Excellent Light Transmittance Research Articles

A new strategy for the preparation of polylactic acid composites with UV resistance, light conversion, and antibacterial properties

A novel rare earth complex, Eu(IAA)2(phen)2 (EuIP), was synthesized by solution-based synthesis method. Then, EuIP and polylactic acid (PLA) were melt-blended at 190 °C to obtain a multifunctional PLA/EuIP composite. The incorporation of EuIP provided PLA/EuIP composites with good light conversion ability. Under UV irradiation, PLA/EuIP composites converted the absorbed UV light into red light. Moreover, the PLA/1.0EuIP composite exhibited excellent light transmittance of 88 % in the visible region and showed strong red emission under UV light. After UV irradiation for 96 h, the molecular weights and mechanical properties of neat PLA decreased dramatically. Interestingly, the molecular weights and mechanical properties of PLA/EuIP composites did not deteriorate after 96 h of UV irradiation. The reason was that EuIP could absorb UV light and utilize the absorbed energy to emit red fluorescence. Furthermore, PLA/EuIP composites showed good antibacterial activities against E. coli and S. aureus. In addition, in vitro cell experiments showed that PLA/EuIP composites was suitable for the growth of murine breast cancer (4 T1) cells. Besides, enzymatic degradation testing also proved that PLA/EuIP composites had good biodegradability. This work provides an ingenious design strategy for the preparation of PLA/EuIP composites possessing light conversion ability, UV resistance, and antibacterial properties.

Formation of a transparent soy protein hydrogel: Controlled thermal aggregation of protein using glutaminase

Plant protein-based hydrogels have enormous potential applications, and their great functional properties and sustainability are considered the best alternatives to reduce the environmental burden of animal protein resources. However, heat-induced plant protein-based hydrogels often exhibit a rough and opaque network structure, limiting their application in various scenarios where gel transparency is crucial. In this study, transparent hydrogels were successfully prepared using deamidated soy protein isolate (SPI) modified by protein-glutaminase (PG). Compared with the non-transparent SPI hydrogel, the deamidated SPI hydrogel possessed a soft and intricate chain-like network, exhibiting excellent light transmittance and certain mechanical strength. The results indicated that deamidation treatment unfolded the structure of SPI, shifting the protein conformation from ordered to disordered, and leading to the transformation of large insoluble protein aggregates into small soluble aggregates. In addition, deamidation treatment effectively inhibited the thermal aggregation rate and aggregation counts of SPI. This was attributed to the conversion of glutamine to glutamic acid, which enhanced the electrostatic repulsion between protein molecules. The present work offers a promising approach for preparing highly transparent plant protein-based hydrogels, which are conducive to developing the next generation of plant protein-based functional materials to replace existing petroleum-based materials.

Bright Bifacial White-Light Illumination by Highly Deformable Electroluminescent Devices Based on Transparent Ionic-Hydrogel Electrodes and Quantum-Dot Color Conversion.

Deformable alternating-current electroluminescent (ACEL) devices are of increasing interest because of their potential to drive innovation in soft optoelectronics. Despite the research focus on efficient white ACEL devices, achieving deformable devices with high luminance remains difficult. In this study, this challenge is addressed by fabricating white ACEL devices using color-conversion materials, transparent and durable hydrogel electrodes, and high-k nanoparticles. The incorporation of quantum dots enables the highly efficient generation of red and green light through the color conversion of blue electroluminescence. Although the ionic-hydrogel electrode provides high toughness, excellent light transmittance, and superior conductivity, the luminance of the device is remarkably enhanced by the incorporation of a high-k dielectric, BaTiO3. The fabricated ACEL device uniformly emits very bright white light (489cdm-2) with a high color-rendering index (91) from both the top and bottom. The soft and tough characteristics of the device allow seamless operation in various deformed states, including bending, twisting, and stretching up to 400%, providing a promising platform for applications in a wide array of soft optoelectronics.

Fabrication of a Porous Low Refractive Index Anti-Reflective Coating with High Transmittance by Using the Porogen of Laureth-5 Carboxylic Acid

A porous anti-reflective coating (P-ARC) with average transmittance in the visible range of 97.9% was fabricated through the sol-gel method, followed by calcination at a relatively low temperature (220 °C) using the porogen of Laureth-5 carboxylic acid via a one-step approach. The results demonstrated the coating had an absolute value that was 7.5% higher than that of bare glass (92%). The prepared porous anti-reflective coating had a refractive index as low as 1.21. The coating remained undamaged during 3M tape stripping tests while maintaining excellent light transmittance. This work presents a film that has good thermal stability, chemical stability, and mechanical stability.

Large-Area Conductive MOF Ultrathin Film Controllably Integrating Dinuclear-Metal Sites and Photosensitizers to Boost Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with H2O as an Electron Donor.

Owing to the electrical conductivity and periodic porosity, conductive metal-organic framework (cMOF) ultrathin films open new perspectives to photocatalysis. The space-selective assembly of catalytic sites and photosensitizers in/on cMOF is favorable for promoting the separation of photogenerated carriers and mass transfer. However, the controllable integration of functional units into the cMOF film is rarely reported. Herein, via the synergistic effect of steric hindrance and an electrostatic-driven strategy, the dinuclear-metal molecular catalysts (DMC) and perovskite (PVK) quantum dot photosensitizers were immobilized into channels and onto the surface of cMOF ultrathin films, respectively, affording [DMC@cMOF]-PVK film photocatalysts. In this unique heterostructure, cMOF not only facilitated the charge transfer from PVK to DMC but also guaranteed mass transfer. Using H2O as an electron donor, [DMC@cMOF]-PVK realized a 133.36 μmol·g-1·h-1 CO yield in photocatalytic CO2 reduction, much higher than PVK and DMC-PVK. Owing to the excellent light transmission of films, multilayers of [DMC@cMOF]-PVK were integrated to increase the CO yield per unit area, and the 10-layer device realized a 1115.92 μmol·m-2 CO yield in 4 h, which was 8-fold higher than that of powder counterpart. This work not only lightens the development of cMOF-based composite films but also paves a novel avenue for an ultrathin film photocatalyst.

A biodegradable oxidized starch/carboxymethyl chitosan film coated with pesticide-loaded ZIF-8 for tomato fusarium wilt control

Film mulching is one of the most important methods to control soil-borne diseases. However, the traditional mulch may cause microplastic pollution and soil ecological damage. Herein, a biodegradable film was developed using oxidized starch and carboxymethyl chitosan and incorporated ZIF-8 carrying fludioxonil to sustainably control soil-borne disease. The microstructure, mechanical properties, optical properties, and water barrier properties of the composite films (Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS) were investigated. The results show that Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS had a smooth and uniform surface and excellent light transmittance. The excellent mechanical properties of the films were verified by tensile strength, elongation at break and Young's modulus. Higher contact angle and lower water vapor permeability indicate water retention capacity of the soil was improved through using Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS. Furthermore, the release properties, biological activity, degradability and safety to soil organisms of Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS was determined. The addition of ZIF-8 significantly improved the film's ability to retard the release of Flu, while the Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS has good soil degradability. In vitro antifungal assays and pot experiments demonstrated excellent inhibitory activity against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici. Flu@ZIF-8-OS/CMCS caused only 13.33 % mortality of earthworms within 7 d. This research provides a new approach to reducing microplastic pollution and effectively managing soil-borne diseases.

Evaluating CAPO®: A biocompatibility, transparency, and fitment assessment for use with CEREBO® in traumatic intracranial injury detection.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are a global concern affecting millions of patients, requiring robust infection prevention and control measures. In particular, patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are highly susceptible to nosocomial infections, emphasizing the importance of infection control. Non-invasive near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) device, CEREBO® integrated with a disposable component CAPO® has emerged as a valuable tool for TBI patient triage and this study evaluated the safety and efficacy of this combination. Biocompatibility tests confirmed safety and transparency assessments demonstrated excellent light transmission. Clinical evaluation with 598 enrollments demonstrated high accuracy of CEREBO® in detecting traumatic intracranial hemorrhage. During these evaluations, the cap fitted well and moved smoothly with the probes demonstrating appropriate flexibility. These findings support the efficacy of the CAPO® and CEREBO® combination, potentially improving infection control and enhancing intracranial hemorrhage detection for TBI patient triage. Ultimately, this can lead to better healthcare outcomes and reduced global HAIs.

Effects of Photodynamic Therapy Using 5 -Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA) Loaded Acrylic Nanoparticles (ANPs) on HaCaT Cells.

ALA-PDT (5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy) is a central modality in the treatment of skin diseases. Increasing the bioavailability of ALA remains a critical issue. With this in mind, our study explores a novel route of ALA delivery by loading acrylic nanoparticles (ANPs). ALA-ANPs were synthesized by emulsion polymerisation and characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The effects of ALA-ANPs on HaCaT cell line were evaluated, including characteristics, morphological changes, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence kinetics, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, mitochondrial membrane potential and ki67 expression in these cells. The ANPs had uniform sizes, smooth surfaces and excellent light transmittance, with diameters of 150-200 nm. In contrast, the ALA - ANPs had uneven surfaces and poor light transmittance, with diameters of 220-250 nm. During 12 hours of co-incubation of HaCaT cells with ALA, the intracellular accumulation of PpIX increased over time. Notably, after 6 hours of incubation, PpIX levels induced by 1.81 mg/mL ALA-ANPs exceeded those induced by 1.0 mM ALA (p < 0.01). CCK-8 results showed a positive correlation between PDT-induced inhibition of HaCaT cell proliferation and ALA concentration when ALA concentration remained below 2.0 mM. Compared to the 1.0 mM ALA group, the 1.81 mg/mL ALA-ANPs group showed decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, ki67 immunofluorescence intensity and cell proliferation. In contrast, ROS levels were significantly increased in the 1.81 mg/mL ALA-ANPs group (p < 0.01). Loading ANPs provide improved stability and potency for ALA. The ALA-ANPs-PDT approach has superior inhibitory effects on HaCaT proliferation in vitro.

Ferroelectric photovoltaic effect engineered by phase transition and defect neutralization in K0.5Na0.5NbO3 film

As an excellent light transmission material, K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) shows considerable potential in ferroelectric photovoltaics. However, poor leakage and non-intrinsic polarization limit their photoelectric conversion since they play important roles in the generation, separation and transport of photogenerated carriers. This work realizes the simultaneous improvement of bandgap, ferroelectric and leakage by the introduction of charged group BiFeO3 (BFO), which neutralizes the defects and reduces the leakage current of the films by about two orders of magnitude and increases the remanent polarization to 15.4 μC/cm2 due to the phase transition. Meanwhile, the addition of Fe also introduces impurity energy levels into the KNN films and reduces the bandgap. The open-circuit voltage of the 0.98KNN-0.02BFO film is increased by about 2.5 times. This work provides a feasible way to enhance the ferroelectric photovoltaic performance of KNN films and accelerate their application.

The influence of microcrystalline structure and crystalline size on visible light transmission of polyvinyl alcohol optical films

The crosslinking degrees and microcrystalline structure determine the light transmission of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) optical films and mechanical properties. Preparing a PVA optical film satisfying these two aspects with a low swelling propensity is still challenging. Herein, PVA optical films were prepared by solution casting with environment-friendly water as a solvent. Based on PVA's unique monoclinic lamellar crystal structure, the optical properties, such as light transmission and haze, were revealed by changing the original molecular weight, polymer concentration, and heat treatment conditions. We systematically investigated the effect of the original molecular weight and polymer concentration on the PVA crosslinking degrees. The crystal size effect on the optical properties was investigated through a heat treatment for the crosslinked PVA films. The rotational rheometer and swelling tests revealed the PVA crossling degrees. DSC and XRD are utilized to systematically investigate the relationship between the crystalline structure of PVA and its optical transparency and mechanical properties. The PVA optical films (F2099-8%) derived from 8 wt% PVA2099/water solution exhibit excellent light transmission with transparency of 90.2 % and haze of 0.4 % due to the smallest crystal size of 3.29 nm. An appropriate heat treatment process could further improve the mechanical and swelling-resistant properties. The F2099-8% sample after heat treatment (<200 °C, 30 min) had a significant enhancement of mechanical strength (200 % increase) and swelling resistance (300 % decrease), but only 6 % transmittance decreased, and 2 % haze increased because of crystal size increasing. The PVA optical films prepared in this work showed relatively high light transmission and high mechanical and swelling-resistant properties, which have a good potential application in display panels and camera lenses.

Ultra-precision lapping of H2O(g) plasma-treated CaF2 by porous diamond grits

The calcium fluoride (CaF2) component has excellent light transmission and a high laser damage threshold in the UV band, and thus is a potentially ideal material for high-power laser facility. However, the low-damage surface is difficult to attain via the existing processing technologies due to its brittleness, especially the dissociation property of the (111) surface. We innovatively propose H2O(g) plasma-assisted porous diamond abrasive lapping technology to achieve low-damage and high-precision surface processing of CaF2 component, which means that the CaF2 component is modified first and then the softened modified layer is removed by the porous diamond abrasive lapping. The H2O(g) plasma modification mechanism was elucidated through a combination of molecular dynamics simulation and experiment and comparison with H2O(g) plasma etching. The modification layer including an oxide layer and a phase change layer was produced by adjusting the plasma processing process (power of 25 W and H2O(g) content of 10 ml). Then the modified CaF2 component was lapped by the porous diamond abrasive tool on the ductile domain layer which is more than the modified layer and less than the sum of the modified layer and plastic domain. When the lapping process parameters were 200 rpm platen rotation speed and 20 N lapping pressure, a surface accuracy of 15.34 nm PV, 2.29 nm RMS (φ1 mm) was obtained. This study provides technical support for the low-damage processing of CaF2 component.

Effect of slicing parameters on the light transmittance of 3D-printed polyethylene terephthalate glycol products

To manufacture 3D-printed polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) products with excellent light transmittance performance, this study evaluated the principle of light transmission and the influencing factors of fused deposition methods (FDM) 3D-printed PETG products. This study explored the influence of different slicing parameters (layer height, extrusion rate, and printing speed) on the light transmittance of PETG products via a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The results showed that, in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 mm, the PETG specimens with 0.2 mm layer height had the best light transmittance performance; in the range of 100% to 120%; the PETG specimens with 110% extrusion rate had the best light transmittance performance; in the range of 20 to 40 mm/s printing speed, the PETG specimens with 40 mm/s printing speed had the best light transmittance performance. Comparison of image visibility showed that PETG products with layer height of 0.2 mm, extrusion rate of 110%, and printing speed of 40 mm/s had the best image visibility.

A Self-Healing Conductive Elastomer Based on a Polymerizable Deep Eutectic Solvent.

Conductive elastomers are extensively used in electronics; however, they are prone to mechanical damage, have shortened service life, and cause environmental pollution and resource waste under the influence of external factors. Therefore, conductive elastomers with rapid self-healing properties are crucial for solving these problems. To that end, a conductive elastomer based on a polymerizable deep eutectic solvent as the matrix is developed in this study. The contents of certain small molecules and conductive particles are adjusted to yield a conductive elastomer with excellent comprehensive performance. The elastomer exhibited noteworthy fracture strength (15.7MPa), ultrahigh fracture elongation (2400%), excellent light transmittance (95.6%), and remarkable self-healing characteristics, with complete electrical healing achieved within 0.6 s, ≈63% strain, and ≈64% stress recovered within 1min, and healing efficiency close to 99% realized within 24h. By leveraging these properties, the elastomer is used to construct a sensor that exhibited a gauge factor of ≈0.574 in the strain range 0-2400% and excellent stability. Moreover, the CCK-8 toxicity test and fluorescence staining experiment have demonstrated that conductive elastomers have excellent cell compatibility and also have excellent potential in the field of biomedicine. In particular, the sensor is effectively applied in human motion detection, health monitoring.

Effect of swelling degree on structural evolution and orientation behavior of Poly(vinyl alcohol) films during stretching

For the preparation of polarizing film, the initial condensed structure of the PVA film is the key factor to determine the subsequent process conditions such as dyeing and stretching of PVA film. In the present work, the difference of the initial condensed structure of Poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films with different swelling degrees and their influence on the orientation behavior and morphological structure evolution during stretching were investigated in detail. The results showed that the PVA film with a higher swelling degree possessed a lower content of microfibril structure at the same strain and the higher critical strain εs, revealing that the undissolved lamellae could act as the precursor for the formation of oriented microfibrillar structures. Furthermore, in order to investigate the influence of different swelling degrees on the lamellar orientation and the formation of microfiber structure during the stretching of PVA films, the long period of lamellae (Lp), the period of nanofibrils (Lf), and the Full Width at Half Maxima (FWHM) of Lf were calculated. It was found that the Lp and the Lf of the microfibrillar structure in the equatorial and meridional directions were larger and the FWHM of Lf was smaller for PVA films with higher swelling degree, indicating that the PVA film with a higher swelling degree could form a more relaxed and uniform periodically folded microfibrillar network, resulting in a higher light transmission in the visible region. Therefore, on the premise of ensuring the mechanical strength, the PVA film with a relatively higher swelling degree can be used to obtain commercial polarizing films with excellent light transmittance.

Engineering Self-Adaptive Multi-Response Thermochromic Hydrogel for Energy-Saving Smart Windows and Wearable Temperature-Sensing.

Buildings account for ≈40% of the total energy consumption. In addition, it is challenging to control the indoor temperature in extreme weather. Therefore, energy-saving smart windows with light regulation have gained increasing attention. However, most emerging base materials for smart windows have disadvantages, including low transparency at low temperatures, ultra-high phase transition temperature, and scarce applications. Herein, a self-adaptive multi-response thermochromic hydrogel (PHC-Gel) with dual temperature and pH response is engineered through "one-pot" integration tactics. The PHC-Gel exhibits excellent mechanical, adhesion, and electrical conductivity properties. Notably, the low critical solubility temperature (LCST) of PHC-Gel can be regulated over a wide temperature range (20-35°C). The outdoor practical testing reveals that PHC-Gel has excellent light transmittance at low temperatures and radiation cooling performances at high temperatures, indicating that PHC-Gel can be used for developing energy-saving windows. Actually, PHC-Gel-based thermochromic windows show remarkable visible light transparency (Tlum ≈95.2%) and solar modulation (△Tsol ≈57.2%). Interestingly, PHC-Gel has superior electrical conductivity, suggesting that PHC-Gel can be utilized to fabricate wearable signal-response and temperature sensors. In summary, PHC-Gel has broad application prospects in energy-saving smart windows, smart wearable sensors, temperature monitors, infant temperature detection, and thermal management.

Superlattice Nanofilm on a Touchscreen for Photoexcited Bacteria and Virus Killing by Tuning Electronic Defects in the Heterointerface.

Currently, the global COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the public attention toward the spread of pathogenic viruses and bacteria on various high-frequency touch surfaces. Developing a self-disinfecting coating on a touchscreen is an urgent and meaningful task. Superlattice materials are among the most promising photocatalysts owing to their efficient charge transfer in abundant heterointerfaces. However, excess electronic defects at the heterointerfaces result in the loss of substantial amounts of photogenerated charge carrier. In this study, a ZnOFe2 O3 superlattice nanofilm is designed via atomic layer deposition for photocatalytic bactericidal and virucidal touchscreen. Additionally, electronic defects in the superlattice heterointerface are engineered. Photogenerated electrons and holes will be rapidly separated and transferred into ZnO and Fe2 O3 across the heterointerfaces owing to the formation of ZnO, FeO, and ZnFe covalent bonds at the heterointerfaces, where ZnO and Fe2 O3 function as electronic donors and receptors, respectively. The high generation capacity of reactive oxygen species results in a high antibacterial and antiviral efficacy (>90%) even against drug-resistant bacteria and H1N1 viruses under simulated solar or low-power LED light irradiation. Meanwhile, this superlattice nanofilm on a touchscreen shows excellent light transmission (>90%), abrasion resistance (106 times the round-trip friction), and biocompatibility.

Achieving outstanding toughness of PMMA while retaining its strength, stiffness, and transparency using in situ developed TPEE nanofibrils

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is an amorphous thermoplastic with high strength, high stiffness, and excellent light transmittance. However, PMMA is very brittle at room temperature, which limits its ubiquitous applications. In this article, we report a scalable, cost-effective, and environmentally-friendly method for enhancing the toughness of PMMA without sacrificing its strength, stiffness, and transparency. PMMA composites comprising in situ developed nanofibrils of thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE) were fabricated following the established concept of converting instead of adding. Remarkably, even only 1 wt% of TPEE nanofibrils with an average diameter of ∼50 nm provided a ∼255% increment in the toughness and ∼29.2% improvement in the impact strength of PMMA, while still maintaining its strength, stiffness, and transparency. In comparison, when TPEE was dispersed and distributed as spheroids, no toughening effect was observed at 1 wt% of TPEE content, and even 10 wt% of TPEE content provided only a ∼150% increment in the toughness, which was, however, accompanied by a decrease in strength, stiffness, and transparency. Herein, we present the effect of both TPEE structure (spheroids vs nanofibrils) and concentration on the rheological, thermomechanical, light transmittance, and mechanical properties of the PMMA/nanofibril-TPEE composites. Based on the fractography and small-angle X-ray scattering analysis, we propose that nanofibril-induced multiple crazing is one of the major sources of the greatly improved toughness. The composites presented in this article can be used in applications that require unique combinations of high toughness, high strength, high stiffness, and excellent transparency.

Effect of MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;-overlayer on MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-based photovoltaic photodetector performance

Photovoltaic device based on van der Waals heterojunction provides an effective way to develop high-performance, low-power consumption, ultra-integrated micro photodetection system. In this paper, we construct an asymmetric Au/MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; Schottky junction to realize a planar MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-based photovoltaic device. In order to further improve the photoelectric performance of the device, we design a structure covering MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; on the surface of MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; to construct the heterojunction. Owing to the absorption properties of MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; in visible light and the excellent light transmittance of the ultra-thin two-dimensional structure, the electrons involved in conducting in MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; material are increased. In most of previous reports, the preparation methods and performance improvement of MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;/MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; heterojunctions were the focus of research, but little attention was paid to exploring the influence of overlayer on devices. Therefore, in this work, we investigate the influence of overlayer thickness on device performance. With the help of atomic layer deposition (ALD) method to control the film thickness, each of the MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; materials with thickness of 4 nm, 12 nm and 20 nm (deposition periods of 10, 30 and 50, respectively) is covered on the surface of a MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-based photodetector. The photoelectric performance enhancement effects of three groups of heterojunction photodetectors are compared with each other. The results show that the thinner the MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; layer, the more significant the enhancement effect of heterojunction photodetectors is. This is mainly attributed to the fact that ultra-thin MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; layer not only has visible light absorption, but also reduces the influence of the covering layer on the light absorption of MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;, thus achieving a heterojunction system with high light absorption efficiency. In addition, the interfacial electric field of the heterojunction effectively promotes the separation of photogenerated carriers, and the thinner the MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; coating layer, the weaker the effect of introducing the interfacial defects of the heterojunction is. Therefore, the dark current gain effect of the device is effectively suppressed, which is beneficial to improving the response speed and optical detectivity of the device. Comparing with pure MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; photovoltaic photodetectors, the photoresponsivity of MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;/MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; heterojunction device in this paper is enhanced nearly 10 times. The device exhibits a high photoresponse of ~916.121 A/W, a detectivity of ~2.74×10&lt;sup&gt;11&lt;/sup&gt; Jones, and a fast response time of ~73 μs, showing that this design can effectively solve the low-responsiveness problem of planar photovoltaic device. In this study, for the first time, we construct a planar photovoltaic device based on MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;/MoO&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;. By designing heterostructure and optimizing the thickness of the overlayer, the photoelectric performance of planar MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;-based photovoltaic device is successfully improved, which provides a reference scheme for developing high-performance heterojunction photodetectors of MoS&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;/oxide materials in future.

Preparation and Evaluation of Bacterial Nanocellulose/Hyaluronic Acid Composite Artificial Cornea for Application of Corneal Transplantation.

The treatment for corneal damage requires donor corneal transplantation, but there is a serious scarcity of donor corneas worldwide. In this study, we aimed to design a new artificial cornea with good cytocompatibility, excellent optical properties and suture resistance, and great moisturizing properties. A new bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) membrane with anisotropic mechanical properties and high light transmission was produced in a horizontal rotary drum reactor. However, as a potential material for artificial keratoplasty, the transparency and mechanical properties of the new BNC membrane were not satisfactory. Thus, hyaluronic acid (HA) was introduced in the BNC to synthesize the BNC/HA composite membrane by using 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) as the chemical cross-linking agent. The micro-morphology, light transmittance, mechanical properties, water content, moisture retention ability, and cytocompatibility of the composite membranes were further evaluated. HA was fixed in the BNC network by the ether bond, and the composite membrane was found to have excellent light transmittance (up to 95.96%). The composite membrane showed excellent mechanical properties, for instance, its tensile strength exceeded the human normal intraocular pressure (IOP) (1.33-2.80 kPa), the maximum burst pressure was about 130 kPa, 46-97 times that of the normal IOP, and its suture force was close to that of the human amniotic membrane (0.1 N). Based on the three-dimensional network scaffold of BNC and the high water absorption characteristics of HA, the artificial cornea had high water content and high moisture retention ability. The rabbit corneal stromal cells cultured in vitro showed that the artificial cornea substitute had excellent cytocompatibility. BDDE is the most frequently used cross-linker in most HA products in the current cosmetic medicine industry owing to its long-term safety records for over 15 years. Therefore, the BNC/HA composite hydrogel cross-linked with BDDE has great potential in artificial keratoplasty or ocular surface repair.

Room-temperature nanojoining of silver nanowires by graphene oxide for highly conductive flexible transparent electrodes

Flexible transparent electrodes for touch panels, solar cells, and wearable electronics are in great demand in recent years, and the silver nanowire (AgNW) flexible transparent electrode (FTE) is among the top candidates due to its excellent light transmittance and flexibility and the highest conductivity of silver among all metals. However, the conductivity of an AgNWs network has long been limited by the large contact resistance. Here we show a room-temperature solution process to tackle the challenge by nanojoining AgNWs with two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO). The conductivity of the AgNWs network is improved 18 times due to the enhanced junctions between AgNWs by the coated GOs, and the AgNW-GO FTE exhibits a low sheet resistance of 23 Ohm sq−1 and 88% light transmittance. It is stable under high temperature and current and their flexibility is intact after 1000 cycles of bending. Measurements of a bifunctional electrochromic device shows the high performance of the AgNW-GO FTE as a FTE.