Polymer chain diffusion in polymer blends: A theoretical interpretation based on a memory function formalism

The diffusion of polymer chains in miscible polymer blends with large dynamic asymmetry—those where the two blend components display very different segmental mobility—is not well understood yet. In the extreme case of the blend system of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), the diffusion coefficient of PEO chains in the blend can change by more than five orders of magnitude while the segmental time scale hardly changes with respect to that of pure PEO. This behavior is not observed in blend systems with small or moderate dynamic asymmetry as, for instance, polyisoprene/poly(vinyl ethylene) blends. These two very different behaviors can be understood and quantitatively explained in a unified way in the framework of a memory function formalism, which takes into account the effect of the collective dynamics on the chain dynamics of a tagged chain. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 1239–1245     

Enhanced 1T′-Phase Stabilization and Chemical Reactivity in a MoTe2 Monolayer through Contact with a 2D Ca2N Electride

Among the widely studied 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), MoTe₂ has attracted special interest for phase-change applications due to its small 2H-1T′ energy difference, yet a large scale phase transition without structural disruption remains a significant challenge. Recently, an interesting long-range phase engineering of MoTe₂ has been realized experimentally by Ca₂N electride. However, the interface formed between them has not been well understood, and moreover, it remains elusive how the presence of Ca₂N would affect the basal plane reactivity of MoTe₂. To address this, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the potential of tuning the phase stability and chemical reactivity of a MoTe₂ monolayer via interacting with Ca₂N to form a van der Walls heterostructure. We found that the contact nature at the 2H-MoTe₂/Ca₂N interface is Schottky-barrier-free, allowing for the spontaneous electron transfer from Ca₂N to 2H-MoTe₂ to make it strongly n-type doped. Moreover, Ca₂N doping significantly lowers the energy of 1T′-MoTe₂ and dynamically triggers the 2H-to-1T′ transformation. The Ca₂N-induced phase modulation can also be applied to tune the phase energetics of MoS₂ and MoSe₂. Furthermore, using H adsorption as the testing ground, we also find that the H binding on the basal plane of MoTe₂ is enhanced after forming heterostructure with Ca₂N, potentially providing basis for surface modification and other related catalytic applications.     

RNAGCN: RNA tertiary structure assessment with a graph convolutional network

RNAs play crucial and versatile roles in cellular biochemical reactions. Since experimental approaches of determining their three-dimensional (3D) structures are costly and less efficient, it is greatly advantageous to develop computational methods to predict RNA 3D structures. For these methods, designing a model or scoring function for structure quality assessment is an essential step but this step poses challenges. In this study, we designed and trained a deep learning model to tackle this problem. The model was based on a graph convolutional network (GCN) and named RNAGCN. The model provided a natural way of representing RNA structures, avoided complex algorithms to preserve atomic rotational equivalence, and was capable of extracting features automatically out of structural patterns. Testing results on two datasets convincingly demonstrated that RNAGCN performs similarly to or better than four leading scoring functions. Our approach provides an alternative way of RNA tertiary structure assessment and may facilitate RNA structure predictions. RNAGCN can be downloaded from https://gitee.com/dcw-RNAGCN/rnagcn.     

TFSI钝化晶体硅表面性质的第一性原理研究

晶体硅表面钝化是高效率晶体硅太阳能电池的核心技术,直接影响晶体硅器件的性能。本文采用第一性原理方法研究了一种超强酸-双三氟甲基磺酰亚胺(TFSI)钝化晶体硅(001)表面。研究发现,TFSI的四氧原子结构能够与Si(001)表面Si原子有效成键,吸附能达到-5.124 eV。电子局域函数研究表明,TFSI的O原子与晶体硅表面的Si的成键类型为金属键。由态密度和电荷差分密度分析可知,Si表面原子的电子向TFSI转移,从而有效降低了Si表面的电子复合中心,有利于提高晶体硅的少子寿命。Bader电荷显示,伴随着TFSI钝化晶体硅表面的Si原子,表面Si原子电荷电量减少,而TFSI中的O原子和S原子电荷电量相应增加,进一步证明了TFSI钝化Si表面后的电子转移。该工作为第一性原理方法预测有机强酸钝化晶体硅表面的钝化效果提供了数据支撑。     

化妆品中的肽化学*

随着科技进步和产业提升,人们不断从本源上追求美、从长效上保持美、从机制上激发美。众多肽类化合物,已被证实在人体内具有独特的生物学促进或抑制作用,也因此被广泛应用于美妆产品。以化妆品中生物活性肽的不同功效为主线,对其化学结构进行分析并阐述其中的生理作用机制。