42 research outputs found
Coexistence of ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity in magnetically anisotropic (Eu,La)FeAs2
Materials with exceptional magnetism and superconductivity usually conceive
emergent physical phenomena. Here, we investigate the physical properties of
the (Eu,La)FeAs2 system with double magnetic sublattices. The parent EuFeAs2
shows anisotropy-associated magnetic behaviors, such as Eu-related moment
canting and exchange bias. Through La doping, the magnetic anisotropy is
enhanced with ferromagnetism of Eu2+ realized in the overdoped region, and a
special exchange bias of the superposed ferromagnetic/superconducting loop
revealed in Eu0.8La0.2FeAs2. Meanwhile, the Fe-related antiferromagnetism shows
unusual robustness against La doping. Theoretical calculation and 57Fe
M\"ossbauer spectroscopy investigation reveal a doping-tunable dual
itinerant/localized nature of the Fe-related antiferromagnetism. Coexistence of
the Eu-related ferromagnetism, Fe-related robust antiferromagnetism, and
superconductivity is further revealed in Eu0.8La0.2FeAs2, providing a platform
for further exploration of potential applications and emergent physics.
Finally, an electronic phase diagram is established for (Eu,La)FeAs2 with the
whole superconducting dome adjacent to the Fe-related antiferromagnetic phase,
which is of benefit for seeking underlying clues to high-temperature
superconductivity.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures for the main tex
Growth of millimeter-sized high-quality CuFeSe single crystals by the molten salt method and study of their semiconducting behavior
An eutectic AlCl/KCl molten salt method in a horizontal configuration was
employed to grow millimeter-sized and composition homogeneous CuFeSe single
crystals due to the continuous growth process in a temperature gradient induced
solution convection. The typical as-grown CuFeSe single crystals in cubic
forms are nearly 1.61.21.0 mm3 in size. The chemical
composition and homogeneity of the crystals was examined by both inductively
coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer
with Cu:Fe:Se = 0.96:1.00:1.99 consistent with the stoichiometric composition
of CuFeSe. The magnetic measurements suggest a ferrimagnetic or weak
ferromagnetic transition below T = 146 K and the resistivity reveals a
semiconducting behavior and an abrupt increase below T
Superconductivity in a new layered cobalt oxychalcogenide NaCoSeO with a 3 triangular lattice
Unconventional superconductivity in bulk materials under ambient pressure is
extremely rare among the 3 transition-metal compounds outside the layered
cuprates and iron-based family. It is predominantly linked to highly
anisotropic electronic properties and quasi-two-dimensional (2D) Fermi
surfaces. To date, the only known example of the Co-based exotic superconductor
was the hydrated layered cobaltate, NaCoO yHO, and its
superconductivity is realized in the vicinity of a spin-1/2 Mott state.
However, the nature of the superconductivity in these materials is still an
active subject of debate, and therefore, finding new class of superconductors
will help unravel the mysteries of their unconventional superconductivity. Here
we report the discovery of unconventional superconductivity at 6.3 K in
our newly synthesized layered compound NaCoSeO, in
which the edge-shared CoSe octahedra form [CoSe] layers with a
perfect triangular lattice of Co ions. It is the first 3 transition-metal
oxychalcogenide superconductor with distinct structural and chemical
characteristics. Despite its relatively low , material exhibits
extremely high superconducting upper critical fields, , which
far exceeds the Pauli paramagnetic limit by a factor of 3 - 4. First-principles
calculations show that NaCoSeO is a rare example of
negative charge transfer superconductor. This new cobalt oxychalcogenide with a
geometrical frustration among Co spins, shows great potential as a highly
appealing candidate for the realization of high- and/or unconventional
superconductivity beyond the well-established Cu- and Fe-based superconductor
families, and opened a new field in physics and chemistry of low-dimensional
superconductors
Creating monodispersed droplets with electrowetting-on-dielectric step emulsification
Monodisperse droplets are important in drug screening, and cell-based and biochemical research. However, conventional methods for creating droplets, such as co-flow, T-junction and flow-focusing, have poor monodispersity because of fluctuations in the flow rate. Because step emulsification is based on the principle of Laplace pressure, it is insensitive to the flow rate and yields a constant and high monodispersity. In the present study, we combine electrowetting and step emulsification to reduce the negative influence of flow-rate fluctuations and to prepare highly monodisperse droplets. We demonstrate that the flow rate and voltage applied to the droplets can independently influence the droplet size. This method has great potential in chip-based bioanalysis and cell-based studies where highly monodisperse droplets are needed
Bending Behavior of Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe
Reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) is a composite thermoplastic pipe, which is increasingly being used in oil and gas industry. In practical applications, RTPs inevitably experience bending during reeling process and offshore installation. The ovalization instability of RTP under pure bending was investigated. Several fundamental assumptions of RTP were proposed from the engineering application point of view. Then, based on nonlinear ring theory initially proposed by Kyriakides et al., the effect of transverse deformation through the thickness was introduced, and the ovalization growth of cross section during bending was studied according to nonlinear kinematics. The formulation was based on the principle of virtual work and was solved by a numerical solution. Inelastic material behavior of high density polyethylene (HDPE) was included, and a simplified method was proposed to simulate the behavior of fiber reinforced layer. A detailed ABAQUS model was established using solid and truss elements to simulate the HDPE layer and reinforced fiber, respectively. The results obtained from the theoretical method were compared with ABAQUS simulation results and test data of verification bending experiment and the results show excellent agreement. The proposed methods are helpful for RTP's engineering applications
Melittin Inhibits Hypoxia-Induced Vasculogenic Mimicry Formation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition through Suppression of HIF-1α/Akt Pathway in Liver Cancer
In this study, we investigated whether melittin could suppress hypoxia-induced vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation in liver cancer and explored the underlying mechanisms. Melittin significantly inhibited the proliferation of liver cancer cells with or without CoCl2 presence. Melittin also significantly inhibited CoCl2-induced migration, invasion, and VM formation of liver cancer cells. CoCl2 treatment suppressed the expression of E-cadherin and elevated the expression of N-cadherin and Vimentin. Melittin reversed the changes in the protein and mRNA levels of these epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers. CoCl2-induced accumulation of HIF-1α increased the level of phosphorylated Akt and upregulated the expression of VEGF and MMP-2/9. Melittin decreased the HIF-1α level and thereby suppressed the levels of p-Akt, VEGF, and MMP-2/9. In addition, the inhibitor of PI3K/Akt also suppressed CoCl2-induced EMT and liver cancer cells migration, and the activator of Akt, SC-79, partly blocked the effect of melittin on CoCl2-induced EMT and liver cancer cells migration. In the xenograft tumor model in nude mice, melittin treatment significantly suppressed the tumor growth, VM formation, and HIF-1α expression in the tumor. In conclusion, this study indicates melittin may inhibit hypoxia-induced VM formation and EMT in liver cancer through inhibiting HIF-1α/Akt pathway