Recent Progress of Layered Perovskite Solar Cells Incorporating Aromatic Spacers

Layered two dimensional(2D) or quasi-2D perovskites are emerging photovoltaic materials due to their superior environment and structure stability in comparison with their 3D counterparts. The typical 2D perovskites can be obtained by cutting 3D perovskites along < 100 > orientation by incorporation of bulky organic spacers, which play a key role in the performance of 2D perovskite solar cells(PSCs). Compared with aliphatic spacers, aromatic spacers with high dielectric constant have the potential to decrease the dielectric and quantum confinement effect of 2D perovskites, promote efficient charge transport and reduce the exciton binding energy, all of which are beneficial for the photovoltaic performance of 2D PSCs. In this review, we aim to provide useful guidelines for the design of aromatic spacers for 2D perovskites. We systematically reviewed the recent progress of aromatic spacers used in 2D PSCs. Finally, we propose the possible design strategies for aromatic spacers that may lead to more efficient and stable 2D PSCs.

Comparative analysis of different feeder layers with 3T3 fibroblasts for culturing rabbits limbal stem cells

AIM： To explore the possibility of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells（h UCMSCs）, human umbilical vein endothelial cells（h UVECs）, human dental pulp stem cells（h DPSCs） and human periodontal ligament stem cells（h PDLSCs） serving as feeder cells in co-culture systems for the cultivation of limbal stem cells.METHODS： Different feeder layers were cultured in Dulbecco＇s modified Eagle＇s medium（DMEM）/F12 and were treated with mitomycin C. Rabbits limbal stem cells（LSCs） were co-cultured on h UCMSCs, h UVECs, h DPSCs, h PDLSCs and NIH-3T3, and then comparative analysis were made between each group to see their respective colony-forming efficiency（CFE） assay and immunofluorescence（IPO13,CK3/12）.RESULTS： The efficiency of the four type cells in supporting the LSCs morphology and its cellular differentiation was similar to that of NIH-3T3 fibroblasts as demonstrated by the immunostaining properties analysis, with each group exhibiting a similar strong expression pattern of IPO13, but lacking CK3 and CK12 expression in terms of immunostaining. But h UCMSCs, h DPSCs and h PDLSCs feeder layers were superior in promoting colony formation potential of cells when compared to h UVECs and feedercell-free culture.CONCLUSION： hUCMSCs, hDPSCs and hPDLSCs can be a suitable alternative to conventional mouse NIH-3T3 feeder cells, so that risk of zoonotic infection can be diminished.

Inverted organic solar cells with solvothermal synthesized vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films as efficient electron transport layer

We investigated the effects of using different thicknesses of pure and vanadium-doped thin films of TiO2 as the electron transport layer in the inverted configuration of organic photovoltaic cells based on poly（3-hexylthiophene） P3HT：[6-6] phenyl-（6） butyric acid methyl ester（PCBM）. 1% vanadium-doped TiO2nanoparticles were synthesized via the solvothermal method. Crystalline structure, morphology, and optical properties of pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films were studied by different techniques such as x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmittance electron microscopy, and UV–visible transmission spectrum. The doctor blade method which is compatible with roll-2-roll printing was used for deposition of pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 thin films with thicknesses of 30 nm and 60 nm. The final results revealed that the best thickness of TiO2 thin films for our fabricated cells was 30 nm. The cell with vanadium-doped TiO2 thin film showed slightly higher power conversion efficiency and great Jsc of 10.7 mA/cm^2 compared with its pure counterpart. In the cells using 60 nm pure and vanadium-doped TiO2 layers, the cell using the doped layer showed much higher efficiency. It is remarkable that the external quantum efficiency of vanadium-doped TiO2 thin film was better in all wavelengths.

Effect of Crystallinity of Fullerene Derivatives on Doping Density in the Organic Bulk Heterojunction Layer in Polymer Solar Cells

Polymer solar cells （PSCs） based on poly（3-hexylthiophene） （P3HT） and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） are fabricated by using 1,8-diiodooctane （DIO） as a solvent additive to control the doping density of the PSCs. It is shown that the processing of DIO does not change the doping density of the P3HT phase, while it causes a dramatic reduction of the doping density of the PCBM phase, which decreases the doping density of the whole blend layer from 3.7 × 10^16 cm-3 to 1.2 ×10^16 cm-3. The reduction of the doping density in the PCBM phase originates from the increasing crystallinity of PCBM with DIO addition, and it leads to a decreasing doping density in the blend film and improves the short circuit current of the PSCs.

Atomic layer deposition of ultrathin layered TiO_2 on Pt/C cathode catalyst for extended durability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

This study shows the preparation of a TiO2 coated Pt/C（TiO2/Pt/C） by atomic layer deposition（ALD）,and the examination of the possibility for TiO2/Pt/C to be used as a durable cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells（PEFCs）. Cyclic voltammetry results revealed that TiO2/Pt/C catalyst which has 2 nm protective layer showed similar activity for the oxygen reduction reaction compared to Pt/C catalysts and they also had good durability. TiO2/Pt/C prepared by 10 ALD cycles degraded 70% after 2000 Accelerated degradation test, while Pt/C corroded 92% in the same conditions. TiO2 ultrathin layer by ALD is able to achieve a good balance between the durability and activity, leading to TiO2/Pt/C as a promising cathode catalyst for PEFCs. The mechanism of the TiO2 protective layer used to prevent the degradation of Pt/C is discussed.

CHANGES OF ENDOGENOUS HORMONE CONTENTS DURING FLORAL BUD AND VEGETATIVE BUD DIF FERENTIATION IN THIN CELL LAYER CULTURE OF CICHORIUM INTYBUS L. EXPLANT

The sectioned thin cell layers (TCL) of flower stalk of Cichorium intybus L. were cultured in MS medium supplemented with NAA and BA or IAA and BA where floral and vegetative buds were developed from the explant. Endogenous IAA, DHZ+DHZR, iPA increased significantly during the floral bud formation, while Z+ZR remained changed. The levels of cytokinins, DHZ+DHZR, iPA, and Z+ZR all increased significantly during the vegetative bud formation, however IAA level was reduced during the first 7 days of culture and increased to two thirds of initial values on the day when the bud primordia were formed. The results suggested that the initiation of floral buds was associated with a high IAA/CTK ratio, whereas the induction of vegetative bud differentiation was related to a low IAA/CTK ratio.

Elucidating the Uptake and Distribution of Nanoparticles in Solid Tumors via a Multilayered Cell Culture Model

Multicellular layers(MCLs) have previously been used to determine the pharmacokinetics of a variety of different cancer drugs including paclitaxel, doxorubicin, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil across a number of cell lines. It is not known how nanoparticles(NPs) navigate through the tumor microenvironment once they leave the tumor blood vessel.In this study, we used the MCL model to study the uptake and penetration dynamics of NPs. Gold nanoparticles(GNPs)were used as a model system to map the NP distribution within tissue-like structures. Our results show that NP uptake and transport are dependent on the tumor cell type. MDA-MB-231 tissue showed deeper penetration of GNPs as compared to MCF-7 one. Intracellular and extracellular distributions of NPs were mapped using Cyto Viva imaging. The ability of MCLs to mimic tumor tissue characteristics makes them a useful tool in assessing the efficacy of particle distribution in solid tumors.

Analysis of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and inner macular layers by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography for detection of early glaucoma

AIM： To analyze the diagnostic capabilities of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer（p RNFL） thickness and segmented inner macular layer（IML） thickness measured by spectraldomain optical coherence tomography for detection of early glaucoma. METHODS： Fifty-three patients with primary open angle glaucoma（POAG）, 60 patients with normal tension glaucoma（NTG） and 32 normal control subjects were enrolled. Thicknesses of p RNFL, total macular layers（TML）, and the IML, including macular RNFL（m RNFL） and macular ganglion cell layer（m GCL） were assessed. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves（AROC） were calculated to compare the diagnostic power of different parameters. RESULTS： There were no differences in the parameters of p RNFL, TML, and IML between POAG and NTG groups. The thicknesses of superior and inferior m GCL showed significant correlation with mean deviation of visual field（R2=0.071, P=0.004; R2=0.08, P=0.002）. The m GCL thickness significantly correlated with the p RNFL thickness in the superior and inferior quadrants（R2=0.156, P〈0.001; R2=0.407, P〈0.001）. The thickness of the inferior-outer sector of macula had greater AROCs than those in the inferior-inner sector of macula. The AROCs for superior（0.894） and inferior（0.879） p RNFL thicknesses were similar with the AROCs for superior（0.839） and inferior m GCL（0.864） thicknesses. Sensitivities at 80% specificity for global p RNFL, inferior-outer m GCL and inferior-outer m RNFL thicknesses were 0.938, 0.867, and 0.725, respectively. CONCLUSION： The diagnostic capability of the m GCL thickness is comparable to that of the p RNFL thickness in patients with early glaucoma. The inferior-outer sector of IML has a better diagnostic capability than the inferiorinner sector of IML for detection of early glaucoma.

Structural impairment patterns in peripapillary retinal fiber layer and retinal ganglion cell layer in mitochondrial optic neuropathies

AIM：To evaluate the structural injure patterns in peripapillary retinal fiber layer （pRNFL）, retinal ganglion cell layer （RGCL） and their correlations to visual function in various mitochondrial optic neuropathies （MON） to offer help to their differential diagnosis.METHODS：Totally 32 MON patients （60 eyes） were recruited within 6mo after clinical onsets, including 20 Leber hereditary optic neuropathy （LHON） patients （37eyes）, 12 ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy （EON）patients （23 eyes）, and 41 age-gender matched healthy controls （HC, 82 eyes）. All subjects had pRNFL and RGCL examinations with optic coherence tomography （OCT） and visual function tests.RESULTS：In the early stages of MON, the temporal pRNFL thickness decreased （66.09±22.57μm）, but increased in other quadrants, compared to HC （76.95±14.81μm）. The other quadrants remaining stable for LHON and EON patients besides the second hour sector of pRNFL thickness reduced and the temporal pRNFL decreased （56.78±15.87μm） for EON. Total macular thickness in MON reduced remarkably（279.25±18.90μm; P=0.015）, which mainly occurring in the inner circle （3 mm diameter of circle） and the nasal temporal sectors in the outer circle （5.5 mm diameter of circle）, in contrast to those in HC. RGCL thickness reduced in each sector of the macula （61.90±8.73μm; P≤0.001）. It strongly showed the correlationship of best corrected visual acuity （R=0.50, P=0.0003） and visual field injury （R=0.54,P=0.0002） in MON patients.CONCLUSION：OCT is a potential tool for detecting structural alterations in the optic nerves of various MON. Different types of MON may have different damage patterns.

Acute changes in ganglion cell layer thickness in ischemic optic neuropathy compared to optic neuritis using optical coherence tomography

AIM:To elucidate the changes of different ganglion cell layer(GCL)thinning patterns between the optic neuritis(ON)and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy(NAION).METHODS:A prospective,observational study was conducted to evaluate the timing of GCL changes between acute ON and NAION using optical coherence tomography.RESULTS:Thinning on optical coherence tomography in the NAION group occurs as early as 11 d after symptomatic onset of vision loss and follows an altitudinal pattern.The mean superior-inferior GCL thickness difference in the NAION cohort was clinically significant at 5.7μm in the NAION cohort compared to controls of 0.8μm(P=0.032),but not significant in the ON group compared to controls with both groups measuring 1.1μm.Global thinning was significant for the ON group compared to controls at 7.2μm(P=0.011)but not the NAION group compared to controls at 1.35μm.CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that future treatments for NAION should be given early,and possibly before 11 d in order to prevent GCL and irreversible vision loss.

Modeling development on the meso-scale reacting transport phenomena in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The catalyst layer （CL） of proton exchange mem-brane fuel cell （PEMFC） involves various particles and pores in meso-scale, which has an important effect on the mass, charge （proton and electron） and heat transport coupled with the electrochemical reactions. The coarse-grained molecular dynamics （CG-MD） method is employed as a meso-scale structure reconstruction technique to mimic the self-organization phenomena in the fabrication steps of a CL. The meso-scale structure obtained at the equilibrium state is further analyzed by molecular dynamic （MD） software to provide the necessary microscopic parameters for understanding of multi-scale and-physics processes in CLs. The primary pore size distribution （PSD） and active platinum （Pt） surface areas are also calculated and then compared with the experiments. In addition, we also highlight the implementation method to combine microscopic elementary kinetic reaction schemes with the CG-MD approaches to provide insight into the reactions in CLs. The concepts from CG modeling with particle hydrodynamics （SPH） and the problems on coupling of SPH with finite element modeling （FEM） methods are further outlined and discussed to understand the effects of the meso-scale transport phenomena in fuel cells.

Effect of infusion pressure during cataract surgery on ganglion cells measured using isolated-check visual evoked potential

AIM： To detect the relationship between infusion pressure and postoperative ganglion cells function.METHODS： This prospective observational cohort study included sixty-one eyes that underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery. Patients were divided into two groups according to infusion time（IT） recorded using surgery equipment [Group A： IT〉IT_（mean）（27 eyes）; Group B： IT

Thin Cell Layer (TCL) Culture System for Herbal Biomass Production and Genetic Transformation of Bacopa monnieri L. Wettst.

Bacopa monnieri (L.) Wettst. (Scrophulariaceae) is a highly sought after medicinal plant with therapeutic properties as cognition enhancer as well as for other brain and body functions. Research was conducted to optimize a thin cell layer explant based micropropagation system to assist mass propagation. Thin cell layers (TCL) derived from leaf and internode segments were used as explants. Murashige and Skoog medium was used to formulate shoot induction, elongation, and rooting media. Shoot induction media were prepared by supplementing three concentrations (0.1, 1.0, and 10.0 μM) of four cytokinins 6-benzylaminopurine, 2-isopentenyl-adenine, 6-3-Hydroxybenzylaminopurine, and thidiazuron to study adventitious shoot bud induction response. An optimum shoot bud induction response was observed on MS medium supplemented with 10.0 μM 6-benzylaminopurine for both leaf and stem transverse thin cell layer (tTCL) explants. The average number of shoot buds from leaf tTCL explants was 59, whereas, on an average, 33 shoot buds were regenerated from internode tTCL explants. Elongation of adventitious shoot buds was achieved best in a liquid medium using Liquid Lab Rocker® system. Elongated shoots recorded 100% rooting in MS medium supplemented with 5 μM indole butyric acid. Bacopa micropropagation employing tTCL explants for initial shoot bud induction and using LLR® boxes in subsequent elongation step can achieve cost effective way to regenerate high volume of plantlets and biomass required for herbal industry. Leaf and stem tTCL explants both were suitable for Agrobacterium tumefaciens (EHA105) mediated genetic transformation. Successful transformation was scored within three days of co-cultivation with Agrobacterium suspension on the basis of Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein (EGFP) expression as an early and non-destructible screening device. Transformation frequencies of 83% and 76% were accomplished for leaf and stem tTCL explants, respectively. Greenhouse grown Bacopa plants were analyzed as fresh and dry methanolic extracts for total polyphenol content (811.93 ± 7.98 and 814 ± 17.64 GAE mg g-1) and the Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity values were 1918.25 ± 173.12 and 3163.14 ± 403.25 μmol/g, respectively.

Analysis of Effect of Zn(O,S) Buffer Layer Properties on CZTS Solar Cell Performance Using AMPS

The Cu2ZnSnS4 （CZTS）-based solar cell is numerically simulated by a one-dimensional solar cell simulation soft- ware analysis of microelectronic and photonic structures （AMPS-1D）. The device structure used in the simulation is Al/ZnO：Al/nZn（O,S）/pCZTS/Mo. The primary motivation of this simulation work is to optimize the composition in the ZnO1-xSx buffer layer, which would yield higher conversion efficiency. By varying S/（S＋O） ratio x, the conduction band offset （CBO） at CZTS/Zn（O,S） interface can range from -0.23 eV to 1.06eV if the full range of the ratio is considered. The optimal CBO of 0.23eV can be achieved when the ZnO1-xSx buffer has an S/（S＋O） ratio of 0.6. The solar cell efficiency first increases with increasing sulfur content and then decreases abruptly for x〉 0.6, which reaches the highest value of 17.55% by our proposed optimal sulfur content x= 0.6. Our results provide guidance in dealing with the ZnO1-xSx buffer layer deposition for high efficiency CZTS solar cells.

Fullerene solar cells with cholesteric liquid crystal doping

This paper reports the doping effect of cholesteric liquid crystal 3β-Hydroxy-5-cholestene 3-oleate on polymer solar cells composed of the poly 3-hexyl thiophene and the fullerene derivative.With a doping ratio of 0.3 wt%,the device achieves an ideal improvement on the shunt resistor and the fill factor.Compared with the reference cell,the power conversion efficiency of the doped cell is improved 24%.The photoelectric measurement and the active layer characterization indicate that the self-assembly liquid crystal can improve the film crystallization and reduce the membrane defect.

TiO_2 nanoparticle-based electron transport layer with improved wettability for efficient planar-heterojunction perovskite solar cell

The electron transport layer （ETL） plays an important role in planar heterojunction perovskite solar cell （PSCs）, by affecting the light-harvesting, electron injection and transportation processes, and especially the crystal- lization of perovskite absorber. In this work, we utilized a commercial TKD-TiO2 nanoparticle with a small diameter of 6 nm for the first time to prepare a compact ETL by spin coating. The packing of small-size particles endowed TKD-TiO2 ETL an appropriate surface-wettability, which is beneficial to the crystallization of perovskite deposited via solution-processed method. The uniform and high-transmittance TKD-TiO2 films were successfully incorporated into PSCs as ETLs. Further careful optimization of ETL thickness gave birth to a highest power conversion efficiency of 11.0%, which was much higher than that of PSC using an ETL with the same thickness made by spray pyrolysis. This TKD-TiO2 provided a universal solar material suitable for the further large-scale production of PSCs. The excellent morphology and the convenient preparation method of TKD-TiO2 film gave it an extensive application in photovoltaic devices.

Value of optical coherence tomography measurement of macular thickness and optic disc parameters for glaucoma screening in patients with high myopia

BACKGROUND The basic method of glaucoma diagnosis is visual field examination,however,in patients with high myopia,the diagnosis of glaucoma is difficult.AIM To explore the value of optical coherence tomography(OCT)for measuring optic disc parameters and macular thickness as a screening tool for glaucoma in patients with high myopia.METHODS Visual values(contrast sensitivity,color vision,and best-corrected visual acuity)in three groups,patients with high myopia in Group A,patients with high myopia and glaucoma in Group B,and patients with high myopia suspicious for glaucoma in Group C,were compared.Optic disc parameters,retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL)thickness,and ganglion cell layer(GCC)thickness were measured using OCT technology and used to compare the peri-optic disc vascular density of the patients and generate receiver operator characteristic(ROC)test performance curves of the RNFL and GCC for high myopia and glaucoma.RESULTS Of a total of 98 patients admitted to our hospital from May 2018 to March 2022,totaling 196 eyes in the study,30 patients with 60 eyes were included in Group A,33 patients with 66 eyes were included in Group B,and 35 patients with 70 eyes were included in Group C.Data were processed for Groups A and B to analyze the efficacy of RNFL and GCC measures in distinguishing high myopia from high myopia with glaucoma.The area under the ROC curve was greater than 0.7,indicating an acceptable diagnostic value.CONCLUSION The value of OCT measurement of RNFL and GCC thickness in diagnosing glaucoma in patients with high myopia and suspected glaucoma is worthy of development for clinical use.

Factors affecting somatic embryogenesis in conifers

This review seeks to examine the extreme response of isolated somatic plant cells of apical meristematic tissues of mature conifer trees towards specific stress conditions in vitro resulting in somatic embryo- genesis. Signal molecules regulating embryo development have been described in angiosperms, but very little is known about somatic rejuve- nation in conifers. Recent studies on cloning of mature conifers provide new perspectives on signal molecules on cellular dedifferentiation into the embryogenic pathway. Our recent studies show that signal molecules such as butenolide, calcium ions, salicylic acid, antioxidants, amino acids triacontanol and 24-epibrassinolide all play an important role in the con- version of somatic cells into an embryogenic pathway in many recalcitrant pines. This constitutes a major breakthrough in forest biotechnology with many practical applications in clonal forestry.

ZnO-PCBM bilayers as electron transport layers in low-temperature processed perovskite solar cells

We investigate an electron transport bilayer fabricated at 〈110℃ to form all low-temperature processed, thermally stable, efficient perovskite solar cells with negligible hysteresis. The components of the bilayer create a symbiosis that results in improved devices compared with either of the components being used in isolation. A sol-gel derived ZnO layer facilitates improved energy level alignment and enhanced charge carrier extraction and a [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester （PCBM） layer to reduce hysteresis and enhance perovskite thermal stability. The creation of a bilayer structure allows materials that are inherently unsuitable to be in contact with the perovskite active layer to be used in efficient devices through simple surface modification strategies.

Efficient fully laser-patterned flexible perovskite modules and solar cells based on low-temperature solution-processed SnO2/mesoporous-TiO2 electron transport layers

Efficient flexible perovskite solar cells and modules were developed using a combination of SnO2 and mesoporous-TiO2 as a fully solution-processed electron transport layer （ETL）. Cells using such ETLs delivered a maximum power conversion efficiency （PCE） of 14.8%, which was 30% higher than the PCE of cells with only SnO2 as the ETL. The presence of a mesoporous TiO2 scaffold layer over SnO2 led to higher rectification ratios, lower series resistances, and higher shunt resistances. The cells were also evaluated under 200 and 400 lx artificial indoor illumination and found to deliver maximum power densities of 9.77 μW/cm^2 （estimated PCE of 12.8%） and 19.2 μW/cm^2 （estimated PCE of 13.3%）, respectively, representing the highest values among flexible photovoltaic technologies reported so far. Furthermore, for the first time, a fully laser-patterned flexible perovskite module was fabricated using a complete three-step laser scribing procedure （P1, P2, P3） with a PCE of 8.8% over an active area of 12 cm^2 under an illumination of 1 sun.