A Generic Strategy to Create Mechanically Interlocked Nanocomposite/Hydrogel Hybrid Electrodes for Epidermal Electronics

Stretchable electronics are crucial enablers for next-generation wearables intimately integrated into the human body.As the primary compliant conductors used in these devices,metallic nanostructure/elastomer composites often struggle to form conformal contact with the textured skin.Hybrid electrodes have been consequently developed based on conductive nanocomposite and soft hydrogels to establish seamless skin-device interfaces.However,chemical modifications are typically needed for reliable bonding,which can alter their original properties.To overcome this limitation,this study presents a facile fabrication approach for mechanically interlocked nanocomposite/hydrogel hybrid electrodes.In this physical process,soft microfoams are thermally laminated on silver nanowire nanocomposites as a porous interface,which forms an interpenetrating network with the hydrogel.The microfoam-enabled bonding strategy is generally compatible with various polymers.The resulting interlocked hybrids have a 28-fold improved interfacial toughness compared to directly stacked hybrids.These electrodes achieve firm attachment to the skin and low contact impedance using tissue-adhesive hydrogels.They have been successfully integrated into an epidermal sleeve to distinguish hand gestures by sensing mus-cle contractions.Interlocked nanocomposite/hydrogel hybrids reported here offer a promising platform to combine the benefits of both materials for epidermal devices and systems.

Advances in Wireless,Batteryless,Implantable Electronics for Real‑Time,Continuous Physiological Monitoring

This review summarizes recent progress in developing wireless,batteryless,fully implantable biomedical devices for real-time continuous physiological signal monitoring,focusing on advancing human health care.Design considerations,such as biological constraints,energy sourcing,and wireless communication,are discussed in achieving the desired performance of the devices and enhanced interface with human tissues.In addition,we review the recent achievements in materials used for developing implantable systems,emphasizing their importance in achieving multi-functionalities,biocompatibility,and hemocompatibility.The wireless,batteryless devices offer minimally invasive device insertion to the body,enabling portable health monitoring and advanced disease diagnosis.Lastly,we summarize the most recent practical applications of advanced implantable devices for human health care,highlighting their potential for immediate commercialization and clinical uses.

Investigation on taste characteristics and sensory perception of soft-boiled chicken during oral processing based on electronic tongue and electronic nose

The sensory perception of food is a dynamic process,which is closely related to the release of flavor substances during oral processing.It’s not only affected by the food material,but also subjected to the individual oral environment.To explore the oral processing characteristics of soft-boiled chicken,the sensory properties,texture,particle size,viscosity,characteristic values of electronic nose and tongue of different chicken samples were investigated.The correlation analysis showed that the physical characteristics especially the cohesiveness,springiness,resilience of the sample determined oral processing behavior.The addition of chicken skin played a role in lubrication during oral processing.The particle size of the bolus was heightened at the early stage,and the fluidity was enhanced in the end,which reduced the chewing time to the swallowing point and raised the aromatic compounds signal of electronic nose.But the effect of chicken skin on chicken thigh with relatively high fat content,was opposite in electronic nose,which had a certain masking effect on the perception of umami and sweet taste.In conclusion,fat played a critical role in chicken oral processing and chicken thigh had obvious advantages in comprehensive evaluation of soft-boiled chicken,which was more popular among people.

Tuning electronic structure of RuO_(2)by single atom Zn and oxygen vacancies to boost oxygen evolution reaction in acidic medium

The poor stability of RuO_(2)electrocatalysts has been the primary obstacles for their practical application in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers.To dramatically enhance the durability of RuO_(2)to construct activity-stability trade-off model is full of significance but challenging.Herein,a single atom Zn stabilized RuO_(2)with enriched oxygen vacancies(SA Zn-RuO_(2))is developed as a promising alternative to iridium oxide for acidic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Compared with commercial RuO_(2),the enhanced Ru–O bond strength of SA Zn-RuO_(2)by forming Zn-O-Ru local structure motif is favorable to stabilize surface Ru,while the electrons transferred from Zn single atoms to adjacent Ru atoms protects the Ru active sites from overoxidation.Simultaneously,the optimized surrounding electronic structure of Ru sites in SA ZnRuO_(2)decreases the adsorption energies of OER intermediates to reduce the reaction barrier.As a result,the representative SA Zn-RuO_(2)exhibits a low overpotential of 210 mV to achieve 10 mA cm^(-2)and a greatly enhanced durability than commercial RuO_(2).This work provides a promising dual-engineering strategy by coupling single atom doping and vacancy for the tradeoff of high activity and catalytic stability toward acidic OER.

Valence electronic engineering of superhydrophilic Dy-evoked Ni-MOF outperforming RuO_(2) for highly efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Tackling the problem of poor conductivity and catalytic stability of pristine metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) is crucial to improve their oxygen evolution reaction(OER) performance.Herein,we introduce a novel strategy of dysprosium(Dy) doping,using the unique 4f orbitals of this rare earth element to enhance electrocatalytic activity of MOFs.Our method involves constructing Dy-doped Ni-MOF(Dy@Ni-MOF) nanoneedles on carbon cloth via a Dy-induced valence electronic perturbation approach.Experiments and density functional theory(DFT) calculations reveal that Dy doping can effectively modify the electronic structure of the Ni active centers and foster a strong electronic interaction between Ni and Dy.The resulting benefits include a reduced work function and a closer proximity of the d-band center to the Fermi level,which is conducive to improving electrical conductivity and promoting the adsorption of oxygen-containing intermediates.Furthermore,the Dy@Ni-MOF achieves superhydrophilicity,ensuring effective electrolyte contact and thus accelerating reaction kinetics,Ex-situ and in-situ analysis results manifest Dy_(2)O_(3)/NiOOH as the actual active species.Therefore,Dy@Ni-MOF shows impressive OER performance,significantly surpassing Ni-MOF.Besides,the overall water splitting device with Dy@NiMOF as an anode delivers a low cell voltage of 1.51 V at 10 mA cm^(-2) and demonstrates long-term stability for 100 h,positioning it as a promising substitute for precious metal catalysts.

An Environment‑Tolerant Ion‑Conducting Double‑Network Composite Hydrogel for High‑Performance Flexible Electronic Devices

High-performance ion-conducting hydrogels(ICHs)are vital for developing flexible electronic devices.However,the robustness and ion-conducting behavior of ICHs deteriorate at extreme tempera-tures,hampering their use in soft electronics.To resolve these issues,a method involving freeze–thawing and ionizing radiation technology is reported herein for synthesizing a novel double-network(DN)ICH based on a poly(ionic liquid)/MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PMP DN ICH)system.The well-designed ICH exhibits outstanding ionic conductivity(63.89 mS cm^(-1) at 25℃),excellent temperature resistance(-60–80℃),prolonged stability(30 d at ambient temperature),high oxidation resist-ance,remarkable antibacterial activity,decent mechanical performance,and adhesion.Additionally,the ICH performs effectively in a flexible wireless strain sensor,thermal sensor,all-solid-state supercapacitor,and single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator,thereby highlighting its viability in constructing soft electronic devices.The highly integrated gel structure endows these flexible electronic devices with stable,reliable signal output performance.In particular,the all-solid-state supercapacitor containing the PMP DN ICH electrolyte exhibits a high areal specific capacitance of 253.38 mF cm^(-2)(current density,1 mA cm^(-2))and excellent environmental adaptability.This study paves the way for the design and fabrication of high-performance mul-tifunctional/flexible ICHs for wearable sensing,energy-storage,and energy-harvesting applications.

Rational modulation of electronic structure in PtAuCuNi alloys boosts efficient electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation assisted with energy-saving hydrogen evolution

Compared to conventional electrocatalytic water splitting,electrocatalytic ethanol oxidation reaction(EOR)along with hydrogen production is considered a more energy-efficient strategy.Herein,we prepared a type of novel quaternary alloy catalyst(PtAuCuNi@NF)that exhibits excellent activity for EOR(0.215 V at 10 mA cm^(-2))and hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)(7 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)).Experimental results demonstrated that both Cu and Ni modulated the electronic environment around Pt and Au.The electron-rich active center facilitates the rapid adsorption and dissociation of reactants and intermediates for both EOR and HER.Impressively,in the ethanol-assisted overall water splitting(E-OWS),a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)was achieved at 0.28 V.Moreover,an advanced acid-base self-powered system(A-Bsps)that can achieve a self-powered voltage of 0.59 V was assembled.Accordingly,the self-driven hydrogen production with zero external power supply was realized by integrating A-Bsps with the E-OWS equipment.The interesting results can provide a feasible strategy for designing and developing advanced nanoalloy-based materials for clean energy integration and use in various fields.

Low-energy inelastic electron scattering from carbon monoxide:Excitation and de-excitation of the X^(1)Σ^(+),a^(3)Π,a'^(3)∑^(+),A^(1)Π,d^(3)Δ,e^(3)∑^(-),I^(1)∑^(-)and D^(1)Δelectronic states

Cross-sections for electronic excitation and de-excitation among the ground state and lowest-lying seven electronic excited states of carbon monoxide(CO)by low-energy electron impact are computed using the R-matrix method.The excitation cross-sections from the ground state to the electronic states a^(3)Π,a'^(3)Σ^(+)+and A^(1)Πagree with previous experimental and theoretical results.In addition,the cross-sections for the I^(1)Σ^(+)-and D^(1)Δstates of CO,which will cascade to CO a'^(3)Σ^(+)+and A^(1)Πstates,are calculated.Furthermore,in contrast to the typical increase in electronic excitation cross-sections with collision energy,the de-excitation cross-sections show a negative trend with increasing energy.

Tuning the surface electronic structure of noble metal aerogels to promote the electrocatalytic oxygen reduction

The sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is the bottleneck for various electrochemical energy conversion devices.Regulating the electronic structure of electrocatalysts by ligands has received particular attention in deriving valid ORR electrocatalysts.Here,the surface electronic structure of Ptbased noble metal aerogels(NMAs)was modulated by various organic ligands,among which the electron-withdrawing ligand of 4-methylphenylene effectively boosted the ORR electrocatalysis.Theoretical calculations suggested the smaller energy barrier for the transformation of O^(*) to OH^(*) and downshift the d-band center of Pt due to the interaction between 4-methylphenylene and the surface metals,thus enhancing the ORR intrinsic activity.Both Pt3Ni and Pt Pd aerogels with 4-methylphenylene decoration performed significant enhancement in ORR activity and durability in different media.Remarkably,the 4-methylphenylene modified Pt Pd aerogel exhibited the higher halfwave potential of 0.952 V and the mass activity of 10.2 times of commercial Pt/C.This work explained the effect of electronic structure on ORR electrocatalytic properties and would promote functionalized NMAs as efficient ORR electrocatalysts.

Interfacial Electronic Modulation of Dual-Monodispersed Pt–Ni_(3)S_(2) as Efficacious Bi-Functional Electrocatalysts for Concurrent H_(2) Evolution and Methanol Selective Oxidation

Constructing the efficacious and applicable bifunctional electrocatalysts and establishing out the mechanisms of organic electro-oxidation by replacing anodic oxygen evolution reaction(OER) are critical to the development of electrochemicallydriven technologies for efficient hydrogen production and avoid CO_(2) emission. Herein, the hetero-nanocrystals between monodispersed Pt(~ 2 nm) and Ni_(3)S_(2)(~ 9.6 nm) are constructed as active electrocatalysts through interfacial electronic modulation, which exhibit superior bi-functional activities for methanol selective oxidation and H_(2) generation. The experimental and theoretical studies reveal that the asymmetrical charge distribution at Pt–Ni_(3)S_(2) could be modulated by the electronic interaction at the interface of dual-monodispersed heterojunctions, which thus promote the adsorption/desorption of the chemical intermediates at the interface. As a result, the selective conversion from CH_(3)OH to formate is accomplished at very low potentials(1.45 V) to attain 100 m A cm^(-2) with high electronic utilization rate(~ 98%) and without CO_(2) emission. Meanwhile, the Pt–Ni_(3)S_(2) can simultaneously exhibit a broad potential window with outstanding stability and large current densities for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) at the cathode. Further, the excellent bi-functional performance is also indicated in the coupled methanol oxidation reaction(MOR)//HER reactor by only requiring a cell voltage of 1.60 V to achieve a current density of 50 m A cm^(-2) with good reusability.

Nano-Au-decorated hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide derived from ZIF-67 toward optimized oxygen evolution catalysis:Important roles of microstructures and electronic modulation

Enhancing both the number of active sites available and the intrinsic activity of Co-based electrocatalysts simultaneously is a desirable goal.Herein,a ZIF-67-derived hierarchical porous cobalt sulfide decorated by Au nanoparticles(NPs)(denoted as HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67)hybrid is synthesized by low-temperature sulfuration treatment.The well-defined macroporous-mesoporous-microporous structure is obtained based on the combination of polystyrene spheres,as-formed CoxSy nanosheets,and ZIF-67 frameworks.This novel three-dimensional hierarchical structure significantly enlarges the three-phase interfaces,accelerating the mass transfer and exposing the active centers for oxygen evolution reaction.The electronic structure of Co is modulated by Au through charge transfer,and a series of experiments,together with theoretical analysis,is performed to ascertain the electronic modulation of Co by Au.Meanwhile,HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 catalysts with different amounts of Au were synthesized,wherein Au and NaBH4 reductant result in an interesting“competition effect”to regulate the relative ratio of Co^(2+)/Co^(3+),and moderate Au assists the electrochemical performance to reach the highest value.Consequently,the optimized HP-Au@CoxSy@ZIF-67 exhibits a low overpotential of 340 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2)and a Tafel slope of 42 mV dec-1 for OER in 0.1 M aqueous KOH,enabling efficient water splitting and Zn-air battery performance.The work here highlights the pivotal roles of both microstructural and electronic modulation in enhancing electrocatalytic activity and presents a feasible strategy for designing and optimizing advanced electrocatalysts.

Electronic structure and spin state regulation of vanadium nitride via a sulfur doping strategy toward flexible zinc-air batteries

Owing to the distinctive structural characteristics,vanadium nitride(VN)is highly regarded as a catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in zinc-air batteries(ZABs).However,VN exhibits limited intrinsic ORR activity due to the weak adsorption ability to O-containing species.Here,the S-doped VN anchored on N,S-doped multi-dimensional carbon(S-VN/Co/NS-MC)was constructed using the solvothermal and in-situ doping methods.Incorporating sulfur atoms into VN species alters the electron spin state of vanadium in the S-VN/Co/NS-MC for regulating the adsorption energy of vanadium sites to oxygen molecules.The introduced sulfur atoms polarize the V 3d_(z)^(2) electrons,shifting spin-down electrons closer to the Fermi level in the S-VN/Co/NS-MC.Consequently,the introduction of sulfur atoms into VN species enhances the adsorption energy of vanadium sites for oxygen molecules.The*OOH dissociation transitions from being unspontaneous on the VN surface to a spontaneous state on the S-doped VN surface.Then,the ORR barrier on the S-VN/Co/NS-MC surface is reduced.The S-VN/Co/NS-MC demonstrates a higher half-wave potential and limiting current density compared to the VN/Co/N-MC.The S-VN/Co/NS-MC-based liquid ZABs display a power density of 195.7 m W cm^(-2),a specific capacity of 815.7 m A h g^(-1),and a cycling stability exceeding 250 h.The S-VN/Co/NS-MC-based flexible ZABs are successfully employed to charge both a smart watch and a mobile phone.This approach holds promise for advancing the commercial utilization of VN-based catalysts in ZABs.

Effect of strain on structure and electronic properties of monolayer C_(4)N_(4)

The first-principles calculations are performed to examine structural,mechanical,and electronic properties at large strain for a monolayer C_(4)N_(4),which has been predicted as an anchoring promising material to attenuate shuttle effect in Li–S batteries stemming from its large absorption energy and low diffusion energy barrier.Our results show that the ideal strengths of C_(4)N_(4)under tension and pure shear deformation conditions reach 13.9 GPa and 12.5 GPa when the strains are 0.07 and 0.28,respectively.The folded five-membered rings and diverse bonding modes between carbon and nitrogen atoms enhance the ability to resist plastic deformation of C_(4)N_(4).The orderly bond-rearranging behaviors under the weak tensile loading path along the[100]direction cause the impressive semiconductor–metal transition and inverse semiconductor–metal transition.The present results enrich the knowledge of the structure and electronic properties of C_(4)N_(4)under deformations and shed light on exploring other two-dimensional materials under diverse loading conditions.

Electronic effects on radiation damage inα-iron:A molecular dynamics study

Iron(Fe)-based alloys,which have been widely used as structural materials in nuclear reactors,can significantly change their microstructure properties and macroscopic properties under high flux neutron irradiation during operation,thus,the problems associated with the safe operation of nuclear reactors have been put forward naturally.In this work,a molecular dynamics simulation approach combined with electronic effects is developed for investigating the primary radiation damage process inα-Fe.Specifically,the influence of electronic effects on the collision cascade in Fe is systematically evaluated based on two commonly used interatomic potentials for Fe.The simulation results reveal that both electronic stopping(ES)and electron-phonon coupling(EPC)can contribute to the decrease of the number of defects in the thermal spike phase.The application of ES reduces the number of residual defects after the cascade evolution,whereas EPC has a reverse effect.The introduction of electronic effects promotes the formation of the dispersive subcascade:ES significantly changes the geometry of the damaged region in the thermal spike phase,whereas EPC mainly reduces the extent of the damaged region.Furthermore,the incorporation of electronic effects effectively mitigates discrepancies in simulation outcomes when using different interatomic potentials.

Bioelectronic medicine in modulation of cortical spreading depolarization and beyond

Bioelectronic interventions,specifically trigeminal nerve st imulat ion(TNS),have attracted considerable attention in conditions where cortical spreading depolarizations(CSDs)accompanied by compromised cerebral perfusion may exacerbate neurological damage.While pharmacological interventions have demonstrated initial potential in addressing CSDs,a standardized treatment approach has not yet been established.The objective of this perspective is to explore emerging bioelectronic methodologies for addressing CSDs,particularly emphasizing TNS,and to underscore TNS’s capacity to enhance neurovascular coupling and cerebral perfusion.

Mechanical Properties and Electronic Structures of M(M=Ti,V,Cr,Mn and Fe)Dopedβ-Si_(3)N_(4) from First-Principle

The structures,mechanical properties and electronic structures of M metals(M=Ti,V,Cr,Mn and Fe)dopedβ-Si_(3)N_(4) were investigated by First-principles calculations within CASTEP.The calculated lattice parameters ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) were consistent with previous date.The cohesive energy and formation enthalpy show that initialβ-Si_(3)N_(4) has the highest structural stability.The calculated elastic constant and the Voigt-Reuss-Hill approximation indicate that elastic moduli ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) are slightly reduced by M doping.Based on Poisson’s and Pugh’s ratio,β-Si_(3)N_(4) is a ductile material and the toughness ofβ-Si_(3)N_(4) increases with M doping,and Fe doping exhibited the best toughness.The results of density of states,charge distributions and overlapping populations indicate thatβ-Si_(3)N_(4) has the strong covalent and ionic bond strength between N and Si.

Electronic structure and effective mass of pristine and Cl-doped CsPbBr_(3)

Organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites(LHPs) have attracted great interest owing to their outstanding optoelectronic properties.Typically,the underlying electronic structure would determinate the physical properties of materials.But as for now,limited studies have been done to reveal the underlying electronic structure of this material system,comparing to the huge amount of investigations on the material synthesis.The effective mass of the valance band is one of the most important physical parameters which plays a dominant role in charge transport and photovoltaic phenomena.In pristine CsPbBr_(3),the Fr?hlich polarons associated with the Pb–Br stretching modes are proposed to be responsible for the effective mass renormalization.In this regard,it would be very interesting to explore the electronic structure in doped LHPs.Here,we report high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES) studies on both pristine and Cl-doped CsPbBr_(3).The experimental band dispersions are extracted from ARPES spectra along both ■ and ■ high symmetry directions.DFT calculations are performed and directly compared with the ARPES data.Our results have revealed the band structure of Cl-doped CsPbBr_(3) for the first time,which have also unveiled the effective mass renormalization in the Cl-doped CsPbBr_(3) compound.Doping dependent measurements indicate that the chlorine doping could moderately tune the renormalization strength.These results will help understand the physical properties of LHPs as a function of doping.

Progress of Proximity Sensors for Potential Applications in Electronic Skins

Recently,electronic skins and fl exible wearable devices have been developed for widespread applications in medical monitoring,artifi cial intelligence,human–machine interaction,and artifi cial prosthetics.Flexible proximity sensors can accurately perceive external objects without contact,introducing a new way to achieve an ultrasensitive perception of objects.This article reviews the progress of fl exible capacitive proximity sensors,fl exible triboelectric proximity sensors,and fl exible gate-enhanced proximity sensors,focusing on their applications in the electronic skin fi eld.Herein,their working mechanism,materials,preparation methods,and research progress are discussed in detail.Finally,we summarize the future challenges in developing fl exible proximity sensors.

Geometries and electronic structures of Zr_(n)Cu(n=2–12) clusters: A joint machine-learning potential density functional theory investigation

Zr-based amorphous alloys have attracted extensive attention because of their large glassy formation ability, wide supercooled liquid region, high elasticity, and unique mechanical strength induced by their icosahedral local structures.To determine the microstructures of Zr–Cu clusters, the stable and metastable geometry of Zr_(n)Cu(n=2–12) clusters are screened out via the CALYPSO method using machine-learning potentials, and then the electronic structures are investigated using density functional theory. The results show that the Zr_(n)Cu(n ≥ 3) clusters possess three-dimensional geometries, Zr_(n)Cu(n≥9) possess cage-like geometries, and the Zr_(12)Cu cluster has icosahedral geometry. The binding energy per atom gradually gets enlarged with the increase in the size of the clusters, and Zr_(n)Cu(n=5,7,9,12) have relatively better stability than their neighbors. The magnetic moment of most Zr_(n)Cu clusters is just 1μB, and the main components of the highest occupied molecular orbitals(HOMOs) in the Zr_(12)Cu cluster come from the Zr-d state. There are hardly any localized two-center bonds, and there are about 20 σ-type delocalized three-center bonds.

Exploring the role of iron in Fe_(5)Ni_(4)S_(8)toward oxygen evolution through modulation of electronic orbital occupancy

Ni-Fe-based catalysts are considered to be among the most active catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction(OER)under alkaline conditions,with Fe playing a crucial role.However,Fe leaching occurs during the reaction due to thermodynamic instability,which has resulted in conflicting reports within the literature regarding its role.To clarify this point,we propose a strategy consisting of modulating the electronic orbital occupancy to suppress the extensive loss of Fe atoms during the OER process.Theoretical calculations,in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,molecular dynamics simulations,and a series of characterization showed that the stable presence of Fe not only accelerates the electron transfer process but also optimizes the reaction barriers of the oxygen evolution intermediates,promoting the phase transition of Fe_(5)Ni_(4)S_(8)to highly active catalytic species.The modulated Fe_(5)Ni_(4)S_(8)-based pre-catalysts exhibit improved OER activity and long-term durability.This study provides a novel perspective for understanding the role of Fe in the OER process.