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Higher education shoulders the task of cultivating high-level professionals with innovative spirit and practical ability. Undergraduate education plays a vital role as the beginning of higher education. However, the existing undergraduate teaching content is relatively outdated and the teaching mode is simple, making it difficult to stimulate students’ learning interest and improve their innovative practical ability. The scientific research project curriculum is rich in content and diverse in teaching forms, which can not only expand the teaching mode but also enrich and supplement professional knowledge. In this work, the teaching method of scientific research project curriculum is investigated in the investigated discipline - Material Science and Engineering. It is demonstrated that the introduction of scientific rlesearch project curriculum into undergraduate education or graduate education can help students improve their independent learning enthusiasm, professional practical skills, and innovative thinking abilities in the process of solving practical scientific research problems. Particularly, a project course about electrospun nanofibers is demonstrated to be a facile approach for achieving a comprehensive practice training for students. In a word scientific research project curriculum has proven to be a good teaching method for achieving “scientific research nurturing teaching”.

The shapes of micro‐ and nano‐products have profound influences on their functional performances, which has not received sufficient attention during the past several decades. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) techniques, mainly include electrospinning and electrospraying, are facile in manipulate their products' shapes. In this review, the shapes generated using EHDA for modifying drug release profiles are reviewed. These shapes include linear nanofibers, round micro‐/nano‐particles, and beads‐on‐a‐string hybrids. They can be further divided into different kinds of sub‐shapes, and can be explored for providing the desired pulsatile release, sustained release, biphasic release, delayed release, and pH‐sensitive release. Additionally, the shapes resulted from the organizations of electrospun nanofibers are discussed for drug delivery, and the shapes and inner structures can be considered together for developing novel drug delivery systems. In future, the shapes and the related shape–performance relationships at nanoscale, besides the size, inner structure and the related structure–performance relationships, would further play their important roles in promoting the further developments of drug delivery field. This article is categorized under:Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyper‐crosslinked polymers (HCPs) are a family of polymers that possess several desirable characteristics, including high specific surface area, excellent stability, tunable porous structures, and low‐cost reagents. As a result, HCPs have gained significant attention in the areas of gas storage, adsorption, catalysis, separation, and carbon precursors, exhibiting advanced performances in catalytic and energy‐related applications. Recently, researchers have explored the potential of HCPs in biomedical engineering. In this review, we discuss classical synthesis strategies and morphological assembly methods used to create HCPs with unique biological properties. We also highlight the latest advances in emerging biomedical areas of HCPs, such as drug delivery, antimicrobial, bioimaging, and biosensing. By providing various examples, we further discuss the correlations between the structures, morphologies, and enhanced biomedical properties of the HCPs. Finally, we summarize the key applications of HCPs and provide an outlook on the research direction to encourage further development of biomedically available HCPs. Overall, HCPs offer promising potential as a new class of materials for use in biomedical applications, and continued research in this field will lead to exciting discoveries and breakthroughs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, biocompatible and biodegradable Ta-metal organic framework (MOF) polyether block amide (PEBA) fibrous polymeric nanostructures were synthesized by ultrasonic and electrospinning routes in this study. The XRD peaks of products were wider, which is due to the significant effect of the ultrasonic and electrospinning methods on the final product. The adsorption/desorption behavior of the nanostructures is similar to that of the third type of isotherm series, which showed mesoporous behavior for the products. The sample has uniform morphology without any evidence of agglomeration. Since the adsorption and trapping of gaseous pollutants are very important, the application of the final Ta-MOF/PEBA fibrous polymeric nanostructures was investigated for CH4 adsorption. In order to achieve the optimal conditions of experiments and also systematic studies of the parameters, fractional factorial design was used. The results showed that by selecting temperature 40°C, time duration 35 min, and pressure 3 bar, the >H4 gas adsorption rate was near 4 mmol/g. Ultrasonic and electrospinning routes as well as immobilization of Ta-MOF in the PEBA fibrous network affect the performance of the final products for CH4 gas adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dressings with multiple functional performances (such as hemostasis, promoting regeneration, analgesia, and anti-inflammatory effects) are highly desired in orthopedic surgery. Herein, several new kinds of medicated nanofibers loaded with several active ingredients for providing multiple functions were prepared using the modified coaxial electrospinning processes. With an electrospinnable solution composed of polycaprolactone and fenoprofen as the core working fluid, several different types of unspinnable fluids (including pure solvent, nanosuspension containing tranexamic acid and hydroxyapatite, and dilute polymeric solution comprising tranexamic acid, hydroxyapatite, and polyvinylpyrrolidone) were explored to implement the modified coaxial processes for creating the multifunctional nanofibers. Their morphologies and inner structures were assessed through scanning and transmission electron microscopes, which all showed a linear format without the discerned beads or spindles and a diameter smaller than 1.0 μm, and some of them had incomplete core–shell nanostructures, represented by the symbol @. Additionally, strange details about the sheaths' topographies were observed, which included cracks, adhesions, and embedded nanoparticles. XRD and FTIR verified that the drugs tranexamic acid and fenoprofen presented in the nanofibers in an amorphous state, which resulted from the fine compatibility among the involved components. All the prepared samples were demonstrated to have a fine hydrophilic property and exhibited a lower water contact angle smaller than 40° in 300 ms. In vitro dissolution tests indicated that fenoprofen was released in a sustained manner over 6 h through a typical Fickian diffusion mechanism. Hemostatic tests verified that the intentional distribution of tranexamic acid on the shell sections was able to endow a rapid hemostatic effect within 60 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, three kinds of electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) processes (electrospraying, electrospinning, and coaxial electrospinning) are implemented to create hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) based ultra‐thin products for providing the fast dissolution of a poorly water‐soluble drug ketoprofen (KET). An EHDA apparatus, characterized by a novel spinneret, is homemade for conducting the three processes. The three types of products are electrospun nanofibers E1, electrosprayed microparticles E2, and core‐shell nanofibers E3. SEM and TEM results indicate that they have the anticipated morphologies and inner structures. X‐ray diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared results verify that KET is mainly amorphous in all the composites due to its fine compatibility with HPMC. In vitro dissolution tests demonstrate that the drug rapid release performances has an order of E3>E1>E2≫KET powders. The fast dissolution mechanisms are suggested and the advantages of the three products are compared. The super performance of E3 in furnishing the rapid release is attributed to a synergistic action of small size (of the shell thickness), high porosity, amorphous state of drug, and the solubility of HPMC. EHDA nanostructures can support the development of nano drug delivery systems (DDSs) through tailoring the spatial distribution of drug molecules within the nano products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for fuel and industrial products has resulted in increased global CO2 emissions, which has accelerated global warming and made this an issue of widespread concern. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop improved methods for CO2 fixation and conversion. Porous organic polymers (POPs) are solid frameworks that can be used for this purpose and can be prepared by so-called "bottom-up" methods. Being one kind of POP, hypercrosslinked polymers (HCPs) have emerged as a promising platform for CO2 capture and conversion, because of their high specific surface areas, variable pore characteristics, superior stabilities, and modifiable surface functionalities. In addition, innovative green methods of synthesis enable the environmentally friendly production of HCPs. In this review, we provide an update on the synthesis and utilization of HCPs for CO2 capture and conversion. First, we introduce green routes for the synthesis of HCPs, followed by a comprehensive summary of various methods for CO2 capture and conversion. Our primary emphasis is on the utilization of HCPs for CO2 fixation (gas storage) and gas separation, with particular attention given to CO2 selectivity and recoverability. Additionally, we explore the potential of HCPs in the conversion of CO2 into valuable compounds. Ultimately, we present thought-provoking suggestions to facilitate the future advancement of CO2 fixation technologies, harnessing the inherent capabilities of HCPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shapes of micro- and nano-products have profound influences on their functional performances, which has not received sufficient attention during the past several decades. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) techniques, mainly include electrospinning and electrospraying, are facile in manipulate their products' shapes. In this review, the shapes generated using EHDA for modifying drug release profiles are reviewed. These shapes include linear nanofibers, round micro-/nano-particles, and beads-on-a-string hybrids. They can be further divided into different kinds of sub-shapes, and can be explored for providing the desired pulsatile release, sustained release, biphasic release, delayed release, and pH-sensitive release. Additionally, the shapes resulted from the organizations of electrospun nanofibers are discussed for drug delivery, and the shapes and inner structures can be considered together for developing novel drug delivery systems. In future, the shapes and the related shape-performance relationships at nanoscale, besides the size, inner structure and the related structure-performance relationships, would further play their important roles in promoting the further developments of drug delivery field. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Emerging Technologies., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

A total of 1534 and 308 articles were published in the journal Current Drug Delivery (CDD), from 2004 and 2019 to 2021, respectively. In this commentary, their impacts were analyzed based on search data about citation times in the Web of Science. These publications were categorized from different standpoints and evaluated in terms of their citations, particularly in the year 2021. The thematic, contemporary, and local features of these articles, as well as the article types and publication formats, were interpreted. Results demonstrated that CDD should be loyal to the contents about drug delivery, particularly nano-drug delivery systems and nano-pharmaceutical technologies. Publications from the developing and developed countries and regions showed no remarkable differences; therefore, submissions are similarly welcomed. Research articles and review articles are the main stream of CDD. The ratio of review papers is about 30%, which is reasonable but should not be further extended. Moreover, open publications with an article processing charge always have a high impact than those with subscription., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)