Chemically revised conducting polymers with inflammation resistance for intimate bioelectronic electrocoupling

Conducting polymers offer attractive mixed ionic-electronic conductivity, tunable interfacial barrier with metal, tissue matchable softness, and versatile chemical functionalization, making them robust to bridge the gap between brain tissue and electronic circuits. This review focuses on chemically revised conducting polymers, combined with their superior and controllable electrochemical performance, to fabricate long-term bioelectronic implants, addressing chronic immune responses, weak neuron attraction, and long-term electrocommunication instability challenges. Moreover, the promising progress of zwitterionic conducting polymers in bioelectronic implants (≥4 weeks stable implantation) is highlighted, followed by a comment on their current evolution toward selective neural coupling and reimplantable function. Finally, a critical forward look at the future of zwitterionic conducting polymers for in vivo bioelectronic devices is provided.

Meta-silencer with designable timbre

Timbre, as one of the essential elements of sound, plays an important role in determining sound properties, whereas its manipulation has been remaining challenging for passive mechanical systems due to the intrinsic dispersion nature of resonances. Here, we present a meta-silencer supporting intensive mode density as well as highly tunable intrinsic loss and offering a fresh pathway for designable timbre in broadband. Strong global coupling is induced by intensive mode density and delicately modulated with the guidance of the theoretical model, which efficiently suppresses the resonance dispersion and provides desirable frequency-selective wave-manipulation capacity for timbre tuning. As proof-of-concept demonstrations for our design concepts, we propose three meta-silencers with the designing targets of high-efficiency broadband sound attenuation, efficiency-controlled sound attenuation and designable timbre, respectively. The proposed meta-silencers all operate in a broadband frequency range from 500 to 3200 Hz and feature deep-subwavelength sizes around 50 mm. Our work opens up a fundamental avenue to manipulate the timbre with passive resonances-controlled acoustic metamaterials and may inspire the development of novel multifunctional devices in noise-control engineering, impedance engineering, and architectural acoustics.

Multifunctional carbon nanotubes-based hybrid aerogels with high-efficiency electromagnetic wave absorption at elevated temperature

In the complex engineering applications of electromagnetic (EM) wave-absorbing materials, it is insufficient for these materials to exhibit only efficient EM wave attenuation ability. EM wave-absorbing materials featuring numerous multifunctional properties are increasingly attractive for next-generation wireless communication and smart devices. Herein, we constructed a lightweight and robust multifunctional hybrid aerogel consisting of carbon nanotubes/aramid nanofibers/polyimide with low shrinkage and high porosity. The hybrid aerogels exhibit excellent EM wave attenuation, with an effective absorption bandwidth covering the entire X-band from 25 °C to 400 °C. The conductive loss capacity of the hybrid aerogel is enhanced under thermal drive, which results in an enhanced ability to attenuate EM waves, as evidenced by the fact that the best-fit thickness drops from 5.3 to 3.6 mm with increasing temperature. In addition, the hybrid aerogels are capable to efficiently absorb sound waves, with an average absorption coefficient as high as 0.86 at 1-6.3 kHz, and they exhibit superior thermal insulation properties, with a thermal conductivity as low as 41 ± 2 mW/mK. They are thus suitable for applications in the anti-icing and infrared stealth fields. The prepared multifunctional aerogels have considerable potential for EM protection, noise reduction, and thermal insulation in harsh thermal environments.

Raman spectra and vibrational properties of FOX-7 under pressure and temperature: First-principles calculations

FOX-7 (1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene) as one of the widely studied insensitive high explosives exists five polymorphs (α, β, γ, α', ε) whose crystal structures have been determined by XRD (X-rays Diffraction) and which are investigated by a density functional theory (DFT) approach in this work. The calculation results show that the GGA PBE-D2 method can reproduce the experimental crystal structure of FOX-7 polymorphs better. The calculated Raman spectra of FOX-7 polymorphs were compared in detail and fully with the experimental Raman spectra data and it was found that the calculated Raman spectra frequencies have an overall red-shift in middle band (800-1700 cm^-1), and that the maximum deviation does not exceed 4 % (The maximum point is the mode of CC in plane bending). The high-temperature phase transform path (α → β → γ) and the high-pressure phase transform path (α → α'→ε) can be well represented in the computational Raman spectra. In addition, crystal structure of ε-FOX-7 was performed up to 70 GPa to probe Raman spectra and vibrational properties. The results showed that the NH₂ Raman shift is jittering with pressure (not smooth compared to other vibrational modes) and NH₂ anti-symmetry-stretching appears red-shifted. The vibration of hydrogen mixes in all of other vibrational modes. This work shows that the dispersion-corrected GGA PBE method can reproduce the experimental structure, vibrational properties and Raman spectra very well.

Nanostructured bio-based castor oil organogels for the cleaning of artworks

HYPOTHESIS

Organic solvents are often used for cleaning highly water-sensitive artifacts in modern/contemporary art. Due to the toxicity of most solvents, confining systems must be formulated to use these fluids in a safe and controlled way. We propose here castor oil (CO) organogels, obtained thorough cost-effective sustainable polyurethane crosslinking. This methodology is complementary to previously demonstrated hydrogels, when conservators opt for organic solvents over aqueous formulations.

EXPERIMENTS

The gels were characterized via Small-angle Neutron Scattering and rheology before and after swelling in two organic solvents commonly adopted in cleaning paintings. The removal of a photo-aged acrylic-ketonic varnish was evaluated under visible and ultraviolet light, and with FTIR 2D imaging.

FINDINGS

The new gels are dry systems that can be easily stored and loaded with solvents before use. Their nanoscale organization, viscoelasticity and cleaning action are controlled changing the amount of crosslinking, the polymeric backbone, and the loaded solvents. The fluids are confined in the nanosized polymeric mesh of the gels, which are highly retentive, granting controlled release over delicate paint layers, and transparent, allowing monitoring of the cleaning process. These features, along with their sustainable synthesis, candidate the CO organogels as feasible solutions for cultural heritage preservation, expanding the palette of advanced tools for conservators over traditional thickeners.

Anomalous behavior of liquid molecules near solid nanoparticles: Novel interpretation on thermal conductivity enhancement in nanofluids

HYPOTHESIS

Recently, it has been reported that anomalous improvement in the thermal conductivity of nanofluid composed of base liquids and dispersed solid nanoparticles, compared to the theoretically predicted value calculated from the particle fraction. Generally, the thermal conductivity values of gases and liquids are dominated by the mean free path of the molecules during translational motion. Herein, we present solid evidence showing the possible contribution of the vibrational behavior of liquid molecules around nanoparticles to increasing these thermal conductivities.

EXPERIMENTS

The behavior of liquid molecules in nanofluids containing SiO₂ particles larger than 100 nm, which were dispersed in a 50 wt% aqueous solution of ethylene glycol, was investigated by means of small-angle neutron scattering, quasi-elastic neutron scattering, wide-angle X-ray scattering, and Raman spectroscopy.

FINDINGS

The vibrational changes in the liquid molecules caused by the interactions between the nanoparticles and liquid molecules surrounding the nanoparticles contributed majorly to the increase in the thermal conductivity values of the SiO₂ nanofluids. Because the vibration of liquid molecules is equivalent to phonon conduction in solids, the increase in thermal conductivity of the suspension due to the presence of nanoparticles was inferred to be derived from the limitation of the translational diffusion, which induces a solid-like behavior in the liquid.

Unpacking Intermineral Synergies and Reactions During Dust Deposition in an Impingement Coolant Jet

This paper seeks to unpack synergies that exist between minerals during deposition of the heterogeneous AFRL02 mixture in gas turbine engines and demonstrate that the contributions of each mineral cannot be considered independently. In each experiment, one gram of mineral dust (0–10 µm particle diameter distribution) was injected into an 894 K, 57 m/s coolant flow impinging normally on a Hastelloy X plate with a surface temperature of 1033 K, 1144 K, or 1255 K. Capture efficiency measurements, deposit morphology analyses, and X-ray diffraction results are reported. Besides AFRL02, single mineral dusts, dual mineral dusts, and AFRL02-like dust blends lacking in one mineral were tested. The results of the experiments elucidate that the deposition behavior of single minerals indeed cannot explain the composite deposition of heterogeneous mixtures. For example, gypsum had the highest capture efficiency of any single mineral in ARFL02, and yet removing gypsum from AFRL02 counterintuitively raised the capture efficiency of that blend when compared to AFRL02. Quartz was found to erode albite deposits but stick to and build upon dolomite and halite deposits, even though quartz did not deposit significantly as a single mineral. Quartz also chemically reacted with gypsum and dolomite to form wollastonite and diopside, respectively. Finally, we found that the capture efficiency of each blend increased with plate temperature, but not according to the same trend. Results are interpreted through the lens of CaO–MgO–Al2O3–SiO2 eutectic chemistry, but the chemical pathways by which these eutectics come into existence is found to be of equal importance.

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate/mineralization precursors co-delivery hollow mesoporous nanosystem for synergistic manipulation of dentin exposure

As a global public health focus, oral health plays a vital role in facilitating overall health. Defected teeth characterized by exposure of dentin generally increase the risk of aggravating oral diseases. The exposed dentinal tubules provide channels for irritants and bacterial invasion, leading to dentin hypersensitivity and even pulp inflammation. Cariogenic bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on dentin are responsible for tooth demineralization and caries. It remains a clinical challenge to achieve the integration of tubule occlusion, collagen mineralization, and antibiofilm functions for managing exposed dentin. To address this issue, an epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) and poly(allylamine)-stabilized amorphous calcium phosphate (PAH-ACP) co-delivery hollow mesoporous silica (HMS) nanosystem (E/PA@HMS) was herein developed. The application of E/PA@HMS effectively occluded the dentinal tubules with acid- and abrasion-resistant stability and inhibited the biofilm formation of Streptococcus mutans. Intrafibrillar mineralization of collagen fibrils and remineralization of demineralized dentin were induced by E/PA@HMS. The odontogenic differentiation and mineralization of dental pulp cells with high biocompatibility were also promoted. Animal experiments showed that E/PA@HMS durably sealed the tubules and inhibited biofilm growth up to 14 days. Thus, the development of the E/PA@HMS nanosystem provides promising benefits for protecting exposed dentin through the coordinated manipulation of dentin caries and hypersensitivity.

Drop impact dynamic and directional transport on dragonfly wing surface

The ability of dragonflies to fly in the rain without being wetted by raindrops has motivated researchers to investigate the impact behavior of a drop on the superhydrophobic wings of dragonflies. This superhydrophobic surface is used as a reference for the design of directional surfaces and has attracted extensive attention owing to its wide applicability in microfluidics, self-cleaning, and other fields. In this study, the static contact angle and rebound process of a drop impacting a dragonfly wing surface are investigated experimentally, whereas the wetting pressure, Gibbs free energy, and Stokes number vs. coefficient of restitution are theoretically calculated to examine the dynamic and unidirectional transport behaviors of the drop. Results show that the initial inclination angle of the dragonfly wing is similar to the sliding angles along with the drop sliding. The water drop bounces from the bottom of the dragonfly wing to the distal position, demonstrating directional migration. The drop impacts the dragonfly wing surface, and the drop exhibits compression, recovery, and separation phases; in these three phases, the drop morphology evolves. As the Gibbs free energy and cross-sectional area evolve, the coefficient of restitution decreases as the drop continues to bounce, and the Stokes number increases.

Cluster characterization in atom probe tomography: Machine learning using multiple summary functions

In this work, we develop a machine learning-based method to characterize intracluster concentration (ρ_c), background concentration (ρ_b), clustering radius (r̄), and radius dispersity (δr) in simulated atom probe tomography data using multiple spatial statistics summary functions to train a Bayesian regularized neural network. We build upon previous work that utilized Ripley's K-function by incorporating additional features from nearest-neighbor spatial statistics summary functions to better characterize concentration-based metrics. The addition of nearest-neighbor based features allows for highly accurate estimates of ρ_c and ρ_b, both with 90% of the predictions within 4.0% of the real value; the root-mean-square errors are reduced by 81.5% and 92.8% from predictions using only K-function based features, respectively. Additionally, including these nearest-neighbor based features improves the ability to differentiate between r̄ and δr.

Mechanics of Living Lattice Composites With Growing Crystals

Lattice composites show excellent mechanical and acoustic properties. Compared with traditional man-made lattice composites, natural (or living) lattice composites exhibit the ability to spontaneously increase their stiffness as time increases, i.e., self-enhancement. With this paper, we study the mechanism of the self-enhancement behavior of living lattice composites. We first immerse a polymeric lattice in an oversaturated CaCO3 solution to simulate the self-enhancement behavior of living lattice composites. We then propose a modeling framework to quantitatively describe the evolution of the morphology and effective stiffness of the growing composites, including a phase field model simulation, a crystal growth prediction, and a modified lattice mechanics theory. We validate the modeling work through comparison among the theoretical prediction, experimental observation, and finite element simulation. We also study the effects of the cross sections of polymeric beams, initial concentration of the solution, and architecture type on the self-enhancement behavior of the composites. This paradigm is expected to open promising avenues for the design and fabrication of synthetic living lattice composites.