SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3696-3
The development of substitutable meniscus implants that can effectively protect articular cartilage remains a great challenge. Herein, a polyurethane with chemical crosslinking and sulfobetaine extenders containing hydrophobic chains (PU-CL-hSB) is developed, which could improve comprehensive properties and long-term stability simultaneously. By regulating the mole ratio of functional groups, PU-CL-hSB with appropriate mechanical properties, excellent tribological properties, and good fatigue resistance is used to prepare substitutable meniscus implant by hot-pressing. Due to the synergistic effect of functional groups, PU-CL-hSB meniscus implant presents comparable or even superior properties to native meniscus. It withstands a maximum force of 26.08 N versus 25.14 N for native meniscus, an energy dissipation from 45.93 to 39.17 N mm compared to 28.83 to 19.11 N mm for native meniscus over 300 cycles, and a friction coefficient from 0.08 to 0.19 compared to 0.11 to 0.26 for native meniscus. This PU-CL-hSB meniscus implant is further implanted into live rabbit knee joints for 8 and 25 weeks by a new approach, and in vivo data indicate that PU-CL-hSB meniscus implant not only protects articular cartilage from severe damage without eliciting inflammatory responses, but also can maintain normal physiological activities in the native state. Our findings present a substitutable meniscus implant that could be applied in vivo and propose evaluation methodologies for meniscus implants.
Environmental Chemistry•2026•DOI: 10.7524/j.issn.0254-6108.2024112104
Carboxyl-modified polystyrene microplastics (PS-COOH) are negatively charged particles formed by surface oxidation and functional group modification of polystyrene microplastics (PS), widely used in biomedical and analytical chemistry. However, studies on their neurotoxic effects on aquatic organisms are scarce. This study employed zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism, exposing embryos to environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1, 1, 10, 100 μg·L−1) of PS and PS-COOH. Neurotoxic effects were assessed by measuring tail coiling frequency at 24 hpf and swimming velocity under alternating light/dark cycles at 120 hpf. Results demonstrated that both PS and PS-COOH induced neurotoxicity, with PS-COOH significantly reducing tail coiling frequency and average swimming speed compared to PS (P<0.05). Exposure to 10 μg·L−1 PS-COOH disrupted neurotransmitter homeostasis, altering levels of acetylcholine (ACh), serotonin (5-HT), and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Transgenic zebrafish Tg(huc:EGFP) fluorescence assays revealed that PS-COOH (0.1–100 μg·L−1) caused damage to central neurons. These findings indicate that PS-COOH exposure impairs cholinergic, serotonergic, and GABAergic neurotransmission, induces neuronal damage, and exerts neurotoxic effects on zebrafish larvae. This study provides a theoretical basis for assessing the ecological and health risks of modified microplastics.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2026•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-4334-9
Piezoelectric materials underpin modern electromechanical energy conversion, serving as critical components in sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters. Their performance is intrinsically governed by the piezoelectric coefficient, yet optimizing this property remains challenging due to the profound influence of diverse microscopic structures. This review systematically examines three fundamental crystalline architectures—perovskite, wurtzite, and fluorite—and critically analyzes performance optimization strategies tailored to each structure. We explore five principal modification approaches: defect engineering, elemental doping, heterostructure film fabrication, composite film design, and buffer layer incorporation, with emphasis on the underlying physical mechanisms that drive property enhancements. By providing a cross-structural comparison, this review establishes clear structure–property relationships, offering a foundational guide for material selection and design. Furthermore, we highlight the implications of these advanced materials for next-generation applications in energy harvesting and smart devices. Finally, we present a forward-looking roadmap, outlining emerging research directions and addressing key technical challenges to guide the development of next-generation high-performance piezoelectric materials.
SCIENCE CHINA Materials•2025•DOI: 10.1007/s40843-025-3431-y
Colorectal cancer immunotherapy is severely compromised by programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on tumor cells and exosomes. This study develops a chimeric peptide-engineered photodynamic degrader (NPPM) that integrates protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) with a PD-L1-targeting peptide sequence (CVRARTR) to form an amphiphilic chimeric peptide loading macitentan (MAC). NPPM specifically targets colorectal cancer via PD-L1 recognition and generates substantial reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon light irradiation, destroying tumor cells through photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT triggers immunogenic cell death (ICD) to enhance tumor immunogenicity and induces PD-L1 degradation in tumor cells. Concurrently, MAC delivery synergistically decreases exosomal PD-L1 expression, amplifying immunotherapeutic effect. The synergistic functions of NPPM result in significant activation of systemic anti-tumor immunity, characterized by increased T cell infiltration and reduced regulatory T cells, effectively suppressing both primary and metastatic tumors. This study provides a new strategy to degrade proteins of interest and proposes a sophisticated mechanism to potentiate immunotherapy by overcoming multiple immunosuppressive factors.