High performance organic light-emitting diodes ͑OLEDs͒ were implemented on transparent and conductive single-wall carbon nanotube sheets. At the maximum achieved brightness of 2800 cd m −2 the luminance efficiency of our carbon nanotube-based OLED is 1.4 cd A −1 which is comparable to the 1.9 cd A −1 measured for an optimized indium tin oxide anode device made under the same experimental conditions. A thin parylene buffer layer between the carbon nanotube anode and the hole transport layer is required in order to readily achieve the measured performance.

A solution‐processed nanoarchitecture based on PbS quantum dots (QDs) and multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is synthesized by simply mixing the pre‐synthesized high‐quality PbS QDs and oleylamine (OLA) pre‐functionalized MWCNTs. Pre‐functionalization of MWCNTs with OLA is crucial for the attachment of PbS QDs and the coverage of QDs on the surface of MWCNTs can be tuned by varying the ratio of PbS QDs to MWCNTs. The apparent photoluminescence (steady‐state emission and fluorescence lifetime) “quenching” effect indicates efficient charge transfer from photo‐excited PbS QDs to MWCNTs. The as‐synthesized PbS‐QD/MWCNT nanoarchitecture is further incorporated into a hole‐conducting polymer poly(3‐hexylthiophene)‐(P3HT), forming the P3HT:PbS‐QD/MWCNT nanohybrid, in which the PbS QDs act as a light harvester for absorbing irradiation over a wide wavelength range of the solar spectrum up to near infrared (NIR, ≈1430 nm) range; whereas, the one‐dimensional MWCNTs and P3HT are used to collect and transport photoexcited electrons and holes to the cathode and anode, respectively. Even without performing the often required “ligand exchange” to remove the long‐chained OLA ligands, the built nanohybrid photovoltaic (PV) device exhibits a largely enhanced power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.03% as compared to 2.57% for the standard bulk hetero‐junction PV cell made with P3HT and [6,6]‐Phenyl‐C61‐Butyric Acid Methyl Ester (PCBM) mixtures. The improved performance of P3HT:PbS‐QD/MWCNT nanohybrid PV device is attributed to the significantly extended absorption up to NIR by PbS QDs as well as the effectively enhanced charge separation and transportation due to the integrated MWCNTs and P3HT. Our research results suggest that properly integrating QDs, MWCNTs, and polymers into nanohybrid structures is a promising approach for the development of highly efficient PV devices.

We report the first miniaturized fluorescent sensor based on algae, with an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and an organic photodetector (OPD) integrated into a microfluidic chip. The blue emission OLED was used as the excitation source, while a blend of PTB3/PC(61)BM was used for the fabrication of the organic photodetector. Excitation and emission color filters based on acid/base dyes and a metal complex were developed and assembled with the organic optoelectronic components in order to complete the fluorescent detection system. The detection system was then integrated in a microfluidic chip made from (poly)dimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The complete sensor is designed to detect algal fluorescence in the microfluidic chamber. Algal chlorophyll fluorescence enables evaluation of the toxicity of pollutants like herbicides and metals-ions from agricultural run-offs. The entirely organic bioassay here presented allowed detection of the toxic effects of the herbicide Diuron on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii green algae that gave 50% inhibition of the algae photochemistry (EC(50)) with a concentration as low as 11 nM.

Background: Persistent left superior vena cava (PLS VC) is the most common thoracic venous anomaly.Hypothesis: This study examines the epidemiologic, clinical, and morphologic characteristics of a cohort of patients with PLSVC draining into the coronary sinus.Methods: We examined the clinical and morphologic characteristics of patients with PLSVC draining into the coronary sinus diagnosed at a single referral hospital for a defined population in northwestern Spain. We designed a prospective study of the case records of all patients diagnosed with PLSVC draining into the coronary sinus at the echocardiog‐raphy laboratory of the Hospital Xeral‐Calde from January 2001 through December 2002. Patients were included if they had a PLSVC diagnosed by transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) using an echo‐contrast enhancement and confirmed by a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Ten patients (6 women) fulfilled the inclusion criteria described above. All patients were adults and had associated heart disease, including a congenital heart disease in three cases.Results: Magnetic resonance imaging examination confirmed the presence of PLSVC and the site of drainage into the coronary sinus. Absence of the right superior vena cava was observed only in three patients, in whom the main coronary sinus size was significantly increased. Absence of the left bra‐chiocephalic vein was diagnosed in five patients.Conclusion: This study describes 10 new cases of PLSVC and supports the necessity of considering PLSVC draining into the coronary sinus in the diagnosis of patients presenting with dilated coronary sinus diagnosed by TTE. It also underlines the important role of MR imaging in the evaluation of these abnormalities. An associated heart disease must always be excluded in these patients.