Three-dimensional (3D) printing of hydrogels is now an attractive area of research due to its capability to fabricate intricate, complex and highly customizable scaffold structures that can support cell adhesion and promote cell infiltration for tissue engineering. However, pure hydrogels alone lack the necessary mechanical stability and are too easily degraded to be used as printing ink. To overcome this problem, significant progress has been made in the 3D printing of hydrogel composites with improved mechanical performance and biofunctionality. Herein, we provide a brief overview of existing hydrogel composite 3D printing techniques including laser based-3D printing, nozzle based-3D printing, and inkjet printer based-3D printing systems. Based on the type of additives, we will discuss four main hydrogel composite systems in this review: polymer-or hydrogel-hydrogel composites, particle-reinforced hydrogel composites, fiber-reinforced hydrogel composites, and anisotropic filler-reinforced hydrogel composites. Additionally, several emerging potential applications of hydrogel composites in the field of tissue engineering and their accompanying challenges are discussed in parallel.

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An ocean wave contains various marine information, but it is generally difficult to obtain the high-precision quantification to meet the needs of ocean development and utilization. Here, we report a self-powered and high-performance triboelectric ocean-wave spectrum sensor (TOSS) fabricated using a tubular triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and hollow ball buoy, which not only can adapt to the measurement of ocean surface water waves in any direction but also can eliminate the influence of seawater on the performance of the sensor. Based on the high-sensitivity advantage of TENG, an ultrahigh sensitivity of 2530 mV mm–1 (which is 100 times higher than that of previous work) and a minimal monitoring error of 0.1% are achieved in monitoring wave height and wave period, respectively. Importantly, six basic ocean-wave parameters (wave height, wave period, wave frequency, wave velocity, wavelength, and wave steepness), wave velocity spectrum, and mechanical energy spectrum have been derived by the electrical signals of TOSS. Our finding not only can provide ocean-wave parameters but also can offer significant and accurate data support for cloud computing of ocean big data.

Yolk-shell structured Si-C nanocomposites are easily synthesized by using a new method based on alkaline etching technology, and exhibit high specific capacity, good cycling stability and rate performance as anodes for lithium-ion batteries.

As a promising energy harvesters, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) can be utilized to convert distributed energy into electric power, but the slow charge accumulation incorporated with the inevitable charge decay/leakage of conventional TENGs result in a low surface charge density and an inferior output performance, limiting their practical applications. Here, an effective strategy is proposed to realize high charge density by using a fast charge accumulation process on dielectric material with high relative permittivity. As a result, the charge density is tremendously improved to 2.20 mC m−2 on the poly(vinylidene fluoride‐trifluoroethylene) film. Meanwhile, the fast charge accumulation is highly conducive to reach a high charge density of 1.30 mC m−2 in a 90% relative humidity environment, which is ≈260 times that of a TENG with slow charge accumulation. This work not only provides a new insight into charge accumulation and equilibrium state, but also provides significant guidance on the performance optimization of TENG.

In the last decade, an emerging three-dimensional (3D) printing technique named freeform 3D printing has revolutionized the biomedical engineering field by allowing soft matters with or without cells to be printed and solidified with high precision regardless of their poor self-supportability. The key to this freeform 3D printing technology is the supporting matrices that hold the printed soft ink materials during omnidirectional writing and solidification. This approach not only overcomes structural design restrictions of conventional layer-by-layer printing but also helps to realize 3D printing of low-viscosity or slow-curing materials. This article focuses on the recent developments in freeform 3D printing of soft matters such as hydrogels, cells, and silicone elastomers, for biomedical engineering. Herein, we classify the reported freeform 3D printing systems into positive, negative, and functional based on the fabrication process, and discuss the rheological requirements of the supporting matrix in accordance with the rheological behavior of counterpart inks, aiming to guide development and evaluation of new freeform printing systems. We also provide a brief overview of various material systems used as supporting matrices for freeform 3D printing systems and explore the potential applications of freeform 3D printing systems in different areas of biomedical engineering.

The particle/gas partition coefficient K is an important parameter affecting the fate and transport of indoor semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and resulting human exposure. Unfortunately, experimental measurements of K exist almost exclusively for atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with very few studies focusing on SVOCs that occur in indoor environments. A specially designed tube chamber operating in the laminar flow regime was developed to measure K of the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) for one inorganic (ammonium sulfate) and two organic (oleic acid and squalane) particles. The values of K for the organic particles (0.23 ± 0.13 m/μg for oleic acid and 0.11 ± 0.10 m/μg for squalane) are an order of magnitude higher than those for the inorganic particles (0.011 ± 0.004 m/μg), suggesting that the process by which the particles accumulate SVOCs is different. A mechanistic model based on the experimental design reveals that the presence of the particles increases the gas-phase concentration gradient in the boundary layer, resulting in enhanced mass transfer from the emission source into the air. This novel approach provides new insight into experimental designs for rapid K measurement and a sound basis for investigating particle-mediated mass transfer of SVOCs.

Phthalates and alternative plasticizers are semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), an important class of indoor pollutants that may have significant adverse effects on human health. Unfortunately, models that predict emissions of and the resulting exposure to SVOCs have substantial uncertainties. One reason is that the characteristics governing emissions, transport, and exposure are usually strongly dependent on vapor pressure. Furthermore, available data for phthalates exhibit significant variability, and vapor pressures for the various alternatives are usually unavailable. For these reasons, a new approach based on modeling of the evaporation process was developed to determine vapor pressures of phthalates and alternate plasticizers. A laminar flow forced convection model was used in the design of a partial saturator (PS) tube. The mass transfer mechanisms in the PS tube are accurately modeled and enable the determination of vapor pressure even when the carrier gas is not completely saturated, avoiding the complicated procedure to establish vapor saturation. The measured vapor pressures ranged from about 10(-2) to 10(-7) Pa. Compared to the traditional gas saturation method, the model-based approach is advantageous in terms of both predictability and simplicity. The knowledge provides new insight into experimental design and a sound basis for further method development.