V.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) has attracted significant interest because of its superior antifouling properties, water solubility, and biocompatibility. However, the translation of its antifouling properties onto target surfaces has been challenging because of its limited functionality. Herein, the superior antifouling properties of PEG-based block copolyethers functionalized with catechol, a mussel-inspired, versatile moiety for coating surfaces, were evaluated within a framework of polyethers exclusively. A series of catechol-functionalized polyethers with diverse molecular weights and catechol contents were synthesized via anionic ringopening polymerization in a controlled manner. The versatile adsorption and antifouling effects of block copolyethers were evaluated using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. Furthermore, the crucial role of the topology (loop vs brush) in the antifouling properties was analyzed via a surface force apparatus and direct atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. This study demonstrates that the catechol-functionalized triblock copolymer shows excellent antifouling properties, exhibiting its great potential in various biomedical applications.

No abstract

The kinetic body motions have guided the core‐shell fabrics of wearable bioelectronics to be elastoplastic. However, the polymeric electrodes follow the trade‐off relationship between toughness and stretchability. To this end, the stress dissipation encoded silk fibroin electrode is proposed as the core electrode of wearable bioelectronics. Significantly, the high degree of intrinsic stress dissipation is realized via an amino acid crosslink. The canonical phenolic amino acid (i.e., tyrosine) of silk fibroin is engineered to bridge the secondary structures. A sufficient crosslink network is constructed when tyrosine is exposed near the amorphous strand. The stress dissipative tyrosine crosslink affords 12.5‐fold increments of toughness (4.72 to 58.9 MJ m−3) and implements the elastoplastic silk fibroin. The harmony of elastoplastic core electrodes with shell fabrics enables the wearable bioelectronics to employ mechanical performance (elastoplasticity of 750 MJ m−3) and stable electrical response. The proposed wearable is capable of assisting the effective workouts via triboelectricity. In principle, active mobility with suggested wearables potentially relieves muscular fatigues and severe injuries during daily fitness.