Pressure-Induced Distinct Self-Trapped Exciton Emission in Sb^(3+)-Doped Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6)Double Perovskite

The Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6)double perovskite is one of the most promising lead-free perovskites due to its exceptional stability and straightforward synthesis.However,it faces challenges related to inefficient photoluminescence.Doping and high pressure are employed to tailor the optical properties of Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6).Herein,Sb^(3+)doped Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6)(Sb^(3+):Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6))was synthesized and it exhibits blue emission with a photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 37.3%.Further,by employing pressure tuning,a blue stable emission under a very wide range from 2.7 GPa to 9.8 GPa is realized in Sb^(3+):Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6).Subsequently,the emission intensity of Sb^(3+):Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6)experiences a significant increase(3.3 times)at 19.0 GPa.It is revealed that the pressure-induced distinct emissions can be attributed to the carrier self-trapping and detrapping between Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6)and Sb^(3+).Notably,the lattice compression in the cubic phase inevitably modifies the band gap of Sb^(3+):Cs_(2)NaInCl_(6).Our findings provide valuable insights into effects of the high pressure in further boosting unique emission characteristics but also offer promising opportunities for development of doped double perovskites with enhanced optical functionalities.

High-Temperature Superconductivity in Doped Boron Clathrates

The recent discoveries of near-room-temperature superconductivity in clathrate hydrides present compelling evidence for the reliability of theory-orientated conventional superconductivity.Nevertheless,the harsh pressure conditions required to maintain such high T_(c)limit their practical applications.To address this challenge,we conducted extensive first-principles calculations to investigate the doping effect of the recently synthesized LaB_(8)clathrate,intending to design high-temperature superconductors at ambient pressure.Our results demonstrate that these clathrates are highly promising for high-temperature superconductivity owing to the coexistence of rigid boron covalent networks and the tunable density of states at the Fermi level.Remarkably,the predicted T_(c)of BaB_(8)could reach 62 K at ambient pressure,suggesting a significant improvement over the calculated T_(c)of 14 K in LaB_(8).Moreover,further calculations of the formation enthalpies suggest that BaB_(8)could be potentially synthesized under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions.These findings highlight the potential of doped boron clathrates as promising superconductors and provide valuable insights into the design of light-element clathrate superconductors.

Mechanically tunable broadband terahertz modulator based on high-aligned Ni nanowire arrays

We present a mechanically tunable broadband terahertz(THz) modulator based on the high-aligned Ni nanowire(NW)arrays. The modulator is a sandwich structure consisting of two polydimethylsiloxane layers and a central layer of highaligned Ni NW arrays. Our experimental measurements reveal the transmittance of THz wave can be effectively modulated by mechanical stretching. The NW density in arrays increases with the strain increasing, which induced an enhancement in the absorption of THz wave. When the strain increases from 0 to 6.5%, a linear relationship is observed for the variation of modulation depth(MD) of THz wave regarding the strain, and the modulated range is from 0 to 85% in a frequency range from 0.3 THz to 1.8 THz. Moreover, the detectable MD is about 15% regarding the 1% strain change resolution. This flexible Ni NW-based modulator can be promised many applications, such as remote strain sensing, and wearable devices.

Temperature-dependent evolution of surface charge screening and polarization at ferroelectric surfaces

The polarization and domain behavior on the surface of a ferroelectric material are significantly affected by the screening processes [1-12].Recently,there has been a notable increase in the theoretical calculations and experiments investigating the dynamics of polarization and domain behaviors coexisting in phase transitions of ferroelectric materials.

Effects of BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 as the buffer layers of epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films

BiFeO_3 (BFO) thin films with BaTiO_3 (BTO) or SrTiO_3 (STO) as buffer layer were epitaxially grown on SrRuO_3-covered SrTiO_3 substrates. X-ray diffraction measurements show that the BTO buffer causes tensile strain in the BFO films, whereas the STO buffer causes compressive strain. Different ferroelectric domain structures caused by these two strain statuses are revealed by piezoelectric force microscopy. Electrical and magnetical measurements show that the tensile-strained BFO/BTO samples have reduced leakage current and large ferroelectric polarization and magnetization, compared with compressively strained BFO/STO. These results demonstrate that the electrical and magnetical properties of BFO thin films can be artificially modified by using a buffer layer.

Oxygen vacancies effects on phase diagram of epitaxial La1-xSrxMnO3 thin films

We investigated the effects of oxygen vacancies on the structural,magnetic,and transport properties of La_(1-x)Sr_xMnO_3(x=0.1,0.2,0.33,0.4,and 0.5)grown around a critical point(without/with oxygen vacancies)under low oxygen pressure(10 Pa)and high oxygen pressure(40 Pa).We found that all films exhibit ferromagnetic behavior below the magnetic critical temperature,and that the films grown under low oxygen pressures have degraded magnetic properties with lower Curie temperatures and smaller magnetic moments.These results show that in epitaxial La_(1-x)Sr_xMnO_3 thin films,the magnetic and transport properties are very sensitive to doping concentration and oxygen vacancies.Phase diagrams of the films based on the doping concentration and oxygen vacancies were plotted and discussed.

Modulating reaction pathways of formic acid oxidation for optimized electrocatalytic performance of PtAu/CoNC

Formic acid oxidation(FAO)is a typical anode reaction in fuel cells that can be facilitated by modulating its direct and indirect reaction pathways.Herein,PtAu bimetallic nanoparticles loaded onto Co and N co-doping carbon nanoframes(CoNC NFs)were designed to improve the selectivity of the direct reaction pathway for efficient FAO.Based on these subtle nanomaterials,the influences of elemental composition and carbon-support materials on the two pathways of FAO were investigated in detail.The results of fuel cell tests verified that the appropriate amount of Au in PtAu/CoNC can promote a direct reaction pathway for FAO,which is crucial for enhancing the oxidation efficiency of formic acid.In particular,the obtained PtAu/CoNC with an optimal Pt/Au atomic ratio of 1:1(PtAu/CoNC-3)manifests the best catalytic performance among the analogous obtained Pt-based electrocatalysts.The FAO mass activity of the PtAu/CoNC-3 sample reached 0.88 A·mg_(Pt)^(-1),which is 26.0 times higher than that of Pt/C.The results of first-principles calculation and CO stripping jointly demonstrate that the CO adsorption of PtAu/CoNC is considerably lower than that of Pt/CoNC and PtAu/C,which indicates that the synergistic effect of Pt,Au,and CoNC NFs is critical for the resistance of Pt to CO poisoning.This work is of great significance for a deeper understanding of the oxidation mechanism of formic acid and provides a feasible and promising strategy for enhancing the catalytic performance of the catalyst by improving the direct reaction pathway for FAO.

Strain-mediated insulator-metal transition in topotactically hydro-reduced SrFeO_(2)

Controlling oxygen redox reactions in transition metal oxides offers an attractive route to tune their physical properties;a topotactic structural transformation from their parent phases effectively modifies the electronic state. In this work, infinitelayered SrFeO_(2) thin films were produced from brownmillerite SrFeO_(2.5) via low-temperature hydro-reduction. After the structural transition, their out-of-plane lattice constants dramatically shrank by 12%;tensilely strained samples exhibited metallic character, whereas the compressively strained ones maintained the insulating behavior of their bulk form. According to X-ray linear dichroism results, this strain-mediated electronic anisotropy may be attributed to electron redistribution within degenerated orbitals. This suggests a possible mechanism for the metallic conductivity of infinite-layered SrFeO_(2), giving a hint for understanding emergent quantum phenomena, such as the recently discovered superconductivity in nickelates, and stimulating various applications, including in ionic conductivity and oxygen catalysis.

Optical spectroscopy study of charge density wave orderOptical spectroscopy study of charge density wave order in Sr_3Rh_4Sn_(13) and (Sr_(0.5)Ca_(0.5))3_Rh_4Sn_(13)

We perform optical spectroscopy measurement on single-crystal samples of Sr_3Rh_4Sn_(13) and(Sr_(0.5)Ca_(0.5))_3Rh_4Sn_(13).Formation of CDW energy gap was clearly observed for both single-crystal samples when they undergo the phase transitions.The existence of residual Drude components in σ_1(ω) below T_(Cdw) indicates that the Fermi surface is only partially gapped in the CDW state.The obtained value of 2△/k_BT_(CDW) is roughly 13 for both Sr_3Rh_4Sn_(13) and(Sr_(0.5)Ca_(0.5))_3Rh_4Sn_(13) compounds,which is considerably larger than the mean-field value based on the weak-coupling BCS theory.The measurements provide optical evidence for the strong coupling characteristics of the CDW phase transition.

Generation of single-focus phase singularity by the annulusquadrangle-element coded binary square spiral zone plates

Optical vortices(OVs) with unique square symmetry are widely used in various applications including particle manipulation,microscopy, and image processing. However, the undesired higher-order foci introduced by the conventional vortex lens such as square spiral zone plates(SSZPs) may lead to additional artifacts and thus degrade contrast sensitivity. In this endeavor, herein,we propose a methodology to combine the merit of SSZPs and the advantage of Gabor zone plates(GZPs) in establishing a specific single optical element, termed binary single focused square spiral zone plates(BSSZPs). In contrast to the abrupt transitions of the SSZPs, our central idea aims to realize the sinusoidal transmittance along the radial direction of SSZPs by a series of randomly distributed annulus-quadrangle-shaped nanometer structure apertures. The innovative design can simultaneously generate OVs with unique square symmetry, and eliminate the interference of higher-order foci along the propagation direction. Guided by our theoretical predication, the focusing property of such optics was further experimentally demonstrated.These findings are expected to direct new avenue towards improving the performance of optical image processing and alignment system.

Surface protonation and oxygen evolution activity of epitaxial La(1-x)SrxCoO3 thin films

As an alternative electrode material,transition metal oxides are promising candidates due to multivalent nature and oxygen vacancies present in the structure with facilitate redox reactions.The aim of this study is to explore the intrinsic mechanism of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)using two-dimensional thin film La1-xSrxCoO3 electrode as a model.Herein,we report a planar two-dimensional model La1-xSrxCoO3 electrode grown on a Nb-SrTiO3 single-crystal substrate via pulsed laser deposition.The two-dimensional La1-xSrxCoO3 films offer different oxygen evolution activities at different pH electrolyte solutions.The mechanisms behind the variations of the oxygen evolution activity were discussed after comparing the oxygen evolution activity before and after treatments of the electrodes and measurements by various test methods.The results of this study offer a promising,low-cost electrode material for the efficient OER and a sustainable production of hydrogen fuel.

Experimental search for high-performance ferroelectric tunnel junctions guided by machine learning

Ferroelectric tunnel junction(FTJ)has attracted considerable attention for its potential applications in nonvolatile memory and neuromorphic computing.However,the experimental exploration of FTJs with high ON/OFF ratios is a challenging task due to the vast search space comprising of ferroelectric and electrode materials,fabrication methods and conditions and so on.Here,machine learning(ML)is demonstrated to be an effective tool to guide the experimental search of FTJs with high ON/OFF ratios.A dataset consisting of 152 FTJ samples with nine features and one target attribute(i.e.,ON/OFF ratio)is established for ML modeling.Among various ML models,the gradient boosting classification model achieves the highest prediction accuracy.Combining the feature importance analysis based on this model with the association rule mining,it is extracted that the utilizations of{graphene/graphite(Gra)(top),LaNiO_(3)(LNO)(bottom)}and{Gra(top),Ca_(0.96)Ce_(0.04)MnO_(3)(CCMO)(bottom)}electrode pairs are likely to result in high ON/OFF ratios in FTJs.Moreover,two previously unexplored FTJs:Gra/BaTiO_(3)(BTO)/LNO and Gra/BTO/CCMO,are predicted to achieve ON/OFF ratios higher than 1000.Guided by the ML predictions,the Gra/BTO/LNO and Gra/BTO/CCMO FTJs are experimentally fabricated,which unsurprisingly exhibit≥1000 ON/OFF ratios(~8540 and~7890,respectively).This study demonstrates a new paradigm of developing high-performance FTJs by using ML.