Flower-like MoS-Induced α-FeO/Fe(MoO) Nanocomposite as an Ultrafast Sensor for Ethanol Detection.

An ultrafast-responsive α-FeO/Fe(MoO) nanocomposite was developed for the detection of ethanol vapor. The α-FeO/Fe(MoO) nanocomposite was synthesized utilizing a green, normal-pressure, microwave-assisted method followed by an in situ solid-state reaction process with flower-like MoS as a unique precursor. The resulting α-FeO/Fe(MoO) composite presents a porous, agminated petal-like structure with α-FeO nanoparticles homogeneously attached to the surfaces of Fe(MoO) nanosheets.

1.55 GHz balanced homodyne detector with high gain flatness based on low noise amplifier.

In this paper, a model for simulating the shot noise power and the electronic noise power of a balanced homodyne detector (BHD) using cascaded low noise amplifiers (LNAs) is presented. Moreover, the factors influencing the enhancement of BHD gain flatness are analyzed. Based on these theories, a BHD with a large clearance between shot noise and electronic noise, along with a flat broadband frequency response, is designed using LNAs and an optimized printed circuit board design.

All-Alkynyl Protected Rod-Shaped Au(AgCu) Nanocluster with Remarkable Photothermal Conversion.

High-nuclearity intermetallic nanoclusters are important for investigating the evolution of alloy materials from atoms to plasmonic alloy nanoparticles. However, the synthesis of large-size alloy nanoclusters (∼2 nm) is still challenging. In this work, an all-alkynyl protected trimetallic nanocluster of unprecedented size, AuAg Cu(PhCC)(BF) (x = 0-20) (1) (PhCC = phenylacetylene), has been synthesized and its total structure determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD).

Blocking Effect Retards Electron Release from Asymmetric Active Units for Selective Seawater Oxidation.

During seawater electrolysis, chloride ion (Cl) adsorption at the anode leads to an inevitable competitive chloride oxidation reaction (ClOR) with the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), compromising the long-term stability of the electrolysis process. Furthermore, Ni-based OER electrocatalysts are challenged by activity degradation due to the overoxidation of Ni. In response, we present a design of oxygen-vacancy-regulated asymmetric Nb-O-Ni bonds aimed at selective seawater oxidation.

Enhanced blue emission of BaGaO: Bi phosphor co-doped with alkali metal ions.

A novel Bi doped BaGaO phosphor was successfully synthesized by high-temperature solid-state method in this work. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterization, scanning electron microscope (SEM) characterization and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) characterization indicate that Bi ions were doped successfully into the lattice The phosphor has a broad emission band covering the 350-580 nm spectral region peaked at 416 nm under the excitation at 340 nm, due to the P → S transition of Bi ions. Furthermore, when Na ions and K ions were co-doped, the emission intensity increased by 1.

Mg-doped α-GaO Nanorods for the Construction of Photoelectrochemical-Type Self-Powered Solar Blind UV Photodetectors and Underwater Imaging Application.

Underwater imaging technologies are increasingly crucial for environmental monitoring and resource exploration. However, the development of advanced photodetectors for such applications faces significant challenges, including interference from ambient visible and infrared light, adaptation to underwater environments, and cost-effectiveness. Photoelectrochemical-type solar-blind photodetectors (PEC-SBPDs) based on wide bandgap semiconductors have shown great promise in overcoming these challenges.

Yolk-Shell CoNi@N-Doped Carbon-CoNi@CNTs for Enhanced Microwave Absorption, Photothermal, Anti-Corrosion, and Antimicrobial Properties.

The previous studies mainly focused on improving microwave absorbing (MA) performances of MA materials. Even so, these designed MA materials were very difficult to be employed in complex and changing environments owing to their single-functionalities. Herein, a combined Prussian blue analogues derived and catalytical chemical vapor deposition strategy was proposed to produce hierarchical cubic sea urchin-like yolk-shell CoNi@N-doped carbon (NC)-CoNi@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) mixed-dimensional multicomponent nanocomposites (MCNCs), which were composed of zero-dimensional CoNi nanoparticles, three-dimensional NC nanocubes and one-dimensional CNTs.

Radiation-Hardened Position-Sensitive Photodetector Based on Undoped 4H-SiC.

Position-sensitive photodetectors (PSDs) have been widely used for seamless, high-resolution light tracking, but applications such as aerospace and prolonged field operations require stable performance in extreme environments. Conventional PSDs, typically based on the lateral photovoltaic effect of silicon or other semiconductor junctions, are prone to radiation damage and material degradation, limiting their reliability under harsh conditions. Silicon carbide (SiC), with its wide bandgap, high mobility, low defect density, and strong resistance to radiation damage, offers a promising alternative for developing robust detectors.

Nanophotonic biosensors for COVID-19 detection: advances in mechanisms, methods, and design.

The growing societal impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has underscored the urgent need for innovative strategies to address the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic. While rapid therapeutic interventions remain critical for short-term mitigation, equally vital is the development of accessible and efficient diagnostic tools to curb viral transmission. In this context, optical sensing technologies have emerged as foundational tools for detection and diagnosis, owing to their rapid response, user-friendliness, and adaptability.

Optical Spin Hall Effect Pattern Switching in Polariton Condensates in Organic Single-Crystal Microbelts.

Topological polaritons, combining the robustness of the topologically protected edge states against defects and disorder with the strong nonlinear properties of polariton bosons, represent an excellent platform to investigate novel photonic topological phases. We demonstrate the optical spin Hall effect (OSHE) and its symmetry switching in the exciton-polariton regime of pure DPAVBi crystals. Benefiting from the photonic Rashba-Dresselhaus spin-orbit coupling, we observe the separation of left- and right-circularly polarized emission in momentum space and real space, a signature of the OSHE.

Rovibrational Spectra of Water-Carbon Disulfide Complexes in the Bending Region of Water: Anomalous -to- Ratio.

Rovibrational spectra of DO-CS and HDO-CS van der Waals complexes have been measured in the bending region of DO/HDO by direct absorption in a slit supersonic jet expansion. The HO-CS dimer is reinvestigated in the bending region of HO with a higher rotational temperature compared with the previous study [Barclay, A. J.

Sensitivity-Enhanced Temperature Sensor Based on PDMS-Coated Mach-Zehnder Interferometer.

A sensitivity-enhanced temperature sensor based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) coated by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) film is proposed and investigated. The MZI with a compact size of 2.28 mm is fabricated by embedding a tapered single-mode fiber (SMF) between two multimode fibers (MMFs).

Preparation and Performance Optimization of Fe:ZnSe Solid Solution by High-Pressure-High-Temperature Method.

In this paper, high-purity zinc selenide (ZnSe) prepared by the Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method was used as the raw material, and iron ion-doped zinc selenide polycrystals were successfully fabricated through the thermal diffusion method at 1100 °C for 30 h. The results showed that iron ions (Fe) successfully penetrated into the zinc selenide crystals, but the concentration of iron ions inside the crystals was relatively low, and the crystals exhibited numerous defects. To address this issue, we performed secondary sintering and annealing on the samples under high-temperature and high-pressure (HPHT) conditions, with the annealing temperature range set at 900-1200 °C.

Interface Effects on the Electronic and Optical Properties of Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-CN)/SnS: First-Principles Studies.

Heterojunctions have received much interest as a way to improve semiconductors' electrical and optical properties. The impact of the interface on the electrical and optical properties of g-CN/SnS was explored using first-principles calculations in this study. The results show that, at the hetero-interface, a conventional type-II band forms, resulting in a lower band gap than that in the g-CN and SnS monolayers.

Graph and Multi-Level Sequence Fusion Learning for Predicting the Molecular Activity of BACE-1 Inhibitors.

The development of BACE-1 (β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1) inhibitors is a crucial focus in exploring early treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, graph neural networks (GNNs) have demonstrated significant advantages in predicting molecular activity. However, their reliance on graph structures alone often neglects explicit sequence-level semantic information.

Accurately adjusted phenothiazine conformations: reversible conformation transformation at room temperature and self-recoverable stimuli-responsive phosphorescence.

Conformational flexibility is essential to the stimuli-responsive property of organic materials, but achieving the reversible molecular transformation is still challenging in functional materials for the high energy barriers and restriction by intermolecular interactions. Herein, through the incorporation of various steric hindrances into phenothiazine derivatives with different positions and quantities to tune the molecular conformations by adjustable repulsive forces, the folded angles gradually changed from 180° to 90° in 17 compounds. When the angle located at 112° with moderated steric effect, dynamic and reversible transformation of conformations under mechanical force has been achieved for the low energy barriers and mutually regulated molecular motions, resulting in both self-recoverable and stimuli-responsive phosphorescence properties for the first time.

Fully Conjugated Benzobisoxazole-Bridged Covalent Organic Frameworks for Boosting Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

2D covalent organic frameworks (2D-COFs) have attracted extensive interest in solar energy to hydrogen conversion. However, insufficient light harvesting and difficult exciton dissociation severely limit the improvement of photocatalytic activity for COFs, thereby impeding the progression of this advanced field. In this work, two benzobisoxazole-bridged and fully conjugated 2D-COFs with triazine (COF-JLU44) and pyrene (COF-JLU45) units were constructed for the first time via Knoevenagel polycondensation, and they hold long-range ordered structures, largely acceptable surface area, and fascinating photoelectric properties.

Photoinduced synthesis of functionalized spiro[2.3]hexane an additive-free approach.

A general green protocol for the synthesis of spiro[2.3]hexane avoiding the use of harmful and toxic reagents is described. Spirocyclic scaffolds can be constructed by using alkenes of low reactivity under visible-light irradiation only.

Plasmonic-Enhanced Infrared Absorption Platform for Broadband and Multiple Molecular Fingerprint Retrieval.

The mid-infrared (mid-IR) region, often referred to as the molecular fingerprint region, encompasses the distinctive absorption spectra characteristic of numerous important molecules. However, the intrinsically small molecular absorption cross-sections, combined with the size mismatch between nanoscale molecules and microscale mid-IR wavelengths, result in inherently weak light-molecule interactions. In this work, we propose a broadband, tunable platform based on plasmonic-enhanced infrared absorption for label-free retrieval of molecular fingerprints.

Enhanced Sensitivity Mach-Zehnder Interferometer-Based Tapered-in-Tapered Fiber-Optic Biosensor for the Immunoassay of C-Reactive Protein.

A Mach-Zehnder interferometer-based tapered-in-tapered fiber-optic biosensor was introduced in this paper. By integrating a micro-tapered fiber into a single tapered fiber structure, the design enhances sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, and resolution capability, while reducing the length of the sensing fiber. Through simulation analysis, it was found that the tapered-in-tapered fiber significantly improved the refractive index detection sensitivity by exciting a stronger evanescent field effect.

Ionic Liquid Induced Static and Dynamic Interface Double Shields for Long-Lifespan All-Temperature Zn-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) have experienced substantial advancements recently, while the aqueous electrolytes exhibit limited thermal adaptability. The low-cost Zn(BF) salt possesses potential low-temperature application, while brings unsatisfied stability of Zn anodes. To address this challenge, an ionic liquid based eutectic electrolyte (ILEE) utilizing the Zn(BF) presenting remarkable stability across a temperature range of ≈-100-150 °C is developed, enabling ZIBs to operate in diverse thermal conditions.

Highly efficient and eco-friendly green quantum dot light-emitting diodes through interfacial potential grading.

As next-generation display technologies, eco-friendly colloidal quantum dot light-emitting diodes have drawn great attention due to their excellent luminescence properties, along with their rapid development. However, practical applications of eco-friendly quantum dot light-emitting device remain challenging, primarily due to the inferior performance of green device, which still lag behind their red and blue counterparts. Herein, we present efficient green device based on interfacial potential-graded ZnSeTe quantum dots.

Superior electron transport in the single-crystalline TiCoSb-based half-Heuslers.

Half-Heuslers emerged as promising candidates for medium- and high-temperature thermoelectric power generation. However, polycrystalline half-Heuslers inevitably suffer from the defect-dominated scattering of electrons that greatly limits the optimization of their electronic properties. Herein, high-quality TiCoSb-based single-crystals with a dimension above 1 cm have been obtained.

Modification of CsAgBiCl Double-Perovskite Photocatalytic Activity by Br Doping.

Developing highly efficient photocatalysts is crucial for photocatalysis technology. Many reports have demonstrated that element doping was an effective strategy for developing highly efficient photocatalysts by broadening the visible light absorption range and suppressing the recombination of photogenerated carriers. Herein, we doped the Br element into CsAgBiCl perovskite to widen the visible light absorption and enhance the charge transfer ability and then developed a highly efficient visible-light photocatalyst based on CsAgBiCl.