Department of NanoEngineering

Optimal levodopa (L-Dopa) dosing for the personal management of Parkinson’s disease represents a major clinical challenge due to L-Dopa’s narrow therapeutic window and inter- and intra-patient absorption variability. Current methods for measuring L-Dopa, relying on repeated blood draws for centralized laboratory measurements, fall short of capturing dynamic L-Dopa fluctuations that are relevant for timely interventions. Here, we present a minimally invasive microneedle (MN)-based wearable biosensor for continuous monitoring of L-Dopa (CDM) in human subjects. The MN biosensor platform relies on a tyrosinase-functionalized working electrode for detecting L-Dopa in interstitial fluid (ISF) through enzymatic electrochemical detection. The device was evaluated in healthy volunteers and participants with Parkinson’s disease in clinical settings, illustrating its ability to provide actionable temporal insights. Critical validation of the MN biosensor was carried out by comparing the ISF L-Dopa signals with plasma L-Dopa concentrations measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Using subject-specific calibration and lag-time correction, the ISF-derived drug profiles showed a close correlation with plasma L-Dopa pharmacokinetics, with a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 9.64%. An inverse correlation between the L-Dopa pharmacokinetics and the corresponding motor performance was observed. Such pioneering demonstration of the clinical feasibility of MN-based CDM in humans highlights its considerable potential for supporting the management of Parkinson’s disease.

A perovskite precursor solution that delivers power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) exceeding 26% in conventional n-i-p solar cells exhibits severe performance losses when directly applied to inverted p-i-n architectures, revealing that high-efficiency compositions are not inherently transferable. Here, we identify a buried-interface crystallization mismatch, arising from the distinct physicochemical natures of inorganic SnO2 electron-transporting layers and organic self-assembled hole-transporting monolayers (SA-HTLs), as the origin of this divergence. The methylammonium chloride (MACl)-associated intermediate phase, MA2Pb3I8·2DMSO, persists and decomposes with strong underlayer dependence, stabilizing beneficially on SnO2 but impeding crystallization on SA-HTLs. To overcome this limitation, we develop a chloride-origin engineering strategy that decouples chloride functionality from volatile organic ammonium species by incorporating low-solubility lead chloride (PbCl2) with strong Pb–Cl coordination. This enables controlled interfacial desolvation and nucleation on SA-HTLs, suppresses buried defects, and establishes buried-interface crystallization control as a design principle for architecture-convergent, high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.

This paper describes a method of micropatterning commercial silicone elastomers using a photodeactivated hydrosilylation inhibitor. The method uses small doses of 365 nm light and is compatible with common platinum-cured formulations of poly­(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). The hydrosilylation (cross-linking) inhibitor is a UV-sensitive emulsion composed of FeCl3 and a commercially available poly­(ethylene oxide)-co-PDMS copolymer. This mixture enables selective solidification of exposed regions while preventing solidification in unexposed areas. This approach facilitates the creation of complex geometries while preserving the mechanical tunability, biocompatibility, and optical transparency of the base silicone. The patterned structures have been successfully used to fabricate high-resolution microfluidic devices and substrates for measuring the contractility of cardiac cells with integrated strain gauges. The process achieves feature sizes as small as 20 μm and is compatible with standard photolithography tools.

Large-scale battery manufacturing requires understanding the fundamental principles of materials and interfaces and relies on advanced techniques for detailed interrogation. Despite advancements in the industrial scale production and their associated quality control tools, challenges such as electrode heterogeneity, internal defects, and large-scale material waste (e.g., scrap) can hamper manufacturing. Synchrotron X-ray characterization techniques offer spatial, temporal, and chemical resolution that can provide diagnostic insights for metrology across various manufacturing steps. This review examines the use of synchrotron tools to advance understanding of key steps in the battery manufacturing process. Recent examples demonstrate how synchrotron methods resolve manufacturing challenges and uncover degradation pathways that are otherwise inaccessible. Future directions for advancing battery manufacturing emphasize collaboration between academia and industry through the use of synchrotron X-ray techniques.

In this work, we developed a collagenase-responsive hydrogel system to covalently load cancer immunotherapy candidate cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) using 3D Digital Light Processing (DLP) bioprinting technology. CPMV was functionalized with norbornene groups (CPMV-NB), which was then bioprinted into hydrogels with 8-arm polyethylene glycol (PEG) norbornene and a collagenase-cleavable peptide via photoinduced thiol-ene click chemistry. This strategy enabled stable retention of CPMV-NB within the hydrogels and achieved controlled release of CPMV-NB triggered by collagenase. Furthermore, released CPMV-NB retained its immunogenicity to stimulate immune cells.

All-solid-state batteries using sulfur-based positive electrodes (cathodes) offer a cost-effective route to achieve high specific energy. However, low active material utilization and cycle life hinder performance. Here, we demonstrate a positive electrode design that employs sulfide solid-state electrolytes, where a high energy synthesis approach forms a metastable and ionically conductive interphase on the active material surface. This interphase facilitates high active material utilization and contributes capacity with cycling. We also show that tailoring active material particle sizes to the micron-scale improves rate performance and cycling stability. Structural analysis reveals that the substantial volume change of sulfur-based positive electrodes during operation can partially offset that of the negative electrodes, thereby mitigating internal mechanical stress. The combined design principles enable sulfur areal capacities up to 11 mAh cm-2 while maintaining stable cycling at 25 °C. We further demonstrate several specific-energy-focused cell architectures, particularly a Li2S anode-free pouch cell that operates under “low stack pressure” of 10 MPa. This work outlines practical design strategies for constructing high-specific-energy all-solid-state batteries for a broad range of emerging applications.

There is a clinical need for an effective nerve guidance conduit to treat peripheral nerve injuries. Many studies have explored different materials and active cues to guide neural regeneration, with some success. However, none have demonstrated a comparable or better functional recovery than the clinical standard autograft. Autografts are often insufficient for reconstruction of an injury to long nerves such as the sciatic or brachial plexus. Synthetic nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) have been investigated for these injuries to guide axonal regeneration and lead to functional recovery. We have designed a biologics-free hydrogel-based multi-channel conduit with defined microscale features to guide axonal outgrowth. To investigate extraneural vascular infiltration and its effects on functional recovery, we also designed a multi-microchannel conduit with defined regularly spaced micropores, orthogonal to the axon guidance channels. Using our custom-built Rapid Projection, Image-guided, Dynamic (RaPID) bioprinting system, we were able to fabricate each hydrogel conduit within minutes from a milliliter-volume prepolymer vat. With our state-of-the-art printing platform, we have achieved NGCs with a consistent channel wall width of 10 μm. We implanted the NGCs for 17 weeks in a murine sciatic nerve transection injury model. We assessed the functional recovery by dynamic gait analysis throughout the recovery period and by compound muscle action potential (CMAP) electrophysiology before NGC harvesting. Both the non-porous and micro-porous conduit groups led to functional nerve regeneration on par with the autograft group. Further, both conduit groups resulted in restoration of bulk motor function to pre-injury performance.

BACKGROUND: Levodopa decreases blood pressure (BP) in persons with Parkinson's disease (PwP), but no pharmacodynamic studies integrating systemic levodopa concentration measurements have characterized its hypotensive effects. Understanding this relationship is clinically relevant for guiding therapeutic decisions, such as how aggressively to treat hypotension before initiating or increasing levodopa. In this pilot study, we aimed to determine the acute pharmacodynamic effects of oral immediate-release carbidopa/levodopa on BP in PwP. METHODS: PwP taking chronic oral carbidopa/levodopa with baseline BP ≥ 90/60 mmHg were recruited. Participants withheld antiparkinsonian medications overnight prior to the study visit and received carbidopa/levodopa immediate-release tablets at time 0. Capillary blood levodopa levels, seated BP measurements, and motor symptom assessments were performed at baseline and repeated every 10 min for 70-100 min. Non-compartmental pharmacokinetic parameters of levodopa were determined, including the area under the curve up to the last time point (AUC_{0 → last}), maximum concentration (C_max), and time to maximum concentration (T_max). RESULTS: Fourteen PwP were enrolled (mean age 69.5 ± 7.6 years, six females). Two participants had orthostatic hypotension at baseline (defined as a sustained drop in systolic BP ≥ 20 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥ 10 mmHg within 3 min of standing), and six were taking antihypertensive medications. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) declined during the study from an average of 105 ± 13.1 mmHg at baseline to a nadir of 84 ± 15.8 mmHg. The maximum MAP drop occurred at 100 min post-dose. Cumulative levodopa AUC negatively correlated with MAP (Pearson's r = -0.30; p = 0.00036). CONCLUSIONS: Oral levodopa is associated with acute hypotension in PwP, and levodopa exposure is inversely correlated with MAP. These effects should be considered when adjusting levodopa dosing, particularly in patients with hypotension, to improve safety outcomes.

The Materials Project was launched formally in 2011 to drive materials discovery forwards through high-throughput computation and open data. More than a decade later, the Materials Project has become an indispensable tool used by more than 600,000 materials researchers around the world. This Perspective describes how the Materials Project, as a data platform and a software ecosystem, has helped to shape research in data-driven materials science. We cover how sustainable software and computational methods have accelerated materials design while becoming more open source and collaborative in nature. Next, we present cases where the Materials Project was used to understand and discover functional materials. We then describe our efforts to meet the needs of an expanding user base, through technical infrastructure updates ranging from data architecture and cloud resources to interactive web applications. Finally, we discuss opportunities to better aid the research community, with the vision that more accessible and easy-to-understand materials data will result in democratized materials knowledge and an increasingly collaborative community.

Significant advances in science and engineering often emerge at the intersections of disciplines. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are inherently interdisciplinary, uniting researchers from chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, materials science, and engineering. This convergence has fostered novel ways of thinking and enabled the development of materials, tools, and technologies that have transformed both basic and applied research, as well as how we address critical societal challenges. In this Nano Focus, we pose and explore 33 questions whose answers could profoundly impact fields such as energy, electronics, the environment, optics, and medicine. These questions highlight the need for deeper foundational understanding, improved tools and techniques, and innovative applications─each with significant societal relevance. Together, they represent a global call-to-action for the scientific community.