Amorphous High-Entropy Hydroxides of Tunable Wide Solar Absorption for Solar Water Evaporation

The high-entropy materials have raised much attention in recent years due to their extraordinary performances in mechanical, catalysis, energy storage fields. Herein, a new type of high-entropy hydroxides (e.g., NiFeCoMnAl(OH)_x) that are amorphous and capable of broad solar absorption is reported. A facile one-pot co-precipitation method is employed to synthesize these amorphous high-entropy hydroxides (a-HEHOs) under ambient conditions. The a-HEHOs thus obtained display widely tunable bandgap (e.g., from 2.6 to 1.1 eV) due to their high-entropy and amorphous characteristics, enabling efficient light absorbance and photothermal conversion in the solar regime. Further solar water evaporation measurements show that the a-HEHOs delivered a considerable energy conversion efficiency of 55%, comparable to black titanium oxides that are synthesized using more complex and expensive methods.     

Effect of biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure on the magnetic properties of bilayer CrI3

Two-dimensional van der Waals magnetic materials are intriguing for applications in the future spintronics devices, so it is crucial to explore strategy to control the magnetic properties. Here, we carried out first-principles calculations and Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the effect of biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure on the magnetic properties of the bilayer CrI₃. We found that the magnetic anisotropy, intralayer and interlayer exchange interactions, and Curie temperature can be tuned by biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure. Large compressive biaxial strain may induce a ferromagneticto-antiferromagnetic transition of both CrI₃ layers. The hydrostatic pressure could enhance the intralayer exchange interaction significantly and hence largely boost the Curie temperature. The effect of the biaxial strain and hydrostatic pressure revealed in the bilayer CrI₃ may be generalized to other two-dimensional magnetic materials.     

Highly sensitive and selective detect of p‐arsanilic acid with a new water‐stable europium metal–organic framework

The p‐arsanilic acid (p‐ASA), as an aromatic organoarsenic compounds, had received considerable concerns for their potential toxicity and carcinogenic properties. It was essential to detect p‐ASA with a facile method. In this paper, an europium based fluorescent metal–organic framework (MOF) [Eu₂(clhex)·2H₂O)]·H₂O ( BUC‐69 ) was successfully prepared under hydrothermal conditions with 1,2,3,4,5,6‐cyclohexanehexacarboxylic acid (H₆clhex) as organic linker. BUC‐69 displayed superior fluorescence capability to achieve selective and sensitive detection toward p‐ASA in water, which presented the first example of a MOF‐based sensor to detect p‐ASA. BUC‐69 showed excellent chemical stability in solutions under pH ranging from 4 to 12, which makes it be a potential sensor both in acidity and alkalinity condition. Significantly, BUC‐69 performed well in fluorescent sensing of p‐ASA at a low concentration (10^?6 M) in the simulated wastewater prepared with real lake water, and the results were comparable to the values detected by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP‐OES). The corresponding mechanism of fluorescent sensing toward p‐ASA with BUC‐69 was proposed and affirmed.     

Vertically Grown Few-Layer MoS2 Nanosheets on Hierarchical Carbon Nanocages for Pseudocapacitive Lithium Storage with Ultrahigh-Rate Capability and Long-Term Recyclability

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) is an intensively studied anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high theoretical capacity, but it is still confronted by severe challenges of unsatisfactory rate capability and cycle life. Herein, few-layer MoS₂ nanosheets, vertically grown on hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) by a facile hydrothermal method, introduce pseudocapacitive lithium storage owing to the highly exposed MoS₂ basal planes, enhanced conductivity, and facilitated electrolyte access arising from good hybridization with hCNC. Thus, the optimized MoS₂/hCNC exhibits reversible capacities of 1670 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ after 50 cycles, 621 mAh g⁻¹ at 5.0 A g⁻¹ after 500 cycles, and 196 mAh g⁻¹ at 50 A g⁻¹ after 2500 cycles, which are among the best for MoS₂-based anode materials. The specific power and specific energy, which can reach 16.1 kW and 252.8 Wh after 3000 cycles, respectively, indicate great potential in high-power and long-life LIBs. These findings suggest a promising strategy for exploring advanced anode materials with high reversible capacity, high-rate capability, and long-term recyclability.     

A neurodynamic approach to zero-one quadratic programming

Numerical Algorithms - This paper proposes a neurodynamic approach to zero-one quadratic programming with linear constraints. Compared with one existing neurodynamic approach to such problems, the...     

Enhancing optomechanical force sensing via precooling and quantum noise cancellation

We theoretically investigate optomechanical force sensing via precooling and quantum noise cancellation in two coupled cavity optomechanical systems.We show that force sensing based on the reduction of noise can be used to dramatically enhance the force sensing and that the precooling process can eifectively improve the quantum noise cancellation.Specifically,we examine the effect of optomechanical cooling and noise reduction on the spectral density of the noise of the force measurement;these processes can significantly enhance the performance of optomechanical force sensing,and setting up the system in the resolved sideband regime can lead to an optimization of the cooling processes in a hybrid system.Such a scheme serves as a promising platform for quantum back-action-evading measurements of the motion and a framework for an optomechanical force sensor.     

Diagnosing the miR-141 prostate cancer biomarker using nucleic acid-functionalized CdSe/ZnS QDs and telomerase

The microRNA, miR-141, is a promising biomarker for prostate cancer. We implement here a two-step sensing platform for the sensitive detection of miR-141. The first step involves the use of semiconductor CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) modified by FRET quencher-functionalized nucleic acids, that include the recognition sequence for miR-141 and a telomerase primer sequence for the second step of the analytical platform. Subjecting the probe-modified QDs to miR-141, in the presence of duplex specific nuclease, DSN, leads to the formation of a miR-141/probe duplex and to its DSN-mediated cleavage, while regenerating the miR-141. The DSN-induced cleavage of the quencher units leads to the activation of the fluorescence of the QDs, thus allowing the optical detection of miR-141 with a sensitivity corresponding to 1.0 × 10^–12 M. The nucleic acid residues associated with the QDs after cleavage of the probe nucleic acids by DSN act as primers for telomerase. The subsequent telomerase/dNTPs-stimulated elongation of the primer units forms G-quadruplex telomer chains. Incorporation of hemin in the resulting G-quadruplex telomer chains yields horseradish peroxidase-mimicking DNAzyme units, that catalyze the generation of chemiluminescence in the presence of luminol/H₂O₂. The resulting chemiluminescence intensities provide a readout signal for miR-141, DL = 2.8 × 10^–13 M. The first step of the sensing platform is non-selective toward miR-141 and the resulting fluorescence may be considered only as an indicator for the existence of miR-141. The second step in the sensing protocol, involving telomerase, provides a selective chemiluminescence signal for the existence of miR-141. The two-step sensing platform is implemented for the analysis of miR-141 in serum samples from healthy individuals and prostate cancer carriers. Impressive discrimination between healthy individuals and prostate cancer carriers is demonstrated.