Donghua University

About: Donghua University is a education organization based out in Shanghai, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Fiber & Nanofiber. The organization has 21155 authors who have published 21841 publications receiving 393091 citations. The organization is also known as: Dōnghuá Dàxué & China Textile University.

Alternate Multilayer Films of Poly(vinyl alcohol) and Exfoliated Graphene Oxide Fabricated via a Facial Layer-by-Layer Assembly

Abstract: Despite great recent progress with graphene-based materials, the development of strong and cost-efficient multifunctional graphene-filled polymer composites has not yet to be achieved. A key challenge in the fabrication of nanoplatelet-filled polymer composites is the ability to realize the nanometer-level dispersion and the planar orientation of nanosheets in polymer matrices. In this report, ultrathin multilayer (PVA/GO)n films were successfully fabricated by bottom-up layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and exfoliated graphene oxide (GO), in which exfoliated GO nanosheets were used as the building blocks. Typical tapping-mode atomic force microscope (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) images demonstrate an ordered arrangement of organic and inorganic layers. A significant enhancement of mechanical properties has been achieved, that is, a 98.7% improvement of elastic modulus (Er) and a 240.4% increase of hardness. This may be attributed to the well-define...

Cellular Structured CNTs@SiO2 Nanofibrous Aerogels with Vertically Aligned Vessels for Salt-Resistant Solar Desalination.

Abstract: The emerging solar desalination technology is considered as one of the most promising strategies to ensure water security. However, with the proceeding of solar desalination, salt crystallization on the surface of solar evaporators caused by increasing salinity of seawater will result in a decrease in the evaporation rate. Thus, it is still challenging to fabricate solar evaporators with superior salt resistance. In this work, elastic ceramic-based nanofibrous aerogels with a cellular architecture are fabricated by the combination of electrospinning and fiber freeze-shaping technologies, which are composed of vertically aligned vessels and porous vessel walls. Under the action of convection and diffusion promoted by this unique cellular architecture, the aerogels exhibit a superior salt-resistance without any salt crystals on the surface of aerogels even in 20% brine and under 6-sun irradiation. Moreover, by virtue of the synergistic effect of the promising structure and light absorbance of carbon nanotubes, aerogels possess a high light absorbance of up to 98% and excellent evaporation performance achieving 1.50 kg m-2 h-1 under 1-sun irradiation. This work may provide a fascinating avenue for the desalination of seawater in a salt-resistance and efficient manner.

Biomimetic spinning of artificial spider silk from a chimeric minispidroin

Abstract: Herein we present a chimeric recombinant spider silk protein (spidroin) whose aqueous solubility equals that of native spider silk dope and a spinning device that is based solely on aqueous buffers, shear forces and lowered pH. The process recapitulates the complex molecular mechanisms that dictate native spider silk spinning and is highly efficient; spidroin from one liter of bacterial shake-flask culture is enough to spin a kilometer of the hitherto toughest as-spun artificial spider silk fiber.

Ultrahigh-Water-Content, Superelastic, and Shape-Memory Nanofiber-Assembled Hydrogels Exhibiting Pressure-Responsive Conductivity

Abstract: High-water-content hydrogels that are both mechanically robust and conductive could have wide applications in fields ranging from bioengineering and electronic devices to medicine; however, creating such materials has proven to be extremely challenging. This study presents a scalable methodology to prepare superelastic, cellular-structured nanofibrous hydrogels (NFHs) by combining alginate and flexible SiO2 nanofibers. This approach causes naturally abundant and sustainable alginate to assemble into 3D elastic bulk NFHs with tunable water content and desirable shapes on a large scale. The resultant NFHs exhibit the integrated properties of ultrahigh water content (99.8 wt%), complete recovery from 80% strain, zero Poisson's ratio, shape-memory behavior, injectability, and elastic-responsive conductivity, which can detect dynamic pressure in a wide range (>50 Pa) with robust sensitivity (0.24 kPa-1 ) and durability (100 cycles). The fabrication of such fascinating materials may provide new insights into the design and development of multifunctional hydrogels for various applications.