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Xiao Y, Xu K, Zhao P, Ji L, Hua C, Jia X, Wu X, Diao L, Zhong W, Lyu G, Xing M. Microgels sense wounds' temperature, pH and glucose. Biomaterials 2024; 314:122813. [PMID: 39270627 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2024.122813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2024] [Revised: 08/23/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Wound healing concerns almost all bed-side related diseases. With our increasing comprehension of healing nature, the physical and chemical natures behind the wound microenvironment have been decoupled. Wound care demands timely screening and prompt diagnosis of wound complications such as infection and inflammation. Biosensor by the way of exhaustive collection, delivery, and analysis of data, becomes indispensable to arrive at an ideal healing upshot and controlling complications by capturing in-situ wound status. Electrochemical based sensors carry some potential unstable performance subjected to the electrical circuitry and power access and contamination. The colorimetric sensors are free from those concerns. We report that microsensors designed from O/W/O of capillary fluids can continuously monitor wound temperature, pH and glucose concentration. We combined three different types of microgels to encapsulate liquid crystals of cholesterol, nontoxic fuel litmus and two glucose-sensitizing enzymes. A smartphone applet was then developed to convert wound healing images to RGB of digitalizing data. The microgel dressing effectively demonstrates the local temperature change, pH and glucose levels of the wound in high resolution where a microgel is a 'pixel'. They are highly responsive, reversible and accurate. Monitoring multiple physicochemical and physiological indicators provides tremendous potential with insight into healing processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqin Xiao
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Kaige Xu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Peng Zhao
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Leilei Ji
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Chao Hua
- Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China
| | - Xiaoli Jia
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Xiaozhuo Wu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Ling Diao
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China
| | - Wen Zhong
- Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Guozhong Lyu
- Burn & Trauma Treatment Center, The Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; Wuxi School of Medicine, Jiangnan University, Wuxi 214000, China; Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China; National Research Center for Emergency Medicine, Beijing, China.
| | - Malcolm Xing
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, R3T 2N2, Canada.
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2
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Pawłów J, Wilk-Kozubek M, Czajkowski M, Zdończyk M, Cybińska J. Innovative use of liquid crystalline acids as color developers in leuco dye-based temperature sensors. RSC Adv 2024; 14:18663-18670. [PMID: 38863816 PMCID: PMC11165690 DOI: 10.1039/d4ra01867b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Novel temperature sensors with unique optical properties, based on 4-alkylbenzoic acid developers (CnBA, where n is the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain ranging from 4 to 6), which exhibit a liquid crystalline phase, and 6'-(diethylamino)-1',2'-benzofluoran (BF) leuco dye are reported. The main aim of this work is to investigate how the molecular packing of CnBA in different phases affects the development of BF. Various techniques were used to study the prepared temperature sensors' phase transitions and thermal stability. The spectroscopic properties of BF : CnBA (1 : 3) were investigated, using temperature-dependent UV-Vis absorption and emission spectroscopy, and the results show that the sensors demonstrate reversible color-changing properties. When the CnBA developers are at room temperature, the materials are pink and emit orange light, while at approximately 105 °C they turn white and emit yellow light. Above that temperature, the sensors return to a pink and orange light emission. Therefore the prepared materials can serve as indicators that inform about not only exceeding a certain temperature threshold but also reaching temperature ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pawłów
- Materials Science and Engineering Center, Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development 147 Stabłowicka Street 54-066 Wrocław Poland
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wrocław 14 F. Joliot-Curie Street 50-383 Wrocław Poland
| | - M Wilk-Kozubek
- Materials Science and Engineering Center, Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development 147 Stabłowicka Street 54-066 Wrocław Poland
| | - M Czajkowski
- Materials Science and Engineering Center, Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development 147 Stabłowicka Street 54-066 Wrocław Poland
| | - M Zdończyk
- Materials Science and Engineering Center, Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development 147 Stabłowicka Street 54-066 Wrocław Poland
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wrocław 14 F. Joliot-Curie Street 50-383 Wrocław Poland
| | - J Cybińska
- Materials Science and Engineering Center, Łukasiewicz Research Network - PORT Polish Center for Technology Development 147 Stabłowicka Street 54-066 Wrocław Poland
- Faculty of Chemistry, University of Wrocław 14 F. Joliot-Curie Street 50-383 Wrocław Poland
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3
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Yang X, Tang SJ, Meng JW, Zhang PJ, Chen YL, Xiao YF. Phase-Transition Microcavity Laser. NANO LETTERS 2023; 23:3048-3053. [PMID: 36946699 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.3c00510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Liquid-crystal microcavity lasers have attracted considerable attention because of their extraordinary tunability and sensitive response to external stimuli, and because they operate generally within a specific phase. Here, we demonstrate a liquid-crystal microcavity laser operated in the phase transition in which the reorientation of liquid-crystal molecules occurs from aligned to disordered states. A significant wavelength shift of the microlaser is observed, resulting from the dramatic changes in the refractive index of liquid-crystal microdroplets during the phase transition. This phase-transition microcavity laser is then exploited for sensitive thermal sensing, enabling a two-order-of-magnitude enhancement in sensitivity compared with the nematic-phase microlaser operated far from the transition point. Experimentally, we demonstrate an exceptional sensitivity of -40 nm/K and an ultrahigh resolution of 320 μK. The phase-transition microcavity laser features compactness, softness, and tunability, showing great potential for high-performance sensors, optical modulators, and soft matter photonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Yang
- Frontiers Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics and State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Shui-Jing Tang
- Frontiers Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics and State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jia-Wei Meng
- Frontiers Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics and State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Pei-Ji Zhang
- Frontiers Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics and State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - You-Ling Chen
- State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yun-Feng Xiao
- Frontiers Science Center for Nano-Optoelectronics and State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
- Peking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Nantong 226010, China
- National Biomedical Imaging Center, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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4
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Franklin D, Ueltschi T, Carlini A, Yao S, Reeder J, Richards B, Van Duyne RP, Rogers JA. Bioresorbable Microdroplet Lasers as Injectable Systems for Transient Thermal Sensing and Modulation. ACS NANO 2021; 15:2327-2339. [PMID: 33439017 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c10234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Minimally invasive methods for temperature sensing and thermal modulation in living tissues have extensive applications in biological research and clinical care. As alternatives to bioelectronic devices for this purpose, functional nanomaterials that self-assemble into optically active microstructures offer important features in remote sensing, injectability, and compact size. This paper introduces a transient, or bioresorbable, system based on injectable slurries of well-defined microparticles that serve as photopumped lasers with temperature-sensitive emission wavelengths (>4-300 nm °C-1). The resulting platforms can act as tissue-embedded thermal sensors and, simultaneously, as distributed vehicles for thermal modulation. Each particle consists of a spherical resonator formed by self-organized cholesteric liquid crystal molecules doped with fluorophores as gain media, encapsulated in thin shells of soft hydrogels that offer adjustable rates of bioresorption through chemical modification. Detailed studies highlight fundamental aspects of these systems including particle sensitivity, lasing threshold, and size. Additional experiments explore functionality as photothermal agents with active temperature feedback (ΔT = 1 °C) and potential routes in remote evaluation of thermal transport properties. Cytotoxicity evaluations support their biocompatibility, and ex vivo demonstrations in Casper fish illustrate their ability to measure temperature within biological tissues with resolution of 0.01 °C. This collective set of results demonstrates a range of multifunctional capabilities in thermal sensing and modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Franklin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Tyler Ueltschi
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Andrea Carlini
- Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Shenglian Yao
- Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Jonathan Reeder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Benjamin Richards
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Richard P Van Duyne
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - John A Rogers
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
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5
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Levit S, Nguyen J, Hattrup NP, Rabatin BE, Stwodah R, Vasey CL, Zeevi MP, Gillard M, D’Angelo PA, Swana KW, Tang C. Color Space Transformation-Based Algorithm for Evaluation of Thermochromic Behavior of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals Using Polarized Light Microscopy. ACS OMEGA 2020; 5:7149-7157. [PMID: 32280855 PMCID: PMC7143408 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.9b03484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cholesteryl ester liquid crystals exhibit thermochromic properties related to the existence of a twisted nematic phase. When used in applications such as thermal mapping, a color change is often monitored by video cameras. Thus, quantitative methods to evaluate thermochromic behavior (e.g., blue-start, red-start, red-end, color play and bandwidth) from video analysis are desirable. However, obtaining quantitative color measurements from digital images remains a significant technical challenge, especially for highly reflective samples such as liquid crystals (for which ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) reflectance spectroscopy is typically used). We developed a method to determine thermochromic properties from videos of liquid crystal cooling under polarized light microscopy. We relate observed color transitions to quantifiable changes in the cumulative color difference in the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*a*b* color space and validate this method with UV-vis reflectance spectroscopy. The measured thermochromic behavior and associated measurement uncertainties (coefficient of variations) were comparable to UV-vis reflectance measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shani
L. Levit
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Jimmy Nguyen
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Nicholas P. Hattrup
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Briget E. Rabatin
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Ratib Stwodah
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Christopher L. Vasey
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Michael P. Zeevi
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - McKenna Gillard
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
| | - Paola A. D’Angelo
- U.S.
Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, United States
| | - Kathleen W. Swana
- U.S.
Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center, Natick, Massachusetts 01760, United States
| | - Christina Tang
- Chemical
and Life Science Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth
University, Richmond, Virginia 23284-3028, United States
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Thermochromic Fibers via Electrospinning. Polymers (Basel) 2020; 12:polym12040842. [PMID: 32268610 PMCID: PMC7240475 DOI: 10.3390/polym12040842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 03/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Cholesteryl ester liquid crystals exhibit thermochromic properties related to the existence of a twisted nematic phase. We formulate ternary mixtures of cholesteryl benzoate (CB), cholesteryl pelargonate (CP), and cholesteryl oleyl carbonate (COC) to achieve thermochromic behavior. We aim to achieve thermochromic fibers by incorporating the liquid crystal formulations into electrospun fibers. Two methods of incorporating the liquid crystal (LC) are compared: (1) blend electrospinning and (2) coaxial electrospinning using the same solvent system for the liquid crystal. For blend electrospinning, intermolecular interactions seem to be important in facilitating fiber formation since addition of LC can suppress bead formation. Coaxial electrospinning produces fibers with higher nominal fiber production rates (g/hr) and with higher nominal LC content in the fiber (wt. LC/wt. polymer assuming all of the solvent evaporates) but larger fiber size distributions as quantified by the coefficient of variation in fiber diameter than blend electrospinning with a single nozzle. Importantly, our proof-of-concept experiments demonstrate that coaxially electrospinning with LC and solvent in the core preserves the thermochromic properties of the LC so that thermochromic fibers are achieved.
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