Recent Progress of Soft and Bioactive Materials in Flexible Bioelectronics

Advancing Nanogenerators: The Role of 3D-Printed Nanocomposites in Energy Harvesting

Nanogenerators have garnered significant scholarly interest as a groundbreaking approach to energy harvesting, encompassing applications in self-sustaining electronics, biomedical devices, and environmental monitoring. The rise of additive manufacturing has fundamentally transformed the production processes of nanocomposites, allowing for the detailed design and refinement of materials aimed at optimizing energy generation. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of 3D-printed nanocomposites in the context of nanogenerator applications. By employing layer-by-layer deposition, multi-material integration, and custom microstructural architectures, 3D-printed nanocomposites exhibit improved mechanical properties, superior energy conversion efficiency, and increased structural complexity when compared to their conventionally manufactured counterparts. Polymers, particularly those with inherent dielectric, piezoelectric, or triboelectric characteristics, serve as critical functional matrices in these composites, offering mechanical flexibility, processability, and compatibility with diverse nanoparticles. In particular, the careful regulation of the nanoparticle distribution in 3D printing significantly enhances piezoelectric and triboelectric functionalities, resulting in a higher energy output and greater consistency. Recent investigations into three-dimensional-printed nanogenerators reveal extraordinary outputs, encompassing peak voltages of as much as 120 V for BaTiO3-PVDF composites, energy densities surpassing 3.5 mJ/cm2, and effective d33 values attaining 35 pC/N, thereby emphasizing the transformative influence of additive manufacturing on the performance of energy harvesting. Furthermore, the scalability and cost-effectiveness inherent in additive manufacturing provide substantial benefits by reducing material waste and streamlining multi-phase processing. Nonetheless, despite these advantages, challenges such as environmental resilience, long-term durability, and the fine-tuning of printing parameters remain critical hurdles for widespread adoption. This assessment highlights the transformative potential of 3D printing in advancing nanogenerator technology and offers valuable insights into future research directions for developing high-efficiency, sustainable, and scalable energy-harvesting systems.

Recent Representative Progress of Surface Coating Technology

Surface coating technologies have become fundamental in modern industrial development, offering effective methods to enhance material surface properties while maintaining bulk characteristics. These technologies span from traditional methods like electroplating to advanced techniques such as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and atomic layer deposition (ALD), serving crucial functions in corrosion protection, wear resistance, and various specialized applications across industries. The field has witnessed significant advancement in both process sophistication and application scope, driven by increasing demands for enhanced material performance and environmental sustainability. The integration of nanotechnology and smart materials has led to the development of multifunctional coatings with unprecedented properties, while emerging technologies (such as smart manufacturing and biomedical coatings) like cold spray and biomimetic surface modification continue to expand the possibilities for surface engineering applications. Bearing it in mind, we would like to offer a timely and concisely summary for the recent representative progress of surface coating technology, hoping to provide basic understanding and fundamental guidance for the development of the field.

In Silico Trials of Prosthetic Valves Replicate Methodologies for Evaluating the Fatigue Life of Artificial Leaflets to Expand Beyond In Vitro Tests and Conventional Clinical Trials

Background: Fatigue failure of artificial leaflets significantly limits the durability of prosthetic valves. However, the costs and complexities associated with in vitro testing and conventional clinical trials to investigate the fatigue life of leaflets are progressively escalating. In silico trials offer an alternative solution and validation pathway. This study presents in silico trials of prosthetic valves, along with methodologies incorporating nonlinear behaviors to evaluate the fatigue life of artificial leaflets. Methods: Three virtual patient models were established based on in vitro test and clinical trial data, and virtual surgeries and physiological homeostasis maintenance simulations were performed. These simulations modeled the hemodynamics of three virtual patients following transcatheter valve therapy to predict the service life and crack propagation of leaflets based on the fatigue damage assessment. Results and Conclusions: Compared to traditional trials, in silico trials enable a broader and more rapid investigation into factors related to leaflet damage. The fatigue life of the leaflets in two virtual patients with good implantation morphology exceeded 400 million cycles, meeting the requirements, while the fatigue life of a virtual patient with a shape fold in the leaflet was only 440,000 cycles. The fatigue life of the leaflets varied considerably with different implant morphologies. Postoperative balloon dilation positively enhanced fatigue life. Importantly, in silico trials yielded insights that are difficult or impossible to uncover through conventional experiments, such as the increased susceptibility of leaflets to fatigue damage under compressive loading.