| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 3. |
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- 2019
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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| 4. |
- Jian, Jingxin, et al.
(författare)
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A nanostructured NiO/cubic SiC p-n heterojunction photoanode for enhanced solar water splitting
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 7:9, s. 4721-4728
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting offers a promising method to convert the intermittent solar energy into renewable and storable chemical energy. However, the most studied semiconductors generally exhibit a poor PEC performance including low photocurrent, small photovoltage, and/or large onset potential. In this work, we demonstrate a significant enhancement of photovoltage and photocurrent together with a substantial decrease of onset potential by introducing electrocatalytic and p-type NiO nanoclusters on an n-type cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) photoanode. Under AM1.5G 100 mW cm(-2) illumination, the NiO-coated 3C-SiC photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 1.01 mA cm(-2) at 0.55 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (V-RHE), a very low onset potential of 0.20 V-RHE and a high fill factor of 57% for PEC water splitting. Moreover, the 3C-SiC/NiO photoanode shows a high photovoltage of 1.0 V, which is the highest value among reported photovoltages. The faradaic efficiency measurements demonstrate that NiO also protects the 3C-SiC surface against photo-corrosion. The impedance measurements evidence that the 3C-SiC/NiO photoanode facilitates the charge transfer for water oxidation. The valence-band position measurements confirm the formation of the 3C-SiC/NiO p-n heterojunction, which promotes the separation of the photogenerated carriers and reduces carrier recombination, thus resulting in enhanced solar water-splitting.
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| 5. |
- Jian, Jingxin, et al.
(författare)
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Cubic SiC Photoanode Coupling with Ni:FeOOH Oxygen-Evolution Cocatalyst for Sustainable Photoelectrochemical Water Oxidation
- 2020
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Ingår i: Solar RRL. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 2367-198X. ; 4:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As an efficient water oxidation cocatalyst, the Earth-abundant nickel-iron oxyhydroxide (Ni:FeOOH) is introduced to coat on the cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) photoanode surface for improving the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation performance. The FeOOH is prepared on the 3C-SiC photoanode surface by hydrothermal deposition, followed by a photoassisted electrodeposition of NiOOH. It is shown that the Ni:FeOOH layer is composed of the beta-FeOOH nanorods with a conformal coating of the amorphous NiOOH. Under AM1.5G 100 mW cm(-2) illumination, the 3C-SiC/Ni:FeOOH photoanode exhibits a very low onset potential of 0.2 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (V-RHE) and a high photocurrent density of 1.15 mA cm(-2) at 1.23 V-RHE, distinctly outperforming the 3C-SiC and the 3C-SiC/FeOOH counterparts. Open-circuit potential and impedance spectroscopy results demonstrate that the nanostructured Ni:FeOOH layer on the 3C-SiC surface increases the photovoltage and promotes the charge transfer toward the electrolyte, thus significantly improving the PEC water-splitting performance. These results provide new insights for the development of photoanodes toward efficient solar-fuel generation.
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| 6. |
- Jiang, Xiaoqing, et al.
(författare)
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Efficient perovskite solar cells employing a solution-processable copper phthalocyanine as a hole-transporting material
- 2017
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Ingår i: Science China Chemistry. - : Science in China Press. - 1674-7291 .- 1869-1870. ; 60:3, s. 423-430
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The development of alternative low-cost and high-performing hole-transporting materials (HTMs) is of great significance for the potential large-scale application of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) in the future. Here, a facilely synthesized solution-processable copper tetra-(2,4-dimethyl-3-pentoxy) phthalocyanine (CuPc-DMP) via only two simple steps, has been incorporated as a hole-transporting material (HTM) in mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The optimized devices based on such a HTM afford a very competitive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 17.1% measured at 100 mW cm(-2) AM 1.5G irradiation, which is on par with that of the well-known 2,2',7,7'-tetrakis(N,N'-di-p-methoxyphenylamine)-9,9'-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) (16.7%) under equivalent conditions. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest value reported so far for metal organic complex-based HTMs in PSCs. The advantages of this HTM observed, such as facile synthetic procedure, superior hole transport characteristic, high photovoltaic performance together with the feasibility of tailoring the molecular structure would make solution-processable copper phthalocyanines as a class of promising HTM that can be further explored in PSCs. The present finding highlights the potential application of solution processed metal organic complexes as HTMs for cost-effective and high-performing PSCs.
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| 7. |
- Jiang, Xiaoqing, et al.
(författare)
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High-Performance Regular Perovskite Solar Cells Employing Low-Cost Poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) as a Hole-Transporting Material
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2045-2322. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Herein, we successfully applied a facile in-situ solid-state synthesis of conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) as a HTM, directly on top of the perovskite layer, in conventional mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (PSCs) (n-i-p structure). The fabrication of the PEDOT film only involved a very simple in-situ solid-state polymerisation step from a monomer 2,5-dibromo-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (DBEDOT) made from a commercially available and cheap starting material. The ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) demonstrated that the as-prepared PEDOT film possesses the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level of -5.5 eV, which facilitates an effective hole extraction from the perovskite absorber as confirmed by the photoluminescence measurements. Optimised PSC devices employing this polymeric HTM in combination with a low-cost vacuum-free carbon cathode (replacing the gold), show an excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.0% measured at 100 mW cm(-2) illumination (AM 1.5G), with an open-circuit voltage (V-oc) of 1.05 V, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 23.5 mA/cm(2) and a fill factor (FF) of 0.69, respectively. The present finding highlights the potential application of PEDOT made from solid-state polymerisation as a HTM for cost-effective and highly efficient PSCs.
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| 8. |
- Jiang, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Early-age performance of lag screw shear connections for glulam-lightweight concrete composite beams
- 2017
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Ingår i: Construction and Building Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 0950-0618. ; 151, s. 36-42
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mechanical behavior of the shear connections has a significant influence on both the load-carrying capacity and the bending stiffness of timber-concrete composite (TCC) beams. All the studies reported so far have concentrated on the performance of TCC connections in mature concrete. The performance of shear connections for TCC beams at early concrete ages, however, has not been investigated yet. This information is essential to evaluate the structural behavior of TCC floors or bridges during construction. In this paper, a total of 18 push-out tests with concrete ages ranging from 12 h to 28 days are performed, to investigate the early-age performance of lag screw shear connections in the lightweight concrete. Development of concrete strength with time is also analyzed. At the concrete ages shorter than 7 days, both the stiffness and strength of the screw connectors increase evidently with time, which follows the same growth trend with the concrete strength. After a 7-day cure, screw shear connections reach almost 100% of both the 28-day serviceability slip modulus and shear strength. Material properties of the glulam and the screw fastener are decisive in the shear performance of connections when the concrete hardens to some degree. Based on the experimental results, the accuracy of the design methods proposed in Eurocode 5 is evaluated. In addition, by non-linear regression of the experiment data, expressions to predict the development of load-carrying capacity and serviceability slip modulus for screw shear connections before 28 days are established.
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| 9. |
- Li, Hao, et al.
(författare)
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Atomic-Scale Tuning of Graphene/Cubic SiC Schottky Junction for Stable Low-Bias Photoelectrochemical Solar-to-Fuel Conversion
- 2020
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1936-086X .- 1936-0851. ; 14:4, s. 4905-4915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Engineering tunable graphene-semiconductor interfaces while simultaneously preserving the superior properties of graphene is critical to graphene-based devices for electronic, optoelectronic, biomedical, and photoelectrochemical applications. Here, we demonstrate this challenge can be surmounted by constructing an interesting atomic Schottky junction via epitaxial growth of high-quality and uniform graphene on cubic SiC (3C-SiC). By tailoring the graphene layers, the junction structure described herein exhibits an atomic-scale tunable Schottky junction with an inherent built-in electric field, making it a perfect prototype to systematically comprehend interfacial electronic properties and transport mechanisms. As a proof-of-concept study, the atomic-scale-tuned Schottky junction is demonstrated to promote both the separation and transport of charge carriers in a typical photoelectrochemical system for solar-to-fuel conversion under low bias. Simultaneously, the as-grown monolayer graphene with an extremely high conductivity protects the surface of 3C-SiC from photocorrosion and energetically delivers charge carriers to the loaded cocatalyst, achieving a synergetic enhancement of the catalytic stability and efficiency.
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| 10. |
- Li, Hao, et al.
(författare)
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Atomically manipulated proton transfer energizes water oxidation on silicon carbide photoanodes
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:47, s. 24358-24366
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Surmounting the sluggish water oxidation kinetics beyond the hole-dominated thermodynamic effect is a topic of great scientific interest to establish fully renewable hydrogen technology from solar-powered water splitting. Herein, we demonstrate that the bottleneck of photoelectrochemical water oxidation can be overcome via atomic manipulation of proton transfer on the polar surfaces of silicon carbide (SiC) photoanodes. On the typical carbon-face SiC, where proton-coupled electron transfer governed the interfacial hole transfer for water oxidation, substantial energy loss was inevitable due to the highly activated proton-transfer steps. Via preferentially exposing the silicon-face, we enabled surface-catalyzed barrierless O-H breaking with a facile proton exchange and migration character. This mechanistically shifted the rate limiting step of water oxidation from sluggish proton-coupled electron transfer to a more energy-favorable electron transfer. The proof-of-concept study introduced here may open up new possibilities to design sophisticated photoelectrodes for an unbiased solar water splitting cell via surface engineering.
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| 11. |
- Rando, Halie M, et al.
(författare)
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Identification and Development of Therapeutics for COVID-19
- 2021
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- After emerging in China in late 2019, the novel Severe acute respiratory syndrome-like coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide and as of early 2021, continues to significantly impact most countries. Only a small number of coronaviruses are known to infect humans, and only two are associated with the severe outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, a closely related species of SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, which emerged in 2012. Both of these previous epidemics were controlled fairly rapidly through public health measures, and no vaccines or robust therapeutic interventions were identified. However, previous insights into the immune response to coronaviruses gained during the outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) have proved beneficial to identifying approaches to the treatment and prophylaxis of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A number of potential therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 and the resultant COVID-19 illness were rapidly identified, leading to a large number of clinical trials investigating a variety of possible therapeutic approaches being initiated early on in the pandemic. As a result, a small number of therapeutics have already been authorized by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, and many other therapeutics remain under investigation. Here, we describe a range of approaches for the treatment of COVID-19, along with their proposed mechanisms of action and the current status of clinical investigation into each candidate. The status of these investigations will continue to evolve, and this review will be updated as progress is made.
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| 12. |
- Rando, Halie M., et al.
(författare)
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Identification and development of therapeutics for COVID-19
- 2021
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Ingår i: mSystems. - 2379-5077. ; 6:6
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- After emerging in China in late 2019, the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide, and as of mid- 2021, it remains a significant threat globally. Only a few coronaviruses are known to infect humans, and only two cause infections similar in severity to SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, a species closely related to SARS-CoV-2 that emerged in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus, which emerged in 2012. Unlike the current pandemic, previous epidemics were controlled rapidly through public health measures, but the body of research investigating severe acute respiratory syndrome and Middle East respiratory syndrome has proven valuable for identifying approaches to treating and preventing novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Building on this research, the medical and scientific communities have responded rapidly to the COVID-19 crisis and identified many candidate therapeutics. The approaches used to identify candidates fall into four main categories: adaptation of clinical approaches to diseases with related pathologies, adaptation based on virological properties, adaptation based on host response, and data-driven identification (ID) of candidates based on physical properties or on pharmacological compendia. To date, a small number of therapeutics have already been authorized by regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while most remain under investigation. The scale of the COVID-19 crisis offers a rare opportunity to collect data on the effects of candidate therapeutics. This information provides insight not only into the management of coronavirus diseases but also into the relative success of different approaches to identifying candidate therapeutics against an emerging disease. IMPORTANCE The COVID-19 pandemic is a rapidly evolving crisis. With the worldwide scientific community shifting focus onto the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19, a large number of possible pharmaceutical approaches for treatment and prevention have been proposed. What was known about each of these potential interventions evolved rapidly throughout 2020 and 2021. This fast-paced area of research provides important insight into how the ongoing pandemic can be managed and also demonstrates the power of interdisciplinary collaboration to rapidly understand a virus and match its characteristics with existing or novel pharmaceuticals. As illustrated by the continued threat of viral epidemics during the current millennium, a rapid and strategic response to emerging viral threats can save lives. In this review, we explore how different modes of identifying candidate therapeutics have borne out during COVID-19.
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| 13. |
- Rando, Halie M, et al.
(författare)
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Pathogenesis, Symptomatology, and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through analysis of Viral Genomics and Structure
- 2021
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in late 2019, has since spread around the world infecting tens of millions of people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While this viral species was unknown prior to January 2020, its similarity to other coronaviruses that infect humans has allowed for rapid insight into the mechanisms that it uses to infect human hosts, as well as the ways in which the human immune system can respond. Here, we contextualize SARS-CoV-2 among other coronaviruses and identify what is known and what can be inferred about its behavior once inside a human host. Because the genomic content of coronaviruses, which specifies the virus's structure, is highly conserved, early genomic analysis provided a significant head start in predicting viral pathogenesis. The pathogenesis of the virus offers insights into symptomatology, transmission, and individual susceptibility. Additionally, prior research into interactions between the human immune system and coronaviruses has identified how these viruses can evade the immune system's protective mechanisms. We also explore systems-level research into the regulatory and proteomic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the immune response. Understanding the structure and behavior of the virus serves to contextualize the many facets of the COVID-19 pandemic and can influence efforts to control the virus and treat the disease.
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| 14. |
- Rando, Halie M, et al.
(författare)
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Pathogenesis, Symptomatology, and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through Analysis of Viral Genomics and Structure
- 2021
-
Ingår i: mSystems. - 2379-5077. ; 6:5
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which emerged in late 2019, has since spread around the world and infected hundreds of millions of people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). While this viral species was unknown prior to January 2020, its similarity to other coronaviruses that infect humans has allowed for rapid insight into the mechanisms that it uses to infect human hosts, as well as the ways in which the human immune system can respond. Here, we contextualize SARS-CoV-2 among other coronaviruses and identify what is known and what can be inferred about its behavior once inside a human host. Because the genomic content of coronaviruses, which specifies the virus's structure, is highly conserved, early genomic analysis provided a significant head start in predicting viral pathogenesis and in understanding potential differences among variants. The pathogenesis of the virus offers insights into symptomatology, transmission, and individual susceptibility. Additionally, prior research into interactions between the human immune system and coronaviruses has identified how these viruses can evade the immune system's protective mechanisms. We also explore systems-level research into the regulatory and proteomic effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the immune response. Understanding the structure and behavior of the virus serves to contextualize the many facets of the COVID-19 pandemic and can influence efforts to control the virus and treat the disease. IMPORTANCE COVID-19 involves a number of organ systems and can present with a wide range of symptoms. From how the virus infects cells to how it spreads between people, the available research suggests that these patterns are very similar to those seen in the closely related viruses SARS-CoV-1 and possibly Middle East respiratory syndrome-related CoV (MERS-CoV). Understanding the pathogenesis of the SARS-CoV-2 virus also contextualizes how the different biological systems affected by COVID-19 connect. Exploring the structure, phylogeny, and pathogenesis of the virus therefore helps to guide interpretation of the broader impacts of the virus on the human body and on human populations. For this reason, an in-depth exploration of viral mechanisms is critical to a robust understanding of SARS-CoV-2 and, potentially, future emergent human CoVs (HCoVs).
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| 15. |
- Shi, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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A comparative study of high-quality C-face and Si-face 3C-SiC(1 1 1) grown on off-oriented 4H-SiC substrates
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics D. - : Biopress Ltd. - 0022-3727 .- 1361-6463. ; 52:34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a comparative study of the C-face and Si-face of 3C-SiC(111) grown on off-oriented 4H-SiC substrates by the sublimation epitaxy. By the lateral enlargement method, we demonstrate that the high-quality bulk-like C-face 3C-SiC with thickness of ~1 mm can be grown over a large single domain without double positioning boundaries (DPBs), which are known to have a strongly negative impact on the electronic properties of the material. Moreover, the C-face sample exhibits a smoother surface with one unit cell height steps while the surface of the Si-face sample exhibits steps twice as high as on the C-face due to step-bunching. High-resolution XRD and low temperature photoluminescence measurements show that C-face 3C-SiC can reach the same high crystalline quality as the Si-face 3C-SiC. Furthermore, cross-section studies of the C- and Si-face 3C-SiC demonstrate that in both cases an initial homoepitaxial 4H-SiC layer followed by a polytype transition layer are formed prior to the formation and lateral expansion of 3C-SiC layer. However, the transition layer in the C-face sample is extending along the step-flow direction less than that on the Si-face sample, giving rise to a more fairly consistent crystalline quality 3C-SiC epilayer over the whole sample compared to the Si-face 3C-SiC where more defects appeared on the surface at the edge. This facilitates the lateral enlargement of 3C-SiC growth on hexagonal SiC substrates.
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| 16. |
- Shi, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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A patterning-free approach for growth of free-standing graphene nanoribbons using step-bunched facets of off-oriented 4H-SiC(0 0 0 1) epilayers
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0022-3727 .- 1361-6463. ; 53:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The tunable electronic structure of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) has attracted much attention due to the great potential in nanoscale electronic applications. Most methods to produce GNRs rely on the lithographic process, which suffers from the process-induced disorder in the graphene and scalability issues. Here, we demonstrate a novel approach to directly grow free-standing GNRs on step-bunched facets of off-oriented 4H-SiC epilayers without any patterning or lithography. First, the 4H-SiC epilayers with well-defined bunched steps were intentionally grown on 4 degree off-axis 4H-SiC substrates by the sublimation epitaxy technique. As a result, periodic step facets in-between SiC terraces were obtained. Then, graphene layers were grown on such step-structured 4H-SiC epilayers by thermal decomposition of SiC. Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies reveal that the inclined step facets are about 13-15 nm high and 30-35 nm wide, which gives an incline angle of 23-25 degrees. LEEM and LEED results showed that the terraces are mainly covered by monolayer graphene and the buffer layer underneath it. STM images and the analysis of their Fourier transform patterns suggest that on the facets, in-between terraces, graphene is strongly buckled and appears to be largely decoupled from the surface.
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| 17. |
- Shi, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Elimination of step bunching in the growth of large-area monolayer and multilayer graphene on off-axis 3CSiC (111)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Carbon. - : Elsevier. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 140, s. 533-542
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Multilayer graphene has exhibited distinct electronic properties such as the tunable bandgap for optoelectronic applications. Among all graphene growth techniques, thermal decomposition of SiC is regarded as a promising method for production of device-quality graphene. However, it is still very challenging to grow uniform graphene over a large-area, especially multilayer graphene. One of the main obstacles is the occurrence of step bunching on the SiC surface, which significantly influences the formation process and the uniformity of the multilayer graphene. In this work, we have systematically studied the growth of monolayer and multilayer graphene on off-axis 3CSiC(111). Taking advantage of the synergistic effect of periodic SiC step edges as graphene nucleation sites and the unique thermal decomposition energy of 3CSiC steps, we demonstrate that the step bunching can be fully eliminated during graphene growth and large-area monolayer, bilayer, and four-layer graphene can be controllably obtained on high-quality off-axis 3CSiC(111) surface. The low energy electron microscopy results demonstrate that a uniform four-layer graphene has been grown over areas of tens of square micrometers, which opens the possibility to tune the bandgap for optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, a model for graphene growth along with the step bunching elimination is proposed.
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| 18. |
- Shi, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Epitaxial Graphene Growth on the Step-Structured Surface of Off-Axis C-Face 3C-SiC(1¯1¯1¯)
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physica Status Solidi (B) Basic Research. - : Wiley. - 0370-1972 .- 1521-3951. ; 257:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graphene layers grown on the C-face SiC exhibit quite different structural and electronic properties compared with those grown on the Si-face SiC. Herein, the growth and structural properties of graphene on the off-axis C-face 3C-SiC((Formula presented.)) are studied. The as-grown 4° off-axis 3C-SiC((Formula presented.)) exhibits highly periodic steps with step height of ≈0.75 nm and terrace width of ≈50 nm. After annealing at 1800 °C under 850 mbar argon atmosphere, relatively uniform large graphene domains can be grown. The low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) results demonstrate that one monolayer (ML) to four-ML graphene domains are grown over several micrometers square, which enables us to measure micro low-energy electron diffraction (μ-LEED) on the single graphene domain. The μ-LEED pattern collected on the monolayer domain mainly exhibits four sets of graphene (1 × 1) spots, indicating the presence of graphene grains with different azimuthal orientations in the same graphene sheet. Raman spectra collected on the graphene domains show rather small D peaks, indicating the presence of less defects and higher crystalline quality of the graphene layers grown on the C-face off-axis 3C-SiC((Formula presented.)).
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| 19. |
- Shi, Yuchen, 1991-
(författare)
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Growth of 3C-SiC and Graphene for Solar Water-Splitting Application
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Silicon carbide (SiC) is regarded as an important semiconductor for a variety of applications including high-temperature, high-power and high-frequency devices. The most common polytypes of SiC are hexagonal (4H- or 6H-SiC) and cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC), which differ from each other by the ordering of the Si–C bilayers along the c-axis crystal direction. Among different polytypes of SiC, 3C-SiC has attracted specific interest due to its prominent properties such as high electron mobility and low interface trap density in MOSFET devices. Moreover, with a relatively small bandgap of 2.36 eV and suitable conduction and valence band positions, 3C-SiC has also been considered as a promising material for solar water splitting application, which provides a completely renewable approach to convert solar energy into storable hydrogen fuel. However, the growth of high-quality 3C-SiC remains a great challenge for decades.Graphene, a single layer of sp2-bonded carbon atoms, has shown outstanding electronic properties and becomes the most promising candidate for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Epitaxial growth of graphene on SiC substrates by sublimation of Si from SiC provides a feasible route to fabricate wafer-scale device-quality graphene. The most advantage of this method is that a variety of devices can be processed directly on graphene/SiC without any transfer process, which is needed in the case of graphene produced by exfoliation or CVD on metals. During past years, the growth of monolayer (ML) graphene on hexagonal SiC (6H-SiC, 4H-SiC) substrates has been extensively studied. However, it is challenging to grow large-area and uniform multilayer graphene on hexagonal SiC substrates due to the stepbunching issue during the sublimation growth.Multilayer graphene has recently attracted great interest due to its tunable electronic properties for various electronic and optoelectronic applications. It has been shown that the electronic properties of multilayer graphene are strongly influenced by its stacking sequence. In particular, the rhombohedral stacking sequence (ABC stacking) has shown its potential to introduce a flat band energy dispersion at the K points of the Brillouin zone, which would result in many exotic phases of matter such as superconductivity. Among various SiC polytypes, 3CSiC is predicted to be the most suitable substrate for the epitaxial growth of rhombohedral multilayer graphene.This thesis work mainly covers the sublimation growth of high-quality Si-face and C-face 3C-SiC on off-oriented 4H-SiC, exploring the proper parameter window for the growth of homogeneous graphene layers ranging from monolayer to multilayer on Si-face off-oriented 3C-SiC and the growth of graphene on C-face 3C-SiC, as well as the characterizations on 3CSiC and graphene. Moreover, as a proof of concept, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting cells based on the Si-face and C-face 3C-SiC have been fabricated to study the conversion of solar energy into chemical fuel, hydrogen.Firstly, the high-quality bulk-like Si-face and C-face 3C-SiC(111) were grown on 4- degree off-oriented 4H-SiC substrates by the sublimation epitaxy technique. The C-face sample exhibited a smoother surface with a step height of one-unit cell without the step bunching. In contrast, the Si-face 3C-SiC showed larger steps with a height of two-unit cells of 3C-SiC due to the pronounced step bunching. The cross-sectional studies showed that C-face 3C-SiC exhibited less polytype-transition layer than the Si-face sample. This would help the lateral enlargement of 3C-SiC domains. We also demonstrated that the crystalline quality of C-face 3C-SiC was comparable to the Si-face sample.Secondly, we systematically studied the growth of monolayer and multilayer graphene on off-axis 3C-SiC(111). Taking advantage of the synergistic effect of periodic SiC step edges as graphene nucleation sites and the unique thermal decomposition energy of 3C-SiC steps, we demonstrated that the step bunching was fully eliminated during graphene growth on Si-face 3C-SiC and large-area monolayer, bilayer, and four-layer graphene were controllably obtained on high-quality off-axis Si-face 3C-SiC(111). The growth of uniform four-layer graphene over areas of tens of square micrometers was demonstrated. The electronic structures of multilayer graphene with different stacking sequences were systematically studied by experimental and theoretical analysis. It was demonstrated that the four-layer graphene exhibited rhombohedral stacking sequence, which introduced a flat band near the Fermi level. Moreover, the flat-band width and bandgap can be tuned by the interlayer spacing of graphene. In contrast, graphene layers grown on the off-axis C-face 3C-SiC(1̄1̄1̄) showed 1ML to 4ML graphene domains with large-area coverage over several of square micrometers and there was no buffer layer underneath. The low energy electron diffraction pattern collected on the monolayer graphene domain demonstrated four sets of graphene (1 x 1) spots, indicating the existence of rotational disorders within the monolayer graphene. To compare with graphene growth on the off-oriented 3C-SiC, the growth of graphene on off-oriented 4H-SiC epilayers was also explored. The 4HSiC epilayers were first grown on 4-degree off-oriented 4H-SiC substrates and periodically inclined step facets in-between terraces were induced on 4H-SiC epilayers due to the pronounced step bunching. The graphene grown on such step-structured surface of off-oriented 4H-SiC showed that the terraces were mainly covered by monolayer graphene and the buffer layer underneath it while on the step facets, graphene was strongly buckled and appeared to be largely decoupled from the surface.Finally, the PEC water splitting performance based on the Si-face and C-face 3C-SiC was systematically studied. It was found that the SiC surface polarity played an important role in the PEC performance. The influence of both Si-face and C-face on surface proton transfer was investigated. It was demonstrated that the Si-face SiC was more energy-favorable, thus making oxygen evolution reaction operate at a very low overpotential. Furthermore, the PEC watersplitting performance was significantly enhanced by using NiO/3C-SiC p-n junction as a photoanode. A high photovoltage of 1.0 V, a photocurrent density of 1.01 mA/cm-2 at 0.55 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (VRHE), a low onset potential of 0.20 VRHE and a high fill factor of 57% were demonstrated in the PEC water splitting cell under AM1.5G 100 mW cm-2 illumination.
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| 20. |
- Wang, Weimin, et al.
(författare)
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Flat-Band Electronic Structure and Interlayer Spacing Influence in Rhombohedral Four-Layer Graphene
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 18:9, s. 5862-5866
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The stacking order of multilayer graphene significantly influences its electronic properties. The rhombohedral stacking sequence is predicted to introduce a flat band, which has high density of states and the enhanced Coulomb interaction between charge carriers, thus possibly resulting in superconductivity, fractional quantum Hall effect, and many other exotic phases of matter. In this work, we comprehensively study the effect of the stacking sequence and interlayer spacing on the electronic structure of four-layer graphene, which was grown on a high crystalline quality 3C-SiC(111) crystal. The number of graphene layers and coverage were determined by low energy electron microscopy. First-principles density functional theory calculations show distinctively different band structures for ABAB (Bernal), ABCA (rhombohedral), and ABCB (turbostratic) stacking sequences. By comparing with angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy data, we can verify the existence of a rhombohedral stacking sequence and a nearly dispersionless electronic band (flat band) near the Fermi level. Moreover, we find that the momentum width, bandgap, and curvature of the flat-band region can be tuned by the interlayer spacing, which plays an important role in superconductivity and many other exotic phases of matter.
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| 21. |
- Wang, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Enhancing Si3N4 Waveguide Nonlinearity with Heterogeneous Integration of Few-Layer WS2
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Photonics. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2330-4022. ; 8:9, s. 2713-2721
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The heterogeneous integration of low-dimensional materials with photonic waveguides has spurred wide research interest. Here, we report on the experimental investigation and the numerical modeling of enhanced nonlinear pulse broadening in silicon nitride waveguides with the heterogeneous integration of few-layer WS2. After transferring a few-layer WS2 flake of similar to 14.8 mu m length, the pulse spectral broadening in a dispersion-engineered silicon nitride waveguide has been enhanced by similar to 48.8% in bandwidth. Through numerical modeling, an effective nonlinear coefficient higher than 600 m(-1) W-1 has been retrieved for the heterogeneous waveguide indicating an enhancement factor of larger than 300 with respect to the pristine waveguide at a wavelength of 800 nm. With further advances in two-dimensional material fabrication and integration techniques, on-chip heterostructures will offer another degree of freedom for waveguide engineering, enabling high-performance nonlinear optical devices, such as frequency combs and quantum light sources.
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| 22. |
- Wang, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Heterogeneous silicon nitride waveguide integrated with few-layer WS2 for on-chip nonlinear optics
- 2021
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Ingår i: 2021 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC). - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recently, two-dimensional materials have attracted significant interests for nonlinear optics [1] . Here, we report on the experimental investigation and the numerical modelling of nonlinear pulse propagation in a heterogeneous silicon nitride channel waveguide with the integration of a few-layer WS 2 flake significantly increasing the effective nonlinearity.
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| 23. |
- Yu, ChaoQing, et al.
(författare)
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Managing nitrogen to restore water quality in China
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 567:7749, s. 516-520
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The nitrogen cycle has been radically changed by human activities(1). China consumes nearly one third of the world's nitrogen fertilizers. The excessive application of fertilizers(2,3) and increased nitrogen discharge from livestock, domestic and industrial sources have resulted in pervasive water pollution. Quantifying a nitrogen 'boundary'(4) in heterogeneous environments is important for the effective management of local water quality. Here we use a combination of water-quality observations and simulated nitrogen discharge from agricultural and other sources to estimate spatial patterns of nitrogen discharge into water bodies across China from 1955 to 2014. We find that the critical surface-water quality standard (1.0 milligrams of nitrogen per litre) was being exceeded in most provinces by the mid-1980s, and that current rates of anthropogenic nitrogen discharge (14.5 +/- 3.1 megatonnes of nitrogen per year) to fresh water are about 2.7 times the estimated 'safe' nitrogen discharge threshold (5.2 +/- 0.7 megatonnes of nitrogen per year). Current efforts to reduce pollution through wastewater treatment and by improving cropland nitrogen management can partially remedy this situation. Domestic wastewater treatment has helped to reduce net discharge by 0.7 +/- 0.1 megatonnes in 2014, but at high monetary and energy costs. Improved cropland nitrogen management could remove another 2.3 +/- 0.3 megatonnes of nitrogen per year-about 25 per cent of the excess discharge to fresh water. Successfully restoring a clean water environment in China will further require transformational changes to boost the national nutrient recycling rate from its current average of 36 per cent to about 87 per cent, which is a level typical of traditional Chinese agriculture. Although ambitious, such a high level of nitrogen recycling is technologically achievable at an estimated capital cost of approximately 100 billion US dollars and operating costs of 18-29 billion US dollars per year, and could provide co-benefits such as recycled wastewater for crop irrigation and improved environmental quality and ecosystem services.
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| 24. |
- Yu, Ze, et al.
(författare)
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High-efficiency perovskite solar cells employing a conjugated donor-acceptor co-polymer as a hole-transporting material
- 2017
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Ingår i: RSC Advances. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2046-2069. ; 7:44, s. 27189-27197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this work, we have successfully introduced 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) as an efficient p-type dopant for donor-acceptor (D-A) co-polymer poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2ethylhexyl)- 4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b; 3,4-b'] dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) as an HTM in mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The bulk conductivity is significantly enhanced by 4 orders of magnitude when PCPDTBT is doped with F4TCNQ (6%, w/w). UV-vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results indicate the occurrence of p-doping, which results in higher bulk conductivity. The high conductivity leads to an impressive overall efficiency of 15.1%, which is considerably higher than the pristine PCPDTBT based devices (9.2%). The superior performance obtained should be largely attributed to the significant enhancement of the photocurrent density strongly correlated with a more efficient charge collection. This is the highest efficiency reported so far for PCPDTBT-based PSCs. Thus, molecularly p-doping has been demonstrated to be an effective strategy for further improving the performance of a wide range of D-A and other types of polymeric HTMs in PSCs.
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| 25. |
- Zhang, Yuchen, et al.
(författare)
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Enhanced performance of perovskite solar cells with P3HT hole-transporting materials via molecular p-type doping
- 2016
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Ingår i: RSC ADVANCES. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2046-2069. ; 6:110, s. 108888-108895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The conducting polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) has been widely used as a polymeric hole-transporting material (HTM) in inorganic-organic perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, pristine P3HT-based PSC devices typically exhibit mediocre overall performance, mainly due to its relatively low conductivity. Herein, we successfully introduced tetrafluoro-tetracyano-quinodimethane (F4TCNQ) as an efficient p-type dopant for P3HT as a HTM in mesoscopic PSCs. The overall performance was significantly enhanced after the introduction of F4TCNQ into P3HT. Under an optimal doping condition (1.0%, w/w), an impressive power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 14.4% was achieved, which was considerably higher than the pristine P3HT based devices (10.3%). The dramatic improvement of the PCE originated from the increase of the photocurrent density and fill factor, strongly correlated to the significant increase of the bulk conductivity of F4TCNQ doped P3HT. After doping with 1.0% F4TCNQ, the conductivity of the P3HT film was significantly increased by more than 50 times. UV-Vis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements indicated that p-doping occurs via the electron transfer from the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level of P3HT to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of the F4TCNQ, which led to a substantial increase of the bulk conductivity. Furthermore, PSCs based on the P3HT: F4TCNQ composite as a HTM also exhibited superior long-term stability under ambient conditions with a humidity of 40%. F4TCNQ was thus demonstrated to be an effective p-dopant for P3HT to improve the electrical properties and thereby the overall performance for highly efficient and stable PSCs.
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