High versatility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste for the development of batteries, biosensing and gas sensing devices.

Continuously growing adoption of electronic devices in energy storage, human health and environmental monitoring systems increases demand for cost-effective, lightweight, comfortable, and highly efficient functional structures. In this regard, the recycling and reuse of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste in the aforementioned fields due to its excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance is an effective solution to reduce plastic waste. Herein, we review recent advances in synthesis procedures and research studies on the integration of PET into energy storage (Li-ion batteries) and the detection of gaseous and biological species.

Selective Growth of Graphene-Confined Inkjet-Printed Sn Nanoparticles on Plastic Using Intense Pulsed Light Annealing.

Printing graphene-based nanomaterials on flexible substrates has become a burgeoning platform for next-generation technologies. Combining graphene and nanoparticles to create hybrid nanomaterials has been proven to boost device performance, thanks to their complementary physical and chemical properties. However, high growth temperatures and long processing times are often required to produce high-quality graphene-based nanocomposites.

Toward autonomous wearable triboelectric systems integrated on textiles.

One of the major requirements of smart textiles is to achieve the integration of an energy source for powering embedded electronic systems. In this context, textile triboelectric nanogenerators (T-TENGs) are particularly well suited to imperceptibly play this role in the core of textiles, making them highly appealing for the development of future autonomous systems. This article reviews the wide range of topics related to T-TENGs technology starting from triboelectric generation (textile device and behavior modeling) up to the complete integration of power transfer (rectifier) circuits on textiles.

Application of a conversion electrode based on decomposition derivatives of Ag[Fe(CN)] for aqueous electrolyte batteries.

The lack of stable electrode materials for water-based electrolytes due to the intercalation and conversion reaction mechanisms encourage scientists to design new or renovate existing materials with better cyclability, capacity, and cost-effectiveness. Ag[Fe(CN)] is a material belonging to the Prussian blue family that can be used, as its other family members, as an electrode material with the intercalation/deintercalation reaction or conversion-type mechanism through Ag oxidation/reduction. However, due to the instability of this material in its dry state, it decomposes to AgCN and a Prussian blue residual complex.

Biomimetic models of the human eye, and their applications.

Replicating the functionality of the human eye has been a challenge for more than a century, creating a great wealth of biomimetic and bioinspired devices, and providing ever improving models of the eye for myriad research purposes. As improvements in microelectronics have proceeded, individual components of the eye have been replicated, and models of the optical behaviour of the eye have improved. This review explores both work developed for improving medical components, with an ultimate aim of a fully functioning prosthetic eye, and work looking at improving existing devices through biomimetic means.

Changes in temperature inside an optomechanical model of the human eye during emulated transscleral cyclophotocoagulation.

Currently, many diseases of the eye are treated by laser surgery. An understanding of light propagation and the heating of eye tissue during laser exposure is crucial to improving the outcome of these procedures. Here, we present the development of physical and computational models of the human eye by combining optical light propagation and thermal characteristics.

TiO Nanotube Layers Decorated with AlO/MoS/AlO as Anode for Li-ion Microbatteries with Enhanced Cycling Stability.

TiO nanotube layers (TNTs) decorated with AlO/MoS/AlO are investigated as a negative electrode for 3D Li-ion microbatteries. Homogenous nanosheets decoration of MoS, sandwiched between AlO coatings within self-supporting TNTs was carried out using atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. The structure, morphology, and electrochemical performance of the AlO/MoS/AlO-decorated TNTs were studied using scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and chronopotentiometry.

All-Solid-State Lithium Ion Batteries Using Self-Organized TiO Nanotubes Grown from Ti-6Al-4V Alloy.

All-solid-state batteries were fabricated by assembling a layer of self-organized TiO nanotubes grown on as anode, a thin-film of polymer as an electrolyte and separator, and a layer of composite LiFePO as a cathode. The synthesis of self-organized TiO NTs from Ti-6Al-4V alloy was carried out via one-step electrochemical anodization in a fluoride ethylene glycol containing electrolytes. The electrodeposition of the polymer electrolyte onto anatase TiO NTs was performed by cyclic voltammetry.

Direct Pre-lithiation of Electropolymerized Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Cycling Performance of Flexible Li-Ion Micro-Batteries.

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are used as anodes for flexible Li-ion micro-batteries. However, one of the major challenges in the growth of flexible micro-batteries with CNT as the anode is their immense capacity loss and a very low initial coulombic efficiency. In this study, we report the use of a facile direct pre-lithiation to suppress high irreversible capacity of the CNT electrodes in the first cycles.

Determination of optical parameters of the porcine eye and development of a simulated model.

The eye is a very sophisticated system of optical elements for the preeminent sense of vision. In recent years, the number of laser surgery to correct the optical aberration such as myopia or astigmatism has significantly increased. Consequently, improving the knowledge related to the interactions of light with the eye is very important in order to enhance the efficiency of the surgery.

Flexible Micro-Battery for Powering Smart Contact Lens.

In this paper, we demonstrate the first attempt of encapsulating a flexible micro battery into a contact lens to implement an eye-tracker. The paper discusses how to scale the battery to power various circuits embedded in the contact lens, such as ASIC, photodiodes, etc., as well as how to combine the battery with external harvested energy sources.

Superior Electrochemical Performance of Thin-Film Thermoplastic Elastomer-Coated SnSb as an Anode for Li-ion Batteries.

The high failure strain of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) is a very desirable feature for rechargeable Li-ion batteries by improving the lifetime of high specific capacity anode materials that undergo mechanical fractures induced by large volume variations. In this work, poly(styrene-b-2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) called PS-b-PHEA was synthesized by a nitroxide meditated polymerization method. Owing to the use of a specific polystyrene macroinitiator (SG1), a suitable TPE copolymer with long hydroxyethyl acrylate blocks to ensure good mechanical properties is obtained for the first time.

Optical and Electrochemical Properties of Self-Organized TiO Nanotube Arrays From Anodized Ti-6Al-4V Alloy.

Due to their high specific surface area and advanced properties, TiO nanotubes (TiO NTs) have a great significance for production and storage of energy. In this paper, TiO NTs were synthesized from anodization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 60 V for 3 h in fluoride ethylene glycol electrolyte by varying the water content and further annealing treatment. The morphological, structural, optical and electrochemical performances of TiO NTs were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization techniques.

Electrodeposition of Polymer Electrolyte Into Porous LiNiMnO for High Performance All-Solid-State Microbatteries.

We report the electrodeposition of polymer electrolyte (PMMA-PEG) in porous lithium nickel manganese oxide (LiNiMnO) cathode layer by cyclic voltammetry. The cathode-electrolyte interface of the polymer-coated LNMO electrode has been characterized by scanning electron microscopy and electrochemical techniques. Electrochemical measurements consisting of galvanostatic cycling tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed a significant improvement of the capacity values and the increase of the operating voltage.

ALD AlO-Coated TiO Nanotube Layers as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The utilization of the anodic TiO nanotube layers, with uniform AlO coatings of different thicknesses (prepared by atomic layer deposition, ALD), as the new electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), is reported herein. Electrodes with very thin AlO coatings (∼1 nm) show a superior electrochemical performance for use in LIBs compared to that of the uncoated TiO nanotube layers. A more than 2 times higher areal capacity is received on these coated TiO nanotube layers (∼75 vs 200 μAh/cm) as well as higher rate capability and coulombic efficiency of the charging and discharging reactions.

Bottom-Up Electrochemical Deposition of Poly(styrene sulfonate) on Nanoarchitectured Electrodes.

The cathodic deposition of poly(styrene sulfonate) on nanoarchitectured TiO electrodes is explored by cyclic voltammetry and potentiostatic and galvanostatic experiments, showing a diffusion-controlled deposition described by Cottrell's law. The structure and composition of the polymer is evidenced by various spectroscopic techniques, including nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and its morphology is studied by scanning electron microscopy. The average chain length can be estimated from the NMR spectra.

Porous NASICON-Type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 Thin Film Deposited by RF Sputtering as Cathode Material for Li-Ion Microbatteries.

We report the electrochemical performance of porous NASICON-type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 thin films to be used as a cathode for Li-ion microbatteries. Crystalline porous NASICON-type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 layers were obtained by radio frequency sputtering with an annealing treatment. The thin films were characterized by XRD, SEM, and electrochemical techniques.

Anodized Ti3SiC2 As an Anode Material for Li-ion Microbatteries.

We report on the synthesis of an anode material for Li-ion batteries by anodization of a common MAX phase, Ti3SiC2, in an aqueous electrolyte containing hydrofluoric acid (HF). The anodization led to the formation of a porous film containing anatase, a small quantity of free carbon, and silica. By varying the anodization parameters, various oxide morphologies were produced.

Porous Silicon Nanotube Arrays as Anode Material for Li-Ion Batteries.

We report the electrochemical performance of Si nanotube vertical arrays possessing thin porous sidewalls for Li-ion batteries. Porous Si nanotubes were fabricated on stainless steel substrates using a sacrificial ZnO nanowire template method. These porous Si nanotubes are stable at multiple C-rates.

Synthesis of carbon/sulfur nanolaminates by electrochemical extraction of titanium from Ti₂SC.

Herein we electrochemically and selectively extract Ti from the MAX phase Ti2SC to form carbon/sulfur (C/S) nanolaminates at room temperature. The products are composed of multi-layers of C/S flakes, with predominantly amorphous and some graphene-like structures. Covalent bonding between C and S is observed in the nanolaminates, which render the latter promising candidates as electrode materials for Li-S batteries.

Three-dimensional self-supported metal oxides for advanced energy storage.

The miniaturization of power sources aimed at integration into micro- and nano-electronic devices is a big challenge. To ensure the future development of fully autonomous on-board systems, electrodes based on self-supported 3D nanostructured metal oxides have become increasingly important, and their impact is particularly significant when considering the miniaturization of energy storage systems. This review describes recent advances in the development of self-supported 3D nanostructured metal oxides as electrodes for innovative power sources, particularly Li-ion batteries and electrochemical supercapacitors.

Sulfidated TiO2 nanotubes: a potential 3D cathode material for Li-ion micro batteries.

In this work, self-organized titania nanotubes are sulfidated by an annealing treatment to produce TiOxSy nanotubes. Morphological, structural and electrochemical analyses show that this 3D nanostructured electrode is a potential cathode material for Li-ion microbatteries.

Electrochemical fabrication and properties of highly ordered Fe-doped TiO2 nanotubes.

Highly-ordered Fe-doped TiO(2) nanotubes (TiO(2)nts) were fabricated by anodization of co-sputtered Ti-Fe thin films in a glycerol electrolyte containing NH(4)F. The as-sputtered Ti-Fe thin films correspond to a solid solution of Ti and Fe according to X-ray diffraction. The Fe-doped TiO(2)nts were studied in terms of composition, morphology and structure.