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Recently, a variety of piezoelectric motors with remarkable performance have appeared. However, due to the hysteresis effect of piezoelectrics and stress return errors within the mechanical structures, the existing piezoelectric motors still face some challenges, such as inconsistent step size, high working voltage, and considerable speed variances during upward vs downward movements even under identical driving voltage signals. Here, we introduce a novel low-voltage piezoelectric motor with a dual-channel force loop based on piezoelectric stacks, in which each slider has two force loops connected with other sliders and the internal elastic preload element is installed, which can effectively address these issues. This new type of piezoelectric motor has low working voltage (starting voltage is only 0.8 V, significantly lower than that of conventional piezoelectric motors), large driving force, uniform step size, and excellent linearity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrochemical degradation is a commonly used strategy to remove organic contaminations in water. However, in some remote areas where electricity is insufficient, electrochemical degradation may become ineffective due to the absence of a power supply. Here, a unique self‐powered electrochemical system (SPES) is proposed to accomplish the power‐free degradation of tetracyclines (TCs) and organic dyes in water with the assistance of flexible magnetoelectric flag generators (MFGs). These MFGs convert wind energy into electricity. Under a wind speed of 6.3 m s−1, a 22 × 30 cm2 MFG yields a peak open‐circuit voltage of 3.5 V and an ultra‐high peak short‐circuit current of ≈13 mA. A suchlike MFG charges large capacitors of 5 F to 1 V in 184 min. Powered by a series of MFGs, 5 ppm of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) or organic dyes in water are totally degraded with SPES in only 10 min. Moreover, the MFG is fully foldable and portable, which is well‐suited for the migrating feature of the nomadic people in remote areas. The study opens up a new solution to the persistent problem of TCs contamination in natural waters in some remote regions where electricity is lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Congenital pyriform sinus fistula (CPSF) is a rare congenital disease derived from the remnants of the third or fourth branchial cleft. Objectives: To investigate the imaging characteristics, clinical manifestations, surgical methods, complications, and personalized treatment of CPSF. Material and Methods: The clinical data of 12 CPSF patients admitted to the Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from March 2016 to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Cryogenic plasma radiofrequency ablation, carbon dioxide laser resection, and external cervical excision were selected based on the individual condition, and postoperative complications and efficacy were evaluated. Results: There were 6 men and 6 women. Neck abscess or thyroiditis was considered at the initial diagnosis. In 11 of the cases, the CPSF was on the left side, whereas in the rest one case, it was on the right. A pyriform fossa fistula was observed during hypopharyngeal iodine angiography. Eight patients were treated with endoscopic piriform fossa fistula laser resection, two with cryogenic plasma radiofrequency ablation, and the rest with external cervical fistula resection. There was no evidence of postoperative hoarseness, pharyngeal fistula, dysphagia, and other complications. Conclusion and Significance: CPSF is less common in adults than in children. For patients with recurrent neck abscesses, CPSF should be highly suspected, timely angiography should be performed as soon as possible, and care should be taken to avoid missed diagnoses. The primary method for piriform fossa fistula removal is surgical treatment. Finally, tailoring treatment regimens to the patient's condition can significantly improve curative efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three kinds of functional inks for printing magnetoelectric sensor parts were prepared. • Human-computer interaction functions in extreme environments beyond atmosphere. • The sensing glove was printed by a multi-material integrated manipulator. • Sensing gloves adopted self-powered sensing strategy. Current Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) devices allow interactive communications between the users' gestures and the computers. However, extreme environments beyond atmosphere, such as underwater or smoke, will greatly interrupt the normal operation of existing HCI devices. Here we demonstrated the fabrication of 3D-printed self-powered sensing gloves that can be used for underwater/smoke environmental HCI. A home-made multi-extrusion-head manipulator, which can simultaneously print three kinds of functional inks including magnetic, conductive and elastic materials, has been developed to generate the self-powered sensing gloves. The magnetic part was printed on the polymeric thumb region while four liquid metal coils were printed on the other four fingers, yielding the self-powered gesture recognition by clicking the fingers or nine-key input method keys of alphabetic typing. Our work offers a design of self-powered sensing glove for gesture recognition and therefore provides a pathway to realize HCI in extreme environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft robotics have substantial benefits of safety, adaptability, and cost efficiency compared to conventional rigid robotics. Textiles have applications in soft robotics either as an auxiliary material to reinforce the conventional soft material or as an active soft material. Textiles of various types and configurations have been fabricated into key components of soft robotics in adaptable formats. Despite significant advancements, the efficiency and characteristics of textile actuators in practical applications remain unsatisfactory. To address these issues, novel structural and material designs as well as new textile technologies have been introduced. Herein, we aim at giving an insight into the current state of the art in textile technology for soft robotic manufacturing. We firstly discuss the fundamental actuation mechanisms for soft robotics. We then provide a critical review on the recently developed functional textiles as reinforcements, sensors, and actuators in soft robotics. Finally, the future trends and current strategies that can be employed in textile-based actuator manufacturing process have been explored to address the critical challenges in soft robotics. • Soft robots are manufactured to be flexible similar to living organisms. • Textile offers avenues to revolutionize soft robotics. • Progress in textile-based soft robots is reviewed. • Future trends and practical manufacturing strategies are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method for splitting kenaf using microwave combined with lactic acid was proposed. • Fibers have excellent dispersion and suffer minor damage. • The extracted lignin is less damaged and keeps its structural integrity. • Potential for biomass clean production due to low chemicals and time consumption. According to diverse application purposes, different scales of lignocellulosic fibers were obtained from biomass through various preparation conditions. However, the pollution in the fiber separation process restricted the development of the related industry. This research proposed clean fiber separation technology of kenaf bast that combined microwave and lactic acid treatment. The traditional sulfate method was also carried out for comparison. The raw kenaf bast and produced fibers were characterized with wet chemistry analyses, SEM, FTIR, GPC and NMR. The results showed that compared with the traditional method (lignin removal rate 88.3 %, cellulose Mw = 607 kg/mol), the new method had higher lignin removal capacity (94.68 %) and less damage to cellulose (Mw = 1174 kg/mol). TG and NMR analysis showed that the separated crude lignin had a high pyrolysis temperature (350℃), minor structural changes and better uniformity, which was close to natural lignin. In addition, it was calculated that the processing time of the new method was reduced by 82.3 %, which reduced energy loss and waste liquid pollution. This study proved that microwave-assisted lactic acid treatment could separate kenaf fibers efficiently with less damage and pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, ring staple single yarn spinning method development has been reviewed after an introductory background about ring spinning principle and ring staple yarn defect problems. The review concludes that previous novel ring staple spinning methods have been developed mainly on a basis of staple spinning strand control enhancements by means of separating single strands into two or several subones, concentrating triangular ring spinning strand, rewrapping protruding fiber ends, and improving online twisting density distribution. Reputed novel ring spinning technologies are included in this review such as siro-spinning, solo-spinning, compact spinning, air-jet spinning, air-suction spinning, and Nu-torque yarn spinning. The inadequacy of some reviewed novel spinning methods is considered as a motility of ring spinning method further development. It is predicted that ring staple spinning can be further developed via increasing spinning efficiency and improving online spinning strand properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electromagnetism, which has been used to harvest energy from human motion, is expected to power an increasing number of wearable electronic devices upon fabrics. However, most reported electromagnetism‐based approaches necessitate rigid and heavy setups. Here, a scalable‐manufactured flexible magnetoelectrical clothing generator is demonstrated that can generate electricity through the swinging of the arms. A "particle flow spinning" (PFS) method can produce continuous magnetic yarns, resulting in a magnetic fabric through an industrial weaving machine. Fabrics can be prepared in large quantities and have a lower cost. The magnetic fabrics and conductive wires are built on two sides of the armpit parts of the clothing, leading to continuous and stable voltage and current when swinging arm, 14.3 V peak voltage, 31.2 mA peak current, and 96 mW peak power (3197 mW m−2 peak power density) in series to a low‐impedance load (750 ohms). Furthermore, the magnetic fabrics can work under water without sealing treatment, in acidic/alkaline environments or at extreme temperatures. The magnetoelectrical clothing generator can power diverse electronic devices in many fields, such as LED lights, calculators, wireless communication, and health monitoring devices. This approach opens a path toward exploring electromagnetic energy harvesting strategies to realize power generation for the development of clothing electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing inspiration from the jumping motions of living creatures in nature, jumping robots have emerged as a promising research field over the past few decades due to great application potential in interstellar exploration, military reconnaissance, and life rescue missions. Early reviews mainly focused on jumping robots made of lightweight and rigid materials with mechanical components, concentrating on jumping control and stability. Herein, attention is paid to the jumping mechanisms of soft actuators assembled from various soft smarting materials and powered by different stimulus sources. The challenges and prospects of soft jumping actuators are also discussed. It is hoped that this review will contribute to the further development of soft jumping actuators and broaden their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperosmolality has been commonly investigated due to its effects on the production and quality characteristics of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) produced in CHO cell fed-batch cultures. However, the application of hyperosmolality at different times and its effect on biopotency have seldom been researched, especially in perfusion culture. In our study, different degrees of hyperosmolality induced by sodium chloride were investigated in anti-IgE rCHO cell fed-batch cultures and anti-CD52 rCHO cell perfusion cultures during the initial and stable phases. The results showed that the initial hyperosmolality group (IHG) in fed-batch and early phase of perfusion cultures exhibited significant suppression of the viable cell density yet an enhancement in specific productivity, whereas the stable hyperosmolality group (SHG) achieved higher mAb production in both fed-batch and perfusion cultures. Additionally, the SHG produced less aggregates and acidic charge variants than IHG in fed-batch culture, which differed from perfusion cultures. However, the contents of non-glycosylation heavy chain (NGHC) and man5 were higher in SHG than in IHG in fed-batch cultures at plus 60 and 120 mOsm/kg, which was similar to perfusion cultures. Furthermore, the biopotency in the IHG was higher than in the SHG at plus 60 and 120 mOsm/kg in fed-batch cultures, which is similar to complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) efficacy in perfusion cultures. The biopotency of all group was acceptable, except FI3. Thus, the study shows that hyperosmolality at a certain level could be beneficial for both mAb production, quality and biopotency, which could play an important role in process development for commercial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rabbit hair is an excellent textile fiber owing to its softness and luster. However, the poor spinnability of rabbit hair restricts its application on textiles. In this article, ionic liquid (IL) solutions were used to treat rabbit hair at five different temperatures. The raw and treated rabbit hair was then characterized by microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM), mechanical property, XRD, and properties related to spininability (crimp and friction property, moisture regain, and electrical performance). The results showed that the rabbit hair fiber's morphology was obviously curled, and mechanical properties and crystallinity were reduced after ILs treatment. Moreover, the friction performance was increased by 15% and the crimp rate was increased by 7.2 times. These results suggest that with proper temperatures of ILs treatment, the rabbit hair could show better potential for spinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomechanical energy harvesting, extreme environments, flexible fabrics, flexible yarns, magnetoelectrical clothing generators Magnetoelectrical Clothing Generator for High-Performance Transduction from Biomechanical Energy to Electricity (Adv. Funct. Keywords: biomechanical energy harvesting; extreme environments; flexible fabrics, flexible yarns; magnetoelectrical clothing generators EN biomechanical energy harvesting extreme environments flexible fabrics, flexible yarns magnetoelectrical clothing generators 1 1 1 02/04/22 20220202 NES 220202 B Magnetoelectrical Clothing Generator b In article number 2107682, Weilin Xu, Xiaoming Tao, Guangming Tao, Bin Su, and co-workers show scalable-manufactured flexible magnetoelectrical clothing that can convert mechanical energy generated by daily behavior into electrical energy required for electronic devices, solving the problem of continuous power supply of electronic clothing especially in harsh outdoor environments, and promoting sustainable development in wearable electronics. [Extracted from the article]

Aerogels are of a popular choice for oil-water separation and water purification due to their attractive properties, such as lightweight, large surface area, and high porosity. Developing robust aerogels with multifunctional characteristics is highly desirable but remains challenging nowadays. Herein, we develop a facile one-pot condensation strategy for the fabrication of superhydrophilic-oleophobic (SHI-OP) composite aerogels using cellulose nanofibers (CNF), 3-glycidy-loxypropyl trimethoxysilane (GPTMS), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and fluorine-contained compound (FS-60). The resulted aerogels exhibit a directional lamellar structure with interconnected macropores, super-lightweight with high porosity of 98.30 % and low density of 0.0256 g·cm−3. Also, the aerogels are mechanically durable against repeated compression. Meanwhile, the amphibious SHI-OP feature of the composite aerogels in both air and water states enables them to not only absorb trace amount of water from contaminated oils, but also separate oil-water mixtures with separation efficiency of over 99 % and high permeation flux of over 9060 L/m2·h. Moreover, the aerogels also show excellent dye adsorption capability and reusability toward anionic dyes with a maximum adsorption capacity of 1245.68 mg/g. Such robust and multifunctional aerogels with special surface wettability provide good opportunity for liquid purification and dye-containing wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incorporating passive radiative cooling structures into personal thermal management technologies could effectively defend humans against intensifying global climate change. We show that large-scale woven metafabrics can provide high emissivity (94.5%) in the atmospheric window and high reflectivity (92.4%) in the solar spectrum because of the hierarchical-morphology design of the randomly dispersed scatterers throughout the metafabric. Through scalable industrial textile manufacturing routes, our metafabrics exhibit desirable mechanical strength, waterproofness, and breathability for commercial clothing while maintaining efficient radiative cooling ability. Practical application tests demonstrated that a human body covered by our metafabric could be cooled ~4.8°C lower than one covered by commercial cotton fabric. The cost-effectiveness and high performance of our metafabrics present substantial advantages for intelligent garments, smart textiles, and passive radiative cooling applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The first additive manufacturing continuous basalt fiber architecture with fireproof and thermal insulation performance. • The increase in infiltration times leads to a decrease in porosity and an increase in thermal conductivity of architectures. • The final part has a shell temperature of 788.8 ℃ and an internal temperature of about 50 ℃ under the flame for the 20 s. Continuous basalt fiber is an emerging high-performance foundational material that can be widely used in fields such as road construction, energy conservation and environmental protection, aerospace, military equipment, and marine ships. However, it is difficult for existing processing techniques to form continuous basalt architectures with three-dimensional (3D) complex shapes. In addition, the basalt fibers in the architectures are filled with polymers, which cannot fully utilize the performance of basalt fibers. Therefore, here, we report the fabrication of continuous basalt fibers with fireproof and thermal insulation performance through the combination of an Additive manufacturing (AM) manipulator, two-step precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) processes. Using SiOC ceramics to fill between continuous basalt fibers will help improve the architectures' fire and thermal insulation performance. The continuous basalt fibers coated with thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) were processed into 3D architectures under the action of the laser. Through the vacuum infiltration of the SiOC precursor and debinding process, TPU in the 3D architectures was removed. In order to reduce the structural defects generated by the first PIP process, the final part with fireproof and thermal insulation performance was fabricated through the second PIP process. We further demonstrated the final part with excellent fireproof and thermal insulation performance. The final part had a shell temperature of 788.8 ℃ and an internal temperature of about 50 ℃ under the flame spray gun for the 20 s. By replacing polymers with inorganic materials, our basalt architectures exhibit their potential applications in military, aviation, and civil fireproof and thermal insulation equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to check on the reliability and validity of the translated version of Nociception Coma Scale–Revised. Design: Prospective psychometric study. Setting: Rehabilitation and neurology unit in hospital. Subjects: Patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. Interventions: None. Main measures: The original English version of the Nociception Coma Scale–Revised was translated into Chinese. The reliability and validity were undertaken by trained raters. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess inter-rater reliability and test–retest reliability. Cronbach's alpha test was used to investigate internal consistency. Spearman's correlation was used to calculate concurrent validity. The Coma Recovery Scale–revised was used to assess the consciousness of patients. Results: Eighty-four patients were enrolled in the study. Inter-rater reliability of the Chinese version of Nociception Coma Scale–Revised was high for total scores and motor and verbal subscores and good for facial subscores. Test–retest reliability was high for total score and for all subscores. Analysis revealed a moderate internal consistency for subscores. For the concurrent validity, a strong correlation was found between the Nociception Coma Scale–Revised and the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability behavioral scale for all patients. A moderate correlation was found between the Nociception Coma Scale–Revised and the Coma Recovery Scale–revised scores for all patients. Conclusion: The Chinese version of Nociception Coma Scale–Revised has good reliability and validity data for assessing responses to pain in patients with prolonged disorders of consciousness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A flexible and highly sensitive strain sensor was developed by using carbonized biomass Juncus effusus fiber. • The 3D fractal composite structure showed robust mechanical strength and excellent sensitivity. • Reliable sensing performance was achieved with mechanism revealed. • Potential applications include health care monitoring and human motion monitoring were demonstrated. • The promising potential of energy conversion and harvesting was demonstrated. Fabricating strain sensors with environmental-friendly, stretchable, and highly sensitive properties remains challenging. Nature has designed an abundance of biomaterials with distinctive biological structures, which may promote the development of ideal strain sensors. Herein, we present a carbonized Juncus effusus (CJE) fiber-based wearable electronic for strain sensing and energy harvesting. The CJE strain sensor demonstrated a combined superiority of large tolerable strain (over 80%), high sensitivity (GF 4.5–31.0), low detection limit (0.1% strain), fast response (within 100 ms), and excellent durability (3500 cycles), which benefit from the self-similar and homogenous three-dimensional (3D) networks of CJE fibers. Moreover, CJE-based woven fabrics exhibited enhanced sensing characteristics (GF up to 101.9, over 110% strain) and great application prospects as triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). Finally, the applications in detecting human activities and energy transformation were evaluated in detail. The structural advantages made CJE as a promising candidate for the feasible integration of flexible strain sensors and portable power source in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal management and ultra-high protection textiles are critical for polar scientists, astronauts and firefighters. Phase change materials (PCMs) effectively retard huge thermal changes, and thermal damage by absorbing or releasing heat during phase transition. However, due to the materials and engineering challenges inherent in PCMs based textiles, commercial PCMs usually suffer with high rigidity, no-breath-ability, easy leakage and abrasion, limiting their potential applications. Herein, we proposed a mass-producible liquid flow spinning (LFS) method, in which molten paraffin is poured into continuous hollow silicon tubes and then wrapped by staple fibers to form paraffin-coated yarns (PCYs) on a friction spinning frame. The obtained PCYs showed enhanced mechanical properties (break strength of 7.80 N, wear resistance of 2000 cycles) due to the novel core-sheath yarn structure. Besides, thanks to the high melting enthalpy (60.967 J/g) of PCYs, the yarns showed the excellent temperature regulating effect. A double-sided joint PCYs fabric (PCYF) is fabricated to study the PCYs performance further, results show that the PCYF can withstand 10,000 cycles of abrasion without breakage and PCMs leakage. Furthermore, owing to the much gaps provided by the stretch fibers and interweaving points, the fabric exhibits good breathability. In particular, compared with commercial PCMs based textiles, our PCYF is superior in thermal protection performance (9 °C lower). The fireproof performance is also excellent as our PCYF can withstand flame temperatures higher than 1142 °C. The PCYs production method provided here could pave the way for human thermal protection textiles. [Display omitted] • A liquid flow spinning strategy was proposed to fabricate the thermal management paraffin-coated yarn (PCY). • The obtained PCY showed good mechanical properties and excellent thermal management ability. • A double-sided joint PCYs fabric (PCYF) was fabricated, which showed high abrasion resistance, thermal management and fireproof abilities. • Compared to commercial PCMs fabrics, the PCYF exhibited better thermal management performance on both human body and automobiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This is the first reported scanning tunneling microscope (STM) capable of atomic-resolution imaging at 1.8 K low temperature and in a 22 T water-cooled magnet. • The first design with a non-metallic tip-sample mechanical loop in a STM head, which highly improve the immunity for atomic-resolution imaging in high magnetic field. • Low drift rates of 2.6 pm/min and 3.3 pm/min in the X-Y plane and Z direction are obtained. • Atomically resolved STM images of NbSe 2 at 1.8 K and 22 T are obtained, as well as the dI/dV spectrums at varying temperatures and magnetic fields. The dI/dV spectrums obtained at 1.8 K to 8.5 K clearly reveal the dynamic process of energy gap formation. The dI/dV spectrums at 0T and 22T shows the superconductivity of NbSe 2 is regulated by magnetic fields. We present the design and construction of a nonmetallic tip-sample mechanical loop featured Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM) that operates in a 22 T water-cooled magnet at a low temperature of l.8 K. The STM head mainly consists of a spider-drive motor, stand-alone scanner, moveable sapphire sample holder, and sapphire frame. All parts exist in the tip-sample mechanical loop are made of sapphire to reduce the interference from high magnetic fields. Except for the necessary movement of the tip and scanner, all STM parts are stationary. More importantly, the tip-sample mechanical loop is separate from the motor after detecting the tunneling current, which helps prevent the high voltage signal interference from entering the tip-sample junction, leading to a high stable imaging. A Janis liquid helium cryostat is used to obtain a variable temperature range from 1.8 K to 300 K, and the STM head is cooled down via helium exchange gas. The STM head hangs at the bottom of a probe with a two-stage spring suspension to prevent the huge vibration generated by the water-cooled magnet from entering the tip-sample junction. The performance is demonstrated by atomically resolved STM images of graphite surface at 0 T and 22.8 T under room temperature. Furthermore, the obtained atomic-resolution images of NbSe 2 at 1.8 K and 22 T, as well as high-resolution dI/dV spectrums at temperatures from 1.8 K to 8.5 K and magnetic fields from 0 T to 22 T are displayed. This is the first STM capable of atomic-resolution imaging and dI/dV measurement at 1.8 K in a 22 T water-cooled magnet. The high immunity to the magnetic field makes the nonmetallic tip-sample mechanical loop widely useable for atomic-resolution STM imaging in ultra-high magnetic field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress in fighting against fires depends on the development of novel fabrics with the balance between the wearing comfort and the fireproof capabilities, which is a particular challenge for protecting the safety of firefighters. However, current organic fabrics are easy to burn at high temperatures while inorganic fireproof fabrics are too brittle to wear comfortably. Therefore, the development of skin-friendly, highly fireproof fabrics is urgently required. In this paper, we report an inorganic/organic composite fabric weaved by basalt@polyimide yarns (denoted BS@PI yarns) that is skin-friendly and highly fireproof up to 1142 °C, which is much higher than that of commercial Aramid 1313. The BS@PI yarns are prepared through a non-destructive spinning method, allowing the brittle yet fireproof BS core surrounded by a soft PI sheath. Owing to the existence of the PI sheath, the as-prepared fabric shows good skin compatibility, high fire resistance, and well mechanical properties. Even being rubbed for 300 cycles, the BS@PI fabric is still skin-friendly without broken & sharp BS burrs towards the users. By using the inorganic-core@organic-sheath yarn strategy, our BS@PI fabric exhibit persistent skin-friendly and highly fireproof capability, which has great potential for use in protective clothing for emergency-service personnel. BS@PI yarn weaved fabric exhibit persistent skin-friendly and highly fireproof capability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A multi-sensorized pneumatic artificial muscle yarn (mPAMy) was developed by hierarchical fabrication. • The mPAMy was endowed with multi-sensing capabilities of self-contraction, strain and vertical pressure. • Reliable sensing performance was achieved with mechanism revealed. • Real-time monitoring of human motions and self-monitoring were realized by the mPAMy. • Potential practical application as a self-monitoring prosthesis was demonstrated. Soft actuators, particularly pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs), have been widely applied to construct soft robotics owing to their superiorities of inherent compliance, lightweight, and high force density. However, it is still challenging to endow the PAMs with sensing capabilities towards unknown and complex environments due to their compliant mechanism and system. Herein, inspired by the skeletal muscle and skin, a novel multi-sensorized pneumatic artificial muscle yarn (mPAMy) is fabricated for multimodal proprioceptive sensing by a combination of textile braiding technology and hierarchical manufacturing method. The results and finite-element analysis reveal that the soft mPAMy have the endowed sensing capabilities towards diverse forces, including self-contraction, strain and vertical pressure. The mPAMy can detect force changes ranged from 0 N to 14 N by the yarn relative resistance change from 0 to 14.0%. Contractile sensing exhibits an increased range of resistance change (0–20.1%) compared with force sensing (0–14.0%), resulting in a greater resolution of 0.34% pressure to present change in resistance. In addition, the strain of mPAMy ranged from 0 to 57% can be stably detected. The excellent and durability pressure sensing merits of mPAMy can be ascribed from the change in resistance due to the PPy layer fracture. Furthermore, in several proof-of-concept attempts, the prepared mPAMy successfully detected precise signals of human motion and provided effective feedback during actuation. This approach opens a reliable strategy for PAMs towards multimodal sensing strategies in the healthcare, transportation and wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel polyurethanes (PUs) containing zwitterionic sulfobetaine groups were synthesized from polycarbonatediol with alkyne groups and 3-((2-azidoethyl)dimethylammonio)propane-1-sulfonate using the copper-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition (click) reaction. All the polyurethanes were fully characterized by H NMR, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, gel permeation chromatography, and elemental analysis; the thermal properties were investigated by thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. It has been proved that the thermal stability of zwitterionic sulfobetaine functionalized polyurethanes were greater than the starting alkyne-containing polyurethane. Protein adsorption was measured and it was indicated that PUs with zwitterionic sulfobetain structure are a kind of biocompatible materials with a better anti-protein fouling property compared to the corresponding alkyne-containing polyurethanes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hollow structural yarn of cellulose fibers can be easily flattened to remove their heat insulation ability and folded to incur unfavorable wrinkles. In contrast, natural hollow bamboos are flexible and shape-preserving with regard to external forces, and hollow cocoons are heat insulating to protect silkworms. Inspired by hollow bamboos and cocoons, a high resilience cotton base (i.e., silicon tube/cotton composite hollow, denoted as SCH) yarn was constructed by embedding a continuous hollow silicon tube into the cotton wrapping sheath, aiming to mitigate hollow cellulose yarn collapse and wrinkle problems. Comparatively, three other structural cotton base yarns were also designed: cotton core (CC), vinylon-core/cotton-sheath (VC) and vinylon-dissolved cotton hollow (VCH) yarns. ABAQUS CAE was applied to conduct a comparative theoretical finite element analysis of the heat transfer performance of the four different yarns. The theoretical analysis results indicated that the SCH yarn showed the minimum heat transfer performance to obtain maximum heat insulation. Then, the CC, SCH, VC and VCH yarns were fabricated into woven fabrics. The corresponding yarn structure, properties and fabric performance were comparatively analyzed. The analyzed results indicated that the SCH yarn was stronger and more elastic than other yarns, resulting in a maximum anti-wrinkle performance. The compression rebound ratio of the SCH yarn fabric (85.07%) was much higher than that of the VCH yarn fabric (18.78%) and other fabrics, indicating the excellent recovery ability of the SCH yarn. Different from other yarns, SCH yarn stored static air in the silicone tube, allowing a minimum permeability of air. Accordingly, the SCH yarn fabric had a more durable heat insulation rate than the other yarn fabrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Durable core-sheath electro-thermochromic CNT/cotton composite yarn was fabricated. • The yarn shows excellent mechanical properties and thermochromic performance. • The yarn exhibits excellent electrified heating performance with stability. • The yarn is durable against mechanical deformations, washing and chemicals. • The color of the yarn can be tuned by changing the applied current for design. A core-sheath nanocomposite yarn, with CNT/cotton composite yarn (CCY) as the core and nanofibrous polyurethane/temperature sensitive ink as the sheath, was fabricated to generate highly robust and durable electro-thermochromic performance. Due to its novel core-sheath nanocomposite structure, the as-fabricated electro-thermochromic composite yarn (ECCY) brought together the excellent mechanical properties and electrothermal properties together with electrochromic performance. The ECCY exhibited excellent electrified heating performance with stability even after 100 cycles of heating/cooling. Moreover, the ECCY showed excellent durability against repeated bending, twisting and stretching, washing and even soaking in acid and alkali solutions. The color of ECCY was successfully tuned via changing the applied current. In addition, the ECCY was used to design different patterns and to form a fabric, resulting in color conversion patterns/fabrics when applying/releasing a current. This work provides a novel strategy of developing electro-thermochromic composite yarn by designing the core-sheath micro-nano fibrous composite structure. The highly robust and durable performance of yarn will benefit its applications as wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With fiber-based wearable electronics being developed and widely used in various fields, the safety and durability of nanomaterials in fibrous system become big concerns due to the leakage of nanomaterials and possible failure in functionality. To date, it is still challenging to fabricate wearable strain sensors with sensitivity and durability. Herein, we report a simple strategy for large-scale fabrication of core-sheath nanocomposite yarn (CSCY) based wearable sensor with high sensitivity and superior durability. By dispersing aqueous CNT ink into braided composite yarns as the core (BYs-CNT) and electrospun polyurethane (PU) nanofibers as the sheath, a unique core-sheath micro-nanofibrous structure was fabricated to grant the yarn with extremely high sensing sensitivity (maximum GF up to 980), long-term stability and great durability (against washing and dilute hydrochloric acid). The as-developed CSCY strain sensor was demonstrated to monitor real-time subtle and vigorous human activities. The present work provides insights for developing reliable and stable, highly sensitive, flexible and durable wearable electronics with potential applications in different areas. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]