Si Hybrid Research Articles

Angiogenesis-osteogenesis coupling and anti-osteoclastogenesis zoledronate intermixed calcium silicate metal-organic/inorganic hybrid coating on biodegradable zinc-based intramedullary nails for osteoporotic fracture healing

Osteoporotic (OP) fractures remain a tough clinical challenge owing to their impaired healing outcome, which requires novel biomaterials with osteogenicity for effective healing. Metallic zinc (Zn) is attracting increasing attention for biodegradable intramedullary nails (IMNs) for OP fracture healing thanks to their comprehensive mechanical properties, biosafety, and bioactivity. However, the multiple biofunctions required for OP fracture healing have not been fully met by Zn. Herein, a zoledronate (ZA)-mediated calcium-zinc silicate (Ca(Zn)Si) metal-organic/inorganic hybrid coating was fabricated on Zn-based IMN by coordination chemistry driven via interactions between ZA and Ca2+/Zn2+ as well as in-situ directional growth of Ca(Zn)Si phase. The ZA&Ca(Zn)Si hybrid coating exhibited a homogeneous micro/nanostructure with a granular morphology, which prevented premature fracture failure of IMN in rat femur by ameliorating corrosion mode and decreasing degradation rate of the Zn matrix. More importantly, this hybrid coating enabled sustained release of Zn2+/Ca2+/Si4+ and ZA in the long term, achieving a remarkable effect on vascularized bone regeneration. The coated IMN enhanced angiogenesis–osteogenesis coupling through autocrine and paracrine effects between endothelial cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Osteoclastogenesis was repressed by Zn2+ and ZA. This approach offers a new strategy for surface-engineering of biodegradable metals for bone fracture healing.

THE INFLUENCE OF HERBICIDE PROTECTION TECHNOLOGIES ON ECONOMICALLY VALUABLE TRAITS AND YIELD OF SUNFLOWER HYBRIDS IN THE CENTRAL FOREST-STEPPE OF UKRAINE

In the conditions of the Central Forest-Steppe of Ukraine during 2021–2023, the influence of herbicide protection technologies on the formation of plant height, basket diameter, oil content and yield of sunflower hybrids was studied. Twelve sunflower hybrids were studied: SY Bacardi CLP, NK Kondi, SUZUKA (Syngenta Crop Protection AG), LG5555 CLP, LG5580, LG59580 (Limagrain Europe), ЕS GENESIS, ES Bellamis CL, ES AROMATIC SU (Euralis Semences), P64LP130, PR64F66, P64LE25 (Pioneer Overseas Corporation). Sunflower hybrids were studied using classical, Express (or SUMO), Clearfield® Plus (CLP) herbicide protection technologies. Taking into account the agrometeorological conditions of sunflower hybrids cultivation and their genetic potential, it was found that under the Express Sun (or SUMO) herbicide protection technology of Dupont (consisting of sunflower hybrids resistant to tribenuron-methyl-based products), the most stable was the height of sunflower plants in SUZUKA (194–197 cm) and P64LE25 (206–207 cm) hybrids. According to the technology of herbicide protection Clearfield® Plus (CLP) by BASF (based on the resistance of sunflower hybrids to herbicides of the imidazoline group), the highest stability in plant height was shown by the hybrid LG5555 CLP (175–177 cm). According to the classical technology, using soil and post-emergence herbicides and graminicides with elements of mechanical control, the hybrid ES Bellamis SL had the greatest variation in plant height from 177 cm to 223 cm during the three years of research. The most stable was the diameter of the sunflower basket in the hybrid SI Bacardi CLP (22.3–22.5 cm) with Clearfield® Plus (CLP) herbicide protection technology. According to the Express Sun (or SUMO) herbicide protection technology, high indicators of the basket diameter were obtained in the hybrids ES AROMATIC SU (20.7–23.2 cm) and SUZUKA (19.3–23.3 cm). The highest yields per plot were recorded for hybrids SUZUKA (11.15 kg), ES AROMATIC SU (11.05 kg) and P64LE25 (10.84 kg) using Clearfield® Plus (CLP) herbicide protection technology. The hybrids that provided the best yields and formed high quality seeds were P64LE25 (3.86 t/ha), with an oil content of 47.2%; ES AROMATIC SU (3.95 t/ha), with an oil content of 47.1%; and SUZUKA (3.98 t/ha), with an oil content of 47.7%, using Clearfield® Plus (CLP) herbicide protection technology. With Express Sun (or SUMO) technology, the best hybrid was LG5580 (4.0 t/ha), with an oil content of 48.6%.

Enhancing the circular dichroism of chiral dielectric nanostructure through the addition of a symmetric Au cylinder

Circular dichroism (CD) spectra play a crucial role in recognition, separation and detection of chiral molecules. Due to the inherent weak CD response of natural chiral molecules, researchers have endeavored to enhance CD signals through various artificial nanostructures. In this study, combining the advantages of both the dielectric and metal materials, we propose a hybrid dielectric-metal nanostructure consisting of a chiral Si nanorod dimer coupled with a symmetric Au cylinder to achieve robust CD responses. Owing to the plasmon resonance of the Au cylinder, the scattering-CD and absorption-CD of the hybrid system have been enhanced, which result in the enhanced extinction-CD response. Furthermore, the distributions of electric field, magnetic field and displacement current density of both the Si dimer and hybrid nanostructure have been meticulously crafted to elucidate the physical mechanisms underlying amplified CD signals. The synergistic coupling between the magnetic fields of dielectric materials and the electric fields of the Au cylinder leads to an increase in the electric field strength and the asymmetry of near-field distributions. Additionally, spatial overlaps between electric and magnetic fields occur. These factors contribute to the enhanced chiral response of the hybrid system. Meanwhile, the CD signal can be flexibly tuned by adjusting the size of the Au cylinder and Si nanorods. This design offers a versatile approach to enhancing the chiral response of dielectric nanostructures.

Linear polyborosiloxane for improving the flame-retardancy of cyanate ester resin

The increasing demands for electronic packing materials necessitate stringent criteria for the overall properties of cyanate ester (CE) resins. In this work, a novel linear polyborosiloxane with a distinctive organic-inorganic hybrid Si–O–B backbone, featuring functional epoxy and phenyl groups (denoted as LPSi-B), was synthesized via a solvent- and catalyst-free one-pot polycondensation. Subsequently, the synthesized LPSi-B was co-crosslinked within the bisphenol A dicyanate ester (BADCy) thermoset network. The presence of abundant active epoxy groups in LPSi-B facilitated its involvement in the cyanate curing reaction, demonstrating excellent compatibility within the resin matrix. The resulting LPSi-B/BADCy composite not only exhibits outstanding mechanical properties but also demonstrates notable flame-retardant and dielectric characteristics. Specifically, the hybrid nature of LPSi-B, combining the flexibility of Si–O–B chains with the rigidity of side-chain phenyl groups, fosters intermolecular non-covalent π-π interactions directly linked to boron atoms, thus mitigating network polarization. Furthermore, the synergistic flame-retardant effect arising from boron and silicon components was harnessed to achieve halogen-free, phosphorus-free, and environmentally friendly fire safety outcomes. This innovative design ensures exceptional compatibility and interface bonding between LPSi-B and the polymer matrix, thereby endowing cyanate ester resin with superior comprehensive performance suitable for advanced applications in wave-transparent and electronic packing materials.

Novel formulated alumina-silica hybrid sol for the entire consolidation of waterlogged decayed ivory from Sanxingdui ruin site

Large amount of ivory was excavated from Sanxingdui site which was waterlogged, severely degraded and in urgent need for conservation. There has been much effort for the conservation of waterlogged ivory by scientists. However, due to a lack of appropriate conservation material and the need to use non-destructive methods, no satisfactory results have been achieved previously. In this work, a novel formulated water-based Al–Si hybrid sol of size about 20 nm was prepared and introduced through a quasi-dynamic equilibrium method to waterlogged ivory tusk for the purpose of conservation. Good conservation performance could be achieved, since Al–Si sol gradually permeates into the interior of the ivory, distributes homogeneously and connects the loose components of ivory. Samples treated with appropriate amount of Al–Si sol displayed satisfactory compressive strength and porous intact structure. It was found that the fluidity of Al–Si sol had a significant influence on the conservation effect. Moreover, Al–Si sol not only consolidated HAP but also worked well on the soil embedded in unearthed ivory, which was beneficial to conserve ivory intactly. Slightly negatively charged Al–Si hybrid gel could interact with ivory matrix through multiple interactions including van der Waals force, electrostatic interaction, chemical and hydrogen bonding.

Novel Approach to Color‐Neutral Transparent Solar Cells: An Organic‐Si Hybrid Achieved by Laser Microhole Drilling

AbstractTransparent solar cells (TSCs) hold promise for applications in building‐integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs) and vehicles. However, existing TSCs often have compromised color neutrality and efficiency because of the distinctive colors arising from their photoactive materials. The study proposes a novel fabrication method for TSCs based on Si wafers with the average visible transmittance (AVT) controlled by creating a microhole pattern through a combination of nanosecond laser drilling and subsequent wet etching. Through this ambient‐air process, organic–Si hybrid TSCs are successfully realized by integrating an organic PEDOT:PSS layer onto this structure with a neutral color. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) is adjusted by the fraction of the perforated region, and it attained 6.20% at 30% AVT, 5.37% at 40% AVT, and 4.67% at 50% AVT. In this hybrid TSC approach, the CIE color coordinates are closely aligned with the neutral‐color points (0, 0), resulting in color rendering index (CRI) values exceeding 99. The strategy represents a significant step toward the development of efficient color‐neutral TSCs for transparent solar applications.

Constructing a multivalent Co-confined N-doped C–Si hybrid hollow nanoreactor for synchronous pollutant mineralization and solar-driven interfacial water regeneration

A multivalent Co-confined N-doped C–Si hybrid hollow nanoreactor was anchored onto a tailored sponge acting as a monolith bifunctional evaporator, which enables the synchronous pollutant mineralization and solar-driven interfacial water regeneration.

Multifunctioning graphene oxide capping layer for highly efficient and stable PEDOT:PSS–silicon hybrid solar cells

The application of graphene oxide (GO) capping layer over polymer is demonstrated for high-efficiency and stable PEDOT:PSS–Si hybrid solar cells in a simple device design, which may lead to the realization of cost-effective solar cell technology.

Taguchi optimized wear and self-lubricating properties of Al-alloy composite reinforced with hybrid B4C–MoS2 particulates

We investigated self-lubricating Al–Mg–Si hybrid metal matrix composites (HMMCs) embedded with MoS2–B4C particulates, for use in automotive engine components. Composites with different B4C content (x = 3.5, 7.0, 10.5, 14.0, and 17 wt%) were prepared, with the MoS2 content of 3.0 wt%. The metal matrix composites were processed using the powder metallurgy route comprising milling for 2 h and cold pressing and consolidation at a sintering temperature of 560 °C. Their dry sliding wear behavior was examined at applied loads (20–50 N) and sliding distances (1–3 km), and the wear variables were optimized using the Taguchi model (L9). Microstructural analysis was performed using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer. A homogeneous particle distribution was observed in the HMMCs, without any appreciable instance of agglomerates. The wear resistance and friction coefficient (COF) improved when MoS2 was incorporated into the HMMCs, compared with a matrix alloy under the same operating conditions. In particular, the COF fluctuated up to a sliding distance of 250 m and was constant for larger values. The wear rate depends on not only the maximum hardness but also the appreciation of self-lubricant MoS2. The Taguchi findings showed that the fraction of hybrid reinforcement had the strongest effect on the wear resistance, and it was followed by the applied load, sliding distance, and track diameter. Apart from providing self-lubrication, the MoS2 particles reduced the wear rate.

Silicon nanowire-incorporated efficient and flexible PEDOT:PSS/silicon hybrid solar cells

Highly efficient Si nanowire (SiNW)-incorporated thin-flexible hybrid solar cells in a simple device design are developed on low-cost Si wafers, which may lead to the realization of cost-effective flexible Si hybrid solar cell technology.

A novel multifunctional C3-symmetric triphenylamine discotic liquid crystal: synthesis, columnar self-assembly, organogel behavior, selective detection of PA and application in Si solar cells

A novel C3-symmetric triphenylamine discotic liquid crystal with fluorescent gel properties has important applications in detection of PA and Si hybrid solar cells.

(Invited) Crosscutting Materials and Molecular Catalysts in Hybrid Photoelectrodes for Liquid Solar Fuel Production

The Solar Hub entitled the C enter for Hybrid Approaches in Solar Energy to Liquid Fuels, or CHASE, is advancing the quest for liquid fuels from water, nitrogen, and/or carbon dioxide feedstocks with sunlight as the only energy source. To realize this quest, CHASE utilizes hybrid photoelectrodes based on molecular catalysts integrated with visible light absorbing semiconductors with controlled microenvironments to achieve liquid solar fuel production. These crosscutting materials serve as hybrid photoelectrodes in photoelectrochemical cells. This presentation will focus on recent advances on photocatalysis at hybrid Si interfaces with particular attention to the individual electron transfer and proton coupled electron transfer step(s) relevant to water oxidation and carbon dioxide reduction catalysis. The impact of CHASE findings on solar energy conversion and the quest for liquid solar fuels will be discussed.

Facile Synthesis of 2D SiOx-3D Si Hybrid Anode Materials by Ca Modification Effect for Enhanced Lithium Storage Performance.

Al-Si dealloying method is widely used to prepare Si anode for alleviating the issues caused by a drastic volume change of Si-based anode. However, this method suffers from the problems of low Si powder yield (<20wt.% Si) and complicated cooling equipment due to the hindrance of large-size primary Si particles. Here, a new modification strategy to convert primary Si to 2D SiOx nanosheets by introducing a Ca modifier into Al-Si alloy melt is presented. The thermodynamics calculation shows that the primary Si is preferentially converted to CaAl2Si2 intermetallic compound in Al-Si-Ca alloy system. After the dealloying process, the CaAl2Si2 is further converted to 2D SiOx nanosheets, and eutectic Si is converted to 3D Si, thus obtaining the 2D SiOx-3D Si hybrid Si-based materials (HSiBM). Benefiting from the modification effect, the HSiBM anode shows a significantly improved electrochemical performance, which delivers a capacity retention of over 90% after 100 cycles and keeps 98.94% capacity after the rate test. This work exhibits an innovative approach to produce stable Si-based anode through Al-Si dealloying method with a high Si yield and without complicated rapid cooling techniques, which has a certain significance for the scalable production of Si-based anodes.

Passivation-free high performance self-powered photodetector based on Si nanostructure-PEDOT:PSS hybrid heterojunction

Hybrid heterojunction between organic PEDOT:PSS and inorganic Silicon (Si) nanostructures is promising for high-performance self-powered photodetectors due to their favourable band energetics and ease of processing. Traditionally, Si nanostructures require additional passivation layers to reduce surface defect states, which adds complexity and involves the use of harmful organic solvents. Here in, we demonstrate a simple chemical polishing process to reduce defects and fabricate a conformable heterojunction between Si nanostructures and PEDOT:PSS. Si nanostructures fabricated by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) technique and subsequently treated by the chemical polishing process are spin-coated with PEDOT:PSS to form heterojunction and employed as self-powered broadband photodetector. The optimized device shows superior performance, such as high responsivity of 555.34 mA/W, quick rise/fall times of 79 ms/81 ms, high External Quantum Efficiency (EQE) of 0.8 at zero bias (0 V) and high photostability up to 500 illumination cycles. Dark I-V characteristics and carrier lifetime measurements reveal that the enhanced performance of chemically polished devices is attributed to the formation of a conformable heterojunction and reduction in defects in the Si nanostructures. Given the scalability and simplicity of the demonstrated passivation-free approach, this work may aid the fabrication of high-performance hybrid Si nanostructured photodetectors.

Non‐Volatile Hybrid Optical Phase Shifter Driven by a Ferroelectric Transistor

AbstractOptical phase shifters are essential elements in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and function as a direct interface to program the PICs. Non‐volatile phase shifters, which can retain information without a power supply, are highly desirable for low‐power static operations. Here a non‐volatile optical phase shifter is demonstrated by driving a III‐V/Si hybrid metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (MOS) phase shifter with a ferroelectric field‐effect transistor (FeFET) operating in the source follower mode. Owing to the various polarization states in the FeFET, multistate non‐volatile phase shifts up to 1.25π are obtained with CMOS‐compatible operation voltages and low switching energy up to 3.3 nJ. Furthermore, a crossbar array architecture is proposed to simplify the control of non‐volatile phase shifters in large‐scale PICs and verify its feasibility by confirming the selective write‐in operation of a targeted FeFET with a negligible disturbance to the others. This work paves the way for realizing large‐scale non‐volatile programmable PICs for emerging computing applications such as deep learning and quantum computing.

Novel improvements of CNTs/porous Si hybrid sensor by incorporating AuNPs

Novel improvements of CNTs/porous Si hybrid sensor by incorporating AuNPs

Multi-state polarization switching and multifunction-integrated terahertz metadevice enabled by inverse resonance responses

Dynamical control of terahertz metadevices and integration of versatile functions are highly desired due to increasing practical demands. Here, we propose a multifunctional photosensitive Si hybrid metastructure consisting of twisted split-ring resonator pairs that could empower multi-state polarization switching and object-recognized imaging. The theoretical and simulated results show that inverse complete modulation of cross-polarized components could be realized via tuning the conductivity of the Si-bridge. The calculated ellipticity indicates that our metadevices possess the ability to convert linearly polarized light into left-hand circular-polarized or right-hand circular-polarized waves, as well as left-hand circular-polarized or right-hand circular-polarized into linearly polarized states. Combined with these properties, mono-parameter amplitude imaging and amplitude-phase synergistic encryption imaging are accomplished. Our research provides a new strategy to develop reconfigurable and multifunctional components in the terahertz regime.

THSI-RP: A two-tier hybrid swarm intelligence based node clustering and multi-hop routing protocol optimization for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks exploit clustering and routing techniques to improve energy efficiency, but these methods are generally considered as a non-deterministic polynomial (NP-hard) problem. To tackle this problem, we propose a novel two-tier hybrid swarm intelligence-based hierarchical routing protocol (THSI-RP). In the first tier, THIS-RP incorporates a hybrid swarm intelligence algorithm that combines Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) and Marine Predators Algorithm (MPA) for the clustering algorithm. By incorporating the wolf factors from GWO into MPA as elite predators, we enhance the network search efficiency. This algorithm achieves adaptive optimal clustering with a controllable scale, considering the residual energy of nodes, relative distance between nodes, and node centrality. In the second tier, the routing algorithm uses a hybrid SI algorithm based on GWO and the graph model. First, we integrate distance and energy factors to dynamically select forwarding nodes using GWO. Then, based on the distance and energy balance principle, a weight cost function is established and combined with the minimum spanning tree method to construct a communication routing tree between the forwarding node and the base station to achieve optimized inter-cluster multi-hop routing. Simulation results demonstrate that THSI-RP outperforms several typical routing protocols in various metrics over EEUC, LPSO, LGWO, and LACO. For instance, THSI-RP achieves percentage improvement total packets by 290%, 10.9%, 8.9%, 19.9%, respectively. It also performs better in FND by 88.7%, 10.9%, 8.6%, and 16.3%, in HDN by 86.6%, 8.1%, 6.3%, and 17.1%, and in ADN by 41.7%, 8.2%, 6.4%, 18.3%.

Ultrafast Carrier Drift Transport Dynamics in CsPbI3 Perovskite Nanocrystalline Thin Films.

We study the early time carrier drift dynamics in CsPbI3 nanocrystal thin films with a sub 25 ps time resolution. Prior to trapping, carriers exhibit band-like transport characteristics, which is similar to those of traditional semiconductor solar absorbers including Si and GaAs due to optical phonon and carrier scattering at high temperatures. In contrast to the popular polaron scattering mechanism, the CsPbI3 nanocrystal thin film demonstrates the strongest optical phonon scattering mechanism among other inorganic-organic hybrid perovskites, Si, and GaAs. This ultrafast dynamics study establishes a foundation for understanding the fundamental carrier drift properties that drive perovskite nanocrystal optoelectronics.

Optical response of Au films for reproducible Si nano-structuring and its application for efficient micro-drop SERS with portable Raman system

Si nanostructuring by metal assisted chemical etching is highly sensitive to morphology of thin metal film, here we demonstrate use of plasmon driven optical or dielectric response of Au films for predicting nanopore or nanowire Si prior to etching, ensuring the process reproducibility. By controlling growth temperature, it is shown that same mass thickness of Au films can produce either nanopore, nanowire or hybrid (mix of the two) Si nanostructures, useful for various applications. Ag nanoparticles coated nanostructure Si is shown to be efficient surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate for dry state measurements with micro-Raman system. In contrast, by exploiting super-hydrophilicity and strong light coupling of nanostructure Si, a novel micro-drop SERS using portable Raman spectrometer is demonstrated as low-cost, reliable and easy field-deployable technique. With very low sample volume about 50 μL of as prepared Au nanoparticles and analyte, it is capable of producing SERS signal in samples containing 120 pg thiram, 240 pg Rh6G, 455 pg malachite green and 48 pg methylene blue. With advantages of micro-drop SERS, mainly high intensity signal with 3D dynamic hot-spots at high laser power, longer shelf-life colloidal gold, reusable substrates with no prior sample preparation, this method is envisaged to be an inexpensive technique for on-site trace detection applications and importantly quick generation of large experimental SERS data-set for machine learning (ML) driven studies. This is demonstrated by principal component analysis with ML classifier for 100% accurate prediction of trace dyes, pesticide and their binary mixtures.