Tracking the Changes of DOM Composition, Transformation, and Cycling Mechanism Triggered by the Priming Effect: Insights from Incubation Experiments.

The priming effect (PE) is recognized as an important mechanism influencing organic matter transformation in aquatic systems. The land-ocean aquatic continuum (LOAC) has received large quantities of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from various sources, which is an ideal interface for PE research. Here, we investigated the PE process by utilizing such a coastal environment to explore the turnover of DOM in the LOAC system.

Elucidating the Composition and Transformation of Dissolved Organic Matter at the Sediment-Water Interface Using High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

The exchange and transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the sediment-water interface are crucial factors in regulating watershed biogeochemistry, with the molecular composition of DOM serving as a pivotal determinant in elucidating this process. High-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is an effective tool for resolving the composition of DOM. By analyzing the compositional characteristics of DOM at the sediment-water interface under three different salinities at the same latitude region in northern China, the findings indicate certain variations in component characteristics of DOM between low-salinity inland waters and high-salinity seawaters, with the former exhibiting greater molecular diversity and higher molecular weights, whereas the latter displayed a higher saturation and bioavailability.

20.2% Efficiency Organic Photovoltaics Employing a π-Extension Quinoxaline-Based Acceptor with Ordered Arrangement.

Organic solar cells, as a cutting-edge sustainable renewable energy technology, possess a myriad of potential applications, while the bottleneck problem of less than 20% efficiency limits the further development. Simultaneously achieving an ordered molecular arrangement, appropriate crystalline domain size, and reduced nonradiative recombination poses a significant challenge and is pivotal for overcoming efficiency limitations. This study employs a dual strategy involving the development of a novel acceptor and ternary blending to address this challenge.

Advances in Stretchable Organic Photovoltaics: Flexible Transparent Electrodes and Deformable Active Layer Design.

Stretchable organic photovoltaics (OPVs) have attracted significant attention as promising power sources for wearable electronic systems owing to their superior robustness under repetitive tensile strains and their good compatibility. However, reconciling a high power-conversion efficiency and a reasonable flexibility is a tremendous challenge. In addition, the development of stretchable OPVs must be accelerated to satisfy the increasing requirements of niche markets for mechanical robustness.

Seasonal variation and dissolved organic matter influence on the distribution, transformation, and environmental risk of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in coastal zone: A case study of Tianjin, China.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are emerging contaminants that have raised urgent environmental issues. The dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a pivotal role on PPCPs' migration and transformation. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the occurrence and distribution of PPCPs, a seasonal sampling focused on the riverine system in coastal zone, Tianjin, Bohai Rim was conducted.

Molecular and optical signatures of photochemical transformation of dissolved organic matter: Nonnegligible role of suspended particulate matter in urban river.

Natural dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the Earth's dynamic carbon pools and a key intermediate in the global carbon cycle. Photochemical processes potentially affect DOM composition and activity in surface water. Suspended particulate matter (SPM) is the integral component of slow-moving rivers, and holds the potential for photochemical reactivity.

Designing Ordered Organic Small-Molecule Domains for Ultraviolet Detection and Micrometer-Sized Flexible Imaging.

Photodetectors displaying an ultraviolet (UV) spectral response window are typically based on wide-bandgap semiconductors that have long been dominated by inorganic materials that suffer from bottlenecks of low flexibility and a limited material family. Here, we synthesized a novel organic small molecule and controlled its crystallization to suppress leakage currents and facilitate separation of the carriers, and the relationship between the nanoscale phase separation morphology and the optoelectrical performance of the photodetectors is disclosed. Our optimized organic photodetector (OPD) presents a UV spectral response window, with superior self-powered responsivities of 45 mA/W (under 250 nm light) and 70 mA/W (under 300 nm light), outperforming the Si photodiode and rivaling other reported UV self-powered photodetectors.

Ductile Oligomeric Acceptor-Modified Flexible Organic Solar Cells Show Excellent Mechanical Robustness and Near 18% Efficiency.

High power conversion efficiency (PCE) and mechanical robustness are key requirements for wearable applications of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, almost all highly efficient photoactive films comprising polymer donors (P ) and small molecule acceptors (SMAs) are mechanically brittle. In this study, highly efficient (PCE = 17.

Modulation of Molecular Stacking via Tuning 2-Ethylhexyl Alkyl Chain Enables Improved Efficiency for All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells.

There is always a dilemma between strong π-π stacking/crystallinity and suitable domain size for all-small-molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs), which puts forward higher requirements for the design of molecular donors. In this work, a series of novel molecular donors with different positional 2-ethylhexy (EH) attachments are designed and synthesized, named SM-R, SM-REH, SM-EH-R, and SM-EH-REH. It is found that EH-substitution on end groups (SM-REH) enables improved π-π interaction and crystallinity but with decreased solubility and phase size, leading to the improved efficiency of 15.

Identification of Trace Components in Sauce-Flavor Baijiu by High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Sauce-flavor Baijiu is one of the most complex and typical types of traditional Chinese liquor, whose trace components have an important impact on its taste and quality. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) is one of the most favorable analytical tools to reveal trace molecular components in complex samples. This study analyzed the chemical diversity of several representative sauce-flavor Baijiu using the combination of electrospray ionization (ESI) and FT-ICR MS.

Organic Photovoltaics Utilizing Small-Molecule Donors and Y-Series Nonfullerene Acceptors.

The emerging Y-series nonfullerene acceptors (Y-NFA) has prompted the rapid progress of power conversion efficiency (PCE) of all-small-molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs) from around 12% to 17%. The excellent PCE improvement benefits from not only the outstanding properties of Y-series acceptors but also the successful development of small-molecule donors. The short-circuit current density, fill factor, and nonradiative recombination are all optimized to the unprecedented values, providing a scenery that is obviously different from the ITIC-series based ASM-OSCs.

An advanced LC-MS/MS protocol for simultaneous detection of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in the environment.

Rationale: The development of appropriate analytical screening techniques for pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is the basis for studying the distribution and environmental impact of emerging contaminants (ECs). Mass spectrometry-based screening methods vary with the complexity of the target compounds. It is challenging to balance both positive and negative ion quantification with a low detection limit.

Fractionation and characterization of dissolved organic matter using solid-phase extraction followed by Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry with electrospray, atmospheric pressure photoionization, and laser desorption ionization.

Rationale: Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) combined with different ionization techniques provides a powerful means to characterize dissolved organic matter (DOM) at the molecular level. Solid-phase extraction (SPE) is currently the most widely utilized method for extracting the DOM, but one-step elution using methanol does not provide a comprehensive picture of DOM. The development of efficient extraction and enrichment methods as well as characterization techniques from water samples remains a priority for DOM research, which is investigated in this study.

Modulation of the Fluorination Site on Side-Chain Thiophene Improved Efficiency in All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells.

Fine-tuning the phase-separated morphology is of great importance to achieve efficient all-small-molecule organic solar cells (ASM-OSCs). In this work, a pair of isomers are designed and synthesized, namely, BDT-UF and BDT-DF, in which the fluorine atom in BDT-UF is close to the alkyl chain of side-chain thiophene, while that in BDT-DF is close to the center core. Owing to the noncovalent interaction between fluorine and hydrogen, BDT-DF shows a smaller dihedral angle between the thiophene side chain and the BDT core, which causes better molecular planarity.

Asymmetric Substitution of End-Groups Triggers 16.34% Efficiency for All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells.

Asymmetric substitution of end-groups is first applied in molecular donors. Three commonly used end-groups of 2-ethylhexyl cyanoacetate (CA), 2-ethylhexyl rhodanine (Reh), and 1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione (ID) are combined to construct a series of symmetric and asymmetric donors. Correspondingly, the asymmetric donors SM-CA-Reh and SM-CA-ID show largely increased dipole moments (2.

Fluorescence and molecular signatures of dissolved organic matter to monitor and assess its multiple sources from a polluted river in the farming-pastoral ecotone of northern China.

The sources and composition of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in rivers are critical to water quality and aquatic ecosystems. Studies on detailed composition of organic matter in rivers in the farming-pastoral ecotone are relatively limited in the research community. To better understand the characteristics and dynamics of DOM, Yang River in North China was selected as the study area because of its profound influences on the farming-pastoral ecotone nearby.

Fine-Tuning the Dipole Moment of Asymmetric Non-Fullerene Acceptors Enabling Efficient and Stable Organic Solar Cells.

Modifying molecular conjugation has been demonstrated as an effective strategy to enhance the photovoltaic performance of the non-fullerene small molecule acceptors (SMAs), which would regulate the molecular packing and nanoscale morphology in the active layer of organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, two novel SMAs PTIC-4Cl and PT2IC-4Cl are designed and synthesized by expanding the core unit of TB-4Cl in one or two directions. The effects of how to expand the conjugation length on the absorption property, energy levels, dipole moment, and solubility are studied via theoretical calculation and experiments.

Understanding the Effect of Sequential Deposition Processing for High-Efficient Organic Photovoltaics to Harvest Sunlight and Artificial Light.

As the market of the Internet of Things (IoT) increases, great attention has been paid to the development of high-efficient organic photovoltaics (OPVs) utilizing artificial light. However, in a real indoor condition, the power density contribution of the artificial light cannot exceed 35% in the combination of indoor and outdoor irradiation, which indicates that the illumination of sunlight cannot be ignored during daytime. Hence, it is urgent to develop high-efficient OPVs in indoor conditions taking into account both sunlight and artificial light.

Integrative analysis of differential circular RNA and long non-coding RNA profiles and associated competing endogenous RNA networks in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and circular RNAs (circRNAs) play vital roles in the tumorigenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Nevertheless, the mechanism and regulatory network associated with this process remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the expression of mRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs by RNA-seq.

Characterization of Lignin Compounds at the Molecular Level: Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Raw Data Processing.

Lignin is the second most abundant natural biopolymer, which is a potential alternative to conventional fossil fuels. It is also a promising material for the recovery of valuable chemicals such as aromatic compounds as well as an important biomarker for terrestrial organic matter. Lignin is currently produced in large quantities as a by-product of chemical pulping and cellulosic ethanol processes.

High-Efficiency Thermal-Annealing-Free Organic Solar Cells Based on an Asymmetric Acceptor with Improved Thermal and Air Stability.

The stability of organic solar cells (OSCs) is an urgent problem for commercialization. In this work, a novel asymmetric molecule TB-4Cl was designed and synthesized. Quantum chemical computations revealed that TB-4Cl has a larger dipole moment of 1.

Quadrupole detection FT-ICR mass spectrometry offers deep profiling of residue oil: A systematic comparison of 2ω 7 Tesla versus 15 Tesla instruments.

Mass resolving power is one of the key features of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS), which enables the molecular characterization of complex mixtures. Quadrupole (2ω) detection provides a significant step forward in FT-ICR MS performance, as it doubles the resolving power for a given signal acquisition time. Whether this 2ω detection technique truly substitutes for a higher magnetic field remains unknown however.

Over 14% Efficiency Folding-Flexible ITO-free Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Eco-friendly Acid-Processed Electrodes.

Environment-friendly manufacturing and mechanical robustness are imperative for commercialization of flexible OSCs as green-energy source, especially in portable and wearable self-powered flexible electronics. Although, the commonly adopted PEDOT:PSS electrodes that are treated with severely corrosive and harmful acid lack foldability. Herein, efficient folding-flexible OSCs with highly conductive and foldable PEDOT:PSS electrodes processed with eco-friendly cost-effective acid and polyhydroxy compound are demonstrated.

13.34 % Efficiency Non-Fullerene All-Small-Molecule Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Modulating the Crystallinity of Donors via a Fluorination Strategy.

Non-fullerene all-small-molecule organic solar cells (NFSM-OSCs) have shown potential as OSCs, owing to their high purity, easy synthesis and good reproducibility. However, challenges in the modulation of phase separation morphology have limited their development. Herein, two novel small molecular donors, BTEC-1F and BTEC-2F, derived from the small molecule DCAO3TBDTT, are synthesized.