Poly(N-phenylglycine)/MoS2 Nanohybrid with Synergistic Solar-Thermal Conversion for Efficient Water Purification and Thermoelectric Power Generation

Solar interfacial evaporation is an emerging technology in solar energy harvesting developed to remedy the global energy crisis and the lack of freshwater resources. However, developing fully enhanced thermal management to optimize solar-heat utilization efficiency and form remains a great challenge. We created a synergistic photothermal layer from a poly(N-phenylglycine) (PNPG)/MoS₂ nanohybrid via electrostatic-induced self-assembly for a broad-spectrum and efficient solar absorption. The PNPG/MoS₂ system provided effective synergistic photothermal conversion and good water transmission, enabling rapid solar steam escape. Notably, synergistic coupling of solar evaporation-thermoelectric (TE) power generation was also achieved, providing more efficient exploitation of solar heat. The system demonstrated a solar evaporation rate of up to 1.70 kg m^-2 h^-1 and achieved a maximum thermoelectric output power with 0.23 W m^-2 under one sun. The high-performance PNPG/MoS₂ synergistic photothermal system developed in this study offers potential opportunities for coupling solar water purification with thermoelectric power generation to meet the needs of resource-scarce areas.

Au-assisted polymerization of conductive poly(N-phenylglycine) as high-performance positive electrodes for asymmetric supercapacitors

Herein, a novel conductive poly(N-phenylglycine) (PNPG) polymer was successfully prepared, byin situelectrochemical polymerization method (+0.75 VversusAg/AgCl) for 10 min, on flexible stainless-steel plate coated with a thin Au film (Au/SS) to serve as a binder-free pseudocapacitive PNPG/Au/SS electrode for energy storage devices. Compared to the electrode without Au coating, PNPG/Au/SS electrode exhibited better electrochemical performance with larger specific capacitance (495 F g^-1at a current density of 2 A g^-1), higher rate performance and lower resistance, which are good indications to act as a positive electrode for asymmetric supercapacitor devices. Combined with activated carbon as a negative electrode, an asymmetric supercapacitor device was constructed. It displayed a specific capacitance of 38 F g^-1at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1and an energy density of 5.3 Wh kg^-1at a power density of 250 W kg^-1. Experimentally, two asymmetric supercapacitor devices were connected in series to power a home-made windmill continuously for 8 s, revealing the high potential of this novel conductive polymer material for energy storage application.

Poly(N-phenylglycine)-Based Nanoparticles as Highly Effective and Targeted Near-Infrared Photothermal Therapy/Photodynamic Therapeutic Agents for Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive tumor resistant to chemotherapy. Therefore, the development of new highly effective therapeutic agents for the treatment of malignant melanoma is highly desirable. In this study, a new class of polymeric photothermal agents based on poly(N-phenylglycine) (PNPG) suitable for use in near-infrared (NIR) phototherapy of malignant melanoma is designed and developed. PNPG is obtained via polymerization of N-phenylglycine (NPG). Carboxylate functionality of NPG allows building multifunctional systems using covalent bonding. This approach avoids complicated issues typically associated with preparation of polymeric photothermal agents. Moreover, PNPG skeleton exhibits pH-responsive NIR absorption and an ability to generate reactive oxygen species, which makes its derivatives attractive photothermal therapy (PTT)/photodynamic therapy (PDT) dual-modal agents with pH-responsive features. PNPG is modified using hyaluronic acid (HA) and polyethylene glycol diamine (PEG-diamine) acting as the coupling agent. The resultant HA-modified PNPG (PNPG-PEG-HA) shows negligible cytotoxicity and effectively targets CD44-overexpressing cancer cells. Furthermore, the results of in vitro and in vivo experiments reveal that PNPG-PEG-HA selectively kills B16 cells and suppresses malignant melanoma tumor growth upon exposure to NIR light (808 nm), indicating that PNPG-PEG-HA can serve as a very promising nanoplatform for targeted dual-modality PTT/PDT of melanoma.