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This research was funded by FAPESP grants (2017/17697-5, 2019/00691-0, and 2020/09079-2) and was supported by LNNano – Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (CNPEM/MCTI) during the use of the electron microscopy open access facility. F. Conde acknowledges the Ph.D. scholarship CNPq 142440/2019-1. In addition, JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication – i3N. Finally, Julian A. Avila is a Serra Hunter Fellow and a CNPq fellow. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Maraging is a high alloy steel sensitive to the precipitation of intermetallics from a supersaturated solid solution during aging heat treatments. The precipitation phenomenon is well described in the literature, which gave rise to the alloy name regarding a martensite matrix with precipitates formed by aging treatment. Many studies have been performed to characterize this material, usually subjected to many sample preparations for transmission microscopy, which is very laborious, and few EBSD analyses. Therefore, in this work, a large study was conducted using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to analyze maraging microstructures through band-contrast, kernel average misorientation (KAM), grain orientation spread (GOS), and misorientation distribution. Our results show that solubilization of the additive manufactured maraging steel resulted in a more homogeneous microstructure with new angle grain boundaries. Furthermore, tempering heat treatments relieve martensite strain, increasing band contrast values. Posterior aging presented a low impact on the results of EBSD analysis. publishersversion published

Funding Information: Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was financed by FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication-i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s). Bone regeneration is one of the most well-known fields in tissue regeneration. The major focus concerns polymeric/ceramic composite scaffolds. In this work, several composite scaffolds based on chitosan (CH), with low and high molecular weights, and different concentrations of ceramics like mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG), mesoporous hydroxyapatite (MHAp) and both MBG and MHAp (MC) were produced by lyophilization. The purpose is to identify the best combination regarding optimal morphology and properties. The tests of the scaffolds present a highly porous structure with interconnected pores. The compression modulus increases with ceramic concentration in the scaffolds. Furthermore, the 75%MBG (835 ± 160 kPa) and 50%MC (1070 ± 205 kPa) samples are the ones that mostly enhance increases in mechanical properties. The swelling capacity increases with MBG and MC, respectively, to 700% and 900% and decreases to 400% when MHAp concentration increases. All scaffolds are non-cytotoxic at 12.5 mg/mL. The CHL scaffolds improve cell adhesion and proliferation compared to CHH, and the MC scaffold samples, show better results than those produced with just MBG or MHAp. The composite scaffolds of chitosan with MBG and MHAp, have revealed to be the best combination due to their enhanced performance in bone tissue engineering. publishersversion published

Funding Information: Inês A. Ferreira acknowledges financial support from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia for funding PhD Grant (REF: SFRH/BD/145448/2019). The authors Inês A. Ferreira, J.P. Oliveira and Helena Carvalho acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT–MCTES) for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI). J.P. Oliveira acknowledges funding by national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication–i3N. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, Inês A. Ferreira, J.P. Oliveira, Joachim Antonissen and Helena Carvalho. Purpose: This paper aims to identify the impacts of wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) technology on the green supply chain management (GSCM) performance. Also, it intends to identify the most essential WAAM capabilities. Design/methodology/approach: An exploratory case study related to a metallurgical company using WAAM technology to repair metallic components was developed. A research framework to identify WAAM production capabilities and the different GSCM performance criteria was proposed based on the current state of the art. Primary qualitative data provided evidence for developing seven propositions relating WAAM capabilities to GSCM performance. Findings: The paper provides empirical evidence relating to how WAAM production capabilities impact the different performance criteria of the GSCM performance. The results show that “relative advantage” and “supply-side benefits” are critical capabilities developed through WAAM. Furthermore, most of the capabilities regarding “relative advantage” and “supply-side benefits” promote a higher GSCM performance. Research limitations/implications: This research was carried out using a single case study research design and using qualitative data. Thus, future works are encouraged to test the propositions empirically using quantitative methodologies. Practical implications: The case study findings support that most WAAM production capabilities promote a higher GSCM performance. Managers could use this research to understand the capabilities developed by this fusion-based additive manufacturing (AM), become aware of the implications of new technology adoption on the supply chain environmental externalities, and develop new business models based on the WAAM capabilities. Originality/value: This research contributes to expanding the state-of-the art related to WAAM technology by evidencing the relationship between adopting this fusion-based AM technology and green supply chain practices. Also, it provides a set of seven propositions that could be used to theorise the impacts of WAAM adoption on the GSCM performance. publishersversion published

This work was developed within the scope of project i3N (LA/P/0037/2020. I.P. N. F. Santos thanks i3N for the BPD Grant BPD/UI96/5177/2020. S. O. Pereira thanks i3N for the BPD Grant BPD/UI96/5808/2017. The authors also thank Jonas Deuermeier for the XPS measurements. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier Ltd Laser-induced graphene from paper (paper-LIG) was applied in non-enzymatic electrochemical sensing of uric acid (UA) in human urine. Paper-LIG was formed by CO2 laser modification of paper into a 3D graphene arrangement. Kinetic analysis of paper-LIG electrodes returned effective heterogeneous electron transfer standard rate constants of 1.4 × 10−3 cm s−1 and 7.8 × 10−4 cm s−1 for [Ru(NH3)6]2+/3+ and [Fe(CN)6]4−/3− redox probes, respectively. These electrodes were able to detect and quantify uric acid in PBS within the 10–300 μM range at pH between 5.6 and 7.4. At pH 7.4, a linear response (R2 = 0.999) from 10 to 250 μM was achieved, with a limit of detection of 3.97 μM and a sensitivity of 0.363 μA cm−2 μM−1. Paper-LIG electrodes denoted adequate selectivity in synthetic urine as well as in ascorbic acid (AA) and dopamine (DA)-containing electrolytes. Determination of urinary UA content in human samples returned a concentration of c.a. 1.8–1.9 mM, within the range for healthy individuals. Recoveries of samples spiked with 50 and 100 μM UA were 100.6% and 95.4%, respectively, with satisfactory reproducibility and stability. These cheap, lightweight, flexible, and eco-friendly paper-LIG biosensors for non-enzymatic quantification of UA in human urine pave the way to widespread application in the detection of other important biomarkers. publishersversion published

Funding Information: JS acknowledges the China Scholarship Council for funding the Ph.D. grant (CSC NO. 201808320394). JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Shape memory alloys (SMA) are a class of smart materials with inherent shape memory and superelastic characteristics. Unlike other SMAs, iron-based SMAs (Fe-SMA) offer cost-effectiveness, weldability, and robust mechanical strength for the construction industry. Thus, applying these promising materials to advanced manufacturing processes is of considerable industrial and academic relevance. This study aims to present a pioneer application of a Fe–Mn–Si–Cr–Ni–V-C SMA to arc-based directed energy deposition additive manufacturing, namely wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), examining the microstructure evolution and mechanical/functional response. The WAAM-fabricated Fe-SMAs presented negligible porosity and high deposition efficiency. Microstructure characterization encompassing electron microscopy and high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction revealed that the as-deposited material is primarily composed by γ FCC phase with modest amounts of VC, ε and σ phases. Tensile and cyclic testing highlighted the Fe-SMA's excellent mechanical and functional response. Tensile testing revealed a yield strength and fracture stress of 472 and 821 MPa, respectively, with a fracture strain of 26%. After uniaxial tensile loading to fracture, the γ → ε phase transformation was clearly evidenced with post-mortem synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis. The cyclic stability during 100 load/unloading cycles was also evaluated, showcasing the potential applicability of the fabricated material for structural applications. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51875168/52002112 ), Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (Grant No. E2019208089 ) and “Three-Three-Three Talent Project” Foundation of Hebei Province ( C20221022 ). Sichuan Province Science Funding for Distinguished Young Scholars ( 3NSFJQ0064 ). JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020. Science and Technology Research Project of Colleges and Universities in Hebei Province (Grant No. BJK2022020 ). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Aiming to decouple the inherent relationship between mass transfer and heat transfer in traditional arc-based directed energy deposition, a novel heterogeneous multi-wire indirect arc directed energy deposition (DED) has been developed for in-situ synthesis of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy components. Multi-wires (Al-Cu and Al-Mg) with a bypassing Zn wire have been used to replace the traditional homogeneous twin-wires. The process, microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy components obtained by multi-wire indirect arc DED were investigated. The results indicate that the wire feeding speed, current and angle between the two wires have a significant influence on the multi-wire indirect arc DED process. When the current was 200 A, the different wire feeding speeds could be used for both wires and the angle between them was 90°. The resulting indirect arc presented a ‘heart’ shape and allowed to obtain an Al-5.7Zn-3.4Mg-1.6Cu (wt%) alloy with a high deposition rate of 5.1 kg/h. The Al-5.7Zn-3.4Mg-1.6Cu alloy is mainly composed of α-Al, S (Al2CuMg), η (Mg (Al, Zn, Cu)2) and η′ phases. The composition and phases are in accordance with the 7xxx series aluminum alloys. The microstructure is dominated by columnar and equiaxed grains, and it has obvious periodic distribution along the building direction, which is related to the process thermal cycle. Fine second phases η′ are observed to precipitate during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the average hardness, ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the fabricated material are 98.6 HV, 243.9 MPa and 5.9%, respectively. These mechanical properties are higher than those of as-cast 7050 aluminum alloy, thus showing the potential of this new process variant to fabricate high strength Al alloys in the as-deposited state. The fracture morphology exhibit features mainly associated to a ductile-like fracture, accompanied by some transgranular and partial cleavage fracture characteristics. This novel multi-wire indirect arc DED provides a new choice for arc-based directed energy deposition of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys and shows great potential for the in-situ synthesis of other high-performance alloys. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was supported by the NERC discipline hopping activities to tackle environmental challenges project (SEED-2022-317475). A. Jain would like to acknowledge National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR, Poland); Project number: V4-Japan/2/17/AtomDeC/2022 under the Visegrad Group-Japan 2021 Joint Call on Advanced Materials in cooperation with the International Visegrad Fund. S. Goswami and L. Pereira would like to thank to Lisboa2020 Programme, Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Social Fund who supported LISBOA-05-3559-FSE-000007 and CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000094 operations as well as to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI). This work was also supported by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI-20/EPSRC/3710). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Naturally abundant materials play a crucial role in the development of sustainable electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices including batteries and supercapacitors (SCs). This is due to limited available resources with regards to energy storage materials, and the environmental pollution produced by the toxic materials utilized in conventional EESs. In the current review, development in the field of natural bast fibres (jute, flax, hemp and kenaf) based EES devices performances is highlighted. This review emphasizes methods such as the direct use of modified fibres and activated carbon from biomass for the design of EES devices. Activated fibres were developed using both physical and chemical activation methods. Key challenges including active electrode materials preparation, capacitive retention, and the implementation of the fibre based EES devices are critically discussed. Furthermore, the recent surge in the use of wearables and portable technologies that demand further development of flexible/non-flexible EES devices are also explored. Future trends and perspectives on materials development, power management interface, recycling, biodegradability and circular economy are also addressed. It is concluded that the development of new renewable energy systems using bast fibres has many remarkable advances in device performance. For this, an innovative approach is required to develop high energy density bast fibre based sustainable EES devices which will be potentially implemented for clean energy solutions. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work is funded by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Programme and National Funds through the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the scope of the projects UIDB/50025/2020-2023, LA/P/0037/2020, doctoral Grant DFA/BD/8335/2020. TERRAMETA project has also funded this work and received funding from the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101097101. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd. Neuromorphic computing has been gaining momentum for the past decades and has been appointed as the replacer of the outworn technology in conventional computing systems. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can be composed by memristor crossbars in hardware and perform in-memory computing and storage, in a power, cost and area efficient way. In optoelectronic memristors (OEMs), resistive switching (RS) can be controlled by both optical and electronic signals. Using light as synaptic weigh modulator provides a high-speed non-destructive method, not dependent on electrical wires, that solves crosstalk issues. In particular, in artificial visual systems, OEMs can act as the artificial retina and combine optical sensing and high-level image processing. Therefore, several efforts have been made by the scientific community into developing OEMs that can meet the demands of each specific application. In this review, the recent advances in inorganic OEMs are summarized and discussed. The engineering of the device structure provides the means to manipulate RS performance and, thus, a comprehensive analysis is performed regarding the already proposed memristor materials structure and their specific characteristics. Moreover, their potential applications in logic gates, ANNs and, in more detail, on artificial visual systems are also assessed, taking into account the figures of merit described so far. publishersversion published

JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing . This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors Growing consciousness regarding the environmental impacts of additive manufacturing (AM) processes has led to research focusing on quantifying their environmental impacts using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The main objective of this paper is to review the state of the art of the existing LCA studies of AM processes. In this paper, a systematic literature review is carried out where a total of 77 papers focusing on LCA, including social-Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA), are analyzed. Accordingly, the application of LCA methodology to different AM technologies was studied and different research themes such as the goal and scope of LCA studies, life cycle inventory data for different AM technologies, AM part quality and mechanical properties, the environmental, economic, and social performances of various AM technologies, and factors affecting AM´s sustainability potential were analyzed. Based on the critical analysis of the existing research, five major shortcomings of the existing research are realized: (i) some AM technologies are under studied; (ii) more focus only on the environmental sustainability dimension of AM, neglecting its economic and social dimensions; (iii) exclusion of AM pat quality and its mechanical performance from the sustainability assessment; (iv) not enough focus on the life cycle stages after product manufacture by AM; (v) effect of different product variables on AM´s sustainability not studied extensively. Lastly, based on these shortcomings realized, the following research directions for future works are suggested: (i) inclusion of new AM materials and technologies; (ii) transition to a triple-bottom-line sustainability assessment considering environmental, economic, and social dimensions of AM; (iii) extending the scope of LCA studies to post-manufacture stages of AM products; (iv) development of predictive environmental impact and cost models; (v) integration of quality and mechanical characterization with sustainability assessment of AM technologies. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was financed by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. Furthermore, the work received funding from FCT in the scope of projects UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences—UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy—i4HB. This work also received funding from the European Community’s H2020 program under grant agreements 716510 (ERC-2016-StG TREND), 787410 (ERC-2019-AdG DIGISMART) and 952169 (SYNERGY, H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA), 101008701 (EMERGE, H2020-INFRAIA-2018-2020). B. J. Coelho acknowledges FCT for the attribution of grant SFRH/BD/132904/2017 and grant COVID/BD/152453/2022. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Poly(p-xylylene) derivatives, widely known as Parylenes, have been considerably adopted by the scientific community for several applications, ranging from simple passive coatings to active device components. Here, we explore the thermal, structural, and electrical properties of Parylene C, and further present a variety of electronic devices featuring this polymer: transistors, capacitors, and digital microfluidic (DMF) devices. We evaluate transistors produced with Parylene C as a dielectric, substrate, and encapsulation layer, either semitransparent or fully transparent. Such transistors exhibit steep transfer curves and subthreshold slopes of 0.26 V/dec, negligible gate leak currents, and fair mobilities. Furthermore, we characterize MIM (metal–insulator–metal) structures with Parylene C as a dielectric and demonstrate the functionality of the polymer deposited in single and double layers under temperature and AC signal stimuli, mimicking the DMF stimuli. Applying temperature generally leads to a decrease in the capacitance of the dielectric layer, whereas applying an AC signal leads to an increase in said capacitance for double-layered Parylene C only. By applying the two stimuli, the capacitance seems to suffer from a balanced influence of both the separated stimuli. Lastly, we demonstrate that DMF devices with double-layered Parylene C allow for faster droplet motion and enable long nucleic acid amplification reactions. publishersversion published

J.P.O. acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020; J.S. acknowledges the China Scholarship Council for funding the Ph.D. grant (CSC NO. 201808320394); The authors acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities Beamtime was allocated for proposal I-20210899 EC. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. The Invar alloy is widely used for aircraft wing mould manufacturing. In this work, keyhole-tungsten inert gas (K-TIG) butt welding was used to join 10 mm thick Invar 36 alloy plates. The effect of heat input on the microstructure, morphology and mechanical properties was studied by using scanning electron microscopy, high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction, microhardness mapping, tensile and impact testing. It was shown that regardless of the selected heat input, the material was solely composed of austenite, although the grain size changed significantly. The change in heat input also led to texture changes in the fusion zone, as qualitatively determined with synchrotron radiation. With increases in heat input, the impact properties of the welded joints decreased. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the joints was measured, which demonstrated that the current process is suitable for aerospace applications. publishersversion published

Funding Information: João Pedro Oliveira acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia , I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) – Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme . Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors The industrial progress made throughout these years has led to great results in terms of producing fast and with good quality. However, the impacts related to that production, whether these are environmental, economic, or social have been, at times, neglected. The manufacturing sector, as one of the most polluting sector, felt the urge to adapt to this industrial progress and find ways to produce with improved sustainability goals without compromising the quality of the final product and the production time. Industry easily understood the benefits of this greener approach, and, with this, new sustainable technologies started to emerge. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of those technologies that provide alternative sustainable paths to traditional manufacturing. In order to generalize the benefits of AM production in terms of sustainability, when compared to traditional processes, further investigations must be conducted. In this sense, the proposed work has the intention of finding the environmental impacts associated with a particular AM technique for the fabrication of metal parts, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). A practical work based on the production of three different complexity metal parts considering an additive (WAAM) and a subtractive (Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Milling) manufacturing process is developed. To quantify the environmental impacts of both processes, the author resorts to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The assessment is conducted in the SimaPro 9.2 software, accordingly to ISO 14044:2006 standard. The results allow a comparison between both types of manufacturing and enable the suggestion of measures to decrease the environmental footprint of WAAM. It was found that WAAM approach leads to a material saving ranging between 40% and 70% and an environmental impact reduction in the range of 12%–47%, compared to the subtractive approach for fabricating the 3 geometries considered in this study. The conclusions obtained are specific to this particular application and, once more, it is acknowledged that in order to reach a global understanding relative to this technology's environmental implications, extra research still needs to be made. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work received funding from the FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P.) under the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodeling, and Nanofabrication—i3N, and by the projects TACIT (PTDC/NAN‐OPT/28837/2017) and FlexSolar (PTDC/CTM‐REF/1008/2020). The authors also acknowledge the support of the H2020 Solar‐ERANET program, which funded the development of the IBC cells within the framework of the BOBTANDEM project. The work was also funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the project Synergy (H2020‐Widespread‐2020‐5, CSA), proposal n° 952169. M.A. and J.B. acknowledge funding by FCT‐MCTES through the grants SFRH/BD/148078/2019 and BD/14557/2022, respectively. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Optical Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Advanced light management via front-coated photonic nanostructures is a promising strategy to enhance photovoltaic (PV) efficiency through wave-optical light-trapping (LT) effects, avoiding the conventional texturing processes that induce the degradation of electrical performance due to increased carrier recombination. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) honeycomb arrays with different geometry are engineered through a highly-scalable colloidal lithography method on flat crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers and tested on standard planar c-Si interdigitated back-contact solar cells (pIBCSCs). The photonic-structured wafers achieve an optical photocurrent of 36.6 mA cm−2, mainly due to a broad anti-reflection effect from the 693 nm thick nanostructured coatings. In contrast, the pIBCSC test devices reach 14% efficiency with 679 nm thick TiO2 nanostructures, corresponding to a ≈30% efficiency gain relative to uncoated pIBCSCs. In addition, several designed structures show unmatched angular acceptance enhancements in efficiency (up to 63% gain) and photocurrent density (up to 68% gain). The high-performing (yet electrically harmless) LT scheme, here presented, entails an up-and-coming alternative to conventional texturing for c-Si technological improvement that can be straightforwardly integrated into the established PV industry. publishersversion inpress

Funding Information: This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11774001 and 52202156). The authors also acknowledge the support from Anhui Project (No.Z010118169), and the Open Fund Project of Zhejiang Engineering Research Center of MEMS in Shaoxing University (MEMSZJERC2202). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Electronic Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Although In2O3 nanofibers (NFs) are regarded as one of the active channel materials for next-generation, low-cost thin-film transistors (TFTs), these NFs-based devices still suffer from the degraded carrier mobility and operational instability, limiting the ability of such devices to replace current polycrystalline silicon technologies. Here, it is shown that nanofiber channel transistors with high electron mobility and operational stability can be achieved by selectively doping Zn element into electrospun In2O3 NFs. By precisely manipulating the doping level during NFs fabrication, their crystallinity, surface morphology, and corresponding device performance can be regulated reliably for enhanced transistor performances. It has been detected that InZnO/SiO2 TFTs with an optimized Zn doping concentration of 50% have demonstrated the high field-effect mobility (µFE) of 6.38 cm2 V−1 s−1, the larger ION/IOFF of 4.12 × 107 and operation in the energy-efficient enhancement-mode. Low frequency noise (LFN) measurements have displayed that the scattering and defects inside the NFs are effectively suppressed by the particular microstructure. When integrating ALD-derived Al2O3 films as the gate dielectric into TFTs devices, their electron mobility and ION/IOFF can be further improved to 37.82 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 2.92 × 108, respectively. To demonstrate the potential toward more complex logic applications, a low voltage resistor-loaded unipolar inverter is built by using InZnO/Al2O3 TFT, exhibiting a high gain of 20.95 and full swing characteristics. These optimized parameters have demonstrated the significant advance of this electrospinning technique toward practical applications for high performance and large-scale electronics. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge funding from the European Commission through the project MindGAP (FET-Open/H2020/GA829040). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors The development of optical biosensors based on structural colors generated by short-range ordered colloidal particles is attracting growing interest due to their non-iridescent and non-fading features. In this study, a biomimetic approach using biopolymers for the various steps of sensor construction is presented. Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) has many foreseen applications in biomedical engineering because of its biocompatibility, good mechanical strength, and large modifiable surface area. Herein, a novel approach is taken by using functionalized BNC as a substrate to build a molecularly imprinted photonic sensing layer. BNC was modified with polydopamine (PDA), which improved the adhesion and mechanical properties of the BNC substrate while providing simultaneously a black background for color saturation. A molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) also made of PDA was used to create the recognition sites for the biomarker lysozyme. A monodisperse colloidal suspension of silica particles was first synthesized and used as core of the MIP shell, and then the photonic structure was assembled on the PDA-BNC membrane. The biosensor showed a detection limit of about 0.8 nmol L−1 of lysozyme in spiked human serum and demonstrated to be selective against cystatin C. These properties, combined with biocompatible, eco-friendly, and low-cost materials, offer a sustainable sensing platform with great potential for healthcare applications. publishersversion published

Funding Information: J.P.O. acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nano-modelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. Funding Information: This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52275155), Class III Peak Discipline of Shanghai-Materials Science and Engineering and Equipment pre-study. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Transparent hard and brittle (THB) materials have generated significant interest due to their excellent properties, such as wide spectral transmittance, heat resistance, chemical inactivity and high mechanical strength. To further explore the application of THB materials, it is inevitable to be confronted with a range of joining THB materials and THB material–metals. Ultrafast (UF) laser microwelding enables a new means of joining THB materials and THB material–metals, due to a localized energy deposition method, which is dominated by nonlinear absorption. This process can realize high-quality micro-zone direct joining of THB materials or THB material–metals without the assistance of a light-absorbing intermediate layer. In this paper, we review the advances in UF laser microwelding of THB materials and THB material–metals considering the last two decades, from the analysis of the interaction mechanism between UF laser and matter to the key influencing factors and practical applications of this technology. Finally, the existing problems and the future research focus of UF laser microwelding technology of THB materials and THB material–metals are discussed. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was financed by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the All-FiBRE project with the reference PTDC/CTM-CTM/1571/2020, and the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. This work was also supported by ERC-CoG-2014, CapTherPV, 647596. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Controlled drug release via electrical stimulation from drug-impregnated fibres was studied using electrospun cellulose acetate (CA) membranes and encapsulated ibuprofen (IBU). This research outlines the influence of polypyrrole (PPy) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)-functionalised CA membranes and their suitability for dermal electronic-controlled drug release. Micro Raman analysis confirmed polymer functionalisation of CA membranes and drug incorporation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images evidenced the presence of PPy and PEDOT coatings. The kinetic of drug release was analysed, and the passive and active release was compared. In the proposed systems, the drug release is controlled by very low electrical potentials. A potential of −0.3 V applied to membranes showed the ibuprofen retention, and a positive potential of +0.3 V, +0.5 V, or +0.8 V, depending on the conductive polymer and membrane configuration, enhanced the drug release. A small adhesive patch was constructed to validate this system for cutaneous application and verified an “ON/OFF” ibuprofen release pattern from membranes. publishersversion published

co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-0145-FEDER—007265). This research was funded by the Interreg 2 Seas program 2014–2020, and co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) under subsidy contract 2S01-059_IMODE and 2S07-033_ Site Drug. This research was funded by the Program PHC PESSOA 2018 project nbr 4340/40868R. This research was funded by National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, reference, LA/P/0056/2020, UIDB/50025/2020-2023, and PTNMR (ROTEIRO/0031/2013), co-financed by ERDF through COMPETE 2020, Portugal, POCI and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. A rational design of drug delivery systems requires in-depth knowledge not only of the drug itself, in terms of physical state and molecular mobility, but also of how it is distributed among a carrier and its interactions with the host matrix. In this context, this work reports the behavior of simvastatin (SIM) loaded in mesoporous silica MCM-41 matrix (average pore diameter ~3.5 nm) accessed by a set of experimental techniques, evidencing that it exists in an amorphous state (X-ray diffraction, ssNMR, ATR-FTIR, and DSC). The most significant fraction of SIM molecules corresponds to a high thermal resistant population, as shown by thermogravimetry, and which interacts strongly with the MCM silanol groups, as revealed by ATR-FTIR analysis. These findings are supported by Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations predicting that SIM molecules anchor to the inner pore wall through multiple hydrogen bonds. This anchored molecular fraction lacks a calorimetric and dielectric signature corresponding to a dynamically rigid population. Furthermore, differential scanning calorimetry showed a weak glass transition that is shifted to lower temperatures compared to bulk amorphous SIM. This accelerated molecular population is coherent with an in-pore fraction of molecules distinct from bulklike SIM, as highlighted by MD simulations. MCM-41 loading proved to be a suitable strategy for a long-term stabilization (at least three years) of simvastatin in the amorphous form, whose unanchored population releases at a much higher rate compared to the crystalline drug dissolution. Oppositely, the surface-attached molecules are kept entrapped inside pores even after long-term release assays. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was supported by the European Commission (H2020, 1D-NEON, grant agreement ID: 685758). J.M.K. and L.G.O. acknowledge the support from the U.K. Research and Innovation (EPSRC, EP/P027628/1). We thank Y. Bernstein and J. Faulkner for helping with grammar check. Funding Information: Acknowledgments Funding:ThisworkwassupportedbytheEuropeanCommission(H2020,1D-NEON,grant agreementID:685758).J.M.K.andL.G.O.acknowledgethesupportfromtheU.K.Researchand Innovation(EPSRC,EP/P027628/1).W ethankY .BernsteinandJ.Faulknerforhelpingwith grammarcheck.Authorcontributions:S.L.andJ.M.K.conceivedtheproject.S.L.,L.G.O.,P .B., R.Martins,andJ.M.K.supervisedtheproject.S.L.andH.L.developedF-PD.S.L.,Y .-W .L., G.-H.A., D.-W .S., J.I.S.,andS.C.developedF-SC.C.L.F ., A.S.,R.I.,P .B., andR.Martinsdevelopedfiber transistor.S.L.,H.L.,andS.C.developedF-LED.ThefiberdeviceswereevaluatedbyS.L.,H.W .C., D.-W .S., H.L.,S.J.,S.D.H.,S.Y .B., S.Z.,W .H.-C., Y .-H.S., X.-B.F ., T .H.L., J.-W .J., andY .K. The developmentofweavingprocesswasconductedbyS.L.,H.W .C., F .M.M., P .J., andV .G.C. Thelaser interconnectionwasdevelopedbyS.L.,H.W .C., K.U.,M.E.,andM.S.Thetextiledemonstrations werecharacterizedbyS.L.,H.W .C., D.-W .S., J.Y ., S.S.,U.E.,S.N.,A.C.,A.M.,R.Momentè,J.G.,N.D., S.M.,C.-H.K.,M.L.,A.N.,D.J.,M.C.,andY .C. ThismanuscriptwaswrittenbyS.L.andJ.M.K.and reviewed by H.W .C., D.-W .S., M.C.,L.G.O., P .B., E.F ., and G.A.J.A. All authors discussed the results andcommentedonthemanuscript.Competinginterests:Theauthorsdeclarethattheyhave nocompetinginterests.Dataandmaterialsavailability:Alldataneededtoevaluatethe conclusionsinthepaperarepresentinthepaperand/ortheSupplementaryMaterials. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved. An integrated textile electronic system is reported here, enabling a truly free form factor system via textile manufacturing integration of fiber-based electronic components. Intelligent and smart systems require freedom of form factor, unrestricted design, and unlimited scale. Initial attempts to develop conductive fibers and textile electronics failed to achieve reliable integration and performance required for industrial-scale manufacturing of technical textiles by standard weaving technologies. Here, we present a textile electronic system with functional one-dimensional devices, including fiber photodetectors (as an input device), fiber supercapacitors (as an energy storage device), fiber field-effect transistors (as an electronic driving device), and fiber quantum dot light-emitting diodes (as an output device). As a proof of concept applicable to smart homes, a textile electronic system composed of multiple functional fiber components is demonstrated, enabling luminance modulation and letter indication depending on sunlight intensity. publishersversion published

This work was mainly funded by ERC‐CoG‐2014, and partially funded by FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the Project Nos. LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Technologies published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Transparent-conductive-oxide (TCO) materials and transparent devices combining photovoltage and thermoelectric effects are still scarce. Hence, a new transparent-conductive-oxide/insulating/transparent-semiconductor-oxide (TCO-I-TSO) structure combining such effects is developed. It is made of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO)/SiO2/NiO thin films sequentially deposited on glass substrates. AZO exhibits thermo and photovoltage in response to gradient temperature and absorption of UV photons, while NIR photons absorption in the NiO layer. Photovoltage appears in the plane between the AZO and NiO layer when the whole sample is irradiated with near infrared light, and it also depends on the thickness of the SiO2 layer. This photovoltage is continuously monitored on samples placed in a glass window facing south. Throughout the day, the photovoltage varies from 0 to 300 µV proportionally to the light intensity. publishersversion inpress

Funding Information: This work was supported by FEDER, Portugal2020, and co‐financed by Lisboa2020 and Alentejo2020 (ALT20‐03‐0247‐FEDER‐113469 and LISBOA‐01‐0247‐FEDER‐113469), ‘Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia’—FCT iNOVA4Health (UIDB/Multi/04462/2020), European Commission Marie Skłodowska‐Curie Action H2020 (mtFOIE GRAS, grant agreement n. 734719) and the Sociedade Portuguesa de Diabetologia. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation. Background: Diabetes is a heterogeneous and multifactorial disease. However, glycemia and glycated hemoglobin have been the focus of diabetes diagnosis and management for the last decades. As diabetes management goes far beyond glucose control, it has become clear that assessment of other biochemical parameters gives a much wider view of the metabolic state of each individual, enabling a precision medicine approach. Methods: In this review, we summarize and discuss indexes that have been used in epidemiological studies and in the clinical practice. Results: Indexes of insulin secretion, sensitivity/resistance and metabolism have been developed and validated over the years to account also with insulin, C-peptide, triglycerides or even anthropometric measures. Nevertheless, each one has their own objective and consequently, advantages and disadvantages for specific cases. Thus, we discuss how new technologies, namely new sensors but also new softwares/applications, can improve the diagnosis and management of diabetes, both for healthcare professionals but also for caretakers and, importantly, to promote the empowerment of people living with diabetes. Conclusions: In long-term, the solution for a better diabetes management would be a platform that allows to integrate all sorts of relevant information for the person with diabetes and for the healthcare practitioners, namely glucose, insulin and C-peptide or, in case of need, other parameters/indexes at home, sometimes more than once a day. This solution would allow a better and simpler disease management, more adequate therapeutics thereby improving patients' quality of life and reducing associated costs. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was supported by, Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52175292), Science and Technology Project of Sichuan Province (No. 2021YFG0053, 23NSFJQ0064) and GuangDong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021B1515140048). JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. JS acknowledges the China Scholarship Council for funding the Ph.D. grant (CSC NO. 201808320394). Yunnan Xieyan Technology is accredited for the advanced EBSD-EDS facility. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s) Obtaining a reliable NiTi to Ti6Al4V dissimilar joint exhibiting NiTi's superelasticity can provide design flexibility in aerospace and biomedical fields via integrating distinct material benefits. However, this materials couple is vulnerable to severe embrittlement due to the development of excessive intermetallic compounds (IMCs), namely Ti2Ni. Pd-free and Pd-interlayered NiTi-Ti6Al4V laser joints were evaluated for their microstructure, compositional changes, thermodynamic mechanism, and mechanical properties. The presence of Pd constrained the formation of Ti2Ni IMC, and NiTi-Ti6Al4V joints with excellent mechanical properties demonstrating superelastic behavior were achieved for the first time. The tensile strength and rupture strain of the Pd-added NiTi-Ti6Al4V joint improved more than twofold, reaching 520 MPa and 5.6%, respectively. During cyclic tensile testing, the Pd-added joint demonstrated superelasticity and a comparable irrecoverable strain to NiTi (1 versus 0.65%). Multiscale characterization revealed that the fraction of Ti2Ni decreased from 83 to 10% near the NiTi boundary and 24 to 6% at the weld center compared to the Pd-free joint. The superior thermodynamic formation tendency of Ti-Pd compounds over Ti2Ni IMC favored their development, and thus Ti-Pd and NiTi compounds dominated the fusion zone (FZ) at the expense of Ti2Ni IMC, explaining the improved mechanical performance of the Pd-added joint. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The authors are grateful for the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and National Funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N, and DENTALBLAST project (ref. n° 17956). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. The use of orthopaedic and dental implants is expanding as a consequence of an ageing population and also due to illness or trauma in younger age groups. The implant must be biocompatible, bioactive and interact favourably with the recipient’s bone, as rapid osseointegration is key to success. In this work, Ti-6Al-4V plates were coated using the CoBlastTM technique, with hydroxyapatite (HAp) and HAp/BaTiO3 (barium titanate, BT) non-piezoelectric cubic nanopowders (HAp/cBT) and piezoelectric tetragonal micropowders (HAp/tBT). The addition of BT, a piezoelectric ceramic, is a strategy to accelerate osseointegration by using surface electric charges as cues for cells. For comparison with commercial coatings, plates were coated with HAp using the plasma spray technique. Using XRD and FTIR, both plasma spray and CoBlastTM coatings showed crystalline HAp and no presence of by-products. However, the XRD of the plasma-sprayed coatings revealed the presence of amorphous HAp. The average surface roughness was close to the coatings’ thickness (≈5 μm for CoBlastTM and ≈13 μm for plasma spray). Cytotoxicity assays proved that the coatings are biocompatible. Therefore, it can be concluded that for HAp-based coatings, CoBlastTM is a viable alternative to plasma spray, with the advantage of facilitating room temperature addition of other ceramics, like piezoelectric BaTiO3. publishersversion published

JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, I.P. in the scope of the project LA/P/0037/2020. The authors acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities. Beamtime was allocated for proposal I-20210986 EC. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Raw Materials through the project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. YZ acknowledges the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51601091), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK 20160826), the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (2017-XCL-051), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (30917011106), and Key Research and Development Plan of Jiangsu Province (BE 2020085). Funding Information: Authors acknowledge the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT – MCTES) , Portugal, for its financial support via the project UID/EMS/00667/2019 (UNIDEMI). JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 , UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication – i3N. FWCF acknowledges Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia ( FCT-MCTES ), Portugal, for funding the Ph.D. Grant 2022.13870. BD . The authors acknowledge DESY (Hamburg, Germany), a member of the Helmholtz Association HGF, for the provision of experimental facilities. Beamtime was allocated for proposal I-20210986 EC. The research leading to this result has been supported by the project CALIPSOplus under the Grant Agreement 730872 from the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Raw Materials through the project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. YZ acknowledges the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51601091), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK 20160826), the Six Talent Peaks Project of Jiangsu Province (2017-XCL-051), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (30917011106), and Key Research and Development Plan of Jiangsu Province (BE 2020085). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors The typical as-built coarse and cube-oriented microstructure of Inconel® 625 parts fabricated via arc-based directed energy deposition (DED) induces anisotropic mechanical behavior, reducing the potential applications of arc-based DEDed Inconel® 625 in critical components. In this sense, the present work aimed to reduce the grain size and texture by applying an in situ interlayer hot forging (HF) combined with post-deposition heat treatments (PDHT). The produced samples were characterized through optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron backscatter diffraction, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and Vickers microhardness. Also, a dedicated deformation tool was designed and optimized via a finite element method model considering the processing conditions and thermal cycle experienced by the material. It is shown that the in situ interlayer deformation induced a thermo-mechanical-affected zone (dynamic recrystallized + remaining deformation, with a height of ≈ 1.2 mm) at the bead top surface, which resulted in thinner aligned grains and lower texture index in relation to as-built DED counterpart. In addition, the effects of solution (1100 °C/ 1 h) and stabilization (980 °C/ 1 h) PDHTs on the Inconel® 625 HF-DEDed parts were also analyzed, which promoted fine and equiaxed static recrystallized grains without cube orientation, comparable to wrought material. Therefore, the HF-DED process significantly refined the typical coarse and highly oriented microstructure of Ni-based superalloys obtained by arc-based DED. publishersversion published

Funding Information: JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020. This activity has received funding from the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)—Project Smart WAAM: Microstructural Engineering and Integrated Non-Destructive Testing. This body of the European Union receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. The wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process enables the creation and repair of complex structures based on the successive deposition of fed metal in the form of a wire that is fused with an electric arc and then solidifies. The high number of depositions required to create or repair parts increases the likelihood of defect formation. If these are reliably detected during manufacturing, timely correction is possible. However, high temperatures and surface irregularity make inspection difficult. Furthermore, depending on the size, morphology, and location of the defect, the part can be rejected. Recent studies have shown that non-destructive testing (NDT) based on different physical phenomena for the timely, reliable, and customized detection of defects can significantly reduce the rejection rate and allow in-line repair, which consequently reduces waste and rework. This paper presents the latest developments in NDT for WAAM and its limitations and potential. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The authors acknowledge funding by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is a deposition rate process for the creation and/or repair of large structural metallic components. The non-equilibrium heating and cooling conditions associated with WAAM lead to the development of heterogenous microstructures. Although there is a large body of work focusing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of WAAM-fabricated components, assessment of the corrosion behaviour of alloys fabricated by WAAM is still in its infancy. In this review, the current body of knowledge associated with the corrosion behaviour of different WAAM-fabricated engineering alloys is presented and discussed. Future perspectives and potential research topics are also presented. This is the first review work focusing on the corrosion of wire and arc additive manufactured materials. publishersversion published

This work was financed by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) Action European Topology Interdisciplinary Action (PhoBioS CA21159). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Catastrophic oil spill accidents, oily industrial wastewater, and other types of uncontrolled release of oils into the environment are major global issues since they threaten marine ecosystems and lead to a big economic impact. It can also affect the public health of communities near the polluted area. This review addresses the different types of oil collecting methods. The focus of this work will be on the different approaches to materials and technologies for oil/water separation, with a special focus on water/oil emulsion separation. Emulsified oil/water mixtures are extremely stable dispersions being, therefore, more difficult to separate as the size of the droplets in the emulsion decreases. Oil-absorbent materials, such as sponges, foams, nanoparticles, and aerogels, can be adjusted to have both hydrophobic and oleophilic wettability while displaying a porous structure. This can be advantageous for targeting oil spills in large-scale environmental and catastrophic sets since these materials can easily absorb oil. Oil adsorbent materials, for example, meshes, textiles, membranes, and clays, involve the capture of the oily material to the surface of the adsorbent material, additionally attracting more attention than other technologies by being low-cost and easy to manufacture. publishersversion published

Funding Information: This work was financed by national funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., within the scope of projects UI/BD/151292/2021 (Ph.D. research scholarship), LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication-i3N, but also the 2021.03825.CEECIND. Acknowledgments are also given to the EC project SYNERGY H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA, proposal nº 952169, EMERGE-2020-INFRAIA-2020-1, proposal nº 101008701, and to the European Community’s H2020 program under grant agreement No. 787410 (ERC-2018-AdG DIGISMART). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. The preparation of visible-light-driven photocatalysts has become highly appealing for environmental remediation through simple, fast and green chemical methods. The current study reports the synthesis and characterization of graphitic carbon nitride/titanium dioxide (g-C3N4/TiO2) heterostructures through a fast (1 h) and simple microwave-assisted approach. Different g-C3N4 amounts mixed with TiO2 (15, 30 and 45 wt. %) were investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of a recalcitrant azo dye (methyl orange (MO)) under solar simulating light. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the anatase TiO2 phase for the pure material and all heterostructures produced. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that by increasing the amount of g-C3N4 in the synthesis, large TiO2 aggregates composed of irregularly shaped particles were disintegrated and resulted in smaller ones, composing a film that covered the g-C3N4 nanosheets. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analyses confirmed the existence of an effective interface between a g-C3N4 nanosheet and a TiO2 nanocrystal. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) evidenced no chemical alterations to both g-C3N4 and TiO2 at the heterostructure. The visible-light absorption shift was indicated by the red shift in the absorption onset through the ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) absorption spectra. The 30 wt. % of g-C3N4/TiO2 heterostructure showed the best photocatalytic performance, with a MO dye degradation of 85% in 4 h, corresponding to an enhanced efficiency of almost 2 and 10 times greater than that of pure TiO2 and g-C3N4 nanosheets, respectively. Superoxide radical species were found to be the most active radical species in the MO photodegradation process. The creation of a type-II heterostructure is highly suggested due to the negligible participation of hydroxyl radical species in the photodegradation process. The superior photocatalytic activity was attributed to the synergy of g-C3N4 and TiO2 materials. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The work was financed by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the projects UIDB/00100/2020, UIDP/00100/2020 and IMS-LA/P/0056/2020 and through the PhD grant SFRH/BD/140079/2018 from Mariana Donato. Additionally, this work was financed by national funds from FCT in the scope of the projects UIDB/50022/2020 (IDMEC/LAETA) and LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication—i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. The motivation for this work was to develop new protic ionic liquids (PILs) as additives for the lubrication of micro and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS). Ten PILs based on the combination of methylimidazolium ([MIMH]), 4-picolinium ([4-picH]), pyridinium ([PyrH]), 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene-8-ium ([DBUH]) and tetramethylguanidinium ([TMGH]) cations with hydrogen sulfate([HSO4]) and mesylate ([MeSO3]) anions were tested as additives in polyethylene glycol (PEG200) to lubricate steel/silicon and silicon/silicon contacts. The best additive was [4-picH][HSO4], which adsorbed strongly on the Si surface, leading to a protective film that reduced wear by up to 15 times compared to PEG200. publishersversion published

This work was financed by national funds from FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the project LA/P/0037/2020. The authors would like to acknowledge the support given to this research by REPSOL and RAVAGO CHEMICALS, providing the binder and the red pellet pigment, respectively. © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland Despite asphalt self-healing with encapsulated rejuvenators having been intensively researched over the last decade, there is still uncertainty about the performance advantages granted by this technology. As a way of adding to the existing set of research methodologies, this study aimed to test the feasibility of a visual method to investigate the working mechanism of encapsulated rejuvenators in the bituminous mixture. For this purpose, clear bituminous mixtures were produced using a colorless synthetic binder and a pigment was added to the rejuvenator incorporated in the calcium alginate capsules. The internal structure of the bituminous mixtures containing these capsules was inspected both on loaded and unloaded specimens. The colored rejuvenator was also directly added to cracked specimens and its distribution was studied, along with the interaction between the rejuvenator and the synthetic binder. The results show that the rejuvenator could modify the binder to a limited extent, and the bituminous mixtures containing capsules showed evidence of rejuvenator release. It is demonstrated that the aggregate gradation of mixtures has a significant effect on capsule damage and rejuvenator release. However, the pigment can be filtrated from the rejuvenator by the capsule polymer structure and the asphalt. Even though the methodology presented some constraints, it has been proven to be capable of achieving the initial goal, while also acting as an important first step in the visual study of rejuvenator release in asphalt. publishersversion published

Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52275155) and Class III Peak Discipline of Shanghai-Materials Science and Engineering. JPO acknowledges funding by national funds from FCT-Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nano-modelling and Nanofabrication-i3N. A porous high entropy alloy (HEA) coating was prepared on a steel surface by vacuum sintering. The coating was then used as a transition layer during dissimilar laser joining of Al to steel. Compared with the uncoated laser joints, the liquid alloy spread and infiltrated into the porous structure, the contact angle of the weld reduced from 65.8° to 56.7°, and the brazed width increased from 5.1 mm to 5.9 mm, which improved the wettability and spreadability of the molten filler wire on the substrate. In the case of the uncoated steel, the fusion zone/steel interfacial microstructure consisted of laminated Al7·2Fe1·8Si and Fe(Al,Si)3, while it changed to a composite-like structure containing a soft HEA skeleton and hard IMCs which included Al7·2Fe1·8Si, Al3Ni, and (Al,Si)2Cr. In addition, due to the sluggish diffusion effect of HEAs, a layer of gradient nanocrystalline composed of Al7·2Fe1·8Si was generated, which significantly strengthened the dissimilar laser joints with improvements in both the fracture load (∼26.5%) and the displacement (∼101.8%). The fracture mode changed from brittle to ductile failure when the porous HEA coating was applied, with fracture propagating through the HEA skeleton. This work provides a novel solution for the strengthening of hard-to-join dissimilar combinations. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The manuscript was written mainly by D.G. with the contributions of all authors. The conceptualization of the work was made by D.G. and L.P. The majority of the experimental work, fabrication, and characterization of the nanopaper was conducted by D.G. with support from P.G. and J.T.C. on the functionalization and electrochemical characterization. The electrical characterization and endurance tests were supported by J.M.. R.S., E.F., R.M., and L.P. were involved in the writing─review and editing of the manuscript. The funding acquisition was ensured by D.G., L.P., E.F., and R.M. This work was supported by LISBOA-05-3559-FSE-000007 and CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000094 operations, cofunded by the Lisboa2020, Centro 2020 Programme, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Social Fund as well as by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) and Agencia Nacional de Inovacao (ANI). This work was also supported by the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and the National Funds through the FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under Project No. POCI-01- 0145-FEDER-007688, Reference UIDB/50025/2020-2023.The authors would like to acknowledge the European Commission under Project NewFun (ERC-StG-2014). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. The market for flexible, hybrid, and printed electronic systems, which can appear in everything from sensors and wearables to displays and lighting, is still uncertain. What is clear is that these systems are appearing every day, enabling devices and systems that can, in the near future, be crumpled up and tucked in our pockets. Within this context, cellulose-based modified nanopapers were developed to serve both as a physical support and a gate dielectric layer in field-effect transistors (FETs) that are fully recyclable. It was found that the impregnation of those nanopapers with sodium (Na+) ions allows for low operating voltage FETs (

Funding Information: This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (11774001) and Anhui Project (Z010118169). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Advanced Electronic Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Thin-film transistors based on metal oxide semiconductors have become a mainstream technology for application in driving low-cost backplanes of active matrix liquid crystal displays. Although significant progress has been made in traditional marketable devices based on physical vapor deposition derived metal oxides, it has still been hindered by low yield and poor compatibility. Fortunately, developing solution-based 1D nanofiber networks to act as the fundamental building blocks for transistor has proven to be a simpler, higher-throughput approach. However, oxide transistors based on such princesses suffer from degraded carrier mobility and operational instability, preventing the ability of such devices from replacing present polycrystalline Si technologies. Herein, it is shown that double channel heterojunction transistors with high electron mobility (>40 cm2 V−1 s−1) and operational stability can be achieved from electrospun double channels composed of In2O3 and ZnO layers. Adjusting the stacking order and the stacking density of In2O3 and ZnO layers can effectively optimize the interface electron trap, leading to the formation of 2D electron gas and the reduction of stress-induced instability. These findings further elucidate the significant advance of electrospinning-derived double channel heterojunction transistors toward practical applications for future low-cost and high-performance electronics. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The authors thank Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FC&T) for project PTDC/BII‐BIO/30884/2017 and EXPL/BII‐BIO/0436/2021 and also for the researcher contract 2021.03255.CEECIND (M.C.C) and 2020.01614.CEECIND/CP1596/CT0007 (A.F.P.). Authors also thank the support by the Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry – LAQV, which is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES (UIDB/50006/2020 and UIDP/50006/2020) and i3 N (LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020 and UIDB/50025/2020 . The National NMR Facility is supported by FC&T (ROTEIRO/0031/2013 – PINFRA/22161/2016, co‐financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI, and PORL and FC&T through PIDDAC) and CERMAX through project 022162. We thank Prof. Dr. Carlos A. M. Afonso from the Faculty of Pharmacy, ULisboa for the scientific discussions on the experiments carried out with furfuryl alcohol derivatives. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. ChemCatChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Sulfonic acid carbon-(bio)based and natural clays-based catalysts were prepared and investigated for the first time as heterogeneous catalysts for amide bond synthesis by a Ritter reaction. The different SO3H-catalysts were screened using benzyl alcohol and acetonitrile as model substrates, and MWCNT-CSP revealed to be an efficient catalyst, affording the amide in 75 % yield. The practical utility of the catalysts was demonstrated by a diverse range of amides, obtained from alcohols and nitriles, in moderate to good yields. Biomass derived platform alcohols, such as 5-HMF and furfuryl alcohol, were also tested as potential building blocks for the synthesis of biopolymers. The SO3H-catalysts revealed to be a highly efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the conventional acid catalysts commonly used in the Ritter reaction. publishersversion published

Funding Information: The authors extend their appreciation to the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-039985/POCI-01-0247-FEDER-039985, LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication—i3N., UCIBIO (UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020) and Associate Laboratory i4HB (LA/P/0140/2020). S.R. Gavinho and A. Sofia Pádua acknowledge FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the PhD grant (SFRH/BD/148233/2019 and UI/BD/151287/2021, respectively). Funding Information: FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and National Funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the project LISBOA-01-0247-FEDER-039985/POCI-01-0247-FEDER-039985 LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling, and Nanofabrication—i3N, UCIBIO (UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020), and Associate Laboratory i4HB (LA/P/0140/2020). S.R. Gavinho and A. Sofia Pádua acknowledges FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology for the PhD grant (SFRH/BD/148233/2019 and UI/BD/151287/2021, respectively). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Polymeric membranes are widely used in guided bone regeneration (GBR), particularly in dentistry. In addition, bioactive glasses can be added to the polymers in order to develop a matrix that is osteoconductive and osteoinductive, increasing cell adhesion and proliferation. The bioactive glasses allow the insertion into its network of therapeutic ions in order to add specific biological properties. The addition of zinc into bioactive glasses can promote antibacterial activity and induce the differentiation and proliferation of the bone cells. In this study, bioactive glasses containing zinc (0.25, 0.5, 1 and 2 mol%) were developed and structurally and biologically characterized. The biological results show that the Zn-containing bioactive glasses do not present significant antibacterial activity, but the addition of zinc at the highest concentration does not compromise the bioactivity and promotes the viability of Saos-2 cells. The cell culture assays in the membranes (PCL, PCL:BG and PCL:BGZn2) showed that zinc addition promotes cell viability and an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production. publishersversion published

Materials science and engineering / A 878, 145233 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.msea.2023.145233, neeringalloys, depending on their composition and thermomechanical processing. Up to now, several worksaimed at improving the mechanical properties and discovering different HEAs given the extremely largecompositional possibilities made available by the multicomponent approach associated to these materials. Theirprocessability, however, is an important topic that must be studied. Welding is a key manufacturing techniquethat will eventually be applied to HEAs. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the microstructure and propertychanges induced by the weld thermal cycles, to assess the suitability of certain welding process/HEAs combinationsfor possible industrial applications. In the present work, Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) was used toachieve defect-free joints based on a novel transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) Fe$_{50}$Mn$_{30}$Co$_{10}$Cr$_{10}$ HEA. Themicrostructure and mechanical behavior of the joints were assessed by means of optical and electron microscopy,synchrotron X-ray diffraction, thermodynamical calculations, microhardness mapping and tensile testing.Overall, an excellent mechanical performance was obtained on the resulting joints, opening the door for theiradoption in real-life applications., Published by Elsevier, Amsterdam

Funding Information: Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). CV and TGS acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) for its financial support via projects UIDB/00667/2020 and UIDP/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI). PMF also acknowledges FCT-MCTES for its financial support via the PhD scholarship UI/BD/151055/2021. PLI would like to acknowledge FCT-MCTES for its financial support via the PhD scholarship FCT-SFRH /BD/146885/2019. RJCS acknowledges national funds from FCT-MCTES, in the scope of the project UIDB/50025/2020–2023 of the CENIMAT/i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2023, The Author(s). A new variant of friction stir processing named upward friction stir processing (UFSP) is a promising approach to control particles’ distribution and promote a more uniform distribution over a larger processed area. This variant involves using two sheets with functional particles between them to produce metallic composites. A spacer is used to ensure the desired quantity and uniform distribution of the particles and prevent sputtering. This technique promotes an upward flow to introduce more particles with a uniform distribution in the processed volume, avoiding discrete holes or grooves. This study involved enhancing the particles’ distribution by varying process parameters. The resulting trial with the best particles’ distribution was characterized by means of light microscopy, eddy current testing, microhardness mapping, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The study revealed that UFSP can improve the particles’ distribution in the stir zone of metallic composites, especially when multi-passes are performed towards the retreating side of the plates. The process parameters that produced an improvement in particles’ distribution were six passes with an offset of 1 mm towards the retreating side, the tool rotation and processing speed of 900 rev/min, and 180 mm/min, respectively, and a spacer’s thickness of 0.5 mm. The resulting hardness and electrical conductivity profiles show that the UFSP technique can significantly affect material’s properties, including mechanical strength, particularly when processing with tool offset towards the retreating side. Furthermore, the hardness increased by about 22% in composites produced with the addition of reinforcement particles. However, for some aluminum alloys, the properties decreased under such conditions. These findings highlight the potential of UFSP for producing functionalized materials with tailored properties, while also underscoring the importance of careful parameters selection to optimize the material´s performance. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. publishersversion inpress

Funding Information: S. Goswami would like to thank to Lisboa2020 Programme, Centro 2020 programme, Portugal 2020, European Union, through the European Social Fund who supported LISBOA-05-3559-FSE-000007 and CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000094 operations as well as to Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) and Agência Nacional de Inovação (ANI). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors Polymer material provides significant advantages over the conventional inorganic material-based electronics due to its attractive features including miniaturized dimension and feasible improvisations in physical properties through molecular design and chemical synthesis. In particular, conjugate polymers are of great interest because of their ability to control the energy gap and electronegativity through molecular design that has made possible the synthesis of conducting polymers with a range of ionization potentials and electron affinities. Polyaniline (PANI) is one of the most popular conjugated polymers that has been widely explored so far for its multifunctionality in diverse potential applications. This review is focusing on the recent advances of PANI for smart energy applications including supercapacitors, batteries, solar cells and nanogenerators and the development in its synthesis, design, and fabrication processes. A details investigation on the different types of chemical process has been discussed to fabricate PANI in nanostructures, film, and composites form. The paper includes several studies which are advantageous for understanding: the unique chemical and physical properties of this polymer; and the easily tunable electrical properties along with its redox behavior; and different processes to develop nanostructures, film, or bulk form of PANI that are useful to derive its applicability in smart objects or devices. publishersversion published

Funding Information: D. Jiménez Arias thanks the European Commission for Marie Sklodowska-Curie contract (101025125). N. Nunes, C.S.S. Gouveia, and M.Â.A. Pinheiro de Carvalho acknowledge the support by National Funds from the FCT-Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the projects UIDB/04033/2020 and UIDP/04033/2020. Funding Information: This work was partially supported by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie action under grant agreement 101025125 (NANOSTIMULANTS); the project PID2019-105391GB-C21/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; Programa Operacional Madeira 14–20, Portugal 2020; and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund, grant number M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000011 (CASBio). This work was financed by national funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication–i3N. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Encapsulation in agriculture today is practically focused on agrochemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or fertilizers to enhance the protective or nutritive aspects of the entrapped active ingredients. However, one of the most promising and environmentally friendly technologies, biostimulants, is hardly explored in this field. Encapsulation of biostimulants could indeed be an excellent means of counteracting the problems posed by their nature: they are easily biodegradable, and most of them run off through the soil, losing most of the compounds, thus becoming inaccessible to plants. In this respect, encapsulation seems to be a practical and profitable way to increase the stability and durability of biostimulants under field conditions. This review paper aims to provide researchers working on plant biostimulants with a quick overview of how to get started with encapsulation. Here we describe different techniques and offer protocols and suggestions for introduction to polymer science to improve the properties of biostimulants for future agricultural applications. publishersversion published

Materials science and engineering / A 867, 144722 (2023). doi:10.1016/j.msea.2023.144722, Weldability studies on high entropy alloys are still relatively scarce, delaying the deployment of these materialsinto real-life applications. Thus, there is an urgent need for in-depth studies of the weldability of these noveladvanced engineering alloys. In the current work, an as-cast Fe$_{42}$Mn$_{28}$Co$_{10}$Cr$_{15}$Si$_5$ metastable high entropy alloywas welded for the first time using gas tungsten arc welding. The weld thermal cycle effect on the microstructureevolution over the welded joint was examined using electron microscopy in combination with electron backscatterdiffraction, synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis, and thermodynamic calculations. Furthermore, tensiletesting and hardness mapping were correlated with the microstructure evolution. The microstructure evolutionacross the joint is unveiled, including the origin of the $ε$-h.c.p. phase at different locations of the material.Different strengthening effects measured throughout the joint are associated with the weld thermal cycle andresulting microstructure. A synergistic effect of smaller grain size of the $ε$-h.c.p. phase in the fusion zone,overturns the reduced volume fraction of this phase, increasing the local strength of the material. Moreover, thebrittle nanosized $σ$ phase was also found to play a critical role in the joints’ premature failure during mechanicaltesting., Published by Elsevier, Amsterdam

POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688 UIDB/50025/2020-2023 EUTOPIA CA17139 Cellulose-based thermotropic and lyotropic liquid crystals can be obtained from macromolecules or colloidal particles, such as cellulose nanocrystals. Thermotropic liquid crystals are produced by the effect of temperature, while lyotropic liquid crystals occur in solution for a given range of concentration, pressure, and temperature. Cellulose liquid crystals can form chiral nematic phases characterized by Bragg-type reflections of circularly polarized light. This characteristic is related to a helical structure formed by pseudo nematic layers twisted around an optical axis. The helical structure is characterized by the values of pitch and helicity. The later can be right- (R) or left- (L) handed. Cellulose liquid crystals are well described in literature. They are a source of materials for many applications, including the production of photonic chiral materials. Although many questions remain unanswered such as the origin of helicity of cellulosic chiral structures and those related to out-ofequilibrium systems. In this paper, we are focused at the out-of-equilibrium systems obtained from lyotropic cellulose-based liquid crystals. The development of colorful patterns involving the pitch variation in space and time of self-organized cellulose cholesteric structures is revised. publishersversion published

We demonstrate phage-display screening on self-assembled ligands that enables the identification of oligopeptides that selectively bind dynamic supramolecular targets over their unassembled counterparts. The concept is demonstrated through panning of a phage-display oligopeptide library against supramolecular tyrosine-phosphate ligands using 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl-phenylalanine-tyrosine-phosphate (Fmoc-FpY) micellar aggregates as targets. The 14 selected peptides showed no sequence consensus but were enriched in cationic and proline residues. The lead peptide, KVYFSIPWRVPM-NH2 (P7) was found to bind to the Fmoc-FpY ligand exclusively in its self-assembled state with KD = 74 ± 3 μM. Circular dichroism, NMR and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the peptide interacts with Fmoc-FpY through the KVYF terminus and this binding event disrupts the assembled structure. In absence of the target micellar aggregate, P7 was further found to dynamically alternate between multiple conformations, with a preferred hairpin-like conformation that was shown to contribute to supramolecular ligand binding. Three identified phages presented appreciable binding, and two showed to catalyze the hydrolysis of a model para-nitro phenol phosphate substrate, with P7 demonstrating conformation-dependent activity with a modest kcat/KM = 4 ± 0.3 × 10−4 M−1 s−1., Phage-display screening on self-assembled tyrosine-phosphate ligands enables the identification of oligopeptides selective to dynamic supramolecular targets, with the lead peptide showing a preferred hairpin-like conformation and catalytic activity.

Two di-ureasils incorporating oxyethylene segments with average molecular weights Y = 600 and 900 g mol−1, prepared by the sol-gel method, and doped with the ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) and lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF4) salt were prepared. The as-obtained films are translucent, flexible, and hydrophobic, and have a low level of nanoscale surface roughness. The ionic conductivity values exhibited by an optimized sample are 8.10 × 10−5 and 2.8 × 10−4 S cm−1 at room temperature and 55 °C, respectively. The main goal of the work was to employ the electrolytes in prototype electrochromic devices (ECDs) with the [glass/a-IZO/a-WO3/d-U(Y)LiBF4-[Bmim]Cl/c-NiO/a-IZO/glass], noted as ECD1 for Y = 600 and ECD2 for Y = 900, where a-WO3 and c-NiO stand for amorphous tungsten oxide and crystalline nickel oxide, respectively. At 555 nm the ECD1 device exhibited the highest coloration efficiency for coloring (CEin = −420.621 cm2·C−1), the highest optical density value (∆(OD) = 0.13) and good cycling stability. In this article, the results of a preliminary evaluation of hybrid electrolytes, produced by a sol-gel process, as multi-functional components in prototype electrochromic devices are reported., This work was funded by “SOLPOWINS—Solar-Powered Smart Windows for Sustainable Buildings” (PTDC/CTM-REF/4304/2020), OBTAIN-Objective Building Sustainability (NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000084) projects, financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and FEDER, and NORTE2020, respectively, and by CQ-VR (UID/QUI/00616/2013 and UID/QUI/00616/2019) and by CQ-UM (UIDB/00686/2020 and UIDP/00686/2020). P.J. Nunes acknowledges CQ-VR/FCT for a grant (UI/BD/151084/2021). M.F. and R.F.P. Pereira acknowledge FCT-UTAD and FCT-UMinho for the contracts in the scope of Decreto-Lei 57/2016—Lei 57/2017, respectively.

Funding Information: Open access funding provided by FCT|FCCN (b-on). This work was financed by national funds from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), I.P., in the scope of the projects LA/P/0037/2020, UIDP/50025/2020, and UIDB/50025/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute of Nanostructures, Nanomodelling and Nanofabrication–i3N and by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and National Funds through Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under projects POCI-01–0145-FEDER-007688, UID/CTM/50025 and by ERC AdG grant from the project DIGISMART (ERC-AdG-2017, GA 787410). J.C. would like to acknowledge FCT/MCTES for his present research contract with reference CEECIND/00880/2018. R.C. acknowledges funding from i3N-FCT I.P. through the PhD Grant UI/BD/151295/2021. S. S. and T. P. also acknowledge the funding from National Foundation for Science and Technology, through the PhD Grants SFRH/BD/149751/2019 and 2020.08606.BD, respectively. Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s). Laser-induced graphene (LIG) is as a promising material for flexible microsupercapacitors (MSCs) due to its simple and cost-effective processing. However, LIG-MSC research and production has been centered on non-sustainable polymeric substrates, such as polyimide. In this work, it is presented a cost-effective, reproducible, and robust approach for the preparation of LIG structures via a one-step laser direct writing on chromatography paper. The developed strategy relies on soaking the paper in a 0.1 M sodium tetraborate solution (borax) prior to the laser processing. Borax acts as a fire-retardant agent, thus allowing the laser processing of sensitive substrates that other way would be easily destroyed under the high-energy beam. LIG on paper exhibiting low sheet resistance (30 Ω sq−1) and improved electrode/electrolyte interface was obtained by the proposed method. When used as microsupercapacitor electrodes, this laser-induced graphene resulted in specific capacitances of 4.6 mF cm−2 (0.015 mA cm−2). Furthermore, the devices exhibit excellent cycling stability (> 10,000 cycles at 0.5 mA cm−2) and good mechanical properties. By connecting the devices in series and parallel, it was also possible to control the voltage and energy delivered by the system. Thus, paper-based LIG-MSC can be used as energy storage devices for flexible, low-cost, and portable electronics. Additionally, due to their flexible design and architecture, they can be easily adapted to other circuits and applications with different power requirements. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] publishersversion published

SMART-E-PTDC/CTM-PAM/04012/2022, IDS-PAPER-PTDC/CTM-PAM/4241/2020 and PEST (CTS/UNINOVA)-UIDB/00066/2020. This work also received funding from the European Community’s H2020 program [Grant Agreement No. 716510 (ERC-2016-StG TREND) and 952169 (SYNERGY, H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA)]. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. In this paper, the most suited analog-to-digital (A/D) converters (ADCs) for Internet of Things (IoT) applications are compared in terms of complexity, dynamic performance, and energy efficiency. Among them, an innovative hybrid topology, a digital–delta (Δ) modulator (ΔM) ADC employing noise shaping (NS), is proposed. To implement the active building blocks, several standard-cell-based synthesizable comparators and amplifiers are examined and compared in terms of their key performance parameters. The simulation results of a fully synthesizable Digital-ΔM with NS using passive and standard-cell-based circuitry show a peak of 72.5 dB in the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) for a 113 kHz input signal and 1 MHz bandwidth (BW). The estimated (Formula presented.) is close to 16.2 fJ/conv.-step. publishersversion published

projects LA/P/0037/2020. P.S. acknowledges the individual contract CEECIND. 03189.2020. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Due to the high complexity of some treatments, there is a need to develop drug-delivery systems that can release multiple drugs/bioactive agents at different stages of treatment. In this study, a thermoresponsive injectable dual-release system was developed with gellan gum/alginate microparticles (GG:Alg) within a thermoresponsive Pluronic hydrogel composed of a mixture of Pluronic F127 and F68. The increase in F68 ratio and decrease in F127 lead to higher transition temperatures. The addition of the GG:Alg microparticles decreased the transition temperatures with a linear tendency. In Pluronic aqueous solutions (20 wt.%), the F127:F68 ratios of 16:4 and 17:3 (wt.%:wt.%) and the addition of microparticles (up to 15 wt.%) maintained the sol–gel transition temperatures within a suitable range (between 25 °C and 37 °C). Microparticles did not hinder the injectability of the system in the sol phase. Methylene blue was used as a model drug to evaluate the release mechanisms from microparticles, hydrogel, and composite system. The hydrogel delayed the release of methylene blue from the microparticles. The hydrogel loaded with methylene blue released at a faster rate than the microparticles within the hydrogel, thus demonstrating a dual-release profile. publishersversion published

The present work depicts a compilation of mechanical properties of 282 distinct multicomponent Ti-based alloys and their respective microstructural features. The dataset includes the chemical composition (in at.%), phase constituents, Young modulus, hardness, yield strength, ultimate strength, and elongation. Each entry is associated with a high-quality experimental work containing a complete description of the processing route and testing setup. Furthermore, we incorporated flags to the dataset indicating (a) the use of high-resolution techniques for microstructural analysis and (b) the observation of non-linear elastic responses during mechanical testing. Oxygen content and average grain size are presented whenever available. The selected features can help material scientists to adjust the data to their needs concerning materials selection and discovery. Most alloys in the dataset were produced via an ingot metallurgy route, followed by solubilization and water quench (≈58%), which is considered a standard condition for β-Ti alloys. The database is hosted and maintained up to date in an open platform. For completeness, a few graphical representations of the dataset are included.

Funding Information: This study was financed in part by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brasil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001. The authors would like to thank the financial support given by CNPq—National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Grant Nos. 402287/2013–4, 304044/2019–9, and 442575/2019–0), SISNANO/MCTI, Financier of Studies and Projects (FINEP) and Brazilian Agricultural Research Corp. (Embrapa) AgroNano research network. The authors would like to acknowledge the European Commission under the Project NewFun (Grant No. ERC-StG-2014, GA 640598). This work was also supported by European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant DIGISMART (Grant No. ERC-AdG-2017, GA 787410) and the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and the National Funds through the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project No. POCI-01–0145-FEDER-007688, Reference UID/CTM/50025; Project CHIHC, Grant No. PTDC/NAN-MAT/32558/2017; and Project BEST, Grant Nos. ALT20–03-0247-FEDER-113469 and LISBOA-01–0247-FEDER-113469. J. C. acknowledges the Santander/NOVA 2021 Collaborative Research Award—Graphene Smart Bandages for Diabetic Foot Ulcer Monitoring, Reference GSBDFULM. P. C. acknowledges BI-84-Mestre-DIGISMART and CAPES/Embrapa (Grant No. 88882.157024/2017 01) for the scholarships received. S. S. and T. P. also acknowledge the funding from National Foundation for Science and Technology, through the Ph.D. Grant Nos. SFRH/BD/149751/2019 and 2020.08606.BD. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). Since the discovery of laser-induced graphene (LIG), significant advances have been made to obtain green LIG (gLIG) from abundant, eco-friendly, natural, and organic renewable bio-based carbon sources. Recently, some sustainable and cost-effective electronic devices have been designed with gLIG, resulting in diverse solutions to the environmental impact caused by electronic waste (e-waste). However, there are still several challenges that must be addressed regarding the widespread market implementation of gLIG-based products, from synthesis to practical applications. In this review, we focus on sustainable precursor sources, their conversion mechanisms, physical and chemical properties and applications, along with the challenges related to its implementation, showing the future opportunities and perspectives related to this promising new material. Various systems based on gLIG for energy storage, electrocatalysis, water treatment, and sensors have been reported in the literature. Additionally, gLIG has been proposed for ink formulation or incorporation into polymer matrices, to further expand its use to non-carbon-based substrates or applications for which pristine LIG cannot be directly used. In this way, it is possible to apply gLIG on diverse substrates, aiming at emerging wearable and edible electronics. Thus, this review will bring an overview of gLIG developments, in accordance with the European Green Deal, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the new era of internet-of-things, which demands cost-effective electronic components based on the principles of energy efficiency and sustainable production methods. publishersversion published

Principal Investigator contract IF/00915/2014 (T.C.), and a doctoral grant , a partnership from FCT/MCTES and the pharmaceutical company HOVIONE (R.V.). L.B.M. would like to acknowledge for FCT/MCTES funding with reference CEECIND/03810/2017. The NMR spectrometers in LabNMR@Cenimat are part of the National NMR Facility, supported by FCT (ROTEIRO/0031/2013 - PINFRA/22161/2016 ), co-financed by FEDER through COMPETE 2020, POCI, and PORL and FCT through PIDDAC ( POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688 ; UID/CTM/50025/2020-2023 ). The Associate Laboratory Research Unit for Green Chemistry - Clean Technologies and Processes - LAQV is financed by national funds from FCT/MCTES ( UIDB/QUI/50006/2020 ) and cofunded by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement ( POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007265 ). We also acknowledge Dr. Luz Fernandes, REQUIMTE analytical services, for GC analysis. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Catalysis in pharma manufacturing processes is typically homogeneous, expensive and with hard catalyst recovery/regeneration. Herein an enzyme-inspired dry-powder molecularly imprinted polymeric (MIP) system was designed for fast, selective oxidation of a cholesterol derivative and easy catalyst regeneration. The strategy involved the synthesis of a template-monomer (T:M) complex followed by the crosslinked polymerization in supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2). A 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO)-MIP catalyst is obtained after the template cleavage from the matrix, and the oxidation of the N[sbnd]H groups turns available TEMPO moieties within the MIP. The oxidation of benzyl alcohol, 5α-cholestan-3β-ol and cholic acid was fast, in high yield and with selective oxidation capacity. publishersversion published

AG and TA acknowledge the funding from Slovenian Research Agency, Basic core funding grant P1-0125. SNF, MGH acknowledge the FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology projects PIDDAC (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688, Reference UIDB/50025/2020-2023). Publisher Copyright: © 2022, The Author(s). Local molecular ordering in liquids has attracted a lot of interest from researchers investigating crystallization, but is still poorly understood on the molecular scale. Classical nucleation theory (CNT), a macroscopic thermodynamic description of condensation, has shortcomings when dealing with clusters consisting of tens of molecules. Cluster formation and local order fluctuations in liquid media are difficult to study due to the limited spatial resolution of electron- and photon-imaging methods. We used NMR relaxometry to demonstrate the existence of dynamic clusters with short-range orientational order in nominally isotropic liquids consisting of elongated molecules. We observed clusters in liquids where the local ordering is driven by polar, steric, and hydrogen-bond interactions between the molecules. In the case of a liquid crystal, measuring the local orientational order fluctuations allowed us to observe the size of these clusters diverging when approaching the phase transition from the isotropic to the nematic phase. These fluctuations are described in terms of rotational elasticity as a consequence of the correlated reorientations of the neighbouring molecules. Our quantitative observations of the dynamic clusters in liquids, numbering about ten or fewer molecules, indicate that this is a general phenomenon in various types of liquids. publishersversion published