Enhancement of Optical and Chemical Resistance Properties with a Novel Yellow Quinophthalone Derivative for Image Sensor Colorants.

A novel quinophthalone derivative, 4,5,6,7-tetrachloro-2-(2-(3-hydroxy-1-oxo-1H-cyclopenta[b]naphthalen-2-yl)quinolin-4-yl)isoindoline-1,3-dione (TCHCQ), was designed and synthesized as a yellow colorant additive for green color filters in image sensors. The characteristics of the new material were evaluated in terms of optical, thermal, and chemical properties under solution and color filter film conditions. TCHCQ exhibited a significantly enhanced molar extinction coefficient in solution, being 1.21 times higher than that of the commercially used yellow colorant Y138. It also demonstrated excellent thermal stability, with a decomposition temperature (Td) exceeding 450 °C. Utilizing the nano-pigmentation process, TCHCQ was used to prepare nano-sized particles with an excellent average size of 35 nm. This enabled the fabrication of a color filter film with outstanding properties. The optical properties of the produced film revealed outstanding yellow colorant transmittance of 0.97% at 435 nm and 91.2% at 530 nm. The color filter film exhibited similar optical and thermal stability to Y138, with an improved chemical stability, as evidenced by a ΔEab value of 0.52. The newly synthesized TCHCQ is considered a promising candidate for use as a yellow colorant additive in image sensor color filters, demonstrating superior optical, thermal, and chemical stability.

Inhibition of USP2 Enhances TRAIL-Mediated Cancer Cell Death through Downregulation of Survivin.

Ubiquitin-specific protease 2 (USP2) is a deubiquitinase belonging to the USPs subfamily. USP2 has been known to display various biological effects including tumorigenesis and inflammation. Therefore, we aimed to examine the sensitization effect of USP2 in TRAIL-mediated apoptosis. The pharmacological inhibitor (ML364) and siRNA targeting USP2 enhanced TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced cancer cell death, but not normal cells. Mechanistically, USP2 interacted with survivin, and ML364 degraded survivin protein expression by increasing the ubiquitination of survivin. Overexpression of survivin or USP2 significantly prevented apoptosis through cotreatment with ML364 and TRAIL, whereas a knockdown of USP2 increased sensitivity to TRAIL. Taken together, our data suggested that ML364 ubiquitylates and degrades survivin, thereby increasing the reactivity to TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells.

A High-Efficiency Deep Blue Emitter for OLEDs with a New Dual-Core Structure Incorporating ETL Characteristics.

In this study, we introduced the weak electron-accepting oxazole derivative 4,5-diphenyl-2-(4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)phenyl)oxazole (TPO) into both anthracene and pyrene moieties of a dual core structure. Ultimately, we developed 2-(4-(6-(anthracen-9-yl)pyren-1-yl)phenyl)-4,5-diphenyloxazole (AP-TPO) as the substitution on the second core, pyrene, and 4,5-diphenyl-2-(4-(10-(pyren-1-yl)anthracen-9-yl)phenyl)oxazole (TPO-AP) as the substitution on the first core, anthracene. Both materials exhibited maximum photoluminescence wavelengths at 433 and 443 nm in solution and emitted deep blue light with high photoluminescence quantum yields of 82% and 88%, respectively. When used as the emitting layer in non-doped devices, TPO-AP outperformed AP-TPO, achieving a current efficiency of 5.49 cd/A and an external quantum efficiency of 4.26% in electroluminescence. These materials introduce a new category of deep blue emitters in the organic light-emitting diodes field, combining characteristics related to the electron transport layer.

Indolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole-Derived Narrowband Violet-Blue Fluorophores: Tuning the Optical and Electroluminescence Properties by Chromophore Juggling.

The development of rigid polyaromatic building blocks for narrowband violet fluorophores has received tremendous attention. Herein, we designed and synthesized two new triangle-shaped rigid building blocks, namely, 2,5-di-tert-butylindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole (tBuICz) and 2,11-di-tert-butylindolo[3,2,1-jk]carbazole-4-carbonitrile (tBuICzCN), and tethered them with different chromophores to yield a series of violet-blue fluorophores, viz., ICzTPA-ICzPICN, and studied their structure-function relationship. The appended chromophores and cyano unit played a vital role in controlling the optical and electrical properties of the compounds. Except triphenylamine-substituted derivatives, the compounds showed pure violet emission (λem ≤ 403 nm). Intriguingly, the compounds exhibited narrow-band emission with a full-width at half-maximum ≤ 40 nm, attributed to the rigidity of the ICz core. The emission of the compounds displayed positive solvatochromism, which is ascribed to the photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer in the excited state. The compounds revealed excellent thermal robustness with T5d ≥ 363 °C. The triphenylamine-featuring derivatives displayed a high-lying HOMO compared to their congeners due to their electron-rich nature. When we applied these materials in organic light-emitting diodes, ICzPI outperformed in the series with an EQEmax of 3.07% and a current efficiency of 1.04 cd/A. Notably, its CIEy ∼ 0.046 precisely matched with the Rec.2020 standard of deep-blue color (CIEy ∼ 0.046).

Three-Color White Photoluminescence Emission Using Perovskite Nanoplatelets and Organic Emitter.

Three organic blue-light-emitting tetraphenylethylene (TPE) derivatives that exhibit aggregation-induced emission (AIE) were used as additives in the preparation of inorganic perovskite-structured green-light-emitting materials for three-color white-light emission. For these organic-inorganic light-emitting materials, two-color (blue and green) light-emitting films based on the CsPbBr3 perovskite-structured green-light-emitting inorganic material were prepared. The three TPE derivatives were prepared by varying the number of bromide groups, and a distinct AIE effect was confirmed when the derivatives were dissolved in a water-tetrahydrofuran mixed solvent containing 90 vol% water. When 0.2 molar ratio of the 1,1,2,2-tetrakis(4-bromophenyl)ethylene (TeBrTPE) additive was mixed with nanocrystal-pinning toluene solvent, the green-light-emission photoluminescence quantum efficiency (PLQY) value at 535 nm was 47 times greater than that of the pure bulk CsPbBr3 without additives and a blue emission at 475 nm was observed from the TeBrTPE itself. When a CBP:Ir(piq)3 film was prepared on top of this layer, three PL peaks with maximum wavelength values of 470, 535, and 613 nm were confirmed. The film exhibited white-light emission with CIE color coordinates of (0.25, 0.36).

Novel Yellow Azo Pyridone Derivatives with Different Halide Atoms for Image-Sensor Color Filters.

Novel yellow azo pyridone dye derivatives were synthesized for use in image-sensor color filters. The synthesized compounds have a basic chemical structure composed of azo, hydroxy, amide, and nitrile groups as well as different halide groups. New materials were evaluated on the basis of their optical, thermal, and surface properties under conditions mimicking those of a commercial device fabrication process. A comparison of their related performance revealed that, among the four prepared compounds, 5-((4,6-dichlorocyclohexa-2,4-dien-1-yl)diazenyl)-6-hydroxy-1,4-dimethyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydropyridine-3-carbonitrile (Cl-PAMOPC) exhibited the best performance as an image-sensor color filter material, including a solubility greater than 0.1 wt% in propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate solvent, a high decomposition temperature of 263 °C, and stable color difference values of 4.93 and 3.88 after a thermal treatment and a solvent-resistance test, respectively. The results suggest that Cl-PAMOPC can be used as a green dye additive in an image-sensor colorant.

Synthesis and Characterization of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Aggregation-Induced Emission Nanoparticles for Bioimaging.

Conventional fluorescent dyes have the property of decreasing fluorescence due to aggregation-caused quenching effects at high concentrations, whereas aggregation-induced emission dyes have the property of increasing fluorescence as they aggregate with each other. In this study, diketopyrrolopyrrole-based long-wavelength aggregation-induced emission dyes were used to prepare biocompatible nanoparticles suitable for bioimaging. Aggregation-induced emission nanoparticles with the best morphology and photoluminescence intensity were obtained through a fast, simple preparation method using an ultrasonicator. The optimally prepared nanoparticles from 3,6-bis(4-((E)-4-(bis(40-(1,2,2-triphenylvinyl)-[1,10-biphenyl]-4-yl)amino)styryl)phenyl)-2,5-dihexyl-2,5-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (DP-R2) with two functional groups having aggregation-induced emission properties and additional donating groups at the end of the triphenylamine groups were considered to have the greatest potential as a fluorescent probe for bioimaging. Furthermore, it was found that the tendency for aggregation-induced emission, which was apparent for the dye itself, became much more marked after the dyes were incorporated within nanoparticles. While the photoluminescence intensities of the dyes were observed to decrease rapidly over time, the prepared nanoparticles encapsulated within the biocompatible polymers maintained their initial optical properties very well. Lastly, when the cell viability test was conducted, excellent biocompatibility was demonstrated for each of the prepared nanoparticles.

A microdose clinical trial to evaluate [18F]Florastamin as a positron emission tomography imaging agent in patients with prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the biodistribution of [18F]Florastamin, a novel 18F-labelled positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. METHODS: PET was performed for five healthy controls and 10 patients with prostate cancer at 0, 10, 30, 70, and 120 mins after injecting 370 MBq of [18F]Florastamin. The maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) was evaluated in the primary tumour. The mean SUVmax (SUVmean) was evaluated in normal organs. Furthermore, the residence time was evaluated by assessing radioactivity in each organ. The internal radiation dosimetry was calculated using the OLINDA/EXM software. RESULTS: The SUVmax in primary tumours increased with time. A favourable tumour to background ratio was also observed over time. Multiple lymph nodes and bone metastases were also evaluated and showed a similar pattern to SUVmax in the primary tumour. In one patient, a tiny lymph node metastasis was identified using [18F]Florastamin PET, which was not observed using other modalities, and was histologically confirmed. The highest absorbed dose was observed in the kidney (0.062 ± 0.015 mGy/MBq), followed by the bladder (0.032 ± 0.013 mGy/MBq), liver (0.022 ± 0.006 mGy/MBq), and salivary gland (0.018 ± 0.006 mGy/MBq). The effective dose with a 370 MBq injection of [18F]Florastamin was 1.81 mSv. No adverse events related to [18F]Florastamin were reported. CONCLUSION: We identified a novel PSMA-targeted PET ligand, [18F]Florastamin, for imaging prostate cancer. [18F]Florastamin showed a high SUVmax and relatively high tumour to background ratio in both primary tumour and metastatic lesions, which suggests its high sensitivity to detect tumours without any adverse events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: KCT0003924 registered at https://cris.nih.go.kr/ .

Mutations in ArgS Arginine-tRNA Synthetase Confer Additional Antibiotic Tolerance Protection to Extended-Spectrum-ß-Lactamase-Producing Burkholderia thailandensis.

Highly conserved PenI-type class A ß-lactamase in pathogenic members of Burkholderia species can evolve to extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL), which exhibits hydrolytic activity toward third-generation cephalosporins, while losing its activity toward the original penicillin substrates. We describe three single-amino-acid-substitution mutations in the ArgS arginine-tRNA synthetase that confer extra antibiotic tolerance protection to ESBL-producing Burkholderia thailandensis This pathway can be exploited to evade antibiotic tolerance induction in developing therapeutic measures against Burkholderia species, targeting their essential aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.

Synthesis and Electroluminescence Property of Green Fluorescent Dopant Including Anthracene and Diphenylamine Moiety.

We have synthesized green fluorescent emitters of N9,N9,N10,N10-tetraphenylanthracene-9,10-diamine (TAD) and N9,N9,N10,N10-tetra-o-tolylanthracene-9,10-diamine (oMe-TAD) including anthracene and diphenylamine moiety and evaluated properties of compounds. The methyl groups were introduced to the diphenylamine to prevent molecular aggregation of the dopant and reduce self-quenching through steric hindrance of molecular structure. In solution state, photoluminescence (PL) maximum wavelength is 508 nm for TAD and 519 nm for oMe-TAD. In film state, PL maximum wavelength is 518 nm for TAD and 527 nm for oMe-TAD. In electroluminescence (EL) spectra, EL maximum wavelength of TAD is 508 nm and EL maximum wavelength of oMe-TAD is 522 nm. The doped device using TAD as green fluorescent dopant exhibited CE of 17.7 cd/A, PE of 7.74 lm/W, and EQE of 6.11%. The doped device using oMe-TAD as dopant exhibited CE of 19.8 cd/A, PE of 7.23 lm/W, and EQE of 5.97%.

Hybrid White Organic Light Emitting Diodes Using Dual Core Blue Fluorescent Emitter.

White OLED (WOLED) devices were fabricated using blue emitting materials, TP-AA-TP, TP-AA-TPB, and TPB-AA-TPB, and yellow emitting material polyphenylenevinylene derivative (PDY 132). Three devices were fabricated with the following structure: ITO/PEDOT:PSS (50 nm)/PDY-132 (40 nm)/NPB (10 nm)/Blue EML (30 nm)/Alq3 (20 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (200 nm). PDY-132 was used by spin coating, and then three blue fluorescent materials were used by vapor deposition to form a white light emitting device. The color coordinates of WOLED using TP-AA-TP, TP-AA-TPB and TPB-AA-TPB were (0.291, 0.317), (0.317, 0.371) and (0.345, 0.457), respectively. Device using TP-AA-TP as blue emitting material showed the highest efficiencies at 10 mA/cm², L.E of 5.58 cd/A, P.E of 2.16 lm/W and E.Q.E of 2.96%.

Synthesis and Electroluminescence Property of Pyrene Derivatives Including Dibenzothiophene and Imidazole Moiety.

Pyrene, imidazole and dibenzothiophene were used to synthesize new blue emitters of 1-(4-Dibenzothiophen-2-yl-phenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-pyren-1-yl-1H-imidazole (DDPI) and 1-(3-Dibenzothiophen-4-yl-phenyl)-2-pyren-1-yl-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole (DPPI). The optical properties of synthesized compounds were measured by UV-visible absorption and PL spectra. In the vacuum deposited film state, the PL maximum value is 463 nm for DDPI and 455, 471 nm for DPPI. The device using DDPI as emitting material showed CE of 2.38 cd/A, PE of 1.38 lm/W, and EQE of 1.54%, device using DPPI as emitting material exhibited CE of 3.65 cd/A, PE of 2.31 lm/W, and EQE of 3.07%. Also, OLED devices of DDPI and DPPI devices exhibited CIE coordinate of (0.20, 0.23) and (0.16, 0.16).

New Pyrene Derivatives Having Rigid Imidazole Moiety for Blue Emitters.

Pyrene, imidazole and dibenzofuran were used to synthesize new blue emitters of 1-(4-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-4-yl)phenyl)-2-(pyren-1-yl)-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazole (BFP-PI) and 1-(4-(dibenzo[b,d]furan-4-yl)phenyl)-4,5-diphenyl-2-(pyren-1-yl)-1H-imidazole (BFP-DPI). In the film state, BFP-PI and BFP-DPI show photoluminescence (PL) maximum values of 462 nm and 459 nm. The relative PL quantum efficiency (PLQY) of BFP-PI and BFP-DPI is 89.16% and 79.2% by using reference compound of 9,10-diphenylanthracene. The device using BFP-PI in the non-doped state as emitting material showed current efficiency (C.E.) of 3 cd/A and external quantum efficiency (E.Q.E.) of 2.15%, and the device using BFP-DPI as emitting material exhibited C.E. of 2.64 cd/A and E.Q.E. of 1.6%.

Axl Inhibitor R428 Enhances TRAIL-Mediated Apoptosis Through Downregulation of c-FLIP and Survivin Expression in Renal Carcinoma.

R428, a selective small molecule Axl inhibitor, is known to have anti-cancer effects, such as inhibition of invasion and proliferation and induction of cell death in cancer cells. The Axl receptor tyrosine kinase is highly expressed in cancer cells and the level of Axl expression is associated with survival, metastasis, and drug resistance of many cancer cells. However, the effect of Axl inhibition on overcoming anti-cancer drugs resistance is unclear. Therefore, we investigated the capability of Axl inhibition as a therapeutic agent for the induction of TRAIL (tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) sensitivity. In this study, R428 markedly sensitized cancer cells to TRAIL-induced apoptotic cell death, but not in normal human skin fibroblast (HSF) and human umbilical vein cells (EA.hy926). Moreover, knockdown of Axl by siRNA also increased TRAIL-induced apoptosis. R428 decreased c-FLIP proteins levels via induction of miR-708 expression and survivin protein levels at the post-translational level, and we found that knockdown of Axl also decreased both c-FLIP and survivin protein expression. Overexpression of c-FLIP and survivin markedly inhibited R428 plus TRAIL-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, R428 sensitized cancer cells to multiple anti-cancer drugs-mediated cell death. Our results provide that inhibition of Axl could improve sensitivity to TRAIL through downregulation of c-FLIP and survivin expression in renal carcinoma cells. Taken together, Axl may be a tempting target to overcome TRAIL resistance.

Production of bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of biomass using a pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed reactor and its characterization.

To circumvent the adverse impacts arising from an excessive use of fossil fuels, bioenergy and chemical production from a carbon neutral resource (biomass) has drawn considerable attention over the last two decades. Among various technical candidates, fast pyrolysis of biomass has been considered as one of the viable technical routes for converting a carbonaceous material (biomass) into biocrude (bio-oil). In these respects, three biomass samples (i.e., sawdust, empty fruit bunch, and giant Miscanthus) were chosen as a carbon substrate for the pyrolysis process in this study. A pilot-scale circulating fluidized bed reactor was employed for the pyrolysis work, and biocrude from the fast pyrolysis process at 500 °C were characterized because the maximum yield of biocrude (60 wt% of the original sample mass) was achieved at 500 °C. The physico-chemical properties of biocrude were measured by the international standard/protocol (ASTM D7544 and/or EN 16900 test method) to harness biocrude as bioenergy and an initial feedstock for diverse chemicals. All measurements in this study demonstrated that the heating value, moisture content, and ash contents in biocrude were highly contingent on the type of biomass. Moreover, characterization of biocrude in this study significantly suggested that additional unit operations for char and metal removal must be conducted to meet the fuel standard in terms of biocrude as bioenergy.

Three-Dimensional Structures Based on the Fusion of Chrysene and Spirobifluorene Chromophores for the Development of Blue OLEDs.

A new deep-blue chromophore containing a three-dimensionally (3D) shaped CS core composed of fused chrysene and spirofluorene units is synthesized. A pair of m-terphenyl (TP) units is also substituted onto the CS core at two different sets of positions to form two additional compounds: CS-TPTP and TP-CS-TP. The TP-CS-TP compound showed the highest efficiency with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 3.05% and Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates (CIE) of (0.148, 0.098) corresponding to the emission of blue light. This approach for forming a new chromophore is expected to lead to the development of functional organic materials with excellent characteristics.

New Yellow Synergist for Stable Pigment Dispersion of Inkjet Ink.

Minimizing ink droplet and self-dispersed pigment mixture are becoming hot issues for high resolution of inkjet printing. New synergist including sulfonic acid group of PY-74 was suggested and synthesized. Pigment itself did not show water solubility but new synergist, SY-11 exhibited good solubility in water and organic solvents such as DMSO and DMF. When aqueous pigment ink was prepared with SY-11, storage stability of the ink has been remained for 7 days under periodically repeated heating and cooling conditions. Particle size of formulated ink was around 150 nm.

Synthesis and Electroluminescence Properties of New Dual-Core Derivatives.

New blue emitting materials based on dual core concept, TP-AF-TP and TP-HAF-TP were synthesized through boronylation and Suzuki coupling reactions. In the thin film state, TP-AF-TP and TP- HAF-TP exhibited maximum PL values at 445 and 440 nm, respectively. A non-doped OLED device based on TP-AF-TP and TP-HAF-TP showed current efficiency of 3.16 and 2.67 cd/A, respectively. TP-AF-TP exhibited a higher EL efficiency than that of TP-HAF-TP.

Synthesis and Electroluminescence Properties of New Type Multi-Chromophore Emitting Materials for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes.

New three emitting compounds, AK-1, AK-2 and AK-3 including diazocine moiety were synthesized through Suzuki-coupling reaction. Physical properties such as optical, electroluminescent properties were investigated. UV-visible spectrum of AK-1, AK-2 and AK-3 in film state showed maximum 392, 393 and 401 nm. PL spectrum of AK-1, AK-2 and AK-3 showed maximum emission wavelength of 472, 473 and 435 nm. Three compounds were used as EML in OLED device: ITO/2-TNATA (60 nm)/NPB (15 nm)/EML (35 nm)/Alq3 (20 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (200 nm). AK-3 OLED device showed C.I.E value of (0.18, 0.26) and luminance efficiency of 0.51 cd/A at 10 mA/cm2. New derivatives including diazocine moiety were introduced as OLED emitting material and the EL efficiency was increased by the proper combination of core and side group.

Synthesis and Electroluminescent Properties of New Dibenzo-Diazocine Derivatives.

AK-1NA and AK-2NA based on dibenzo-diazocine and anthracene moieties were designed and synthesized. Normalized UV-visible spectra of AK-1NA and AK-2NA in film state showed maximum absorption wavelength of 394 and 393 nm. PL spectra of AK-1NA and AK-2NA showed maximum emission wavelength of 429 and 444 nm. At a current density of 10 mA/cm2, OLED devices of AK-1NA and AK-2NA exhibited luminance efficiency of 2.39 and 1.50 cd/A, power efficiency of 1.01 and 0.81 lm/W. Also, OLED devices of AK-1NA and AK-2NA devices exhibited CIE(x, y ) of (0.16, 0.22) and (0.23, 0.42).