High strength, toughness, and conductivity are among the most sought‐after properties of flexible electronics. However, existing engineering materials find it difficult to achieve both excellent mechanical properties and high conductivity. To address this challenge, this study proposes a facile yet versatile strategy for preparing super‐tough conductive organo‐hydrogels via freeze‐casting assisted solution substitution (FASS). This FASS strategy enables the formation of organo‐hydrogels in one step with exquisite hierarchical anisotropic structures coupled with synergistic strengthening and toughening effects across multiple length scales. As an exemplary material, the prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) organo‐hydrogel with solvent content up to 87 wt% exhibits a combination of high strength (6.5 MPa), high stretchability (1710% in strain), ultra‐high toughness (58.9 MJ m−3), as well as high ionic conductivity up to 6.5 S m−1 with excellent strain sensitivity. The exceptional combination of mechanical properties and conductivity makes the PVA organo‐hydrogel a promising flexible electronics material. In addition, the FASS strategy can also endow hydrogels with multi‐functions, including thermo‐healability, freezing tolerance and shape recoverability, and can be applied to various hydrogel materials, such as carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, and chitosan. Hence, this work provides an all‐around solution for preparing advanced strong and tough conductive soft materials for a multitude of applications.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related death. Discovering novel targets is a key for its therapy. Carboxypeptidase E (CPE), a subtype of the pro-protein convertases, has been shown to be upregulated in many types of cancer, yet its function in PC remains elusive. The expressions of CPE in PC cell lines and cancer patients were investigated by Western blot and qRT-PCR. In PC cell line BX-pc-3, CPE was downregulated and its effect on cancer cell proliferation, migration, cisplatin chemosensitivity, and in vivo tumor growth was analyzed by Western blot, proliferation assay, invasion assay, and in vivo transplantation, respectively. The expression of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB), a possible downstream target of CPE was examined by Western blot upon CPE regulation in PC cells, and the effects of inhibiting NF-κB on PC cell invasion and proliferation were examined. CPE was significantly upregulated in PC cell lines and tumor tissues. Proliferation and invasion assays indicated that downregulation of CPE inhibited cancer cell growth and migration and increased chemosensitivity to cisplatin. Inoculation of small interfering RNA (siRNA) transfected BX-pc-3 cells into null mice demonstrated that downregulation of CPE prevented tumor growth in vivo. NF-κB was directly regulated by CPE in pancreatic cancer, and siRNA-mediated inhibition of NF-κB exerted similar anti-tumor effect as downregulating CPE. Taken together, our results demonstrate that CPE plays an important role in pancreatic cancer. Inhibition of CPE may serve as a potential target for PC therapeutics.

Hierarchical porous materials are ubiquitous in nature and have inspired the fabrication of cellular structures for a multitude of applications. As an extrusion-based 3D printing technique, direct ink writing (DIW) allows for customizable design and accurate control of printed structures. Recently, its combination with colloidal processing methods used for bulk porous ceramics, such as emulsion templating, has further extended its capability of fabricating porous ceramics across multiple length scales. In light of the recent development, the ink formulation for emulsion-based DIW can be further explored, and there is still a need for a better understanding of the structure–property relationship. Herein, we introduce two types of gelling additives, i.e., poly­(ethylenimine) (PEI) and Pluronic F-127, respectively, into particle-stabilized emulsions and fabricate hierarchical porous alumina lattices by DIW. We discover that the two gelling additives can lead to distinctive microstructures due to their different gelling mechanisms. Moreover, the 3D printed hierarchical porous ceramic lattices are found to exhibit a potential energy absorption property. The effects of ink formulations, including gelling additives and solid loading, on ink rheology, microstructure, and mechanical properties are investigated. The 3D printed hierarchical porous ceramic lattices exhibit a high average porosity of 73.7%–79.3% with an average compressive strength of 1.53–9.61 MPa and a specific energy absorption of 0.33–2.67 J/g. Featuring two distinctive microstructures with tunable structural features and mechanical properties, the 3D printed hierarchical porous ceramics in this study have potential in many applications, including lightweight structures, tissue engineering scaffolds, filtration, etc.

The impacts of thermal maturity on the pore size, volume, and distribution in transitional shale are recognized. Combined with previous research results, Shanxi shale of the upper Paleozoic formation in the Ordos Basin, China, was selected to identify the evolution of shale pore size and types, and clarify the factors affecting the pore development. Samples of Shanxi shale from the northeastern Ordos Basin (NOB) were selected for experimental analysis, including total organic carbon (TOC) content, vitamin reflection (R o ), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, argon ion polishing-scanning electron microscopy (AIP-SEM), energydispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and low-pressure carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen (N 2 ) adsorption analyses to illustrate the geochemistry of organic matter, mineral composition, pore morphology, size, and distribution. The data show that the Shanxi shale in the NOB is in the oil generation stage and has good conditions for gas generation. The interparticle (interP) and intraparticle (intraP) pores are related to mineral matrix rather than organic matter with a relatively high value of pore volume. In addition, combined with the characteristics of organic geochemistry and reservoir development of Shanxi shale in the southeastern Ordos Basin (SOB), the factors affecting shale reservoir development and the effect of thermal maturity on the evolution of the pore type and size can be explained. The presence of quartz inhibits the increase in pore volume in the low thermal maturity stage, but it is beneficial to pore preservation in the high thermal maturity stage, and different clay mineral components have different effects on pore development. Furthermore, the pore types of shale in the low maturity stage are mainly interP and intraP pores related to inorganic mineral, and organic pores are rarely developed. With the increase in thermal maturity, the number and volume of organic matter pores increase, but inorganic pores are still the main pore type. The effect of thermal maturity on the evolution of the pore type and size will enrich a basis of understanding of gas storage, transport mechanics, and fracturability that can be beneficial to the evaluation of shale reservoirs.