Synergistic effect of carotenoid and silicone-based additives for photooxidatively stable organic solar cells with enhanced elasticity.

Photochemical and mechanical stability are critical in the production and application of organic solar cells. While these factors can individually be improved using different additives, there is no example of studies on the combined effects of such additive-assisted stabilization. In this study, the properties of PTB7:[70]PCBM organic solar cells are studied upon implementation of two additives: the carotenoid astaxanthin (AX) for photochemical stability and the silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for improved mechanical properties.

A thermo-reversible silicone elastomer with remotely controlled self-healing.

Soft thermoplastic elastomers with increased durability and reliability are in high demand for a broad spectrum of applications. Silicone elastomers are soft and durable, but they are not thermoplastic in nature, and under extreme conditions such as high voltage or large deformations, reliability may also suffer. Thus, as a solution to these shortcomings, which are typical of silicone elastomers, it is natural to propose a thermo-reversible, self-healing, and recyclable silicone-based elastomer.

DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A BIOCOMPATIBLE PHYSICAL HYDROGEL BASED ON SCLEROGLUCAN FOR TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY.

Physical hydrogels of a high-carboxymethylated derivative of scleroglucan (Scl-CM) were investigated as potential systems for topical drug delivery using three different therapeutic molecules (fluconazole, diclofenac and betamethasone). Rheological tests were carried out on drug-loaded hydrogels along with in-vitro release studies in a vertical Franz cell, in order to investigate if and how different drugs may influence the rheological and release properties of Scl-CM hydrogels. Experimental results and theoretical modeling highlighted that, in the absence of drug/polymer interactions (as for fluconazole and betamethasone) Scl-CM matrices offer negligible resistance to drug diffusion and a Fickian transport model can be adopted to estimate the effective diffusion coefficient in the swollen hydrogel.