| 1. |
- Ait-Mammar, Walid, et al.
(författare)
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All-Inkjet-Printed Humidity Sensors for the Detection of Relative Humidity in Air and Soil-Towards the Direct Fabrication on Plant Leaves
- 2020
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Ingår i: MRS Advances. - : CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS. - 2059-8521. ; 5:18-19, s. 965-973
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate the fabrication, by exclusive means of inkjet-printing, of capacitive relative humidity sensors on flexible, plastic substrate. These sensors can be successfully used for the measurement of relative-humidity in both air and common soil. We also show that the same technique may be used for the fabrication of the same type of sensors on the surface of the leaves of El AE gnus Ebbingei (silverberry).Our results demonstrate the suitability of leaves as substrate for printed electronics and pave the way to the next generation of sensors to be used in fields such as agriculture and flower farming.
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| 2. |
- Berggren, Magnus, Professor, 1968-, et al.
(författare)
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In Vivo Organic Bioelectronics for Neuromodulation
- 2022
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Ingår i: Chemical Reviews. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0009-2665 .- 1520-6890. ; 122:4, s. 4826-4846
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nervous system poses a grand challenge for integration with modern electronics and the subsequent advances in neurobiology, neuroprosthetics, and therapy which would become possible upon such integration. Due to its extreme complexity, multifaceted signaling pathways, and similar to 1 kHz operating frequency, modern complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based electronics appear to be the only technology platform at hand for such integration. However, conventional CMOS-based electronics rely exclusively on electronic signaling and therefore require an additional technology platform to translate electronic signals into the language of neurobiology. Organic electronics are just such a technology platform, capable of converting electronic addressing into a variety of signals matching the endogenous signaling of the nervous system while simultaneously possessing favorable material similarities with nervous tissue. In this review, we introduce a variety of organic material platforms and signaling modalities specifically designed for this role as "translator" , focusing especially on recent implementation in in vivo neuromodulation. We hope that this review serves both as an informational resource and as an encouragement and challenge to the field.
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| 3. |
- Berggren, Magnus, et al.
(författare)
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Ion Electron-Coupled Functionality in Materials and Devices Based on Conjugated Polymers
- 2019
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 31:22
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The coupling between charge accumulation in a conjugated polymer and the ionic charge compensation, provided from an electrolyte, defines the mode of operation in a vast array of different organic electrochemical devices. The most explored mixed organic ion-electron conductor, serving as the active electrode in these devices, is poly(3,4-ethyelenedioxythiophene) doped with polystyrelensulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). In this progress report, scientists of the Laboratory of Organic Electronics at Linkoping University review some of the achievements derived over the last two decades in the field of organic electrochemical devices, in particular including PEDOT:PSS as the active material. The recently established understanding of the volumetric capacitance and the mixed ion-electron charge transport properties of PEDOT are described along with examples of various devices and phenomena utilizing this ion-electron coupling, such as the organic electrochemical transistor, ionic-electronic thermodiffusion, electrochromic devices, surface switches, and more. One of the pioneers in this exciting research field is Prof. Olle Inganas and the authors of this progress report wish to celebrate and acknowledge all the fantastic achievements and inspiration accomplished by Prof. Inganas all since 1981.
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| 4. |
- Bernacka Wojcik, Iwona, et al.
(författare)
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Implantable Organic Electronic Ion Pump Enables ABA Hormone Delivery for Control of Stomata in an Intact Tobacco Plant
- 2019
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Ingår i: Small. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 15:43
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electronic control of biological processes with bioelectronic devices holds promise for sophisticated regulation of physiology, for gaining fundamental understanding of biological systems, providing new therapeutic solutions, and digitally mediating adaptations of organisms to external factors. The organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) provides a unique means for electronically-controlled, flow-free delivery of ions, and biomolecules at cellular scale. Here, a miniaturized OEIP device based on glass capillary fibers (c-OEIP) is implanted in a biological organism. The capillary form factor at the sub-100 mu m scale of the device enables it to be implanted in soft tissue, while its hyperbranched polyelectrolyte channel and addressing protocol allows efficient delivery of a large aromatic molecule. In the first example of an implantable bioelectronic device in plants, the c-OEIP readily penetrates the leaf of an intact tobacco plant with no significant wound response (evaluated up to 24 h) and effectively delivers the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) into the leaf apoplast. OEIP-mediated delivery of ABA, the phytohormone that regulates plants tolerance to stress, induces closure of stomata, the microscopic pores in leafs epidermis that play a vital role in photosynthesis and transpiration. Efficient and localized ABA delivery reveals previously unreported kinetics of ABA-induced signal propagation.
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| 5. |
- Cucchi, Matteo, et al.
(författare)
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In Liquido Computation with Electrochemical Transistors and Mixed Conductors for Intelligent Bioelectronics
- 2023
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 35:15
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Next-generation implantable computational devices require long-term-stable electronic components capable of operating in, and interacting with, electrolytic surroundings without being damaged. Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) emerged as fitting candidates. However, while single devices feature impressive figures of merit, integrated circuits (ICs) immersed in common electrolytes are hard to realize using electrochemical transistors, and there is no clear path forward for optimal top-down circuit design and high-density integration. The simple observation that two OECTs immersed in the same electrolytic medium will inevitably interact hampers their implementation in complex circuitry. The electrolytes ionic conductivity connects all the devices in the liquid, producing unwanted and often unforeseeable dynamics. Minimizing or harnessing this crosstalk has been the focus of very recent studies. Herein, the main challenges, trends, and opportunities for realizing OECT-based circuitry in a liquid environment that could circumnavigate the hard limits of engineering and human physiology, are discussed. The most successful approaches in autonomous bioelectronics and information processing are analyzed. Elaborating on the strategies to circumvent and harness device crosstalk proves that platforms capable of complex computation and even machine learning (ML) can be realized in liquido using mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs).
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| 6. |
- Delavari, Najmeh, et al.
(författare)
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Water Intake and Ion Exchange in PEDOT:Tos Films upon Cyclic Voltammetry: Experimental and Molecular Dynamics Investigation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Macromolecules. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0024-9297 .- 1520-5835. ; 54:13, s. 6552-6562
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conductive polymer PEDOT:Tos (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene doped with molecular tosylate) gained considerable attention in various devices for bioelectronic applications, such as organic transistors and sensors. Many of these devices function upon oxidation/reduction processes in contact with aqueous electrolytes. So far, theoretical insight into morphological changes, ion injection, and water intake during these processes was rather limited. In the present work, we combined experiments and molecular dynamics simulations to study the water intake, swelling, and exchange of ions in the PEDOT:Tos film during cyclic voltammetry. We showed that the film underwent significant changes in morphology and mass during the redox processes. We observed both experimentally and in simulations that the film lost its mass during reduction, as tosylate and Na were expelled and gained mass during oxidation mainly due to the uptake of anions, i.e., tosylate and Cl. The results were in line with the UV-VIS-NIR absorption measurements and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements, which revealed that during the redox process a portion of Tos was replaced by Cl- as the counterion for PEDOT. Also, the relative mass change between the most oxidized and reduced states was similar to 10 to 14% according to both experiments and simulations. We detected an overall material loss of the film during voltammetry cycles indicating that a portion of the material leaving the film during reduction did not return to the film during the consecutive oxidation. Our combined experimental/simulation study unraveled the underlying molecular processes in the PEDOT:Tos film upon the redox process, providing the essential understanding needed to improve and assess the performance of bioelectronic devices.
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| 7. |
- Dufil, Gwennaël, 1995-
(författare)
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Living biohybrid systems via in vivo polymerization of thiophene oligomers
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Life is the result of a multitude of electrical signals which drives our nervous system but also accomplishes a cascade of electrochemical reactions. In the 18th century, Lucia Galeazzi and Luigi Galvani got the idea to stimulate frog legs with electrodes. This first step into the world of bioelectronics showed that electronic systems were able to communicate with living organisms through electrical stimulation, as well as by recording electrical signals from organisms. Until the end of the 20th century, the field of bioelectronics kept progressing using metal electrodes. This class of material inherently exhibits a high conductivity from their dispersed cloud of shared electrons. However, an obvious physical mismatch occurs when inserting metal electrodes inside a living organism. Since these materials are not as soft as living tissues, internal damage followed by an immune response impacts the impedance of such probes.In the late 80s', the large-scale commercialization of water processable conducting polymers brought a new paradigm in the choice of electronic material for bioelectronics devices. Compared to metals, conducting polymers are composed of semi-crystalline blocks that interact through electrostatic forces. These soft structures make these materials permeable to aqueous solutions, which allow the introduction of ionic species in the vicinity of the polymer backbone. Ions close to the polymer backbone can tune the conductivity of the material creating a unique ion/electron dialogue that increases the electronic signal resolution. Additionally, these soft structures considerably reduce scaring effects and therefore enable the devices to trigger lower immune responses. Conducting polymers could also be directly inserted within living tissues to create electronic platforms inside a host. Living organisms with new material properties could unravel new functions such as collecting electrophysiological data without surgery.Plants are living organisms that made their way out of the ocean and conquered most of the available land on earth. Saying that plants are good climate controllers is a euphemism since plants are legitimately the organisms that have settled the climate conditions for the development of more advanced life forms. Plant biohybrid is a new technological concept where plants are not only seen for their nutritious or environmental aspect but also as devices that can record and transfer information about their local environmental conditions. Such data could be used in a positive feedback loop to improve the production yield of crops or understand the underlying communication mechanism that occurs between plants or with plant micro-biomes. Most of the approaches toward plant biohybrids nowadays focus on nanomaterials that act as fluorescent probes in leaves and detect analytes from plants' local environment.In this thesis, we push forward a plant biohybrid strategy that instead uses conducting polymers as vectors to build conductors inside plants with the aim to build electrochemical platforms that could be used for applications such as energy storage, sensing, and energy production. Works developed in this thesis are going in an array of directions that aims for the better integration of electronic platforms in living systems with more focus on plants.We first identified a plant enzymatic mechanism that triggers the polymerization of a thiophene oligomer, namely ETE-S in vivo and in vitro. Such plant enzymatic pathways can then be reused to develop electronic systems in plantae without additional reagents. In the next work, we presented the synthesis of three new oligomers called ETE-N, EEE-S, and EEE-N that have a similar architecture compared to ETE-S but with different chemical moieties such as a different ionic side chain or an EDOT instead of thiophene in the middle position of the oligomer. We then demonstrated the effective enzymatic polymerization of these oligomers both in vivo and in vitro and how the resulting polymers' optoelectronic and tissue integrations properties differ. Towards even more versatility, we demonstrated that this electronic integration in vivo was also observed in the case of an animal: the freshwater hydra polyp. The polymerization was observed mostly in differentiated cells from the gastric column of the animal that normally secretes an adhesive used to fix the animal underwater. P(ETE-S) was incorporated in this glue that we managed to characterize using electrochemical methods. Lastly, we performed demonstrations of electrochemical applications with a plant root system. By dipping several roots in an ETE-S solution, we created a network of conducting roots that can effectively store charge as a capacitor with performance comparable to what is classically obtained with conducting polymers. In addition, we modified roots with two different surface modification concepts to make them specific to glucose oxidation: the first method uses a traditional redox hydrogel with a crosslinker and glucose oxidase. The second one uses the embedment of a glucosespecific enzyme inside the p(ETE-S) layer during its formation. These devices are presented as possible new solutions for environmental glucose sensors that could collect current from the environment and store it in neighbouring capacitive roots.Overall, this thesis shows that the enzymatic activity of living systems can be used from an engineering point of view as part of a deposition methods for the development of biohybrid applications.
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| 8. |
- Luo, Yifei, et al.
(författare)
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Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors
- 2023
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 17:6, s. 5211-5295
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited. To ease and to expedite their deployment, here, we identify bottlenecks hindering the maturation of flexible sensors and propose promising solutions. We first analyze challenges in achieving satisfactory sensing performance for real-world applications and then summarize issues in compatible sensor-biology interfaces, followed by brief discussions on powering and connecting sensor networks. Issues en route to commercialization and for sustainable growth of the sector are also analyzed, highlighting environmental concerns and emphasizing nontechnical issues such as business, regulatory, and ethical considerations. Additionally, we look at future intelligent flexible sensors. In proposing a comprehensive roadmap, we hope to steer research efforts towards common goals and to guide coordinated development strategies from disparate communities. Through such collaborative efforts, scientific breakthroughs can be made sooner and capitalized for the betterment of humanity.
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| 9. |
- Méhes, Gábor, et al.
(författare)
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Solar Heat-Enhanced Energy Conversion in Devices Based on Photosynthetic Membranes and PEDOT:PSS-Nanocellulose Electrodes
- 2020
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Ingår i: Advanced Sustainable Systems. - : Wiley-VCH Verlag. - 2366-7486. ; 4:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Energy harvesting from photosynthetic membranes, proteins, or bacteria through bio-photovoltaic or bio-electrochemical approaches has been proposed as a new route to clean energy. A major shortcoming of these and solar cell technologies is the underutilization of solar irradiation wavelengths in the IR region, especially those in the far IR region. Here, a biohybrid energy-harvesting device is demonstrated that exploits IR radiation, via convection and thermoelectric effects, to improve the resulting energy conversion performance. A composite of nanocellulose and the conducting polymer system poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is used as the anode in biohybrid cells that includes thylakoid membranes (TMs) and redox mediators (RMs) in solution. By irradiating the conducting polymer electrode by an IR light-emitting diode, a sixfold enhancement in the harvested bio-photovoltaic power is achieved, without compromising stability of operation. Investigation of the output currents reveals that IR irradiation generates convective heat transfer in the electrolyte bulk, which enhances the redox reactions of RMs at the anode by suppressing diffusion limitations. In addition, a fast-transient thermoelectric component, originating from the PEDOT:PSS-nanocellulose-electrolyte interphase, further increases the bio-photocurrent. These results pave the way for the development of energy-harvesting biohybrids that make use of heat, via IR absorption, to enhance energy conversion efficiency.
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| 10. |
- Moser, Maximilian, et al.
(författare)
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Controlling Electrochemically Induced Volume Changes in Conjugated Polymers by Chemical Design : from Theory to Devices
- 2021
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Ingår i: Advanced Functional Materials. - : Wiley. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; n/a:n/a
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electrochemically induced volume changes in organic mixed ionic-electronic conductors (OMIECs) are particularly important for their use in dynamic microfiltration systems, biomedical machinery, and electronic devices. Although significant advances have been made to maximize the dimensional changes that can be accomplished by OMIECs, there is currently limited understanding of how changes in their molecular structures impact their underpinning fundamental processes and their performance in electronic devices. Herein, a series of ethylene glycol functionalized conjugated polymers is synthesized, and their electromechanical properties are evaluated through a combined approach of experimental measurements and molecular dynamics simulations. As demonstrated, alterations in the molecular structure of OMIECs impact numerous processes occurring during their electrochemical swelling, with sidechain length shortening decreasing the number of incorporated water molecules, reducing the generated void volumes and promoting the OMIECs to undergo different phase transitions. Ultimately, the impact of these combined molecular processes is assessed in organic electrochemical transistors, revealing that careful balancing of these phenomena is required to maximize device performance.
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| 11. |
- Oikonomou, Vasileios, 1992-
(författare)
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Cellulose-based Conducting 3D and 2D Composites for Applications in Plant Science and Responsive Systems
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Polymers (Greek: poly=many, meros=part) are large molecules made up of many small parts (monomers) in a repetitive way, as a term was introduced for the first time (1833) by the Swedish chemist, Jöns Jakob Berzelius. By the combination of different monomers, the resulting polymer can exhibit various properties, such as biodegradability, photosensitivity and electrical conductivity. The latter is the main characteristic of the polymers included in this thesis. Since their commercialization, in the late 20th century soft and biocompatible conductive polymers have been substituting stiff and bio-tolerable metals in numerous cases, especially in the medical field for in vivo applications. Polymers can also be found in nature, as a product of the life cycles of animals, plants and microorganisms. The variety of natural polymers is vast, and they are categorized mainly into the groups of polysaccharides, polypeptides and polynucleotides. In these categories belong some of the most well known and investigated materials, for instance, DNA, proteins, silk and cellulose. The combination of synthetic materials with natural materials has intrigued the scientific community for many decades, as a way to form functional materials with hybrid properties. In this thesis, synthetic polymers, particularly conjugated polymers were combined with cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer on earth to form 2D and 3D conducting composites that can find application in plant science and stimuli-responsive systems. In the first part of this thesis, the widely used conjugated polymer PEDOT:PSS was combined with cellulose nanofibers to form 3D porous conducting scaffolds. The scaffolds were developed by freeze-drying method and their electrochemical, mechanical and structural properties were characterized. We investigated the effect of the freezing method on the scaffold properties and found a correlation between the mechanical properties and the pore wall thickness. Furthermore, with micro-CT, we could characterize in detail the bulk structure of the scaffolds and investigate how the incorporation of carbon fibers as addressing electrodes influences the porosity (paper 1). Next, we applied the conducting scaffolds for stimulating plant growth. The plant of our choice was barley, a very important crop, which was grown within the scaffold and the roots were integrated within the scaffold’s pores. We demonstrated that plants grow in the scaffolds under sterile conditions, as well as in agar which is the standard medium used in plant sterile culture. Taking a step ahead, we developed a non-sterile hydroponics setup, where the plants could grow without any contamination. Furthermore, we applied different protocols of electric stimulation to the scaffolds for various time periods and polarizations, achieving at the end a 40% increase in the plant biomass for the stimulated plants. We investigated the growth of the plants and concluded that the enhancement of growth was taking place after the stimulation period with growth enhancement both to roots and shoots (paper 2). In the second part of the thesis, we harnessed the unique electroswelling capabilities of the polythiophene-based polymer p(g3T2), with two different approaches. Initially, we demonstrated the ability of the p(g3T2) material to expand reversibly on a 2D mesh when electrochemically addressed. We optimized the coating on the metallic mesh with fixed pore size and developed an electroactive filter with tunable porosity that could modulate the flow of a system on demand (paper 3). Although p(g3T2) has great potential for various applications, it is processed from hazardous organic solvents, such as chloroform. Therefore, we addressed this issue and developed a protocol where p(g3T2) is solubilized in ethanol, which enables the coating of a plethora of substrates that chloroform would dissolve. From a biodegradable 3D printed mesh of cellulose and polylactide to everyday labware we demonstrated that p(g3T2) can change the substrate properties when electrochemically addressed directly on the non-conducting substrate without the need for an underlying supporting electrode. Forming a biocompatible substrate able to facilitate tissue engineering studies(paper 4). Overall, in this thesis, we demonstrated how synthetic materials can be combined with natural materials to form functional composites with hybrid properties. Firstly, by combining the mechanical characteristics of cellulose and the mixed ionic electronic conductivity of PEDOT:PSS we can obtain a 3D phytocompatible aerogel that can have desired pore size, undergo mechanical compression and act as an active hydroponic substrate for stimulating plant growth. Then we demonstrated how polymers with controllable volume change, such as the polythiophene-based conjugated polymer p(g3T2), can be combined with everyday materials paving the way for stimuli responsive systems such as electroactive filters, and when used with a green solvent can modify everyday labware used for in vitro experiments.
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| 12. |
- Rossi, Stefano, 1993-
(författare)
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Reflective structural colors and their actuation using electroactive conducting polymers
- 2022
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The integration of inorganic photonic nanostructures with organic materials opens new possibilities to dynamically modify the optical response of photonic devices. This thesis focuses on how to generate efficient reflective structural colors and tune them in combination with a conducting polymer (CP). The main technological interest lies in color reflective displays, devices with ultralow power consumption that work with reflected environmental light. The main challenge is to obtain dynamic color tunability while maintaining good chromaticity and brightness. We first studied how to make efficient reflective structural colors and focused on highly reflective optical nanocavities based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM), combining the Fabry-Pérot effect and a broadband absorber. We demonstrated a full color palette by changing the spacer thickness and proposed different configurations to improve the chromaticity and reproduce black. We also explored subtractive coloration with a cyan-yellow-magenta (CYM) system to increase the relative luminance for reflective displays. We covered the CYM spectrum by combining plasmonic nanodisks with optical nanocavities, using a scalable nanofabrication method based on colloidal lithography. Subsequently, we modified our optical nanocavities by replacing the dielectric spacer with a low bandgap electroactive CP, polythieno[3,4 b]thiophene(pT34bT), to obtain active color tunability. By integrating the optical nanocavities in an electrochemical cell, we proved tunability of the reflected color across all the visible spectrum with low operating voltages and similar reflectance values for all the oxidation states. Those cavities can be considered a proof of principle for the development of tunable monopixels. In addition, we explored vapour phase polymerization (VPP) as an alternative deposition method with direct patterning possibilities by UV-exposure of the precursor oxidant film. We developed optical reflective nanocavities with a spacer based on poly[3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene]:Tosylate (PEDOT:Tos) on metal mirrors, generating color images by different UV exposures. We showed the feasibility of generating images by using a UV photomask with different contrasts. Those cavities could also be switched in color by electrochemical tuning in an electrolyte, reaching different electrochromic states. This method has the potential to be extended to other types of polymers and to be used for display technologies.
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| 13. |
- Routier, Cyril, 1996-
(författare)
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Plant Nanobionics : From Localized Carbon Capture to Precision Molecular Delivery
- 2024
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Photosynthesis is an evolutionary marvel that not only sustains plant life but also profoundly shaped the climatic conditions necessary for the development of other advanced forms of life and the ecosystems we know today. During photosynthesis, plants harness the energy of light to convert carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the main greenhouse gases, into sugars for the growth of both themselves and organisms that consume plants, and oxygen that sustains life on Earth. As we face the challenges of a rapidly changing climate and growing global population, understanding and enhancing the functions of plants such as photosynthesis and drought tolerance is of major importance.With advances in materials science over the years, an increasing number of nanotechnologies harnessing the unique properties of materials with sizes in the nanometer range (<100 nm) are emerging, holding promise to revolutionize various sectors, including agriculture and plant biology. At the intersection of materials science and plant biology, the field of plant nanobionics emerges as a transformative discipline pioneering a novel approach to integrating nanomaterials directly into plant systems. Departing from traditional genetic modification, this interdisciplinary field seeks to create bio-hybrid systems to enhance plants’ natural functions such as photosynthesis or introduce entirely new capabilities such as environmental sensing, monitoring, or even light emission.Various strategies exist in plant nanobionics, including the use of carbon nanotubes, silica nanoparticles, liposomes, or even quantum dots. The use of polymers, which consist of long chains of molecules with repeating units, has also been particularly intriguing for nanotechnological and nanobionic approaches due to their versatile and tunable properties.The primary focus of this thesis was to increase the diffusion rate of atmospheric CO2 in the leaves of tobacco plants using polymeric nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are engineered to directly capture CO2 from the atmosphere and are able to cross various plant cell membranes to deliver it to the photosynthetic reaction centers. The initial carboxylation reaction of photosynthesis, where atmospheric CO2 is converted into sugar precursors (3-phosphoglyceric acid or 3-PGA) with the help of the enzyme RuBisCO, is often considered the limiting step of the photosynthetic process. The poor affinity of RuBisCO to CO2 coupled with the limited diffusion of CO2 to the reaction sites is responsible for a considerable reduction in the potential photosynthetic efficiency of plants.With that in mind, we designed nanoparticles based on polyethyleneimine, a polymer able to capture atmospheric CO2 and cross cellular membranes, and modified it with chitosan, a biocompatible polymer, to design nanoparticles that we further labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) for fluorescent observation purposes. We studied their ability to self-integrate into plant cells and the plant chloroplasts, where the photosynthetic reaction occurs, without causing harm to the cells or the plants in general. We further evaluated the capacity of the nanoparticles to integrate into plant cells in culture and demonstrated that the nanoparticles have a natural affinity for the cells and self-integrate in the cells, crossing the cell wall, after 3 days. The nanoparticles also had no negative impact on the capacity of the cells to keep growing and dividing. We also demonstrated the nanoparticles' ability to still capture atmospheric CO2 when integrated into plant leaves and, in vitro, to redistribute it to RuBisCO enhancing the production of 3-PGA by 20%. Since the entry of the nanoparticles into plant leaves requires forced infiltration using a syringe infiltration method, we also studied the impact of the method itself on the plants' natural capacity to uptake CO2 and perform photosynthesis. We found there was a temporary impact of the infiltration process on the leaves’ natural CO2 uptake that also resulted in a reduction of their natural photosynthetic abilities. This will enable future studies to reliably quantify the impact of the nanoparticles on plant processes. We also used an organic electronic ion pump as a precision delivery method to study the impact of various biomolecules, such as malic and abscisic acid, on the plants' natural regulation of carbon dioxide uptake through the leaf pores known as stomata.Our work elucidates the various mechanisms at play when infiltrating nanoparticles or delivering biomolecules into plant leaves and plant cells in culture. We demonstrated a proof-of-concept use of phytocompatible nanoparticles in vivo, paving the way for a nanomaterials-based CO2-concentrating mechanism in plants that can potentially increase plants’ photosynthetic efficiency and overall CO2 storage.
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| 14. |
- Tommasini, Giuseppina, et al.
(författare)
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Seamless integration of bioelectronic interface in an animal model via in vivo polymerization of conjugated oligomers
- 2022
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Ingår i: Bioactive Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 2452-199X. ; 10, s. 107-116
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Leveraging the biocatalytic machinery of living organisms for fabricating functional bioelectronic interfaces, in vivo, defines a new class of micro-biohybrids enabling the seamless integration of technology with living biological systems. Previously, we have demonstrated the in vivo polymerization of conjugated oligomers forming conductors within the structures of plants. Here, we expand this concept by reporting that Hydra, an invertebrate animal, polymerizes the conjugated oligomer ETE-S both within cells that expresses peroxidase activity and within the adhesive material that is secreted to promote underwater surface adhesion. The resulting conjugated polymer forms electronically conducting and electrochemically active μm-sized domains, which are inter-connected resulting in percolative conduction pathways extending beyond 100 μm, that are fully integrated within the Hydra tissue and the secreted mucus. Furthermore, the introduction and in vivo polymerization of ETE-S can be used as a biochemical marker to follow the dynamics of Hydra budding (reproduction) and regeneration. This work paves the way for well-defined self-organized electronics in animal tissue to modulate biological functions and in vivo biofabrication of hybrid functional materials and devices.
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