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Corrosion inhibitor microcapsules were prepared by centrifugation-coating method and the influence factors on the morphology of microcapsules were discussed. Process technology was optimized by orthogonal design method, with the rotational speed of turntable at 500 r/min, the fan speed at 400 r/min, the speed of peristaltic pump at 15 r/min and the jet pressure at 0.20 MPa. Analysis on the surface morphology, thermal stability and mechanical properties of microcapsules revealed that the obtained microcapsules had high drug loading rate and good mechanical strength, and higher weight gain rate of wall material can obtain thicker wall. Their release rates measured in the simulated concrete pore solution showed that microcapsules with higher weight gain rates had slower release rate, polymethyl methacrylate as wall material released faster than ethyl cellulose.

Mg-Al layered double hydroxides intercalated with nitrite ions was prepared by three different methods: calcined-rehydration (R-LDH), hydrothermal (H-LDH) and coprecipitation (C-LDH) method. The products were characterized and the results indicated that C-LDH had the highest intercalated rate of anions. The ion substitution test also verified C-LDH exhibited the largest adsorption capacity of chloridion. The inhibition efficiency and corrosion current density of C-LDH from electrochemical test both had the better performance than R-LDH and H-LDH over immersion time. Therefore, C-LDH could had the best anticorrosion in a long period and its mechanism of corrosion protection was also discussed.

The demands for achieving microencapsulated phase-change materials (MEPCMs) with high thermal-energy storage ability have motivated increasing research interest in inorganic filler-modified MEPCMs. However, challenges for such MEPCMs still exist in the pursuit of good compatibility of inorganic particles with the core or shell material. Here, a novel type of octadecylamine-grafted graphene oxide (GO-ODA) -modified MEPCMs using melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin as the shell material and the mixture of GO-ODA and n-octadecane as the core material was fabricated via in-situ polymerization. The alkylated GO with a thickness of ∼1 nm was confirmed to be highly compatible with the core material. The as-prepared MEPCMs with a regular spherical shape were dispersed without any agglomeration, and the size decreased with increasing the filling amounts of GO-ODA. The incorporation of GO-ODA promoted the crystallization of n-octadecane, resulting in an observable reduction in supercooling degree. The encapsulation efficiency of MEPCMs was calculated to be over 88.0%, and the melting/freezing latent heats reached to a level as high as 207.2 J g−1 and 202.5 J g−1, respectively, even at a tiny loading level of 0.5%. Besides, the GO-ODA incorporated MEPCMs showed a good thermal cycling stability during a phase change. Moreover, a substantial enhancement in thermal transfer rate and a less marked heating effect for the MEPCMs containing GO-ODA were observed from the thermal conductivity tests and infrared thermography analysis. The findings suggested that the prepared MEPCMs are promising for applications in the fields of thermal energy storage and temperature regulation due to their enhanced thermal transfer performance and prominent phase-change enthalpy.

The pseudogene annexin A2 pseudogene 2 (ANXA2P2) is highly expressed in glioblastoma (GBM). However, its role and mechanism involved in the progression of GBM remain poorly understood. ANXA2P2 messenger RNA expression was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The protein levels were detected by Western blot. Cell viability was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays. Cell invasive ability was investigated by the transwell assay and by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Cell apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry. The results showed that ANXA2P2 expression was increased in GBM tissues and cells. Silencing of ANXA2P2 inhibited the activation of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (PKB) pathway in GBM cells. Knockdown of ANXA2P2 decreased cell viability, promoted LDH release, suppressed cell invasive ability, and EMT, and induced cell apoptosis in GBM cells. The addition of the PI3K/PKB activator 740Y-P abrogated the effects of ANXA2P2 knockdown on cell viability, LDH release, invasive ability, and apoptosis. In conclusion, knockdown of ANXA2P2 inhibited cell viability and invasion but promoted the apoptotic rate by suppressing the PI3K/PKB pathway in GBM cells. ANXA2P2 may represent a new target for the treatment of GBM.

Glioma is the most prevalent primary intracranial tumor globally. WDR34, a member of the WDR superfamily with five WD40 repeats, is involved in the pathogenesis of several tumors. However, the role of WDR34 in glioma progression is unknown.The expression and prognostic significance of WDR34 in glioma patients were analyzed using GEPIA. WDR34 expression was detected by qRT-PCR. Western blot was employed to determine the expression of Ki67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)2, MMP9, phosphatase and tensin homolog, protein kinase B (Akt), phosphorylated Akt, β-catenin, and c-Myc. CCK-8, BrdU incorporation assay, Transwell invasion assay, flow cytometry analysis, and measurement of caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities were conducted to examine the effects of WDR34 knockdown on glioma cells.WDR34 was upregulated in glioma, which predicted a poor prognosis in glioma patients. WDR34 knockdown inhibited cell proliferation and reduced the expression of Ki67 and PCNA in glioma cells. WDR34 knockdown repressed the invasive ability of glioma cells by decreasing MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression. WDR34 knockdown increased the apoptotic rate and caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities in glioma cells. The PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin pathways were inhibited after WDR34 knockdown in glioma cells. Moreover, overexpression of Akt or β-catenin reversed the function of WDR34 knockdown on proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis. WDR34 knockdown reduced tumor growth in vivo.WDR34 knockdown inhibited malignant biological behaviors of glioma cells by inactivating the PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin signaling cascades.

Porous carbon nitride photocatalysts with sufficient cyanide groups were facile fabricated through simple calcination process with cheap salt as porogen. The introduction of cyanide groups can enhance charge separation efficiency and reductive activities of photogenerated electrons of carbon nitride. The optimized CN-S catalysts can selectively oxidize alcohols to aldehydes with broad scope as well as reduce oxygen to H2O2. The tandem strategy can photocatalytic produce H2O2 with a rate of more than 200 μmol h−1 g−1 which is nearly 19 times than that without alcohols and fulfilled utilization of both photo-generated electrons and holes.

Dysregulated lncRNAs are proposed to be tightly associated with the progression of various tumors including glioblastoma (GBM). LncRNA Survival Associated Mitochondrial Melanoma-Specific Oncogenic Non-Coding RNA (SAMMSON) has been reported to be an oncogenic lncRNA in several tumors. Nevertheless, the specific role and molecular mechanism of SAMMSON in GBM progression remain unknown. Expression of SAMMSON in GBM tissues and cells was detected by qRT-PCR. CCK-8 and LDH release assays were applied to evaluate cellular viability. Invasion effect was assessed by Transwell invasion assay and western blot analysis of E-cadherin and N-cadherin expression. Apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry analysis and caspase-3 activity assay. The protein levels of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated (p)-PI3K, protein kinase B (Akt) and p-Akt were estimated by western blot. We found that SAMMSON was highly expressed in GBM tissues and cells. SAMMSON knockdown suppressed cell viability and increased LDH release in GBM cells. Moreover, SAMMSON silencing impeded the invasive ability of GBM cells by regulating epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Furthermore, SAMMSON downregulation increased the apoptotic rate and caspase-3 activity in GBM cells. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the PI3K/Akt pathway was inhibited following SAMMSON silencing in GBM cells. Rescue assays revealed that activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway by 740Y-P abolished SAMMSON knockdown-induced viability reduction, invasion suppression and apoptosis in GBM cells. Taken together, lncRNA SAMMSON knockdown inhibited the malignancy of GBM cells by inactivation of the PI3K/Akt pathway.

Halogen-free flame retardant tri(acryloyloxyethyl) phosphate (TAEP) optical resin was prepared using hydroxy ethyl acrylate (HEA) and phosphorus oxychloride and the chemical structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Optical resins mixed by pentaerythritol tetrathioglycolic and TAEP with different S and P contents were obtained via click chemistry curing. The curing performance, thermal stability and flame retardant performance of the optical resins were analyzed by differential scanning calorimeter, thermogravimetric analyzer, and vertical burning tester, respectively. Additionally, the burned residual morphology of samples was investigated by scanning electronic microscopy, and the refractive indices of the optical resins were measured by an Abbe refractometer. The results revealed that increasing S content could improve the refractive indices of the resins; whereas, the flame retardant performances decreased. The optical resins with S content of 2% and P contents of 7.37% had refractive indices of 1.4935 and UL 94 V-0 flame retard level, respectively. The optical resins had good thermal stability and the 5% decomposition temperature reached up to 200.1 °C.

Polymer/metal hydroxide microcapsules with sustained-release property were prepared by centrifuge coating granulation method in order to stabilize pH value of concrete for protecting steel bar in concrete. Effects of microcapsules characteristics on the release rate of metal hydroxide in the solution simulating concrete pores were studied by thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and the stabilization effect of metal hydroxide microcapsules on the pH value of concrete were also discussed. The results revealed that the microcapsules with higher weight gain rate of wall material during fluidized bed coating processing had the slower release rate of core material. Moreover, the release rate of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) microcapsule was faster than that of ethyl cellulose (EC) microcapsule. Metal hydroxide microcapsules could delay the decline of pH value, especially PMMA microcapsules with 20% weight gain rate. In addition, metal hydroxide microcapsules could improve the pH values of actual concrete blocks and had better effect than those directly added in concrete. Surface corrosion morphology of steel bars immersed in the simulated solution showed that microcapsules could effectively retard the corrosion rate of steel bars, and the anticorrosion effect became better with the increase of microcapsules dosage.

Microcapsules composed of polylactic acid (PLA)/corrosion inhibitor sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP) were prepared by spray drying, and the effects of processing parameters on the morphology and encapsulation efficiency of the microcapsules were investigated. The results showed that low viscous PLA solution only resulted in porous microcapsules with low encapsulation efficiency, whereas filamentous substances were produced instead of microcapsules once PLA solution content exceeded 5%. When spray pressure exceeded 0.4 MPa, the microcapsule surface was wrinkled due to high evaporation rate of the atomized droplets. The spray pressure less than 0.3 MPa created larger atomized droplets and yielded the adhesive microcapsules with lower encapsulation efficiency. The optimal emulsion parameters were as follows: PLA concentration, 5%; water-oil ratio, 1:9; inlet air temperature, 50 °C; and spray pressure, 0.4 MPa. The resulting microcapsules exhibited a good sustained-release behavior in a simulated concrete pore solution.

There is a higher demand for the resistance of chloride ion of the buildings in coastal environment. In this paper, glass flake was used to improve the mechanical properties and chloride ion permeability resistance of epoxy emulsion cement mortar. The effects of polymer/cement ratio (P/C), glass flake content (glass flake/cement ratio) and size of glass flake on the properties of modified mortar were studied. The results indicated that glass flake could simultaneously improve the mechanical properties and chloride ion permeability resistance of epoxy emulsion cement mortar. The flexural strength of modified mortar was improved by 20.4% by incorporation of 120 mesh glass flake. More significantly, water absorption and chloride diffusion coefficient of modified mortar reduced by 39.8% and 48.2%, respectively. The morphology of samples observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the effect of bridging connection and barrier action of glass flake on epoxy emulsion cement mortar.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most prevalent and malignant primary brain tumor. Numerous studies have demonstrated that aberrant microRNAs (miRNAs) expression is involved in various pathogenesis events in GBM. miR-454-3p has been found to be downregulated in GBM, however, the role and underlying mechanism has not been fully investigated. The expression levels of miR-454-3p in GBM clinical tissues and cultured cell lines were measured by qRT-PCR. To evaluate the role of miR-454-3p in GBM, GBM cells were transfected with miR-454-3p inhibitor (anti-miR-454-3p)/control inhibitor (anti-miR-NC) or miR-454-3p mimic/control mimic (miR-NC). Online prediction algorithm Targetscan was used to predict the target genes of miR-454-3p. The dual luciferase reporter gene assay was performed to confirm whether nuclear factor of activated T cells c2 (NFATc2) was a direct biological target of miR-454-3p. We found that miR-454-3p expression was significantly decreased in both GBM tissues and cultured cell lines. Overexpression of miR-454-3p by transfection with miR-454-3p mimic suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis of GBM cells. Nuclear factor of activated T cells c2 (NFATc2) was predicted as a target gene of miR-454-3p. We found that NFATc2 expression was significantly increased in both GBM tissues and cultured cell lines. Besides, expression levels of miR-454-3p were negatively associated with NFATc2 expression in GBM tissues. NFATc2 knockdown in GBM cells obviously inhibited cell proliferation and elevated apoptosis. Luciferase reporter assay revealed that NFATc2 was a target gene of miR-454-3p. miR-454-3p overexpression suppressed the NFATc2 expression, while inhibition of miR-454-3p induced the NFATc2 expression. Suppression of NFATc2 blocked the effects of miR-454-3p inhibitor on cell proliferation and apoptosis in GBM cells. The results indicated that miR-454-3p executed the tumor suppressive activity via downregulating NFATc2 in GBM.

Three kinds of biscitraconimide (BCI) monomers, 4,4′-(diaminodiphenylsulfone) biscitraconimide (DDS-BCI), 1,2-(ethylenediamine) biscitraconimide (EDA-BCI) and m-(xylylenediamine) biscitraconimide (MXDA-BCI), were respectively prepared from the reaction of citraconic anhydride with three different diamines by reflux dehydration in glacial acetic acid. As-prepared products further reacted with 4,4′-thiodibenzenethiol (TDBT) and 1,6-hexanedithiol (HDT) to synthesize a series of new transparent thermoplastic polythioetherimides (PTEI) films with excellent solubility, high refractive index and low birefringence. All PTEI films had the 5% weight loss temperature between 332 °C and 417 °C and the thermal expansion coefficient ranged from 39.4–94.8 ppm/°C, showing good thermal stability. Besides, the transmittance of PTEI film at 450 nm exceeded 85 %, the average refractive index (nav) measured at 589 nm reached up to 1.6236 ∼1.6635 and in-plane/out of-plane birefringence (Δn) values were between 0.0014 and 0.0036. Especially DDS-BCI/TDBT sample exhibited the highest refractive index, relatively small birefringence and excellent thermal stability among all PTEI films, which is expected to be an ideal advanced optical material.

In this study, a series of novel shape memory polyurethanes (SMPUs) containing tertiary amine groups are prepared by designing hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI)–N-methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) as soft segments and HDI-BDO as hard segments. The structure and properties of the MDEA-based SMPUs are investigated using FT-IR, NMR, DSC, TGA, DMA, POM and AFM. The results demonstrate that the MDEA-based SMPU is composed of an amorphous soft phase and hard phase. The hard phase is amorphous below 20 wt% hard segment content (HSC), whereas the HDI-BDO segments form a semi-crystalline hard phase above 30 wt% HSC. This morphology exhibits good thermally induced SMEs with 100 % shape fixity and more than 80 % shape recovery. Moreover, the MDEA-based polyurethanes are expected to be further multifunctionalized for antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, multi-responsiveness and many other properties. This work provides a new strategy for designing multifunctional shape memory polymers with amine-containing polyurethanes.

Polystyrene (PS)/sodium monofluorophosphate (MFP) microcapsules were prepared by solvent evaporation method for direct addition into concrete and the effects of wall material content, MFP content, emulsifier and protective colloid on the morphology of microcapsules were discussed. The results showed that the average diameter of microcapsule particles slightly increased with the increase of PS content and MFP contents. Span 60 was the best emulsifier comparing with sodium lauryl sulfate and Tween 80. Increasing Span 60 content could decrease the size of microcapsules and the appropriate concentration of Span 60 was 0.5%. Lower concentration of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), as a protective colloid in the external water phase, resulted in larger particles and higher encapsulation efficiency. The optimal PVA content was approximately 2%. PS/MFP microcapsules exhibited a good sustained release in a simulated concrete solution.

A novel curing agent containing phosphorus and sulfur, tris(2- mercaptoethyl) phosphate (TMEP), was designed and synthesized for LED packaging epoxy resin with high refractive index and good flame retardancy. The curing agent was prepared by sodium hydrosulfide method based on tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and sodium hydrosulfide. TMEP was mixed with triethylenetetramine and epoxy prepolymer at a certain ratio to generate cured samples. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were employed to characterize the structure of the curing agent. The flame retardancy of the cured epoxy resin was determined by vertical burning test (UL-94) and limiting oxygen index (LOI) test. Its optical performance was examined by photoelectric haze meter and Abbe refractometer. The cured samples containing 21.6 wt% TMEP had UL-94 V0 rating and the LOI value of 29.2%. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and TGA demonstrated that TEMP could promote the formation of compact and continuous char foam layer during the combustion of the cured epoxy resin. The cured product containing 32 wt% TMEP yielded a light transmittance up to 92% and a refractive index as high as 1.593.

Facing upon the increasingly severe energy crisis, one of the key issues for reducing the building energy consumption is to pursue high-performance thermal energy storage technologies based on phase-change materials. In this study, a novel cement composite incorporated with flaky graphite-doped microencapsulated phase-change materials (FGD-MPCMs) was developed. Various techniques, such as field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), optical microscopy (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to analyse the composite structure and thermal performances. The results indicate that the spherical microcapsules are well dispersed in the cement matrix. When combined within the cement, the thermal stability of the microcapsules was highly improved, and the inclusion of greater amounts of FGD-MPCMs further increased the latent heat of the composite. The mechanical properties of the cement composites were affected with the increase of FGD-MPCMs dosage and the porosity of the composites. In spite of this, the compressive strength and flexural strength of the cement composite with 30% FGD-MPCM could still reach to as high as 14.2 MPa and 4.1 MPa, respectively. Results from the infrared thermography and the model room test suggested that the composite filled with FGD-MPCMs is capable of reducing indoor temperature fluctuation and exhibits good potential for application in buildings to enhance energy savings and thermal comfort.

Different sizes of Metakaolin (MK) were introduced into epoxy resin emulsion concrete mortar (EECM) to improve mechanical and anticorrosion properties. The effects of MK contents and sizes on the mechanical property, water absorption and chloride diffusion coefficient of EECM were studied respectively. Electrochemical tests were used to measure corrosion rate of samples. The results showed MK could greatly enhance the mechanical properties of EECM and more content MK obtained higher strength. The smaller size MK caused a slight decrease in strength due to poor dispersion in EECM. The water absorption and chloride diffusion coefficient of EECM both decreased significantly after adding MK. The smaller size of MK with 400-mesh and 1250-mesh made the water absorption reduced approximately 51%. The chloride diffusion coefficient of EECM also reduced with the increasing of MK content, especially the largest decline 73.1% corresponds to 1250-mesh MK. The data in polarization curves and EIS curves coincide with the above conclusion. The larger size of MK had the better anticorrosion effect on steel bar than that with smaller size. The corrosion situation on the surface of steel bars in mortar supplied the realistic anticorrosion effect.

Metal hydroxide microcapsules have been found to possess good sustained-release property, and they could delay the decline of pH values in the pore solution of mortar. In this paper, these metal hydroxide microcapsules were incorporated into cement mortar and It was found that they had no obvious effect on the mechanical properties. In linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) curves, all samples with microcapsules had higher corrosion potential (Ecorr) and corrosion resistance (Rp) values as well as lower corrosion current density (Icorr) values compared with blank sample without microcapsules. These results revealed that the microcapsules had an obvious anticorrosion effect on steel rebars in mortar. EIS tests showed that the anticorrosion effect of metal hydroxide microcapsules was affected by microcapsules dosages and the type of core materials. Compared with the samples with uncoated pure hydroxide, the steel rebar with metal hydroxide microcapsules had higher Ecorr and Rp values, lower Icorr and larger charge transfer resistance values. The corrosion surface on the steel rebars in mortar also confirmed the above conclusion.

MicroRNA-485-5p (miR-485-5p) has been reported to be involved in the development and progression of human cancers; however, its role in glioma remains unclear. In the present study, we found that miR-485-5p was significantly down-regulated in both glioma tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments indicated that enhanced expression of miR-485-5p attenuated glioma cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and induced glioma cells cycle arrest in G1. MiR-485-5p was found to directly bind to the 3'-UTR of paired box 3 (PAX3) and decrease its expression of protein level, which further inhibits the proliferation of glioma. The decreasing of PAX3 was found to lead to the accumulation of p-JNK. Mechanistic studies revealed that restoring the expression of PAX3 alleviated miR-485-5p-induced inhibition of proliferation of glioma cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that PAX3 modulation by miR-485-5p has an important role in regulating glioma proliferation, and miR-485-5p might be a novel therapeutic target for glioma.

Polyethylene (PE) pipes have the advantages of low weight, corrosion resistance, high impact resistance, and superior flexibility, and have been widely used for various urban gas engineering. With the increase of service life, the aging of PE pipes has become a safety issue that needs to be solved. So far, the aging performance of PE pipes are researched at home and abroad, but there are few reports on the aging performance of PE pipes under different pressures which are similar to actual urban gas working condition. Therefore, an accelerated aging test of gas PE pipes under different pressures was carried out by a thermal oxygen aging experimental setups. After that, mechanical properties of the aged PE pipes were tested by a tensile test. Then, based on the tensile test's results, empirical equations of pressured urban gas PE pipes were got by Arrhenius fit of the data, and finally, a life prediction model of pressured urban gas PE pipes was proposed. The results show that tensile strength (TS) of the aged gas PE pipes reduces with the increasing internal pressure. The lives of the PE gas pipes with internal pressure of 0.1 MPa, 0.2 MPa, 0.3 MPa, and 0.4 MPa are 10%, 22.4%, 34.7%, and 44% shorter than those without internal pressure, respectively. This life prediction method is not only suitable for pressured urban gas PE pipes, but also for other plastic pipes in similar environments.

Metallized glass fibers have the excellent electric conductivity and low price compared with carbon fibers. Metallized glass fibers were fabricated by coating copper on the surface using different processing technologies and the effects of processing technology on the properties of copper coated glass fibers were discussed. By hand laying up molding, metallized glass fiber reinforced plastic (MGFRP) with good dispersion and interfacial cohesion was prepared successfully. The piezoresistive properties of MGFRP were compared with those of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFPR). The results show that copper coated on glass fibers with volume resistivity of 10 −5 Ω·cm have the good electrical conductivity and cohesion between two phases through optimizing the pretreatment technology of glass fibers and the formula of chemical plating solution. MGFRP has the distinct and similar piezoresistive characteristics with CFRP and exhibits the better piezoresistive sensitivity to fracture.

Both liquid crystalline polymers and shape memory polymers are attractive to researchers. This paper describes the development of a supramolecular liquid crystalline complex exhibiting a multi-shape memory effect and liquid crystalline properties. 4-n-Octyldecyloxybenzoic acid (OOBA) is connected to a pyridine-containing polyurethane (PySMPU), forming a new PySMPU/OOBA complex. The results of this study demonstrate that the complex maintains the intrinsic crystallization and liquid-crystalline properties of OOBA and combines the shape memory effects of PySMPUs. Shape memory investigations demonstrate that the PySMPU/OOBA complexes have a good multi-shape memory effect, exhibiting triple- and quadruple-shape memory behaviours. For the triple-shape memory behaviours, the strain fixity at the first stage is lower than that at the second stage, while the strain recovery at the first stage is higher than that at the second stage. Overall, increasing the OOBA content improves the strain fixity but reduces the strain recovery due to the lubrication of the OOBA long chains. The successful combination of the liquid crystalline properties and multi-shape memory effect makes the PySMPU/OOBA complexes potentially applicable in smart optical devices, smart electronic devices and smart sensors.

Blends of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were prepared by two-step processing way. Middle molecular weight polyethylene (MMWPE) as the lubricant was added into UHMWPE in the first processing step. Cocrystallization behavior of the blends was examined by DSC, XRD and light microscope (LM). A single endotherm peak in DSC curves revealed that cocrystallization probably formed between HDPE and UHMWPE. Moreover reducing heating rate didn't make the single endotherm separate. The enhancing of diffractive strength on 110 and 200 crystal face manifested that the UHMWPE molecular chains taken part in the crystallization of the blends. Reducing of the diameter of the undissolved UHMWPE particles in LM manified that the dispersion of UHMWPE in the blends obviously improved. Therefore two-step processing way could improve the dissolved degree and contribute to form the cocrystallization.

Three kinds of epoxy prepolymers with high refractive index, diglycidyl ether of thiodibenzenethiol (DGETDBT), diglycidyl ether of thiobis-phenol (DGETP), and diglycidyl ether of oxydiphenol, were synthesized via a two-step method, and the relationship between the chemical structure and refractive index of epoxy prepolymer was discussed. Their chemical structures were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The curing behavior of all the epoxy prepolymers cured with methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA) was studied using differential scanning calorimetry and was compared with that of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA). Thermal and optical properties of these cured epoxy resins were investigated using thermogravimetric analyses, ultaviolet–visible scanning spectrophotometer, and Abbe refractometer, respectively. The results showed that three kinds of epoxy prepolymers had the similar thermal property and curing behavior. The sulfur atoms in DGETDBT and DGETP had contributed to an obvious increase in their refractive indexes, while the methyl group in DGEBA cut down its refractive index. The DGETDBT has the biggest refractive index (1.665), followed by the DGETP with 1.612. But the high cost and the lower thermal decomposition temperature of cured DGETDBT/MHHPA resin will limit its application. The refractive index of cured DGETP/MHHPA resin, with preferable thermal stability and acceptable price, is 1.595, which is higher than that of DGEBA/MHHPA resin (1.568). Therefore, DGETP resin can be expected to be a kind of the more effective encapsulant to light-emitting diode.

Recently, owing to the increasing energy consumption and environment pollution problems, a fundamental understanding of thermo-regulating biodegradable polymer composites is becoming very significant. In this work, a smart biodegradable polymer composite based on microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) (P3HB4HB) was fabricated. FE-SEM images revealed that there exists a good interfacial adhesion between the polymer and MicroPCMs. The thermal properties and dynamic mechanical behaviors were examined using DSC, TGA and DMA, respectively. The results indicated that the higher the MicroPCMs content, the higher is the heat storage ability of the composite. The incorporation of MicroPCMs has evidently improved the thermal stability of the composite but decreased its storage modulus. When the loading content of MicroPCMs in the composite is beyond 10% by weight, only a very slight descending tendency of glass transition temperature (Tg) was found.

A simple method was proposed to investigate the affinity sequence between inhibitor ions and chloride ions based on the pH values of filtrate after reconstruction of calcined layered double hydroxides (CLDH) in the corresponding salt solution with the following results: CrO42− > C6H5COO– > Cl− > NO2− > NO3−. The relationship between pH values and affinity sequence was further discussed by a conceptual model. Another common method was also performed for comparison and the same results verified the feasibility and accuracy of the above method. Electrochemical tests revealed the LDH loaded with inhibitors could provide effective corrosion protection for carbon steel in the simulated concrete pore (SCP) solution with following inhibition efficiency sequence: NO2-LDH > NO3-LDH > C6H5COO-LDH > CrO4-LDH. Long-term immersion experiment showed the NO2-LDH had the best anticorrosion effect in a long period. Therefore, NO2− can be an excellent candidate for inserting into LDH interlayer to exert LDH's dual effects of releasing inhibitor anions and immobilizing chloride ions.

An epoxy prepolymer with high refractive index, diglycidyl ether of thiodiphenol (DGETP), was synthesized by 4,4′-thiodiphenol and epichlorohydrin via a two-step method. The curing agent o-benzenedimethanethiol (OBDMT) was synthesized by thiourea method. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance were employed to characterize the structures of these resins. The cured product of DGETP and OBDMT was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry, ultraviolet–visible spectrometer, and Abbe refractometer and compared with the property of traditional curing agent of methyl hexahydrophthalic anhydride (MHHPA) and ordinary bisphenol A diglycidyl ether epoxy prepolymer cured products. The lower curing temperature and glass transition temperature of DGETP than those of MHHPA can be mainly attributed to the strong rotation capability of thioether bond. The zero light transmittance region of DGETP/OBDMT curing adhesive (200–380 nm) was broader than that of the other three. The refractive index of DGETP/OBDMT was up to 1.654.

To investigate the expression patterns and clinical value of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 8 (ADAM8) in pediatric medulloblastoma.We evaluated the expression of ADAM8 mRNA and protein in pediatric medulloblastoma tissues by Quantitative RT-PCR, Western blot analysis and Immunohistochemical staining, respectively. The correlation of ADAM8 immunostaining with clinical-pathological features of medulloblastoma patients and its prognostic relevance were further determined.ADAM8 mRNA and protein were both most highly expressed in medulloblastoma tissues when compared with normal cerebellum tissues (both P0.001). According to the immunohistochemisty analysis, we found statistically significant correlations of high ADAM8 protein expression with advanced metastatic stage (P=0.01), aggressive histopathological type (P=0.006), as well as with undifferentiated tumor (P=0.02). We further determined a statistically significant association between ADAM8 protein expression and clinical outcome of medulloblastoma patients, with higher expression levels of ADAM8 associating with a worse overall survival (P=0.02).Our results provide the first evidence that the up-regulation of ADAM8 in medulloblastoma tissues might be correlated with the advanced tumor progression and poor prognosis of patients with this disease. Detection of ADAM8 expression might facilitate the prognostic assessment and improve the therapeutic strategy for medulloblastoma patients.

High refractive index of epoxy resins used as encapsulant in light-emitting diode (LED) is essential in improving the light extraction efficiency, reducing heat and prolonging the service life of LED packages. In this study, diglycidyl ether of thiodibenzenethiol (DGETDBT), an epoxy resin with high refractive index, was synthesized via a novel method and its chemical structure was characterized with Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer and 1H NMR spectrometer. Using m-xylylenediamine (MXDA) as curing agent, the curing behavior of DGETDBT was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and was compared with that of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), a generally used encapsulant in LED. The thermal behavior and optical performance of these two resins were investigated with thermogravimetric analyses, UV–Vis scanning spectrophotometer, and Abbe refractometer, respectively. The results showed that DGETDBT/MXDA resin demonstrated similar curing and thermal behavior to DGEBA/MXDA resin. But its refractive index reaches 1.698, which is significantly higher than that of DGEBA/MXDA resin (1.604). Comparatively, DGETDBT resin can be expected to be a more effective encapsulant of LED.

Researchers are actively developing shape memory polymers (SMPs) for smart biomaterials. This paper reports a new SMP system synthesized from biocompatible 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), butyl acrylate (BA) and tri(ethylene glycol) divinyl ether (TDE). Preliminary results show that the DMAEMA-co-BA-co-TDE copolymers form micelles in aqueous solution due to chemical crosslinking and hydrophobicity. The micelle size decreased with the increase in the BA content since the hydrophobicity of copolymers increases with the increase of BA content. The resulting polymer films contain–N(CH3)2 functional groups for further biomaterial applications. The thermal stability of DMAEMA-co-BA-co-TDE copolymers is determined by the DMAEMA structure and content. Moreover, the copolymers form micro-phase-separated structures containing a reversible amorphous soft phase, and the storage moduli decreases significantly around Tg. Therefore, good thermal-induced shape memory effects are achieved in the DMAEMA-co-BA-co-TDE copolymers by adjusting the BA content. This work proposes a new strategy for designing smart biomaterials using a biocompatible monomer. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 42312.

PETTA/PETTG optical resin, a kind of LED encapsulating resin with high refractive index, was prepared via click chemistry method in this study. Optical and thermal properties of this resin were investigated with UV–Vis scanning spectrophotometer, Abbe refractometer and thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), respectively. The results show that the light transmitance of this resin can arrive up to 93% and its refractive index is 1.556, which is higher than those of silicone resins. Meanwhile, the cured PETTA/PETTG resin demonstrates the equal thermal stability to silicone resins, and its 5% weight loss temperature was about 350 °C. Therefore, the cured PETTA/PETTG resin could be used as an alternate of expensive silicone resins in LED encapsulation.