High-resolution soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to investigate the oxidation of alkylated silicon(111) surfaces under ambient conditions. Silicon(111) surfaces were functionalized through a two-step route involving radical chlorination of the H-terminated surface followed by alkylation with alkylmagnesium halide reagents. After 24 h in air, surface species representing Si(+), Si(...

Metal halide perovskites have rapidly enabled a range of high-performance photovoltaic technologies. However, catastrophic failure under reverse voltage bias poses roadblock for their commercialization. In this work, we conduct series stress tests to compare the reverse-bias stability perovskite single-junction, silicon and monolithic perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. We demonstrate that t...

Halide ions could be visualized via fluorescence quenching in microcolumn ion chromatography. The fluorescence of quinine sulfate, which was contained in an acidic eluent, was quenched by halide ions. The observed fluorescence quenching values increased in this order: iodide, bromide, and chloride. The present detection system was relatively sensitive to halide ions except for fluoride: other a...

Methylammonium lead trihalide perovskite (MAPbX3, where MA is methylammonium, and X is a halide)-based solar cells have been extensively investigated recently, with a demonstrated and certified solar power conversion efficiency (PCE) exceeding 20%. To further boost the PCE beyond the Schockley–Queisser limit, tandem structured solar cells have been investigated based on integrating MAPbX3 and t...

Haloalkane dehalogenase converts haloalkanes to their corresponding alcohols and halides. The reaction mechanism involves the formation of a covalent alkyl-enzyme complex which is hydrolyzed by water. The active site is a hydrophobic cavity buried between the main domain and the cap domain of the enzyme. The enzyme has a broad substrate specificity, but the kcat values of the enzyme for the bes...

Haloalkane dehalogenase (DhlA) hydrolyzes short-chain haloalkanes to produce the corresponding alcohols and halide ions. Release of the halide ion from the active-site cavity can proceed via a two-step and a three-step route, which both contain slow enzyme isomerization steps. Thermodynamic analysis of bromide binding and release showed that the slow unimolecular isomerization steps in the thre...

The forming process, by which changes are brought about in the electronic conduction of thin films of various binary amorphous oxides and halides, is first described, and experimental evidence is put forward which contradicts an earlier theory of the forming process in gold-silicon monoxide-metal structures. A theory is developed, in terms of the growth and thermal rupture of many conducting fi...

Infinite rectangular-tubular helices, [MX2L] (M = Zn(ii), Hg(ii); X(-) = Cl(-), Br(-); L = bis(3-pyridyl)cyclotetramethylenesilane), have been efficiently constructed via the combined effects of the potential flexible conformers of L and the tetrahedral geometry of M(ii) ions. This helical molecular system affords a racemic mixture of P- and M-helices in a crystal. The helical pitches (7.8934(4...

The use of the halide-sensitive fluorescent probes (6-methoxy-N-(-sulphopropyl)quinolinium (SPQ) and N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide (MQAE)) to measure chloride transport in cells has now been established as an alternative to the halide-selective electrode technique, radioisotope efflux assays and patch-clamp electrophysiology. We report here procedures for the assessment ...