Ultra-thin structures of manganese fluorides: conversion from manganese dichalcogenides by fluorination.

In this study, it is predicted by density functional theory calculations that graphene-like novel ultra-thin phases of manganese fluoride crystals, that have nonlayered structures in their bulk form, can be stabilized by fluorination of manganese dichalcogenide crystals. First, it is shown that substitution of fluorine atoms with chalcogens in the manganese dichalcogenide host lattice is favorable. Among possible crystal formations, three stable ultra-thin structures of manganese fluoride, 1H-MnF2, 1T-MnF2 and MnF3, are found to be stable by total energy optimization calculations. In addition, phonon calculations and Raman activity analysis reveal that predicted novel single-layers are dynamically stable crystal structures displaying distinctive characteristic peaks in their vibrational spectrum enabling experimental determination of the corresponding phases. Differing from 1H-MnF2 antiferromagnetic (AFM) large gap semiconductor, 1T-MnF2 and MnF3 single-layers are semiconductors with ferromagnetic (FM) ground state.

Octahedrally coordinated single layered CaF2: robust insulating behaviour.

Using first-principles calculations, the structural, vibrational, and electronic properties of single-layered calcium fluoride (CaF2) are investigated. The dynamical stability of 1T-CaF2 is confirmed by the phonon dispersions. Raman active vibrational modes of 1T-CaF2 enable its characterization via Raman spectroscopy. In addition, the calculated electronic properties of 1T-CaF2 confirmed insulating behavior with an indirect wide band gap which is larger than that of a well-known single-layered insulator, h-BN. Moreover, one-dimensional nanoribbons of CaF2 are investigated for two main edge orientations, namely zigzag and armchair, and it is revealed that both structures maintain the 1T nature of CaF2 without any structural edge reconstructions. Electronically, both types of CaF2 nanoribbons display robust insulating behavior with respect to the nanoribbon width. The results show that both the 2D and 1D forms of 1T-CaF2 show potential in nanoelectronics as an alternative to the widely-used insulator h-BN with its similar properties and wider electronic band gap.

Direct, Indirect, and Self-Trapped Excitons in Cs2AgBiBr6.

Cs2AgBiBr6 exhibits promising photovoltaic and light-emitting properties, making it a candidate for next-generation solar cells and LED technologies. Additionally, it serves as a model system within the family of halide double perovskites, offering insights into a broader class of materials. Here, we study various possible excited states of this material to understand its absorption and emission properties. We use time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) coupled with nonempirical hybrid functionals, specifically PBE0(α) and dielectric-dependent hybrids (DDH) to explore direct, indirect, and self-trapped excitons in this material. Based on comparison with experiment, we show that these methods can give excellent predictions of the absorption spectrum and that the fundamental band gap has been underestimated in previous computational studies. We connect the experimental photoluminescence signals at 1.9-2.0 eV to the emission from self-trapped excitons and electron polarons. Finally, we reveal a complex landscape with energetically competing direct, indirect, and self-trapped excitons in the material.

Novel Trimodal MALDI Imaging Mass Spectrometry (IMS3) at 10 µm Reveals Spatial Lipid and Peptide Correlates Implicated in Aß Plaque Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease.

Multimodal chemical imaging using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) can provide comprehensive molecular information in situ within the same tissue sections. This is of relevance for studying different brain pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), where recent data suggest a critical relevance of colocalizing Aß peptides and neuronal lipids. We here developed a novel trimodal, high-resolution (10 µm) MALDI imaging MS (IMS) paradigm for negative and positive ion mode lipid analysis and subsequent protein ion imaging on the same tissue section. Matrix sublimation of 1,5-diaminonaphthalene (1,5-DAN) enabled dual polarity lipid MALDI IMS on the same pixel points at high spatial resolutions (10 µm) and with high spectral quality. This was followed by 10 µm resolution protein imaging on the same measurement area, which allowed correlation of lipid signals with protein distribution patterns within distinct cerebellar regions in mouse brain. The demonstrated trimodal imaging strategy (IMS3) was further shown to be an efficient approach for simultaneously probing Aß plaque-associated lipids and Aß peptides within the hippocampus of 18 month-old transgenic AD mice (tgArcSwe). Here, IMS3 revealed a strong colocalization of distinct lipid species including ceramides, phosphatidylinositols, sulfatides (Cer 18:0, PI 38:4, ST 24:0) and lysophosphatidylcholines (LPC 16:0, LPC 18:0) with plaque-associated Aß isoforms (Aß 1-37, Aß 1-38, Aß 1-40). This highlights the potential of IMS3 as an alternative, superior approach to consecutively performed immuno-based Aß staining strategies. Furthermore, the IMS3 workflow allowed for multimodal in situ MS/MS analysis of both lipids and Aß peptides. Altogether, the here presented IMS3 approach shows great potential for comprehensive, high-resolution molecular analysis of histological features at cellular length scales with high chemical specificity. It therefore represents a powerful approach for probing the complex molecular pathology of, e.g., neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by neurotoxic protein aggregation.