Structure, Optical Absorption, and Performance of Organic Solar Cells Improved by Gold Nanoparticles in Buffer Layers.

11-Mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA)-stabilized gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) embedded in copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) were used as a buffer layer between a poly(3-hexyl-thiophene) (P3HT)/[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) bulk heterojunction and anodic indium-tin oxide (ITO) substrate. As systematic synchrotron-based grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) experiments demonstrated that the AuNPs present in the buffer layer can improve the microstructure of the active layer with a better lamella packing of P3HT from the surface to the interior, UV-visible absorption spectrum measurements revealed enhanced optical absorption due to the localized surface plasma resonance (LSPR) generated by the AuNPs. The device of ITO/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate/CuPc:MUA-stabilized AuNPs/P3HT:PCBM/LiF/Al was found with over 24% enhancement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) in comparison with reference devices without AuNPs. This remarkable improvement in PCE should be partially attributed to LSPR generated by the AuNPs and partially to improved crystallization as well as preferred orientation order of P3HT due to the presence of the AuNPs, which would promote more applications of metal NPs in the organic photovoltaic devices and other organic multilayer devices.

Design and synthesis of novel 2'-hydroxy group substituted 2-pyridone derivatives as anticancer agents.

We have synthesized a series of novel 2-pyridone derivatives with 1,2,3-triazole and evaluated their anti-tumor activities in vitro. The bioassays showed that the majority of the resultant compounds exerted inhibitory effects on six human cancer cell lines to various extents. In particular, compound 10k showed the best anti-tumor activities (IC50 values of A549, HeLa and SW480 cancer cell lines were 0.86 ± 0.17 µM, 0.54 ± 0.23 µM and 0.21 ± 0.13 µM, respectively).

Design and synthesis of cyclopropylamide analogues of combretastatin-A4 as novel microtubule-stabilizing agents.

A series of novel cyclopropylamide analogues of combretastatin-A4 (CA-4) were designed and synthesized. Most of them had significant in vitro antiproliferative activities, particularly for compounds 7i4, 7c4, 8a4, and 8c4. Moreover, compound 8c4 was also equally potent against paclitaxel resistant cancer cells. Interestingly, the novel cyclopropylamide analogues had different binding mechanisms from CA-4. Instead of inhibiting tubulin polymerization, these CA-4 derivatives were able to stimulate tubulin polymerization. Flow cytometry revealed that compound 8c4 arrested A549 cancer cells in the G2/M phase and resulted in cellular apoptosis. Further immunofluorescence assays revealed that compound 8c4 induced mitotic arrest in A549 cells through disrupting microtubule dynamics. In addition, compound 8c4 also effectively inhibited the tumor growth in the A549 xenograft model without causing significant loss of body weight. Compound 8c4 represents a novel class of microtubule-stabilizing agent and can be used as a promising lead for the development of new antitumor agents.

Convenient synthesis of novel geiparvarin analogs with potential anti-cancer activity via click chemistry.

Based on the advantages of natural products in new anti-cancer drug development, we synthesized a series of novel benzopyran-4-one derivatives and evaluated their in vitro anti-cancer activities. The bioassays showed that the majority of the resultant compounds exerted anti-tumor effect against six human cancer cell lines to various extents, which supported the rationale of the design. Compound 5s exhibited highest potency of all the synthesized compounds.

Synthesis of novel 2, 5-dihydrofuran derivatives and evaluation of their anticancer activity.

According to metal-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction, we synthesized a series of novel 2, 5-dihydrofuran derivatives and evaluated their in vitro anti-cancer activities via MTT method. The bioassay showed that the majority of the resultant compounds exerted anti-tumor effect against four human cancer cell lines to various extents, which supported the rationale of the design. Compounds 9e and 10g showed the highest activity with broad anti-cancer spectrum, which were good candidates for further evaluation.

Synthesis and anti-tumor activity of novel ethyl 3-aryl-4-oxo-3,3a,4,6-tetrahydro-1H-furo[3,4-c]pyran-3a-carboxylates.

A series of ethyl 3-aryl-4-oxo-3,3a,4,6-tetrahydro-1H-furo[3,4-c]pyran-3a-carboxylates were prepared through the metal-catalyzed domino reaction of alkylidene malonates and 1,4-butynediol under a one-pot reaction condition at room temperature. Their in vitro anti-proliferative activities were subsequently evaluated in A549, QGY and HeLa cells. The majority of the compounds showed potent anti-tumor activity against HeLa cells. In particular, compound 3l was the most potent compound with IC(50) value of 5.4 µM. For the first time, the X-ray structure of the anti-tumor ethyl 3-aryl-4-oxo-3,3a,4,6-tetrahydro-1H-furo[3,4-c]pyran-3a-carboxylates is determined.