Dual-band reflective polarization converter based on metasurface

In this paper, a dual-band and reflective polarization converter based on metasurface is proposed. Its unit cell is composed of two layers of metal plates separated by a dielectric substrate. The simulation results show that the proposed converter is able to convert x- or y-polarized incident waves into cross-polarized waves perfectly in frequency bands of 6.75—10.59 GHz and 17.78—19.61 GHz, and the polarization conversion ratio (PCR) is nearly 100%, which can also convert linearly polarized waves into circularly polarized waves at four frequencies. It can be widely used in applications of radar satellites, antenna design and telecommunication with the function of realizing polarization conversion in two bands and achieving high PCR simultaneously.     

Current measurement method based on magneto-optic rotation effect

Aiming at the approximate measurement of magnetic rotation angle in optical current sensor based on light intensity detection mode, this paper proposes a current measurement method based on triangular constant transformation to reconstruct magnetic rotation angle, so as to avoid the large current measurement error caused by the approximate measurement of the magnetic rotation angle. By extracting the direct current (DC) component and the alternating current (AC) component of the light intensity signal detected by the photoelectric detector (PD), the sine signal containing the magnetic rotation angle is directly obtained by dividing the two components, and then the triangular identity transformation method is used to linearly demodulate the magnetic rotation angle and reconstruct the current waveform. The experimental results show that the relative error of current measurement does not exceed 1.40% in the current range of 0.05—0.50 A, which is less than the approximate linear measurement (ALM) method, and the magnetic rotation angle and the current have a good linear relationship.     

Amine Coordinated Electron-Rich Palladium Nanoparticles for Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Benzaldehyde

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) is a burgeoning strategy for the sustainable utilization of hydrogen. However, how to effectively suppress the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a big challenge to ECH catalysis. In this study, amine (NH₂ R)-coordinated Pd nanoparticles loaded on carbon felt (Pd@CF) as a catalyst is successfully synthesized by a one-step solvothermal reduction method using oleylamine as the reducing agent. An exceptional ECH reactivity on benzaldehyde is achieved on the optimal Pd@CF catalyst in terms of a high conversion (89.7%) and selectivity toward benzyl alcohol (89.8%) at −0.4 V in 60 min. Notably, the Faradaic efficiency for producing benzyl alcohol is up to 90.2%, much higher than that catalyzed by Pd@CF-without N-group (41.1%) and thecommercial Pd/C (20.9%). The excellent ECH performance of Pd@CF can be attributed to the enriched electrons on Pd surface resulted from the introduction of NH₂ R groups, which strengthens both the adsorption of benzaldehyde and the adsorbed hydrogen (H_ads) on Pd, preventing the combination of H_ads to form H₂, that is, inhibiting the HER. This study gives a new insight into design principles of highly efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes molecules.     

Ultrafast Switchable Passive Radiative Cooling Smart Windows with Synergistic Optical Modulation

Switchable passive radiative cooling (PRC) smart windows can modulate sunlight transmission and spontaneously emit heat to outer space through atmospheric transparent window, presenting great potential in building energy conservation. However, realizing stable and on-demand control of the cooling efficiency for PRC materials is still challenging. Herein, an electro-controlled polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) smart window showing PRC property is designed and prepared by adding mid-infrared emitting reactive monomers into the conventional PDLC matrix. It is found that not only the electro-optical properties but also the PRC efficiency of PRC PDLC film are tunable by regulating the content of the mid-infrared emitting components, film thickness, and micromorphology. This advanced PRC PDLC material achieves a near/sub-ambient temperature when the solar irradiance is below 400 W m⁻² and can dynamically manage daytime cooling efficiency. Importantly, its PRC efficiency is capable of being tuned in an on-demand and ultrafast millisecond-scale way, whose controllable transparency enables multistage heat regulation. This study is hoped to provide new inspiration in the preparation of advanced optical devices and energy-efficient equipment.     

In Situ Polymerizing Internal Encapsulation Strategy Enables Stable Perovskite Solar Cells toward Lead Leakage Suppression

Despite the outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieved over the years, unsatisfactory stability and lead toxicity remain obstacles that limit their competitiveness and large-scale practical deployment. In this study, in situ polymerizing internal encapsulation (IPIE) is developed as a holistic approach to overcome these challenges. The uniform polymer internal package layer constructed by thermally triggered cross-linkable monomers not only solidifies the ionic perovskite crystalline by strong electron-withdrawing/donating chemical sites, but also acts as a water penetration and ion migration barrier to prolong shelf life under harsh environments. The optimized MAPbI₃ and FAPbI₃ devices with IPIE treatment yield impressive efficiencies of 22.29% and 24.12%, respectively, accompanied by remarkably enhanced environmental and mechanical stabilities. In addition, toxic water-soluble lead leakage is minimized by the synergetic effect of the physical encapsulation wall and chemical chelation conferred by the IPIE. Hence, this strategy provides a feasible route for preparing efficient, stable, and eco-friendly PSCs.     

Aperture-Adjustable and Repairable Metal-Based MOFs Catalysis Membrane for Water Purification

Precise adjustment of the pore size, damage repair, and efficient cleaning is all challenges for the wider application of inorganic membranes. This study reports a simple strategy of combining dry-wet spinning and electrosynthesis to fabricate stainless-steel metal–organic framework composite membranes characterized by customizable pore sizes, targeted reparability, and high catalytic activity for membrane cleaning. The membrane pore size can be precisely customized in the range of 14–212 nm at nanoscale, and damaged membranes can be repaired by targeted treatment in 120 s. In addition, advanced oxidation processes can be used to quickly clean the membrane and achieve 98% flux recovery. The synergistic actions of the membrane matrix and the selective layer increase the adsorption energy of active sites to oxidant, shorten the electron transfer cycle, and enhance the overall catalytic performance. This study can provide a new direction for the development of advanced membranes for water purification and high-efficiency membrane cleaning methods.     

SAdaBoundNc: an adaptive subgradient online learning algorithm with logarithmic regret bounds

Neural Computing and Applications - Adaptive (sub)gradient methods have received wide applications such as the training of deep networks. The square-root regret bounds are achieved in convex...     

Thermally Responsive Fibers for Versatile Thermoactivated Protective Fabrics

Smart textiles with good mechanical adaptability play an important role in personal protection, health monitoring, and aerospace applications. However, most of the reported thermally responsive polymers has long response time and poor processability, comfort, and wearability. Skin-core structures of thermally responsive fibers with multiple commercial fiber cores and temperature-responsive hydrogel skins are designed and fabricated, which exhibit rapid mechanical adaptability, good thermohardening, and thermal insulation. This universal method enables tight bonding between various commercial fiber cores and hydrogel skins via specific covalently anchored networks. At room temperature, prepared fibers show softness, flexibility, and skin compatibility similar to those of ordinary fibers. As temperature rises, smart fibers become hard, rigid, and self-supporting. The modulus of hydrogel skin increases from 304% to 30883%, showing good mechanoadaptability and impact resistance owing to the synergy between hydrophobic interactions and ionic bonding. Moreover, this synergistic effect leads to an increase in heat absorption, and fibers exhibit good thermal insulation, which reduces the contact temperature of the body surface by ≈25 °C under the external temperature of 95 °C, effectively preventing thermal burns. Notably, the active mechanoadaptability of these smart fibers using conductive fibers as cores is demonstrated. This study provides feasibility for fabricating environmentally adaptive intelligent textiles.     

A 2.20 eV Bandgap Polymer Donor for Efficient Colorful Semitransparent Organic Solar Cells

Semitransparent organic solar cells (ST-OSCs) have attracted increasing attention due to their promising prospect in building-integrated photovoltaics. Generally, efficient ST-OSCs with good average visible transmittance (AVT) can be realized by developing active layer materials with light absorption far from the visible light range. Herein, the development of ultrawide bandgap polymer donors with near-ultraviolet absorption, paired with near-infrared acceptors, is proposed to achieve high-performance ST-OSCs. The key points for the design of ultrawide bandgap polymers include constructing donor–donor type conjugated skeleton, suppressing the quinoidal resonance effect, and minimizing the twist of conjugated skeleton via noncovalent conformational locks. As a proof of concept, a polymer named PBOF with an optical bandgap of 2.20 eV is synthesized, which exhibited largely reduced overlap with the human eye photopic response spectrum and afforded a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 16.40% in opaque device. As a result, ST-OSCs with a PCE over 10% and an AVT over 30% are achieved without optical modulation. Moreover, colorful ST-OSCs with visual aesthetics can be achieved by tuning the donor/acceptor weight ratio in active layer benefiting from the ultrawide bandgap nature of PBOF. This study demonstrates the great potential of ultrawide bandgap polymers for efficient colorful ST-OSCs.     

Proximity-Induced Fully Ferromagnetic Order with Eightfold Magnetic Anisotropy in Heavy Transition Metal Oxide CaRuO3

Ferromagnetic materials with a strong spin-orbit coupling (SOC) have attracted much attention in recent years because of their exotic properties and potential applications in energy-efficient spintronics. However, such materials are scarce in nature. Here, a proximity-induced paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition for the heavy transition metal oxide CaRuO₃ in (001)-(LaMnO₃/CaRuO₃) superlattices is reported. Anomalous Hall effect is observed in the temperature range up to 180 K. Maximal anomalous Hall conductivity and anomalous Hall angle are as large as ∼15 Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ and ∼0.93%, respectively, by one to two orders of magnitude larger than those of the typical 3d ferromagnetic oxides such as La_0.67Sr_0.33MnO₃. Density functional theory calculations indicate the existence of avoid band crossings in the electronic band structure of the ferromagnetic CRO layer, which enhances Berry curvature thus strong anomalous Hall effects. Further evidences from polarized neutron reflectometry show that the CaRuO₃ layers are in a fully ferromagnetic state (∼0.8 μ_B/Ru), in sharp contrast to the proximity-induced canted antiferromagnetic state in 5d oxides SrIrO₃ and CaIrO₃ (∼0.1 μ_B/Ir). More than that, the magnetic anisotropy of the (001)-(LaMnO₃/CaRuO₃) superlattices is eightfold symmetric, showing potential applications in the technology of multistate data storage.