Self-Mixed Biphasic Liquid Metal Composite with Ultra-High Stretchability and Strain-Insensitivity for Neuromorphic Circuits.

Neuromorphic circuits that can function under extreme deformations are important for various data-driven wearable and robotic applications. Herein, biphasic liquid metal particle (BMP) with unprecedented stretchability and strain-insensitivity (ΔR/R = 1.4@ 1200% strain) is developed to realize a stretchable neuromorphic circuit that mimics a spike-based biologic sensory system.

Plasmonic metasurfaces of cellulose nanocrystal matrices with quadrants of aligned gold nanorods for photothermal anti-icing.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are intriguing as a matrix for plasmonic metasurfaces made of gold nanorods (GNRs) because of their distinctive properties, including renewability, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and low cost. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to precisely regulate the positioning and orientation of CNCs on the substrate in a consistent pattern. In this study, CNCs and GNRs, which exhibit tunable optical and anti-icing capabilities, are employed to manufacture a uniform plasmonic metasurface using a drop-casting technique.

Vapor distribution changes evaporative flux profiles of a sessile droplet.

Hypothesis: We propose that during the evaporation of sessile droplets, the evaporative flux profile is primarily influenced by droplet geometry and composition under diffusion-limited conditions. Most studies have focused solely on the evaporation feature from the liquid to the gas phase, neglecting the extent to which the evaporated vapors affect the evaporation process. We hypothesize that if the molecular weight of the evaporated vapors is significantly high or low compared to the ambient gas, it could alter the evaporative flux.

Controlled nucleation in evaporative crystallization using a confined-vapor driven solutal Marangoni effect.

In droplet evaporation, the onset of evaporative crystallization near a contact line is inevitable if there is a coffee-ring effect increasing the local concentration of suspended particles at the edge. In this study, we present a novel idea to control the nucleation location of surfactant crystallization by using the vapor-driven solutal Marangoni effects of a binary mixture drop in a confined chamber. Here, the evaporated volatile vapors near the droplet surface can change the local surface tension and generate a radially inward flow that suppresses the conventional coffee-ring flow (, evaporatively-driven capillary flow).

Self-Induced Solutal Marangoni Flows Realize Coffee-Ring-Less Quantum Dot Microarrays with Extensive Geometric Tunability and Scalability.

Currently, quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) are receiving extensive attention. To maximize their luminous performance, the uniformity of the QD-LEDs is crucial. Although the spontaneously self-induced solutal Marangoni flow of an evaporating binary mixture droplet has been widely investigated and used to suppress coffee-ring patterns in ink-jet printing technology, unfortunately, ring shapes are still present at the edges, and the Marangoni flow generated by the selective evaporation of volatile liquid components cannot be controlled due to its nonlinear instabilities.

Controlling uniform patterns by evaporation of multi-component liquid droplets in a confined geometry.

Surface-coating technologies are important for a variety of applications, e.g. ink-jet printing, micro-electronic engineering and biological arrays.