Solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)have attracted much attention for their safety,ease of packaging,costeffectiveness,excellent flexibility and stability.Poly-dioxolane(PDOL)is one of the most promising matrix materials ...Solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)have attracted much attention for their safety,ease of packaging,costeffectiveness,excellent flexibility and stability.Poly-dioxolane(PDOL)is one of the most promising matrix materials of SPEs due to its remarkable compatibility with lithium metal anodes(LMAs)and suitability for in-situ polymerization.However,poor thermal stability,insufficient ionic conductivity and narrow electrochemical stability window(ESW)hinder its further application in lithium metal batteries(LMBs).To ameliorate these problems,we have successfully synthesized a polymerized-ionic-liquid(PIL)monomer named DIMTFSI by modifying DOL with imidazolium cation coupled with TFSI^(-)anion,which simultaneously inherits the lipophilicity of DOL,high ionic conductivity of imidazole,and excellent stability of PILs.Then the tridentate crosslinker trimethylolpropane tris[3-(2-methyl-1-aziridine)propionate](TTMAP)was introduced to regulate the excessive Li^(+)-O coordination and prepare a flame-retardant SPE(DT-SPE)with prominent thermal stability,wide ESW,high ionic conductivity and abundant Lit transference numbers(t_(Li+)).As a result,the LiFePO_(4)|DT-SPE|Li cell exhibits a high initial discharge specific capacity of 149.60 mAh g^(-1)at 0.2C and 30℃with a capacity retention rate of 98.68%after 500 cycles.This work provides new insights into the structural design of PIL-based electrolytes for long-cycling LMBs with high safety and stability.展开更多
A facile method to fabricate tough and highly stretchable polyacrylamide （PAM） nanocomposite physical hydrogel （NCP gel） was proposed. The hydrogels are dually crosslinked single network with the PAM grafted vinyl...A facile method to fabricate tough and highly stretchable polyacrylamide （PAM） nanocomposite physical hydrogel （NCP gel） was proposed. The hydrogels are dually crosslinked single network with the PAM grafted vinyl hybrid silica nanoparticles （VSNPs） as the analogous covalent crosslinking points and the reversible hydrogen bonds among the PAM chains as the physical crosslinking points. In order to further elucidate the toughening mechanism of the PAM NCP gel, especially to understand the role of the dual crosslinking points, the PAM hybrid hydrogels （H gels） and a series of poly（acrylamide-co-dimethylacrylamide） （P（AM-co-DMAA）） NCP gels were designed and fabricated. Their mechanical properties were compared with those of the PAM NCP gels. The PAM H gels are prepared by simply mixing the PAM chains with bare silica nanoparticles （SNPs）. Relative to the poor mechanical properties of the PAM H gel, the PAM NCP gel is remarkably tough and stretchable and also generates large number of micro-cracks to stop notch propagation, indicating the important role of PAM grafted VSNPs in toughening the NCP gel. In the P（AM-co-DMAA） NCP gels, the P（AM-co- DMAA） chains are grafted on VSNPs and the polydimethylacrylamide （PDMAA） only forms very weak hydrogen bonds between themselves. It is found that mechanical properties of the PAM NCP gel, such as the tensile strength and the elongation at break, are enhanced significantly, but those of the P（AM-co-DMAA） NCP gels decreased rapidly with decreasing AM content. This result reveals the role of the hydrogen bonds among the grafted polymer chains as the physical crosslinking points in toughening the NCP gel.展开更多
LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)material,as the promising cathode candidate for next-generation highenergy lithium-ion batteries,has gained considerable attention for extremely high theoretical capacity and low...LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)material,as the promising cathode candidate for next-generation highenergy lithium-ion batteries,has gained considerable attention for extremely high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the intrinsic drawbacks of NCM811 such as unstable structure and inevitable interface side reaction result in severe capacity decay and thermal runaway.Herein,a novel polyimide(denoted as PI-Om DT)constructed with the highly polar and micro-branched crosslinking network is reported as a binder material for NCM811 cathode.The micro-branched crosslinking network is achieved by using 1,3,5-Tris(4-aminophenoxy)benzene(TAPOB)as a crosslinker via condensation reaction,which endows excellent mechanical properties and large free volume.Meanwhile,the massive polar carboxyl(-COOH)groups provide strong adhesion sites to active NCM811 particles.These functions of PIOm DT binder collaboratively benefit to forming the mechanically robust and homogeneous coating layer with rapid Li+diffusion on the surface of NCM811,significantly stabilizing the cathode structure,suppressing the detrimental interface side reaction and guaranteeing the shorter ion-diffusion and electron-transfer paths,consequently enhancing electrochemical performance.As compared to the NCM811 with PVDF binder,the NCM811 using PI-Om DT binder delivers a superior high-rate capacity(121.07 vs.145.38 m Ah g^(-1))at 5 C rate and maintains a higher capacity retention(80.38%vs.91.6%)after100 cycles at 2.5–4.3 V.Particularly,at the high-voltage conditions up to 4.5 and 4.7 V,the NCM811 with PI-Om DT binder still maintains the remarkable capacity retention of 88.86%and 72.5%after 100 cycles,respectively,paving the way for addressing the high-voltage operating stability of the NCM811 cathode.Moreover,the full-charged NCM811 cathode with PI-Om DT binder exhibits a significantly enhanced thermal stability,improving the safety performance of batteries.This work opens a new avenue for developing high-energy NCM811 based lithium-ion batteries with long cycle-life and superior safety performance using a novel and effective binder.展开更多
Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT),a widely studied biodegradable material,has not effectively addressed the problem of plastic waste.Taking into consideration the cost-effectiveness,upcycling PBAT should t...Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT),a widely studied biodegradable material,has not effectively addressed the problem of plastic waste.Taking into consideration the cost-effectiveness,upcycling PBAT should take precedence over direct composting degradation.The present work adopts a chain breaking-crosslinking strategy,upcycling PBAT into dual covalent adaptable networks(CANs).During the chainbreaking stage,the ammonolysis between PBAT and polyethyleneimine(PEI)established the primary crosslinked network.Subsequently,styrene maleic anhydride copolymer(SMA)reacted with the hydroxyl group,culminating in the formation of dual covalent adaptable networks.In contrast to PBAT,the PBAT-dual-CANs exhibited a notable Young's modulus of 239 MPa,alongside an inherent resistance to creep and solvents.Owing to catalysis from neighboring carboxyl group and excess hydroxyl groups,the PBAT-dual-CANs exhibited fast stress relaxation.Additionally,they could be recycled through extrusion and hot-press reprocessing,while retaining their biodegradability.This straightforward strategy offers a solution for dealing with plastic waste.展开更多
Intermediate filaments are one of the key components of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells, and their mechanical properties are found to be equally important for physiological function and disease. While the mechani...Intermediate filaments are one of the key components of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells, and their mechanical properties are found to be equally important for physiological function and disease. While the mechanical properties of single full length filaments have been studied, how the mechanical properties of crosslinks affect the mechanical property of the intermediate filament network is not well understood. This paper applies a mesoscopic model of the intermediate network with varied crosslink strengths to investigate its failure mechanism under the extreme mechanical loading. It finds that relatively weaker crosslinks lead to a more flaw tolerant intermediate filament network that is also 23% stronger than the one with strong crosslinks. These findings suggest that the mechanical properties of interfacial components are critical for bioinspired designs which provide intriguing mechanical properties.展开更多
By incorporating copper sulfate （CuSO4） particles into acrylonitrile butadiene rubber （NBR） followed by heat pressing, a novel vulcanization method is developed in rubber through the formation of coordination cros...By incorporating copper sulfate （CuSO4） particles into acrylonitrile butadiene rubber （NBR） followed by heat pressing, a novel vulcanization method is developed in rubber through the formation of coordination crosslinking. This method totally differs from traditional covalent or non-covalent vulcanization approaches of rubber. No other vulcanizing agent or additional additive is involved in this process. By analyzing the results of DMA, XPS and FT-IR, it is found that the crosslinking of CuSO4 particles filled NBR was induced by in situ coordination between nitrogen atoms of nitrile groups （-CN） and copper ions （Cu^2＋） from CuSO4. SEM and EDX results revealed the generation of a core （CuSO4 solid particle）- shell （adherent NBR） structure, which leads to a result that the crosslinked rubber has excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, poly（vinyl chloride） （PVC） and liquid acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber （LNBR） were used as mobilizer to improve the coordination crosslinking of CuSO4/NBR. The addition of PVC or LNBR could lead to higher crosslink density and better mechanical properties of coordination vulcanization. In addition, crystal water in CuSO4 played a positive role to coordination crosslinking of rubber because it decreased the metal point of CuSO4 and promoted the metal ionization.展开更多
Gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs) are considered to be one most promising alternative to liquid electrolytes due to their suitability for creating safe and durable solid-state lithium-metal batteries. However, the mechan...Gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs) are considered to be one most promising alternative to liquid electrolytes due to their suitability for creating safe and durable solid-state lithium-metal batteries. However, the mechanical properties of GPEs usually deteriorate dramatically when polymer matrices are plasticized by a liquid electrolyte, which leads to significant loss of battery performance. Therefore, the long-term structural integrity and good mechanical strength are critical characteristics of GPEs designed for highperformance batteries. Here, an ecologically compatible cellulose-based GPE with a crosslinked structure is synthesized via a facile and effective thiol-ene click chemistry method. The prepared thiol-ene crosslinked GPE possesses enhanced mechanical strength(10.95 MPa) and rigid structure, which enabled us to fabricate Li Fe PO_(4)|Li batteries with ultra-long cycling performance. The capacity retention of the crosslinked cellulose-based GPE can be up to 84% at 0.5 C, even after 350 cycles, which is considerably higher than that of non-crosslinked GPE for which rapid decline in capacity occurs after 200 cycles. In addition, a GPE preparation method described in this work compares favorably well with existing commercial electrolytes for lithium metal batteries.展开更多
High-energy density lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have received intensive attention as promising energy storage system.Among diverse sulfur-based cathodes,sulfurized pyrolyzed poly(acrylonitrile)(S@pPAN)cathode deliv...High-energy density lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have received intensive attention as promising energy storage system.Among diverse sulfur-based cathodes,sulfurized pyrolyzed poly(acrylonitrile)(S@pPAN)cathode delivered superior electrochemical performance.However,the sulfur content of S@pPAN is relatively low(<50 wt%),which significantly limits the energy density.Herein,a hydrogel SA-Cu binder was proposed with a crosslinking network constructed by Cu^(2+) ions.The introduction of Cu^(2+) ions enabled excellent electrochemical behaviors of S@pPAN cathode even with high sulfur content of 52.6 wt% via chemical interaction with sulfur and polysulfide.Moreover,a favorable cathode interphase was formed containing electrochemically active and conductive CuSx.S@pPAN/SA-Cu exhibited a high sulfur utilization of 85.3%,long cycling stability over 1000 cycles and remarkable capacity of 1200 mAh g_(s)^(-1) even at10 C.Furthermore,ascribed to the improved electrode structure,high-loading electrode(sulfur loading:4 mg cm^(-2)) displayed stable cycling with areal capacity of 5.26 mAh cm^(-2)(1315 mAh g_(s)^(-1)) after 40 cycles.This study provides new directions to prepare high-sulfur content and high-loading S@pPAN cathode for higher energy density.展开更多
In this report, bienzymatic crosslinking approach was applied to prepare biopolymer hydrogel fibers composed of gelatin and chitosan with an interpenetrating polymer network （IPN） structure. The IPN biopolymer hydro...In this report, bienzymatic crosslinking approach was applied to prepare biopolymer hydrogel fibers composed of gelatin and chitosan with an interpenetrating polymer network （IPN） structure. The IPN biopolymer hydrogel fibers were prepared by wet spinning while microbial transglutaminase （mTG） catalyzed the formation of one network of gelatin and horseradish peroxidase （HRP） in the presence of H202 induced another network of chitosan grafted with phloretic acid （chitosan-PA） intertwining with the former. The mechanical performances of the hydrogel fibers were measured by an electronic single fiber strength tester. It was found that the mechanical properties of the gelatin/chitosan IPN hydrogel fibers had a significant improvement with the increase of the concentration of gelatin and chitosan, and the IPN fiber has the highest tension of 38.6 cN and elongation of 387.2%. Accelerated degradation in the presence of papin indicated that the gelatin/chitosan-PA IPN hydrogel fibers own controllable degradability. In addition, biological evaluation indicated the IPN hydrogel fibers can support cell adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, hand weaving trail showed the knittablity of the IPN hydrogel fibers. Therefore, the gelatin/chitosan IPN hydrogel fibers prepared by bienzymatic crosslinking approach possess excellent biocompatibility and mechanical strength, which may be desirable candidates for engineering tissue scaffolds.展开更多
A molecular dynamics simulation method is presented and used in the study of the formation of polymer networks. We study the formation of networks representing the methylene repeating units as united atoms. The networ...A molecular dynamics simulation method is presented and used in the study of the formation of polymer networks. We study the formation of networks representing the methylene repeating units as united atoms. The network formation is accomplished by cross-linking polymer chains with dedicated functional end groups. The simulations reveal that during the cross-linking process, initially branched molecules are formed before the gel point; approaching the gel point, larger branched entities are formed through integration of smaller branched molecules, and at the gel point a network spanning the simulation box is obtained; beyond the gel point the network continues to grow through the addition of the remaining molecules of the sol phase onto the gel （the network）; the final completion of the reaction occurs by intra-network connection of dangling ends onto unsaturated cross-linkers. The conformational properties of the strands in the undeformed network are found to be very similar with the conformational properties of the chains before cross-linking. The uniaxial deformation of the formed networks is investigated and the modulus determined from the stress-strain curves shows reciprocal scaling with the precursor chain length for networks formed from sufficiently large precursor chains （N≥ 20）.展开更多
Poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)hydrogels have garnered significant attention for tissue engineering,wound dressing,and electronic skin sensing applications.However,their poor mechanical performance severely restricts their m...Poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)hydrogels have garnered significant attention for tissue engineering,wound dressing,and electronic skin sensing applications.However,their poor mechanical performance severely restricts their multifunctional application in many scenarios.To address this limitation,PVA/tannic acid(TA)@carbon nanotubes(PVA/TA@CNTs)composite hydrogels with triple crosslinking networks were prepared through freezing-thawing and the solvent-induced shrinkage method,utilizing tannic acid-carbon nanotubes(TA@CNTs)as reinforcing units and a Ca^(2+)crosslinking strategy.The enhanced interfacial networks consisting of PVA crystalline domains,hydrogen bonding,and metal coordination endowed the composite hydrogel with a high mechanical strength,excellent flexibility,and fracture toughness,accompanied by a significant increase in crystallinity.The tensile strength and fracture toughness of the composite hydrogel reached up to about 7.0 MPa and 17.0MJ/m^(3),which were roughly 8 and 10 times higher than those of neat PVA hydrogel,respectively.The composite hydrogel demonstrated good cytocompatibility,significantly addressing the challenge of balancing structural reinforcement with biosafety in hydrogels.This methodology establishes a rational design for fabricating mechanically robust yet tough PVA hydrogels for biomedical applications.展开更多
The thermal behavior, miscibility, crystallite conformation and thermal stability ofcrosslinked(CL-) PVA/PVP blends were studied by DSC and TG methods, respectively. DSCresults showed that in the blend, the crystallin...The thermal behavior, miscibility, crystallite conformation and thermal stability ofcrosslinked(CL-) PVA/PVP blends were studied by DSC and TG methods, respectively. DSCresults showed that in the blend, the crystallinity,T_m and T_c of PVA were obviously lower thanthose of pure PVA; the crystal growth changed from three dimensional to two dimensional andonly a single T_g was detected. These facts demonstrated that this crystalline and amorphousblend have good miscibility. TG curves showed that providing the quantity of K_2S_2O_8 added ismore than 3 wt%,in the blends PVA will form a stable CL-network, whose thermal degradationtemperature was near to that of PVP. But crosslinking reaction will not take place for PVP. Theprocesses of thermal degradation of CL-blends are based on combining both the thermaldegradation of PVP and that of PVA crosslinked with corresponding quantity of K_2S_2O_8 CL-agent, respectively. The UV measurements showed that 75 wt% of PVP may be remained in CL-blend hydrogelscrosslinked by adding (3--5 wt% )K_2S_2O_8. This is mainly due to the stable CL-network formed and the good compatibility and properentanglement between the composites in the CL-blends.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2022YFE0207300)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.22179142 and 22075314)+1 种基金Jiangsu Funding Program for Excellent Postdoctoral Talent(Grant No.2024ZB051 and 2023ZB836)the technical support for Nano-X from Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics,Chinese Academy of Sciences(SINANO).
文摘Solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)have attracted much attention for their safety,ease of packaging,costeffectiveness,excellent flexibility and stability.Poly-dioxolane(PDOL)is one of the most promising matrix materials of SPEs due to its remarkable compatibility with lithium metal anodes(LMAs)and suitability for in-situ polymerization.However,poor thermal stability,insufficient ionic conductivity and narrow electrochemical stability window(ESW)hinder its further application in lithium metal batteries(LMBs).To ameliorate these problems,we have successfully synthesized a polymerized-ionic-liquid(PIL)monomer named DIMTFSI by modifying DOL with imidazolium cation coupled with TFSI^(-)anion,which simultaneously inherits the lipophilicity of DOL,high ionic conductivity of imidazole,and excellent stability of PILs.Then the tridentate crosslinker trimethylolpropane tris[3-(2-methyl-1-aziridine)propionate](TTMAP)was introduced to regulate the excessive Li^(+)-O coordination and prepare a flame-retardant SPE(DT-SPE)with prominent thermal stability,wide ESW,high ionic conductivity and abundant Lit transference numbers(t_(Li+)).As a result,the LiFePO_(4)|DT-SPE|Li cell exhibits a high initial discharge specific capacity of 149.60 mAh g^(-1)at 0.2C and 30℃with a capacity retention rate of 98.68%after 500 cycles.This work provides new insights into the structural design of PIL-based electrolytes for long-cycling LMBs with high safety and stability.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.21474058 and 51633003)State Key Laboratory for Modification of Chemical Fibers and Polymer Materials,Donghua University(No.LK1404)+1 种基金Tsinghua University Scientific Research Project(No.2014Z22069)State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites,Beijing University of Chemical Technology(No.OIC-201601006)
文摘A facile method to fabricate tough and highly stretchable polyacrylamide （PAM） nanocomposite physical hydrogel （NCP gel） was proposed. The hydrogels are dually crosslinked single network with the PAM grafted vinyl hybrid silica nanoparticles （VSNPs） as the analogous covalent crosslinking points and the reversible hydrogen bonds among the PAM chains as the physical crosslinking points. In order to further elucidate the toughening mechanism of the PAM NCP gel, especially to understand the role of the dual crosslinking points, the PAM hybrid hydrogels （H gels） and a series of poly（acrylamide-co-dimethylacrylamide） （P（AM-co-DMAA）） NCP gels were designed and fabricated. Their mechanical properties were compared with those of the PAM NCP gels. The PAM H gels are prepared by simply mixing the PAM chains with bare silica nanoparticles （SNPs）. Relative to the poor mechanical properties of the PAM H gel, the PAM NCP gel is remarkably tough and stretchable and also generates large number of micro-cracks to stop notch propagation, indicating the important role of PAM grafted VSNPs in toughening the NCP gel. In the P（AM-co-DMAA） NCP gels, the P（AM-co- DMAA） chains are grafted on VSNPs and the polydimethylacrylamide （PDMAA） only forms very weak hydrogen bonds between themselves. It is found that mechanical properties of the PAM NCP gel, such as the tensile strength and the elongation at break, are enhanced significantly, but those of the P（AM-co-DMAA） NCP gels decreased rapidly with decreasing AM content. This result reveals the role of the hydrogen bonds among the grafted polymer chains as the physical crosslinking points in toughening the NCP gel.
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(XK1802-2)the National Key Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,2014CB643604)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51673017)National Natural Science Foundation of China(21404005)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(BK20150273)。
文摘LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2)(NCM811)material,as the promising cathode candidate for next-generation highenergy lithium-ion batteries,has gained considerable attention for extremely high theoretical capacity and low cost.Nevertheless,the intrinsic drawbacks of NCM811 such as unstable structure and inevitable interface side reaction result in severe capacity decay and thermal runaway.Herein,a novel polyimide(denoted as PI-Om DT)constructed with the highly polar and micro-branched crosslinking network is reported as a binder material for NCM811 cathode.The micro-branched crosslinking network is achieved by using 1,3,5-Tris(4-aminophenoxy)benzene(TAPOB)as a crosslinker via condensation reaction,which endows excellent mechanical properties and large free volume.Meanwhile,the massive polar carboxyl(-COOH)groups provide strong adhesion sites to active NCM811 particles.These functions of PIOm DT binder collaboratively benefit to forming the mechanically robust and homogeneous coating layer with rapid Li+diffusion on the surface of NCM811,significantly stabilizing the cathode structure,suppressing the detrimental interface side reaction and guaranteeing the shorter ion-diffusion and electron-transfer paths,consequently enhancing electrochemical performance.As compared to the NCM811 with PVDF binder,the NCM811 using PI-Om DT binder delivers a superior high-rate capacity(121.07 vs.145.38 m Ah g^(-1))at 5 C rate and maintains a higher capacity retention(80.38%vs.91.6%)after100 cycles at 2.5–4.3 V.Particularly,at the high-voltage conditions up to 4.5 and 4.7 V,the NCM811 with PI-Om DT binder still maintains the remarkable capacity retention of 88.86%and 72.5%after 100 cycles,respectively,paving the way for addressing the high-voltage operating stability of the NCM811 cathode.Moreover,the full-charged NCM811 cathode with PI-Om DT binder exhibits a significantly enhanced thermal stability,improving the safety performance of batteries.This work opens a new avenue for developing high-energy NCM811 based lithium-ion batteries with long cycle-life and superior safety performance using a novel and effective binder.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52373007 and 52073296)Innovative Leading Talent of Taihu Lake Talent Plan in Wuxi City+1 种基金Zhejiang Ten Thousand Talent ProgramResearch startup fund from Jiangnan University。
文摘Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)(PBAT),a widely studied biodegradable material,has not effectively addressed the problem of plastic waste.Taking into consideration the cost-effectiveness,upcycling PBAT should take precedence over direct composting degradation.The present work adopts a chain breaking-crosslinking strategy,upcycling PBAT into dual covalent adaptable networks(CANs).During the chainbreaking stage,the ammonolysis between PBAT and polyethyleneimine(PEI)established the primary crosslinked network.Subsequently,styrene maleic anhydride copolymer(SMA)reacted with the hydroxyl group,culminating in the formation of dual covalent adaptable networks.In contrast to PBAT,the PBAT-dual-CANs exhibited a notable Young's modulus of 239 MPa,alongside an inherent resistance to creep and solvents.Owing to catalysis from neighboring carboxyl group and excess hydroxyl groups,the PBAT-dual-CANs exhibited fast stress relaxation.Additionally,they could be recycled through extrusion and hot-press reprocessing,while retaining their biodegradability.This straightforward strategy offers a solution for dealing with plastic waste.
文摘Intermediate filaments are one of the key components of the cytoskeleton in eukaryotic cells, and their mechanical properties are found to be equally important for physiological function and disease. While the mechanical properties of single full length filaments have been studied, how the mechanical properties of crosslinks affect the mechanical property of the intermediate filament network is not well understood. This paper applies a mesoscopic model of the intermediate network with varied crosslink strengths to investigate its failure mechanism under the extreme mechanical loading. It finds that relatively weaker crosslinks lead to a more flaw tolerant intermediate filament network that is also 23% stronger than the one with strong crosslinks. These findings suggest that the mechanical properties of interfacial components are critical for bioinspired designs which provide intriguing mechanical properties.
基金This work was financially supported by the Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50473031).
文摘By incorporating copper sulfate （CuSO4） particles into acrylonitrile butadiene rubber （NBR） followed by heat pressing, a novel vulcanization method is developed in rubber through the formation of coordination crosslinking. This method totally differs from traditional covalent or non-covalent vulcanization approaches of rubber. No other vulcanizing agent or additional additive is involved in this process. By analyzing the results of DMA, XPS and FT-IR, it is found that the crosslinking of CuSO4 particles filled NBR was induced by in situ coordination between nitrogen atoms of nitrile groups （-CN） and copper ions （Cu^2＋） from CuSO4. SEM and EDX results revealed the generation of a core （CuSO4 solid particle）- shell （adherent NBR） structure, which leads to a result that the crosslinked rubber has excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, poly（vinyl chloride） （PVC） and liquid acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber （LNBR） were used as mobilizer to improve the coordination crosslinking of CuSO4/NBR. The addition of PVC or LNBR could lead to higher crosslink density and better mechanical properties of coordination vulcanization. In addition, crystal water in CuSO4 played a positive role to coordination crosslinking of rubber because it decreased the metal point of CuSO4 and promoted the metal ionization.
基金financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21965012, 52003068, 52062012)Research Project of Hainan Province (Nos. ZDYF2021SHFZ263,2019RC038 and ZDYF2020028)+1 种基金Guangdong Province Key Discipline Construction Project (No. 2021ZDJS102)the Innovation Team of Universities of Guangdong Province (No. 2022KCXTD030)。
文摘Gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs) are considered to be one most promising alternative to liquid electrolytes due to their suitability for creating safe and durable solid-state lithium-metal batteries. However, the mechanical properties of GPEs usually deteriorate dramatically when polymer matrices are plasticized by a liquid electrolyte, which leads to significant loss of battery performance. Therefore, the long-term structural integrity and good mechanical strength are critical characteristics of GPEs designed for highperformance batteries. Here, an ecologically compatible cellulose-based GPE with a crosslinked structure is synthesized via a facile and effective thiol-ene click chemistry method. The prepared thiol-ene crosslinked GPE possesses enhanced mechanical strength(10.95 MPa) and rigid structure, which enabled us to fabricate Li Fe PO_(4)|Li batteries with ultra-long cycling performance. The capacity retention of the crosslinked cellulose-based GPE can be up to 84% at 0.5 C, even after 350 cycles, which is considerably higher than that of non-crosslinked GPE for which rapid decline in capacity occurs after 200 cycles. In addition, a GPE preparation method described in this work compares favorably well with existing commercial electrolytes for lithium metal batteries.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1705255 and 21975158)the Program of Shanghai Academic Research Leader (20XD1401900)the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (2019B090908001)。
文摘High-energy density lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries have received intensive attention as promising energy storage system.Among diverse sulfur-based cathodes,sulfurized pyrolyzed poly(acrylonitrile)(S@pPAN)cathode delivered superior electrochemical performance.However,the sulfur content of S@pPAN is relatively low(<50 wt%),which significantly limits the energy density.Herein,a hydrogel SA-Cu binder was proposed with a crosslinking network constructed by Cu^(2+) ions.The introduction of Cu^(2+) ions enabled excellent electrochemical behaviors of S@pPAN cathode even with high sulfur content of 52.6 wt% via chemical interaction with sulfur and polysulfide.Moreover,a favorable cathode interphase was formed containing electrochemically active and conductive CuSx.S@pPAN/SA-Cu exhibited a high sulfur utilization of 85.3%,long cycling stability over 1000 cycles and remarkable capacity of 1200 mAh g_(s)^(-1) even at10 C.Furthermore,ascribed to the improved electrode structure,high-loading electrode(sulfur loading:4 mg cm^(-2)) displayed stable cycling with areal capacity of 5.26 mAh cm^(-2)(1315 mAh g_(s)^(-1)) after 40 cycles.This study provides new directions to prepare high-sulfur content and high-loading S@pPAN cathode for higher energy density.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51373034 and 51073036)
文摘In this report, bienzymatic crosslinking approach was applied to prepare biopolymer hydrogel fibers composed of gelatin and chitosan with an interpenetrating polymer network （IPN） structure. The IPN biopolymer hydrogel fibers were prepared by wet spinning while microbial transglutaminase （mTG） catalyzed the formation of one network of gelatin and horseradish peroxidase （HRP） in the presence of H202 induced another network of chitosan grafted with phloretic acid （chitosan-PA） intertwining with the former. The mechanical performances of the hydrogel fibers were measured by an electronic single fiber strength tester. It was found that the mechanical properties of the gelatin/chitosan IPN hydrogel fibers had a significant improvement with the increase of the concentration of gelatin and chitosan, and the IPN fiber has the highest tension of 38.6 cN and elongation of 387.2%. Accelerated degradation in the presence of papin indicated that the gelatin/chitosan-PA IPN hydrogel fibers own controllable degradability. In addition, biological evaluation indicated the IPN hydrogel fibers can support cell adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, hand weaving trail showed the knittablity of the IPN hydrogel fibers. Therefore, the gelatin/chitosan IPN hydrogel fibers prepared by bienzymatic crosslinking approach possess excellent biocompatibility and mechanical strength, which may be desirable candidates for engineering tissue scaffolds.
基金the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven for a postdoctoral fellowship(GOA/10/04)
文摘A molecular dynamics simulation method is presented and used in the study of the formation of polymer networks. We study the formation of networks representing the methylene repeating units as united atoms. The network formation is accomplished by cross-linking polymer chains with dedicated functional end groups. The simulations reveal that during the cross-linking process, initially branched molecules are formed before the gel point; approaching the gel point, larger branched entities are formed through integration of smaller branched molecules, and at the gel point a network spanning the simulation box is obtained; beyond the gel point the network continues to grow through the addition of the remaining molecules of the sol phase onto the gel （the network）; the final completion of the reaction occurs by intra-network connection of dangling ends onto unsaturated cross-linkers. The conformational properties of the strands in the undeformed network are found to be very similar with the conformational properties of the chains before cross-linking. The uniaxial deformation of the formed networks is investigated and the modulus determined from the stress-strain curves shows reciprocal scaling with the precursor chain length for networks formed from sufficiently large precursor chains （N≥ 20）.
基金financially supported by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(No.2024M751205)the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province(JSNSF)(No.BK20230694)。
文摘Poly(vinyl alcohol)(PVA)hydrogels have garnered significant attention for tissue engineering,wound dressing,and electronic skin sensing applications.However,their poor mechanical performance severely restricts their multifunctional application in many scenarios.To address this limitation,PVA/tannic acid(TA)@carbon nanotubes(PVA/TA@CNTs)composite hydrogels with triple crosslinking networks were prepared through freezing-thawing and the solvent-induced shrinkage method,utilizing tannic acid-carbon nanotubes(TA@CNTs)as reinforcing units and a Ca^(2+)crosslinking strategy.The enhanced interfacial networks consisting of PVA crystalline domains,hydrogen bonding,and metal coordination endowed the composite hydrogel with a high mechanical strength,excellent flexibility,and fracture toughness,accompanied by a significant increase in crystallinity.The tensile strength and fracture toughness of the composite hydrogel reached up to about 7.0 MPa and 17.0MJ/m^(3),which were roughly 8 and 10 times higher than those of neat PVA hydrogel,respectively.The composite hydrogel demonstrated good cytocompatibility,significantly addressing the challenge of balancing structural reinforcement with biosafety in hydrogels.This methodology establishes a rational design for fabricating mechanically robust yet tough PVA hydrogels for biomedical applications.
文摘The thermal behavior, miscibility, crystallite conformation and thermal stability ofcrosslinked(CL-) PVA/PVP blends were studied by DSC and TG methods, respectively. DSCresults showed that in the blend, the crystallinity,T_m and T_c of PVA were obviously lower thanthose of pure PVA; the crystal growth changed from three dimensional to two dimensional andonly a single T_g was detected. These facts demonstrated that this crystalline and amorphousblend have good miscibility. TG curves showed that providing the quantity of K_2S_2O_8 added ismore than 3 wt%,in the blends PVA will form a stable CL-network, whose thermal degradationtemperature was near to that of PVP. But crosslinking reaction will not take place for PVP. Theprocesses of thermal degradation of CL-blends are based on combining both the thermaldegradation of PVP and that of PVA crosslinked with corresponding quantity of K_2S_2O_8 CL-agent, respectively. The UV measurements showed that 75 wt% of PVP may be remained in CL-blend hydrogelscrosslinked by adding (3--5 wt% )K_2S_2O_8. This is mainly due to the stable CL-network formed and the good compatibility and properentanglement between the composites in the CL-blends.
