The surface defects and humidity sensitivity of perovskite have long been challenging issues in optoelectronic devices. Here, we introduced 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) as a dopant into CsPbBr 3 perovskite crystals, forming PTCDA-PVSK. By coordinating the carbonyl groups on PTCDA with the undercoordinated Pb 2 + ions on the perovskite surface, we successfully addressed surface defects and stability issues under high humidity (RH75%). We measured the surface adhesion of PTCDA-PVSK using the force-distance curve mapping mode of an atomic force microscope (AFM). The results showed a significant 64 % reduction in adhesion variation at grain boundaries of PTCDA-PVSK after long-term exposure to high humidity for four weeks. This indicates that the hydrophobic benzene ring structure of PTCDA acted as a barrier, reducing the sensitivity of perovskite grain boundaries to moisture. Through scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) analysis, we observed stable work function of PTCDA-PVSK under high humidity conditions, while the pure PVSK exhibited a 6.2 +/- 0.1 % decrease in work function after four weeks. This demonstrates that PTCDA-modified perovskite effectively prevented moisture-induced crystal degradation and enhanced electron transfer efficiency. Overall, this study provides valuable insights for enhancing material performance.

Microplastics have emerged as a global environmental issue, inducing harmful effects on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. Their small size allows them to easily disperse across different ecosystems and enter the marine food chain, increasingly threatening coral ecosystems. This study hypothesizes that exposure to polyethylene microplastics alters the structure of coral skeletons. To test this, Briareum violacea corals were cultured under controlled conditions and exposed to polyethylene microplastics at concentrations of 0, 5, 10, 50, 100, and 300 mg/L for seven days. Skeletal structures were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, while inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was employed to assess changes in skeletal solubility and measure total calcium ion concentrations in seawater. The results revealed a transformation of coral skeletons from aragonite calcium carbonate crystals to amorphous calcium carbonate, as observed through X-ray diffraction analysis, with polyethylene microplastics causing this transformation to begin at a concentration of 10 mg/L. Additionally, skeletal solubility increased by 7.4-fold, as inferred from calcium ion concentrations measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Here we demonstrate that polyethylene microplastic exposure directly drives the degradation of coral skeletons, emphasizing the urgency of mitigating plastic pollution to safeguard coral ecosystems.

This study introduces a new approach to optimizing graphene oxide (GO) properties using liquid-phase plasma treatment in a microenvironment. Our innovation exploits atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever frequency tracking to monitor mass variations in GO, which are indicative of surface oxidation-reduction processes or substituent doping (boron/nitrogen). Complementary in situ Raman spectroscopy has observed D/G band shifts, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) determined the C/O ratio and B/N doping levels pre- and post-treatment, confirming chemical tuning to GO. We can achieve femtogram-level precision in detecting nanomaterial mass changes by correlating elemental ratios with AFM cantilever frequency measurements. This multifaceted approach not only enhances our understanding of the chemical properties of GO but also establishes a new, versatile method for monitoring, modifying, and optimizing the properties of nanomaterials.

Herbs containing aristolochic acids (AAs) have already been proven to be highly carcinogenic and nephrotoxic. In this study, a novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) identification method was developed. Ag-APS nanoparticles with a particle size of 3.53 & PLUSMN; 0.92 nm were produced by combining silver nitrate and 3-aminopropylsilatrane. The reaction between the carboxylic acid group of aristolochic acid I (AAI) and amine group of AgAPS NPs was used to form amide bonds, and thus, concentrate AAI, rendering it easy to detect via SERS and amplified to obtain the best SERS enhancement effect. Detection limit was calculated to be approximately 40 nM. Using the SERS method, AAI was successfully detected in the samples of four Chinese herbal medicines containing AAI. Therefore, this method has a high potential to be applied in the future development of AAI analysis and rapid qualitative and quantitative analysis of AAI in dietary supplements and edible herbs.

Semiconductor development is a major driving force for global economic growth. However, synchronizing it with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations remains a critical challenge. To gain insight into this, we analyzed SDG-related publications on semiconductors from 2017 to 2022 using the SciVal database. The study found 77,706 documents related to SDGs in the field of semiconductor research, with an overall increase in the number of publications each year. The main focus of these publications was SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), accounting for 68.9 % of the total publication count. Additionally, the results indicate that semiconductors have multifaceted potential in advancing a range of SDGs. From fostering innovations in healthcare (SDG 3), ensuring clean water access (SDG 6), catalyzing transformative industrial growth (SDG 9), to contributing to climate mitigation strategies (SDG 13), semiconductors emerge as versatile drivers of sustainable development. The respective publication percentages for these goals were 7.3 %, 5.9 %, 9.7 %, and 4.4 %, underscoring their capacity to make substantial contributions across various facets of sustainability. It's worth noting that only 2.9 % of these publications stem from academia-industry collaborations. This indicates a pressing need to facilitate collaboration between academia and industry, as such partnerships have the potential to amplify the impact of semiconductor innovations on the SDGs. The novelty of this study lies in its specific exploration through a comprehensive analysis spanning five years, revealing the alignment between semiconductor advancements and the latest SDGs. It uncovers the significance of collaborative ecosystems involving research institutions, businesses, and governments. Through these results, our study addresses a gap in the existing literature and advances semiconductor contributions to the SDGs.

p-Nitrophenol (p-NP) is a chemical compound that produces pesticides and pharmaceuticals. Improper handling can lead to water pollution and pose risks to the environment. Considerable attention has been given to the research and development of methods for detecting water pollutants to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6. This study used highly fluorescent perovskite quantum dots (PVSK QDs) to detect p-NP in water. To enhance the stability of the PVSK QDs, we performed surface modification using 3-triethoxysilylpropylamine, resulting in functionalized amine-PVSK QDs. This enables the amine-PVSK QDs to maintain a high fluorescent quantum yield of 88.8% after 30 days of storage in ethanol. The detection of p-NP in water is achieved through the fluorescence quenching resulting from the reaction between the amino groups on the amine-PVSK QDs and p-NP. The detection limit for p-NP was 160 nM, lower than the US EPA permissible concentration limit for potable water. The amine-PVSK QDs detected p-NP in two river water samples with a relative standard deviation of 0.31–2.49% range. These findings demonstrate that amine-PVSK QDs can serve as a fast and sensitive fluorescent detection platform for the qualitative and quantitative identification of aqueous p-NP, addressing environmental sustainability issues.

Abstract Atomic force microscopes (AFMs) have emerged as the principal enabling tool for nanotechnology research. They are used ubiquitously in a wide range of fields: from 2D materials, semiconductors, ferroelectrics, and batteries to biomolecules, polymers, and cell biology. As the name implies, AFMs are microscopes. However, rather than using focused light or electrons to magnify sample features, AFMs scan a mechanical probe with a very sharp tip over the surface to create a high-resolution 3D topographical image. Further, by modifying the probe composition or structure, other material properties (electrical, mechanical, magnetic, etc.) can be simultaneously measured and mapped onto the topographic image for precise structure/property correlation. Clearly, the probe is key to unlocking the power of the AFM, thus, choosing the right probe is critical. In this article, we will provide novice and experienced users with basic information and guidelines to simplify the AFM probe selection process.

We doped the perovskite (PVSK) surface with tin or germanium to replace a portion of the lead. This substitution not only reduced the lead toxicity but also stabilized the overall structure due to the size-matching relationship between the substituted ions and the internal ions of the PVSK. A scanning Kelvin probe microscope was used to analyze the trend of surface potentials of PVSK thin films stored under different humidity conditions (RH: 25-75%). Results showed that the overall change in surface potential due to increased humidity for Sn-doped and Ge-doped PVSK was lower than that of undoped PVSK. Additionally, force curves were acquired under controlled ambient humidity conditions to measure the adhesion forces between the probe and the pure PVSK and Sn-doped PVSK surfaces. An overall trend of increasing adhesion was observed going from low to high humidity for all surfaces. Between surfaces, in particular for the Sn-doped versus the pure PVSK sample at RH 75%, the adhesion was much lower at 15.66 versus 19.21 nN, respectively. This indicates that the Sn-doped PVSK surface exhibits higher resistance to water adsorption. The force curve method is useful for investigating the hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties of the PVSK surface.

Chromium is a metal commonly used in the manufacturing industry. However, when present in industrial wastewater and refuse, chromium causes serious water pollution. In this study, we synthesized a high-efficiency low-cost SnOx (SnO/SnO2) nanodot (ND) photocatalyst using monobutyltin trichloride (MBTC) using a one-step thermal decomposition process. SnOx NDs not only exhibit strong broadband and multicolor fluorescence emission (lambda em ranging from 450 nm to 585 nm), but also emit white light under ultraviolet irradiation. We also found that, under visible-light irradiation, SnOx NDs exhibited a photocurrent response that improved photocatalytic activity. In addition, we used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to detect Cr(VI) over a concentration range of 5-1000 ppb, with a detection limit of 0.006 ppb under light. This detection limit is lower than the maximum limit of 50 ppb for human water consumption, as stipulated by the European Union.

The growing number of industrial carbon emissions have resulted in a significant increase in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2), which, in turn, will have a major impact on climate change. Therefore, the reduction, storage, and reuse of CO2 is an important concern in modern society. Calcium oxide (CaO) is known to be an excellent adsorbent of CO2 in a high-temperature environment. However, since deterioration of the adsorbent is likely to occur after repeated cycles of adsorption under high temperature conditions, it would be desirable to mitigate this phenomenon, in order to maintain the stability of CaO. In the present study, common eggshell waste was used as the starting material. The main component of eggshell waste is calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which was purified to produce CaO. Different surfactants and amino-containing polymers were added to synthesize CaO-based adsorbents with different configurations and pore sizes. The amount of CO2 adsorbed was determined using a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA). The results showed that the CO2 adsorption capacity of the synthetic CaO recovered from purified eggshell waste could reach 0.6 g-CO2/g-sorbent, indicating a good adsorption capacity. CaO modified with a dopamine-containing polymer was shown to have an adsorption capacity of 0.62 gCO2/g-sorbent. Moreover, it showed an excellent adsorption capacity of 0.40 g-CO2/g-sorbent, even after 10 cycles of CO2 adsorption. The present study suggests that using eggshell waste to synthesize CaO-based adsorbents for effective CO2 adsorption can not only reduce environmental waste, but also have the potential to capture greenhouse gas CO2 emissions, which conforms to the principles of green chemistry.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one type of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can lead to a variety of forms of oxidative stress damage in human beings. Numerous methods have been used to detect H2O2 concentrations in various environments, however, these often suffer from inadequate detection limits, instrumental complexity, and multi-step experimental design, which may render them unfeasible for the required application. Herein, we report on a novel method for H2O2 detection that utilizes thiol based SiOx nanodots (S-SiOx NDs) to initiate a sol-gel phase transition which can be observed by naked eye. This approach could lead to a very simple, rapid, and low cost method for H2O2 detection down to 5.8 mu M, which is lower than the FDA regulation for H2O2 in food packaging. Furthermore, using a PL spectrometer allows H2O2 detection down to 0.01 mu M. This S-SiOx NP system allows researchers the flexibility to choose between rapid visible detection of H2O2, or very high sensitivity detection by PL spectrometry.