Mucus-on-a-chip: investigating the barrier properties of mucus with organic bioelectronics.

Gastrointestinal (GI) mucus is a biologically complex hydrogel that acts as a partially permeable barrier between the contents of the GI tract and the mucosal epithelial lining. Its structural integrity is essential for the lubrication of the tract thereby aiding smooth transit of contents, and the protection of the epithelium from pathogens that seek to colonise and invade. Understanding its physical response to drugs and the microbiome is essential for treating many gastrointestinal infectious diseases.

Impact of Dilute DIO Additive on Local Microstructure of Fluorinated, pNDI-Based Polymer Solar Cells.

The performance of all-polymer solar cells is often enhanced by incorporating solvent additives during solution processing. In particular, blends based on the model all-polymer system PBDBT:N2200 have been shown to have increased short-circuit current and fill factor when processed with dilute diiodooctane (DIO). However, the morphological mechanism that drives the increase in performance is often not well understood due to limitations in common characterization techniques.

Multiparametric Sensing of Outer Membrane Vesicle-Derived Supported Lipid Bilayers Demonstrates the Specificity of Bacteriophage Interactions.

The use of bacteriophages, viruses that specifically infect bacteria, as antibiotics has become an area of great interest in recent years as the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics recedes. The detection of phage interactions with specific bacteria in a rapid and quantitative way is key for identifying phages of interest for novel antimicrobials. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) derived from Gram-negative bacteria can be used to make supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) and therefore membrane models that contain naturally occurring components of the bacterial outer membrane.

Survival of polymeric microstructures subjected to interrogatory touch.

Polymeric arrays of microrelief structures have a range of potential applications. For example, to influence wettability, to act as biologically inspired adhesives, to resist biofouling, and to play a role in the "feel" of an object during tactile interaction. Here, we investigate the damage to micropillar arrays comprising pillars of different modulus, spacing, diameter, and aspect ratio due to the sliding of a silicone cast of a human finger.