An unexplored role of the CrOx shell in an elaborated Rh/CrOx core–shell cocatalyst for photocatalytic water splitting: a selective electron transport pathway from semiconductors to core metals, boosting charge separation and H₂ evolution

A core–shell structured Rh/CrOx cocatalyst has endowed various semiconductors with high efficiency in water-splitting photocatalysis, where thin CrOx layers on Rh have been assumed to be physical blockers of O₂ to the metal surface to suppress unfavorable reverse reactions (e.g., catalytic H₂O formation from H₂ and O₂). Herein, we propose another unexplored but favorable function of CrOx layers: a selective electron transport pathway from photocatalysts to the Rh core boosting charge separation and H₂ production. The subsequent loading of CrOx layers onto Rh increased the rate of visible light H₂ evolution of a Bi₄NbO₈Cl photocatalyst, even in a half reaction with a hole scavenger where O₂ does not evolve. Transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that the CrOx layer increases the electron path from Bi₄NbO₈Cl to Rh. Importantly, the highest H₂-evolution activity was obtained by simultaneous photodeposition using CrIII and RhIII precursors, which had not yet been examined. In this sample, Rh nanoparticles were enclosed by an amorphous CrOx shell, where Rh particles were less directly attached to the semiconductor. Therein, CrOx inserted between Bi₄NbO₈Cl and Rh effectively suppresses undesirable hole transfer from Bi₄NbO₈Cl to Rh, while such hole transfer partially occurs when they are in direct contact. These results indicated that CrOx functions as a selective electron transport pathway and improves the H₂ evolution activity. Although the development strategy of cocatalysts has so far focused on surface redox reactions, this study offers a new approach for the design of highly efficient cocatalysts based on the carrier transfer process, especially at semiconductor–cocatalyst interfaces

Refined Holographic Entanglement Entropy for the AdS Solitons and AdS black Holes

We consider the refinement of the holographic entanglement entropy for the holographic dual theories to the AdS solitons and AdS black holes, including the corrected ones by the Gauss-Bonnet term. The refinement is obtained by extracting the UV-independent piece of the holographic entanglement entropy, the so-called renormalized entanglement entropy which is independent of the choices of UV cutoff. Our main results are (i) the renormalized entanglement entropies of the AdS$_{d+1}$ soliton for $d=4,5$ are neither monotonically decreasing along the RG flow nor positive definite, especially around the deconfinement/confinement phase transition; (ii) there is no topological entanglement entropy for AdS$_5$ soliton even with Gauss-Bonnet correction; (iii) for the AdS black holes, the renormalized entanglement entropy obeys an expected volume law at IR regime, and the transition between UV and IR regimes is a smooth crossover even with Gauss-Bonnet correction; (iv) based on AdS/MERA conjecture, we postulate that the IR fixed-point state for the non-extremal AdS soliton is a trivial product state.Comment: 48 pages, 24 figures; v2: few typos corrected; v3: mistake on the choice of dominant phase is corrected, differential subtraction scheme is introduced to remove the UV cutoff-ambiguity, some of the conclusions on RG flow are changed; v4: statement about C theorem revised; v5 Final version to NP

Manipulation of charge carrier flow in Bi₄NbO₈Cl nanoplate photocatalyst with metal loading

Separation of photoexcited charge carriers in semiconductors is important for efficient solar energy conversion and yet the control strategies and underlying mechanisms are not fully established. Although layered compounds have been widely studied as photocatalysts, spatial separation between oxidation and reduction reaction sites is a challenging issue due to the parallel flow of photoexcited carriers along the layers. Here we demonstrate orthogonal carrier flow in layered Bi₄NbO₈Cl by depositing a Rh cocatalyst at the edges of nanoplates, resulting in spatial charge separation and significant enhancement of the photocatalytic activity. Combined experimental and theoretical studies revealed that lighter photogenerated electrons, due to a greater in-plane dispersion of the conduction band (vs. valence band), can travel along the plane and are readily trapped by the cocatalyst, whereas the remaining holes hop perpendicular to the plane because of the anisotropic crystal geometry. Our results propose manipulating carrier flow via cocatalyst deposition to achieve desirable carrier dynamics for photocatalytic reactions in layered compounds

Universal scaling properties of extremal cohesive holographic phases

We show that strongly-coupled, translation-invariant holographic IR phases at finite density can be classified according to the scaling behaviour of the metric, the electric potential and the electric flux introducing four critical exponents, independently of the details of the setup. Solutions fall into two classes, depending on whether they break relativistic symmetry or not. The critical exponents determine key properties of these phases, like thermodynamic stability, the (ir)relevant deformations around them, the low-frequency scaling of the optical conductivity and the nature of the spectrum for electric perturbations. We also study the scaling behaviour of the electric flux through bulk minimal surfaces using the Hartnoll-Radicevic order parameter, and characterize the deviation from the Ryu-Takayanagi prescription in terms of the critical exponents.Comment: v4: corrected a typo in eqn (3.29), now (3.28). Conclusions unchange

Ultra-high-molecular-weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Wing Method for Strong Cranioplasty

We developed a new cranioplasty method that utilizes artificial bone made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene, with a wedge-shaped edge (UHMWPE Wing). This study shows the methods and data of case series and finite element analyses with the UHMWPE Wing. A circumferential wing was preoperatively designed for a custom-made artificial bone made of UHMWPE to achieve high fixed power and to minimize the usage of cranial implants. Here, we present 4 years of follow-up data and finite element analyses for patients treated with the UHMWPE Wing between February 2015 and February 2019. Eighteen consecutive patients underwent cranioplasty using our UHMWPE Wing design. There were no postoperative adverse events in 17 of the patients for at least 18 months. One case of hydrocephalus experienced screw loosening and graft uplift due to shunt malfunction. Placement of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt immediately returned the artificial bone to normal position. Finite element analyses revealed that a model using the UHMWPE Wing had the highest withstand load and lowest deformation. This is the first report on the UHMWPE Wing method. This method may enable clinicians to minimize dead space and achieve high strength in cranioplasty

Entangled Dilaton Dyons

Einstein-Maxwell theory coupled to a dilaton is known to give rise to extremal solutions with hyperscaling violation. We study the behaviour of these solutions in the presence of a small magnetic field. We find that in a region of parameter space the magnetic field is relevant in the infra-red and completely changes the behaviour of the solution which now flows to an $AdS_2\times R^2$ attractor. As a result there is an extensive ground state entropy and the entanglement entropy of a sufficiently big region on the boundary grows like the volume. In particular, this happens for values of parameters at which the purely electric theory has an entanglement entropy growing with the area, $A$, like $A \log(A)$ which is believed to be a characteristic feature of a Fermi surface. Some other thermodynamic properties are also analysed and a more detailed characterisation of the entanglement entropy is also carried out in the presence of a magnetic field. Other regions of parameter space not described by the $AdS_2\times R^2$ end point are also discussed.Comment: Some comments regarding comparison with weakly coupled Fermi liquid changed, typos corrected and caption of a figure modifie

Transient left ventricular apical ballooning without coronary artery stenosis: a novel heart syndrome mimicking acute myocardial infarction

AbstractOBJECTIVESTo determine the clinical features of a novel heart syndrome with transient left ventricular (LV) apical ballooning, but without coronary artery stenosis, that mimics acute myocardial infarction, we performed a multicenter retrospective enrollment study.BACKGROUNDOnly several case presentations have been reported with regard to this syndrome.METHODSWe analyzed 88 patients (12 men and 76 women), aged 67 ± 13 years, who fulfilled the following criteria: 1) transient LV apical ballooning, 2) no significant angiographic stenosis, and 3) no known cardiomyopathies.RESULTSThirty-eight (43%) patients had preceding aggravation of underlying disorders (cerebrovascular accident [n = 3], epilepsy [n = 3], exacerbated bronchial asthma [n = 3], acute abdomen [n = 7]) and noncardiac surgery or medical procedure (n = 11) at the onset. Twenty-four (27%) patients had emotional and physical problems (sudden accident [n = 2], death/funeral of a family member [n = 7], inexperience with exercise [n = 6], quarreling or excessive alcohol consumption [n = 5] and vigorous excitation [n = 4]). Chest symptoms (67%), electrocardiographic changes (ST elevation [90%], Q-wave formation [27%] and T-wave inversion [97%]) and elevated creatine kinase (56%) were found. After treatment of pulmonary edema (22%), cardiogenic shock (15%) and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (9%), 85 patients had class I New York Heart Association function on discharge. The LV ejection fraction improved from 41 ± 11% to 64 ± 10%. Transient intraventricular pressure gradient and provocative vasospasm were documented in 13/72 (18%) and 10/48 (21%) of the patients, respectively. During follow-up for 13 ± 14 months, two patients showed recurrence, and one died suddenly.CONCLUSIONSA novel cardiomyopathy with transient apical ballooning was reported. Emotional or physical stress might play a key role in this cardiomyopathy, but the precise etiologic basis still remains unclear

Entanglement Entropy for Singular Surfaces

We study entanglement entropy for regions with a singular boundary in higher dimensions using the AdS/CFT correspondence and find that various singularities make new universal contributions. When the boundary CFT has an even spacetime dimension, we find that the entanglement entropy of a conical surface contains a term quadratic in the logarithm of the UV cut-off. In four dimensions, the coefficient of this contribution is proportional to the central charge 'c'. A conical singularity in an odd number of spacetime dimensions contributes a term proportional to the logarithm of the UV cut-off. We also study the entanglement entropy for various boundary surfaces with extended singularities. In these cases, similar universal terms may appear depending on the dimension and curvature of the singular locus.Comment: 66 pages,4 figures. Some typos are removed and a reference is adde

Holographic Entanglement Entropy in P-wave Superconductor Phase Transition

We investigate the behavior of entanglement entropy across the holographic p-wave superconductor phase transition in an Einstein-Yang-Mills theory with a negative cosmological constant. The holographic entanglement entropy is calculated for a strip geometry at AdS boundary. It is found that the entanglement entropy undergoes a dramatic change as we tune the ratio of the gravitational constant to the Yang-Mills coupling, and that the entanglement entropy does behave as the thermal entropy of the background black holes. That is, the entanglement entropy will show the feature of the second order or first order phase transition when the ratio is changed. It indicates that the entanglement entropy is a good probe to investigate the properties of the holographic phase transition.Comment: 19 pages,15 figures, extended discussion in Sec.5, references adde