Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

An effective new sunscreen based on iron-doped hydroxyapatite (HAp)-based materials derived from cod fish bones, a by-product of the food industry, has been developed by scientists in Portugal.

Fish bones could be converted into a valuable product © iStock

Commercial sunscreens are usually based on materials like TiO₂ and ZnO, which absorb UV to reduce its harmful effects on the skin. However, there are concerns regarding the potential toxicity of these materials and their adverse environmental effects when they accumulate in water supplies.

Interested? Read the full article at Chemistry World.

The original article can be read below:

Hydroxyapatite-Fe2O3 based material of natural origin as an active sunscreen filter
Clara Piccirillo, Catarina Rocha, David M Tobaldi, Robert Carlyle Pullar, Joao Antonio Labrincha, Marta Ferreira, Paula Castro and Manuela Pintado  
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4TB00984C

Lithium ion batteries that can be stretched by 600% have been unveiled by scientists in China. In the future, the fibre shaped batteries could be woven into textiles to satisfy the ever-growing requirement for wearable devices.

Huisheng Peng and colleagues at Fudan University made the superelastic batteries by winding two carbon nanotubes–lithium oxide composites yarns, which served as the positive and negative electrodes, onto an elastomer substrate and covering this with a layer of gel electrolyte. The batteries owe their stable electrochemical performance under stretching to the twisted structure of the fibre electrodes and the stretchability of the substrate and gel electrolyte, with the latter also acting as an anchor. When the batteries were stretched, the spring-like structure of the two electrodes was maintained.

The full article can be read at Chemistry World.

A link to the original article can be found below:

Super-stretchy lithium-ion battery based on carbon nanotube fiber
Ye Zhang, Wenyu Bai, Jing Ren, Wei Weng, Huijuan Lin, Zhitao Zhang and Huisheng Peng
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C4TA01878H

By raiding their local barber’s shop, scientists in China have found the ideal raw material for an emerging class of fluorescent nanoparticles.

The desirable optical properties, chemical inertness and biocompatibility of carbon dots has led researchers to explore their application in anti-counterfeiting fields and flat panel displays…

Interested? Read the full article at Chemistry World.

Photographs of carbon dot ink patterns under UV light

The original article can be read below:

Hair-Derived Carbon Dots toward Versatile Multidimensional Fluorescent Hybrid Materials
Si-Si Liu, Cai-Feng Wang, Chen-Xiong Li, Jing Wang, Li-Hua Mao and Su Chen
J. Mater. Chem. C, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4TC00636D

A patient is rushed into hospital. Doctors crack the patient’s chest to operate. A life is saved, but what comes next? In order to access the heart and lungs, the sternum had to be opened, but closing it again and healing the wound is often more problematic than the surgery itself.

Researchers in Ireland and Germany have developed an adhesive to address this issue. Standard practise for sternal closure winds steel wires around the bones to immobilise them as they heal. However, displacement can occur in active patients and older bones can be weak, resulting in the wires cutting through. If the bones part again, a patient can be in agony.

Interested? Read the full article at Chemistry World.

Cohesive coupling, complexation and redox radical polymerisation work together to resist displacement

The original article can be read below:

Biomimetic Hyperbranched Poly(amino ester)-based Nanocomposite as Tunable Bone Adhesive for Sternal Closure
Wenxin Wang, Hong Zhang, Ligia Bre, Tianyu Zhao, Ben Newland and Mark Dacosta
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C4TB00155A

Thieves could inadvertently destroy their intended loot if they attack a cash machine made from a material being developed by scientists in Switzerland. The self-defending system was inspired by a beetle and requires no electrical components, so could be cheaper and simpler than current security systems.

The visual effect and corresponding temperature evolution upon mechanical rupture

Interested? Read the full story at Chemistry World.

Self-defending anti-vandalism surfaces based on mechanically triggered mixing of reactants in polymer foils
Jonas G. Halter, Nicholas H. Cohrs, Nora Hild, Daniela Paunescu, Robert N. Grass and Wendelin Jan Stark  
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2014, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA15326F