As the uniform dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) consisted by a large number of microdischarges in a long timescale may meet the needs of industrial application, the evaluation of the uniformity of DBDs used in the industry is different from that in the laboratory. In this paper, a digital image processing method presented in our previous paper is used to describe the uniformity of DBDs caused by the rotary plate electrode in a long timescale. Whether or not the electrode is rotated, with an increase in time, the gray-level standard deviation Std of the discharge image gradually decreases and reaches its stable value at last. The electrode rotation results in reducing the time constant required to reach a steady state for the gray-level distribution. With an increase in rotary speed, Std gradually decreases and reaches its stable values at last. This means that the electrode rotation improves the uniformity of the discharge. The reason produced the aforementioned phenomena should come from the relative motion of the accumulated charge on the dielectric surface and microdischarge remnants in the volume.

Flexible transparent electrodes for touch panels, solar cells, and wearable electronics are in great demand in recent years, and the silver nanowire (AgNW) flexible transparent electrode (FTE) is among the top candidates due to its excellent light transmittance and flexibility and the highest conductivity of silver among all metals. However, the conductivity of an AgNWs network has long been limited by the large contact resistance. Here we show a room-temperature solution process to tackle the challenge by nanojoining AgNWs with two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO). The conductivity of the AgNWs network is improved 18 times due to the enhanced junctions between AgNWs by the coated GOs, and the AgNW-GO FTE exhibits a low sheet resistance of 23 Ohm sq⁻¹ and 88% light transmittance. It is stable under high temperature and current and their flexibility is intact after 1000 cycles of bending. Measurements of a bifunctional electrochromic device shows the high performance of the AgNW-GO FTE as a FTE.

Bent structures exhibit considerable potential for applications in flexible electronics and sensor technologies. Two-dimensional Janus transition metal dichalcogenides offer an ideal platform for investigating piezoelectric–flexoelectric coupling effects in curved systems, owing to their inherent out-of-plane structural asymmetry. However, existing studies often rely on effective coefficients to approximate electromechanical properties, leading to significant inaccuracies in distinguishing between piezoelectric and flexoelectric contributions. In this work, we focus on monolayer Janus MoSSe and develop an analytical model that precisely captures bending-induced strain and strain gradients. Combined with DFT calculation, the piezoelectric coefficients (e11, e13) and flexoelectric coefficients (μ111, μ422) are successfully separated through polarization decomposition and fitting models. Furthermore, we observe that bending causes the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum to separate in real space and accumulate toward both ends, resulting in a nested type I band alignment. This work overcomes the limitations of traditional simplified models, deepens the understanding of electromechanical coupling mechanisms in two-dimensional Janus materials, and provides theoretical support for designing highly sensitive electromechanical devices.

Biomolecule-based electronic materials can enable health innovations by virtue of their intrinsic bioactivity and physical properties. However, the ultra-wide bandgap and limited piezoelectric properties of most biomaterials prevent them from reaching their full potential. Herein, the electronic structures and electromechanical properties of aliphatic amino acid crystals are investigated based on density functional theory. L-Met is found to be a wide bandgap p-type semiconductor, and the much-reduced bandgap of 2.88 eV is ascribed to the sulphur atoms in L-Met. L-Leu has a shear piezoelectric voltage constant of 2.706 V mN⁻¹ that is over an order of magnitude higher than that of lead zirconate titanate, and good toughness and ductility are also revealed in L-Leu from mechanical property investigations. This study illustrates a computational approach to find smart and multifunctional biomaterials and inspire their growth and applications.