Fibrous Conductive Metallogels with Hybrid Electron/Ion Networks for Boosted Extreme Sensitivity and High Linearity Strain Sensor.

Fibrous strain sensing materials with both high sensitivity and high linearity are of significant importance for wearable sensors, yet they still face great challenges. Herein, a photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy is proposed for the continuous fabrication of fibrous strain sensor materials (AMGF) with a core-sheath structure. Metallogels (MOGs) formed by bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibers and Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs), and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are employed as the core and sheath, respectively. The in situ ultraviolet light reduction of Ag+ ensured AgNPs to maintain the interconnections between the BC nanofibers and form electron conductive networks (0.31 S m-1 ). Under applied strain, the BC nanofibers experience separation, bringing AMGF a high sensitivity (gauge factor 4.36). The concentration of free ions in the MOGs uniformly varies with applied deformation, endowing AMGF with high linearity and a goodness-of-fit of 0.98. The sheath TPE provided AMGF sensor with stable working life (>10 000 s). Furthermore, the AMGF sensors are demonstrated to monitor complex deformations of the dummy joints in real-time as a wearable sensor. Therefore, the fibrous hybrid conductive network fibers fabricated via the photo-spun reaction encapsulation strategy provide a new route for addressing the challenge of achieving both high sensitivity and high linearity.

Structure and Properties of Oxidized Chitosan Grafted Cashmere Fiber by Amide Covalent Modification.

In this study, oxidized chitosan grafted cashmere fibers (OCGCFs) were obtained by crosslinking the oxidized chitosan onto cashmere fibers by amide covalent modification. A novel method was developed for the selective oxidation of the C6 primary hydroxyls into carboxyl groups for chitosan. The effect of oxidization reaction parameters of HNO3/H3PO4-NaNO2 mediated oxidation system on the oxidation degree, structure, and properties of chitosan were investigated. The chemical structure of the oxidized chitosan was characterized by solid-state cross-polarization magic angle spinning carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (CP/MAS 13C-NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and its morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequently, the effect of the oxidized chitosan grafting on OCGCF was examined, and the physical properties, moisture regain, and antibacterial activity of OCGCFs were also evaluated. The results showed that oxidation of chitosan mostly occurred at the C6 primary hydroxyl groups. Moreover, an oxidized chitosan with 43.5-56.8% carboxyl content was realized by ranging the oxidation time from 30 to 180 min. The resulting OCGCF had a C-N amido bond, formed as a result of the reaction between the primary amines in the cashmere fibers and the carboxyl groups in the oxidized chitosan through the amide reaction. The OCGCF exhibited good moisture regain and remarkable bacteriostasis against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria with its durability.

Galvanic-Cell-Reaction-Driven Deposition of Large-Area Au Nanourchin Arrays for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering.

Here we report a low-cost synthetic approach for the direct fabrication of large-area Au nanourchin arrays on indium tin oxide (ITO) via a facile galvanic-cell-reaction-driven deposition in an aqueous solution of chloroauric acid and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP). The homogeneous Au nanourchins are composed of abundant sharp nanotips, which can served as nanoantennas and increase the local electromagnetic field enhancement dramatically. Finite element theoretical calculations confirm the strong electromagnetic field can be created around the sharp nanotips and located in the nanogaps between adjacent tips of the Au nanourchins. In addition, the interparticle nanogaps between the neighboring Au nanourchins may create additional hotspots, which can induce the higher electromagnetic field intensity. By using rhodamine 6G as a test molecule, the large-area Au nanourchin arrays on ITO exhibit active, uniform, and reproducible surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect. To trial their practical application, the Au nanourchin arrays are utilized as SERS substrates to detect 3,3’,4,4’-tetrachlorobiphenyl (PCB-77) one congener of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) as a notorious class of persistent organic pollutants. The characteristic Raman peaks can be still identified when the concentration of PCB-77 is down to 5 × 10−6 M.

Structure and properties of silk fibroin grafted carboxylic cotton fabric via amide covalent modification.

A novel eco-friendly production of silk fibroin-grafted carboxylic cotton fabrics without using any crosslinking agents was developed via the reaction of silk fibroin with oxidized cotton. The effect of reaction parameters on mechanical properties of oxidized fabrics and graft add-on of silk fibroin in grafted fabrics was examined. The results showed that appropriate oxidation time of HNO3/H3PO4-NaNO2 mixture and grafting time of fibroin were 45min and 2h respectively. FTIR analysis of grafted sample indicated that the CN amido bond was generated through the reaction between primary amines in silk fibroin and carboxyl groups in oxidized cotton, which was further confirmed by XPS spectra. The grafted fabrics were also evaluated for physical properties like tensile strength, wrinkle recovery angle, moisture regain and yellowness index. Cactus flavonoid coated on grafted fabric through treatment with flavonoid extract of cactus, such treated fabric exhibited a highly inhibitory effect against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria.