Among the many potential applications of carbon nanotubes (CNT), its usage to strengthen polymers has been paid considerable attention due to the exceptional stiffness, excellent strength, and the low density of CNT. This has provided numerous opportunities for the invention of new material systems for applications requiring high strength and high modulus. Precise control over processing factors, including preserving intact CNT structure, uniform dispersion of CNT within the polymer matrix, effective filler–matrix interfacial interactions, and alignment/orientation of polymer chains/CNT, contribute to the composite fibers’ superior properties. For this reason, fabrication methods play an important role in determining the composite fibers’ microstructure and ultimate mechanical behavior. The current state-of-the-art polymer/CNT high-performance composite fibers, especially in regards to processing–structure–performance, are reviewed in this contribution. Future needs for material by design approaches for processing these nano-composite systems are also discussed.

To fulfill the current challenges in the hydrogel applications in wearable sensors including low sensitivity, lack of self-healing ability, and nontransparency, we synthesized a polyacrylic acid/nanochitin composite hydrogel with dual cross-linking networks for highly stretchable, transparent, self-healing, and anti-freezing sensors via an eco-friendly method. Dynamic metal-coordination bonds between Al 3+ and carboxyl groups and the hydrogen bonds contributed to the excellent self-healing efficiency of the hydrogel (97%). The dual cross-linking networks provide the composite hydrogel with 400 kPa tensile strength. The hydrogel-based sensors could detect multiple external stimuli, demonstrating a high gauge factor of 2.36 with the strain range of 0−500% and an ultrabroad temperature detection range (−35 to 50 °C). Significantly, the composite hydrogel demonstrates an ultrasensitive thermal response with a sensitivity of 252 %/°C during the cooling process. Moreover, the composite hydrogel was also assembled into a triboelectric nanogenerator to act as a self-powered pressure sensor. Therefore, the developed hydrogel sensors fabricated via a facile and green preparation approach hold great potential for sustainable wearable sensors in electronic skins and personal healthcare.

Control H- and J-aggregation of non-fullerene acceptor and research their different influence on photovoltaic performance.

A fluorescence-based immunochromatographic assay (ICA) for fumonisin B1 (FB1) that employs conjugates of fluorescent microspheres and monoclonal antibodies (FM-mAbs) as detection reporters is described. The ICA is based on the competitive reaction between FB1-bovine serum albumin (BSA; test line) and the target FB1 for binding to the FM-mAb conjugates. A limit of detection (LOD) for FB1 of 0.12 ng/mL was obtained, with an analytical working range of 0.25-2.0 ng/mL (corresponding to 250-2000 μg/kg in maize flour samples, according to the extraction procedure). The recoveries of the ICA to detect FB1 in maize samples ranged from 91.4 to 118.2%. A quantitative comparison of the fluorescence-based ICA and HPLC-MS/MS analysis of naturally contaminated maize samples indicated good agreement between the two methods (r(2) = 0.93). By replacing the target of interest, the FM-based ICA can easily be extended to other chemical contaminants and thus represents a versatile strategy for food safety analysis.