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Photothermal elastomers are recognized as smart flexible materials that can rapidly and effectively convert light energy into heat energy. However, there has been a lack of adequate focus on tackling the sustainability challenges of photothermal elastomers, particularly in terms of material selection, the integration of complex functionalities, and final disposal. A fully bio‐derived photothermal elastomer (BPTE) produced through a simple and chemical‐free approach is introduced, utilizing alkali lignin, lipoic acid, and phytic acid as bio‐derived feedstocks. The BPTE exhibits an adaptive polymeric network crosslinked by dynamic covalent disulfide bonds and multiple hydrogen bonds, endowing it with dual‐mode photothermal conversion capability, robustness, stretchability, rapidly self‐healing property, hydrophobicity, swelling resistance, self‐adhesion, full recyclability, and degradability. The BPTE is further demonstrated as a next‐generation solution for photothermal generators, light‐driven actuators, photothermal antibacterial dressings, and photothermal fibers. The versatility of BPTE opens avenues for innovative smart devices and systems with significant potential in energy conversion, soft robotics, medical treatment, and smart clothing. With outstanding photothermal performances, full recyclability, and biodegradability, these fully bio‐based elastomers present an attractive prospect for the development of the advanced smart photothermal products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous Zinc–Iodine (Zn–I2) batteries are promising candidates as energy storage system because of their high safety and low cost, but their application is hindered by the dendrite growth, the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and corrosion, the shuttle and self‐discharge effect of I3− at electrode/electrolyte interface. Inspired by self‐recognition mechanism of Zn supplement for human body, a self‐recognition layer (SR) is in situ constructed on Zn surface through the coordination of chondroitin sulfate (CHS) molecules with Zn2+ ions and Zn metal, which can induce the uniform Zn2+ deposition via the self‐recognition of Zn2+, suppress the HER and corrosion via physical shielding, as well as restrain the self‐discharge effect of I3− ions via electrostatic repulsion. The in situ SR affords the highly reversible plating/stripping for 9000 h. Remarkably, Zn–I2 full batteries with SR achieve long cycling‐life of 16 000 cycles, which is verified by pouch cell with stable charge/discharge capacity of ≈130 mAh g−1 for 200 cycles. This bionic self‐recognition methodology opens novel avenues to design the optimal electrode/electrolyte interface for high‐performance Zn–I2 batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth vanadates are promising for solar‐to‐fuel conversions, yet their photocatalytic efficiency is limited by the substantial recombination of photo‐generated carriers. Constructing heterojunctions is recognized as an effective approach to improving charge carrier separation in vanadates. Nonetheless, inefficient charge transfer often results from the poor quality of interfaces and non‐directional charge transfer within these heterojunctions. Herein, an S‐scheme AgInS2/CeVO4@Biocharx (AIS/CV@Cx) heterojunction photocatalyst is designed and synthesized through a straightforward freeze‐drying and calcination three‐step process, aimed at photocatalytic co‐production of xylonic acid and carbon monoxide (CO) from xylose. The AIS/CV@C2 heterojunction achieves an optimal yield of 67.74% for xylonic acid and a CO release of 29.76 µmol from xylose. The enhanced photocatalytic performance of the AIS/CV@C2 heterojunction is attributed to three key factors: I) the high‐quality interface and intimate contact within the AIS/CV@C2 heterojunction significantly reduce undesirable carriers recombination, II) the staggered band structures and directed carriers transfer in the AIS/CV@C2 heterojunction notably improve spatial carriers separation/migration, and III) the incorporation of biochar boosts the conductivity of the AIS/CV@C2 heterojunction. This work presents a straightforward yet effective method for fabricating vanadate heterojunctions, highlighting the importance of quality interfacial contact and directed charge transfer in amplifying photocatalytic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Applications of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries are still limited by the sluggish conversion kinetics from polysulfide to Li2S. Although various single‐atom catalysts are available for improving the conversion kinetics, the sulfur redox kinetics for Li–S batteries is still not ultrafast. Herein, in this work, a catalyst with dual‐single‐atom Pt‐Co embedded in N‐doped carbon nanotubes (Pt&Co@NCNT) was proposed by the atomic layer deposition method to suppress the shuttle effect and synergistically improve the interconversion kinetics from polysulfides to Li2S. The X‐ray absorption near edge curves indicated the reversible conversion of Li2Sx on the S/Pt&Co@NCNT electrode. Meanwhile, density functional theory demonstrated that the Pt&Co@NCNT promoted the free energy of the phase transition of sulfur species and reduced the oxidative decomposition energy of Li2S. As a result, the batteries assembled with S/Pt&Co@NCNT electrodes exhibited a high capacity retention of 80% at 100 cycles at a current density of 1.3 mA cm−2 (S loading: 2.5 mg cm−2). More importantly, an excellent rate performance was achieved with a high capacity of 822.1 mAh g−1 at a high current density of 12.7 mA cm−2. This work opens a new direction to boost the sulfur redox kinetics for ultrafast Li–S batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eutectogels are emerging as an appealing soft conductor for self‐powered sensing and the next generation of flexible human–computer interactive devices owing to their inherent mechanical elasticity and high ionic conductivity. However, it still remains a challenge to simultaneously achieve multi‐functional and multi‐response integrations through a facile and sustainable approach. Herein, a self‐healing, environment tolerant, intrinsically conductive, and recyclable eutectogel with multiple responses is developed via one‐step solar‐initiated polymerization of deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and ionic liquids (ILs). Abundant hydrogen bonds and ion‐dipole interactions impart eutectogels with high mechanical strength (8.8 MPa), ultra‐stretchability (>1100%), strong self‐adhesion (≈12 MPa), recyclability, and autonomously self‐healing ability. Furthermore, the intrinsically conductive eutectogels with appealing versatile sensations on strain, temperature, and humidity can serve as wearable sensors for wireless motion recognition and human–computer interaction control. More importantly, the eutectogel‐assembled single‐electrode triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) exhibits extreme environment‐tolerant and fast self‐healable properties that contribute to maintaining excellent and stable electrical outputs in a wide work temperature range (approximately −40–60 °C), which appear to be promising in self‐powered flexible electronics with high environmental adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All‐solid‐state Li batteries (ASSLBs) with solid‐polymer electrolytes are considered promising battery systems to achieve improved safety and high energy density. However, Li dendrite formation at the Li anode under high charging current density/capacity has limited their development. To tackle the issue, Li‐metal alloying has been proposed as an alternative strategy to suppress Li dendrite growth in ASSLBs. One drawback of alloying is the relatively lower operating cell voltages, which will inevitably lower energy density compared to cells with pure Li anode. Herein, a Li‐rich Li13In3 alloy electrode (LiRLIA) is proposed, where the Li13In3 alloy scaffold guides Li nucleation and hinders Li dendrite formation. Meanwhile, the free Li can recover Li's potential and facilitate fast charge transfer kinetics to realize high‐energy‐density ASSLBs. Benefitting from the stronger adsorption energy and lower diffusion energy barrier of Li on a Li13In3 substrate, Li prefers to deposit in the 3D Li13In3 scaffold selectively. Therefore, the Li–Li symmetric cell constructed with LiRLIA can operate at a high current density/capacity of 5 mA cm−2/5 mAh cm−2 for almost 1000 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive hydrogels have shown great promise in the field of sustainable power sources due to their unique features of sufficient flexibility, durability, and functional diversification. However, time‐ and energy‐consuming polymerization process and poor adaptability in extreme environments severely impede their practical application in such an emerging field. Herein, a facile and universal self‐catalytic system (AL‐Cu2+) based on alkali lignin (AL) macromolecule has been designed to rapidly fabricate conductive and transparent organohydrogels in alkaline water–ethylene glycol (EG) binary solvent, which displays extreme environment applicability (‒40 to 60 °C), eligible stretchability (≈800% elongation), and robust self‐adhesion (≈31.4 kPa). Interestingly, the introduced EG accelerates the polymerization, endows extreme freezing/drying resistance, and improves self‐adhesion for the organohydrogels. The organohydrogel (water/EG = 2/3) that combines the above merits inspires the construction of triboelectric nanogenerator (O‐TENG) for mechanical energy harvesting and converting regardless of low‐ or high‐temperature environments. The generated electricity by the O‐TENG can be used directly or stored to drive commercial electronics and installed on human joints for movement monitoring. This work sheds light on designing environment‐resistant flexible TENGs based on multifunctional soft materials with fast gelation strategy, provoking more attention to sustainable high‐value utilization of lignin for advanced applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational regulation of the structure of photocatalysts with an enhanced visible‐light absorption property and rapid charge dynamics is promising and challenging. Here, a facile method was developed for preparing oxygen‐doped carbon nitride bundles with porous hollow trunk‐shaped structures (Ox@CNB) using melamine with assistance of hydrochloric acid. Experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicated that Ox@CNB exhibited controllable bandgaps (2.20–2.60 eV) and a low photoluminescence intensity. Interestingly, Ox@CNB displayed excellent photocatalytic activity for the synthesis of lactic acid (81.4 %) and universality for the reforming of biomass‐derived monosaccharides to lactic acid. The oxidation active species of h+, ⋅OH, ⋅O2− and 1O2 all promoted the lactic acid production, and h+ played a major role. A possible reaction mechanism of lactic acid synthesis was proposed by combining the experimental with the DFT results. A one‐thousand‐fold up‐scaled experiment demonstrated the significant application potential of the system for the industrial production of lactic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stretchable and tough hydrogels are highly required for various flexible devices. Liquid metal (LM) emerges as an attractive applicant in preparing functional hydrogels due to its unique features. However, the high fluidity of LM and incompatibility between LM and polymer matrix make it hard to fabricate tough hydrogels. Herein, inspired by the function of ligaments in biological structure, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets are introduced to encapsulate LM droplets. GO nanosheets form strong interaction with both LM and polymer matrix to create a stable shell that prevents LM droplet from fracture and exudation to polymer network. The flexible LM/GO core–shell microstructure avoids phase separation and produces a tough hydrogel with stress of high up to 303 kPa at 1240% elongation. It also shows notch insensitivity and strong adhesion to various surfaces. This study opens the possibility of using LM in stretchable and tough hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photoreforming of biomass into hydrogen, biofuels, and chemicals is highly desired, yet this field of research is still in its infancy. Developing an efficient, novel, and environmentally friendly photocatalyst is key to achieving these goals. To date, the nonmetallic and eco‐friendly material carbon nitride has found many uses in reactions such as water splitting, CO2 reduction, N2 fixation, and biorefinery, owing to its outstanding photocatalytic activity. However, a narrow light absorption range and fast charge recombination are often encountered in the pristine carbon nitride photocatalytic system, which resulted in unsatisfying photocatalytic activity. To improve the photocatalytic performance of pure carbon nitride in biomass reforming, modification is needed. In this Review, the design and preparation of functional carbon nitride, as well as its photocatalytic properties for the synthesis of hydrogen, biofuels, and chemicals through biomass reforming, are discussed alongside potential avenues for its future development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient deconstruction of lignocellulose is vitally important for the biorefinery industry because lignin structures play a crucial role in the high value‐added conversion of lignin. In this study, an integrated process based on hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) and Kraft delignification was proposed to deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass. It was found that the HTP not only facilitated the production of xylo‐oligosaccharides but also reduced the chemicals dosage of the following delignification. The structural characteristics of lignin obtained from the integrated process were investigated by NMR spectroscopy and gel‐permeation chromatography. Additionally, double enzymatic lignins (DELs) isolated from different feedstocks were used as "model lignin" to delineate the structural transformations of lignin during H2O2, ClO2, and O3 bleaching. Significant changes of the lignin structure were observed during the ClO2 bleaching process, including degradation of aromatic rings, enrichment in p‐hydroxyphenyl units, and increase of carboxylic groups. A comparison of the structural characteristics of the bleached lignins indicated that HTP benefited the subsequent bleaching process. Enhanced knowledge of lignin chemistry during deconstruction and delignification could provide valuable insight into the current lignocellulose biorefinery. Sustainable biorefinery: An integrated process based on hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) and Kraft delignification deconstructs lignocellulosic biomass. As a result, HTP not only produces xylo‐oligosaccharides (XOS) but also promotes the subsequent delignification. The lignin fractions with various functionalities are promising starting materials for lignin valorization and enlightening for the design of effective deconstruction and sustainable conversion of biomass in the current biorefinery industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this series of articles, the board members of ChemSusChem discuss recent research articles that they consider of exceptional quality and importance for sustainability. This entry features Prof. R. C. Sun, who highlights the fabrication of lignin nanoparticles and their application in composites, suggesting that further studies and discoveries of the structures and inherent properties of lignin will contribute to extensive and standardized applications of this new green nanomaterial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Electrocatalysts with a high efficiency and durability for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) hold tremendous promise for next‐generation energy conversion. Among the state‐of‐art catalysts for HER, organic–inorganic hybrid nanosheets exhibit a great potential with the merits of high activity, good durability, and low cost. Nevertheless, there is no general method for the synthesis of binary metal phosphide hybrid nanosheet HER catalysts with a tunable morphology and composition. Herein, we report a facile approach for the synthesis of nanosheets consisting of a binary cobalt nickel phosphide hybrid with a hierarchically porous nanostructures using an oxidation– phosphorization process. The as‐optimized hybrid nanosheets annealed at 350 °C yield the highest pH‐universal activity with overpotentials of 148, 111, and 173 mV in acidic, alkaline, and neutral media, respectively. Besides the promoted mass diffusion in the hierarchically porous structure, the extraordinary performance can be also attributed to the weakened adsorption of hydrogen as a result of the tunable composition of Co and Ni, which was revealed by first‐principles calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the significant development of efficient pretreatments of lignocellulosic biomass towards using carbohydrate compositions for biofuel production, the valorization of associated lignin products into valuable chemicals has gained much attention. Four lignins obtained by pretreatment of corn stover with emerging ionic liquid-based mixed organic electrolytes (ILOE) and alkaline twin-screw extrusion (ATSE) pretreatment technologies were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), FTIR, HSQC, 31P NMR spectroscopy, and SEM. These lignins were valorized by using Pd/C under various conditions, followed by an elucidation of the relationship between the lignin structure and valorization efficiency and selectivity. The pretreatment/separation methods have a significant effect on lignin structure and subsequent valorization efficiency. HSQC spectra revealed that corn stover lignin consisted of β-O-4, β-5, β-1 linkages, and cinnamyl alcohol end groups. The extracted lignins (EL) showed less carbohydrates and β-O-4 units than those of enzymatic hydrolytic lignins (EHL). The yields of bio-oils were 61.7 % and 57.9 % for ATSE-EL and ILOE-EL, and 34.2 % and 45.1 % for ATSE-EHL and ILOE-EHL under optimal and comparative conditions, respectively. Part of the syringyl (S) units were converted into guaiacyl or p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units by release of methoxyl groups on the aromatic ring through hydrogenolysis, which led to a decreased proportion of S units and an increased proportion of H units in oil compared with in lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignin structural studies play an essential role both in understanding the development of plant cell walls and for valorizing lignocellulosics as renewable biomaterials. Dimeric products released by selectively cleaving β-aryl ether linkages between lignin units reflect the distribution of recalcitrant lignin units, but have been neither absolutely defined nor quantitatively determined. Here, 12 guaiacyl-type thioacidolysis dimers were identified and quantified using newly synthesized standards. One product previously attributed to deriving from β-1-coupled units was established as resulting from β-5 units, correcting an analytical quandary. Another longstanding dilemma, that no β-β dimers were recognized in thioacidolysis products from gymnosperms, was resolved with the discovery of two such authenticated compounds. Individual GC response factors for each standard compound allowed rigorous quantification of dimeric products released from softwood lignins, affording insight into the various interunit-linkage distributions in lignins and thereby guiding the valorization of lignocellulosics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of high-strength hydrogels has recently attracted ever-increasing attention. In this work, a new design strategy has been proposed to prepare graphene oxide (GO)/polyacrylamide (PAM)/aluminum ion (Al3+)-cross-linked carboxymethyl hemicellulose (Al-CMH) nanocomposite hydrogels with very tough and elastic properties. GO/PAM/Al-CMH hydrogels were synthesized by introducing graphene oxide (GO) into PAM/CMH hydrogel, followed by ionic cross-linking of Al3+. The nanocomposite hydrogels were characterized by means of FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) along with their swelling and mechanical properties. The maximum compressive strength and the Young's modulus of GO3.5/PAM/Al-CMH0.45 hydrogel achieved values of up to 1.12 and 13.27 MPa, increased by approximately 6488 and 18330 % relative to the PAM hydrogel (0.017 and 0.072 MPa). The as-prepared GO/PAM/Al-CMH nanocomposite hydrogels possess high strength and great elasticity giving them potential in bioengineering and drug-delivery system applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomimetic mineralization is a powerful approach for the synthesis of advanced composite materials with hierarchical organization and controlled structure. Herein, chitosan was introduced into a perovskite precursor solution as a biopolymer additive to control the crystallization and to improve the morphology and film-forming properties of a perovskite film by way of biomineralization. The biopolymer additive was able to control the size and morphology of the perovskite crystals and helped to form smooth films. The mechanism of chitosan-mediated nucleation and growth of the perovskite crystals was explored. As a possible application, the chitosan-perovskite composite film was introduced into a planar heterojunction solar cell and increased power conversion efficiency relative to that observed for the pristine perovskite film was achieved. The biomimetic mineralization method proposed in this study provides an alternative way of preparing perovskite crystals with well-controlled morphology and properties and extends the applications of perovskite crystals in photoelectronic fields, including planar-heterojunction solar cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study is to broaden the application of xylan as moisture-absorption/retention biomaterials by grafting polyethylene glycol (PEG) on xylan backbone. Ionic liquid 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl) and 4,4-diphenylmethane diisocyanate are used as reaction media and coupling reagent, respectively. FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and gel permeation chromatography analyses indicate the successful occurrence of the grafting reaction. Thermogravimetric analysis/derivative thermogravimetry indicates that the thermal stability of xylan increases after the grafting of the PEG side chains. With an increase of the degree of substitution of xylan- g-PEG, the molecular weight ( Mw) of PEG side chains (1000 and 5000 g mol−1), and the relative humidity of environment, the moisture-absorption/retention ratio of xylan- g-PEG increases. To evaluate the biodegradability/biocompatibility of this promising material, the ratio of biochemical oxygen demand to chemical oxygen demand of xylan- g-PEG and the cytotoxicity are tested on the samples. The results indicate that PEG-modified xylan has great potential as moisture-absorption/retention biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homogeneous acetylation of chitosan was carried out with acetyl chloride in 1-allyl-3-methylimidozolium chloride (AmimCl) ionic liquid. The dissolution process of chitosan in AmimCl was observed by polarized optical microscopy. The optimal reaction conditions were achieved by screening the effect of temperature, reaction time, and acylating reagents on recovery yield of acetylated chitosan and degree of substitution, which was determined by infrared (IR) spectra analysis using baseline method. The acetylated chitosan could be separated easily by water precipitation followed by filtration. The acetylation process was further confirmed by IR spectra and scanning electron microscopy, and the crystal structure was changed after the acetylation detected by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy. Compared with traditional acetylation of chitosan, the homogeneous system, mild conditions, and simply workup make this methodology more accessible to the demand of sustainable green biomass chemistry. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel cellulose- click-chitosan polymer was prepared successfully in three steps: (1) propargyl cellulose with degrees of substitution (DS) from 0.25 to 1.24 was synthesized by etherification of bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoide cellulose with propargyl chloride in DMA/LiCl in the presence of NaH. The regioselectivity of propargylation on anhydrous glucose unit determined by GC-MS was in the order of 2 >> 6 > 3; (2) the functional azide groups were introduced onto the chitosan chains by reacting chitosan with 4-azidobenzoic acid in [Amim]Cl/DMF and the DS ranged from 0.02 to 0.46; (3) thus, the cellulose- click-chitosan polymer was obtained via click reaction, that is, the Cu(I)-catalyzed Huisgen 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction, between the terminal alkyne groups of cellulose and the azide groups on the chitosan backbone at room temperature. The successful binding of cellulose and chitosan was confirmed and characterized by FTIR and CP/MAS 13C NMR spectroscopy. TGA analyses indicated that the cellulose- click-chitosan polymer had a higher thermal stability than that of cellulose and chitosan as well as cellulose-chitosan complex. More interestingly, some hollow tubes with near millimeter length were also observed by SEM. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinoresinol structures, featuring a β-β′-linkage between lignin monomer units, are important in softwood lignins and in dicots and monocots, particularly those that are downregulated in syringyl-specific genes. Although readily detected by NMR spectroscopy, pinoresinol structures largely escaped detection by β-ether-cleaving degradation analyses presumably due to the presence of the linkages at the 5 positions, in 5-5′- or 5- O-4′-structures. In this study, which is aimed at helping better understand 5-linked pinoresinol structures by providing the required data for NMR characterization, new lignin model compounds were synthesized through biomimetic peroxidase-mediated oxidative coupling reactions between pre-formed (free-phenolic) coniferyl alcohol 5-5′- or 5- O-4′-linked dimers and a coniferyl alcohol monomer. It was found that such dimers containing free-phenolic coniferyl alcohol moieties can cross-couple with the coniferyl alcohol producing pinoresinol-containing trimers (and higher oligomers) in addition to other homo- and cross-coupled products. Eight new lignin model compounds were obtained and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, and one tentatively identified cross-coupled β -O-4′-product was formed from a coniferyl alcohol 5- O-4′-linked dimer. It was demonstrated that the 5-5′- and 5- O-4′-linked pinoresinol structures could be readily differentiated by using heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation (HMBC) NMR spectroscopy. With appropriate modification (etherification or acetylation) to the newly obtained model compounds, it would be possible to identify the 5-5′- or 5- O-4′-linked pinoresinol structures in softwood lignins by 2D HMBC NMR spectroscopic methods. Identification of the cross-coupled dibenzodioxocin from a coniferyl alcohol 5-5′-linked moiety suggested that thioacidolysis or derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC) could be used to detect and identify whether the coniferyl alcohol itself undergoes 5-5′-cross-linking during lignification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inside Cover picture shows the set of 12 newly synthesized, authenticated, and quantified thioacidolysis dimers released from a schematic guaiacyl lignin polymer showing the parent structures flanked by the cleavable β‐ether units in cyan. Such dimers, quantified here for the first time, reflect the distribution of recalcitrant lignin units. Most had not been previously validated, one was previously misassigned and its correction resolves an analytical quandary, and important new β—β dimers have now been identified resolving the long‐standing dilemma that they could not be found in softwood lignin analyses. More details can be found in the Communication by Yue et al. on page 830 in Issue 5, 2017 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201700101). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene oxide/polyacrylamide/aluminum ion ‐ crosslinked carboxymethyl hemicelluloses (GO/PAM/Al3+ ‐ CMH) nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared by introducing GO into double PAM/CMH hydrogels followed by ionically crosslinking of Al3+. The combination of double network and nanofiller reinforcement endowed them with high strength and excellent elasticity. These as ‐ prepared hydrogels have promising applications in bioengineering and drug ‐ delivery system. More information can be found in the Full Paper by Junli Ren et al. on page   1697 in Issue 11, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/asia.201600138). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Back Cover: Xylan‐type hemicellulose‐graft‐polyethy‐lene glycol (PEG), with maximum moisture‐absorption/retention ratio of 39%/47%, has been synthesized using 4,4‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) as coupling reagent. Further details can be found in the article by Xueqin Zhang, Huihui Wang, Xiaoxiang Wen, Aiping Zhang, Xiaoying Wang, Linxin Zhong, Chuanfu Liu, and Runcang Sun on page 287. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]