One-Dimensional Crystal-Structure Te-Se Alloy for Flexible Shortwave Infrared Photodetector and Imaging.

Flexible shortwave infrared detectors play a crucial role in wearable devices, bioimaging, automatic control, etc. Commercial shortwave infrared detectors face challenges in achieving flexibility due to the high fabrication temperature and rigid material properties. Herein, we develop a high-performance flexible Te0.7Se0.3 photodetector, resulting from the unique 1D crystal structure and small elastic modulus of Te-Se alloying. The flexible photodetector exhibits a broad-spectrum response ranging from 365 to 1650 nm, a fast response time of 6 µs, a broad linear dynamic range of 76 dB, and a specific detectivity of 4.8 × 1010 Jones at room temperature. The responsivity of the flexible detector remains at 93% of its initial value after bending with a small curvature of 3 mm. Based on the optimized flexible detector, we demonstrate its application in shortwave infrared imaging. These results showcase the great potential of Te0.7Se0.3 photodetectors for flexible electronics.

Insight into the High Mobility and Stability of In2 O3 :H Film.

Wide bandgap semiconductors, particularly In2 O3 :Sn (ITO), are widely used as transparent conductive electrodes in optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, due to the strohave beenng scattering probability of high-concentration oxygen vacancy (VO ) defects, the mobility of ITO is always lower than 40 cm2  V-1  s-1 . Recently, hydrogen-doped In2 O3 (In2 O3 :H) films have been proven to have high mobility (>100 cm2  V-1  s-1 ), but the origin of this high mobility is still unclear. Herein, a high-resolution electron microscope and theoretical calculations are employed to investigate the atomic-scale mechanisms behind the high carrier mobility in In2 O3 :H films. It is found that VO can cause strong lattice distortion and large carrier scattering probability, resulting in low carrier mobility. Furthermore, hydrogen doping can simultaneously reduce the concentration of VO , which accounts for high carrier mobility. The thermal stability and acid-base corrosion mechanism of the In2 O3 :H film are investigated and found that hydrogen overflows from the film at high temperatures (>250 °C), while acidic or alkaline environments can cause damage to the In2 O3 grains themselves. Overall, this work provides insights into the essential reasons for high carrier mobility in In2 O3 :H and presents a new research approach to the doping and stability mechanisms of transparent conductive oxides.

Study of the growth mechanism of a self-assembled and ordered multi-dimensional heterojunction at atomic resolution.

Multi-dimensional heterojunction materials have attracted much attention due to their intriguing properties, such as high efficiency, wide band gap regulation, low dimensional limitation, versatility and scalability. To further improve the performance of materials, researchers have combined materials with various dimensions using a wide variety of techniques. However, research on growth mechanism of such composite materials is still lacking. In this paper, the growth mechanism of multi-dimensional heterojunction composite material is studied using quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) antimonene and quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) antimony sulfide as examples. These are synthesized by a simple thermal injection method. It is observed that the consequent nanorods are oriented along six-fold symmetric directions on the nanoplate, forming ordered quasi-1D/quasi-2D heterostructures. Comprehensive transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterizations confirm the chemical information and reveal orientational relationship between Sb2S3 nanorods and the Sb nanoplate as substrate. Further density functional theory calculations indicate that interfacial binding energy is the primary deciding factor for the self-assembly of ordered structures. These details may fill the gaps in the research on multi-dimensional composite materials with ordered structures, and promote their future versatile applications.

An Air-Rechargeable Zn Battery Enabled by Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Cathode.

Self-charging power systems collecting energy harvesting technology and batteries are attracting extensive attention. To solve the disadvantages of the traditional integrated system, such as highly dependent on energy supply and complex structure, an air-rechargeable Zn battery based on MoS2/PANI cathode is reported. Benefited from the excellent conductivity desolvation shield of PANI, the MoS2/PANI cathode exhibits ultra-high capacity (304.98 mAh g-1 in N2 and 351.25 mAh g-1 in air). In particular, this battery has the ability to collect, convert and store energy simultaneously by an air-rechargeable process of the spontaneous redox reaction between the discharged cathode and O2 from air. The air-rechargeable Zn batteries display a high open-circuit voltage (1.15 V), an unforgettable discharge capacity (316.09 mAh g-1 and the air-rechargeable depth is 89.99%) and good air-recharging stability (291.22 mAh g-1 after 50 air recharging/galvanostatic current discharge cycle). Most importantly, both our quasi-solid zinc ion batteries and batteries modules have excellent performance and practicability. This work will provide a promising research direction for the material design and device assembly of the next-generation self-powered system.

Maximizing Electron Channels Enabled by MXene Aerogel for High-Performance Self-Healable Flexible Electronic Skin.

Among the increasingly popular miniature and flexible smart electronics, two-dimensional materials show great potential in the development of flexible electronics owing to their layered structures and outstanding electrical properties. MXenes have attracted much attention in flexible electronics owing to their excellent hydrophilicity and metallic conductivity. However, their limited interlayer spacing and tendency for self-stacking lead to limited changes in electron channels under external pressure, making it difficult to exploit their excellent surface metal conductivity. We propose a strategy for rapid gas foaming to construct interlayer tunable MXene aerogels. MXene aerogels with rich interlayer network structures generate maximized electron channels under pressure, facilitating the effective utilization of the surface metal properties of MXene; this forms a self-healable flexible pressure sensor with excellent sensing properties such as high sensitivity (1,799.5 kPa-1), fast response time (11 ms), and good cycling stability (>25,000 cycles). This pressure sensor has applications in human body detection, human-computer interaction, self-healing, remote monitoring, and pressure distribution identification. The maximized electron channel design provides a simple, efficient, and scalable method to effectively exploit the excellent surface metal conduction of 2D materials.

Maximizing the ion accessibility and high mechanical strength in nanoscale ion channel MXene electrodes for high-capacity zinc-ion energy storage.

Two-dimensional transition-metal carbides (MXenes) have superhydrophilic surfaces and superior metal conductivity, making them competitive in the field of electrochemical energy storage. However, MXenes with layered structures are easily stackable, which reduces the ion accessibility and transport paths, thus limiting their electrochemical performance. To fully exploit the advantages of MXenes in electrochemical energy storage, this study reports the etching of large-sized MXene into nanosheets with nanoscale ion channels via a chemical oxidation method. While the resulting ion-channel MXene electrodes retain the excellent mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of large-sized MXene nanosheets, they can effectively shorten the ion transport distance and improve the overall electrochemical activity. The fabricated self-healing MXene-based zinc-ion microcapacitor exhibits a high areal specific capacitance (532.8 mF cm-2) at the current density of 2 mA cm-2, a low self-discharge rate (4.4 mV h-1), and high energy density of 145.1 µWh cm-2 at the power density of 2800 µW cm-2. The proposed nanoscale ion channel structure provides an alternative strategy for constructing high-performance electrochemical energy storage electrodes, and has great application prospects in the fields of electrochemical energy storage and flexible electronics.

A Zinc-Ion Battery-Type Self-Powered Pressure Sensor with Long Service Life.

Accurate and continuous pressure signal detection without external power supply is a key technology to realize the miniaturization of wearable electronic equipment, the internet of things, and artificial intelligence. However, it is difficult to be achieved by using current sensor technologies. Here, a new one-body strategy, i.e., zinc-ion battery pressure (ZIB-P) sensor technology, which designs the rechargeable solid-state ZIB itself as a flexible pressure sensor is reported. In the device, an isolation layer is introduced into the sandwich configuration solid-state battery to realize the change of device internal resistance by pressure during the transformation of the mechanical signal to the electrical signal. This battery pressure sensor possesses good flexibility, fast response/recovery time (76.0/88.0 ms), stable long-term response, excellent cycle stability (100 000 times), and wide pressure detection range (2.0 to 3.68 × 105  Pa). Especially, the excellent charge-discharge performance in the ZIB-P sensor endows it with the real-time detection ability of human vital signs (pulse, limb movement, etc.) and ultrahigh stability without degradation even under 100 000 times pressure stimulation. The ZIB-P sensor strategy provides a new solution for the future development of miniaturized wearable electronic devices.

From self-management to a systemized process: the implementation of lean management in a Chinese hospital's pharmacy intravenous admixture services center.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of lean leadership in an implementation in a Chinese hospital, considering a particular focus on the attitudes of nursing professionals while identifying specific cultural or institutional factors in China that might affect the implementation. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The authors use Harrison et al.'s (2016) framework to explore the outcomes of a nine-month action research project whereby the authors observed the process and outcomes of implementing lean in a pharmacy intravenous admixture service of a Chinese hospital. FINDINGS: The implementation of lean had positive results, which improved the efficiency of the operation, reduced the work start time and the amount of staff, and improved clinical satisfaction. In the process of implementation, nursing professionals showed a positive attitude toward the implementation and showed no obvious resistance under the positive influence of the head nurse. The combination of Chinese cultural characteristics, nursing culture and strong leadership enabled lean success. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The unit moved from self-management to a systemized process of using lean concepts and methods, it is an important change for hospital managers.

Application of EMA-qPCR as a complementary tool for the detection and monitoring of Legionella in different water systems.

Legionella are prevalent in human-made water systems and cause legionellosis in humans. Conventional culturing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques are not sufficiently accurate for the quantitative analysis of live Legionella bacteria in water samples because of the presence of viable but nonculturable cells and dead cells. Here, we report a rapid detection method for viable Legionella that combines ethidium monoazide (EMA) with quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and apply this method to detect Legionella in a large number of water samples from different sources. Results yielded that samples treated with 5 µg/ml EMA for 10 min and subsequently exposed to light irradiation for 5 min were optimal for detecting Legionella. EMA treatment before qPCR could block the signal from approximately 4 log(10) of dead cells. When investigating environmental water samples, the percent-positive rate obtained by EMA-qPCR was significantly higher than conventional PCR and culture methods, and slightly lower than qPCR. The bacterial count of Legionella determined by EMA-qPCR were mostly greater than those determined by culture assays and lower than those determined by qPCR. Acceptable correlations were found between the EMA-qPCR and qPCR results for cooling towers, piped water and hot spring water samples (r = 0.849, P < 0.001) and also found between the EMA-qPCR and culture results for hot spring water samples (r = 0.698, P < 0.001). The results indicate that EMA-qPCR could be used as a complementary tool for the detection and monitoring of Legionella in water systems, especially in hot spring water samples.