Silanization Strategies for Tailoring Peptide Functionalization on Silicon Surfaces: Implications for Enhancing Stem Cell Adhesion.

Biomaterial surface engineering and the integration of cell-adhesive ligands are crucial in biological research and biotechnological applications. The interplay between cells and their microenvironment, influenced by chemical and physical cues, impacts cellular behavior. Surface modification of biomaterials profoundly affects cellular responses, especially at the cell-surface interface.

Structure-Property Relationships for the Electronic Applications of Bis-Adduct Isomers of Phenyl-C Butyric Acid Methyl Ester.

Higher adducts of a fullerene, such as the bis-adduct of PCBM (bis-PCBM), can be used to achieve shallower molecular orbital energy levels than, for example, PCBM or C Substituting the bis-adduct for the parent fullerene is useful to increase the open-circuit voltage of organic solar cells or achieve better energy alignment as electron transport layers in, for example, perovskite solar cells. However, bis-PCBM is usually synthesized as a mixture of structural isomers, which can lead to both energetic and morphological disorder, negatively affecting device performance. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the molecular properties of 19 pure bis-isomers of PCBM using a variety of characterization methods, including ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, single crystal structure, and (time-dependent) density functional theory calculation.

Fully 3D Printed Tin Selenide (SnSe) Thermoelectric Generators with Alternating -Type and Type Legs.

Tin selenide (SnSe) has attracted much attention in the field of thermoelectrics since the discovery of the record figure of merit () of 2.6 ± 0.3.

Rapid Printing of Pseudo-3D Printed SnSe Thermoelectric Generators Utilizing an Inorganic Binder.

There has been much interest in tin selenide (SnSe) in the thermoelectric community since the discovery of the record zT in the material in 2014. Manufacturing techniques used to produce SnSe are largely energy-intensive (e.g.

All-Printed Roll-to-Roll Perovskite Photovoltaics Enabled by Solution-Processed Carbon Electrode.

Perovskite photovoltaics have shown great promise in device efficiency but also the promise of scalability through solution-processed manufacture. Efforts to scale perovskites have been taken through printable mesoporous scaffolds and slot die coating of flexible substrates roll-to-roll (R2R). However, to date there has been no demonstration of entirely R2R-coated devices due to the lack of a compatible solution-processable back electrode; instead, high-value evaporated metal contacts are employed as a post process.

Photocatalytic H production and degradation of aqueous 2-chlorophenol over B/N-graphene-coated Cu/TiO: A DFT, experimental and mechanistic investigation.

Energy and environmental challenges are global concerns that scientists are interested in alleviating. It is on this premise that we prepared boron/nitrogen graphene-coated Cu/TiO (B/N-graphene-coated Cu/TiO) photocatalyst of varying B:N ratios with dual functionality of H production and 2-Chlorophenol (2-CP) degradation. In-situ coating of Cu with B/N-graphene is achieved via solvothermal synthesis and calcination under an inert atmosphere.

Interfacial water morphology in hydrated melanin.

The importance of electrically functional biomaterials is increasing as researchers explore ways to utilise them in novel sensing capacities. It has been recognised that for many of these materials the state of hydration is a key parameter that can heavily affect the conductivity, particularly those that rely upon ionic or proton transport as a key mechanism. However, thus far little attention has been paid to the nature of the water morphology in the hydrated state and the concomitant ionic conductivity.

Effect of Applied Pressure on the Electrical Resistance of Carbon Nanotube Fibers.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can be spun into fibers as potential lightweight replacements for copper in electrical current transmission since lightweight CNT fibers weigh <1/6th that of an equivalently dimensioned copper wire. Experimentally, it has been shown that the electrical resistance of CNT fibers increases with longitudinal strain; however, although fibers may be under radial strain when they are compressed during crimping at contacts for use in electrical current transport, there has been no study of this relationship. Herein, we apply radial stress at the contact to a CNT fiber on both the nano- and macro-scale and measure the changes in fiber and contact resistance.

Inducing upwards band bending by surface stripping ZnO nanowires with argon bombardment.

Metal oxide semiconductors such as ZnO have attracted much scientific attention due their material and electrical properties and their ability to form nanostructures that can be used in numerous devices. However, ZnO is naturally n-type and tailoring its electrical properties towards intrinsic or p-type in order to optimise device operation have proved difficult. Here, we present an x-ray photon-electron spectroscopy and photoluminescence study of ZnO nanowires that have been treated with different argon bombardment treatments including with monoatomic beams and cluster beams of 500 atoms and 2000 atoms with acceleration volte of 0.

Nitrogen/Carbon-Coated Zero-Valent Copper as Highly Efficient Co-catalysts for TiO Applied in Photocatalytic and Photoelectrocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Zero-valent copper (Cu) is a promising co-catalyst in semiconductor-based photocatalysis as it is inexpensive and exhibits electronic properties similar to those of Ag and Au. However, its practical application in photocatalytic hydrogen production is limited by its susceptibility to oxidation, forming less active Cu species. Herein, we have carried out encapsulation of Cu nanoparticles with N-graphitic carbon layers (14.

Full Thermoelectric Characterization of Stoichiometric Electrodeposited Thin Film Tin Selenide (SnSe).

Tin selenide (SnSe) has attracted much attention in the thermoelectric community since the discovery of the record figure of merit (ZT) of 2.6 in single crystal tin selenide in 2014. There have been many reports since of the thermoelectric characterization of SnSe synthesized or manufactured by several methods, but so far none of these have concerned the electrodeposition of SnSe.

Enhanced Electrical Conductivity and Seebeck Coefficient in PEDOT:PSS via a Two-Step Ionic liquid and NaBH Treatment for Organic Thermoelectrics.

A two-step approach of improving the thermoelectric properties of Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) via the addition of the ionic liquid, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMIM:TFSI) and subsequent reduction with NaBH is presented. The addition of 2.5 v/v% of EMIM:TFSI to PEDOT:PSS increases the electrical conductivity from 3 S·cm to 1439 S·cm at 40 °C.

Acetonitrile based single step slot-die compatible perovskite ink for flexible photovoltaics.

The demonstration of photovoltaic devices with high power conversion efficiencies using low cost perovskite materials hints at the possibility of dramatically lowering the cost of solar energy. Key to further exploiting the potential of these materials is developing rapid processing techniques that can be used to deliver lower cost high throughput manufacture. This work details the development of low viscosity rapid drying perovskite formulations designed to give high quality solar films when slot-die coated on flexible roll-to-roll compatible substrates.

Influences of Non-fullerene Acceptor Fluorination on Three-Dimensional Morphology and Photovoltaic Properties of Organic Solar Cells.

Fluorination of conjugated molecules has been established as an effective structural modification strategy to influence properties and has attracted extensive attention in organic solar cells (OSCs). Here, we have investigated optoelectronic and photovoltaic property changes of OSCs made of polymer donors with the non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) ITIC and IEICO and their fluorinated counterparts IT-4F and IEICO-4F. Device studies show that fluorinated NFAs lead to reduced but increased and fill-factor (FF), and therefore, the ultimate influence to efficiency depends on the compensation of loss and gains of and FF.

Silica modified with polymeric amphiphilic nanoparticles as first dimension for multidimensional separation techniques.

This paper addresses the evaluation of a new amphiphilic nanoparticle supported on silica and its application as sorbent in on-line solid phase extraction. The investigated sorbent material is a copolymer composed by [2- (Acryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (block A) and butyl acrylate (block B) prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer. After polymerization the nanoparticles were adsorbed into silica surface by electrostatic attraction providing to the sorbent both, apolar and polar characteristics.

Voltammetric Detection of Caffeine in Beverages at Nafion/Graphite Nanoplatelets Layer-by-Layer Films.

We report for the first time a procedure in which Nafion/Graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) thin films are fabricated using a modified layer-by-layer (LbL) method. The method consists of dipping a substrate (quartz and/or glassy carbon electrodes) into a composite solution made of Nafion and GNPs dissolved together in ethanol, followed by washing steps in water. This procedure allowed the fabrication of multilayer films of (Nafion/GNPs) by means of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic‒hydrophobic interactions between Nafion, GNPs, and the corresponding solid substrate.

On-Demand Electrical Switching of Antibody-Antigen Binding on Surfaces.

The development of stimuli-responsive interfaces between synthetic materials and biological systems is providing the unprecedented ability to modulate biomolecular interactions for a diverse range of biotechnological and biomedical applications. Antibody-antigen binding interactions are at the heart of many biosensing platforms, but no attempts have been made yet to control antibody-antigen binding in an on-demand fashion. Herein, a molecular surface was designed and developed that utilizes an electric potential to drive a conformational change in surface bound peptide moiety, to give on-demand control over antigen-antibody interactions on sensor chips.

A perspective on using experiment and theory to identify design principles in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) have been the subject of wide-ranging studies for many years because of their potential for large-scale manufacturing using roll-to-roll processing allied to their use of earth abundant raw materials. Two main challenges exist for DSC devices to achieve this goal; uplifting device efficiency from the 12 to 14% currently achieved for laboratory-scale 'hero' cells and replacement of the widely-used liquid electrolytes which can limit device lifetimes. To increase device efficiency requires optimized dye injection and regeneration, most likely from multiple dyes while replacement of liquid electrolytes requires solid charge transporters (most likely hole transport materials - HTMs).

Thin Film Tin Selenide (SnSe) Thermoelectric Generators Exhibiting Ultralow Thermal Conductivity.

Tin selenide (SnSe) has attracted much attention in the field of thermoelectrics since the discovery of the record figure of merit (ZT) of 2.6 ± 0.3 along the b-axis of the material.

Investigation into the effects of surface stripping ZnO nanosheets.

ZnO nanosheets are polycrystalline nanostructures that are used in devices including solar cells and gas sensors. However, for efficient and reproducible device operation and contact behaviour the conductivity characteristics must be controlled and surface contaminants removed. Here we use low doses of argon bombardment to remove surface contamination and make reproducible lower resistance contacts.

Effects of structure on the performance of latex nanoparticles as a pseudostationary phase in electrokinetic chromatography.

The fundamental relationships between the structure and chemistry of latex nanoparticles synthesized by reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) controlled living polymerization and their subsequent performance as pseudostationary phases (PSP) are reported in this paper. RAFT enables the rational optimization of latex nanoparticle pseudostationary phases and control of the behavior of the PSP. Nanoparticles comprised of amphiphilic diblock copolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid-derived ionic/hydrophilic blocks and butyl- ethyl- or methyl-acrylate-derived hydrophobic blocks were synthesized in two sizes.

Evaluation of poly([2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride) cationic polymer capillary coating for capillary electrophoresis and electrokinetic chromatography separations.

Capillary electrophoresis and electrokinetic chromatography are typically carried out in unmodified fused-silica capillaries under conditions that result in a strong negative zeta potential at the capillary wall and a robust cathodic electroosmotic flow. Modification of the capillary wall to reverse the zeta potential and mask silanol sites can improve separation performance by reducing or eliminating analyte adsorption, and is essential when conducting electrokinetic chromatography separations with cationic latex nanoparticle pseudo-stationary phases. Semipermanent modification of the capillary walls by coating with cationic polymers has proven to be facile and effective.

Active removal of waste dye pollutants using TaN/WO nanocomposite fibres.

A scalable solvothermal technique is reported for the synthesis of a photocatalytic composite material consisting of orthorhombic TaN nanoparticles and WO nanowires. Through X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the as-grown tungsten(VI) sub-oxide was identified as monoclinic WO. The composite material catalysed the degradation of Rhodamine B at over double the rate of the TaN nanoparticles alone under illumination by white light, and continued to exhibit superior catalytic properties following recycling of the catalysts.