Raman Investigation of Sodium Titanate Nanotubes under Hydrostatic Pressures up to 26.9GPa

High pressure behavior of sodium titanate nanotubes （Na2Ti2O5） is investigated by Raman spectroscopy in a diamond anvil cell （DAC） at room temperature. The two pressure-induced irreversible phase transitions are observed under the given pressure. One occurs at about 4.2 GPa accompanied with a new Raman peak emerging at 834 cm-1 which results from the lattice distortion of the Ti-O network in titanate nanotubes. It can be can be assigned to Ti-O lattice vibrations within lepidocrocite-type （H0.7Ti1.825V0.175O4＆#12539;H2O）TiO6 octahedral host layers with V being vacancy. The structure of the nanotubes transforms to orthorhombic lepidocrocite structure. Another amorphous phase transition occurs at 16.7 GPa. This phase transition is induced by the collapse of titanate nanotubes. All the Raman bands shift toward higher wavenumbers with a pressure dependence ranging from 1.58-5.6 cm-1/GPa.     

Transport Behaviour of La0.8Sr0.2AlO3 Thin Film on Oxygen Deficient SrTiO3 Substrate

La_0.8Sr_0.2AlO₃ (LSAO) thin films are grown on SrTiO₃ (STO) and MgO substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy. The LSAO thin film on oxygen deficient STO substrate exhibits metallic behaviour over the temperature range of 80--340K. The optical transmittance spectrum indicates that theLSAO thin films on MgO substrate are insulating at room temperature. The transport properties of LSAO thin films on STO substrates deposited in different oxygen pressure are compared. Our results indicate that oxygen vacancies in STO substrates should be mainly responsible for the transport behaviour of LSAO thin films.     

Mechanical Properties and Anisotropy in PbWO4 Single Crystal

The mechanical properties of PbWO4 （PWO） crystals grown by the vertical Bridgman method are systematically investigated using the microindentation technique. In the present work, the Vickers microhardness Hν, fracture toughness Kc, yield strength σy and friability index Bi of PbWO4 crystals are measured. The Vickers microhardness Hν on the （100） wafer is about 140 MPa, which means that PWO is a little soft＇＇ scintillator. The anisotropy of mechanical properties is also investigated under a steady load of 0.5 kg. The （100） wafer of the crystal exhibits combined mechanical properties more excellent than those of （111） and （001） wafers, and the values of Kc, σy, and Bi are 0.538 MPa＆#12539;m1/2, 51.11 kg/mm2 and 284.96 νm-1/2, respectively.     

Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of La-Doped SrTiO3 and Sr2TiO4 by Density Function Theory

The effect of La doping on the electronic structure and optical properties of SrTiO₃ and Sr₂TiO₄ is investigated by the first-principles calculation of plane wave ultrasoft pseudopotential based on the density function theory (DFT). The calculated results reveal that the electron doping in the case of Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃ and Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ can be described within the rigid band model. The La³⁺ ions fully acts as electron donors in Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃ and Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ systems and the Fermi level shifts further into the conduction bands (CBs) for Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ compared to Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃. The two systems exhibit n-type degenerate semiconductor features. At the same time, the density of states (DOS) of the two systems shift towards low energies and the optical band gaps are broadened. The Sr_1.875La_0.125TiO₄ is highly transparent with the transmittance about 90% in the visible range, which is larger than that of Sr_0.875La_0.125TiO₃(85%). The wide band gap, small transition probability and weak absorption due to the low partial density of states (PDOS) of impurity in the Fermi level result in the optical transparency of the films...     

Formability and Thermal Stability of Ce62Al15Fe8Co15 Bulk Metallic Glass

The formability and thermal stability of Ce62Al15Fe8Co15 bulk metallic glass （BMG） are studied by x-ray diffraction （XRD） and differential scanning calorimetry. The critical diameter of Ce62Al15Fe8Co15 BMG predicted by the parameter γ is about 3.1 mm, which is roughly in agreement with the XRD results. Stability of the BMG is investigated by means of continuous crystallization diagrams obtained from the extension of the Kissinger and Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann （VFT） equations comparatively. It is found that the dependence of crystallization temperature of the BMG on heating rates follows a nonlinear relationship rather than Kissinger and Lasoka＇s linear fittings. The thermal stability of the BMG is investigated by the VFT equation.     

Physical and Chemical Properties of TiOxNy Prepared by Low-Temperature Oxidation of Ultrathin Metal Nitride Directly Deposited on SiO2

Physical and chemical properties of titanium oxynitride （TiOxNy ） formed by low-temperature oxidation of titanium nitride （TIN） layer are investigated for advanced metal-oxide-semiconductor （MOS） gate dielectric application. TiOxNy exhibits polycrystalline properties after the standard thermal process for MOS device fabrication, showing the preferred orientation at [200]. Superior electrical properties of TiOxNy can be maintained before and after the annealing, probably due to the nitrogen incorporation in the oxide bulk and at the interface. Naturally formed transition layer between TiOxNy and SiO2 is also confirmed.     

Acceptor Concentration Effects on Photovoltaic Response in the La1-xSrxMnO3/SrNbyTi1-yO3 Heterojunction

Photovoltaic response in the heterojunction of La1-x SrxMnO3/SrNby Ti1-yO3 （LSMO/SNTO） is analyzed theoretically based on the drift-diffusion model. It is found that the decrease of acceptor concentration in the La1-xSrxMnO3 layer of hereto junction can increase the peak value of photovoltaic signal and the speed of photovoltaic response, whereas the changing of donor concentration in the SrNby Ti1-yO3 layer has no such evident effect. Furthermore, the result also indicates that the modulation of Sr doping in La1-xSrxMnO3 is an effective method to accommodate the sensitivity and the speed of photovoltaic response for LSMO/SNTO photoelectric devices.     

A Toy Model for Magnetic Field Configurations in Black Hole Accretion Discs

We discuss the feature of the magnetic field configuration arising from double counter oriented electric currentrings in the accretion disc around a Kerr black hole （BH）. We discuss the relevant physical quantities corresponding to this configuration： （1） the power and torque transferred by the large-scale magnetic field, （2） the angular momentum and energy fluxes transferred from the BIt to the inner disc, （3） the radiation flux from the disc. In addition, we discuss the possibility that the closed magnetic field anchored at the disc probably evolves to the open magnetic field, which is helpful to produce the jet from the disc.     

Au5Si2/Si Heterojunction Nanowires Formed by Combining SiO Evaporation with Vapour--Liquid--Solid Mechanism

Crystalline AusSi2/Si heterojunetion nanowires （AusSi2/SiNWs） are obtained by thermal evaporating SiO pow- ders on thick gold-coated silicon substrates in a low vacuum system. Structure analysis of the produced AusSh/Si heterojunetions is performed by employing a transmission electron microscope （TEM） and a selected area electric diffraetometer. The chemical compositions axe studied by a energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscope attached to the TEM. A two-step growth model is proposed to describe the formation of the AusSi2/SiNWs. During the first step, crystalline SiNWs are formed via a growth mechanism combining the oxide-assisted growth process with the vapour-liquid-solid model at relatively high temperature. In the second step, the temperature decreases and one segment of the preformed SiNWs reacts with the remnant Au to form single crystalline AusSi2 nanowires by a solid-liquid-solid process. The present work should be useful for the future synthesis and research of high-quality gold silicide nanowires and microelectronic devices based on the nanowires.     

Correlation between Light Emissions from Amorphous-Si：H/SiO2 and nc-Si/SiO2 Multilayers

We investigate the properties of light emission from amorphous-Si：H/SiO2 and nc-Si/SiO2 multilayers （MLs）. The size dependence of light emission is well exhibited when the a-Si：H sublayer thickness is thinner than 4 nm and the interface states are well passlvated by hydrogen. For the nc-Si/Si02 MLs, the oxygen modified interface states and nanocrystalline silicon play a predominant role in the properties of light emission. It is found that the light emission from nc-Si/SiO2 is in agreement with the model of interface state combining with quantum confinement when the size of nc-Si is smaller than 4 nm. The role of hydrogen and oxygen is discussed in detail.     

Effect of TiO2 Nanotubes on Polymer-Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

We investigate the photovoltaic properties of hybrid organ/c solar cell based on the blend of poly[2-methoxy-5-（2- ethylhexoxy-l,4-phenylenevinylene） （MEH-PPV）, C60 and titanium dioxide （TiO2） nanotubes. In comparison of the composite devices with different TiO2：[MEH-PPV ＋C60] weight ratios of lw$.% （D1-1）, 2wt.% （D1-2）, 3wt.% （D1-3）, 5wt.% （D1-4）, 10wt.% （D1-5） and 20wt.% （D1-6）, it is found that the device Dl-a exhibits the best performance. The conversion efficiency is improved by a factor of 3 compared with the MEH-PPV：C60 device.     

Bipolar Resistance Switching Characteristics of ZnO/Nb-Doped SrTiO3 Heterojunctions

An electrical pulse induced resistance switching effect in ZnO/Nb-doped SrTiO3 heterojunctions is reported. The current-voltage curves of these junctions show hysteresis. Multi-resistance states are realized by applying voltage pulses with different amplitudes, and the resistance switching effect is more remarkable at low temperatures. The junction capacitance decreases dramatically with increasing frequency. Analysis of the results suggests that the trapping-detrapping process plays an important role in the resistance switching effect.     

Resonant Tunnelling and Storage of Electrons in Si Nanocrystals within a-SiNx/nc-Si/a-SiNx Structures

The a-SiNx/nanocrystalline silicon （nc-Si）/a-SiNx sandwiched structures with asymmetric double-barrier are fabricated in a plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition （PECVD） system on p-type Si substrates. The nc-Si layer in thickness 5nm is fabricated from a hydrogen-diluted silane gas by the layer-by-layer deposition technique. The thicknesses of tunnel and control SiNx layers are 3nm and 20nm, respectively. Frequency-dependent capacitance spectroscopy is used to study the electron tunnelling and the storage in the sandwiched structures. Distinct frequency-dependent capacitance peaks due to electrons tunnelling into the nc-Si dots and capacitance-voltage （C - V） hysteresis characteristic due to electrons storage in the nc-Si dots are observed with the same sample. Moreover, conductance peaks have also been observed at the same voltage region by conductance-voltage （G - V） measurements. The experimental results demonstrate that electrons can be loaded onto nc-Si dots via resonant tunnelling and can be stored in our a-SiNx/nc-Si/a-SiNx structures.     

Implementing a Multi-Qubit Quantum Phase Gate Encoded by Photonic Qubit

A protocol is proposed to implement a three-qubit phase gate for photonic qubits in a three-mode cavity. The idea can be extended to directly implement a N-qubit phase gate. We also show that the interaction time remains unchanged with the increasing number of qubits. In addition, the influence of cavity decay and atomic spontaneous emission on the gate fidelity and photon loss probability is also discussed by numerical calculation.     

Reversibility of Temperature-Induced Liquid Transition in Pb26Sn42Bi32 Melt: Experimental Evidence with Electrical Property

Exploring nature of liquid structures and properties is becoming more interesting in various fundamental and applied fields. With different resorts including the resistivity method, temperature-induced liquid-liquid structure transitions （TI-LLST） have been suggested and verified to occur in some liquid alloys, while the reversibility of TI- LLST has rarely been examined as yet. Unlike some other investigated liquid alloys, here we show that electrical resistivity of Pb26Sn42Bi32 melt exhibit an anomalous change in the first heating run and a reversible change in the following cooling and heating cycles. Taking account of the structural sensitivity of electrical resistivity, the abnormal patterns suggest two sorts of TI-LLST that are irreversible and reversible in the liquid ternary alloy, respectively. This interesting phenomenon together with other growing evidence imply that liquid structures and their change characteristics are multiform and complex.     

Resistance Switching Characteristic and Charge Carrier Self-Trapping in Epitaxial Pr0.7（Ca1-xSrx）0.3MnO3 Thin Films

Carrier injection performed in Pro.7 Cao.aMnOa junctions demonstrate resistance switching （RS） characteristic with dramatic changes in both resistances and interface barriers, which suggests a charge carrier self-trapping model in strongly correlated electronic framework. Un-stable RS behaviour without electric fields in epitaxial Pr0.7（Ca1-xSrx）0.3MnO3 （PCSMO） films shows dependences on insulator-metal transition temperature, which indicates that RS process is really related to the intrinsic property of carriers. The switched resistance of epitaxial PCSMO films also depends on the amount of current pulses, which shouM be another evidence of the carrier self-trapping model, similarly to the dependence on the amount of self-trapped charge carriers.     

Cs^＋-K^＋ Exchange in Z-Cut KTiOPO4 Crystal Covered with Chromium Masking Layer

Cs^＋-K^＋ ion exchanges are performed on z-cut KTiOPO4 crystals with chromium coating covered. The temperature of ion exchange is 430℃, and the time range from 15min to 30min. The dark mode spectra of the samples are measured by the prism coupling method. The channel structures on the samples are observed by a microscope and the near field pattern of the channel waveguides are measured by the end-fire coupling method. The refractive index of the samples increases and the increments at surface are modulated due to the existence of Cr film. In the region covered by Cr film, the refractive index of the samples at the surface increases dramatically in a shallow layer. The results of energy dispersive x-ray spectra indicate that in the region covered with Cr film, Cr ions participate in the ion exchange process, and enhance the refractive index. The results may provide a possibility that achieves index enhancement and Cr doping synchronically.     

Locally Rotationally Symmetric Bianchi Type-I Model with Time Varying Λ Term

We investigate the locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I cosmological model for stiff matter and a vacuum solution with a cosmological term proportional to R^-m (R is the scale factor and m is a positive constant). The cosmological term decreases with time. We obtain that for both the cases the present universe is accelerating with a large fraction of cosmological density in the form of a cosmological term.     

Adsorption and Reaction of CO on （100） Surface of SrTiO3 by Density Function Theory Calculation

Adsorption and reaction of CO on two possible terminations of SrTiO3 （100） surface are investigated by the first-principles calculation of plane wave ultrasoft pseudopotentiai based on the density function theory. The adsorption energy, Mulliken population analysis, density of states （DOS） and electronic density difference of CO on SrTiO3 （100） surface, which have never been investigated before as far as we know are performed. The calculated results reveal that the Ti-CO orientation is the most stable configuration and the adsorption energy （0.449eV） is quite small. CO molecules adsorb weakly on the SrTiO3 （100） surface, there is predominantly electrostatic attraction between CO and the surface rather than a chemical bonding mechanism.     

Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulation of a Red Blood Cell

A worm-like chain model based on a spectrin network is employed to study the biomechanics of red blood cells. Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are performed to obtain a stable configuration free of external loadings. We also discuss the influence of two parameters： the average bending modulus and the persistence length. The change in shape of a malaria-infected red blood cell can contribute to the change in its molecular-based structure. As the persistence length of the membrane network in the infected red blood cell decreases, the deformability decreases and the biconcave shape is destroyed. The numerical results are comparable with previously reported experimental results. The coarse-grained model can be used to study the relationship between macro-mechanical properties and molecular-scale structures of cells.