Research articles

We demonstrated biomolecular motors driven swarming of microtubules and their dissociation under UV and visible light irradiation, respectively. A photoresponsive molecule, para tert-butyl-substituted azobenzene was incorporated to the backbone of single strand DNA, which functions as a photoswitch to control the swarming of microtubules in a reversible manner. This work is expected to expand the potential applications of biomolecular motors in developing photoregulated molecular machines.

The first ultrasoft aqueous lithium-ion batteries with coaxial fiber structures were fabricated with an all-hydrogel design. The all-hydrogel fiber aqueous Li-ion battery exhibited a high specific discharge capacity of 84.8 mAh·g⁻¹ and superior cycling behavior and rate capacity performance. A low Young’s modulus (e.g., 445 kPa) for the battery was achieved by making it entirely from hydrogels, which ensured mechanical compatibility with biological tissues.

The liquid-phase exfoliation of graphite is mass-producible and cost-effective method of graphene production. Polymers can be employed as dispersants to facilitate the exfoliation of graphite in organic solvents. We synthesized methacrylate polymers with various monomer ratios and molecular weights and investigated the efficient acquisition of graphene from graphite. Graphene with a uniform thickness was obtained when graphite was exfoliated using an optimized polymer dispersant.

The effect of the nucleating agent masterbatch carrier resin on the nonisothermal crystallization of a pipe-grade polypropylene block copolymer was investigated at three different cooling rates using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Crystallization kinetic parameters obtained from DSC cooling curves showed that incorporation of a nucleating agent by means of a masterbatch increased the crystallization rate by approximately two times compared to that of the sample with the same concentration of nucleating agent without the use of a masterbatch.