Mn(II)-Based Metal Halide with Near-Unity Quantum Yield for White LEDs and High-Resolution X-ray Imaging.

Metal halides have drawn great interest as luminescent materials and scintillators due to their outstanding optical properties. Exploring new types of phosphors with easy production processes, excellent photophysical properties, high light yields, and environmentally friendly compositions is crucial and quite challenging. Herein, a novel Mn(II)-based metal halide (4-BTP)2MnBr4 was produced using a facile solvent evaporation method, which exhibited a strong green emission peaking at 524 nm from the d-d transition of tetrahedral-coordinated Mn2+ ion and a near-unity quantum yield. The prepared white light-emitting diode device has a wide color gamut of 100.7% NTSC with CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.32, 0.32). In addition, (4-BTP)2MnBr4 demonstrates excellent characteristics in X-ray scintillation, including a high light yield of 98 000 photons/MeV, a sensitive detection limit of 37.4 nGy/s, excellent resistance to radiation damage, and successful demonstration of X-ray imaging with high resolution at 21.3 lp/mm, revealing the potential for application in diagnostic X-ray medical imaging and industry radiation detection.

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells via Primary Amine Molecular Reaction.

The inverted perovskite solar cells have drawn considerable attention owing to their low cost, good compatibility, and easy production processes. However, the device performance is still limited by some important factors, such as surface imperfections and interfacial nonradiative recombination losses. Here, N-acetylethylenediamine (N-AE) is introduced to bind to the surface of the perovskite film via an ammonia condensation reaction. This process creates a stable interfacial layer with n-type doping to enhance the open-circuit voltage (VOC). Moreover, during post-treatment, N-AE dissolves a portion of the perovskite on the surface, leading to perovskite recrystallization. This process enhances the surface quality of the perovskite film and reduces nonradiative recombination. As a result, the inverted perovskite solar cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency approaching 20%, with a rise in VOC from 0.96 to 1.05 V. More impressively, the unencapsulated devices display excellent stability at 85 °C annealing and retained 88% of the initial PCE for 816 h.

Ultralong Red Room-Temperature Phosphorescence of 2D Organic-Inorganic Metal Halide Perovskites for Afterglow Red LEDs and X-ray Scintillation Applications.

Organic-inorganic metal hybrid perovskites (OIHPs) have emerged as a promising class of materials for next-generation optoelectronic applications. However, the realization of red and near-infrared (NIR) room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) in these materials remains limited. In this study, a very strong red RTP emission centered at 610 nm is achieved by doping Mn2+ ions into Cd-based 2D OIHPs. Notably, the optimized B-EACC:Mn2+ exhibited a high quantum yield of 44.11%, an ultralong lifetime of up to 378 ms, and excellent stability against high temperatures and various solvents, surpassing most reported counterparts of 2D OIHPs. Moreover, the B-EACC:Mn2+ can be used as a red emitter for coating an ultraviolet light-emitting diode chip, exhibiting an observable afterglow to the naked eye for approximately 4 s. In addition, the B-EACC:Mn2+ demonstrates interesting characteristics under X-ray excitation, exhibiting X-ray response at radiation doses in the range of 34.75-278 µGy s-1. This work suggests the infinite possibility of doping guest ions to realize red RTP in 2D OIHPs, promoting the development of long-persistent phosphorescent emitters for multifunctional light-emitting applications.

Regulating Luminescence Thermal Quenching of Praseodymium-Doped Niobo-Tantalate Phosphor through Intervalence Charge Transfer Band Displacement.

Pr3+-related intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) bands are a research hotspot owing to their amelioration in the luminescence thermal quenching of Pr3+-activated phosphors. Here, a typical IVCT band displacement strategy via a topological chemical scheme is reported to optimize the luminescence thermal quenching performance of praseodymium-doped niobo-tantalate. The substitution of Ta5+ ions for Nb5+ ions reduces the valence-weighted average cation optical electronegativity and increases the bond lengths of the activator (Pr3+) to the ligand cations (Nb5+ and Ta5+) via adjusting the crystal structure, leading to an increase in the IVCT energy level position from 3.521 to 4.139 eV. The increase in the IVCT energy level leads to an increase in the number of electrons located in the Pr3+ 3P0 energy level, which compensates for the emission of 1D2 during warming. Especially, the energy gap value of the IVCT band is positively correlated with the thermal quenching activation energy ΔE2. ΔE2 increases, the crossover point rises, and the nonradiative transition decreases, further enhancing the Pr3+ 1D2 emission. At 503 K, the 1D2 emission integral intensity increases from 14 to 224% relative to the 303 K original integral intensity. This IVCT band displacement strategy can be used as a scheme for designing antithermal quenching luminescence materials.

Achieving Ultralong Room-Temperature Phosphorescence in Two-Dimensional Metal Halide Perovskites by Alkyl Chain Engineering.

Two-dimensional (2D) metal halide perovskites with highly efficient ultralong room-temperature phosphorescence (URTP) are rare due to their uncertain structures and complicated intermolecular interactions. Herein, by varying the alkyl length of organic units, we synthesized two single-component 2D metal hybrid perovskites, i.e., B-MACC and B-EACC, with obvious URTP emission. In particular, B-EACC exhibits a green-yellow URTP emission with an ultralong lifetime (579 ms) and a high efficiency (14.86%). It is found that the molecular packing of B-EA+ cations because of the presence one more carbon in the alkyl chain affords strong hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions, which immobilizes and reduces the triplet exciton quenching. Moreover, B-MACC and B-EACC with space-time dual-resolved characteristics can be utilized for dynamic information encryption and optical logic gate applications. This study is the first to disclose the relation between the characteristics of molecular packing and the resultant URTP of 2D metal hybrid perovskites, significantly advancing the development of next-generation URTP materials for versatile applications.

A rollover safety margin-based approach for quantifying the tractor-semitrailers' emergency lane-changing response on expressway curves.

In emergency scenarios, lane changing can provide a considerable advantage over braking by aiding in the prevention of rear-end collisions. However, executing lane changes on horizontal curves might lead to rollover collisions. This study proposes a systematic methodology for quantifying the rollover safety margin during lane-changing maneuvers by encompassing the complex characteristics of vehicle-road interactions. Specifically, an enhanced six-degree-of-freedom vehicle dynamics model was developed for a tractor-semitrailer and integrates road superelevation. Using this model, the rollover safety margin reduction rate (fS) was calculated. The fS represents the ratio of the difference between the lateral load transfer ratio margins under both reference state and emergency lane change conditions to the lateral load transfer ratio margin in the reference state. The reference state corresponds to vehicles maintaining 80 km·h-1 on a 270 m radius curve, while the emergency condition is defined as lane change durations of less than 4 seconds. The results reveal that emergency lane change maneuvers and roadway alignment significantly affect rollover safety margin. Shorter lane change duration, higher speed, and smaller radius worsen the rollover safety margin; these effects are further amplified when the lane change direction is opposite to the curve's bending direction. When the tractor-semitrailer performs a lane change at 60 km·h-1 within a 4-second duration on a 600 m radius curve, the fS exceeds 100%, indicating an imminent rollover. Consequently, this study contributes valuable evidence to the development of more reliable and secure lane-change strategies.

Multifunctional Resonance Bridge-Mediated Dynamic Modulation of Perovskite Films For Enhanced Intrinsic Stability of Photovoltaics.

The improving intrinsic stability, determining the life span of devices, is a challenging task in the industrialization of inverted perovskite solar cells. The most important prerequisite for boosting intrinsic stability is high-quality perovskite films deposition. Here, a molecule, N-(2-pyridyl)pivalamide (NPP) is utilized, as a multifunctional resonance bridge between poly(triarylamine) (PTAA) and perovskite film to regulate the perovskite film quality and promote hole extraction for enhancing the device intrinsic stability. The pyridine groups in NPP couple with the phenyl groups in PTAA through π-π stacking to improve hole extraction capacities and minimize interfacial charge recombination, and the resonance linkages (NCO) in NPP dynamically modulate the perovskite buried defects through strong PbO bonds based on the fast self-adaptive tautomerization between resonance forms (NCO and N+ CO- ). Because of the combined effect of the reduction defect density and improved energy level in the perovskite buried interfaces as well as the optimized crystal orientation in perovskite film enabled by the NPP substrate, the devices based on NPP-grown perovskite films show an efficiency approaching 20% with negligible hysteresis. More impressively, the unencapsulated device displays start-of-the-art intrinsic photostability, operating under continuous 1-sun illumination for 2373 h at 65 °C without loss of PCE.

Why Do Drivers' Collision Avoidance Maneuvers Tend to Cause SUVs to Sideslip or Rollover on Horizontal Curve and Grade Combinations?-An Analysis of the Causes Based on a Modified Multibody Dynamics Model.

The extent to which drivers' collision avoidance maneuvers affect the safety margins of sideslip and rollover is not captured by road geometric design theory. To quantify the effects of drivers' collision avoidance maneuvers on the safety margins of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) on horizontal curve and grade combinations, a modified 8-degree-of-freedom multibody model based on SUVs was developed. The model was then used to calculate the design safety margins of sideslip and rollover for steady states and the actual safety margins for collision avoidance maneuvers. Subsequently, the design safety margin reduction rate (the difference between the design and actual safety margins divided by the design safety margin) was calculated and used to assess the safety margins. The results showed that the safety margins of SUVs were significantly reduced by braking, lane changing, and lane changing with braking. The marginal effects indicated that the greater the deceleration and the shorter the lane change duration, the greater the effect on the safety margins, particularly the sideslip safety margin. Furthermore, when the SUV was driven at 80 km·h-1 on grades with a horizontal curve radius of 270 m and 400 m, the sideslip safety margin with emergency braking (deceleration over -4.5 m·s-2) was reduced by 71% and 21%, and the rollover safety margin was reduced by 11% and 5%, respectively. Under these conditions, an emergency lane change (lane change duration less than 2 s) caused the SUV to sideslip and reduced the rollover safety margin by 47% (curve radius 270 m) and 45% (curve radius 400 m). Therefore, drivers' collision avoidance maneuvers are a factor that cannot be neglected in alignment design.

PEDOT:PSS/CuCl Composite Hole Transporting Layer for Enhancing the Performance of 2D Ruddlesden-Popper Perovskite Solar Cells.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is a popular hole transport layer (HTL) in 2D Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) perovskite solar cell (PSCs) due to its highly conductive, transparent, and solution-processable characteristics. However, fundamental questions such as its strong acidity or mismatched energy level with the 2D RP photoactive layer often restrict the performance and stability of devices. Herein, copper chloride (CuCl), a common direct band gap semiconductor, is doped into PEDOT:PSS, lowering the acidity and tuning the work function of PEDOT:PSS. Due to the improved wettability and the existing chloride in the PEDOT:PSS/CuCl composite substrate, the coated 2D perovskite films exhibit uniform morphology, vertically oriented crystal growth, and enhanced crystallinity. In comparison with controlled devices, the PEDOT:PSS/CuCl based inverted 2D RP PSCs show a maximum power conversion efficiency of 13.36% and long-term stability. The modified PEDOT:PSS overcomes intrinsic imperfections by doping CuCl, indicating that it has a lot of promise for mass production in electrical devices.

A simulation based large bus side slip and rollover threshold study in slope-curve section under adverse weathers.

To study the side slip and rollover threshold of large bus in slope-curve section under adverse weather, factors that affect the safety of large buses that run in slope-curve section, such as rain, snow, cross-wind environmental factors, and road geometry, were analyzed to obtain the friction coefficient of the road surface under different rainfall and snowfall intensities through field measurements and to determine the six-component force coefficient of wind that acts on large buses through wind tunnel tests. The force analysis of large bus in slope-curve section was carried out, and the mechanical equations of large bus under the limit conditions of sideslip and rollover in slope-curve section were established. TruckSim simulation test platform was used to establish a three-dimensional road model and large bus mechanical model at a design speed of 100 km/h. Input parameters, such as cross-wind speed and road friction coefficient, simulate the impact of wind-rain/snow coupling. Under the combined action of wind-rain/snow, the operation test of large bus in slope-curve section was carried out, and the key parameters and indicators of the sideslip and rollover of large bus in slope-curve section were outputted and analyzed. The sudden change point of lateral acceleration is the judging condition for sideslip of large bus in slope-curve section under different road friction coefficient (0.2-0.7), changing from 0.15m/s2 and stabilizing to 0.52 m/s2, and a 0N vertical reaction force of the inner tire is the critical judging condition for rollover under road friction coefficient0.8, and the operating speed thresholds were proposed under different road friction coefficient. This study is expected to provide theoretical support for the speed limit of large bus in slope-curve section under adverse weather.

Facile Preparation of MoS2 Nanocomposites for Efficient Potassium-Ion Batteries by Grinding-Promoted Intercalation Exfoliation.

Efficient exfoliations of bulk molybdenum disulfide (MoS2 ) into few-layered nanosheets in pure phase are highly attractive because of the promising applications of the resulted 2D materials in diversified optoelectronic devices. Here, a new exfoliation method is presented to prepare semiconductive 2D hexagonal phase (2H phase) MoS2 -cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) nanocomposites using grinding-promoted intercalation exfoliation (GPIE). This method with facile grinding of the bulk MoS2 and CNC powder followed by conventional liquid-phase exfoliation in water can not only efficiently exfoliate 2H-MoS2 nanosheets, but also produce the 2H-MoS2 /CNC 2D nanocomposites simultaneously. Interestingly, the intercalated CNC sandwiched in MoS2 nanosheets increases the interlayer spacing of 2H-MoS2 , providing perfect conditions to accommodate the large-sized ions. Therefore, these nanocomposites are good anode materials of potassium-ion batteries (KIBs), showing a high reversible capacity of 203 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 after 300 cycles, a good reversible capacity of 114 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1 , and a low decay of 0.02% per cycle over 1500 cycles. With these impressive KIB performances, this efficient GPIE method will open up a new avenue to prepare pure-phase MoS2 and promising 2D nanocomposites for high-performance device applications.

Improving the Stability of Metal Halide Perovskite Quantum Dots by Encapsulation.

Metal halide perovskite quantum dots (PQDs), with excellent optical properties and spectacular characteristics of direct and tunable bandgaps, strong light-absorption coefficients, high defect tolerance, and low nonradiative recombination rates, are highly attractive for modern optoelectronic devices. However, the stability issue of PQDs remains a critical challenge of this newly emerged material despite the recent rapid progress. Here, the encapsulation strategies to improve the stability of PQDs are comprehensively reviewed. A special emphasis is put on the effects of encapsulation, ranging from the improvement of chemical stability, to the inhibition of light-induced decomposition, to the enhancement of thermal stability. Particular attention is devoted to summarizing the encapsulation approaches, including the sol-gel method, the template method, physical blending, and microencapsulation. The selection principles of encapsulation materials, including the rigid lattice or porous structure of inorganic compounds, the low penetration rate of oxygen or water, as well as the swelling-deswelling process of polymers, are addressed systematically. Special interest is put on the applications of the encapsulated PQDs with improved stability in white light-emitting diodes, lasers, and biological applications. Finally, the main challenges in encapsulating PQDs and further investigation directions are discussed for future research to promote the development of stable metal halide perovskite materials.

Tunable Nonvolatile Memory Behaviors of PCBM-MoS2 2D Nanocomposites through Surface Deposition Ratio Control.

Efficient preparation of single-layer two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides, especially molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), offers readily available 2D surface in nanoscale to template various materials to form nanocomposites with van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs), opening up a new dimension for the design of functional electronic and optoelectronic materials and devices. Here, we report the tunable memory properties of the facilely prepared [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM)-MoS2 nanocomposites in a conventional diode device structure, where the vdWHs dominate the electric characteristics of the devices for various memory behaviors depending on different surface deposition ratios of PCBM on MoS2 nanosheets. Both nonvolatile WORM and flash memory devices have been realized using the new developed PCBM-MoS2 2D composites. Specially, the flash characteristic devices show rewritable resistive switching with low switching voltages (∼2 V), high current on/off ratios (∼3 × 102), and superior electrical bistability (>104 s). This research, through successfully allocating massive vdWHs on the MoS2 surface for organic/inorganic 2D nanocomposites, illustrates the great potential of 2D vdWHs in rectifying the electronic properties for high-performance memory devices and paves a way for the design of promising 2D nanocomposites with electronically active vdWHs for advanced device applications.

ß-NaGdF4 nanotubes: one-pot synthesis and luminescence properties.

Hexagonal-phase NaGdF4 nanotubes were successfully fabricated through a template- and catalyst-free method in a hydrothermal environment. The intrinsic and external factors contributing to the formation of tubular nanocrystals were discussed, namely the anisotropic crystal structure of the hexagonal-phase NaGdF4 and the insufficient supply of reagents. Furthermore, the addition of ethylene glycol and hydrazine had a significant effect on the morphological variation. The desirable multicolor outputs were achieved by co-doping Ce(3+) and Ln(3+) (Ln = Eu, Tb, and Dy) ions in the NaGdF4 crystal, in which the Gd(3+) ions acted as an intermediate medium transforming the excitation energy to the activator ions. Finally, the upconversion luminescence and magnetic performance of the sodium rare earth fluoride were demonstrated.

Optical properties and energy transfer of a novel KSrSc2(PO4)3:Ce3+/Eu2+/Tb3+ phosphor for white light emitting diodes.

A new langbeinite-type phosphate KSrSc2(PO4)3 has been synthesized by conventional high temperature solid state reaction. Rietveld structure refinement, a field emission scanning electron microscope, photoluminescence spectra, quantum efficiency as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the samples. Structure refinement reveals that KSrSc2(PO4)3 has two kinds of Sr(2+) and Sc(3+) sites for the doped ions to occupy, forming emission centers. The KSrSc2(PO4)3:Ce(3+) and KSrSc2(PO4)3:Eu(2+) phosphors both have broad excitation and emission bands due to spin- and orbit-allowed electron transitions. Phosphors with tunable blue to blue-green colors were obtained by codoping the Tb(3+) ions into the KSrSc2(PO4)3:0.03Ce(3+) and KSrSc2(PO4)3:0.03Eu(2+) phosphors with varying contents. The mechanism of Eu(2+)→Tb(3+) energy transfer is determined to be a dipole-quadrupole interaction in terms of the experimental results and analysis of photoluminescence spectra and decay curves of the phosphors by using the Inokuti-Hirayama theoretical model. Our prepared KSrSc2(PO4)3:Ce(3+),Tb(3+) and KSrSc2(PO4)3:Eu(2+),Tb(3+) phosphors are of potential value for UV excited WLEDs.

Luminescence properties of Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :RE phosphors for UV white-light-emitting diodes.

A series of Eu(2+) -, Ce(3+) -, and Tb(3+) -doped Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 phosphors is synthesized by using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The powder X-ray diffraction and structure refinement data indicate that our prepared phosphors are single phased and the phosphor crystalizes in a tetrahedral system with the ${P\bar 42m}$ (113) space group. The Eu(2+) - and Ce(3+) -doped phosphors both have broad excitation bands, which match well with the UV light-emitting diodes chips. Under irradiation of λ=350 nm, Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Eu(2+) and Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Ce(3+) , Li(+) have green and blue emissions, respectively. Luminescence of Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Tb(3+) , Li(+) phosphor varies with the different Tb(3+) contents. The thermal stability and energy-migration mechanism of Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Eu(2+) are also studied. The investigation results indicate that the prepared Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Eu(2+) and Ca2 Ga2 SiO7 :Ce(3+) , Li(+) samples show potential as green and blue phosphors, respectively, for UV-excited white-light-emitting diodes.

A novel efficient Mn4+ activated Ca14Al10Zn6O35 phosphor: application in red-emitting and white LEDs.

A new, highly efficient deep red-emitting phosphor Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Mn(4+) was developed as a component of solid-state white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The structural and optical characterization of the phosphor is described. The phosphor exhibits strong emission in the range of 650-700 nm when excited by 460 nm excitation, with a quantum efficiency approaching 50%. Concentration dependence of Mn(4+) luminescence in Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Mn(4+) is investigated. Attempts to understand the thermal stability on the basis of the thermal quenching characteristics of Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Mn(4+) is presented. The results suggest that phosphors deriving from Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Mn(4+) have potential application for white LEDs. In addition, influence of cation substitution on the luminescence intensity of these phosphors is elucidated.

Ba(1.3)Ca(0.7)SiO4:Eu(2+),Mn(2+): a promising single-phase, color-tunable phosphor for near-ultraviolet white-light-emitting diodes.

In this paper, Eu(2+)-doped and Eu(2+)/Mn(2+)-codoped Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors were synthesized by means of a conventional solid-state reaction process. The single-phase purity was checked by means of X-ray diffraction and the Rietveld method. Under excitation at 390 nm, the emission spectra of the Eu(2+)-doped phosphors exhibit a broad-band emission centered at 500 nm caused by the electric dipole allowed transition of the Eu(2+) ions. The emission spectra of codoped phosphors show one more broad emission centered at 600 nm attributable to the transitions from the (4)T1((4)G) → (6)A1((6)S) of Mn(2+) ions. The luminescent color of the codoped phosphors can be easily adjusted from blue to red with variation of the Mn(2+) content. The energy transfer mechanism from the Eu(2+) to Mn(2+) ions in Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors has been confirmed to be the resonant type via dipole-quadrupole interaction, and the critical distance has been calculated quantitatively. All these results demonstrate that the Eu(2+)/Mn(2+)-codoped Ba1.3Ca0.7SiO4 phosphors can be a promising single-phase, color-tunable phosphor for near-UV white-light-emitting diodes after a further optimization process. Additionally, a great red shift from 593 to 620 nm has been observed following the increase of Mn(2+) content, and the phenomenon has been discussed in relation to the changes in the crystal field surrounding the Mn(2+) ions and the exchange interactions caused by the formation of Mn(2+) pairs.

A novel synthetic route towards monodisperse ß-NaYF4:Ln(3+) micro/nanocrystals from layered rare-earth hydroxides at ultra low temperature.

Monodisperse ß-NaYF4:Ln(3+) (Ln = Yb/Er, Yb/Tm) single micro/nanocrystals were first one-pot fabricated at 50 °C through a novel synthetic route containing two pivotal processes: (a) synthesis of a ß-NaYF4 {0001} unit layer through a novel style of ion-exchange from Y2(OH)5NO3·nH2O (LYH) and (b) the subsequent oriented-assembly process.

Facile fabrication of single-phase multifunctional BaGdF5 nanospheres as drug carriers.

Multifunctional BaGdF5 nanospheres with mesoporous, luminescent, and magnetic properties have been successfully synthesized with the assistance of trisodium citrate by a hydrothermal method. The mesoporous structure is revealed by scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscope images as well as N2 adsorption-desorption isotherm. The as-synthesized BaGdF5 nanospheres exhibit an intense broad bluish emission (centered at 450 nm) under the excitation of 390 nm, which might originate from the CO2·(-) radical-related defect produced by Cit(3-) groups. It is also shown that these BaGdF5 nanospheres brightened the T1-weighted images, suggesting that they could act as T1 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging. Using metformin hydrochloride as the model drug, the luminescent porous spheres show good drug storage/release capability. Furthermore, the emission intensity varies as a function of the cumulative drug release, making the drug-carrying system easily trackable and monitorable by detecting the luminescence intensity. Additionally, the paramagnetic property, originating from the unpaired electrons of Gd(3+) ions, opens the possibility of directing the magnetic targeted carrier to the pathological site by magnetic field gradient.