Integrated and DC-powered superconducting microcomb.

Frequency combs, specialized laser sources emitting multiple equidistant frequency lines, have revolutionized science and technology with unprecedented precision and versatility. Recently, integrated frequency combs are emerging as scalable solutions for on-chip photonics. Here, we demonstrate a fully integrated superconducting microcomb that is easy to manufacture, simple to operate, and consumes ultra-low power.

Molecular insights into the nanoconfinement effect on the structure and dynamics of ionic liquids in carbon nanotubes.

The properties and applications of ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated when they are confined within nanochannels such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The confined ILs exhibit very different properties from their bulk state due to a nanoconfinement effect, which plays an important role in the performances of devices with ILs. In this work, we studied the effect of the charge carried by CNTs on confined ILs inside CNTs using molecular dynamics simulations.

Toroidic phase transitions in a direct-kagome artificial spin ice.

Ferrotoroidicity-the fourth form of primary ferroic order-breaks both space and time-inversion symmetry. So far, direct observation of ferrotoroidicity in natural materials remains elusive, which impedes the exploration of ferrotoroidic phase transitions. Here we overcome the limitations of natural materials using an artificial nanomagnet system that can be characterized at the constituent level and at different effective temperatures.

Near-Field Probing of Microwave Oscillators with Josephson Microscopy.

Voltage-controlled oscillators, serving as fundamental components in semiconductor chips, find extensive applications in diverse modules such as phase-locked loops, clock generators, and frequency synthesizers within high-frequency integrated circuits. This study marks the first implementation of superconducting Josephson probe microscopy for near-field microwave detection on multiple voltage-controlled oscillators. Focusing on spectrum tracking, various phenomena, such as stray spectra and frequency drifts, were found under nonsteady operating states.

Unconventional Superconducting Diode Effects via Antisymmetry and Antisymmetry Breaking.

Symmetry breaking plays a pivotal role in unlocking intriguing properties and functionalities in material systems. For example, the breaking of spatial and temporal symmetries leads to a fascinating phenomenon: the superconducting diode effect. However, generating and precisely controlling the superconducting diode effect pose significant challenges.

Superior gravimetric CO uptake of aqueous deep-eutectic solvent solutions.

A 30% (w/w) [ImCl][EDA]-based deep eutectic solvent (DES) in water has demonstrated superior gravimetric CO uptake with desirable kinetics, lower regeneration enthalpy, and lesser degradation than the industrially popular 30% monoethanolamine (MEA) solution.

Multifunctional Underwater Adhesive Film Enabled by a Single-Component Poly(ionic liquid).

Tremendous efforts have been devoted to exploiting synthetic wet adhesives for real-life applications. However, developing low-cost, robust, and multifunctional wet adhesive materials remains a considerable challenge. Herein, a wet adhesive composed of a single-component poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) that enables fast and robust underwater adhesion is reported.

Poly(ionic liquid) nanovesicles via polymerization induced self-assembly and their stabilization of Cu nanoparticles for tailored CO electroreduction.

Herein, we report a straightforward, scalable synthetic route towards poly(ionic liquid) (PIL) homopolymer nanovesicles (NVs) with a tunable particle size of 50 to 120 nm and a shell thickness of 15 to 60 nm via one-step free radical polymerization induced self-assembly. By increasing monomer concentration for polymerization, their nanoscopic morphology can evolve from hollow NVs to dense spheres, and finally to directional worms, in which a multilamellar packing of PIL chains occurred in all samples. The transformation mechanism of NVs' internal morphology is studied in detail by coarse-grained simulations, revealing a correlation between the PIL chain length and the shell thickness of NVs.

Porous organic polycarbene nanotrap for efficient and selective gold stripping from electronic waste.

The role of N-heterocyclic carbene, a well-known reactive site, in chemical catalysis has long been studied. However, its unique binding and electron-donating properties have barely been explored in other research areas, such as metal capture. Herein, we report the design and preparation of a poly(ionic liquid)-derived porous organic polycarbene adsorbent with superior gold-capturing capability.

Roles of Anion-Cation Coupling Transport and Dehydration-Induced Ion-Membrane Interaction in Precise Separation of Ions by Nanofiltration Membranes.

Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are playing increasingly crucial roles in addressing emerging environmental challenges by precise separation, yet understanding of the selective transport mechanism is still limited. In this work, the underlying mechanisms governing precise selectivity of the polyamide NF membrane were elucidated using a series of monovalent cations with minor hydrated radius difference. The observed selectivity of a single cation was neither correlated with the hydrated radius nor hydration energy, which could not be explained by the widely accepted NF model or ion dehydration theory.

Crystallizing Kagome Artificial Spin Ice.

Artificial spin ices are engineered arrays of dipolarly coupled nanobar magnets. They enable direct investigations of fascinating collective phenomena from their diverse microstates. However, experimental access to ground states in the geometrically frustrated systems has proven difficult, limiting studies and applications of novel properties and functionalities from the low energy states.

Self-Assembly of Miktoarm Star Polyelectrolytes in Solutions with Various Ionic Strengths.

We studied the self-assembly of miktoarm star polyelectrolytes with different numbers of arms in solutions with various ionic strengths using coarse-grained molecular dynamic simulations. Spherical micelles are obtained for star polyelectrolytes with fewer arms, whereas wormlike clusters are obtained for star polyelectrolytes with more arms at a low ionic strength environment, with hydrophilic arms showing a stretched conformation. The number of clusters shows an overall decreasing tendency with increasing the number of arms in star polyelectrolytes due to strong electrostatic coupling between polycations and polyanions.

Scalable Synthesis of Photoluminescent Single-Chain Nanoparticles by Electrostatic-Mediated Intramolecular Crosslinking.

We report the large-scale synthesis of photoluminescent single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) by electrostatic-mediated intramolecular crosslinking in a concentrated solution of 40 mg mL by continuous addition of the free radical initiator. Poly(vinyl benzyl chloride) was charged by quaternization with vinyl-imidazolium for the intramolecular crosslinking by using 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (DMAP) as the radical initiator. Under the electrostatic repulsion thus interchain isolation, the intrachain crosslinking experiences the transition from coil through pearl-necklace to globular state.

Coarse-grained simulations of ionic liquid materials: from monomeric ionic liquids to ionic liquid crystals and polymeric ionic liquids.

Ionic liquid (IL) materials are promising electrolytes with striking physicochemical properties for energy and environmental applications. Heterogeneous structures and transport quantities of monomeric and polymeric ILs are intrinsically intercorrelated and span multiple spatiotemporal scales, which is more feasible for coarse-grained (CG) simulations than atomistic modelling. Herein we constructed a novel CG model for ethyl-imidazolium tetrafluoroborate ILs with varied cation alkyl chains ranging from C to C, and the interaction parameters were validated against representative static and dynamic properties that were obtained from atomistic reference simulations and experimental characterizations at relevant thermodynamic states.

Superconducting diode effect via conformal-mapped nanoholes.

A superconducting diode is an electronic device that conducts supercurrent and exhibits zero resistance primarily for one direction of applied current. Such a dissipationless diode is a desirable unit for constructing electronic circuits with ultralow power consumption. However, realizing a superconducting diode is fundamentally and technologically challenging, as it usually requires a material structure without a centre of inversion, which is scarce among superconducting materials.

Phase Transitions of Oppositely Charged Colloidal Particles Driven by Alternating Current Electric Field.

We study systems containing oppositely charged colloidal particles under applied alternating current electric fields (AC fields) using overdamped Langevin dynamics simulations in three dimensions. We obtain jammed bands perpendicular to the field direction under intermediate frequencies and lanes parallel with the field under low frequencies. These structures also depend upon the particle charges.

A Ruthenium(II) complex-based probe for colorimetric and luminescent detection and imaging of hydrogen sulfide in living cells and organisms.

The development of reliable bioanalytical probes for sensitive and specific detection of hydrogen sulfide (HS) plays important role for better understanding the roles of this biomolecule in living cells and organisms. Taking advantages of unique photophysical properties of ruthenium(II) (Ru(II)) complex, this work presents the development of a responsive Ru(II) complex probe, Ru-PNBD, for colorimetric and luminescent analysis of HS in living cells and organisms. In aqueous solution, Ru-PNBD is yellow color and non-luminescent because of the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) process from Ru(II) complex luminophore to NBD moiety.

Effect of Aromaticity in Anion on the Cation-Anion Interactions and Ionic Mobility in Fluorine-Free Ionic Liquids.

Ionic liquids (ILs) composed of tetra(-butyl)phosphonium [P] and tetra(-butyl)ammonium [N] cations paired with 2-furoate [FuA], tetrahydo-2-furoate [HFuA], and thiophene-2-carboxylate [TpA] anions are prepared to investigate the effects of electron delocalization in anion and the mutual interactions between cations and anions on their physical and electrochemical properties. The [P] cations-based ILs are found to be liquids, while the [N] cations-based ILs are semi-solids at room temperature. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed higher decomposition temperatures and differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed lower glass transition temperatures for phosphonium-based ILs than the ammonium-based counterparts.

Reconfigurable Pinwheel Artificial-Spin-Ice and Superconductor Hybrid Device.

The ability to control the potential landscape in a medium of interacting particles could lead to intriguing collective behavior and innovative functionalities. Here, we utilize spatially reconfigurable magnetic potentials of a pinwheel artificial-spin-ice (ASI) structure to tailor the motion of superconducting vortices. The reconstituted chain structures of the magnetic charges in the pinwheel ASI and the strong interaction between magnetic charges and superconducting vortices allow significant modification of the transport properties of the underlying superconducting thin film, resulting in a reprogrammable resistance state that enables a reversible and switchable vortex Hall effect.

Luminescent Thermochromic Silver Iodides as Wavelength-Dependent Thermometers.

Luminescent thermochromic materials with a dramatic shift of emission band under different temperatures are highly desirable in temperature sensing fields. However, the design of the synthesis of such compounds remains a great challenge. In this work, two new luminescent thermochromic silver iodides, (emIm)AgI () and (emIm)AgI () (emIm = 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazole), have been synthesized under solvothermal conditions.

The ENUF method-Ewald summation based on nonuniform fast Fourier transform: Implementation, parallelization, and application.

Computer simulations of model systems are widely used to explore striking phenomena in promising applications spanning from physics, chemistry, biology, to materials science and engineering. The long range electrostatic interactions between charged particles constitute a prominent factor in determining structures and states of model systems. How to efficiently calculate electrostatic interactions in simulation systems subjected to partial or full periodic boundary conditions has been a grand challenging task.

Effects of Nitridation and Vinylation of Imidazolium Rings on Hydrogen Bonding Interactions, π-π-Stacking Structures, and Dynamical Heterogeneities in Imidazolium and Triazolium Ionic Liquids.

Extensive atomistic simulations have been performed to investigate how nitridation and vinylation of cations affect hydrogen bonding structures and dynamics, π-π-stacking interactions between cation-ring planes, and translational and rotational dynamics of ion species in ionic liquids (ILs) consisting of bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide anions coupled with either imidazolium or triazolium cations. Both nitridation and vinylation of cations have remarkable effects on molecular electrostatic potential contours of cations and polarities of cation-ring hydrogen atoms, leading to distinct structures and dynamics in their hydrogen bonding associations with representative atoms in anions and in triazolium cations. Both imidazolium- and triazolium-ring planes exhibit varied π-π-stacking structures depending on nitridation positions on imidazolium rings.

"Two Birds with One Stone" Ruthenium(II) Complex Probe for Biothiols Discrimination and Detection In Vitro and In Vivo.

In this work, a "two birds with one stone" ruthenium(II) complex probe, Ru-NBD, is proposed as an effective tool for biothiols detection and discrimination in vitro and in vivo. Ru-NBD is nonluminescent due to the quenching of Ru(II) complex emission by photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from Ru(II) center to NBD and the quenching of NBD emission through 4-substitution with "O" ether bond. Ru-NBD is capable of reacting with Cys/Hcy to form long-lived red-emitting Ru-OH and short-lived green-emitting NBD-NR, while reacting with GSH to produce Ru-OH and nonemissive NBD-SR.

The coarse-grained models of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide) homopolymers and poloxamers in big multipole water (BMW) and MARTINI frameworks.

Polyethylene oxide (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), especially their tri-block copolymers PEO-PPO-PEO (poloxamers), have a broad range of applications in biotechnology and medical science. Understanding their specific interactions with biomembranes is the key to unveil the unique features of poloxamers either as membrane-healing or membrane pore-forming agents. Based on the coarse-graining convention of the MARTINI force field and the big multipole water (BMW) model, which has a three charged site topology and can reproduce the correct dipole moment of four-water clusters, we generated coarse-grained (CG) models with analytical and numerical potentials for PEO and PPO homopolymers and poloxamers in dilute solution.