The fabrication of functional tissues is essential for clinical applications such as disease treatment and drug discovery. Recent studies have revealed that the mechanical environments of tissues, determined by geometric cell patterns, material composition, or mechanical properties, play critical roles in ensuring proper tissue function. Here, we propose an acoustophoretic technique using surface acoustic waves to fabricate therapeutic vascular tissue containing a three-dimensional collateral distribution of vessels. Co-aligned human umbilical vein endothelial cells and human adipose stem cells that are arranged in a biodegradable catechol-conjugated hyaluronic acid hydrogel exhibit enhanced cell-cell contacts, gene expression, and secretion of angiogenic and anti-inflammatory paracrine factors. The therapeutic effects of the fabricated vessel constructs are demonstrated in experiments using an ischemia mouse model by exhibiting the remarkable recovery of damaged tissue. Our study can be referenced to fabricate various types of artificial tissues that mimic the original functions as well as structures.
Graphene quantum dot (GQD) layers were deposited as an energy-down-shift layer on crystalline-silicon solar cell surfaces by kinetic spraying of GQD suspensions. A supersonic air jet was used to accelerate the GQDs onto the surfaces. Here, we report the coating results on a silicon substrate and the GQDs' application as an energy-down-shift layer in crystalline-silicon solar cells, which enhanced the power conversion efficiency (PCE). GQD layers deposited at nozzle scan speeds of 40, 30, 20, and 10 mm/s were evaluated after they were used to fabricate crystalline-silicon solar cells; the results indicate that GQDs play an important role in increasing the optical absorptivity of the cells. The short-circuit current density was enhanced by about 2.94% (0.9 mA/cm(2)) at 30 mm/s. Compared to a reference device without a GQD energy-down-shift layer, the PCE of p-type silicon solar cells was improved by 2.7% (0.4 percentage points).
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