The formation of spontaneous double emulsions is a peculiar phenomenon in emulsion systems. When compared to the traditional one-step and two-step methods for preparing double emulsions, spontaneous emulsification can not only steadily load uniform water droplets into an oil phase, but can also facilitate the preparation of emulsions with higher stability. However, the limited solubility of salts, which are typically used to modify osmotic pressure, in organic oils has inhibited the viability of this method for the preparation of W/O/W double emulsions. In this paper, a redox-driven spontaneous emulsification method is developed and investigated. Instead of employing oil-soluble salts, an oxidation reaction is implemented in the oil phase, which produces cation radicals and iodide counterions to generate osmotic pressure. Additionally, amphiphilic polymer chains are harnessed as stabilizers for the newly formed W/O interfaces. Various characterization methods have been used to elucidate the mechanism of both the oxidation reaction and the spontaneous formation of double emulsions.

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The artificial reproduction of the tactile sensory function of natural skin is crucial for intelligent sensing, human–computer interaction, and medical health. Thermal nociception is an essential human tactile function to avoid noxious thermal stimuli, which depends on the specific heat-activation of the TRPV1 ion channel. Inspired by the TRPV1, a dynamic ionic liquid with heat-activation characteristics is designed and prepared, which can be activated at 45 °C, which is near the physiological noxious temperature, accompanied by a steep rise in electrical response signals. Its electrical behavior can be deemed to be the extreme version of temperature sensation similar to the natural thermal nociceptor. The heat-activation mechanism is confirmed as a feasible strategy to regulate the thermal response behavior of ions, and this reported dynamic ionic liquid has an unprecedented intrinsic temperature response sensitivity of up to 156.79%/°C. In consideration of the similarity between the heat-activated dynamic ionic liquid and the TRPV1 ion channel in terms of heat-activation characteristics, electrical output signal, and ultrathermal sensitivity, an all-liquid ionic skin with the ability of thermal nociception is further fabricated, which shows considerable potential to assist patients with tactile desensitization to avoid noxious thermal stimuli.

Described herein is a novel bioorthogonal method for microorganism (Aspergillus oryzae) modification which coats the microorganism with a photothermal conversion cloth for staying bioactive in cold environments.

The generation of electronic waste conflicts the initial intention of exploiting eco-friendly power without causing environmental issues. Some organic optoelectronic materials can be recycled due to their structural designability. An unresolved issue is that organic optoelectronic characteristics may be disrupted by the introduction of recyclable frameworks, therefore elaborate molecular designs are generally necessary. Future photodetectors are expected to be eco-friendly, stretchable, affordable, printable, biodegradable, and recyclable, which are essential features for their applications with demands on less electronic waste. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Ionic liquids, which are regarded as a typical liquid semiconductor, have opened up a new sensing property regime that was previously unreachable with regular solid semiconductors. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] Compared with traditional solid semiconductors, ionic liquids possess excellent flexibility, recyclability, easy separation, self-healing and reconfigurable performance considering their fluidic nature. [37] In the past, a few instances of ionic liquids sensors based on the concept of ionic mobility change relative to temperature or resistance change by mechanical deformation have been presented. [38][39][40][41] Rarely, however, was photodetection of ionic liquids studied, particularly in the visible or nearinfrared light windows, as the majority of ionic liquids lack chromophores with intensely colored absorption bands. Besides, they tend to lose their fluidic properties due to strong intermolecular interactions among chromophores. Referring to the conductive mechanism of ionic liquids, optoelectrical responses can only happen when ionic mobility is closely related to light irradiation. Physically blending photothermal materials within ionic liquids has been testified as a reliable approach to enable ionic liquids to be photosensitive. Photothermal conversion is an indirect method of heating that can improve ionic conductivity via light irradiation. Though a great number of photothermal materials have been exploited, few of them are compatible with ionic liquids without appearance of sediment after blending. [42][43][44] This issue of poor dispersion would perturb the reliability and repeatability of photodetection by ionic liquids. Results and DiscussionIn this research, we were motivated by a phenomenon that carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibited excellent dispersion Sunflower-inspired sun-tracking systems have been arousing intensive investigations owing to their benefits to improve the efficiency of solar energy collection. Photodetector based on photosensitive semiconductors is a mainstream choice in the sun-tracking system, which directs solar collectors always facing the sun. However, photosensitive semiconductors to date have usually hidden the disadvantages of environmental pollution after disposal. As for these problems, this work develops a green ionic liquid-based photodetector, which displays reliable electrical feedback in response to sunl...