Intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics by redistributing strain to PEDOT:PSS with enhanced stretchability and interfacial adhesion.

Intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics have emerged as a prominent candidate for the next-generation wearable power generators regarding their structural design flexibility, omnidirectional stretchability, and in-plane deformability. However, formulating strategies to fabricate intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics that exhibit mechanical robustness under both repetitive strain cycles and high tensile strains remains challenging. Herein, we demonstrate high-performance intrinsically stretchable organic photovoltaics with an initial power conversion efficiency of 14.2%, exceptional stretchability (80% of the initial power conversion efficiency maintained at 52% tensile strain), and cyclic mechanical durability (95% of the initial power conversion efficiency retained after 100 strain cycles at 10%). The stretchability is primarily realised by delocalising and redistributing the strain in the active layer to a highly stretchable PEDOT:PSS electrode developed with a straightforward incorporation of ION E, which simultaneously enhances the stretchability of PEDOT:PSS itself and meanwhile reinforces the interfacial adhesion with the polyurethane substrate. Both enhancements are pivotal factors ensuring the excellent mechanical durability of the PEDOT:PSS electrode, which further effectively delays the crack initiation and propagation in the top active layer, and enables the limited performance degradation under high tensile strains and repetitive strain cycles.

Janus Membrane-Based Wearable pH Sensor with Sweat Absorption, Gas Permeability, and Self-Adhesiveness.

Wearable biomedical sensors have enabled noninvasive and continuous physiological monitoring for daily health management and early detection of chronic diseases. Among biomedical sensors, wearable pH sensors attracted significant interest, as pH influences most biological reactions. However, conformable pH sensors that have sweat absorption ability, are self-adhesive to the skin, and are gas permeable remain largely unexplored. In this study, we present a pioneering approach to this problem by developing a Janus membrane-based pH sensor with self-adhesiveness on the skin. The sensor is composed of a hydrophobic polyurethane-polydimethylsiloxane porous hundreds nanometer-thick substrate and a hydrophilic poly(vinyl alcohol)-poly(acrylic acid) porous nanofiber layer. This Janus membrane exhibits a thickness of around 10 µm, providing a conformable adhesion to the skin. The simultaneous realization of solution absorption, gas permeability, and self-adhesiveness makes it suitable for long-term continuous monitoring without compromising the comfort of the wearer. The pH sensor was tested successfully for continuous monitoring for 7.5 h, demonstrating its potential for stable analysis of skin health conditions. The Janus membrane-based pH sensor holds significant promise for comprehensive skin health monitoring and wearable biomedical applications.

All-solution-processed ultraflexible wearable sensor enabled with universal trilayer structure for organic optoelectronic devices.

All-solution-processed organic optoelectronic devices can enable the large-scale manufacture of ultrathin wearable electronics with integrated diverse functions. However, the complex multilayer-stacking device structure of organic optoelectronics poses challenges for scalable production. Here, we establish all-solution processes to fabricate a wearable, self-powered photoplethysmogram (PPG) sensor. We achieve comparable performance and improved stability compared to complex reference devices with evaporated electrodes by using a trilayer device structure applicable to organic photovoltaics, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. The PPG sensor array based on all-solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes and photodetectors can be fabricated on a large-area ultrathin substrate to achieve long storage stability. We integrate it with a large-area, all-solution-processed organic solar module to realize a self-powered health monitoring system. We fabricate high-throughput wearable electronic devices with complex functions on large-area ultrathin substrates based on organic optoelectronics. Our findings can advance the high-throughput manufacture of ultrathin electronic devices integrating complex functions.

Waterproof and ultraflexible organic photovoltaics with improved interface adhesion.

Ultraflexible organic photovoltaics have emerged as a potential power source for wearable electronics owing to their stretchability and lightweight nature. However, waterproofing ultraflexible organic photovoltaics without compromising mechanical flexibility and conformability remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate waterproof and ultraflexible organic photovoltaics through the in-situ growth of a hole-transporting layer to strengthen interface adhesion between the active layer and anode. Specifically, a silver electrode is deposited directly on top of the active layers, followed by thermal annealing treatment. Compared with conventional sequentially-deposited hole-transporting layers, the in-situ grown hole-transporting layer exhibits higher thermodynamic adhesion between the active layers, resulting in better waterproofness. The fabricated 3 µm-thick organic photovoltaics retain 89% and 96% of their pristine performance after immersion in water for 4 h and 300 stretching/releasing cycles at 30% strain under water, respectively. Moreover, the ultraflexible devices withstand a machine-washing test with such a thin encapsulation layer, which has never been reported. Finally, we demonstrate the universality of the strategy for achieving waterproof solar cells.

Surface-Energy-Mediated Interfacial Adhesion for Mechanically Robust Ultraflexible Organic Photovoltaics.

Insufficient interfacial adhesion is a widespread problem across multilayered devices that undermines their reliability. In flexible organic photovoltaics (OPVs), poor interfacial adhesion can accelerate degradation and failure under mechanical deformations due to the intrinsic brittleness and mismatching mechanical properties between functional layers. We introduce an argon plasma treatment for OPV devices, which yields 58% strengthening in interfacial adhesion between an active layer and a MoOX hole transport layer, thus contributing to mechanical reliability. The improved adhesion is attributed to the increased surface energy of the active layer that occurred after the mild argon plasma treatment. The mechanically stabilized interface retards the flexible device degradation induced by mechanical stress and maintains a power conversion efficiency of 94.8% after 10,000 cycles of bending with a radius of 2.5 mm. In addition, a fabricated 3 µm thick ultraflexible OPV device shows excellent mechanical robustness, retaining 91.0% of the initial efficiency after 1000 compressing-stretching cycles with a 40% compression ratio. The developed ultraflexible OPV devices can operate stably at the maximum power point under continuous 1 sun illumination for 500 min with an 89.3% efficiency retention. Overall, we validate a simple interfacial linking strategy for efficient and mechanically robust flexible and ultraflexible OPVs.

Combined effect of diazepam and polystyrene microplastics on the social behavior of medaka (Oryzias latipes).

The combined effect of microplastics and pharmaceuticals on aquatic organisms is an issue of concern. In this laboratory study, we evaluated the combined effect of polystyrene microplastics (2-µm diameter) and diazepam on the social behavior of medaka (Oryzias latipes) by using the shoaling behavior test with five treatment groups: solvent control, polystyrene microplastics exposure (0.04 mg/L), low-concentration diazepam exposure (0.03 mg/L), high-concentration diazepam exposure (0.3 mg/L), and polystyrene microplastics and low-concentration diazepam co-exposure. After 7 days of exposure, the shoal-leaving behavior of the high-concentration diazepam exposure group (8.9 ± 8.3 counts/medaka) and the co-exposure group (6.8 ± 6.7 counts/medaka) was significantly greater than that in the solvent control group (1.8 ± 2.6 counts/medaka). Even after 5 days of recovery, medaka in the co-exposure group left the shoal more often (7.3 ± 5.0 counts/medaka) than those in the solvent control group (2.6 ± 2.6 counts/medaka), whereas the shoal-leaving behavior in other exposure groups, except for the high-concentration diazepam exposure group, was restored. Our findings show that the combined effects of diazepam and polystyrene microplastics suppressed medaka social behavior, suggesting that the presence of microplastics can enhance the adverse effects of pollutants on the social behavior of aquatic organisms.

Solution-Processed Electron-Transport Layer-free Organic Photovoltaics with Liquid Metal Cathodes.

Flexible, lightweight, and large-area solar cells provide new power supply opportunities in the renewable energy field and facilitate the supply of power to internet-of-things devices and wearable devices. The choice of printing process technologies is a key parameter for such flexible power sources because of their energy-saving process technology and high throughput rate. In addition to selecting the appropriate printing method for the active and charge transport layers, the development of printed electrodes is critical. Numerous printable materials have been developed to replace conventional evaporated top electrodes. However, achieving fully solution-processed organic photovoltaics (OPVs) with power conversion efficiency (PCE) comparable to OPVs with vacuum-deposited transparent and top electrodes is challenging. This is because of the difficulty of forming a uniform interface between the top solution-processed electrode and the active layers while preventing deterioration. In this study, an electron transport layer-free, eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) top-cathode strategy was developed and a record PCE of 12.7% in fully solution-processed, flexible OPVs was achieved. Direct coating of EGaIn on the active layer, in a nitrogen atmosphere, is conducive for energy band matching and obtaining physically perfect interfaces without any penetrations or voids. An average PCE of 14.1% and enhanced operating stability, comparable to conventional OPVs, were achieved with indium tin oxide transparent electrodes by eliminating the electron-transport layer. The fully solution-processed flexible OPVs fabricated with the embedded silver nanowire strategy in ultrathin transparent polyimide, achieved an average PCE of 12.7%, representing a promising technique to meet green and high-throughput energy demands.

Smart Face Mask Based on an Ultrathin Pressure Sensor for Wireless Monitoring of Breath Conditions.

A smart face mask that can conveniently monitor breath information is beneficial for maintaining personal health and preventing the spread of diseases. However, some challenges still need to be addressed before such devices can be of practical use. One key challenge is to develop a pressure sensor that is easily triggered by low pressure and has excellent stability as well as electrical and mechanical properties. In this study, a wireless smart face mask is designed by integrating an ultrathin self-powered pressure sensor and a compact readout circuit with a normal face mask. The pressure sensor is the thinnest (totally compressed thickness of ≈5.5 µm) and lightest (total weight of ≈4.5 mg) electrostatic pressure sensor capable of achieving a peak open-circuit voltage of up to ≈10 V when stimulated by airflow, which endows the sensor with the advantage of readout circuit miniaturization and makes the breath-monitoring system portable and wearable. To demonstrate the capabilities of the smart face mask, it is used to wirelessly measure and analyze the various breath conditions of multiple testers.

Direct gold bonding for flexible integrated electronics.

Flexible and stable interconnections are critical for the next generation of shape-conformable and wearable electronics. These interconnections should have metal-like conductivity and sufficiently low stiffness that does not compromise the flexibility of the device; moreover, they must be achieved using low-temperature processes to prevent device damage. However, conventional interconnection bonding methods require additional adhesive layers, making it challenging to achieve these characteristics simultaneously. Here, we develop and characterize water vapor plasma­assisted bonding (WVPAB) that enables direct bonding of gold electrodes deposited on ultrathin polymer films. WVPAB bonds rough gold electrodes at room temperature and atmospheric pressure in ambient air. Hydroxyl groups generated by the plasma assist bonding between two gold surfaces, allowing the formation of a strong and stable interface. The applicability of WVPAB-mediated connections to ultrathin electronic systems was also demonstrated, and ultraflexible organic photovoltaics and light-emitting diodes fabricated on separate films were successfully interconnected via ultrathin wiring films.

Stepwise Observation of Iodine Diffusion in a Flexible Coordination Network Having Dual Interactive Sites.

We created dual interactive sites in a porous coordination network using a CuI cluster and a rotation-restricted ligand, tetra(3-pyridyl)phenylmethane (3-TPPM). The dual interactive sites of iodide and Cu ions can adsorb I2 via four-step processes including two chemisorption processes. Initially, one I2 molecule was physisorbed in a pore and successively chemisorbed on iodide sites of the pore surface, and then the next I2 molecule was physisorbed and chemisorbed on Cu ions to form a cross-linked network. We revealed the four-step I2 diffusion process by single-crystal X-ray structure determination and spectroscopic kinetic analysis.

Simple cubic self-assembly of PbS quantum dots by finely controlled ligand removal through gel permeation chromatography.

The geometry in self-assembled superlattices of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) strongly affects their optoelectronic properties and is thus of critical importance for applications in optoelectronic devices. Here, we achieve the selective control of the geometry of colloidal quasi-spherical PbS QDs in highly-ordered two and three dimensional superlattices: Disordered, simple cubic (sc), and face-centered cubic (fcc). Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), not based on size-exclusion effects, is developed to quantitatively and continuously control the ligand coverage of PbS QDs. The obtained QDs can retain their high stability and photoluminescence on account of the chemically soft removal of the ligands by GPC. With increasing ligand coverage, the geometry of the self-assembled superlattices by solution-casting of the GPC-processed PbS QDs changed from disordered, sc to fcc because of the finely controlled ligand coverage and anisotropy on QD surfaces. Importantly, the highly-ordered sc supercrystal usually displays unique superfluorescence and is expected to show high charge transporting properties, but it has not yet been achieved for colloidal quasi-spherical QDs. It is firstly accessible by fine-tuning the QD ligand density using the GPC method here. This selective formation of different geometric superlattices based on GPC promises applications of such colloidal quasi-spherical QDs in high-performance optoelectronic devices.

Controlling the dimension of the quantum resonance in CdTe quantum dot superlattices fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly.

In quantum dot superlattices, wherein quantum dots are periodically arranged, electronic states between adjacent quantum dots are coupled by quantum resonance, which arises from the short-range electronic coupling of wave functions, and thus the formation of minibands is expected. Quantum dot superlattices have the potential to be key materials for new optoelectronic devices, such as highly efficient solar cells and photodetectors. Herein, we report the fabrication of CdTe quantum dot superlattices via the layer-by-layer assembly of positively charged polyelectrolytes and negatively charged CdTe quantum dots. We can thus control the dimension of the quantum resonance by independently changing the distances between quantum dots in the stacking (out-of-plane) and in-plane directions. Furthermore, we experimentally verify the miniband formation by measuring the excitation energy dependence of the photoluminescence spectra and detection energy dependence of the photoluminescence excitation spectra.

Highly Stretchable Metallic Nanowire Networks Reinforced by the Underlying Randomly Distributed Elastic Polymer Nanofibers via Interfacial Adhesion Improvement.

On-skin electronics require conductive, porous, and stretchable materials for a stable operation with minimal invasiveness to the human body. However, porous elastic conductors that simultaneously achieve high conductivity, good stretchability, and durability are rare owing to the lack of proper design for good adhesion between porous elastic polymer and conductive metallic networks. Here, a simple fabrication approach for porous nanomesh-type elastic conductors is shown by designing a layer-by-layer structure of nanofibers/nanowires (NFs/NWs) via interfacial hydrogen bonding. The as-prepared conductors, consisting of Ag NWs and polyurethane (PU) NFs, simultaneously achieve high conductivity (9190 S cm-1 ), high stretchability (310%), and good durability (82% resistance increase after 1000 cycles of deformation at 70% tensile strain). The direct contact between the Ag NWs enables the high conductivity. The synergistic effect of the layer-by-layer structure and good adhesion between the Ag NWs and the PU NFs enables good mechanical properties. Furthermore, without any adhesive gel/tape, the conductors can be utilized as breathable strain sensors for precise joint motion monitoring, and as breathable sensing electrodes for continuous electrophysiological signal recording.

Highly Durable Nanofiber-Reinforced Elastic Conductors for Skin-Tight Electronic Textiles.

Soft and stretchable electrodes are essential components for skin-tight wearable devices, which can provide comfortable, unobtrusive, and accurate physiological monitoring and physical sensing for applications such as healthcare, medical treatment, and human-machine interfaces. Metal-elastomer nanocomposites are a promising approach, enabling high conductivity and stretchability derived from metallic conduction and percolation networks of metal nano/micro fillers. However, their practical application is still limited by their inferior cyclic stability and long-term durability. Here, we report on a highly durable nanofiber-reinforced metal-elastomer composite consisting of (i) metal fillers, (ii) an elastomeric binder matrix, and (iii) electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers for enhancing both cyclic stability and conductivity. Embedded polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibers enhance the toughness and suppress the crack growth by providing a fiber reinforcing effect. Furthermore, the conductivity of nanofiber-reinforced elastic conductor is four times greater than the pristine material because the silver-rich layer is self-assembled on the top surface by a filtering effect. As a result, a stretchable electrode made from nanofiber-reinforced elastic conductors and wrinkled structures has both excellent cyclic durability and high conductivity and is stretchable up to 800%. The cyclic degradation (ΔR/R0) remains at 0.56 after 5000 stretching cycles (50% strain), whereas initial conductivity and sheet resistance are 9903 S cm-1 and 0.047 Ω sq-1, respectively. By utilizing a highly conductive and durable elastic conductor as sensor electrodes and wirings, a skin-tight multimodal physiological sensing suit is demonstrated. Continuous long-term monitoring of electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and motions during weight-lifting exercises are successfully demonstrated without significant degradation of signal quality.

Diameter-Dependent Superconductivity in Individual WS2 Nanotubes.

Transition metal dichalcogenide nanotubes are fascinating platforms for the research of superconductivity due to their unique dimensionalities and geometries. Here we report the diameter dependence of superconductivity in individual WS2 nanotubes. The superconductivity is realized by electrochemical doping via the ionic gating technique in which the diameter of the nanotube is estimated from the periodic oscillating magnetoresistance, known as the Little-Parks effect. The critical temperature of superconductivity displays an unexpected linear behavior as a function of the inverse diameter, that is, the curvature of the nanotube. The present results are an important step in understanding the microscopic mechanism of superconductivity in a nanotube, opening up a new way of superconductivity in crystalline nanostructures.

Self-powered ultra-flexible electronics via nano-grating-patterned organic photovoltaics.

Next-generation biomedical devices1-9 will need to be self-powered and conformable to human skin or other tissue. Such devices would enable the accurate and continuous detection of physiological signals without the need for an external power supply or bulky connecting wires. Self-powering functionality could be provided by flexible photovoltaics that can adhere to moveable and complex three-dimensional biological tissues1-4 and skin5-9. Ultra-flexible organic power sources10-13 that can be wrapped around an object have proven mechanical and thermal stability in long-term operation13, making them potentially useful in human-compatible electronics. However, the integration of these power sources with functional electric devices including sensors has not yet been demonstrated because of their unstable output power under mechanical deformation and angular change. Also, it will be necessary to minimize high-temperature and energy-intensive processes10,12 when fabricating an integrated power source and sensor, because such processes can damage the active material of the functional device and deform the few-micrometre-thick polymeric substrates. Here we realize self-powered ultra-flexible electronic devices that can measure biometric signals with very high signal-to-noise ratios when applied to skin or other tissue. We integrated organic electrochemical transistors used as sensors with organic photovoltaic power sources on a one-micrometre-thick ultra-flexible substrate. A high-throughput room-temperature moulding process was used to form nano-grating morphologies (with a periodicity of 760 nanometres) on the charge transporting layers. This substantially increased the efficiency of the organophotovoltaics, giving a high power-conversion efficiency that reached 10.5 per cent and resulted in a high power-per-weight value of 11.46 watts per gram. The organic electrochemical transistors exhibited a transconductance of 0.8 millisiemens and fast responsivity above one kilohertz under physiological conditions, which resulted in a maximum signal-to-noise ratio of 40.02 decibels for cardiac signal detection. Our findings offer a general platform for next-generation self-powered electronics.

Reverse-Offset Printed Ultrathin Ag Mesh for Robust Conformal Transparent Electrodes for High-Performance Organic Photovoltaics.

Mechanically durable transparent electrodes are needed in flexible optoelectronic devices to realize their long-term stable functioning, for applications in various fields such as energy, healthcare, and soft robotics. Several promising transparent electrodes based on nanomaterials have been previously reported to replace the conventional and fragile indium-tin oxide (ITO); however, obtaining feasible printed transparent electrodes for ultraflexible devices with a multistack structure is still a great challenge. Here, a printed ultrathin (uniform thickness of 100 nm) Ag mesh transparent electrode is demonstrated, simultaneously achieving high conductance, high transparency, and good mechanical properties. It shows a 17 Ω sq-1 sheet resistance (Rsh ) with 93.2% transmittance, which surpasses the performance of sputtered ITO electrodes and other ultrathin Ag mesh transparent electrodes. The conductance is stable after 500 cycles of 100% stretch/release deformation, with an insignificant increase (10.6%) in Rsh by adopting a buckling structure. Furthermore, organic photovoltaics (OPVs) using our Ag mesh transparent electrodes achieve a power conversion efficiency of 8.3%, which is comparable to the performance of ITO-based OPVs.

Enrichment and characterization of a bacterial mixture capable of utilizing C-mannosyl tryptophan as a carbon source.

C-Mannosylation, a protein-modification found in various eukaryotes, involves the attachment of a single mannose molecule to selected tryptophan residues of proteins. Since C-mannosyl tryptophan (CMW) was detected in human urine, it is generally thought that CMW is not catabolized inside our body and instead is excreted via the urine. This paper reports enrichment of a bacterial consortium from soil that degrades CMW. The bacteria grew in minimal medium supplemented with CMW as the carbon source. Interestingly, even after successive clonal picks of individual colonies, several species were still present in each colony as revealed by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, indicating that a single species may not be responsible for this activity. A next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis was therefore carried out in order to determine which bacteria were responsible for the catabolism of CMW. It was found that a species of Sphingomonadaceae family, but not others, increased with simultaneous decrease of CMW in the media, suggesting that this species is most likely the one that is actively involved in the degradation of CMW.

Printable elastic conductors by in situ formation of silver nanoparticles from silver flakes.

Printable elastic conductors promise large-area stretchable sensor/actuator networks for healthcare, wearables and robotics. Elastomers with metal nanoparticles are one of the best approaches to achieve high performance, but large-area utilization is limited by difficulties in their processability. Here we report a printable elastic conductor containing Ag nanoparticles that are formed in situ, solely by mixing micrometre-sized Ag flakes, fluorine rubbers, and surfactant. Our printable elastic composites exhibit conductivity higher than 4,000 S cm-1 (highest value: 6,168 S cm-1) at 0% strain, and 935 S cm-1 when stretched up to 400%. Ag nanoparticle formation is influenced by the surfactant, heating processes, and elastomer molecular weight, resulting in a drastic improvement of conductivity. Fully printed sensor networks for stretchable robots are demonstrated, sensing pressure and temperature accurately, even when stretched over 250%.

Diagnostic value of single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for patients with non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis.

To evaluate the diagnostic value of SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) brain blood flow imaging for patients with non-herpetic acute limbic encephalitis (NHALE). A retrospective review of three patients who had clinical symptoms compatible to NHALE and were positive for anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate-type glutamate receptor (GluRε2) antibody. The patients consisted of a 6-year-old female, a 10-year-old female and a 13-year-old male, all of whom had limbic symptoms and were anti-GluRε2 antibody-positive. In all cases, brain MRI failed to detect any abnormality, but SPECT brain blood flow imaging was able to detect blood flow changes. All three cases showed some abnormality in their brain waves, and one of them also developed epilepsy. SPECT brain blood flow imaging may therefore be helpful for diagnosing NHALE which can lead to the development of either epilepsy or cognitive impairment.