Atomic-Level Dynamics of Point Vacancies and the Induced Stretched Defects in 2D Monolayer PtSe2.

Monolayer PtSe2 holds great potential in extending 2D devices functionality, but their atomic-level-defect study is still limited. Here, we investigate the atomic structures of lattice imperfections from point to stretched 1D defects in 1T-PtSe2 monolayers, using annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (ADF-STEM). We show Se vacancies (VSe) have preferential sites with high beam-induced mobility. Diverse divacancies form with paired VSe. We found stretched linear defects triggered by dynamics of VSe that altered strain fields, distinct from the line vacancies in 2H-phase 2D materials. The paired VSe stability and formation possibility of vacancy lines are evaluated by density functional theory. Lower sputtering energy in PtSe2 than that in MoS2 can cause larger possibility of atomic loss compared to diffusion required for creating VSe lines. This provides atomic insights into the defects in 1T-PtSe2 and shows how a deviated 1D structure is embedded in a 2D system without losing atom lines.

Exogenous glutathione exerts a therapeutic effect in ischemic stroke rats by interacting with intrastriatal dopamine.

We previously showed that oral administration of exogenous glutathione (GSH) exerted a direct and/or indirect therapeutic effect on ischemic stroke rats, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In the current study, we conducted a quantitative proteomic analysis to explore the pathways mediating the therapeutic effect of GSH in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model rats. Rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h followed by reperfusion. The rats were treated with GSH (250 mg/kg, ig) or levodopa (L-dopa, 100 mg/kg, ig) plus carbidopa (10 mg/kg, ig). Neurologic deficits were assessed, and the rats were sacrificed at 24 h after cerebral I/R surgery to measure brain infarct sizes. We conducted a proteomic analysis of the lesion side striatum samples and found that tyrosine metabolism and dopaminergic synapse were involved in the occurrence of cerebral stroke and the therapeutic effect of GSH. Western blot assay revealed that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mediated the occurrence of I/R-induced ischemic stroke and the therapeutic effect of GSH. We analyzed the regulation of GSH on endogenous small molecule metabolites and showed that exogenous GSH had the most significant effect on intrastriatal dopamine (DA) in I/R model rats by promoting its synthesis and inhibiting its degradation. To further explore whether DA-related alterations were potential targets of GSH, we investigated the therapeutic effect of DA accumulation on ischemic brain injury. The combined administration of the precursor drugs of DA (L-dopa and carbidopa) significantly ameliorated neurological deficits, reduced infarct size, and oxidative stress, and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines levels in the striatum of I/R injury rats. More interestingly, exogenous L-dopa/carbidopa could also greatly enhance the exposure of intracerebral GSH by upregulating GSH synthetases and enhancing homocysteine (HCY) levels in the striatum. Thus, administration of exogenous GSH exerts a therapeutic effect on ischemic stroke by increasing intrastriatal DA, and the accumulated DA can, in turn, enhance the exposure of GSH and its related substances, thus promoting the therapeutic effect of GSH.

Waterproof molecular monolayers stabilize 2D materials.

Two-dimensional van der Waals materials have rich and unique functional properties, but many are susceptible to corrosion under ambient conditions. Here we show that linear alkylamines n-C m H2m+1NH2, with m = 4 through 11, are highly effective in protecting the optoelectronic properties of these materials, such as black phosphorus (BP) and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs: WS2, 1T'-MoTe2, WTe2, WSe2, TaS2, and NbSe2). As a representative example, n-hexylamine (m = 6) can be applied in the form of thin molecular monolayers on BP flakes with less than 2-nm thickness and can prolong BP's lifetime from a few hours to several weeks and even months in ambient environments. Characterizations combined with our theoretical analysis show that the thin monolayers selectively sift out water molecules, forming a drying layer to achieve the passivation of the protected 2D materials. The monolayer coating is also stable in air, H2 annealing, and organic solvents, but can be removed by certain organic acids.

Controlling Photoluminescence Enhancement and Energy Transfer in WS2 :hBN:WS2 Vertical Stacks by Precise Interlayer Distances.

2D semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are endowed with fascinating optical properties especially in their monolayer limit. Insulating hBN films possessing customizable thickness can act as a separation barrier to dictate the interactions between TMDs. In this work, vertical layered heterostructures (VLHs) of WS2 :hBN:WS2 are fabricated utilizing chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown materials, and the optical performance is evaluated through photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Apart from the prohibited indirect optical transition due to the insertion of hBN spacers, the variation in the doping level of WS2 drives energy transfer to arise from the layer with lower quantum efficiency to the other layer with higher quantum efficiency, whereby the total PL yield of the heterosystem is increased and the stack exhibits a higher PL intensity compared to the sum of those in the two WS2 constituents. Such doping effects originate from the interfaces that WS2 monolayers reside on and interact with. The electron density in the WS2 is also controlled and subsequent modulation of PL in the heterostructure is demonstrated by applying back-gated voltages. Other influential factors include the strain in WS2 and temperature. Being able to tune the energy transfer in the VLHs may expand the development of photonic applications in 2D systems.

Determining the Optimized Interlayer Separation Distance in Vertical Stacked 2D WS2 :hBN:MoS2 Heterostructures for Exciton Energy Transfer.

The 2D semiconductor monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides, WS2 and MoS2 , are grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and assembled by sequential transfer into vertical layered heterostructures (VLHs). Insulating hBN, also produced by CVD, is utilized to control the separation between WS2 and MoS2 by adjusting the layer number, leading to fine-scale tuning of the interlayer interactions within the VLHs. The interlayer interactions are studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and are demonstrated to be highly sensitive to the input excitation power. For thin hBN separators (one to two layers), the total PL emission switches from quenching to enhancement by increasing the laser power. Femtosecond broadband transient absorption measurements demonstrate that the increase in PL quantum yield results from Förster energy transfer from MoS2 to WS2 . The PL signal is further enhanced at cryogenic temperatures due to the suppressed nonradiative decay channels. It is shown that (4 ± 1) layers of hBN are optimum for obtaining PL enhancement in the VLHs. Increasing thickness beyond this causes the enhancement factor to diminish, with the WS2 and MoS2 then behaving as isolated noninteracting monolayers. These results indicate how controlling the exciton generation rate influences energy transfer and plays an important role in the properties of VLHs.

Atomically Flat Zigzag Edges in Monolayer MoS2 by Thermal Annealing.

The edges of 2D materials show novel electronic, magnetic, and optical properties, especially when reduced to nanoribbon widths. Therefore, methods to create atomically flat edges in 2D materials are essential for future exploitation. Atomically flat edges in 2D materials are found after brittle fracture or when electrically biasing, but a simple scalable approach for creating atomically flat periodic edges in monolayer 2D transition metal dichalcogenides has yet to be realized. Here, we show how heating monolayer MoS2 to 800 °C in vacuum produces atomically flat Mo terminated zigzag edges in nanoribbons. We study this at the atomic level using an ultrastable in situ heating holder in an aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope and discriminating Mo from S at the edge, revealing unique Mo terminations for all zigzag orientations that remain stable and atomically flat when cooling back to room temperature. Highly faceted MoS2 nanoribbon constrictions are produced with Mo rich edge structures that have theoretically predicted spin separated transport channels, which are promising for spin logic applications.

The effect of hyaluronic acid on osteopontin and CD44 mRNA of fibroblast-like synoviocytes in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) on the expression of osteopontin (OPN) and CD44 mRNA of fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) in the patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. FLS were obtained from the knees of 10 patients with OA. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) was used to assess the expression of the OPN mRNA and CD44 mRNA. The relative OPN mRNA expression in HA group (6.47 ± 2.30-fold) was significantly higher than in the control group (P = 0.045, P < 0.05), while in HYL group (0.65 ± 0.21-fold) it was lower than in the control group (P = 0.037, P < 0.05), and the difference in OPN mRNA expression between HA group and HYL group also showed statistically significant (P = 0.001, P < 0.05); however, there was no significant difference between each group of the relative CD44 mRNA expression (P > 0.05). Our study showed that HA can upregulate OPN mRNA expression in OA fibroblast-like synoviocytes, and the high expression of OPN mRNA in OA may be a result of increased HA level of OA synovitis; however, HA cannot affect the CD44 mRNA expression in OA fibroblast-like synoviocytes, and the high expression of CD44 mRNA in OA may be not a result of increased HA level of OA synovitis.

Response of Flavor Substances in Tomato Fruit to Light Spectrum and Daily Light Integral.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used as light sources for plant production in plant factories with artificial lighting (PFALs), and light spectrum and light amount have great impacts on plant growth and development. With the expansion of the product list of PFALs, tomato production in PFALs has received attention, but studies on fruit quality influenced by artificial light are lacking. In this study, precisely modulated LED light sources based on white light combined with additional red, blue, and green lights were used to investigate the effects of light spectrum and daily light integral (DLI) on the main quality indicators and flavor substances of "Micro-Tom" tomato fruits. The highest sugar-acid ratio was obtained under the white light with addition of red light with high DLI and blue light with low DLI. The contents of ß-carotene, lycopene, and lutein were significantly increased by higher DLI conditions except for under the blue light treatment, and the cross-interactions between the light spectrum and DLI were observed. The accumulation of the main flavor substances in tomato fruits was decreased by addition of green light with a high DLI and red light with a low DLI; notably, the percentage of 2-isobutylthiazole, which is associated with fresh tomato aroma, was decreased by green light. This study provides insights for improving tomato fruit quality and flavor by regulating light conditions in PFALs.

Adsorption of tetracycline by Nicandra physaloides (L.) Gaertn seed gum and Nicandra physaloides(L.) Gaertn seed gum/Carboxymethyl chitosan aerogel.

In this study, novel aerogels of Nicandra physaloides (L.) Gaertn seed gum (NPG) and Nicandra physaloides (L.) Gaertn seed gum/Carboxymethyl chitosan (NPG/CMC) were prepared by freeze-drying method for removing tetracycline (TC) from water. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD),Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) were used to characterize structure and morphology of NPG and NPG/CMC aerogels. The average pore diameter of NPG and NPG/CMC were 3.04 and 1.2 nm, the specific surface areas were 2.67 and 0.73 m2/g, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity of NPG and NPG/CMC aerogels for TC based on Langmuir isotherm was 266.7 and 332.23 mg/g respectively. Through thermodynamic and kinetic studies, it was found that the adsorption processes of the two adsorbents were spontaneous and followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. And the process of NPG adsorption of TC was endothermic, while NPG/CMC was exothermic.

Growth and Nutrient Utilization in Basil Plant as Affected by Applied Nutrient Quantity in Nutrient Solution and Light Spectrum.

Quantitative nutrient management has advantages, such as saving resources and improving nutrient utilization, compared with the conventional electrical conductivity management method. The growth and nutrient utilization of vegetables are affected by the integrated environmental conditions such as nutrient supply and light spectrum. This study investigated the effects of applied nutrient quantity (ANQ) (0.5, 1, 2, and 4 times (T) the absorption quantity of nutrients determined in the preliminary experiment, indicated by 0.5T, 1T, 2T, and 4T, respectively) in nutrient solution and red:blue ratio (R:B = 3:7, 7:3, and 9:1, indicated by RB3:7, RB7:3, and RB9:1, respectively) on the growth and nutrient utilization of basil plants in a plant factory with artificial lighting. Results demonstrated that the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and the nutrient absorption efficiency (NAE) were significantly increased by the ANQ of 0.5T compared with the treatments of 1T, 2T, and 4T, irrespective of R:B ratios. Furthermore, under the ANQ of 0.5T, RB7:3 significantly increased the yield and the absorption of N and K of the basil plant compared with other R:B ratios. Therefore, the ANQ of 0.5T combined with RB7:3 was considered the optimal combination to improve the yield, NUE, and NAE of basil plants in the present study.

Selective Chemical Vapor Deposition Growth of WS2/MoS2 Vertical and Lateral Heterostructures on Gold Foils.

Vertical and lateral heterostructures consisting of atomically layered two-dimensional (2D) materials exhibit intriguing properties, such as efficient charge/energy transfer, high photoresponsivity, and enhanced photocatalytic activities. However, the controlled fabrication of vertical or lateral heterojunctions on metal substrates remains challenging. Herein, we report a facile and controllable method for selective growth of WS2/MoS2 vertical or lateral heterojunctions on polycrystalline gold (Au) foil by tuning the gas flow rate of hydrogen (H2). We find that lateral growth is favored without H2, whereas vertical growth mode can be switched on by introducing 8-10 sccm H2. In addition, the areal coverage of the WS2/MoS2 vertical heterostructures is tunable in the range of 12-25%. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) results demonstrate the quality and absence of cross-contamination of the as-grown heterostructures. Furthermore, we investigate the effects of the H2 flow rate on the morphology of the heterostructures. These pave the way to develop unprecedented 2D heterostructures towards applications in (opto)electronic devices.

Barium alginate as a skeleton coating graphene oxide and bentonite-derived composites: Excellent adsorbent based on predictive design for the enhanced adsorption of methylene blue.

The phenomenon that calcium alginate does not exhibit high adsorption capacity as a carrier material has not been reasonably explained or solved. In this paper, a new viewpoint that the orbital energy level of metal ions and the binding degree of the α-l-guluronate and ß-d-mannuronate units affect the adsorption performance of the composite was innovatively proposed. Taking barium alginate (BA) as an example, the possibility of replacing calcium alginate is discussed. Barium alginate/graphene oxide (BA/GO) membranes and three-dimensional (3D) barium alginate-bentonite-graphene oxide derived (3D-BA) hydrogels were prepared by vacuum freeze-drying to remove methylene blue. The structure and morphology of the prepared adsorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The effects of adsorbent dosage, doping ratio, temperature, contact time, pH value and initial dye concentration on the adsorption performance of BA composites were investigated. The adsorption capacities of the BA/GO and 3D-BA materials were 1011.3 and 710.3 mg/g, respectively. The BA/GO membrane exhibited stable filtration performance against high concentrations of dyes. Benefiting from the strong interaction between bentonite, sodium alginate and Ba2+, the 3D-BA hydrogel showed higher thermal stability and better adsorption efficiency than other materials. The Elovich kinetic model and Sips equation can appropriately describe the adsorption process. The results show that barium alginate is a better carrier material than calcium alginate.

Adsorption of methylene blue by Nicandra physaloides(L.) Gaertn seed gum/graphene oxide aerogel.

In this study, a novel composite aerogel of Nicandra physaloides(L.) Gaertn seed, gum/graphene oxide (NPG/GO), was prepared by using a vacuum freeze drying method for methylene blue (MB) adsorption. The techniques, including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were adopted for studying the structure and surface characteristics of NPG/GO, with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) being adopted for testing thermal properties. The effects of pH value, initial dye concentration, temperature and adsorbent dosage on adsorption performance were elaborately analysed. The adsorption kinetic studies showed that the process of adsorption follows Langmuir isotherm and a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. When the mass ratio of NPG to GO was 1.25:1, the adsorption capacity was the highest. According to Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity of 408.16 mg/g was higher than that of NPG. The specific surface area and average pore diameter of NPG/GO was measured as 2.70 m2/g and 4.8 nm, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis revealed that the adsorption process of methylene blue on NPG/GO was a spontaneous and endothermic process. In general, the prepared nanocomposites were excellent candidates for adsorption and removal process because of simple synthesis, low cost, high efficiency, non-toxicity, environment protection and degradability.

Bone turnover in passive smoking female rat: relationships to change in bone mineral density.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have identified smoking as a risk factor for osteoporosis, but it is unclear whether passive smoking has an effect on bone mineral density and bone turnover and if such an effect could cause osteoporosis.The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of passive smoking on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover and the relationship between BMD and bone turnover in female rat. METHODS: Forty-eight female Wistar rats were randomized into six groups: 2-month, 3-month,4-month smoke-exposed rats and their controls. A rat model of passive cigarette smoking was prepared by breeding female rats in a cigarette-smoking box for 2, 3 or 4 months. Serums were analyzed for levels of osteocalcin, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (b-ALP) and Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP 5b). BMD was assessed at lumbar vertebrae and femur by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in passive smoking rats and in control rats. RESULTS: BMD of lumbar spine and femur was lower in 4-month smoke-exposed female rats than that in controls. However, there was no significant difference in serum osteocalcin levels between smoke-exposed rats and controls. Significantly lower b-ALP and higher TRACP 5b were found in the 3-month or 4-month smoke-exposed rats compared to controls. Subsequent analysis showed that b-ALP positively correlated with BMD of the lumbar vertebrae(r = 0.764, P = 0.027) and femur(r = 0.899, P = 0.002) in 4-month smoke-exposed female rats. Furthermore, TRACP 5b levels negatively correlated with BMD of lumbar vertebrae (r = -0.871, P = 0.005) and femur (r = -0.715, P = 0.046) in 4-month smoke-exposed female rats. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that smoke exposure can inhibit bone formation and increase bone resorption. The hazardous effects of passive smoking on bone status are associated with increased bone turnover in female rat.

Continuous Lighting and High Daily Light Integral Enhance Yield and Quality of Mass-Produced Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.) in Plant Factories.

Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus L.), as a medicinal plant, has a high phenolic content in its leaves and flowers. It is often used in salads as a dietary vegetable. Attracting strong demand, it could be a good candidate crop for a plant factory with artificial lighting (PFAL) that can achieve the mass production of high-quality crops with high productivity by regulating environmental conditions such as light. In this study, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of continuous lighting (CL) and different daily light integrals (DLIs) under CL on the growth, secondary metabolites, and light use efficiency (LUE) of nasturtium, all of which are essential in the successful cultivation in PFALs. In Experiment 1, two lighting models, the same DLI of 17.3 mol m-2 d-1 but different light periods (24 and 16 h) with different light intensities (200 and 300 µmol m-2 s-1, respectively), were applied to nasturtium. The results showed that leaf production, secondary metabolites, and LUE were higher under the 24-h CL treatment than under the 16-h non-CL treatment. In Experiment 2, three DLI levels (17.3, 25.9, and 34.6 mol m-2 d-1) under the CL condition were applied. The results showed that the growth parameters were positively correlated with the DLI levels under CL. The lowest DLI had the highest LUE. We conclude that the mass production of nasturtium under CL in PFALs is feasible, and the yield increases as DLI increases from 17.3 to 34.6 mol m-2 d-1 under CL without causing physiological stress on plants.

The impacts of freeze-thaw cycles on saturated hydraulic conductivity and microstructure of saline-alkali soils.

Study on the microscopic structure of saline-alkali soil can reveal the change of its permeability more deeply. In this paper, the relationship between permeability and microstructure of saline-alkali soil with different dry densities and water content in the floodplain of southwestern Shandong Province was studied through freeze-thaw cycles. A comprehensive analysis of soil samples was conducted using particle-size distribution, X-ray diffraction, freeze-thaw cycles test, saturated hydraulic conductivity test and mercury intrusion porosimetry. The poor microstructure of soil is the main factor that leads to the category of micro-permeable soil. The porosity of the local soil was only 6.19-11.51%, and ultra-micropores (< 0.05 µm) and micropores (0.05-2 µm) dominated the pore size distribution. Soil saturated water conductivity was closely related to its microscopic pore size distribution. As the F-T cycles progressed, soil permeability became stronger, with the reason the pore size distribution curve began to shift to the small pores (2-10 µm) and mesopores (10-20 µm), and this effect was the most severe when the freeze-thaw cycle was 15 times. High water content could promote the effects of freeze-thaw cycles on soil permeability and pore size distribution, while the increase of dry density could inhibit these effects. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for the remediation of saline-alkali soil in the flooded area of Southwest Shandong.

Study on the Adsorption Performance of Casein/Graphene Oxide Aerogel for Methylene Blue.

Casein (CS) and graphene oxide (GO) were employed for the fabrication of a casein/graphene oxide (CS/GO) aerogel by vacuum freeze drying. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, surface area and micropore analysis (BET), and thermogravimetric analysis were used to characterize the specific surface area, structure, thermal stability, and morphology of the CS/GO aerogel. The influence of experimental parameters such as the GO mass fraction in the aerogel, metering of the adsorbent, pH, contact time, and temperature on the adsorption capacity of the CS/GO aerogel on methylene blue (MB) was also investigated. According to Langmuir isotherm determination, the maximum removal rate of MB from the CS/GO aerogel was 437.29 mg/g when the temperature was 293 K and pH was 8. Through kinetic and thermodynamic studies, it is found that adsorption follows a pseudo-second-order reaction model and is also an exothermic and spontaneous process.

Atomic Structure of Dislocations and Grain Boundaries in Two-Dimensional PtSe2.

Each 2D material has a distinct structure for its grain boundary and dislocation cores, which is dictated by both the crystal lattice geometry and the elements that participate in bonding. For the class of noble metal dichalcogenides, this has yet to be thoroughly investigated at the atomic scale. Here, we examine the atomic structure of the dislocations and grain boundaries (GBs) in two-dimensional PtSe2, using atomic-resolution annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, combined with density functional theory and empirical force field calculations. The PtSe2 we study adopts the 1T phase in large-area polycrystalline films with numerous planar tilt GB distinct dislocations, including 5|7+Se and 4|4|8+Se polygons, in tilt-angle monolayer GBs, with features sharply distinguished from those in 2H-phase TMDs. On the basis of dislocation cores, the GB structures are investigated in terms of pathways of dislocation chain arrangement, dislocation core distributions in different misorientation angles, and 2D strain fields induced. Based on the Frank-Bilby equation, the deduced Burgers vector magnitude is close to the lattice constant of 1T-PtSe2, building the quantitative relationship of dislocation spacings and small GB angles. The 30° GBs are most frequently formed as a stitched interface between the armchair and zigzag lattices, constructed by a string of 5|7+Se dislocations asymmetrically with a small deviation angle. Another special angle GB, mirror twin 60° GB, is also mapped linearly by metal-condensed asymmetric or Se-rich symmetric dislocations. This report gives atomic-level insights into the GBs and dislocations in 1T-phase noble metal TMD PtSe2, which is a promising material to underpin extending properties of 2D materials by local structure engineering.

Comparative analysis of constitutes and metabolites for traditional Chinese medicine using IDA and SWATH data acquisition modes on LC-Q-TOF MS.

Identification of components and metabolites of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) employing liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF MS) techniques with information-dependent acquisition (IDA) approaches is increasingly frequent. A current drawback of IDA-MS is that the complexity of a sample might prevent important compounds from being triggered in IDA settings. Sequential window acquisition of all theoretical fragment-ion spectra (SWATH) is a data-independent acquisition (DIA) method where the instrument deterministically fragments all precursor ions within the predefined m/z range in a systematic and unbiased fashion. Herein, the superiority of SWATH on the detection of TCMs' components was firstly investigated by comparing the detection efficiency of SWATH-MS and IDA-MS data acquisition modes, and sanguisorbin extract was used as a mode TCM. After optimizing the setting parameters of SWATH, rolling collision energy (CE) and variable Q1 isolation windows were found to be more efficient for sanguisorbin identification than the fixed CE and fixed Q1 isolation window. More importantly, the qualitative efficiency of SWATH-MS on sanguisorbins was found significantly higher than that of IDA-MS data acquisition. In IDA mode, 18 kinds of sanguisorbins were detected in sanguisorbin extract. A total of 47 sanguisorbins were detected when SWATH-MS was used under rolling CE and flexible Q1 isolation window modes. Besides, 26 metabolites of sanguisorbins were identified in rat plasma, and their metabolic pathways could be deduced as decarbonylation, oxidization, reduction, methylation, and glucuronidation according to their fragmental ions acquired in SWATH-MS mode. Thus, SWATH-MS data acquisition could provide more comprehensive information for the component and metabolite identification for TCMs than IDA-MS.

Spatially Bandgap-Graded MoS2(1-x)Se2x Homojunctions for Self-Powered Visible-Near-Infrared Phototransistors.

Ternary transition metal dichalcogenide alloys with spatially graded bandgaps are an emerging class of two-dimensional materials with unique features, which opens up new potential for device applications. Here, visible-near-infrared and self-powered phototransistors based on spatially bandgap-graded MoS2(1-x)Se2x alloys, synthesized by a simple and controllable chemical solution deposition method, are reported. The graded bandgaps, arising from the spatial grading of Se composition and thickness within a single domain, are tuned from 1.83 to 1.73 eV, leading to the formation of a homojunction with a built-in electric field. Consequently, a strong and sensitive gate-modulated photovoltaic effect is demonstrated, enabling the homojunction phototransistors at zero bias to deliver a photoresponsivity of 311 mA W-1, a specific detectivity up to ~ 1011 Jones, and an on/off ratio up to ~ 104. Remarkably, when illuminated by the lights ranging from 405 to 808 nm, the biased devices yield a champion photoresponsivity of 191.5 A W-1, a specific detectivity up to ~ 1012 Jones, a photoconductive gain of 106-107, and a photoresponsive time in the order of ~ 50 ms. These results provide a simple and competitive solution to the bandgap engineering of two-dimensional materials for device applications without the need for p-n junctions.