Micromorphology and Ultrastructure of the Foot of the Equilateral Venus <i>Gomphina veneriformis</i>(Bivalvia: Veneridae)

The shape and microscopic structure of the foot of the equilateral Venus, Gomphina veneriformis are described by light and electron microscopy along with the substrate conditions of their habitat. The habitat sediment of G. veneriformis is composed of sand (2 - 0.063 mm in diameter), mainly. The foot is wedge-shaped with multiple vertical furrows on the surface. Although the foot is composed of an epithelial layer, a connective tissue layer and a muscular layer, the boundary between the connective tissue and muscular layer is not clear. The epithelial layer was composed mostly of ciliated columnar epithelia and secretory cells. Epithelial cells forming the apical region of the fold were long columnar, while cells of the interfold were mostly short columnar. The cilia and microvilli were commonly observed on the free surface of epithelial cells, while tight junctions of apico-lateral aspect and membrane interdigitations were found between the epithelial cells. Secretory cells were found to contain acidic mucopolysaccharide, and were classified into two types in accordance with the shapes and ultrastructures of secretory granules. The muscle fibers were composed of thin and thick microfilaments, the proportions of which were 81.3% and 18.7%, respectively. It was determined that such morphology and structural characteristics of the foot of G. veneriformis would present advantageous conditions for borrowing into substrate and mobility.

Path to the fabrication of efficient, stable and commercially viable large-area organic solar cells

Organic solar cells(OSCs)have reached an outstanding certified power conversion efficiency(PCE)of over 19%in single junction and 20%in tandem architecture design.Such high PCEs have emerged with outstanding Y-shaped Y6 non-fullerene acceptors(NFAs),together with PM6 electron donor polymers.PCEs are on the rise for small-area OSCs.However,large-area OSC sub-modules are still unable to achieve such high PCEs,and the highest certified PCE reported so far is∼12%having an area of 58 cm2.To fabricate efficient large-area OSCs,new custom-designed NFAs for large-area systems are imminent along with improvements in the sub-module fabrication platforms.Moreover,the search for stable yet efficient OSCs is still in progress.In this review,progress in small-area OSCs is presented with reference to the advancement in the chemical structure of NFAs and donor polymers.Finally,the life-cycle assessment of OSCs is presented and the energy payback time of the efficient and stable OSCs is discussed and lastly,an outlook for the OSCs is given.