Oxygen Content and Valence of Ru in RuSr2(Gd0.75Ce0.25)2Cu2O10−δ (Ru-1222) Magnetosuperconductor

The valence of Ru was analyzed for two RuSr₂(Gd_0.75Ce_0.25)₂Cu₂O_10– samples with different oxygen contents by Ru L _III-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. For the sample as-synthesized in 1 atm O₂ the DC magnetization data measured in an applied field of 5 Oe showed a clear branching of the zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and field-cooled (FC) curves around 140 K, an up-turn for both around 100 K and a cusp at 85 K and a diamagnetic transition around 20 K in the ZFC part. A further confirmation for the superconductivity at 28 K was obtained from a resistance vs. temperature measurement. Annealing the as-synthesized sample in 100-atm O₂ atmosphere at 420°C increased the diamagnetic transition temperature from 20 K to 40 K. According to a thermogravimetric analysis, the oxygen content increased accordingly by ca. 0.1 oxygen atoms per formula unit. Quantitative analysis of the XANES spectra using Sr₂RuO₄ (Ru^IV) and Sr₂GdRuO₆ (Ru^V) as reference materials revealed a valence value of +4.74 and +4.81 for Ru in the as-synthesized and the 100-atm O₂-annealed sample, respectively. The obtained result suggests that the valence of Ru in Ru-1222 is affected by the change in oxygen content.     

Impacts of Glucose-Dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide on Orthodontic Tooth Movement-Induced Bone Remodeling

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) exerts extra-pancreatic effects via the GIP receptor (GIPR). Herein, we investigated the effects of GIP on force-induced bone remodeling by orthodontic tooth movement using a closed-coil spring in GIPR-lacking mice (GIPRKO) and wild-type mice (WT). Orthodontic tooth movements were performed by attaching a 10-gf nickel titanium closed-coil spring between the maxillary incisors and the left first molar. Two weeks after orthodontic tooth movement, the distance of tooth movement by coil load was significantly increased in GIPRKO by 2.0-fold compared with that in the WT. The alveolar bone in the inter-root septum from the root bifurcation to the apex of M1 decreased in both the GIPRKO and WT following orthodontic tooth movement, which was significantly lower in the GIPRKO than in the WT. The GIPRKO exhibited a significantly decreased number of trabeculae and increased trabecular separation by orthodontic tooth movement compared with the corresponding changes in the WT. Histological analyses revealed a decreased number of steady-state osteoblasts in the GIPRKO. The orthodontic tooth movement induced bone remodeling, which was demonstrated by an increase in osteoblasts and osteoclasts around the forced tooth in the WT. The GIPRKO exhibited no increase in the number of osteoblasts; however, the number of osteoclasts on the coil-loaded side was significantly increased in the GIPRKO compared with in the WT. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the impacts of GIP on the dynamics of bone remodeling. We revealed that GIP exhibits the formation of osteoblasts and the suppression of osteoclasts in force-induced bone remodeling.     

Flexible Nanoarchitectonics for Biosensing and Physiological Monitoring Applications

Flexible and implantable electronics hold tremendous promises for advanced healthcare applications, especially for physiological neural recording and modulations. Key requirements in neural interfaces include miniature dimensions for spatial physiological mapping and low impedance for recognizing small biopotential signals. Herein, a bottom-up mesoporous formation technique and a top-down microlithography process are integrated to create flexible and low-impedance mesoporous gold (Au) electrodes for biosensing and bioimplant applications. The mesoporous architectures developed on a thin and soft polymeric substrate provide excellent mechanical flexibility and stable electrical characteristics capable of sustaining multiple bending cycles. The large surface areas formed within the mesoporous network allow for high current density transfer in standard electrolytes, highly suitable for biological sensing applications as demonstrated in glucose sensors with an excellent detection limit of 1.95 µm and high sensitivity of 6.1 mA cm⁻² µM⁻¹, which is approximately six times higher than that of benchmarking flat/non-porous films. The low impedance of less than 1 kΩ at 1 kHz in the as-synthesized mesoporous electrodes, along with their mechanical flexibility and durability, offer peripheral nerve recording functionalities that are successfully demonstrated in vivo. These features highlight the new possibilities of our novel flexible nanoarchitectonics for neuronal recording and modulation applications.     

Covalently Interlayer-Confined Organic–Inorganic Heterostructures for Aqueous Potassium Ion Supercapacitors (Small 4/2023)

Artificial assembly of organic–inorganic heterostructures for electrochemical energy storage at the molecular level is promising, but remains a great challenge. Here, a covalently interlayer-confined organic (polyaniline [PANI])–inorganic (MoS₂) hybrid with a dual charge-storage mechanism is developed for boosting the reaction kinetics of supercapacitors. Systematic characterizations reveal that PANI induces a partial phase transition from the 2H to 1T phases of MoS₂, expands the interlayer spacing of MoS₂, and increases the hydrophilicity. More in-depth insights from the synchrotron radiation-based X-ray technique illustrate that the covalent grafting of PANI to MoS₂ induces the formation of Mo N bonds and unsaturated Mo sites, leading to increased active sites. Theoretical analysis reveals that the covalent assembly facilitates cross-layer electron transfer and decreases the diffusion barrier of K⁺ ions, which favors reaction kinetics. The resultant hybrid material exhibits high specific capacitance and good rate capability. This design provides an effective strategy to develop organic–inorganic heterostructures for superior K-ion storage. The K-ion storage mechanism concerning the reversible insertion/extraction upon charge/discharge is revealed through ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Engineering Route for Stretchable, 3D Microarchitectures of Wide Bandgap Semiconductors for Biomedical Applications

Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors have attracted significant research interest for the development of a broad range of flexible electronic applications, including wearable sensors, soft logical circuits, and long-term implanted neuromodulators. Conventionally, these materials are grown on standard silicon substrates, and then transferred onto soft polymers using mechanical stamping processes. This technique can retain the excellent electrical properties of wide bandgap materials after transfer and enables flexibility; however, most devices are constrained by 2D configurations that exhibit limited mechanical stretchability and morphologies compared with 3D biological systems. Herein, a stamping-free micromachining process is presented to realize, for the first time, 3D flexible and stretchable wide bandgap electronics. The approach applies photolithography on both sides of free-standing nanomembranes, which enables the formation of flexible architectures directly on standard silicon wafers to tailor the optical transparency and mechanical properties of the material. Subsequent detachment of the flexible devices from the support substrate and controlled mechanical buckling transforms the 2D precursors of wide band gap semiconductors into complex 3D mesoscale structures. The ability to fabricate wide band gap materials with 3D architectures that offer device-level stretchability combined with their multi-modal sensing capability will greatly facilitate the establishment of advanced 3D bio-electronics interfaces.     

Mechanical Properties of White Salted Noodles from Near‐isogenic Wheat Lines with Different wx Protein‐Deficiency

Flour with a low amylose content produces a desirable texture in white salted noodles (WSN). In order to understand the impact of amylose content on noodle texture, flours of similar quality but different starch characteristics must be compared and analyzed because the characteristics of the protein contained in the flour also affect the mechanical properties of WSN. In this study, eight genotypes of near‐isogenic wheat with different compositions of the Wx‐proteins involved in amylose synthesis were used to study the relationship between the mechanical properties of WSN and their amylose content in starch. Results of the study indicated that the breaking force/breaking deformation value of WSN made from the eight lines decreased and that softer noodles were obtained when the amylose content was lower. The gels made from flours and starches of the eight lines decreased in maximum compression stress, in line with the lowering of amylose content. These results show that the mechanical properties of WSN are determined primarily by the amylose content of the flour and the properties of the starch gel. Sensory evaluations of the WSN indicated that the noodles from the flours of single‐null types, which lack either the Wx‐B1 or Wx‐D1 proteins, and doublenull types, which lack the Wx‐A1 and Wx‐D1 proteins, especially the latter, had desirable textures.