Metal copper mesh with superhydrophobic and superoleophilic surface had been successfully fabricated via a facile solution-immersion process. The hierarchical structure was prepared on the commercial copper mesh surface by etching with the nitric acid. After being modified by 1-hexadecanethiol (HDT), the as-prepared mesh indicated both superhydrophobic and superoleophilic property simultaneously. This as-prepared metal mesh could then be applied for oil and water mixture separation. The unusual wettability of the as-prepared mesh was stable in corrosive conditions, such as acidic, basic, and salt solutions. The solution-immersion method was simple, time-saving, and inexpensive and therefore exhibited great potential application.

The development of functional copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) is becoming increasingly widespread in consumer technologies due to their applications in cellular imaging and catalysis. Herein, we report a simple protein-directed synthesis of stable, water-soluble and fluorescent Cu NCs, using BSA as the stabilising agent. Meanwhile, in this study, hydrazine hydrate (N₂H₄·2H₂O) was used as the reducing agent. N₂H₄·2H₂O was a mild reducing agent suggesting that all processes could be operated at room temperature. The as-prepared Cu NCs showed red fluorescence with a peaking center at 620 nm (quantum yield 4.1%). The fluorescence of the as-prepared BSA-Cu NCs was responsive to pH in that the intensity of fluorescence increased rapidly by decreasing the pH from 12 to 6. Besides, with an arresting set of features including water-dispersibility, red fluorescence, good biocompatibility, surface-bioactivity and small size, the resultant BSA-Cu NCs could be used as probes for cellular imaging and catalysis. In this study, CAL-27 cells and the reaction of oxidation of styrene are used as models to achieve fluorescence imaging and elucidate the catalytic activity of the as-prepared BSA-Cu NCs.

Conductive hydrogels as flexible electronic devices, not only have unique attractions but also meet the basic need of mechanical flexibility and intelligent sensing. How to endow anisotropy and a wide application temperature range for traditional homogeneous conductive hydrogels and flexible sensors is still a challenge. Herein, a directional freezing method is used to prepare anisotropic MXene conductive hydrogels that are inspired by ordered structures of muscles. Due to the anisotropy of MXene conductive hydrogels, the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity are enhanced in specific directions. The hydrogels have a wide temperature resistance range of −36 to 25 °C through solvent substitution. Thus, the muscle-inspired MXene conductive hydrogels with anisotropy and low-temperature resistance can be used as wearable flexible sensors. The sensing signals are further displayed on the mobile phone as images through wireless technology, and images will change with the collected signals to achieve motion detection. Multiple flexible sensors are also assembled into a 3D sensor array for detecting the magnitude and spatial distribution of forces or strains. The MXene conductive hydrogels with ordered orientation and anisotropy are promising for flexible sensors, which have broad application prospects in human-machine interface compatibility and medical monitoring.

Tissue engineering is a promising and revolutionary strategy to treat patients who suffer the loss or failure of an organ or tissue, with the aim to restore the dysfunctional tissues and enhance life expectancy. Supramolecular adhesive hydrogels are emerging as appealing materials for tissue engineering applications owing to their favorable attributes such as tailorable structure, inherent flexibility, excellent biocompatibility, near-physiological environment, dynamic mechanical strength, and particularly attractive self-adhesiveness. In this review, the key design principles and various supramolecular strategies to construct adhesive hydrogels are comprehensively summarized. Thereafter, the recent research progress regarding their tissue engineering applications, including primarily dermal tissue repair, muscle tissue repair, bone tissue repair, neural tissue repair, vascular tissue repair, oral tissue repair, corneal tissue repair, cardiac tissue repair, fetal membrane repair, hepatic tissue repair, and gastric tissue repair, is systematically highlighted. Finally, the scientific challenges and the remaining opportunities are underlined to show a full picture of the supramolecular adhesive hydrogels. This review is expected to offer comparative views and critical insights to inspire more advanced studies on supramolecular adhesive hydrogels and pave the way for different fields even beyond tissue engineering applications.

CdS magic-sized nanocrystals (MSNs) exhibiting both band gap absorption and emission at 378 nm with a narrow bandwidth of ∼9 nm and quantum yield (QY) of ∼10% (total QY ∼28%, in hexane) were synthesized via a one-pot noninjection approach. This CdS MSN ensemble is termed as Family 378. It has been acknowledged that magic-sized quantum dots (MSQDs) are single-sized, and only homogeneous broadening contributes to their bandwidth. The synthetic approach developed is ready and highly reproducible. The formation of the CdS MSQDs was carried out at elevated temperatures (such as 90−140 °C) for a few hours in a reaction flask containing bis(trimethylsilyl)sulfide ((TMS)2S) and Cd(OAc)(OA) in situ made from cadmium acetate dihydrate (Cd(OAc)2·2H2O) and oleic acid (OA) in 1-octadecene (ODE). Low OA/Cd and high Cd/S feed molar ratios favor this formation, whose mechanism is proposed to be thermodynamically driven. 13C solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP/MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) demonstrates that the capping ligands are firmly attached to the nanocrystal surface via carboxylate groups. With the cross-polarization from 1H of the alkyl chains to surface 113Cd, 113Cd NMR is able to distinguish the surface Cd (471 ppm) bonding to both −COO− and S and the bulk Cd (792 ppm) bonding to S only. DOSY-NMR was used to determine the size of Family 378 (∼1.9 nm). The present study provides strategies for the rational design of various MSNs.