We employed a binary spacer of orderly conjugated 3,4-ethyldioxythiophene and thienothiophene to construct a wide-spectral response organic chromophore for dye-sensitized solar cells, exhibiting a high power conversion efficiency of 9.8% measured under irradiation of 100 mW cm(-2) air mass 1.5 global (AM1.5G) sunlight and an excellent stability.

Six organic dyes with different conjugated linkers such as furan, bifuran, thiophene, bithiophene, selenophene, and biselenophene have been prepared in combination with the dihexyloxy-substituted triphenylamine donor and the cyanoacrylic acid acceptor. In conjunction with an acetonitrile-based electrolyte and a solvent-free ionic liquid electrolyte, these dyes exhibit 6.88−7.77% and 6.39−7.00% efficiencies, respectively. We have demonstrated that furan and selenophene can be employed as building blocks of sensitizers in stable solar cells for the first time. We have also studied the influence of heteroatoms on photocurrents and photovoltages with the aid of quantum calculations and transient photoelectrical decay measurements. Temperature-dependent electrical impedance experiments have shown that a relatively low external quantum efficiency of the dye with biselenophene linker is not related to the charge collection yield in the case of an acetonitrile electrolyte.

Free bilirubin, a key biomarker for jaundice, was detected with a newly designed fluorescent postsynthetically modified metal organic framework (MOF) (UIO-66-PSM) sensor. UiO-66-PSM was prepared based on the aldimine condensation reaction of UiO-66-NH with 2,3,4-trihydroxybenzaldehyde. The fluorescence of UIO-66-PSM could be effectively quenched by free bilirubin via a fluorescent resonant energy transfer process, thus achieving its recognition of free bilirubin. It was the first attempt to design a MOF-based fluorescent probe for sensing free bilirubin. The probe exhibited fast response time, low detection limit, wide linear range, and high selectivity toward free bilirubin. The sensing system enabled the monitor of free bilirubin in real human serum. Hence, the reported free bilirubin sensing platform has potential applications for clinical diagnosis of jaundice.

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Magnetic cobalt ferrite (CoFe 2 O 4 )-coated zeolite was prepared with a hydrothermal method and used for the adsorption of gallium and indium. The magnetic zeolite was characterized with X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy to determine its crystal structure, element valence, chemical bond, morphology, and grain size, respectively. Gallium and indium were determined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. Effects of experimental parameters, including solution pH and adsorption time, were discussed. The experimental data were studied by employing various isotherm and kinetic models, such as Langmuir/Freundlich and pseudofirst-order/pseudo-second-order models. Furthermore, thermodynamic functions, such as changes of enthalpy (ΔH o ), entropy (ΔS o ), and Gibbs energy (ΔG o ), were obtained.

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