Understanding the role of solvents in bottom-up synthesis of multi-element hydroxides.

Here we report a comparative study on the bottom-up synthesis of multi-element hydroxides composed of Mg, Al, Fe and Zn cations to understand the role of solvents. Two common solvents, water and ethylene glycol, a typical polyol, are used. The polyol-derived MgAlFeZn-OH are nanosheets with homogeneous elemental distribution, while the hydrothermal-derived MgAlFeZn-OH are mixtures of plate-like hydroxide layers and rod-like spinel oxides.

Improving the efficiency of n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells by incorporating AuNP-decorated graphene oxide as a nanoadditive for conductive polymers.

A gold nanoparticle-decorated graphene oxide (GO-AuNP) hybrid material was prepared by using the chemical reduction method. The obtained results showed that the AuNPs of about of 15 nm are well bound on the surface of GO. The GO-AuNP hybrid material was used for transparent conductive film (TCF) and organic/inorganic hybrid solar cells.

Enhanced power conversion efficiency of an n-Si/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cell using nanostructured silicon and gold nanoparticles.

Herein, the effect of nanostructured silicon and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of an n-type silicon/poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) (n-Si/PEDOT:PSS) hybrid solar cell was investigated. The Si surface modified with different nanostructures including Si nanopyramids (SiNPs), Si nanoholes (SiNHs) and Si nanowires (SiNWs) was utilized to improve light trapping and photo-carrier collection. The highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.

Health and demographic surveillance systems in low- and middle-income countries: history, state of the art and future prospects.

Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) have been developed in several low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Africa and Asia. This paper reviews their history, state of the art and future potential and highlights substantial areas of contribution by the late Professor Peter Byass.Historically, HDSS appeared in the second half of the twentieth century, responding to a dearth of accurate population data in poorly resourced settings to contextualise the study of interventions to improve health and well-being.

Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in freshwater fish from urban lakes in Hanoi, Vietnam: concentrations, tissue distribution, and implication for risk assessment.

Concentrations and profiles of 17 perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) including 13 perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFA) and 4 perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFS) were determined in whole blood, muscle, and liver samples of four freshwater fish species in West Lake and Yen So Lake (Hanoi, Vietnam). Concentrations of total 17 PFAS in fish blood samples ranged from 5.2 to 29 (median 16) ng/mL.