The challenges of developing neuromorphic vision systems inspired by the human eye come not only from how to recreate the flexibility, sophistication, and adaptability of animal systems, but also how ...to do so with computational efficiency and elegance. Similar to biological systems, these neuromorphic circuits integrate functions of image sensing, memory and processing into the device, and process continuous analog brightness signal in real-time. High-integration, flexibility and ultra-sensitivity are essential for practical artificial vision systems that attempt to emulate biological processing. Here, we present a flexible optoelectronic sensor array of 1024 pixels using a combination of carbon nanotubes and perovskite quantum dots as active materials for an efficient neuromorphic vision system. The device has an extraordinary sensitivity to light with a responsivity of 5.1 × 10
A/W and a specific detectivity of 2 × 10
Jones, and demonstrates neuromorphic reinforcement learning by training the sensor array with a weak light pulse of 1 μW/cm
.
Increasing visible light absorption of classic wide‐bandgap photocatalysts like TiO2 has long been pursued in order to promote solar energy conversion. Modulating the composition and/or stoichiometry ...of these photocatalysts is essential to narrow their bandgap for a strong visible‐light absorption band. However, the bands obtained so far normally suffer from a low absorbance and/or narrow range. Herein, in contrast to the common tail‐like absorption band in hydrogen‐free oxygen‐deficient TiO2, an unusual strong absorption band spanning the full spectrum of visible light is achieved in anatase TiO2 by intentionally introducing atomic hydrogen‐mediated oxygen vacancies. Combining experimental characterizations with theoretical calculations reveals the excitation of a new subvalence band associated with atomic hydrogen filled oxygen vacancies as the origin of such band, which subsequently leads to active photo‐electrochemical water oxidation under visible light. These findings could provide a powerful way of tailoring wide‐bandgap semiconductors to fully capture solar light.
In contrast to the common tail‐like absorption band in hydrogen‐free oxygen‐deficient TiO2, an unusual strong absorption band spanning the full spectrum of visible light is achieved in red anatase TiO2 by intentionally introducing atomic hydrogen‐mediated oxygen vacancies that subsequently lead to active photo‐electrochemical water oxidation under visible light.
Owing to their high earth‐abundance, eco‐friendliness, high electrical conductivity, large surface area, structure tunability at the atomic/morphological levels, and excellent stability in harsh ...conditions, carbon‐based metal‐free materials have become promising advanced electrode materials for high‐performance pseudocapacitors and metal–air batteries. Furthermore, carbon‐based nanomaterials with well‐defined structures can function as green catalysts because of their efficiency in advanced oxidation processes to remove organics in air or from water, which reduces the cost for air/water purification and avoids cross‐contamination by eliminating the release of heavy metals/metal ions. Here, the research and development of carbon‐based catalysts in supercapacitors and batteries for clean energy storage as well as in air/water treatments for environmental remediation are reviewed. The related mechanistic understanding and design principles of carbon‐based metal‐free catalysts are illustrated, along with the challenges and perspectives in this emerging field.
The research and development of carbon‐based metal‐free catalysts in pseudocapacitors and batteries for clean energy storage, as well as in air/water treatments for environment remediation are reviewed. The related mechanistic understanding and design principles of carbon‐based catalysts are illustrated, along with the challenges and perspectives in this emerging field.
Abstract
Large-area high-quality AB-stacked bilayer graphene films are highly desired for the applications in electronics, photonics and spintronics. However, the existing growth methods can only ...produce discontinuous bilayer graphene with variable stacking orders because of the non-uniform surface and strong potential field of the solid substrates used. Here we report the growth of wafer-scale continuous uniform AB-stacked bilayer graphene films on a liquid Pt
3
Si/solid Pt substrate by chemical vapor deposition. The films show quality, mechanical and electrical properties comparable to the mechanically exfoliated samples. Growth mechanism studies show that the second layer is grown underneath the first layer by precipitation of carbon atoms from the solid Pt, and the small energy requirements for the movements of graphene nucleus on the liquid Pt
3
Si enables the interlayer epitaxy to form energy-favorable AB stacking. This interlayer epitaxy also allows the growth of ABA-stacked trilayer graphene and is applicable to other liquid/solid substrates.
The ultrafast growth of high‐quality uniform monolayer WSe2 is reported with a growth rate of ≈26 µm s−1 by chemical vapor deposition on reusable Au substrate, which is ≈2–3 orders of magnitude ...faster than those of most 2D transition metal dichalcogenides grown on nonmetal substrates. Such ultrafast growth allows for the fabrication of millimeter‐size single‐crystal WSe2 domains in ≈30 s and large‐area continuous films in ≈60 s. Importantly, the ultrafast grown WSe2 shows excellent crystal quality and extraordinary electrical performance comparable to those of the mechanically exfoliated samples, with a high mobility up to ≈143 cm2 V−1 s−1 and ON/OFF ratio up to 9 × 106 at room temperature. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the ultrafast growth of WSe2 is due to the small energy barriers and exothermic characteristic for the diffusion and attachment of W and Se on the edges of WSe2 on Au substrate.
Ultrafast growth of high‐quality uniform monolayer WSe2 is achieved by chemical vapor deposition using Au as a reusable substrate. The growth rate is ≈2–3 orders of magnitude faster than those reported due to the small energy barriers and exothermic characteristic, and the materials show excellent crystal quality and extraordinary electrical properties comparable to those of exfoliated samples.
Symmetry and topology are two fundamental aspects of many quantum states of matter. Recently new topological materials, higher-order topological insulators, were discovered, featuring ...bulk-edge-corner correspondence that goes beyond the conventional topological paradigms. Here we discover experimentally that the nonsymmorphic p4g acoustic metacrystals host a symmetry-protected hierarchy of topological multipoles: the lowest band gap has a quantized Wannier dipole and can mimic the quantum spin Hall effect, whereas the second band gap exhibits quadrupole topology with anomalous Wannier bands. Such a topological hierarchy allows us to observe experimentally distinct, multiplexed topological phenomena and to reveal a topological transition triggered by the geometry transition from the p4g group to the C
group, which demonstrates elegantly the fundamental interplay between symmetry and topology. Our study demonstrates that classical systems with controllable geometry can serve as powerful simulators for the discovery of novel topological states of matter and their phase transitions.
Anthurium andraeanum, an important ornamental flower, has to go through a growth-delaying period after transfer from tissue culture to soil, which requires time and extra costs. Furthermore, during ...this period, the plantlets are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, which results in impaired development and severe losses. Here, we aimed to address whether application of the endophytic fungus, Piriformospora indica protects the A. andraeanum root system during the critical propagation period, and whether P. indica reduce the mortality rate by stimulating the host's resistance against diseases.
We demonstrate that P. indica shortens the recovery period of Anthurium, promotes growth and confers disease resistance. The beneficial effect of P. indica results in faster elongation of Anthurium roots early in the interaction. P. indica-colonized plants absorb more phosphorus and exhibit higher photosynthesis rates than uncolonized control plants. Moreover, higher activities of stress-related enzymes, of jasmonic acid levels and mRNA levels of jasmonic acid-responsive genes suggest that the fungus prepares the plant to respond more efficiently to potentially upcoming threats, including bacterial wilt.
These results suggest that P. indica is a helpful symbiont for promoting Anthurium rooting and development. All our evidences are sufficient to support the disease resistance conferred by P. indica through the plant-fungal symbiosis. Furthermore, it implicates that P. indica has strong potential as bio-fertilizer for utilization in ornamental plant cultivation.
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) holds great promise in transforming healthcare. While published studies have shown the utility of ML models in interpreting medical imaging examinations, these are ...often evaluated under laboratory settings. The importance of real world evaluation is best illustrated by case studies that have documented successes and failures in the translation of these models into clinical environments. A key prerequisite for the clinical adoption of these technologies is demonstrating generalizable ML model performance under real world circumstances. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that ML model generalizability is achievable in medical imaging with the detection of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) on non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scans serving as the use case. An ML model was trained using 21,784 scans from the RSNA Intracranial Hemorrhage CT dataset while generalizability was evaluated using an external validation dataset obtained from our busy trauma and neurosurgical center. This real world external validation dataset consisted of every unenhanced head CT scan (n = 5965) performed in our emergency department in 2019 without exclusion. The model demonstrated an AUC of 98.4%, sensitivity of 98.8%, and specificity of 98.0%, on the test dataset. On external validation, the model demonstrated an AUC of 95.4%, sensitivity of 91.3%, and specificity of 94.1%. Evaluating the ML model using a real world external validation dataset that is temporally and geographically distinct from the training dataset indicates that ML generalizability is achievable in medical imaging applications.