No abstract

The aggregation and morphology within the photoactive layer is of considerable significance to boost the power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, heating-induced aggregation control of nonfullerene acceptor BTP-eC7 during sequential casting was demonstrated. The large aggregates of BTP-eC7 can be significantly reduced by sequential casting of BTP-eC7 hot solution on the D18 fibrillar layer, and further eliminated by sequential casting of BTP-eC7 hot solution on the D18 fibrillar layer heated on hot substrate, leading to stronger faceon π-π stacking and appropriate phase separation within the photoactive layer to promote exciton dissociation and charge transfer. The maximum PCE of D18/BTP-eC7 solar cells can be enhanced from 8.1% of room temperature casting to 15.9% of hot solution, hot-substrate casting, therefore demonstrates that heating-induced aggregation and sequential-casting strategies are a promising approach in improving the performance of OSCs employing nonfullerene acceptors with limited solubility or strong crystallization ability.

Considerable efforts have been made to the development of small-molecule inhibitors of antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins (such as Bcl-2, Bcl-xL , and Mcl-1) as a new class of anticancer therapies. Unlike general inhibitors of the entire family, selective inhibitors of each member protein can hopefully reduce the adverse side effects in chemotherapy treatments of cancers overexpressing different Bcl-2 family proteins. In this study, we designed four series of benzylpiperazine derivatives as plausible Bcl-2 inhibitors based on the outcomes of a computational algorithm. A total of 81 compounds were synthesized, and their binding affinities to Bcl-2, Bcl-xL , and Mcl-1 measured. Encouragingly, 22 compounds exhibited binding affinities in the micromolar range (Ki <20 μM) to at least one target protein. Moreover, some compounds were observed to be highly selective binders to Mcl-1 with no detectable binding to Bcl-2 or Bcl-xL , among which the most potent one has a Ki value of 0.18 μM for Mcl-1. Binding modes of four selected compounds to Mcl-1 and Bcl-xL were derived through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. It seems that the binding affinity and selectivity of these compounds can be reasonably interpreted with these models. Our study demonstrated the possibility for obtaining selective Mcl-1 inhibitors with relatively simple chemical scaffolds. The active compounds identified by us could be used as lead compounds for developing even more potent selective Mcl-1 inhibitors with potential pharmaceutical applications.

Highly reversible Mg plating/stripping is key for rechargeable Mg batteries and has typically been successfully demonstrated using transient electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry measurements. However, little effort has been invested in studying the stability of the electrode/electrolyte interface over an extended time. We report here the development an in situ generated surface film for Mg anodes based on electrodeposited bismuth (E_Bi). This film improves the interfacial stability of Mg in contact with the electrolyte, particularly over an extended time, and possesses fast charge-transfer kinetics (< 30 Ω∙cm2) and low non-time-sensitive interfacial film resistance (ca. 5 Ω∙cm2) for active Mg species.