A N-doped carbon quantum dots sensitized TiO 2 membrane (NCQDs/TiO 2 ) was fabricated, and the photocatalytic performance of the resulting composites with various sensitization times was studied. The results showed that the photocatalytic degradation rate of gaseous acetaldehyde over NCQDs/TiO 2 was 2.2 times that observed over TiO 2 . The UV− vis absorption range of NCQDs/TiO 2 was expanded to the visible-light region after being sensitized by the NCQDs. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of NCQD/TiO 2 was weaker than that of either TiO 2 or NCQDs, which indicating that the recombination of the photogenerated electrons and holes was suppressed when TiO 2 was sensitized by the NCQDs. The different electron migration patterns in the NCQDs/TiO 2 composite under ultraviolet (UV) and visible-light (Vis) irradiation were proposed based on the experimental results. Additionally, an SiO 2 Opal photonic crystal was also utilized to enhance the light harvesting in this work. An NCQDs/TiO 2 /SiO 2 Opal composite was prepared with the photonic band gap (PBG) of the SiO 2 Opal being designed at 455 nm, which is the center of the absorption range of NCQDs/TiO 2 in the visible-light region. Due to the PBG reflection and photolocalization effect of the SiO 2 Opal photonic crystal, the photocatalytic degradation rate of gaseous acetaldehyde over NCQDs/TiO 2 /SiO 2 Opal was 1.89 times of that observed over NCQDs/TiO 2 and 4.15 times of that found over TiO 2 . The synergistic effect of the NCQDs and SiO 2 Opal photonic crystal greatly enhanced the photocatalytic performance of TiO 2 .
Disulfiram (DSF), an FDA approved drug for the treatment of alcoholism, has shown its effectiveness against diverse cancer types. Thus, we developed a disulfiram-loaded scaffold using the electrospinning method to enhance the stability of DSF and to facilitate its appropriate distribution to tumor tissues. The drug release profile of the disulfiram-loaded scaffold was examined by high-performance liquid chromatography. We obtained mechanical and morphological characterizations of A549 cells treated with different scaffolds by various techniques to evaluate its antitumor properties. This work revealed that the cells after the treatment with the disulfiram-loaded scaffold exhibited a lower height and a larger elastic modulus compared with the untreated cells and those treated with the neat electrospun fibers. The changes were the indicators of cell apoptosis. Taken collectively, the results indicate that DSF was successfully incorporated into the electrospun fibers, and the disulfiram-loaded scaffold has great potential for inhibiting the regional recurrence of cancer.
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