Ternary chalcogenide compounds are such promising and have been used for much practical applications. As a sort of these compounds, cubanite (CuFe2S3) possess some unique properties which can be used in different fields. In our study, we developed a facile one pot synthesis of CuFe2S3 nanocrystals (NCs) at a low reaction temperature, and achieved a morphology and phase composition tuning of the NCs through changing a variety of precursors and surfactants, meanwhile improved their magnetism and optical properties. Eventually, well-ordered and ‘nano-brick’ like CuFe2S3 NCs were obtained and showed best magnetism and near-infrared fluorescence properties. Furthermore, the NCs were proved with good biocompatibility and possibility for cell labeling. This kind of materials with lower toxicity and potential of magnetic is bound to remedy the defects of photoluminescence quantum dots (QDs) and be with higher potential in the field of biological diagnosis and multi-functional system construction.
Sa Wang,Tingting Hu,Guanyun Wang,Zhengdi Wang,Dan Yan,Ruizheng Liang,Chaoliang Tan
Ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanosheets (NSs) have been widely explored as nanoagents for multimodal cancer therapies, such as photothermal therapy (PTT) combined with chemodynamic therapy (CDT). However, it is still a challenge to prepare 2D NSs with good performance in both CDT and NIR-II PTT. Here, we report the preparation of ultrathin 2D CuFe 2 S 3 NSs as an efficient nanoagent for synergistic CDT and NIR-II PTT to ablate cancer cells/tumors. Ultrathin 2D CuFe 2 S 3 NSs are first prepared by sulfurization of ultrathin CuFe-LDH NSs via a simple hydrothermal treatment. After modification with polyethylene glycol (PEG), the PEG-modified CuFe 2 S 3 NSs (CuFe 2 S 3 -PEG) show broadband NIR-II absorption and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency (~55.86%) at 1064 nm. Moreover, the overproduced glutathione in the tumor microenvironment can react with CuFe 2 S 3 -PEG NSs to release Fe 2+ and Cu + , thus activating Fenton reaction to efficiently produce hydroxyl radicals (·OH). Importantly, the photothermal effect of CuFe 2 S 3 -PEG could further synergistically improve the Fenton reaction by increasing the local temperature. In vitro and in vivo results reveal that the CuFe 2 S 3 -PEG has remarkable synergistic CDT/PTT antitumor activity. This study has proven that the metal chalcogenide NSs of CuFe 2 S 3 -PEG can be used as an efficient nanoagent for multimodal cancer therapies, which could also be promising in other applications like biosensors, drug delivery and antibacterial.
Mineral-derived CuFe 2 S 3 was produced by one-step N₂ calcination. • Low-valence sulfur promotes Fe/Cu cycling and charge separation. • 91.25% TC removal was achieved with Fe < 0.1 and Cu < 1.5 mg/L. • Activity remained 76.32% after five cycles in complex water. • TC products evolved toward low-toxicity, non-mutagenic species. Natural mineral-based heterogeneous Fenton catalysts are promising for water remediation but are often limited by metal leaching and poor stability. Here, natural copper sulfide concentrate was converted into phase-pure CuFe 2 S 3 by one-step calcination under N₂ at 750 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) confirmed the formation of highly crystalline CuFe 2 S 3 with a 0.305 nm lattice fringe assigned to the (111) plane. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed abundant Fe 2+ (50.69 %), Cu + (78.61 %), and low-valence sulfur species, while ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy gave a band gap of 1.51 eV. These features establish a photo-responsive Fe-Cu-S electron-transfer network in which low-valence sulfur promotes Fe 3+ /Fe 2+ and Cu 2+ /Cu + cycling and suppresses charge recombination. Under optimized conditions (0.50 g/L catalyst, 40 mmol/L H 2 O 2 , unadjusted pH), the CuFe 2 S 3 /H 2 O 2 /light system achieved 91.25 % tetracycline removal within 120 min, with Fe and Cu leaching below 0.1 and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. The removal efficiency remained 86.47 % after five cycles, and the catalyst also showed broad-spectrum activity and good tolerance to complex water matrices. Scavenging experiments identified ·OH and h + as the dominant reactive species, while electron spin resonance confirmed the formation of ·OH, ·O 2 - , h + and 1 O 2 . Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) and quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR)-based toxicity prediction indicated progressive N-demethylation, ring opening, and fragmentation of tetracycline, accompanied by reduced predicted acute toxicity and mutagenicity. This work demonstrates that controlled phase reconstruction can simultaneously enhance catalytic activity, structural stability, and environmental safety in natural mineral-derived catalysts. Download: Download high-res image (295KB) Download: Download full-size image
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