Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
J. Li, J. Liu, W. Huo, J. Yu, X. Liu, M. J. Haslinger, M. Muehlberger, P. Kulha, X. Huang
Summary: Biodegradable electronics with the ability to disintegrate and dissolve in liquids have promising applications in healthcare and consumer electronics. Printing technology has the potential to produce complex electronic components with improved yield and throughput. However, achieving a fully printed biodegradable system with complex electronic components is still a challenge. This article summarizes the state-of-the-art techniques in printing biodegradable electronic devices and provides insights into the development of biodegradable inks and pastes suitable for printing. It also discusses the challenges and future trends in printing biodegradable electronics.
MATERIALS TODAY NANO
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Chongze Yue, Jingyi Wang, Zhiqiang Wang, Boyang Kong, Guiying Wang
Summary: The growing concern and demand for food safety in society have created the need for intelligent portable devices to monitor the entire food process from production to table. Flexible printed electronics technology, which combines various important technologies, provides one of the most promising solutions to this challenge. While there have been successful developments in this field, such as flexible printed sensors and radio frequency identification systems, the technology is still not mature enough. This review provides a comprehensive introduction to the different aspects of flexible printed electronics technology and focuses on its application in food quality monitoring and intelligent food packaging in recent years.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ping Ren, Jingyan Dong
Summary: The study focuses on the development of foldable sustainable electronics using electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing to fabricate PEDOT:PSS/graphene composite circuits on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films. The printed electronics demonstrate good foldability and mechanical stability, and maintain stable electronic response even after multiple folding and unfolding cycles. The use of printed PEDOT:PSS/graphene circuits as resistive temperature sensors for body temperature and respiration monitoring is also presented, highlighting their potential for transient electronics and biodegradability.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Jinhyuck Ahn, Ho Hyung Sim, Je Hyeong Kim, Muhammad Wajahat, Jung Hyun Kim, Jongcheon Bae, Seonghyeon Kim, Jaeyeon Pyo, Chang Jun Jeon, Bum Seok Kim, Sung Hyun Baek, Seung Kwon Seol
Summary: The study introduces a novel air-pressure-assisted pen-nib printing approach to produce electrical and functional components on flat and 3D surfaces. By manipulating the quantity of ejected ink through the nib via air pressure, the printed line width can be controlled, allowing for a wider range of printable inks and the creation of various components.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2022)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Niloufar Ehsani, Hadis Rostamabadi, Saeed Dadashi, Babak Ghanbarzadeh, Mohammad Saeed Kharazmi, Seid Mahdi Jafari
Summary: Intelligent packaging is capable of monitoring changes in packaged food materials, providing real-time information on their quality, maturity, and safety. Electrospun nanofiber (ENF) structures, based on natural biopolymers, offer versatile biomaterial platforms for designing intelligent packaging systems. This review highlights the recent advances in food intelligent packaging systems and discusses their performance and potential applications in different types of packaged foods.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Rebecca R. Tafoya, Michael A. Gallegos, Julia R. Downing, Livio Gamba, Bryan Kaehr, Eric N. Coker, Mark C. Hersam, Ethan B. Secor
Summary: This study investigates the conditions for using graphene inks in high-speed flexographic printing, revealing the impact of ink and process parameters on print quality and electrical properties of graphene electrodes. The characterization of printed patterns shows striations and dense graphene network. Additionally, the mechanical and environmental sensitivity of printed electrodes, particularly atmospheric response and thermal hysteresis, is examined.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xia Ouyang, Ruitao Su, Daniel Wai Hou Ng, Guebum Han, David R. Pearson, Michael C. McAlpine
Summary: This research reports a 3D printed flexible UV-visible photodetector array that is intimately interfaced with human skin and measures real-time optical irradiance. It can aid in the medical profiling of photosensitive diseases.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Ulrika Boda, Ioannis Petsagkourakis, Valerio Beni, Peter Andersson Ersman, Klas Tybrandt
Summary: The challenge of high-performance fully printed stretchable OECTs is addressed by developing fully screen-printed stretchable OECTs. Three stretchable functional screen-printing inks are developed, enabling the fabrication of OECTs. The stretchable OECTs show good characteristics and can withstand high strains. An electrochromic smart pixel is demonstrated by connecting a stretchable OECT to a stretchable electrochromic display. The development of screen-printed stretchable electrochemical devices, particularly OECTs, is believed to pave the way for their use in wearable applications and commercial products.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Hong Wei Tan, Yu Ying Clarrisa Choong, Che Nan Kuo, Hong Yee Low, Chee Kai Chua
Summary: In recent years, the 3D printed electronics technology has attracted significant attention from industries and researchers due to its unique features. This review provides an in-depth overview of the latest 3D electronic printing techniques, innovative practical technologies, and upcoming application trends in advanced functional materials for fabricating 3D printed electronics devices.
PROGRESS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xinyu Zhang, Yongfeng Pei, Bin Tian, Youfusheng Wu, Guilin Tang, Qun Liu, Jing Liang, Wei Wu
Summary: This study presents a simple hydrothermal method to synthesize rGO/Fe2O3 composite, which can be used as the active material in screen-printing functional inks. The functional inks show excellent dispersibility and printability in an EC-ethanol system. By over-printing, performance-controlled screen-printed electrodes were successfully fabricated. In addition, flexible supercapacitors (FSCs) with different printed layers were achieved using rGO/Fe2O3-based printed electrodes, exhibiting remarkable areal capacitances and significant energy densities. The flexibility and stability of the device were also demonstrated. The directly screen-printed integrated rGO/Fe2O3-based printed FSC array provides a stable energy supply and has promising application prospects in wearable energy storage.
JOURNAL OF ENERGY STORAGE
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xinran Zhou, Kaushik Parida, Jian Chen, Jiaqing Xiong, Zihao Zhou, Feng Jiang, Yangyang Xin, Shlomo Magdassi, Pooi See Lee
Summary: The fast development of wearable electronic systems requires a sustainable energy source. Piezoelectric polymer films are a perfect candidate for fabricating nanogenerators, but most of their applications are limited to the pressing mode energy harvesting. In this work, an auxetic structure is 3D printed on a polymer film-based PENG, enabling the bending deformation of the PENG to be transformed into controlled in-plane stretching deformation, increasing the bending output voltage by 8.3 times. The auxetic structure-assisted PENG is also demonstrated as a sensor for bending angle and motion monitoring.
ADVANCED ENERGY MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luan Gustavo Santos, Gisele Fernanda Alves-Silva, Vilasia Guimaraes Martins
Summary: This study developed sodium alginate films loaded with Clitoria ternatea extract (CTE) and found that these films had high light barrier capacity and improved tensile strength. The incorporation of CTE improved the thermal stability of the materials and showed antibacterial action. These films showed good compatibility with foods and had color-changing potential, making them suitable for monitoring food freshness.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Christine Fisher, Lydia N. Skolrood, Kai Li, Pooran C. Joshi, Tolga Aytug
Summary: Aerosol-jet printing (AJP) is an emergent direct-write approach used for rapid and affordable manufacturing of microadditive energy-efficient sensors and printed electronics. AJP can print diverse materials with a wide range of ink viscosities (0.001-1 Pa s) including ceramics, metals, polymers, and biological matter. It enables the conformal printing of complex geometrical designs on nonplanar surfaces with high spatial resolution features (approximately 10 μm) and wide standoff distances (1-11 mm) between the nozzle and substrate.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Georg C. Schmidt, Pramul M. Panicker, Xunlin Qiu, Aravindan J. Benjamin, Ricardo A. Quintana Soler, Issac Wils, Arved C. Huebler
Summary: The global trend towards ubiquitous electronics requires novel concepts for lightweight, flexible, low-cost, and sustainable sensors and actuators, with piezoelectric transducers based on functional polymers meeting these specifications. A new concept for paper-embedded large-area piezoelectric devices is introduced, manufactured solely through roll-to-roll mass printing and post printing technologies. This offers a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly solution for mass production of thin and flexible organic large-area piezoelectric devices.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhiyun Wu, Shuiren Liu, Zijuan Hao, Xuying Liu
Summary: MXenes, as an amazing class of 2D layered materials, have attracted great attention in the past decade. Recent progress has shown that MXene-based materials have been widely explored as conductive electrodes for printed electronics, such as electronic and optoelectronic devices, sensors, and energy storage systems. This review comprehensively interprets the critical factors that impact device performance from the viewpoint of contact engineering and highlights the significance of MXene contact engineering in reducing defects, matching energy levels, and regulating performance in order to meet the urgent demands of printed electronics. Additionally, the challenges of MXene inks and related printing techniques are summarized, aiming to inspire researchers to develop novel large-area and high-resolution printing integration methods. Finally, the collaborative combination of the printing process and contact engineering in constructing printed electronics is discussed.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xin Li, Wenkai Yu, Mehdi Baghaee, Changyong Cao, Dunyu Chen, Ju Liu, Hongyan Yuan
Summary: Tendon-driven continuum robots achieve continuous deformations through tendon contractions. The constant curvature assumption is accurate for some cases but inaccurate for soft robots or robot-environment interactions. To model the complex deformations of continuum robots, we developed a finite element model based on the geometrically exact beam theory and demonstrated its accuracy, efficiency, and applicability through numerical examples.
ACTA MECHANICA SOLIDA SINICA
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xianchen Xu, Qian Wu, Yaokun Pang, Yuteng Cao, Yuhui Fang, Guoliang Huang, Changyong Cao
Summary: A novel multifunctional metamaterial (MFM) based on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) capable of energy harvesting and vibration control is reported. The MFM can effectively power electronics and suppress low-frequency mechanical vibration. This work provides a new design and model for developing advanced smart systems used in various applications.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Wenkai Yu, Xin Li, Dunyu Chen, Jingyi Liu, Jiaji Su, Ju Liu, Changyong Cao, Hongyan Yuan
Summary: The minimally designed soft crawling robot (SCR) presented in this article is capable of robust locomotion in unstructured pipes with various geometric/material properties and surface topology. The robot can squeeze through narrow pipes smaller than its cross section and is able to propel robustly in spiked pipes. The locomotion mechanism of the robot is experimentally investigated and analyzed, revealing that the resultant forward frictional force is generated due to the asymmetric mechanical properties along the length direction of the robot.
BIOINSPIRATION & BIOMIMETICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yaokun Pang, Xianchen Xu, Shoue Chen, Yuhui Fang, Xiaodong Shi, Yiming Deng, Zhong-Lin Wang, Changyong Cao
Summary: Inspired by human skin, a textile-based tactile sensor capable of multifunctional sensing for personalized healthcare monitoring and soft robotic control is reported. The sensor can mimic the function of fast adapting mechanoreceptors and slow adapting mechanoreceptors, enabling real-time recognition of voice, monitoring physiological signals and human motions, as well as accurate perception of surface textures and material types. The sensor has potential applications in various fields.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yaokun Pang, Shoue Chen, Yunteng Cao, Zhida Huang, Xianchen Xu, Yuhui Fang, Changyong (Chase) Cao
Summary: This study presents a breath-driven triboelectric sensor for self-powered respiratory monitoring and smart system control. The sensor effectively detects breath variations and generates electrical signals based on breath patterns, with advantages of high sensitivity, good stability, low cost, and ease of use.
ADVANCED MATERIALS INTERFACES
(2022)
Article
Robotics
Zhiqiang Yu, Yue Guo, Jiaji Su, Qiang Huang, Toshio Fukuda, Changyong Cao, Qing Shi
Summary: This paper proposes a bioinspired active whisking tactile sensor (MAWS) that mimics the sensory capabilities of whiskers in animals such as rats. The sensor is capable of actively sensing stimuli from the surrounding environment and determining distance, shape, size, and orientation of objects, as well as environmental conditions. Experimental results show that the proposed sensor performs well in reactive obstacle avoidance.
IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Abdus Sobhan, Fei Jia, Lisa Cooney Kelso, Sonatan Kumar Biswas, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Changyong Cao, Lin Wei, Yanbin Li
Summary: An activated biochar-based immunosensor was developed to rapidly detect E. coli O157:H7 cells without incubation. The sensor coated with activated biochar and functionalized with antibodies showed enhanced impedance amplitude compared to the control electrode. The immunosensor was capable of detecting E. coli O157:H7 cells with a limit of detection of 4 log CFU/mL.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Yaokun Pang, Yuhui Fang, Jiaji Su, Huigang Wang, Yeqiang Tan, Changyong (Chase) Cao
Summary: A new triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (TEHG) has been developed, which combines a soft ball-based triboelectric nanogenerator (SB-TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG) for efficient energy harvesting from low-frequency water waves. The critical parameters affecting the energy harvesting performance of the SB-TENG have been investigated, including the type of filled liquids, silicone shell thickness, number of layers, and added soft balls. Under an operating frequency of 1 Hz, the SB-TENG and EMG can reach a maximum output peak power of 0.5 and 8.5 mW, respectively. This study not only presents a new design and approach to enhance the output performance of TENGs, but also demonstrates the potential of a self-powered water-sensing system driven by low-frequency water waves.
ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES
(2023)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Rui Chen, Xin Li, Qin Xiong, Xinyu Zhu, Huigang Wang, Wenbiao Wang, Guanjun Bao, Zhen Chen, Changyong (Chase) Cao, Jun Luo
Summary: Soft materials enable robots to adapt to uncertain working environments, but their weak mechanical properties make them easily damaged. Additionally, most soft materials are not repairable or degradable, leading to new environmental burdens. This study presents a self-healable, recyclable, and degradable soft material (SRDSM) composed of gelatin and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The SRDSM demonstrates a fracture strength of 3-4 MPa and a stretchability of up to 300 %-400% by controlling composition and drying time. Results show that the SRDSM can recover 90% of its mechanical strength after healing and 95% after recycling. A soft gripper based on the SRDSM is demonstrated, capable of self-healing and remanufacturing after minor and severe damage, respectively. Furthermore, the soft gripper completely decomposes and degrades after contact with water. This research provides an environmentally friendly and recyclable material for the development of soft robots, reducing their negative environmental impact.
MATERIALS & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Huigang Wang, Xiaojun Liu, Yuhui Fang, Xiangqun Zeng, Changyong Cao
Summary: To enhance the sensitivity and reliability of hydrogen sensors, an ionic liquid-based electrochemical gas sensor with bimetallic Pt-Ni nanoparticles was fabricated for continuous monitoring of hydrogen concentration. The device demonstrated excellent analytical sensing performance, reaching a limit of detection up to 19.3 ppm.
IEEE SENSORS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Zhida Huang, Hao Wang, Lei Chen, Hector Gomez, Bo Li, Changyong (Chase) Cao
Summary: In this article, a new meshfree phase field model based on the HOTM method is introduced to efficiently and accurately simulate nanoparticle sintering processes. The model utilizes the Galerkin method and the LEM shape function to construct a Node-Material Point framework, and it also incorporates efficiency improvement schemes and MPI parallel computation for large-scale simulations. Performance tests demonstrate the model's efficiency and accuracy by comparing its results with actual sintering behaviors of nanoparticles.
ENGINEERING WITH COMPUTERS
(2023)
Article
Robotics
Rui Chen, Xinrui Tao, Changyong Cao, Pei Jiang, Jun Luo, Yu Sun
Summary: This article presents a lightweight soft wall-climbing robot with integrated linear, turning, and transitioning motion capabilities. The robot utilizes pneumatic bending actuators and adaptive electroadhesion pads to enable it to move on various surfaces and make transitions between walls. Different motion and control strategies are proposed and experimental results demonstrate the robot's ability to move at an average speed of 3.85mm/s on different wall orientations. The soft robot also has the ability to carry a miniature camera for detection and surveillance tasks on vertical walls.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ROBOTICS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yaokun Pang, Zhida Huang, Yuhui Fang, Xianchen Xu, Changyong (Chase) Cao
Summary: Smart packaging is crucial for product protection, quality monitoring, and supply chain efficiency. However, the use of sensors in smart packaging requires a sustainable power supply. To address this, we propose a self-powered smart packaging system driven by a desiccant-based triboelectric nanogenerator (D-TENG) which harvests energy from vibrations.
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Zhen Chen, Huigang Wang, Yunteng Cao, Yujie Chen, Ozan Akkus, Hezhou Liu, Changyong (Chase) Cao
Summary: Hydrogels with water-rich structures, biocompatibility, and responsiveness to stimuli show great potential for soft actuators and robots. However, conventional isotropic hydrogels have limited actuation performance. Anisotropic hydrogels offer a promising approach for creating high-performance soft actuators and robots. This review provides an overview of fabricating bio-inspired anisotropic hydrogels and explores actuation methods and potential applications in the field.
Article
Automation & Control Systems
Xiaomin Liu, Maozheng Song, Yuhui Fang, Yunwei Zhao, Changyong Cao
Summary: Inspired by worms, the soft tubular robot reported in this study is capable of operating and performing various tasks in complex pipeline and tunnel environments. Through a series of experiments, the robot's robust crawling ability under different pipeline conditions, carrying heavy loads, and traversing multi-branched pipelines have been demonstrated. Equipped with a visualization unit, the robot can detect internal pipeline conditions and navigate as needed.
ADVANCED INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS
(2022)
