Ordered Mesoporous Titania/Carbon Hybrid Monoliths for Lithium-ion Battery Anodes with High Areal and Volumetric Capacity.

Free-standing, binder-free, and conductive additive-free mesoporous titanium dioxide/carbon hybrid electrodes were prepared from co-assembly of a poly(isoprene)-block-poly(styrene)-block-poly(ethylene oxide) block copolymer and a titanium alkoxide. By tailoring an optimized morphology, we prepared macroscopic mechanically stable 300 µm thick monoliths that were directly employed as lithium-ion battery electrodes. High areal mass loading of up to 26.4 mg cm-2 and a high bulk density of 0.88 g cm-3 were obtained. This resulted in a highly increased volumetric capacity of 155 mAh cm-3 , compared to cast thin film electrodes. Further, the areal capacity of 4.5 mAh cm-2 represented a 9-fold increase compared to conventionally cast electrodes. These attractive performance metrics are related to the superior electrolyte transport and shortened diffusion lengths provided by the interconnected mesoporous nature of the monolith material, assuring superior rate handling, even at high cycling rates.

Printed Soft Optical Waveguides of PLA Copolymers for Guiding Light into Tissue.

The application of optical technologies in treating pathologies and monitoring disease states requires the development of soft, minimal invasive and implantable devices to deliver light to tissues inside the body. Here, we present soft and degradable optical waveguides from poly(d,l-lactide) and derived copolymers fabricated by extrusion printing in the desired dimensions and shapes. The obtained optical waveguides propagate VIS to NIR light in air and in tissue at penetration depths of tens of centimeters. Besides, the printed waveguides have elastomeric properties at body temperature and show softness and flexibility in the range relevant for implantable devices in soft organs. Printed waveguides were able to guide light across 8 cm tissue and activate photocleavage chemical reactions in a photoresponsive hydrogel (in vitro). The simplicity and flexibility of the fiber processing method and the optical and mechanical performance of the obtained waveguides exemplify how rational study of medically approved biomaterials can lead to useful inks for printing cost-effective and flexible optical components for potential use in medical contexts.

Novel glass-like coatings for cardiovascular implant application: Preparation, characterization and cellular interaction.

Glass coatings are of great interest for biomedical implant application due to their excellent properties. Nowadays they are used in different fields including drug delivery, for bone tissue regeneration or as implant. Nevertheless they can only be applied using high temperatures. Therefore their usage in the field of cardiovascular implant application is still restricted. Accordingly new developments in this field have been carried out to overcome this problem and to coat cardiovascular implants. Here, novel glass-like coatings have been developed and applied using sol-gel technique at moderate temperatures. The biocompatibility and selectivity have been analyzed using human endothelial cells. The obtained results clarify that the developed compositions can either promote or suppress endothelial cell growth only by altering the sintering atmosphere. A later application as thin layer on cardiovascular implants like stents is conceivable.