Tetrabutylammonium Hydroxide-Functionalized TiCT MXene for Significantly Improving the Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells.

An appropriate electron transport layer (ETL) or cathode buffer layer (CBL) is critical for high-performance perovskite solar cells (PVSCs). In this work, tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (TBAOH)-functionalized TiCT MXene (TBAOH-TiCT) is developed to improve the photovoltaic performance of PVSCs. TBAOH-TiCT is synthesized by HF etching and then TBAOH intercalation, and TBAOH can effectively attach to the TiCT surface during the intercalation process.

Facilely synthesized carbon dots and configurated light-emitting diodes with efficient electroluminescence.

Carbon dots (CDs) are recently emerging photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) emitters that are highly spotlighted in solid-state lighting. In this work, exceptional CDs with few defects, high carbonation, good film morphology and excitation wavelength-independent PL emission have been facilely synthesized and characterized with X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Superior EL emission from CDs has been demonstrated.

Annealing-Insensitive, Alcohol-Processed MoO Hole Transport Layer for Universally Enabling High-Performance Conventional and Inverted Organic Solar Cells.

At present, most solution-processed molybdenum oxide (s-MoO) hole transport layers (HTLs) are still mainly used in conventional organic solar cells (OSCs) but unsuitable for inverted OSCs. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time an annealing-insensitive, alcohol-processed MoO HTL that can universally enable high-performance conventional and inverted OSCs. The s-MoO HTL is spin-coated from the MoO nanoparticle dispersion in alcohol, where the MoO nanoparticles are synthesized by simple nonaqueous pyrolysis conversion of MoO(acac).

Aggregation-based phase transition tailored heterophase junctions of AgInS for boosting photocatalytic H evolution.

Due to high defect tolerance and multiphase allowance, AgInS (AIS) quantum dots (QDs) provide chances for designing new type junctions via tailoring defects, size, or phase structure. These new type junctions potentially enhance photoelectric performance, such as photocatalytic H2 evolution (PHE). Here, ultra-small AIS QDs (∼1 nm) with well-defined exciton absorption were prepared aqueously via a reverse hot-injection procedure for the first time.

Enhanced Visible Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution of KN-Based Semiconducting Ferroelectrics Band-Gap Engineering and High-Field Poling.

In various ferroelectric-based photovoltaic materials after low-band-gap engineering, the process by which high-field polarization induces the depolarizing electric field () to accelerate the electron-hole pair separation in the visible light photocatalytic process is still a great challenge. Herein, a series of semiconducting KN-based ferroelectric catalytic materials with narrow multi-band gaps and high-field polarization capabilities are obtained through the Ba, Ni, and Bi co-doping strategy. Stable caused by high-field poling enhanced the visible photocatalytic hydrogen evolution in a 0.

Imaging features of inflammatory pseudotumor-like follicular dendritic cell sarcoma of the spleen.

Background: Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT)-like follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS) is an extremely rare malignant neoplasm.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of imaging features of splenic IPT-like FDCS, including ultrasonography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) and contrast-enhanced imaging were performed.

Results: When the masses were small, the ultrasound images showed homogeneous hypoechoic signals, clear boundaries, and complete capsules.

Constructing defect-related subband in silver indium sulfide QDs via pH-dependent oriented aggregation for boosting photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Surface engineering of quantum dots (QDs) plays critical roles in tailoring carriers' dynamics of I-III-VI QDs via the interplay of QDs in aggregates or assembly, thus influencing their photocatalytic activities. In this work, an aqueous synthesis and the followed pH tuned oriented assembly method are developed to prepare network-like aggregates, dispersion, or sheet-like assembly of GSH-capped Silver Indium Sulfide (AIS). FTIR, DLS, and HRTEM investigation revealed that surface protonation or deprotonation of QDs occurred at pH < 6 or pH > 12 favors the formation of network-like aggregates with various defects or sheet-like assembly with perfect crystal lattice, respectively, via the surface charge induced interaction among AIS QDs.

Cross-Linkable and Alcohol-Soluble Pyridine-Incorporated Polyfluorene Derivative as a Cathode Interface Layer for High-Efficiency and Stable Organic Solar Cells.

Device performance and commercialization of organic solar cells (OSCs) are strongly influenced by the characteristics of the interface layers. Cross-linked polymer interface layers with solvent-resistant properties are very compatible with large-area solution-processing methods of OSCs and may be beneficial to the environmental stability of OSCs due to the viscoelastic and cross-linked characteristics of the cross-linked polymer. In this work, a novel cross-linkable and alcohol-soluble pyridine-incorporated polyfluorene derivative, denoted as PFOPy, is synthesized and used as a cathode interface layer (CIL) in OSCs.

Aqueous synthesis of composition-tuned defects in CuInSe nanocrystals for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic H evolution.

The composition and defect tolerance of CuInSe (CISe) quantum dots (QDs) provide a scaffold to design defects tailoring the elemental ratio or distributions for boosting photocatalytic H evolution (PHE). Herein, a ligand-assisted two-step aqueous method was developed to prepare defect CISe quantum dots for the first time. UV-vis, XPS, HRTEM, and HADDF investigations confirmed the typical double-absorption edges of copper vacancy defects and indium substituted at copper site defects in the structure constructed through initial synthesis tuned by Cu/In ratio and the ensued coarsening.

Application of spherical polyelectrolyte brushes microparticle system in flocculation and retention.

In this paper, a microparticle system consisting of cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) and anionic spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (ASPB) is proposed to improve the retention of pulp suspension containing bleached reed kraft pulp and precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC). We first describe the preparation of ASPB. The ASPB, consisting of a carbon sphere (CS) core and a shell of sodium polystyrene sulfonate (PSSNa) brushes, was synthesized by surface-initiated polymerization.

Design of C N -Based Hybrid Heterojunctions for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Activity.

Semiconductors and metals can form an Ohmic contact with an electric field pointing to the metal, or a Schottky contact with an electric field pointing to the semiconductor. If these two types of heterojunctions are constructed on a single nanoparticle, the two electric fields may cause a synergistic effect and increase the separation rate of the photogenerated electrons and holes. Metal Ni and Ag nanoparticles were successively loaded on the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C N ) surface by precipitation and photoreduction in the hope of forming hybrid heterojunctions on single nanoparticles.

Homo- and Heterovalent Doping-Mediated Self-Trapped Exciton Emission and Energy Transfer in Mn-Doped CsNaAgBiCl Double Perovskites.

Double perovskites exhibit low toxicity, intrinsic thermodynamic stability, and small carrier effective mass. Herein, a novel doping route was adopted to incorporate Mn ions into CsNaAgBiCl double perovskites for engineering the band gap and tailoring the energy transfer. The as-prepared CsNaAgBiCl (0 < < 1) exhibited excellent photoluminescence and a broad self-trapped exciton (STE) band from 500 to 900 nm, which exhibited an abnormal emission peak blue shift with increasing temperature.

Oriented assembly of CdS nanocrystals via dynamic surface modification-tailored particle interaction.

The controlled assembly of quantum dots (QDs) remains a challenge due to the lack of in-depth understanding of the roles of ligand dynamics. In this study, tripods, particles, nanorods and nanoflowers of CdS with yellow, red and cyan PL emissions, respectively, were achieved through the coarsening of thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdS QDs with a novel hydroxyl-TGA exchange procedure. Dynamic hydroxyl modification-induced aggregation and coalescence can help to describe the defects and the corresponding photoluminescence characteristics of these nanocrystals.

Aggregation-based abrupt crystallization from amorphous Ag2S to Ag2S nanocrystals.

Abrupt crystallization from ∼2-5 nm (amorphous) to ∼12-15 nm (crystalline) was observed in hydrothermal coarsening of Ag2S. The desorption behavior of capping ligands could be associated with the aggregation and fusion of amorphous particles into crystals.

Self-assembly of SnO2 quantum dots into hierarchically ordered structures assisted by oriented attachment.

Taking SnO2 quantum dots with random orientation as a precursor, NaOH induces self-assembly of SnO2 dots to form the nanowires, side-by-side attachment of which generates hierarchically ordered structures. The multistep oriented attachment mechanism can help to describe the oriented assembly of big nanocrystals.

The relationship between photoluminescence (PL) decay and crystal growth kinetics in thioglycolic acid (TGA) capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs).

The PL lifetime optimization of CdTe QDs capped with TGA has yet to be understood from a perspective of growth kinetics. In this work, the growth kinetics and PL properties of CdTe QDs growing in aqueous solutions of two TGA concentrations, 0 mM and 57 mM, were systematically investigated using UV, TEM, and PL methods. CdTe QDs in 0 mM TGA solution were found to follow the mixed OA (Oriented Attachment)-OR (Ostwald Ripening) growth kinetics.