Preparation and evaluation of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films by sulfurization of E---B evaporated precursors

By sulfurization of E---B evaporated precursors, CZTS(Cu₂ZnSnS₄) films could be prepared successfully. This semiconductor does not consist of any rare-metal such as In. The X-ray diffraction pattern of CZTS thin films showed that these films had a stannite structure. This study estimated the optical band gap energy as 1.45 eV. The optical absorption coefficient was in the order of 10⁴cm⁻¹. The resistivity was in the the order of 10⁴ Ω cm and the conduction type was p-type. Fabricated solar cells, Al/ZnO/CdS/CZTS/Mo/Soda Lime Glass, showed an open-circuit voltage up to 400 mV.     

Glucosylceramide Changes Bacterial Metabolism and Increases Gram-Positive Bacteria through Tolerance to Secondary Bile Acids In Vitro

Glucosylceramide is present in many foods, such as crops and fermented foods. Most glucosylceramides are not degraded or absorbed in the small intestine and pass through the large intestine. Glucosylceramide exerts versatile effects on colon tumorigenesis, skin moisture, cholesterol metabolism and improvement of intestinal microbes in vivo. However, the mechanism of action has not yet been fully elucidated. To gain insight into the effect of glucosylceramide on intestinal microbes, glucosylceramide was anaerobically incubated with the dominant intestinal microbe, Blautia coccoides, and model intestinal microbes. The metabolites of the cultured broth supplemented with glucosylceramide were significantly different from those of broth not treated with glucosylceramide. The number of Gram-positive bacteria was significantly increased upon the addition of glucosylceramide compared to that in the control. Glucosylceramide endows intestinal microbes with tolerance to secondary bile acid. These results first demonstrated that glucosylceramide plays a role in the modification of intestinal microbes.     

Hill Plot Focusing on Ce Compounds with High Magnetic Ordering Temperatures and Consequent Study of Ce<Subscript>2</Subscript>AuP<Subscript>3</Subscript>

The Hill plot is a well-known criterion of the f-electron element interatomic threshold distance separating the nonmagnetic state from the magnetic state in actinides and lanthanides. We have reinvestigated the Hill plot of Ce compounds using the commercial crystallographic database CRYSTMET, focusing on a relationship between the Ce-Ce distance and the magnetic ordering temperature because a Ce compound with no other magnetic elements rarely has a magnetic ordering temperature that is higher than 20 K. The Hill plot of approximately 730 compounds has revealed that a Ce compound, particularly a ferromagnet, showing a high magnetic ordering temperature would require a short Ce-Ce distance with a suppression of the valence instability of the Ce ion. From the study, we developed interest in Ce₂AuP₃ with a Curie temperature of 31 K. The ferromagnetic nature of this material has been examined in terms of a doping effect, which suggests a possible increase in magnetic anisotropy energy.