Aqueous Zn metal batteries have attracted much attention due to their high intrinsic capacity, high safety, and low cost. Nevertheless, uncontrollable dendrite growth and adverse side reactions of Zn ...anodes seriously hinder their further application. Herein, a three‐dimensional (3D) porous graphene‐carbon nanotubes scaffold decorated with metal–organic framework derived ZnO/C nanoparticles (3D‐ZGC) is fabricated as the host for dendrite‐free Zn‐metal composite anodes. The zincophilic ZnO/C nanoparticles act as preferred deposition sites with low nucleation barriers to induce homogeneous Zn deposition. The mechanically robust 3D scaffold with high conductivity not only suppresses the formation of dendritic Zn by reducing the local current density and homogenizing Zn2+ ion flux, but also inhibits volume changes during the long‐term plating/stripping process. As a result, the 3D‐ZGC composite anodes afford unprecedented Zn plating‐stripping stability at an ultrahigh current density of 20 mA cm‐2 for 1500 cycles with low overpotential (<65 mV) when used in a symmetric cell. When coupled with MnO2 cathodes, the assembled Zn@3D‐ZGC//MnO2 full batteries deliver an enhanced cycling stability for up to 6000 cycles at 2000 mA g‐1, demonstrating the potential of the 3D‐ZGC composite anode for advanced Zn metal batteries.
An elaborate design is reported to fabricate novel 3D host for Zn metal anodes by assembling carbon nanotubes and graphene into a hierarchical porous structure, followed by decorating with Zn‐metal–organic framework derivatives, which enables a significant boost on both charging/discharging rate and long‐term cycling performance for Zn metal batteries.
Emerging evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRs) are associated with the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). In this study, the role of exosomal miR-136-5p derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ...in OA progression is investigated and the potential therapeutic mechanism explored.
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and their exosomes were isolated from patients and identified. The endocytosis of chondrocytes and the effects of exosome miR-136-5p on cartilage degradation were observed and examined by immunofluorescence and cartilage staining. Then, the targeting relationship between miR-136-5p and E74-like factor 3 (ELF3) was analyzed by dual-luciferase report assay. Based on gain- or loss-of-function experiments, the effects of exosomes and exosomal miR-136-5p on chondrocyte migration were examined by EdU and Transwell assay. Finally, a mouse model of post-traumatic OA was developed to evaluate effects of miR-136-5p on chondrocyte degeneration in vivo.
In the clinical samples of traumatic OA cartilage tissues, we detected increased ELF3 expression, and reduced miR-136-5p expression was determined. The BMMSC-derived exosomes showed an enriched level of miR-136-5p, which could be internalized by chondrocytes. The migration of chondrocyte was promoted by miR-136-5p, while collagen II, aggrecan, and SOX9 expression was increased and MMP-13 expression was reduced. miR-136-5p was verified to target ELF3 and could downregulate its expression. Moreover, the expression of ELF3 was reduced in chondrocytes after internalization of exosomes. In the mouse model of post-traumatic OA, exosomal miR-136-5p was found to reduce the degeneration of cartilage extracellular matrix.
These data provide evidence that BMMSC-derived exosomal miR-136-5p could promote chondrocyte migration in vitro and inhibit cartilage degeneration in vivo, thereby inhibiting OA pathology, which highlighted the transfer of exosomal miR-136-5p as a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with OA.
Metallic lithium (Li) is a promising anode for next‐generation high‐energy‐density batteries, but its applications are still hampered due to the limited charging/discharging rate and poor cycling ...performance. Here, a hierarchical 3D porous architecture is designed with a binary network of continuous silver nanowires assembled on an interconnected 3D graphene skeleton as the host for Li‐metal composite anodes, which offers a significant boost in both charging/discharging rates and long‐term cycling performance for Li‐metal batteries. This unique hierarchical binary network structure in conjunction with optimized material combination provides ultrafast, continuous, and smooth electron transportation channel and non‐nucleation barrier sites to direct and confine Li deposition. It also offers outstanding mechanical strength and toughness to support massive Li deposition and buffer the internal stress fluctuations during long‐term repeated Li stripping/plating thereby minimizing fundamental issues of dendrite formation and volume change even under ultrafast charging/discharging rates. As a result, the composite anode using this hierarchical host can work smoothly at an unprecedented high current density of 40 mA cm‐2 over 1000 plating/stripping cycles with low overpotential (<120 mV) in symmetric cells. The as‐constructed full cell, paired with LiNi0.5Co0.2Mn0.3O2 cathode, also exhibits excellent rate capability and high‐rate cycling stability.
A hierarchical 3D porous architecture with a binary network of a continuous 2D silver‐nanowire nanonetwork assembling on an interconnected 3D graphene skeleton is constructed as the host for Li‐metal composite anodes, which enables a significant boost on both charging/discharging rate and long‐term cycling performance for Li‐metal batteries.
Herein, we report near‐infrared (NIR) light‐driven shape‐morphing of programmable MXene‐containing anisotropic hydrogel actuators that are fabricated through in situ free‐radical copolymerization of ...a judiciously designed MXene nanomonomer with thermosensitive hydrogel network. A low electric field (few V mm−1) was found to enable a spatial distribution of MXene nanosheets and hence introduce anisotropy into the hydrogel network. Programmable anisotropic hydrogel actuators were developed by controlling ITO electrode pattern, direct‐current (DC) electric field direction and mask‐assisted photopolymerization. As a proof‐of‐concept, we demonstrate NIR light‐driven shape morphing of the MXene‐containing anisotropic hydrogel into various shapes and devise a four‐arm soft gripper that can perform distinct photomechanical functions such as grasping, lifting/lowering down and releasing an object upon sequential NIR light exposure.
Programmable anisotropic hydrogel actuators with near‐infrared (NIR) light‐driven shape morphing properties were fabricated through in situ free‐radical copolymerization of a judiciously designed photopolymerizable MXene nanomonomer with thermosensitive PNIPAM‐based smart hydrogels. A shape‐programmed four‐arm soft gripper was demonstrated to perform distinct photomechanical functions under sequential exposure to spatiotemporal NIR light.
The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in main characteristics, reporting and methodological quality between prospectively registered and nonregistered systematic reviews.
PubMed ...was searched to identify systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials published in 2015 in English. After title and abstract screening, potentially relevant reviews were divided into three groups: registered non-Cochrane reviews, Cochrane reviews, and nonregistered reviews. For each group, random number tables were generated in Microsoft Excel, and the first 50 eligible studies from each group were randomly selected. Data of interest from systematic reviews were extracted. Regression analyses were conducted to explore the association between total Revised Assessment of Multiple Systematic Review (R-AMSTAR) or Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) scores and the selected characteristics of systematic reviews.
The conducting and reporting of literature search in registered reviews were superior to nonregistered reviews. Differences in 9 of the 11 R-AMSTAR items were statistically significant between registered and nonregistered reviews. The total R-AMSTAR score of registered reviews was higher than nonregistered reviews mean difference (MD) = 4.82, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.70, 5.94. Sensitivity analysis by excluding the registration-related item presented similar result (MD = 4.34, 95% CI: 3.28, 5.40). Total PRISMA scores of registered reviews were significantly higher than nonregistered reviews (all reviews: MD = 1.47, 95% CI: 0.64-2.30; non-Cochrane reviews: MD = 1.49, 95% CI: 0.56-2.42). However, the difference in the total PRISMA score was no longer statistically significant after excluding the item related to registration (item 5). Regression analyses showed similar results.
Prospective registration may at least indirectly improve the overall methodological quality of systematic reviews, although its impact on the overall reporting quality was not significant.
Developing bioinspired camouflage materials that can adaptively change color in the visible and infrared (IR) regions is an intriguing but challenging task. Herein, we report an emerging strategy for ...fabricating dynamic visible and IR camouflage materials by the controlled in situ growth of novel photopolymerizable blue phase liquid crystals with cubic nanoarchitectures onto highly aligned MXene nanostructured thin films. The resulting MXene‐integrated 3D soft photonic crystals exhibit vivid structural colors and reversible switching between a bright colored state and a dark black state under a low DC electric field. As an illustration, proof‐of‐concept pixelated devices that allow for pixel‐controllable electrochromism are demonstrated. Furthermore, a free‐standing electrochromic flexible film of such 3D soft photonic crystals is fabricated, where visible electrochromism and thermal camouflage are enabled by leveraging the superior electrothermal conversion and low mid‐IR emissivity of MXene nanomaterials.
Bioinspired visible and infrared camouflage materials are judiciously designed and fabricated by the controlled in situ growth of novel electrochromic soft photonic crystals onto highly aligned MXene nanostructured thin films exhibiting low mid‐infrared emissivity. This work is expected to shine new light into the development of intelligent nanostructured materials for advanced adaptive camouflage and thermal radiation management‐related technologies.
Sophisticated sensing and actuation capabilities of many living organisms in nature have inspired scientists to develop biomimetic somatosensory soft robots. Herein, the design and fabrication of ...homogeneous and highly conductive hydrogels for bioinspired somatosensory soft actuators are reported. The conductive hydrogels are synthesized by in situ copolymerization of conductive surface‐functionalized MXene/Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly(styrenesulfonate) ink with thermoresponsive poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels. The resulting hydrogels are found to exhibit high conductivity (11.76 S m−1), strain sensitivity (GF of 9.93), broad working strain range (≈560% strain), and high stability after over 300 loading–unloading cycles at 100% strain. Importantly, shape‐programmable somatosensory hydrogel actuators with rapid response, light‐driven remote control, and self‐sensing capability are developed by chemically integrating the conductive hydrogels with a structurally colored polymer. As the proof‐of‐concept illustration, structurally colored hydrogel actuators are applied for devising light‐driven programmable shape‐morphing of an artificial octopus, an artificial fish, and a soft gripper that can simultaneously monitor their own motions via real‐time resistance variation. This work is expected to offer new insights into the design of advanced somatosensory materials with self‐sensing and actuation capabilities, and pave an avenue for the development of soft‐matter‐based self‐regulatory intelligence via built‐in feedback control that is of paramount significance for intelligent soft robotics and automated machines.
Endowing an artificial soft materials system with sensing and actuating is of paramount importance for the development of bioinspired somatosensory soft robotics. A general strategy is demonstrated to fabricate bioinspired somatosensory hydrogel actuators with sensing and actuation capabilities through in situ copolymerization of conductive K‐MXene/PEDOT:PSS ink with thermoresponsive PNIPAM hydrogels.
The computation-intensive circuit simulation makes the analog circuit sizing challenging for large-scale/complicated analog/RF circuits. A Bayesian optimization approach has been proposed recently ...for the optimization problems involving the evaluations of black-box functions with high computational cost in either objective functions or constraints. In this paper, we propose a weighted expected improvement-based Bayesian optimization approach for automated analog circuit sizing. Gaussian processes (GP) are used as the online surrogate models for circuit performances. Expected improvement is selected as the acquisition function to balance the exploration and exploitation during the optimization procedure. The expected improvement is weighted by the probability of satisfying the constraints. In this paper, we propose a complete Bayesian optimization framework for the optimization of analog circuits with constraints for the first time. The existing GP model-based optimization methods for analog circuits take the GP models as either offline models or as assistance for the evolutionary algorithms. We also extend the Bayesian optimization algorithm to handle multi-objective optimization problems. Compared with the state-of-the-art approaches listed in this paper, the proposed Bayesian optimization method achieves better optimization results with significantly less number of simulations.
Endowing artificial advanced materials and systems with biomimetic self‐regulatory intelligence is of paramount significance for the development of somatosensory soft robotics and adaptive ...optoelectronics. Herein, a bioinspired phototropic MXene‐reinforced soft tubular actuator is reported that exhibits omnidirectional self‐orienting ability and is capable of quickly sensing, continuously tracking, and adaptively interacting with incident light in all zenithal and azimuthal angles of 3D space. The novelty of the soft tubular actuator lies in three aspects: 1) the new polymerizable MXene nanomonomer shows high compatibility with liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) matrices and can be in situ photopolymerized into the polymer networks, thus enhancing the mechanical and photoactuation properties; 2) the distinct hollow and radially symmetrical structure facilitates the actuator with fast photoresponsiveness and phototropic performance through retarding the heat conduction along the radial direction; 3) the MXene‐LCE soft tubular actuator simultaneously integrates sensing, actuation, and built‐in feedback loop, thus leading to a high light‐tracking accuracy and adaptive phototropism like a hollow stem of plants in nature. As a proof‐of‐concept demonstration, an adaptive photovoltaic system with solar energy harvesting maximization is illustrated. This work can provide insights into the development of artificial intelligent materials toward adaptive optoelectronics, intelligent soft robotics, and beyond.
Bioinspired MXene‐reinforced soft tubular actuators with omnidirectional light‐tracking and adaptive phototropism are demonstrated through in situ photopolymerization of a judiciously designed photopolymerizable MXene nanomonomer into reversible shape‐morphing crosslinked main‐chain liquid crystal elastomers. Like the hollow stem of plants, the resulting actuators show a high light‐tracking accuracy and are capable of quickly sensing, continuously tracking, and adaptively interacting with the incident light in all zenithal and azimuthal angles of 3D space.
Vehicular applications and communications technologies are often referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X), which is classified into four different types: vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle- ...to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-network (V2N), and vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) 1. V2X related research projects, field tests, and regulatory work have been promoted in different countries and regions. In May 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China explained national strategies, "Made in China 2025," about intelligent connected vehicles. In 2020 and 2025, the overall technology and key technologies for intelligent driver assistance and automatic driving will be available in China, respectively 2. V2X solutions are the critical technologies to support the realization of such visions. Although IEEE 802.11p has been selected as the technology for V2X communications in some countries such as the United States and in Europe, the intrinsic characteristics of IEEE 802.11p have confined the technology to support low latency with high reliability 3, 4. Standardization of Long Term Evolution (LTE)-based V2X is being actively conducted by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to provide the solution for V2X communications that benefit from the global deployment and fast commercialization of LTE systems. Because of the wide deployment of LTE networks, V2I and V2N services can be provided with high data rate, comprehensive quality of service (QoS) support, ubiquitous coverage, and high penetration rate 5. Meanwhile, LTE can be extended to support V2V direct communications based on device-to-device (D2D) sidelink design to satisfy the QoS requirements, such as low latency, high reliability, and high speed in the case of high vehicle density 6.
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