Near-Field Drives Long-Lived Shallow Trapping of Polymeric C3N4 for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Undesired photoelectronic dormancy through active species decay is adverse to photoactivity enhancement. An insufficient extrinsic driving force leads to ultrafast deep charge trapping and photoactive species depopulation in carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄). Excitation of shallow trapping in g-C₃N₄ with long-lived excited states opens up the possibility of pursuing high-efficiency photocatalysis. Herein, a near-field-assisted model is constructed consisting of an In₂O₃-cube/g-C₃N₄ heterojunction associated with ultrafast photodynamic coupling. This In₂O₃-cube-induced near-field assistance system provides catalytic “hot areas”, efficiently enhances the lifetimes of excited states and shallow trapping in g-C₃N₄ and this favors an increased active species density. Optical simulations combined with time-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy shows there is a built-in charge transfer and the active species lifetimes are longer in the In₂O₃-cube/g-C₃N₄ hybrid. Besides these properties, the estimated overpotential and interfacial kinetics of the In₂O₃-cube/g-C₃N₄ hybrid co-promotes the liquid phase reaction and also helps in boosting the photocatalytic performance. The photocatalytic results exhibit a tremendous improvement (34-fold) for visible-light-driven hydrogen production. Near-field-assisted long-lived active species and the influences of trap states is a novel finding for enhancing (g-C₃N₄)-based photocatalytic performance.     

Chloroquine-Induced Accumulation of Autophagosomes and Lipids in the Endothelium

Chloroquine (CQ) is an antimalarial drug known to inhibit autophagy flux by impairing autophagosome–lysosome fusion. We hypothesized that autophagy flux altered by CQ has a considerable influence on the lipid composition of endothelial cells. Thus, we investigated endothelial responses induced by CQ on human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1). HMEC-1 cells after CQ exposure were measured using a combined methodology based on label-free Raman and fluorescence imaging. Raman spectroscopy was applied to characterize subtle chemical changes in lipid contents and their distribution in the cells, while the fluorescence staining (LipidTox, LysoTracker and LC3) was used as a reference method. The results showed that CQ was not toxic to endothelial cells and did not result in the endothelial inflammation at concentrations of 1–30 µM. Notwithstanding, it yielded an increased intensity of LipidTox, LysoTracker, and LC3 staining, suggesting changes in the content of neutral lipids, lysosomotropism, and autophagy inhibition, respectively. The CQ-induced endothelial response was associated with lipid accumulation and was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. CQ-induced autophagosome accumulation in the endothelium is featured by a pronounced alteration in the lipid profile, but not in the endothelial inflammation. Raman-based assessment of CQ-induced biochemical changes offers a better understanding of the autophagy mechanism in the endothelial cells.     

Greatly improved NIR shielding performance of CuS nanocrystals by gallium doping for energy efficient window

In this work, gallium doped copper sulfide (Ga-doped CuS) nanocrystals were prepared using a solvothermal method. The effects of Ga doping on the crystal structures, chemical composition, morphology, optical properties and thermal performance of copper sulfide (CuS) were investigated. The Ga-doped CuS nanocrystals had a hexagonal structure comparable to that of pure CuS. The Cu⁺/Cu²⁺ ratio first decreased and then increased with increasing Ga³⁺ doping. Both CuS and Ga-doped CuS exhibited nanoplate and nanorod morphologies. The visible transmittance of the Ga-doped CuS films was in the range of 61–77.1%. Importantly, the near-infrared (NIR) shielding performance of the films can be tuned by adjusting the concentration of the Ga dopant. The NIR shielding value of the optimal Ga-doped CuS film was 72.4%, which was approximately 1.5 times as high as that of the pure CuS film. This can be ascribed to the enhanced plasmonic NIR absorption that resulted from an increase in the hole concentration after doping with Ga³⁺ ions. In the thermal performance test, the Ga-doped CuS film lowered the interior temperature of the heat box by 9.1 °C. Therefore, the integration of good visible transmittance and high NIR shielding performance make the Ga-doped CuS nanocrystals a promising candidate for energy-efficient window coatings.     

Effect of cooking temperature on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin

To investigate the effect of cooking temperature (55, 65, 75, 85 and 95 °C) on texture and flavour binding of braised sauce porcine skin (BSPS), sensory acceptance, microstructure and flavour-binding capacity were investigated during the processing of BSPS. Samples cooked at 85 and 95 °C showed better texture and aroma scores. Hardness and chewiness of BSPS were obviously improved at 85 and 95 °C than control group. Collagen structure was significantly destroyed over 85 °C. The porcine skin collagen heated at 85 and 95 °C showed relatively higher flavour-binding capacity than other samples. The improvement of texture of BSPS was mainly attributed to the degradation of collagen. Higher aroma scores of BSPS were related to intense binding abilities with aroma compounds at 85 and 95 °C. Cooking at 85 or 95 °C could be an optimal cooking temperature for BSPS.     

Development of surface reconstruction algorithms for optical interferometric measurement

Optical interferometry is a powerful tool for measuring and characterizing areal surface topography in precision manufacturing. A variety of instruments based on optical interferometry have been developed to meet the measurement needs in various applications, but the existing techniques are simply not enough to meet the ever-increasing requirements in terms of accuracy, speed, robustness, and dynamic range, especially in on-line or on-machine conditions. This paper provides an in-depth perspective of surface topography reconstruction for optical interferometric measurements. Principles, configurations, and applications of typical optical interferometers with different capabilities and limitations are presented. Theoretical background and recent advances of fringe analysis algorithms, including coherence peak sensing and phase-shifting algorithm, are summarized. The new developments in measurement accuracy and repeatability, noise resistance, self-calibration ability, and computational efficiency are discussed. This paper also presents the new challenges that optical interferometry techniques are facing in surface topography measurement. To address these challenges, advanced techniques in image stitching, on-machine measurement, intelligent sampling, parallel computing, and deep learning are explored to improve the functional performance of optical interferometry in future manufacturing metrology.     

Preparation of transparent Y2O3 ceramic via gel casting: Realization of high solid volume via surface modification

In this article, isocyanate was adopted to modify Y₂O₃ powder for the purpose of preparing transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics via gel casting. The modification could enhance the hydration resistance of Y₂O₃ powder through the steric hindrance effect. The coating mechanism can be proved by the infrared spectrum of the surface-modified Y₂O₃ powder. Modification could not only prevent Y₂O₃ particles from reacting with water, but also prevents agglomeration between particles. The viscosity of the slurry with a solid content of 52.7 vol% is only 0.48 Pa·s at the shear rate of 100 s⁻¹, which is suitable for preparing high-density compacts by gel casting. The transmittance of the sample (1840°C × 8 h, 1 mm thickness) at 1100 nm reaches 75%. The microstructure of the sintered body is dense with the average grain size of 6.5 μm without obvious impurities nor pores. Five mol% ZrO₂-doped Y₂O₃ transparent ceramic fairing with the diameter of 5 cm without defects was successfully fabricated by gel casting (52.7 vol% solid volume) and vacuum sintering (1840°C × 8 h).     

Spreading and Curing Behaviors of a Thermosetting Droplet-Silicone on a Heated Surface

Thermosetting materials are widely used as encapsulation in the electrical packaging to protect the core electronic components from external force, moisture, dust, and other factors. However, the spreading and curing behaviors of such kind of fluid on a heated surface have been rarely explored. In this study, we experimentally and numerically investigated the spreading and curing behaviors of the silicone(OE6550 A/B, which is widely used in the light-emitting diode packaging) droplet with diameter of ～2.2 mm on a heated surface with temperature ranging from 25 ℃ to 250 ℃. For the experiments, we established a setup with high-speed camera and heating unit to capture the fast spreading process of the silicone droplet on the heated surface. For the numerical simulation, we built a viscosity model of the silicone by using the Kiuna's model and combined the viscosity model with the Volume of Fluid(VOF) model by the User Defined Function(UDF) method. The results show that the surface temperature significantly affected the spreading behaviors of the silicone droplet since it determines the temperature and viscosity distribution inside the droplet. For surface temperature varied from 25 ℃ to 250 ℃, the final contact radius changed from ～2.95 mm to ～1.78 mm and the total spreading time changed from ～511 s to ～0.15 s. By further analyzing the viscosity evolution of the droplet, we found that the decreasing of the total spreading time was caused by the decrease of the viscosity under high surface temperature at initial spreading stage, while the reduction of the final contact radius was caused by the curing of the precursor film. This study supplies a strategy to tuning the spreading and curing behavior of silicone by imposing high surface temperature, which is of great importance to the electronic packaging.