In the past few decades, two bacterial diseases — Huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus canker— have decimated the Florida citrus industry by killing millions of trees, costing the state billions in lost revenue, and reducing production by 80%. HLB disease has spread to Alabama, California, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. There are currently no economical solutions for these industry-threatening diseases. Growers are applying large amounts of pesticide to combat the disease; this is unsustainable and has little to no effect.

Sweat and interstitial fluid (ISF) contain a wide variety of essential biomarkers and can be important sources of information for monitoring an individual’s health. Wearable devices and assays that collect sweat and monitor biochemicals constitute a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar market. However, collecting such fluids for continuous long-term analysis is challenging because most of the commercially available health-monitoring devices are either invasive (or semi-invasive) in nature or work only during active sweating, while patients are undergoing strenuous physical exertion.

Lightweight structural components are often made with advanced fiber-reinforced composites due to their high specific strength. However, in comparison to their metal counterparts, composites are more susceptible to harm from low-velocity impacts. Impacts can cause separation of the composite layers, a phenomenon known as delamination, which can reduce strength and stiffness and lead to catastrophic failure. This factor and the cost of manufacturing have prevented the introduction of viable weight-saving composite materials in place of traditional metal-based high-performance materials.

Polyurethane (PU) is an important class of thermoset polymer with a $70 billion/yr market, providing materials for the construction, transportation, furniture, and packaging industries. PU materials are composed of two main components: an isocyanate and a polyol. Both of these product classes are currently obtained from non-renewable petroleum resources, suggesting that the development of biobased alternatives is of utmost importance for the national goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a common technique used for the analysis of pharmaceutical drugs and impurities, chemicals in food, flavors, oils and fuels, polymers, and more. HPLC works by separating different types of molecules in specialized flow-through columns. The separated molecules are subsequently identified and/or quantified using a myriad of detectors. Common detectors include those based on ionization (e.g., mass spectrometry), light absorption (e.g., ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy), light refraction (e.g., refractive index), and light scattering (e.g., evaporative light scattering or charged aerosol).