Explore the vast range of titles available.

Stretchable ionic conductors are considerable to be the most attractive candidate for next-generation flexible ionotronic devices. Nevertheless, high ionic conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, good self-healing capacity and recyclability are necessary but can be rarely satisfied in one material. Herein, we propose an ionic conductor design, dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomers (DSICE), via phase-locked strategy, wherein locking soft phase polyether backbone conducts lithium-ion (Li + ) transport and the combination of dynamic disulfide metathesis and stronger supramolecular quadruple hydrogen bonds in the hard domains contributes to the self-healing capacity and mechanical versatility. The dual-phase design performs its own functions and the conflict among ionic conductivity, self-healing capability, and mechanical compatibility can be thus defeated. The well-designed DSICE exhibits high ionic conductivity (3.77 × 10 −3 S m −1 at 30 °C), high transparency (92.3%), superior stretchability (2615.17% elongation), strength (27.83 MPa) and toughness (164.36 MJ m −3 ), excellent self-healing capability (~99% at room temperature) and favorable recyclability. This work provides an interesting strategy for designing the advanced ionic conductors and offers promise for flexible ionotronic devices or solid-state batteries. Stretchable ionic conductors are attractive candidates for flexible ionotronics but combining high conductivity with excellent mechanical properties is challenging. Herein, the authors combine these properties in a dynamic supramolecular ionic conductive elastomer enabling lithium-ion transport in the soft phase and dynamic disulfide and supramolecular hydrogen bonding in the hard segments.

This review is different from previous studies focusing on polypyrrole (PPy) in universal fields such as sensors and supercapacitors. It is the first TO systematically review the specific applications of PPy-based electrospun nanofiber composites in the biomedical field, focusing on its biocompatibility regulation mechanism and tissue repair function. Although PPy exhibits exceptional electrical conductivity, redox activity, and biocompatibility, its clinical translation is hindered by processing challenges and poor degradability. These limitations can be significantly mitigated through composite strategies with degradable nanomaterials, enhancing both process compatibility and biofunctionality. Leveraging the morphological similarity between electrospun nanofibers and the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), this work comprehensively analyzes the topological characteristics of three composite fiber architectures—randomly distributed, aligned, and core–shell structures—and elucidates their application mechanisms in nerve regeneration, skin repair, bone mineralization, and myocardial tissue reconstruction (e.g., facilitating oriented cell migration and regulating differentiation through specific signaling pathway activation). The study further highlights critical challenges in the field, including PPy’s poor solubility, limited spinnability, insufficient mechanical strength, and scalability limitations. Future efforts should prioritize the development of multifunctional gradient composites, intelligent dynamic-responsive scaffolds, and standardized biosafety evaluation systems to accelerate the substantive translation of these materials into clinical applications.

In this paper, a dynamic impregnating device, which can generate supersonic vibration with the vacuum-adsorbing field, was used to prepare the hybrid graphene oxide (GO)/polyethylene glycol (PEG). Interestingly, the hybrid GO/PEG under dynamic impregnating and/or internal mixing was introduced into poly-(lactic acid) (PLA) matrix via melting-compounding, respectively. On one hand, compared with the internal mixing, the hybrid GO/PEG with the different component ratio using dynamic impregnation had a better dispersed morphology in the PLA matrix. On the other hand, compared with the high molecular weight (Mw) of PEG, the hybrid GO/PEG with low Mw of PEG had better an exfoliated morphology and significantly improved the heat distortion temperature (HDT) of the PLA matrix. Binding energies results indicate that low Mw of PEG with GO has excellent compatibility. Dispersed morphologies of the hybrid GO/PEG show that the dynamic impregnating had stronger blending capacity than the internal mixing and obviously improved the exfoliated morphology of GO in the PLA. Crystallization behaviors indicate that the hybrid GO/PEG with the low Mw of PEG based on dynamic impregnating effectively enhanced the crystallinity of PLA, and the cold crystallization character of PLA disappeared in the melting process. Moreover, the storage modulus and loss factor of the PLA-based composites were also investigated and their HDT was improved with the introduction of hybrid GO/PEG. Furthermore, a physical model for the dispersed morphology of the hybrid GO/PEG in the PLA matrix was established. Overall, the unique blending technique of hybrid GO/PEG via dynamic impregnating is an effective approach to enhance the property range of PLA and is suitable for many industrial applications.

Stereocomplex-polylactic acid (SC-PLA) is obtained in poly(d-lactic) acid/poly(l-lactic) acid (PDLA/PLLA) blends under adjusting processing conditions. It is found that the degree of crystallinity of overall SC-PLA is up to 43.7% in PDLA/PLLA blends of 1:1 mass ratio. Formation of stereocomplex (SC) crystals forces molecular chains in the blends to be more closely arranged and further enhances interaction between molecular chains, thus forming a physical cross-linking network in the SC crystals, resulting in the blends having a special microstructure. The mechanism of formation of the SC crystal physical cross-linking network is elucidated by dielectric spectroscopy, and the relationships between homocomplex (HC) crystals, SC crystals, and amorphous regions in the blends are also analyzed. Interestingly, mechanical properties of the blends are significantly improved due to formation of an SC crystal cross-linking network.

Ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS)-based cementitious materials, known for their high strength and good fluidity, present an eco-friendly, low-carbon alternative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). However, the high cost of activators poses a significant challenge, accounting for over 50% of alkali-activated material production costs. This study uses carbide slag (CS), a byproduct of polyvinylchloride (PVC) production, as an activator, along with other solid wastes such as GGBFS and fly ash (FA) as precursors to develop a novel, low-carbon alkali-activated material binder made entirely from solid waste. Various mixtures with different proportions of CS and GGBFS were prepared, and their workability and strength were tested at different ages. Additionally, the hydration characteristics and microstructure of the samples were analyzed using XRD, TG-DTG, FTIR, heat of hydration tests, and SEM-EDS. Results show that calcium hydroxide in CS activates the pozzolanic activity of GGBFS and FA, improving the strength as the proportion of CS increases. At the 5% CS content, the 7 days compressive strength of the GGBFS-based alkali-activated material increased by 79.7% compared to a 2% CS content. However, adding CS reduces the workability of the polymer slurry, with a spread decrease of 168.5 mm and 161.5 mm as the CS content increases from 2% to 8%. The inclusion of CS also increases the rate and total heat released during hydration, with the optimal performance observed at 5% CS. While FA incorporation reduces strength, it enhances slurry workability and reduces heat release during hydration. The strength development is attributed to the formation of AFt, C-S-H gel, C-(A)-S-H gel, and hydrocalumite-like hydrates.

Cellulose nanofibril (CNF), as a renewable biomass material, has the characteristics of low density, high strength, and high hydrophilicity. It can also overcome shortcomings of traditional inorganic nano materials, such as difficult dispersion, high cost, and high health risks. In this work, CNF was modified with a cationic surfactant to further enhance the compatibility with hydrating cement. The effects on cement paste were assessed via compressive and flexural strength, heat of hydration, and restrained ring cracking. The reinforcing mechanisms were analyzed by microhardness test, XRD, and BSE-SEM/EDS. Results showed that cation-modified CNF improved mechanical performance, with an optimal dosage of 0.15 wt.% (by binder). Restrained ring test showed that cation-modified CNF–cement composite delayed crack initiation. An isothermal calorimetry test revealed that cation-modified CNF can increase hydration rate in early age. Microstructural analysis confirmed promotion of denser hydration products. A comprehensive consideration of experimental results indicates internal curing and “short-circuit diffusion” are likely the enhancing mechanism.

Very thin graphite nanosheets are obtained using an ultrasonic irradiation method, and epoxy/graphite nanosheet composites with different filler content are fabricated using the diglycidylether of bisphenol A epoxy matrix. An investigation of structural characteristics and mechanical and dielectric properties of the nanocomposites is carried out. SEM micrographs shows that the thickness of a single layer graphite nanosheet is about 20 nm whereas FTIR studies indicates that the surfaces of the graphite nanosheets are enriched with hydroxyl and carbonyl groups. The dielectric constants of the composites are increased with increases in graphite nanosheet content lower than 3.5 wt%, and are still higher than 100 in the high frequency range with 3.5 wt% graphite filler content. The tensile strength and storage modulus of the composites increase with increasing nanosheet concentration. These epoxy/graphite nanosheet composites, which show both high dielectric constant and toughness, could have potential application in embedded capacitor technology. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 50:1734–1742, 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers

The properties of silicone rubber filled with three kinds of binary mixtures of alumina particles with different size distribution (i.e., 30 μm + 0.5 μm, 10 μm + 0.5 μm, and 5 μm + 0.5 μm) were investigated as a function of relative volume fraction of the 0.5 μm particles in the hybrid alumina (Vs) at a fixed total filler content of 55 vol%. The results indicate that each binary mixture of alumina‐filled silicone rubber exhibited improved thermal conductivity and tensile strength, and decreased dielectric constant, compared to a single particle size filler‐reinforced one, and the maximum improvements were obtained at the Vs ranging from 0.2 to 0.35; the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of filled silicone rubber obviously reduced with increase in the Vs, whereas the elongation at break slightly decreased. At Vs = 0, the larger particles‐filled silicone rubber showed higher thermal conductivity, CTE, dielectric constant, and elongation at break, and lower tensile strength compared with the those of the smaller particles‐filled one. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers

Silver/carbon (Ag/C) nanocables were obtained in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) under hydrothermal conditions in order to modify epoxy resin. Nanocable is a nanocomposite of nanowire (core) wrapped with one or more outer layers (shell). Scanning electron microscopy and energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy proved that nanocables consist of a silver nanowire core and a carbon outer shell. The (Ag/C)/epoxy composites were prepared by compounding Ag/C nanocables and epoxy resin. An investigation of the thermal, mechanical, and dielectric properties of these composites showed that the thermal stability and dielectric constant of the composites were enhanced. Interestingly, the breakdown strength of the composites at room temperature increased. Normally, breakdown strength decreases when conducting fillers are added. Fracture morphology of the (Ag/C)/epoxy composite also showed increased toughness. The relationship between the properties and microstructure of the composite was discussed in detail to explain the mechanism behind the change in material properties. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers

The current paper reports the effects of an epoxide-functionalized, silane surface-treated, self-passivated aluminum (Al) nanoparticles on the glass transition, morphology, thermal conductivity, dielectric properties of an epoxy composite. The surface modification of the Al nanoparticles improved the dispersion of the filler, as well as the glass transition temperature, thermal conductivity, and dielectric properties of the epoxy composites. The epoxy/Al nanocomposites showed a dielectric constant transition concentration. The dielectric constant and dissipation factor increased when the Al particle loading exceeded the critical content but gradually decreased with the frequency. The epoxy nanocomposites containing 15 % by weight Al nanoparticles have a high thermal conductivity and a high dielectric constant but a low dissipation factor. The enhancements in the thermal and dielectric properties of the epoxy nanocomposites show potential for future engineering applications.