Pectinesterase activity and gene expression correlate with pathogenesis of .

Late blight caused by is the most devastating disease of potato. produces many secondary metabolites and effector proteins, involved in the pathogenesis, which compromise host defense mechanisms. Pectinesterase (PE) is a cell wall degrading enzyme secreted by to infect the host.

Facile synthesis of hierarchical core-shell carbon@ZnInS composite for boosted photothermal-assisted photocatalytic H production.

Against the backdrop of energy shortage, hydrogen energy has attracted much attention as a green and clean energy source. In order to explore efficient hydrogen production pathways, we designed a composite photocatalyst with carbon-based core-shell photothermal-assisted photocatalytic system (Carbon@ZnInS, denoted as C@ZIS). The well-designed catalyst C@ZIS composites demonstrated a photocatalytic hydrogen precipitation rate of 2.

Tunable Multistate Ferroelectricity of Unit-Cell-Thick BaTiO Revived by a Ferroelectric SnS Monolayer via Interfacial Sliding.

Stabilization of multiple polarization states at the atomic scale is pivotal for realizing high-density memory devices beyond prevailing bistable ferroelectric architectures. Here, we show that two-dimensional ferroelectric SnS or GeSe is able to revive and stabilize the ferroelectric order of three-dimensional ferroelectric BaTiO, even when the latter is thinned to one unit cell in thickness. The underlying mechanism for overcoming the conventional detrimental critical thickness effect is attributed to facile interfacial inversion symmetry breaking by robust in-plane polarization of SnS or GeSe.

Abundant Edge Active Sites-Modified High-Crystalline g-CN for Hydrogen Peroxide Production from Pure-Water via a Quasi-Homogeneous Photocatalytic Process.

Ultrathin carbon nitride pioneered a paradigm that facilitates effective charge separation and acceleration of rapid charge migration. Nevertheless, the dissociation process confronts a disruption owing to the proclivity of carbon nitride to reaggregate, thereby impeding the optimal utilization of active sites. In response to this exigency, the adoption of a synthesis methodology featuring alkaline potassium salt-assisted molten salt synthesis is advocated in this work, aiming to craft a nitrogenated graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) photocatalyst characterized by thin layer and hydrophilicity, which not only amplifies the degree of crystallization of g-CN but also introduces a plethora of abundant edge active sites, engendering a quasi-homogeneous photocatalytic system.

Topological Nodal-Point Superconductivity in Two-Dimensional Ferroelectric Hybrid Perovskites.

Two-dimensional (2D) hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites (HOIPs) with enhanced stability, high tunability, and strong spin-orbit coupling have shown great potential in vast applications. Here, we extend the already rich functionality of 2D HOIPs to a new territory, realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana modes for fault-tolerant quantum computation. Especially, we predict that room-temperature ferroelectric BAPbCl (BA for benzylammonium) exhibits topological nodal-point superconductivity (NSC) and gapless Majorana modes on selected edges and ferroelectric domain walls when proximity-coupled to an s-wave superconductor and an in-plane Zeeman field, attractive for experimental verification and application.

Photoinduced Rippling of Two-Dimensional Hexagonal Nitride Monolayers.

Inducing structural changes and deformation using noninvasive methods, such as ultrafast laser technology, is an attractive route to multiple optomechanical and optoelectronic applications. Here, we show how photon excitation could accumulate in-plane stress and induce long-wavelength ripples in two-dimensional (2D) materials. Numerical results based on first-principles calculations and a continuum model predict that long-range nanoscale rippling could emerge under photon excitation in hexagonal nitride single atomic sheets.

Emergent, Non-Aging, Extendable, and Rechargeable Exchange Bias in 2D Fe GeTe Homostructures Induced by Moderate Pressuring.

As a crucial concept in magnetism and spintronics, exchange bias (ExB) measures the asymmetry in the hysteresis loop of a pinned ferromagnet (FM)/antiferromagnet (AFM) interface. Previous studies are mainly focused on FM/AFM heterostructures composed of conventional bulk materials, whose complex interfaces prohibit precise control and full understanding of the phenomenon. Here, the enabling power of 2D magnets is exploited to demonstrate the emergence, non-aging, extendability, and rechargeability of ExB in van der Waals Fe GeTe homostructures, upon moderate pressuring.

Converting a Monolayered NbSe into an Ising Superconductor with Nontrivial Band Topology via Physical or Chemical Pressuring.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides possessing superconductivity and strong spin-orbit coupling exhibit high in-plane upper critical fields due to Ising pairing. Yet to date, whether such systems can become topological Ising superconductors remains to be materialized. Here we show that monolayered NbSe can be converted into Ising superconductors with nontrivial band topology via physical or chemical pressuring.

Coexistence of Superconductivity and Nontrivial Band Topology in Monolayered Cobalt Pnictides on SrTiO.

As an intrinsically layered material, FeSe has been extensively explored for potentially revealing the underlying mechanisms of high transition temperature (high-) superconductivity and realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes. Here we use first-principles approaches to identify that the cobalt pnictides of CoX (X = As, Sb, Bi), none of which is a layered material in bulk form. Nevertheless, all can be stabilized as monolayered systems either in freestanding form or supported on the SrTiO(001) substrate.

Topological Band Engineering of Lieb Lattice in Phthalocyanine-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Topological properties of the Lieb lattice, i.e., the edge-centered square lattice, have been extensively studied and are, however, mostly based on theoretical models without identifying real material systems.

Electron-nuclear hyperfine coupling in quantum kagome antiferromagnets from first-principles calculation and a reflection of the defect effect.

The discovery of ideal spin-1/2 kagome antiferromagnets Herbertsmithite and Zn-doped Barlowite represents a breakthrough in the quest for quantum spin liquids (QSLs), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy plays a prominent role in revealing the quantum paramagnetism in these compounds. However, interpretation of NMR data that is often masked by defects can be controversial. Here, we show that the most significant interaction strength for NMR, i.

Unidirectional Spin-Orbit Interaction Induced by the Line Defect in Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenides for High-Performance Devices.

Spin-orbit (SO) interaction is an indispensable element in the field of spintronics for effectively manipulating the spin of carriers. However, in crystalline solids, the momentum-dependent SO effective magnetic field generally results in spin randomization by a process known as the Dyakonov-Perel spin relaxation, leading to the loss of spin information. To overcome this obstacle, the persistent spin helix (PSH) state with a unidirectional SO field was proposed but difficult to achieve in real materials.

Physical Properties and Photovoltaic Application of Semiconducting Pd₂Se₃ Monolayer.

Palladium selenides have attracted considerable attention because of their intriguing properties and wide applications. Motivated by the successful synthesis of Pd₂Se₃ monolayer (Lin et al., Phys.

Atomic scale electronic structure of the ferromagnetic semiconductor CrGeTe.

CrGeTe is an intrinsic ferromagnetic semiconductor with van der Waals type layered structure, thus represents a promising material for novel electronic and spintronic devices. Here we combine scanning tunneling microscopy and first-principles calculations to investigate the electronic structure of CrGeTe. Tunneling spectroscopy reveals a surprising large energy level shift and change of energy gap size across the ferromagnetic to paramagnetic phase transition, as well as a peculiar double-peak electronic state on the Cr-site defect.

Topological Electride YC.

Two-dimensional (2D) electrides are layered ionic crystals in which anionic electrons are confined in the interlayer space. Here, we report a discovery of nontrivial [Formula: see text] topology in the electronic structures of 2D electride YC. Based on first-principles calculations, we found a topological [Formula: see text] invariant of (1; 111) for the bulk band and topologically protected surface states in the surfaces of YC, signifying its nontrivial electronic topology.

Stabilizing benzene-like planar N rings to form a single atomic honeycomb BeN sheet with high carrier mobility.

It is a longstanding quest to use the planar N ring as a structural unit to build stable atomic sheets. However, unlike CH, the neutral N ring is unstable due to the strong repulsion of the lone-pair of electrons. Using first-principles calculations and the global structure search method, we show that the N unit can be stabilized by the linkage of Be atoms, forming a h-BeN honeycomb monolayer, in which the geometry and the π-molecular orbitals of the N rings are well kept.

Topological insulating states in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides induced by defects and strain.

First-principles calculations and extensive analyses reveal that the H phase of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) can be tuned to topological insulators by introducing square-octagon (4-8) defects and by applying equi-biaxial tensile strain simultaneously. The 2D structure composed of hexagonal rings with 4-8 defects, named sho-TMD, is dynamically and thermally stable. The critical equi-biaxial tensile strain for the topological phase transition is 4%, 6%, and 4% for sho-MoS, sho-MoSe and sho-WS, respectively, and the corresponding nontrivial band gap induced by the spin-orbit coupling is 2, 8, and 22 meV, implying the possibility of observing the helical conducting edge states that are free of backscattering in experiment.

Phosphorus K Crystal: A New Stable Allotrope.

The intriguing properties of phosphorene motivate scientists to further explore the structures and properties of phosphorus materials. Here, we report a new allotrope named K phosphorus composed of three-coordinated phosphorus atoms in non-layered structure which is not only dynamically and mechanically stable, but also possesses thermal stability comparable to that of the orthorhombic black phosphorus (A17). Due to its unique configuration, K phosphorus exhibits exceptional properties: it possesses a band gap of 1.

Bonding-restricted structure search for novel 2D materials with dispersed C2 dimers.

Currently, the available algorithms for unbiased structure searches are primarily atom-based, where atoms are manipulated as the elementary units, and energy is used as the target function without any restrictions on the bonding of atoms. In fact, in many cases such as nanostructure-assembled materials, the structural units are nanoclusters. We report a study of a bonding-restricted structure search method based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) for finding the stable structures of two-dimensional (2D) materials containing dispersed C2 dimers rather than individual C atoms.

Tuning the electronic and mechanical properties of penta-graphene via hydrogenation and fluorination.

Penta-graphene has recently been proposed as a new allotrope of carbon composed of pure pentagons, and displays many novel properties going beyond graphene [Zhang et al., Proc. Natl.

Thermal exfoliation of stoichiometric single-layer silica from the stishovite phase: insight from first-principles calculations.

Mechanical cleavage, chemical intercalation and chemical vapor deposition are the main methods that are currently used to synthesize nanosheets or monolayers. Here, we propose a new strategy, thermal exfoliation for the fabrication of silica monolayers. Using a variety of state-of-the-art theoretical calculations we show that a stoichiometric single-layer silica with a tetragonal lattice, T-silica, can be thermally exfoliated from the stishovite phase in a clean environment at room temperature.

TiC2: a new two-dimensional sheet beyond MXenes.

MXenes are attracting attention due to their rich chemistry and intriguing properties. Here a new type of metal-carbon-based sheet composed of transition metal centers and C2 dimers rather than individual C atom is designed. Taking the Ti system as a test case, density functional theory calculations combined with a thermodynamic analysis uncover the thermal and dynamic stability of the sheet, as well as a metallic band structure, anisotropic Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, a high heat capacity, and a large Debye stiffness.

Thermoelectric properties of single-layered SnSe sheet.

Motivated by the recent study of inspiring thermoelectric properties in bulk SnSe [Zhao et al., Nature, 2014, 508, 373] and the experimental synthesis of SnSe sheets [Chen et al., J.

Penta-graphene: A new carbon allotrope.

A 2D metastable carbon allotrope, penta-graphene, composed entirely of carbon pentagons and resembling the Cairo pentagonal tiling, is proposed. State-of-the-art theoretical calculations confirm that the new carbon polymorph is not only dynamically and mechanically stable, but also can withstand temperatures as high as 1000 K. Due to its unique atomic configuration, penta-graphene has an unusual negative Poisson's ratio and ultrahigh ideal strength that can even outperform graphene.

Self-assembly of metal atoms (Na, K, Ca) on graphene.

A thorough search of the distribution pattern of Na, K, and Ca atoms on graphene surface, carried out using a synergistic combination of density functional theory and particle swarm optimization algorithm, yielded some unusual results. The equilibrium distribution is concentration and metal dependent; the metal atoms distribute uniformly when their coverage ratio M : C (M = Na, K, Ca) is 1 : 6, but Na and Ca atoms self-assemble to form parallel quasi-one-dimensional chains when their coverage is reduced to 1 : 8. At the higher concentration (M : C = 1 : 6), electron-phonon coupling calculations further show that the NaC6 is a superconductor with critical temperature of 5.