Silica-Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Composite Aerogel: A Promising Electrolyte for Solid-State Sodium Batteries.

The transition from fossil fuels is in part limited by our inability to store energy at different scales. Batteries are therefore in high demand, and we need them to store more energy, be more reliable, durable and have less social and environmental impact. Silica-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composite aerogels doped with sodium perchlorate were synthesized as novel electrolytes for potential application in solid-state sodium batteries. The aerogels, synthesized by one-pot synthesis, are light (up to 214 kg m-3), porous (~85%), exhibit reduced shrinkage on drying (up to 12%) and a typical silica aerogel microstructure. The formation of a silica network and the presence of PVA and sodium perchlorate in the composite were confirmed by FTIR and TGA. The XRD analysis also shows that a predominantly amorphous structure is obtained, as crystalline phases of polymer and salt are present in a very reduced amount. The effects of increasing polymer and sodium salt concentrations on the ionic conductivity, assessed via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, were studied. At a PVA concentration of 15% (w/w silica precursors), the sodium conduction improved significantly up to (1.1 ± 0.3) × 10-5 S cm-1. Thus, this novel material has promising properties for the envisaged application.

Trends on Aerogel-Based Biosensors for Medical Applications: An Overview.

Aerogels are unique solid-state materials composed of interconnected 3D solid networks and a large number of air-filled pores. This structure leads to extended structural characteristics as well as physicochemical properties of the nanoscale building blocks to macroscale, and integrated typical features of aerogels, such as high porosity, large surface area, and low density, with specific properties of the various constituents. Due to their combination of excellent properties, aerogels attract much interest in various applications, ranging from medicine to construction. In recent decades, their potential was exploited in many aerogels' materials, either organic, inorganic or hybrid. Considerable research efforts in recent years have been devoted to the development of aerogel-based biosensors and encouraging accomplishments have been achieved. In this work, recent (2018-2023) and ground-breaking advances in the preparation, classification, and physicochemical properties of aerogels and their sensing applications are presented. Different types of biosensors in which aerogels play a fundamental role are being explored and are collected in this manuscript. Moreover, the current challenges and some perspectives for the development of high-performance aerogel-based biosensors are summarized.

Silica Aerogel-Polycaprolactone Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Silica aerogel is a material composed of SiO2 that has exceptional physical properties when utilized for tissue engineering applications. Poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) is a biodegradable polyester that has been widely used for biomedical applications, namely as sutures, drug carriers, and implantable scaffolds. Herein, a hybrid composite of silica aerogel, prepared with two different silica precursors, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) or methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS), and PCL was synthesized to fulfil bone regeneration requirements. The developed porous hybrid biocomposite scaffolds were extensively characterized, regarding their physical, morphological, and mechanical features. The results showed that their properties were relevant, leading to composites with different properties. The water absorption capacity and mass loss were evaluated as well as the influence of the different hybrid scaffolds on osteoblasts' viability and morphology. Both hybrid scaffolds showed a hydrophobic character (with water contact angles higher than 90°), low swelling (maximum of 14%), and low mass loss (1-7%). hOB cells exposed to the different silica aerogel-PCL scaffolds remained highly viable, even for long periods of incubation (7 days). Considering the obtained results, the produced hybrid scaffolds may be good candidates for future application in bone tissue engineering.

Thermomechanical Performance Assessment of Sustainable Buildings' Insulating Materials under Accelerated Ageing Conditions.

The reliable characterization of insulation materials in relevant environmental conditions is crucial, since it strongly influences the performance (e.g., thermal) of building elements. In fact, their properties may vary with the moisture content, temperature, ageing degradation, etc. Therefore, in this work, the thermomechanical behaviour of different materials was compared when subjected to accelerated ageing. Insulation materials that use recycled rubber in their composition were studied, along with others for comparison: heat-pressed rubber, rubber_cork composites, aerogel_rubber composite (developed by the authors), silica aerogel, and extruded polystyrene. The ageing cycles comprised dry-heat, humid-heat, and cold conditions as the stages, during cycles of 3 and 6 weeks. The materials' properties after ageing were compared with the initial values. Aerogel-based materials showed superinsulation behaviour and good flexibility due to their very high porosity and reinforcement with fibres. Extruded polystyrene also had a low thermal conductivity but exhibited permanent deformation under compression. In general, the ageing conditions led to a very slight increase in the thermal conductivity, which vanished after drying of the samples in an oven, and to a decrease in Young's moduli.

Aerogel Composites Produced from Silica and Recycled Rubber Sols for Thermal Insulation.

Hydrophobic rubber-silica aerogel panels (21.5 × 21.5 × 1.6 cm3) were fabricated from silica and rubber sols and reinforced with several fiber types (recycled tire textile fibers, polyester blanket, silica felt, glass wool). A recycled rubber sol was prepared using peracetic acid and incorporated for the first time in TEOS-based sol-gel chemistry. The composites exhibited good thermal stability up to 400 °C and very low thermal conductivity, in the superinsulation range when using polyester fibers (16.4 ± 1.0 mW·m-1·K-1), and of 20-30 mW·m-1·K-1 for the remaining fibers. They could also endure cyclic compression loads with near full recovery, thus showing very promising properties for insulation of buildings.

Silica Aerogel-Rubber Composite: A Sustainable Alternative for Buildings' Thermal Insulation.

Silica aerogel composites with recycled tire rubber have been synthesized and evaluated for their potential use for thermal protection in buildings. The present work describes for the first time the preparation of silica-based aerogel composites containing recycled rubber tires reinforced with polyvinyl butyral (PVB) by hot pressing. The developed composite was extensively characterized regarding its physical, morphological, thermal and mechanical features, and the results showed their properties were relevant, leading to composites with different properties/performances. The obtained bulk density values were satisfactory, down to 474 kg·m-3, and very good thermal properties were achieved, namely, thermal conductivity as low as 55 mW·m-1·K-1 for composites with silica aerogel, recycled tire rubber and PVB. The most promising composites were those based on low bulk density and thermal conductivity values, and they were thermally stable, indicating their suitability for thermal insulation applications.

Atomic Force Microscopy and Voltammetric Investigation of Quadruplex Formation between a Triazole-Acridine Conjugate and Guanine-Containing Repeat DNA Sequences.

The interactions of the Tetrahymena telomeric repeat sequence d(TG4T) and the polyguanylic acid (poly(G)) sequence with the quadruplex-targeting triazole-linked acridine ligand GL15 were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM) at a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite and voltammetry at a glassy carbon electrode. GL15 interacted with both sequences, in a time dependent manner, and G-quadruplex formation was detected. AFM showed the adsorption of quadruplexes as small d(TG4T) and poly(G) spherical aggregates and large quadruplex-based poly(G) assemblies, and voltammetry showed the decrease and disappearance of GL15 and guanine oxidation peak currents and appearance of the G-quadruplex oxidation peak. The GL15 molecule strongly stabilized and accelerated G-quadruplex formation in both Na(+) and K(+) ion-containing solution, although only K(+) promoted the formation of perfectly aligned tetra-molecular G-quadruplexes. The small-molecule complex with the d(TG4T) quadruplex is discrete and approximately globular, whereas the G-quadruplex complex with poly(G) is formed at a number of points along the length of the polynucleotide, analogous to beads on a string.

In situ evaluation of anticancer drug methotrexate-DNA interaction using a DNA-electrochemical biosensor and AFM characterization.

An in situ evaluation of the dsDNA-methotrexate (MTX) interaction was performed by voltammetry using a DNA-electrochemical biosensor and characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface. Electrochemical experiments in incubated solutions showed that the interaction of MTX with dsDNA leads to modifications to the dsDNA structure in a time-dependent manner. The AFM images show reorganization of the DNA self-assembled network on the surface of the HOPG electrode upon binding methotrexate and the formation of a more densely packed and slightly thicker MTX-dsDNA lattice with a large number of aggregates embedded into the network film. The intercalation of MTX between complementary base pairs of dsDNA lead to the increase of purine oxidation peaks due to the unwinding of the dsDNA. The dsDNA-electrochemical biosensor and the purinic homo-polynucleotide single stranded sequences of guanosine and adenosine, poly[G] and poly[A]-electrochemical biosensors, were used to investigate and understand the interaction between MTX and dsDNA.