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Here we describe a class of electric-conducting polymers that conduct electrons via the side chain π-π stacking. These polymers can be designed and synthesized with different chemical moieties to perform different functions, extremely suitable as a conductive polymer binder for lithium battery electrodes. A class of methacrylate polymers based on a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon side moiety, pyrene, was synthesized and applied as an electrode binder to fabricate a silicon (Si) electrode. The electron mobilities for PPy and PPyE are characterized as 1.9 × 10(-4) and 8.5 × 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), respectively. These electric conductive polymeric binders can maintain the electrode mechanical integrity and Si interface stability over a thousand cycles of charge and discharge. The as-assembled batteries exhibit a high capacity and excellent rate performance due to the self-assembled solid-state nanostructures of the conductive polymer binders. These pyrene-based methacrylate binders also enhance the stability of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) of a Si electrode over long-term cycling. The physical properties of this polymer are further tailored by incorporating ethylene oxide moieties at the side chains to enhance the adhesion and adjust swelling to improve the stability of the high loading Si electrode.

We report a novel class of amphiphilic conjugated block copolymers composed of poly(3-octylthiophene) and poly(ethylene oxide) (POT-b-PEO) that exhibit highly tunable photoluminescence colors spanning from blue to red. POT-b-PEO self-assembles into various well-defined core/shell-type nanostructures as a result of its amphiphilicity. The self-assembly structure can be readily controlled by altering the solvent composition or by other external stimuli. The color change was completely reversible, demonstrating that the strategy can be used to manipulate the light-emission properties of conjugated polymers in a highly controllable manner without having to synthesize entirely new sets of molecules.

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Innovations and refinements in the techniques of living donor right hepatectomy (LDRH) have been made over the past decades, but the type and size of abdominal incision have been at a standstill since its inception. We introduce herein the upper midline incision for LDRH using the standard open technique. A prospective case-matched study was conducted on 23 consecutive donors who underwent LDRH under a supraumbilical upper midline incision (I group) from February to May 2008. These donors were matched 1:1 to 23 right liver donors with a conventional J-shaped incision (J group) according to age, gender, and body mass index. Under the mean incision length of 13.5 cm, LDRH was successfully completed in all 23 donors without extension of the incision, with a mean operative time of 232.3 Ϯ 29.2 minutes. No donors required blood transfusion during surgery. There were 2 cases of postoperative bleeding immediately controlled under the same incision and a case of pleural effusion. All donors fully recovered and returned to their previous activities. All grafts have been functioning well. Compared with the J group, the I group had a shorter operative time, a shorter period of analgesic use, and, after discharge, infrequent complaints of wound pain. This upper midline incision, even without laparoscopic assistance, can be used for LDRH with less pain and without impairing safety, reproducibility, or effectivity, allowing the seemingly insufficient incision to be recommended to the transplant centers that are practicing living donor liver transplantation.