Abnormal thermal expansion coefficients in (Nd1−xDyx)2Zr2O7 pyrochlore: The effect of low-lying optical phonons

Chemical doping is a normal strategy to tune thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of ceramics in engineering applications, but the resultant TEC values usually follow Vegard’s law, as doping does not modify the nature of chemical bonding in ceramics and its anharmonicity. In this paper, we report abnormal TEC behavior in (Nd1−xDyx)2Zr2O7 ceramics, where the TEC values remarkably exceed the values predicted by Vegard’s law and even exceed the values obtained for two constituents Nd2Zr2O7 and Dy2Zr2O7. In addition to a reduction in lattice energy with an increasing molar fraction of Dy (x) value, we attribute the additional increase in the TEC to the high concentration of Dy dopants in a pyrochlore (P) region, which can soften low-lying optical phonon modes and induce strongly avoided crossing with acoustic phonon branches and enhanced anharmonicity. We believe that this finding can provide a new route to break through the restriction imposed by the conventional Vegard’s law on the TEC values and bring new opportunities for thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) or ceramic/metal composites towards realizing minimized thermal mismatch and prolonged service life during thermal cycling

A Novel p-Type ZnCo_xO_y Thin Film Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition

Reported herein is the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of novel ternary ZnCoxOy films possessing p-type semiconducting behavior. The preparation comprises of optimized ZnO and Co3O4 deposition in sub-cycles using the commercially available precursors cyclopentadienylcobalt dicarbonyl (CpCo(CO)2), diethylzinc (DEZ) and ozone (O3). A systematic exploration of the film’s microstructure, crystallinity, optical properties and electrical properties was conducted and revealed an association with Zn/Co stoichiometry. The noteworthy results include the following: (1) by adjusting the sub-cycle of ZnO/ Co3O4 to 1/10, a spinel structured ZnCoxOy film was grown at 150 °C, with it exhibiting a smooth surface, good crystallinity and high purity; (2) the material transmittance and bandgap decreased as the Co element concentration increased; (3) the ZnCoxOy film is more stable than its p-type analog Co3O4 film; and (4) upon p-n diode fabrication, the ZnCoxOy film demonstrated good rectification behaviors as well as very low and stable reverse leakage in forward and reverse-biased voltages, respectively. Its application in thin film transistors and flexible or transparent semiconductor devices is highly suggested

Characterizing the motility of chemotherapeutics-treated acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by time-lapse imaging

Drug resistance is an obstacle in the therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Whether the physical properties such as the motility of the cells contribute to the survival of ALL cells after drug treatment has recently been of increasing interest, as they could potentially allow the metastasis of solid tumor cells and the migration of leukemia cells. We hypothesized that chemotherapeutic treatment may alter these physical cellular properties. To investigate the motility of chemotherapeutics-treated B-cell ALL (B-ALL) cells, patient-derived B-ALL cells were treated with chemotherapy for 7 days and left for 12 h without chemotherapeutic treatment. Two parameters of motility were studied, velocity and migration distance, using a time-lapse imaging system. The study revealed that compared to non-chemotherapeutically treated B-ALL cells, B-ALL cells that survived chemotherapy treatment after 7 days showed reduced motility. We had previously shown that Tysabri and P5G10, antibodies against the adhesion molecules integrins α4 and α6, respectively, may overcome drug resistance mediated through leukemia cell adhesion to bone marrow stromal cells. Therefore, we tested the effect of integrin α4 or α6 blockade on the motility of chemotherapeutics-treated ALL cells. Only integrin α4 blockade decreased the motility and velocity of two chemotherapeutics-treated ALL cell lines. Interestingly, integrin α6 blockade did not affect the velocity of chemoresistant ALL cells. This study explores the physical properties of the movements of chemoresistant B-ALL cells and highlights a potential link to integrins. Further studies to investigate the underlying mechanism are warranted