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Four‐dimensional (4D) printing is an emerging technology for fabricating customizable tissue engineering implants. 4D printed implants with shape memory properties are expected to provide new application opportunities for minimally invasive surgery. A great challenge is to prepare the biodegradable materials with robust mechanical properties for 4D printing ink. Herein, biodegradable thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) based on IPDI, PEG, PCL, and diols with UPy motifs are synthesized. The pendant UPy motifs can dimerize to form physical crosslinking by quadruple hydrogen bonding assembly, accompanying with significant improving the mechanical properties, self‐healing capability and shape memory effect. With an optimal UPy content, the PU‐U2‐25% shows robust mechanical properties and much better shape memory effect compared with the PU‐U2‐0% without UPy. Moreover, the TPUs show a facile processing at relative low temperature approximately 100 °C which avoid degradation at high processing temperature. Combined with the good processability, self‐healing capacity and shape memory effect of the PU‐U2‐25%, we primary demonstrated its 4D printing potential for various specimens. This work proposed a new strategy to design TPUs integrating the merits of linear and pendant physical crosslinking motifs to obtained excellent comprehensive properties, which would develop the 4D printable materials for applications of personalized and minimally invasive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collagen, the major structural protein in various tissues, is an ideal material for tissue regeneration. However, the collagen molecules cannot penetrate across the skin barrier due to their large molecular weight. It is necessary to develop new methods of delivery for promoting the collagen‐based therapy. Microneedle patches have been used in drug delivery applications as an alternative to traditional puncture delivery. In this study, the human collagen decorating microneedle patch was developed to deliver the collagen into the skin tissue, as the human‐source collagen can overcome the immunogenicity of animal‐source collagens in regenerative applications. The human collagen is usually limited by its source. Here, the collagen is derived from an allogeneic extracellular matrix expressed by human stem cells in vitro. The collagen was then loaded on the tip of the microneedle to achieve a high‐loading dose and efficient delivery. The experimental results proved that the microneedles were sharp and rigid enough to pierce the skin, which has the potential to be used for subcutaneous tissue regeneration. Moreover, the fabrication process was simple and effective to realize large‐scale production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio‐inspired approaches in materials science and systems chemistry are yielding a variety of stimuli‐responsive and dynamic materials that are gradually changing our everyday life. However, the ability to chemically program these materials to exhibit macroscopic higher‐order behaviours such as self‐assembly, contractility, swarming, taxis, chemical communication, or predator‐prey dynamics remains an ongoing challenge. While still in its infancy, the successful fabrication of bio‐inspired materials displaying higher‐order behaviours not only will help bridging the gap between living and non‐living matter, but it will also contribute to the development of advanced materials for potential applications ranging from tissue engineering and biotechnology, to soft robotics and regenerative medicine. Our Mini‐Review will systematically discuss the higher‐order behaviours developed thus far in bio‐inspired systems, namely (i) polymer networks (ii) microbots, (iii) protocells, and (iv) prototissues. For each system it will provide key examples and highlight how the emergent behaviour could be chemically programmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is an attractive additive manufacturing option for fabrication of SiC object with complex geometries. However, the density and microstructure controls remain a challenge. This study is aimed at understanding laser–SiC interactions, with emphasis on microstructure‐processing relationships, to identify potential solutions for the process improvement. SiC tubes were fabricated by PBF of pure SiC powders without sintering additives. Comprehensive analysis by X‐ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and electron microscopy indicated that binding of SiC particles was achieved by incongruent melting of SiC to a Si/C mixture containing SiC micro‐ and nanocrystallites. The phase evolution under laser irradiation of SiC was explained by phase diagrams. This study uncovered the PBF SiC microstructure at different length scales and the relationship between the microstructure and the processing parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electrochemical sensors, which can track various biomarkers in real‐time, is one of the most promising bioanalytical devices in the point of care testing and health management. Sample collection modules, as the important front‐end of the sensors, capture and transfer enough sample so as to achieve real‐time, precise and accurate detection. Noninvasive and minimally invasive techniques for sample collection are highly desired. However, it is still a key challenge to realize a reliable sample acquisition. Herein, we provide an overview on the progress in the sample collection methods for wearable electrochemical sensors. It covers the conventional and emerging methods/structures including reverse iontophoresis, microneedles, as well as microfluidic chips. The working principle, fabrication materials and manufacturing technologies will be introduced in detail. Finally, the present challenges and the development trend in the future of these approaches are also put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bottom‐up fabrication of compartmentalized cell‐like entities represents a promising avenue for reconstituting hierarchical organization within cells and emulating life‐like behaviors. Integrating the creation of semipermeable membranes and membraneless artificial organelles has recently garnered significant attention, aiming to achieve cytomimetic properties. We briefly describe the concept of liquid‐liquid phase separation and review approaches for the fabrication of cell‐sized membranous protocells (e. g. giant unilamellar vesicles, polymersomes and proteinosomes). Three strategies are emphasized for the construction of advanced cell‐like structures consisting of liquid‐like subcompartments enclosed by a membrane: (i) adsorption and assembly of organic or inorganic species onto the surface of preformed coacervate microdroplets; (ii) interfacial assembly of a lipid or polymer bilayer on the surface of an aqueous pool containing preformed microdroplets; and (ii) triggering phase separation within a preformed semipermeable membrane with chemical or physical stimuli. This review underscores the significance of the hierarchical organization of these synthetic cellular structures in mimicking cytomimetic functions, including transmembrane signaling, protocell communication, prototissue formation, and their compelling biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates the use of Ultra‐Precise Dispensing, a high‐resolution additive manufacturing method, in the fabrication of Micro‐LED displays. We demonstrate advancements in achieving ultra‐small feature sizes, high aspect ratios, and the ability to print on complex substrates. The paper presents a number of use cases, such as interconnections on complex topographies, edge printing, microvias filling, and microbumps dispensing. It summarizes the relevance of this technology for Micro‐LED displays fabrication and discusses the prospective future developments in the field of additive manufacturing for display fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of glass‐ceramics in the medical field has grown significantly since the 1980s. With excellent aesthetic properties, semi‐translucency, outstanding mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, wear resistance and great biocompatibility and workability glass‐ceramics is one of the most commonly used materials in restorative dentistry and is widely used in veneers, inlays, onlays, all‐ceramic crowns, and implant abutments. This review provides an overview of the research progress of glass‐ceramics in restorative dentistry, focusing on the classification, performance requirements, toughening mechanisms and their association with clinical performance, as well as the manufacturing and fabrication of glass‐ceramics in restorative dentistry. Finally, the developments and prospects of glass‐ceramics in restorative dentistry are summarized and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A co‐continuous 50:50 blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) was compounded with 10–40 wt% hemp hurd microparticles (<250 μm) to achieve balanced material properties for additive manufacturing (3D printing) applications. The blend and composites were further compatibilized with maleic anhydride via an in situ reactive extrusion process to enhance the adhesion between the polymers and the fillers and subsequently improve stress transfer between the components. All composite samples were processed further via injection molding and 3D printing processes to analyze and compare the rheology, morphology, thermal, mechanical properties, and other physio‐chemical properties. For the unfilled polymer blends, the injection molded and 3D printed sample specimens displayed similar mechanical properties. However, in the hemp filled composites, the injection molded specimens demonstrated enhanced mechanical properties. This indicates that the 3D printing process requires further parameter optimization to eliminate potential gaps between the printing layers and enhance mechanical properties. Overall, the PLA:PBAT blends filled with hemp hurd microparticles provided balanced composite properties in addition to their sustainability attribute, which makes them an appealing alternative for the fabrication of compostable and tough materials via additive manufacturing processes. Highlights: Upon maleation, the blend components formed a co‐continuous morphology.Sustainable plastic filament with up to 40 wt% hemp hurd micro particles.3D printing can compete with injection molding in filled composites.Successfully 3D printed model furniture with 30 wt% hemp filler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Untethered soft fiber actuators are advancing toward next‐generation artificial muscles, with rotating polymer fibers allowing controlled rotational deformations and contractions accompanied by torque and longitudinal forces. Current approaches, however, are based either on non‐recyclable and non‐reprogrammable thermosets, exhibit rotational deformations and torques with inadequate actuation performance, or involve intricate multistep processing and photopolymerization impeding scalable fabrication and manufacturing of millimeter‐thick fibers. Here, the melt‐extrusion and drawing of a 50 m long thermoplastic liquid crystal elastomer fiber with a ≈1.3 mm diameter on a large scale is reported. With the responsive thermoplastic material, rotating actuators are fabricated via easily exploited programming freedom resulting in large, reversible rotational deformations and torques. The actuation performance of the twisted fibers may be controlled by the programmed twisting density without complicated preparation steps or photocuring being required. The thermoplastic behavior enables fabrication of plied fibers, demonstrated as a triple helical twisted rope constructed from individual rotating fibers delivering up to three times as great rotational and longitudinal forces capable of reversibly opening and lifting a screw cap vial. Besides the programmability, the thermoplastic material employed lends itself to be completely reprocessed into other configurations with self‐healing properties in contrast to thermosets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) involves the replacement of damaged or worn‐out hip components with artificial implants. Frequently revision surgeries were performed due to the failure of the implant. The liners are the ones that are replaced in the majority of the revision surgeries. Researchers are constantly finding different materials to overcome the difficulties being faced. The acetabular liners are fabricated by compression molding and milling using single materials such as Polyethylene, Polyether–ether–ketone (PEEK), and recently Ultra‐High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE), and so forth. Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) being biocompatible and cheaper than UHMWPE is employed in the research. The biodegradable nature of PLA is countered by introducing a nonbiodegradable yet biocompatible High Impact Polystyrene (HIPS). This research attempts to propose and fabricate a novel design of the liner with PLA sandwiched between HIPS by fused filament fabrication, the widely used additive manufacturing technique. The dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the liners are measured and compared with single‐material liners. The multi‐material liner demonstrated superior dimensional accuracy compared to PLA liner and also exhibiting a smoother surface finish. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis is conducted to determine the capability of printing and also the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images are used for supporting the results. Highlights: Novel design of Acetabular Liner.Use of additive manufacturing for fabrication of implant parts.More than one material used to reap benefits from the two materials used.Measurement of dimensional accuracy, surface roughness of multi‐material liner.Comparison of single and multi‐material liner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional oxides have extensively been investigated as a promising class of materials in a broad range of innovative applications. Harnessing the novel properties of functional oxides in micro‐ to nano‐scale applications hinges on establishing advanced fabrication and manufacturing techniques able to synthesize these materials in an accurate and reliable manner. Oxidative scanning probe lithography (o‐SPL), an atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique based on anodic oxidation at the water meniscus formed at the tip/substrate contact, not only combines the advantages of both "top‐down" and "bottom‐up" fabrication approaches, but also offers the possibility of fabricating oxide nanomaterials with high patterning accuracy. While the use of self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs) broadened the application of o‐SPL, significant challenges have emerged owing to the relatively limited number of SAM/solid surface combinations that can be employed for o‐SPL, which constrains the ability to control the chemistry and structure of oxides formed by o‐SPL. In this work, a new o‐SPL technique that utilizes room‐temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) as the functionalizing material to mediate the electrochemistry at AFM tip/substrate contacts is reported. The results show that the new IL‐mediated o‐SPL (IL‐o‐SPL) approach allows sub‐100 nm oxide features to be patterned on a model solid surface, namely steel, with an initiation voltage as low as −2 V. Moreover, this approach enables high tunability of both the chemical state and morphology of the patterned iron oxide structures. Owing to the high chemical compatibility of ILs, which derives from the possibility of synthesizing ILs able to adsorb on a wide variety of solid surfaces, IL‐o‐SPL can be extended to other material surfaces and provide the opportunity to accurately tailor the chemistry, morphology, and electronic properties within nanoscale domains, thus opening new pathways to the development of novel micro‐ and nano‐architectures for advanced integrated devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at obtaining high toughness polypropylene (PP) products, in this work, using high density polyethylene (HDPE) and styrene-ethylene-butylenestryrene (SEBS) as toughening agents, PP/SEBS/HDPE blends were successfully fabricated by melt-blending method, and the microstructure, mechanical, thermodynamics, and rheological properties of the blends were investigated. The results revealed the core-shell structure particles with HDPE as the core and SEBS as the shell were dispersed in PP in the PP/SEBS/HDPE blends. The core-shell structure particles played good roles in toughening PP matrix, and the PP/SEBS/HDPE blends underwent brittle-tough transition at 15 wt% SEBS and 5 wt% HDPE. The impact toughness of PP/SEBS/HDPE blends with 15 wt % SEBS and 15 wt% HDPE reached 60.1 kJ/m2, which was almost 1441.0% that of pure PP. The formation of core-shell particles in the system led to an increase in the degree of chain entanglement between the dispersed phase and PP, which enhanced the interfacial adhesion. In addition, based on the experimental results, the relationship between the viscosity and the material toughness was proposed, revealing the brittle-ductile transition behavior and the toughening mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature abounds with micro‐architected materials containing layered multi‐material patterns that often transition within the very same monolithic piece. Fabricating these complex materials using current technologies is challenging. Multimaterial chaotic printing is presented—an extrusive printing method based on the use of chaotic advection—that can fabricate microstructured hydrogels with well‐defined multimaterial and multilayered micropatterns. Printheads containing internal Kenics static mixing (KSM) elements and top‐ and lateral‐positioned inlets are used to produce a wide repertoire of multilayered hydrogel filaments. In this plug‐and‐play system, the radial and axial micropatterns can be designed ad hoc by defining the printhead configuration (i.e., the number of KSM elements and inlets, and the inlet positions) and the flow program (i.e., activation/deactivation of the ink‐flow through each inlet). Computational fluid dynamics simulations closely predict the microstructure obtained by a given printhead configuration. The application of this platform is illustrated for easy fabrication of fibers with radial microgradients, bacterial ecosystems, structured emulsions, micro‐channeled hydrogel filaments, a pre‐vascularized tumor niche model, and skeletal muscle‐like tissues with axial and radial transitions of bioactive glass compartments. It is envisioned that multimaterial chaotic printing will be a valuable addition to the toolbox of additive manufacturing for the rational fabrication of advanced materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential advantage of plasma treated polyethylene (PEP) in mechanical properties was studied in this research. Recycled carbon fiber (CF) was the filler used for this hand layup technique. During fabrication, 4–14 wt% CF was incorporated into PEP and the results showed the impact of both filler and plasma treatment in enhancing the mechanical strength of polymer composites. Tensile results improved from 17.51 to 22.51 MPa in the polyethylene (PE) matrix. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results showed untreated PE composites with fiber and matrix breakages as also voids reducing the compatibility of the PE/CF phases. The maximum flexural property of 25.5 MPa was observed in 10 wt% CF/PE treated with plasma. This combination was tried with different fabrication conditions in a temperature range of 180–220°C and time duration of 20–30 min. It was clearly seen that CF/PE combinations at a temperature of 180°C and time duration of 20 min had maximum tensile and flexural strength. The optimization using Taguchi method proved the significance of CF content in enhancing the mechanical properties. It also observed better tensile strength, flexural strength properties with 10 wt% CF, 180°C temperature, 20 min time from the results. Surface images of this condition showed more dispersed CF in the PE than other combinations due to optimum temperature and time duration during fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An evaluation of the performance of a recently developed formulation of (lead‐free) Sodium‐Bismuth titanate – Barium Titanate (NBT‐BT) piezoceramic is presented through the construction and testing of several immersion transducers based around a new material formulation "Pz12" from CTS Ferroperm (Kvistgaard, Denmark). Results are intended to yield insight into the applicability of this lead‐free material for use within industrial, NDT, medical or underwater sectors through the reporting of experimentally realised performance characteristics. Results of several performance tests are reported including: pulse‐echo amplitude, electrical insertion loss, transducer efficiency, power output and transmitting voltage response (TVR). Benchmarking is provided against comparable lead zirconate‐titanate (PZT) based transducers using an industry standard Navy Type 1 (Pz26, CTS Ferroperm). Performance of the Pz12 transducers was found to exceed expectations, although was lower than that of the comparable Pz26 transducers. Pulse‐echo amplitudes indicated a −4.3 dB relative amplitude between lead and lead‐free variants with electrical insertion loss and transmitting voltage response both showing an average −3.1 dB between the Pz12 and Pz26. Electroacoustic conversion efficiencies of up to 52% are reported for the Pz12 transducers compared with a 62% maximum efficiency for the Pz26 variant. Temperature stability is also investigated in the 10–70 ˚C range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, fabrication of frequency selective surface filters by coating paper with silver ink and subsequent laser etching the frequency filter pattern has been investigated. Three filter structures consisting of a combination of square and ring patches operating at 102, 113, and 126 GHz and with corresponding signal attenuation of −15.2, −15.4, and −14.5 dB were fabricated and simulated; −5 dB bandwidths were following, 93.3–112.2 GHz, 101.9–121.1 GHz, and 112.7–132.3, respectively. Also, the proposed screen printing with assistive laser etching could be used to reduce the number of used screens. Furthermore, paper based fabrication using a biodegradable ink could be an alternative fabrication process in future electronic manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid marbles (LMs) are nonsticky droplets stabilized by hydrophobic solid particles that are adsorbed at the liquid-air interface. LMs are emerging as a potential platform in digital microfluidics, sensing applications, storage unit, biological incubation, and cosmetic applications. Incorporating multifunctional particles to form Janus liquid marble (JLM) could enhance the capabilities of the pristine LM. JLMs are multifunctional next-generation LMs comprising two hemispherical domains of distinct physicochemical properties such as size, hydrophobicity, electrical conductivity, surface functionalization, stimuli-responsivity, and so on. The JLMs offer precise control on the manipulability and enhanced performance over pristine LMs. Though the properties, applications, and progress of LMs are detailed in the recent literature, a focused review encompassing the fabrication, recent developments, potential applications of JLMs, and the challenges regarding its reliable fabrication remains a gap in the literature. The review provides insights into the importance of JLMs, systematically discussing the fabrication strategies, applications, challenges, and future directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Special-shaped microscale structures have shed light on new possibilities in key fields of chemistry, medicine, and energy. Asymmetrical microrobots with sensitive magnetic responses can be useful tools in controlled chemical reactions, drug delivery, and functional material synthesis. Microfluidic-based emulsion generation technology is adopted as a powerful platform for the fabrication of steerable microrobots with refined control. Specifically, Janus droplets are generated in microfluidic chips featuring a flow-focusing configuration. Asymmetrical morphologies of the Janus droplets are achieved by balancing the interfacial tensions, where the portion containing magnetic nanoparticles is solidified through the UVinitiated polymerization process right after the formation while the Janus structure is left intact. We succeed in controlling the morphology of the Janus droplet along with the moon-shaped robots hydrodynamically and applying them in flow control at the microscale under external magnetic fields, which are characterized and quantified by three-dimensional profile measurement and high-speed microparticle velocimetry measurement. Our proposed on-chip fabrication method using a microfluidic platform not only provides a method for fabricating magnetic robots but also enables tuning the complex morphologies and functionalities at the microscale, which could shed light on new possibilities in key fields of controlled chemistry reaction, medicine synthesis, and energy generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of orthopedic implants with lattice materials whose topology is tailored to mimic the mechanical response of native bone. Detailed analysis of such lattice structures for optimizing their mechanical biocompatibility requires an understanding of the mechanical response of their constituent components, that is, "struts". The present study conducts a series of miniature‐specimen mechanical experiments to analyze the apparent stress–strain response of additive manufacturing Ti6Al4V struts. The "true" geometries of the struts are then derived based on observations from microcomputed tomography to discuss the size and orientation dependence of the "geometrical mismatch" as well as the "true" stress–strain response of the struts. It is however argued that considering the "true" mechanical response of struts in the design and topology optimization of lattice‐based implants is not practically feasible, since it requires information regarding the "true" geometry of each strut within the implant that is not accessible at the design stage. As an alternative, consideration of a representative "apparent" constitutive model in finite‐element simulations representing the "nominal" geometry of the lattices provides acceptable approximations of their experimentally observed mechanical response and, therefore might be employed for design analysis and topology optimization of lattice‐based implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using cost‐effective fabrication methods to manufacture a high‐performance solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is helpful to enhance the commercial viability. Here, we report an anode‐supported SOFC with a three‐layer Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 (gadolinia‐doped‐ceria [GDC])/Y0.148Zr0.852O1.926 (8YSZ)/GDC electrolyte system. The first dense GDC electrolyte is fabricated by co‐sintering a thin, screen‐printed GDC layer with the anode support (NiO–8YSZ substrate and NiO–GDC anode) at 1400°C for 5 h. Subsequently, two electrolyte layers are deposited via physical vapor deposition. The total electrolyte thickness is less than 5 μm in an area of 5 × 5 cm2, enabling an area‐specific ohmic resistance as low as 0.125 Ω cm−2 at 500°C (under open circuit voltage), and contributing to a power density as high as 1.2 W cm−2 at 650°C (at an operating cell voltage of 0.7 V, using humidified [10 vol.% H2O] H2 as fuel and air as oxidant). This work provides an effective strategy and shows the great potential of using GDC as an electrolyte for high‐performance SOFC at intermediate temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four‐dimensional (4D) printing has received an amplified consideration in the research community for fabrication and manufacturing in industry, medical field, and smart flood management. Disruptive technologies such as Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, and 4D printing are highly recommended during disaster management activities. The 4D printing technology is an evolving field that is an advancement of three‐dimensional printing technologies in which the materials are programmed to change shape over time responding to external stimulus without human intervention, thereby adding a fourth dimension. The technology had a great impact during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and flood management activities. This paper, with the aim of a scientometric review, recognizes the recent research hotspots, trends, and worldwide scope of 4D printing for the period of 2007–2021. The bibliographic data fetched from the Scopus in comma‐separated values format is used in the study for extracting the masked information by discussing the in‐depth visualization of the attributes of the index documents. The study examines the growth of publications, subject categorizations, global distributions, citation analysis, and the influence of the institutions and authors using the bibliographic data. VOSviewer, a java‐based tool, is used to study the keyword co‐occurrence, which yields hotspots and emerging trends in the various applications of 4D printing, including smart flood management. This study provides the implementation, latest trends, and universal research topography over the past decade, which assists to recognize primitive research and also provides supervision for the upcoming research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For achieving economically viable polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in the commercial market, simplifying the fabrication process and manufacturing of robust membrane electrode assembly (MEA) are important. Herein, a single spray‐coating method for developing a robust and free‐standing reinforced Nafion composite membrane and electrodes is reported. By comparing the fabricated membrane's morphology under diverse process conditions including the nozzle‐to‐substrate distance and solution‐loading rates, the optimized spray‐coating for uniformly deposited spray‐based membrane without any defects has been determined. To explain this optimized condition, a simple theoretical model based on the concept of the surface coverage of sprayed droplets is proposed. The fabricated multiwalled carbon nanotubes/CeO2‐reinforced Nafion composite membrane shows excellent mechanical properties with minimal proton‐conducting loss despite using additional fillers of total 4 wt% in the Nafion matrix. By successively depositing the catalyst layer on that membrane using the same spray‐coating device, an MEA with the reinforced spray‐based membrane has been successfully fabricated; moreover, diverse electrochemical measurements and durability tests have been conducted. The MEA with the reinforced membrane shows comparable initial performance and considerably higher performance after the durability test compared to the MEA with commercial Nafion membrane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microlens arrays (MLAs) have a variety of applications in, e.g., display systems, projection optics, and sensors. They can be manufactured by various fabrication methods. Among all, inkjet printing stands out because it offers a straightforward, versatile, and low‐cost fabrication route. However, extra manufacturing steps such as photolithography are so far involved to pre‐structure the substrate in order to improve the uniformity of the printed MLAs and achieve a high fill factor (FF). In this study, the fabrication of MLAs is reported on unstructured substrates by inkjet printing using an optimized UV‐curable ink on top of self‐assembled monolayers (SAMs). The latter allows for tuning the surface free energy and thus the aspect ratio of the microlenses. The high uniformity of the printed MLAs is demonstrated by the automatic quantitative evaluations, where the standard deviations of the radii are below 2.5% and of the sag heights are less than 3.9%. An unprecedented FF of 88% amongst all inkjet‐printed MLAs on unstructured substrates is achieved. Digitally controlled large area fabrication is demonstrated, both, on rigid as well as on flexible substrates, opening a pathway for customized microoptics by additive manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of nanoparticles and nanostructured electrodes are abundant in electrocatalysis. These nanometric systems contain elements of nanoconfinement in different degrees, depending on the geometry, which can have a much greater effect on the activity and selectivity than often considered. In this Review, we firstly identify the systems containing different degrees of nanoconfinement and how they can affect the activity and selectivity of electrocatalytic reactions. Then we follow with a fundamental understanding of how electrochemistry and electrocatalysis are affected by nanoconfinement, which is beginning to be uncovered, thanks to the development of new, atomically precise manufacturing and fabrication techniques as well as advances in theoretical modeling. The aim of this Review is to help us look beyond using nanostructuring as just a way to increase surface area, but also as a way to break the scaling relations imposed on electrocatalysis by thermodynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impregnating fibrous preforms through thickness has become a main feature of some liquid composite molding process variants. Thus, the evaluation of transverse permeability is critical to optimize the fabrication and reduce manufacturing defects. Some problems connected with the design of testing devices need to be addressed to perform a reliable characterization. In this study, the efficiency of a typical one‐dimensional testing device to measure transverse permeability is evaluated numerically and experimentally. The paper introduces a novel methodology to identify the optimal mold configuration and evaluate the flow pattern inside the mold cavity. A dimensionless number called the "fill coefficient" is also proposed to evaluate quantitatively the effect of the mold structure on the transverse flow pattern. The measured transverse permeability is shown to increase with lower fill coefficients for saturated and unsaturated flows. The intrinsic transverse permeability is obtained when the fill coefficient is equal to one. The proposed methodology is verified by experiments performed in an existing tool. This confirms that the measured transverse permeability can be significantly affected by the above mentioned factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, it is shown how a proton transfer process between the organic moiety in 3D methylammonium lead halide perovskite and the introduced aliphatic alkylamines provides the basis for a fabrication route toward hybrid 3D/2D perovskites and finally purely 2D Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) perovskite phases, predominantly the n = 1 phase. Five alkylamines with varying aliphatic chain lengths, such as butylamine, octylamine, dodecylamine, hexadecylamine, and octadecylamine as antisolvents in toluene, are used, which quickly protonate during the spin‐coating deposition of thin perovskite films. Formation of hydrogen bonds between protonated alkylamines and lead halide slabs leads to mixed 3D/2D hybrid perovskites, where the ratio between the 3D and 2D phases can be adjusted by the concentration of the alkylamine containing antisolvents. Longer‐chain aliphatic alkylamines (12 carbon atoms or greater) are most prone to slice 3D perovskite into layered perovskites with efficient green emission reaching up to 38% for their photoluminescence quantum yield in films. Above a certain concentration threshold, 3D perovskite can be completely modified into 2D RP perovskite phases with crystalline orientation parallel to the substrate. The introduced facile perovskite phase modification approach provides a convenient way toward different kinds of 2D RP metal halide perovskite films with attractive optical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proteins and peptides are attractive chemical building blocks to encapsulate and protect active substances thanks to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and added functionality compared to synthetic polymers. This review provides a comprehensive overview of micro‐ and nanocapsules predominantly made of proteins—both natural and artificially produced—and peptides, detailing their different fabrication techniques and possible applications in various fields, including food technology and healthcare. Emphasis is given on the capability of proteins and peptides to assemble into capsular structures in the absence (e.g., protein cages and polypeptide‐based coacervates) or presence of a template, as well as on the physical nature of the carriers core, i.e., gaseous, liquid, or solid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To screen and critically appraise available literature regarding additive manufacturing technologies for bone graft material fabrication in dentistry. Material and Methods: PubMed and Scopus were searched up to May 2021. Studies reporting the additive manufacturing techniques to manufacture scaffolds for intraoral bone defect reconstruction were considered eligible. A narrative review was synthesized to discuss the techniques for bone graft material fabrication in dentistry and the biomaterials used. Results: The databases search resulted in 933 articles. After removing duplicate articles (128 articles), the titles and abstracts of the remaining articles (805 articles) were evaluated. A total of 89 articles were included in this review. Reading these articles, 5 categories of additive manufacturing techniques were identified: material jetting, powder bed fusion, vat photopolymerization, binder jetting, and material extrusion. Conclusions: Additive manufacturing technologies for bone graft material fabrication in dentistry, especially 3D bioprinting approaches, have been successfully used to fabricate bone graft material with distinct compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low‐dimensional semiconductors with in‐plane anisotropy and narrow bandgap have been extensively applied to polarized detection in the near‐infrared (NIR) region. However, the narrow bandgap can cause noise owing to the high dark current in photodetectors. This article reports quasi‐1D ZrGeTe4 nanoribbon‐based photodetectors with low dark current and broadband polarization detection. The photodetector was fabricated by evaporating 50‐nm‐thick Au electrodes on a ZrGeTe4 nanoribbon. Benefiting from the photovoltaic characteristics in the ZrGeTe4 nanoribbon and Au electrodes, these photodetectors can operate without bias voltage, with decreased dark current, and improved device performance. Furthermore, the quasi‐1D ZrGeTe4 nanoribbon‐based photodetectors demonstrate a polarization sensitivity in a broadband from visible (VIS) to the NIR region, such as a high photoresponsivity of 625.65 mA W−1, large external quantum efficiency of 145.9% at 532 nm, and photocurrent anisotropy ratio of 2.04 at 1064 nm. They exhibit a novel perpendicular optical reversal of 90° in polarization‐sensitive photodetection, angle‐resolved absorption spectra, and azimuth‐dependent reflectance difference microscopy (ADRDM) from VIS to the NIR region, as opposed to other nanoribbon‐based polarization‐sensitive photodetectors. This work paves the way for utilizing photovoltaic photodetectors based on low‐dimensional materials for broad‐spectrum polarized photodetection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the fabrication of some high‐voltage low‐power applications, low cost is much concerned, and thus using silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET stack consisting of series connected low‐voltage devices is preferred rather than using an expensive single high‐voltage device. Therefore, a cost‐efficient single gate driven voltage‐balanced SiC MOSFET stack topology is proposed in this paper, where only some passive components are equipped with the stack. With a concept of single gate driver, the gate driver design of an SiC MOSFET stack is simplified. With an automatic balancing circuit which operates well with the sequential lagging single gate driver, good voltage balancing of SiC MOSFETs in the stack is realized without causing much extra loss and no additional active control is required. The working principle is illustrated in detail and the parameter selection together with design consideration is presented. Next, this topology is compared with RCD snubber method and active delay adjusting method to better illustrate its advantages. Finally, in a typical high‐voltage low‐power application, auxiliary power supply, the simulation and experimental results further verify the effectiveness of the proposed topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique attribute of transient technology is that it promotes the potential for the design and implementation of sustainable systems through their capability to fully or partially disintegrate after a predefined period of stable operation. Transient electronics have a wide range of potential applications as biomedical implants, environmental sensors, and hardware‐secured devices. Controlled disintegration of such systems without the need for harsh solvents is a step toward realizing green and sustainable electronics. In this short review, recent progress in the development of transient electronics is studied. First, an overview of the transient materials, both the substrate and electronic component, is described. Second, the mechanisms under which transiency occurs, including aqueous dissolution and thermal degradation, are reported. Third, manufacturing techniques for the fabrication of transient electronics are reviewed. And last, various transient electronic devices and their applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Pelješac Bridge and access road project, which links Mainland Croatia to the Pelješac Peninsula, is the most significant social infrastructure project in Croatia under construction at present. The bridge site lies in the highly active seismic region with ground acceleration ag = 0.34g and a maximum average ten‐minute wind speed above 33.7 m/s. As a result, the execution class for the steel structure was judged to be EXC4 based on the recommended matrix in standard EN 1090‐2, which defines execution classes according to consequence class, service category, and production category. The correspondingly determined quality level was class B+, which equates to quality class B under ISO 5817 with supplementary requirements for bridge decks from EN 1090‐2. This article describes the whole fabrication process in the workshop, the long‐distance transportation and the installation on the bridge site. To satisfy such high‐quality technical requirements, the heavy steel structures were fabricated using a wide variety of mechanized equipment and automatic welding techniques. This helped to ensure a more efficient fabrication process and more consistent product quality. The length of the large side span segments was designed to suit the capabilities of the floating cranes and transit barges, thereby making on‐site installation more efficient. Against the backdrop of the global Covid‐19 pandemic, the contractor CRBC overcame seemingly unsurmountable obstacles beyond their control to successfully complete this challenging assignment in two years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Outbreaks of severe silicosis have affected workers who fabricate artificial stone countertops. Work‐related asthma (WRA) has not been a prominent feature of those prior outbreaks. Methods: This report describes an outbreak of WRA and silicosis at a facility that manufactures and fabricates chemical‐resistant countertops comprised of sand, epoxy resin, and phthalic anhydride (PA), a known respiratory sensitizer. The multi‐disciplinary investigation included clinical examinations of workers, an industrial hygiene survey with qualitative and quantitative exposure assessments, and a cross‐sectional questionnaire. Results: Engineering controls and personal protective equipment were inadequate. Some workers were exposed to PA or silica above permissible exposure limits established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Clinical and epidemiologic investigations identified 16 workers with confirmed or suspected WRA. Two years later, after OSHA began to enforce its new silica standards, 12 workers received medical surveillance for silicosis. Of these 12 workers, four (33.3%) were diagnosed with silicosis based on abnormal chest computed tomography examinations. Conclusions: Artificial stone countertop workers can develop asthma or silicosis. Risk of asthma may be highest in workers exposed to asthmagens such as PA and epoxy resins while manufacturing the artificial stone material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetically driven small‐scale soft robots are promising for applications in biomedicine, due to their fast, programmable deformation, and remote, untethered actuation to accomplish complicated tasks. Although diverse materials and designs have been proposed for magnetic soft robots with programmable shape transformation, it is still challenging to produce strong actuation by a small magnetic field. Inspired by arthropod species, magnetic soft millirobots with joint structures by 3D printing hydrogels have been developed. The joints can turn the bending deformation into the folding deformation, with the jointed region deforming locally. Different from homogeneous bending deformation, such local deformation allows larger motions of robots and reduces the overall energy consumption at the same time. Through experiments and numerical simulations, it is shown that the magnetic arthropod millirobots are capable of performing multimodal locomotion and programmed shape transformation, such as move, flip, catch, carry, and release. Finally, ex vivo experiments of removing a foreign object from porcine organs (e.g., aorta, stomach, and intestine) are presented to demonstrate the potential surgery application of magnetic arthropod millirobots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal chalcogenides are attractive electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) or hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) due to their natural abundance and diverse structure. Herein, nickel sulfides (Ni3S2) and nickel/cobalt sulfides nanohybrid have been in situ fabricated on nickel foam (NF) by a facile hydrothermal method with sodium sulfide (Ss), L‐cysteine (Lc) or thiourea (Tu) as a sulfur source, respectively. The results show that sulfur source has a great influence on the phase structure, morphology and electrocatalytic performance of transition metal sulfides. The nickel sulfide with the sodium sulfide as a sulfur source (NiSs) shows better HER and OER activity in 1 M KOH. With the Co‐doping, three‐dimensional honeycomb‐like NiCoSs nanosheet clusters exhibits the enhanced electrocatalysis properties with overpotentials of only 168 mV at 10 mA cm–2 for HER and 234 mV at 20 mA cm–2 for OER, respectively. The NiCoSs shows the good bifunctional activities for overall water splitting and presents considerable stability for 24 hours. The good electrochemical activities of metal sulfides by using inorganic sodium sulfide can be attributed to the large exposed surface area and heterostructure compositions of Co9S8 and Ni3S2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiCnp reinforced AA7150 nanocomposites were prepared through a novel fabrication process (a combination of Vortex/Two‐step Stir Casting/Ultrasonication). The effect of TiCnp (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt.%) and ultrasonication on both microstructure behavior as well as mechanical properties were investigated at room temperature. Microstructural studies were analyzed through optical and scanning electron microscopy for grain size refinement, nanoparticle distribution and failure analysis. Grain refinement and homogeneous distribution of nanoparticles were achieved due to the ultrasonication effect. The mechanical properties increase with the increase of TiCnp wt.%. The optimal peak value at 175 MPa in tensile strength, 177.05 HV in microhardness, and 41.07 µm in grain size reduction were achieved at 1.5 wt.% of TiCnp content, which was around 48.31% and 17.4% enhanced in strength, in microhardness and 52.37% in grain size reduction. These peculiar achievements resulted from the homogeneous dispersion of TiC nano‐particulates in the nanocomposite material through a novel fabrication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a fully integrated phased array using multi‐layer printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication technologies is presented. This array is directly fed by 50 Ω coaxial cables, without balanced‐to‐unbalanced transitions. An asymmetric dipole is used to achieve stable input impedance. Furthermore, to broaden the operating bandwidth, a coupling patch is designed beneath the asymmetric dipole , which also eliminates the common‐mode resonance and decreases the array profile. In addition, three wide‐angle impedance matching (WAIM) layers with different structures are utilised to improve the scan range in all scanning planes. Infinite array simulations indicate that the proposed array can operate over a 5.1:1 bandwidth (2.4 ∼ 12.2 GHz) with an active voltage standing wave ratio below 3 while scanning up to ± 60° in H plane and ±75° in the E plane. Furthermore, the proposed antenna, whose cross‐polarization levels remain below −35 and −7.5 dB when scanning up to 75° in the E plane and 60° in the D plane, demonstrates the merits of high polarization purity. Array simulations are verified by the measurements of a 12 × 12 prototype, and good agreement is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complementary circuits based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are attractive for the development of inexpensive and disposable point‐of‐care bioelectronic devices. Ambipolar OECTs, which employ a single channel material, could decrease the fabrication complexity and manufacturing costs of such circuits. An ideal channel material for ambipolar OECTs should be electrochemically stable in aqueous environments, afford facile ion insertion for both cations and anions, and also facilitate high and balanced electron and hole transport. In this study, triethylene glycol functionalized diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)‐based polymer is proposed for the development of ambipolar OECTs. It is shown that DPP‐based OECTs have a high and comparable figure of merit for both n‐ and p‐type operations. Logic NOT, NAND, and NOR operations with corresponding complementary circuits constructed from identical DPP‐based OECT devices are demonstrated. This study is an important step toward the development of sophisticated complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor‐like logic circuits using single‐component OECTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing of complex porous polymer geometries is a new field of advanced materials processing. Such new geometries can be used to fabricate porous polymer monoliths serving as a support for other material functions. Here, a novel fabrication technology to manufacture tailored 3D porous monoliths via additive manufacturing and templating is presented. The method is based on replicating a 3D‐printed mold with a polymer solution of polyvinylidenfluorid‐triethyl phosphate (PVDF‐TEP) and induce phase separation of the polymer solution subsequently. In a second step, the mold is removed without affecting the porous PVDF phase. As a result, porous monoliths with a templated 3D architecture are successfully fabricated. The manufacturing process is successfully applied to complex structures and can be applied to any conceivable geometry. Coating the porous 3D monoliths with another PVDF solution allows applying a skin layer yielding an asymmetric membrane monolith. As a showcase, a polydimethylsiloxane coating even leads to a smooth and dense layer of micrometer size. The methodology enables a new generation of complex porous polymer monoliths with tailored surface coatings. For the combination of poly(dimethylsiloxane) on a porous support, gas/liquid mass transfer is used in blood oxygenation with reduced diffusion limitation is within reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the thermal decomposition kinetics and mechanism of nitrocellulose (NC) based nitramine explosives nanocomposite energetic materials, this work prepares NC/RDX (cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine), NC/HMX (cyclotetramethylenetetranitramine), and NC/CL‐20 (hexanitrohexaazaisowurtzitane) composites by a combined sol‐gel and the freeze‐drying technology. The structure is systematically investigated and the results reveal that the explosive particles are dispersed, filled, or embedded homogenously in the gel matrix of NC, thereby restricting the crystal growth of RDX, HMX, CL‐20 particles to coarse and achieving submicron/nanometer. The thermal analysis of composites exhibits much lower peak temperature compared with raw explosive crystal, furthermore, the activation energy (Ea) of composites is also lower than that of both NC and explosives. Hence, the unique structure of NC gel matrix embedded explosives inside demonstrated different mechanism of decomposition. Concretely, the rupture of the H‐NCO = O bond in the cross‐linked structure is detected firstly, subsequently, the macromolecular chains' scission site of gel firstly occurs at ‐C‐O‐C‐ in the ring, and then the scission of ‐NO2 (from NC or explosive crystals) bonds happened. Hence, this study may provide promising fabrication strategy and basic theory for the application of NC‐based nanocomposite energetics in high‐energy propellants and explosives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gallium Oxide (Ga2O3) for solar‐blind photodetectors (PDs) has drawing increasing research interest in recent years because of its natural wide bandgap. However, the traditional material growth methods are always complicated and the corresponding PD performance is also not good enough. In this work, amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) thin film grown by mist chemical deposition applied as solar blind deep ultraviolet phototransistors (PTs) is investigated for the first time, to solve the problem of high cost and time‐consuming by traditional methods. Bottom‐gate a‐Ga2O3 three terminal thin film transistors (TFTs) are fabricated to boost their ultraviolet (UV) photodetection properties. Under the 254 nm UV illumination, the a‐Ga2O3 PTs demonstrates a very high responsivity of 2300 AW−1, external quantum efficiency of 1.12 × 106% and detectivity of 1.87 × 1014 Jones. Such field‐effect PTs with the ultrahigh performance address a significant step toward the feasibility and practicability of Ga2O3 PDs in the future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic lead halide perovskites have attracted extensive interest for potential use in next‐generation photovoltaic devices due to the demonstrated high power conversion efficiency, low materials cost, and low fabrication cost. Besides, the electromechanical properties have also been explored in detail to expand the application potential. Here, we report the reversible photoelectric modulation (including photoresponse and photoresistance modulation, by near 6%) in methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) film under an external electric bias (only 0.06 V µm‐1), which stems from the strain response induced by the competition of electrical biasing and light exposure. In addition, accompanied by the use of bias and light, the lattice is found to be deformed in MAPbI3 film. This result does not only shed light on the lattice deformation from external factors but also highlights the dramatic electron/photon‐lattice coupling in perovskite films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluorescent functional material prepared by combining 16‐alkyl (ferrocenyl‐methyl) ammonium bromide (Fc16AB) and dye molecule Congo red (CR) via ionic self‐assembly strategy exhibits double stimuli‐responsive behavior triggered by redox and pH value. Both the fabrication and switching mechanism of aggregates are proposed according to the cooperative binding of noncovalent interactions, including π‐π stacking, electrostatic interactions, charge transfer interaction, and amphiphilic hydrophobic association. The optimal geometry and energy transfer between monomers and aggregate are studied by means of quantum chemistry calculation and wavefunction analysis, which provides a deep and theoretical understanding for formation mechanism of ionic self‐assemblies. Moreover, the fluorescent switching behavior of assemblies upon pH was studied in detail, which opens the new way for the construction of organic light‐emitting diode (OLED). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To report assessments of four systematic reviews (SRs) on (i) clinical outcomes of all‐ceramic implant‐supported crowns (iSCs), (ii) production time, effectiveness, and costs of computer‐assisted manufacturing (CAM), (iii) computer‐assisted implant planning and surgery (CAIPS) time and costs, and (iv) patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMS). Material and Methods: An author group consisting of experienced clinicians and content experts discussed and evaluated the SRs and formulated consensus on the main findings, statements, clinical recommendations, and need for future research. Results: All four SRs were conducted and reported according to PRISMA and detailed comprehensive search strategies in at least three bibliometric databases and hand searching. The search strategies were deemed reproducible. Variation was noted regarding language restrictions and inclusion of grey literature, but the search comprehensiveness appeared persuasive. The SRs included bias risk assessments of the primary studies, and their study methodology impacted the interpretations of the extracted data. Conclusions: (i) There is limited evidence (49 NRCT) showing that veneered and monolithic all‐ceramic iSCs have excellent outcomes observed up to 3 years. (ii) There is no evidence evaluating production time and effectiveness comparing subtractive and additive CAM of implant models, abutments and crowns. (iii) There is limited evidence (4 RCT) that CAIPS involves more time and costs when considering the entire workflow and for diagnostics, manufacturing, and insertion of the restoration. Time seems to be the decisive factor for higher costs. (iv) Patients' comfort increases when optical compared to conventional impressions are used for fabricating iSCs and short‐span FPDs (2 RCT, 5 NRCT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs) show enticing prospects as next‐generation energy conversion and storage technology due to their unique merits of environmental friendliness, low cost, impressive energy density, and high security. However, the dendrite growth, surface passivation, and metal anode corrosion, as well as the sluggish reaction kinetics, deficient bifunctionality, high platinum group metals (PGMs) dependence, and corrosion of carbon‐based materials for air cathodes, are the main problems hindering the large‐scale application of ZABs. Herein, the fundamental principles of ZABs are first introduced. The detailed discussions will be focused on the electrochemical aspects of the metal anode and air cathode by making a comprehensive comparison of the recent progress in the field. Lastly, brief perspectives on the further development of rechargeable ZABs are introduced. This review aims to provide a better understanding of electrode design for ZABs, which will provide guidelines for the design and fabrication of high‐performance and cost‐effective ZABs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about the 6th European Association for Osseointegration (EAO) Consensus Conference's Virtual Meeting which was held on February 11-12, 2021, and it mentions the COVID-19 pandemic and the main topics of the conference which include peri-implantitis and dental implant-related immediate loading. According to the article, soft-tissue management and the fabrication of dental implants are also conference topics.

Artificial cilia actuators are described as responsive and actuatable cilia‐structured arrays that are mainly made of flexible polymers. Over the past few decades, researchers have investigated the features and functions of cilia in nature, and have developed a vast number of bio‐mimicked cilia based on these findings. Nowadays, great progresses are accomplished, including the optimization of the fabrication methods, the increase in the actuation approaches, and the promotion of the application fields. Artificial cilia are tailored to react to magnetics, electrics, light, acoustics, heat, or even multi‐stimulus, and are endowed with abilities of moving, sensing, carrying cargos, transporting, etc. These achievements create a great leap for artificial cilia actuators being applied in a huge scope of forefront fields, such as digital microfluidics, organ‐on‐chip systems, precision medicine, wearable electro‐devices, minimal robots, artificial intelligence, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pneumatic soft robotic systems show remarkable potentials in producing versatile locomotion and manipulations, owing to their flexibility in structural design and material selections. However, fabrication of pneumatic soft robotic systems with complex 3D structures and material distribution still remains elusive. Herein, a mode‐free fabrication approach, called planar laser cutting and stacking fabrication (PLCSF), is proposed to create pneumatic soft robotic systems with multi‐material and complex structure, which involves the following steps: 1) slicing the 3D model of desired pneumatic soft robotic systems into 2D layers; 2) fabricating each layer via laser cutting corresponding 2D membrane; 3) stacking all layers together to finish the fabrication. With the PLCSF approach, various prevalent pneumatic soft actuators are fabricated with complex structures (including fiber‐reinforced and pneu‐net) and different actuation modes (such as bending, elongation, twisting, abduction, contraction, and grabbing). The scalability of the PLCSF approach to fabricate multiple degrees‐of‐freedom (DOFs) pneumatic soft actuators with integrated structures, such as twisting‐bending pneumatic soft actuators for delivering and bending‐elongation‐bending pneumatic soft actuators for crawling, is also demonstrated. It is further demonstrated that the PLCSF approach also enables creating a bio‐inspired soft hand with nine DOFs, capable of various dexterous motions and manipulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]