Powering and communication with micro robots to enable complex functions is a long-standing challenge as the size of robots continues to shrink. Physical connection of wires or components needed for wireless communication are complex and limited by the size of electronic and energy storage devices, making miniaturization of robots difficult. To explore an alternative solution, we designed and fabricated a micro soft swimming robot with both powering and controlling functions provided by remote light, which does not carry any electronic devices and batteries. In this approach, a polymer film containing azobenzene chromophore which is sensitive to ultra-violet (UV) light works as “motor”, and the UV light and visible light work as “power and signal lines”. Periodically flashing UV light and white light drives the robot flagellum periodically to swing to eventually push forward the robot in the glass tube filled with liquid. The gripper on robot head can be opened or closed by lights to grab and carry the load. This kind of remotely light-driven approach realizes complex driving and controlling of micro robotic structures, making it possible to design and fabricate even smaller robots. It will have great potential among applications in the micro machine and robot fields.

No abstract

Nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) is becoming popular in antibacterial material due to its favorable biocompatibility, stability, and modifiable properties, which give it a great potential as a template for the deposition of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). To investigate the deposition procedure and antibacterial ability of Ag NPs, dialdehyde nanofobrillated cellulose (DATNFC) prepared by oxidation of nanofibers was used to initiate the silver mirror reaction. Silver nanoparticles (∼31.07 nm) were successfully fabricated and uniformly anchored onto DATNFC (DATNFC@Ag). The film containing DATNFC@Ag via vacuum filtration showed excellent mechanical properties and exhibited efficient antibacterial activity against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Dialdehyde nanofobrillated cellulose-induced silver ions release slowly, which displayed a controllable release of silver ions with a rate of 0.63% per 2 days and an ultralong Ag + release period of 323.6 days. The Ag + release time was prolonged due to the efficient in situ immobilization of silver nanoparticles. This study offers a novel and simple way to fabricate a green, controlled release and long-term antibacterial material based on dialdehyde nanofibrillated cellulose/silver-nanoparticle composites and opens a new window for the rapid and highly efficient synthesis of silver nanoparticles.

Vibronic coupling is a central issue in molecular spectroscopy. Here we investigate vibronic coupling within a single pentacene molecule in real space by imaging the spatial distribution of single-molecule electroluminescence via highly localized excitation of tunneling electrons in a controlled plasmonic junction. The observed two-spot orientation for certain vibronic-state imaging is found to be evidently different from the purely electronic 0–0 transition, rotated by 90°, which reflects the change in the transition dipole orientation from along the molecular short axis to the long axis. Such a change reveals the occurrence of strong vibronic coupling associated with a large Herzberg–Teller contribution, going beyond the conventional Franck–Condon picture. The emergence of large vibration-induced transition charges oscillating along the long axis is found to originate from the strong dynamic perturbation of the anti-symmetric vibration on those carbon atoms with large transition density populations during electronic transitions.

No abstract

No abstract

To date, various electronic devices have been strategically fabricated, and simultaneous realization of high electrical conductivity, sensing property, and heat-conducting property by a simple, efficient, and accurate approach is significant but still challenging. Here, cellulosic fiber supported 3D interconnected silver nanowire (AgNW) networks with hierarchical structures are rationally designed to achieve excellent electrical conductivity and superior thermal dispersion capability. In particular, thermal annealing at the junctions enables both phonon and electron transfer as well as impedes interfacial slippage. In the current study, the AgNW/cellulosic paper with the low Ag content (1.55 wt %) exhibits a low sheet resistance of 0.51 Ω sq −1 . More importantly, the AgNW/cellulosic paper-based flexible strain sensor has been reasonably developed, which can be applied to monitor various microstructural changes and human motions with high sensitivity and robust stability (fast response/relaxation time of ∼100 ms and high stability >2000 bending− stretching cycles). The AgNW/cellulosic paper-based device also displays efficient thermal dispersion property, which offers exciting opportunities for thermal management application. Furthermore, the obtained hybrid paper exhibits superior heat dispersion capacity for thermal management devices. Overall, uniform dispersion and 3D interconnected junctions of AgNW among the fibers inside the cellulosic papers lead to the combination of high mechanical strength, highly efficient electrical conductivity, and ultrahigh heat dispersion property. The AgNW/cellulosic paper has promising potentials in the flexible and wearable sensing elements, thermal management materials, and artificial intelligence devices.

Micro-gripper is an important tool to manipulate and assemble micro-scale objects. Generally, as micro-gripper is too small to be directly driven by general motors, it always needs special driving devices and suitable structure design. In this paper, two-finger micro-grippers are designed and fabricated, which utilize light-induced deformation smart material to make one of the two fingers. As the smart material is directly driven and controlled by remote lights instead of lines and motors, this light-driven mode simplifies the design of the two-finger micro-gripper and avoids special drivers and complex mechanical structure. In addition, a micro-manipulation experiment system is set up which is based on the light-driven micro-gripper. Experimental results show that this remotely light-driven micro-gripper has ability to manipulate and assemble micro-scale objects both in air and water. Furthermore, two micro-grippers can also work together for cooperation which can further enhance the assembly ability. On the other hand, this kind of remotely controllable micro-gripper that does not require on-board energy storage, can be used in mobile micro-robot as a manipulation hand.