One of the most detrimental loss mechanisms in Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs) is reabsorption of emitted light from the luminophore. Silicon Nanocrystals (SiNCs) offer a solution due to the high apparent Stokes shift, but the poor absorption properties limit their performance as LSC luminophores. Coupling an organic dye to SiNCs represents a smart approach to obtain sensitization of SiNC luminescence by the organic dyes, thus, resulting in tunable and improved optical properties of LSCs. In particular, 9,10-diphenylanthracene was employed as a UV sensitizer for SiNCs in order to produce LSCs with an aesthetic appearance suitable to smart window application and optical efficiency as high as 4.25%. In addition, the role of the energy transfer process on LSC performance was elucidated by a thorough optical and photovoltaic characterization.
Current two-dimensional ultrasound in expert hands allows an accurate diagnosis of craniofacial abnormalities from early gestation. In our hands, three-dimensional ultrasound did not add any valuable diagnostic information. Three-dimensional ultrasound may facilitate the understanding of the lesion by the parents and facilitate communication with the plastic surgeons. However, these potential benefits need to be carefully weighed against the costs of the ultrasound instrumentation, increased examination time and training of personnel.
In vivo studies demonstrated tumor accumulation of luminescent SiNCs, 48 hours clearance and a 3-fold improvement of signal-to-noise ratio in time-gated imaging compared to steady-state acquisition, demonstrating their potentiality for luminescence guided surgery.
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.