Optimizing s-p Orbital Overlap Between Sodium Polysulfides and Single-Atom Indium Catalyst for Efficient Sulfur Redox Reaction.

P-block metal carbon-supported single-atom catalysts (C-SACs) have emerged as a promising candidate for high-performance room-temperature sodium-sulfur (RT Na-S) batteries, due to their high atom utilization and unique electronic structure. However, the ambiguous electronic-level understanding of Na-dominant s-p hybridization between sodium polysulfides (NaPSs) and p-block C-SACs limits the precise control of coordination environment tuning and electro-catalytic activity manipulation. Here, s-p orbital overlap degree (OOD) between the s orbitals of Na in NaPSs and the p orbitals of p-block C-SACs is proposed as a descriptor for sulfur reduction reaction (SRR) and sulfur oxidation reaction (SOR).

Halogen-Bonded Hole-Transport Material Enhances Open-Circuit Voltage of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

Interfacial properties of a hole-transport material (HTM) and a perovskite layer are of high importance, which can influence the interfacial charge transfer dynamics as well as the growth of perovskite bulk crystals particularly in inverted structure. The halogen bonding (XB) has been recognized as a powerful functional group to be integrated with new small molecule HTMs. Herein, a carbazole-based halo (iodine)-functional HTM (O1), is synthesized for the first time, demonstrating a high hole mobility and suitable energy levels that align well with those of perovskites.

Regulating Metal Centers of MOF-74 Promotes PEO-Based Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolytes have been extensively studied for all-solid-state lithium-metal batteries due to their excellent film-forming capabilities and low cost. However, the limited ionic conductivity and poor mechanical strength of the PEO-based electrolytes cannot prevent the growth of undesirable lithium dendrites, leading to the failure of batteries. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are functional materials with a periodic porous structure that can improve the electrochemical performance of PEO-based electrolytes.

Highly-ordered assembled organic fluorescent materials for high-resolution bio-sensing: a review.

Organic fluorescent materials (OFMs) play a crucial role in the development of biosensors, enabling the extraction of biochemical information within cells and organisms, extending to the human body. Concurrently, OFM biosensors contribute significantly to the progress of modern medical and biological research. However, the practical applications of OFM biosensors face challenges, including issues related to low resolution, dispersivity, and stability.

Molecular Design Concept for Enhancement Charge Carrier Mobility in OFETs: A Review.

In the last two decades, organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have garnered increasing attention from the scientific and industrial communities. The performance of OFETs can be evaluated based on three factors: the charge transport mobility (μ), threshold voltage (V), and current on/off ratio (I). To enhance μ, numerous studies have concentrated on optimizing charge transport within the semiconductor layer.

Design, synthesis, and application in OFET of a small molecule based on π-expanded fused diketopyrrolopyrrole.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and its derivatives, as electron deficient units, are widely used as building blocks in organic field-effect transistors, obtaining high performance. However, further modification of the DPP structure is crucial for the development of organic semiconductors. In this work, an FDPP is synthesized and characterized.

New Advances in π-Conjugated Materials.

Recently, extensive research efforts have been made to develop novel π-conjugated materials for use in various electronic applications, such as solar cells, organic semiconductors (OSCs), organic phototransistors (OPTs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), coatings, etc [...

The development of stretchable and self-repairing materials applied to electronic skin.

Flexible electronic devices play a key role in the fields of flexible batteries, electronic skins, and flexible displays, which have attracted more and more attention in the past few years. Among them, the application areas of electronic skin in new energy, artificial intelligence, and other high-tech applications are increasing. Semiconductors are an indispensable part of electronic skin components.

Organic Semiconducting Nanoparticles for Biosensor: A Review.

Highly bio-compatible organic semiconductors are widely used as biosensors, but their long-term stability can be compromised due to photo-degradation and structural instability. To address this issue, scientists have developed organic semiconductor nanoparticles (OSNs) by incorporating organic semiconductors into a stable framework or self-assembled structure. OSNs have shown excellent performance and can be used as high-resolution biosensors in modern medical and biological research.

Editorial: New Advances in Nanomaterials.

In the past few years, people have been committed to a variety of properties and functional materials, among which are nanomaterials, which have been gradually developed in-depth [...

Conjugated Aggregation-Induced Fluorescent Materials for Biofluorescent Probes: A Review.

The common fluorescent conjugated materials present weak or quenching luminescent phenomena in the solid or aggregate state (ACQ), which limits their applications in medicine and biology. In the last two decades, certain materials, named aggregation-induced emission (AIE) fluorescent materials, have exhibited strong luminescent properties in the aggregate state, which can overcome the ACQ phenomenon. Due to their intrinsic properties, the AIE materials have been successfully used in biolabeling, where they can not only detect the species of ions and their concentrations in organisms, but can also monitor the organisms' physiological activity.

DPP-based polymers with linear/branch side chain for organic field-effect transistors.

For polymer semiconductors, the packing ability and molecular weight of polymers play a very critical role in their optoelectronic properties and carrier transport properties. In this work, two polymers, named linear and branch, are designed and synthesized with donor-acceptor (D-A) structure, based on diketopyrrolopyrrole as an electron acceptor and carbazole as an electron donor, and applied these two polymers in organic field-effect transistors. Linear and branch have similar conjugated backbones but different molecular weights and alkyl chains.

Pyrrolopyrrole-Based Aza-BODIPY Small Molecules for Organic Field-Effect Transistors.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP), due to its good planarity, π-conjugate structure, thermal stability, and structural modifiability, has received much attention from the scientific community as an excellent semiconductor material for its applications in the field of optoelectronics, such as organic solar cells, organic photovoltaics, and organic field effect transistors. In this study, a new small molecule, pyrrolopyrrole aza-BODIPY (PPAB), based on the thiophene-substituted DPP structure was developed using the Schiff-base formation reaction of DPP and heteroaromatic amines. Absorption spectroscopy, electrochemistry, X-ray diffraction, molecular theoretical simulation calculation were performed, and organic field-effect transistor properties based on PPAB were investigated.

Design, Synthesis, and Application in OFET of a Quinoxaline-Based D-A Conjugated Polymer.

A novel alternating donor-acceptor polymer PQ1 is designed and synthesized by palladium-catalyzed Stille coupling between quinoxaline as an electron-deficient unit and indacenodithiophene (IDT) as electron-rich groups. Polymer PQ1 presents not only a strong intramolecular charge transfer effect, which is beneficial for the charge transport within single molecules but also a narrow electrochemical band gap and a high highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level. In addition, the optical absorption study indicates that the PQ1 film exhibits good aggregation, which is an advantage for the charge transport between neighboring molecules.

Room Temperature Phosphorescent (RTP) Thermoplastic Elastomers with Dual and Variable RTP Emission, Photo-Patterning Memory Effect, and Dynamic Deformation RTP Response.

Room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) polymers have advantages of strength, toughness, and processing and application flexibility over organic small molecular crystals, but the current RTP polymers are all from rigid plastics and involve chemical linkage and hydrogen and ionic bonds, and thermoplastic RTP elastomer has not been attempted and realized. Moreover, solution-processed films by simply mixing polymers and organic RTP materials can only show weak and single blue RTP. Here it is presented that such elastomer films, once thermomechanically plasticized, can emit bright and long-lived dual RTP.

Gaining New Insights into Trace Guest Doping Role in Manipulating Organic Crystal Phosphorescence.

Trace guest doping systems often show better room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), but trace guest doping role and mechanism are not recognized well. Here we cocrystallize commercial (CCZ) and self-made (LCZ) carbazole derivatives and verify that 0.2‰ isomer doping can afford the deserved crystal RTP, but further increasing the isomer amount hardly improves RTP.

Enhanced Cyclability of CrO Cathode for PEO-Based All-Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries by Atomic Layer Deposition of AlO.

CrO can be used as the cathode material in all-solid-state batteries with high energy density due to its high reversible specific capacity and high potential plateau. However, the strong oxidation of CrO leads to poor compatibility with polymer-based solid electrolytes. Herein, to improve the cycle performance of the battery, AlO atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating is applied on CrO cathodes to modify the interface between the electrode and the electrolyte.

Hydrogen-Bonded Colorimetric and Fluorescence Chemosensor for Fluoride Anion With High Selectivity and Sensitivity: A Review.

In recent years, the wide application of fluoride materials has grown rapidly, therefore excessive discharge in the surrounding environment, especially in drinking water and organic effluent, has become a potential hazard to humans, and has even resulted in fluorosis disease. The development of a highly effective and convenient method to recognize fluoride anions in surrounding environments seems necessary and urgent. Among which, the development of a colorimetric and fluorescence fluoride chemosensor with obvious color changing allowing for naked-eye detection with high sensitivity and selectivity is more interesting and challenging.

Benzo/Naphthodifuranone-Based Polymers: Effect of Perpendicular-Extended Main Chain π-Conjugation on Organic Field-Effect Transistor Performances.

For polymer semiconductors, the backbone structure plays an essential role in determining their physicochemical properties and charge transport behaviors. In this work, two donor-acceptor-type polymers (P-BDF and P-NDF) based on benzodifuranone (BDF) and naphthodifunarone (NDF) as electron-deficient moieties and indaceno-dithiophene as electron-rich groups are designed, synthesized and, for the first time, applied in organic field-effect transistor. P-BDF and P-NDF differ from their backbone structures while P-BDF has a more planar backbone conformation due to its smaller conjugated core size and P-NDF features a perpendicular-extended main chain structure.

Exposure to different fractions of diesel exhaust PM induces different levels of pulmonary inflammation and acute phase response.

Aim: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) consists of various components, and their respective contributions to the toxicity of PM remains to be determined. To provide specific recommendations for preventing adverse effects due to PM pollution, we determined whether the induction of pulmonary inflammation, the putative pathogenesis for the morbidity and mortality due to PM exposure, was fractioned through solubility-dependent fractioning.

Methods: In the present study, the water and heptane solubilities-dependent serial fractioning of diesel exhaust particulate matter (DEP), a prominent source of urban PM pollution, was performed.

Advances in the Stability of Halide Perovskite Nanocrystals.

Colloidal halide perovskite nanocrystals are promising candidates for next-generation optoelectronics because of their facile synthesis and their outstanding and size-tunable properties. However, these materials suffer from rapid degradation, similarly to their bulk perovskite counterparts. Here, we survey the most recent strategies to boost perovskite nanocrystals stability, with a special focus on the intrinsic chemical- and compositional-factors at synthetic and post-synthetic stage.

Conjugated Polymers Containing Building Blocks 1,3,4,6-Tetraarylpyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione (isoDPP), Benzodipyrrolidone (BDP) or Naphthodipyrrolidone (NDP): A Review.

π-Conjugated organic donor-acceptor (D-A) type polymers are widely developed and used in electronic device. Among which, diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers have received the most attention due to their high performances. The novel chromophores named 1,3,4,6-tetraarylpyrrolo[3,2-b]pyrrole-2,5-dione (isoDPP), benzodipyrrolidone (BDP) and naphthodipyrrolidone (NDP) are resemble DPP in chemical structure.