@article{XuAngiolettiUbertiLuetal.2018,
  author    = {Xu, Xiao and Angioletti-Uberti, Stefano and Lu, Yan and Dzubiella, Joachim and Ballauff, Matthias},
  title     = {Interaction of Proteins with Polyelectrolytes},
  series = {Langmuir},
  volume    = {35},
  journal   = {Langmuir},
  number    = {16},
  publisher = {American Chemical Society},
  address   = {Washington},
  issn      = {0743-7463},
  doi       = {10.1021/acs.langmuir.8b01802},
  pages     = {5373 -- 5391},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {We discuss recent investigations of the interaction of polyelectrolytes with proteins. In particular, we review our recent studies on the interaction of simple proteins such as human serum albumin (HSA) and lysozyme with linear polyelectrolytes, charged dendrimers, charged networks, and polyelectrolyte brushes. In all cases discussed here, we combined experimental work with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and mean-field theories. In particular, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) has been employed to obtain the respective binding constants K-b and the Gibbs free energy of binding. MD simulations with explicit counterions but implicit water demonstrate that counterion release is the main driving force for the binding of proteins to strongly charged polyelectrolytes: patches of positive charges located on the surface of the protein become multivalent counterions of the polyelectrolyte, thereby releasing a number of counterions condensed on the polyelectrolyte. The binding Gibbs free energy due to counterion release is predicted to scale with the logarithm of the salt concentration in the system, which is verified by both simulations and experiment. In several cases, namely, for the interaction of proteins with linear polyelectrolytes and highly charged hydrophilic dendrimers, the binding constant could be calculated from simulations to very good approximation. This finding demonstrated that in these cases explicit hydration effects do not contribute to the Gibbs free energy of binding. The Gibbs free energy can also be used to predict the kinetics of protein uptake by microgels for a given system by applying dynamic density functional theory. The entire discussion demonstrates that the direct comparison of theory with experiments can lead to a full understanding of the interaction of proteins with charged polymers. Possible implications for applications, such as drug design, are discussed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NingYuMeietal.2022,
  author    = {Ning, Jiaoyi and Yu, Hongtao and Mei, Shilin and Sch{\"u}tze, Yannik and Risse, Sebastian and Kardjilov, Nikolay and Hilger, Andr{\´e} and Manke, Ingo and Bande, Annika and Ruiz, Victor G. and Dzubiella, Joachim and Meng, Hong and Lu, Yan},
  title     = {Constructing binder- and carbon additive-free organosulfur cathodes based on conducting thiol-polymers through electropolymerization for lithium-sulfur batteries},
  series = {ChemSusChem},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {ChemSusChem},
  number    = {14},
  publisher = {Wiley},
  address   = {Weinheim},
  issn      = {1864-5631},
  doi       = {10.1002/cssc.202200434},
  pages     = {10},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Herein, the concept of constructing binder- and carbon additive-free organosulfur cathode was proved based on thiol-containing conducting polymer poly(4-(thiophene-3-yl) benzenethiol) (PTBT). The PTBT featured the polythiophene-structure main chain as a highly conducting framework and the benzenethiol side chain to copolymerize with sulfur and form a crosslinked organosulfur polymer (namely S/PTBT). Meanwhile, it could be in-situ deposited on the current collector by electro-polymerization, making it a binder-free and free-standing cathode for Li-S batteries. The S/PTBT cathode exhibited a reversible capacity of around 870 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and improved cycling performance compared to the physically mixed cathode (namely S\&PTBT). This multifunction cathode eliminated the influence of the additives (carbon/binder), making it suitable to be applied as a model electrode for operando analysis. Operando X-ray imaging revealed the remarkable effect in the suppression of polysulfides shuttle via introducing covalent bonds, paving the way for the study of the intrinsic mechanisms in Li-S batteries.},
  language  = {en}
}