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Surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices have been utilized for the sensing of chemical and biological phenomena in microscale for the past few decades. In this study, SAW device was fabricated by electrospinning poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF−TrFE)) incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles over the delay line area of the SAW device. The morphology, composition, and crystallinity of P(VDF−TrFE)/ZnO nanocomposites were investigated. After measurement of SAW frequency response, it was found that the insertion loss of the SAW devices incorporated with ZnO nanoparticles was much less than that of the neat polymer-deposited device. The fabricated device was expected to be used in acoustic biosensors to detect and quantify the cell proliferation in cell culture systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tissue engineering aims to exploit the regenerative capacity of cells and connect the inherent ability of the body to repair and regenerate. Cells are seeded onto a porous three-dimensional scaffold in tissue engineering, which will provide protection and direct cells to the development of new tissue-like structures. These scaffolds can provide a medium for the delivery, under controlled conditions of growth factors release and drug delivery. Herein, nanocellulose was extracted from Ixora coccinea L. plant root, plasticized scaffold of nanocellulose were prepared by using glycerol, gelatin, and PEG 600 followed by morphological characterized by FTIR, XRD, SEM, and tensile modulus analysis. FTIR indicated extracted nanocellulose is without any hemicelluloses, lignin, and non-cellulosic materials. XRD data displayed the extracted nanocellulose has a crystal size of around 3.6 nm while SEM data revealed the fiber diameter was around 20 µm. In the tensile modulus analysis, 1% PEG 600 exhibited the highest (tensile strength 69 MPa with young's modulus 67.326 MPa) as compared to glycerol and gelatin and hence selected for further studies. The In vitro cytocompatibility studies revealed that nanocellulose and 1% PEG 600 incorporated nanocellulose scaffolds were cell-friendly, promote cell proliferation, and do not show RBC aggregation as well as haemolysis suggesting its potential in various tissue engineering applications. The novelty of this work is that the nanocellulose extracted from the root of I. coccineahas traditional medicinal values in Ayurveda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents gain enhancement methodology for a dual-ring slot antenna using a frequency selective surface (FSS) as reflector. The FSS structure is formed with liquid metal placed inside the microfluidic channels created on the surface of the polydimethylsiloxane. Non-toxic liquid metal galinstain has been used to ensure biocompatibility. The FSS structure is placed below the ring slot antenna to reflect the back radiation, which in turn enhances the antenna directivity. Subsequently, the antenna gain has been increased as well. A fabricated prototype of the antenna-FSS system, operating at 2.45 GHz, has been analysed both inside human tissue mimicking fluid and pork slab to validate the simulation results. The inclusion of the liquid metal-based reflector increases antenna gain by almost 4 dB as well as ensures required biocompatibility and flexibility. Also the specific absorption rate of the antenna is observed to be reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]