Herein, we present a survey of the literature covering the development of molecular imprinting science and technology over the years 2004-2011. In total, 3779 references to the original papers, rev ...

Molecular imprinting science and technology: a survey of the literature for the years 2004-2011.

Carbothermal reduction could be employed as a facile technology for the synthesis of various novel materials, especially transition-metal-functionalized nanostructures. In particular, energy materials, such as ZnO, MnO2, and LiFePO4, combined with different carbon nanostructures have been widely synthesized via carbothermal reduction, which could be well established industrially due to its low-cost starting materials. In addition, a variety of carbon sources can be employed as comparatively low-cost carbon precursors for the synthesis of carbonaceous functional materials, such as porous carbon-coated magnetic nanoparticles (e.g., Co3O4@C, Fe3O4@C, and FeC3–C). These functional materials have great potential for use in energy and environmental applications. Carbothermal reduction methods possess some incomparable advantages, such as convenience, relatively low cost, and good repeatability, for commercial applications. However, they normally require a relatively high temperature for sustaining carbothermic reaction. Consequently, novel structures can also be derived from renewable, abundant carbon precursors. Examples include lignocellulosic biomass or other biological products derived from food or agricultural wastes (carbohydrates, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, chitin, inorganics, and proteins). Thermochemical conversion of biomass, including pyrolysis in an inert environment, has been developed for the production of energy and carbon materials. Furthermore, it is still a potential challenge to simultaneously produce high-quality biofuel products and synthesize value-added functionalized materials via in situ carbothermal reduction. This review will be a powerful resource for stimulating the development of sustainable metal-functionalized nanostructured materials by carbothermal reduction integrated with other advanced technologies, particularly for strengthening efforts towards novel materials for clean energy and environmental applications in the future sustainable society.

Carbothermal synthesis of metal-functionalized nanostructures for energy and environmental applications

Mechanical and electronic properties of diborides of transition 3d–5d metals from first principles: Toward search of novel ultra-incompressible and superhard materials

Developing flexible Li-CO2 batteries is a promising approach to reuse CO2 and simultaneously supply energy to wearable electronics. However, all reported Li-CO2 batteries use liquid electrolyte and lack robust electrolyte/electrodes structure, not providing the safety and flexibility required. Herein we demonstrate flexible liquid-free Li-CO2 batteries based on poly(methacrylate)/poly(ethylene glycol)-LiClO4-3 wt %SiO2 composite polymer electrolyte (CPE) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) cathodes. The CPE (7.14×10−2 mS cm−1) incorporates with porous CNTs cathodes, displaying stable structure and small interface resistance. The batteries run for 100 cycles with controlled capacity of 1000 mAh g−1. Moreover, pouch-type flexible batteries exhibit large reversible capacity of 993.3 mAh, high energy density of 521 Wh kg−1, and long operation time of 220 h at different degrees of bending (0–360°) at 55 °C.

Flexible Li-CO2 Batteries with Liquid-Free Electrolyte

While most forms of multicellular life have developed a calcium-based skeleton, a few specialized organisms complement their body plan with silica. However, of all recent animals, only sponges (phylum Porifera) are able to polymerize silica enzymatically mediated in order to generate massive siliceous skeletal elements (spicules) during a unique reaction, at ambient temperature and pressure. During this biomineralization process (i.e., biosilicification) hydrated, amorphous silica is deposited within highly specialized sponge cells, ultimately resulting in structures that range in size from micrometers to meters. Spicules lend structural stability to the sponge body, deter predators, and transmit light similar to optic fibers. This peculiar phenomenon has been comprehensively studied in recent years and in several approaches, the molecular background was explored to create tools that might be employed for novel bioinspired biotechnological and biomedical applications. Thus, it was discovered that spiculogenesis is mediated by the enzyme silicatein and starts intracellularly. The resulting silica nanoparticles fuse and subsequently form concentric lamellar layers around a central protein filament, consisting of silicatein and the scaffold protein silintaphin-1. Once the growing spicule is extruded into the extracellular space, it obtains final size and shape. Again, this process is mediated by silicatein and silintaphin-1, in combination with other molecules such as galectin and collagen. The molecular toolbox generated so far allows the fabrication of novel micro- and nanostructured composites, contributing to the economical and sustainable synthesis of biomaterials with unique characteristics. In this context, first bioinspired approaches implement recombinant silicatein and silintaphin-1 for applications in the field of biomedicine (biosilica-mediated regeneration of tooth and bone defects) or micro-optics (in vitro synthesis of light waveguides) with promising results.

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs00253-009-2014-8.pdf

Sponge spicules as blueprints for the biofabrication of inorganic–organic composites and biomaterials

The prediction of hardness is possible for crystalline materials, but not possible for glasses so far. In the present paper, we describe and discuss several important factors that should be used for predicting the hardness of glasses. To do so, we have studied the influences of thermal history and chemical composition on hardness of silicate glasses. By subjecting E-glasses of different compositions to various degrees of annealing, it is found that hardness decreases with the fictive temperature. Addition of Na2O to a SiO2–Al2O3–Na2O glass system causes a decrease in hardness. However, the number of non-bridging oxygen per tetrahedron (NBO/T) is not the only parameter determining hardness. In addition, it is found that the effect of ionic radius on hardness is opposite for alkali and alkaline earth ions. Hence, changes of the structural network occurring at the atomic scale must be taken into account when predicting the effect of composition on hardness. The principles used in the calculation of hardness of crystalline materials are only partly valid for glasses.

Effect of thermal history and chemical composition on hardness of silicate glasses

Mesoporous crystalline silica has attracted the attention of scientists due to its extraordinary functionalities. In particular, substantial progress has been made in the synthesis of mesoporous crystalline silica using biomimetic approaches under ambient conditions. However, the biomimetic synthesis of mesoporous amorphous silica has not been well studied so far. Here we show that amorphous silica can be synthesized in aqueous solution under ambient conditions via biological catalysis. The high purity amorphous silica is obtained as spicules (average diameter: 15.6 μm) that are cemented through junctions, thereby forming the skeleton of the freshwater sponge Cauxi. We discover that such amorphous spicules themselves contain mesopores. This opens a potential avenue to develop highly durable mesoporous membranes at room temperature. We also describe the macro- and microstructural features, the mechanism of biological precipitation, and the properties of the Cauxi skeleton.

Biologically formed mesoporous amorphous silica.

Thermo-mechanical characterisation of in-plane properties for CSM E-glass epoxy polymer composite materials – Part 1: Thermal and chemical strain

Training in the use of robot-assisted surgery systems is necessary before a surgeon is able to perform procedures using these systems because the setup is very different from manual procedures. In addition, surgery robots are highly expensive to both acquire and maintain --- thereby entailing the need for efficient training. When training with the robot, the communication between the trainer and the trainee is limited, since the trainee often cannot see the trainer.To overcome this issue, this paper proposes an Augmented Reality (AR) system where the trainer is controlling two virtual robotic arms. These arms are virtually superimposed on the video feed to the trainee, and can therefore be used to demonstrate and perform various tasks for the trainee. Furthermore, the trainer is presented with a 3D image through a stereoscopic display. Because of the added depth perception, this enables the trainer to better guide and help the trainee.A prototype has been developed using low-cost materials and the system has been evaluated by surgeons at Aalborg University Hospital. User feedback indicated that a 3D display for the trainer is very useful as it enables the trainer to better monitor the procedure, and thereby enhances the training experience. The virtual overlay was also found to work as a good and illustrative approach for enhanced communication. However, the delay of the prototype made it difficult to use for actual training.

Martin Jensen

Papers

Effect of thermal history and chemical composition on hardness of silicate glasses

Biologically formed mesoporous amorphous silica.

Thermo-mechanical characterisation of in-plane properties for CSM E-glass epoxy polymer composite materials – Part 1: Thermal and chemical strain

Stereoscopic augmented reality system for supervised training on minimal invasive surgery robots

Aqueous batch rebinding and selectivity studies on sucrose imprinted polymers