Lontohystrichosphaera grandis holotype

Holotype specimen of Lontohystrichosphaera grandis. Scale bar = 500 µm. Slide number: NRM-PZ X 7023

Retiranus balticus holotype

Holotype specimen of Retiranus balticus. Scale bar = 400 µm. Slide number: NRM-PZ X 7062

On the (110) Surface Structure of ZIF-8

Computational results on the external surface structure of ZIF-

Decaffeination and Measurement of Caffeine Content by Addicted <i>Escherichia coli</i> with a Refactored <i>N</i>‑Demethylation Operon from <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> CBB5

The widespread use of caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) and other methylxanthines in beverages and pharmaceuticals has led to significant environmental pollution. We have developed a portable caffeine degradation operon by refactoring the alkylxanthine degradation (Alx) gene cluster from <i>Pseudomonas putida</i> CBB5 to function in <i>Escherichia coli</i>. In the process, we discovered that adding a glutathione <i>S</i>-transferase from <i>Janthinobacterium</i> sp. Marseille was necessary to achieve <i>N</i>₇-demethylation activity. <i>E. coli</i> cells with the synthetic operon degrade caffeine to the guanine precursor, xanthine. Cells deficient in <i>de novo</i> guanine biosynthesis that contain the refactored operon are ″addicted″ to caffeine: their growth density is limited by the availability of caffeine or other xanthines. We show that the addicted strain can be used as a biosensor to measure the caffeine content of common beverages. The synthetic <i>N</i>-demethylation operon could be useful for reclaiming nutrient-rich byproducts of coffee bean processing and for the cost-effective bioproduction of methylxanthine drugs

Room Temperature Magnetically Ordered Polar Corundum GaFeO₃ Displaying Magnetoelectric Coupling

The polar corundum structure type offers a route to new room temperature multiferroic materials, as the partial LiNbO₃-type cation ordering that breaks inversion symmetry may be combined with long-range magnetic ordering of high spin <i>d</i>⁵ cations above room temperature in the <i>A</i>FeO₃ system. We report the synthesis of a polar corundum GaFeO₃ by a high-pressure, high-temperature route and demonstrate that its polarity arises from partial LiNbO₃-type cation ordering by complementary use of neutron, X-ray, and electron diffraction methods. In situ neutron diffraction shows that the polar corundum forms directly from AlFeO₃-type GaFeO₃ under the synthesis conditions. The <i>A</i>³⁺/Fe³⁺ cations are shown to be more ordered in polar corundum GaFeO₃ than in isostructural ScFeO₃. This is explained by DFT calculations which indicate that the extent of ordering is dependent on the configurational entropy available to each system at the very different synthesis temperatures required to form their corundum structures. Polar corundum GaFeO₃ exhibits weak ferromagnetism at room temperature that arises from its Fe₂O₃-like magnetic ordering, which persists to a temperature of 408 K. We demonstrate that the polarity and magnetization are coupled in this system with a measured linear magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of 0.057 ps/m. Such coupling is a prerequisite for potential applications of polar corundum materials in multiferroic/magnetoelectric devices

Room Temperature Magnetically Ordered Polar Corundum GaFeO₃ Displaying Magnetoelectric Coupling

The polar corundum structure type offers a route to new room temperature multiferroic materials, as the partial LiNbO₃-type cation ordering that breaks inversion symmetry may be combined with long-range magnetic ordering of high spin <i>d</i>⁵ cations above room temperature in the <i>A</i>FeO₃ system. We report the synthesis of a polar corundum GaFeO₃ by a high-pressure, high-temperature route and demonstrate that its polarity arises from partial LiNbO₃-type cation ordering by complementary use of neutron, X-ray, and electron diffraction methods. In situ neutron diffraction shows that the polar corundum forms directly from AlFeO₃-type GaFeO₃ under the synthesis conditions. The <i>A</i>³⁺/Fe³⁺ cations are shown to be more ordered in polar corundum GaFeO₃ than in isostructural ScFeO₃. This is explained by DFT calculations which indicate that the extent of ordering is dependent on the configurational entropy available to each system at the very different synthesis temperatures required to form their corundum structures. Polar corundum GaFeO₃ exhibits weak ferromagnetism at room temperature that arises from its Fe₂O₃-like magnetic ordering, which persists to a temperature of 408 K. We demonstrate that the polarity and magnetization are coupled in this system with a measured linear magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of 0.057 ps/m. Such coupling is a prerequisite for potential applications of polar corundum materials in multiferroic/magnetoelectric devices

A Polar Corundum Oxide Displaying Weak Ferromagnetism at Room Temperature

Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO₃ (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO₃ has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 Kthis is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO₃

A Polar Corundum Oxide Displaying Weak Ferromagnetism at Room Temperature

Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO₃ (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO₃ has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 Kthis is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO₃

A Polar Corundum Oxide Displaying Weak Ferromagnetism at Room Temperature

Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO₃ (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO₃ has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 Kthis is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO₃