We propose a large-area SERS device with efficient fluorescence quenching capability. The substrate is based on anodic porous alumina templates with various pore size and wall thickness as small as 15 and 36 nm, respectively. The nano-patterned SERS substrate, with excellent control and reproducibility of plasmon-polaritons generation, shows very efficient enhanced Raman signal in the presence of intrinsically fluorescent molecules such as cresyl violet, rhodamine, and green fluorescent protein. This work demonstrates that, when the nanostructures are properly designed and fabricated, Raman and fluorescence spectroscopy can be used in combination in order to obtain complementary molecular informations. Theoretical simulation shows excellent agreement with the experimental findings. The enhancement factor is found to be 10³–10⁴, with respect to flat gold surface when the molecules are supposed to be closely packed, with considerable fluorescence suppression, showing a promising disposable biosensor.

The printing of three-dimensional (3D) porous electrodes for Li-ion batteries is considered a key driver for the design and realization of advanced energy storage systems. While different 3D printing techniques offer great potential to design and develop 3D architectures, several factors need to be addressed to print 3D electrodes, maintaining an optimal trade-off between electrochemical and mechanical performances. Herein, we report the first demonstration of 3D printed Si-based electrodes fabricated using a simple and cost-effective fused deposition modelling (FDM) method, and implemented as anodes in Li-ion batteries. To fulfil the printability requirement while maximizing the electrochemical performance, the composition of the FDM filament has been engineered using polylactic acid as the host polymeric matrix, a mixture of carbon black-doped polypyrrole and wet-jet milling exfoliated few-layer graphene flakes as conductive additives, and Si nanoparticles as the active material. The creation of a continuous conductive network and the control of the structural properties at the nanoscale enabled the design and realization of flexible 3D printed anodes, reaching a specific capacity up to ∼345 mA h g⁻¹ at the current density of 20 mA g⁻¹, together with a capacity retention of 96% after 350 cycles. The obtained results are promising for the fabrication of flexible polymeric-based 3D energy storage devices to meet the challenges ahead for the design of next-generation electronic devices.

A photo-polymerizable Bisphenol-A diglycidylether methacrylate resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy after its irradiation under different conditions to identify the best curing. Bonding-agent free composites with particles of ball-milled glass, silica and titania at loading of 10 and 50%wt were prepared, and their viscoelastic properties investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis, in experimental conditions close to the working environment in the mouth. All composites showed good stability at the considered conditions. The stiffest composite was the silica one, which was based on the smallest primary particles. The storage moduli close to room temperature (25°C) and mastication frequency (1 Hz) were extracted as reference bending moduli for the materials, and compared to static compressive moduli measured by nanoindentation performed by atomic force microscopy.Nanoindentation showed qualitative results in agreement with dynamic mechanical analysis as to the ranking of different materials, while resulting in approximately two-fold elastic modulus.