High thermal conductive nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) hybrid films based on nanodiamond (ND) were fabricated by a facile vacuum filtration technique. In this issue, the thermal conductivity (TC) on the in-plane direction of the NFC/ND hybrid film had a significant enhancement of 775.2% at a comparatively low ND content (0.5 wt %). The NFC not only helps ND to disperse in the aqueous medium stably but also plays a positive role in the formation of the hierarchical structure. ND could form a thermal conductive pathway in the hierarchical structures under the intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the hybrid films composed of zero-dimensional ND and one-dimensional NFC exhibit remarkable mechanical properties and optical transparency. The NFC/ND hybrid films possessing superior TC, mechanical properties, and optical transparency can open applications for portable electronic equipment as a lateral heat spreader.Keywords: hierarchical structure; nanodiamond; nanofibrillated cellulose; optical transparency; thermal conductivity;

Transmittance and haze are key properties of light diffusion materials. Hybrid light diffusion agents (LDAs) and melt-blending process are introduced to study optical performance and mechanical properties of polycarbonate (PC) light diffusion materials. Optical properties of PC composites prepared by two-step melt-blending process has better repeatability compared to one-step method due to the better dispersion state of hybrid fillers in PC matrix. The hybrid fillers silicate microspheres (SMS)/nano titania particles (nTiO2) are more suitable for PC matrix compared to cross-linked poly(methyl methacrylate) microspheres (PMMA)/nTiO2, for the reason that the PC/SMS/nTiO2 composites exhibit favorable optical performance and almost no deterioration of mechanical properties. The good balance between high transmittance and substantial haze can be achieved when the SMS/nTiO2 content is 1.2 wt% (the transmittance and haze are 60.97% and 88.73%, respectively). POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:374–380, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers

The anisotropic thermally conductive flexible films with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and in situ reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets are prepared via a vacuum-assisted self-assembly technique. The hybrid films exhibit superior in-plane thermal conductivities, and a value of 6.168 W m−1 K−1 is achieved with 30 wt% GO loading. Noteworthily, the through-plane thermal conductivities are extremely low (≤0.072 W m−1 K−1). The high anisotropy of the thermal conductivity is systematically investigated and correlated to the alignment of RGO nanosheets. Moreover, hybrid films exhibit excellent flexibility as well as high tensile strength. The aligned RGO nanosheets significantly delayed the thermal degradation of the hybrid films. The strongly anisotropic thermally conductive properties of these films can be useful for their application in thermal management.

Development of rational vectors for efficient drug and gene delivery is crucial for cancer treatment. In this study, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-binding peptide amphiphile (PA) were used as the primary bilayer skeleton material to construct ultra-stable self-assembling peptide nanovesicle (SPV). The resulted EGFR-targeted SPV (ESPV) could efficiently encapsulate therapeutic cargos (drugs or small interfering RNAs [siRNAs]) or labelled fluorescent cargo (quantum dots [QDs]) and exhibited excellent affinity for EGFR-positive cancer cells. Moreover, ESPV could deliver more drug or plasmid DNA to tumour sites and promote gene expression (a three-fold ratio of ESPVs vs cationic liposomes). Notably, the individual delivery or co-delivery of doxorubicin (DOX) and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene via the ESPVs resulted in excellent drug/gene delivery both in vitro and in vivo and exerted a significant growth-suppressing effect on a liver cancer xenograft. This nanoscale, targeted cargo-packaging technology may provide a new strategy for the design of highly targeted cancer therapy vectors.

The covalent functionalization of graphene oxide (GO) with bis(3-aminopropyl)-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (NH2–PEG–NH2) and subsequent grafting with maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAPP) oligomer matrix using reactive compatibilization were carefully analyzed and verified through detailed investigations. Improvements in the compatibility between the modified GO and the matrix, thermal stability, flame properties, and crystallization properties were achieved through the addition of a small amount of GO-grafted MAPP (PP-g-GO). Results of thermogravimetric and microscale combustion calorimetry analyses revealed an increase in Tmax by 51 °C and reductions in the total heat release and peak heat release rate by 44.4% and 38.9%, respectively, upon the addition of 2.0 wt % PP-g-GO relative to pure MAPP. The approach used in this work is an efficient strategy for improving the thermal behavior of polypropylene oligomer with a view toward extending its use in advanced technological applications.

The effect of graphene defects on the performance of polymer-based material was investigated to obtain thermal conductive and strong materials for various commercial portable electronics. The flexible lateral heat hybrid films based on graphene sheets (GSs) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) were fabricated via a vacuum-assisted self-assembly technique. The hybrid film with low-defect density GSs exhibited high thermal conductivity (TC) of 6.75 W m−1 K−1 at 10 wt % GS loading. Compared with pure NFC film, the hybrid film showed excellent enhancement of 501.6%, which was 1.5× times higher than those with high-defect density GSs. The relationship between defect density of GSs and TC of hybrid films was consistent with the published simulation results. Meanwhile, the hybrid film with low-defect density GSs also exhibited higher toughness, tensile strength and Young's modulus than those with high-defect density GSs. NFC/GS hybrid films With high TC and mechanical properties can be used as a potential candidate for flexible lateral heat spreaders.Flexible lateral heat hybrid films are fabricated using graphene sheets (GSs) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC). Compared with pure NFC film, hybrid films with low-defect density GSs show excellent enhancement of 501.6%, which is much higher than that with high-defect density GS (203.0%) at the same content.

The anisotropic thermally conductive flexible films with nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and in situ reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanosheets are prepared via a vacuum-assisted self-assembly technique. The hybrid films exhibit superior in-plane thermal conductivities, and a value of 6.168 W m−1 K−1 is achieved with 30 wt% GO loading. Noteworthily, the through-plane thermal conductivities are extremely low (≤0.072 W m−1 K−1). The high anisotropy of the thermal conductivity is systematically investigated and correlated to the alignment of RGO nanosheets. Moreover, hybrid films exhibit excellent flexibility as well as high tensile strength. The aligned RGO nanosheets significantly delayed the thermal degradation of the hybrid films. The strongly anisotropic thermally conductive properties of these films can be useful for their application in thermal management.