Binary wettability patterned surfaces with extremely high wetting contrasts can be found in nature on living creatures. They offer a versatile platform for microfluidic management. In this work, a facile approach to fabricating erasable and rewritable surface patterns with extreme wettability contrasts (superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic) on a TiO2 nanotube array (TNA) surface through self-assembly and photocatalytic lithography is reported. The multifunctional micropatterned superhydrophobic TNA surface can act as a 2D scaffold for site-selective cell immobilization and reversible protein absorption. Most importantly, such a high-contrast wettability template can be used to construct various well-defined 3D functional patterns, such as calcium phosphate, silver nanoparticles, drugs, and biomolecules in a highly selective manner. The 3D functional patterns would be a versatile platform in a wide range of applications, especially for biomedical devices (e.g., high-throughput molecular sensing, targeted antibacterials, and drug delivery). In a proof-of-concept study, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering and antibacterial performance of the fabricated 3D AgNP@TNA pattern, and the targeted drug delivery for site-specific and high-sensitivity cancer cell assays was investigated.

A hybrid nano-urchin structure consisting of spherical onion-like carbon and MnO2 nanosheets is synthesized by a facile and environmentally-friendly hydrothermal method. Lithium-ion batteries incorporating the hybrid nano-urchin anode exhibit reversible lithium storage with superior specific capacity, enhanced rate capability, stable cycling performance, and nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of designing hybrid nano-architectures with uniform and isotropic structure, high loading of electrochemically-active materials, and good conductivity for the dramatic improvement of lithium storage. Disciplines Engineering | Physical Sciences and Mathematics Publication DetailsWang, Y., Han, Z., Yu, S., Song, R., Song, H., Ostrikov, K. & Yang, H. (2013). Core-leaf onion-like carbon/ MnO2 hybrid nano-urchins for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Carbon, 64 (November), [230][231][232][233][234][235][236] This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. IntroductionDeveloping high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is among the most promising solutions to address the drastic increase in global demand of energy [1]. LIBs were introduced to the market in the 1990s by Sony and soon attracted a strong research interest due to their high energy density, stability, and no memory effect, as compared to other alternatives [2]. However, commercial LIBs mostly use graphite as the anode material, which possesses a relatively low theoretical specific capacity of ~372 mAh g -1 . This low capacity severely hampers the wide usage of LIBs in the surging consumer electronic devices and the large-scale energy applications such as hybrid electric vehicles, renewable power plants, and load levelling [3][4][5]. To accommodate the high-level requirements of these advanced applications, it is imperative to explore new electrode materials and novel designs for higher energy density, lower cost, flexibility, non-toxicity, and better stability.The recent advances in nanotechnology have offered a promising route to tackle these challenges [6][7][8][9]. As compared to the bulk materials, nanostructured materials possess a large surface area with excellent electrical, optical, and mechanical properties. Nanomaterials can enhance the performance of LIBs through two approaches. The first one is by using lowdimensional carbon-based nanomaterials to provide more efficient lithiation and delithiation In this work we solve these problems by fabricating the hybrid nano-urchin structure consisting of onion-like carbon/MnO 2 (OLC/MnO 2 ) using a simple and environmentallybenign hydro...

No abstract

Surface structures and properties of titanium implants play a vital role in successful bone replacement. To mimic the natural bone structure, some strategies have recently focused on the preparation of multiscaled morphology on medical titanium and shown some promising results; however, relatively few efforts have been made for further enhancing the biocompatibility of such a hierarchical hybrid structure without compromising the superior bioactivity of the starting micro/nano roughness. In this study, a thin ribbonlike octacalcium phosphate (OCP) coating was electrodeposited on a hierarchically structured titania surface, maintaining its micro/nanospongelike morphology. It is indicated that the micro/nanostructured surface with deposited OCP showed an improved biomineralization ability, in comparison to that without OCP modification, when immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). Further evaluations of cellular activities demonstrated that the introduction of OCP to the micro/nano spongelike-structured surface remarkably enhanced MC3T3-E1 cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and extracellular matrix mineralization compared to that of cells on the micro/nanospongelike titania surface during 14 days of culturing. Meanwhile, the OCP-deposited micro/nanostructured surface displayed much a smaller passive current density and lower current response to the applied potential, resulting in the improvement of corrosion resistance. All of the evaluations suggested that the modification of the OCP coating on the prepared micro/nanospongelike titania is of superior chemical stability, biomineralization, and osteoblast activities, which indicates a favorable implant microenvironment for osseointegration in vivo.

No abstract