[The involvement and underlying mechanism of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in the impairment of male mammalian fertility induced by environmental pollutants].

In recent decades, there has been a consistent decline in semen quality across the globe, with environmental pollution emerging as the predominant factor. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have garnered considerable attention due to their potent biological toxicity and resistance to natural degradation. Within this class of pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) have been identified as detrimental agents that can disrupt cellular physiological functions by activating aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). However, the precise role of AhR in the adverse effects of environmental pollutants on male mammalian fertility remains incompletely understood. This article provides a comprehensive review of the impact of various environmental pollutants, specifically PAHs such as benzo[a]pyrene, 3-methylcholanthrene, and 7,12-dimethylbenzo[a]anthracene, HAHs including 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and the pollutant complex PM2.5, as well as cigarette smoke condensates, on male mammalian reproductive function. Additionally, this review focuses on the role of the AhR in mediating these effects. The objective of this review is to elucidate the involvement of AhR in the regulation of male mammalian fertility, thereby offering insights for prospective investigations into the interplay between AhR and male reproductive function, as well as the etiology of idiopathic male infertility in clinic.

Ultrahigh phase transition temperature in a metal-halide perovskite-type material containing unprecedented hydrogen bonding interactions.

A novel organic-inorganic ABX3 perovskite-type material with specific hydrogen bonding interactions, N,N-dimethylethanolammonium trichlorocadmate ([DMEA]CdCl3), has been synthesized as a phase transition material. It is notable that the DMEA cations are arranged to form one-dimensional chains connected by hydrogen bonds at room temperature, which are very sparse in other perovskite-type compounds. The strong intermolecular interactions have made the phase transition temperature of the material reach up to 429 K, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry measurements, variable-temperature structural analyses, and dielectric measurements. The origin of the symmetry-breaking phase transition is associated with the motion or reorientation of the DMEA cations, accompanied by the crystal structures from orthorhombic Pnma to monoclinic P21/c with the temperature decreases. The finding of [DMEA]CdCl3 with unprecedented hydrogen bonding interactions has opened a new avenue to design novel phase transition materials with higher transition temperatures.

[C6N2H18][SbI5]: A Lead-free Hybrid Halide Semiconductor with Exceptional Dielectric Relaxation.

[C6N2H18][SbI5] (1), a novel metal halide semiconductor with dielectric relaxation behavior, has been successfully synthesized, in which the cavities between the one-dimensional [SbI5] n2- polyanions are occupied by 2-methyl-1,5-pentanediammonium (2-MPDA) cations. 1 undergoes a reversible solid-state phase transition at TC = 192.7 K and shows a step-like dielectric anomaly. Interestingly, above TC, distinct dielectric dispersion in a wide temperature range is also witnessed. Remarkably, the solid state UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectrum of 1 exhibits a slightly gentler absorption edge at about 650 nm; that is, 1 adopts an indirect band gap with 1.92 electron volts. The combined narrow band gap, strong photoconductivity effect, and excellent dielectric relaxation might shed light on the exploitation of lead-free hybrid metal halide molecular materials with promising application prospects in thermoresponsive relaxation-type dielectric materials and photovoltaic conversion devices.

A Semiconducting Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite-type Non-ferroelectric Piezoelectric with Excellent Piezoelectricity.

Piezoelectric materials are a class of important functional materials applied in high-voltage sources, sensors, vibration reducers, actuators, motors, and so on. Herein, [(CH3 )3 S]3 [Bi2 Br9 ](1) is a brilliant semiconducting organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite-type non-ferroelectric piezoelectric with excellent piezoelectricity. Strikingly, the value of the piezoelectric coefficient d33 is estimated as ≈18 pC N-1 . Such a large piezoelectric coefficient in non-ferroelectric piezoelectric has been scarcely reported and is comparable with those of typically one-composition non-ferroelectric piezoelectrics such as ZnO (3pC N-1 ) and much greater than those of most known typical materials. In addition, 1 exhibits semiconducting behavior with an optical band gap of ≈2.58 eV that is lower than the reported value of 3.37 eV for ZnO. This discovery opens a new avenue to exploit molecular non-ferroelectric piezoelectric and should stimulate further exploration of non-ferroelectric piezoelectric due to their high stability and low loss characteristics.

A symmetry breaking phase transition-triggered high-temperature solid-state quadratic nonlinear optical switch coupled with a switchable dielectric constant in an organic-inorganic hybrid compound.

An organic-inorganic hybrid compound, [NH3(CH2)5NH3]SbCl5, exhibits a switchable second harmonic generation (SHG) effect between SHG-OFF and SHG-ON states and tunable dielectric behaviors between high and low dielectric states, connected with the changes in the dynamics of 1,5-pentanediammonium cations during its centrosymmetric-to-noncentrosymmetric symmetry breaking phase transition at 365.4 K.

Structural phase transitions of a layered organic-inorganic hybrid compound: tetra(cyclopentylammonium) decachlorotricadmate(II), [C5H9NH3]4Cd3Cl10.

A layered organic-inorganic hybrid compound, tetra(cyclopentylammonium) decachlorotricadmate(II) (1), in which the two-dimensional [Cd3Cl10](4-)n networks built up from three face-sharing CdCl6 octahedra are separated by cyclopentylammonium cation bilayers, has been discovered as a new phase transition material. It undergoes two successive structural phase transitions, at 197.3 and 321.6 K, which were confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry measurements, variable-temperature structural analyses, and dielectric measurements. The crystal structures of 1 determined at 93, 298, and 343 K are solved in P212121, Pbca, and Cmca, respectively. A precise analysis of the structural differences between these three structures reveals that the origin of the phase transition at 197.3 K is ascribed to the order-disorder transition of the cyclopentylammonium cations, while the phase transition at 321.6 K originates from the distortion of the two-dimensional [Cd3Cl10](4-)n network.

(Diphenyl-phosphor-yl)(2-nitro-phen-yl)methanol.

In the title compound, C(19)H(16)NO(4)P, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the phenyl rings bonded to the P atom is 75.4 (1)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into chains running along the a axis by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Mol-ecules are further connected into a three-dimensional array by weak C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

(2,4-Dichloro-phen-yl)(diphenyl-phosphor-yl)methanol.

In the title compound, C(19)H(15)Cl(2)O(2)P, the dihedral angle between the mean planes of the phenyl rings bonded to the P atom is 75.4 (1)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked into chains running along the a axis by inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. Mol-ecules are further connected into a three-dimensional array by weak C-H⋯O inter-actions.

Tetra-µ-benzoato-κO:O'-bis-[(benzoic acid-κO)nickel(II)].

The title compound, [Ni(2)(C(7)H(5)O(2))(4)(C(7)H(6)O(2))(2)], is composed of two Ni(II) ions, four bridging benzoate anions and two η(1)-benzoic acid mol-ecules. The [Ni(2)(PhCOO)(4)] unit adopts a typical paddle-wheel conformation. The center between the two Ni(II) atoms represents a crystallographic center of inversion. In addition, each Ni(II) ion also coordinates to one O atom from a benzoic acid mol-ecule. The crystal packing is realised by inter-molecular hydrogen-bonding inter-actions and π-π stacking inter-actions, with a centroid-centroid distance of 3.921 (1) Å.

Naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetra-carboxylic acid 1,8-anhydride-4,4'-bipyridine (1/1).

The title compound, C(14)H(6)O(7)·C(10)H(8)N(2), has been hydro-thermally synthesized. Structural ananlysis indicates that the crystals are produced by cocrystallization of naphthalene-1,4,5,8-tetra-carboxylic acid 1,8-anhydride and 4,4'-bipyridine (bpy) mol-ecules. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter-molecular O-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-centroid distances = 3.5846 (9) Å].