Electrically Conductive Polymers for Additive Manufacturing.

The use of electrically conductive polymers (CPs) in the development of electronic devices has attracted significant interest due to their unique intrinsic properties, which result from the synergistic combination of physicochemical properties in conventional polymers with the electronic properties of metals or semiconductors. Most conventional methods adopted for the fabrication of devices with nonplanar morphologies are still challenged by the poor ionic/electronic mobility of end products. Additive manufacturing (AM) brings about exciting prospects to the realm of CPs by enabling greater design freedom, more elaborate structures, quicker prototyping, relatively low cost, and more environmentally friendly electronic device creation. A growing variety of AM technologies are becoming available for three-dimensional (3D) printing of conductive devices, i.e., vat photopolymerization (VP), material extrusion (ME), powder bed fusion (PBF), material jetting (MJ), and lamination object manufacturing (LOM). In this review, we provide an overview of the recent research progress in the area of CPs developed for AM, which advances the design and development of future electronic devices. We consider different AM techniques, vis-à-vis, their development progress and respective challenges in printing CPs. We also discuss the material requirements and notable advances in 3D printing of CPs, as well as their potential electronic applications including wearable electronics, sensors, energy storage and conversion devices, etc. This review concludes with an outlook on AM of CPs.

Self-Healing Polymeric Materials and Composites for Additive Manufacturing.

Self-healing polymers have received widespread attention due to their ability to repair damage autonomously and increase material stability, reliability, and economy. However, the processability of self-healing materials has yet to be studied, limiting the application of rich self-healing mechanisms. Additive manufacturing effectively improves the shortcomings of conventional processing while increasing production speed, accuracy, and complexity, offering great promise for self-healing polymer applications. This article summarizes the current self-healing mechanisms of self-healing polymers and their corresponding additive manufacturing methods, and provides an outlook on future developments in the field.

The role of breast ductoscopy in evaluation of nipple discharge: a chinese experience of 419 patients.

The aim of this study is to report our experience with ductoscopic evaluation for screening patients with nipple discharge and evaluate any potential indications and benefits of ductoscopy. From January 2010 to December 2012, 419 female patients with nipple discharge were enrolled in this study. All patients involved in this study showed no mass in ultrasound and mammography. Data concerning age, clinical characteristics of nipple discharge, nipple discharge cytology, ductoscopic and postsurgical diagnosis, and complications were statistically analyzed. Ductoscopy examinations were completed in 405 patients (96.66%). For these 405 patients, there were 519 ductoscopic investigations. 112 (27.65%) patients were found to have intraductal papillary lesions of which 62 were operated in our hospital. Postsurgical diagnosis showed 8 (12.9%) malignancy including 6 DCIS and 2 invasive ductal carcinomas. All of the 8 patients meet at least two criteria of pathologic nipple discharge (single duct, spontaneous, bloody nipple discharge). The other patients with nonpapillary lesions are still under surveillance. By univariate analysis, patients with unilateral, single duct, spontaneous and bloody nipple discharge were more likely to have intraductal papillary lesions. By multivariate analysis, unilateral, spontaneous, and bloody nipple discharge showed statistically significant correlations with intraductal papillary lesions revealed by ductoscopy. Ductoscopy is a safe and efficient investigation in preoperative screening of the patients with nipple discharge. Clinical characteristics have predictive value in selection of patients for ductoscopical investigation. Patients with clinical characteristics of unilateral, spontaneous, and bloody nipple discharge were more likely to have intraductal papillary lesions revealed by ductoscopy.