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ACS Nano Jun 2024Epitaxial growth stands as a key method for integrating semiconductors into heterostructures, offering a potent avenue to explore the electronic and optoelectronic...
Epitaxial growth stands as a key method for integrating semiconductors into heterostructures, offering a potent avenue to explore the electronic and optoelectronic characteristics of cutting-edge materials, such as transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) and perovskites. Nevertheless, the layer-by-layer growth atop TMD materials confronts a substantial energy barrier, impeding the adsorption and nucleation of perovskite atoms on the 2D surface. Here, we epitaxially grown an inorganic lead-free perovskite on TMD and formed van der Waals (vdW) heterojunctions. Our work employs a monomolecular membrane-assisted growth strategy that reduces the contact angle and simultaneously diminishing the energy barrier for CsSbBr surface nucleation. By controlling the nucleation temperature, we achieved a reduction in the thickness of the CsSbBr epitaxial layer from 30 to approximately 4 nm. In the realm of inorganic lead-free perovskite and TMD heterojunctions, we observed long-lived interlayer exciton of 9.9 ns, approximately 36 times longer than the intralayer exciton lifetime, which benefited from the excellent interlayer coupling brought by direct epitaxial growth. Our research introduces a monomolecular membrane-assisted growth strategy that expands the diversity of materials attainable through vdW epitaxial growth, potentially contributing to future applications in optoelectronics involving heterojunctions.
PubMed: 38904992
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c05293 -
ACS Energy Letters Jun 2024Lithium alloy anodes in the form of dense foils offer significant potential advantages over lithium metal and particulate alloy anodes for solid-state batteries (SSBs)....
Lithium alloy anodes in the form of dense foils offer significant potential advantages over lithium metal and particulate alloy anodes for solid-state batteries (SSBs). However, the reaction and degradation mechanisms of dense alloy anodes remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the electrochemical lithiation/delithiation behavior of 12 elemental alloy anodes in SSBs with LiPSCl solid-state electrolyte (SSE), enabling direct behavioral comparisons. The materials show highly divergent first-cycle Coulombic efficiency, ranging from 99.3% for indium to ∼20% for antimony. Through microstructural imaging and electrochemical testing, we identify lithium trapping within the foil during delithiation as the principal reason for low Coulombic efficiency in most materials. The exceptional Coulombic efficiency of indium is found to be due to unique delithiation reaction front morphology evolution in which the high-diffusivity LiIn phase remains at the SSE interface. This study links composition to reaction behavior for alloy anodes and thus provides guidance toward better SSBs.
PubMed: 38903403
DOI: 10.1021/acsenergylett.4c00915 -
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in... Jun 2024Band structure of a semiconducting film critically determines the charge separation and transport efficiency. In antimony selenosulfide (Sb2(S,Se)3) solar cells, the...
Band structure of a semiconducting film critically determines the charge separation and transport efficiency. In antimony selenosulfide (Sb2(S,Se)3) solar cells, the hydrothermal method has achieved control of bandgap width of Sb2(S,Se)3 thin film through tuning the atomic ratio of S/Se, resulting in an efficiency breakthrough towards 10%. However, the obtained band structure exhibits an unfavorable gradient distribution in terms of carrier transport, which seriously impedes the device efficiency improvement. To solve this problem, here we develop a strategy by intentionally regulating hydrothermal temperature to control the chemical reaction kinetics between S and Se sources with Sb source. This approach enables the control over vertical distribution of S/Se atomic ratio in Sb2(S,Se)3 films, forming a favorable band structure which is conducive to carrier transport. Meanwhile, the adjusted element distribution not only ensures the uniformity of grain structure, but also increases the Se content of the films and suppress sulfur vacancy defects. Ultimately, the device delivers a high efficiency of 10.55%, which is among the highest reported efficiency of Sb2(S,Se)3 solar cells. This study provides an effective strategy towards manipulating the element distribution in mixed-anion compound films prepared by solution-based method to optimize their optical and electrical properties.
PubMed: 38899603
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202406512 -
ACS Sensors Jun 2024Creating high-performance gas sensors for heptanal detection at room temperature demands the development of sensing materials that incorporate distinct spatial...
Creating high-performance gas sensors for heptanal detection at room temperature demands the development of sensing materials that incorporate distinct spatial configurations, functional components, and active surfaces. In this study, we employed a straightforward method combining hydrothermal strategy with ultrasonic processing to produce mesoporous graphene quantum dots/bismuth antimonate (GQDs/BiSbO) with nanorod cluster forms. The BiSbO was incorporated with appropriate contents of GQDs resulting in significantly improved attributes such as heightened sensitivity (59.6@30 ppm), a lower threshold for detection (356 ppb), and quicker period for response (40 s). A synergistic mechanism that leverages the inherent advantages of BiSbO was proposed, while its distinctive mesoporous hollow cubic structure, the presence of oxygen vacancies, and the catalytic enhancement provided by GQDs lead to a marked improvement in heptanal detection. This work introduces a straightforward and effective method for crafting sophisticated micro-nanostructures that optimize spatial design, functionality, and active mesoporous surfaces, showing great promise for heptanal sensing applications.
Topics: Nanotubes; Temperature; Quantum Dots; Graphite; Density Functional Theory; Antimony
PubMed: 38898684
DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.4c00670 -
Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024This article presents the research results of depositing anti-friction coatings (Babbitt) using three different casting methods: static casting, flame soldering, and...
This article presents the research results of depositing anti-friction coatings (Babbitt) using three different casting methods: static casting, flame soldering, and clad welding. Babbitt alloy coatings deposited with different casting methods are discussed and explained in terms of changes in the coating properties, such as the microstructure, hardness, strength, and chemical composition. The results showed significant differences in the aforementioned properties, depending on the chosen coating deposition method. The results of the tests confirmed the importance of using shielding gas during deposition to ensure the chemical composition of the coating. The analysis revealed that decreases in the amounts of antimony and copper in the Babbitt coating compared with the initial concentrations were influenced by selective evaporation, oxidation, and the coating process parameters associated with different coating methods. To maintain the desired balance of mechanical properties in Babbitt coatings, it is important to control the antimony and copper contents. Clad welding deposition using a non-consumable tungsten electrode and argon shielding gas achieved a chemically stable coating quite close to the initial chemical composition of the Babbitt alloy.
PubMed: 38893926
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112662 -
Acta Tropica Jun 2024Owing to the persistent number of parasitic deaths, Visceral leishmaniasis continues to haunt several economically weaker sections of India. The disease causes over...
Owing to the persistent number of parasitic deaths, Visceral leishmaniasis continues to haunt several economically weaker sections of India. The disease causes over 30,000 deaths and threatens millions annually on a global scale. The standard pentavalent antimonials, on the other hand, are associated with health adversities and disease relapse. The current study is focused on the search for the most potential natural bioactive phytocompound from the bark extract of the Northeastern Indian plant, Garcinia cowa, that shows potent anti-leishmanial properties. The High Resonance Liquid Chromatography followed by Mass Spectrometry (HR-LCMS) study followed by an in silico molecular docking using computational tools revealed that α-mangostin might potentially possess antiparasitic activity. To validate the anti-leishmanial efficacy of the compound, a cell viability assay was performed, which demonstrated the parasite-specific inhibitory activity of α-mangostin; with IC values ranging from 4.95 - 7.37 µM against the different forms of Leishmania donovani parasite. The flow cytometric analysis of the phytocompound treated parasites indicated an oxidative and nitrosative stress-mediated apoptotic cell death in the parasites, by the suggestive surge in nuclear fragmentation and mitochondrial dysfunction. Simultaneously, a cytokine profiling study suggested approximate two-to-three-fold upregulated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines post-compound treatment, which is predicted to actively contribute to parasite-killing. α-mangostin was also found to reduce the chances of parasite survival by inhibiting arginase enzyme activity, which in favorable conditions facilitates its sustenance. This study thereby substantiates that α-mangostin significantly possesses anti-leishmanial potentiality that can be developed into a cure for this infectious disease.
PubMed: 38889863
DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107291 -
Analytical Methods : Advancing Methods... Jun 2024A poly(luminol--anisidine--toluidine) terpolymer was synthesized, characterized, and modified with GNPs and ZnO NPs. The nanocomposites were then examined for their...
Development of an efficient electrochemical sensing platform based on ter-poly(luminol--anisidine--toluidine)/ZnO/GNPs nanocomposites for the detection of antimony (Sb) ions.
A poly(luminol--anisidine--toluidine) terpolymer was synthesized, characterized, and modified with GNPs and ZnO NPs. The nanocomposites were then examined for their electroactivity and potential use as cationic electrochemical sensors for detecting Sb ions in phosphate buffer on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Among the different compositions and the terpolymer, the GCE adapted with the PLAT/ZnO/GNPs-5% nanocomposite displayed the highest current response. The fabricated nanocomposite sensor exhibited high sensitivity, with a value of 21.4177 μA μM cm, and a low detection limit of 95.42 pM. The analytical performance of the sensor was evaluated over the linear dynamic range (LDR) of 0.1 nM to 0.01 mM. The proposed sensor is effective in detecting and measuring carcinogenic Sb ions in real environmental samples using an electrochemical approach, making it a promising tool for environmental monitoring.
PubMed: 38888440
DOI: 10.1039/d4ay00472h -
Environmental Science & Technology Jun 2024Antimony (Sb) isotopic fractionation is frequently used as a proxy for biogeochemical processes in nature. However, to date, little is known about Sb isotope...
Antimony (Sb) isotopic fractionation is frequently used as a proxy for biogeochemical processes in nature. However, to date, little is known about Sb isotope fractionation in biologically driven reactions. In this study, sp. J1 was selected for Sb isotope fractionation experiments with varying initial Sb concentration gradients (50-200 μM) at pH 7.2 and 30 °C. Compared to the initial Sb(III) reservoir (δSb = 0.03 ± 0.01 ∼ 0.06 ± 0.01‰), lighter isotopes were preferentially oxidized to Sb(V). Relatively constant isotope enrichment factors (ε) of -0.62 ± 0.06 and -0.58 ± 0.02‰ were observed for the initial Sb concentrations ranging between 50 and 200 μM during the first 22 days. Therefore, the Sb concentration has a limited influence on Sb isotope fractionation during Sb(III) oxidation that can be described by a kinetically dominated Rayleigh fractionation model. Due to the decrease in the Sb-oxidation rate by sp. J1, observed for the initial Sb concentration of 200 μM, Sb isotope fractionation shifted toward isotopic equilibrium after 22 days, with slightly heavy Sb(V) after 68 days. These findings provide the prospect of using Sb isotopes as an environmental tracer in the Sb biogeochemical cycle.
PubMed: 38887934
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10271 -
National Science Review Jul 2024Superconductivity (SC) was experimentally observed for the first time in antimony polyhydride. The diamond anvil cell combined with a laser heating system was used to...
Superconductivity (SC) was experimentally observed for the first time in antimony polyhydride. The diamond anvil cell combined with a laser heating system was used to synthesize the antimony polyhydride sample at high pressure and high temperature. - high pressure transport measurements as a function of temperature with an applied magnetic field were performed to study the SC properties. It was found that the antimony polyhydride samples show superconducting transition with critical temperature 116 K at 184 GPa. The investigation of SC at magnetic field revealed the superconducting coherent length of ∼40 Å based on the Ginzburg Landau (GL) equation. Antimony polyhydride superconductor has the second highest in addition to sulfur hydride among the polyhydrides of elements from main groups IIIA to VIIA in the periodic table.
PubMed: 38883292
DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad241 -
ACS Nano Jun 2024Nonlead low-dimensional halide perovskites attract considerable attention as X-ray scintillators. However, most scintillation screens exhibit pronounced light...
Nonlead low-dimensional halide perovskites attract considerable attention as X-ray scintillators. However, most scintillation screens exhibit pronounced light scattering, which detrimentally reduces the quality of X-ray imaging. Herein, we employed a simple and straightforward solvent-free melt-quenching method to fabricate a large-area zero-dimension (0D) antimony-based perovskite transparent medium, namely (CHP)SbCl (CHP = ethyltriphenylphosphine). The transparency is due to the large steric hindrance of CHP, which hinders the formation of crystals during the quenching process, thus forming a glass with low refractive index and uniform structure. This medium exhibits a high transmittance exceeding 80% in the range of 450-800 nm and shows a large Stokes shift of 245 nm, thereby minimizing light scattering, mitigating self-absorption, and enhancing the clarity of X-ray imaging. Moreover, it exhibits a high radioluminescence light yield of ∼12,535 photons MeV and displays a high X-ray spatial resolution of 30 lp mm owing to its high transparency. This study presents an alternative candidate for achieving high-quality X-ray detection and extends the applicability of transparent perovskite scintillators.
PubMed: 38876985
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c01761