Charge Transfer Properties of Heterostructures Formed by Bi2 O2 Se and Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Monolayers.

Atomically thin bismuth oxyselenide (Bi2 O2 Se) exhibits attractive properties for electronic and optoelectronic applications, such as high charge-carrier mobility and good air stability. Recently, the development of Bi2 O2 Se-based heterostructures have attracted enormous interests with promising prospects for diverse device applications. Although the electrical properties of Bi2 O2 Se-based heterostructures have been widely studied, the interlayer charge transfer in these heterostructures remains elusive, despite its importance in harnessing their emergent functionalities. Here, a comprehensive experimental investigation on the interlayer charge transfer properties of two heterostructures formed by Bi2 O2 Se and representative transition metal dichalcogenides (namely, WS2 /Bi2 O2 Se and MoS2 /Bi2 O2 Se) is reported. Kelvin probe force microscopy is used to measure the work functions of the samples, which are further employed to establish type-II band alignment of both heterostructures. Photoluminescence quenching is observed in each heterostructure, suggesting high charge transfer efficiency. Time-resolved and layer-selective pump-probe measurements further prove the ultrafast interlayer charge transfer processes and formation of long-lived interlayer excitons. These results establish the feasibility of integrating 2D Bi2 O2 Se with other 2D semiconductors to fabricate heterostructures with novel charge transfer properties and provide insight for understanding the performance of optoelectronic devices based on such 2D heterostructures.

Epitaxial Cubic Silicon Carbide Photocathodes for Visible-Light-Driven Water Splitting.

Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) material feature a suitable bandgap and high resistance to photocorrosion. Thus, it has been emerged as a promising semiconductor for hydrogen evolution. Here, the relationship between the photoelectrochemical properties and the microstructures of different SiC materials is demonstrated. For visible-light-derived water splitting to hydrogen production, nanocrystalline, microcrystalline and epitaxial (001) 3C-SiC films are applied as the photocathodes. The epitaxial 3C-SiC film presents the highest photoelectrochemical activity for hydrogen evolution, because of its perfect (001) orientation, high phase purity, low resistance, and negative conduction band energy level. This finding offers a strategy to design SiC-based photocathodes with superior photoelectrochemical performances.

Transient Absorption Microscopy of Layered Crystal AsSbS3.

We introduce getchellite as a new layered material for fabrication of two-dimensional van der Waals materials and heterostructures. Nanofilms of AsSbS3 were fabricated by mechanical exfoliation. Transient absorption spectroscopy measurements identified a direct bandgap at about 710 nm, which is close to the ideal single-junction photovoltaic bandgap. Transient absorption microscopy measurements with high spatial and temporal resolution were performed to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of photocarriers in AsSbS3. We obtained a photocarrier lifetime of about 200 ps, a diffusion coefficient of about 5 cm2 s-1, a diffusion length of about 320 nm, and a carrier mobility of about 200 cm2 V-1 s-1. These results establish AsSbS3 as a promising two-dimensional semiconductor for optoelectronic applications as an individual material or in heterostructures.

Ultrafast charge transfer in a type-II MoS2-ReSe2 van der Waals heterostructure.

We fabricated a van der Waals heterostructure by stacking together monolayers of MoS2 and ReSe2. Transient absorption measurements were performed to study the dynamics of charge transfer, indirect exciton formation, and indirect exciton recombination. The results show that the heterostructure form a type-II band alignment with the conduction band minimum and valance band maximum located in the MoS2 and ReSe2 layers, respectively. By using different pump-probe configurations, we found that electrons could efficiently transfer from ReSe2 to MoS2 and holes along the opposite direction. Once transferred, the electrons and holes form spatially indirect excitons, which have longer recombination lifetimes than excitons in individual monolayers. These results provide useful information for developing van der Waals heterostructure involving ReSe2 for novel electronic and optoelectronic applications.

Historical Records and Source Apportionment of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Over the Past 100 Years in Dianchi Lake, a Plateau Lake in Southwest China.

Two sediment cores were collected from Dianchi Lake, a plateau lake in Southwest China, to study the temporal trends and to investigate the sources of sedimentary deposited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. The ΣPAH16 concentration in the two sediment cores ranged from 172.5 to 2244.8 ng/g and from 211.4 to 1777.8 ng/g, with mean values of 1106.2 and 865.1 ng/g, respectively. Three temporal trends for the ΣPAH16 concentration and the composition of PAHs in Dianchi Lake all showed three typical changing stages: (1) slight changes in deeper segments before the 1950s; (2) a rapid increase in PAH concentrations between the 1960s and 1990s; and (3) a slight reduction from the 1990s onward. These trends differ from those observed in developed countries due to differences in the timing of industrialization and urbanization processes. According to the results of the molecular ratios and principal component analysis, the PAH deposition was dominated by coal combustion, wood combustion, and vehicle emissions before and after the 1960s, respectively.

Visible laser-assisted reduction of plasmonic Ag nanoparticles with narrow-band optical absorption for colored holographic reconstruction.

Noble metal plasmonic resonance has been utilized in optical data storage widely for its excellent photo-transformation efficiency. TiO2 nanoporous films deposited with Ag nanoparticles present outstanding polarization-response and color-modulation ability. However, the low exposure-sensitivity at single wavelength inhibits their application in optical information processing, which is urgent to be improved by innovative methods. Here, we report that Ag nanoparticles were deposited efficiently via continuous laser irradiation in the TiO2 nanoporous film treated by tannic acid, presenting high-efficient monochromic absorption property. As a result, two sets of holograms were recorded sequentially at the same point of the film with orthogonal circular polarization configurations. The colored reconstruction of the mixed holograms was achieved by utilizing laser polarization state as chrominance segmentation channel. Our method provides a distinctive route for enhancing the photo-energy conversion efficiency of plasmonic nanoparticles, and paves a way to develop advanced display device.

Nonvolatile plasmonic holographic memory based on photo-driven ion migration.

Stability of data storage is essential for optical information processing. TiO2 nanoporous films loaded with small-sized Ag nanoparticles thus attracted much attention due to their fast and polarization-sensitive photochemical response, which is able to realize optical phase modulation and high-density optical memory. However, little attention was given to the modulation of the silver ion migration, which plays a key role in anti-erasure of the recorded hologram. In this paper, the strong coupling of two phase gratings was achieved by long-term recording in the Ag-TiO2 film irradiated with a pair of coherent left- and right-hand circular polarization lights from a Blu-ray (∼405 nm) laser. The migration of Ag+ ions was enhanced by the electronic field gradient force. A stable polarization holographic grating was obtained by this method and observed by a polarizing microscope. This work provided a strategy for a nonvolatile device based on photo-driven ion migration.

Selective photo-oxidation induced bi-periodic plasmonic structures for high-density data storage.

Stable and controllable optical memory is necessary for the development of current information technology. In this context, Ag/TiO2 films have received much attention for their photosensitivity in wavelength and polarization, which can be applied to high-density optical storage. Here, we carried out dual-wavelength holographic recording using 403.4 nm and 532 nm lasers, and obtained mixed microfringes based on selective photodissolution of Ag nanoparticles of various sizes in TiO2 nanoporous films. Two recording methods of simultaneous and sequential multiplexing were investigated. It was found that using simultaneous irradiation it is easier to obtain equivalent efficiency in both spectral hole burning and multiplexed grating diffraction, compared with the sequential one. The results can be explained by the Time-accumulation effect during Ag+ ion diffusion and migration in holographic recordings. Based on such properties, multiplexed-holographic fringes with uniform contrast were reserved by simultaneous recording in Ag/TiO2 films. This work provides a new strategy for fabrication of photonic devices with complex microstructures.

Tunable Photocarrier Dynamics in CuS Nanoflakes under Pressure Modulation.

Two-dimensional materials with a unique layered structure have attracted intense attention all around the world due to their extraordinary physical properties. Most importantly, the internal Coulomb coupling can be regulated, and thus electronic transition can be realized by manipulating the interlayer interaction effectively through adding external fields. At present, the properties of two-dimensional materials can be tuned through a variety of methods, such as adding pressure, strain, and electromagnetic fields. For optoelectronic applications, the lifetime of the photogenerated carriers is one of the most crucial parameters for the materials. Here, we demonstrate effective modulation of the optical band gap structure and photocarrier dynamics in CuS nanoflakes by applying hydrostatic pressure via a diamond anvil cell. The peak differential reflection signal shows a linear blueshift with the pressure, suggesting effective tuning of interlayer interaction inside CuS by pressure engineering. The results of transient absorption show that the photocarrier lifetime decreases significantly with pressure, suggesting that the dissociation process of the photogenerated carriers accelerates. It could be contributed to the phase transition or the decrease of the phonon vibration frequency caused by the pressure. Further, Raman spectra reveal the change of Cu-S and S-S bonds after adding pressure, indicating the possible occurrence of structural phase transition. Interestingly, all of the variation modes are reversible after releasing pressure. This work has provided an excellent sight to show the regulation of pressure on the photoelectric properties of CuS, exploring CuS to wider applications that can lead toward the realization of future excitonic and photoelectric devices modulated by high pressure.

Photocarrier Dynamics in MoTe2 Nanofilms with 2H and Distorted 1T Lattice Structures.

Molybdenum telluride (MoTe2), an emerging layered two-dimensional (2D) material, possesses excellent phase-changing properties. Previous studies revealed its reversible transition between 2H and 1T' phases with a transition energy as small as 35 meV. Since 1T'-MoTe2 is metallic, it can serve as an electrical contact for semiconducting 2H-MoTe2-based optoelectronic devices. Here, the photocarrier dynamics in MoTe2 nanofilms synthesized by a one-step method and with coexisting multiple phases are investigated by transient absorption measurements. Both the energy relaxation time and the recombination lifetime of the excitons are shorter in the 1T'-MoTe2 compared to its 2H phase. These results provide information on the different photocarrier dynamical properties of these two phases, which is important for future 2D optoelectronic and phase-change electronic devices based on MoTe2.

Fluorescent Holographic Fringes with a Surface Relief Structure Based on Merocyanine Aggregation Driven by Blue-violet Laser.

Stability and integration are the goals for developing photonic devices. Spirooxazines have the property of photoinduced merocyanine-aggregation in polymer matrix, which can be applied to fluorescence emission and stable information storage. Although visible light coherent radiation with UV-assist has been used to achieve polarization-modulated holographic memory in spirooxazine doped PMMA films, the complexity of optical systems is increased and the aggregation ability of merocyanine is decreased. Here, we report that fluorescent holographic gratings with a surface relief structure can be inscribed in the film via sole irradiation of 403.4 nm. Time-dependent photo-anisotropy and holographic dynamics were both investigated with different power densities of the near-UV laser. The non-exponential photokinetics was explained by the sequential formation of mono- and aggregate-merocyanine molecules. The appearance of merocyanine aggregates is found to be beneficial to the long-term holographic memory with fluorescent emission. This work provides a research strategy for the integrity of storage, display and micro-fabrication of organic functional-devices.

A Novel Complementation Assay for Quick and Specific Screen of Genes Encoding Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferases.

The initial step in glycerolipid biosynthesis, especially in diverse allopolyploid crop species, is poorly understood, mainly due to the lack of an effective and convenient method for functional characterization of genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferases (GPATs) catalyzing this reaction. Here we present a novel complementation assay for quick and specific characterization of GPAT-encoding genes. Its key design involves rational construction of yeast conditional lethal gat1Δgat2Δ double mutant bearing the heterologous Arabidopsis AtGPAT1 gene whose leaky expression under repressed conditions does not support any non-specific growth, thereby circumventing the false positive problem encountered with the system based on the gat1Δgat2Δ mutant harboring the native episomal GAT1 gene whose leaky expression appears to be sufficient for generating enough GPAT activities for the non-specific restoration of the mutant growth. A complementation assay developed based on this novel mutant enables quick phenotypic screen of GPAT sequences. A high degree of specificity of our assay was exemplified by its ability to differentiate effectively GPAT-encoding genes from those of other fatty acyltransferases and lipid-related sequences. Using this assay, we show that Arabidopsis AtGPAT1, AtGPAT5, and AtGPAT7 can complement the phosphatidate biosynthetic defect in the double mutants. Collectively, our assay provides a powerful tool for rapid screening, validation and optimization of GPAT sequences, aiding future engineering of the initial step of the triacylglycerol biosynthesis in oilseeds.

[Sedimentary Characteristics and Sources of Organic Matter in Sediments of Dianchi Lake].

Sediment columns in the southeast and east of Dianchi Lake were taken as the object of the study to determine ages by 210 Pb dating method.The contents and sediment fluxes of total organic carbon (TOC) and n-alkanes of the sediments were investigated,and organic sources were tracked according to the relevant indexes of n-alkanes.The results indicated that TOC contents and sediment fluxes of two sampling sediments both presented an increasing trend on the whole;Sediment fluxes of n-alkanes varied as three stages:increasing period,decreasing period and re-increasing period.When the sediment fluxes of n-alkanes and TOC both went up,it showed that they had the same sources:sediments in the lake and carried by the rivers;From 1980s to the end of 20th century,sediment fluxes of n-alkanes were going down while those of TOC were going up.This result means there was a big difference in the sources of n-alkanes and TOC.The bacteria and algae in the lake made a great contribution to n-alkanes while TOC was mainly influenced by sediments in the lake and carried by the rivers.n-alkanes of the two sampling sites both ranged from C12 to C35.Based on the basic features and relevant indexes of n-alkanes,we proposed that emergent plants made big contributions to the sources of organic matter in the sediments of Dianchi Lake,simultaneously,bacteria and algae had significant contributions to the sources of organic matter in shallow depth of Dianchi Lake.

Blu-ray-sensitive localized surface plasmon resonance for high-density optical memory.

Tunable spectrum-response is desired for efficient photo-energy transformation. Blu-ray (~405 nm) and polarization sensitive Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite films are thus fascinating in application of fast-response and high-density optical memory device. The Ag/TiO2 film has the ability of replicating hologram based on optical coherence by laser-stimulated dissolution of Ag nanoparticles (NPs). The rate and efficiency of the dissolution are supposed to be enhanced by introducing uniform and small-sized Ag NPs in TiO2 nanoporous films. However, no effective methods have been proposed to resolve this issue by now. Here, we develop a simple method of thermal-reduction to obtain high-density, space-dispersed and extremely small-sized Ag NPs in TiO2 nanoporous films pretreated with tannic acid. The film shows both high and narrow absorbance band centered at ~405 nm. Diffraction efficiency of the blu-ray holographic storage in the Ag/TiO2 film is improved by one order of magnitude compared to the traditional UV-reduced sample. Based on such properties, polarization-multiplexing holograms are able to be written at 405 nm and readout with little crosstalk. This work provides effective solutions for sensitizing localized surface plasmon resonance at near-UV region, extending the growth range of Ag NPs in the volume of TiO2, and resultantly, realizing high-density optical memory.

[Distribution Characteristics of n-alkanes in Sediment Core and Implication of Environment in Different Lakes of Dianchi].

In order to study the composition and environment significance of the organic matter in Lake Dianchi, samples from two sediment cores from the northern and southern parts of the lake were collected in July, 2014. Meanwhile, the vertical distributions of total organiccarbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), n-alkanes fractions were investigated. The results showed that ① the concentrations of TOC and TN had been clearly increasing since the 1970s, which implied that the primary productivity of Lake Dianchi was continuously enhanced; ② The values of the parameter n-C27/n-C31, Paqand CPI indicated the alternation between herbs and woody plants from the bottom up in Lake Dianchi sediments. Besides, the high carbon number of organic matter in sediments mainly originated from endogenous submerged floating and large plants; ③ The index of C/N and distribution characteristics of n-alkanes suggested differences in the various sources of organic matter in different lakes. In detail, organic matter came from terrigenous organic matter of anthropogenic sources and endogenous bacteria in the sediments of northern Dianchi, while organic matter was derived from endogenous aquatic and terrestrial higher plants mixed source in the sediments of southern Dianchi. Finally, it is worthwhile to emphasize further research on organic matter in different lakes of Lake Dianchi.

The Clinical Relevance of Serum NDKA, NMDA, PARK7, and UFDP Levels with Phlegm-Heat Syndrome and Treatment Efficacy Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

According to the methods of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) based on the patient reports internationally and referring to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guide, some scholars developed this PRO of stroke which is consistent with China's national conditions, and using it the feel of stroke patients was introduced into the clinical efficacy evaluation system of stoke. "Ischemic Stroke TCM Syndrome Factor Diagnostic Scale (ISTSFDS)" and "Ischemic Stroke TCM Syndrome Factor Evaluation Scale (ISTSFES)" were by "Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (number 2003CB517102)." ISTSFDS can help to classify and diagnose the CM syndrome reasonably and objectively with application of syndrome factors. Six syndrome factors, internal-wind syndrome, internal-fire syndrome, phlegm-dampness syndrome, blood-stasis syndrome, qi-deficiency syndrome, and yin-deficiency syndrome, were included in ISTSFDS and ISTSFES. TCM syndrome factor was considered to be present if the score was greater than or equal to 10 according to ISTSFDS. In our study, patients with phlegm-heat syndrome were recruited, who met the diagnosis of both "phlegm-dampness" and "internal-fire" according to ISTSFDS. ISTSFES was used to assess the syndrome severity; in our study it was used to assess the severity of phlegm-heat syndrome (phlegm-heat syndrome scores = phlegm-dampness syndrome scores + internal-fire syndrome scores).

The function and properties of the transcriptional regulator COS1 in Magnaporthe oryzae.

The conidiophore stalk-less1 (COS1) gene encodes a novel transcription factor in Magnaporthe oryzae, and mutation of COS1 (M2942) resulted in developmental failure of conidiophores. COS1 putatively encodes a 491-amino-acid protein, which contains four multiple adjacent C2H2-type zinc-finger domains. The motifs are homologous to the zinc-finger protein Azf1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we report that the differences of expression profile between M2942 and the wild-type isolate Y34 by RNA-Sequence. DNA sequence analysis of promoter regions of those of COS1-dependent genes showed enrichment in the DNA sequence AAAAGAAA (A4GA3), the putative COS1-binding motif. Gel shift experiments showed that COS1 binds to DNA elements with A4GA3 motif. These suggest that many of the COS1-dependent transcripts may be regulated directly by COS1 binding.

Mesoporous zirconium phosphate from yeast biotemplate.

Mesoporous zirconium phosphate has attracted increasing interest due to its extraordinary functionalities. In particular, great progress has been made in the synthesis of mesoporous zirconium phosphate using traditional approaches. However, synthesis of mesoporous zirconium phosphate using yeast as biotemplate has not been well studied so far. Here, we show that zirconium phosphate with a mesoporous structure has been synthesized under ambient conditions using yeast as biotemplate. The derived samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and N(2) adsorption-desorption isotherms. A biotemplated mesoporous zirconium phosphate, possessing a specific surface area (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, BET) of 217.64 m(2) g(-1), a narrow pore distribution centered at 2.7 nm, and pore volume of 0.24 cm(3) g(-1), was obtained. We discover that amide carboxyl groups of yeast play an important role in the chemical interaction between protein molecules and zirconium phosphate nanoparticles. Interestingly, an air electrode fabricated using mesoporous zirconium phosphate exhibits remarkable electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), compared to that of the electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) air electrode employed commercially, which has important applications in fuel cell technologies.