Unusual collapse of highly hydrated polyelectrolyte multilayers with the ionic strength

Highly hydrated polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) were fabricated by “layer by layer” (LBL) assembly of poly (diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly (sodium 4‐styrene sulfonate) (PSS) in 0.5 M NaCl. Both thickness and hydration of the film were determined in situ as the multilayer was assembled by means of the quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM‐D) and the Spectroscopic Ellipsometry techniques combined in a single device. For PEMs of 17 total layers in water, a final thickness of up to 300 nm and a hydration of 69% were measured. The response towards the ionic strength was then studied by means of QCM‐D. PEMs of 17 layers, with PDADMAC as last layer, shrunk dramatically and lost water when exposed to aqueous NaCl solutions of increasing concentration. Indeed, a thickness variation up to 100 nm and reduction in the 50% of the water content were observed when the PEM was exposed to 1 M NaCl. On the contrary, PEMs where PSS appears on top showed no measurable change upon the variation in the ionic strength. This brings the possibility to control the responsive character of the PEMs simply by selecting the last polyelectrolyte layer (PDADMAC or PSS) deposited. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2011     

Shape‐memory effect in hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine)‐modified epoxy thermosets

A series of shape‐memory epoxy thermosets were synthesized by crosslinking diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with mixtures of commercially available hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine) and polyetheramine. Thermal, mechanical and shape‐memory properties were studied and the effect on them of the content and structure of the hyperbranched polymer was discussed. Measurements showed that the glass transition temperature can be tailored from 60 °C to 117 °C depending on the hyperbranched polymer content, and all formulations showed an appropriate glassy/rubbery storage modulus ratio. Shape‐memory programming was carried out at TgE′ given the excellent mechanical properties of the materials, with maximum stress and failure strain up to 15 MPa and 60%, respectively. The resulting shape‐memory behavior was excellent, with maximum shape recovery and shape fixity of 98% as well as a fast shape‐recovery rate of 22%/min. The results show that hyperbranched poly(ethyleneimine) as a crosslinking agent can be used to enhance mechanical and shape‐memory properties with different effects depending on the crosslinking density. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 924–933     

基于环糊精的智能刺激响应型药物载体

智能药物载体凭借其独特的刺激-响应机制控制药物的释放速度和转运部位,已成为当前化学与药学领域的研究热点之一。由于具有提高药物在体内的生物利用度和降低其毒副作用等优点,智能药物载体将在未来的临床治疗中起到越来越重要的作用。近年来,环糊精作为药物载体材料的研究取得了巨大进步,其在药物控释的时间、空间和剂量上更为准确。环糊精具有大环结构,可自组装、易于功能化、天然无毒且价格低廉,已被广泛应用于构筑智能药物载体。凭借其自组装、分子识别和动态可逆性能力,环糊精可以同其他生物相容性材料构筑具有不同性能的智能药物载体。这种载体可在外界刺激下做出相关理化性质改变的反馈调节,包括通过内源性刺激(pH值、氧化还原物质和酶浓度等)和外源性刺激(温度、光、磁场、超声和电压等),进而控制药物的释放。本文综述了面向不同刺激因素的基于环糊精智能刺激响应型药物载体的作用机理、特点和应用的最新研究进展,并对其发展前景作了进一步的展望。     

Smart Microdevices Laying “Breadcrumbs” to Find the Way Home: Chemotactic Homing TiO2/Pt Janus Microrobots

Synthetic microrobots or micromotors are known to show “intelligent” behavior such as magnetotaxis, phototaxis, chemotaxis, active detection, and chemical communication. Herein, we present the concept of micromotors laying “breadcrumbs”; that is, these micromachines can move/return to a home position without external guidance after their external energy input is stopped. As a demonstration, TiO₂/Pt Janus micromotors that move forward with UV light can return back following the previous path when the UV light is turned off. Such autonomy of motion opens the door for truly independent applications of micromotors in the “deliver‐and‐return” fashion.     

Smart Nanocarriers as an Emerging Platform for Cancer Therapy: A Review

Cancer is a group of disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell growth that affects around 11 million people each year globally. Nanocarrier-based systems are extensively used in cancer imaging, diagnostics as well as therapeutics; owing to their promising features and potential to augment therapeutic efficacy. The focal point of research remains to develop new-fangled smart nanocarriers that can selectively respond to cancer-specific conditions and deliver medications to target cells efficiently. Nanocarriers deliver loaded therapeutic cargos to the tumour site either in a passive or active mode, with the least drug elimination from the drug delivery systems. This review chiefly focuses on current advances allied to smart nanocarriers such as dendrimers, liposomes, mesoporous silica nanoparticles, quantum dots, micelles, superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes, to list a few. Exhaustive discussion on crucial topics like drug targeting, surface decorated smart-nanocarriers and stimuli-responsive cancer nanotherapeutics responding to temperature, enzyme, pH and redox stimuli have been covered.     

智能结构中的光纤传感系统研究

以电流变材料制作的结构型及特性可随外界因素而变,当具备一定的感知功能后即成为智能结构,光纤传感器具有抗电磁干扰,高灵敏度,高频响,可挠曲铺设等特点,故成为传统感系统的首选技术。     

The dynamical response of a hydrogel fiber to electrochemical stimulation

The preparation of a smart hydrogel fiber based on chitosan/poly(ethylene glycol) is presented. The dynamics of this hydrogel fiber in response to electric stimulation is reported. The effects of a number of factors have been systematically studied, including the fiber diameter, concentration of the crosslinking agent, electric potential imposed across the fiber, pH, and ionic strength of the bath solution. Fiber deformation is expressed in terms of the curvature at the midlength of the fiber for various times. The number of bending to a given extent within a given time period is used to describe the rate of cyclic deformation. Our experimental results show a stable reversibility of bending behavior under the applied electric field. The bending curvature is proportional to the intensity of the applied electric potential. Although adequate mechanical properties are maintained, the rate of deformation can be improved via the adjustment of a number of the aforementioned extrinsic factors. These observations are interpreted in terms of fiber stiffness, fixed charge density, and swelling pressure, which depend on the hydrogel equilibrium states in different pH and ionic environments along with the electrochemical reactions under the electric field. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 236–246, 2001     

Effective properties of a piezocomposite containing shape memory alloy and inert inclusions

Received July 2, 2001 / Published online February 4, 2002     

Thin film design for advanced thermochromic smart radiator devices

This paper describes the research on the materials and design methods for advanced smart radiator devices (SRDs) on large-area flexible substrates utilized on spacecraft. The functional material is thermochromic vanadium dioxide. The coating design of SRD is similar to the design of broadband filter coatings in a mid-infrared region. The multilayer coatings have complex structures. Coating materials must be highly transparent in a required spectrum region and also mechanically robust enough to endure the influence from the rigorous environments of outer space. The number of layers must be very small, suitable for the deposition on large-area flexible substrates. All the coatings are designed initially based on optical calculation and practical experience, and then optimized by the TFCALC software. Several designs are described and compared with each other. The results show that the emittance variability of the designed SRDs is great than 400\%, more advanced than the reported ones.     

Laminated shells with actuation strains: general theory and applications

Summary A general theory is proposed for laminated shells with integrated actuators. The theory incorporates dynamic effects and satisfies the compatibility condition of transverse shear stress at layer interfaces as well as on the top and bottom surfaces of the shells. The governing equations and the relevant boundary conditions are derived via Hamilton's principle. They contain only five unknown variables, as in the first-order shear-deformable shell theory. As an illustrative example, an infinitely long strip composed of a metallic layer mounted by two piezoelectric actuating layers is analysed. The results are compared with those predicted by some other existing models. Received 4 August 1997; accepted for publication 16 June 1998