This work aimed to investigate the potential selective effects of nano-pulse stimulation (NPS) on adherent cancer and normal cells using impedance spectroscopy. A constant phase element was used to separate the impedance of electrode polarization from the overall measured impedance. Its amplitude was further related to cell-to-substrate distance, D cs, which describes the gap between cells and substrate

Heterostructure with a symmetry-mismatched interface provides a promising playground for the exploration of emergent phenomena. Herein, we report a systematic investigation on La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/YBaCo2O5+δ (LSMO/YBCO) grown on SrTiO3, a heterostructure formed by perovskite oxides of different symmetry. A high-resolution lattice image shows the formation of high-quality perovskite LSMO and A-site cation-ordered

Lattice transition materials can exist in two phases with different thermal conductivities. Because of this, phase change materials (PCMs) are considered as promising next-generation thermal rectifying materials. The performance of a thermal rectifier known as rectification factor (R) is evaluated by the ratio between the heat that preferentially flows in the forward direction and that in the reverse

Synaptic plasticity is a basic characteristic of synapses and plays an important role in the computation, learning and memory of human brain. Metaplasticity is a higher-order form of synaptic plasticity, which regulates the ability of synapses to generate synaptic plasticity and has a great regulating effect on later learning, memory and coping behaviors. At present, there are rarely reports on the

We systematically investigate the compositional uniformity, degree of strain relaxation (DSR), defect structure and surface morphology of GeSn epitaxial layers with 16% Sn, grown by low temperature molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Ge-buffered Si(001) substrates. Combining atom probe tomography, reciprocal space mapping, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy analyses

Surface potentials in chemically etched n- and p-GaInP2(100) are investigated by synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy at room and liquid-nitrogen temperatures. It is found that at low temperature the surface band bending in both n- and p-GaInP2(100) is reduced so that the surface bands become nearly flat. This effect is explained in the framework of semiconductor surface electrostatics

We describe a novel solid state crystallisation method for optimising a thin film transparent conductive oxide when deposited on flexible polymer substrates. The method is based on ultra-short non-thermal laser sintering of indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films. In this study, we used commercial ITO thin films deposited on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate with a relatively low melting temperature

In this paper, a miniaturized tri-band bandpass filter (BPF) is proposed with a pair of quarter-wavelength shunted-line stepped-impedance resonators (SLSIRs). The resonant characteristics, high design freedom and tuning relationship of multi-dimension parameters of SLSIR are studied and applied to the tri-band design. To obtain the great enhancement of skirt slope, multi-transmission zeros (multi-TZs)

Pulsed current–voltage characteristics have been measured for epitaxial SiC graphene under controlled lattice temperature conditions. The monolayer and AB stacked bilayer graphene is dry transferred on SiO2. The measured characteristics of two-terminal samples with coplanar electrodes demonstrate non-ohmic behaviour up to intermediate-high fields. At high currents thermal effects come into play and

CoO-NiO epitaxial bilayer system grown on MgO(001) substrate is investigated using x-ray magnetic linear dichroism (XMLD) spectroscopy with varying CoO overlayer thickness. An analysis of the Ni L 2 edge XMLD spectra using anisotropic XMLD formulation within a two-domain model reveals that the Ni moments undergo a spin reorientation with increasing CoO thickness. Such a spin reorientation is attributed

Epitaxial GaN films were grown on c-sapphire by rf magnetron reactive sputtering of GaAs at different partial pressures of nitrogen in Ar–N2 sputtering atmosphere. High-resolution x-ray diffraction and φ-scans reveal the mosaic growth of c-axis oriented, wurtzite GaN films. The c and a parameters were independently determined to obtain the corresponding in-plane and out-of-plane strain components.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials provide an intriguing means to not only study physical phenomena but also serve as disruptive membranes for ionic selectivity and sensing based applications. Atomic thinness of these materials affords a unique environment in an all-surface material to unlock challenges towards improving desalination, energy harvesting and DNA sensing. This review provides an overview

Wave demultiplexers transporting desired wavelengths towards proper directions or ports are attracting numerous interests and applications in both physical and engineering areas. In acoustics, there is still a lack of compact and simple designs to achieve demultiplexers in three-port systems. In this work, we propose such a design using Helmholtz resonators where the frequency selection is based on

Aerosol particles play an important role in atmospheric physical or chemical reactions. Charging of aerosol particles is also widely used in various engineering applications, such as electrical low-pressure impactors and differential mobility analyzers. In this paper, the charging process of nanometer-sized liquid aerosol particles in an atmospheric environment is studied theoretically and experimentally

In2S3 (β-In2S3), semiconducting chalcogenide with desirable physicochemical properties, has fascinated researchers in photoelectrochemistry. Because of its wide band gap, In2S3 can utilize solar energy below 600 nm. However, rapid photogenerated electron–hole recombination and low quantum efficiency have limited the practical application of In2S3 in this field. In a two-step in situ hydrothermal process

Artificial second harmonic generation (SHG) based on magnetic Lorentz force has attracted abundant attention from researchers because of the initial breakthrough in physics. It is still a challenging task to boost this type of SHG emission due to the relative lower efficiency and the specific polarization of artificial SHG. Here, we demonstrate an effective way to enhance the magnetic Lorentz force-based

Optical imaging systems play an extremely important role for humans in exploring the world, but the existence of chromatic aberration greatly reduces the imaging ability. Conventional optical systems require the combination of multiple lenses to reduce chromatic aberration, but such a solution is not conducive to the miniaturization and weight reduction of the optical system. In this paper, we design

Operation of semiconductor lasers in the 20–50 m wavelength range is hindered by strong non-radiative recombination in the interband laser diodes, and strong lattice absorption in GaAs-based quantum cascade structures. Here, we propose an electrically pumped laser diode based on multiple HgTe quantum wells with band structure engineered for Auger recombination suppression. Using a comprehensive model

We investigate magneto-optical rotation (MOR) of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the interface of a metal and a four-level atomic system. The MOR of SPPs can be controlled and modified with the intensity and frequency of the applied fields. We show the birefringence enhancement of the weak probe fields propagating through the atomic medium in the presence of the static magnetic field. The external

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) has become a viable candidate for certain types of high-power devices due to its large energy bandgap of 4.9 eV, which has attracted widespread attention. In particular, Ga2O3 nanowire structures have more unique properties due to its larger specific surface area for the high performance solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. In this work, the ultrafine Ga2O3 nanowire network

In this paper, the supporting capacity of a ferrofluids (FFs) ring bearing is investigated experimentally and numerically. The bearing consists of a floating plate, a substrate, and a FFs ring sandwiched between them. The FFs ring is formed and restrained by applying a ring magnet below the substrate. For a FFs ring with a thickness of 0.25 mm, the maximum supporting force is about 1.78 N. Numerical

Near ambient pressure x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) was used to study the chemical states of a range of alumina-supported monometallic Pd and bimetallic Pd–Pt nanocatalysts, under methane oxidation conditions. It has been suggested before that for optimal complete methane oxidation, palladium needs to be in an oxidised state. These experiments, combining NAP-XPS with a broad range of characterisation

Na–O2 batteries have been attracting attention owing to their intrinsically high theoretical energy density. Several Na–O2 systems can produce various discharge products with different electrochemical performances. For example, sodium superoxide (NaO2) batteries have a low overpotential, and sodium peroxide (Na2O2) batteries have a high capacity. Studies of Na2O2 batteries are relatively scarce, owing

In this work, we use photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) to monitor changes in the UV, blue, and green emission bands from n-type (010) Ga2O3 films grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy induced by annealing at different temperatures under O2 ambient. Annealing at successively higher temperatures decreases the overall PL yield and UV intensity at nearly the same rates, indicating the increase in

Two-dimensional van der Waals MnBi2n Te3n+1 (n = 1, 2, 3, 4) compounds have been recently found to be intrinsic magnetic topological insulators rendering quantum anomalous Hall effect and diverse topological states. Here, we summarize and compare the crystal and magnetic structures of this family, and discuss the effects of chemical composition on their magnetism. We found that a considerable fraction

Dielectric barrier discharges (DBDs) typically operate in the filamentary regime and thus exhibit great spatial and temporal non-uniformity. In order to optimize DBDs for various applications, such as in plasma catalysis, more fundamental insight is needed. Here, we consider how the millions of microdischarges, characteristic for a DBD, influence individual gas molecules. We use a Monte Carlo approach

Pulsed laser ablation of compound materials often occurs with delayed evaporation of a less volatile component; however, the effect of the delay on ablation plume expansion remains virtually unexplored. Here, we have performed an experimental and theoretical study of the delayed evaporation effect using an example of a plume produced by nanosecond laser ablation of a gold–silver alloy in a vacuum and

In computational models of atmospheric pressure surface barrier discharges (SBDs) the role of heating of the dielectric material and the quiescent gas is often neglected, impacting the accuracy of the calculated chemical kinetics. In this contribution, a two-dimensional fluid model of an SBD was developed and experimentally validated to determine the relative contribution of the dominant heat transfer

This paper presents the results of studying dispersed media formation during the electrical explosion of thin metal wires in vacuum by using low-current generators (∼1–10 kA). Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the composition and structure of the corresponding explosion products as well as to the problem of their visualization using simultaneous laser interferometry and shadow imaging

Frequency-dispersive impedance analysis of CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite is carried out under the external Direct current (DC) field to investigate the interplay of dielectric polarization and delocalized carrier transport. Switching of capacitance from positive to negative values is observed in the radio frequency range (42.1–42.5 MHz) for the external bias ranging from 0–4 V. The switching frequency outlined

The undoped BAlN electron-blocking layer (EBL) is investigated to replace the conventional AlGaN EBL in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Numerical studies of the impact of variously doped EBLs on the output characteristics of LEDs demonstrate that the LED performance shows heavy dependence on the p-doping level in the case of the AlGaN EBL, while it shows less dependence on the p-doping level for the

A multilayer graphene frequency doubler (GFD) with inductance–capacitor resonators (LCRs) and microstrip reflective stubs (MRS) is proposed in this paper. Graphene has strong nonlinear characteristics. Under the excitation of electromagnetic waves, the output power of odd harmonic of graphene is greater than that of even harmonic. Under the joint excitation of electromagnetic wave and bias voltage

Underwater images always suffer from low contrast and inaccurate colors due to scattering and absorption by particles when the target light propagates through turbid water. In this paper, we first found that a lot of intensity space is occupied by fewer pixels, called ‘tails’, on both sides of the histograms for the red, green and blue channels of the image. Based on this histogram attenuation prior

The effect of Co addition on magnetic hysteresis, martensitic transformation temperature, and magnetic entropy change of rapidly-quenched Mn50−x Co x Ni40In10 alloy nanomaterials has been investigated. The melt-spun Mn50Ni40In10 sample exhibits a small magnetic hysteresis which is further reduced by Co doping as measured between 0 and 2 T. The martensitic transformation temperature increases linearly

Magnetic damping of the free layer of CoFeB in the spin valve IrMn/CoFe/Cu/CoFeB with large exchange bias has been characterized by frequency-swept ferromagnetic resonance under a series of fixed magnetic fields. The damping constant shows little difference between the parallel and antiparallel magnetization configurations, consistent with the theoretical prediction. Remarkably, in the intermediate

Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) attract research interest owing to their unique physical and chemical properties. Among the family of TMDs, tungsten disulfide (WS2) has a unique band structure due to its semiconductor characteristics; namely, its broadband spectral response characteristics, ultra-fast bleach recovery time and excellent saturable light absorption. This article is a review of

A gradient refractive index design strategy is proposed for a flat lens, which can transform a wavefront by rectifying the local transmission phase. The designed lens is composed of two types of low-loss dielectrics with subwavelength gradient periodic structure and manufactured by 3D printing and computer controlled machining. The measured results of the near and far field agree well with those of

Manganites La0.93K0.07Mn1−x Cu x O3 prepared by the solid state reaction method at high temperature, were studied structurally and magnetically. The unit cell parameters, as well as bond length and the bond angle , were determined from the Rietveld refinement of the x-ray diffraction patterns. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analysis shows that Cu2+ substitution induces variations in the

We propose a convertible metamaterial device with triple-band and broad-band characteristics based on bulk Dirac semimetal (BDS) and vanadium dioxide (VO2). When VO2 is in the fully insulating state, the proposed convertible device presents three distinctive absorption peaks in terahertz (THz) range with absorptance >98%. Absorptance spectra analysis shows a clear independence on the conductivity of

Fuel cell and water electrolyzer technology have been intensively investigated in the last decades toward sustainable and renewable energy conversion systems. For improved device performance and service life, nanostructured electrocatalysts on electrode have been extensively developed based on the principle of structure-activity-stability correlation. However, overall device efficiency is seriously

Lead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with solution processability, low defect concentration, low cost and high output manufacturing have emerged as promising third-generation photovoltaic technologies. After an unprecedented speed of development, the power conversion efficiencies of small-area PSCs have exceeded 25%, and meanwhile large-scale perovskite modules are also on a rapid rise. At this

The paper ‘Understanding the behaviour of pulsed laser dry and wet micromachining processes by multi-phase smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) modeling’ by Muhammad et al published in 2013 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 46 095101, laid the foundation for SPH simulation of laser melting process including welding and selective laser melting. However, there are some inaccurate or inappropriate mathematical

In this work, dispersive wave propagation in plant leaves is studied using a long distance laser-based ultrasonic method. Guided waves traveling through and along the midrib, as well as in the lamina, are measured and analyzed via wave attenuation, characteristic diagram and dispersion curves. Additionally, an estimation of the leaf elastic properties using the Rayleigh–Lamb model, supported by thickness-resonance

To date, reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species have been regarded as the key factors causing the observable cellular death of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP)-treated cancer cells. The chemical basis of the conventional CAP treatment highlights apoptosis as the main CAP-triggered cell death mechanism. However, we recently demonstrated a strong anti-melanoma effect based on physically-based

We present a robust method of current peaks detection which can be easily applied to the atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge characterization. This method uses passive filters and is suitable for automation. The design of apparatus and challenges are discussed in detail. We present an adapted definition of ignition voltage suitable for our method and show its relevance on a large statistical

A refined method is proposed to analyze surface spreading phenomena along the gas flow lines in plane-to-plane Townsend dielectric barrier discharges (TDBDs) in nitrogen at atmospheric pressure. Current–voltage characteristics are recorded as a function of gas residence time using a recently-developed, fragmented-electrode system and the results are analyzed using an equivalent circuit model using

The shortcomings of mono-component systems e.g. the gapless nature of graphene, the lack of air-stability in phosphorene, etc, have drawn great attention toward stacked materials that are expected to show interesting electronic and optical properties. Using a tight-binding approach and a Green’s function method, we investigate the electronic properties of armchair-edged lateral phosphorene–graphene

Flexible magnetic sensors are attracting more and more attention because of their application in wearable devices. In this paper, Metglas/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) bilayer composite with good flexibility was fabricated to evaluate its applicability as a flexible in-plane magnetic sensor. The magnetoelectric (ME) coupling characteristics and sensing performance of the sample were investigated under

Several challenges in designing an operational skyrmion racetrack memory are well known. Among those challenges, a few contradictions can be identified if researchers are to rely only on metallic materials. Hence, expanding the exploration of skyrmion physics into oxide materials is essential to bridge the contradicting gap. In this topical review, we first briefly revise the theories and criteria

A systematic study of arc faulting between two cables in aeronautic conditions is performed and a power balance of the arc is realized. Electrical characteristics and radiative heat flux are recorded. The effect of the current mode (AC/DC), cable material and pressure is highlighted with the assessment of the power balance, which includes the mean power of the arc, power transferred to the cables that

A plasma scalpel is one of the few applications of plasma medicine widely used in the clinic, but its ignition mechanism is poorly understood. This paper investigates the ignition phase of a plasma scalpel by obtaining the electrical waveforms, vaporization dynamics, plasma production and the plasma spectrum. Additionally, equivalent circuit and physical models are proposed based on the results. Two

Atmospheric pressure plasmas generate a variety of chemically active species in open air, thus providing the unique ability to treat a variety of materials that do not require or are not compatible with vacuum systems. Producing the plasma-surface interaction that leads to a desired change in the substrate is complicated by the codependency between the plasma and the substrate: while the plasma will

Bandgap engineering of a-SiC:H thin films was carried out to assess the material light absorption without compromising its photoelectrochemical water splitting capabilities. The tailoring was performed by varying the hydrogen concentration in the semiconductor and by post-deposition isochronical annealing treatments from 100 C to 700 C. Bandgap values were obtained by fitting the fundamental absorption

The high theoretical capacity of tin antimony (SnSb) alloys in lithium storage has gained a great deal of attention with respect to its application inbattery anodes. , The unstable structure of this alloy in terms of cycling is a huge limitation for this material; however, this can be effectively exterminated by doping with intermetallics. This work reports the improved electrochemical charcteristics

Molten metal melt pools are characterised by highly non-linear responses, which are very sensitive to imposed boundary conditions. Temporal and spatial variations in the energy flux distribution are often neglected in numerical simulations of melt pool behaviour. Additionally, thermo-physical properties of materials are commonly changed to achieve agreement between predicted melt-pool shape and experimental

In this paper, we discuss the results from the two-dimensional computational investigation of the role of thermionic cathode emission in the formation of the negative (reverse) potential near the emissive cathode (LaB6 tablet). Two modes of discharge behavior are considered—high- and low-pressure modes. We show that the region of the negative potential (for that of the emitting cathode) is enclosed

The synthesis mechanism of cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanoparticles by atmospheric-pressure plasma electrolysis was investigated experimentally. In the plasma electrolysis system, a helium plasma in contact with an NaCl electrolyte was used as the cathode, while a copper plate which was partly immersed into the electrolyte was used as the counter electrode. X-ray powder diffraction, field-emission scanning

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with a range of dual metal gate (DMG) lengths have been fabricated and studied. An improvement in transconductance up to 9% has been measured in the DMG devices in comparison to the conventional single metal gate devices. This is attributed to the distribution of the electric field under the gate region as a result of two gate metals. The drain induced barrier

Circulators, as passive non-reciprocal devices, have excellent potential for application in wireless communication and radar-signal processing. However, the construction of terahertz (THz)-frequency circulators is extremely difficult. Here, an electromagnetic matching model for metamaterials is proposed to support the design of a THz circulator with a wider operating bandwidth. The resulting circulator

We performed large-scale micromagnetic simulations on core–shell particle systems for and nanocomposites, where both magnetically hard and soft materials were considered as the core or shell materials of these particles. A detailed analysis of the influence of structural properties and exchange core–shell coupling within the same particle on the magnetization reversal of a nanocomposite was carried