Gallium alloy based liquid metals (LMs) have shown great promise for soft and stretchable electronics in virtue of intrinsic uidity and metallic conductivity. However, it has been a challenge by using LM to construct 3D structured circuits which are crucial for building exible electronics with high integration. Hereby, taking advantage of the solid-liquid phase transition and plastic deformation of a Ga-10In LM alloy, we propose a novel strategy to fabricate LM based exible electronic devices, in particular comprised of 3D circuits, without the need to pre-fabricate microchannels. We demonstrate applications including 3D interconnect arches for the integration of a multi-channel LED array, a 3D structured wearable sensor and a multilayer exible circuit board for monitoring of nger movement. The current work provides a facile strategy for constructing LM based exible electronics, which is of particular interest for building highly integrated electronics of hierarchical structure involving complicated 3D circuits.
Micro/nanomotors (MNMs) are miniaturized devices capable of performing self-propelled motion and ondemand tasks, which have brought revolutionary renovations in nanomedicine, environmental remediation, biochemical sensing, etc. Numerous methods of either chemical synthesis or physical fabrications have been extensively investigated to prepare MNMs of various shapes and functions. However, MNMs with replaceable engines that can be flexibly assembled and disassembled, resembling that of a macroscopic machine, have not been achieved. Here, for the first time, we report a demonstration of control over the engine replacement of self-propelled nanomotors based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNPs) via supramolecular machine-based host−guest assembly and disassembly between azobenzene (Azo) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). Nanomotors with different driving mechanisms can be rapidly constructed by selecting corresponding β-CD-modified nanoengines of urease, Pt, or Fe 3 O 4 , to assemble with the azobenzenemodified HMSNPs (HMSNPs-Azo). In virtue of photoresponsive cis/trans isomer conversion of azobenzene molecules, engine switching can be accomplished by remote light triggered host−guest assembly or disassembly between HMSNPs-Azo and β-CDmodified engines. Moreover, this method can quickly include multiple engines on the surface of the HMSNPs-Azo to prepare a hybrid MNM with enhanced motion capability. This strategy not only is cost-effective for the rapid and convenient preparation of nanomotors with different propulsion mechanism but also paves a new path to future multiple functionalization of MNMs for ondemand task assignment.
Real-time wireless respiratory monitoring and biomarker analysis provide an attractive vision for noninvasive telemedicine such as the timely prevention of respiratory arrest or for early diagnoses of chronic diseases. Lightweight, wearable respiratory sensors are in high demand as they meet the requirement of portability in digital healthcare management. Meanwhile, high-performance sensing material plays a crucial role for the precise sensing of specific markers in exhaled air, which represents a complex and rather humid environment. Here, we present a liquid metal-based flexible electrode coupled with SnS2 nanomaterials as a wearable gas-sensing device, with added Bluetooth capabilities for remote respiratory monitoring and diagnoses. The flexible epidermal device exhibits superior skin compatibility and high responsiveness (1092%/ppm), ultralow detection limits (1.32 ppb), and a good selectivity of NO gas at ppb-level concentrations. Taking advantage of the fast recovery kinetics of SnS2 responding to H2O molecules, it is possible to accurately distinguish between different respiratory patterns based on the amount of water vapor in the exhaled air. Furthermore, based on the different redox types of H2O and NO molecules, the electric signal is reversed once the exhaled NO concentration exceeds a certain threshold that may indicate the onset of conditions like asthma, thus providing an early warning system for potential lung diseases. Finally, by integrating the wearable device into a wireless cloud-based multichannel interface, we provide a proof-of-concept that our device could be used for the simultaneous remote monitoring of several patients with respiratory diseases, a crucial field in future digital healthcare management.
Availability of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates with good stability, high sensitivity, and a clean surface is crucial for the practical usefulness of the SERS technology in biochemical sensing, especially for point-of-care testing (POCT). Hereby, we develop a "ready-to-use" SERS kit, which requires only 20 s to fabricate ultraclean gold nanothorn (AuNT)-based SERS chips under ambient conditions with simple solution processing steps. By varying the thickness of the precoated platinum (Pt) nanolayer, we can control the size and number density of the grown AuNT. Taking advantage of the ultraclean surface of the instantly obtained fresh AuNT, Raman reporter molecules can also be immediately modified, by means of which specific detection of three analytes including H 2 O 2 , NO 2 − , and ClO − is realized. Furthermore, we propose the concept of an SERS kit and apply it to smartphone-based Raman analysis for POCT applications. This on-site preparation method solves the long-standing challenges hindering the practical use of SERS substrates, such as complicated fabrication processes, interference of residual surfactants, poor surface stability, and easy contamination. Besides performing SERS analysis conveniently and quickly, this SERS kit-enabled POCT technology can integrate remote data terminals and medical resources, which shows great potential for environmental protection or online-healthcare systems.
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