Controlling Electron Mobility of Strongly Coupled Organic Semiconductors in Mirrorless Cavities

Recent experiments on the strong light-matter coupling between an organic semiconductor and a plasmonic mode propose an unconventional way to enhance conductivity. Herein, it is shown that mirrorless cavities can boost conductivity by simply structuring the refractive indices of the multilayers in a commercially available metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). Perylene diimide (an organic semiconductor dye) molecules are deposited on a MOSFET device. The refractive index mismatch between the silicon/silicon dioxide/dye/air results in light confinement. The frequency of this confined light is tuned by changing the thickness of the organic semiconductor layer. Interestingly, an increase in electron mobility was observed once the electronic transition of the dye molecules and the second-order cavity mode enter into the strong coupling regime. Whereas resonance tuning to the first-order mode does not affect the electron transport. Here, the system is still in a weak coupling regime. These results are further correlated by experimental dispersion measurements and supported with transfer matrix simulations. The increase in electron mobility is not large due to high dissipation or low-quality factors of the cavity modes. However, the mirrorless configuration presented here may offer a simpler way of boosting the properties of functional materials.     

Green Synthesis-Mediated Silver Nanoparticles Based Biocomposite Films for Wound Healing Application

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - Wound care is a clinical challenge due to the susceptibility of the wound to multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. We report a...     

Layered Titanium Carbide-Mediated Fast Shape Switching and Excellent Thermal and Electrical Transport in Shape-Memory-Polymer Composites for Smart Technologies: MAX Versus MXene

Stimuli-responsive materials can frequently tune between their temporary and original shapes, and have the potential for artificial intelligence-based technologies in robotics, aerospace, biomedical, engineering, security, etc. Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are promising for these technologies but their inadequate thermal and electrical characteristics causing slow shape recovery limit their practical applications. Herein, for the first time, comprehensively and precisely the shape memory polyurethane (PU), a promising SMP, via a variety of novel layered titanium carbides fillers, namely, Ti₂AlC (MAX₁), Ti₃AlC₂ (MAX₂), and Ti₃C₂ (MXene), is engineered. The resultant PU-composites show 30–50% faster shape recovery in different environments, 20–25% greater extent of shape recovery in the load-constrained environment, 100–125% higher thermal conductivity, and 700–16 000× higher electrical current. Importantly, the reinforcement of even a small amount of MAX and MXene (such as 0.25 wt%) has largely boosted the performance of PU. Considering ease of processability and performance enhancement factors, the MAX-phase fillers may be preferred over MXene-phase fillers for next-generation composites development. Employing PU composite component as both heat-sensor and actuator, a unique heat detector/fire alarm device that works successfully in simulated heat and fire environments is demonstrated. This work is crucial for enabling futuristic technologies.     

Crystallization Kinetics on Melt Spun and HPT-Processed Zr62Cu22Al10Fe5Dy1 Metallic Glass

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The influence of conventional and accumulative HPT (Acc. HPT) process on structural properties of Zr62Cu22Al10Fe5Dy1 metallic glass (MG) phase is...     

Biomimicking tendon by electrospinning tissue-derived decellularized extracellular matrix for tendon tissue engineering

Tendon injuries disturb the equilibrium between mobility and stability, resulting in impaired functions and disabilities. Clinically, it is still challenging to regenerate fully functional tendons. Here, by direct electrospinning, we fabricate goat tendon-derived extracellular matrix (tdECM) fibers using polycaprolactone (PCL) as a supporting polymer. We observe that the incorporation of tdECM particles strongly influences the characteristics of the scaffold, such as wettability, water uptake ability, and mechanical properties. The contact angle of the PCL/tdECM scaffold decreases to zero as compared to 122° for only PCL, making the scaffold completely hydrophilic. The water uptake ability increases by 200% by adding tdECM. The Physicochemical properties are evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Electrospun fibers mimic the natural ECM structure, while tdECM can provide biochemical cues for the human mesenchymal stem cells to adhere to and differentiate. The scaffolds positively influence cell survival, proliferation, and alignment along the scaffolds of the human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSCs). This study demonstrates the potential of electrospun ECM/polymer as a bioactive scaffold for in situ tendon regeneration.