Controllable Fabrication of Durable, Underliquid Superlyophobic Surfaces Based on the Lyophilic–Lyophobic Balance

Surfaces possessing desirable underliquid special wettability, particularly underliquid dual superlyophobicity, have a high potential for extensive applications. However, there is still a lack of controllable preparation strategies to regulate the underliquid wettability via balancing the underliquid lyophilicity–lyophobicity. Herein, we develop a nanocomposite coating system comprising silica nanoparticles (NPs), glycerol propoxylate triglycidyl ether (GPTE), and fluorinated alkyl silane (FAS) to obtain controllable underliquid special wettability surfaces. FAS is the vital factor in guiding the preparation of the surface coating with expected underliquid superwettability. Increasing the FAS content results in a tendency toward underwater superoleophobicity/underoil hydrophilicity to underwater oleophilicity/underoil superhydrophobicity. Significantly, the underliquid dual superlyophobic surface can be achieved when an appropriate FAS content is located. After the coating treatment, the fabric exhibits superamphiphilicity in air and superlyophobicity in liquid (i.e., exhibiting both underwater superoleophobicity and underoil superhydrophobicity). The coating also exhibits an adaptable antioil fouling ability and high durability against harsh environments. Furthermore, oil/water separation based on the underliquid dual superlyophobicity of coated fabrics is successfully demonstrated. Our work proposes a new fabrication principle for the design of underliquid special wettability surfaces and offers broad applications, such as switchable oil/water separation, antibiofouling, liquid manipulation, and smart textiles

Gamma-Irradiated Carbon Nanotube Yarn As Substrate for High-Performance Fiber Supercapacitors

As an electrical double layer capacitor, dry-spun carbon nanotube yarn possesses relatively low specific capacitance. This can be significantly increased as a result of the pseudocapacitance of functional groups on the carbon nanotubes developed by oxidation using a gamma irradiation treatment in the presence of air. When coated with high-performance polyaniline nanowires, the gamma-irradiated carbon nanotube yarn acts as a high-strength reinforcement and a high-efficiency current collector in two-ply yarn supercapacitors for transporting charges generated along the long electrodes. The resulting supercapacitors demonstrate excellent electrochemical performance, cycle stability, and resistance to folding–unfolding that are required in wearable electronic textiles

Core-Spun Carbon Nanotube Yarn Supercapacitors for Wearable Electronic Textiles

Linear (fiber or yarn) supercapacitors have demonstrated remarkable cyclic electrochemical performance as power source for wearable electronic textiles. The challenges are, first, to scale up the linear supercapacitors to a length that is suitable for textile manufacturing while their electrochemical performance is maintained or preferably further improved and, second, to develop practical, continuous production technology for these linear supercapacitors. Here, we present a core/sheath structured carbon nanotube yarn architecture and a method for one-step continuous spinning of the core/sheath yarn that can be made into long linear supercapacitors. In the core/sheath structured yarn, the carbon nanotubes form a thin surface layer around a highly conductive metal filament core, which serves as current collector so that charges produced on the active materials along the length of the supercapacitor are transported efficiently, resulting in significant improvement in electrochemical performance and scale up of the supercapacitor length. The long, strong, and flexible threadlike supercapacitor is suitable for production of large-size fabrics for wearable electronic applications

Sandwich-Structured Nanofiber Membranes with Dual-Directional Water-Transport Ability for High-Efficiency Water Harvesting

Previous research on water harvesting driven by directional water transport from ubiquitous atmospheric moisture is mainly based on one-dimensional (1D) filaments with asymmetric hydrophilic/hydrophobic wettability along the filaments, two-dimensional (2D) surfaces with hydrophilic and hydrophobic patterns, and three-dimensional (3D) porous structures with “Janus” wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. However, it remains an ongoing challenge to design and construct porous fibrous membranes with efficient directional water transport capability in the thickness direction and excellent water-collection performance. Herein, a sandwich-structured nanofibrous membrane showing unusual dual-directional wicking capability has been developed for water harvesting. In comparison to the Janus membrane with a water-collection efficiency of 45.92 g/cm2/h, such a dual-directional wicking fibrous membrane has a much higher water-collection capacity (425.96 g/cm2/h) and excellent water-storage capacity. The highly efficient water-harvesting capacity originates from the strong force to draw water from the outer hydrophobic layer to the middle superhydrophilic layer and the permeable channels formed by the hydrophobic fibrous structures. The large pores in the outer hydrophobic layer and the small pores in the middle superhydrophilic layer facilitate water harvesting because of the dual-directional water-transport ability. The successful preparation of dual-directional wicking nanofiber membranes would be valuable for the development of advanced water harvesters for diversified applications

Sandwich-Structured Nanofiber Membranes with Dual-Directional Water-Transport Ability for High-Efficiency Water Harvesting

Previous research on water harvesting driven by directional water transport from ubiquitous atmospheric moisture is mainly based on one-dimensional (1D) filaments with asymmetric hydrophilic/hydrophobic wettability along the filaments, two-dimensional (2D) surfaces with hydrophilic and hydrophobic patterns, and three-dimensional (3D) porous structures with “Janus” wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. However, it remains an ongoing challenge to design and construct porous fibrous membranes with efficient directional water transport capability in the thickness direction and excellent water-collection performance. Herein, a sandwich-structured nanofibrous membrane showing unusual dual-directional wicking capability has been developed for water harvesting. In comparison to the Janus membrane with a water-collection efficiency of 45.92 g/cm2/h, such a dual-directional wicking fibrous membrane has a much higher water-collection capacity (425.96 g/cm2/h) and excellent water-storage capacity. The highly efficient water-harvesting capacity originates from the strong force to draw water from the outer hydrophobic layer to the middle superhydrophilic layer and the permeable channels formed by the hydrophobic fibrous structures. The large pores in the outer hydrophobic layer and the small pores in the middle superhydrophilic layer facilitate water harvesting because of the dual-directional water-transport ability. The successful preparation of dual-directional wicking nanofiber membranes would be valuable for the development of advanced water harvesters for diversified applications

Additional file 1 of Cancer-associated fibroblasts-derived CXCL12 enhances immune escape of bladder cancer through inhibiting P62-mediated autophagic degradation of PDL1

Supplementary Material 1: Figure S1. Prognostic value of CAFs and CXCL12 in TCGA and GEO databases. (A) Immunohistochemistry of α-SMA in bladder cancer tissues and normal tissues of HPA database. (B) Comparison of overall survival between high and low α-SMA groups. (C, D) Comparison of overall survival between high and low CAFs proportion groups, calculated by XCELL or MCPCOUNTER algorithm. (E, F) Comparison of overall survival between high and low CAFs proportion groups of another two GEO datasets. (G) Dot plots showing average expression of known markers in indicated cell clusters of scRNA-seq data. The dot size represents percent of cells expressing the genes in each cluster. The expression intensity of markers is shown. (H) Correlation between α-SMA and CXCL12. (I–K) Comparison of overall survival between high and low CXCL12 groups in TCGA or GEO database

Additional file 2 of Alpha-ketoglutarate ameliorates abdominal aortic aneurysm via inhibiting PXDN/HOCL/ERK signaling pathways

Additional file 2. The cell viability after treating with AKG

Additional file 1 of Alpha-ketoglutarate ameliorates abdominal aortic aneurysm via inhibiting PXDN/HOCL/ERK signaling pathways

Additional file 1. AKG treatment in mice with the sham surgery did not affect abdominal aortic diameter

Additional file 3 of Alpha-ketoglutarate ameliorates abdominal aortic aneurysm via inhibiting PXDN/HOCL/ERK signaling pathways

Additional file 3. PXDN was overexpressed in aorta by the injection of a adenovirus harboring the PXDN gene