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Metal halide perovskite quantum dots (QDs) with unique physicochemical properties are promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronics, but they often suffer from stability issues that severely limit their potential for practical applications. In this work, we adopt an oleic acid/oleylamine-free approach to synthesize MAPbBr3 quantum dot (MQD) papers by incorporating MQDs into cellulose nanofiber frameworks. The abundant long-chain binding ligands containing sulfate terminal groups within the cellulose nanofiber remarkably stabilize the MQD structure, enabling the fabrication of self-power and flexible MQD paper photodetectors with a responsivity of ∼0.19 mA W−1, detectivity of 1.58 × 108 cm Hz1/2 W−1, and excellent bendability and reliability after 500 bending cycles. More importantly, these MQD/cellulose-based self-powered photodetectors demonstrate extraordinarily high environmental stability, maintaining more than 90% of the initial responsivity after 60 days. The simple disposability of the paper-based device is also illustrated by burning within one second, suggesting the ease of device elimination. Our work provides a unique approach to designing ultra-stable perovskite QD-based electronics with unprecedented functionalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygroscopic cellulose office papers possess the ability to absorb water or moisture, resulting in enhanced electrical conductivity. This study demonstrates the utilization of humidified office papers as versatile, disposable, and renewable broadband photodetectors for diverse applications. The developed paper-photodetectors (P-PDs) allow simultaneous detection of broadband light and temperature. By effectively controlling and managing the water content, sealed office papers offer reliable detection of both visible and UV light, along with temperature measurements. Notably, they are characterized by flexibility, scalability, eco-friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, paper-based flexible X-ray detectors were developed. Outstanding detection performance and high stability were realized by combining the intrinsic flexibility of the PbI2 nanocrystal, and the bendability of cellulose fiber paper. The devices were prepared using a scalable solution infiltration method and a screen-printing method. The PbI2 nanocrystal was coating onto the fiber instead of filling the micropore between the fibers. This special microstructure suppresses the effect of the carrier lateral diffusion by restricting the transport of the photoexcited carriers along the longitudinal direction of fibers, which promotes carrier transport, and improves photodetection performance. All of the pixels showed a high consistency of sensitivity, and a high signal-to-noise ratio, which ranged from 76.7 to 78.3 mC Gy-1 cm-2, and 296.4 to 327.3, respectively. In addition, benefitting from the unfilled micropores which serve as a stress buffer zone, the devices reveal high flexibility when the composite structure is in tension or compression. After 1000 bending cycles, no cracks were found in the nanocrystalline layer on the fibers, and the photocurrent was maintained at over 87%. In addition, a linear array X-ray imager was successfully implemented using the as-fabricated devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inkless photonic paper has shown great potential as an alternative to traditional paper due to its unique structural color, which is dye-free and non-photobleaching. However, it is still highly challenging to produce large-area photonic crystal paper, and its angle dependence, complicated printing procedure, and difficulty of high-resolution printing have greatly limited its applications. To address these challenges, we developed a new UV printing strategy using amorphous structured inverse opal PEGDA photonic paper. The photonic paper is prepared using an amorphous assembly of colloidal SiO2 particles as templates, which are fabricated by spray coating dispersions of SiO2 particles with the addition of carbon black. The photonic paper possesses structural color with low angle independency when the observation angle varies from 0° to 40°, and the unvivid structural color can be tuned in the whole visible region by exposure to UV radiation for different amounts of time, providing a fast, convenient and high-resolution printing technique. Through a chromatic-printing-like method using a series of different masks, multi-color printing is also realized. The printed images can be further protected from UV irradiation using a layer of PET film, which provides a method to store the printings for a longer time in a harsh environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pressing priority for flexible photo-responsive systems is scalability and simplistic fabrication routes at low production costs. The extraordinary properties seen in 2D materials, paired with solution-processing advantages, assert their employability for superior photoresponsive systems. Herein, we demonstrate versatile and flexible photodetectors and photo-thermal actuators by integrating 2D materials onto paper substrates. All-solution processed flexible photodetectors have been fabricated by spray coating dispersions of MoS2 nanosheets onto screen printed carbon electrodes. By employing MoSe2 as a photothermal conversion layer, actuators with paper-tape bilayers have also been demonstrated. For both photoresponsive applications, the process of calendering investigated in detail results in remarkable augmentation of the performances. Real-world thermally stimulated soft robotic applications like jacks, grippers and crawlers are realized by leveraging a configuration dependent response to illumination. Thus, a well-structured and feasible implementation of a chain of protocols that includes screen printing, spray coating, lamination and calendering with paper as the substrate led us to fabricate flexible photoresponsive systems with significantly enhanced performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogel-based flexible electronics have received increasing attention owing to the requirement in a variety of applications. However, the design and development of underwater and self-adaptive high-temperature strain sensors remain a significant challenge because of the swelling and dehydration of hydrogels in aquatic environments and extreme climate conditions. Herein, a versatile gel with superior self-adhesiveness, long-lasting underwater stability, excellent high-temperature tolerance and long-term non-drying properties is successfully prepared, which can serve as a wearable sensor for precisely and reliably detecting diverse body movements and the direction of human movements in air and aquatic environments. Meanwhile, based on the Morse code expression, the as-fabricated gel sensor can also be utilized as a wearable communication device for delivering various messages to the receiver. Furthermore, a wireless sensor with high-temperature adaptability is constructed, which can transmit in real time the motion signals at high temperature to the specific APP of a smartphone at room temperature via wireless communication. This strategy provides a new perspective and great convenience for motion monitoring under harsh conditions. In particular, the as-prepared gel demonstrates an obvious transparency-shifting behavior in different polar solvents, thus inspiring us to engineer it as a novel water-writing paper for achieving repeatable "writing–erasing" applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The remarkable properties of layered semiconductor nanosheets (LSNs), such as scalable production, bandgap tunability and mechanical flexibility, have promoted them as promising building blocks for nanoelectronics and bioelectronics. However, it is still a challenge to efficiently control the charge transport in LSNs. Here, we demonstrate a novel LSN field-effect transistor (FET) using ionic paper (i-paper) as a solid-like gate dielectric, achieving a highly efficient ionic control of hole and electron transport in MoS2 and WSe2 LSNs, respectively. The i-paper contains a three-dimensional (3D) nanopore structure that allows ionic liquids (ILs) to infiltrate the LSN surface, providing a very large ion/carrier interfacial region as well as an efficient ion transport channel. We achieve an ultra-high current on–off ratio of over 105 for both p-type and n-type i-paper gated LSN FETs. By directly attaching one common i-paper to both n-type and p-type LSN layers, a flexible LSN-based inverter circuit with a gain of ∼3 is realized. Moreover, high-performance i-paper gated LSN FETs are capable of detecting a temperature change as low as 0.02 K. Our results can hold great implications for wide applications of i-paper gated LSN FETs in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photonic paper with dynamically tunable color has been widely investigated due to its excellent ability to change its optical patterns under external variation. Herein, a UV-responsive metal–insulator–metal (MIM) Fabry-Perot cavity is proposed to prepare dynamic photonic paper through introducing disulfide bonds containing polyurethane as an insulating layer. The as-prepared MIM cavity based photonic paper shows dynamically tunable color variation in almost the whole visible gamut under different UV-irradiation durations. In addition, by simply adjusting the UV-irradiation duration at each point with the aid of a photomask, multicolor patterns could be "written" onto the as-prepared MIM photonic paper. What's more, thanks to the dynamic feature of the disulfide bond, the color patterns on the photonic paper could also be "erased" by thermal treatment, making the photonic paper "rewritable". Together with all these features, the proposed UV-responsive MIM photonic paper would exhibit great potential for application in information anticounterfeiting, dynamic color display devices and environment-friendly inkless color printing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paper-based flexible sensors have attracted much attention due to their abundant resource, low cost and good degradability in the natural environment leaving no electronic waste (e-waste). However, the mechanical properties of paper still need to be strengthened and the output stability may be impacted by water or high humidity because of the hydrophilicity of cellulose fibers. In order to solve these problems, for the first time, a paper-based flexible sensor with available running data under water without encapsulation was fabricated using softwood cellulose fibers and graphite nanoplates through a papermaking technique in this work. The cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were added to reinforce the paper and the alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) emulsion was coated on the paper to endow it with super-hydrophobicity. The sensor can be used for both strain and pressure detection. As a strain sensor, the gauge factor (GF) was 18.99 and the response time was 0.3 s. It can be used to monitor human motions such as the bending of fingers, the wrist, and elbow. Interestingly, it was proven to be able to monitor finger bending at high humidity and under water due to its super-hydrophobicity. As a pressure sensor, it exhibited sensitivity S1 = 0.019 kPa−1 in the range of 0 to 316.5 kPa, and S2 = 0.01 kPa−1 in the range of 316.5 to 1421 kPa, with the response time of 0.3 s. The detecting range is much wider than that of reported sustainable flexible pressure sensors. Furthermore, this sensor can be easily disposed of by burning, thus avoiding the production of e-waste. This multifunctional flexible paper-based sensor may find potential in sport and health monitoring, soft robotics and human–machine interfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stimuli-responsive fluorescent materials are ideal materials for paper anti-counterfeiting applications. However, the single responsiveness and the lacking of dynamics present the risk of being deciphered. Herein, we designed a series of cyanostilbene derivatives (ACNs) with fluorescence responses to acid or base. ACN1 with pyridine and hydroxyl groups exhibit dually responsive fluorescence "ON" in the solid state due to the ionization-enhanced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) effect. Other ACNs with either pyridine or hydroxyl unit show only single responsiveness. Fluorescence papers (FPs) prepared by a simple dipping into the solutions of ACNs maintain the responsive fluorescence performance. FP1H with high ACN1 content exhibits time-dependent dynamic fluorescent colour changes by hydrogen chloride (HCl) vapour fumigation. The applications of paper anti-counterfeiting and information encryption are developed by combining ACN1 with other single-responsive ACNs. Moreover, a four-dimensional (4D) code with time-dependent information changes is designed. Our work provides new materials for the field of paper fluorescent anti-counterfeiting encryption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable displays with aesthetic design, durability, and washability are highly desired for communication and information gathering wherever and at any time. However, daily wear and washing might damage the characteristics of wearable displays with flexible plastic or extra elastomer substrate, and long-time repeated actuation could also lead to electric fatigue in the display. Here, we proposed a machine-washable, tailorable, and comfortable wearable textile-based electrophoretic electronic paper display (EPD) by encapsulating the electrophoretic ink microcapsules and hot pressing EPD into the daily textile. The gadget exhibited a contrast ratio of 13 and good stability after repeated harsh deformation (e.g., soaking, needling, tailoring, or machine washing). The optimal contrast ratio that benefited from the selected high- κ elastomer waterborne polyurethane (WPU) was achieved in human safety voltage. To demonstrate its potential application, the EPD prototypes of a patterned static display T-shirt and a lightweight dynamic display wristband watch were fabricated by screen printing and laser engraving. The as-fabricated textile-based EPDs with features, including simple fabrication with aesthetic design, excellent waterproofness, low energy consumption, and stretchability, provide important guidance for human and machine interaction for realizing truly wearable displays (i.e., wearing displays). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organophosphorous pesticides pose a significant threat to public health, making its detection critical. Herein, a new fluorescent metal–organic framework, Eu-NDC, was synthesized, which possessed a 3D supramolecular structure assembled through π⋯π interactions between the naphthalene rings in its adjacent coordination-bonded layers. Then, four different products of the Eu-NDC MOF (Eu-NDC-1/2/3/4) with different morphologies were further obtained by altering the ratio of the raw materials. Among them, the fluorescence properties and BET surface area of the micro-nanoscale Eu-NDC-3 were significantly enhanced, making it the most favorable for detection. Eu-NDC-3 as a turn-off fluorescence probe for methyl paraoxon (DMNP) exhibited excellent sensitivity and selectivity, anti-interference and durability. Thus, considering these features, an intelligent logic gate was designed, showing great promise for application in smart sensing. Furthermore, an Eu-NDC-3-loaded electrospun fibrous strip was fabricated as a portable and in situ platform for visual DMNP assay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transportation and storage of primary agricultural products, processed foods, and special items should be carried out in accordance with the requirements of cold chain transport to ensure that they are maintained within the appropriate low temperature range. Time-temperature indicators (TTIs) have proven to be an effective tool for monitoring food temperature history during the cold chain transport. Herein, a disposable paper nano-temperature sensor for color-changing temperature indicators was developed based on the strong linear photoluminescence dependence of cesium–lead–bromide perovskite nanocrystals (CsPbBr3 NCs), where the anion-exchange reaction between Br− and I− can be influenced by the melting temperature from different compositions of n-hexane/1-octadecene (ODE) mixtures. The actual temperature of a mixed solvent exceeds the specified threshold temperature (Tt), causing the mixed solvent containing iodide ions to melt, flow and impregnate the film, and thus resulting in an irreversible change in the fluorescence (FL) emission wavelength of the CsPbBr3 NCs. The FL emission wavelength is red-shifted from the original 517 nm to 650 nm, showing a large Stokes shift of more than 130 nm, which can be directly observed under a UV lamp from green to yellow, orange, and red. Accordingly, this disposable paper nano-temperature sensor with multiple color change patterns and multiple threshold temperatures of −68 °C to +4 °C is effective, portable, and stable, which provides new insights into efficient temperature monitoring for cold chain transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of viologen-based photochromic composite materials with a fast response to ultraviolet light has become a major research focus. In this paper, we fabricated viologen-based composite films with excellent durability and rapid photochromic performance by the solution casting method. The films changed color within one second when exposed to ultraviolet light (3 W, 365 nm). This was because ZnO NPs photogenerated electrons that enhanced the photoreduction of viologens with matched energy bands. The decoloration process of the films could be regulated by different moisture levels while keeping their photochromic properties unaffected. Moreover, the films exhibited less than 15% change in absorbance over 20 repeated coloring and fading cycles. Therefore, the excellent photoresponsiveness, repeatability and environmental friendliness of the films provide them potential for applications in areas such as rewritable paper, solar UV detection, smart windows and anti-counterfeiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the components and contents of environmental gases is of great importance for industrial production, human health, and environmental safety. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has drawn great concern for its adverse effects on climate change and physical health. Simple, in situ, and selective methods for CO2 detection are thus highly demanded. This work presents a versatile and easily fabricated paper sensor for the selective detection of ambient CO2. The sensor consists of two components with a fluorescent molecule ANT-PPh3 as the sensing element and an ionic liquid [DBUH]+[Im]− for the absorption of CO2. Based on the photo-induced electron transfer (PET) between ANT-PPh3 and [DBUH]+[Im]−, the sensor exhibited fluorescence enhancement in the presence of CO2, and the response process is reversible. The sensor exhibits improved selectivity for CO2 over SO2 and NO2 compared with most reported works, with good stability and fast response to human breath. Without complex instrumentation and gas pre-collection processes, the early notification of high indoor CO2 concentrations was realized using this sensor. Taking advantage of its intuitive fluorescence changes, specific responsiveness, and convenience, we believe our designed CO2 sensor could be applied practically in monitoring and indicating high indoor CO2 concentrations in living scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humidity sensing plays an important role in diverse applications in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, skincare, and environmental monitoring. With the advent of the "trillion sensor" society, there is a growing demand for humidity sensors that can be made from abundant and renewable resources. Cellulose, the most abundant and renewable bioresource on Earth, acts as a humidity-sensing material because of its hydrophilic nature. However, non-renewable noble metal electrodes are still indispensable because good electrical conductivity and moisture stability are necessary for reliably detecting electrical signals from cellulose-based humidity-sensing materials. Herein, we demonstrate the direct CO2-laser writing of electrodes onto TEMPO-oxidized cellulose paper to realize an all-cellulose-derived humidity sensor. The TEMPO-oxidized cellulose paper with sodium carboxylate groups provides a satisfactory humidity-sensing performance and is converted to conductive and moisture-stable electrodes directly via laser-induced carbonization. The resulting all-cellulose-derived humidity sensor demonstrates high sensitivity and linearity over a wide range of relative humidity (11–98%), thereby providing broad applicability. The sensor can be used for the positional localization of moist objects and for monitoring plant transpiration and human-body sweating. These results open the door for renewable and sustainable humidity sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible wearable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials have attracted great attention with the development of portable electronic devices, and paper based EMI shielding materials turn to be ideal candidates due to their flexibility, biodegradability and low cost. In this study, conductive MXene nanosheet decorated paper was developed through a simple dip-coating technique, where the MXene nanosheets can be strongly adhered onto the surface of cellulose fiber to construct an effective conductive network. Meanwhile, a low surface energy and micro-nano-structured 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT)/carbon black (CB) layer was further introduced onto the surface to construct a superhydrophobic surface, avoiding the hygroexpansion of paper in water or moisture environments effectively. As a result, the prepared PFDT/CB/MXene@Paper exhibits reflection dominant EMI shielding performance, and a specific SE value of up to 3339.6 dB cm-2 g-1 was achieved. Importantly, the EMI shielding performance can be well maintained towards cyclic bending and in various acid, alkali, salt, and UV environments, which enhance the applicability of paper based functional materials significantly. Finally, its high conductivity also endows it with good Joule heating performance, improving the wearing comfort when used as a wearable EMI shielding material. This study will undoubtedly provide a high-efficiency design strategy for fabricating high-performance paper based EMI shielding materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, paper-based bending strain (PBS) sensors for bending deformation and angle detections have attracted much attention in flexible electronics. However, PBS sensors based on a surface microcrack sensing mechanism have drawbacks of small response and poor water resistance. Herein, we construct a cross-section interface between two conductive papers to form a PBS sensor that can be encapsulated using adhesive tape. Benefiting from the cross-section interface response mechanism of the PBS sensor, it can be directly encapsulated with polyimide tape without worrying about the destruction of the paper surface microstructure. Therefore, the PBS sensor shows excellent water resistance. Meanwhile, the proposed PBS sensor has good bending strain properties. Taking the bending angle of 35.7° as an example, the PBS sensor has a very high response (36.5, relative current ratio after and before bending), good repeatability (2000 times) and acceptable response/recovery times (0.34/0.35 s). In addition, the potential applications of the PBS sensor in the human body and security doors are confirmed. This work not only proposes a novel, high-response, waterproof, and low-cost PBS sensor, but also provides new strategies for the development of bending strain sensors from cross-section interfaces with surface encapsulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes reviews, new journal information, and a list of papers published in the issue. The topics covered in the papers range from nanomaterials for smartphone sensors to quantum dot light-emitting diodes. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and is dedicated to sustainable chemistry and new solutions. [Extracted from the article]

Electronic textiles (E-textiles) have received extensive attention for use in human motion detection, wearable electronics, and artificial intelligence. However, fabrication costs and methodology are still key issues preventing the commercialization of highly sensitive and wearable sensors. Here, simple to prepare low-cost conductive MXene-coated airlaid paper (MXene AP) sensors were fabricated via a dip-coating technique for use as electronic skin. The two-layer MXene AP sensors with a three-dimensional structure display high sensitivity (7.65 kPa−1 at 0–3.3 kPa), a broad sensing range (up to 300 kPa), and a stable response for more than 1000 cycles, presenting good sensitivity, repeatability, and durability, and their mechanism was investigated. Furthermore, origami technology can be used to fold MXene AP into an arbitrary shape with good sensing performance, and multistate conformational changes and simulated human touch can also be detected using the resultant three-dimensional (3D) MXene AP sensors. The wearable MXene AP sensors can be used to monitor human body motion and to collect human physical signals sensitively and accurately in the form of electronic skin. These strategies of folding and layering textile-decorated conductive nanomaterials provide a reference for next-generation textile-based wearable electronics and electronic skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published by The Royal Society of Chemistry in 2024. It features reviews, papers, and communications on various topics related to materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The first paper explores the correlation between conducting channels in self-assembled monolayer tunnel junctions, while the second paper is a correction for a previous article on saturated-blue-emitting iridium complexes for organic light-emitting devices. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and provides a list of articles and authors featured in this issue. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes reviews, papers, and communications on various topics related to materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The journal is published by The Royal Society of Chemistry and aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences. The contents list provides a range of research articles on topics such as organic thin-film transistor sensors, quantum dots, conducting polymer films, perovskite light-emitting diodes, and more. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes a range of papers and communications on topics such as solar cells, photodetectors, crystal growth, and fluorescence detection. The journal aims to connect the global chemistry community and invest its profits back into the field. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the articles published in the journal's latest issue. [Extracted from the article]

This document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It provides a list of articles and papers published in the journal in 2024, covering a wide range of topics related to materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The document includes titles, authors, and page numbers for each paper. Additionally, there are two corrections listed at the end of the document. [Extracted from the article]

Carbamazepine (CBZ) is usually used as a marker to reflect human health in biofluids and anthropogenic pollution in the aqueous system. However, few chemosensors sensitive enough to detect the allowable concentration of CBZ are available in practice. For this purpose, "luminescence-colour-changing sensing" test papers have been designed and prepared, exhibiting nanomolar limits of detection toward CBZ in water, urine, and serum. The systematic anchoring of yellow-light-emitting MOF-76 (Eu0.05Tb0.95) and blue-light-emitting carbon dots (CDs) on a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) substrate, a white-light-emitting film (0.012CD/Eu0.05Tb0.95BTC/PVA) has been obtained by precise tuning of the component ratios. Through hydrogen bonding interactions, the luminophores (CD and Eu0.05Tb0.95BTC) show a uniform dispersibility on the PVA substrate, as well as advanced thermal, mechanical, environmental, and biochemical stability regarding their structure and photoluminescence. Benefiting from these beneficial photophysical properties and a powerful adsorption capacity, the 0.012CD/Eu0.05Tb0.95BTC/PVA film displays exceptional sensitivity toward nanomolar-level CBZ in water and biofluids (urine and serum), via a luminescence colour change from white to blue. The advances in stability, sensitivity, selectivity, and recyclability of the sensor reveal the promising potential of this portable, fast and accurate sensor in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list for the latest issue of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published by The Royal Society of Chemistry. It features articles and papers on various topics, including functional framework materials, organic field-effect transistors, and short peptide hydrogels. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences. Additionally, the document includes a journal article from The Royal Society of Chemistry in 2024, which investigates the stoichiometric deviation in a mixed cation, mixed halide lead perovskite thin film and its precursor solution. Another article discusses nanoristors made of molybdenum disulfide that are highly uniform, sub-500-millivolt, large-scale, and robust. This article provides detailed information on these topics and is a valuable resource for researchers in the field. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes a range of papers and reviews on topics such as nanomaterial-based probes for iodide sensing, organic photodiodes, metal-organic frameworks, lithium-ion batteries, and perovskite solar cells. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and is published by The Royal Society of Chemistry. The document also mentions approved training courses offered by the Royal Society of Chemistry for professional development. [Extracted from the article]

The Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, contains a variety of research papers on topics such as metal-organic framework thin films, perovskite solar cells, energy harvesting devices, electroluminescence, and photocatalytic hydrogen production. The article titled "Hampel and E. M. M. Ibrahim" focuses on materials chemistry and presents the research conducted by Hampel and E. M. M. Ibrahim. The authors discuss their findings and the implications of their research in the field. This article may be useful for library patrons conducting research in materials chemistry. [Extracted from the article]

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) has been extensively studied recently because it is a natural candidate material for next generation solar-blind deep ultraviolet photodetectors (PDs). In this study, three dimensional (3D) amorphous Ga2O3 films (a-Ga2O3) were grown on carbon fibre paper (CFP) using a facile one-pot sputtering method. The prepared a-Ga2O3/CFP core–shell composites were used as photoanode materials for a new type of solar-blind photoelectrochemical (PEC)-type photodetector. By constructing a solid/liquid heterojunction, the resulting built-in electric field can separate electron–hole pairs effectively, facilitating a self-powering ability in this PEC-type photodetector. The device exhibited a maximum responsivity of approximately 12.90 mA W−1 and a rapid photoresponse time of around 0.15/0.13 s without external bias potential. Additionally, the PEC-type photodetector demonstrated outstanding stability after significant usage over a one-year period. The excellent performance of the fabricated a-Ga2O3/CFP core–shell photoanode, for self-powered PEC-type photodetectors, is extremely promising in the field of solar-blind photoelectric detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluorescent polymer nanoparticles have received considerable attention over the past few decades, because of their various responses to physical and/or chemical stimuli, showing great potential for their applications in chemosensing and anticounterfeiting. Nowadays, the fabrication and development of polymer chemosensors with multi-responsivity to multiple chemical targets are highly considered. In this study, (co)polymers with well-controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions were synthesized via reverse atom transfer radical polymerization. Fluorescent polymer nanoparticles with the ability to sense pH, CO2, acidic and basic vapors, and polarity were prepared by physical incorporation of fluorescein via a facile nanoprecipitation method. Morphological studies showed that these smart nanoparticles have a spherical shape with an average size of lower than 150 nm. UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy analyses showed that the variation of pH, incorporation of CO2 into the aqueous medium, and variation of the polarity of polymers changed the intensity ratio of absorption and emission wavelengths. The fluorescent nanoparticles were printed on biocompatible cellulosic papers, which showed different fluorescence emissions at various pH values and also upon exposure to acidic/basic vapors. This confirms the high potential of these nanoparticles to be used as chemical sensors and also in the high-level anticounterfeiting field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing a "rewritable paper" is an effective and feasible method to solve the environmental problems caused by paper consumption. Inorganic ferroelectrics and robust oxide photochromic materials exhibit excellent reversible print/erase responses, a fast response time, and outstanding physical and chemical stability, which are vital for the implementation of a rewritable paper. However, the application of "rewritable paper" based on these inorganic photochromic materials is limited by its low color contrast. In this study, an ultra-high color contrast of 77.1% is obtained through inducing oxygen vacancy defects in Ba3MgSi2O8:0.5%Pr3+ by ion doping and sintering in a reducing atmosphere. The rewritable paper fabricated with Ba3MgSi2O8:0.5%Pr3+ shows a reversible write and erase response under UV illumination and thermal stimulus and also shows the advantages of a fast response time and excellent color reversibility. Furthermore, due to a good overlap between the absorption peak of Ba3MgSi2O8 and the excitation/emission peak of Pr3+, a large luminescence modulation of 97.9% can be obtained in Ba3MgSi2O8:0.5%Pr3+, which has a wide application prospect in anti-counterfeiting displays and easy-readout/erasable photo-memorizers. The insights provided will support fellow researchers to design high-performance inorganic photochromic systems by inducing oxygen vacancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For sensors, it is not difficult to achieve only one of the following critical functions: monitoring multimechanical signals, working in demanding environments, being environmentally friendly, being low cost, or showing high sensitivity or stability. However, it remains a major challenge, or even impossible, to simultaneously realize all these indicators in one sensor. Even in nature, some organisms are well known to have just one unique capacity, rather than entirely perfect features. Herein, inspired by arthropods' slit organs, microslit structures were introduced into the basic framework of sensors to realize strain and pressure detection. A second capability, waterproofness, was often achieved via coatings to form plant-inspired superhydrophobic surfaces. Meanwhile, paper, with the merits of being low cost and biodegradable, was selected to fabricate a paper-based sensor. This sensor is compatible with the high-sensitivity detection of multiple signals and can be used in extreme underwater environments. It is also low cost and degradable, inspired by, but far advanced beyond, natural creatures. Finally, this sensor has strain sensitivity of 100, pressure sensitivity of 0.43% kPa−1, a strain resolution of 0.003%, and a pressure sensing range exceeding 160 kPa. Meanwhile, it exhibits superhydrophobicity, with a water contact angle of up to 152.3° and a sliding angle of 7.3°. It is demonstrated that this sensor can be applied to monitor human joint or muscle motion in wearable electronics. It can also be used for various tactile sensing applications in certain environments under humid or aqueous conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel dual-dye-loaded tunable triple-emission colorimetric fluorescent BPEA&Rh6G@DUT-52 (B&R@D) probes was prepared using an in situ encapsulation method, in which the B&R@D6 probe achieved white fluorescence emission with CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.33, 0.32) and was used for the quenching and colorimetric detection of Fe3+ and Cr2O72− and the colorimetric detection of NO2− and IO3−. When analytes come into contact with the surface of B&R@D6, resonance energy transfer or electron transfer occurs, resulting in relative changes in the three emission peaks. Good linear relationships were established between the fluorescence intensities of the B&R@D6 probe and the concentrations of 0.025–0.5 mM (Fe3+) and 0.005–0.1 mM (Cr2O72−) with detection limits of 2.8 μM and 18.5 nM, respectively. B&R@D6 was further applied in the detection of Fe3+ and Cr2O72− in three actual water samples with recoveries ranging from 101.5% to 114.1% and 86.8% to 100.3%, respectively, showing the practical potential of this method. In addition, a B&R@D6 portable fluorescent test paper was constructed for the in situ dual-mode detection of Fe3+, Cr2O72−, NO2− and IO3−. This work demonstrates the detection capabilities of triple-emitting white fluorescent probes toward ions in terms of multi-target and multi-detection modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pyrimidine-functionalized tetrarylethylene derivatives, BTPT-2-PAo and TPT-2-PAo, were designed, synthesized and characterized. Both compounds exhibit distinct responses to various external stimuli including solvents, acids, light, and metal ions. Remarkable acidichromism and "turn-off" fluorescence are induced by protonation effects, while significant enhancement in photoluminescence resulted from photocyclization reactions. Additionally, the emission intensity of BTPT-2-PAo and TPT-2-PAo can be significantly attenuated upon interaction with Cr3+, Al3+, and Fe3+ accompanied by a color change from colorless to yellow. Job's plots confirmed the 1 : 1 stoichiometry of complex formation between them and Cr3+, Al3+, and Fe3+, respectively. Moreover, the limit of detection for these trivalent metal ions reached a magnitude of 10−7 mol L−1. Finally, we successfully demonstrated that BTPT-2-PAo and TPT-2-PAo can be utilized in test paper strips for rapid "naked-eye" detection of acid as well as M3+ (M: Cr, Al, and Fe). Therefore, the multi-response performance along with the ease of preparation endows BTPT-2-PAo and TPT-2-PAo with potential applications in fluorescence sensing of acid/metal ions and security ink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern security, devices, individuals, and communications require unprecedentedly unique identifiers and cryptographic keys. One emerging method for guaranteeing digital security is to take advantage of a physical unclonable function (PUF). Paper PUF has been extensively demonstrated as a hidden security for a wide range of paper documents and packaging. However, the readout of the existing paper PUF is far less robust and has a smaller key storage capacity. Therefore, we propose using electrospinning as a universal technique to fabricate a strong, in-built and high-capacity PUF based on the random morphologies of electrospun nanofibers (ESNFs). To achieve a high key space within a given sensor, multicolor carbon dots are adopted to label individual fibers to create four independent challenge–response pairs: dark-field scattering, fluorescent red, green and blue emissions. Through a modified perceptional hashing, each ESNF-PUF sensor generates a 256-bit fingerprint per challenge–response pair. A bitstream of 300 Kbits from 48 PUF sensors passes all of thirteen NIST randomness tests without any post-processing. The entropy of the fingerprint is estimated to be 246 bits, resulting in a key space of 5246, simultaneously the false positive rate is below 10−9, and more than 102.4 Mbit cm−2 binary keys are generated from the ESNF-PUFs, providing an enormous address space for one-time pad applications. The conciseness of fingerprints has also been investigated, revealing a trade-off between the entropy and robustness of the PUF system. For practical application, the signature and authentication process of the secured paper document derived by electrospinning are demonstrated. In addition, the ESNF-PUF could be used as a chaotic system to encrypt and decrypt the data robustly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic manganese(II) halides have become attractive building blocks for constructing luminescent functional materials due to their excellent optical properties. Here we presented three magnetic fluorescent ionic liquids (ILs) with [MnClxBry]n− (x = 2, y = n = 1 or x = y = n = 2) complexes as luminophores and 1-vinyl-3-butylimidazolium ([C4VIM]+), 1-octyl-3-vinylimidazolium ([C8VIM]+) and 3-dodecyl-1-vinylimidazolium ([C12VIM]+) as organic cations. The three ILs showed green, red and yellow emissions, respectively, with the increasing alkyl chain length at room temperature. All ILs experienced a phase transition from the crystal to the liquid crystal (LC) phase during the heating process, accompanied by the emission color change from green or yellow to red, which was ascribed to the structural transition from the tetrahedral complex [MnCl2Br2]2− to the octahedral species [MnCl2Br]−. Such a thermochromic response was fast, reversible and stable, and more importantly, rarely reported for Mn-based luminescent substances. Furthermore, the emission intensity of the ILs was sensitive to water and some organic vapors. Fluorescent papers loaded with these ILs were prepared in a facile way, and were conveniently used as temperature indicators and organic vapor sensors. This work proposed a simple strategy to prepare luminescent ILs with controlled structures and optical properties, providing more opportunities for the application of IL-based smart materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a promising inorganic thermochromic material, VO2 can achieve modulation in the near-infrared band without affecting the visible light transmittance, and thus has been widely used in smart windows. However, VO2-based thermochromic smart windows still face challenges for real-world applications, such as high phase transition temperatures and poor optical properties. In this paper, a solar-driven and high-performance VO2-based thermochromic smart window composite film was prepared by combining Cu7S4, a photothermal material, with traditional VO2 film through simulation and experiment. Its visible light transmittance in low and high temperature environments is Tlum,l = 60.8% and Tlum,h = 55.9%, and the solar modulation ability is as high as ΔTsol = 12.3%. The composite film could be heated to 72 °C by infrared light irradiation and maintain excellent photothermal heating effects even after 100 cycles of heating and cooling. Due to its excellent photothermal and solar radiation regulation performances, the composite film can be widely used in smart windows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel high-performance bismuth-free ZnO varistor ceramic was developed involving only three doping elements: Sr, Co and Sb. To specifically study the role of each element in improving electrical properties, a stepwise research method was used for this novel ceramic employing the binary system of Zn–Sr, ternary system of Zn–Sr–Co and quaternary system of Zn–Sr–Co–Sb. Consequently, a possible mechanism corresponding to each doping element is proposed in this work. Moreover, excellent comprehensive properties consisting of a high nonlinear coefficient α of 74.30, ultra-low leakage current IL of 0.29 μA cm−2 and low breakdown voltage gradient E1mA of 361.02 V mm−1 are exhibited in the quaternary Zn–Sr–Co–Sb varistor ceramic, which are superior to most advanced ZnO varistors with fewer dopants. This novel quaternary ZnO varistor ceramic without expensive, volatile, deliquescent and toxic dopants exhibits sustainability, environmental friendliness, low cost and high volume development, providing a new perspective for the design of novel high-performance bismuth-free ZnO varistor ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-(2-Methoxyethoxy)ethanol (MEEA) can cause DNA damage and teratogenesis, and the biomarker of MEEA is 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)acetic acid (MEAA). Therefore, portable and accurate monitoring of MEAA has far-reaching significance to ensure human health. In this work, a series of isometric three-dimensional (3D) lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) {[Ln0.5(L)(H2O)]·1.5H2O}n (1-Ln, Ln = Eu, Tb, EuxTb1−x) were synthesized by using 1-(4-carboxyphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-4 carboxylic acid (H2L) and Ln3+. 1-Eu showed excellent sensing performance for MEAA with ultra-low detection limit (0.39 μM) and fast response time (within 1 min). To enhance the practicability of 1-Eu, three visual detection strategies of MEAA were provided. The polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fluorescence film (Film@1-Eu) had a detection limit as low as the ppm level, and the fluorescence test paper achieved quantitative MEAA detection by combining with a smartphone sensing platform. In addition, a portable intelligent logic detector based on 1-Eu was designed by introducing a logic gate strategy for the real-time detection of MEAA. Notably, a Ln-MOF texture code with a high encryption algorithm and information density was designed for anti-counterfeiting labels on merchandise, utilizing the distinctive tuneable emission characteristic of 1-Ln. This study not only achieved the first visual detection of MEEA but also provided novel insights for the design of anti-counterfeiting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conception and advancement of materials for highly efficient electrochemical energy storage devices is of critical importance. This paper propounds the convenient synthesis and rational unification of spinel BaFe2O4 and polymer-mediated self-assembled cubic Cu2O for high-performance zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZHSCs). The electrochemical characteristics of ZHSC were investigated using two different electrolytes: conventional (C-ZHSC) and redox additive doped (potassium ferro cyanide K4[Fe (CN)6]) (Re-ZHSC). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy analyses of wet-chemically generated materials validate concurrency with the literature. The specific surface area (SSA) of the BaFe2O4@Cu2O;18.29 m2 g−1 composite was increased roughly nine times above the SSA of Cu2O, 2.03 m2 g−1, whereas the SSA of BaFe2O4 was the greatest at 29.39 m2 g−1. The electrochemical analysis revealed that the BaFe2O4@Cu2O hybrid had a maximal specific capacitance (Sc) of 803 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1. Furthermore, the composite demonstrated an expanded potential window of −1.2 to 0.42, contributing to its enhanced performance. However, the recorded maximum Scs and potential window of pristine materials Cu2O and BaFe2O4 were just 462 F g−1 and 0–0.42 volts and 593 F g−1 and −1.2–0.42 volts, respectively, at the same current density. The assembled C-ZHSC achieved the highest Sc of 165 F g−1 at a current density of 1 A g−1 with a potential window of 0.8–2.2 volts. The recorded maximal energy (ED) and power densities were 45 W h kg−1 and 27 W kg−1, respectively. Furthermore, the generated Re-ZHSC outperformed C-ZHSC in terms of Sc, ED, and PD by ∼2.5 (404 F g−1 with a potential window of 0.6–2.2 volts), ∼3.2 (144 W h kg−1), and ∼1.4 (37.000 W kg−1) times, respectively. Furthermore, the cyclic stability of Re-ZHSC has shown a sixfold improvement (84%) compared to C-ZHSC (78%), with approximately 7% less dendrite formation. These results authenticate BaFe2O4@Cu2O as a considerably appealing compound for ZHSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because of high voltage resistance and high-power density, traditional ceramic dielectrics have found extensive use in electronic and pulsed power systems. Nevertheless, their subpar energy storage capabilities pose a challenge in meeting the demands of integrated and lightweight power electronic devices. This paper employs compositional design to incorporate a Bi(Zn0.5Hf0.5)O3 (BZH) relaxation component, aiming to enhance the electrical breakdown strength or effective dielectric constant, ultimately increasing the energy storage density. The 0.90(Ba0.8Sr0.2)TiO3–0.10Bi(Zn1/2Hf1/2)O3 ceramics processed by the conventional solid-phase reaction method demonstrate a significant recoverable energy density of 4.20 J cm−3, an exceptional energy storage efficiency of 95.5%, with a 450 kV cm−1 high breakdown strength and impressive charge/discharge performance. This investigation presents a novel framework for enhancing energy storage performance in other material systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of high-power and thermally frequency-stable laser diodes is always highly desirable and also a difficulty in the areas of laser diodes and their applications. One of the major factors causing a shift in lasing frequency is the temperature dependence of the band-gap of the active medium, which leads to the photon energy changing. In this paper, we propose a novel approach and mechanism to overcome the variation in band-gap with temperature. This is the utilization of a nanowire constraint on the well in a self-organized InGaAs nanowire-well-bound quantum system. By binding relatively heat-stable nanowires directly to the well in this system, the thermal change in the energy-band of the hybrid quantum system is effectively restricted. As a result, the band-gap variations are limited to <0.01 meV K−1 in a temperature range of 286–339 K for unpolarized emissions, and <0.02 meV K−1 in a temperature range of 288–313 K for transverse-electric polarized emissions. The mechanism of heat-stable band-gap formation in this hybrid quantum system is analyzed in detail. This achievement is of a great significance in some advanced fields, such as atomic clocks in quantum sensing systems and optical communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) with excellent properties have broad prospects in electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA). In this paper, a unidirectional freeze-casting method was utilized to design a double-layer MXene absorber with orthogonal microstructures. The perpendicular and parallel samples (associated with the unidirectional freeze-casting direction), perform their respective roles in the designed double-layer absorber. The perpendicular sample with various attenuation techniques is employed as an electromagnetic wave attenuation layer, while the parallel sample with good impedance matching conditions is utilized as an impedance matching layer. Consequently, the entire absorber exhibits favorable EMA characteristics. Upon incidence of electromagnetic waves onto the parallel terminus, it is observed that the sample measuring 4.6 mm in thickness exhibits a minimal reflection loss (RLmin) of −60.8 dB at a frequency of 6.63 GHz, with a parallel end thickness accounting for 25%. In addition, the sample with a thickness of 2.6 mm displays a noteworthy maximal effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) amounting to 9.4 GHz, given a parallel end thickness of 20%. A thorough analysis of the impedance matching conditions and electromagnetic wave attenuation mechanisms of each sample reveals that the double-layer MXene absorbers with orthogonal microstructures can significantly increase the viability of MXenes in EMA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal halide perovskites are extensively utilized in photoluminescence and photoelectric detection, owing to their modifiable band gap, elevated quantum yield, high absorption coefficient, superior charge transport properties, versatile chemical synthesis, and cost-effective manufacturing. Among the perovskite variants, bismuth–halide perovskites have emerged as a promising lead–halide alternative, garnering increasing interest for crafting non-toxic perovskites in optoelectronic applications. Nonetheless, the rapid and straightforward production of high-quality single crystals remains a challenge. This paper introduces an enhanced antisolvent crystallization method for fabricating high-quality Cs3Bi2Br9 single crystals measuring 3 × 3 mm. These crystals exhibit a remarkably low half-peak width of the X-ray diffraction swing curve at just 0.048°, maintaining stability without phase decomposition for 180 days at room temperature under air exposure. The photodetector constructed involves an aluminum electrode deposited onto the crystal surface. Utilizing 375 nm ultraviolet light as the excitation source, the device demonstrates a swift electrical response (sensitivity: 8.41 × 102), achieving the rise and decay times of the Cs3Bi2Br9 single crystal detector of 96 and 80 milliseconds, respectively. This research holds significant promise for advancing perovskite crystal preparation and photodetection techniques, particularly in the realm of bismuth-based perovskites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solvent vapor-driven soft actuators are promising devices for human-environment interaction and have gained considerable attention in recent years. To enhance the interaction with the solvents and deliver a fast response and superior sensitivity, polymer/MOF composites are promising candidates for the fabrication of solvent-driven actuators. This paper presents a multiple-solvent-driven intelligent MOF-polymer soft actuator, namely MIL-88B/PVDF asymmetric film, and compares it to analogs based on other MIL-88(Fe) series flexible MOFs. This comparison investigates the deformation-structure relationship and the solvent-driven mechanism. The deformation of the MIL-88(Fe)/PVDF composite films in response to various organic solvents has been studied, and the structure and composition of the MOF fillers and the composites were characterized by SEM, FT-IR, and XRD. Furthermore, the MIL-88B/PVDF composite, which shows ability to respond to multiple solvents and a fast deformation response to several organic solvents through the solvent swelling/adsorption of the MOF skeleton and the appropriate flexibility and group affinity from the terephthalic acid ligand, was used to fabricate an inverted opal gradient actuator composed of MIL-88B, carbon black (CB) and PVDF, namely MIL-88B/CB/PVDF. The MIL-88B/CB/PVDF film not only realizes excellent dual-responsive deformation and discoloration to methanol vapor with fast visible deformation within 1 s with a maximum crimp angle of up to 5581 (10 vol% concentration) and a wide color change range covering six viewing-angledependent high-saturation colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple) but also shows an approximate linear relationship between the maximum curl angle and the solvent concentration for three solvents (methanol, toluene and chloroform). In addition, several smart devices have also been fabricated, including methanol-driven bionic petals, a worm robot, an alertor and a LIG sensor. Therefore, such polymer/MOF soft actuators have great potential in bio-robots and this work provides a new design strategy for smart materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, spiropyran (SP)-like photoactive molecules were embedded in situ into cavities of lanthanide metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs), resulting in individually aligned molecules to generate dynamically photo-responsive materials (Ln-MOFs@SP). To realize the practical application of Ln-MOFs@SP, we developed a series of light-responsive smart materials, including a nanopaper (Ln-nanopaper@SP) and inks (Tb-PU-ink@SP and Tb-PEG-ink@SP). The ultrasensitive light-coloring effect of nanopapers allowed erasing under ultraviolet and white light, suggesting the potential use of these nanopapers for information storage. Based on the written and printable characteristics of ink, multi-channel, cross-disciplinary information encryption and decryption of invisible two-dimensional (2D) codes, fluorescent 2D codes, and fluorescent 3D codes were achieved by building multicolour modular 2D codes. In addition, the Tb-PU-ink@SP ink was printed on various complex surfaces, expanding the potential applications of this ink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, for the newly proposed two-dimensional (2D) Janus MoAZ3H (A = Si, or Ge; Z = N, P, or As) monolayer (ML) materials, we theoretically explore the valleytronic and piezoelectric properties using first-principles calculations. The calculated results show that Janus MoAZ3H MLs have obvious valleytronic properties due to the broken inversion symmetry and strong spin–orbit coupling (SOC) effects, and the spin-valley coupling of MoAZ3H MLs can be enhanced from 173 to 283 meV by changing the A or Z element, comparable to the corresponding MoA2Z4 MLs. The non-zero Berry curvatures with opposite signs at the K and K′ points can induce the valley Hall effect. Furthermore, Janus MoAZ3H MLs exhibit obvious in-plane and out-of-plane piezoelectric responses, and their independent d11 and d31 piezoelectric coefficients range from 1.62 to 8.60 pm V−1 and from 0.058 to 0.325 pm V−1, respectively. This piezoelectricity is much stronger than those of the corresponding MoA2Z4 and MoSiGeN4 MLs, attributed to the unique Janus structure of the MoAZ3H MLs. More importantly, strain can tailor both the spin-valley coupling and piezoelectricity of the MoAZ3H MLs. Our findings not only enrich the excellent properties of the MoAZ3H MLs, but also indicate a direction for their application in valleytronics and energy conversion devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been much interest in inorganic perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) because of their extensive tunability over the visible range, high quantum yield (QY), and photoluminescence (PL). Inorganic perovskite was considered to be the photoactive material for photovoltaic cells because of its excellent photoelectric qualities. The next generation of high-performance solar cells was thought to benefit most from all-inorganic perovskite due to its long electron–hole diffusion length, high carrier mobility, and broad absorption spectrum. In this paper, femtosecond (fs) laser direct writing technology was used to accomplish spatially selective crystallization of CsPbBrxCl3−x (x = 0–3) NCs in precursor glass. By modifying the laser parameters, the size of the precipitated NCs could be regulated, and the photoluminescence of the NCs could be adjusted from blue to green. The optical properties and morphology of the NCs were analyzed by PL spectra and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Based on fs laser-induced local crystallization, a linear array-based solar concentrator was processed in CsPbBrxCl3−x (x = 0–3) precursor glass and showed higher photoelectric conversion efficiency than that with the bulk glass sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-driven rotary actuators have undergone tremendous progress in recent years and show great potential for different applications ranging from sensors, soft robots to micro–nano intelligent systems. However, most photoactuators with rotary motions have a low rotational speed due to their low responsive speed and small driving force, which hinder both their fundamental and practical research. In this paper, we report a fast rotation of a soft actuator in response to light, which harnesses the synergistic interactions between two binary responsive components, i.e. water responsive agar and photothermally responsive polypyrrole, leading to a structural protrusion at the irradiation center that provides a jet-propulsion when the gas expands to the edge of the film. Interestingly, the motion behavior of the photoactuator film could be well controlled from the in-place rotation to horizontal motion as a result of the fast rotation with a speed as high as 5200 rpm. The current study indicates a fast rotation could be realized by the simple design and fabrication, which may not only stimulate the exploration of new motion behaviors for photothermal actuators but also open up new opportunities for their practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]