Aloe Leaves-Inspired Multi-Stimuli Bidirectional Bending Self-Sensing Actuator for Smart Solar Panel.

Soft actuators with multi-stimuli response have shown promising applications in soft intelligent robots. However, most soft actuators are limited by the unidirectional actuation and self-perception capabilities. Here, a bilayer self-sensing actuator with bidirectional actuation is proposed, which showed exceptional bidirectional actuation, self-sensing of temperature and moisture, and smart solar panel.

Progress in Protein-Based Hydrogels for Flexible Sensors: Insights from Casein.

In recent years, the rapid advancement of flexible sensors as the cornerstone of flexible electronics has propelled a flourishing evolution within the realm of flexible electronics. Unlike traditional flexible devices, hydrogel flexible sensors have characteristic advantages such as biocompatibility, adhesion, and adjustable mechanical properties and have similar properties to human skin. Especially, biobased hydrogels have become the preferred substrate material for flexible sensors due to increased environmental pressures caused by the scarcity of petrochemical resources.

Casein-based hydrogels: Advances and prospects.

Casein-based hydrogels (Casein Gels) possess advantageous properties, including mechanical strength, stability, biocompatibility, and even adhesion, conductivity, sensing capabilities, as well as controlled-releasing behavior of drugs. These features are attributed to their gelation methods and functionalization with various polymers. Casein Gels is an important protein-based material in the food industry, in terms of dairy and functional foods, biological and medicine, in terms of carrier for bioactive and sensitive drugs, wound healing, and flexible sensors and wearable devices.

Scalable and Multifunctional Polyurethane/MXene/Carbon Nanotube-Based Fabric Sensor toward Baby Healthcare.

Continuous monitoring of physiological health status and effective protection against external hazards is an indispensable aspect of healthcare management for critically vulnerable populations, particularly for infants or babies. So, the exploration of all-in-one devices remains critical to avoiding their injury and illness. The integration of multiple properties such as sensing, electromagnetic protection, warming/cooling, and water/bacterial repellence into a common fabric is no doubt a promising solution to coping with diverse application scenarios.

"Casein micelle -nanoparticle double cross-linking" triggered stable adhesive, tough CA/MWCNT/PAAm hydrogel wearable strain sensors, for human motion monitoring.

Flexible hydrogels have emerged as highly-desirable materials for wearable strain sensors. However, pristine biomass hydrogel systems are limited by their lack of stretchability, self-adhesion, and sensitivity. Here, a novel CA/MWCNT/PAAm double-network conductive hydrogel was developed through integrating casein (CA) micelles and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) into the polyacrylamide (PAAm) network.

Breathability and Moisture Permeability of Cellulose Nanocrystals Hollow Microsphere Coatings for PET Fabrics.

In this study, cellulose nanocrystals hollow microspheres (HMs) were fabricated through Pickering emulsion polymerization, in which hydrophobically modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) acted as Pickering stabilizers. The hollow interior core was prepared by solvent evaporation. This manuscript describes the synthesis of HMs in detail.

3-D flower-like templated LDH-rGO as coating additive for flame retardant products.

Construction of multi-component heterostructures as a flame retardant reinforcer within a polymer is a favorable option to realize the synergistic effects between different types of reinforcers. However, it is difficult to improve polymer flame retardance as the poor compatibility of retardants with polymer matrix can lead to low dispersion. Herein, 3-D flower-like templated layered double hydroxides (LDH) and graphene (rGO) were prepared on the surface of a caprolactam-modified casein micelle template for integration with casein latex based on a blending-casting method.

Pt nanoenzyme decorated yolk-shell nanoplatform as an oxygen generator for enhanced multi-modality imaging-guided phototherapy.

The unsatisfactory efficacy of conventional theranostic agents in ablating tumor poses urgent demands on the development of high-performance integrated theranostic agents utilizing rising nanotechnology. To cope with the existing limitations, here we presented an intelligent nanoplatform based on yolk-shell FeO@polydopamine prepared by mussel-inspired polydopamine chemistry and sacrificial template method as well as subsequent incorporation of Pt nanoparticles and chlorine 6 (Ce6) by in situ reduction and electrostatic adsorption for photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal (PTT). The resultant nanoplatform could effectively deliver photosensitizer Ce6 to tumor sites, then promoting the decomposition of endogenous HO to oxygen, finally achieving enhanced PDT therapy, which is demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo evaluations.

Versatile Nanoplatforms with enhanced Photodynamic Therapy: Designs and Applications.

As an emerging antitumor strategy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted intensive attention for the treatment of various malignant tumors owing to its noninvasive nature and high spatial selectivity in recent years. However, the therapeutic effect is unsatisfactory on some occasions due to the presence of some unfavorable factors including nonspecific accumulation of PS towards malignant tissues, the lack of endogenous oxygen in tumors, as well as the limited light penetration depth, further hampering practical application. To circumvent these limitations and improve real utilization efficiency, various enhanced strategies have been developed and explored during the past years.

Lead-Free Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals: Crystal Structures, Synthesis, Stabilities, and Optical Properties.

In recent years, there have been rapid advances in the synthesis of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) for use in solar cells, light emitting diodes, lasers, and photodetectors. These compounds have a set of intriguing optical, excitonic, and charge transport properties, including outstanding photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and tunable optical band gap. However, the necessary inclusion of lead, a toxic element, raises a critical concern for future commercial development.

Polyelectrolyte complex from cationized casein and sodium alginate for fragrance controlled release.

CA/NaAlg polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) novelly obtained from cationized casein (CA) and sodium alginate (NaAlg) via electrostatic interactions was designed for fragrance (vanillin) controlled release. Structural variation between pristine CA/NaAlg PEC and vanillin-loaded CA/NaAlg PEC were investigated by ultraviolet (UV), fourier transform infrared (FI-TR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Pristine CA/NaAlg PEC and vanillin-loaded CA/NaAlg PEC were demonstrated spherical in shape by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Hollow Casein-Based Polymeric Nanospheres for Opaque Coatings.

Casein-based hollow polymeric sphere were fabricated through emulsifier-free polymerization coupled with alkali swelling approach. Hollow structure and nanoscale size of casein-based polymeric spheres were verified by TEM, AFM, SEM, and UV-vis spectra. The as-obtained hollow spheres were proved exhibiting superior opaque characteristic.

Animal-derived natural products review: focus on novel modifications and applications.

Bio-based natural products have attracted exploding interests, while the environmental pollutions caused by the synthetic polymers are deteriorating dramatically. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the modification of animal-derived natural products with an emphasis on casein, chitosan and collagen. Furthermore, their novel applications in controlled drug delivery system, leather finishing, and pollutant adsorption are also demonstrated.

Synthesis and biological response of casein-based silica nano-composite film for drug delivery system.

Casein possesses many interesting properties that make it a good candidate for conventional and novel drug delivery systems. In this study, casein-based silica nano-composite was prepared via double in situ method, and the as-prepared latex particles were evaluated in terms of their morphology and size through transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The film morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and the mechanical property and response behavior of the films as a function of silica content were discussed.