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The construction of lightweight yet robust, durable magnetic transition metal carbides and/or nitride (MXene) aerogels is highly desired for assembling high‐performance, multifunctional architectures. However, the fabrication and application of magnetic MXene aerogels is severely restricted by their inferior mechanical strength and poor water/oxygen resistance. Here, sustainable cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) are employed for assisting in the physical and chemical dual cross‐linking to strongly bind the MXenes and MOF‐derived magnetic nanoparticles. The dual‐crosslinked magnetic MXene aerogels (D‐MMAs) achieve a density as low as 12 mg cm−3, and acquire a significantly improved mechanical strength of up to 1311% over physically crosslinked ones, as well as remarkably improved hydrophobicity, and oxidation stability. Furthermore, the multifunctional integration of efficient and tunable electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption, remarkable photothermal conversion, thermal insulation, prominent oil‐water separation, thin/thick oil and dye absorption capability, and the remote magnetic controllability is accomplished. Notably, the D‐MMA performs a maximum absorption intensity of −63.9 dB, and accomplishes a specific reflection loss of −1105 dB mm−1, comparable to the best MXene‐based EMW absorbers ever reported. Given its facile, scalable, and sustainable manufacturing approach, the multifunctional D‐MMAs hold great application prospects in various fields of next‐generation electronics, special equipment protection, defense, and aerospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foam thermal insulators are indispensable for prevailing energy‐saving engineering, however their widespread use brings intractability such as unsustainability, “white pollution”, and fire hazards. The emergence of bio‐based foams is highly appreciated, but the fabrication approaches are economically unattractive and/or the product properties are inferior, making their large‐scale implementation unviable. Herein, a versatile, thermally remoldable phosphate‐containing polyurethane composite foam (LPU‐G) is constructed from natural lignin and expanded graphite flakes via an atmospheric pressure and scalable one‐pot strategy. The optimal LPU‐G exhibits exceptional mechanical strength, capable of supporting over 6000 times its weight without significant deformation. Moreover, the LPU‐G demonstrates the desired multifunctionality in handling extreme circumstances, including humidity‐tolerant thermal insulation, superb water vapor barrier, and withstanding ≈1200 °C flame without ignition. Based on the “expansion‐conductivity” micro‐mechanism, LPU‐G is the first foam material to be constructed as a sensitive fire alarm system with an ultra‐long alarm time (>1800 s). Surprisingly, LPU‐G can be rapidly upcycled into recyclable bulk composites for a second life through simple thermo‐molding processes rooted in the multi‐dynamic behavior of the phosphate, carbamate, and hydrogen bonds. The easy‐to‐scale LPU‐G represents a new generation of thermal insulators that address concerns regarding unsustainability, high cost, fire risk, and inferior mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceramic aerogels are gaining increasing attention due to their low density, high‐temperature resistance, and excellent chemical stability. However, conventional ceramic aerogels are hindered by their intrinsic brittleness and limited dielectric properties, which restrict their scalable manufacturing and multifunctional applications. Here, ultralight, biomimetic porous, electrically and magnetically conductive ceramic nanofibrous aerogels composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanofibers, graphene, and metal–organic framework (MOF) derivatives are prepared through an ice‐templating freeze‐casting followed by annealing approach. The renewable SiO2 nanofibers form robust bonding points with graphene, constructing interconnected high‐porosity aerogels with good mechanical resilience. This allows for efficient integration of MOF‐derived magnetic nanoparticles associated with a synergistic mechanical enhancement. The synergies of the dielectric and magnetic components, combined with the uniformly arranged sheet‐like cell walls which facilitate the outstanding electromagnetic wave absorption performance. Moreover, the hydrophobic ceramic aerogels showcase excellent magnetothermal conversion, contributing to the application in wireless therapy, antibacterial, and magnetothermal deicing. Furthermore, the nanofibrous aerogels exhibit good thermal stability and insulation properties, rendering them highly suitable for thermal management devices in extreme conditions. With the renewable, convenient, and scalable manufacturing method, these multifunctional ceramic nanofibrous aerogels thus hold great promise in electromagnetic protection, wireless heating, and next‐generation thermal management devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of multifunctional organic materials represents a vibrant area of research, with applications spanning from biosensing to drug delivery. This study shows the development of a multifunctional bioelectronic device suitable for prolonged temperature monitoring and drug delivery applications. The device relies on a conducting and thermo‐responsive hydrogel made of poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) doped with poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) and poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM). This multifunctional hydrogel is 4D printable by Digital Light Processing (DLP) method and exhibits optimal biocompatibility. The hydrogel features a low critical solution temperature (LCST) ≈35 °C, above which its resistance changes dramatically due to the shrinkage it undergoes with temperature. The integration of PNIPAM/PEDOT hydrogel into an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT) as the gate electrode allows to generate a miniaturized bioelectronic device with a reversible response to temperature variations between 25 to 45 °C, along with high sensitivity of 0.05 °C−1. Furthermore, the PNIPAM/PEDOT hydrogel demonstrates its utility in drug delivery, achieving an Insulin‐FITC release rate of 82 ± 4% at 37 °C, mimicking human body conditions. The hydrogel's functionality to store and release the insulin does not compromise its thermo‐responsivity and the overall performance of the OECT. This multifunctional OECT opens new avenues for the development of customizable and personalized sensing and drug‐delivery systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature has a remarkable ability to create multifunctional fibers, such as spider silk, by precisely controlling structures across various scales. However, replicating this in high‐speed spun synthetic fibers is challenging due to the absence of life‐specific forces and interactions required for manipulating composition, gradients, and structures. Here, a novel droplet‐coupled pultrusion spinning technique is demonstrated for industrial‐scale production of microfibers with hierarchical structures. Droplets spontaneously form on the surface of high‐speed spun fibers to tailor multiscale hierarchical structures, resulting in a nonlinear viscoelastic core embedded with anharmonic nanosprings consisting of amorphous and crystalline domains and a periodically reinforced nanofiber skin. These structural hierarchies enable unique mechanical property combinations including nonlinear viscoelasticity, large extensibility (613%), record‐high toughness (536 MJ m−3), highly efficient impact energy absorption, vibration damping and wide temperature adaptability (−67.4 to 278.9 °C). Additionally, the structured bioinspired fibers exhibit low‐frequency phononic bandgap and anomalous dispersion of mechanical waves. The droplet‐based approach allows precise control over heterogeneity at multiple scales within the identical components leading to impressive mechanical performance and additional functionalities, and is consider that it could be applied to the design of the next era of hierarchically structured nanocomposites for a wide range of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydimethylsiloxanes (PDMS) foam as one of next-generation polymer foam materials shows poor surface adhesion and limited functionality, which greatly restricts its potential applications. Fabrication of advanced PDMS foam materials with multiple functionalities remains a critical challenge. In this study, unprecedented self-adhesive PDMS foam materials are reported with worm-like rough structure and reactive groups for fabricating multifunctional PDMS foam nanocomposites decorated with MXene/cellulose nanofiber (MXene/CNF) interconnected network by a facile silicone foaming and dip-coating strategy followed by silane surface modification. Interestingly, such self-adhesive PDMS foam produces strong interfacial adhesion with the hybrid MXene/CNF nano-coatings. Consequently, the optimized PDMS foam nanocomposites have excellent surface super-hydrophobicity (water contact angle of ≈159o), tunable electrical conductivity (from 10-8 to 10 S m-1), stable compressive cyclic reliability in both wide-temperature range (from -20 to 200 °C) and complex environments (acid, sodium, and alkali conditions), outstanding flame resistance (LOI value of >27% and low smoke production rate), good thermal insulating performance and reliable strain sensing in various stress modes and complex environmental conditions. It provides a new route for the rational design and development of advanced PDMS foam nanocomposites with versatile multifunctionalities for various promising applications such as intelligent healthcare monitoring and fire-safe thermal insulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A layer of laminins, assembled on a thin sheet of collagen type IV (Col‐IV) forms the backbone of the basal lamina, which controls biological processes such as embryogenesis, tissue homeostasis, and development. Here, the dynamic functions of laminin‐111 (Lam‐111) in ultrathin films at the air–water interface are investigated. It is shown that the 2D confinement induces polymerization and that expansion via adlayer formation occurs only with extended growth time. The highly robust self‐assembly enables the functionalization of surfaces with cross‐linked 2D Lam‐111 networks of defined thickness using little more than a beaker. The 2D laminin material also displays two dynamic functions required for the maintenance of tissues – the capability for self‐renewal and self‐healing. By assembling Lam‐111 2D networks at the surface of Col‐IV sheets, freestanding bilayers closely mimicking the basal lamina can be produced in vitro. There is a marked difference in miPSC spreading and adhesion force between Lam‐111 sheets assembled in the presence or absence of Col‐IV. These fundamental studies highlight the importance of dynamic functions, encoded into the molecular structure of the building blocks, for the assembly, maintenance, and functioning of the complex material systems found in natural tissues and can provide cues for the molecular design of resilient technical systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) show great potential for preparing wearable, flexible multifunctional e‐textiles due to the exceptional electrical and mechanical properties and easy processing in aqueous medium. At present, MXene‐based e‐textiles face challenges including high production costs, low utilization of precursor titanium aluminum carbide (MAX), poor durability in extreme environments, and the inability to achieve a balance between large‐scale fabrication and high performance. Here, this work proposes a "100%" utilization of MAX/MXene strategy to produce additive‐free conductive inks with controllable viscosity, subsequently enabling an accessible, scalable direct‐blade‐coating followed by chemical cross‐linking approach for creating wearable, high‐performance, multifunctional MXene‐based e‐textiles that perform in extreme conditions. The structural design provides integrated multifunctionality involving controllable and exceptional electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding within an ultrabroadband frequency range, visual electrothermal conversion, electrothermal deicing, remarkable visual photothermal, and antibacterial performance. This work employs a fabrication process that is simple, cost‐effective, and scalable, presenting a novel "100% efficiency" and "waste‐to‐wealth" strategy to manufacture robust, durable, multifunctional e‐textiles. This approach provides exciting potential for the next generation of wearable electronics, EMI compatibility, visual heating, thermotherapy, antibacterial treatments, deicing, defense, and aerospace applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal–organic rotaxane compounds (MORCs) with supramolecular (pseudo)rotaxane motifs as main structures have inherent dynamic character, but their potential as responsive molecular machines is largely hampered by poor responsiveness to external stimuli. In this study, using a multi‐functionalized pseudorotaxane linker that combines two kinds of functionalities, a novel MORC, U‐bpybc‐CB8 (U refers to uranyl, bpybc refers to 1, 1'‐bis(4‐carboxybenzyl)‐4, 4'‐bipyridinium, and CB8 is cucurbit[8]uril), with multi‐responsive capability that can respond to both light and thermal stimuli, is reported. The characterization, combining spectra measurements and single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction, shows that, due to the involvement of viologen‐functionalized flexible organic dicarboxylate guest molecule in the CB8‐ involved pseudorotaxane ligand, the resultant uranyl‐based MORC exhibits photochromic behavior after UV or visible light irradiation. More interestingly, it is revealed that the exceptional thermal response of U‐bpybc‐CB8 as temperature increases from 170 to 270 K, i.e., volume expansion followed by contraction after the inflection temperature of ≈230 K, can be stemmed from the lattice flexibility of this metal–organic supramolecular network. The dual responsiveness of MORCs reported here demonstrates the potential of such supramolecular assemblies as smart molecular components like sensors and switches that respond to light irradiation or temperature changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional conductive hydrogels are widely used in various application scenarios, such as artificial skin, cell scaffolds, and implantable bioelectronics. However, their novel designs and technological innovations are severely hampered by traditional manufacturing approaches. Direct ink writing (DIW) is considered a viable industrial‐production 3D‐printing technology for the custom production of hydrogels according to the intended applications. Unfortunately, creating functional conductive hydrogels by DIW has long been plagued by complicated ink formulation and printing processes. In this study, a highly 3D printable poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS)‐based ink made from fully commercially accessible raw materials is demonstrated. It is shown that complex structures can be directly printed with this ink and then precisely converted into high‐performance hydrogels via a post‐printing freeze–thawing treatment. The 3D‐printed hydrogel exhibits high electrical conductivity of ≈2000 S m−1, outstanding elasticity, high stability and durability in water, electromagnetic interference shielding, and sensing capabilities. Moreover, the hydrogel is biocompatible, showing great potential for implantable and tissue engineering applications. With significant advantages, the fabrication strategy is expected to open up a new route to create multifunctional hydrogels with custom features, and can bring new opportunities to broaden the applications of hydrogel materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly desirable yet significantly challenging to fabricate injectable, self‐crosslinked, self‐fused, and antifouling polyzwitterionic hydrogels, whose successful preparation will expand their application scope in biomedical fields. Herein, for the first time, a novel zwitterionic monomer, carboxybetaine urethane acrylate (CBUTA) is designed and synthesized with a urethane group and zwitterion on the same side chain. The strong inter‐urethane H‐bonds and zwitterionic dipole–dipole interactions of side chains contribute to self‐crosslinked wholly supramolecular polyzwitterionic hydrogel that is directly formed from photoinitiated polymerization of CBUTA aqueous solution without adding any chemical crosslinkers. After being swollen in water, the polyCBUTA (PCBUTA) hydrogel is squeezed into small particles and freeze‐dried to obtain hydrogel powder. The injectable and wholly zwitterionic supramolecular PCBUTA hydrogel can be easily reconstructed by mixing hydrogel powder with water due to the recombination of H‐bonds of urethane groups and zwitterionic dipole–dipole interactions. The re‐formed PCBUTA hydrogel exhibits an excellent self‐fused and antifouling ability, and this injectable PCBUTA hydrogel, endowed with a microenvironment‐regulated function, demonstrates excellent glucose consumption, antioxidation, antibacterial, and angiogenesis ability, thus accelerating the infected diabetic wound healing. Overall, this work provides a promising strategy to develop injectable and wholly zwitterionic hydrogels that will find broad biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On‐demand drug delivery systems (DDSs) have tremendous promise for clinical in vivo personalized drug delivery. However, the current DDSs are monofunctional and unable to meet the individualized needs of patients. Herein, a biodegradable multifunctional active‐controlled drug delivery system (ADDS) is reported. The device can be implanted in various tissues with valves controlled by the deactivation of magnesium (Mg) for rapid drug release from drug reservoirs and long‐term drug delivery with the biodegradation of the ADDS. Multiple chambers are constructed by designing a structure with tandem Mg valves and aligning them in the z‐axis direction, allowing the system to deliver drugs in a pulsatile or sequential manner. The biodegradability of the entire system minimizes the potential side effects of the ADDS. The application of the device for drug delivery in rats confirmed its ability to perform pulsatile delivery in vivo. The excellent biocompatibility and dual timeline drug delivery capability of this system are demonstrated with cellular and in vitro vascular bioreactors. This multifunctional ADDS will play an important role in precise drug delivery in the treatment of chronic diseases and diseases with complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) with metallic electrical conductivity and excellent processability attract increasing attention for assembling multifunctional macrostructures. However, the challenges, involving poor mechanical strength, inferior oxidation stability, and limited scalable manufacturing, impede their wide applications. Herein, the large‐area, high‐strength, ultra‐flexible hybrid films are developed through the multiple physical and chemical cross‐linking of MXene/cellulose films facilitated by graphene oxide. The MXene‐based films manifest significantly improved hydrophobicity, water/solvent resistance, and oxidation stability, and meanwhile, maintain excellent conductivity and electromagnetic interference shielding performance. The X‐band surface‐specific shielding effectiveness (SE) of 18,837.5 dB cm2 g−1 and an SE over 60 dB in an ultra‐broadband frequency range are achieved, comparable to the best shields ever reported. Furthermore, the wearable films demonstrate excellent photothermal antibacterial and electrothermal deicing applications. Thus, such high‐performance MXene‐based films developed through a facile and scalable manufacturing method have substantial application prospects in flexible electronics, thermotherapy, electromagnetic compatibility, and aerospace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Variable stiffness (VS) is an important feature that significantly enhances the dexterity of magnetic catheters used in minimally invasive surgeries. Existing magnetic catheters with VS consist of sensors, heaters, and tubular structures filled with low melting point alloys, which have a large stiffness change ratio but are toxic to humans. In this paper, a VS magnetic catheter is described for minimally invasive surgery; the catheter is based on a novel variable stiffness thread (VST), which is made of a conductive shape memory polymer (CSMP). The CSMP is nontoxic and simultaneously serves as a heater, a temperature sensor, and a VS substrate. The VST is made through a new scalable fabrication process, which consists of a dipping technique that enables the fabrication of threads with the desired electrical resistance and thickness (with a step size of 70 µm). Selective bending of a multisegmented VST catheter with a diameter of 2.0 mm under an external magnetic field of 20 mT is demonstrated. Compared to existing proof‐of‐concept VS catheters for cardiac ablation, each integrated VST segment has the lowest wall thickness of 0.75 mm and an outer diameter of 2.0 mm. The segment bends up to 51° and exhibits a stiffness change factor of 21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Demand for high‐efficiency electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorption composite films continues to increase with technical advances in 5G telecommunications, wearable electronics, portable devices, and deployable military applications. However, realizing flexible ultra‐thin single‐layer EMW absorption composite films with multifunctionality, rather than using traditional particle absorbents, is a known challenge. In this study, the authors propose a series of polyimide (PI) reinforced composite films with periodic copper‐based electroconductive units that possess tunable electrical properties for specific applications. These periodic units optimize the electric field distribution of the films in an alternating electromagnetic field, resulting in stronger power loss. Furthermore, the hierarchical structure and abundant heterogeneous interfaces of each unit contribute to multiple scattering and polarization loss. The obtained copper mesh@Cu2−xS@PI (CCP) film shows excellent EM shielding performance (63.7 dB), while the Air@Cu2−xS@PI (ACP) film delivers a superior specific absorbency value of 391.43% mm–1 in the X‐band. Furthermore, owing to their mechanical properties, thermal conduction/dissipation performance, and excellent environmental stability characteristics, these films offer significant potential as high‐performance EMW response materials with resistance to harsh conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hierarchical combination of mineral and biopolymer building blocks is advantageous for the notable properties of structural materials. Integrating silane and cellulose nanofibers into high‐performance hybrid aerogels is promising yet remains challenging due to the unsatisfied interface connections. Here, an interfacial engineering strategy is introduced via freeze–drying‐induced wetting and mineralization to reinforce the hierarchical porous cellulose network, resulting in mineral‐coated nanocellulose hybrid aerogels in a simple and consecutive bottom‐up assembly process. With optimized multiscale interfacial engineering between the stiff and soft components, the resulting cellulose‐based hybrid aerogels are endowed with lightweight (>0.7 mg cm−3), superior enhanced mechanical compressibility (>99% strain) within a wide temperature range, as well as super‐hydrophobicity (≈168°) and moisture stability under high humidity (95% relative humidity). Benefiting from these superior characters, the multifunctional hybrid aerogels as effective oil/water absorbents with excellent recyclability, thermal insulators in extreme conditions, and sensitive strain sensors are demonstrated. This assembly approach with optimized interfacial features is scalable and efficient, affording high‐performance cellulose‐based aerogels for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Multifunctional paper‐like materials containing metal oxide nanofibers are important for flexible electronics and other redox‐based applications, but are often prone to mechanical failure. This work presents the coassembly of V2O5 nanofibers (VNFs) in a dual‐fiber approach together with cellulose nanofibers to produce tough (0.26 MJ m−3), but strong (250 MPa) flexible hybrid materials. Indeed, nanotensile tests reveal a significant increase in toughness (200%) and strength (85%) of the hybrid films as compared to pristine VNF films. The microstructure of the films shows a transition from an anisotropic texture for the single‐component films to an isotropic, entangled network in case of the hybrid films, which facilitates effective fracture resistance mechanisms. The flexible hybrid films display high electrical conductivity (0.2 S cm−1) and elastic properties originating from V2O5 nanofibers with excellent toughness and transparency endowed by the cellulose nanofibers. The self‐supported hybrid films show reversible electrochromic behavior without the need for common substrates such as conducting indium tin oxide glass. It is conceivable that these self‐supported films can be exploited in the future in smart, flexible optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luminogens with aggregation-induced emission characteristics (AIEgens) are intriguing due to its rapid expansion in various high-tech applications. However, there is still in high demand on the development of novel AIEgens with easy preparation and functionalization, stable structures, tunable emissions, and high quantum efficiency. In this contribution, three AIEgens based on diphenyl isoquinolinium (IQ) derivatives are reported. They can be facilely synthesized and possess high structural stability, favorable visible light excitation, large Stokes shifts, high quantum yields, tunable colors, and sufficient two-photon absorption of near-infrared light. Importantly, they exhibit multifunctionalities. They exhibit mechanochromic property, making them capable to be applied for rewritable papers. They can also be applied in mitochondrial imaging with high specificity, cell permeability, brightness, biocompatibility, and photostability. They are promising for the applications in evaluation of mitochondrial membrane potential and image-guided cancer cell ablation. Last, they are able to stain bacteria in a wash-free manner. All these intriguing results suggest such readily accessible and multifunctional diphenyl IQ-based AIEgens provide a new platform for construction of advanced materials for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid exfoliated, atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), as inorganic equivalents of graphene, have attracted great interest due to their distinctive physical, optoelectronic, and chemical properties. Functionalization of 2D TMDs brings new prospects for applications in optoelectronics, quantum technologies, catalysis, and medicine. In this report, dual functionalization of 2D semiconducting 2 H-MoS2 nanosheets through simultaneous incorporation of magnetic and luminescent properties is demonstrated. A facile method is proposed for tuning the properties of the TDM semiconductors and accessing multimodal platforms, consisting in covalent grafting of lanthanide complexes onto the surface of 2D TMDs. Dual functionalization of liquid-exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets is demonstrated simultaneously with both europium (III) and gadolinium (III) complexes to form a colloidally stable luminescent (with millisecond lifetimes) and paramagnetic MoS2-based nanohybrid material. This work is the first example of transition metal dichalcogenide nanosheets functionalized with preformed lanthanide complexes. These findings open new prospects for covalent functionalization of TMDs with molecular species bearing specific functionalities as a means to tune the optoelectronic properties of the semiconductors, in order to create advanced materials and devices with a wide range of functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient integration with local host tissues is a significant problem that adversely affects the performance of implanted biomedical devices. Poor tissue integration leaves patients susceptible to complications associated with adverse foreign body reactions and infections that typically mandate expensive and elevated-risk revision surgery. The aging population and growing incidence of medical implants makes the development of bio-functional implant surfaces a high priority research imperative. Here multifunctional surfaces are reported that are capable of regulating cell adhesion and triggering cell differentiation to facilitate osseointegration of implantable devices. The approach described is universal, cost- and time-effective. It relies on a unique combination of two advances: i) a reactive interface provided by a plasma activated coating (PAC) that covalently immobilises bioactive molecules with significantly higher efficiency than conventional technologies, and ii) multifunctional molecules (bi-functional fusion-proteins) that regulate multiple cellular responses. Covalent linking of the molecules, their high density, and desired orientation are demonstrated. The effectiveness of these functional interfaces to regulate mesenchymal stem cell attachment and differentiation is confirmed suggesting the ability to regulate osseointegration. This method is a leap forward in the fabrication of truly biofunctional materials tailored for particular applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On page 193 H.‐W. Kim, M. M. M. Bilek, and co‐workers present a single step process that covalently immobilizes novel bi‐functional proteins via highly reactive radicals embedded by plasma activation in the surface of an implant material. The thus created multifunctional interface successfully regulates the adhesion and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, providing an osteoinductive surface to enhance the integration of orthopaedic implants within the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]