Deployable electronics with enhanced fatigue resistance for crumpling and tension.

Highly packable and deployable electronics offer a variety of advantages in electronics and robotics by facilitating spatial efficiency. These electronics must endure extreme folding during packaging and tension to maintain a rigid structure in the deployment state. Here, we present foldable and robustly deployable electronics inspired by Plantago, characterized by their tolerance to folding and tension due to integration of tough veins within thin leaf.

High-Uniformity, Shape-Controlled Silicon Nanowires for Enhanced Performance in Optoelectronic Devices.

Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) have attracted considerable interest owing to their distinctive properties, which render them promising candidates for a wide range of advanced applications in electronics, photonics, energy storage, and sensing. However, challenges in achieving large-scale production, high uniformity, and shape control limit their practical use. This study presents a novel fabrication approach combining nanoimprint lithography, nanotransfer printing, and metal-assisted chemical etching to produce highly uniform and shape-controlled Si NW arrays.

Electrokinetic Enhancement of Membrane Techniques for Efficient Nanoparticle Separation and Preconcentration.

Efficient separation and preconcentration of nanoparticles are crucial in a wide range of biomedical applications, particularly as target substances continue to diminish in size. In this study, we introduce an electric field-assisted membrane system that synergistically combines oversized-pore membranes with an electrokinetic particle retention mechanism. Utilizing Ti/Au-coated poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) membranes, our approach generates electrokinetic forces to effectively separate and retain charged nanoparticles even smaller than the pores, achieving a separation efficiency over 99% and a preconcentration factor of 1.

Transparent and visible light-activated antimicrobial air filters from electrospun crystal violet-embedded polyacrylonitrile nanofibers.

Bioaerosols pose significant risks to indoor environments and public health, driving interest in advanced antimicrobial air filtration technologies. Conventional antimicrobial filters often suffer from diminished efficacy over time and require additional binders to retain antimicrobial agents. This study introduces CV@PAN, a self-disinfecting nanofiber fabricated via electrospinning of crystal violet (CV) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN).

Data-Driven Analysis of High-Temperature Fluorocarbon Plasma for Semiconductor Processing.

The semiconductor industry increasingly relies on high aspect ratio etching facilitated by Amorphous Carbon Layer (ACL) masks for advanced 3D-NAND and DRAM technologies. However, carbon contamination in ACL deposition chambers necessitates effective fluorine-based plasma cleaning. This study employs a high-temperature inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system and Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ToF-MS) to analyze gas species variations under different process conditions.

Hydrogen and Solid Carbon Production via Methane Pyrolysis in a Rotating Gliding Arc Plasma Reactor.

Plasma-induced methane pyrolysis is a promising hydrogen production method. However, few studies have focused the decomposition of pure methane as a discharge gas. Herein, a rotating gliding arc reactor was used for the conversion of methane (discharge gas and feedstock) into hydrogen and solid carbon.

Anti-counterfeiting labels of photonic crystals with versatile structural colors.

Labels with structural color based on photonic crystals (PCs) have drawn significant attention due to their unique color emission, offering promising solutions for anti-counterfeiting applications. However, to meet the demands of future high-security applications, conventional structural color labels require further improvement. This study introduces a novel approach to fabricate highly encrypted anti-counterfeiting labels by combining close-packed and non-close-packed monolayers of nanoparticles (NPs) onto adhesive surfaces.

Priorities to inform research on tire particles and their chemical leachates: A collective perspective.

Concerns over the ecological impacts of urban road runoff have increased, partly due to recent research into the harmful impacts of tire particles and their chemical leachates. This study aimed to help the community of researchers, regulators and policy advisers in scoping out the priority areas for further study. To improve our understanding of these issues an interdisciplinary, international network consisting of experts (United Kingdom, Norway, United States, Australia, South Korea, Finland, Austria, China and Canada) was formed.

Qudit-based variational quantum eigensolver using photonic orbital angular momentum states.

Solving the electronic structure problem is a notorious challenge in quantum chemistry and material science. Variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) is a promising hybrid classical-quantum algorithm for finding the lowest-energy configuration of a molecular system. However, it typically requires many qubits and quantum gates with substantial quantum circuit depth to accurately represent the electronic wave function of complex structures.

Typical Tire Additives in River Water: Leaching, Transformation, and Environmental Risk Assessment.

Tire wear particles (TWPs) released during vehicle driving can enter water bodies, leading to leaching of tire additives (TAs) in aquatic environments. However, the transformation behavior and related ecological impacts of TAs and their transformation products (TPs) remain unclear. In this study, laboratory-based simulation experiments and field investigations were conducted to explore the transformation mechanisms and ecological risks of TAs.

Graphene-enabled laser lift-off for ultrathin displays.

Laser lift-off (LLO) of ultrathin polyimide (PI) films is important in the manufacturing of ultrathin displays. However, conventional LLO technologies face challenges in separating the ultrathin PI films without causing mechanical and electrical damage to integrated devices. Here, we propose a graphene-enabled laser lift-off (GLLO) method to address the challenges.

Investigation on the reduction in unburned ammonia and nitrogen oxide emissions from ammonia direct injection SI engine by using SCR after-treatment system.

Currently generated nitrogen oxides (NO) and unburned ammonia (NH) can be converted into nitrogen and moisture that are harmless to the human body and environment using selective catalytic reduction (SCR). The concentrations of NO and unburned NH emitted from the ammonia combustion engines are significantly higher than those emitted by engines using existing hydrocarbon fuels. In this study, ammonia, a representative carbon-free fuel, was used in spark ignition engines for existing passenger vehicles to identify the trends in exhaust gases emitted from engines and conduct experiments on after-treatment strategies to reduce NO and unburned NH.

Flexible endoscope manipulating robot using quad-roller friction mechanism.

A robotic system for manipulating a flexible endoscope in surgery can provide enhanced accuracy and usability compared to manual operation. However, previous studies require large-scale, complex hardware systems to implement the rotational and translational motions of the soft endoscope cable. The conventional control of the endoscope by actuating the endoscope handle also leads to undesired slack between the endoscope tip and the handle, which becomes more problematic with long endoscopes such as a colonoscope.

Flexible All-Inorganic Thermoelectric Yarns.

Achieving both formability and functionality in thermoelectric materials remains a significant challenge due to their inherent brittleness. Previous approaches, such as polymer infiltration, often compromise thermoelectric efficiency, underscoring the need for flexible, all-inorganic alternatives. This study demonstrates that the extreme brittleness of thermoelectric bismuth telluride (BiTe) bulk compounds can be overcome by harnessing the nanoscale flexibility of BiTe nanoribbons and twisting them into a yarn structure.

Electron Release via Internal Polarization Fields for Optimal S-H Bonding States.

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have received considerable attention as promising electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), yet their potential is often constrained by the inertness of the basal planes arising from their poor hydrogen adsorption ability. Here, the relationship between the electronic structure of the WS basal plane and HER activity is systemically analyzed to establish a clear insight. The valance state of the sulfur atoms on the basal plane has been tuned to enhance hydrogen adsorption through sequential engineering processes, including direct phase transition and heterostructure that induces work function-difference-induced unidirectional electron transfer.

Validation of a newly developed low-cost, high-accuracy, camera-based gait analysis system.

Background: Gait analysis is essential for evaluating locomotor function and fall risk, particularly in the elderly and in various musculoskeletal disorders. Traditional gait analysis systems face challenges such as technical difficulties, high cost, and complexity of use. Therefore, there is a need for a more accessible and cost-effective system with a wider clinical applicability.

Sculpting the Electronic Nano-Terrain on a Perovskite Film for Efficient Charge Transport.

Nanopatterned halide perovskites have emerged to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices by controlling the crystallographic and optical properties via morphological modification. However, the correlation between the photophysical property and morphology transformation in nanopatterned perovskite films remains elusive, which hinders the rational design of nanopatterned halide perovskites for optoelectronic devices. In this study, we employed nanoimprinting lithography on a perovskite film to exert a precise control over grain growth and manipulate electronic structures at the level of individual grains.

Harmonic errors of a 9.4 T all-REBCO NMR magnet affected by screening current and geometric inconsistency of coated conductors.

REBa Cu O (REBCO, RE = rare earth)-coated conductor is a competitive option in terms of current-carrying capacity and high-stress durability in developing high-field magnets for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) research. Meanwhile, a technical challenge in utilizing a stand-alone REBCO NMR magnet is an unexpected difference in the field uniformity between the designed and measured values after being constructed and charged, i.e.

Surface Functionalization of 3D-Printed Scaffolds with Seed-Assisted Hydrothermally Grown ZnO Nanoarrays for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Bioactive metal-based nanostructures, particularly zinc oxide (ZnO), are promising materials for bone tissue engineering. However, integrating them into 3D-printed polymers using traditional blending methods reduces the cell performance. Alternative surface deposition techniques often require extreme conditions that are unsuitable for polymers.

Variable-stiffness-morphing wheel inspired by the surface tension of a liquid droplet.

Wheels have been commonly used for locomotion in mobile robots and transportation systems because of their simple structure and energy efficiency. However, the performance of wheels in overcoming obstacles is limited compared with their advantages in driving on normal flat ground. Here, we present a variable-stiffness wheel inspired by the surface tension of a liquid droplet.

Metasurface-Embedded Contact Lenses for Holographic Light Projection.

Contact lenses have been instrumental in vision correction and are expected to be utilized in augmented reality (AR) displays through the integration of electronic and optical components. In optics, metasurfaces, an array of sub-wavelength nanostructures, have offered optical multifunctionality in an ultra-compact form factor, facilitating integration into various imaging, and display systems. However, transferring metasurfaces onto contact lenses remains challenging due to the non-biocompatible materials of extant imprinting methods and the structural instability caused by the swelling and shrinking of the wetted surface.

Impact of vehicles at the roadside of expressway in urban area: Simultaneous measurement of particle size distribution and positive matrix factorization.

This study conducted real-time monitoring of size-resolved particle concentrations ranging from 9 nm to 10 μm simultaneously at four sites on the park ground and the roof of a five-story apartment buildings in the upwind and downwind areas of the Olympic Expressway next to apartment complex areas of Seoul, Korea. Using a positive matrix factorization model for source apportionment, eight factors were resolved at each monitoring site: four exhaust emissions of vehicles, one non-exhaust emission of vehicle, two regional sources, and one unknown source. After categorizing monitoring data into three cases by wind conditions, impact and contribution of each vehicle-related source on the local road to the roadside pollution was quantified and characterized by subtracting the urban background concentrations.