Enzyme- and Relative Humidity-Responsive Antimicrobial Fibers for Active Food Packaging.

Active food packaging materials that are sustainable, biodegradable, and capable of precise delivery of antimicrobial active ingredients (AIs) are in high demand. Here, we report the development of novel enzyme- and relative humidity (RH)-responsive antimicrobial fibers with an average diameter of 225 ± 50 nm, which can be deposited as a functional layer for packaging materials. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), zein (protein), and starch were electrospun to form multistimuli-responsive fibers that incorporated a cocktail of both free nature-derived antimicrobials such as thyme oil, citric acid, and nisin and cyclodextrin-inclusion complexes (CD-ICs) of thyme oil, sorbic acid, and nisin.

Novel Antimicrobial Coating on Silicone Contact Lens Using Glycidyl Methacrylate and Polyethyleneimine Based Polymers.

Contact lenses are medical devices commonly used to correct refractive errors and to maintain ocular health. Microorganisms such as bacteria that grow on the lens surface cause irritation to the eyes and can even cause loss of vision. In this paper, two different coating strategies are employed to form an efficient antimicrobial coating on contact lenses.

High Interlaminar Shear Strength Enhancement of Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composite through Fiber- and Matrix-Anchored Carbon Nanotube Networks.

To improve the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite, networks of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were grown on micron-sized carbon fibers and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were dispersed into the epoxy matrix so that these two types of carbon nanotubes entangle at the carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy matrix interface. The MWNTs on the CF fiber (CF-MWNTs) were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD), while the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were finely dispersed in the epoxy matrix precursor with the aid of a dispersing agent polyimide-graft-bisphenol A diglyceryl acrylate (PI-BDA) copolymer. Using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding, the SWNT-laden epoxy matrix precursor was forced into intimate contact with the "hairy" surface of the CF-MWNT fiber.

Totally embedded hybrid thin films of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires as flat homogenous flexible transparent conductors.

There is a great need for viable alternatives to today's transparent conductive film using largely indium tin oxide. We report the fabrication of a new type of flexible transparent conductive film using silver nanowires (AgNW) and single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks which are fully embedded in a UV curable resin substrate. The hybrid SWCNTs-AgNWs film is relatively flat so that the RMS roughness of the top surface of the film is 3 nm.

Carbon Nanotube Driver Circuit for 6 × 6 Organic Light Emitting Diode Display.

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) is expected to be a very promising material for flexible and transparent driver circuits for active matrix organic light emitting diode (AM OLED) displays due to its high field-effect mobility, excellent current carrying capacity, optical transparency and mechanical flexibility. Although there have been several publications about SWNT driver circuits, none of them have shown static and dynamic images with the AM OLED displays. Here we report on the first successful chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown SWNT network thin film transistor (TFT) driver circuits for static and dynamic AM OLED displays with 6 × 6 pixels.

High-performance partially aligned semiconductive single-walled carbon nanotube transistors achieved with a parallel technique.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are widely thought to be a strong contender for next-generation printed electronic transistor materials. However, large-scale solution-based parallel assembly of SWNTs to obtain high-performance transistor devices is challenging. SWNTs have anisotropic properties and, although partial alignment of the nanotubes has been theoretically predicted to achieve optimum transistor device performance, thus far no parallel solution-based technique can achieve this.

High-performance printed carbon nanotube thin-film transistors array fabricated by a nonlithography technique using hafnium oxide passivation layer and mask.

The large-scale application of semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (s-SWCNTs) for printed electronics requires scalable, repeateable, as well as noncontaminating assembly techniques. Previously explored nanotube deposition methods include serial methods such as inkjet printing and parallel methods such as spin-coating with photolithography. The serial methods are usually slow, whereas the photolithography-related parallel methods result in contamination of the nanotubes.