ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces最新文献

At present, hydrothermal deposition techniques are unique to attain high-efficiency antimony sulfide (Sb₂S₃) solar cells. It is very common that during the mixing of antimony and sulfur sources before the hydrothermal reaction, the solution quickly changes from colorless to yellow due to the formation of amorphous Sb₂S₃ particles. However, the effect of presynthesized Sb₂S₃ particles on the deposition kinetics of Sb₂S₃ absorber layers and the device performance is completely unknown. To pave the pathway toward high-efficiency Sb₂S₃ solar cells, it is urgent to disclose the mechanism behind such a phenomenon. By accurately controlling the number and size of presynthesized Sb₂S₃ particles in the hydrothermal precursor solution, it was found that the suspended Sb₂S₃ particles act as growth centers, facilitating the orderly deposition of the Sb₂S₃ film on the substrate, which in turn affects the film's thickness, grain size, densification, and crystallinity. Based on this finding, the Sb₂S₃ solar cell with an efficiency of 7.29% is achieved, which is currently one of the highest fundamental efficiency obtained for Sb₂S₃ prepared by hydrothermal methods without doping. This study lays the groundwork for investigating the growth mechanism of Sb₂S₃ produced by hydrothermal deposition techniques and provides guidelines for the preparation of high-efficiency Sb₂S₃ solar cells.

Stacked semiconducting nanosheets (SSNs), which feature strong in-plane covalent bonds but weak van der Waals (vdWs) interactions between adjacent layers, hold substantial promise in next-generation, printable, and flexible devices. Among them, SSN-based transistors with high current multiplication offer significant potential for large-area, high-integration electronics and biomedical applications. However, the three-terminal configuration of the transistor inevitably increases the process step and power unit. Here, we demonstrate a dual-terminal ion modulation multiplier (IMM) based on ion-doped SSNs, which was obtained through a solution-processed and cost-effective method. We observed an ion-induced self-multiplication effect occurring in the IMM, which significantly enhanced the sensing performance, particularly in thermal sensing. The IMM thermal sensor exhibited a high resolution of 0.02 K and ultrahigh sensitivity of ∼27%/K, more than 7 times higher than that of ion-type thermal sensors. By combining the enhanced operational stability of IMMs, we successfully developed a dual-channel stretchable respiratory sensor (dSRS) based on IMMs, capable of real-time monitoring of subnasal respiratory signals. The dSRS effectively distinguished normal, rapid, and deep breathing states while accurately detecting abnormal respiration, including apnea and hypopnea. Utilizing the unique properties of IMMs, we developed a monolithically integrated and high-performance IMM glucose sensor with temperature compensation. This IMM glucose sensor demonstrated a high sensitivity of 0.91%/μM, a low detection limit of 100 nM, and a high detection accuracy under temperature interference. Our results clearly demonstrate that IMM devices endow SSNs with promising electrical and sensing capabilities, paving the way for next-generation electronics in the post-Moore era.

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe mental disorders, affecting approximately 24 million people worldwide. Conventional treatments, such as drug-loaded implants and intramuscular injections, have several limitations, including pain during administration and the need for medical professionals to perform the procedure. In this study, a poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA)-based implantable microneedle patch (IMN) was developed for the transdermal delivery of risperidone (RIS) as a treatment for schizophrenia. RIS IMNs were prepared by sequentially casting gel-based formulations into microneedle (MN) molds. The patches were then characterized using microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy, as well as through evaluations of MN insertion and RIS release. A selected formulation was further tested by evaluating its cytocompatibility and its ability to deliver RIS in a rat animal model. The RIS IMN demonstrated excellent mechanical properties, successfully inserting up to 378 nm into model skin, which is crucial for effective transdermal drug delivery. A biocompatibility study using human dermal fibroblasts showed no cytotoxicity, with cell viability and proliferation being close to 100%. The optimized formulation achieved a sustained in vitro release over 7 days, while ex vivo skin deposition and permeation studies showed over 65% RIS delivery efficiency. In vivo animal studies confirmed that RIS IMNs maintained therapeutic plasma concentrations throughout the nine-day experiment, with C_max values of RIS and 9-OH RIS reaching 387.96 ± 194.02 and 139.89 ± 47.68 ng/mL at 6 and 96 h, respectively. In contrast, intramuscular injection showed a C_max of 1756.70 ± 246.06 and 1377.38 ± 160.78 ng/mL at 2 and 6 h but lost therapeutic effect after just 24 h. These findings suggest that RIS IMNs offer significant clinical benefits for patients with schizophrenia, providing prolonged therapeutic effects with a simple, self-administering drug delivery system, reducing the need for frequent medical interventions.

Although poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) films with high conductivity have been obtained through conventional organic solvent and acid treatment, their conductivity has not yet exceeded 10000 S/cm. In this paper, by combining blade-coating and treating with high concentration and volatilizable trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (CF₃SO₃H), PEDOT:PSS films with ultrahigh conductivity of 15143 S/cm, comparable to some metals, were prepared. Characterizations of morphology and structure indicate the formation of a perfectly continuous fibrous network structure, highly oriented crystallization, and tightly packed π-π stacking of PEDOT chains after removing a vast amount of PSS, which contributes to boosting the electrical conductivity of the treated PEDOT:PSS film. The distinguished electrical properties and ultrahigh conductivity enable it to replace metal materials as electrodes for "all-polymer" capacitive piezoelectric sensors with outstanding pressure sensitivity. Moreover, by regulating the blade-coating condition, the CF₃SO₃H-treated PEDOT:PSS films exhibit excellent electrochemical performance, which is an ideal channel material in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). The CF₃SO₃H-treated PEDOT:PSS film-based OECT devices display a high transconductance of 50.6 ± 5.5 mS and carrier mobility of 9.3 ± 1.5 cm²V^-1s^-1. This study not only provides new insights into the development of a simple and efficient PEDOT:PSS film treatment method but also expands its application in flexible electronics. Especially, the present research offers a useful reference in preparing "all-polymer"-based flexible electronic devices.

Lead-free dielectric capacitors are widely utilized in high-power pulse devices due to their outstanding power density, rapid charging-discharging speed, and environmental friendliness. However, there are still challenges in further improving their energy storage performance. Recently, a high-entropy strategy has received widespread attention to obtain high-performance dielectric capacitors. In this work, Ba(Al_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃ (BAN) was introduced into lead-free (Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃-based ceramics to increase configuration entropy and chemical disorder, exploiting a synergistic high-entropy strategy to optimize the energy storage characteristics. Remarkably, superior energy storage density (W_rec ∼7.40 J/cm³) and efficiency (η ∼85.5%) at a great electric breakdown strength (E_b ∼547 kV/cm) are achieved in 0.85(0.6(Bi_0.5Na_0.5)TiO₃-0.4(Sr_0.7Bi_0.2)TiO₃)-0.15BAN high-entropy ceramic. The integration of BAN boosts the increase of entropy and induces grain refinement, strengthened relaxation behavior, formation of polar nanoregions, and a widened band gap, leading to reduced P_r and improved E_b as well as excellent energy storage performance. Moreover, good thermal stability, frequency stability, and charge-discharge performance are also realized. This study confirms that high-entropy engineering is a feasible route to realize high-performance energy storage, providing prospective lead-free dielectric materials for practical applications.

To suppress the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and dendrite formation on the Zn anode in aqueous Zn-ion batteries, a submicrometer In₂O₃ coating on the Zn anode (referred to as Zn@In₂O₃) was constructed via magnetron sputtering. Density functional theory (DFT) and experimental data show that the In₂O₃ coating suppresses the HER because of its weaker interactions with H* compared with Zn, inhibiting the Volmer step. At the same time, the In₂O₃ coating exhibits a moderate affinity for Zn*, higher than that on Zn but lower than that at the In₂O₃-Zn interface, thus facilitating the desolvation of the hydrated Zn²⁺ ions while promoting its deposition on the Zn substrate beneath the In₂O₃ coating. The resultant suppression of side reactions and dendrite growth significantly enhance the reversible plating/stripping of Zn. The optimized Zn@In₂O₃ stably cycles over 6400 h with a low voltage hysteresis of 9.5 mV at 1 mA cm^-2 and 1 mAh cm^-2 in symmetric cells. The average Coulombic efficiency of Zn plating/stripping is increased from 95.8 to 99.6% owing to the In₂O₃ coating. Moreover, when coupled with the Mn_0.15V₂O₅·nH₂O cathode, the Zn@In₂O₃ battery maintains a capacity retention of 78.6% after 2000 cycles at 5 A g^-1. This facile and economical modification of Zn anodes provides an idea for realizing the practical application of AZIBs.

Treating metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) and reducing the occurrence of MAFLD-associated liver cancer remain challenging. Two-dimensional (2D) tantalum carbide (Ta₄C₃) MXene nanozymes (MXenzymes) exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and have thus attracted considerable attention in the fields of oncology and engineering. However, the potential mechanism of action and bioactive properties of Ta₄C₃ in MAFLD remain uncertain. In our study, Ta₄C₃ not only inhibited lipid accumulation and disrupted lipid metabolism in hepatocytes but also reduced cell death caused by fatty acids by decreasing intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, which significantly promoted the polarization of M1 macrophages to M2 macrophages by alleviating oxidative stress and further suppressing inflammatory factor expression. In mice fed a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet, Ta₄C₃ reduced lipid accumulation, the infiltration of inflammatory cells, and liver cell apoptosis by modulating the cellular microenvironment through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Therefore, Ta₄C₃ can be used as a multifunctional bioactive material to alleviate hepatic steatosis and inflammation in individuals with MAFLD/metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) because of its robust antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.