Minimizing Scaling Losses in High-Performance Quantum Dot Luminescent Solar Concentrators for Large-Area Solar Windows.

While luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been researched for several decades, there is still a lack of commercially available systems, mostly due to scalability, performance, aesthetics, or some combination of these challenges. These obstacles can be overcome by the systematic optimization of a laminated glass LSC design, demonstrated herein. In particular, we first show that it is possible to improve optical and electrical efficiencies of an LSC by fine-tuned optimization of the constituent fluorophore-containing interlayer resin.

Characterizing virus-induced gene silencing at the cellular level with in situ multimodal imaging.

Background: Reverse genetic strategies, such as virus-induced gene silencing, are powerful techniques to study gene function. Currently, there are few tools to study the spatial dependence of the consequences of gene silencing at the cellular level.

Results: We report the use of multimodal Raman and mass spectrometry imaging to study the cellular-level biochemical changes that occur from silencing the () gene using a (FoMV) vector in maize leaves.

Photoinduced Trans-to-cis Phase Transition of Polycrystalline Azobenzene at Low Irradiance Occurs in the Solid State.

The ability to produce large-scale, reversible structural changes in a variety of materials by photoexcitation of a wide variety of azobenzene derivatives has been recognized for almost two decades. Because photoexcitation of trans-azobenzene produces the cis-isomer in solution, it has generally been inferred that the macroscopic structural changes occurring in materials are also initiated by a similar large-amplitude trans-to-cis isomerization. This work provides the first demonstration that a trans-to-cis photoisomerization occurs in polycrystalline azobenzene, and is consistent with the previously hypothesized nature of the trigger in the photoactuated mechanisms of the materials in question.

Nanoscale characterization of gold nanoparticles created by in situ reduction at a polymeric surface.

Transmission Electron Microscopy is used as a quantitative method to measure the shapes, sizes and volumes of gold nanoparticles created at a polymeric surface by three different in situ synthesis methods. The atomic number contrast (Z-contrast) imaging technique reveals nanoparticles which are formed on the surface of the polymer. However, with certain reducing agents, the gold nanoparticles are additionally found up to 20 nm below the polymer surface.