Structure-activity relationship between gold nanoclusters and human serum albumin: Effects of ligand isomerization.

The interactions between gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) and proteins have been extensively investigated. Nevertheless, the structure-activity relationship between gold nanoclusters and proteins in terms of ligand isomerization remained unclear. Here, interactions between AuNCs modified with para-, inter- and ortho-mercaptobenzoic acid (p/m/o-MBA-AuNCs) and human serum albumin (HSA) were analyzed.

Exciton Localization Modulated by Ultradeep Moiré Potential in Twisted Bilayer γ-Graphdiyne.

Twisted moiré superlattice is featured with its moiré potential energy, the depth of which renders an effective approach to strengthening the exciton-exciton interaction and exciton localization toward high-performance quantum photonic devices. However, it remains as a long-standing challenge to further push the limit of moiré potential depth. Herein, owing to the p orbital induced band edge states enabled by the unique sp-C in bilayer γ-graphdiyne (GDY), an ultradeep moiré potential of ∼289 meV is yielded.

The dynamic surface evolution of halide perovskites induced by external energy stimulation.

Tracking the dynamic surface evolution of metal halide perovskite is crucial for understanding the corresponding fundamental principles of photoelectric properties and intrinsic instability. However, due to the volatility elements and soft lattice nature of perovskites, several important dynamic behaviors remain unclear. Here, an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) interconnection system integrated by surface-sensitive probing techniques has been developed to investigate the freshly cleaved surface of CHNHPbBr   under given energy stimulation.

Revealing the effects of ligands of silver nanoclusters on the interactions between them and ctDNA: Abstraction to visualization.

Silver nanoclusters (AgNCs) have been widely applied in the field of biology, drug therapy and cell imaging in the last decade. In order to study the biosafety of AgNCs, GSH-AgNCs and DHLA-AgNCs were synthesized using glutathione (GSH) and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA) as ligands, and their interactions with calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) from abstraction to visualization were studied. The results of spectroscopy, viscometry and molecular docking demonstrated that GSH-AgNCs mainly bound to ctDNA in a groove mode, while DHLA-AgNCs were both groove and intercalation binding.

Pushing the Limit of Open-Circuit Voltage Deficit via Modifying Buried Interface in CsPbI Perovskite Solar Cells.

Although CsPbI perovskites have shown tremendous potential in the photovoltaic field owing to their excellent thermal stability, the device performance is seriously restricted by severe photovoltage loss. The buried titanium oxide/perovskite interface plays a critical role in interfacial charge transport and perovskite crystallization, which is closely related to open-circuit voltage deficit stemming from nonradiative recombination. Herein, target molecules named 3-sulphonatopropyl acrylate potassium salts are deliberately employed with special functional groups for modifying the buried interface, giving rise to favorable functions in terms of passivating interfacial defects, optimizing energetic alignment, and facilitating perovskite crystallization.

Identifying and Interpreting Geometric Configuration-Dependent Activity of Spinel Catalysts for Water Reduction.

The catalytic activity of transition metal-based catalysts is overwhelmingly dependent on the geometric configuration. Identification and interpretation of different geometric configurations' contributions to catalytic activity plays a pivotal role in catalytic performance elevation. Spinel structured ABX, consisting of tetrahedral (A-X) and octahedral (B-X) geometric configurations, is a prototypical category of multi-geometric-configuration featured catalysts.

Vacancy Defects in 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Electrocatalysts: From Aggregated to Atomic Configuration.

Vacancy defect engineering has been well leveraged to flexibly shape comprehensive physicochemical properties of diverse catalysts. In particular, growing research effort has been devoted to engineering chalcogen anionic vacancies (S/Se/Te) of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) toward the ultimate performance limit of electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In spite of remarkable progress achieved in the past decade, systematic and in-depth insights into the state-of-the-art vacancy engineering for 2D-TMDs-based electrocatalysis are still lacking.

Periodically Interrupting Bonding Behavior to Reformat Delocalized Electronic States of Graphdiyne for Improved Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

π electron configuration plays a pivotal role in metal-free carbon catalysts, and its delocalization degree overwhelmingly dominates catalytic activity. However, precise and targeted regulation of inherent π electrons still remain challenging. Here, one chemical-bond-targeted physical clipping strategy is proposed and effectively adopted in the cutting-edge carbon material system of graphdiyne (GDY) as a concept-of-proof.

A van der Waals Ferroelectric Tunnel Junction for Ultrahigh-Temperature Operation Memory.

Facing the constant scaling down and thus increasingly severe self-heating effect, developing ultrathin and heat-insensitive ferroelectric devices is essential for future electronics. However, conventional ultrathin ferroelectrics and most 2D ferroelectric materials (2DFMs) are not suitable for high-temperature operation due to their low Curie temperature. Here, by using few-layer α-In Se , a special 2DFM with high Curie temperature, van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectric tunnel junction (FTJ) memories that deliver outstanding and reliable performance at both room and high temperatures are constructed.

Architecture Design and Interface Engineering of Self-assembly VS/rGO Heterostructures for Ultrathin Absorbent.

The employment of microwave absorbents is highly desirable to address the increasing threats of electromagnetic pollution. Importantly, developing ultrathin absorbent is acknowledged as a linchpin in the design of lightweight and flexible electronic devices, but there are remaining unprecedented challenges. Herein, the self-assembly VS/rGO heterostructure is constructed to be engineered as ultrathin microwave absorbent through the strategies of architecture design and interface engineering.

All-van-der-Waals Barrier-Free Contacts for High-Mobility Transistors.

Ultrathin 2D semiconductor devices are considered to have beyond-silicon potential but are severely troubled by the high Schottky barriers of the metal-semiconductor contacts, especially for p-type semiconductors. Due to the severe Fermi-level pinning effect and the lack of conventional semimetals with high work functions, their Schottky hole barriers are hardly removed. Here, an all-van-der-Waals barrier-free hole contact between p-type tellurene semiconductor and layered 1T'-WS semimetal is reported, which achieves a zero Schottky barrier height of 3 ± 9 meV and a high field-effect mobility of ≈1304 cm V s .

Omnibearing Interpretation of External Ions Passivated Ion Migration in Mixed Halide Perovskites.

Fundamental understanding of ion migration inside perovskites is of vital importance for commercial advancements of photovoltaics. However, the mechanism for external ions incorporation and its effect on ion migration remains elusive. Herein, taking K and Cs co-incorporated mixed halide perovskites as a model, the impact of external ions on ion migration behavior has been interpreted via multiple dimensional characterization aspects.

Interpretation of Rubidium-Based Perovskite Recipes toward Electronic Passivation and Ion-Diffusion Mitigation.

Rubidium cation (Rb ) addition is witnessed to play a pivotal role in boosting the comprehensive performance of organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells. However, the origin of such success derived from irreplaceable superiorities brought by Rb remains ambiguous. Herein, grain-boundary-including atomic models are adopted for the accurate theoretical analysis of practical Rb distribution in perovskite structures.

Nanowelding in Whole-Lifetime Bottom-Up Manufacturing: From Assembly to Service.

The continuous miniaturization of microelectronics is pushing the transformation of nanomanufacturing modes from top-down to bottom-up. Bottom-up manufacturing is essentially the way of assembling nanostructures from atoms, clusters, quantum dots, etc. The assembly process relies on nanowelding which also existed in the synthesis process of nanostructures, construction and repair of nanonetworks, interconnects, integrated circuits, and nanodevices.

Tough and Degradable Self-Healing Elastomer from Synergistic Soft-Hard Segments Design for Biomechano-Robust Artificial Skin.

Increasing biomechanical applications of skin-inspired devices raise higher requirements for the skin-bionic robustness and environmental compatibility of elastomers. Here, a tough and degradable self-healing elastomer (TDSE) is developed by a synergistic soft-hard segments design. The polyester/polyether copolymer is introduced in soft segments to endow TDSE with flexibility and degradability.

Single-Atom Engineering to Ignite 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Based Catalysis: Fundamentals, Progress, and Beyond.

Single-atom catalysis has been recognized as a pivotal milestone in the development history of heterogeneous catalysis by virtue of its superior catalytic performance, ultrahigh atomic utilization, and well-defined structure. Beyond single-atom protrusions, two more motifs of single-atom substitutions and single-atom vacancies along with synergistic single-atom motif assemblies have been progressively developed to enrich the single-atom family. On the other hand, besides traditional carbon material based substrates, a wide variety of 2D transitional metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been emerging as a promising platform for single-atom catalysis owing to their diverse elemental compositions, variable crystal structures, flexible electronic structures, and intrinsic activities toward many catalytic reactions.

Molecule-Upgraded van der Waals Contacts for Schottky-Barrier-Free Electronics.

The applications of any ultrathin semiconductor device are inseparable from high-quality metal-semiconductor contacts with designed Schottky barriers. Building van der Waals (vdWs) contacts of 2D semiconductors represents an advanced strategy of lowering the Schottky barrier height by reducing interface states, but will finally fail at the theoretical minimum barrier due to the inevitable energy difference between the semiconductor electron affinity and the metal work function. Here, an effective molecule optimization strategy is reported to upgrade the general vdWs contacts, achieving near-zero Schottky barriers and creating high-performance electronic devices.

Comparison of O-RADS, GI-RADS, and ADNEX for Diagnosis of Adnexal Masses: An External Validation Study Conducted by Junior Sonologists.

Objective: To externally validate the Ovarian-adnexal Reporting and Data System (O-RADS) and evaluate its performance in differentiating benign from malignant adnexal masses (AMs) compared with the Gynecologic Imaging Reporting and Data System (GI-RADS) and Assessment of Different NEoplasias in the adneXa (ADNEX).

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 734 cases from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University. All patients underwent transvaginal or transabdominal ultrasound examination.

Direct Charge Trapping Multilevel Memory with Graphdiyne/MoS Van der Waals Heterostructure.

Direct charge trapping memory, a new concept memory without any dielectric, has begun to attract attention. However, such memory is still at the incipient stage, of which the charge-trapping capability depends on localized electronic states that originated from the limited surface functional groups. To further advance such memory, a material with rich hybrid states is highly desired.

Modified lung ultrasound scoring system to evaluate the feasibility of pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia.

Objective: To investigate whether physicians with short-term training can use a modified lung ultrasound scoring system for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia to assess lung damage in pregnant women.

Methods: Sixteen consecutively hospitalized third-trimester pregnant women with pregnancy-induced hypertension, preeclampsia, rheumatoid arthritis or connective tissue disease were selected as the study subjects for the simulation of COVID-19 pneumonia. Two physicians (imaging and internal medicine) without ultrasonic experience performed lung examinations on pregnant women after six days of lung ultrasound training, and their consistency with examinations by the expert was assessed.

Near-ideal van der Waals rectifiers based on all-two-dimensional Schottky junctions.

The applications of any two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor devices cannot bypass the control of metal-semiconductor interfaces, which can be severely affected by complex Fermi pinning effects and defect states. Here, we report a near-ideal rectifier in the all-2D Schottky junctions composed of the 2D metal 1 T'-MoTe and the semiconducting monolayer MoS. We show that the van der Waals integration of the two 2D materials can efficiently address the severe Fermi pinning effect generated by conventional metals, leading to increased Schottky barrier height.

Fully Organic Self-Powered Electronic Skin with Multifunctional and Highly Robust Sensing Capability.

Electronic skin (e-skin) with skin-like flexibility and tactile sensation will promote the great advancements in the fields of wearable equipment. Thus, the multifunction and high robustness are two important requirements for sensing capability of the e-skin. Here, a fully organic self-powered e-skin (FOSE-skin) based on the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is developed.