01


Nanjing University of Technology:


Hydrogel stent can inhibit hypertrophic scar


Due to the exacerbation of inflammation, proliferation of myofibroblasts, and excessive secretion of collagen, it is easy to form a common clinical pathological disease - hypertrophic scars (HS). Although various biomimetic ECM (extracellular matrix) biomaterials have been designed for HS treatment, most materials cannot simultaneously serve both biological and practical functions in wound repair. Therefore, biomimetic scaffolds with scar inhibiting biomolecules or drugs have become a hope for scar free skin regeneration. These scaffolds can not only carry therapeutic drugs and cell signaling factors, but also provide structures for cell proliferation. However, although synthetic polymer scaffolds can simulate the mechanical properties of ECM, they rarely simulate ECM components other than collagen. In addition, immune and allergy risks may limit its application in allergic constitution.


Chi Bo, a researcher from Nanjing University of Technology, developed a γ - polyglutamic acid/ginsenoside Rg3 (GS-Rg3) multifunctional hydrogel fiber scaffold based on electrospinning and photo controlled crosslinking for tissue repair and wound treatment. Under the action of small peptides attached, biomimetic fiber scaffolds promote the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts, forming organized spaces to fill the base and perform tissue repair in the depression before early wound closure. By continuously releasing GS-Rg3 in the later stage, the fiber scaffold further promotes scar free wound healing of the tissue. In addition, these biologically functionalized fiber scaffolds exhibit sustained release of GS-Rg3 without explosive effects. Therefore, this achievement provides a good treatment plan for accelerating wound healing and inhibiting HS formation, and has potential application value in regenerative medicine and drug delivery.


02


Chinese Academy of Sciences:


Kevlar air gel fiber has better thermal insulation performance


Due to the increasing demand for warmth, lightness, and functionality in cold resistant clothing, the requirements for its basic material - thermal fiber - are also becoming higher and higher. In the 1950s, DuPont developed irregular fibers, which greatly improved the luster and fluffiness of chemical fibers. Among numerous irregular fibers, hollow fibers significantly increase the content of static air inside, resulting in a significant improvement in the thermal insulation performance of chemical fibers. In the 1970s, researchers developed ultrafine fibers and biomimetic materials such as synthetic leather made from ultrafine fibers, which made the thermal insulation performance of chemical fibers on par with natural materials.


Through the study of hollow fibers and ultrafine fibers, it has been found that the thermal insulation performance of fiber materials is directly proportional to the static air content inside the fiber material, inversely proportional to the fiber diameter size, and inversely proportional to the overall material density. Aerogel fiber has the characteristics of high porosity and ultra-low density, which is theoretically the best fiber for thermal insulation. However, at the same time, high porosity also poses great challenges for its preparation.


In view of this, Zhang Xuetong, a researcher at the Suzhou Institute of Nanotechnology and Nanobionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, obtained nanofiber dispersion by dissolving DuPontTM's Kevlar fiber, and then prepared a Kevlar aerogel fiber with high porosity (98%) and high specific surface area (240 m2/g) through wet spinning, special drying and other processes. The aerogel fiber has excellent mechanical properties and can be bent, knotted, braided, etc. at will. At the same time, it has excellent thermal insulation performance, with a thermal conductivity of only 0.027W/m · K at room temperature. At low temperatures, its thermal insulation performance is 2.8 times that of cotton cloth, and it can exert thermal insulation performance for a long time in extreme environments of -196 ℃~300 ℃. In addition, the aerogel fiber also has excellent chemical stability, which can be modified by dyeing, hydrophobic, electroless plating, etc. without damaging the main skeleton structure of the aerogel. Moreover, the aerogel fiber can also be filled with phase change materials to prepare air conditioning fiber, and its enthalpy value can reach 162J/g, far exceeding the enthalpy value of the existing commercial Outlast air conditioning fiber.


03


Washington State University:


New plant materials are expected to replace foam plastics


American researchers have developed an environment-friendly plant material, whose thermal insulation performance is better than polystyrene foam, and it is expected to become an alternative material for manufacturing disposable coffee cups and other products in the future. Recently, Washington State University reported that this environmentally friendly material is mainly composed of plant cellulose nanocrystals, with a simple manufacturing process and no need to use harmful solvents.


Polystyrene foam is widely used to manufacture disposable coffee cups and a variety of building materials, but its raw materials are usually from non renewable energy sources such as petroleum. The generated polystyrene may produce ingredients harmful to human health under high temperature conditions, and cannot be naturally degraded, and may cause environmental pollution when burned. Previously, researchers attempted to use plant fibers as a substitute, but their strength and insulation were poor, and they were prone to degradation under high temperature and humidity conditions.


In the new material developed by the Washington State University team, plant cellulose nanocrystals extracted from wood pulp account for about 75%. Researchers added another macromolecular material, polyvinyl alcohol, into the plant cellulose nanocrystals to make them synthesize a unique structure. Experiments showed that its heat insulation is better than polystyrene foam. Research also shows that this environmentally friendly material is lightweight and can support objects up to 200 times its own weight without deformation. It can also naturally degrade and burn without producing polluting smoke and dust.


The relevant research has been published online in the journal Carbohydrate Polymers. Amir Amelil, one of the authors of the paper and assistant professor at the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University, said that plant cellulose nanocrystals, as renewable materials, have good thermal insulation and mechanical properties, which can save fossil energy and reduce environmental impact.


04


Beihang University:


Multi scale spiral fiber bundles for stretchable tissue engineering


Recently, Zhao Yong's research team from Beihang University and Guo Ming's research team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) were inspired by the multi-scale spiral fiber structure of natural biological tissues, and designed and prepared spiral fiber bundles with multi-scale structure through electrospinning combined with continuous twisting technology. This spiral fiber bundle not only has excellent mechanical properties, but also has ultra-high stretchability. By utilizing the structural characteristics, the research team used biocompatible materials to prepare artificial microstructures with dynamic tensile stability of cells, and studied the dynamic orientation, growth, proliferation, and differentiation behavior of cells on multi-scale spiral fibers. Through mechanical stretching and real-time three-dimensional observation, the biological activity and stability of different structural fiber bundles as cell scaffolds under dynamic stretching conditions (including stretching and bending) were investigated.


Research has shown that due to their unique helical structure, multi-scale fiber bundles are significantly superior to linear fiber bundles in terms of dynamically stretching cell activity. The multi-scale periodic topological structure on the surface of materials can not only change the physical properties of cells, such as survival rate, volume, orientation, growth and shedding, but also induce the directional differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells towards muscle cells by regulating the transport of cell types and specific transcription factors to the nucleus. Such multi-scale spiral fiber materials are expected to be used as tissue and organ repair substitutes in the future, such as ligament and tendon tissues.


This study proposes a universal method for preparing multi-scale structured spiral fibers, which provides a new idea for preparing novel high strain biomaterials. By adding other active ingredients, regulating composition and microstructure, the prepared materials are expected to be further applied in fields such as health monitoring and tissue engineering scaffold materials.


05


Chinese Academy of Forestry:


Cellulose modification achieves high-value utilization of resources


In recent years, with increasing attention to the shortage of petrochemical resources and environmental pollution, the use of renewable resources such as cellulose, lignin, starch, and protein to prepare polymer materials has become a research hotspot. Cellulose, as the most abundant, inexpensive, biodegradable, and renewable natural polymer in nature, has been widely used in daily life. Due to the inferior performance of pure cellulose materials compared to petroleum based products, modifying cellulose to enhance its functionality and application range is an important way to achieve high-value utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass resources and develop sustainable economy.


Recently, the team led by Chu Fuxiang, a researcher at the Institute of Forestry Chemical Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, focused on the theme of using green preparation technology to achieve high-value utilization of agricultural and forestry biomass resources. They modified cellulose and prepared a cellulose based photoinitiator that can be used for metal free photo induced ATRP. They also achieved controllable activity on the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of graft copolymers. This work uses alpha bromophenylacetic acid to modify cellulose and prepare cellulose based photoinitiator EC-B-Br. Then, the initiator was used to initiate ATRP polymerization of biomass based monomers, such as lauryl methacrylate (LMA), furfuryl methacrylate (FMA), and rosin based monomers (DAGMA). The research results showed that the metal free photo initiated ATRP process had good controllability, and the end group Br had high fidelity. Further metal free photo induced ATRP can be used for chain extension to prepare cellulose based graft copolymers with block side chain structures. This achievement provides a new method for designing cellulose graft copolymers with clear structures and further expanding their application fields.

06


Donghua University:


Super biomimetic materials for constructing multiple protective properties


Recently, Professor You Zhengwei's team from the Key National Laboratory of Fiber Material Modification at Donghua University has made significant progress in the field of multifunctional protective materials. They have proposed a new approach of using multiple reactive groups to construct multiple protective properties in a material. They have introduced the butanedione oxime amino ester group, which has multiple reactivity such as reversible dynamic cracking at room temperature, metal coordination, and photolysis, into polyurethane materials. As a result, they have obtained a multifunctional protective material that is strong, mechanically graded, self repairing at room temperature, and fluorescent.


Based on the above materials, the research team has constructed a super protective film that exhibits rapid surface scratch self-healing ability, excellent resistance to sharp object punctures, fluorescent anti-counterfeiting performance, and seamless adhesion to plastics. This film has the potential to be used for the protection of valuable items such as computers, mobile phones, and certificates. This work preliminarily demonstrates the multiple reactivity, excellent performance, and potential applications of polyoxime esters, and can further derive a series of new materials.


The research team conducted in-depth research on the coordination effect of metal ions on the above-mentioned butanedione oxime ester, and utilized copper ion coordination to improve the mechanical properties of the material while promoting the dynamic exchange reaction of oxime ester groups, enhancing the room temperature self-healing performance of the material. This provides a new idea for solving the contradiction between high mechanical properties and self-healing efficiency commonly found in self-healing materials, and has obtained a room temperature self-healing elastomer with the maximum strength and toughness reported.


It is worth mentioning that the core raw materials involved in this work (dimethylglyoxime, isocyanates) are inexpensive and readily available industrial products, which can be used to construct polyurethane materials through a simple one-step method, and can also be introduced into other materials through reasonable design to develop a series of functional materials, with broad application prospects.


07


Zhejiang University:


Flexible asbestos fiber material solves emergency hemostasis problems


In order to solve the problem of emergency rescue and hemostasis, Professor Fan Jie's research group from the Department of Chemistry at Zhejiang University has developed an in-situ micro loading technology after two years of exploration, which grows mesoporous zeolite onto the surface of cotton fibers and tightly binds the cotton fibers and zeolite through chemical bonds. This material perfectly preserves the physical and chemical properties and stability of zeolite, while generating mesopores by interrupting the skeleton, greatly enhancing the adsorption of substances and facilitating hemostasis. The appearance and feel of this hemostatic material are almost no different from ordinary fibers, with good softness, and the zeolite is very firmly combined with cotton fibers. Recently, this study was published online in the internationally renowned journal Nature Communications.


We have been engaged in research on zeolite hemostasis for a long time, and the original zeolite hemostatic products have obvious drawbacks, "Fan Jie introduced. The A-type zeolite hemostatic agent used abroad has saved the lives of thousands of soldiers in wars, but the product releases a large amount of heat when it comes into contact with water or blood during use, causing the local temperature of the wound to reach over 90 ℃, resulting in skin burns and affecting wound healing. Moreover, due to the fact that the existing zeolite hemostatic agents are hard inorganic powder materials, they are prone to adhere to wounds, which is not conducive to debridement.


According to Fan Jie, emergency hemostatic life jackets are expected to be released in August this year. In addition, various products such as hemostatic towels and hemostatic gauze can be manufactured to become protective equipment for special groups such as outdoor sports, extreme sports, and racing. They can also be used as emergency equipment and play a role in accidents such as war, traffic, and earthquakes.


08


4 high-performance materials to create sports and leisure shoes X-Swift


On May 15th, BASF, a German company, teamed up with Longterm Concept and renowned designer Gu Guoyi to create a new sports and leisure shoe X-Swift. X-Swift combines four advanced BASF material innovations and is meticulously crafted using the latest shoe automation technology. The BASF Innovation Center aims to attract designers and provide them with inspiration, turning their ideas into reality through technological means.


Gu Guoyi, who has designed shoes for well-known brands such as Reebok and Nike, said, "X-Swift sports and leisure shoes perfectly combine fashion and functionality, in line with modern lifestyle, and are the best choice for multi-purpose, high-performance shoe consumers. ”Longterm Concept, a shoe manufacturer headquartered in Taiwan, China, China, uses the latest automation technology to perfectly integrate four BASF materials into X-Swift sports casual shoes. Compared with traditional shoe-making techniques, this process has lower costs and higher production efficiency.


The four BASF high-performance materials used in X-Swift sports and leisure shoes each have their own advantages and complement each other, providing users with good stability and foot support: the outsole is made of Elastollan ® Made of thermoplastic polyurethane, with high grip tread patterns and providing maximum surface contact; The midsole is made of high resilience polyurethane elastomer ®， Has excellent cushioning performance and durability, superior to traditional midsoles; The midsole is complemented by a special breathable insole made of Elastopan, designed to provide support for high-performance insoles. In addition, X-Swift also adopts an innovative two-piece material upper structure, using sustainable synthetic leather Haptex ® And by Freeflex ® Fibers made of TPU. The seams between these materials are small, the stitching is exquisite, and they perfectly fit the feet, providing users with excellent comfort.


09


Environmentally friendly polyurethane synthetic material is born for shoemaking


On May 10th, Covestro of Germany and Lenzing Group of Austria launched environmentally friendly polyurethane synthetic materials developed for the footwear industry. Both sides complement each other's strengths, Covestro is a water-based INSQIN company ® Experts in technology and PU textile coating raw materials, Lanjing Group can provide unique expertise in fiber production and develop renewable materials based on wood.


The environmental compatibility of coated textiles depends on a series of factors, such as the source of raw materials, the use of organic solvents, and the consumption of energy and water. Adopting INSQIN ® The global warming impact caused by water-based polyurethane coatings is significantly lower than that of solvent based polyurethane coatings. TENCEL produced by Lanjing Group ® The reason why fibers reduce the ecological footprint of synthetic leather is mainly because they adopt an innovative recycling process that saves resources.


Thomas Michelis, the head of textile coatings at Covestro, stated that the new standard for polyurethane synthetic materials used in the footwear industry is sustainability. Therefore, the cooperation between the two parties provides innovative solutions for customers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, which is in line with Covestro's slogan "Material solutions inspired by sustainable innovation". (Source: Functional Textile Technology)