Reliable biological and multi-omics research through biometrology.

Metrology is the science of measurement and its applications, whereas biometrology is the science of biological measurement and its applications. Biometrology aims to achieve accuracy and consistency of biological measurements by focusing on the development of metrological traceability, biological reference measurement procedures, and reference materials. Irreproducibility of biological and multi-omics research results from different laboratories, platforms, and analysis methods is hampering the translation of research into clinical uses and can often be attributed to the lack of biologists' attention to the general principles of metrology. In this paper, the progresses of biometrology including metrology on nucleic acid, protein, and cell measurements and its impacts on the improvement of reliability and comparability in biological research are reviewed. Challenges in obtaining more reliable biological and multi-omics measurements due to the lack of primary reference measurement procedures and new standards for biological reference materials faced by biometrology are discussed. In the future, in addition to establishing reliable reference measurement procedures, developing reference materials from single or multiple parameters to multi-omics scale should be emphasized. Thinking in way of biometrology is warranted for facilitating the translation of high-throughput omics research into clinical practices.

Association between nocturnal blood pressure phenotype and adverse cardiovascular prognosis in patients with coronary heart disease and hypertension.

Nocturnal blood pressure and nighttime dipping patterns are associated with the occurrence of cardiovascular events. However, there is few research on whether riser pattern is associated with the poor prognosis of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and hypertension independent of nighttime systolic blood pressure (SBP). This prospective and observational clinical study included 568 hospitalized patients with CHD and hypertension. All patients underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring during their hospitalization. Multivariate adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were utilized to examine the associations of nocturnal blood pressure and dipping status with primary endpoint events. Additionally, Harrell's C-statistics were employed to compare the discriminative ability of each model. During the 1-year follow-up period, 64 (11.3%) primary endpoint events were recorded, including 55 (9.7%) atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events. After adjusting for demographic and clinical risk variables, nighttime SBP was significantly related to the risk of incident primary endpoint events [per 20 mm Hg increase: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.775, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.256-2.507]. The riser pattern group exhibited a significantly higher risk for primary endpoint events compared to the dipper pattern group, even after adjusting for office SBP (HR: 2.687, 95% CI: 1.015-7.110, p = .047). Furthermore, the addition of nighttime SBP or dipping status to the base model yielded statistically significant increments in C-statistic values (p = .036 and p = .007). However, adding both nighttime SBP and dipping status did not significantly enhance the model's performance in predicting the risk of primary endpoint events and ASCVD events according to the C-index (p = .053 and p = .054), which meant that the riser pattern group did not exhibit a significantly higher risk for primary endpoint events compared to the dipper pattern group after adjusting for nighttime SBP. In conclusion, nocturnal SBP and riser pattern demonstrated an association with adverse prognosis in patients with CHD and hypertension. Notably, nocturnal SBP proved to be a more reliable predictor than dipping status.

Early signaling enhance heat tolerance in Arabidopsis through modulating jasmonic acid synthesis mediated by HSFA2.

Given the detrimental impact of global warming on crop production, it is particularly important to understand how plants respond and adapt to higher temperatures. Using the non-invasive micro-test technique and laser confocal microscopy, we found that the cascade process of early signals (K+, H2O2, H+, and Ca2+) ultimately resulted in an increase in the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration when Arabidopsis was exposed to heat stress. Quantitative real-time PCR demonstrated that heat stress significantly up-regulated the expression of CAM1, CAM3 and HSFA2; however, after CAM1 and CAM3 mutation, the upregulation of HSFA2 was reduced. In addition, heat stress affected the expression of LOX3 and OPR3, which was not observed when HSFA2 was mutated. Luciferase reporter gene expression assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that HSFA2 regulated the expression of both genes. Determination of jasmonic acid (JA) content showed that JA synthesis was promoted by heat stress, but was damaged when HSFA2 and OPR3 were mutated. Finally, physiological experiments showed that JA reduced the relative electrical conductivity of leaves, enhanced chlorophyll content and relative water content, and improved the survival rate of Arabidopsis under heat stress. Together, our results reveal a new pathway for Arabidopsis to sense and transmit heat signals; HSFA2 is involved in the JA synthesis, which can act as a defensive compound improving Arabidopsis heat tolerance.

Coordinated activation of DNMT3a and TET2 in cancer stem cell-like cells initiates and sustains drug resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Resistance to targeted therapies represents a significant hurdle to successfully treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While epigenetic abnormalities are critical determinants of HCC relapse and therapeutic resistance, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We aimed to address whether and how dysregulated epigenetic regulators have regulatory and functional communications in establishing and maintaining drug resistance. METHODS: HCC-resistant cells were characterized by CCK-8, IncuCyte Live-Cell analysis, flow cytometry and wound-healing assays. Target expression was assessed by qPCR and Western blotting. Global and promoter DNA methylation was measured by dotblotting, methylated-DNA immunoprecipitation and enzymatic digestion. Protein interaction and promoter binding of DNMT3a-TET2 were investigated by co-immunoprecipitation, ChIP-qPCR. The regulatory and functional roles of DNMT3a and TET2 were studied by lentivirus infection and puromycin selection. The association of DNMT and TET expression with drug response and survival of HCC patients was assessed by public datasets, spearman correlation coefficients and online tools. RESULTS: We identified the coordination of DNMT3a and TET2 as an actionable mechanism of drug resistance in HCC. The faster growth and migration of resistant HCC cells were attributed to DNMT3a and TET2 upregulation followed by increased 5mC and 5hmC production. HCC patients with higher DNMT3a and TET2 had a shorter survival time with a less favorable response to sorafenib therapy than those with lower expression. Cancer stem cell-like cells (CSCs) displayed DNMT3a and TET2 overexpression, which were insensitive to sorafenib. Either genetic or pharmacological suppression of DNMT3a or/and TET2 impaired resistant cell growth and oncosphere formation, and restored sorafenib sensitivity. Mechanistically, DNMT3a did not establish a regulatory circuit with TET2, but formed a complex with TET2 and HDAC2. This complex bound the promoters of oncogenes (i.e., CDK1, CCNA2, RASEF), and upregulated them without involving promoter DNA methylation. In contrast, DNMT3a-TET2 crosstalk silences tumor suppressors (i.e., P15, SOCS2) through a corepressor complex with HDAC2 along with increased promoter DNA methylation. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that DNMT3a and TET2 act coordinately to regulate HCC cell fate in DNA methylation-dependent and -independent manners, representing strong predictors for drug resistance and poor prognosis, and thus are promising therapeutic targets for refractory HCC.

Application of the superior mesenteric artery-first approach in laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy: A literature review.

Background: Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy (LPD) is a complicated surgical procedure that has recently been performed safely. A superior mesenteric artery (SMA)-first approach can allow complete mesopancreas resection, maximizing surgical margins and R0 resection rates. Therefore, the SMA-first approach is recommended. This review is a literature summary of recent updates of the SMA approaches for LPD and informs clinical practice of the advantages of its various approach. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed on the PubMed (MEDLINE) database using truncated word searches and medical subject headings to identify all pertinent published studies. Results: After searching PubMed, 303 studies were identified and reviewed, of which 25 described the SMA-first approach, including the anterior, posterior, right, and left approaches, fully described in 5, 6, 13, and 6 articles, respectively. Conclusions: The SMA-first approach is the standard surgical technique for LPD. This review summarized each SMA-first approach's distinct advantages and indications.

Development of an insulin-like growth factor-1 certified reference material by SI-traceable isotope-dilution mass spectrometry.

In this study, an insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) certified reference material (CRM) was developed by the National Institute of Metrology (NIM), and two different principles for evaluating the IGF-1 CRM were established. After optimisation of the acid hydrolysis conditions (110 °C, 36 h), quantitative determination of peptide purity, and chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection, amino acid analysis-based high-performance liquid chromatography combined with isotope-dilution tandem mass spectrometry (AAA-HPLC-IDMS/MS) and peptide analysis-based HPLC-IDMS/MS (Peptide-HPLC-IDMS/MS) were used for certified value assignment; the results obtained were 136.28 and 135.01 µg/g, respectively, which were in good agreement. These results were subjected to the normal distribution test, outlier test, and method consistency test. The homogeneity and stability of the reference materials were also examined, and the uncertainty introduced in the experimental process was calculated. The final certified value was (136 ± 15) µg g-1 (k = 2). The CRM was found to be stable for at least six months when stored at -70 °C and for 7 d when stored at higher temperatures (-20 °C, 4 °C, 25 °C, or 40 °C). The CRM is expected to be used as a primary calibrator for quality control in biopharmaceutical production and clinical diagnostics.

AnWRKY29 and AnHSP90 synergistically modulate trehalose levels in a desert shrub leaves during osmotic stress.

Trehalose, a biological macromolecule with osmotic adjustment properties, plays a crucial role during osmotic stress. As a psammophyte, Ammopiptanthus nanus relies on the accumulation of organic solutes to respond to osmotic stress. We utilized virus-induced gene silencing technology for the first time in the desert shrub A. nanus to confirm the central regulatory role of AnWRKY29 in osmotic stress, as it controls the transcription of AnTPS11 (trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 11). Further investigation has shown that AnHSP90 may interact with AnWRKY29. The AnHSP90 gene is sensitive to osmotic stress, underscoring its pivotal role in orchestrating the response to such adverse conditions. By directly targeting the W-box element within the AnTPS11 promoter, AnWRKY29 effectively enhances the transcriptional activity of AnTPS11, which is facilitated by AnHSP90. This discovery highlights the critical role of AnWRKY29 and AnHSP90 in enabling organisms to adapt to and cope effectively with osmotic stress, which can be a crucial factor in A. nanus survival and overall ecological resilience. Collectively, uncovering the molecular mechanisms underlying the osmotic responses of A. nanus is paramount for comprehending and augmenting the osmotic tolerance mechanisms of psammophyte shrub plants.

Organic Electrolyte Additive: Dual Functions Toward Fast Sulfur Conversion and Stable Li Deposition for Advanced Li-S Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is of great potential for the next generation energy storage device due to the high specific capacity energy density. However, the sluggish kinetics of S redox and the dendrite Li growth are the main challenges to hinder its commercial application. Herein, an organic electrolyte additive, i.e., benzyl chloride (BzCl), is applied as the remedy to address the two issues. In detail, BzCl can split into Bz· radical to react with the polysulfides, forming a Bz-S-Bz intermediate, which changes the conversion path of S and improves the kinetics by accelerating the S splitting. Meanwhile, a tight and robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) rich in inorganic ingredients namely LiCl, LiF, and Li2 O, is formed on the surface of Li metal, accelerating the ion conductivity and blocking the decomposition of the solvent and lithium polysulfides. Therefore, the Li-S battery with BzCl as the additive remains high capacity of 693.2 mAh g-1 after 220 cycles at 0.5 C with a low decay rate of 0.11%. This work provides a novel strategy to boost the electrochemical performances in both cathode and anode and gives a guide on the electrolyte design toward high-performance Li-S batteries.

A transcriptome based molecular classification scheme for cholangiocarcinoma and subtype-derived prognostic biomarker.

Previous studies on the molecular classification of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) focused on certain anatomical sites, and disregarded tissue contamination biases in transcriptomic profiles. We aim to provide universal molecular classification scheme and prognostic biomarker of CCAs across anatomical locations. Comprehensive bioinformatics analysis is performed on transcriptomic data from 438 CCA cases across various anatomical locations. After excluding CCA tumors showing normal tissue expression patterns, we identify two universal molecular subtypes across anatomical subtypes, explore the molecular, clinical, and microenvironmental features of each class. Subsequently, a 30-gene classifier and a biomarker (called "CORE-37") are developed to predict the molecular subtype of CCA and prognosis, respectively. Two subtypes display distinct molecular characteristics and survival outcomes. Key findings are validated in external cohorts regardless of the stage and anatomical location. Our study provides a CCA classification scheme that complements the conventional anatomy-based classification and presents a promising prognostic biomarker for clinical application.

Traditional Chinese medicine residue enzymatic hydrolysates for production of polyhydroxyalkanoate by newly isolated Bacillus altitudinis.

Traditional Chinese medicine residue (TCMR) was utilized as an inexpensive carbon source for the production of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) using the newly isolated Bacillus altitudinis HBU-SI7. The results showed that Yu Ping Feng TCMR could be directly hydrolysed by cellulase to obtain a high proportion of glucose (99 % of total sugar) without pretreatment, achieving an enzymatic hydrolysis rate of up to 89.2 %. B. altitudinis could grow and produce PHB when using enzymatically hydrolysed TCMR in a 5-L fermenter. After 20 h of fermentation, the maximum concentration of PHB was 11.2 g/L, and the highest cell dry weight (CDW) was 15.4 g/L, with 72.7 % of the PHB fraction in CDW. Moreover, this strain could utilize enzymatic hydrolysates from various herbal formulas to produce high levels of PHB. This novel approach aims to accumulate PHB from TCMR hydrolysates, offering an effective and environmentally friendly method to reduce production costs and achieve mass production.

Laparoscopic Duodenum-Preserving Pancreatic Head Resection: A Technique for the Treatment of Benign or Low-Grade Malignant Tumors (10 Cases Report).

Background: Laparoscopic duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (LDPPHR) is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the pancreatic head while aiming to preserve the integrity of the digestive and biliary tracts. With advancements in laparoscopic techniques, the utilization of LDPPHR has been increasing. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 10 patients who underwent laparoscopic duodenum-preserving total pancreatic head resection (LDPPHR-t) at our center from June 2019 to October 2021. Additionally, we analyzed the use of indocyanine green (ICG) in the initial stage of LDPPHR, based on current reports. Results: LDPPHR-t was successfully performed in all patients. After surgery, 3 patients experienced pancreatic fistula (Grade B), 2 patients experienced bile leakage, and 2 patients experienced postoperative hemorrhage. However, no patient exhibited recurrence or required secondary surgery. Conclusion: LDPPHR-t is a new method for treating benign and low-grade malignant tumors in the pancreatic head. However, it is associated with a high incidence of postoperative complications. In the initial stage, the use of ICG can assist surgeons in identifying the biliary duct and pancreaticoduodenal artery arcade.

Screening and Evaluation of Children's Sensitively Toxic Chemicals in New Mosquito Repellent Products Based on a Nationwide Investigation.

New mosquito repellent products (NMRPs) are emerging popular repellents among children. There are increasing reports on children's sensitization reactions caused by NMRPs, while regulations on their productions, sales, or usage are still lacking. One of the reasons could be the missing comprehensive risk assessment. We first conducted a nationwide investigation on children's NMRP usage preferences. Then, we high-throughput screened volatile or semivolatile organic chemicals (VOCs/SVOCs) in five representative NMRPs by the headspace gas chromatography-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry analytical method. After that, toxic compounds were recognized based on the toxicity forecaster (ToxCast) database. A total of 277 VOCs/SVOCs were recognized, and 70 of them were identified as toxic compounds. In a combination of concentrations, toxicities, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics in the body, 28 chemicals were finally proposed as priority-controlled compounds in NMRPs. Exposure risks of recognized toxic chemicals through NMRPs by inhalation and dermal intake for children across the country were also assessed. Average daily intakes were in the range of 0.20-7.31 mg/kg/day for children in different provinces, and the children in southeastern coastal provinces were found to face higher exposure risks. By controlling the high-priority chemicals, the risks were expected to be reduced by about 46.8% on average. Results of this study are therefore believed to evaluate exposure risks, encourage safe production, and promote reasonable management of NMRPs.

Association between apolipoprotein B/A1 ratio and quantities of tissue prolapse on optical coherence tomography examination in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) continues to be a major health concern globally. Apolipoprotein (Apo) B/A1 ratio is a reliable predictor of ASCVD and an important factor in assessing the risk of myocardial infarction. Tissue prolapse (TP) is defined as the tissue extrusion into the lumen through the stent struts after implantation, which is a significant factor for poor short-term outcomes such as acute and subacute thrombosis, severe myocardial necrosis, and vulnerable plaque. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Apo B/A1, plaque vulnerability, and tissue prolapse on optical coherence tomography (OCT). This study enrolled 199 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Both pre- and post-procedural optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations were conducted to assess TP volume and plaque morphology. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify potential risk factors for tissue prolapse volume. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was carried out to evaluate the value of the Apo B/A1 ratio for tissue prolapse volume. The high Apo B/A1 ratio group showed a larger TP volume (P = 0.001) and a higher percentage of plaque rupture and erosion in comparison to the low Apo B/A1 ratio group (P = 0.022 and P = 0.008). The high Apo B/A1 ratio group and the high TP volume group also had a higher proportion of thin-cap fibroatheroma (TCFA) (P = 0.046, P = 0.021). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that both Apo B/A1 ratio (odds ratio [OR]: 1.041, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.007-1.076; P = 0.019) and TCFA (OR: 3.199, 95%CI 1.133-9.031; 0.028) were significantly related to high TP volume. Furthermore, the area under the curve (AUC) for predictive value of TP volume was 0.635 for Apo B/A1 (95% CI 0.554-0.717, P = 0.002) compared to 0.615 for low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (95% CI 0.533-0.697, P = 0.008). The Apo B/A1 ratio is an independent predictor of TP volume on OCT and is related to plaque vulnerability.

The WRKY46-MYC2 module plays a critical role in E-2-hexenal-induced anti-herbivore responses by promoting flavonoid accumulation.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) play key roles in plant-plant communication, especially in response to pest attack. E-2-hexenal is an important component of VOCs, but it is unclear whether it can induce endogenous plant resistance to insects. Here, we show that E-2-hexenal activates early signaling events in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mesophyll cells, including an H2O2 burst at the plasma membrane, the directed flow of calcium ions, and an increase in cytosolic calcium concentration. Treatment of wild-type Arabidopsis plants with E-2-hexenal increases their resistance when challenged with the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella L., and this phenomenon is largely lost in the wrky46 mutant. Mechanistically, E-2-hexenal induces the expression of WRKY46 and MYC2, and the physical interaction of their encoded proteins was verified by yeast two-hybrid, firefly luciferase complementation imaging, and in vitro pull-down assays. The WRKY46-MYC2 complex directly binds to the promoter of RBOHD to promote its expression, as demonstrated by luciferase reporter, yeast one-hybrid, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. This module also positively regulates the expression of E-2-hexenal-induced naringenin biosynthesis genes (TT4 and CHIL) and the accumulation of total flavonoids, thereby modulating plant tolerance to insects. Together, our results highlight an important role for the WRKY46-MYC2 module in the E-2-hexenal-induced defense response of Arabidopsis, providing new insights into the mechanisms by which VOCs trigger plant defense responses.

Differential analysis of volatiles in five types of mosquito-repellent products by chemometrics combined with headspace GC-Orbitrap HRMS nontargeted detection.

This paper reports a method for the differential analysis of volatile chemical components in five novel types of mosquito-repellent products based on chemometrics combined with headspace gas chromatography-Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (HS-GC-Orbitrap HRMS) nontargeted screening. A total of 358 unknown substances were detected in 30 samples under specific headspace conditions. Through principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis, 36 significantly different substances with variable importance in the projection values greater than 1 were further screened, and these substances were accurately identified by GC-Orbitrap HRMS. Most substances were found for the first time in mosquito-repellent products. The clustered heat map, Venn diagram and peak area histogram showed that the mosquito-repellent products had similar volatile composition, and the volatile species and content of different types of mosquito-repellent products significantly varied. Substances, such as eucalyptol, d-limonene, α-pinene, ß-pinene, dl-menthol and methyl salicylate, may be the main sources of odour in mosquito-repellent products. This work explored the characteristic volatile components in mosquito-repellent products and comparatively analysed the chemical composition of different types of products. It can be generalised to consumer products as a case study and has positive implications for promoting product quality and safety and improving production processes.

CDC-NET: a cell detection and confirmation network of bone marrow aspirate images for the aided diagnosis of AML.

Standardized morphological evaluation in pathology is usually qualitative. Classifying and qualitatively analyzing the nucleated cells in the bone marrow aspirate images based on morphology is crucial for the diagnosis of acute myoid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), etc. However, it is time-consuming and difficult to accurately identify nucleated cells and calculate the percentage of the cells because of the complexity of bone marrow aspirate images. This paper proposed a deep learning analysis model of bone marrow aspirate images, termed Cell Detection and Confirmation Network (CDC-NET), for the aided diagnosis of AML by improving the accuracy of cell detection and recognition. Specifically, we take the nucleated cells in the bone marrow aspirate images as the detection objects to establish the model. Since some cells from different categories have similar morphology, classification error is inevitable. We design a confirmation network in which multiple trained classifiers work as pathologists to confirm the cell category by a voting method. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, experiments on clinical microscopic datasets are conducted. The Recall and Precision of CDC-NET are 78.54% and 91.74% respectively, and the missed rate of our method is lower than those of the other popular methods. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed model has the potential for the pathological analysis of aspirate smears and the aided diagnosis of AML.

Surface Crystal Modification of Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 to Cast Intermediate Na2 V2 (PO4 )3 Phase toward High-Rate Sodium Storage.

The two-phase reaction of Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 - Na1 V2 (PO4 )3 in Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 (NVP) is hindered by low electronic and ionic conductivity. To address this problem, a surface-N-doped NVP encapsulating by N-doped carbon nanocage (N-NVP/N-CN) is rationally constructed, wherein the nitrogen is doped in both the surface crystal structure of NVP and carbon layer. The surface crystal modification decreases the energy barrier of Na+ diffusion from bulk to electrolyte, enhances intrinsic electronic conductivity, and releases lattice stress. Meanwhile, the porous architecture provides more active sites for redox reactions and shortens the diffusion path of ion. Furthermore, the new interphase of Na2 V2 (PO4 )3 is detected by in situ XRD and clarified by density functional theory (DFT) calculation with a lower energy barrier during the fast reversible electrochemical three-phase reaction of Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 - Na2 V2 (PO4 )3 - Na1 V2 (PO4 )3 . Therefore, as cathode of sodium-ion battery, the N-NVP/N-CN exhibited specific capacities of 119.7 and 75.3 mAh g-1 at 1 C and even 200 C. Amazingly, high capacities of 89.0, 86.2, and 84.6 mAh g-1 are achieved after overlong 10000 cycles at 20, 40, and 50 C, respectively. This approach provides a new idea for surface crystal modification to cast intermediate Na2 V2 (PO4 )3 phase for achieving excellent cycling stability and rate capability.

Halogenated Nonfused Ring Electron Acceptor for Organic Solar Cells with a Record Efficiency of over 17.

Three nonfused ring electron acceptors (NFREAs), namely, 3TT-C2-F, 3TT-C2-Cl, and 3TT-C2, are purposefully designed and synthesized with the concept of halogenation. The incorporation of F or/and Cl atoms into the molecular structure (3TT-C2-F and 3TT-C2-Cl) enhances the π-π stacking, improves electron mobility, and regulates the nanofiber morphology of blend films, thus facilitating the exciton dissociation and charge transport. In particular, blend films based on D18:3TT-C2-F demonstrate a high charge mobility, an extended exciton diffusion distance, and a well-formed nanofiber network. These factors contribute to devices with a remarkable power conversion efficiency of 17.19%, surpassing that of 3TT-C2-Cl (16.17%) and 3TT-C2 (15.42%). To the best of knowledge, this represents the highest efficiency achieved in NFREA-based devices up to now. These results highlight the potential of halogenation in NFREAs as a promising approach to enhance the performance of organic solar cells.

High-Efficiency Binary and Ternary Organic Solar Cells Based on Novel Nonfused-Ring Electron Acceptors.

In this study, three nonfused-ring electron acceptors (2TT, 2TT-C6-F, and 2TT-C11-F) with the same steric hindrance groups (2,4,6-tripropylbenzene) are designed and synthesized and the impact of electron-withdrawing and lateral alkyl side chains on the performance of binary and ternary organic solar cells (OSCs) is explored. For the binary OSCs, 2TT-C11-F with IC-2F terminal groups and lateral undecyl side chains display a red shifted absorption spectrum and suitable energy levels, and the corresponding blend film exhibits appropriate phase separation and crystallinity. Thus, binary OSCs based on 2TT-C11-F achieve an impressive power conversion efficiency of 13.03%, much higher than the efficiencies of those based on 2TT (9.68%) and 2TT-C6-F (12.11%). In the ternary OSCs, 2TT with CC terminal groups and lateral hexyl side chains exhibit complementary absorption and cascade energy levels with a host binary system (D18:BTP-eC9-4F). Hence, the ternary OSCs based on 2TT achieve a remarkable efficiency of 19.39%, ranking among the highest reported values. The research yields comprehensive 2TT-series nonfused-ring electron acceptors, demonstrating their great potential for the fabrication of high-performance binary and ternary OSCs.