Detection of near infrared light illumination with the aid of none-metal plasmonic nanocrystals

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the research team led by Prof.Luo LinBao(罗林保)at the College of Electronic Sciences and Applied Physics,Hefei University of Technology,developed a simple and highly efficient near infrared light photodetector,which was published in Laser&Photonics Reviews(2016,10:595—602).

Enhancing visible-light-driven NO oxidation through molecular‐level insights of dye-loaded sea sands

Natural minerals,abundant and easily obtained through simple physical processing,offer a cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for dyeing wastewater disposal and air pollution treatment.This study investigates the photocatalytic removal of NO using natural different types of dyes,loaded on natural sand,under visible light illumination.By examining various coating concentrations of dyes and sand weights,we discovered that sand loaded with Rhodamine B(RhB)exhibits high activity for the photo-oxidation of NO.A combination results of X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)and thermogravimetric(TG)analyses confirm the presence of SiO_(2),CaCO_(3),Al_(2)O_(3)and iron oxides as the main components of the sand.Furthermore,studying RhB-loaded individual components reveals that CaCO_(3)plays a crucial role in enhancing the NO removal rate.Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate the establishment of a directional charge transfer channel from CaCO_(3)to RhB,facilitating the adsorption and activation of molecular NO and O_(2).This work not only promotes the utilization of natural mineral resources but also enriches the fields of environmental photochemistry and semiconductor photocatalysis.

Deep learning enhanced NIR-Ⅱ volumetric imaging of whole mice vasculature

Fluorescence imaging through the second near-infrared window(NIR-Ⅱ,1000–1700 nm) allows in-depth imaging.However, current imaging systems use wide-field illumination and can only provide low-contrast 2D information, without depth resolution. Here, we systematically apply a light-sheet illumination, a time-gated detection, and a deep-learning algorithm to yield high-contrast high-resolution volumetric images. To achieve a large Fo V(field of view) and minimize the scattering effect, we generate a light sheet as thin as 100.5 μm with a Rayleigh length of 8 mm to yield an axial resolution of 220 μm. To further suppress the background, we time-gate to only detect long lifetime luminescence achieving a high contrast of up to 0.45 Icontrast. To enhance the resolution, we develop an algorithm based on profile protrusions detection and a deep neural network and distinguish vasculature from a low-contrast area of 0.07 Icontrast to resolve the 100μm small vessels. The system can rapidly scan a volume of view of 75 × 55 × 20 mm3and collect 750 images within 6mins. By adding a scattering-based modality to acquire the 3D surface profile of the mice skin, we reveal the whole volumetric vasculature network with clear depth resolution within more than 1 mm from the skin. High-contrast large-scale 3D animal imaging helps us expand a new dimension in NIR-Ⅱ imaging.

Strategy and Future Prospects to Develop Room-Temperature-Recoverable NO2 Gas Sensor Based on Two-Dimensional Molybdenum Disulfide

Nitrogen dioxide(NO2),a hazardous gas with acidic nature,is continuously being liberated in the atmosphere due to human activity.The NO2 sensors based on traditional materials have limitations of high-temperature requirements,slow recovery,and performance degradation under harsh environmental conditions.These limitations of traditional materials are forcing the scientific community to discover future alternative NO2 sensitive materials.Molybdenum disulfide(MoS2)has emerged as a potential candidate for developing next-generation NO2 gas sensors.MoS2 has a large surface area for NO2 molecules adsorption with controllable morphologies,facile integration with other materials and compatibility with internet of things(IoT)devices.The aim of this review is to provide a detailed overview of the fabrication of MoS2 chemiresistance sensors in terms of devices(resistor and transistor),layer thickness,morphology control,defect tailoring,heterostructure,metal nanoparticle doping,and through light illumination.Moreover,the experimental and theoretical aspects used in designing MoS2-based NO2 sensors are also discussed extensively.Finally,the review concludes the challenges and future perspectives to further enhance the gas-sensing performance of MoS2.Understanding and addressing these issues are expected to yield the development of highly reliable and industry standard chemiresistance NO2 gas sensors for environmental monitoring.

Pd-modified SmFeO_(3)with hollow tubular structure under light shows extremely high acetone gas sensitivity

Currently,SmFeO_(3)-based sensors are an effective platform for detecting acetone gas.However,they require high operating temperatures,which increases energy consumption and safety hazards,and their response is low when the gas concentration is at 10^(-9)(PPB),which cannot meet the requirements of using exhaled breath to pre-diagnose diabetes.Herein,Pd-SmFeO_(3)hollow nanotubes with an extremely high specific surface area and porosity were synthesized by electrospinning.After Pd doping,the specific surface area improved by more than two times,and the acetone response improved by more than three times.In addition,the response further improved by more than 1.5 times,and the optimum operating temperature reduced by 100℃under light irradiation.Moreover,the relative humidity adaptability,long-term stability,and selectivity of the material were significantly improved after Pd doping or light irradiation.Finally,the acetone concentration in a person’s exhaled breath was detected by a Pd-SmFeO_(3)-based gas sensor,and the error was less than 10%compared to that obtained by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method.

Anisotropic transport properties in the phase-separated La_(0.67)Ca_(0.33)MnO_3/NdGaO_3 (001) films

The anisotropic transport property was investigated in a phase separation La（0.67）Ca（0.33）MnO3（LCMO） film grown on（001）-oriented Nd GaO3（NGO） substrate. It was found that the resistivity along the b-axis is much higher than that along the a-axis. Two resistivity peaks were observed in the temperature dependent measurement along the b-axis, one located at 91 K and the other centered at 165 K. Moreover, we also studied the response of the resistivities along the two axes to various electric currents, magnetic fields, and light illuminations. The resistivities along the two axes are sensitive to the magnetic field. However, the electric current and light illumination can influence the resistivity along the b-axis obviously, but have little effect on the resistivity along the a-axis. Based on these results, we believe that an anisotropicstrain-controlled MnO6 octahedra shear-mode deformation may provide a mechanism of conduction filaments paths along the a-axis, which leads to the anisotropic transport property.

Polyoxometalate-organic cage with{Ni_(4)SiW_(9)}node for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The design and syntheses of metal-organic cages(MOCs)based on polyoxometalates(POMs)building blocks have attracted increasing attention due to their intriguing molecular architectures and physicochemical properties.In this work,we have successfully synthesized and systematically characterized a tetrahedral polyoxometalate-based organic cage(POC),K_(3)Na_(17)H_(12)[(C_(4)H_(6)O_(6))_(6)[Ni_(4)(OH)_(3)(A-α-SiW_(9)O_(34))]_(4)]·96H_(2)O(Ni_(16)L_(6)(SiW_(9))_(4)),using tritopic Ni_(4)-substituted Keggin cluster(Ni_(4)SiW_(9))as nodes and flexible L-(+)-tartaric acid ligands as linkers.The resulting POC tetrahedron has been firstly investigated as efficient catalyst for visible-light-driven hydrogen production,achieving a turnover number of 15,500 after 96-h photocatalysis.Such high catalytic performance of Ni_(16)L_(6)(SiW_(9))_(4)POC catalyst could be attributed to its unique cage structure,thereby offering more efficient catalytic component accessibility.In addition,spectroscopic analyses illustrated the photocatalytic mechanism and the structural stability of the TBA-Ni_(16)L_(6)(SiW_(9))_(4)catalyst during the photocatalytic process.

Fuzzy Control of LED Tunnel Lighting and Energy Conservation

Current highway tunnel lighting control systems are often manually controlled, resulting in significant energy waste. This article designs a fuzzy control algorithm for tunnel lighting energy control systems. The system uses LED （Light Emitting Diode） lighting, so the fuzzy control algorithm is designed for LED lights. The traffic and the natural illumination level are used as parameters in the intelligent lighting control algorithm. This system has been deployed in the Lengshui tunnel on the 49th provincial highway of Zhejiang province and operated for more than six months. The performance results show that the energy conservation system provides sufficient lighting levels for traffic safety with significant energy conservation.

Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 containing anatase nanoparticles and rutile nanoflower structure consisting of nanorods

A series of TiO2 with different crystal phases and morphologies was synthesized via a facile hydrothermal process using titanium nbutoxide and concentrated hydrochloric acid as raw materials. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by degradation of Methyl Orange in aqueous solution under UV-Visible light irradiation. On the basis of detailed analysis of the characterizing results of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement, it was concluded that the photo-activity of the catalyst is related directly to the 3D morphology and the crystal phase composition. An excellent catalyst should have both a futile 3D flower-like structure and anatase granulous particles. The 3D flower-like structure could enhance light harvesting, as well as the transfer of reactant molecules from bulk solution to the reactive sites on TiO2. In addition, the optimum anatase/rutile phase ratio was found to be 80：20, which is beneficial to the effective separation of the photogenerated electron-hole pairs.