Electron‐Beam‐Evaporated Nickel Oxide Hole Transport Layers for Perovskite‐Based Photovoltaics

High‐quality charge carrier transport materials are of key importance for stable and efficient perovskite‐based photovoltaics. This work reports on electron‐beam‐evaporated nickel oxide (NiO_x) layers, resulting in stable power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 18.5% when integrated into solar cells employing inkjet‐printed perovskite absorbers. By adding oxygen as a process gas and optimizing the layer thickness, transparent and efficient NiO_x hole transport layers (HTLs) are fabricated, exhibiting an average absorptance of only 1%. The versatility of the material is demonstrated for different absorber compositions and deposition techniques. As another highlight of this work, all‐evaporated perovskite solar cells employing an inorganic NiO_x HTL are presented, achieving stable PCEs of up to 15.4%. Along with good PCEs, devices with electron‐beam‐evaporated NiO_x show improved stability under realistic operating conditions with negligible degradation after 40 h of maximum power point tracking at 75 °C. Additionally, a strong improvement in device stability under ultraviolet radiation is found if compared to conventional perovskite solar cell architectures employing other metal oxide charge transport layers (e.g., titanium dioxide). Finally, an all‐evaporated perovskite solar mini‐module with a NiO_x HTL is presented, reaching a PCE of 12.4% on an active device area of 2.3 cm².     

Crystallization Control of Ternary‐Cation Perovskite Absorber in Triple‐Mesoscopic Layer for Efficient Solar Cells

Controlling the crystallization of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite is of vital importance to achieve high performing perovskite solar cells. The growth mechanism of perovskites has been intensively studied in devices with planar structures and traditional structures. However, for the printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells, it is difficult to study the crystallization mechanism of perovskite owing to the complicated mesoporous structure. Here, a solvent evaporation controlled crystallization method to achieve ideal crystallization in the mesoscopic structure is provided. Combining results of scanning electron microscope and X‐ray diffraction, it is found that adjusting the evaporation rate of solvent can control the crystallization rate of perovskite and a model for the crystallization process during annealing in mesoporous structures is proposed. Finally, a homogeneous pore filling in the mesoscopic structure without any additives is successfully achieved and a stabilized power conversion efficiency of 16.26% using ternary‐cation perovskite absorber is realized. The findings will provide better understanding of perovskite crystallization in printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells and pave the way for the commercialization of perovskite solar cells.     

Self‐Contained Monolithic Carbon Sponges for Solar‐Driven Interfacial Water Evaporation Distillation and Electricity Generation

Solar vaporization has received tremendous attention for its potential in desalination, sterilization, distillation, etc. However, a few major roadblocks toward practical application are the high cost, process intensive, fragility of solar absorber materials, and low efficiency. Herein an inexpensive cellular carbon sponge that has a broadband light absorption and inbuilt structural features to perform solitary heat localization for in situ photothermic vaporization is reported. The defining advantages of elastic cellular porous sponge are that it self‐confines water to the perpetually hot spots and accommodates cyclical dynamic fluid flow‐volume variable stress for practical usage. By isolating from bulk water, the solar‐to‐vapor conversion efficiency is increased by 2.5‐fold, surpassing that of conventional bulk heating. Notably, complementary solar steam generation‐induced electricity can be harvested during the solar vaporization so as to capitalize on waste heat. Such solar distillation and waste heat‐to‐electricity generation functions may provide potential opportunities for on‐site electricity and fresh water production for remote areas/emergency needs.     

Characterization of a bacterioruberin‐producing Haloarchaea isolated from the marshlands of the Odiel river in the southwest of Spain

In this work, we describe the isolation, identification, pigment characterization, and optimization of the culture conditions for a haloarchaea strain isolated from salt evaporation ponds in the Odiel river, at Southwest of Spain. The haloarchaea belongs to the genus Halorobrum, as deduced from the analysis of its 16S rRNA encoding gene and has been designated as Halorubrum sp. SH1. The growth conditions for the new strain were optimized studying temperature, NaCl concentration, agitation rate and light intensity. The C50‐carotenoids, bacterioruberin, and its derivatives bisanhydrobacterioruberin and trisanhydrobacterioruberin, were found to be the predominant pigments produced by this strain of Halorubrum, as determined using HPLC‐DAD and UHPLC‐ESI‐MS/MS techniques. This extremely halophilic archaeon could be a good candidate for the production of bacterioruberins of high added‐value due to their coloring, antioxidant, and possible anticancer properties. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:592–600, 2016     

Novel 3‐Oxo‐ and 3,24‐Dinor‐2,4‐secooleanane‐Type Triterpenes from Terminalia ivorensis A. Chev.

Two new oleanane‐type triterpenes named ivorengenin A (=3‐oxo‐2α,19α,24‐trihydroxyolean‐12‐en‐28‐oic acid; 1 ) and ivorengenin B (=4‐oxo‐19α‐hydroxy‐3,24‐dinor‐2,4‐secoolean‐12‐ene‐2,28‐dioic acid; 2 ), together with five known compounds, arjungenin, arjunic acid, betulinic acid, sericic acid, and oleanolic acid, were isolated from the barks of Terminalia ivorensis A. Chev . (Combretaceae). Their structures were established on the basis of 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR data, and mass spectrometry. A biogenetic pathway to the formation of these compounds from sericic acid, isolated as the major compound from this plant, was proposed. The antioxidant activities of different compounds were investigated by means of the 2,2‐azinobis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, and IC₅₀ values were calculated and compared with Trolox activity. Antiproliferative activities of the isolated compounds were also evaluated against MDA‐MB‐231, PC3, HCT116, and T98G human cancer cell lines, against which the compounds showed significant cytotoxic activities.     

Homo‐C‐nucleoside analogs IV. Synthesis of 4‐(2,5‐anhydro‐D‐altro‐pentitol‐1‐yl)‐2‐phenyl‐2H‐1,2,3‐triazole homo‐C‐nucleoside. CD assignment of the absolute configuration of the carbon bridge

Dehydrative cyclization of 4‐(D‐altro ‐pentitol‐1‐yl)2‐phenyl‐2H ‐1,2,3‐triazole in basic medium with one moler equivalent of p‐toluene sulfonyl chloride in pyridine solution gave the homo‐C‐ nucleoside 4‐(2,5‐anhydro‐D‐altro ‐1‐yl)‐2‐phenyl‐2H ‐1,2,3‐triazole. The structure and anomeric configuration was determined by acylation, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and mass spectroscopy. The stereochemistry at the carbon bridge of homo‐C‐ nucleoside 2‐phenyl‐2H ‐1,2,3‐triazoles was determined by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy.     

Covid‐19.bioreproducibility.org: A web resource for SARS‐CoV‐2‐related structural models

The COVID‐19 pandemic has triggered numerous scientific activities aimed at understanding the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus and ultimately developing treatments. Structural biologists have already determined hundreds of experimental X‐ray, cryo‐EM, and NMR structures of proteins and nucleic acids related to this coronavirus, and this number is still growing. To help biomedical researchers, who may not necessarily be experts in structural biology, navigate through the flood of structural models, we have created an online resource, covid19.bioreproducibility.org, that aggregates expert‐verified information about SARS‐CoV‐2‐related macromolecular models. In this article, we describe this web resource along with the suite of tools and methodologies used for assessing the structures presented therein.     

Erratum: Ochnaflavone inhibits TNF‐α‐induced human VSMC proliferation via regulation of cell cycle,ERK1/2, and MMP‐9. S.‐J. Suh,U.‐H. Jin,S.‐H. Kim,H.‐W. Chang,J.‐K. Son,S.H. Lee,K.‐H. Son,C.‐H. Kim

During the corresponding author's transfer from Dongguk University to Sungkyunkwan University in March 2006, data from the previous University was transferred to the corresponding author's new computer. During this data transfer there was a mixing of EMSA data from experiments involving Quercetin (QC), Ochnaflavone (OC), Tanshinone (TS), Crytotanshinone (CT), BMK, and natural extracts. The mixed EMSA data was inadvertently incorporated in more than one publication. Figure 6 has been corrected to new data with re‐confirmation. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 337, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

6. Effect of OC on the TNF‐α‐induced DNA binding activities of MMP‐9, NF‐κB, and AP‐1 motif in HASMC. Cells were pretreated with indicated OC for 40 min in serum‐free medium, were incubated with TNF‐α (100 ng/ml) for 24 h. Nuclear extracts were analyzed by EMSA for the activated NF‐κB (A) and AP‐1 (B) using radiolabeled oligonucleotide probes, respectively. Indicated values are means of three triplicate experiments.