Gelation mechanisms of gel polymer electrolytes for zinc-based batteries

Zinc-based batteries(ZBs)have been deemed as a potential substitute for lithium-ion batteries due to its unique advantages of abundant resources,low cost and acceptable energy density.Despite great progress in designing electrode materials has been made,the development of high-performance ZBs still remain challenges,such as the dendrite growth of zinc anode,hydrogen evolution reaction,limited electrochemical stability window,water evaporation and liquid leakage.Gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs),including hydrous GPEs with low content of active water and anhydrous GPEs without the presence of water,are proposed to avoid these problems.Furthermore,employing GPEs is conductive to fabricate flexible devices owing to the good mechanical strength.To date,most of researches focus on discovering new GPEs and exploring its application on flexible or wearable devices.Recent reviews also have outlined the polymer matrixes and advances of GPEs in various battery systems.Given this,herein,we seek to summarize the gelation mechanisms of GPEs,involving physical gel of polymer,chemical crosslinking of polymer and chemical polymerization of monomers.Peculiarly,the preparation methods are also classified.In addition,not only the features and central conundrum of GPEs are analyzed but also the corresponding strategies are discussed,contributing to design GPEs with ideal properties for high-performance ZBs.

Recentprogress in thebiomedical application of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels

Bioelectronics have gained substantial research attention owing to their potential applications in health monitoring and diagnose,and greatly promoted the development of biomedicine.Recently,poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)hydrogels have arose as a promising candi-date for the next-generation bioelectronic interface due to its high-conductivity,versatility,flexibility and biocompatibility.In this review,we highlight the recent advances of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels,including the gelation methods and modification strategies,and summarize their wide applications in different type of sensors and tissue engineering in detail.We expect that this work will provide valuable information regarding the functionalizations and applications of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels.

Novel nanoparticles composed of chitosan and β-cyclodextrin derivatives as potential insoluble drug carrier

This research was aim to develop novel cyclodextrin/chitosan （CD/CS） nanocarriers for insoluble drug delivery through the mild ionic gelation method previously developed by our lab. A series of different β- cyclodextrin （β-CD） derivatives were incorporated into CS nanoparticles including hydroxypropyl-β- cyclodextrin （HP-β-CD）, sulphobutylether-β-cyclodextrin （SB-β-CD）, and 2,6-di-O-methy-βcyclodex- trin （DM-β-CD）. Various process parameters for nanoparticle preparation and their effects on physicochemical properties of CD/CS nanoparticles were investigated, such as the type of CD derivatives, CD and CS concentrations, the mass ratio of CS to TPP （CS/TRP）, and pH values. In the optimal condition, CDICS nanoparticles were obtained in the size range of 215-276 nm and with the zeta potential from 30.22 mV to 35.79 mY. Moreover, the stability study showed that the incorporation of CD rendered the CD/CS nanocarriers more stable than CS nanoparticles in PBS buffer at pH 6.8. For their easy preparation and adjustable parameters in nanoparticle formation as well as the diversified hydrophobic core of CD derivatives, the novel CD/CS nanoparticles developed herein might represent an interesting and versatile drug delivery platform for a variety of poorly water-soluble drugs with different physicochemical properties.