Effect of mPEG-PLGA on Drug Crystallinity and Release of Long-Acting Injection Microspheres: In Vitro and In Vivo Perspectives.

PURPOSE: Traditional progesterone (PRG) injections require long-term administration, leading to poor patient compliance. The emergence of long-acting injectable microspheres extends the release period to several days or even months. However, these microspheres often face challenges such as burst release and incomplete drug release. This study aims to regulate drug release by altering the crystallinity of the drug during the release process from the microspheres. METHODS: This research incorporates methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (mPEG-PLGA) into poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres to enhance their hydrophilicity, thus regulating the release rate and drug morphology during release. This modification aims to address the issues of burst and incomplete release in traditional PLGA microspheres. PRG was used as the model drug. PRG/mPEG-PLGA/PLGA microspheres (PmPPMs) were prepared via an emulsification-solvent evaporation method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were employed to investigate the presence of PRG in PmPPMs and its physical state changes during release. RESULTS: The addition of mPEG-PLGA altered the crystallinity of the drug within the microspheres at different release stages. The crystallinity correlated positively with the amount of mPEG-PLGA incorporated; the greater the amount, the faster the drug release from the formulation. The bioavailability and muscular irritation of the long-acting injectable were assessed through pharmacokinetic and muscle irritation studies in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The results indicated that PmPPMs containing mPEG-PLGA achieved low burst release and sustained release over 7 days, with minimal irritation and self-healing within this period. PmPPMs with 5% mPEG-PLGA showed a relative bioavailability (Frel) of 146.88%. IN CONCLUSION: In summary, adding an appropriate amount of mPEG to PLGA microspheres can alter the drug release process and enhance bioavailability.

Solution-processed poly(vinylidene difluoride)/cellulose acetate/Li1+xAlxTi2-x(PO4)3 composite solid electrolyte for improving electrochemical performance of solid-state lithium-ion batteries at room temperature.

To enhance energy density and secure the safety of lithium-ion batteries, developing solid-state electrolytes is a promising strategy. In this study, a composite solid-state electrolyte (CSE) composed of poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF)/cellulose acetate (CA) matrix, lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt, and Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP) fillers is developed via a facile solution-casting method. The PVDF/CA ratio, LiTFSI, and LATP fractions affect the crystallinity, structural porosity, and thermal and electrochemical stability of the PVDF/CA/LATP CSE. The optimized CSE (4P1C-40LT/20F) presents a high ionic conductivity of 4.9 × 10-4 S cm-1 and a wide electrochemical window up to 5.0 V vs. Li/Li+. A lithium iron phosphate-based cell containing the CSE delivers a high discharge capacity of over 160 mAh g-1 at 25 °C, outperforming its counterpart containing PVDF/CA polymer electrolyte. It also exhibits satisfactory cycling stability at 1C with approximately 90 % capacity retention at the 200th cycle. Additionally, its rate performance is promising, demonstrating a capacity retention of approximately 80 % under varied rates (2C/0.1C). The increased amorphous region, Li+ transportation pathways, and Li+ concentration of the 4P1C-40LT/20F CSE membrane facilitate Li+ migration within the CSE, thus improving the battery performance.

Dielectric Properties of PEEK/PEI Blends as Substrate Material in High-Frequency Circuit Board Applications.

Substrate materials for printed circuit boards must meet ever-increasing requirements to keep up with electronics technology development. Especially in the field of high-frequency applications such as radar and cellular broadcasting, low permittivity and the dielectric loss factor are key material parameters. In this work, the dielectric properties of a high-temperature, thermoplastic PEEK/PEI blend system are investigated at frequencies of 5 and 10 GHz under dried and ambient conditions. This material blend, modified with a suitable filler system, is capable of being used in the laser direct structuring (LDS) process. It is revealed that the degree of crystallinity of neat PEEK has a notable influence on the dielectric properties, as well as the PEEK phase structure in the blend system developed through annealing. This phenomenon can in turn be exploited to minimize permittivity values at 30 to 40 wt.-% PEI in the blend, even taking into account the water uptake present in thermoplastics. The dielectric loss follows a linear mixing rule over the blend range, which proved to be true also for PEEK/PEI LDS compounds.

Compositional analysis of multilayered plastic constituents and constituent mixtures using benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Multilayered plastics are widely used in food packaging and other commercial applications due to their tailored functional properties. By layering different polymers, the multilayered composite material can have enhanced mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties compared to a single plastic. However, there is a significant need to recycle these multilayer plastics, but their complex structure offers significant challenges to their successful recycling. Ultimately, the use and recycling of these complex materials requires the ability to characterize the composition and purity as a means of quality control for both production and recycling processes. New advances and availability of low-field benchtop 1H NMR spectrometers have led to increasing interest in its use for characterization of multicomponent polymers and polymer mixtures. Here, we demonstrate the capability of low-field benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy for characterization of three common polymers associated with multilayered packaging systems (low-density polyethylene [LDPE], ethylene vinyl alcohol [EVOH], and Nylon) as well as their blends. Calibration curves are obtained for determining the unknown composition of EVOH and Nylon in multilayered packaging plastics using both the EVOH hydroxyl peak area and an observed peak shift, both yielding results in good agreement with the prepared sample compositions. Additionally, comparison of results extracted for the same samples characterized by our benchtop spectrometer and a 500-MHz spectrometer found results to be consistent and within 2 wt% on average. Overall, low-field benchtop 1H NMR spectroscopy is a reliable and accessible tool for characterization of these polymer systems.

Recent advancements in polyurethane-based membranes for gas separation.

Gas separation membranes are critical in a variety of environmental research and industrial applications. These membranes are designed to selectively allow some gases to flow while blocking others, allowing for the separation and purification of gases for a variety of applications. Therefore, the demand for fast and energy-efficient gas separation techniques is of central interest for many chemical and energy production diligences due to the intensified levels of greenhouse and industrial gases. This encourages the researchers to innovate techniques for capturing and separating these gases, including membrane separation techniques. Polymeric membranes play a significant role in gas separations by capturing gases from the fuel combustion process, purifying chemical raw material used for plastic production, and isolating pure and noncombustible gases. Polyurethane-based membrane technology offers an excellent knack for gas separation applications and has also been considered more energy-efficient than conventional phase change separation methodologies. This review article reveals a thorough delineation of the current developments and efforts made for PU membranes. It further explains its uses for the separation of valuable gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2), nitrogen (N2), methane (CH4), or a mixture of gases from a variety of gas spillages. Polyurethane (PU) is an excellent choice of material and a leading candidate for producing gas-separating membranes because of its outstanding chemical chemistry, good mechanical abilities, higher permeability, and variable microstructure. The presence of PU improves several characteristics of gas-separating membranes. Selectivity and separation efficiency of PU-centered membranes are enhanced through modifications such as blending with other polymers, use of nanoparticles (silica, metal oxides, alumina, zeolite), and interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) formation. This manuscript critically analyzes the various gas transport methods and selection criteria for the fabrication of PU membranes. It also covers the challenges facing the development of PU-membrane-based separation procedures.

Fluoride releasing in polymer blends of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(methyl methacrylate).

Introduction: Polymethyl methacrylate is a polymer commonly used in clinical dentistry, including denture bases, occlusal splints and orthodontic retainers. Methods: To augment the polymethyl methacrylate-based dental appliances in counteracting dental caries, we designed a polymer blend film composed of polymethyl methacrylate and polyethylene oxide by solution casting and added sodium fluoride. Results: Polyethylene oxide facilitated the dispersion of sodium fluoride, decreased the surface average roughness, and positively influenced the hydrophilicity of the films. The blend film made of polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene oxide and NaF with a mass ratio of 10: 1: 0.3 showed sustained release of fluoride ions and acceptable cytotoxicity. Antibacterial activity of all the films to Streptococcus mutans was negligible. Discussion: This study demonstrated that the polymer blends of polyethylene oxide and polymethyl methacrylate could realize the relatively steady release of fluoride ions with high biocompatibility. This strategy has promising potential to endow dental appliances with anti-cariogenicity.

Mouldable Conductive Plastic with Optimised Mechanical Properties.

This paper investigates making an injection mouldable conductive plastic formulation that aims for conductivity into the electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding range, with good mechanical properties (i.e., stiffness, strength, and impact resistance). While conductivity in the range (electrostatic charge dissipation) and EMI shielding have been attained by incorporating conductive fillers such as carbon black, metals powders, and new materials, such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), this often occurs with a drop in tensile strength, elongation-to-break resistance, and impact resistance. It is most often the case that the incorporation of high modulus fillers leads to an increase in modulus but a drop in strength and impact resistance. In this work, we have used short carbon fibres as the conductive filler and selected a 50/50 PBT/rPET (recycled PET) for the plastic matrix. Carbon fibres are cheaper than CNTs and graphenes. The PBT/rPET has low melt viscosity and crystallises sufficiently fast during injection moulding. To improve impact resistance, a styrene-ethylene-butadiene-styrene (SEBS) rubber toughening agent was added to the plastic. The PBT/rPET had very low-impact resistance and the SEBS provided rubber toughening to it; however, the rubber caused a drop in the tensile modulus and strength. The short carbon fibre restored the modulus and strength, which reached higher value than the PBT/rPET while providing the conductivity. Scanning electron microscope pictures showed quite good bonding of the current filler (CF) to the PBT/rPET. An injection mouldable conductive plastic with high conductivity and raised modulus, strength, and impact resistance could be made.

Enhancing the Properties of Polyvinyl Alcohol Films by Blending with Corn Stover-Derived Cellulose Nanocrystals and Beeswax.

Coating is a technique to surround a target substance with a thin layer to obtain desirable properties. Polyvinyl alcohols (PVAs) are biodegradable plastics and have shown good applicability as a coating or film material. Cellulose nanocrystals are a promising green nanomaterial that has been shown to enhance the properties of PVA after blending. However, these PVA/CNC films have concerns in a moist environment due to high hydrophilicity. To overcome this issue, the current study incorporated beeswax into PVA/CNC films and investigated the effect of CNC and beeswax on the properties of the coatings and films. Results showed that the addition of corn stover-derived CNCs to PVA films increased tensile strength (from 11 to 25 MPa) and Young's modulus (from 32 to 173 MPa) and reduced water vapor transmission rate (from 25 to 20 g h-1 m-2). Beeswax added to PVA/CNC films further improved water vapor barrier properties (from 20 to 9 g h-1 m-2) and maintained Young's modulus (from 173 to 160 MPa), though it caused a reduction in the tensile strength (from 25 to 11 MPa) of the films. This information can help to select materials for blending with PVAs by obtaining the desirable endmost properties depending on applications.

Polyaryletherketone Based Blends: A Review.

This review aims to report the status of the research on polyaryletherketone-based thermoplastic blends (PAEK). PAEK are high-performance copolymers able to replace metals in many applications including those related to the environmental and energy transition. PAEK lead to the extension of high-performance multifunctional materials to target embedded electronics, robotics, aerospace, medical devices and prostheses. Blending PAEK with other thermostable thermoplastic polymers is a viable option to obtain materials with new affordable properties. First, this study investigates the miscibility of each couple. Due to different types of interactions, PAEK-based thermoplastic blends go from fully miscible (with some polyetherimides) to immiscible (with polytetrafluoroethylene). Depending on the ether-to-ketone ratio of PAEK as well as the nature of the second component, a large range of crystalline structures and blend morphologies are reported. The PAEK-based thermoplastic blends are elaborated by melt-mixing or solution blending. Then, the effect of the composition and blending preparation on the mechanical properties are investigated. PAEK-based thermoplastic blends give rise to the possibility of tuning their properties to design novel materials. However, we demonstrate hereby that significant research effort is needed to overcome the lack of knowledge on the structure/morphology/property relationships for those types of high-performance thermoplastic blends.

Phase-Separated Structure of NBR/PVC Blends with Different Acrylonitrile Contents Investigated Using STEM-EDS Mapping Analysis.

We investigated the phase-separated structure of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR)/polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blends with different acrylonitrile (AN) contents in the NBR, using dynamic mechanical analysis measurements and scanning-transmission-electron-microscopy (STEM)-energy-dispersive-X-ray-spectroscopy (EDS) elemental analysis. Two separate sharp tan δ peaks were observed in the blend at the lower AN content of 18.0%, whereas a broad peak was observed in the blends with the higher AN contents of 29.0 and 33.5%, due to the increase in miscibility, as expected from the decrease in the solubility parameter difference with the increasing AN content. The STEM-EDS elemental analysis for the concentration distribution showed that the NBR was mixed in the large PVC domains with a diameter of several micrometers, and the excluded PVC existed around the interface of the domain-matrix phases in the blend with the lower AN content, whereas small domains with a diameter of several tens of nanometers were dispersed in the blend with the higher AN content. The concentration difference in PVC between the PVC domain and the NBR matrix became smaller with increasing miscibility as the AN content increased although the blends contained the same PVC content of 40 wt%.

Surface charge regulation of imidazolium salts/starch/carboxymethyl cellulose ternary polymer blend films for controlling antimicrobial performance and hydrophobicity.

Starch (SR)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) based antimicrobial films have been widely applied in packaging field. As a high-effect antimicrobial agent, the surface charge of imidazolium salt plays an important effect on antimicrobial performances of starch/carboxymethyl cellulose. Here in, the surface charge of dodecyl imidazolium bromide salt was regulated via thiol-ene reaction. Furthermore, antibacterial films were prepared by mixing imidazolium salts with SR/CMC via solution casting method. Under the optimized ratio of CMC to SR, the antibacterial activity for as-prepared ternary polymer blend films was enhanced with the increasing of surface charge of imidazolium salt. The sample of ADSC-01 film with highest surface charge showed best antibacterial properties for E. coli and S. aureus with the inhibition zone of 3.20 cm and 3.00 cm, respectively. In addition, hydrophobic property exhibited similar positive correlation with the surface charge. Therefore, this work provides a new route to regulate the antibacterial activity of bio-based ternary polymer blend films in the packaging.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) nanocomposites modified with even and odd chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates.

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) was blended with medium-chain-length PHAs (mcl-PHAs) for improving its flexibility while nanocellulose (NC) was added as a reinforcing agent. Even and odd-chain-length PHAs, having as main component poly(3-hydroxyoctanoate) (PHO) or poly(3-hydroxynonanoate) (PHN) were synthesized and served as PHB modifiers. The effects of PHO and PHN on the morphology, thermal, mechanical and biodegradation behaviors of PHB were different, especially in the presence of NC. The addition of mcl-PHAs decreased the storage modulus (E') of PHB blends by about 40 %. The further addition of NC mitigated this decrease bringing the E' of PHB/PHO/NC close to that of PHB and having a minor effect on the E' of PHB/PHN/NC. The biodegradability of PHB/PHN/NC was higher than that of PHB/PHO/NC, the latter's being close to that of neat PHB after soil burial for four months. The results showed a complex effect of NC, which enhanced the interaction between PHB and mcl-PHAs and decreased the size of PHO/PHN inclusions (1.9 ± 0.8/2.6 ± 0.9 µm) while increasing the accessibility of water and microorganisms during soil burial. The blown film extrusion test showed the ability of mcl-PHA and NC modified PHB to stretch forming uniform tube and supports the application of these biomaterials in the packaging sector.

Electrical and Mechanical Characterisation of Poly(ethylene)oxide-Polysulfone Blend for Composite Structural Lithium Batteries.

In this work, a blend of PEO, polysulfone (PSF), and lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSi) was prepared at different PEO-PSf weight ratios (70-30, 80-20, and 90-10) and ethylene oxide to lithium (EO/Li) ratios (16/1, 20/1, 30/1, and 50/1). The samples were characterised using FT-IR, DSC, and XRD. Young's modulus and tensile strength were evaluated at room temperature with micro-tensile testing. The ionic conductivity was measured between 5 °C and 45 °C through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The samples with a ratio of PEO and PSf equal to 70-30 and EO/Li ratio equal to 16/1 have the highest conductivity (1.91 × 10-4 S/cm) at 25 °C, while the PEO-PSf 80-20 EO/Li = 50/1 have the highest averaged Young's modulus of about 1.5 GPa at 25 °C. The configuration with a good balance between electrical and mechanical properties is the PEO-PSf 70-30 EO/Li = 30/1, which has a conductivity of 1.17 × 10-4 S/cm and a Young's modulus of 800 MPa, both measured at 25 °C. It was also found that increasing the EO/Li ratio to 16/1 dramatically affects the mechanical properties of the samples with them showing extreme embrittlement.

Biological and Oxidative Degradation of Ultrathin-Fibrous Nonwovens Based on Poly(lactic Acid)/Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Blends.

Developing biodegradable materials based on polymer blends with a programmable self-destruction period in the environmental conditions of living systems is a promising direction in polymer chemistry. In this work, novel non-woven fibrous materials obtained by electrospinning based on the blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were developed. The kinetics of biodegradation was studied in the aquatic environment of the inoculum of soil microorganisms. Oxidative degradation was studied under the ozone gaseous medium. The changes in chemical composition and structure of the materials were studied by optical microscopy, DSC, TGA, and FTIR-spectroscopy. The disappearance of the structural bands of PHB in the IR-spectra of the blends and a significant decrease in the enthalpy of melting after 90 days of exposure in the inoculum indicated the biodegradation of PHB while PLA remained stable. It was shown that the rate of ozonation was higher for PLA and the blends with a high content of PLA. The lower density of the amorphous regions of the blends determined an increased rate of their oxidation by ozone compared to homopolymers. The optimal composition in terms of degradation kinetics is a fibrous material based on the blend of 30PLA/70PHB that can be used as an effective ecosorbent, for biopackaging, and as a highly porous covering material for agricultural purposes.

Preparation of nanocomposite based on chitosan-PDCOEMA containing biosynthesized ZnO: Biological and thermal characterization.

In this study, poly(2-(3,5-dichloroanilino)-2-oxoethyl 2-methylprop-2-enoate) (PDCOEMA), a new synthetic polymer based on methacrylate, was synthesized and characterized. The blend of PDCOEMA with chitosan (CS) was prepared by the hydrothermal method and the DSC technique confirmed its formation. It was observed that PDCOEMA increased the thermal stability and glass transition temperature (Tg) of CS. The Tg value of the PDCOEMA-CS blend was increased at about 7 °C with the highest ZnO NPs contribution rate. PDCOEMA-CS/ZnO nanocomposites were prepared by adding ZnO NPs produced by biosynthesis at different weight ratios to the PDCOEMA-CS blend by hydrothermal method. When the thermal stability of nanocomposites determined by TGA was examined, it was observed that it increased significantly compared to CS. While the initial decomposition temperature of CS was 270 °C, this value increased to 293 °C after blending with DCOEMA, and to 317 °C with the addition of 7 % ZnO NPs. Antimicrobial, anticancer, cytotoxic, antioxidant, and wound healing properties of PDCOEMA, CS, PDCOEMA-CS blend, and nanocomposites were determined. According to the obtained results, it was observed that nanocomposites containing 5 % and 7 % ZnO NPs showed good anticancer activity against A549 cells at a dose of 10 µg/mL. The results show that the produced nanocomposites can contribute to developing CS-based materials.

Tip-Induced Nanopatterning of Ultrathin Polymer Brushes.

Patterned, ultra-thin surface layers can serve as templates for positioning nanoparticlesor targeted self-assembly of molecular structures, for example, block-copolymers. This work investigates the high-resolution, atomic force microscopebased patterning of 2 nm thick vinyl-terminated polystyrene brush layers and evaluates the line broadening due to tip degradation. This work compares the patterning properties with those of a silane-based fluorinated self-assembled monolayer (SAM), using molecular heteropatterns generated by modified polymer blend lithography (brush/SAM-PBL). Stable line widths of 20 nm (FWHM) over lengths of over 20000 µm indicate greatly reduced tip wear, compared to expectations on uncoated SiOx surfaces. The polymer brush acts as a molecularly thin lubricating layer, thus enabling a 5000 fold increase in tip lifetime, and the brush is bonded weakly enough that it can be removed with surgical accuracy. On traditionally used SAMs, either the tip wear is very high or the molecules are not completely removed. Polymer Phase Amplified Brush Editing is presented, which uses directed self-assembly to amplify the aspect ratio of the molecular structures by a factor of 4. The structures thus amplified allow transfer into silicon/metal heterostructures, fabricating 30 nm deep, all-silicon diffraction gratings that could withstand focused high-power 405 nm laser irradiation.

Shape Memory Polymer-Based Nanocomposites Magnetically Enhanced with Fe3O4 Nanoparticles.

This work aimed to investigate the effect of magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (MNP), which are known to have a wide range of applications in recent years, on nanocomposite films prepared with shape memory polymers. Herein, PLA-PEG blend nanocomposite films were prepared by solution casting method using MNP at different ratios. PLA-PEG Blend/MNP nanocomposite films were characterized with Attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) to determine the -C=O stretching of PLA and Fe-O stretching signals of Fe3O4. The thermal stability, morphology, and magnetic behavior were studied by comparing the results among PLA-PEG blend, PLA-PEG blend/MNP nanocomposite with thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), respectively. The effect of MNP on the shape memory properties of PLA/PEG blend was investigated. Moreover, the comparison of antimicrobial activity between PLA/PEG blend and PLA-PEG blend/MNP nanocomposite films were conducted by the disk diffusion method. The results showed that MNP increased the thermal stability of the PLA/PEG blend and the nanocomposites inhibited the growth of C.albicans microorganism.

New Hybrid PVC/PVP Polymer Blend Modified with Er2O3 Nanoparticles for Optoelectronic Applications.

Polymer blend hybrid nanocomposites are of great importance for future optoelectronic applications. This paper presents the preparation of new polymer blend hybrid nanocomposites based on PVC/PVP modified with Er2O3 nanoparticles. A low-cost solution casting method has been used to prepare the polymer nanocomposites at 0.0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 wt% of Er2O3. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) measurements have all been used to examine the impact of a varying wt% of Er2O3 on the structural and optical characteristics of PVP/PVC polymer blends. The PVC/PVP polymer blend and Er2O3 nanoparticles showed a strong interaction, which was validated by XRD, FTIR, and Raman spectrum investigations. The SEM micrographs showed a remarkable complexation among the components of the polymer nanocomposites. The activation energies for thermal decomposition of PVC/PVP doped with different Er2O3 concentrations were less than that of the pure polymer film. The linear and nonlinear refractive indexes, dispersion energy, optical susceptibility and the energy gap values were found to be Er2O3 concentration-dependent. With an increase in Er2O3 concentration to 0.1 and 0.3 wt%, the dispersion energy and nonlinear refractive index improved, and thereafter decreased when the concentration was further increased to 0.6For the film doped with 0.1 wt% Er2O3, the optical band gap (Eopt) of the composite film enhanced by about 13%. The optical absorption measurements revealed clear improvements with the addition of erbium oxide. Higher refractive index values of PVC/PVP/Er2O3 films qualify the polymer blend as a cladding for electro-optic modulators. Our results indicated that the PVC/PVP/Er2O3 polymer films could be suitable for optoelectronic space applications.

Improvement in Processability for Injection Molding of Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate by Addition of Low-Density Polyethylene.

The rheological properties and processability at injection molding were studied for bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) that was modified by low-density polyethylene (LDPE) having a low shear viscosity. The LDPE addition significantly decreased the steady-state shear viscosity, especially in the high shear rate region. The decrease did not originate from slippage on the die wall but due to interfacial slippage between the PC and dispersed LDPE droplets that deformed to the flow direction to a great extent. As a result of the viscosity decrease, injection pressure largely decreased from 150 to 110 MPa with the addition only 5 wt.% of LDPE. The enhanced flowability also reduced the warpage of the molded product significantly, demonstrating that the processability at injection molding was improved by the addition of LDPE.

High-performance and low-power source-gated transistors enabled by a solution-processed metal oxide homojunction.

Cost-effective fabrication of mechanically flexible low-power electronics is important for emerging applications including wearable electronics, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Here, solution-processed source-gated transistors (SGTs) with an unprecedented intrinsic gain of ~2,000, low saturation voltage of +0.8 ± 0.1 V, and a ~25.6 µW power consumption are realized using an indium oxide In2O3/In2O3:polyethylenimine (PEI) blend homojunction with Au contacts on Si/SiO2. Kelvin probe force microscopy confirms source-controlled operation of the SGT and reveals that PEI doping leads to more effective depletion of the reverse-biased Schottky contact source region. Furthermore, using a fluoride-doped AlOx gate dielectric, rigid (on a Si substrate) and flexible (on a polyimide substrate) SGTs were fabricated. These devices exhibit a low driving voltage of +2 V and power consumption of ~11.5 µW, yielding inverters with an outstanding voltage gain of >5,000. Furthermore, electrooculographic (EOG) signal monitoring can now be demonstrated using an SGT inverter, where a ~1.0 mV EOG signal is amplified to over 300 mV, indicating significant potential for applications in wearable medical sensing and human-computer interfacing.