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Bacterial infection is a major threat to human health. However, many antibacterial agents currently used are severely limited due to drug-resistance, and the development of side effects. Herein, we have developed a non-antibiotic nanocomposite consisting of chitosan (ChS) coated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) and graphene nanoribbon (GNR)-based nanowires for light-triggered eradication of bacteria. The presence of AgNP/ChS significantly enhanced the interactions of the GNR nanowires with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a clinically common Gram-negative bacterium. Which enables the highly effective photothermal eradication of bacteria by GNR upon near-infrared light irradiation. The nanocomposite was shown to be applicable for the light-triggered eradication of bacterial biofilms and the inhibition of bacterial growth on medical patches used for abdominal-wall hernia surgery.

In this work, novel porous Co9S8 nanosheet arrays are prepared on Co foam through a simple and scalable chemical liquid-phase processing strategy, which involves the uniform growth of cobalt hydrox...

In this work, the unique glass-ceramics containing thermoelectric AgSbSe 2 crystals were successfully prepared from glass matrices in the (Ge 5 Sb 25 Se 70 ) 1-x Ag x system (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10,15 mol %). Structure and crystallization behaviors of samples were investigated to have a fundamental understanding of the effect of silver doping on the glass matrices. Critical Ag content for precipitation of the pure TE AgSbSe 2 crystals in the present system are at least higher than 5 mol %. Raman spectra explained by the chemical bond approach imply that the continuous depolymerization of glass network with the increased Ag eventually induces the precipitation of AgSbSe 2 crystals from the glass matrix, which, in turn, plays the predominant role in increasing σ RM of glass by around two orders of magnitude.

In this work, series of glass samples in the Ag30As28 (SexTe100-x)42 (x = 15, 30, 50, 70, 85) system are prepared. Effects of the Se/Te ratio on density (ρ), glass transition temperature (Tg), room-temperature conductivity (σ298k) and crystallization behaviors of glasses are investigated, and their associations with the structure of glasses are discussed. Results show that with the increased substitution of Se for Te, the molar volume (Mv) decreases and Tg increases, indicating the increased space packing efficiency and the enhanced structure connectivity. The strengthened structure leads to an abnormal increase of ρ when x is lower than 30 mol%. Further increase of the Se/Te ratio results in the reduction of ρ due to the dominant effect of smaller molar weight (Mw). The σ298k of glasses decreases with Se increasing from 15 to 50 mol%, and then interestingly increases up to the level even higher than that of the sample with the lowest Se content (15 mol%). Raman spectra shows the transformation of main glass structure units from Te-based pyramids to Se-based complexes as the Se/Te ratio increases. According to XRD patterns of samples thermally treated at either lower (215 °C) or higher (265 °C) temperature, with the Se/Te ratio increasing, the dominant precipitated crystals suffer an evolution from AsTe to Ag2Te and finally to the AgAsSe2 semiconductor phase, consistent with the variation trend of Raman spectra. In terms of the structural similarity principle, we thus suppose that the formation of structural units similar to AgAsSe2 semiconductor crystals inversely increases the conductivity of glasses, realizing the mutual benefits of the improved thermal stability and increased conductivity of chalcogenide glasses.

Carbon fiber (CF) is a promising material as carbon-based electrode and support for flexible supercapacitors. However, it still suffers from narrow voltage in the aqueous electrolyte due to the water decomposition (1.23 V). Herein, an aerobic pyrolysis is developed to recover aligned carbon fibers from carbon fiber reinforced polymers. More importantly, during this oxygen existence condition, the surface of reclaimed carbon fibers (RCFs) is etched into groove-shaped structure and modified by introducing abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which significantly expands the negative potential window of RCFs-based electrode to −1.4 V (vs standard calomel electrode) and the working voltage of RCFs-based symmetric supercapacitor to 2.4 V in an aqueous electrolyte of 1.0 M Na2SO4, with capacitance retention of 90% and 93.6% after 10 000 cycles, respectively. This work well matches the aerobic pyrolysis of recovery of CFs from CFRPs and electrochemical performances of RCFs, supplying a new strategy to de...

The novel Tm3+/Sb3+ co-doped phosphate glasses are studied in response to an improvement of blue light emitting source. The analysis of J-O intensity parameters suggests that the present strontium phosphate glass is an appropriate matrix for Tm3+ doping to obtain an enhanced blue emission. The 5 s2-type Sb3+ ion serves as a sensitizer to transfer its strong allowed excitation in the deep UV region to Tm3+ effectively. PL and PLE spectra show that by Sb3+ co-doping, the blue emission of the Tm3+ doped strontium phosphate glass is enhanced greatly, while the excitation band of Tm3+ extends largely to the deep UV region. The emission decay curves of Sb3+ demonstrate the existence of the energy transfer (ET) process from Sb3+ to Tm3+ with the maximum efficiency and probability of ET as 20.43% and 9.20%, respectively. The emission color of these glasses can be adjusted from warm to cold blue via modulating excitation wavelengths. The present work suggests that Sb3+/Tm3+co-doped strontium phosphate glasses are promising for applications in blue emitters and plasma display panels.

Intercellular glycoligand-receptor interactions are implicated in a number of disease-related processes. Effective tools that target these receptors may facilitate disease theranostics. However, owing to their low binding affinity, multivalent presentation of glycoligands is needed to increase the avidity with transmembrane receptors. While previous strategies focus on the covalent coupling of glycoligands to a synthetic backbone, we show here that the use of graphene oxide (GO) greatly enhances the cellular and tissue imaging ability of a small-molecule fluorescence glycoprobe. We determine that GO with an optimum size may serve as a clustering platform to reinforce the interaction of the glycoprobe with its selective receptor on a cancer cell. This phenomenon has been consistently observed with the xenograft tissue of a tumor-bearing mouse. Using this principle we have further constructed a supramolecular glycocomposite by co-assembling the glycoprobe and an anticancer drug onto a single GO surface. In addition to imaging ability, this material displays improved toxicity for liver cancer cells that over express the glycoprotein receptor, when compared to the control cells.

Supramolecular assembly between conjugated polymers and fluorescent dyes produces a unique class of fluorogenic “nanogrenades”. These nanomaterials have shown the ability to image as well as irreversibly destruct amyloid β fibril plaques by simple light irradiation.

In this article, transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing β -NaYF4 nanocrystals were successfully prepared via Gd3+ doping. Compared to conventional non-doped glasses, the thermal treatment temperature required for the precipitation of β -NaYF4 nanocrystals can be lowered with the doping of Gd3+. Furthermore, under the same thermal treatment condition, more β -NaYF4 nanocrystals were precipitated in Gd3+ doped ones, which greatly improves the luminescence efficiency of rare earth doped glass ceramics. Possible mechanism for the Gd3+ doping induced enhanced upconversion luminescence phenomenon was proposed, based on thorough structural and optical characterizations. The results revealed that the doping of Gd3+ ions could decrease the crystallization activation energy and promote the formation of Y-F-Na bonding, which helps the precipitation of β -NaYF4 nanocrystals. Consequently, a large enhancement in upconversion luminescence was achieved. Moreover, the strategy can be successfully applied to the development of other glass ceramic systems for various optoelectronic applications.

Highly oriented Co-MOF nanoneedle arrays arein situconstructed on Co foam (Co-MOF@Co) by using a one-pot solvothermal strategy. As-prepared Co-MOF@Co can be directly served as a binder-free electrode for supercapacitor, which exhibits wonderful electrochemical performances, i.e. high specific capacitance (12783.0 mF cm-2or 1164.2 F g-1), exceptional cycling stability (90.5% retention over 10 000 cycles at 250 mA cm-2) with a loading of 10.98 mg cm-2. Meanwhile, an asymmetric supercapacitor of AC//Co-MOF@Co delivers a high ratability (87% retention upon ten-fold current density) and high energy density of 43.4 W h kg-1at the power density of 145.1 W kg-1.

In the present work, Tm3+-doped strontium phosphate glasses modified by Sn2+ are investigated. Sn2+ and Tm3+ can be co-excited with the deep UV light to emit the tunable blue light. The reinforced and purified blue emission is obtained at the excitation bands toward the deep-UV part of the spectrum. Photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra, and emission decay curves indicate consistently that the improved Tm3+ emission is in association with the presence of Sn2+ in the host glass where energy transfer from Sn2+ to Tm3+ occurs. Relevant mechanism is discussed.

Er 3+ singly doped and Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped bulk La 2 O 2 CN 2 phosphors were prepared by a classical solid-state reaction of Li 2 CO 3 , Er 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 and LaF 3 under NH 3 gas flow in the presence of graphite at low firing temperature. The crystal structures of La 2 O 2 CN 2 : Er 3+ and La 2 O 2 CN 2 : Er 3+ /Yb 3+ were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and all the samples crystallize in a tetragonal structure with space group I4/mmm. FE-SEM was applied to investigate the particle sizes and morphologies. Upconversion luminescence characteristics have been studied in detail by varying Er 3+ and Yb 3+ contents. Under 980 nm light excitation, Er 3+ doped La 2 O 2 CN 2 samples exhibited weak blue and strong green emission peaks which are corresponding to the 4 F 7/2→ 4 I 15/2 and 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 transitions of Er 3+ . While, Er 3+ /Yb 3+ doped La 2 O 2 CN 2 samples exhibited blue, green and red emission peaks which are respectively corresponding to the 4 F 7/2→ 4 I 15/2 , 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 , 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 F 9/2 → 4 I 15/2 transitions of Er 3+ and also the emission intensity are enhanced due to the energy transfer from Yb 3+ to Er 3+ .

In this work, glass samples of compositions of As 40-0.4x (Se 15 Te 85 ) 60-0.6x Ag x (x = 0, 10, 16.7, 20, 25 at%) are prepared. The structural transformations of glasses are deduced from the variations of glass densities and Raman spectra with the addition of Ag. Differential scanning calorimetry is applied to determine the characteristic temperatures, evaluate the thermal stabilities against crystallization, and investigate the crystallization kinetics under non-isothermal conditions. Thermal treatment of the as-prepared glass samples is carried out at both low (190 °C) and high (260 °C) crystallization temperatures. X-ray diffraction patterns demonstrate that crystals precipitated from glass matrices are pure As-Te(Se) phases free of Ag. The results are consistent with the Raman spectra. The relevant mechanism can be understood based on the dual chemical role of the Ag addition on the variations of glass network.

The crystallization behaviors of As-Se-Bi chalcogenide glasses were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Three models were used to study the glass transition behavior and the activation energy. Results showed thermal stability of glass against crystallization decreased with Bi addition in As-Se-Bi system. The mechanism of crystal growth in glasses was also studied by the Avrami exponent n. For B0, B2.5 and B5, n values are 3.12, 1.59, and 2.21 (low temperature) and 4.61 (high temperature), respectively. The thermal stability of glass is in good agreement with glass network structure. It was found that glass network structures closely associated with the Bi content and As/Se ratio were studied by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. And the different ratios lead to the change of Bi2Se3 crystalline orientation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The seasonal outbreak of influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide because a number of influenza virus (IV) strains have been shown to infect and circulate in humans. Development of effective means to timely monitor as well as block IVs is still a challenging task. Whereas conventional fluorescence probes rely on a fluorimetric change upon recognizing IVs, here we developed simple "Supra-dots" that are formed through the aqueous supramolecular assembly between a blue-emitting polymer dot and red-emitting sialylglycan probes for the ratiometric detection of IVs. Tuning the Förster resonance energy transfer from polymer dots to glycan probes by selective sialylglycan-virus recognition enables the fluorescence ratiometric determination of IVs, whereas the presence of unselective, control viruses quenched the fluorescence of the Supra-dots. Meanwhile, we show that the Supra-dots can effectively inhibit the invasion of a human-infecting IV toward a human cell line, thereby making possible a unique bifunctional, supramolecular probe for influenza theranostics.

In this work Er3+ doped chalcogenide glasses structurally modified by indium (In-ChG) was prepared. The mid-infrared spectroscopic properties and solubility of Er3+ in In-ChG was investigated and compared with those of gallium modified glasses (Ga-ChG). Thermal stability, mid-infrared (MIR) photoluminescence (PL), absorption spectra of both Ga-ChG and In-ChG were characterized and compared in parallel. Both the obtained MIR absorption and emission cross sections of In-ChG are higher than those of Ga-ChG. The theoretical branching ratio and decay lifetimes of 4I11/2-4I13/2 transition calculated from Judd-Ofelt theory were compared with those obtained from experiments. The tested and calculated lifetime is similar and it indicates high radiative quantum efficiency. Raman spectra reveal the fact that In-ChG possess lower phonon energy than that of Ga-ChG, which might possibly give rise to the improved MIR emission. Er3+ doped In-ChG chalcogenide glass is a potential material for MIR fiber laser application.

The short range order structure of Bi13Ge20Se67-xTex glasses (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 at.%) is explored by using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results show that the incorporated oxygen from surface containment of specimens and Te substitution for Se exert important impacts on the network structure of glasses. Oxygen breaks the Ge Ge homopolar bonds in the Ge Se Bi glass, leading to a significant reduction of the over-constrained Ge Ge (Se)3 ethane-like units. Te addtion promotes the formation of mixed BiSe(Te)3/2 nanolayers as crystal precursors, thus initiating crystallinzation in competition to a topological self-organization process. The present work will be helpful to deepen the understanding of ChG glasses for applications in fields of optoelectronics and photonics.

In the present work, samples in composition of (100-x)/2As 2 S 3 -(100-x)/2Ag 2 S-xAgCl (x = 40, 45, 50, 55mol%) were prepared. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry under non-isothermal conditions were recorded from which crystalline phases, characteristic thermal temperature, criteria for thermal stability against crystallization and crystallization kinetic parameters are obtained for evaluation of their glass formation and crystallization behaviors. Raman spectroscopy was used in following the structural changes with variation of AgCl content. Thermal treatments were made on amorphous samples under different conditions, and the nonlinear dependence of crystallization behaviors on AgCl content is discussed. Results of the present work obtain the optimal silver chloride based chalcogenide glass composition as the stable membrane material for application in ion-selective electrodes for dual Ag + /Cl − ions determination.

Tb 3+ doped SiO 2 -ZnO-BaO glasses are prepared by melting quenching method and their unique photoluminescent properties for the UV excitation are studied by using emission/excitation spectra and decay curves. Glasses in the composition (mol%) of 60SiO 2 -xZnO-(40-x)BaO-0.2Tb 3+ (x=30, 20, 10) show the strongest emission peaking at 436 nm which is different from majority of other reported work. Lower content of the free OH groups mainly contribute to this phenomenon due to the decreased probability of the multi-phonon aided non-radiative relaxation process from 5 D 3 to 5 D 4 energy levels of Tb 3+ ions. The Tb 3+ concentration also affects the 5 D 3 / 5 D 4 emissions as a result of the cross-relaxation effect on two nearby Tb 3+ ions ( 5 D 3 - 5 D 4 ⇒ 7 F 6 - 7 F 0 ). Moreover, by adjusting Tb 3+ concentration and/or ZnO/BaO concentration ratio of the host glass we obtained the adjustable emission with the required CIE chromaticity from blue to green, suggesting that the present Tb 3+ -doped SiO 2 -ZnO-BaO glasses are potential as blue/green dual-color luminescent materials for different applications.

Thermal boron diffusion, which forms highly doped and shallow p-emitters on phosphor-doped silicon wafers, is one of the primary processes in commercial-scale production of n-type cells. Here, we report on the use of nontoxic and nonvolatile borosiloxane sols as the spin-on boron source. In comparison to the tribromide (BBr3) boron diffusion that is applied in the production of most commercial n-type cells, borosiloxane boron diffusion may have potential advantages in terms of cost, safety, operability, etc. The borosiloxane sols studied here were formed from a cross-linking reaction between boron acid and a mixture of two types of silicon alkoxides, methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS) and dimethyldiethoxysilane (DMDEOS). The MTEOS/DMDEOS ratio was found to be the key factor determining the synthetic period, net structure, thermal transformation property, and coating behavior of the borosiloxane sols. In combination with the spin-coating method, the performance of borosiloxane boron diffusion into phosphor-doped silicon wafers (1–3 Ω·cm) was systematically investigated by varying the borosiloxane composition (boron/silicon or MTEOS/DMDEOS ratio) and the diffusion process parameters (temperature, ambience, and period of individual sub-steps), and by relating them to the resulting sheet resistance and boron doping profile. The results show that under the diffusion conditions in conventional cell production lines, the formed p-emitters can have variable sheet resistance in the range of 35–582 Ω/□ and boron doping depth of 100–300 nm.

To exploit high-quality separators for lithium ion batteries, current research activities are mainly focused on the modification of microporous polyolefin membranes by coating them with inorganic particles to achieve comprehensive improvements in their thermal stability, electrochemical compatibility, and overcharge protection. Here, we report a separator made by coating boehmite (AlOOH) particles on microporous polyethylene (PE) membranes. Compared to the commercially applied coating materials, e.g., aluminum oxide (Al2O3), AlOOH allows for a substantial reduction in the coating thickness, while ensuring excellent thermal stability of the modified PE membrane. Our study shows that this is due to the formation of an interlocking interface structure that interconnects the PE membrane and AlOOH coating layer as soon as PE melts at about 140 °C, preventing the modified PE membrane from shrinking at subsequently elevated temperatures. The modified PE membrane exhibits suitable electrolyte wettability to facilitate ion transport through it. Thus, the lithium ion batteries employing it as a separator could attain substantially improved electrochemical performance. Furthermore, the AlOOH-coated PE separator was also found to provide an excellent overcharge protection.

Samples with compositions of Ge 20 Se 67−x Te x Bi 13 (x=0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 mol%) were prepared and characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and DSC. XRD patterns and Raman spectra present consistent evidences of glass transition and crystallization in association with the variation of the structure network due to the substitution of Te for Se. Precipitation of thermoelectric (TE) crystals experiences an evolution from Bi 2 Se 2 Te (BST) to Bi 2 SeTe 2 (BTS) phases with the increasing Te content. Based on DSC data performed at five heating rates, crystallization kinetics is analyzed by using Kissinger's relation, Ozawa model and Augis-Bennett approximation. Different methods show the identical evaluations of characteristic activation energies ( E c ), while additional parameters of frequency factor ( K 0 ) and Avrami exponent ( n ) are available with AB method. In particular, calculated E c and K 0 demonstrate that with the substitution of Se by Te the crystallization process of the target TE BST crystal phase is much enhanced while that of the undesired GeSe 2 phase is slightly hindered.

Up to now the topography of thick film silver paste metallization is still a great challenge to the crystalline silicon solar cell manufacturers due to lack of overall understanding about the dependence of screen-printed morphology on paste rheology. In this article, we demonstrate that both the shear thixotropy and wall slip are primary rheological behaviors of pastes affecting screen-printed morphology. By comparison among three different commercial pastes, the association of screen-printed morphology with apparent viscosity and slip velocity of pastes were investigated. The results from printing finger lines with designed width of 45 μm show clearly that the widening degree of lines is associated with the paste viscosity, and the height and cross-sectional profile of lines mainly rely on the wall slip velocity of paste passing through screen meshes. Briefly, the lower the apparent viscosity, the wider the lines; and the greater the wall slip velocity, the less the line height and more likely the formation of trapezoidal cross-sectional profile with larger area. Our study shows for the first time that the wall slip of pastes may produce significant influence on cell efficiency, since its influence on screen-printed morphology is considerably remarkable and vital.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a devastating disease worldwide, for which targeted imaging and therapeutic agents remain elusive. There has been growing awareness that carbohydrates are valuable as drug candidates and targeting agents for a variety of human diseases, including cancers that overexpress carbohydrate receptors on the cell surface. Here, we develop a two-dimensional (2D) glycocluster by means of simple, stepwise self-assembly for the targeted delivery of theranostic agents to TNBC cells that express mannose receptors (MRs) on the cell surface. Human serum albumin, which contains a variety of hydrophobic pockets capable of accommodating small molecules, was used to simultaneously encapsulate a mannose-based glycoprobe and a commercial photosensitizer (i.e., Ce6). The multicomponent "neoglycoprotein" formed was used to self-assemble with 2D MnO2, producing 2D glycoclusters, which could be selectively internalized by a TNBC cell line (MDA-MB-231) as facilitated by binding to the transmembrane MR. The intracellular degradation of the 2D MnO2 backbone by biothiols then released Ce6 for cell imaging and, subsequently, photodynamic therapy. This study provides insights into the development of carbohydrate-based materials for targeted, stimuli-responsive theranostics of TNBC.

A series of Cu+/Eu3+ co-doped borosilicate glasses have been successfully prepared by melt-quenching method. As proved by transmission spectra, the copper ions are univalent in the investigated borosilicate glasses. Under ultraviolet (UV) excitation at 325 nm, the emission intensity of Eu3+ increased by nearly double due to a large overlapping between the Cu+ and Eu3+ emission peaks. The decreased excitation intensity in UV region and shortened emission lifetime of Cu+ in association with presence of Eu3+ ions consistently suggest an energy transfer process from Cu+ to Eu3+ ions. On the other hand, the partially allowed transition of Cu+ makes contribution to the red emission of Eu3+ at 611 nm in Cu+/Eu3+ co-doped samples, thus shortening the lifetime from the conventional millisecond (∼1.86 ms) to the microsecond (up to around 37 μs) regime. Besides, tunable light is realized by combining the blue-green emission from Cu+ ions with the orange-red one from Eu3+ ions. The light can be continuously tuned by changing the Cu+/Eu3+ concentration ratio, indicating that the present novel Cu+/Eu3+ co-doped borosilicate glasses are potential as fast response and tunable photoluminescence materials.

Alkali-free glasses have attracted tremendous attentions for their high glass transition temperature (Tg). Such a feature broadens their potential applications, especially in the area of high-density and high-power laser glasses. BaO–P2O5 glasses, as one of the major matrix materials due to its high-Tg, can be applied in high-power laser glasses. Introducing SiO2 is an effective method to improve the thermal, refractive index, and mechanical properties of phosphate glasses. Herein, we studied the barium silicophosphate glasses with MAS NMR and the Tg was successfully calculated by the topological constraint theory. The designed glass (20BaO–26.7SiO2–53.3P2O5, mol%) with a high Tg (789K) was prepared and it also exhibited high refractive index and high Vickers hardness, suggesting the barium silicophosphate glasses have widespread applications in high-power laser glasses and optical fibers.

Here we demonstrate the simple construction and characterization of a pyrenyl glycoside-coated 2D MoS2 material composite capable of selectively capturing proteins and live cells on an electrode, as determined by differential pulse voltammetry.

Here we demonstrate that 2D MoS2 can enhance the receptor-targeting and imaging ability of a fluorophore-labelled ligand. The 2D MoS2 has an enhanced working concentration range when compared with graphene oxide, resulting in the improved imaging of both cell and tissue samples.

In the present work, photochromism of WO 3 –P 2 O 5 glass under gamma-ray irradiation was reported. As-prepared glass samples with different WO 3 content are all optically transparent in the visible wavelength range thanks to the addition of a small amount of oxidizing couple Sb 2 O 3 –NaNO 3 . The photochromic properties are identified by transmission spectra of the glasses before and after irradiation. The results show that the irradiation induced darkening results from the reduction of W 6+ to W 5+ or W 4+ . The existence of WO 6 clusters in glasses of high WO 3 content is proved by XPS, which is the main reason for the obvious photochromic effects. The WO 3 –P 2 O 5 glass is a promising candidate in gamma-ray sensitive detector.

As a promising solar energy conversion device, quantum dot (QD) co-sensitized solar cells have been facing a great challenge of improving their efficiencies. To shed light on the possibilities and potential approaches of accomplishing such mission, this article presents an investigation based on the comparison between diverse cells including CdS/CdSe QD co-sensitized and solely sensitized ones, which differ in either anode structures or fabrication methods. We show the photoelectric characteristics and properties of two cells with CdSe@CdS and CdS@CdSe co-sensitization modes, respectively, and discuss the causes that influence the cell efficiencies in each modes. Subsequently, the two co-sensitization modes are compared each other in the aspects of anode structures, fabrication methods and their impacts on the basic battery parameters. By exploring the origins of the variations in basic battery parameters, we attempt to reach an access to reasonable clarification on the factors to cell efficiencies.

The reliability of solder joints on Ag metallization electrodes is one of important factors that affect the service lifetime of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules. In this article we show the effect of glass phase in Ag pastes on solder joint reliability. With peeling test of soldered samples after heat storage at 150 °C for various durations, we observed that with the increase of aging time, the fracture of peeled PV ribbons gradually extended inwards to Ag/Si interface, and there was remarkable distinction in the thermal endurance of solder joints as different glass frits were used in Ag metallization process. This indicates that the erosion of glass phase by solder is primary cause of the aging of solder joints, and this erosion mechanism depends on the glass phase composition. In terms of Bi containing glass that is generally adopted in the most commercial Ag pastes, we found that the Sn/Pb alloy solder can easily reduce Bi cations so as to destroy the glass network structure, making the Ag/Si interconnection to fail.

This review summarizes the recent progress in quantum dot (QD) based sensors used for the photoluminescent detection of a variety of species in vitro and in vivo. New trends in using these nanomaterials for sensing applications are highlighted.

The finite element method based on ductility exhaustion damage model coupled with the stress-regime dependent creep constitutive model was used to investigate creep failure behavior at different load levels for six initial cracks at different positions in P92 welded joints. The stress states and creep damage around cracks, creep crack growth (CCG) paths and rates and rupture life have been calculated and analyzed, and the creep failure and life assessments for welded joints were discussed. The results show that for some cracks with specific positions in the welded joint, load level causes the change of CCG path due to the stress-regime dependent creep constitutive. At low load level, the significant mismatch effect in creep properties promotes the initiation and propagation of second cracks in soft materials near interfaces, and the creep rupture life is mainly determined by the incubation time of the second cracks. This result is confirmed by similar experimental observations in the literature, and the mechanism was analyzed. For the initial crack positions with a second crack, if the extrapolation of CCG rate from higher load levels is used in creep life assessment of a welded joint at lower load levels, the non-conservative (unsafe) results will be produced. In creep failure analyses and life assessments of welded joints, the effects of initial crack positions and load levels should be fully considered.

In this paper, a silver ion-selective electrode material with lower detection limit is presented. The electrode is based on 22.5As2S3-22.5Ag2S-55AgCl chalcohalide glass membranes. The low detection limit decreases from the micromolar range of the original Ag2S-As2S3 electrode to the nanomolar level (1.89 nM) by introducing AgCl. The addition of AgCl increases the conductivity of the glasses and improves the analytical properties of electrodes because of the joint effects of Ag+ and Cl- on network structure of the glass. The super-Nernstian response behavior was observed for the partially crystallized electrode. The electrode containing AgCl also possesses a high selectivity (except for Hg2+), fast response and good stability.

Optical properties and irradiation resistance of heavy metal oxide tellurite glasses in the TeO2-PbO-Bi2O3-B2O3 system doped with different ions are investigated. The results indicate that the matrix glass has a moderate UV cut-off edges at about 386 nm wavelength. The UV cut-off positions are obviously shifted to red by the addition of Ce4+. The introduction of Cr3+, Ce4+ and Ni2+ into the matrix glass exerts positive influences on irradiation resistance of glasses and cerium plays the most pronounced role. Such phenomena are mainly attributed to the variable valences of these cations. (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The glass transition and the crystallization kinetics of 70Ge 2 S–10Ga 2 S 3 –20CsCl and 37.5Ge 2 S–22.5Ga 2 S 3 –40CsCl chalcohalide glasses were studied by using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) under non-isothermal conditions and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. Two crystalline phases (Ga 2 S 3 and Ge 2 S) were identified after annealing the chalcohalide glasses at the temperature corresponding to the crystallization peaks for 2 h. All the characteristic temperatures such as glass transition (Tg), crystallization onset (Tc) and crystallization peak (Tp) temperatures were found to depend on both the heating rate and the composition. Two approaches, namely Moynihan and Kissinger, were used to calculate the relaxation activation energy (Et). In addition, characteristic activation energies (Ec) and Avrami exponents ( n ) were obtained and analyzed by using Kissinger's relation, Ozawa's method, the Augis–Bennett approximation and the Matusita–Sakka theory.

Since 2012, zinc gallogermanate has drawn interests as an excellent host phosphor for a variety of dopants (e.g., Cr3+, Bi3+ and Mn2+). However, the origin of its self-activated luminescence has been largely unknown. Here, zinc gallogermanate of the composition Zn1+xGa2−2xGexO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) is prepared by solid-state reaction, and the evolution of the crystal structure with the composition is studied. The phosphors show a broad white-bluish emission upon excitation by ultraviolet (UV) light, and the luminescence intensity greatly increases as Ga3+ are substituted by Ge4+. A full spectrum of the defects and trap centers responsible for the luminescence is given by a multiple characterization methods, such as low temperature electron spin resonance, positron annihilation lifetime and thermoluminescence spectra. The results show that the zinc gallogermanate is a promising self-activated phosphor for a variety of applications.

Strong birefringence photo-induced by the femtosecond laser irradiation and a sensitivity to the orientation of the laser movement versus the laboratory reference (i.e., difference between rightward and leftward or between upward and downward) have been demonstrated in 32.5Li2O–27.5Nb2O5–40SiO2 glass. An asymmetry with the orientation of the laser scanning was firstly observed by one of the authors in 2003 in pure silica (Poumellec et al. in Opt Express 11:1070, 2003). Here, we show in addition that this asymmetric orientational sensitivity is dependent on the direction of laser polarization and the laser scanning (i.e., when the direction is horizontal or vertical). In particular, no asymmetric writing is detected when both laser scanning and polarization directions are vertical. These observations are not explained by the available model.

In the present work, the optical properties of Sb3+-doped and Sb3+/Eu3+ co-doped phosphate glasses were investigated. The blue emission intensity of Sb3+ decreased significantly while the red emission intensity of Eu3+ increased with the increasing concentration of Eu3+ ions. It was confirmed that an energy transfer from Sb3+ to Eu3+ occurred and the possible luminescent mechanism was proposed. The results suggest that the sensitization of Sb3+ not only enhance the emission intensity of Eu3+ excited at 274 nm, but also results in the tunable emission color of the glasses. Particularly, white light photoluminescence combining blue and red emission was observed under ultraviolet light excitation.

The atomic structure of chalcogenide glasses in the composition of As35Se60-xTexBi5 (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, 20) is investigated by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and HR-XPS. All results present the consistent evidences on association of Te addition with the structural evolution of glasses. XRD patterns show that the Te can be added into the As35Se60Bi5 system to substitute Se by maximum 15 mol% without causing crystallization. Raman and HR-XPS spectra demonstrate that the substitution of Te for Se is closely related to formation of locally ordered nanostructure in glass network. In low concentration, Te atoms are preferentially bonded with As rather than Bi, forming mixed [AsSe3-xTex] pyramid units. With the increasing of Te content, Te atoms tend to be bonded with Bi to form [BiSe3-xTex] units. In the case of Te incorporation over 20 mol%, the Bi Te bond becomes further strengthened, inducing the precipitation of the sole thermoelectric crystals (Bi2Se3-xTex).

Ni,Zn-codoped spinel MgCo2O4 is in-situ grown on Co foam through a simple one-pot hydrothermal process, which acts as binder-free electrodes for supercapacitor and aqueous rechargeable Zn battery. As-prepared Ni,Zn-codoped MgCo2O4 electrode exhibits enhanced capacitance (14.43 F cm−2 or 1500 F g−1) and cycling stability (no decay of its initial capacitance after 20000 cycles), and its asymmetric supercapacitor with AC as negative electrode delivers ultrahigh rate capability, good energy density and excellent cycling durability. In addition, aqueous rechargeable Zn battery consisting of this Ni,Zn-codoped MgCo2O4 cathode and Zn anode presents ultrahigh capacity (1.93 mA h cm−2) and excellent cycling durability (no decay of its initial capacitance after 30000 cycles). This work supplies a new strategy in designing and constructing high-performance and binder-free spinel type electrode for supercapacitor and aqueous rechargeable Zn battery.

Rare earth doped glass materials with efficient tunable upconversion emission are a challenging field of research in the development of advanced optical devices. In this paper, tunable upconversion emission was realized by incorporating Li+ ions in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing NaYF4 nanocrystals. The prepared glass ceramics samples experience significant enhancement of luminescence intensity (up to 15 times) under 980 nm excitation. Meanwhile, a composite yellow emission with adjustable CIE chromaticity coordinates was achievable by altering the doping concentration of Li+ ions. The XRD analysis, absorption spectra and Judd-Ofelt theoretical calculations consistently revealed that these phenomena were associated with the Li+ caused shrinkage/expansion of NaYF4 crystal cells, which offers the possibility of emission tuning. The relevant luminescence mechanism was discussed in detail. Furthermore, it may pave new avenue for optimizing novel oxyfluoride glass ceramics applied in various optoelectronic fields.

Effects of the crystallization treatment on visible photoluminescence properties of the Eu 2+ –Mn 2+ co-doped chalcohalide glass have been studied. A broad yellow emission at 560 nm from Mn 2+ ions is significantly enhanced by a factor of more than 25 via the controlled crystallization. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Raman scattering spectroscopy studies demonstrate the precipitation of Ga 2 S 3 nano-crystals (80–100 nm) after the proper heat treatment. The effects of annealing conditions on the crystal size and photoluminescence behaviors are investigated.

On the basis of the Bauschinger effect, a relationship between the elastic space defined in this study and the accumulated plastic strain is measured in uniaxial ratcheting tests of 304 stainless steel at room temperature. According to this relationship, a new model of uniaxial ratcheting is established and used to simulate uniaxial ratcheting behavior. The results of simulation agree well with the experimental results. These results demonstrate that the relationship between the elastic space and the accumulated plastic strain plays an important role in uniaxial ratcheting simulation. Furthermore, by taking into account the interaction of ratcheting and viscoplasticity, the relationships among elastic space, accumulated plastic strain and loading cases are discussed. It can be seen that, when the stress ratio R of valley stress versus peak stress is not less than zero, the accumulated plastic strain is a function of the peak stress. So, a constitutive curve is obtained to describe the stable states of plastic shakedown for 304 stainless steel material under the stress ratio R ≥ 0. It can be used to determine the accumulated plastic strain of engineering structures under cyclic loading only by an elastic–plastic analysis.

Mutually enhanced Tm 3+ 1470 nm and Dy 3+ 1330 nm near-infrared (NIR) emissions are observed in Dy 3+ /Tm 3+ co-doped 70GeS 2 –10Ga 2 S 3 –20CsCl (mol%) chalcohalide glasses. With the optimized concentration of dopant ions, the NIR emission in a range from 1250 to 1550 nm shows the largest full-width-at-half-maximum (FWHM) of ~230 nm. The mechanism responsible for the mutually enhanced NIR emission is discussed. The present work demonstrates a promising way to realize superbroadband NIR emissions by rare-earth codoping.

Economical nanocomposites based on π-stacking of N-acetyl glycosyl rhodamine B to graphene oxide (GO) are simply prepared. These "sweet" GO-materials are proven to be admirable for the fluorogenic recognition of specific intercellular sugar-based ligand-glycoprotein receptor interactions of interest.

We observe the seldom reported near infrared (NIR) emissions at 870 nm (FWHM = 53 nm) and 1037 nm (FWHM = 67 nm) which are in the spectral response region of crystalline silicon photovoltaic solar cells. The emissions are much enhanced with the addition of GeO 2 , and the possible mechanisms for the photoluminescence spectra evolution are discussed. The decay curves are monitored at both the visible and NIR emissions of Pr 3+ doped glasses and lifetimes are calculated using a second-order exponential decay model. Raman spectra are used to characterize some interesting structural evolutions which are responsible for the GeO 2 induced luminescence property changes.