Direction Of Field Research Articles

Trunk-Inspired SWCNT-Based Wrinkled Films for Highly-Stretchable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding and Wearable Thermotherapy.

Nowadays, the increasing electromagnetic waves generated by wearable devices are becoming an emerging issue for human health, so stretchable electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials are highly demanded. Elephant trunks are capable of grabbing fragile vegetation and tearing trees thanks not only to their muscles but also to their folded skins. Inspired by the wrinkled skin of the elephant trunks, herein, we propose a winkled conductive film based on single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) for multifunctional EMI applications. The conductive film has a sandwich structure, which was prepared by coating SWCNTs on both sides of the stretched elastic latex cylindrical substrate. The shrinking-induced winkled conductive network could withstand up to 200% tensile strain. Typically, when the stretching direction is parallel to the polarization direction of the electric field, the total EMI shielding effectiveness could surprisingly increase from 38.4 to 52.7dB at 200% tensile strain. It is mainly contributed by the increased connection of the SWCNTs. In addition, the film also has good Joule heating performance at several voltages, capable of releasing pains in injured joints. This unique property makes it possible for strain-adjustable multifunctional EMI shielding and wearable thermotherapy applications.

Chiral edge transport along domain walls in magnetic topological insulator nanoribbons

Quantum anomalous Hall insulators are topologically characterized by non-zero integer Chern numbers, the sign of which depends on the direction of the exchange field that breaks time-reversal symmetry. This feature allows the manipulation of the conducting chiral edge states present at the interface of two magnetic domains with opposite magnetization and opposite Chern numbers. Motivated by this broad understanding, the present study investigates the quantum transport properties of a magnetized Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbon with a domain wall (DW) oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the transport direction. Employing an atomistic tight-binding model and a non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism, we calculate the quantum conductance and explore the nature of the edge states. We elucidate the conditions leading to exact conductance quantization and identify the origin of deviations from this behavior. Our analysis shows that although the conductance is quantized in the presence of the horizontal DW, the quantization is absent in the perpendicular DW case. Furthermore, the investigation of the spin character of the edge modes confirms that the conductance in the horizontal DW configuration is spin polarized. This finding underscores the potential of our system as a simple three dimensional spin-filter device.

Curved Surfaces Induce Metachronal Motion of Microscopic Magnetic Cilia.

Cilia are hair-like organelles present on cell surfaces. They often exhibit a collective wave-like motion that can enhance fluid or particle transportation function, known as metachronal motion. Inspired by nature, researchers have developed artificial cilia capable of inducing metachronal motion, especially magnetic actuation. However, current methods remain intricate, requiring either control of the magnetic or geometrical properties of individual cilia or the generation of a complex magnetic field. In this paper, we present a novel elegant method that eliminates these complexities and induces metachronal motion of arrays of identical microscopic magnetic artificial cilia by applying a simple rotating uniform magnetic field. The key idea of our method is to place arrays of cilia on surfaces with a specially designed curvature. This results in consecutive cilia experiencing different magnetic field directions at each point in time, inducing a phase lag in their motion, thereby causing collective wave-like motion. Moreover, by tuning the surface curvature profile, we can achieve diverse metachronal patterns analogous to symplectic and antiplectic metachronal motion observed in nature, and we can even devise novel combinations thereof. Furthermore, we characterize the local flow patterns generated by the motion of the cilia, revealing the formation of vortical patterns. Our novel approach simplifies the realization of miniaturized metachronal motion in microfluidic systems and opens the possibility of controlling flow pattern generation and transportation, opening avenues for applications such as lab-on-a-chip technologies, organ-on-a-chip platforms, and microscopic object propulsion.

Circularly polarized beam-scanning leaky wave antenna based on a slow-wave substrate integrated waveguide

A circularly polarized (CP) beam-scanning leaky wave antenna (LWA) based on a slow-wave substrate integrated waveguide (SW-SIW) is presented in this paper. The SW effect is realized by introducing a spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP), excited by periodic etched 45° tilted slots on the top metallic layer of an SIW. With extra delta modulation, the electromagnetic waves radiate through the etched slots and scan continuously from a backward to forward direction as the frequency changes. Taking advantage of the tilted slots and relative displacement between the upper and lower slots, the direction of the electric field of the radiated waves and phase difference between them are adjustable, making a CP characteristic available. Both the simulated and measured results show the proposed LWA exhibits good performance. The total scanning angle reaches 70°, and the average gain is 8.9 dBi from 9.5 GHz to 11.7 GHz. The CP characteristic is verified through the axial ratio of less than 3 during the operating frequency range. A simple structure, compact size, and good performance make the proposed design promising for a compact wireless communication system.

Insect Flight: State of the Field and Future Directions.

The evolution of flight in an early winged insect ancestral lineage is recognized as a key adaptation explaining the unparalleled success and diversification of insects. Subsequent transitions and modifications to flight machinery, including secondary reductions and losses, also play a central role in shaping the impacts of insects on broadscale geographic and ecological processes and patterns in the present and future. Given the importance of insect flight, there has been a centuries-long history of research and debate on the evolutionary origins and biological mechanisms of flight. Here, we revisit this history from an interdisciplinary perspective, discussing recent discoveries regarding the developmental origins, physiology, biomechanics, and neurobiology and sensory control of flight in a diverse set of insect models. We also identify major outstanding questions yet to be addressed and provide recommendations for overcoming current methodological challenges faced when studying insect flight, which will allow the field to continue to move forward in new and exciting directions. By integrating mechanistic work into ecological and evolutionary contexts, we hope that this synthesis promotes and stimulates new interdisciplinary research efforts necessary to close the many existing gaps about the causes and consequences of insect flight evolution.

Life Extension Should Come with Wisdom: Reflections and Questions for the Geroscience and Longevity Community.

Geroscience, or longevity biotechnology, has made impressive advances in recent years that have led to the founding of dozens of start-ups, nonprofits and advocacy organizations, and the formation of a global movement to defeat aging. The community envisions changes at the regulatory and policy levels and calls for increased funding for research. Nevertheless, progress in the field has not been matched by discussions about ethical, legal, and social implications, as longevity advocates assume that seeking to expand lifespan or health span is inherently desirable and permissible. In this article, I make the case for the importance of putting ethics and society back into geroscience, along with three considerations for the longevity community. First, it should seek to understand the needs and attitudes of the public. Second, the community needs to define whether the field is primarily striving for healthy aging (increasing health span) or for extending years of life (lifespan). Third, it needs to define the role of investors and tech millionaires in shaping the field's priorities and direction. This last point raises the question of who is setting the direction of a field that can reshape the meaning of being human.

Plasmonic enhanced gas sensing using polarization-insensitive 3D hybrid nanostructures

This paper investigates a hybrid coupled plasmonic gas sensor with stacked gold-SiO2 layers for air-quality monitoring. The gas absorption characteristics of hybrid-stacked layers sensors are studied and compared with single-layer sensors. Gases with different refractive indexes changing from 1 to 1.4 are studied. The total absorption radar cross section (ACS) has increased from 1.681 × 105 nm2 for single-layer sensors to 5.021 × 105 nm2 for hybrid stacked layers sensors. A graphene monolayer is used to enhance the total gas absorption. It acts as an insulator to the dipole sensor. The lumped-element equivalent circuit is developed using a particle swarm optimization technique (PSO). The sensitivity is 788 nm/RIU for the single-layer sensor and 910 nm/RIU for the hybrid-stacked layers sensor with a graphene monolayer placed as a cover for the plasmonic dipole. A polarization-insensitive sensor concerning the direction of the electric field (single layer/hybrid-stacked layers) is constructed from 45° quad-rotated dipole arms of sensors. The total ACS is enhanced to 2.31 × 105 nm2 for the polarization-insensitive single-layer sensor and 6.76 × 105 nm2 for the polarization-insensitive hybrid-stacked layers sensor. Planar arrays of 3 × 3, 4 × 4, and 5 × 5 elements of the last sensor are investigated for absorption and sensitivity enhancement. Ethanol, acetone, nitrogen dioxide, and toluene gases are tested with a total ACS peak value of 8.7 × 106 nm2. The sensitivity is 895.5 nm/RIU for 4 × 4 array elements.

Protein Interfacial Gelation toward Shuttle-Free and Dendrite-Free Zn-Iodine Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries hold potential for large-scale energy storage but struggle with shuttle effects of I2 cathodes and poor reversibility of Zn anodes. Here, an interfacial gelation strategy is proposed to suppress the shuttle effects and improve the Zn reversibility simultaneously by introducing silk protein (SP) additive. The SP can migrate bidirectionally toward cathode and anode interfaces driven by the periodically switched electric field direction during charging/discharging. For I2 cathodes, the interaction between SP and polyiodides forms gelatinous precipitate to avoid the polyiodide dissolution, evidenced by excellent electrochemical performance, including high specific capacity and Coulombic efficiency (CE) (215 mAh g-1 and 99.5% at 1 C), excellent rate performance (≈170 mAh g-1 at 50 C), and extended durability (6000 cycles at 10 C). For Zn anodes, gelatinous SP serves as protective layer to boost the Zn reversibility (99.7% average CE at 2mA cm-2) and suppress dendrites. Consequently, a 500 mAh Zn-I2 pouch cell with high-loading cathode (37.5 mgiodine cm-2) and high-utilization Zn anode (20%) achieves remarkable energy density (80Wh kg-1) and long-term durability (>1000 cycles). These findings underscore the simultaneous modulation of both cathode and anode and demonstrate the potential for practical applications of Zn-I2 batteries.

Strong magnon-magnon coupling in hexagonal magnetic elements

We achieve strong magnon-magnon coupling experimentally between edge and center modes in patterned hexagonal CoFeB films. The coupling strength is adjustable via the external magnetic field’s direction and the nanomagnet’s aspect ratio. Micromagnetic simulation indicates that the stable existence of the center mode determines the occurrence of coupling, which correlates with the direction of the edge demagnetization field. This work offers a novel perspective on the study of magnon-magnon coupling in a single material, which benefits magnon-based quantum information technology.

Effect of external electric field on copper/silica contact electrification and adhesion: insight from first-principles and molecular mechanics investigations

The electrostatic force induced by charge transfer during contact electrification is one of the main components of adhesion force at the solid interface. Some studies found that the magnitude of charge transfer and the consequently electrostatic force can be tuned by the external electric field. However, the detailed mechanism is still lacking in understanding. In this study, the effect of external electric field on copper/silica contact electrification and adhesion is studied via first-principles and molecular mechanics calculations and the mechanism is revealed by electrostatic potential and adhesion energy analysis. It is proved that the external electric field can affect the contact potential difference, which is the driving force of contact electrification, thus influencing the magnitude of charge transfer and electrostatic force. When the electric field direction is the same as the electron transfer direction, the contact electrification can be suppressed, leading to the decrease in the ratio of electrostatic force to van der Waals force. In particularly, the contact electrification and electrostatic force can be completely eliminated when applying a specific electric field intensity. This can provide an inspiration for quantitatively studying the source of adhesion force at solid interface.

The shot noise in quasi-one-dimensional single spin filter magnetic heterojunctions

Based on the free electronic model and Büttike’s theory on shot noise, we investigated the shot noise of spin electrons in ferromagnetic/non-ferromagnetic insulator/spin filter layer/normal metal (FM/I/SF/NM) quasi-one-dimensional single spin filter tunneling junctions. The calculation results show that the barrier heights and thicknesses of the insulator and spin filter layers strongly affect the values and phases of the Fano factors of spin electrons. Compared with the traditional sandwich structures of ferromagnetic/spin filter layer/normal metal (FM/SF/NM) and ferromagnetic/non-ferromagnetic insulator/normal metal (FM/I/NM), when the thicknesses of the insulator and spin filter layers are very small, in single spin filter magnetic heterojunctions (FM/I/SF/NM), the insulator layer can suppress the Fano factors, while the spin filter layer is easier to separate the Fano factors of electrons whose spin directions are different. Further analysis shows that whether the Rashba coupling in the spin filter layer has an obvious influence on the Fano factors of spin electrons depends on the thickness of the spin filter layer. On the other hand, the Fano factors are strongly dependent on the sizes and directions of the molecular fields of the ferromagnet and spin filter layers. In addition, the electrons are incident with low energy or high energy, and the barrier heights and thicknesses of the spin filter layer and the thicknesses of the insulation layer have a significant effect on the spin-direction-dependent Fano factors of electrons.

Half-Wave Voltage Controllable Optical Voltage Sensor with Arbitrary Electric Field Direction Modulation

Abstract An optical voltage sensor with an arbitrary-electrical-field-direction-modulation mode is proposed to increase the half-wave voltage without bringing additional stress and birefringence. The mode is realized by heterogeneous electrodes arranged in a center-symmetric way, and generate an electrical field with a direction at an arbitrary angle to the light propagation direction. The finite element method and coupling wave theory are used to design and optimize the electrodes and field distribution.
The experimental results show that heterogeneous electrodes and arbitrary electric field direction modulation mode is able to effectively regulate the Sensor's half-wave voltage and sensitivity, without degrading the accuracy and linearity. Compared to solid voltage divider method, this modulation mode almost do not generate additional temperature drift or measurement errors caused by birefringence, but have more simple structure, less drift and higher precision. 

Effect of the electric field orientation on stark shift, dipole moment and electronic properties in a circular toroidal quantum ring: Presence of shallow donor impurity

This research investigates the influence of electric field orientation on the physical properties of a Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) Circular Toroidal Quantum Ring (CTQR) in the presence of shallow donor impurity. Using the effective mass approximation and an infinite potential well, we delve into how electric field directions specifically 0, 45, and 90 degrees on the xy-plane affect physical behaviors such as binding energy, electronic energy, the Stark effect, dipole moment and donor impurity position. Utilizing the finite difference method for our numerical analysis, we discovered interesting size-dependent behaviors. Our findings reveal intriguing insights. Initially, we observed that the electronic energy exhibits minimal sensitivity to the direction of the electric field in smaller CTQR. Notably, the ground state energy increases when the electric field’s direction shifts from φF=0 to φF=90∘. The electric field’s influence on the binding energy varies depending on its orientation. In larger structures, we observe a lower binding energy. Thus, our study unveils the influence of the electric field’s direction on Stark shifts and dipole moment which opens pathways for a deeper understanding of potential applications in this domain.

Impact of Zeeman and hyperfine interactions on the magnetic properties of paramagnetic metal ions: II. Super-hyperfine interactions with surrounding nuclei

The anisotropic Zeeman and strong hyperfine interactions of a Kramers ion can significantly affect its magnetic properties as well as the interactions with the nearby nuclei. The interactions with the local environment are described in the preceding article. In the current work, the change of the spin states of distant nuclei is studied. Analytical expressions describing the depth of the electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) are obtained for the ions with anisotropic Zeeman and strong hyperfine interactions. Due to the g-tensor anisotropy, the electron Zeeman interaction axis is tilted in respect to the direction of the external magnetic field which makes non-collinear with the Zeeman interaction axes of the ion and the nearby nuclei and significantly modifies the nuclear spin states. Thus, the isotropic hyperfine interaction, and particularly the Fermi contact interaction can directly contribute to the ESEEM. An additional factor, that can significantly modify the ESEEM signal is the mixing of the multiple oscillations arising when several nuclei occur in optimal conditions for the generation of the nuclear coherence. This situation arises when several EPR transitions of the ion covering a wide range of magnetic fields are examined.

Bibliometric visualization analysis of teachers' work stress

Teacher work stress has been a matter of great concern for scholars. To better comprehend the current state of research on teacher work stress, it is essential to present an overview of the literature on this topic. Through bibliometric analysis, 212 pieces of literature on teacher work stress retrieved from the Scopus database were scientifically analysed. Statistical analyses of the selected literature indicate that research on teacher work stress has exhibited a gradually increasing trend in recent years. The previous research focuses on job satisfaction, teacher self-efficacy, and job burnout. In addition, job burnout, turnover intention, resilience, university teachers, gender, and job performance are the current cutting-edge themes. Bibliometric analyses of the literature on teacher work stress can provide insight into the current state of related research and reveal hotspots and trends. This study could serve as a valuable reference for future researchers, helping them to gain a better understanding of the field's development direction and to devise effective strategies for managing work stress.Examining bibliometric data on teacher work stress can offer valuable insights into the present status of relevant research and identify key areas of focus and emerging patterns. This study could be a helpful resource for future researchers, both in their comprehension of the field's development trajectory and in the creation of effective ways for handling work stress.

Effects of La-Co Co-Substitution and Magnetic Field Pressing on the Structural and Magnetic Properties of SrM Hexaferrites

We carefully investigated the effects of La-Co co-substitution and magnetic field pressing (MFP) on the structural and magnetic properties of SrM hexaferrites. Samples composed of Sr1−xLaxFe12−xCoxO19 were sintered at 1230 °C for 2 h in air with sintering additives composed of 0.7 wt% CaCO3 and 0.7 wt% SiO2. A single M-type phase was confirmed to exist up to x = 0.3. Rietveld refinement revealed a slight decrease in lattice parameter a and the unit cell volume (Vcell) with an increasing x, while parameter c showed a significant decrease. The saturation magnetization (Ms) values increased from 70.90 to 72.40 emu/g with an increasing x from 0.0 to 0.15 and then decreased to 71.38 emu/g with further increasing of x to 0.3, while the anisotropy field (Ha) increased from 17.7 to 25.9 kOe, leading to a continuous increase in the intrinsic coercivity (Hci), from 3.52 to 5.00 kOe, respectively. Using the MFP process, the c-axis of M-type hexaferrite grains could be effectively aligned to the applied field direction, which significantly affected the microstructures and, thus, magnetic properties of samples. Unlike non-MFP samples, exhibiting a significant increase in the average grain size (davg) but almost unaltered average thickness (tavg) with an increasing x from 0.0 to 0.3, MFP-processed samples exhibited almost unaltered davg values but a continuous decrease in tavg. Consequently, the variation in remanent flux density (Br) versus x followed that of Ms versus x and thus exhibited the highest Br of 4.05 kG for x = 0.15, leading to the highest maximum energy product {(BH)max} of 3.62 MGOe. With an increasing x from 0.0 to 0.3, the Hci values continuously increased from 3.14 to 3.84 kOe mainly due to a continuous increase in Ha, although they were significantly lowered in comparison with those of non-MFP samples because of a large increase in Br for a given composition x. A higher Mr/Ms ratio always resulted in a larger (BH)max in our samples regardless of x. A careful comparison of the microstructures and magnetic properties between MFP and non-MFP samples provided valuable insights into a broad area of permanent magnet optimization.

Excitation of transverse and longitudinal thermomagnetic waves in anisotropic conducting media in the presence of a temperature gradient T   without an external magnetic fieldH

In anisotropic conducting media, the excited thermomagnetic waves at different orientations of the magnetic field and temperature gradient significantly depend on the direction of the anisotropic medium. Theoretical calculations of the electrical conductivity tensor ik  depending on the frequency of the thermomagnetic wave are of scientific interest. In this theoretical work, the frequencies of the thermomagnetic wave at k T   || and at k T ⊥   were found, and it was proven that at longitudinal (k T   || ) and at transverse (k T ⊥   ) the direction of the frequency and growth rate of these waves depends differently on the external magnetic field. The work theoretically studies the conditions for the excitation of thermomagnetic waves. It is indicated that the directions of external fields play a significant role in the appearance of growing waves in the sample. It is shown that, depending on the value of the electrical conductivity tensor ik  , thermomagnetic waves are excited in the longitudinal (i.e. k T   || ) and transverse (i.e.k T ⊥   ) directions. The frequencies of these thermomagnetic waves in both the longitudinal and transverse directions have been calculated. The growth rates of these waves are determined by the values of the inverse electrical conductivity tensor ik  . It has been proven that the excited wave is mainly of a thermomagnetic nature. In theory, the dispersion equation obtained is of algebraically high powers relative to the oscillation frequency. The dispersion equation in both cases (longitudinalk T   || and transverse k T ⊥   ) contains terms in which there are thermomagnetic frequencies in a low degree of frequency. It has been proven that if the value of the electrical conductivity tensor ik  is the same, then the propagation frequencies of thermomagnetic waves are different. The theory is constructed without an external magnetic field 0 0 =Н . In the presence of an external magnetic field, the conditions for the excitation of thermomagnetic waves, and of course the conditions for their growth, will change significantly.

Analytical model for spin dynamics in radical pairs under the spin-locking condition.

Spin dynamics in triplet radical pairs are theoretically studied under the spin-locking condition, where singlet-triplet mixing is blocked by the resonant microwave field. A key assumption in the theory is simultaneous excitations of T+-T0 and T--T0 transitions in triplet radical pairs. This assumption allows for the application of a three-state model [Yago, J. Chem. Phys. 151, 214501 (2019)] to describe the spin dynamics of triplet radical pairs. The analysis based on the three-state model shows that the triplet states are quantized along the direction of a microwave-induced magnetic field (B1) in the rotating frame under the spin-locking condition. This gives rise to a new spin-locking phenomenon where T+-T0 and T--T0 mixing are most enhanced at magnetic fields that deviate from the resonance by ±B1. It is also shown that the quantum beats observed under the spin-locking condition originate from the spin dynamics in triplet radical pairs.

Electron-related properties in a GaAs/GaAlAs Ultra-thin Core/Shell Film through external field direction for energy and photonic devices

In this paper, we investigate electron-related properties in GaAs/GaAlAs Ultra-thin Core/Shell Film Quantum dot (UTFQD), examining the effects of external electric fields, impurity position, and aluminum fraction. Using the finite element method (FEM) within the effective mass approximation, we numerically solve the Schrödinger equation to study electron probability density, polarizability, and diamagnetic susceptibility. Our results reveal that electric fields can shift electron probability density due to the Stark effect. Without an electric field, the density centers near the shell's core. However, with electric fields, the density shifts opposite to the field's direction. Moreover, polarizability and diamagnetic susceptibility are influenced by impurity position and aluminum fraction. Polarizability increases with electric field intensity, indicating a transition from geometrical confinement to the Stark effect. Diamagnetic susceptibility rises with more aluminum, indicating stronger electron confinement. These findings suggest that adjusting electric fields, impurity position, and aluminum fraction in GaAs/GaAlAs core/shell QDs can control electron behavior, providing flexibility for photonic devices. This study offers a foundation for optimizing quantum dot-based components in photonics.

Magnetically Controlled Intraocular Delivery of Dexamethasone Using Silica-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles.

Although the number of patients with eye diseases is increasing, efficient drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eyeball remains challenging. The reasons include the unique anatomy of the eyeball, the blood-aqueous barrier, the blood-retina barrier, and drug elimination via the anterior chamber and uveoscleral routes. Solutions to these obstacles for therapeutic delivery to the posterior segment will increase the efficacy, efficiency, and safety of ophthalmic treatment. Micro/nanorobots are promising tools to deliver therapeutics to the retina under the direction of an external magnetic field. Although many groups have evaluated potential uses of micro/nanorobots in retinal treatment, most experiments have been performed under idealized in vitro laboratory conditions and thus do not fully demonstrate the clinical feasibility of this approach. This study examined the use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to deliver dexamethasone, a drug widely used in retinal disease treatment. The MNPs allowed sustainable drug release and successful magnetic manipulation inside bovine vitreous humor and the vitreous humor of living rabbits. Therefore, controlled drug distribution via magnetic manipulation of MNPs is a promising strategy for targeted drug delivery to the retina.