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TU Graz SciPix

LAMPSe is participating in the photo competition held at TU Graz called TU Graz SciPix.

The photos show examples of the everyday research at TU Graz.

 

Alexander Dallinger is participating with a scanning electron microscope image showing LIG and silver flakes forming a “glacier”.

The everlasting silver glacier
The glacier is formed by silver flakes on mountains of laser-induced graphene, arising from a plastic sheet after scribing with an infrared laser. The glacier is forcing its way down the valley and is connecting the conductive mountains together.

Francesco Greco is participating with a photo made by Matthias Gritzner during his bachelor thesis and shows UV ink contained in microfluidic channels made from hydrophilic and hydrophobic LIG.

Liquid Yin&Yang on laser induced graphene
A Yin&Yang symbol is formed by self-guidance and mixing of fluorescent dyes in water on top of a pattern of Laser Induced Graphene with tunable wettability (superhydrophilic/superhydrophobic).

You can participate in the online voting until the 31.05.2021.

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE PHOTO

Here you can see video of the microfluidics created with LIG. Fluorescent dyes are deposited on the LIG tracks and are guided down to the bottom because of the hydrophilic properties. At the bottom they come in contact with each other and form a Yin&Yang symbol. The liquid is confined by the hydrophobic LIG on the outside.

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Smart tattoos are keeping tabs on our health – chemistryworld.com

Francesco Greco, Head of LAMPSe, recently was interviewed by Nina Notman for a feature article on smart tattoos for the UK Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry World magazine www.chemistryworld.com.

The article features the newest developments on smart tattoos, discussing blood-analysing patches, sweat sensors, color changing – UV detecting tattoos and electrophysiological sensing tattoos, like the ones developed at LAMPSe.

picture of a tattoo electrode

Here the link to the article available on chemistryworld.com:

Smart tattoos are keeping tabs on our health chemistryworld.com
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Conferences & Posters News Publications

Paper on Multiresponse Soft Acutators published in ACS Applied Polymers

“Multiresponsive Soft Actuators based on Thermoresponsive Hydrogel and embedded Laser-Induced Graphene”

Alexander Dallinger, Paul Kindlhofer, Francesco Greco and Anna Maria Coclite
Publication Date: March 9, 2021
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.0c01385

Short presentation of the multiresponsive actuators

Abstract

The method of converting insulating polymers into conducting 3D porous graphene structures, so called laser-induced graphene (LIG) with a commercially available CO2 laser engraving system in an ambient atmosphere, resulted in several applications in sensing, actuation and energy. In this paper we demonstrate a combination of LIG and a smart hydrogel (poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) – pNVCL) for multiresponsive actuation in a humid environment. Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) was used to deposit a thin layer of smart hydrogel onto a matrix of PDMS and embedded LIG tracks. An intriguing property of smart hydrogels, such as pNVCL, is that the change of an external stimulus (temperature, pH, magnetic/electric fields) induces a reversible phase transition from a swollen to a collapsed state. While the active smart hydrogel layer had a thickness of only 300 nm (compared to the 500 times thicker actuator matrix), it was possible to induce a reversible bending of over 30° in the humid environment triggered by joule heating. The properties of each material were investigated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectroscopy, tensile testing and ellipsometry. The actuation performances of single-responsive versions were investigated by creating a thermoresponsive PDMS/LIG actuator and a humidityresponsive PDMS/pNVCL actuator. These results were used to tune the properties of the multiresponsive PDMS/LIG/pNVCL actuator. Furthermore, the capabilities of self-sensing were investigated. By getting a feedback from the piezoresistive change of the PMDS/LIG composite the bending angle could be tracked by measuring the change in resistance. To highlight the possibilities of the processing techniques and the combination of materials, a demonstrator in the shape of an octopus with four independently controllable arms was produced.

Video showing the octopus demonstrator in action by rectracting two feet through joule heating in a humid environment.

Presentation @ DocDay 2021

Poster on Multiresponsive Actuators
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News Publications

Optimized connections for tattoo skin-contact electrodes toward real use in health monitoring: new publication in Sensors

A new open access paper by S. Taccola et al. about skin-contact Temporary Tattoo Electrodes (TTEs). The study is part of a collaboration of our former group at CMBR IIT – Italian Institute of Technology, Pontedera (Italy) with the company MEDEL Gmbh, Innsbruck (Austria). The study investigates skin-contact tattoo electrodes in various bio-electric signals recording applications, such as bioimpedance for respiration monitoring. Novel methods for realizing  a repositionable, long-term stable and robust interconnection of TTEs with external “docking” devices are presented. A further step forward toward the real use of our tattoo interfaces in health monitoring!

Publication  in Sensors MDPI:

Toward the Use of Temporary Tattoo Electrodes for Impedancemetric Respiration Monitoring and Other Electrophysiological Recordings on Skin

Silvia Taccola, Aliria Poliziani,  Daniele Santonocito, Alessio Mondini, Christian Denk, Alessandro Noriaki Ide, Markus Oberparleiter, Francesco Greco, Virgilio Mattoli

Sensors, 21(4), 1197 (2021).

DOI: 10.3390/s21041197
https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/21/4/1197

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News Publications

Tattooable OLEDs: new publication in Advanced Electronic Materials

OLED tattoo cross section & transfer on bottle

A new paper by Jonathan Barsotti et al. about Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) on temporary tattoo. The study is a collaboration with groups of Dr. Virgilio Mattoli (CMBR IIT, Italy) and Prof. Franco Cacialli (UCL, London, UK). Ultrathin tattooable OLEDS are presented which can be transferred onto various target surfaces maintaining their functionality.

Publication  in Advanced Electronic Materials:

Ultrathin, Ultra‐Conformable, and Free‐Standing Tattooable Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Jonathan Barsotti, Alexandros G. Rapidis, Ikue Hirata, Francesco Greco, Franco Cacialli, Virgilio Mattoli

Advanced Electronic Materials, 2001145 (2021).

DOI: 10.1002/aelm.202001145
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aelm.202001145

UPDATE:
The publication on the tattooable OLED got mentioned in the BBC article “Could electric tattoos be the next step in body art?”.

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LAMPSe and Tattoo Electrodes on Ö1 Radio – DIGITAL.LEBEN

In Summer LAMPSe was interviewed by Ö1, one of Austria’s public radio stations. The interview was broadcasted on October 21st and can now be accessed online. Listen to Alexander Dallinger and Francesco Greco talking about the innovative tattoo electrodes.

picture of a tattoo electrode

Here the link to the interview available on Ö1 – DIGITAL.LEBEN:

Ö1 – digital.leben:
Elektroden-Tattoo misst Körpersignale

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News Publications

Book “Organic Flexible Electronics”

We contributed with a Chapter to a new book “Organic Flexible Electronics”, edited by P. Cosseddu and M. Caironi by Elsevier.

Our contribution to the book:

Chapter 15 – Ultraconformable Organic Electronics

L. M. Ferrari, S. Taccola, J. Barsotti, V. Mattoli,  F. Greco
in Organic Flexible Electronics, Eds. P. Cosseddu, M. Caironi, Elsevier 2021, pages 437-478
Publication Date: October 5, 2020
Link to the Chapter on Science Direct – Elsevier

Cover Book

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Tattoo for Brain recordings on IEEEBrain Braininsight newsletter

IEEE Brain Braininsight

We published an highlight on our tattoo for brain recordings in the latest issue of Braininsight, the newsletter of IEEE Brain dedicated to neuroscience and neurotechnology community.

IEEE Brain – Braininsight – ISSUE 2 2020
IEEE Brain Braininsight
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Conferences & Posters News

Advanced Materials Day 2020

At the Advanced Materials Day 2020 hold at TU Graz, LAMPSe presented a poster on its research.

The Field-of-Expertise Advanced Materials Science is an interdisciplinary network of researchers at the TU Graz in chemistry, physics, architecture, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering and geodesy who discover, characterize and model materials, functional coatings and components.

You can listen to a short presentation of the poster in this video recorded for the virtual AMD2020.

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5D Nanoprinting Kick-Off

LAMPSe is proud to announce that it is part of the exciting EU project “5D Nanoprinting“.

The 5D NanoPrinting project aims to set a new paradigm in the 3D printing technology of micro and nano machines.  

By developing innovative smart/functional materials with tailorable properties and novel fabrication methodologies, it aims to propel forward the current state-of-the-art micro(nano)printing technologies, allowing faster prototyping and designing of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS).

The part of LAMPSe is the investigation of methods to create conformal conductive paths complementing the two-photon polymerization process.
Our approach is conversion of polymers to conductive carbon via laser carbonization. By investigating different laser sources and precursor materials we aim to find a method which is easy to implement in the project.

Another partner in the consortium of TU Graz is the group of Anna Maria Coclite, who will be investigating Stimuli Responsive Materials for Sensing.

On September 21st the Kick-Off meeting for the project took place. Due to the current COVID-19 situation the consortium was meeting online.