Ternary-Metal Sn-Pb-Zn Perovskite to Reconstruct Top Surface for Efficient and Stable Less-Pb Perovskite Solar Cells.

Though Sn-Pb alloyed perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieved great progress, there is a dilemma to further increase Sn for less-Pb requirement. High Sn ratio (>70%) perovskite exhibits nonstoichiometric Sn:Pb:I at film surface to aggravate Sn2+ oxidation and interface energy mismatch. Here, ternary metal alloyed (FASnI3 )0.7 (MAPb1- x Znx I3 )0.3 (x = 0-3%) is constructed for Pb% < 30% perovskite. Zn with smaller ionic size and stronger ionic interaction than Sn/Pb assists forming high-quality perovskite film with ZnI6 4- enriched at surface to balance Sn:Pb:I ratio. Differing from uniform bulk doping, surface-rich Zn with lower lying orbits pushes down the energy band of perovskite and adjusts the interface energy for efficient charge transfer. The alloyed PSC realizes efficiency of 19.4% at AM1.5 (one of the highest values reported for Pb% < 30% PSCs). Moreover, stronger bonding of Zn─I and Sn─I contributes to better durability of ternary perovskite than binary perovskite. This work highlights a novel alloy method for efficient and stable less-Pb PSCs.

Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities of Trifluoromethylsulfonate Salts of 2-[(3-Chloropyridinium-2-yl)hydrazonomethyl]-6-methoxyphenol and its Copper(II) and Cobalt(III) Complexes.

A new trifluoromethylsulfonate salt of 2-[(3-chloropyridinium-2-yl)hydrazonomethyl]-6-methoxyphenol, (HL)CF3SO3, and its copper(II) and cobalt(III) complexes, [CuL(OH2)]CF3SO3 · 0.5H2O (1) and [CoL2]CF3SO3 · CH3OH (2), were prepared and characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray analysis. A trifluoromethylsulfonate anion is present in each of the compounds. The Cu atom in complex 1 is coordinated by the phenolate O, imino N and pyridine N atoms of L ligand, giving square planar geometry. The Co atom in complex 2 is coordinated by two phenolate O, two imino N and two pyridine N atoms from two L ligands, giving octahedral geometry. The three compounds were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activities.

Two-Dimensional Materials for Highly Efficient and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer low costs and high power conversion efficiency. However, the lack of long-term stability, primarily stemming from the interfacial defects and the susceptible metal electrodes, hinders their practical application. In the past few years, two-dimensional (2D) materials (e.g., graphene and its derivatives, transitional metal dichalcogenides, MXenes, and black phosphorus) have been identified as a promising solution to solving these problems because of their dangling bond-free surfaces, layer-dependent electronic band structures, tunable functional groups, and inherent compactness. Here, recent progress of 2D material toward efficient and stable PSCs is summarized, including its role as both interface materials and electrodes. We discuss their beneficial effects on perovskite growth, energy level alignment, defect passivation, as well as blocking external stimulus. In particular, the unique properties of 2D materials to form van der Waals heterojunction at the bottom interface are emphasized. Finally, perspectives on the further development of PSCs using 2D materials are provided, such as designing high-quality van der Waals heterojunction, enhancing the uniformity and coverage of 2D nanosheets, and developing new 2D materials-based electrodes.

Novel Environmentally Responsive Polyvinyl Polyamine Hydrogels Capable of Phase Transformation with Temperature for Applications in Reservoir Profile Control.

Hydrogel has been widely used in reservoir regulation for enhancing oil recovery, however, this process can experience negative influences on the properties and effects of the hydrogels. Therefore, developing novel hydrogels with excellent environmental responsiveness would improve the formation adaptability of hydrogels. In this study, novel polyvinyl polyamine hydrogels were synthesized by a ring-opening addition reaction between polyvinyl polyamines and polyethylene glycol glycidyl ether. The results of atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy showed that the polyvinyl polyamine gel had a porous and irregular bulk structure and was endowed with water storage. With the temperature rising from 30 °C to 60 °C, the transmittance of diethylenetriamine hydrogel decreased from 84.3% to 18.8%, indicating that a phase transition had occurred. After the polyvinyl polyamine hydrogel with low initial viscosity was injected into the formation in the liquid phase, the increase of the reservoir temperature caused it to turn into an elastomer, thereby migrating to the depth of the reservoir and achieving effective plugging. Polyvinyl polyamine hydrogel could improve the profile of heterogeneous layers significantly by forcing subsequent fluids into the low permeability zone in the form of elastomers in the medium temperature reservoirs of 40-60 °C. The novel environmentally responsive polyvinyl polyamine hydrogels, capable of phase transformation with temperature, exhibited superior performance in recovering residual oil, which was beneficial for applications in reservoir profile control and oilfield development.

Roles of MicroRNA-21 in Skin Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Review.

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21), one of the early mammalian miRNAs identified, has been detected to be upregulated in multiple biological processes. Increasing evidence has demonstrated the potential values of miR-21 in cutaneous damage and skin wound healing, but lack of a review article to summarize the current evidence on this issue. Based on this review, relevant studies demonstrated that miR-21 played an essential role in wound healing by constituting a complex network with its targeted genes (i.e., PTEN, RECK. SPRY1/2, NF-κB, and TIMP3) and the cascaded signaling pathways (i.e., MAPK/ERK, PI3K/Akt, Wnt/ß-catenin/MMP-7, and TGF-ß/Smad7-Smad2/3). The treatment effectiveness developed by miR-21 might be associated with the promotion of the fibroblast differentiation, the improvement of angiogenesis, anti-inflammatory, enhancement of the collagen synthesis, and the re-epithelialization of the wound. Currently, miRNA nanocarrier systems have been developed, supporting the feasibility clinical feasibility of such miR-21-based therapy. After further investigations, miR-21 may serve as a potential therapeutic target for wound healing.

Current knowledge of leptin in wound healing: A collaborative review.

Efficacious wound healing is still a major concern for global healthcare due to the unsatisfactory outcomes under the current treatments. Leptin, an adipocyte-derived hormone, mainly acts in the hypothalamus and plays crucial roles in various biological processes. Recently, an increasing number of researches have shown that leptin played an important role in the wound healing process. In this review, we presented a first attempt to capture the current knowledge on the association between leptin and wound healing. After a comprehensive review, the molecular mechanisms underlying leptin in wound healing were speculated to be correlated to the regulation of inflammation of the macrophage and lymphocytes, angiogenesis, re-epithelialization, proliferation, and differentiation of fibroblasts. The affected genes and the signal pathways were multiple. For example, leptin was reported to ameliorate wound healing by its anti-inflammatory action, which might be correlated to the activation STAT1 and STAT3 via p38 MAPK or JAK2. However, the understanding of the specific role in each process (e.g., inflammatory, proliferative, and maturation phase) of wound repair is not entirely clear, and further studies are still warranted in both macrostructural and microscale factors. Therefore, identifying and validating the biological mechanisms of leptin in wound healing is of great significance to develop potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of wound healing in clinical practice.

Synthesis, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities of N,N'-Ethylene-bis(3-bromosalicylaldimine) and Its Copper(II) and Cobalt(III) Complexes.

A bis-Schiff base N,N'-ethylene-bis(3-bromosalicylaldimine) (H2L) was prepared from 3-bromosalicylaldehyde and ethane-1,2-diamine. With H2L as ligand, a new copper(II) complex [CuL] (1) and a new cobalt(III) complex [CoL(NCS)(DMF)] (2) were prepared and characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray analysis. X-ray analysis indicates that the Cu atom in complex 1 is in square planar coordination, and the Co atom in complex 2 is in octahedral coordination. The compounds were tested in vitro for their antibacterial activities on Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Both complexes have effective activities on the bacteria.

An In-Situ Formed Tunneling Layer Enriches the Options of Anode for Efficient and Stable Regular Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are taking steps to commercialization. However, the halogen-reactive anode with high cost becomes a stumbling block. Here, the halogen migration in PSCs is utilized to in situ generate a uniform tunneling layer between the hole transport materials and anodes, which enriches the options of anodes by breaking the Schottky barrier, enabling the regular PSCs with both high efficiency and stability. Specifically, the regular PSC that uses silver iodide as the tunneling layer and copper as the anode obtains a champion power conversion efficiency of 23.24% (certified 22.74%) with an aperture area of 1.04 cm2. The devices are stable, maintaining 98.6% of the initial efficiency after 500 h of operation at the maximum power point with continuous 1 sun illumination. PSCs with different tunneling layers and anodes are fabricated, which confirm the generality of the strategy.

Effects of exogenous silicon on maize seed germination and seedling growth.

As the global population continues to increase, global food production needs to double by 2050 to meet the demand. Given the current status of the not expansion of cultivated land area, agronomic seedlings are complete, well-formed and strong, which is the basis of high crop yields. The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of seed germination and seedling growth in response to silicon (from water-soluble Si fertilizer). The effects of Si on the maize germination, seedling growth, chlorophyll contents, osmoprotectant contents, antioxidant enzyme activities, non-enzymatic antioxidant contents and stomatal characteristics were studied by soaking Xianyu 335 in solutions of different concentrations of Si (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 g·L-1). In this study, Si treatments significantly increased the seed germination and per-plant dry weight of seedlings (P < 0.05), and the optimal concentration was 15 g·L-1. As a result of the Si treatment of the seeds, the chlorophyll content, osmotic material accumulation and antioxidant defence system activity increased, reducing membrane system damage, reactive oxygen species contents, and stomatal aperture. The results suggested that 15 g·L-1 Si significantly stimulated seed germination and promoted the growth of maize seedlings, laying a solid foundation for subsequent maize growth.

Reduction of Nonradiative Loss in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells by Donor-π-Acceptor Dipoles.

Inverted perovskite solar cells (IPSCs) attract growing interest because of their simple configuration, reliable stability, and compatibility with tandem applications. However, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of IPSCs still lags behind their regular counterparts, mainly due to the more serious nonradiative loss. Here, we design three donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) dipoles with various dipole moments to introduce extra electric fields at the interface of perovskites and electron transport materials via the binding between the carboxylate end group and under-coordinated divalent Pb. The chemical binding reduces the recombination centers, while the superposition of the built-in electric field facilitates the electron collection and the hole blocking. As a result, the nonradiative loss is diminished as the dipole moments of D-π-A dipoles increase, which contributes to a PCE of 21.4% with enhancement in both the open-circuit voltage and fill factor. The stability for an unencapsulated device is also improved due to the hydrophobic property of D-π-A dipoles.

Two Zinc(II) Complexes with Similar Hydrazone Ligands: Syntheses, Crystal Structures and Antibacterial Activities.

A pair of new mononuclear zinc(II) complexes with hydrazone ligands 4-methoxybenzoic acid (1-pyridin-2-ylmethylidene)hydrazide (HLa) and benzoic acid (1-pyridin-2-ylethylidene)hydrazide (HLb) were prepared. They are [Zn(La)2] (1) and [Zn(Lb)2] (2). The complexes were characterized by physico-chemical methods and single crystal X-ray determination. The tridentate hydrazone ligands coordinate to the Zn atoms through the pyridine nitrogen, imino nitrogen and enolate oxygen atoms. The Zn atom in each complex is six coordinated by two hydrazone ligands, to form octahedral coordination. The complexes have effective activities against the bacteria Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas fluorescens.

N'-(3,5-Dibromo-2-hydroxy-benzyl-idene)-3,4-methyl-enedioxy-benzohydrazide.

In the asymmetric unit of the title hydrazone compound, C(15)H(10)Br(2)N(2)O(4), there are two independent mol-ecules. In each mol-ecule, the five-membered ring adopts a flattened envelope conformation; the flap atoms are displaced by 0.114 (2) and 0.219 (2) Šfrom the planes of the other four atoms. In one mol-ecule the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 22.8 (2)°, while in the other it is 40.8 (2)°. Each mol-ecule displays an E configuration with respect to the C=N bond. In both mol-ecules, intra-molecular O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds are observed. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked through inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the a axis.

N'-(5-Bromo-2-methoxy-benzyl-idene)-3,4-methyl-enedioxy-benzohydrazide.

In the title mol-ecule, C(16)H(13)BrN(2)O(4), the two benzene rings form a dihedral angle of 74.9 (2)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked via inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains propagating along the c axis.

N'-(5-Bromo-2-methoxy-benzyl-idene)-2-methoxy-benzohydrazide.

The title hydrazone compound, C(16)H(15)BrN(2)O(3), adopts an E configuration about the C=N double bond. The mol-ecule is twisted, the dihedral angle between the two substituted benzene rings being 22.0 (2)°. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked through inter-molecular N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along the c axis.

N'-(5-Bromo-2-methoxy-benzyl-idene)-4-hydroxy-benzohydrazide methanol solvate.

In the title hydrazone compound, C(15)H(13)BrN(2)O(3)·CH(3)OH, the methanol solvate is linked to the benzohydrazide molecule through O-H⋯N and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The benzohydrazide mol-ecule adopts an E configuration about the C=N double bond. The mol-ecule is twisted, with a dihedral angle between the two substituted benzene rings of 35.7 (2)°. In the crystal structure, mol-ecules are linked through inter-molecular N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ac plane.

Synthesis and Crystal Structure of a Polymeric Copper(II) Complex Derived from 2-Hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde Oxime with Antibacterial Activities.

A centrosymmetric O-bridged polynuclear copper(II) complex, [CuL2]n, where L is the deprotonated form of the Schiff base ligand 2-hydroxy-5-methylbenzaldehyde oxime, has been prepared and characterized by IR, UV and single-crystal X-ray determination. There is a crystallographic inversion center in the complex. The Cu atom in the complex is coordinated by the phenolate oxygen, imino nitrogen and hydroxyl oxygen atoms from two Schiff base ligands, forming octahedral geometry. The complex was tested in vitro for its antibacterial activity.