Low-threshold strained multi-quantum well lasers fabricated by selective metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy without a semiconductor etching process

Strained InGaAsP multi-quantum well (MQW) buried hetero- (BH) laser diodes (LDs) on a p-InP substrate were fabricated by selective metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). In the laser fabrication process, both the strained MQW active layer and current blocking structure were directly formed by selective MOVPE without a semiconductor etching process. This novel laser fabrication process produces extremely uniform device characteristics that are essential to the deployment of optical subscriber systems. Furthermore, important device design parameters (e.g. the active stripe shape or the leakage current path configuration) are precisely controlled by only the epitaxial growth steps. This highly controllable laser fabrication method results in a very low-threshold current with excellent uniformity (I_th = 1.78 ± 0.19 mA) for 20 consecutive LDs (L = 200 μm with 70%–90% coatings).     

3,5-二硝基水杨酸和菲咯啉构筑的两个镧配合物的合成、晶体结构及荧光性质

以3,5-二硝基水杨酸（H₂dns）和菲咯啉（phen）为配体合成了2个新的镧配合物[La₂（dns）₂（Hdns）₂（phen）₄]（1）和[La₄（dns）₆（phen）₆]（2）,并对它们进行了红外分析、元素分析、热重分析和单晶结构分析。单晶衍射结果表明,配合物1和2均为三斜晶系,P1空间群。配合物1和2中La（Ⅲ）通过配体H₂dns桥联分别形成双核结构和四核结构。热重和荧光分析表明：2热稳定性高于1,1和2均在467 nm处有最强荧光发射强度。     

Recent advances in metal-organic frameworks for adsorption of common aromatic pollutants

This review (with 85 refs.) summarizes the recent literature on the adsorption of common aromatic pollutants by using modified metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Four kinds of aromatic pollutants are discussed, namely benzene homologues, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), organic dyes and their intermediates, and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). MOFs are shown to be excellent adsorbents that can be employed to both the elimination of pollutants and to their extraction and quantitation. Adsorption mechanisms and interactions between aromatic pollutants and MOFs are discussed. Finally, the actual challenges of existence and the perspective routes towards future improvements in the field are addressed.

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Graphical abstract Recent advance on adsorption of common aromatic pollutants including benzene series, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organic dyes and their intermediates, pharmaceuticals and personal care products by metal-organic frameworks.

     

Ultrafast quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins: Interresidue and intrahelical electron transfer

Quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins has been critical to the understanding of protein dynamics and enzyme reactions using tryptophan as a molecular optical probe. We report here our systematic examinations of potential quenching residues with more than 40 proteins. With site-directed mutation, we placed tryptophan to desired positions or altered its neighboring residues to screen quenching groups among 20 amino acid residues and of peptide backbones. With femtosecond resolution, we observed the ultrafast quenching dynamics within 100 ps and identified two ultrafast quenching groups, the carbonyl- and sulfur-containing residues. The former is glutamine and glutamate residues and the later is disulfide bond and cysteine residue. The quenching by the peptide-bond carbonyl group as well as other potential residues mostly occurs in longer than 100 ps. These ultrafast quenching dynamics occur at van der Waals distances through intraprotein electron transfer with high directionality. Following optimal molecular orbital overlap, electron jumps from the benzene ring of the indole moiety in a vertical orientation to the LUMO of acceptor quenching residues. Molecular dynamics simulations were invoked to elucidate various correlations of quenching dynamics with separation distances, relative orientations, local fluctuations and reaction heterogeneity. These unique ultrafast quenching pairs, as recently found to extensively occur in high-resolution protein structures, may have significant biological implications.     

Preparation of corn stalk-based adsorbents and their specific application in metal ions adsorption

Corn stalk-based adsorbents modified from corn stalk were prepared by Cu(0)-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (Cu(0)-mediated RDRP). They were applied to remove metal ions and they exhibited good adsorption capacity, especially for Hg(II). Adsorption properties of corn stalk can be enhanced by introducing cyano, amino, amidoxime, and carboxyl groups onto its surface, which results in efficient adsorbents for different metal ions. TGA, SEM, EA, and FTIR analyses were employed to characterize the structures of corn stalk-graft-polyacrylonitrile (CS-g-PAN), corn stalk-graft-polyacrylamide (CS-g-PAM), amidoxime corn stalk-graft-polyacrylonitrile (AO CS-g-PAN) and carboxyl corn stalk-graft-poly(methyl acrylate) (CO CS-g-PMA). The maximum adsorption capacity for Hg(II) was 8.06 mmol g^?1 of AO CS-g-PAN. Kinetics of the Hg(II) adsorption on AO CS-g-PAN was found to follow the pseudo-second-order model and the adsorption isotherms were well fitted with the Freundlich isotherm model.     

Hydration dynamics and time scales of coupled water-protein fluctuations

We report experimental and theoretical studies on water and protein dynamics following photoexcitation of apomyoglobin. Using site-directed mutation and with femtosecond resolution, we experimentally observed relaxation dynamics with a biphasic distribution of time scales, 5 and 87 ps, around the site Trp7. Theoretical studies using both linear response and direct nonequilibrium molecular dynamics (MD) calculations reproduced the biphasic behavior. Further constrained MD simulations with either frozen protein or frozen water revealed the molecular mechanism of slow hydration processes and elucidated the role of protein fluctuations. Observation of slow water dynamics in MD simulations requires protein flexibility, regardless of whether the slow Stokes shift component results from the water or protein contribution. The initial dynamics in a few picoseconds represents fast local motions such as reorientations and translations of hydrating water molecules, followed by slow relaxation involving strongly coupled water-protein motions. We observed a transition from one isomeric protein configuration to another after 10 ns during our 30 ns ground-state simulation. For one isomer, the surface hydration energy dominates the slow component of the total relaxation energy. For the other isomer, the slow component is dominated by protein interactions with the chromophore. In both cases, coupled water-protein motion is shown to be necessary for observation of the slow dynamics. Such biologically important water-protein motions occur on tens of picoseconds. One significant discrepancy exists between theory and experiment, the large inertial relaxation predicted by simulations but clearly absent in experiment. Further improvements required in the theoretical model are discussed.     

Inter-Layer Energy Transfer through Wetting-Layer States in Bi-layer InGaAs/GaAs Quantum-Dot Structures with Thick Barriers

The inter-layer energy transfer in a bi-layer InGaAs/GaAs quantum dot structure with a thick GaAs barrier is studied using temperature-dependent photoluminescence. The abnormal enhancement of the photoluminescence of the QDs in the layer with a larger amount of coverage considering the resonant Forster energy transfer between the at 110K is observed, which can be explained by wetting layer states at elevated temperatures.     

Wave propagation in an inhomogeneous transversely isotropic material obeying the generalized power law model

The analytical solutions for body-wave velocity in a continuously inhomogeneous transversely isotropic material, in which Young’s moduli (E, E′), shear modulus (G′), and material density (ρ) change according to the generalized power law model, (a+b z) ^c , are set down. The remaining elastic constants of transversely isotropic media, ν, and ν′ are assumed to be constants throughout the depth. The planes of transversely isotropy are selected to be parallel to the horizontal surface. The generalized Hooke’s law, strain-displacement relationships, and equilibrium equations are integrated to constitute the governing equations. In these equations, utilizing the displacement components as fundamental variables, the solutions of three quasi-wave velocities (V _SV , V _P ,?V _SH ) are generated for the present inhomogeneous transversely isotropic materials. The proposed solutions are compared with those of Daley and Hron (Bull Seismol Soc Am 67:661–675, (1977)), and Levin (Geophysics 44:918–936, (1979)) when the inhomogeneity parameter c?=?0. The agreement between the present results and previously published ones is excellent. In addition, the parametric study results reveal that the magnitudes of wave velocity are remarkably affected by (1) the inhomogeneity parameters (a, b, c); (2) the type and degree of material anisotropy (E/E′, ν/ν′, G/G′); (3) the phase angle (θ); and (4) the depth of the medium (z). Consequently, it is imperative to consider the effects of inhomogeneity when investigating wave propagation in transversely isotropic media.     

激光调频连续波测距的精度评定方法研究

基于双光纤光路等光频重采样原理,提出了一种距离精度的评定方法.通过推导噪声背景下等光频重采样信号中距离参量的克拉美-罗下边界,得到了影响系统测距精度的两个重要因素:信噪比和扫描带宽,并进行了实验验证.实验表明,该评价方法并不会受到任何距离估算方法的影响,根据此方法可以选择一个最优的距离估算方法.通过对两个影响精度的因素进行仿真分析可知,在扫描带宽为2.2 nm时,若将测量光路的信噪比提升至70 dB以上,系统可获得低于10μm的测距精度.该精度评定方法可为后续改善调频连续波测距系统性能提供理论参考.