On the Relation between the Viscoelastic Properties of Granular Hydrogels and Their Performance as Support Materials in Embedded Bioprinting.

Granular hydrogels, formed by jamming microgels suspension, are promising materials for three-dimensional bioprinting applications. Despite their extensive use as support materials for embedded bioprinting, the influence of the particle's physical properties on the macroscale viscoelasticity on one hand and on the printing performance on the other hand remains unclear. Herein, we investigate the linear and nonlinear rheology of κ-carrageenan granular hydrogel through small- and large-amplitude oscillatory shear measurements.

NiO Passivation in Perovskite Solar Cells: From Surface Reactivity to Device Performance.

Nonstoichiometric nickel oxide (NiO) is one of the very few metal oxides successfully used as hole extraction layer in p-i-n type perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Its favorable optoelectronic properties and facile large-scale preparation methods are potentially relevant for future commercialization of PSCs, though currently low operational stability of PSCs is reported when a NiO hole extraction layer is used in direct contact with the perovskite absorber. Poorly understood degradation reactions at this interface are seen as cause for the inferior stability, and a variety of interface passivation approaches have been shown to be effective in improving the overall solar cell performance.

Solvation Forces Near Hydrophobic Surfaces: A Classical Density Functional Theory Study.

We use classical density functional theory (DFT) to model solvation interactions between hydrophobic surfaces, which we show to be characterized by depletion attraction at small surface to surface separations and a slowly decaying bipower law interaction at large separations. The solvation interaction originates from van der Waals (vdW) and Coulombic interactions between molecules in the polar solvent, e.g.

Amphiphilic Heparinoids as Potent Antiviral Agents against SARS-CoV-2.

Herein, we report the synthesis and biological evaluation of a novel series of heparinoid amphiphiles as inhibitors of heparanase and SARS-CoV-2. By employing a tailor-made synthetic strategy, a library of highly sulfated homo-oligosaccharides bearing d-glucose or a C5-epimer (i.e.

Mobile Diagnostic Clinics.

This article reviews the revolutionary impact of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) in reshaping modern healthcare systems, with a particular focus on the implementation of mobile diagnostic clinics. It presents an insightful analysis of the current healthcare challenges, including the shortage of healthcare workers, financial constraints, and the limitations of traditional clinics in continual patient monitoring. The concept of "Mobile Diagnostic Clinics" is introduced as a transformative approach where healthcare delivery is made accessible through the incorporation of advanced technologies.

Absolute Quantitative Lipidomics Reveals Different Granule-Associated Surface Lipid Roles in the Digestibility and Pasting of Waxy, Normal, and High-Amylose Rice Starches.

Granule-associated surface lipids (GASLs) and internal lipids showed different lipid-amylose relationships, contents, and distributions, suggesting their differing biological origins and functions, among waxy, normal, and high-amylose rice starch. The GASL content mainly depended on the pore size, while internal lipids regulated starch biosynthesis, as indicated by correlations of internal lipids with the chain length distribution of amylopectin and amylose content. Of the 1346 lipids detected, 628, 562, and 408 differentially expressed lipids were observed between normal-waxy, high-amylose-waxy, and normal-high-amylose starch, respectively.

Toward Accurate Quantum Mechanical Thermochemistry: (1) Extensible Implementation and Comparison of Bond Additivity Corrections and Isodesmic Reactions.

Obtaining accurate enthalpies of formation of chemical species, Δ, often requires empirical corrections that connect the results of quantum mechanical (QM) calculations with the experimental enthalpies of elements in their standard state. One approach is to use atomization energy corrections followed by bond additivity corrections (BACs), such as those defined by Petersson et al. or Anantharaman and Melius.

A Neutral PCP Co(I)-Me Pincer Complex as a Catalyst for -Allylic Isomerization with a Broad Substrate Scope.

Earth-abundant-metal catalyzed double bond transposition offers a sustainable and atom-economical route toward the synthesis of internal alkenes. With an emphasis specifically on internal olefins and ethers, the isomerization of allylic amines has been particularly under represented in the literature. Herein, we report an efficient methodology for the selective isomerization of -allylic organic compounds, including amines, amides, and imines.

Mechanical Perspective on Increasing Brush Cytology Yield.

Brush cytology is a sampling technique extensively used for mucosal surfaces, particularly to identify malignancies. A sample is obtained by rubbing the brush bristles over the stricture or lesion several times until cells are trapped. Brush cytology detection rate varies, with malignancy confirmed in 15-65% of cases of adenocarcinoma-associated biliary strictures and 44-80% of cases of cholangiocarcinoma.

A Superhydrophobicity-Slipperiness Switchable Surface with Magneto- and Thermo-responsive Wires for Repelling Complex Droplets.

The inefficacy of repelling water droplets laden with macromolecules (complex droplets or diluted polymer solution) is a long-standing shortcoming of superhydrophobic surfaces, which severely limits their reliability in practical applications. Here, we design a surface termed the superhydrophobicity-slipperiness switchable surface (3S surface), which demonstrates superhydrophobicity at room temperature and slipperiness when heated. The 3S surface is composed of magneto-responsive wires coated with superhydrophobic nanoparticles and impregnated with thermoresponsive paraffin, exhibiting lotus leaf-inspired passive water repellency and respiratory cilia-inspired active water repellency at room temperature.

Soft Wetting: Droplet Receding Contact Angles on Soft Superhydrophobic Surfaces.

Despite intensive investigations on the droplet receding contact angle on superhydrophobic surfaces, i.e., a key parameter characterizing surface wettability and adhesion, the quantitative correlation between the surface structure mechanical properties (softness) and the droplet receding contact angles remains vague.

Mechanical Behavior of Hybrid Thin Films Fabricated by Sequential Infiltration Synthesis in Water-Rich Environment.

Sequential infiltration synthesis (SIS) is an emerging technique for fabricating hybrid organic-inorganic materials with nanoscale precision and controlled properties. Central to SIS implementation in applications such as membranes, sensors, and functional coatings is the mechanical properties of hybrid materials in water-rich environments. This work studies the nanocomposite morphology and its effect on the mechanical behavior of SIS-based hybrid thin films of AlO-PMMA under aqueous environments.

Cancer-Associated Gangliosides as a Therapeutic Target for Host Defense Peptide Mimics.

Aberrant levels of glycolipids expressed on cellular surfaces are characteristic of different types of cancers. The oligomer of acylated lysine (OAK) mimicking antimicrobial peptides displays in vitro activity against human and murine melanoma cell lines with upregulated GD3 and GM3 gangliosides. Herein, we demonstrate the capability of OAK to intercalate into the sialo-oligosaccharides of DPPC/GD3 and DPPC/GM3 lipid monolayers using X-ray scattering.

Excitation-Dependent Fluorescence with Excitation-Selective Circularly Polarized Luminescence from Hierarchically Organized Atomic Nanoclusters.

Nanometer-scaled objects are known to have dimension-related properties, but sometimes the assembly of such objects can lead to the emergence of other properties. Here, we show the assembly of atomically precise gold nanoclusters into large fibrillar structures that are featuring excitation-dependent luminescence with an excitation-selective circularly polarized luminescence (CPL), even though all components are achiral. The origin of CPL in the assembly of atomic clusters has been attributed to the hierarchical organization of atomic clusters into fibrillar structures, mediated via a hydrogen bonding interaction with a surfactant.

Molecular-Doped Protein-Based Elastomers as a Versatile Platform for Energy-Transfer Studies and Emissive Down-Converting Polymers for Light-Emitting Applications.

Much effort is being employed for designing "green" environmental emissive materials that are capable of color-tuning, i.e., down-converting the emission, and white-light generation (WLG).

Dynamic and Quasi-static Droplet Penetration through Meshes.

We investigate experimentally the effects of pore size, surface wettability, and penetration mode on the characteristics of liquid penetration through meshes. Utilizing the impact of droplets and the hydrostatic pressure, we study water penetration through superhydrophobic, hydrophobic, superhydrophilic, and hydrophilic meshes with different uniform radii and pitch values of the pores. In the case of dynamic penetration enabled by the droplet impact, our results show that surface wettability has a negligible effect on either the threshold speed of the droplet penetration or the penetrating liquid mass.

Liquid-Core Encapsulation of Biogenic Mn Oxides for Improved Oxidation Kinetics of Organic Pollutants.

Nano- and micron-sized catalysts are continuously being discovered as efficient tools for pollutant oxidation. Their small size motivates their entrapment in beads or capsules for easier handling, but this is normally followed by reduced reaction kinetics due to slower mass transfer within the encapsulation matrix. In this study, liquid-core encapsulation was explored as a way to overcome this limitation.

Bioinspired Wire-on-Pillar Magneto-Responsive Superhydrophobic Arrays.

Versatile surfaces demonstrating multiple interfacial functionalities are highly demanded as a surface typically serves various duties and faces multiple challenges in real practice. However, such versatile surfaces are rarely reported mainly due to the challenges in integrating multiple structural characteristics. Here, by mimicking lotus leaves, butterfly wing, and respiratory cilia, we develop a surface termed wire-on-pillar magneto-responsive superhydrophobic arrays (WP-MRSA), which possess interfacial properties of structural superhydrophobicity, anisotropicity, stimuli responsiveness, and flexibility.

Fate and Exposure Assessment of Pb Leachate from Hypothetical Breakage Events of Perovskite Photovoltaic Modules.

Emerging lead halide perovskite (LHP) photovoltaics are undergoing intense research and development due to their outstanding efficiency and potential for low manufacturing costs that render them competitive with existing photovoltaic (PV) technologies. While today's efforts are focused on stability and scalability of LHPs, the toxicity of lead (Pb) remains a major challenge to their large-scale commercialization. Here, we present a screening-level, EPA-compliant model of fate and transport of Pb leachate in groundwater, soil, and air, following hypothetical catastrophic breakage of LHP PV modules in conceptual utility-scale sites.

Complexes of Charged-Neutral Block Copolymers and Surfactants: Process-Dependent Features and Long-Term Stability of Their Aqueous Dispersions.

Aqueous dispersions of charged-neutral block copolymers (poly(acrylamide)--poly(acrylate)) complexed with an oppositely charged surfactant (dodecyltrimethylammonium) have been prepared by different approaches: the simple mixing of two solutions (MS approach) containing the block copolymer and surfactant, with their respective simple counterions, and dispersion of a freeze-dried complex salt prepared in the absence of simple counterions (CS approach). The CS particles were investigated under different conditions: dispersion of a CS in salt-free water and dispersion of a CS in a dilute salt solution, the latter condition yielding dispersions with the same composition as the MS process. Additionally, aged dispersions (up to 6 months) and dispersed complexes of the polyacrylate homopolymer and dodecyltrimethylammonium surfactant were evaluated.

Glycoproteins as a Platform for Making Proton-Conductive Free-Standing Biopolymers.

Biopolymers are an attractive environmentally friendly alternative to common synthetic polymers, whereas primarily proteins and polysaccharides are the biomacromolecules that are used for making the biopolymer. Due to the breadth of side chains of such biomacromolecules capable of participating in hydrogen bonding, proteins and polysaccharide biopolymers were also used for the making of proton-conductive biopolymers. Here, we introduce a new platform for combining the merits of both proteins and polysaccharides while using a glycosylated protein for making the biopolymer.

Multimodal Reactivity of N-H Bonds in Triazanes and Isolation of a Triazinyl Radical.

The employment of nitrogen Lewis acids based on nitrenium cations has been increasingly featured in the fields of main group chemistry and catalysis. A formally reduced form of nitrenium ─cyclic triazanes ─are intriguing chemical compounds, the chemistry of which is completely unexplored. In this work, we reveal that N-H-triazanes exhibit unusual N-H bond properties; namely, they can serve as protons, hydrides, or hydrogen atom donors.