Deep brain implantable microelectrode arrays for detection and functional localization of the subthalamic nucleus in rats with Parkinson’s disease

The subthalamic nucleus(STN)is considered the best target for deep brain stimulation treatments of Parkinson’s disease(PD).It is difficult to localize the STN due to its small size and deep location.Multichannel microelectrode arrays(MEAs)can rapidly and precisely locate the STN,which is important for precise stimulation.In this paper,16-channel MEAs modified with multiwalled carbon nanotube/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate)(MWCNT/PEDOT:PSS)nanocomposites were designed and fabricated,and the accurate and rapid identification of the STN in PD rats was performed using detection sites distributed at different brain depths.These results showed that nuclei in 6-hydroxydopamine hydrobromide(6-OHDA)-lesioned brains discharged more intensely than those in unlesioned brains.In addition,the MEA simultaneously acquired neural signals from both the STN and the upper or lower boundary nuclei of the STN.Moreover,higher values of spike firing rate,spike amplitude,local field potential(LFP)power,and beta oscillations were detected in the STN of the 6-OHDA-lesioned brain,and may therefore be biomarkers of STN localization.Compared with the STNs of unlesioned brains,the power spectral density of spikes and LFPs synchronously decreased in the delta band and increased in the beta band of 6-OHDA-lesioned brains.This may be a cause of sleep and motor disorders associated with PD.Overall,this work describes a new cellular-level localization and detection method and provides a tool for future studies of deep brain nuclei.

A novel self-alignment method for high precision silicon diffraction microlens arrays preparation and its integration with infrared focal plane arrays

Silicon(Si)diffraction microlens arrays are usually used to integrating with infrared focal plane arrays(IRFPAs)to improve their performance.The errors of lithography are unavoidable in the process of the Si diffrac-tion microlens arrays preparation in the conventional engraving method.It has a serious impact on its performance and subsequent applications.In response to the problem of errors of Si diffraction microlens arrays in the conven-tional method,a novel self-alignment method for high precision Si diffraction microlens arrays preparation is pro-posed.The accuracy of the Si diffractive microlens arrays preparation is determined by the accuracy of the first li-thography mask in the novel self-alignment method.In the subsequent etching,the etched area will be protected by the mask layer and the sacrifice layer or the protective layer.The unprotection area is carved to effectively block the non-etching areas,accurately etch the etching area required,and solve the problem of errors.The high precision Si diffraction microlens arrays are obtained by the novel self-alignment method and the diffraction effi-ciency could reach 92.6%.After integrating with IRFPAs,the average blackbody responsity increased by 8.3%,and the average blackbody detectivity increased by 10.3%.It indicates that the Si diffraction microlens arrays can improve the filling factor and reduce crosstalk of IRFPAs through convergence,thereby improving the perfor-mance of the IRFPAs.The results are of great reference significance for improving their performance through opti-mizing the preparation level of micro nano devices.

Manipulating d-d orbital hybridization induced by Mo-doped Co_(9)S_(8) nanorod arrays for high-efficiency water electrolysis

Precisely refining the electronic structure of electrocatalysts represents a powerful approach to further optimize the electrocatalytic performance.Herein,we demonstrate an ingenious d-d orbital hybridization concept to construct Mo-doped Co_(9)S_(8) nanorod arrays aligned on carbon cloth(CC)substrate(abbreviated as Mo-Co_(9)S_(8)@CC hereafter)as a high-efficiency bifunctional electrocatalyst toward water electrolysis.It has experimentally and theoretically validated that the 4d-3d orbital coupling between Mo dopant and Co site can effectively optimize the H_(2)O activation energy and lower H^(*)adsorption energy barrier,thereby leading to enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)activities.Thanks to the unique electronic and geometrical advantages,the optimized Mo-Co_(9)S_(8)@CC with appropriate Mo content exhibits outstanding bifunctional performance in alkaline solution,with the overpotentials of 75 and 234 mV for the delivery of a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),small Tafel slopes of 53.8 and 39.9 mV dec~(-1)and long-term stabilities for at least 32 and 30 h for HER and OER,respectively.More impressively,a water splitting electrolylzer assembled by the self-supported Mo-Co_(9)S_(8)@CC electrode requires a low cell voltage of 1.53 V at 10 mA cm^(-2)and shows excellent stability and splendid reversibility,demonstrating a huge potential for affordable and scalable electrochemical H_(2) production.The innovational orbital hybridization strategy for electronic regulation herein provides an inspirable avenue for developing progressive electrocatalysts toward new energy systems.

A core-shell copper oxides-cobalt oxides heterostructure nanowire arrays for nitrate reduction to ammonia with high yield rate

Electrochemical nitrate reduction to ammonia(NRA) can realize the green synthesis of ammonia(NH3) at ambient conditions, and also remove nitrate contamination in water. However, the current catalysts for NRA still face relatively low NH3yield rate and poor stability. We present here a core-shell heterostructure comprising cobalt oxide anchored on copper oxide nanowire arrays(CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)) for efficient NRA. The CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)demonstrates significantly enhanced NRA performance in alkaline media in comparison with plain CuO NWAs and Co_(3)O_(4)flocs. Especially, at-0.23 V vs. RHE, NH_(3) yield rate of the CuO NWAs@Co_(3)O_(4)reaches 1.915 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2),much higher than those of CuO NWAs(1.472 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)), Co_(3)O_(4)flocs(1.222 mmol h^(-1)cm^(-2)) and recent reported Cu-based catalysts.It is proposed that the synergetic effects of the heterostructure combing atom hydrogen adsorption and nitrate reduction lead to the enhanced NRA performance.

Shear wave splitting analysis of local earthquakes from dense arrays in Shimian,Sichuan

The Shimian area of Sichuan sits at the junction of the Bayan Har block.Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block,and Yangtze block,where several faults intersect.This region features intense tectonic activity and frequent earthquakes.In this study,we used local seismic waveform data recorded using dense arrays deployed in the Shimian area to obtain the shear wave splitting parameters at 55 seismic stations and thereby determine the crustal anisotropic characteristics of the region.We then analyzed the crustal stress pattern and tectonic setting and explored their relationship in the study area.Although some stations returned a polarization direction of NNW-SSE.a dominant polarization direction of NW-SE was obtained for the fast shear wave at most seismic stations in the study area.The polarization directions of the fast shear wave were highly consistent throughout the study-area.This orientation was in accordance with the direction of the regional principal compressive stress and parallel to the trend of the Xianshuihe and Daliangshan faults.The distribution of crustal anisotropy in this area was affected by the regional tectonic stress field and the fault structures.The mean delay time between fast and slow shear waves was 3.83 ms/km.slightly greater than the values obtained in other regions of Sichuan.This indicates that the crustal media in our study area had a high anisotropic strength and also reveals the influence of tectonic complexity resulting from the intersection of multiple faults on the strength of seismic anisotropy.

Controllable and large-area growth of ZnO nanosheet arrays under ambient condition as superior anodes for scalable aqueous batteries

Two-dimensional(2D)oxides have been the focus of substantial research interest recently,owing to their fascinating physico-chemical properties.However,fabrication of large-area 2D oxide materials in a controlled manner under mild conditions still remains a formidable challenge.Herein,we develop a facile and universal strategy based on the sonochemistry approach for controllable and large-area growth of quasi-aligned single-crystalline ZnO nanosheets on a Zn substrate(Zn@SC-ZnO)under ambient conditions.The obtained ZnO nanosheets possess the desired exclusively exposed(001)facets,which have been confirmed to play a critical role in significantly reducing the activation energy and facilitating the stripping/plating processes of Zn.Accordingly,the constructed Zn@SC-ZnO||Zn@SC-ZnO symmetric cell has very low polarization overpotential down to~20 mV,with limited dendrite growth and side reactions for Zn anodes.The developed Zn@SC-ZnO//MnO_(2)aqueous Zn-ion batteries(ZIBs)show a voltage efficiency of 88.2%under 500 mA g^(-1)at the stage of 50%depth of discharge,which is state of the art for ZIBs reported to date.Furthermore,the as-assembled large-size cell(5 cm×5 cm)delivers an open circuit potential of 1.648 V,and can be robustly operated under a high current of 20 mA,showing excellent potential for future scalable applications.

Bidirectional visible light absorber based on nanodisk arrays

A perfect bidirectional broadband visible light absorber composed of titanium nitride and tungsten nanodisk arrays is proposed.The average absorption of the absorber exceeds 89%at 400 nm–800 nm when light is normally incident on the front-side.Illumination from the opposite direction(back-side)results in absorption of more than 75%.Through the theoretical analysis of the electric and magnetic fields,the physical mechanism of the broadband perfect absorption is attributed to the synergy of localized surface plasmons,propagating surface plasmons,and plasmonic resonant cavity modes.Furthermore,the absorber also exhibits excellent polarization-independence performance and a high angular tolerance of~30°for both front-and back-side incidence.The designed bidirectional broadband visible light absorber here has wide application prospects in the fields of solar cells and ink-free printing.

Homogenous metallic deposition regulated by abundant lithiophilic sites in nickel/cobalt oxides nanoneedle arrays for lithium metal batteries

Although lithium(Li)metal delivers the highest theoretical capacity as a battery anode,its high reactivity can generate Li dendrites and"dead"Li during cycling,resulting in poor reversibility and low Li utilization.Inducing uniform Li plating/stripping is the core of solving these problems.Herein,we design a highly lithiophilic carbon film with an outer sheath of the nanoneedle arrays to induce homogeneous Li plating/stripping.The excellent conductivity and 3D framework of the carbon film not only offer fast charge transport across the entire electrode but also mitigate the volume change of Li metal during cycling.The abundant lithiophilic sites ensure stable Li plating/stripping,thereby inhibiting the Li dendritic growth and"dead"Li formation.The resulting composite anode allows for stable Li stripping/plating under 0.5 mA cm^(-2) with a capacity of 0.5 mA h cm^(-2) for 4000 h and 3 mA cm^(-2) with a capacity of3 mA h cm^(-2) for 1000 h.The Ex-SEM analysis reveals that lithiophilic property is different at the bottom,top,or channel in the structu re,which can regulate a bottom-up uniform Li deposition behavior.Full cells paired with LFP show a stable capacity of 155 mA h g^(-1) under a current density of 0.5C.The pouch cell can keep powering light-emitting diode even under 180°bending,suggesting its good flexibility and great practical applications.

Influence of MnO_(x)deposition on TiO_(2)nanotube arrays for electrooxidation

TiO_(2)has demonstrated outstanding performance in electrochemical advanced oxidation processes(EAOPs)due to its structural stability and high oxygen overpotential.However,there is still much room for improving its electrochemical activity.Herein,narrow bandgap manganese oxide(MnO_(x))was composited with TiO_(2)nanotube arrays(TiO_(2)NTAs)that in-situ oxidized on porous Ti sponge,forming the MnO_(x)-TiO_(2)NTAs anode.XANES and XPS analysis further proved that the composition of MnO_(x)is Mn2O3.Electrochemical characterizations revealed that increasing the composited concentration of MnO_(x)can improve the conductivity and reduce oxygen evolution potential so as to improve the electrochemical activity of the composited MnO_(x)-TiO_(2)NTAs anode.Meanwhile,the optimal degradation rate of benzoic acid(BA)was achieved using MnO_(x)-TiO_(2)NTAs with a MnO_(x)concentration of 0.1 mmol L^(-1),and the role of MnO_(x)was proposed based on DFT calculation.Additionally,the required electrical energy(EE/O)to destroy BA was optimized by varying the composited concentration of MnO_(x)and the degradation voltage.These quantitative results are of great significance for the design and application of high-performance materials for EAOPs.

Atomic Dispersion of Rh on Interconnected Mo_(2)C Nanosheet Network Intimately Embedded in 3D Ni_(x)MoO_(y) Nanorod Arrays for pH-Universal Hydrogen Evolution

Herein,a simple synthetic approach is employed for the atomic dispersion of Rh atoms(Rh SAs)over the surface of interconnected Mo_(2)C nanosheets intimately embedded in a three-dimensional Ni_(x)MoO_(y)nanorod arrays(Ni_(x)MoO_(y)NRs)framework;we found that the introduction of both isolated Rh SAs and Ni_(x)MoO_(y)NRs adjusts the electrocatalytic function of the host Mo_(2)C toward the direction of being an advanced and highly stable electrocatalyst for efficient hydrogen evolution at pH-universal conditions.As a result,the proposed catalyst outperforms most recently reported transition metal-based catalysts,and its performance even rivals that of commercial Pt/C,as demonstrated by its ultralow overpotentials of 31.7,109.7,and 95.4 mV at a current density of 10 mA cm^(-2),along with its small Tafel slopes of 42.4,51.2,and 46.8 mV dec^(-1)in acidic,neutral,and alkaline conditions,respectively.In addition,the catalyst shows remarkable long-term stability over all pH values with good maintenance of its catalytic activity and structural characteristics after continuous operation.

Developing Three-Dimensional Beamshaping Techniques on Volumetric Random Arrays to Suppress Array Sidelobes

This paper proposes a three-dimensional (3-D) amplitude tapering technique on volumetric random arrays to minimize array sidelobes and emulate phased array operations on mobile platforms. Our ultimate goal is to realize wireless phased array applications carried out by mobile platforms;in this paper, we focus on the development of collaborative beamforming algorithms. This beamshaping technique mitigates the discontinuity of the current distribution along the array aperture and lower array sidelobe level (SLL) by specially paying attention to the array element’s depth deviation. In this work, step by step amplitude tapering procedures are clearly illustrated. Further, a reconfigurable phased array with sixteen patch antennas is tested to verify the fidelity of the 3-D beamshaping algorithm. Measured and simulated radiation patterns are benchmarked to evaluate the sidelobe suppression results, and the best sidelobe suppressed region is around the array’s main beam.

Effect of KOH treatment on structural and photovoltaic properties of ZnO nanorod arrays

ZnO nanorod arrays （NRs） were synthesized on the fluorine-doped SnO2 transparent conductive glass （FTO） by a simple chemical bath deposition （CBD） method combined with alkali-etched method in potassium hydroxide （KOH） solution. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and current-voltage （I-V） curve were used to characterize the structure, morphologies and optoelectronic properties. The results demonstrated that ZnO NRs had wurtzite structures, the morphologies and photovoltaic properties of ZnO NRs were closely related to the concentration of KOH and etching time, well-aligned and uniformly distributed ZnO NRs were obtained after etching with 0.1 mol/L KOH for 1 h. ZnO NRs treated by KOH had been proved to have superior photovoltaic properties compared with high density ZnO NRs. When using ZnO NRs etched with 0.1 mol/L KOH for 1 h as the anode of solar cell, the conversion efficiency, short circuit current and open circuit voltage, compared with the unetched ZnO NRs, increased by 0.71%, 2.79 mA and 0.03 V, respectively.

Design and Characteristics of InGaAs/GaAs MQW SEED Arrays Structure

The influence of DBR in resonant cavity on the characteristics of the reflectivity of InGaAs/GaAs MQW SEED arrays has been discussed. InGaAs/GaAs acting as the active region of MQW SEED to gain 980nm work wavelergth has been introduced. A new resonant cavity structure of the InGaAs/GaAs MQW SEED arrays has been designed and analyzed. The MQW materials grown by MOCVD system have also been measured and analyzed with micro optical spot reflection spectra, PL measurement and X ray measurement. The results of measurement prove the good quality of the wafer and the accuracy of our design and analysis of the structure of the device.

A Review of the Four Dimension Antenna Arrays

The four dimensional （4D） antenna arrays introduce a fourth dimension, time, into conventional antenna arrays to offer greater flexibility in the design of high performance antenna arrays. This paper presents the tutorial on the study of 4D antenna arrays and the review of the recent research findings on 4D antenna arrays. Issues considered include the theory of 4D antenna arrays, different time modulation schemes, numerical simulation results, and some experimental results on their applications to low sidelobe designs. Throughout the discussion, some challenging issues on the study of 4D antenna arrays arc highlighted.

Octahedral Cu_2O-modified TiO_2 nanotube arrays for efficient photocatalytic reduction of CO_2

A photocatalyst composed of TiO 2 nanotube arrays（TNTs） and octahedral Cu2 O nanoparticles was fabricated,and its performance in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2 under visible and simulated solar irradiation was studied. The average nanotube diameter and length was 100 nm and 5 μm,respectively. The different amount of octahedral Cu2 O modified TNTs were obtained by varying electrochemical deposition time. TNTs modified with an optimized amount of Cu2 O nanoparticles exhibited high efficiency in the photocatalysis,and the predominant hydrocarbon product was methane. The methane yield increased with increasing Cu2 O content of the catalyst up to a certain deposition time,and decreased with further increase in Cu2 O deposition time. Insufficient deposition time（5 min） resulted in a small amount of Cu2 O nanoparticles on the TNTs,leading to the disadvantage of harvesting light. However,excess deposition time（45 min） gave rise to entire TNT surface being most covered with Cu2 O nanoparticles with large sizes,inconvenient for the transport of photo-generated carriers. The highest methane yield under simulated solar and visible light irradiation was observed for the catalysts prepared at a Cu2 O deposition time of 15 and 30 min respectively. The morphology,crystallization,photoresponse and electrochemical properties of the catalyst were characterized to understand the mechanism of its high photocatalytic activity. The TNT structure provided abundant active sites for the adsorption of reactants,and promoted the transport of photogenerated carriers that improved charge separation. Modifying the TNTs with octahedral Cu2 O nanoparticles promoted light absorption,and prevented the hydrocarbon product from oxidation. These factors provided the Cu2O-modified TNT photocatalyst with high efficiency in the reduction of CO2,without requiring co-catalysts or sacrificial agents.

New Model for Synthesis of Symmetrical Thinned Linear Arrays

In symmetrical thinned linear arrays design, the positions of thinned array elements are very important for optimal performance in terms of its minimum peak side lobe level （Msli）. For the synthesis of thinned arrays with a given thinning rate, it would have almost the same Msll solution between taking only segmental aperture nearby both ends of the aperture into account and taking all the aperture into account. In this paper, the element distribution characteristic over the aperture of many optimum thinned arrays is studied, then the aperture release model is founded by the least square method to synthesize the thinned arrays. This model is vital for the computing burden alleviation and the efficiency optimization, and would hardly bring any degradation of the obtained array performance.

Blind Joint DOA and Polarization Estimation for Polarization Sensitive Coprime Planar Arrays via a Fast-Convergence Quadrilinear Decomposition Approach

The problem of joint direction of arrival(DOA)and polarization estimation for polarization sensitive coprime planar arrays(PS-CPAs)is investigated,and a fast-convergence quadrilinear decomposition approach is proposed.Specifically,we first decompose the PS-CPA into two sparse polarization sensitive uniform planar subarrays and employ propagator method(PM)to construct the initial steering matrices separately.Then we arrange the received signals into two quadrilinear models so that the potential DOA and polarization estimates can be attained via quadrilinear alternating least square(QALS).Subsequently,we distinguish the true DOA estimates from the approximate intersecting estimations of the two subarrays in view of the coprime feature.Finally,the polarization estimates paired with DOA can be obtained.In contrast to the conventional QALS algorithm,the proposed approach can remarkably reduce the computational complexity without degrading the estimation performance.Simulations demonstrate the superiority of the proposed fast-convergence approach for PS-CPAs.

Nonequidistant two-dimensional antenna arrays based on magic squares

New methods of synthetizing nonequidistant sparse antenna arrays based on the properties of magic squares are studied.The methods of construction and algorithms of synthesis of two-dimensional antennas based on them providing a high degreeof dilution and sufficiently small side radiation are proposed.The methods for construction of such antennas and their maincharacteristics are considered.

Metaheuristic post-optimization of the NIST repository of covering arrays

Construction of Covering Arrays （CA） with minimum possible number of rows is challenging. Often the available CA have redundant combinatorial interaction that could be removed to reduce the number of rows. This paper addresses the problem of removing redundancy of CA using a metaheuristic post- optimization （MPO） approach. Our approach consists of three main components： a redundancy detector （RD）; a row reducer （RR）; and a missing-combinations reducer （MCR）. The MCR is a metaheuristic component implemented using a simulated annealing algorithm. MPO was instantiated with 21,964 CA taken from the National Institute of Standards and Technology （NIST） repository. It is a remarkable result that this instantiation of MPO has delivered 349 new upper bounds for these CA.

Nanostructured ultrathin catalyst layer with ordered platinum nanotube arrays for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Fabrication of novel electrode architectures with nanostructured ultrathin catalyst layers is an effective strategy to improve catalyst utilization and enhance mass transport for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).Herein,we report the design and construction of a nanostructured ultrathin catalyst layer with ordered Pt nanotube arrays,which were obtained by a hard-template strategy based on ZnO,via hydrothermal synthesis and magnetron sputtering for PEMFC application.Because of the crystallographically preferential growth of Pt (111) facets,which was attributed to the structural effects of ZnO nanoarrays on the Pt nanotubes,the catalyst layers exhibit obviously higher electrochemical activity with remarkable enhancement of specific activity and mass transport compared with the state-of-the-art randomly distributed Pt/C catalyst layer.The PEMFC fabricated with the as-prepared catalyst layer composed of optimized Pt nanotubes with an average diameter of 90(±10) nm shows excellent performance with a peak power density of 6.0W/mgPt at 1 A/cm^2,which is 11.6%greater than that of the conventional Pt/C electrode.