Soft-lithography is widely used to fabricate microstructured surfaces on plastics and elastomers for designable physical properties such as wetting and adhesions. However, it remains a big challenge to construct high-aspect-ratio microstructures on the surface of hydrogels due to the difficulty in demolding from the gel with low strength and stiffness. Demonstrated here is the engineering of tough hydrogels by soft-lithography to form well-defined micropillars. The mechanical properties of poly(acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogels with dense hydrogen-bond associations severely depend on temperature, with Young's modulus increasing from 8.1 MPa at 15 °C to 821.8 MPa at -30 °C, enabling easy demolding at low temperatures. Arrays of micropillars are maintained on the surface of the gel, and can be used at room temperature when the gel restores soft and stretchable. The hydrogel also exhibits good shape-memory property, favoring tailoring the morphology with a switchable tilt angle of micropillars. Consequently, the hydrogel shows tunable wetting and adhesion properties, as manifested by varying contact angles and adhesion strengths. These surface properties can also be tuned by geometry and arrangement of micropillars. This facile strategy by harnessing tunable viscoelasticity of supramolecular hydrogels should be applicable to other soft materials, and broaden their applications in biomedical and engineering fields.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/smll.202308570 | DOI Listing |
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
School of Chemical Engineering, Changchun University of Technology, Changchun 130012, China.
In this study, the dispersion behavior of MoS₂ in ionic liquids (ILs) with varying alkyl chain lengths was the primary focus of investigation, followed by the design of a novel PAM/SMA/CMC/PDA@MoS hydrogel. By optimizing the concentrations of CMC and PDA@MoS, a bifunctional hydrogel with both sensing and catalytic functions was successfully developed. Mechanical tests revealed that the PAM/SMA/CMC/0.
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January 2025
The Second Clinical Medicine College, Jinan University, Shenzhen, China.
Introduction: Endolymphatic sac tumor (ELST) is a rare neoplasm that exhibits aggressive growth primarily in the endolymphatic capsule and can potentially affect nearby neurovascular structures. The diagnosis of ELST poses challenges due to its low prevalence, gradual progression, and nonspecific symptomatology. It is currently believed that prompt surgical intervention is recommended for endolymphatic sac tumors upon diagnosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeliyon
January 2025
AU-Sophisticated Testing and Instrumentation Centre (AU-STIC), CoE-Advanced Materials Synthesis (CoE-AMS), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Alliance School of Applied Engineering, Alliance University, Bengaluru, 562106, India.
A consistent research attempt to develop newer lightweight-high strength materials facilitates the automobile sector to excel in product efficiency. The present research is another endeavour to anchor the automobile industries by exploring novel composite. The different earth elements SiC and YO are utilised for the hybrid reinforcement of Al 5052 alloy in four different weight proportions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMater Horiz
January 2025
College of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, P. R. China.
Developing hydrogels with high conductivity and toughness a facile strategy is important yet challenging. Herein, we proposed a new strategy to develop conductive hydrogels by growing metal dendrites. Water-soluble Sn ions were soaked into the gel and then converted to Sn dendrites an electrochemical reaction; the excessive Sn ions were finally removed by water dialysis, accompanied by dramatic shrinkage of the gel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChemistryOpen
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, School of Sciences and Humanities, SR University, Warangal, Telangana, 506371, India.
High-entropy alloys (HEAs), containing five or more elements in equal proportions, have recently made significant achievements in materials science due to their remarkable properties, including high toughness, excellent catalytic, thermal, and electrical conductivity, and resistance to wear and corrosion. This study focuses on a HEA composed of 23Fe-21Cr-18Ni-20Ti-18Mn, synthesized via ball milling. The alloy was treated with hydrochloric acid (HCl) to enhance its active surface area.
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