A single-photon source based on topological bulk cavity.

Topological photonics offers the potential to develop quantum light sources with inherent robustness against structural disorders. To date, topologically protected edge or corner states have been investigated for this purpose. Here, for the first time, we exploit a topological bulk state with vertical directionality to enhance the light emission from a single semiconductor quantum dot (QD).

Efficient electrosynthesis of ammonia from nitrate reduction over the perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide-based heterostructure.

Electrochemical NO reduction reaction (eNO-RR) has shown a promising prospect in both nitrate pollutant removal and NH production. However, the lack of novel electrocatalysts hinders its application. Herein, the perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PDI) based heterojunction electrocatalysts were prepared and used as a working electrode for highly efficient eNO-RR.

Coherence in resonance fluorescence.

Resonance fluorescence of a two-level emitter displays persistently anti-bunching irrespective of the excitation intensity, but inherits the driving laser's linewidth under weak monochromatic excitation. These properties are commonly explained in terms of two disjoined pictures, i.e.

Acrolein production from glycerol dehydration over amorphous V-P-N-C catalysts.

Amorphous catalysts exhibit a plethora of oxygen vacancies, electron-rich active sites, and highly dispersed active centers, thereby yielding exceptional catalytic performance for multiple reactions. In this work, a series of amorphous V-P-N-C catalysts were synthesized using complexants and employed for catalyzing the glycerol dehydration reaction towards acrolein. Under optimized reaction conditions, the glycerol conversion reached 99.

Gradient Sodium Deficiency Optimization in O3-Type Cathode Materials for Superior Performance and Air Stability.

O3-type layered oxides are promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their easy synthesis and high sodium content. However, complex phase transitions and poor air stability limit their practical applications. Introducing sodium deficiency suppresses reactions with air and improves phase stability, but often at the cost of significantly compromising the sodium storage capacity.

Generalizable Organic-to-Aqueous Phase Transfer of a Au Nanocluster with Luminescence Enhancement and Robust Photocatalysis in Water.

For the majority of gold nanoclusters (NCs), their water insolubility, low photoluminescence (PL) intensity, and less understood photostability are three critical factors that limit their application in the biomedical and photocatalysis fields. In this study, we report a polymer wrapping method for phase transfer of organic soluble NCs into aqueous phase without degrading the electronic and optical properties, and such materials are further demonstrated for robust photocatalysis in water. We first synthesized a Au(DMBT) NC (DMBT = 2,4-dimethylbenzenethiolate) and found that the aromatic ligands confer a greatly enhanced antioxidation capability of the NC compared to the Au(CHT) counterpart (CHT = cyclohexanethiolate), with the critical role of aromatic ligand interactions identified by X-ray crystallography.

Interface engineering enabling thin lithium metal electrodes down to 0.78 μm for garnet-type solid-state batteries.

Controllable engineering of thin lithium (Li) metal is essential for increasing the energy density of solid-state batteries and clarifying the interfacial evolution mechanisms of a lithium metal negative electrode. However, fabricating a thin lithium electrode faces significant challenges due to the fragility and high viscosity of Li metal. Herein, through facile treatment of Ta-doped LiLaZrO (LLZTO) with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, its surface LiCO species is converted into a lithiophilic layer with LiCFSO and LiF components.

Facile synthesis of defect-rich interfacial Mo/MoO for efficient peroxymonosulfate activation and refractory pollutants degradation.

Peroxymonosulfate-based advanced oxidation process (PMS-AOP) has shown great potential in sewage purification, and catalyst development capable of efficient PMS activation is a key while challenging element. Herein we reported a facile electro-explosive route to synthesize the oxygen vacancy (Vo)-enriched Mo/MoO without using chemical reagents. The detailed studies suggested that the synergy of Mo active site and Vo in the catalyst significantly boosted the activation kinetics of PMS.

Ultra-narrowband interference circuits enable low-noise and high-rate photon counting for InGaAs/InP avalanche photodiodes.

Afterpulsing noise in InGaAs/InP single photon avalanche photodiodes (APDs) is caused by carrier trapping and can be suppressed successfully through limiting the avalanche charge via sub-nanosecond gating. Detection of faint avalanches requires an electronic circuit that is able to effectively remove the gate-induced capacitive response while keeping photon signals intact. Here we demonstrate a novel ultra-narrowband interference circuit (UNIC) that can reject the capacitive response by up to 80 dB per stage with little distortion to avalanche signals.

High-efficiency and durable V-Ti-Nb ternary catalyst prepared by a wet-solid mechanochemical method for sustainably producing acrylic acid acetic acid-formaldehyde condensation.

Based on the precise phase control V species adjustment of vanadium phosphorus oxides (VPOs), a series of metal oxides (NbO, MoO, WO, and BiO) were selected as modification agents to further enhance the catalytic activity and retain the excellent durability of VPO-TiO-based catalysts for the new procedure of producing acrylic acid acetic acid-formaldehyde condensation. At an elevated liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), the (AA + MA) selectivity reached 92.3% with a (MA + AA) formation rate of 63.

Achieving a Stable Solid Electrolyte Interphase and Enhanced Thermal Stability by a Dual-Functional Electrolyte Additive toward a High-Loading LiNiMnCoO /Lithium Pouch Battery.

Li metal batteries with high-capacity cathodes emerge as promising candidates for next-generation battery technologies. However, the poor reversibility of the Li deposition/stripping process severely reduces its lifespan, and safety also remains a major issue for the Li metal anodes. Herein, we propose (ethoxy)-penta-fluoro-cyclo-triphosphazene (DFA) as a dual-functional electrolyte additive to solve the engineering problem of balancing the cycle life and thermal stability of Li metal batteries.

How to achieve a highly selective yet simply available vanadium phosphorus oxide-based catalyst for sustainable acrylic acid production via acetic acid-formaldehyde condensation.

A series of unsupported and supported vanadium phosphorus oxide catalysts were prepared by employing a new strategy, which significantly reduced the complexity of catalyst preparation. The greatly simplified catalyst fabrication benefits a greener and lower-cost process for practical applications. The currently fabricated systems showed ca.

Vanadium Phosphorus Oxide/Siliceous Mesostructured Cellular Foams: efficient and selective for sustainable acrylic acid production via condensation route.

A new type of supported vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) with self-phase regulation was simply fabricated (organic solvent free) for the first time by depositing the specific VPO precursor NH(VO)HPO onto the Siliceous Mesostructured Cellular Foams (MCF) with controlled activation. The resulting materials were found to be highly efficient and selective for sustainable acrylic acid (AA) plus methyl acrylate (MA) production via a condensation route between acetic acid (HAc) and formaldehyde (HCHO). A (AA + MA) yield of 83.

Strategy for nano-catalysis in a fixed-bed system.

For industry applications of nano-catalysts, the main bottlenecks are the low loading per unit support area and the slow flow rate through the support particles. By growing a dense Au nanowire forest on a loose network of glass fibers, continuous-flow catalysis can be achieved with a processing rate about 100 times that of the best literature rate.

Strong morphological effect of Mn3O4 nanocrystallites on the catalytic activity of Mn3O4 and Au/Mn3O4 in benzene combustion.

Gold nanoparticles (3-4 nm) were deposited on Mn3O4 nanocrystallites with three distinct morphologies (cubic, hexagonal, and octahedral). The resulting structures were characterized, and their activities for benzene combustion were evaluated. The dominant exposed facets for the three kinds of Mn3O4 polyhedrons show the activity order: (103)≈(200)>(101).

Morphology-directed synthesis of Co3O4 nanotubes based on modified Kirkendall effect and its application in CH4 combustion.

We reported the morphology-directed synthesis of Co(3)O(4) nanotubes via interfacial reaction of NaOH with pre-fabricated CoC(2)O(4)·2H(2)O nanorods based on modified Kirkendall effect. The as-obtained Co(3)O(4) nanotubes showed excellent activity and durability in catalytic combustion of CH(4).

Novel hierarchical urchin-like hollow SnO2 nanostructures with enhanced gas sensing performance.

Novel hierarchical urchin-like hollow SnO2 nanostructures have been synthesized via a facile one-pot template-free hydrothermal approach. The size and density of the SnO2 prickles as well as the morphology of the SnO2 spheres can be modified by tuning the synthetic parameters such as temperature, time, concentration, as well as pH value. The novel hierarchical nano-sized SnO2 hollow urchins possess enriched prickles with diameters of 5-20 nm and lengths of < 70 nm and high surface area up to 116 m2 g(-1), exhibiting advanced sensing performance to the ethanol vapor due to the special hierarchical nanostructures and being promising for the potential gas sensor material.

Core-shell structured microcapsular-like Ru@SiO2 reactor for efficient generation of CO(x)-free hydrogen through ammonia decomposition.

The core-shell structured microcapsular-like Ru@SiO(2) reactor is proved to be the most efficient material known to date for CO(x)-free hydrogen production via ammonia decomposition for fuel cells application. The very active Ru core particles can retain good stability even at high temperatures (up to 650 degrees C) thanks to the protection of the inert SiO(2) nano-shell.

In situ TA-MS study of the six-membered-ring-based growth of carbon nanotubes with benzene precursor.

By using the in situ thermal analysis-mass spectroscopic technique, combined with transmission electron microscopic characterization of the carbon nanotube (CNT) product, we have studied the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of CNTs with Fe-Co/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst and benzene precursor in the range of room temperature to 700 degrees C. The growth process has been clearly illuminated, which starts from the reduction of catalyst around 645 degrees C followed by the dissociation of carbon-hydrogen bonds of benzene and the sequential growth of CNTs. A surprising fact is that no possible hydrocarbon species derived from benzene was detected, indicating that the carbon-carbon bond was not broken under our experimental conditions.