Styrenes Research Articles

Advanced treatment and reuse of dye wastewater using thermo-irreversible on/off switch starch with disruption of dissolution/precipitation dynamic equilibrium

The development of irreversible on/off switching materials is a potential strategy for unidirectional capture and encapsulation of pollutants, preventing the pollutant leakage problem resulting from the reversible dissolution of flocculants. Herein, a thermo-irreversible on/off switch starch (TISS) is prepared through modifying starch by etherification grafting glycidyl phenyl ether and 2,4-bis(dimethylamino)-6-chloro-[1,3,5]-triazine. It breaks the dissolution/precipitation dynamic equilibrium across heating–cooling cycles by thermal-induced irreversible coil-to-globule self-assembly of polymer chains, resulting in a 50-fold decrease in polymer solubility. Particularly, TISS shows a superior double-locking effect on pollutants and flocculants through its unique irreversible conformation memory capability, leading to a high-quality reuse water. 99.9 % of reactive brilliant red dye and 97.9 % of TISS remain fixed within sludge flocs even after prolonged immersion in cold water at 24 °C for 60 days. Furthermore, direct recycling and reuse of dye-bath energy can be realized through the isothermal flocculation and dyeing method, showing a 75 % decrease in energy consumption after three cycles compared to traditional dyeing techniques. This work presents a novel approach to constructing an irreversible pollutant delivery system using thermo-irreversible on/off switch starch, addressing the problems of high energy dissipation and water quality fluctuations during wastewater treatment.

Unraveling the thermodynamic and clouding interactions of non-ionic micelles of polyethylene glycol tert-octylphenyl ether in water-ethanolamine mixtures: Effect of temperature and composition

The amines are potentially used as co-surfactants in an emulsion. The formation of mixed–micelle in the mixture of non-ionic surfactant polyethylene glycol tert-octyl phenyl ether (TX-114) in the water-ethanolamine mixed solvent system has been studied by the cloud point method at variable concentrations. In absence of any added compound, CP shows concentration-dependent variation. The values of CP in an aqueous medium are found to increase by enhancing their concentration range. The CP values of 1 % TX-114 solutions were found to either remain steady at lower concentrations and elevated at higher concentrations in the presence of secondary and tertiary ethanolamine. The CP decreases with an increasing number of ethanolic groups, while CP increases with alkyl branching. The ethanolamine's amines show CP variation by insinuating between the head part with proton rich amine groups at the micelle layer. The outcomes are examined within the light of a specific additive's capacity to evacuate water from the head gathering of the surfactant micelles. The stability of mixed micelle system has also been evaluated by foam ability and foam stability data.

Mesoporous SBA‐15 Supported CdS through Organosilane Ligand for Photo Driven Cleavage of Aryl Ether in Lignin and its Model Compound

AbstractMesoporous silica (SBA‐15) was synthesized hydrothermally followed by calcination and then functionalization with 3‐(triethoxysilyl)‐1‐propanethiol through surface grafting. The thiol moiety of the grafted ligand was utilized for the uniform anchoring of cadmium into the channels of the material. The synthesised material was subjected for its photo catalytic applications after characterization through standard characterization protocol. The synthesised mesoporous silica (i.e. SAB‐15), ligand modified material (i.e.SBA‐15‐S and Cd loaded ( i.e. SAB‐15‐CdS) materials were characterized through standard characterization protocol like powder XRD, FT‐IR, UV‐DRS, MAS NMR, N2 sorption, FE‐SEM, HR‐TEM and TG‐DTA studies. After successful characterization, the screening of the catalyst was carried out on a model reaction involving photo catalytic cleavage of α‐O‐4 aryl ether linkage present in benzyl phenyl ether, which is an important lignin model compound. The catalyst exhibited good efficiency along with the selectivity for desired monoaromatic platform chemicals. The synthesized catalyst was also carried out for the photo catalytic depolymerization of alkali lignin at the optimized reaction conditions which further showed the promising results for getting value added chemicals from lignin. The reaction products were characterized by using Gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS) techniques.

Study on the effects of inorganic salts and ionic surfactants on the wettability of coal based on the experimental and molecular dynamics investigations

Through the evaluation and preparation of a novel inorganic salt composite solution consisting of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), the nonionic surfactants polyethylene glycol pisooctyl phenyl ether (Triton X-100), and inorganic salt Na2SO4, based on surface tension, contact angle, settling time, wetting rate, and changes in the surface microstructure and functional groups of coal, this study analyzed the wetting behavior of the solution on coal dust and its adsorption capacity on the surface of coal particles. The results demonstrate that the composite solution of inorganic salts can significantly enhance the wettability of coal samples, reducing the contact angle to 21.54° and lowering the surface tension to 26.10 mN/m. After treatment with the solution, the relative content of oxygen-containing functional groups in the microscopic structure of the coal sample increased to 59.6 % and pores more prominent than 25 nm increased to 34.63 %. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the water-inorganic salt composite solution-coal system are conducted using Materials Studio software, revealing that after the addition of the composite solution, the self-diffusion coefficient (D) of water molecules is 6.3 × 10-9 m2/s, the starting point of the composite solution is 15 Å, and the system's interaction energy increase to 14000 kcal/mol. It further elucidated the modification of the surface molecular structure of coal dust by the inorganic salt composite solution, increasing hydrogen bonds, enhancing wetting, and demonstrating a solid adsorption capability of the inorganic salt composite solution on the surface of coal dust.

Porous hollow nanospheres nickel phosphide and its high catalytic hydrogenation performance on naomaohu coal soluble portion and model compounds

The catalytic conversion of oxygen-containing aromatic ring in lignite under mild conditions is crucial to obtain clean liquid fuel. Here, hollow nanosphere Ni3P-500–24 catalysts were prepared at a calcination temperature of 500 °C and acid-etching time of 24 h. The porous hollow nanospheres structure could expose more catalytic sites, and the electron-rich nickel exhibited a good catalytic activity. The conversion rate of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE) was 100 % (140 ℃, 1 MPa H2, 2 h), and the main products were methylcyclohexane and cyclohexanol, indicating that the catalyst had good catalytic hydrocracking performance. In addition, the catalyst exhibited certain deoxygenation activity and high product selectivity for other oxygen-containing model compounds. For the catalytic hydrogenation of Naomaohu coal (NMHC) soluble portion, the content of alkanes increased from 19 % to 47 %, while the content of oxygen-containing compounds decreased from 56 % to 21 %, which further demonstrate that the catalyst have good catalytic hydrogenation and deoxygenation performance. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations showed that the properties of the Ni3P-500–24 catalyst was similar to noble metal, which could activate H2 to produce two kind of active hydrogen: H radical and diatomic hydrogen. The synergistic pathways for the transfer of active hydrogen during the catalytic hydroconversion (CHC) process were analyzed. Above results could provide theoretical guidance for the conversion of lignite into high-quality clean liquid fuels.

Green waterborne synthesis of hemocompatible polycarbonate–polyether polyurethanes

Polyurethane (PU) is a family of biomedical elastomers with promising applications. In this study, we describe the synthesis of a novel waterborne PU with high solid content and low viscosity. The soft segment of the PU consists of polycarbonate diol (PCDL) and polytetramethylene ether glycol. Dimethylolbutanoic acid is used as a chain extender. To stabilize the emulsion in the synthetic process, nonionic groups (polyoxyethylene styrenated phenyl and polyoxyethylene tridecyl ethers) are used as surfactants. PUs with good hydrophilicity and proper hemocompatibility were successfully synthesized using this approach. The chemical composition of the PU was adjusted by changing the soft-to-hard segment ratio. The effects of this composition ratio on the crystallization properties of PU were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, alternating magnetic field, and contact angle measurements. Film casts from PUs prepared in this study showed good mechanical properties, including Young’s modulus (0.66–48 MPa), tensile strength (11.7–30.9 MPa), and strain at break (173%–579%). Moreover, introducing PCDL in the soft segment during preparation improved the microphase separation and reduced the water contact angle of the films, which enhanced the hydrophilicity of the PU. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the new waterborne PU formulation to significantly improve the performance and durability of biomaterials and blood-contacting devices. Furthermore, this formulation meets the required hemolytic standards, which supports its suitability for medical applications.

PEEK(Polyetheretherketone)고분자 플라스틱의물리적 변화 연구

The cmp process is key to the uniformity of the thin film surface of wafers in semiconductor chip production. Retaining is an important process that is used in the field to maintain the surface of a thin film uniformly during wafer polishing; additionally, a ring is used in a style that facilitates the bonding of metal and plastics in various processes. This results in an extended manufacturing period and the adhering and subsequent solidification of the slurry to the diameter of the inner surface of the metal, which results in a scratch on the wafer owing to arbitrary dropout.
 This study aimed to replace the existing method by developing an injection-type insert-embedded ring to address the aforementioned challenge. Thermal stress tests for the accurate injection of polyetheretherketone materials detected phenol, phenyl ether, and dibenzofuran components using Py-Gc/MS. DSC analysis showed that the glass transition temperature was as high as 150 °C and the melting temperature was 342 °C. During TG-DTA, the heat weight was reduced by 50%, and the change in the calorific value of the peak occurred at 585.1 °C when the heating and cooling rates were constant.

Nitrogen-doped carbon supported iron nanoparticles for mild catalytic hydrocracking of Xilinguole lignite

Cleaving C-O bridged bonds of lignite via catalytic hydrocracking (CHC) is an effective method to produce chemicals and clean fuels. Herein, a nitrogen-doped carbon supported Fe catalyst was developed by using a one-pot method for CHC of Xilinguole lignite (XL) and its related model compounds. The doped nitrogen enhanced the interaction between Fe and N species to form Fe-N sites and favored forming smaller Fe/Fe3C nanocrystals, which played a crucial role in CHC performance. Toluene and phenol were produced from CHC of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE) with high yield and selectivity at 250 °C over the optimal catalyst with 4% Fe, without hydrogenation products. The Fe-based catalyst activated both H2 and isopropanol to generate hydrogen radicals for cleaving C-O bridged bonds. The CHC of XL under different temperature and time showed that the yields of oil, asphaltene and preasphaltene were obviously promoted under 325 °C, 1 MPa, and 6 h, and they had much higher H/C ratio but remarkably lower O/C ratio, resulting in much higher heating values (28.19–36.90 MJ/kg) than XL. Phenols were the major group component with relative content of 53.6 wt% in oil from CHC, and the asphaltene and preasphaltene from CHC had obviously lower molecular weights, which could attributed to depolymerization of C-O bridged bonds in the XL macromolecular structures over the catalyst.

Monomethylated Tröger's-base-containing polyimidazolinium salt as an efficient catalyst for cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides

In this work, the model reaction of benzaldehyde and ammonium chloride has been studied by detailed product analysis and characterization. Subsequently, amarine and iso-amarine hydrochlorides (1, 2), dimethylated amarine and iso-amarine ionic salts (3, 4), together with monomethylated Tröger's-base ionic salt (6) have been separately synthesized and characterized. In addition, their catalytic performance towards the cycloaddition of CO2 to epichlorohydrin is compared under identical conditions. It is observed that their catalytic activity follows the order of 3 ≈ 4 >6 > 1 ≈ 2. Inspired by the highly catalytic activity of 3, 4 and 6, a novel monomethylated Tröger's-base-containing polyimidazolinium salt (namely PMDD-IL) has been synthesized by one-pot reaction of Tröger's-base-containing dialdehyde monomer (MDD) with ammonium chloride followed by treatment with excess iodomethane in the presence of sodium hydride. The as-synthesized PMDD-IL network exhibits highly catalytic activity towards the cycloaddition of CO2 to epoxides, providing nearly quantitative selectivity (99%) and conversion (99%) over a wide substrate scope of epoxides at atmospheric CO2 pressure (epichlorohydrin, 100 °C/10 h; epibromohydrin, 100 °C/12 h; glycidyl phenyl ether, 100 °C/24 h; styrene oxide, 100 °C/24 h; and 2-butyloxirane, 100 °C/24 h). The excellent catalytic activity of PMDD-IL network can be ascribed to the high nucleophilicity of iodine anion along with the strong interactions between PMDD-IL network and CO2 molecules.

Improving the Performance of Si/PEDOT:PSS Hybrid Solar Cells with More Economical and Environmentally Friendly Alcohol Ether Solvents.

The photoelectric characteristics of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) films significantly affect the power conversion efficiency and stability of Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells. In this paper, we investigated PEDOT:PSS modification with alcohol ether solvents (dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPH)). The reduction of PSS content and the transformation of the PEDOT chain from benzene to a quinone structure in PEDOT:PSS induced by doping with DPM or PPH are the reasons for the improved conductivity of PEDOT:PSS films. DPM and PPH doping improves the quality of silicon with the PEDOT:PSS heterojunction and silicon surface passivation, thereby reducing the surface recombination of charge carriers, which improves the photovoltaic performance of Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells. Comparing the power conversion performance (PCE) and air stability of Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells with DPM (13.24%), DPH (13.51%), ethylene glycol (EG, 13.07%), and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO, 12.62%), it is suggested that doping with DPM and DPH can replace DMSO and EG to enhance the performance of Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells. The EG and DMSO solvents not only have a certain toxicity to the human body but also are not environmentally friendly. In comparison to DMSO and EG, DPM and DPH are more economical and environmentally friendly, helping to reduce the manufacturing cost of Si/PEDOT:PSS solar cells and making them more conducive to their commercial applications.

Biobased Imine Vitrimers Obtained by Photo and Thermal Curing Procedures-Promising Materials for 3D Printing.

Imine-based vitrimers were prepared from synthesized diimine-dimethacrylate monomer derived from biobased vanillin. First, a methacrylate derivative starting from vanillin was synthesized. The diimine derivative was synthesized by condensation of the aldehyde groups from two vanillin methacrylate units with the amine groups of hexamethylenediamine (HMDA). The synthesized product was used in formulations containing ethylene glycol phenyl ether methacrylate (EGPMA) as a reactive diluent for the customization of final material properties and cured by exposure to ultraviolet (UV)-light using suitable radical photoinitiators or else with temperature using a radical thermal initiator. Materials with glass transition temperatures (Tgs) ranging from 70 to 90 °C were prepared, showing good thermal stability and mechanical and thermomechanical properties. The evaluation of their vitrimeric characteristics revealed that all materials achieved a stress-relaxation factor (σ = 0.37σ0) in less than 130 s at 160 °C, with photocured materials exhibiting faster relaxation rates. The catalytic effect of phosphine oxide groups in imine metathesis has also been evidenced. All prepared materials could be mechanically recycled and completely solubilized in a two-step degradation process, putting evidence of their potential use for carbon fiber-reinforced composites (CFRCs). In addition, they demonstrated promising self-repairing abilities. Finally, as a proof of concept, it was established that these formulations could be effectively processed using a Digital Light Processing three-dimensional (3D) Printer (DLP), resulting in the fabrication of complex shapes with high resolution.

Construction of Artificial SEI on Graphite Electrode through Electropolymerization of p-Sulfonated Polyallyl Phenyl Ether

The artificial inert layer is a dense passivation film formed on the electrode, which can effectively maintain the phase stability of the electrode. Here, p-sulfonated allyl phenyl ether monomer (SAPE) was prepared and a layer of polymer coating with ionic conductivity was electropolymerized on the surface of a graphite electrode as an artificial SEI film using cyclic voltammetry. The overall electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries can be significantly improved by using p-sulfonated polyallyl phenyl ether/graphite composites (SPAPE/NG) as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries. The large amount of sulphonic acid groups in SPAPE is beneficial to improve the lithium-ion transport rate at the graphite electrode interface, and the polymer layer can effectively inhibit the adverse side reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The SPAPE/NG electrode with 20 cycles of electropolymerizing shows the best electrochemical performance. After 150 cycles at a 0.2C rate, the SPAPE/NG electrode still retains a discharge specific capacity of 221.6 mAh·g−1, which is higher than that of the pure graphite electrode (155.3 mAh·g−1).

QSAR Studies and Scaffold Optimization of Predicted Novel ACC 2 Inhibitors to Treat Metabolic Syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is one of the major non-communicable global health hazards of the modern world owing to its amplifying prevalence. Acetyl coenzyme-A carboxylase 2 (ACC 2) is one of the most crucial enzymes involved in the manifestation of this disease because of its regulatory role in fatty acid metabolism. To find novel potent ACC 2 inhibitors as therapeutic potential leads for combating metabolic syndrome. In the present study, a two-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (2D QSAR) approach was executed on biologically relevant thiazolyl phenyl ether derivatives as ACC 2 inhibitors for structural optimization. The physiochemical descriptors were calculated and thus a correlation was derived between the observed and predicted activity by the regression equation. The significant descriptors i.e. log P (Whole Molecule) and Number of H-bond Donors (Substituent 1) obtained under study were considered for the design of new compounds and their predicted biological activity was calculated from the regression equation of the developed model. The compounds were further validated by docking studies with the prepared ACC 2 receptor. The most promising predicted leads with the absence of an H-bond donor group at the substituted phenyl ether moiety yet increased overall lipophilicity exhibited excellent amino acid binding affinity with the receptor and showed predicted inhibitory activity of 0.0025 μM and 0.0027 μM. The newly designed compounds were checked for their novelty. Lipinski's rule of five was applied to check their druggability and no violation of this rule was observed. The compounds designed in the present study have tremendous potential to yield orally active ACC 2 inhibitors to treat metabolic syndrome.

Aggregation-induced emission type non-traditional intrinsic luminescent polymers with improved thermal property via one-pot Barbier polymerization-induced emission

Developing simple methods to prepare non-traditional intrinsic luminescent (NTIL) polymers with enhanced thermal property are very urgent, interesting and important. Here, we demonstrate a one-pot method to design NTIL polymer with improved thermal property by introducing phenyl ether group into the molecular design of triphenylmethanol-containing polymers via Barbier polymerization-induced emission (PIE). Through Barbier polymerization of 4,4′-dibromodiphenyl ether and peroxyesters in tetrahydrofuran at 80 °C, a series of phenyl ether containing polymers have been prepared, including poly (phenylether-triphenylmethanol) (PPTPM), poly (phenylether para-methyl-triphenylmethanol) (PPMTPM), poly (phenylether para-methoxy-triphenylmethanol) (PPMeOTPM). Interestingly, these polymers exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) type NTIL characteristics. By introducing functional phenyl ether group into polymer design, the thermal property of these polymers gets improved, where the decomposition temperature at 5% weight loss (T5) increases from 196 to 288 °C, in comparison with that without phenyl ether group. This work therefore opens a simple and one-pot avenue for the preparation of AIE type NTIL polymers with improved thermal property, which might cause inspirations to different fields such as polymerization, NTIL and AIE.

Reversibly Adhesive, Anti-Swelling, and Antibacterial Hydrogels for Tooth-Extraction Wound Healing.

Oral wound treatment faces challenges due to the complex oral environment, thus, sealing the wound quickly becomes necessary. Although some materials have achieved adhesion and sterilization, how to effectively solve the contradiction between strong adhesion and on-demand removal remains a challenge. Herein, a reversibly adhesive hydrogel is designed by free radical copolymerization of cationic monomer [2-(acryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (ATAC), hydrophobic monomer ethylene glycol phenyl ether acrylate (PEA) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm). The cationic quaternary ammonium salts provide electrostatic interactions, the hydrophobic groups provide hydrophobic interactions, and the PNIPAAm chain segments provide hydrogen bonding, leading to strong adhesion. Therefore, the hydrogel obtains an adhesion strength of 18.67KPa to oral mucosa and can seal wounds fast within 10s. Furthermore, unlike pure PNIPAAm, the hydrogel has a lower critical solution temperature of 40.3°C due to the contribution of ATAC and PEA, enabling rapid removal with 40°C water after treatment. In addition, the hydrogel realizes excellent anti-swelling ratio (≈80%) and antibacterial efficiency (over 90%). Animal experiments prove that the hydrogel effectively reduces inflammation infiltration, promotes collagen deposition and vascular regeneration. Thus, hydrogel as a multi-functional dressing has great application prospects in oral wound management.

Degradation of the strobilurin fungicide mandestrobin in illuminated water-sediment systems.

The degradation behavior of mandestrobin (1) was investigated in aerobic aquatic water-sediment systems exposed to continuous artificial sunlight (λ>290 nm). [14C]mandestrobin uniformly labeled at the phenoxy or benzyl ring was individually applied to the overlying water of the system at a rate equivalent to 262.5 g a.i./ha. The transformation of 1 was mainly proceeded via photoinduced bond cleavage at the benzyl phenyl ether and the subsequent rearrangement reaction. Interestingly, some of the photodegradates and microbial metabolites of 1 observed in the aquatic photodegradation and water-sediment (dark) studies, respectively, were never detected. Furthermore, the observed photoproducts were less formed and were steadily degraded or metabolized to carbon dioxide or strongly adsorbed to bottom sediment. The fate of 1 and its degradates in illuminated water-sediment systems was considered to reflect realistic conditions more precisely, as it accounts for various effects attributed to sunlight.

Nitrosonium Ion Catalyzed Oxidative Bromination of Arenes

AbstractA nitrosonium catalyzed bromination of electron‐rich arenes has been developed, using bromide salts as bromine sources, oxygen gas as a terminal oxidant and Brønsted acids (sulfuric acid, TFA or HBr). This arene bromination process is free of transition metals, proceeding in acetic acid and under mild temperatures (25–50 °C) to give brominated arenes with good to excellent yields. Our mechanistic studies indicated that this oxidative bromination of arenes reaction is catalyzed by nitrosnium ion (NO+), without the involvement of Br2 or Br+. The kinetic isotope effect of this reaction was measured using pentadeuteriophenyl phenyl ether (kH/kD=1.1).

High-performance aluminum nitride made by Vat photopolymerization through optimization of resin refractive index and plasticizer content

In this study, we evaluated the effects of three resins with different refractive index on the viscosity and curing behavior of aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramic suspensions. Our findings indicate that the viscosity of the AlN suspensions increased with the concentration of polyethylene glycol o-phenylphenyl ether acrylate (OPPEA). Conversely, the viscosity decreased with increasing concentrations of cyclic trimethylolpropane formal acrylate (CTFA) and ethylene glycol phenyl ether acrylate (PHEA). Regarding the curing behavior, the AlN ceramic suspension prepared with OPPEA exhibited the largest cure depth and excess width, whereas the suspension prepared with CTFA had the lowest cure depth and excess width. Further analysis of the sensitivity and critical energy revealed that the suspension containing OPPEA demonstrated the highest sensitivity in the vertical direction and the lowest sensitivity in the horizontal direction. This implies that the smallest critical energy is in the vertical direction, and the largest critical energy is in the horizontal direction. Additionally, an increase in the content of the plasticizer dibutyl phthalate (DBP) was beneficial for reducing cracks in the AlN ceramic debinding bodies. Finally, high-performance AlN ceramics were produced, exhibiting a relative density exceeding 98 %, a bending strength of 470.39 ± 6.5 MPa, and a thermal conductivity of 163.45 W/m·K.

Photo-controllable drug releasing bulk polyacrylic intraocular lens material for safer posterior capsular opacification prevention

Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) is the most common complication that occurs after intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in cataract therapy. In recent years, IOLs have been developed as drug delivery platforms, but concerns over the safety of uncontrolled proliferative drug release have arisen. Therefore, a controlled drug release strategy is needed for safer PCO prevention. In this study, a new monomer contained coumarin group was introduced in material preparation, and poly(ethylene glycol phenyl ether methacrylate-co-2-(2-ethoxyethoxy) ethyl acrylate-co-7-(2-methacryloyloxyethoxy)-4-methylcoumarin) (PEEC) acrylic IOL materials were synthesized. The antiproliferative drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) could be chemically grafted to the PEEC IOL materials easily via a light induced [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with the coumarin group, getting drug-loaded IOL (PEEC@5-FU IOL). The PEEC@5-FU IOL exhibited excellent optical and mechanical properties and biocompatibility. More importantly, the loaded 5-FU could be easily controlled from release by light irradiation via photo-dissociation of the cyclobutane ring that was obtained by the [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction of 5-FU and coumarin. The in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that such photo-controllable drug release IOL could effectively prevent PCO after implantation in a safe way.

Mechanochromic and Solvomechanochromic Fluorescent Photonic Crystals for Dual-Mode Modulating Fluorescence and Multilevel Anticounterfeiting.

Fluorescent photonic crystals (FPCs) are ideal candidates for regulating dyes' fluorescence through their unique photonic band gaps (PBGs). However, challenges, including the lack of dynamic regulation of fluorescence, dye release in solvents, and instability, dramatically limit their practical applications. Here, we report mechanochromic and solvomechanochromic rhodamine B (RhB)-based FPCs with dynamic regulation of photoluminescence (PL) by stretching and swelling, brilliant fluorescent and structural colors, and no release of the RhB in solvents. The FPCs with force/solvent-responsive nonclose-packing structures were fabricated by (1) preparing RhB-silica particles by combining click chemistry and cohydrolysis processes and (2) self-assembling these particles in poly(ethylene glycol) phenyl ether acrylate followed by a photopolymerization. Maximal PL inhibition (37%, stretching strain of 6.8%) and enhancement (150%, swelling time of 8 min) were gained when PBGs and their blue edges are precisely adjusted to the PL peak position, respectively. Compared with stretching, PL regulation is more efficient by swelling. These characteristics benefit from the rational design and combination of unique compositions, chemical bonds, nonclosely packed micro/nanostructures, and solvents for swelling. Moreover, these FPCs have been used to encrypt photonic patterns, which display background/strain/angle/UV-dependent color contrasts, showing their potential applications in multilevel anticounterfeiting, optical devices, wireless sensors, etc.