High Value-Added Reutilization of Waste-Printed Circuit Boards Non-Metallic Components in Sustainable Polymer Composites.

The reutilization non-metallic components from a waste-printed circuit board (WPCB) has become one of the most significant bottlenecks in the comprehensive reuse of electronic wastes due to its low value and complex compositions, and it has received great attention from scientific and industrial researchers. To effectively address the environmental pollution caused by inappropriate recycling methods, such as incineration and landfill, extensive efforts have been dedicated to achieving the high value-added reutilization of WPCB non-metals in sustainable polymer composites. In this review, recent progress in developing sustainable polymer composites based on WPCB non-metallic components was systematically summarized.

A hierarchical system of covalent and dual non-covalent crosslinks promotes the toughness and self-healing properties of polymer hydrogels.

While it is challenging to simultaneously achieve both high mechanical performance and self-healing ability within one polymer hydrogel network, we, herein, synthesized a novel class of hydrogels based on a combination of chemical and dual non-covalent crosslinks micellar polymerization of 3-isocyanatomethyl-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl isocyanate, end-capped by 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (IPDI-HEMA), with acrylamide (AM). The prepared hydrogels were demonstrated to possess a tensile elongation at a break of at least 1900%, a fracture energy of 138.4 kJ m, and remarkable self-healing behaviors (, a strong self-healing ability achieved at ambient temperature without the need for any stimulus or healing agent).

Highly tough and rapid self-healing dual-physical crosslinking poly(DMAA--AM) hydrogel.

Introducing double physical crosslinking reagents (, a hydrophobic monomer micelle and the LAPONITE® XLG nano-clay) into the copolymerization reaction of hydrophilic monomers of ,-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA) and acrylamide (AM) is reported here by a thermally induced free-radical polymerization method, resulting in a highly tough and rapid self-healing dual-physical crosslinking poly(DMAA--AM) hydrogel. The mechanical and self-healing properties can be finely tuned by varying the weight ratio of nanoclay to DMAA. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the resulting nanocomposite hydrogel can be modulated in the range of 7.

Long and Ultrastable All-Inorganic Single-Crystal CsPbBrMicrowires: One-Step Solution In-Plane Self-Assembly at Low Temperature and Application for High-Performance Photodetectors.

As ideal building blocks for optoelectronic devices, one-dimensional (1D) single-crystal perovskite microwires (MWs) have received widespread attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Herein, a one-step solution in-plane self-assembly method is proposed to directly grow millimeter-long CsPbBr MWs with superior crystal quality at atmospheric environment. This method effectively avoids the use of toxic antisolvents.

Bismuth chelate as a contrast agent for X-ray computed tomography.

Backgrounds: Due to the unexpected side effects of the iodinated contrast agents, novel contrast agents for X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging are urgently needed. Nanoparticles made by heavy metal elements are often employed, such as gold and bismuth. These nanoparticles have the advantages of long in vivo circulation time and tumor targeted ability.

InGaN Nanorods Decorated with Au Nanoparticles for Enhanced Water Splitting Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Effects.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has great application potential in converting solar energy into hydrogen energy. However, what stands in the way of the practical application of this technology is the low conversion efficiency, which can be promoted by optimizing the material structure and device design for surface functionalization. In this work, we deposited gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with different loading densities on the surface of InGaN nanorod (NR) arrays through a chemical solvent route to obtain a composite PEC water splitting system.

The use of amphiphilic copolymer in the solid dispersion formulation of nimodipine to inhibit drug crystallization in the release media: Combining nano-drug delivery system with solid preparations.

Solid dispersion is a widely used method to improve the dissolution and oral bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs. However, due to the strong hydrophobicity, the drug crystallization in the release media after drug dissolution and the resulted decreased drug absorption retards the use of solid dispersions. It is widely known that the amphiphilic copolymer can encapsulate the hydrophobic compounds and help form stable nano-dispersions in water.

Preparation and Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Based Amphiphilic Polyurethane Elastomers.

Amphiphilic polyurethane elastomers (APUE) were synthesized using a two-step polyaddition reaction based on the hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) soft segments with the molecular weights ('s) of 2000 and 1000, respectively. The effects of the PDMS/PEG contents on the properties and structures of the APUE were investigated. It was found that the APUE possessed high elongation, moderate tensile strength, and good thermal properties.

Self-healing zwitterionic sulfobetaine nanocomposite hydrogels with good mechanical properties.

The development of zwitterionic hydrogels possessing both excellent self-healing and mechanical properties is of great significance. Herein, a class of zwitterionic sulfobetaine nanocomposite hydrogels was prepared by UV-initiated copolymerisation of zwitterionic sulfobetaine monomer ,-dimethyl--(3-methacrylamidopropyl)--(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium betaine (DMAPMAPS) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in the presence of exfoliated clay platelets uniformly dispersed in an aqueous medium. The effects of the hydrogel compositions, including the DMAPMAPS/HEMA mass ratio and the amount of clay, on the self-healing behaviors and mechanical properties of the nanocomposite hydrogels were investigated.

Preparation and characterization of protein-resistant hydrogels for soft contact lens applications via radical copolymerization involving a zwitterionic sulfobetaine comonomer.

We aimed to introduce hydrophilic sulfobetaine-type zwitterionic groups to macromolecular chains of copolymers to construct novel copolymer hydrogels with anti-protein-fouling performance that could be used as soft contact lens (SCL) materials. Using hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), N-vinyl pyrrolidinone (NVP) and sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) as comonomers, several copolymer hydrogels with different SBMA contents, poly(HEMA-NVP-SBMA), are synthesized via radical copolymerization in an aqueous phase. Surface chemistry, structural morphologies, water contact angle (WCA), equilibrium water content (EWC), visible light transmittance and tensile mechanical properties are investigated.

An intermolecular quadruple hydrogen-bonding strategy to fabricate self-healing and highly deformable polyurethane hydrogels.

The development of hydrogels possessing both excellent self-healing and mechanical properties in hydrogel science due to their tight relationship with the many potential application scopes is of great significance. Herein, a novel class of polyurethane (PU) hydrogels with intermolecular quadruple hydrogen-bonding interactions were designed and fabricated by the copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate end-capped urethane ether prepolymer (PU-PEGMA) with 2-(3-(6-methyl-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-yl)ureido)ethyl methacrylate (SCMHBMA) bearing the 2-ureido-4-pyrimidone (UPy) unit. The effects of the SCMHBMA content on the self-healing behaviors and mechanical properties of the PU hydrogels were investigated.