Among the many potential applications of carbon nanotubes (CNT), its usage to strengthen polymers has been paid considerable attention due to the exceptional stiffness, excellent strength, and the low density of CNT. This has provided numerous opportunities for the invention of new material systems for applications requiring high strength and high modulus. Precise control over processing factors, including preserving intact CNT structure, uniform dispersion of CNT within the polymer matrix, effective filler–matrix interfacial interactions, and alignment/orientation of polymer chains/CNT, contribute to the composite fibers’ superior properties. For this reason, fabrication methods play an important role in determining the composite fibers’ microstructure and ultimate mechanical behavior. The current state-of-the-art polymer/CNT high-performance composite fibers, especially in regards to processing–structure–performance, are reviewed in this contribution. Future needs for material by design approaches for processing these nano-composite systems are also discussed.

Enhancing the spin-orbit interaction in graphene, via proximity effects with topological insulators, could create a novel 2D system that combines nontrivial spin textures with high room temperature electron mobility. In order to engineer practical spintronics applications with such graphene/topological insulator (Gr/TI) heterostructures, an understanding of the hybrid spin-dependent properties is essential. Here we use ab initio simulations and tight-binding models to determine the precise spin texture of electronic states in graphene interfaced with a Bi2Se3 topological insulator. Our calculations predict the emergence of a giant spin lifetime anisotropy in the graphene layer, defined as the ratio of the out-of-plane to in-plane spin lifetimes. We study two different lattice configurations: a highly commensurate structure where each Se atom sits under a carbon hexagon, and a larger unit cell that includes a variety of atomic alignments. In the highly commensurate structure, the anisotropy reaches values of tens to hundreds near the graphene Dirac point and decays to 1/2 at higher energies. Meanwhile, in the larger unit cell the anisotropy is giant for all energies and exhibits a strong electron-hole asymmetry. This difference is attributable to different spin-orbit coupling terms arising from the specific symmetries of each system, and could be probed experimentally with gate-dependent measurements. Overall, our results indicate that regardless of the atomic configuration at the Gr/TI interface, a giant spin lifetime anisotropy should be a measurable hallmark of spin transport in Gr/TI heterostructures.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, holds immense potential for rapid prototyping and customized production of functional health‐related devices. With advancements in polymer chemistry and biomedical engineering, polymeric biomaterials have become integral to 3D‐printed biomedical applications. However, there still exists a bottleneck in the compatibility of polymeric biomaterials with different 3D printing methods, as well as intrinsic challenges such as limited printing resolution and rates. Therefore, this review aims to introduce the current state‐of‐the‐art in 3D‐printed functional polymeric health‐related devices. It begins with an overview of the landscape of 3D printing techniques, followed by an examination of commonly used polymeric biomaterials. Subsequently, examples of 3D‐printed biomedical devices are provided and classified into categories such as biosensors, bioactuators, soft robotics, energy storage systems, self‐powered devices, and data science in bioplotting. The emphasis is on exploring the current capabilities of 3D printing in manufacturing polymeric biomaterials into desired geometries that facilitate device functionality and studying the reasons for material choice. Finally, an outlook with challenges and possible improvements in the near future is presented, projecting the contribution of general 3D printing and polymeric biomaterials in the field of healthcare.