State-of-the-art technology: Recent investigations on laser-mediated synthesis of nanocomposites for environmental remediation

In both developing and industrialized/developed countries, various hazardous/toxic environmental pollutants are entering water bodies from organic and inorganic compounds (heavy metals and specifically dyes). The global population is growing whereas the accessibility of clean, potable and safe drinking water is decreasing, leading to world deterioration in human health and limitation of agricultural and/or economic development. Treatment of water/wastewater (mainly industrial water) via catalytic reduction/degradation of environmental pollutants is extremely critical and is a major concern/issue for public health. Light and/or laser ablation induced photocatalytic processes have attracted much attention during recent years for water treatment due to their good (photo)catalytic efficiencies in the reduction/degradation of organic/inorganic pollutants. Pulsed laser ablation (PLA) is a rather novel catalyst fabrication approach for the generation of nanostructures with special morphologies (nanoparticles (NPs), nanocrystals, nanocomposites, nanowires, etc.) and different compositions (metals, alloys, oxides, core-shell, etc.). Laser ablation in liquid (LAL) is generally considered a quickly growing approach for the synthesis and modification of nanomaterials for practical applications in diverse fields. LAL-synthesized nanomaterials have been identified as attractive nanocatalysts or valuable photocatalysts in (photo)catalytic reduction/degradation reactions. In this review, the laser ablation/irradiation strategies based on LAL are systematically described and the applications of LAL synthesized metal/metal oxide nanocatalysts with highly controlled nanostructures in the degradation/reduction of organic/inorganic water pollutants are highlighted along with their degradation/reduction mechanisms.     

Femtosecond Ti: Sa ultra short-pulse laser irradiation effects on the properties and morphology of the zirconia surface after ageing

Femtosecond pulses from a Ti:Sapphire laser were used to irradiate specimens of yttria-stabilised (35% mol) tetragonal zirconia (Y-TZP) with the purpose of studying the effects of the irradiations on their surface properties and morphology after ageing. Zirconia disks were divided into eight groups (n = 32) according to their surface treatment and subsequent ageing: Control: no treatment; sandblasting: Al₂O₃ sandblasting 50 μm; and ultrashort laser pulses irradiation with 25 μJ pulses, considering two different scanning steps based on the width between two grooves. These groups were duplicated and submitted to ageing. The surfaces were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction. A finite element analysis, a biaxial flexure test, as well as fractographic and Weibull analyses, were performed. The strengths of the disks were statistically different for the treatment factor, and the principal stresses seemed to be concentrated at the centre of the specimens, as predicted by the computer simulations. Ageing decreased the strengths for all groups and increased the Weibull modulus for the laser group with the 40 μm-width between two grooves. The sandblasting group presented the highest monoclinic phase peak. Although the most significant strength was found within the sandblasting group, the phase transformation was favourable to the laser groups. The Weibull modulus was higher for the laser group with the 60 μm-width between two grooves, confirming the highest homogeneity of its failure distribution. Regardless of the surface treatment, strength was decreased with ageing in all groups. The femtosecond Ti:Sa ultra-short pulse laser irradiation can be suggested as an alternative to the gold standard sandblasting in long-term Y-TZP zirconia rehabilitations, such as crowns and veneers.     

含新型有机硅缓蚀剂的制备及性能研究

为了研究缓蚀剂组分及添加条件对发射药性的影响,设计并制备了一种含新型有机硅的缓蚀剂材料;采用烧蚀管法,对比石蜡+TiO2型缓蚀剂,研究了新型有机硅缓蚀剂的静态降烧蚀效果;采用密闭爆发器研究了不同缓蚀剂添加条件对高能硝胺发射药点火和燃烧性能的影响;采用14.5mm弹道枪和壁温测试装置,研究不同缓蚀剂添加条件对膛壁温度、内弹道性能和枪口烟雾的影响。结果表明,采用含新型有机硅的缓蚀剂,降烧蚀效果更为显著;随着缓蚀剂添加量的增加,压力峰值、弹丸初速也会产生小幅下降,但总体影响幅度较小;添加缓蚀剂后,射击过程膛壁峰值温度显著下降,下降幅度随着缓蚀剂添加量的增加而增加,在缓蚀剂质量分数为3%时,对身管壁温降低幅度可达17.1%,且产生的枪口烟雾量较少;在缓蚀剂质量分数为5%时,缓蚀剂添加过量,枪口产生较大烟雾。该缓蚀剂及添加条件有望应用于低烧蚀发射药配方中。     

Engineering 2D Multifunctional Ultrathin Bismuthene for Multiple Photonic Nanomedicine

2D monoelemental nanomaterials (Xenes) have shown tremendous potential for versatile biomedical applications. Bismuth, as a heavy element in pnictogens, has acquired massive research interest due to its unique optical performance, high biocompatibility, stability, and relatively low cost. However, the utilization of 2D bismuthene in nanomedicine has not been achieved because of the difficulty in engineering bismuthene with crucial structural/compositional characteristics for satisfying strict biomedical requirements. Herein, to address this Gordian knot, a facile strategy to intercalate and delaminate Bi bulk for generating mass few-layered 2D bismuthene with high yield by employing a water molecule mediated freezing–thawing process and sodium borohydride-triggered reduction treatment is proposed. The resulting 2D bismuthene displays good optical performance in the near-infrared (NIR) biowindow and can be excited via red light for reactive oxygen species generation, enabling applications in multiple photonic cancer nanomedicine settings, including photothermal hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy. Utilizing the intrinsic desirable optical absorbance and strong X-ray attenuation of bismuthene, dual photonic therapy can be conducted under the supervision of photoacoustic/computed tomography guided multimodal imaging. This research not only offers a potential mass-production ready, cost-effective, and eco-efficient methodology for engineering 2D Xenes, but also exploits an innovative 2D bismuthene based photonic cancer nanomedicine.     

Deciphering the Origins of P1-Induced Power Losses in Cu(Inx,Ga1–x)Se2 (CIGS) Modules Through Hyperspectral Luminescence

In this report, we show that hyperspectral high-resolution photoluminescence mapping is a powerful tool for the selection and optimization of the laser ablation processes used for the patterning interconnections of subcells on Cu(In_x,Ga_1−x)Se₂ (CIGS) modules. In this way, we show that in-depth monitoring of material degradation in the vicinity of the ablation region and the identification of the underlying mechanisms can be accomplished. Specifically, by analyzing the standard P1 patterning line ablated before the CIGS deposition, we reveal an anomalous emission-quenching effect that follows the edge of the molybdenum groove underneath. We further rationalize the origins of this effect by comparing the topography of the P1 edge through a scanning electron microscope (SEM) cross-section, where a reduction of the photoemission cannot be explained by a thickness variation. We also investigate the laser-induced damage on P1 patterning lines performed after the deposition of CIGS. We then document, for the first time, the existence of a short-range damaged area, which is independent of the application of an optical aperture on the laser path. Our findings pave the way for a better understanding of P1-induced power losses and introduce new insights into the improvement of current strategies for industry-relevant module interconnection schemes.     

Fracture toughness of zirconia from a shallow notch produced by ultra-short pulsed laser ablation

Fracture toughness of submicron grain size tetragonal zirconia polycrystals doped with 3 mol% yttria (3Y-TZP) is measured by the single edge V-notch beam (SEVNB) method from a shallow sharp notch produced by ultra-short pulsed femtolaser ablation (UPLA) on the surface of a bending bar. It is shown that the radius of the notch tip achieved is in the submicron range and the damaged volume in front of the notch tip is characterized by using focus ion beam milling and scanning electron microscopy. It consists of a narrow fully microcracked region less than ∼4 μm wide and ∼15 μm deep in front of the notch. If the extension of this region and the length of the notch are used in the determination of the fracture toughness (K_Ic) in the four bending test, the values obtained for submicron grain size 3Y-TZP are in agreement those obtained by using very sharp cracks. It is concluded that the SEVNB testing method with a sharp notch induced by UPLA may be used for K_Ic testing of submicron grain size ceramics.     

文物建筑外墙风化检测与分析

通过北京大学红楼外墙风化检测实例，提出了文物建筑外墙风化检测的重要性，并介绍了砖体动态弹性模量超声检测，粘结拉拔检测和砖体含盐量检测方法。     

Germanium-antimony-selenium-tellurium thin films: Clusters formation by laser ablation and comparison with clusters from mixtures of elements

Quaternary germanium-antimony-selenium-tellurium (Ge-Sb-Se-Te) thin films deposited from Ge_19.4Sb_16.7Se_63.9−xTe_x (x = 5, 10, 15, and 20) glass-ceramics targets by radio frequency magnetron sputtering were studied using laser ablation quadrupole ion trap time of flight mass spectrometry. Binary, ternary, and quaternary Ge_aSb_bSe_cTe_d clusters were formed and their stoichiometry was determined. By comparison of the clusters obtained from quaternary Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films and those from ternary Ge-Sb-Te materials, we found that Ge-Te species are not detected from the quaternary system. Furthermore, Ge-Se and Se-Te species are missing in mass spectra generated from Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films. From the Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films, 16 clusters were detected while ternary Ge-Sb-Se glasses yielded 26 species. This might be considered as a signal of higher stability of Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films which is increasing with a higher content of Te. The missing (Se₂⁺, Ge_aSb⁺ (a = 1–4), and GeSe_c⁺ (c = 1, 2)) and new (Ge⁺ and Sb_bTe⁺ (b = 1–3)) clusters may indicate that some of the structural features of the films (Ge₂Se_6/2 and Se₂Sb-SbSe₂) were replaced by (GeSe_4−xTe_x and SbSe_3−xTe_x) ones. In addition, when comparing the stoichiometry of clusters formed from Ge-Sb-Se-Te thin films with those from the mixtures of the elements, only Sb₃⁺ and SbSe⁺ were observed in both cases. The knowledge gained concerning clusters stoichiometry contributes to the elucidation of the processes proceeding during plasma formation used for the chalcogenide thin films deposition.