Liquid–Solid Process for Growing Gold Nanowires on an Indium Tin Oxide Substrate as Excellent Field Emitters

Gold nanowires are successfully grown on an ITO substrate by a liquid–solid process. An excellent field emission behavior of the nanowires, as indicated by the field enhancement factor (β) of up to 7585, indicates a significant decrease in energy barrier between the nanowires and the ITO substrate. A single Au nanowire demonstrates a strong emission current up to 800 nA at an applied voltage of 200 V. The outstanding reliability of the nanowires warrants their potential applications as effective electron field emitters and chemical and/or biological sensors in future microelectronics

Triboelectric-Generator-Driven Pulse Electrodeposition for Micropatterning

By converting ambient energy into electricity, energy harvesting is capable of at least offsetting, or even replacing, the reliance of small portable electronics on traditional power supplies, such as batteries. Here we demonstrate a novel and simple generator with extremely low cost for efficiently harvesting mechanical energy that is typically present in the form of vibrations and random displacements/deformation. Owing to the coupling of contact charging and electrostatic induction, electric generation was achieved with a cycled process of contact and separation between two polymer films. A detailed theory is developed for understanding the proposed mechanism. The instantaneous electric power density reached as high as 31.2 mW/cm³ at a maximum open circuit voltage of 110 V. Furthermore, the generator was successfully used without electric storage as a direct power source for pulse electrodeposition (PED) of micro/nanocrystalline silver structure. The cathodic current efficiency reached up to 86.6%. Not only does this work present a new type of generator that is featured by simple fabrication, large electric output, excellent robustness, and extremely low cost, but also extends the application of energy-harvesting technology to the field of electrochemistry with further utilizations including, but not limited to, pollutant degradation, corrosion protection, and water splitting

Coaxial Metal-Silicide Ni₂Si/C54-TiSi₂ Nanowires

One-dimensional metal silicide nanowires are excellent candidates for interconnect and contact materials in future integrated circuits devices. Novel core–shell Ni₂Si/C54-TiSi₂ nanowires, 2 μm in length, were grown controllably via a solid–liquid–solid growth mechanism. Their interesting ferromagnetic behaviors and excellent electrical properties have been studied in detail. The coercivities (Hcs) of the core–shell Ni₂Si/C54-TiSi₂ nanowires was determined to be 200 and 50 Oe at 4 and 300 K, respectively, and the resistivity was measured to be as low as 31 μΩ-cm. The shift of the hysteresis loop with the temperature in zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) studies was found. ZFC and FC curves converge near room temperature at 314 K. The favorable ferromagnetic and electrical properties indicate that the unique core–shell nanowires can be used in penetrative ferromagnetic devices at room temperature simultaneously as a future interconnection in integrated circuits

Lead-Free NaNbO₃ Nanowires for a High Output Piezoelectric Nanogenerator

Perovskite ferroelectric nanowires have rarely been used for the conversion of tiny mechanical vibrations into electricity, in spite of their large piezoelectricity. Here we present a lead-free NaNbO₃ nanowire-based piezoelectric device as a high output and cost-effective flexible nanogenerator. The device consists of a NaNbO₃ nanowire–poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) polymer composite and Au/Cr-coated polymer films. High-quality NaNbO₃ nanowires can be grown by hydrothermal method at low temperature and can be poled by an electric field at room temperature. The NaNbO₃ nanowire–PDMS polymer composite device shows an output voltage of 3.2 V and output current of 72 nA (current density of 16 nA/cm²) under a compressive strain of 0.23%. These results imply that NaNbO₃ nanowires should be quite useful for large-scale lead-free piezoelectric nanogenerator applications

Graphene Oxide Templated Growth and Superior Lithium Storage Performance of Novel Hierarchical Co₂V₂O₇ Nanosheets

Hierarchical Co₂V₂O₇ nanosheets consisted of interconnected nanoparticles are synthesized by a facile method using graphene oxide as the template. The electrochemical reaction mechanism of the Co₂V₂O₇ nanosheets is thoroughly investigated by in situ XRD and ex situ TEM. The initial Co₂V₂O₇ transforms into CoO nanoparticles and vanadium oxides in the first cycle, and the following reversible conversion reaction mainly occurs between CoO and Co and lithiation/delithiation of the vanadium oxides. The Co₂V₂O₇ nanosheet displays a high reversible capacity (962 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g) and remarkable high rate capability. When cycled at 5.0 A/g, a reversible capacity of 441 mAh/g can be retained after 900 cycles. The stable high capacity and excellent rate capability make the hierarchical Co₂V₂O₇ nanosheets a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Solution Processable Holey Graphene Oxide and Its Derived Macrostructures for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Scalable preparation of solution processable graphene and its bulk materials with high specific surface areas and designed porosities is essential for many practical applications. Herein, we report a scalable approach to produce aqueous dispersions of holey graphene oxide with abundant in-plane nanopores via a convenient mild defect-etching reaction and demonstrate that the holey graphene oxide can function as a versatile building block for the assembly of macrostructures including holey graphene hydrogels with a three-dimensional hierarchical porosity and holey graphene papers with a compact but porous layered structure. These holey graphene macrostructures exhibit significantly improved specific surface area and ion diffusion rate compared to the nonholey counterparts and can be directly used as binder-free supercapacitor electrodes with ultrahigh specific capacitances of 283 F/g and 234 F/cm³, excellent rate capabilities, and superior cycling stabilities. Our study defines a scalable pathway to solution processable holey graphene materials and will greatly impact the applications of graphene in diverse technological areas

Image_3_Reduced mitochondrial DNA content correlate with poor clinical outcomes in cryotransfers with day 6 single euploid embryos.pdf

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of a single biopsy at trophoblast correlates with the developmental potential and reproductive outcomes of blastocyst.MethodsA retrospective analysis applied the dataset of 1,675 embryos with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) from 1,305 individuals, and 1,383 embryos involved cryotransfers of single euploid embryo between January 2015 and December 2019. The studied cohort was divided for algorithm establishment on the NGS platform (n=40), correlation of biological features (n=1,635), and correlation of reproductive outcomes (n=1,340). Of the algorithm derived from the NGS platform, the reliability and repeatability were validated via qPCR assay and inter-run controls, respectively. Of the correlation across biological features, stratification analyses were applied to evaluate the effect from a single contributor. Eventually, the correlation between the mtDNA ratios and reproductive outcomes was adjusted according to the significant effector(s).ResultsThe mtDNA ratios showed statistically different between embryos with different days of blastocyst formation ([Day 5]: 1.06 vs. [Day 6]: 0.66, p=0.021), and between embryos with different expansion stages ([Expansion 5]: 1.05 vs. [Expansion 6]: 0.49, p=0.012). None or weakly correlated with the maternal age, morphology, ploidy, and gender. Analyzed by the different days of blastocyst formation with fixed expansion score as 5 in the euploid single embryo transfers (eSET), the day 6 eSET showed significantly lower reduced mtDNA ratio (n=139) in failure groups of fetal heartbeat (p=0.004), ongoing pregnancy (p=0.007), and live birth (p=0.01); however, no correlation between mtDNA ratios and pregnancy outcomes was observed in the day 5 eSET (n=1,201).ConclusionsThe study first demonstrated that mtDNA ratio was dependent on the days of blastocyst formation while expansion stage was fixed. Lower mtDNA ratios were observed in the day 6 eSET with adverse outcomes. The present stratification analyses reveal that the timeline of embryo is an important covariate to the mtDNA content.</p

Table_5_Reduced mitochondrial DNA content correlate with poor clinical outcomes in cryotransfers with day 6 single euploid embryos.pdf

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of a single biopsy at trophoblast correlates with the developmental potential and reproductive outcomes of blastocyst.MethodsA retrospective analysis applied the dataset of 1,675 embryos with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) from 1,305 individuals, and 1,383 embryos involved cryotransfers of single euploid embryo between January 2015 and December 2019. The studied cohort was divided for algorithm establishment on the NGS platform (n=40), correlation of biological features (n=1,635), and correlation of reproductive outcomes (n=1,340). Of the algorithm derived from the NGS platform, the reliability and repeatability were validated via qPCR assay and inter-run controls, respectively. Of the correlation across biological features, stratification analyses were applied to evaluate the effect from a single contributor. Eventually, the correlation between the mtDNA ratios and reproductive outcomes was adjusted according to the significant effector(s).ResultsThe mtDNA ratios showed statistically different between embryos with different days of blastocyst formation ([Day 5]: 1.06 vs. [Day 6]: 0.66, p=0.021), and between embryos with different expansion stages ([Expansion 5]: 1.05 vs. [Expansion 6]: 0.49, p=0.012). None or weakly correlated with the maternal age, morphology, ploidy, and gender. Analyzed by the different days of blastocyst formation with fixed expansion score as 5 in the euploid single embryo transfers (eSET), the day 6 eSET showed significantly lower reduced mtDNA ratio (n=139) in failure groups of fetal heartbeat (p=0.004), ongoing pregnancy (p=0.007), and live birth (p=0.01); however, no correlation between mtDNA ratios and pregnancy outcomes was observed in the day 5 eSET (n=1,201).ConclusionsThe study first demonstrated that mtDNA ratio was dependent on the days of blastocyst formation while expansion stage was fixed. Lower mtDNA ratios were observed in the day 6 eSET with adverse outcomes. The present stratification analyses reveal that the timeline of embryo is an important covariate to the mtDNA content.</p

Table_1_Reduced mitochondrial DNA content correlate with poor clinical outcomes in cryotransfers with day 6 single euploid embryos.pdf

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of a single biopsy at trophoblast correlates with the developmental potential and reproductive outcomes of blastocyst.MethodsA retrospective analysis applied the dataset of 1,675 embryos with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) from 1,305 individuals, and 1,383 embryos involved cryotransfers of single euploid embryo between January 2015 and December 2019. The studied cohort was divided for algorithm establishment on the NGS platform (n=40), correlation of biological features (n=1,635), and correlation of reproductive outcomes (n=1,340). Of the algorithm derived from the NGS platform, the reliability and repeatability were validated via qPCR assay and inter-run controls, respectively. Of the correlation across biological features, stratification analyses were applied to evaluate the effect from a single contributor. Eventually, the correlation between the mtDNA ratios and reproductive outcomes was adjusted according to the significant effector(s).ResultsThe mtDNA ratios showed statistically different between embryos with different days of blastocyst formation ([Day 5]: 1.06 vs. [Day 6]: 0.66, p=0.021), and between embryos with different expansion stages ([Expansion 5]: 1.05 vs. [Expansion 6]: 0.49, p=0.012). None or weakly correlated with the maternal age, morphology, ploidy, and gender. Analyzed by the different days of blastocyst formation with fixed expansion score as 5 in the euploid single embryo transfers (eSET), the day 6 eSET showed significantly lower reduced mtDNA ratio (n=139) in failure groups of fetal heartbeat (p=0.004), ongoing pregnancy (p=0.007), and live birth (p=0.01); however, no correlation between mtDNA ratios and pregnancy outcomes was observed in the day 5 eSET (n=1,201).ConclusionsThe study first demonstrated that mtDNA ratio was dependent on the days of blastocyst formation while expansion stage was fixed. Lower mtDNA ratios were observed in the day 6 eSET with adverse outcomes. The present stratification analyses reveal that the timeline of embryo is an important covariate to the mtDNA content.</p

Table_2_Reduced mitochondrial DNA content correlate with poor clinical outcomes in cryotransfers with day 6 single euploid embryos.pdf

ObjectiveTo investigate whether the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content of a single biopsy at trophoblast correlates with the developmental potential and reproductive outcomes of blastocyst.MethodsA retrospective analysis applied the dataset of 1,675 embryos with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) from 1,305 individuals, and 1,383 embryos involved cryotransfers of single euploid embryo between January 2015 and December 2019. The studied cohort was divided for algorithm establishment on the NGS platform (n=40), correlation of biological features (n=1,635), and correlation of reproductive outcomes (n=1,340). Of the algorithm derived from the NGS platform, the reliability and repeatability were validated via qPCR assay and inter-run controls, respectively. Of the correlation across biological features, stratification analyses were applied to evaluate the effect from a single contributor. Eventually, the correlation between the mtDNA ratios and reproductive outcomes was adjusted according to the significant effector(s).ResultsThe mtDNA ratios showed statistically different between embryos with different days of blastocyst formation ([Day 5]: 1.06 vs. [Day 6]: 0.66, p=0.021), and between embryos with different expansion stages ([Expansion 5]: 1.05 vs. [Expansion 6]: 0.49, p=0.012). None or weakly correlated with the maternal age, morphology, ploidy, and gender. Analyzed by the different days of blastocyst formation with fixed expansion score as 5 in the euploid single embryo transfers (eSET), the day 6 eSET showed significantly lower reduced mtDNA ratio (n=139) in failure groups of fetal heartbeat (p=0.004), ongoing pregnancy (p=0.007), and live birth (p=0.01); however, no correlation between mtDNA ratios and pregnancy outcomes was observed in the day 5 eSET (n=1,201).ConclusionsThe study first demonstrated that mtDNA ratio was dependent on the days of blastocyst formation while expansion stage was fixed. Lower mtDNA ratios were observed in the day 6 eSET with adverse outcomes. The present stratification analyses reveal that the timeline of embryo is an important covariate to the mtDNA content.</p