For the water remediation techniques based on adsorption, the long-standing contradictories between selectivity and multiple adsorbability, as well as between affinity and recyclability, have put it on weak defense amid more and more severe environment crisis. Here, a pollutant-targeting hydrogel scavenger is reported for water remediation with both high selectivity and multiple adsorbability for several pollutants, and with strong affinity and good recyclability through rationally integrating the advantages of multiple functional materials. In the scavenger, aptamers fold into binding pockets to accommodate the molecular structure of pollutants to afford perfect selectivity, and Janus nanoparticles with antibacterial function as well as anisotropic surfaces to immobilize multiple aptamers allow for simultaneously handling different kinds of pollutants. The scavenger exhibits high efficiencies in removing pollutants from water and it can be easily recycled for many times without significant loss of loading capacities. Moreover, the residual concentrations of each contaminant are well below the drinking water standards. Thermodynamic behavior of the adsorption process is investigated and the rate-controlling process is determined. Furthermore, a point of use device is constructed and it displays high efficiency in removing pollutants from environmental water. The scavenger exhibits great promise to be applied in the next generation of water purification systems.

In addition to its inherited genetic function, DNA is one of the smartest and most flexible self-assembling nanomaterials with programmable and predictable features, for which, more and more scientists combine DNA with nanomaterials and put them into designing, synthesizing and assembling. In this review, four modes of action of DNA molecules are introduced in a figurative and intuitive way, based on the four different roles it plays in synthesis and assembly of nanomaterials: (a) smart linkers to guide nanoparticle assembly, (b) 2D or 3D scaffold with well-designed binding sites, (c) nucleation sites to directly facilitate Au/Pd/Ag/Cu nanowires, nanoparticles, nano- arrays and (d) serving as capping agents to prevent crystal growth, and control size and morphology. To be sure, this state-of-the-art combination of functional DNA molecules and inorganic nanomaterials greatly encouraged step towards the development of analytical science, life science, environmental science, and other promising field they can address. DNA-guided nanofabrication will eventually exceed expectations far beyond our scope in the near future.

Lanthanide (Ln, or rare-earth) doped nanoparticles are well-known for their prominent optical properties and have been widely used for biological applications, especially in biological assays and medical imaging. Recently, the extensive attention of near infrared (NIR) wavelength range has dramatically increased for its fast feedback, high spatial resolution and deep tissue penetration. Tissues have minimal absorbance in this region. While a lot of excellent reviews cover various aspects of biomedical imaging based on lanthanide doped nanoparticles, there has not been a review that systematically summarizes NIR-to-NIR imaging with lanthanide doped nanoparticles. In this review, we focus on the recent development of NIR-to-NIR imaging based on lanthanide doped nanoparticles, and discuss challenges and opportunities in it.

Photoluminescence is one of the most sensitive techniques for fingerprint detection, but it also suffers from background fluorescence and selectivity at the expense of generality. The method described herein integrates the advantages of near-infrared-light-mediated imaging and molecular recognition. In principle, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) functionalized with a lysozyme-binding aptamer were used to detect fingerprints through recognizing lysozyme in the fingerprint ridges. UCNPs possess the ability to suppress background fluorescence and make it possible for fingerprint imaging on problematic surfaces. Lysozyme, a universal compound in fingerprints, was chosen as the target, thus simultaneously meeting the selectivity and generality criteria in photoluminescence approaches. Fingerprints on different surfaces and from different people were detected successfully. This strategy was used to detect fingerprints with cocaine powder by using UCNPs functionalized with a cocaine-binding aptamer.

Photoluminescence is one of the most sensitive techniques for fingerprint detection, but it also suffers from background fluorescence and selectivity at the expense of generality. The method described herein integrates the advantages of near-infrared-light-mediated imaging and molecular recognition. In principle, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) functionalized with a lysozyme-binding aptamer were used to detect fingerprints through recognizing lysozyme in the fingerprint ridges. UCNPs possess the ability to suppress background fluorescence and make it possible for fingerprint imaging on problematic surfaces. Lysozyme, a universal compound in fingerprints, was chosen as the target, thus simultaneously meeting the selectivity and generality criteria in photoluminescence approaches. Fingerprints on different surfaces and from different people were detected successfully. This strategy was used to detect fingerprints with cocaine powder by using UCNPs functionalized with a cocaine-binding aptamer.