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The practice of thermoforming plastics relies on understanding the effects of temperature. Although simulations can predict these effects with precise material and equipment parameters, they often fail to communicate experiential knowledge of how different materials and processes interact. Tactile feedback and visual cues are central to determining whether a material is malleable, a skill that simulations cannot replicate. Our work explores the use of a heat-sensitive spray-on smart material made from polydiacetylene (PDA) to improve heat perception. This sensor exhibits reversible colorimetric changes in response to temperature variations from 100ºC to 200ºC, acting as a visual cue perceivable by humans. This study evaluates the sensitivity, accuracy, and practicality of PDAs in real-time temperature monitoring during vacuum forming and acrylic bending. Our findings demonstrate that PDA based sensors enhance visibility of material dispersion, provide safeguards to critical temperatures, and illustrate heat flow and conductivity, thereby improving accessibility, literacy, and relationships with materials in thermoforming practices. 

Notch signaling is a highly conserved signaling system that is required for embryonic development and regeneration of organs. When the signal is lost, maldevelopment occurs and leads to a lethal state. Delivering exogenous genetic materials encoding Notch into cells can reestablish downstream signaling and rescue cellular functions. In this study, we utilized the negatively charged and FDA approved polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) to encapsulate Notch Intracellular Domain-containing plasmid in nanoparticles. We show that primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) readily uptake the nanoparticles with and without specific antibody targets. We demonstrated that our nanoparticles are non-toxic, stable over time, and compatible with blood. We further demonstrated that HUVECs could be successfully transfected with these nanoparticles in static and dynamic environments. Lastly, we elucidated that these nanoparticles could upregulate the downstream genes of Notch signaling, indicating that the payload was viable and successfully altered the genetic downstream effects.