Role of FGF21 in mediating the effect of phosphatidylcholine on GBM.

Objective: The causal relationship and mechanisms between lipids and glioblastoma (GBM) remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the independent causal relationship between liposomal phosphatidylcholine 16:0_22:6 (PC16) and GBM, and to identify the potential mediating role of the inflammatory factor-fibroblast growth factor 21(FGF21). Methods: Utilizing summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of lipids (179 types in 7174 Finnish individuals), GBM (243 cases and 287137 controls), and inflammatory factors (91 types in 14824 European individuals), a two-sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach was employed to establish the causal link between liposomal PC16 and GBM. Additionally, a two-step MR method was used to quantify the proportion of the causal effect of PC16 on GBM that is mediated by the inflammatory factor FGF21. Results: MR analyses revealed a strong causal relationship between PC16 and GBM (OR=1.72, 95% CI: 1.11-2.68, P=0.016), but no reverse causality was observed from GBM to PC16 (OR=1.01, 95% CI: 0.99-1.02, P=0.38). Mediation analysis showed a strong causal relationship between PC16 and the FGF21 (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89-0.99, P=0.018) as well as between FGF21 and GBM (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.25-0.71, P=0.001), with the mediation effect accounting for 9.78% of the total effect. This suggests that the causal relationship between PC16 and GBM is likely mediated by the intermediary factor FGF21. No evidence of pleiotropy was found in the sensitivity analysis of these positive results. Conclusion: In summary, the findings of this study suggest that liposomal PC16 may increase the risk of GBM occurrence, and FGF21 may play a significant mediating role in this causal relationship.

Causal relationship between genetically predicted antibody-Mediated Immune Responses and female infertility.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore the causal relationship between Antibody-Mediated Immune Response (AIR) and female infertility using Mendelian randomization analysis, providing new targets and insights for treating female infertility. METHODS: Exposure data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 9724 participants provided information on 46 types of AIR. Outcome data were sourced from a large-scale meta-analysis of female infertility, which included 899 cases and 246,641 controls. Five different Mendelian randomization analysis methods were used to assess the genetic causal relationship between AIR and female infertility, with the inverse variance-weighted method as the primary approach. The robustness of the study results was evaluated through heterogeneity analysis, pleiotropy tests, and leave-one-out validation. Replication and meta-analysis were conducted using FinnGen data to further identify AIR. RESULTS: Through rigorous genetic variant screening, IVW, sensitivity analysis, replication, and meta-analysis, the results indicate that only seropositivity of anti-polyomavirus 2 IgG shows significant evidence of association with female infertility. The reverse MR analysis did not reveal a genetic causal association between female infertility and this antibody-influencing relationship. Sensitivity analysis showed no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Replication and meta-analysis using FinnGen data further supported that only anti-polyomavirus 2 IgG seropositivity has a significant association with female infertility. CONCLUSION: Using Mendelian randomization analysis in two independent samples, this study presents evidence of a genetic association between anti-polyomavirus 2 IgG seropositivity and female infertility. These findings carry significant implications for the prevention and treatment of female infertility in clinical practice.

Enhancing D/A Interactions via Porphyrin Isomerization to Improve Photovoltaic Performance.

The interactions between the electron donors and electron acceptors (D/A) play important roles for the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs). While the isomerization strategy is known to optimize molecular geometries and properties, the impacts of isomerization on the donors or acceptors in D/A interactions have not been extensively investigated. Here in, we innovatively investigated the impacts of donor isomerism on the D/A interactions by synthesizing two small molecule donors m-ph-ZnP2 and p-ph-ZnP2 by linking two functionalized porphyrins at the meta and para positions of phenyl groups, respectively. Compared with p-ph-ZnP2, m-ph-ZnP2 displays reduced self-aggregation but  with PC61BM. Consequently, a much higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.43% is achieved for the m-ph-ZnP2 binary OSCs than the p-ph-ZnP2 devices with a PCE of 2.03%. The enhanced performance of m-ph-ZnP2-based device can be primarily attributed to the stronger intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), the enhanced D/A interactions, the improved charge transfer, and the suppressed charge recombination. Furthermore, the ternary devices based on m-ph-ZnP2:Y6:PC61BM achieve a PCE of 8.34%. In short, this work elucidates the relationship among the chemical structure, D/A interactions and device performance, providing valuable guidelines for designing efficient OSCs materials.

Beyond Conventional Enhancements: Self-Organization of a Buffer Material on Tin Oxide as a Game-Changer for Improving the Performance of Inverted Organic Solar Cells.

Inverted organic solar cells (OSCs) have garnered significant interest due to their remarkable stability. In this study, the efficiency and stability of inverted OSCs are enhanced via the in situ self-organization (SO) of an interfacial modification material Phen-NaDPO onto tin oxide (SnO2). During the device fabrication, Phen-NaDPO is spin-coated with the active materials all together on SnO2. Driven by the interactions with SnO2 and the thermodynamic forces due to its high surface energy and the convection flow, Phen-NaDPO spontaneously migrates to the SnO2 interface, resulting in the formation of an in situ modification layer on SnO2. This self-organization of Phen-NaDPO not only effectively reduces the work function of SnO2, but also enhances the ordered molecular stacking and manipulates the vertical morphology of the active layer, which suppress the surface trap-assisted recombination and minimize the charge extraction. As a result, the SO devices based on PM6:Y6 exhibit significantly improved photovoltaic performance with an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 17.62%. Moreover, the stability of the SO device is also improved. Furthermore, the SO ternary devices based on PM6:D18:L8-BO achieved an impressive PCE of 18.87%, standing as one of the highest values for single-junction inverted organic solar cells to date.

Isolation and genetic characteristics of Novel H4N1 Avian Influenza viruses in ChongQing, China.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) constitute significant zoonotic pathogens encompassing a broad spectrum of subtypes. Notably, the H4 subtype of AIVs has a pronounced ability to shift hosts. The escalating prevalence of the H4 subtype heightens the concern for its zoonotic potential, signaling an urgent need for vigilance. METHODS: During the period from December 2021 to November 2023, we collected AIV-related environmental samples and assessed them using a comprehensive protocol that included nucleic acid testing, gene sequencing, isolation culture, and resequencing. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 934 environmental samples were assessed, revealing a remarkably high detection rate (43.66%, 289/662) of AIV in the live poultry market. Notably, the H4N1 subtype AIV (cs2301) was isolated from the live poultry market and its complete genome sequence was successfully determined. Subsequent analysis revealed that cs2301, resulting from a reassortment event between wild and domesticated waterfowl, exhibits multiple mutations and demonstrates potential for host transfer. CONCLUSIONS: Our research once again demonstrates the significant role of wild and domesticated waterfowl in the reassortment process of avian influenza virus, enriching the research on the H4 subtype of AIV, and emphasizing the importance of proactive monitoring the environment related to avian influenza virus.

Novel Beta-Functionalized Porphyrins Approaching 11% Efficiency for Organic Solar Cells.

Porphyrins and their derivatives possess high molar extinction coefficients and strong electron-donating abilities and have been widely used in organic solar cells (OSCs). Though porphyrins can be easily functionalized at the four meso-positions and the eight ß-positions, nearly all porphyrin photovoltaic materials are reported to be functionalized at the meso-positions, and the porphyrin photovoltaic materials functionalized at the ß-positions are to be explored. Herein, the regioselective ß-positions of a porphyrin are first brominated without using rare metal iridium catalysts, and then, after two more reactions, two antipodal ß-substituted porphyrin donors EHDPP-Por and BODPP-Por are synthesized, in which four DPP (diketopyrrolopyrrole) units are connected symmetrically with acetylene at four of the ß-positions, for OSCs. The all-small-molecule organic solar cells based on EHDPP-Por:Y6 and BODPP-Por:Y6 active layers achieved power conversion efficiencies of 10.19 and 10.99%, respectively, which are higher than most of the binary OSCs based on the porphyrins functionalized at the meso-positions, demonstrating that ß-functionalized porphyrins are very promising for OSCs.

Auto-pump-depleted stable single-longitudinal-mode 1.5 µm source with the assistance of SHG.

To realize a stable single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) 1550-nm light source for the generation of non-classical states, a ring auto-pump-depleted singly resonant optical parametric oscillator (SRO) with the assistance of second-harmonic-wave generation (SHG) is designed and built in this Letter. A magnesium oxide doped periodically polarized lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) crystal and a lithium triborate (LBO) crystal are employed as the optical parametric downconversion (OPDC) and SHG crystals, respectively. Especially, the introduced SHG can firstly increase the loss difference between the lasing and non-lasing modes so that the dual-mode or multi-mode coupling in the achieved SRO can be effectively eliminated and the stable SLM operation is achieved. At the same time, the SHG will automatically adjust the output coupling efficiency of SRO, so as to achieve efficient conversion efficiency and auto-pump depletion of SRO. In addition, due to the SHG, it is easy to achieve the low-intensity noise multi-wavelength output for the stable SLM SRO. As a result, the output powers of the SLM 1550 nm and 775 nm are up to 4.05 W and 3.25 W, respectively, and the total optical conversion of the built SRO can achieve 45.58%. The presented method paves a way to develop a compact stable SLM multi-wavelength SRO, and the obtained SRO is further beneficial to develop compact continuous-variable non-classical light fields.

Efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis combined with septic shock.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage (PTCD) for the treatment of Acute Obstructive Suppurative Cholangitis (AOSC) combined with septic shock due to choledocholithiasis, and its effect on inflammatory factors. METHODS: Clinical data of 86 patients with AOSC and septic shock admitted to our hospital between January 2019 and May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and grouped according to different treatment methods. Among them, 43 patients who underwent Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and Endoscopic Nasobiliary Drainage (ENBD) were included in the Control Group (CNG), and 43 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided PTCD were included in the Study Group (SG). RESULTS: The total effective rate in the SG (88.37%) was higher than that in the CNG (69.77%) (p < 0.05); after surgery, the serum inflammatory factors PCT, IL-6, TNF-α, CRP levels, liver function indicators such as TBIL, DBIL, AST, ALT levels, and stress response indicators including NPY, PGE2, 5-HT levels were reduced, and were lower in the SG than in the CNG (p < 0.05); postoperatively, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels in the CNG were significantly lower than those before surgery (p < 0.05); Postoperatively, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels in the SG were significantly higher than those in the CNG (p < 0.05); and the complication rate in the SG (6.98%) was lower than that in the CNG (25.58%) (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound-guided PTCD for AOSC combined with septic shock can facilitate the recovery of liver and immune functions with a low complication rate.

Role of COL6A2 in malignant progression and temozolomide resistance of glioma.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are one of the most common primary malignant tumors of the central nervous system, and have an unfavorable prognosis. Even combining precise surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the survival rate is still unsatisfactory. Chemotherapy resistance is one of main reasons for its adverse prognosis. As shown by several studies, glioma stem cells (GSCs) were correlated with radiotherapy/chemotherapy resistance and high relapse rate. This study aimed to find a new biomarker related to GSCs and chemotherapy resistance. METHODS: TCGA, CGGA, GSE16011, GSE23806 and GDSC datasets were used to screen the genes related to GSCs, Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance, and survival. In the TCGA, GTEx, GSE16011 and CGGA datasets, mRNA level, prognostic value, and correlation with immune infiltration in the selected genes were analyzed through methods including Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox analysis, the ESTIMATE algorithm, and the CIBERSORT algorithm. The expression of COL6A2 mRNA and protein in different groups was detected by RT-qPCR and western blot. A MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to measure the effect of COL6A2 on proliferation and apoptosis of glioma cells. RESULTS: COL6A2 was positively correlated with glioma stemness and TMZ resistance. Its expression was up-regulated in GBM, and high expression was correlated with adverse prognosis. As shown by Cox analysis, COL6A2 was an independent prognostic factor for glioma. COL6A2 mRNA was increased with the glioma grade. It was over-expressed in MGMT non-methylation and IDH wild-type specimens. The results of in vitro experiments showed that COL6A2 promots proliferation of glioma cells and inhibits their apoptosis. Meanwhile, the expression of COL6A2 in TMZ-resistant glioma cells was significantly higher than that in ordinary glioma cells. As shown by GO and KEGG pathway analysis, COL6A2 was correlated with glioma proliferation, migration, invasion, and immunity. In particular, it was significantly positively correlated with PD-1, PD-L2, PD-L1, B7-H3, CTLA-4, IDO1 and TIM-3 expression, further verifying that it may play an important role in immune response. In addition, COL6A2 might influence immune cell infiltration in the glioma microenvironment. CONCLUSION: COL6A2 high-expression is an indicator for adverse glioma prognosis, and is correlated with TMZ-resistant and immune response. Meanwhile, it may be a prospective biomarker for treatment.

Efficacy of ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage for acute obstructive suppurative cholangitis combined with septic shock

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Drainage (PTCD) for the treatment of Acute Obstructive Suppurative Cholangitis (AOSC) combined with septic shock due to choledocholithiasis, and its effect on inflammatory factors. Methods Clinical data of 86 patients with AOSC and septic shock admitted to our hospital between January 2019 and May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed and grouped according to different treatment methods. Among them, 43 patients who underwent Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and Endoscopic Nasobiliary Drainage (ENBD) were included in the Control Group (CNG), and 43 patients who underwent ultrasound-guided PTCD were included in the Study Group (SG). Results The total effective rate in the SG (88.37%) was higher than that in the CNG (69.77%) (p <0.05); after surgery, the serum inflammatory factors PCT, IL-6, TNF-α, CRP levels, liver function indicators such as TBIL, DBIL, AST, ALT levels, and stress response indicators including NPY, PGE2, 5-HT levels were reduced, and were lower in the SG than in the CNG (p <0.05); postoperatively, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels in the CNG were significantly lower than those before surgery (p <0.05); Postoperatively, CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ levels in the SG were significantly higher than those in the CNG (p <0.05); and the complication rate in the SG (6.98%) was lower than that in the CNG (25.58%) (p <0.05). Conclusions Ultrasound-guided PTCD for AOSC combined with septic shock can facilitate the recovery of liver and immune functions with a low complication rate.

Glucose and Its Derivatives as Interfacial Materials for Inverted Organic Solar Cells.

Glucose, a widely distributed biomaterial in nature, is presented as a new cathode interfacial material for highly efficient inverted organic solar cells. The interactions between glucose and the indium tin oxide (ITO) substrate as well as the formation mechanisms of the glucose interlayer were investigated by molecular dynamics simulation and relevant experimental tests. The results revealed that the In-OH coordination between the oxygen atom of glucose and the indium of ITO is the key factor for the formation of interfacial dipoles, thereby reducing the work function of the ITO cathode for efficient charge transfer. With PM6:Y6 as the active layer, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the organic solar cells was significantly increased from 1.99 to 15.42% after ITO was modified by a glucose interlayer through the traditional spin-coating method. More importantly, glucose can be adsorbed on the ITO surface by a simple immersion process, and the devices based on the modified ITO by immersed glucose achieved a PCE of 14.48%, which is comparable to that of the traditional spin-coating method. Furthermore, we found that the OSCs with the ITO cathodes modified with glucose derivatives including sorbitol and sodium gluconate by different preparation methods also exhibited high performance. The overall performance of the devices with ITO modified by a simple and low-cost immersion method can be maintained at more than 93% of that prepared with the traditional spin-coating method. The results demonstrated that low-price glucose and its derivatives are good candidates as ITO interlayer materials for OSCs, and the effectiveness of the immersion process paves a way for simplifying the manufacture of low-cost and large-area organic solar cells.

Evolution of the electronic structure in open-shell donor-acceptor organic semiconductors.

Most organic semiconductors have closed-shell electronic structures, however, studies have revealed open-shell character emanating from design paradigms such as narrowing the bandgap and controlling the quinoidal-aromatic resonance of the π-system. A fundamental challenge is understanding and identifying the molecular and electronic basis for the transition from a closed- to open-shell electronic structure and connecting the physicochemical properties with (opto)electronic functionality. Here, we report donor-acceptor organic semiconductors comprised of diketopyrrolopyrrole and naphthobisthiadiazole acceptors and various electron-rich donors commonly utilized in constructing high-performance organic semiconductors. Nuclear magnetic resonance, electron spin resonance, magnetic susceptibility measurements, single-crystal X-ray studies, and computational investigations connect the bandgap, π-extension, structural, and electronic features with the emergence of various degrees of diradical character. This work systematically demonstrates the widespread diradical character in the classical donor-acceptor organic semiconductors and provides distinctive insights into their ground state structure-property relationship.

Porphyrin Acceptors with Two Perylene Diimide Dimers for Organic Solar Cells.

Three small-molecule acceptors (Por-PDI, TEHPor-PDI, and BBOPor-PDI) with different side chains were synthesized by using a porphyrin core as the electron-donating unit and connecting electron-withdrawing perylene diimide dimers via acetylene bridges. The bulk heterojunction organic solar cells based on the three acceptors and a polymer donor provided power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 3.68-5.21 % when the active layers were fabricated with pyridine additives. Though the synthesis of Por-PDI is easier with fewer reaction steps and higher yields, the devices based on Por-PDI showed the best performance with a PCE of 5.21 %. The more ordered intermolecular packing due to the reduced steric hindrance at the porphyrin core of Por-PDI could contribute to the more balanced hole/electron mobilities, higher maximum charge generation rate, and less bimolecular recombination in Por-PDI devices, which are beneficial for the higher PCE.

The coupling and competition of crystallization and phase separation, correlating thermodynamics and kinetics in OPV morphology and performances.

The active layer morphology transition of organic photovoltaics under non-equilibrium conditions are of vital importance in determining the device power conversion efficiency and stability; however, a general and unified picture on this issue has not been well addressed. Using combined in situ and ex situ morphology characterizations, morphological parameters relating to kinetics and thermodynamics of morphology evolution are extracted and studied in model systems under thermal annealing. The coupling and competition of crystallization and demixing are found to be critical in morphology evolution, phase purification and interfacial orientation. A unified model summarizing different phase diagrams and all possible kinetic routes is proposed. The current observations address the fundamental issues underlying the formation of the complex multi-length scale morphology in bulk heterojunction blends and provide useful morphology optimization guidelines for processing devices with higher efficiency and stability.

Characteristics and Effectiveness of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Prevention and Control in a Representative City in China.

BACKGROUND SARS-CoV-2 has caused a pandemic. Control measures differ among countries. It is necessary to assess the effectiveness of these control measures. MATERIAL AND METHODS We collected the data of COVID-19 patients and control measures between January 18, 2020 and September 18, 2020 from the Changshou District and analyzed the clinical characteristics, epidemiological data, and the adjustment of policies to assess the effectiveness of control measures. The control of COVID-19 was divided into 2 stages, with the lifting of lockdown in Hubei province (March 25, 2020) as a dividing line. RESULTS We identified 32 patients through different means in the first stage. All the imported patients entered this area before the lockdown. In 93.1% of patients, the last exposure occurred before the implementation of the stay-at-home order and centralized isolation. Tracing of high-risk people and RT-PCR screening identified 56.3% of cases. In the second stage, all the high-risk people were under centralized isolation. Nine asymptomatic patients were identified. City lockdown and stay-at-home orders were not issued again, and no second-generation patients were found. CONCLUSIONS We have provided a successful model to control the transmission of COVID-19 in a short period.

SLC39A1 contribute to malignant progression and have clinical prognostic impact in gliomas.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are one of the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system, and have an unfavorable prognosis. SLC39A1 is a zinc ion transport protein which inhibits the progression of prostate cancer. By studying the role and mechanism of SLC39A1 in the progression of gliomas, perhaps a new therapeutic target can be provided for their treatment. METHOD: The TCGA, CCGA, GSE16011, GSE44971 and GSE11260 data sets were employed to evaluate the expression level of SLC39A1 in paracancerous and glioma tissues. In addition, Kaplan-Meier analysis, Cox analysis, and the ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms were used to analyze its prognostic value and immune infiltration correlation. A CCK-8 and flow cytometer were used to measure the effects of SLC39A1 on U87 cell proliferation or apoptosis; RT-qPCR and western blot were used to detect its effects on the expression of MMP2\MMP9. RESULTS: SLC39A1 has up-regulated expression in glioma tissues. High SLC39A1 expression predicted significantly worse survival. Univariate and multivariate analysis show that SLC39A1 independently indicated poor prognosis in patients with gliomas. The expression of SLC39A1 is significantly correlated with clinical pathological parameters such as Grade, IDH mutation status, and 1p19q codeletion status. In vitro experimental results show that SLC39A1 promotes proliferation of glioma cells, inhibits their apoptosis, and promotes expression of MMP2\MMP9. In addition, it may affect infiltration of immune cells into the glioma microenvironment. CONCLUSION: SLC39A1 may serve as a new prognostic biomarker and potential target for treatment of gliomas.

Definition and retrospective application of a clinical scoring system for COVID-19 triage at presentation.

BACKGROUND: A simple scoring system for triage of suspected patients with COVID-19 is lacking. METHODS: A multi-disciplinary team developed a screening score taking into account epidemiology history, clinical feature, radiographic feature, and routine blood test. At fever clinics, the screening score was used to identify the patients with moderate to high probability of COVID-19 among all the suspected patients. The patients with moderate to high probability of COVID-19 were allocated to a single room in an isolation ward with level-3 protection. And those with low probability were allocated to a single room in a general ward with level-2 protection. At the isolation ward, the screening score was used to identify the confirmed and probable cases after two consecutive real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The data in the People's Hospital of Changshou District were used for internal validation and those in the People's Hospital of Yubei District for external validation. RESULTS: We enrolled 76 and 40 patients for internal and external validation, respectively. In the internal validation cohort, the area under the curve of receiver operating characteristics (AUC) was 0.96 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89-0.99] for the diagnosis of moderate to high probability of cases among all the suspected patients. Using 60 as cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 93%, respectively. In the isolation ward, the AUC was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.83-0.99) for the diagnosis of confirmed and probable cases. Using 90 as cut-off value, the sensitivity and specificity were 78% and 100%, respectively. These results were confirmed in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION: The scoring system provides a reference on COVID-19 triage in fever clinics to reduce misdiagnosis and consumption of protective supplies.The reviews of this paper are available via the supplemental material section.

Low-Bandgap Porphyrins for Highly Efficient Organic Solar Cells: Materials, Morphology, and Applications.

With developments in materials, thin-film processing, fine-tuning of morphology, and optimization of device fabrication, the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs) has improved markedly in recent years. Designing low-bandgap materials has been a focus in order to maximize solar energy conversion. However, there are only a few successful low-bandgap donor materials developed with near-infrared (NIR) absorption that are well matched to the existing efficient acceptors. Porphyrin has shown great potential as a useful building block for constructing low-bandgap donor materials due to its large conjugated plane and strong absorption. Porphyrin-based donor materials have been shown to contribute to many record-high device efficiencies in small molecule, tandem, ternary, flexible, and OSC/perovskite hybrid solar cells. Specifically, non-fullerene small-molecule solar cells have recently shown a high power conversion efficiency of 12% using low-bandgap porphyrin. All these have validated the great potential of porphyrin derivatives as effective donor materials and made DPPEZnP-TRs a family of best low-bandgap donor materials in the OSC field so far. Here, recent progress in the rational design, morphology, dynamics, and multi-functional applications starting from 2015 will be highlighted to deepen understanding of the structure-property relationship. Finally, some future directions of porphyrin-based OSCs are presented.

Selective Adsorption of C60 in the Supramolecular Nanopatterns of Donor-Acceptor Porphyrin Derivatives.

The nanostructure of active layers consisting of donor and acceptor molecules is responsible for the separation and transfer processes of charge carriers, which may result in different photoelectric conversion efficiencies of organic photovoltaic cells (OPVCs). Therefore, intensive study on the relationships among nanostructures, intermolecular interactions, and molecular chemical skeletons is necessary for preparing controlled nanostructures of active layers by designing photovoltaic molecules. In this research, the self-assembled nanopatterns of three (DPP-ZnP-E)2-based molecules on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite surface were probed by scanning tunneling microscopy and analyzed by density functional theory calculations. The results indicated that different bridges, diethynylene, diethynylene-dithienyl, and diethynylene-phenylene, in (DPP-ZnP-E)2-based molecules not only made a difference to intermolecular interactions and cooperated with molecule-substrate interactions, consequently affecting the packed nanopattern, but also influenced the adsorption of fullerene acceptors in the nanopatterns of (DPP-ZnP-E)2-based molecules. C60 molecules were found to be selectively adsorbed atop the dithienyl groups of (DPP-ZnP-E)2-2T donor molecules probably by S···π interactions compared with (DPP-ZnP-E)2 or (DPP-ZnP-E)2-Ph molecules. This study on the assembled nanopatterns of the three (DPP-ZnP-E)2-based molecules would be conductive to (DPP-ZnP-E)2-based optoelectronic materials design in OPVCs.

Over 12% Efficiency Nonfullerene All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells with Sequentially Evolved Multilength Scale Morphologies.

In this paper, two near-infrared absorbing molecules are successfully incorporated into nonfullerene-based small-molecule organic solar cells (NFSM-OSCs) to achieve a very high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.08%. This is achieved by tuning the sequentially evolved crystalline morphology through combined solvent additive and solvent vapor annealing, which mainly work on ZnP-TBO and 6TIC, respectively. It not only helps improve the crystallinity of the ZnP-TBO and 6TIC blend, but also forms multilength scale morphology to enhance charge mobility and charge extraction. Moreover, it simultaneously reduces the nongeminate recombination by effective charge delocalization. The resultant device performance shows remarkably enhanced fill factor and Jsc . These result in a very respectable PCE, which is the highest among all NFSM-OSCs and all small-molecule binary solar cells reported so far.