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Gelation, self-assembly, and acid responsive properties of an unsymmetrical 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-07 Xueqing Hu, Qing Zhang, Shuwen Yu, Guizhi Wang, Tianren Zhang
A novel unsymmetrical 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative (2-POXD-B8) was synthesized. 2-POXD-B8 can form organogel in methanol. The gelation and self-assembly behavior of 2-POXD-B8 were researched by SEM,...
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Structure variation on self-assembly and optical properties of bent hexacatenars with dicyanothiophene bent core and amide links Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-03-05 Tao Ma, Qing Chang, Yuantang Duan, Yixian Li, Qiong Xiao, Yu Yang, Xiaohong Cheng
Novel hexacatenars consisting of a dicyanothiophene π-conjugated rigid bent core connecting with two terminal hydrophobic paraffinic chains via amide links were prepared. These molecules can self-a...
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Investigation of swelling behaviour monolayer and double Layer polysaccharide based composite hydrogels Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 Büsra Bodur, Özlem Dogan
In this study, monolayer and double layer (core-shell) composite hydrogel beads with and without hydroxyapatite which have potential applications in drug delivery systems were synthesized, and thei...
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Adhesive, self-healing polydopamine/reduced graphene oxide composite hydrogel for self-powered application Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-26 Yan Jiang, Dong Wang, Jun Wang, Lili Yue, Chun Tang, Juan Song
Graphene-based hydrogels have a broad application prospect in various fields due to their excellent adsorption, electrical conductivity, water retention, flexibility, etc. In this work, polydopamin...
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Effects of solvent on gelation behavior and gel properties of a dihydrazide derivative organogel Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-02-21 Xiangyang Che
By introducing more polar ethanol as a co-solvent to benzene, solvent effects on gelation behavior and gel properties of N,N’-bis (4-n-alkylo-xybenzoyl) hydrazine (4D16) were investigated herein. X...
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Chitosan and (Phenylthio) acetic acid-based ion pair self assembled for temperature and oxidation-responsive drug release Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Jomon George Joy, Jin-Chul Kim
Chitosan (CTSN), a cationic biopolymer was used to prepare Ion pair self-assembly (IPSAM) with (phenylthio)acetic acid (PTA) as hydrophobic counter ion which is responsive to temperature and oxidat...
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Wood fiber aerogel-based super hydrophilic and lipophobic porous structure as a photothermal material for efficient solar steam Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Nannan Qu, Bin Zhang, Shuai Jiang, Haijing Lu, Yuhan Zhang, Lihua Chen
We demonstrate in this paper a super-hydrophilic and oleophobic green porous photothermal material based on wood fiber as a novel oil-repellent photothermal material for efficient solar vapor gener...
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Theoretical study of the nematic to isotropic phase transition in the mixtures of nematic liquid crystal and quantum dots nanoparticles Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Prabir K. Mukherjee
The nematic to isotropic phase transition in the mixtures of nematic liquid crystal and quantum dots nanoparticles has been studied. Flory Huggins theory of isotropic mixing and Landau-de Gennes th...
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Super hydrophobic PU sponge modified by poly-vinylidene fluoride/SBA-15@NPS hybrid Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Fatemeh Sharifi, Ensieh Ghasemian Lemraski, Soheila Sharafinia
In the present work, we try to design and prepare super-hydrophobic, porous, and activated polyurethane (PU) sponge based on physical and chemical surface coating method. The superhydrophobic spong...
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Enhancement on electro-response of gelatin hydrogels with grafted polar groups Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Lingxiang Gao, Xiaoli Cheng, Awen Wei, Yanwei Zhou, Zunyuan Xie
In this article, three grafted copolymers, namely gelatin-graft-polypyrrole copolymer (gelatin-g-PPy), gelatin-graft-polyaniline copolymer (gelatin-g-PANI), and gelatin-graft-monomethyl polyethylen...
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Synthesis, characterization, mesogenic properties, and DFT studies of unsymmetrical liquid crystalline dimers of biphenyl Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Mahima Rabari, Chetna Koli, A. K. Prajapati
A series of asymmetrical liquid crystal dimers (E)-4((4(n([1,1’-biphenyl]-4-yloxy)alkoxy)phenyl) diazenyl)benzonitrile (BpnCN) were synthesized, consisting of two distinct rigid cores: 4-cyanoazobe...
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Amphiphilicity evolution in self-assembled carbon-based nanostructures for stabilizing different types of Pickering emulsions Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Baichen Wang, Xiaolin Liao, Yu Gao, Wei Li
Carbon-based nanostructures have been firmly established as highly scalable and versatile platforms, which have found extensive applications in several fields of multifunctional nanocomposites, ene...
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Preparation and wear resistance of water-based UV curable ink Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2024-01-23 Chengmin Hou, Weimin Yan
UV water-based inks have disadvantages such as slow curing speed and low degree of crosslinking. In this paper, the copolymer P(MMA-r-HEMA) was prepared by traditional free radical polymerization u...
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Active Brownian particles can mimic the pattern of the substrate Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Pawan Kumar Mishra, Ajeya Krishna, Shradha Mishra
Active Brownian particles (ABPs) have been identified as a successful way of modeling the moving microorganism on the substrate. In recent studies, it is shown that such organisms can sense the cha...
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Elastic instability and inflation modeling of an axially-loaded hyperelastic cylindrical thin shell Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Md Moonim Lateefi, Somnath Sarangi
While inflating the thin-walled hyperelastic cylindrical cell, a localized type of instability occurs. After some deformation, the localization forms a bulge along the tube length. When a bulge rea...
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The complex formed between Cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB) – sulfonated polystyrene (PSS) via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Mohamed El Amine Zennaki, Lahcene Tennouga, Brahim Bouras, Soraya Balkaid
This work produced a polyelectrolyte, sulfonated polystyrene (PSS) from polystyrene waste. The resulting PSS was characterized by FTIR spectrometry, which shows the bands of the sulfur trioxide gro...
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Silane coupling agents with imidazoles superficially modify titanium dioxide Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Eduardo Maximiliano Toledo-Hernandez, David Contreras-López, Elías Pérez-López, Luis Román Rosas Orta, José Luis Olivares-Romero, Tushar Janardan Pawar, Javier Vallejo-Montesinos
In this work, the effect of surface modification on titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs) is presented in both the anatase and rutile phases with an alkoxysilane and an imidazole. Samples are charac...
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Synthesis, liquid crystalline self-assembly, organogel behavior, and DFT investigation of first phenolphthalein-based hexacatenar Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-11-24 Sha Wang, Xiaoqing Yi, Yurun Liang, Xiaotong Liu, Hongfei Gao, Yulong Xiao
Different building blocks in organic molecules could induce complex intermolecular interactions to lead to different supramolecular micro/nanostructures in bulk and solution states. Herein, the fir...
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Uniaxial - biaxial lyotropic cholesteric phase transition of lyotropic liquid crystals Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-08-21 Prabir K. Mukherjee
A Landau model is proposed to describe the uniaxial – biaxial lyotropic cholesteric phase transition of lyotropic liquid crystals (LLC). The model free energy is based on a mixture of rod-shaped an...
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Fractional Maxwell viscoelastic model to explain dynamic magneto-viscoelastic properties of an isotropic magnetorheological elastomer containing flake-shaped magnetic particles Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-08-21 Dipal Patel, Ramesh V. Upadhyay
A modified fractional Maxwell viscoelastic model was developed for the dynamic magneto-viscoelastic behavior of an isotropic magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) having flake-shaped iron particles. T...
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Bigels as novel systems for the delivery active compounds from Centella asiatica Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-08-08 Agnieszka Kulawik-Pióro, Emilia Osak, Mariola Mendrycka, Zuzanna Trześniewska-Ofiara
Cosmetic products containing ingredients derived from Centella asiatica show antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects. To increase the activity of C. asiatica extracts, we developed an...
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Effects of oxidation degree on the physicochemical properties of xanthan gum hydrogels containing N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-07-25 Hien-Phuong Le, Thai-Hoang Tran, Dat-Quoc Do, Khanh-Ngoc Trinh-Phan, Le-Giang Tran, Van-Toi Vo, Thi-Hiep Nguyen
ABSTRACT Most xanthan gum-based hydrogels are crosslinked by physical methods, but they typically have inadequate mechanical strength and low thermal, pH, and salt stability. To improve the physicochemical properties of XG-based hydrogels, this study applied periodate oxidation of XG to produce ring-opened products with dialdehyde groups for forming chemically crosslinked hydrogels. The research investigated
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Structural transition in a ferroelectric nano-dispersed cholesteric liquid crystal Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-07-23 Saeedeh Shoarinejad, Nanor Markarian
ABSTRACT We present a theoretical study of the orientational and electrical behaviors of a cholesteric liquid crystal dispersed with ferroelectric nanoparticles. We assume a soft planar coupling between the liquid crystal molecules and the nanoparticles. We consider two spiral structures in the ferroelectric nano-dispersed system under an external electric field. This assumption is due to the fact
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Mononuclear photoluminescent salicylaldimato copper(II) complex: synthesis, characterization, mesomorphic investigation and DFT study Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-07-16 Harun A. R. Pramanik, Bandashisha Kharpan, Barnali Bhattacharya, Chira R. Bhattacharjee, Pradip C. Paul, Utpal Sarkar, S. Krishna Prasad, D. S. Shankar Rao
ABSTRACT A new photoluminescent disc-like copper (II) metallomesogen of the type [CuL2] {H2L = 2,4-bis((E)-((4-(hexadecyloxy)phenyl)imino)methyl)phenol} have been synthesized. The compounds were characterized by elemental analyses, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), 1H, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), ultraviolet – visible spectroscopy (UV – Vis), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
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Thermal conductivity of hydrogenated h-BN nanosheets: a reactive force field study Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-07-06 Jacob F. N. Dethan
ABSTRACT Thermal conductivity of hydrogenated hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) nanosheets was investigated using molecular dynamics simulation method. A newly parameterized reactive force field (ReaxFF) for hydrogen and h-BN interactions was used. ReaxFF was used due to its higher accuracy compared to other simpler interatomic potentials. Accurate thickness selection of a monolayer h-BN nanosheet has
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Selective CO2 permeation properties of a membrane composed of a three-component polymer blend and cesium carbonate Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-06-22 Fuminori Ito, Hidetaka Yamada
ABSTRACT A high-performance CO2 separation membrane was fabricated using a composite polymer composed of a crosslinked acrylic acid polymer sodium salt, sodium polyacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, and cesium carbonate. Evaluation tests were conducted by varying the relative humidity (RH), temperature, total pressure (Ptotal), and CO2 partial pressure (PCO2) to determine optimal parameters for enhanced
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Gelation properties of amino-acid-based bis-urea compounds in organic solvents and in the presence of surfactants Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-06-21 Kyra Danielle C. Magdato, Monissa C. Paderes
ABSTRACT Self-assembled systems based on low-molecular-weight gelators (LMWGs) and micelle-forming surfactants are stabilized by non-covalent and non-interfering interactions. The simultaneous self-assembly of LMWGs and surfactants in a solution could lead to the formation of fibrillar networks with encapsulated surfactant micelles. In this study, the gelation properties of amino-acid-derived low-molecular-weight
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Activity induced non-monotonic aggregation in a mixture of chemically active and passive particles Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-04-30 Manisha Jhajhria, Soudamini Sahoo, Tanmay Biswas, Snigdha Thakur
ABSTRACT Spontaneous symmetry breaking has been shown to be the genesis of self-assembly in a mixture of spherically symmetric chemically active and passive colloids, forming dense clusters. Here, we study the kinetics of such self-assembly, driven by the phoretic motion of passive colloids following the chemical gradient generated by the active seeds. A non-monotonic effect of activity on aggregation
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Preparation of Chromolaena odorata (Siam weed) loaded hydrogels and the effect of electrical potentials on the total flavonoids releasing behavior for wound healing application Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-04-23 Puripat Kantha, Sornchat Phiw-on, Onruthai Pinyakong, Siriwan Teepoo, Atipong Bootchanont, Naris Barnthip
ABSTRACT Gelatin hydrogels containing the Chromolaena odorata (Siam Weed) crude extract were fabricated to study the morphology, the percentage of swelling, the total flavonoids released under a system without and with the external voltage stimulation, and the antibacterial properties. The percentage of pore area per cross-sectional area of the hydrogel was 23.56%. The hydrogels showed the extraordinarily
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Electro-thermo-mechanical instability study of fiber-reinforced bimorph convex dielectric elastomer Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-04-13 Moumita Tewary, Tarapada Roy
ABSTRACT Intelligent electroactive polymer-based dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are capable of geometrical disorientation. These actuators are susceptible to electro-thermo-mechanical instability due to their ability to be electrically powered at various stresses and temperatures. This proposed work provides mathematical derivations for the study of instability in coupled electro-thermo-mechanical
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Poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) /poly-(vinyl alcohol) and cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles as vanillin carriers Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-04-09 Naiane Naidek, Najeh Maissar Khalil, Carlos Alberto Policiano Almeida
ABSTRACT Besides being known by food and perfume industries, vanillin has also important pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. The use of magnetic nanoparticles as carriers for a vanillin delivery system is a way to explore its benefits in human beings. In this paper, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles stabilized by poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)
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Numerical investigation of electrohydrodynamic effect for size-tunable droplet formation in a flow-focusing microfluidic device Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-03-01 Sara Alizadeh Majd, Mahdi Moghimi Zand, Reza Javidi, Mohammad Hassan Rahimian
ABSTRACT Droplet-based microfluidics has received much attention in biofabrication due to its compatibility with 3D printers that use cell-laden bioinks. In order to tailor the printing resolution, droplet generation under a DC electric field in a flow-focusing device is explored numerically. The major purpose of simulations is to investigate how geometry affects droplet production and electric field
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Preparation and characterization of chitosan/polyethylene glycol and cobalt ferrite magnetic-polymeric nanoparticles as resveratrol carriers: preparation, analytical methodology validation and in vitro applicability Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-02-14 Ana Paula Buratto, Bruno Henrique Fontoura, Solange Teresinha Carpes, Carlos Alberto Policiano Almeida
ABSTRACT The objective of this research was to produce, characterize and evaluate biological activities of magnetic-polymeric nanoparticles loaded with resveratrol. Magnetic nanoparticles of cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4), polymeric nanoparticles of chitosan (CS) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polymeric-magnetic nanoparticles containing resveratrol (RSV) were developed. An analytical method using UV-VIS
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Fabrication of Antheraea mylitta sericin hydrogel film via non toxic crosslinking citric acid with antioxidant properties Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-01-31 Sheela Khanapure, Ankith Sherapura, Prabhakar B T, Shyam Kumar Vootla
ABSTRACT Sericin, a water-soluble protein biopolymer, is usually discarded as a byproduct of the silk processing industries. However, in recent years the applications of sericin biomacromolecule for biomaterial fabrication have increased. The current strategy of sericin hydrogel preparation involves crosslinking with glutaraldehyde or genipin which are known to be cytotoxic and hinder/restrict the
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Soft-assembled, bio-gel electrolytic double layer capacitor system for sustainable energy storage Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-01-29 Rana Amache-Vaccaro, Siziwe Bebe, Ravi Prakash
ABSTRACT Carrageenan is an attractive bio-derived polymer electrolyte due to its high ionic conductivity, cyclic stability, and cost-effectiveness in copolymerizing with other biocompatible polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). This paper discusses the physical and chemical characterizations of the bio-electrolyte(s): PVA, carrageenan, and PVA-carrageenan copolymer blend. We also describe a fabrication
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The inclusion of a salicylate derivative in polyurethane structures and its effect on the properties and the stability of polyurethanes exposed to weathering Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-01-29 Stefan Oprea, Violeta Otilia Potolinca
ABSTRACT Polyurethanes are highly sought after polymer materials due to their exceptional properties. These properties can be expanded by including 2-hydroxyethyl salicylate in its chemical structure in order to obtain active polymer materials with anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. These polymers can be used in the manufacture of footwear, stockings and clothing. Furthermore, in order to
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Investigate the effect of ground tyre rubber as a reinforcement filler in natural rubber hybrid composites Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2023-01-26 P. Kaliyappan, M. Dhananchezian
ABSTRACT This paper investigates the effect of various proportions of Ground Tyre Rubber (GTR) blends with Natural Rubber (NR)/Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) or NR/Chloroprene Rubber (CR) composites. The NR (95 phr) composites were developed with 5 phr of EPDM or 5 phr of CR along with different ratios of GTR (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 phr) by a two-roll mill and hydraulic press. The interfacial
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Exploration of type II and III collagen binding interactions with short peptide-phenyl pyrazole conjugates via docking, molecular dynamics and laboratory experiments Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-12-05 Lucy R. Hart, Charlotta G. Lebedenko, Beatriz G. Goncalves, Mia I. Rico, Dominic J. Lambo, Diego S. Perez, Ipsita A. Banerjee
ABSTRACT Interaction with components of the extracellular matrix, particularly various forms of collagen, is essential for the design of successful scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Both Type II and Type III collagen are found in various connective tissues in the body, providing stability, wound healing, and in some cases assisting in fibrillogenesis. In this study, we designed short peptide
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Preparation and properties of silver-loaded PVA/CS/Gel hydrogel wound dressing Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-11-30 Yongbo Guo, Linmin Xu, Kai Chen
ABSTRACT Wound dressings have been widely studied because they can temporarily protect and promote wound healing instead of damaged skin. In this paper, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by in situ reduction of gelatin (Gel). Then, AgNPs, chitosan (CS) and PVA were mixed to prepare silver-loaded PVA/CS/Gel hydrogel dressing through freeze-thaw and sodium citrate crosslinking. The properties
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First isoflavone-based hexacatenar derivatives with columnar liquid crystalline self-assembly and binding selectivity behavior Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-11-29 Nana Li, Xiaoling Xie, Sha Wang, Xiaoqin Yi, Jun Leng, Zhongwen Sun, Zonglin Jiang
ABSTRACT The incorporation of different functional groups into organic molecules is a common method to construct soft liquid crystalline materials with multiple properties and adjust mesophases from one-dimensional to three-dimensional structures. This article reports the synthesis, characterization, self-assembly, and binding selectivity behaviors of the first isoflavone-based hexacatenar liquid crystalline
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Safe and efficient DNA delivery based on tannic acid-ion coordination encapsulation Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-11-20 Liang Liu, Chaobing Liu, Zhaojun Yang, Yiran Chen, Shuheng Wu, Xin Chen
ABSTRACT Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is a non-viral gene vector of frequent concern because of its high transfection efficiency. However, its clinical application is limited by the cytotoxicity caused by high positive charge density. Therefore, reducing toxicity and maintaining high transfection efficiency through appropriate strategies are of great significance to promote the development of PEI as gene
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Lateral response of a layered material with interlayer friction Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-10-12 Tomoki Sasada, Kento Yasuda, Yuto Hosaka, Shigeyuki Komura
ABSTRACT We investigate the mechanical properties of a layered material with interlayer friction. We propose a model that contains lateral elasticity and interlayer friction to obtain the response function both in the Fourier and real spaces. By investigating how the internal deformation is laterally induced due to the applied surface displacement, we find that it is transmitted into the material with
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Doping of γ -Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles in Pluronic F127/ DMF LLCs phases to tune the structural transitions and rheological behavior Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-09-11 Prayas Singh, Samta Manori, Surbhi Sachdev, Ashwani Kumar, Kuldeep Kumar Raina, Ravi K. Shukla
ABSTRACT A new rapid microwave-assisted approach has been employed to prepare the γ-Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (γ-Fe3O4 MNPs). The formation of spherical γ-Fe3O4 MNPs with an average size of 45 nm and bandgap of 2.3 eV is confirmed by FESEM and UV–Visible spectroscopy. γ-Fe3O4 is doped (0.01 wt% and 0.02 wt%) in the lyotropic liquid crystalline (LLC) lamellar phases of Pluronic F127/N,N dimethylformamide
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Synthesis and properties of photochromic polymer contain spiro-oxazine induced by ultraviolet light Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-08-31 Cheng-Dong Su, Yi-Yuan Shi, Jun Gao
ABSTRACT The special photochromic mechanism of spiro-oxazine (SO) refers to low thermostability and weak fatigue resistance. High light transmittance and biocompatibility are the two advantages of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), but it does not perform well in terms of tensile strength. Here, a new type of SO (1-(4'methacryloyloxybutyl)- 3,3-dimethyl-9'-hydroxy- 3H-spiro-naphthyl oxazine) was synthesized
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Structural and electrical properties of CdS nanocomposite solid films for electrolyte applications Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-08-28 Padmaja S
ABSTRACT Solid Polymer electrolyte-based energy devices are playing a vital role for future energy sources. Solid state Poly (ethylene Oxide) polymer electrolyte was prepared by incorporating CdS nanoparticles. The precursor Cd(NO3)2 was incorporated in the host polymer to form a film and H2S gas was exposed on the film to convert it into CdS. The host polymer itself acted as a capping agent to reduce
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Turning a linear waterborne polyurethane into a crosslinked counterpart with improved water resistance and mechanical strength through a fast post metal-organic crosslinking Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-08-03 Guotong Du, Na Li, Qiwen Yong, Feng Jiang, Rui Wang, Yulong Li, Yao Xiao, Jinming Chang
ABSTRACT Covalent crosslinking can improve the water resistance of waterborne polyurethanes (WPUs), but the preparation time of WPUs will be greatly extended by the crosslinking process, and the long-term storage stability of WPU emulsions will decrease because the crosslinked molecular chains cannot disperse in any organic solvents or water. In this paper, a crosslinked WPU was prepared through a
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Effects of graphene on the smectic-A to chiral smectic-C* phase transition Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-06-20 Prabir K. Mukherjee
ABSTRACT The smectic-A to chiral smectic-C* (SmA–SmC*) phase transition in the mixture of graphene nanoparticles and ferroelectric liquid crystal is studied. Combination of Flory–Huggins free energy of isotropic mixing and Landau theory is applied to explain the effects of graphene nanoparticles on the SmA–SmC* phase transition. The temperature and concentration of graphene nanoparticles dependence
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Effects of corneal preservation on the mechanical response of porcine corneas measured by nano-indentation Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-06-05 Shima Bahramizadeh-Sajadi, Hamid Reza Katoozian, Jiri Nohava, Miguel Angel Ariza-Gracia, Philippe Büchler
ABSTRACT Although corneal biomechanics plays an important role in ophthalmology, its characterization remains limited due to tissue availability. This problem is particularly critical when studying specific pathologic conditions such as keratoconus. A preservation method that maintains the mechanical response of the tissue over time allows the collection, transport, and storage of tissue samples from
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Biocompatible, stretchable, and compressible cellulose/MXene hydrogel for strain sensor and electromagnetic interference shielding Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-05-30 Yan Bai, Shuaihang Bi, Weikang Wang, Ning Ding, Yuyuan Lu, Mengyue Jiang, Chengbo Ding, Weiwei Zhao, Ning Liu, Jing Bian, Shujuan Liu, Qiang Zhao
ABSTRACT With the booming growth of flexible human-computer interactions and telecommunications, it is desirable to fabricate a high-sensitivity strain sensor to monitor human movement and develop an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials to protect modern microelectronics and humans from electromagnetic damage. Herein, the biocompatible, stretchable, and compressible cellulose/MXene
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Accelerating molecular dynamics simulations by a hybrid molecular dynamics-continuum mechanical approach Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-04-25 Christof Bauer, Maximilian Ries, Sebastian Pfaller
ABSTRACT In this contribution, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in combination with continuum mechanical (CM) approaches are performed to investigate particle movements under uniaxial deformations of an amorphous polymer at particle resolution. A coarse-grained (CG) model of atactic polystyrene is used as an exemplary model system. We propose a hybrid molecular dynamics-continuum mechanical (MD-CM)
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CORRECTION Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-04-08
Published in Soft Materials (Vol. 20, No. 4, 2022)
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pH modulating agar dressing for chronic wounds Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-03-25 Suhela Tyeb, Nitesh Kumar, Gorbel B, Ashok Kumar, Vivek Verma
ABSTRACT Microenvironment of majority chronic wounds exhibits pH in the range of 7.5 to 8.5, leading to poor healing prognosis. The elevated pH adds to dysregulation of healing cascade by creating hypoxia, elevating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity and chances of infection. The current work focuses on fabrication of pH regulating agar-citric acid bi-layer dressing for effective management of
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Investigation on metal coordination crosslinking nitrile butadiene rubber induced by the synergistic effect between tetramethylthiuram disulfide and cupric sulfate Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-03-22 Jiahao Li, Xun Lu, Qiang Bai, Zhaobo Wang
ABSTRACT In this work, we described a simple method to manufacture a novel nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) filled with cupric sulfate (CuSO4) and tetramethylthiuram disulfide (TMTD) via simple mixing and heat pressing. Cure characteristics analysis, the motion capability of polymer segments, physical properties, micromorphology, swelling properties and dynamic characteristics were explored comprehensively
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C3-symmetric truxene discotic liquid crystals with mixed ether chains: synthesis, mesomorphism, and self-assembly properties Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-03-21 Xiao-Peng Cheng, Xiao-Pin Xiong, Jiang-Wei He, Wen-Hao Yu, Chun Feng, Hai-Liang Ni, Ping Hu
ABSTRACT Nine new C3-symmetric 2,7,12-tris(decanoxy)-3,8,13-tris(alkoxy)truxene discogens were synthesized, and all exhibited only one three-dimensionally ordered hexagonal columnar mesophase with a wide mesogenic temperature range, as characterized by polarizing optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffractometry. Crucially, as the length of the alkoxy chain increased,
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Tryptophan capped gold-aryl nanoparticles for energy transfer study with SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-03-14 Javad B. M. Parambath, Sofian M. Kanan, Ahmed A. Mohamed
ABSTRACT Current research on coronavirus 2 disease (SARS-CoV-2) has been focused on developing reliable gold nanomaterials and methods for the detection of viral spike protein (S-proteins). Here, we describe the fluorescence quenching of spike proteins in the presence of robust gold-aryl nanoparticles. The obtained results demonstrated a strong binding affinity between S-proteins and tryptophan immobilized
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Immobilization of acetate based ionic liquids on silica gel to fabricate a prospective desulfurizing adsorbent Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-03-10 Subhajit Kundu, Debarati Mitra
ABSTRACT Ionic liquids have the potential to play a significant role in mitigating the critical challenge of refractory sulfur removal from diesel. In the present investigation, a mixture of imidazolium, pyrazolium and triazolium acetate -based ionic liquids has been immobilized on silica gel using sol-gel technology at ambient temperature (25°C), yielding a novel adsorbent. The sol-gel processing
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Amphiphilic α-cyanostilbene mesogens with oligooxyethylene polar tails: syntheses and properties Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-02-23 Tao Ma, Hongmei Zhao, Qing Chang, Xinhao Liu, Xiaohong Cheng
ABSTRACT A series of amphiphilic rodlike α-cyanostilbene mesogens bearing an α-cyanostilbene core, with one/three lipophilic and flexible alkyl chains at one end and a polar oligooxyethylene (EO) at the opposite end, have been synthesized and investigated by polarized optical microscopy (POM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray scattering, scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy
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Guar gum-g-poly(N-acryloyl-L-phenyl alanine) based pH responsive smart hydrogels for in-vitro anticancer drug delivery Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-02-22 Jalababu Ramani, Madhusudhan Alle, Garima Sharma, K.V.N. Suresh Reddy, Yeongmin Park, K.S.V. Krishna Rao, Jin-Chul Kim
ABSTRACT In this study, modified natural polymeric-based pH-responsive hydrogels (GNAHs) were formulated using guar gum-grafted-poly(N-acryloyl phenyl alanine), 2-hydroxy ethyl acrylate, and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid. GNAH hydrogels were synthesized using a single-step radical polymerization reaction using N,N’-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinker and potassium persulfate as
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Preparation of a stable twist grain boundary A (TGBA*) phase and blue phase liquid crystal with ternary system blend Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-02-02 Ryo Miyashita, Reiji Kumai, Hiromasa Goto
ABSTRACT In this paper, a stable twist grain boundary A (TGBA*) and blue phase liquid crystal (LC) blend is prepared by mixing an achiral-imine-type compound with cholesteryl pelargonate and 4-cyano-4’-pentylbiphenyl (nematic LC). The LC blend has five LC phases, which contain the TGBA* phase at room temperature and the blue phase as frustrated LC.
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Antioxidant molecule useful in the stabilization of nanoparticles in water suspension Soft Mater. (IF 1.2) Pub Date : 2022-01-22 Larisa Popescu-Lipan, Anda Les, Marian Grigoras, Gabriel Ababei, Iuliana Motrescu, Georgiana Bulai, Florin Brinza, Dorina Creanga, Maria Balasoiu
ABSTRACT The preparation of antioxidant-coated magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has been studied to improve their biocompatibility, i.e. reducing negative side effects. The theoretical study was focused on the interaction of gallic acid (GA) with ionic iron at the surface of nanoparticles that increased reactivity and favors the uniform dispersion in water of magnetic nanoparticles and the interaction