Extraordinary Efficiency Research Articles

Zwitterion Reduces Open‐Circuit Voltage Loss in Wide‐Bandgap Perovskite Solar Cells with 22% Efficiency and Its Application in Tandem Devices

Wide‐bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) can be combined with other narrow‐bandgap cells to form tandem solar cells (TSCs), which have excellent commercialization prospects. However, the component of WBG perovskite is complex, and the crystallization process is difficult to control. Various bulk and surface defects in polycrystalline films lead to severe nonradiative recombination of photogenerated carriers, resulting in severe open‐circuit voltage (VOC) loss in WBG PSCs. Herein, a zwitterionic additive is introduced to alleviate the VOC deficit. The sulfinyl group (–SO) in formamidine sulfinic acid (FSA) has a robust interaction with Pb2+, which retards the crystallization and improves the crystal quality in perovskite films. Furthermore, FSA has negatively charged centers (–SO2−) and positively charged centers (–C(NH2)2+), which can passivate the halogen and cation vacancies, respectively. The improved crystalline quality and passivated defects reduce the capture of carriers by defects and facilitate higher VOC. With this strategy, the 1.68 eV bandgap PSCs achieve a champion efficiency of 22.06% and a high VOC of 1.25 V (VOC loss = 0.43 V). Moreover, the 2‐terminal perovskite/silicon TSCs are fabricated with an extraordinary power conversion efficiency of 28.81%.

Two-terminal tandem solar cell with Sb2S3/Sb2Se3 absorber pair: achieving 14% power conversion efficiency

Embarking on a journey toward high solar efficiency, this study delves into a two-terminal tandem solar cell (TSC) featuring Sb2S3/Sb2Se3 as an absorber layer. The tandem setup consists of different bandgap (Eg) absorbers to selectively target photon energies: the top cell employs a wide bandgap material to efficiently absorb high-energy photons, while the bottom cell utilizes a lower bandgap material to capture refined photons transmitted from the top cell. This strategy mitigates thermalization and transparent energy losses by assigning distinct photon absorption and conversion roles to the top and bottom cells. Realizing peak efficiency in a tandem configuration rests on the apt choice of active materials for the top and bottom cells. In this regard, a comprehensive study is presented, introducing a TSC architecture that pairs an Sb2S3-based top cell (Eg 1.7 eV) with a Sb2Se3-based bottom cell (Eg 1.2 eV). Through meticulous analysis, the performance of these cells in the tandem setup is analyzed, employing methods such as filtered spectrum analysis and current-matching strategies. The Sb2S3/Sb2Se3 tandem design incorporates a critical tunnel recombination junction facilitated by an ITO layer. Noteworthy is the investigation’s uncovering of impressive metrics for the tandem device, encompassing an open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.58 V, a current density (JSC) of 15.50 mA.cm−2, and a fill factor (FF) of 56.90%. This collective attainment culminates in an extraordinary power conversion efficiency of 14%. The insights gleaned from this study hold substantial promise for the future development of monolithic TSC. By adroitly harnessing the distinctive strengths of Sb2S3 and Sb2Se3 materials within a tandem configuration, a clear trajectory is charted toward momentous advancement in solar energy conversion technology.

Computational design and screening of Single-Atom Phthalocyanine-Coordinated transition metal catalysts for the electrochemical cyanide reduction reaction

Catalysis facilitated by transition metals (TM), specifically when these are 4 N-coordinated and embedded within a phthalocyanine (Pc) framework, appears to have promising capabilities for the ecologically responsible generation of methane and ammonia, notably under conditions reflecting the ambient environment. The potential benefits of such applications have sparked escalating interest in studying single atom catalysts (SACs) with regard to their prospective role in the electrochemical cyanide reduction reaction (CNRR). Through the application of first-principles mechanistic investigations and electrochemical modeling, a variety of TM − Pc catalysts are examined under rigorous systematic exploration to ascertain their stability, activity and selectivity. To specifically address the scenarios, it's typically observed that the NC* model demands increased free energy inputs for CNRR, predominantly leading to the production of CH3NH2. In contrast, the analogous CN* model requires comparatively lower free energy, resulting in a more diversified mix of products, notably CH4 and NH3. Our research highlights the significant role of limiting potentials (UL) and their relationship with a particular kind of descriptor (φ) in crafting volcano plots, thereby elucidating the association between the inherent distinctive properties of various TM − Pc and their promising capabilities in CNRR activities. In a significant finding, the catalysts Sc − Pc, Ti − Pc, Cr − Pc and Fe − Pc are recognized as the most efficient electrocatalysts for CH4 and NH3 production through CNRR. This effectiveness is validated by their remarkable stability, superior reactivity, pronounced selectivity at relatively low limiting potentials (ranging from −0.05 to −0.39 V), and extraordinary Faradaic efficiencies exceeding 91.17 %.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of novel nanoarchitectonics tin selenide (SnSe/rGO) pseudocapacitive material for energy storage application

Energy shortage and environmental degradation lead to the two main issues over the worldwide exploration for novel materials useful for energy storage and environmental protection. Pseudocapacitors abstain recently gain the attention of energy experts owing to their superior energy and power density and elongated life cycle. The investigation on finding an appropriate electrode material with extraordinary specific capacitance, stability, and high efficiency required for the progressive energy storage application. At present, metal selenides are elaborate in significant consideration is due to their exceptional physical and chemical characteristics. Herein, the tin Selenide (SnSe) with reduce graphene oxide (rGO) SnSe/rGO-x (x = 0–0.5) nanoarchitectonics through the hydrothermal technique for pseudocapacitors electrode materials has been studied. The comparative investigation of the prepared electrodes materials exhibited that higher specific capacitance response was observed for the SnSe/rGO-x (x = 0.3 %) electrode than the pure SeSe electrode owing to its high conductivity, which is established by the impedance results. All nanoarchitectonics electrodes showed the pseudocapacitive response with well-defined cyclic voltammetry (CV) plateaus and clear oxidation and reduction. The specific capacitance (SC) for SnSe electrode 565 F g−1 increases to 876 F g−1 at 5 A g−1 for SnSe/rGO-x (x = 0.3 %) nanoarchitectonics electrode, which identifies that rGO has enhanced the electrochemical performance of pure SnSe. The capacitance retention is about 91 % after 5000 cycles for SnSe/rGO-x (x = 0.3 %) electrode showed the robust stability. These consequences cooperatively suggestion that SnSe/rGO nanoarchitectonics have broad application for supercapacitor.

A New Cd(II)-Based Coordination Polymer for Efficient Photocatalytic Removal of Organic Dyes.

Coordination polymers (CPs) are a diverse class of multi-dimensional compounds that show promise as photocatalysts for degrading dyes in polluted water. Herein, a new 1D Cd(II)-based coordination polymer with the formula [Cd(bpyp)(nba)2] (1) (bpyp = 2,5-bis(pyrid-4-yl)pyridine and Hnba = 4-nitrobenzoic acid) is synthesized and characterized. In 1, the two carboxyl groups of two different nba- ligands show μ2-η1:η1 and μ1-η1:η1 coordination modes to connect the CdII centers and sit on either side of the chain along the b direction. The produced CP 1 was utilized as the photocatalyst in the process of the photodegradation of methyl blue (MB), methyl orange (MO), rhodamine B (RhB), and methyl violet (MV) dyes when exposed to UV light. The photocatalytic degradation activities of CP 1 were analyzed, and the results suggest that it exhibits an extraordinary efficiency in the degradation of MB, MV, MO, and RhB. RhB has a 95.52% efficiency of degradation, whereas MV has a 58.92% efficiency, MO has 35.44%, and MB has 29.24%. The photodecomposition of dyes is catalyzed mostly by •O2- and •OH-, as shown by research involving the trapping of radicals.

Chondroitin sulfate modified calcium phosphate nanoparticles for efficient transfection via caveolin-mediated endocytosis

Efficient transfection remains a challenge for gene delivery in both cell biological scientific research and gene therapeutic fields. Existing transfection strategies rarely pay attention to altering the endocytosis pathway of nanocarriers for transfection efficiency improvement. In this work, we innovatively postulated that calcium phosphate nanoparticles coated with glycosaminoglycan could be internalized by cells mainly through caveolin-mediated endocytosis pathway allowing genes to bypass lysosome route, and hence enhance the transfection efficiency. To achieve this, we developed calcium phosphate nanoparticles (CP-ALN-CS) coated with chondroitin sulfate (CS) and alendronate (ALN) in a modular manner. The CP-ALN-CS had a hydrodynamic size of 131.0 ± 8.7 nm and exhibited favorable dispersity, stability, and resistance to nuclease degradation. Unlike conventional calcium phosphate and PEI-based transfection, CP-ALN-CS exhibited efficient cellular uptake with co-localization in Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum. Through bypassing the lysosome involved cellular uptake route, CP-ALN-CS can effectively protect genes from degradation and relieve cytotoxicity. After loading plasmid DNA, CP-ALN-CS showed extraordinary transfection efficiency in HEK 293T cells, outperforming the PEI which is considered as the gold standard. The current work provides a novel and facile approach to improve gene transfection efficiency and is valuable for the design of next-generation in vitro transfection reagents.

High‐Strength, High‐Barrier Bio‐Based Polyester Nanocomposite Films by Binary Multiscale Boron Nitride Nanosheets

AbstractOwing to the inferior dispersibility of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) and weak interfacial interaction with the matrix, the performance of BNNS‐based composites is usually far below theoretically predicted values. Here, binary multiscale BNNSs (LDH‐BNNSs) fillers are synthesized through in situ growth of layered double hydroxide (LDH) on the BNNSs’ surfaces. LDH‐BNNSs with a multiple mosaic interface show superior dispersion of nanosheets in matrix and extraordinary filler‐matrix bonding. Density functional theory simulations reveal the stable dispersion mechanism of LDH‐BNNSs. Moreover, the bio‐based poly(ethylene furandicarboxylate) composites with 0.2 wt% LDH‐BNNSs loading exhibit simultaneous improvements in tensile strength (≈140 MPa), Young's modulus (≈6.5 GPa), toughness (≈2.0 MJ m−3), and gas barrier properties. Regulation of the interfacial structures of binary multiscale BNNSs significantly increases the filler utilization of the nanosheets, leading to extraordinary stress transfer efficiency and a physical shielding effect. Therefore, this simple, efficient, and novel strategy has promised in enhancing composite performance, and it provides a novel way to develop strong, tough, and high‐barrier bio‐based polyester composites.

Heat and mass transfer analysis of assisting and opposing radiative flow conveying ternary hybrid nanofluid over an exponentially stretching surface

Access to dependable and environmentally friendly energy sources is critical to a country's economic growth and long-term development. As countries seek greener energy alternatives, the interaction of environmental elements, temperature, and sunlight becomes more critical in utilizing renewable energy sources such as wind and bioenergy. Solar power has received much attention due to extraordinary efficiency advances. under this context, the present work focus on solar radiation and chemical processes in the presence of modified ternary hybrid nanofluids (THNFs) circulating over an exponentially stretched surface in both aiding flow (A-F) and opposing flow (O-F) circumstances. The primary objective of this investigation is to dive into the complicated dynamics of these structures, which are distinguished by complex interactions involving radiation, chemical reactions, and the movement of fluids. We construct reduced ordinary differential equations from the governing equations using suitable similarity transformations, which allows for a more in-depth examination of the liquid's behavior. Numerical simulations using the Runge–Kutta Fehlberg (RKF) approach and shooting techniques are used to understand the underlying difficulties of these reduced equations. The results show that thermal radiation improves heat transmission substantially under O-F circumstances in contrast to A-F conditions. Furthermore, the reaction rate parameter has an exciting connection with concentration levels, with greater rates corresponding to lower concentrations. Furthermore, compared to the O-F scenario, the A-F scenario promotes higher heat transfer in the context of a modified nanofluid. Rising reaction rate and solid fraction volume enhanced mass transfer rate. The rate of thermal distribution in THNFs improves from 0.13 to 20.4% in A-F and 0.16 to 15.06% in O-F case when compared to HNFs. This study has real-world implications in several fields, including developing more efficient solar water heaters, solar thermal generating plants, and energy-saving air conditioners.

Pt-Ni contact engineering in carbon nitride based photocatalysts for hydrogen production

The effect of a binary PtNi co-catalyst supported on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets is studied in the photo-production of hydrogen from methanol:water mixtures. The physicochemical analysis provides evidence that the carbon nitride support allows the formation of highly dispersed PtNi nanoparticles with an average composition of Pt 85 % Ni 15 %. The binary system outperforms the monometallic Pt and Ni counterparts and renders an extraordinary quantum efficiency of 8.8 % for hydrogen photo-production. The formation of a PtNi alloy, with a Pt-enriched surface and electronic properties influenced by the heterometallic contact, provides high and stable activity, mostly as a consequence of the effects that the co-catalyst exerts on the charge carrier handling capability of the solid.

Enhanced conversion of non-edible Jatropha oil to biodiesel utilizing highly reusable Mg decorated CoFe2O4 nanocatalyst: Optimization by RSM

This paper aims to develop a novel and efficient magnetic nanocatalyst for producing biodiesel from Jatropha oil. Therefore, Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite as a retrievable, and strong catalyst was synthesized and employed for transesterification of Jatropha oil. After that, various analyzes were employed for characterizing Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocomposite, including XRD, Raman, FTIR, FESEM, EDX, CO2/TPD, BET, VSM, and TEM. These analyzes confirmed that Mg was successfully decorated on CoFe2O4. Response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize efficient variables on biodiesel generation. The utmost biodiesel efficiency utilizing CoFe2O4 and Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocatalysts were 93.99 % and 95.49 %, respectively, which are obtained at ultrasonication time of 32.21 and 33.96 min, respectively. These biodiesel yields indicate the extraordinary efficiency of both nanocatalysts. Also, Mg@CoFe2O4 indicated a high biodiesel yield (i.e., 87.43 %) after seven reuse steps, indicating the remarkable reusability of this nanocatalyst. The thermodynamics and kinetics of transesterification showed that the biodiesel generation reaction is endothermic and the reaction speed enhanced with enhancing temperature. Moreover, decoration of CoFe2O4 with Mg led to improved catalytic performance and boosted biodiesel yield. Overall, the Mg@CoFe2O4 nanocatalyst is strongly recommended for future investigation owing to its excellent biodiesel performance, short reaction time, and extraordinary reusability of the catalyst.

Understanding the diversity and dynamics of in vivo efferocytosis: Insights from the fly embryo.

The clearance of dead and dying cells, termed efferocytosis, is a rapid and efficient process and one that is critical for organismal health. The extraordinary speed and efficiency with which dead cells are detected and engulfed by immune cells within tissues presents a challenge to researchers who wish to unravel this fascinating process, since these fleeting moments of uptake are almost impossible to catch in vivo. In recent years, the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) embryo has emerged as a powerful model to circumvent this problem. With its abundance of dying cells, specialist phagocytes and relative ease of live imaging, the humble fly embryo provides a unique opportunity to catch and study the moment of cell engulfment in real-time within a living animal. In this review, we explore the recent advances that have come from studies in the fly, and how live imaging and genetics have revealed a previously unappreciated level of diversity in the efferocytic program. A variety of efferocytic strategies across the phagocytic cell population ensure efficient and rapid clearance of corpses wherever death is encountered within the varied and complex setting of a multicellular living organism.

First-principles study of electronic properties of two-dimensional metal mixed perovskites solar cell and water resistance performance

Two-Dimensional (2D) layered hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite (HOIP) materials have been considered as potential photoconductive materials for solar cells owing to extraordinary conversion efficiency and easy preparation process. In this study, we perform first-principles design on metal mixed 2D HOIPs (BA2(Cs1-x Rb x )2Sn1.5Pb1.5I10 with different proportions of composition (x = 0, 0.5 and 1)) to investigate their electronic properties and stability against moisture. We find that the band gap and effective mass of BA2(Cs1-x Rb x )2Sn1.5Pb1.5I10 increases as the concentrations of mixed Rb atoms increases. Moreover, the result of calculated adsorption energy indicates that the metal mixed 2D HOIPs with different composition ratios of Rb atom exhibit better capacity on the resistance of water than the pure one (BA2MA2Sn3I10). The metal mixed 2D HOIPs shows great potential to be a new generation of solar cell with low-cost, suitable band gap, high thermal stability, and desirable power conversion efficiency.

Atomically well-mixed quad-metallic sulfide as multi-functional electrocatalyst for overall water electrolysis and zinc-air battery

A non-precious-metal medium entropy sulfide (MES) embedded in sulfur-doped polyacrylonitrile-derived carbon fiber (SPAN-FCNM) has been successfully designed to maximize the synergistic effects among the atomically well-mixed constituents and exhibits superior trifunctional electrocatalytic performances toward the overall alkaline water electrolysis and oxygen reduction reactions. This catalyst achieves low overpotentials (η) for the oxygen evolution reaction (η10 = 210 mV) and hydrogen evolution reaction (η10 = 55 mV) with a minor efficiency decay of 7.5% under 100-h continuous operation in 1 M KOH at 500 mA cm−2. In addition, a zinc-air battery with the SPAN-FCNM-coated air electrode exhibits an extraordinary energy efficiency (1st cycle = 60.9%; 90th cycle = 58.9%) at the industrially relevant discharge/charge current density of 50 mA cm−2 for over 60 h. Therefore, rational design to maximize the synergistic effects through atomically well-mixed composition, as realized in entropy-maximized materials, successfully demonstrates the breakthrough in the catalyst design.

Capsular polysaccharide-amikacin nanoparticles for improved antibacterial and antibiofilm performance

Natural nanoscale polysaccharide and its application have attracted much attention in recent years. In this study, we report for the first time that a novel naturally occurring capsular polysaccharide (CPS-605) from Lactobacillus plantarum LCC-605, which can self-assemble into spherical nanoparticles with an average diameter of 65.7 nm. To endow CPS-605 with more functionalities, we develop amikacin-functionalized capsular polysaccharide (CPS) nanoparticles (termed CPS-AM NPs) with improved antibacterial and antibiofilm activities against both Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. They also exhibit faster bactericidal activity than AM alone. The high local positive charge density of CPS-AM NPs facilitates the interaction between the NPs and bacteria, leading to extraordinary bactericidal efficiencies (99.9 % and 100 % for E. coli and P. aeruginosa, respectively, within 30 min) by damaging the cell wall. Very interestingly, CPS-AM NPs exhibit an unconventional antibacterial mechanism against P. aeruginosa, that is, they can induce plasmolysis, along with bacterial cell surface disruption, cell inclusion release and cell death. In addition, CPS-AM NPs exhibit low cytotoxicity and negligible hemolytic activity, showing excellent biocompatibility. The CPS-AM NPs provide a new strategy for the design of next-generation antimicrobial agents that can reduce the working concentration of antibiotics to fight against bacterial resistance.

Additive technologies in aircraft manufacturing

During the preparation of educational material for the distance training course for higher education applicants in the specialty 134 Aviation and rocket-space engineering, a study of the specifics of the application of various technological processes in the manufacture of parts was conducted. In particular, it was determined how widely additive technologies are used at the enterprises of the world's leading companies, how effectively justified their use in such a special direction of mechanical engineering. The analysis demonstrated the extraordinary efficiency of the 3D printing process for the manufacture of a wide range of parts for various purposes – from exposed to high temperatures to that must withstand significant sign-changing loads. The activities of the employees of the department of laser technology and physical and technical technologies for the implementation of 3D modeling and 3D printing technologies in the educational process to demonstrate the capabilities of advanced technological processes were also considered.

Understanding the Transition from High-Selective to High-Efficient Chiral Separations by Changing the Organic Modifier with Zwitterionic-Teicoplanin Chiral Stationary Phase.

The retention behavior of small molecules and N-protected amino acids on a zwitterionic teicoplanin chiral stationary phase (CSP), prepared on superficially porous particles (SPPs) of 2.0 μm particle diameter, has shown that efficiency and enantioselectivity, and so enantioresolution, dramatically change depending on the employed organic modifier. In particular, it was found that while methanol permits the boost of enantioselectivity and resolution of the amino acids, at the cost of efficiency, acetonitrile allows for the ability to reach extraordinary efficiency even at high flow rates (with reduced plate height <2 and up to 300,000 plates/m at the optimum flow rate). To understand these features, an approach based on the investigation of mass transfer through the CSP, the estimation of the binding constants of amino acids on the CSP, and the assessment of compositional properties of the interfacial region between bulk mobile phase and solid surface has been adopted.

Green synthesis of novel YMnO3-doped TiO2 for enhanced visible-light- driven photocatalytic degradation of malachite green

Recently, new methods of utilizing chemistry materials to overcome environmental issues worldwide, for instance, water purification have widely evolved since it is well-aligned with the sustainable development goals 6: clean water and sanitation. These issues have become a vital research topic for researchers in the last decade, particularly, the use of green photocatalyst due to the limitation of renewable resources. Herein, we report the modification of titanium dioxide with yttrium manganite (TiO2/YMnO3) by a novel high-speed stirring technique in n-hexane-water utilizing Annona muricata L. leaf extracts (AMLE). The YMnO3 incorporation in the presence of TiO2 was introduced to accelerate the photocatalytic performance for the degradation of malachite green in aqueous media. TiO2 modification with YMnO3 presented a drastic decline of bandgap energy from 3.34 to 2.38 eV and the highest rate constant (kapp) of 2.275 × 10-2 min-1. Surprisingly, TiO2/YMnO3 exhibited an extraordinary photodegradation efficiency of 95.34%, which was 1.9-fold higher than that of TiO2 under visible light illumination. The enhanced photocatalytic activity is ascribed to the formation of a TiO2/YMnO3 heterojunction, narrower optical band gap, excellent charge carrier separation. H+ and .O2– were the major scavenger species that play a significant role in the photodegradation of malachite green. Additionally, TiO2/YMnO3 shows outstanding stability over five cycles of photocatalytic reaction without significant loss of its effectiveness. This work presents a recent understanding of the green construction of a novel TiO2-based YMnO3 photocatalyst with excellent efficiency in the visible region for environmental technology application in water purification specifically in degrading organic dyes.

Mixed phase hierarchical Ni9Se6/Cu4O4/Cu4O2/Cu4 core-shell architectures via surfactant-free approach using waste copper wicks for hybrid supercapacitors

Recently, for energy storage materials, various surfactant-less synthesis methods have been attaining extensive attention from researchers. Herein, we utilized the wasted desoldering copper wicks (E-waste) as the base substrate to synthesize hierarchical core–shell maze-corn-like nickel selenide/copper oxide (NiSe/Cu4Ox) architectures by a facile two-step synthesis process. Initially, the Cu4Ox nanorods (NRs) were grown directly over the surface of the flat braided E-waste copper wicks by thermal oxidation, followed by a facile electrodeposition method to coat the pre-existing Cu4Ox NRs with NiSe nanoparticles. The optimized NiSe-120/Cu4Ox-3 electrode exhibited superior electrochemical characteristics (138.27 µAh cm−2 at 4 mA cm−2) compared to the other electrodes, owing to the contribution of core and shell materials, and sustained an ultra-long cycling test of 50,000 charge/discharge cycles with an excellent capacity retention of 98.7%. Inspired by commercially available AA battery, the as-synthesized working electrode was coupled with activated carbon-coated nickel foam to fabricate a cylindrical-type (C-type) hybrid supercapacitor (HSC) device, with an areal capacitance of 233.1 mF cm−2 accompanied by an extraordinary cycling efficiency of 99.1%. Furthermore, the C-type HSC device exhibited maximum energy and power densities of 70.9 µWh cm−2 and 14,000 µW cm−2, respectively and it was tested by powering portable electronics for real-time application.

Investigation of Giant Nonlinearity in a Plasmonic Metasurface with Epsilon-Near-Zero Film

Plasmonic metamaterials can exhibit a variety of physical optical properties that offer extraordinary nonlinear conversion efficiency for ultra-compact nanodevice applications. Furthermore, the optical-rectification effect from the plasmonic nonlinear metasurfaces (NLMSs) can be used as a compact source of deep-subwavelength thickness to radiate broadband terahertz (THz) signals. Meanwhile, a novel dual-mode metasurface consisting of a split-ring resonator (SRR) array and an epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) layer was presented to boost the THz conversion efficiency further. In this paper, to explore the mechanism of THz generation from plasmonic NLMSs, the Maxwell-hydrodynamic multiphysics model is adopted to investigate complex linear and intrinsic nonlinear dynamics in plasmonics. We solve the multiphysics model using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, and the numerical results demonstrate the physical mechanism of the THz generation processes which cannot be observed in our previous experiments directly. The proposed method reveals a new approach for developing new types of high-conversion-efficiency nonlinear nanodevices.

Submicron Nonporous Silica Particles for Enhanced Separation Performance in pCEC.

Applications of submicron-scale particles are of rising interest in separation science due to their favorable surface-to-volume ratio and their fabrication of highly ordered structures. The uniformly dense packing beds in columns assembled from nanoparticles combined with an electroosmotic flow-driven system has great potential in a highly efficient separation system. Here, we packed capillary columns using a gravity method with synthesized nanoscale C18-SiO2 particles having diameters of 300-900 nm. The separation of small molecules and proteins was evaluated in the packed columns on a pressurized capillary electrochromatography platform. The run-to-run reproducibility regarding retention time and peak area for the PAHs using a column packed with 300 nm C18-SiO2 particles were less than 1.61% and 3.17%, respectively. Our study exhibited a systematic separation analysis of small molecules and proteins based on the columns packed with submicron particles combined with the pressurized capillary electrochromatography (pCEC) platform. This study may provide a promising analytical approach with extraordinary column efficiency, resolution, and speed for the separation of complex samples.