Aqueous zinc metal batteries(ZMBs)are vital to potable electronics and electric energy infrastructures because of their high energy conversion efficiency,high energy density,and environmental friendliness.However,ramp...Aqueous zinc metal batteries(ZMBs)are vital to potable electronics and electric energy infrastructures because of their high energy conversion efficiency,high energy density,and environmental friendliness.However,rampant zinc dendrite growth and side reactions on the Zn anode seriously impede the practical application of ZMBs.In this work,morpholine-crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel electrolytes(ploy(acrylamide),6m-PAM)are successfully developed to simultaneously regulate solvation shell to suppress side reactions and homogenize Zn^(2+)ion migration for dendrite-free ZMBs.Notably,the 6m-PAM electrolyte exhibits excellent mechanical strength of 50.6 kPa,high Zn^(2+)ion conductivity of 52 mS cm^(-1)at room temperature,and fast self-healing ability,providing stable and adaptable electrolyte-anode interfaces.Experimental and theoretical calculation results reveal that Zn^(2+)-N(morpholine)coordination interaction effectively reshapes the primary solvation shell of Zn^(2+),suppressing the activity of free water and Zn dendrites.As a result,the 6m-PAM electrolyte endows symmetric zinc cells with a long-term cycling life of 2000 h at 7.5 mA cm^(-2).Notably,Zn/Polyaniline(PANI)batteries equipped with 6m-PAM electrolytes also exhibit a high capacity of 124 mA h g^(-1)at 1 A g^(-1)and a long cycling life of 4000 times with a high-capacity retention of 98.3%,This functional crosslinked hydrogel electrolyte paves a new way to construct durable dendrite-free ZMBs.展开更多
Temperature-sensitive hydrogel—poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) was prepared and applied to protein refolding. PNIPA gel disks and gel particles were synthesized by the solution polymerization and inverse suspens...Temperature-sensitive hydrogel—poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) was prepared and applied to protein refolding. PNIPA gel disks and gel particles were synthesized by the solution polymerization and inverse suspension polymerization respectively. The swelling kinetics of the gels was also studied. With these prepared PNIPA gels, the model protein lysozyme was renatured. Within 24h, PNIPA gel disks improved the yield of lysozyme activity by 49.3% from 3375.2U·mg^-1 to 5038.8U·mg^-1. With the addition of faster response PNIPA gel beads, the total lysozyme activity recovery was about 68.98% in 3h, as compared with 42.03% by simple batch dilution. The novel refolding system with PNIPA enables efficient refolding especially at high protein concentrations. Discussion about the mechanism revealed that when PNIPA gels were added into the refolding buffer, the hydrophobic interactions between denatured proteins and polymer gels could prevent the aggregation of refolding intermediates, thus enhanced the protein renaturation.展开更多
Smart functional microgels hold great potential in a variety of applications,especially in drug transportation.However,current drug carriers based on physiological internal stimuli cannot efficiently orientate to desi...Smart functional microgels hold great potential in a variety of applications,especially in drug transportation.However,current drug carriers based on physiological internal stimuli cannot efficiently orientate to designated locations.Therefore,it is necessary to introduce the self-propelled particles to the drug release of the microgels.In order to study self-propulsion of microgels induced by light,it is also a challenge to prepare micronsized microgels so that they can be observed directly under optical microscopes.In this work,phototactic microgels with photoresponsive properties are prepared.The microgel particles can be observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy.The photoresponsive properties of microgels are fully investigated by various instruments.Light can also regulate the state of the microgel solution,making it switch between turbidity and clarity.The phototaxis of particles irradiated by UV light was studied,which may be used for microgels enrichment and drug transportation and release.展开更多
In this paper,the poly(acrylamide)hydrogel used to immobilize saccharomyces cerevisiae for asymmetric synthesis of R(-)-mandelic acid was prepared with free radical ploymerization in deionized water at room temperatur...In this paper,the poly(acrylamide)hydrogel used to immobilize saccharomyces cerevisiae for asymmetric synthesis of R(-)-mandelic acid was prepared with free radical ploymerization in deionized water at room temperature under nitrogen atmosphere.The influence of the composition of hydrogel,loading amount of cells and culture conditions on the asymmetric synthesis was investigated.Results show that PAAm hydrogel is a feasible carrier for immobilization of cells which is a potential alternative method to prepare enantiomerically pure R(-)-mandelic acid.展开更多
Thiol-stabilized PbS quantum dots （QDs） with dimensions 3-5 nm capped with a mixture of 1-thioglycerol/dithioglycerol （TGL/DTG） were coUoidally prepared at room temperature. Room temperature photoluminescence quan...Thiol-stabilized PbS quantum dots （QDs） with dimensions 3-5 nm capped with a mixture of 1-thioglycerol/dithioglycerol （TGL/DTG） were coUoidally prepared at room temperature. Room temperature photoluminescence quantum efficiency of freshly prepared PbS QDs （7%-11%） remained higher than 5% upon aging for three weeks when the nanocrystals （NCs） were stored in an ice-bath in the dark, and higher than 5%for at least five weeks when extra DTG ligands were introduced into the nanocrystal solution followed by stirring every two weeks. Poly（N-isopropyl acrylamide） （PNIPAM） microgels were produced via precipitation polymerization with dimensions of ca. 230 nm and polydispersity of 3-5%. Incorporation of PbS QDs into PNIPAM microgels indicated that PbS can be incorporated into the interior of microgel particles and not at the microgel interface. The combination of reasonable room temperature quantum efficiency and strong, efficient luminescence covering the 1.3-1.55 μm telecommunication window makes these nanoparticles promising materials in optical devices and telecommunications.展开更多
It is extremely important for photocatalysts to exhibit intelligent responsiveness to their environment. Herein, a poly N-isopropyl acrylamide(PNIPAM)-modified Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN hybrid material with excellent convertibl...It is extremely important for photocatalysts to exhibit intelligent responsiveness to their environment. Herein, a poly N-isopropyl acrylamide(PNIPAM)-modified Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN hybrid material with excellent convertible photocatalytic activity is prepared. PNIPAM has good hydrophilicity below the lower critical solution temperature(LCST);this increases the capacity of the photocatalyst for adsorbing tetracycline(TC) molecules. In addition, the PNIPAM-modified Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN can prevent the loss of Ag3PO4. The dispersity is improved by loading g-C3N4 nanosheets(CN) for enhancing the efficiency of photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, a Z-scheme heterostructure is formed between CN and Ag3PO4, accelerating the separation efficiency of the holes and electrons. Ag nanoparticles can be used as electron-shuttle mediators, and electrons receiving more energy are transferred via the localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) effect. Furthermore, the PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN photocatalyst exhibits an excellent degradation rate for the degradation of TC when the temperature is lower than the LCST. The photoluminescence spectra and photocurrent curves prove that the carrier-separation efficiency of PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN is higher than those of Ag/Ag3PO4/CN and CN. The main active species of ·O2-and h+ are detected to reveal the plausible mechanism of the PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN hybrid material system. This work provides a way to develop intelligent materials for switchable photocatalytic applications.展开更多
A series of porous intelligent hydrogels, which exhibited appropriate lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and fast response behavior, were synthesized by radiation method. The structure and surface morphology o...A series of porous intelligent hydrogels, which exhibited appropriate lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and fast response behavior, were synthesized by radiation method. The structure and surface morphology of hydrogels were examined by the infrared radiation and the scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The influences of the content of crosslinking agent and relative molecular mass of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the swelling properties of hydrogels were discussed. The molecular mechanics simulations were performed to investigate the phase transformation mechanism of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogel. The results show that macropores are observed in hydrogels, whereas hydrogels prepared without using PEG have a dense surface. LCST of hydrogels increases with the increase of relative molecular mass of PEG. The swelling mechanism of PNIPA porous hydrogels follows non-Fickian diffusion model. The theoretical maximum water absorption S∞ is approximately consistent with experimental value according to the second-order kinetics model established by Schott. The molecule chains of PNIPA hydrogel begin folding and curling, resulting in volume shrinkage at 305 K. There are much intramolecular nonbonding interactions in molecule chains of hydrogels. The porous hydrogels are expected to be applied in the field of artificial intelligence material.展开更多
Six different N-alkyl substituted acrylarnide nonionic hydrogels were prepared and their swelling characteristics were measured. Poly N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPA) and poly N-n-propyl-acrylamide (PNNPA) temperature s...Six different N-alkyl substituted acrylarnide nonionic hydrogels were prepared and their swelling characteristics were measured. Poly N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPA) and poly N-n-propyl-acrylamide (PNNPA) temperature sensitive hydrogels were chosen as the nonionic temperature sensitive hydrogels for concentration of very dilute aqueous protein solution. The separation properties of PNIPA and PNNPA hydr0gels with different network dimensions were studied and the modification of the hydrogels was surveyed in order to decrease their surface adsorption of protein molecules. The experimental results of the concentration of BSA (Bovin serum albumin) dilute aqueous solution by hydroxylpropyl methacrylate (HPMA) copolymerized PNIPA hydrogel were given. The value and the limitation of concentration of dilute aqueous protein solution by this method was evaluated.展开更多
Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)is widely used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility,chemical stability,flexibility,and resistance to degradation in physiological environments.However,its intrinsic inertnes...Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)is widely used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility,chemical stability,flexibility,and resistance to degradation in physiological environments.However,its intrinsic inertness limits further(bio)functionalization,and its hydrophobic recovery compromises the longevity of conventional surface modifications.To address these challenges,we developed a nanoprecipitation method for the straight-forward colloidal deposition,covalent thermal crosslinking,and surface anchoring of a chemically tunable,biocompatible polyacrylamide with reactive hydroxyl groups,enabling further surface modifications.This polymer incorporates~6%bioinspired catechol units,introduced via an elegant one-pot Kabachnik-Fields re-action,to facilitate thermally induced network formation and enhance adhesion to plasma-activated PDMS.The resulting uniform coatings exhibited tunable dry layer thicknesses up to 44±7 nm and effectively suppressed PDMS chain rearrangement even after steam autoclaving,ensuring long-term stability in aqueous and ambient environments for at least 90 days.The bioactive post-modification potential was demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study by immobilizing the photosensitizer rose bengal at surface concentrations of 20 or 40μg cm^(-2).The coating exhibited antimicrobial activity against S.aureus,achieving a 4-log reduction(99.99%)in colony-forming units after 30 min of irra-diation at 554 nm(342 J cm^(-2)),even when bacteria were suspended in liquid,without direct surface contact.In contrast,antimicrobial activity against E.coli was only observed with minimized liquid volume,bringing the motile bacteria into close contact with the surface.This work established a straightforward and versatile strategy for the stable and bioactive functionalization of PDMS surfaces for application in non-invasive surface decontamination.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(22479022)the Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province(2020-MS-021)。
文摘Aqueous zinc metal batteries(ZMBs)are vital to potable electronics and electric energy infrastructures because of their high energy conversion efficiency,high energy density,and environmental friendliness.However,rampant zinc dendrite growth and side reactions on the Zn anode seriously impede the practical application of ZMBs.In this work,morpholine-crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel electrolytes(ploy(acrylamide),6m-PAM)are successfully developed to simultaneously regulate solvation shell to suppress side reactions and homogenize Zn^(2+)ion migration for dendrite-free ZMBs.Notably,the 6m-PAM electrolyte exhibits excellent mechanical strength of 50.6 kPa,high Zn^(2+)ion conductivity of 52 mS cm^(-1)at room temperature,and fast self-healing ability,providing stable and adaptable electrolyte-anode interfaces.Experimental and theoretical calculation results reveal that Zn^(2+)-N(morpholine)coordination interaction effectively reshapes the primary solvation shell of Zn^(2+),suppressing the activity of free water and Zn dendrites.As a result,the 6m-PAM electrolyte endows symmetric zinc cells with a long-term cycling life of 2000 h at 7.5 mA cm^(-2).Notably,Zn/Polyaniline(PANI)batteries equipped with 6m-PAM electrolytes also exhibit a high capacity of 124 mA h g^(-1)at 1 A g^(-1)and a long cycling life of 4000 times with a high-capacity retention of 98.3%,This functional crosslinked hydrogel electrolyte paves a new way to construct durable dendrite-free ZMBs.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20276065).
文摘Temperature-sensitive hydrogel—poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) was prepared and applied to protein refolding. PNIPA gel disks and gel particles were synthesized by the solution polymerization and inverse suspension polymerization respectively. The swelling kinetics of the gels was also studied. With these prepared PNIPA gels, the model protein lysozyme was renatured. Within 24h, PNIPA gel disks improved the yield of lysozyme activity by 49.3% from 3375.2U·mg^-1 to 5038.8U·mg^-1. With the addition of faster response PNIPA gel beads, the total lysozyme activity recovery was about 68.98% in 3h, as compared with 42.03% by simple batch dilution. The novel refolding system with PNIPA enables efficient refolding especially at high protein concentrations. Discussion about the mechanism revealed that when PNIPA gels were added into the refolding buffer, the hydrophobic interactions between denatured proteins and polymer gels could prevent the aggregation of refolding intermediates, thus enhanced the protein renaturation.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21274135,No.21871243 and No.51673181)。
文摘Smart functional microgels hold great potential in a variety of applications,especially in drug transportation.However,current drug carriers based on physiological internal stimuli cannot efficiently orientate to designated locations.Therefore,it is necessary to introduce the self-propelled particles to the drug release of the microgels.In order to study self-propulsion of microgels induced by light,it is also a challenge to prepare micronsized microgels so that they can be observed directly under optical microscopes.In this work,phototactic microgels with photoresponsive properties are prepared.The microgel particles can be observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy.The photoresponsive properties of microgels are fully investigated by various instruments.Light can also regulate the state of the microgel solution,making it switch between turbidity and clarity.The phototaxis of particles irradiated by UV light was studied,which may be used for microgels enrichment and drug transportation and release.
文摘In this paper,the poly(acrylamide)hydrogel used to immobilize saccharomyces cerevisiae for asymmetric synthesis of R(-)-mandelic acid was prepared with free radical ploymerization in deionized water at room temperature under nitrogen atmosphere.The influence of the composition of hydrogel,loading amount of cells and culture conditions on the asymmetric synthesis was investigated.Results show that PAAm hydrogel is a feasible carrier for immobilization of cells which is a potential alternative method to prepare enantiomerically pure R(-)-mandelic acid.
基金NSFC(No.50543007)Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars (State Education Ministry)+1 种基金NSF of Guangdong Province (No.07006838)Tianhe Bureau of Sci. & Techno., Guangzhou.
文摘Thiol-stabilized PbS quantum dots （QDs） with dimensions 3-5 nm capped with a mixture of 1-thioglycerol/dithioglycerol （TGL/DTG） were coUoidally prepared at room temperature. Room temperature photoluminescence quantum efficiency of freshly prepared PbS QDs （7%-11%） remained higher than 5% upon aging for three weeks when the nanocrystals （NCs） were stored in an ice-bath in the dark, and higher than 5%for at least five weeks when extra DTG ligands were introduced into the nanocrystal solution followed by stirring every two weeks. Poly（N-isopropyl acrylamide） （PNIPAM） microgels were produced via precipitation polymerization with dimensions of ca. 230 nm and polydispersity of 3-5%. Incorporation of PbS QDs into PNIPAM microgels indicated that PbS can be incorporated into the interior of microgel particles and not at the microgel interface. The combination of reasonable room temperature quantum efficiency and strong, efficient luminescence covering the 1.3-1.55 μm telecommunication window makes these nanoparticles promising materials in optical devices and telecommunications.
文摘It is extremely important for photocatalysts to exhibit intelligent responsiveness to their environment. Herein, a poly N-isopropyl acrylamide(PNIPAM)-modified Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN hybrid material with excellent convertible photocatalytic activity is prepared. PNIPAM has good hydrophilicity below the lower critical solution temperature(LCST);this increases the capacity of the photocatalyst for adsorbing tetracycline(TC) molecules. In addition, the PNIPAM-modified Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN can prevent the loss of Ag3PO4. The dispersity is improved by loading g-C3N4 nanosheets(CN) for enhancing the efficiency of photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, a Z-scheme heterostructure is formed between CN and Ag3PO4, accelerating the separation efficiency of the holes and electrons. Ag nanoparticles can be used as electron-shuttle mediators, and electrons receiving more energy are transferred via the localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) effect. Furthermore, the PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN photocatalyst exhibits an excellent degradation rate for the degradation of TC when the temperature is lower than the LCST. The photoluminescence spectra and photocurrent curves prove that the carrier-separation efficiency of PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN is higher than those of Ag/Ag3PO4/CN and CN. The main active species of ·O2-and h+ are detected to reveal the plausible mechanism of the PNIPAM@Ag/Ag3PO4-20/CN hybrid material system. This work provides a way to develop intelligent materials for switchable photocatalytic applications.
基金Project(102101210100) supported by the Key Science and Technology Project of Henan Province,ChinaProjects(2011B430023,12B430021) supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province,China
文摘A series of porous intelligent hydrogels, which exhibited appropriate lower critical solution temperature (LCST) and fast response behavior, were synthesized by radiation method. The structure and surface morphology of hydrogels were examined by the infrared radiation and the scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The influences of the content of crosslinking agent and relative molecular mass of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the swelling properties of hydrogels were discussed. The molecular mechanics simulations were performed to investigate the phase transformation mechanism of poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogel. The results show that macropores are observed in hydrogels, whereas hydrogels prepared without using PEG have a dense surface. LCST of hydrogels increases with the increase of relative molecular mass of PEG. The swelling mechanism of PNIPA porous hydrogels follows non-Fickian diffusion model. The theoretical maximum water absorption S∞ is approximately consistent with experimental value according to the second-order kinetics model established by Schott. The molecule chains of PNIPA hydrogel begin folding and curling, resulting in volume shrinkage at 305 K. There are much intramolecular nonbonding interactions in molecule chains of hydrogels. The porous hydrogels are expected to be applied in the field of artificial intelligence material.
基金This project sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
文摘Six different N-alkyl substituted acrylarnide nonionic hydrogels were prepared and their swelling characteristics were measured. Poly N-isopropyl acrylamide (PNIPA) and poly N-n-propyl-acrylamide (PNNPA) temperature sensitive hydrogels were chosen as the nonionic temperature sensitive hydrogels for concentration of very dilute aqueous protein solution. The separation properties of PNIPA and PNNPA hydr0gels with different network dimensions were studied and the modification of the hydrogels was surveyed in order to decrease their surface adsorption of protein molecules. The experimental results of the concentration of BSA (Bovin serum albumin) dilute aqueous solution by hydroxylpropyl methacrylate (HPMA) copolymerized PNIPA hydrogel were given. The value and the limitation of concentration of dilute aqueous protein solution by this method was evaluated.
基金Dr.Rolf M.Schwiete Foundationthe Federal Ministry of Education and Research,Germany(BMBFFKZ:13GW0439B)for the financial support of this work.
文摘Polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)is widely used in biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility,chemical stability,flexibility,and resistance to degradation in physiological environments.However,its intrinsic inertness limits further(bio)functionalization,and its hydrophobic recovery compromises the longevity of conventional surface modifications.To address these challenges,we developed a nanoprecipitation method for the straight-forward colloidal deposition,covalent thermal crosslinking,and surface anchoring of a chemically tunable,biocompatible polyacrylamide with reactive hydroxyl groups,enabling further surface modifications.This polymer incorporates~6%bioinspired catechol units,introduced via an elegant one-pot Kabachnik-Fields re-action,to facilitate thermally induced network formation and enhance adhesion to plasma-activated PDMS.The resulting uniform coatings exhibited tunable dry layer thicknesses up to 44±7 nm and effectively suppressed PDMS chain rearrangement even after steam autoclaving,ensuring long-term stability in aqueous and ambient environments for at least 90 days.The bioactive post-modification potential was demonstrated in a proof-of-concept study by immobilizing the photosensitizer rose bengal at surface concentrations of 20 or 40μg cm^(-2).The coating exhibited antimicrobial activity against S.aureus,achieving a 4-log reduction(99.99%)in colony-forming units after 30 min of irra-diation at 554 nm(342 J cm^(-2)),even when bacteria were suspended in liquid,without direct surface contact.In contrast,antimicrobial activity against E.coli was only observed with minimized liquid volume,bringing the motile bacteria into close contact with the surface.This work established a straightforward and versatile strategy for the stable and bioactive functionalization of PDMS surfaces for application in non-invasive surface decontamination.
