Fast Electrochemical Netting of Composite Chains for Transferable Highly Conductive Polymeric Nanofilms

CdO Decorated with Polypyrrole Nanotube Heterostructure: Potent Electrocatalyst for the Detection of Antihistamine Drug Promethazine Hydrochloride in Environmental Samples

In the realm of electrochemical sensor application, the development and fabrication of semiconducting metal oxides with the integration of conducting polymers for the trace-level detection of pharmaceutical medicines garnered considerable interest. Herein, we reported facile cadmium oxide decorated with polypyrrole nanotubes fabricated on a glassy carbon electrode (CdO@PPy/GCE) for efficient determination of antihistamine drug promethazine hydrochloride (PMH). The as-synthesized CdO@PPy composite was characterized by various analytical tools like X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the electrocatalytic activity of the modified electrode for PMH detection was examined by voltammetry and amperometric methods, and the modified electrode exhibited lower charge transfer resistance compared to the bare GCE. Under the optimized condition, the fabricated electrode shows a wide linear range (50-550 μM), better sensitivity (0.13 μAμM-1 cm-2), low detection limit (10.83 nM) (S/N = 3), and excellent selectivity and reproducibility toward PMH detection. Moreover, the modified GCE depicted eminent practical ability for PMH detection in lake water and pharmaceutical tablets.

Actuators for Implantable Devices: A Broad View

The choice of actuators dictates how an implantable biomedical device moves. Specifically, the concept of implantable robots consists of the three pillars: actuators, sensors, and powering. Robotic devices that require active motion are driven by a biocompatible actuator. Depending on the actuating mechanism, different types of actuators vary remarkably in strain/stress output, frequency, power consumption, and durability. Most reviews to date focus on specific type of actuating mechanism (electric, photonic, electrothermal, etc.) for biomedical applications. With a rapidly expanding library of novel actuators, however, the granular boundaries between subcategories turns the selection of actuators a laborious task, which can be particularly time-consuming to those unfamiliar with actuation. To offer a broad view, this study (1) showcases the recent advances in various types of actuating technologies that can be potentially implemented in vivo, (2) outlines technical advantages and the limitations of each type, and (3) provides use-specific suggestions on actuator choice for applications such as drug delivery, cardiovascular, and endoscopy implants.

Simultaneous Enhancement of Electrical and Optical Properties of Transparent Conducting RuO2 Nanosheet films by Facile Ultraviolet-Ozone Irradiation

The enhancement of electrical and optical properties in transparent conducting electrodes has attracted significant interest for their application in flexible electronic devices. Herein, a method for the fabrication of transparent conducting films is proposed. In this approach, RuO2 nanosheets are synthesized by a simple chemical exfoliation method and deposited as conducting films by repeated Langmuir–Blodgett coating. For enhancing the electrical and optical properties of the films, ultraviolet-ozone irradiation is applied between the repeated coatings for the removal of residual organic materials from the chemically exfoliated nanosheets. We observe that by applying ultraviolet-ozone irradiation for 30 min, the sheet resistance of the films decreases by 10% and the optical transmittance is simultaneously enhanced. Facile ultraviolet-ozone irradiation is shown to be an effective and industrially friendly method for enhancing the electrical and optical properties of oxide nanosheets for their application as transparent conduction electrodes.