We conducted a joint theoretical and experimental study to investigate the collisional dissipation of molecular alignment. By comparing experimental measurements to the quantum simulations, the nonsecular effect in the collision dissipation of molecular alignment was unveiled from the gas-density-dependent decay rates of the molecular alignment revival signals. Different from the conventional perspective that the nonsecular collisional effect rapidly fades within the initial few picoseconds following laser excitation, our simulations of the time-dependent decoherence process demonstrated that this effect can last for tens of picoseconds in the low-pressure regime. This extended timescale allows for the distinct identification of the nonsecular effect from molecular alignment signals. Our findings present the pioneering evidence that nonsecular molecular collisional dissipation can endure over an extended temporal span, challenging established concepts and strengthening our understanding of molecular dynamics within dissipative environments.

To comprehensively assess the impact of aging, cigarette smoking, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on pulmonary physiology using 129Xe MR. A total of 90 subjects were categorized into four groups, including healthy young (HY, n = 20), age-matched control (AMC, n = 20), asymptomatic smokers (AS, n = 28), and COPD patients (n = 22). 129Xe MR was utilized to obtain pulmonary physiological parameters, including ventilation defect percent (VDP), alveolar sleeve depth (h), apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), total septal wall thickness (d), and ratio of xenon signal from red blood cells and interstitial tissue/plasma (RBC/TP). Significant differences were found in the measured VDP (p = 0.035), h (p = 0.003), and RBC/TP (p = 0.003) between the HY and AMC groups. Compared with the AMC group, higher VDP (p = 0.020) and d (p = 0.048) were found in the AS group; higher VDP (p < 0.001), d (p < 0.001) and ADC (p < 0.001), and lower h (p < 0.001) and RBC/TP (p < 0.001) were found in the COPD group. Moreover, significant differences were also found in the measured VDP (p < 0.001), h (p < 0.001), ADC (p < 0.001), d (p = 0.008), and RBC/TP (p = 0.032) between the AS and COPD groups. Our findings indicate that pulmonary structure and functional changes caused by aging, cigarette smoking, and COPD are various, and show a progressive deterioration with the accumulation of these risk factors, including cigarette smoking and COPD. Pathophysiological changes can be difficult to comprehensively understand due to limitations in common techniques and multifactorial etiologies. 129Xe MRI can demonstrate structural and functional changes caused by several common factors and can be used to better understand patients' underlying pathology. Standard techniques for assessing pathophysiological lung function changes, spirometry, and chest CT come with limitations. 129Xe MR demonstrated progressive deterioration with accumulation of the investigated risk factors, without these limitations. 129Xe MR can assess lung changes related to these risk factors to stage and evaluate the etiology of the disease.

In recent years, high-performance thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) electro-optic (EO) modulators boost the fast development of highly integrated, low loss, and large comb spacing EO frequency combs. Furthermore, ultra-short optical pulse trains (USOPTs) can be generated by the temporal domain compression of the optical frequency comb, which play an essential role in photonic sampling analog-to-digital conversion. Here, we demonstrate a flat and broadband EO frequency comb based on a packaged TFLN chip including a monolithic integrated intensity modulator, a phase modulator, and edge couplers. The 25 comb lines with a power fluctuation less than 3 dB are presented successfully. Moreover, we obtain a 10 GHz repetition rate USOPT, the pulse width of which is compressed to 2.67 ps. Our device may find its applications in the fields of ultrafast measurement, wavelength-division-multiplexing optical communication, or high-precision photonic sampling.

Antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics can be used in pulse power devices for high power density and fast discharge. Composites are recognized as an effective strategy to combine the benefits of different materials but suffer from interfacial mismatch and interfacial polarization. In this work, a combination of high-breakdown Pb0.94La0.04(Zr0.99-xSnxTi0.01)O3 (PLZST) with high-efficiency Pb0.8925Ba0.04La0.045(Zr0.65Sn0.3Ti0.05)O3 (PBLZST) is explored to enhance energy storage performance. Via adjusting Sn content in PLZST, the difference in lattice and dielectric properties between two phases are reduced, decreasing interfacial polarization. The breakdown strength of PBLZST-PLZST is boosted from 285 kV cm−1 to 345 kV cm−1, with maximum polarization strength decreasing from 44 μC cm−2 to 36 μC cm−2. An recoverable energy density (Wre ∼ 7.152 J cm−3) and discharged efficiency (η ∼ 90.5%) has been achieved in Pb0.8925Ba0.04La0.045(Zr0.65Sn0.3Ti0.05)O3-Pb0.94La0.04(Zr0.69Sn0.3Ti0.01)O3 (x = 0.3) composite ceramics. These findings highlight the potential of interfacial polarization engineering for developing composite ceramics with high-energy storage performance.

AbstractA stable ZnTe@Cs3Sb2I9 catalyst with 3D/2D‐hollow‐composite structure is constructed for CO2 photocatalytic reduction via the in situ growth of Cs3Sb2I9 nanosheets on hollow ZnTe microspheres using lattice matching. The formed Tellurium‐Antimony (Te─Sb) bonds improved the poor contact at the heterojunction interface, effectively promoted charge separation, and successfully suppressed photocorrosion. The unique core‐shell structure not only strengthens light absorption but also improves CO2 adsorption capacity. Consequently, the S‐scheme heterojunction with the synergistic effect of chemical bonds and 3D/2D‐hollow‐composite structure significantly enhances photocatalytic performance. The ZnTe@Cs3Sb2I9 photocatalyst offers a CO selectivity of 90.5%, which is higher than that of pure ZnTe (22.9%) and Cs3Sb2I9 (56.9%). This structure holds great promise for practical applications in CO2 photocatalytic reduction.

Flexible shortwave infrared detectors play a crucial role in wearable devices, bioimaging, automatic control, etc. Commercial shortwave infrared detectors face challenges in achieving flexibility due to the high fabrication temperature and rigid material properties. Herein, we develop a high-performance flexible Te0.7Se0.3 photodetector, resulting from the unique 1D crystal structure and small elastic modulus of Te-Se alloying. The flexible photodetector exhibits a broad-spectrum response ranging from 365 to 1650 nm, a fast response time of 6 μs, a broad linear dynamic range of 76 dB, and a specific detectivity of 4.8 × 1010 Jones at room temperature. The responsivity of the flexible detector remains at 93% of its initial value after bending with a small curvature of 3 mm. Based on the optimized flexible detector, we demonstrate its application in shortwave infrared imaging. These results showcase the great potential of Te0.7Se0.3 photodetectors for flexible electronics.

AbstractMultidimensional multiplexing technologies have been proven to be a promising scheme to meet the demands of high‐capacity optical interconnects and optical processing networks. However, challenges remain to realize multidimensional hybrid multiplexing data transmission and signal processing between few‐mode fiber transmission links and on‐chip optical processing networks, since the optical coupling between fiber and chip is almost exclusively in the single‐mode regime. Here, a multidimensional fiber‐to‐chip optical processing system is proposed and demonstrated for hybrid wavelength‐, mode‐, and polarization‐division multiplexing signals, where multidimensional coupling between few‐mode fiber transmission link and on‐chip multi‐mode processing network is realized by using a 3D photonic integrated (de)multiplexers on a glass chip as well as 2D photonic integrated (de)multiplexers on a silicon chip, and the on‐chip multidimensional optical processing network composed by parallel cascaded micro‐ring resonator array performs a function of reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexer. By operating wavelength‐division multiplexing in conjunction with mode‐division multiplexing and polarization‐division multiplexing, the communication bandwidth of fiber‐to‐chip optical processing systems can be further scaled.

AbstractBenefiting from their simple and cost‐effective fabrication procedures, printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p‐MPSCs) exhibit substantial potential for large‐scale production. In p‐MPSCs, the thickness of the perovskite filled in the TiO2 and ZrO2 mesoporous layers is ≈3 µm. Therefore, the perovskite crystallization process is more intricate and challenging in the mesoporous structure than the general planar thin film (0.3–0.5 µm). In this work, a multifunctional fluorinated molecule is applied to work as an additive to improve the perovskite crystallization, enhance the device efficiency, and elevate the operational stability. This additive forms robust coordination between its carbonyl groups and uncoordinated Pb2+, thereby effectively passivating defects. The hydrophobic properties of the fluorinated molecule contribute to the device's water‐resistant capability and long‐term operational stability. With these synergistic effects, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of small‐area cells (0.1 cm2) reaches 20.15% under 1 sun illumination. Large‐area modules (56.4 cm2) are fabricated and exhibit a PCE of 15.41%.