Dear Readers,

Hope you’ve had a wonderful week.

I’m back from the Gordon Research Conference on the Science of Adhesion. Welcome and thank you to all who subscribed to this newsletter at the event.

The journey home was tumultuous. We had severe thunderstorms between Chicago and Champaign, which grounded my flight for an entire night. I sat alongside fellow passengers in the plane for over two hours but our plane never got to taxi out. We were then asked to deplane and come back at 6.30am.

To make matters worse, the 6.30am flight was cancelled, leaving passengers lost and scattered around the terminal. I was very fortunate to have met professors from UIUC and traveled back with them.

Nonetheless, let’s not let this troubled journey take away from the advantages of attending a GRC conference.

The GRC conferences have always been the best opportunities to meet and discuss with fellow researchers. Sharing unpublished data, connecting with fellow researchers both academically and socially, these are experiences and connections that will be cherished for a lifetime.

For those who did not join this conference, do note that it will be organized again in two years. I look forward to attending again given the opportunity, and I hope to see you there as well!

In this week’s edition, I will be sharing summaries of two recent research papers on hydrogels below.

In The News

This issue may seem familiar to researchers who use UV polymerization for their hydrogels. The monomers used are often toxic and in this case beauty experts are claiming they may lead to allergies. An interesting read for those who do their nails.

Research Updates

• A new microgel-based Double-Network hydrogel (A-DN hydrogel) integrating the large solar modulation of temperature-responsive and high energy storage was developed by polymerization of acrylamide monomer in P(NIPAm-co-AA) microgels dispersion.

• The obtained A-DN hydrogel can undergo a clear and instant temperature-responsive color change from transparency to opacification between 25 °C to 40 °C, reducing the solar transmittance from 90% to 0%.

• This remarkable color change is due to the phase transformation of P(NIPAm-co-AA) microgels in A-DN hydrogel with the temperature rises.

• EnergyPlus energy-saving simulations showed that the A-DN Smart-Shield has the most promising annual energy-saving performance in all four cities in China compared with the other glass panels

• This thermochromic double-network based smart shield offers great advantages of high efficiency light management, scalable manufacture and convenient assembly, which has the high potential to cut down the carbon emission and improve the sustainability of buildings and greenhouses.

• The construction of hybrid supramolecular networks using Acrylic acid modified bentonite as crosslinker significantly improved the performance of sodium carboxymethyl starch/ polyacrylic acid (SCMS/PAAm) composite hydrogels for applications compared with conventional cross-linking methods.

• AABT solves the incompatibility problem between inorganic and flexible regions with its functional carbon‑carbon double bonds as a cross-linker agent for free radical polymerization.

• AABT has ion transfer capability with the anionic side groups of SCMS to form ion-migrating hybrid supramolecular network channels for transferring transported ions and improving the electrical conductivity of CABZ ion-conducting hydrogels.

• The interlayer structure of bentonite allows the loading of ZnO nanoparticles, enabling flexible hydrogel sensors with broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties.

• The CABZ ionic conductive hydrogel is a multifunctional flexible sensing hydrogel that has mechanical properties similar to human skin, adhesion properties to different interfaces, highly sensitive signal response, excellent electrical conductivity and broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, making it a good choice for flexible wearable sensor materials.

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