| 1. |
- Benselfelt, Tobias, et al.
(författare)
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Electrochemically Controlled Hydrogels with Electrotunable Permeability and Uniaxial Actuation
- 2023
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 35:45
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The unique properties of hydrogels enable the design of life-like soft intelligent systems. However, stimuli-responsive hydrogels still suffer from limited actuation control. Direct electronic control of electronically conductive hydrogels can solve this challenge and allow direct integration with modern electronic systems. An electrochemically controlled nanowire composite hydrogel with high in-plane conductivity that stimulates a uniaxial electrochemical osmotic expansion is demonstrated. This materials system allows precisely controlled shape-morphing at only -1 V, where capacitive charging of the hydrogel bulk leads to a large uniaxial expansion of up to 300%, caused by the ingress of & AP;700 water molecules per electron-ion pair. The material retains its state when turned off, which is ideal for electrotunable membranes as the inherent coupling between the expansion and mesoporosity enables electronic control of permeability for adaptive separation, fractionation, and distribution. Used as electrochemical osmotic hydrogel actuators, they achieve an electroactive pressure of up to 0.7 MPa (1.4 MPa vs dry) and a work density of & AP;150 kJ m-3 (2 MJ m-3 vs dry). This new materials system paves the way to integrate actuation, sensing, and controlled permeation into advanced soft intelligent systems. The unique properties of hydrogels enable the design of life-like soft intelligent systems. This work demonstrates how the swelling of hydrogels from cellulose nanofibrils and carbon nanotubes can be electrochemically controlled to achieve electrochemical osmotic actuation. This new materials system paves the way for integrated actuation, sensing, and controlled permeation in electrotunable separation membranes or soft actuators.image
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| 2. |
- Cortes Ruiz, Maria F., et al.
(författare)
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Shape-recovering nanocellulose networks : Preparation, characterization and modeling
- 2023
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Ingår i: Carbohydrate Polymers. - : Elsevier BV. - 0144-8617 .- 1879-1344. ; 315, s. 120950-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Development of strong cellulose nanofibril (CNF) networks for advanced applications, such as in the biomedical field, is of high importance owing to the biocompatible nature and plant-based origin of cellulose nanofibrils. Nevertheless, lack of mechanical strength and complex synthesis methods hinder the application of these ma-terials in areas where both toughness and manufacturing simplicity are required. In this work, we introduce a facile method for the synthesis of a low solid content (< 2 wt%), covalently crosslinked CNF hydrogel where Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (NIPAM) chains are utilized as crosslinks between the nanofibrils. The resulting net-works have the capability to fully recover the shape in which they were formed after various drying and rewetting cycles. Characterization of the hydrogel and its constitutive components was performed using X-ray scattering, rheological investigations and uniaxial testing in compression. Influence of covalent crosslinks was compared with networks crosslinked by the addition of CaCl2. Among other things the results show that the mechanical properties of the hydrogels can be tuned by controlling the ionic strength of the surrounding me-dium. Finally, a mathematical model was developed based on the experimental results, which describes and predicts to a decent degree the large-deformation, elastoplastic behavior, and fracture of these networks.
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| 3. |
- Eita, Mohamed, et al.
(författare)
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Spin-Assisted Multilayers of Poly(methyl methacrylate) and Zinc Oxide Quantum Dots for Ultraviolet-Blocking Applications
- 2012
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 4:6, s. 2920-2925
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Thin UV-blocking films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were built-up by spin-coating. Ellipsometry reveals average thicknesses of 9.5 and 8.6 nm per bilayer before and after heating at 100 degrees C for one hour, respectively. The surface roughness measured by Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was 3.6 and 8.4 nm for the one and ten bilayer films, respectively. The linear increase in thickness as well as the low surface roughness increment per bilayer indicates a stratified multilayer structure and a smooth interface without: aggregation. The absorption of UV radiation increased with increasing number of bilayers. At the same time, transmission was damped at wavelengths shorter than 375 nm. The thin films had a high and constant transparency in the visible region. Green-light emitting QDs could be detected by confocal microscopy at a concentration of 20% in a single layer of PMMA/ZnO. PMMA/ZnO QDs thin films are hydrophobic, as indicated by contact angle measurements.
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| 4. |
- Eita, Mohamed, et al.
(författare)
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Thin Films of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles and Poly(acrylic acid) Fabricated by the Layer-by-Layer Technique : a Facile Platform for Outstanding Properties
- 2012
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 116:7, s. 4621-4627
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The incorporation of nanoparticles into polyelectrolytes thin films opens the way to a broad range of applications depending on the functionality of the nanoparticles. In this work, thin films of ZnO nanoparticles and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were built up using the layer-by-layer technique. The thickness of a 20-bilayer film is about 120 nm with a surface roughness of 22.9 nm as measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Thin ZnO/PAA films block UV radiation starting at a wavelength of 361 nm due to absorption by ZnO although the films are highly transparent. Due to their high porosity, these thin films show a broadband antireflection in the visible region, and thus they provide selective opacity in the UV region and enhanced transmittance in the visible region up to the near-infrared region. They are also superhydrophilic due to their high porosity and surface roughness.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Kishani, Saina, et al.
(författare)
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Entropy drives the adsorption of xyloglucan to cellulose surfaces-A molecular dynamics study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0021-9797 .- 1095-7103. ; 588, s. 485-493
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The adsorption of nonionic polymers to cellulose is of large importance both in the plant cell wall during synthesis and for the development of sustainable materials from wood. Here, the thermodynamics of adsorption of the polysaccharide xyloglucan (XG) to both native and chemically modified cellulose with carboxyl groups was investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The free energy of adsorption was calculated as the potential of mean force between an XG oligomer and model cellulose surfaces in a range of temperatures from 298 K to 360 K. It was found that the adsorption near room temperature is an endothermic process dominated by the entropy of released interfacial water molecules. This was corroborated by quantitative assessment of the absolute entropy per water molecule both at the interface and in the bulk. In the case of native cellulose, the adsorption became exothermic at higher temperatures, while the relatively strong interactions between water and the charged groups of the oxidized cellulose impede such a transition. The results also indicate that the extraction of strongly associated hemicelluloses would be facilitated by low temperature.
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| 7. |
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