Regulating local chemistry in ZrCo-based orthorhombic hydrides via increasing atomic interference for ultra-stable hydrogen isotopes storage

Developing a universal and reliable strategy for the modulation of composition and structure of energy storage materials with stable cycling performance is vital for hydrogen and its isotopes storage advanced system,yet still challenging.Herein,an ultra-stable lattice structure is designed and verified to increase atomic chaos and interference for effectively inhibiting disproportionation reaction and improving cycling stability in ZrCo-based hydrogen isotopes storage alloy.After screening in terms of configuration entropy calculation,we construct Zr_(1-2)Nb_(x)Co_(1-2x)Cu_(x)Ni_(x)(x=0.15,0.2,0.25) alloys with increased atomic chaos,and successfully achieve stable isostructural de-/hydrogenation during 100 cycles,whose cycling capacity retentions are above 99%,much higher than 22.4%of pristine ZrCo alloy.Both theoretical analysis and experimental evidences indicate the high thermo-stability of orthorhombic lattice in Zr_(0.8)Nb_(0.2)Co_(0.6)Cu_(0.2)Ni_(0.2) alloy.Notably,the increased atomic chaos and interference in Zr_(0.8)Nb_(0.2)Co_(0.6)Cu_(0.2)Ni_(0.2) alloy causes regulation in hydrogen local chemical neighborhood,thereby confusing the hydrogen release order,which effectively eliminates lattice distortion and unlocks an ultrastable lattice structure.This study provides a new and comprehensive inspiration for hydrogen atoms transport behaviors and intrinsic reason of stable orthorhombic transformation,which can contribute to paving the way for other energy storage materials modulation.

A wideband,high-resolution vector spectrum analyzer for integrated photonics

The analysis of optical spectra—emission or absorption—has been arguably the most powerful approach for discovering and understanding matter.The invention and development of many kinds of spectrometers have equipped us with versatile yet ultra-sensitive diagnostic tools for trace gas detection,isotope analysis,and resolving hyperfine structures of atoms and molecules.With proliferating data and information,urgent and demanding requirements have been placed today on spectrum analysis with ever-increasing spectral bandwidth and frequency resolution.These requirements are especially stringent for broadband laser sources that carry massive information and for dispersive devices used in information processing systems.In addition,spectrum analyzers are expected to probe the device’s phase response where extra information is encoded.Here we demonstrate a novel vector spectrum analyzer(VSA)that is capable of characterizing passive devices and active laser sources in one setup.Such a dual-mode VSA can measure loss,phase response,and dispersion properties of passive devices.It also can coherently map a broadband laser spectrum into the RF domain.The VSA features a bandwidth of 55.1 THz(1260–1640 nm),a frequency resolution of 471 kHz,and a dynamic range of 56 dB.Meanwhile,our fiber-based VSA is compact and robust.It requires neither high-speed modulators and photodetectors nor any active feedback control.Finally,we employ our VSA for applications including characterization of integrated dispersive waveguides,mapping frequency comb spectra,and coherent light detection and ranging(LiDAR).Our VSA presents an innovative approach for device analysis and laser spectroscopy,and can play a critical role in future photonic systems and applications for sensing,communication,imaging,and quantum information processing.

Recentprogress in thebiomedical application of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels

Bioelectronics have gained substantial research attention owing to their potential applications in health monitoring and diagnose,and greatly promoted the development of biomedicine.Recently,poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate(PEDOT:PSS)hydrogels have arose as a promising candi-date for the next-generation bioelectronic interface due to its high-conductivity,versatility,flexibility and biocompatibility.In this review,we highlight the recent advances of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels,including the gelation methods and modification strategies,and summarize their wide applications in different type of sensors and tissue engineering in detail.We expect that this work will provide valuable information regarding the functionalizations and applications of PEDOT:PSS hydrogels.

Foundry manufacturing of tight-confinement,dispersion-engineered,ultralow-loss silicon nitride photonic integrated circuits

The foundry development of integrated photonics has revolutionized today’s optical interconnect and datacenters.Over the last decade,we have witnessed the rising of silicon nitride(Si_(3)N_(4)) integrated photonics,which is currently transferring from laboratory research to foundry manufacturing.The development and transition are triggered by the ultimate need for low optical loss offered by Si_(3)N_(4),which is beyond the reach of silicon and III-V semiconductors.Combined with modest Kerr nonlinearity,tight optical confinement,and dispersion engineering,Si_(3)N_(4) has today become the leading platform for linear and Kerr nonlinear photonics,and it has enabled chip-scale lasers featuring ultralow noise on par with table-top fiber lasers.However,so far all the reported fabrication processes of tight-confinement,dispersion-engineered Si_(3)N_(4) photonic integrated circuits(PICs)with optical loss down to few dB/m have only been developed on 4-inch(100 mm diameter)or smaller wafers.Yet,to transfer these processes to established CMOS foundries that typically operate 6-inch or even larger wafers,challenges remain.In this work,we demonstrate the first foundry-standard fabrication process of Si_(3)N_(4) PICs with only 2.6 dB/m loss,thickness above 800 nm,and near 100%fabrication yield on 6-inch(150 mm diameter)wafers.Such thick and ultralow-loss Si_(3)N_(4) PIC enables low-threshold generation of soliton frequency combs.Merging with advanced heterogeneous integration,active ultralow-loss Si_(3)N_(4) integrated photonics could pave an avenue to addressing future demands in our increasingly information-driven society.

Effects of reductive inorganics and NOM on the formation of chlorite in the chlorine dioxide disinfection of drinking water

Chlorine dioxide(ClO_(2))disinfection usually does not produce halogenated disinfection byproducts,but the formation of the inorganic by-product chlorite(ClO^(–)_(2))is a serious consideration.In this study,the ClO^(–)_(2)formation rule in the ClO_(2)disinfection of drinking water was investigated in the presence of three representative reductive inorganics and four natural organic matters(NOMs),respectively.Fe^(2+)and S^(2–)mainly reduced ClO_(2)to ClO^(–)_(2)at low concentrations.When ClO_(2)was consumed,the ClO^(–)_(2)would be further reduced by Fe^(2+)and S^(2–),leading to the decrease of ClO^(–)_(2).The reaction efficiency of Mn^(2+)with ClO_(2)was lower than that of Fe^(2+)and S^(2–).It might be the case that Mn O 2 generated by the reaction between Mn^(2+)and ClO_(2)had adsorption and catalytic oxidation on Mn^(2+).However,Mn^(2+)would not reduce ClO^(–)_(2).Among the four NOMs,humic acid and fulvic acid reacted with ClO_(2)actively,followed by bovine serum albumin,while sodium alginate had almost no reaction with ClO_(2).The maximum ClO^(–)_(2)yields of reductive inorganics(70%)was higher than that of NOM(around 60%).The lower the concentration of reductive substances,the more ClO^(–)_(2)could be produced by per unit concentration of reductive substances.The results of the actual water samples showed that both reductive inorganics and NOM played an important role in the formation of ClO^(–)_(2)in disinfection.