Layer-by-layer assembly of aqueous dispersible, highly conductive poly(aniline-co-o-anisidine)/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)/MWNTs core-shell nanocomposites

A pH-Responsive Polymer-CeO2 Hybrid to Catalytically Generate Oxidative Stress for Tumor Therapy

Catalytic generation of reactive oxygen species has been developed as a promising methodology for tumor therapy. Direct O₂^•- production from intratumor oxygen exhibits exceptional tumor therapeutic efficacy. Herein, this therapy strategy is demonstrated by a pH-responsive hybrid of porous CeO₂ nanorods and sodium polystyrene sulfonate that delivers high oxidative activity for O₂^•- generation within acidic tumor microenvironments for chemodynamic therapy and only limited oxidative activity in neutral media to limit damage to healthy organs. The hydrated polymer-nanorod hybrids with large hydrodynamic diameters form nanoreactors that locally trap oxygen and biological substrates inside and improve the charge transfer between the catalysts and substrates in the tumor microenvironment, leading to enhanced catalytic O₂^•- production and consequent oxidation. Together with successful in vitro and in vivo experiments, these data show that the use of hybrids provides a compelling opportunity for the delivery selective chemodynamic tumor therapy.

Defining the role of nanonetting in the electrical behaviour of composite nanofiber/nets

The electrical behaviour of MWCNT-based composite nanofiber/nets can be tuned by controlling the morphology of the secondary nanoweb.

Recent developments in the layer-by-layer assembly of polyaniline and carbon nanomaterials for energy storage and sensing applications. From synthetic aspects to structural and functional characterization

The construction of hybrid polymer-inorganic nanoarchitectures for electrochemical purposes based on the layer-by-layer assembly of conducting polymers and carbon nanomaterials has become increasingly popular over the last decade. This explosion of interest is primarily related to the increasing mastery in the design of supramolecular constructs using simple wet chemical approaches. Concomitantly, this continuous research activity paved the way to the rapid development of nanocomposites or "nanoblends" readily integrable into energy storage and sensing devices. In this sense, the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique has allowed us to access three-dimensional (3D) multicomponent carbon-based network nanoarchitectures displaying addressable electrical, electrochemical and transport properties in which conducting polymers, such as polyaniline, and carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes or nanographene, play unique roles without disrupting their inherent functions - complementary entities coexisting in harmony. Over the last few years the level of functional sophistication reached by LbL-assembled carbon-based 3D network nanoarchitectures, and the level of knowledge related to how to design, fabricate and optimize the properties of these 3D nanoconstructs have advanced enormously. This feature article presents and discusses not only the recent advances but also the emerging challenges in complex hybrid nanoarchitectures that result from the layer-by-layer assembly of polyaniline, a quintessential conducting polymer, and diverse carbon nanomaterials. This is a rapidly developing research area, and this work attempts to provide an overview of the diverse 3D network nanoarchitectures prepared up to now. The importance of materials processing and LbL integration is explored within each section and while the overall emphasis is on energy storage and sensing applications, the most widely-used synthetic strategies and characterization methods for "nanoblend" formation and performance evaluation are also presented.