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Disulfiram (DSF), an FDA approved drug for the treatment of alcoholism, has shown its effectiveness against diverse cancer types. Thus, we developed a disulfiram-loaded scaffold using the electrospinning method to enhance the stability of DSF and to facilitate its appropriate distribution to tumor tissues. The drug release profile of the disulfiram-loaded scaffold was examined by high-performance liquid chromatography. We obtained mechanical and morphological characterizations of A549 cells treated with different scaffolds by various techniques to evaluate its antitumor properties. This work revealed that the cells after the treatment with the disulfiram-loaded scaffold exhibited a lower height and a larger elastic modulus compared with the untreated cells and those treated with the neat electrospun fibers. The changes were the indicators of cell apoptosis. Taken collectively, the results indicate that DSF was successfully incorporated into the electrospun fibers, and the disulfiram-loaded scaffold has great potential for inhibiting the regional recurrence of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultralow-temperature sintering plays a vital role in the development of flexible printed electronics, which improves flexibility and reduces energy consumption. This study investigates the ultralow-temperature sintering of large-sized silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) by laser modification of the substrate surface. Ag NPs in conductive ink were sintered at only 60 °C. Designing the appropriate size of modified regions, the sintered Ag layer exhibits a sheet resistance of only 0.274 Ω and withstands 10 000 folding cycles. Energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy showed that TiO2 formed by laser ablation promotes the sintering of Ag NPs and joining with the substrate. A paper-based flexible integrated circuit board was also prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patterned circuits on highly stretchable conductive films are critical in the practical application of next-generation flexible and wearable devices. Currently, most patterned circuits do not exhibit highly stretchable properties, and a lithography process in vacuum is required. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) are mixed together to form liquid conductive adhesives (CAs). Various stretchable patterned circuits are prepared using this CA to achieve all required functions. Six basic patterns, including rhombus, straight lines, serpentine, triangle, ellipses, and fold line, are studied for their stretchable and electrical properties. The film is found to maintain excellent conductivity after withstanding tensile strain of up to 320% and more than 10 000 stretching-releasing cycles of 0%–150%. More than 86% of visible lights can be penetrated through the film due to the transparent substrates. Functional and wearable devices are manufactured, and devices fabricated from rhombus-pattern circuits are found to exhibit stable electrical conductivity when subjected to very high tensile strains. According to the sensitivity of the straight-line patterned circuit to strain, a repeatable use sensitive strain sensor is studied. Also, two types of artificial electrical skin are demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible electrodes have attracted much attention in consumer electronic applications. In this work, laser direct writing is used to fabricate copper/graphene composite electrodes on a flexible substrate in one step. This direct writing process with a low power laser can reduce copper ions in thin films to form copper nanomaterials and spontaneously interconnect them to gain good conductivity, while the laser also induces the growth of multi-layer graphene that coats on copper to improve the oxidation resistance of electrodes. The electrical performance and chemical composition of flexible electrodes can be tuned by laser power, scanning speed, and defocus distance. A mechanism of in situ reduction and interconnection of copper nanomaterials during laser direct writing has been proposed. This method could largely reduce the oxidation issue by avoiding synthesis and sintering processes of copper nanomaterials. These as-written copper electrodes have good stability and have potential applications in flexible electronics, such as flexible heaters or antennas as demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The silver nanowire (AgNW) transparent electrode is one of the promising components for flexible electronics due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity, optical transparency and flexibility. However, the application of the AgNW electrode with an improved performance is generally limited by its poor long-term stability. As the name suggests, the transparent electrode is usually exposed to visible light in various applications. Unlike other electrode materials, AgNWs show unique and complicated behavior under long-term visible light illumination. In this study, the comprehensive effect of visible light irradiation on the AgNW transparent electrode is initially investigated in detail. Light irradiation induces the migration of silver to enhance the nanowire contacts while also leading to the generation and growth of particles and diameter loss in the nanowire. Light irradiation accelerates the sulfidation and oxidation of the AgNWs as well, resulting in the emergence of degradation products on the nanowire surface. All these effects influence the sheet resistance of the AgNW electrode during light illumination. The light-induced change of sheet resistance also relates to the nanowire concentration due to the sensitivity of the wire–wire contact resistance near the percolation threshold. It is believed that this work will be a valuable reference for the design, processing and application of transparent electrodes used in numerous optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene modified by graphene quantum dots (GQDs) has been employed to remove toxic organic dyes. An excellent removal capacity (497 mg g−1) and record-breaking adsorption rate (475 mg g−1 min−1 at 20 °C) were demonstrated for Rhodamine B. The enhancement in performance by nearly a factor of three compared to that of graphene was ascribed to the greatly increased accessible surface area of graphene in aqueous solution as well as the increase in surface charges with the modification with GQDs. Besides, this unique adsorption behavior of the modified graphene was expanded to other typical toxic aqueous aromatic dyes such as Evans Blue, Methyl Orange, Malachite Green and Rose Bengal. What is more, a unique desorption behavior of dyes was first observed when employing different solvents, which enabled the GQD-modified graphene to be exploited for selective extraction of dyes and recycling of the adsorbent. The adsorption and desorption mechanism were further investigated. Combining high removal capacity, rapid adsorption kinetics, good recyclability and unique selective desorption, GQD-modified graphene has potential applications in both water purification and separation of aromatic dyes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systematical computations on the density functional theory were performed to investigate the adsorption of three typical organic molecules, tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) and tetrathiafulvalene (TTF), on the surface of phosphorene monolayers and thicker layers. There exist considerable charge transfer and strong non-covalent interaction between these molecules and phosphorene. In particular, the band gap of phosphorene decreases dramatically due to the molecular modification and can be further tuned by applying an external electric field. Meanwhile, surface molecular modification has proven to be an effective way to enhance the light harvesting of phosphorene in different directions. Our results predict a flexible method toward modulating the electronic and optical properties of phosphorene and shed light on its experimental applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]