Performance analyses of highly efficient inverted all-perovskite bilayer solar cell.

Numerical simulation of an all-perovskite bilayer solar cell has been conducted by the SCAPS-1D. The presented structure employs MAPbI3 as a relatively wide bandgap (1.55 eV) top absorber and FA0.5MA0.5Pb0.5Sn0.5I3 as a narrow bandgap (1.25 eV) bottom absorber. The viability of the proposed design is accomplished in two steps. First, to validate this study, two inverted solar cells in standalone conditions are simulated and calibrated to fit previously reported state-of-the-art results. Second, both these devices are appraised for the bilayer configuration to boost their performances. Affecting parameters such as the thickness of perovskite absorbers, the work function of front and rear contacts, and the effect of temperature have been studied because solar cells are temperature-sensitive devices, and also carrier concentration and their mobility get overwhelmingly influenced as temperature increases. It is manifested that using bilayer structures could easily widen the absorption spectrum to the near-infrared region and significantly enhance the performance of the device which is mainly affected by the thickness of the FA0.5MA0.5Pb0.5Sn0.5I3 layer. Also, it has been found that the work function of the front contact has a prominent role with its optimal values being above 5 eV. Finally, the optimized inverted all-perovskite bilayer solar cell delivers a power conversion efficiency of 24.83%, fill factor of 79.4%, open circuit voltage of 0.9 V, and short circuit current density of 34.76 mA/cm2 at 275 K and a thickness of 100 nm and 600 nm for MAPbI3 and FA0.5MA0.5Pb0.5Sn0.5I3, respectively.

Photonic crystal based biosensors: Emerging inverse opals for biomarker detection.

Photonic crystal (PC)-based inverse opal (IO) arrays are one of the substrates for label-free sensing mechanism. IO-based materials with their advanced and ordered three-dimensional microporous structures have recently found attractive optical sensor and biological applications in the detection of biomolecules like proteins, DNA, viruses, etc. The unique optical and structural properties of IO materials can simplify the improvements in non-destructive optical study capabilities for point of care testing (POCT) used within a wide variety of biosensor research. In this review, which is an interdisciplinary investigation among nanotechnology, biology, chemistry and medical sciences, the recent fabrication methodologies and the main challenges regarding the application of (inverse opals) IOs in terms of their bio-sensing capability are summarized.

A Protocol for Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy in Mice.

Transcranial photobiomodulation is a potential innovative noninvasive therapeutic approach for improving brain bioenergetics, brain function in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, and memory enhancement in age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases. We describe a laboratory protocol for transcranial photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) in mice. Aged BALB/c mice (18 months old) are treated with a 660 nm laser transcranially, once daily for 2 weeks. Laser transmittance data shows that approximately 1% of the incident red light on the scalp reaches a 1 mm depth from the cortical surface, penetrating the dorsal hippocampus. Treatment outcomes are assessed by two methods: a Barnes maze test, which is a hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory task evaluation, and measuring hippocampal ATP levels, which is used as a bioenergetics index. The results from the Barnes task show an enhancement of the spatial memory in laser-treated aged mice when compared with age-matched controls. Biochemical analysis after laser treatment indicates increased hippocampal ATP levels. We postulate that the enhancement of memory performance is potentially due to an improvement in hippocampal energy metabolism induced by the red laser treatment. The observations in mice could be extended to other animal models since this protocol could potentially be adapted to other species frequently used in translational neuroscience, such as rabbit, cat, dog, or monkey. Transcranial photobiomodulation is a safe and cost-effective modality which may be a promising therapeutic approach in age-related cognitive impairment.

Improved edge detection in computational ghost imaging by introducing orbital angular momentum.

The effect of orbital angular momentum (OAM) on computational ghost imaging (CGI) with a classical or thermal source is investigated. Application of the OAM on the phase of object light is shown to enhance edge formation in the constructed image. Ghost image (GI) formation by the correlation of object and reference beams with and without OAM is studied theoretically and experimentally. In both approaches, it is confirmed that employing OAM results in higher values for visibility and contrast-to-noise ratio. Despite lowered signal-to-noise ratios in the introduced method, edge detection shows considerable enhancement over that of CGI. Additionally, compared with the previous methods for edge detection in the GI, we also show that the introduced OAM method requires lower shot numbers for image construction.

Improved edge detection in computational ghost imaging by introducing orbital angular momentum: publisher's note.

This publisher's note corrects a typographical error in Appl. Opt.57, 9609 (2018)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.57.009609.

High quality computational ghost imaging using multi-fluorescent screen.

An alternative scheme for improvement of computational ghost imaging (GI) features is proposed based on a three-color fluorescent screen. While a monochrome fluorescent screen does not enhance the quality of ghost images in comparison with the ordinary GI technique, employment of a multi-fluorescent screen can be very effective. It is shown that the visibility, signal to noise ratio (SNR), and contrast to noise ratio (CNR) of the resultant ghost images are improved when a multi-fluorescent screen is used. In particular, the results prove 65%, 36%, and 95% improvement for visibility, SNR, and CNR over 2000 shots, respectively. Also shown is the possibility of reconstructing ghost images over a reduced number of shots (as small as 25) by increasing the number of colors on the screen, whereas ordinary GI is not possible with such a small number of shots. The results from simulations are checked with conducted experiments, and a good agreement between them is observed.

Cognitive ability experiment with photosensitive organic molecular thin films.

We present an optical experiment which permits us to evaluate the information exchange necessary to self-induce cooperatively a well-organized pattern in a randomly activated molecular assembly. A low-power coherent beam carrying polarization and wavelength information is used to organize a surface relief grating on a photochromic polymer thin film which is photoactivated by a powerful incoherent beam. We demonstrate experimentally that less than 1% of the molecules possessing information cooperatively transmit it to the entire photoactivated polymer film.

Nonlocal communication with photoinduced structures at the surface of a polymer film.

Nonlocal communication between two laser light beams is experimented in a photochromic polymer thin films. Information exchange between the beams is mediated by the self-induction of a surface relief pattern. The exchanged information is related to the pitch and orientation of the grating. Both are determined by the incident beam. The process can be applied to experiment on a new kind of logic gates.