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Wu P, Xu C, Zou X, Yang K, Xu Y, Li X, Li X, Wang Z, Luo Z. Capacitive-Coupling-Responsive Hydrogel Scaffolds Offering Wireless In Situ Electrical Stimulation Promotes Nerve Regeneration. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2310483. [PMID: 38198600 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202310483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Electrical stimulation (ES) has shown beneficial effects in repairing injured tissues. However, current ES techniques that use tissue-traversing leads and bulky external power suppliers have significant limitations in translational medicine. Hence, exploring noninvasive in vivo ES to provide controllable electrical cues in tissue engineering is an imminent necessity. Herein, a conductive hydrogel with in situ electrical generation capability as a biodegradable regeneration scaffold and wireless ES platform for spinal cord injury (SCI) repair is demonstrated. When a soft insulated metal plate is placed on top of the injury site as a wireless power transmitter, the conductive hydrogel implanted at the injury site can serve as a wireless power receiver, and the capacitive coupling between the receiver and transmitter can generate an alternating current in the hydrogel scaffold owing to electrostatic induction effect. In a complete transection model of SCI rats, the implanted conductive hydrogels with capacitive-coupling in situ ES enhance functional recovery and neural tissue repair by promoting remyelination, accelerating axon regeneration, and facilitating endogenous neural stem cell differentiation. This facile wireless-powered electroactive-hydrogel strategy thus offers on-demand in vivo ES with an adjustable timeline, duration, and strength and holds great promise in translational medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wu
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
- National Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Drug Development and Manufacturing, Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Chao Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xianghui Zou
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Kun Yang
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yanping Xu
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xueyao Li
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Xiaokun Li
- National Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Drug Development and Manufacturing, Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Zhouguang Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Drug Development and Manufacturing, Oujiang Laboratory (Zhejiang Lab for Regenerative Medicine, Vision and Brain Health), School of Pharmaceutical Science, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Zhiqiang Luo
- National Engineering Research Center for Nanomedicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
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Dong Q, Ai J, Xiao A, Wu P, Wu M, Liu X, Huselstein C, Cai L, Feng X, Chen Y. Nerve Defect Treatment with a Capping Hydroxyethyl Cellulose/Soy Protein Isolate Sponge Conduit for Painful Neuroma Prevention. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:30850-30858. [PMID: 37663461 PMCID: PMC10468986 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c00613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Painful neuroma, as one of the complications of nerve injury from disease or trauma, results in instinctive neuropathic pain that adversely affects a patient's quality of life. To intercept neuroma development, capping strategies have been performed as effective therapies. Nonetheless, the most appropriate biocompatible material to shield the nerves is an urgent clinical requirement. Herein, a compatible hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/soy protein isolate (SPI) sponge capping conduit (HSSC) is used to prevent neuroma in vivo. Following capping on the sciatic nerve stump in vivo, the behavior of the rats and the structure of tissues are compared through histological assessment and autotomy scoring. The HSSCs gained a dismal autotomy score and enhanced the amelioration, where inflammatory invasions and overdeposition of collagen are defeated. The expression of myelin growth linked genes (Krox20, MPZ, and MAG) in the HSSC group at the eighth week was almost 2 times higher than that of the no capping group. The HSSC conduit served as a physical barrier to repress the infiltration of inflammation as well as provided an optimum microenvironment for facilitating nerve rejuvenation and intercepting neuroma development during nerve amelioration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Dong
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy
and Immune Related Disease, TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic
Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Junjie Ai
- Hubei
Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wuhan 430061, China
| | - Ao Xiao
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy
and Immune Related Disease, TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic
Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Ping Wu
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy
and Immune Related Disease, TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic
Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Minhao Wu
- Department
of Orthopaedics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan
University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xijing Liu
- School
of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi 435003, China
| | - Céline Huselstein
- CNRS
UMR 7561 and FR CNRS-INSERM 32.09, Nancy
University, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy 54500, France
| | - Lin Cai
- Department
of Orthopaedics, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan
University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | | | - Yun Chen
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering and Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy
and Immune Related Disease, TaiKang Medical School (School of Basic
Medical Sciences), Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
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3
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Huang WJ, Wang J. Development of 3D-Printed, Biodegradable, Conductive PGSA Composites for Nerve Tissue Regeneration. Macromol Biosci 2023; 23:e2200470. [PMID: 36525352 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Nerve conduits are used to reconnect broken nerve bundles and provide protection to facilitate nerve regeneration. However, the low degradation rate and regeneration rate, as well as the requirement for secondary surgery are some of the most criticized drawbacks of existing nerve conduits. With high processing flexibility from the photo-curability, poly (glycerol sebacate) acrylate (PGSA) is a promising material with tunable mechanical properties and biocompatibility for the development of medical devices. Here, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and graphene are embedded in biodegradable PGSA matrix. The polymer composites are then assessed for their electrical conductivity, biodegradability, three-dimensional-printability (3D-printability), and promotion of cell proliferation. Through the four-probe technique, it is shown that the PGSA composites are identified as highly conductive in swollen state. Furthermore, biodegradability is evaluated through enzymatic degradation and facilitated hydrolysis. Cell proliferation and guidance are significantly promoted by three-dimensional-printed microstructures and electrical stimulation on PGSA composites, especially on PGSA-PVP. Hence, microstructured nerve conduits are 3D-printed with PGSA-PVP. Guided cell growth and promoted proliferation are subsequently demonstrated by Schwann cell culture combined with electrical stimulation. Consequently, 3D-printed nerve conduits fabricated with PGSA composites hold great potential in nerve tissue regeneration through electrical stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Jia Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, ROC 30013, Taiwan
| | - Jane Wang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu, ROC 30013, Taiwan
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Das R, Langou S, Le TT, Prasad P, Lin F, Nguyen TD. Electrical Stimulation for Immune Modulation in Cancer Treatments. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 9:795300. [PMID: 35087799 PMCID: PMC8788921 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.795300] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy is becoming a very common treatment for cancer, using approaches like checkpoint inhibition, T cell transfer therapy, monoclonal antibodies and cancer vaccination. However, these approaches involve high doses of immune therapeutics with problematic side effects. A promising approach to reducing the dose of immunotherapeutic agents given to a cancer patient is to combine it with electrical stimulation, which can act in two ways; it can either modulate the immune system to produce the immune cytokines and agents in the patient's body or it can increase the cellular uptake of these immune agents via electroporation. Electrical stimulation in form of direct current has been shown to reduce tumor sizes in immune-competent mice while having no effect on tumor sizes in immune-deficient mice. Several studies have used nano-pulsed electrical stimulations to activate the immune system and drive it against tumor cells. This approach has been utilized for different types of cancers, like fibrosarcoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, human papillomavirus etc. Another common approach is to combine electrochemotherapy with immune modulation, either by inducing immunogenic cell death or injecting immunostimulants that increase the effectiveness of the treatments. Several therapies utilize electroporation to deliver immunostimulants (like genes encoded with cytokine producing sequences, cancer specific antigens or fragments of anti-tumor toxins) more effectively. Lastly, electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve can trigger production and activation of anti-tumor immune cells and immune reactions. Hence, the use of electrical stimulation to modulate the immune system in different ways can be a promising approach to treat cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ritopa Das
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Sofia Langou
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Thinh T. Le
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Pooja Prasad
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Feng Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
| | - Thanh D. Nguyen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
- Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Mansfield, CT, United States
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Alarcón JB, Chuhuaicura PB, Sluka KA, Vance CG, Fazan VPS, Godoy KA, Fuentes RE, Dias FJ. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation in Nerve Regeneration: A Systematic Review of In Vivo Animal Model Studies. Neuromodulation 2022; 25:1248-1258. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurom.2021.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Jin F, Li T, Yuan T, Du L, Lai C, Wu Q, Zhao Y, Sun F, Gu L, Wang T, Feng ZQ. Physiologically Self-Regulated, Fully Implantable, Battery-Free System for Peripheral Nerve Restoration. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2021; 33:e2104175. [PMID: 34608668 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202104175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The long-segment peripheral nerve injury (PNI) represents a global medical challenge, leading to incomplete nerve tissue recovery and unsatisfactory functional reconstruction. However, the current electrical stimulation (ES) apparatuses fail perfect nerve repair due to their inability of the variable synchronous self-regulated function with physiological states. It is urgent to develop an implantable ES platform with physiologically adaptive function to provide instantaneous and nerve-preferred ES. Here, a physiologically self-regulated electrical signal is generated by integrating a novel tribo/piezoelectric hybrid nanogenerator with a nanoporous nerve guide conduit to construct a fully implantable neural electrical stimulation (FI-NES) system. The optimal neural ES parameters completely originate from the body itself and are highly self-responsive to different physiological states. The morphological evaluation, representative protein expression level, and functional reconstruction of the regenerated nerves are conducted to assess the PNI recovery process. Evidence shows that the recovery effect of 15 mm length nerve defects under the guidance of the FI-NES system is significantly close to the autograft. The designed FI-NES system provides an effective method for long-term accelerating the recovery of PNI in vivo and is also appropriate for other tissue injury or neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Jin
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
| | - Tong Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
| | - Tao Yuan
- Department of Orthopedic, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, 210002, P. R. China
| | - Lijuan Du
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
| | - Chengteng Lai
- Department of Orthopedic, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, 210002, P. R. China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, P. R. China
| | - Qi Wu
- Department of Orthopedic, Nanjing Jinling Hospital, Nanjing, 210002, P. R. China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, P. R. China
| | - Ying Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
| | - Fengyu Sun
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
| | - Long Gu
- School of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, Xidian University, Xi'an, 710071, P. R. China
| | - Ting Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210096, P. R. China
| | - Zhang-Qi Feng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, P. R. China
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7
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Wu P, Zhao Y, Chen F, Xiao A, Du Q, Dong Q, Ke M, Liang X, Zhou Q, Chen Y. Conductive Hydroxyethyl Cellulose/Soy Protein Isolate/Polyaniline Conduits for Enhancing Peripheral Nerve Regeneration via Electrical Stimulation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:709. [PMID: 32719783 PMCID: PMC7347754 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nerve regeneration remains a challenge to the treatment of peripheral nerve injury. Electrical stimulation (ES) is an assistant treatment to enhance recovery from peripheral nerve injury. A conductive nerve guide conduit was prepared from hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/soy protein isolate (SPI)/PANI sponge (HSPS) and then the HSPS conduits were used to repair 10 mm sciatic nerve injury in rat model with or without ES, using HSPS+brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and autografts as controls. The nerve repairing capacities were evaluated by animal experiments of behavioristics, electrophysiology, toluidine blue staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the regenerated nerves. The results revealed that the nerve regeneration efficiency of HSPS conduits with ES (HSPS+ES) group was the best among the conduit groups but slightly lower than that of autografts group. HSPS+ES group even exhibited notably increased in the BDNF expression of regenerated nerve tissues, which was also confirmed through in vitro experiments that exogenous BDNF could promote Schwann cells proliferation and MBP protein expression. As a result, this work provided a strategy to repair nerve defect using conductive HSPS as nerve guide conduit and using ES as an extrinsic physical cue to promote the expression of endogenous BDNF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yanan Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Interventional Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Feixiang Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ao Xiao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qiaoyue Du
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qi Dong
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Meifang Ke
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiao Liang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Qing Zhou
- Department of Ultrasound Imaging, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yun Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immune Related Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Hubei Engineering Center of Natural Polymers-Based Medical Materials, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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Huang Z, Guo Z, Sun M, Fang S, Li H. A study on graphene composites for peripheral nerve injury repair under electrical stimulation. RSC Adv 2019; 9:28627-28635. [PMID: 35529655 PMCID: PMC9071051 DOI: 10.1039/c9ra04855c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Electrical stimulation (ES) provides an effective alternative to peripheral nerve repair via conductive scaffolds. The aim of the present study is to investigate a graphene (GR)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composite for the repair of peripheral nerve injury under ES. To this end, conductive composite membranes were fabricated by blending GR (2, 4 and 6 wt%) with TPU. GR maintains its own structure in the composite and enhances the mechanical and electrical properties of the composite. The composites with excellent biocompatibility had a hemolysis rate of less than 5%. As a result, the 4GR–TPU (4 wt% GR) sample with enhanced mechanical properties possessed the highest conductivity value of 33.45 ± 0.78 S m−1. Compared with the non-conductive sample, 4GR–TPU was favorable for the viability of Schwann cells (SCs) under ES. When different voltages of ES were applied, a direct current of 10 mV was more suitable for the growth and proliferation of SCs. This study provides beneficial information for peripheral nerve repair via ES. Electrical stimulation (ES) provides an effective alternative to peripheral nerve repair via conductive scaffolds.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Huang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Jinan University
- China
| | - Zhenzhao Guo
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University
- Jinan University
- China
| | - Manman Sun
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Jinan University
- China
| | - Shaomao Fang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Jinan University
- China
| | - Hong Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering
- Jinan University
- China
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