Multiphase cooperation for multilevel strain accommodation in a single-crystalline BiFeO_(3) thin film

The functionalities and diverse metastable phases of multiferroic BiFeO_(3)(BFO)thin films depend on the misfit strain.Although mixed phase-induced strain relaxation in multiphase BFO thin films is well known,it is unclear whether a singlecrystalline BFO thin film can accommodate misfit strain without the involvement of its polymorphs.Thus,understanding the strain relaxation behavior is key to elucidating the lattice strain–property relationship.In this study,a correlative strain analysis based on dark-field inline electron holography(DIH)and quantitative scanning transmission electron microscopy(STEM)was performed to reveal the structural mechanism for strain accommodation of a single-crystalline BFO thin film.The nanoscale DIH strain analysis results indicated a random combination of multiple strain states that acted as a primary strain relief,forming irregularly strained nanodomains.The STEM-based bond length measurement of the corresponding strained nanodomains revealed a unique strain accommodation behavior achieved by a statistical combination of multiple modes of distorted structures on the unit-cell scale.The globally integrated strain for each nanodomain was estimated to be close to1.5%,irrespective of the nanoscale strain states,which was consistent with the fully strained BFO film on the SrTiO_(3) substrate.Density functional theory calculations suggested that strain accommodation by the combination of metastable phases was energetically favored compared to single-phase-mediated relaxation.This discovery allows a comprehensive understanding of strain accommodation behavior in ferroelectric oxide films,such as BFO,with various low-symmetry polymorphs.

Interface charges boosted ultrafast lithiation in Li_4Ti_5O_12 revealed by in-situ electron holography

It is still a great challenge at present to combine the high rate capability of the electrochemical capacitor with the high electrochemical capacity feature of rechargeable battery in energy storage and transport devices. By studying the lithiation mechanism of Li_4Ti_5O_12 （LTO） using in-situ electron holography, we find that double charge layers are formed at the interface of the insulating Li_4Ti_5O_12 （Li_4） phase and the semiconducting Li_7Ti_5O_12 （Li_7） phase, and can greatly boost the lithiation kinetics. The electron wave phase of the LTO particle is found to gradually shrink with the interface movement, leaving a positive electric field from Li_7 to Li_4 phase. Once the capacitive interface charges are formed, the lithiation of the core/shell particle could be established within 10 s. The ultrafast kinetics is attributed to the built-in interface potential and the mixed Ti3＋/Ti4＋ sites at the interface that could be maximally lowering the thermodynamic barrier for Li ion migration.

Study of structure-property relationship of semiconductor nanomaterials by off-axis electron holography

As the scaling down of semiconductor devices, it would be necessary to discover the structure-property relationship of semiconductor nanomaterials at nanometer scale. In this review, the quantitative characterization technique off-axis electron holography is introduced in details, followed by its applications in various semiconductor nanomaterials including group IV, compound and two-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures in static states as well as under various stimuli. The advantages and disadvantages of off-axis electron holography in material analysis are discussed, the challenges facing in-situ electron holographic study of semiconductor devices at working conditions are presented, and all the possible influencing factors need to be considered to achieve the final goal of fulfilling quantitative characterization of the structure-property relationship of semiconductor devices at their working conditions.

One-Dimensional Magnetic FeCoNi Alloy Toward Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Wave Absorption

Rational designing of one-dimensional(1D)magnetic alloy to facilitate electromagnetic(EM)wave attenuation capability in low-frequency(2-6 GHz)microwave absorption field is highly desired but remains a significant challenge.In this study,a composite EM wave absorber made of a FeCoNi medium-entropy alloy embedded in a 1D carbon matrix framework is rationally designed through an improved electrospinning method.The 1D-shaped FeCoNi alloy embedded composite demonstrates the high-density and continuous magnetic network using off-axis electronic holography technique,indicating the excellent magnetic loss ability under an external EM field.Then,the in-depth analysis shows that many factors,including 1D anisotropy and intrinsic physical features of the magnetic medium-entropy alloy,primarily contribute to the enhanced EM wave absorption performance.Therefore,the fabricated EM wave absorber shows an increasing effective absorption band of 1.3 GHz in the low-frequency electromagnetic field at an ultrathin thickness of 2 mm.Thus,this study opens up a new method for the design and preparation of high-performance 1D magnetic EM absorbers.

Size-Dependent Oxidation-Induced Phase Engineering for MOFs Derivatives Via Spatial Confinement Strategy Toward Enhanced Microwave Absorption

Precisely reducing the size of metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)derivatives is an effective strategy to manipulate their phase engineering owing to size-dependent oxidation;however,the underlying relationship between the size of derivatives and phase engineering has not been clarified so far.Herein,a spatial confined growth strategy is proposed to encapsulate small-size MOFs derivatives into hollow carbon nanocages.It realizes that the hollow cavity shows a significant spatial confinement effect on the size of confined MOFs crystals and subsequently affects the dielectric polarization due to the phase hybridization with tunable coherent interfaces and heterojunctions owing to size-dependent oxidation motion,yielding to satisfied microwave attenuation with an optimal reflection loss of-50.6 d B and effective bandwidth of 6.6 GHz.Meanwhile,the effect of phase hybridization on dielectric polarization is deeply visualized,and the simulated calculation and electron holograms demonstrate that dielectric polarization is shown to be dominant dissipation mechanism in determining microwave absorption.This spatial confined growth strategy provides a versatile methodology for manipulating the size of MOFs derivatives and the understanding of size-dependent oxidation-induced phase hybridization offers a precise inspiration in optimizing dielectric polarization and microwave attenuation in theory.

Self‑Assembly MXene‑rGO/CoNi Film with Massive Continuous Heterointerfaces and Enhanced Magnetic Coupling for Superior Microwave Absorber

MXene, as a rising star of two-dimensional(2 D) materials, has been widely applied in fields of microwave absorption and electromagnetic shielding to cope with the arrival of the 5 G era. However, challenges arise due to the excessively high permittivity and the difficulty of surface modification of few-layered MXenes severely, which infect the microwave absorption performance. Herein, for the first time, a carefully designed and optimized electrostatic selfassembly strategy to fabricate magnetized MXene-r GO/Co Ni film was reported. Inside the synthesized composite film, r GO nanosheets decorated with highly dispersed Co Ni nanoparticles are interclacted into MXene layers, which effectively suppresses the originally self-restacked of MXene nanosheets, resulting in a reduction of high permittivity. In addition, owing to the strong magnetic coupling between the magnetic Fe Co alloy nanoparticles on the r GO substrate, the entire MXener GO/Co Ni film exhibits a strong magnetic loss capability. Moreover, the local dielectric polarized fields exist at the continuous heterointerfaces between 2 D MXene and r GO further improve the capacity of microwave loss. Hence, the synthesized composite film exhibits excellent microwave absorption property with a maximum reflection loss value of-54.1 d B at 13.28 GHz. The electromagnetic synergy strategy is expected to guide future exploration of high-efficiency MXene-based microwave absorption materials.

Three-dimensional magnetization reconstruction from electron optical phase images with physical constraints

The ability to characterize three-dimensional(3D)magnetization distributions in nanoscale magnetic materials and devices is essential to fully understand their static and dynamic magnetic properties.Phase contrast techniques in the transmission electron microscope(TEM),such as electron holography and electron ptychography,can be used to record two-dimensional(2D)projections of the in-plane magnetic induction of 3D nanoscale objects.Although the 3D magnetic induction can in principle be reconstructed from one or more tilt series of such 2D projections,conventional tomographic reconstruction algorithms do not recover the 3D magnetization within a sample directly.Here,we use simulations to describe the basis of an improved model-based algorithm for the tomographic reconstruction of a 3D magnetization distribution from one or more tilt series of electron optical phase images recorded in the TEM.The algorithm allows a wide range of physical constraints,including a priori information about the sample geometry and magnetic parameters,to be specified.It also makes use of minimization of the micromagnetic energy in the loss function.We demonstrate the reconstruction of the 3D magnetization of a localized magnetic soliton—a hopfion ring—and discuss the influence of noise,choice of magnetic constants,maximum tilt angle and number of tilt axes on the result.The algorithm can in principle be adapted for other magnetic contrast imaging techniques in the TEM,as well as for other magnetic characterization techniques,such as those based on X-rays or neutrons.

Anisotropic edge enhancement in optical scanning holography with spiral phase filtering

Anisotropic edge enhancement is simulated using a spiral phase plate （SPP） in optical scanning holography （OSH）. We propose to use a delta function and an SPP as the pupil functions to realize anisotropic edge enhancement. The interference of these two pupils is used to two-dimensionally scan an object to record its edge-only information. This is done in three ways： first, by shifting the SPP, second, by using two offset SPPs of same charge, and finally, by using two oppositely charged SPPs. Our computer simulations show the capability of selectively enhancing the edges of a given obiect.

Controllable synthesis of elongated hexagonal bipyramid shaped La(OH)3 nanorods and the distribution of electric property by off-axis electron holography

Rare earth oxides/hydroxides are important emerging materials owing to their unique properties. Shape-controlled synthesis of elongated hexagonal bipyramid shaped La(OH)3nanorods with different aspect ratios and trigram-shaped LaCO3OH nanosheets was systematically carried out by controlling the reaction conditions. Hydrazine and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) surfactants used in synthesis are assumed to play a key “dual-template” role in determining the aspect ratio and shape of the resulting nanostructures. Elongated hexagonal bipyramid shaped La(OH)3nanorods were found to grow along the preferred orientation [0001]. Six equivalent crystallographic facets, (Formula presented.), and (Formula presented.) lattice planes, were found to be exposed on the side surfaces on each nanorod as confirmed by combined transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) analyses. A double-polarization phenomenon was found to occur at the nanorod surfaces by employing off-axis electron holography, implying that the material could be used as an effective dielectric microwave absorber. La(OH)3nanorods with larger aspect ratios exhibit better absorption properties with respect to the maximum reflection loss and effective absorbing bandwidth. Thus, a novel method towards the reasonable design of bipyramid shaped La(OH)3nanorods exhibiting tunable microwave absorption properties is proposed based on our synthesis strategy. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2016, Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Problems on fabrication of computer-generated holograms for testing aspheric surfaces

Interferometric optical testing using computer-generated hologram （CGH） can give highly accurate measurement of aspheric surfaces has been proved. After the system is designed, a phase function is obtained according to the CGH＇s surface plane. For the requirement of accuracy, an optimization algorithm that transfers the phase function into a certain mask pattern file is presented in this letter, based on the relationship between the pattern error of CGH and the output wavefront accuracy. Then the writing machine is able to fabricate such a mask with this kind of file. With that mask, an improved procedure on fabrication of phase type CGH is also presented. Interferometrie test results of an aspherie surface show that the whole test system obtains the demanded accuracy.

Estimation and optimization of computer-generated hologram in null test of freeform surface

Freeform surfaces are increasingly used in the design of compact optical systems. Interferometric null test with computer generated hologram （CGH）, which has been successfully used in highly accurate test of aspheric surfaces, is adopted to test the freeform surfaces. The best fitting sphere of the freeform surface under the test is firstly calculated to quickly estimate the possibility of null test. To decrease the maximum spatial frequency of the null CGH, the position of the CGH and the direction of optical axis are optimized. The estimated maximum spatial frequency of the CGH is 7.8% apart from the optimized one, which shows the validity of the best fitting sphere.

Design and fabrication of computer-generated holograms for testing optical freeform surfaces

Freeform optical surfaces （FOSs） will be the best elements in the design of compact optical systems in the future. However, it is extremely difficult to measure freeform surface with sufficient accuracy, which im- pedes the development of the freeform surface. The design and fabrication of computer-generated hologram （CGH） , which has been successfully applied to the tests for aspheric surfaces, cannot be directly adopted to test FOSs due to their non-rotational asymmetry. A novel ray tracing planning method combined with successively optimizing even and odd power coefficients of phase polynomials in turn is proposed, which can successfully design a non-rotational asymmetry CGH for the tests of FOSs with an F-O lens. A new eight-step fabrication process is also presented aiming to solve the problem that the linewidth on the same circle of the CGH for testing freeform surface is not uniform. This problem cannot be solved in the original procedure of CGH fabrication. The test results of the step profiler show that the CGH fabricated in the new nrocedure meets the reauirements.

Hierarchical coupling effect in hollow Ni/NiFe2O4-CNTs microsphere via spray-drying for enhanced oxygen evolution electrocatalysis

Design and fabrication of cost-effective transition metal and their oxides-based nanocomposites are of paramount significance for metal-air batteries and water-splitting.However,the traditional optimized designs for nanostructure are complicated,low-efficient and underperform for wide-scale applications.Herein,a novel hierarchical framework of hollow Ni/NiFe2O4-CNTs compositemicrosphere forcibly-assembled by zero-dimensional(OD)Ni/NiFo204 nanoparticle(<16 nm)and one-dimensional(1D)self-supporting CNTs was fabricated successfully.Benefitted from the unique nanostructure,such monohybrids can achieve remarkable oxygen evolution reaction(OER)performance in alkaline media with a low overpotential and superior durability,which exceeds most of the commercial catalysts based on IrO/RuO2 or other non-noble metal nanomaterials.The enhanced OER performance of Ni/NiFe2OA-CNTs composite is mainly ascribed to the increased catalytic activity and the optimized conductivity induced by the effects of strong hierarchical coupling and charge transfers between CNTs and Ni/NiFe204 nanoparticles.These effects are greatly boosted by the polarized heterojunction interfaces confirmed by electron holography.The density functional theory(DFT)calculation indicates the epitaxial Ni further enriches the intrinsic electrons contents of NiFe204 and thus accelerates absorption/desorption kinetics of OER intermediates.This work hereby paves a facile route to construct the hollow composite microsphere with excellent OER electrocatalytic activity based on non-noble metal oxide/CNTs.

Fresnel hologram reconstruction of complex three-dimensional object based on compressive sensing

Reconstruction the computer generated Fresnel hologram of complex 3D object based on compressive sensing （CS） is presented. The hologram is synthesized from a color image and the depth map of the 3D object. With the depth map, the intensity of the color image can be divided into multiple slices, which satisfy the condition of the sparsity of CS. Thus, the hologram can be reconstructed at different distances with corresponding scene focused using the CS method. The quality of the recovered images can be greatly improved compared with that from the back-propagation method. What＇s more, with the sub-sampled hologram, the image can be ideally reconstructed by the CS method, which can reduce the data-rate for transmission or storage.

Accurate complex modulation by the iterative spatial cross-modulation method

A method is proposed to realize accurate spatial complex modulation based on the spatial cross-modulation method（SCMM） via a phase-only spatial light modulator. The conventional SCMM cannot achieve high quality reconstruction, especially when the diffusion ratio is small. We propose an iterative algorithm in the calculation of a computer-generated hologram to implement accurate complex modulation. It enables us to generate a high quality reconstruction under a small diffusion ratio. The feasibility of the method is verified by both a numerical simulation and an optical experiment.

Metastable noble gas atoms in strong-field ionization experiments

The interactions of strong-field few-cycle laser pulses with metastable states of noble gas atoms are examined. Metastable noble gas atoms offer a combination of low ionization potential and a relatively simple atomic structure, making them excellent targets for examining ionization dynamics in varying experimental conditions. A review of the current work performed on metastable noble gas atoms is presented.

Measurement accuracy verification of aspheric surface test with computer-generated hologram

A convex aspheric surface using a computer-generated hologram （CGH） test plate fabricated with novel techniques and equipment is tested. However, the measurement result is not verified via comparison with other methods. To verify the accuracy of the measurement, a perfect sphere surface is measured by the following. The measurement result is quantified into four parts： the figure error from the tested spherical surface; the figure error from the reference spherical surface; the error from the hologram; and the adjustment error from misalignment. The measurement result, removed from the later three errors, shows agreement to 4-nm RMS with the test by Zygo interfermeter of the same surface. Analysis of the CGH test showed the overall accuracy of the 4-nm RMS, with 3.9 nm from the test plate figure, 0.5 nm from the hologram, and 0.74 nm from other sources, such as random vibration, various second order effects, and so on. Thus, the measurement accuracy using the proposed CGH could be very high. CGH can therefore be used to measure aspheric surfaces accurately.

Computer-generated-hologram-accelerated computing method based on mixed programming

Component object model technology is used to solve problems encountered when using three-dimentional （3D） objects to conduct computer-generated hologram （CGH） fast coding. MATLAB and C/C＋＋ are combined for relevant programming under experimental conditions. The proposed method effectively reduces the time required for holographic encoding of large amounts of 3D object data. The CGH- accelerated computing method based on mixed programming is proven to be highly reliable and practical by testing the 3D data of different data volumes. According to the test results, the proposed method improves the efficiency of holographic encoding. The higher the data volume is, the more significantly the computation speed is improved.