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Abstract A pipe blockage and pressure abnormity is extremely serious in industry, while the related intelligent sensors are essential for ensuring safety in production. Here, we declare a self-powered sensor for detecting blockage and monitoring air pressure, which is based on a tube-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG). When the water flows through electrodes, the device can deliver 40 V in open-circuit voltage and 0.4 μA in short-circuit current at the flow rate of 0.2 L/min, respectively. By installing a linear electrode array along the PTFE tube, the sensor can detect not only the water flow rate and location, but also the blockage in pipelines. Moreover, an air pressure monitor has been demonstrated by attaching a single long electrode, which can achieve a real-time surveillance of air pressure changes. Due to the cost-effectiveness and subtle-construction, our work can be potentially applied in various fluid dynamic monitoring, pipeline maintenance as well as safety engineering, especially in chemical engineering, oil transport, and other fields. Graphical abstract We have demonstrated a tube-based TENG that can directly grab flow energy between solid-fluid interfaces. By installing a linear electrode array along the PTFE tube, the sensor can detect the water location, flow rate and blockage. The structural adjustment of the TENG assisted with a balloon enables to serve as a self-powered sensor for monitoring air pressure. fx1 Highlights • An tube-based TENG was fabricated to grab flow energy. • The TENG has been proved capable of self-powered blockage detecting. • An air pressure monitor has been demonstrated by attaching a single long electrode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The last several decades have witnessed the tremendous achievement of energy storage devices such as batteries and supercapacitors in the field of charging portable electronic devices. However, the frequent charging requirement and inconvenient device replacement greatly restrict the further practical application of energy storage devices in self-powered systems for human life. Great efforts have been devoted to integrating TENG with energy storage devices to provide the sustainable power supply for electronic devices. In this review article, the recent progress of flexible TENG-based self-charging power units (SCPUs) was presented. Firstly, the working modes and triboelectric series of TENG were introduced. Next, the working principle, research progress of flexible/wearable SCPUs, and strategies to improve energy conversion efficiency were also demonstrated. Finally, the main challenges that need to be overcome when designing and optimizing TENG-based SCPUs were also highlighted. [Display omitted] • The development of TENG based SCPUs was reviewed and summarized. • The power management circuits for improving the energy conversion efficiency were reviewed. • The all-in-one SCPUs and Multi-functional hybrid SCPUs were presented. • The opportunities and challenges of SCPUs in the future were also highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ME DNA-biosensor was developed to detect a common mutated DNA causing β-thalassaemia. • sDNA-AuNPs serve as the signal amplifier. • The sandwich-type structure enables label-free detection. • A low detection limit of 0.571 pM and high sensitivity of 72.7 Hz/nM were obtained. • The DNA-biosensor exhibits excellent sensitivity, selectivity and stability. β-Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder with serious complications. Combining the unique advantages of DNA and magnetoelastic (ME) materials, an ME DNA-biosensor was proposed that can wirelessly detect a target DNA sequence (tDNA) that is a 4-bp deletion in codon 41/42 (-TTCT) in the β-globin gene causing β-thalassaemia. The thiolated capture probe (CP) was covalently immobilized on the surface of the gold-plated ME chip and then hybridized to tDNA, and AuNPs modified with thiolated signal probe DNA (sDNA-AuNPs) serve as the signal amplifier and the direct signal indicator, enabling label-free detection. The specific hybridization process of sDNA-AuNPs to tDNA increased the surface load mass and decreased the resonance frequency of the DNA-biosensor. The resonance frequency shift of the DNA-biosensor was linear to the logarithmic concentration of tDNA in the range of 1.0 × 10−8 M to 1.0 × 10−12 M, with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.571 pM (S/N = 3) and sensitivity of 72.7 Hz/nM. The ME DNA-biosensor exhibits excellent selectivity and stability for the detection of the mutated DNA (4-bp deletion in codon 41/42) causing β-thalassaemia, suggesting this is a promising method for the clinical diagnosis of β-thalassaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal protein concentration levels in human body fluids, such as urine, serum etc., are considered to associate with disease states, providing essential information for the pre-clinical diagnosis. This paper presents a wireless immunoglobulin-coated magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor for fast, cost-effective detections of human serum albumin (HSA) with small sample volumes at a microliter scale. This is the first portable resonant sensor based on magnetostrictive effect that can monitor different molecular states of HSA. Anti-HSA Immunoglobulin G (IgG) was immobilized on the surface of the ME sensor to selectively capture HSA. The rapid conjugation between the antibody and antigen changed the sensor surface states and thus induced resonance frequency shifts (RFS), which were monitored in real time for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of HSA. This paper brings forward a System on Chip (SoC)-based system architecture to realize the function of RFS sampling. The performance of the portable device was validated to be comparable to that of the Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) AV3620 using different concentrations of HSA solution. The RFS were linearly proportional to the HSA concentrations in the range from 0.1 to 100 μg/mL with a linearity up to 0.998, a sensitivity of 8.70 Hz/μg.mL-1 and a detection limit of 0.039 μg/mL, indicating good feasibility of this method. Meanwhile, the response of this portable ME biosensor was quick and specific to HSA targets. This ME biosensor shows high potential to be used in diagnosing abnormal HSA. • This paper proposed a new portable resonant sensor with high-specificity based on magnetostrictive effect. • We presented a magnetoelastic (ME) biosensor for fast, cost-effective and tiny detections of human serum albumin (HSA). • In this paper, HSA can be detected with a sensitivity of 8.70 Hz/μg.mL-1 and detection limit of 0.039 μg/ml. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]