Origin of Exciton-Polariton Interactions and Decoupled Dark States Dynamics in 2D Hybrid Perovskite Quantum Wells.

The realization of efficient optical devices depends on the ability to harness strong nonlinearities, which are challenging to achieve with standard photonic systems. Exciton-polaritons formed in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites offer a promising alternative, exhibiting strong interactions at room temperature (RT). Despite recent demonstrations showcasing a robust nonlinear response, further progress is hindered by an incomplete understanding of the microscopic mechanisms governing polariton interactions in perovskite-based strongly coupled systems.

Thermochromic Printable and Multicolor Polymeric Composite Based on Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Perovskite.

Hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (PVKs) are among the most promising materials for optoelectronic applications thanks to their outstanding photophysical properties and easy synthesis. Herein, a new PVK-based thermochromic composite is demonstrated. It can reversibly switch from a transparent state (transmittance > 80%) at room temperature to a colored state (transmittance < 10%) at high temperature, with very fast kinetics, taking only a few seconds to go from the bleached to the colored state (and vice versa).

Strongly enhanced light-matter coupling of monolayer WS from a bound state in the continuum.

Exciton-polaritons derived from the strong light-matter interaction of an optical bound state in the continuum with an excitonic resonance can inherit an ultralong radiative lifetime and significant nonlinearities, but their realization in two-dimensional semiconductors remains challenging at room temperature. Here we show strong light-matter interaction enhancement and large exciton-polariton nonlinearities at room temperature by coupling monolayer tungsten disulfide excitons to a topologically protected bound state in the continuum moulded by a one-dimensional photonic crystal, and optimizing for the electric-field strength at the monolayer position through Bloch surface wave confinement. By a structured optimization approach, the coupling with the active material is maximized here in a fully open architecture, allowing to achieve a 100 meV photonic bandgap with the bound state in the continuum in a local energy minimum and a Rabi splitting of 70 meV, which results in very high cooperativity.

Role of a corrugated Dion-Jacobson 2D perovskite as an additive in 3D MAPbBr perovskite-based light emitting diodes.

Metal halide perovskites represent an intriguing class of materials, and a very promising approach to tune the properties of optoelectronic devices and improve their performance involves the implementation of architectures based on mixed 3D and 2D perovskites. In this work, we investigated the use of a corrugated 2D Dion-Jacobson perovskite as an additive to a classical 3D MAPbBr perovskite for applications in light-emitting diodes. Taking advantage of the properties of this emerging class of materials, we studied the effect of a 2D 2-(dimethylamino)ethylamine (DMEN)-based perovskite on the morphological, photophysical, and optoelectronic properties of 3D perovskite thin films.

Collagen Membrane as Water-Based Gel Electrolyte for Electrochromic Devices.

Bio-based polymers are attracting great interest due to their potential for several applications in place of conventional polymers. In the field of electrochemical devices, the electrolyte is a fundamental element that determines their performance, and polymers represent good candidates for developing solid-state and gel-based electrolytes toward the development of full-solid-state devices. In this context, the fabrication and characterization of uncrosslinked and physically cross-linked collagen membranes are reported to test their potential as a polymeric matrix for the development of a gel electrolyte.

Enantioseparation of chiral phytocannabinoids in medicinal cannabis.

The evaluation of the chiral composition of phytocannabinoids in the cannabis plant is particularly important as the pharmacological effects of the (+) and (-) enantiomers of these compounds are completely different. Chromatographic attempts to assess the presence of the minor (+) enantiomers of the main phytocannabinoids, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and trans-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (trans-Δ-THCA), were carried out on heated plant extracts for the determination of the corresponding decarboxylated species, cannabidiol (CBD) and trans-Δ-tetrahydrocannabinol (trans-Δ-THC), respectively. This process produces an altered phytocannabinoid composition with several new and unknown decomposition products.

Rydberg polaritons in ReS crystals.

Rhenium disulfide belongs to group VII transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) with attractive properties such as exceptionally high refractive index and remarkable oscillator strength, large in-plane birefringence, and good chemical stability. Unlike most other TMDs, the peculiar optical properties of rhenium disulfide persist from bulk to the monolayer, making this material potentially suitable for applications in optical devices. In this work, we demonstrate with unprecedented clarity the strong coupling between cavity modes and excited states, which results in a strong polariton interaction, showing the interest of these materials as a solid-state counterpart of Rydberg atomic systems.

Colloidal Bismuth Chalcohalide Nanocrystals.

Here we present a colloidal approach to synthesize bismuth chalcohalide nanocrystals (BiEX NCs, in which E=S, Se and X=Cl, Br, I). Our method yields orthorhombic elongated BiEX NCs, with BiSCl crystallizing in a previously unknown polymorph. The BiEX NCs display a composition-dependent band gap spanning the visible spectral range and absorption coefficients exceeding 10  cm .

Tuning of the Berry curvature in 2D perovskite polaritons.

The engineering of the energy dispersion of polaritons in microcavities through nanofabrication or through the exploitation of intrinsic material and cavity anisotropies has demonstrated many intriguing effects related to topology and emergent gauge fields such as the anomalous quantum Hall and Rashba effects. Here we show how we can obtain different Berry curvature distributions of polariton bands in a strongly coupled organic-inorganic two-dimensional perovskite single-crystal microcavity. The spatial anisotropy of the perovskite crystal combined with photonic spin-orbit coupling produce two Hamilton diabolical points in the dispersion.

Light-Emitting Textiles: Device Architectures, Working Principles, and Applications.

E-textiles represent an emerging technology aiming toward the development of fabric with augmented functionalities, enabling the integration of displays, sensors, and other electronic components into textiles. Healthcare, protective clothing, fashion, and sports are a few examples application areas of e-textiles. Light-emitting textiles can have different applications: sensing, fashion, visual communication, light therapy, etc.

Electrochromic evaluation of airbrushed water-dispersible WOnanorods obtained by microwave-assisted synthesis.

Motivated by the technological relevance of tungsten oxide nanostructures as valuable materials for energy saving technology, electrochemical and electrochromic characteristics of greener processed nanostructured WO-based electrodes are discussed in this work. For the purpose, microwave-assisted water-dispersible WOnanorods have been synthesized and processed into nanostructured electrodes. An airbrushing technique has been adopted as a cost-effective large-area scalable methodology to deposit the WOnanorods onto conductive glass.

Pseudocapacitive behaviour in sol-gel derived electrochromic titania nanostructures.

Nanostructured thin films are widely investigated for application in multifunctional devices thanks to their peculiar optoelectronic properties. In this work anatase TiO nanoparticles (average diameter 10 nm) synthesised by a green aqueous sol-gel route are exploited to fabricate optically active electrodes for pseudocapacitive-electrochromic devices. In our approach, highly transparent and homogeneous thin films having a good electronic coupling between nanoparticles are prepared.

Nanostructuring Iridium Complexes into Crystalline Phosphorescent Nanoparticles: Structural Characterization, Photophysics, and Biological Applications.

One of the key challenges in materials science is to control the properties of a material by directing its supramolecular arrangement. Here we show that iridium complexes, such as FIrpic, Ir-PPY, and Ir-MDQ, can be organized into crystalline and phosphorescent nanoparticles through the nanoprecipitation method, which allows thorough modification of their functional properties. Moreover, we found that it is possible to combine different iridium complexes into a single multicomponent nanostructure, thus creating nanoparticles whose photonic properties derive from the close spatial proximity of the electronic excited states of the different Ir complexes.

Two-dimensional hybrid perovskites sustaining strong polariton interactions at room temperature.

Polaritonic devices exploit the coherent coupling between excitonic and photonic degrees of freedom to perform highly nonlinear operations with low input powers. Most of the current results exploit excitons in epitaxially grown quantum wells and require low-temperature operation, while viable alternatives have yet to be found at room temperature. We show that large single-crystal flakes of two-dimensional layered perovskite are able to sustain strong polariton nonlinearities at room temperature without the need to be embedded in an optical cavity formed by highly reflecting mirrors.

Thermomechanical and Morphological Studies of CFRP Tested in Different Environmental Conditions.

The present work describes the mechanical characterization combined with the thermal degradation kinetics of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP). The thermal degradation kinetics of CFRP have never been studied in the past. In that regard, the present work focuses on studying the thermal degradation kinetics of CFRP tested mechanically at different environmental conditions.

Exploiting Photo- and Electroluminescence Properties of FIrpic Organic Crystals.

In this work, we investigate the optical and structural properties of the well-known triplet emitter bis(4',6'-difluorophenylpyridinato)-iridium(III) picolinate (FIrpic), showing that its ability to pack in two different ordered crystal structures promotes attractive photophysical properties that are useful for solid-state lighting applications. This approach allows the detrimental effects of the nonradiative pathways on the luminescence performance in highly concentrated organic active materials to be weakened. The remarkable electro-optical behavior of sky-blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes incorporating crystal domains of FIrpic, dispersed into an appropriate matrix as an active layer, has also been reported as well as the X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, electro-ionization mass spectrometry, and scanning electron microscopy analyses of the crystalline samples.

Analytical and preparative enantioseparation and main chiroptical properties of Iridium(III) bis(4,6-difluorophenylpyridinato)picolinato.

Almost all Iridium(III) complexes employed both as dopants in PhOLEDs and as pharmaceuticals and fluorescence bioprobes are racemic mixtures. In this study the single enantiomers of the most stable diastereomeric form fac-trans-N-N, bis[2-(4,6-difluorophenyl)pyridinato-C,N](picolinato)iridium(III) (FIrpic) were separated and analysed. The data obtained showed that the complex can be separated into stable optically active Λ and Δ isomers employing cellulose based chiral stationary phase both in normal and polar phase mode.

Design and synthesis of fluorenone-based dyes: two-photon excited fluorescent probes for imaging of lysosomes and mitochondria in living cells.

Three fluorenone-derived two-photon fluorescent probes (TK) targeting the lysosomes (TK-Lyso) and mitochondria (TK-Mito1 and TK-Mito2) were synthesized by introducing different diphenylamine moieties into the fluorenone core. The TK dyes showed high biocompatibility and long-term retention, low cytotoxicity, large Stokes shift and good fluorescence quantum yield. The results of the present work disclose a class of organic dyes with potential wide applications as specific and efficient probes for lysosomes and mitochondria in the study of various biological processes.

X-ray excited visible luminescence spectroscopy of organic materials using a portable optical spectrometer.

The use of a portable video telescope, mounted externally to a beamline endstation, to obtain synchrotron-radiation-excited visible luminescence, is described. Real-time video monitoring permits simple and quick alignment, and allows a visual record of the luminescence experiment. The telescope is fibre-optic-coupled to an optical spectrometer.

Antiophidian properties of the aqueous extract of Mikania glomerata.

Aqueous extracts, prepared from dried or fresh roots, stems or leaves of Mikania glomerata, a plant found in Mata Atlântica in Southeastern Brazil, were able to efficiently neutralize different toxic, pharmacological, and enzymatic effects induced by venoms from Bothrops and Crotalus snakes. Phospholipase A(2) activity and the edema induced by Crotalus durissus terrificus venom were inhibited around 100 and approximately 40%, respectively, although this inhibition was only partial for Bothrops venoms. The hemorrhagic activity of Bothrops venoms (Bothrops altenatus, Bothrops moojeni, Bothrops neuwiedi, and Bothrops jararacussu) was significantly inhibited by this vegetal species, while the clotting activity of Crotalus durissus terrificus, Bothrops jararacussu, and Bothrops neuwiedi venoms was totally inhibited.

Anticoagulant and antifibrinogenolytic properties of the aqueous extract from Bauhinia forficata against snake venoms.

The aqueous extract from aerial parts of Bauhinia forficata was able to neutralize the clotting activity induced by Bothrops and Crotalus crude venoms. The clotting time, upon human plasma, induced by B. moojeni venom was significantly prolonged.

Clinical trial of the efficacy and safety of moguisteine in patients with cough associated with chronic respiratory diseases.

This completely randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial was carried out to evaluate the antitussive activity and safety of a 200 mg t.i.d.

Thymomodulin increases the depressed production of superoxide anion by alveolar macrophages in patients with chronic bronchitis.

Thymomodulin is an immunomodulating agent which is derived from calf thymus by partial acid lysis. It promotes T-cell maturation, enhances antibody synthesis and improves the phagocytic response of neutrophils. Clinical trials have revealed the effectiveness of this thymic derivative in the prevention of recurrent respiratory infections (RRI) in children and in adults; 11 patients (8 males and 3 females; age range 18-76 years) with chronic bronchitis dominated by recurrent respiratory infections were studied.

[Asthma improved by acetylsalicylic acid].

It is known that in some asthmatic subjects the administration of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) results in bronchodilatation. We have administered 750 mg of ASA intravenously to 100 asthmatic patients who were without history of ASA intolerance. Functional assessment (FEV) was performed under basal conditions and after 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and 180 minutes after the administration of ASA.