Halide perovskites are found to exhibit strain patterns over large areas, which influences the lifetimes of charge carriers.

The authors demonstrate the use of light and atmospheric treatments on polycrystalline perovskite thin films, resulting in properties approaching those of the best crystalline semiconductors reported to date. The results translate to exceptional photovoltaic device performances with rapid rises to stabilized power output consistent with an inhibition of ionic migration.

The present work demonstrates the fabrication and performance of an enzymatic glucose biosensor based on ZnO nanowires (NWs) deposited on a Au-coated polyester (PET) substrate. Electrodeposition of ZnO NWs on the conducting PET substrate was carried out at 70°C in an aqueous electrolyte consisting of zinc nitrate mixed with potassium chloride. Glucose oxidase (GOx) was subsequently immobilized on the as-synthesized ZnO NWs, and the electrocatalytic properties of GOx-immobilized ZnO NWs were evaluated by amperometry. The resulting GOx/ZnO-NWs/Au/PET bioelectrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic performance with a high sensitivity of 19.5 µA mM -1 cm -2 , a low Michaelis-Menten constant of 1.57 mM, and a fast response time of <5 s for the amperometric detection of glucose. The present study illustrates the feasibility of realizing light-weight, flexible, high-performance sensing devices using ZnO NWs.

Despite persistent and extensive observations of crystals with chiral shapes, the mechanisms underlying their formation are not well understood. Although past studies suggest that chiral shapes can form because of crystallization in the presence of chiral additives, or because of an intrinsic tendency that stems from the crystal structure, there are many cases in which these explanations are not suitable or have not been tested. Here, an investigation of model tellurium nanocrystals provides insights into the chain of chirality transfer between crystal structure and shape. We show that this transfer is mediated by screw dislocations, and shape chirality is not an outcome of the chiral crystal structure or ligands.

Dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) are a special class of artificial muscles that have been used to construct animal‐like soft robotic systems. However, compared with state‐of‐the‐art rigid actuators such as piezoelectric bimorphs and electromagnetic motors, most DEAs require higher driving voltages, and their power density and lifetime remain substantially lower. These limitations pose significant challenges for developing agile and powered autonomous soft robots. Here, a low‐voltage, high‐endurance, and power‐dense DEA based on novel multiple‐layering techniques and electrode‐material optimization, is reported. When operated at 400 Hz, the 143 mg DEA generates forces of 0.36 N and displacements of 1.15 mm. This DEA is incorporated into an aerial robot to demonstrate high performance. The robot achieves a high lift‐to‐weight ratio of 3.7, a low hovering voltage of 500 V, and a long lifetime that exceeds 2 million actuation cycles. With 20 s of hovering time, and position and attitude error smaller than 2.5 cm and 2°, respectively, the robot demonstrates the longest and best‐performing flight among existing sub‐gram aerial robots. This important milestone demonstrates that soft robots can outperform their state‐of‐the‐art rigid counterparts, and it provides an important step toward realizing power autonomy in soft robotic flights.

Monolayer 2D MoS 2 grown by chemical vapor deposition is nanopatterned into nanodots, nanorods, and hexagonal nanomesh using block copolymer (BCP) lithography. The detailed atomic structure and nanoscale geometry of the nanopatterned MoS 2 show features down to 4 nm with nonfaceted etching profiles defined by the BCP mask. Atomic resolution annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals the nanopatterned MoS 2 has minimal large-scale crystalline defects and enables the edge density to be measured for each nanoscale pattern geometry. Photoluminescence spectroscopy of nanodots, nanorods, and nanomesh areas shows strain-dependent spectral shifts up to 15 nm, as well as reduction in the PL efficiency as the edge density increases. Raman spectroscopy shows mode stiffening, confirming the release of strain when it is nanopatterned by BCP lithography. These results show that small nanodots (≈19 nm) of MoS 2 2D monolayers still exhibit strong direct band gap photoluminescence (PL), but have PL quenching compared to pristine material from the edge states. This information provides important insights into the structure-PL property correlations of sub-20 nm MoS 2 structures that have potential in future applications of 2D electronics, optoelectronics, and photonics.

No abstract

Contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) can provide improved breast cancer detection and characterization compared to conventional mammography by imaging the effects of tumour angiogenesis. Current small-molecule contrast agents used for CEDM are limited by a short plasma half-life and rapid extravasation into tissue interstitial space. To address these limitations, nanoscale agents that can remain intravascular except at sites of tumour angiogenesis can be used. For CEDM, this agent must be both biocompatible and strongly attenuate mammographic energy x-rays. Nanoscale perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) droplets have good x-ray attenuation and have been used in patients for other applications. However, the macroscopic scale of x-ray imaging (50-100 µm) is inadequate for direct verification that PFOB droplets localize at sites of breast tumour angiogenesis. For efficient pre-clinical optimization for CEDM, we integrated an optical marker into PFOB droplets for microscopic assessment (≪50 µm). To develop PFOB droplets as a new nanoscale mammographic contrast agent, PFOB droplets were labelled with fluorescent quantum dots (QDs). The droplets had mean diameters of 160 nm, fluoresced at 635 nm and attenuated x-ray spectra at 30.5 keV mean energy with a relative attenuation of 5.6 ± 0.3 Hounsfield units (HU) mg(-1) mL(-1) QD-PFOB. With the agent loaded into tissue phantoms, good correlation between x-ray attenuation and optical fluorescence was found (R(2) = 0.96), confirming co-localization of the QDs with PFOB for quantitative assessment using x-ray or optical methods. Furthermore, the QDs can be removed from the PFOB agent without affecting its x-ray attenuation or structural properties for expedited translation of optimized PFOB droplet formulations into patients.