Chemiresistive Detection of Gaseous Hydrocarbons and Interrogation of Charge Transport in Cu[Ni(2,3-pyrazinedithiolate)[subscript 2]] by Gas Adsorption
Abstract not provided
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Abstract not provided
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The strict stacking of plant photosynthetic membranes into granal structures plays a vital role in energy conversion. The molecular forces that lead to grana stacking, however, are poorly understood. Here we evaluate the interplay between repulsive electrostatic (F el ) and attractive van der Waals (F vdWaals ) forces in grana stacking. In contrast to previous reports, we find that the physicochemical balance between attractive and repulsive forces fully explains grana stacking. Extending the force balance analysis to lateral interactions within the oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII)–light harvesting complex II (LHCII) supercomplex reveals that supercomplex stability is very sensitive to F el changes. F el is highly dynamic, increasing up to 1.7-fold on addition of negative charges by phosphorylation of grana-hosted proteins. We show that this leads to specific destabilization of the supercomplex, and that changes in F el have contrasting effects on vertical stacking and lateral intramembrane organization. Lastly, this enables discrete biological control of these central structural features.
The interplay between superconductivity and charge-density wave (CDW) in 2H-NbSe2 is not fully understood despite decades of study. Artificially introduced disorder can tip the delicate balance between two competing long-range orders, and reveal the underlying interactions that give rise to them. Here in this paper we introduce disorder by electron irradiation and measure in-plane resistivity, Hall resistivity, X-ray scattering, and London penetration depth. With increasing disorder, the superconducting transition temperature, T c , varies non-monotonically, whereas the CDW transition temperature, T CDW , monotonically decreases and becomes unresolvable above a critical irradiation dose where T c drops sharply. Our results imply that the CDW order initially competes with superconductivity, but eventually assists it. We argue that at the transition where the long-range CDW order disappears, the cooperation with superconductivity is dramatically suppressed. X-ray scattering and Hall resistivity measurements reveal that the short-range CDW survives above the transition. Superconductivity persists to much higher dose levels, consistent with fully gapped superconductivity and moderate interband pairing.
Strong interactions of electromagnetic fields with plasmonic nanomaterials have been exploited in various applications. These applications have centred on plasmon-enhanced scattering rates in nearby molecules or plasmon-induced heating. A question that has emerged recently is whether it is possible to use plasmonic nanostructures in a range of hot electron (hole) applications, including photocatalysis, photovoltaics and photodetection. These applications require coupling of a plasmonic component, which amplifies the interaction of light with the material, to an attached non-plasmonic component that extracts this energy in the form of electronic excitations to perform a function. Here, in this Perspective, we discuss recent work in the emerging field of hybrid plasmonics. We focus on fundamental questions related to the nanoscopic flow of energy and excited charge carriers in these multicomponent materials. We also address critical misconceptions, challenges and opportunities that require more attention.
Optical interactions are governed by both spin and angular momentum conservation laws, which serve as a tool for controlling light–matter interactions or elucidating electron dynamics and structure of complex systems. Here, we uncover a form of simultaneous spin and orbital angular momentum conservation and show, theoretically and experimentally, that this phenomenon allows for unprecedented control over the divergence and polarization of extreme-ultraviolet vortex beams. High harmonics with spin and orbital angular momenta are produced, opening a novel regime of angular momentum conservation that allows for manipulation of the polarization of attosecond pulses—from linear to circular—and for the generation of circularly polarized vortices with tailored orbital angular momentum, including harmonic vortices with the same topological charge as the driving laser beam. As a result, our work paves the way to ultrafast studies of chiral systems using high-harmonic beams with designer spin and orbital angular momentum.
Current theoretical analyses of defect properties without solving the detailed balance equations often estimate Fermi-level pinning position by omitting free carriers and assume defect concentrations can be always tuned by atomic chemical potentials. This could be misleading in some circumstance. Here we clarify that: (1) Because the Fermi-level pinning is determined not only by defect states but also by free carriers from band-edge states, band-edge states should be treated explicitly in the same footing as the defect states in practice; (2) defect formation energy, thus defect density, could be pinned and independent on atomic chemical potentials due to the entanglement of atomic chemical potentials and Fermi energy, in contrast to the usual expectation that defect formation energy can always be tuned by varying the atomic chemical potentials; and (3) the charged defect compensation behavior, i.e., most of donors are compensated by acceptors or vice versa, is self-regulated when defect formation energies are pinned. The last two phenomena are more dominant in wide-gap semiconductors or when the defect formation energies are small. Using NaCl and CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 as examples, we illustrate these unexpected behaviors. Our analysis thus provides new insights that enrich the understanding of the defect physics in semiconductors and insulators.
First principles-based mesoscale characterization of electron transport in W/Mo-doped BiVO 4 reveals the existence of “stabilization” regions around dopant sites. The stabilization regions decrease slightly the electron polaron mobility, albeit the overall electrode conductivity increases.
This work reveals the general mechanisms of Li + cation partial reduction and further deposition under specific electrolyte conditions, and in the proximity of an electrified metal surface. The factors affecting the ion complexation and transport and resultant adsorbed structures are identified for various external electric fields and for several applied voltages. Using ab initio methods, we investigate the relation between solvent–salt structures and dynamics, cation reductive stability, and the existing electric field between electrodes, or under the applied potential if the system is designed as an electrochemical cell. In absence of an applied field, it is found that not only cation but also non-solvated salt deposition on a metallic surface is an endothermic process. However, localized surface polarization orbitals created by an external electric field affect both the thermodynamics and kinetics of the adsorption, leading to a drastic change on the energetic profile; ab initio molecular dynamics simulations describe in detail the underlying mechanisms. Externally applied bias to an electrochemical cell also changes the deposition dynamics: by examining various solvent/salt combinations, we unravel the cation deposition mechanisms at both low and moderately high voltages, determining the relative time scale of each separate process. In this work, different polyhedra formed by the metal cation and its surrounding oxygen atoms appear to be the key indicator driving deposition dynamics at different voltages. Our findings disclose the importance of selecting appropriate voltage windows for stable and uniform growth of metal anode layers, showing the mechanisms leading to impurity formation and non-uniform cation deposition, as well as the role of charged interfacial phenomena in designing stable electrode–electrolyte interfaces.
Performance improvement traditionally realized through a combination of power factor optimization via electronic doping and lattice thermal conductivity reduction using nanostructuring have reached their optimal limits in many leading thermoelectric materials, making further enhancement in the thermoelectric figure of merit extremely challenging. Here, a novel approach to electronic transport engineering using coherent magnetic nanoinclusions is demonstrated. It was found that the incorporation of coherent magnetic full-Heusler (FH) nanoinclusions (Ti(Ni 4/3 Fe 2/3 )Sn) into a half-Heusler (HH) matrix (Ti 0.25 Zr 0.25 Hf 0.5 NiSn 0.975 Sb 0.025 ) with optimal doping level and lattice thermal conductivity leads to high Curie temperature ferromagnetism (T c ~ 650 K) along with a large reduction in the effective carrier density within the HH matrix. It is believed that the embedded magnetic FH nanoinclusions interact with the spin of itinerant carriers, leading to charge localization and the formation of overlapping bound magnetic polarons (BMPs). This gives rise to significant enhancements of both carrier mobility and thermopower, which minimizes the reduction in the overall power factor, simultaneously with a large drop in the total thermal conductivity owing to the reduction of the electronic contribution to the thermal conductivity. Here, whe implementation of the magnetic nanoinclusions strategy in a variety of state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials could pave the way towards even larger figures of merit.
A detailed examination of issues associated with proton radius extractions from elastic electron–proton scattering experiments is presented. Sources of systematic uncertainty and model dependence in the extractions are discussed, with an emphasis on how these may impact the proton charge and magnetic radii. A comparison of recent Mainz data to previous world data is presented, highlighting the difference in treatment of systematic uncertainties as well as tension between different data sets. We find several issues that suggest that larger uncertainties than previously quoted may be appropriate, but do not find any corrections which would resolve the proton radius puzzle.
Classical relativistic Monte Carlo simulations of petawatt laser acceleration of electrons bound initially in hydrogen-like, highly-charged ions show that both the angles and energies of the laser-accelerated electrons depend on the initial ion positions with respect to the laser focus. Electrons bound in ions located after the laser focus generally acquire higher (≈GeV) energies and are ejected at smaller angles with respect to the laser beam. Our simulations assume a tightly-focused linearly-polarized laser pulse with intensity approaching 10{sup 22 }W/cm{sup 2}. Up to fifth order corrections to the paraxial approximation of the laser field in the focal region are taken into account. In addition to the laser intensity, the Rayleigh length in the focal region is shown to play a significant role in maximizing the final energy of the accelerated electrons. Results are presented for both Ne{sup 9+} and Ar{sup 17+} target ions.
An explicitly gauge-invariant expansion in powers of e/$\hbar$ times the magnetic flux density is formally obtained for the density of states [as characterized by the trace of the resolvent $\hat{G}$ = (ω-$\hat{ℎ}$)-1] of a charged particle moving on a Hermitian quantum network that is embedded in a Euclidean background that supports a uniform magnetic flux density. The explicit expressions, given here up to third order in the flux density, are also valid for the “local trace” (the trace of $\hat{P}_i\hat{G}$ , where $\hat{P}_i$ is the projector on a network node) and do not appear to have been previously given.
The electron- and hole-transport properties in cadmium zinc telluride selenide (CZTS) crystals are studied using a laser-induced transient-current technique with pulsed and dc bias. The internal electric field profile and velocity of surface recombination are determined by Monte Carlo simulations of electron and hole transient currents combined with a numerical solution of the drift-diffusion equation coupled with Poisson’s equation. Electron and hole drift mobilities of μe = 830 cm 2 /Vs and μh = 40 cm 2 /Vs, respectively, are determined. We also develop a simple technique for evaluating surface recombination directly from measured current waveforms without the need for numerical simulation. The good quality of the prepared detector at pulsed bias, with electron- and hole-mobility-lifetime products of (μτ)e = 1.9 × 10 -3 cm 2 /V and (μτ)h = 1.4 × 10 -4 cm 2 /V, respectively, are observed. The formation of a positive space charge, originating from hole injection combined with a recombination level, is found. We observe a significant position dependence of the lifetime of electrons and holes in dc bias due to hole injection. The experiment is successfully fitted by a simple model dominated by a single deep recombination level with an energy of E t =E C -0.73eV; concentration of 7.3 × 10 11 cm -3 ; and electron- and hole-capture cross sections of 3.5 × 10 -14 cm 2 and 6.5 × 10 -14 cm 2 , respectively.