THE EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF TIME-PERIODIC SOLUTIONS TO THE NON-ISOTHERMAL MODEL FOR COMPRESSIBLE NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTALS IN A PERIODIC DOMAIN

In this paper,we are concerned with a three-dimensional non-isothermal model for the compressible nematic liquid crystal flows in a periodic domain.Under some smallness and structural assumptions imposed on the time-periodic force,we establish the existence of the time-periodic solutions to the system by using a regularized approximation scheme and the topological degree theory.We also prove a uniqueness result via energy estimates.

WEAK-STRONG UNIQUENESS FOR THREE DIMENSIONAL INCOMPRESSIBLE ACTIVE LIQUID CRYSTALS

The hydrodynamics of active liquid crystal models has attracted much attention in recent years due to many applications of these models.In this paper,we study the weak-strong uniqueness for the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions to the incompressible active liquid crystals in R^(3).Our results yield that if there exists a strong solution,then it is unique among the Leray-Hopf type weak solutions associated with the same initial data.

Sensing the heavy water concentration in an H_(2)O-D_(2)O mixture by solid-solid phononic crystals

A new method based on phononic crystals is presented to detect the concentration of heavy water(D_(2)O)in an H_(2)O-D_(2)O mixture.Results have been obtained and analyzed in the concentration range of 0%-10%and 90%-100%D_(2)O.A proposed structure of tungsten scatterers in an aluminum host is studied.In order to detect the target material,a cavity region is considered as a sound wave resonator in which the target material with different concentrations of D_(2)O is embedded.By changing the concentration of D_(2)O in the H_(2)O-D_(2)O mixture,the resonance frequency undergoes a frequency shift.Each 1%change in D_(2)O concentration in the H_(2)O-D_(2)O mixture causes a frequency change of about 120 Hz.The finite element method is used as the numerical method to calculate and analyze the natural frequencies and transmission spectra of the proposed sensor.The performance evaluation index shows a high Q factor up to 1475758 and a high sensitivity up to 13075,which are acceptable values for sensing purposes.The other figures of merit related to the detection performance also indicate high-quality performance of the designed sensor.

Reconfigurable(4, 6^(2)) and(4, 8^(2)) Archimedean plasma photonic crystals in dielectric barrier discharge

Archimedean photonic crystal has become a research area of great interest due to its various unique properties. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the realization of reconfigurable(4, 6^(2))and(4, 8^(2)) Archimedean plasma photonic crystals(APPCs) by use of dielectric barrier discharges in air. Dynamical control on both the macrostructures including the lattice symmetry and the crystal orientation, and the microstructures including the fine structures of scattering elements has been achieved. The formation mechanisms of APPCs are studied by time-resolved measurements together with numerical simulations. Large omnidirectional band gaps of APPCs have been obtained. The tunable topology of APPCs may offer new opportunities for fabricating multi-functional and highly-integrated microwave devices.

Tunable dispersion relations manipulated by strain in skyrmion-based magnonic crystals

We theoretically investigate the propagation characteristics of spin waves in skyrmion-based magnonic crystals. It is found that the dispersion relation can be manipulated by strains through magneto-elastic coupling. Especially, the allowed bands and forbidden bands in dispersion relations shift to higher frequency with strain changing from compressive to tensile,while shifting to lower frequency with strain changing from tensile to compressive. We also confirm that the spin wave with specific frequency can pass the magnonic crystal or be blocked by tuning the strains. The result provides an advanced platform for studying the tunable skyrmion-based spin wave devices.

Etching of quartz crystals in liquid phase environment:A review

Quartz crystals are the most widely used material in resonant sensors,owing to their excellent piezoelectric and mechanical properties.With the development of portable and wearable devices,higher processing efficiency and geometrical precision are required.Wet etching has been proven to be the most efficient etching method for large-scale production of quartz devices,and many wet etching approaches have been developed over the years.However,until now,there has been no systematic review of quartz crystal etching in liquid phase environments.Therefore,this article provides a comprehensive review of the development of wet etching processes and the achievements of the latest research in thisfield,covering conventional wet etching,additive etching,laser-induced backside wet etching,electrochemical etching,and electrochemical discharge machining.For each technique,a brief overview of its characteristics is provided,associated problems are described,and possible solutions are discussed.This review should provide an essential reference and guidance for the future development of processing strategies for the manufacture of quartz crystal devices.

Fcc/hcp PtNi heterostructured alloy nanocrystals with ultrathin Pt shell for enhanced catalytic performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction

To ensure the green and sustainable advancement of hydrogen energy, there is a critical need for the development of a cost-effective catalyst to address the sluggish kinetics of water electrolysis under alkaline conditions. An approach to achieve this is by constructing ultrathin Pt shell-structured catalysts that offer enhanced electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction performance through modulation of the inner core while minimizing costs. Herein, an ultrathin Pt shell catalyst with an inner core consisting of a PtNi face-centered cubic and hexagonal-close-packed mixed-phase interface (named PtNi-mix) is synthesized through a pre-synthesis method followed by post-acid etching process. Encouragingly, the PtNi-mix catalyst only requires 12.9 mV overpotential to achieve a current density of 10 mA·cm^(-2) in 1 M KOH, which is much lower than that of the commercial 20 wt.% Pt/C catalyst (71.2 mV). Also, it possesses a high mass activity (7.2 A·mg^(-1)) at an overpotential of 70 mV, which is 9 times higher than that of the commercial 20 wt.% Pt/C catalyst. Additionally, the performance of the PtNi-mix catalyst remains almost unchanged after 10,000 cyclic voltammetry tests, indicating that the catalyst exhibits excellent stability.

High-precision X-ray polarimeter based on channel-cut crystals

We report on using synthetic silicon for a high-precision X-ray polarimeter comprising a polarizer and an analyzer,each based on a monolithic channel-cut crystal used at multiple Brewster reflections with a Bragg angle very close to 45°.Experiments were performed at the BL09B bending magnet beamline of the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility using a Si(800)crystal at an X-ray energy of 12.914 keV.A polarization purity of 8.4×10^(-9)was measured.This result is encouraging,as the measured polarization purity is the best-reported value for the bending magnet source.Notably,this is the firstly systematic study on the hard X-ray polarimeter in China,which is crucial for exploring new physics,such as verifying vacuum birefringence.

Analysis of deformation mechanisms in magnesium single crystals using a dedicated four-point bending tester

In this study,we explored the deformation mechanisms of Mg single crystals using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and electron backscattered diffraction in conjunction with a dedicated four-point bending tester.We prepared two single-crystal samples,oriented along the<1120>and<1010>directions,to assess the mechanisms of deformation when the initial basal slip was suppressed.In the<1120>sample,the primary{1012}twin(T1)was confirmed along the<1120>direction of the sample on the compression side with an increase in bending stress.In the<1010>sample,T1 and the secondary twin(T2)were confirmed to be along the<1120>direction,with an orientation of±60°with respect to the bending stress direction,and their direction matched with(0001)in T1 and T2.This result implies that crystallographically,the basal slip occurs readily.In addition,the<1010>sample showed the double twin in T1 on the compression side and the tertiary twin along the<1010>direction on the tension side.These results demonstrated that the maximum bending stress and displacement changed significantly under the bend loading because the deformation mechanisms were different for these single crystals.Therefore,the correlation between bending behavior and twin orientation was determined,which would be helpful for optimizing the bending properties of Mg-based materials.

Tunable topological edge state in plasma photonic crystals

In this study, we found a kind of edge state located at the interface between plasma photonic crystals(PPCs) and traditional photonic crystals, which depends on the property of the photonic band gap rather than the surface defect. Simulation and theoretical analysis show that by adjusting the plasma density, we can change the topological characteristics of the photonic band gap of PPCs. This makes it different from the photonic band gap of traditional PCs, and thus excites or closes the topological edge states. We further discussed the influence of plasma parameters on edge state characteristics, and the results showed that as the plasma density increased, the first photonic band gap(PBG) of the PPCs closed and then reopened, resulting in band inversion and a change in the PBG properties of the PPCs. We can control the generation of edge states through plasma and adjust the frequency and strength of the edge states. After the appearance of edge states, as the plasma density further increases, the first PBG of the PPCs will shift towards high frequencies and deepen. The frequency of edge states will shift towards higher frequencies, and their strength will also increase. We increased the first PBG depth of the PPCs by increasing the number of arrays and found that when the number of the PPCs arrays increased, only the intensity of the edge states would increase while the frequency remained unchanged. Therefore, flexible adjustment of edge state frequency and intensity can be achieved through plasma density and array quantity parameters. Our study demonstrates the properties of topological edge states in plasma photonic crystals, which we believe can provide some guidance for applications based on edge states.

Topological edge and corner states of valley photonic crystals with zipper-like boundary conditions

We present a stable valley photonic crystal(VPC)unit cell with C_(3v)symmetric quasi-ring-shaped dielectric columns and realize its topological phase transition by breaking mirror symmetry.Based on this unit cell structure,topological edge states(TESs)and topological corner states(TCSs)are realized.We obtain a new type of wave transmission mode based on photonic crystal zipper-like boundaries and apply it to a beam splitter assembled from rectangular photonic crystals(PCs).The constructed beam splitter structure is compact and possesses frequency separation functions.In addition,we construct a box-shaped triangular PC structures with zipper-like boundaries and discover phenomena of TCSs in the corners,comparing its corner states with those formed by other boundaries.Based on this,we explore the regularities of the electric field patterns of TESs and TCSs,explain the connection between the characteristic frequencies and locality of TCSs,which helps better control photons and ensures low power consumption of the system.

Facet effects on bimetallic ZnSn hydroxide microcrystals for selective electrochemical CO_(2)reduction

Employing crystal facets to regulate the catalytic properties in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction(eCO_(2)RR)has been well demonstrated on electrocatalysts containing single metals but rarely explored for bimetallic systems.Here,we synthesize ZnSn(OH)_(6)(ZSO)microcrystals(MCs)with distinct facets and investigate the facet effects in eCO_(2)RR.Electrochemical studies and in situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy(in situ-FTIR)reveal that ZSO MCs produce mainly C1 products of HCOOH and CO.The{111}facet of the ZSO MCS exhibits higher selectivity and faradaic efficiency(FE)than that of the{100}facet over a wide range of potentials(-0.9 V∼-1.3 V versus RHE).Density Functional Theory(DFT)calculations elucidate that the{111}facet is favorable to the adsorption/activation of CO_(2)molecules,the formation of intermediate in the rate-determining step,and the desorption of C1 products of CO and HCOOH molecules.

Formation and Properties of Organic Long Persistent Luminescence Crystals Containing Benzidine Derivatives by Melt Crystallization

Organic molecules that exhibit long persistent luminescence (LPL) are rapidly gaining attention for a variety of applications. In this study, organic molecules with simple structures were selected and organic long persistent luminescence (OLPL) crystals were prepared. The crystal structure of the prepared OLPL crystal was elucidated and the guideline for the design of OLPL crystal was clarified. LPL was observed in OLPL crystals prepared with TMB as the guest molecule and 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane as the host molecule. XRD measurements of the OLPL crystals suggest that the guest molecule is a solid solution substituted in the stable crystal structure of the host molecule in a lattice-shrinking direction.

Recent Developments in Functional Crystals in China

Functional crystals are the basic materials for the development of modern science and technology and are playing key roles in the modern information era. In this paper, we review functional crystals in China, including research history, significant achievements, and important applications by highlighting the most recent progress in research. Challenges for the development of functional materials are discussed and possible directions for development are proposed by focusing on potential strengths of these materials.

Topological resonators based on hexagonal-star valley photonic crystals

In valley photonic crystals, topological edge states can be gained by breaking the spatial inversion symmetry without breaking time-reversal symmetry or creating pseudo-spin structures, making highly unidirectional light transmission easy to achieve. This paper presents a novel physical model of a hexagonal-star valley photonic crystal. Simulations based on the finite element method(FEM) are performed to investigate the propagation of TM polarized mode and its application to ring resonators. The results show that such a topologically triangular ring resonator exhibits an optimum quality factor Q of about 1.25×104, and Q has a maximum value for both frequency and the cavity length L. Our findings are expected to have significant implications for developing topological lasers and wavelength division multiplexers.

Investigation of spatial structure and sympathetic cooling in the^(9)Be^(+)–^(40)Ca^(+)bi-component Coulomb crystals

We study the spatial structure and sympathetic cooling of the bi-component Coulomb crystal(CC),which consists of approximate 450^(9)Be^(+)ions and 450^(40)Ca^(+)ions with a mass ratio of 0.225 in a segmented linear ion trap.By twodimensional imaging of the bi-component CC,the^(9)Be^(+)ions are found to be surrounded by the^(40)Ca^(+)ions in the radial direction with a separation ratio of~2.0,and the axial length of the^(9)Be^(+)ions occupied area is much larger than that of the^(40)Ca^(+)ions occupied area.Combined with the previous experimental results,the structure of the^(9)Be^(+)–^(40)Ca^(+)CC shows the larger the difference in the mass–charge ratio,the larger the separation between the two species.The comparison of the fluorescence spectra of the^(9)Be^(+)ions in the bi-component CC and the pure CC indicates that the^(9)Be^(+)ions can be sympathetically cooled and stably localized by the laser-cooled^(40)Ca^(+)ions during the recording of the fluorescence spectrum.

Nonreciprocal wide-angle bidirectional absorber based on one-dimensional magnetized gyromagnetic photonic crystals

We propose magnetized gyromagnetic photonic crystals(MGPCs)composed of indium antimonide(InSb)and yttrium iron garnet ferrite(YIGF)layers,which possess the properties of nonreciprocal wide-angle bidirectional absorption.Periodical defects in the MGPCs work as filters.Absorption bands(ABs)for the positive and negative propagations arise from the optical Tamm state and resonance in cavities respectively,and they prove to share no overlaps in the studied frequency range.Givenω=2.0138 THz,for the positive propagation,the ABs in the high-frequency range are localized in the interval between 0.66ωand 0.88ω.In the angular range,the ABs for the TE and TM waves reach 60°and 51°,separately.For the negative propagation,the ABs in the low-frequency range are localized in the interval between 0.13ωand 0.3ω.The AB s extend to 60°for the TE waves and 80.4°for the TM waves.There also exists a narrow frequency band in a lower frequency range.The relevant factors,which include the external temperature,the magnetic fields applied to the YIGF,the refractive index of the impedance matching layer,and the defect thickness,are adjusted to investigate the effects on the ABs.All the numerical simulations are based on the transfer matrix method.This work provides an approach to designs of isolators and so on.

Angular insensitive nonreciprocal ultrawide band absorption in plasma-embedded photonic crystals designed with improved particle swarm optimization algorithm

Using an improved particle swarm optimization algorithm(IPSO)to drive a transfer matrix method,a nonreciprocal absorber with an ultrawide absorption bandwidth and angular insensitivity is realized in plasma-embedded photonic crystals arranged in a structure composed of periodic and quasi-periodic sequences on a normalized scale.The effective dielectric function,which determines the absorption of the plasma,is subject to the basic parameters of the plasma,causing the absorption of the proposed absorber to be easily modulated by these parameters.Compared with other quasi-periodic sequences,the Octonacci sequence is superior both in relative bandwidth and absolute bandwidth.Under further optimization using IPSO with 14 parameters set to be optimized,the absorption characteristics of the proposed structure with different numbers of layers of the smallest structure unit N are shown and discussed.IPSO is also used to address angular insensitive nonreciprocal ultrawide bandwidth absorption,and the optimized result shows excellent unidirectional absorbability and angular insensitivity of the proposed structure.The impacts of the sequence number of quasi-periodic sequence M and collision frequency of plasma1ν1 to absorption in the angle domain and frequency domain are investigated.Additionally,the impedance match theory and the interference field theory are introduced to express the findings of the algorithm.

Stable yellow light emission from lead-free copper halides single crystals for visible light communication

Yellow light-emitting diodes(LEDs) as soft light have attracted abundant attention in lithography room, museum and art gallery. However, the development of efficient yellow LEDs lags behind green and blue LEDs, and the available perovskites yellow LEDs suffer from the instability. Herein, a pressure-assisted cooling method is proposed to grow lead-free CsCu2I3single crystals, which possess uniform surface morphology and enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield(PLQY) stability, with only 10% PLQY losses after being stored in air after 5000 h.Then, the single crystals used for yellow LEDs without encapsulation exhibit a decent Correlated Color Temperature(CCT) of 4290 K, a Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage(CIE) coordinate of(0.38, 0.41), and an excellent 570-h operating stability under heating temperature of 100°C. Finally, the yellow LEDs facilitate the application in wireless visible light communication(VLC), which show a-3 dB bandwidth of 21.5 MHz and a high achievable data rate of 219.2 Mbps by using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing(OFDM) modulation with adaptive bit loading. The present work not only promotes the development of lead-free single crystals, but also inspires the potential of CsCu2I3in the field of yellow illumination and wireless VLC.

Singularity Formation forthe General Poiseuille Flow of Nematic Liquid Crystals

We consider the Poiseuille flow of nematic liquid crystals via the full Ericksen-Leslie model.The model is described by a coupled system consisting of a heat equation and a quasilinear wave equation.In this paper,we will construct an example with a finite time cusp singularity due to the quasilinearity of the wave equation,extended from an earlier resultonaspecial case.