The study of below and above band-edge imperfection states in In2S3 solar energy materials

β-In₂S₃ is a nontoxic buffer layer material usually used in a thin-film solar cell due to a lot of vacancies and surface states naturally existing in the crystal to assist in photoelectric conversion. Transition metal (TM)-incorporated β-In₂S₃ has also been proposed to increase conversion efficiency in In₂S₃ since multi-photons absorption by intermediate band (IB) would happen in the sulfide. In this paper, single crystals of undoped and Nb-doped β-In₂S₃ have been grown by the chemical vapor transport (CVT) method using ICl₃ as a transport agent. Optical properties of the imperfection states of the crystals are probed by thermoreflectance (TR), photoconductivity (PC), photoluminescence (PL), surface photoconductive response (SPR), optical absorption and photo–voltage–current (photo V–I) measurements. The TR and optical-absorption measurements confirmed that the undoped and Nb-doped β-In₂S₃ are direct semiconductors with energy gap of 1.935 eV for undoped β-In₂S₃, 1.923 eV for β-In₂S₃:Nb_0.005, and 1.901 eV for β-In₂S₃:Nb_0.01. For undoped β-In₂S₃, PC and PL measurements are used to characterize defect transitions below band gap. The above band-edge transitions of undoped β-In₂S₃ have also been evaluated using PL, PC, and SPR measurements. For the evaluation of Nb-doped β-In₂S₃, an intermediate band with energy of ∼0.4 eV below the conduction band edge has been detected in the TR measurements in both β-In₂S₃:Nb_0.005 and β-In₂S₃:Nb_0.01. The photo V–I measurements also verified that the photoelectric-conversion efficiency would be enhanced in the β-In₂S₃ with higher niobium content. Based on the experimental analyses, the optical behavior of the defects, surface states, and IB (formed by Nb) in the In₂S₃ crystals is thus explored.     

All-optical time-division demultiplexing and spatial pulse routing with a GaAs/AlGaAs microring resonator

We report what is to our knowledge the first demonstration of all-optical time-division demultiplexing and spatial pulse routing in a compact nonlinear GaAs/AlGaAs microring resonator operating at 1.55 microm . Switching is through the refractive-index change induced by two-photon absorption. The switching time of the device, limited by the ring-charging time and the recombination time of the induced carriers, is measured to be 30 ps. The switching on-off contrast, limited by the slight mismatch between the input and output coupling coefficients, exceeds 8 dB. The device can be used for time-division multiplexing as well.     

Shape-dependent local internal stress of α-Cr2O3 nanocrystal fabricated by pulsed laser ablation

The α-Cr₂O₃ single-crystal nanocondensates were fabricated by pulsed laser ablation in air and characterized by analytical electron microscopy regarding shape-dependent local internal stress of the anisotropic crystal. The nanocondensates formed predominantly as rhombohedra with well-developed surfaces and occasionally hexagonal plate with thin edges and blunt corners. Such nanocondensates showed Raman shift for the CrO₆ polyhedra, indicating a local compressive stress up to ca. 4 GPa on the average. Careful analysis of the lattice fringes revealed a local compressive stress (0.5% strain) at the thin edge of the hexagonal plates and a local tensile stress (0.3–1.0% strain) near the relaxed , , and (0 0 0 1) surfaces of truncated rhombohedra. The combined effects of nanosize, capillarity force at sharp edge, and specific surface relaxation account for the retention of a local internal compressive stress built up in an anisotropic crystal during a very rapid heating–cooling process.     

Doubly Excited <Superscript>1,3</Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis><Superscript>e</Superscript> Resonance States of the Positronium Negative Ion with Coulomb and Screened Coulomb Potentials

We have investigated the doubly excited ^1,3 P ^e resonance states of positronium negative ion with Coulomb and screened Coulomb potentials using highly accurate correlated exponential wavefunctions. For Coulomb interaction, the stabilization and the complex-rotation methods are employed to extract resonance parameters (resonance positions and widths). We have obtained two ¹ P ^e resonances and three ³ P ^e resonances below the n = 3 Ps threshold. In addition to Feshbach resonances lying below n = 3 Ps threshold, we have calculated one ³ P ^e shape resonances lying above the Ps (n = 2) threshold. For screened Coulomb (Yukawa) interaction, we employ the stabilization method to extract resonance parameters as functions screening parameter. The resonance energies and widths for ^1,3 P ^e resonance states of Ps⁻ below the n = 3 Ps threshold for different screening parameters ranging from infinity (Coulomb case) to small values are reported, along with the Ps(3S) and Ps(3P) threshold energies. The screened Coulomb results for the ^1,3 P ^e resonance states are reported for the first time in the literature.     

A strip-shield improves the efficiency of a solenoid coil in probes for high-field solid-state NMR of lossy biological samples

A strip-shield inserted between a high inductance double-tuned solenoid coil and the glass tube containing the sample improves the efficiency of probes used for high-field solid-state NMR experiments on lossy aqueous samples of proteins and other biopolymers. A strip-shield is a coil liner consisting of thin copper strips layered on a PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) insulator. With lossy samples, the shift in tuning frequency is smaller, the reduction in Q, and RF-induced heating are all significantly reduced when the strip-shield is present. The performance of 800 MHz ¹H/¹⁵N and ¹H/¹³C double-resonance probes is demonstrated on aqueous samples of membrane proteins in phospholipid bilayers.     

Highly Bright and Photostable Li(Gd,Y)F4:Yb,Er/LiGdF4 Core/Shell Upconversion Nanophosphors for Bioimaging Applications

Intense green‐emitting Li(Gd,Y)F₄:Yb,Er/LiGdF₄ core/shell (C/S) upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) with a tetragonal bipyramidal morphology are synthesized. The morphology and UC luminescence of the Li(Gd,Y)F₄:Yb,Er UCNPs are significantly affected by the Li precursors, and bright UC green‐emitting Li(Gd,Y)F₄:Yb,Er UCNPs with a tetragonal bipyramidal shape, i.e., UC tetragonal bipyramids (UCTBs), are synthesized using LiOH·H₂O as a Li precursor. A LiGdF₄ shell is grown on the Li(Gd,Y)F₄:Yb,Er UCTBs, and the C/S UCNPs exhibit 4.7 times higher luminescence intensity than core UCTBs. The C/S UCNPs show a high absolute UC quantum yield of 4.6% under excitation with 980 nm near infrared (NIR) light, and the UC luminescence from the C/S UCNPs is stable under continuous irradiation with the 980 nm NIR laser for 1 h. The hydrophobic surfaces of the as‐synthesized C/S UCNPs are modified to hydrophilic surfaces by using poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) for bioimaging applications. They are applied to human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa) cell imaging and SK‐MEL‐2 melanoma cell imaging and in vivo imaging, including subcutaneous and intramuscular imaging, and UC luminescence images with high signal‐to‐noise ratio are obtained. Furthermore, sentinel‐lymph‐node imaging is successfully conducted with the PAA‐capped Li(Gd,Y)F₄:Yb,Er/LiGdF₄ C/S UCNPs under illumination with NIR light.