Optimize multilayer matching layer design for tone-burst underwater acoustic transducers.

In this study, a theoretical model has been constructed to address the optimization of matching layers for tone burst excitation underwater acoustic transducers and to investigate the functional mechanism change of matching layers. Single, double, and triple matching layers are attached to piezoelectric composite plates, and tone burst signals with a different number of burst-cycles are applied. Acoustic pressure function (Sp) and acoustic pressure transient response (PTR) are compared among these transducers. The results demonstrated that when the cycle number M ≤ 2, more matching layers lead to shorter ringdown with similar PTR amplitude. Since the objective is for better axial resolution, three matching layers have noticeable advantage, whereas for the case of M > 5, far detection distance is the main objective, and more matching layers caused the decrease in PTR amplitude. Besides, matching layers become part of the resonance structure; they do not serve as a transmission medium anymore. Therefore, the transducer with single matching is optimal for the long tone burst excitation. For the case of 2-5 cycle excitation, one may use double matching layers, which has a balance between the transmitting voltage response amplitude and bandwidth. With the increase in M, the role of matching layers changes from a bridging transmission medium to amplifying vibration velocity and introducing additional vibration modes to broaden the bandwidth.

Enhanced Piezoelectric Effect Derived from Grain Boundary in MoS2 Monolayers.

Recent discovery of piezoelectricity that existed in two-dimensional (2D) layered materials represents a key milestone for flexible electronics and miniaturized and wearable devices. However, so far the reported piezoelectricity in these 2D layered materials is too weak to be used for any practical applications. In this work, we discovered that grain boundaries (GBs) in monolayer MoS2 can significantly enhance its piezoelectric property. The output power of piezoelectric devices made of the butterfly-shaped monolayer MoS2 was improved about 50% by the GB-induced piezoelectric effect. The enhanced piezoelectricity is attributed to the additional piezoelectric effect induced by the existence of deformable GBs which can promote polarization and generates spontaneous polarization with different piezoelectric coefficients along various directions. We further made a flexible piezoelectric device based on the 2D MoS2 with the GBs and demonstrated its potential application in self-powered precision sensors for in situ detecting pressure changes in human blood for health monitoring.

Plasmonic Enhanced Reactive Oxygen Species Activation on Low-Work-Function Tungsten Nitride for Direct Near-Infrared Driven Photocatalysis.

Realizing near-infrared (NIR) driven photocatalytic reaction is one of the promising strategies to promote the solar energy utilization and photocatalytic efficiencies. However, effective reactive oxygen species (ROS) activation under NIR irradiation remains to be great challenge for nearly all previously reported photocatalysts. Herein, the cubic-phase tungsten nitride (WN) with strong plasmonic NIR absorption and low-work function (≈3.59 eV) is proved to be able to mediate direct ROS activation by both of experimental observation and theoretical simulation. The cubic WN nanocubes (NCs) are synthesized via the hydrothermal-ammonia nitridation process and its NIR-driven photocatalytic properties, including photocatalytic degradation, hydroxylation, and de-esterification, are reported for the first time in this work. The 3D finite element simulation results demonstrate the size dependent and wavelength tuned plasmonic NIR absorption of the WN NCs. The NIR-driven photocatalytic mechanism of WN NCs is proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculated electronic structure and facet dependent O2 (or H2 O) molecular activation, radicals scavenging test, spin trapped electron paramagnetic resonance measurements, and ultraviolet photoelectronic spectrum (UPS). Overall, the results in this work pave a way for the application of low-work-function materials as highly reactive NIR photocatalyst.

Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether mediated sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy on porphyromonas gingivalis in vitro.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME)-mediated sonodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (SACT) on Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). P. gingivalis (ATCC 33277) was used in the present study. The bacterial suspension was randomly divided into five groups: Group 1 was incubated for 2 h in the dark with HMME in various concentrations (10, 20, 30 and 40 µg/mL). Then exposed to 1 MHz ultrasound frequency with 3 W/cm2 ultrasound intensity for 10 min. Group 2 was incubated with 40 µg/mL HMME and then irradiated with 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min ultrasonic time. Group 3 received different HMME concentration (10, 20, 30 and 40 µg/mL) treatment alone with no ultrasound as the HMME control group. Group 4 received ultrasound treatment alone in different ultrasonic time (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 min) with no HMME as the ultrasound control group. Group 5 received no treatment as the no treatment control group. After the SACT, the bactericidal effect was determined by the colony forming unit assay. The intracellular content of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected using the laser scanning confocal microscope based on DCFH-DA. 4.7 lg reduction in CFU, When P. gingivalis was treated with ultrasound (3 W/cm2 for 10 min) at 40 µg/mL HMME concentration (P < 0.01). The intracellular ROS in SDT group had a significant difference in comparison with the no treatment control group (P < 0.01). HMME mediated SACT can be a potential antibacterial therapy to significantly inhibit P. gingivalis growth.

Two-Dimensional van der Waals Materials with Aligned In-Plane Polarization and Large Piezoelectric Effect for Self-Powered Piezoelectric Sensors.

Piezoelectric two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals (vdWs) materials are highly desirable for applications in miniaturized and flexible/wearable devices. However, the reverse-polarization between adjacent layers in current 2D layered materials results in decreasing their in-plane piezoelectric coefficients with layer number, which limits their practical applications. Here, we report a class of 2D layered materials with an identical orientation of in-plane polarization. Their piezoelectric coefficients (e22) increase with layer number, thereby allowing for the fabrication of flexible piezotronic devices with large piezoelectric responsivity and excellent mechanical durability. The piezoelectric outputs can reach up to 0.363 V for a 7-layer α-In2Se3 device, with a current responsivity of 598.1 pA for 1% strain, which is 1 order of magnitude higher than the values of the reported 2D piezoelectrics. The self-powered piezoelectric sensors made of these newly developed 2D layered materials have been successfully used for real-time health monitoring, proving their suitability for the fabrication of flexible piezotronic devices due to their large piezoelectric responses and excellent mechanical durability.

Bactericidal effects of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether-mediated blue-light photodynamic therapy against Staphylococcus aureus.

The implementation of photodynamic therapy (PDT) usually uses red light as the excitation source to obtain a deeper penetration depth. However, for some superficial infectious diseases, using red-light PDT may damage the normal tissues underneath. If we choose a shorter wavelength light, then the effect of PDT can be limited to the superficial region. This study assessed the effect of blue-light PDT against Staphylococcus aureus. The absorption of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) by S. aureus was investigated using fluorescence spectroscopy. The bactericidal effects of HMME, light alone, and PDT using blue light (405 nm) on S. aureus were studied. The results indicate that the HMME uptake by S. aureus rapidly reached a certain value, then steadily increased with time in the range of 0-80 min, and thenreached a plateau at 80 min before a slow decline afterward. Without light irradiation, less than 2 µg ml-1 HMME showed no bactericidal effect on S. aureus. Without HMME, blue-light at a power density of 20 mW cm-2 had no significant bactericidal effect for 0.5 min to 10 min. When 2 µg ml-1 of HMME was combined with blue-light (20 mW cm-2), the bactericidal effect showed a reduction of 3 log10 with the extension of irradiation time. These results demonstrated that bacteria have the ability to absorb HMME, and HMME-mediated blue-light PDT can effectively kill the bacteria, which laid the foundation for blue-light PDT as a non-invasive treatment for superficial infectious diseases.

Effects of palmatine hydrochloride mediated photodynamic therapy on oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor, accounting for about 7% of all malignant tumors. Palmatine hydrochloride (PaH) is the alkaloid constituent of Fibraurea tinctoria Lour. The present study aims to investigate the antitumor effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with PaH (PaH-PDT) on human OSCC cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicate that PaH-PDT exhibited a potent phototoxic effect in cell proliferation and produced cell apoptosis. PaH-PDT increased the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and decreased the CDK2 and Cyclin E1 protein level. In addition, PaH-PDT markedly increased the generation of intracellular ROS, which can be suppressed using the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Furthermore, PaH-PDT increased the expression of p53 protein in vitro and in vivo. In vivo experiments revealed that the PaH-PDT resulted in an effective inhibition of tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. Moreover, no obvious signs of side effects or a drop in body weight was observed. These results suggested that PaH was a promising sensitizer that can be combined with light to produce significant anti-tumor effects in oral squamous cell carcinoma via enhanced ROS production and up-regulated expression of p53.

Defect dynamics in clusters of self-propelled rods in circular confinement.

Rod-shaped active micro/nano-particles, such as bacterial and bipolar metallic micro/nano-motors, demonstrate novel collective phenomena far from the equilibrium state compared to passive particles. We apply a simulation approach --dissipative particle dynamics (DPD)-- to explore the collectively ordered states of self-propelled rods (SPRs). The SPRs are confined in a finite circular zone and repel each other when two rods touch each other. It is found that for a long enough rods system, the global vortex patterns, dynamic pattern oscillation between hedgehog pattern and vortex pattern, and hedgehog patterns are observed successively with increasing active force Fa. For the vortex pattern, the total interaction energy between the rods U is linear with active force Fa, i.e., U ∼ Fa . While the relation U ∼ Fa2 is obtained for the hedgehog structure. It is observed that a new hedgehog pattern with one defect core is created by two ejections of polar cluster in opposite directions from the original hedgehog pattern, and then merges into one through the diffusion of the two aggregates, i.e., the creation and annihilation of topological charges.

Correction: Wang, Y.; et al. Magnesium Alloy Matching Layer for High-Performance Transducer Applications. Sensors 2018, 18, 4424.

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: [...].

Vertical MoSe2-MoO x p-n heterojunction and its application in optoelectronics.

The hybrid n-type 2D transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD)/p-type oxide van der Waals (vdW) heterojunction nanosheets consist of 2D layered MoSe2 (the n-type 2D material) and MoO x (the p-type oxide) which are grown on SiO2/Si substrates for the first time via chemical vapor deposition technique, displaying the regular hexagon structures with the average length dimension of sides of ∼8 µm. Vertical MoSe2-MoO x p-n heterojunctions demonstrate obviously current-rectifying characteristic, and it can be tuned via gate voltage. What is more, the photodetector based on vertical MoSe2-MoO x heterojunctions displays optimal photoresponse behavior, generating the responsivity, detectivity, and external quantum efficiency to 3.4 A W-1, 0.85 × 108 Jones, and 1665.6%, respectively, at V ds = 5 V with the light wavelength of 254 nm under 0.29 mW cm-2. These results furnish a building block on investigating the flexible and transparent properties of vdW and further optimizing the structure of the devices for better optoelectronic and electronic performance.

Oxygen vacancy induces self-doping effect and metalloid LSPR in non-stoichiometric tungsten suboxide synergistically contributing to the enhanced photoelectrocatalytic performance of WO3-x/TiO2-x heterojunction.

A WO3-x/TiO2-x nanotube array (NTA) heterojunction photoanode was strategically designed to improve photoelectrocatalytic (PEC) performance by establishing a synergistic vacancy-induced self-doping effect and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of metalloid non-stoichiometric tungsten suboxide. The WO3-x/TiO2-x NTA heterojunction photoanode was synthesized through a successive process of anodic oxidation to form TiO2 nanotube arrays, magnetron sputtering to deposit metalloid WO3-x, and post-hydrogen reduction to engender oxygen vacancy in TiO2-x as well as crystallization. On the merits of such a synergistic effect, WO3-x/TiO2-x shows higher light-harvesting ability, stronger photocurrent response, and resultant improved photoelectrocatalytic performance than the contrast of WO3-x/TiO2, WO3/TiO2 and TiO2, confirming the importance of oxygen vacancies in improving PEC performance. Theoretical calculation based on density functional theory was applied to investigate the electronic structural features of samples and reveal how the oxygen vacancy determines the optical property. The carrier density tuning mechanism and charge transfer model were considered to be associated with the synergistic effect of self-doping and metalloid LSPR effect in the WO3-x/TiO2-x NTA.

Magnesium Alloy Matching Layer for High-Performance Transducer Applications.

In this paper, we report the use of magnesium alloy (AZ31B) as the matching material for PZT-5H ultrasonic transducers. The AZ31B has an acoustic impedance of 10.3 MRayl, which provides a good acoustic impedance match for PZT-5H ultrasonic transducers in water medium based on the double matching layer theory. Two PZT-5H transducers with different center frequencies were designed and fabricated using the AZ31B. The respective center frequencies of the two fabricated transducers were 4.6 MHz and 9.25 MHz. The 4.6 MHz transducer exhibits a -6 dB bandwidth of 79% and two-way insertion loss of -11.11 dB. The 9.25 MHz transducer also shows good performance: -6 dB bandwidth of 71% and two-way insertion loss of -14.43 dB. The properties of the two transducers are superior to those of transducers using a composite matching layer, indicating that the magnesium alloy may be a promising alternative for high-performance transducers.

Fluorescence intensity ratio thermometer methodology of eliminating the "decoupling" effect of a pair of thermally coupled energy levels of rare-earth ions.

By separating the thermal and nonradiative relaxation population, the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of a pair of thermally coupled energy levels of rare-earth ion is reformulated. For a pair of thermally coupled levels, if the ratio of the thermal population in the upper level to the total population of the lower level abides by the Boltzmann distribution law, the general FIR would be modulated by the proportion of the total population to the thermal population in the upper level. By defining the reciprocal of the proportion as the thermal population degree (η), the product ηFIR will follow the pure Boltzmann distribution law. Considering the fluorescent transient process, the η values may be obtained from the weights of the fluorescent dynamic components of the upper level. A method to calculate this η factor is presented.

Precise determination on the upconversion processes of the ultraviolet upconversion fluorescence of Ho3+-doped Y2O3 ceramic by excitation of a 532-nm continuous-wave laser.

Aiming at developing a Ho3+-based continuous-wave ultraviolet laser, the method of determining the weight of the excited-state absorption (ESA) process occupied in the populating of the D33 level is studied. Using the rate equation model, the weight is found to be related to the weighting factors of the double-exponential decay components of the D33 level. Using time-resolved spectroscopy, the weight of the ESA process for Y2O3 ceramic doped with 0.1 mol. % Ho3+ is experimentally determined to be 83%. Furthermore, the fluorescence dynamic properties of the Ho3+-doped Y2O3 ceramic with different doping concentrations were analyzed, and the weight was found to decrease with the doping concentration but by no less than 70%.

Photophysical properties, singlet oxygen generation efficiency and cytotoxic effects of aloe emodin as a blue light photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy in dermatological treatment.

Conventional photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses red light for deeper penetration. A natural compound, aloe emodin (AE) with anticancer and photosensitising capabilities, excited by blue light, is proposed to treat superficial diseases. The photophysical properties and singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ) of AE, as well as the cytotoxic effects of AE on human cells, were investigated. The absorption and emission spectra of AE were analyzed. The ΦΔ of AE was measured by a relative method. In order to study the relationship between ΦΔ and the oxygen concentration, the dependence of ΦΔ on the oxygen concentration was investigated. The cytotoxic effects of AE alone and AE-mediated PDT were compared. The relationship between cells' survival rate and PDT conditions was studied. According to spectral analysis, the energy levels of AE were identified. The maximum absorption peak of AE is in the blue region, which makes AE-mediated PDT suitable for superficial diseases. The ΦΔ of AE was determined to be 0.57(2), which was found to be dependent on the oxygen concentration. The studies under low oxygen concentration proved that there is no type I reaction between AE and the probe for singlet oxygen detection. The effect of AE-mediated PDT was significantly higher than that of AE alone and increased with the concentration of AE or fluence. AE-mediated PDT can provide a new strategy to treat superficial diseases using blue light, thus protecting deeper normal tissues.

High-Frequency Ultrasonic Imaging with Lead-free (Na,K)(Nb,Ta)O3 Single Crystal.

Lead-free (Na,K)(Nb,Ta)O3 (KNNT) piezoelectric single crystal has been successfully grown using the top-seeded solution growth technique. The electromechanical coupling factors are very high ( k33 = 0.827, kt = 0.646), and the dielectric loss tangent is as low as 0.004. Acoustic impedance was calculated to be 26.5 MRayl. From the single crystal, a single element transducer was fabricated. The transducer achieved a 57.6% -6 dB bandwidth and 32.3 µm axial resolution at the center frequency of 45.4 MHz, which can identify the cornea of porcine eyeball with high resolution. Comparison between KNNT single crystal and lead-based single crystal was discussed. The results suggest that this single crystal transducer is an excellent candidate to replace lead-containing transducer for high-frequency ultrasonic imaging applications.

Determination of temperature dependence of full matrix material constants of PZT-8 piezoceramics using only one sample.

Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was used to determine the temperature dependence of full matrix material constants of PZT-8 piezoceramics from room temperature to 100 °C. Property variations from sample to samples can be eliminated by using only one sample, so that data self-consistency can be guaranteed. The RUS measurement system error was estimated to be lower than 2.35%. The obtained full matrix material constants at different temperatures all have excellent self-consistency, which can help accurately predict device performance at high temperatures using finite element simulations.

Valley-to-peak intensity ratio thermometry based on the red upconversion emission of Er3+.

Upon 976 nm diode laser excitation, the temperature dependence of the red upconversion emission of Er3+ in CaWO4:Yb3+/Er3+ phosphor was studied from 298 to 478 K. The spectrum was verified to consist of two Stark components originating from two Stark sublevels of 4F9/2 excited state to 4I15/2 ground state of Er3+. The valley-to-peak intensity ratio (VPR) of this double-peak spectrum was found to increase linearly with the rise of temperature. The maximum relative sensitivity of this VPR method was obtained to be about 0.20% K-1 at 298 K. Moreover, a study on the power dependence was also performed, suggesting that VPR method is immune to the pump power and is thus suitable for monitoring the temperature.

Influence of phase transitions on green fluorescence intensity ratio in Er3+ doped K0.5Na0.5NbO3 ceramic.

The fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) method is a non-contact temperature (T) measurement technique based on thermally coupled levels of rare earth ions in a doped host. Green fluorescence originating from 2H11/2 and 4S3/2 states of Er3+ doped K0.5Na0.5NbO3 (KNN) ceramic are studied in the temperature range of 300 K to 720 K. The fluorescence intensities change dramatically around phase transition points where the crystal symmetry changes, inducing deviation of the FIR from Boltzmann's law. The temperature determined by the FIR method deviates from thermocouple measurements by 7 K at the orthorhombic to tetragonal phase transition (TO-T) point and 13 K at the Curie point (TC). This finding gives guidance for developing fluorescent T sensors with ferroelectrics and may also provide a fluorescent method to detect phase transitions in ferroelectric materials.

Small molecule inhibitor of c-Met (PHA665752) suppresses the growth of ovarian cancer cells and reverses cisplatin resistance.

c-Met as a tyrosine-kinase receptor plays a major role in tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastatic spread of human tumors, including ovarian cancer. Expressing high levels of c-Met proteins is often associated with resistance to chemotherapy and an adverse prognosis. In this study, we have determined the effect of PHA665752, a small molecule inhibitor of c-Met proteins, with and without cisplatin and the role of c-Met in several ovarian cancer cell lines having high c-Met expression. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay was used to detect cell proliferation, and apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Western blotting was carried out to determine protein expression levels. Gene silencing was used to detect the influence of c-Met gene silence on the resistance to cisplatin. Compared to more sensitive ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3 and 3AO, we found that the expression of c-Met was significantly increased in SKOV3(DDP), OVCAR3, and OV-90 ovarian cancer cell lines, which were resistant to cisplatin. Our data indicated that cisplatin sustained activated phosphor-Met in SKOV3(DDP), OVCAR3, and OV-90 cell lines. We also observed a significant transient activation of c-Met phosphorylation in SKOV3 and 3AO cells. Treatment with PHA665752 inhibited c-Met expression inhibited cell growth, induced apoptosis, and enhanced cisplatin-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in c-Met over-expressed cell lines. In addition, blocking c-Met expression with small interfering RNA (siRNA) overcame the resistance of cancer cells to cisplatin. Thus, blocking c-Met expression presents a promising therapeutic approach for ovarian cancer.