High-Performance Flexible Ionically Conductive Superhydrophobic Papers via Deep Eutectic Polymer-Enhanced Interfacial Interactions

Endowing paper with highly flexible, conductive, and superhydrophobic properties will effectively expand its applications in fields such as green packaging, smart sensing, and paper-based electronics. Herein, a multifunctional superhydrophobic paper is reported in which a highly flexible transparent conductive substrate is prepared by introducing a hydrophobic deep eutectic polymer into the ethylcellulose network via a matrix swelling-polymerization strategy, and then the substrate is modified using fluorinated silica to impart superhydrophobicity. By introducing soft deep eutectic polymers, (1) the superhydrophobic paper can efficiently dissipate energy during deformation, (2) intrinsically ion-conducting deep eutectic polymers can endow the material with good electrical sensing properties, and (3) meanwhile, enhanced interfacial interactions can anchor inorganic particles, thereby improving the coating stability. The prepared superhydrophobic paper has an ultrahigh water contact angle (contact angle ≈ 162.2°) and exhibits a stable electrical response signal to external deformation/pressure, and the electrical properties are almost unaffected by external water molecules. In addition, the superhydrophobic paper was able to withstand 5000 bending–recovery cycles at a large angle of 150°, exhibiting stable electrical performance. The design concepts demonstrated here will provide insights into the development of superhydrophobic paper-based flexible electronic devices

Monod model for growth kinetics.

<p>The green dots are the measurements, and the blue lines are the simulated growth by the empirical Monod model.</p

Parameters estimated in the empirical Monod model.

<p>Parameters estimated in the empirical Monod model.</p

Experimentally observed and simulated isotopomer labeling patterns [M-57]⁺ in proteinogenic amino acids.

<p>The standard error for GC-MS measurement was below 0.02. <b>A1</b>: dynamic isotopomer simulation for glutamate from dFBA without considering reaction reversibility (dFBA w/o reversibility). <b>A2</b>: dynamic isotopomer simulation for glutamate from dFBA considering reaction reversibility (dFBA w/ reversibility). Bar plot: comparison of experimentally observed isotopomer labeling to simulated isotopomer labeling patterns of glutamate (<b>A1</b>: without considering reaction reversibility; <b>A2</b>: considering reaction reversibility). <b>B</b>: The model fitting of the isotopomer labeling data of five key amino acids (Ala, Gly, Ser, Asp, and Glu) at t = 24 and 30 h.</p

Flowchart of dFBA to decipher the dynamic metabolism of <i>S. oneidensis</i> MR-1.

<p>Flowchart of dFBA to decipher the dynamic metabolism of <i>S. oneidensis</i> MR-1.</p

Exchange coefficients for key metabolic pathways of MR-1.

<p>Exchange coefficients for key metabolic pathways of MR-1.</p

Dynamic flux distributions (unit: mmol/g DCW/h) in central metabolic pathways.

<p>The yellow filled cycles are intracellular metabolites; the blue filled cycles are substrates and extracellular metabolites (LAC: extracellular lactate, PYR: extracellular pyruvate, ACT: extracellular acetate); the dashed lines indicate inactive pathways; the green filled boxes are reactions listed in iSO783. All the abbreviations refer to iSO783 <a href="http://www.ploscompbiol.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002376#pcbi.1002376-Schuetz1" target="_blank">[7]</a>.</p

Ni₂P Nanosheets/Ni Foam Composite Electrode for Long-Lived and pH-Tolerable Electrochemical Hydrogen Generation

The continuous consumption of fossil fuels and accompanying environmental problems are driving the exploration of low-cost and effective electrocatalysts to produce clean hydrogen. A Ni₂P nanosheets/Ni foam composite, as a non-noble metal electrocatalyst, has been prepared through a facile chemical conversion pathway using surface oxidized Ni foam as precursor and low concentration of trioctylphosphine (TOP) as a phosphorus source. Further investigation shows the oxidized layer of Ni foam can orient the formation of Ni₂P nanosheets and facilitate the reaction with TOP. The Ni₂P/Ni, acting as a robust 3D self-supported superaerophobic hydrogen-evolving cathode, shows superior catalytic performance, stability, and durability in aqueous media over a wide pH value of 0–14, making it a versatile catalyst system for hydrogen generation. Such highly active, stable, abundant, and low-cost materials hold enormously promising potential applications in the fields of catalysis, energy conversion, and storage

Modeling p<i>K</i> Shift in DNA Triplexes Containing Locked Nucleic Acids

The protonation states for nucleic acid bases are difficult to assess experimentally. In the context of DNA triplex, the protonation state of cytidine in the third strand is particularly important, because it needs to be protonated in order to form Hoogsteen hydrogen bonds. A sugar modification, locked nucleic acid (LNA), is widely used in triplex forming oligonucleotides to target sites in the human genome. In this study, the parameters for LNA are developed in line with the CHARMM nucleic acid force field and validated toward the available structural experimental data. In conjunction, two computational methods were used to calculate the protonation state of the third strand cytidine in various DNA triplex environments: λ-dynamics and multiple pH regime. Both approaches predict p<i>K</i> of this cytidine shifted above physiological pH when cytidine is in the third strand in a triplex environment. Both methods show an upshift due to cytidine methylation, and a small downshift when the sugar configuration is locked. The predicted p<i>K</i> values for cytidine in DNA triplex environment can inform the design of better-binding oligonucleotides

Scale scores (Mean ± S.D.) of the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP), the Hypomanic Checklist-32 (HCL-32), the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) in the healthy volunteers (Controls, n = 76) and patients with bipolar I (BD I, n = 37) and II (BD II, n = 34) disorders.

<p>Note: a, p <.05 vs. Controls; b, p <.05 vs. BD I.</p><p>Scale scores (Mean ± S.D.) of the Plutchik-van Praag Depression Inventory (PVP), the Hypomanic Checklist-32 (HCL-32), the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Parker Personality Measure (PERM) in the healthy volunteers (Controls, n = 76) and patients with bipolar I (BD I, n = 37) and II (BD II, n = 34) disorders.</p