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The mixed halide perovskites have emerged as outstanding light absorbers for efficient solar cells. Unfortunately, it reveals inhomogeneity in these polycrystalline films due to composition separation, which leads to local lattice mismatches and emergent residual strains consequently. Thus far, the understanding of these residual strains and their effects on photovoltaic device performance is absent. Herein we study the evolution of residual strain over the films by depth-dependent grazing incident X-ray diffraction measurements. We identify the gradient distribution of in-plane strain component perpendicular to the substrate. Moreover, we reveal its impacts on the carrier dynamics over corresponding solar cells, which is stemmed from the strain induced energy bands bending of the perovskite absorber as indicated by first-principles calculations. Eventually, we modulate the status of residual strains in a controllable manner, which leads to enhanced PCEs up to 20.7% (certified) in devices via rational strain engineering. The residual strains in the mixed halide perovskite thin films and their effects on the solar cell devices are less understood. Here Zhu et al. study the impact of the gradient in-plane strain on the carrier dynamics of the strained perovskite films and optimize the device efficiency.

Discovery of thermoelectric materials has long been realized by the Edisonian trial and error approach. However, recent progress in theoretical calculations, including the ability to predict structures of unknown phases along with their thermodynamic stability and functional properties, has enabled the so-called inverse design approach. Compared to the traditional materials discovery, the inverse design approach has the potential to substantially reduce the experimental efforts needed to identify promising compounds with target functionalities. By adopting this approach, here we have discovered several unreported half-Heusler compounds. Among them, the p-type TaFeSb-based half-Heusler demonstrates a record high ZT of ~1.52 at 973 K. Additionally, an ultrahigh average ZT of ~0.93 between 300 and 973 K is achieved. Such an extraordinary thermoelectric performance is further verified by the heat-to-electricity conversion efficiency measurement and a high efficiency of ~11.4% is obtained. Our work demonstrates that the TaFeSb-based half-Heuslers are highly promising for thermoelectric power generation. The discovery of thermodynamically stable thermoelectric materials for power generation has relied on empirical methods that were not effective. Here, the authors apply the inverse design approach to identify and experimentally realize TaFeSb-based half Heuslers with high thermoelectric performance.

Lighting accounts for one-fifth of global electricity consumption 1 . Single materials with efficient and stable white-light emission are ideal for lighting applications, but photon emission covering the entire visible spectrum is difficult to achieve using a single material. Metal halide perovskites have outstanding emission properties 2 , 3 ; however, the best-performing materials of this type contain lead and have unsatisfactory stability. Here we report a lead-free double perovskite that exhibits efficient and stable white-light emission via self-trapped excitons that originate from the Jahn–Teller distortion of the AgCl 6 octahedron in the excited state. By alloying sodium cations into Cs 2 AgInCl 6 , we break the dark transition (the inversion-symmetry-induced parity-forbidden transition) by manipulating the parity of the wavefunction of the self-trapped exciton and reduce the electronic dimensionality of the semiconductor 4 . This leads to an increase in photoluminescence efficiency by three orders of magnitude compared to pure Cs 2 AgInCl 6 . The optimally alloyed Cs 2 (Ag 0.60 Na 0.40 )InCl 6 with 0.04 per cent bismuth doping emits warm-white light with 86 ± 5 per cent quantum efficiency and works for over 1,000 hours. We anticipate that these results will stimulate research on single-emitter-based white-light-emitting phosphors and diodes for next-generation lighting and display technologies. After alloying with metal cations, a lead-free halide double perovskite shows stable performance and remarkably efficient white-light emission, with possible applications in lighting and display technologies.

α particles must be monitored to be managed as radioactive diagnostic agents or nuclear activity indicators. The new generation of perovskite detectors suffer from limited energy resolution, which affects spectroscopy and imaging applications. Here, we report that the solution-grown CsPbBr 3 crystal exhibits a low and stable dark current (34.6 nA·cm −2 at 200 V) by thinning the as-grown crystal to decrease the high concentration CsPb 2 Br 5 phase near the surface. The introduction of the Schottky electrode for the CsPbBr 3 detector further reduces the dark current and improves the high-temperature stability. An energy resolution of 6.9% is achieved with the commercial electronic system, while the effects of air scattering and absorption are investigated. Moreover, 1.1% energy resolution is recognized by a full-customized readout application-specific integrated circuit without any additional signal processing, which matches well with the given parameters of the CsPbBr 3 detector by reducing the parasitic capacitance and electronic noise. By developing a synergistic strategy of thinning the perovskite crystal, employing Schottky electrode and full-customised readout application specific integrated circuit to supress dark current and electronic noise, the authors report an energy resolution of 1.1% for perovskite α-particle detector.

Half-Heuslers emerged as promising candidates for medium- and high-temperature thermoelectric power generation. However, polycrystalline half-Heuslers inevitably suffer from the defect-dominated scattering of electrons that greatly limits the optimization of their electronic properties. Herein, high-quality TiCoSb-based single-crystals with a dimension above 1 cm have been obtained. Benefitting from the improved electron mobility, an average power factor of ~37 μW cm −1 K −2 in the temperature range between 307 and 973 K has been realized in the n-type single-crystalline Ti 1- x Nb x CoSb. In addition, Hf alloying results in the expansion of the weighted scattering phase space and enhances the anharmonic scattering rate, thereby effectively suppressing the lattice thermal conductivity. Eventually, co-doping of Nb/Ta and alloying of Hf effectively elevate the thermoelectric performance of TiCoSb single crystal, and a peak zT above 1.0 has been realized, which outperforms the previously reported polycrystalline (Ti, Zr, Hf)CoSb-based and ZrCoBi-based materials. Importantly, a single leg of TiCoSb-based single crystals exhibits a heat-to-electricity energy conversive efficiency of ~10.2% at a temperature difference of 700 K. Here, our findings reveal the promise of TiCoSb-based single crystals for thermoelectric power generation, and can potentially guide the future explorations of other single-crystalline half-Heuslers. The authors obtain the TiCoSb-based single-crystals with a dimension exceeding 1 cm, leading to an extraordinary enhancement in electron mobility and consequently, an average power factor of 37 W cm −1  K −2 in the Nb-doped TiCoSb single-crystal.

Sorafenib (SOR), an inhibitor of multiple kinases, is a classic targeted drug for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) which often coexists with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Dapagliflozin (DAPA), a sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), is widely used in patients with T2DM. Notably, co-administration of SOR with DAPA is common in clinical settings. Uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A9 (UGT1A9) is involved in the metabolism of SOR and dapagliflozin (DAPA), and SOR is the inhibitor of UGT1A1 and UGT1A9 (in vitro). Therefore, changes in UGT1A9 activity caused by SOR may lead to pharmacokinetic interactions between the two drugs. The objective of the current study was to develop an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method for the simultaneous determination of SOR and DAPA in plasma and to evaluate the effect of the co-administration of SOR and DAPA on their individual pharmacokinetic properties and the mechanism involved. The rats were divided into four groups: SOR (100 mg/kg) alone and co-administered with DAPA (1 mg/kg) for seven days, and DAPA (1 mg/kg) alone and co-administered with SOR (100 mg/kg) for seven days. Liquid–liquid extraction (LLE) was performed for plasma sample preparation, and the chromatographic separation was conducted on Waters XSelect HSS T3 column with a gradient elution of 0.1% formic acid and 5 mM ammonium acetate (Phase A) and acetonitrile (Phase B). The levels of Ugt1a7 messenger RNA (mRNA) were determined in rat liver and intestine using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The method was successfully applied to the study of pharmacokinetic interactions. DAPA caused a significant decrease in the maximum plasma concentrations (Cmax) and the area under the plasma concentration–time curves (AUC0–t) of SOR by 41.6% and 50.5%, respectively, while the apparent volume of distribution (Vz/F) and apparent clearance (CLz/F) significantly increased 2.85- and 1.98-fold, respectively. When co-administering DAPA with SOR, the AUC0–t and the elimination half-life (t1/2Z) of DAPA significantly increased 1.66- and 1.80-fold, respectively, whereas the CLz/F significantly decreased by 40%. Results from qRT-PCR showed that, compared with control, seven days of SOR pretreatment decreased Ugt1a7 expression in both liver and intestine tissue. In contrast, seven days of DAPA pretreatment decreased Ugt1a7 expression only in liver tissue. Therefore, pharmacokinetic interactions exist between long-term use of SOR with DAPA, and UGT1A9 may be the targets mediating the interaction. Active surveillance for the treatment outcomes and adverse reactions are required.

Under the background of energy conservation and emission reduction, how to rationally and scientifically utilize the non-renewable resources of northeastern farmland is particularly important. In this study, the carbon emission coefficient method is used to select six major carbon sources with energy consumption, including energy consumption in the process of fertilizer production, agricultural machinery use, irrigation, and agricultural waste treatment, to measure the spatial and temporal carbon emissions from the utilization of farmland resources in Northeast China during 2012–2021. A gray prediction model is constructed to predict the carbon emissions from the utilization of farmland resources in the next 10 years, and the logarithmic mean Divisia index model is used to analyze the effects of the various influencing factors on the carbon emissions from farmland utilization. The results show the following: (1) Between 2012 and 2021, carbon emissions from farmland use in Northeast China show a fluctuating development trend of rising and then falling, and the distribution of carbon emissions within the region is characterized by a decreasing trend of “high-middle-low” from the north to the south. (2) Carbon emissions from farmland use in the next 10 years will maintain a gently decreasing trend. (3) The industrial structure of farmland, the level of economic development and the level of urbanization play a contributing role in carbon emissions. The industrial structure of farmland, the level of economic development, and the level of urbanization contribute to carbon emissions from the use of farmland resources. (4) The efficiency of farmland use, the regional industrial structure, and the size of the labor force inhibit the carbon emissions from the use of farmland. This study provides a scientific basis and strategic recommendations for optimizing the use of farmland resources, adjusting the structure of energy use, and realizing the balanced development of land and energy resources under the goal of energy conservation and emission reduction in Northeast China.

Aerobic denitrifying bacteria can effectively cope with the challenge of dissolving nitrogen in wastewater. High-performance aerobic denitrifying bacteria were isolated using the plate streaking method and subsequently evaluated and identified based on nitrate removal efficiency, nitrite accumulation, growth characteristics, morphological analysis, and 16S rRNA sequencing. Results showed that strain N7 achieved a nitrate removal rate of 92.53% at 15 °C, with a maximum removal rate of 28.15 mg·L−1·h−1. Molecular identification confirmed this strain as Rhizobium pusense N7. Optimization experiments established the ideal conditions for Rhizobium pusense N7: sodium succinate as the carbon source, C/N ratio of 15:1, temperature at 30 °C, shaking speed at 100 rpm·min−1, and initial pH of 7.0. During the application process, Rhizobium pusense N7 demonstrated efficient nitrogen removal, eliminating 18.3% of nitrate, 71.5% of ammonia nitrogen, and 26.9% of total nitrogen (TN) from aquaculture wastewater within 24 h. This study offers a promising solution for the biological treatment of wastewater under low-temperature conditions.

Coal, as one of the most economic and abundant energy sources, remains the leading fuel for producing electricity worldwide. Yet, burning coal produces more global warming CO 2 relative to all other fossil fuels, and it is a major contributor to atmospheric particulate matter known to have a deleterious respiratory and cardiovascular impact in humans, especially in China and India. Here we have discovered that burning coal also produces large quantities of otherwise rare Magnéli phases (Ti x O 2 x –1 with 4 ≤  x  ≤ 9) from TiO 2 minerals naturally present in coal. This provides a new tracer for tracking solid-state emissions worldwide from industrial coal-burning. In its first toxicity testing, we have also shown that nanoscale Magnéli phases have potential toxicity pathways that are not photoactive like TiO 2 phases, but instead seem to be biologically active without photostimulation. In the future, these phases should be thoroughly tested for their toxicity in the human lung. Solid-state emissions from coal burning remain an environmental concern. Here, the authors have found that TiO2 minerals present in coal are converted into titanium suboxides during burning, and initial biotoxicity screening suggests that further testing is needed to look into human lung consequences.

Lenvatinib is a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that inhibits tumor angiogenesis, but hypertension is the most common adverse reaction. Telmisartan is an angiotensin receptor blocker used to treat hypertension. In this study, a simple ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the simultaneous determination of lenvatinib and telmisartan, and it was applied to the pharmacokinetic drug interaction study. Plasma samples were treated with acetonitrile to precipitate protein. Water (containing 5 mM of ammonium acetate and 0.1% formic acid) and acetonitrile (0.1% formic acid) were used as the mobile phases to separate the analytes with gradient elution using a column XSelect HSS T3 (2.1 mm × 100 mm, 2.5 μm). Multiple reaction monitoring in the positive ion mode was used for quantification. The method was validated and the precision, accuracy, matrix effect, recovery, and stability of this method were reasonable. The determination of analytes was not interfered with by other substances in the blank plasma, and the calibration curves of lenvatinib and telmisartan were linear within the range of 0.2–1000 ng/mL and 0.1–500 ng/mL, respectively. The results indicate that lenvatinib decreased the systemic exposure of telmisartan. Potential drug interactions were observed between lenvatinib and telmisartan.