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This paper describes materials and design strategies for wireless, bioresorbable drug delivery devices that allow localized release of drugs in precisely controlled, patient-specific time sequences. The device architecture combines completely bioresorbable wireless electronics and thermally actuated lipid membranes infused with multiple types of drugs, to enable remote time-controlled release profiles with near-zero leakage in the off-state. Complete bioresorption following an engineered operational lifetime eliminates unnecessary patient risk and device load on the body, without the need for surgical extraction. Systematic in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrate the underlying principles and all of the relevant features of operation. The capabilities offered by this platform have potential utility in clinical therapies to improve patient compliance and the efficacy of current procedures.
A one-step and continuous method to produce a spherical Li4Ti5O12/graphene composite for the lithium-ion battery anode is reported. The high conductivity and hollow structure of the crumpled graphene sphere greatly enhance the rate capability and cycling performance of the Li4Ti5O12 anode. This method provides a new and exciting approach for high-performance anode material design and fabrication.
We report a generic aqueous coating methodology that provides highly biocompatible surfaces. The method is inspired by prebiotic chemistry that involves the polymerization of hydrogen cyanide (HCN). The neutralization of the commercially available HCN trimer aminomalononitrile toluenesulfonate results in spontaneous polymerization that can be used to coat a wide variety of surfaces with a highly nitrogenous polymer. The non-cytotoxic coating provides excellent cell attachment and its chemistry allows the immobilization of other compounds including metals both during coating formation or by subsequent secondary immobilization reactions. This gives access to bioactive coatings including antimicrobial surfaces. Prebiotic chemistry has always been focussed on the understanding of the chemical origin of life and has remained highly fundamental research. To our knowledge this is the first application of prebiotic chemistry to material science.
The synthesis and application of organoboron complexes are a topic with high relevance owing to their unique characteristics. This manuscript introduces the results primarily from recent studies of boron diketonates, ketoiminates and diiminates containing polymers and particularly focuses on their optical properties.
This review highlights the recent advances in utilizing a combinatorial strategy of mechanistic investigation, theoretical prediction and experimental validation to develop cheap and earth-abundant high-performance electrocatalysts as counter electrode materials for dye-sensitized solar cells. The effectiveness of the combinatorial strategy over the conventional ‘trial-and-error’ tactic is illustrated with plentiful successful examples of earth-abundant materials. Perspectives are given to elucidate the opportunities and challenges.
