A relative lack of printable materials with tailored functional properties limits the applicability of three-dimensional (3D) printing. In this work, a diamond−acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) composite filament for use in 3D printing was created through incorporation of high-pressure and hightemperature (HPHT) synthetic microdiamonds as a filler. Homogenously distributed diamond composite filaments, containing either 37.5 or 60 wt % microdiamonds, were formed through preblending the diamond powder with ABS, followed by subsequent multiple fiber extrusions. The thermal conductivity of the ABS base material increased from 0.17 to 0.94 W/(m•K), more than fivefold following incorporation of the microdiamonds. The elastic modulus for the 60 wt % microdiamond containing composite material increased by 41.9% with respect to pure ABS, from 1050 to 1490 MPa. The hydrophilicity also increased by 32%. A low-cost fused deposition modeling printer was customized to handle the highly abrasive composite filament by replacing the conventional (stainless-steel) filament feeding gear with a harder titanium gear. To demonstrate improved thermal performance of 3D printed devices using the new composite filament, a number of composite heat sinks were printed and characterized. Heat dissipation measurements demonstrated that 3D printed heat sinks containing 60 wt % diamond increased the thermal dissipation by 42%.

Biocompatible conductive tough hydrogels represent a new class of advanced materials combining the properties of tough hydrogels and biocompatible conductors. Here, a simple method, to achieve a self-assembled tough elastomeric composite structure that is biocompatible, conductive, and with high flexibility, is reported. The hydrogel comprises polyether-based liner polyurethane (PU), poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), and liquid crystal graphene oxide (LCGO). The polyurethane hybrid composite (PUHC) containing the PEDOT:PSS, LCGO, and PU has a higher electrical conductivity (10×), tensile modulus (>1.6×), and yield strength (>1.56×) compared to respective control samples. Furthermore, the PUHC is biocompatible and can support human neural stem cell (NSC) growth and differentiation to neurons and supporting neuroglia. Moreover, the stimulation of PUHC enhances NSC differentiation with enhanced neuritogenesis compared to unstimulated cultures. A model describing the synergistic effects of the PUHC components and their influence on the uniformity, biocompatibility, and electromechanical properties of the hydrogel is presented.

Synthetic micro-diamond-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite microfluidic chips and thin films were produced using indirect 3D printing and spin coating fabrication techniques. Microfluidic chips containing up to 60 wt% micro-diamond were successfully cast and bonded. Physicochemical properties, including the dispersion pattern, hydrophobicity, chemical structure, elasticity and thermal characteristics of both chip and films were investigated. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the micro-diamond particles were embedded and interconnected within the bulk material of the cast microfluidic chip, whereas in the case of thin films their increased presence at the polymer surface resulted in a reduced hydrophobicity of the composite. The elastic modulus increased from 1.28 for a PDMS control, to 4.42 MPa for the 60 wt% composite, along with a three-fold increase in thermal conductivity, from 0.15 to 0.45 W m−1 K−1. Within the fluidic chips, micro-diamond incorporation enhanced heat dissipation by efficient transfer of heat from within the channels to the surrounding substrate. At a flow rate of 1000 μL/min, the gradient achieved for the 60 wt% composite chip equalled a 9.8 °C drop across a 3 cm long channel, more than twice that observed with the PDMS control chip.

Novel approaches that incorporate electrofluidic and microfluidic technologies are reviewed to illustrate the translation of traditional enclosed structures into open and accessible textile based platforms. Through the utilization of on-fiber and on-textile microfluidics, it is possible to invert the typical enclosed capillary column or microfluidic “chip” platform, to achieve surface accessible efficient separations and fluid handling, while maintaining a microfluidic environment. The open fiber/textile based fluidics approach immediately provides new possibilities to interrogate, manipulate, redirect, extract, characterize, and quantify solutes and target species at any point in time during such processes as on-fiber electrodriven separations. This approach is revolutionary in its simplicity and provides many potential advantages not otherwise afforded by the more traditional enclosed platforms.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a common chemical used in many industries and can be found in various biological environments, water, and air. Yet, H2O2 in a certain range of concentrations can be hazardous and toxic. Therefore, it is crucial to determine its concentration at different conditions for safety and diagnostic purposes. This review provides an insight about different types of sensors that have been developed for detection of H2O2. Their flexibility, stability, cost, detection limit, manufacturing, and challenges in their applications have been compared. More specifically the advantages and disadvantages of various flexible substrates that have been utilized for the design of H2O2 sensors were discussed. These substrates include carbonaceous substrates (e.g., reduced graphene oxide films, carbon cloth, carbon, and graphene fibers), polymeric substrates, paper, thin glass, and silicon wafers. Many of these substrates are often decorated with nanostructures composed of Pt, Au, Ag, MnO2, Fe3O4, or a conductive polymer to enhance the performance of sensors. The impact of these nanostructures on the sensing performance of resulting flexible H2O2 sensors has been reviewed in detail. In summary, the detection limits of these sensors are within the range of 100 nM–1 mM, which makes them potentially, but not necessarily, suitable for applications in health, food, and environmental monitoring. However, the required sample volume, cost, ease of manufacturing, and stability are often neglected compared to other detection parameters, which hinders sensors’ real-world application. Future perspectives on how to address some of the substrate limitations and examples of application-driven sensors are also discussed.

A facile one-step method was used to create a selective and sensitive electrode for dopamine (DA) detection based upon a stainless steel (SS) filament substrate and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The electrode successfully and selectively detects DA in the presence of uric acid and ascorbic acid without the need of a Nafion coating. The proposed electrode is easy to fabricate, low-cost, flexible and strong. The rGO-SS electrode could also be incorporated into a 3-dimensional braided structure enabling DA detection in a two-electrode fibre system. The sensor is an excellent candidate for production of affordable, robust and flexible wearable and portable sensor and expands the application of textiles in point of care diagnostic devices.

Gas detection and monitoring are essential due to their direct impact on human health, environment, and ecosystem. Chemiresistive sensors are one of the most used classes of sensors for monitoring and measurement of gases thanks to their ease of fabrication, customizability, mechanical flexibility, and fast response time. While chemiresistive sensors can offer good sensitivity and selectivity to a particular gas in a controlled environment with known interferences, they may not be able to differentiate between various gases having similar physiochemical properties under uncontrolled conditions. To address this shortcoming of chemiresistive gas sensors, sensor arrays have been the subject of recent studies. Gas sensor arrays are a group of individual gas sensors that are arranged to simultaneously detect and differentiate multiple cross‐reactive gases. In this regard, various sensor array technologies have been developed to differentiate a given set of gases using multivariate algorithms. This review provides an insight into the different algorithms that are used to extract the data from the sensor arrays, highlighting the fabrication techniques used for developing the sensor array prototypes, and different applications in which these arrays are used.

CO2 sensing is important in many applications ranging from air‐quality monitoring to food packaging. In this study, an amine‐functionalized copolymer, poly(N‐[3‐(dimethylamino)propyl]‐methacrylamide‐co‐2‐N‐morpholinoethyl methacrylate) (p(D‐co‐M)) is synthesized, offering moderate basicity suitable for a wide CO2 detection range. Taking advantage of this characteristic of p(D‐co‐M), this polymer is used for designing a chemiresistive, low‐cost, flexible, and reversible CO2 sensor. The p(D‐co‐M)‐based sensors show a noticeable decrease in their direct current resistance and alternating current impedance upon exposure to a wide range of CO2 concentration (1–100%) at room temperature with a response and a recovery time of 6 and 14 min, respectively. Additionally, the p(D‐co‐M)‐based sensors demonstrate a favorable selectivity to CO2 in the presence of interfering gases including methanol, ethanol, toluene, and acetone. Surface potential measurements show an increase of +6.34 V upon exposure to humidity and CO2, indicating the protonation of the polymer's amine sites, facilitating the detection of CO2 in the wet environment. This sensor is efficient for detecting CO2 concentration released during fermentation of kimchi as a food model.