Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) is a semicrystalline polymer used in thin-film dielectric capacitors because of its inherently high dielectric constant and low loss tangent. Its dielectric constant can be increased by the formation and alignment of its β-phase crystalline structure, which can be facilitated by 2D nanofillers. 2D carbides and nitrides, MXenes, are promising candidates due to their notable dielectric permittivity and ability to increase interfacial polarization. Still, their mixing is challenging due to weak interfacial interactions and poor dispersibility of MXenes in PVDF. This work explores a novel method for delaminating Ti3C2Tx MXene directly into organic solvents while maintaining flake size and quality, as well as the use of a non-solvent-induced phase separation method for producing both dense and porous PVDF-MXene composite films. A deeper understanding of dielectric behavior in these composites is reached by examining MXenes with both mixed and pure chlorine terminations in PVDF matrices. Thin-film capacitors fabricated from these composites display ultrahigh discharge energy density, exceeding 45 J cm-3 with 95% efficiency. The PVDF-MXene composites are also processed using a green and sustainable solvent, propylene carbonate.
Enhancing payload encapsulation stability while enabling controlled drug release are both critical objectives in drug delivery systems but are challenging to reconcile. This study introduces a zwitterionic conjugated electrolyte (CE) molecule named Zwit, which acts as a molecular Trojan by mimicking the lipid bilayers. When integrated into liposome membranes, Zwit rigidifies the bilayer structure likely due to its hydrophobic interactions providing structural support, thus inhibiting drug leakage. Upon 808 nm laser excitation, Zwit rapidly accelerates DOX release from liposome core, likely due to light-triggered conformational changes or photothermal effects that compromise membrane permeability. These findings demonstrate Zwit's ability to overcome the challenge of simultaneously preventing premature payload leakage and enabling stimuli-responsive drug release with a single component. Additionally, Zwit exhibits excellent biocompatibility with membranes, outperforming its quaternary ammonium counterpart and commonly used dye indocyanine green (ICG). By harnessing its NIR-II emission, Zwit enables durable in vivo biodistribution tracking of nanocarriers, whereas ICG suffers from significant dye leakage. In subcutaneous tumor models, the synergistic effects of chemotherapy and thermotherapy facilitated by this light-triggered system induced a potent antitumor immune response, further enhancing anticancer efficacy. This work underscores the potential of membrane-mimicking CEs as multifunctional tools in advanced drug delivery systems.
Meta-optics, with unique light-matter interactions and extensive design space, underpins versatile and compact optical devices through flexible multi-parameter light field control. However, conventional designs struggle with the intricate interdependencies of nano-structural complex responses across wavelengths and polarizations at a system level, hindering high-performance full-light field control. Here, a neural network-assisted end-to-end design framework that facilitates global, gradient-based optimization of multifunctional meta-optics layouts for full light field control is proposed. Its superiority over separated design is showcased by utilizing the limited design space for multi-wavelength-polarization holography with enhanced performance (e.g., ≈6 × structural similarity index experimentally). By harnessing the dispersive full-parameter Jones matrix, orthogonal tri-polarization multi-wavelength-depth holography is further demonstrated, breaking conventional channel limitations. To highlight its versatility, non-orthogonal polarizations (>3) are showcased for arbitrary polarized-spectral multi-information processing applications in display, imaging, and computing. The comprehensive framework elevates light field control in meta-optics, delivering superior performance, enhanced functionality, and improved reliability, thereby paving the way for next-generation intelligent optical technologies.