Preparation of biomimetic three-dimensional gelatin/montmorillonite–chitosan scaffold for tissue engineering

A novel gelatin/montmorillonite–chitosan (Gel/MMT–CS) nanocomposite scaffold was prepared via the intercalation process and the freeze-drying technique, using the ice particulates as the porogen materials. Properties including pore structure, water adsorption content, in vitro degradation and tensile strength were investigated. It was demonstrated that the introduced intercalation structure endowed the Gel/MMT–CS scaffold with good mechanical properties and a controllable degradation rate. Scanning of the electron microscope images revealed that the scaffold obtained was highly porous and suitable for the implanted cells to adhere and grow. The mitochondrial activity assay provided good evidences of cells viability on the Gel/MMT–CS membranes, giving an indication of possible application as a matrix for tissue engineering.     

Corrosion kinetics and patina evolution of galvanized steel in a simulated coastal-industrial atmosphere

The corrosion kinetics and patina (corrosion products) layer evolution of galvanized steel submitted to wet/dry cyclic corrosion test in a simulated coastal-industrial atmosphere was investigated. The results show that zinc coating has a greater corrosion rate during the initial period and a lower corrosion rate during the subsequent period, and the patina composition and structure can greatly affect the corrosion kinetics evolution of zinc coating. Moreover, Zn₅(OH)₆(CO₃)₂ and Zn₄(OH)₆SO₄ are identified as the main stable composition and exhibit an increasing relative amount; while Zn₁₂(OH)₁₅Cl₃(SO₄)₃ cannot stably exist and diminish in the patina layer as the corrosion develops.     

二氧化钛包覆空心玻璃微珠的制备及表征

以硫酸钛为钛源,氢氧化钠为沉淀剂,采用非均相沉淀法制得了二氧化钛包覆空心玻璃微珠,用扫描电镜(SEM)和X射线衍射仪等表征了所得产品。分析了不同温度、pH值、煅烧温度、硫酸钛用量等各种工艺参数对产物的调控作用。实验结果表明,反应温度和pH等参数对产物的形貌和结构有重要影响。水解温度等于60℃,pH等于6～7,煅烧温度为700℃时成功地在空心玻璃微珠表面均匀包覆了一层锐钛型二氧化钛。硫酸钛溶液用量为40g时,产物表面包覆厚度大约为0.3μm,隔热效果最好。     

氯化反式-1,4-聚异戊二烯的制备及其热稳定性研究

采用水相悬浮法,利用盐酸与双氧水反应生成氯气直接对反式-1,4-聚异戊二烯(TPI)进行氯化改性。研究了固含量、反应温度、反应时间、双氧水与盐酸的物质的量比等对氯化反式-1,4-聚异戊二烯(CTPI)氯含量的影响。可获得氯含量在50%以内的CT-PI,产品为可溶解于氯仿等有机溶剂的淡黄色疏松颗粒。通过热分析发现,CTPI在氮气中的热降解为多步反应,在600℃时仍有12%(质量分数)且结构稳定的碳化合物残留。     

Spectroscopic properties and high-power laser operation of Yb0.14:Y0.77Gd0.09Ca4O(BO3)3 mixed crystal

We report, for the first time to our knowledge, on the spectroscopic properties and continuous-wave laser performance of Yb_0.14:Y_0.77Gd_0.09Ca₄O(BO₃)₃, a mixed rare earth calcium oxyborate Yb-ion crystal. Under simple end-pumping conditions with a 976-nm diode, efficient CW laser operation was demonstrated at room temperature, producing an output power of 14.1 W at 1084.4 nm with an optical-to-optical efficiency of 48%; while operating around 1045 nm, the laser could generate an output power as high as 23.0 W, with optical-to-optical and slope efficiencies amounting, respectively, to 57% and 70% with respect to incident pump power. The polarized absorption and emission cross sections are also presented. The impressive results demonstrated reveal the great potential of these mixed oxyborates in developing new promising Yb-ion laser crystals.     

Novel A-D-A type small molecules with β-alkynylated BODIPY flanks for bulk heterojunction solar cells

A serial of novel A-D-A type small molecules with BODIPY linked through alkynyl with various electron donor units such as fluorene, carbazole, benzodithiophene and phenothiazine, namely F-BDP, C-BDP, B-BDP and P-BDP, respectively, were designed and synthesized. Introducing the alkynyl bridge leads to extending the molecular absorption spectrum to the range of 320–700 nm with high molar extinction coefficients (10⁵ cm⁻¹ M⁻¹) and strong fluorescence quenching. The molecules showed relatively low HOMO ranging from −5.02 to −5.24 eV as estimated from cyclic voltammetry measurements. Interestingly, B-BDP with BDT as donor exhibits more obviously red-shifted absorption in the solid state compared to F-BDP, C-BDP and P-BDP. Furthermore, the solution-processed bulk-heterojunction organic solar cell based on B-BDP/PC₇₁BM present superior charge transport property and more favorable nanoscale morphology, resulting in a significant higher J_sc of 11.84 mA cm² and FF than the other counterparts, thus achieved a higher PCE of 4.65%, which is one of the best values among the ever reported BODIPY based organic solar cells.     

Pressure-assisted self-assembly technique for fabricating composite membranes consisting of highly ordered selective laminate layers of amphiphilic graphene oxide

We prepare highly ordered flexible layers of graphene oxide (GO) on modified polyacrylonitrile substrates by the pressure-assisted self-assembly technique. This composite membrane shows excellent performance during the pervaporation separation of a 70 wt.% isopropyl alcohol (IPA)/water mixture: 99.5 wt% water in permeate and 2047 g m⁻² h⁻¹ permeation flux. Despite the specific GO deposition increase from 4.3 to 43.3 × 10⁻⁵ g cm⁻² (ninefold layer thickness growth), its effect on the permeation flux is not significant, as manifested by only a little decrease in the flux. At 70 °C feed temperature, the permeate water concentration remains 99.5 wt% and the permeation flux reaches 4137 g m⁻² h⁻¹. The high selectivity may be due to the dense GO film consisting of highly ordered and packed laminates, allowing water but inhibiting IPA molecules to pass through. GO is demonstrated to be amphiphilic: water molecules adsorb first at the hydrophilic edge (hydroxides) and then rapidly diffuse through the hydrophobic core (mainly carbon), forming a water passage channel that promotes high permeation flux. When water molecules permeate through the GO layers, they accumulate and form a monolayer structure that pushes the successive layers away from each other, leading to widening of the d-spacing.     

Tuning color-correlated temperature and color rendering index of phosphorescent white polymer light-emitting diodes: Towards healthy solid-state lighting

We report on efficient solution-processed phosphorescent white polymer light-emitting diodes (WPLEDs) with tunable color-correlated temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI), through rationally controlling the composition of the emission layer (EML) based on a near-infrared (NIR)-emitting dinuclear cyclometalated platinum (II) complex bridged with NˆS anionic ligand, named (niq)₂Pt₂(μ-C₈PhOXT)₂ (Pt-1, in which PhOXT is 5-(phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole)-2-thiol, niq is 1-naphthylisoquinolinato), a sky-blue emitter iridium (III) bis[(4,6-di-fluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C2] (picolinate) (FIrpic), and a yellow emitter bis[2-(thieno[3,2-c]pyridin-4-yl)phenyl]iridium(III)(acetylacetonato) (PO-01). One of the best three-color WPLEDs shows a CCT of 3246 K as well as an excellent high CRI of 87, which are greatly beneficial in reducing deep-blue light damage and simultaneously meet the requirement for good color reproduction. Meanwhile, the relevant WPLED also achieves a maximum current efficiency of 12.1 cd/A, corresponding to an external quantum efficiency of 10.6%. This work presents an effective approach through rational combination of sky-blue, yellow, and NIR emitters towards high-performance solution-processable WPLEDs with a physiologically-friendly CCT and a high CRI.     

Acceptor-rich bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells with balanced charge mobilities

In this work, we reported efficient polymer solar cells with balanced hole/electron mobilities tuned by the acceptor content in bulk heterojunction blend films. The photovoltaic cells were fabricated with two new wide band-gap D-A polymers PBDDIDT and PBDDIDTT as the donor material. The molecular conformations of new polymers are carefully evaluated by theoretical calculations. The results of photovoltaic studies show that two devices reach their optimal conditions with rich PC₇₁BM content up to 80% in blend films, which is uncommon with most of reported PSCs. The as-cast devices based on PBDDIDT and PBDDIDTT reveal good photovoltaic performance with PCE of 7.04% and 6.40%, respectively. The influence of PC₇₁BM content on photovoltaic properties is further detailed studied by photoluminescence emission spectra, charge mobilities and heterojunction morphology. The results exhibit that more efficient charge transport between donor and acceptor occurs in rich PC₇₁BM blend films. Meanwhile, the hole and electron mobilities are simultaneously enhanced and afford a good balance in rich PC₇₁BM blend films (D/A, 1:4) which is critical for the improvement of current density and fill factors.     

Enhancing the performance of non-fullerene solar cells with polymer acceptors containing large-sized aromatic units

In this work, we develop four diketopyrrolopyrrole-based polymer acceptors for application in polymer-polymer solar cells. The polymer acceptors contain different-sized aromatic units, from small thiophene to benzodithiophene and large alkylthio-benzodithiophene units. Although the polymer acceptor with large-sized groups shows small LUMO offset and low energy loss when blended with the donor polymer PTB7-Th, the corresponding solar cells can achieve a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.1% due to high photocurrent. In contrast, the polymer acceptor with small thiophene units only provides a low PCE of 0.14% in solar cells. These results indicate that polymer acceptors with large-sized aromatic units can be potentially used into high performance non-fullerene solar cells.