Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rongrong Zhang, Linglong Deng, Jinhua Guo, Hongye Yang, Lina Zhang, Xiaodong Cao, Aixi Yu, Bo Duan
Summary: This study proposes a new solvent consumption strategy to disrupt the thermodynamic stability of biopolymer solutions and induce self-assembly of molecule chains into nanostructures for improved printability. The resulting polysaccharide scaffolds exhibit superior performance in tissue engineering applications, showing potential for diverse applications beyond tissue engineering.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Pingdong Wei, Xuejie Yu, Yujia Fang, Lei Wang, Hao Zhang, Caizhen Zhu, Jie Cai
Summary: This article proposes a strategy to produce a hierarchically structured cellulose hydrogel through solution annealing and dual cross-linking treatment approaches. The cellulose hydrogels exhibit high water content and excellent mechanical properties, making them promising candidates for flexible electronics and biomedical devices.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chuanwei Lu, Yi Shen, Xinyu Wang, Shijian Xu, Jifu Wang, Qiang Yong, Fuxiang Chu
Summary: In this study, a biomimetic sustainable, degradable, and multi-stimuli responsive cellulose/PCL/Fe3O4 composite with ultra-strong mechanical strength and ultra-high toughness was developed. The composite also exhibited rapid degradation ability, excellent thermal responsive shape memory property, and photothermal conversion property. This composite material has promising applications in heavy-lift, object transportation, and self-tightening knots.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chuchu Chen, Yiren Wang, Tong Zhou, Zhangmin Wan, Quanling Yang, Zhaoyang Xu, Dagang Li, Yongcan Jin
Summary: This research aims to develop strong and tough wood-based hydrogels by improving the interfacial interaction between wood cell wall and polymer through UV grafting. The resulting hydrogels, with PAM-grafted cellulose nanofiber architectures, showed significantly higher tensile properties and potential for sensor applications. The UV grafting strategy may open up new possibilities for the development of wood-based composites.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Matteo Hirsch, Alvaro Charlet, Esther Amstad
Summary: Many soft natural tissues possess unique mechanical properties achieved through complex interactions between structure and composition. To address the lack of control in soft synthetic materials, a novel 3D printing approach called double network granular hydrogels (DNGHs) has been introduced. These DNGHs are stiff enough to support high tensile loads and significantly tougher than pure polymeric networks. This ink allows for the printing of strong and tough objects with high shape fidelity, opening up new possibilities for soft robotic applications.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoshuai Han, Xiaoyi Wang, Wei Tian, Yuli Wang, Jiangbo Wang, Frank Lam, Shaohua Jiang
Summary: A strong, tough, and fire-retardant wooden laminate was successfully produced by mild delignification, infiltrating potassium nonafluoro-1-butanesulfonate (PFBS), and hot-pressing. The wooden laminate exhibited excellent mechanical properties and flame-retardant performance, surpassing natural wood. It is identified as a promising candidate for high-performance structural applications.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yitong Xie, Shishuai Gao, Zhe Ling, Chenhuan Lai, Yuxiang Huang, Jifu Wang, Chunpeng Wang, Fuxiang Chu, Feng Xu, Marie-Josee Dumont, Daihui Zhang
Summary: This study presents a novel strategy that combines molecular and structural engineering to fabricate strong and tough hydrogels. By embedding a non-covalent-bonding-driven self-assembled cellulose skeleton in a polyacrylamide matrix, the resulting hydrogel exhibits unique features and desirable properties for sensor applications.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kaiyue Cao, Ying Zhu, Zihao Zheng, Wanke Cheng, Yifei Zi, Suqing Zeng, Dawei Zhao, Haipeng Yu
Summary: Structure design allows for the development of advanced soft materials with desired mechanical properties. This study presents an in situ integration strategy to produce multiscale-structured ionogels (M-gels) using ionothermal-stimulated silk fiber splitting and moderate molecularization in the cellulose-ions matrix. The resulting M-gel exhibits a multiscale structural superiority composed of microfibers, nanofibrils, and supramolecular networks. When applied to a hexactinellid inspired M-gel, the biomimetic M-gel demonstrates excellent mechanical properties comparable to polymeric gels and hardwood.
Article
Polymer Science
Yongqi Yan, Longya Xiao, Qin Teng, Yuanyuan Jiang, Qin Deng, Xuefeng Li, Yiwan Huang
Summary: Researchers have successfully fabricated composite hydrogels with high strength, toughness, and adhesion by a simple composite strategy. The composite gels are reinforced by a fiber fabric matrix, providing high load-bearing capability and good crack resistance. Additionally, the gel matrix exhibits good adhesion due to its soft and sticky nature. The effect of fiber fabric content on the mechanical and adhesion properties of the composite gels has been systematically studied, resulting in an optimized composite gel with significantly improved properties compared to the gel matrix.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Jieyu Zhang, Feng Li, Tao Liu, Yue Li, Jianzhang Li, Qiang Gao
Summary: By designing a comb-like polymer-aminated dialdehyde starch (A-DAS) and combining it with soy protein isolate (SPI), a protein-based composite film with enhanced strength and toughness was developed. The strong adhesion of A-DAS with SPI molecules through multiple hydrogen bonds significantly improved the tensile strength and toughness of the film. The modified film, with UV-blocking properties, shows promise for applications in tissue engineering, hydrogels, and coating modification.
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Gaobo Lou, Zhewen Ma, Jinfeng Dai, Zhicheng Bai, Shenyuan Fu, Siqi Huo, Lijun Qian, Pingan Song
Summary: The study presents a simple and green strategy for the fabrication of fully biobased flame retardants by surface-functionalizing microcrystalline cellulose with chitosan and sodium phytate via layer-by-layer assembly in water. The fully biobased flame retardants showed high efficiency and mechanical reinforcement functions when incorporated into epoxy resin composites, enhancing their fire retardancy while simultaneously strengthening and toughening the composite materials. This work provides a promising approach for the development of sustainable and multifunctional biobased flame retardants for polymers.
ACS SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hanzheng Xing, Xiangnan He, Yujia Wang, Xuan Zhang, Lei Li, Yecheng Wang, Zekun Cheng, Hui Wu, Qi Ge, Xiaoyan Li
Summary: The study successfully synthesized 3D-printable hydrogel composites reinforced by aramid nanofibers. Compared with pure hydrogels, the composites showed higher strength, modulus, and fatigue threshold while maintaining a large elongation-at-break. These improvements were attributed to the hybrid polymer networks in the composites and the effects of chain entanglement, hydrogen bonding, and phase separation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiaocheng Wang, Yunru Yu, Chaoyu Yang, Changmin Shao, Keqing Shi, Luoran Shang, Fangfu Ye, Yuanjin Zhao
Summary: A versatile microfluidic 3D printing strategy was proposed to fabricate fibrous scaffolds with photothermal responsive channels to improve vascularization and bone regeneration. The thermal channeled scaffolds displayed reversible behavior controlled by near-infrared irradiation, facilitating cell penetration and prevascularization, while embedded BP nanosheets promoted in situ biomineralization and cell proliferation. These near-infrared responsive channeled scaffolds showed promising potential for tissue/vascular ingrowth in tissue engineering applications.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yannick Nagel, Deeptanshu Sivaraman, Antonia Neels, Tanja Zimmermann, Shanyu Zhao, Gilberto Siqueira, Gustav Nystrom
Summary: This study presents a simple and versatile method for fabricating cellulose aerogels with controlled shape and thermal-mechanical properties using 3D printing technique. The printed aerogels exhibit higher thermal-mechanical properties compared to traditional manufacturing processes. This method allows customized structures for load-bearing insulating materials in thermal management.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yixuan Yin, Tan Liu, Beibei Wang, Bangqi Yin, Yang Yang, Thomas P. Russell, Shaowei Shi
Summary: By using the interfacial complexation of a polyelectrolyte (PE) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), a unique interfacial PE/CNC complex is demonstrated for stabilizing aqueous two-phase systems and fabricating all-aqueous double emulsions and 3D constructs.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Lin Huang, Xiaqing Yang, Linglong Deng, Daofa Ying, Ang Lu, Lina Zhang, Aixi Yu, Bo Duan
Summary: The nerve guidance conduit (NGC) made of a hydrogel film composed of chitin and conductive PEDOT nanoparticles was found to significantly promote Schwann cell adhesion and proliferation, leading to enhanced nerve regeneration. The composite material also showed similarities in muscle function and axon thickness compared to autografts in rat sciatic nerve defects, indicating its potential in accelerating peripheral nerve restoration.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rongrong Zhang, Linglong Deng, Jinhua Guo, Hongye Yang, Lina Zhang, Xiaodong Cao, Aixi Yu, Bo Duan
Summary: This study proposes a new solvent consumption strategy to disrupt the thermodynamic stability of biopolymer solutions and induce self-assembly of molecule chains into nanostructures for improved printability. The resulting polysaccharide scaffolds exhibit superior performance in tissue engineering applications, showing potential for diverse applications beyond tissue engineering.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Rongrong Zhang, Jinhua Guo, Xuefeng Yang, Xueyu Jiang, Lina Zhang, Jinping Zhou, Xiaodong Cao, Bo Duan
Summary: The study developed a microsphere mediating ink preparation strategy to customize rheological behavior for various monomer direct ink writings. The use of chitosan microspheres as exemplary material allows for tunable rheological behavior due to their acid-drived electrostatic repulsion. The swollen chitosan microsphere (SCM) enhances the hydrogel as sacrificial bonds, resulting in tunable mechanical properties for 3D printing hydrogel.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xinghuan Lin, Lina Zhang, Bo Duan
Summary: A polyphenol-mediated self-assembly strategy was developed to enhance the strength and toughness of chitin hydrogels. These hydrogels showed high modulus and strength, while sacrificing bonds dissipated energy and led to high toughness. The hydrogels exhibited considerable antibacterial properties and excellent biocompatibility.
MATERIALS HORIZONS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Hu Tu, Kang Xie, Xinghuan Lin, Ruquan Zhang, Feng Chen, Qiang Fu, Bo Duan, Lina Zhang
Summary: By combining chemically-physically double cross-linking and stretching orientation strategies, a highly ordered cellulose nanofiber network and edge-hydroxylated boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS-OH) structure were constructed to fabricate a cellulose/BNNS-OH composite film with superior thermal conductivity. The composite film exhibited anisotropic thermal conductivity properties and excellent heat dissipation capabilities for cooling communication devices, while also showing potential for communication devices encapsulation and providing a new avenue for preparing highly oriented composite materials.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY A
(2021)