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Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) represent a promising energy storage system due to the high theoretical energy density of the cathode; however, the high temperature and long‐time drying required for electrode production result in high energy consumption and low efficiency. Ultraviolet (UV)‐curing technology is an effective strategy to solve the abovementioned problems. However, carbon black and other conductive agents used in the production of the battery industry show strong absorption of UV light; thus, a single photoinitiator cannot absorb enough light intensity to realize initiation, limiting its application in the battery industry. In this work, the concept of full‐band absorption is introduced into the manufacturing process of the LSB cathode to solve the abovementioned problems. The full‐band absorption of photoinitiators in the UV band is successfully realized by combining the photoinitiators 2‐benzyl‐2‐dimethylamino‐1‐(4‐morpholinylphenyl)‐1‐butanone, 2‐isopropyl thioxanthone, and bis (2,4,6‐trimethyl benzoyl)‐phenoxyphosphine. An ultraviolet in situ polymerized polyurethane acrylate (PUA) binder is successfully prepared by the combination of photoinitiators. PUA is used as the binder of LSBs and exhibits an excellent long‐cycle performance of 1500 cycles with a low decay rate of 0.04% per cycle at 0.5 C. Thus, UV‐curing technology provides a new prospect and possibility of industrialization for battery manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) suffer from well‐known fast capacity losses despite their extremely high theoretical capacity and energy density. These losses are caused by dissolution of lithium polysulfide (LiPS) in ether‐based electrolytes and have become the main bottleneck to widespread applications of LSBs. Therefore, there is a significant need for electrode materials that have a strong adsorption capacity for LiPS. Herein, a waterborne polyurethane (WPUN) containing sulfamic acid (NH2SO3H) polymer is designed and synthesized as an aqueous‐based, ecofriendly binder by neutralizing sulfamic acid with a tung oil‐based polyurethane prepolymer. UV–vis spectroscopy shows that the WPUN strongly immobilizes LiPS and thus is an effective inhibitor of the LiPS. Moreover, the WPUN binder has excellent adhesive and mechanical properties that improve the integrity of sulfur cathodes. The WPUN‐based cathodes exhibit a significant improvement in their specific capacity and maintain a capacity of 617 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.5C. Besides, the LSBs assembled with the WPUN‐based cathodes show good rate performance from 0.2C (737 mAh g−1) to 4C (586 mAh g−1), which is significantly higher than that of LSBs assembled with a commercial polymer binder. The structural design of the presented binder provides a new perspective for obtaining high‐performance LSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the cinnamon oil (CMO)‐loaded antibacterial composite microcapsules with silicon dioxide (SiO2)/poly(melamine formaldehyde) (PMF) hybrid shells are effectively and facilely constructed by in situ polymerization of SiO2 nanoparticle–stabilized Pickering emulsion templates. The morphological structure, composition, and thermal performance of the microcapsules are determined by scanning electronic microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. In addition, in vitro CMO release and antimicrobial investigations of the microcapsules are also performed, respectively. The results demonstrate that the microcapsules own an approximately spherical shape with a core–shell structure. Moreover, the micro‐encapsulation of CMO clearly increases its thermal stability, and meanwhile results in obtaining microcapsules with the controlled CMO release and visibly long‐term antimicrobial effects. All the results show that in situ polymerization based on templating Pickering emulsions is an attractive method to construct antibacterial essential oil–loaded microcapsules, which can be served as promising antibacterial materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the authors report an effective one-pot method to prepare poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-incorporated bovine serum albumin (BSA)/calcium alginate/hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocomposite (NC) scaffolds by templating oil-in-water high internal phase emulsion (HIPE), which includes alginate, BSA, and HAp in water phase and PCL in oil phase. The water phase of HIPEs is solidified to form hydrogels containing emulsion droplets via gelation of alginate induced by Ca2+ ions released from HAp. And the prepared hydrogels are freeze-dried to obtain PCL-incorporated porous scaffolds. The obtained scaffolds possess interconnected pore structures. Increasing PCL concentration clearly enhances the compressive property and BSA stability, decreases the swelling ratio of scaffolds, which assists in improving the scaffold stability. The anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen can be highly efficiently loaded into scaffolds and released in a sustained rate. Furthermore, mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells can successfully proliferate on the scaffolds, proving the biocompatibility of scaffolds. All results show that the PCL-incorporated NC scaffolds possess promising potentials in tissue engineering application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the authors report a novel class of super tough nanocomposite hydrogels with physically dual-crosslinking effects (DC hydrogels) through introducing strong ionic coordination interactions. Herein, graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and iron (Fe3+) ions act as physical cross-linkers. GO nanosheets trigger the formation of the first cross-linking points through hydrogen bonding with poly(acrylamide -co-acrylic acid) (p(AAm -co-AAc)) chains, while the second cross-linking points are formed by strong ionic coordination interactions between Fe3+ ions and COO− groups of p(AAm -co-AAc) chains. The optimal tough DC hydrogel displays superstretchability (≈20.8 times), remarkable tensile strength (≈3.7 MPa), high toughness (≈48.71 MJ m−3), good self-recovery property (≈84.1% toughness recovery within 4 h without any external stimuli) and fatigue resistance. In summary, this study opens up a new avenue to design and fabricate highly tough hydrogels with outstanding comprehensive properties by the synergistic effects of nanocomposite and dual-crosslinked hydrogels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the propensity of osteosarcoma to recur and metastasize, the administration of a topical treatment to enhance the therapeutic effect of conventional therapy is necessary. To develop a locally released drug delivery system (DDS) to inhibit the growth and recurrence of osteosarcoma, hydrophobically modified silica nanoparticles (m‐SiO2)/poly(ε‐caprolactone) (PCL) porous scaffolds are fabricated by 3D printing emulsion inks. Ruthenium‐loaded PEGylated liposomes (RL) are then incorporated into the scaffolds to obtain the Ruthenium‐loaded PEGylated liposome scaffold (RLS) composite. The emulsion inks and the density, porosity, morphology, and mechanical properties of the scaffolds are characterized. The results indicate that the composite DDS has a relatively uniform porous structure with good mechanical properties. Drug is released from RLS in a relatively sustained manner over 48 h, which demonstrates the potential of RLS as a drug carrier. In addition, the MG‐63 cell viability and apoptosis rate are evaluated by MTT assays. The cell experiments reveal that RLS triggers mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in MG‐63 cell apoptosis. All the results indicate that RLS provides a promising approach for improving the treatment of osteosarcoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]