Infrared optoelectronics in twisted black phosphorus.

Electrons and holes, fundamental charge carriers in semiconductors, dominate optical transitions and detection processes. Twisted van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures offer an effective approach to manipulate radiation, separation, and collection processes of electron-hole pairs by creating an atomically sharp interface. Here, we demonstrate that twisted interfaces in vdW layered black phosphorus (BP), an infrared semiconductor with highly anisotropic crystalline structure and properties, can significantly alter both recombination and separation processes of electron-hole pairs.

Pushing Pressure Detection Sensitivity to New Limits by Modulus-Tunable Mechanism.

Only microstructures are used to improve the sensitivity of iontronic pressure sensors. By modulating the compressive modulus, a breakthrough in the sensitivity of the iontronic pressure sensor is achieved. Furthermore, it allows for programmatic tailoring of sensor performance according to the requirements of different applications.

Monolithic integrated optoelectronic chip for vector force detection.

Sensors with a small footprint and real-time detection capabilities are crucial in robotic surgery and smart wearable equipment. Reducing device footprint while maintaining its high performance is a major challenge and a significant limitation to their development. Here, we proposed a monolithic integrated micro-scale sensor, which can be used for vector force detection.

Non-equilibrium compression achieving high sensitivity and linearity for iontronic pressure sensors.

Flexible pressure sensors with high sensitivity and linearity are highly desirable for robot sensing and human physiological signal detection. However, the current strategies for stabilizing axial microstructures (e.g.

Effect of robbing intensity on reproductive success of Symphytum officinale (Boraginaceae).

The intervention of nectar robbers in plant pollination systems will cause some pollinators to modify their foraging behavior to act as secondary robbers, consequently adopting a mixed foraging strategy. The influence of nectar robbing on pollinator behavior may be affected by spatio-temporal difference of robbing intensity, and consequently, may have different effects on the pollination of host plants. However, whether and how the nectar robbing might influence pollinators under different robbing intensity still needs further investigation.

Giant intrinsic photovoltaic effect in one-dimensional van der Waals grain boundaries.

The photovoltaic effect lies at the heart of eco-friendly energy harvesting. However, the conversion efficiency of traditional photovoltaic effect utilizing the built-in electric effect in p-n junctions is restricted by the Shockley-Queisser limit. Alternatively, intrinsic/bulk photovoltaic effect (IPVE/BPVE), a second-order nonlinear optoelectronic effect arising from the broken inversion symmetry of crystalline structure, can overcome this theoretical limit.

Strong bulk photovoltaic effect in engineered edge-embedded van der Waals structures.

Bulk photovoltaic effect (BPVE), a second-order nonlinear optical effect governed by the quantum geometric properties of materials, offers a promising approach to overcome the Shockley-Quiesser limit of traditional photovoltaic effect and further improve the efficiency of energy harvesting. Here, we propose an effective platform, the nano edges embedded in assembled van der Waals (vdW) homo- or hetero-structures with strong symmetry breaking, low dimensionality and abundant species, for BPVE investigations. The BPVE-induced photocurrents strongly depend on the orientation of edge-embedded structures and polarization of incident light.

Giant Negative Thermopower Enabled by Bidirectionally Anchored Cations in Multifunctional Polymers.

The lack of high-quality ionic thermoelectric materials with negative thermopowers has stimulated scientists' broad research interest. The effective adjustment of the interaction between ions and a polymer network is an important way to achieve high-quality ion thermoelectric properties. Integrating different types of ion-polymer interactions into the same thermoelectric device seems to lead to unexpected gains.

Effects of continuous variation in vertical and lateral herkogamy on reproductive success in (Euphorbiaceae).

Continuous variation in herkogamy has been well reported, however, less attention has been paid to the phenomena that the consecutive expression of two types of herkogamy in the same flower. which have both vertical and lateral herkogamy, show vertical herkogamy during the female phase However, their gynophores bend to one side with the male phase and show lateral herkogamy In this study, we observed the effect of successive sexual organs movement on variation in herkogamy traits. By artificially manipulating the flower to present gynophore straightened in the floral center or bend to one side, we attempted to investigate whether herkogamy movement affects pollinator access efficiency, pollen removal and deposition, and seed set ratio.

Revealing the Effect of High Ni Content in Li-Rich Cathode Materials: Mitigating Voltage Decay or Increasing Intrinsic Reactivity.

Li-rich layered oxides are considered as one of the most promising cathode materials for secondary lithium batteries due to their high specific capacities, but the issue of continuous voltage decay during cycling hinders their market entry. Increasing the Ni content in Li-rich materials is assumed to be an effective way to address this issue and attracts recent research interests. However, a high Ni content may induce increased intrinsic reactivity of materials, resulting in severe side reactions with the electrolyte.

Wearable Pressure Sensors with Capacitive Response over a Wide Dynamic Range.

At present, there are mainly two types of capacitive pressure sensors based on ordinary capacitance and electrical double layer (EDL) capacitance. However, few researchers have combined these two types of capacitors in pressure sensing to improve the dynamic range of a sensor under pressure. Here, we fabricated a capacitive pressure sensor with an asymmetric structure based on poly(vinylidene fluoride--hexafluoropropylene) using a simple electrospinning process.

A Decrease in the Staminode-Mediated Visitor Screening Mechanism in Response to Nectar Robbers Positively Affects Reproduction in Jacq. ex Camb. (Ranunculaceae).

Nectar-robbing insects, which are frequently described as cheaters in plant-pollinator mutualisms, may affect plant reproductive fitness by obtaining nectar rewards without providing pollination services. The negative effects of nectar robbing on plant reproductive success have been widely reported, but the reasons for possible positive effects demand further investigation. The goal of the study was to evaluate the effects of nectar robbing on the reproductive success of .

Probing interlayer shear thermal deformation in atomically-thin van der Waals layered materials.

Atomically-thin van der Waals layered materials, with both high in-plane stiffness and bending flexibility, offer a unique platform for thermomechanical engineering. However, the lack of effective characterization techniques hinders the development of this research topic. Here, we develop a direct experimental method and effective theoretical model to study the mechanical, thermal, and interlayer properties of van der Waals materials.

Giant Thermopower of Hydrogen Ion Enhanced by a Strong Hydrogen Bond System.

Ionic thermoelectric materials based on organic polymers are of great significance for low-grade heat harvesting and self-powered wearable temperature sensing. Here, we demonstrate a poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel that relies on the differential transport of H in PVA hydrogels with different degrees of crystallization. After the inorganic acid is infiltrated into the physically cross-linked PVA hydrogel, the ionic conductor exhibits a huge ionic thermopower of 38.

Classification of Cognitive Impairment and Healthy Controls Based on Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Evoked Potentials.

Nowadays, risks of Cognitive Impairment (CI) [highly suspected Alzheimer's disease (AD) in this study] threaten the quality of life for more older adults as the population ages. The emergence of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation-Electroencephalogram (TMS-EEG) enables noninvasive neurophysiological investi-gation of the human cortex, which might be potentially used for CI detection. The aim of this study is to explore whether the spatiotemporal features of TMS Evoked Potentials (TEPs) could classify CI from healthy controls (HC).

Giant negative thermopower of ionic hydrogel by synergistic coordination and hydration interactions.

The design of ultrasensitive ionic thermopiles is important for low-grade heat collection and temperature sensing. However, high-quality ionic thermoelectric materials with negative thermopower have been rarely reported to date. Effective adjustment of the interaction between the polymer network and the electrolyte anion/cation is an important method to achieve notable thermopower.

Corolla Abscission Triggered by Nectar Robbers Positively Affects Reproduction by Enhancing Self-Pollination in (Boraginaceae).

Nectar robbers, which affect plant fitness (directly or indirectly) in different degrees and in different ways, potentially constitute a significant part of mutualistic relationships. While the negative effects of nectar robbing on plant reproductive success have been widely reported, the positive effects remain unknown. The target of our study was to evaluate the effects of nectar robbers on the reproductive success of (Boraginaceae).

Tailoring of Gradient Particles of Li-Rich Layered Cathodes with Mitigated Voltage Decay for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Voltage decay during cycling is still a major issue for Li-rich cathodes in lithium ion batteries. Recently, the increase of Ni content has been recognized as an effective way to mitigate this problem, although it leads to lower-capacity materials. To find a balance between voltage decay and high capacity, particles of Li-rich materials with concentration gradients of transition metals have been prepared.

Black phosphorus-based van der Waals heterostructures for mid-infrared light-emission applications.

Mid-infrared (MIR) light-emitting devices play a key role in optical communications, thermal imaging, and material analysis applications. Two-dimensional (2D) materials offer a promising direction for next-generation MIR devices owing to their exotic optical properties, as well as the ultimate thickness limit. More importantly, van der Waals heterostructures-combining the best of various 2D materials at an artificial atomic level-provide many new possibilities for constructing MIR light-emitting devices of large tuneability and high integration.

S-Doped Carbon Fibers Uniformly Embedded with Ultrasmall TiO for Na /Li Storage with High Capacity and Long-Time Stability.

Building a rechargeable battery with high capacity, high energy density, and long lifetime contributes to the development of novel energy storage devices in the future. Although carbon materials are very attractive anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), they present several deficiencies when used in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The choice of an appropriate structural design and heteroatom doping are critical steps to improve the capacity and stability.

New Insights on the Fast Response of Poly(Ionic Liquid)s to Humidity: The Effect of Free-Ion Concentration.

The swelling mechanism is widely used to explain the response of ionic liquids (ILs) or poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) to moisture. While a fairly broad consensus has been attained, there are still some phenomena that are not well explained. As a complement to the swelling mechanism, we systematically studied the free volume theory in the rapid response and recovery of PIL humidity performance.

A highly selective and sensitive HS sensor at low temperatures based on Cr-doped α-FeO nanoparticles.

Cr-doped α-FeO nanoparticles were synthesized by a low-cost and environmentally friendly hydrothermal route. Their gas sensing properties were investigated and the sensor showed high sensitivity and selectivity to HS gas. Different Cr doping levels from 0 to 8.

ZnO-carbon nanofibers for stable, high response, and selective HS sensors.

Hydrogen sulfide (HS), as a typical atmospheric pollutant, is neurotoxic and flammable even at a very low concentration. In this study, we design stable HS sensors based on ZnO-carbon nanofibers. Nanofibers with 30.

Comparison of the electrochemical performance of iron hexacyanoferrate with high and low quality as cathode materials for aqueous sodium-ion batteries.

In this work, high quality iron hexacyanoferrate nanocubes (HQ-PB NCs) were synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method and then investigated as cathode electrode materials for aqueous sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), which displayed a much enhanced electrochemical performance compared with the PB nanoparticles with low quality (LQ-PB NPs). The HQ-PB NCs could be promising cathode materials for aqueous SIBs.

Pipe-Wire TiO-Sn@Carbon Nanofibers Paper Anodes for Lithium and Sodium Ion Batteries.

Metallic tin has been considered as one of the most promising anode materials both for lithium (LIBs) and sodium ion battery (NIBs) because of a high theoretical capacity and an appropriate low discharge potential. However, Sn anodes suffer from a rapid capacity fading during cycling due to pulverization induced by severe volume changes. Here we innovatively synthesized pipe-wire TiO-Sn@carbon nanofibers (TiO-Sn@CNFs) via electrospinning and atomic layer deposition to suppress pulverization-induced capacity decay.