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This paper describes the design and fabrication of electrically controlled paper actuators that operate based on the dimensional changes that occur in paper when the moisture absorbed on the surface of the cellulose fibers changes. These actuators are called “Hygroexpansive Electrothermal Paper Actuators” (HEPAs). The actuators are made from paper, conducting polymer, and adhesive tape. They are lightweight, inexpensive, and can be fabricated using simple printing techniques. The central element of the HEPAs is a porous conducting path (used to provide electrothermal heating) that changes the moisture content of the paper and causes actuation. This conducting path is made by embedding a conducting polymer (PEDOT:PSS) within the paper, and thus making a paper/polymer composite that retains the porosity and hydrophilicity of paper. Different types of HEPAs (straight, precurved, and creased) achieved different types of motions (e.g., bending motion, accordion type motion). A theoretical model for their behavior is proposed. These actuators have been used for the manipulation of liquids and for the fabrication of an optical shutter., Chemistry and Chemical Biology

The use of omniphobic “fluoroalkylated paper” as a substrate for inkjet printing of aqueous inks that are the precursors of electrically conductive patterns is described. By controlling the surface chemistry of the paper, it is possible to print high resolution, conductive patterns that remain conductive after folding and exposure to common solvents., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Other Research Unit

The fields of paper microfluidics and printed electronics have developed independently, and are incompatible in many of their aspects (e.g. printed electronic thin films are not designed to tolerate the flows of liquids, and especially of water, nor are water filled-channels designed to conduct electrons). This work demonstrates monolithic integration of microfluidics and electronics on paper, by extending the use of paper microfluidics to the fabrication of electrical conductors by the wicking of aqueous conducting inks inside microfluidic channels. These conductors are unique in that they can act as wires, electrodes, and microfluidic channels at the same time. These techniques, make it possible to print both two- and three-dimensional fluidic, electrofluidic, and electrical components using simple methods, and thus to design new paper devices. This paper demonstrates the fabrication of three classes of devices: i) 3D paper “printed circuit boards”, ii) vertical-flow electroanalytical devices, and iii) foldable, all-organic paper batteries., Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Current methods of monitoring breathing require cumbersome, inconvenient, and often expensive devices; this requirement sets practical limitations on the frequency and duration of measurements. This article describes a paper-based moisture sensor that uses the hygroscopic character of paper (i.e. the ability of paper to adsorb water reversibly from the surrounding environment) to measure patterns and rate of respiration by converting the changes in humidity caused by cycles of inhalation and exhalation to electrical signals. The changing level of humidity that occurs in a cycle causes a corresponding change in the ionic conductivity of the sensor, which can be measured electrically. By combining the paper sensor with conventional electronics, data concerning respiration can be transmitted to a nearby smartphone or tablet computer for post-processing, and subsequently to a cloud server. This means of sensing provides a new, practical method of recording and analyzing patterns of breathing., Chemistry and Chemical Biology

The fabrication and properties of “fluoroalkylated paper” (“\(R^F\) paper”) by vapor-phase silanization of paper with fluoroalkyl trichlorosilanes is reported. \(R^F\) paper is both hydrophobic and oleophobic: it repels water \((θ_{app}^{H2O} > 140^{\circ})\), organic liquids with surface tensions as low as \(28 \space mN \space m^{-1}\), aqueous solutions containing ionic and non-ionic surfactants, and complex liquids such as blood (which contains salts, surfactants, and biological material such as cells, proteins, and lipids). The propensity of the paper to resist wetting by liquids with a wide range of surface tensions correlates with the length and degree of fluorination of the organosilane (with a few exceptions in the case of methyl trichlorosilane-treated paper), and with the roughness of the paper. \(R^F\) paper maintains the high permeability to gases and mechanical flexibility of the untreated paper, and can be folded into functional shapes (e.g., microtiter plates and liquid-filled gas sensors). When impregnated with a perfluorinated oil, \(R^F\) paper forms a “slippery” surface (paper slippery liquid-infused porous surface, or “paper SLIPS“) capable of repelling liquids with surface tensions as low as \(15 \space mN \space m^{-1}\). The foldability of the paper SLIPS allows the fabrication of channels and flow switches to guide the transport of liquid droplets., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Other Research Unit

A multilayered paper-based platform is used to investigate the interactions between human lung tumor cells and fibroblasts that are isolated from primary patient tumor samples., Chemistry and Chemical Biology

This paper describes several low-cost methods for fabricating flexible electronic circuits on paper. The circuits comprise i) metallic wires (e.g., tin or zinc) that are deposited on the substrate by evaporation, sputtering, or airbrushing, and ii) discrete surface-mountable electronic components that are fastened with conductive adhesive directly to the wires. These electronic circuits—like conventional printed circuit boards—can be produced with electronic components that connect on both sides of the substrate. Unlike printed circuit boards made from fiberglass, ceramics, or polyimides, however, paper can be folded and creased (repeatedly), shaped to form three-dimensional structures, trimmed using scissors, used to wick fluids (e.g., for microfluidic applications) and disposed of by incineration. Paper-based electronic circuits are thin and lightweight; they should be useful for applications in consumer electronics and packaging, for disposable systems for uses in the military and homeland security, for applications in medical sensing or low-cost portable diagnostics, for paper-based microelectromechanical systems, and for applications involving textiles., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Engineering and Applied Sciences

In vitro models of ischemia have not historically recapitulated the cellular interactions and gradients of molecules that occur in a 3D tissue. This work demonstrates a paper-based 3D culture system that mimics some of the interactions that occur among populations of cells in the heart during ischemia. Multiple layers of paper containing cells, suspended in hydrogels, are stacked to form a layered 3D model of a tissue. Mass transport of oxygen and glucose into this 3D system can be modulated to induce an ischemic environment in the bottom layers of the stack. This ischemic stress induces cardiomyocytes at the bottom of the stack to secrete chemokines which subsequently trigger fibroblasts residing in adjacent layers to migrate toward the ischemic region. This work demonstrates the usefulness of patterned, stacked paper for performing in vitro mechanistic studies of cellular motility and viability within a model of the laminar ventricle tissue of the heart., Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Other Research Unit

Paper works: Paper-based indirect ELISA (see picture) has been demonstrated through the detection of rabbit IgG and the HIV-1 envelope antigen gp41. This technique combines the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA with the low cost and ease-of-use of paper-based platforms., Chemistry and Chemical Biology