Biomimetic Polymerization of Tellurocysteine: Breaking the Natural Amino Acid Radioprotection Limitation

Wei Chen, Hanjie Zhu, Yue Zhang, Yuqing Qiao, Ruotong Deng, Huaping Xu*, Wei Cao* Advanced Science 2026: e00010. Radioprotection remains a critical challenge in biomedicine and space exploration. As the fundamental building blocks of organisms, amino acids are gaining momentum in chemical design for in vivo radioprotection, yet their low atomic number (Z) and rapid metabolism restrict practical applications. This study addresses these limitations through the melanin-inspired polymerization of the higher Z-tellurocysteine. Motivated by the superior catalytic activity and higher Z of tellurium...
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Recyclable thermoplastic silicone elastomers from non-carbon heteroatomic polymer backbones

Yuanbo Zhang, Feiyang Li, Jia Tian, Shenghan Zhang, Muqing Cao, Ruihao Zhou, Lu Wang, PengFei Cao, Huaping Xu*. Nat Commun 2026 Silicone materials are indispensable across industrial and consumer domains, yet their robust Si–O–Si backbones resist depolymerization and typically require chemical crosslinking to attain elastomeric properties. Here we report a modular synthesis to access non-carbon heteroatomic backbone polymers (PTeSiO) featuring periodic Si–O–Te–O linkages. This copolymerization merges Si–O and Te–O as building blocks, enabling a one-pot, room-temperature aqueous route to high...
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Multifunctional Hydrophilic Selenium-Polyurea for Controlled Ion Release of Biodegradable Alloys and Immuno-osteogenic Synergistic Modulation

Yang Fu, Xiaoqiang Bai, Zhuoxin Ge, Zhuqing Wan, Mo Zhai, Mingchu Zhao, Dongdong Huang, Xiaodong Guo, Qian Ding, Huaping Xu*, Yongsheng Zhou*, Longwei Lv*. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2026: e74749. Early burst ion release of biodegradable alloys, such as Zn2+, often triggers inflammation and impairs bone formation, which affects the clinical application of biodegradable alloys. Here, a multifunctional hydrophilic selenium-containing polyurea (SePUA) is designed with a tunable ratio of selenium-containing groups to hydrophilic groups. The SePUA can form stable Se-metal coordination, achieving controll...
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Ultrafast Programming of Large Curvature Based on Selenium-Sulfur Dynamic Metathesis

Ruiyang Wen,  Chenglin Zhang,  Chaozheng Miao,  Wanting Huang,  Rui Quan,  Ruohan Huang,  Han Wu,  Zehuan Huang*,  Yizheng Tan*,  Huaping Xu* Adv.  Mater.; 2026: e23642. The construction and integration of curvature govern the structure and function of materials based on 2D sheets, yet achieving ultrafast and scalable curvature programming remains a major challenge. We rapidly generate large stress mismatches by combining an ultrafast stress-relaxing diselenide-containing polyurethane with an ultraslow stress-relaxing disulfide-containing polyurethane. Coupled with modular components and com...
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β-Selenoester-Crosslinked Nanocapsules Potentiate Immunotherapy by Imposing Divergent Fates in Cancer Cells and Macrophages

Banruo Xianyu, Zeyu Lu, Huaping Xu*, Tianyu Li* Biomaterials, 2026: p. 124099. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have emerged as a promising immunotherapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the indiscriminate cytotoxicity of chemotherapies and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment paradoxically impede this potential. To overcome these limitations, we engineered β-selenoester–crosslinked nanocapsules delivering Gefitinib, designed to induce opposite cell fates in cancer cells and macrophages. In cancer cells, the Se-C bond in β-selenoester is ultrasensitive un...
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Photo-responsive Intelligent Adaptive Material Systems: Light-controlled Topological Reconfiguration Polymers

Tiantian Yang, Huaping Xu*. Acta Polymerica Sinica, 2025, 56, 2302. Intelligent adaptive materials constitute a vital component of modern advanced material systems. Compared to other stimuli such as temperature and pH, light exhibit advantageous characters including cleanliness, renewability, and high spatiotemporal resolution. As a result, light-responsive intelligent adaptive materials have witnessed significant development in recent years, both in fundamental research and technological applications. They are now widely applied in frontier fields such as manufacturing, optoelectronics, and...
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Nanoshield Architecture Harnessing Neoantigen-Targeting Peptides Enables Durable Post-surgical Glioma Immunotherapy

Qiliang Yin. Jingjing Li, Jianhua Zhang, Jiyan Leng, Kexin Zhang, Xihui Gao, Fan Wang*, Qi Yue*, Chao Ma*, Huaping Xu, Xiaogang Liu, Hongjie Zhang, Kai Liu* Nano Letters, 2025. 25(36): p. 13629-13638. Despite advances in immunotherapy, its efficacy against postoperative glioma recurrence remains limited. Here, we present a neoantigen-targeting peptide nanoshield that synergizes with glioma resection to eliminate residual tumor cells and prevent relapse. The nanoshield architecture is constructed using a multicationic protein (MCP) as the structural scaffold, which is assembled with the mutat...
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Se Polyurethane-Coated Titanium for Improved Osteogenesis and Immune Response

Mo Zhai, Banruo Xianyu, Honglin Zhang, Xiaoqiang Bai, Yang Fu, Zhuqing Wan, Wenke Zhang, Huaping Xu*, Yongsheng Zhou*, Longwei Lv*  Adv. Funct. Mater. 2026: e14534. Titanium implants, although widely used in clinical applications, are still facing challenges of inflammation and compromised osseointegration, especially in diabetic and osteoporotic patients. Existing titanium modification techniques are confronted with problems of complicated manufacturing processes, poor bonding strength, and difficulties in dual regulation of immunity and osteogenesis. Here, a selenium-containing polyurethan...
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Modified melanin for intestinal radioprotection via oral administration

Wei Chen, Hanjie Zhu,  Ruotong Deng, Yuqing Qiao, Qing Ruan, Junbo Zhang, Yongxian Zhang, Yantao Niu, Huaping Xu*, Wei Cao* Cell Biomaterials. 2025. 1(11). Radiation-induced intestine injury is a common clinical complication in radiotherapy for abdominal and pelvic cancers. To date, oral radioprotective agents are still extremely rare because the harsh gastrointestinal environment would denature the drugs. Melanin, a natural polymer, has attracted attention for its potential radioprotective properties. However, the inherent low Z elements in natural melanin offer limited defense against radi...
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Fluorescent Patterning via Visible Light-Triggered Dynamic Diselenide Exchange

Jianbing Liu, Peng Zhao, Yizheng Tan*, Huaping Xu* Supramolecular Materials, 2025.4 : p. 100115. Fluorescent polymeric materials have recently gained significant attention in diverse fields, including biological imaging, luminescent sensing, encryption, and anti-counterfeiting. However, the patterning of many materials mentioned above has primarily been achieved through soft lithography technology using ultraviolet light, which can cause unnecessary damage to the materials and is limited by a shallow penetration depth. Herein, we introduce oligo(p-phenylene vinylene) derivatives (cyano-OPVs)...
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