Methylene blue-loaded gold nanorod@SiO2 (MB-GNR@SiO2) core@shell nanoparticles are synthesized for use in cancer imaging and photothermal/photodynamic dual therapy. For the preparation of GNR@SiO2 nanoparticles, we found that the silica coating rate of hexadecylcetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-capped GNRs is much slower than that of PEGylated GNRs due to the densely coated CTAB bilayer. Encapsulated MB molecules have both monomer and dimer forms that result in an increase in the photosensitizing effect through different photochemical pathways. As a consequence of the excellent plasmonic properties of GNRs at near-infrared (NIR) light, the embedded MB molecules showed NIR light-induced SERS performance with a Raman enhancement factor of 3.0 × 1010, which is enough for the detection of a single cancer cell. Moreover, the MB-GNR@SiO2 nanoparticles exhibit a synergistic effect of photodynamic and photothermal therapies of cancer under single-wavelength NIR laser irradiation.
Despite the excellent photoelectronic properties of the all‐inorganic cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) perovskite, which does not contain volatile and hygroscopic organic components, only a few CsPbI3 devices are developed mainly owing to the frequent formation of an undesirable yellow δ‐phase at room temperature. Herein, it is demonstrated that a small quantity of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) added to the precursor solution effectively inhibits the formation of the yellow δ‐phase during film preparation, and promotes the development of a black α‐phase at a low crystallization temperature. A systematic study reveals that a thin, dense, pinhole‐free CsPbI3 film is produced in the α‐phase and is stabilized with PEO that effectively reduces the grain size during crystallization. A thin α‐phase CsPbI3 film with excellent photoluminescence is successfully employed in a light‐emitting diode with an inverted configuration of glass substrate/indium tin oxide/zinc oxide/poly(ethyleneimine)/α‐CsPbI3/poly(4‐butylphenyl‐diphenyl‐amine)/WO3/Al, yielding the characteristic red emission of the perovskite film at 695 nm with brightness, external quantum efficiency, and emission band width of ≈101 cd m−2, 1.12%, and 32 nm, respectively.
In addition to the demand for stimuli‐responsive sensors that can detect various vital signals in epidermal skin, the development of electronic skin displays that quantitatively detect and visualize various epidermal stimuli such as the temperature, sweat gland activity, and conductance simultaneously are of significant interest for emerging human‐interactive electronics used in health monitoring. Herein, a novel interactive skin display with epidermal stimuli electrode (ISDEE) allowing for the simultaneous sensing and display of multiple epidermal stimuli on a single device is presented. It is based on a simple two‐layer architecture on a topographically patterned elastomeric polymer composite with light‐emitting inorganic phosphors, upon which two electrodes are placed with a certain parallel gap. The ISDEE is directly mounted on human skin, which by itself serves as a field‐responsive floating electrode of the display operating under an alternating current (AC). The AC field exerted on the epidermal skin layer depends on the conductance of the skin, which can be modulated based on a variety of physiological skin factors, such as the temperature, sweat gland activity, and pressure. Conductance‐dependent field‐induced electroluminescence is achieved, giving rise to an on‐hand sensing display platform where a variety of human information can be directly sensed and visualized.
Tremendous efforts have been devoted to developing thin film halide perovskites (HPs) for use in high‐performance photoelectronic devices, including solar cells, displays, and photodetectors. Furthermore, structured HPs with periodic micro‐ or nanopatterns have recently attracted significant interest due to their potential to not only improve the efficiency of an individual device via the controlled arrangement of HP crystals into a confined geometry, but also to technologically pixelate the device into arrays suitable for future commercialization. However, micro‐ or nanopatterning of HPs is not usually compatible with conventional photolithography, which is detrimental to ionic HPs and requires special techniques. Herein, a comprehensive overview of the state‐of‐the‐art technologies used to develop micro‐ and nanometer‐scale HP patterns, with an emphasis on their controlled microstructures based on top‐down and bottom‐up approaches, and their potential for future applications, is provided. Top‐down approaches include modified conventional lithographic techniques and soft‐lithographic methods, while bottom‐up approaches include template‐assisted patterning of HPs based on lithographically defined prepatterns and self‐assembly. HP patterning is shown here to not only improve device performance, but also to reveal the unprecedented functionality of HPs, leading to new research areas that utilize their novel photophysical properties.
The encapsulation of lead halide perovskite nanocrystals with an inert protective layer against moisture and the environment is a promising approach to overcome hinderances for their practical use in optoelectronic...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.