Advanced Fiber Materials最新文献

Carbon fiber (CF) has emerged as a promising candidate for microwave absorbers to resolve the escalating electromagnetic wave (EMW) pollution issue, not just serving as a structural reinforcement. However, the drawbacks, such as high conductivity, limit its ability to strongly absorb EMWs over a wide bandwidth. To address these challenges, graphite wrapped FeNi₃/Co with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) anchored on MgO@CF heterostructures were synthesized by introducing MgO nanofilms on a CF surface and subsequent chemical vapor deposition catalyzed by two-phase catalysts. The synthesis of MgO suppresses the etching of CF during the experimental processes, effectively maintaining the inherent structure of CF, which is conducive to constructing rich conductive networks and developing excellent mechanical properties. By modulating the catalyst concentration, deposited CNTs with appropriate defects increase the conduction loss and stimulate defect polarization loss. The abundant interfaces formed by multiple components lead to fulfilling interface polarization, while the doping of O heteroatoms causes dipole polarization. In addition, the introduction of FeNi₃/Co generates effective magnetic loss and optimizes electromagnetic parameters to form more matching impedance conditions. At a low filler loading of 23 wt%, the stable sample obtains a remarkable minimum reflection loss of up to − 72.08 dB at merely 1.38 mm with an effective absorption bandwidth reaching 4.88 GHz at only 1.44 mm, which is superior to that of numerous distinguished carbon-based composites in regard to being “thin, light, wide and strong”. CST simulation reveals that the maximum radar cross section reduction acquires 26.88 dBm², ascertaining the radar stealth capability of the distinctive heterostructure. Moreover, great mechanical and electromagnetic interference shielding performance is demonstrated by epoxy composites. Henceforth, this study proposes profound insights into the intricate relationship between the structure and EMW absorbing mechanism, and elucidates an attractive strategy for mass-producing modified CF-based hybrids for versatile applications.

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Owing to the high flexibility, low thermal conductivity, and tunable electrical transport property, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) exhibits promising potential for designing flexible thermoelectric devices in the form of films or fibers. However, the low Seebeck coefficient and power factor of PEDOT:PSS have restricted its practical applications. Here, we sequentially employ triple post-treatments with concentrated sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄), sodium borohydride (NaBH₄), and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dichloroacetate (EMIM:DCA) to enhance the thermoelectric performance of flexible PEDOT:PSS fibers with a high power factor of (55.4 ± 1.8) μW m⁻¹ K⁻² at 25 °C. Comprehensive characterizations confirm that excess insulating PSS can be selectively removed after H₂SO₄ and EMIM:DCA treatments, which induces conformational changes to increase charge carrier mobility, leading to enhanced electrical conductivity. Simultaneously, NaBH₄ treatment is employed to adjust the oxidation level, further optimizing the Seebeck coefficient. Additionally, the assembled flexible fiber thermoelectric devices show an output power density of (60.18 ± 2.79) nW cm⁻² at a temperature difference of 10 K, proving the superior performance and usability of the optimized fibers. This work provides insights into developing high-performance organic thermoelectric materials by modulating polymer chains.

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Flexible intelligent sensing is a burgeoning field of study that covers various disciplines, including but not restricted to chemistry, physics, electronics and biology. However, the widespread use of flexible sensors remains challenging because of certain constraints, such as limited stretchability, poor biocompatibility, low responsivity, and the complexity of multifunctional integration. Conductive hydrogels with remarkable material properties are presently in the spotlight of flexible sensing. In the pursuit of high-performance and “green” conductive hydrogel-based sensors, cellulose is a promising candidate owing to its renewability, low cost, appealing mechanical properties, easy modification and other functional characteristics. Herein, cutting-edge progress in the fabrication of conductive cellulose hydrogels (CCHs) using cellulose and cellulose derivatives in terms of structural features, preparation approaches, functional properties, applications, and prospects for sensors is comprehensively summarized. The correlation between CCHs performances, reinforcement strategies and sensor properties is highlighted to gain insight into the process of developing smart sensors by utilizing CCHs. Besides, the state-of-the-art advances of CCHs toward emerging wearable sensors, including strain/pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and biosensors, are systematically discussed. Finally, potential challenges and future outlooks of such attractive CCH-based flexible sensors are presented, providing valuable information for the development of next-generation cellulose-based electronic devices.

Microneedles (MNs) with unique three-dimensional stereochemical structures are suitable candidates for tissue fixation and drug delivery. However, existing hydrogel MNs exhibit poor mechanical properties after swelling and require complex preparation procedures, impeding their practical application. Hence, we engineered chitosan fiber-reinforced silk fibroin MN patches containing epigallocatechin gallate (SCEMN). A formic acid–calcium chloride system was introduced to fabricate hydrogel MNs with excellent inherent adhesion, and the incorporation of chitosan fiber as a reinforcing material enhanced mechanical strength and viscosity, thereby increasing the physical interlocking with tissue and the ability to maintain shape. The SCEMN with a lower insertion force firmly adhered to porcine skin, with a maximum detachment force of 11.98 N/cm². Additionally, SCEMN has excellent antioxidant and antibacterial properties, facilitates macrophage polarization from M1 to M2, and demonstrates superior performance in vivo for diabetic wound repair compared with the commercial product Tegaderm™. This study represents the first trial of fiber-reinforced hydrogel MNs for robust tissue adhesion. Our findings underscore the significance of this innovative approach for advancing MN technology to enhance tissue adhesion and accelerate wound healing.

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The energy supply of rising electronic textile can resort to gel-based fibre batteries attributed to their flexibility and safety. However, their electrochemical performance is plagued by the poor electrolyte–electrode interface. Recently, Peng et al. designed channel structures to accommodate gel electrolyte yielding intimate and stable interfaces for high-performance fibre batteries. Encompassing excellent electrochemical performance, stability, safety and large-scale productivity, the as-fabricated fibre lithium-ion batteries (FLBs) demonstrated the potential to supply energy for textile electronics.

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Solar-driven seawater evaporation is a potential strategy for mitigating global freshwater shortage, but its application is hindered by the photothermal membranes with high evaporation enthalpy, unsatisfactory photoabsorption, and easy contamination by microorganism. To solve these problems, herein we reported the design of manganese oxide/poly-L-lysine co-decorated carbon-fiber cloth (CFC) with decreased evaporation enthalpy and enhanced photoabsorption/antibacterial performance. Manganese oxide (MnO₂) nanosheets (thickness: 10–30 nm, diameter: 400–450 nm) were grown in situ on the CFC surface by a hydrothermal method, and then the nanosheet surface was further decorated with poly-L-lysine (PLL) by the electrostatic adsorption. Co-decoration of MnO₂/PLL confers the conversion of hydrophobic CFC to superhydrophilic CFC/MnO₂/PLL, accompanied by the reduction of the evaporation enthalpy of bulk water to 2132.34 kJ kg⁻¹ for CFC/MnO₂/PLL sample. Such CFC/MnO₂/PLL exhibits a strong photoabsorption in wide range (280–2500 nm) with an absorption efficiency of 97.8%, due to the light-trapping effects from hierarchical structures. Simultaneously, CFC/MnO₂/PLL has excellent antibacterial performance toward E. coli (99.1 ± 0.2%) and S. aureus (98.2 ± 0.5%) within 60 min in the dark, due to the electrostatic interaction between the bacterial cell membrane and PLL. Subsequently, CFC/MnO₂/PLL was hung between the seawater tank and empty tank to construct a hanging evaporator. Under 1.0 kW m⁻² light irradiation, CFC/MnO₂/PLL shows a preeminent evaporation rate of 2.20 kg m⁻² h⁻¹. Importantly, when germy NaCl solution is evaporated, there is no solid-salt accumulation and bacteria contamination on CFC/MnO₂/PLL surface during the long-time test (12 h), conferring long-term anti-fouling seawater evaporation. Hence, this work provides new possibilities in the rational design of photothermal fabrics for solar-enabled efficient anti-fouling seawater desalination.

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Fiber strain sensors with robust sensing performance are indispensable for human–machine interactions in the electronic textiles. However, current fiber strain sensors are confronted with the challenges of unavoidable deterioration of functional sensing components during wearable and extreme environments, resulting in unsatisfactory stability and durability. Here, we present a robust fiber strain sensor based on the mutual inductance effect. The sensor is assembled by designing coaxial helical coils around an elastic polyurethane fiber. When stretching the fiber sensor, the strain is detected by recording the voltage changes in the helical coils due to the variation in magnetic flux. The resultant fiber strain sensor shows high linearity (with a linear regression coefficient of 0.99) at a large strain of 100%, and can withstand various extreme environmental conditions, such as high/low temperatures (from − 30 °C to 160 °C), and severe deformations, such as twisting and pressing (with a pressure of 500 N/cm). The long-term cyclic stability of our fiber strain sensor (100,000 cycles at a strain of 100%) is superior to that of most reported flexible resistive and capacitive strain sensors. Finally, the mass-produced fiber strain sensors are woven into a smart textile system to accurately capture gestures.

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Organ-on-a-chip stands as a pivotal platform for skeletal muscle research while constructing 3D skeletal muscle tissues that possess both macroscopic and microscopic structures remains a considerable challenge. This study draws inspiration from LEGO-like assembly, employing a modular approach to construct muscle tissue that integrates biomimetic macroscopic and microscopic structures. Modular LEGO-like hybrid nanofibrous scaffold bricks were fabricated by the combination of 3D printing and electrospinning techniques. Skeletal muscle cells cultured on these modular scaffold bricks exhibited a highly orientated nanofibrous structure. A variety of construction of skeletal muscle tissues further enabled development by various assembling processes. Moreover, skeletal muscle-on-a-chip (SMoC) was further assembled as a functional platform for electrical or perfusion stimuli investigation. The electrical stimulus was conveniently applied and tuned in such a SMoC platform to significantly enhance the differentiation of skeletal muscle tissues. Additionally, the effect of perfusion stimulation on skeletal muscle vascularization within the SMoC platform was also demonstrated. These findings highlight the potential of these assembled SMoCs as functional ex vivo platforms for skeletal tissue engineering and drug research applications, and such a LEGO-like assembly strategy could also be applied to the other engineering organ-on-chips fabrication, which facilitates the development of bionic functional platforms for various biomedical research applications.

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We developed a list of modular nanofibrous scaffold bricks by a hybrid fabrication method combining 3D printing and electrospinning techniques, featuring precise microscale and nanoscale structures. Emulating the LEGO-like assembly method, these bricks were assembled along the x–y–z axis to mimic various skeletal muscle structures. These developed engineered skeletal muscle tissues were further integrated into the microfluidic chip to develop the skeletal muscle-on-a-chip (SMoC) as an in vitro testing platform for both electrical and perfusion stimuli investigation.

Space exploration provides unparalleled opportunities for unraveling the mysteries of our origins and exploring planetary systems beyond Earth. Long-distance space missions require successful protection against significant radiation exposure, necessitating the development of effective radiation shielding materials. This study developed aromatic amide polymer (AAP) and boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) composite fibers using lyotropic liquid crystal (LLC) and industrially viable wet-spinning processes. The uniaxially oriented 1D composite fibers provide the necessary continuity and pliability to fabricate 2D macroscopic textiles with low density (1.80 g cm⁻³), mechanical modulus (18.16 GPa), and heat stability (up to 479 °C), while exhibiting the improved thermal neutron absorption cross-section with thermal neutron-shielding performance (0.73 mm⁻¹). These composite textiles also show high thermal conductivity (7.88 W m⁻¹ K⁻¹) due to their densely packed and uniaxially oriented structures. These enhanced characteristics render the fibers a highly promising material for space applications, offering robust protection for both astronauts and electronics against the dual threats of radiation and heat.

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An advanced approach for functionalizing the surfaces of electrospun poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) nanofibers for biomedical applications is presented here. Using initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD), a coating of the copolymer p(PFMA-co-DVB) containing poly(pentafluorophenyl methacrylate) (PFMA) and divinylbenzene (DVB) was applied to the PLCL nanofibers. This coating facilitated efficient immobilization of the biomolecules on the PLCL nanofiber surfaces, allowing precise adjustments to the polymer composition through modulation of the monomer flow rates. The resulting copolymer exhibited superior efficiency for immobilizing IgG, as confirmed by immunofluorescence intensity analysis. In vitro studies conducted with different neural cell types demonstrated that the laminin-coated iCVD-functionalized PLCL nanofibers maintained their inherent biocompatibility while significantly enhancing cell adhesion. By exploiting the elastic nature of the PLCL nanofibers, cell elongation could be successfully manipulated by controlling the nanofiber alignment, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy and quantification of the immunofluorescence image orientation. These findings highlight the potential of iCVD-modified PLCL nanofibers as versatile platforms for neural tissue engineering and various biomedical applications, allowing valuable biomaterial surface modifications for enhanced cellular interactions.

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