C-Reactive Protein Sensor Based on Porous Silicon Bragg Stack Interferometers.

Bio-functionalized nanomaterials represent the cutting-edge research for a sensing biomolecules in nano-systems. Their physicochemical properties of porous silicon bring along advantages in sensing applications. Here, a modified biosensor based on the anti-C-reactive protein-modified porous silicon Bragg stack interferometer was developed to detect C-reactive protein. The SEM images of the surface and cross-sectional views of the Bragg stack porous silicon exhibited the pore sizes in the 10-20 nm range. The fabrication, optical characterization, and surface derivatization of the interferometer were also reported. This sensor was assessed by measuring the reflection peaks in the white light reflection spectrum. As a result, molecular binding was detected as a shift in the wavelength of these reflection peaks. In addition, a dramatic decrease in the reflectivity was observed in the reflectivity spectrum within 10 s, thereby indicating a C-reactive protein detection limit of 100 pM.

Fast Curable Polysiloxane-Silphenylene Hybrimer with High Transparency and Refractive Index for Optical Applications.

In this study, a fast curable polysiloxane-silphenylene hybrimer (PSH) was synthesized by the nonhydrolytic sol-gel condensation of phenyl-vinyl-oligosiloxane (PVO) and tris(dimethylhydrosilyl)benzene (TDMSB) under a Pt catalyst to investigate its optical property and thermal stability. The combination of PVO and tripod-type TDMSB results in a hybrimer with a fast curing time of 30 min. The PSH exhibited a high refractive index of 1.60, 1.59, and 1.58 at 450, 520, and 635 nm, respectively. High transmittance of 97% at 450 nm was obtained. The PSH exhibited a very high transmittance of 97% before thermal aging. The high optical transmittance of the PSH was only slightly decreased by 0.5% of the transmittance at 180 °C for 72 h after thermal aging, and high transparency was maintained almost constant even after 72 h of high-temperature treatment.

Efficient Hole-Transporting Materials with Triazole Core for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells.

Efficient hole-transporting materials (HTMs), TAZ-[MeOTPA]2 and TAZ-[MeOTPATh]2 incorporating two electron-rich diphenylamino side arms, through direct linkage or thiophen bridges, respectively, on the C3- and C5-positions of a 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazole core were synthesized. These synthetic HTMs with donor-acceptor type molecular structures exhibited effective intramolecular charge transfer for improving the hole-transporting properties. The structural modification of HTMs by thiophene bridging might increase intermolecular π-π stacking in the solid state and afford a better spectral response because of their increased π-conjugation length. Perovskite-based cells using TAZ-[MeOTPA]2 and TAZ-[MeOTPATh]2 as HTMs afforded high power conversion efficiencies of 10.9 % and 14.4 %, respectively, showing a photovoltaic performance comparable to that obtained using spiro-OMeTAD. These synthetically simple and inexpensive HTMs hold promise for replacing the more expensive spiro-OMeTAD in high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.