Yuetong Kang

Nanofluidic systems hold great promise for water treatment and blue energy harvesting. However, fabricating natural‐based nanofluidic materials that simultaneously deliver tunable channel orientation, high charge density, and robust mechanical at scale remains challenging. Herein, we demonstrate a wood nanofluidic platform enabled by ionic nano‐engineering of the wood cell wall, involving ionized cell‐wall scaffold reconstruction and in situ nanopolymer polymerization. Periodate oxidation followed by Schiff‐base coupling grafts positively charged ─NH ₂ functionalities onto the cellulose skeleton, converting oxidized wood from negatively charged (ζ = −16.5 mV) to positively charged (ζ = +33.5 mV). Subsequent in situ nano‐polymerization rebuilds a 3D gel network within the cell wall, enriching charge density while creating additional nanochannels and interconnecting previously isolated pores. This strategy of structure regulation, interface modification, and functional assembly that overcomes the intrinsic “fiber‐aligned transport” limitation of wood. As a result, the obtained cationic wood membrane (C‐WM) and anionic wood membrane (A‐WM) deliver tensile strengths of 11.7 and 13.1 MPa, respectively, and exhibit high ionic conductivities of 2.24 × 10 ⁻³ and 1.65 × 10 ⁻³ S cm ⁻¹ in dilute electrolytes. This sustainable wood ionic membranes offering an appealing strategy for developing high‐performance and environmentally blue energy conversion systems.

Controlled interfacial polymerization in conventional or Pickering emulsions enables the precise fabrication of cavity‐like architectures, providing a versatile platform for the composite construction. Fluorescent gold nanoclusters, acting as interfacial stabilizers, not only enhance emulsion stability but also simultaneously impart luminescent properties to the resulting composites. In this study, modified gold nanoclusters were used as one of the monomers in the interfacial polymerization process to prepare emulsions with fluorescent properties. These gold nanoclusters were localized on the droplet surfaces, forming spherical shell structures. To further enhance the functionality of these structures, we incorporated an additional fluorescent dye as a filler within the spherical shells, resulting in microcomposites with unique optical characteristics. The combination of two luminophores produced white luminescence, which could shift to different colors depending on the incident light. This innovative approach offers new possibilities for applications of advanced optical technologies.

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs), which are approximately 2 nm in size, exhibit distinctive photophysical and catalytic properties, but their performance is often compromised by environmental factors. To mitigate these challenges, attempts have been made to incorporate AuNCs into polymer matrices to enhance their stability. Miniemulsion polymerization has proven to be an effective method for fabricating organic‐inorganic composites. Here, we present a facile photothermal‐assisted method for miniemulsion polymerization utilizing AuNCs, which serve as co‐stabilizers of the emulsion and photothermal conversion agents. By grafting tryptamine onto hydrophilic AuNCs, the amphiphilic AuNCs were spontaneously adsorbed at the styrene/water interfaces, resulting in stable nanoemulsions. Taking advantage of the photothermal properties of surface‐bounded AuNCs, rapid polymerization of styrene within the nanoemulsion was successfully initiated by external laser irradiation. The prepared nanocomposites inherited the photothermal activity of AuNCs and exhibited good photothermal stability and repeatability. This approach not only facilitates remote control of chemical reactions, but also optimizes the distribution of AuNCs within the final polymer matrix, thereby enabling the efficient synthesis of nanocomposites while exploiting the unique photofunctionality of AuNCs.

Chemo/photothermal combination therapy is a promising and practical approach for cancer treatment which calls for certain nanovehicles to achieve the spatiotemporal co-occurrence of photothermal conversion and drug delivery. Herein, we developed a montmorillonite-based Pickering emulsion equipped with a near-infrared photothermal agent (indocyanine green, ICG) and anticarcinogen (paclitaxel, PTX). With both montmorillonite and ICG functioning as interfacial stabilizers, the Pickering emulsion showed good stability and nanoscale droplet size, which were favored for cellular applications. Due to the vast oil-water interface, where the majority of amphiphilic ICG was prone to distribute, the Pickering nanoemulsion could achieve a higher local concentration of ICG than the aqueous solution, therefore leading to a higher local photothermal performance under near-infrared irradiation. The Pickering nanoemulsion exhibited fast cell penetration, which promoted the photothermal therapeutic effect of ICG. Moreover, the inner phase of the Pickering nanoemulsion also facilitated the loading of PTX, further improving its killing efficacy against cancer cells under near-infrared irradiation, because the photothermal conversion of the Pickering nanoemulsion could not only cause heat damage by itself but also promote the loaded PTX to diffuse out and induce cell death. Therefore, this clay-based Pickering nanoemulsion as a nanovehicle could realize the synergy of chemo- and photothermal therapy.

Three-dimensional substrates with nanostructures have drawn attention in biological fields, especially in cell cultures. A photothermal effect is introduced into the substrate to realize remote regulation of cellar behaviours, which is highly desirable. Herein, we report a photofunctional fibrous substrate by decorating photothermal gold nanoclusters to modulate cell growth. Through programmable annealing, the ultra-small Au NCs were well integrated into the filamentous aggregates of gellan gum. Benefiting from the metal coordination interactions in biomolecules, a fibrous substrate that consists of gold nanoclusters, filamentous aggregates of gellan gum and bioactive whey protein were obtained via ionic crosslinks. The incorporated gold nanoclusters tightened the arrangement of the fibrous structures and increased the rigidity of the substrate. The enhanced local mechanical property was found to promote cell adhesion. Meanwhile, the photothermal properties of gold nanoclusters permitted whey protein release from the substrate by light in an on-demand way. The released whey protein significantly induced cell proliferation. Therefore, photo-modulated cellular growth was achieved on the gold nanocluster decorated fibrous substrate. Coupling optical gold nanoclusters in a three-dimensional substrate can facilely introduce light responsiveness, which will broaden their biomedical applications.