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The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes reviews, papers, and training courses related to materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The journal is published by The Royal Society of Chemistry and covers a range of topics in the field of chemistry. The contents list provides a comprehensive overview of the articles and resources available in the journal. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes reviews, communications, and papers 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 perovskite solar cells, nanomaterial-enabled light-emitting diodes, and excitonic devices. [Extracted from the article]

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]

The document is the contents list of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published in 2024. It includes various articles and papers on topics such as perovskite solar cells, organic thin-film transistors, and biomedical applications of electronic devices. The journal aims to provide materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The Royal Society of Chemistry, a leading chemistry community, publishes the journal and offers training courses for professional development. [Extracted from the article]

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]

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]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, published by The Royal Society of Chemistry. It provides a list of papers and reviews published in the journal in 2023, covering topics such as oxidative debris in graphene oxide, organic photodetectors, shape memory photonic materials, indoor organic solar cells, gas-sensing sensors, and ferroelectric-fluid molecules. The journal focuses on materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The document also includes information on the editorial staff, subscription prices, and contact details. [Extracted from the article]

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]

Lead-free (Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3 (BNT)-based relaxor ferroelectric (RFE) ceramics have demonstrated great potential for application in pulsed power capacitors due to their high power density. However, with the urgent requirement for miniaturisation of electronic devices, the energy storage performance (ESP) of Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (BNT)-based ceramics still needs to be further improved. This paper describes a defect engineering strategy to reduce oxygen vacancies in BNT-based RFE ceramics by equivalent substitution of high-valence Ta5+. Consequently, the breakdown strength of the Ta5+-doped samples is significantly improved, which is primarily attributed to the reduction in dielectric loss resulting from the diminution of the oxygen vacancy content. In particular, for the Bi0.3Na0.3Sr0.28Sm0.08Ti0.98Ta0.02O3 ceramics, both an ultra-high energy storage density of ∼6.77 J cm−3 and a high energy storage efficiency of ∼87.5% are obtained. In addition, the Bi0.3Na0.3Sr0.28Sm0.08Ti0.98Ta0.02O3 ceramics exhibit favourable electrical stability and fast charge/discharge rates (∼65 ns), which indicates tremendous potential for practical application in pulse capacitors. The significant improvement in ESP achieved via a defect engineering strategy provides a new approach for modification of dielectric capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A flexible, intelligent supercapacitor is designed and fabricated using a smart gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) and redox-activated electrodes. This flexible, intelligent supercapacitor exhibits superior electrochemical, self-healing, and deformation-responsive properties. Methylene blue (MB) and Na2MoO4 are added to the self-healing gel of PVA–H3BO3–H2SO4 (PS) to generate smart GPE PVA–H3BO3–H2SO4–MB–Na2MoO4 (PSMMo) with temperature and deformation sensitivity. The response current of smart GPE PSMMo exhibits a positive correlation with the working temperature. The bending process induces peak current generation, whose variation in magnitude depends on the bending degree. Na2MoO4, MB, and polyaniline (PANI) are used to modify activated carbon paper (ACP) to form Na2MoO4–ACP and MB–PANI–ACP redox-activated electrodes, which are combined with smart GPE PSMMo to form an intelligent supercapacitor. The matching faradaic reaction of Na2MoO4–ACP, MB–PANI–ACP electrodes and PSMMo electrolyte provides the interfacial redox reactivity to contribute to superior pseudocapacitance. The Na2MoO4–ACP supercapacitor (83.93 mF cm−2) and MB–PANI–ACP supercapacitor (250.23 mF cm−2) have obviously much higher specific capacitance than the ACP supercapacitor (53.42 mF cm−2) and PANI–ACP supercapacitor (141.78 mF cm−2). The MB–PANI–ACP supercapacitor has an energy density of 681.18 mW h m−2 at 0.5 mA cm−2. Theoretical simulation calculations verify the contribution of redox-activated electrodes to electrochemical performance. The smart GPE PSMMo-based supercapacitor exhibits self-healing, deformation response and faradaic capacitance contribution properties which are far superior to those of a normal GPE-based supercapacitor with self-healing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid copper(I) halides are nowadays the subject of intensive studies as promising materials for various optoelectronic applications. This class of materials is characterized by wide structural diversity enabled by a great variety in the size and shape of organic cations. Therefore, the search and analysis of composition–structure–property relationships is a key step for the rational design of new hybrid halide materials with desired properties. In this paper, we comprehensively studied two ACl/CuCl systems with dimethylammonium (DMA+) and acetamidinium (Ac+) organic cations and proved the formation of five new crystalline phases: DMACu2Cl3, DMACuCl2, DMA4[Cu2Cl6], DMA3CuCl4, and AcCuCl2. Based on X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, the discovered phases are characterized by a reduced dimensionality of inorganic sublattice (1D or 0D) and loosely packed crystal structure. Depending on the structure, these phases demonstrate photoluminescence in the range from red to blue (at room temperature and at 77 K), and "0D" phases show a high quantum yield up to 80%. Additionally, the studied hybrid chlorocuprates with compact organic cations were found to have melt without decomposition at relatively low temperatures (from 32 to 120 °C), which provides prospects for potentially useful low-temperature facile processing of novel efficient light-emitting materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrowband UVB light (λ ∼ 310 nm) is broadly applied in topical phototherapies. However, conventional UVB phototherapies have the risk of overexposing healthy skin to UV toxicity. This paper demonstrates the scientific principles in support of an alternative phototherapy protocol, where the UVB radiation is on-site generated by an organic–inorganic hybrid upconverter with a blue light source. Leveraging the intrinsic non-linear nature of photo-upconversion, the process is mechanistically triggered by the two-photon excitation of Ho3+ and the subsequent resonant energy transfer to nearby Gd3+ ions in the NaYF4 host lattice. A sharp upconverted UVB emission peaking at 310 nm is detected from the Gd3+ 6P7/2 excited state. However, the upconversion output is inherently limited by the parity-forbidden intra-4f10 electronic transitions of Ho3+. To boost the blue-to-UVB upconversion, a perylene derivative (PPA2) with a small Stokes shift is deployed as an organic sensitizer. The sensitization effect is realized through Förster resonant energy transfer from PPA2 to the NaYF4:Ho3+,Gd3+ nanoparticles. Under optimized conditions, UVB upconversion of the hybrid nanomaterials outperforms the unsensitized case by a factor of 27. Such sensitized blue-to-UVB upconversion fundamentally consolidates the concept of blue light-stimulated on-site phototherapy, paving the way towards safer therapies in dermatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-field catalysis is considered as one of the feasible ways to solve the problem of severe recombination of photogenerated carriers. A rational design scheme for the inner field is of great significance for multi-field catalysis. In this paper, we firstly designed and prepared a composite BiOIO3/Bi2O2CO3 catalyst with a built-in electric field and a polarized electric field using a one-step hydrothermal method. The 2D/2D layered structure can increase the effective contact area, which resolves the problem of poor contact at the interface of heterogeneous junction catalysts to some extent. The current density of the composite photoanode reached 0.177 μA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which was 1.26 times higher than that of bare BiOIO3 under multiple excitations of light and temperature changes. The test results show that carriers are transferred to the O-site at the end of the [IO3]− pyramid and to the [CO3]2− middle layer, respectively, and that the built-in electric field of the layered composite structure and the polarized electric field resulting from the uneven potential distribution caused by pyroelectric polarization significantly reduce the carrier recombination. In the process, the electrons and holes eventually achieve spatial separation under the influence of the heterojunction, which enhances the carrier transfer kinetics. This work demonstrates that multi-field catalysis utilizing pyroelectric polarization and other field-based factors has great potential for development, and also provides a reference for the integrated application of pyroelectric polarization and photoelectrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we demonstrate the long-term stability of the threshold voltage (Vth) of ultra-thin indium oxide (In2O3) TFTs fabricated by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of benzylphosphonic acid (BPA). By forming a self-assembled monolayer of BPA, it was possible to modify the surface to be hydrophobic and to have a lower surface energy as low as 24 mJ m−2. The surface-modified TFTs were found to be very stable for 168 hours in air with negligible change in Vth. In addition, the subthreshold swing (S.S.) and hysteresis showed improved electrical characteristics. Furthermore, the positive and negative bias stress (PBS and NBS) measurements at 3000 s and a gate voltage (VG) of ±5 V demonstrated the stable value of Vth. This is due to the strong covalent bonding of the hydroxyl group (–OH) on the surface BPA and In2O3 back-channel, which avoids chemisorption of oxygen (O2) and water (H2O) molecules from ambient air and reduces the degradation of the electrical properties of the TFT. These results demonstrate the promising stability of long-term electrical properties and the ease of application to ultra-thin In2O3 TFT and other oxide semiconductors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, metal oxide semiconductors have attracted considerable interest in certain areas, such as displays. Applications of transparent metal oxide semiconductors in photosensors are also starting to develop owing to their high charge carrier concentration and mobility. By including a narrow bandgap material in the device, photoresponsivity can be improved, but it increases the number of fabrication steps. This paper suggests embedding an indium oxide thin film with graphene oxide (GO) photoactive particles in a single step from a mixed aqueous precursor solution by spin coating. The device performance was assessed as a function of the GO content. The device stability data showed that a higher GO content induced hole trapping under prolonged gate bias stress. Hole trapping at the In2O3/GO interface is important under illumination, where the trapping of the minor photogenerated carrier can improve the photocurrent via the photogating effect. The long-term trapping of holes in the n-type device also produces a persistent photocurrent, which makes the device respond to illumination like an artificial neuron. In addition to photodetection, the device applicability in binary logic circuits was also demonstrated via a load-type inverter. The phototransistor proposed in this study could achieve sensing, memory, and binary logic in the same device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy level transitions in phosphor materials critically determine their emission characteristics, and accurately predicting the energy level distribution of ions in these materials is critical for determining their luminescence behavior. However, reliance on multiple experimental methods to determine energy level distributions is inefficient, consuming both time and resources. There is an urgent need for a rapid and accurate method to predict the energy level distribution of ions in crystals. This paper employs regression models based on machine learning to propose a method for predicting the energy level distribution rules of Cr3+ and Fe3+ in various doped crystals, and identifies the position and distribution patterns of these levels in different doped crystals, as well as their impact on luminescence characteristics. Furthermore, a dataset detailing the energy level distributions of Cr3+ and Fe3+ doped into different phosphor materials was established. Eight machine learning regression algorithms were selected for model construction, and a comprehensive evaluation and comparison of these algorithms were conducted. The results demonstrate that robust regression delivers the best overall performance. Using trained models, predictions were made for the 2E and 4T1 energy levels in new Cr3+ and Fe3+ doped phosphor materials. The prediction errors of the optimal algorithms for these materials were all in the range of about 1%, with the best prediction error at just 0.0056%. This study introduces an innovative approach for predicting and optimizing the energy level structures and luminescence properties of phosphor materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead halide perovskites applied in solar cells have gained significant attention due to their rapidly increasing power conversion efficiency. However, their intrinsic instability, stemming from their ionic nature, hampers the commercialization of perovskite solar cells. The scope of this paper is to extend the characterization of light-induced ion migration via temperature-dependent measurement based on the polaron-invoked ion migration model. The investigation reveals that light-induced phase segregation intensifies with rising temperature, as indicated by stoichiometry variation and crystal compression. This intensification facilitates the formation of iodide-rich domains within the perovskite film. The formation of such domains is correlated with promoted carrier recombination in perovskite solar cells, as observed through electrochemical impedance spectra. Consequently, the facilitated carrier recombination process leads to a notable decline in the power conversion efficiency of a perovskite solar cell, reducing to <20% of its original value as the temperature increases from 300 K to 500 K. Moreover, the intensified ion migration due to heat also impacts the stability of both the perovskite material and the whole device. Extended illumination duration and high temperature lead to the decomposition of perovskite, resulting in the formation of insulated PbI2 that deteriorates the performance of perovskite solar cells. This degradation is irreversible and results in rapid decomposition at high temperatures, as evidenced by the deterioration of photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells within 30 minutes of operation at 500 K. The temperature-dependent characterization reveals a cascading process originating from light-induced ion migration, followed by phase segregation and iodide-rich domain formation. These processes significantly impact the perovskite solar cells in terms of carrier transport/recombination behavior and operational stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes various articles and reviews on topics such as perovskites, liquid-crystalline polymers, semiconductor quantum dots, and nanocrystals. The journal focuses on materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The Royal Society of Chemistry, a leading chemistry community, publishes the journal and reinvests its profits back into the chemistry community. [Extracted from the article]

Metallic λ-Ti3O5 is a kind of metal oxide with a special electronic structure. It has attracted wide attention due to its excellent optical properties, magnetoelectric properties, and phase transition characteristics. However, the preparation of single-phase Ti3O5 and the regulation of the microwave response remain challenges. In this paper, a simple process for the synthesis of high purity single-phase λ-Ti3O5 doped with Sc element is reported, which improves the dielectric loss of Ti3O5. The porous structure of Sc-doped Ti3O5 is capable of meeting the need for light weight and enhancing its attenuation characteristics. It shows an enhanced microwave response with a maximum effective absorption bandwidth of 7.2 GHz, and a reflection loss of −50.4 GHz. This study not only develops a new microwave absorbing material, but also reveals the influence of doping on the phase and electromagnetic absorption properties. This could lead to a new approach to designing new single-phase porous oxide microwave absorbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Ti3C2 MXene has been widely regarded as an effective cocatalyst to boost the hydrogen-generation activity of photocatalysts due to its high specific area, outstanding electronic conductivity, and flexible adjustability of its terminal groups. However, the basal plane of Ti3C2 MXene contains multiple dormant F-terminal groups from F-contained etchants (referred to as Ti3C2Fx), resulting in strong H-adsorption affinity of Ti for the limited hydrogen generation rate. To weaken the H-adsorption affinity of Ti, in this paper, a charge self-regulation strategy by increasing the antibonding-orbital occupancy of Ti–Hads bonds is revealed in rich unsaturated Ti structure in Ti3C2Fx (referred to as Ti3C2Fx-U). Herein, the Ti3C2Fx-U cocatalyst was prepared by an NH4F-assisted etching method at a controllable temperature and later tightly combined with TiO2via an ultrasound-assisted method to obtain Ti3C2Fx-U/TiO2. Photocatalytic H2-evolution results showed that Ti3C2Fx-U/TiO2 has superior H2-production activity (379 μmol g−1 h−1), which was 27 and 1.82 times higher compared to that of TiO2 and Ti3C2Fx/TiO2, respectively. Characterizations and DFT calculations demonstrated that unsaturated Ti sites can weaken the atomic H-adsorption ability of Ti by increasing the antibonding-orbital occupancy state in Ti3C2Fx-U. This work provides a new idea for tuning the H-adsorption ability of active sites to develop efficient MXene cocatalysts for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes a range of articles and reviews on topics such as organic thin-film transistors, photonic synaptic transistors, and photochromic apatite skeletal structure materials. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and invest profits back into the chemistry community. The document also mentions other journals in the field of environmental science. [Extracted from the article]

The current electromagnetic environment exhibits a growing demand for efficient microwave-absorbing (MA) materials, posing a challenge in developing multifunctional and efficient wave-absorbing materials, which has become a prominent research focus. MXene nanomaterials stand out among 2D nanomaterials and have attracted extensive research attention due to their distinctive layered structure, large specific surface area, abundant surface defects, and excellent chemical and physical properties. Nevertheless, the poor impedance matching of MXene materials poses challenges in meeting the fundamental requirements for efficient MA materials. To enhance the MA efficacy and application potential of MXene, this paper reviews optimization strategies for MXene MA composites in both material preparation and structural design. Regarding material preparation, the antioxidant strategy emphasizes the oxidation stability of MXenes, elucidates the advancements in oxidation research, proposes potential measures to mitigate the spontaneous oxidation of MXenes, and explores optimization techniques for the monolayer/multilayer MXene process. In terms of 3D structure, MXene serves as a backbone and an additive to fabricate diverse geometrical frameworks, including core–shell, porous, layered, and foamy nano-flower structures, aiming to optimize electromagnetic performance. Furthermore, this paper presents the prospects for developing MXene-based MA materials. [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]

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]

Flexible pressure sensors with excellent pressure sensing performance have been developed rapidly in recent years, but they still suffer from the disadvantages of a complex manufacturing process and high cost. Here, a flexible paper-based (PB) capacitive pressure sensor is constructed by using daily use materials such as paper, polyester conductive tape and polyimide tape. Thanks to the simplicity of the fabrication method, the proposed PB pressure sensor can be even fabricated via a do-it-yourself approach. The rough surface microstructure of paper and polyester conductive tape endows the PB pressure sensor with good pressure sensing performance properties. Specifically, the optimized PB pressure sensor with two-sided microstructure interfaces exhibits a wide pressure detection range (0.1–80 kPa), an acceptable sensitivity of 0.23 kPa−1 (0.1–2 kPa), a low detection limit of about 3 Pa, fast response speed (∼41 ms at the finger tapping), and good durability (5000 cycles at 10 kPa). The pressure sensing mechanism of the PB pressure sensor is explained by analyzing the in situ cross-sectional optical photographs and video of the sensor at different pressures. Like many flexible pressure sensors based on complex technologies and high cost, the PB pressure sensor has also been successfully applied in many application scenarios (e.g., finger bending, wrist pulse, nasal respiration, recording walking steps, early stage of Parkinson's disease, and proximity switch). Given the simple fabrication method, low cost and acceptable pressure sensing performance, we believe that the proposed PB pressure sensor is of extensive and practical application values in the field of wearable electronics and some underdeveloped areas, and is expected to help ordinary people become "home" engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes a range of articles and reviews on topics such as organic artificial synapses, charge transfer chromophores in photovoltaics, and high-performance X-ray detector materials. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and offers training courses for professional development. The document provides a comprehensive overview of the articles published in the journal's latest issue. [Extracted from the article]

Traditional optical communication using single narrow-band photodetectors (PDs) has poor confidentiality because all information and data are exposed to free space. With the development of science and technology, even the optical communication in the solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) band carries the risk of eavesdropping. Dual-band PDs have potential applications in secure and reliable optical communication through a combination of optical encryption and algorithmic encryption. In this paper, self-powered Cu2O/Ga2O3 heterojunction PDs with solar-blind UV-visible photodetection were fabricated. By adjusting the pH value of the Cu2O electrolyte, the crystallization quality and grain orientation of the Cu2O thin film were improved, and the interface transfer resistance of the heterojunctions was decreased. The Cu2O/Ga2O3 PDs fabricated in Cu2O electrolyte with a pH value of 9.5 demonstrated the optimized solar-blind UV-visible photoresponse characteristics. In the absence of applied bias, the device exhibited a responsivity of 0.12 mA W−1, a rise time of 2.48 ms and a fall time of 11.72 ms at 254 nm. The responsivity reaches 19 mA W−1 when illuminated at 475 nm, and the rise and fall times are 0.96 and 9.12 ms, respectively. Utilizing the excellent photoresponse characteristics of the solar-blind UV-visible band, the device was used to design and demonstrate a proof-of-concept optical communication system for secure data transmission. The proposed system features two independent light channels, utilizing solar-blind UV light as the information carrier and visible light for key transmission. By implementing specific algorithms, this design ensures safe and reliable communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate property prediction is paramount to high-throughput computational screening of organic photovoltaic materials with superior solar power conversion efficiencies. This is challenging because many key processes depend on both intra- and inter-molecular properties. Here, we study exciton diffusion as an example of a key intermolecular process that exerts a significant influence on the functionality of organic photovoltaics and other organic semiconductor devices. The goals of this paper are: (1) to examine the accuracy of DFT + kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) for predicting the exciton diffusion coefficients of fused-ring electron acceptors (FREAs) against experimental results, and (2) to explore computational simplifications with a view towards high-throughput screening. We perform a computational study of a series of six FREA materials with experimentally determined exciton diffusion coefficients, spanning 24 distinct FREA crystal structures. Based on these results, we: (a) show that kMC can indeed predict experimental exciton diffusion with reasonable accuracy based on FREA crystal structures, (b) derive a simple diffusion rate equation capable of approximately reproducing kMC simulations in the low disorder regime occupied by modern molecular semiconductors, and (c) demonstrate multiple ways to reduce the number of computationally-expensive quantum chemistry calculations required to calculate exciton diffusion coefficients. Our results reveal a viable path toward high-throughput virtual screening of organic semiconductors. [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]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, a publication by the Royal Society of Chemistry. It focuses on materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. The document provides information about the editorial staff, subscription prices, and contact details for queries. It also lists the members of the editorial board and advisory board. Authors interested in submitting material can find instructions for submission and details on the types of manuscripts accepted. The document also includes information on permissions and copyright policies. Lastly, it provides a list of papers published in the journal, including their titles and authors. [Extracted from the article]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C, which focuses on materials for optical, magnetic, and electronic devices. It provides information about the journal's profile, contributors, reviews, and editorial staff. The document also includes details about subscriptions and contact information for the journal. Additionally, it lists the members of the editorial board and provides information for authors interested in submitting their work to the journal. The document also lists the papers published in the journal in 2023, covering a wide range of topics such as materials for aggregation-induced emission, non-fullerene acceptors, optical absorbers, upconversion, magnetic coordination polymers, organic frameworks, electron transport, resistive switches, optoelectronic performance, photodetectors, hydrogels, charge transfer in polymers, composites for gas detection, solar cells, photoelectric properties, perovskite nanocrystals, polarization, nanospheres for recognition, probes for detection, and more. [Extracted from the article]

Traditional hydrogel sensors can easily freeze or evaporate under extreme conditions, resulting in their performance degradation. At the same time, the low strength/toughness and high resistance of hydrogels hinder their practical applications in different fields. In this work, we report a simple and effective strategy to prepare mechanically strong and conductive nanocomposite hydrogels by covalent interaction of acidified carbon fibers and various ions. In this paper, a wearable strain sensor with high sensitivity and flexibility and self-healing, anti-freezing and anti-drying properties was prepared using polyacrylic acid, sodium alginate and acidified carbon fibers as raw materials. The hydrogel has an interpenetrating cross-linked network structure. The interpenetrating cross-linking structure makes the hydrogel sensor exhibit excellent ductility, remarkable repeatability and stable sensing performance. The hydrogel can be used as a human strain sensor for the real-time detection of human movement, including joint movement and speech. The hydrogel strain sensor shows low strain detection limit (3% strain), fast response time (∼100 ms), high sensitivity factor and excellent stability. The hydrogel has good self-adhesion with various substrates (such as copper, glass, plastic and skin). The hydrogel has good strain sensing performance at different strains (1–200%). In addition, the hydrogel can maintain excellent flexibility, extensibility and conductivity in a wide temperature range from −20 °C to 50 °C, effectively improving the practicability and durability of the hydrogel in practical applications. Therefore, the hydrogel has a good application prospect in wearable devices, soft robot systems and health monitoring applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrolyte-gated transistors (EGTs) have attracted extensive attention due to their versatility and excellent performance in different fields of electronics. Here, we report on coplanar EGTs based on reduced graphene oxide (rGO), whose gates (flexible Au micro-electrodes) were modified by electrodeposition of either compact or porous Cu coatings (Cu-modified EGTs). The Cu coatings yielded a dramatic change in the minimum gate voltage spanning from −50 mV to −300 mV, which allowed extremely versatile tuning of the device signal. Furthermore, steady measurements led us to carry out prolonged measurements (>2 hours) under a constant bias in NaCl 0.1 M solution which was driven onto the EGTs by using homemade paper fluidics. Transient characterization studies pointed out a potentiometric sensitivity of around 1–3 mV with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) close to 5–10 for both electron and hole transport regimes. Since the response time of our Cu-modified EGTs was as low as 80 ms, we succeeded in monitoring emulated action potential (eAP) featuring a characteristic frequency equal to 0.1 Hz. [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]

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]

The document is a contents list for the Journal of Materials Chemistry C. It includes a range of articles on topics such as nanoscale memristor devices, optimizing the performance of phase-change azobenzene, and industrial vat orange dyes for organic field effect transistors. The journal aims to connect the world with the chemical sciences and is dedicated to sustainable chemistry and new solutions. The document also includes information about the Royal Society of Chemistry and its charitable work. [Extracted from the article]

Organic field effect transistors (OFETs) have been an innovate field of research in many ways, starting from the synthesis of organic molecular and polymeric semiconductors, to exploring various device architectures for diverse fabrication methods and finally to establishing practical applications such as bio-electronic sensors, ion pumps, bio-integrated circuits, etc. These achievements have been possible because of the special properties of organic semiconductors, one of them being the easy, versatile, low energy device fabrication, due to inherently lower processing temperatures of organic materials compared to their inorganic counterparts. In this paper, we introduce a group of industrial vat orange dyes in OFETs, i.e. vat orange 1, vat orange 3 and vat orange 9, and investigate their processability and material properties via cyclic voltammetry, FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, film forming characteristics by atomic force microscopy, and finally look into their charge transport in fabricated organic field effect transistors. These materials that have natural quinone moieties are highly appealing for future investigations in organic electronics applications including field effect transistors, solar cells and electrochemical energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solid-state small-molecule fluorescent photoswitches are characterised by their unique luminescence properties in solid form, making them highly suitable for practical applications involving surfaces and interfaces. However, a common challenge is that most such photoswitches with thiophene units exhibit subdued fluorescence due to the heavy atom effect of sulfur. To overcome this, we present a molecular design strategy that significantly enhances the solid-state fluorescence efficiency of these photoswitches. Our approach involves the substitution of thiophene units with thiophene dioxide, thereby mitigating the heavy atom effect. We have synthesized four tetraphenylethene-based molecules containing thiophene units to demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy. Comparative analysis of their photochromic and fluorescence switching performances revealed that those containing thiophene dioxide units outperformed others in terms of photochromic properties and solid-state luminescence efficiency. Theoretical analysis suggests that this enhancement is due to the minimal involvement of the sulfur atom in the S0 to S1 transition in the photoswitchable molecule containing a thiophene dioxide unit, making its fluorescence properties largely unaffected by the heavy atom effect of sulfur. Furthermore, we found that the incorporation of 2,5-dimethylthiophene units improved the anti-fatigue performance, probably because the methyl groups hinder the oxidative dehydrogenation side reactions in the closed-ring isomer. The addition of a 2,5-dimethylthiophene dioxide unit not only improved the photochromic and fluorescence emission efficiency, but also significantly improved the anti-fatigue performance. As a result, these photoswitchable molecules exhibit outstanding dual-mode photoswitching capabilities and sustainable recyclability, positioning them as excellent photosensitive materials for photoprinting of digital, textual and patterned content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon microspheres have been widely applied in the microwave absorption (MA) field, but consecutively regulating the microstructure still remains a great challenge. In this paper, we developed a facile templated method to fabricate unique core–shell carbon@mesoporous carbon microspheres with an adjustable core and shell. By tuning the nucleation time of the carbon core, the morphology configuration can evolve from a hollow to a core–shell structure. As the nucleation time increases, the size of core carbon is gradually improved with a simultaneous reduction in the thickness of the mesoporous shell. It is confirmed that the morphology evolution of core–shell microspheres greatly affects the complex permittivity and MA performance. When the nucleation time is set as 8 h, microspheres with a moderate carbon core and mesoporous shell present efficient MA properties with a strong reflection loss intensity of −46.9 dB and wide absorption bandwidth of 7.28 GHz at a thickness of 2.4 mm. The relationship between the microstructure evolution and complex permittivity and the microwave dissipation mechanism are also investigated. This work may shed light on the microstructure regulation to optimize the dielectric ability and MA properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater flexible sensors are important for the exploration of and detection in underwater environments. In this paper, graphene and lignin-based polyurethane conductive foam (Gr-LPUF) composites were prepared by a one-step foaming process, the conductivity was improved by polymerizing a coating of polypyrrole (PPy) onto the porous foam surfaces, and then superhydrophobicity was achieved after dip-coating the porous material inside a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) solution in order to prepare a superhydrophobic, high sensitive, stable, environmentally friendly, and flexible underwater sensor material. This superhydrophobic, conductive foam sensor (SCFS) has a rapid response time (100 ms), excellent pressure sensitivity, and excellent reproducibility and reliability for over 2000 cycles. This SCFS can be used not only as a wearable underwater sensor to detect human movement but also to accurately detect tiny water wave vibrations; such as falling water droplets, the movements of fish in the water, etc. This work will present an approach to manufacturing environmentally friendly, flexible underwater sensors for innovative, and widespread applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]