Mechanical Assembly of Thermo‐Responsive Polymer‐Based Untethered Shape‐Morphing Structures

Shape‐morphing robotic structures can provide innovative approaches for various applications ranging from soft robotics to flexible electronics. However, the programmed deformation of direct‐3D printed polymer‐based structures cannot be separated from their subsequent conventional shape‐programming process. This work aims to simplify the fabrication process and demonstrates a rapid and adaptable approach for building stimulus‐responsive polymer‐based shape‐morphing structures of any shape. This is accomplished through mechanically assembling a set of identical self‐bending units in different patterns to form morphing structures using auxiliary hard connectors. A self‐bending unit fabricated by a 3D printing method can be actuated upon heating without the need for tethered power sources and is able to transform from a flat shape to a bending shape. This enables the assembled morphing‐structure to achieve the programmed integral shape without the need for a shape‐programming process. Differently assembled morphing structures used as independent robotic mechanisms are sequentially demonstrated with applications in biomimetic morphing structures, grasping mechanisms, and responsive electrical devices. This proposed approach based on a mechanical assembling method paves the way for rapid and simple prototyping of stimulus‐responsive polymer‐based shape‐morphing structures with arbitrary architectures for a variety of applications in deployable structures, bionic mechanisms, robotics, and flexible electronics.     

The First Flexible Dual‐Ion Microbattery Demonstrates Superior Capacity and Ultrahigh Energy Density: Small and Powerful

Humans live today in a high‐tech and informationalized society. With the development of the emerging electronic information age, various electronic systems are inclined to be multifunctional and miniaturized. It is urgent to develop “small and powerful” micro‐batteries with flexibility and high electrochemical performance to meet the diverse needs of microelectronic components. However, low electrochemical performance exists in traditional microenergy storage devices, which fail to satisfy the energy needs for microdevices. Here, for the first time, a planar integrated flexible rechargeable dual‐ion microbattery (DIMB) is reported, which is fabricated from an interdigital pattern of graphite as an electrode and lithium hexafluorophosphate as an electrolyte. As a microbattery, the DIMB exhibits a high reversible capacity of 56.50 mAh cm^?3, and excellent cycle stability with 90% capacity retention after 300 cycles under a high working voltage. The application of DIMB in microdevices, such as light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), digital electronic game consoles, and electrochromic glasses is also investigated, fully demonstrating its “small and powerful” performance. The integrated DIMB is a high‐voltage microdevice that reaches a nonpareil discharge voltage of about 100 V and a charging capacity of 102 mAh g^?1. This dual ion‐based flexible microbattery could become a promising candidate for energy storage and conversion components in next‐generation microelectronic devices and integrated electronic devices.     

半导体激光器温度调谐波长扫描技术

低成本、小型化的波长扫描半导体激光器在光纤传感系统中有着重要作用。设计了一种可进行温度调谐的半导体激光光源驱动电路。该电路系统以ARM单片机作为控制中心,利用热敏电阻采样激光工作温度,并通过半导体制冷器(TEC)进行温度调节,使得激光器能够根据温度调谐实现波长扫描；同时通过背向光探测器(PD)采样激光输出功率,并通过改变半导体激光驱动电流实现对激光输出功率的控制,使得激光器在温度变化时输出光功率保持稳定。实验结果表明,该电路能够长时间可靠地工作,激光器能够实现的最大波长调谐范围为5nm,且输出光功率在整个波长扫描过程中保持稳定。     

Scalable Production of Wearable Solid-State Li-Ion Capacitors from N-Doped Hierarchical Carbon

Smart and wearable electronics have aroused substantial demand for flexible portable power sources, but it remains a large challenge to realize scalable production of wearable batteries/supercapacitors with high electrochemical performance and remarkable flexibility simultaneously. Here, a scalable approach is developed to prepare wearable solid-state lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) with superior performance enabled by synergetic engineering from materials to device architecture. Nitrogen-doped hierarchical carbon (HC) composed of 1D carbon nanofibers welded with 2D carbon nanosheets is synthesized via a unique self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) technique, which exhibits superior electrochemical performance. Subsequently, inspired by origami, here, wave-shaped LIC punch-cells based on the above materials are designed by employing a compatible and scalable post-imprint technology. Finite elemental analysis (FEA) confirms that the bending stress of the punch-cell can be offset effectively, benefiting from the wave architecture. The wearable solid-state LIC punch-cell exhibits large energy density, long cyclic stability, and superior flexibility. This study demonstrates great promise for scalable fabrication of wearable energy-storage systems.     

IC基板传输机器人末端执行器结构拓扑优化设计

在半导体封装基板检测的传输过程中,末端执行器对其快速稳定高效率的传输起着关键作用。在满足设计强度、刚度的条件下,以末端执行器轻量化为目标,建立了末端执行器的三维模型,利用有限元分析软件ANSYS对基板传输机器人末端执行器进行静力学和模态分析,得到末端执行器在最大载荷情况下的应力、应变特性和对应的振型,并对其进行拓扑优化设计,根据拓扑优化结果建立新的末端执行器结构,对新的结构进行强度校核,验证设计方案的有效性。研究结果表明,优化后末端执行器的前四阶固有频率都大于伺服电动机的回转频率(50Hz),质量减少了26.7%,较好地实现了轻量化的目标,同时为后续的相关产品研制提供了一种新的技术方案。     

A Complexing Agent to Enable a Wide-Temperature Range Bromine-Based Flow Battery for Stationary Energy Storage

Bromine-based flow batteries (Br-FBs) are considered one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their features of high energy density and low cost. However, they generally suffer from uncontrolled diffusion of corrosive bromine particularly at high temperatures. That is because the interaction between polybromide anions and the commonly used complexing agent (N–methyl–N–ethyl–pyrrolidinium bromide [MEP]) decreases with increasing temperatures, which causes serious self-discharge and capacity fade. Herein, a novel bromine complexing agent, 1–ethyl–2–methyl–pyridinium bromide (BCA), is introduced in Br-FBs to solve the above problems. It is proven that BCA can combine with polybromide anions very well even at a high temperature of 60 °C. Moreover, the BCA contributes to decreasing the electrochemical polarization of Br⁻/Br₂ couple, which in turn improves their power density. As a result, a zinc–bromine flow battery with BCA as the complexing agent can achieve a high energy efficiency of 84% at 40 mA cm⁻², even at high temperature of 60 °C and it can stably run for more than 400 cycles without obvious performance decay. This paper provides an effective complexing agent to enable a wide temperature range Br-FB.     

Dealing with the Foreign-Body Response to Implanted Biomaterials: Strategies and Applications of New Materials

Foreign-body response caused by implanted biomaterials seriously impedes the function of implants and is a major obstacle to the development of implantable biomaterials and medical devices. Recent advances in implantable biomaterials and medical devices have provided strategies to resist the foreign-body response. In this review, the mechanism of the foreign-body response and conventional strategies to mitigate foreign-body response is briefly introduced. Then, three types of promising foreign-body response resisting materials are focused and the advantages, characteristics, and applications of each material are discussed. Finally, prospects are put forward for future development of foreign-body response resisting materials and current challenges that require in-depth study.     

Work function difference of naphthyl end-capped oligothiophene in different crystal alignments studied by Kelvin probe force microscopy

The performance of organic semiconductor devices is strongly affected by the interface energetics at the junctions between the constituent materials. A large group of organic semiconductors consists of rodlike small molecules that crystallize upon deposition with a molecular orientation dependent on the specifics of the molecule–molecule and molecule–substrate interactions. By means of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM), this work studies naphthyl end-capped oligothiophene, 5,50-bis(naphth-2-yl)-2,20-bithiophene (NaT2), deposited on samples of pristine ${\text{SiO}}_2$ and samples of graphene-covered ${\text{SiO}}_2$. The crystal molecular orientation of NaT2 is dependent on the substrate on which it is deposited. On ${\text{SiO}}_2$, the NaT2 molecules are predominately upright standing, forming crystallites with distinct terrace heights of $2.0\pm 0.1\text{nm}$. Measurements indicate formation of an initial wetting layer in the NaT2-${\text{SiO}}_2$ system for the upright standing molecules. When deposited on graphene, the molecules additionally form fibrous structures with heights of $10-115\text{nm}$ consisting of molecules lying down (face-on orientation). Using KPFM, a difference in the local contact potential difference (CPD) of upright standing NaT2 and face-on oriented structures on graphene is measured to be $-0.16\pm 0.04\text{V}$, indicating a work function difference between the two system configurations, which is confirmed through Density Functional Theory calculations.