Mussel-Inspired Polymer-Based Composites for Efficient Thermal Management in Dry and Underwater Environments.

To address the escalating power consumption of processors in data centers and the growing emphasis on environmental sustainability, the prospective shift from traditional air-cooling to immersion liquid cooling necessitates multiple functional integrations in polymer-based thermal conductive materials. Here, drawing inspiration from mussels, we showed a copolymer, poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-dopamine methacrylate) (PDMS-DMA), with a variety of reversible molecular interactions and simply combined with liquid metal (EGaIn) can yield a flexible, waterproof, and electrically insulating thermal conductive composite. The obtained PDMS-DMA/EGaIn composites demonstrate a harmonious blend of attributes, including a low modulus (75.

Application and Development of Smart Thermally Conductive Fiber Materials.

In recent years, with the rapid advancement in various high-tech technologies, efficient heat dissipation has become a key issue restricting the further development of high-power-density electronic devices and components. Concurrently, the demand for thermal comfort has increased; making effective personal thermal management a current research hotspot. There is a growing demand for thermally conductive materials that are diversified and specific.

Patterned liquid metal embedded in brush-shaped polymers for dynamic thermal management.

Interface thermal resistance has become a crucial barrier to effective thermal management in high-performance electronics and sensors. The growing complexity of operational conditions, such as irregular and dynamic surfaces, demands thermal interface materials (TIMs) to possess high thermal conductivity and soft elasticity. However, developing materials that simultaneously combine soft elasticity and high thermal conductivity remains a challenging task.

Tailoring Dense, Orientation-Tunable, and Interleavedly Structured Carbon-Based Heat Dissipation Plates.

The controllability of the microstructure of a compressed hierarchical building block is essential for optimizing a variety of performance parameters, such as thermal management. However, owing to the strong orientation effect during compression molding, optimizing the alignment of materials perpendicular to the direction of pressure is challenging. Herein, to illustrate the effect of the ordered microstructure on heat dissipation, thermally conductive carbon-based materials are fabricated by tailoring dense, orientation-tunable, and interleaved structures.

Highly Thermally Conductive Adhesion Elastomer Enhanced by Vertically Aligned Folded Graphene.

Heat and stress transfer at an interface are crucial for the contact-based tactile sensing to measure the temperature, morphology, and modulus. However, fabricating a smart sensing material that combines high thermal conductivity, elasticity, and good adhesion is challenging. In this study, a composite is fabricated using a directional template of vertically aligned folded graphene (VAFG) and a copolymer matrix of poly-2-[[(butylamino)carbonyl]oxy]ethyl ester and polydimethylsiloxane, vinyl-end-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (poly(PBAx-ran-PDMS)).

Carbon Dots-Based Ultrastretchable and Conductive Hydrogels for High-Performance Tactile Sensors and Self-Powered Electronic Skin.

Smart tactile sensing materials have excellent development prospects, including wearable health-monitoring equipment and energy collection. Hydrogels have received extensive attention in tactile sensing owing to their transparency and high elasticity. In this study, highly crosslinked hydrogels are fabricated by chemically crosslinking polyacrylamide with lithium magnesium silicate and decorated with carbon quantum dots.

Azobenzene-Based Solar Thermal Fuels: A Review.

The energy storage mechanism of azobenzene is based on the transformation of molecular cis and trans isomerization, while NBD/QC, DHA/VHF, and fulvalene dimetal complexes realize the energy storage function by changing the molecular structure. Acting as "molecular batteries," they can exhibit excellent charging and discharging behavior by converting between trans and cis isomers or changing molecular structure upon absorption of ultraviolet light. Key properties determining the performance of STFs are stored energy, energy density, half-life, and solar energy conversion efficiency.

Highly Thermally Conductive Polymer/Graphene Composites with Rapid Room-Temperature Self-Healing Capacity.

Composites that can rapidly self-healing their structure and function at room temperature have broad application prospects. However, in view of the complexity of composite structure and composition, its self-heal is facing challenges. In this article, supramolecular effect is proposed to repair the multistage structure, mechanical and thermal properties of composite materials.

Visible Light-Driven Alkyne-Grafted Ethylene-Bridged Azobenzene Chromophores for Photothermal Utilization.

Molecular photoswitches are considered to be important candidates in the field of solar energy storage due to their sensitive and reversible bidirectional optical response. Nevertheless, it is still a daunting challenge to design a molecular photoswitch to improve the low solar spectrum utilization and quantum yields while achieving charging and discharging of heat without solvent assistance. Herein, a series of visible-light-driven ethylene-bridged azobenzene (b-Azo) chromophores with different alkyne substituents which can undergo isomerization reactions promoted in both directions by visible light are reported.

Iopromide and Iodixanol in the Development of Postoperative Contrast Nephropathy in Patients with Renal Insufficiency: A Meta-Analysis.

In order to compare the effects of iopromide and isoxazole on postoperative contrast-induced nephropathy in patients with renal insufficiency, the paper searches for randomized controlled trials and retrospective cohort studies comparing the effects of iopromide and iodixanol on renal function in patients with renal insufficiency after surgery. The data are extracted from eligible studies. We tried to assess the incidence of contrast-agent nephropathy, preoperative and postoperative serum creatinine indicators, and mortality.

Light-driven bimorph soft actuators: design, fabrication, and properties.

Soft robots that can move like living organisms and adapt to their surroundings are currently in the limelight from fundamental studies to technological applications, due to their advances in material flexibility, human-friendly interaction, and biological adaptation that surpass conventional rigid machines. Light-fueled smart actuators based on responsive soft materials are considered to be one of the most promising candidates to promote the field of untethered soft robotics, thereby attracting considerable attention amongst materials scientists and microroboticists to investigate photomechanics, photoswitch, bioinspired design, and actuation realization. In this review, we discuss the recent state-of-the-art advances in light-driven bimorph soft actuators, with the focus on bilayer strategy, i.

Two-Dimensional GeTe: Air Stability and Photocatalytic Performance for Hydrogen Evolution.

As a key method to convert solar into chemical energy, photocatalytic water decomposition has garnered attention. Moreover, the development of graphene and graphene-like two-dimensional (2D) materials has brought fresh vitality in the field of photocatalysis. Here, we prepared two to four layers of GeTe nanosheets by ultrasonic-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation in argon and air, which we referred to as Ar-GeTe and O-GeTe, respectively.

Two-dimensional gersiloxenes with tunable bandgap for photocatalytic H evolution and CO photoreduction to CO.

The discovery of graphene and graphene-like two-dimensional materials has brought fresh vitality to the field of photocatalysis. Bandgap engineering has always been an effective way to make semiconductors more suitable for specific applications such as photocatalysis and optoelectronics. Achieving control over the bandgap helps to improve the light absorption capacity of the semiconductor materials, thereby improving the photocatalytic performance.

Highly Transparent, Self-Healable, and Adhesive Organogels for Bio-Inspired Intelligent Ionic Skins.

Development of intelligent adaptable materials with unprecedented sensitivity that can mimic the tactile sensing functions of natural skin is a major driving force in the realization of artificial intelligence. Herein, we judiciously designed and synthesized a series of lauryl acrylate-based polymeric organogels with high transparency, mechanical adaptability, self-healing properties, and adhesive capability. Moreover, a robust capacitive sensor with high sensitivity (0.

Electrolyte-Solvent-Modified Alternating Copolymer as a Single-Ion Solid Polymer Electrolyte for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

Significant progress has been made to replace graphite anode materials with Li metal in next-generation Li ion batteries, called Li metal batteries (LMBs). However, the development of practical LMBs requires the suppression of Li dendrites. Owing to their ability to relax polarization, single-ion solid polymer electrolytes (SSPEs) are widely considered as an effective strategy for preventing dendrite generation.

Thermal-assisted self-assembly: a self-adaptive strategy towards large-area uniaxial organic single-crystalline microribbon arrays.

Uniaxial organic single-crystalline microribbon arrays (OSCMAs) are a class of highly desirable materials for a variety of optoelectronic applications due to their favorable molecular orientations along the long axes of the ribbons. Up to now, great endeavors have been made and several solution-processing techniques have been proposed to grow uniaxial OSCMAs. However, the crystal growth parameters are tuned non-synergistically in these techniques, resulting in challenging growth condition control.

Reversible Modification of Nitrogen-Doped Graphene Based on Se-N Dynamic Covalent Bonds for Field-Effect Transistors.

Temperature-dependent modification is an effective way to reversibly tailor graphene's electronic properties. We present the reversible modification of a uniform monolayer nitrogen-doped graphene (NG) film by the formation and cleavage of temperature-dependent Se-N dynamic covalent bonds. The increasing binding energy in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates that phenylselenyl bromine (PhSeBr) bonds with pyridinic N and pyrrolic N rather than graphitic N by accepting the lone pair of electrons.

Cobalt, Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon Nanosheet-Assembled Flowers from Metal-Coordinated Covalent Organic Polymers for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

The breakthrough of nonprecious metal catalysts replacing platinum-based catalysts toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is extremely urgent for the development of high-efficiency energy conversation systems. Herein, a solution-processed condensation polymerization using cyanuric chloride and piperazine as the monomers was proposed for the synthesis of a nitrogen-rich covalent organic polymer (COP). High contents of precisely tailored pyridinic-N within the COP facilitate the formation of the Co/N coordination between Co ions and N species.

Azobenzene-based solar thermal fuels: design, properties, and applications.

Development of renewable energy technologies has been a significant area of research amongst scientists with the aim of attaining a sustainable world society. Solar thermal fuels that can capture, convert, store, and release solar energy in the form of heat through reversible photoisomerization of molecular photoswitches such as azobenzene derivatives are currently in the limelight of research. Herein, we provide a state-of-the-art account on the recent advancements in solar thermal fuels based on azobenzene photoswitches.

Controllable and Stable Deformation of a Self-Healing Photo-Responsive Supramolecular Assembly for an Optically Actuated Manipulator Arm.

It is highly challenging to achieve an optically deformable polymer with good controllability, stability, and self-healability for fabricating an optically controlled microrobotics. Here, we present a photo-responsive self-healing supramolecular assembly cross-linked by 3,3',5,5'-azobenzenetetracarboxylic acid (t-Azo) enabling the controllable and stable deformation. The network (PAA-u) of polyacrylic acid (PAA) grafted with 2-ureido-4[1 H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) is formed via multiple intermolecular hydrogen bonds (H-bonds) between UPy and t-Azo moieties.

Two-Dimensional High-Quality Monolayered Triangular WS Flakes for Field-Effect Transistors.

Large-area uniform of single-crystal tungsten disulfide (WS) is important for advanced optoelectronics based on two-dimensional (2D) atomic crystals. However, difficulties in controlling the interrelated growth parameters restrict its development in devices. Herein, we present the synthesis of triangular monolayered WS flakes with good uniformity and single crystal by adjusting the introduction time of sulfur precursor and the distances between the sources and substrates to control the nucleation density.

Sonication-assisted liquid-phase exfoliated α-GeTe: a two-dimensional material with high Fe sensitivity.

We describe sonication-assisted liquid-phase exfoliation of rhombohedral germanium telluride (α-GeTe) to obtain a good dispersion of α-GeTe nanosheets in ethanol. The thickness of the α-GeTe nanosheets is dependent on the exfoliation conditions, and few-layer α-GeTe nanosheets of 2-4 layers and even monolayer α-GeTe were obtained. We use first-principles calculations to investigate the structural, electronic, and optical properties of monolayer and bulk α-GeTe and compare the optical band gap of centrifugally fractionated α-GeTe nanosheet dispersions with the computational predictions.

Reduced graphene oxide doped predominantly with CF groups as a superior anode material for long-life lithium-ion batteries.

A fluorine-doped reduced graphene oxide (F-rGO), predominantly in the form of CF groups, was synthesized using the reduced-graphene-oxide precursor devoid of residual hydroxyl and carboxyl groups through a solvothermal process. The vacancies and defects accompanying the formation of the highly stable and electrochemically inert CF groups contribute to the excellent cycling stability of F-rGO, when it is applied as the anode material in a lithium-ion battery.

Solid-State Fluorescence of Fluorine-Modified Carbon Nanodots Aggregates Triggered by Poly(ethylene glycol).

Solid-state fluorescent carbon quantum dots (QDs) can be used for the encryption of security information. Controlling the dispersion and aggregation of the QDs is crucial for switching their solid-state fluorescence "on" and "off." The use of polymers has been proposed to slightly separate the QDs inside aggregates to trigger their fluorescence.