Decades of research into cryogels have resulted in the development of many types of cryogels for various applications. Collagen and gelatin possess nontoxicity, intrinsic gel-forming ability and physicochemical properties, and excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, making them very desirable candidates for the fabrication of cryogels. Collagen-based cryogels (CBCs) and gelatin-based cryogels (GBCs) have been successfully applied as three-dimensional substrates for cell culture and have shown promise for biomedical use. A key point in the development of CBCs and GBCs is the quantitative and precise characterization of their properties and their correlation with preparation process and parameters, enabling these cryogels to be tuned to match engineering requirements. Great efforts have been devoted to fabricating these types of cryogels and exploring their potential biomedical application. However, to the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive overviews focused on CBCs and GBCs have been reported currently. In this review, we attempt to provide insight into the recent advances on such kinds of cryogels, including their fabrication methods and structural properties, as well as potential biomedical applications.
In
this work, a novel eco-friendly wet-white tanning approach based
on tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium sulfate (THPS) and synthetic
Laponite clay nanoparticles has been developed to reduce potential
HCHO risk as well as to improve leather performances. Our results
indicate that the hydrothermal stability enhancement of the leather
and the HCHO release are closely related to the dosage of THPS and
final float pH in the THPS-based wet-white tanning process. The introduction
of Laponite can cause distinct increase in shrinkage temperature (T
s) of the combination tanned leather and reduced
HCHO contents, implying the presence of synergistic effects between
THPS and Laponite. The wet-white tanning system of 2.5% THPS combined
3% Laponite by two-bath method at final pH ∼4.5 is thus optimized,
conferring the leather with a T
s above
85 °C. Laponite clay nanoplatelets can be evenly bound between
collagen fibrils without altering the native D-periodic banding patterns.
Moreover, the novel combination tanning not only improves yellowing
resistance and lightfastness but also enhances strength properties
of the wet-white leather. These findings provide a potential application
of Laponite to meet growing demands for reasonable tanning materials
and related technologies toward eco-friendly leather manufacture.
Switchable passive radiative cooling (PRC) smart windows can modulate sunlight transmission and spontaneously emit heat to outer space through atmospheric transparent window, presenting great potential in building energy conservation. However, realizing stable and on‐demand control of the cooling efficiency for PRC materials is still challenging. Herein, an electro‐controlled polymer‐dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) smart window showing PRC property is designed and prepared by adding mid‐infrared emitting reactive monomers into the conventional PDLC matrix. It is found that not only the electro‐optical properties but also the PRC efficiency of PRC PDLC film are tunable by regulating the content of the mid‐infrared emitting components, film thickness, and micromorphology. This advanced PRC PDLC material achieves a near/sub‐ambient temperature when the solar irradiance is below 400 W m−2 and can dynamically manage daytime cooling efficiency. Importantly, its PRC efficiency is capable of being tuned in an on‐demand and ultrafast millisecond‐scale way, whose controllable transparency enables multistage heat regulation. This study is hoped to provide new inspiration in the preparation of advanced optical devices and energy‐efficient equipment.
A non-pickling combination tanning based on reactive benzenesulphonate (rBS) and Tannic acid (TA) has been developed for the chrome-free leather manufacturing. By optimizing the tanning process, the two-bath combination tanning with 4% rBS and 10% TA at the final pH 3.0-3.5 can raise the shrinkage temperature (Ts) of goatskins to ~86°C. Morphological analysis results reveal that the chrome-free leather exhibits a clear even grain surface and isolated collagen fiber network structure. The novel combination tanning approach not only improves light fastness, but also confers high physical and mechanical properties to the chrome-free leather which can meet the Chinese standard requirements for furniture leather and shoe upper leather. The non-pickling tanning without use of salt or acid is also benefit to clean leather-making production.
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