Ferroelectricity induced by the absorption of water molecules on double helix SnIP

We study the ferroelectricity in a one-dimensional(1D)system composed of a double helix SnIP with absorbing water molecules.Our ab initio calculations reveal two factors that are critical to the electrical polarization.The first one is the orientation of polarized water molecules staying in the R2 region of SnIP.The second one is the displacement of I atom which roots from subtle interaction with absorbed water molecules.A reasonable scenario of polarization flipping is proposed in this study.In the scenario,the water molecule is rolling-up with keeping the magnitude of its electrical dipole and changing its direction,meanwhile,the displacement of I atoms is also reversed.Highly tunable polarization can be achieved by applying strain,with 26.5%of polarization enhancement by applying tensile strain,with only 4%degradation is observed with 4%compressive strain.Finally,the direct band gap is also found to be correlated with strain.

Liquid holdup measurement with double helix capacitance sensor in horizontal oil-water two-phase flow pipes

This paper presents the characteristics of a double helix capacitance sensor for measurement of the liquid holdup in horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. The finite element method is used to calculate the sensitivity field of the sensor in a pipe with 20 mm inner diameter and the effect of sensor geometry on the distribution of sensitivity field is presented. Then, a horizontal oil–water two-phase flow experiment is carried out to measure the response of the double helix capacitance sensor, in which a novel method is proposed to calibrate the liquid holdup based on three pairs of parallel-wire capacitance probes. The performance of the sensor is analyzed in terms of the flow structures detected by mini-conductance array probes.

Middle or low water pressure direct spiral double helix converging nozzle structure optimization and flow field analysis

In order to solve the problem of using new nozzle is proposed in fire rescue robot. middle or low water pressure to form fine water mist, a Existing water mist nozzles are basically used for high pressure and in large size, complex structure and poor low pressure atomization effect in comparison with requirement of snake-like fire rescue robots. On the basis of comprehensive typical spray noz- zles, a direct spiral double helix converging nozzle （DSDHCN） is proposed, which has the advanta- ges of small volume, light weight, simple structure, and convenient installation. To make the spray nozzle have good performance, and meet the requirements of more efficient fire extinguishing, a nu- merical study is carried out to analyze the internal and external full flow field of nozzle. A gas-liquid two-phase flow is applied to simulate the external full flow field of nozzle with VOF model in fluent software. The simulation results show the real situation of water flow out of the atomization nozzle and the water jet trajectory. Some simulations about middle or low water pressure direct spiral double he- lix converging optimized nozzle have been done in 30bar pressure. The simulation results show that the optimized nozzle structure not only makes the spray droplets have a good cone angle, but also have a sufficient axial velocity,which proves the structure rationality of the proposed optimized nozzle.

The charge transfer via a double helix DNA

This paper reports a double helix model of charge transfer in DNA molecule. The calculated results show that the transmission characteristics of DNA are not only related to the longitudinal transfer but also to the helicity of molecule. It finds that there are four transmission bands centred at 0.92, 3.07, 7.75 and 8.87eV, also the width and intensity of bands corresponding to the helix direction are less than that of the longitudinal direction. With the increase of hopping energy, transmission bands become wide so that the transmission ability is enhanced.

Design and motion control analysis of double helix wall climbing robot

For the detection environment of complex walls such as high-rise buildings,a double helix wall climbing robot(DHWCR)with strong adsorption force and good stability is designed and developed,which uses symmetrical propellers to provide adsorption force.The symmetrical driving structure can provide smooth thrust for the DHWCR,so that the robot can be absorbed to the wall surface with different roughness.A left and right control frame with multiple degrees of freedom is designed,which can adjust the fixed position of the brushless propeller motor in the front and back directions,realize the continuous adjustable thrust direction of the robot,and improve the flexibility of the robot movement.Using the front wheel steering mechanism with universal joint,the steering control of the DHWCR is realized by differential control.In the vertical to ground transition,the front and rear brushless motors can provide the pull up and oblique thrust,so that the DHWCR can smoothly transition to the vertical wall.The motion performance and adaptability of the DHWCR in the horizontal ground and vertical wall environment are tested.The results show that the DHWCR can switch motion between the horizontal ground and vertical wall,and can stably adsorb on the vertical wall with flexible attitude control.The DHWCR can move at a fast speed.The speed on the horizontal ground is higher than that on the vertical wall,which verifies the feasibility and reliability of the DHWCR moving stably on the vertical wall.

Tracking morphologies at the nanoscale： Self-assembly of an amphiphilic designer peptide into a double helix superstructure

Hierarchical self-assembly is a fundamental principle in nature, which gives rise to astonishing supramolecular architectures that are an inspiration for the development of innovative materials in nanotechnolog）a Here, we present the unique structure of a cone-shaped amphiphilic designer peptide. While tracking its concentration-dependent morphologies, we observed elongated bilayered single tapes at the beginning of the assembly process, which further developed into novel double-helix-like superstructures at high concentrations. This architecture is characterized by a tight intertwisting of two individual helices, resulting in a periodic pitch size over their total lengths of several hundred nanometers. Solution X-ray scattering data revealed a marked 2-layered internal organization. All these characteristics remained unaltered for the investigated period of almost three months. In their collective morphology, the assemblies are integrated into a network with hydrogel characteristics. Such a peptide-based structure holds promise as a building block for next-generation nanostructured biomaterials.

Thiophene and naphthalene-based double helix:Synthesis,structures and chirality

Both racemate and enantiomer of a novel double helix,binaphthylcyclooctaterthiophene(BN-COTh),which is a DNA-like molecule constructed by two single helices intertwined with each other via covalent bonds,have been synthesized with two building blocks,cycloocta-tetrathiophene(COTh) and cyclooctadinaphthyldithiophene(CONT) fused together via Negishi coupling reaction.Another homologue,dinaphthylcyclooctaterthiophene(DN-COTh) has been employed together as a model compound.Besides the synthetic work,BN-COTh and DN-COTh have been investigated by studying their crystal structures,spectroscopic behaviors,chiral resolution and chiral characteristics,including circular dichroism(CD) spectra and optical rotations.In addition,the novel crystal of enantiomer of(R,R,R)-BN-COTh has been explored.The enantiomer molecules packing along b-axis to form a larger and extended assembly packing due to intermolecular interactions between the enantiomer molecules and chloroform molecules in crystal.

SnIP-type atomic-scale inorganic double-helix semiconductors: Synthesis, properties, and applications

Flexible inorganic double helical semiconductors similar to DNA have fueled the demand for efficient materials with innovative structures and excellent properties.The recent discovery of tin phosphide iodide(SnIP),the first carbon-free double helical semiconductor at an atomic level,has opened new avenues of research for semiconducting devices such as thermoelectric and sensor devices,solar cells,and photocatalysis.It has drawn significant academic attention due to its high structural flexibility,band gap in the visible spectrum range,and non-toxic elements.Herein,the recent progress in developing SnIP,including its prestigious structure,versatile and intriguing properties,and synthesis,is summarized.Other analogues of SnIP and SnIP-based hybrid materials and their applications in photocatalysis are also discussed.Finally,the review concludes with a critical summary and future aspects of this new inorganic semiconductor.

Innovative Teaching Research on Literary Theory and Criticism

As a core compulsory course for English majors majoring in teacher education,Literary Theory and Criticism plays an important role in enhancing text understanding,cultivating critical thinking,and shaping correct values in the future development of students.Influenced by traditional teaching ideas,students have many difficulties when learning this course,such as insufficient theoretical understanding,inadequate ability improvement,and not enough investment in course learning.In response to the above issues,this course focuses closely on the fundamental task of“cultivating virtue and nurturing people”,relying on modern information technology and introducing research methods of digital humanities.This course uses“7C”teaching mode under the“three-level integration”,in which“teaching”and“education”are carried out synchronously,and“teacher”and“student”are developed together,in order to greatly enhance students’learning participation and course satisfaction.

What Governs the Unzipping Process of Double-Stranded DNA

The unzipping process of double-stranded DNA is analysed using a discrete model at the base level [Chin. Phys. Lett. 22 （2005）1540]. The numerical results are consistent with the experimental observations on the force-displacement behaviour including the sequence-dependence. We find that the hydrogen bond interaction in a base pair is crucially important to the force-displacement profile.

Optically Active Nucleobase-Functionalized Polynorbornenes Mimicking Double-Helix DNA

The development of synthetic polymers that mimic the double-stranded helical structure of DNA is a fascinating topic in polymer science.In this study,we designed and synthesized two chiral norbornene monomers containing adenine and thymine,which were mixed to form a hydrogen-bonding complementary complex,by which a ring-opening metathesis polymerization(ROMP)was performed.High-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM)undoubtedly showed the self-assembly of the optically active complementary nucleobasefunctionalized polynorbornenes into a double helix.Computer simulations and a two-dimensional nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy(2DNOESY)experiment showed that the doublestranded helical polynorbornene was derived from a copolymer of alternating adenine and thymine units.

Direct Resolution of the Pitch of DNA on Positively Charged Lipid Bilayers by Frequency-Modulation AFM

High resolution structural studies of DNA and DNA binding proteins by atomic force microscopy(AFM) require well-bound samples on suitably flat substrates. Adsorbing the DNA onto a positively charged supported lipid bilayer has previously been shown to be a potentially effective strategy for structural studies with AFM. Here, using our home-built frequency-modulation AFM(FM-AFM), we show that these bilayer substrates are only maximally effective for high resolution AFM when the samples are short, linear DNA, compared with circular plasmid DNA. We find that, with the former sample, the measured width of the DNA is about 2 nm, the known DNA diameter, and there is a clear height modulation along the length of the DNA with a periodicity of about 3.4 nm, in excellent agreement with the known pitch of the double helix. This sample preparation strategy is expected to enable higher resolution studies of DNA and DNA binding proteins with FM-AFM than that can presently be achieved.