Deformation and Failure of Supported Five-Fold Twinned Silver Nanowires under Tensile, Compressive, and Cyclic Loading.

Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks have emerged as one of the most promising materials for flexible transparent conductive electrodes. These wires offer excellent electrical, optical, and mechanical properties and can be applied using low-cost printing techniques with the potential for upscaling. To elucidate the mechanical properties of nanowire networks for use in flexible electronics, it is essential to first characterize the behavior of individual wires adhered to the polymer surface under mechanical loading of the polymer.

Reductive Treatment of Ga-Pt-Supported Catalytically Active Liquid Metal Solutions (SCALMS) for Propane Dehydrogenation.

A comprehensive investigation of the impact of hydrogen (H) pretreatments on Ga-Pt supported catalytic active liquid metal solution (SCALMS) for propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is reported. Our approach bridges from model system investigations to real-world catalytic systems, which are tested in continuously operating PDH reactors. The microscopic and spectroscopic findings on model Ga-Pt systems suggest changes in the electronic structure and surface chemistry during SCALMS sample oxidation and H pretreatment, indicating potential modifications of the active sites involved in PDH.

Correlative and Microscopy Investigation of Phase Transformation, Crystal Growth, and Degradation of Antimony Sulfide Thin Films.

Antimony sulfide (SbS), a compound of earth-abundant elements with a highly anisotropic, quasi-layered crystal structure, has triggered growing interest as a solar absorber in photovoltaics and as a phase-change material in memory devices. However, challenges remain in achieving high-quality thin films with controlled nucleation and growth for optimal performance. Here, we investigate the phase transformation, crystal structure and properties, as well as the growth and degradation of atomic layer-deposited SbS thin films using TEM and correlative analysis.

Cation Vacancies in Ti-Deficient TiO Nanosheets Enable Highly Stable Trapping of Pt Single Atoms for Persistent Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

The stabilization of single-atom catalysts on semiconductor substrates is pivotal for advancing photocatalysis. TiO, a widely employed photocatalyst, typically stabilizes single atoms at oxygen vacancies-sites that are accessible but prone to agglomeration under illumination. Here, we demonstrate that cation vacancies in Ti-deficient TiO nanosheets provide highly stable anchoring sites for Pt single atoms, enabling persistent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

p-Type TiO Nanotubes: Quantum Confinement and Pt Single Atom Decoration Enable High Selectivity Photocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia.

We synthesize p-type TiO nanotubes that allow band-gap adjustment by quantum confinement. These tubes therefore enable reductive photocatalytic reactions that are not thermodynamically possible on classic titania photocatalysts. Here, we demonstrate the direct photocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia without any need of hole scavengers.

Ultrathin Ti-Deficient TiO Nanosheets with Pt Single Atoms Enable Efficient Photocatalytic Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia.

Ti-deficient TiO nanosheets derived from lepidocrocite-type titanate delamination show a p-type conductivity with a band gap widened by the quantum confinement effect to 3.7 eV. This shift in the extended band positions─and thus in the electron transfer level─allows a direct photocatalytic nitrate reduction to ammonia without the use of any hole scavengers; this in contrast to classic TiO.

Single Atom Sites in Ga-Ni Supported Catalytically Active Liquid Metal Solutions (SCALMS) for Selective Ethylene Oligomerization.

Supported catalytically active liquid metal solutions (SCALMS) are materials composed of a liquid metal alloy deposited on a porous support. Due to the dynamic properties of the liquid metal alloy, these systems are suggested to form single atom sites, resulting in unique catalytic properties. Ga-Ni SCALMS were successfully applied to ethylene oligomerization, yielding catalysts that were stable up to 120 h time on stream.

Pt Single Atoms Loaded on Thin-Layer TiO Electrodes: Electrochemical and Photocatalytic Features.

Recently, the use of Pt in the form of single atoms (SA) has attracted considerable attention to promote the cathodic hydrogen production reaction from water in electrochemical or photocatalytic settings. First, produce suitable electrodes by Pt SA deposition on Direct current (DC)-sputter deposited titania (TiO) layers on graphene-these electrodes allow to characterization of the electrochemical properties of Pt single atoms and their investigation in high-resolution HAADF-STEM. For Pt SAs loaded on TiO, electrochemical H evolution shows only a very small overpotential.

Photodeposition-Based Synthesis of TiO@IrO Core-Shell Catalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis with Low Iridium Loading.

The widespread application of green hydrogen production technologies requires cost reduction of crucial elements. To achieve this, a viable pathway to reduce the iridium loading in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is explored. Herein, a scalable synthesis method based on a photodeposition process for a TiO@IrO core-shell catalyst with a reduced iridium content as low as 40 wt.

Light-Induced Agglomeration of Single-Atom Platinum in Photocatalysis.

With recent advances in the field of single-atoms (SAs) used in photocatalysis, an unprecedented performance of atomically dispersed co-catalysts has been achieved. However, the stability and agglomeration of SA co-catalysts on the semiconductor surface may represent a critical issue in potential applications. Here, the photoinduced destabilization of Pt SAs on the benchmark photocatalyst, TiO , is described.

Maternal and perinatal obesity induce bronchial obstruction and pulmonary hypertension via IL-6-FoxO1-axis in later life.

Obesity is a pre-disposing condition for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and pulmonary arterial hypertension. Accumulating evidence suggests that metabolic influences during development can determine chronic lung diseases (CLD). We demonstrate that maternal obesity causes early metabolic disorder in the offspring.

Sub-Kelvin thermometry for evaluating the local temperature stability within in situ TEM gas cells.

In situ TEM utilizing windowed gas cells is a promising technique for studying catalytic processes, wherein temperature is one of the most important parameters to be controlled. Current gas cells are only capable of temperature measurement on a global (mm) scale, although the local temperature at the spot of observation (µm to nm scale) may significantly differ. Thus, local temperature fluctuations caused by gas flow and heat dissipation dynamics remain undetected when solely relying on the global device feedback.

As a single atom Pd outperforms Pt as the most active co-catalyst for photocatalytic H evolution.

Here, we evaluate three different noble metal co-catalysts (Pd, Pt, and Au) that are present as single atoms (SAs) on the classic benchmark photocatalyst, TiO. To trap the single atoms on the surface, we introduced controlled surface vacancies (Ti-O) on anatase TiO nanosheets by a thermal reduction treatment. After anchoring identical loadings of single atoms of Pd, Pt, and Au, we measure the photocatalytic H generation rate and compare it to the classic nanoparticle co-catalysts on the nanosheets.

Simulation of XXZ Spin Models Using Sideband Transitions in Trapped Bosonic Gases.

We theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate the use of motional sidebands in a trapped ensemble of ^{87}Rb atoms to engineer tunable long-range XXZ spin models. We benchmark our simulator by probing a ferromagnetic to paramagnetic dynamical phase transition in the Lipkin-Meshkov-Glick model, a collective XXZ model plus additional transverse and longitudinal fields, via Rabi spectroscopy. We experimentally reconstruct the boundary between the dynamical phases, which is in good agreement with mean-field theoretical predictions.

Strain-activated light-induced halide segregation in mixed-halide perovskite solids.

Light-induced halide segregation limits the bandgap tunability of mixed-halide perovskites for tandem photovoltaics. Here we report that light-induced halide segregation is strain-activated in MAPb(IBr) with Br concentration below approximately 50%, while it is intrinsic for Br concentration over approximately 50%. Free-standing single crystals of CHNHPb(IBr) (35%Br) do not show halide segregation until uniaxial pressure is applied.

Interface between Water-Solvent Mixtures and a Hydrophobic Surface.

The mechanism behind the stability of organic nanoparticles prepared by liquid antisolvent (LAS) precipitation without a specific stabilizing agent is poorly understood. In this work, we propose that the organic solvent used in the LAS process rapidly forms a molecular stabilizing layer at the interface of the nanoparticles with the aqueous dispersion medium. To confirm this hypothesis, -octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS)-functionalized silicon wafers in contact with water-solvent mixtures were used as a flat model system mimicking the solid-liquid interface of the organic nanoparticles.

Strain-dependent effects on lung structure, matrix remodeling, and Stat3/Smad2 signaling in C57BL/6N and C57BL/6J mice after neonatal hyperoxia.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease of preterm infants, characterized by lung growth arrest and matrix remodeling. Various animal models provide mechanistic insights in the pathogenesis of BPD. Since there is increasing evidence that genetic susceptibility modifies the response to lung injury, we investigated strain-dependent effects in hyperoxia (HYX)-induced lung injury of newborn mice.

Embryo Microinjection and Electroporation in the Chordate Ciona intestinalis.

Simple model organisms are instrumental for in vivo studies of developmental and cellular differentiation processes. Currently, the evolutionary distance to man of conventional invertebrate model systems and the complexity of genomes in vertebrates are critical challenges to modeling human normal and pathological conditions. The chordate Ciona intestinalis is an invertebrate chordate that emerged from a common ancestor with the vertebrates and may represent features at the interface between invertebrates and vertebrates.

Nanoscale structure of Si/SiO2/organics interfaces.

X-ray reflectivity measurements of increasingly more complex interfaces involving silicon (001) substrates reveal the existence of a thin low-density layer intruding between the single-crystalline silicon and the amorphous native SiO2 terminating it. The importance of accounting for this layer in modeling silicon/liquid interfaces and silicon-supported monolayers is demonstrated by comparing fits of the measured reflectivity curves by models including and excluding this layer. The inclusion of this layer, with 6-8 missing electrons per silicon unit cell area, consistent with one missing oxygen atom whose bonds remain hydrogen passivated, is found to be particularly important for an accurate and high-resolution determination of the surface normal density profile from reflectivities spanning extended momentum transfer ranges, now measurable at modern third-generation synchrotron sources.