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Long-term bioelectric potential recording requires highly reliable wearable dry electrodes. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) dry electrodes on polyimide (PI) films are difficult to conform to the skin due to the non-stretchability and low flexibility of PI films. As a result, high interface impedance and motion artifacts can occur during body movements. Transferring LIG to flexible substrates such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Ecoflex allows for stretchability and flexibility. However, the transfer process produces a significant loss of conductivity destroying the structural function and electron conduction properties of the LIG. We found robust physical and chemical bonding effects between LIG and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) thermoplastic elastomer substrates and proposed a simple and robust low-conductivity loss transfer technique. Successfully embedded LIG onto SEBS to obtain high stretchability, high flexibility, and low conductivity losses. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) on LIG forms an ultrathin polymer conductive coating. The deposition thickness of the conductive polymer is adjusted by controlling the EPD deposition time to achieve optimal conductivity and chemical stability. SEBS/LIG/PEDOT:PSS (SLPP) dry electrodes have high conductivity (114 Ω/Sq), stretchability (300%) and reliability (30% stretch, 15,000 cycles), and low electrode-skin impedance (14.39 kΩ, 10 Hz). The detected biopotential signal has a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 35.78 dB. Finally, the feasibility of SLPP dry electrodes for long-term biopotential monitoring and biopotential-based human-machine interface control of household appliances was verified.

In this study, cobalt etched graphite felt electrodes were produced using a simple etching technique. It was used in combination with a solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) for the degradation of the target contaminant Orange II by Electro-Fenton (EF) technique in low conductivity water. In this method, 94% of Orange II in low conductivity water was removed in 90 min. The characterization analysis substantiates the hypothesis that the electrodes produced exhibit a three-dimensional porous structure, augmented defect concentration, and enhanced electron transfer capability. In addition, the potential reaction mechanism was inferred from the radical quenching experiments, and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) were deemed the main reactive substances. The combination of cobalt etched graphite felt electrodes with SPE demonstrates remarkable efficacy in the treatment of organic wastewater characterized by low electrical conductivity.

This study presents a novel AC electrokinetics‐based microfluidic approach for nanoparticle trapping and accumulation in low‐conductive aqueous solutions. The concentration performance is systematically investigated by tuning the applied voltage and frequency, showing that AC electrothermal flow (ACET)‐induced vortex trapping provides a field strength‐dependent concentration enhancement and a high concentration factor. The findings reveal a substantial enhancement in the concentration of polystyrene nanoparticles with sizes of 100 nm. Specifically, a 16‐fold enrichment in the concentration is achieved compared with the initial concentration of the sample. In addition, the effectiveness of a high‐frequency AC voltage (50–150 kHz) versus a low‐frequency accumulation (1–20 kHz) for nanoparticle accumulation is compared and it is determined that at high frequencies, the trapped nanoparticles accumulate at a single area at the electrode gap, which differs from the low‐frequency accumulation observed in previous studies. The complex behavior of nanoparticle accumulation is analyzed, including the differences in the hydrodynamic flow patterns between AC electroosmosis and ACET flow. The proposed technique provides a powerful tool for the efficient and controllable manipulation of nanoparticles and contributes to a highly sensitive characterization of nanomaterials in low‐conductivity liquid samples in microfluidic systems through efficient particle trapping. A novel microfluidic method based on AC electrokinetics for trapping and concentrating nanoparticles in low‐conductivity aqueous solutions. Comparing high and low‐frequency AC voltages, the technique offers precise nanoparticle manipulation and analysis, highlighting differences between AC electroosmosis and AC electrothermal flow behaviors. This approach enhances nanoparticle characterization and manipulation in microfluidic systems for sensitive analysis of nanomaterials.

Solvents are widely used in organic synthesis. Sulfolane is a five-membered heterocyclic organosulfur sulfone (R-SO2-R’, where R/R’ is alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl) and an anthropogenic medium commonly used as industrial extractive solvent in the liquid-liquid and liquid-vapor extraction processes. Under standard conditions sulfolane is not aggressive towards steel, but at higher temperatures and in oxygen, water, or chlorides presence, it can be decomposed into some corrosive (by-)products with generation of SO2 and subsequent formation of corrosive H2SO3. This pilot-case study provides data from laboratory measurements performed in low conductivity sulfolane-based fluids using an industrial multi-electrochemical technique for reliable detection of corrosion processes. In particular, a comprehensive evaluation of the aqueous phase impact on general and localized corrosion of AISI 1010 carbon steel in sulfolane is presented. Assessment of corrosive damage was carried out using an open circuit potential method, potentiodynamic polarization curves, SEM/EDS and scanning Kelvin probe technique. It was found that an increase in the water content (1–3 vol.%) in sulfolane causes a decrease in the corrosion resistance of AISI 1010 carbon steel on both uniform and pitting corrosion due to higher conductance of the sulfolane-based fluids.

Here electrospinning and freeze‐drying techniques are combined to fabricate an anisotropic SiC@SiO2 ceramic fiber aerogels (A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs). The anisotropic structure of the A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs features aligned layers stacking layer‐by‐layer with the same direction and highly oriented 1D fibers inside each layer. The A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs exhibit anisotropic thermal properties with an extremely low thermal conductivity of 0.018 W m−1 K−1 in the transverse direction (perpendicular to the SiC@SiO2 nanofibers) and ≈5 times higher thermal conductivity of 0.0914 W m−1 K−1 in the axial direction due to the highly oriented SiC@SiO2 nanofibers. The anisotropy factor of the A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs is as high as 5.08, which exceeds most of the currently reported thermal insulation materials with anisotropic structural design, such as anisotropic wood aerogels, biaxially anisotropic PI/BC aerogels and anisotropic MXene foam, etc. The A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs also have excellent thermal stability, maintaining structural integrity in oxidative environments at temperatures up to 1300 °C. Moreover, these structurally distinct A‐SiC@SiO2‐FAs result in superior elastic deformation with a radial recoverable strain exceeding 60% and an axial specific modulus of 5.72 kN m kg−1. These findings emphasize the potential of SiC nanofiber aerogels in extreme thermal environments and provide valuable insights for designing anisotropic insulation materials. The anisotropic‐structure SiC@SiO2 ceramic fiber aerogels feature aligned layers stacking layer‐by‐layer with the same direction and highly oriented 1D fibers inside each layer, resulting in an anisotropy factor as high as 5.08. Not only does it have 60% high recoverable deformation, but it also shows great promise for thermal protection in extreme environments (−196–1300 °C).

Electrolyte engineering advances Li metal batteries (LMBs) with high Coulombic efficiency (CE) by constructing LiF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, the low conductivity of LiF disturbs Li + diffusion across SEI, thus inducing Li + transfer-driven dendritic deposition. In this work, we establish a mechanistic model to decipher how the SEI affects Li plating in high-fluorine electrolytes. The presented theory depicts a linear correlation between the capacity loss and current density to identify the slope k (determined by Li + mobility of SEI components) as an indicator for describing the homogeneity of Li + flux across SEI, while the intercept dictates the maximum CE that electrolytes can achieve. This model inspires the design of an efficient electrolyte that generates dual-halide SEI to homogenize Li + distribution and Li deposition. The model-driven protocol offers a promising energetic analysis to evaluate the compatibility of electrolytes to Li anode, thus guiding the design of promising electrolytes for LMBs. The low conductivity of LiF disturbs Li + diffusion across solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and induces Li + transfer-driven dendritic growth. Herein, the authors establish a mechanistic model to decipher how the SEI affects realistic Li plating in high-fluorine electrolytes.

Additive manufacturing (AM), known as 3D printing, enables rapid fabrication of geometrically complex copper (Cu) components for electrical conduction and heat management applications. However, pure Cu or Cu alloys produced by 3D printing often suffer from either low strength or low conductivity at room and elevated temperatures. Here, we demonstrate a design strategy for 3D printing of high strength, high conductivity Cu by uniformly dispersing a minor portion of lanthanum hexaboride (LaB 6 ) nanoparticles in pure Cu through laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). We show that trace additions of LaB 6 to pure Cu results in an improved L-PBF processability, an enhanced strength, an improved thermal stability, all whilst maintaining a high conductivity. The presented strategy could expand the applicability of 3D printed Cu components to more demanding conditions where high strength, high conductivity and thermal stability are required. Copper produced by laser additive manufacturing often faces challenges with either low strength or low conductivity. Here, the authors present a design strategy to introduce uniformly dispersed nanoprecipitates during solidification, enhancing the strength while maintaining high conductivity.

3D printing has been widely used for on-demand prototyping of complex three-dimensional structures. In biomedical applications, PEDOT:PSS has emerged as a promising material in versatile bioelectronics due to its tissue-like mechanical properties and suitable electrical properties. However, previously developed PEDOT:PSS inks have not been able to fully utilize the advantages of commercial 3D printing due to its long post treatment times, difficulty in high aspect ratio printing, and low conductivity. We propose a one-shot strategy for the fabrication of PEDOT:PSS ink that is able to simultaneously achieve on-demand biocompatibility (no post treatment), structural integrity during 3D printing for tall three-dimensional structures, and high conductivity for rapid-prototyping. By using ionic liquid-facilitated PEDOT:PSS colloidal stacking induced by a centrifugal protocol, a viscoplastic PEDOT:PSS-ionic liquid colloidal (PILC) ink was developed. PILC inks exhibit high-aspect ratio vertical stacking, omnidirectional printability for generating suspended architectures, high conductivity (~286 S/cm), and high-resolution printing (~50 µm). We demonstrate the on-demand and versatile applicability of PILC inks through the fabrication of 3D circuit boards, on-skin physiological signal monitoring e-tattoos, and implantable bioelectronics (opto-electrocorticography recording, low voltage sciatic nerve stimulation and recording from deeper brain layers via 3D vertical spike arrays). Conventional PEDOT:PSS inks for electrical interfacing with ex-vivo and in-vivo systems are limited by poor rheological and conductive properties. Here, the authors show a one-shot strategy to fabricate 3D printable and biocompatible PEDOT:PSS-ionic liquid colloidal ink for bioelectronics with 2D and 3D structures.

There are two important subjects in the local and global areas, the first is the environmental pollution and the second is economic advantages of recycling and reusing of industrial materials. One of the most important industrial materials is cork waste. Because of many good properties of cork, like compressibility and a good ability to mould according to human needs, this material become as an important material in several life categories. This research work includes production of new type of light weight concrete and studies the mechanical and thermal properties. Several proportions of raw materials were used to produce this type of concrete. This study is intended to produce light weight concrete with low thermal conductivity so that it can be used for concrete masonry units. Polystyrene aggregate was added as percentages by weight of cement to improve the thermal properties of this type of concrete. Mechanical, and thermal tests with difference ages were made in this work. For polystyrene concrete with polystyrene cement ratio (p/c) of (2.67 – 6)%, the 28-day compressive strength range is from (4.31 – 2.67)MPa, flexural strength range is from (3.05-1.719) MPa, density range is from (1493-1213) kg/m 3 , and thermal conductivity range is from (0.91-0.782)% as a percentage by that of reference mix. The study show suitability of this type of concrete to be used in concrete masonry units of non-bearing walls.

Bioelectronic devices hold transformative potential for healthcare diagnostics and therapeutics. Yet, traditional electronic implants often require invasive surgeries and  are mechanically incompatible with biological tissues. Injectable hydrogel bioelectronics offer a minimally invasive alternative that interfaces with soft tissue seamlessly. A major challenge is the low conductivity of bioelectronic systems, stemming from poor dispersibility of conductive additives in hydrogel mixtures. We address this issue by engineering doping conditions with hydrophilic biomacromolecules, enhancing the dispersibility of conductive polymers in aqueous systems. This approach achieves a 5-fold increase in dispersibility and a 20-fold boost in conductivity compared to conventional methods. The resulting conductive polymers are molecularly and in vivo degradable, making them suitable for transient bioelectronics applications. These additives are compatible with various hydrogel systems, such as alginate, forming ionically cross-linkable conductive inks for 3D-printed wearable electronics toward high-performance physiological monitoring. Furthermore, integrating conductive fillers with gelatin-based bioadhesive hydrogels substantially enhances conductivity for injectable sealants, achieving 250% greater sensitivity in pH sensing for chronic wound monitoring. Our findings indicate that hydrophilic dopants effectively tailor conducting polymers for hydrogel fillers, enhancing their biodegradability and expanding applications in transient implantable biomonitoring. Injectable bioelectronics face low conductivity due to poor polymer dispersibility. Here, authors engineer dopants in conductive polymers to boost their water dispersibility 5-fold and conductivity 20-fold, enabling biodegradable, 3D-printable hydrogels for wearables and implantable devices.