Novel Method to Achieve Temperature-Stable Microwave Dielectric Ceramics: A Case in the Fergusonite-Structured NdNbO4 System.

Microwave dielectric ceramics with permittivity (εr) ∼ 20 play an important role in massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology in 5G. Although fergusonite-structured materials with low dielectric loss are good candidates for 5G application, tuning the temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (TCF) remains a problem. In the present work, smaller V5+ ions (rV = 0.355 Å, with coordination number (CN) = 4) were substituted for Nb5+ (rNb = 0.48 Å with CN = 4) in the Nd(Nb1-xVx)O4 ceramics, which, according to in situ X-ray diffraction data, lowered the fergusonite-to-scheelite phase transition (TF-S) to 400 °C for x = 0.2. The thermal expansion coefficient (αL) of the high-temperature scheelite phase was +11 ppm/°C, whereas for the low-temperature fergusonite phase, it was + 14 < αL < + 15 ppm/°C. The abrupt change in αL, the associated negative temperature coefficient of permittivity (τε), and the minimum value of εr at TF-S resulted in a near-zero TCF ∼ (+7.8 ppm/°C) for Nd(Nb0.8V0.2)O4 (εr ∼ 18.6 and Qf ∼ 70,100 GHz). A method to design near-zero TCF compositions based on modulation of τε and αL at TF-S is thus demonstrated that may also be extended to other fergusonite systems.

Hofmann Metal-Organic Framework Monolayer Nanosheets as an Axial Coordination Platform for Biosensing.

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are remarkably attractive platform candidates for signal transduction through fluorescence resonance energy transfer or photo-induced electron-transfer pathway. In this work, a 2D Hofmann metal organic framework (hMOF) monolayer nanosheet was developed as an axial coordination platform for DNA detection via a ligand-to-metal charge-transfer quenching mechanism. Through modulating the position of phosphonate groups of rigid ligands, a layer-structured hMOF was synthesized. The single crystals showed that the adjacent layers were linked via hydrogen bonds between diethyl 4-pyridylphosphonate and the solvent. Furthermore, the 2D hMOF monolayer nanosheets were obtained easily via a top-down method. More significantly, the quenching mechanism was identified as an axial coordination between the open Fe2+ sites of hMOF nanosheets and fluorophores with 91% quenching efficiency, constituting an excellent signal transduction strategy. The smart use of hMOF monolayer nanosheets as an axial coordination platform could lead to promising applications in signal switching or/and sensing devices.

Comprehensive screening for multi-class veterinary drug residues and other contaminants in muscle using column-switching UPLC-MS/MS.

A quantitative multi-class analytical method covering more than 226 veterinary drugs and other contaminants in muscle, belonging to different drug families, was developed. The method is based on liquid-liquid extraction, purification by low-temperature clean-up and dispersive solid-phase extraction (D-SPE), and analysis was conducted in two analytical runs by column-switching UPLC coupled with electrospray ionisation and tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS). For most of the target analytes, the optimised pre-treatment processes led to no significant interference from the sample matrix. The limit of quantification varied from 0.05 to 10 µg kg(-1). Statistical evaluation indicated that average recoveries spiked into pork were in the range from 62.4% to 138.8%, and the relative standard deviations were in the range from 2.8% to 26.6% (intra-day precision). The availability of this method will contribute to a better safety assurance of meat with a significant reduction of both effort and time.