Fluid‐structure coupling of linear elastic model with compressible flow models

Cavitation erosion is caused in solids exposed to strong pressure waves developing in an adjacent fluid field. The knowledge of the transient distribution of stresses in the solid is important to understand the cause of damaging by comparisons with breaking points of the material. The modeling of this problem requires the coupling of the models for the fluid and the solid. For this purpose, we use a strategy based on the solution of coupled Riemann problems that has been originally developed for the coupling of 2 fluids. This concept is exemplified for the coupling of a linear elastic structure with an ideal gas. The coupling procedure relies on the solution of a nonlinear equation. Existence and uniqueness of the solution is proven. The coupling conditions are validated by means of quasi‐1D problems for which an explicit solution can be determined. For a more realistic scenario, a 2D application is considered where in a compressible single fluid, a hot gas bubble at low pressure collapses in a cold gas at high pressure near an adjacent structure.     

Effect of polymer and ion concentration on mechanical and drug release behavior of gellan hydrogels using factorial design

Developing optimized hydrogel products requires an in-depth understanding of the mechanisms that drive hydrogel tunability. Here, we performed a full 4 × 4 factorial design study investigating the impact of gellan, a naturally derived polysaccharide (1%, 2%, 3%, or 4% w/v) and CaCl₂ concentration (1, 3, 7, or 10 mM) on the viscoelastic, swelling, and drug release behavior of gellan hydrogels containing a model drug, vancomycin. These concentrations were chosen to specifically provide insight into gellan hydrogel behavior for formulations utilizing polymer and salt concentrations expanding beyond those commonly reported by previous studies exploring gellan. With increasing gellan and CaCl₂ concentration, the hydrogel storage moduli (0.1–100 kPa) followed a power-law relationship and on average these hydrogels had higher liquid absorption capability and greater total drug release over 6 days. We suggest that the effects of gellan and CaCl₂ concentration and their interactions on hydrogel properties can be explained by various phenomena that lead to increased swelling and increased resistance to network expansion.     

Precipitated droplets in-situ cross-linking polymerization and its applications

A novel, green and effective approach to fabricate uniform functional spherical polymer particles remains a huge challenge. Herein, we present a novel one-pot approach superior to traditional precipitation polymerization, called precipitated droplets in-situ cross-linking (PDIC) polymerization, by which uniform particles are fabricated on large scale without any toxic organic solvents or stabilizers. With this approach, functional spherical polymer particles can be fabricated continuously only relying on gravity, and the preparation process is thus super-fast. For example, polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel particles with ultra-high adsorption capacity are fabricated within only 60 s. Moreover, we have successfully fabricated different functional hydrogel particles, including anticoagulant, reinforced and bactericidal particles, based on the monomers of 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS), acrylamide (AM) and [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (DMC), respectively. This approach has several advantages: (i) the technology is green; (ii) the size and porosity of the particles can be well-controlled; (iii) various functional spherical hydrogel particles can be fabricated by using corresponding monomers. More importantly, this approach fits the commercialization of functional hydrogel particles on demand.     

First-principles investigation on ideal strength of B2 NiAl and NiTi alloys

For B2 NiAl and NiTi intermetallic compounds, the ideal stress–strain image is lack from the perspective of elastic constants. We use first-principles calculation to investigate the ideal strength and elastic behavior under the tensile and shear loads. The relation between the ideal strength and elastic constants is found. The uniaxial tension of NiAl and NiTi along <001> crystal direction leads to the change from tetragonal path to orthogonal path, which is driven by the vanishing of the shear constant C(66). The shear failure under {110}{111} shear deformation occurring in process of tension may result in a small ideal tensile strength(~ 2 GPa) for NiTi. The unlikeness in the ideal strength of Ni Al and Ni Ti alloys is discussed based on the charge density difference.     

Afterglow Implant for Arterial Embolization and Intraoperative Imaging

Transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) is wildly used in clinical treatments. However, the online monitoring of the thrombosis formation is limited due to the challenges of the direct visualization of embolic agents and the real-time monitoring of dynamic blood flow. Thus, we developed a photochemical afterglow implant with strong afterglow intensity and a long lifetime for embolization and imaging. The liquid pre-implant injected into the abdominal aorta of mice was rapidly transformed into a hydrogel in situ to embolize the blood vessel. The vascular embolism position can be observed by the enhanced afterglow of the fixed implant, and the long lifetime of afterglow can also be used to monitor the effect of embolization. This provides an excellent candidate in bio-imaging to avoid the autofluorescence interference from continuous light excitation. The study suggests the potential usefulness of the implant as an embolic agent in TAE and artery imaging during a surgical procedure.     

Photodegradation actuated shape-changing hydrogels

Hydrogels are attractive materials for generating 4D shapes due to their ability to undergo pronounced volume changes in response to several stimuli, including light. We previously reported shape-changing hydrogels actuated by long-wave UV and visible light in the presence of live cells using poly(ethylene glycol) macromers incorporating different photodegradable ortho-nitrobenzyl (o-NB) groups. In this comprehensive study, we determine the effect of chemical structure of different o-NB macromers (which influences molar absorptivity and rate constant of degradation), composition (macromer weight percent), fabrication design (initial gel thickness) and environment (ionic strength of solution) on light-induced hydrogel folding. We demonstrate successful photopolymerization and subsequent photodegradation of hydrogels, multistep folding, and live-cell encapsulation. This hydrogel system may be useful as new tool in stem cell differentiation and developmental biology research, facilitating the in vitro investigation of processes that are sensitive to both physical and temporal stimuli.     

三层流体中斜入射波作用下半无限板的水弹性响应

解析地研究了在三层流体中斜入射波浪与半无限弹性板的相互作用引起的波散射和板的水弹性响应. 三层流体在界面处的密度发生阶跃, 各层为一常数. 假设流体不可压缩、无黏、流体运动无旋. 在线性势流理论框架下, 使用本征函数展开法和内积式给出波板相互作用的半解析解. 根据色散关系分析, 得到了表面波模态和界面波模态入射时的临界入射角. 随着物理参数的变化, 临界角将随之发生变化. 临界角决定了当由开阔水域向板覆盖水域传播的表面波或界面波的存在性: (1)板覆盖水域入射界面上, 透射波能否存在; (2)入射界面之上界面中, 板覆盖水域中的透射波以及开阔水域中的反射波能否存在. 当下界面波入射时并且入射角足够大时, 开阔水域中的下界面波模态是整个流体域中唯一存在的模态.      

Anion‐Mediated Effects on the Size and Mechanical Properties of Enzymatically Crosslinked Suckerin Hydrogels

The suckerin family of proteins, identified from the squid sucker ring teeth assembly, offers unique mechanical properties and potential advantages over other natural biomaterials. In this study, a small suckerin isoform, suckerin‐12, is used to create enzymatically crosslinked, macro‐scale hydrogels. Upon exposure to specific salt conditions, suckerin‐12 hydrogels contracted into a condensed state where mechanical properties are found to be modulated by the salt anion present. The rate of contraction is found to correlate well with the kosmotropic arm of the Hofmeister anion series. However, the observed changes in hydrogel mechanical properties are better explained by the ability of the salt to neutralize charges in suckerin‐12 by deprotonization or charge screening. Thus, by altering the anions in the condensing salt solution, it is possible to tune the mechanical properties of suckerin‐12 hydrogels. The potential for suckerins to add new properties to materials based on naturally‐derived proteins is highlighted.     

Hydrogel Microchambers Integrated with Organic Electrodes for Efficient Electrical Stimulation of Human iPSC‐Derived Cardiomyocytes

A hydrogel‐based microchamber with organic electrodes for efficient electrical stimulations of human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐CMs) is described. The microchamber is made from molecularly permeable, optically transparent, and electrically conductive polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel and highly capacitive carbon electrode modified with poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). Spheroids of hiPSC‐CMs are cultured in microchambers, and electrically stimulated by the electrode for maturation. The large interfacial capacitance of the electrodes enables several days of electrical stimulation without generation of cytotoxic bubbles even when the electrodes are placed near the spheroids. The spheroids can be cultivated in the closed microchambers because of the permeated nutrients through the hydrogel, thus the spheroids are stably addressable and the culture medium around the sealed microchambers can be simply exchanged. Synchronized beating of the spheroids can be optically analyzed in situ, which makes it possible to selectively collect electrically responsive cells for further use. As the hydrogel is electrically conductive, the amount of electrical charge needed for maturing the spheroids can be reduced by configuring electrodes on the top and the bottom of the microchamber. The bioreactor will be useful for efficient production of matured hiPSC‐CMs for regenerative medicine and drug screening.