Enhanced power-conversion efficiency in organic solar cells incorporating polymeric compatibilizers

Flexible solar cells by organoboron polymers

THE ‘CRUCIFIED AND DEPOSED CHRIST’ OF MUSEO DIOCESANO OF PALERMO, ITALY. SCIENTIFIC STUDIES OF A SICILIAN PAPIER-MȂSCHÉ POLYCHROME SCULPTURE

In this paper we describe scientific investigations on the artwork ‘Crucified and deposed Christ’ from the Diocesan Museum of Palermo. Multidisciplinary studies were carried out to obtain interesting information about constitutive materials and executive techniques of XVIII century Sicilian papier mâsché, as well as about the sculpture state of conservation and the recognition of the previous treatments.Examination of the polychrome sculpture was both non-invasive (IRR, IRC, UV fluorescence, EDXRF spectroscopy X-Radiography) and micro invasive (optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy SEM-EDX).SEM-EDX results showed the use of materials like…

Metodologie da stampa a getto d'inchiostro per la fabbricazione di substrati SERS

Uno degli argomenti di maggiore interesse della Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) è il controllo del posizionamento su superficie degli “hot spots” – le zone interstiziali fra aggregati di particelle metalliche che producono un aumento locale del segnale Raman. I substrati SERS consistono tipicamente in una matrice di hot-spots ad alta densità sui quali volumi macroscopici (>1 µL) di molecole di analita sono disperse. Questo approccio porta ad una alta invasività ed una distribuzione non uniforme dell’analita a causa dei flussi capillari. In questo lavoro, viene sviluppata una nuova piattaforma SERS realizzata da stampa a getto d’inchiostro2 in cui una miscela di un analita SERS…

Organoboron Polymers for Photovoltaic Bulk Heterojunctions

Enhanced Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells by Thiol-capped Au-Nanoparticles

In this work, we present a study on the effect of thiol-capped AuNPs of various sizesin an organic solar cell.AuNPs have been obtained by laser ablation in liquid solution[2], have been functionalized both with 2-naphthalenethiol and alkanethiol having different length. In addition to bulk heterojunction structures with optimized interpenetrating network of donors and acceptor domains, we have chosen to study planar heterojunctions (PHJs), consisting of three component thin films realized by sequential deposition of P3HT, AuNPs and PCBM from orthogonal solvents.

Human Topoisomerase I interaction with DNA on flexible nylon substrate for malaria diagnosis

The study of interaction between human Topoisomerase I (hTopo I) and the appropriate sequences of DNA is shown, with the aim to realize a biosensor for malaria diagnosis. Topoisomerases alter the topological state of DNA by catalysing the breaking and rejoining of DNA strands1. The ligase activity is fundamental for our biosensing strategy, revealing the pathology. hTopo I was chosen as a model system for the Plasmodium analogous. The biosensor is a new flexible and easy to degrade biochip printed on nylon by dip-pen lithography (DPL). It is realized exploiting the high specificity of complementary ssDNA2 and hTopo I ligase activity. DPL operation needs ultra-low amounts of DNA (0.5 µL) to …

Self-cleaning materials active in the visible range based on porphyrin-sensitised titanium dioxide

In the last decades, nanostructured semiconductors played a central role in the material science scene because of their numerous applications spanning from renewable energy to organic/hybrid electronics up to photocatalysis. Titanium dioxide is one of the most used semiconductors because of its low cost, chemical stability, sustainability and versatility. Indeed, it is widely employed as photo-active or charge- transporting material in electronic devices, as photocatalyst in water de-pollution treatments etc.. Remarkably, one of the most interesting application of titanium dioxide consists of the protection and conservation of cultural heritages. Actually, TiO2 photocatalytic properties are…

Supra Aggregates of Fibers-Forming Anisotropic Molecules: theory and experiments by Scanning Force Microscopy

Polystyrene nanoparticle-templated hollow titania nanosphere monolayers as ordered scaffolds

We report a novel multi-step method for the preparation of ordered mesoporous titania scaffolds and show an illustrative example of their application to solar cells. The method is based on (monolayer) colloidal nanosphere lithography that makes use of polystyrene nanoparticles organised at a water–air interface and subsequently transferred onto a solid substrate. A titania precursor solution (titanium(IV) isopropoxide in ethanol) is then drop-cast onto the monolayer and left to “incubate” overnight. Surprisingly, instead of the expected inverse monolayer-structure, a subsequent calcination step of the precursor yields an ordered monolayer of hollow titania nanospheres with a wall thickness …

Patterning by Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers

Engineering 3D nanoscale order in molecular thin films for organic photovoltaics

Visible light active self-cleaning materials based on porphyrin-sensitised titanium dioxide

Starting from second half of last century, nanostructured semiconductors have had a crucial function in the material science because of their wide application field going from renewable energy to organic/hybrid electronics up to photocatalysis. Among those materials, titanium dioxide is probably the most used because of some important characteristics like the chemical/mechanical stability, environmental sustainability, its low cost and versatility. Indeed, it has been successfully employed as photo- and electro-active component in electronic devices as well as photocatalytic agent1 in water de-pollution application. Interestingly and importantly together, titanium dioxide may also be applie…

Elettrodeposizione di bitiofene fulleropirrolidina per la realizzazione di sensori piezoresistivi

Un nuovo sistema donatore-accettore bisaddotto bitiofene fulleropirrolidi na (bis-C60Bi) è stato elettropolimerizzato su ITO/PET(ossido di Indio-Sta gno)/PoliEtilene Tereftalato per cronoamperometria. E’ stato applicato un potenziale anodico di 1.5V alla soluzione di monomero per un certo tempo ¿QR DOO¶RWWHQLPHQWR GL XQ ¿OP VRWWLOH SROLPHULFR VXO VXEVWUDWR &DUDWWHUL]]D zioni XPS, UV-vis hanno confermato la presenza del polimero sull’elettrodo. ...

Enhanced efficiency in plastic planar heterojunction solar cells by AuNPs positioned at donor-acceptor interfaces

A new class of copolymers containing oligothiophene moieties with different length and fullerene units have been designed and prepared by an easy and inexpensive one-step synthetic approach. The incorporation of small quantities of these copolymers into bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with donor regioregular polythiophene (P3HT) and acceptor fullerene derivate (PCBM) results in a good control of the phase separation process without further affecting the BHJ optoelectronic properties. Indeed, these copolymers allow modulating under thermal annealing the growth of domains whose size depends on the length of the copolymer repetitive units. Domain size on the same length scale of the P3HT…

New Insight on Medieval Painting in Sicily: The Virgin Hodegetria Panel in Monreale Cathedral (Palermo, Italy)

: The Virgin Hodegetria, located in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Nuova in Monreale, near Palermo (Italy), probably dating the first half of the 13th century, is one of the earliest examples of medieval panel painting in Sicily. A diagnostic campaign was carried out on the panel aiming to identify the constituting materials and the executive technique, as well as to assess the state of conservation for supporting the methodological choice of the restoration intervention. Both non invasive (X-ray radiography, digital microscope, multispectral imaging, ED-X-ray fluorescence) and micro-invasive (polarised light microscopy, ESEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy) analyses w…

Thin-Film Heterojunction by Carbon Nanotube Derivatives with Enhanced Solubility and Optical Properties

Semitransparent Perovskite Solar Cells with Multilayered Metal Top Electrodes for BIPVs and Tandem Applications

Semitransparent perovskite-based solar cells (ST-PSCs) are highly desired to be integrated into buildings as electricity-generating solar windows in the context of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs), as well as in tandem solar cells combined with other low-bandgap solar cells (e.g. silicon or CIGS) to give enhanced light-harvesting. To fabricate high-performance ST-PSCs, one key challenge is that of replacing the conventional opaque metal top electrodes with suitable transparent alternatives. Recently, dielectric/metal/dielectric (DMD) multilayer architectures have been shown to be suitable candidates as transparent top electrodes, exhibiting ideal characteristics such as mechanical …

CCDC 833682: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: M.H.Rosnes, C.Musumeci, C.P.Pradeep, J.S.Mathieson, De-Liang Long, Yu-Fei Song, B.Pignataro, R.Cogdell, L.Cronin|2010|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|132|15490|doi:10.1021/ja1066338

CCDC 724259: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: C.Streb, R.Tsunashima, D.A.MacLaren, T.McGlone, T.Akutagawa, T.Nakamura, A.Scandurra, B.Pignataro, N.Gadegaard, L.Cronin|2009|Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed.|48|6490|doi:10.1002/anie.200901650

CCDC 833681: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: M.H.Rosnes, C.Musumeci, C.P.Pradeep, J.S.Mathieson, De-Liang Long, Yu-Fei Song, B.Pignataro, R.Cogdell, L.Cronin|2010|J.Am.Chem.Soc.|132|15490|doi:10.1021/ja1066338

CCDC 724260: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination

Related Article: C.Streb, R.Tsunashima, D.A.MacLaren, T.McGlone, T.Akutagawa, T.Nakamura, A.Scandurra, B.Pignataro, N.Gadegaard, L.Cronin|2009|Angew.Chem.,Int.Ed.|48|6490|doi:10.1002/anie.200901650

Tomorrow’s Chemistry Today: Concepts in Nanoscience, Organic Materials and Environmental Chemistry

Providing a glimpse into the future, the young scientists contributing here were considered to be the most important for tomorrow's chemistry and materials science. They present the state of the art in their particular fields of research, with topics ranging from new synthetic pathways and nanotechnology to green chemistry. Of major interest to organic chemists, materials scientists and biochemists.