Homogeneous crystallization and buried interface passivation for perovskite tandem solar modules.

Scalable fabrication of all-perovskite tandem solar cells is challenging because the narrow-bandgap subcells made of mixed lead-tin (Pb-Sn) perovskite films suffer from nonuniform crystallization and inferior buried perovskite interfaces. We used a dopant from Good's list of biochemical buffers, aminoacetamide hydrochloride, to homogenize perovskite crystallization and used it to extend the processing window for blade-coating Pb-Sn perovskite films and to selectively passivate defects at the buried perovskite interface. The resulting all-perovskite tandem solar module exhibited a certified power conversion efficiency of 24.5% with an aperture area of 20.25 square centimeters.

Acinetobacter baumannii infection in intensive care unit: analysis of distribution and drug resistance.

BACKGROUND: The isolation rate and drug resistance rate of Acinetobacter baumannii (A.baumannii) have increased over the years, which has become one of the main causes of infection and death in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. Analysis of the distribution characteristics, drug resistance and influencing factors of A.baumannii in ICU could provide basis and reference for the infection prevention and clinical treatment. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, patients diagnosed with A.baumannii infection in ICU from January 2020 to December 2021 were selected. Samples of patients were collected for bacterial culture, drug sensitivity test analysis and drug resistant gene detection of A.baumannii. A total of 197 strains of A.baumannii were cultured in 2021, which was 18 strains more than in 2020. The specimens were mainly from lower respiratory tract secretions, and the isolated strains were multi-drug resistant. The resistance of isolates to tobramycin, gentamicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 2021 showed a significant increase compared to 2020, while there were no significant differences observed in other resistance changes. The prevalence of multi-drug resistant A.baumannii in ICU remains high. Among them, all imipenem-resistant A.baumannii strains carried OXA-23 gene. CONCLUSION: Clinical treatment should use antibiotics reasonably based on the characteristics of bacterial resistance, and strengthen the prevention and control of hospital infection, pay more attention to the disinfection and isolation to reduce the risk of cross infection.

Scalable Solution-Processed Hybrid Electron Transport Layers for Efficient All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Modules.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells offer the potential to surpass the Shockley-Queisser (SQ) limit efficiency of single-junction solar cells while maintaining the advantages of low-cost and high-productivity solution processing. However, scalable solution processing of electron transport layer (ETL) in p-i-n structured perovskite solar subcells remains challenging due to the rough perovskite film surface and energy level mismatch between ETL and perovskites. Here, scalable solution processing of hybrid fullerenes (HF) with blade-coating on both wide-bandgap (≈1.80 eV) and narrow-bandgap (≈1.25 eV) perovskite films in all-perovskite tandem solar modules is developed. The HF, comprising a mixture of fullerene (C60 ), phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester, and indene-C60 bisadduct, exhibits improved conductivity, superior energy level alignment with both wide- and narrow-bandgap perovskites, and reduced interfacial nonradiative recombination when compared to the conventional thermal-evaporated C60 . With scalable solution-processed HF as the ETLs, the all-perovskite tandem solar modules achieve a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.3% (aperture area = 20.25 cm2 ). This study paves the way to all-solution processing of low-cost and high-efficiency all-perovskite tandem solar modules in the future.

Efficient All-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells with Low-Optical-Loss Carbazolyl Interconnecting Layers.

Combining wide-band gap (WBG) and narrow-band gap (NBG) perovskites with interconnecting layers (ICLs) to construct monolithic all-perovskite tandem solar cell is an effective way to achieve high power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, optical losses from ICLs need to be further reduced to leverage the full potential of all-perovskite tandem solar cells. Here, metal oxide nanocrystal layers anchored with carbazolyl hole-selective-molecules (CHs), which exhibit much lower optical loss, is employed to replace poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT : PSS) as the hole transporting layers (HTLs) in lead-tin (Pb-Sn) perovskite sub-cells and ICLs in all-perovskite tandem solar cells. Optically transparent indium tin oxide nanocrystals (ITO NCs) layers are employed to enhance anchoring of CHs, while a mixture of two CHs is adopted to tune the surface energy-levels of ITO NCs. The optimized mixed Pb-Sn NBG perovskite solar cells demonstrate a high PCE of 23.2 %, with a high short-circuit current density (Jsc ) of 33.5 mA cm-2 . A high PCE of 28.1 % is further obtained in all-perovskite tandem solar cells, with the highest Jsc of 16.7 mA cm-2 to date. Encapsulated tandem solar cells maintain 90 % of their reference point after 500 h of operation at the maximum power point (MPP) under 1-Sun illumination.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells with 3D/3D bilayer perovskite heterojunction.

All-perovskite tandem solar cells promise higher power-conversion efficiency (PCE) than single-junction perovskite solar cells (PSCs) while maintaining a low fabrication cost1-3. However, their performance is still largely constrained by the subpar performance of mixed lead-tin (Pb-Sn) narrow-bandgap (NBG) perovskite subcells, mainly because of a high trap density on the perovskite film surface4-6. Although heterojunctions with intermixed 2D/3D perovskites could reduce surface recombination, this common strategy induces transport losses and thereby limits device fill factors (FFs)7-9. Here we develop an immiscible 3D/3D bilayer perovskite heterojunction (PHJ) with type II band structure at the Pb-Sn perovskite-electron-transport layer (ETL) interface to suppress the interfacial non-radiative recombination and facilitate charge extraction. The bilayer PHJ is formed by depositing a layer of lead-halide wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskite on top of the mixed Pb-Sn NBG perovskite through a hybrid evaporation-solution-processing method. This heterostructure allows us to increase the PCE of Pb-Sn PSCs having a 1.2-µm-thick absorber to 23.8%, together with a high open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.873 V and a high FF of 82.6%. We thereby demonstrate a record-high PCE of 28.5% (certified 28.0%) in all-perovskite tandem solar cells. The encapsulated tandem devices retain more than 90% of their initial performance after 600 h of continuous operation under simulated one-sun illumination.

Robust Janus Superwetting Textile with Large Pore Sizes for Oil-in-Water Emulsion Separation.

Developing advanced oil-water separation technology is significant for environmental conservation. According to the synergetic effects of the size-sieving mechanism, superwetting materials with small pore sizes have been designed to realize high-efficiency separation for oil-water emulsions. However, the separation flux limited by the pore size and the weakness of the superwetting material impede its practical application severely. Herein, we construct a robust Janus superwetting textile with large pore sizes for oil-in-water emulsion separation. The pristine textile is coated by the as-prepared CuO nanoparticles as the bottom layer with superhydrophilicity and then grafted by 1-octadecanethiol as the top layer with superhydrophobicity to construct the Janus textile. When used as a filter, the superhydrophobic layer acts as the nucleation site to coalesce the small oil droplets facilely. Then, the coalesced oil fills the pores of the superhydrophobic layer and selectively permeates it but is blocked by the superhydrophilic layer with large pore sizes. Utilizing the unique separation mechanism, the Janus textile realizes efficient and rapid separation. Even after multicycle separation, hot liquid immersion for 24 h, tribological test for 60 min, and sandpaper abrasion for 500 cycles, the Janus textile still retains the superwettability and excellent separation performance, manifesting outstanding stability to resist severe damage. This separation strategy provides a novel guideline for high-efficiency and high-flux emulsion separation and practical application.

Two-stage optimal site selection for waste-to-energy plant using single-valued neutrosophic sets and geographic information system based multi-criteria decision-making approach: A case study of Beijing, China.

Waste-to-energy (WtE) plant has been attached great importance by more and more countries because of the harmless, energy reducing and recycling characteristics, and has become an important part of the city's normal operation and energy structure. Whereas, the reasonable site selection of the WtE plant is the key to ensure its sustainable development. This paper is designed to provide a two-stage model for the site selection of WtE plants. Firstly, a comprehensive assessment criteria system including environmental, economic, technical and social factors is established by selecting the reasonable influence criterias from the current relevant literature. Considering the fuzziness of the criteria and the bounded knowledge of decision makers, the single-valued neutrosophic sets (SVNSs) are introduced to describe the fuzzy information, andcreatively combined with decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory-analytical network process (DANP) method to determine the influence grades of criterias and calculate the weights. After that, the relevant geographic information layers are collected and the preliminary alternatives are obtained by Geographic information system (GIS) from an overall perspective, then the extend evaluation based on distance from average solution (EDAS) method is utilized to rank the alternatives under the SVNSs environment. Finally, the model is tested to select the optimal alternative for siting the WtE plants in Beijing as an example. It is verified that the model is of great stability and feasibility by sensitivity analysis and comparative analysis. The result shows that this paper can provide a new theoretical basis for the planning of WtE plants.

Influence of the pendant groups on electrochemical water oxidation catalyzed by cobalt(II) triazolylpyridine complexes.

The development of low-cost catalysts for the water oxidation reaction (WOR) is important for solving the bottleneck issues in water splitting and benefits the widespread utilization of renewable energy sources. Herein, four cobalt(II) triazolylpyridine complexes, namely [Co(DTE)2(H2O)2](ClO4)2·CH3COCH3 (1), [Co(DTE)2Cl2]·2CH3OH (2) (DTE = (1-(2-acetoxymethyl)-4-(2-pyridyl)1,2,3-triazole), [Co(DTEL)2(CH3OH)2](ClO4)2 (3), and [Co(DTEL)2Cl2]·H2O (4) (DTEL = (1-(2-hydroxy)-4-(2-pyridyl)1,2,3-triazole), were synthesized and characterized. The crystal structures of 1-3 were determined by X-ray single crystal diffraction analysis. The electrocatalytic water oxidation by 1-4 was studied in 0.1 M NaOAc-HOAc solutions. Complexes 1-4 were single-site molecular catalysts for the WOR under near-neutral conditions. The overpotentials for the WOR were 440 mV and 480 mV. The faradaic efficiencies were 77-92%. The rate constants kcat were 0.21-0.96 s-1. The catalytic activities were affected by the pendant groups of DTE and DTEL. Complexes with DTE (1 and 2) showed better activities than those with DTEL (3 and 4). Moreover, complexes 1-4 adsorbed on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) and glassy carbon electrode surfaces were active for the WOR. A mechanism was proposed for the WOR catalyzed by 1-4.

Durable 3D Porous Superhydrophobic Composites for Versatile Emulsion Separation in Multiple Environments.

Polydopamine as a multifunctional biomimetic polymer with nonselective strong adhesion properties has become a hot research topic in recent years. However, there are a few reports on the durable and effective emulsion separation of polydopamine composites from other materials. Therefore, it is necessary to construct durable polydopamine composites to achieve selective adsorption of materials. In this work, polypyrrole (PPy)-PDA was obtained on sponges by an in situ polymerization reaction, followed by the attachment of SiO2 nanoparticles to the surface by polydimethylsiloxane to achieve superhydrophobicity. As a result, previously unreported selective superhydrophobic adsorbents for PPy-PDA coatings were obtained. The prepared sponges have an excellent adsorption capacity for oils and organic solvents. Not only can the sponges absorb 19-39 g of organic solvents per gram but they can also absorb oil from oil-in-water emulsions. The chemical oxygen demand value of the emulsion can be reduced to 219 mg/L after separation. More importantly, the performance remains good in the cycle test, and due to the construction of a durable superhydrophobic sponge, it can still maintain its relatively good performance in artificial seawater, acid-base environments, and can achieve relatively stable emulsion separation. At the same time, the potential of the polymer material composited with PDA in lasting and stable emulsion separation was also verified.

Slippery magnetic track inducing droplet and bubble manipulation.

It is difficult for traditional droplet manipulation to combine transportation and rapid capture of droplets on an inclined surface. In this work, a slippery magnetic track (SMT) is presented to manipulate droplets and bubbles in a magnetic field. By changing the direction of the magnetic field, the transitions from non-pinning to pinning states on the SMT can be achieved. Through the SMT surface, it is possible to capture and release droplets and bubbles in the vertical direction. The detailed theoretical and experimental studies of droplet and bubble manipulation are discussed. This work demonstrates the versatility of magnetic manipulation, including the transition of droplet trajectory and bubble removal, which will facilitate the research of intelligent interfaces in energy transmission, drug transport and micro engineering.

A robust surface with superhydrophobicity and underwater superoleophobicity for on-demand oil/water separation.

Superhydrophobic and underwater superoleophobic surface combine the superiorities of the two opposite wettabilities. Generally, such a surface is constructed by hydrophilic areas and hydrophobic areas treated with fluorine-containing modifiers. However, the surface energy in a narrow range and poor bonding force between water-loving and water-repelling components make the surface fragile and its wettability unstable. Herein, we present a strategy to fabricate a robust surface with superhydrophobicity and underwater superoleophobicity. Hydrophilic aluminum phosphate as a binder can strongly interact with superhydrophobic titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Mixing the two ingredients to accurately control the surface energy in a narrow range and then spray coating, the superhydrophobic and underwater superoleophobic surfaces are conveniently prepared on diverse substrates. Under acid/base aqueous solution conditions, O2-plasma etching, and sand impingement, the coatings remain superhydrophobic and underwater superoleophobic. Taking advantage of the wettability and robustness of coatings, the as-prepared membranes realize on-demand and multicycle separation under gravity without continuous external stimulus. Importantly, even after 100 sand impingement cycles, the treated membranes still maintain prominent separation performance.

Quantitative proteomic analysis of Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge seedlings in response to drought and heat stress.

Yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium Bunge) is a woody oil species that is widely distributed in northwestern China. To investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the drought and heat tolerance response of yellowhorn seedlings, changes in protein abundance were analyzed via comparative proteomics. Drought and heat treatment of seedlings was applied in growth chamber, and the leaves were harvested after 7 days of treatment. The total protein was extracted, and comparative proteomic analysis was performed via isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). The abundance of most of the proteins associated with oxidative phosphorylation, NADH dehydrogenase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was reduced. The differential proteins associated with photosynthesis enzymes indicated that stress had different effects on photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). After comprehensively analyzing the results, we speculated that drought and heat stress could hinder the synthesis of riboflavin, reducing NADH dehydrogenase content, which might further have an impact on energy utilization. Yellowhorn seedlings relied on Fe-Mn SOD enzymes rather than Cu/Zn SOD enzymes to remove reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, heat-shock proteins (HSPs) had significant increase and played a key role in stress response, which could be divided into two categories according to their transcription and translation efficiency. Over all, the results can provide a basis for understanding the molecular mechanism underlying resistance to drought and heat stress in yellowhorn and for subsequent research of posttranslational modification-related omics of key proteins.

Robust Superhydrophobic Membrane for Solving Water-Accelerated Fatigue of ZDDP-Containing Lubricating Oils.

Superwetting materials show distinct advantages in interfacial applications such as oil-water separation. However, it remains a challenge to solve water-accelerated fatigue of lubricating oils owing to the poor mechanical durability of superhydrophobic surfaces and the intractable emulsions stabilized by additives. In this work, a robust superhydrophobic membrane for solving water-accelerated fatigue of lubricating oils containing zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) as a typical antiwear additive is presented. An all-inorganic coating is constructed by SiO2 nanoparticles and aluminum phosphate using a simple spray-coating method. After silanization, the prepared membrane can extremely repel water and effectively separate ZDDP-stabilized water-in-lubricating oil emulsions (the purities of the collected lubricating oils are over 99.995%), even after sand impingement for 100 cycles. Ball-on-disk tribological tests at severe contact pressures reveal that the reclaimed lubricating oils recover the protective ability, and the catalytic dehydrogenation of lubricating oil is dramatically suppressed to avoid producing a mass of unwanted carbon-based wear debris. This work advances the development of superwetting materials in the lubricating oil industry.

Water deteriorates lubricating oils: removal of water in lubricating oils using a robust superhydrophobic membrane.

Water is recognized as a contaminant in lubricating oils. Recently, interfacial materials with special wettability have been broadly developed for oil-water separation. However, solving lubricating oil failure caused by water remains a challenge. Here, a robust superhydrophobic membrane is presented to effectively remove water in lubricating oils to recover their lubricating capability. Compared to pure lubricating oils without or with an additive, lubricating oils collected from their emulsions using the superhydrophobic membrane have an equivalent friction coefficient and wear volume, which are much lower than that of lubricating oils contaminated by water. Water in lubricating oils accelerates the oxidation of metallic substrates and wear corrosion. Moreover, the metallic ions dissolved in water-containing lubricating oils induce the catalytic dehydrogenation of lubricating oils, leading to the deposition of a good deal of carbon-based wear debris. Importantly, the prepared membrane shows steady performance in regard to extreme water repellency, high-efficiency purification of lubricating oils, and low wear volume even after harsh mechanical damage. Robust interfacial materials have potential advantages in practically solving lubricating oil failure caused by water.

Fine Switching between Underwater Superoleophilicity and Underwater Superoleophobicity while Maintaining Superhydrophobicity.

Switching between superhydrophobicity/underwater superoleophilicity and superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity has been widely designed. Recently, superwettability is subdivided into multiple extreme wetting states for oil, water, and air as wetting and medium phases. However, fine switching among the multiple superwettability is rare. Here, a pH-responsive case is presented to demonstrate the fine switching between underwater superoleophilicity and underwater superoleophobicity while maintaining superhydrophobicity. The surface chemistry of silver-roughened copper coatings is elaborately manipulated by water-repellent perfluoroalkyl and alkyl chains and the smart terminal carboxyl group. By adjusting the pH value of water, the completely opposite extreme wetting states for oil in water are precisely controlled. Simultaneously, the extreme repellence for water in the air can be kept owing to the fairly low surface energy of the perfluoroalkyl chain. This discovery accelerates the subdivision of superwettability and the achievement of unusual superwetting switching.

Statistical optimization of alkaline protease production from Penicillium citrinum YL-1 under solid-state fermentation.

Proteases from halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms were found in traditional Chinese fish sauce. In this study, 30 fungi were isolated from fermented fish sauce in five growth media based on their morphology. However, only one strain, YL-1, which was identified as Penicillium citrinum by internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence analysis, can produce alkaline protease. This study is the first to report that a protease-producing fungus strain was isolated and identified in traditional Chinese fish sauce. Furthermore, the culture conditions of alkaline protease production by P. citrinum YL-1 in solid-state fermentation were optimized by response surface methodology. First, three variables including peptone, initial pH, and moisture content were selected by Plackett-Burman design as the significant variables for alkaline protease production. The Box-Behnken design was then adopted to further investigate the interaction effects between the three variables on alkaline protease production and determine the optimal values of the variables. The maximal production (94.30 U/mL) of alkaline protease by P. citrinum YL-1 took place under the optimal conditions of peptone, initial pH, and moisture content (v/w) of 35.5 g/L, 7.73, and 136%, respectively.

Immunohistochemical characterization and functional identification of mammary gland telocytes in the self-assembly of reconstituted breast cancer tissue in vitro.

Telocyte (TC) as a special stromal cell exists in mammary gland and might play an important role in the balance of epithelium-stroma of mammary gland. Considering that different types of breast interstitial cells influence the development and progression of breast cancer, TCs may have its distinct role in this process. We here studied the roles of TCs in the self-assembly of reconstituted breast cancer tissue. We co-cultured primary isolated TCs and other breast stromal cells with breast cancer EMT-6 cells in collagen/Matrigel scaffolds to reconstitute breast cancer tissue in vitro. Using histology methods, we investigated the immunohistochemical characteristics and potential functions of TCs in reconstituted breast cancer tissue. TCs in primary mammary gland stromal cells with long and thin overlapping cytoplasmic processes, expressed c-kit/CD117, CD34 and vimentin in reconstitute breast cancer tissue. The transmission electron microscopy showed that the telocyte-like cells closely communicated with breast cancer cells as well as other stromal cells, and might serve as a bridge that directly linked the adjacent cells through membrane-to-membrane contact. Compared with cancer tissue sheets of EMT-6 alone, PCNA proliferation index analysis and TUNEL assay showed that TCs and other breast stromal cells facilitated the formation of typical nest structure, promoted the proliferation of breast cancer cells, and inhibited their apoptosis. In conclusion, we successfully reconstituted breast cancer tissue in vitro, and it seems to be attractive that TCs had potential functions in self-assembly of EMT-6/stromal cells reconstituted breast cancer tissue.

Metastasis-associated gene, mag-1 improves tumour microenvironmental adaptation and potentiates tumour metastasis.

Metastasis is a major cause of death from malignant diseases, and the underlying mechanisms are still largely not known. A detailed probe into the factors which may regulate tumour invasion and metastasis contributes to novel anti-metastatic therapies. We previously identified a novel metastasis-associated gene 1 (mag-1) by means of metastatic phenotype cloning. Then we characterized the gene expression profile of mag-1 and showed that it promoted cell migration, adhesion and invasion in vitro. Importantly, the disruption of mag-1 via RNA interference not only inhibited cellular metastatic behaviours but also significantly reduced tumour weight and restrained mouse breast cancer cells to metastasize to lungs in spontaneous metastatic assay in vivo. Furthermore, we proved that mag-1 integrates dual regulating mechanisms through the stabilization of HIF-1α and the activation of mTOR signalling pathway. We also found that mag-1-induced metastatic promotion could be abrogated by mTOR specific inhibitor, rapamycin. Taken together, the findings identified a direct role that mag-1 played in metastasis and implicated its function in cellular adaptation to tumour microenvironment.

A novel splicing mutation alters DSPP transcription and leads to dentinogenesis imperfecta type II.

Dentinogenesis imperfecta (DGI) type II is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by a serious disorders in teeth. Mutations of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) gene were revealed to be the causation of DGI type II (DGI-II). In this study, we identified a novel mutation (NG_011595.1:g.8662T>C, c.135+2T>C) lying in the splice donor site of intron 3 of DSPP gene in a Chinese Han DGI-II pedigree. It was found in all affected subjects but not in unaffected ones or other unrelated healthy controls. The function of the mutant DSPP gene, which was predicted online and subsequently confirmed by in vitro splicing analysis, was the loss of splicing of intron 3, leading to the extended length of DSPP mRNA. For the first time, the functional non-splicing of intron was revealed in a novel DSPP mutation and was considered as the causation of DGI-II. It was also indicated that splicing was of key importance to the function of DSPP and this splice donor site might be a sensitive mutation hot spot. Our findings combined with other reports would facilitate the genetic diagnosis of DGI-II, shed light on its gene therapy and help to finally conquer human diseases.