Multivariate optimization and comparison between conventional extraction (CE) and ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) of carotenoid extraction from cashew apple

Carotenoids are an essential component of cashew and can be used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, natural pigment, food additives, among other applications. The present work focuses on optimizing and comparing conventional and ultrasound-assisted extraction methods. Every optimization step took place with a 1:1 (w:w) mixture of yellow and red cashew apples lyophilized and ground in a cryogenic mill. A Simplex-centroid design was applied for both methods, and the solvents acetone, methanol, ethanol, and petroleum ether were evaluated. After choosing the extractor solvent, a central composite design was applied to optimize the sample mass (59–201 mg) and extraction time (6–34 min). The optimum conditions for the extractor solvent were 38% acetone, 30% ethanol, and 32% petroleum ether for CE and a mixture of 44% acetone and 56% methanol for UAE. The best experimental conditions for UAE were a sonication time of 19 min and a sample mass of 153 mg, while the CE was 23 min and 136 mg. Comparing red and yellow cashews, red cashews showed a higher carotenoid content in both methodologies. The UAE methodology was ca. 21% faster, presented a more straightforward composition of extracting solution, showed an average yield of superior carotenoid content in all samples compared to CE. Therefore, UAE has demonstrated a simple, efficient, fast, low-cost adjustment methodology and a reliable alternative for other applications involving these bioactive compounds in the studied or similar matrix.     

Majorana fermions induced fast-and slow-light in a hybrid semiconducting nanowire/superconductor device

We investigate theoretically Rabi-like splitting and Fano resonance in absorption spectra of quantum dots(QDs)based on a hybrid QD-semiconducting nanowire/superconductor(SNW/SC)device mediated by Majorana fermions(MFs).Under the condition of pump on-resonance and off-resonance,the absorption spectrum experiences the conversion from Fano resonance to Rabi-like splitting in different parametric regimes.In addition,the Fano resonances are accompanied by the rapid normal phase dispersion,which will indicate the coherent optical propagation.The results indicate that the group velocity index is tunable with controlling the interaction between the QD and MFs,which can reach the conversion between the fast-and slow-light.Fano resonance will be another method to detect MFs and our research may indicate prospective applications in quantum information processing based on the hybrid QD-SNW/SC devices.     

Conformational change-modulated spin transport at single-molecule level in carbon systems

Controlling the spin transport at the single-molecule level, especially without the use of ferromagnetic contacts, becomes a focus of research in spintronics. Inspired by the progress on atomic-level molecular synthesis, through first-principles calculations, we investigate the spin-dependent electronic transport of graphene nanoflakes with side-bonded functional groups, contacted by atomic carbon chain electrodes. It is found that, by rotating the functional group, the spin polarization of the transmission at the Fermi level could be switched between completely polarized and unpolarized states. Moreover, the transition between spin-up and spin-down polarized states can also be achieved, operating as a dual-spin filter. Further analysis shows that, it is the spin-dependent shift of density of states, caused by the rotation, that triggers the shift of transmission peaks, and then results in the variation of spin polarization. Such a feature is found to be robust to the length of the nanoflake and the electrode material, showing great application potential. Those findings may throw light on the development of spintronic devices.     

雾化辅助化学气相沉积法氧化镓薄膜生长研究

采用自主设计搭建的雾化辅助化学气相沉积系统设备,开展了Ga₂O₃薄膜制备及其特性研究工作。通过X射线衍射研究了沉积温度、系统沉积压差对Ga₂O₃薄膜结晶质量的影响。结果表明,Ga₂O₃在425~650 ℃温度区间存在物相转换关系。随着沉积温度从425 ℃升高至650 ℃,薄膜结晶分别由非晶态、纯α-Ga₂O₃结晶状态向α-Ga₂O₃、β-Ga₂O₃两相混合结晶状态改变。通过原子力显微镜表征探究了生长温度对Ga₂O₃薄膜表面形貌的影响,从475 ℃升高至650 ℃时,薄膜表面粗糙度由26.8 nm下降至24.8 nm。同时,高分辨X射线衍射仪测试表明475 ℃、5 Pa压差条件下的α-Ga₂O₃薄膜样品半峰全宽仅为190.8″,为高度结晶态的单晶α-Ga₂O₃薄膜材料。     

不同退火条件对PEALD制备的Ga2O3薄膜特性的影响

利用等离子增强原子层沉积技术(PEALD)在c面蓝宝石衬底上制备了氧化镓(Ga₂O₃)薄膜,研究了退火气氛(v(N₂)∶v(O₂)=1∶1(体积比)、空气和N₂)及退火时间对Ga₂O₃薄膜晶体结构、表面形貌和光学性质的影响。研究结果表明,退火前的氧化镓处于亚稳态,不同退火气氛下退火后晶体结构发生明显改变,而且退火气氛中N₂比例增加有利于Ga₂O₃重结晶。在N₂气氛下退火达到30 min,薄膜结构已由亚稳态转变成择优取向的β-Ga₂O₃。而且表面形貌分析表明,退火30 min后表面形貌开始趋于稳定,表面晶粒密度不再增加。另外实验样品在 400~800 nm的平均透射率几乎是100%,且光吸收边陡峭。采用N₂气氛退火,对于富氧环境下沉积的Ga₂O₃更利于薄膜表面原子迁移,以及择优取向Ga₂O₃重结晶。     

射频等离子制备石墨烯负载Co3O4催化剂及其析氧性能研究

氢能的引入能有效提升配电网的供电可靠性,而电解水制氢是实现低碳转型的关键技术,开发高效的电解水催化剂势在必行。过渡金属氧化物储量大、催化活性高,是具有广阔应用前景的析氧反应催化剂。本文通过射频等离子体处理制备石墨烯上负载Co₃O₄析氧催化剂,XRD、Raman和XPS测试结果显示,二维结构石墨烯的引入加速表面电子迁移,增大了反应面积。等离子体处理促进了纳米粒子在石墨烯上的负载,利用等离子体刻蚀作用在催化剂表面制造出大量碳结构缺陷和氧空位结构,改善了活性位点分布,有效调控Co₃O₄电子结构,提高析氧催化活性。电化学测试表明,本文中合成的Co₃O₄@rGO在电流密度为50 mA·cm^-2时的过电位为410 mV,动力学反应速率较快,表现出优于商业IrO₂的析氧催化活性。     

Mg,N掺杂β-Ga2O3光电性质的第一性原理计算

通过基于密度泛函理论的第一性原理计算,研究了Mg单掺杂、N单掺杂和不同浓度的Mg-N共掺杂β-Ga₂O₃的结构性质、电子性质和光学性质,以期获得性能比较优异的p型β-Ga₂O₃材料。建立了五种模型:Mg单掺杂、N单掺杂、1个Mg-N共掺杂、2个Mg-N共掺杂和3个Mg-N共掺杂β-Ga₂O₃。经过计算,3个Mg-N共掺杂β-Ga₂O₃体系的结构最稳定。此外,在5种模型中,3个Mg-N共掺杂β-Ga₂O₃体系的禁带宽度是最小的,并且N 2p和Mg 3s贡献的占据态抑制了氧空位的形成,从而增加了空穴浓度。因此,3个Mg-N共掺杂β-Ga₂O₃体系表现出优异的p型性质。3个Mg-N共掺杂体系的吸收峰出现明显红移,在太阳盲区的光吸收系数较大,这归因于导带Ga 4s、Ga 4p、Mg 3s向价带O 2p、N 2p的带间电子跃迁。本工作将为p型β-Ga₂O₃日盲光电材料的研究和应用提供理论指导。     

金刚石衬底上GaN HEMT沟道温度建模:各向异性且非均匀热导率的影响

为了改善GaN HEMT的自热效应,集成高热导率的金刚石衬底有助于增强器件有源区的热量耗散。然而,化学气相淀积(CVD)生长的多晶金刚石(PCD)具有柱状晶粒结构,导致了各向异性的材料热导率,且其热导率值与生长厚度有关。为此,通过建模金刚石生长过程中晶粒尺寸的演变过程,计算了金刚石沿面内和截面方向的热导率。基于该PCD热导率模型,利用计入材料非线性热导率的GaN器件热阻解析模型,计算得到了GaN HEMT沟道温度的波动范围,并分析了其与器件结构(栅长、栅宽、栅间距、衬底厚度)和功耗的依赖关系。最后,通过与有限元(FEM)仿真结果对比,分区域提取了GaN HEMT器件中PCD衬底的有效热导率,分别为260~310 W/(m·K)和1 250~1 450 W/(m·K)。本文的计算为预测金刚石衬底上GaN HEMT器件的沟道温度提供了快速、有效的方法。     

基于NiCo2O4纳米片电极的非对称混合电容器

The looming global energy crisis and ever-increasing energy demands have catalyzed the development of renewable energy storage systems. In this regard, supercapacitors (SCs) have attracted widespread attention because of their advantageous attributes such as high power density, excellent cycle stability, and environmental friendliness. However, SCs exhibit low energy density and it is important to optimize electrode materials to improve the overall performance of these devices. Among the various electrode materials available, spinel nickel cobaltate (NiCo₂O₄) is particularly interesting because of its excellent theoretical capacitance. Based on the understanding that the performances of the electrode materials strongly depend on their morphologies and structures, in this study, we successfully synthesized NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets on Ni foam via a simple hydrothermal route followed by calcination. The structures and morphologies of the as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, and the results showed that they were uniformly distributed on the Ni foam support. The surface chemical states of the elements in the samples were identified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-synthesized NiCo₂O₄ products were then tested as cathode materials for supercapacitors in a traditional three-electrode system. The electrochemical performances of the NiCo₂O₄ electrode materials were studied and the area capacitance was found to be 1.26 C·cm^-2 at a current density of 1 mA·cm^-2. Furthermore, outstanding cycling stability with 97.6% retention of the initial discharge capacitance after 10000 cycles and excellent rate performance (67.5% capacitance retention with the current density from 1 to 14 mA·cm^-2) were achieved. It was found that the Ni foam supporting the NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets increased the conductivity of the electrode materials. However, it is worth noting that the contribution of nickel foam to the areal capacitance of the electrode materials was almost zero during the charge and discharge processes. To further investigate the practical application of the as-synthesized NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets-based electrode, a device was assembled with the as-prepared samples as the positive electrode and active carbon (AC) as the negative electrode. The assembled supercapacitor showed energy densities of 0.14 and 0.09 Wh·cm^-3 at 1.56 and 4.5 W·cm^-3, respectively. Furthermore, it was able to maintain 95% of its initial specific capacitance after 10000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance of the NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets could be ascribed to their unique spatial structure composed of interconnected ultrathin nanosheets, which facilitated electron transportation and ion penetration, suggesting their potential applications as electrode materials for high performance supercapacitors. The present synthetic route can be extended to other ternary transition metal oxides/sulfides for future energy storage devices and systems.     

Development of a new catalytic and sustainable methodology for the synthesis of benzodiazepine triazole scaffold using magnetically separable CuFe2O4@MIL-101(Cr) nano-catalyst in aqueous medium

Magnetically retrieval CuFe₂O₄@MIL-101(Cr) metal–organic framework was successfully prepared from easily available starting materials and characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical techniques such as powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray, transmission electron microscopy, elemental mapping, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, vibrating sample magnetometer, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. The catalyst was then used in the synthesis of benzodiazepines containing a triazole moiety in water. The advantages of this protocol include high yields, reusability of the catalyst, and gram-scale synthesis.