AgGaS2- and Al-doped GaSe Crystals for IR Applications

We report a systematic study of AgGaS₂- and Al-doped GaSe crystals in comparison with pure GaSe and S-doped GaSe crystals. AgGaS₂-doped GaSe (GaSe:AgGaS₂) crystal was grown by Bridgman technique from the melt of GaSe:AgGaS₂ (10.6 wt.%). Its real composition was identified as GaSe:S (2 wt.%). Al-doped GaSe (GaSe:Al) crystals were grown from the melt of GaSe and 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2 mass % of aluminium. Al content in the grown crystals is too small to be measured. The hardness of GaSe:S (2 wt.%) crystal grown from the melt of GaSe:AgGaS₂ is 25% higher than that of GaSe:S (2 wt.%) crystal grown by a conventional S-doping technique and 1.5- to 1.9-times higher than that of pure GaSe. GaSe:Al crystals are characterized by 2.5- to 3-times higher hardness than that of pure GaSe and by extremely low conductivity of ≤ 10^− 7 Om^− 1 cm^− 1. A comparative experiment on SHG in AgGaS₂-, Al-, S-doped GaSe and pure GaSe is carried out under the pumps of 2.12-2.9 μm fs OPA and 9.2−10.8 μm ns CO₂ laser. It was found that GaSe:S crystals possess the best physical properties for mid-IR applications among these doped GaSe crystals. GaSe:Al crystals have relatively low conductivity which have strong potential for THz application.     

808 nm大功率半导体激光器阵列的优化设计

 采用激射波长为808 nm的GaAs/AlGaAs梯度折射率波导分别限制单量子阱结构外延片,制备了沟道深度不同的半导体激光器阵列,并对载流子分布进行理论分析和模拟。理论和实验结果表明：引入脊形台面和隔离沟道后,激光器阵列的输出功率、电光转换效率、斜率效率和光谱特性均有显著提高。随着沟道的加深,对电流侧向扩散的限制作用增强,从而提高了阵列性能。     

超光滑基片表面散射的数值研究

以一阶微分散射理论为基础,从理论和模拟两个方面对超光滑基片表面的散射电磁场进行了数值研究.分析了s偏振光和p偏振光的微分散射随入射角和散射角的分布情况.研究发现,当入射角较大时,p偏振光在某个散射方向的微分散射为0,而无论入射角和散射角如何变化,s偏振光的微分散射均大于0.当用光散射法对超光滑基片进行表面测试时,相对于...     

Evaluation of the dosimetric characteristics of a radiophotoluminescent glass dosimeter for high-energy photon and electron beams in the field of radiotherapy

We aimed to evaluate the suitability of a glass dosimeter (GD) for high-energy photon and electron beams in experimental and clinical use, especially for radiation therapy. We examined the expanded dosimetric characteristics of GDs including dose linearity up to 500 Gy, uniformity among GD lots and for individual GDs, the angular dependence, and energy dependence of 4 therapeutic x-ray qualities. In addition, we measured the dosimetric features (dose linearity, uniformity, angular dependence, and energy dependence) of the GD for electron beams of 10 different electron energy qualities. All measurements with the exception of dose linearity for photon beam were performed in a water phantom. For high-energy photon beams, dose linearity has a linear relationship for a dose ranging from 1 to 500 Gy with the coefficient of determination; R² of 0.998. The uniformity of each GD of dose measurements was within ±0.5% for four GD lots and within ±1.2% for 80 GDs. In terms of the effects of photon beam angle, lower absorbed doses of within 1.0% were observed between 60° and 105° than at 90°. The GD energy dependence of 4 photon beam energy qualities was within ±2.0%. On the other hand, the result of the dose linearity for high-energy electron beams showed well fitted regression line with the coefficient of determination; R² of 0.999 between 6 and 20 MeV. The uniformity of GDs exposed to the nominal electron energies 6, 9, 12, 16, and 20 MeV was ±1.2%. In terms of the angular dependence to electron beams, absorbed doses were within 2.0% between 60° and 105° than at 90°. In evaluation of the energy dependence of the GD at nominal electron energies between 5 and 20 MeV, we obtained responses between 1.1% and 3.5% lower than that for a cobalt-60 beam. Our results show that GDs can be used as a detector for determining doses when a high-energy photon beam is used, and that it also has considerable potential for dose measurement of high-energy electron beam.     

Insights into the binding modes of human β<Subscript>3</Subscript>-adrenergic receptor agonists with ligand-based and receptor-based methods

Agonists of β₃-adrenergic receptor (AR) have been thought as potential drugs for the treatment of obesity, type II diabetes, and overactive bladder. In order to clarify the essential structure–activity relationship and the detailed binding modes of β₃-AR agonists as well as to identify new lead compounds activating β₃-AR, ligand-based and receptor-based methods were applied. The pharmacophore models were developed based on 144 β₃-AR agonists. Meanwhile, the homology model of the β₃-AR was built based on the crystal structure of β₂-AR. The pharmacophore model and the homology model mapped with each other very well, and some important information was obtained from the docking result. For example, agonists formed similar hydrogen-bonding interactions with residues Asp117, Arg315, and Asn332, π–π stacking interaction with residues Phe308, and hydrophobic interactions with residues Val118, Val121, Ala197, Phe198, Ala199, Phe309, and Phe328 of β₃-AR. And the major difference about binding mode from the crystal structures of β₁- and β₂-ARs is the hydrogen-bonding interaction with the residue Arg315, which corresponds to the residue Asn313 of β₁-AR and the residue His296 of β₂-AR, respectively. Our findings may be crucial for the design and development of novel selective and potent β₃-AR agonists.     

Biotoxicity of nanoparticles: effect of natural organic matter

Various natural organic matters (NOM) with different characteristics in aquatic environment may affect toxicity of leased nanoparticles, owing to interactions between NOM and nanoparticles. This study investigated the effect of NOM and physical characteristics of the effluent organic matter (EfOM) on the ecotoxicity of quantum dots (QD) using Daphnia magna. Organic matter samples were obtained from: Yeongsan River (YR-NOM), Dongbuk Lake (DL-NOM), Damyang wastewater treatment plant (EfOM), and Suwannee River NOM (SR-NOM). The QD was composed of a CdSe core, ZnS shell, and polyethylene glycol coating. The average size of the investigated QD was 4.8, 56.5, and 25.0 nm determined by transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation, respectively. The relative hydrophobicity of NOM was investigated using both specific UV absorbance at 254 nm and XAD-8/4 resins. The sorption of NOM on the QD was measured using a fluorescence quenching method. The highest hydrophobicity was exhibited by the SR-NOM, while the lowest was recorded for the DL-NOM. All tested NOMs significantly reduced the acute toxicity of D. magna when adsorbed to QD, and the order of effectiveness for each NOM was as follows: SR-NOM > EfOM > YS-NOM > DL-NOM. The sorption of NOM on the QD surface caused a decrease in the fluorescence intensity of QD at increasing NOM concentration. This suggests that the NOM coating influenced the physicochemical characteristics of QD in the internal organs of D. magna by inducing a reduced bioavailability. Results from this study revealed that NOM with relatively high hydrophobicity had a greater capability of inducing toxicity mitigation.     

Facile-chelating amine-assisted synthesis of β-In<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanostructures from a new single-source precursor derived from <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis>-methyl dithiocarbazate

Flake-built 3D β-In₂S₃ nanostructures were synthesized by thermolysis of S-methyl dithiocarbazate–indium(III) complex precursor in hexamethylenediamine (HMDA). XRD patterns showed that the cubic phase of 3D β-In₂S₃ remained unchanged but the crystallinity was increased after annealing at 400 °C for 20 min. The products were also characterized by SEM, TEM, and EDS. Based on the experimental results, we propose that the growth of 3D nanostructures is controlled by the stability of the intermediate chelate complex made by indium(III) and solvent. The optical properties of the 3D β-In₂S₃ nanostructures were also investigated by UV–Vis and PL spectroscopy, which indicated strong quantum confinement effect.     

Reaction mechanism studies for platinum nanoparticle growth by atomic layer deposition

Mass spectrometry is used to study the reaction mechanism of platinum (Pt) atomic layer deposition (ALD) on large quantities of high surface area silica gel particles in a fluidized bed reactor. (Methylcyclopentadienyl)trimethylplatinum [(MeCp)PtMe₃] and oxygen are used as precursors. Studies are conducted at a substrate temperature of 320 °C. The self-limiting behavior of ALD appears to be disrupted with overexposure of Pt precursor. The amount of the deposited Pt and the size of the Pt nanoparticles increase with an increasing overdose time of Pt precursor. This can be explained by the thermal decomposition of Pt precursor at the reaction temperature of 320 °C and the in situ sintering of Pt nanoparticles forming larger particles. This finding is significant and its understanding is essential for better control of Pt deposition to achieve desirable morphological and structural properties for different application requirements.     

Antiferromagnetic interactions in Er-doped SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> DMS nanoparticles

Diluted magnetic semiconductor (DMS) nanoparticles of Sn_1−x Er _x O₂ (x = 0.0, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.1) were prepared by sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed SnO₂ rutile structure for all samples with no impurity peaks. The decrease in crystallite size with Er concentration was confirmed from TEM measurements (from 12 to 4 nm). The UV–Visible absorption spectra of Er-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles showed blue shift in band gap compared to undoped SnO₂. The electron spin resonance analysis of Er-doped SnO₂ nanoparticles indicate Er³⁺ in a rutile lattice and also decrease in intensity with Er concentration above x = 0.02. Temperature-dependent magnetization studies and the inverse susceptibility curves indicated increased antiferromagnetic interaction with Er concentration.     

Thermal annealing effects on the dynamic photoresponse properties of Al-doped ZnO nanowires network

In this study, UV photodetectors based on a network of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) nanowires were manufactured at a low cost; for this purpose, a fast and simple fabrication process that involved dropping nanowires dispersion solution was employed instead of the conventional e-beam lithography process that is used to manufacture single nanowire–based UV photodetectors. It was demonstrated that nanowire network–based UV photodetectors provide a much faster UV photoresponse than conventional single nanowire–based UV photodetectors. The fast UV photoresponse of the fabricated UV photodetector can be attributed to the fact that the potential barriers formed in the nanowire network junctions effectively block the flow of electrons during the process of photocurrent decay. Furthermore, the UV photoresponse under illumination by a 254 nm UV source was studied as a function of the annealing temperature of the AZO nanowires network at a bias of 5 V. The fabricated UV photodetector showed the fastest response of 2 s to UV illumination in air when the sample was annealed in air for 1 h at 300 °C.