Liaocheng University

Donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) conjugated polymers are promising photocatalysts for water splitting. Their π-bridges promote intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), leading to better charge separation and enhanced activity. However, further improvements can be achieved by carefully choosing donor units and optimizing building block combinations. In this study, five conjugated porous polymers (CPPs) were synthesized via Still/Suzuki coupling reactions, including ternary polymers with varying donor-to-acceptor ratios and binary polymers for comparison. Photocatalytic hydrogen production (PHP) tests showed that the ternary polymer TATTS-1 achieved the highest hydrogen evolution rates (HER) of 130.56 and 172.75 mmol g^-1 h^-1 under visible light and full arc irradiation, respectively. Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the adoption of the D-π-A configuration can facilitate charge separation, suppress recombination, and enhance transfer efficency, which was also confirmed by theoretical calculations. These findings underscore the superior performance of the D-π-A configuration over conventional Donor-acceptor (D-A) systems in designing efficient polymer-based photocatalysts, and highlighting the synergy of triazatruxene (TAT) donor, thiophene π-bridge, and dibenzothiophene sulfone (BTDO) acceptor in building efficient hydrogen evolution photocatalysts.

The co-occurrence of mycotoxins in food represents a significant threat to human health, with aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), fumonisin B1 (FB1), and ochratoxin A (OTA) being among the most hazardous examples. Consequently, the development of reliable, multiplexed, and ultrasensitive methods for their integrated detection is essential for effective food safety monitoring. A three-channel microfluidic aptasensor has been constructed for concurrent determination of AFB1, FB1, and OTA with high sensitivity and specificity. This device incorporates an S-scheme heterojunction photoelectrode based on a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived BiOBr@CdIn₂S₄ (M-BiOBr@CdIn₂S₄) composite, where CdIn₂S₄ nanosheets are uniformly anchored onto a tubular M-BiOBr framework. This configuration provides abundant sites for aptamer immobilization, promotes directional charge migration and enables efficient charge separation through rational band alignment, resulting in a stable and amplified photocurrent response. Upon toxin binding, the photocurrent decreases in proportion to the logarithm of the toxin concentration, providing a wide dynamic range: 5.0 × 10^-5 to 5.0 × 10¹ ng mL^-1 for AFB1, 5.0 × 10^-3 to 5.0 × 10³ ng mL^-1 for FB1, and 5.0 × 10^-4 to 5.0 × 10² ng mL^-1 for OTA. The detection limits are as low as 1.7 × 10^-2 pg mL^-1, 1.6 pg mL^-1, and 1.5 × 10^-1 pg mL^-1, respectively. The aptasensor demonstrates exceptional reproducibility, specificity, and stability within complex food matrices, thereby establishing a versatile platform for the rapid and ultrasensitive monitoring of multiple mycotoxins, which is crucial for safeguarding food safety and public health.

Threatening impact of tuberculosis (TB) on public health remains significant even after the global initiatives and emergence of multi-drug resistance (MDR) strains have made the situation complicated. Herein, the exploitation of the same medications for several decades, ineffective drug administration, and insufficient patient follow-up are some of the variables that have fuelled the resistance. As a result, the twenty-first century has seen the greatest number of multi-drug resistance TB cases. Nevertheless, nanotechnology has emerged as a promising tool against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for TB. This seminal review highlights the most important findings from nanomaterials-related research to detect and counter TB. First, a deeper understanding of the essential molecular mechanisms underlying drug-resistance and drug-tolerance in Mycobacterium pathogen is provided along with biofilm formation and intracellular survival mechanisms. It is followed by detailed discussions about innovative nanomaterials-based drug delivery for antituberculosis medications, and different types of nanomaterials for direct antimicrobial actions. Then, nanotechnology-assisted diagnosis techniques and anti-biofilm possibilities for drug-resistant M. tuberculosis are elaborated. Finally, the challenges and perspectives related to nanomaterials-based theranostic for TB drug-resistance and treatment are provided with concluding remarks.