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NaYF 4 : Eu nanorods with high aspect ratios are elaborated and optically trapped using dual fiber optical tweezers in a counterpropagating geometry. High trapping efficiency is observed using converging beams, emitted from diffractive Fresnel lenses directly 3D printed onto cleaved fiber facets. Stable nanorod trapping and alignment are reported for a fiber-to-fiber distance of 200 μm and light powers down to 10 mW. Trapping of nanorod clusters containing one to three nanorods and the coupling of nanorod motion in both axial and transverse directions are considered and discussed. The europium emission is studied by polarization-resolved spectroscopy with particular emphasis on the magnetic and electric dipole transitions. The respective σ and π orientations of the different emission lines are determined. The angles with respect to the nanorod axes of the corresponding magnetic and electric dipoles are calculated. Mono-exponential emission decay with decay time of 4–5 ms is reported. It is shown that the nanorod orientation can be determined by purely spectroscopic means.

Orientation analyses of macromolecules or artificial particles are vital for both fundamental research and practical bio-applications. An accurate approach is monitoring the polarization spectroscopy of lanthanide-doped nanocrystalline materials. However, nanomaterials are often far from ideal for the colloidal and polarization luminescence properties. In the present study, we synthesize well-dispersed LaPO4:Eu3+ nanomaterials in an anisotropic rod shape. Microwave heating with excess addition of phosphate precursor invokes a rapid phase transition of rhabdophane into monazite. The colloidal stability of the nanorod suspension is outstanding, demonstrated by showing liquid crystalline behaviors. The monazite nanorods are also superior in luminescence efficiency with limited defects. The emission spectrum of Eu3+ consists of well-defined lines with prominent polarization dependencies for both the forced electric dipole transitions and the magnetic dipole transitions. All the results demonstrate that the synthesized monazite nanorods can serve as an accurate probe in orientation analyses and potential applications, such as in microfluidics and biological detections.

Providing adequate vitamin D3 for the human diet is a long-standing goal of crop breeding because most plants have relatively low levels of this nutrient naturally. Using CRISPR-Cas9 editing of the tomato genome, we increased provitamin D3 levels in tomato fruits to up to 1 mg per 100 grams dry weight. Use of this provitamin D3 tomato could ameliorate widespread vitamin D deficiencies around the world.

Orientation analyses of macromolecules or artificial particles are vital for both fundamental research and practical bio-applications. An accurate approach is monitoring the polarization spectroscopy of lanthanide-doped nanocrystalline materials. However, nanomaterials are often far from ideal for the colloidal and polarization luminescence properties. In the present study, we synthesize well-dispersed LaPO

International audience; Vertically aligned nanorods assemblies are of great interest both for fundamental studies of anisotropic physical properties arising from the structures and for the development of functional devices utilizing such anisotropic characteristics. Simultaneous measurement of the homeotropic order parameter (Shomeo) of assemblies in dynamic states can allow further optimization of the assembly process and the device performance. Although many techniques (e.g. birefringence measurement, SAXS analysis, high-resolution microscopy) have been proposed to characterise Shomeo, these do not yet meet the essential criteria such as for rapid, in situ and non-destructive analyses. Here, we propose a novel approach employing a unique photoluminescence behaviour of lanthanide-doped crystalline nanorods, of which the emission spectrum contains the detailed information on the structure of assembly. We demonstrate a rapid in-situ determination of Shomeo of Eu3+-doped NaYF4 nanorods of which the orientation is controlled under external electric field. The method does not require a consideration of polarization and can be performed using a conventional fluorescence microscopy setup. This new methodology would provide a more in-depth examination of various assembled nanostructures and the collective dynamics of their building blocks

Orientation of nanoscale objects can be measured by examining the polarized emission of optical probes. To retrieve a three-dimensional (3D) orientation, it has been essential to observe the probe (a dipole) along multiple viewing angles and scan with a rotating analyzer. However, this method requires a sophisticated optical setup and is subject to various external sources of error. Here, we present a fundamentally different approach employing coupled multiple emission dipoles that are inherent in lanthanide-doped phosphors. Simultaneous observation of different dipoles and comparison of their relative intensities allow to determine the 3D orientation from a single viewing angle. Moreover, the distinct natures of electric and magnetic dipoles originating in lanthanide luminescence enable an instant orientation analysis with a single-shot emission spectrum. We demonstrate a straightforward orientation analysis of Eu3+-doped NaYF4 nanocrystals using a conventional fluorescence microscope. Direct imaging of the rod-shaped nanocrystals proved the high accuracy of the measurement. This methodology would provide insights into the mechanical behaviors of various nano- and biomolecular systems., Determining the orientation of nanoscale objects in three-dimensional space has typically required complicated optical setups. Here, the authors develop a simple method to retrieve the 3D orientation of luminescent, lanthanide-doped nanorods from a single-shot emission spectrum.

International audience; Rare-earth doped nanocrystals possess optical transitions with significant either electric or magnetic dipole characters. They are of considerable interest for understanding and engineering light-matter interactions at the nanoscale with numerous applications in nanophotonics. Here, we study the 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 transition dipole vector in individual NaYF 4 : Eu 3+ nanorod crystals by Fourier and confocal micro-scopies. A single-crystal host matrix leads to narrow emission lines at room temperature that permit separation of the Stark sublevels resulting from the crystal-field splitting. We observe a fully magnetic transition and low variability of the transition dipole orientation over several single nanorods. We estimate the proportion of the dipole transitions for the Stark sublevels. We also determine an effective altitude of the rod with respect to the substrate. The narrow emission lines characteristic of NaYF 4 : Eu 3+ ensure well-defined electric or magnetic transitions, and are thus instrumental for probing locally their electromagnetic environment by standard confocal microscopy.

We report stable and reproducible optical trapping of Eu-doped NaYF4 anisotropic nanorods using single fiber tip optical tweezers for investigating the orientation resolved emission spectra. The nanorods were elaborated by the hydrothermal process followed by annealing and centrifugation steps, resulting in a well-defined size distribution. Nanorod trapping was observed at two positions, first, in fiber tip contact and second, at a finite distance of 4 - 6 µm away from fiber tip in the axial direction. The nanorod trapped with tip contact was highly stable and stay trapped for several hours. They were aligned with the fiber axis with a residual angular distribution width of 4° at a light power of 34.8 mW. Moreover, we have determined trap stiffness of the off-tip trapped nanorod by applying the Boltzmann statistics and power spectra analysis of position fluctuations. Subsequently, the trapped NaYF4:Eu nanorods were used for studying the Eu3+ emission spectra in two orthogonal directions: perpendicular and parallel to the nanorod axis. The influence of anisotropic polarization was observed in the perpendicular direction whereas emission remained isotropic polarization in the parallel direction. The observed emission spectra have been analyzed for the well-defined peaks at 590 and 614 nm corresponds to the magnetic and electric dipole transitions. The experimental investigations were completed by studying the polarization-dependent emission spectra in the perpendicular direction.

We report on the fabrication and analysis of highly optically reflective textured stacks consisting of silver oxide (Ag 2 O) coated silver for application as scattering back reflectors in thin-film solar cells. Thin Ag 2 O layers have been formed on textured silver back reflectors by using a UV-ozone (UVO) exposure technique, and during this formation, the stacks display improvement in their diffuse reflectance, particularly in the near infrared (NIR) spectral region. The silver oxide formed is composed of densely packed small grains with sizes from 20 nm to 50 nm, and their formation measurably increases the roughness of the silver reflector. The optimized silver reflector showed a ~ 6% increase in diffuse reflectance in the spectral range from 800 nm to 1100 nm while maintaining excellent total reflectance (over 95%). As a result, a high haze value (~ 98%) in the NIR region was achieved using these stacks. The stacks were tested as the back reflector in microcrystalline silicon solar cells. Due to the improved optical properties of the back reflector, a higher external quantum efficiency in the NIR region was obtained, and thus an increased short current density (from 22.3 mA/cm 2 to 23.6 mA/cm 2 ). It is also worth noting that the open circuit voltage was unchanged (0.529 V) while the fill factor also increased (from 66.3% to 72.3%).

Europium-doped NaYF4 nanorods with a high aspect ratio are optically trapped using a single fibre tip optical tweezers. Three distinct trapping positions of the nanorods are observed: in contact with the fibre tip, close to the tip and 5 µm from the tip end. The direction and polarisation-dependent Eu3 + photoluminescence is investigated by recording the emission parallel and perpendicular to the nanorod long axis through the trapping fibre and the microscope objective, respectively. These spectroscopic measurements permit an unambiguous determination of the nanorod orientation.

We demonstrate that solution processed graphene oxide (GO) grafted polyethylenimine ethoxylate (PEIE) is an efficient electron transport layer for organic solar cells with an active layer that consists of poly({4,8-bis[(2-ethylhexyl)oxy]benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-2,6-diyl}{3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl)carbonyl]thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl}) (PTB7) mixed with [6,6]-phenyl C71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM). The optimized GO:PEIE demonstrated the best efficiency of 8.21% compared to that of the GO and PEIE devices.

Quick View Other Sources By Kim, Hyeong Pil; Kim, Jeongmo; Kim, Byung Soon; Kim, Hyo-Min; Kim, Jeonggi; bin Mohd. Yusoff, Abd. Rashid; Jang, Jin; Nazeeruddin, Mohammad Khaja From Advanced Optical Materials (2017), Ahead of Print.

Bandgap tuning of a mixed organic cation perovskite is demonstrated via chemical vapor deposition process. The optical and electrical properties of the mixed organic cation perovskite can be manipulated by varying the growth time. A slight shift of the absorption band to shorter wavelengths is demonstrated with increasing growth time, which results in the increment of the current density. Hence, based on the optimized growth time, our device exhibits an efficiency of 15.86% with negligible current hysteresis.

Ambipolar perovskite field-effect transistors and inverters with balanced mobilities are demonstrated. Thin-film field-effect-transistor-like inverters are developed, and a maximum gain of 23 in the first quadrant for VDD = 80 V is obtained.

We investigate solution-processed low-temperature lead-halide perovskite solar cells employing deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA)-hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (CTMA) as the hole-transport layer and (6,6)-phenyl C61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) as electron-acceptor layer in an inverted p-i-n device configuration. The perovskite solar cells utilizing a bio-based charge-transport layer demonstrate power conversion efficiency values of 15.86 %, with short-circuit current density of 20.85 mA cm(-2) , open circuit voltage of 1.04 V, and fill factor of 73.15 %, and improved lifetime. DNA-based devices maintained above 85 % of the initial efficiency after 50 days in air.

The effects of UV-ozone (UVO) irradiation on copper-doped nickel acetate and its applicability to perovskite solar cells were investigated. UVO irradiation of copper-doped nickel acetate significantly increased the electrical conductivity (from 4.28 × 10(-4) S cm(-1) to 5.66 × 10(-2) S cm(-1)), which is due to the increased carrier concentration (from 3.53 × 10(13) cm(-3) to 2.41 × 10(16) cm(-3)), and the charge extraction efficiency was enhanced, leading to better compatibility with the hole transport layer. By UVO irradiation, the work function was increased from 4.95 eV to 5.33 eV by the surface dipole formation, which effectively reduced the interface barrier between the hole transport layer and the MAPbI3 light absorbing layer. UVO Irradiation of the underlying layer also allows the MAPbI3 precursors to form better morphology with highly arranged crystallinity. Compared to the cells using non-irradiated copper doped nickel acetate, UVO-irradiated copper-doped nickel acetate devices showed an enhanced open-circuit voltage (3% increase), short circuit current (16% increase), fill factor (5% increase), showing an enhanced power conversion efficiency of 12.2% (21% increase).

Herein, we demonstrate a facile approach to synthesize long nickel nanowires and discuss its suitability to replace our commonly used transparent electrode, indium-tin-oxide (ITO), by a hydrazine hydrate reduction method where nickel ions are reduced to nickel atoms in an alkaline solution. The highly purified nickel nanowires show high transparency within the visible region, although the sheet resistance is slightly larger compared to that of our frequently used transparent electrode, ITO. A comparison study on organic light emitting diodes and organic solar cells, using commercially available ITO, silver nanowires and nickel nanowires, are also discussed.

Perovskite solar cells are becoming one of the leading technologies to reduce our dependency on traditional power sources. However, the frequently used component poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) has several shortcomings, such as an easily corroded indium-tin-oxide (ITO) interface at elevated temperatures and induced electrical inhomogeneity. Herein, we propose solution-processed nitrogen-doped graphene oxide nanoribbons (NGONRs) as a hole transport layer (HTL) in perovskite solar cells, replacing the conducting polymer PEDOT:PSS. The conversion efficiency of NGONR-based perovskite solar cells has outperformed a control device constructed using PEDOT:PSS. Moreover, our proposed NGONR-based devices also demonstrate a negligible current hysteresis along with improved stability. This work provides an effective route for substituting PEDOT:PSS as the effective HTL.

The Cover picture shows deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) that has suitable optical and energy levels to be used as hole-transporting material (HTM) in perovskite solar cells. The power conversion efficiency and stability of a perovskite solar cell utilizing DNA as the HTM was increased significantly compared to the frequently used hole-transporting material, PEDOT:PSS. Our findings of DNA as HTM in perovskite solar cells demonstrate that their charge-transport properties, ease in processing, and natural origin create new opportunities for optoelectronic devices. More details can be found in the Full Paper by Rashid bin Mohd Yusoff et al. on page 1736 in Issue 13, 2016 (DOI: 10.1002/cssc.201600288).