Proper Morphology Research Articles

The podocyte-specific knockout of palladin in mice with a 129 genetic background affects podocyte morphology and the expression of palladin interacting proteins.

Proper and size selective blood filtration in the kidney depends on an intact morphology of podocyte foot processes. Effacement of interdigitating podocyte foot processes in the glomeruli causes a leaky filtration barrier resulting in proteinuria followed by the development of chronic kidney diseases. Since the function of the filtration barrier is depending on a proper actin cytoskeleton, we studied the role of the important actin-binding protein palladin for podocyte morphology. Podocyte-specific palladin knockout mice on a C57BL/6 genetic background (PodoPalldBL/6-/-) were back crossed to a 129 genetic background (PodoPalld129-/-) which is known to be more sensitive to kidney damage. Then we analyzed the morphological changes of glomeruli and podocytes as well as the expression of the palladin-binding partners Pdlim2, Lasp-1, Amotl1, ezrin and VASP in 6 and 12 months old mice. PodoPalld129-/- mice in 6 and 12 months showed a marked dilatation of the glomerular tuft and a reduced expression of the mesangial marker protein integrin α8 compared to controls of the same age. Furthermore, ultrastructural analysis showed significantly more podocytes with morphological deviations like an enlarged sub-podocyte space and regions with close contact to parietal epithelial cells. Moreover, PodoPalld129-/- of both age showed a severe effacement of podocyte foot processes, a significantly reduced expression of pLasp-1 and Pdlim2, and significantly reduced mRNA expression of Pdlim2 and VASP, three palladin-interacting proteins. Taken together, the results show that palladin is essential for proper podocyte morphology in mice with a 129 background.

Fast Intercalation in Locally Ordered Carbon Nanocrystallites for Superior Potassium Ions Storage

AbstractHard carbons (HCs) have great potential as anode material for high‐performance potassium ion batteries (PIBs). However, due to the complexity of HCs, the relationship between their structures and potassium (K) storage behaviors is still not quite clear. Here, three types of HCs with different structures are designed for further understanding the electrochemical storage processes. Among them, the carbon spheres (CS) exhibit impressive rate performance (161.6 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1) and cycle stability (140.2 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1 after 500 cycles). The superior performance of CS can be mainly ascribed to the intercalation into its locally‐ordered carbon nanocrystallites, and the charge/discharge processes are further characterized with significant pseudocapacitive dominating. Suitable nanocrystalline size and the ratio of defects with proper morphology are the key factors to improve K storage efficiency. This work will contribute to understanding the role of these factors in the K storage performance of carbon materials.

Possible Treatment of Severe Bone Dehiscences Based on 3D Bone Reconstruction—A Description of Treatment Methodology

Gingival recessions constitute serious limitations for effective interdisciplinary periodontal, orthodontic, and implant therapy. A proper bone morphology of the alveolar bone and soft tissues that cover it are interdependent. The regeneration procedures known to date are based on the use of autogenous bone, or its allogeneic, xenogeneic, or alloplastic substitutes. These substitutes are characterized by different osteogenesis potentials. No effective procedure for three-dimensional bone reconstruction for cases in which there is dentition with recessions has been described to date, especially in its vertical dimension. This article presents the patented method of the three-dimensional bone reconstruction of the anterior mandible with preserved dentition when using an allogeneic bone block, and also includes a case report with a 2-year follow-up as an example. Based on clinical observations, it was stated that the intended therapeutic effect was achieved. There was no recession, shallowing of the vestibule, signs of inflammation, or pathological mobility of the teeth in the area undergoing reconstruction. The radiographic images revealed the formation of a new layer of cortical bone on the vestibular side and a certain volume of cancellous bone. No radiological demarcation zone of brightening, which indicates an incomplete adaptation, integration, and reconstruction of the bone block, was found.

Smart and pH-sensitive rGO/Arabinoxylan/chitosan composite for wound dressing: In-vitro drug delivery, antibacterial activity, and biological activities

Carbohydrate polymers are biological macromolecules that have sparked a lot of interest in wound healing due to their outstanding antibacterial properties and sustained drug release. Arabinoxylan (ARX), Chitosan (CS), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets were combined and crosslinked using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as a crosslinker to fabricate composite hydrogels and assess their potential in wound dressing for skin wound healing. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and biological assays were used to evaluate the composite hydrogels. FTIR validated the effective fabrication of the composite hydrogels. The rough morphologies of the composite hydrogels were revealed by SEM and AFM (as evident from the Ra values). ATC-4 was discovered to have the roughest surface. TEM revealed strong homogeneous anchoring of the rGO to the polymer matrix. However, with higher amount of rGO agglomeration was detected. The % swelling at various pHs (1−13) revealed that the hydrogels were pH-sensitive. The controlled release profile for the antibacterial drug (Silver sulfadiazine) evaluated at various pH values (4.5, 6.8, and 7.4) in PBS solution and 37 °C using the Franz diffusion method revealed maximal drug release at pH 7.4 and 37 °C. The antibacterial efficacy of the composite hydrogels against pathogens that cause serious skin diseases varied. The MC3T3-E1 cell adhered, proliferated, and differentiated well on the composite hydrogels. MC3T3-E1 cell also illustrated excellent viability (91%) and proper cylindrical morphologies on the composite hydrogels. Hence, the composite hydrogels based on ARX, CS, and rGO are promising biomaterials for treating and caring for skin wounds.

Low structure order acceptor as third component enables high-performance semitransparent organic solar cells

Semitransparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) are promising candidates for building-integrated photovoltaics. However, the inherent contradiction between active layer absorption and average visible transmittance (AVT) hinders the development of ST-OSCs. Herein, we report high-performance ternary ST-OSCs by incorporating low structure order DCB-4F into PM6:DTPSe-4Cl host blend. The addition of DCB-4F enhances the molecular arrangement in proper multi-length morphology for enhanced charge transport in active layers. As a result, outstanding PCEs of 15.93% and 12.58% are achieved for the corresponding opaque and semitransparent ternary OSCs, respectively. Our work demonstrates that ternary OSCs by introducing low structure order third component to host binary blends featuring ordered molecular arrangement and low energy loss have great potential for fabricating highly-efficient ST-OSCs.

3D-Printed Polymer-Infiltrated Ceramic Network with Biocompatible Adhesive to Potentiate Dental Implant Applications.

The aim of this work was to prepare and characterize polymer–ceramic composite material for dental applications, which must resist fracture and wear under extreme forces. It must also be compatible with the hostile environment of the oral cavity. The most common restorative and biocompatible copolymer, 2,2-bis(p-(2′-2-hydroxy-3′-methacryloxypropoxy)phenyl)propane and triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate, was combined with 3D-printed yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia scaffolds with a 50% infill. The proper scaffold deposition and morphology of samples with 50% zirconia infill were studied by means of X-ray computed microtomography and scanning electron microscopy. Samples that were infiltrated with copolymer were observed under compression stress, and the structure’s failure was recorded using an Infrared Vic 2DTM camera, in comparison with empty scaffolds. The biocompatibility of the composite material was ascertained with an MG-63 cell viability assay. The microtomography proves the homogeneous distribution of pores throughout the whole sample, whereas the presence of the biocompatible copolymer among the ceramic filaments, referred to as a polymer-infiltrated ceramic network (PICN), results in a safety “damper”, preventing crack propagation and securing the desired material flexibility, as observed by an infrared camera in real time. The study represents a challenge for future dental implant applications, demonstrating that it is possible to combine the fast robocasting of ceramic paste and covalent bonding of polymer adhesive for hybrid material stabilization.

Exposure of silver nanocolloids causes glycosylation disorders and embryonic deformities in medaka

Silver nanomaterials such as silver nanocolloids (SNC) contribute to environmental pollution and have adverse ecological effects on aquatic organisms. In particular, chemical exposure of fish during embryogenesis leads to deformities and puts the population at risk. Although glycans and glycosylation are known to be important for proper morphology in embryogenesis, little glycobiology-based research has examined morphological disorders caused by environmental pollutants. This study addressed the glycobiological effects of SNC exposure on medaka embryogenesis. After exposure of medaka embryos to SNC, deformities such as small heads and deformed eyes were observed. The expression of five glycan-related genes (alg2, gnsb, b4galt2, b3gat1a, and b3gat2) was significantly altered, with changes depending on the embryonic stage at exposure, with more severe deformities with exposure at earlier stages. In situ hybridization analyses indicated that the five genes were expressed mainly in the head region; exposure of SNC suppressed alg2 and gnsb and enhanced b4galt2 and b3gat1a expression relative to controls on day 7. Loss (siRNA)- and gain (RNA overexpression)-of-function experiments confirmed that alg2, gnsb, and b4galt2 are essential for embryogenesis. The effects of SNC exposure on glycan synthesis were estimated by glycan structure analysis. In the medaka embryo, high mannose–type glycans were dominant, and SNC exposure altered glycan synthesis. The alteration was more significant when exposure occurred at an early stage of medaka embryogenesis. Thus, SNC exposure causes embryonic deformities in medaka embryos through disordered glycosylation.

Hemicentin-1 is an essential extracellular matrix component of the dermal\u2013epidermal and myotendinous junctions

The extracellular matrix architecture is composed of supramolecular fibrillar networks that define tissue specific cellular microenvironments. Hemicentins (Hmcn1 and Hmcn2) are ancient and very large members (> 600 kDa) of the fibulin family, whose short members are known to guide proper morphology and functional behavior of specialized cell types predominantly in elastic tissues. However, the tissue distribution and function of Hemicentins within the cellular microenvironment of connective tissues has remained largely unknown. Performing in situ hybridization and immunofluorescence analyses, we found that mouse Hmcn1 and Hmcn2 show a complementary distribution throughout different tissues and developmental stages. In postnatal dermal–epidermal junctions (DEJ) and myotendinous junctions (MTJ), Hmcn1 is primarily produced by mesenchymal cells (fibroblasts, tenocytes), Hmcn2 by cells of epithelial origin (keratinocytes, myocytes). Hmcn1−/− mice are viable and show no overt phenotypes in tissue tensile strength and locomotion tests. However, transmission electron microscopy revealed ultrastructural basement membrane (BM) alterations at the DEJ and MTJ of Hmcn1−/− mice, pointing to a thus far unknown role of Hmcn1 for BM and connective tissue boundary integrity.

The role of Aspergillus nidulans polo-like kinase PlkA in microtubule-organizing center control.

Centrosomes are important microtubule-organizing centers (MTOC) in animal cells. In addition, non-centrosomal MTOCs (ncMTOCs) have been described in many cell types. The functional analogs of centrosomes in fungi are the spindle pole bodies (SPBs). In Aspergillus nidulans, additional MTOCs have been discovered at septa (sMTOC). Although the core components are conserved in both MTOCs, their composition and organization are different and dynamic. Here, we show that the polo-like kinase PlkA binds the γ-tubulin ring complex (γ-TuRC) receptor protein ApsB and contributes to targeting ApsB to both MTOCs. PlkA coordinates the activities of the SPB outer plaque and the sMTOC. PlkA kinase activity was required for astral MT formation involving ApsB recruitment. PlkA also interacted with the γ-TuRC inner plaque receptor protein PcpA. Mitosis was delayed without PlkA, and the PlkA protein was required for proper mitotic spindle morphology, although this function was independent of its catalytic activity. Our results suggest that the polo-like kinase is a regulator of MTOC activities and acts as a scaffolding unit through interaction with γ-TuRC receptors.

Generation of one control and four iPSCs clones from patients with Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy type 1

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy type 1 (EDMD1) is a rare genetic disease caused by mutations in the EMD gene coding for a nuclear envelope protein emerin. We generated and characterized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from two EDMD1 patients bearing a mutation c.del153C and from one healthy donor. That mutation leads to generation of premature STOP codon. Established iPSCs are very valuable tool for disease pathogenesis investigation and for the development of new therapeutic methods after differentiation to cardiac or muscle cells. Obtained iPSCs show the proper morphology, pluripotency markers expression, normal karyotype and potential to differentiate into three germ layers.

A Composite Membrane System with Gold Nanoparticles, Hydroxyapatite, and Fullerenol for Dual Interaction for Biomedical Purposes.

Background: Wound dressing plays a vital role in post-operative aftercare. There is the necessity to develop dressings for application on the border of soft and hard tissue. This study aimed to develop multifunctional polyelectrolyte layers enhanced by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and/or fullerenol nanocomposites to achieve a wound dressing that could be applied on the bone-skin interface. Methods: Constructed shells were examined using TEM, STEM, and EDX techniques. The human osteoblasts or fibroblasts were immobilized within the shells. The systems morphology was assessed using SEM. The functioning of cells was determined by flow cytomery. Moreover, the internalization of AuNPs was assessed. Results: Involvement of fullerenol and/or hydroxyapatite nanoparticles influenced the immobilized cell systems morphology. Membranes with fullerenol and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were observed to block the internalization of AuNPs by immobilized hFOB cells. Conclusions: The designed bilayer membranes incorporating fullerenol, and bacteriostatic elements, prevented the internalization of AuNPs by hFOB cells and ensured the proper counts and morphology of eukaryotic cells. The developed material can be recommended for dressings at the bone-skin interface.

Long Term Rescue of the TSH Receptor Knock-Out Mouse - Thyroid Stem Cell Transplantation Restores Thyroid Function.

The synergistic activation of transcription factors can lead to thyroid progenitor cell speciation. We have previously shown in vitro that mouse or human stem cells, expressing the transcription factors NKx2-1 and Pax8, can differentiate into thyroid neo-follicular structures (TFS). We now show that syngeneic mouse TFS when implanted into hypothyroid TSH receptor knockout (TSHR-KO) mice can ameliorate the hypothyroid state for an extended period. ES cells derived from heterozygous TSHR-KO blastocysts were stably transfected with Nkx2-1-GFP and Pax8-mcherry constructs and purified into 91.8% double positive cells by flow cytometry. After 5 days of activin A treatment these double positive cells were then induced to differentiate into neo-follicles in Matrigel for 21 days in the presence of 500μU/mL of TSH. Differentiated TFS expressing thyroglobulin mRNA were implanted under the kidney capsule of 4-6 weeks old TSHR-KO mice (n=5) as well as hind limb muscle (n=2) and anterior chamber of one eye (n=2). Five of the mice tested after 4 weeks were all rendered euthyroid and all mice remained euthyroid at 20 weeks post implantation. The serum T4 fully recovered (pre-bleed 0.62 ± 0.03 to 8.40 ± 0.57 µg/dL) and the previously elevated TSH became normal or suppressed (pre-bleed 391 ± 7.6 to 4.34 ± 1.25 ng/dL) at the end of the 20 week observation period. The final histology obtained from the implanted kidney tissues showed only rudimentary thyroid follicular structures but which stained positive for thyroglobulin expression. The presence of only rudimentary structures at the site of implant on these extended animals suggested possible migration of cells from the site of implant or an inability of TFCs to maintain proper follicular morphology in these external sites for extended periods. However, there were no signs of tumor formation and no immune infiltration. These preliminary studies show that TSHR-KO mice are a useful model for orthotropic implantation of functional thyroid cells without the need for thyroidectomy, radioiodine ablation or anti thyroid drug control of thyroid function. This approach is also proof of principle that thyroid cells derived from mouse ES cells are capable of surviving as functional neo-follicles in vivo for an extended period of 20 weeks.

Synthesis, Characterization and Photovoltaic Properties of Electron‐Accepting (11‐Oxoanthra[2,1‐b]thiophen‐6‐ylidene)dipropanedinitrile‐Based Molecules

AbstractTwo acceptor small molecules consisting of 2‐(11‐oxoanthra[2,1‐b]thiophen‐6‐ylidene)dipropanedinitrile frameworks connected by a bis(thiophen‐2‐ylethynyl)arene bridge were synthesized by the two‐step sequence of Sonogashira cross‐coupling and Knoevenagel condensation in order to investigate their performance as non‐fullerene acceptors in organic solar cells. Optical, electrochemical and photovoltaic properties of new 2,2′‐[2,2′‐(5,5′‐(arenediyl)bis(ethyne‐2,1‐diyl)bis(thien‐5,2‐diyl))bis(11‐oxoanthra[2,1‐b]thiophen‐6‐ylidene)]dipropanedinitriles and previously studied analogs of 2,2′‐[2,2′‐arenediylbis(11‐oxoanthra[1,2‐b]thiophene‐6‐ylidene)]dipropanedinitriles were compared to assess the effect of introducing ethynylthiophene units between the arene linker and the 2‐(11‐oxoanthrathiophen‐6‐ylidene)propanedinitrile units. Despite the proper energy level alignment and morphology, composites of the newly synthesized compounds with the PBDB‐T donor polymer demonstrate a moderate PCE of 0.54 %. The small value of the short circuit current as compared to composites with fullerene acceptors is probably due to the low electron mobility in the newly synthesized compounds. The low electron mobility, in turn, is probably cause by the LUMO localization at the edge units of the acceptor‐type molecules, in contrast to the almost uniform LUMO delocalization over the whole π‐conjugated system for high‐performing non‐fullerene acceptors such as ITIC.

Morphology Preserving Segmentation Method for Occluded Cell Nuclei from Medical Microscopy Image

Nowadays, image segmentation techniques are being used in many medical applications such as tissue culture monitoring, cell counting, automatic measurement of organs, etc., for assisting doctors. However, high-level segmentation results cannot be obtained without manual annotation or prior knowledge for high variability, noise and other imaging artifacts in medical images. Furthermore, unstable and continuously changing characteristics of all human cells, tissues and organs manipulate training-based segmentation methods. Detecting appropriate contour of a region of interest and single cells from overlapping condition are extremely challenging. In this paper, we aim for a model that can detect biological structure (e.g. cell nuclei and lung contour) with their proper morphology even in overlapping or occluded condition without manual annotation or prior knowledge. We have introduced a new optimal approach for automatic medical image region segmentation. The method first clearly focuses the boundaries of all object regions in a microscopy image. Then it detects the areas by following their contours. Our model is capable of detecting and segmenting object regions from medial image using less computation effort. Our experimental results prove that our model provides better detection on several datasets of different types of medical data and ensures more than 98% segmentation rate in the case of densely connected regions.

Effect of ZnO cap layer deposition environment on thermal stability of the electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) is a promising candidate as a transparent conducting electrode. However, the electrical properties of AZO deteriorate greatly after exposing it to excessive heat. This limits the applications of AZO in devices that experience a demanding operation environment. It has been shown that a ZnO cap layer with proper morphology is capable to dramatically improve the thermal stability of AZO. However, the detailed mechanism is not yet clear. A comparison study of the electrical properties of AZO with a ZnO cap layer prepared by magnetron sputtering (MS) at low substrate temperature (70 °C) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at high substrate temperature (600 °C) indicates that MS-prepared ZnO is much less effective in protecting AZO from an oxidizing environment under elevated temperature than the CVD-prepared ZnO. The morphology and crystal structures of two types of ZnO/AZO, investigated by a scanning electron microscope and x-ray diffraction, are relatively similar, whereas the atomic structures (e.g., defects) revealed by Raman spectroscopy are rather different. The results suggest that it is difficult to improve the thermal stability of electrical properties of AZO without a proper restructuring process and a ZnO cap layer that could sacrifice its own structural order. The discoveries offer a novel approach to improve the performance of other transparent conducting oxides.

Effector-mediated ERM activation locally inhibits RhoA activity to shape the apical cell domain.

Activated ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) proteins link the plasma membrane to the actin cytoskeleton to generate apical structures, including microvilli. Among many kinases implicated in ERM activation are the homologues LOK and SLK. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to knock out all ERM proteins or LOK/SLK in human cells. LOK/SLK knockout eliminates all ERM-activating phosphorylation. The apical domains of cells lacking LOK/SLK or ERMs are strikingly similar and selectively altered, with loss of microvilli and with junctional actin replaced by ectopic myosin-II-containing apical contractile structures. Constitutively active ezrin can reverse the phenotypes of either ERM or LOK/SLK knockouts, indicating that a central function of LOK/SLK is to activate ERMs. Both knockout lines have elevated active RhoA with concomitant enhanced myosin light chain phosphorylation, revealing that active ERMs are negative regulators of RhoA. As RhoA-GTP activates LOK/SLK to activate ERM proteins, the ability of active ERMs to negatively regulate RhoA-GTP represents a novel local feedback loop necessary for the proper apical morphology of epithelial cells.

Flash Sintering Effect on PMN-PT Ceramics

Densification of PMN-PT piezoelectric ceramic powder is carried out by electric field assisted/flash sintering method. The composition selected in PMN-PT materials system is 0.67[Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3]−0.33(PbTiO3). During flash sintering experiment, 200 V/mm electric field is applied on sample with 0.1 amp current cutoff value. Flash sintering is accomplished in less than 90 sec at ~700 °C. Relative density for sintered sample is measured approximately 94 % which is reasonable value comparing with literature. SEM microstructure illustration exhibits proper consolidation morphology which is agreement with the relative density measurement. According to XRD analysis, the said materials system shows consistency in rhombohedral perovskite crystal structure and preserve its chemical and physical composition during whole experimental cycle. By electric field assisted/flash sintering technique, the sintering temperature is decreased from 1200 °C to 700 °C along with a decrement in sintering time from 2 hours to 90 seconds. PMN-PT is properly produced by flash sintering method for the first time with respect to open literature. Hence, this densification method will gain importance to reduce toxic Pb emission aroused at high temperature processes.

Mapping the Side-Chain Length of Small-Molecule Acceptors towards the Optimal Hierarchical Morphology in Ternary Organic Solar Cells

Using multiple light-absorbing materials to realize a broader and better absorption spectrum in multi-component organic photovoltaics has achieved significant success to obtain high power conversion efficiency. Meanwhile, the good materials combinations with matched electronic structure and proper blend morphology for charge generation and transport are of primary importance for implementation of the multi-component strategy. Hierarchical morphology has been clearly demonstrated to improve all performance parameters in ternary organic photovoltaics but shows strong dependence on the molecular structures. Here we develop four small-molecule electron acceptors with different alkyl chain lengths to find the optimal solution of alkyl chain towards the defined hierarchical morphology and carry out a clear and comprehensive investigation of the alkyl chain length effects on the structure–morphology–device performance relationships in ternary blends. There is a positive correlation between the power conversion efficiencies of the four ternary systems and their short-circuit current density parameters, manifesting the significance of distinguishing optimal alkyl side chain length of small-molecule electron acceptors for defined hierarchical morphology to afford efficient carrier generation. The non-optimal side chains would retard the BTR crystallization and make the PC71BM domain sizes incontrollable, leading to a morphology without a defined hierarchy. Such a detailed mapping of the alkyl side chain length of small-molecule electron acceptors provides new insight into the materials combinations for the next-step high-performance multi-component organic photovoltaics.

High mobility acceptor as third component enabling high-performance large area and thick active layer ternary solar cells

Organic solar cells (OSCs) adopting nonfullerene acceptors have realized over 18% power conversion efficiency (PCE). It is however challenging to achieve highly efficient devices with active layers over 200 nm thickness. Herein, we report high-performance large-area and thick-film ternary OSCs by incorporating high electron mobility IDIC into PM6:IM-4F host blend. The addition of IDIC significantly improves the crystallinity and intensifies face-on orientation in proper multi-length morphology for enhanced charge transport in active layers. As a result, the optimized ~100 nm-thick ternary OSCs with 10 wt% IDIC in the acceptors exhibit a high PCE of 15.86% for small-area (0.04 cm2) and 14.80% for large-area (0.50 cm2) devices. Importantly, the optimal ternary OSCs present excellent tolerance to the active layer thickness (≈65–353 nm). The 282 nm-thick devices contribute a PCE of 14.43% and a FF of 71.23%, among the highest values for OSCs with similar active layer thicknesses reported to date, even outperforming the remarkable 300 nm-thick PM6:Y6 system. Our work demonstrates that ternary OSCs by introducing high mobility acceptor as third component to host binary blends featuring high current and low energy loss have great potential for large-scale fabrication of highly-efficient thick-film OSCs for practical application.

Modifying side chain of non-fullerene acceptors to obtain efficient organic solar cells with high fill factor

In recent years, the development of non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) has rapidly improved the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). However, there are still many factors restricting the further improvement of PCE, and the low fill factor (FF) value is one of the main reasons. Therefore, it is of great importance to increase FF through designing organic semiconducting materials. In this paper, Y6-eC6-HD is obtained by modifying two kinds of alkyl chains of Y6, because the regulation of the side alkyl chains as one of the effective methods can get proper film morphology which is beneficial for balanced charge transfer and improved FF. Subsequently, the device based on PM6:Y6-eC6-HD can achieve an outstanding PCE of 16.00% with a high FF of 77.32%. Such a high fill factor is higher than that of the most of Y-series molecules. These results indicate that adjusting the side alkyl chains of NFAs is a promising method to enhance the FF and therefore improving the PCE of OSCs.