Publications

Abstract Polymer:fullerene solar cells are demonstrated with power conversion efficiencies over 7% with blends of PBDTTPD and PC 61 BM. These devices achieve open‐circuit voltages ( V oc ) of 0.945 V and internal quantum efficiencies of 88%, making them an ideal candidate for the large bandgap junction in tandem solar cells. V oc ’s above 1.0 V are obtained when the polymer is blended with multiadduct fullerenes; however, the photocurrent and fill factor are greatly reduced. In PBDTTPD blends with multiadduct fullerene ICBA, fullerene emission is observed in the photoluminescence and electroluminescence spectra, indicating that excitons are recombining on ICBA. Voltage‐dependent, steady state and time‐resolved photoluminescence measurements indicate that energy transfer occurs from PBDTTPD to ICBA and that back hole transfer from ICBA to PBDTTPD is inefficient. By analyzing the absorption and emission spectra from fullerene and charge transfer excitons, we estimate a driving free energy of –0.14 ± 0.06 eV is required for efficient hole transfer. These results suggest that the driving force for hole transfer may be too small for efficient current generation in polymer:fullerene solar cells with V oc values above 1.0 V and that non‐fullerene acceptor materials with large optical gaps (>1.7 eV) may be required to achieve both near unity internal quantum efficiencies and values of V oc exceeding 1.0 V.

The 6,7Li MAS NMR spectra of lithium ions in paramagnetic host materials are extremely sensitive to number and nature of the paramagnetic cations in the Li local environments and large shifts (Fermi contact shifts) are often observed. The work presented in this paper aims to provide a rational basis for the interpretation of the 6,7Li NMR shifts, as a function of the lithium local environment and electronic configuration of the transition metal ions. We focus on the layered rocksalts often found for LiMO2 compounds and on materials that are isostructural with the K2NiF4 structure. In order to understand the spin-density transfer mechanism from the transition metal ion to the lithium nucleus, which gives rise to the hyperfine shifts observed by NMR, we have performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations in the generalized gradient approximation. For each compound, we calculate the spin densities values on the transition metal, oxygen and lithium ions and map the spin density in the M-O-Li plane. Predictions of the calculations are in good agreement with several experimental results. We show that DFT calculations are a useful tool with which to interpret the observed paramagnetic shifts in layered oxides and to understand the major spin-density transfer processes. This information should help us to predict the magnitudes and signs of the Li hyperfine shifts for different Li local environments and t2g vs eg electrons in other compounds.

Abstract Intermuscular bones (IB) are exclusively found in the skeleton of bony fish. This type of mineralized tissue is considered as ossified tendon and has recently been depicted with a unique combination of mechanical strength akin to mammalian bones and ability for large deformation observed in mammalian tendons. Here, we aim to further investigate the intriguing nature of IB by employing thermogravimetric analysis, synchrotron small‐angle X‐ray scattering with in situ uniaxial tensile testing, and synchrotron phase‐contrast nano‐computed tomography (nanoCT) on two groups of herring fish: small and large fish as proxies for younger and older fish, respectively. IB from large fish exhibited a 50% higher strain‐to‐failure (up to 4.5%) compared to IB of small fish ( p = 0.015). Hereby, the applied tissue strain was almost entirely transmitted to the collagen fibrils. While IB of larger fish showed higher mineral maturity than smaller fish, their overall mass density was similar. NanoCT revealed patterns of hypo‐ and hyper‐mineralized regions organized in concentric layers within the cross‐sections of both groups, yet more pronounced in larger IB. Additionally, IB from larger fish showed an extensive porous network with 180% higher tissue porosity compared to IB of smaller fish ( p = 0.036). Extending the previous work, these data suggest that tissue heterogeneity due to layers of varying mineral density, along with high fibril stretching, and potential cellular (re‐)modeling processes contribute to the pronounced deformation abilities in IB. Given the particular combination of strength, stretching capability, heterogeneous microstructure, and mineralization patterns, intermuscular bones can inspire composite biomaterials with specific structure‐function relationships.

Continued advances in metabolic engineering are increasing the number of small molecules being targeted for microbial production. Pathway yields and productivities, however, are often suboptimal, and strain improvement remains a persistent challenge given that the majority of small molecules are difficult to screen for and their biosynthesis does not improve host fitness. In this work, we have developed a generalized approach to screen or select for improved small-molecule biosynthesis using transcription factor-based biosensors. Using a tetracycline resistance gene 3' of a small-molecule inducible promoter, host antibiotic resistance, and hence growth rate, was coupled to either small-molecule concentration in the growth medium or a small-molecule production phenotype. Biosensors were constructed for two important chemical classes, dicarboxylic acids and alcohols, using transcription factor-promoter pairs derived from Pseudomonas putida, Thauera butanivorans, or E. coli. Transcription factors were selected for specific activation by either succinate, adipate, or 1-butanol, and we demonstrate product-dependent growth in E. coli using all three compounds. The 1-butanol biosensor was applied in a proof-of-principle liquid culture screen to optimize 1-butanol biosynthesis in engineered E. coli, identifying a pathway variant yielding a 35% increase in 1-butanol specific productivity through optimization of enzyme expression levels. Lastly, to demonstrate the capacity to select for enzymatic activity, the 1-butanol biosensor was applied as synthetic selection, coupling in vivo 1-butanol biosynthesis to E. coli fitness, and an 120-fold enrichment for a 1-butanol production phenotype was observed following a single round of positive selection.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

The synthesis of a variety of core functionalized PEGylated polyester dendrimers and their in vitro and in vivo properties are described in this report. These water-soluble dendrimers have been designed to carry eight functional groups on their dendritic core for a variety of biological applications such as drug delivery and in vivo imaging as well as eight solubilizing groups. Using a common symmetrical aliphatic ester dendritic core and trifunctional amino acid moieties, a library of dendrimers with phenols, alkyl alcohols, alkynes, ketones, and carboxylic acid functionalities has been synthesized without the need for column chromatography. The amines were PEGylated, leaving the other functionality of the amino acid available for further manipulation such as the attachment of drugs and/or labels. Radiolabeling experiments with the PEGylated dendrimers showed that they had a long circulation half-life in mice, confirming the potential of this class of dendrimers for therapeutic and/or diagnostic applications. A carboxylic acid functionalized dendrimer was elaborated to carry doxorubicin bound via a hydrazone bond. The drug-loaded carrier accumulated more in tumors and less in healthy organs than the clinically used PEGylated liposomal formulation Doxil. The efficient synthesis, high versatility, and favorable biological properties make these PEGylated polyester dendrimers promising structures for therapeutic and/or imaging applications.