Amphiphilic Graphene Aerogel with High Oil and Water Adsorption Capacity and High Contact Area for Interface Reaction.

Aerogel is a kind of novel material used to create an amphiphilic surface because of its 3D network structure and functional pore feature. Amphiphilic aerogel can be used as an excellent candidate for the supporter of interface reaction. Hydrophilic domains are highly distributed on the hydrophobic surface, which is beneficial for the two phases to come in contact with each other.

Multiple stimuli-responsive selenium-functionalized biodegradable starch-based hydrogels.

Novel biodegradable diselenide cross-linked starch-based hydrogels were synthesized via free radical copolymerization, which serve as stimuli-responsive drug release materials composed of starch chain backbones with an enzyme hydrolysis property and selenium-containing cross-linkers with a redox responsive cleavage property. Rhodamine B (RB) loaded starch-based hydrogels were prepared in order to investigate their stimuli-responsive release behaviours. In the presence of external redox agents, the enzyme stimuli as well as the mixture of the above stimuli, the prepared starch-based hydrogels exhibit controlled multi-responsive release behavior of RB.

Fabrication of Conductive Silver Microtubes Using Natural Catkin as a Template.

Catkin, a natural hollow fiber, is used as a template to fabricate light, flexible, and electrically conductive silver microtubes with a high aspect ratio. The template is functionalized with tannic acid (TA)-Fe coordination complexes. Because of the metal ion chelating ability and reducibility of TA, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) can be formed in situ on the fiber's surface.

An injectable, dual pH and oxidation-responsive supramolecular hydrogel for controlled dual drug delivery.

A novel pH and oxidation dual-responsive and injectable supramolecular hydrogel was developed, which was formed from multi-block copolymer poly(ether urethane) (PEU) and α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) inclusion complexes (ICs). The PEU copolymer was synthesized through a simple one-pot condensation polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol), di(1-hydroxyethylene) diselenide, dimethylolpropionic acid and 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate. In aqueous solution, the amphiphilic PEU copolymers could self-assemble into nanoparticles with dual pH and oxidation sensitivities, which can efficiently load and controllably release a hydrophobic drug indomethacin (IND).

Dual Location Dual Reduction/Photoresponsive Block Copolymer Micelles: Disassembly and Synergistic Release.

Self-assembled micellar systems designed with multiple stimuli-responsive degradation have been considered as effective candidates for polymer-based delivery systems exhibiting enhanced/controlled release. However, most conventional approaches involve the incorporation of single, dual, or multiple cleavable linkages positioned at single locations, as in hydrophobic cores or at core/corona interfaces. Herein, a novel dual location dual reduction and photoresponsive block copolymer containing a disulfide linkage at the block junction and pendant o-nitrobenzyl thioether (NBS) groups in the hydrophobic methacrylate block (PEG-ss-PhvM) are reported, which are synthesized by a combination of controlled radical polymerization and facile coupling reaction.

Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly of Rod-Coil-Rod Pseudopolyrotaxanes into Spherical Micelles, Nanorods, and Nanorings in Aqueous Solutions.

A novel rod-containing block copolymer is constructed by supramacromolecular self-assembly of α-cyclodextrin and a triblock copolymer with methoxy polyethylene glycol as the flanking chains and the midterm block alternately connected by 2,2-dimethylolbutyric acid and isophorone diisocyanate. The assembled rod-containing block copolymer shows an exciting phenomenon of concentration- and pH-dependent morphological switching of well-defined nanostructures. In the solutions at pH 9.