The materials used in fuel cells are currently the subject of much research, particularly those of the cathode which is a key element for the different functions that it provides. In our work the authors became intere...The materials used in fuel cells are currently the subject of much research, particularly those of the cathode which is a key element for the different functions that it provides. In our work the authors became interested in the different materials used for the cathode, which are usually ceramic, and some of their physical properties between different electrical conductivity (electronic, ionic), the coefficient of thermal expansion and chemical compatibility between different materials used in the stack. Not to mention, however, the various parameters that influence these properties, such as structure, the sintering temperature, dope, and the operating temperature of the battery. The main objective of research in this area is to improve battery performance by researching new materials and new manufacturing technologies that will increase the electrical conductivity while trying to lower the temperature operating the latter as much as possible while keeping it above 650℃, In doing so, the longevity of the battery will be increased which will have a direct impact on manufacturing costs of the battery, and thus greater use thereof.展开更多
Aluminum nitride (AlN) nanobelts were successfully synthesized in high yield through a chloride assisted vapor-solid process. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electronic diffrac...Aluminum nitride (AlN) nanobelts were successfully synthesized in high yield through a chloride assisted vapor-solid process. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electronic diffraction demonstrate that the as-prepared nanobelts are pure, structurally uniform and single crystalline, and can be indexed to hexagonal wurtzite structure. The micro observations show that there exist no defects in the obtained nanobelts. The growth direction of the nanobelts is along [0001]. The frequency spectra of the relative dielectric constant and of the dielectric loss were measured in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 5 MHz. Analysis of these spectra indicates that the interface in samples has great influence on the dielectric behavior of samples. As compared with AlN micropowders, AlN nanobelts have much higher relative dielectric constant, especially at low frequencies at room temperature.展开更多
Topological materials, hosting topological nontrivial electronic band, have attracted widespread attentions. As an application of topology in physics, the discovery and study of topological materials not only enrich t...Topological materials, hosting topological nontrivial electronic band, have attracted widespread attentions. As an application of topology in physics, the discovery and study of topological materials not only enrich the existing theoretical framework of physics, but also provide fertile ground for investigations on low energy excitations, such as Weyl fermions and Majorana fermions, which have not been observed yet as fundamental particles. These quasiparticles with exotic physical properties make topological materials the cutting edge of scientific research and a new favorite of high tech. As a typical example, Majorana fermions, predicted to exist in the edge state of topological superconductors, are proposed to implement topological error-tolerant quantum computers. Thus, the detection of topological superconductivity has become a frontier in condensed matter physics and materials science. Here, we review a way to detect topological superconductivity triggered by the hard point contact: tip-induced superconductivity(TISC) and tip-enhanced superconductivity(TESC). The TISC refers to the superconductivity induced by a non-superconducting tip at the point contact on non-superconducting materials. We take the elaboration of the chief experimental achievement of TISC in topological Dirac semimetal Cd_3As_2 and Weyl semimetal Ta As as key components of this article for detecting topological superconductivity. Moreover, we also briefly introduce the main results of another exotic effect, TESC, in superconducting Au_2Pb and Sr_2RuO_4 single crystals, which are respectively proposed as the candidates of helical topological superconductor and chiral topological superconductor. Related results and the potential mechanism are conducive to improving the comprehension of how to induce and enhance the topological superconductivity.展开更多
Solid phase orientation of polymers is one of the most successful routes to enhancement of polymer properties.It unlocks the potential of molecular orientation for the achievement of a range of enhanced physical prope...Solid phase orientation of polymers is one of the most successful routes to enhancement of polymer properties.It unlocks the potential of molecular orientation for the achievement of a range of enhanced physical properties.We provide here an overview of techniques developed in our laboratories for structuring polymers by solid phase orientation processing routes,with a particular focus on die drawing,which have allowed control of significant enhancements of a single property or combinations of properties,including Young's modulus,strength,and density.These have led to notable commercial exploitations,and examples of load bearing low density materials and shape memory materials are discussed.展开更多
Abstract The rapid development and production of nanomaterials has created some concerns about their potential hazard on the environment, human health and safety. However, since the list of materials that may gen- era...Abstract The rapid development and production of nanomaterials has created some concerns about their potential hazard on the environment, human health and safety. However, since the list of materials that may gen- erate such concerns is very long, it is impossible to test them all. It is therefore usually recommended to use some small compositional nanomaterial libraries to perform ini- tial toxicity screening, based on which combinatorial libraries are then introduced for more in-depth studies. All nanomaterials in the compositional and combinatorial libraries must be rigorously characterized before any bio- logical studies. In this review, several major categories of physicochemical properties that must be characterized are discussed, along with different analytical techniques that are commonly used. Some case studies from the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology are also chosen to demonstrate the effec- tive use of compositional and combinatorial nanomaterials libraries to identify the role of some key physicochemical properties and to establish true quantitative structure-ac- tivity relationships. Examples on how to use the knowledge generated from those studies to design safer nanomaterials for improved biological applications are also presented.展开更多
Noble metal nanomaterials have been extensively explored in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applica- tions owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, such as facile synthesis, straightforward surface fu...Noble metal nanomaterials have been extensively explored in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applica- tions owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, such as facile synthesis, straightforward surface functionalization, strong photothermal effect, and excellent biocompatibility. Herein, we summa- rize the recent development of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanomaterials and their applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Different synthetic strategies for Pd nanosheets and the related nanostruc- tures, including Pd@Au, Pd@Ag nanoplates and mesocrystalline Pd nanocomlla, are first discussed. Together with their unique properties, the potential bioapplications of these 2D Pd nanomaterials are then demonstrated. With strong absorption in near-infrared (NIR) region, these nanomaterials have great potentials in cancer photothermal therapy (PTr). They also readily act as contrast agents in photoacoustic (PA) imaging or X-ray computed tomography (CT) to achieve image-guided cancer therapy. Moreover, significant efforts have been devoted to studying the combination of PTr and other treatment modalities (e.g., chemotherapy or photodynamic therapy) based on Pd nanomaterials. The remarkable synergistic or collaborative effects to achieve better therapeutic efficacy are discussed as well. Additionally, the biosaf- ety of 2D Pd-based nanomaterials in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. Finally, challenges for the applica- tions of Pd-based nanomaterials in cancer diagnosis and therapy, and future research prospects are highlighted.展开更多
Since silicon is limited by its physical properties,it is challenging and important to find candidate materials for high performance electronic devices.Two-dimensional(2D)semiconductor materials have attracted drama...Since silicon is limited by its physical properties,it is challenging and important to find candidate materials for high performance electronic devices.Two-dimensional(2D)semiconductor materials have attracted dramatically increasing interest due to their unique physical,展开更多
As professional antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells(DCs) greatly determine the quality of the innate and adaptive immunities. Therefore, DC-based immunotherapy has been one of the hotspots in cancer immunotherap...As professional antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells(DCs) greatly determine the quality of the innate and adaptive immunities. Therefore, DC-based immunotherapy has been one of the hotspots in cancer immunotherapy in recent years. Although this unique therapeutic strategy has been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prostate cancer treatment, the efficacy of DC-based immunotherapy remains to be further improved. Moreover, it is still not completely clear about the immunological basis of DCs, which is another hurdle for the progress of DC-based immunotherapy. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, nanomaterials have shown potentials in addressing these above mentioned problems and have provided important guidelines for optimizing DC-based immunotherapy. However, it is still at the starting stage for this emerging field and there are many critical questions in the rational design of this therapeutic strategy to be answered. Therefore, it is greatly necessary to review and analyze recent progresses in this field. In this review, we mainly focus on the development of various types nanoparticles for DC-based immunotherapy. The existed challenges in this field are also discussed.展开更多
A fundamental property of solid materials is their stress state. Stress state of a solid or thin film material has profound effects on its thermodynamic stability and physical and chemical properties. The classical me...A fundamental property of solid materials is their stress state. Stress state of a solid or thin film material has profound effects on its thermodynamic stability and physical and chemical properties. The classical mechanical stress (σ^M) originates from lat- tice strain (e), following Hooke's law: σ^M=Cε, where C is elastic constant matrix. Recently, a new concept of quantum electronic stress (o-QE) is introduced to elucidate the extrinsic electronic effects on the stress state of solids and thin films, which follows a quantum analog of classical Hooke's law: ~QE=E(An), where E is the deformation potential of electronic states and An is the variation of electron density. Here, we present mathematical derivation of both the classical and quantum Hooke's law from density functional theory. We further discuss the physical origin of quantum electronic stress, arising purely from electronic excitation and perturbation in the absence of lattice strain (g=0), and its relation to the degeneracy pressure of electrons in solid and their interaction with the lattice.展开更多
文摘The materials used in fuel cells are currently the subject of much research, particularly those of the cathode which is a key element for the different functions that it provides. In our work the authors became interested in the different materials used for the cathode, which are usually ceramic, and some of their physical properties between different electrical conductivity (electronic, ionic), the coefficient of thermal expansion and chemical compatibility between different materials used in the stack. Not to mention, however, the various parameters that influence these properties, such as structure, the sintering temperature, dope, and the operating temperature of the battery. The main objective of research in this area is to improve battery performance by researching new materials and new manufacturing technologies that will increase the electrical conductivity while trying to lower the temperature operating the latter as much as possible while keeping it above 650℃, In doing so, the longevity of the battery will be increased which will have a direct impact on manufacturing costs of the battery, and thus greater use thereof.
基金ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.10674138 and No.20571022). The authors express their appreciations to Professor Q. F. Fang, Dr. X. P. Wang, and Mr. Z. J. Cheng for the technical support and helpful discussions in the dielectric measurements.
文摘Aluminum nitride (AlN) nanobelts were successfully synthesized in high yield through a chloride assisted vapor-solid process. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and selected area electronic diffraction demonstrate that the as-prepared nanobelts are pure, structurally uniform and single crystalline, and can be indexed to hexagonal wurtzite structure. The micro observations show that there exist no defects in the obtained nanobelts. The growth direction of the nanobelts is along [0001]. The frequency spectra of the relative dielectric constant and of the dielectric loss were measured in the frequency range of 50 Hz to 5 MHz. Analysis of these spectra indicates that the interface in samples has great influence on the dielectric behavior of samples. As compared with AlN micropowders, AlN nanobelts have much higher relative dielectric constant, especially at low frequencies at room temperature.
基金financially supported by the National Program on Key Basic Research Project(2018YFA0305604 and 2017YFA0303302)National Natural Science Foundation of China(11774008,381/0401210001)+2 种基金the Key Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDPB08-2)the Open Research Fund Program of the State Key Laboratory of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics,Tsinghua University(KF201703)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(130/0401130005)
文摘Topological materials, hosting topological nontrivial electronic band, have attracted widespread attentions. As an application of topology in physics, the discovery and study of topological materials not only enrich the existing theoretical framework of physics, but also provide fertile ground for investigations on low energy excitations, such as Weyl fermions and Majorana fermions, which have not been observed yet as fundamental particles. These quasiparticles with exotic physical properties make topological materials the cutting edge of scientific research and a new favorite of high tech. As a typical example, Majorana fermions, predicted to exist in the edge state of topological superconductors, are proposed to implement topological error-tolerant quantum computers. Thus, the detection of topological superconductivity has become a frontier in condensed matter physics and materials science. Here, we review a way to detect topological superconductivity triggered by the hard point contact: tip-induced superconductivity(TISC) and tip-enhanced superconductivity(TESC). The TISC refers to the superconductivity induced by a non-superconducting tip at the point contact on non-superconducting materials. We take the elaboration of the chief experimental achievement of TISC in topological Dirac semimetal Cd_3As_2 and Weyl semimetal Ta As as key components of this article for detecting topological superconductivity. Moreover, we also briefly introduce the main results of another exotic effect, TESC, in superconducting Au_2Pb and Sr_2RuO_4 single crystals, which are respectively proposed as the candidates of helical topological superconductor and chiral topological superconductor. Related results and the potential mechanism are conducive to improving the comprehension of how to induce and enhance the topological superconductivity.
基金the support of the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council,the Technology Strategy Boardvarious industrial partners including Bridon International,Dow Building Products Inc and Smith & Nephew Ltd
文摘Solid phase orientation of polymers is one of the most successful routes to enhancement of polymer properties.It unlocks the potential of molecular orientation for the achievement of a range of enhanced physical properties.We provide here an overview of techniques developed in our laboratories for structuring polymers by solid phase orientation processing routes,with a particular focus on die drawing,which have allowed control of significant enhancements of a single property or combinations of properties,including Young's modulus,strength,and density.These have led to notable commercial exploitations,and examples of load bearing low density materials and shape memory materials are discussed.
基金supported by the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency to UCCEIN under Cooperative Agreement No. DBI-1266377Partial support was also provided by U.S. Public Health Service Grants (R01 ES016746 and U19 ES019528)
文摘Abstract The rapid development and production of nanomaterials has created some concerns about their potential hazard on the environment, human health and safety. However, since the list of materials that may gen- erate such concerns is very long, it is impossible to test them all. It is therefore usually recommended to use some small compositional nanomaterial libraries to perform ini- tial toxicity screening, based on which combinatorial libraries are then introduced for more in-depth studies. All nanomaterials in the compositional and combinatorial libraries must be rigorously characterized before any bio- logical studies. In this review, several major categories of physicochemical properties that must be characterized are discussed, along with different analytical techniques that are commonly used. Some case studies from the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology are also chosen to demonstrate the effec- tive use of compositional and combinatorial nanomaterials libraries to identify the role of some key physicochemical properties and to establish true quantitative structure-ac- tivity relationships. Examples on how to use the knowledge generated from those studies to design safer nanomaterials for improved biological applications are also presented.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21101131, 21420102001)the National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB932004)Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province (2016J01073)
文摘Noble metal nanomaterials have been extensively explored in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic applica- tions owing to their unique physical and chemical properties, such as facile synthesis, straightforward surface functionalization, strong photothermal effect, and excellent biocompatibility. Herein, we summa- rize the recent development of two-dimensional (2D) Pd-based nanomaterials and their applications in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Different synthetic strategies for Pd nanosheets and the related nanostruc- tures, including Pd@Au, Pd@Ag nanoplates and mesocrystalline Pd nanocomlla, are first discussed. Together with their unique properties, the potential bioapplications of these 2D Pd nanomaterials are then demonstrated. With strong absorption in near-infrared (NIR) region, these nanomaterials have great potentials in cancer photothermal therapy (PTr). They also readily act as contrast agents in photoacoustic (PA) imaging or X-ray computed tomography (CT) to achieve image-guided cancer therapy. Moreover, significant efforts have been devoted to studying the combination of PTr and other treatment modalities (e.g., chemotherapy or photodynamic therapy) based on Pd nanomaterials. The remarkable synergistic or collaborative effects to achieve better therapeutic efficacy are discussed as well. Additionally, the biosaf- ety of 2D Pd-based nanomaterials in vitro and in vivo was evaluated. Finally, challenges for the applica- tions of Pd-based nanomaterials in cancer diagnosis and therapy, and future research prospects are highlighted.
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2013CB632900)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.61390502&21373068)+1 种基金the Foundation for Innovative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51521003)Self-Planned Task of State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System(HIT)(Grant No.SKLRS201607B)
文摘Since silicon is limited by its physical properties,it is challenging and important to find candidate materials for high performance electronic devices.Two-dimensional(2D)semiconductor materials have attracted dramatically increasing interest due to their unique physical,
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB932601, 2011CB911000)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51222203, 31300824, 51302180)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (BK20130005)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2013M530267)
文摘As professional antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells(DCs) greatly determine the quality of the innate and adaptive immunities. Therefore, DC-based immunotherapy has been one of the hotspots in cancer immunotherapy in recent years. Although this unique therapeutic strategy has been approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration for prostate cancer treatment, the efficacy of DC-based immunotherapy remains to be further improved. Moreover, it is still not completely clear about the immunological basis of DCs, which is another hurdle for the progress of DC-based immunotherapy. Due to their unique physicochemical properties, nanomaterials have shown potentials in addressing these above mentioned problems and have provided important guidelines for optimizing DC-based immunotherapy. However, it is still at the starting stage for this emerging field and there are many critical questions in the rational design of this therapeutic strategy to be answered. Therefore, it is greatly necessary to review and analyze recent progresses in this field. In this review, we mainly focus on the development of various types nanoparticles for DC-based immunotherapy. The existed challenges in this field are also discussed.
基金supported by the DOE-BES program(Grant No.DE-04ER46148)NSF-MRSEC(Grant No.DMR-1121252)
文摘A fundamental property of solid materials is their stress state. Stress state of a solid or thin film material has profound effects on its thermodynamic stability and physical and chemical properties. The classical mechanical stress (σ^M) originates from lat- tice strain (e), following Hooke's law: σ^M=Cε, where C is elastic constant matrix. Recently, a new concept of quantum electronic stress (o-QE) is introduced to elucidate the extrinsic electronic effects on the stress state of solids and thin films, which follows a quantum analog of classical Hooke's law: ~QE=E(An), where E is the deformation potential of electronic states and An is the variation of electron density. Here, we present mathematical derivation of both the classical and quantum Hooke's law from density functional theory. We further discuss the physical origin of quantum electronic stress, arising purely from electronic excitation and perturbation in the absence of lattice strain (g=0), and its relation to the degeneracy pressure of electrons in solid and their interaction with the lattice.