Conventional microneedle-based transdermal delivery is often limited by passive diffusion or endogenous stimuli, offering poor control over release kinetics and insufficient penetration into deep tissues. Here, we report a fully integrated wearable drug delivery system that couples a flexible and stretchable ultrasound-responsive microneedle patch (Us-MP) with a portable, Bluetooth-programmable ultrasound driver. This platform enables on-demand drug release, with rapid delivery within 10 min or sustained release up to 50 h. Moreover, ultrasound-induced directional acoustic streaming at the microneedle tips significantly enhances transdermal penetration. As a proof of concept, this system enabled precise colchicine delivery, producing rapid anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling effects in acute gouty arthritis, as well as long-term therapeutic and preventive efficacy in chronic gouty arthritis. This work establishes a controllable and versatile strategy for personalized transdermal therapy, with potential applications across diverse diseases and stages of progression.
{"title":"Wearable ultrasound microneedle patch for on-demand and sustained management of gouty arthritis","authors":"Shuxin Zhang, Zhengming Zhou, Litong Chen, Yu-Jia Zeng, Tailin Xu","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00554-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00554-4","url":null,"abstract":"Conventional microneedle-based transdermal delivery is often limited by passive diffusion or endogenous stimuli, offering poor control over release kinetics and insufficient penetration into deep tissues. Here, we report a fully integrated wearable drug delivery system that couples a flexible and stretchable ultrasound-responsive microneedle patch (Us-MP) with a portable, Bluetooth-programmable ultrasound driver. This platform enables on-demand drug release, with rapid delivery within 10 min or sustained release up to 50 h. Moreover, ultrasound-induced directional acoustic streaming at the microneedle tips significantly enhances transdermal penetration. As a proof of concept, this system enabled precise colchicine delivery, producing rapid anti-inflammatory and anti-swelling effects in acute gouty arthritis, as well as long-term therapeutic and preventive efficacy in chronic gouty arthritis. This work establishes a controllable and versatile strategy for personalized transdermal therapy, with potential applications across diverse diseases and stages of progression.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147320146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-27DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00553-5
Guanchun Rui, Wenyi Zhu, Qin Zou, Li Li, Siyu Wu, Ruipeng Li, Raymond Khayat, Mark A. Aubart, Thierry Lannuzel, Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos, Lei Zhu, Q. M. Zhang
Ferroelectrics with multifunctionalities are gaining increased interest in self-actuated electrocaloric effect (ECE) refrigerators. However, achieving high ECE and electromechanical (EM) coupling concomitantly for maximum heat transfer remains challenging. Here we present the structure-property relationship for poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene-co-chlorofluoroethylene-co-double bond), P(VDF-TrFE-CFE-DB), tetrapolymer, which exhibited a high ECE entropy change of 66.5 J Kg−1 K−1 and EM strain of −6.1%. We show that thermal treatment can be a key factor influencing multifunctional properties. High-temperature annealing incorporates DB and CFE units into crystalline grains to form extended-chain crystals, enabling CFE units to induce relaxor behavior and DB units to induce large structural changes at low electric fields. This synergy leads to an enhancement in both ECE and EM performances. Furthermore, at an optimized temperature of 50 °C, the annealed films exhibit giant cross-energy coupling, achieving ECE and EM performances of 100.8 J Kg−1 K−1 and −7.6%. This study provides insights into developing new ferroelectric polymers with electroactive multifunctionalities.
{"title":"Hierarchal structures tuned electrocaloric and electromechanical performance in PVDF-based tetrapolymers","authors":"Guanchun Rui, Wenyi Zhu, Qin Zou, Li Li, Siyu Wu, Ruipeng Li, Raymond Khayat, Mark A. Aubart, Thierry Lannuzel, Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos, Lei Zhu, Q. M. Zhang","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00553-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00553-5","url":null,"abstract":"Ferroelectrics with multifunctionalities are gaining increased interest in self-actuated electrocaloric effect (ECE) refrigerators. However, achieving high ECE and electromechanical (EM) coupling concomitantly for maximum heat transfer remains challenging. Here we present the structure-property relationship for poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene-co-chlorofluoroethylene-co-double bond), P(VDF-TrFE-CFE-DB), tetrapolymer, which exhibited a high ECE entropy change of 66.5 J Kg−1 K−1 and EM strain of −6.1%. We show that thermal treatment can be a key factor influencing multifunctional properties. High-temperature annealing incorporates DB and CFE units into crystalline grains to form extended-chain crystals, enabling CFE units to induce relaxor behavior and DB units to induce large structural changes at low electric fields. This synergy leads to an enhancement in both ECE and EM performances. Furthermore, at an optimized temperature of 50 °C, the annealed films exhibit giant cross-energy coupling, achieving ECE and EM performances of 100.8 J Kg−1 K−1 and −7.6%. This study provides insights into developing new ferroelectric polymers with electroactive multifunctionalities.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147320192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-27DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00555-3
Sungha Jeon, Jungjoon Lee, Joonhee Won, Keungyonh Bak, Kiun Kim, Sungwoo Chun, Seongjun Park
Human somatosensation arises from one-dimensional (1D) nerve bundles that compactly transmit multimodal sensory signals along linear pathways, where proprioceptive and tactile receptors are intricately coordinated to enable precise perception and adaptive motor control. Inspired by this biological architecture, we develop a fiber-based artificial somatosensory system that reproduces such multimodal coordination within a single 1D structure. The fiber form factor can be freely distributed and routed throughout three-dimensional (3D) robotic or anatomical frameworks, emulating the connectivity and compactness of biological nerves. Fabricated via a thermal drawing process, these multimaterial fibers achieve high throughput and precise microstructural control over meter-scale lengths while integrating an optical strain-sensing unit (artificial muscle spindle) and an electrical pressure-sensing unit (artificial tactile receptor) in a single body. This configuration enables simultaneous yet decoupled detection of strain and pressure, providing multimodal feedback analogous to natural somatosensation. When embedded in robotic limbs, our multisensory fibers reproduce coordinated proprioceptive and tactile feedback during manipulation and locomotion, closely mimicking the functional integration of biological mechanoreceptors. This work establishes a scalable and biologically inspired route toward 1D fiber-based 3D artificial somatosensation, offering new opportunities for enhanced robotic feedback, human-machine interfaces, and next-generation artificial skin technologies.
{"title":"Mechanoreceptor-inspired multisensory fibers for artificial somatosensation","authors":"Sungha Jeon, Jungjoon Lee, Joonhee Won, Keungyonh Bak, Kiun Kim, Sungwoo Chun, Seongjun Park","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00555-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00555-3","url":null,"abstract":"Human somatosensation arises from one-dimensional (1D) nerve bundles that compactly transmit multimodal sensory signals along linear pathways, where proprioceptive and tactile receptors are intricately coordinated to enable precise perception and adaptive motor control. Inspired by this biological architecture, we develop a fiber-based artificial somatosensory system that reproduces such multimodal coordination within a single 1D structure. The fiber form factor can be freely distributed and routed throughout three-dimensional (3D) robotic or anatomical frameworks, emulating the connectivity and compactness of biological nerves. Fabricated via a thermal drawing process, these multimaterial fibers achieve high throughput and precise microstructural control over meter-scale lengths while integrating an optical strain-sensing unit (artificial muscle spindle) and an electrical pressure-sensing unit (artificial tactile receptor) in a single body. This configuration enables simultaneous yet decoupled detection of strain and pressure, providing multimodal feedback analogous to natural somatosensation. When embedded in robotic limbs, our multisensory fibers reproduce coordinated proprioceptive and tactile feedback during manipulation and locomotion, closely mimicking the functional integration of biological mechanoreceptors. This work establishes a scalable and biologically inspired route toward 1D fiber-based 3D artificial somatosensation, offering new opportunities for enhanced robotic feedback, human-machine interfaces, and next-generation artificial skin technologies.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147320191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-24DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00539-3
Evgeniya Kovalska, Jack Routledge, Rocco Cancelliere, Hoi Tung Lam, Kavya Sreeja Sadanandan, Bing Wu, Liping Liao, Zdenek Sofer, Ana I. S. Neves, Saverio Russo, Laura Micheli, Monica F. Craciun
Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer unprecedented opportunities for energy-autonomous wearable electronics, yet their scalable and environmentally friendly integration into textiles remains a major challenge. Here, we introduce an ultrasonic spray-coating method to fabricate water-processable, surfactant-free 2D heterostructures comprising graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as electronic dyes on textile fabrics. The resulting lightweight (~1 g/device), flexible textile-integrated triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) demonstrate a record-high power density of 793 mW m -2 among single-phase TMD-based textile devices. These TENGs enable self-powered, wearable detection of environmental and physiological parameters, including atmospheric humidity, body temperature, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as acetone and styrene, via a tap-to-sense mechanism. The sensor achieves a record-breaking responsivity of 126% for styrene vapours, making it the first wearable, self-powered styrene sensor. The device’s multifunctionality – driven by thermal modulation of charge transport in the MoS 2 layer – enables reliable body temperature detection with minimal cross-sensitivity to humidity or VOCs, crucial under real-world fluctuations. The sensor maintains mechanical resilience and operational stability over 80 days of continuous use and after 200 bending cycles. This work advances scalable, sustainable strategies for multifunctional, self-powered textile sensors and paves the way toward wearable personalised healthcare technologies with accurate multiparameter sensing.
二维（2D）材料为能源自主可穿戴电子产品提供了前所未有的机会，但将其可扩展和环保集成到纺织品中仍然是一个重大挑战。在这里，我们介绍了一种超声波喷涂方法，用于在纺织织物上制备由石墨烯和过渡金属二硫化物（TMDs）组成的可水处理的、无表面活性剂的二维异质结构作为电子染料。由此产生的轻质（~ 1g /器件）、柔性纺织品集成摩擦电纳米发电机（TENGs）在单相tmd纺织器件中显示出创纪录的793 mW m -2的高功率密度。这些teng能够自供电，可穿戴检测环境和生理参数，包括大气湿度，体温，挥发性有机化合物（VOCs），如丙酮和苯乙烯，通过点击感应机制。该传感器对苯乙烯蒸汽的响应率达到了创纪录的126%，使其成为第一个可穿戴的自供电苯乙烯传感器。该设备的多功能性——由MoS 2层电荷传输的热调制驱动——实现了可靠的体温检测，对湿度或挥发性有机化合物的交叉灵敏度最小，这在现实世界的波动中至关重要。该传感器在连续使用80天和200次弯曲循环后保持机械弹性和操作稳定性。这项工作推进了多功能、自供电纺织品传感器的可扩展、可持续战略，并为具有精确多参数传感的可穿戴个性化医疗技术铺平了道路。
{"title":"Multifunctional, energy-autonomous textile sensors enabled by spray-coated two-dimensional heterostructures","authors":"Evgeniya Kovalska, Jack Routledge, Rocco Cancelliere, Hoi Tung Lam, Kavya Sreeja Sadanandan, Bing Wu, Liping Liao, Zdenek Sofer, Ana I. S. Neves, Saverio Russo, Laura Micheli, Monica F. Craciun","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00539-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00539-3","url":null,"abstract":"Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer unprecedented opportunities for energy-autonomous wearable electronics, yet their scalable and environmentally friendly integration into textiles remains a major challenge. Here, we introduce an ultrasonic spray-coating method to fabricate water-processable, surfactant-free 2D heterostructures comprising graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) as electronic dyes on textile fabrics. The resulting lightweight (~1 g/device), flexible textile-integrated triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) demonstrate a record-high power density of 793 mW m <jats:sup>-2</jats:sup> among single-phase TMD-based textile devices. These TENGs enable self-powered, wearable detection of environmental and physiological parameters, including atmospheric humidity, body temperature, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as acetone and styrene, via a tap-to-sense mechanism. The sensor achieves a record-breaking responsivity of 126% for styrene vapours, making it the first wearable, self-powered styrene sensor. The device’s multifunctionality – driven by thermal modulation of charge transport in the MoS <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> layer – enables reliable body temperature detection with minimal cross-sensitivity to humidity or VOCs, crucial under real-world fluctuations. The sensor maintains mechanical resilience and operational stability over 80 days of continuous use and after 200 bending cycles. This work advances scalable, sustainable strategies for multifunctional, self-powered textile sensors and paves the way toward wearable personalised healthcare technologies with accurate multiparameter sensing.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147279787","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-16DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00530-y
Su Jung Kim, Dong Hyun Park, Yu Na Lee, Min Su Kim, Kihyon Hong, Kyung Gook Cho, C. Daniel Frisbie, Keun Hyung Lee
{"title":"Sub-1V, flexible, all-polymer complementary logic circuits based on electrolyte-gated transistors","authors":"Su Jung Kim, Dong Hyun Park, Yu Na Lee, Min Su Kim, Kihyon Hong, Kyung Gook Cho, C. Daniel Frisbie, Keun Hyung Lee","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00530-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00530-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146205449","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-13DOI: 10.1038/s41528-026-00548-2
Wendong Yang, Lei Wu, Jiaxing Wei, Lingming Tong, Emil J. W. List-Kratochvil
With the rapid advancement of 5G and Wi-Fi 6E systems, there is a growing demand for flexible, low-power, and tunable radio frequency (RF) components. Traditional tunable filters, often based on rigid substrates or high-voltage tuning mechanisms, lack the flexibility and energy efficiency required for next-generation wearable and portable communication devices. To address this gap, this paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a three-state flexible tunable bandpass filter based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The filter is fabricated on a PET substrate using a screen-printing process, with OECTs integrated into the resonator structure to enable low-voltage electrical tuning. Experimental results demonstrate that the filter achieves three distinct tuning states within the frequency range of 4.37–5.45 GHz, covering both 5G NR n79 and Wi-Fi 6E bands. Key performance metrics include an insertion loss of 1.65–1.87 dB, return loss close to 20 dB, and an ON/OFF ratio exceeding 103, all achieved with only a 1.3 V bias voltage. The filter also maintains stable performance under mechanical bending, confirming its suitability for flexible electronics. This work highlights the potential of OECT-based tuning for next-generation flexible RF systems, offering a compelling combination of low-voltage operation, low loss, high tunability, and scalable fabrication.
{"title":"A low-voltage three-state flexible tunable bandpass filter using organic electrochemical transistors for 5G NR n79 and Wi-Fi 6E applications","authors":"Wendong Yang, Lei Wu, Jiaxing Wei, Lingming Tong, Emil J. W. List-Kratochvil","doi":"10.1038/s41528-026-00548-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41528-026-00548-2","url":null,"abstract":"With the rapid advancement of 5G and Wi-Fi 6E systems, there is a growing demand for flexible, low-power, and tunable radio frequency (RF) components. Traditional tunable filters, often based on rigid substrates or high-voltage tuning mechanisms, lack the flexibility and energy efficiency required for next-generation wearable and portable communication devices. To address this gap, this paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a three-state flexible tunable bandpass filter based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The filter is fabricated on a PET substrate using a screen-printing process, with OECTs integrated into the resonator structure to enable low-voltage electrical tuning. Experimental results demonstrate that the filter achieves three distinct tuning states within the frequency range of 4.37–5.45 GHz, covering both 5G NR n79 and Wi-Fi 6E bands. Key performance metrics include an insertion loss of 1.65–1.87 dB, return loss close to 20 dB, and an ON/OFF ratio exceeding 103, all achieved with only a 1.3 V bias voltage. The filter also maintains stable performance under mechanical bending, confirming its suitability for flexible electronics. This work highlights the potential of OECT-based tuning for next-generation flexible RF systems, offering a compelling combination of low-voltage operation, low loss, high tunability, and scalable fabrication.","PeriodicalId":48528,"journal":{"name":"npj Flexible Electronics","volume":"410 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.6,"publicationDate":"2026-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146196780","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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