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Batch laboratory-scale experimentswere conducted to investigate the effects of hardness ions (Mg and Ca) onCr(VI) reduction with organic reducing substances in the form of sugarcane molasses at different conditions. Results illustrated that the reaction could be described as pseudo-first-order with respect to the Cr(VI) concentration. Reaction rate constants ofCr(VI) reductionwith sugarcanemolasseswere in the decreasing order of no hardness ions >Ca(II) >Mg(II). The possible mechanismwas that the complex formation between organic reducing substances and hardness ions (Mg or Ca) hampered the electron transfer rate of the organic reducing substances, and further led to a decrease in the reaction rate. For Mg(II), the initial reaction rates at different pH values (2.0, 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5) decreased by 0.0316, 0.0246, 0.0095, and 0.0023/h in the presence of Mg(II) compared with those in the absence of Mg(II). The inhibitory effect of Mg(II) on the reduction of Cr(VI) was present at different temperatures. The activation energy (Ea) was estimated at 57.4 and 65.6 kJ/mol in the presence and absence of Mg(II), respectively. This would be significant in promoting understanding influence mechanism of hardness ions on Cr(VI) reduction with sugarcane molasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing use of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) in the remediation of contaminated groundwater raises concerns regarding its transport in aquifers. Laboratory-scale sand-packed column experiments were conducted with bare and sucrose-modified NZVI (SM-NZVI) to improve our understanding of the transport of the nanoparticles in saturated porous media, as well as the role of media size, suspension injection rate and concentration on the nanoparticle behavior. As the main indicative parameters, the normalized effluent concentration was measured and the deposition rate coefficient (k) was calculated for different simulated conditions. Overall, compared to the high retention of bare NZVI in the saturated silica column, SM-NZVI suspension could travel through the coarse sand column easily. However, the transport of SM-NZVI particles was not very satisfactory in a smaller size granular matrix especially in fine silica sand. Furthermore, the value of k regularly decreased with the increasing injection rate of suspension but increased with suspension concentration, which could reflect the role of these factors in the SM-NZVI travel process. The calculation of k-value at the tests condition adequately described the experimental results from the point of deposition dynamics, which meant the assumption of first-order deposition kinetics for the transport of NZVI particles was reasonable and feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanophotonics, which is mainly the study of the behavior of light-matter interaction at the wavelength scale, has developed into one of the most important branches in optics-related disciplines. Utilizing organic functional molecules as the building blocks of nanophotonic materials and devices has great potential due to the multiple advantages, including the molecular designability, good processability, tailorable properties, and so on. Small molecules exhibit a strong tendency to aggregate into lowdimensional structures through an assembly process. The morphologies of the formed products, which are tightly related to the stacking modes of the molecules, can be precisely controlled through the modulation of various intermolecular interactions. The optical properties of organic complex structures, assembled from one or more types of small molecules, show heavy dependence on the composition, distribution, as well as the topological structures, manifesting a strategy to acquire desired photonic properties via rational structural design and/or componential modulation. This tutorial review focuses on the relationship among various molecules, diverse structures and photonic properties, with emphasis on the controllable assembly processes to fabricate low-dimensional structures and assembly strategies to achieve requisite optofunctional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the presence of trifluoroacetic acid and methanesulfonic acid (MSA), a series of monohydric and polyhydric phenols readily undergo a domino Pechmann-dehydration reaction with various 4-hydroxy-6-oxocyclohexane-1,3-dicarboxylates to give 7,8-dihydro-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-ones. Subsequent dehydrogenation of the 7,8-dihydro-6H-dibenzo[b,d]pyran-6-ones was performed expediently with DBU/BrCCl3 to give various 6Hdibenzo[ b,d]pyran-6-one derivatives. This strategy has the advantages of inexpensive and easily available raw materials, metal-free procedure, mild reaction conditions, good compatibility with various functional groups, and satisfactory yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-density ordered core−sheath nanopillars of fullerene C60/C70loading with colloidal Au nanoparticles were fabricated with a template method. The anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template was first imbedded with the fullerene C60/C70molecules and then followed by a pressure-difference approach for Au colloid. High-quality surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of fullerene C60/C70were obtained. The spectra show intense SERS signals with a fluorescence-free background, even with a 514 nm excitation at which the normal Raman of fullerene C60/C70present poor signal-to-noise. The assembly of the fullerene C60/C70on the inner walls of the AAO pores along the Au nanopillars lead to fluorescence quenching; meanwhile, the high-density and ordered arrays of Au nanopillars contribute to surface plasmon resonance for the SERS effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Four simulated landfill anaerobic bioreactors were performed to investigate the influence of alkalinity on the anaerobic treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW). Leachate was recirculated in all the four reactors. One reactor was operated without alkalinization. The other three were operated under alkaline conditions. Na2CO3, NaHCO3 and NaOH were added to leachate in the second, third and fourth reactor, respectively. Experimental results showed that CO3 2− and HCO3 − addition had a more pronounced effect on MSW stabilization while the effect of addition of OH− was weak. The concentration of COD, BOD5, total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4 +-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3 −-N), etc. in leachate significantly reduced in four reactors. The removal efficiencies were 90.56%, 92.21%, 92.74% and 90.29% for COD, 66.45%, 72.38%, 68.62% and 68.44% for NO3 −-N, and 96.5%, 98.75%, 97.75% and 98% for NO2 −-N in the control, Na2CO3, NaHCO3 and OH− added reactors, respectively. The final BOD5/COD was 0.262, 0.104, 0.124, and 0.143, and pH was 7.13, 7.28, 7.42, and 7.24 for control, Na2CO3 added, NaHCO3 added, and OH− added reactor, respectively. Therefore, alkalinity addition had positive effect on the stabilization of MSW. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Two classes of bulk high-Zpolymer composites were prepared, which exhibit scintillation properties for γ-radiation detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been attracting ever more Interest owing to their fascinating structures and widespread applications. Among the optoelectronic materials, luminescent MOFs (LMOFs) have become one of the most attractive candidates in the fields of optics and photonics thanks to the unique characteristics of their frameworks. Luminescence from MOFs can originate from either the frameworks, mainly including organic linkers and metal ions, or the encapsulated guests, such as dyes, perovskites, and carbon dots. Here, we systematically review the recent progress in LMOFs, with an emphasis on the relationships between their structures and emission behaviour. On this basis, we comprehensively discuss the research progress and applications of multicolour emission from homogeneous and heterogeneous structures, host-guest hybrid lasers, and pure MOF lasers based on optically excited LMOFs in the field of micro/nanophotonics. We also highlight recent developments in other types of luminescence, such as electroluminescence and chemiluminescence, from LMOFs. Future perspectives and challenges for LMOFs are provided to give an outlook of this emerging field. We anticipate that this article will promote the development of MOF-based functional materials with desired performance towards robust optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the preparation of vertical nanowire arrays. It states that vertical organic nanowire arrays of diaminoanthraquinone (DAAQ) dye molecules were set by a facile physical vapor transport method. In addition, the growth direction and crystal structure of the nanowires were ascertained by electron diffraction and transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The article presents a study which showed a route to in situ detection of diffusion dynamics in polymer micro-objects by means of optical whispering-gallery mode (WGM) resonances. Topics discussed include characterization of WGM resonances of single microspheres using a confocal microscopic photoluminescence (PL) system, an overview of the full process covering four stages, and sample preparation.

The article discusses about the application of patterning in nanofabrication and nanomaterials assembly, with demonstrated prospects in the fabrication of nano/molecular-scale devices. It mentions the results of the study confirm the robustness of the bubble template to prepare molecular-scale patterns, verify the criticality of molecular symmetry to obtain the ultimate precision.

Conspectus: Micro/nanoscale lasers that can deliver intense coherent light signals at (sub)wavelength scale have recently captured broad research interest because of their potential applications ranging from on-chip information processing to high-throughput sensing. Organic molecular materials are a promising kind of ideal platform to construct high-performance microlasers, mainly because of their superiority in abundant excited-state processes with large active cross sections for high gain emissions and flexibly assembled structures for high-quality microcavities. In recent years, ever-increasing efforts have been dedicated to developing such organic microlasers toward low threshold, multicolor output, broadband tunability, and easy integration. Therefore, it is increasingly important to summarize this research field and give deep insight into the structure-property relationships of organic microlasers to accelerate the future development. In this Account, we will review the recent advances in organic miniaturized lasers, with an emphasis on tunable laser performances based on the tailorable microcavity structures and controlled excited-state gain processes of organic materials toward integrated photonic applications. Organic π-conjugated molecules with weak intermolecular interactions readily assemble into regular nanostructures that can serve as high-quality optical microcavities for the strong confinement of photons. On the basis of rational material design, a series of optical microcavities with different structures have been controllably synthesized. These microcavity nanostructures can be endowed with effective four-level dynamic gain processes, such as excited-state intramolecular charge transfer, excited-state intramolecular proton transfer, and excimer processes, that exhibit large dipole optical transitions for strongly active gain behaviors. By tailoring these excited-state processes with molecular/crystal engineering and external stimuli, people have effectively modulated the performances of organic micro/nanolasers. Furthermore, by means of controlled assembly and tunable laser performances, efficient outcoupling of microlasers has been successfully achieved in various organic hybrid microstructures, showing considerable potential for the integrated photonic applications. This Account starts by presenting an overview of the research evolution of organic microlasers in terms of microcavity resonators and energy-level gain. Then a series of strategies to tailor the microcavity structures and excited-state dynamics of organic nanomaterials for the modulation of lasing performances are highlighted. In the following part, we introduce the construction and advanced photonic functionalities of organic-microlaser-based hybrid structures and their applications in integrated nanophotonics. Finally, we provide our outlook on the current challenges as well as the future development of organic microlasers. It is anticipated that this Account will provide inspiration for the development of miniaturized lasers with desired performances by tailoring of excited-state processes and microcavity structures toward integrated photonic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time visualization of assembly processes and sophisticated signal processing at the nanoscale are two challenging topics in photonic nanomaterials. Here, high-quality light-harvesting crystalline nanorods were developed by the coassembly of two polypyridyl Ir(III) and Ru(II) metallophosphors, behaving as the antenna chromophore and energy acceptor, respectively. By using a one-pot or stepwise growth condition, homogeneous and multiblock heterojunction nanorods were prepared, respectively. These nanostructures display multicolor phosphorescence from green to red due to the efficient triplet energy transfer and light-harvesting capability at low acceptor doping ratios. Heterojunction nanorods show gradient emission-color switches during different growth stages, in which the real-time stepwise assembly can be vividly visualized using fluorescence microscopy techniques. Triplet excitons were successfully manipulated in both homogeneous and heterojunction nanorods to realize waveguided green, orange, and red emissions and advanced photonic signal logics and encoding/decoding on single multiblock heterojunction nanorod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on a study which examined asymmetric photon transport and directional light propagation in single-crystal organic semiconductor nanowires using electrically controlled exciton diffusion. A physical vapor transport technique was used to obtain 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene (BPEA) nanowire crystals. It shows that electrotunable asymmetric optical outcoupling was accomplished by modifying direction and field strength.

Miniaturized lasers with high spectra purity and switchable output are of crucial importance for various ultracompact photonic devices. However, it still remains a great challenge to simultaneously control the wavelength and mode purity of microscale lasers due to the insensitive response of traditional materials to external stimuli. In this work, we propose a strategy to realize switchable single-mode microlasers in perovskite microwires (MWs) coupled with responsive organic microdisk cavities. The perovskite MW therein serves as an excellent laser source to deliver multiple lasing modes, while the microdisk functions as a spectral filter to achieve single-mode outcoupling. Furthermore, on account of the sensitive responsiveness of organic materials, reversible wavelength-switching of single-mode laser can be realized through adjusting the resonant modes of the microdisk cavity filter. The results will provide guidance for the rational design of nanophotonic devices with novel performances based on the characteristic of organic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-color subwavelength output of lasers was demonstrated in a rationally designed organic microdisk/silver nanowire heterostructures. The dye-doped flexible microdisks served as the wavelength tunable whispering-gallery-mode lasers with low lasing thresholds, whereas the silver nanowires supported the output of the lasing mode as subwavelength coherent light sources. The wavelength of the outcoupled laser was tuned over the full visible spectrum scope owing to the flexibility of the microdisks and their compatibility with various organic laser dyes. Furthermore, a multicolor subwavelength laser was achieved in a single heterostructure and the laser output was successfully modulated by varying the surface plasmon polariton propagation length. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on using miniaturized lasers with multicolor output and high spectral purity to obtain more compact and more versatile photonic devices. It presents a strategy to realize dual-color single-mode lasing in axially coupled cavities. Dual-color single-mode lasing was achieved in the axially coupled heterogeneous nanowire resonators.

Wavelength switchable micro/nanoscale laser is essential to construct various ultracompact photonic devices. However, traditional semiconductors as the gain media generally provide only monochromatic laser output due to their continuous energy band structures. For luminescent conjugated molecules, the broad emission band usually contains a series of vibronic peaks, which is very helpful for extending the lasing spectrum to several different wavelengths. Here we propose a novel strategy to realize wavelength switchable lasers based on the controlled competition of dual-wavelength vibronic lasing in single-component organic microcrystals. The vibrationally structured fluorescence property of the single-crystal organic microdisks brings dual-wavelength lasing at different vibronic bands. Their relative optical gain intensity was modulated by controlling the population on the certain vibronic level of the ground state with varied temperature, which consequently enabled the reversible switching of the dual-wavelength vibronic lasing. The results point out a promising route to the rational design of miniaturized lasers and other photonic elements with desired performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoscale lasers are ideal light-signal sources for integrated photonic devices. Most of the present lasers made of dielectric materials are restricted to being larger than half the wavelength of the optical field. Plasmon lasers made from metallic nanostructures can help to break the diffraction limit, yet they suffer from low optical pump efficiencies and low quality factors. Integrating dielectric lasers with plasmonic waveguides to construct hybrid material systems may circumvent these problems and combine the advantages of the two components. Here we demonstrate the nanoscale output of dielectric lasers via photon-plasmon coupling in rationally designed perovskite/silver heterostructures. The perovskite crystals offer the gain and high-Q cavity for low-threshold laser generation, while the embedded silver nanowires (AgNWs) help to output the lasing modes efficiently in the form of surface plasmons. The output coupling can be modulated by controlling the resonant modes of the two-dimensional perovskite microcavities. The results would pave an alternative avenue to ultrasmall light sources as well as fundamental studies of light-matter interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wavelength tunable micro/nanolasers are indispensable components for various photonic devices. Here, we report broadband tunable microlasers built by incorporating a highly polarized organic intramolecular charge-transfer (ICT) compound with a supramolecular host. The spatial confinement of the ICT dye generates an optimized energy level system that favors controlled population distribution between the locally excited (LE) state and the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) state, which is beneficial for significantly broadening the tailorable gain region. As a result, we realized a wide tuning of lasing wavelength in the organic supramolecular microcrystals based on temperature-controlled population transfer from the LE to TICT state. The results will provide a useful enlightenment for the rational design of miniaturized lasers with desired performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible microdisk whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) resonators with high quality factors were achieved through the controlled assembly of organic materials with an emulsion-solvent-evaporation method. The high material compatibility of the assembled microdisks enabled us to realize low-threshold WGM lasers by doping with organic dyes as gain media. Furthermore, the emulsion-assisted self-assembly provided a strategy for the one-step fabrication of microwire-waveguide-connected microdisk heterostructures, which can be utilized for the efficient output of the isotropic WGM lasers from the coupled waveguides. We hope that these results will pave an avenue for the construction of new types of flexible WGM-based components for photonic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structural and magnetic properties of SmFeO3 with B site substitution of non-magnetic atom Al are investigated. The x-ray diffraction patterns show that SmFe(1−x)AlxO3 remains an orthorhombic structure within the whole doping range, and the unit-cell volume decreases monotonically with the increase of doped Al concentration. Besides, the octahedral tilting distortions of FeO6 are found to be alleviated while the tolerance factor increases. However, the relationship between the lattice parameters and Al concentration is observed to deviate from Vegard's rule, and this may be caused by magnetostriction effects. For the doping content values in a range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6, the ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and paramagnetism are observed to occur continuously. Moreover, the magnetization and the spin reorientation temperature (Tk) decrease monotonically as Al content value increases. With the doping content values being x = 0.8 and 1.0, these compounds only show paramagnetic behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic organic heterojunctions with aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) microwire trunks and 1,5-diaminoanthraquinone (DAAQ) nanowire branches were prepared by a two-step growth process. The prefabricated Alq3 microwires act as nucleation centers for site-specific secondary vapor growth of DAAQ nanowires, resulting in the unique dendritic heterostructures. When the trunk was excited with a focused laser beam, emitted light of various colors was simultaneously channeled from the branched nanowires via both waveguiding and energy transfer. The intensity of the out-coupled emissions was modulated effectively by changing the polarization of the incident light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-crystal organic nanowires were fabricated with a soft-template-assisted self-assembly method in liquid phase. These nanowires with rectangular cross section can serve as resonators for exciton-photon coupling, leading to a microcavity effect and a relatively low threshold of laser actions. Two-photon-pumped blue lasing was observed in these organic waveguiding nanostructures above a threshold of 60 nJ, excited with a 750 nm near-infrared femtosecond pulse laser at 77 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: To investigate the sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor expression profile in human esophageal cancer cells and the effects of S1P5 on proliferation and migration of human esophageal cancer cells. METHODS: S1P receptor expression profile in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line Eca109 was detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Eca109 cells were stably transfected with S1P5-EGFP or control-EGFP constructs. The relation between the responses of cell proliferation and migration to S1P and S1P5 expression was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and migration assay, respectively. RESULTS: Both normal human esophageal mucosal epithelium and Eca109 cells expressed S1P1, S1P2, S1P3 and S1P5, respectively. Esophageal mucosal epithelium expressed S1P5 at a higher level than Eca109 cell line. S1P5 over-expressing Eca109 cells displayed spindle cell morphology with elongated and extended filopodia-like projections. The proliferation response of S1P5-transfected Eca109 cells was lower than that of control vectortransfected cells with or without S1P stimulation (P < 0.05 or 0.01). S1P significantly inhibited the migration of S1P5- transfected Eca109 cells (P < 0.001). However, without S1P in transwell lower chamber, the number of migrated S1P5-transfected Eca109 cells was greater than that of control vector-transfected Eca109 cells (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: S1P binding to S1P5 inhibits the proliferation and migration of S1P5-transfected Eca109 cells. Esophageal cancer cells may down-regulate the expression of S1P5 to escape the inhibitory effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-pressure behaviors of SmFeO3 are investigated by angle-dispersive synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction under a pressure of up to 40.3 GPa at room temperature. The crystal structure of SmFeO3 remains stable at up to the highest pressure. The different pressure coefficients of the normalized axial compressibility are obtained to be βa = 0.60 × 10−3 GPa−1, βb = 0.79 × 10m3 GPa−1, βc = 1.28 × 10−3 GPa−1, and the bulk modulus (B0) is determined to be 293(3) GPa by fitting the pressure-volume data using the Birch—Murnaghan equation of state. Furthermore, the larger compressibility of the FeO6 octahedra suggests the evolution of the orthorhombic structure towards higher symmetry configuration at high pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]