High Conversion Research Articles

N-Formylation of Carbon Dioxide and Amines with EDTA as a Recyclable Catalyst under Ambient Conditions

The reduction of CO2 is an important method to produce chemicals such as methanol, formic acid, formaldehyde, etc. In general, the reduction of CO2 is carried out at high temperatures and pressures with precious metals as catalysts, which is not favorable for industrial procedures. Thus, it will be very useful if researchers can find cost-effective catalysts for industrial application in CO2 reduction. In this work, commercially available ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was tested as a cheap, non-toxic, and recyclable catalyst to initiate the N-carbonylation reaction of CO2 with amines. After screening various reaction parameters, including temperature, pressure, time, solvent, and reducing agent, the optimal reaction conditions were obtained: 80 °C, 2 MPa, 6 h, 50 mmol% catalyst dosage, 1 mL DMSO, and 1:1 molar ratio of amine to reducing agent. Notably, further studies confirmed that EDTA could also be effective for N-formylation even under ambient conditions (0.1 MPa and room temperature). The suitability of the catalyst for 26 kinds of substrates (including aliphatic amines, aromatic amines, and alicyclic amines) and its reusability were also investigated, with satisfactory results. Scale-up research has been performed effectively with a high conversion of amine (83%) to obtain the mono-formylated product selectively. Finally, the mechanism of the reaction between amine and CO2 has been proposed via control experiments and compared with results in the literature.

Synthesis of Co/Ni-Doped mesoporous spinel ferrite microspheres for enhanced Low-Temperature SCR performance

The iron-based catalysts commonly used in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process cannot meet the increasingly stringent low-temperature NOx emission targets. In this study, mesoporous microspherical MFe2O4 (M=Co, Ni) spinel ferrite catalysts were synthesized by hydrothermal method and applied to the SCR of ammonia (NH3-SCR) reaction. Compared to Fe3O4, both NiFe2O4 and CoFe2O4 catalysts showed higher SCR catalytic activity at low temperature. The NiFe2O4 catalyst achieved a NO conversion of 95.5 % at 240 °C, while CoFe2O4 exhibited a high NO conversion of 97.6 % at 180 °C and a N2 selectivity of 99.6 %. Various characterization experiments revealed that the introduction of Co and Ni resulted in the formation of a specific mesoporous microsphere morphology in CoFe2O4 and NiFe2O4 catalysts, along with the generation of a large number of oxygen vacancies and acidic sites on the surface. These features facilitate the sequential adsorption and activation of NH3 and NOx species, resulting in excellent catalytic activity at low temperatures. Detailed in situ diffuse reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) measurements showed that on NiFe2O4 the reaction follows the Eley–Rideal (E–R) mechanism, whereas it proceeds through the Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) and Eley–Rideal (E–R) mechanisms on the CoFe2O4 catalyst. This work provides a feasible strategy for enhancing the low-temperature SCR reaction over iron-based catalysts; moreover, the elucidation of the complete reaction mechanism offers a solid foundation for future improvements in denitrification catalysts.

Phosphorus oxide promoted solid state hydrolysis of sodium borohydride for efficient onsite hydrogen production

The hydrolysis of solid sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as a hydrogen source for portable fuel cells offers the advantages of excellent safety and convenient storage, making it the optimal alternative to NaBH4 solutions. However, the hydrolysis process is relatively slow and requires the addition of a catalyst to enhance its efficiency. Recent studies have demonstrated that introducing H+ can effectively promote the hydrolysis of NaBH4. In this study, therefore, selects solid acid anhydride, phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5), as a promoter for the hydrolysis of NaBH4. By controlling the ratio of H+ to H− in the NaBH4–P2O5 system, the conditions for hydrogen production via NaBH4 hydrolysis are optimized. Subsequently, to cater to the requirements of portable fuel cell applications, the optimal NaBH4–P2O5 hydrogen production system is selected, with hydrogen generation rate being controlled by regulating water flow speed. In order to enhance the practical applicability of NaBH4–P2O5, the scale-up of hydrogen production from this system is also undertaken. Finally, to validate the practicality of this reaction system, integration with a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) toy car using the NaBH4–P2O5 hydrogen generation system is performed. The results indicate that a NaBH4 conversation exceeding 90 % can be achieved when the ratio of H+ to H− is approximately 0.14, and within the range of H+/H− ratios from 0.05 to 0.14, the maximum hydrogen density reached 6 %. Furthermore, it was found that adjusting the water flow rate only impacts the rate of hydrogen production without significantly affecting the NaBH4 conversion, which consistently surpassed 90 %. Similar high NaBH4 conversion, above 90 %, were also attained in the scaled-up experiments of the NaBH4–P2O5 system. When implemented in a 5W PEMFC, this hydrogen production system delivered an output power of approximately 1.76 W, thereby affirming its operational feasibility and effectiveness.

Surface oxygen vacancy regulation and active metal doping for Cu-Al based spinel catalysts synthesis toward high-efficiency reverse water-gas shift reaction

The reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction is of great significance to convert CO2 to valuable feedstocks. Reasonable design and preparation of catalysts is necessary to achieve high CO2 conversion and CO selectivity. In this study, a series of Cu-Al based spinel catalysts were synthesized by coprecipitation-calcination method or A-site doped with active metal (Co, Zn, Mg, and Fe) for the RWGS reaction. The results indicated that the surface oxygen vacancies and crystal structure of CuAl2O4 can be regulated by calcination temperature. Remarkably, the CuAl-800 catalyst exhibits the highest CO2 conversion rate (62.7 %) with 100 % CO selectivity at 500 °C. Excessive calcination temperatures (> 800 °C) resulted in a well-defined spinel structure, but decreased surface oxygen vacancies and CO2 conversion rate. At calcination temperatures < 800 °C, surface oxygen vacancies increased, but the formation of CuO impurities which irreversibly converted to Cu2O during reduction, decreased catalytic activity. Compared with Zn, Mg and Fe, Co doping can significantly improved the reactivity of CuAl2O4 catalyst in RWGS reaction at 500 °C, increasing the CO2 conversion rate by 8 % while maintaining 100 % CO selectivity. The main reason is that Co doping not only effectively improves the integrity and stability of spinel structure of CuAl2O4, but also enhances its ability to dissociate and activate H species through interfacial sites of CuO-OV-CuXCo1-XAl2O4, thus further enhancing its catalytic conversion ability of CO2 to CO. These results enrich the understanding of surface chemistry of CuAl2O4 spinel and lay an important theory foundation for design of spinel-based catalysts for RWGS reaction.

A Nitrogen/Oxygen Dual-Doped Porous Carbon with High Catalytic Conversion Ability toward Polysulfides for Advanced Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) have attracted widespread attention due to their high theoretical energy density and low cost. However, their development has been constrained by the shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides and their slow reaction kinetics. In this work, a nitrogen/oxygen dual-doped porous carbon (N/O-PC) was synthesized by annealing the precursor of zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 grown in situ on MWCNTs (ZIF-8/MWCNTs). Then, the N/O-PC composite served as an efficient host for LSBs through chemical adsorption and providing catalytic conversion sites of polysulfides. Moreover, the interconnected porous carbon-based structure facilitates electron and ion transfer. Thus, the S/N/O-PC cathode exhibits high cycling stability (a stable capacity of 685.9 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C after 100 cycles). It also demonstrates excellent rate performance with discharge capacities of 1018.2, 890.2, 775.1, 722.7, 640.4, and 579.6 mAh g−1 at 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 C, respectively. This work provides an effective strategy for designing and developing high energy density, long cycle life LSBs.

Preparation of cardamonin and IR780 Co-loaded on Lycium barbarum polysaccharide nanoparticles and anti-tumor efficacy evaluation

To improve the therapeutic efficacy of cardamonin (CRD) in the treatment of breast cancer, Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) was selected as a nanocarrier for CRD and IR780 to prepare CRD-IR780@LBP nanoparticles (NPs) via antisolvent precipitation. CRD-IR780@LBP NPs demonstrated superior characteristics, such as sustainable drug release, high photothermal conversion, and good antitumor efficacy and secretion levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-2). The IC50 value of CRD-IR780@LBP NPs was 2.31 μg/mL, which was significantly lower than that of the pure CRD group (P < 0.0001). The tumor inhibition rate of CRD-IR780@LBP NPs was 80.03 %, which was a 1.58-fold increase compared to that of PTX injection. Furthermore, the ELISA results suggested that LBP can exert therapeutic effects by upregulating the expression levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-2 (P < 0.01) without causing any apparent adverse effects on major tissues and organs. In conclusion, the CRD-IR780@LBP NPs prepared in this study can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of CRD against breast cancer via multiple synergistic anti-tumor mechanisms.

Mapping global land conversion pressure to support conservation planning

Proactively identifying where land conversion might occur is critical to targeted and effective conservation planning. Previous efforts to map future habitat loss have largely focused on forested systems and have been limited in their consideration of drivers of loss. We developed a 1-km resolution, global map of land conversion pressure from multiple drivers, referred to as the conversion pressure index (CPI). The CPI combines past rates of anthropogenic change, as measured by temporal human modification maps, with suitability maps for potential future expansion by large-scale development. The CPI thus offers a new way to measure a cumulative gradient of anthropogenic pressure as opposed to categorical land cover change. We find that nearly 23% of land across 200 countries have relatively high conversion pressure, potentially impacting over 460 million ha of intact natural lands. We illustrate how this information can be used to identify areas for proactive conservation to avoid future loss and ensure that national commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity and Paris Agreement Climate Frameworks are upheld.

Stable WSeTe/PtTe2 van der Waals heterojunction: Excellent mechanical, electronic, and optical properties and device applications

Janus WSeTe and PtTe2 monolayers have attracted much attention due to their outstanding electronic properties. To explore their combined advantages and to find new physics, we construct WSeTe/PtTe2 vdW heterojunctions and use the most stable configurations A4 and B1 to explore their various physical properties and device applications. It is found that both A4 and B1 hold exceptional mechanical properties. They are type-II semiconductors, and types of band alignment and band gap size can be tuned flexibly by external electric field and vertical strain. Based on such a property, we design a strain-controlled high on–off-ratio mechanical switching device. They also show an excellent light response and high photoelectric power conversion efficiency (PCE), which can be tuned greatly by the external electric field and vertical strain as well. For example, light adsorption in visible and infrared region can be improved greatly by the compressive strain. Particularly, we find for B1 in the intrinsic state or with a small tensile strain of 0.3 Å, or for A4 with small electric field of −0.3 V/Å, they all hold type-II band alignment and have very high PCE and large visible light absorption, based on these results, we propose high-performance solar cell devices.

Fabrication of Pd NCs@GO(Fe3O4) as a magnetically separable and reusable catalyst for catalytic conversion of three types of pollutants from water resources

In recent years, organic contaminants have become so detrimental to both the environment and human health that it is imperative to remove them from water. In this study, Magnetic Pd NCs@GO(Fe3O4) composite microspheres were successfully synthesized, which graphene oxide (GO) was encapsulated with Fe3O4 microspheres serving as the core, and subsequently, palladium nanocubes were deposited in situ onto the GO layer. The samples were thoroughly characterized using XRD, TEM, EDS, FT-IR, Raman, XPS, UV-Vis, VSM, DLS NMR and Zeta techniques. At room temperature, the presence of KBH4 effectively reduced 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), 4-nitroaniline (4-NA), and Congo red (CR). Specifically, 4-NP was fully reduced in three minutes with a TOF of up to 464 min⁻¹; 4-NA was completely reduced in seven minutes, achieving a TOF of up to 280 min⁻¹; And CR was fully reduced in eight minutes, yielding a high TOF of 74.86 min⁻¹. Furthermore, the magnetic Pd NCs@GO(Fe3O4) composite microsphere catalyst demonstrated excellent recovery and high conversion rates after five consecutive cycles, maintaining a minimum value of over 90 %. The reaction rate constants for the catalysts were found to be K4-NP = 1.12 min⁻¹, K4-NA = 0.606 min⁻¹, and KCR = 0.394 min⁻¹, respectively. The underlying catalytic mechanism was also discussed. Overall, this study presents a rapid and environmentally friendly method for synthesizing magnetic noble metal nanocatalysts for the efficient reduction of Congo red (CR), 4-nitroaniline (4-NA), and 4-nitrophenol (4-NP).

Pt nanoshells with a high NIR-II photothermal conversion efficiency mediates multimodal neuromodulation against ventricular arrhythmias

Autonomic nervous system disorders play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases. Regulating it is essential for preventing and treating acute ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). Photothermal neuromodulation is a nonimplanted technique, but the response temperature ranges of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and TWIK-related K+ Channel 1 (TREK1) exhibit differences while being closely aligned, and the acute nature of VAs require that it must be rapid and precise. However, the low photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) still poses limitations in achieving rapid and precise treatment. Here, we achieve a nearly perfect blackbody absorption and a high PCE in the second near infrared (NIR-II) window (73.7% at 1064 nm) via a Pt nanoparticle shell (PtNP-shell). By precisely manipulating the photothermal effect, we successfully achieve rapid and precise multimodal neuromodulation encompassing neural activation (41.0–42.9 °C) and inhibition (45.0–46.9 °C) in a male canine model. The NIR-II photothermal modulation additionally achieves multimodal reversible autonomic modulation and confers protection against acute VAs associated with myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury in interventional therapy.

Non‐ionic Perylene‐Diimide Polymer as Universal Cathode Interlayer for Conventional, Inverted, and Blade‐Coated Organic Solar Cells

As a class of predominantly used cathode interlayers (CILs) in organic solar cells (OSCs), perylene‐diimide (PDI)‐based polymers exhibit intriguing characteristics of excellent charge transporting capacity and suitable energy levels. Despite that, PDI‐based CILs with satisfied film‐forming ability and adequate solvent resistance are rather rare, which not only limits the further advance of OSC performances but also hinders the practical use of PDI CILs. Herein, we designed and synthesized two non‐conjugated PDI polymers for achieving high power conversion efficiency (PCE) in diverse types of OSCs. The utilization of oligo (ethylene glycol) (OEG) linkage enhanced the n‐doping effect of PDI polymers, leading to an improved ability of the CIL to reduce work function and improve electron transporting capability. Moreover, the introduction of the non‐ionic OEG chain effectively improve the wetting property and solvent resistance of PDI polymers, so the PPDINN CIL can withstand diverse processing conditions in fabricating different OSCs, including conventional, inverted and blade‐coated devices. The binary OSC with conventional structure using PPDINN CIL showed a PCE of 18.6%, along with an improved device stability. Besides, PPDINN is compatible with the large‐area blade‐coating technique, and a PCE of 16.6% was achieved in the 1‐cm2 OSC where a blade‐coated PPDINN was used.

Non-ionic Perylene-Diimide Polymer as Universal Cathode Interlayer for Conventional, Inverted, and Blade-Coated Organic Solar Cells.

As a class of predominantly used cathode interlayers (CILs) in organic solar cells (OSCs), perylene-diimide (PDI)-based polymers exhibit intriguing characteristics of excellent charge transporting capacity and suitable energy levels. Despite that, PDI-based CILs with satisfied film-forming ability and adequate solvent resistance are rather rare, which not only limits the further advance of OSC performances but also hinders the practical use of PDI CILs. Herein, we designed and synthesized two non-conjugated PDI polymers for achieving high power conversion efficiency (PCE) in diverse types of OSCs. The utilization of oligo (ethylene glycol) (OEG) linkage enhanced the n-doping effect of PDI polymers, leading to an improved ability of the CIL to reduce work function and improve electron transporting capability. Moreover, the introduction of the non-ionic OEG chain effectively improve the wetting property and solvent resistance of PDI polymers, so the PPDINN CIL can withstand diverse processing conditions in fabricating different OSCs, including conventional, inverted and blade-coated devices. The binary OSC with conventional structure using PPDINN CIL showed a PCE of 18.6%, along with an improved device stability. Besides, PPDINN is compatible with the large-area blade-coating technique, and a PCE of 16.6% was achieved in the 1-cm2 OSC where a blade-coated PPDINN was used.

Protective layer constructed by liquid phase quenching for long lifespan potassium ion batteries

Manganese-based transition metal layered oxides have garnered considerable attention for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) due to their high energy density, high conversion efficiency, long lifespan and simple manufacturing processes. However, the slow K+ diffusion rate and poor stability fail to meet the increasing requirements of the energy storage system. The quenching technology was employed herein to in-situ form a thin protective layer of KMn4(PO4)3 with a high K+ diffusion rate on the surface of K0.5Mn0.85Co0.1Fe0.05O2. The introduction of the protective layer enhances electrochemical kinetics to promote high-rate electrochemical performance and reinforcing the ion diffusion dynamics, thus alleviating stress caused by uneven K+ distribution. Meanwhile, the reduction in Mn3+ content plays a crucial role in suppressing the Jahn-Teller distortion effect, contributing to enhanced cyclic stability. It exhibits an excellent electrochemical performance with a reversible specific capacity of 100.5 mAh g−1 at 0.2C, maintaining 72.97 % capacity after 500 cycles at 2C (1C=100 mA g−1). Coupled with graphite as the anode, the full cell shows a capacity retention of 73.53 % after 650 cycles at 2C, highlighting the potential for future practical applications.

Novel coal-based carbon encapsulating Co-N-C derived from ZIF-67 composite as an efficient chainmail electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries

Energy shortages and the global climate crisis have led researchers to develop renewable clean energy sources. Zinc-air batteries have attracted much attention due to their high theoretical energy density, safety, and conversion efficiency. However, the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) exhibits slow reaction kinetics and high reaction energy barriers, which require catalysts with high activity, selectivity, and stability to improve the reaction rate. Chainmail catalysts have attracted attention in the field of energy conversion and storage due to their structural stability. In this paper, coal-based carbon encapsulating Co-N-C chainmail electrocatalysts are designed and constructed, which can effectively reduce the thermal crumpling phenomenon of the framework structure, enhance the defect content and provide active sites for ORR. The results show that G/Co-N-C-0.025 exhibits a higher half-wave potential than that of Pt/C, with a high ultimate current density of 4.6 mA cm−2, good cycling stability, and high methanol resistance. A primary zinc-air battery is assembled, with an open-circuit voltage of 1.417 V and a maximum power density of 82 mW cm−2. The specific capacity is 789.2 mAh g−1 at a current of 20 mA cm−2. This work provides new ideas for the design and application of high-performance chainmail electrocatalysts.

Investigation of pyrolysis productions (pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas and carbon nanotubes) distribution in co-pyrolysis of torrefied oiltea camellia shells and polypropylene

The co-pyrolysis of torrefied oiltea camellia shells (OCS) and reused polypropylene (PP) was investigated for pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) distribution characters in a two-stage pyrolysis system. Compared with raw OCS/PP, the quality of pyrolysis oil from torrefied OCS and PP was upgraded while yield decreased gradually. In particular, torrefaction pretreatment was beneficial to the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons and the higher selectivity of phenols in pyrolysis oil. And serious N2 torrefaction (260 N) and slight CO2 torrefaction (200C) is more conducive to the synthesis of C6–C11 (gasoline component). In addition, torrefaction could contribute to lower volatiles, which resulted in a lower yield of CNTs. For comparison, higher graphitized CNTs was prepared from the co-pyrolysis of torrefied OCS and PP. Appropriate torrefaction temperature and atmosphere have a potential for high value conversion of pyrolysis oil, pyrolysis gas and CNTs from co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastics.

Robust heterometallic {In2CdO}-Organic framework for efficiently catalyzing CO2 cycloaddition and Knoevenagel condensation

The catalytic performance of MOFs mainly comes from the coordination defects of their metal ions. However, developing promising MOF catalysts with a large number of small coordination molecules on metal ions remains a huge challenge. Herein, we report a highly robust heterometallic {In2CdO}-organic framework of {[In2Cd(CPPDP)(µ3 − OH)(H2O)5](NO3)2⋅2DMF⋅3H2O}n (NUC-103) with scarcely reported [In2Cd(OH)(O2CR)5(H2O)5] clusters (abbreviated as {In2CdO}) as secondary building units (SBUs), each of which contains five associated water molecules, implying that activated host framework can serve as strong Lewis acid. In NUC-103, three rows of {In2CdO} are shaped into hierarchical triangle-nanochannels of 17.42 × 17.98 Å2 and triangle-microchannels of 10.15 × 11.00 Å2 along c axis. On account of the following unique characteristics such as three kinds of active sites (Lewis acid sites of In3+ and Cd2+, Lewis base sites of free Npyridine atoms and electrophilic H-bond donors (HBD) of µ3 − OH moieties), large solvent-free channels, high thermal stability, and resistance to various solvents, NUC-103a is a promising catalytic platform. Catalytic experiments prove that NUC-103a is a significant heterogeneous catalyst for the cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides with exclusive selectivity and high conversion. In addition, NUC-103a as a bifunctional catalyst displays the high catalytic performance on the Knoevenagel condensation reactions of aldehydes and malononitrile. Therefore, this work not only provides an indium(III) + cadmium(II)-based heterometallic cluster of {In2CdO}, but also provides a valuable insight into designing metal–organic catalytic materials with high defect coordination.

Improving Miscibility of Polymer Donor and Polymer Acceptor by Reducing Chain Entanglement for Realizing 18.64 % Efficiency All Polymer Solar Cells.

All-polymer solar cells have experienced rapid development in recent years by the emergence of polymerized small molecular acceptors (PSMAs). However, the strong chain entanglements of polymer donors (PDs) and polymer acceptors (PAs) decrease the miscibility of the resulting polymer mixtures, making it challenging to optimize the blend morphology. Herein, we designed three PAs, namely PBTPICm-BDD, PBTPICγ-BDD and PBTPICF-BDD, by smartly using a BDD unit as the polymerized unit to copolymerize with different Y-typed non-fullerene small molecular acceptors (NF-SMAs), thus achieving a certain degree of distortion and giving the polymer system enough internal space to reduce the entanglements of the polymer chains. Such effects increase the chances of the PD being interspersed into the acceptor material, which improve the solubility between the PD and PA. The PBTPICγ-BDD and PBTPICF-BDD displayed better miscibility with PBQx-TCl, leading to a well optimized morphology. As a result, high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 17.50 % and 17.17 % were achieved for PBQx-TCl : PBTPICγ-BDD and PBQx-TCl : PBTPICF-BDD devices, respectively. With the addition of PYFT-o as the third component into PBQx-TCl : PBTPICγ-BDD blend to further extend the absorption spectral coverage and finely tune microstructures of the blend morphology, a remarkable PCE of 18.64 % was realized finally.

Improving Miscibility of Polymer Donor and Polymer Acceptor by Reducing Chain Entanglement for Realizing 18.64 % Efficiency All Polymer Solar Cells

AbstractAll‐polymer solar cells have experienced rapid development in recent years by the emergence of polymerized small molecular acceptors (PSMAs). However, the strong chain entanglements of polymer donors (PDs) and polymer acceptors (PAs) decrease the miscibility of the resulting polymer mixtures, making it challenging to optimize the blend morphology. Herein, we designed three PAs, namely PBTPICm‐BDD, PBTPICγ‐BDD and PBTPICF‐BDD, by smartly using a BDD unit as the polymerized unit to copolymerize with different Y‐typed non‐fullerene small molecular acceptors (NF‐SMAs), thus achieving a certain degree of distortion and giving the polymer system enough internal space to reduce the entanglements of the polymer chains. Such effects increase the chances of the PD being interspersed into the acceptor material, which improve the solubility between the PD and PA. The PBTPICγ‐BDD and PBTPICF‐BDD displayed better miscibility with PBQx‐TCl, leading to a well optimized morphology. As a result, high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 17.50 % and 17.17 % were achieved for PBQx‐TCl : PBTPICγ‐BDD and PBQx‐TCl : PBTPICF‐BDD devices, respectively. With the addition of PYFT‐o as the third component into PBQx‐TCl : PBTPICγ‐BDD blend to further extend the absorption spectral coverage and finely tune microstructures of the blend morphology, a remarkable PCE of 18.64 % was realized finally.

Interface engineering for improved performance of perovskite solar cells using CdTe buffer layer

In order to achieve high power conversion efficiency, interface engineering of the charge transport layers in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) has significantly reduced the energy band mismatching and charge accumulation. This simulation study investigated the effect of cadmium telluride (CdTe) buffer layer (BL) on the performance of PSC through SCAPS-1D modeling program. The device configuration with BL consisted of metal electrode/CuI/CdTe/CH3NH3SnI3/TiO2/TCO/glass substrate. The insertion of BL between absorber and HTM improved the energy band alignment by increasing the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 11.09 % to 14.76 %. The important parameters including thicknesses of the buffer and absorber layers, the doping concentrations of absorber, electron transport material (ETM), and hole transport material (HTM) were investigated. Moreover, the effect of the electron affinity of the ETM, HTM and the hole mobility of HTM were optimized to further enhance the performance of the proposed structure. The optimized results showed the noticeable increase in efficiency of 23.56 %.

Carbon Dots with Integrated Photothermal Antibacterial and Heat-Enhanced Antioxidant Properties for Diabetic Wound Healing.

Diabetic wounds pose a persistent challenge due to their slow healing nature, primarily caused by bacterial infection and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced inflammation. In this study, carbon dots with synergistic antibacterial and antioxidant properties, referred to as AA-CDs, are developed specifically for diabetic wound healing using a straightforward solvothermal method. By utilizing cost-effective precursors like citric acid and ascorbic acid, AA-CDs are engineered to possess tailored functions of photothermal sterilization and ROS scavenging. The resulting AA-CDs demonstrats broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, particularly against multidrug-resistant strains, along with efficient ROS scavenging both in solution and within cells. Additionally, AA-CDs exhibits a protective effect against oxidative stress-induced damage. Notably, with a high photothermal conversion efficiency (41.18%), AA-CDs displays heat-enhanced antioxidant performance, providing not only augmented ROS scavenging but also additional protection against oxidative stress, yielding a true "1 + 1 > 2" effect. To facilitate their use in vivo, AA-CDs are incorporated into a thermally responsive hydrogel, which exhibits evident anti-inflammatory properties by modulating inflammatory factors and significantly promots the healing of diabetic wounds. This study underscores the value of integrated platforms for diabetic wound healing and highlights the potential of versatile CDs as promising therapeutic agents in biomedical applications.