RobotSDF: Implicit Morphology Modeling for the Robotic Arm.

The expression of robot arm morphology is a critical foundation for achieving effective motion planning and collision avoidance in robotic systems. Traditional geometry-based approaches usually suffer from the contradiction between the high demand for computing resources for fine expression and the insufficient detail expression caused by the pursuit of efficiency. The signed distance function addresses these drawbacks due to its ability to handle complex and arbitrary shapes and lower computational requirements.

Correlating π-π Stacking of Aromatic Diammoniums with Stability and Dimensional Reduction of Dion-Jacobson 2D Perovskites.

Dion-Jacobson (DJ) phase 2D perovskites with various aromatic diammonium cations, potentially possessing high stability, have been developed for optoelectronics. However, their stability does not meet initial expectations, and some of them even easily degrade into lower-dimensional structures. Underlying the stability mechanism and dimensional reduction of these DJ 2D perovskites remains elusive.

Self-assembled C-Ag hybrid nanoparticle on nanoporous GaN enabled ultra-high enhancement factor SERS sensor for sensitive thiram detection.

Considering pesticide residues cause significant harm to public health and the environment, developing a simple, sensitive, and reliable approach to pesticide residue detection to address this issue is necessary. In this study, an ultrasensitive and reliable surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor was developed using cetylpyridinium chloride as a protecting and reducing agent for the in situ synthesis and self-assembly of C-Ag nanoparticles on nanoporous GaN for the quantitative detection of thiram. A systematic investigation of the performance of the SERS sensor revealed that the SERS sensor delivered a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 M and an enhancement factor of up to 1.

Modulation of transcription burst amplitude underpins dosage compensation in the Drosophila embryo.

Dosage compensation, the balancing of X-linked gene expression between sexes and to the autosomes, is critical to an organism's fitness and survival. In Drosophila, dosage compensation involves hypertranscription of the male X chromosome. Here, we use quantitative live imaging and modeling at single-cell resolution to study X chromosome dosage compensation in Drosophila.

Modulating Oxygen Vacancies in Lead Chromate for Photoelectrocatalytic Water Splitting.

Although modulating oxygen vacancies in semiconductors has attracted broad interest in photocatalysis and photoelectrocatalysis, identifying the intrinsic roles of oxygen vacancies on photoelectrocatalytic properties is often elusive. In this work, the oxygen vacancies in a typical semiconductor lead chromate (PbCrO ) are regulated via controlling the oxygen chemical potentials of O-poor and O-rich post-annealing atmospheres. Oxygen vacancies identified in PbCrO can introduce electronically shallow energy levels and deep energy levels owing to the symmetry difference of oxygen atoms in the structure.

Tuning the Anisotropic Facet of Lead Chromate Photocatalysts to Promote Spatial Charge Separation.

A crucial issue in artificial photosynthesis is how to modulate the behaviors of photogenerated charges of semiconductor photocatalysts. Here, using lead chromate (PbCrO ) as an example, we conducted the morphology tailoring from parallelepiped (p-PbCrO ) to truncated decahedron (t-PbCrO ) and elongated rhombic (r-PbCrO ), resulting in exposed anisotropic facets. The spatial separation of photogenerated charges closely correlates to the anisotropic facets of crystals, which can only be realized for t-PbCrO and r-PbCrO .

A Dual-Ligand Strategy to Regulate the Nucleation and Growth of Lead Chromate Photoanodes for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for renewable hydrogen production has been regarded as a promising solution to utilize solar energy. However, most photoelectrodes still suffer from poor film quality and poor charge separation properties, mainly owing to the possible formation of detrimental defects including microcracks and grain boundaries. Herein, a molecular coordination engineering strategy is developed by employing acetylacetone (Acac) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) dual ligands to regulate the nucleation and crystal growth of the lead chromate (PbCrO ) photoanode, resulting in the formation of a high-quality film with large grain size, well-stitched grain boundaries, and reduced oxygen vacancies defects.

Spatial Separation of Photogenerated Charges on Well-Defined Bismuth Vanadate Square Nanocrystals.

Crystal facet engineering has been recognized as a powerful strategy to finely modulate the charge separation behavior in semiconductor photocatalysis; however, disclosing the intrinsic roles that the morphologies and crystal facets play on photogenerated charge separation of semiconductor nanocrystals remains elusive. Herein, exemplified on the typical visible-light-responsive photocatalyst bismuth vanadate (BiVO ), for the first time, the successful fabrication is reported of well-defined BiVO square nanocrystals with precisely controllable (040)/(200) facet proportion, which undergo a dissolution-recrystallization-facet growth process accompanied with tetragonal to monoclinic phase transition. Spatial separation of photogenerated electrons and holes has been evidently demonstrated to take place between (040) and (200) facets of BiVO nanocrystals, on which the charge separation efficiency is verified to definitely depend on the facet proportion of (040)/(200).

Crystal facet modulation of BiWO microplates for spatial charge separation and inhibiting reverse reaction.

We experimentally demonstrated that spatial charge separation can take place between the {010} and {001} facets of BiWO microplates. Further assembly of the reduction and oxidation cocatalysts leads to a remarkable enhancement of photocatalytic water oxidation activity in the presence of Fe ions while the reverse oxidation of Fe to Fe ions is totally inhibited. The origin of the driving force is theoretically proven to be the difference in surface work function between the co-exposed facets, which shows a feasible strategy for developing efficient photocatalysts for solar energy conversion.

Identify dominant dimensions of 3D hand shapes using statistical shape model and deep neural network.

Hand anthropometry is one of the fundamentals of ergonomic research and product design. Many studies have been conducted to analyze the hand dimensions among different populations, however, the definitions and the numbers of those dimensions were usually selected based on the experience of the researchers and the available equipment. Few studies explored the importance of each hand dimension regarding the 3D shape of the hand.

Ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of cobalt oxide/nitrogen-doped graphene oxide hybrid as oxygen reduction reaction catalyst for Al-air battery.

A persistent ultrasound-assisted hydrothermal method has been developed to prepare cobalt oxide incorporated nitrogen-doped graphene (CoO/N-GO) hybrids. The electrochemical behaviors and catalytic activity of the prepared hybrids have been systematically investigated as cathode materials for Al-air battery. The results show that ultrasonication can promote the yield ratio of CoO from 63.

High-Efficiency and Stable Inverted Planar Perovskite Solar Cells with Pulsed Laser Deposited Cu-Doped NiO Hole-Transport Layers.

High-quality hole-transport layers (HTLs) with excellent optical and electrical properties play a significant role in achieving high-efficient and stable inverted planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this work, the optoelectronic properties of Cu-doped NiO (Cu:NiO) films and the photovoltaic performance of PSCs with Cu:NiO HTLs were systematically studied. The Cu-doped NiO with different doping concentrations was achieved by a high-temperature solid-state reaction, and Cu:NiO films were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD).

A highly [001]-textured SbSe photocathode for efficient photoelectrochemical water reduction.

Anisotropic SbSe is an emerging earth-abundant photocathode for photoelectrochemical water splitting. However, controlling the growth of the SbSe film with optimal [001] crystallographic orientation is still the most challenging issue. Here, we successfully synthesized [001]-oriented SbSevia a reliable and facile method.

One step in situ synthesis of core-shell structured CrO:P@fibrous-phosphorus hybrid composites with highly efficient full-spectrum-response photocatalytic activities.

Making full use of solar energy and achieving high charge separation efficiency are critical factors for the photocatalysis technique. In this work, we report core-shell structured fibrous phosphorus (f-P) coated P-doped CrO (CrO:P@f-P) hybrid composites with a strong optical absorption in the full region of 200-2600 nm. The CrO:P@f-P hybrid composites exhibit a record photocatalytic efficiency under UV, visible and near-infrared light irradiation, demonstrating as promising photocatalysts for the full utilization of solar energy.

A Tunable-Color Emission Phosphor Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺, Bi³⁺ with Efficient Energy Transfer for White Light Emitting Diodes.

The Eu³⁺, Bi³⁺ ions co-doped Y₂O₃ phosphor has been synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction method, and its photoluminescence (PL) spectra are investigated for application in white light emitting diode (LED). The Eu³⁺, Bi³⁺ ions co-doped Y₂O₃ phosphor showed a characteristic emissions with greenish blue and red color upon the near-UV light in the range of 310-360 nm, originating from ³P₁ --> ¹S₀ transition of Bi³⁺ and ⁵D₀ --> ⁷F(J) transition of Eu³⁺, respectively. As 613-nm emission of Eu³⁺ ions is monitored, excitation spectrum consists of two broad peaks near 230 nm and 330 nm, ascribed to the Eu³⁺-O²- charge transfer band (CTB) and the transition from the ground state to the excited states of Bi³⁺ ions, respectively.

A novel green-emitting phosphor Ba2Gd2Si4O13:Eu(2+) for near UV-pumped light-emitting diodes.

A novel green-emitting phosphor Ba2Gd2Si4O13:Eu(2+) has been prepared using a conventional high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize the as-synthesized phosphor. The Ba2Gd2Si4O13:Eu(2+) phosphor exhibits a broad emission band centered at 503 nm under 365 nm excitation.

A single-phased tunable emission phosphor MgY2Si3O10: Eu(3+), Bi(3+) with efficient energy transfer for white LEDs.

A novel single-phased tunable emitting phosphor MgY2Si3O10: Bi(3+), Eu(3+) has been synthesized by a conventional high temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra were utilized to characterize the as-synthesized samples. Under UV-light pumping, MgY2Si3O10: Bi(3+) showed characteristic blue emission corresponding to the (3)P1→(1)S0 transition of Bi(3+) ions, and MgY2Si3O10: Eu(3+) showed characteristic red emission corresponding to the (5)D0→(7)FJ (J = 1, 2, 3, 4) transition of Eu(3+) ions.