We use angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy to investigate the coupling of electron quantum well states (QWSs) in epitaxial thin Pb and Ag films. More specifically, we investigate the Ag/Si, ...Pb/Si, and Pb/Ag/Si systems. We found that the parallel momentum plays a very profound role in determining how two adjacent quantum wells are coupled electronically across the interface. We revealed that in the Pb/Ag bimetallic system, there exist two distinctly different regimes in the energy vs momentum (E vs k) space. In one regime, the electronic states in Ag and Pb are strongly coupled, resulting in a new set of QWSs for the bi-metallic system. In the other regime, the electronic states in individual metallic layers are retained in their respective regions, as if they are totally decoupled. This result is corroborated by calculations using density functional theory. We further unravel the underlying mechanism associated with the electron refraction and total internal reflection across the interface.
Single-crystalline SnSe has attracted much attention because of its record high figure-of-merit ZT ≈ 2.6; however, this high ZT has been associated with the low mass density of samples which leaves ...the intrinsic ZT of fully dense pristine SnSe in question. To this end, we prepared high-quality fully dense SnSe single crystals and performed detailed structural, electrical, and thermal transport measurements over a wide temperature range along the major crystallographic directions. Our single crystals were fully dense and of high purity as confirmed via high statistics 119Sn Mössbauer spectroscopy that revealed <0.35 at. % Sn(IV) in pristine SnSe. The temperature-dependent heat capacity (C p) provided evidence for the displacive second-order phase transition from Pnma to Cmcm phase at T c ≈ 800 K and a small but finite Sommerfeld coefficient γ0 which implied the presence of a finite Fermi surface. Interestingly, despite its strongly temperature-dependent band gap inferred from density functional theory calculations, SnSe behaves like a low-carrier-concentration multiband metal below 600 K, above which it exhibits a semiconducting behavior. Notably, our high-quality single-crystalline SnSe exhibits a thermoelectric figure-of-merit ZT ∼1.0, ∼0.8, and ∼0.25 at 850 K along the b, c, and a directions, respectively.
Transition-metal dichalcogenides in the 1T phase have been a subject of increasing interest, which is partly due to their fascinating physical properties and partly to their potential applications in ...the next generation of electronic devices, including supercapacitors, electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution, and phase-transition memories. The primary method for obtaining 1T WS2 or MoS2 has been using ion intercalation in combination with solution-based exfoliation. The resulting flakes are small in size and tend to aggregate upon deposition, forming an intercalant–TMD complex with small 1T and 1T′ patches embedded in the 2H matrix. Existing growth methods have, however, produced WS2 or MoS2 solely in the 2H phase. Here, we have refined the growth approach to obtain monolayer 1T WS2 up to 80 μm in size based on chemical vapor deposition. With the aid of synergistic catalysts (iron oxide and sodium chloride), 1T WS2 can nucleate in the infant stage of the growth, forming special butterfly-like single crystals with the 1T phase in one wing and the 2H phase in the other. Distinctive types of phase boundaries are discovered at the 1T–2H interface. The 1T structure thus grown is thermodynamically stable over time and even persists at a high temperature above 800 °C, allowing for a stepwise edge epitaxy of lateral 1T heterostructures. Atomic images show that the 1T WS2–MoS2 heterojunction features a coherent and defectless interface with a sharp atomic transition. The stable 1T phase represents a missing piece of the puzzle in the research of atomic thin van der Waals crystals, and our growth approach provides an accessible way of filling this gap.
The moiré pattern formed between a two-dimensional (2D) material and the substrate has played a crucial role in tuning the electronic structure of the 2D material. Here, by using scanning tunneling ...microscopy and spectroscopy, we found a moiré-pattern-dependent band gap and work function modulation in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN)/Cu(111) heterostructures, whose amplitudes increase with the moiré pattern wavelength. Moreover, the work function modulation shifts agree well with the conduction band edge shifts, indicating a spatially constant electron affinity for the hBN layer. Density functional theory calculations showed that these observations in hBN/Cu(111) heterostructures mainly originated from the hybridization of the N 3p z orbital and Cu 4s orbital in different atomic configurations. Our results show that the twist-angle dependence of moiré patterns in hBN/Cu(111) heterostructures can be used to tailor the electronic properties including band gap and work function.
Background: Silver–Russell syndrome (SRS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by severe intrauterine growth retardation, poor postnatal growth, characteristic facial ...features, and body asymmetry. Hypomethylation of the imprinted genes of the chromosome 11p15.5 imprinting gene cluster and maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 7 (mUPD7) are the major epigenetic disturbances. The aim of this study was to characterize the epigenotype, genotype, and phenotype of these patients in Taiwan. Methods: Two hundred and six subjects with clinically suspected SRS were referred for diagnostic testing, which was performed by profiling the methylation of H19-associated imprinting center (IC) 1 and the imprinted PEG1/MEST region using methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and high-resolution melting analysis with a methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction assay. We also applied a whole genome strategy to detect copy number changes and loss of heterozygosity. Clinical manifestations were recorded and analyzed according to the SRS scoring system proposed by Bartholdi et al. Results: Among the 206 referred subjects, 100 were classified as having a clinical diagnosis of SRS (score ≥ 8, maximum = 15) and 106 had an SRS score ≤ 7. Molecular lesions were detected in 45% (45/100) of the subjects with a clinical diagnosis of SRS, compared to 5% (5/106) of those with an SRS score ≤ 7. Thirty-seven subjects had IC1 hypomethylation, ten subjects had mUPD7, and three subjects had microdeletions. Several clinical features were found to be statistically different (p < 0.05) between the “IC1 hypomethylation” and “mUPD7” groups, including relative macrocephaly at birth (89% vs. 50%), triangular shaped face (89% vs. 50%), clinodactyly of the fifth finger (68% vs. 20%), and SRS score (11.4 ± 2.2 vs. 8.3 ± 2.5). Conclusions: The SRS score was positively correlated with the molecular diagnosis rate (p < 0.001). The SRS subjects with mUPD7 seemed to have fewer typical features and lower SRS scores than those with IC1 hypomethylation. Careful clinical observation and timely molecular confirmation are important to allow for an early diagnosis and multidisciplinary management of these patients.
Using first-principles molecular dynamics (FPMD) and total-energy calculations, we demonstrate low-barrier bulk diffusion of Al-bearing species in γ-NaAlH4, a recently proposed high-entropy polymorph ...of NaAlH4. For charged AlH4– and neutral AlH3 vacancies, the computed barriers for diffusion are <0.1 eV, and we directly observe the predicted diffusive pathways in FPMD simulations at picosecond time scales. In contrast, such diffusion in the α phase is inaccessible to FPMD, consistent with much higher barriers. The transport behavior of γ-NaAlH4, in addition to key dynamical and structural signatures, is consistent with experimental observations of high-mobility species, strongly supporting the idea that an intermediate transition from the α phase to a high-entropy polymorph facilitates the hydrogen-releasing decomposition of NaAlH4. Lastly, our results provide an answer to longstanding questions regarding the responsible agent for the experimentally observed efficient Al transport during dehydrogenation and suggest that mass transport and phase transformation kinetics are coupled. Implications for understanding the (de)hydrogenation of undoped and catalyzed NaAlH4 are discussed.
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Down syndrome (DS) is a common disorder associated with several complex clinical phenotypes. It is unclear as to whether particular loci on chromosome 21 are ...sufficient to cause DS and its associated features.
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We reported two prenatally detected cases of partial trisomy 21, and both were inherited from their healthy mothers and without DS phenotypes. These two segments of partial trisomy 21 may suggest copy number variants or minor phenotypes with variable penetrance in the regions of chromosome 21.
Oligonucleotide‐based array comparative genomic hybridization can be helpful in mapping high‐resolution segments of chromosome 21, and narrowing down the DS critical region.
Composite topological heterostructures, wherein topologically protected states are electronically tuned due to their proximity to other matter, are key avenues for exploring emergent physical ...phenomena. Particularly, pairing a topological material with a superconductor such as Pb is a promising means for generating a topological superconducting phase with exotic Majorana quasiparticles, but oft-neglected is the emergence of bulklike spin-polarized states that are quite relevant to applications. Using high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy and first-principles calculations, we report the emergence of bulk-like spin-polarized topological quantum well states with long coherence lengths in Pb films grown on the topological semimetal Sb. The results establish Pb/Sb heterostructures as topological superconductor candidates and advance the current understanding of topological coupling effects required for realizing emergent physics and for designing advanced spintronic device architectures.
Flooding is the most damaging natural hazard in the world. A better understanding of floods is a fundamental element in guiding the development of policies for managing and reducing flood risk. The ...main objective of this research is to contribute to the improvement of knowledge on flood susceptibility by combining Fuzzy AHP and Multivariate Analysis. Ha Tinh province in Vietnam was selected as the case study in which many floods have occurred in recent years. To accomplish this goal, 14 factors and 1427 flood locations were used to establish the flood susceptibility model. The area under the curve (AUC) was applied to assess the model accuracy. The results showed that rainfall, NDVI, NDBI, density of river, elevation, slope and aspect are the main factors influencing the occurrence of flooding. The models are efficient in analyzing the flood susceptibility in study area with AUC=0.87. Approximately 36% of the study area was recognized as Very High and High flood susceptibility, which focused on the littoral zone and along the river. The results of this research could be used as a scientific platform for better land use planning and sustainable development in areas highly vulnerable to floods.
The ability to engineer atomically thin nanoscale lateral junctions is critical to lay the foundation for future two-dimensional (2D) device technology. However, the traditional approach to creating ...a heterojunction by direct growth of a heterostructure of two different materials constrains the available band offsets, and it is still unclear if large built-in potentials are attainable for 2D materials. The electronic properties of atomically thin semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are not static, and their exciton binding energy and quasiparticle band gap depend strongly on the proximal environment. Recent studies have shown that this effect can be harnessed to engineer the lateral band profile of a monolayer TMD to create a lateral electronic junction. Here we demonstrate the synthesis of a nanoscale lateral junction in monolayer MoSe2 by intercalating Se at the interface of an hBN/Ru(0001) substrate. The Se intercalation creates a spatially abrupt modulation of the local hBN/Ru work function, which is imprinted directly onto an overlying MoSe2 monolayer to create a lateral junction with a large built-in potential of 0.83 ± 0.06 eV. We spatially resolve the MoSe2 band profile and work function using scanning tunneling spectroscopy to map out the nanoscale depletion region. The Se intercalation also modifies the dielectric environment, influencing the local band gap renormalization and increasing the MoSe2 band gap by ∼0.26 ± 0.1 eV. This work illustrates that environmental proximity engineering provides a robust method to indirectly manipulate the band profile of 2D materials outside the limits of their intrinsic properties.
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