scholarly journals Photonic skins based on flexible organic microlaser arrays

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (31) ◽  
pp. eabh3530
Author(s):  
Chunhuan Zhang ◽  
Haiyun Dong ◽  
Chuang Zhang ◽  
Yuqing Fan ◽  
Jiannian Yao ◽  
...  

Flexible photonics is rapidly emerging as a promising platform for artificial smart skins to imitate or extend the capabilities of human skins. Organic material systems provide a promising avenue to directly fabricate large-scale flexible device units; however, the versatile fabrication of all-organic integrated devices with desired photonic functionalities remains a great challenge. Here, we develop an effective technique for the mass processing of organic microlaser arrays, which act as sensing units, on the chip of photonic skins. With a bilayer electron-beam direct writing method, we fabricated flexible mechanical sensor networks composed of coupled-cavity single-mode laser sources on pliable polymer substrates. These microlaser-based mechanical sensor chips were subsequently used to recognize hand gestures, showing great potential for artificial skin applications. This work represents a substantial advance toward scalable construction of high-performance and low-cost flexible photonic chips, thus paving the way for the implementation of smart photonic skins into practical applications.

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (34) ◽  
pp. 13046-13052 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pin Liu ◽  
Yunming Li ◽  
Yong-Sheng Hu ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Liquan Chen ◽  
...  

This study reports a hard carbon material derived from a waste biomass of corn cob and the influence of carbonized temperature on electrochemical performance. This study provides a promising anode material with low cost, high initial coulombic efficiency and excellent cycle performance, making sodium-ion batteries closer to practical applications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-123
Author(s):  
Tsung-Ching Huang ◽  
Ting Lei ◽  
Leilai Shao ◽  
Sridhar Sivapurapu ◽  
Madhavan Swaminathan ◽  
...  

Abstract High-performance low-cost flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) are desirable for applications such as internet of things and wearable electronics. Carbon nanotube (CNT) thin-film transistor (TFT) is a promising candidate for high-performance FHE because of its high carrier mobility, superior mechanical flexibility, and material compatibility with low-cost printing and solution processes. Flexible sensors and peripheral CNT-TFT circuits, such as decoders, drivers, and sense amplifiers, can be printed and hybrid-integrated with thinned (<50 μm) silicon chips on soft, thin, and flexible substrates for a wide range of applications, from flexible displays to wearable medical devices. Here, we report (1) a process design kit (PDK) to enable FHE design automation for large-scale FHE circuits and (2) solution process-proven intellectual property blocks for TFT circuits design, including Pseudo-Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (Pseudo-CMOS) flexible digital logic and analog amplifiers. The FHE-PDK is fully compatible with popular silicon design tools for design and simulation of hybrid-integrated flexible circuits.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minghong Xie ◽  
Wenxiao Gong ◽  
Lei Kong ◽  
Yang Liu ◽  
Yang Mi ◽  
...  

Abstract Perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as attractive gain materials for solution-processed microlasers. Despite the recent surge of reports in this feld, it is still challenging to develop low-cost perovskite NCbased microlasers with high performance. Herein, we demonstrate low-threshold, spectrally tunable lasing from ensembles of CsPbBr3 NCs deposited on silica microspheres. Multiple whispering-gallery-mode lasing is achieved from individual NC/microspheres with a low threshold of ∼3.1 µJ cm−2 and cavity quality factor of ∼1193. Through time-resolved photoluminescence measurements, electron-hole plasma recombination is elucidated as the lasing mechanism. By tuning the microsphere diameter, the desirable single-mode lasing is successfully achieved. Remarkably, the CsPbBr3 NCs display durable room-temperature lasing under ∼107 shots of pulsed laser excitation, substantially exceeding the stability of conventional colloidal NCs. These CsPbBr3 NC-based microlasers can be potentially useful in photonic applications.


Author(s):  
Guixiang Wang ◽  
Haitao Zou ◽  
Xiaobo Zhu ◽  
Mei Ding ◽  
Chuankun Jia

Abstract Zinc-based redox flow batteries (ZRFBs) have been considered as ones of the most promising large-scale energy storage technologies owing to their low cost, high safety, and environmental friendliness. However, their commercial application is still hindered by a few key problems. First, the hydrogen evolution and zinc dendrite formation cause poor cycling life, of which needs to ameliorated or overcome by finding suitable anolytes. Second, the stability and energy density of catholytes are unsatisfactory due to oxidation, corrosion, and low electrolyte concentration. Meanwhile, highly catalytic electrode materials remain to be explored and the ion selectivity and cost efficiency of membrane materials demands further improvement. In this review, we summarize different types of ZRFBs according to their electrolyte environments including ZRFBs using neutral, acidic, and alkaline electrolytes, then highlight the advances of key materials including electrode and membrane materials for ZRFBs, and finally discuss the challenges and perspectives for the future development of high-performance ZRFBs.


NANO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (05) ◽  
pp. 2050062
Author(s):  
Zhaolei Meng ◽  
Xiaojian He ◽  
Song Han ◽  
Zijian Hu

Carbon materials are generally employed as supercapacitor electrodes due to their low- cost, high-chemical stability and environmental friendliness. However, the design of carbon structures with large surface area and controllable porous structure remains a daunt challenge. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) hybrid aerogel with different contents of MoS2 nanosheets in 3D graphene aerogel (MoS2-GA) was synthesized through a facial hydrothermal process. The influences of MoS2 content on microstructure and subsequently on electrochemical properties of MoS2-GA are systematically investigated and an optimized mass ratio with MoS2: GA of 1:2 is chosen to achieve high mechanical robustness and outstanding electrochemical performance in the hybrid structure. Due to the large specific surface area, porous structure and continuous charge transfer network, such MoS2-GA electrodes exhibit high specific capacitance, good rate capability and excellent cyclic stability, showing great potential in large-scale and low-cost fabrication of high-performance supercapacitors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (9) ◽  
pp. 4780-4788 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiang Ma ◽  
Jiakang Qu ◽  
Xiang Chen ◽  
Zhuqing Zhao ◽  
Yan Zhao ◽  
...  

Low-cost feedstocks and rationally designed structures are the keys to determining the lithium-storage performance and practical applications of Si-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).


2018 ◽  
Vol 217 ◽  
pp. 291-299 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingyuan Zhao ◽  
Nian Jiang ◽  
Xu Zhang ◽  
Jing Guo ◽  
Yanqiang Li ◽  
...  

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (23) ◽  
pp. 5558
Author(s):  
Dimitra Vernardou ◽  
Charalampos Drosos ◽  
Andreas Kafizas ◽  
Martyn E. Pemble ◽  
Emmanouel Koudoumas

The need for clean and efficient energy storage has become the center of attention due to the eminent global energy crisis and growing ecological concerns. A key component in this effort is the ultra-high performance battery, which will play a major role in the energy industry. To meet the demands in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage systems, it is necessary to prepare advanced batteries with high safety, fast charge ratios, and discharge capabilities at a low cost. Cathode materials play a significant role in determining the performance of batteries. Among the possible electrode materials is vanadium pentoxide, which will be discussed in this review, due to its low cost and high theoretical capacity. Additionally, aqueous electrolytes, which are environmentally safe, provide an alternative approach compared to organic media for safe, cost-effective, and scalable energy storage. In this review, we will reveal the industrial potential of competitive methods to grow cathodes with excellent stability and enhanced electrochemical performance in aqueous media and lay the foundation for the large-scale production of electrode materials.


Nanoscale ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (13) ◽  
pp. 6173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Emmanuelawati ◽  
Jie Yang ◽  
Jun Zhang ◽  
Hongwei Zhang ◽  
Liang Zhou ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 602-603 ◽  
pp. 151-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chuan Shan Li ◽  
Ru Li ◽  
Xiao Yong Du ◽  
Ming Xia Zhang ◽  
Jie Tang ◽  
...  

Continuous multi-filament boron nitride fibers have been prepared on a large scale using the melt drawn technique from a low-cost boracic acid. Boracic acid was heated to obtain the molten boric oxide in a melting tank. Molten boric oxide was melt spun in a conventional manner through an 200-tip bushing to produce a continuous multifilament yarn consisting of 200 filaments of boric oxide. Boric oxide fibers were nitrided in an ammonia and were annealed in an inert atmosphere while simultaneously subjecting the fibers to sufficient longitudinal tension as to at least prevent longitudinal shrinkage of the fibers. The resulting fibers, consisting essentially of boron nitride, were less than about 8 μm in diameter and greater than 500 m in length. It indicated that the boron nitride fibers has a sound mechanical function with tensile strength of 1.40 GPa. The continuous boron nitride fibers of high-performance were especially suitable for reinforcing plastic, ceramic or metal matrices in the preparation of fiber reinforced composites.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document