Flexible high electrochemical collagen/lignin composite hydrogel for sensing and supercapacitor applications.

Synthesis of polymer-based highly conductive hydrogels from natural and renewable sources with robust mechanical performances in flexible electronics remains a great challenge. In this research, a dynamic redox system is designed by using collagen (CL), sulfonate lignin (SL), acrylic acid (AA), and Al to synthesize CL/PAA/SL/Al hydrogels. The formation of effective complexes of Al with the abundant functional groups of CL, SL and PAA, the prepared hydrogel delivers various specific properties, for example, excellent ionic conductivity (4.

Superfast, large-scale harvesting of cellulose molecules via ethanol pre-swelling engineering of natural fibers.

Cellulose molecules, as the basic unit of biomass cellulose, have demonstrated advancements in versatile engineering and modification of cellulose toward sustainable and promising materials in our low-carbon society. However, harvesting high-quality cellulose molecules from natural cellulosic fibers (CF) remains challenging due to strong hydrogen bonds and unique crystalline structure, which limit solvents (such as ionic liquid, IL) transport and diffusion within CF, making the process energy/time-intensively. Herein, we superfast and sustainably engineer biomass fibers into high-performance cellulose molecules via ethanol pre-swelling of CF followed by IL treatment in the microwave (MW) system.

Development of lignin hydrogel reinforced polypyrrole rich electrode material for supercapacitor and sensing applications.

The preparation of natural polymer-based highly conductive hydrogels with reliable durability for applications in supercapacitors (SCs) is still challenging. Herein, a facile method to prepare alkaline lignin (AL)-based polypyrrole (PPy)-rich, high-conductive PPy@AL/PEGDGE gel was reported, where AL was used as a dopant, polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) as a cross-linking agent, and PPy as a conducting polymer. The PPy@AL/PEGDGE gel electrode materials with hollow structures were prepared by electrochemical deposition and chemical etching method and then assembled into sandwich-shaped SCs.

Comparative evaluation of tannin from banana bunch and stem syrup for leather processing.

Utilization of vegetable tannins in leather processing is one of the convenient solutions to protect the environment pollution. Herein, the banana bunch and syrup of banana stem are utilized to prepare an ecofriendly tanning agent. The yield of banana bunch extraction efficiency is found 69.

A review of cellulose-based catechol-containing functional materials for advanced applications.

With the increment in global energy consumption and severe environmental pollution, it is urgently needed to explore green and sustainable materials. Inspired by nature, catechol groups in mussel adhesion proteins have been successively understood and utilized as novel biomimetic materials. In parallel, cellulose presents a wide class of functional materials rating from macro-scale to nano-scale components.

Preparation of tannic acid-reinforced cellulose nanofiber composites for all-water-based high-performance wood adhesives.

Traditional adhesives easily release toxic gases during the preparation process or apply to wood composite products, which have adverse effects on the human body and the environment. Herein, an all-water-based high-performance wood adhesive is prepared using TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCNF), acrylamide (AM), and tannic acid (TA) through free radical polymerization. Different characteristics of the prepared composites, including morphology, injectability, and adhesion properties, have been investigated.

Comparative evaluation of physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of rubber seed oil from different regions of Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, the annual production of rubber seeds is typically left untapped although the seeds contained a high percentage of oil but underutilized without any value-added utilization. This study aims to evaluate the geographical effect on physicochemical properties, fatty acid composition and the antimicrobial activity of oil extracted from rubber seeds. Seeds were collected from three different regions of Bangladesh and the oil was extracted by the soxhlet method using -hexane as a solvent.

Biocompatible, Injectable, and Self-Healing Poly(-vinylpyrrolidone)/Carboxymethyl Cellulose Hydrogel for Drug Release.

Hydrogels have drawn intensive attention as fascinating materials for biomedicine. However, fabricating hydrogels with injectable and self-healing properties remains a challenge. Herein, we reported a biocompatible poly(-vinylpyrrolidone)/carboxymethyl cellulose (PVP/CMC) hydrogel with excellent injectable and self-healing properties.

Development of Biocompatible Mussel-Inspired Cellulose-Based Underwater Adhesives.

Conventional adhesives have poor underwater adhesion and harm to human health and the environment during their use, which largely limits their practical applications. Herein, we synthesized cellulose-based adhesives with underwater adhesion and biocompatibility by grafting -(3,4-dihydroxyphenethyl)methacrylamide into the cellulose chain via atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). FTIR, H NMR, and XPS analyses ensured the successful preparation of the cellulose-based adhesive polymers.

Recent advances in TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers: Oxidation mechanism, characterization, properties and applications.

Cellulose is the richest renewable polymer source on the earth. TEMPO-mediated oxidized cellulose nanofibers are deduced from enormously available wood biomass and functionalized with carboxyl groups. The preparation procedure of TOCNFs is more environmentally friendly compared to other cellulose, for example, MFC and CNCs.

Di-aldehyde tunicate cellulose nanocrystal (D-tCNC) aerogels for drug delivery: Effect of D-tCNC composition on aerogel structure and release properties.

Aerogels as drug carriers have the characteristics of a large specific surface area, high porosity and an elastic skeleton structure. Compared with traditional drug carriers, the use of aerogels as drug carriers can avoid the complexity of drug delivery and improve the efficiency of drug loading. In this work, the oxidation of tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (tCNCs) with NaIO was used to prepare di-aldehyde tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (D-tCNCs).

Preparation of lignin-based hydrogels, their properties and applications.

Polymers obtained from biomass are a concerning alternative to petro-based polymers because of their low cost of manufacturing, biocompatibility, ecofriendly and biodegradability. Lignin as the second richest and the only polyaromatics bio-polymer in plant which has been most studied for the numerous applications in different fields. But, in the past decade, the exploitation of lignin for the preparation of new smart materials with improved properties has been broadly sought, because lignin valorization plays one of the primary challenging issues of the pulp and paper industry and lignocellulosic biorefinery.

Preparation and characterization of highly conductive lignin aerogel based on tunicate nanocellulose framework.

The highly conductive and elastic three-dimensional mesh porous material is an ideal platform for the fabrication of high electrical conductivity conductive aerogels. Herein, a multifunctional aerogel that is lightweight, highly conductive and stable sensing properties is reported. Tunicate nanocellulose (TCNCs) with a high aspect ratio, high Young's modulus, high crystallinity, good biocompatibility and biodegradability was used as the basic skeleton to prepare aerogel by freeze-drying technique.

Solution-processable, robust and sustainable cooler via nano-structured engineering.

Passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) materials simultaneously featuring aesthetic and safety distinctions demonstrate versatile applications beyond cooling buildings, while the integrated advantages of high strength, morphological reconfigurability, and sustainability remain challenging for the conventional PDRC materials. Herein, we designed a robust, custom-shaped and eco-friendly cooler via a scalable solution-processable strategy, involving the nano-scale assembly of nano cellulose (NC) and inorganic nanoparticle (e.g.

Porous Scaffolds Based on Polydopamine/Chondroitin Sulfate/Polyvinyl Alcohol Composite Hydrogels.

In this paper, porous scaffolds based on composite hydrogels were fabricated using polydopamine (PDA), chondroitin sulfate (CS), and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) via the freezing/thawing method. Different characteristics of the prepared composite hydrogels, including the pore sizes, compression strength, lap shear strength, mass loss, and cytocompatibility were investigated. Scanning electron microscope images (SEM) displayed the hydrogel pore sizes, ranging from 20 to 100 μm.

Lignin-containing hydrogels with anti-freezing, excellent water retention and super-flexibility for sensor and supercapacitor applications.

We developed a highly conductive and flexible, anti-freezing sulfonated lignin (SL)-containing polyacrylic acid (PAA) (SL-g-PAA-Ni) hydrogel, with a high concentration of NiCl. Ni contributes multi-functions to the preparation of the hydrogel and its final properties, such as fast polymerization reaction as a result of the presence of redox pairs of Ni/Ni and hydroquinone/quinone, and anti-freezing properties of the hydrogel due to the salt effects of NiCl so that at -20 °C the hydrogel shows similar properties to those at the room temperature. Thanks to the effective coordinations of Ni with catecholic groups and carboxylic groups, as well as the rich hydrogen bonding capacity, the resultant hydrogel possesses excellent mechanical properties.

Mycelium-Based Composite: The Future Sustainable Biomaterial.

Because of the alarming rate of human population growth, technological improvement should be needed to save the environment from pollution. The practice of business as usual on material production is not creating a circular economy. The circular economy refers to an economic model whose objective is to produce goods and services sustainably, by limiting the consumption and waste of resources (raw materials, water, and energy).

High lignin containing hydrogels with excellent conducting, self-healing, antibacterial, dye adsorbing, sensing, moist-induced power generating and supercapacitance properties.

Herein, we design a dynamic redox system of using high contents of lignosulfonate (LS) and Al to prepare poly acrylic acid (PAA) (LS-g-PAA-Al) hydrogels. The presence of high LS and Al contents, in combination with the effective Al complexes formed, renders the resultant hydrogel with some unique attributes, including excellent ionic conductivity (as high as 7.38 S·m) and antibacterial activity; furthermore, a very fast gelation (in 1 min) was obtained.

Atomic-Scale Imaging and Nano-Scale Mapping of Cubic α-CsPbI Perovskite Nanocrystals for Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Colloidal synthesized cubic α-CsPbI perovskite nanocrystals having a smaller lattice constant ( = 6.2315 Å) compared to the standard structure, and nanoscale mapping of their surfaces are reported to achieve superior photovoltaic performance under 45-55% humidity conditions. Atomic scale transmission electron microscopic images have been utilized to probe the precise arrangement of Cs, Pb, and I atoms in a unit cell of α-CsPbI NCs, which is well supported by the VESTA structure.

Design of Fe-Rich, High-Conductivity Lignin Hydrogels for Supercapacitor and Sensor Applications.

Preparation of natural polymer-based highly conductive hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties for applications in flexible electronics is still challenging. Herein, we report a facile method to prepare lignin-based Fe-rich, high-conductivity hydrogels via the following two-step process: (1) lignin hydrogels are prepared by cross-linking sulfonated lignin with poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and (2) Fe ions are impregnated into the lignin hydrogel by simply soaking in FeCl. Benefiting from Fe ion complexation with catechol groups and other functional groups in lignin, the resultant hydrogels exhibit unique properties, such as high conductivity (as high as 6.

Preparation and characterization of super hydrophobic aerogels derived from tunicate cellulose nanocrystals.

First time aerogels composite with super hydrophobic properties were developed by using tunicate cellulose nanocrystals (TCNC), which expanded the application scope of animal cellulose resources. In this study, the TCNC was firstly cross-linked with silica and methyltrimethylsilane (MTMS), further coated with fluorodopa to form an aerogel with super hydrophobic properties. The aerogel was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Preparation of lignosulfonate ionic hydrogels for supercapacitors, sensors and dye adsorbent applications.

Lignin, an abundant natural polymer but presently under-utilized, has received much attention for its green/sustainable advantages. Herein, we report a facile method to fabricate lignosulfonate (LS) ionic hydrogels by simple crosslinking with poly (ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE). The as-obtained LS-PEGDGE hydrogels were comprehensively characterized by mechanical measurements, FT-IR, and SEM.

Study on the Anti-Biodegradation Property of Tunicate Cellulose.

Tunicate is a kind of marine animal, and its outer sheath consists of almost pure I crystalline cellulose. Due to its high aspect ratio, tunicate cellulose has excellent physical properties. It draws extensive attention in the construction of robust functional materials.