Highly Sensitive OFET Based Room Temperature Operated Gas Sensors Using Thieno[3,2-b]thiophene Extended Phthalocyanine Semiconductor

Over the past decades, organic field-effect transistor (OFET) gas sensors have maintained a rapid development. However, the majority of OFET gas sensors show insufficient detection capability towards oxidizing and hazardous gases such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfide dioxide (SO2). In this report, a sustainable approach toward fabrication of OFET gas sensor, consisting of thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (TT) and phthalocyanine (Pc) based electron rich structure (TT-Pc) for detection of both nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfide dioxide (SO2) is disclosed for the first time. Khaya gum (KG), a natural, biodegradable biopolymer is used as the gate dielectric in these OFET-based sensors. Thin film properties and surface morphology of TT-Pc were investigated by UV-Vis, SEM, AFM and contact angle measurements, which indicated a uniform and smooth film formation. The UV-Vis properties were supported by computational chemistry, performed using density functional theory (DFT) for optimizing geometry and absorption of TT-Pc models. Sensitive and selective responses of 90% and 60% were obtained from TT-Pc OFET-based sensors upon exposure to 20 ppm of NO2 and SO2, respectively, under ambient conditions. One of the lowest limits of detection of ~165 ppb was achieved for both NO2 and SO2 using solution-processed TT-Pc sensor with natural, biodegradable dielectric biopolymer. The sensors showed excellent long-term environmental and operational stability with only a 7% reduction of the sensor’s initial response (%) upon exposure to NO2 and SO2 over nine months of operation in air

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries