Intrinsically Temperature-Insensitive and Highly Sensitive Flexible Wireless Strain Sensor.

Accurate strain monitoring in environments with coexisting mechanical deformation and temperature fluctuations─such as solid rocket propellants, battery enclosures, and human ligaments─remains a longstanding challenge for flexible electronics. Conventional strain sensors suffer from significant thermal drift due to the intrinsic temperature dependence of their sensing materials, limiting their reliability in wireless and implantable applications. Here, we report an intrinsically temperature-insensitive, highly sensitive, wireless flexible strain sensor based on near-field communication technology.

Application of the Composite Electrical Insulation Layer with a Self-Healing Function Similar to Pine Trees in K-Type Coaxial Thermocouples.

Aerospace engines and hypersonic vehicles, among other high-temperature components, often operate in environments characterized by temperatures exceeding 1000 °C and high-speed airflow impacts, resulting in severe thermal erosion conditions. Coaxial thermocouples (CTs), with their unique self-eroding characteristic, are particularly well suited for use in such extreme environments. However, fabricating high-temperature electrical insulation layers for coaxial thermocouples remains challenging.

Design of a Lattice-Reinforced Shape Memory Alloy Actuator for Underwater Soft Robots.

Throughout the development of soft robots, shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators have received considerable attention due to their inherent advantages, such as high power-to-weight ratio, low driving voltage, and high response speed. This study presents a lattice-reinforced SMA actuator with improved response speed and increased deformation range. The SMA wires are used to drive the actuator to achieve bending, while the high elastic wire's elasticity is used to achieve recovery.

Efficacy and safety of self-made Jianpi Huoxue Jieyu formula in treating ischemic stroke-related insomnia with Qi deficiency and blood stasis: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Insomnia commonly co-occurs with ischemic stroke (IS), especially in patients with Qi deficiency and blood stasis, but effective treatments are limited. This study examines the impact of a self-made Jianpi Huoxue Jieyu formula on IS-related insomnia, aiming to provide insights for its pharmacological management.

Methods: Ninety IS patients with Qi deficiency and blood stasis accompanied by insomnia were randomly assigned to 2 groups (45 each) at the Affiliated Hospital of Gansu University of Chinese Medicine (2022-2023).

Impact of Interfacial Configurations on the Growth of Few-Layer NbSe on Sapphire.

Two-dimensional van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures enable versatile material integration for advanced electronic and quantum devices. This study employs coherent Bragg rod analysis (COBRA) to study subangstrom interfacial effects in three types of wafer-scale NbSe heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates via a two-step growth method. The sapphire surface Se-O mixing and nonstoichiometry from direct NbSe growth, the interface passivation with a graphene insert, and the complex growth mechanism with MoSe stacking are identified and quantified.

Direct extraction of respiratory information from pulse waves using a finger-inspired flexible pressure sensor system.

The long-term monitoring of respiratory status is crucial for the prevention and diagnosis of respiratory diseases. However, existing continuous respiratory monitoring devices are typically bulky and require either chest strapping or proximity to the nasal area, which compromises user comfort and may disrupt the monitoring process. To overcome these challenges, we have developed a flexible, attachable, lightweight, and miniaturized system designed for extended wear on the wrist.

Coherence enhancement via a diamond-graphene hybrid for nanoscale quantum sensing.

Quantum coherence serves as a crucial quantum resource for achieving high-sensitivity quantum sensing. Because of its long coherence time at room temperature, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center has emerged as a quantum sensor in various fields in recent years. While nanoscale quantum sensing at room temperature has been demonstrated for NV centers, noise on the diamond surface severely limits its further development at a higher sensitivity.

Design, Fabrication, and Application of Large-Area Flexible Pressure and Strain Sensor Arrays: A Review.

The rapid development of flexible sensor technology has made flexible sensor arrays a key research area in various applications due to their exceptional flexibility, wearability, and large-area-sensing capabilities. These arrays can precisely monitor physical parameters like pressure and strain in complex environments, making them highly beneficial for sectors such as smart wearables, robotic tactile sensing, health monitoring, and flexible electronics. This paper reviews the fabrication processes, operational principles, and common materials used in flexible sensors, explores the application of different materials, and outlines two conventional preparation methods.

Realization of highly asymmetric hydrogenated graphene in the van der Waals confined space.

The van der Waals (vdW) confined space provides a distinct environment from free space, enabling the production of two-dimensional Janus materials, like highly asymmetric hydrogenated graphene (AH-Gr). Here, we develop a vdW confined space assisted hydrogenation method to produce AH-Gr. The confined space between graphene and the substrate aggregates hydrogen radicals, making the bottom-side of graphene more prone to hydrogenation.

Stretchable, Rechargeable, Multimodal Hybrid Electronics for Decoupled Sensing toward Emotion Detection.

Despite the rapid development of stretchable electronic devices for various applications in biomedicine and healthcare, the coupling between multiple input signals remains an obstacle in multimodal sensing before use in practical environments. This work introduces a fully integrated stretchable, rechargeable, multimodal hybrid device that combines decoupled sensors with a flexible wireless powering and transmitting module for emotion recognition. Through optimized structural design and material selection, the sensors can provide continuous real-time decoupled monitoring of biaxial strain, temperature, humidity, heart rate, and SpO levels.

Low-temperature growth of wafer-scale amorphous boron nitride films with low-dielectric-constant and controllable thicknesses.

Amorphous boron nitride (aBN) films, with extremely low relative dielectric constant () and chemical inertness, are excellent insulation and packaging materials for electronic device interconnection. It is of great significance to prepare the low-aBN films with controllable thickness, but there are still some limitations to achieve the goal. In this study, we succeed in growing wafer-scale aBN films with specific thicknesses from 1.

Room temperature ferroelectricity in monolayer graphene sandwiched between hexagonal boron nitride.

The ferroelectricity in stacked van der Waals multilayers through interlayer sliding holds great promise for ultrathin high-density memory devices, yet mostly subject to weak polarization and cryogenic operating condition. Here, we demonstrate robust room-temperature ferroelectricity in monolayer graphene sandwiched between hexagonal boron nitride layers with a rhombohedral-like stacking (i.e.

A novel wearable device integrating ECG and PCG for cardiac health monitoring.

The alarming prevalence and mortality rates associated with cardiovascular diseases have emphasized the urgency for innovative detection solutions. Traditional methods, often costly, bulky, and prone to subjectivity, fall short of meeting the need for daily monitoring. Digital and portable wearable monitoring devices have emerged as a promising research frontier.

Two-Dimensional van der Waals Superconductor Heterostructures: Josephson Junctions and Beyond.

The past few years have witnessed prominent progress in two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures. Vertically assembled in an artificial manner, these atomically thin layers possess distinctive electronic, magnetic, and other properties, which have provided a versatile platform for both fundamental exploration and practical applications in condensed matter physics and materials science. Within various potential combinations, a particular set of van der Waals superconductor (SC) heterostructures, which is realized by stacking fabrication based on two-dimensional SCs, is currently attracting intense attention.

3D Network Spacer-Embedded Flexible Iontronic Pressure Sensor Array with High Sensitivity over a Broad Sensing Range.

Microstructure construction is a common strategy for enhancing the sensitivity of flexible pressure sensors, but it typically requires complex manufacturing techniques. In this study, we develop a flexible iontronic pressure sensor (FIPS) by embedding an isolated three-dimensional network spacer (3DNS) between an ionic gel and a flexible TiCT MXene electrode, thereby avoiding complex microstructure construction techniques. By leveraging substantial deformation of the 3DNS and the high capacitance density resulting from the electrical double layer effect, the sensor exhibits high sensitivity (87.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-Inspired Fully Printed Soft Pressure Sensor Array with Self-Adaptive Pressurization for Highly Reliable Individualized Long-Term Pulse Diagnostics.

Reliable, non-invasive, continuous monitoring of pulse and blood pressure is essential for the prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. However, the pulse wave varies drastically among individuals or even over time in the same individual, presenting significant challenges for the existing pulse sensing systems. Inspired by pulse diagnosis methods in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this work reports a self-adaptive pressure sensing platform (PSP) that combines the fully printed flexible pressure sensor array with an adaptive wristband-style pressure system can identify the optimal pulse signal.

A Highly Sensitive NiO Flexible Temperature Sensor Prepared by Low-Temperature Sintering Electrohydrodynamic Direct Writing.

Flexible temperature sensors have diverse applications and a great potential in the field of temperature monitoring, including healthcare, smart homes and the automotive industry. However, the current flexible temperature sensor preparation generally suffers from process complexity, which limits its development and application. In this paper, a nickel oxide (NiO) flexible temperature sensor based on a low-temperature sintering technology is introduced.

Screen-Printable Iontronic Pressure Sensor with Thermal Expansion Microspheres for Pulse Monitoring.

Constructing microstructures to improve the sensitivity of flexible pressure sensors is an effective approach. However, the preparation of microstructures usually involves inverted molds or subtractive manufacturing methods, which are difficult in large-scale (e.g.

Wearable multichannel-active pressurized pulse sensing platform.

With the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), creating devices to digitalize aspects of pulse diagnosis has proved to be challenging. The currently available pulse detection devices usually rely on external pressure devices, which are either bulky or poorly integrated, hindering their practical application. In this work, we propose an innovative wearable active pressure three-channel pulse monitoring device based on TCM pulse diagnosis methods.

Multimodal ultrasound presentation of breast hemangioma-A case image.

The tubular strips of anechoic areas and multiple curved strong echoes were seen in the lump-characteristic manifestations of breast hemangioma.

The application of computer-aided diagnosis in Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System ultrasound training for residents-a randomized controlled study.

Background: The consistency of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification among experienced radiologists is different, which is difficult for inexperienced radiologists to master. This study aims to explore the value of computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) (AI-SONIC breast automatic detection system) in the BI-RADS training for residents.

Methods: A total of 12 residents who participated in the first year and the second year of standardized resident training in Ningbo No.

Controllable defects in monolayer graphene induced by hydrogen and argon plasma.

Graphene has attracted wide attentions since its successfully exfoliation. Honeycombcarbon lattice and Dirac semi-metal band structure make graphene a promising material with excellent mechanical strength, thermal conductivity, and carrier mobility. However, the absence of intrinsic bandgap limits its application in semiconductor.

Fully printed minimum port flexible interdigital electrode sensor arrays.

Screen-printed interdigital electrode-based flexible pressure sensor arrays play a crucial role in human-computer interaction and health monitoring due to their simplicity of fabrication. However, the long-standing challenge of how to reduce the number of electrical output ports of interdigital electrodes to facilitate integration with back-end circuits is still commonly ignored. Here, we propose a screen-printing strategy to avoid wire cross-planes for rapid fabrication of flexible pressure sensor arrays.

A Dual-Mode Pressure and Temperature Sensor.

The emerging field of flexible tactile sensing systems, equipped with multi-physical tactile sensing capabilities, holds vast potential across diverse domains such as medical monitoring, robotics, and human-computer interaction. In response to the prevailing challenges associated with the limited integration and sensitivity of flexible tactile sensors, this paper introduces a versatile tactile sensing system capable of concurrently monitoring temperature and pressure. The temperature sensor employs carbon nanotube/graphene conductive paste as its sensitive material, while the pressure sensor integrates an ionic gel containing boron nitride as its sensitive layer.