Biocompatible Chitosan-Functionalized Upconverting Nanocomposites.

Simultaneous integration of photon emission and biocompatibility into nanoparticles is an interesting strategy to develop applications of advanced optical materials. In this work, we present the synthesis of biocompatible optical nanocomposites from the combination of near-infrared luminescent lanthanide nanoparticles and water-soluble chitosan. NaYF:Yb,Er upconverting nanocrystal guests and water-soluble chitosan hosts are prepared and integrated together into biofunctional optical composites.

Self-aggregation of water-dispersible nanocollagen helices.

Inspired by nature, collagen is an outstanding polypeptide utilized to exploit its bioactivity and material design for healthcare technologies. In this study, we describe the self-aggregation of water-dispersible nanocollagen helices upon solidification to fabricate different forms of natural collagen materials. Chemically extracted native collagen fibrils are uniform anisotropic nanoparticles with an average diameter of about 50 nm and a high aspect ratio.

Water-soluble chitosan-derived sustainable materials: towards filaments, aerogels, microspheres, and plastics.

Bioinspired materials have aroused great interest as their inherent biocompatible and structural characteristics have given rise to sustainable applications. In this work, we have reported the phase and morphology transformation of chitosan from crystalline nanofibrils into amorphous sheets for fabricating sustainable materials. Acetylation-induced aqueous dissolution of native chitosan nanofibrils affords water-soluble chitosan as a biopolymeric liquid.

Chitin Liquid-Crystal-Templated Oxide Semiconductor Aerogels.

Chitin nanocrystals have been used as a liquid crystalline template to fabricate layered oxide semiconductor aerogels. Anisotropic chitin liquid crystals are transformed to sponge-like aerogels by hydrothermally cross-linked gelation and lyophilization-induced solidification. The hydrothermal gelation of chitin aqueous suspensions then proceeds with peroxotitanate to form hydrogel composites that recover to form aerogels after freeze-drying.