American Chemical Society

Fish Scales Could Make Wearable Electronics More Sustainable

Flexible temporary electronic displays may one day make it possible to sport a glowing tattoo or check a reading, like that of a stopwatch, directly on the skin. In its current form, however, this technology generally depends on plastic. New research describes a way to make these displays, which would likely be discarded after a single use, more environmentally friendly using a plentiful and biodegradable resource: fish scales.

New Material Could Turn Clothing into a Health Monitor

Researchers are reporting a new material, pliable enough to be woven into fabric but imbued with sensing capabilities that could serve as an early warning system for injury or illness.

Micromotors get Supercharged

Someday, microscopic robots could perform useful functions, such as diagnostic testing in lab-on-a-chip sensors, micropatterning surfaces or repairing equipment in tight spaces. But first, scientists need to be able to tightly control the microbots' speed.

Improving Electrical, Mechanical Properties of Carbon-Nanotube Fibres

Researchers recently developed a technique that can be used to build carbon-nanotube-based fibers by creating chemical crosslinks; the technique improves the electrical and mechanical properties of these materials.

McDonald's Deep Fryer Oil Turned into High-End 3D Printing Resin

Researchers have, for the first time, turned waste cooking oil - from the deep fryers of a local McDonald's - into a high-resolution, biodegradable 3D printing resin.

Cobalt Supply can Meet Demand for EVs and Electronics Batteries

Greater use of electric vehicles might be good for the environment, but further growth hinges on continued availability of critical battery components such as cobalt. Cell phones and other electronics also depend on the element's availability.

Graphene Forms Under Microscope's Eye

You don't need a big laser to make laser-induced graphene. Scientists are using a very small visible beam to burn the foamy form of carbon into microscopic patterns.

Improving Adhesives for Wearable Sensors

By conveniently and painlessly collecting data, wearable sensors create many new possibilities for keeping tabs on the body. In order to work, these devices need to stay next to the skin. In a study, researchers tweaked a widely used polymer to create a potential new adhesive to keep these sensors in place.

Anti-Solar Cells: A Photovoltaic Cell That Works at Night

What if solar cells worked at night? A specially designed photovoltaic cell could generate up to 50 watts of power per square meter under ideal conditions at night, about a quarter of what a conventional solar panel can generate in daytime, according to a concept.

Turbocharging Hydrogen Fuel Cells with Novel Ion-Conducting Copolymer

Renewed investments in hydrogen fuel cell technologies and infrastructure by companies like Amazon; nations like China; and automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, are sparking sales and fresh interest in the vast possibilities of polymer-electrolyte fuel cells. The fresh interest could revolutionize transportation and fill streets with vehicles whose only effluent is water vapor.

Toward Safer Disposal of Printed Circuit Boards

Printed circuit boards are vital components of modern electronics. However, once they have served their purpose, they are often burned or buried in landfills, polluting the air, soil and water.

Blueprint for Nanomaterial Offers Hope to Newborns, Elderly, Doctors

Newborn babies, elderly people, sick hospital patients and sports enthusiasts all stand to gain from a breakthrough in the development of wearable technology using nanomaterials.

A Self-Healing Sweat Sensor

Wearable sensors that track heart rate or steps are popular fitness products. But in the future, working up a good sweat could provide useful information about a person's health. Now, researchers reporting have developed a headband that measures electrolyte levels in sweat. And unlike many previous sweat sensors, the device can heal itself when cut or scratched during exercise.

How Light a Foldable and Long-Lasting Battery can be

With the launch of wearable devices and smartphones that require high capacity of electricity such as foldable phones and 5G phones, the interest in batteries are increasing and various battery types are developed. For example, flexible batteries embedded in the mobile watch band or wireless power sharing batteries that have developed from wireless charging.

2D Dielectric Inks Suitable for Print-in-Place Electronics

A team have produced a two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride ink which has been used to fabricate flexible thin-film transistors.

Scratching the Surface of Perovskites

Versatile compounds called perovskites are valued for their application in next generation solar energy technologies. Despite their efficiency and relative cheapness, perovskite devices have yet to be perfected; they often contain atomic-level structural defects.

Making Tiny Antennas for Wearable Electronics

When it comes to electronics, bigger usually isn't better. This is especially true for a new generation of wearable communication systems that promise to connect people, machines and other objects in a wireless "internet of things." To make the devices small and comfortable enough to wear, scientists need to miniaturize their components.

Stretchable, Degradable Semiconductors

To seamlessly integrate electronics with the natural world, materials are needed that are both stretchable and degradable -- for example, flexible medical devices that conform to the surfaces of internal organs, but that dissolve and disappear when no longer needed.

A Stretchable Stopwatch Lights Up Human Skin

Imagine a runner who doesn't need to carry a stopwatch or cell phone to check her time: She could just gaze at the glowing stopwatch display on the back of her hand. Such human-machine interfaces are no longer science fiction, but they still have a way to go before becoming mainstream. Now, researchers have developed a stretchable light-emitting device that operates at low voltages and is safe for human skin.

Pacifier Biosensor Could Help Monitor Newborn Health

Wearable biosensors that non-invasively monitor health and fitness are growing in popularity among adults. However, adapting this technology for use with babies is difficult, now researchers say they have developed a pacifier-based biosensor that tracks real-time glucose levels in saliva.