No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

By mimicking the natural sclerotization process of insect cuticles, a novel nanofiber-reinforced gelatin hydrogel was developed with improved mechanical properties, which was further strengthened through quinone cross-linking. Because quinone cross-linking reacts between amino groups by increasing the amino group content on the chitin crystalline surface through alkali treatment, surface-deacetylated chitin nanofibers (SD-ChNFs) were prepared to facilitate the cross-linking reaction between SD-ChNF and gelatin. This technique resulted in a tough hydrogel with a dark color. In comparison to a non-cross-linked version, the quinone-cross-linked SD-ChNF/gelatin hydrogel exhibited significantly improved tensile performance. Notably, by controlling the cross-linking reaction time from 6 to 48 h, the tensile strength of the quinone-cross-linked hydrogels can be modified and can reach as high as 2.96 MPa while displaying a variable brown color. Given the eco-friendly, biocompatible, and sustainable properties of chitin and gelatin, these bioinspired hydrogels provide potential applications in the agricultural and biomedical fields.

Thanks to their considerable electrochemical and mechanical properties, fiber‐shaped supercapacitors have become the most potential energy storage devices for portable and wearable electronics in the future; however, challenges still exist in the pursuit of practical applications among them. In this work, ternary microfibers, which are composed of TEMPO‐oxidized cellulose nanofibers/reduced graphene oxide microfiber cores coated with polypyrrole shell layers, are successfully fabricated through industrializable and sustainable wet‐spinning and interfacial polymerization strategies. The prepared microfibers possess well‐defined microstructures and outstanding mechanical properties (559 MPa). When assembled into symmetrical all‐solid‐state fiber‐shaped supercapacitors (FSCs), they exhibit remarkable electrochemical properties (647 mF cm−2, 14.37 µWh cm−2 at 0.1 mA cm−2), prominent cycling stability (92.5% capacitance retention and 92.6% coulomb efficiency after 10 000 cycles), and extraordinary flexibility (no significant decay in capacitance after 5000 bending cycles), which are superior to all the congeneric FSCs reported to date. The prominent performances are ascribed to the synergistic effect of the well‐designed ternary system and synergistic effects between interior components. The advantages in electrochemical, mechanical, and industrial properties of the ternary FSCs can provide reference and boost the development of flexible energy storage applications.