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.

Fortifying Smart Grids: A Holistic Assessment Strategy against Cyber Attacks and Physical Threats for Intelligent Electronic Devices

Intelligent electronic devices(IEDs)are interconnected via communication networks and play pivotal roles in transmitting grid-related operational data and executing control instructions.In the context of the heightened security challenges within smart grids,IEDs pose significant risks due to inherent hardware and software vulner-abilities,as well as the openness and vulnerability of communication protocols.Smart grid security,distinct from traditional internet security,mainly relies on monitoring network security events at the platform layer,lacking an effective assessment mechanism for IEDs.Hence,we incorporate considerations for both cyber-attacks and physical faults,presenting security assessment indicators and methods specifically tailored for IEDs.Initially,we outline the security monitoring technology for IEDs,considering the necessary data sources for their security assessment.Subsequently,we classify IEDs and establish a comprehensive security monitoring index system,incorporating factors such as running states,network traffic,and abnormal behaviors.This index system contains 18 indicators in 3 categories.Additionally,we elucidate quantitative methods for various indicators and propose a hybrid security assessment method known as GRCW-hybrid,combining grey relational analysis(GRA),analytic hierarchy process(AHP),and entropy weight method(EWM).According to the proposed assessment method,the security risk level of IEDs can be graded into 6 levels,namely 0,1,2,3,4,and 5.The higher the level,the greater the security risk.Finally,we assess and simulate 15 scenarios in 3 categories,which are based on monitoring indicators and real-world situations encountered by IEDs.The results show that calculated security risk level based on the proposed assessment method are consistent with actual simulation.Thus,the reasonableness and effectiveness of the proposed index system and assessment method are validated.

Theoretical Study on Electronic Transport Properties of Oligothiophene Molecular Devices

Based on the first-principles computational method and the elastic scattering Green＇s function theory, we have investigated the electronic transport properties of different oligothiophene molecular junctions theoretically. The numerical results show that the difference of geometric symmetries of the oligothiophene molecules leads to the difference of the contact configurations between the molecule and the electrodes, which results in the difference of the coupling parameters between the molecules and electrodes as well as the delocalization properties of the molecular orbitals. Hence, the series of oligothiophene molecular junctions display unusual conductive properties on the length dependence.

Electron Injection Enhancement by Diamond-Like Carbon Film in Polymer Electroluminescence Devices

A diamond-like carbon （DLC） film is deposited as an electron injection layer between the polymer light-emitting layer（MEH-PPV） and aluminum （Al） cathode electrode in polymer electroluminescence devices （PLEDs） using a radio frequency plasma deposition system. The source material of the DLC is n-butylamine. The devices consist of indium tin oxide （ITO）/MEH-PPV/DLC/Al. Electron injection properties are investigated through I-V characteristics,and the mechanism of electron injection enhancement due to a thin DLC layer has been studied. It is found that： （1） a DLC layer thinner than 1.0nm leads to a higher turn-on voltage and decreased electroluminescent （EL） efficiency; （2） a 5.0nm DLC layer significantly enhances the electron injection and results in the lowest turn-on voltage and the highest EL efficiency; （3） DLC layer that exceeds 5.0nm results in poor device performance;and（4） EL emission can hardly be detected when the layer exceeds 10.0nm. The properties of ITO/MEH-PPV/DLC/Al and ITO/MEH-PPV/LiF/Al are investigated comparatively.

Graphene applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices and circuits

Recent progress of research for graphene applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices is reviewed, and recent developments in circuits based on graphene devices are summarized. The bandgap-mobility tradeoff inevitably constrains the application of graphene for the conventional field-effect transistor （FET） devices in digital applications. However, this shortcoming has not dampened the enthusiasm of the research community toward graphene electronics. Aside from high mobility, graphene offers numerous other amazing electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties that continually motivate innovations.

Viologen-based flexible electrochromic devices

Electrochromic technology has gained significant attention in various fields such as displays,smart windows,biomedical monitoring,military camouflage,human-machine interaction,and electronic skin due to its ability to provide reversible and fast color changes under applied voltage.With the rapid development and increasing demand for flexible electronics,flexible electrochromic devices(FECDs)that offer smarter and more controllable light modulation hold great promise for practical applications.The electrochromic material(ECM)undergoing color changes during the electrochemical reactions is one of the key components in electrochromic devices.Among the ECMs,viologens,a family of organic small molecules with 1,1'-disubstituted-4,4'-dipyridinium salts,have garnered extensive research interest,due to their well-reversible redox reactions,excellent electron acceptance ability,and the ability to produce multiple colors.Notably,viologen-based FECDs demonstrate color changes in the liquid or semisolid electrolyte layer,eliminating the need for two solid electrodes and thus simplifying the device structure.Consequently,viologens offer significant potential for the development of FECDs with high optical contrast,fast response speed,and excellent stability.This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the progress and perspectives of viologen-based FECDs.It begins by summarizing the typical structure and recent exciting developments in viologen-based FECDs,along with their advantages and disadvantages.Furthermore,the review discusses recent advancements in FECDs with additional functionalities such as sensing,photochromism,and energy storage.Finally,the remaining challenges and potential research directions for the future of viologen-based FECDs are addressed.

Electrochemical Properties of Polypyrrole-Coated Microelectrode Array and the Fabrication of Polypyrrole-Based Microelectronic Devices

Conducting polymers have been studied extensively. An interesting property of the conducting polymer is that the conductivity of some polymers, such as polypyrrolc, polyaniline, poly(3-methylthiophene) etc. , is affected by the voltage applied to them. For polypyrrole, the oxidized state is an electronic conductor and the reduced state is essentially insulating. Using this property, one can fabricate the polymer-based electronic devices. Experimental results of Pickun

Optimized cardiac magnetic resonance imaging inversion recovery sequence for metal artifact reduction and accurate myocardial scar assessment in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices

Late gadolinium enhancement(LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance(CMR) is the gold standard for imaging myocardial viability.An important application of LGE CMR is the assessment of the location and extent of the myocardial scar in patients with ventricular tachycardia(VT), which allows for more accurate identification of the ablation targets.However, a large percentage of patients with VT have cardiac implantable electronic devices(CIEDs), which is a relative contraindication for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging due to safety and image artifact concerns.Previous studies showed that these patients can be safely scanned on 1.5 T scanners provided that an adequate imaging protocol is adopted.Nevertheless, imaging patients with a CIED result in metal artifacts due to the strong frequency off-resonance effects near the device; therefore, the spins in the surrounding myocardium are not completely inverted, and thus give rise to hyperintensity artifacts.These artifacts obscure the myocardial scar tissue and limit the ability to study the correlation between the myocardial scar structure and the electro-anatomical map during catheter ablation.In this study, we developed a modified inversion recovery technique to alleviate the CIED-induced metal artifacts and improve the diagnostic image quality of LGE images in patients with CIEDs without increasing scan time or requiring additional hardware.The developed technique was tested in phantom experiments and in vivo scans, which showed its capability for suppressing the hyperintensity artifacts without compromising myocardium nulling in the resulting LGE images.

Freestanding oxide membranes:synthesis,tunable physical properties,and functional devices

The study of oxide heteroepitaxy has been hindered by the issues of misfit strain and substrate clamping,which impede both the optimization of performance and the acquisition of a fundamental understanding of oxide systems.Recently,however,the development of freestanding oxide membranes has provided a plausible solution to these substrate limitations.Single-crystalline functional oxide films can be released from their substrates without incurring significant damage and can subsequently be transferred to any substrate of choice.This paper discusses recent advancements in the fabrication,adjustable physical properties,and various applications of freestanding oxide perovskite films.First,we present the primary strategies employed for the synthesis and transfer of these freestanding perovskite thin films.Second,we explore the main functionalities observed in freestanding perovskite oxide thin films,with special attention to the tunable functionalities and physical properties of these freestanding perovskite membranes under varying strain states.Next,we encapsulate three representative devices based on freestanding oxide films.Overall,this review highlights the potential of freestanding oxide films for the study of novel functionalities and flexible electronics.

Pushing the Electrochemical Performance Limits of Polypyrrole Toward Stable Microelectronic Devices

Conducting polymers have achieved remarkable attentions owing to their exclusive characteristics,for instance,electrical conductivity,high ionic conductivity,visual transparency,and mechanical tractability.Surface and nanostructure engineering of conjugated conducting polymers offers an exceptional pathway to facilitate their implementation in a variety of scientific claims,comprising energy storage and production devices,flexible and wearable optoelectronic devices.A two-step tactic to assemble high-performance polypyrrole(PPy)-based microsupercapacitor(MSC)is utilized by transforming the current collectors to suppress structural pulverization and increase the adhesion of PPy,and then electrochemical co-deposition of PPy-CNT nanostructures on rGO@Au current collectors is performed.The resulting fine patterned MSC conveyed a high areal capacitance of 65.9 mF cm^(−2)(at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^(−2)),an exceptional cycling performance of retaining 79%capacitance after 10,000 charge/discharge cycles at 5 mA cm^(−2).Benefiting from the intermediate graphene,current collector free PPy-CNT@rGO flexible MSC is produced by a facile transfer method on a flexible substrate,which delivered an areal capacitance of 70.25 mF cm^(−2) at 0.1 mA cm^(−2) and retained 46%of the initial capacitance at a current density of 1.0 mA cm^(−2).The flexible MSC is utilized as a skin compatible capacitive micro-strain sensor with excellent electromechanochemical characteristics.

Flexible energy storage devices for wearable bioelectronics

With the growing market of wearable devices for smart sensing and personalized healthcare applications,energy storage devices that ensure stable power supply and can be constructed in flexible platforms have attracted tremendous research interests.A variety of active materials and fabrication strategies of flexible energy storage devices have been intensively studied in recent years,especially for integrated self-powered systems and biosensing.A series of materials and applications for flexible energy storage devices have been studied in recent years.In this review,the commonly adopted fabrication methods of flexible energy storage devices are introduced.Besides,recent advances in integrating these energy devices into flexible self-powered systems are presented.Furthermore,the applications of flexible energy storage devices for biosensing are summarized.Finally,the prospects and challenges of the self-powered sensing system for wearable electronics are discussed.

Polymer light-emitting devices using poly(ethylene oxide) as an electron injecting layer

The performance of polymer light emitting devices(PLEDs)based on polyvinyl carbazole(PVK)is improved by introducing a nanoscale interfacial thin layer,made of poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO),between the calcium cathode and the PVK emissive layer.It is believed that the PEO layer plays a key role in enhancing the device performance.In comparison to the device with Ca/Al as the cathode,the performance of the PLED with PEO/Ca/Al cathode,including the driving voltage,luminance efficiency is significantly improved.These improvements are attributed to the introduction of a thin layer of PEO that can lower the interfacial barrier and facilitate electron injection.

Liquid Metal Grid Patterned Thin Film Devices Toward Absorption‑Dominant and Strain‑Tunable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The demand of high-performance thin-film-shaped deformable electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding devices is increasing for the next generation of wearable and miniaturized soft electronics.Although highly reflective conductive materials can effectively shield EMI,they prevent deformation of the devices owing to rigidity and generate secondary electromagnetic pollution simultaneously.Herein,soft and stretchable EMI shielding thin film devices with absorption-dominant EMI shielding behavior is presented.The devices consist of liquid metal(LM)layer and LM grid-patterned layer separated by a thin elastomeric film,fabricated by leveraging superior adhesion of aerosol-deposited LM on elastomer.The devices demonstrate high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness(SE)(SE_(T) of up to 75 dB)with low reflectance(SER of 1.5 dB at the resonant frequency)owing to EMI absorption induced by multiple internal reflection generated in the LM grid architectures.Remarkably,the excellent stretchability of the LM-based devices facilitates tunable EMI shielding abilities through grid space adjustment upon strain(resonant frequency shift from 81.3 to 71.3 GHz@33%strain)and is also capable of retaining shielding effectiveness even after multiple strain cycles.This newly explored device presents an advanced paradigm for powerful EMI shielding performance for next-generation smart electronics.

Experimental Research of Electronic Devices Thermal Control Using Metallic Phase Change Materials

A Phase-change thermal control unit( PTCU) filled with metallic phase change material( PCM) Bismuth alloy for electric devices thermal protection was developed and investigated experimentally. The PTCU filled with PCM was designed and manufactured. Resistance heating components( RCHs) produced 1 W,3 W, 5 W,7W,and 10 W for simulating heat generation of electronic devices. At various heating power levels,the performance of PTCU were tested during heating period and one duty cycle period. The experimental results show that the PTCU delays RCH reaching the maximum operating temperature. Also,a numerical model was developed to enable interpretation of experimental results and to perform parametric studies. The results confirmed that the PTCU is suitable for electric devices thermal control.

Applications of Secondary Electron Composition Contrast Imaging Method in Microstructure Studies on Heterojunction Semiconductor Devices and Multilayer Materials

The principle, imaging condition and experimental method for obtaining high resolution composition contrast in secondary electron image were described. A new technique of specimen preparation for secondary electron composition contrast observation was introduced and discussed. By using multilayer P+Si1-xGex/pSi heterojunction internal photoemission infrared detector as an example, the applications of secondary electron composition contrast imaging in microstructure studies on heterojunction semiconducting materials and devices were stated. The characteristics of the image were compared with the ordinary transmission electron diffraction contrast image. The prospects of applications of the imaging method in heterojunction semiconductor devices and multilayer materials are also discussed.

Healthcare electronic skin devices

Electronic skin(e-skin),a kind of flexible sensor arrays and system that mimic the properties and sensing functions of human skin,represents a new paradigm of sensing and control(Fig.1).The noun of'skin electronics'made its debut in the Sensitive Skin Workshop organized jointly by the National Science Foundation and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of USA in October 1999 in Arlington.

Improvement of electron injection of organic light-emitting devices by inserting a thin aluminum layer into cesium carbonate injection layer

We investigate the electron injection effect of inserting a thin aluminum（Al） layer into cesium carbonate（Cs2CO3）injection layer. Two groups of organic light-emitting devices（OLEDs） are fabricated. For the first group of devices based on Alq3, we insert a thin Al layer of different thickness into Cs2CO3 injection layer, and the device＇s maximum current efficiency of 6.5 cd/A is obtained when the thickness of the thin Al layer is 0.4 nm. However, when the thickness of Al layer is 0.8 nm, the capacity of electron injection is the strongest. To validate the universality of this approach, then we fabricate another group of devices based on another blue emitting material. The maximum current efficiency of the device without and with a thin Al layer is 4.51 cd/A and 4.84 cd/A, respectively. Inserting a thin Al layer of an appropriate thickness into Cs2CO3 layer can result in the reduction of electron injection barrier, enhancement of the electron injection, and improvement of the performance of OLEDs. This can be attributed to the mechanism that thermally evaporated Cs2CO3 decomposes into cesium oxides, the thin Al layer reacts with cesium oxides to form Al–O–Cs complex, and the amount of the Al–O–Cs complex can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of the thin Al layer.

The Advent of Wide Bandgap Green-Synthesized Copper Zinc Tin Sulfide Nanoparticles for Applications in Optical and Electronic Devices

Power-electronic devices are widely used in various applications, such as voltage and frequency control for transmitting and converting electric power. As these devices are becoming increasingly important, there is a need to reduce their losses and improve their performance to reduce electric power consumption. Current power semiconductor devices, such as inverters, are made of silicon (Si), but the performance of these Si power devices is reaching its limit due to physical properties and energy bandgap. To address this issue, recent developments in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor materials, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), offer the potential for a new generation of power semiconductor devices that can perform significantly better than silicon-based devices. In this research, a green synthesized copper-zinc-tin-sulfide (CZTS) nanoparticle is proposed as a new WBG semiconductor material that could be used for optical and electronic devices. Its synthesis, consisting of the production methods and materials used, is discussed. The characterization is also discussed, and further research is recommended in the later sections to enable the continual advancement of this technology.

Comparison of Two Electronic Root Canal Length Measurement Devices: The Differences between Ratio Two Impedance Frequencies and Multi Frequencies

Accuracy electronic root canal length measurement devices were important for root canal treatment. Aim: To evaluate and compare accuracy of the two electronic root canal length measurement devices;two frequencies impedance ratio and multi frequencies. Methods: Forty anterior teeth were sectioned on their cervical area. All samples were measured root canal length by radiographic. On the second phase, all the samples were measured by two frequencies impedance ratio and multi frequencies electronic devices. In the final phase, the teeth were split vertically and actual lengths were measured. All measurement by radiographic and electronic method was subtracted with actual length. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Results: Accuracy of the two frequencies impedance ratio 50% and multi frequencies 47.5%. No statistical significance between two frequencies impedance ratio and multi frequencies. Conclusions: There is no difference between ratio two impedance frequencies and multi frequencies.