In-plane mobility of proteins in lipid membranes is one of the fundamental mechanisms supporting biological functionality. Here we use high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) to show that a novel type of biomimetic channel-carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs)-is also laterally mobile in supported lipid membranes, mimicking biological protein behaviour. HS-AFM can capture real-time dynamics of CNTP motion in the supported lipid bilayer membrane, build long-term trajectories of the CNTP motion and determine the diffusion coefficients associated with this motion. Our analysis shows that diffusion coefficients of CNTPs fall into the same range as those of proteins in supported lipid membranes. CNTPs in HS-AFM experiments often exhibit directed diffusion behaviour, which is common for proteins in live cell membranes.This article is part of the themed issue Membrane pores: from structure and assembly, to medicine and technology.

Carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs), short pieces of carbon nanotubes capable of self-inserting into a lipid bilayer, represent a simplified model of biological membrane channels. We have used high-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) and all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to study the behavior of CNTPs in a mixed lipid membrane consisting of DOPC lipid with a variable percentage of DMPC lipid added to it. HS-AFM data reveal that the CNTPs undergo diffusive motion in the bilayer plane. Motion trajectories extracted from the HS-AFM movies indicate that CNTPs exhibit diffusion coefficient values broadly similar to values reported for membrane proteins in supported lipid bilayers. The data also indicate that increasing the percentage of DMPC leads to a marked slowing of CNTP diffusion. MD simulations reveal a CNTP-lipid assembly that diffuses in the membrane and show trends that are consistent with the experimental observations.

Polymer-derived silicon carbonitride (SiCN) materials have been synthesized via pyrolyzing from five poly(silylcarbondiimide)s with different contents of carbon (labeled as 1-5#). The morphological and structural measurements show that the SiCN materials are mixtures of nanocrystals of SiC, Si₃N₄, and graphite. The SiCN materials have been used as anodes for lithium-ion batteries. Among the five polymer-derived SiCN materials, 5#SiCN, derived from dichloromethylvinylsilane and di-n-octyldichlorosilane, has the best cycle stability and a high-rate performance at the low cutoff voltage of 0.01-1.0 V. In lithium-ion half-cells, the specific delithiation capacity of 5#SiCN anode still remains at 826.7 mA h g^-1 after 100 charge/discharge cycles; it can even deliver the capacity above 550 mA h g^-1 at high current densities of 1.6 and 2 A g^-1. In lithium-ion full cells, 5#SiCN anode works well with LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ commercial cathode. The outstanding electrochemical performance of 5#SiCN anode is attributed to two factors: (1) the formation of a stable and compact solid electrolyte interface layer on the anode surface anode, which protects the electrode from cracking during the charge/discharge cycle; and (2) a large amount of carbon component and the less Si₃N₄ phase in the 5#SiCN structure, which provides an electrochemical reactive and conductive environment in the SiCN structure, benefit the lithiation/delithiation process. In addition, we explore the reason for the capacity fading of these SiCN anodes.

Polymer-derived and micro-cracked silicon carbonitride (SiCN) materials have been successfully synthesized via pyrolyzing from poly(diphenylcarbondiimide) and post-treating with different molar concentration of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) aqueous solution (0.2-5.0 mol L−1). The as-prepared SiCN materials have been used as anodes for lithium ion batteries. Electrochemical charge-discharge measurements indicate that the SiCN with the 0.5 mol L−1 of NaOH treating (SiCN-0.5-NaOH) shows the best electrochemical performance. It exhibits a high initial specific extraction capacity of 1159.5 mAh g−1 and stable capacity of 900 mAh g−1 at current density of 40 mA g−1. The morphology and structure measurements show its surface is rough, and many micro-sized cracks are formed. The special performances of NaOH-treated SiCN anodes are attributed to non-conductive Si3N4 phase elimination from SiCN matrix by NaOH treatment, and lithium ion transfer channel enrichment by the formation of micro-cracks.

10-time lithium rate improvement and 4-time photocatalytic performance enhancement have been achieved with TiO2 nanocrystals when coated with a thin layer of amorphous carbon. The enhanced performances can be attributed to lower lithium ion diffusion and electronic conduction resistance across the carbon layer into the TiO2 electrode material and better surface adsorption of the dye molecules and ions. Thus, the current study may provide us an alternative approach in improving the performances of TiO2 nanocrystals in both lithium ion battery and photocatalysis applications. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Drug delivery mitigates toxic side effects and poor pharmacokinetics of life-saving therapeutics and enhances treatment efficacy. However, direct cytoplasmic delivery of drugs and vaccines into cells has remained out of reach. We find that liposomes studded with 0.8-nm-wide carbon nanotube porins (CNTPs) function as efficient vehicles for direct cytoplasmic drug delivery by facilitating fusion of lipid membranes and complete mixing of the membrane material and vesicle interior content. Fusion kinetics data and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal an unusual mechanism where CNTP dimers tether the vesicles, pull the membranes into proximity, and then fuse their outer and inner leaflets. Liposomes containing CNTPs in their membranes and loaded with an anticancer drug, doxorubicin, were effective in delivering the drug to cancer cells, killing up to 90% of them. Our results open an avenue for designing efficient drug delivery carriers compatible with a wide range of therapeutics.

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted pathogen worldwide. Since chlamydial infection is largely asymptomatic with the potential for serious complications, a preventative vaccine is likely the most viable long-term answer to this public health threat. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) utilizes the cellular protein manufacturing machinery decoupled from the requirement for maintaining cellular viability, offering the potential for flexible, rapid, and de-centralized production of recombinant protein vaccine antigens. Here, we use CFPS to produce the putative chlamydial type three secretion system (T3SS) needle-tip protein, CT584, for use as a vaccine antigen in mouse models. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) imaging and computer simulations confirm that CFPS-produced CT584 retains a native-like structure prior to immunization. Female mice were primed with CT584 adjuvanted with CpG-1826 intranasally (i.n.) or CpG-1826 + Montanide ISA 720 intramuscularly (i.m.), followed four-weeks later by an i.m. boost before respiratory challenge with 104 inclusion forming units (IFU) of Chlamydia muridarum. Immunization with CT584 generated robust antibody responses but weak cell mediated immunity and failed to protect against i.n. challenge as demonstrated by body weight loss, increased lungs' weights and the presence of high numbers of IFUs in the lungs. While CT584 alone may not be the ideal vaccine candidate, the speed and flexibility with which CFPS can be used to produce other potential chlamydial antigens makes it an attractive technique for antigen production.

Background:Chlamydia trachomatis is the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted pathogen in humans worldwide. Since chlamydial infection is largely asymptomatic with the potential for serious complications, a preventative vaccine is likely the most viable long-term answer to this public health threat. Cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) utilizes the cellular protein manufacturing machinery decoupled from the requirement for maintaining cellular viability, offering the potential for flexible, rapid, and decentralized production of recombinant protein vaccine antigens. Methods: Here, we use CFPS to produce the full-length putative chlamydial type three secretion system (T3SS) needle-tip protein, CT584, for evaluation as a vaccine antigen in mouse models. High-speed atomic force microscopy (HS-AFM) (RIBM, Tsukuba, Japan) imaging and computer simulations confirm that CFPS-produced CT584 retains a native-like structure prior to immunization. Female mice were primed with CT584 adjuvanted with CpG-1826 intranasally (i.n.) or CpG-1826 + Montanide ISA 720 intramuscularly (i.m.), followed four weeks later by an i.m. boost before respiratory challenge with 104 inclusion forming units (IFU) of Chlamydia muridarum. Results: Immunization with CT584 generated robust antibody responses but weak cell-mediated immunity and failed to protect against i.n. challenge as demonstrated by body weight loss, increased lung weights, and the presence of high numbers of IFUs in the lungs. Conclusion: While CT584 was not a protective vaccine candidate, the speed and flexibility with which CFPS can be used to produce other potential chlamydial antigens make it an attractive technique for antigen production.