Three-Dimensional Semiconductor Network as Regulators of Energy Metabolism Drives Angiogenesis in Bone Regeneration.

Insufficient vascularization is a primary cause of bone implantation failure. The management of energy metabolism is crucial for the achievement of vascularized osseointegration. In light of the bone semiconductor property and the electric property of semiconductor heterojunctions, a three-dimensional semiconductor heterojunction network (3D-NTBH) implant has been devised with the objective of regulating cellular energy metabolism, thereby driving angiogenesis for bone regeneration.

Boosting Demulsification and Antifouling Capacity of Membranes via an Enhanced Piezoelectric Effect for Sustaining Emulsion Separation.

Traditional superwettable membranes for demulsification of oil/water emulsions could not maintain their separation performance for long because of low demulsification capacity and surface fouling during practical applications. A charging membrane could repel the contaminants for a while, the charge of which would gradually be neutralized during the separation progress. Here, a superhydrophilic piezoelectric membrane (SPM) with sustained demulsification and antifouling capacity is proposed for achieving prolonged emulsion separation, which is capable of converting inherent pulse hydraulic filtration pressure into pulse voltage.

Manipulation of Heterogeneous Surface Electric Potential Promotes Osteogenesis by Strengthening RGD Peptide Binding and Cellular Mechanosensing.

The heterogeneity of extracellular matrix (ECM) topology, stiffness, and architecture is a key factor modulating cellular behavior and osteogenesis. However, the effects of heterogeneous ECM electric potential at the micro- and nanoscale on osteogenesis remain to be elucidated. Here, the heterogeneous distribution of surface potential is established by incorporating ferroelectric BaTiO nanofibers (BTNF) into poly(vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) matrix based on phase-field and first-principles simulation.

Designing Robust Superhydrophobic Materials for Inhibiting Nucleation of Clathrate Hydrates by Imitating Glass Sponges.

Superhydrophobic surfaces are suggested to deal with hydrate blockage because they can greatly reduce adhesion with the formed hydrates. However, they may promote the formation of fresh hydrate nuclei by inducing an orderly arrangement of water molecules, further aggravating hydrate blockage and meanwhile suffering from their fragile surfaces. Here, inspired by glass sponges, we report a robust anti-hydrate-nucleation superhydrophobic three-dimensional (3D) porous skeleton, perfectly resolving the conflict between inhibiting hydrate nucleation and superhydrophobicity.

A superwetting stainless steel mesh with Janus surface charges for efficient emulsion separation.

Design of charged materials for demulsification of ionic surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions is emerging in recent years. Herein, a superwetting stainless steel mesh with Janus surface charges (Janus SSM) was prepared by respectively brush-coating polyethyleneimine/aminated carbon nanotubes (PEI/CNTs-NH) coating and polyacrylic acid (PAA) coating on its two sides. Two demulsification mechanisms, i.

Toxicological effects of atenolol and venlafaxine on zebrafish tissues: Bioaccumulation, DNA hypomethylation, and molecular mechanism.

The beta-blocker atenolol (ATE), and the selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, venlafaxine (VEN) are frequently detected in municipal wastewater effluents, but little is known about their ecotoxicological effect on aquatic animals. Herein, ATE and VEN were selected to explore their accumulation and global DNA methylation (GDM) in zebrafish tissues after a 30-day exposure. Molecular dynamics (MD) stimulation was used to investigate the toxic mechanism of ATE and VEN exposure.

Molecular design and experimental study of cellulose conversion to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural catalyzed by different ratios of Brønsted/Lewis acid ionic liquids.

Cellulose conversion into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) is difficult because of the strong hydrogen bonding existed in cellulose chains. Brønsted/Lewis (B/L) biacidic functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) have great advantages in acid-catalyzed tandem reactions, but the catalytic effect of ILs differs considerably depending on B/L acid ratios. Therefore, this work designed a series of reactions with different proportions of biacidic ILs for the preparation of 5-HMF from cellulose.

A novel Janus sponge fabricated by a green strategy for simultaneous separation of oil/water emulsions and dye contaminants.

A novel Janus sponge with the ability to remove complex contaminants from water is reported. Firstly, a superhydrophilic sponge (PA@PEI-sponge) is prepared via synthesizing negatively charged phytic acid@polyethyleneimine (PA@PEI) nanoparticles and assembling them on the surface of polydopamine (PDA) and PEI-modified polyurethane (PU) sponge through electrostatic adsorption. The Janus sponge is generated by modifying one side of the PA@PEI-sponge with PDMS, which exhibits superior separation efficiency and high filtration flux toward both water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions due to its multiplex selective wettability and the interconnected and tortuous 3D porous channels.

Janus sand filter with excellent demulsification ability in separation of surfactant-stabilized oil/water emulsions: An experimental and molecular dynamics simulation study.

Developing efficient separation materials for surfactant-stabilized oil/water emulsions is of great importance while significantly challenging. In this work, a sand filter with Janus channels was prepared by simply mixing superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic quartz sand in a mass ratio of 1:1. Due to the imbalanced force of droplets in those Janus channels, better separation performance under gravity was achieved for both surfactant-stabilized oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions than the superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic sand filter alone.

Enhanced Movement of Two-Component Droplets on a Wedge-Shaped Ag/Cu Surface by a Wettability Gradient.

The wedge-shaped Ag/Cu surface with a contact angle (CA) [droplet of 30 vol % propylene glycol (PG)] of 18.6° in the wedge track and 64.6° at its periphery was fabricated through a facile gradient displacement reaction on the Cu substrate.

Metformin-Induced Epigenetic Toxicity in Zebrafish: Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Simulation Studies.

The increased detection of many prescription drugs in aquatic environments has heightened concerns of their potential ecotoxicological effects. In this study, the effects of metformin (MEF) exposure on tissue accumulation, gene expression, and global DNA methylation (GDM) in zebrafish were investigated. The toxic mechanism of MEF exposure was simulated by molecular dynamics (MD) to reveal any conformational changes to DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1).

Fabrication of superhydrophilic PVDF membranes by one-step modification with eco-friendly phytic acid and polyethyleneimine complex for oil-in-water emulsions separation.

Superhydrophilic membranes with simultaneous underwater superoleophobicity are highly desirable and worth exploring for separation of emulsified oil from water. In this work, combining the strong negative charges of phytic acid (PA) and the high cationic charge density of polyethyleneimine (PEI), an eco-friendly PA@PEI polyelectrolyte complex was synthetized in aqueous solution. And then the polyelectrolyte complex was deposited onto hydrophobic PVDF membranes through a one-step assembly approach with high convenience, endowing the membranes with superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic property.

A durable superwetting clusters-inlayed mesh with high efficiency and flux for emulsion separation.

How to rapidly and efficiently separate surfactant-stabilized emulsions has been a great challenge for oil/water separation materials. In this work, a durable superwetting copper mesh with high efficiency and flux for gravity-driven emulsion separation was fabricated by subtly inlaying polydopamine/polyethyleneimine@aminated carbon nanotubes (PDA/PEI@CNTs-NH) clusters in the mesh pores. The porous clusters with abundant cationic groups render the mesh with superwettability, submicron permeation channels and positive charges, so as to achieve strong demulsification ability.

Facile fabrication of an F-POSS polymer-based liquid-repellent Cu mesh with excellent durability and self-cleaning performance.

A facile method that combines alkali-assisted oxidation and -SH chelation with a click chemistry reaction was employed to create an F-POSS polymer surface (fluorinated octavinyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane polymer)-based Cu mesh (F-POSS-OM). The as-prepared F-POSS-OM surface displayed a cohering hierarchical nano-F-POSS polymer granule/micro-Cu(OH)2 wire structure, which provided a re-entrant geometry needed for liquid-repellency and low liquid sliding angles (<15°). Moreover, the easy-prepared structure endows the F-POSS-OM with remarkable durability for mechanical and chemical damages, including wear abrasion, tape-peeling, 100 cm-height hammer impact, severe hand twisting, strong acid/base/salt solutions, and high temperatures.

Allylated chitosan-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel based on a functionalized double network for controlled drug release.

Smart hydrogels with dual network were presented since a new allylated chitosan was conceived. As a double network hydrogel, its first network consisted of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) worked as the gel matrix, and its second network with Schiff base bond enabled itself function as a molecular switch through the formation and break of the bond. When only the intestinal fluid was used, the second network could provide efficient protection for the loaded drug, and the drug release mechanism conformed to the non-Fickian type diffusion.

Ca, redox, and thermoresponsive supramolecular hydrogel with programmed quadruple shape memory effect.

A new shape memory hydrogel, which can be programmed with quadruple geometries when stimuli are applied sequentially, is presented. With a new redox-responsive stimulus coupled with two other common regulation mechanisms, this hydrogel shows multiple shape memory behaviours, which is promising for various applications, especially drug delivery.

Synthesis and self-assembly behavior of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-based triblock copolymers in selective solvents by dissipative particle dynamics simulation.

A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based hybrid triblock copolymer - methyl methacrylate-b-perfluoroalkylethyl methacrylate-b-methacrylisobutyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (PMMA-b-PFMA-b-PMAPOSS) was synthesized via an atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) method. The self-assembly behavior of triblock copolymers in selective solvents of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and trichlorotrifluoroethane (F113) was studied using dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulation. The effects of the block sequence and volume ratio of F113/THF were discussed.

NiMnO as an efficient cathode catalyst for rechargeable lithium-air batteries.

NiMnO with different crystal structures was successfully synthesized and evaluated as a cathode catalyst for rechargeable Li-air batteries for the first time. The result reveals that the intermediate spinel structure between normal and inverse spinels demonstrates faster kinetics towards ORR/OER than the normal spinel, leading to a better battery performance.

Droplet Motion on a Shape Gradient Surface.

We demonstrate a facile method to induce water droplet motion on an wedge-shaped superhydrophobic copper surface combining with a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) oil layer on it. The unbalanced interfacial tension from the shape gradient offers the actuating force. The superhydrophobicity critically eliminates the droplet contact line pinning and the slippery PDMS oil layer lubricates the droplet motion, which makes the droplet move easily.

Inspired by Stenocara Beetles: From Water Collection to High-Efficiency Water-in-Oil Emulsion Separation.

Inspired by the water-collecting mechanism of the Stenocara beetle's back structure, we prepared a superhydrophilic bumps-superhydrophobic/superoleophilic stainless steel mesh (SBS-SSM) filter via a facile and environmentally friendly method. Specifically, hydrophilic silica microparticles are assembled on the as-cleaned stainless steel mesh surface, followed by further spin-coating with a fluoropolymer/SiO nanoparticle solution. On the special surface of SBS-SSM, attributed to the steep surface energy gradient, the superhydrophilic bumps (hydrophilic silica microparticles) are able to capture emulsified water droplets and collect water from the emulsion even when their size is smaller than the pore size of the stainless steel mesh.

Novel nanowire-structured polypyrrole-cobalt composite as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

A novel nanowire-structured polypyrrole-cobalt composite, PPy-CTAB-Co, is successfully synthesized with a surfactant of cetyltrimethylammounium bromide (CTAB). As an electro-catalyst towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media, this PPy-CTAB-Co demonstrates a superior ORR performance when compared to that of granular PPy-Co catalyst and also a much better durability than the commercial 20 wt% Pt/C catalyst. Physiochemical characterization indicates that the enhanced ORR performance of the nanowire PPy-CTAB-Co can be attributed to the high quantity of Co-pyridinic-N groups as ORR active sites and its large specific surface area which allows to expose more active sites for facilitating oxygen reduction reaction.

pH- and sugar-induced shape memory hydrogel based on reversible phenylboronic acid-diol ester bonds.

A simple strategy is provided to construct a novel pH- and sugar-induced shape memory hydrogel based on dynamic phenylboronic acid (PBA)-diol interactions formed by PBA-modified sodium alginate (Alg-PBA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The dynamic PBA-diol ester bonds serve as temporary cross-links and stabilize the deformed shape of the hydrogel. The disassociation of the PBA-diol ester bonds is explored in acidic conditions and aqueous solutions of glucose and fructose, which endow the hydrogel with shape memory performances.

[Relation between serum myostatin with BMI and PaO₂/PaCO₂ in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].

Objective: To determine the relation between serum myostatin with body mass index (BMI) and PaO₂/PaCO₂ in men with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: A cohort of outpatients with stable COPD was evaluated. We evaluated the myostatin, PaO₂/PaCO₂ and BMI, and the patients were stratified by BMI.

Self-healable macro-/microscopic shape memory hydrogels based on supramolecular interactions.

A simple strategy is provided to construct novel supramolecular hydrogels with both self-healing and shape memory properties. Starting from achieving self-healable hydrogel based on the dynamic interactions of phenylboronic acid modified sodium alginate (Alg-PBA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), further formation of a complex of alginate with Ca(2+) renders this hydrogel with the capability of shape memory at the macro-/microscopic scales.