Soft devices that are mechanically flexible and stretchable are considered as the building blocks for various applications ranging from wearable devices to robotics. Among the many candidate materials for constructing soft devices, carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been actively investigated owing to their outstanding characteristics, including their intrinsic flexibility, tunable conductivity, and potential for large-area processing. In particular, hybrids of CNTs and graphene can improve the performance of soft devices and provide them with novel capabilities. In this review, the advances in CNT-graphene hybrid-based soft electrodes, transistors, pressure and strain sensors, and actuators are discussed, highlighting the performance improvements of these devices originating from the synergistic effects of the hybrids of CNT and graphene. The integration of multidimensional heterogeneous carbon nanomaterials is expected to be a promising approach for accelerating the development of high-performance soft devices. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities are summarized, from the processing of hybrid materials to the system-level integration of multiple components.

The properties of Al-doped SnO_x films deposited via reactive co-sputtering were examined in terms of their potential applications for the fabrication of transparent and flexible electronic devices. Al 2.2-atom %-doped SnO_x thin-film transistors (TFTs) exhibit improved semiconductor characteristics compared to non-doped films, with a lower sub-threshold swing of ~0.68 Vdec⁻¹, increased on/off current ratio of ~8 × 10⁷, threshold voltage (V_th) near 0 V, and markedly reduced (by 81%) V_th instability in air, attributable to the decrease in oxygen vacancy defects induced by the strong oxidizing potential of Al. Al-doped SnO_x films maintain amorphous crystallinity, an optical transmittance of ~97%, and an adhesive strength (to a plastic substrate) of over 0.7 kgf/mm; such films are thus promising semiconductor candidates for fabrication of transparent flexible TFTs.

Solid specimens play a crucial role in diagnostic and analytical testing, yet their integration into in vitro diagnostics (IVD) is often limited by lengthy processing times and bulky sample preparation equipment. In this study, we introduce a novel twin-screw mechanical maceration system that enables rapid, continuous, and efficient solid sample preparation within a compact portable platform. By utilizing counter-rotating twin screws, the system generates high shear forces, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining high sample recovery efficiency. We validated its versatility across diverse solid sample types, demonstrating efficient bacterial elution from plant tissues and single-cell dissociation of animal tissues. Our device achieved bacterial elution from plant samples in under 1 min, which is 30 times faster than conventional stomaching, while maintaining a significantly smaller footprint. For animal tissue samples, it dissociated tissue samples of varying sizes (5 g to 100 mg) into single-cell suspensions within 1 min. Furthermore, we explored scalability with a miniaturized device fabricated using 3D printing, which retained comparable performance while reducing volume requirements, expediting processing time, and enabling manual operation without an external power source. This rapid, compact, adaptable, and highly efficient twin-screw system outperforms conventional solid sample processing techniques, making it a promising innovation for a wide range of biomedical applications, from point-of-care diagnostics to tissue biopsies, food hygiene, and agricultural monitoring.