Electrically switchable metadevices via graphene.

Metamaterials bring subwavelength resonating structures together to overcome the limitations of conventional materials. The realization of active metadevices has been an outstanding challenge that requires electrically reconfigurable components operating over a broad spectrum with a wide dynamic range. However, the existing capability of metamaterials is not sufficient to realize this goal. By integrating passive metamaterials with active graphene devices, we demonstrate a new class of electrically controlled active metadevices working in microwave frequencies. The fabricated active metadevices enable efficient control of both amplitude (>50 dB) and phase (>90°) of electromagnetic waves. In this hybrid system, graphene operates as a tunable Drude metal that controls the radiation of the passive metamaterials. Furthermore, by integrating individually addressable arrays of metadevices, we demonstrate a new class of spatially varying digital metasurfaces where the local dielectric constant can be reconfigured with applied bias voltages. In addition, we reconfigure resonance frequency of split-ring resonators without changing its amplitude by damping one of the two coupled metasurfaces via graphene. Our approach is general enough to implement various metamaterial systems that could yield new applications ranging from electrically switchable cloaking devices to adaptive camouflage systems

New materials and advances in making electronic skin for interactive robots

Flexible electronics has huge potential to bring revolution in robotics and prosthetics as well as to bring about the next big evolution in electronics industry. In robotics and related applications, it is expected to revolutionise the way with which machines interact with humans, real-world objects and the environment. For example, the conformable electronic or tactile skin on robot’s body, enabled by advances in flexible electronics, will allow safe robotic interaction during physical contact of robot with various objects. Developing a conformable, bendable and stretchable electronic system requires distributing electronics over large non-planar surfaces and movable components. The current research focus in this direction is marked by the use of novel materials or by the smart engineering of the traditional materials to develop new sensors, electronics on substrates that can be wrapped around curved surfaces. Attempts are being made to achieve flexibility/stretchability in e-skin while retaining a reliable operation. This review provides insight into various materials that have been used in the development of flexible electronics primarily for e-skin applications

Graphene based flexible electrochromic devices

Graphene emerges as a viable material for optoelectronics because of its broad optical response and gate-tunable properties. For practical applications, however, single layer graphene has performance limits due to its small optical absorption defined by fundamental constants. Here, we demonstrated a new class of flexible electrochromic devices using multilayer graphene (MLG) which simultaneously offers all key requirements for practical applications; high-contrast optical modulation over a broad spectrum, good electrical conductivity and mechanical flexibility. Our method relies on electro-modulation of interband transition of MLG via intercalation of ions into the graphene layers. The electrical and optical characterizations reveal the key features of the intercalation process which yields broadband optical modulation up to 55 per cent in the visible and near-infrared. We illustrate the promises of the method by fabricating reflective/transmissive electrochromic devices and multi-pixel display devices. Simplicity of the device architecture and its compatibility with the roll-to-roll fabrication processes, would find wide range of applications including smart windows and display devices. We anticipate that this work provides a significant step in realization of graphene based optoelectronics

Graphene-enabled electrically switchable radar-absorbing surfaces

Radar-absorbing materials are used in stealth technologies for concealment of an object from radar detection. Resistive and/or magnetic composite materials are used to reduce the backscattered microwave signals. Inability to control electrical properties of these materials, however, hinders the realization of active camouflage systems. Here, using large-area graphene electrodes, we demonstrate active surfaces that enable electrical control of reflection, transmission and absorption of microwaves. Instead of tuning bulk material property, our strategy relies on electrostatic tuning of the charge density on an atomically thin electrode, which operates as a tunable metal in microwave frequencies. Notably, we report large-area adaptive radar-absorbing surfaces with tunable reflection suppression ratio up to 50 dB with operation voltages <5 V. Using the developed surfaces, we demonstrate various device architectures including pixelated and curved surfaces. Our results provide a significant step in realization of active camouflage systems in microwave frequencies

Broadband terahertz modulators using self-gated graphene capacitors

We demonstrate a terahertz intensity modulator using a graphene supercapacitor which consists of two large-area graphene electrodes and an electrolyte medium. The mutual electrolyte gating between the graphene electrodes provides very efficient electrostatic doping with Fermi energies of 1 eV and a charge density of 8 × 1013 cm-2. We show that the graphene supercapacitor yields more than 50% modulation between 0.1 and 1.4 THz with operation voltages less than 3 V. The low insertion losses, high modulation depth over a broad spectrum, and the simplicity of the device structure are the key attributes of graphene supercapacitors for THz applications

Anakinra in mutation-negative CINCA syndrome

Chronic infantile neurological cutaneous articular (CINCA) syndrome is a rare congenital inflammatory disorder with variable clinical manifestations but devastating in a great majority of the cases. The syndrome is characterized by a generalized, wandering palpable rash eruption of neonatal onset, chronic arthropathy characterized by abnormal proliferation of cartilage and an abnormal ossification, and a progressive neurological impairment as the result of a chronic meningitis caused by polymorphonuclear cell infiltration [1, 2]. Nevertheless, many other manifestations are described, including fever, generalized lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, developmental retardation, hydrocephalus, cerebral atrophy, ocular involvement in the form of uveitis and papilitis, and perceptive deafness. Recently, the syndrome has been associated with mutations in the CIAS1 gene [3]. These mutations will imply a higher level of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and a good response with the recombinant human IL-1 receptor antagonist anakinra [4, 5]. Nevertheless, CINCA syndrome has not always been associated with CIAS1 mutations, but in these cases, patients can also respond well to the treatment with anakinra [6], as in the case of the patient we present.Peer Reviewe