Flexible Pressure Sensor Array with Multi-Channel Wireless Readout Chip.

Flexible sensor arrays are widely used for wearable physiological signal recording applications. A high density sensor array requires the signal readout to be compatible with multiple channels. This paper presents a highly-integrated remote health monitoring system integrating a flexible pressure sensor array with a multi-channel wireless readout chip. The custom-designed chip features 64 voltage readout channels, a power management unit, and a wireless transceiver. The whole chip fabricated in a 65 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process occupies 3.7 × 3.7 mm2, and the core blocks consume 2.3 mW from a 1 V supply in the wireless recording mode. The proposed multi-channel system is validated by measuring the ballistocardiogram (BCG) and pulse wave, which paves the way for future portable remote human physiological signals monitoring devices.

Tailoring atomic 1T phase CrTe2forin situfabrication.

Controllable tailoring and understanding the phase-structure relationship of the 1T phase two-dimensional (2D) materials are critical for their applications in nanodevices. Thein situtransmission electron microscope (TEM) could regulate and monitor the evolution process of the nanostructure of 2D material with atomic resolution. In this work, a controllably tailoring 1T-CrTe2nanopore is carried out by thein situTEM. A preferred formation of the 1T-CrTe2border structure and nanopore healing process are studied at the atomic scale. The controllable tailoring of the 1T phase nanopore could be achieved by regulating the transformation of two types of low indices of crystal faces {101¯0} and {112¯0} at the nanopore border. Machine learning is applied to automatically process the TEM images with high efficiency. By adopting the deep-learning-based image segmentation method and augmenting the TEM images specifically, the nanopore of the TEM image could be automatically identified and the evaluation result of DICE metric reaches 93.17% on test set. This work presents the unique structure evolution of 1T phase 2D material and the computer aided high efficiency TEM data analysis based on deep learning. The techniques applied in this work could be generalized to other materials for controlled nanostructure regulation and automatic TEM image analyzation.

Solution-assisted ultrafast transfer of graphene-based thin films for solar cells and humidity sensors.

Vacuum filtration enables the fabrication of large-area graphene-based membranes (GBMs), possessing a smoother surface than that by spray, spin coating or drop casting. However, due to the strong interaction with substrates, the separation of thin GBMs from the filter is problematic. Conventional stamping separation/transfer of graphene oxide (GO) thin films requires another substrate and pressing for >10 h, which may damage the delicate structure of the transfer substrates. Other methods require GO to be reduced on filters before separation, thus limiting the reduction methods. Inspired by a coagulation bath that enables rapid formation of ultrastrong GO fibers, we present an ultrafast (<1 min) and solution-assisted strategy to fabricate smooth and freestanding GO films. The diverse interfacial energy of hydrogen bonds also demonstrates another reason for the successful separation. The film thickness ranges from 45 nm to several micrometers. When used as a composite of counter electrodes in dye sensitized solar cells, it showed higher (8.58%) power conversion efficiency than its spin-(7.71%) and spray-coated (8.07%) counterparts. It also showed promising performance in capacitive humidity sensors. The capacitance varied by three orders of magnitude in the range of the relative humidity of 15%-95%. Therefore the strategy realizes an ultrafast and high-quality film production which is suitable for various applications.

Investigation of dodecane in three-dimensional porous graphene sponge by Raman mapping.

Three-dimensional (3D) carbon nano-materials, e.g. a graphene sponge (GS) are promising candidates for the removal of pollutants and the separation of oil and water. A systematic study on how oils or organic solvents disperse in the porous structures of 3D carbon nano-materials, and the factors affecting their sorption process, would be beneficial for designing a superior sorbent with desirable porous structures. Here, confocal Raman spectroscopic imaging was utilized to explore the absorption and desorption processes of dodecane (a constituent in petroleum products) in 3D porous GS with different pore size. It was found that dodecane predominately locates within the interior pores composed of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets, which provide storage spaces for the absorbed molecules. The larger pore GS has a higher absorption capacity and faster desorption rate compared to the smaller one, which is due to the higher pore volume and weaker interaction with the absorbed molecules. A possible mechanism was also proposed to explain the role of porous macrostructures on the absorption and desorption properties of GSs.

Liquid-like pseudoelasticity of sub-10-nm crystalline silver particles.

In nanotechnology, small-volume metals with large surface area are used as electrodes, catalysts, interconnects and antennae. Their shape stability at room temperature has, however, been questioned. Using in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, we find that Ag nanoparticles can be deformed like a liquid droplet but remain highly crystalline in the interior, with no sign of dislocation activity during deformation. Surface-diffusion-mediated pseudoelastic deformation is evident at room temperature, which can be driven by either an external force or capillary-energy minimization. Atomistic simulations confirm that such highly unusual Coble pseudoelasticity can indeed happen for sub-10-nm Ag particles at room temperature and at timescales from seconds to months.

Carbon microbelt aerogel prepared by waste paper: an efficient and recyclable sorbent for oils and organic solvents.

A carbon microbelt (CMB) aerogel with good selective sorption can be produced in large scale by using waste paper as a precursor. The CMB aerogel shows highly efficient sorption of organic liquids (pump oil: up to 188 times its own weight; chloroform: up to 151 times its own weight). Moreover, the CMB aerogel can be regenerated many times without decrease of sorption capacity by distillation, or squeezing depending on the type of pollutants.

Synthesis of porous, hollow metal MCO(3) (M=Mn, Co, Ca) microstructures and adsorption properties thereof.

Porous, hollow metal carbonate microstructures show many unique properties, and are attractive for various applications. Herein, we report the first demonstration of a general strategy to synthesize hollow metal carbonate structures, including porous MnCO3 hollow cubics, porous CoCO3 hollow rhombuses and porous CaCO3 hollow capsules. For example, the porous, hollow MnCO3 microcubes show larger Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of 359.5 m(2) g(-1) , which is much larger than that of solid MnCO3 microcubics (i.e., 12.03 m(2) g(-1) ). As a proof of concept, these porous MnCO3 hollow microcubes were applied to water treatment and exhibited an excellent ability to remove organic pollutants in waste water owing to their hollow structure and large specific surface area.

Recent advances in membrane technologies applied in oil-water separation.

Effective treatment of oily wastewater, which is toxic and harmful and causes serious environmental pollution and health risks, has become an important research field. Membrane separation technology has emerged as a key area of investigation in oil-water separation research due to its high separation efficiency, low costs, and user-friendly operation. This review aims to report on the advances in the research of various types of separation membranes around emulsion permeance, separation efficiency, antifouling efficiency, and stimulus responsiveness. Meanwhile, the challenges encountered in oil-water separation membranes are examined, and potential research avenues are identified.

Tailoring the phase transition of silver selenide at the atomistic scale.

Thermoelectric materials provide promising solutions for energy harvesting from the environment. Silver selenide (Ag2Se) material attracts much attention due to its excellent thermoelectric properties under superionic phase transition. However, the optimal thermoelectric figure of merit occurs during the phase transition at high temperatures, making low-temperature devices unable to benefit from their best thermoelectric performance. Here, we tailored the phase transition process of Ag2Se materials with various sizes, and probed the phase transition temperature by in situ transmission electron microscopy. By tuning the motion of the atoms near the surface using size-dependent surface energy, the phase transition-induced process is tailored towards low temperatures. This work paves the way for future phase transition engineering to enhance thermoelectric performance.

Sub-4 nm Nanodiamonds from Graphene-Oxide and Nitrated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons at 423 K.

Nanodiamonds are interesting materials from the point of view of their biocompatibility and their chemical, spectroscopic, and mechanical properties. Current synthetic methods for nanodiamonds involve harsh environments, which are potentially hazardous in addition to being expensive. We report a low-temperature (423 K) hydrothermal approach to form nanodiamonds by using graphene-oxide or nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, or pyrene) as a starting material. The reaction products contain single-crystalline or twinned nanodiamonds with average diameters in the 2-3 nm range. Theoretical calculations prove that, at the nanoscale, sub-4 nm nanodiamonds may adopt a structure that is more stable than graphene-oxide and nitrated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Our findings show that sp2 carbon in the polycyclic aromatic precursor can be converted to sp3 carbon under unexpectedly moderate temperature conditions by using nanoscale precursors and thus offer a low-temperature approach for the synthesis of sub-4 nm nanodiamonds.

Superhydrophobic graphene-coated sponge with microcavities for high efficiency oil-in-water emulsion separation.

Materials for emulsion separation with low pressure, high flux and high stability are of great interest in the treatment of oily wastewater. Herein, we report a facile strategy for the fabrication of PDMS and graphene coated melamine sponge (PG-MS), which can efficiently separate oil-in-water emulsions. In PG-MS, melamine sponge (MS) provides a three-dimensional porous structure, graphene constructs hydrophobic microcavities, and PDMS enhances the hydrophobic property of the material, forming a superhydrophobic material. The PG-MS shows high flux (experimentally 10 000 L m-2 h-1, and the effective flux increases with the thickness of the filter layer), high separation efficiency (oil content of the filtered water ∼4.7 mg L-1 can be discharged directly, with oil separation efficiency >99%), low pressure (applied to overcome water's gravity), and high stability (no obvious change in 20 cycles). Our study indicates that PG-MS has a wide range of applications in oil-in-water emulsion separation in industry and environmental sciences.

Graphene-Based Sensors for Human Health Monitoring.

Since the desire for real-time human health monitoring as well as seamless human-machine interaction is increasing rapidly, plenty of research efforts have been made to investigate wearable sensors and implantable devices in recent years. As a novel 2D material, graphene has aroused a boom in the field of sensor research around the world due to its advantages in mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Numerous graphene-based sensors used for human health monitoring have been reported, including wearable sensors, as well as implantable devices, which can realize the real-time measurement of body temperature, heart rate, pulse oxygenation, respiration rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, electrocardiogram signal, electromyogram signal, and electroencephalograph signal, etc. Herein, as a review of the latest graphene-based sensors for health monitoring, their novel structures, sensing mechanisms, technological innovations, components for sensor systems and potential challenges will be discussed and outlined.

A Silica-Sol-Based Fortified Structure with Superhydrophobic Coating for Harsh Conditions.

Although numerous bio-inspired superhydrophobic coatings have been extensively studied in the last decades, most of them suffer from low chemical stability and mechanical weakness, which severely limit their extensive applications. Herein, a silica-based, superhydrophobic, highly stable and mechanically durable coating was prepared via a facile, energysaving strategy. Modified silica nanoparticles, were fortified with silane coupling agent and spray-deposited on substrates, forming a superhydrophobic, self-cleaning coating with high water contact angle (CA = 159.0°), as well as low rolling angle (RA ≈ 3°). The protective coating showed high chemical stability that endured various harsh conditions, such as wide temperature range (-18 to 250 °C), extreme pH (1 to 13), weeks of exposure under sunlight, etc. Moreover, the coating exhibited superior mechanical robustness that could resist the attack of shear force in vigorous ultrasonication for 7 hours. In addition, repetitive scratching with a steel blade could not undermine the protective coating (CA > 150°). It is believed that the present strategy is a potent candidate for facile fabrication of superhydrophobic surface coatings, which have promising applications on extreme conditions in both household and industry.

A surface transition of nanoparticle-decorated graphene films from water-adhesive to water-repellent.

Herein, a facile strategy is introduced to realize the transition of graphene films from a water-adhesion surface (adhesive pressure of 541.5 Pa) to a water-repellent surface (adhesive pressure of ∼0 Pa) via decoration of carbon nanoparticles. Cassie impregnating wetting state and Cassie state are used to explain highly adhesive effect and strong repelling effect, respectively. Droplet impacting experiments demonstrate that the as-prepared graphene films have a stable structure, which is beneficial for their applications.

A facile strategy for rapid preparation of graphene spongy balls.

Porous three dimensional (3D) graphene macrostructures have demonstrated the potential in versatile applications in recent years, including energy storage, sensors, and environment protection, etc. However, great research attention has been focused on the optimization of the structure and properties of graphene-based materials. Comparatively, there are less reports on how to shape 3D graphene macrostructures rapidly and effortlessly, which is critical for mass production in industry. Here, we introduce a facile and efficient method, low temperature frying to form graphene-based spongy balls in liquid nitrogen with a yield of ~400 balls min(-1). Moreover, the fabrication process can be easily accelerated by using multi pipettes working at the same time. The graphene spongy balls show energy storage with a specific capacitance of 124 F g(-1) and oil adsorbing with a capacity of 105.4 times its own weight. This strategy can be a feasible approach to overcome the low efficiency in production and speed up the development of porous 3D graphene-based macrostructures in industrial applications.

Large-range control of the microstructures and properties of three-dimensional porous graphene.

Graphene-based three-dimensional porous macrostructures are believed of great importance in various applications, e.g. supercapacitors, photovoltaic cells, sensors and high-efficiency sorbents. However, to precisely control the microstructures and properties of this material to meet different application requirements in industrial practice remains challenging. We herein propose a facile and highly effective strategy for large-range tailoring the porous architecture and its properties by a modified freeze casting process. The pore sizes and wall thicknesses of the porous graphene can be gradually tuned by 80 times (from 10 to 800 µm) and 4000 times (from 20 nm to 80 µm), respectively. The property experiences the changing from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, with the Young's Modulus varying by 15 times. The fundamental principle of the porous microstructure evolution is discussed in detail. Our results demonstrate a very convenient and general protocol to finely tailor the structure and further benefit the various applications of porous graphene.

Microscopic bimetallic actuator based on a bilayer of graphene and graphene oxide.

We present an actuator, consisting of a bilayer of graphene and graphene oxide, which allows us to exert forces in micromechanical systems that are at least 50 times higher than reported for other actuators of comparable size. The durability of such a device and stability during many cycles are demonstrated, and the related mechanism is discussed in detail.

Ultrahigh humidity sensitivity of graphene oxide.

Humidity sensors have been extensively used in various fields, and numerous problems are encountered when using humidity sensors, including low sensitivity, long response and recovery times, and narrow humidity detection ranges. Using graphene oxide (G-O) films as humidity sensing materials, we fabricate here a microscale capacitive humidity sensor. Compared with conventional capacitive humidity sensors, the G-O based humidity sensor has a sensitivity of up to 37800% which is more than 10 times higher than that of the best one among conventional sensors at 15%-95% relative humidity. Moreover, our humidity sensor shows a fast response time (less than 1/4 of that of the conventional one) and recovery time (less than 1/2 of that of the conventional one). Therefore, G-O appears to be an ideal material for constructing humidity sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity for widespread applications.

Carbon fiber aerogel made from raw cotton: a novel, efficient and recyclable sorbent for oils and organic solvents.

Twisted carbon fiber (TCF) aerogel with good selective sorption is produced in large scale by using raw cotton as the precursor. TCF aerogel shows highly efficient sorption of organic liquids (pump oil: up to 192 times its own weight; chloroform: up to 115 times its own weight). Moreover, it could be regenerated many times without decrease of sorption capacity by distillation, combustion or squeezing, which depends on the type of pollutants.