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Marques N, Jana S, Mendes MJ, Águas H, Martins R, Panigrahi S. Surface modification of halide perovskite using EDTA-complexed SnO 2 as electron transport layer in high performance solar cells. RSC Adv 2024; 14:12397-12406. [PMID: 38633492 PMCID: PMC11022184 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra08900b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The long-term performance of metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can be significantly improved by tuning the surface characteristics of the perovskite layers. Herein, low-temperature-processed ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)-complexed SnO2 (E-SnO2) is successfully employed as an electron transport layer (ETL) in PSCs, enhancing the efficiency and stability of the devices. The effects of EDTA treatment on SnO2 are investigated for different concentrations: comparing the solar cells' response with 15%-2.5% SnO2 and E-SnO2 based ETLs, and it was found that 7.5% E-SnO2 provided the best results. The improved surface properties of the perovskite layer on E-SnO2 are attributed to the presence of small amount of PbI2 which contributes to passivate the defects at the grain boundaries and films' surface. However, for the excess PbI2 based devices, photocurrent dropped, which could be attributed to the generation of shallow traps due to excess PbI2. The better alignment between the Fermi level of E-SnO2 and the conduction band of perovskite is another favorable aspect that enables increased open-circuit potential (VOC), from 0.82 V to 1.015 V, yielding a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 15.51%. This complex ETL strategy presented here demonstrates the enormous potential of E-SnO2 as selective contact to enhance the perovskite layer properties and thereby allow stable and high-efficiency PSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuno Marques
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
| | - Santanu Jana
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
| | - Manuel J Mendes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
| | - Shrabani Panigrahi
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516 Portugal
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Fitton Davies K, Clarke S, Martins R, Rudd JR, Duncan M. The effect of a home-based, gamified stability skills intervention on 4-5-year-old children's physical and cognitive outcomes: A pilot study. Psychol Sport Exerc 2024; 73:102636. [PMID: 38588787 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stability skills (e.g., static/dynamic balance) are a precursor for other movement skill development (e.g., jumping, catching). However, young children consistently demonstrate low stability and movement skill ability. There is therefore a need to develop effective strategies to improve stability skills in early childhood. AIM To pilot the effect of a home-based gamified stability skills intervention on 4-5-year-old children's physical skills, self-perceptions and cognitions. METHODS One-hundred-and-eleven 4-5-year-old children participated from three schools. Two schools were allocated into the intervention group (n = 66 children, 33 boys) and one to the control group (n = 45 children, 25 boys). Stability, fundamental movement skills, perceived motor competence, and cognition were assessed at baseline and at post-intervention. The intervention group was given a booklet detailing the 12-week gamified stability skill intervention. The control group participated in their usual weekly activities. RESULTS A series of ANCOVAs controlling for baseline values demonstrated significantly higher stability skills (F(1,93) = 24.79, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.212), fundamental movement skills (F(1,94) = 15.5, p = < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.139), perceived motor competence (F(1,96) = 5.48, p = 0.021, partial η2 = 0.054) and cognition (F(1,96) = 15.5, p = < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.139) at post-test for the intervention versus control groups. DISCUSSION This study demonstrates that a home-based, gamified, stability skills intervention enhances stability skills, fundamental movement skills, perceived motor competence and cognition in children aged 4-5-years old.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Fitton Davies
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Copperas Hill, Liverpool, L3 5GE, UK; Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
| | - S Clarke
- Centre for Arts, Memory and Communities, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
| | - R Martins
- Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
| | - J R Rudd
- Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Sognsveien 220, 0863, Oslo, Norway; Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Inndalsveien 28, 5063, Bergen, Norway.
| | - M Duncan
- Centre for Physical Activity, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry, CV1 5FB, UK.
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Franco M, Kiazadeh A, Deuermeier J, Lanceros-Méndez S, Martins R, Carlos E. Inkjet printed IGZO memristors with volatile and non-volatile switching. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7469. [PMID: 38553556 PMCID: PMC10980760 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58228-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Solution-based memristors deposited by inkjet printing technique have a strong technological potential based on their scalability, low cost, environmentally friendlier processing by being an efficient technique with minimal material waste. Indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO), an oxide semiconductor material, shows promising resistive switching properties. In this work, a printed Ag/IGZO/ITO memristor has been fabricated. The IGZO thickness influences both memory window and switching voltage of the devices. The devices show both volatile counter8wise (c8w) and non-volatile 8wise (8w) switching at low operating voltage. The 8w switching has a SET and RESET voltage lower than 2 V and - 5 V, respectively, a retention up to 105 s and a memory window up to 100, whereas the c8w switching shows volatile characteristics with a low threshold voltage (Vth < - 0.65 V) and a characteristic time (τ) of 0.75 ± 0.12 ms when a single pulse of - 0.65 V with width of 0.1 ms is applied. The characteristic time alters depending on the number of pulses. These volatile characteristics allowed them to be tested on different 4-bit pulse sequences, as an initial proof of concept for temporal signal processing applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Franco
- Center of Physics, University of Minho and Laboratory of Physics for Materials and Emergent Technologies, LapMET, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Asal Kiazadeh
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
| | - S Lanceros-Méndez
- Center of Physics, University of Minho and Laboratory of Physics for Materials and Emergent Technologies, LapMET, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
- BCMaterials, Basque Center for Materials, Applications and Nanostructures, UPV/EHU Science Park, 48940, Leioa, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Carlos
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal.
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Pinheiro T, Morais M, Silvestre S, Carlos E, Coelho J, Almeida HV, Barquinha P, Fortunato E, Martins R. Direct Laser Writing: From Materials Synthesis and Conversion to Electronic Device Processing. Adv Mater 2024:e2402014. [PMID: 38551106 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202402014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Direct Laser Writing (DLW) has been increasingly selected as a microfabrication route for efficient, cost-effective, high-resolution material synthesis and conversion. Concurrently, lasers participate in the patterning and assembly of functional geometries in several fields of application, of which electronics stand out. In this review, recent advances and strategies based on DLW for electronics microfabrication are surveyed and outlined, based on laser material growth strategies. First, the main DLW parameters influencing material synthesis and transformation mechanisms are summarized, aimed at selective, tailored writing of conductive and semiconducting materials. Additive and transformative DLW processing mechanisms are discussed, to open space to explore several categories of materials directly synthesized or transformed for electronics microfabrication. These include metallic conductors, metal oxides, transition metal chalcogenides and carbides, laser-induced graphene, and their mixtures. By accessing a wide range of material types, DLW-based electronic applications are explored, including processing components, energy harvesting and storage, sensing, and bioelectronics. The expanded capability of lasers to participate in multiple fabrication steps at different implementation levels, from material engineering to device processing, indicates their future applicability to next-generation electronics, where more accessible, green microfabrication approaches integrate lasers as comprehensive tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomás Pinheiro
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Maria Morais
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Sara Silvestre
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Carlos
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - João Coelho
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Henrique V Almeida
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Pedro Barquinha
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- i3N|CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, 2829-516, Portugal
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S. Fernandes I, Antunes D, Martins R, Mendes MJ, Reis-Machado AS. Solar fuels design: Porous cathodes modeling for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction in aqueous electrolytes. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26442. [PMID: 38420411 PMCID: PMC10901033 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
The reduction of carbon dioxide emissions is crucial to reduce the atmospheric greenhouse effect, fighting climate change and global warming. Electrochemical CO2 reduction is one of the most promising carbon capture and utilization technologies, that can be powered by solar energy and used to make added-value chemicals and green fuels, providing grid-stability, energy security, and environmental benefits. A two-dimensional finite-elements model for porous electrodes was developed and validated against experimental data, allowing the design and performance improvement of a porous zinc cathode morphology and its operational conditions for an electrolyzer producing syngas via the co-electrolysis of CO2 and water. Porosity, pore length, fiber geometric shape, inlet pressure, system temperature, and catholyte flow rate were explored, and these parameters were thoroughly tuned by using the smart-search Nelder-Mead's multi-parameter optimization algorithm to achieve pronouncedly higher, industrial-relevant current density values than those previously reported, up to 263.6 mA/cm2 at an applied potential of -1.1 V vs. RHE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês S. Fernandes
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Duarte Antunes
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Manuel J. Mendes
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana S. Reis-Machado
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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6
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Martins RA, Carlos E, Kiazadeh A, Martins R, Deuermeier J. Low-Temperature Solution-Based Molybdenum Oxide Memristors. ACS Appl Eng Mater 2024; 2:298-304. [PMID: 38419978 PMCID: PMC10897879 DOI: 10.1021/acsaenm.3c00535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Solution-based memristors have gained significant attention in recent years due to their potential for the low-cost, scalable, and environmentally friendly fabrication of resistive switching devices. This study is focused on the fabrication and characterization of solution-based molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) memristors under different annealing temperatures (200 to 400 °C). A MoO3 ink recipe is developed using water as the main solvent, enabling a simplified and cost-effective fabrication process. Material analysis reveals the presence of a Mo6+ oxidation state and an amorphous structure in the films annealed up to 250 °C. Electrical tests confirm a bipolar resistive switching behavior in the memristors according to the valence change mechanism (VCM). Endurance tests demonstrate stable memristors, indicating their robust nature after multiple cycles. Memristors annealed at 250 °C exhibit a nonvolatile behavior with a retention time up to 105 s under ambient air conditions. The high reproducibility observed in these memristors highlights their potential for practical applications and scalability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Azevedo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Emanuel Carlos
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Asal Kiazadeh
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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7
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Ferreira-Gonçalves T, Nunes D, Fortunato E, Martins R, de Almeida AP, Carvalho L, Ferreira D, Catarino J, Faísca P, Ferreira HA, Gaspar MM, Coelho JMP, Reis CP. Rational approach to design gold nanoparticles for photothermal therapy: the effect of gold salt on physicochemical, optical and biological properties. Int J Pharm 2024; 650:123659. [PMID: 38042383 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.123659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
Among the unique characteristics associated to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in biomedicine, their ability to convert light energy into heat opens ventures for improved cancer therapeutic options, such as photothermal therapy (PTT). PTT relies on the local hyperthermia of tumor cells upon irradiation with light beams, and the association of AuNPs with radiation within the near infrared (NIR) range constitutes an advantageous strategy to potentially improve PTT efficacy. Herein, it was explored the effect of the gold salt on the AuNPs' physicochemical and optical properties. Mostly spherical-like negatively charged AuNPs with variable sizes and absorbance spectra were obtained. In addition, photothermal features were assessed using in vitro phantom models. The best formulation showed the ability to increase their temperature in aqueous solution up to 19 °C when irradiated with a NIR laser for 20 min. Moreover, scanning transmission electron microscopy confirmed the rearrangement of the gold atoms in a face-centered cubic structure, which further allowed to calculate the photothermal conversion efficiency upon combination of theoretical and experimental data. AuNPs also showed local retention after being locally administered in in vivo models. These last results obtained by computerized tomography allow to consider these AuNPs as promising elements for a PTT system. Moreover, AuNPs showed high potential for PTT by resulting in in vitro cancer cells' viability reductions superior to 70 % once combine with 5 min of NIR irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Ferreira-Gonçalves
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Daniela Nunes
- Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, i3N/CENIMAT, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, i3N/CENIMAT, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, i3N/CENIMAT, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - António P de Almeida
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Lina Carvalho
- Central Testing Laboratory, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - David Ferreira
- Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC), Departamento de Medicina Veterinária, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7002-594 Valverde, Évora, Portugal.
| | - José Catarino
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Pedro Faísca
- Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal; CBIOS-Research Center for Biosciences & Health Technologies, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Campo Grande 376, 1749-024 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Hugo A Ferreira
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - M Manuela Gaspar
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - João M P Coelho
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Catarina Pinto Reis
- Research Institute for Medicines (iMed.ULisboa), Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Gama Pinto, 1649-003 Lisboa, Portugal; Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
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Panigrahi S, Jana S, Calmeiro T, Fortunato E, Mendes MJ, Martins R. MXene-Enhanced Nanoscale Photoconduction in Perovskite Solar Cells Revealed by Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2024; 16:1930-1940. [PMID: 38113449 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
The use of MXene materials in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has received significant interest due to their distinct features that result from the termination of functional groups and the oxidation of MXene. Herein, we have used photoconductive atomic force microscopy (pcAFM) to map the local (nanoscale) photovoltaic performances of the Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet-integrated TiO2 (MXene@TiO2) electron transport layer-based PSCs to determine the influence of the treatment on the microscopic charge flow inside the devices. At different applied voltages, the morphology and current have been simultaneously measured with nanoscale resolution from the top surfaces of the solar cells without back contacts. The PSCs based on MXene@TiO2 exhibit more enhanced current flow across the grains than the only TiO2-based PSCs. At zero applied bias, the average local photocurrent for MXene-integrated PSCs is several times higher than the reference PSCs and decreases gradually when the positive bias is increased until the open circuit voltage. Considerable differences were also observed in the short circuit current among different locations that appear identical in AFM topography. Our findings reveal the potential of MXene-integrated ETLs to enhance the nanoscale photoconduction and inherent characteristics of the active layers, thereby improving the performance of the polycrystalline photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrabani Panigrahi
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Santanu Jana
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Tomás Calmeiro
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Manuel J Mendes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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Martins R, Mouro C, Pontes R, Nunes J, Gouveia I. Ultrasound-assisted extraction of bioactive pigments from Spirulina platensis in natural deep eutectic solvents. BIORESOUR BIOPROCESS 2023; 10:88. [PMID: 38647927 PMCID: PMC10992330 DOI: 10.1186/s40643-023-00692-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Spirulina platensis biopigments have been documented as a potential source of nutritional, physiological, and pharmacological purposes due to the presence of bioactive pigments, total phenolic content (TPC) and the consequent antioxidant activity that these compounds present. Bioextracts market has increased in the last decades and is a key option for replacing fossil-derived products and promote the transition for a bio-based economy. To take advantage of these compounds more effectively, optimized extraction processes must be researched and used in biomass sources. The present study focused on optimizing the ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using response surface methodology. Three factor and three level Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the extraction of bioactive pigments, and to investigate the effects of three independent variables, x 1: extraction temperature (40-60 °C), x 2: extraction cycle time (20-40 min), and x 3: solvent-to-biomass ratio (50-70 mL/mg) on total pigment yield, antioxidant assay, and TPC (dependent variables). A second-order polynomial model was used for predicting the responses. Statistically, the model was validated using an analysis of variance. Results revealed that ultrasound-assisted temperature, time, and solvent-to-biomass ratio had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on the total pigment yield, while temperature and solvent-to-biomass ratio had a significant influence in the antioxidant activity, and temperature significantly influenced the total pigment yield. For total pigment yield, antioxidant activity, and total phenol content, theR 2 values of the models generated were 0.8627, 0.8460, and 0.9003, respectively, indicating that the models developed based on second-order polynomials were satisfactorily accurate for analyzing interactions between parameters. Desirability functions showed that the optimal extraction parameters were temperature: 60 °C, extraction cycle time: 20 min; and a solvent-to-biomass ratio of 70 mL/mg. Under optimal conditions, experimental values for total pigment yield, total phenol content expressed as gallic acid equivalent (GAE), and antioxidant activity expressed as Trolox equivalent (TRE) were: 165.19 ± 1.01 mg/g Dry Matter (DM), 36.50 ± 0.98 mg GAE/g DM, and 37.98 ± 0.58 mg TRE/g DM, respectively. The experimental values showed a good agreement with the predicted values with residual standard low 1% under optimum conditions. This optimized ultrasound-assisted method in natural eutectic solvents is effective and scalable to a green extraction of the bioactive pigments from Spirulina platensis with potential application to food, pharmaceutical, functional materials, and packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Martins
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001, Covilhã, Portugal
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Mouro
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rita Pontes
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - João Nunes
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
- BLC3 Evolution Lda, 3405-155, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - Isabel Gouveia
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001, Covilhã, Portugal.
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10
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Neves AB, Martins R, Matela N, Atalaia T. PosturAll: A Posture Assessment Software for Children. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:1171. [PMID: 37892901 PMCID: PMC10603916 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10101171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
From an early age, people are exposed to risk factors that can lead to musculoskeletal disorders like low back pain, neck pain and scoliosis. Medical screenings at an early age might minimize their incidence. The study intends to improve a software that processes images of patients, using specific anatomical sites to obtain risk indicators for possible musculoskeletal problems. This project was divided into four phases. First, markers and body metrics were selected for the postural assessment. Second, the software's capacity to detect the markers and run optimization tests was evaluated. Third, data were acquired from a population to validate the results using clinical software. Fourth, the classifiers' performance with the acquired data was analyzed. Green markers with diameters of 20 mm were used to optimize the software. The postural assessment using different types of cameras was conducted via the blob detection method. In the optimization tests, the angle parameters were the most influenced parameters. The data acquired showed that the postural analysis results were statistically equivalent. For the classifiers, the study population had 16 subjects with no evidence of postural problems, 25 with mild evidence and 16 with moderate-to-severe evidence. In general, using a binary classification with the train/test split validation method provided better results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Beatriz Neves
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Escola Superior De Saúde Da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.M.); (T.A.)
| | - Nuno Matela
- Instituto de Biofísica e Engenharia Biomédica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
| | - Tiago Atalaia
- Escola Superior De Saúde Da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal; (R.M.); (T.A.)
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11
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Liu PY, Xia D, McGonigle K, Carroll AB, Chiango J, Scavello H, Martins R, Mehta S, Krespan E, Lunde E, LeVine D, Fellman CL, Goggs R, Beiting DP, Garden OA. Immune-mediated hematological disease in dogs is associated with alterations of the fecal microbiota: a pilot study. Anim Microbiome 2023; 5:46. [PMID: 37770990 PMCID: PMC10540429 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00268-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The dog is the most popular companion animal and is a valuable large animal model for several human diseases. Canine immune-mediated hematological diseases, including immune-mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) and immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), share many features in common with autoimmune hematological diseases of humans. The gut microbiome has been linked to systemic illness, but few studies have evaluated its association with immune-mediated hematological disease. To address this knowledge gap, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to profile the fecal microbiota of dogs with spontaneous IMHA and ITP at presentation and following successful treatment. In total, 21 affected and 13 healthy control dogs were included in the study. RESULTS IMHA/ITP is associated with remodeling of fecal microbiota, marked by decreased relative abundance of the spirochete Treponema spp., increased relative abundance of the pathobionts Clostridium septicum and Escherichia coli, and increased overall microbial diversity. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that Treponema spp. were associated with decreased risk of IMHA/ITP (odds ratio [OR] 0.24-0.34), while Ruminococcaceae UCG-009 and Christensenellaceae R-7 group were associated with increased risk of disease (OR = 6.84 [95% CI 2-32.74] and 8.36 [95% CI 1.85-71.88] respectively). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates an association of immune-mediated hematological diseases in dogs with fecal dysbiosis, and points to specific bacterial genera as biomarkers of disease. Microbes identified as positive or negative risk factors for IMHA/ITP represent an area for future research as potential targets for new diagnostic assays and/or therapeutic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- P-Y Liu
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London, NW1 0TU, UK
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, 804201, Taiwan
| | - D Xia
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Royal College Street, London, NW1 0TU, UK
| | - K McGonigle
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - A B Carroll
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - J Chiango
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - H Scavello
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - R Martins
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - S Mehta
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 380 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - E Krespan
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 380 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - E Lunde
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, 1809 South Riverside Drive, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - D LeVine
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, 1809 South Riverside Drive, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, 1220 Wire Road, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - C L Fellman
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA, 01536, USA
| | - R Goggs
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, 930 Campus Road, Box 31, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - D P Beiting
- Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 380 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, 19104, USA
| | - O A Garden
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Dean's Office, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Skip Bertman Drive, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA.
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12
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Ribeiro G, Ferreira G, Menda UD, Alexandre M, Brites MJ, Barreiros MA, Jana S, Águas H, Martins R, Fernandes PA, Salomé P, Mendes MJ. Sub-Bandgap Sensitization of Perovskite Semiconductors via Colloidal Quantum Dots Incorporation. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:2447. [PMID: 37686955 PMCID: PMC10489900 DOI: 10.3390/nano13172447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
By taking advantage of the outstanding intrinsic optoelectronic properties of perovskite-based photovoltaic materials, together with the strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption and electronic confinement in PbS quantum dots (QDs), sub-bandgap photocurrent generation is possible, opening the way for solar cell efficiencies surpassing the classical limits. The present study shows an effective methodology for the inclusion of high densities of colloidal PbS QDs in a MAPbI3 (methylammonium lead iodide) perovskite matrix as a means to enhance the spectral window of photon absorption of the perovskite host film and allow photocurrent production below its bandgap. The QDs were introduced in the perovskite matrix in different sizes and concentrations to study the formation of quantum-confined levels within the host bandgap and the potential formation of a delocalized intermediate mini-band (IB). Pronounced sub-bandgap (in NIR) absorption was optically confirmed with the introduction of QDs in the perovskite. The consequent photocurrent generation was demonstrated via photoconductivity measurements, which indicated IB establishment in the films. Despite verifying the reduced crystallinity of the MAPbI3 matrix with a higher concentration and size of the embedded QDs, the nanostructured films showed pronounced enhancement (above 10-fold) in NIR absorption and consequent photocurrent generation at photon energies below the perovskite bandgap.
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Affiliation(s)
- G. Ribeiro
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
- INL, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal; (P.A.F.); (P.S.)
| | - G. Ferreira
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - U. D. Menda
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - M. Alexandre
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - M. J. Brites
- LNEG, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.J.B.)
| | - M. A. Barreiros
- LNEG, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar, 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal; (M.J.B.)
| | - S. Jana
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - H. Águas
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - R. Martins
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
| | - P. A. Fernandes
- INL, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal; (P.A.F.); (P.S.)
- CIETI, Departamento de Física, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto, Instituto Politécnico do Porto, 4249-015 Porto, Portugal
- Departamento de Física, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - P. Salomé
- INL, International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, 4715-330 Braga, Portugal; (P.A.F.); (P.S.)
- i3N, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - M. J. Mendes
- i3N/CENIMAT, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal (M.A.); (S.J.); (H.Á.)
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13
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Oliveira MJ, Caetano S, Dalot A, Sabino F, Calmeiro TR, Fortunato E, Martins R, Pereira E, Prudêncio M, Byrne HJ, Franco R, Águas H. A simple polystyrene microfluidic device for sensitive and accurate SERS-based detection of infection by malaria parasites. Analyst 2023; 148:4053-4063. [PMID: 37529888 PMCID: PMC10440799 DOI: 10.1039/d3an00971h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023]
Abstract
Early and accurate detection of infection by pathogenic microorganisms, such as Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria, is critical for clinical diagnosis and ultimately determines the patient's outcome. We have combined a polystyrene-based microfluidic device with an immunoassay which utilises Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) to detect malaria. The method can be easily translated to a point-of-care testing format and shows excellent sensitivity and specificity, when compared to the gold standard for laboratorial detection of Plasmodium infections. The device can be fabricated in less than 30 min by direct patterning on shrinkable polystyrene sheets of adaptable three-dimensional microfluidic chips. To validate the microfluidic system, samples of P. falciparum-infected red blood cell cultures were used. The SERS-based immunoassay enabled the detection of 0.0012 ± 0.0001% parasitaemia in a P. falciparum-infected red blood cell culture supernatant, an ∼7-fold higher sensitivity than that attained by most rapid diagnostic tests. Our approach successfully overcomes the main challenges of the current Plasmodium detection methods, including increased reproducibility, sensitivity, and specificity. Furthermore, our system can be easily adapted for detection of other pathogens and has excellent properties for early diagnosis of infectious diseases, a decisive step towards lowering their high burden on healthcare systems worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Oliveira
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Soraia Caetano
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Dalot
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Filipe Sabino
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Tomás R Calmeiro
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Eulália Pereira
- LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, s/n, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
| | - Miguel Prudêncio
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hugh J Byrne
- FOCAS Research Institute, Technological University Dublin, Camden Street, Dublin 8, Ireland
| | - Ricardo Franco
- Associate Laboratory i4HB - Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO - Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT-i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.
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14
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Mouro C, Martins R, Gomes AP, Gouveia IC. Upcycling Wool Waste into Keratin Gel-Based Nanofibers Using Deep Eutectic Solvents. Gels 2023; 9:661. [PMID: 37623117 PMCID: PMC10453718 DOI: 10.3390/gels9080661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Millions of tons of wool waste are produced yearly by textile industries, which may become a serious environmental hazard in the near future. Given this concern, it is crucial to explore strategies to reduce the amount of wool waste generated worldwide and adopt more sustainable practices for dissolving and regenerating wool keratin (WK) from textile waste. Most traditional methods involve the use of expensive, toxic, harmful, and poorly biodegradable compounds. To overcome these limitations and facilitate the reuse of wool waste through a cascade valorization strategy, researchers have started testing the use of deep eutectic solvents (DES) as a more sustainable and eco-friendly alternative for WK dissolution and regeneration. In this study, the potential of two different DES mixtures, Choline chloride (ChCl): Urea and L-Cysteine (L-Cys): Lactic acid (LA), was explored for dissolving wool waste. Subsequently, the gels obtained based on DES-WK were blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in different ratios to produce nanofibers using the electrospinning technique. The PVA/L-Cys: LA DES-WK proved to be the most effective DES mixture for fabricating WK gel-based nanofibers. Furthermore, their antioxidant and antimicrobial abilities were evaluated, thus confirming their bioactivity. The results obtained revealed that this approach to valorizing textile waste offers a unique avenue for the development of sustainable functional materials with potential applications in various biomedical and industrial fields.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Isabel C. Gouveia
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
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15
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Abreu AP, Martins R, Nunes J. Emerging Applications of Chlorella sp. and Spirulina ( Arthrospira) sp. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:955. [PMID: 37627840 PMCID: PMC10451540 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10080955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlorella sp. and Spirulina (Arthrospira) sp. account for over 90% of the global microalgal biomass production and represent one of the most promising aquiculture bioeconomy systems. These microorganisms have been widely recognized for their nutritional and therapeutic properties; therefore, a significant growth of their market is expected, especially in the nutraceutical, food, and beverage segments. However, recent advancements in biotechnology and environmental science have led to the emergence of new applications for these microorganisms. This paper aims to explore these innovative applications, while shedding light on their roles in sustainable development, health, and industry. From this state-of-the art review, it was possible to give an in-depth outlook on the environmental sustainability of Chlorella sp. and Spirulina (Arthrospira) sp. For instance, there have been a variety of studies reported on the use of these two microorganisms for wastewater treatment and biofuel production, contributing to climate change mitigation efforts. Moreover, in the health sector, the richness of these microalgae in photosynthetic pigments and bioactive compounds, along with their oxygen-releasing capacity, are being harnessed in the development of new drugs, wound-healing dressings, photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, tissue engineering, and anticancer treatments. Furthermore, in the industrial sector, Chlorella sp. and Spirulina (Arthrospira) sp. are being used in the production of biopolymers, fuel cells, and photovoltaic technologies. These innovative applications might bring different outlets for microalgae valorization, enhancing their potential, since the microalgae sector presents issues such as the high production costs. Thus, further research is highly needed to fully explore their benefits and potential applications in various sectors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana P. Abreu
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal; (R.M.); (J.N.)
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal; (R.M.); (J.N.)
| | - João Nunes
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal; (R.M.); (J.N.)
- BLC3 Evolution Lda, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
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16
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Feres M, Martins R, Souza JGS, Bertolini M, Barão VAR, Shibli JA. Unraveling the effectiveness of antibiotics for peri-implantitis treatment: A scoping review. Clin Implant Dent Relat Res 2023. [PMID: 37386807 DOI: 10.1111/cid.13239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/31/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibiotics are the most effective adjuncts in the treatment of periodontitis. However, the benefits of these agents in treating peri-implantitis are still debatable and demand further analysis. PURPOSE The aim of this review was to critically appraise the literature on the use of antibiotics to treat peri-implantitis, with the ultimate goal of supporting evidence-based clinical recommendations, defining gaps in knowledge and guiding future studies on this topic. METHODS A systematized literature search was conducted in MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) on patients with peri-implantitis treated by mechanical debridement-only or with adjunctive use of local or systemic antibiotics. Clinical and microbiological data were extracted from the RCTs included. The findings were critically reviewed, interpreted, and discussed. An overview of antibiotic-loaded dental implant materials in peri-implantitis treatment was also provided. RESULTS Twelve RCTs testing local/systemic antibiotics were included. Although not always statistically significant, all antibiotic-treated groups had greater reductions in mean PD than those treated by mechanical debridement-only. The only clinically relevant antibiotic protocol supported by one RCT with low risk of bias and long-lasting benefits was systemic metronidazole (MTZ). Studies using ultrasonic debridement reported better outcomes. No RCTs to date have tested MTZ-only or with amoxicillin (AMX) as adjuncts to open-flap implant debridement. In vitro/animal studies suggested that biomaterials with antimicrobial properties are promising to treat peri-implantitis. CONCLUSION There are insufficient data to support a particular evidence-based antibiotic protocol to treat peri-implantitis using surgical or nonsurgical therapy, but some conclusions may be drawn. Systemic MTZ adjunct to ultrasonic debridement is an effective protocol to improve the outcomes of nonsurgical treatment. Future studies should assess the clinical and microbiological effects of MTZ and MTZ + AMX as adjuncts to optimal nonsurgical implant decontamination protocols or open-flap debridement. In addition, new locally delivered drugs and antibiotic-loaded surfaces should be assessed by RCTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magda Feres
- Department of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University (UnG), Sāo Paulo, Brazil
- The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University (UnG), Sāo Paulo, Brazil
| | - João Gabriel S Souza
- Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University (UnG), Sāo Paulo, Brazil
- Research Division, Dental Science School (Faculdade de Ciências Odontológicas-FCO), Montes Claros, Brazil
| | - Martinna Bertolini
- Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Valentim A R Barão
- Department of Prosthodontics and Periodontology, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Sāo Paulo, Brazil
| | - Jamil A Shibli
- Department of Periodontology, Dental Research Division, Guarulhos University (UnG), Sāo Paulo, Brazil
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17
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Neto JP, Mota A, Lopes G, Coelho BJ, Frazão J, Moura AT, Oliveira B, Sieira B, Fernandes J, Fortunato E, Martins R, Igreja R, Baptista PV, Águas H. Open-source tool for real-time and automated analysis of droplet-based microfluidic. Lab Chip 2023. [PMID: 37341773 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00327b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
Droplet-based microfluidic technology is a powerful tool for generating large numbers of monodispersed nanoliter-sized droplets for ultra-high throughput screening of molecules or single cells. Yet further progress in the development of methods for the real-time detection and measurement of passing droplets is needed for achieving fully automated systems and ultimately scalability. Existing droplet monitoring technologies are either difficult to implement by non-experts or require complex experimentation setups. Moreover, commercially available monitoring equipment is expensive and therefore limited to a few laboratories worldwide. In this work, we validated for the first time an easy-to-use, open-source Bonsai visual programming language to accurately measure in real-time droplets generated in a microfluidic device. With this method, droplets are found and characterized from bright-field images with high processing speed. We used off-the-shelf components to achieve an optical system that allows sensitive image-based, label-free, and cost-effective monitoring. As a test of its use we present the results, in terms of droplet radius, circulation speed and production frequency, of our method and compared its performance with that of the widely-used ImageJ software. Moreover, we show that similar results are obtained regardless of the degree of expertise. Finally, our goal is to provide a robust, simple to integrate, and user-friendly tool for monitoring droplets, capable of helping researchers to get started in the laboratory immediately, even without programming experience, enabling analysis and reporting of droplet data in real-time and closed-loop experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana P Neto
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Ana Mota
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | | | - Beatriz J Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal
| | - João Frazão
- Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - André T Moura
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Beatriz Oliveira
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Sieira
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - José Fernandes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Rui Igreja
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
| | - Pedro V Baptista
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica, Portugal.
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18
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Coelho BJ, Neto JP, Sieira B, Moura AT, Fortunato E, Martins R, Baptista PV, Igreja R, Águas H. Hybrid Digital-Droplet Microfluidic Chip for Applications in Droplet Digital Nucleic Acid Amplification: Design, Fabrication and Characterization. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:4927. [PMID: 37430841 DOI: 10.3390/s23104927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Microfluidic-based platforms have become a hallmark for chemical and biological assays, empowering micro- and nano-reaction vessels. The fusion of microfluidic technologies (digital microfluidics, continuous-flow microfluidics, and droplet microfluidics, just to name a few) presents great potential for overcoming the inherent limitations of each approach, while also elevating their respective strengths. This work exploits the combination of digital microfluidics (DMF) and droplet microfluidics (DrMF) on a single substrate, where DMF enables droplet mixing and further acts as a controlled liquid supplier for a high-throughput nano-liter droplet generator. Droplet generation is performed at a flow-focusing region, operating on dual pressure: negative pressure applied to the aqueous phase and positive pressure applied to the oil phase. We evaluate the droplets produced with our hybrid DMF-DrMF devices in terms of droplet volume, speed, and production frequency and further compare them with standalone DrMF devices. Both types of devices enable customizable droplet production (various volumes and circulation speeds), yet hybrid DMF-DrMF devices yield more controlled droplet production while achieving throughputs that are similar to standalone DrMF devices. These hybrid devices enable the production of up to four droplets per second, which reach a maximum circulation speed close to 1540 µm/s and volumes as low as 0.5 nL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz J Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Joana P Neto
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Bárbara Sieira
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - André T Moura
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Pedro V Baptista
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rui Igreja
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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19
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Coelho BJ, Pinto JV, Martins J, Rovisco A, Barquinha P, Fortunato E, Baptista PV, Martins R, Igreja R. Parylene C as a Multipurpose Material for Electronics and Microfluidics. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15102277. [PMID: 37242852 DOI: 10.3390/polym15102277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Poly(p-xylylene) derivatives, widely known as Parylenes, have been considerably adopted by the scientific community for several applications, ranging from simple passive coatings to active device components. Here, we explore the thermal, structural, and electrical properties of Parylene C, and further present a variety of electronic devices featuring this polymer: transistors, capacitors, and digital microfluidic (DMF) devices. We evaluate transistors produced with Parylene C as a dielectric, substrate, and encapsulation layer, either semitransparent or fully transparent. Such transistors exhibit steep transfer curves and subthreshold slopes of 0.26 V/dec, negligible gate leak currents, and fair mobilities. Furthermore, we characterize MIM (metal-insulator-metal) structures with Parylene C as a dielectric and demonstrate the functionality of the polymer deposited in single and double layers under temperature and AC signal stimuli, mimicking the DMF stimuli. Applying temperature generally leads to a decrease in the capacitance of the dielectric layer, whereas applying an AC signal leads to an increase in said capacitance for double-layered Parylene C only. By applying the two stimuli, the capacitance seems to suffer from a balanced influence of both the separated stimuli. Lastly, we demonstrate that DMF devices with double-layered Parylene C allow for faster droplet motion and enable long nucleic acid amplification reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz J Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Joana V Pinto
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jorge Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana Rovisco
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Pedro Barquinha
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Pedro V Baptista
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Department of Life Sciences, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rui Igreja
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Campus de Caparica, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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20
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Lee S, Choi HW, Figueiredo CL, Shin DW, Moncunill FM, Ullrich K, Sinopoli S, Jovančić P, Yang J, Lee H, Eisenreich M, Emanuele U, Nicotera S, Santos A, Igreja R, Marrani A, Momentè R, Gomes J, Jung SM, Han SD, Bang SY, Zhan S, Harden-Chaters W, Suh YH, Fan XB, Lee TH, Jo JW, Kim Y, Costantino A, Candel VG, Durães N, Meyer S, Kim CH, Lucassen M, Nejim A, Jiménez D, Springer M, Lee YW, An GH, Choi Y, Sohn JI, Cha S, Chhowalla M, Amaratunga GA, Occhipinti LG, Barquinha P, Fortunato E, Martins R, Kim JM. Truly form-factor-free industrially scalable system integration for electronic textile architectures with multifunctional fiber devices. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eadf4049. [PMID: 37083532 PMCID: PMC10121163 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
An integrated textile electronic system is reported here, enabling a truly free form factor system via textile manufacturing integration of fiber-based electronic components. Intelligent and smart systems require freedom of form factor, unrestricted design, and unlimited scale. Initial attempts to develop conductive fibers and textile electronics failed to achieve reliable integration and performance required for industrial-scale manufacturing of technical textiles by standard weaving technologies. Here, we present a textile electronic system with functional one-dimensional devices, including fiber photodetectors (as an input device), fiber supercapacitors (as an energy storage device), fiber field-effect transistors (as an electronic driving device), and fiber quantum dot light-emitting diodes (as an output device). As a proof of concept applicable to smart homes, a textile electronic system composed of multiple functional fiber components is demonstrated, enabling luminance modulation and letter indication depending on sunlight intensity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanghyo Lee
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Hyung Woo Choi
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Cátia Lopes Figueiredo
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Dong-Wook Shin
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Hanbat National University, Daejeon, South Korea
| | | | - Kay Ullrich
- Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland (TITV), Greiz, Germany
| | - Stefano Sinopoli
- Bioelectronics and Advanced Genomic Engineering (BIOAGE), Lamezia Terme, Italy
| | - Petar Jovančić
- Advanced Material Research, Functional Textile Unit, EURECAT, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jiajie Yang
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hanleem Lee
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Chemistry, Myongji University, 116 Myongji Ro, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do 17058, South Korea
| | - Martin Eisenreich
- Textile Research Institute Thuringia-Vogtland (TITV), Greiz, Germany
| | - Umberto Emanuele
- Bioelectronics and Advanced Genomic Engineering (BIOAGE), Lamezia Terme, Italy
| | - Salvatore Nicotera
- Bioelectronics and Advanced Genomic Engineering (BIOAGE), Lamezia Terme, Italy
| | - Angelo Santos
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rui Igreja
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | | | | | - João Gomes
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials (CeNTI), Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal
| | - Sung-Min Jung
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Soo Deok Han
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sang Yun Bang
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shijie Zhan
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - William Harden-Chaters
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yo-Han Suh
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xiang-Bing Fan
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tae Hoon Lee
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, South Korea
| | - Jeong-Wan Jo
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yoonwoo Kim
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Antonino Costantino
- Bioelectronics and Advanced Genomic Engineering (BIOAGE), Lamezia Terme, Italy
| | | | - Nelson Durães
- Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials (CeNTI), Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal
| | - Sebastian Meyer
- Global Open Innovation Department, LG Display Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chul-Hong Kim
- Global Open Innovation Department, LG Display Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea
| | | | | | | | | | - Young-Woo Lee
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Energy Systems, Soonchunhyang University, Asan, South Korea
| | - Geon-Hyoung An
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Energy Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, South Korea
| | - Youngjin Choi
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jung Inn Sohn
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Division of Physics and Semiconductor Science, Dongguk University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - SeungNam Cha
- Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, South Korea
| | - Manish Chhowalla
- Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gehan A. J. Amaratunga
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Luigi G. Occhipinti
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Corresponding author. (L.G.O.); (P.B.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Pedro Barquinha
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
- Corresponding author. (L.G.O.); (P.B.); (J.M.K.)
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- i3N/CENIMAT and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Jong Min Kim
- Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Corresponding author. (L.G.O.); (P.B.); (J.M.K.)
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Bertrand CDF, Martins R, Quintas-Nunes F, Reynolds-Brandão P, Crespo MTB, Nascimento FX. Saccharopolyspora sp. NFXS83 in Marine Biotechnological Applications: From Microalgae Growth Promotion to the Production of Secondary Metabolites. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11040902. [PMID: 37110324 PMCID: PMC10145562 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11040902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine bacteria are a significant source of bioactive compounds for various biotechnological applications. Among these, actinomycetes have been found to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites of interest. Saccharopolyspora is one of the genera of actinomycetes that has been recognized as a potential source of these compounds. This study reports the characterization and genomic analysis of Saccharopolyspora sp. NFXS83, a marine bacterium isolated from seawater from the Sado estuary in Portugal. The NFXS83 strain produced multiple functional and stable extracellular enzymes under high-salt conditions, showed the ability to synthesize auxins such as indole-3-acetic acid, and produced diffusible secondary metabolites capable of inhibiting the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, when Phaeodactylum tricornutum was co-cultivated with strain NFXS83 a significant increase in microalgae cell count, cell size, auto-fluorescence, and fucoxanthin content was observed. Detailed analysis revealed the presence of clusters involved in the production of various secondary metabolites, including extracellular enzymes, antimicrobial compounds, terpenes, and carotenoids in the genome of strain NFXS83. Ultimately, these findings indicate that Saccharopolyspora sp. NFXS83 has a significant potential for a wide range of marine biotechnological applications.
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Martins R, Mouro C, Pontes R, Nunes J, Gouveia I. Natural Deep Eutectic Solvent Extraction of Bioactive Pigments from Spirulina platensis and Electrospinning Ability Assessment. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:polym15061574. [PMID: 36987353 PMCID: PMC10054781 DOI: 10.3390/polym15061574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The first ever nanofibers produced by the electrospinning of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and Spirulina platensis extracts are presented in this article. Spirulina platensis extracts were obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) using two different solvents: a glucose/glycerol-based natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) and water. Through spectrophotometry analysis, it was possible to determine the pigment yield of the extractions for both extracts: phycocyanin = 3.79 ± 0.05 mg/g of dry biomass (DB); chlorophylls = 0.24 ± 0.05 mg/g DB; carotenoids = 0.13 ± 0.03 mg/g DB for the NADES/Spirulina extracts, and phycocyanin = 0.001 ± 0.0005 mg/g DB; chlorophylls = 0.10 ± 0.05 mg/g DB; carotenoids = 0.20 ± 0.05 mg/g DB for water/Spirulina extracts. Emulsions were formed by mixing the microalgae extracts in PVA (9%, w/v) at different concentrations: 5, 20, 40, and 50% (v/v). Electrospinning was carried out at the following conditions: 13 cm of distance to collector; 80 kV of applied voltage; and 85 rpm of electrode rotation. After the nanofibers were collected, they were checked under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). ImageJ was also used to determine fiber diameter and frequency. SEM results showed the formation of nanofibers for 5 and 20% (v/v) of NADES/Spirulina extract content in the electrospinning emulsions, presenting diameters of 423.52 ± 142.61 nm and 680.54 ± 271.92 nm, respectively. FTIR confirmed the presence of the NADES extracts in the nanofibers produced. Overall, the nanofibers produced showed promising antioxidant activities, with the NADES/Spirulina- and PVA-based nanofibers displaying the highest antioxidant activity (47%). The highest antimicrobial activity (89.26%) was also obtained by the NADES/Spirulina and PVA nanofibers (20%, v/v). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed positive correlations between both the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the electrospun nanofibers, and extract content in the emulsions. Moreover, PCA also indicated positive correlations between the viscosity and conductivity of the emulsions and the diameter of the nanofibers produced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Martins
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R & D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Cláudia Mouro
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Rita Pontes
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R & D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - João Nunes
- Association BLC3-Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R & D Unit, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
- BLC3 Evolution Lda, 3405-155 Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal
| | - Isabel Gouveia
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
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23
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Matias ML, Reis-Machado AS, Rodrigues J, Calmeiro T, Deuermeier J, Pimentel A, Fortunato E, Martins R, Nunes D. Microwave Synthesis of Visible-Light-Activated g-C 3N 4/TiO 2 Photocatalysts. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:1090. [PMID: 36985984 PMCID: PMC10057508 DOI: 10.3390/nano13061090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The preparation of visible-light-driven photocatalysts has become highly appealing for environmental remediation through simple, fast and green chemical methods. The current study reports the synthesis and characterization of graphitic carbon nitride/titanium dioxide (g-C3N4/TiO2) heterostructures through a fast (1 h) and simple microwave-assisted approach. Different g-C3N4 amounts mixed with TiO2 (15, 30 and 45 wt. %) were investigated for the photocatalytic degradation of a recalcitrant azo dye (methyl orange (MO)) under solar simulating light. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the anatase TiO2 phase for the pure material and all heterostructures produced. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that by increasing the amount of g-C3N4 in the synthesis, large TiO2 aggregates composed of irregularly shaped particles were disintegrated and resulted in smaller ones, composing a film that covered the g-C3N4 nanosheets. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analyses confirmed the existence of an effective interface between a g-C3N4 nanosheet and a TiO2 nanocrystal. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) evidenced no chemical alterations to both g-C3N4 and TiO2 at the heterostructure. The visible-light absorption shift was indicated by the red shift in the absorption onset through the ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) absorption spectra. The 30 wt. % of g-C3N4/TiO2 heterostructure showed the best photocatalytic performance, with a MO dye degradation of 85% in 4 h, corresponding to an enhanced efficiency of almost 2 and 10 times greater than that of pure TiO2 and g-C3N4 nanosheets, respectively. Superoxide radical species were found to be the most active radical species in the MO photodegradation process. The creation of a type-II heterostructure is highly suggested due to the negligible participation of hydroxyl radical species in the photodegradation process. The superior photocatalytic activity was attributed to the synergy of g-C3N4 and TiO2 materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Leonor Matias
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana S. Reis-Machado
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Joana Rodrigues
- Physics Department & I3N, Aveiro University, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Tomás Calmeiro
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana Pimentel
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Daniela Nunes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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24
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Gaspar D, Martins J, Carvalho JT, Grey P, Simões R, Fortunato E, Martins R, Pereira L. Alkali-Doped Nanopaper Membranes Applied as a Gate Dielectric in FETs and Logic Gates with an Enhanced Dynamic Response. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2023; 15:8319-8326. [PMID: 36734958 PMCID: PMC9940104 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c20486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The market for flexible, hybrid, and printed electronic systems, which can appear in everything from sensors and wearables to displays and lighting, is still uncertain. What is clear is that these systems are appearing every day, enabling devices and systems that can, in the near future, be crumpled up and tucked in our pockets. Within this context, cellulose-based modified nanopapers were developed to serve both as a physical support and a gate dielectric layer in field-effect transistors (FETs) that are fully recyclable. It was found that the impregnation of those nanopapers with sodium (Na+) ions allows for low operating voltage FETs (<3 V), with mobility above 10 cm2 V-1 s-1, current modulation surpassing 105, and an improved dynamic response. Thus, it was possible to implement those transistors into simple circuits such as inverters, reaching a clear discrimination between logic states. Besides the overall improvement in electrical performance, these devices have shown to be an interesting alternative for reliable, sustainable, and flexible electronics, maintaining proper operation even under stress conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Gaspar
- AlmaScience
Colab, Madan Parque, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - Jorge Martins
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - José Tiago Carvalho
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - Paul Grey
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rogério Simões
- FibEnTech,
Department of Chemistry, University of Beira
Interior, 6201-001Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
| | - Luís Pereira
- AlmaScience
Colab, Madan Parque, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
- CENIMAT/i3N,
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon (FCT-NOVA) and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, Caparica2829-516, Portugal
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25
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Martins R, Sales H, Pontes R, Nunes J, Gouveia I. Food Wastes and Microalgae as Sources of Bioactive Compounds and Pigments in a Modern Biorefinery: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel) 2023; 12:antiox12020328. [PMID: 36829887 PMCID: PMC9952682 DOI: 10.3390/antiox12020328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has created more pressure on countries and society at large for the development of alternative solutions for synthetic and fossil fuel derived products, thus mitigating climate change and environmental hazards. Food wastes and microalgae have been studied for decades as potential sources of several compounds that could be employed in various fields of application from pharmaceutical to textile and packaging. Although multiple research efforts have been put towards extracting rich compounds (i.e., phenolic compounds, tocopherols, and tocotrienols) from these sources, they still remain overlooked as two major sources of bioactive compounds and pigments, mainly due to inefficient extraction processes. Hence, there is a growing need for the development of optimized extraction methods while employing non-organic solvent options following the main principles of green chemistry. This review will focus on delivering a clear and deep analysis on the existing procedures for obtaining bioactive compounds and pigments from food wastes derived from the most consumed and produced fruit crops in the world such as apples, oranges, cherries, almonds, and mangoes, and microalgal biomass, while giving light to the existing drawbacks in need to be solved in order to take full advantage of the rich properties present in these two major biorefinery sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Martins
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, Oliveira do Hospital, 3405-155 Coimbra, Portugal
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Hélia Sales
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, Oliveira do Hospital, 3405-155 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Rita Pontes
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, Oliveira do Hospital, 3405-155 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - João Nunes
- Association BLC3—Technology and Innovation Campus, Centre Bio R&D Unit, Oliveira do Hospital, 3405-155 Coimbra, Portugal
- BLC3 Evolution Lda, Oliveira do Hospital, 3405-155 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Isabel Gouveia
- FibEnTech Research Unit, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior, 6200-001 Covilhã, Portugal
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +35-127-531-9825
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26
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Monteiro AJ, Constantino B, Carvalho M, Silva H, Pedro R, Martins R, Atalaia T, Silva J, Aleixo P, Alves S. Cultural and Linguistic Adaptation of the Fall Risk Questionnaire-Portuguese Version. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:1598. [PMID: 36674352 PMCID: PMC9862345 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20021598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Falls are a major problem among older adults worldwide. Early detection of risk factors is important to decrease the burden of falls. The “Fall Risk Questionnaire” (FRQ) is a screening tool used to assess personal fall risk awareness in older populations, and it is also used as a behavior change tool. The aim of the present study was to undertake a cultural and linguistic adaptation of the FRQ to allow its use in the Portuguese population. To achieve this, we used the sequential method proposed by Beaton and colleagues. Statistical analysis was conducted by computing the intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach’s alpha score for intra-observer reliability. The panel revision demonstrated high concordance for all assessed items. The pretesting results indicated that, in general, the FRQ—Portuguese Version (FRQ-VP) was well accepted, and all items were adequate and easy to comprehend. The ICC and Cronbach’s alpha scores indicated high consistency between assessments (p < 0.01; alfa = 0.992). The FRQ-VP seemed to have good reliability and internal consistency. Because the definition of a fall experience may not be clear to the older population, a careful explanation of this item can lead to a better score computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Júlia Monteiro
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Bernardo Constantino
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mariana Carvalho
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Helena Silva
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Pedro
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Tiago Atalaia
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
| | | | - Pedro Aleixo
- MovLab–Biomechanics, CIDEFES–CICANT, Lusófona University, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sandra Alves
- Physiotherapy Department, Escola Superior de Saúde da Cruz Vermelha Portuguesa–Lisboa, 1300-125 Lisboa, Portugal
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27
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Pinheiro A, Ruivo A, Rocha J, Ferro M, Pinto JV, Deuermeier J, Mateus T, Santa A, Mendes MJ, Martins R, Gago S, Laia CAT, Águas H. Parylene-Sealed Perovskite Nanocrystals Down-Shifting Layer for Luminescent Spectral Matching in Thin Film Photovoltaics. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2023; 13:210. [PMID: 36616119 PMCID: PMC9823874 DOI: 10.3390/nano13010210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The present contribution aims to enhance solar cells' performance via the development of advanced luminescent down-shifting based on encapsulated nanostructured perovskite materials. Here, thin films of inorganic lead halide (CsPbBr3) perovskite nanocrystal luminophores were synthetized, by hot-injection, deposited on glass substrates by spin-coating, and encapsulated with parylene type C, via chemical vapor deposition, to protect and stabilize the films. The optical properties of these thin films were characterized by absorption, emission and 2D contour spectra, their structure by X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and the morphology by Scanning Transmission Electron microscopy. I-V curve and spectral response nanocrystalline silicon photovoltaic (nc-Si:H PV) cells were studied in the absence and presence of the perovskite and parylene luminescent down-shifting layers. The incorporation of the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals and their encapsulation with the parylene type C polymeric coating led to an increase in the current generated and the spectral response of the PV cells in the regime of the nanocrystals' fluorescence emission. A 3.1% increase in the short circuit current density and a 5.6% increase in the power conversion efficiency were observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Pinheiro
- R&D Unit VICARTE—Vidro e Cerâmica para as Artes, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
- Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) of the Network of Chemistry and Technology (REQUIMTE), NOVA School of Sciences and Technology, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Andreia Ruivo
- R&D Unit VICARTE—Vidro e Cerâmica para as Artes, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - João Rocha
- Department of Chemistry, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Marta Ferro
- Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Joana Vaz Pinto
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Tiago Mateus
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana Santa
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Manuel J. Mendes
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Sandra Gago
- Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) of the Network of Chemistry and Technology (REQUIMTE), NOVA School of Sciences and Technology, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - César A. T. Laia
- Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) of the Network of Chemistry and Technology (REQUIMTE), NOVA School of Sciences and Technology, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, NOVA School of Sciences and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, FCT NOVA, Largo da Torre, 2825-516 Caparica, Portugal
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28
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Benali K, Barre V, Hermida A, Milhem A, Philibert S, Boveda S, Bars C, Anselme F, Maille B, André C, Behaghel A, Moubarak G, Clémenty N, Da Costa A, Arnaud M, Venier S, Sebag F, Jesel L, Macle L, Martins R. Atrial fibrillation recurrences despite durable pulmonary vein isolation: Characteristics, management and outcomes, the PARTY-PVI study. Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases Supplements 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acvdsp.2022.10.177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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29
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Benali K, Hamel-Bougault M, Bessière F, Extramiana F, Guenancia C, Ninni S, Defaye P, Maille B, Baudinaud P, Champ-Rigot L, Sellal JM, Jesel L, Anselme F, Delmas C, Galand V, Flécher E, Martins R. Heart transplantation as a rescue strategy for patients with refractory electrical storm. Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases Supplements 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acvdsp.2022.10.173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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30
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Rigal L, Bellec J, Hervouin A, Lederlin M, De Crevoisier R, Benali K, Martins R, Simon A. Motion discrepancies between cardiac target and ICD lead, and their impact on target volume for cardiac radioablation. Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases Supplements 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acvdsp.2022.10.182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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31
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Chaumont C, Martins R, Viart G, Pavin D, Noirot-Cosson B, Huchette D, Godin B, Savouré A, Eltchaninoff H, Anselme F. RVOT Premature ventricular contractions induce significant anatomical displacement during 3D mapping: A cause of mid-term ablation failure? Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases Supplements 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acvdsp.2022.10.195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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32
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Rigal L, Simon A, Benali K, Hamel-Bougault M, Barre V, Bellec J, Lederlin M, De Crevoisier R, Martins R. A novel data integration workflow for target delineation in cardiac radioablation. Archives of Cardiovascular Diseases Supplements 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.acvdsp.2022.10.204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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33
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Goswami S, Nandy S, Fortunato E, Martins R. Polyaniline and its composites engineering: A class of multifunctional smart energy materials. J SOLID STATE CHEM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jssc.2022.123679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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34
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Pinheiro T, Correia R, Morais M, Coelho J, Fortunato E, Sales MGF, Marques AC, Martins R. Water Peel-Off Transfer of Electronically Enhanced, Paper-Based Laser-Induced Graphene for Wearable Electronics. ACS Nano 2022; 16:20633-20646. [PMID: 36383513 PMCID: PMC9798867 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c07596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has gained preponderance in recent years, as a very attractive material for the fabrication and patterning of graphitic structures and electrodes, for multiple applications in electronics. Typically, polymeric substrates, such as polyimide, have been used as precursor materials, but other organic, more sustainable, and accessible precursor materials have emerged as viable alternatives, including cellulose substrates. However, these substrates have lacked the conductive and chemical properties achieved by conventional LIG precursor substrates and have not been translated into fully flexible, wearable scenarios. In this work, we expand the conductive properties of paper-based LIG, by boosting the graphitization potential of paper, through the introduction of external aromatic moieties and meticulous control of laser fluence. Colored wax printing over the paper substrates introduces aromatic chemical structures, allowing for the synthesis of LIG chemical structures with sheet resistances as low as 5 Ω·sq-1, translating to an apparent conductivity as high as 28.2 S·cm-1. Regarding chemical properties, ID/IG ratios of 0.28 showcase low defect densities of LIG chemical structures and improve on previous reports on paper-based LIG, where sheet resistance has been limited to values around 30 Ω·sq-1, with more defect dense and less crystalline chemical structures. With these improved properties, a simple transfer methodology was developed, based on a water-induced peel-off process that efficiently separates patterned LIG structures from the native paper substrates to conformable, flexible substrates, harnessing the multifunctional capabilities of LIG toward multiple applications in wearable electronics. Proof-of concept electrodes for electrochemical sensors, strain sensors, and in-plane microsupercapacitors were patterned, transferred, and characterized, using paper as a high-value LIG precursor for multiples scenarios in wearable technologies, for improved sustainability and accessibility of such applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomás Pinheiro
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
- BioMark@UC,
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Coimbra University, 3030-790, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Correia
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Maria Morais
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - João Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - M. Goreti F. Sales
- BioMark@UC,
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Coimbra University, 3030-790, Coimbra, Portugal
- CEB
− Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Ana C. Marques
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Departamento de Ciência de Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências
e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
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35
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Oliveira MJ, Dalot A, Fortunato E, Martins R, Byrne HJ, Franco R, Águas H. Microfluidic SERS devices: brightening the future of bioanalysis. Discov Mater 2022; 2:12. [PMID: 36536830 PMCID: PMC9751519 DOI: 10.1007/s43939-022-00033-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A new avenue has opened up for applications of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in the biomedical field, mainly due to the striking advantages offered by SERS tags. SERS tags provide indirect identification of analytes with rich and highly specific spectral fingerprint information, high sensitivity, and outstanding multiplexing potential, making them very useful in in vitro and in vivo assays. The recent and innovative advances in nanomaterial science, novel Raman reporters, and emerging bioconjugation protocols have helped develop ultra-bright SERS tags as powerful tools for multiplex SERS-based detection and diagnosis applications. Nevertheless, to translate SERS platforms to real-world problems, some challenges, especially for clinical applications, must be addressed. This review presents the current understanding of the factors influencing the quality of SERS tags and the strategies commonly employed to improve not only spectral quality but the specificity and reproducibility of the interaction of the analyte with the target ligand. It further explores some of the most common approaches which have emerged for coupling SERS with microfluidic technologies, for biomedical applications. The importance of understanding microfluidic production and characterisation to yield excellent device quality while ensuring high throughput production are emphasised and explored, after which, the challenges and approaches developed to fulfil the potential that SERS-based microfluidics have to offer are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria João Oliveira
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ana Dalot
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugh J. Byrne
- FOCAS Research Institute, Technological University Dublin, Camden Row, Dublin 8, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Ricardo Franco
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and, CEMOP/UNINOVA, Caparica, Portugal
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Ferreira R, Shaikh M, Jakka SK, Deuermeier J, Barquinha P, Ghosh S, Fortunato E, Martins R, Jana S. Bandlike Transport in FaPbBr 3 Quantum Dot Phototransistor with High Hole Mobility and Ultrahigh Photodetectivity. Nano Lett 2022; 22:9020-9026. [PMID: 36367392 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.2c03317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Halide perovskites have been widely explored for numerous optoelectronic applications among which phototransistors have appeared as one of the most promising light signal detectors. However, it is still a great challenge to endow halide perovskites with both mobility and high photosensitivity because of their high sensitivity to moisture in ambient atmosphere. Here, we explore an FAPbBr3 perovskite quantum dot (QD) phototransistor with bandlike charge transport and measure a dark hole mobility of 14.2 cm2 V-1 s-1 at ambient atmosphere. Attaining both high mobility and good optical figures of merit, a detectivity of ∼1016 Jones is achieved, which is a record for halide perovskite nanocrystals. Simple A-site salt (FABr) treatments offer a mechanism for connecting between perovskite QDs for better charge transfer in high-quality devices. All of these important properties are superior to most advanced inorganic semiconductor phototransistors, indicating a promising future in optoelectronic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Ferreira
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Monirul Shaikh
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 603203, India
| | - Suresh Kumar Jakka
- I3N and Physics Department, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Pedro Barquinha
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Saurabh Ghosh
- Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, SRM University, Kattankulathur, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 603203, India
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Santanu Jana
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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37
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Carvalho J, Cunha I, Coelho J, Fortunato E, Martins R, Pereira L. Carbon-Yarn-Based Supercapacitors with In Situ Regenerated Cellulose Hydrogel for Sustainable Wearable Electronics. ACS Appl Energy Mater 2022; 5:11987-11996. [PMID: 36311466 PMCID: PMC9597547 DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.2c01222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Developing sustainable options for energy storage in textiles is needed to power future wearable "Internet of Things" (IoT) electronics. This process must consider disruptive alternatives that address questions of sustainability, reuse, repair, or even a second life application. Herein, we pair stretch-broken carbon fiber yarns (SBCFYs), as current collectors, and an in situ regenerated cellulose-based ionic hydrogel (RCIH), as an electrolyte, to fabricate 1D fiber-shaped supercapacitors (FSCs). The areal specific capacitance reaches 433.02 μF·cm-2 at 5 μA·cm-2, while the specific energy density is 1.73 × 10-2 μWh·cm-2. The maximum achieved specific power density is 5.33 × 10-1 mW·cm-2 at 1 mA·cm-2. The 1D FSCs possess a long-life cycle and 92% capacitance retention after 10 000 consecutive voltammetry cycles, higher than similar ones using the reference PVA/H3PO4 gel electrolyte. Additionally, the feasibility and reproducibility of the produced devices were demonstrated by connecting three devices in series and parallel, showing a small variation of the current density in flat and bent positions. An environmentally responsible approach was implemented by recovering the active materials from the 1D FSCs and reusing or recycling them without compromising the electrochemical performance, thus ensuring a circular economy path.
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Affiliation(s)
- José
Tiago Carvalho
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Inês Cunha
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - João Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
| | - Luís Pereira
- CENIMAT|i3N,
Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
- AlmaScience, Campus da Caparica, Caparica 2829-516, Portugal
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38
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Correia R, Deuermeier J, Correia MR, Vaz Pinto J, Coelho J, Fortunato E, Martins R. Biocompatible Parylene-C Laser-Induced Graphene Electrodes for Microsupercapacitor Applications. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2022; 14:46427-46438. [PMID: 36209418 PMCID: PMC9585513 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c09667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Laser irradiation of polymeric materials has drawn great attention as a fast, simple, and cost-effective method for the formation of porous graphene films that can be subsequently fabricated into low-cost and flexible electronic and energy-storage devices. In this work, we report a systematic study of the formation of laser-induced graphene (LIG) with sheet resistances as low as 9.4 Ω/sq on parylene-C ultrathin membranes under a CO2 infrared laser. Raman analysis proved the formation of the multilayered graphenic material, with ID/IG and I2D/IG peak ratios of 0.42 and 0.65, respectively. As a proof of concept, parylene-C LIG was used as the electrode material for the fabrication of ultrathin, solid-state microsupercapacitors (MSCs) via a one-step, scalable, and cost-effective approach, aiming at future flexible and wearable applications. The produced LIG-MSC on parylene-C exhibited good electrochemical behavior, with a specific capacitance of 1.66 mF/cm2 and an excellent cycling stability of 96% after 10 000 cycles (0.5 mA/cm2). This work allows one to further extend the knowledge in LIG processes, widening the group of precursor materials as well as promoting future applications. Furthermore, it reinforces the potential of parylene-C as a key material for next-generation biocompatible and flexible electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Correia
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | | | - Joana Vaz Pinto
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - João Coelho
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N
Department of Materials Science, NOVA School
of Science and Technology and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus da Caparica, 2829-516Caparica, Portugal
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Gourraud J, Le Diffon T, Mansourati J, Clementy N, Thollet A, Rajalu A, Cotard V, Kyndt F, Martins R, Sacher F, Probst V. Characteristics and prognosis of the catecholamine induced QT prolongation syndrome. Eur Heart J 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac544.370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
We have recently demonstrated association of unexplained sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) with inheritance of catecholamine induced QT prolongation (CIQTP).
Objective
We here aim to describe incidence, characteristics and prognosis of this new syndrome in young patients with unexplained SCA or their relatives.
Methods
We reviewed the medical screening of all consecutive patients or their first-degree relatives explore from 2015 after the occurrence of a SCA before age 45. Structural heart disease or inherited arrhythmia diseases were excluded. A mental stress test was performed, as previously described, for each family members. All families with a positive mental stress were included in the study. Genetic screening was performed in at least one positive patient per family using targeted sequencing on a panel of 109 genes associated with inherited arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies.
Results
Among 456 patients screened (24 after SCA, 432 for familial screening) of 153 families, we identified 10 families (6.5%) with a catecholamine induced QT prolongation. No mutation was identified in these families. One hundred and ten patients were screened in CIQTP families. Thirty-four patients (30.9%) presented a CIQTP (mean age 42±20 yo, 64.7% of women). Five (14.7%) patients presented with previous symptoms (including 4 syncope and 1 SCA).
Two patients (5.9%) were implanted with an ICD and eleven (32.3%) were treated with beta blocker therapy mainly because of QT prolongation >500 ms after mental stress test or previous symptoms.
After a 3.6±1.8 years of follow up, no sudden cardiac death nor syncope occurred on beta blocker therapy except for one patient implanted with an ICD after a SCA. Under beta blocker treatment the patient was asymptomatic for 5 years. After a suddenly stop of the beta blocker treatment, the patient underwent VF. For 3 years now the patient is asymptomatic under beta blocker treatment.
Conclusions
In our experience, CIQTP families represent 6.5% of cases of unexplained SCD and suggest systematic screening with a mental stress test for family screening after the occurrence of a SCA. Beta blocker therapy is very efficient to reduce the risk of SCA.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - N Clementy
- University Hospital of Tours , Tours , France
| | - A Thollet
- Institut du Thorax , Nantes , France
| | - A Rajalu
- Institut du Thorax , Nantes , France
| | - V Cotard
- Institut du Thorax , Nantes , France
| | - F Kyndt
- Institut du Thorax , Nantes , France
| | - R Martins
- University Hospital of Rennes - Hospital Pontchaillou, Department of Cardiology and Vascular Disease , Rennes , France
| | - F Sacher
- University Hospital of Bordeaux , Bordeaux , France
| | - V Probst
- Institut du Thorax , Nantes , France
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40
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Centeno P, Alexandre M, Neves F, Fortunato E, Martins R, Águas H, Mendes MJ. Copper-Arsenic-Sulfide Thin-Films from Local Raw Materials Deposited via RF Co-Sputtering for Photovoltaics. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:3268. [PMID: 36234397 PMCID: PMC9565231 DOI: 10.3390/nano12193268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The inexorable increase of energy demand and the efficiency bottleneck of monocrystalline silicon solar cell technology is promoting the research and development of alternative photovoltaic materials. Copper-arsenic-sulfide (CAS) compounds are still rather unexplored in the literature, yet they have been regarded as promising candidates for use as p-type absorber in solar cells, owing to their broad raw material availability, suitable bandgap and high absorption coefficient. Here, a comprehensive study is presented on the structural and optoelectronic properties of CAS thin-films deposited via radio-frequency magnetron co-sputtering, using a commercial Cu target together with a Cu-As-S target with material obtained from local resources, specifically from mines in the Portuguese region of the Iberian Pyrite Belt. Raman and X-ray diffraction analysis confirm that the use of two targets results in films with pronounced stoichiometry gradients, suggesting a transition from amorphous CAS compounds to crystalline djurleite (Cu31S16), with the increasing proximity to the Cu target. Resistivity values from 4.7 mΩ·cm to 17.4 Ω·cm are obtained, being the lowest resistive films, those with pronounced sub-bandgap free-carrier absorption. The bandgap values range from 2.20 to 2.65 eV, indicating promising application as wide-bandgap semiconductors in third-generation (e.g., multi-junction) photovoltaic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Centeno
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Miguel Alexandre
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Filipe Neves
- LNEG, Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, Estrada do Paço do Lumiar 22, 1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Hugo Águas
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Manuel J. Mendes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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41
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Firmino R, Carlos E, Pinto JV, Deuermeier J, Martins R, Fortunato E, Barquinha P, Branquinho R. Solution Combustion Synthesis of Hafnium-Doped Indium Oxide Thin Films for Transparent Conductors. Nanomaterials 2022; 12:nano12132167. [PMID: 35808002 PMCID: PMC9268072 DOI: 10.3390/nano12132167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Indium oxide (In2O3)-based transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) have been widely used and studied for a variety of applications, such as optoelectronic devices. However, some of the more promising dopants (zirconium, hafnium, and tantalum) for this oxide have not received much attention, as studies have mainly focused on tin and zinc, and even fewer have been explored by solution processes. This work focuses on developing solution-combustion-processed hafnium (Hf)-doped In2O3 thin films and evaluating different annealing parameters on TCO’s properties using a low environmental impact solvent. Optimized TCOs were achieved for 0.5 M% Hf-doped In2O3 when produced at 400 °C, showing high transparency in the visible range of the spectrum, a bulk resistivity of 5.73 × 10−2 Ω.cm, a mobility of 6.65 cm2/V.s, and a carrier concentration of 1.72 × 1019 cm−3. Then, these results were improved by using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for 10 min at 600 °C, reaching a bulk resistivity of 3.95 × 10 −3 Ω.cm, a mobility of 21 cm2/V.s, and a carrier concentration of 7.98 × 1019 cm−3, in air. The present work brings solution-based TCOs a step closer to low-cost optoelectronic applications.
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Rovisco A, Morais M, Branquinho R, Fortunato E, Martins R, Barquinha P. Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Zn 2SnO 4 Nanostructures for Photodegradation of Rhodamine B under UV and Sunlight. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:2119. [PMID: 35745457 PMCID: PMC9231267 DOI: 10.3390/nano12122119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The contamination of water resources by pollutants resulting from human activities represents a major concern nowadays. One promising alternative to solve this problem is the photocatalytic process, which has demonstrated very promising and efficient results. Oxide nanostructures are interesting alternatives for these applications since they present wide band gaps and high surface areas. Among the photocatalytic oxide nanostructures, zinc tin oxide (ZTO) presents itself as an eco-friendly alternative since its composition includes abundant and non-toxic zinc and tin, instead of critical elements. Moreover, ZTO nanostructures have a multiplicity of structures and morphologies possible to be obtained through low-cost solution-based syntheses. In this context, the current work presents an optimization of ZTO nanostructures (polyhedrons, nanoplates, and nanoparticles) obtained by microwave irradiation-assisted hydrothermal synthesis, toward photocatalytic applications. The nanostructures’ photocatalytic activity in the degradation of rhodamine B under both ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and natural sunlight was evaluated. Among the various morphologies, ZTO nanoparticles revealed the best performance, with degradation > 90% being achieved in 60 min under UV irradiation and in 90 min under natural sunlight. The eco-friendly production process and the demonstrated ability of these nanostructures to be used in various water decontamination processes reinforces their sustainability and the role they can play in a circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Pedro Barquinha
- CENIMAT/i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.M.); (R.B.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
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43
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de Melo TP, Delgado A, Martins R, Lassila L, Garoushi S, Caldeira J, Azul AM, Vallittu P. Can Specular Gloss Measurements Predict the Effectiveness of Finishing/Polishing Protocols in Dental Polymers? A Systematic Review and Linear Mixed-effects Prediction Model. Oper Dent 2022; 47:E131-E151. [PMID: 35776960 DOI: 10.2341/21-027-lit] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The current gold standard measure to assess polishing efficacy is surface roughness (SR) assessed in laboratory research. Specular gloss (SG) has been negatively correlated to SR, which raises the following question: Can SG be used to accurately determine the effectiveness of a finishing/polishing procedure in direct resin composites? METHODS A systematic approach and search strategy, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, was developed and conducted in five electronic databases: PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE (Ovid), and SciELO/LILACS to identify laboratory studies that assessed SR and SG, simultaneously, of resin composites, without date or language restriction. Risk of bias assessment was carried out by two reviewers, independently. From the extracted quantitative data of SG/SR, regression analyses were performed, and a linear mixed-effects prediction model was derived using the nimble package in R (v4.0.3). RESULTS A total of 928 potential studies were found, out of which, 13 were eligible after criterion screening. Experimental groups featured 31 resin composites of six different filler types, with the most common being microhybrids followed by nanohybrids. More than half of the studies initially reported a linear correlation between SR and SG, which ranged from r2 = 0.34-0.96. Taking into account the regression analysis and prediction model posteriorly performed, the corresponding SG threshold for 0.2 μm is estimated to be >55 GU. Most of the evidence was classified as moderate or high risk of bias. CONCLUSION SG is universally correlated to SR in polymers, and a reference value of >55 GU is proposed, above which samples are considered well polished.
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Affiliation(s)
- T P de Melo
- *Teresa Pinheiro de Melo, DDS, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Monte de Caparica, Portugal
| | - Ahs Delgado
- António HS Delgado, DDS, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Monte de Caparica, Portugal; 2 Department of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, UCL Eastman Dental Institute, London, UK
| | - R Martins
- Rui Martins, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Monte de Caparica, Portugal
| | - L Lassila
- Lippo Lassila, Department of Biomaterials Science and TCBC, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - S Garoushi
- Sufyan Garoushi, Department of Biomaterials Science and TCBC, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - J Caldeira
- Jorge Caldeira, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Monte de Caparica, Portugal; UCIBIO and LAQV Requimte Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - A M Azul
- Ana Mano Azul, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar Egas Moniz (CiiEM), Monte de Caparica, Portugal
| | - P Vallittu
- Pekka Vallittu, Department of Biomaterials Science and TCBC, Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku, Turku, Finland; Division of Welfare, City of Turku, Turku, Finland
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44
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Jana S, Martins R, Fortunato E. Stacking-Dependent Electrical Transport in a Colloidal CdSe Nanoplatelet Thin-Film Transistor. Nano Lett 2022; 22:2780-2785. [PMID: 35343708 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Here, we report an exceptional feature of the one-dimensional threadlike assemblies of a four-monolayer colloidal CdSe nanoplatelet (NPL)-based thin-film transistor. A series of different lengths of threads (200-1200 nm) was used as an active n channel in thin-film transistors (TFTs) to understand the change in mobility with the length of the threads. The film with the longest threads shows the highest conductivity of ∼12 S/cm and electron mobility of ∼14.3 cm2 V-1 s-1 for an applied gate voltage of 2 V. The mobility trends with the length seem to be driven mostly by the lower defects in threads, where the loss of electron hopping is less. Furthermore, our results show the mobility trends in stacking-dependent CdSe NPL threads and provide a new insight into fabricating high-mobility TFTs with the use of colloidal CdSe NPLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santanu Jana
- CENIMAT/i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade Nova de Lisboa and CEMOP/Uninova, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT/i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade Nova de Lisboa and CEMOP/Uninova, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT/i3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia-Universidade Nova de Lisboa and CEMOP/Uninova, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
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Martins R, António N, Donato H, Oliveiros B. Predictors of echocardiographic response to cardiac resynchronization therapy: A systematic review with Meta-Analysis. IJC Heart & Vasculature 2022; 39:100979. [PMID: 35252540 PMCID: PMC8891947 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcha.2022.100979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
NYHA class II seems to predict response to CRT. We should not delay CRT, trying medical management first, even in mildly symptomatic patients. Atrial fibrillation patients must have the same indication for CRT as those in sinus rhythm.
Background At least 30% of the patients do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of real-world studies trying to identify predictors of response to CRT. Methods PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were searched for observational prospective studies, referring the evaluation of response to CRT, defined as a decrease in left ventricle end-systolic volume (LVESV) ≥ 15% at 6-month follow-up, via two-dimensional echocardiography. Results A total of 24 studies were included. The meta-analysis showed that female gender (p = 0.018), non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) (p < 0.001), left bundle branch morphology (LBBB) (p = 0.001), longer QRS (p < 0.001) and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II (p = 0.014) appear to favor response to CRT. After ROC analysis and logistic regression procedures, female gender (kappa = 0.450; p < 0.001), NICM (kappa = 0.636; p < 0.001), LBBB (kappa = 0.935; p < 0.001), and NYHA class II (kappa = 0.647; p < 0.001) were identified as independent predictors of response to CRT, being LBBB the most reliable one (sensitivity = 97.24%; specificity = 98.86%). Conclusions Female gender, NICM, LBBB and NYHA class II are baseline variables with an apparent capability to independently predict response to CRT, being LBBB the most reliable one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Martins
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Natália António
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Serviço de Cardiologia, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Corresponding author.
| | - Helena Donato
- Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
- Serviço de Documentação, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
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Coelho BJ, Veigas B, Bettencourt L, Águas H, Fortunato E, Martins R, Baptista PV, Igreja R. Digital Microfluidics-Powered Real-Time Monitoring of Isothermal DNA Amplification of Cancer Biomarker. Biosensors (Basel) 2022; 12:bios12040201. [PMID: 35448261 PMCID: PMC9028060 DOI: 10.3390/bios12040201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a digital microfluidics (DMF) platform specifically designed to perform a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) of DNA and applied it to a real-time amplification to monitor a cancer biomarker, c-Myc (associated to 40% of all human tumors), using fluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate the full manipulation of the sample and reagents on the DMF platform, resulting in the successful amplification of 90 pg of the target DNA (0.5 ng/µL) in less than one hour. Furthermore, we test the efficiency of an innovative mixing strategy in DMF by employing two mixing methodologies onto the DMF droplets-low frequency AC (alternating current) actuation as well as back-and-forth droplet motion-which allows for improved fluorescence readouts. Fluorophore bleaching effects are minimized through on-chip sample partitioning by DMF processes and sequential droplet irradiation. Finally, LAMP reactions require only 2 µL volume droplets, which represents a 10-fold volume reduction in comparison to benchtop LAMP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Jorge Coelho
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Life Sciences Department, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Bruno Veigas
- AlmaScience, Campus da Caparica, 2829-519 Caparica, Portugal;
| | - Luís Bettencourt
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
| | - Hugo Águas
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
| | - Pedro V. Baptista
- UCIBIO, I4HB, Life Sciences Department, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal
| | - Rui Igreja
- Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (B.J.C.); (L.B.); (H.Á.); (E.F.); (R.M.)
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Matias ML, Pimentel A, Reis-Machado AS, Rodrigues J, Deuermeier J, Fortunato E, Martins R, Nunes D. Enhanced Fe-TiO 2 Solar Photocatalysts on Porous Platforms for Water Purification. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2022; 12:1005. [PMID: 35335818 PMCID: PMC8955547 DOI: 10.3390/nano12061005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In this study, polyethylene glycol-modified titanium dioxide (PEG-modified TiO2) nanopowders were prepared using a fast solvothermal method under microwave irradiation, and without any further calcination processes. These nanopowders were further impregnated on porous polymeric platforms by drop-casting. The effect of adding iron with different molar ratios (1, 2, and 5%) of iron precursor was investigated. The characterization of the produced materials was carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Optical characterization of all the materials was also carried out. SEM showed that pure TiO2 and Fe-TiO2 nanostructures presented similar nanosized and spherical particles, which uniformly covered the substrates. From XRD, pure TiO2 anatase was obtained for all nanopowders produced, which was further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy on the impregnated substrates. XPS and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy emission spectra revealed that the presence of Fe ions on the Fe-TiO2 nanostructures led to the introduction of new intermediate energy levels, as well as defects that contributed to an enhancement in the photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic results under solar radiation demonstrated increased photocatalytic activity in the presence of the 5% Fe-TiO2 nanostructures (Rhodamine B degradation of 85% after 3.5 h, compared to 74% with pure TiO2 for the same exposure time). The photodegradation rate of RhB dye with the Fe-TiO2 substrate was 1.5-times faster than pure TiO2. Reusability tests were also performed. The approach developed in this work originated novel functionalized photocatalytic platforms, which were revealed to be promising for the removal of organic dyes from wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Leonor Matias
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
| | - Ana Pimentel
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
| | - Ana S. Reis-Machado
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, NOVA School of Science and Technology, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal;
| | - Joana Rodrigues
- Physics Department & I3N, Aveiro University, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
| | - Daniela Nunes
- CENIMAT|i3N, Department of Materials Science, School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon and CEMOP/UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal; (M.L.M.); (A.P.); (J.D.); (E.F.)
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Martins RA, Carlos E, Deuermeier J, Pereira ME, Martins R, Fortunato E, Kiazadeh A. Emergent solution based IGZO memristor towards neuromorphic applications. J Mater Chem C Mater 2022; 10:1991-1998. [PMID: 35873858 PMCID: PMC9241358 DOI: 10.1039/d1tc05465a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Solution-based memristors are emergent devices, due to their potential in electrical performance for neuromorphic computing combined with simple and cheap fabrication processes. However, to achieve practical application in crossbar design tens to hundreds of uniform memristors are required. Regarding this, the production step optimization should be considered as the main objective to achieve high performance devices. In this work, solution-based indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) memristor devices are produced using a combustion synthesis process. The performance of the device is optimized by using different annealing temperatures and active layer thicknesses to reach a higher reproducibility and stability. All IGZO memristors show a low operating voltage, good endurance, and retention up to 105 s under air conditions. The optimized devices can be programmed in a multi-level cell operation mode, with 8 different resistive states. Also, preliminary results reveal synaptic behavior by replicating the plasticity of a synaptic junction through potentiation and depression; this is a significant step towards low-cost processes and large-scale compatibility of neuromorphic computing systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Azevedo Martins
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Emanuel Carlos
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Jonas Deuermeier
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Maria Elias Pereira
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Rodrigo Martins
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Elvira Fortunato
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
| | - Asal Kiazadeh
- CENIMAT/i3N Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia (FCT), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa (UNL), and CEMOP/UNINOVA 2829-516 Caparica Portugal
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Martins R, Kotsopoulos N, Michalowsky B, Pemberton-Ross P, Urbich M, Connolly MP. Evaluation of the Fiscal Costs and Consequences of Alzheimer's Disease in Germany: Microsimulation of Patients' and Caregivers' Pathways. J Prev Alzheimers Dis 2022; 9:758-768. [PMID: 36281681 DOI: 10.14283/jpad.2022.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease is a severe condition, impacting individual's wellbeing and independence in daily activities. Informal care provision is common and of great value to societies but is not without negative externalities to households and the broader economy. OBJECTIVES Estimate the lifetime incremental fiscal consequences of Alzheimer's disease in community-based individuals and their informal caregivers. SETTING The fiscal consequences of Alzheimer's disease was modeled using the German government and social security perspective. PARTICIPANTS Synthetic cohort containing 1,000 pairs of people with Alzheimer's disease and their informal caregivers, compared to 1,000 demographically identical pairs from the general population. DESIGN Disease progression was modeled using published equations and a state-transition microsimulation framework. Labor participation, financial support and paid taxes were estimated according to cognitive decline and caregiving responsibilities using German labor statistics and tax rates. Healthcare costs were sourced from several German publications. Costs and life-years were discounted at 3% annually. MEASUREMENTS Results are reported as lifetime incremental differences in total tax revenue and transfer payments between the cohort affected by Alzheimer's disease and their general population analogues. RESULTS The Alzheimer's disease-affected pair was associated with net incremental fiscal losses of €74,288 ($85,037) to the German government and social security over the lifetime of people with Alzheimer's disease. Most costs were lost taxes on employment earnings (48.4%) due to caregivers working reduced hours. Caregivers were estimated to earn €56,967 ($65,209) less than their general population analogues. Financial support for informal and formal care accounted for 20.4%, and medical healthcare costs represented 24.0% of the incremental fiscal losses. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the model results. In a cohort with early onset Alzheimer's disease, incremental fiscal losses were predicted to be €118,533 ($114,209) over the lifetime of people with Alzheimer's disease. CONCLUSIONS Alzheimer's disease externalities profoundly impact public economics for governments and should be considered to inform policy making and healthcare planning.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Martins
- Mark Connolly, Global Market Access Solutions, St-Prex, 1162, Switzerland,
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Martins R, Urbich M, Brännvall K, Gianinazzi M, Ching JE, Khoury CP, El-Hayek YH. Modelling the Pan-European Economic Burden of Alzheimer's Disease. JAR Life 2022; 11:38-46. [PMID: 36923231 PMCID: PMC10002890 DOI: 10.14283/jarlife.2022.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Background Recent advances open the opportunity of altering the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through lifestyle-based modifications and novel therapies. Ensuring that society is investing limited budgets in the interventions that have the greatest potential to generate tangible impact will require tools to guide policymakers. Objectives To build on previous studies to develop an economic model that estimates the societal burden of AD and evaluates the potential impact of novel interventions in six large European countries. Design AD progression was modelled using a published Markov structure with a 40-year time horizon to estimate lifetime costs and life years in a cohort aged 65 years and above diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment due to AD (MCI-AD) in 2020. Demographic projections were utilized to estimate the prevalence of MCI-AD up to 2100, total corresponding costs and life years. The model allows a comparison of costs associated with the introduction of a hypothetical new disease-modifying therapy that slows disease progression between MCI-AD and all AD-Dementia stages as well as a 'delayed onset' scenario where disease progression is halted at the MCI-AD stage, potentially occurring, for example, through lifestyle-based modifications. Results The 2022 present value of total lifetime costs for this cohort moving through all disease stages is ~€1.2T. Approximately 80% of the present value of lifetime costs in our model are driven by informal care and non-medical direct costs. Our model suggests that a 25% and 50% reduction in disease progression compared to natural history could translate into a present value of cost savings of €33.7B and €72.7B. Halting MCI-AD progression for 3 years with no therapeutic effect thereafter resulted in a present value cost savings of €84.7B in savings. Conclusions Our data further suggest that early intervention via disease-modifying therapies or lifestyle-based modifications in AD could result in cost savings for society. Additionally, our findings reinforce the importance of accounting for the full value of innovative interventions, management and care paradigms, including their potential impact on direct, indirect and intangible costs impacting patients, their care partners and health and social care systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Martins
- Global Market Access Solutions, Health Economics Unit, St-Prex, Switzerland; University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, GZW Global Health department, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - M Urbich
- Biogen International GmbH, Value and Access, HE and HTA Strategy, Switzerland
| | - K Brännvall
- Biogen International GmbH, Value and Access, Switzerland
| | - M Gianinazzi
- Biogen International GmbH, Value and Access, Switzerland
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