Mussel-Inspired Antimicrobial and Antifouling Coating Constructed by the Combination of Zwitterionic Copolymers and Silver Nanoparticles.

Biofouling and bacterial infections are significant challenges in biomedical devices. In this study, a biocompatible dual-functional coating with antimicrobial and antifouling properties is developed by co-depositing the zwitterionic copolymer and silver nanoparticles via a dopamine-assisted strategy. Inspired by mussel adhesion, the coating exhibits substrate-independent adhesion as a result of the formation of irreversible covalent bonds.

Controlling high-speed droplet splashing and superspreading behavior on anisotropic superhydrophobic leaf surfaces by ecofriendly Pseudogemini surfactants.

Background: Efficient deposition of high-speed droplets on superhydrophobic leaf surfaces remains an important challenge. For anisotropic wired superhydrophobic leaf surfaces, the splashing phenomenon is especially serious because it leads to the low effective utilization of pesticides by biological targets. The lost pesticides cause serious ecological environment pollution, therefore there is an urgent need to develop a green and sustainable cost-effective strategy to achieve efficient deposition of high-speed droplets on anisotropic superhydrophobic leaf surfaces at low dosage.

Recent Advances of Organ-on-a-Chip in Cancer Modeling Research.

Although many studies have focused on oncology and therapeutics in cancer, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Due to the unclear molecular mechanism and complex in vivo microenvironment of tumors, it is challenging to reveal the nature of cancer and develop effective therapeutics. Therefore, the development of new methods to explore the role of heterogeneous TME in individual patients' cancer drug response is urgently needed and critical for the effective therapeutic management of cancer.

Electroinduced Reconfiguration of Complex Emulsions for Fabrication of Polymer Particles with Tunable Morphology.

Continuous morphological control of anisotropic particles is always an important challenge in the field of materials. In this study, a new strategy for continuous fabrication of polymer particles with various morphologies induced by electricity is reported using complex emulsions as template. A synthetic electro-responsive surfactant containing ferrocene group is used to prepare complex emulsions, which contain a polymerizable monomer as inner phase.

Photoinduced Reconfiguration of Complex Emulsions Using a Photoresponsive Surfactant.

Photoresponsive complex emulsions are prepared in a three-phase system consisting of two oils: hexane (H) and perfluorooctane (F). An aqueous solution of a mixed surfactant of fluorosurfactant, F(CF) (CHCHO) H (Zonyl FS-300), and a synthesized light-responsive surfactant, 2-(4-(4-butylphenyl)diazenylphenoxy)ethyltrimethylammonium bromide (CAZOCTAB) was employed as the continuous phase. Complex emulsions with various geometries were prepared by one-step vortex mixing and a temperature-induced phase-separation method.

Light-responsive multillamellar vesicles in coumaric acid/alkyldimethylamine oxide binary systems: Effects of surfactant and hydrotrope structures.

Herein, we report a series of novel light-responsive multilamellar vesicles based on the surfactant/hydrotrope binary systems. The phase behaviors of alkyldimethylamine oxide (CmDMAO, m=10, 12, 14) and trans-coumaric acid (trans-CA) isomerides, including trans-ortho-coumaric acid (trans-OCA), trans-meta-coumaric acid (trans-MCA) and trans-para-coumaric acid (trans-PCA), show that the multilamellar vesicle (MLV) formation region is commonly presented in the trans-CA/CmDMAO systems except trans-PCA/C12DMAO. Moreover, the molecular structures of CmDMAO and trans-CA affect the multilamellar vesicle formation region significantly.

Multiple Responsive Fluids Based on Vesicle to Wormlike Micelle Transitions by Single-Tailed Pyrrolidone Surfactants.

We report a new family of multiple responsive fluids based on the single-tailed pyrrolidone surfactants, N-ethyl-2-pyrrolidone N-alkyl amine (C(m)NP, where m = 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18). These surfactants are highly sensitive to solution pH as a result of the presence of the N-amino group in the molecules. Equilibrium surface tension results indicate that both the surface activity and micellization ability of C(m)NPs decrease with the increase of the protonation degree; i.