Enhancement of Photovoltaic Performance by Utilizing Readily Accessible Hole Transporting Layer of Vanadium(V) Oxide Hydrate in a Polymer–Fullerene Blend Solar Cell

Herein, a successful application of V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O film as hole transporting layer (HTL) instead of PEDOT:PSS in polymer solar cells is demonstrated. The V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O layer was spin-coated from V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O sol made from melting-quenching sol–gel method by directly using vanadium oxide powder, which is readily accessible and cost-effective. V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O (<i>n</i> ≈ 1) HTL is found to have comparable work function and smooth surface to that of PEDOT:PSS. For the solar cell containing V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O HTL and the active layer of the blend of a novel polymer donor (PBDSe-DT2PyT) and the acceptor of PC₇₁BM, the PCE was significantly improved to 5.87% with a 30% increase over 4.55% attained with PEDOT:PSS HTL. Incorporation of V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O as HTL in the polymer solar cell was found to enhance the crystallinity of the active layer, electron-blocking at the anode and the light-harvest in the wavelength range of 400–550 nm in the cell. V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O HTL improves the charge generation and collection and suppress the charge recombination within the PBDSe-DT2PyT:PC₇₁BM solar cell, leading to a simultaneous enhancement in <i>V</i>_oc, <i>J</i>_sc, and FF. The V₂O₅·<i>n</i>H₂O HTL proposed in this work is envisioned to be of great potential to fabricate highly efficient PSCs with low-cost and massive production

Solid-State Li-Ion Batteries Using Fast, Stable, Glassy Nanocomposite Electrolytes for Good Safety and Long Cycle-Life

The development of safe, stable, and long-life Li-ion batteries is being intensively pursued to enable the electrification of transportation and intelligent grid applications. Here, we report a new solid-state Li-ion battery technology, using a solid nanocomposite electrolyte composed of porous silica matrices with in situ immobilizing Li⁺-conducting ionic liquid, anode material of MCMB, and cathode material of LiCoO₂, LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂, or LiFePO₄. An injection printing method is used for the electrode/electrolyte preparation. Solid nanocomposite electrolytes exhibit superior performance to the conventional organic electrolytes with regard to safety and cycle-life. They also have a transparent glassy structure with high ionic conductivity and good mechanical strength. Solid-state full cells tested with the various cathodes exhibited high specific capacities, long cycling stability, and excellent high temperature performance. This solid-state battery technology will provide new avenues for the rational engineering of advanced Li-ion batteries and other electrochemical devices

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival in drug-related versus cardiac causes in Ontario: A retrospective cohort study

<div><p>Background</p><p>Drug overdose causes approximately 183,000 deaths worldwide annually and 50,000 deaths in Canada and the United States combined. Drug-related deaths are concentrated among young people, leading to a substantial burden of disease and loss of potential life years. Understanding the epidemiology, patterns of care, and prognosis of drug-related prehospital emergencies may lead to improved outcomes.</p><p>Methods</p><p>We conducted a retrospective cohort study of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests with drug-related and presumed cardiac causes between 2007 and 2013 using the Toronto Regional RescuNet Epistry database. The primary outcome was survival to hospital discharge. We computed standardized case fatality rates, and odds ratios of survival to hospital discharge for cardiac arrests with drug-related versus presumed cardiac causes, adjusting for confounders using logistic regression.</p><p>Results</p><p>The analysis involved 21,497 cardiac arrests, including 378 (1.8%) drug-related and 21,119 (98.2%) presumed cardiac. Compared with the presumed cardiac group, drug-related arrest patients were younger and less likely to receive bystander resuscitation, have initial shockable cardiac rhythms, or be transported to hospital. There were no significant differences in emergency medical service response times, return of spontaneous circulation, or survival to discharge. Standardized case fatality rates confirmed that these effects were not due to age or sex differences. Adjusting for known predictors of survival, drug-related cardiac arrest was associated with increased odds of survival to hospital discharge (OR1.44, 95%CI 1.15–1.81).</p><p>Interpretation</p><p>In out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, patients with drug-related causes are less likely than those with presumed cardiac causes to receive bystander resuscitation or have an initial shockable rhythm, but are more likely to survive after accounting for predictors of survival. The demographics and outcomes among drug-related cardiac arrest patients offers unique opportunities for prehospital intervention.</p></div

In Situ Analysis of Gas Generation in Lithium-Ion Batteries with Different Carbonate-Based Electrolytes

Gas generation in lithium-ion batteries is one of the critical issues limiting their safety performance and lifetime. In this work, a set of 900 mAh pouch cells were applied to systematically compare the composition of gases generated from a serial of carbonate-based composite electrolytes, using a self-designed gas analyzing system. Among electrolytes used in this work, the composite γ-butyrolactone/ethyl methyl carbonate (GBL/EMC) exhibited remarkably less gassing because of the electrochemical stability of the GBL, which makes it a promising electrolyte for battery with advanced safety and lifetime