Top-down architecture of magnetized micro-cilia and conductive micro-domes as fully bionic electronic skin for de-coupled multidimensional tactile perception.

Electronic skin (E-skin) has attracted considerable attention for simulating the human sensory system for use in prosthetics, human-machine interactions, and healthcare monitoring. However, it is still challenging to fully mimic the skin function that can de-couple stimuli such as normal/tangential forces, contact/non-contact behaviors, and react to high-frequency inputs. Herein, we propose fully bionic E-skin (FBE-skin), which consists of a magnetized micro-cilia array (MMCA), a micro-dome array (MDA), and flexible electrodes to completely duplicate the hairy layer, epidermis/dermis interface, and subcutaneous mechanoreceptors of human skin.

Bioinspired Tilted Magnetized Flakes as a Self-Powered and Antislip Smart Outsole for Healthcare Monitoring and Human-Machine Interaction.

Footwear smart devices capable of reliably capturing body actions and conveniently transmitting human-made information are of great interest to advance healthcare monitoring, human-machine interactions (HMIs), etc. while remaining challenging. Herein, we present a self-powered, antislip, and multifunctional smart outsole based on the gecko toe-inspired tilted magnetized flakes (TMFs) and underlying flexible coils.

Self-Adhesive Electronic Skin with Bio-Inspired 3D Architecture for Mechanical Stimuli Monitoring and Human-Machine Interactions.

Recent development of wearable devices is revolutionizing the way of artificial electronic skins (E-skin), physiological health monitoring and human-machine interactions (HMI). However, challenge remains to fit flexible electronic devices to the human skin with conformal deformation and identifiable electrical feedback according to the mechanical stimuli. Herein, an adhesive E-skin is developed that can firmly attach on the human skin for mechanical stimuli perception.

Label-free spatiotemporal decoding of single-cell fate via acoustic driven 3D tomography.

Label-free three-dimensional imaging plays a crucial role in unraveling the complexities of cellular functions and interactions in biomedical research. Conventional single-cell optical tomography techniques offer affordability and the convenience of bypassing laborious cell labelling protocols. However, these methods are encumbered by restricted illumination scanning ranges on abaxial plane, resulting in the loss of intricate cellular imaging details.

Construction of 2D/2D ZnInS/NbCT (MXene) hybrid with hole transport highway and active facet exposure boost photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

In this study, leveraging the tunable surface groups of MXene, the two-dimensional (2D) NbCT with OH terminal (NC) was synthesized. 2D ZnInS (ZIS) nanosheets were prepared with the aid of sodium citrate, enhancing the exposure ratio of active (110) facet. On this basis, 2D/2D ZnInS/NbCT heterojunctions were fabricated to improve photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance.

Durable superhydrophobic surface in wearable sensors: From nature to application.

The current generation of wearable sensors often experiences signal interference and external corrosion, leading to device degradation and failure. To address these challenges, the biomimetic superhydrophobic approach has been developed, which offers self-cleaning, low adhesion, corrosion resistance, anti-interference, and other properties. Such surfaces possess hierarchical nanostructures and low surface energy, resulting in a smaller contact area with the skin or external environment.

Quantitative detecting low concentration polystyrene nanoplastics in aquatic environments via an Ag/NbCT (MXene) SERS substrate.

In this study, the plasmonic Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were uniformly anchored on the high conductivity NbCT (MXene) nanosheets to construct an Ag/NbCT substrate for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) detection of polystyrene (PS) nanoplastics. The KI addition (0.15 mol/L), the volume ratio between substrate colloid and nanoplastic suspension (2:1), and the mass ratio of NbCT in substrate (14%) on SERS performance were optimized.

Single Channel Based Interference-Free and Self-Powered Human-Machine Interactive Interface Using Eigenfrequency-Dominant Mechanism.

The recent development of wearable devices is revolutionizing the way of human-machine interaction (HMI). Nowadays, an interactive interface that carries more embedded information is desired to fulfill the increasing demand in era of Internet of Things. However, present approach normally relies on sensor arrays for memory expansion, which inevitably brings the concern of wiring complexity, signal differentiation, power consumption, and miniaturization.

Crosstalk-Free Position Mapping for One-Step Reconstruction of Surface Topological Information via Eigenfrequency-Registered Wearable Interface.

Exploring flexible tactile sensors capable of recognizing surface information is significant for the development of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and human-machine interactions (HMI). However, it is still a challenge for current tactile sensors to efficiently recognize the surface pattern information while maintaining the simplicity of the overall system. In this study, cantilever beam-like magnetized micropillars (MMPs) with height gradients are assembled as a position-registered array for rapid recognition of surface pattern information.

Coupling of static ultramicromagnetic field with elastic micropillar-structured substrate for cell response.

Micropillars have emerged as promising tools for a wide range of biological applications, while the influence of magnetic fields on cell behavior regulation has been increasingly recognized. However, the combined effect of micropillars and magnetic fields on cell behaviors remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the responses of H9c2 cells to ultramicromagnetic micropillar arrays using NdFeB as the tuned magnetic particles.

Applications of flexible electronics related to cardiocerebral vascular system.

Ensuring accessible and high-quality healthcare worldwide requires field-deployable and affordable clinical diagnostic tools with high performance. In recent years, flexible electronics with wearable and implantable capabilities have garnered significant attention from researchers, which functioned as vital clinical diagnostic-assisted tools by real-time signal transmission from interested targets in vivo. As the most crucial and complex system of human body, cardiocerebral vascular system together with heart-brain network attracts researchers inputting profuse and indefatigable efforts on proper flexible electronics design and materials selection, trying to overcome the impassable gulf between vivid organisms and rigid inorganic units.

Breathable Fabrics with Robust Superhydrophobicity via In Situ Formation of Hierarchical Surface Morphologies.

Superhydrophobic fabrics have recently attracted extensive interest not only in the fields of water-repellent clothing but also for the emerging functional fabrics due to their intrinsic flexibility and excellent stability. In this work, we proposed a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method to fabricate superhydrophobic fabrics with a broad application scope for textiles of different apertures. The flexible, breathable, and superhydrophobic fabric was realized via a three-step process, including polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) encapsulation, in situ microcilia array formation, and silica nanoparticle decoration.

Manipulation with sound and vibration: A review on the micromanipulation system based on sub-MHz acoustic waves.

Manipulation of micro-objects have been playing an essential role in biochemical analysis or clinical diagnostics. Among the diverse technologies for micromanipulation, acoustic methods show the advantages of good biocompatibility, wide tunability, a label-free and contactless manner. Thus, acoustic micromanipulations have been widely exploited in micro-analysis systems.

Semi-wrapped gold nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering detection.

Researchers have struggled to develop highly reliable and sensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates for detecting compounds in complicated systems. In this work, a strategy by constructing Au cores with incompletely wrapped Prussian blue (PB) for highly reliable and sensitive SERS substrate is proposed. The wrapped PB layers can provide the internal standard (IS) to calibrate the SERS signal floatation, whereas the exposed surface of Au cores offers the enhancement effect.

Design of a Magnetic Soft Inchworm Millirobot Based on Pre-Strained Elastomer with Micropillars.

Rather than using longitudinal "muscle" as in biological inchworm, the existing magnetic active elastomer (MAE)-based inchworm robots utilize magnetic torque to pull and push the soft body, which hinders its locomotion mobility. In this paper, a new pre-strained MAE inchworm millirobot with micropillars is proposed. The pre-strained elastomer serves as a pre-load muscle to contract the soft body, and the micropillars act as tiny feet to anchor the body during the locomotion.

Breathable and Waterproof Electronic Skin with Three-Dimensional Architecture for Pressure and Strain Sensing in Nonoverlapping Mode.

Wearable sensors have recently attracted extensive interest not only in the field of healthcare monitoring but also for convenient and intelligent human-machine interactions. However, challenges such as wearable comfort, multiple applicable conditions, and differentiation of mechanical stimuli are yet to be fully addressed. Herein, we developed a breathable and waterproof electronic skin (E-skin) that can perceive pressure/strain with nonoverlapping signals.

Single-atom sites on perovskite chips for record-high sensitivity and quantification in SERS.

Unlabelled: Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a rapid and nondestructive technique that is capable of detecting and identifying chemical or biological compounds. Sensitive SERS quantification is vital for practical applications, particularly for portable detection of biomolecules such as amino acids and nucleotides. However, few approaches can achieve sensitive and quantitative Raman detection of these most fundamental components in biology.

Intelligent and highly sensitive strain sensor based on indium tin oxide micromesh with a high crack density.

Cracks play an important role in strain sensors. However, a systematic analysis of how cracks influence the strain sensors has not been proposed. In this work, an intelligent and highly sensitive strain sensor based on indium tin oxide (ITO)/polyurethane (PU) micromesh is realized.

Regulation of Droplet Rebound Behavior with Contact Time Control on a Flexible and Superhydrophobic Film.

Rapid droplet detachment from the surface in a "pancake rebound" has recently attracted abundant interest owing to the contact time control for applications in anti-icing and self-cleaning. Even though the pancake rebound on rigid substrates has been realized, the establishment of artificial structures on a flexible counterpart with droplet impact behavior studies has rarely been reported. Here, we introduced a facile approach to fabricating a flexible superhydrophobic film decorated with tunable hierarchical micro/nanostructures for water repellency.

Single Tungsten Atom-Modified Cotton Fabrics for Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation and Antibacterial Activity.

Various single-atom materials exhibit distinguished performances in catalysis and biology. To boost their applications, single-atom-based strategies are highly demanded to exhibit repeatable functions on advanced wearable substrates. However, single-atom approaches are rarely reported to anchor on wearable materials, i.

Gradient Architecture-Enabled Capacitive Tactile Sensor with High Sensitivity and Ultrabroad Linearity Range.

The sensitivity and linearity are critical parameters that can preserve the high pressure-resolution across a wide range and simplify the signal processing process of flexible tactile sensors. Although extensive micro-structured dielectrics have been explored to improve the sensitivity of capacitive sensors, the attenuation of sensitivity with increasing pressure is yet to be fully resolved. Herein, a novel dielectric layer based on the gradient micro-dome architecture (GDA) is presented to simultaneously realize the high sensitivity and ultrabroad linearity range of capacitive sensors.

Magnetized Micropillar-Enabled Wearable Sensors for Touchless and Intelligent Information Communication.

The wearable sensors have recently attracted considerable attentions as communication interfaces through the information perception, decoding, and conveying process. However, it is still challenging to obtain a sensor that can convert detectable signals into multiple outputs for convenient, efficient, cryptic, and high-capacity information transmission. Herein, we present a capacitive sensor of magnetic field based on a tilted flexible micromagnet array (t-FMA) as the proposed interaction interface.

Bio-Inspired Hybrid Dielectric for Capacitive and Triboelectric Tactile Sensors with High Sensitivity and Ultrawide Linearity Range.

The trade-off between sensitivity and linearity is critical for preserving the high pressure-resolution over a broad range and simplifying the signal processing/conversion of flexible tactile sensors. Conventional dielectrics suffer from the difficulty of quantitatively controlling the interacted mechanical and dielectric properties, thus causing the restricted sensitivity and linearity of capacitive sensors. Herein, inspired by human skin, a novel hybrid dielectric composed of a low-permittivity (low-k) micro-cilia array, a high-permittivity (high-k) rough surface, and micro-dome array is developed.