Advanced Materials Technologies最新文献

Bionic adhesion-based medical adhesives have proven effective in wound treatment, with current research addressing challenges such as weak adhesion and complex fabrication for broader applications. Herein, this work presents a bionic micropillar (MP) for monitoring wound therapy inspired by the physical and chemical properties of gecko toe pads and spider web mucus. Selective incompletely polymerized MP patches are prepared via a simple mold-flipping method, in which spider silk proteins are incorporated into the micropillar matrix. In this design, free silicon–oxygen bonds on the surface spontaneously form physicochemical dual adhesions with the tissue surface, while the spider silk proteins enhance the mechanical stability and biocompatibility. The close adhesion of the patches to the tissue surface, the precise manipulation of fluids by the micropillar channels, and the sensitive response of the patches to small motion changes result in MP patches with excellent data collection and wound status monitoring capabilities. In vivo experiments have demonstrated that MP patches can effectively promote wound healing through efficient wound closure and outstanding biocompatibility. It can thus be concluded that physical and chemical synergistic biomimetic MPs, which integrate spider silk proteins, can be easily prepared, exhibit strong adhesion, and hold significant potential for clinical wound therapy.

Nacre-inspired materials offer excellent fracture toughness through hierarchical architectures, yet their mechanical performance remains limited by pronounced anisotropy. Here, two novel bioinspired microstructures—beetle-like and hexagonal spiral—are presented that enable isotropic toughening in microstructural composites. Using multi-material 3D printing, architected specimens are fabricated and fracture tests are performed along orthogonal loading directions. The beetle-like structure yields critical fracture toughness J₀ = 5.2 and 2 kJ m⁻² along the x- and y- directions, respectively, whereas the hexagonal spiral structure yields J₀ = 5 and 5.5 kJ m⁻², indicating a nearly orientation-independent response. In the x-direction, compared with the nacre-like structure, J₀ increases by 61% and 56% for the beetle-like and hexagonal spiral designs, respectively. While the beetle-like design improves directional toughness, only the hexagonal spiral architecture achieves both enhanced and nearly isotropic fracture resistance. Phase-field fracture simulations reveal how spiral geometry facilitates crack deflection and mixed-mode fracture behavior across multiple orientations. These findings establish a generalizable strategy for overcoming anisotropy in bioinspired composites and provide a robust microstructural platform for high-performance structural materials under complex loading conditions.

Quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a research focus in optoelectronics owing to their exceptional properties, including ultra-narrow full-width at half maximum, tunable emission wavelengths, high quantum yields, and superior color purity. On the other hand, light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), characterized by simple fabrication processes, low-cost manufacturing, and solution processability, represent a promising class of electroluminescent devices. By synergistically combining these merits, QD-based LECs (QLECs) emerge as a highly promising kind of optoelectronic devices for display and lighting applications. In this invited review, it comprehensively examines recent advances in QLECs, providing a systematic overview of innovations in luminescent materials and device optimizations. Fundamental concepts, including QD photophysical properties and LEC operational mechanisms, are first elucidated. Development strategies are then analyzed, emphasizing material engineering approaches and charge dynamics management involving injection, transport, and balance. In addition, the expansion of QLEC devices is also introduced (e.g., light-emitting memory and quantum dot-electrolyte light-emitting diode), clarifying the role of QLECs in pioneering next-generation or new kinds of devices. At the end, current existing challenges and future prospective research directions for advancing this field are discussed. It is expected that this review will provide ideas for developing more possibilities of QLECs.

Triboelectric nanogenerators are expected to be an essential feature of smart electronic devices. They can detect various physical stimuli without requiring an external power source and are known for their flexibility, low-cost, and reliable performance. Due to their potential for monitoring human movements and harvesting energy, they have garnered significant interest. However, developing a triboelectric nanogenerator with high stretchability, flexibility, and output remains challenging. This article introduces a nanocomposite ionic hydrogel triboelectric nanogenerator (NIH-TN) for monitoring human movements and human machine interface (HMI). This flexible nanogenerator uses an ionic hydrogel as an electrode, made up of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), calcium chloride, and graphene oxide (GO), to improve its electrical and mechanical properties. The introduced structure overcomes the evaporation of liquid and the reduction of performance associated with electrodes based on conductive hydrogels. After investigation of the affecting parameters and using their optimal levels, the NIH-TN performs well and remains stable, with an open-circuit voltage of 180 V, a short circuit current of 15 µA, and a maximum output power of 2.1 W m⁻². It can monitor body movements by placing on the finger, wrist, elbow, and knee joints while it can harvest mechanical energy for powering electronic devices. Additionally, the NIH-TN can be used to create a flexible tactile keyboard.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing global health concern caused by the misuse of antibiotics in medicine, agriculture, and livestock. A major contributor to this crisis is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which makes treating common infections difficult. Traditional MRSA detection methods, like culture-based tests and molecular assays, are often slow and expensive, restricting their use in on-site diagnostics. To overcome these limitations, a novel paper-based microfluidic platform has been developed for rapid and accurate MRSA detection. This platform integrates DNA isolation with loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and a vertical flow immunoassay (VFI), collectively termed PL-VFI, to target the mecA gene specific to MRSA. Combining simplicity and precision, the device provides results within 1.5 hours without complex handling. It demonstrates high sensitivity and specificity with a detection limit of 10¹ CFU/ml (colony-forming units per milliliter) and 1 fg (femtogram) DNA. Additionally, it successfully detects MRSA in clinical blood samples and offers a long shelf life, making it ideal for on-site DNA diagnostics and resource-limited settings.

In response to the high cost and toxicity of traditional Bi₂Te₃ thermoelectric (TE) materials, this study employs a cation doping strategy to significantly optimize the TE performance of Bi₂Se₃ films, achieving a power factor of 252.6 µW m⁻¹K⁻² at 440 K, which is the highest value for Bi₂Se₃-based flexible TE films synthesized by wet chemical methods. This improvement is attributed to the increase in electrical conductivity induced by Ag doping and the synergistic effects of energy filtering and doping effects. In addition, the Ag-doped Bi₂Se₃ film exhibits excellent flexibility and stability with only a 7% decrease in electrical conductivity after undergoing 2000 bends (with a radius of 4 mm). A flexible TE generator constructed based on the film outputs a power density of 123.4 µW cm⁻² at a temperature gradient of 33.5 K, validating its effectiveness in TE conversion. In addition to traditional applications such as wearable and portable energy harvesting and sensing, the film also holds great potential in emerging fields such as photoelectric conversion and electrochemical energy storage systems. The high TE performance, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and multifunctional application of the film make it a promising candidate for next-generation energy conversion and storage technologies.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are an emerging class of crystalline porous materials known for their exceptional tunability, high surface area, and versatile architectures. Originating from coordination chemistry in the 1990s, MOFs have rapidly advanced beyond traditional porous materials like zeolites and activated carbons in structural diversity and chemical functionality. This review highlights the synthesis, development, and environmental applications of MOFs, emphasizing their potential in air and water remediation. Owing to their customizable frameworks, MOFs offer superior adsorption, catalytic efficiency, and pollutant selectivity compared to conventional materials. Recent innovations such as linker functionalization, post-synthetic modification, and hybrid MOF composites have further improved their performance and reusability. Green synthesis approaches—including solvent-free, mechanochemical, and microwave-assisted methods—align MOF production with sustainable chemistry principles. Notably, this review integrates techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA), demonstrating that optimized MOF systems can rival traditional remediation technologies in cost-effectiveness and environmental sustainability. A case study on ZIF-67 reveals that green synthesis significantly reduces life-cycle impacts. However, challenges such as long-term stability, large-scale integration, and cost-efficient production persist. This review calls for stronger academic–industrial collaboration to advance MOF technologies toward scalable, sustainable environmental solutions.

Wearable healthcare monitoring has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to revolutionize healthcare by offering continuous, non-invasive monitoring of vital signs and health parameters. Among the innovative approaches, tattoo-embedded sensors (TES) have garnered significant attention due to their unobtrusiveness and potential for continuous, real-time observation. This comprehensive review synthesizes the most recent research and developments in the area of TES for healthcare monitoring. The review begins by discussing the fundamental principles of sensors based on tattoos, including how they are made, materials, and integration techniques. It explores various sensor types that can be embedded in tattoos, such as temperature, pressure, biochemical, and electrophysiological sensors, elucidating their working principles and applications. The integration of these sensors into flexible and biocompatible tattoo substrates is discussed in detail, highlighting the challenges and recent advancements in this domain.

Perovskite materials are emerging as next-generation scintillators due to their strong light absorption, high light yield, fast response times, and solution-processability. While single-crystal perovskites offer excellent performance, their brittleness and environmental sensitivity hinder scalability. Perovskite nanoparticles provide a promising alternative but face challenges such as poor stability and aggregation, reducing scintillation efficiency. Embedding these nanoparticles in polymer matrices has been explored to improve stability, however, existing methods offer limited control over nanoparticle size and transparency, restrict polymer choice, and are incompatible with low-swelling polymers like PET, which offer superior barrier properties and enhance stability. Here, these limitations are addressed using an optimized deep-dyeing method that enables uniform incorporation of perovskite nanoparticles into PET fibers, a low-swelling polymer previously inaccessible for composite scintillators. This approach yields transparent, color-tunable, and thermally stable perovskite-PET scintillating fibers suitable for scalable applications. The PET fibers used are sourced from commercially available tennis strings, offering a low-cost, mechanically robust, and scalable platform for composite fabrication. The resulting fibers exhibit excellent photoluminescence and radioluminescence stability, full recovery after thermal cycling up to 167 °C, strong moisture resistance, and a high light yield of 23,000 photons/MeV, more than twice that of a commercial scintillating fiber. Their flexible geometry and small cross-section allow integration into modular or wearable detection systems with high spatial resolution. Incorporating cladding layers in future designs can further enhance waveguiding and overall scintillator performance. These results highlight a scalable and versatile strategy for high-performance scintillating fibers with broad potential in x-ray imaging and dosimetry in harsh environments.

The water shortage dilemma urges the development of nanofiltration membranes that surpasses the trade-off between rejection and flux. This study explores the synthesis of MXene nanosheets and their incorporation into polysulfone (PSf)-polyamide (PA) membranes to develop thin-film nanocomposite (TFNC) membranes with enhanced nanofiltration performance. The effects of MXene loading at different stages- within the PSf support and PA selective layer- on the membrane's properties and performance are investigated. MXene incorporation significantly influenced membrane structure, increasing surface hydrophilicity, roughness, and charge density. Nanofiltration experiments demonstrated improved water permeability and salt rejection, particularly for membranes with MXene introduced into the PA layer. The highest pure water flux (PWF) of 43.12 Lm⁻²h⁻¹ is obtained for the TFNC membrane where MXene is incorporated into the PSf support and the m-phenylenediamine (MPD) solution, which is 4 times as much as the MXene-free thin-film composite membrane. This membrane also provided the highest rejection for solutes, with 98.32% for Na₂SO₄ and 99.13% for methyl orange. Additionally, MXene-modified membranes exhibited superior antifouling properties, as reflected in higher flux recovery ratios (FRR). These findings highlight the potential of MXene as an effective nanofiller for fabricating advanced membranes with enhanced permeability, selectivity, and fouling resistance.