Bioinspired nanovalves with selective permeability and pH sensitivity

Abstract

Biological systems with controlled permeability and release functionality, which are among the successful examples of living beings to survive in evolution, have attracted intensive investigation and have been mimicked due to their broad spectrum of applications. We present in this work, for the first time, an example of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs)-inspired controlled release system that exhibits on-demand release of angstrom-sized molecules. We do so in a cost-effective way by stabilizing porous cobalt basic carbonates as nanovalves and realizing pH-sensitive release of entrapped subnano cargo. The proof-of-concept work also consists of the establishment of two mathematical models to explain the selective permeability of the nanovalves. Finally, gram-sized (or larger) quantities of the bio-inspired controlled release system can be synthesized through a scaling-up strategy, which opens up opportunities for controlled release of functional molecules in wider practical applications.

Self-Healing Abilities of Shape-Memory Epoxy-Contained Polycaprolactone Microspheres Filled with Cerium(III) Nitrate Coated on Aluminum 2024-T3

“…The self-healing coating has an ability to recover from any light superficial damage or suppress any corrosion initiations of metal substrates. In turn, self-healing coatings reduce the degradation of coating materials, prolong service life of coating materials, and reduce the repair cost of coating materials in industries that encounter corrosion. ,− Even if this concept seems to be promising, the key achievement in smart coatings is the stability of carriers that contain self-healing agents, which depends on the preparation techniques. − Among those techniques, a double emulsion evaporation (DEE) technique is of interest because it can be used to encapsulate the corrosion inhibitors with high efficiency. − …”

Nanocontainer-based self-healing coatings: current progress and future perspectives

“…Therefore, the nanocontainer shell that is sensitive to either both or one of acidic and alkaline regions can release encapsulated inhibitor for corrosion termination. Polyelectrolyte capsules, 9 polymeric micro/nano-sized capsules formed by interfacial polymerization, 10 hydrogels 11 and porous nanoparticles with bioinspired nanovalves [12][13][14][15] having weak acidic or basic functional groups in the shell have been presented in the literature for reversible and (or) irreversible changes of the shell permeability in a wide pH range.…”

Nanocontainer-Based Active Systems: From Self-Healing Coatings to Thermal Energy Storage

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