Hybrid Metallic Foam with Superior Elasticity, High Electrical Conductivity, and Pressure Sensitivity.

Growing interest has been received in metallic foams for their combined features of metals and porous structures. Coating metals on polymers have been the most prevalent method to fabricate hybrid metallic foams to inherit both the merits of metals and the mechanical flexibility of polymers. However, direct coating metals on foams is challenging and requires tedious synthesis, such as electrolysis and chemical reduction.

Early Experience of Full-Endoscopic Interlaminar Discectomy for Adolescent Lumbar Disc Herniation with Sciatic Scoliosis.

Background: Full-endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (FEID) has achieved satisfactory outcome in adolescent lumbar disc herniation (ALDH). Sciatic scoliosis is found to be a common presentation in ALDH. However, few reports are focused on the influences of sciatic scoliosis on ALDH and the prognosis of sciatic scoliosis after FEID.

Photochromic Inorganic/Organic Thermoplastic Elastomers.

Photochromic materials are an important class of "smart materials" and are broadly utilized in technological devices. However, most photochromic materials reported so far are composed of inorganic compounds that are challenging to process and suffer from poor mechanical performance, severely limiting their applications in various markets. In this paper, inorganic photochromic tungsten trioxide (WO ) nanocrystals are conveniently grafted with polymers to hurdle the deficiency in processability and mechanical properties.

Tough and Sustainable Graft Block Copolymer Thermoplastics.

Fully sustainable poly[HPMC--(PMVL--PLLA)] graft block copolymer thermoplastics were prepared from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), β-methyl-δ-valerolactone (MVL), and l-lactide (LLA) using a facile two-step sequential addition approach. In these materials, rubbery PMVL functions as a bridge between the semirigid HPMC backbone and the hard PLLA end blocks. This specific arrangement facilitates PLLA crystallization, which induces microphase separation and physical cross-linking.

Toughening Glassy Poly(lactide) with Block Copolymer Micelles.

Poly(lactide) (PLA), a compostable bioderived polyester, can be produced at a cost and scale that makes it an attractive replacement for nondegradable petroleum-derived thermoplastics. However, pristine PLA is brittle and unsuitable for use in applications where high impact strength and ductility are required. In this work we demonstrate that poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) in the glassy state can be toughened significantly via addition of an amphiphilic diblock polymer.