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Magnetic metals deposited on graphene hold the key to applications in spintronics. Here, we present the results of Fe islands grown on graphene/SiC(0001) by molecular beam epitaxy, which are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy. The two types of islands distinguished by flat or round tops are revealed, indicating bimodal growth of Fe. The atomic structures on the top surfaces of flat islands are also clearly resolved. Our results may improve the understanding of the mechanisms of metals deposited on graphene and pave the way for future spintronic applications of Fe/graphene systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discovery of an extraordinarily superconductive large energy gap in SrTiO3 supported single-layer FeSe films has recently initiated a great deal of research interests in surface-enhanced superconductivity and superconductive ultrathin films fabricated on crystal surfaces. On account of the instability of ultra-thin films in air, it is desirable to perform electrical transport measurement in ultra-high vaccum (UHV). Here we review the experimental techniques of in situ electrical transport measurement and their applications on superconductive ultrathin films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pressure-calibration method for calibrating the reduction of second harmonic (2f) amplitude caused by pressure broadening effect in sealed microbial growth environment is present. The new method combines with linewidth compensation and modulation depth compensation and makes the 2f amplitude accurately retrieve metabolic CO2 in microbial growth. In order to verify the method, a simulation experiment is developed, in which the increasing CO2 concentration leads to the increasing pressure. Comparing with the relation between the traditional 2f amplitude and gas concentration, there is a monotonous relation between the calibrated 2f amplitude and CO2 concentration, particularly, a linear relation is present when the CO2 concentration is replaced with the CO2 particle number. In terms of microbial measurement, the growth of Escherichia coli is measured, and the culture bottle is sealed during the microbial growth process. The experimental results show that, comparing to the microbial growth retrieved by traditional 2f amplitude, the calibrated 2f amplitude can accurately retrieve microbial growth in sealed environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

N2O is a significant atmospheric greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. In this work, the high sensitivity detection of atmospheric N2O is achieved using wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) with an inter-band cascade laser operating around 3.939 µm. A LabVIEW-based software signal generator and software lock-in amplifiers are designed to simplify the system. In order to eliminate the interference from water vapor, the detection was performed at a pressure of 0.1 atm (1 atm = 1.01325×105 Pa) and a drying tube was added to the system. To improve the system performance for long term detection, a novel frequency locking method and 2 f/1 f calibration-free method were employed to lock the laser frequency and calibrate the power fluctuations, respectively. The Allan deviation analysis of the results indicates a detection limit of ∼ 20 ppb (1 ppb = 1.81205 µg/m3) for a 1 s integration time, and the optimal detection limit is ∼ 5 ppb for a 40-s integration time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-ppmv level detection of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) using a 1.578- distributed feedback tunable diode laser combining with wavelength modulation spectroscopy and second harmonic detection scheme is reported. A home-developed novel compact dense-pattern multipass gas cell with an effective optical path length of 29.37 m is used to improve sensitivity and reduce sample volume. Detection parameters are optimized, including modulation frequency and amplitude. The analysis of Allan variance shows that a minimum detectable concentration 60 ppbv is obtained with a lock-in time constant of 10 ms, and a detection limit of 13 ppbv can be achieved by average in 300 s. The demonstrated H2S sensor has a strong penitential application in natural gas process for regulating and controlling H2S concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing the strong spin--orbital interaction, Bismuth is the key element in the family of three-dimensional topological insulators. At the same time, Bismuth itself also has very unusual behavior, existing from the thinnest unit to bulk crystals. Ultrathin Bi (111) bilayers have been theoretically proposed as a two-dimensional topological insulator. The related experimental realization achieved only recently, by growing Bi (111) ultrathin bilayers on topological insulator Bi2Te3 or Bi2Se3 substrates. In this review, we started from the growth mode of Bi (111) bilayers and reviewed our recent progress in the studies of the electronic structures and the one-dimensional topological edge states using scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and first principles calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate high current efficiency of a blue fluorescent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by using the charge control layers (CCLs) based on Alq3. The CCLs that are inserted into the emitting layers (EMLs) could impede the hole injection and facilitate the electron transport, which can improve the carrier balance and further expand the exciton generation region. The maximal current efficiency of the optimal device is 5.89 cd/A at 1.81 mA/cm², which is about 2.19 times higher than that of the control device (CD) without the CCL, and the maximal luminance is 19.660 cd/m² at 12 V. The device shows a good color stability though the green light emitting material Alq3 is introduced as the CCL in the EML, but it has a poor lifetime due to the formation of cationic Alq3 species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driving voltage of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is lowered by employing molybdenum trioxide (MoO3)/N, N'-bis(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N'-bis(phe-nyl)-benzidine (NPB) multiple quantum well (MQW) structure in the hole transport layer. For the device with double quantum well (DQW) structure of ITO/ [MoO3 (2.5 nm)/NPB (20 nm)]2/Alq3(50 nm)/LiF (0.8 nm)/Al (120 nm)], the turn-on voltage is reduced to 2.8 V, which is lowered by 0.4 V compared with that of the control device (without MQW structures), and the driving voltage is 5.6 V, which is reduced by 1 V compared with that of the control device at the 1000 cd/m2. In this work, the enhancement of the injection and transport ability for holes could reduce the driving voltage for the device with MQW structure, which is attributed not only to the reduced energy barrier between ITO and NPB, but also to the forming charge transfer complex between MoO3 and NPB induced by the interfacial doping effect of MoO3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultra-broadband polarization splitter based on graphene layer-filled dual-core photonic crystal fiber (GDC-PCF) that can work in a wavelength range from 1120 nm to 1730 nm is proposed in this paper. Through optimizing fiber configuration, the polarization splitter has an extinction ratio of at with a fiber length of 4.8 mm. Compared with the photonic crystal fiber reported splitters, to our knowledge, the GDC-PCF splitter with the extinction ratio below −20 dB has a super wide bandwidth of 610 nm. Due to the excellent splitting characteristics, the GDC-PCF will be used in coherent optical communication systems in a wavelength range from infrared to mid-infraed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pit formation and surface morphological evolution in Si(001) homoepitaxy are investigated by using scanning tunneling microscopy. Anti-phase boundary is found to give rise to initial generation of pits bound by bunched DB steps. The terraces break up and are reduced to a critical nucleus size with pit formation. Due to anisotropic kinetics, a downhill bias diffusion current, which is larger along the dimer rows through the centre area of the terrace than through the area close to the edge, leads to the prevalence of pits bound by {101} facets. Subsequent annealing results in a shape transition from {101}-faceted pits to multi-faceted pits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]