Topic Review
Marine Endoperoxide Norterpenes
Organic extracts of marine invertebrates, mainly sponges, from seas all over the world are well known for their high in vitro anticancer and antibiotic activities which make them promising sources of compounds with potential use as pharmaceutical leads. Most of the structures discovered so far have a peculiar structural feature in common: a 1,2-dioxane ring. This is a highly reactive heterocycle that can be considered as an endoperoxide function. Together with other structural features, this group could be responsible for the strong biological activities of the substances present in the extracts. Numerous research programs have focused on their structural elucidation and total synthesis since the seventies. As a consequence, the number of established chiral centres and the similarity between different naturally occurring substances is increasingly higher. Most of these compounds have a terpenoid nature, mainly diterpene and sesterterpene, with several peculiar structural features, such as the loss of one carbon atom. Although there are many reviews dealing with the occurrence of marine peroxides, their activities, or potential pharmaceutical uses, no one has focused on those having a terpene origin and the endoperoxide function. We present here a comprehensive review of these compounds paying special attention to their structural features and their biological activity.
  • 611
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Photo-/Electro-Driven Thermochromic Smart Windows
Thermochromic smart windows can automatically control solar radiation according to the ambient temperature. Compared with photochromic and electrochromic smart windows, they have a stronger applicability and lower energy consumption, and have a wide range of application prospects in the field of building energy efficiency. This entry describes that trends of photo-/electro-driven thermochromic smart windows.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Atomic Layer Deposition on 2D Materials
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of high-κ dielectrics on two-dimensional (2D) materials (including graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides) still represents a challenge due to the lack of out-of-plane bonds on the pristine surfaces of 2D materials, thus making the nucleation process highly disadvantaged. The typical methods to promote the nucleation (i.e., the predeposition of seed layers or the surface activation via chemical treatments) certainly improve the ALD growth but can affect, to some extent, the electronic properties of 2D materials and the interface with high-κ dielectrics. Hence, direct ALD on 2D materials without seed and functionalization layers remains highly desirable. In this context, a crucial role can be played by the interaction with the substrate supporting the 2D membrane. In particular, metallic substrates such as copper or gold have been found to enhance the ALD nucleation of Al2O3 and HfO2 both on monolayer (1 L) graphene and MoS2. Similarly, uniform ALD growth of Al2O3 on the surface of 1 L epitaxial graphene (EG) on SiC (0001) has been ascribed to the peculiar EG/SiC interface properties.
  • 982
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Functional Polymer Materials for Energy Applications
This entry provides insight into the recent energy applications of polymers.
  • 1.9K
  • 15 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Carbon-Based Composites
Carbon-based composites are materials in which a primary component in the form of a carbon structure or structures (graphene, carbon nanotubes, mesoporous carbon, etc.) and usually an inorganic phase or phases are combined into one system. Such a material is expected to exhibit additive or synergetic interfacial effects resulting in enhanced properties, such as reactivity in catalytic or electrocatalytic reactions.
  • 1.2K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Sources and Absorption of Resveratrol
Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced by plants and also found in many natural products, such as fruit and vegetables, and their derivatives, such as tea, coffee, olive oil, and wine. Polyphenols are well known for their antioxidant properties, which confer to them health-beneficial effects. Among them, resveratrol is probably one of the most investigated molecules. It was first described in 1940 by Michio Takaoka, a Japanese student who was investigating extracts from traditional medicinal plants and called it “resveratrol” because the molecule had been extracted from the roots of Veratrum grandiflorum (white hellebore) and presented the skeleton of resorcinol in its molecular structure. The extract from this plant was exploited for treating several allergic and inflammatory diseases, among others. However, this molecule did not attract much interest until 1997, when Jang and colleagues published an article regarding its cancer chemopreventive activity. Resveratrol is the common name for 3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene, a natural phytoalexin derived from phenylpropanoids, that is synthesized in plants under stress conditions, such as infections or UV exposure. 
  • 645
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Cell Penetrating Peptides
Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are peptides that can directly adapt to cell membranes and then permeate into cells. They are usually cationic for the electronic interactions between CPPs and anionic cell membrane. Meanwhile, some of them can target a specific protein at the same time. In nanomedicine, as an element, CPPs are usually covalently linked to the surface of nanocarriers to endow their permeability to the whole system.
  • 664
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Coal Fly Ash Use in Cement and Concrete
Nowadays, coal is increasingly being used as an energy source in some countries. This coal-fired generation process, however, has the disadvantage that produces large quantities of coal fly ash. Its characteristics differ depending on the combustion conditions and the coal source. Fineness will influence early compressive strength in cement-based materials. The finer the binding material, the higher the early compressive strength. They can be used to produce high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete, self-compacting concrete (SCC), concrete for marine infrastructures, pervious concrete, roller compacted concrete (RCC) and so on.
  • 2.4K
  • 14 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Metal Organic Frameworks
Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a family of porous crystalline materials that serve in some cases as versatile platforms for catalysis. 
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Dec 2021
Topic Review
MALDI MS-Based Investigations Targeting SARS-CoV-2
The urgent need to fight the COVID-19 pandemic has impressively stimulated the efforts of the international scientific community, providing an extraordinary wealth of studies. Improving the current laboratory testing methods and developing new rapid and reliable diagnostic approaches might be useful in managing contact tracing in the fight against both the original SARS-CoV-2 strain and the new, potentially fast-spreading CoV-2 variants. Mass Spectrometry (MS)-based testing methods and more specifically MALDI-MS have demonstrated without any doubt the great potential to overcome many unresolved analytical challenges arising from currently used laboratory testing assays, becoming an effective proteomic tool in several applications, including pathogen identification. With the aim of highlighting the challenges and opportunities that derive from MALDI-based approaches for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, we extensively examined the most promising proofs of concept for MALDI studies related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  • 641
  • 13 Dec 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 467
ScholarVision Creations