Search

With the advancement of perovskite research, there is a growing urgency to address the imperative need for practical applications while simultaneously tackling the enduring challenges of material reliability and lead (Pb) toxicity. The crystallization, morphology and optical properties of the resultant film and device performance during solution processing are heavily influenced by the solution-based intermediate, a state determined using the coordination between solute and solvent. Solvent–solute coordination is closely correlated with solvent characteristics including ionization capabilities, dielectric constant, hydrolysis, and reactivity with solutes. Deionized water (D-water) characterized by its high polarity, ionization capability, and dielectric constant, when used as a co-solvent with dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), facilitates stronger coordination with CsI/SnI4 species in Cs2SnI6 precursor solution. This enhanced coordination leads to improved solvation, precursor reactivity, and solution homogeneity. Incorporating an appropriate amount of D-water as a co-solvent into Cs2SnI6 precursor solution allows for tuning solvent coordination and control over the resulting thin film crystallization and morphology. The co-solvent diluted optimized Cs2SnI6 thin film leads to the fabrication of energy-efficient broadband 4 × 3 photodetector arrays ranging from UV to NIR giving a responsivity of 5.5 A W−1 at a substantially lower bias voltage of −0.1 V with stable operation stability in ambient air. These findings underscore the potential advantages of solution-processed Cs2SnI6 perovskites in various optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Color and body size traits are considered the key parameters influence the economic value of animals. In recent years, advancement in the genetic basis of coat colors in equines has received considerable attention among animal breeders. In addition, coat color plays a significant role in breed identification and selection, as well as animal health and disease. The current review concisely provides information on the role of melanin pigments and key candidate genes associated with coat color phenotypes in equines. Furthermore, the review also highlights the importance of coat color in equine breeding and health. Variation in coat color among equids has attracted significant interest in genetics and breeding research. The range of colors is primarily determined by the type, concentration, and distribution of melanin pigments, with the balance between eumelanin and pheomelanin influenced by numerous genetic factors. Advances in genomic and sequencing technologies have enabled the identification of several candidate genes that influence coat color, thereby clarifying the genetic basis of these diverse phenotypes. In this review, we concisely categorize coat coloration in horses and donkeys, focusing on the biosynthesis and types of melanin involved in pigmentation. Moreover, we highlight the regulatory roles of some key candidate genes, such as MC1R, TYR, MITF, ASIP, and KIT, in coat color variation. Moreover, the review explores how coat color relates to selective breeding and specific equine diseases, offering valuable insights for developing breeding strategies that enhance both the esthetic and health aspects of equine species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self‐driven broadband photodetectors have wide applications in the fields of biomedicine, remote sensing, rescue, and mineral exploration with advantages of energy conservation and multiband detection. However, most present broadband photodetectors are suffering from a fast degradation of photoresponsivity in ultraviolet (UV) region. To resolve it, a self‐driven broadband photodetector is proposed based on mixed‐dimensional 2D PtSe2/3D amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) heterojunction considering the high UV responsivity of a‐Ga2O3 thin film. 2D PtSe2 is obtained on a‐Ga2O3 thin film by a simple selenization method directly. The responsivity of the completed device in UV region is about 14 and 172 times higher than that in visible and NIR regions, respectively. In addition, benefiting from the excellent built‐in electric field at the heterojunction and high carrier mobility of 2D PtSe2, photogenerated electron–hole pairs can be rapidly separated. As a result, its rise time (9.36 ms) and decay time (11.27 ms) are much faster than those of the current a‐Ga2O3‐based self‐driven photodetectors (≈100–1000 ms). This work provides a novel building block via a facile strategy for the further development of high‐performance, low‐cost, and energy‐efficient broadband photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This study investigates the impact of DNA methylation on collagen deposition in the skin of Dezhou donkeys, a breed valued for its thick, flexible skin with medicinal properties. Utilizing whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), the research analyzes the epigenetic landscape and gene expression profiles across three developmental stages of Dezhou donkeys. The study identifies numerous differentially methylated genes related to collagen deposition, such as COL1A1, COL1A2, and MMPs, highlighting an inverse relationship between gene expression and DNA methylation near transcription start sites. The findings of our study reveal the significant regulatory role of DNA methylation in skin collagen deposition, offering insights for genetic improvement and selective breeding to enhance skin quality in Dezhou donkeys. Our current research adds to the foundational knowledge of collagen deposition mechanisms, contributing to the fields of molecular biology and animal husbandry. DNA methylation represents a predominant epigenetic modification with broad implications in various biological functions. Its role is particularly significant in the process of collagen deposition, a fundamental aspect of dermal development in donkeys. Despite its critical involvement, the mechanistic insights into how DNA methylation influences collagen deposition in donkey skin remain limited. In this study, we employed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to investigate the epigenetic landscape and gene expression profiles in the dorsal skin tissues of Dezhou donkeys across three developmental stages: embryonic (YD), juvenile (2-year-old, MD), and mature (8-year-old, OD). Our analysis identified numerous differentially methylated genes that play pivotal roles in skin collagen deposition and overall skin maturation, including but not limited to COL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL4A1, COL4A2, GLUL, SFRP2, FOSL1, SERPINE1, MMP1, MMP2, MMP9, and MMP13. Notably, we observed an inverse relationship between gene expression and DNA methylation proximal to transcription start sites (TSSs), whereas a direct correlation was detected in regions close to transcription termination sites (TTSs). Detailed bisulfite sequencing analyses of the COL1A1 promoter region revealed a low methylation status during the embryonic stage, correlating with elevated transcriptional activity and gene expression levels. Collectively, our findings elucidate key genetic markers associated with collagen deposition in the skin of Dezhou donkeys, underscoring the significant regulatory role of DNA methylation. This research work contributes to the foundational knowledge necessary for the genetic improvement and selective breeding of Dezhou donkeys, aiming to enhance skin quality attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarization-sensitive photodetection and imaging have great application value in fields such as polarization division multiplexing optical communication, remote sensing, near-field imaging and military monitoring. Pursuing a high polarization ratio has always been the research hotspot in polarization-sensitive photodetectors. In this paper, we report a compression strain enhanced polarization ratio in β-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) single crystal flake. A rigorous crystallographic analysis confirmed its high crystalline quality and orientation. Angle-resolved polarization Raman spectroscopy (ARPRS) was adopted to study the anisotropy of its optical properties. Extensive ARPRS measurements and theoretical calculation consistently demonstrate the strong optical anisotropy in the high-quality β-Ga2O3 flake. A polarization ratio of 0.96 was obtained in the flat β-Ga2O3 flake. Furthermore, mechanical strain of ±0.7% was introduced into β-Ga2O3. An increased polarization ratio of 0.98 was achieved in the case of 0.7% compression strain, which is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest value for UVC polarization-sensitive photodetectors. That corresponds to an improved polarization rejection ratio of 100. This work proposed a new path towards improving polarization sensitivity by applying strain engineering in the active material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For dairy cattle to perform well throughout and following lactations, precise dietary control during the periparturient phase is crucial. The primary issues experienced by periparturient dairy cows include issues like decreased dry matter intake (DMI), a negative energy balance, higher levels of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), and the ensuing inferior milk output. Dairy cattle have always been fed a diet high in crude protein (CP) to produce the most milk possible. Despite the vital function that dairy cows play in the conversion of dietary CP into milk, a sizeable percentage of nitrogen is inevitably expelled, which raises serious environmental concerns. To reduce nitrogen emissions and their production, lactating dairy cows must receive less CP supplementation. Supplementing dairy cattle with rumen-protected methionine (RPM) and choline (RPC) has proven to be a successful method for improving their ability to use nitrogen, regulate their metabolism, and produce milk. The detrimental effects of low dietary protein consumption on the milk yield, protein yield, and dry matter intake may be mitigated by these nutritional treatments. In metabolic activities like the synthesis of sulfur-containing amino acids and methylation reactions, RPM and RPC are crucial players. Methionine, a limiting amino acid, affects the production of milk protein and the success of lactation in general. According to the existing data in the literature, methionine supplementation has a favorable impact on the pathways that produce milk. Similarly, choline is essential for DNA methylation, cell membrane stability, and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, RPC supplementation during the transition phase improves dry matter intake, postpartum milk yield, and fat-corrected milk (FCM) production. This review provides comprehensive insights into the roles of RPM and RPC in optimizing nitrogen utilization, metabolism, and enhancing milk production performance in periparturient dairy cattle, offering valuable strategies for sustainable dairy farming practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic‐inorganic hybrid perovskites are promising candidates for direct X‐ray detection and imaging. The relatively high dark current in perovskite single crystals (SCs) is a major limiting factor hindering the pursuit of performance and stability enhancement. In this study, the contribution of dark current is disentangled from electronic (σe) and ionic conductivity (σi) and shows that the high σi dominates the dark current of MAPbBr3 SCs. A multilayer heterojunctions passivation strategy is developed that suppresses not only the σi by two orders of magnitude but also σe by a factor of 1.6. The multilayer heterojunctions passivate the halide vacancy defects and increase the electron and hole injection barrier by inducing surface p‐type doping of MAPbBr3. This enables the MAPbBr3 SC X‐ray detectors to obtain a high sensitivity of 19 370 µC Gyair−1 cm−2 under a high electric field of 100 V cm−1, a record high sensitivity for bromine self‐powered devices, and a low detection limit of 42.3 nGyair s−1. The unencapsulated detectors demonstrate a stable baseline after storage for 210 days and outstanding operational stability upon irradiation with an accumulated dose of up to 1944 mGyair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lipid molecules and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in milk are heavily influenced by diet. However, little is known about how roughage affects the lipid and VOC contents of donkey milk. Accordingly, in the present study, donkeys were fed corn straw (G1 group), wheat hulls (G2 group), or wheat straw (G3 group), and the lipid and VOC profiles of their milk were determined using LC–MS and GC–MS. Of the 1842 lipids identified in donkey milk, 153 were found to be differential, including glycerolipids, glycerophospholipids, and sphingolipids. The G1 group showed a greater variety and content of triacyclglycerol species than the G2 and G3 groups. Of 45 VOCs, 31 were identified as differential, including nitrogen compounds, esters, and alcohols. These VOCs were significantly increased in the G2 and G3 groups, with the greatest difference being between the G1 and G2 groups. Thus, our study demonstrates that dietary roughage changes the lipid and VOC profiles of donkey milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The annual shortage of donkey hides is significant in China. Therefore, to meet the market demand, it is important to improve donkey hide production through molecular breeding. In this study, one SNP was identified in intron 1 of the LCORL gene, and polymorphism information content (PIC) was moderate in the population. The association analysis of g.112558859 A > G with body height, body length, chest circumference and hide weight was conducted and found to be significantly associated with these traits. The hide weight of donkeys with the GG genotype was 1.07 Kg heavier than those with AA genotype. This provides the foundation for breeding large donkey breeds with high hide production. Several studies have shown the association between the ligand-dependent nuclear receptor compression-like protein (LCORL) gene and body size in horses, pigs and donkeys. Based on previous studies, the LCORL gene was hypothesized to be associated with growth traits and hide weight in Dezhou donkeys. In this study, we aimed to reveal the variation of the LCORL gene in the Dezhou donkey and explore whether the gene is associated with hide weight and body size. In this study, genetic polymorphisms in the LCORL gene of the Dezhou donkey were studied using targeted sequencing technology, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the LCORL gene were analyzed for association with hide weight and body size in Dezhou donkeys. The results showed that there was an SNP locus situated in intron 1 of the LCORL gene. Association analysis revealed that individuals with the GG genotype had significantly higher body height, body length, chest circumference and hide weight than those with the AA genotype (p < 0.05). Therefore, the g.112558859 A > G locus can be used as a potential candidate marker affecting body size and hide weight. This study provides the foundation for breeding high-quality donkeys with high hide yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the contents and associated soil properties of 6 metal elements (Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr) were measured in 63 topsoil samples in the affected areas of a typical non-ferrous metal slag field in Huili City, Sichuan Province, China. The associated soil properties of the 6 metals include Ammonium Nitrogen ( NH 4 + -N), Nitrate ( NO 3 − -N), Available Phosphorus (AP), Available Potassium (AK), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Soil Water Content (SWC), and pH. Multivariate statistics-spatial analysis-soil pollution comprehensive evaluation method was used to quantify the environmental pollution degree of heavy metals in the topsoil and divided (zone) the slag field based on the degree of pollution. Pearson correlation analysis and positive matrix factorization (PMF) were used to identify and quantitatively analyze pollution sources and their contributions. The results show that the average contents of Pb, As, Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr were 13.27, 19.87, 6.91, 50.55, 25.06, and 77.71 mg·kg−1, respectively. Nemerow comprehensive evaluation results showed that the sites with Slight Pollution and Mild Pollution accounted for 26.98% and 3.17% of the total sampling sites, respectively. Approximately 70% of the sampling sites in the study area had no heavy metal pollution in the soil. Sites with No Pollution or Slight Pollution were mainly distributed in the forest areas with vegetation coverage, while sites with Moderate Pollution or Heavy Pollution were mainly distributed in crop planting areas and areas near slag fields. PMF model revealed four pollution sources: natural sources, mixed industrial and transportation sources, agricultural sources, and industrial river water. These results will provide theoretical references for the utilization and treatment of heavy metal-contaminated soil around the slag field in the dry-hot valley. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the formation of interstitial Na (Nai) self-compensating defects has been a long-term physics problem for effective Na doping in ZnO. Herein, we present an experimental approach to the suppression of Nai defects in ZnO via Na and F codoping under an oxygen-rich condition during the molecular beam epitaxy growth process. It is found that the incorporation of such large numbers of Na and F dopants (∼1020 cm−3) does not cause an obvious influence on the lattice parameters. Hall-effect measurements demonstrate that F doping efficiently raises the Fermi level (EF) of ZnO films, which is expected to make the formation energy of Nai and NaZn increase and decrease, respectively. Most of the Na atoms occupy the substitutional Zn sites, and the formation of Nai is suppressed consequently. Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements reveal that F and Na atoms are tightly bonded together due to their strong Coulomb interaction. The enhanced deep level emission (DLE) in ZnO:Na-F is ascribed to the considerable amount of isolated Zn vacancy (VZn) defects induced by the elevated EF and the formation of neutral F O + − N a Zn − 0 complexes. On the other hand, formation of F O + − V Zn 2 − − complexes in ZnO:F exhausts most of the isolated Zn vacancies, leading to the disappearance of the DLE band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the intrinsically wide bandgap and high uniformity, amorphous Ga2O3 (a-Ga2O3) has been illustrating a great industrial potential for large-area deep ultraviolet (UV) photosensor arrays. However, a seemingly irreconcilable contradiction between high responsivity and long persistent photoconductivity has hampered the growing pace of such devices. In this work, three-terminal InGaZnO (IGZO)/a-Ga2O3 dual-active-layer (DAL) transistors were developed to realize the ability of a-Ga2O3 as the active layer both in switching and sensing. Benefitting from the introduction of ultrathin IGZO electron reservoir and defect control of a-Ga2O3, the DAL device demonstrates more stable and superior gate-control capability with promising performance including high on/off ratio and field-effect mobility of ∼108 and 8.3 cm2/V⋅s, respectively, as well as a small sub-threshold swing (SS) of 0.36 V/dec. Under 254 nm UV illumination, the DAL device manifests a light-to-dark ratio of ∼108, a responsivity of 4.8 × 103 A W−1, a detectivity of 8 × 1015 Jones, and a UV/visible rejection ratio (R254/R400) of 64. The simultaneous achievement of deep UV photo-detection and transistor's switching performance in a-Ga2O3 material offers excellent potential for the construction of large-area active-matrix UV photosensor arrays with the simple and low-cost fabrication process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing optoelectronic synaptic devices with low energy consumption is of critical importance for neuromorphic computing and visualization systems. In this work, amorphous‐Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) is adopted to realize a low‐power optoelectronic synapse considering its distinguished features of ultra‐wide bandgap, high responsiveness to light stimulation, and strong persistent photoconductivity effect. The basic synaptic functions such as short‐term plasticity (STP) and long‐term plasticity (LTP) have been successfully mimicked. A noise suppression capability is achieved as well, similar to the visual cells. Strikingly, the total energy consumption for triggering an LTP synaptic event is only 136 fJ, approaching the one of a biological synapse. The underlying mechanism for the a‐Ga2O3 synaptic performance is explored with a combined research of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy, electric tests, and Technology Computer‐Aided Design simulations. The consistent results suggest the key role of the synergetic modulation effect of optical and electric fields on the dynamic behaviors of oxygen vacancy (VO) defects. This work indicates the potential applications of a‐Ga2O3 in low‐power optoelectronic synapses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have found conflicting results concerning the left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation properties in patients with normally functioning bicuspid aortic valves (BAVs). Whether the remodeling process of LV occurs independently in patients with BAV is a matter of debate. Method: We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane library, and Web of Science for cohort studies aiming to assess LV function in adults with isolated BAV compared with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV) controls. Standard mean difference (SMD) was calculated from random‐effects meta‐analyses. Results: Eight cohort studies were included. There were significantly lower global longitudinal strain (GLS), global radial strain (GRS), global circumferential strain (GCS) in BAV than in TAV controls (GLS: SMD = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.92, P <.0001; GRS: SMD = −0.71, 95% CI: −1.09 to −0.32, P =.0003; GCS: SMD = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.41 to 0.98, P <.00001) and significantly higher left atrial volume index (LAVI) and E/e' in BAV than in TAV controls (LAVI: SMD = 0.50, 95% Cl: 0.12 to 0.88, P =.01; E/e': SMD = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.77, P <.00001). There was significantly higher Left ventricular mass index（LVMI） in BAV than in TAV controls (SMD = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.79, P =.0003). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between BAV patients and TAV controls (SMD = 0.05, 95% CI: −0.16 to 0.26, P =.63). Conclusion: The impairment of LV myocardial mechanics, including LV systolic, diastolic dysfunction and LV hypertrophy, is present in patients with normally functioning BAV. This might support the hypothesis that BAV is not only a valvular disease but also a myocardial disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

InGaZnO high-voltage thin-film transistors (HV-TFTs) with vertical dual-active-layer structure and lateral offset design were fabricated at low temperature. The TFT features such as sub-threshold swing, threshold voltage, and hysteresis voltage are similar to those of the normal devices; furthermore, they are independent of the offset length. The blocking voltage of HV-TFTs with an offset of 10 μm is 406 ± 17 V while the ON/OFF ratio reaches 109 at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports an integrated flexible deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetection system hosting an amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) photodetector (PD) and an energy harvesting component including a receiving electrode and a full‐wave rectifier. An alternating signal is induced by the coupling of human body with environmental electromagnetic radiation through human hand's contact with the receiving electrode. The signal is subsequently converted into direct current (DC) by the rectifier which is composed of four thin‐film diodes with high rectification ratio (≈106) and fast response time (rising time ≈240 µs and falling time ≈680 µs). Driven by the DC output, the a‐Ga2O3 PD achieves a photoresponsivity of 0.10 A W−1 and a detectivity of 2.24 × 1011 Jones under 254 nm UV illumination. The integrated flexible a‐Ga2O3 UV PD manifests a repeatable and pleasurable response behavior with a bending radius of 15 mm, providing a new paradigm for utilizing the environmental energy as the power source in wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have wide applications both in civil and military fields. Many materials have been explored to realize deep UV photodetection. Amorphous gallium oxide (a‐GaOx), as a member of transparent amorphous oxide semiconductors (TAOSs), has attracted a great deal of attention due to its ultrawide bandgap and scalable synthesis at room temperature. Plenty of researches have been focused on this topic in recent years. Herein, the latest progresses in the preparation methods of a‐GaOx using radio‐frequency sputtering, pulsed laser deposition, atomic layer deposition, and other deposition techniques are summarized. Dependence of the stoichiometry, crystallinity, optical, electrical, and morphological properties on different preparation parameters and doping/alloying elements is tentatively discussed, as well as those deep UV photodetectors based on a‐GaOx and related thin films. Finally, a short summary with further possible investigations is provided for a better understanding and development of a‐GaOx materials and photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sericin is a natural protein component of silks of silkworm and has potential utility in multiple areas such as pharmacological, cosmetics, and biotechnological industries. However, the understanding of its toxicological safety is still limited. This study evaluated the safety of water-extract sericin from silkworm (Bombyx mori) cocoons using different model approaches, including three genotoxicity studies (the bacterial reverse mutation test, the mammalian erythrocyte micronucleus test, and the mouse spermatogonia chromosomal aberration test) and a 90-day subchronic toxicity study in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The results of this study showed that water-extract sericin was nonmutagenic and nongenotoxic both in vitro and in vivo. Sericin did not induce significant changes in the body and organ weight, food intake, blood hematology and serum biochemistry, urine index, and histopathology in rats. The NOAEL of sericin was determined to be 1 g/kg/day for male and female rats. These results indicated that water-extract sericin was of low toxicity in the experimental conditions of the current study and had the potential for application in food-related products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A three‐terminal thin‐film transistor (TFT) architecture is essential for photodetectors to reach a good balance between high responsivity and fast response speed. Bottom‐gate amorphous Ga2O3 (a‐Ga2O3) TFTs are fabricated to boost their UV photodetection properties. During the device fabrication process, a simple chemical‐etching solution with the advantages of easy operation, low cost, and compatibility with traditional lithography process, is developed to selectively etch a‐Ga2O3 films. The a‐Ga2O3 channel etched device on Si manifests an effective suppression of the commonly observed gate leakage current. Meanwhile, a patterned a‐Ga2O3 TFT on quartz shows an excellent n‐type TFT performance with an on/off ratio as high as ≈107. It is further applied as a phototransistor, to diminish the persistent photoconductivity (PPC) effect while keeping a high responsivity (R) as well. Under the 254 nm UV illumination, the a‐Ga2O3 phototransistor demonstrates a high light‐to‐dark ratio of 5 × 107, a high responsivity of 5.67 × 103 A W−1, and a high detectivity of 1.87 × 1015 Jones. Remarkably, the PPC phenomenon in a‐Ga2O3 UV phototransistors is effectively suppressed by applying a positive gate pulse, which greatly shortens the decay time to 5 ms and offers a‐Ga2O3 possible inroads into imaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Negative drain currents under positive drain-to-gate voltage were found in the OFF-state transfer curves of thin-film transistors (TFTs). A dynamic model was developed, by accounting for capacitances, to interpret the phenomenon. The capacitor discharging during gate voltage sweeping leads to the negative currents. Test conditions and intrinsic device parameters affect the existence of this phenomenon, which is verified by our experimental results of InGaZnO TFTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication of flexible and transparent InGaZnO thin-film transistors on muscovite mica substrates. The mica substrate is compatible with four-step photolithographic processes as well as high-temperature processes. The field-effect mobility, subthreshold swing, ON/OFF ratio, threshold voltage, and hysteresis voltage are improved after annealing both at 300° C and 400° C in nitrogen. The device demonstrates more stable performance under positive gate bias stress when annealed at 400° C than at 300° C. The electrical performances are stable when exposed to tensile bending cycles up to 10 000 times. The mica with devices shows small optical loss in the visible region, where the average transmittance is as high as 86.75%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report the fabrication of flexible ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) on the 25- $\mu \text{m}$ -thick copper substrate. The Cu substrate compatible with high-temperature processes was deposited by electroplating, which led to a smooth surface. The ZnO layer was deposited at room temperature, and a thermal annealing process was conducted at 300 °C in the air after the fabrication of TFTs. The threshold voltage, hysteresis voltage, and contact resistance are improved after annealing, whereas the mobility, subthreshold swing, and ON/OFF ratio are barely changed. The stabilities of ZnO TFTs are also enhanced, evidenced by the smaller threshold voltage shifts induced by positive and negative gate bias stresses. The field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and subthreshold swing are stable even when exposed to a mechanical tensile strain up to 1.25% and 10 000 bending cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the optical properties of defects coupled with surface plasmons (SPs) in gallium‐doped ZnO (ZnO:Ga) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been explored. The photoluminescence intensity is enhanced by up to 4.9 times as a result of SPs coupling by decorating the sample with silver nanospheres (Ag NSs), with a fast plasmonic decay lifetime of 0.1 ns compared with the defect‐assisted carrier recombination lifetime of 3.77 ns in the as‐grown sample. The enhanced emission intensity depends on the plasmonic modes determined by the diameter of Ag NSs, verified by power‐dependent photoluminescence measurements. Confocal mapping reveals that the plasmonic “hot‐spots”, that is, enhanced emission around the Ag NSs, exhibit a highly optical stability with reduced photoluminescence blinking. This work demonstrates that a defect coupled with SPs in ZnO is a promising high‐efficiency emitter for applications in nanophotonics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of oxides with Si opens promising opportunities for novel multifunctional devices and new applications. To optimize the device performances through the hybrid integration, keeping the oxide/Si interface abrupt is critically important and challenging due to the seemingly unavoidable formation of amorphous SiO x or silicide interfacial layers. Here, we report an interface-engineering approach to this issue by molecular beam epitaxy. A BeO thin layer (∼5 nm) was deposited on Si (111) surface using a two-step process of Be deposition and oxidation. The initially formed BeO served as a template for subsequent homo-epitaxial growth of a 10-nm crystalline BeO layer. The well-defined interface between BeO and Si is clearly discerned by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, implying the role of crystalline BeO as a barrier layer against oxygen atoms' diffusion. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy further confirmed that the combined BeO layers sufficiently protect the Si surface from oxidation. A bottom-gate enhancement-mode thin film transistor was established on a ZnO (130 nm)/BeO (70 nm)/Si architecture, where BeO was functionalized both as a diffusion barrier and as a high- k gate insulator. It indicates that this methodology can be potentially extended to hybrid integration of other technologically important crystalline oxides with Si infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]