The emergence of wearable electronics puts batteries closer to the human skin, exacerbating the need for battery materials that are robust, highly ionically conductive, and stretchable. Herein, we ...introduce a supramolecular design as an effective strategy to overcome the canonical tradeoff between mechanical robustness and ionic conductivity in polymer electrolytes. The supramolecular lithium ion conductor utilizes orthogonally functional H-bonding domains and ion-conducting domains to create a polymer electrolyte with unprecedented toughness (29.3 MJ m
) and high ionic conductivity (1.2 × 10
S cm
at 25 °C). Implementation of the supramolecular ion conductor as a binder material allows for the creation of stretchable lithium-ion battery electrodes with strain capability of over 900% via a conventional slurry process. The supramolecular nature of these battery components enables intimate bonding at the electrode-electrolyte interface. Combination of these stretchable components leads to a stretchable battery with a capacity of 1.1 mAh cm
that functions even when stretched to 70% strain. The method reported here of decoupling ionic conductivity from mechanical properties opens a promising route to create high-toughness ion transport materials for energy storage applications.
The long application life and stable performance of stretchable electronics have been putting forward requirements for both higher mechanical properties and better self‐healing ability of polymeric ...substrates. However, for self‐healing materials, simultaneously improving stretchability and robustness is still challenging. Here, by incorporating sliding crosslinker (polyrotaxanes) and hydrogen bonds into a polymer, a highly stretchable and self‐healable elastomer with good mechanical strength is achieved. The elastomer exhibits very high stretchability, such that it can be stretched to 2800% with a fracture strength of 1.05 MPa. Moreover, the elastomer can achieve nearly complete self‐healing (93%) at 55 °C. Next, tensile tests under different temperatures, step extension experiments, and in situ small angle X‐ray scattering confirm that the excellent stretchability is attributed to the combined effects of sliding cyclodextrins along guest chains and hydrogen bonds. Furthermore, a strain sensor by coating the single‐wall carbon nanotubes onto the surface of the elastic substrate is fabricated.
A new strategy, by incorporating sliding crosslinks and hydrogen bonds into a polymer to achieve a highly stretchable and self‐healable elastomer with good mechanical strength, is reported in this work.
One-dimensional (1D) cobalt acetate hydroxide (Co5(OH)2(CH3COO)8·2H2O) prisms has been obtained through a low temperature re-crystallization process in the dissolvant of ethanol and then transferred ...to cobalt oxide by calcining in the air. Cobalt oxide keeps the outside configuration of the 1D cobalt acetate hydroxide but turns to be boxes with hollow structure inside through the Kirkendall effect. The precursor prisms and polycrystalline boxes both have length of about 3 μm, width of 300 nm and height of 300 nm characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electrochemical measurement results show that the hollow Co3O4 structures exhibit wonderful capacitive properties with high capacitance and good cyclicity.
► Cobalt acetate hydroxide prisms were obtained by a low temperature re-crystallization process. ► Hollow Co3O4 boxes were obtained by calcining cobalt acetate hydroxide prisms in air. ► Hollow Co3O4 structures exhibit wonderful capacitive properties.
Human pluripotent stem cells have emerged as a promising in vitro model system for studying the brain. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell culture paradigms have provided valuable insights ...into the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders, but they remain limited in their capacity to model certain features of human neural development. Specifically, current models do not efficiently incorporate extracellular matrix-derived biochemical and biophysical cues, facilitate multicellular spatio-temporal patterning, or achieve advanced functional maturation. Engineered biomaterials have the capacity to create increasingly biomimetic neural microenvironments, yet further refinement is needed before these approaches are widely implemented. This Review therefore highlights how continued progression and increased integration of engineered biomaterials may be well poised to address intractable challenges in recapitulating human neural development.
Electrophysiological mapping of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) at high throughput and high resolution is critical for understanding its underlying mechanism and guiding definitive treatment such as ...cardiac ablation, but current electrophysiological tools are limited by either low spatial resolution or electromechanical uncoupling of the beating heart. To overcome this limitation, we herein introduce a scalable method for fabricating a tissue-like, high-density, fully elastic electrode (elastrode) array capable of achieving real-time, stable, cellular level-resolution electrophysiological mapping in vivo. Testing with acute rabbit and porcine models, the device is proven to have robust and intimate tissue coupling while maintaining its chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties during the cardiac cycle. The elastrode array records epicardial atrial signals with comparable efficacy to currently available endocardial-mapping techniques but with 2 times higher atrial-to-ventricular signal ratio and >100 times higher spatial resolution and can reliably identify electrical local heterogeneity within an area of simultaneously identified rotor-like electrical patterns in a porcine model of chronic AF.
Optically controlled nongenetic neuromodulation represents a promising approach for the fundamental study of neural circuits and the clinical treatment of neurological disorders. Among the existing ...material candidates that can transduce light energy into biologically relevant cues, silicon (Si) is particularly advantageous due to its highly tunable electrical and optical properties, ease of fabrication into multiple forms, ability to absorb a broad spectrum of light, and biocompatibility. This protocol describes a rational design principle for Si-based structures, general procedures for material synthesis and device fabrication, a universal method for evaluating material photoresponses, detailed illustrations of all instrumentation used, and demonstrations of optically controlled nongenetic modulation of cellular calcium dynamics, neuronal excitability, neurotransmitter release from mouse brain slices, and brain activity in the mouse brain in vivo using the aforementioned Si materials. The entire procedure takes ~4-8 d in the hands of an experienced graduate student, depending on the specific biological targets. We anticipate that our approach can also be adapted in the future to study other systems, such as cardiovascular tissues and microbial communities.
Real-world bioelectronics applications, including drug delivery systems, biosensing and electrical modulation of tissues and organs, largely require biointerfaces at the macroscopic level. However, ...traditional macroscale bioelectronic electrodes usually exhibit invasive or power-inefficient architectures, inability to form uniform and subcellular interfaces, or faradaic reactions at electrode surfaces. Here, we develop a micelle-enabled self-assembly approach for a binder-free and carbon-based monolithic device, aimed at large-scale bioelectronic interfaces. The device incorporates a multi-scale porous material architecture, an interdigitated microelectrode layout and a supercapacitor-like performance. In cell training processes, we use the device to modulate the contraction rate of primary cardiomyocytes at the subcellular level to target frequency in vitro. We also achieve capacitive control of the electrophysiology in isolated hearts, retinal tissues and sciatic nerves, as well as bioelectronic cardiac sensing. Our results support the exploration of device platforms already used in energy research to identify new opportunities in bioelectronics.
Karst landforms are widely distributed in the southwestern mountain areas of China, and the continuous underground mining activities lead to frequent occurrence of catastrophic collapses and ...landslides. Revealing the relationship between the development characteristics of the controlling karst fissures and the slope deformation process is crucial to understand the collapse and landslide phenomena. The Pusa landslide is selected as the geological prototype of discrete element analysis, and the universal distinct element code (UDEC) is applied to simulate the overall deformation response of the mountain containing extensive karst fissure during the mining process. The results show that under the action of mining, the roof above the goaf bends and subsides, and the middle of the roof even breaks and collapses. The separation fractures effectively block the upward transmission of the collapse state of the rock stratum. The bottom of the karst fissure is susceptible to cracking first in the process of coal seam mining due to stress concentration, and the area of severe deformation in the slope coincides with the mining pressurization area. The morphology of the karst fissure controls and determines the deformation characteristics of the rock mass at the slope top, and only the karst fissure located within the mining influence range is the object to be considered in the slope stability analysis. The limit karst fracture depth, about 1/3 of the slope height, is the limit value to determine whether the rock mass at the slope top is toppled or slipped. The relationship between the karst fissure and the free surface gradually changes from the directional or co-directional to the reverse, the motion state of the rock mass at the slope top changes from slipping to toppling, and the role of karst fissure changes from a potential slip surface to the cracking boundary. Although the deformation damage of the reverse structural slope is not very serious, the influence of the karst fissure on the stability of the slope still cannot be ignored. This study aims to provide basic theoretical support for the subsequent research on the failure mechanism of karst mountains under the combined action of multi-structural planes.
Silicon-based materials have been widely used. However, remotely controlled and interconnect-free silicon configurations have been rarely explored, because of limited fundamental understanding of the ...complex physicochemical processes that occur at interfaces between silicon and biological materials. Here, we describe rational design principles, guided by biology, for establishing intracellular, intercellular and extracellular silicon-based interfaces, where the silicon and the biological targets have matched properties. We focused on light-induced processes at these interfaces, and developed a set of matrices to quantify and differentiate the capacitive, Faradaic and thermal outputs from about 30 different silicon materials in saline. We show that these interfaces are useful for the light-controlled non-genetic modulation of intracellular calcium dynamics, of cytoskeletal structures and transport, of cellular excitability, of neurotransmitter release from brain slices, and of brain activity in vivo.
Biological systems respond to and communicate through biophysical cues, such as electrical, thermal, mechanical and topographical signals. However, precise tools for introducing localized physical ...stimuli and/or for sensing biological responses to biophysical signals with high spatiotemporal resolution are limited. Inorganic semiconductors display many relevant electrical and optical properties, and they can be fabricated into a broad spectrum of electronic and photonic devices. Inorganic semiconductor devices enable the formation of functional interfaces with biological material, ranging from proteins to whole organs. In this Review, we discuss fundamental semiconductor physics and operation principles, with a focus on their behaviour in physiological conditions, and highlight the advantages of inorganic semiconductors for the establishment of biointerfaces. We examine semiconductor device design and synthesis and discuss typical signal transduction mechanisms at bioelectronic and biophotonic interfaces for electronic and optoelectronic sensing, optoelectronic and photothermal stimulation and photoluminescent in vivo imaging of cells and tissues. Finally, we evaluate cytotoxicity and highlight possible new material components and biological targets of inorganic semiconductor devices.
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