Anna Lipovka

Despite their metallic conductivity and solution processability, the practical application of MXenes is limited by two persistent challenges: poor adhesion to substrates and low chemical stability in air, which leads to oxidation. Conventional stabilization approaches often involve antioxidant doping or polymer lamination that may compromise electrical conductivity. Here, we tackle these issues by introducing a single-step laser-induced transfer (LIT) process that engineers the MXene-substrate interface to enhance adhesion and chemical stability simultaneously. Our method exploits the spatial confinement of MXene films sandwiched between a glass slide and a polymer substrate. This configuration creates an oxygen-depleted microenvironment, and under laser irradiation allowing for the simultaneous transfer of Ti₃C₂T_x MXene films onto both top and bottom substrates. LIT results in solid-state sintering that, in addition to boosting adhesion, also provides protective effects due to the development of a carbon-rich surface layer. This enhanced adhesion and stability are demonstrated by low sheet resistance, remaining below 25 Ω/sq for MXenes/glass and below 6 Ω/sq for MXenes/TPU after environmental aging for 10 days at 95 ± 2% relative humidity and 40-60 °C. In contrast, conventional direct laser patterning fails to achieve this level of robustness and instead accelerates MXenes decomposition. The suppressed oxidation and mechanical stability enabled by LIT allowed the creation of robust interfaces suitable for electrothermal heaters and proof-of-concept breath sensors. This work establishes laser processing not merely as a patterning tool but also as a powerful interfacial engineering technique, resolving key issues that affect MXene implementation in electronics, sensors, and wearable devices.

Bone injuries remain a significant challenge, driving the development of new materials and technologies to enhance healing. This study presents a novel approach for incorporating graphene into calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings on titanium alloy (Ti) substrates, with the aim of creating a new generation of materials for bone implant electronics. The stability of the composite coating under physiological conditions, long-term electrical and mechanical durability, and biocompatibility were systematically investigated. We integrated graphene into the CaP coating through the laser processing of diazonium-functionalized graphene films applied to the surface of CaP-coated Ti. The laser treatment induced several processes, including the removal of aryl groups, the formation of conductive pathways, and chemical bonding with the CaP film. As a result, the graphene-CaP nanocomposite demonstrated excellent mechanical durability, withstanding a 2 h sand abrasion test. It also exhibited excellent biocompatibility, as shown by the proliferation of human fibroblast cells for 7 days. The electrical properties remained stable under physiological conditions for 12 weeks, and the material maintained electrochemical stability after 1 million pulse cycles. Furthermore, it withstood the stress of 100,000 bending cycles without compromising electrical performance. This work highlights the versatility of the biocompatible graphene composite and its potential for a range of applications including free-form electronic circuits, electrodes, bending sensors, and electrothermal heaters.

While most of the research in graphene-based materials seeks high electroactive surface area and ion intercalation, here, we show an alternative electrochemical behavior that leverages graphene's potential in biosensing. We report a novel approach to fabricate graphene/polymer nanocomposites with near-record conductivity levels of 45 Ω sq^-1 and enhanced biocompatibility. This is realized by laser processing of graphene oxide in a sandwich structure with a thin (100 μm) polyethylene terephthalate film on a textile substrate. Such hybrid materials exhibit high conductivity, low polarization, and stability. In addition, the nanocomposites are highly biocompatible, as evidenced by their low cytotoxicity and good skin adhesion. These results demonstrate the potential of graphene/polymer nanocomposites for smart clothing applications.

Optoelectronics and photocatalysis are two rapidly developing photonic fields that are revolutionizing green energy, medicine, communications, and robotics. To advance these areas and explore new applications, there is a need for new materials and technologies that enable fast, scalable, and customizable production of high‐performing optoelectronics, including the future development of flexible devices. This review is focused on the strategies to synthesize novel, not fully explored materials and/or enhance their properties using the powerful method of laser processing. The discussion includes the laser treatment of MXenes, Metal‐Organic Frameworks, and perovskites, materials' advantages in terms of structural, electronic, and optical properties, and the role of different laser‐based techniques in boosting their performance. Additionally, there is a demonstration of the existing and potential applications of these three materials and their combinations, especially in optoelectronics and photocatalytic platforms. This review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state‐of‐the‐art in this field to help researchers identify opportunities and challenges in laser processing of emerging nanomaterials for optoelectronics and photocatalysis.

The concept of wearables is rapidly evolving from flexible polymer-based devices to textile electronics. The reason for this shift is the ability of textiles to ensure close contact with the skin, resulting in comfortable, lightweight, and compact "always with you" sensors. We are contributing to this polymer-textile transition by introducing a novel and simple way of laser intermixing of graphene with synthetic fabrics to create wearable sensing platforms. Our hybrid materials exhibit high electrical conductivity (87.6 ± 36.2 Ω/sq) due to the laser reduction of graphene oxide and simultaneous laser-induced graphene formation on the surface of textiles. Furthermore, the composite created between graphene and nylon ensures the durability of our materials against sonication and washing with detergents. Both of these factors are essential for real-life applications, but what is especially useful is that our free-form composites could be used as-fabricated without encapsulation, which is typically required for conventional laser-scribed materials. We demonstrate the exceptional versatility of our new hybrid textiles by successfully recording muscle activity, heartbeat, and voice. We also show a gesture sensor and an electrothermal heater embedded within a single commercial glove. Additionally, the use of these textiles could be extended to personal protection equipment and smart clothes. We achieve this by implementing self-sterilization with light and laser-induced functionalization with silver nanoparticles, which results in multifunctional antibacterial textiles. Moreover, incorporating silver into such fabrics enables their use as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensors, allowing for the direct analysis of drugs and sweat components on the clothing itself. Our research offers valuable insights into simple and scalable processes of textile-based electronics, opening up new possibilities for paradigms like the Internet of Medical Things.

Structural electronics, as well as flexible and wearable devices are applications that are possible by merging polymers with metal nanoparticles. However, using conventional technologies, it is challenging to fabricate plasmonic structures that remain flexible. We developed three-dimensional (3D) plasmonic nanostructures/polymer sensors via single-step laser processing and further functionalization with 4-nitrobenzenethiol (4-NBT) as a molecular probe. These sensors allow ultrasensitive detection with surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). We tracked the 4-NBT plasmonic enhancement and changes in its vibrational spectrum under the chemical environment perturbations. As a model system, we investigated the sensor’s performance when exposed to prostate cancer cells’ media over 7 days showing the possibility of identifying the cell death reflected in the environment through the effects on the 4-NBT probe. Thus, the fabricated sensor could have an impact on the monitoring of the cancer treatment process. Moreover, the laser-driven nanoparticles/polymer intermixing resulted in a free-form electrically conductive composite that withstands over 1000 bending cycles without losing electrical properties. Our results bridge the gap between plasmonic sensing with SERS and flexible electronics in a scalable, energy-efficient, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly way.

Glass electronics inspire the emergence of smart functional surfaces. To evolve this concept to the next level, developing new strategies for scalable, inexpensive, and electrically conductive glass‐based robust nanocomposites is crucial. Graphene is an attractive material as a conductive filler; however, integrating it firmly into a glass with no energy‐intensive sintering, melting, or harsh chemicals has not been possible until now. Moreover, these methods have very limited capability for fabricating robust patterns for electronic circuits. In this work, a conductive (160 OΩ sq⁻¹) and resilient nanocomposite between glass and graphene is achieved via single‐step laser‐induced backward transfer (LIBT). Beyond conventional LIBT involving mass transfer, this approach simultaneously drives chemical transformations in glass including silicon compound formation and graphene oxide (GO) reduction. These processes take place together with the generation and transfer of the highest‐quality laser‐reduced GO (rGO) reported to date (Raman intensity ratio I_D/I_G = 0.31) and its integration into the glass. The rGO‐LIBT nanocomposite is further functionalized with silver to achieve a highly sensitive (10⁻⁹ m) dual‐channel plasmonic optical and electrochemical sensor. Besides the electrical circuit demonstration, an electrothermal heater is fabricated that reaches temperatures above 300 °C and continuously operates for over 48 h.

One of the lessons we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that the need for ultrasensitive detection systems is now more critical than ever. While sensors’ sensitivity, portability, selectivity, and low cost are crucial, new ways to couple synergistic methods enable the highest performance levels. This review article critically discusses the synergetic combinations of optical and electrochemical methods. We also discuss three key application fields—energy, biomedicine, and environment. Finally, we selected the most promising approaches and examples, the open challenges in sensing, and ways to overcome them. We expect this work to set a clear reference for developing and understanding strategies, pros and cons of different combinations of electrochemical and optical sensors integrated into a single device.

Carbon nanomaterials, especially graphene, are promising due to their abundance and the possibility to exploit them in lightweight, flexible, and wearable electronics enabling paradigms such as the Internet of Things. However, conventional methods to synthesize and integrate graphene into functional materials and flexible devices are either hazardous, time demanding, or excessively energy-consuming. To overcome these issues, here we propose a new concept based on the laser processing of single-layer diazonium-functionalized graphene. This is a safe, inexpensive, and environmentally-friendly method making it a competitive alternative for graphene-device fabrication. Flexible chemiresistors exhibit sensitivity for breath (water vapor and CO₂) and ethanol detection up to 1500% higher than laser-reduced graphene oxide devices. We attribute this enhanced sensitivity to an optimal balance between structural defects and electrical conductivity. Flexible electronic circuits demonstrate a superb resilience against scratching and high current stability up to 98% with durability against 180° bending cycles for continuous operation of several weeks. This work can impact biomedical technology and electronics where tunable electrical conductivity, sensitivity, and mechanical stability are of uttermost importance.