Adaptive Radiative Thermal Management Using Transparent, Flexible Ag Nanowire Networks.

Effective heat management is critical for improving energy efficiency and minimizing environmental impact. Passive radiative heat management systems rely on specific materials and design configurations to naturally modulate temperature, enhance system reliability, and decrease operational costs by modulating infrared light. However, their static nature proves insufficient in dynamic settings experiencing significant temperature fluctuations.

Simulation of Solvatochromic Phenomena in Xanthione Using Explicit Solvent Methods.

Xanthione is a sulfated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon which exhibits unique anti-Kasha properties and substantial sensitivity to its medium. Due to this sensitivity however, this makes xanthione-based systems very difficult to simulate. Further, xanthione's is understood to be come more photostable in the presence of a highly polar medium, however whether these photophysical properties could be taken advantage of for certain applications remains to be seen.

Enhance Photo-Stability of Up-Scalable Organic Solar Cells: Suppressing Radical Generation in Polymer Donors.

The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of single-junction organic solar cells (OSCs) has been promoted above 20%. Device up-scaling draws more and more research attentions. Besides the high PCE for devices with up-scalable fabrication methods and conditions, achieving high stability simultaneously is essential for pushing industrialization of this technology.

Global analysis of endogenous protein disorder in cells.

Disorder and flexibility in protein structures are essential for biological function but can also contribute to diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders. However, characterizing protein folding on a proteome-wide scale within biological matrices remains challenging. Here we present a method using a bifunctional chemical probe, named TME, to capture in situ, enrich and quantify endogenous protein disorder in cells.

Strategically Designed Uniform MOF-Derived Nanoporous Carbon Aerogel for Efficient Solar-Driven Desalination by Control of Hydrophilicity and Thermal Conductivity.

Desalination techniques using the photothermal effect hold significant potential for producing fresh water from saline or polluted sources due to their low energy consumption. In the case of commercialized carbon materials are related to heat loss resulting from high thermal conductivity, and metal particles still have trouble in commercialization or cost-effectiveness. This is because a photothermal desalination evaporator must simultaneously exhibit high water evaporation performance, excellent energy conversion efficiency, sufficient hydrophilicity, and low heat loss.

Surface Plasmon Modulation in CuP Nanocrystals.

We demonstrate modulation of the surface plasmon resonance in nonstoichiometric copper phosphide nanocrystals using spectroelectrochemical methods. Application of an anodic potential resulted in a blue-shift of the surface plasmon resonance and an incremental increase in its extinction coefficient. Conversely, upon application of a cathodic potential, the surface plasmon band red-shifted and reduced in intensity.

Suppressing Static and Dynamic Disorder for High-Efficiency and Stable Thick-Film Organic Solar Cells via Synergistic Dilution Strategy.

Developing stable and highly efficient thick-film organic solar cells (OSCs) is crucial for the large-scale commercial application of organic photovoltaics. A novel synergistic dilution strategy to address this issue, using Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) -modified zinc oxide (ZnO) as the interfacial layer, is introduced. This strategy effectively mitigates oxygen defects in ZnO while also regulating the self-assembly process of the active layer to achieve an ordered distribution of donors and acceptors.

Room-Temperature Optically Detected Coherent Control of Molecular Spins.

Optically interfaced molecular spins are a promising platform for quantum sensing and imaging. Key for such applications is optically detecting coherent spin manipulation at room temperature. Here, using the photoexcited triplet state of organic chromophores (pentacene doped in p-terphenyl), we optically detect coherent spin manipulation with photoluminescence contrasts exceeding 15% at room temperature, both in a molecular crystal and thin film.

Optimization of Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for In Situ Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in a Micro-Air-Filtration Device Format.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has supercharged innovation in the field of molecular diagnostics and led to the exploration of systems that permit the autonomous identification of airborne infectious agents. Airborne virus detection is an emerging approach for determining exposure risk, although current methods limit intervention timeliness. Here, we explore reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assays for one-pot detection of Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (SCV2) run on membrane filters suitable for micro-air-filtration of airborne viruses.

Magnetic fields reveal signatures of triplet-pair multi-exciton photoluminescence in singlet fission.

The photophysical processes of singlet fission and triplet fusion have numerous emerging applications. They involve the separation of a photo-generated singlet exciton into two dark triplet excitons and the fusion of two dark triplet excitons into an emissive singlet exciton, respectively. The role of the excimer state and the nature of the triplet-pair state in these processes have been a matter of contention.

A General Nucleation Model for Semiconductor Nanocrystals.

We introduce a nonclassical model for nanocrystal nucleation in solution which centers on the dynamic interplay of chemical bond breakage and formation coupled with the desolvation of precursor molecules, which we term the molecular chemistry (MC) model. Departing from classical theory, our model employs the bond count as the key variable rather than particle size, thereby redefining the role of supersaturation and its role in determining the so-called critical nucleus size. We apply the model to CdSe nanocrystal formation in nonpolar solvents and showcase its efficacy in predicting solvent dynamics, precursor characteristics, crystal phase, stoichiometry, "magic number" behavior, and transition states.

CO Laser Crystallization in Ambient for Highly Efficient FAPbI Perovskite Solar Cells.

Metal halide perovskite solar cells have achieved tremendous progress and have attracted enormous research and development efforts since the first report of demonstration in 2009. Due to fabrication versatility, many heat treatment methods can be utilized to achieve perovskite film crystallization. Herein, 10.

Multidimensional fluorescence spectroscopy of wine using synchronous excitation/emission matrices and time-resolved fluorescence interferometric detection.

Wines are complex mixtures of chemical compounds with broad and overlapping absorption and emission spectral features in the UV and visible spectral regions, making them challenging to study with conventional optical spectroscopic techniques. Multidimensional fluorescence spectroscopies correlate fluorescence spectra with other degrees of freedom, and have proven useful for studying complex molecular systems, offering a pathway for the analysis of wines utilising their inherent fluorescence. Here we employ steady-state excitation-emission matrix (EEM) and time-resolved fluorescence spectral measurements to investigate representative commercial white and red wine samples and a fluorescent 'model' wine base.

Nanoparticle-mediated thermal Cancer therapies: Strategies to improve clinical translatability.

Despite significant advances, cancer remains a leading global cause of death. Current therapies often fail due to incomplete tumor removal and nonspecific targeting, spurring interest in alternative treatments. Hyperthermia, which uses elevated temperatures to kill cancer cells or boost their sensitivity to radio/chemotherapy, has emerged as a promising alternative.

Stabilization of Apolar Nanoparticle Dispersions by Molecular Additives.

We study the effect of additives on the colloidal stability of alkanethiol-coated gold nanoparticles. Cyclic amines and sulfides of different sizes were added to dispersions in decane at additive concentrations below 128 mM. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) indicated that tetrahydrothiophene reduced the agglomeration temperature, , by up to 29 °C, a considerable increase in colloidal stability.

Defect-Free, Few-Atomic-Layer Thin ZnO Nanosheets with Superior Excitonic Properties for Optoelectronic Devices.

Two-dimensional (2D) wide bandgap materials are gaining significant interest for next-generation optoelectronic devices. However, fabricating electronic-grade 2D nanosheets from non-van der Waals (n-vdW) oxide semiconductors poses a great challenge due to their stronger interlayer coupling compared with vdW crystals. This strong coupling typically introduces defects during exfoliation, impairing the optoelectronic properties.

Colloidal Synthesis of Carbon Dot-ZnSe Nanoplatelet Van der Waals Heterostructures for Boosting Photocatalytic Generation of Methanol-Storable Hydrogen.

Methanol is not only a promising liquid hydrogen carrier but also an important feedstock chemical for chemical synthesis. Catalyst design is vital for enabling the reactions to occur under ambient conditions. This study reports a new class of van der Waals heterojunction photocatalyst, which is synthesized by hot-injection method, whereby carbon dots (CDs) are grown in situ on ZnSe nanoplatelets (NPLs), i.

Nanocrystal Assemblies: Current Advances and Open Problems.

We explore the potential of nanocrystals (a term used equivalently to nanoparticles) as building blocks for nanomaterials, and the current advances and open challenges for fundamental science developments and applications. Nanocrystal assemblies are inherently multiscale, and the generation of revolutionary material properties requires a precise understanding of the relationship between structure and function, the former being determined by classical effects and the latter often by quantum effects. With an emphasis on theory and computation, we discuss challenges that hamper current assembly strategies and to what extent nanocrystal assemblies represent thermodynamic equilibrium or kinetically trapped metastable states.

Lower-Temperature Nucleation and Growth of Colloidal CdTe Quantum Dots Enabled by Prenucleation Clusters with Cd-Te Bond Conservation.

The reason why heating is required remains elusive for the traditional synthesis of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) of II-VI metal chalcogenide (ME). Using CdTe as a model system, we show that the formation of Cd-Te covalent bonds with individual Cd- and Te-containing compounds can be decoupled from the nucleation and growth of CdTe QDs. Prepared at an elevated temperature, a prenucleation-stage sample contains clusters that are the precursor compound (PC) of magic-size clusters (MSCs); the Cd-Te bond formation occurs at temperatures higher than 120 °C in the reaction.

Bio-catalytic nanoparticle shaping for preparing mesoscopic assemblies of semiconductor quantum dots and organic molecules.

We report a unique bio-catalytic nanoparticle shaping (BNS) method for preparing a variety of mesoscopic particles by a facile process. For example, the BNS method affords mesoscopic QD assembly dispersions. Large-size sedimentations (>1 μm) of QDs are first formed using oligo-L-lysine linkers.

Piperidine and Pyridine Series Lead-Free Dion-Jacobson Phase Tin Perovskite Single Crystals and Their Applications for Field-Effect Transistors.

Two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites have gained immense attention as alternatives to three-dimensional (3D) perovskites in recent years. The hydrophobic spacers in the layered structure of 2D perovskites make them more moisture-resistant than 3D perovskites. Moreover, they exhibit unique anisotropic electrical transport properties due to a structural confinement effect.

Drop-cast gold nanoparticles are not always electrocatalytically active for the borohydride oxidation reaction.

The next-generation of energy devices rely on advanced catalytic materials, especially electrocatalytic nanoparticles (NPs), to achieve the performance and cost required to reshape the energy landscape towards a more sustainable and cleaner future. It has become imperative to maximize the performance of the catalyst, both through improvement of the intrinsic activity of the NP, and by ensuring all particles are performing at the level of their capability. This requires not just a structure-function understanding of the catalytic material, but also an understanding of how the catalyst performance is impacted by its environment (substrate, ligand, ).

Structural Evolution of Liquid Metals and Alloys.

Low-melting liquid metals are emerging as a new group of highly functional solvents due to their capability to dissolve and alloy various metals in their elemental state to form solutions as well as colloidal systems. Furthermore, these liquid metals can facilitate and catalyze multiple unique chemical reactions. Despite the intriguing science behind liquid metals and alloys, very little is known about their fundamental structures in the nanometric regime.

Spontaneous Liquefaction of Solid Metal-Liquid Metal Interfaces in Colloidal Binary Alloys.

Crystallization of alloys from a molten state is a fundamental process underpinning metallurgy. Here the direct imaging of an intermetallic precipitation reaction at equilibrium in a liquid-metal environment is demonstrated. It is shown that the outer layers of a solidified intermetallic are surprisingly unstable to the depths of several nanometers, fluctuating between a crystalline and a liquid state.