1,463 research outputs found
Cooling of 2 kW H subscript 2-O subscript 2 fuel cell
An extensive research and development program has been carried out to devise an improved method of removing waste heat of reaction from a developmental 2 kW hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell
Low-Energy Surface States in the Normal State of -PdBi2 Superconductor
Topological superconductors as characterized by Majorana surface states has
been actively searched for their significance in fundamental science and
technological implication. The large spin-orbit coupling in Bi-Pd binaries has
stimulated extensive investigations on the topological surface states in these
superconducting compounds. Here we report a study of normal-state electronic
structure in a centrosymmetric -PdBi2 within density functional theory
calculations. By investigating the electronic structure from the bulk to slab
geometries in this system, we predict for the first time that -PdBi2
can host orbital-dependent and asymmetric Rashba surface states near the Fermi
energy. This study suggests that -PdBi2 will be a good candidate to
explore the relationship between superconductivity and topology in condensed
matter physics
Induced Ferromagnetism at BiFeO3/YBa2Cu3O7 Interfaces
Transition metal oxides (TMOs) exhibit many emergent phenomena ranging from
high-temperature superconductivity and giant magnetoresistance to magnetism and
ferroelectricity. In addition, when TMOs are interfaced with each other, new
functionalities can arise, which are absent in individual components. Here, we
report results from first-principles calculations on the magnetism at the
BiFeO3/YBa2Cu3O7 interfaces. By comparing the total energy for various magnetic
spin configurations inside BiFeO3, we are able to show that a metallic
ferromagnetism is induced near the interface. We further develop an interface
exchange-coupling model and place the extracted exchange coupling interaction
strengths, from the first-principles calculations, into a resultant generic
phase diagram. Our conclusion of interfacial ferromagnetism is confirmed by the
presence of a hysteresis loop in field-dependent magnetization data. The
emergence of interfacial ferromagnetism should have implications to electronic
and transport properties.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure
Optical Properties of Organometallic Perovskite: An ab initio Study using Relativistic GW Correction and Bethe-Salpeter Equation
In the development of highly efficient photovoltaic cells, solid perovskite
systems have demonstrated unprecedented promise, with the figure of merit
exceeding nineteen percent of efficiency. In this paper, we investigate the
optical and vibrational properties of organometallic cubic perovskite
CH3NH3PbI3 using first-principles calculations. For accurate theoretical
description, we go beyond conventional density functional theory (DFT), and
calculated optical conductivity using relativist quasi-particle (GW)
correction. Incorporating these many-body effects, we further solve
Bethe-Salpeter equations (BSE) for excitons, and found enhanced optical
conductivity near the gap edge. Due to the presence of organic methylammonium
cations near the center of the perovskite cell, the system is sensitive to low
energy vibrational modes. We estimate the phonon modes of CH3NH3PbI3 using
small displacement approach, and further calculate the infrared absorption (IR)
spectra. Qualitatively, our calculations of low-energy phonon frequencies are
in good agreement with our terahertz measurements. Therefore, for both energy
scales (around 2 eV and 0-20 meV), our calculations reveal the importance of
many-body effects and their contributions to the desirable optical properties
in the cubic organometallic perovskites system.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
On the Effectiveness of Feed-in Tariffs in the Development of Photovoltaic Solar
__Abstract__
Growing concern for climate change and rising scarcity of fossil fuels prompted governments to stimulate the development of renewables. This paper empirically tests whether feed-in tariff (FIT) policies have been effective in the development of photovoltaic solar (PV), explicitly taking into account structure and consistency of FITs. Panel data estimations are employed for 30 OECD member countries over the period 1990-2011. We find a positive effect of the presence of a FIT and the development of a country’s share of PV in the electricity-mix. This effect increases if policies are consistent. Tariff height is the most important characteristic of a FIT, but other characteristics such as cost level, duration of contract and restrictions on capacity levels can also not be neglected if the goal is to increase effectiveness of FITs
Penetration depth study of LaOsSb: Multiband s-wave superconductivity
We measured the magnetic penetration depth in single crystals of
LaOsSb (=0.74 K) down to 85 mK using a tunnel diode
oscillator technique. The observed low-temperature exponential dependence
indicates a s-wave gap. Fitting the low temperature data to BCS s-wave
expression gives the zero temperature gap value which is significantly smaller than the BCS value of 1.76. In
addition, the normalized superfluid density shows an unusually long
suppression near , and are best fit by a two-band s-wave model.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure
Sodium channel γENaC mediates IL-17 synergized high salt induced inflammatory stress in breast cancer cells
Chronic inflammation is known to play a critical role in the development of cancer. Recent evidence suggests that high salt in the tissue microenvironment induces chronic inflammatory milieu. In this report, using three breast cancer-related cell lines, we determined the molecular basis of the potential synergistic inflammatory effect of sodium chloride (NaCl) with interleukin-17 (IL-17). Combined treatment of high NaCl (0.15M) with sub-effective IL-17 (0.1nM) induced enhanced growth in breast cancer cells along with activation of reactive nitrogen and oxygen (RNS/ROS) species known to promote cancer. Similar effect was not observed with equi-molar mannitol. This enhanced of ROS/RNS activity correlates with upregulation of γENaC an inflammatory sodium channel. The similar culture conditions have also induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNFα etc. Taken together, these data suggest that high NaCl in the cellular microenvironment induces a γENaC mediated chronic inflammatory response with a potential pro-carcinogenic effect
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