Do the VOCs that evaporate from a heavily polluted river threaten the health of riparian residents?

To understand the potential threat of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the health of residents living close to a heavily polluted river, this study investigated the species and the concentration of VOCs evaporating from a river and surveyed the health condition of the nearby residents. Air samples were taken seasonally at the upstream, midstream, and downstream water surfaces of the river, and at different locations at certain distances from the river. These samples were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively through gas chromatography and electron capture detector (GC/ECD) for chlorinated organic compounds, and through gas chromatography and flame ionization detector (GC/FID) for ordinary hydrocarbons. The health data obtained from valid health questionnaires of 908 residents were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. Twenty-six species of VOCs were identified in the environment adjacent the river, many of which are carcinogenic or believed to be carcinogenic to humans. However, results of this study shows that the VOCs evaporating from the polluted river have not been definitively identified as a major factor of cancer in the residents. However, the risk of suffering from certain chronic diseases may increase in residents living less than 225 m away from the river due to the high levels of evaporated VOCs. Residents living less than 225 m away from the river and with nearby specific industries are 3.130 times more at risk of suffering from chronic diseases than those with no nearby specific industries.     

Relevance of the skewness index in DTI exploration of multiple sclerosis

Object  To this day, no parameter can really monitor the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, an index the skewness (S) derived from parameters calculated in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been tested on MS patients for its ability to monitor the disease course. Materials and methods  Eighteen patients underwent two examinations within 3 months consisting of a clinical evaluation (EDSS) and DTI acquisitions on a 1.5 T imager. Tensor was calculated thanks to“home-made” software. Mean diffusivity (MD) and fractional anisotropy (FA) histograms were described for normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and gray matter (GM) of patients with S and also with usually indices peak position (pp) and peak height (ph) for the whole group of patients and for two separate groups according to their clinical status (EDSS  ≤  3 and EDSS  > 3 at month 0). Results  Although no significant clinical evolution is observed over 3 months, S in GM showed a significant shift for both MD/FA histograms towards abnormal values for the whole group of patients (p = 0.02/p = 0.04) and for the group with EDSS  ≤  3 (p = 0.04/p = 0.007), while ph and pp do not. Conclusion  S in GM could be an alternative marker to monitor the disease course before the repercussion on the clinical score.     

新型低压高效叠层有机白光器件

以Bphen:Li/WO3作为电荷产生层制备了低压、高效有机叠层白光器件. 实验中,首先在器件中引入高导电性的载流子注入和传输层,有效降低了器件的驱动电压,然后通过电荷产生层垂直堆叠两个低压白光器件,获得了低压、高效有机叠层白光器件. 叠层器件性能与单发光单元的器件相比较,其亮度及效率均有大幅提高,叠层器件的最大电流效率达到了17cd/A,在相同的电流密度下,叠层器件的效率约为传统器件的2.3倍,同时由于在叠层结构中引入了高导电性的载流子传输层,有效降低了器件的驱动电压,显著改善了白光器件的流明效率.叠层器件的流明效率相对于单发光单元器件提高了53%.     

InGaAs／AlGaAs 941 nm高功率半导体激光二极管阵列

利用金属有机化合物气相淀积(MOCVD)技术生长了InGaAs／GaAs／AlGaAs分别限制应变单量子阱激光器材料。利用该材料制成半导体激光器线阵的峰值波长为941nm，光谱的半高全宽(FWHM)为3．3nm，在400μs、50Hz的输入电流下，输出峰值功率达到67．9W，斜率效率高达0．85W／A(64％)。     

纳米晶体管研究进展

纳米晶体管是尺寸小于100nm的晶体管。纳米晶体管大大提高了晶体管、集成电路、计算机以及其他电子器件的性能。Intel公司正在进行50nm以下Si晶体管的研制,他们研制的THzCMOS平面晶体管克服了小尺度给纳米晶体管制作所带来的诸如栅极漏电流、关闭状态下的漏电流、电阻增加以及开通电压升高等一系列困难。目前,Si纳米晶体管的小型化并没有停止的趋势,除此以外,碳纳米管晶体管、Mott转变纳米晶体管以及有机纳米晶体管都在受到大力关注和正在研制之中。     

含氟聚酰亚胺的热光性能

用5,5′-(六氟异丙基)-二-(2-氨基苯酚)(6FHP),4,4-′(六氟异丙基)-苯二酸酐(6FDA)和分散红19(DR19)合成了可制作光波导器件的含氟聚酰亚胺(PI-19)有机聚合物;采用示差扫描量热(DSC)、热失重分析(TGA)和近红外吸收光谱等方法对PI-19的热稳定性和光学性质进行了表征。示差扫描量热和热失重分析结果显示,PI-19的玻璃化转变温度(Tg)为256℃,在5%的热失重温度为380℃,表明具有非常好的热稳定性。近红外吸收光谱表明,材料在光通信波段(1.3μm和1.55μm)有2个较低吸收的“窗口”,可以用来制作低损耗的光通信器件、光开关等。制得的聚合物材料具有较大的热光系数,其值为-4.13×10-4~-3.72×10-4℃-1(650~1310 nm),对于研制具有低驱动功率的新型数字热光开关具有一定意义。     

Tuning the Dimensions of C60‐Based Needlelike Crystals in Blended Thin Films

A new ordered structure of the C₆₀ derivative PCBM ([6‐6]‐phenyl C₆₁‐butyric acid methyl ester) is obtained in thin films based on the blend PCBM:regioregular P3HT (poly(3‐hexylthiophene)). Rapid formation of needlelike crystalline PCBM structures of a few micrometers up to 100 μm in size is demonstrated by submitting the blended thin films to an appropriate thermal treatment. These structures can grow out to a 2D network of PCBM needles and, in specific cases, to spectacular PCBM fans. Key parameters to tune the dimensions and spatial distribution of the PCBM needles are blend ratio and annealing conditions. The as‐obtained blended films and crystals are probed using atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, optical microscopy, and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Based on the analytical results, the growth mechanism of the PCBM structures within the film is described in terms of diffusion of PCBM towards the PCBM crystals, leaving highly crystalline P3HT behind in the surrounding matrix.     

Structural and Electrostatic Complexity at a Pentacene/Insulator Interface

The properties of organic‐semiconductor/insulator (O/I) interfaces are critically important to the operation of organic thin‐film transistors (OTFTs) currently being developed for printed flexible electronics. Here we report striking observations of structural defects and correlated electrostatic‐potential variations at the interface between the benchmark organic semiconductor pentacene and a common insulator, silicon dioxide. Using an unconventional mode of lateral force microscopy, we generate high‐contrast images of the grain‐boundary (GB) network in the first pentacene monolayer. Concurrent imaging by Kelvin probe force microscopy reveals localized surface‐potential wells at the GBs, indicating that GBs will serve as charge‐carrier (hole) traps. Scanning probe microscopy and chemical etching also demonstrate that slightly thicker pentacene films have domains with high line‐dislocation densities. These domains produce significant changes in surface potential across the film. The correlation of structural and electrostatic complexity at O/I interfaces has important implications for understanding electrical transport in OTFTs and for defining strategies to improve device performance.     

Platinum Binuclear Complexes as Phosphorescent Dopants for Monochromatic and White Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

Efficient blue‐, green‐, and red‐light‐emitting organic diodes are fabricated using binuclear platinum complexes as phosphorescent dopants. The series of complexes used here have pyrazolate bridging ligands and the general formula C^∧NPt(μ‐pz)₂PtC^∧N (where C^∧N = 2‐(4′,6′‐difluorophenyl)pyridinato‐N,C^2′, pz = pyrazole ( 1 ), 3‐methyl‐5‐tert‐butylpyrazole ( 2 ), and 3,5‐bis(tert‐butyl)pyrazole ( 3 )). The Pt–Pt distance in the complexes, which decreases in the order 1 > 2 > 3 , solely determines the electroluminescence color of the organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs). Blue OLEDs fabricated using 8 % 1 doped into a 3,5‐bis(N‐carbazolyl)benzene (mCP) host have a quantum efficiency of 4.3 % at 120 Cd m^–2, a brightness of 3900 Cd m^–2 at 12 V, and Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.11, 0.24). Green and red OLEDs fabricated with 2 and 3 , respectively, also give high quantum efficiencies (～ 6.7 %), with CIE coordinates of (0.31, 0.63) and (0.59, 0.46), respectively. The current‐density–voltage characteristics of devices made using dopants 2 and 3 indicate that hole trapping is enhanced by short Pt–Pt distances (< 3.1 Å). Blue electrophosphorescence is achieved by taking advantage of the binuclear molecular geometry in order to suppress dopant intermolecular interactions. No evidence of low‐energy emission from aggregate states is observed in OLEDs made with 50 % 1 doped into mCP. OLEDs made using 100 % 1 as an emissive layer display red luminescence, which is believed to originate from distorted complexes with compressed Pt–Pt separations located in defect sites within the neat film. White OLEDs are fabricated using 1 and 3 in three different device architectures, either with one or two dopants in dual emissive layers or both dopants in a single emissive layer. All the white OLEDs have high quantum efficiency (～ 5 %) and brightness (～ 600 Cd m^–2 at 10 V).