A fast computing electrochemical model has been developed in order to account for the electrothermal behavior of Li-ion batteries with multiple and/or multidispersed active materials in each ...electrode. In this study, the cell studied is a high power cell with lithium manganese spinel and lithium cobalt oxide at the positive and Lithium titanate at the negative with 2 particle populations. The model has been calibrated on the said cell and validated on realistic duty profile. It has been then compared against a state-of-the-art Newmann model that showed similar results for both global and inner behavior. However, due to the simplifications adopted for our modelling approach, calculation times of the newly developed model are significantly lower allowing to specific use where fast computing modelling approaches are required. Finally, this model has been used in order to understand the inner behavior of each electrode during constant current charge and discharges as well as hybrid electric vehicle duty cycles and further calculations have been performed to understand the impact of active material repartition in each electrode.
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•Model accounts for blend and multidispersed electrodes in Li-ion batteries.•Model calibrated and validated on a LMO-LCO/LTO battery.•Model pitted against classical approach in terms of prediction and computation time.•Model used to understand of the current repartition among active materials.•Impact of active material composition on complete battery behavior is assessed.
Polymeric nanoparticles are highly important functional nanomaterials for a large range of applications from therapeutics to energy. Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the engineering of ...multifunctional polymeric nanoparticles with a variety of shapes and inner morphologies. Thanks to its inherent simplicity, the nanoprecipitation technique has progressively become a popular approach to construct polymeric nanoparticles with precise control of nanostructure. The present review highlights the great capability of this technique in controlling the fabrication of various polymeric nanostructures of interest. In particular, we show here how the nanoprecipitation of either block copolymers or mixtures of homopolymers can afford a myriad of colloids displaying equilibrium (typically onion-like) or out-of-equilibrium (stacked lamellae, porous cores) morphologies, depending whether the system “freezes” while passing the glass transition or crystallization point of starting materials. We also show that core-shell morphologies, either from polymeric or oil/polymer mixtures, are attainable by this one-pot process. A final discussion proposes new directions to enlarge the scope and possible achievements of the process.
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•Advances in fabrication of colloidal morphologies by nanoprecipitation are reviewed.•The important parameters affecting molecular diffusion/rearrangement are presented.•The morphologies are freezed at thermodynamic equilibrium or non-equilibrium state.
High‐performance adhesives are of great interest in view of industrial demand. We herein identify a straightforward synthetic strategy towards universal hydrogen‐bonded (H‐bonded) polymeric ...adhesives, using a side‐chain barbiturate (Ba) and Hamilton wedge (HW) functionalized copolymer. Starting from a rubbery copolymer containing thiolactone derivatives, Ba and HW moieties are tethered as pendant groups via an efficient one‐pot two‐step amine‐thiol‐bromo conjugation. Hetero‐complementary Ba/HW interactions thus yield H‐bonded supramolecular polymeric networks. In addition to an enhanced polymeric network integrity induced by specific Ba/HW association, the presence of individual Ba or HW moieties enables strong binding to a range of substrates, outstanding compared to commercial glues and reported adhesives.
A straightforward synthetic strategy towards strong supramolecular adhesives is reported, based on a side‐chain barbiturate (Ba) and Hamilton wedge (HW) functionalized polymer. Specific Ba/HW interactions serve as cohesive domains to maintain polymeric network integrity, while molecular configuration of individual Ba or HW moieties linked onto substrates via diverse H‐bonding interactions, form adhesive domains and endow strong adherence.
The plasticity of different kelp populations to heat stress has seldom been investigated excluding environmental effects due to thermal histories, by raising a generation under common garden ...conditions. Comparisons of populations in the absence of environmental effects allow unbiased quantification of the meta-population adaptive potential and resolution of population-specific differentiation. Following this approach, we tested the hypothesis that genetically distinct arctic and temperate kelp exhibit different thermal phenotypes, by comparing the capacity of their microscopic life stages to recover from elevated temperatures. Gametophytes of Laminaria digitata (Arctic and North Sea) grown at 15°C for 3 years were subjected to common garden conditions with static or dynamic (i.e., gradual) thermal treatments ranging between 15 and 25°C and also to darkness. Gametophyte growth and survival during thermal stress conditions, and subsequent sporophyte recruitment at two recovery temperatures (5 and 15°C), were investigated. Population-specific responses were apparent; North Sea gametophytes exhibited higher growth rates and greater sporophyte recruitment than those from the Arctic when recovering from high temperatures, revealing differential thermal adaptation. All gametophytes performed poorly after recovery from a static 8-day exposure at 22.5°C compared to the response under a dynamic thermal treatment with a peak temperature of 25°C, demonstrating the importance of gradual warming and/or acclimation time in modifying thermal limits. Recovery temperature markedly affected the capacity of gametophytes to reproduce following high temperatures, regardless of the population. Recovery at 5°C resulted in higher sporophyte production following a 15°C and 20°C static exposure, whereas recovery at 15°C was better for gametophyte exposures to static 22.5°C or dynamic heat stress to 25°C. The subtle performance differences between populations originating from sites with contrasting local in situ temperatures support our hypothesis that their thermal plasticity has diverged over evolutionary time scales.
Among the various challenges in medicine, diagnosis, complete cure, and healing of cancers remain difficult given the heterogeneity and complexity of such a disease. Differing from conventional ...platforms with often unsatisfactory theranostic capabilities, the contribution of supramolecular interactions, such as hydrogen‐bonds (H‐bonds), to cancer nanotheranostics opens new perspectives for the design of biomedical materials, exhibiting remarkable properties and easier processability. Thanks to their dynamic characteristics, a feature generally observed for noncovalent interactions, H‐bonding (macro)molecules can be used as supramolecular motifs for yielding drug‐ and diagnostic carriers that possess attractive features, arising from the combination of assembled nanoplatforms and the responsiveness of H‐bonds. Thus, H‐bonded nanomedicine provides a rich toolbox that is useful to fulfill biomedical needs with unique advantages in early‐stage diagnosis and therapy, demonstrating the promising potential in clinical translations and applications. Here the design and synthetic routes toward H‐bonded nanomedicines, focus on the growing understanding of the structure‐function relationship for efficient cancer treatment are summarized. A guidance for designing new H‐bonded intelligent theranostic agents is proposed, to inspire more successful explorations of cancer nanotheranostics and finally to promote potential clinical translations.
Hydrogen‐bonds (H‐bonds) bridge artificial and biological sciences, implementing dynamic properties into materials and (macro)molecules, which cannot be achieved via purely covalent bonds. In this review, the current state‐of‐the‐art for designing novel H‐bonded nanomedicines for precise diagnosis, and targeted therapeutic drugs delivery are highlighted.
Aqueous interfaces are ubiquitous in Nature and play a fundamental role in environmental or biological processes or modern nanotechnologies. These interfaces are negatively charged, and despite ...several decades of research, the rationale behind this phenomenon is still under debate. Two main controversial schools of thought argue on this issue; the first relies on the adsorption of hydroxide anions on hydrophobic surfaces, whereas the second one supports a self-rearrangement of water molecules at the interface bearing hydronium ions. Here, we report on two series of independent experimental studies (nanoprecipitation and interfacial tension measurements) that demonstrate that in the pH 5–10 range the negative interfacial charge of the colloids mostly stems from bicarbonate ions, whereas at lower and higher pH, protons and hydroxide ions contribute, with bicarbonate ions, to the interfacial charging. This new interpretation complies with previous studies and opens new perspectives to this striking physical chemical issue.
Proteins and peptides are attractive chemical building blocks to encapsulate and protect active substances thanks to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and added ...functionality compared to synthetic polymers. This review provides a comprehensive overview of micro‐ and nanocapsules predominantly made of proteins—both natural and artificially produced—and peptides, detailing their different fabrication techniques and possible applications in various fields, including food technology and healthcare. Emphasis is given on the capability of proteins and peptides to assemble into capsular structures in the absence (e.g., protein cages and polypeptide‐based coacervates) or presence of a template, as well as on the physical nature of the carriers core, i.e., gaseous, liquid, or solid.
An overview of micro‐ and nanocapsules made of proteins and peptides is presented, detailing their fabrication techniques and applications in various fields, including food technology and healthcare. Emphasis is given on the assembly of proteins and peptides into capsular structures in the absence or presence of a solid, liquid, or gaseous template.
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