Amphiphilic Janus Graphene Oxide Acts as a Corrosion Inhibitor to Mitigate the Corrosion Caused by a 1 M HCl Solution on Mild Steel.

Great aqueous dispersibility, a large specific surface area, and high impermeability make graphene oxide (GO) the ideal candidate for a high-performance corrosion inhibitor. Numerous symmetrical modification methods have been reported to enhance the adsorption of GO on metal surfaces in various corrosive media. This work aims to investigate the enhancement and mechanism of unilateral hydrophobic modification on the corrosion inhibition performance of GO. In this study, amphiphilic Janus GO (JGO) was prepared by grafting hydrophobic alkyl chains on one side of GO, and its anticorrosion performance was evaluated via weight loss experiments and electrochemical tests. The results revealed that the corrosion inhibition efficiency for Q235 mild steel (MS) in a 1 M HCl aqueous solution of 25 ppm JGO (81.08%) was much higher than that of GO at the same concentration (22.12%). Furthermore, the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and computational study demonstrated that the synergistic effect of physical adsorption and chemical adsorption promoted the hydrophilic side of JGO close to the surface of the metal, and the dense protective layer was formed by the hydrophobic chains toward the corrosive medium, which effectively hindered the corrosion of MS by the acidic liquid. This study emphasizes the significant role of asymmetrically modified hydrophobic alkyl chains in improving the corrosion prevention performance of GO and provides a perspective for the structural design of GO-based corrosion inhibitors.

Impact of self-assembled structure on ionic conductivity of an azobenzene-containing electrolyte.

The type of self-assembled structure has a significant impact on the ionic conductivity of block copolymer or liquid crystalline (LC) ion conductors. In this study, we focus on the effect of self-assembled structures on the ionic conductivity of a non-block copolymer, LC ion conductor, which is a mixture of an azobenzene monomer (NbAzo), pentaerythritol tetre(3-mercapropionate) (PETMP), and a lithium salt, lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI). The self-assembled structures and ionic conductivities of ion conductors having different doping ratios of lithium salt to monomer were examined. With the increase in the doping ratio, the self-assembled structure transforms from lamellae (LAM) to double gyroid (GYR). The effect of self-assembled structure on ionic conductivity was analyzed; it was found that the conductivity of the GYR structure was about 3.6 times that of the LAM one, indicating that obtaining the GYR structure is more effective in improving ionic conductivity.

Molecular Insights into the Dual Promotion-Inhibition Effects of NaCl at Various Concentrations on the CO2 Hydrate Growth: A Molecular Simulation Study.

Hydrate-based CO2 storage in the ocean is considered a potential method for mitigating the greenhouse effect. Numerous studies demonstrated that NaCl exhibited the dual effects of promotion and inhibition in the nucleation and growth processes of CO2 hydrate, whose mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, the effects of NaCl at various concentrations on the CO2 hydrate growth and crystal are investigated. The independent gradient model based on Hirshfeld partition, electrostatic potential, and binding energy is conducted to study the interaction between ions and water molecules. The motion trajectories of ions are observed at the molecular level to reflect the impact of ion motion on hydrate growth. The results show that the influence of NaCl on hydrate growth depends on a delicate balance of dual promotion-inhibition effects. NaCl can combine more water molecules and provide a transport channel of CO2 to promote hydrate growth at low concentrations. Meanwhile, the promoting effects shift toward inhibition with increasing NaCl concentrations. In a word, this paper proposes a novel mechanism for the dual promotion-inhibition effects of NaCl on hydrate growth, which is significant for further research on hydrate-based CO2 storage in the ocean.

Nanoconfined polymerization limits crack propagation in hysteresis-free gels.

Consecutive mechanical loading cycles cause irreversible fatigue damage and residual strain in gels, affecting their service life and application scope. Hysteresis-free hydrogels within a limited deformation range have been created by various strategies. However, large deformation and high elasticity are inherently contradictory attributes. Here we present a nanoconfined polymerization strategy for producing tough and near-zero-hysteresis gels under a large range of deformations. Gels are prepared through in situ polymerization within nanochannels of covalent organic frameworks or molecular sieves. The nanochannel confinement and strong hydrogen bonding interactions with polymer segments are crucial for achieving rapid self-reinforcement. The rigid nanostructures relieve the stress concentration at the crack tips and prevent crack propagation, enhancing the ultimate fracture strain (17,580 ± 308%), toughness (87.7 ± 2.3 MJ m-3) and crack propagation strain (5,800%) of the gels. This approach provides a general strategy for synthesizing gels that overcome the traditional trade-offs of large deformation and high elasticity.

3D printing combined with anteroposterior cannulated screws for the treatment of posterolateral tibial plateau fracture.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effects of conventional surgery and three-dimension (3D) printing technology-assisted surgery in the treatment of posterolateral tibial plateau fractures (PTPF). METHODS: A cohort of 61 patients afflicted with PTPF, spanning from June 2015 to October 2021, was enrolled. They were divided randomly into two groups: 31 cases of 3D printing group, 30 cases of conventional group. The personalized 3D-printed models were used to simulate the surgical procedures in 3D printing group. The demographic characteristics and clinical data were recorded, encompassing operation duration, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy shoots and fracture union time. The radiographic outcomes were gauged, encompassing tibiofemoral angle (FTA), tibial plateau angle (TPA), posterolateral slope angle (PSA) and Rasmussen's anatomical score. The functional outcomes were assessed at the 12-month postoperative juncture, encompassing range of motion, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score and Rasmussen's functional score. Furthermore, fracture complications were evaluated,, encompassing infections, traumatic osteoarthritis, and delayed union. RESULTS: The 3D printing group exhibited the operation time of 95.8 ± 30.2 min, intraoperative blood loss of 101.1 ± 55.3 ml, and intraoperative fluoroscopy shoots of 6.3 ± 2.3 times, while the conventional group recorded respective values of 115.5 ± 34.0 min, 137.0 ± 49.2 ml and 9.13 ± 2.5 times. Noteworthy disparities were evident between the conventional and 3D printing groups (p < 0.05). Furthermore, in comparison to the conventional group, the 3D printing group exhibited commendable radiological and functional outcomes both immediately and 12 months post-surgery, although statistical significance was not attained. Moreover, the 3D printing group experienced a paucity of complications compared to the conventional group, although without achieving statistical significance. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the clinical feasibility of 3D printing combined with anteroposterior cannulated screws for the treatment of posterolateral tibial plateau fracture.

Bexarotene improves motor function after spinal cord injury in mice.

Spinal cord injury is a challenge in orthopedics because it causes irreversible damage to the central nervous system. Therefore, early treatment to prevent lesion expansion is crucial for the management of patients with spinal cord injury. Bexarotene, a type of retinoid, exerts therapeutic effects on patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and Parkinson's disease. Bexarotene has been proven to promote autophagy, but it has not been used in the treatment of spinal cord injury. To investigate the effects of bexarotene on spinal cord injury, we established a mouse model of T11-T12 spinal cord contusion and performed daily intraperitoneal injection of bexarotene for 5 consecutive days. We found that bexarotene effectively reduced the deposition of collagen and the number of pathological neurons in the injured spinal cord, increased the number of synapses of nerve cells, reduced oxidative stress, inhibited pyroptosis, promoted the recovery of motor function, and reduced death. Inhibition of autophagy with 3-methyladenine reversed the effects of bexarotene on spinal cord injury. Bexarotene enhanced the nuclear translocation of transcription factor E3, which further activated AMP-activated protein kinase-S-phase kinase-associated protein 2-coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 and AMP-activated protein kinase-mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathways. Intravenous injection of transcription factor E3 shRNA or intraperitoneal injection of compound C, an AMP-activated protein kinase blocker, inhibited the effects of bexarotene. These findings suggest that bexarotene regulates nuclear translocation of transcription factor E3 through the AMP-activated protein kinase-S-phase kinase-associated protein 2-coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 and AMP-activated protein kinase-mammalian target of rapamycin signal pathways, promotes autophagy, decreases reactive oxygen species level, inhibits pyroptosis, and improves motor function after spinal cord injury.

Strain-Stiffening Ionogel with High-Temperature Tolerance via the Synergy of Ionic Clusters and Hydrogen Bonds.

Highly stretchable and conductive ionogels have great potential in flexible electronics and soft robotic skins. However, current ionogels are still far from being able to accurately duplicate the mechanically responsive behavior of real human skin. Furthermore, durable robotic skins that are applicable under harsh conditions are still lacking. Herein, a strong noncovalent interaction, ionic clusters, is combined with hydrogen bonds to obtain a physically cross-linked ionogel (PCI). Benefiting from the strong ionic bonding of the ionic cluster, the PCI shows strain-stiffening behavior similar to that of human skin, thus enabling it to have a perception-strengthening ability. Additionally, the strong ionic clusters can also ensure the PCI remains stable at high temperatures. Even when the temperature is raised to 200 °C, the PCI can maintain the gel state. Moreover, the PCI exhibits high transparency, recyclability, good adhesion, and high conductivity. Such excellent features distinguish the PCI from ordinary ionogels, providing a new way to realize skin-like sensing in harsh environments for future bionic machines.

Supramolecular Liquid Crystal Carbon Dots for Solvent-Free Direct Ink Writing.

Recent years have witnessed the major advances of nanolights with extensive exploration of nano-luminescent materials like carbon dots (CDs). However, solvent-free processing of these materials remains a formidable challenge, impeding endeavors to develop advanced manufacturing techniques. Herein, in response to this challenge, liquid crystallization is demonstrated as a versatile and robust approach by deliberately anchoring flexible alkyl chains on the CDs surface. Alkyl chain grafting on the CDs surface is observed to substantially depress the common aggregation-caused quenching effect, and results in a shift of self-assembly structure from the crystalline phase to smectic liquid crystalline phase. The liquid-crystalline phase-transition temperature is ready to adjust by varying the alkyl chain length, endowing low-temperature (<50 °C) melt-processing capabilities. Consequently, the first case of direct ink writing (DIW) with liquid crystal (LC) carbon dots is demonstrated, giving rise to highly emissive objects with blue, green and red fluorescence, respectively. Another unexpected finding is that DIW with the LC inks dramatically outperforms DIW with isotropic inks, further highlighting the significance of the LC processing. The approach reported herein not only exhibits a fundamental advance by imparting LC functions to CDs, but also promises technological utility in DIW-based advanced manufacturing.

Enhancement of Xanthate Adsorption on Cerussite Surfaces by Pb(II) Activation and Its Effect on Floatability.

Cerussite is a lead oxide mineral resource that is typically enriched through sulfidization flotation. The surface sulfidation degree and the high solubility of cerussite strongly affect the flotation ability of cerussite. In the current work, lead ions were used to pretreat cerussite to intensify its sulfidization flotation. The sulfidization mechanism regulating the lead ions pretreatment on cerussite was investigated by the micro-flotation test, ToF-SIMS, zeta potential measurement, adsorption test, and XPS. The results from the micro-flotation test demonstrated that the floatability of cerussite could be improved by adding an appropriate amount of lead ions. Compared with the treatment involving only Na2S, the maximum recovery increased by 17.57%. Adsorption experiments showed that lead modification improved the stability of xanthate products on the surface of cerussite. According to the measurement of zeta potential and the results of ToF-SIMS, the addition of lead ion Pb pretreatment increased the number of active Pb sites adsorbed by xanthate, thereby improving the formation of hydrophobic Pb-dilute precipitate. Therefore, the interaction between lead ions and the surface of cerussite enhances the strength and stability of the hydrophobic layer, resulting in enhanced hydrophobicity of cerussite.

Large-Area Uniaxially Oriented Sub-5†nm Line Patterns of Hybrid Liquid Crystals Constructed by Perylene Diimide and Oligo(Dimethylsiloxane).

Construction of sub-5 nm long-range ordered structures through self-assembly has received increasing attention. Herein, a series of ODMS-based thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) containing perylene diimide (PDI) were designed and synthesized. These LCs can form ordered nanostructures with periodic sizes around 5 nm including smectic J (SmJ), oblique columnar (Colob ), and hexagonal columnar (Colh ) phases with change in the volume fraction of ODMS, where the layer spacing of the SmJ phase is less than 5 nm. Thin films with parallel oriented nanolines with line width less than 5 nm can be obtained on PDMS-modified silicon substrates by spin-casting and simple thermal annealing processes. Moreover, owing to the strong π-π interaction between PDI cores, these nanolines are long-range ordered with uniaxial orientation in relatively large areas (1.5×1.5 µm2 ) with over 300 continuous microdomains without pre-patterning. These nanostructures provide the possibility of preparing nanotemplates by oxygen plasma etching.

Ordered structure constructed from C2-symmetric hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene linked with oligo(dimethylsiloxane).

The preparation of sub-5-nm ordered structures is very important to the development of today's nanotechnology. Block molecules have the potential to form structures with significantly small characteristic dimensions. Herein two novel organic-inorganic block molecules composed of a hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (HBC) core and two oligo(dimethylsiloxane) (ODMS) tails with C2 symmetry are reported. A hierarchical lamello-columnar structure with a two-dimensional rectangular lattice where HBC cores adopt a tilted arrangement was obtained from their bulk self-assembly. The feature sizes are all below 5 nm and can be regulated via the number of ODMS chains. Sub-5-nm line structures were obtained through spin-coating of the block molecules onto silicon substrates modified with poly(dimethylsiloxane). As organic-inorganic hybrid materials, these block molecules may be further applied in sub-5-nm nanopatterning.

Regulation of High Miscibility for Efficient Charge-Transport in n-Doped Conjugated Polymers.

Strong interchain interactions of conjugated polymers usually result in poor miscibility with molecular dopants, limiting the doping efficiency because of uncontrolled phase separation. We have developed a strategy to achieve efficient charge-transport and high doping miscibility in n-doped conjugated polymers. We solve the miscibility issue through disorder side-chains containing dopants better. Systemic structural characterization reveals a farther side-chain branching point will lead to higher disorders, which provides appropriate sites to accommodate extrinsic molecular dopants without harming original chain packings and charge-transport channels. Therefore, better sustainability of solid-state microstructure is obtained, yielding a stable conductivity even when overloading massive dopants. This work highlights the importance of realizing high host-dopant miscibility in molecular doping of conjugated polymers.

Sub-5 nm homeotropically aligned columnar structures of hybrids constructed by porphyrin and oligo(dimethylsiloxane).

A series of tetraphenylporphyrin-based thermotropic liquid crystals containing oligo(dimethylsiloxane) were synthesized. These disc-coil hybrids form ordered nanostructures with periodic sizes on the sub-5 nm scale, including oblique columnar, lamellar, and hexagonal columnar phases. Films with sub-5 nm line patterns and homeotropically aligned columnar structures can be obtained by substrate-induced self-assembly.

Thickness-Dependent Photo-Aligned Thin-Film Morphologies of a Block Copolymer Containing an Azobenzene-Based Liquid Crystalline Polymer and a Poly(ionic liquid).

Photo-induced alignment of the thin-film morphologies of azobenzene-containing block copolymers (BCPs) is an effective method to obtain a uniaxial pattern of nanocylinders. Although film thickness is an important factor affecting the self-assembly of BCP thin films, the influence of film thickness on the photo-induced alignment of BCP thin-film morphology has never been systematically studied. Herein, we report the thickness-dependent photo-aligned film morphologies of the BCP containing an azobenzene-based liquid crystalline polymer and a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL), with a perfect uniaxial pattern of PIL nanocylinders. For films aligned with the unpolarized light (UPL), the out-of-plane PIL nanocylinders can be obtained in the film with a thickness of only 1L0 (∼30 nm, where L0 is the layer spacing of the hexagonally packed cylinder array), which is far lower than the thickness (more than 4L0) of the thermally annealed film needed to obtain the same morphology. This change is attributed to the orientation effect of UPL on azobenzene mesogens that suppresses the excluded volume effect. For the films aligned with linearly polarized light (LPL), to take advantage of the excluded volume effect to obtain the planar orientation of azobenzene mesogens, the thickness should be controlled to be no more than 3L0 to achieve an in-plane uniaxial alignment of PIL nanocylinders. The above relationship between the morphology and thickness of photo-aligned film eliminates the obstacles encountered in preparing films with well-ordered photo-aligned morphologies.

Self-Healing Solid Polymer Electrolyte with High Ion Conductivity and Super Stretchability for All-Solid Zinc-Ion Batteries.

The zinc-ion battery (ZIB) is a novel energy storage device, an attractive alternative to the lithium-ion battery. The frequently used aqueous electrolyte suffers from many problems such as zinc dendrites and leakage, which prompts hydrogel electrolytes and solid electrolytes as good replacements. However, hydrogel electrolytes are usually unstable, owing to water volatilization. Herein, a novel solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) utilizing coordination of zinc ions is designed and then introduced into an all-solid ZIB. Benefiting from the unique coordination structure between the polymer and zinc ions, the SPE shows outstanding flexibility, high ion conductivity, and self-healing properties. In addition, the imine bonds in the polymer allow the electrolyte to degrade in acid environments, endowing its recyclability. More importantly, solid-state ZIBs based on the polymer electrolytes exhibit an impressive cycling stability (125% capacity retention after 300 cycles) and a high coulombic efficiency (94% after 300 cycles). The results demonstrate the promising potentials of the developed SPEs that can be used in all-solid ZIBs.

Influence of 3D laparoscopic surgery on surgeon's visual pattern and mental workload.

Previous studies have found that surgeons perform better in three-dimensional (3D) surgery than in two-dimensional (2D) surgery. However, no comparative studies have revealed the impact of 3D laparoscopic surgery on the surgeon's vision. To explore the effect of laparoscopic surgeons' depth perception during 3D laparoscopic surgery, 10 participants were recruited and performed 4 sets comparative simulated laparoscopic procedures in a virtual simulator, and eye movement signals were acquired, which were used to characteristics the visual differences. Fixation rate and saccade speed were used to characterise the influence of moderating variables for visual characteristics. The results from the data showed significant differences in eye movement behaviour. Compared with 2D laparoscopic surgery, surgeons have more average fixation rate (p-values = 0.001, 0.000, 0.003 and 0.015, respectively) and faster saccade speed (p-values = 0.037, 0.003, 0.073 and 0.105, respectively) in 3D laparoscopic surgery. The results of this study showed that surgeons had more efficient visual search in 3D laparoscopic surgery. At the same time, the results also indicated that surgeon's mental workload in 3D laparoscopic surgery was low. The relevant conclusions of this paper revealed the advantages of 3D laparoscopic surgery through visual efficiency.

Efficient Access to 3D Mesoscopic Prisms in Polymeric Soft Materials.

The preparation of 3D functional isolated mesoscopic assemblies remains a challenge in the self-assembly of polymers. Here, well-defined 3D hexagonal and hexagram prisms with uniform dimensions are acquired by the crystallization of the inclusion complex composed of a crystalline molecule tris-o-phenylenedioxycyclotriphosphazene (TPP) and a block copolymer. The crystalline TPP plays an important role in the self-assembling process. The faceted morphologies of the hexagonal and hexagram prisms are infrequent in the self-assembly field of soft materials. The formation of the prisms experiences a 3D growth mechanism. The epitaxial growth, accompanied by the heterogeneous nucleation in the edges, yields the growth of inclusion crystals. This study provides a path to construct well-defined polymeric soft materials with broad utility based on numerous supramolecular complexes.

The host cellular protein Ndufaf4 interacts with the vesicular stomatitis virus M protein and affects viral propagation.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an archetypal member of Mononegavirales which causes important diseases in cattle, horses and pigs. The matrix protein (M) of VSV plays critical roles in the replication, assembly/budding and pathogenesis of VSV. To further investigate the role of M during viral growth, we used a two-hybrid system to screen for host factors that interact with the M protein. Here, NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase complex assembly factor 4 (Ndufaf4) was identified as an M-binding partner, and this interaction was confirmed by yeast cotransformation and GST pulldown assays. The globular domain of M was mapped and shown to be critical for the M-Ndufaf4 interaction. Two double mutations (E156A/H157A, D180A/E181A) in M impaired the M-Ndufaf4 interaction. Overexpression of Ndufaf4 inhibited VSV propagation, and knockdown of Ndufaf4 by short hairpin RNA (shRNA) markedly promoted VSV replication. Finally, we also demonstrate that the anti-VSV effect of Ndufaf4 is independent of activation of the type I IFN response. These results indicated that Ndufaf4 might exploit other mechanisms to affect VSV replication. In summary, we identify Ndufaf4 as a potential target for the inhibition of VSV propagation. These results provided further insight into the study of VSV pathogenesis.

Tailored Polymer Particles with Ordered Network Structures in Emulsion Droplets.

The structural control of block copolymer (BCP) particles, which determines their properties and utilities, is quite important. Understanding the structural relationship between solution-cast samples and polymer particles in a confined space is necessary to precisely regulate the internal structure of polymer particles. Therefore, a facile method by choosing an appropriate selective solvent is reported to prepare spherical polymer particles with ordered network structures. The rod-coil BCP, poly(dimethylsiloxane)-b-poly{2,5-bis[(4-methoxyphenyl)-oxycarbonyl]styrene} (PDMS-b-PMPCS), was chosen as a model polymer because of its strong phase segregation ability. First, the structures of the BCP with a thermodynamically stable lamellar structure cast from different selective solvents were systematically studied. Then, a polymer particle with the same internal structure as that of the solution-cast sample can be easily prepared by self-assembling in an emulsion confined space. The relatively large particle size is of importance in this process because the large value of the particle size to periodicity ratio can provide a weak confined environment. This method helps us understand the inherent self-assembling mechanism of polymer particles in an emulsion confined space and accurately control the internal structure of the polymer particle obtained.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Deafness Gene Literature From 2009 to 2018 based on Web of Science.

To find the trend and hot points of deafness gene research in the nearly 10 years, a bibliometric analysis of literature in the fields from Web of Science was performed. Python 3.7, Gephi 0.9.2, and SPSS 22.0 were used for cleaning, restructuring, and analysis. A total of 2828 article documents were collected, which were from 651 Science Citation Index Expanded journals, 93 countries/regions, 18 199 authors, and 3148 organizations. PLoS One published more papers than other journals. Among the journals that published more than 30 papers, 10 journals were included in the genetics and heredity class. The top country/region with highest number of papers was United States. However, the top author and top affiliation was Dai Pu (China) and People's Liberate Army General Hospital (China), respectively. The results of co-occurrence network, hierarchical clustering, and multidimensional scale analysis of keywords showed that 2 groups were classified. The 2 groups focused on the gene mutation of deafness and the research objects, methods, factors, and gene locus, respectively. Multidimensional scale analysis told the research character and some research details. The gene mutation and variant of family and population diseases were the hot points.