Enhancement of silicon solar cell performances due to light trapping by colloidal metal nanoparticles

Photovoltaics is the most promising technology for the future of green energy production. To fully realize the potential use of photovoltaic technology, low manufacturing cost and high working photoconversion efficiency must be obtained. Light trapping by metal nanoparticles is an attractive strategy in thin film as well as in bulk silicon solar cells aimed to confine light within the active layer to promote the photon absorption and therefore achieving higher efficiency. In this paper, we tested the deposition of silver and gold nanoparticles on bulk silicon solar cells by colloidal technique in order to enhance their photovoltaic conversion efficiency by means of Plasmonic Light Scattering by metal nanoparticles. The feasible Plasmonic Light Scattering related enhancement was examined using spectral response and I–V measurements. Relative increases of the total delivered power under simulated solar irradiation were observed for cells both with and without antireflection coating using silver and gold nanoparticles.     

Characterisation of historic plastics using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy and pulsed imaging

Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy and 3D THz pulsed imaging have been explored with regard to polymer materials, both commodity and historic polymers. A systematic spectroscopic study of a wide range of different polymer materials showed significant differences in their spectra. Polyolefins and polystyrenes generally exhibit lower absorption than other examined polymers, various cellulose derivates, poly(vinyl chloride), poly(methyl methacrylate), polyamide, hard rubber and phenol formaldehyde resin, the last of these exhibiting the most intense absorption over the entire range, 0.15–4.2 THz. It was also examined how the presence of plasticisers in poly(vinyl chloride), the presence of fillers in polypropylene, and the degree of branching in polyethylene and polystyrene affect the spectra; inorganic fillers in polypropylene affected the absorption most. With 3D THz pulsed imaging, features in polymer objects were explored, appearing either as integral parts of the material (coatings and pores in foams) or as a consequence of physical deterioration (cracks, delamination). All of these features of various complexities can be successfully imaged in 3D. Terahertz technology is thus shown to have significant potential for both chemical and structural characterisation of polymers, which will be of interest to heritage science, but also to the polymer industry and development of analytical technologies in general.     

Improved T2* assessment in liver iron overload by magnetic resonance imaging

In the clinical MRI practice, it is common to assess liver iron overload by T2* multi-echo gradient-echo images. However, there is no full consensus about the best image analysis approach for the T2* measurements. The currently used methods involve manual drawing of a region of interest (ROI) within MR images of the liver. Evaluation of a representative liver T2* value is done by fitting an appropriate model to the signal decay within the ROIs vs. the echo time. The resulting T2* value may depend on both ROI placement and choice of the signal decay model. The aim of this study was to understand how the choice of the analysis methodology may affect the accuracy of T2* measurements. A software model of the iron overloaded liver was inferred from MR images acquired from 40 thalassemia major patients. Different image analysis methods were compared exploiting the developed software model. Moreover, a method for global semiautomatic T2* measurement involving the whole liver was developed. The global method included automatic segmentation of parenchyma by an adaptive fuzzy-clustering algorithm able to compensate for signal inhomogeneities. Global liver T2* value was evaluated using a pixel-wise technique and an optimized signal decay model. The global approach was compared with the ROI-based approach used in the clinical practice. For the ROI-based approach, the intra-observer and inter-observer coefficients of variation (CoVs) were 3.7% and 5.6%, respectively. For the global analysis, the CoVs for intra-observers and inter-observers reproducibility were 0.85% and 2.87%, respectively. The variability shown by the ROI-based approach was acceptable for use in the clinical practice; however, the developed global method increased the accuracy in T2* assessment and significantly reduced the operator dependence and sampling errors. This global approach could be useful in the clinical arena for patients with borderline liver iron overload and/or requiring follow-up studies.     

High‐Throughput Metabolomics by 1D NMR

Metabolomics deals with the whole ensemble of metabolites (the metabolome). As one of the ‐omic sciences, it relates to biology, physiology, pathology and medicine; but metabolites are chemical entities, small organic molecules or inorganic ions. Therefore, their proper identification and quantitation in complex biological matrices requires a solid chemical ground. With respect to for example, DNA, metabolites are much more prone to oxidation or enzymatic degradation: we can reconstruct large parts of a mammoth's genome from a small specimen, but we are unable to do the same with its metabolome, which was probably largely degraded a few hours after the animal's death. Thus, we need standard operating procedures, good chemical skills in sample preparation for storage and subsequent analysis, accurate analytical procedures, a broad knowledge of chemometrics and advanced statistical tools, and a good knowledge of at least one of the two metabolomic techniques, MS or NMR. All these skills are traditionally cultivated by chemists. Here we focus on metabolomics from the chemical standpoint and restrict ourselves to NMR. From the analytical point of view, NMR has pros and cons but does provide a peculiar holistic perspective that may speak for its future adoption as a population‐wide health screening technique.     

Kinetic Description of a Rayleigh Gas with Annihilation

In this paper, we consider the dynamics of a tagged point particle in a gas of moving hard-spheres that are non-interacting among each other. This model is known as the ideal Rayleigh gas. We add to this model the possibility of annihilation (ideal Rayleigh gas with annihilation), requiring that each obstacle is either annihilating or elastic, which determines whether the tagged particle is elastically reflected or removed from the system. We provide a rigorous derivation of a linear Boltzmann equation with annihilation from this particle model in the Boltzmann–Grad limit. Moreover, we give explicit estimates for the error in the kinetic limit by estimating the contributions of the configurations which prevent the Markovianity. The estimates show that the system can be approximated by the Boltzmann equation on an algebraically long time scale in the scaling parameter.

     

XRF mapping and TEM analysis of coated and uncoated silica nanoparticles in A549 cells and human monocytes

The evaluation of nanomaterials intracellular distribution still remains a challenge in nanomedicine applications and toxicological studies. Synchrotron radiation X-ray microscopy combined with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microspectroscopy provides unique information that has pushed the frontiers of biological research, particularly when investigating intracellular mechanisms. In this work, the presence of silica nanoparticles in in vitro cultured human lung epithelial cell line and freshly extract human monocytes has been investigated. For the uptake and intracellular distribution of NPs, cells were cultured on polymeric substrates (Mylar). The SiO₂–NPs have been synthesized at JRC and characterized by dynamic light scattering, centrifugal liquid sedimentation, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), whereas their interaction with cells was investigated with TEM and XRF. For the latter, we used TwinMic in scanning transmission mode coupled with low-energy XRF spectroscopy, paying particular attention to the distribution of different elements, namely, Fe, O, C, Si, and Mg. Si XRF signals recorded on cells exposed to uncoated silica and epoxy-coated silica nanoparticles are comparable, indicating low difference in cellular uptake and suggesting a similar interaction between nanoparticles and cells. However, the TEM analysis indicates a better affinity of the coated nanoparticles for the cell membrane. Moreover, the TEM analysis shows also the presence of nanoparticles in endosomes.     

Effects of Long-Term Storage on Radical Scavenging Properties and Phenolic Content of Kombucha from Black Tea

Kombucha is a fermented beverage. Its consumption has significantly increased during the last decades due to its perceived beneficial effects. For this reason, it has become a highly commercialized drink that is produced industrially. However, kombucha is still also a homemade beverage, and the parameters which, besides its organoleptic characteristics, define the duration of its potential beneficial properties over time, are poorly known. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of 9-month storage at 4 °C with 30-day sampling on the pH, total phenolic, and flavonoid contents, free radical scavenging properties of kombucha fermented from black tea. Our results highlighted that, after four months, the phenolic content decreased significantly from the initial value of 234.1 ± 1.4 µg GAE mL⁻¹ to 202.9 ± 2.1 µg GAE mL⁻¹, as well its antioxidant capacity tested by two in vitro models, DPPH, and ABTS assays. Concomitantly, the pH value increased from 2.82 to 3.16. The novel findings of this pilot study revealed that kombucha from sugared black tea can be stored at refrigerator temperature for four months. After this period the antioxidant properties of kombucha are no longer retained.     

Parametric solitons in two-dimensional lattices of purely nonlinear origin

We demonstrate spatial solitons via twin-beam second-harmonic generation in hexagonal lattices realized by poling lithium niobate planar waveguides. These simultons can be steered by acting on power, direction, and wavelength of the fundamental frequency input.     

Molecular Transport within Polymer Brushes: A FRET View at Aqueous Interfaces

Molecular permeability through polymer brush chains is implicated in surface lubrication, wettability, and solute capture and release. Probing molecular transport through polymer brushes can reveal information on the polymer nanostructure, with a permeability that is dependent on chain conformation and grafting density. Herein, we introduce a brush system to study the molecular transport of fluorophores from an aqueous droplet into the external “dry” polymer brush with the vapour phase above. The brushes consist of a random copolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide and a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) donor-labelled monomer, forming ultrathin brush architectures of about 35 nm in solvated height. Aqueous droplets containing a separate FRET acceptor are placed onto the surfaces, with FRET monitored spatially around the 3-phase contact line. FRET is used to monitor the transport from the droplet to the outside brush, and the changing internal distributions with time as the droplets prepare to recede. This reveals information on the dynamics and distances involved in the molecular transport of the FRET acceptor towards and away from the droplet contact line, which are strongly dependent on the relative humidity of the system. We anticipate our system to be extremely useful for studying lubrication dynamics and surface droplet wettability processes.     

Pathophysiological Role and Medicinal Chemistry of A2A Adenosine Receptor Antagonists in Alzheimer’s Disease

The A_2A adenosine receptor is a protein belonging to a family of four GPCR adenosine receptors. It is involved in the regulation of several pathophysiological conditions in both the central nervous system and periphery. In the brain, its localization at pre- and postsynaptic level in striatum, cortex, hippocampus and its effects on glutamate release, microglia and astrocyte activation account for a crucial role in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This ailment is considered the main form of dementia and is expected to exponentially increase in coming years. The pathological tracts of AD include amyloid peptide-β extracellular accumulation and tau hyperphosphorylation, causing neuronal cell death, cognitive deficit, and memory loss. Interestingly, in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that A_2A adenosine receptor antagonists may counteract each of these clinical signs, representing an important new strategy to fight a disease for which unfortunately only symptomatic drugs are available. This review offers a brief overview of the biological effects mediated by A_2A adenosine receptors in AD animal and human studies and reports the state of the art of A_2A adenosine receptor antagonists currently in clinical trials. As an original approach, it focuses on the crucial role of pharmacokinetics and ability to pass the blood–brain barrier in the discovery of new agents for treating CNS disorders. Considering that A_2A receptor antagonist istradefylline is already commercially available for Parkinson’s disease treatment, if the proof of concept of these ligands in AD is confirmed and reinforced, it will be easier to offer a new hope for AD patients.