Constructing tin oxides Interfacial Layer with Gradient Compositions for Efficient Perovskite/Silicon Tandem Solar Cells with Efficiency Exceeding 28.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth of conformal thin SnOx films on perovskite absorbers offers a promising method to improve carrier-selective contacts, enable sputter processing, and prevent humidity ingress toward high-performance tandem perovskite solar cells. However, the interaction between perovskite materials and reactive ALD precursor limits the process parameters of ALD-SnOx film and requires an additional fullerene layer. Here, it demonstrates that reducing the water dose to deposit SnOx can reduce the degradation effect upon the perovskite underlayer while increasing the water dose to promote the oxidization can improve the electrical properties. Accordingly, a SnOx buffer layer with a gradient composition structure is designed, in which the compositionally varying are achieved by gradually increasing the oxygen source during the vapor deposition from the bottom to the top layer. In addition, the gradient SnOx structure with favorable energy funnels significantly enhances carrier extraction, further minimizing its dependence on the fullerene layer. Its broad applicability for different perovskite compositions and various textured morphology is demonstrated. Notably, the design boosts the efficiencies of perovskite/silicon tandem cells (1.0 cm2) on industrially textured Czochralski (CZ) silicon to a certified efficiency of 28.0%.

Oxygen-Defect-Mediated ZnCr2O4/ZnIn2S4 Z-Scheme Heterojunction as Photocatalyst for Hydrogen Production and Wastewater Remediation.

Photocatalysis has long been considered a promising technology in green energy and environmental remediation. Since the poor performance of single components greatly limits the practical applications, the construction of heterostructures has become one of the most important technical means to improve the photocatalytic activity. In this work, based on the synthesis of oxygen-vacancy-rich ZnCr2O4 nanocrystals, ZnCr2O4/ZnIn2S4 composites are prepared via a low-temperature in situ growth, and the oxygen-vacancy-induced Z-scheme heterojunction is successfully constructed. The unique core-shell structure offers a tight interfacial contact, increases the specific surface area, and promotes the rapid charge transfer. Meanwhile, the oxygen-vacancy defect level not only enables wide-bandgap ZnCr2O4 to be excited by visible light enhancing the light absorption, but also provides necessary conditions for the construction of Z-scheme heterojunctions promoting charge separation and migration and allowing more reactive charges. The reaction rates of visible-light-driven photocatalytic hydrogen production (3.421 mmol g-1 h-1), hexavalent chromium reduction (0.124 min-1), and methyl orange degradation (0.067 min-1) of the composite reach 3.6, 6.5, and 8.4 times those of pure ZnIn2S4, and 15.8, 41.3, and 67.0 times those of pure ZnCr2O4, respectively. This work presents a novel option for constructing high-performance photocatalysts.

ARHGAP18 is a novel gene under positive natural selection that influences HbF levels in ß-thalassaemia.

Foetal haemoglobin (HbF) plays a dominant role in ameliorating the morbidity and mortality of ß-thalassaemia. A better understanding of the loci and genes involved in HbF expression would be beneficial for the treatment of ß-thalassaemia major. However, the genes associated with HbF expression remain largely unknown. In this study, we first explored large-scale data sets and examined the human genome for evidence of positive natural selection to screen out single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genetic analysis of HbF levels was conducted in a Chinese cohort of patients with ß-thalassaemia to confirm the bioinformatics results. A total of 1141 subjects with ß-thalassaemia were recruited. The results showed that the SNP rs11759328 in the ARHGAP18 gene was significantly associated with HbF levels (Ρ = 5.1 × 10-4). ARHGAP18 belongs to the RhoGAP family and controls angiogenesis, cellular morphology and motility. Second, after determining that ARHGAP18 was highly expressed in the human K562 cell line, we used lentiviral-mediated small interfering RNA to knock down ARHGAP18 expression and subsequently assessed cell proliferation and apoptosis using cell proliferation assays and flow cytometry, respectively. ARHGAP18 downregulation in K562 cells significantly increased HBG1/2 expression and apoptosis, but proliferation was not significantly affected in vitro. Our data suggest that ARHGAP18, which was located by the SNP rs11759328 via positive selection, plays a potential role in regulating HbF expression in ß-thalassaemia and may be a promising therapeutic target. Knockout studies of ARHGAP18 warrant further investigation into its aetiology in HbF.

[Analysis of HPA gene Polymorphisms in Children with Acute or Chronic ITP].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency distribution of human platelet antigen allele HPA-2 and HPA-15 among the pediatric patients with acute or chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in Chinese Guangxi area, and to explore the potential correlation of ITP with HPA-2 and HPA-15 gene polymorphisms. METHODS: The clinical and laboratorial data of 46 children diagnosed as acute ITP and 46 children diagnosed as chronic ITP between January 2007 and December 2014 were collected. Genotyping of HPA-2 and HPA-15 in 92 ITP patients and 48 healthy controls was performed by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with direct sequencing. RESULTS: The allele frequencies of HPA-2 and HPA-15 were significantly different among the acute, chronic and control groups; the allele frequencies were significantly different between the chronic ITP group and the control group (P<0.0167), while the difference was not statistically significant between the acute and chronic ITP groups as well as between the acute ITP and the control group (P>0.0167). CONCLUSION: The gene polymorphism of HPA-2 and HPA-15 may correlate with the risk of chronic ITP, but may not correlate with acute ITP in children.