Chemical and Biomedical Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemNo Preview AvailableAn Electrifying Choice for the 2019 Chemistry Nobel Prize: Goodenough, Whittingham, and Yoshino(AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 2019-11-12)As editors of a materials chemistry journal, we are thrilled at the awarding of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham, and Akira Yoshino, for their contributions that have led to the modern lithium ion battery (Figure 1). As the Nobel Prize Committee states succinctly, “They created a rechargeable world.”(1) The commercial and societal rewards of experimental research typically require decades to reach fruition, and lithium ion batteries were no different, with crucial leads dating back to the 1960s, and even earlier.(2) Materials chemistry journals only emerged 30 years ago with the advent of Chemistry of Materials, the Journal of Materials Chemistry, and Advanced Materials in 1989. Much of the earlier work in battery materials appeared beforehand in electrochemistry, physics, and solid state journals. The key fundamental discovery underpinning the lithium ion battery was the understanding and application of ion intercalation, in this case,(3) lithium ions inserted between the layers in graphite, metal sulfides, and, eventually, oxides that were commercialized. This Nobel Prize was evenly split three ways because, as the Nobel committee correctly observed, the contributions of all three inventors were essential to the success of the commercialization of the lithium ion battery.
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ItemNanoengineering of Poly(ethylene glycol) Particles for Stealth and Targeting(AMER CHEMICAL SOC, 2018-09-18)The assembly of particles composed solely or mainly of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is an emerging area that is gaining increasing interest within bio-nano science. PEG, widely considered to be the "gold standard" among polymers for drug delivery, is providing a platform for exploring fundamental questions and phenomena at the interface between particle engineering and biomedicine. These include the targeting and stealth behaviors of synthetic nanomaterials in biological environments. In this feature article, we discuss recent work in the nanoengineering of PEG particles and explore how they are enabling improved targeting and stealth performance. Specific examples include PEG particles prepared through surface-initiated polymerization, mesoporous silica replication via postinfiltration, and particle assembly through metal-phenolic coordination. This particle class exhibits unique in vivo behavior (e.g., biodistribution and immune cell interactions) and has recently been explored for drug delivery applications.
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ItemRicocheting Droplets Moving on Super-Repellent Surfaces(Wiley Open Access, 2019-09-12)Droplet bouncing on repellent solid surfaces (e.g., the lotus leaf effect) is a common phenomenon that has aroused interest in various fields. However, the scenario of a droplet bouncing off another droplet (either identical or distinct chemical composition) while moving on a solid material (i.e., ricocheting droplets, droplet billiards) is scarcely investigated, despite it having fundamental implications in applications including self‐cleaning, fluid transport, and heat and mass transfer. Here, the dynamics of bouncing collisions between liquid droplets are investigated using a friction‐free platform that ensures ultrahigh locomotion for a wide range of probing liquids. A general prediction on bouncing droplet–droplet contact time is elucidated and bouncing droplet–droplet collision is demonstrated to be an extreme case of droplet bouncing on surfaces. Moreover, the maximum deformation and contact time are highly dependent on the position where the collision occurs (i.e., head‐on or off‐center collisions), which can now be predicted using parameters (i.e., effective velocity, effective diameter) through the concept of an effective interaction region. The results have potential applications in fields ranging from microfluidics to repellent coatings.
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ItemMetal-Phenolic Coatings as a Platform to Trigger Endosomal Escape of Nanoparticles.(American Chemical Society, 2019-10-22)The intracellular delivery of functional nanoparticles (NPs) and the release of therapeutic payloads at a target site are central issues for biomedical applications. However, the endosomal entrapment of NPs typically results in the degradation of active cargo, leading to poor therapeutic outcomes. Current advances to promote the endosomal escape of NPs largely involve the use of polycationic polymers and cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), which both can suffer from potential toxicity and convoluted synthesis/conjugation processes. Herein, we report the use of metal-phenolic networks (MPNs) as versatile and nontoxic coatings to facilitate the escape of NPs from endo/lysosomal compartments. The MPNs, which were engineered from the polyphenol tannic acid and FeIII or AlIII, enabled the endosomal escape of both inorganic (mesoporous silica) and organic (polystyrene and melamine resin) NPs owing to the "proton-sponge effect" arising from the buffering capacity of MPNs. Postfunctionalization of the MPN-coated NPs with low-fouling polymers did not impair the endosomal escape, indicating the modular and generalizable nature of this approach. We envisage that the ease of fabrication, versatility, low cytotoxicity, and promising endosomal escape performance displayed by the MPN coatings offer opportunities for such coatings to be used for the efficient delivery of cytoplasm-targeted therapeutics using NPs.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableDesigning Particles for Biological Interactions( 2018-07-31)Oral presentation at ACS Publications Symposium - Innovative Materials for a Sustainable World
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ItemNo Preview AvailableBio-Nano Interactions of Metal-Phenolic Networks( 2019-03-23)Oral presentation at 3rd International Symposium on Translational Nanomedicine
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ItemNo Preview AvailableUnraveling Biointeractions with Nanoengineered Hydrogel Particles( 2019-06-03)Oral presentation at Summit on Functional Nanocolloids
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ItemNo Preview AvailableNebulization of Phenolic Capsules for Pulmonary Delivery( 2018-11-30)Oral presentation at ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology Annual Research Workshop
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ItemNo Preview AvailableNebulization of Phenolic Capsules for Pulmonary Delivery( 2019-06-24)Oral presentation at 10th International Conference on Materials for Advanced Technologies
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ItemNo Preview AvailableStealth and Targeting of Ligand-Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol) Particles( 2019-06-26)Oral presentation at 10th International Nanomedicine Conference