The chemical diversity of organic semiconductors coupled with the kinetic nature of film formation make it challenging to tune the structure of active-layer thin films in organic electronics across multiple length scales. We review techniques to tune aspects of film structure within a framework that accounts for the competition between the time available for structural development and the time required by the organic semiconductors to order, defined by a dimensionless time, τ, that describes the ratio of these two quantities. By considering these two competing time scales, we propose general guidelines to tune the film structure accordingly.

Load-bearing, mechanically active tissues are routinely subjected to nonlinear mechanical deformations. Consequently, these tissues exhibit complex mechanical properties and unique tissue organizations. Successful engineering of mechanically active tissues relies on the integration of the mechanical sensing mechanism found in the native tissues into polymeric scaffolds. Intelligent biomaterials that closely mimic the structural organizations and multi-scale responsiveness of the natural extracellular matrices, when strategically combined with multipotent cells and dynamic culture devices that generate physiologically relevant physical forces, will lead to the creation of artificial tissues that are mechanically robust and biologically functional.

This paper demonstrates the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) tools to explore large libraries of documents and to correlate heuristic associations between text descriptions in figure captions with interpretations of images and figures. The use of visualization tools based on NLP methods permits one to quickly assess the extent of the research described in the literature related to a specific topic. The authors demonstrate how the use of NLP methods on only the figure captions without having to navigate the entire text of a document can provide an accelerated assessment of the literature in a given domain.

A process for bioconjugation of an IgG antibody and silicon quantum dots (Si-QDs) having the luminescence in the near-infrared (NIR) range was developed. For the bioconjugation, the surface of water-soluble all-inorganic Si-QDs was functionalized by using silane-coupling agents. In amino-functionalized Si-QDs, successful conjugation was achieved without strongly affecting the luminescence property. Detailed analyses revealed that Si-QDs are bound covalently to both the light and heavy chains of an IgG antibody. It was also confirmed that the binding property of an IgG antibody with antigen nucleoprotein was not ruined by the process. The successful conjugation of an IgG antibody and NIR luminescent Si-QDs paves the way for designing environmentally friendly bio-sensing and -imaging processes.

High-performance electrochemical hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) sensors based on PdAg nanoparticle-decorated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) hybrids were developed. The nanostructures were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction techniques. It was found that introduction of MWCNT in the catalyst layer improved the sensitivity and widened the linear range. Sensitivities of 393.2, 437.1, and 576.6 µA/mM/cm2 were obtained for PdAg/rGO–MWCNT (2:1), PdAg/rGO–MWCNT (1:1), and PdAg/rGO–MWCNT (1:2), respectively. Furthermore, hierarchical structure of rGO–MWCNT nanohybrids enabled the detection of H2O2 up to 80 mM.

Functionalization of silicone rubber films with lysozyme was achieved by grafting copolymerization and its chemical activation allowing the covalent immobilization of the enzyme. The new materials were characterized by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, contact angle, atomic force microscopy, and mechanical properties of films. The enzymatic activity of films was studied by a suspension of lyophilized Micrococcus lysodeikticus. The activity test was inquired at different pH and temperatures, exhibiting enzymatic activity 20 °C above the free lysozyme, and at pH = 5 where the free lysozyme did not show activity.

Conventional computed tomography (CT) remains the workhorse of cross-sectional medical imaging. But dual- and multi-energy CT allows for more specific material decomposition, enabling distinct advantages in the clinical setting. In this review, we describe the basic principles behind material decomposition in dual- and multi-energy CT, outline the techniques used to acquire images, and explore how enhanced material decomposition leads to improved patient care. We also explore areas of active research and future directions, including photon-counting CT, that have the potential to revolutionize CT in clinical use.

Synthetic biology combines engineering and biology to produce artificial systems with programmable features. Specifically, engineered microenvironments have advanced immensely over the past few decades, owing in part to the merging of materials with biologic mimetic structures. In this review, the authors adapt a traditional definition of community ecology to describe “cellular ecology,” or the study of the distribution of cell populations and interactions within their microenvironment. The authors discuss two exemplar hydrogel platforms: (1) self-assembling peptide hydrogels and (2) poly(ethylene) glycol hydrogels and describe future opportunities for merging smart material design and synthetic biology within the scope of multicellular platforms.

In this study, we have developed a facile and simple route for preparation of ultrafine CoO/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanohybrids with tunable particle size and crystallinity for lithium-ion battery (LIB) application. At the optimized calcination time of 60 min, the homogeneous and ultrafine CoO nanoparticles with mean size of 4.5 nm can be intimately attached onto rGO surface to rapidly transport Li ions and electrons. The CoO/rGO exhibits excellent rate capability and high specific capacity of 520 mAh/g at 2400 mA/g. In addition, the capacity can be recovered to 900 mAh/g at 150 mA/g after 60 cycles, indicating the superior electrochemical performance of CoO/rGO for LIB applications.

The authors report results of the studies relating to the synthesis of nanodot zirconia that has been utilized for the fabrication of electrochemical biosensing platform for the detection of CYFRA-21-1 biomarker, secreted in saliva samples of oral cancer patients. For the synthesis of nanodot zirconia (ndZrO2), the hydrothermal process was used and further functionalized with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES). Electrophoretic deposition technique was employed for its deposition onto the ITO electrode. The EDC-NHS reaction was used for anti-CYFRA-21-1 immobilization and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used for blocking of the nonspecific binding sites. The fabricated biosensing platform (BSA/anti-CYFRA-21-1/APTES/ndZrO2/ITO) exhibited a wide linear detection range (0.5–50 ng/mL) with excellent sensitivity (0.53 μA mL/ng cm2).

We report a new pulsed chemical vapor deposition (PCVD) process to deposit nickel (Ni) and nickel carbide (Ni3C x ) thin films, using bis(1,4-di-tert-butyl-1,3-diazabutadienyl)nickel(II) precursor and either H2 gas or H2 plasma as the coreactant, at a temperature from 140 to 250 °C. All the PCVD films are fairly pure with low levels of N and O impurities. The films deposited with H2 gas at ≤200 °C are faced centered cubic-phase Ni metal films with low C content; but at ≥220 °C, another phase of rhombohedral Ni3C is formed and the C content increases. However, when H2 plasma is used, the films are always in rhombohedral Ni3C phase for the entire temperature range.

In this work, a facile superhydrophobic coating for 2024-T3 aluminum alloy is developed and characterized. The corrosion resistance of the coating was analyzed. The results showed that the coating has high polarization resistance and a low corrosion rate. Furthermore, a micro/nanoscale investigation about the interaction between substrates and the corrosive environment was carried out using the in situ atomic force microscope technique. The change in surface topography was monitored for both the bare aluminum alloy substrate and the superhydrophobic aluminum alloy. The results showed that the coating retained surface features indicated that the coating has excellent corrosion resistance.

Recent observations on strength and deformation of small metals containing microstructures, including dislocation patterns, grain boundaries, and second-phase precipitates are reviewed. These microstructures impose an internal length scale that may interplay with the extrinsic length scale due to the specimen size to affect strength and deformation in an intricate manner. For micro-crystals containing pre-existing dislocations, Taylor work-hardening may dictate the dependence of strength on specimen size. The presence of grain boundaries in a small specimen may lead to effects far from the conventional Hall–Petch behavior. Precipitate–dislocation interactions in a small specimen may lead to an interesting weakest-size behavior.

Polymeric electrolytes have attracted recent research interest because they offer the advantages of being safe and non-flammable, having no dendrite formation, and having no possibility of leakage. The incorporation of synthetic polymers to gel electrolytes has numerous disadvantages: for instance, the required preparation time for creating gel electrolytes from synthetic polymers is dubious and lengthy. Additionally, the conventional pristine polymer gel electrolyte layer has been reported to have low ionic conductivity. This work is focused on preparing a thin flexible gel electrolyte layer by using a naturally occurring wood-based nanofiber cellulose (NFC) hydrogel, to overcome the energy and time consumption of conventional processes. In addition, we use polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as an additive to the NFC hydrogel in controlled amounts to fabricate a stable thin gel electrolyte layer. By using x-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectra studies, we were able to further our understanding of the microstructure of the films: i.e., the penetration and cross-linking (changes in the bonding structures) of semi-crystalline PVA and hydrogel to form a flexible gel electrolyte layer. The NFC hydrogel-PVA films resulted in much higher ionic conductivity values when compared to other existing pristine polymer electrolytes. The addition of KOH to the NFC hydrogel-PVA further enhanced the ionic conductivity. The best ionic conductivity recorded was 75 mS/cm for films with thickness in the range of 200–350 µm, which is comparable to the highest reported ionic conductivity values of gel electrolytes.

We present a quantitative in-situ transmission electron microscope (TEM) study of stress-assisted grain growth in 75 nm thick platinum thin films. We utilized notch-induced stress concentration to observe the microstructural evolution in real time. From quantitative measurements, we find that rapid grain growth occurred above 290 MPa of far field stress and ~0.14% elongation. This value is found to be higher than that required for stable interface motion but lower than the stress required for unstable grain boundary motion. We attribute such grain growth to geometrical incompatibility arising out of crystallographic misorientation in adjoining grains, or in other words, geometrically necessary grain growth.

Due to the lack of the stability of amine films, a promising transducer, quartz-tuning fork (QTF) prongs were modified by a bi-layer film of plasma-polymerized n-heptane (hep) and then by ethylenediamine (EDA), respectively. For this purpose, the authors investigate the stability of amine-rich thin films both in air and aqueous medium. EDA films were deposited on QTF substrates by using an RF plasma system. The final amine-rich thin film was used to immobilize biologic recognition element. Model protein studies were showed that selected thin films could be adapted to QTF transducers to be used as a biosensor template.

We employed ab initio global structural prediction algorithms to obtain the ground-state structure of CuBO2 This is a very promising p-type transparent conductive oxide that was synthesized recently, and thought to belong to the delafossite family. We proved that the true ground state is certainly not the delafossite structure, and that the most promising candidate is a low symmetry monoclinic phase. This is still a layered structure, but with boron and copper having a different coordination with respect to the delafossite phase.

In our paper, yttrium aluminum garnet doped with cerium (YAG:Ce) and terbium aluminum garnet doped with cerium (TAG:Ce) yellow garnet phosphors were prepared by a modified sol–gel method, using oxide, nitride as raw materials and acetylacetone, dimethyl sulfoxide, cetrimonium bromide in the hydrolysis and condensation step. The thermal treatment of the phosphors was performed at 1100 °C in order to transform it from amorphous to crystalline garnet phase. Structural, morphological, and luminescence properties were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that the modified sol–gel method provides a feasible approach to produce YAG:Ce and TAG:Ce yellow phosphors for the optoelectronic applications.

Ab initio microkinetic modeling was performed to study ethanol conversion to acetaldehyde on Pt-based bimetallic alloys in a non-oxidative environment. Alloying Pt with Au, Ag, Cu, Co, Ni, Zn, Cd, Al, Ga, In, Tl, Ge, Sn, Pb, As, and Sb showed an increase in product turnover by at least an order of magnitude compared with Pt at 423 K. This was correlated to the increased stabilization of CH3CHO species over these alloys. Among the alloy candidates; Pt3Cu, Pt3Zn, Pt3Ga, Pt3Ge, Pt3Sb, and Pt3Pb were found to be more active than Pt.

We have used phase-separated poly(3-hexyltiophene) (P3HT)/poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) blends to fabricate low-voltage ion-modulated transistors on a rough paper substrate. The semiconductor and insulator are mixed together in a solution and spin casted onto the paper substrate. Owing to their different solubilities and surface energies the P3HT and PLLA will phase separate vertically during the spinning process creating a thin layer of semiconductor on top of the insulator. This thin semiconductor layer, difficult to achieve by other means on an absorbing paper substrate, creates faster ion-modulated transistors. Using this approach we have created ring-oscillators on paper oscillating at 5 Hz.