The diagnosis of infectious disease is typically carried out at the point-of-care (POC) using the lateral flow assay (LFA). While cost-effective and portable, LFAs often lack the clinical sensitivity and specificity required for accurate diagnoses. In response to this challenge, we introduce a new digital microfluidic (DMF) platform fabricated using a custom inkjet printing and roll-coating process that is scalable to mass production. The performance of the new devices is on par with that of traditional DMF devices fabricated in a cleanroom, with a materials cost for the new devices of only US $0.63 per device. To evaluate the usefulness of the new platform, we performed a 13-step rubella virus (RV) IgG immunoassay on the inkjet printed, roll-coated devices, which yielded a limit of detection of 0.02 IU mL, well below the diagnostic cut-off of 10 IU mL −1 for RV infection and immunity. We propose that this represents a breakthrough for DMF, lowering the costs to a level such that the new platforms will be an attractive alternative to LFAs for the diagnosis of infectious disease at the POC.
Biologically derived organic molecules are a cost‐effective and environmentally benign alternative to the widely used metal‐based electrodes employed in current energy storage technologies. Here, the first bio‐derived pendant polymer cathode for lithium‐ion batteries is reported. The redox moiety is flavin and is derived from riboflavin (vitamin B2). A semi‐synthetic methodology is used to prepare the pendant polymer, which is composed of a poly(norbornene) backbone and pendant flavin units. This semi‐synthetic approach reduces the number of chemical transformations required to form this new functional material. Lithium‐ion batteries incorporating this polymer have a 125 mAh g−1 capacity and an ≈2.5 V operating potential. It is found that charge transport is greatly improved by forming hierarchical structures of the polymer with carbon black, and new insight into electrode degradation mechanisms is provided which should be applicable to polymer electrodes in general. This work provides a foundation for the use of bio‐derived pendant polymers in sustainable, high‐performance lithium‐ion batteries.
Perylene diimides (PDIs) are one of the most widely studied n-type materials, showing great promise as electron acceptors in organic photovoltaic devices and as electron transport materials in n-channel organic fi eld effect transistors. Amongst the well-established chemical modifi cation strategies for increasing the electron mobility of PDI, substitution of the imide oxygen atoms with sulfur, known as thionation, has remained largely unexplored. In this work, it is demonstrated that thionation is a highly effective means of enhancing the electron mobility of a bis-N -alkylated PDI derivative. Successive oxygen-sulfur substitution increases the electron mobility such that the fully thionated derivative ( S4 ) has an average mobility of 0.16 cm 2 V −1 s −1 . This is two orders of magnitude larger than the nonthionated parent compound ( P ), and is achieved by solution deposition and without thermal or solvent vapor annealing. A combination of atomic force microscopy and 2D wide angle X-ray scattering experiments, together with theoretical modeling of charge transport effi ciency, is used to explain the strong positive correlation observed between electron mobility and degree of thionation. This work establishes thionation as a highly effective means of enhancing the electron mobility of PDI, and provides motivation for the development of thionated PDI derivatives for organic electronics applications.
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