Nonlinear Optical Properties of Novel Metallophthalocyanines

Journal of Applied Spectroscopy - Detailed measurements of nonlinear optical properties and optical limiting for four phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives (PcCo, PcCu, PcMn, and PcSi) are reported. The...     

Prospects for Solving the Muon Puzzle on the NEVOD-DECOR-TREK Complex

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - The muon puzzle is an excess of muon bundles generated by primary cosmic rays (PCR) at energies above 10 $${}^{17}$$ eV compared to estimations that assume even a heavy...     

Block GPBi-CG method for solving nonsymmetric linear systems with multiple right-hand sides and its convergence analysis

Numerical Algorithms - In this paper, the block generalized product-type bi-conjugate gradient (GPBi-CG) method for solving large, sparse nonsymmetric linear systems of equations with multiple...     

Blockchain for Collaborative Businesses

Mobile Networks and Applications - Blockchain applications have continuously improved ever since its first debut on cryptocurrency. From then on, its uses have branched out from the financial...     

A Bio-Conjugated Fullerene as a Subcellular-Targeted and Multifaceted Phototheranostic Agent

Fullerenes are candidates for theranostic applications because of their high photodynamic activity and intrinsic multimodal imaging contrast. However, fullerenes suffer from low solubility in aqueous media, poor biocompatibility, cell toxicity, and a tendency to aggregate. C₇₀@lysozyme is introduced herein as a novel bioconjugate that is harmless to a cellular environment, yet is also photoactive and has excellent optical and optoacoustic contrast for tracking cellular uptake and intracellular localization. The formation, water-solubility, photoactivity, and unperturbed structure of C₇₀@lysozyme are confirmed using UV-visible and 2D ¹H, ¹⁵N NMR spectroscopy. The excellent imaging contrast of C₇₀@lysozyme in optoacoustic and third harmonic generation microscopy is exploited to monitor its uptake in HeLa cells and lysosomal trafficking. Last, the photoactivity of C₇₀@lysozyme and its ability to initiate cell death by means of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) production upon exposure to low levels of white light irradiation is demonstrated. This study introduces C₇₀@lysozyme and other fullerene-protein conjugates as potential candidates for theranostic applications.     

Epitaxial Growth of 2D Materials on High-Index Substrate Surfaces

Recently, the successful synthesis of wafer-scale single-crystal graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), and MoS₂ on transition metal surfaces with step edges boosted the research interests in synthesizing wafer-scale 2D single crystals on high-index substrate surfaces. Here, using hBN growth on high-index Cu surfaces as an example, a systematic theoretical study to understand the epitaxial growth of 2D materials on various high-index surfaces is performed. It is revealed that hBN orientation on a high-index surface is highly dependent on the alignment of the step edges of the surface as well as the surface roughness. On an ideal high-index surface, well-aligned hBN islands can be easily achieved, whereas curved step edges on a rough surface can lead to the alignment of hBN along with different directions. This study shows that high-index surfaces with a large step density are robust for templating the epitaxial growth of 2D single crystals due to their large tolerance for surface roughness and provides a general guideline for the epitaxial growth of various 2D single crystals.     

Some Properties of Lattice Ordered Rings

Mathematical Notes -     

Estimation of the Sorption Activity of Silver Nanoparticles on Biodegradable Fibers of Natural and Artificial Origin

Russian Physics Journal - The specific features of the sorption activity of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on biodegradable polymers of natural (collagen) and artificial (polyamide 6.6) origin have...