Effective thermal management is critical for the operation of many modern technologies, such as electronic circuits, smart clothing, and building environment control systems. By leveraging the static infrared-reflecting design of the space blanket and drawing inspiration from the dynamic color-changing ability of squid skin, we have developed a composite material with tunable thermoregulatory properties. Our material demonstrates an on/off switching ratio of ~25 for the transmittance, regulates a heat flux of ~36 W/m with an estimated mechanical power input of ~3 W/m, and features a dynamic environmental setpoint temperature window of ~8 °C. Moreover, the composite can manage one fourth of the metabolic heat flux expected for a sedentary individual and can also modulate localized changes in a wearer's body temperature by nearly 10-fold. Due to such functionality and associated figures of merit, our material may substantially reduce building energy consumption upon widespread deployment and adoption.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09589-w | DOI Listing |
Macromol Rapid Commun
January 2025
Department of Biological and Bioenergy Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, China.
Cephalopods such as squids, octopuses, and cuttlefishes can change their bodies' color to match the surrounding environments by contracting or expanding the sac just below the surface of the skin. Inspired by this mechanism, artificial cephalopod chromatophores which are prepared by thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide)-based hydrogel films embedded with black, red, and yellow pigments are presented, they can swell and shrink under temperature stimuli, like the natural chromatophores. The artificial chromatophores embedded with cuttlefish ink are further used to fabricate artificial J.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Dermatol Res
January 2025
Faculty of Pharmacy, Iryo Sosei University, 5-5-1, Chuodai-Iino, Iwaki, Fukushima, 970-8551, Japan.
Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as eczema, is a chronic or relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by repeated exacerbations and remissions. Here, we investigated the effects of squid phospholipids (PLs) extracted from Todarodes pacificus on AD. The composition of squid PLs was analyzed using thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography, and the effects of PLs on AD were investigated using a rat paw edema model and an AD-like mouse model (NC/Nga mice).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Cephalopods produce dynamic colors and skin patterns for communication and camouflage via stratified networks of neuronally actuated yellow, red, and brown chromatophore organs, each filled with thousands of pigment granules. While compositional analysis of chromatophore granules in Doryteuthis pealeii reveals the pigments as ommochromes, the ultrastructural features of the granules and their effects on bulk coloration have not been explored. To investigate this, we isolated granules from specific colored chromatophores and imaged them using multiple modalities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Grupo de Investigação Biológica Integrada, Centro de Estudos Avançados da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal do Pará, Av. Perimetral 01, PCT-Guamá, Terreno 11, Belém, PA, CEP: 66075-750, Brazil.
The commercial importance of cephalopods has increased considerably, being an important fishing resource. However, during the preparation for commercialization of those species, they suffer the process known as "finning" which includes removing and separating the head, arm, skin or even having the body structure cut into rings, which ends up making it difficult or often prevents the identification of the species, which can lead to replacements. In this sense, the present study aimed to use the large ribosomal region, rrnL (16S rDNA) to genetically identify cephalopod species sold in markets and fairs in Latin America.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Nanobiotechnology
November 2024
Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, School of Pharmacy, Clinical Medical College of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China.
Surgical excision remains the principal treatment for melanoma, while tumor recurrence and delayed wound healing often occur due to the residual tumor cells and hypoxic microenvironment in the postoperative skin wounds. Herein, we present a living photosynthetic microneedle (MN) patch (namely MA/CM@MN) loaded with microalgae (MA) and cuttlefish melanin (CM) for postsurgical melanoma therapy and skin wound healing. Benefiting from the oxygenic photosynthesis of the alive MA in the MN base, the MA/CM@MN can generate oxygen under light exposure, thus facilitating skin cell proliferation and protecting cells against hypoxia-induced cell death.
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