Growth mechanism and optical property of CdS nanoparticles synthesized using amino-acid histidine as chelating agent under sonochemical process

Using amino-acid histidine as chelating agent, CdS nanoparticles have been synthesized by sonochemical method. It is found that by varying the ultrasonic irradiation time, we can tune the band gap and particle size of CdS nanoparticles. The imidazole ring of histidine captures the Cd ions from the solution, and prevents the growth of the CdS nanoparticles. The deviation in the linear relation in between cube of radius of nanoparticles and ultrasonic irradiation time confirms the growth of CdS nanoparticles occur via two process; one is the diffusion process of the reactants as well as reaction at the surface of the crystallite. CdS nanoparticles synthesized using histidine as organic chelating agent have band edge emission at 481 nm and have greater photoluminescence intensity with blue-shift to higher energy due to typical quantum confinement effect.     

Broadband Light-Emitting Diodes with One-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Layer

In this article, a broadband gallium-nitride-based light-emitting diode with a one-dimensional photonic crystal layer is investigated. The broadband light-emitting diode using the proposed backside reflector has high reflectance (>95%) over a 270-nm bandwidth in visible light at an arbitrary incidence angle. A broadband light-emitting diode of high output power due to the high reflectivity is achieved. Also reported are the results for light-emitting diodes by the transistor outline can (TO-can) package. The proposed light-emitting diodes possess broadband high reflected spectra, high output power for light extraction, and a good view angle.     

Stretchable Composite Acoustic Transducer for Wearable Monitoring of Vital Signs

A highly flexible, stretchable, and mechanically robust low‐cost soft composite consisting of silicone polymers and water (or hydrogels) is reported. When combined with conventional acoustic transducers, the materials reported enable high performance real‐time monitoring of heart and respiratory patterns over layers of clothing (or furry skin of animals) without the need for direct contact with the skin. The approach enables an entirely new method of fabrication that involves encapsulation of water and hydrogels with silicones and exploits the ability of sound waves to travel through the body. The system proposed outperforms commercial, metal‐based stethoscopes for the auscultation of the heart when worn over clothing and is less susceptible to motion artefacts. The system both with human and furry animal subjects (i.e., dogs), primarily focusing on monitoring the heart, is tested; however, initial results on monitoring breathing are also presented. This work is especially important because it is the first demonstration of a stretchable sensor that is suitable for use with furry animals and does not require shaving of the animal for data acquisition.     

液晶微透镜阵列研究进展

液晶微透镜阵列是基于微透镜光子技术和液晶技术而发展起来的学科交叉研究领域。就液晶微透镜阵列的工作原理、主要设计方法及其研究进展进行了论述,并对微透镜阵列的发展趋势及尚待解决的问题进行了总结。     

Programmable CMOS CNN Cell Based on Floating-gate Inverter Unit

At present, the Cellular Neural Network (CNN) is a potential parallel structure able to perform image processing tasks in real-time when is effectively implemented in CMOS technology. The CNN silicon integration success is due mainly to the local connectivity of processing cells. In this work, an alternative design based on floating-gate MOS inverters is presented, which uses unipolar signals for solving binary tasks. The approach brings a fast response in a reduced silicon area, as shown through electrical simulations. A prototype cell in CMOS technology (AMI, 1.2 micron) was fabricated and tested for eight image processing tasks.

Beating of the oscillations in the magnetocapacitance of a MODFET with Rasba spin–orbit interaction

The effect of Rasba spin–orbit interaction (SOI) on the magnetocapacitance of the 2DEG in a MODFET is investigated. We present calculations on the density of states (DOS) of the 2DEG in a MODFET under the influence of both Rasba SOI and weak two-dimensional periodic modulation. Adopting a Gaussian broadening of magnetic-field-dependent width, we present a simple expression for the DOS, valid for the relevant weak magnetic fields and modulation strengths. In the presence of Rasba SOI and for weak potential modulation strengths, a typical beating pattern of the magnetocapacitance oscillations is observed in the low magnetic filed range. A simple relation that predicts the positions of nodes in the beating patterns is obtained. The interplay between the SOI and the periodic potential modulation is discussed.     

Characterization of an all Sol-Gel Electrochromic Device WO3/Ormolyte/CeO2-TiO2

Electrochemical lithium intercalation in thin films of CeO₂-TiO₂ and WO₃, prepared by the sol-gel technique was investigated with cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemical techniques in propylene carbonate solutions. A solid state system having the configuration WO₃/Ormolyte/CeO₂-TiO₂ has been assembled. The solid electrolyte, an organically modified electrolyte (ormolyte), was prepared with different [O]/[Li] ratios. The transmittance variation of this system during a potentiostatic step from –0.7 V to 0.8 V was about 35% at 550 nm.     

Aggregation-Induced Emission by Molecular Design: A Route to High-Performance Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells

The emission efficiency of organic semiconductors (OSCs) often suffers from aggregation caused quenching (ACQ). An elegant solution is aggregation-induced emission (AIE), which constitutes the design of the OSC so that its morphology inhibits quenching π–π interactions and non-radiative motional deactivation. The light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) can be sustainably fabricated, but its function depends on motion of bulky ions in proximity of the OSC. It is therefore questionable whether the AIE morphology can be retained during LEC operation. Here, we synthesize two structurally similar OSCs, which are distinguished by that 1 features ACQ while 2 delivers AIE. Interestingly, we find that the AIE-LEC significantly outperforms the ACQ-LEC. We rationalize our finding by showing that the AIE morphology remains intact during LEC operation, and that it can feature appropriately sized free-volume voids for facile ion transport and suppressed non-radiative excitonic deactivation.     

Dual Photosensitizer Coupled Three-Dimensional Metal-Covalent Organic Frameworks for Efficient Photocatalytic Reactions

In this work, we innovatively assembled two types of traditional photosensitizers, that is pyridine ruthenium/ferrum (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺/Fe(bpy)₃²⁺) and porphyrin/metalloporphyrin complex (2HPor/ZnPor) by covalent linkage to get a series of dual photosensitizer-based three-dimensional metal-covalent organic frameworks (3D MCOFs), which behaved strong visible light-absorbing ability, efficient electron transfer and suitable band gap for highly efficient photocatalytic hydrogen (H₂) evolution. Rubpy-ZnPor COF achieved the highest H₂ yield (30 338 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) with apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 9.68 %@420 nm, which showed one of the best performances among all reported COF based photocatalysts. Furthermore, the in situ produced H₂ was successfully tandem used in the alkyne hydrogenation with ≈99.9 % conversion efficiency. Theoretical calculations reveal that both the two photosensitizer units in MCOFs can be photoexcited and thus contribute optimal photocatalytic activity. This work develops a general strategy and shows the great potential of using multiple photosensitive materials in the field of photocatalysis.     

An Unlocked Two-Dimensional Conductive Zn-MOF on Polymeric Carbon Nitride for Photocatalytic H2O2 Production

Developing highly efficient catalytic sites for O₂ reduction to H₂O₂, while ensuring the fast injection of energetic electrons into these sites, is crucial for artificial H₂O₂ photosynthesis but remains challenging. Herein, we report a strongly coupled hybrid photocatalyst comprising polymeric carbon nitride (CN) and a two-dimensional conductive Zn-containing metal–organic framework (Zn-MOF) (denoted as CN/Zn-MOF(lc)/400; lc, low crystallinity; 400, annealing temperature in °C), in which the catalytic capability of Zn-MOF(lc) for H₂O₂ production is unlocked by the annealing-induced effects. As revealed by experimental and theoretical calculation results, the Zn sites coordinated to four O (Zn-O₄) in Zn-MOF(lc) are thermally activated to a relatively electron-rich state due to the annealing-induced local structure shrinkage, which favors the formation of a key *OOH intermediate of 2e⁻ O₂ reduction on these sites. Moreover, the annealing treatment facilitates the photoelectron migration from the CN photocatalyst to the Zn-MOF(lc) catalytic unit. As a result, the optimized catalyst exhibits dramatically enhanced H₂O₂ production activity and excellent stability under visible light irradiation.