-based nanoprobes are developed by the covalent coupling folic acid (FA) and PEG (polyethylene glycol) on the surface of GNCs directly, followed by trapping photosensitizer (chlorin e6, Ce6) within PEG networks and attaching to the GNCs surface. The fabricated nanoprobes (Ce6@GNCs-PEG_2K-FA) possess a uniform particle size (hydrodynamic diameter ≈6.1 ± 1.2 nm), without affecting the yield of singlet oxygen of the trapped Ce6. In vitro studies show the enhanced cellular uptake and satisfactory photodynamic therapy (PDT) effectiveness toward MGC-803 cells when compared with free Ce6. The biodistribution and excretion pathway studies of the nanoprobes in MGC-803 tumor-bearing nude mice reveal their superior penetration and retention behavior in tumors, while the preserved features of renal clearance and stealthy to reticulo-endothelial system are mainly attributed to the small hydrodynamic diameters and the FA-capped PEGylated ligands. The enhanced PDT efficacy and the nontoxicity to mice provide an exciting new nano-platform with promising clinical translational potential.

A novel gold nanoclusters-based Ce6 delivery nano-platform is developed to achieve selective targeting toward cancer cells and tumors combining photodynamic therapy therapy. Systematic in vitro and in vivo experiments evaluate the cellular uptake, light-induced cell apoptosis, biodistribution, as well as FA-directed active tumor targeting and deep-penetration-enhanced photodynamic therapy of the gold nanoclusters-based nanoprobes. The results identify the great potentials of gold nanoclusters for clinical use.

An optimized configuration for nanomaterials in working electrodes is vital to the high performance of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here, a fabrication method is introduced for multi-shell TiO₂ hollow nanoparticles (MS-TiO₂-HNPs) via a sol–gel reaction, calcination, and an etching process. The prepared uniform MS-HNPs have a high surface area (ca. 171 m² g⁻¹), multireflection, and facile electrolyte circulation and diffusion. During the MS-HNP fabrication process, the amount of SiO₂ precursor and H₂O under reaction has a significant effect on aggregation and side reactions. The etching process to obtain pure TiO₂ is influenced by anatase crystallinity. Additionally, single-shell (SS)-TiO₂-HNPs and double-shell (DS)-TiO₂-HNPs are synthesized as a control. The MS-TiO₂-HNPs exhibit a high surface area and enhance light reflectance, compared with the SS- and DS-TiO₂-HNPs of the same size. The power conversion efficiency of the optimized MS-TiO₂-HNP-based DSSCs is 9.4%, compared with the 8.0% efficiency demonstrated by SS-TiO₂-HNP-DSSCs (a 17.5% improvement). These results enable the utilization of multifunctional MS-HNPs in energy material applications, such as lithium ion batteries, photocatalysts, water-splitting, and supercapacitors.

Multi-shell porous TiO₂ hollow nanoparticles (MS-TiO₂-HNPs) are prepared by a sol–gel method and calcination and etching processes. Due to the porous multi-shell structure, the MS-TiO₂-HNPs exhibit strong light scattering and facile electrolyte diffusion and circulation. Additionally, the high surface area increases the adsorption of the dye molecules to the surface of the MS-TiO₂-HNPs, resulting in an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 9.4%.