Electrospun nylon 6,6 fibers incorporating polypyrrole (PPy) molecular-imprinted polymers (MIPs) were produced for the selective detection of D-glucose using a thermal detection methodology. PPy MIPs were produced using a facile bulk synthesis approach and electrospun into intricate fibrous scaffolds giving a highly mass-producible sensing interface. The maximum incorporation of MIPs and greatest sensing performance was found to be 12.1 wt % in conjunction with the heat-transfer method (HTM), a low-cost and simple thermal detection method that measures changes in the thermal resistance at the solid−liquid interface. It is demonstrated that a 12.1% incorporation of MIPs into electrospun fibers produces the widest working linear range with a limit of detection of 0.10 ± 0.01 mM. There were no observed changes in the measured thermal resistance response to incubation with a series of structurally similar compounds, providing evidence toward the selectivity of the platform. Additionally, the sensing platform exhibited a linear working response to glucose samples in artificial sweat solutions in the biologically relevant range. This is the first report of the incorporation of MIPs into nylon 6,6 fibers for the detection of glucose and points toward the possibility of developing mass-producible electrospun fibers embedded with low-cost recognition elements of improved thermal and chemical stability for the application of wearable sensor technology.

Early LiCoO 2 research provided the basis for the tremendous commercial success of Li + batteries since their invention in the early 1990s. Today, LiN-iMnCoO 2 (Li-NMC) is one of the most widely used batteries in the rapidly evolving electronic vehicle industry. Li-NMC batteries continue to receive significant interest as research efforts aim to partially, or entirely, replace the use of scarcely available and toxic Co with elemental doping to form binary, ternary, and quaternary layered oxides. Furthermore, safety concerns and rising uncertainty for the future of Li supplies have resulted in growing curiosity toward non-Li + rechargeable batteries such as Na + and K + . Unfortunately, the success of Li + host materials does not always directly transfer to Na + and K + batteries due to the difficulty of reversibly intercalating larger ions without irreparably distorting the host structure. Consequently, this report provides an overview of the Li-based materials surrounding the success of commercial Li-NMC and the subsequent progress of their lesser studied Na and K counterparts. The challenges for current cathode materials are highlighted, and the opportunities for progression are suggested. The summary presented in this review can be consulted to steer new and unique research avenues for layered oxide materials as metal-ion battery cathodes.