GIANT最新文献

{"title":"Biomineralization strategy: from material manufacturing to biological regulation","authors":"Kexin Qin ,&nbsp;Zitong Zheng ,&nbsp;Jie Wang ,&nbsp;Haihua Pan ,&nbsp;Ruikang Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100317","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100317","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Biomineralization plays an important role in various physiological activities in both nature and living organisms. Organisms regulate the crystal nucleation, crystal phase, and crystal growth kinetics of inorganic phases through organic regulation, forming minerals with multi-level order, thereby playing a role in biological support, protection, and metabolic regulation. Unlike general inorganic minerals, biominerals are subtly regulated by organic organisms (such as small organic molecules, peptides, proteins, nucleic acids) and complex environments, possessing biological characteristics and becoming a part of living organisms. It can be seen that the process of biomineralization is not only the process of manufacturing biomaterials, but also the process of using materials to regulate organisms themselves. The biomimetic strategy based on biomineralization can achieve a huge transformation from the biomimetic preparation of functional materials to the biomimetic composite of organisms and materials. In this review, we briefly introduce biomimetic structures inspired by nature itself, and emphasize the important role of the relationship between organisms and materials in the process of biomineralization. We also briefly explore biominerals and their mechanisms. At the same time, a series of functional materials (such as self-cleaning hydrophobic materials, artificial spider silk fibers, mother of pearl like composite materials, humidity responsive materials, and bioprinting materials) synthesized through biomimetic strategies inspired by biomanufacturing materials were systematically elucidated. And a brief discussion was given on the synthesis of new functional organisms using biomimetic strategies to regulate organisms, such as using functional materials to regulate biomimetic repair of hard tissues, using biomineralization strategies to coat vaccines to improve their thermal stability during transportation and drug delivery efficiency in vivo, and constructing functional biomimetic artificial organelles on demand. Finally, this article summarizes the current opportunities and challenges based on biomineralization, providing further feasible guidance for future material regulation of life.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100317"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266654252400081X/pdfft?md5=be16807870446c0b10969cba5c150d7c&pid=1-s2.0-S266654252400081X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141623748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nonlinear optical director reorientation in heliconical cholesteric liquid crystals: a brief review","authors":"Liana Lucchetti ,&nbsp;Giovanni Nava","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100311","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100311","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Cholesteric liquid crystals, also known as chiral nematics, possess a right-angle helicoidal structure with pitch in the submicrometer and micrometer range. Although the possibility of getting optical reorientation in this kind of materials has been considered since the discovery of giant optical nonlinearity in nematic liquid crystals, a significant light-induced modulation of the helical structure has shown to be a challenging task. The recent experimental realization of a chiral phase with an oblique helicoidal structure, identified as the heliconical phase predicted by Meyer and DeGennes in 1968, offers the opportunity to observe such an optical reorientation of the optic axis. This paper is a brief review of the nonlinear optical properties of these unconventional chiral nematic liquid crystals and is aimed at showing that the world of liquid crystalline phases can still amaze with new material properties and new physics.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100311"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000754/pdfft?md5=2bdaadaa05305d18eef80e3791a0c054&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000754-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141582661","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chiral ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals as materials for versatile laser devices","authors":"César L. Folcia ,&nbsp;Josu Ortega ,&nbsp;Teresa Sierra ,&nbsp;Alejandro Martínez-Bueno ,&nbsp;Jesús Etxebarria","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We present a liquid-crystal laser device based on the chiral ferroelectric nematic phase (N_F*). The laser medium is obtained by mixing a ferroelectric nematic material with a chiral agent and a small proportion of a fluorescent dye. Notably, in the N_F* phase very low electric fields perpendicular to the helical axis are able to reorient the molecules, giving rise to a periodic structure whose director profile is not single harmonic but contains the contribution of various Fourier components. This feature induces the appearance of several photonic bandgaps whose spectral ranges depend on the field, which can be exploited to build tunable laser devices. Here we report the characterization of home-made N_F* lasers that can be tunable under low electric fields and present laser action in two of the photonic bands of the material. The obtained results open a promising route for the design of new and more versatile liquid-crystal based lasers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100316"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000808/pdfft?md5=b7406937c4dfe7cd08d6a120356145eb&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000808-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141539770","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biodegradable polymer casting films for drug delivery and cell culture","authors":"Anastasiya V. Murueva ,&nbsp;Alexey E. Dudaev ,&nbsp;Ekaterina I. Shishatskaya ,&nbsp;Fares D.E. Ghorabe ,&nbsp;Ivan V. Nemtsev ,&nbsp;Anna V. Lukyanenko ,&nbsp;Tatiana G. Volova","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100314","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100314","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this work, for the first time, films were obtained based on biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) - a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate-<em>co</em>-3-hydroxyvalerate P(3HB-<em>co</em>-3HV) and a copolymer of 3-hydroxybutyrate-<em>co</em>-4-hydroxybutyrate P(3HB-<em>co</em>-4HB), containing drugs of different chemical structure and action - antibiotics (ceftazidime, doripenem), antiseptic (chlorhexidine) and tissue regeneration stimulator (Actovegin) for drug delivery and cell culture. Using SEM, AFM and measuring the contact angles of water wetting, it is shown how PHAs composition and loading of films of P(3HB-<em>co</em>-3HV) and P(3HB-<em>co</em>-4HB) with drugs affect the porosity, roughness indicators and adhesive properties of the surface. The constructed films are a depot form of drug, the release of which in vitro is realized for a long time, without burst releases, corresponds to Korsmeyer-Peppas and Higuchi models with diffusion character. Films loaded with antibiotics have pronounced antibacterial activity and suppress the development of pathogens <em>S. aureus</em> and <em>E. coli</em>, without a pronounced negative effect on the adhesion and proliferation of epidermal cells. In the cultures of human keratinocytes HaCaT it was shown that the presence of actovegin, as well as ceftazidime in the films, exhibits a stimulating effect, increasing their number. The results demonstrate the suitability of the depot-films for cellular technologies and are promising for the reconstruction of tissues complicated by infection.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100314"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266654252400078X/pdfft?md5=925083dd8b657d77dbd784b109cca277&pid=1-s2.0-S266654252400078X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141540429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterning of 2D second harmonic generation active arrays in ferroelectric nematic fluids","authors":"M. Lovšin ,&nbsp;A. Petelin ,&nbsp;B. Berteloot ,&nbsp;N. Osterman ,&nbsp;S. Aya ,&nbsp;M. Huang ,&nbsp;I. Drevenšek-Olenik ,&nbsp;R.J. Mandle ,&nbsp;K. Neyts ,&nbsp;A. Mertelj ,&nbsp;N. Sebastian","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100315","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals exhibit unique non-linear optical properties, with the potential to become transformative materials for photonic applications. A promising direction relies on the fabrication of tailored polar orientational patterns via photoalignment, thus shaping the non-linear optical susceptibility through thin slabs of the ferroelectric fluid. Here, we explore the fabrication of 2D periodic SHG active arrays in ferroelectric nematic fluids, for different materials, cell thicknesses and motifs. Based on polarizing optical microscopy observations in combination with optical simulations, second harmonic generation microscopy and interferometry, the 3D structure of the motifs is revealed. Two different 2D periodic patterns are explored, showing that the balance between flexoelectric and electrostatic energy can lead to different domain structures, an effect which is rooted in the difference between the flexoelectric properties of the materials. It is shown that by combining the surface-inscribed alignment with different spontaneous degrees of twist, 2D SHG active arrays can be obtained in the micrometre scale, in which adjacent areas exhibit maximum SHG signals at opposite angles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100315"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000791/pdfft?md5=7c7b5eab4216cd5c31c62ad93de2a8ff&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000791-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141540430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The production of soluble regenerated silk fibroin powder with high molecular weight and silk protein-based materials","authors":"Kai Gu ,&nbsp;Yixuan Tong ,&nbsp;Ruixin Mi,&nbsp;Siyan Leng,&nbsp;Hanwen Huang,&nbsp;Jingrong Yao,&nbsp;Xin Chen,&nbsp;Zhengzhong Shao","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100313","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The aqueous solution of regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) is considered as the raw material to produce various silk protein-based materials, including hydrogel, film, rod and fiber, etc. with significant mechanical properties. However, the aqueous solution of RSF is usually unstable within a few days or even hours in terms of its essential properties, because the conformation of the RSF chain would spontaneously transfer from random coil to β-sheet in water. In this work, we developed a way to harvest the RSF powder through an optimized spray drying method via rapid drying at a relatively low temperature. It was demonstrated that no severe degradation and conformational transition of the RSF chain occurred during powder preparation, and the RSF powder exhibited remarkable solubility in water and long stability at room temperature. Importantly, there are no obvious differences in the mechanical properties of the silk protein-based materials made from the aqueous solution from the spray-dried RSF powder (Sp-RSF) and from fresh RSF solution. Indeed, such amorphous Sp-RSF powder, in which the protein chain was dominated by random coil conformation, not only promised as the raw material for large-scale silk protein-based products in various applications but also provided the basis for fabricating bulk silk protein materials via the untraditional processing of silk fibroin, such as molding with the help of heat and moisture.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100313"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000778/pdfft?md5=305b8f15a5a3bc04f27a7d9f868aa80a&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000778-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141539769","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Active nematic-isotropic interfaces on flat surfaces: Effects of anchoring, ordering field and activity","authors":"Rodrigo C.V. Coelho ,&nbsp;José A. Moreira ,&nbsp;Duarte M.C. Pedro ,&nbsp;Margarida M. Telo da Gama","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100309","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>A surface in contact with the isotropic phase of a passive liquid crystal can induce nematic order over distances that range from microscopic to macroscopic when the nematic-isotropic interface undergoes an orientational-wetting transition. If the nematic is active, what happens to the interface? Does it propagate and, if it does, is its structure different from the passive one? In this paper, we address these questions. We investigate how the active nematic-isotropic interface is affected by the anchoring strength of the surface, the bulk ordering field and the activity. We find that while passive interfaces are one-dimensional the active ones exhibit two dynamical regimes: a passive-like regime and a propagating regime where the interfaces propagate until the entire domain is active nematic. Active interfaces break the translational symmetry within the interfacial plane above a threshold activity, where the active nematic fluctuations, which are ultimately responsible for the emergence of an active turbulent nematic phase, drive non-steady dynamical interfacial regimes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100309"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000730/pdfft?md5=ce506cdb9d08a2eba4a7bbafb827fe63&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000730-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141483788","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fission of quasi-static dissipative solitons in chiral nematics","authors":"Jian-Zhou Lin ,&nbsp;Ao-Jie Wu ,&nbsp;Li-Ting Zhu ,&nbsp;Ke-Hui Wu ,&nbsp;Sen-Sen Li ,&nbsp;Lu-Jian Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100312","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100312","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Dissipative solitons in liquid crystals (LCs) are represented by three-dimensional solitary waves of director deformation called directrons. The only one exception on the quasi-static counterparts of directrons has ever been observed in achiral nematics. In this work, quasi-static solitons and their fission are identified in chiral nematics. The structure, distribution and fission of quasi-static solitons are closely related to the pitch of samples. The critical pitch is about 7.0 µm for LC cells with thickness of ∼10.0 µm. Quasi-static solitons are transformed from directrons by stepping down voltage to facilitate locating solitons. Successive two-soliton fission with increasing fission time occurs for all quasi-static solitons in samples of relatively larger pitches. Multi-soliton fission is also found in some quasi-static solitons when the voltage is stepped up back to the directron domain, leaving behind a region that can modify the trajectories of surrounding directrons. The fission of quasi-static solitons in chiral nematics has predictable fission location, adjustable fission time, and controllable fission number, may acting as an excellent model system for studying general principles of soliton fission in nonlinear systems.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100312"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000766/pdfft?md5=0835dc5084ea08fb8db20b19dfe3cc39&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000766-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141483787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Two-dimensional crystallization of precise side-chain giant molecules with constant building blocks ratio","authors":"Fengfeng Feng ,&nbsp;Sai Zhang ,&nbsp;Weijie Wang ,&nbsp;Chengyang Hong ,&nbsp;Mei Zhang ,&nbsp;Fan Yang ,&nbsp;Yuxin Peng ,&nbsp;Fucheng Jia ,&nbsp;Hao Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100304","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper describes the two-dimensional (2D) crystallization of side-chain giant molecules (SCGMs) having the fixed number ratio of two types of functionalized building blocks with 1:1. SCGMs are regarded to a certain degree as size-amplified versions of universal synthetic polymers that are prepared by precisely connecting molecular nanoparticles (MNPs) to polymer chains. Our previous experimental results have shown that individually changing the number ratio of one of the building blocks would significantly affect the structural parameters of molecular crystals, mainly the longitudinal thickness. Herein, we systematically discussed the 2D crystallization of two categories of POSS-based SCGMs with constant building blocks ratio. Solution self-assembly of such SCGMs resulted in well-defined 2D nanosheets with similar structural configurations, showing great tolerance in the number of building blocks. Subsequently, we proposed a “sandwiched-type” mode to illustrate the bilayer 2D supramolecular framework, in which crystalline blocks pack in head-to-head manner. In addition, sequence isomers provide an ideal platform to further verify that the thickness of 2D nanocrystal is linked with the tethering density determined by the number ratio of building blocks. We believe that this study could be a better complement to our previous work and then make us to be more in-depth understand the crystallization mechanism of SCGMs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100304"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000687/pdfft?md5=cf58dce1b4dcbddc1d179526680072bd&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000687-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141483789","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Solid polymer electrolytes regulated by ion-dipole interactions for high voltage lithium batteries","authors":"Tao Chen ,&nbsp;Yuncong Liu ,&nbsp;Zhekai Jin ,&nbsp;Lin Sun ,&nbsp;Zeyu Liu ,&nbsp;Hao Xu ,&nbsp;Zhiguo Zhao ,&nbsp;Chao Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.giant.2024.100310","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giant.2024.100310","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) with wide electrochemically stable window and high lithium-ion transference number (<em>t</em>_Li⁺) are a requirement for high energy density lithium batteries. Here, we construct a copolymer electrolyte (PDA) with ether-ester bifunctional groups that exhibits a low highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level by in situ polymerization. Compared to the poly(1,3-dioxolane) (PDOL) pure polyether electrolyte, the weakening of the ion-dipole interaction between lithium salt and polymer in the PDA electrolyte promotes the formation of a “weak solvation” structure. Therefore, the electrolyte achieves high oxidative stability (4.6 V vs. Li⁺/ Li with a standard leakage current of 10 μA), high Li⁺ transference number (0.60), and importantly, derives a stable LiF-rich composition on high voltage cathode surface. Which ultimately enables stable cycling of Li||LiNi_0.5Co_0.2Mn_0.3O₂ (NCM523) batteries at a range of 3.0–4.3 V. This work provides a fundamental understanding of the design of antioxidant SPEs to achieve high energy density lithium batteries.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":34151,"journal":{"name":"GIANT","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 100310"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2024-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666542524000742/pdfft?md5=0b58813171e1903c1cecfea29f9abfdb&pid=1-s2.0-S2666542524000742-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141483764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}