Light management by algal aggregates in living photosynthetic hydrogels.

Rapid progress in algal biotechnology has triggered a growing interest in hydrogel-encapsulated microalgal cultivation, especially for the engineering of functional photosynthetic materials and biomass production. An overlooked characteristic of gel-encapsulated cultures is the emergence of cell aggregates, which are the result of the mechanical confinement of the cells. Such aggregates have a dramatic effect on the light management of gel-encapsulated photobioreactors and hence strongly affect the photosynthetic outcome. To evaluate such an effect, we experimentally studied the optical response of hydrogels containing algal aggregates and developed optical simulations to study the resultant light intensity profiles. The simulations are validated experimentally via transmittance measurements using an integrating sphere and aggregate volume analysis with confocal microscopy. Specifically, the heterogeneous distribution of cell aggregates in a hydrogel matrix can increase light penetration while alleviating photoinhibition more effectively than in a flat biofilm. Finally, we demonstrate that light harvesting efficiency can be further enhanced with the introduction of scattering particles within the hydrogel matrix, leading to a fourfold increase in biomass growth. Our study, therefore, highlights a strategy for the design of spatially efficient photosynthetic living materials that have important implications for the engineering of future algal cultivation systems.

Band Nesting Bypass in WS2 Monolayers via Förster Resonance Energy Transfer.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted intensive interest due to the direct-band-gap transition in the monolayer form, positioning them as potential next-generation materials for optoelectronic or photonic devices. However, the band-nested suppression of the recombination efficiency at higher excitation energies limits the ability to locally control and manipulate the photoluminescence of WS2 for multifunctional applications. In this work, we exploit an energy transfer method to modulate the fluorescence properties of TMDs under a larger excitation range spanning from UV to visible light. Self-assembled lanthanide (Ln)/TMD hybrids have been designed based on a low-cost and highly efficient solution-processed approach. The emission energy from Ln3+ sources can be effectively transferred to the TMD monolayers under low power exposure (0.13 mW) at room temperature, activating the characteristic monolayer fluorescence in place of Ln3+ emission signatures. The Ln/TMDs photonics can potentially tune the excitation of TMDs to provide variable yet controllable emissions. This provides a solution to the suppression of direct exciton recombination in monolayer TMDs at the band nesting resonant energy region. Our work on such Ln/TMD systems would overcome the limited excitation energy range in TMDs and extend their functionalities for optoelectronic or photonic applications.

Nitrogen-Doped Cobalt Phosphide for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Activity.

Development of highly efficient and durable hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalysts has a direct impact on water splitting efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In this work, N-doped CoP2 is successfully synthesized for efficient HER in an alkaline electrolyte, which needs an overpotential of only 64 mV to drive a current density of 10 mA cm-2, with a small Tafel slope of 47.4 mV dec-1 and excellent stability for 15 h without any performance loss in 1 M KOH. This represents one of the best HER catalysts in the alkaline electrolyte so far. The successful doping of N into CoP2 is confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure, and scanning transmission electron microscopy characterizations. It is revealed by first-principle calculations that the partial replacement of P with N not only facilitates electron transfer but also optimizes the Gibbs free energies of H*, H2O, and OH* adsorption on the P active sites, thus facilitating the HER process. This work highlights that anion modification of transition-metal phosphides would be an effective and feasible method to enhance their HER activities and provide new insights for the design of novel HER electrocatalysts.

Color tunable low cost transparent heat reflector using copper and titanium oxide for energy saving application.

Multilayer coating structure comprising a copper (Cu) layer sandwiched between titanium dioxide (TiO2) were demonstrated as a transparent heat reflecting (THR) coating on glass for energy-saving window application. The main highlight is the utilization of Cu, a low-cost material, in-lieu of silver which is widely used in current commercial heat reflecting coating on glass. Color tunable transparent heat reflecting coating was realized through the design of multilayer structure and process optimization. The impact of thermal treatment on the overall performance of sputter deposited TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film on glass substrate is investigated in detail. Significant enhancement of transmittance in the visible range and reflectance in the infra-red (IR) region has been observed after thermal treatment of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film at 500 °C due to the improvement of crystal quality of TiO2. Highest visible transmittance of 90% and IR reflectance of 85% at a wavelength of 1200 nm are demonstrated for the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film after annealing at 500 °C. Performance of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 heat reflector coating decreases after thermal treatment at 600 °C. The wear performance of the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer structure has been evaluated through scratch hardness test. The present work shows promising characteristics of Cu-based THR coating for energy-saving building industry.