Piezoelectric Nanogenerator Based on Electrospun Cellulose Acetate/Nanocellulose Crystal Composite Membranes for Energy Harvesting Application

Nanogenerators, as the typical conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy devices, have great potential in the application of providing sustainable energy sources for powering miniature devices. In this work, cellulose acetate/cellulose nanocrystal(CA/CNC) composite nanofiber membranes were prepared by electrospinning method and then utilized to manufacture a flexible pressure-driven nanogenerator. The addition of CNC not only increased the content of piezoelectric cellulose I crystallization but also strengthened the mechanical deformation of the nanofiber membranes, which could greatly enhance the piezoelectric performance of CA/CNC composite membranes. The CA/CNC composite nanofiber membrane with 20%(mass fraction) of CNC(CA/CNC-20%) showed optimal piezoelectric conversion performance with the output voltage of 1.2 V under the force of 5 N(frequency of 2 Hz). Furthermore, the output voltage of the CA/CNC-20% nanogenerator device exhibited a linear relationship with applied impact force, indicating the great potential in pressure sensors.     

Electrospinnability study of pea (Pisum sativum) and common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) using the conformational and rheological behavior of their protein isolates

Pea protein isolate (PPI) and bean protein concentrate (BPC) were evaluated as fiber-forming vegetal source materials through electrospinning using various solvents. The effects of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP), trifluoroethanol (TFE), trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), formic acid (FA) and water on rheological and conformational properties of the protein solutions were determined. The morphology and molecular organization of the electrospun structures were studied. All PPI and BPC solutions displayed pseudoplastic behavior. Circular dichroism spectroscopy revealed that β-type turns and β-sheets were the dominant protein conformations in water, HFIP, and TFE. After electrospinning, most of the solutions afforded beads. Fiber-like morphologies were only obtained when BPC was dissolved in HFIP. BPC demonstrated better performance in the electrospinning process than PPI. Denaturation of the protein isolates was not sufficient to form fibers, the viscosity of the solution as well as the vapor pressure of the solvents played an important role in defining the morphology.     

Production and characterization of elastomeric cardiac tissue-like patches for Myocardial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death. Damaged heart muscle is the etiology of heart failure. Heart failure is the most frequent cause of hospital and emergency room admissions. As a differentiated organ, current therapeutics and techniques can not repair or replace the damaged myocardial tissue. Myocardial tissue engineering is one of the promising treatment modalities for repairing damaged heart tissue in patients with heart failure. In this work, random Polylactic acid (PLA), Polylactic acid/Polyethylene glycol (PLA/PEG) and random and aligned Polylactic acid/Polyethylene glycol/Collagen (PLA/PEG/COL) nanofiber patches were successfully produced by the electrospinning technique. In vitro cytotoxic test (MTT), morphological (SEM), molecular interactions between the components (FT-IR), thermal analysis (DSC), tensile strength and physical analysis were carried out after production. The resulting nanofiber patches exhibited beadless and smooth structures. When the fiber diameters were examined, it was observed that the collagen doped random nanofiber patches had the lowest fiber diameter value (755 nm). Mechanical characterization results showed that aligned nanofiber patches had maximum tensile strength (5.90 MPa) values compared to PLA, PLA/PEG, and PLA/PEG/COL (random). In vitro degradation test reported that aligned patch had the highest degradation ratio. The produced patches displayed good alignment with tissue on cardiomyocyte cell morphology studies. In conclusion, newly produced patches have noticeable potential as a tissue-like cardiac patch for regeneration efforts after myocardial infarction.     

Different regimes of the uniaxial elongation of electrically charged viscoelastic jets due to dissipative air drag

We investigate the effects of dissipative air drag on the dynamics of electrified jets in the initial stage of the electrospinning process. The main idea is to use a Brownian noise to model air drag effects on the uniaxial elongation of the jets. The developed numerical model is used to probe the dynamics of electrified polymer jets at different conditions of air drag force, showing that the dynamics of the charged jet is strongly biased by the presence of air drag forces. This study provides prospective beneficial implications for improving forthcoming electrospinning experiments.     

Electrospinning of Biomaterials for Vascular Regeneration

Cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world recently. With the growing aging population accompanied by chronic diseases, such as uremia and diabetes, there is an increasing clinical demand for vascular grafts with proper performance. Although some achievements have been made in the development of tissue-engineered vascular grafts composed of natural and synthetic polymeric materials or decellularized vessels, clinical applications with a diameter of less than 6 mm are still principally derived from autografts, such as autologous saphenous veins. Many challenges remain in anti-thrombosis, rapid endothelialization, modulating the inflammatory response and inhibition of intimal hyperplasia and calcification. In the review, recent progress in the electrospinning of biodegradable polymers for vascular regeneration are summarized, especially from the view of biomechanical factors. Hybrid vascular grafts consisting of natural and synthetic polymers with multicomponent, di-or tri-layers are focused in order to provide novel experiences in biomaterials for applications in this field.     

Partial P-Type Metal Ions Doping Induced Variation of Both Crystal Structure and Oxygen Vacancy Within Cu/SnO2 Metastable Solid Solution Nanofibers for Highly Sensitive C2H2 Sensor

Partial P-type metal ions doping(PPMID) is an alternative method to further enhance the gas sensing performance of N-type metal oxides(NMOs) in contrast to that of P-N metal oxides heterojunctions, but the influences of the introduction of PPMID on the grain size and oxygen vacancies of NMOs have been rarely investigated. Herein, a simple and effective route has been demonstrated to address this problem with Cu²⁺-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers(CSMSSNs) as model and C₂H₂ as target molecule by combining electrospinning and calcination technique. It seems that the introduction of PPMID can also affect crystal structure and oxygen vacancies of NMOs, proven by combining X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectra(XPS). Thus, PPD, crystal structure and oxygen vacancies have been combined to clarify the enhanced sensing performance of Cu-doped SnO₂ metastable solid solution nanofibers angainst C₂H₂.     

Oxide Nanofibers as Catalysts Toward Energy Conversion and Environmental Protection

Ultrathin oxide nanofibers are widely used in an array of catalytic applications toward energy conversion and environmental protection. Remarkable progress has been made with regard to the development of engineering oxide nanofibers into unique structures to suit or enable various functions. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of oxide nanofibers, including the structure engineering, derivates, assemblies and their applications. We begin with a brief introduction to the production of nanofibers with diversified compositions, structures and properties, followed by discussions of the wet-chemistry derivates. Afterward, we discuss the applications of catalytic oxide nanofibers, including electrocata-lysis, photocatalysis and thermal-catalysis. Then we highlight the most significant role of oxide nanofibers as catalyst support for the immobilization of metal nanoparticles. Moreover, we showcase the advanced assemblies based on oxide nanofibers, including their use as multi-functional membranes and foams. In the end, we offer perspectives on the challenges, opportunities and new directions for future development.     

Effect of thermal annealing on a bilayer polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid electrospun hydrogel nanofibres loaded with doxorubicin and clarithromycin for a synergism effect against osteosarcoma cells

Polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid (PVA/PAA) bilayer hydrogel nanofibres were successfully fabricated by electrospinning and physically crosslinked via heat treatment. The effects of the thermal annealing process on the structure, morphology, swelling, thermal properties and hydrophilicity of electrospun nanofibres were investigated. In addition, these membranes were also used to incorporate doxorubicin and clarithromycin for osteosarcoma treatment, one in each layer. These drugs were used because it is hypothesized in this work that a synergism occurs between both drugs. So, these membranes were analyzed towards their dual-drug release and potential cytotoxicity towards the U2OS human osteosarcoma cell line. Moreover, the water contact angle, disintegration, swelling and weight loss studies confirmed the rapid swelling and improved water stability of the annealed PVA/PAA bilayer nanofibres. The annealed bilayer nanofibres exhibited an increase in the average diameter and degree of crystallinity. In addition, the results revealed that a variation occurred in the degree of hydrophilicity of annealed PVA/PAA bilayer nanofibres. The PAA nanofibres surface exhibited higher hydrophilicity than the PVA nanofibres surface. Drug delivery presented to be as fast rate release for clarithromycin and slow-rate release for doxorubicin, which may be advantageous because both drugs exhibited to be synergetic for certain dosages presenting the combination of the drugs higher than 50% of cell inhibition, while these membranes had higher inhibition values (up to 90%), which was attributed to the PAA but also the drugs. These unique properties are of potential interest in drug delivery applications for dual drug delivery where the tunability of surfaces is desirable.     

静电纺空气过滤用PET/CTS抗菌复合纳米纤维膜的制备

采用静电纺丝法制备PET/CTS复合纳米纤维膜,并在纤维膜表面吸附一层纳米银,进一步增加纤维膜的抗菌性能.以扫描电镜(SEM)对不同配比PET/CTS所制备的纤维膜的微观形貌进行表征,结果显示w(CTS)/w(PET)为12.5%时,纤维形貌较好,平均直径为405 nm.分别对不同厚度的PET/CTS纤维膜进行力学性能、透气性能以及空气过滤性能测试,结果表明纺丝时间为7 h时,纤维膜具有较好的性能,其弹性模量为48.15 MPa、断裂伸长率183.30%、拉伸断裂应力2.11 MPa、拉伸强度2.49 MPa、拉伸屈服应力1.23 MPa、最大力1.38 N,阻气值为3.99 k Pa·S/m,过滤效率为99.55%,压降为621.32 Pa.吸附银离子实验表明,最佳GA交联浴配比为GA(vol%)=3.5%.紫外可见光谱(UV)及透射电镜(TEM)表征证明,有10 nm左右纳米银生成.抑菌实验表明,载银PET/CTS复合纳米纤维膜对金黄色葡萄球菌(S.a.)和大肠杆菌(E.coli.)的杀菌率分别为99.97%和99.99%.     

静电纺丝法制备PLLA/g-HNTs复合纳米纤维膜及其性能研究

以辛酸亚锡为催化剂,利用HNTs表面的羟基引发L-LA开环聚合,合成了表面接枝聚(L-乳酸)(PLLA)链段的埃洛石纳米管(g-HNTs),通过红外、热失重和透射电镜对改性前后HNTs的组成与形貌进行了观察;然后采用静电纺丝技术制备了PLLA纳米纤维膜以及不同组成的PLLA/HNTs和PLLA/g-HNTs复合纳米纤维膜,探讨了纺丝条件对纳米纤维膜形貌的影响,并对复合膜的组成、形貌、力学性能和细胞相容性进行了研究.结果表明,当HNTs与L-LA的摩尔投料比为1∶10时,g-HNTs表面PLLA链段的接枝率为14.22％,HNTs纳米管的形态在接枝后变化不大,易于在无水乙醇中分散.电压强度和进样速率对纤维膜的形貌有一定影响,当电压强度为15 kV、进样速率为1 mL/h时,电纺纤维的直径较为均匀.复合纤维膜中g-HNTs在基体PLLA中的分散性以及与基体的界面相容性要优于相应的HNTs,当g-HNTs含量高达40％时,复合纳米纤维膜中的纤维形态仍然保持较好,可以得到连续、粗细较均匀的纤维;随着HNTs和g-HNTs含量增加,复合纳米纤维膜的拉伸强度和模量先增大后下降,当HNTs和g-HNTs的含量为5％时,两种复合纳米纤维膜的拉伸强度和模量均达到最大值,但PLLA/g-HNTs组复合纳米纤维膜的拉伸强度始终大于相应的PLLA/HNTs组.体外3T3细胞培养结果显示,PLLA/g-HNTs复合纳米纤维膜具有良好的细胞相容性,且优于相应的PLLA和PLLA/HNTs纳米纤维膜.