Substrate-Induced Anisotropic Growth of CuAlO2 Platelets in a Liquid-Solid Reaction.

This study reports a simplified method to grow CuAlO2 crystals of submillimeter sizes with a highly anisotropic shape of a platelet. The solid-state reaction of forming CuAlO2 at ca. 1373 K in the first stage of the conventional flux method is no longer required. The CuAlO2 platelets nucleated directly onto the (0001)sapphire surface in a melt of Cu2O saturated with Al2O3 at 1473 K. The excess flux was mostly removed by the capped alumina plate on cooling with a limited amount of residue which can be leached afterward. The CuAlO2 platelets all have a 3R crystal structure with no line and planar defects observed by TEM. The CuAlO2 crystals emit a luminescence at 3.49 eV associated with resonant Raman effect resulted from a band-to-band transition in room-temperature PL measurement. The facile fabrication method for growing highly anisotropic CuAlO2 crystals paves the way for their practical application in photoelectrochemical devices.

Design and Ballistic Performance of Hybrid Plates Manufactured from Aramid Composites for Developing Multilayered Armor Systems.

In this study, the impact resistance of aramid fabric reinforced with shear thickening fluids (STFs), epoxy or polyurea elastomers is examined through ballistic tests. According to the ballistic test results, the aramid composite structure treated with polyurea elastomers absorbs the most impact energy per unit area density and has the best impact resistance. However, the occurrence of stress concentration during ballistic impact reduces the impact resistance of the aramid composite structure treated with epoxy. On the other hand, aramid fabric impregnated with STF improves structural protection, but it also increases the weight of the composite structure and reduces the specific energy absorption (SEA). The results of this study analyze the energy absorption properties, deformation characteristics, and damage modes of different aramid composites, which will be of interest to future researchers developing next-generation protective equipment.

Preparation and Ballistic Performance of a Multi-Layer Armor System Composed of Kevlar/Polyurea Composites and Shear Thickening Fluid (STF)-Filled Paper Honeycomb Panels.

In this study, the ballistic performance of armors composed of a polyurea elastomer/Kevlar fabric composite and a shear thickening fluid (STF) structure was investigated. The polyurea used was a reaction product of aromatic diphenylmethane isocyanate (A agent) and amine-terminated polyether resin (B agent). The A and B agents were diluted, mixed and brushed onto Kevlar fabric. After the reaction of A and B agents was complete, the polyurea/Kevlar composite was formed. STF structure was prepared through pouring the STF into a honeycomb paper panel. The ballistic tests were conducted with reference to NIJ 0101.06 Ballistic Test Specification Class II and Class IIIA, using 9 mm FMJ and 44 magnum bullets. The ballistic test results reveal that polyurea/Kevlar fabric composites offer better impact resistance than conventional Kevlar fabrics and a 2 mm STF structure could replace approximately 10 layers of Kevlar in a ballistic resistant layer. Our results also showed that a high-strength composite laminate using the best polyurea/Kevlar plates combined with the STF structure was more than 17% lighter and thinner than the conventional Kevlar laminate, indicating that the high-strength protective material developed in this study is superior to the traditional protective materials.

Submicron spatial resolution optical coherence tomography for visualising the 3D structures of cells cultivated in complex culture systems.

Three-dimensional (3D) configuration of in vitro cultivated cells has been recognised as a valuable tool in developing stem cell and cancer cell therapy. However, currently available imaging approaches for live cells have drawbacks, including unsatisfactory resolution, lack of cross-sectional and 3D images, and poor penetration of multi-layered cell products, especially when cells are cultivated on semitransparent carriers. Herein, we report a prototype of a full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) system with isotropic submicron spatial resolution in en face and cross-sectional views that provides a label-free, non-invasive platform with high-resolution 3D imaging. We validated the imaging power of this prototype by examining (1) cultivated neuron cells (N2A cell line); (2) multilayered, cultivated limbal epithelial sheets (mCLESs); (3) neuron cells (N2A cell line) and mCLESs cultivated on a semitransparent amniotic membrane (stAM); and (4) directly adherent colonies of neuron-like cells (DACNs) covered by limbal epithelial cell sheets. Our FF-OCT exhibited a penetrance of up to 150 µm in a multilayered cell sheet and displayed the morphological differences of neurons and epithelial cells in complex coculture systems. This FF-OCT is expected to facilitate the visualisation of cultivated cell products in vitro and has a high potential for cell therapy and translational medicine research.

A Universal Electron-Transporting/Exciton-Blocking Material for Blue, Green, and Red Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs).

Three m-terphenyl oxadiazole derivatives, 3,3″-bis(5-(pyridin-4-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-1,1':3',1″-terphenyl (4PyOXD), 3,3″-bis(5-(pyridin-3-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-1,1':3',1″-terphenyl (3PyOXD), and 3,3″-bis(5-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-1,1':3',1″-terphenyl (PhOXD), were synthesized. They exhibit relatively high electron mobilities compared with those of known electron-transport materials such as TAZ, BAlq, and BCP+Alq3. These materials were then utilized as electron transporters and hole/exciton blockers for blue, green, and red phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes. The devices exhibited reduced driving voltages, very high efficiency, and negligible roll-off. More importantly, among these three oxadiazole derivatives, PhOXD performed as an ideal electron-transporting material for the blue, green, and red devices with excellent external quantum efficiencies (EQEs, >26%) as well as current and power efficiencies. Using these materials as an electron-transporting/exciton-blocking layer, low roll-off was achieved for the devices, indicative of excellent confinement of the triplet excitons in the emitting layer even at high current densities. At the normal operation brightness of 1000 cd m(-2), the EQEs remained >21.3% for these basic color devices. In addition, the relationships between physical properties and structures of the molecules such as the electron mobility, triplet energy gap, and efficiency can be clearly rationalized.

Rh(III)-catalyzed dual directing group assisted sterically hindered C-H bond activation: a unique route to meta and ortho substituted benzofurans.

A new strategy for the synthesis of highly substituted benzofurans from meta-substituted hydroxybenzenes and alkynes via a rhodium(III)-catalyzed activation of a sterically hindered C-H bond is demonstrated. A possible mechanism involving dual directing group assisted ortho C-H bond activation is proposed.

Microstructure of non-polar GaN on LiGaO2 grown by plasma-assisted MBE.

We have investigated the structure of non-polar GaN, both on the M - and A-plane, grown on LiGaO2 by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The epitaxial relationship and the microstructure of the GaN films are investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The already reported epi-taxial relationship and for M -plane GaN is confirmed. The main defects are threading dislocations and stacking faults in both samples. For the M -plane sample, the density of threading dislocations is around 1 × 1011 cm-2 and the stacking fault density amounts to approximately 2 × 105 cm-1. In the A-plane sample, a threading dislocation density in the same order was found, while the stacking fault density is much lower than in the M -plane sample.

Current development and patents on high-brightness white LED for illumination.

In this paper, we reviewed the current development and patents for the application of high-brightness and high-efficiency white light-emitting diode (LED). The high-efficiency GaN nanostructures, such as disk, pyramid, and rod were grown on LiAlO(2) substrate by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy, and a model was developed to demonstrate the growth of the GaN nanostructures. Based on the results, the GaN disk p-n junction was designed for the application of high brightness and high efficiency white LED.