| 1. |
- Zhang, Ben, et al.
(author)
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Rapid solidification for green-solvent-processed large-area organic solar modules with >16% efficiency
- 2024
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In: Energy & Environmental Science. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 1754-5692 .- 1754-5706.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Enabling green-solvent-processed large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) is of great significance to their industrialization. However, precisely controlling the temperature-dependent fluid mechanics and evaporation behavior of green solvents with high-boiling points is challenging. Controlling these parameters is essential to prevent the non-uniform distribution of active layer components and severe molecule aggregation, which collectively degrade the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of large-scale devices. In this study, we revealed that the temperature gradient distribution across a wet film is the root of the notorious Marangoni effect, which leads to the formation of a severely non-uniform active layer on a large scale. Thus, a rapid solidification strategy was proposed to accelerate the evaporation of toluene, a green solvent, at room temperature. This strategy simultaneously inhibits the Marangoni effect and suppresses molecular aggregation in the wet film, allowing the formation of a nano-scale phase separation active layer with uniform morphology. The resultant toluene-processed 15.64-cm2 large-area OSC module achieves an outstanding PCE of 16.03% (certified: 15.69%), which represents the highest reported PCE of green-solvent-processed OSC modules. Notably, this strategy also exhibits a weak scale dependence on the PCE, and we successfully achieved a state-of-the-art PCE of 14.45% for a 72.00-cm2 OSC module. A rapid solidification strategy was developed for simultaneously avoiding the Marangoni effect and suppressing molecular aggregation. The resultant 15.64 cm2 large-area OSC module exhibited a record power conversion efficiency of 16.03%.
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| 2. |
- Wan, Li, et al.
(author)
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Sensitive near-infrared circularly polarized light detection via non-fullerene acceptor blends
- 2023
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In: Nature Photonics. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 1749-4885 .- 1749-4893. ; 17:8, s. 649-655
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Circularly polarized light (CPL) is widely used for various applications in sensing and imaging(1-3). An ongoing challenge is to realize high-quality CPL detection using chiral organic semiconductors, especially in the near-infrared (NIR) region(4). Chiral molecules tend to rely on twisted stereogenic moieties; however, conventional approaches to reduce the bandgap of organic semiconductors are based on the use of co-planar backbones that commonly lead to molecular symmetries preventing chirality. Here we report a widely applicable strategy to directly induce chiroptical activity in planar non-fullerene acceptors(5-7), which are widely used for high-performance organic photovoltaics and provide a wealth of opportunities to fill the spectral gap of CPL detection in the NIR regime. We demonstrate proof-of-concept circularly polarized organic photodiodes using chiroptically active non-fullerene acceptor blends, which exhibit strong circular dichroism and hence great sensitivity to CPL in the NIR region. Importantly, this strategy is found to be effective in a wide series of state-of-the-art non-fullerene acceptor families including ITIC5, o-IDTBR6 and Y6 analogues(7), which substantially broadens the range of materials applicable to NIR CPL detection.
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| 3. |
- Guan, Hongxiang, et al.
(author)
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Lipid Biomarker Patterns Reflect Nutritional Strategies of Seep-Dwelling Bivalves From the South China Sea
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Marine Science. - Lausanne : Frontiers Media. - 2296-7745. ; 9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Invertebrates living at methane seeps such as mussels and clams gain nutrition through symbiosis with chemosynthetic, chiefly methanotrophic and thiotrophic bacteria. Lipid biomarkers, including their compound-specific carbon stable isotope compositions, extracted from the host tissues are predestined for deciphering the various sources of diets and the associations among varying environments, endosymbionts, and hosts. Here, we investigated lipid inventories of soft tissues of two bathymodiolin mussel species hosting aerobic methanotrophic bacteria (Gigantidas platifrons from Site F and Gigantidas haimaensis from Haima seeps), one bathymodiolin mussel with thiotrophic bacteria (Bathymodiolus aduloides from Haima seeps), and one vesicomyid clam (Archivesica marissinica from Haima seeps) from the South China Sea. The gills of mussels hosting methanotrophic symbionts were found to contain high amounts of lipids of aerobic methanotrophic bacteria, such as the 4,4-dimethyl lanosterol, and other 4-methyl sterols, and the type I methanotroph-specific monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) C16:1ω9 and C16:1ω8. Production of methyl-sterols is favored over fatty acids at low oxygen concentrations, as demonstrated in culture experiments with Methylococcus capsulatus. Since lesser fatty acids and abundant sterols are found in G. haimaensis compared to G. platifrons, G. haimaensis apparently lived at very low oxygen levels. Extremely high levels of MUFAs C16:1ω7 and C18:1ω7 were found in gill tissue of both B. aduloides and the vesicomyid clam A. marissinica. Given the absence of ω8 fatty acids, both B. aduloides and the vesicomyid clam contain thiotrophic bacteria only. The occurrence of 13C-enriched 24-methylenecholesterol in B. aduloides indicates that the animal complemented its diet by filter-feeding (ca. 3% of the total sterol inventory) on photosynthetically derived carbon, whereas the majority of sterols are pointing to a diet relying on endosymbionts. Different types of 4-methyl sterols were observed between the thiotroph-containing mussel and methanotroph-containing mussels, suggesting different biosynthetic steps are present from lanosterol to cholesterol between animal hosts and aerobic methanotrophs. Among the four bivalve species, specific lipid biomarker patterns diagnostic for either the symbionts or the hosts yielded similar δ13C values in each species, indicating that the host obtained its nutrition either directly from the symbionts or derived at least most of its carbon in this way. The information derived from lipid biomarkers of bivalves and their corresponding symbionts in modern environments is vital to interpret data from the rock record, where most other methods to study microbial community composition are not applicable.
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| 4. |
- Hu, Wenping, et al.
(author)
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Advancing conjugated polymers into nanometer-scale devices
- 2006
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In: Pure and Applied Chemistry. - : Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - 0033-4545 .- 1365-3075. ; 78:10, s. 1803-1822
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this article, we review the possibility of combining conjugated polymers with nanometer-scale devices (nanodevices), in order to introduce the properties associated with conjugated polymers into such nanodevices. This approach envisages combining the highly topical disciplines of polymer electronics and nanoelectronics to engender a new subdirection of polymer nanoelectronics, which can serve as a tool to probe the behavior of polymer molecules at the nanometer/molecular level, and contribute to clarifying transport mechanisms in conjugated polymers. In this study, we exemplify this combination, using a family of linear and conjugated polymers, poly(p-phenylene-ethynylene)s (PPEs) with thiolacetate-functionalized end groups.
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| 5. |
- Zhao, Haiyu, et al.
(author)
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Regulation of ddb2 expression in blind cavefish and zebrafish reveals plasticity in the control of sunlight-induced DNA damage repair
- 2021
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In: PLOS Genetics. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1553-7390 .- 1553-7404. ; 17:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have gained considerable insight into the mechanisms which recognize and repair DNA damage, but how they adapt to extreme environmental challenges remains poorly understood. Cavefish have proven to be fascinating models for exploring the evolution of DNA repair in the complete absence of UV-induced DNA damage and light. We have previously revealed that the Somalian cavefish Phreatichthys andruzzii, lacks photoreactivation repair via the loss of light, UV and ROS-induced photolyase gene transcription mediated by D-box enhancer elements. Here, we explore whether other systems repairing UV-induced DNA damage have been similarly affected in this cavefish model. By performing a comparative study using P. andruzzii and the surface-dwelling zebrafish, we provide evidence for a conservation of sunlight-regulated Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER). Specifically, the expression of the ddb2 gene which encodes a key NER recognition factor is robustly induced following exposure to light, UV and oxidative stress in both species. As in the case of the photolyase genes, D-boxes in the ddb2 promoter are sufficient to induce transcription in zebrafish. Interestingly, despite the loss of D-box-regulated photolyase gene expression in P. andruzzii, the D-box is required for ddb2 induction by visible light and oxidative stress in cavefish. However, in the cavefish ddb2 gene this D-box-mediated induction requires cooperation with an adjacent, highly conserved E2F element. Furthermore, while in zebrafish UV-induced ddb2 expression results from transcriptional activation accompanied by stabilization of the ddb2 mRNA, in P. andruzzii UV induces ddb2 expression exclusively via an increase in mRNA stability. Thus, we reveal plasticity in the transcriptional and post transcriptional mechanisms regulating the repair of sunlight-induced DNA damage under long-term environmental challenges.Author summaryThe integrity of genetic information is frequently challenged by environmental factors such as sunlight which induce mutations in DNA. Therefore, DNA damage repair mechanisms are ubiquitous and highly conserved. While significant progress has been made in understanding how these mechanisms recognize and repair DNA damage, how they adapt to long-term environmental challenges remains poorly understood. Cavefish have proven to be fascinating models for exploring the function of DNA repair systems in extreme photic environments. We have previously shown that during evolution for millions of years in complete isolation from sunlight, the Somalian cavefish, Phreatichthys andruzzii has lost photoreactivation, a ubiquitous, light-dependent DNA repair system. This results in part from a loss of light, UV and ROS-induced gene transcription. Have other repair systems targeting UV-induced DNA damage been affected in cavefish? Here, we provide evidence that Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) function is retained in cavefish and is upregulated upon sunlight exposure. Furthermore, we reveal complexity in the transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms regulating the repair of UV-induced DNA damage.
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