Vertical phase separation of conjugated polymer and fullerene bulk heterojunction films induced by high pressure carbon dioxide treatment at ambient temperature

The morphology of bulk-heterojunctions (BHJ) is critically important for conjugated polymer and fullerene blend solar cells. To alter the morphology, high pressure (gas phase) carbon dioxide (CO(2)) treatment is applied to poly(3-hexyl thiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) blend films under ambient temperature. This process can achieve vertically phase separated morphology such that PCBM distributes toward the film surface, which is suggested by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), contact angle, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cross-sectional scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies. While pristine P3HT films do not show a significant change upon CO(2) treatment, pristine PCBM films are plasticized in high pressure CO(2). Thus, PCBM is selectively plasticized by CO(2) in the blend film and is drawn towards the surface due to depressed surface energy, although P3HT tends to distribute around the surface without CO(2). This stratification process can enhance solar cell performance. 55% improvement is achieved in the power conversion efficiency of the CO(2) treated device compared to the untreated one, indicating that CO(2) treatment can be a good candidate for optimizing the morphology and enhancing the performance of BHJ polymer solar cells.     

Preparation of mesoporous silicas using food grade emulsifiers and its application for enzyme supports

A novel mesoporous silica (TMPS) was synthesized via self-assembly using a myristic acid ester of pentaglycerol. The ester is obtained from catalytic esterification and it is commercially available as a food grade emulsifier. TMPS material was employed for preparation of a biocatalyst in order to examine the ability as an enzyme support in comparison with the other mesoporous silica materials having a channel or a cage-like pore system. The used TMPS materials possessed the interconnected channel-like pore system with the pore sizes of 9.2, 12, and 16 nm. The materials successfully entrapped lipase into their mesopores with the high loadings. The resultant lipase/TMPS conjugates functioned as the biocatalyst for hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl propionate (p-NPP), having the higher activity than those of the used mesoporous silica conjugates. The high activities were ascribed to the textural properties such as the small particle length, large pore size and the three-dimensional pore connectivity that permit the accessibility of p-NPP to the immobilized lipases during the reactions. Consequently, we concluded that TMPS materials are of the suitable mesoporous support for the enzymes.     

Brauer–Thrall for Totally Reflexive Modules over Local Rings of Higher Dimension

Let R be a commutative Noetherian local ring. Assume that R has a pair {x,y} of exact zerodivisors such that dim R/(x,y)?≥?2 and all totally reflexive R/(x)-modules are free. We show that the first and second Brauer–Thrall type theorems hold for the category of totally reflexive R-modules. More precisely, we prove that, for infinitely many integers n, there exists an indecomposable totally reflexive R-module of multiplicity n. Moreover, if the residue field of R is infinite, we prove that there exist infinitely many isomorphism classes of indecomposable totally reflexive R-modules of multiplicity n.     

Optimal decay rates for the system of elastic waves in R n with structural damping

We consider the Cauchy problem in R ⁿ for the system of elastic waves with structural damping. We derive (almost) optimal decay rates in time for the L ²-norm and the total energy which improves previous results for this system. To derive the estimates for elastic waves, we employ an improvement in a method in the Fourier space, which was developed in our previous works. Our estimates came from those for a generalized energy of α-order in the Fourier space.     

Tilting and cluster tilting for quotient singularities

We shall show that the stable categories of graded Cohen–Macaulay modules over quotient singularities have tilting objects. In particular, these categories are triangle equivalent to derived categories of finite dimensional algebras. Our method is based on higher dimensional Auslander–Reiten theory, which gives cluster tilting objects in the stable categories of (ungraded) Cohen–Macaulay modules.     

Global solutions for the Navier-Stokes equations in the rotational framework

The existence of global unique solutions to the Navier-Stokes equations with the Coriolis force is established in the homogeneous Sobolev spaces $\dot{H}^s (\mathbb R ^3)^3$ for $1/2 < s < 3/4$ if the speed of rotation is sufficiently large. This phenomenon is so-called the global regularity. The relationship between the size of initial datum and the speed of rotation is also derived. The proof is based on the space time estimates of the Strichartz type for the semigroup associated with the linearized equations. In the scaling critical space $\dot{H}^{\frac{1}{2}} (\mathbb R ^3)^3$ , the global regularity is also shown.     

Improvement of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film morphology using Cu–Zn–Sn–O precursor fabricated by sputtering

The new precursor of Cu–Zn–Sn–O (CZTO) was proposed for Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin film fabrication to improve film morphology. The CZTS thin film grown from Cu–Zn–Sn (CZT) precursors has many bumps. We deposited CZTO precursors on Mo/soda-lime glass (SLG) substrates by RF sputtering using a CZT (Cu:Zn:Sn = 2:1:1) target in Ar and O₂ atmosphere at various O₂ partial pressures (0%, 5%, 17% and 20%). Subsequently, the CZTO precursors were sulfurized in Ar and S atmosphere to fabricate CZTS thin films. The CZTO precursors were amorphous. The morphology of the CZTS thin films was improved by the CZTO precursors. All of the CZTS films fabricated in this study had the same crystal structure. Composition analysis revealed that 50% of O were detected in the CZTO precursor, but O was not detected after sulfurizing process, indicating that O was substituted by S. The CZTS thin film from the CZTO precursor fabricated at O₂ partial pressure of 20% had similar composition for solar cell absorber.     

Analysis of oligomeric transition of silkworm small heat shock protein sHSP20.8 using high hydrostatic pressure native PAGE

The small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) solubilize thermo-denatured proteins without adenosine triphosphate energy consumption to facilitate protein refolding. sHSP20.8 is one of the silkworm (Bombyx mori) sHSPs having only one cystein in the N-terminal domain: Cys43. We report a simple measurement of oligomeric transition of sHSP20.8 using high hydrostatic pressure native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (high hydrostatic pressure (HP) native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE)). At ambient pressure under oxydative condition, the native PAGE of thermal transition of sHSP20.8 oligomer displayed a cooperative association. In contrast, HP native PAGE clearly demonstrated that sHSP20.8 dissociated at 80 MPa and 25°C, and the resultant molecular species gradually reassociated with time under that condition. In addition, the reassociation process was suppressed in the presence of the reductant. These results are consistent with the idea that sHSP20.8 oligomer temporally dissociates at the first thermo-sensing step and reassociates with the oxidation of Cys43.