Odyssey in the Wonderland of Chemical Dynamics.

This is a recollection of my scientific trajectory. When I look back, I consider myself to be very fortunate for being able to do something I love and on topics of my own will. I am not a competitive person and tend to shy away from the limelight.

Interfacial Elemental Analysis of Slanted Edge-Contacted Monolayer MoS Transistors via Directionally Angled Etching.

Edge contacts offer a significant advantage for enhancing the performance of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) devices by interfacing with the metallic contacts on the lateral side, which allows the encapsulation of all of the channel material. However, despite intense research, the fabrication of feasible electrical edge contacts to TMDCs to improve device performance remains a great challenge, as interfacial chemical characterization via conventional methods is lacking. A major bottleneck in explicitly understanding the chemical and electronic properties of the edge contact at the metal-two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor interface is the small cross section when characterizing nominally one-dimensional edge contacts.

Scaling theory for non-Hermitian topological transitions.

Understanding the critical properties is essential for determining the physical behavior of topological systems. In this context, scaling theories based on the curvature function in momentum space, the renormalization group (RG) method, and the universality of critical exponents have proven effective. In this work, we develop a scaling theory for non-Hermitian topological states of matter.

Non-adiabatic quantum electrodynamic effects on electron-nucleus-photon systems: Single photonic mode vs infinite photonic modes.

The quantum-electrodynamic non-adiabatic emission (QED-NAE) is a type of radiatively assisted vibronic de-excitation due to electromagnetic vacuum fluctuations on non-adiabatic processes. Building on our previous work [Tsai et al., J.

Absolute line strength measurements of HO2 radical in the OO-stretching fundamental band between 1088 and 1124 cm-1 using time-resolved dual-comb spectroscopy.

Absolute line strength measurements of hydroperoxyl (HO2) radical in the OO-stretching (ν3) fundamental band have been performed by means of mid-infrared time-resolved dual-comb spectroscopy. By employing two sets of dual-comb spectrometers, high-resolution time-resolved spectra of HO2 and HCl, formed in the photolysis reaction system of Cl2/CH3OH/O2, could be, respectively, measured near 1123 and 3059 cm-1. With kinetic simulations, spectral analysis of both HO2 and HCl, as well as the accurate line strength of the HCl R(9) transition at 3059.

Fluorescent nanodiamond scintillators for beam diagnostics of EUV and soft X-ray in photolithographic applications.

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is a cutting-edge technology in contemporary semiconductor chip manufacturing. Monitoring the EUV beam profiles is critical to ensuring consistent quality and precision in the manufacturing process. This study uncovers the practical use of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) coated on optical image sensors for profiling EUV and soft X-ray (SXR) radiation beams.

Multistate Transition Metal Carbonyl Bonding Beyond Minimum Energy Pathway: Nonlocality of Spin-Orbit Interaction.

Transition metal carbonyl and transition metal dinitrogen are fundamental chemical complexes in many important biological and catalytic processes. Interestingly, binding between a transition metal (TM) atom and carbonyl or dinitrogen results in spin state change. However, no study has evaluated the spin-orbit (SO) effect along the association pathway of any TM-CO or TM-N bond.

Unusual free trisaccharides in caprine colostrum discovered by logically derived sequence tandem mass spectrometry.

Free oligosaccharides in human milk have many biological functions for infant health. The reducing end of most human milk oligosaccharides is lactose, and caprine milk was reported to contain oligosaccharides structurally similar to those present in human milk. The structures of oligosaccharides were traditionally determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or enzyme digestion followed by various detection methods, e.

A correlation of polymorphic G-quadruplex formation in vitro and in the lysosomes of live cancer cells.

Guanine-rich oligonucleotides (GROs) can fold into G-quadruplex (G4) structures. The diverse roles of G4 structures, particularly as targets for drug design, anticancer agents, and drug delivery systems, highlight their critical significance in cancer research. However, the formation of G4 structures is highly dependent on the specific nucleotide sequences and the number of G-tracts within each GRO.

Theory of molecular emission power spectra. III. Non-Hermitian interactions in multichromophoric systems coupled with polaritons.

Based on our previous study [Wang et al., J. Chem.

Artificial digestion represents the worst-case scenario for studying nanoplastic fate in gastrointestinal tract.

Humans may inevitably be exposed to nanoplastics (NPls) through ingestion. The size of NPls significantly influences their absorption efficiency, so understanding behaviors of NPls during digestion is vital for risk assessment. In this study, fluorescent polystyrene (PS) and melamine-formaldehyde resin (MF) NPls were characterized by different techniques after the in vitro digestion process both with and without a standard food model, or with and without pH adjustment in the absence of the proteins.

Formation and Microfilamentation of Spiral Density Waves in Plasmas Induced by Circularly Polarized Field Ionization.

The formation and subsequent self-organization of a spiral electron density modulation initialized in a plasma produced by optical-field ionization of various gas species is studied. Our analytical model predicts that the spiral density modulation results from space-dependent drift velocities of the ionized electrons due to the spatial and temporal intensity distributions of the circularly polarized ionizing laser. The spiral topology of the electron density has been validated by three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations.

The Structural and Dynamic Insights into the Ala97Ser Amyloidogenic Mutation in Transthyretin.

Transthyretin (TTR), a homo-tetrameric protein encoded by the TTR gene, can lead to amyloid diseases when destabilized by mutations. The TTR-Ala97Ser (A97S) mutation is the predominant pathogenic variant found in Han-Taiwanese patients and is associated with late-onset familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP), which presents a rapid progression of symptoms affecting peripheral nerves and the heart. In this study, we combined nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography to investigate how the A97S mutation impacts the structure and dynamics of TTR.

Micro-CT evaluation of a nanodiamond irrigant for hard-tissue debris removal during sonic agitation.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of nanodiamond irrigation solution with sonic agitation for removing of hard-tissue debris (HTD) within the isthmus-containing mesial roots of human mandibular molars using micro-CT analysis.

Methodology: Forty mesial roots of extracted human mandibular molars were selected based on micro-computed tomography scans (9-μm resolution). The mesial canals were mechanically prepared using ProTaper® Gold nickel-titanium rotary instruments and divided into four groups (n = 10 each) according to the final irrigation protocol: sonic agitation with nanodiamond irrigation solution for three 20-s cycles, sonic agitation with 17% EDTA for three 20-s cycles, sonic agitation with 3% NaOCl for three 20-s cycles and manual syringe irrigation with NaOCl using a 30-G needle syringe for 60 s.

Versatile Strategy for the Chemoenzymatic Synthesis of Branched Human Milk Oligosaccharides Containing the Lacto-N-Biose Motif.

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) exhibit prebiotic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties and confer significant benefits to infants. Branched HMOs are constructed through diverse glycosidic linkages and prominently feature the lacto-N-biose (LNB, Gal-β1,3-GlcNAc) motif with fucose and/or sialic acid modifications, displaying structural complexity that surpasses that of N- and O-glycans. However, synthesizing comprehensive libraries of branched HMO is challenging due to this complexity.

High Abundance of Unusual High Mannose -Glycans Found in Beans.

High mannose -glycans extracted from eight different beans (black bean, soybean, pea, white kidney bean, pinto bean, mung bean, white hyacinth bean, and red bean) were studied using the state-of-the-art mass spectrometry method logically derived sequence tandem mass spectrometry (LODES/MS). These beans show very similar -glycan isomer profiles: one isomer of ManGlcNAc and ManGlcNAc, two isomers of ManGlcNAc, three isomers of ManGlcNAc, and five isomers of ManGlcNAc were found. Isomers not predicted by current -glycan biosynthetic pathways were found in all beans, indicating the possibility of alternative biosynthetic pathways in these plants.

Advances in aggregation-induced emission luminogens for biomedicine: From luminescence mechanisms to diagnostic applications.

Advancements in early detection have demonstrated the significance of biomarkers as indicators of health and disease. Traditional detection methods often face limitations, such as low sensitivity and time consumption. Fluorescence-based techniques are considered promising approaches because of their noninvasiveness and rapid response.

Exciton Enhanced Nonlinear Optical Responses in Monolayer h-BN and MoS: Insight from First-Principles Exciton-State Coupling Formalism and Calculations.

Excitons are vital in the photophysics of materials, especially in low-dimensional systems. The conceptual and quantitative understanding of excitonic effects in nonlinear optical (NLO) processes is more challenging compared to linear ones. Here, we present an ab initio approach to second-order NLO responses, incorporating excitonic effects, that employs an exciton-state coupling formalism and allows for a detailed analysis of the role of individual excitonic states.

Collision-Induced Dissociations of Linear Hexose and Disaccharides with Linear Hexose at the Reducing End.

Characterization of carbohydrate structures using mass spectrometry is a challenging task. Understanding the dissociation mechanisms of carbohydrates in the gas phase is crucial for characterizing these structures through tandem mass spectrometry. In this study, we investigated the collision-induced dissociation (CID) of glucose, galactose, and mannose in their linear forms, as well as the linear forms of hexose at the reducing end of 1-6 linked disaccharides, using quantum chemistry calculations and tandem mass spectrometry.

Strongly enhanced shift current at exciton resonances in a noncentrosymmetric wide-gap semiconductor.

Excitons are fundamental quasiparticles that are ubiquitous in photoexcited semiconductors and insulators. Despite causing a sharp and strong photoabsorption near the interband absorption edge, charge-neutral excitons do not yield photocurrent in conventional photovoltaic processes unless dissociated into free charge carriers. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that excitons can directly contribute to photocurrent generation through a nonlinear light-matter interaction in a noncentrosymmetric semiconductor CuI.

Visualization of Anion Vacancy Defect Annihilation in CZTSe Solar Cells by Hydrogen-Assisted Selenization with In Operando X-ray Nanoprobe Studies.

The traditional sulfur selenization process in CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) solar cell fabrication often results in the creation of localized anion vacancies ( and ). These vacancies are considered harmful defects as they can trap carriers generated by light, leading to reduced solar cell efficiency. Moreover, concrete evidence has been lacking on the extent of the impact caused by these anion vacancies.

Structural determination of fructooligosaccharides and raffinose family oligosaccharides using logically derived sequence tandem mass spectrometry.

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) are two highly abundant water-soluble carbohydrates in plants. The typical procedures for the FOS and RFO structural determination using mass spectrometry involve permethylation, followed by the hydrolysis of the permethylated oligosaccharides into monosaccharides, and then the identification of linkage positions using GC mass spectrometry. However, the determination of linkage position sequence is not straightforward, thus this method is limited to small oligosaccharides or oligosaccharides with simple linkages.

Hydrogen bond network structures of protonated 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol/ethanol mixed clusters probed by infrared spectroscopy combined with a deep-learning structure sampling approach: the origin of the linear type network preference in protonated fluoroalcohol clusters.

While preferential hydrogen bond network structures of cold protonated alcohol clusters H(ROH) are generally switched from a linear type to a cyclic one at = 4-5, those of protonated 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) clusters maintain linear type structures at least in the size range of = 3-7. To explore the origin of the strong linear type network preference of H(TFE), infrared spectra of protonated mixed clusters H(TFE)(ethanol) ( + = 5) were measured. An efficient structure sampling technique using parallelized basin-hopping algorithms and deep-learning neural network potentials is developed to search for essential isomers of the mixed clusters.

Fabrication of MnSnO intercalated TA-rGO modified sensor for selective electrochemical detection of chloramphenicol in real samples.

Chloramphenicol (CAP), a potent antibiotic capable of inhibiting protein synthesis, presents significant challenges related to long-term dosing and its persistent leaching into the environment, raising concerns about environmental contamination and resistance development. To address this issue, we developed a reliable, low-cost, and biocompatible nanocomposite material comprising tannic acid (TA)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) intercalated into manganese-doped tin oxide nanoparticles (MnSnO₂ NPs). The structural formation and catalytic activity of the MnSnO₂ NPs/TA-rGO nanocomposite were characterized using field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical techniques.