Polymeric materials are widely used in industries ranging from automotive to biomedical. Their mechanical properties play a crucial role in their application and function and arise from the nanoscale structures and interactions of their constitutive polymer molecules. Polymeric materials behave viscoelastically, i.e., their mechanical responses depend on the time scale of the measurements; quantifying these time-dependent rheological properties at the nanoscale is relevant to develop, for example, accurate models and simulations of those materials, which are needed for advanced industrial applications. In this paper, an atomic force microscopy (AFM) method based on the photothermal actuation of an AFM cantilever is developed to quantify the nanoscale loss tangent, storage modulus, and loss modulus of polymeric materials. The method is then validated on styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), demonstrating the method's ability to quantify nanoscale viscoelasticity over a continuous frequency range up to 5 orders of magnitude (0.2-20,200 Hz). Furthermore, this method is combined with AFM viscoelastic mapping obtained with amplitude modulation-frequency modulation (AM-FM) AFM, enabling the extension of viscoelastic quantification over an even broader frequency range and demonstrating that the novel technique synergizes with preexisting AFM techniques for quantitative measurement of viscoelastic properties. The method presented here introduces a way to characterize the viscoelasticity of polymeric materials and soft and biological matter in general at the nanoscale for any application.

Semiconductor development is a major driving force for global economic growth. However, synchronizing it with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations remains a critical challenge. To gain insight into this, we analyzed SDG-related publications on semiconductors from 2017 to 2022 using the SciVal database. The study found 77,706 documents related to SDGs in the field of semiconductor research, with an overall increase in the number of publications each year. The main focus of these publications was SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), accounting for 68.9 % of the total publication count. Additionally, the results indicate that semiconductors have multifaceted potential in advancing a range of SDGs. From fostering innovations in healthcare (SDG 3), ensuring clean water access (SDG 6), catalyzing transformative industrial growth (SDG 9), to contributing to climate mitigation strategies (SDG 13), semiconductors emerge as versatile drivers of sustainable development. The respective publication percentages for these goals were 7.3 %, 5.9 %, 9.7 %, and 4.4 %, underscoring their capacity to make substantial contributions across various facets of sustainability. It's worth noting that only 2.9 % of these publications stem from academia-industry collaborations. This indicates a pressing need to facilitate collaboration between academia and industry, as such partnerships have the potential to amplify the impact of semiconductor innovations on the SDGs. The novelty of this study lies in its specific exploration through a comprehensive analysis spanning five years, revealing the alignment between semiconductor advancements and the latest SDGs. It uncovers the significance of collaborative ecosystems involving research institutions, businesses, and governments. Through these results, our study addresses a gap in the existing literature and advances semiconductor contributions to the SDGs.

Polymeric materials are widely used in industries ranging from automotive to biomedical. Their mechanical properties play a crucial role in their application and function and arise from the nanoscale structures and interactions of their constitutive polymer molecules. Polymeric materials behave viscoelastically, i.e. their mechanical responses depend on the time scale of the measurements; quantifying these time-dependent rheological properties at the nanoscale is relevant to develop, for example, accurate models and simulations of those materials, which are needed for advanced industrial applications. In this paper, an atomic force microscopy (AFM) method based on the photothermal actuation of an AFM cantilever is developed to quantify the nanoscale loss tangent, storage modulus, and loss modulus of polymeric materials. The method is then validated on a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), demonstrating the method's ability to quantify nanoscale viscoelasticity over a continuous frequency range up to five orders of magnitude (0.2 Hz to 20,200 Hz). Furthermore, this method is combined with AFM viscoelastic mapping obtained with amplitude-modulation frequency-modulation (AM-FM) AFM, enabling the extension of viscoelastic quantification over an even broader frequency range, and demonstrating that the novel technique synergizes with preexisting AFM techniques for quantitative measurement of viscoelastic properties. The method presented here introduces a way to characterize the viscoelasticity of polymeric materials, and soft matter in general at the nanoscale, for any application.

p-Nitrophenol (p-NP) is a chemical compound that produces pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Improper handling can lead to water pollution and pose risks to the environment. Considerable attention has been given to the research and development of methods for detecting water pollutants to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. This study used highly fluorescent perovskite quantum dots (PVSK QDs) to detect p-NP in water. To enhance the stability of the PVSK QDs, we performed surface modification using 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine, resulting in functionalized amine-PVSK QDs. This enables the amine-PVSK QDs to maintain a high fluorescent quantum yield of 88.8% after 30 days of storage in ethanol. The detection of p-NP in water is achieved through the fluorescence quenching resulting from the reaction between the amino groups on the amine-PVSK QDs and p-NP. The detection limit for p-NP was 160 nM, lower than the US EPA permissible concentration limit for potable water. The amine-PVSK QDs detected p-NP in two river water samples with a relative standard deviation of 0.31–2.49% range. These findings demonstrate that amine-PVSK QDs can serve as a fast and sensitive fluorescent detection platform for the qualitative and quantitative identification of aqueous p-NP, addressing environmental sustainability issues.

Abstract Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) have emerged as the principal enabling tool for nanotechnology research. They are used ubiquitously in a wide range of fields: from 2D materials, semiconductors, ferroelectrics, and batteries to biomolecules, polymers, and cell biology. As the name implies, AFMs are microscopes. However, rather than using focused light or electrons to magnify sample features, AFMs scan a mechanical probe with a very sharp tip over the surface to create a high-resolution 3D topographical image. Further, by modifying the probe composition or structure, other material properties (electrical, mechanical, magnetic, etc.) can be simultaneously measured and mapped onto the topographic image for precise structure/property correlation. Clearly, the probe is key to unlocking the power of the AFM, thus, choosing the right probe is critical. In this article, we will provide novice and experienced users with basic information and guidelines to simplify the AFM probe selection process.

Herbs containing aristolochic acids (AAs) have already been proven to be highly carcinogenic and nephrotoxic. In this study, a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) identification method was developed. Ag-APS nanoparticles with a particle size of 3.53 ± 0.92 nm were produced by combining silver nitrate and 3-aminopropylsilatrane. The reaction between the carboxylic acid group of aristolochic acid I (AAI) and amine group of Ag-APS NPs was used to form amide bonds, and thus, concentrate AAI, rendering it easy to detect via SERS and amplified to obtain the best SERS enhancement effect. Detection limit was calculated to be approximately 40 nM. Using the SERS method, AAI was successfully detected in the samples of four Chinese herbal medicines containing AAI. Therefore, this method has a high potential to be applied in the future development of AAI analysis and rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of AAI in dietary supplements and edible herbs.

We developed an on-slide decellularization approach to generate acellular extracellular matrix (ECM) myoscaffolds that can be repopulated with various cell types to interrogate cell-ECM interactions. Using this platform, we investigated whether fibrotic ECM scarring affected human skeletal muscle progenitor cell (SMPC) functions that are essential for myoregeneration. SMPCs exhibited robust adhesion, motility, and differentiation on healthy muscle-derived myoscaffolds. All SPMC interactions with fibrotic myoscaffolds from dystrophic muscle were severely blunted including reduced motility rate and migration. Furthermore, SMPCs were unable to remodel laminin dense fibrotic scars within diseased myoscaffolds. Proteomics and structural analysis revealed that excessive collagen deposition alone is not pathological, and can be compensatory, as revealed by overexpression of sarcospan and its associated ECM receptors in dystrophic muscle. Our in vivo data also supported that ECM remodeling is important for SMPC engraftment and that fibrotic scars may represent one barrier to efficient cell therapy.