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Polyimide (PI) has received great attention for high-temperature capacitive energy storage materials due to its remarkable thermal stability, relatively high breakdown strength, strong mechanical properties, and ease of synthesis and modification. In this review, several key parameters for evaluating capacitive energy storage performance are introduced. Subsequently, the properties of the commercially available PIs are presented. Then, the recent development of designing and tailoring all-organic PI-based polymers is discussed in detail, focusing on molecular composition and spatial configuration to enhance dielectric constant, breakdown strength, discharged energy density, and charge-discharge efficiency. Finally, we outline the current challenges and future development directions of PI-based high-temperature energy storage dielectric materials.

Abstract SM9 was established in 2016 as a Chinese official identity-based cryptographic (IBC) standard, and became an ISO standard in 2021. It is well-known that IBC is suitable for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, since a centralized processing of client data (e.g. IoT cloud) is often done by gateways. However, due to limited computation resources inside IoT devices, the performance of SM9 becomes a bottleneck in practical usage. The existing SM9 implementations are often CPU-based, with relatively low latency and low throughput. Consequently, a pivotal challenge for SM9 in large-scale applications is how to reduce the latency while maximizing throughput for numerous concurrent inputs. After a systematic analysis of the SM9 algorithms, we apply optimization techniques including precomputation, resource caching and parallelization to reduce the overhead of SM9. In this work, we introduce the first practical implementation of SM9 and its underlying SM9_P256 curve on GPU. Our GPU implementation combines multiple algorithms and low-level optimizations tailored for GPU’s single instruction, multiple threads architecture in order to achieve high throughput for SM9. Based on these, we propose GAPS, a high-performance Cryptography as a Service (CaaS) for SM9. GAPS adopts a heterogeneous computing architecture that flexibly schedules the inputs across two implementation platforms: a CPU for the low-latency processing of sporadic inputs, and a GPU for the high-throughput processing of batch inputs. According to our benchmark, GAPS only takes a few milliseconds to process a single SM9 request in idle mode. Moreover, when operating in its batch processing mode, GAPS can generate 2,038,071 private keys, 248,239 signatures or 238,001 ciphertexts per second. The results show that GAPS scales seamlessly across inputs of different sizes, preliminarily demonstrating the efficacy of our solution.

IntroductionThis study investigates the impact of industrial synergistic agglomeration on residents’ health levels in China. It explores how green and traditional industry agglomeration models influence residents’ health levels outcomes and identifies the underlying mechanisms driving these effects.MethodsUsing panel data from 283 prefecture-level cities and above in China from 2003 to 2020, the study applies the Generalized Spatial Two-Stage Least Squares (GS2SLS) method. This approach allows for a systematic analysis of both direct and spatial spillover effects, focusing on the comparative impacts of green and traditional industrial agglomeration models.Results(i) Spatial Effects: Residents’ health levels exhibits a significant positive spatial effect, with public health improvements in one city positively influencing neighboring cities.(ii) Industrial Agglomeration: Industrial synergistic agglomeration has a stronger positive impact on residents’ health levels compared to single-industry agglomeration.(iii) Mechanisms: The effect of industrial synergistic agglomeration on residents’ health levels operates through three primary mechanisms:- Population Agglomeration Effects: Enhanced population clustering contributes to better public health services.- Media Dissemination Effects: Improved information dissemination raises public health awareness.- Income Growth Effects: Increased income levels drive better access to healthcare and lifestyle improvements.(iv) Model Comparison: Green industry synergistic agglomeration proves more beneficial for residents’ health levels improvement than traditional industry agglomeration.DiscussionThe findings highlight the critical role of industrial synergistic agglomeration, particularly in green industries, in promoting residents’ health levels. Policymakers are encouraged to prioritize strategies fostering green industry clustering and to leverage the identified mechanisms to amplify public health benefits across regions.

AbstractAs a key material for capacitors, high-performance polymer dielectric films still exhibit the problem of low energy storage density, which cannot meet the requirements of high-power and high-temperature conditions. Here, a sandwich-structured composite film with inner layer doped TiO2-BCB (titanium dioxide – benzocyclobutene) and outer layer doped BN-BCB (boron nitride – benzocyclobutene) nanoparticles was prepared, which exhibits reduced dielectric loss, leakage current and enhanced dielectric constant (ε) and breakdown strength (Eb). Diels-Alder reaction and radical polymerization reactions are utilized to form the entire cross-linked sandwich structure. Moreover, the thermal-induced crosslinked structure replaces the traditional multilayer structure established by Van der Waals forces, thus improving the dielectric and mechanical qualities of the film. Specifically, the sandwich structure composites achieved a large discharge energy density (4.0 J/cm3) and high charge-discharge efficiency (84%) at 150 °C and 450 MV/m, and the dielectric dissipation factor is less than 0.005. These results demonstrated that designing a cross-linked network in multilayer nanocomposite structure is a feasible method to improve the high-temperature energy storage performance of these films.

Highlights All-organic polymer composites for high-temperature capacitive energy storage. Zero-dimensional polymer dots with high electron affinity are used as fillers. Deep charge traps from UV-irradiated films reduce the high-field conduction loss.

This study evaluated the effects of tyrosinase (Tyr) catalysis on the properties of composite films consisting of sodium caseinate (SC) and polyphenols. The effects of polyphenol type, including epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), gallic acid (GA) and tannic acid (TA), on the basic properties of the composite films were explored. Analysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, fluorescence, infrared, and circular dichroism spectroscopies confirmed that a covalent interaction occurred between SC and the polyphenols after catalysis with tyrosinase. The molecular structure and physicochemical properties of SC were influenced by attachment of the polyphenols, which altered the protein's film-forming properties. Compared to non-covalent composite films, the porosity was lower, the mechanical strength was higher, and the water vapor permeability was higher for the covalent-composite films. The degree of cross-linking between SC and EGCG was greater than for the other polyphenols, which led to better mechanical and barrier properties in the films formed from SC-EGCG conjugates. This study shows that polyphenols can be used to improve the properties of edible films made from an important milk protein.

It is generally considered that protein supplementation and resistance exercise significantly increase muscle mass and muscle growth. As the hydrolysis products of proteins, peptides may play the crucial role on muscle growth. In this study, male rats were orally administrated 0.4 g/kg body weight of pea peptide combined with 8 weeks of moderate intensity resistance exercise training. After treatment, the body gains, upper limb grip, muscle thickness, and wet weight of biceps brachii were tested, and the cross-sectional area of biceps brachii muscle fiber and the types of muscle fibers were determined by HE staining, immunofluorescence staining, and lactate dehydrogenase activity, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to investigate the level of growth-signaling pathway-related proteins. The results showed that pea peptide supplementation combined with resistance exercise training significantly increased body weight, upper limb grip, muscle thickness, wet weight of biceps brachii, and cross-sectional area of muscle fiber. Meanwhile, pea peptide supplementation obviously elevated the ratio of fast-twitch fiber (type II) and the expression of muscle growth-signaling pathway-related proteins. In addition, the PP2 oligopeptide in pea peptide with the amino acid sequence of LDLPVL induced a more significant promotion on C2C12 cell growth than other oligopeptides.

Abstract As the only approved Identity-Based Encryption scheme in China that is also standardized by ISO, SM9-IBE has been widely adopted in many real-world applications. However, similar to other IBE standard algorithms, SM9-IBE currently lacks revocation mechanism, which is vital for a real system. Worse still, we find that existing revocable techniques may not be suitable and efficient when applying to SM9-IBE. Given the widespread use of SM9-IBE, an efficient and robust user revocation mechanism becomes an urgent issue.In this work, we propose a dedicated server-aided revocation mechanism, which for the first time achieves the secure, immediate and robust user revocation for SM9-IBE. Provided with a compact system model, the proposed method leverages an existing server to perform all heavy workloads during user revocation, thus leaving no communication and computation costs for the key generation center and users. Moreover, the mechanism supports key-exposure resistance, meaning the user revocation mechanism is robust even if the revocation key leaks. We then formally define and prove the security. At last, we present theoretical comparisons and an implementation in terms of computational latency and throughput. The results indicate the efficiency and practicability of the proposed mechanism.

Summary: Different from bacterial individuals, bacteria that live in a multicellular lifestyle with biofilm protection exert more severe and harmful attacks on human health. Such bacterial communities are hard to tackle with external agents, including antibiotics and bactericides. Therefore, developing versatile agents to detect and prevent bacterial biofilm is a simultaneously urgent yet challenging task. Herein, we report a naturally occurring red aggregation-induced emission luminogen (AIEgen), Tanshinone IIA, which is capable of specifically targeting bacterial biofilms, remarkably promoting bacterial aggregation, as well as effectively eliminating biofilm bacteria by means of photodynamic therapy. By conveying the concept of utilizing natural resources to battle environmental bacterial problems, this work demonstrates the ability of natural red-emissive AIEgen as a simple, cost-effective, bacterial biofilm-targeting and -erasing dual-functional agent, as well as providing a blueprint for a new direction of innovating environmental bactericides.

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has long been recognized to be a promising approach for cancer treatment. However, the high oxygen dependency of conventional PDT dramatically impairs its overall therapeutic efficacy, especially in hypoxic solid tumors. Exploration of distinctive PDT strategy involving both high‐performance less‐oxygen‐dependent photosensitizers (PSs) and prominent drug delivery system is an appealing yet significantly challenging task. Herein, a precise nuclear targeting PDT protocol based on type‐I PSs with aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) characteristics is fabricated for the first time. Of the two synthesized AIE PSs, TTFMN is demonstrated to exhibit superior AIE property and stronger type‐I reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation efficiency owing to the introduction of tetraphenylethylene and smaller singlet–triplet energy gap, respectively. With the aid of a lysosomal acid‐activated TAT‐peptide‐modified amphiphilic polymer poly(lactic acid)12k–poly(ethylene glycol)5k–succinic anhydride‐modified TAT, the corresponding TTFMN‐loaded nanoparticles accompanied with acid‐triggered nuclear targeting peculiarity can quickly accumulate in the tumor site, effectively generate type‐I ROS in the nuclear region and significantly suppress the tumor growth under white light irradiation with minimized systematic toxicity. This delicate “Good Steel Used in the Blade” tactic significantly maximizes the PDT efficacy and offers a conceptual while practical paradigm for optimized cancer treatment in further translational medicine.

Relaxor ferroelectric polymers exhibit both high dielectric constants and low remnant polarization and thus deliver much higher energy densities and greater charge–discharge efficiencies than normal ferroelectrics for capacitive energy storage applications. Herein, dielectric energy storage behavior of several newly discovered relaxor ferroelectric polymers is studied from a molecular perspective. It is observed that the homopolymers exhibit very slim polarization–electric field loops and the highest charge–discharge efficiencies among ferroelectric polymers, which are attributed to the highly disordered chain conformation as evidenced from the scanning probe microscopy results. Based on the findings on the relaxor homopolymers, the benchmark relaxor ferroelectric terpolymers is revisited and insights into their outstanding capacitive performance are provided. Moreover, it is found that the disordered chain conformation in relaxor ferroelectric polymers remains as the ground state at varied temperatures and applied electric fields, which is in stark contrast to relaxor perovskites whose ground state is strongly dependent on temperatures and external electric fields. The discovery of the absence of thermal‐ and field‐induced phase transition in relaxor ferroelectric polymers makes this class of ferroelectric materials more attractive for advanced electronic and energy applications.