Structural effects on the luminescence properties of CsPbI3 nanocrystals

Metal halide perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are promising for photovoltaic and light-emitting applications. Due to the softness of their crystal lattice, structural modifications have a critical impact on their optoelectronic properties. Here we investigate the size-dependent optoelectronic properties of CsPbI3 NCs ranging from 7 to 17 nm, employing temperature and pressure as thermodynamic variables to modulate the energetics of the system and selectively tune the interatomic distances. By temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy, we have found that luminescence quenching channels exhibit increased non-radiative losses and weaker exciton-phonon coupling in bigger particles, in turn affecting the luminescence efficiency. Through pressure-dependent measurements up to 2.5 GPa, supported by XRD characterization, we revealed a NC-size dependent solid-solid phase transition from the γ-phase to the δ-phase. Importantly, the optical response to these structural changes strongly depends on the size of the NC. Our findings provide an interesting guideline to correlate the size and structural and optoelectronic properties of CsPbI3 NCs, important for engineering the functionalities of this class of soft semiconductors

Photoluminescence Intensity Enhancement in Tin Halide Perovskites

The prevalence of background hole doping in tin halide perovskites usually dominates their recombination dynamics. The addition of excess Sn halide source to the precursor solution is the most frequently used approach to reduce the hole doping and reveals photo-carrier dynamics related to defects activity. This study presents an experimental and theoretical investigation on defects under light irradiation in tin halide perovskites by combining measurements of photoluminescence with first principles computational modeling. It finds that tin perovskite thin films prepared with an excess of Sn halide sources exhibit an enhancement of the photoluminescence intensity over time under continuous excitation in inert atmosphere. The authors propose a model in which light irradiation promotes the annihilation of VSn2−/Sni2+ Frenkel pairs, reducing the deep carrier trapping centers associated with such defect and increasing the radiative recombination. Importantly, these observations can be traced in the open-circuit voltage dynamics of tin-based halide perovskite solar cells, implying the relevance of controlling the Sn photochemistry to stabilize tin perovskite devices

The Prevalence of Obesity among School Students and its Relation to Dietary and Physical Habits

BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that unhealthy food practices and lack of exercise are the main cause of the progressive increase in the obesity prevalence. AIM: We aim to assess the prevalence of obesity among school students and its relationship to dietary and physical habits. METHODS: A cross-sectional study from 18 intermediate and high schools located in Taif, Saudi Arabia, between April 2014 and June 2015. We excluded any student with a psychological disease or chronic diseases. We calculated the body mass index (BMI) of students by measuring their height and weight. Dietary, physical, sleep habits, and socioeconomic status were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 2943 students participated with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.7 years. The majority of these were boys and attending government schools with a mean BMI 22.7 ± 8.6 kg/m2. Overall, 13.6% were overweight and 12.8% were obese. One-third of students report a sedentary lifestyle. Compared to girls, boys were more likely to have lower BMI (p < 0.001), be overweight (p < 0.001), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), own electronic devices other than smartphone (p < 0.001), use the electronic devices <3 h/day (p = 0.007), eat their meals with their family (p < 0.001), eat fruits and vegetables daily (p < 0.05), exercise for >300 min/week (p < 0.001), and walk to and from school at least once weekly (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A quarter of the students were either overweight or obese. Girls were more likely to be obese with less favorable socioeconomic, media consumption, dietary, and physical profiles

Lasing in Two-Dimensional Tin Perovskites

Two-dimensional (2D) perovskites have been proposed as materials capable of improving the stability and surpassing the radiative recombination efficiency of three-dimensional perovskites. However, their luminescent properties have often fallen short of what has been expected. In fact, despite attracting considerable attention for photonic applications during the last two decades, lasing in 2D perovskites remains unclear and under debate. Here, we were able to improve the optical gain properties of 2D perovskite and achieve optically pumped lasing. We show that the choice of the spacer cation affects the defectivity and photostability of the perovskite, which in turn influences its optical gain. Based on our synthetic strategy, we obtain PEA2SnI4 films with high crystallinity and favorable optical properties, resulting in amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) with a low threshold (30 μJ/cm2), a high optical gain above 4000 cm-1 at 77 K, and ASE operation up to room temperature

Effect of electronic doping and traps on carrier dynamics in tin halide perovskites

Tin halide perovskites have recently emerged as promising materials for low band gap solar cells. Much effort has been invested on controlling the limiting factors responsible for poor device efficiencies, namely self-p-doping and tin oxidation. Both phenomena are related to the presence of defects; however, full understanding of their implications in the optoelectronic properties of the material is still missing. We provide a comprehensive picture of the competing radiative and non-radiative recombination processes in tin-based perovskite thin films to establish the interplay between doping and trapping by combining photoluminescence measurements with trapped-carrier dynamic simulations and first-principles calculations. We show that pristine Sn perovskites, i.e. sample processed with commercially available SnI2 used as received, exhibit extremely high radiative efficiency due to electronic doping which boosts the radiative band-to-band recombination. Contrarily, thin films where Sn4+ species are intentionally introduced show drastically reduced radiative lifetime and efficiency due to a dominance of Auger recombination at all excitation densities when the material is highly doped. The introduction of SnF2 reduces the doping and passivates Sn4+ trap states but conversely introduces additional non-radiative decay channels in the bulk that fundamentally limit the radiative efficiency. Overall, we provide a qualitative model that takes into account different types of traps present in tin-perovskite thin films and show how doping and defects can affect the optoelectronic properties

Variation in postoperative outcomes of patients with intracranial tumors: insights from a prospective international cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: This study assessed the international variation in surgical neuro-oncology practice and 30-day outcomes of patients who had surgery for an intracranial tumor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We prospectively included adults aged ≥18 years who underwent surgery for a malignant or benign intracranial tumor across 55 international hospitals from 26 countries. Each participating hospital recorded cases for 3 consecutive months from the start of the pandemic. We categorized patients’ location by World Bank income groups (high [HIC], upper-middle [UMIC], and low- and lower-middle [LLMIC]). Main outcomes were a change from routine management, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 30-day mortality. We used a Bayesian multilevel logistic regression stratified by hospitals and adjusted for key confounders to estimate the association between income groups and mortality. Results: Among 1016 patients, the number of patients in each income group was 765 (75.3%) in HIC, 142 (14.0%) in UMIC, and 109 (10.7%) in LLMIC. The management of 200 (19.8%) patients changed from usual care, most commonly delayed surgery. Within 30 days after surgery, 14 (1.4%) patients had a COVID-19 diagnosis and 39 (3.8%) patients died. In the multivariable model, LLMIC was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 2.83, 95% credible interval 1.37–5.74) compared to HIC. Conclusions: The first wave of the pandemic had a significant impact on surgical decision-making. While the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 30 days after surgery was low, there was a disparity in mortality between countries and this warrants further examination to identify any modifiable factors

Infrared spectroscopy of Ca(NH3)n complexes

Infrared spectra of Ca(NH3)n complexes in the gas phase have been recorded for the first time. The spectra are consistent with structures where the Ca atom resides inside one or more solvation shells of NH3 molecules. IR spectra were recorded using a photodissociation technique. A comparison of the spectra with those predicted from ab initio calculations suggests that Ca(NH3)8 has all NH3 molecules in a single solvent shell around the Ca atom, whereas the spectra of Ca(NH3)9 and Ca(NH3)10 are consistent with two-shell structures

Electrochemical detection and quantification of catechol based on a simple and sensitive poly(riboflavin) modified carbon nanotube paste electrode

In the present research work, selective and sensitive catechol (CT) detection and quantification were shown in the presence of resorcinol (RS) in 0.2 M phosphate buffer (PB) solution by preparing a low-cost, simple, and green carbon nanotube paste electrode (CNTPE) surface activated with electropolymerized riboflavin (PRF). The morphological, conductivity, and electrochemical features of the modified electrode (PRFMCNTPE) and bare carbon nanotube paste electrode (BCNTPE) materials were analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The PRF-activated electrode displays outstanding sensitivity, stability, selectivity, reproducibility, and repeatability for the redox feature of CT with improved electrochemical current and declined electrochemical potential compared to BCNTPE. The peak currents of CT are correlated to the different CT concentrations (CV method: 6.0–60.0 μM & DPV method: 0.5–7.0 μM), and the obtained detection limit (DL) and quantification limit (QL) are found to be 0.025 μM and 0.085 μM (CV method) and 0.0039 μM and 0.0132 μM (DPV method), respectively. The prepared PRFMCNTPE material was advantageous for the examination of CT in environmentally important tap water sample as a real-time application

Electroanalytical Detection of Indigo Carmine in Presence of Tartrazine Using a Poly(dl-phenylalanine) Modified Carbon Nanotube Paste Electrode

Certain dyes are deleterious to the biological system, including animals and plants living in the water sources, soil sources, and so on. Thus, the analysis of these dyes requires a potent, quick, and cost-effective approach to the environmental samples. The present research work shows a modest, low-cost, and eco-friendly electrochemical device based on poly(dl-phenylalanine)-layered carbon nanotube paste electrode (P(PAN)LCNTPE) material for indigo carmine (ICN) detection in the presence of tartrazine. The cyclic voltammetric, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic methods were operated for the detection of the redox nature of ICN and electrode material surface activities, respectively. In better operational circumstances, P(PAN)LCNTPE provided better catalytic activity for the redox action of ICN than the bare carbon nanotube paste electrode. The P(PAN)LCNTPE showed good electrochemical activity during the variation of ICN concentrations ranging from 0.2 µM to 10.0 µM with improved peak current, and the limit of detection was about 0.0216 µM. Moreover, the P(PAN)LCNTPE material was performed as a sensor of ICN in a tap water sample and shows adequate stability, repeatability, and reproducibility

Electroanalytical Detection of Indigo Carmine in Presence of Tartrazine Using a Poly(dl-phenylalanine) Modified Carbon Nanotube Paste Electrode

Certain dyes are deleterious to the biological system, including animals and plants living in the water sources, soil sources, and so on. Thus, the analysis of these dyes requires a potent, quick, and cost-effective approach to the environmental samples. The present research work shows a modest, low-cost, and eco-friendly electrochemical device based on poly(dl-phenylalanine)-layered carbon nanotube paste electrode (P(PAN)LCNTPE) material for indigo carmine (ICN) detection in the presence of tartrazine. The cyclic voltammetric, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic methods were operated for the detection of the redox nature of ICN and electrode material surface activities, respectively. In better operational circumstances, P(PAN)LCNTPE provided better catalytic activity for the redox action of ICN than the bare carbon nanotube paste electrode. The P(PAN)LCNTPE showed good electrochemical activity during the variation of ICN concentrations ranging from 0.2 µM to 10.0 µM with improved peak current, and the limit of detection was about 0.0216 µM. Moreover, the P(PAN)LCNTPE material was performed as a sensor of ICN in a tap water sample and shows adequate stability, repeatability, and reproducibility