Uncontrolled non-compressible hemorrhage, which is often accompanied by coagulopathy, is a major cause of mortality following traumatic injuries in civilian and military populations. In this study, coagulopathy-independent injectable catechol-modified chitosan (CS-HCA) hemostatic materials featuring rapid shape recovery were fabricated by combining controlled sodium tripolyphosphate-crosslinking with hydrocaffeic acid (HCA) grafting. CS-HCA exhibited robust mechanical strength and rapid blood-triggered shape recovery. Furthermore, CS-HCA demonstrated superior blood-clotting ability, enhanced blood cell adhesion and activation, and greater protein adsorption than commercial hemostatic gauze and Celox. CS-HCA showed enhanced procoagulant and hemostatic capacities in a lethal liver-perforation wound model in rabbits, particularly in heparinized rabbits. CS-HCA is suitable for mass manufacturing and shows promise as a clinically translatable hemostat.

Textile-based surface electromyography (sEMG) electrodes have emerged as a prominent tool in muscle fatigue assessment, marking a significant shift toward innovative, noninvasive methods. This review examines the transition from metallic fibers to novel conductive polymers, elastomers, and advanced material-based electrodes, reflecting on the rapid evolution of materials in sEMG sensor technology. It highlights the pivotal role of materials science in enhancing sensor adaptability, signal accuracy, and longevity, crucial for practical applications in health monitoring, while examining the balance of clinical precision with user comfort. Additionally, it maps the global sEMG research landscape of diverse regional contributors and their impact on technological progress, focusing on the integration of Eastern manufacturing prowess with Western technological innovations and exploring both the opportunities and challenges in this global synergy. The integration of such textile-based sEMG innovations with artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, energy harvesting, and IoT connectivity is also anticipated as future prospects. Such advancements are poised to revolutionize personalized preventive healthcare. As the exploration of textile-based sEMG electrodes continues, the transformative potential not only promises to revolutionize integrated wellness and preventive healthcare but also signifies a seamless transition from laboratory innovations to real-world applications in sports medicine, envisioning the future of truly wearable material technologies.

This study introduces the synthesis and detailed characterization of a novel thermochromic material capable of reversible alterations in its thermotropic transmittance. Through an emulsion polymerization process, this newly developed material is composed of 75-85% octadecyl acrylate and 0-7% allyl methacrylate, demonstrating a pronounced discoloration effect across a narrow yet critical temperature range of 24.5-39 °C. The synthesized powder underwent a battery of tests, including differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis, as well as scanning electron microscopy. These comprehensive evaluations confirmed the material\'s exceptional thermal stability, uniform particle size distribution, and strong anchoring properties. Building upon these findings, we advanced the development of thermochromic polyvinyl butyral films and laminated glass products. By utilizing a coextrusion technique, we integrated these films into laminated glass, setting a new benchmark against existing glass technologies. Remarkably, the incorporation of thermochromic PVB films into laminated glass led to a significant reduction in solar irradiance of 20-30%, outperforming traditional double silver low-emissivity glass. This achievement demonstrates the exceptional shading and thermal insulation properties of the material. The research presented herein not only pioneers a valuable methodology for the engineering of smart materials with tunable thermotropic transmittance but also holds the key to unlocking enhanced energy efficiency across a spectrum of applications. The potential impact of this innovation on the realm of sustainable building materials is profound, promising significant strides toward energy conservation and environmental stewardship.

Achieving specific mechanical properties of hydrogels, especially when used as thin films, can be crucial in diverse applications, including tissue engineering and bioelectronics. Here, a novel electrochemical approach for fabricating uniform and robust hydrogel films based on carboxymethyl cellulose cross-linked by Fe3+ ions (Fe-CMC), exhibiting tunable, dynamic properties is introduced. High modulation of the mechanical properties of the film is achieved by applying multiple electrochemical pulses of oxidative voltage during hydrogel deposition. Our study shows also a remarkable effect of the ionic strength on the properties of the electrodeposited hydrogel films. We found that switching from a salt solution to water enhanced the stiffness of the hydrogels, thereby regulating the permeability of the films. These results are supported by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, showing that an increase in the ionic strength induces a weakening of the Fe-CMC interactions, ultimately affecting the network strength. Finally, the robustness of these electrodeposited hydrogel films enables their delamination from the electrode without any damage, thereby expanding their potential applications as freestanding smart membranes. By providing fundamental insights into the dynamics of metal-coordinated bonds and their response at the macroscopic scale, we have demonstrated the versatility of electrochemical gelation for the fabrication of robust hydrogel films with tunable mechanical properties, which could serve as smart platforms for a variety of biomedical applications.

With the increased awareness on food freshness and food quality among consumers, the intelligent packaging films that can visually monitor the freshness of packaged foods by observing the color changes of packaging materials are gradually drawing more and more attentions. In this paper, various colorimetric indicators, types of polysaccharides as film-forming materials, production methods, freshness monitoring application, along with the future development of different intelligent packaging films are illustrated detailedly and deeply. Natural pH sensitive indicators such as anthocyanin, alizarin, curcumin, betaines and chlorophylls, as well as the gases sensitive indicators (hydrogen sulfide sensitive indicators and ethylene sensitive indicators) are the most widely used indicators for monitoring of food freshness. By incorporating different colorimetric indicators into polysaccharides (starch, chitosan, gum and cellulose derivatives) based substrates, the intelligent packaging films can be fabricated by solvent casting method, extrusion-blow molding method and electrospinning technique for monitoring of meat products, fruits, vegetables, milk products and other food products. In conclusion, intelligent packaging films with colorimetric functions are promising and feasible methods for real-time monitoring of food freshness, while stable colorimetric indicators, new film-forming methods and cheaper polysaccharide materials are still needed to develop for further commercialization.

Smart materials are upcoming in many industries due to their unique properties and wide range of applicability. These materials have the potential to transform traditional engineering practices by enabling the development of more efficient, adaptive, and responsive systems. However, smart materials are characterized by nonlinear behaviour and complex constitutive models, posing challenges in modelling and simulation. Therefore, understanding their mechanical properties is crucial for model-based design. This review aims for advancements in numerically implementing various smart materials, especially focusing on their nonlinear deformation behaviours. Different mechanisms and functionalities, classification, constitutive models and applications of smart materials were analyzed. In addition, different numerical approaches for modelling across scales were investigated. This review also explored the strategies and implementations for mechanically intelligent structures using smart materials. In conclusion, the potential model-based design methodology for the multiple smart material-based structures is proposed, which provides guidance for the future development of mechanically intelligent structures in industrial applications.

In this contemporary era, with over 8 billion people worldwide, ensuring food safety has become more critical than ever. To address this concern, the introduction of intelligent packaging marks a significant breakthrough. Essentially, this innovation tackles the challenge of rapid deterioration in perishable foods, which is vital to the well-being of communities and food safety. Unlike traditional methods that primarily emphasize shelf-life extension, intelligent packaging goes further by incorporating advanced sensing technologies to detect signs of spoilage and contamination in real-time, such as changes in temperature, oxygen levels, carbon dioxide levels, humidity, and the presence of harmful microorganisms. The innovation can rely on various packaging materials like plastics, metals, papers, or biodegradable polymers, combined with sophisticated sensing techniques such as colorimetric sensors, time-temperature indicators, radio-frequency identification tags, electronic noses, or biosensors. Together, these elements form a dynamic and tailored packaging system. This system not only protects food from spoilage but also offers stakeholders immediate and adequate information about food quality. Moreover, the real-world application on seafood, meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables demonstrates the feasibility of using intelligent packaging to significantly enhance the safety and shelf life of a wide variety of perishable goods. By adopting intelligent packaging for smart sensing solutions, both the food industry and consumers can significantly reduce health risks linked with contamination and reduce unnecessary food waste. This underscores the crucial role of intelligent packaging in modern food safety and distribution systems, showcasing an effective fusion of technology, safety, and sustainability efforts aimed at nourishing a rapidly growing global population.

The proliferation of misleading information and counterfeit products in conjunction with technical progress presents substantial worldwide issues. To address the issue of counterfeiting, many tactics, such as the use of luminous anticounterfeiting systems, have been investigated. Nevertheless, traditional fluorescent compounds have a restricted effectiveness. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), known for their renewable nature and outstanding qualities, present an excellent opportunity to develop intelligent, optically active materials formed due to their self-assembly behavior and stimuli response. CNCs and their derivatives-based self-assemblies allow for the creation of adaptable luminous materials that may be used to prevent counterfeiting. These materials integrate the photophysical characteristics of optically active components due to their stimuli-responsive behavior, enabling their use in fibers, labels, films, hydrogels, and inks. Despite substantial attention, existing materials frequently fall short of practical criteria due to limited knowledge and poor performance comparisons. This review aims to provide information on the latest developments in anticounterfeit materials based on stimuli-responsive CNCs and derivatives. It also includes the scope of artificial intelligence (AI) in the near future. It will emphasize the potential uses of these materials and encourage future investigation in this rapidly growing area of study.

The creation of biodegradable and biocompatible shape memory polymers amenable to biofabrication techniques remains a challenge. The ability to create shape-changing biodegradable objects that are triggered at body temperature opens up possibilities in tissue engineering, minimally invasive surgery, and actuating bioimplants. Merging Digital Light Processing (DLP) printing with shape memory polymers brings us closer to new smart biomedical outcomes. Previously, we developed a poly(caprolactone-co-trimethylenecarbonate) urethane acrylate resin for the DLP fabrication of biodegradable 3D objects. In further studies, we observed that some of these resins possessed shape memory properties, triggered by body temperature (37 °C). In this subsequent study, we explored the shape memory properties and tunability of this resin family via changes in copolymer composition, molecular weight, and identity of the acrylate end-capping unit. We found that we could create a library of shape memory resins, amenable to DLP printing, which allowed the creation of shape-actuating structures with some tunability over the speed of shape memory and mechanical properties. We observed that increased mole fraction of caprolactone in the copolymer and increased molecular weight of the polymer led to a decrease in speed of the shape memory switch. Furthermore, we observed a trade-off between the composition and the end-capping moiety on the mechanical properties of the polymers. These polymeric resins were able to be processed into shapes that were able to perform work, including the release of cargo and grabbing/lifting of an object. This platform now provides a way to tune the speed and mechanical properties of a shape memory DLP object created from common and scalable polymerization techniques. This work ultimately provides a new platform to develop customizable and biodegradable devices capable of actuating and delivery devices for numerous biomedical applications.

Untethered magnetic soft robots capable of performing adaptive locomotion and shape reconfiguration open up possibilities for various applications owing to their flexibility. However, magnetic soft robots are typically composed of soft materials with fixed modulus, making them unable to exert or withstand substantial forces, which limits the exploration of their new functionalities. Here, water-induced, shape-locking magnetic robots with magnetically controlled shape change and water-induced shape-locking are introduced. The water-induced phase separation enables these robots to undergo a modulus transition from 1.78 MPa in the dry state to 410 MPa after hydration. Moreover, the body material\'s inherent self-healing property enables the direct assembly of morphing structures and magnetic soft robots with complicated structures and magnetization profiles. These robots can be delivered through magnetic actuation and perform programmed tasks including supporting, blocking, and grasping by on-demand deformation and subsequent water-induced stiffening. Moreover, a water-stiffening magnetic stent is developed, and its precise delivery and water-induced shape-locking are demonstrated in a vascular phantom. The combination of untethered delivery, on-demand shape change, and water-induced stiffening properties makes the proposed magnetic robots promising for biomedical applications.