Statistical Piezotronic Effect in Nanocrystal Bulk by Anisotropic Geometry Control

Utilizing inner-crystal piezoelectric polarization charges to control carrier transport across a metal-semiconductor or semiconductor–semiconductor interface, piezotronic effect has great potential applications in smart micro/nano-electromechanical system (MEMS/NEMS), human-machine interfacing, and nanorobotics. However, current research on piezotronics has mainly focused on systems with only one or rather limited interfaces. Here, the statistical piezotronic effect is reported in ZnO bulk composited of nanoplatelets, of which the strain/stress-induced piezo-potential at the crystals’ interfaces can effectively gate the electrical transport of ZnO bulk. It is a statistical phenomenon of piezotronic modification of large numbers of interfaces, and the crystal orientation of inner ZnO nanoplatelets strongly influence the transport property of ZnO bulk. With optimum preferred orientation of ZnO nanoplatelets, the bulk exhibits an increased conductivity with decreasing stress at a high pressure range of 200–400 MPa, which has not been observed previously in bulk. A maximum sensitivity of 1.149 µS m⁻¹ MPa⁻¹ and a corresponding gauge factor of 467–589 have been achieved. As a statistical phenomenon of many piezotronic interfaces modulation, the proposed statistical piezotronic effect extends the connotation of piezotronics and promotes its practical applications in intelligent sensing.     

Efficient Visible-to-UV Photon Upconversion Systems Based on CdS Nanocrystals Modified with Triplet Energy Mediators

Developing high-performance visible-to-UV photon upconversion systems based on triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion (TTA-UC) is highly desired, as it provides a potential approach for UV light-induced photosynthesis and photocatalysis. However, the quantum yield and spectral range of visible-to-UV TTA-UC based on nanocrystals (NCs) are still far from satisfactory. Here, three different sized CdS NCs are systematically investigated with triplet energy transfer to four mediators and four annihilators, thus substantially expanding the available materials for visible-to-UV TTA-UC. By improving the quality of CdS NCs, introducing the mediator via a direct mixing fashion, and matching the energy levels, a high TTA-UC quantum yield of 10.4% (out of a 50% maximum) is achieved in one case, which represents a record performance in TTA-UC based on NCs without doping. In another case, TTA-UC photons approaching 4 eV are observed, which is on par with the highest energies observed in optimized organic systems. Importantly, the in-depth investigation reveals that the direct mixing approach to introduce the mediator is a key factor that leads to close to unity efficiencies of triplet energy transfer, which ultimately governs the performance of NC-based TTA-UC systems. These findings provide guidelines for the design of high-performance TTA-UC systems toward solar energy harvesting.     

Interactions of the vector breathers for the coupled Hirota system with $$4\times 4$$ 4 × 4 Lax pair

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, we investigate the interactions of the vector breathers for the coupled Hirota system with $$4\times 4$$ Lax pair. Firstly, we give the first-order breather...     

Study on the Relationship between Emulsion Properties and Interfacial Rheology of Sugar Beet Pectin Modified by Different Enzymes

The contribution of rheological properties and viscoelasticity of the interfacial adsorbed layer to the emulsification mechanism of enzymatic modified sugar beet pectin (SBP) was studied. The component content of each enzymatic modified pectin was lower than that of untreated SBP. Protein and ferulic acid decreased from 5.52% and 1.08% to 0.54% and 0.13%, respectively, resulting in a decrease in thermal stability, apparent viscosity, and molecular weight (Mw). The dynamic interfacial rheological properties showed that the interfacial pressure and modulus (E) decreased significantly with the decrease of functional groups (especially proteins), which also led to the bimodal distribution of particle size. These results indicated that the superior emulsification property of SBP is mainly determined by proteins, followed by ferulic acid, and the existence of other functional groups also promotes the emulsification property of SBP.     

Random copolymerization of macromonomers as a versatile strategy to synthesize mixed-graft block copolymers

The random copolymerization of norbornene-functionalized macromonomers was explored as a method of synthesizing mixed-graft block copolymers (mGBCPs). The copolymerization kinetics of a model system of polystyrene (PS) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) macromonomers was first analyzed, revealing a gradient composition of side chains along the mGBCP backbone. The phase separation behavior of mGBCPs with PS and PLA side chains of various backbone lengths and side chain molar ratios was investigated, and increasing the backbone length was found to stabilize the phase-separated nanostructures. The graft architecture was also demonstrated to improve the processability of the mGBCP, compared to a linear counterpart. Investigations of mGBCPs comprised of polydimethylsiloxane and poly(ethylene oxide) side chains exemplified the diverse self-assembled morphologies, including a Frank-Kasper A15 phase, that can be obtained with mGBCPs synthesized by random copolymerization of macromonomers. Lastly, a ternary mGBCP was synthesized by the copolymerization of three macromonomers.