A New Analytical Framework to Investigate the Precipitation Kinetics of Discharge Products in Li-S Batteries.

Polysulfides are central to the inner workings of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries. They are responsible for the inertia and snowballing effects at play on the dynamics of the battery, among those, the infamous shuttle effect. For this reason, it is very challenging to establish analytical tools for quantitative investigations of Li-S batteries.

Critical Roles of Ultrafast Energy Funnelling and Ultrafast Singlet-Triplet Annihilation in Quasi-2D Perovskite Optical Gain Mechanisms.

Quasi-2D (Q2D) perovskite possess considerable potential for light emission and amplification technologies. Recently, mixed films containing Q2D perovskite grains with varying layer thicknesses have shown great promise as carrier concentrators, effectively mitigating trap-mediated recombination. In this strategy, photo-excitations are rapidly funnelled down an energy gradient to the thickest grains, leading to amplified spontaneous emission (ASE).

Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Solid Composite Electrolytes for High Energy Density Lithium Batteries: Combining Manufacturability, Conductivity, and Stability.

The deployment of solid and quasi-solid electrolytes in lithium metal batteries is envisioned to push their energy densities to even higher levels, in addition to providing enhanced safety. This article discusses a set of hybrid solid composite electrolytes which combine functional properties with electrode compatibility and manufacturability. Their anodic stability >5 V versus Li/Li and compatibility with lithium metal stem from the incorporated ionic liquid electrolyte, whereas the organic-inorganic hybrid host structure boosts their conductivity up to 2.

Fabrication of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate)/ZnO Nanocomposite Films for Active Packaging Applications: Impact of ZnO Type on Structure-Property Dynamics.

Bio-based and biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) have great potential as sustainable packaging materials. The incorporation of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) could further improve their functional properties by providing enhanced barrier and antimicrobial properties, although current literature lacks details on how the characteristics of ZnO influence the structure-property relationships in PHA/ZnO nanocomposites. Therefore, commercial ZnO NPs with different morphologies (rod-like, spherical) and silane surface modification are incorporated into poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) via extrusion and compression molding.

Phase Engineering via Aluminum Doping Enhances the Electrochemical Stability of Lithium-Rich Cobalt-Free Layered Oxides for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Lithium-rich, cobalt-free oxides are promising potential positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries because of their high energy density, lower cost, and reduced environmental and ethical concerns. However, their commercial breakthrough is hindered because of their subpar electrochemical stability. This work studies the effect of aluminum doping on LiNiMnO as a lithium-rich, cobalt-free layered oxide.

Solution-gel-based surface modification of LiNiMnO with amorphous Li-Ti-O coating.

LNMO (LiNiMnO) is a high-energy density positive electrode material for lithium ion batteries. Unfortunately, it suffers from capacity loss and impedance rise during cycling due to electrolyte oxidation and electrode/electrolyte interface instabilities at high operating voltages. Here, a solution-gel synthesis route was used to coat 0.

Fabrication of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) Fibers Using Centrifugal Fiber Spinning: Structure, Properties and Application Potential.

Biobased and biodegradable polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are currently gaining momentum. Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx) polymer has a useful processing window for extrusion and injection molding of packaging, agricultural and fishery applications with required flexibility. Processing PHBHHx into fibers using electrospinning or centrifugal fiber spinning (CFS) can further broaden the application area, although CFS remains rather unexplored.

Critical Role of Perovskite Film Stoichiometry in Determining Solar Cell Operational Stability: a Study on the Effects of Volatile A-Cation Additives.

Volatile A-cation halide (AX) additives such as formamidinium chloride and methylammonium chloride have been widely employed for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, it remains unstudied how they influence the perovskite film stoichiometry and the solar cell performance and operational stability. Hereby, our work shows that over annealing of formamidinium chloride-containing perovskite films leads to a Pb-rich surface, resulting in a high initial efficiency, which however decays during maximum power point tracking (MPPT).

A limitation map of performance for porous electrodes in lithium-ion batteries.

Driven by expanding interest in battery storage solutions and the success story of lithium-ion batteries, the research for the discovery and optimization of new battery materials and concepts is at peak. The generation of experimental (dis)charge data using coin cells is fast and feasible and proves to be a favorite practice in the battery research labs. The quantitative interpretation of the data, however, is not trivial and decelerates the process of screening and optimization of electrode materials and recipes.

Isolation, Biochemical and Genomic Characterization of Glyphosate Tolerant Bacteria to Perform Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation.

The large-scale use of the herbicide glyphosate leads to growing ecotoxicological and human health concerns. Microbe-assisted phytoremediation arises as a good option to remove, contain, or degrade glyphosate from soils and waterbodies, and thus avoid further spreading to non-target areas. To achieve this, availability of plant-colonizing, glyphosate-tolerant and -degrading strains is required and at the same time, it must be linked to plant-microorganism interaction studies focusing on a substantive ability to colonize the roots and degrade or transform the herbicide.

Inkjet Printing of PEDOT:PSS Based Conductive Patterns for 3D Forming Applications.

This paper presents the formulation, inkjet printing, and vacuum forming of a conductive and stretchable polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), ink on a stretchable and transparent thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) substrate. The formulation of the conductive and stretchable ink is achieved by combining PEDOT:PSS with additional solvents, to achieve the right inkjet properties for drop-on-demand (DoD) inkjet printing. A conductive pattern can be printed from the 21 µm orifice on a flexible and stretchable TPU substrate, with a linewidth down to 44 µm.

Layer Morphology and Ink Compatibility of Silver Nanoparticle Inkjet Inks for Near-Infrared Sintering.

The field of printed electronics is rapidly evolving, producing low cost applications with enhanced performances with transparent, stretchable properties and higher reliability. Due to the versatility of printed electronics, industry can consider the implementation of electronics in a way which was never possible before. However, a post-processing step to achieve conductive structures-known as sintering-limits the production ease and speed of printed electronics.

First high-quality draft genome of P6BS-III, a highly glyphosate-tolerant strain isolated from agricultural soil in Argentina.

We report here on a high-quality draft genome sequence of strain P6BS-III (DSM 106071), a Gram negative, non-sporulating bacterium isolated from a pastureland (Buenos Aires province, Argentina) which had been chronically exposed to the herbicide glyphosate. The genome of 5.25 Mb with a DNA G+C content of 56.

Towards 2D layered hybrid perovskites with enhanced functionality: introducing charge-transfer complexes via self-assembly.

This study broadens the family of 2D layered perovskites by demonstrating that it is possible to self-assemble organic charge-transfer complexes in their organic layer. Organic charge-transfer complexes, formed by combining charge-donating and charge-accepting molecules, are a diverse class of materials that can possess exceptional optical and electronic properties.

The Cell Envelope Structure of Cable Bacteria.

Cable bacteria are long, multicellular micro-organisms that are capable of transporting electrons from cell to cell along the longitudinal axis of their centimeter-long filaments. The conductive structures that mediate this long-distance electron transport are thought to be located in the cell envelope. Therefore, this study examines in detail the architecture of the cell envelope of cable bacterium filaments by combining different sample preparation methods (chemical fixation, resin-embedding, and cryo-fixation) with a portfolio of imaging techniques (scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and tomography, focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy).

Adsorption and photocatalytic removal of Ibuprofen by activated carbon impregnated with TiO by UV-Vis monitoring.

The removal of Ibuprofen was investigated by activated carbon impregnated with TiO. Emphasis was given on the effect of different parameters, such as composite type, initial Ibuprofen concentration (5-25 mg/L), temperature (22-28 °C) and pH (acidic and alkaline solution). The experiment was carried out in a self-made tubular flow reactor, with one 15 W monochromatic UV lamp (254 nm).

Micro-patterned molecularly imprinted polymer structures on functionalized diamond-coated substrates for testosterone detection.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) can selectively bind target molecules and can therefore be advantageously used as a low-cost and robust alternative to replace fragile and expensive natural receptors. Yet, one major challenge in using MIPs for sensor development is the lack of simple and cost-effective techniques that allow firm fixation as well as controllable and consistent receptor material distribution on the sensor substrate. In this work, a convenient method is presented wherein microfluidic systems in conjunction with in situ photo-polymerization on functionalized diamond substrates are used.

The Impact of Acceptor-Acceptor Homocoupling on the Optoelectronic Properties and Photovoltaic Performance of PDTSQx Low Bandgap Polymers.

Push-pull-type conjugated polymers applied in organic electronics do not always contain a perfect alternation of donor and acceptor building blocks. Misscouplings can occur, which have a noticeable effect on the device performance. In this work, the influence of homocoupling on the optoelectronic properties and photovoltaic performance of PDTSQx polymers is investigated, with a specific focus on the quinoxaline acceptor moieties.

Direct detection of nano-scale extracellular vesicles derived from inflammation-triggered endothelial cells using surface plasmon resonance.

A major conceptual breakthrough in cell signaling has been the finding of EV as new biomarker shuttles in body fluids. Now, one of the major challenges in using these nanometer-sized biological entities as diagnostic marker is the development of translational methodologies to profile them. SPR offers a promising label-free and real time platform with a high potential for biomarker detection.

Enhanced optoelectronic performances of vertically aligned hexagonal boron nitride nanowalls-nanocrystalline diamond heterostructures.

Field electron emission (FEE) properties of vertically aligned hexagonal boron nitride nanowalls (hBNNWs) grown on Si have been markedly enhanced through the use of nitrogen doped nanocrystalline diamond (nNCD) films as an interlayer. The FEE properties of hBNNWs-nNCD heterostructures show a low turn-on field of 15.2 V/μm, a high FEE current density of 1.

Biocompatible Label-Free Detection of Carbon Black Particles by Femtosecond Pulsed Laser Microscopy.

Although adverse health effects of carbon black (CB) exposure are generally accepted, a direct, label-free approach for detecting CB particles in fluids and at the cellular level is still lacking. Here, we report nonincandescence related white-light (WL) generation by dry and suspended carbon black particles under illumination with femtosecond (fs) pulsed near-infrared light as a powerful tool for the detection of these carbonaceous materials. This observation is done for four different CB species with diameters ranging from 13 to 500 nm, suggesting this WL emission under fs near-infrared illumination is a general property of CB particles.

The Influence of Conjugated Polymer Side Chain Manipulation on the Efficiency and Stability of Polymer Solar Cells.

The stability of polymer solar cells (PSCs) can be influenced by the introduction of particular moieties on the conjugated polymer side chains. In this study, two series of donor-acceptor copolymers, based on bis(thienyl)dialkoxybenzene donor and benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BT) or thiazolo[5,4-]thiazole (TzTz) acceptor units, were selected toward effective device scalability by roll-coating. The influence of the partial exchange (5% or 10%) of the solubilizing 2-hexyldecyloxy by alternative 2-phenylethoxy groups on efficiency and stability was investigated.

Interfacial thiol-isocyanate reactions for functional nanocarriers: a facile route towards tunable morphologies and hydrophilic payload encapsulation.

Functional nanocarriers were synthesized using an in situ inverse miniemulsion polymerization employing thiol-isocyanate reactions at the droplet interface to encapsulate hydrophilic payloads. The morphology of the nanocarriers is conveniently tunable by varying the reaction conditions and the dispersions are easily transferable to the aqueous phase.

Molecular orientation of lead phthalocyanine on (100) oriented single crystal diamond surfaces.

Lead phthalocyanine (PbPc) thin films of 5 and 50 nm have been deposited on hydrogen and oxygen terminated single crystal diamond (SCD) using organic molecular beam deposition. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies showed that PbPc grown on the hydrogen terminated SCD forms layers with a high degree of crystallinity, dominated by the monoclinic (320) orientation parallel to the diamond surface. The oxygen terminated diamond led to a randomly oriented PbPc film.

Organic phototransistors using poly(3-hexylthiophene) nanofibres.

Here we report the fabrication of nanofibre-based organic phototransistors (OPTs) using preformed poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) nanofibres. OPT performance is analysed based on two important parameters: photoresponsivity R and photosensitivity P. Before testing the devices as OPTs, the normal organic field-effect transistor (OFET) operation is characterized, revealing a surface-coverage-dependent performance.