91 research outputs found
Experimental observation of Dirac-like surface states and topological phase transition in PbSnTe(111) films
The surface of a topological crystalline insulator (TCI) carries an even
number of Dirac cones protected by crystalline symmetry. We epitaxially grew
high quality PbSnTe(111) films and investigated the TCI phase by
in-situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. PbSnTe(111)
films undergo a topological phase transition from trivial insulator to TCI via
increasing the Sn/Pb ratio, accompanied by a crossover from n-type to p-type
doping. In addition, a hybridization gap is opened in the surface states when
the thickness of film is reduced to the two-dimensional limit. The work
demonstrates an approach to manipulating the topological properties of TCI,
which is of importance for future fundamental research and applications based
on TCI
Advanced nanoporous materialâbased QCM devices: A new horizon of interfacial mass sensing technology
Mass interfacial processes have been considered as one of the crucial factors supporting fundamental research. Due to the low cost and conceptual simplicity, significant advancements have been achieved in the development of methodologies based on piezoelectric devices for in situ determination of mass changes on the surfaces of deposited materials under various conditions. The introduction of nanomaterials for designing sensors and monitoring systems becomes essential to create advanced detection systems for selective sensing of toxic analytes for environmental remediation. The integration of materials with predesignated nanostructures into sensor devices, such as surface acoustic wave (SAW), quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), and QCM with dissipation (QCM-D) monitoring, has led to an immense progress in the sensing applications of toxic target analytes at the nanogram range. Here, an overview is introduced of recent advancement in the fabrication of piezoelectric devices for the interfacial mass sensing of targeted chemical vapors and ions through combination with nanoporous materials including mesoporous materials carbon-based nanomaterials, metalâorganic frameworks (MOFs), MOF-derived nanoporous carbons, Prussian blue (PB) and its analogues (PBA), zeolites and related materials. Challenges and future prospect are also summarized by the advanced QCM technique associated with properties of nanostructured materials
Detection of a superconducting phase in a two-atom layer of hexagonal Ga film grown on semiconducting GaN(0001)
The recent observation of superconducting state at atomic scale has motivated
the pursuit of exotic condensed phases in two-dimensional (2D) systems. Here we
report on a superconducting phase in two-monolayer crystalline Ga films
epitaxially grown on wide band-gap semiconductor GaN(0001). This phase exhibits
a hexagonal structure and only 0.552 nm in thickness, nevertheless, brings
about a superconducting transition temperature Tc as high as 5.4 K, confirmed
by in situ scanning tunneling spectroscopy, and ex situ electrical
magneto-transport and magnetization measurements. The anisotropy of critical
magnetic field and Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless-like transition are observed,
typical for the 2D superconductivity. Our results demonstrate a novel platform
for exploring atomic-scale 2D superconductor, with great potential for
understanding of the interface superconductivity
Synthesis, photophysical properties and two-photon absorption study of tetraazachrysene-based N-heteroacenes
Three novel Nâheteroacene molecules (SDNUâ1, SDNUâ2 and SDNUâ3) based on tetraazachrysene units as cores have been designed, synthesized and fully characterized. Their photophysical, electrochemical and fluorescence properties were investigated, and they exhibited blue to green emission in the solid state. Interestingly, SDNUâ2 exhibited high solid photoluminescence quantum efficiencies (75.3â%), which is the highest value of Nâheteroacenes derivatives to date. Twoâphoton absorption studies have been conducted by using the open and close aperture Zâsan technique. SDNUâ3 showed a significant enhancement in the twoâphoton absorption crossâsection with magnitudes as high as about 700â
GM (1â
GM=1Ă10â50â
cm4âs/photon) when excited with 800â
nm light, which is the largest value based on a heteroacene system measured by using a Zâscan experiment so far. We attribute the outcome to sufficient electronic coupling between the strong charge transfer of quadrupolar substituents and the tetraazachrysene core. Our result would provide a new guideline to design novel efficient twoâphoton materials based on Nâheteroacene cores
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