Shaoyang University

The structural chemistry of metal nanoclusters assembled through cluster-cluster interactions remains a focus of current research. Here we report the synthesis, structural characterization, and electronic properties of two ligand-protected nanoclusters, Au₅Ag₁₂(SR)₉(dppf)₄ (denoted as Au₅Ag₁₂, SR = SPhF₄-p-CF₃, dppf = Ph₂P-Fe(Cp)₂-PPh₂) and Au₁₀Ag₁₄(SR')₈(dppm)₆Cl₂ (denoted as Au₁₀Ag₁₄, SR' = SPh-p-CF₃, dppm = Ph₂P-CH₂-PPh₂). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows that the Au₁₀Ag₁₄ nanocluster contains a reconstructed metal core formed via fusion of smaller icosahedral subunits. Electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS) supports the molecular compositions of both clusters. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation confirms that Au₅Ag₁₂ adopts an 8-electron Ne-type superatomic configuration, while Au₁₀Ag₁₄ displays a 14-electron F₂-type supermolecular character. These results provide structural and electronic insight into rare core-fusion pathways in metal nanoclusters and contribute to a deeper understanding of synthesis growth.

Mechanotransduction is a fundamental cellular process. Intercellular communication of mechanotransduction integrates cells, irrespective of whether they are of the same or different types, into a cohesive functional unit, which plays a critical role in tissue and organ regeneration, cell differentiation, cell division, and responses to external stimuli. However, research on intercellular communication in mechanotransduction remains underexplored owing to the absence of highly efficient techniques for the real-time, in situ acquisition of biochemical information at the single-cell level. In this work, we developed an electrochemical analysis method to investigate the pathways and dynamics of lamellipodium-mediated intercellular communication. Specifically, an electric field-driven strategy was developed to fabricate microdisk electrochemical sensors based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/single-walled carbon nanotubes (PEDOT/SWCNTs), followed by decoration with Au nanoparticles to prepared Au/PEDOT/SWCNTs. The resulting Au/PEDOT/SWCNTs microdisk electrochemical sensor exhibits exceptional electrochemical performance. As a concept application, this Au/PEDOT/SWCNTs microdisk electrochemical sensor was employed to monitor NO release during intercellular communication of mechanotransduction between human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our findings demonstrated that lamellipodia can transmit mechanical stimulation from a stimulated HUVEC to a recipient HUVEC connected via lamellipodia, thereby triggering NO production and release in the recipient cells. The transmission takes approximately 70 ± 20 ms, with a transmission efficiency of approximately 77.2%. This study provides novel insights into the lamellipodia-mediated intercellular communication in mechanotransduction and offers a method for investigating such processes.

MnO is regarded as a highly promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries because of its high theoretical specific capacity and abundant resources. Nevertheless, its intrinsic low electrical conductivity and significant volume expansion during cycling lead to poor rate capability and cycling performance, hindering its practical applications. Herein, N,P-co-doped carbon/MnO composite was designed and synthesized using expired milk powder as the nitrogen and phosphorus-codoped carbon source and manganese acetate tetrahydrate as the manganese source by freeze-drying and annealing strategies. In this composite, MnO nanoparticles (average size of 60 nm) are uniformly embedded within a three-dimensional interconnected N,P-co-doped foam-like carbon framework. The 3D carbon skeleton has a reversible wrinkling deformation, effectively mitigating the volume expansion of MnO during charge/discharge cycles and preventing particle aggregation. Additionally, N-doping introduces abundant surface active sites to enhance Li⁺ adsorption and improves electronic conductivity for efficient charge transfer, while P-doping generates defects in the carbon matrix, accelerating the kinetics of Li⁺. Therefore, the synergy between highly dispersed MnO nanoparticles and N,P-co-doped carbon matrices endows exceptional electrochemical performance, including high reversible capacity of 966 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1 with 190 cycles, superior rate capability of 318 mAh g^-1 at 4.0 A g^-1, and long cycle performance (retaining 526 mAh g^-1 at 1.0 A g^-1 after 600 cycles). Furthermore, Li full cell assembled with LiFePO₄ as the cathode and this composite as the anode also presents outstanding cycling stability, maintaining a capacity of 111 mAh g^-1 after 250 cycles at 0.1 A g^-1.