Structure-function relationships in mole crickets: Patterns of transition metal allocation among cuticular tools support the metal-prioritization hypothesis.

Transition metals are well known to enrich the cuticle of structural tools among many insect lineages through the formation of metal-ligand coordinated bonds. Investigations that focus on the distribution patterns of metals among different structures, however, are lacking, despite some structural tools hosting different transition metal profiles. Here, we hypothesized that the enrichment of structures with transition metals, including specific metals and their abundances, is contingent on the types of physical forces those structures experience.

From Anatase TiO Nano-Cuboids to Nano-Bipyramids: Influence of Particle Shape on the TiO Photocatalytic Degradation of Emerging Contaminants in Contrasted Water Matrices.

Water pollution, resulting from industrial effluents, agricultural runoff, and pharmaceutical residues, poses serious threats to ecosystems and human health, highlighting the need for innovative approaches to effective remediation, particularly for non-biodegradable emerging pollutants. This research work explores the influence of shape-controlled nanocrystalline titanium dioxide (TiO NC), synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method, on the photodegradation efficiency of three different classes of emerging environmental pollutants: phenol, pesticides (methomyl), and drugs (sodium diclofenac). Experiments were conducted to assess the influence of the water matrix on treatment efficiency by using ultrapure water and stormwater (basic) collected from an urban drainage system as matrices.

Towards a green economy: Investigating the impact of sustainable finance, green technologies, and environmental policies on environmental degradation.

Environmental degradation is a problem, and the consequences, in terms of emission of pollutants into different ecosystems, human health, and sustainable development are disastrous. This study explains the complex interactions that exist among sustainable finance, green technology innovation, green energy adoption, the climate change financial policy, green growth index, government spending, and financial globalization across the globe. This research applies to an extensive dataset that ranges to 23 years in 50 countries by enforcing robust dynamic econometric methods such as unit root tests, cointegration analysis, and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimations for the analysis of these complicated issues.

Unlocking high-performance near-infrared photodetection: polaron-assisted organic integer charge transfer hybrids.

Room temperature femtowatt sensitivity remains a sought-after attribute, even among commercial inorganic infrared (IR) photodetectors (PDs). While organic IR PDs are poised to emerge as a pivotal sensor technology in the forthcoming Fourth-Generation Industrial Era, their performance lags behind that of their inorganic counterparts. This discrepancy primarily stems from poor external quantum efficiencies (EQE), driven by inadequate exciton dissociation (high exciton binding energy) within organic IR materials, exacerbated by pronounced non-radiative recombination at narrow bandgaps.

Revealing Strong Flexoelectricity and Optoelectronic Coupling in 2D Ferroelectric CuInPS Via Large Strain Gradient.

The interplay between flexoelectric and optoelectronic characteristics provides a paradigm for studying emerging phenomena in various 2D materials. However, an effective way to induce a large and tunable strain gradient in 2D devices remains to be exploited. Herein, we propose a strategy to induce large flexoelectric effect in 2D ferroelectric CuInPS by constructing a 1D-2D mixed-dimensional heterostructure.

Polarization enhanced photoresponse of InSe 2D ferroelectric CuCrPS.

Two-dimensional CuCrPS possesses significant potential for low-power non-volatile devices owing to its multiferroic properties. Nonetheless, comprehensive investigations regarding the modulation of CuCrPS polarization for enhancing semiconductor photodetection capabilities and its potential applications in ferroelectric non-volatile devices are still relatively scarce. In this study, we present a novel, non-volatile, tunable photodetector engineered through the integration of a ferroelectric heterostructure comprising CuCrPS and InSe.

Ferroelectric Tuning of ZnO Ultraviolet Photodetectors.

The ferroelectric field effect transistor (Fe-FET) is considered to be one of the most important low-power and high-performance devices. It is promising to combine a ferroelectric field effect with a photodetector to improve the photodetection performance. This study proposes a strategy for ZnO ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors regulated by a ferroelectric gate.

Cu (HHTP) c-MOF/ZnO Ultrafast Ultraviolet Photodetector for Wearable Optoelectronics.

Two-dimensional conductive metal-organic frameworks (2D c-MOFs) are a family of highly tunable and electrically conducting materials that can be utilized in optoelectronics. A major issue of 2D c-MOFs for photodetection is their poor charge separation and recombination dynamics upon illumination. This study demonstrates a Cu (HHTP) /ZnO type-II heterojunction ultraviolet (UV) photodetector fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition, in which the charge separation of photogenerated carriers is enhanced.

Ultralow-Transition-Energy Organic Complex on Graphene for High-Performance Shortwave Infrared Photodetection.

Room-temperature, high-sensitivity, and broadband photodetection up to the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region is extremely significant for a wide variety of optoelectronic applications, including contamination identification, thermal imaging, night vision, agricultural inspection, and atmospheric remote sensing. Small-bandgap semiconductor-based SWIR photodetectors generally require deep cooling to suppress thermally generated charge carriers to achieve increased sensitivity. Meanwhile, the photogating effect can provide an alternative way to achieve superior photosensitivity without the need for cooling.

In situ growth of a CaAl-NO-layered double hydroxide film directly on an aluminum alloy for corrosion resistance.

In this study, a calcium-aluminum-layered double hydroxide (CaAl-LDH) thin film was grown on an AA6082 aluminum alloy, for the very first time, by using a facile in situ growth method in an effort to investigate the CaAl-LDH structural geometry and corresponding corrosion resistance properties. The structure and surface morphologies of the CaAl-LDH thin film were studied using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an EDS detector, a transmission electron microscope (TEM), an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR), while the electron impendence spectra (EIS) and potentiodynamic curves were recorded to understand the LDH anticorrosion behavior. The findings demonstrated that thin, well-developed CaAl-LDH coatings with different surface morphologies can be prepared with eminent corrosion resistance properties.

Organic charge transfer complexes on graphene with ultrahigh near infrared photogain.

Photodetectors have widespread applications in fields including telecommunications, thermal imaging and bio-medical imaging. The photogating effect, arising from charge trapping at defects and/or interfaces, can have extremely high photoelectric gain which can be a benefit to high-sensitivity room temperature photodetection. Here, we introduce thin layered organic charge transfer complexes (CPXs) integrated on graphene transistors for the development of hybrid phototransistors with ultra-high photoresponsivity of ∼10 A W in the near infrared (NIR) region at room temperature.

Potential 2D Materials with Phase Transitions: Structure, Synthesis, and Device Applications.

Layered materials with phase transitions, such as charge density wave (CDW) and magnetic and dipole ordering, have potential to be exfoliated into monolayers and few-layers and then become a large and important subfamily of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Benefitting from enriched physical properties from the collective interactions, long-range ordering, and related phase transitions, as well as the atomic thickness yet having nondangling bonds on the surface, 2D phase-transition materials have vast potential for use in new-concept and functional devices. Here, potential 2D phase-transition materials with CDWs and magnetic and dipole ordering, including transition metal dichalcogenides, transition metal halides, metal thio/selenophosphates, chromium silicon/germanium tellurides, and more, are introduced.