A highly sensitive electrochemical sensor based on poly(3-aminobenzoic acid)/graphene oxide-gold nanoparticles modified screen printed carbon electrode for paraquat detection.

Herein, a modified screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) based on a composite material, graphene oxide-gold nanoparticles (GO-AuNPs), and poly(3-aminobenzoic acid)(P3ABA) for the detection of paraquat (PQ) is introduced. The modified electrode was fabricated by drop casting of the GO-AuNPs, followed by electropolymerization of 3-aminobenzoic acid to achieve SPCE/GO-AuNPs/P3ABA. The morphology and microstructural characteristics of the modified electrodes were revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for each step of modification. The composite GO-AuNPs can provide high surface area and enhance electroconductivity of the electrode. In addition, the presence of negatively charged P3ABA notably improved PQ adsorption and electron transfer rate, which stimulate redox reaction on the modified electrode, thus improving the sensitivity of PQ analysis. The SPCE/GO-AuNPs/P3ABA offered a wide linear range of PQ determination (10-9-10-4 mol/L) and low limit of detection (LOD) of 0.45 × 10-9 mol/L or 0.116 µg/L, which is far below international safety regulations. The modified electrode showed minimum interference effect with percent recovery ranging from 96.5% to 116.1% after addition of other herbicides, pesticides, metal ions, and additives. The stability of the SPCE/GO-AuNPs/P3ABA was evaluated, and the results indicated negligible changes in the detection signal over 9 weeks. Moreover, this modified electrode was successfully implemented for PQ analysis in both natural and tapped water with high accuracy.

Solution-processed NO2 gas sensor based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)-doped PbS quantum dots operable at room temperature.

The global industrial development and increase in the number of transportation vehicles, such as automobiles and ships, have led to a steady increase in the issues related to greenhouse gas emissions. NO2 is a greenhouse gas emitted in large quantities from automobiles and factories, and its emission is unavoidable in the modern world. Therefore, a sensor capable of precise detection of NO2 is required. The most commonly reported types of NO2 sensors are those based on metal oxides. However, their operation at room temperature is impossible owing to their high-temperature operating characteristics, and therefore, a heater must be designed inside or installed outside the sensor for heating. Meanwhile, NO2 sensors based on PbS quantum dots (QDs) are advantageous as they can operate at room temperature and can be easily manufactured through a solution process rather than a complicated semiconductor process. Herein, a NO2 sensor was fabricated by doping PbS QDs with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). The as-developed sensor exhibited high responsivity to 100-0.4-ppm NO2 gas with a resolution of 200 ppb owing to the stability of the thin film and high hole mobility of P3HT.

Mismatch Negativity and P3a in Unaffected Siblings of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Exploration on the Neurocognitive Implications.

Evidence suggests different mismatch negativity (MMN) and P3a responses in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since unaffected siblings shared aberrant neurocognition and brain connectivity with ASD probands, this study investigated MMN and P3a responses in unaffected siblings and explored its neurocognitive implications and effects modifiers. We assessed 43 unaffected siblings of ASD probands and 64 non-autistic comparisons (NTC) using MMN and P3a on both frequency and duration oddball paradigms. The amplitude and latency of MMN and P3a were compared between unaffected siblings and NTC, and validated in 67 ASD probands. In addition, the neurocognitive correlates of MMN and P3a parameters were explored in attention performance, spatial working memory (SWM), and visual research via the tasks of the Conners' Continuous Performance Test and the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Compared to NTC, unaffected siblings and ASD probands presented a shorter MMN latency. The P3a amplitude of the duration paradigm (dP3a) was correlated with fewer commission errors, fewer SWM total errors, higher detectability, and more correct responses on visual search tasks. In addition, the dP3a amplitude significantly interacted with sibship, age, and full-scale IQ to predict attention performance, SWM total errors, and total correct response on visual search. Findings suggest that unaffected siblings of ASD may have earlier brain responses upon novelty discrimination. P3a amplitude may correlate with better neurocognitive performance, but the effect was moderated by sibship, age, and intelligence.

Neuromelanin-targeted 18 F-P3BZA PET/MR imaging of the substantia nigra in rhesus macaques.

BACKGROUND: Neuromelanin is mostly located in dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) pars compacta, and can be detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It is a promising imaging-base biomarker for neurological diseases. We previously developed a melanin-specific probe N-(2-(diethylamino)-ethyl)-18F-5-fluoropicolinamide (18F-P3BZA), which was initially developed for the imaging of melanoma. 18F-P3BZA exhibited high levels of binding to the melanin in vitro and in vivo with high retention and favorable pharmacokinetics. In this study we further investigated whether 18F-P3BZA could be used to quantitatively detect neuromelanin in the SN in healthy rhesus macaques. RESULTS: 18F-P3BZA exhibited desired hydrophobicity with estimated log Know 5.08 and log D7.4 1.68. 18F-P3BZA readily crossed the blood-brain barrier with brain transport coefficients (Kin) of 40 ± 8 µL g-1s-1. 18F-P3BZA accumulated specifically in neuromelanotic PC12 cells, melanin-rich melanoma cells, and melanoma xenografts. Binding of 18F-P3BZA to B16F10 cells was much higher than to SKOV3 cells at 60 min (6.17 ± 0.53%IA and 0.24 ± 0.05%IA, respectively). In the biodistribution study, 18F-P3BZA had higher accumulation in B16F10 tumors (6.31 ± 0.99%IA/g) than in SKOV3 tumors (0.25 ± 0.09%IA/g). Meanwhile, 18F-P3BZA uptake in B16F10 tumors could be blocked by excess cold 19F-P3BZA (0.81 ± 0.02%IA/g, 88% inhibition, p < 0.05). PET/MRI 18F-P3BZA provided clear visualization of neuromelanin-rich SN at 30-60 min after injection in healthy macaques. The SN to cerebella ratios were 2.7 and 2.4 times higher at 30 and 60 min after injection. In in vitro autoradiography studies 18F-P3BZA exhibited high levels of binding to the SN, and almost no binding to surrounding midbrain tissues. CONCLUSION: 18F-P3BZA PET/MRI clearly images neuromelanin in the SN, and may assist in the early diagnosis of neurological diseases associated with abnormal neuromelanin expression.

Assessing the ecological consequences of biodegradable plastics: Acute, chronic and multigenerational impacts of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate microplastics on freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna.

Microplastics, pervasive contaminants in freshwater ecosystems, have raised ecological concerns. Efforts are underway to substitute conventional plastics with biodegradable alternatives that should be more easily decomposed in the environment. However, the biodegradation of these alternatives depends on specific conditions such as temperature, humidity, pH, and microorganisms, which are not always met. Consequently, these biodegradable alternatives can also fragment and generate microplastics, which can be ingested and affect biota. In this study, we investigated the acute, chronic, and multigenerational effects of two fractions (particles <63 µm and particles <125 µm) of biodegradable poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) at varying concentrations on the inhibition, mortality, reproduction activity, and growth of the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia magna. No acute effects were observed for either size fraction. However, during chronic and multigenerational experiments, an increase in the concentration of P3HB microplastics corresponded with increased mortality, reduced reproductive activity, and slower growth among the mother organisms. Given the important role of D. magna in the food chain, these findings suggest that biodegradable microplastics may indeed negatively affect freshwater ecosystems.

Novel differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) application to select polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) producers correlating 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3-HHx) monomer with melting enthalpy.

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is an environmental alternative to petroleum-based plastics because of its biodegradability. The polymer properties of PHA have been improved by the incorporation of different monomers. Traditionally, the monomer composition of PHA has been analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), providing accurate monomer composition. However, sequential analysis of the thermal properties of PHA using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) remains necessary, providing crucial insights into its thermal characteristics. To shorten the monomer composition and thermal property analysis, we directly applied DSC to the analysis of the obtained PHA film and observed a high correlation (r2 = 0.98) between melting enthalpy and the 3-hydroxyhexanoate (3-HHx) mole fraction in the polymer. A higher 3-HHx fraction resulted in a lower melting enthalpy as 3-HHx provided the polymer with higher flexibility. Based on this, we selected the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (P(3HB-co-3HHx)) producing strain from Cupriavidus strains that newly screened and transformed with vectors containing P(3HB-co-3HHx) biosynthetic genes, achieving an average error rate below 1.8% between GC and DSC results. Cupriavidus sp. BK2 showed a high 3-HHx mole fraction, up to 10.38 mol%, with Tm (℃) = 171.5 and ΔH of Tm (J/g) = 48.0, simultaneously detected via DSC. This study is an example of the expansion of DSC for PHA analysis from polymer science to microbial engineering.

Lower frequency range of auditory input facilitates stream segregation in older adults.

The current study investigated the effect of lower frequency input on stream segregation acuity in older, normal hearing adults. Using event-related brain potentials (ERPs) and perceptual performance measures, we previously showed that stream segregation abilities were less proficient in older compared to younger adults. However, in that study we used frequency ranges greater than 1500 Hz. In the current study, we lowered the target frequency range below 1500 Hz and found similar stream segregation abilities in younger and older adults. These results indicate that the perception of complex auditory scenes is influenced by the spectral content of the auditory input and suggest that lower frequency ranges of input in older adults may facilitate listening ability in complex auditory environments. These results also have implications for the advancement of prosthetic devices.

Habituation of Central and Electrodermal Responses to an Auditory Two-Stimulus Oddball Paradigm.

The orienting reaction (OR) towards a new stimulus is subject to habituation, i.e., progressively attenuates with stimulus repetition. The skin conductance responses (SCRs) are known to represent a reliable measure of OR at the peripheral level. Yet, it is still a matter of debate which of the P3 subcomponents is the most likely to represent the central counterpart of the OR. The aim of the present work was to study habituation, recovery, and dishabituation phenomena intrinsic to a two-stimulus auditory oddball paradigm, one of the most-used paradigms both in research and clinic, by simultaneously recording SCRs and P3 in twenty healthy volunteers. Our findings show that the target stimulus was capable of triggering a more marked OR, as indexed by both SCRs and P3, compared to the standard stimulus, that could be due to its affective saliency and relevance for task completion; the application of temporal principal components analysis (PCA) to the P3 complex allowed us to identify several subcomponents including both early and late P3a (eP3a; lP3a), P3b, novelty P3 (nP3), and both a positive and a negative Slow Wave (+SW; -SW). Particularly, lP3a and P3b subcomponents showed a similar behavior to that observed for SCRs , suggesting them as central counterparts of OR. Finally, the P3 evoked by the first standard stimulus after the target showed a significant dishabituation phenomenon which could represent a sign of the local stimulus change. However, it did not reach a sufficient level to trigger an SCR/OR since it did not represent a salient event in the context of the task.

Bone Turnover Markers during Growth Hormone Therapy for Short Stature Children Born Small for Gestational Age.

Growth hormone therapy (GHT) can improve growth velocity and final height, but can also accelerate the process of bone growth, which is related to structural bone modeling in both formation and resorption. This study evaluated the capacity of bone turnover markers to predict early growth response to one year of GHT in short stature children born small for gestational age (SGA). This study included 25 prepubertal children born SGA. We estimated P1NP (N-terminal procollagen type 1), CTX (C-terminal telopeptide of collagen type 1), P3NP (N-terminal procollagen type 3), NT-pro-CNP (amino-terminal C-type natriuretic peptide) and Ca-P metabolism using standard ECLIA (electrochemiluminescence), RIA (radioimmunoassay), and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) methods. A statistically significant increase in bone resorption markers (CTX) was found at both 6 and 12 months. P1NP bone markers were increased at 6 months and after 12 months of therapy. The P3NP marker for collagen synthesis also increased after 12 months of therapy. We obtained significant increases in phosphorus levels at 6 and 12 months, and similar ALP (alkaline phosphatase) increases. We found a significant correlation between height (cm) and CTX after 6-12 months, as well as a P1NP/height (SD) correlation after 12 months. Calcium levels significantly correlated with height (SD) after 12 months. We found strong reactions of bone resorption and bone formation markers during growth hormone therapy, which may determine their selection as predictors of GHT outcome in children born SGA. However, the issue requires further research.

Monetary reward enhances response inhibition processes manifested in No-go P3.

This study investigated the impact of motivational valence on No-go P3 and N2 by incorporating monetary rewards based on response outcomes. We also investigated how personality differences in terms of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral approach system (BAS) influenced No-go N2 and No-go P3. Twenty-eight participants performed Go/No-go tasks (80 % Go and 20 % No-go) under two conditions. In the reward condition, each correct-rejection trial for the No-go stimulus was rewarded with 10 yen (∼6 cents), whereas in the neutral condition, neither monetary rewards nor punishments were contingent on response outcomes. Individual responsiveness to punishment and rewards was evaluated using the BIS and BAS scales. The error rate was significantly lower in the reward condition than in the neutral condition. P3 amplitude for correct-rejection trials (i.e., preceding erroneous muscular activity on the wrong hand) was larger in the reward condition than in the neutral condition; however, N2 amplitudes did not differ between the two conditions. These results suggest that monetary rewards may enhance motor inhibition control. Individuals with a higher BIS score exhibited a larger No-go N2 for correct-rejection in the neutral condition. We conclude that No-go N2 amplitude is modulated by avoidance motivation.

The AP-1 adaptor complex is essential for intracellular trafficking of the ORF2 capsid protein and assembly of Hepatitis E virus.

Although the Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an emerging global health burden, little is known about its interaction with the host cell. HEV genome encodes three proteins including the ORF2 capsid protein that is produced in different forms, the ORF2i protein which is the structural component of viral particles, and the ORF2g/c proteins which are massively secreted but are not associated with infectious material. We recently demonstrated that the endocytic recycling compartment (ERC) is hijacked by HEV to serve as a viral factory. However, host determinants involved in the subcellular shuttling of viral proteins to viral factories are unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the AP-1 adaptor complex plays a pivotal role in the targeting of ORF2i protein to viral factories. This complex belongs to the family of adaptor proteins that are involved in vesicular transport between the trans-Golgi network and early/recycling endosomes. An interplay between the AP-1 complex and viral protein(s) has been described for several viral lifecycles. In the present study, we demonstrated that the ORF2i protein colocalizes and interacts with the AP-1 adaptor complex in HEV-producing or infected cells. We showed that silencing or drug-inhibition of the AP-1 complex prevents ORF2i protein localization in viral factories and reduces viral production in hepatocytes. Modeling of the ORF2i/AP-1 complex also revealed that the S domain of ORF2i likely interacts with the σ1 subunit of AP-1 complex. Hence, our study identified for the first time a host factor involved in addressing HEV proteins (i.e. ORF2i protein) to viral factories.

Achieving Superior Cyclability Pouch Cells with Oxygen Vacancy-Moderated P'2/P3 Hybrid Layered Sodium Cathode Materials.

Layered P2-type sodium manganese oxide has emerged as a promising cathode candidate for sodium-ion batteries due to its appealing cost-effectiveness and high discharge voltage. However, its practical capacity within the voltage range of 2.0-4.0 V (vs Na+/Na) is relatively low, and its rate capability is hampered by the adverse charge/vacancy ordering during charge/discharge. In this study, a layered P'2/P3 mixed-phase Na0.8-aMn0.675Ni0.225Li0.1O2-x cathode with high (003) crystal plane intensity was designed by introducing oxygen vacancies to P2-structured materials. Aided by these advantages, the hybrid cathode material demonstrates impressive structural and thermal stability and faster Na-ion diffusion kinetics compared to a regular P2 material. Half-cell shows an initial discharge capacity retention of 101 mA h/g at 12 mA/g and 92.25% retention after 500 cycles at 120 mA/g. In combination with a hard carbon anode, the 0.5 A h pouch cell achieved a prevailing capacity retention of 95.2% after 2600 cycles at 36 mA/g. This work opens new dimensions for layered cathode materials with the aim of achieving superior cyclabilities.

No electrophysiological evidence for semantic processing during inattentional blindness.

A long-standing question concerns whether sensory input can reach semantic stages of processing in the absence of attention and awareness. Here, we examine whether the N400, an event related potential associated with semantic processing, can occur under conditions of inattentional blindness. By employing a novel three-phase inattentional blindness paradigm designed to maximise the opportunity for detecting an N400, we found no evidence for it when participants were inattentionally blind to the eliciting stimuli (related and unrelated word pairs). In contrast, participants noticed the same task-irrelevant word pairs when minimal attention was allocated to them, and a small N400 became evident. When the same stimuli were fully attended and relevant to the task, a robust N400 was observed. In addition to univariate ERP measures, multivariate decoding analyses were unable to classify related from unrelated word pairs when observers were inattentionally blind to the words, with decoding reaching above-chance levels only when the words were (at least minimally) attended. By comparison, decoding reached above-chance levels when contrasting word pairs with non-word stimuli, even when participants were inattentionally blind to these stimuli. Our results also replicated several previous studies by finding a "visual awareness negativity" (VAN) that distinguished task-irrelevant stimuli that participants noticed compared with those that were not perceived, and a P3b (or "late positivity") that was evident only when the stimuli were task relevant. Together, our findings suggest that semantic processing might require at least a minimal amount of attention.

Thermal stability of bivalent cation/phosphoinositide domains in model membranes.

As key mediators in a wide array of signaling events, phosphoinositides (PIPs) orchestrate the recruitment of proteins to specific cellular locations at precise moments. This intricate spatiotemporal regulation of protein activity often necessitates the localized enrichment of the corresponding PIP. We investigate the extent and thermal stabilities of phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PI(4)P), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2 and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) clusters with calcium and magnesium ions. We observe negligible or minimal clustering of all examined PIPs in the presence of Mg2+ ions. While PI(4)P shows in the presence of Ca2+ no clustering, PI(4,5)P2 forms with Ca2+ strong clusters that exhibit stablity up to at least 80°C. The extent of cluster formation for the interaction of PI(3,4,5)P3 with Ca2+ is less than what was observed for PI(4,5)P2, yet we still observe some clustering up to 80°C. Given that cholesterol has been demonstrated to enhance PIP clustering, we examined whether bivalent cations and cholesterol synergistically promote PIP clustering. We found that the interaction of Mg2+ or Ca2+ with PI(4)P remains extraordinarily weak, even in the presence of cholesterol. In contrast, we observe synergistic interaction of cholesterol and Ca2+ with PI(4,5)P2. Also, in the presence of cholesterol, the interaction of Mg2+ with PI(4,5)P2 remains weak. PI(3,4,5)P3 does not show strong clustering with cholesterol for the experimental conditions of our study and the interaction with Ca2+ and Mg2+ was not influenced by the presence of cholesterol.

Overt and Covert Effects of Mental Fatigue on Attention Networks: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials during the Attention Network Test.

Mental fatigue is a variation in the psychophysiological state that subjects encounter during or after prolonged cognitive activity periods, affecting top-down attention and cognitive control. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of mental fatigue on attention in the context of the three attention networks according to the Posnerian model (alerting, orienting, and executive networks) by combining the Attentional Network Test (ANT) and event-related potentials technique. Thirty healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. A continuous arithmetic task lasting one hour induced mental fatigue, and EEG recordings were conducted before and after the task while subjects were performing the ANT. The efficiencies of three networks were comparable between groups, while RTs shortened only in the control group and the accuracy related to the alerting and conflict networks declined only after mental effort. Mental fatigue reduced N1 amplitude during alerting network engagement and p3 amplitude during orienting. It also reduced N2 and P3 amplitude during the conflict, particularly the incongruent target-locked response. These findings underscore the covert effects of mental fatigue on attention, suggesting that even in healthy young subjects, compensatory mechanisms may maintain adequate overt performances, but fatigue still has a detrimental effect on top-down attentional mechanisms.

Designing Accurate Moment Tensor Potentials for Phonon-Related Properties of Crystalline Polymers.

The phonon-related properties of crystalline polymers are highly relevant for various applications. Their simulation is, however, particularly challenging, as the systems that need to be modeled are often too extended to be treated by ab initio methods, while classical force fields are too inaccurate. Machine-learned potentials parametrized against material-specific ab initio data hold the promise of being extremely accurate and also highly efficient. Still, for their successful application, protocols for their parametrization need to be established to ensure an optimal performance, and the resulting potentials need to be thoroughly benchmarked. These tasks are tackled in the current manuscript, where we devise a protocol for parametrizing moment tensor potentials (MTPs) to describe the structural properties, phonon band structures, elastic constants, and forces in molecular dynamics simulations for three prototypical crystalline polymers: polyethylene (PE), polythiophene (PT), and poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT). For PE, the thermal conductivity and thermal expansion are also simulated and compared to experiments. A central element of the approach is to choose training data in view of the considered use case of the MTPs. This not only yields a massive speedup for complex calculations while essentially maintaining DFT accuracy, but also enables the reliable simulation of properties that, so far, have been entirely out of reach.

(Bio)degradable Biochar Composites of PLA/P(3HB-co-4HB) Commercial Blend for Sustainable Future-Study on Degradation and Electrostatic Properties.

Interesting alternatives to expensive biodegradable polymers are their composites with natural fillers. The addition of biochar to a blend of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate) was studied, and the resulting materials were evaluated for their properties and changes during degradation. Introducing biochar as a filler brought a noticeable improvement in electrostatic properties. Surface resistivity decreased from 3.80 × 1012 for the sample without biochar to 1.32 × 1012 for the sample with 30% filler content. Degradation tests revealed distinct differences in the degradation profile for composites due to the presence of filler. Composites with a lower biochar content displayed curling crack edges during hydrolytic degradation, and when the filler content reached 20 wt%, PLA loss accelerated. This study suggests that biochar-based composites have potential to be used as sustainable materials with improved properties.

Social observation modulates the influence of socioeconomic status on pro-environmental behavior: an event-related potential study.

Understanding the psychological antecedents of socioeconomic status (SES) on pro-environmental behavior is crucial for effectively encouraging individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds to address environmental issues. Previous research has separately examined the influence of SES and social observation on pro-environmental behavior. However, little is known about whether social observation moderates the influence of SES on pro-environmental behavior, and the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms remain uncharacterized. Using event-related potential (ERPs), we adopted the green purchase paradigm and manipulated subjective SES, to examine whether the influence of SES on pro-environmental behavior is moderated by social observation. The behavioral results revealed that individuals of high SES tended to purchase more eco-friendly products under the observable condition than those in the non-observable condition. The ERP results revealed that participants with high SES exhibited more negative N2 and N400 amplitude during environmental decisions in the non-observable condition than in the observable condition, indicating that high SES individuals experience less cognitive conflict during environmental decisions, which may reflect the attenuated cost-benefit trade-off due to reputational incentives in the presence of observers. Additionally, individuals with high SES exhibited greater reputational motivation when observed, as indicated by larger P3 amplitude. However, these differences were not observed among individuals with low SES. These findings suggest that SES is associated with distinct psychological and behavioral differences in pro-environmental behavior, moderated by social observation, evident across both the early and later stages of environmental decisions in the brain.

Design of Broadband High-Frequency Multi-Throw RF-MEMS Switches.

This paper introduces a broadband triple-pole triple-throw (3P3T) RF MEMS switch with a frequency range from DC to 380 GHz. The switch achieves precise signal control and efficient modulation through its six-port design. It achieves an insertion loss of -0.66 dB across its frequency range, with isolation and return loss metrics of -32 dB and -15 dB, respectively. With its low actuation voltage of 6.8 V and rapid response time of 2.28 µs, the switch exemplifies power-efficient and prompt switching performance. The compact design is ideal for integration into space-conscious systems. This switch is pivotal for 6G research and has potential applications in satellite communications, military radar systems, and next-generation radio applications that require multi-antenna access.

Unraveling the Photovoltage Formation Mechanism in Indium-Tin Oxide Branched Nanowires/Poly(3-Hexylthiophene) Photorechargeable Supercapacitors.

Photorechargeable supercapacitors are promising next-generation renewable energy storage devices. Previously, a hybrid structure consisting of indium-tin oxide branched nanowires (ITO BRs) and poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) was demonstrated as a photorechargeable supercapacitor. However, the formation mechanism of photovoltage has not been studied. Herein, we experimentally investigated the photovoltage-determining parameters in the ITO BRs/P3HT photorechargeable supercapacitor by inserting a polyethylenimine ethoxylated (PEIE) interlayer or adding a phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) electron acceptor. Coating the PEIE interlayer on ITO BRs decreased the work function by 0.5 eV and hindered the hole extraction from P3HT to ITO BRs, leading to interfacial recombination and a decrease in photovoltage. On the other hand, the addition of PCBM promoted the charge transfer of the electrons from P3HT to PCBM, enhanced the redox reaction at the PCBM/electrolyte interface, and reduced the number of accumulated electrons, leading to a decreased photovoltage. From these results, we found that two key parameters determine the photovoltage and charge storage capability; one is the interfacial recombination at the ITO BRs/P3HT interface and the other is the redox reaction at the P3HT/electrolyte interface.