The development of stimuli-responsive polymers has become an important research topic in material science. These polymers can respond to external stimuli, such as light, molecules, redox, pH, temperature and so on. They can undergo physical or chemical changes, for example, gel-sol transition and change of volume. Therefore, they can be widely applied in controlled drug release and biosensors. Bile acids are natural biological molecules in the steroid family bearing hydroxyl and carboxyl functional groups, which can be modified easily and they also have amphiphilic and rigid structure and excellent biocompatibility. The incorporation of bile acids can enrich the structures and functions of the stimuli responsive polymers. On one hand, bile acids or modified ones can either act as monomers for polymerization or be modified to functional groups in polymers. Therefore, different structures of polymers, with bile acids as the main chain, side groups, end groups and core of the star polymers, can be achieved. On the other hand, the introduction of bile acids can not only improve the biocompatibility of the materials, but also change the chemical property of polymers, thus broadening their functions in applications as shape memory materials, chiral separation and drug delivery systems. This paper reviews the recent related work, including the molecular design, structural construction and properties of these polymers. The prospect of future development of polymers containing bile acids is also discussed.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Polymer containing bile acids on the main chain
2.1 Polyesters
2.2 1,2,3-Triazole-containing polymers
2.3 Polymer based on polycondensation of bile acids
3 Polymers with bile acid moieties as side groups
3.1 N-Isopropylacrylamide copolymers
3.2 Polycations
3.3 Norbornene-based polymers
3.4 Comb-like polymers
3.5 Copolymers for host-guest interactions
3.6 Self-assembly of bile acid-containing polymers
3.7 Oligomers
4 Polymers end-capped with bile acids
5 Star polymers with a bile acid core
6 Conclusion and outlook

Dendrimer-like porous silica nanoparticles, which have center-radial pore structures with gradually increasing pore sizes from particle interior to particle surface, are a kind of new porous material. Compared with conventional mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with uniform hexagonal ordered mesopores, dendrimer-like nanoparticles have remarkable structure advantages due to their unique open three-dimensional dendritic superstructures, such as high pore permeability and high accessibility to internal surface, thus being in favor of mass (molecules and even nanoparticles) transfer process along center-radial pore channels, loading in the interior of dendritic nanoparticles or reacting with active sites in the particles. Therefore, they are very promising platforms to construct advanced adsorbents, nanocatalysts and drugs and gene nanocarriers. In this review, we first introduce a series of synthesis methods and the intrinsic mechanism about how to regulate the dendritic structure, then analyze their unique structural characteristics and the corresponding physicochemical properties, subsequently present a few examples of interesting applications mainly in catalysis, biomedicine, environment and energy, and other important fields, finally conclude with an outlook on the prospects and challenges in terms of their controlled synthesis and potential applications.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Structural characteristics and properties
3 Synthesis strategies
3.1 Oil-water biphase stratification method
3.2 Special microemulsion systems
3.3 Dynamic ethyl ether emulsion systems
3.4 Dynamic polystyrene template
3.5 Soft template caused by strong counterion
3.6 Other approaches
4 Applications
4.1 Catalysis
4.2 Biomedical and biotechnological applications
4.3 Other applications

Advanced rechargeable batteries with high energy densities may soon power portable electronic devices and electric vehicles in the future. Among all candidates, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are considered one of the most promising next-generation secondary batteries because of their high theoretical specific capacity and theoretical energy density. At present, the research and development of Li-S batteries mainly focus on the design and synthesis of high performance sulfur cathode materials. Porous carbon materials with good electronic conductivity, high structural stability, and well-developed porous structure, such as the activated carbon, mesoporous carbon, ultra-microporous carbon, hierarchical porous carbon, hollow carbon sphere, and hollow carbon fiber, have been proved to be the effective carbon matrix materials for sulfur cathodes. This article presents the recent developments of the porous carbon/sulfur composite materials for Li-S battery cathodes. The electrochemical performances of the porous carbons with tailored pore structure characteristics for the impregnation of sulfur are summarized. Furthermore, the impacts of various porous structures on the Li-S battery performances have been discussed. Accordingly, the future developments of Li-S battery platforms are discussed from the perspectives of the advanced engineering and synthesis of porous carbon/sulfur composite cathode materials.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Porous carbon/sulfur composite cathode materials
2.1 Activated carbon/sulfur composites
2.2 Mesoporous carbon/sulfur composites
2.3 Ultra-microporous carbon/sulfur composites
2.4 Hierarchical porous carbon/sulfur composites
2.5 Hollow carbon sphere/sulfur composites
2.6 Hollow carbon fiber/sulfur composites
3 Conclusion

Mercury pollution has posed increasingly severe threat to environment all over the world. Dealing with the problem of mercury contamination in water bodies is extremely urgent. The iron-based nanoparticles like FeS_x、Fe₃O₄、Fe are used to remove mercury from aqueous solutions due to their high adsorption capacity and large surface area. In addition, using particle stabilization techniques and functional group modification could increase the dispersion of iron-based nanoparticles, offer more adsorption sites for the adsorption of mercury, which could enhance the effect of mercury removal. This paper emphasizes on the stabilization of FeS_x nanoparticles, thiol-functionalization and amino-functionalization of Fe₃O₄, etc. The applications of functionalized iron-based nano-materials are summarized. The influential factors of mercury removal by iron-based materials are further discussed, and then the adsorption mechanisms of mercury by functionalized iron-based nanoparticles are also explored. Finally, the outlook of mercury removal in water environment by modified iron-based nano-materials are presented.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Functional iron sulfide
2.1 Bio-stabilizer stabilized iron sulfide
2.2 Supported iron sulfide
2.3 The mechanisms of mercury removal by iron sulfide
3 Functional magnetic iron-based materials
3.1 Thiol-functionalization
3.2 Amino-functionalization
3.3 Other functionalizations
3.4 The mechanisms of mercury removal by magnetic iron-based materials
4 Other iron-based materials
5 Conclusion

For the whole solution-processed efficient and stable organic photovoltaic devices at low temperature, reasonably selecting the method of interface modification material preparation is very crucial. It has become one of the most focuses in research community of organic photovoltaics in recent years. By choosing suitable interfacial materials, the energetic barrier height at the interface could be reduced to form an ohmic contact with less series resistance, inducing high charge collection efficiency of the corresponding electrodes for holes or electrons. Solution-prepared molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) as anode buffer layer can effectively improve the efficiency of interface collection and carrier transmission, improving the energy conversion efficiency and stability of organic solar cells. This article reviews the research progress of anode buffer layer MoO₃ of organic solar cells in recent years, introduces the some preparation methods and principles of MoO₃ as anode interface layers, elaborated the current situation and existing problems of MoO₃ film based on the prepared solution of interfacial modification, which provides valuable references for the fabrication of the efficient and stable organic solar cells. We believe that solution-processed MoO₃ will play a key role as buffer layers in the future fabrication of large area and flexible organic photovoltaic devices with high performance and long term stability.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 The effect of solution-prepared of MoO₃ anode interface modification
3 The energy level structure and change of MoO₃
4 The application of solution-prepared MoO₃ in organic solar cell
4.1 MoO₃ based on the preparation of ammonium molybdate
4.2 MoO₃ based on organic molybdenum sources
4.3 MoO₃ prepared by chemical synthesis
4.4 MoO₃ prepared by nanoparticle dispersion method
4.5 MoO₃ prepared by other solutions
5 Conclusion

Graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials, which have significant value in pollutant detection, chemical sensing and cancer diagnosis, have received considerable attention for recent years because of their excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects. In this review, the synthesis methods and SERS effects of three kind of graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials (graphene oxide decorated with Au/Ag nanoparticles, graphene oxide encapsulated Au/Ag nanoparticles, graphene oxide coated on Au/Ag nanoparticles films) have been summarized in detail. SERS studies show that by combining with the respective advantages of Au/Ag nanoparticles and graphene oxide on the research and application of SERS, graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials have more excellent SERS effect than pure Au/Ag nanoparticles. Graphene oxide plays an important role in chemical enhancement, molecule enrichment, surface passivation and fluorescence quencher. Graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials have broad application prospects in SERS.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Preparation of graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials
2.1 Graphene oxide decorated with Au/Ag nanoparticles
2.2 Graphene oxide encapsulated Au/Ag nanoparticles
2.3 Graphene oxide coated on Au/Ag nanoparticles films
3 SERS effect of graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials
3.1 SERS effect of different structure of graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials
3.2 The practical SERS application of graphene oxide/(Au/Ag) hybrid materials
4 Conclusion

Compared with carbon-chain polymers, poly(amino acid)s have attracted much attentions in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields because of their good biocompatibility, biodegradability and nontoxicity. Polyaspartamide derivatives based on L-aspartic acid not only can be easily synthesized, but also can be further modified with various structures to prepare intelligent material with different stimuli-responsivity (such as temperature, pH and redox), resulting in controlled release, enhancement of therapeutic effects and reduction of the drug side effects. In this review, the different synthetic strategies for preparing polyaspartamide derivatives and the up-to-date developments on polyaspartamide derivatives for drug and gene delivery systems are summarized. Besides, the future perspectives of polyaspartamide derivatives are discussed.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Synthesis of polyaspartamide derivatives
2.1 Aminolysis reaction of PSI
2.2 ROP of N-carboxyanhydride
3 Application of polyaspartamide derivatives
3.1 Drug delivery
3.2 Gene delivery
4 Outlook

Modeling of breakage and coalescence of dispersed phases such as bubbles or droplets in multiphase systems is of paramount importance to the control of the dispersed phase size distribution in process industry. Population balance model (PBM) has become a rountine tool to simulate the breakage, coalescence and size distribuiton of dispersed phase. However, the current kernel functions for breakage and coalescence in PBM are either derived from statistical models or based on some phenomenological models, empirical correlations or semi-theoretical methods, since the physics of breakage and coalescence in multi-phase systems is complex. As a result, few models could completely considers all of the physical constraints relevant to the complex flow field and material properties, and it is still a challenging issue to accurately predict the breakage and coalescence for different operating conditions. This article gives a systematic overview of the mechanisms and models about the breakage and coalescence of bubbles or droplets, and the numerical algothirm for population balance equations as well as the application of PBM simulation in gas-liquid or liquid-liquid systems. Finally, the state-of-the-art and future development of PBM are analyzed.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Population balance model
2.1 Coalecence rate
2.2 Breakage rate and daughter size distribution
3 Solving population balance equation
3.1 Class method
3.2 Method of moments
4 Application of population balance model
4.1 Application in gas-liquid systems
4.2 Application in liquid-liquid systems
5 Conclusion and outlook

This article reviews the developments of 4-thiothymidine analogues, assisted with UVA light, as a novel cancer therapy. First, the key points on synthetic chemistry, photochemistry and cellular toxicity of 4-thiothymidine are summarized. As the chemical structure of 4-thiothymidine is very similar to that of its parent thymidine, thus 4-thiothymidine can be readily incorporated into cellular DNA, and with the help of thymidine kinase, much more preferably into cancerous DNA. Unlike thymidine, 4-thiothymdine can absorb strongly in UVA (longer wavelengths of UV) light. Thus UVA-assisted 4-thiothymidine offers an effective cancer treatment. Some underlying mechanisms of action by 4-thiothymidine/UVA and compares this cancer approach with the commonly used photodynamic therapy are discussed. The various interactions between 4-thiothymidine with human serum albumin are introduced. Finally, a short conclusion on the past efforts and a brief prospect for future work in this exciting research field are given.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Key properties of 4-thiothymidine
3 Synthetic chemistry and photochemistry of 4-thiothymidine
3.1 Synthetic chemistry of 4-thiothymidine
3.2 Photochemistry of 4-thiothymidine under UVA irradiation
4 Antitumor activity of 4-thiothymidine under UVA irradiation
4.1 Cytotoxicity of 4-thiothymidine
4.2 Synergistic toxicity of 4-thiothymidine with UVA irradiation
4.3 UVA assisted 4-thiothymidine for cancer treatment
4.4 UVA assisted 4-thiothymidine versus photodynamic therapy
5 Antitumor mechanisms of UVA assisted 4-thiothymidine
5.1 Cellular incorporation of 4-thiothymidine
5.2 Principles of tumor-killing via UVA assisted 4-thiothymidine
5.3 Induced apoptosis via UVA assisted 4-thiothymidine
5.4 4-Thiothymidine metabolism
6 4-Thiothymidine stability in blood circulation
6.1 Spectrometry
6.2 Atomic force microscope
6.3 Molecular docking
7 Conclusion

Conducting polymers represent a promising application prospect in the field of metal corrosion protection as a new polymer material since its reversible redox properties. Among the conducting polymers, polyaniline has become the focus in the anticorrosion coating field and has been widely applied in many fields like metal materials, chemistry industry, navigation and spaceflight because of its unique resistance to pitting corrosion and scratch and its inhibition to adhesion of marine organisms. In this paper, through the analysis of the deficient anticorrosion properties of the single polyaniline coatings, the research progress of modified polyaniline coatings in the field of metal corrosion protection in recent years are summarized, including a single ring substituted polyaniline coatings and N-substituted polyaniline coatings, modified polyaniline composite coatings and modified polyaniline composite materials/resin blending hybrid coatings. The anticorrosion properties of the modified polyaniline coatings and the unmodified polyaniline coatings are compared by various corrosion test methods, further proving that the electron-donating substituents (e.g., alkyl, alkoxy, amino, etc.) can improve the anticorrosion properties of polyaniline coatings, composite modification or blended with resin can also improve the anticorrosion properties of polyaniline and its derivatives. Meanwhile, the future study and development trend of polyaniline and its derivatives are prospected.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Anticorrosion properties of substituted polyaniline derivatives
2.1 Ring substituted polyaniline derivatives
2.2 N-substituted polyaniline derivatives
3 Anticorrosion properties of polyaniline and its derivatives' composites
3.1 Polyaniline/inorganic composites
3.2 Polyaniline/polymer composites
3.3 Substituted polyaniline composites
3.4 Polyaniline and its derivatives composites/resin hybrid composites
4 Conclusion and outlook

The lithium-oxygen battery has captured worldwide attention recently because of its energy levels approaching that of gasoline have been postulated. This intense investigation, however, has soon highlighted a series of issues that prevent a rapid development of the lithium-oxygen electrochemical system,such as large overpotential,poor cycling ability,low energy efficiency. Many factor limiting the performances of non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries, including the corrosion of the lithium metal, decomposition of the electrolyte,the structure of cathode material and the catalytic activity of catalysts for ORR/OER. This review covers the most recent and significant scientific progress made in the fields relevant to non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries, with emphasis on the cathode electrode. After a brief introduction to the different of catalysts and cathode microstructure design, a discussion of the effect of catalysts and cathode design on the performance of lithium-oxygen batteries is presented sequentially, and the final conclusion remarks on future challenges and perspectives.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Lithium-oxygen batteries overview
2.1 The classification of lithium-oxygen batteries
2.2 The reaction mechanism of lithium-oxygen battery
2.3 Challenges facing the lithium-oxygen battery
3 Cathode materials for non-aqueous lithium-oxygen battery
3.1 Bifunctional catalyst/carbon composite material
3.2 Carbon-free composite materials
3.3 Cathode materials of microstructure design
4 Conclusion and outlook

The rapid growth of energy demand and carbon emission poses unprecedented challenges to sustainable development and economic expansion worldwide. Development of clean energy has become a common choice worldwide. The promising alternative clean energies include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and nuclear. And research and development in energy conversion and storage have becoming increasingly attractive. Solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) is an advanced electrochemical energy conversion device, which can produce hydrogen or synthesis gas by highly efficient electrolysis of H₂O or CO₂+H₂O using a high temperature heat and electrical energy. The high temperature heat and electricity could be supplied simultaneously by the clean primary energy (solar, wind or nuclear energy). Also, SOEC can be operated reversibly in fuel cell mode (Solid oxide fuel cell, SOFC) for electricity production when additional electricity is needed. SOEC is a potential technology for large scale energy conversion and storage application due to the advantages of highly efficient, simple, flexible and environmentally friendly features. In this paper, the principle of SOEC is introduced respectively in detail from the perspective of thermodynamic and kinetic analysis. The current state-of-the art key materials used in solid oxide electrolysis tests are summarized, including anode, cathode, electrolyte materials and so on. The recent development in advanced stack technologies are overviewed worlwide, the main degradation modes and mechanisms of SOEC are pointed out and discussed, and the economic competitiveness of SOEC technology is carefully analyzed. On this basis, the potential application prospect of SOEC in the future are given.

Contents
1 Introduction
2 Principle of SOEC
2.1 Compositon of Electrolysis cells
2.2 Thermodynamics of electrolysis
2.3 Kinetics of electrolysis
3 Key materials
3.1 Anode materials
3.2 Cathode materials
3.3 Electrolyte materials
3.4 Other materials
4 Research statuses of SOEC stacks
5 Degradation mechanisms of SOEC
5.1 Oxygen electrode
5.2 Hydrogen electrode
5.3 Electrolyte
6 Analysis of economic competitiveness
7 Technological prospects