From Corn Starch to Nanostructured Magnetic Laser-Induced Graphene Nanocomposite.

Laser-Induced Graphene (LIG) is a 3D, conductive, porous material with a high surface area, produced by laser irradiation of synthetic polymers with high thermal stability. Recently, the focus has shifted toward sustainable bioderived and biodegradable precursors, such as lignocellulosic materials. Despite starch being an abundant and cost-effective biopolymer, direct laser scribing on starch-derived precursors has not yet been explored.

Laser-induced graphene-based aptasensor for the selective detection of Escherichia coli in urine samples.

A Laser-Induced Graphene-based (LIG) electrode covalently functionalized with an aptamer (P12-55) was used to develop an aptasensor detecting Escherichia coli in urine samples. Recent strides in material science have spotlighted LIG for exceptional attributes like robust mechanical resistance, superior conductivity, extensive surface area, and facile synthesis/patterning on various polymeric substrates. Variations in the aptasensor charge transfer resistance upon interaction with bacterial cells were evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Different Roles of Surface Chemistry and Roughness of Laser-Induced Graphene: Implications for Tunable Wettability.

The control of surface wettability is a technological key aspect and usually poses considerable challenges connected to high cost, nanostructure, and durability, especially when aiming at surface patterning with high and extreme wettability contrast. This work shows a simple and scalable approach by using laser-induced graphene (LIG) and a locally inert atmosphere to continuously tune the wettability of a polyimide/LIG surface from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic (Φ ∼ 160°). This is related to the reduced amount of oxygen on the LIG surface, influenced by the local atmosphere.

Bioderived Laser-Induced Graphene for Sensors and Supercapacitors.

The maskless and chemical-free conversion and patterning of synthetic polymer precursors into laser-induced graphene (LIG) via laser-induced pyrolysis is a relatively new but growing field. Bioderived precursors from lignocellulosic materials can also be converted to LIG, opening a path to sustainable and environmentally friendly applications. This review is designed as a starting point for researchers who are not familiar with LIG and/or who wish to switch to sustainable bioderived precursors for their applications.

Sweat analysis with a wearable sensing platform based on laser-induced graphene.

The scientific community has shown increasing interest in laser scribing for the direct fabrication of conductive graphene-based tracks on different substrates. This can enable novel routes for the noninvasive analysis of biofluids (such as sweat or other noninvasive matrices), whose results can provide the rapid evaluation of a person's health status. Here, we present a wearable sensing platform based on laser induced graphene (LIG) porous electrodes scribed on a flexible polyimide sheet, which samples sweat through a paper sampler.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Laser-Induced Graphene: Structure, Properties, and Application to Chemical Sensing.

Notwithstanding its relatively recent discovery, graphene has gone through many evolution steps and inspired a multitude of applications in many fields, from electronics to life science. The recent advancements in graphene production and patterning, and the inclusion of two-dimensional (2D) graphenic materials in three-dimensional (3D) superstructures, further extended the number of potential applications. In this Review, we focus on laser-induced graphene (LIG), an intriguing 3D porous graphenic material produced by direct laser scribing of carbonaceous precursors, and on its applications in chemical sensors and biosensors.

Multiresponsive Soft Actuators Based on a Thermoresponsive Hydrogel and Embedded Laser-Induced Graphene.

The method of converting insulating polymers into conducting 3D porous graphene structures, so-called laser-induced graphene (LIG) with a commercially available CO laser engraving system in an ambient atmosphere, resulted in several applications in sensing, actuation, and energy. In this paper, we demonstrate a combination of LIG and a smart hydrogel (poly(-vinylcaprolactam)-pNVCL) for multiresponsive actuation in a humid environment. Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) was used to deposit a thin layer of the smart hydrogel onto a matrix of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and embedded LIG tracks.

Stretchable and Skin-Conformable Conductors Based on Polyurethane/Laser-Induced Graphene.

The conversion of various polymer substrates into laser-induced graphene (LIG) with a CO laser in ambient condition is recently emerging as a simple method for obtaining patterned porous graphene conductors, with a myriad of applications in sensing, actuation, and energy. In this paper, a method is presented for embedding porous LIG (LIG-P) or LIG fibers (LIG-F) into a thin (about 50 μm) and soft medical grade polyurethane (MPU) providing excellent conformal adhesion on skin, stretchability, and maximum breathability to boost the development of various unperceivable monitoring systems on skin. The effect of varying laser fluence and geometry of the laser scribing on the LIG micro-nanostructure morphology and on the electrical and electromechanical properties of LIG/MPU composites is investigated.

Fungal biotransformation of short-chain n-alkylcycloalkanes.

The cycloalkanes, comprising up to 45% of the hydrocarbon fraction, occur in crude oil or refined oil products (e.g., gasoline) mainly as alkylated cyclohexane derivatives and have been increasingly found in environmental samples of soil and water.

Agricultural soil and drilosphere as reservoirs of new and unusual assimilators of 2,4-dichlorophenol carbon.

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) is a potential soil and groundwater contaminant. Earthworms modulate growth and activities of soil microbiota. Thus, active 2,4-DCP degraders in agricultural soil and drilosphere (i.