Principles of Magnetic Hyperthermia: A Focus on Using Multifunctional Hybrid Magnetic Nanoparticles

Hyperthermia is a noninvasive method that uses heat for cancer therapy where high temperatures have a damaging effect on tumor cells. However, large amounts of heat need to be delivered, which could have negative effects on healthy tissues. Thus, to minimize the negative side effects on healthy cells, a large amount of heat must be delivered only to the tumor cells. Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) uses magnetic nanoparticles particles (MNPs) that are exposed to alternating magnetic field (AMF) to generate heat in local regions (tissues or cells). This cancer therapy method has several advantages, such as (a) it is noninvasive, thus requiring surgery, and (b) it is local, and thus does not damage health cells. However, there are several issues that need to achieved: (a) the MNPs should be biocompatible, biodegradable, with good colloidal stability (b) the MNPs should be successfully delivered to the tumor cells, (c) the MNPs should be used with small amounts and thus MNPs with large heat generation capabilities are required, (d) the AMF used to heat the MNPs should meet safety conditions with limited frequency and amplitude ranges, (e) the changes of temperature should be traced at the cellular level with accurate and noninvasive techniques, (f) factors affecting heat transport from the MNPs to the cells must be understood, and (g) the effect of temperature on the biological mechanisms of cells should be clearly understood. Thus, in this multidisciplinary field, research is needed to investigate these issues. In this report, we shed some light on the principles of heat generation by MNPs in AMF, the limitations and challenges of MH, and the applications of MH using multifunctional hybrid MNPs

Efficient electron transfer and reduced recombination with Nd:YAG laser scribing for high-efficiency quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

Inefficient charge transfer and charge recombination are critical but challenging issues that restrict the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of quantum-dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs). These issues must be addressed to boost the performance of QDSSCs. We present a novel Nd:YAG laser scribing treatment for fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate that reduces electron loss by reducing the moving distance of electrons and strongly inhibiting interfacial recombination processes in QDSSCs. Consequently, TiO2/CdS/CdSe/Mn-ZnSe QDSSCs on the Nd:YAG laser scribed FTO exhibited a PCE of 6.26% under 1 sun (100 mW cm(-2)) irradiation, while TiO2/CdS/CdSe/Mn-ZnSe QDSSCs on the FTO without Nd:YAG laser scribing exhibited a PCE of 5.51%. The short circuit current density and fill factor are also increased after laser scribing, which arises from increased electron transfer with reduced recombination. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy modeling reveals that the Nd:YAG laser scribed QDSSC has increased charge collection efficiency and reduced interfacial recombination compared with normal QDSSC. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Study on the efficient PV/TE characteristics of the self-assembled thin films based on bismuth telluride/cadmium telluride

Solar radiation has a spectral distribution ranging from short wavelengths (200-800 nm, visible part) to long wavelengths (800-3000 nm, heat part). Cadmium telluride and bismuth telluride are well known photovoltaic (PV) and thermoelectric (TE) materials, respectively. CdTe converts light energy into electricity and Bi2Te3 converts heat into electricity. To effectively use the entire solar spectrum for energy conversion, a new type of solar cell based on a Bi2Te3/CdTe composite in a core/shell structure was designed and prepared using a wet chemical method. X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation of Bi2Te3/CdTe in a core/shell structure with high crystallinity. Bi2Te3 nanoparticles function as built-in nanoscale electron generators to convert heat into electricity and CdTe functions as a photovoltaic cell. The efficiency of the thin film solar cell device was found to be 2.5% at room temperature and 4.8% when exposed to sunlight. The combined PV and TE modules resulted in an overall power conversion efficiency of 4.8%

Recent Advancements of Polyaniline/Metal Organic Framework (PANI/MOF) Composite Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications: A Critical Review

Supercapacitors (SCs), also known as ultracapacitors, should be one of the most promising contenders for meeting the needs of human viable growth owing to their advantages: for example, excellent capacitance and rate efficiency, extended durability, and cheap materials price. Supercapacitor research on electrode materials is significant because it plays a vital part in the performance of SCs. Polyaniline (PANI) is an exceptional candidate for energy-storage applications owing to its tunable structure, multiple oxidation/reduction reactions, cheap price, environmental stability, and ease of handling. With their exceptional morphology, suitable functional linkers, metal sites, and high specific surface area, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are outstanding materials for electrodes fabrication in electrochemical energy storage systems. The combination of PANI and MOF (PANI/MOF composites) as electrode materials demonstrates additional benefits, which are worthy of exploration. The positive impacts of the two various electrode materials can improve the resultant electrochemical performances. Recently, these kinds of conducting polymers with MOFs composites are predicted to become the next-generation electrode materials for the development of efficient and well-organized SCs. The recent achievements in the use of PANI/MOFs-based electrode materials for supercapacitor applications are critically reviewed in this paper. Furthermore, we discuss the existing issues with PANI/MOF composites and their analogues in the field of supercapacitor electrodes in addition to potential future improvements

Supporting Information from Influence of solvents in the preparation of cobalt sulfide for supercapacitors

In this study, cobalt sulfide (CoS) electrodes are synthesized using various solvents such as water, ethanol and a combination of the two via a facile chemical bath deposition method on Ni foam. The crystalline nature, chemical states and surface morphology of the prepared CoS nanoparticles are characterized using X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transition electron microscopy. The electrochemical properties of CoS electrodes are also evaluated using cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. When used as an electrode for a supercapacitor, CoS prepared with ethanol as a solvent exhibits a capacitance of 41.36 F g⁻¹ at 1.5 A g⁻¹, which is significantly better than that prepared using water and ethanol (31.66 and 18.94 F g⁻¹ at 1.5 A g⁻¹, respectively). This superior capacitance is attributed to the ideal surface morphology of the solvent, which allows for easy diffusion of electrolyte ions into the inner region of the electrode. High electrical conduction enables a high rate capability. These results suggest that CoS nanoparticles are highly promising for energy storage applications as well as photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, water splitting and solar cells, among others. These results show that the CoS is promising positive electrode materials for practical supercapacitor