Su Eon Lee, Hanna Lee, Jang Hwan Kim, Jae Chul Park, Sooah Kyung, Hayoung Choi, Su Hyun Baek, Jun Hyun Park, Sohyun Park, Jeong-Min Kim, Hye-Jun Jo, Seung Hyeon Cho, Jiwoong Kim, Hojun Kim, Seung Ho Han, Jun Kyun Oh, Bong Hoon Kim
{"title":"Active-type piezoelectric smart textiles with antifouling performance for pathogenic control","authors":"Su Eon Lee, Hanna Lee, Jang Hwan Kim, Jae Chul Park, Sooah Kyung, Hayoung Choi, Su Hyun Baek, Jun Hyun Park, Sohyun Park, Jeong-Min Kim, Hye-Jun Jo, Seung Hyeon Cho, Jiwoong Kim, Hojun Kim, Seung Ho Han, Jun Kyun Oh, Bong Hoon Kim","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00350-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00350-y","url":null,"abstract":"Recently, an investigation into preventive measures for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has garnered considerable attention. Consequently, strategies for the proactive prevention of viral pathogens have also attracted significant interest in the field of wearable devices and electronic textiles research, particularly due to their potential applications in personal protective equipment. In this study, we introduce smart textiles designed with optimized piezoelectric devices that exhibit antifouling performance against microorganisms and actively inactivate viruses. These active-type smart textiles, which incorporate advanced lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramics, a stretchable interconnector array, and polymeric fabric, demonstrate effective antifouling capabilities, detaching approximately 90% of Escherichia coli and 75% of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, they inactivate viruses, releasing ~26.8 ng of N protein from ruptured SARS-CoV-2, using ultrasonic waves within the wearable platform. Experimental results show that piezoelectric smart textiles significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19 by leveraging the electrical and acoustic properties of PZT ceramics.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00350-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142385005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stretchable wireless optoelectronic synergistic patches for effective wound healing","authors":"Qian Wang, Siyuan Cai, Guang Yao, Liyuan Zhang, Wenhao Lou, Youxin Chen, Qingqing Li, Maowen Xie, Xingyi Gan, Chenzheng Zhou, Taisong Pan, Min Gao, Kangning Zhao, Zhen Cai, Yuan Lin","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00351-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00351-x","url":null,"abstract":"Physiotherapies play a crucial role in noninvasive tissue engineering for wound healing. However, challenges such as the implementation of complex interventions and unsatisfactory treatment outcomes impede widespread application. Here, we proposed a stretchable and wirelessly-powered optoelectronic synergistic patch with a dual-layer serpentine wireless receiver circuit to drive the optoelectronic modulation component. Optimized structure and impedance matching enable the patch to seamlessly attach to irregular skin surfaces and operate robustly over a 30% tensile strain range. Based on Sprague-Dawley rat wound model. The wound closure rate of the optoelectronic synergistic group significantly outperformed both monointervention and blank control groups. Mechanistically, optoelectronic synergistic intervention enhances the secretion of vascular endothelial marker proteins and growth factors, and stabilizes mitochondrial function during oxidative stress. Overall, the scalable amalgamation of flexible electronics, wireless transmission, and synergistic interventions promise to improve wound care.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00351-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142384432","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Haechan Park, Sehyun Kim, Juyeong Lee, Kwangmin Kim, Hanah Na, Yeeun Kim, Daeun Kim, Donghyung Shin, BongSoo Kim, Kyoseung Sim
{"title":"Facile strategy for uniform gold coating on silver nanowires embedded PDMS for soft electronics","authors":"Haechan Park, Sehyun Kim, Juyeong Lee, Kwangmin Kim, Hanah Na, Yeeun Kim, Daeun Kim, Donghyung Shin, BongSoo Kim, Kyoseung Sim","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00349-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00349-5","url":null,"abstract":"Silver nanowires-embedded polydimethylsiloxane (AgNWs/PDMS) electrodes are promising components for various soft electronics, but face energy mismatch with organic semiconductors. Attempts at galvanic replacement, involving spontaneous gold (Au) formation on the electrodes, often result in non-uniform and particulate Au coatings, compromising device performance and stability. In this study, we introduce a novel approach for achieving a uniform and complete Au coating on AgNWs/PDMS electrodes by adding NaCl to the Au complex solution. This addition slows down the galvanic replacement process and prevents precipitation, enabling a uniform and complete Au coating on the AgNWs surface. Such coating significantly reduces contact resistance (RC), thereby enhancing the electrical characteristics of p-type organic transistors. Furthermore, the development of high-performance, fully soft organic transistors was achieved incorporating an organic semiconductor-elastomer blend. Additionally, reliable, mechanically stable soft glucose sensor was developed, taking advantage of the complete Au coating, which protects against oxidation during the glucose sensing process.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00349-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142374210","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuqi Tian, Kai Yang, Yicong Wang, Jie Wang, Andrea S. Carlini, Zhinan Zhang, Yujun Deng, Jinyun Tan, Linfa Peng, Bo Yu, Zhongqin Lin
{"title":"Self-adaptive epidermal blood flow sensor for high-flux vascular access monitoring of hemodialysis patients","authors":"Yuqi Tian, Kai Yang, Yicong Wang, Jie Wang, Andrea S. Carlini, Zhinan Zhang, Yujun Deng, Jinyun Tan, Linfa Peng, Bo Yu, Zhongqin Lin","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00342-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00342-y","url":null,"abstract":"Well-functioning vascular access (VA) is essential for hemodialysis treatment in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, continuous and accurate monitoring of blood flow to assess high-flux VA during hospitalization or at home is not feasible for either clinical instruments or wearable sensors. Here, we report the design and preclinical validation of a high-precision, long-term, epidermal blood flow sensor that self-adapts to unavoidable sensor-mounting deviations on the skin and is compatible with individual tissue differences. Specifically, the technology is based on thermal dissipation of the skin, and improves the signal-to-error ratio surpassing 4 times when measuring high-flux blood (100–600 mL/min). In preclinical validation, the sensor is compared with the Doppler ultrasound and demonstrate a blood flow resolution of 10–50 mL/min. Furthermore, it is highly-integrated and wearable, measuring 36 × 50 mm2. The sensor paves the way for accurate, convenient, high-flux blood monitoring, offering significant potential to extend the lives of patients with ESRD.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00342-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142362828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yunxiang Huang, Gen Li, Tianyu Bai, Yieljae Shin, Xiaoxin Wang, Alexander Ian More, Pierre Boucher, Chandramouli Chandrasekaran, Jifeng Liu, Hui Fang
{"title":"Flexible electronic-photonic 3D integration from ultrathin polymer chiplets","authors":"Yunxiang Huang, Gen Li, Tianyu Bai, Yieljae Shin, Xiaoxin Wang, Alexander Ian More, Pierre Boucher, Chandramouli Chandrasekaran, Jifeng Liu, Hui Fang","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00344-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00344-w","url":null,"abstract":"Integrating flexible electronics and photonics can create revolutionary technologies, but combining these components on a single polymer device has been difficult, particularly for high-volume manufacturing. Here, we present a robust chiplet-level heterogeneous integration of polymer-based circuits (CHIP), where ultrathin polymer electronic and optoelectronic chiplets are vertically bonded at room temperature and shaped into application-specific forms with monolithic Input/Output (I/O). This process was used to develop a flexible 3D integrated optrode with high-density microelectrodes for electrical recording, micro light-emitting diodes (μLEDs) for optogenetic stimulation, temperature sensors for bio-safe operations, and shielding designs to prevent optoelectronic artifacts. CHIP enables simple, high-yield, and scalable 3D integration, double-sided area utilization, and miniaturization of connection I/O. Systematic characterization demonstrated the scheme’s success and also identified frequency-dependent origins of optoelectronic artifacts. We envision CHIP being applied to numerous polymer-based devices for a wide range of applications.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00344-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142360074","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jianhong Zhang, Xinhui Mao, Qingyan Jia, Renhao Nie, Yangyang Gao, Kai Tao, Honglong Chang, Peng Li, Wei Huang
{"title":"Body-worn and self-powered flexible optoelectronic device for metronomic photodynamic therapy","authors":"Jianhong Zhang, Xinhui Mao, Qingyan Jia, Renhao Nie, Yangyang Gao, Kai Tao, Honglong Chang, Peng Li, Wei Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00345-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00345-9","url":null,"abstract":"Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a clinical method relies on appropriate light delivery to activate photosensitizers, usually necessitates the utilization of cumbersome surgical instruments and high irradiation intensity, along with the requirement for hospitalization. To extend the applicability of PDT beyond hospital for better patient mobility, we design a wearable and self-powered metronomic PDT (mPDT) system for chronic wound infection treatment. A flexible alternative current electroluminescent (ACEL) device is constructed through sandwiching an emissive layer between conductive hydrogel electrodes. This ACEL device works as a therapeutic patch by loading photosensitizer (PS) in its bottom hydrogel electrode, thus aviods the intravenous administration to patients. Under the triboelectric nanogenerator generated AC pulse, the electroluminescence produced from emissive layer can be absorbed by the PS-loaded electrode to generate reactive oxygen species for mPDT. Benefited from its arbitrary tailorability, this device can be customized into on-demand shapes and sizes. Using diabetic infected wound as a model condition, this ACEL mPDT device effectively eliminates drug-resistant bacteria and accelerates wound healing. Thus, the body-worn optoelectronic device successfully avoids the utilization of extracorporeal physical light and power sources, providing a promising strategy for convenient, user-friendly, and prolonged treatment of superficial diseases.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00345-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142329694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Minki Kim, Minjae Cho, Chongyoung Chung, Ki-Uk Kyung
{"title":"Stretchable, transparent and multifunctional PVC-gel heater: a novel approach to skin-mountable, wearable thermal devices","authors":"Minki Kim, Minjae Cho, Chongyoung Chung, Ki-Uk Kyung","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00348-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00348-6","url":null,"abstract":"Electric heaters based on functional materials and innovative designs have been developed for various applications. In this paper, we propose a soft dielectric heater (SDH) using polyvinyl chloride-gel (PVC-gel) as the dielectric heater and hydrogel as stretchable electrodes. Under an AC voltage, the leakage current in the PVC-gel leads to continuous injection and discharge of charges, causing the polarized plasticizers and flexible PVC chains to vibrate and collide, thereby generating heat through dielectric heating. Furthermore, the SDH generates a uniform temperature distribution even under strains up to 400%. Besides, high transmittance over 86% across the visible range renders it suitable for wearable or skin-mountable heaters from an esthetic viewpoint. Its capacitor-like structure achieves a scalable design, enabling extension from a singular cell to a row/column addressable and pixelated array of heaters. The 5 × 5 SDH array can deliver varied thermal information and sensations while maintaining performance even when stretched.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00348-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142273349","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ha Kyung Park, Kanghoon Yim, Jiyoon Lee, Yunae Cho, Inyoung Jeong, Donghyeop Shin, Jihye Gwak, Aron Walsh, Kihwan Kim, William Jo
{"title":"Interplay between strain and charge in Cu(In,Ga)Se2 flexible photovoltaics","authors":"Ha Kyung Park, Kanghoon Yim, Jiyoon Lee, Yunae Cho, Inyoung Jeong, Donghyeop Shin, Jihye Gwak, Aron Walsh, Kihwan Kim, William Jo","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00347-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00347-7","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible and lightweight Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) thin-film solar cells are promising for versatile applications, but there is limited understanding of stress-induced changes. In this study, the charge carrier generation and trapping behavior under mechanical stress was investigated using flexible CIGS thin-film solar cells with various alkali treatments. Surface current at the CIGS surface decreased by convex bending, which occurs less with the incorporation of alkali metals. The formation energy of the carrier generating defects increased in convex bending environments clarifying the degradation of the surface current. Moreover, alkali-related defects had lower formation energy than the intrinsic acceptors, mitigating current degradation in mechanical stress condition. The altered defect energy levels were attributed to the deformation of the crystal structure under bending states. This study provides insights into the mitigating of strain-induced charge degradation for enhancing the performance and robustness of flexible CIGS photovoltaic devices.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00347-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142235096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Creating highly efficient stretchable OLEDs with nanowavy structures for angle-independent narrow band emission","authors":"Ajay Nimbalkar, Aqsa Irfan, Min Chul Suh","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00343-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00343-x","url":null,"abstract":"Stretchable organic light-emitting diodes (SOLEDs) have been the challenging class of OLEDs as they have limited processability to fabricate a design that can withstand external deformation. Herein, we demonstrated the highly efficient top-emitting geometrical stretchable OLED (GSOLED) by incorporating the prestretched elastomer with optical adhesive film. The experimental and theoretical characterizations verified the enhancement of device efficiencies with the light extraction phenomenon brought by nanowavy corrugated structures. Furthermore, GSOLED shows stability in stretchable conditions and displays narrower emission spectrum with improved color purity. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 21 nm shows narrowband emission with a high current efficiency and EQE of 221 cd A−1 and 39.50%. This work marks a significant step forward, providing unprecedented insights into the factors influencing device performance in current and future material systems for stretchable organic light-emitting diodes.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00343-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142160360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strong and high-conductivity hydrogels with all-polymer nanofibrous networks for applications as high-capacitance flexible electrodes","authors":"Huimin He, Yaqing Chen, Aoyang Pu, Li Wang, Wenxiu Li, Xiaoyu Zhou, Chuyang Y. Tang, Kiwon Ban, Mengsu Yang, Lizhi Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41528-024-00346-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41528-024-00346-8","url":null,"abstract":"Flexible devices, such as soft bioelectronics and stretchable supercapacitors, have their practical performance limited by electrodes which are desired to have high conductivity and capacitance, outstanding mechanical flexibility and strength, great electrochemical stability, and good biocompatibility. Here, we report a simple and efficient method to synthesize a nanostructured conductive hydrogel to meet such criteria. Specifically, templated by a hyperconnective nanofibrous network from aramid hydrogels, the conducting polymer, polypyrrole, assembles conformally onto nanofibers through in-situ polymerization, generating continuous nanostructured conductive pathways. The resulting conductive hydrogel shows superior conductivity (72 S cm−1) and fracture strength (27.2 MPa). Supercapacitor electrodes utilizing this hydrogel exhibit high specific capacitance (240 F g−1) and cyclic stability. Furthermore, bioelectrodes of patterned hydrogels provide favorable bioelectronic interfaces, allowing high-quality electrophysiological recording and stimulation in physiological environments. These high-performance electrodes are readily scalable to applications of energy and power systems, healthcare and medical technologies, smart textiles, and so forth.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":12.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-024-00346-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142160309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}