Development, applications, and future directions of triboelectric nanogenerators

Since the invention of the triboelectric nanogenerator （TENG） in 2012, it has become one of the most vital innovations in energy harvesting technologies. The TENG has seen enormous progress to date, particularly in applications for energy harvesting and self-powered sensing. It starts with the simple working principles of the triboelectric effect and electrostatic induction, but can scavenge almost any kind of ambient mechanical energy in our daily life into electricity. Extraordinary output performance optimization of the TENG has been achieved, with high area power density and energy conversion efficiency. Moreover, TENGs can also be utilized as self-powered active sensors to monitor many environmental parameters. This review describes the recent progress in mainstream energy harvesting and self-powered sensing research based on TENG technology. The birth and development of the TENG are introduced, following which structural designs and performance optimizations for output performance enhancement of the TENG are discussed. The major applications of the TENG as a sustainable power source or a self-powered sensor are presented. The TENG, with rationally designed structures, can convert irregular and mostly low-frequency mechanical energies from the environment, such as human motion, mechanical vibration, moving automobiles, wind, raindrops, and ocean waves. In addition, the development of self-powered active sensors for a variety of environmental simulations based on the TENG is presented. The TENG plays a great role in promoting the development of emerging Internet of Things, which can make everyday objects connect more smartly and energy- efficiently in the coming years. Finally, the future directions and perspectives of the TENG are outlined. The TENG is not only a sustainable micro-power source for small devices, but also serves as a potential macro-scale generator of power from water waves in the future.

Probing the intriguing frictional behavior of hydrogels during alternative sliding velocity cycles

Understanding the friction behavior of hydrogels is critical for the long-term stability of hydrogelrelated bioengineering applications.Instead of maintaining a constant sliding velocity,the actual motion of bio-components(e.g.,articular cartilage and cornea)often changes abruptly.Therefore,it is important to study the frictional properties of hydrogels serving under various sliding velocities.In this work,an unexpected low friction regime(friction coefficientμ<10^(-4) at 1.05×10^(-3) rad/s)was observed when the polyacrylamide hydrogel was rotated against a glass substrate under alternative sliding velocity cycles.Interestingly,compared with the friction coefficients under constant sliding velocities,the measuredμdecreased significantly when the sliding velocity changed abruptly from high speeds(e.g.,105 rad/s)to low speeds(e.g.,1.05×10^(-3) rad/s).In addition,μexhibited a downswing trend at low speeds after experiencing more alternative sliding velocity cycles:the measuredμat 1.05 rad/s decreased from 2×10^(-2) to 3×10^(-3) after 10 friction cycles.It is found that the combined effect of hydration film and polymer network deformation determines the lubrication and drag reduction of hydrogels when the sliding velocity changes abruptly.The observed extremely low friction during alternative sliding velocity cycles can be applied to reduce friction at contacted interfaces.This work provides new insights into the fundamental understanding of the lubrication behaviors and mechanisms of hydrogels,with useful implications for the hydration lubrication related engineering applications such as artificial cartilage.

Adenosine triphosphate-responsive carbon dots nanoreactors for T_(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging-guided tumor chemodynamic therapy

There are various strategies to conduct tumor microenvironment(TME)stimulus-responsive(e.g.,acid,H_(2)O_(2)or glutathione)nanoreactors for increasing the efficiency of chemodynamic therapy(CDT).Among these,the exploitation of adenosine triphosphate(ATP,another overexpressed biomarker in TME)-responsive nanoreactors for tumor CDT is still challenging.Herein,the ATP-responsive iron-doped CDs(FeCDs)were firstly prepared and then coassembled with glucose oxidase(GOx)to obtain FeCDs/GOx liposomes as ATP-responsive nanoreactors.Under TME conditions,the nanoreactors initially released FeCDs and GOx.Subsequently,with the existence of ATP,iron ions were rapidly released from the FeCDs to trigger Fenton/Fenton-like reactions for generating·OH.Meanwhile,the T_(1)-weighted magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)was achieved due to the released iron ions.Moreover,the GOx converted endogenous glucose in tumor to gluconic acid and H_(2)O_(2)to satisfy the requirement of·OH generation.In vitro as well as in vivo experiments illustrated that the obtained ATP-responsive CD nanoreactors could be used as a versatile nanotheranostics for simultaneously T_(1)-weighted MRI-guided tumor CDT.This work presents a new ATP-responsive nanoreactor with selfsupplied H_(2)O_(2)for multifunctional nanotheranostic applications.

Doped GaSe crystals for laser frequency conversion

In this review,we introduce the current state of the art of the growth technology of pure,lightly doped,and heavily doped(solid solution)nonlinear gallium selenide(GaSe)crystals that are able to generate broadband emission from the near infrared(IR)(0.8 mm)through the mid-and far-IR(terahertz(THz))ranges and further into the millimeter wave(5.64 mm)range.For the first time,we show that appropriate doping is an efficient method controlling a range of the physical properties of GaSe crystals that are responsible for frequency conversion efficiency and exploitation parameters.After appropriate doping,uniform crystals grown by a modified technology with heat field rotation possess up to 3 times lower absorption coefficient in the main transparency window and THz range.Moreover,doping provides the following benefits:raises by up to 5 times the optical damage threshold;almost eliminates two-photon absorption;allows for dispersion control in the THz range independent of the mid-IR dispersion;and enables crystal processing in arbitrary directions due to the strengthened lattice.Finally,doped GaSe demonstrated better usefulness for processing compared with GaSe grown by the conventional technology and up to 15 times higher frequency conversion efficiency.