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Category: engineering – Page 17

New hydrogel semiconductor could lead to better tissue-interfaced bioelectronics

The ideal material for interfacing electronics with living tissue is soft, stretchable, and just as water-loving as the tissue itself—in short, a hydrogel. Semiconductors, the key materials for bioelectronics such as pacemakers, biosensors, and drug delivery devices, on the other hand, are rigid, brittle, and water-hating, impossible to dissolve in the way hydrogels have traditionally been built.

A paper published today in Science from the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has solved this challenge that has long stymied researchers, reimagining the process of creating hydrogels to build a powerful semiconductor in form. Led by Asst. Prof. Sihong Wang’s research group, the result is a bluish gel that flutters like a sea jelly in water but retains the immense semiconductive ability needed to transmit information between living tissue and machine.

The material demonstrated tissue-level moduli as soft as 81 kPa, stretchability of 150% strain, and charge-carrier mobility up to 1.4 cm2 V-1 s-1. This means their material—both semiconductor and hydrogel at the same time—ticks all the boxes for an ideal bioelectronic interface.

Programmable double-network gels: Interspecies interactions dictate structure, resilience and adaptability

A new study uncovers how fine-tuning the interactions between two distinct network-forming species within a soft gel enables programmable control over its structure and mechanical properties. The findings reveal a powerful framework for engineering next-generation soft materials with customizable behaviors, inspired by the complexity of biological tissues.

The study, titled “Inter-Species Interactions in Dual, Fibrous Gels Enable Control of Gel Structure and Rheology,” is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study uses simulations to investigate how varying the strength and geometry of interactions between two colloidal species impacts network formation and rheological performance. By controlling separately interspecies stickiness and tendency to bundle, researchers discovered that tuning these inter-species interactions allows over whether the networks that they form remain separate, overlap, or intertwine.

Semiconducting polymer design strategies point way to reducing scar tissue around implants

Over time, scar tissue slows or stops implanted bioelectronics. But new interdisciplinary research could help pacemakers, sensors and other implantable devices keep people healthier for longer.

In a paper published in Nature Materials, a group of researchers led by University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Asst. Prof. Sihong Wang has outlined a suite of design strategies for the used in , all aimed at reducing the foreign-body response triggered by implants.

The immune system is primed to detect and respond to foreign objects. In some cases, the immune system might reject lifesaving devices such as pacemakers or drug delivery systems. But in all cases, the immune system will encase the devices in over time, hurting the devices’ ability to help patients.

One timed-release capsule could replace taking multiple pills

Managing complex medication schedules could soon become as simple as taking a single capsule each day. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed a capsule that can be packed with multiple medications and release them at designated times throughout the day.

The advance, published in Matter, could help improve and by eliminating the need for patients to remember taking multiple drugs or doses at various times each day. It could potentially reduce the risk of missed doses or accidental overdoses.

“We want to simplify medication management with a single that is smart enough to deliver the right drug at the right dose at the right time,” said study first author Amal Abbas, who recently earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. She spearheaded this work with Joseph Wang, a professor in the Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering at UC San Diego.

Discovery shows that even neutral molecules take sides when it comes to biochemistry

A new study led by a pair of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst turns long-held conventional wisdom about a certain type of polymer on its head, greatly expanding understanding of how some of biochemistry’s fundamental forces work. The study, released recently in Nature Communications, opens the door for new biomedical research running the gamut from analyzing and identifying proteins and carbohydrates to drug delivery.

The work involves a kind of polymer made up of neutral polyzwitterions. Because they have a neutral electrical charge, polyzwitterions are not expected to respond to an electric field. However, the team found not only that certain neutral polyzwitterions behave as if they were charged, but also that the electric field surrounding polyzwitterions, once thought to be uniform, varies in strength.

“My interest is in the proteins and , which are the building blocks for protein, inside our body’s cells,” says Yeseul Lee, lead author and graduate student in polymer science and engineering at UMass Amherst.

Betavoltaic cell with perovskite-radioactive isotope combo can power long-term applications

A research team has developed the world’s first next-generation betavoltaic cell by directly connecting a radioactive isotope electrode to a perovskite absorber layer. By embedding carbon-14-based quantum dots into the electrode and enhancing the perovskite absorber layer’s crystallinity, the team achieved both stable power output and high energy conversion efficiency.

The work is published in the journal Chemical Communications. The team was led by Professor Su-Il In of the Department of Energy Science & Engineering at DGIST.

The newly developed technology offers a stable, long-term power supply without the need for recharging, making it a promising next-generation energy solution for fields requiring long-term power autonomy, such as , , and military applications.

Superconducting qubits enable new quantum simulations and advanced control systems

Interdisciplinary teams across the Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA) are using innovative approaches to push the boundaries of superconducting qubit technology, bridging the gap between today’s NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) systems and future fault-tolerant systems capable of impactful science applications.

QSA is one of the five United States Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science (QIS) Research Centers, bringing together leading pioneers in (QIS) and engineering across 15 partner institutions.

A superconducting is made from such as aluminum or niobium, which exhibit quantum effects when cooled to very low temperatures (typically around 20 millikelvins, or −273.13° C). Numerous technology companies and research teams across universities and national laboratories are leveraging for prototype scientific computing in this rapidly growing field.

“China Disrupts Earth’s Rotation”: NASA Confirms Massive Project Is Slowing the Planet With Unprecedented Global Consequences

IN A NUTSHELL 🌍 The Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest hydroelectric dam globally, symbolizing China’s engineering prowess. 🔍 NASA suggests that the dam’s massive water displacement might influence Earth’s rotation, affecting the planet’s natural balance. 💧 The dam’s reservoir, when full, could lengthen the day by 0.06 microseconds and alter Earth’s shape.

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