Metal-Organic Coordination Enhanced Metallopolymer Electrolytes for Wide-Temperature Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries.

The practical application of polymer electrolytes is seriously hindered by the inferior Li ionic conductivity, low Li transference number (t), and poor interfacial stability. Herein, a structurally novel metallopolymer is designed and synthesized by exploiting a molybdenum (Mo) paddle-wheel complex as a tetratopic linker to bridge organic and inorganic moieties at molecular level. The prepared metallopolymer possesses combined merits of outstanding mechanical and thermal stability, as well as a low glass transition temperature (T <-50 °C).

An Ultrahigh-Modulus Hydrogel Electrolyte for Dendrite-Free Zinc Ion Batteries.

Quasi-solid-state aqueous zinc ion batteries suffer from anodic zinc dendrite growth during plating/stripping processes, impeding their commercial application. The inhibition of zinc dendrites by high-modulus electrolytes has been proven to be effective. However, hydrogel electrolytes are difficult to achieve high modulus owing to their inherent high water contents.

Proposal for a New Method for Evaluating Polymer-Modified Bitumen Fatigue and Self-Restoration Performances Considering the Whole Damage Characteristic Curve.

Fatigue performance and self-repairing activity of asphalt binders are two properties that highly influence the fatigue cracking response of asphalt pavement. There are still numerous gaps in knowledge to fill linked with these two characteristics. For instance, current parameters fail to accommodate these two bitumen phenomena fully.

Tetraborated Intrinsically Axial Chiral Multi-resonance Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Materials.

Chiral multi-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (CP-MR-TADF) materials hold promise for circularly polarized organic light-emitting diodes (CP-OLEDs) and 3D displays. Herein, we present two pairs of tetraborated intrinsically axial CP-MR-TADF materials, R/S-BDBF-BOH and R/S-BDBT-BOH, with conjugation-extended bidibenzo[b,d]furan and bidibenzo[b,d]thiophene as chiral sources, which effectively participate in the distribution of the frontier molecular orbitals. Due to the heavy-atom effect, sulfur atoms are introduced to accelerate the reverse intersystem crossing process and increase the efficiency of molecules.

Mechanically Robust, Durable, and Multifunctional Hyper-Crosslinked Elastomer Based on Metal-Organic-Cluster Crosslinker: The Role of Topological Structure.

Polymer materials formed by conventional metal-ligand bonds have very low branch functionality, the crosslinker of such polymer usually consists of 2-4 polymer chains and a single metal ion. Thus, these materials are weak, soft, humidity-sensitive, and unable to withstand their shape under long-term service. In this work, a new hyperbranched metal-organic cluster (MOC) crosslinker containing up to 16 vinyl groups is prepared by a straightforward coordination reaction.

A Self-Healing Optoacoustic Patch with High Damage Threshold and Conversion Efficiency for Biomedical Applications.

Compared with traditional piezoelectric ultrasonic devices, optoacoustic devices have unique advantages such as a simple preparation process, anti-electromagnetic interference, and wireless long-distance power supply. However, current optoacoustic devices remain limited due to a low damage threshold and energy conversion efficiency, which seriously hinder their widespread applications. In this study, using a self-healing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, Fe-Hpdca-PDMS) and carbon nanotube composite, a flexible optoacoustic patch is developed, which possesses the self-healing capability at room temperature, and can even recover from damage induced by cutting or laser irradiation.

A Dual-Responsive Liquid Crystal Elastomer for Multi-Level Encryption and Transient Information Display.

Information security has gained increasing attention in the past decade, leading to the development of advanced materials for anti-counterfeiting, encryption and instantaneous information display. However, it remains challenging to achieve high information security with simple encryption procedures and low-energy stimuli. Herein, a series of strain/temperature-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are developed to achieve dual-modal, multi-level information encryption and real-time, rewritable transient information display.

Coordination-Modulated Metal Tetrathiafulvalene Octacarboxylate Frameworks for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

Modulation of the ligands and coordination environment of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been an effective and relatively unexplored avenue for improving the anode performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, three MOFs are synthesized, namely, M (o-TTFOB)(bpm) (H O) (where M is Mn, Zn, and Cd; o-H TTFOB is ortho-tetrathiafulvalene octabenzoate; and bpm is 2,2'-bipyrimidine), based on a new ligand o-H TTFOB with two adjacent carboxylates on one phenyl, which allows us to establish the impact of metal coordination on the performance of these MOFs as anode materials in LIBs. Mn-o-TTFOB and Zn-o-TTFOB, with two more uncoordinated oxygen atoms from o-TTFOB , show higher reversible specific capacities of 1249 mAh g and 1288 mAh g under 200 mA g after full activation.

Tough, Reprocessable, and Recyclable Dynamic Covalent Polymers with Ultrastable Long-Lived Room-Temperature Phosphorescence.

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) polymers, whose emission can persist for a long period after photoexcitation, are of great importance for practical applications. Herein, dynamic covalent boronic ester linkages with internal B-N coordination are incorporated into a commercial epoxy matrix. The reversible dissociation of B-N bonds upon loading provides an efficient energy dissipation pathway for the epoxy network, while the rigid epoxy matrix can inhibit the quenching of triplet excitons in boronic esters.

Binuclear Cu complex catalysis enabling Li-CO battery with a high discharge voltage above 3.0 V.

Li-CO batteries possess exceptional advantages in using greenhouse gases to provide electrical energy. However, these batteries following LiCO-product route usually deliver low output voltage (<2.5 V) and energy efficiency.

A variable-stiffness and healable pneumatic actuator.

Pneumatic-powered actuators are receiving increasing attention due to their widespread applications. However, their inherent low stiffness makes them incompetent in tasks requiring high load capacity or high force output. On the other hand, soft pneumatic actuators are susceptible to damage caused by over-pressuring or punctures by sharp objects.

Stretchable and self-healable spoof plasmonic meta-waveguide for wearable wireless communication system.

Microwave transmission lines in wearable systems are easily damaged after frequent mechanical deformation, posing a severe threat to wireless communication. Here, we report a new strategy to achieve stretchable microwave transmission lines with superior reliability and durability by integrating a self-healable elastomer with serpentine-geometry plasmonic meta-waveguide to support the spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP). After mechanical damage, the self-healable elastomer can autonomously repair itself to maintain the electromagnetic performance and mechanical strength.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine inducing optimal expression of the SARS-CoV-2 S gene in hACE2 mice.

The wide spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly threatened public health. Human herd immunity induced by vaccination is essential to fight the epidemic. Therefore, highly immunogenic and safe vaccines are necessary to control SARS-CoV-2, whose S protein is the antigenic determinant responsible for eliciting antibodies that prevent viral entry and fusion.

Universal Self-Healing Poly(dimethylsiloxane) Polymer Crosslinked Predominantly by Physical Entanglements.

Harsh conditions are inevitable for long-term use of self-healing polymers. However, the majority of reported self-healing materials cannot remain stable under harsh conditions due to the presence of vulnerable dynamic crosslinking sites. Herein, a universal self-healing poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer is reported.

Newcastle Disease Virus Inhibits the Proliferation of T Cells Induced by Dendritic Cells and .

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infects poultry and antagonizes host immunity several mechanisms. Dendritic cells (DCs) are characterized as specialized antigen presenting cells, bridging innate and adaptive immunity and regulating host resistance to viral invasion. However, there is little specific knowledge of the role of DCs in NDV infection.

A Dielectric Elastomer Actuator That Can Self-Heal Integrally.

Dielectric actuators are prone to be worn or partially damaged when operating at high electric fields. The introduction of self-healing features into dielectric actuators is favorable for extending its life span and security. Although many attempts have been made to produce self-healing dielectric actuators, most of them focus on the healing of either the electrodes or the dielectric layers.

A Self-Healing Polymer with Fast Elastic Recovery upon Stretching.

The design of polymers that exhibit both good elasticity and self-healing properties is a highly challenging task. In spite of this, the literature reports highly stretchable self-healing polymers, but most of them exhibit slow elastic recovery behavior, i.e.

A Tough Metal-Coordinated Elastomer: A Fatigue-Resistant, Notch-Insensitive Material with an Excellent Self-Healing Capacity.

Self-healing materials can prolong device life, but their relatively weak mechanical strength limits their applications. Introducing tunable metal-ligand interactions into self-healing systems can improve their mechanical strength. However, applying this concept to solid elastomers is a challenge.

Self-Healing Polymers Based on Coordination Bonds.

Self-healing ability is an important survival feature in nature, with which living beings can spontaneously repair damage when wounded. Inspired by nature, people have designed and synthesized many self-healing materials by encapsulating healing agents or incorporating reversible covalent bonds or noncovalent interactions into a polymer matrix. Among the noncovalent interactions, the coordination bond is demonstrated to be effective for constructing highly efficient self-healing polymers.

A Self-Healing and Shape Memory Polymer that Functions at Body Temperature.

Dual-functional polymeric system combining shape memory with self-healing properties has attracted increasingly interests of researchers, as both of these properties are intelligent and promising characteristics. Moreover, shape memory polymer that functions at human body temperature (37 °C) are desirable because of their potential applications in biomedical field. Herein, we designed a polymer network with a permanent covalent crosslinking and abundant weak hydrogen bonds.

KRAS Exon 3 and PTEN Exon 7 Mutations in Small-cell Lung Cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is recognized as one of the most aggressive and fatal malignant tumors. No significant improvement has been made to prolong the survival of SCLC patients. This study aimed to examine the mutation status of K-Ras (KRAS) and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in SCLC patients in order to identify potential therapeutic targets for SCLC.

Thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination bonds lead to strong and tough self-healing polymers.

There is often a trade-off between mechanical properties (modulus and toughness) and dynamic self-healing. Here we report the design and synthesis of a polymer containing thermodynamically stable whilst kinetically labile coordination complex to address this conundrum. The Zn-Hbimcp (Hbimcp = 2,6-bis((imino)methyl)-4-chlorophenol) coordination bond used in this work has a relatively large association constant (2.