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Background Lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is an essential pathological mechanism related to low back pain. Current research on spinal surgery focused on the sophisticated mechanisms involved in LDD, and autophagy was regarded as an essential factor in the pathogenesis. Objectives Our research aimed to apply a bioinformatics approach to select some candidate genes and signaling pathways in relationship with autophagy and LDD and to figure out potential agents targeting autophagy- and LDD-related genes. Materials and methods Text mining was used to find autophagy- and LDD-related genes. The DAVID program was applied in Gene Ontology and pathway analysis after selecting these genes. Several important gene modules were obtained by establishing a network of protein-protein interaction and a functional enrichment analysis. Finally, the selected genes were searched in the drug database to find the agents that target LDD- and autophagy-related genes. Results There were 72 genes related to “autophagy” and “LDD.” Three significant gene modules (22 genes) were selected by using gene enrichment analysis, which represented 4 signaling pathways targeted by 32 kinds of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The interactions between drugs and the genes were also identified. Conclusion To conclude, a method was proposed in our research to find candidate genes, pathways, and drugs which were involved in autophagy and LDD. We discovered 22 genes, 4 pathways, and 32 potential agents, which provided a theoretical basis and new direction for clinical and basic research on LDD.

Ligand-free Cs4PbBr6 particles of sub-micron dimensions were fabricated by a simple tip-sonication method showing 85.1% photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Cs4PbBr6 microcrystals can be grown under saturated vapor pressure with the particles as nucleation units. Surface traps are the main defects in the Cs4PbBr6 particles with smaller size, whereas bulk defects dominate in the larger microcrystals. The intensity of the low energy PL peak increases with excitation intensity at low temperature, which can be assigned to band filling and charge transfer effects. The exciton binding energy of Cs4PbBr6 particles is 180 meV which is almost twice that of the Cs4PbBr6 microcrystals. Such tight binding of the excitons facilitates exciton radiative recombination. In addition, the long excited-state lifetime of the Cs4PbBr6 particles contributes to the higher PLQY compared to that of comparable microcrystals. Time-resolved emission microscopy images clearly indicate different recombination kinetics in the ordered and defect regions, which is hidden in ensemble measurements. This strongly suggests that surface trap states are the main reason for the high-efficiency photoluminescence of the intrinsic Cs4PbBr6 particles investigated here, although both surface and bulk traps can emit light.

Layered perovskite films, composed of two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites (RPPs), show improved stability compared to their conventional three-dimensional (3D) counterparts in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, 2D PSCs exhibit a lower power conversion efficiency (PCE), which has been attributed to compositional inhomogeneity and nonuniform alignment of the 2D perovskite phases. Methylammonium chloride (MACl) has been adopted as an additive to improve the PCE and the operational stability of 2D PSCs, although the role of MACl in performance enhancement is unclear. In this work, time- and spatially resolved fluorescence and absorption techniques have been applied to study the composition and charge carrier dynamics in MACl-doped BA2MA4Pb5I16 (⟨n⟩ = 5) layered perovskite films. The inhomogeneous phase orientation distribution in the direction orthogonal to the substrate for undoped layered perovskite films undergoes reorganization upon MACl doping. Based on structural and crystallographic analyses, it is revealed that MACl can facilitate the crystallization of small-n 2D perovskite phases at the cost of consuming an increased amount of BA cations. Consequently, an increase in the thickness of large-n 2D perovskite phases accompanies their enhanced perpendicular alignment ([101] crystalline orientation) to the substrate, which facilitates charge carrier transport and collection by electrodes. The defect passivation of the MACl-doped layered perovskite film provided by the small-n phase is also beneficial to the photovoltaic performance of the PSC device. A maximum PCE (∼14.3%) was achieved at 6 mol % MACl doping, with this optimum level influenced by the increased interfacial roughness of the layered perovskite film caused by the edges of small-n perovskite flakes emerging on the front surface.

As one of the most abundant and destructive pests in agriculture, aphids cause significant damage to crops due to their sap-taking and as virus vectors. Chemical insecticides are the most effective method to control aphids, but they bring insecticide resistance problems and harm nontarget organisms, especially bees, therefore the search for novel eco-friendly aphid control agents with low bee toxicity is urgent. Insect kinins are a class of small neuropeptides that control important functions in insects. In our previous study, we found insect kinin analog IV-3 has good aphicidal activity and the location of the aromatic ring on the side chain of PheIn this project, 44 insect kinin analogs with the PheThe residue Phe

Additional file 1. Table S1. Laboratory findings of elderly COVID-19 patients according to PMI. Table S2. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variables for change of CT score from T1 to T2 (ΔCTSS1 > 4 points, n = 24). Table S3. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variables for change of CT score from T1 to T2 (ΔCTSS2 > 4 points, n = 34). Table S4. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variables for change of CT score from T1 to T2 (ΔPOS = 2 points, n = 25). Table S5. ICC values (95% CI). Table S6. CT findings of COVID-19 induced lung injury.

Objective. A retrospective case-control study was performed to observe the effect and clinical significance of early electroacupuncture combined with enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) on pain perception and dysfunction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods. About 100 patients who diagnosed with TKA from February 2019 to April 2021 were enrolled in our hospital. The patients were arbitrarily assigned into control group and study group. The former group was cured with electroacupuncture in the early stage, and the latter group was intervened on the basis of early electroacupuncture combined with the concept of ERAS. The curative effect, the time of getting out of bed for the first time after operation, the time of postoperative rehabilitation, postoperative rehabilitation cost, pain score and knee joint function score, range of motion (ROM) of knee joint, low shear of whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, fibrinogen level, and postoperative complications were compared. Results. There exhibited no statistical difference in clinical data. In terms of the treatment effects, there were 27 cases of markedly effective, 22 cases of effective, and 1 case of ineffective in the study group, and the total effective rate was 98.00%; in the control group, 15 cases were markedly effective, 28 cases were effective, and 13 cases were ineffective, and the total effective rate was 86.00%. Compared to the control group, the total effective rate of the study group was higher ( P < 0.05 ). And the first time to get out of bed and the postoperative rehabilitation time in the study group were lower. Compared to the control group (10113.42 ± 524.83) yuan, the postoperative rehabilitation cost in the study group (12401.71 ± 530.77) yuan was higher. In terms of the scores of VAS and HSS, there exhibited no remarkable difference before treatment ( P > 0.05 ). After treatment, the VAS score lessened and the HSS score augmented the study group VAS score (1.76 ± 0.28); the score in the control group was lower compared to the control group (3.45 ± 0.36), and HSS scoring (83.48 ± 11.23) points higher compared to the control group (65.82 ± 10.44) points ( P < 0.05 ). The ROM of knee joint augmented successively at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th week after treatment comparison between groups, the ROM of the knee joint in the study group at the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 8th week was (49.47 ± 3.60)°, (64.38 ± 5.32)°, (86.93 ± 6.72)°, and (104.20 ± 9.11)°, is higher compared to the control group (46.53 ± 3.41)°, (61.52 ± 5.20)°, (78.42 ± 6.45)°, and (98.77 ± 8.67)° ( P < 0.05 ). One day after operation, there exhibited no remarkable difference in whole blood viscosity low shear, plasma viscosity, and fibrinogen level ( P > 0.05 ). However, there exhibited no remarkable difference in plasma viscosity and fibrinogen level at 1 day and 7 days after operation ( P > 0.05 ). Seven days after operation, the whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and fibrinogen in the study group were lower ( P < 0.05 ). The probability of postoperative complications was compared. In the study group, there were 2 cases of limb swelling and pain, 1 case of joint stiffness, and no swelling and pain complicated with deep venous thrombosis, and the total incidence was 6.00%. In the control group, there were 5 cases of limb swelling and pain, 3 cases of joint stiffness, and 3 cases of swelling and pain complicated with deep venous thrombosis, with a total incidence of 22.00%. The incidence of adverse reactions in the study group was lower ( χ 2 = 5.317 P < 0.05 ). Conclusion. Early electroacupuncture combined with ERAS is of positive significance to the patients after TKA, which can reduce the pain, enhance the function of the knee joint, and promote the ROM of the knee joint, and can effectively shorten the first time out of bed and postoperative rehabilitation time and reduce whole blood viscosity low shear, plasma viscosity, and fibrinogen level, but the overall rehabilitation cost is high, and clinical application should be combined with the actual situation of patients.

Zero-dimensional (0D) quantum confinement can be achieved in perovskite materials by the confinement of electron and hole states to single PbX64− perovskite octahedra. In this work, 0D perovskite (Cs4PbBr6) micro-crystals were prepared by a simple thermally-assisted solution method and thoroughly characterized. The micro-crystals show a high level of crystallinity and a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 45%. The radiative recombination coefficient of the 0D perovskite micro-crystals, 1.5 × 10−8 s−1 cm3, is two orders of magnitude higher than that of typical three-dimensional perovskite and is likely a strong contributing factor to the high emission efficiency of 0D perovskite materials. Temperature dependent luminescence measurements provide insight into the role of thermally-activated trap states. Spatially resolved measurements on single 0D perovskite micro-crystals reveal uniform photoluminescence intensity and emission decay behaviour suggesting the solution-based fabrication method yields a high-quality and homogenous single-crystal material. Such uniform emission reflects the intrinsic 0D nature of the material, which may be beneficial to device applications.

Background and Objective: Glucose fluctuation (GF) has been reported to induce renal injury and diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, the mechanism still remains ambiguous. Mitochondrial energy metabolism, especially aerobic glycolysis, has been a hotspot of DN research for decades. The activation of HIF-1α/miR210/ISCU/FeS axis has provided a new explanation for aerobic glycolysis. Our previous studies indicated quercetin as a potential therapeutic drug for DN. This study aims to evaluate levels of aerobic glycolysis and repressive effect of quercetin via HIF-1α/miR210/ISCU/FeS axis in a cell model of GF.Methods: The mouse glomerular mesangial cells (MCs) were exposed in high or oscillating glucose with or without quercetin treatment. Cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay. Aerobic glycolysis flux was evaluated by lactate acid, pH activity of PFK. Apoptosis level was confirmed by Annexin V-APC/7-AAD double staining and activity of caspase-3. TNF-α and IL-1β were used to evaluate inflammation levels.Results: GF deteriorated inflammation damage and apoptosis injury in MCs, while quercetin could alleviate this GF-triggered cytotoxicity. GF intensified aerobic glycolysis in MCs and quercetin could inhibit this intensification in a dose-dependent manner. Quercetin prevented activities of two FeS-dependent metabolic enzymes, aconitase, and complex I, under GF injury in MCs. The mRNA expression and protein contents of HIF-1α were increased after GF exposure, and these could be alleviated by quercetin treatment. Knockdown of ISCU by siRNA and Up-regulating of miR-210 by mimic could weaken the effects of quercetin that maintained protein levels of ISCU1/2, improved cell viability, relieved inflammation injury, decreased apoptosis, and reduced aerobic glycolysis switch in MCs.Conclusion: Quercetin antagonizes GF-induced renal injury by suppressing aerobic glycolysis via HIF-1α/miR-210/ISCU/FeS pathway in MCs cell model. Our findings contribute to a new insight into understanding the mechanism of GF-induced renal injury and protective effects of quercetin.

Background: Acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) is considered a form of severe central nervous system damage. At present, research in the fields of spinal surgery and neurology has highlighted the complex mechanisms underlying ASCI, among which autophagy is considered to play a crucial role.Objectives: We aimed to identify the genes and molecular pathways associated with ASCI and autophagy using computational tools and publicly available data, and to identify drugs targeting the relevant genes associated with ASCI and autophagy.Materials and Methods: We used text mining to detect the ASCI and autophagy-associated genes, and the intersection of the two gene sets was selected for gene ontology analysis using the DAVID program. We then constructed protein–protein interaction networks, followed by a functional enrichment analysis, from which we obtained two significant gene modules. Finally, the final list of genes was queried against the Drug Gene Interaction database to find drug candidates targeting the relevant ASCI and autophagy genes.Results: Our analysis identified 156 genes common to both the “ASCI” and “Autophagy” text mining concepts. Gene enrichment analysis yielded two significant gene modules (20 genes), which represent six significant signal pathways and could be targeted by 28 Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug molecules, and identified the drug–gene interactions. Conclusion: In conclusion, we presented a method to explore the potential key genes, molecular pathways and candidate drugs associated with ASCI and autophagy. As a result, in this method, we identified a total of 20 potential genes, six significant pathways and 28 candidate drugs, which could provides a basis for new trials and the development of novel targeted therapies as potential treatments for ASCI.

Carbon nanotubes are reported as good candidates for carrier transport layers and electrodes in perovskite optoelectronics owing to their outstanding electronic and mechanical properties. In this work, perovskite and carbon nanotubes composites were fabricated by a facile solution method serving as the active layer in perovskite devices. The charge transfer mechanism between the perovskite and carbon nanotubes is different among three kinds of carbon nanotubes with different diameter. The addition of carbon nanotubes would not change the crystalline property of perovskite. Charge transfer from perovskite to carbon nanotubes at the interface was observed by spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurements. Carbon nanotubes serve as the effective charge transport pathways to improve the performance of photodetector by reducing the grain boundaries and pinholes in perovskite.

Donor-acceptor crystals are of huge potential applications in the area of sensor, memory and radio frequency devices. In this work, we observed the stacking modes between poly (3-thiophene) and fullerene are mainly segregated-stacking and mixed-arrangement within crystals. Based on real-time structure analyses, poly (3-thiophene) and fullerene do not show crystallization initially in the solution state although there exists antisolvent. However, poly (3-thiophene) completed crystallization and demonstrated ordered nanowire structures after 90 min evolution, while, fullerene needs long time saturated evaporation to crystallize. In addition, the analysis of time dependent charge transfer process provides more information to further understand the crystallization dynamics. Therefore, revealing the nucleation and growth mechanism of organic charge transfer crystals and modifying the self-assembling processes will drive the development of a new class of organic nano electronics.

Quantum confinement effect can be realized by decreasing the structural dimension of perovskites . Although zero-dimensional perovskites (Cs 4PbBr6) demonstrate high fluorescence efficiency, it is still controversy about the nature of green emission and carrier recombination dynamics. In this work, phase-pure Cs4PbBr6 powder has been prepared in aqueous solution which supplies enough CsBr during the reaction. The high photoluminescence quantum yield (56.4%) of Cs 4PbBr6 is ascribed to high exciton binding energy 172 meV, which likely confines the excitons in the separated octahedral unit and facilitates exciton radiative recombination. The carrier recombination process is mainly trap states mediated recombination rather than bimolecular recombination which dominates in CsPbBr 3 thin films/nanocrystals. Spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurement clearly shows the whole regions of Cs4PbBr6 are fluorescent. These observations confirm that the green emission of Cs4PbBr6 originates from the trap states rather than the CsPbBr3 impurities, which is beneficial to its application in the field of optoelectronic devices .

Tin-based perovskites are the promising alternative applications in environment-friendly optoelectronic devices when compared with Pb-based perovskites. All-inorganic tin-based perovskite (CsSnBr 3 ) films were prepared by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The film deposited at 500 °C shows high crystalline quality with the grain size close to 1 μm and uniform surface coverage. The optical properties of CsSnBr 3 film were investigated by steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence spectra in detail. The short photoluminescence lifetime may be attributed to the defects at the molecular level rather than the grain boundaries. Consequently, the photodetector based on CsSnBr 3 film exhibits good stability and high on/off ratio about 320.

Perovskite microplates have important implications in the fields of functional electronics and optoelectronics. We report a facile strategy, antisolvent treatment for the growth of perovskite microplates. The morphology and crystalline quality of the microplates could be controlled by the amount of the chlorobenzene antisolvent used. An appropriate amount of antisolvent facilitates the formation of high-quality perovskite microplates with no residual precursor remaining. Spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurements demonstrate the heterogeneity of defect-state density and recombination processes in various perovskite microplate regions. The body center shows higher defect state density when compared with that at the edge or the corner of the microplate. Excessive antisolvent degrades the microplates into smaller particles. The results of this study reveal the factors that influence the crystallization process and photophysical dynamics of perovskite microplates.

Perovskite microfibers with high crystallinity were synthesized with aqueous self-assembling method. The crystallization dynamics of perovskite were studied by in-situ X-ray diffraction, demonstrating that the optimum crystallization time is 9 h. Spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurement clearly shows the different recombination mechanism at the interface and bulk regions in the perovskite microfibers. The photodetector based on perovskite microfiber exhibits high photo-response sensitivity and on/off ratio due to the high crystallinity and relatively long carrier lifetime. This research will be beneficial for low-dimension perovskite synthesis and optoelectronics application.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) play an important role in pathological processes in diabetic nephropathy (DN). This study aimed to explore whether miR‑379‑5p is associated with renal fibrosis in DN and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. In vitro experiments indicated that miR‑379‑5p expression was downregulated by high glucose (HG) treatment in mouse mesangial cells (MMCs). Transfection with miR‑379‑5p mimics suppressed the proliferation and the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, which were promoted by HG treatment. LIN28B was proven to be a direct target of miR‑379‑5p by luciferase report assay. In addition, the loss of expression of LIN28B, as well as the decrease in cell proliferation and in the accumulation of ECM components, which were induced by the knockdown of LIN28B, were attenuated in the MMCs following transfection with miR‑379‑5p inhibitors. Furthermore, type 2 diabetic db/db mice were used to examine the efficiency of miR‑379‑5p agomir in the alleviation of renal fibrosis. Consistent with the results of the in vitro experiments, miR‑379‑5p agomir suppressed mesangial cell proliferation and the accumulation of ECM components by regulating the LIN28B/let‑7 pathway. Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that miR‑379‑5p is highly involved in renal fibrosis in DN, and that it may be a potential effective therapeutic target for DN.

In dual-donor ternary organic solar cells, the compatibility between the donor polymers plays important roles to control the conformational change and govern the photophysical behavior in the blend films. Here, we apply a post-additive soaking (PAS) approach to reconstruct the morphology in a ternary organic photovoltaic BHJ of PTB7-Th: PCDTBT: PC71BM. The PAS-treated device has a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of about 8.7% in this ternary system. From the analyses of GIWAXS and GISAXS, the superior device performance is attributed to the favorable nanomorphology with optimum crystallinity of PTB7-Th and good intermixing of PCDTBT with PTB7-Th:PC71BM, leading to improved charge transport in the vertical direction. AFM and TRPL measurements clearly demonstrate PAS-treated film envisages a homogeneous distribution of smaller PC71BM aggregates to facilitate the exciton dissociation and carrier extraction at the interface. The increased PCE ascribed to not only the enhancement of absorption and no...

To realize substantial performance enhancement in the poly (3-hexylthiophene)/[6, 6]-pheny-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PC71BM)-based organic optoelectronic devices, a discontinuous layer consisting of nickel nanoparticles (Ni NPs) was introduced to embellish the indium tin oxide electrode. When the Ni layer with a thickness of 3 nm was introduced, photocurrent gain was enhanced nearly 300% at low bias without sacrificing any response speed in the obtained organic photodetectors, and power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells increased nearly by 30%. The improved performance of the polymer photodetectors was mainly attributed to the injection of secondary electrons due to hole trap states introduced by the poor interfacial contact between the active layer and the Ni layer. On the other hand, the incident light was scattered over a longer propagation path by Ni NPs in the active layer, and therefore, the performance of polymer solar cells was enhanced.

We report the effect of the processing solvent on the nanoscale morphology and photophysical dynamics of poly(3-butyl-thiophene) nanowires (P3BT-nw). P3BT-nw assembled in ortho-dichlorobenzene (ODCB) show higher crystallization and a longer conjugation length with increased exciton delocalization compared with those assembled in chlorobenzene (CB). It is proposed that this solvent effect is associated with the higher ordered structures formed from ODCB solution state. Charge-transfer dynamics and phase separation for P3BT-nw:PCBM blends were investigated by ultrafast fluorescence techniques. The more efficient fluorescence quenching observed in P3BT-nw:PCBM blend films processed from ODCB suggests that there is intimate contact between P3BT-nw and PCBM that facilitates charge transfer. The superior performance of organic photovoltaic devices based on P3BT-nw:PCBM bulk heterojunctions processed using ODCB is attributed to the higher crystallization of P3BT-nw, optimized phase separation, and more efficient charge transfer from P3BT-nw to PCBM.

The introduction of nanodiamond (ND) into regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) can vary the conformational structure of the polymer. The microstructure of the blend films was analyzed by various techniques, such as absorption spectra, Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction. It is shown that the presence of ND improves the crystallinity and increases the effective conjugation length of P3HT in the blend films. Furthermore, the photo-excited dynamics between P3HT and ND were studied by the steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence techniques. An obvious fluorescence quenching in the blend films demonstrates the high efficiency of photoinduced charge transfer between P3HT and ND. The energy transfer dynamics could be excluded owing to the bandgap of ND is larger than P3HT. The morphology of the blend films was investigated by Kelvin probe force microscope and transmission electron microscopy. The interpenetrating network of P3HT fibrils and ND domains facilitates charge transfer between the two materials, resulting in the obvious fluorescence quenching of the polymer. The enhanced photocurrent in a prototypical device based on P3HT:ND blends may be correlated with the high efficiency of charge transfer from P3HT to ND.

Perovskite crystals have shown potential applications in lasers, solar cells and functional electronics. Micron-sized CH3NH3PbBr3 single crystals were fabricated with antisolvent method in this work. The photoluminescence dynamics of perovskite microcrystals were investigated in the temperature range from 77 K to 300 K. The fluorescence intensity of perovskite microcrystals decreases as the temperature increases. At the same time, the full width at half maximum of fluorescence peak is broadened, accompanied by the red shift of the peak position. These are attributed to the phase transition and enhanced scattering effect between exciton and phonon. The fluorescence lifetime of perovskite microcrystals decreases as the excitation intensity increases, indicating that exciton-exciton annihilation dominates the recombination process. Spatially and temporally fluorescence measurements show the different recombination processes in single perovskite microcrystal owing to the different density of defect states at the surface and the bulk regions.

Graphene derivatives have been intensively investigated as the electron transporting layer and conductive electrodes in perovskite optoelectronic devices. In this work, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) dispersed in nonpolar solvent was achieved by surfactant assisted phase transfer method. The hybrid perovskite/RGO film was prepared by antisolvent treatment. The volume ratio between perovskite and RGO solution is an important parameter that affects the perovskite device performance. The optimal ratio is 1:10 in perovskite photodetector owing to the high photocurrent and on/off ratio. However, lower or larger ratio would result in insufficient charge transfer or short circuit respectively. The spatially and temporally resolved measurements reveal the detailed charge transfer and transport process in the perovskite and RGO blends. RGO coupled with perovskite not only promotes charge transfer, but serves as the transport pathways, resulting in the improved performance of the device.

Abstruct In this work, Halloysite nanotubes (Hal) were modified by polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) firstly and then employed as stabilizer particles for Pickering high internal phase emulsions (Pickering HIPEs). Later, a kind of sulfonate-functionalized micro/nano hybrid absorbent was fabricated through Pickering HIPEs template method based on the so-prepared PSS-modified Hal. Owing to an enhanced synergy between the sulfonate-functionalized polymer and the PSS-modified Hal stabilizer, which both had lots of sulfonate groups (R-SO3−, binding sites), this so-fabricated sulfonate-functionalized micro/nano hybrid absorbent possessed a dual adsorption role for Li+ ions and a fast adsorption kinetics performance. According to adsorption experiments, its adsorption equilibrium state was finished at about 360 min, while 600 min for the contrast sample. Furthermore, its maximum actual adsorption capacity (Qe) was about 23.9 mg/g, higher than 14.5 mg/g of contrast sample. Consequently, the sulfonate-functionalized micro/nano hybrid absorbent with a high adsorption capacity and a fast adsorption kinetics performance was a promising material for Li+ extraction from brine.

In this work, Zn2SnO4(ZTO) single crystal were preparaed by hydrothermal process. The particle sizes and morphology of ZTO were controlled by time. After 16 h of hydrothermal treatment, Zn2SnO4 particles with a particle size of 10–30 nm could be obtained. PL, TRPL, EIS and IMPS were utilized to study the performance of ZTO layers and the results showed that ZTO layers in the battery had better charge extraction and transmission ability compared with TiO2 layers. Finally, Perovskite Solar Cells based on ZTO displayed excellent current density and the PCE of can reach 18.32%.

Phase separation in donor/acceptor bulk heterojunction (BHJ) significantly affects the exciton dissociation and charge collection in organic solar cells (OSCs). In this work, the dynamics of phase separation in poly[[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy] benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b'] dithiophene-2,6-diyl] [3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno [3,4-b] thiophenediyl]] (PTB7):[6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) based BHJ is analyzed. Solvent additive diiodooctane selectively dissolves PC70BM aggregation to form homogeneous distribution in PTB7 matrix. Quantitative analyses show that the size of PC70BM domains decreases from 67 nm to 38 nm with the addition of solvent additive. The vertical phase separation in PTB7:PC70BM BHJ was studied by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement and its effect on the performance of the regular and inverted OSCs was examined. Compare to the vertical phase separation occurred in the poly(3-hexylthiophene):PCBM system, the homogeneous vertical phase separation observed in the PTB7:PC70BM BHJ favors an enhanced exciton dissociation process for attaining high performing OSCs. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

With the purpose to extend the photoresponse region of the photodetector based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT/PC70BM) host system, a low band gap polymer poly[[4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy] benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b] thiophenediyl]] (PTB7) was incorporated to fabricate ternary blend photodetectors. The optimal photodetector shows high on/off ratio of 4.6 × 104 with broadband response region from 380 to 750 nm by adding 10 wt % PTB7 to the host system. The improved performance of the device was attributed to energy cascade and the high efficiency of Forster resonance energy transfer between P3HT and PTB7, which are beneficial to current generation. At the same time, the device performance was correlated with the film morphology and crystalline structure of the active layer in the device. Excessive amount of PTB7 was unfavorable for device performance owing to the incompatibility between the two polymers ...

“Solvent additives” process is a simple and efficient way to achieve high power conversion efficiency in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells. The morphology measurements at the nanoscale confirm that the addition of solvent additives may promote the 3′H-Cyclopropa[8, 25] [5, 6] fullerene-C70-D5 h(6)-3′ -butanoicacid, 3′-phenyl-, methyl ester (PCBM) aggregation in poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT: PCBM) blend films. Larger phase separation between P3HT and PCBM caused by solvent additives facilitates the formation of bicontinuous network and therefore charge carriers can transport efficiently to the electrodes. Small angle X-ray scattering was applied to quantify the cluster size of PCBM and the interfacial area between P3HT and PCBM. The results demonstrate that the introduction of solvent additives may enlarge the size of PCBM clusters without decreasing interfacial area. Solvent additives could balance the large interfacial area for exciton dissociation and bicontinuous pathways for carrier transportation. The effect of thermal annealing on the nanomorphology of blend film is also investigated for comparison.

The energy levels of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) were estimated in this work. We demonstrate that the energies of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of GO become closer to each other upon reduction. GO and rGO were blended with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) to form composite films and their optoelectronic properties were evaluated. It was found that both electrons and holes from photoexcited P3HT can transfer to rGO leading mostly to recombination while only electrons transfer to GO.

In this study, Hierarchically Anatase TiO2(HAT) microspheres composed of tiny octahedra was prepared by hydrothermal method and introduced to perovskite solar cells(PSCs). Self-assembly linear units can provide better electronic transmission path in HAT. A power conversion efficiency of PSC based on HAT is 15.42%. Surface modification of the electron transport layer in perovskite solar cells has been proven to be one crucial strategy to improve the power conversion efficiency. Nb2O5, MgO and Al2O3 were deposited on the HAT surface, respectively. All of HAT films exhibit bigger electrons life span and suppressed charge recombination at the interface of TiO2/perovskite films in the modified devices as well. As result, a campion power conversion efficiency of PSC based on Nb2O5@HAT could reach to 17.10%

Perylene diimide (PDI) nanowires were fabricated by saturated antisolvent pressure induced method. The antisolvent facilitates PDI molecules aggregation forming clusters because of the local supersaturation at the interface. When the cluster size reaches critical size, the antisolvent would promote clusters assembling along one-dimension gradually. The decreased decay lifetime of PDI nanowires illustrates the changeable PDI molecule conformation and decreased trap-state density. Temporally and spatially resolved fluorescence measurement reveals the uniform and ordered arrangement in individual nanowire. The π-electron delocalization along the π-π stacking direction is in favor of long-range charge migration. The applied bias on PDI nanowires enables electrons migration along the π-electron delocalization rapidly, resulting in more than 3 orders of magnitude current increment.

Titanium dioxide ([Formula: see text]) is a kind of wide bandgap transparent metal oxide semiconductor and has shown great potential applications in photocatalysis, gas sensors and biomedical fields due to its superior properties, such as nontoxic, high photocatalytic efficiency and physicochemical stability. In this work, one-dimensional [Formula: see text] nanostructure was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method. The morphology and crystalline quality of [Formula: see text] were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results demonstrate that the structure of [Formula: see text] evolved from “flower-like” structure to nanowire with the acid concentration increment. The sintering temperature has an important effect on the structure and crystalline quality of [Formula: see text]. The crystalline quality of [Formula: see text] nanobelt was improved with the annealing temperature increment. When the sintering temperature increased to 1000[Formula: see text]C, the phase of [Formula: see text] would transfer from anatase to rutile.

One-dimensional perovskites have potential applications in solar cells, lasers, photodetectors and optical waveguides. In this work, lead bromide microfibers which were prepared by self-assembly effect in aqueous solution. Perovskite microfibers were synthesized by using lead bromide microfibers as templates in the vapor atmosphere of methylamine bromide. The perovskite phase of microfibers was verified by the X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectrum. The higher trap density at the boundaries compared with the bulk regions of the microfibers, leading to the shorter fluorescence lifetime, which was observed by the combination of spatially and temporally resolved fluorescence measurement.

A small-molecule material, 7,7-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-silolo[3,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(6-fluoro-4-(5'-hexyl-[2,2'-bithiophen]-5-yl)benzo-[c] [1,2,5]thiadiazole) (p-DTS(FBTTH2)2), was used to modify the morphology and electron-transport properties of the polymer blend of poly(3-hexythiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) bulk heterojunctions. As a result, a 24% increase in the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of the p-DTS(FBTTH2)2:P3HT:PC71BM ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) is obtained. The improvement in the performance of OSCs is attributed to the constructive energy cascade path in the ternary system that benefits an efficient Förster resonance energy/charge transfer process between P3HT and p-DTS(FBTTH2)2, thereby improving photocurrent generation. It is shown that p-DTS(FBTTH2)2 molecules engage themselves at the P3HT/PC71BM interface. A combination of absorption enhancement, efficient energy transfer process, and ordered nanomorphology in the ternary system favors exciton dissociation and charge transportation in the polymer bulk heterojunction. The finding of this work reveals that distribution of the appropriate "guest" donor at the "host" donor/acceptor interface is an effective approach for attaining high-performance OSCs.

The ZnO/Si heterojunction diode can be integrated with the Si process, which has attracted great attention in recent years. However, the large number of interface states at the ZnO/ Si heterojunction interface could adversely affect its optoelectronic properties. Here, n-type ZnO thin film was deposited on p-Si substrate for formation of an n-ZnO/p-Si heterojunction substrate. To passivate the ZnO/Si interface, a thin CuI film interface passivation layer was inserted at the ZnO/p-Si heterojunction interface. Electrical characterization such as I–V and C–V characteristic curves confirmed the significant improvement of the heterojunction properties e.g. enhancement of forward current injection, reduction of reverse current and improvement of the rectification ratio. These results showed that the passivation of interface is critical for ZnO/Si heterojunctions.

It is demonstrated that oxidative debris can be separated and largely removed during the surfactant assisted phase transfer of graphene oxide from a water/ethanol mixture to dichlorobenzene. The new procedure described provides a facile method to obtain monolayer dispersed graphene sheets in a nonpolar solvent via solvothermal reduction of graphene oxide accompanied by an effective purification process.

Reflectance spectrum of nanoporous silicon dioxide (SiO2) double layer was calculated by using the matrix method. The results were compared with the corresponding spectrum of silicon oxynitride (SiO[Formula: see text]N[Formula: see text])–porous silicon (PS) double layer which deposited on nanostructured black silicon coatings. The nanoporous silicon dioxide (SiO2) double layer deposited on nanostructure black silicon antireflection coating presents a lower reflectance in a broad range of solar spectrum. This research outcome may find a wide application in solar cell industry.

Morphology and photophysics of polymers are critical to the performance of organic optoelectronics. In this work, poly(3-thiophene) (P3HT) nanoparticles were successfully fabricated by the miniemulsion and reprecipitation methods. The P3HT nanoparticles demonstrated uniform distribution with the domain size of [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]40 nm. The photophysics of P3HT nanoparticles was investigated by absorption and steady-state and time-resolved PL spectroscopy. P3HT nanoparticles showed more ordered and longer conjugation length than pristine P3HT. At the same time, P3HT nanoparticles showed aggregate species which are favorable for interchain charge transfer. The organic/inorganic hybrid photodetectors based on P3HT and TiO2 nanorods were fabricated. The superior performance of the photodetector based on P3HT nanoparticle and TiO2 nanorods comes from the efficient charge transfer and large donor/acceptor interface.

Suitable solvent additives provide an effective means to control the morphology of polymer blend films. In this work, we systematically investigate the impact of the solvent additive chloronaphthalene (CN) on the morphology of P3HT : EP-PDI blends. The optimum volume fraction of solvent additive CN was found to be 0.5 vol% by atom force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. UV–visible absorption spectroscopy and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction indicate that the crystallinity of both the P3HT and EP-PDI domains significantly decreased in the blends with 0.5 vol% CN. Grazing incidence small-angle x-ray scattering results show that the size of the small EP-PDI aggregation decreases from 44–22 nm with the addition of CN. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurement reveals that the decreased EP-PDI domains give rise to increased donor–acceptor interfacial areas, which not only facilitate the exciton dissociation, but suppresses the formation of the EP-PDI intermolecular state.

The effect of alkyl side-chain length on the photophysical, morphology and photoresponse properties of poly (3-alkylthiophene) (P3AT) has been investigated. Butyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl, and dodecyl side chains have been studied. In solution state, the average lifetime of poly (3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) is the shortest among P3AT solution owing to the strong intrachain interaction. The fluorescence lifetime of P3AT solution increases with the side-chain length increasing. A similar trend occurs in the P3AT films. This phenomenon illustrates conformation 'memory' property evolving from solution state to solid film. The four lifetimes represent different photophysical processes and have been systematically analyzed. The photodetector based on P3DDT is a suitable candidate for practical application owing to the fast, reversible photoresponse and photostability. The high performance of P3DDT-based photodetector is correlated to the optimized morphology and strong interchain interaction which promotes the exciton delocalization.

The introduction of small amounts of carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes into regio-regular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) can vary the structure and optical properties of the polymer. The microstructure of the composite film was analysed by various techniques including x-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible optical absorption, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. It is shown that the presence of carbon nanotubes can improve the crystallinity and increase the conjugation length of P3HT in the films. Furthermore, an obvious photoluminescence quenching is observed in the P3HT/CNTs composite films, suggesting the possibility of photoinduced electron transfer between P3HT and carbon nanotubes due to the π–π interaction of these two components. These results are important for applications in bulk heterojunction solar cells and organic photo-detectors.