Dopant-Free Spiro-OMe Imidazole-Based Hole-Transporting Material for Stable and Low-Cost Organic-Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cell.

The engineering of charge transport materials, with electronic characteristics that result in effective charge extraction and transport dynamics, is pivotal for the realization of efficient perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we elucidate the critical role of terminal substituent methoxy groups (-OCH) on the bandgap tuning of the spiro-like hole transport materials (HTMs) to realize performant and cost-effective PSCs. By considering spiro-OMeTAD as the benchmark HTM, we kept the backbone of spiro while replacing diphenylamine with phenanthrenimidazole.

Metal complex-based TADF: design, characterization, and lighting devices.

The development of novel, efficient and cost-effective emitters for solid-state lighting devices (SSLDs) is ubiquitous to meet the increasingly demanding needs of advanced lighting technologies. In this context, the emergence of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials has stunned the photonics community. In particular, inorganic TADF material-based compounds can be engineered by chemical modification of the coordinated ligands and the type of metal centre, allowing control of their ultimate photo-/electroluminescence properties, while providing a viable emitter platform for enhancing the efficiency of state-of-the-art organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs).

Coexistence of Redox-Active Metal and Ligand Sites in Copper-Based Two-Dimensional Conjugated Metal-Organic Frameworks as Active Materials for Battery-Supercapacitor Hybrid Systems.

Two-dimensional (2D) conjugated metal-organic frameworks (c-MOFs) are promising materials for supercapacitor (SC) electrodes due to their high electrochemically accessible surface area coupled with superior electrical conductivity compared to traditional MOFs. In this work, porous and non-porous HHB-Cu (HHB=hexahydroxybenzene), derived through surfactant-assisted synthesis are studied as representative 2D c-MOF models with different characteristics, showing diverse reversible redox reactions with Na and Li in aqueous (10 M NaNO) and organic (1.0 M LiPF in ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate) electrolytes, respectively.

Cytotoxicity assessment of exfoliated MoS using primary human mast cells and the progenitor cell-derived mast cell line LAD2.

Molybdenum disulfide is an emerging 2D material with several potential applications in medicine. Therefore, it is crucial to ascertain its biocompatibility. Mast cells are immune cells that are found in many organs and tissues in contact with the extracellular environment, and can be cultured from progenitor cells present in the bone marrow.

Hydrogen-Assisted Thermal Treatment of Electrode Materials for Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors.

The capacitance of electrode materials used in electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) is currently limited by several factors, including inaccessible isolated micropores in high-surface area carbons, the finite density of states resulting in a quantum capacitance in series to Helmholtz double-layer capacitance, and the presence of surface impurities, such as functional groups and adsorbed species. To unlock the full potential of EDLC active materials and corresponding electrodes, several post-production treatments are commonly proposed to improve their capacitance and, thus, the energy density of the corresponding devices. In this work, we report a systematic study of the effect of a prototypical treatment, namely H-assisted thermal treatment, on the chemical, structural, and thermal properties of activated carbon and corresponding electrodes.

Microglia Polarization and Antiglioma Effects Fostered by Dual Cell Membrane-Coated Doxorubicin-Loaded Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoflakes.

Microglial cells play a critical role in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) progression, which is considered a highly malignant brain cancer. The activation of microglia can either promote or inhibit GBM growth depending on the stage of the tumor development and on the microenvironment conditions. The current treatments for GBM have limited efficacy; therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel and efficient strategies for drug delivery and targeting: in this context, a promising strategy consists of using nanoplatforms.

Pulmonary Toxicity of Boron Nitride Nanomaterials Is Aspect Ratio Dependent.

Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials have drawn a lot of interest in the material science community. However, extensive research is still needed to thoroughly analyze their safety profiles. Herein, we investigated the pulmonary impact and clearance of two-dimensional hexagonal boron nitride (-BN) nanosheets and boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) in mice.

Toward Sustainable Li-S Battery Using Scalable Cathode and Safe Glyme-Based Electrolyte.

The search for safe electrolytes to promote the application of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries may be supported by the investigation of viscous glyme solvents. Hence, electrolytes using nonflammable tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether added by lowly viscous 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) are herein thoroughly investigated for sustainable Li-S cells. The electrolytes are characterized by low flammability, a thermal stability of ∼200 °C, ionic conductivity exceeding 10 S cm at 25 °C, a Li transference number of ∼0.

Ru-Cu Nanoheterostructures for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Alkaline Water Electrolyzers.

Combining multiple species working in tandem for different hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) steps is an effective strategy to design HER electrocatalysts. Here, we engineered a hierarchical electrode for the HER composed of amorphous-TiO/Cu nanorods (NRs) decorated with cost-effective Ru-Cu nanoheterostructures (Ru mass loading = 52 μg/cm). Such an electrode exhibits a stable, over 250 h, low overpotential of 74 mV at -200 mA/cm for the HER in 1 M NaOH.

Influence of Ion Diffusion on the Lithium-Oxygen Electrochemical Process and Battery Application Using Carbon Nanotubes-Graphene Substrate.

Lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries are nowadays among the most appealing next-generation energy storage systems in view of a high theoretical capacity and the use of transition-metal-free cathodes. Nevertheless, the practical application of these batteries is still hindered by limited understanding of the relationships between cell components and performances. In this work, we investigate a Li-O battery by originally screening different gas diffusion layers (GDLs) characterized by low specific surface area (<40 m g) with relatively large pores (absence of micropores), graphitic character, and the presence of a fraction of the hydrophobic PTFE polymer on their surface (<20 wt %).

High-performance alkaline water electrolyzers based on Ru-perturbed Cu nanoplatelets cathode.

Alkaline electrolyzers generally produce hydrogen at current densities below 0.5 A/cm. Here, we design a cost-effective and robust cathode, consisting of electrodeposited Ru nanoparticles (mass loading ~ 53 µg/cm) on vertically oriented Cu nanoplatelet arrays grown on metallic meshes.

Enhancing charge extraction in inverted perovskite solar cells contacts ultrathin graphene:fullerene composite interlayers.

Improving the perovskite/electron-transporting layer (ETL) interface is a crucial task to boost the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). This is utterly fundamental in an inverted (p-i-n) configuration using fullerene-based ETLs. Here, we propose a scalable strategy to improve fullerene-based ETLs by incorporating high-quality few-layer graphene flakes (GFs), industrially produced through wet-jet milling exfoliation of graphite, into phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM).

Correction: Tuning the morphology of sulfur-few layer graphene composites liquid phase evaporation for battery application.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D1NA00733E.].

2D Materials-Based Electrochemical Triboelectric Nanogenerators.

The integration of 2D materials in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is known to increase the mechanical-to-electrical power conversion efficiency. 2D materials are used in TENGs with multiple roles as triboelectric material, charge-trapping fillers, or as electrodes. Here, novel TENGs based on few-layers graphene (FLG) electrodes and stable gel electrolytes composed of liquid phase exfoliated 2D-transition metal dichalcogenides and polyvinyl alcohol are developed.

Two-dimensional BiTeI as a novel perovskite additive for printable perovskite solar cells.

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are attractive printable, flexible, and cost-effective optoelectronic devices constituting an alternative technology to conventional Si-based ones. The incorporation of low-dimensional materials, such as two-dimensional (2D) materials, into the PSC structure is a promising route for interfacial and bulk perovskite engineering, paving the way for improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) and long-term stability. In this work, we investigate the incorporation of 2D bismuth telluride iodide (BiTeI) flakes as additives in the perovskite active layer, demonstrating their role in tuning the interfacial energy-level alignment for optimum device performance.

Effects of industrially produced 2-dimensional molybdenum disulfide materials in primary human basophils.

MoS has been increasingly used in place of graphene as a flexible and multifunctional 2D material in many biomedical applications such as cancer detection and drug delivery, which makes it crucial to evaluate downstream compatibility in human immune cells. Molybdenum is a component of stainless-steel stent implants and has previously been implicated in stent hypersensitivity. In view of this, it is important to ascertain the effect of MoS on allergy-relevant cells.

High-current density alkaline electrolyzers: The role of Nafion binder content in the catalyst coatings and techno-economic analysis.

We report high-current density operating alkaline (water) electrolyzers (AELs) based on platinum on Vulcan (Pt/C) cathodes and stainless-steel anodes. By optimizing the binder (Nafion ionomer) and Pt mass loading (m) content in the catalysts coating at the cathode side, the AEL can operate at the following (current density, voltage, energy efficiency -based on the hydrogen higher heating value-) conditions (1.0 A cm, 1.

Functionalized Metallic 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenide-Based Solid-State Electrolyte for Flexible All-Solid-State Supercapacitors.

Highly efficient and durable flexible solid-state supercapacitors (FSSSCs) are emerging as low-cost devices for portable and wearable electronics due to the elimination of leakage of toxic/corrosive liquid electrolytes and their capability to withstand elevated mechanical stresses. Nevertheless, the spread of FSSSCs requires the development of durable and highly conductive solid-state electrolytes, whose electrochemical characteristics must be competitive with those of traditional liquid electrolytes. Here, we propose an innovative composite solid-state electrolyte prepared by incorporating metallic two-dimensional group-5 transition metal dichalcogenides, namely, liquid-phase exfoliated functionalized niobium disulfide (f-NbS) nanoflakes, into a sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) polymeric matrix.

Tuning the morphology of sulfur-few layer graphene composites liquid phase evaporation for battery application.

A comparative study on sulfur-based composite electrodes comprising different few-layer graphene contents prepared a facile evaporation method is presented here. The active material production process employed here, exploring different sulfur-few layer graphene ratios, enabled tuning and optimization of the sample morphology, as confirmed a scanning electron microscopy study. The results reveal that the graphene content is a crucial parameter yielding an optimized morphology of spherical particles composed of an elemental sulfur inner core covered by the carbonaceous compound.

A Lithium-Sulfur Battery Using Binder-Free Graphene-Coated Aluminum Current Collector.

Lithium-sulfur battery of practical interest requires thin-layer support to achieve acceptable volumetric energy density. However, the typical aluminum current collector of Li-ion battery cannot be efficiently used in the Li/S system due to the insulating nature of sulfur and a reaction mechanism involving electrodeposition of dissolved polysulfides. We study the electrochemical behavior of a Li/S battery using a carbon-coated Al current collector in which the low thickness, the high electronic conductivity, and, at the same time, the host ability for the reaction products are allowed by a binder-free few-layer graphene (FLG) substrate.

Liquid-Phase Exfoliation of Bismuth Telluride Iodide (BiTeI): Structural and Optical Properties of Single-/Few-Layer Flakes.

Bismuth telluride halides (BiTeX) are Rashba-type crystals with several potential applications ranging from spintronics and nonlinear optics to energy. Their layered structures and low cleavage energies allow their production in a two-dimensional form, opening the path to miniaturized device concepts. The possibility to exfoliate bulk BiTeX crystals in the liquid represents a useful tool to formulate a large variety of functional inks for large-scale and cost-effective device manufacturing.

3D printed silicon-few layer graphene anode for advanced Li-ion batteries.

The printing of three-dimensional (3D) porous electrodes for Li-ion batteries is considered a key driver for the design and realization of advanced energy storage systems. While different 3D printing techniques offer great potential to design and develop 3D architectures, several factors need to be addressed to print 3D electrodes, maintaining an optimal trade-off between electrochemical and mechanical performances. Herein, we report the first demonstration of 3D printed Si-based electrodes fabricated using a simple and cost-effective fused deposition modelling (FDM) method, and implemented as anodes in Li-ion batteries.

Sulfonated NbS-based proton-exchange membranes for vanadium redox flow batteries.

In this work, novel proton-exchange membranes (PEMs) based on sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) and two-dimensional (2D) sulfonated niobium disulphide (S-NbS) nanoflakes are synthesized by a solution-casting method and used in vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The NbS nanoflakes are produced by liquid-phase exfoliation of their bulk counterpart and chemically functionalized with terminal sulfonate groups to improve dimensional and chemical stabilities, proton conductivity () and fuel barrier properties of the as-produced membranes. The addition of S-NbS nanoflakes to SPEEK decreases the vanadium ion permeability from 5.