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Impact of Structural Changes on Energy Transfer in the Anion-Engineered Re 3+:Y 2O 3 Through Low-Temperature Synthesis Approach. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2024; 128:2625-2633. [PMID: 38379919 PMCID: PMC10875659 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c07132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 01/06/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Anion engineering has proven to be an effective strategy to tailor the physical and chemical properties of metal oxides by modifying their existing crystal structures. In this work, a low-temperature synthesis for rare earth (RE)-doped Y2O2SO4 and Y2O2S was developed via annealing of Y(OH)3 intermediates in the presence of elemental sulfur in a sealed tube, followed by a controlled reduction step. The crystal structure patterns (X-ray diffraction) and optical spectra (UV-IR) of Y2O2SO4, Y2O2S, and crystalline Y2O3 were collected throughout the treatment steps to correlate the structural transformations (via thermogravimetric analysis) with the optical properties. Local and long-range crystallinities were characterized by using X-ray and optical spectroscopy approaches. Systematic shifts in the Eu3+ excitation and emission peaks were observed as a function of SO42- and S2- concentrations resulting from a crystal evolution from cubic (Y2O3) to trigonal (Y2O2S) and monoclinic (Y2O2SO4), which can modify the local hybridization of sensitizer dopants (i.e., Ce3+). Ultimately, Tb3+ and Tb3+/Ce3+ doping was employed in these hosts (Y2O2SO4, Y2O2S, and Y2O3) to understand energy transfer between sensitizer and activator ions, which showed significant enhancement for the monoclinic sulfate structure.
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Zeolite Supported Pt for Depolymerization of Polyethylene by Induction Heating. Ind Eng Chem Res 2023; 62:8635-8643. [PMID: 37304911 PMCID: PMC10251740 DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.2c04568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrate that for polyethylene depolymerization with induction heating (IH), using a bifunctional (Pt- or Pt-Sn-containing zeolite) hydrocracking catalyst, we can obtain high hydrocarbon product yields (up to 95 wt % in 2 h) at a relatively low surface temperature (375 °C) and with a tunable product distribution ranging from light gas products to gasoline- to diesel-range hydrocarbons. Four zeolite types [MFI, LTL, CHA(SSZ-13), and TON] were chosen as the supports due to their varying pore sizes and structures. These depolymerization results are obtained at atmospheric pressure and without the use of H2 and result in an alkane/alkene mixture with virtually no methane, aromatics, or coke formation. We also demonstrate how IH helps overcome diffusional resistances associated with conventional thermal heating and thereby shortens reaction times.
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Generation of 3D Spheroids Using a Thiol-Acrylate Hydrogel Scaffold to Study Endocrine Response in ER + Breast Cancer. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:3977-3985. [PMID: 36001134 PMCID: PMC9472224 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c00491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
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Culturing cancer cells in a three-dimensional (3D) environment
better recapitulates in vivo conditions by mimicking
cell-to-cell interactions and mass transfer limitations of metabolites,
oxygen, and drugs. Recent drug studies have suggested that a high
rate of preclinical and clinical failures results from mass transfer
limitations associated with drug entry into solid tumors that 2D model
systems cannot predict. Droplet microfluidic devices offer a promising
alternative to grow 3D spheroids from a small number of cells to reduce
intratumor heterogeneity, which is lacking in other approaches. Spheroids
were generated by encapsulating cells in novel thiol–acrylate
(TA) hydrogel scaffold droplets followed by on-chip isolation of single
droplets in a 990- or 450-member trapping array. The TA hydrogel rapidly
(∼35 min) polymerized on-chip to provide an initial scaffold
to support spheroid development followed by a time-dependent degradation.
Two trapping arrays were fabricated with 150 or 300 μm diameter
traps to investigate the effect of droplet size and cell seeding density
on spheroid formation and growth. Both trapping arrays were capable
of ∼99% droplet trapping efficiency with ∼90% and 55%
cellular encapsulation in trapping arrays containing 300 and 150 μm
traps, respectively. The oil phase was replaced with media ∼1
h after droplet trapping to initiate long-term spheroid culturing.
The growth and viability of MCF-7 3D spheroids were confirmed for
7 days under continuous media flow using a customized gravity-driven
system to eliminate the need for syringe pumps. It was found that
a minimum of 10 or more encapsulated cells are needed to generate
a growing spheroid while fewer than 10 parent cells produced stagnant
3D spheroids. As a proof of concept, a drug susceptibility study was
performed treating the spheroids with fulvestrant followed by interrogating
the spheroids for proliferation in the presence of estrogen. Following
fulvestrant exposure, the spheroids showed significantly less proliferation
in the presence of estrogen, confirming drug efficacy.
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Impact of Sc 3+-Modified Local Site Symmetries on Er 3+ Ion Upconversion Luminescence in Y 2O 3 Nanoparticles. THE JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY. C, NANOMATERIALS AND INTERFACES 2022; 126:11715-11722. [PMID: 35911613 PMCID: PMC9327094 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.2c00835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth (RE) doped yttria sesquioxide has been widely used as host materials for upconversion (UC) phosphors due to their high refractive index, wide band gap, and high melting point. Meanwhile, while fluoride matrices with low phonon cutoff energies exhibit stronger UC emissions, RE-doped oxides exhibit better thermal stability and higher thermal sensitivity when applied as optical temperature sensors. In this work, Sc3+ is substituted in RE-doped Y2O3 lattices to generate smaller cation sites, enhancing the crystal field and modifying the allowed optical transitions. Er3+ is used as a photoluminescent probe to study the effect of site position and symmetry on the UC performance. In comparison with the traditional hydrothermal method, Sc3+ is successfully incorporated into the Y2O3 lattice via the co-precipitation/molten salt method without segregating observed. The Judd-Ofelt analysis was applied to determine the local symmetry and efficiency changes. Sc was found to be able to improve the luminescence performances of Er in Y2-x Sc x O3 (YScO) hosts by adjusting the local symmetry level around the luminescent sites. The local symmetry level was reduced with less than 30 mol % of Sc doping concentration based on the changes in Ω2 values. Meanwhile, the YScO oxide was found to significantly improve the luminescence intensity and red-to-green ratio at a lower Yb3+ concentration (5 mol %) instead of a higher concentration (20 mol %) commonly used. This was attributed to an increased energy transfer between the closer Yb3+-Er3+ pairs. Overall, this work allows the spatial occupancy of luminescence centers in the metal oxide host materials to optimize the UC luminescence performance and develop a high-efficiency oxide material for high-temperature applications such as optical thermometry.
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Induction Heating of Magnetically Susceptible Nanoparticles for Enhanced Hydrogenation of Oleic Acid. ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS 2022; 5:3676-3685. [PMID: 35372795 PMCID: PMC8961733 DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.1c04351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Radio frequency (RF) induction heating was compared to conventional thermal heating for the hydrogenation of oleic acid to stearic acid. The RF reaction demonstrated decreased coke accumulation and increased product selectivity at comparable temperatures over mesoporous Fe3O4 catalysts composed of 28-32 nm diameter nanoparticles. The Fe3O4 supports were decorated with Pd and Pt active sites and served as the local heat generators when subjected to an alternating magnetic field. For hydrogenation over Pd/Fe3O4, both heating methods gave similar liquid product selectivities, but thermogravimetric analysis-differential scanning calorimetry measurements showed no coke accumulation for the RF-heated catalyst versus 6.5 wt % for the conventionally heated catalyst. A different trend emerged when hydrogenation over Pt/Fe3O4 was performed. Compared to conventional heating, the RF increased the selectivity to stearic acid by an additional 15%. Based on these results, RF heating acting upon a magnetically susceptible nanoparticle catalyst would also be expected to positively impact systems with high coking rates, for example, nonoxidative dehydrogenations.
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Fluorescent visualization of oil displacement in a microfluidic device for enhanced oil recovery applications. Analyst 2021; 146:6746-6752. [PMID: 34609383 DOI: 10.1039/d1an01333e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A microfluidic device was developed to mimic the reservoir pore-scale and track the oil/water phases during air flooding. The chip was generated by combining soft-lithography and NOA81 replication. A unique feature of this approach is the inclusion of fluorescent dyes into the oil/water phases, allowing for real-time visualization of oil recovery without altering the phases' surface properties. As a proof of concept, the air was injected into the water/oil-flooded device for enhanced oil recovery applications.
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Catalytic Depolymerization of Waste Polyolefins by Induction Heating: Selective Alkane/Alkene Production. Ind Eng Chem Res 2021; 60:15141-15150. [PMID: 34720395 PMCID: PMC8554762 DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.1c02674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE/HDPE) have been selectively depolymerized, without added H2, to C2-C20 + alkanes/alkenes via energy-efficient radio frequency induction heating, coupled with dual-functional heterogeneous Fe3O4 and Ni- or Pt-based catalysts. Fe3O4 was used to locally generate heat when exposed to magnetic fields. Initial results indicate that zeolite-based Ni catalysts are more selective to light olefins, while Ni supported on ceria catalysts are more selective to C7-C14 alkanes/alkenes. LDPE conversions up to 94% were obtained with minimal aromatic, coke, or methane formation which are typically observed with thermal heating. Two depolymerization mechanisms, a reverse Cossee-Arlman mechanism or a random cleavage process, were proposed to account for the different selectivities. The depolymerization process was also tested on commercial LDPE (grocery bags), polystyrene, and virgin HDPE using the Ni on Fe3O4 catalyst, with the LDPE resulting in similar product conversion (∼48%) and selectivity as for virgin LDPE.
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Simultaneous Droplet Generation with In-Series Droplet T-Junctions Induced by Gravity-Induced Flow. MICROMACHINES 2021; 12:mi12101211. [PMID: 34683262 PMCID: PMC8540845 DOI: 10.3390/mi12101211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Droplet microfluidics offers a wide range of applications, including high-throughput drug screening and single-cell DNA amplification. However, these platforms are often limited to single-input conditions that prevent them from analyzing multiple input parameters (e.g., combined cellular treatments) in a single experiment. Droplet multiplexing will result in higher overall throughput, lowering cost of fabrication, and cutting down the hands-on time in number of applications such as single-cell analysis. Additionally, while lab-on-a-chip fabrication costs have decreased in recent years, the syringe pumps required for generating droplets of uniform shape and size remain cost-prohibitive for researchers interested in utilizing droplet microfluidics. This work investigates the potential of simultaneously generating droplets from a series of three in-line T-junctions utilizing gravity-driven flow to produce consistent, well-defined droplets. Implementing reservoirs with equal heights produced inconsistent flow rates that increased as a function of the distance between the aqueous inlets and the oil inlet. Optimizing the three reservoir heights identified that taller reservoirs were needed for aqueous inlets closer to the oil inlet. Studying the relationship between the ratio of oil-to-water flow rates (Φ) found that increasing Φ resulted in smaller droplets and an enhanced droplet generation rate. An ANOVA was performed on droplet diameter to confirm no significant difference in droplet size from the three different aqueous inlets. The work described here offers an alternative approach to multiplexed droplet microfluidic devices allowing for the high-throughput interrogation of three sample conditions in a single device. It also has provided an alternative method to induce droplet formation that does not require multiple syringe pumps.
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Modifying Metastable Sr 1-xBO 3-δ (B = Nb, Ta, and Mo) Perovskites for Electrode Materials. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:29788-29797. [PMID: 34133135 PMCID: PMC8289236 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c05743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The presence of surface/deep defects in 4d- and 5d-perovskite oxide (ABO3, B = Nb, Ta, Mo, etc.) nanoparticles (NPs), originating from multivalent B-site cations, contributes to suppressing their metallic properties. These defect states can be removed using a H2/Ar thermal treatment, enabling the recovery of their electronic properties (i.e., low electrical resistivity, high carrier concentration, etc.) as expected from their electronic structure. Therefore, to engineer the electronic properties of these metastable perovskites, an oxygen-controlled crystallization approach coupled with a subsequent H2/Ar treatment was utilized. A comprehensive study of the effect of the post-treatment time on the electronic properties of these perovskite NPs was performed using a combination of scattering, spectroscopic, and computational techniques. These measurements revealed that a metallic-like state is stabilized in these oxygen-reduced NPs due to the suppression of deep rather than surface defects. Ultimately, this synthetic approach can be employed to synthesize ABO3 perovskite NPs with tunable electronic properties for application into electrochemical devices.
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Catalytic Enhancement of Inductively Heated Fe 3 O 4 Nanoparticles by Removal of Surface Ligands. CHEMSUSCHEM 2021; 14:1122-1130. [PMID: 33338322 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202002775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Heat management in catalysis is limited by each material's heat transfer efficiencies, resulting in energy losses despite current thermal engineering strategies. In contrast, induction heating of magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) generates heat at the surface of the catalyst where the reaction occurs, reducing waste heat via dissipation. However, the synthesis of magnetic NPs with optimal heat generation requires interfacial ligands, such as oleic acid, which act as heat sinks. Surface treatments using tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAOH) or pyridine are used to remove these ligands before applications in hydrophilic media. In this study, Fe3 O4 NPs are surface treated to study the effect of induction heating on the catalytic oxidation of 1-octanol. Whereas TMAOH was unsuccessful in removing oleic acid, pyridine treatment resulted in a roughly 2.5-fold increase in heat generation and product yield. Therefore, efficient surfactant removal has profound implications in induction heating catalysis by increasing the heat transfer and available surface sites.
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11
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On the enhanced sulfur and coking tolerance of Ni-Co-rare earth oxide catalysts for the dry reforming of methane. J Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2020.11.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Effect of Oxide Ion Distribution on a Uranium Structure in Highly U-Doped RE 2Hf 2O 7 (RE = La and Gd) Nanoparticles. Inorg Chem 2020; 59:14070-14077. [PMID: 32960587 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.0c01850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Rare-earth based A2B2O7 compounds have been considered as potential host materials for nuclear waste due to their exceptional chemical, physical, capability of accommodating high concentration of actinides at both A- and B-sites, negligible leaching, tendency to form antisite defects, and radiation stabilities. In this work, La2Hf2O7 (LHO) and Gd2Hf2O7 (GHO) nanoparticles (NPs) were chosen as the RE-based hafnates to study the structural changes and the formation of different U molecular structures upon doping (or alloying) at high concentration (up to 30 mol %) using a combined coprecipitation and molten-salt synthesis. These compounds form similar crystal structures, i.e., ordered pyrochlore (LHO) and disordered fluorite (GHO), but are expected to show different phase transformations at high U doping concentration. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement results show that the LHO:U NPs have high structural stability, whereas the GHO:U NPs exhibit a highly disordered structure at high U concentration. Alternatively, the vibrational spectra show an increasingly random oxygen distribution with U doping, driving the LHO:U NPs to the disordered fluorite phase. X-ray spectroscopy indicates that U is stabilized as different U6+ species in both LHO and GHO hosts, resulting in the formation of oxygen vacancies stemming from the U local coordination and different phase transformation. Interestingly, the disordered fluorite phase has been reported to have increased radiation tolerance, suggesting multiple benefits associated with the LHO host. These results demonstrate the importance of the structural and chemical effect of actinide dopants on similar host matrices which are important for the development of RE-based hafnates for nuclear waste hosts, sensors, thermal barrier coatings, and scintillator applications.
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Abstract
In this paper, we present a method to compute the x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectra of solid-state transition metal oxides using real-time time-dependent density functional theory, including spin-orbit coupling effects. This was performed on bulk-mimicking anatase titania (TiO2) clusters, which allows for the use of hybrid functionals and atom-centered all electron basis sets. Furthermore, this method was employed to calculate the shifts in the XANES spectra of the Ti L-edge in the presence of applied electric fields to understand how external fields can modify the electronic structure, and how this can be probed using x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Specifically, the onset of t2g peaks in the Ti L-edge was observed to red shift and the eg peaks were observed to blue shift with increasing fields, attributed to changes in the hybridization of the conduction band (3d) orbitals.
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Adsorption of Polarized Molecules for Interfacial Band Engineering of Doped TiO 2 Thin Films. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2020; 36:5839-5846. [PMID: 32369377 PMCID: PMC7304897 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c00564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Owing to their chemical and mechanical stability, metal-oxides have emerged as potential alternatives for conventional pure-metal and organic molecule-based solid-state electronic devices. Traditionally, band engineering of these metal-oxides has been performed to improve the efficiency of solar cells and transistors. However, recent advancements in the field of oxide-based electronic devices demand reversible band structure engineering for applications in next-generation adaptive electronics and memory devices. Therefore, this work aims to reversibly engineer the surface band structure of doped metal-oxides using stable organic ligands with weak dipoles. Para-substituted benzoic acid (BZA) ligands with positive and negative dipole moments were adsorbed in situ on the surface of TiO2:Ni2+ thin film to modify the interfacial dipole moment, and the valence band structure was probed using surface-sensitive ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). UPS, paired with density functional theory (DFT) simulations, demonstrate the ability to selectively tune interfacial electronic/chemical landscapes with ligand-dependent dipole moment. The unique ability to reversibly tune the band bending at the organic-inorganic interface of doped metal-oxide semiconductors using molecular dipoles is expected to play a key role in the development of metal-oxide-based adaptive electronics that outperform the conventional polymer-based and Si-based devices.
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Critical Coupling of Visible Light Extends Hot-Electron Lifetimes for H 2O 2 Synthesis. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2020; 12:22778-22788. [PMID: 32338494 PMCID: PMC7304819 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c00825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Devices driven by above-equilibrium "hot" electrons are appealing for photocatalytic technologies, such as in situ H2O2 synthesis, but currently suffer from low (<1%) overall quantum efficiencies. Gold nanostructures excited by visible light generate hot electrons that can inject into a neighboring semiconductor to drive electrochemical reactions. Here, we designed and studied a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure of Au nanoparticles on a ZnO/TiO2/Al film stack, deposited through room-temperature, lithography-free methods. Light absorption, electron injection efficiency, and photocatalytic yield in this device are superior in comparison to the same stack without Al. Our device absorbs >60% of light at the Au localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak near 530 nm-a 5-fold enhancement in Au absorption due to critical coupling to an Al film. Furthermore, we show through ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy that the Al-coupled samples exhibit a nearly 5-fold improvement in hot-electron injection efficiency as compared to a non-Al device, with the hot-electron lifetimes extending to >2 ps in devices photoexcited with fluence of 0.1 mJ cm-2. The use of an Al film also enhances the photocatalytic yield of H2O2 more than 3-fold in a visible-light-driven reactor. Altogether, we show that the critical coupling of Al films to Au nanoparticles is a low-cost, lithography-free method for improving visible-light capture, extending hot-carrier lifetimes, and ultimately increasing the rate of in situ H2O2 generation.
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Abstract
Ultrasensitive detection of proteins and biomolecules has been previously achieved by optical nanoparticles (NPs) using the principles of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). However, the inherent need for labeling the target analyte in these assays hinders their applicability in point-of-use (POU) diagnostics. In this work, a label-free NP-based sensor has been developed that utilizes downconversion luminescence and surface electric dipoles as a novel approach for the detection of avidin. The long-lived luminescence of Eu3+-doped biotinylated NPs was effectively quenched in the presence of avidin in a concentration-dependent manner. The NPs exhibited high avidin selectivity and sensitivity with a limit of detection (LOD) of 7.8 nM and a wide dynamic range spanning 1 nM to 10 μM in deionized (DI) water. The application of the assay in a complex biological matrix consisting of cell growth medium supplemented with 10% v/v serum was verified with minor effects on avidin sensitivity exhibited by an LOD of 34.7 nM. The performance of the system was evaluated by comparing the photoluminescence (PL) intensities of known avidin concentration and the values predicted by the generated calibration curve. The new biosensing strategy has the potential to be extended to the detection of other disease biomarkers or pathogens with LOD and limited matrix effects in POU settings.
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Stabilizing the B-site oxidation state in ABO 3 perovskite nanoparticles. NANOSCALE 2019; 11:14303-14311. [PMID: 31321389 DOI: 10.1039/c9nr04155a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The stabilization of the B-site oxidation state in ABO3 perovskites using wet-chemical methods is a synthetic challenge, which is of fundamental and practical interest for energy storage and conversion devices. In this work, defect-controlled (Sr-deficiency and oxygen vacancies) strontium niobium(iv) oxide (Sr1-xNbO3-δ, SNO) metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized for the first time using a low-pressure wet-chemistry synthesis. The experiments were performed under reduced oxygen partial pressure to prevent by-product formation and with varying Sr/Nb molar ratio to favor the formation of Nb4+ pervoskites. At a critical Sr to Nb ratio (Sr/Nb = 1.3), a phase transition is observed forming an oxygen-deficient SrNbO3 phase. Structural refinement on the resultant diffraction pattern shows that the SNO NPs consists of a near equal mixture of SrNbO3 and Sr0.7NbO3-δ crystal phases. A combination of Rietveld refinement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the stabilization of the +4 oxidation state and the formation of oxygen vacancies. The Nb local site symmetry was extracted through Raman spectroscopy and modeled using DFT. As further confirmation, the particles demonstrate the expected absorption highlighting their restored optoelectronic properties. This low-pressure wet-chemical approach for stabilizing the oxidation state of a transition metal has the potential to be extended to other oxygen sensitive, low dimensional perovskite oxides with unique properties.
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The Role of Nanostructured Metal Oxides in Hybrid Solar Cells. UNCONVENTIONAL THIN FILM PHOTOVOLTAICS 2016. [DOI: 10.1039/9781782624066-00141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Nanostructured metal oxides have been implemental to the development of hybrid, organic, and perovskite solar cells due to their wide bandgaps, chemical stability, and tunable electronic properties. This chapter covers the fabrication of nanostructured metal oxides for all applications in hybrid solar cells, including transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), electron/hole blocking layers, and charge transport layers. While each layer plays a unique role in the device operation, they share fundamental properties that can be engineered during their synthesis. Specifically, the role of doping and energy level manipulation, high interfacial surface area for charge separation, and ordered nanostructure arrays for photon manipulation are highlighted. The materials presented here are divided into two main groups, 1D and 2D nanostructures for TCOs and TiO2 nanocrystals for electron transport layers. The goal of this chapter is to convey a broad range of top-down and bottom-up synthetic methods that are common throughout semiconductor research but have played a vital role in the development of next generation photovoltaics.
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Effect of dopant concentration on visible light driven photocatalytic activity of Sn1−xAgxS2. Dalton Trans 2016; 45:16290-16297. [DOI: 10.1039/c6dt02812h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
An optimal amount of Ag doping can effectively increase the photocatalytic performance of SnS2.
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Toward High-Efficiency Solution-Processed Planar Heterojunction Sb 2S 3 Solar Cells. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2015; 2:1500059. [PMID: 27980942 PMCID: PMC5115364 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201500059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Low-cost hybrid solar cells have made tremendous steps forward during the past decade owing to the implementation of extremely thin inorganic coatings as absorber layers, typically in combination with organic hole transporters. Using only extremely thin films of these absorbers reduces the requirement of single crystalline high-quality materials and paves the way for low-cost solution processing compatible with roll-to-roll fabrication processes. To date, the most efficient absorber material, except for the recently introduced organic-inorganic lead halide perovskites, has been Sb2S3, which can be implemented in hybrid photovoltaics using a simple chemical bath deposition. Current high-efficiency Sb2S3 devices utilize absorber coatings on nanostructured TiO2 electrodes in combination with polymeric hole transporters. This geometry has so far been the state of the art, even though flat junction devices would be conceptually simpler with the additional potential of higher open circuit voltages due to reduced charge carrier recombination. Besides, the role of the hole transporter is not completely clarified yet. In particular, additional photocurrent contribution from the polymers has not been directly shown, which points toward detrimental parasitic light absorption in the polymers. This study presents a fine-tuned chemical bath deposition method that allows fabricating solution-processed low-cost flat junction Sb2S3 solar cells with the highest open circuit voltage reported so far for chemical bath devices and efficiencies exceeding 4%. Characterization of back-illuminated solar cells in combination with transfer matrix-based simulations further allows to address the issue of absorption losses in the hole transport material and outline a pathway toward more efficient future devices.
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Influence of interfacial area on exciton separation and polaron recombination in nanostructured bilayer all-polymer solar cells. ACS NANO 2014; 8:12397-12409. [PMID: 25412270 DOI: 10.1021/nn5064166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The macroscopic device performance of organic solar cells is governed by interface physics on a nanometer scale. A comb-like bilayer all-polymer morphology featuring a controlled enhancement in donor-acceptor interfacial area is employed as a model system to investigate the fundamental processes of exciton separation and polaron recombination in these devices. The different nanostructures are characterized locally by SEM/AFM, and the buried interdigitating interface of the final device architecture is statistically verified on a large area via advanced grazing incidence X-ray scattering techniques. The results show equally enhanced harvesting of photoexcitons in both donor and acceptor materials directly correlated to the total enhancement of interfacial area. Apart from this beneficial effect, the enhanced interface leads to significantly increased polaron recombination losses both around the open-circuit voltage and maximum power point, which is determined in complement with diode dark current characteristics, impedance spectroscopy, and transient photovoltage measurements. From these findings, it is inferred that a spatially optimized comb-like donor-acceptor nanonetwork alone is not the ideal morphology even though often postulated. Instead, the energetic landscape has to be considered. A perfect morphology for an excitonic solar cell must be spatially and energetically optimized with respect to the donor-acceptor interface.
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Hydrophobic Man-1-P derivatives correct abnormal glycosylation in Type I congenital disorder of glycosylation fibroblasts. Glycobiology 2005; 15:1084-93. [PMID: 16079417 DOI: 10.1093/glycob/cwj006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Patients with Type I congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG-I) make incomplete lipid-linked oligosaccharides (LLO). These glycans are poorly transferred to proteins resulting in unoccupied glycosylation sequons. Mutations in phosphomannomutase (PMM2) cause CDG-Ia by reducing the activity of PMM, which converts mannose (Man)-6-P to Man-1-P before formation of GDP-Man. These patients have reduced Man-1-P and GDP-Man. To replenish intracellular Man-1-P pools in CDG-Ia cells, we synthesized two hydrophobic, membrane permeable acylated versions of Man-1-P and determined their ability to normalize LLO size and N-glycosylation in CDG-Ia fibroblasts. Both compounds, compound I (diacetoxymethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate) (C-I) and compound II (diacetoxymethyl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-ethyloxycarbonyl-alpha-D-mannopyranosyl phosphate) (C-II), contain two acetoxymethyl (CH2OAc) groups O-linked to phosphorous. C-I contains acetyl esters and C-II contains ethylcarbonate (CO2Et) esters on the Man residue. Both C-I and C-II normalized truncated LLO, but C-II was about 2-fold more efficient than C-I. C-II replenished the GDP-Man pool in CDG-Ia cells and was more efficiently incorporated into glycoproteins than exogenous Man at low concentrations (25-75 mM). In a glycosylation assay of DNaseI in CDG-Ia cells, C-II restored glycosylation to control cell levels. C-II also corrected impaired LLO biosynthesis in cells from a Dolichol (Dol)-P-Man deficient patient (CDG-Ie) and partially corrected LLO in cells from an ALG12 mannosyltransferase-deficient patient (CDG-Ig), whereas cells from an ALG3-deficient patient (CDG-Id) and from an MPDU1-deficient patient (CDG-If) were not corrected. These results validate the general concept of using pro-Man-1-P substrates as potential therapeutics for CDG-I patients.
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