The inherent brittleness of conventional nanoparticle-based silicon carbide (SiC) aerogels severely limits their practical application in extreme environments requiring thermal insulation. Herein, we report a hierarchically configured zero- and one-dimensional (0D-1D) SiC nanowire–granule (SiC-NG) aerogel synthesized via a precursor infiltration–gelation and pyrolysis strategy. By infiltrating bridged polysilsesquioxane (BPSi) precursor solutions into pre-synthesized BPSi aerogel scaffolds, in situ growth of 1D SiC nanowires is achieved within the 0D granular skeleton, constructing an interpenetrating “point–line” network architecture. The resulting SiC-NG aerogel exhibits a low density of 0.121 g cm−3 and a high porosity of 87.02%. This hierarchical configuration substantially enhances mechanical robustness, delivering a compressive strength of 0.251 MPa and elastic modulus of 1.619 MPa, outperforming conventional granular SiC aerogels. Moreover, the aerogel demonstrates good thermal insulation performance, maintaining a cold-side temperature of only 300 °C after 5 min of direct exposure to a 1300 °C butane flame. This work establishes a versatile strategy for designing mechanically reinforced, hierarchically structured ceramic aerogels for advanced thermal protection under extreme environments.
This study evaluated the efficacy of yeast protein (YP) supplementation at 0%, 2%, 4%, and 6% (w/w, relative to meat weight) in mitigating quality defects commonly observed in low-salt (1% NaCl) chicken meat batters, including reduced water-holding capacity, textural deterioration, and insufficient gel strength. The results demonstrated that YP incorporation substantially alleviated these defects. Notably, compared with the conventional 2% NaCl control (T1), the 4% YP formulation (T4) exhibited significantly higher cooking yield, hardness, and gel strength (p < 0.05), whereas water-holding capacity, L* value, and springiness were not significantly different (p > 0.05). Rheological analysis showed that the storage modulus (G′) at 80 °C increased with increasing YP content. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that YP promoted a secondary structural transition from α-helices to β-sheets. Cryo-SEM revealed that YP addition resulted in a denser and more ordered gel network. However, increasing YP to 6% caused undesirable gel darkening and a significant decrease in appearance score, although overall acceptability did not differ significantly from T1, T3, or T4. Among the tested concentrations, 4% YP was identified as the optimal supplementation level, significantly enhancing the gel quality of low-salt chicken meat batters while maintaining desirable product characteristics. These findings highlight the promising potential of YP in the development of low-salt meat batter products.
Traumatic hemorrhage is a leading cause of death worldwide, especially in pre-hospital emergency care, battlefield scenarios, and complex surgeries. Irregular wounds (lacerations, blast injuries, penetrating wounds, visceral incisions) with uneven depth and jagged edges pose challenges to hemostasis. Traditional methods such as mechanical compression, surgical suturing, gelatin sponges, and gauze show low efficiency, single functionality, and lack antibacterial activity for deep or irregular wounds. Therefore, developing a material combining rapid hemostasis, antibacterial efficiency, and antioxidant capacity is urgently needed. Phenylboronic acid was grafted onto sodium hyaluronate (HA) to form a boronate ester network (HA-PBA). The HA-PBA solution was combined with polydopamine-grafted hyaluronic acid nanoparticles (PDA-HA) and quercetin (Que) to prepare a photothermal-responsive HP@PDA/Que3 hydrogel dressing. The hydrogel was evaluated for photothermal performance, antioxidant capacity, biocompatibility, hemostasis, and antibacterial activity. The HP@PDA/Que3 hydrogel possessed a porous network. Optimal concentrations were 0.8 mg/mL PDA-HA and 0.3 mg/mL Que. The hydrogel exhibited > 65% DPPH/ABTS radical scavenging and cleared intracellular ROS. It showed injectability, tissue adhesion, swelling, and controllable degradation. Under NIR irradiation, the antibacterial rates against S. aureus and E. coli exceeded 99%. Biocompatibility tests showed favorable in vitro biocompatibility, with no obvious cytotoxicity (cell viability > 85%) and a hemolysis rate < 5%. These in vitro results cannot fully guarantee in vivo biosafety, and further histological evaluation of local inflammatory responses is required prior to clinical translation. In vitro coagulation tests confirmed procoagulant properties. In a rat liver incision model, hemostatic time and blood loss were better than those of chitosan and blank control groups. The HP@PDA/Que3 hydrogel integrates rapid hemostasis, photothermal antibacterial activity, antioxidant function, and biocompatibility, providing a multifunctional dressing with clinical potential for trauma emergency treatment.
Hydrophobically modified gelatin (HMG) hydrogels are promising proof-of-concept drug delivery carriers. However, the structural effects of incorporated hydrophobic groups remain systematically unexamined. Here, twelve linear fatty and aromatic hydrophobic groups with varying carbon numbers were incorporated into gelatin to identify optimal structures for hydrophobic drug loading. Adsorption behaviors of three drug models were quantitatively evaluated per mole of incorporated carbon atoms. Linear fatty aldehydes with 11 and 12 carbon atoms (F-CHO-C11 and C12) achieved maximum adsorption efficiency, with equilibrium adsorption capacities of 0.35×10−3 and 0.34×10−3 mol-rhodamine B/mol-carbon atoms, respectively. Thermodynamic calculations (COSMO-SAC) and quantum chemical simulations (Gaussian MP2) supported the idea that longer alkyl chains enhance affinity, yielding higher interaction energy (−11.8kcal/mol for C12 vs. −5.73kcal/mol for C4). Furthermore, F-CHO-C12 HMG hydrogel achieved a substantial dexamethasone loading capacity of approximately 2.8×10−6 mol/g-dry polymer (unmodified gelatin showed negligible loading <0.08×10−6 mol/g-dry polymer) and sustained release at 37 °C (∼95% cumulative release without initial burst). These findings establish quantitative design guidelines for hydrophobically modified polymer hydrogels.
The water-induced swelling and disintegration of pisha sandstone (PS) are modified through gel-mediated cementation, thereby providing a technical pathway for the resource utilization of PS. This study investigated the durability of PS geopolymer cementitious materials (PSCM) incorporating four industrial solid wastes, including blast furnace slag (BFS), fly ash (FA), silica fume (SF), and steel slag (SS), under dry–wet cycles, freeze–thaw cycles, and water immersion. X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy were employed to characterize the evolution of the mineral phase composition and gel structure of PSCM. The results show that BFS can effectively improve the durability of PSCM. With 40% BFS, the strength of PSCM reaches 25.82 MPa after 10 dry–wet cycles; the strength loss rate drops to 27% after 10 freeze–thaw cycles; and the softening coefficient reaches 0.89 after 28 d immersion. With 20% BFS, the strength loss of PSCM specimens is only 10.3% and 9.3% after 10 dry–wet and freeze–thaw cycles followed by 7 d immersion. BFS promotes the formation of calcium-rich C-A-S-H gels, enhancing interparticle bonding and matrix integrity, thus enhancing the durability of PSCM. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the microstructure evolution and durability differences in PSCM modified by different solid wastes.
