Advanced Materials Technologies

Journal: Advanced Materials Technologies

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Wiley-VCH

ISSN

2365-709X
2365-709X

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Publications 1 - 10 of 18

A Degradable Device for Sustainable Capillary Blood Sampling
Zoratto, Nicole; Krupke, Hanna; Mantella, Valeria; et al. (2025)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Capillary blood sampling plays a crucial role in diagnostic decentralization, yet most microsampling devices remain expensive, limiting their use mainly to developed countries. To improve accessibility, a cost‐effective silicone device capable of extracting small volumes of capillary blood in vivo was previoulsy developed by our group. However, the use of non‐degradable materials poses limitations, especially in resource‐limited settings with inadequate waste disposal infrastructure. Herein, a nearly fully degradable microsampling prototype is reported. The device body is fabricated using digital light processing 3D printing with tailored poly(ɛ‐caprolactone‐co‐D,L‐lactide). This device yields negative pressure and adhesion strength comparable to the original prototype, although it requires greater manual compression. In vitro, it collects ≈670 µL of porcine whole blood, matching the volume drawn by the silicone counterpart. The device is equipped with magnesium microneedle blades coated with poly(ɛ‐caprolactone) to enhance blood stability. Degradation studies show complete disintegration of poly(ɛ‐caprolactone‐co‐D,L‐lactide) under composting conditions within 60 days, and near‐complete degradation of magnesium blades in aqueous buffer within 40 days. Preliminary hemolysis assays confirm blood compatibility of both the 3D‐printed device and coated microneedles, with sample quality preserved for up to 3 h. Altogether, these findings highlight the potential of this degradable prototype as a sustainable alternative for capillary blood collection.
Wafer-Scale Gold Nanomesh via Nanotransfer Printing toward a Cost-Efficient Multiplex Sensing Platform
Gao, Min; Zhao, Yi‐Bo; Zhao, Zhi-Jun; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Multiplex sensing platforms via large-scale and cost-efficient fabrication processes for detecting biological and chemical substance are essential for many applications such as intelligent diagnosis, environmental monitoring, etc. For the past decades, the performance of those sensors has been significantly improved by the rapid development of nanofabrication technologies. However, facile processes with cost-effectiveness and large-scale throughput still present challenges. Nano-transfer printing together with the imprinting process shows potential for the efficient fabrication of 100 nm structures. Herein, a wafer-scale gold nanomesh (AuNM) structure on glass substrates with 100 nm scale features via nano-imprinting and secondary transfer printing technology is reported. Furthermore, potential sensing applications are demonstrated towards biochemical substance detection by using AuNM structures as highly responsive substrates for achieving the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), and as working electrodes of electrochemical analysisfor the detection of metallic ions. In the SERS detection mode, different nucleotides can be detected down to 1 nm level and distinguished via theirunique fingerprint patterns. As for electrochemical analysis mode, Pb2+ ions can be detected out of other interfering components with concentration down to 30 nm. These multimodal sensing mechanisms provide complementary informationand pave the way for low-cost and high-performance sensing platforms.
Radio Frequency Sensing-Based In Situ Temperature Measurements during Magnetic Resonance Imaging Interventional Procedures
Bilgin, Mehmet Berk; Tiryaki, Mehmet Efe; Lazovic, Jelena; et al. (2022)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-tuned radio-frequency (RF) sensors are used as a radiation-free alternative for tracking minimally invasive medical tool positions. However, in situ temperature sensing capabilities of the MRI-tuned RF sensors have not been thoroughly investigated yet. A self-resonating RF sensor capable of remote in situ temperature sensing during real-time interventional MRI is presented. The proposed RF sensor design relies on the temperature-dependent permittivity to tune or detune the resonant frequency. The sensor is tuned to match the resonant frequency of a 7 Tesla MRI (298 MHz) at body temperature, enabling a hyperintense signal in MR images. As temperature increases, the sensor detunes due to the change in the relative permittivity, and the hyperintense signal disappears in the MR image, serving as a direct visual indicator of the temperature change in real-time. In addition, the localized signal can be used for 3D position tracking of interventional medical devices. Using a 7 Tesla preclinical MRI, in vitro characterization and ex vivo feasibility of the proposed temperature sensing method are demonstrated in the clinically relevant temperature range of 36–42 °C with an accuracy of ±0.6 °C. Such RF sensors can provide safer operations in future MRI interventional procedures.
Rapeseed Cake Valorization into Bioplastics Based on Protein Amyloid Fibrils
Bagnani, Massimo; Ehrengruber, Silas; Soon, Wei Long; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Biodegradable polymers obtained from renewable resources are urgently needed to help mitigating the environmental burden of plastic pollution. Herein, a green process is developed to obtain protein-based bioplastics through valorization of rapeseed cake. First, the effects of different protein extraction protocols are investigated, including water extraction at pH values from 1 to 12 and salt extraction with isoelectric point precipitation (IP), on proteins profile and sample composition. It is demonstrated that alkaline extraction at pH 12 results in the highest extraction yields of proteins (approximate to 70%) and total solutes (approximate to 50%). The IP results in lower yields but in highest protein purity of approximate to 80%. Alkaline extraction at pH 10.5 results in the extraction of 36% total solutes and approximate to 50% of proteins, with a protein profile similar to that obtained by IP, rich in alpha and beta polypeptides chains of cruciferin. AFM analysis shows that samples containing cruciferin allow self-assembly into mature amyloid fibrils upon incubation. Rapeseed amyloids are blended with polyvinyl alcohol and glycerol to develop bioplastics films that are characterized by decreased water absorption, higher water contact angle, and elongation at break >600%, more than double compared to films obtained from native monomers.
A Stretchable Strain Sensor System for Wireless Measurement of Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue Strains
Zhang, Qiang; Bossuyt, Fransiska M.; Adam, Naomi C.; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Measurement of in vivo strain patterns of musculoskeletal soft tissues (MSTs) during functional activities reveals their biomechanical function, supports the identification and understanding of pathologies, and quantifies tissue adaptation during healing. These scientific and clinical insights have motivated the development and application of various strain sensors to quantify MST strains in either intraoperative or dynamic in vivo conditions. In this study, a strain sensor system is developed based on stretchable electronics and radio frequency identification technologies. In this system, a flexible inductor-capacitor-resistor sensor is fabricated such that it can be wirelessly excited by a custom-designed readout box through electronic resonance. The resonant frequency of the sensor changes when the capacitor is stretched, which is then also recorded by the readout box at a sampling rate of 1024 Hz. Suturing the stretchable capacitor onto the MST allows it to be stretched in line with musculoskeletal deformations, hence providing an indirect method to assess strain patterns in vivo. Application of the system ex vivo indicates that the signal remains linear between 0 and 25% strain and is electronically stable in a simulated in vivo environment for one week and over 100 000 cycles of fatigue loadings. The strain sensor exhibits excellent resolution (0.1% strain, approximate to 9 mu m) during wireless strain measurement. Finally, sensor implantation and strain measurement onto the medial gastrocnemius tendon of a sheep indicate that the sensor is able to record repetitive strain patterns in vivo during dynamic movements. This study indicates the potential scientific and clinical applicability in vivo.
Printed Humidity Sensors from Renewable and Biodegradable Materials
Aeby, Xavier; Bourely, James; Poulin, Alexandre; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Increasing environmental concerns raised by the accumulation of electronic waste draws attention to the development of sustainable materials for short-lived electronics. In this framework, printed capacitive humidity sensors and temperature resistive detectors composed exclusively of biodegradable materials: shellac, carbon-derived particles, and egg-albumin are reported. The sensor platform comprises interdigitated electrodes serving as a capacitive transducer for humidity sensing, and a serpentine used as a resistive temperature detector. Both the interdigitated and serpentine electrodes are manufactured by screen-printing carbon ink on a shellac substrate. The humidity sensors are constructed by drop-coating egg albumin on the interdigitated carbon electrodes and the temperature detector is prepared by encapsulating the serpentine design with shellac. Shellac is shown to be a biodegradable alternative to hydrophilic cellulose-derived substrates, with the capacitive humidity sensors demonstrating a sensitivity of 0.011% RH-1. The response and recovery times on shellac are 12 and 20 times faster than on cellulose-based substrate, and the serpentine resistive temperature detectors have a temperature coefficient of 5300 ppm K-1. At the end of their service-life, the sensors produced are home compostable and can be environmentally friendly disposed, potentially enabling their future use for sustainable and environmentally friendly smart-packaging, agricultural sensing, or point-of-care testing.
Tuning the Solar Performance of Building Facades through Polymer 3D Printing: Toward Bespoke Thermo‐Optical Properties
Piccioni, Valeria; Leschok, Matthias; Grobe, Lars Oliver; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Façades are the primary interface controlling the flow of solar energy in buildings and affecting their energy balance and environmental impact. Recently, large-scale 3D printing (3DP) of translucent polymers has been explored as a technique for fabricating façade components with bespoke properties and functionalities. Transmissivity is essential for building facades, as the response to solar radiation is crucial to obtaining comfort and greatly affects electricity and cooling demands. However, it is still unclear how 3DP parameters affect the optical properties of translucent polymers. This study establishes an experimental procedure to relate the optical properties of PETG components to design and 3DP parameters. It is observed that printing parameters control layer deposition, which governs internal light scattering in the layers and overall light transmission. Moreover, the layer resolution determines angle-dependent properties. It is shown that printing parameters can be tuned to obtain tailored optical properties, from high normal transparency (≈90%) to translucency (≈60%), and with a range of haze levels (≈55–97%). These findings present an opportunity for large-scale 3DP of bespoke façades, which can selectively admit or block solar radiation and provide uniform daylighting of a space. In the context of the building sector decarbonization, such components hold great potential for reducing emissions while ensuring occupant comfort.
3D Printing of Hollow Microspheres into Strong Hierarchical Porous Ceramics
Huo, Wenlong; Tervoort, Elena; Gantenbein, Silvan; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Porous ceramics are demanded in a wide range of high-temperature, biological and energy-related applications, but may show conflicting properties or suffer from poor mechanical properties. Introducing pores at different length scales has been shown to be a promising design strategy to combine antagonistic performance parameters and reach high porosity without severely compromising strength. Here, a cost-effective and simple process to create strong, highly porous ceramics via direct ink writing of suspensions of hollow microspheres into cellular architectures with pores at three hierarchical levels is reported. X-ray diffraction, rheological measurements, scanning electron microscopy, and mechanical tests are conducted to thoroughly study the processing steps and morphology of the printed hierarchical porous ceramics. The presence of pores at multiple length scales increases significantly the mechanical strength of the porous structure, providing a useful platform for the manufacturing of lightweight ceramics from inexpensive and widely available feedstock materials.
3D Printing of Hierarchical Porous Ceramics for Thermal Insulation and Evaporative Cooling
Dutto, Alessandro; Zanini, Michele; Jeoffroy, Etienne; et al. (2023)
Advanced Materials Technologies
Materials for thermal management of buildings offer an attractive approach to reduce energy demands and carbon emissions in the infrastructure sector, but many of the state-of-the-art insulators are still expensive, flammable, or difficult to recycle. Here, a 3D printing process is developed and studied to create hierarchical porous ceramics for thermal insulation and passive cooling using recyclable and widely available clay as raw material. Inks comprising particle-stabilized foams are employed as a template for the generation of the hierarchical porosity. Using foams with optimized rheological properties, the printing parameters and sintering conditions required for the manufacturing of hierarchical porous ceramics via Direct Ink Writing are established. The sintering temperature is found to strongly affect the size distribution of micropores, thus controlling the mechanical, thermal, and evaporative cooling properties of sintered printed structures. By combining suspension- and foam-based inks in a multimaterial printing approach, inexpensive and recyclable clay-based bricks are manufactured with structural, thermal insulating, and passive cooling capabilities.
Imaging Technologies for Biomedical Micro- and Nanoswimmers
Pané, Salvador; Puigmarti-Luis, Josep; Bergeles, Christos; et al. (2019)
Advanced Materials Technologies

Publications 1 - 10 of 18

Journal: Advanced Materials Technologies

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