Bottom Contact Engineering for Ambient Fabrication of >25% Durable Perovskite Solar Cells.

The bottom contact in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is easy to cause deep trap states and severe instability issues, especially under maximum power point tracking (MPPT). In this study, sodium gluconate (SG) is employed to disperse tin oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles (NPs) and regulate the interface contact at the buried interface. The SG-SnO2 electron transfer layer (ETL) enabled the deposition of pinhole-free perovskite films in ambient air and improved interface contact by bridging effect. SG-SnO2 PSCs achieved an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 25.34% (certified as 25.17%) with a high open-circuit voltage (VOC) exceeding 1.19 V. The VOC loss is less than 0.34 V relative to the 1.53 eV bandgap, and the fill factor (FF) loss is only 2.02% due to the improved contact. The SG-SnO2 PSCs retained around 90% of their initial PCEs after 1000 h operation (T90 = 1000 h), higher than T80 = 1000 h for the control SnO2 PSC. Microstructure analysis revealed that light-induced degradation primarily occurred at the buried holes and grain boundaries and highlighted the importance of bottom-contact engineering.

Molecular Design of Hole Transport Materials to Immobilize Ion Motion for Photostable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Poor operational stability is a crucial factor limiting the further application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Organic semiconductor layers can be a powerful means for reinforcing interfaces and inhibiting ion migration. Herein, two hole-transporting molecules, pDPA-SFX and mDPA-SFX, are synthesized with tuned substituent connection sites. The meta-substituted mDPA-SFX results in a larger dipole moment, more ordered packing, and better charge mobility than pDPA-SFX, accompanying with strong interface bonding on perovskite surfaces and suppressed ion motion as well. Importantly, mDPA-SFX-based PSCs exhibit an efficiency that has significantly increased from 22.5 % to 24.8 % and a module-based efficiency of 19.26 % with an active area of 12.95 cm2. The corresponding cell retain 94.8 % of its initial efficiency at maximum power point tracking (MPPT) after 1,000 h (T95=1,000 h). The MPPT T80 lifetime is as long as 2,238 h. This work illustrates that a small degree of structural variation in organic compounds leaves considerable room for developing new HTMs for light stable PSCs.

High-grade serous carcinoma of the fallopian tube in a young woman with chromosomal 4q abnormality: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported an association between an increased risk of acquiring cancers and survival in patients with 4q deletion syndrome. This study presents a rare association between chromosome 4q abnormalities and fallopian tube high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC) in a young woman. CASE SUMMARY: A 35-year-old woman presented with acute dull abdominal pain and a known chromosomal abnormality involving 4q13.3 duplication and 4q23q24 deletion. Upon arrival at the emergency room, her abdomen appeared ovoid and distended with palpable shifting dullness. Ascites were identified through abdominal ultrasound, and computed tomography revealed an omentum cake and an enlarged bilateral adnexa. Blood tests showed elevated CA-125 levels. Paracentesis was conducted, and immunohistochemistry indicated that the cancer cells favored an ovarian origin, making us suspect ovarian cancer. The patient underwent debulking surgery, which led to a diagnosis of stage IIIC HGSC of the fallopian tube. Subsequently, the patient received adjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel, resulting in stable current condition. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates a rare correlation between a chromosome 4q abnormality and HGSC. UBE2D3 may affect crucial cancer-related pathways, including P53, BRCA, cyclin D, and tyrosine kinase receptors, thereby possibly contributing to cancer development. In addition, ADH1 and DDIT4 may be potential influencers of both carcinogenic and therapeutic responses.

Polymer-acid-metal quasi-ohmic contact for stable perovskite solar cells beyond a 20,000-hour extrapolated lifetime.

The development of a robust quasi-ohmic contact with minimal resistance, good stability and cost-effectiveness is crucial for perovskite solar cells. We introduce a generic approach featuring a Lewis-acid layer sandwiched between dopant-free semicrystalline polymer and metal electrode in perovskite solar cells, resulting in an ideal quasi-ohmic contact even at elevated temperature up to 85 °C. The solubility of Lewis acid in alcohol facilitates nondestructive solution processing on top of polymer, which boosts hole injection from polymer into metal by two orders of magnitude. By integrating the polymer-acid-metal structure into solar cells, devices exhibit remarkable resilience, retaining 96% ± 3%, 96% ± 2% and 75% ± 7% of their initial efficiencies after continuous operation in nitrogen at 35 °C for 2212 h, 55 °C for 1650 h and 85 °C for 937 h, respectively. Leveraging the Arrhenius relation, we project an impressive T80 lifetime of 26,126 h at 30 °C.

A review of structural modification and biological activities of oleanolic acid.

Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid, exhibits a broad spectrum of biological activities, including antitumor, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic effects. Since its initial isolation and identification, numerous studies have reported on the structural modifications and pharmacological activities of OA and its derivatives. Despite this, there has been a dearth of comprehensive reviews in the past two decades, leading to challenges in subsequent research on OA. Based on the main biological activities of OA, this paper comprehensively summarized the modification strategies and structure-activity relationships (SARs) of OA and its derivatives to provide valuable reference for future investigations into OA.

AgIn5S8/ZnS Quantum Dots for Luminescent Down-Shifting and Antireflective Layer in Enhancing Photovoltaic Performance.

Colloidal AgIn5S8/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) have recently emerged as a promising, efficient, nontoxic, down-shifting material in optoelectronic devices. These QDs exhibit a high photoluminescent quantum yield and offer a range of potential applications, specifically in the field of photovoltaics (PVs) for light management. In this work, we report an eco-friendly method to synthesize AgIn5S8/ZnS QDs and deposit them on commercial silicon solar cells (with an active area of 7.5 cm2), with which the short-circuit current (JSC) enhanced by 1.44% and hence the power conversion efficiency by 2.51%. The enhancements in PV performance are mainly attributable to the improved external quantum efficiency in the ultraviolet region and reduced surface reflectance in the ultraviolet and near-infrared regions. We study the effect of QD concentration on the bifunctions of downshifting and antireflection. The optimal 15 mg/mL QDs blade-coated onto the Si solar cells realize maximum current generation as the reflectance loss in the visible wavelength is compensated by the minimized reflection in the near-infrared region.

Control of Gradient Concentration Prussian White Cathodes for High-Performance Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Owing to their abundant resources and low cost, potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have become a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the larger ionic radius and higher mass of K+ propose a challenging issue for finding suitable cathode materials. Prussian whites (PWs) have a rigid open framework and affordable synthesis method, but they suffer quick capacity fade due to lattice volume change and structural instability during K+ insertion/extraction. Here, we prepared controllable gradient concentration KxFeaNibMn1-a-b[Fe(CN)6]y·zH2O particles via a facile coprecipitation process, demonstrating high-performance potassium-ion storage. The high-Mn content in the interior can minimize capacity loss caused by electrochemically inert Ni and achieve a high reversible capacity; meanwhile, the high-FeNi content in the exterior can alleviate the volume change of the core material upon cycling, thus enhancing structural stability. Taking the above synergistic effect, the controllable gradient concentration PWs deliver a high reversible capacity of 109.8 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 and good capacity retention of 77.8% after 200 cycles. The gradient concentration PWs can retain structural integrity and stability during long-term cycling. This work provides a prospective strategy to fabricate PWs with stable structure and excellent electrochemical performance for developing high-performance PIBs.

Click-chemistry synergic MXene-functionalized flexible skeleton membranes for accurate recognition and separation.

Membrane-based technology with accurate-recognition and specific-transmission has been regarded as one of the most promising strategies in environmental protection and energy conservation. However, membrane technique still faces challenges of "trade-off effect" between high selectivity and permeation flux within organic-aqueous mixed matrix. Here, well-intergrown click-chemistry synergic MXene-functionalized flexible skeleton membranes has been prepared in this strategy, enabling size-exclusion&structure selectivity by uniform location array imprinting unit and transport performance towards specific medicinal molecules of artemisinin (Ars). The well-assembled ultrathin cascade-type MXene layer guarantees the narrow interlayer nanochannels and the flexible skeleton modified mesoporous SiO2 nanoparticles provide active reaction platform for the construction of selective recognition space. The resulting membranes demonstrated outstanding selective separation performance with permeability factor that artesunate (Aru) /Ars and dihydro-artemisinin (d-Ars) / Ars of 3.17 and 2.89 and permeation flux of 1173.25 L·m-2·h-1·bar-1. Besides, combined with antibacterial durability, recycling performance, high separation performance in mobile phase stability of CMFMs, it is anticipated that this work hopefully opens a new avenue for efficient chiral separation to medicinal molecules, exhibiting broad potential for practical application.

Precise identification and ultrafast transport of specific molecules with nanofluid-functionalized imprinted membrane.

Membrane-based imprinted sites for achieving specific molecule transport and precise recognition have great potential to revolutionize nanofiltration technology. Nonetheless, how to efficiently prepare imprinted membrane structures with accurate identification - ultrafast molecular transport - high stability in mobile phase remains a key issue and serious challenge. Herein, we have developed a dual-activation strategy to constructing nanofluid-functionalized membranes with double imprinted nanoscale channels (NMDINCs), realizing ultrafast transport performance as well as structure&size-exclusion selectivity in allusion to particular compounds. The resultant NMDINCs, founded on principal nanofluid-functionalized construction companied by the boronate affinity sol-gel imprinting systems, illustrated that delicate regulation towards polymerization framework as well as functionalization belonging to distinctive membrane structures was crucial for realizing ultrafast molecules transport combined with prominent molecules selectivity. The synergistic recognition of covalent bonds and non-covalent bonds driven by two functional monomers effectively realized the selective recognition to template molecules, leading to the high selective separation factors of Shikimic acid (SA)/ Para hydroxybenzoic acid（PHA）, SA/ P nitrophenol（PN）and catechol（CL）for 8.9, 8.14 and 7.23, respectively. The dynamic consecutive transport outcomes exhibited that numerous SA-dependent recognition sites could still keep reactivity under pump-driven permeation pressure for appreciable time, forcefully proving the successful construction as to high-efficiency membrane-based selective separation system. It is anticipated that this strategy as to the in situ introduction of nanofluid-functionalized construction into porous membrane would hold great promise in preparing high-intensities membrane-founded discriminating separation systems, which was equipped with prominent consecutive permeability as well as excellent selectivity.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of OA-tacrine hybrids as cholinesterase inhibitors with low neurotoxicity and hepatotoxicity against Alzheimer's disease.

A series of OA-tacrine hybrids with the alkylamine linker was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as effective cholinesterase inhibitors for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Biological activity results demonstrated that some hybrids possessed significant inhibitory activities against acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Among them, compounds B4 (hAChE, IC50 = 14.37 ± 1.89 nM; SI > 695.89) and D4 (hAChE, IC50 = 0.18 ± 0.01 nM; SI = 3374.44) showed excellent inhibitory activities and selectivity for AChE as well as low nerve cell toxicity. Furthermore, compounds B4 and D4 exhibited lower hepatotoxicity than tacrine in cell viability, apoptosis, and intracellular ROS production for HepG2 cells. These properties of compounds B4 and D4 suggest that they deserve further investigation as promising agents for the prospective treatment of AD.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of N-methyl-propargylamine derivates as isoform-selective monoamine oxidases inhibitors for the treatment of nervous system diseases.

A novel series of N-methyl-propargylamine derivates were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as isoform-selective monoamine oxidases (MAO) inhibitors for the treatment of nervous system diseases. The in vitro studies showed some of the compounds exhibited considerable MAO-A selective inhibitory activity (IC50 of 14.86-17.16 nM), while some of the others exhibited great MAO-B selective inhibitory activity (IC50 of 4.37-17.00 nM). Further studies revealed that compounds A2 （IC50 against MAO-A: 17.16 ± 1.17 nM） and A5 (IC50 against MAO-B: 17.00 ± 1.10 nM) had significant abilities to protect PC12 cells from H2O2-induced apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The parallel artificial membrane permeability assay showed A2 and A5 would be potent to cross the blood-brain barrier. The results indicated that A2 showed potential use in the therapy of MAO-A related diseases, such as depression and anxiety; while A5 exhibited promising ability in the treatment of MAO-B related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Revisiting the relationship between complement and ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is an inflammatory bowel disorder (IBD) characterized by relapsing chronic inflammation of the colon that causes continuous mucosal inflammation. The global incidence of UC is steadily increasing. Immune mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of UC, of which complement is shown to play a critical role by inducing local chronic inflammatory responses that promote tissue damage. However, the function of various complement components in the development of UC is complex and even paradoxical. Some components (e.g. C1q, CD46, CD55, CD59, and C6) are shown to safeguard the intestinal barrier and reduce intestinal inflammation, while others (e.g. C3, C5, C5a) can exacerbate intestinal damage and accelerate the development of UC. The complement system was originally thought to function primarily in an extracellular mode; however, recent evidence indicates that it can also act intracellularly as the complosome. The current study provides an overview of current studies on complement and its role in the development of UC. While there are few studies that describe how intracellular complement contributes to UC, we discuss potential future directions based on related publications. We also highlight novel methods that target complement for IBD treatment.

Formation of Robust Polydimethylsiloxane Coatings on the Flexspline Material and Mechanism of the Tribological Property Improvement.

Flexspline frictional degradation causes failure of harmonic drives. This study focused on the improvement of the flexspline tribological properties. Flexspline material 40Cr was modified with a robust polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating. Etched and chemically modified films were utilized to enhance the organic PDMS coating-substrate link strength. Comparing modified and unmodified 40Cr, the surface friction coefficient decreased by 82.2%. Moreover, the modified 40Cr exhibited excellent load-bearing properties. The effects of speed and lubricant-coating interaction on the tribological properties were verified. This study provides an essential theoretical basis for improving the tribological performance of harmonic drives via soft coating modification.

ML365 inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses via the NF-κB signaling pathway.

ML365 is a selective inhibitor of the twik-related acid-sensitive potassium channel 1/two-pore domain channel subfamily k member 3 two-pore domain potassium channel. There are no functional studies of the relationship between ML365 and inhibition of inflammation. In this study, we evaluated the anti-inflammatory effect of ML365 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation and elucidated the possible mechanism. ML365 showed no cytotoxicity and did not induce apoptosis on RAW264.7 cells and inhibited nitric oxide production. ML365 suppressed the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1ß measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays. LPS-induced activation and co-localization of NF-κB was inhibited by ML365 pre-treatment. ML365 inhibited the protein expression of Erk, p38 and Jnk. In vivo, ML365 appeared to prevent pathological damages in the LPS-induced endotoxin shock model. These findings suggest that ML365 inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses by regulating the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Tuning the size of skyrmion by strain at the Co/Pt3 interfaces.

Based on density functional theory calculations, we elucidated the tunability of the atomic structures and magnetic interactions of Co/Pt3 interface (one layer of hcp(0001) Co and three layers of fcc(111) Pt) and thus the skyrmion sizes using strain. The dispersion relations of the spin spiral in the opposite directions, E(q) and E(-q), were evaluated based on generalized Bloch equations. Effective exchange coupling (EC) and Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction (DMI) parameters between different neighbors J i and d i at different lattice constants were derived by fitting the resulting spin spiral dispersion E(q) to EC model with DMI and E(q)-E(-q) formula, respectively. We observed an increase in DMI and a significant decrease in EC with an increase in strain. Hence, the size of Néel-type skyrmions determined by the ratio of EC/DMI can be controlled by applying strain, leading to an effective approach to tailor the formation of skyrmion lattices by inducing slight structural modifications on the magnetic thin films.

Molecular Oligothiophene-Fullerene Dyad Reaching Over 5% Efficiency in Single-Material Organic Solar Cells.

A novel donor-acceptor dyad, 4, in which the conjugated oligothiophene donor is covalently connected to fullerene PC71 BM by a flexible alkyl ester linker, is synthesized and applied as photoactive layer in solution-processed single-material organic solar cells (SMOSCs). Excellent photovoltaic performance, including a high short-circuit current density (JSC ) of 13.56 mA cm-2 , is achieved, leading to a power conversion efficiency of 5.34% in an inverted cell architecture, which is substantially increased compared to other molecular single materials. Furthermore, dyad 4-based SMOSCs display excellent stability maintaining 96% of the initial performance after 750 h (one month) of continuous illumination and operation under simulated AM 1.5G irradiation. These results will strengthen the rational molecular design to further develop SMOSCs for potential industrial application.

Thickness-dependent anisotropic transport of phonons and charges in few-layered PdSe2.

So far, layered PdSe2 has attracted much attention due to its completely tunable band-gap with varying layer numbers, yet the thickness-dependent transporting properties have been rarely studied. We have systematically studied the electronic structures, phonon and charge transport properties, and thermoelectric properties of few-layered (from 1L to 4L) and bulk PdSe2 by first-principles calculations and Boltzmann transport theory. As the thickness increases, the energy levels of band edges relative to 4s of selenium move oppositely due to their different bonding states, leading to the power-law decrease of the band-gap. Meanwhile, the electron effective mass decreases rapidly while the hole effective mass increases significantly compared with those unperturbed. Calculations on elastic constants reveal that both bulk and few-layered PdSe2 are mechanically stable, and the bulk is ductile with a Poisson's ratio of 0.27. The shifts of Raman active modes with respect to the thickness as well as their Gruneisen parameters are analyzed and the underlying physics is discussed. At room temperature, the thermal conductivities of the bulk are 7.7, 10.1 and 0.9 W m-1 K-1 along the a, b and c axes, respectively. It is found that the low-frequency modes (<2.0 THz) contribute about 80% of in-plane thermal conductivities. Due to the enhanced contribution from the ZA mode, the thermal conductivity of few-layered PdSe2 is much larger than that of the bulk. The ZA mode is mainly scattered by itself and the Umklapp scattering dominates in the process as the thickness increases. Calculations on charge transport reveal that the electron mobility increases from 2.5-13.2 (1L) to 121.9-167.8 (4L) cm2 V-1 s-1 with the decreasing anisotropy µb/µa, while the hole mobility remains to be ∼20 cm2 V-1 s-1, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. Calculations on the thermoelectric properties reveal that the ZT value as well as the power factor increases largely as the thickness increases and it gets to be optimum for the triple layer. Interestingly, the transport of electrons and phonons is decoupled along the out-of-plane direction, which makes bulk PdSe2 exhibit good thermoelectric performance along the c axis.

Dual-imprinted organic/inorganic nanocomposite membranes with highly selective polydopamine-intimated nanostructures for pharmaceutically active compound separation.

Here, the graphene oxide (GO)/SiO2-loaded dual-imprinted membranes (GS-DIMs) were constructed based on the self-polymerization imprinting technique of dopamine, in which a twice polydopamine (PDA)-based imprinting strategy had been successfully developed to obtain the three-dimensional nanocomposite membrane-based separation system. Meanwhile, the pollution-intensive antibiotics of tetracycline (TC) was used as template molecule throughout the GS-DIMs synthesis, and the dopamine molecules were simultaneously used as functional monomer and cross-linking agent during the twice polydopamine (PDA)-based imprinting processes. Therefore, dual-TC-imprinted sites had been prepared based on the as-designed dual imprinting processes, the as-prepared GS-DIMs-based separation system with dual-TC-imprinted structures could not only allow for the largely enhanced rebinding result of 65.61 mg/g and faster adsorption equilibrium rate within 20 min, but also facilitate the permselectivity performance from TC-based complex separation system and mimetic water sample. Importantly, we demonstrated the applications and effects of the dual-imprinted membrane-based separation materials to selective rebinding and separation of TC from complex solution systems and mimetic water samples. The as-obtained permselectivity factors (ß) around 4.0 strongly illustrated the efficiently selective separation ability and high-intensitive recognizability of TC than any other non-template molecules based on our GS-DIMs-based separation system. Overall, the as-designed GS-DIMs had great potential for selective separation applications and provided critical comparisons based on the as-achieved excellent rebinding and permselectivity performance, which encompassed innovative GO/SiO2-loaded nanocomposite and PDA-based dual-TC-imprinted system.

The toxicity mechanism of toxic compounds from Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix on zebrafish embryos.

Euphorbiae pekinensis Radix (EP) is effective in treating various diseases, but it's toxicity is a major obstacle in use in clinical. Although EP was processed with vinegar to reduce it's toxicity, the detailed mechanism of toxicity in EP have not been clearly delineated. This study investigate the toxicity attenuation-mechanism of Euphorbiae pekinensis after being processed with vinegar (VEP) and the toxic mechanism of four compounds from EP on zebrafish embryos. The contents of four compounds decreased obviously in VEP. Correspondingly, slower development on embryos can be seen as some symptoms like reduction of heart rate, liver area and gastrointestinal peristalsis after exposed to the compounds. Some obvious pathological signals such as pericardial edema and yolk sac edema were observed. Furthermore, the compounds could increase the contents of MDA and GSH-PX and induce oxidative damage by inhibiting the activity of SOD. Also, four compounds could provoke apoptosis by up-regulating the expression level of p53, MDM2, Bax, Bcl-2 and activating the activity of caspase-3, caspase-9. In conclusion, the four compounds play an important role in the toxicity attenuation effects of VEP, which may be related to the apoptosis induction and oxidative damage. This would contribute to the clinical application and further toxicity-reduction mechanism research.