System-level Applications Research Articles

Dynamic Strain-Engineered Au-Ag Alloy Nano-Seed Network for Enhanced Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction and High-Performance Alkaline Membrane H2 Air Fuel Cells.

The sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the limiting cathodic reaction for the low-temperature H2-Air fuel cell. To overcome the limitations of Pt-based nano-scale materials, this work explores the possibility of a simple Au-Ag alloy-based nanosystem for enhanced fuel cell activity by exploiting their substantial electrocatalytic activity, stability, and durability toward ORR in an alkaline medium. This work further demonstrates how the ORR activity of this simple nanosystem can be further tuned by formulating an Au-Ag nanoalloy and manipulating their surface-ligand chemistry to generate a porous aggregated network structure with enriched crystal defects. The fabricated nanoalloy network follows a 4e- ORR pathway with a substantially low overpotential, demonstrating the role of molecular-level strain in enhancing its catalytic activity. The enhanced catalytic activity for the ORR mechanism is validated through first-principles calculations by modeling the twin boundary at the Au-Ag nanoalloy junction. In the system-level application, this catalyst shows a peak power density of 98.18 mW cm-2 at a current density of 443.7 mA cm-2 in a single-cell H2-air fuel cell, comparable with a commercial Pt/C catalyst and even shows better performance at higher current density due to which it can serve as potential cathode catalyst in fuel cell devices.

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting world of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting world of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Simulation-Guided Design of Solar Steam Generator Arrays for Efficient All-Cold Evaporation under Natural Sunlight.

Solar-powered interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising, sustainable technology for clean water production with its minimal carbon footprint. Currently, extensive research efforts focus on enhancing solar evaporation rates and broadening the applicability of three-dimensional (3D) interfacial steam generators (SGs). For large-scale water production, individual 3D SGs must be integrated into system-level SG arrays for deployment in portable devices or solar distillation plants. Therefore, the SG array's configuration plays an even more critical role in boosting solar evaporation. From a methodological perspective, the development of numerical simulation and evaluation methods to predict the solar evaporation of SG arrays is an emerging research frontier. Nonetheless, the complex energy-water-solute interactions within SG arrays remain largely underexplored. Herein, 3D SGs and their integrated SG arrays are developed. The temperature, relative humidity, airflow, and air particle distributions throughout individual SGs and SG arrays are simulated, guiding the optimization of SG structures and the arrangement of SG arrays. By promoting cold evaporation, 8-Fin SG achieves the highest water evaporation rate of over 2.3 kg m-2 h-1 under 1 sun, with a further increase to 4.8 kg m-2 h-1 under a moderate airflow, positioning it among the best-performing solar-powered SGs. The circular array configuration of nine 8-Fin SGs (12 cm spacing) enables sustained "all-cold evaporation" in each unit, where continuous energy harvesting from both ambient air and bulk water drives an exceptional evaporation rate of 5.9 kg m-2 h-1 of the SG array under natural sunlight. We present an integrated approach combining numerical simulation with experimental studies of SG and their arrays, inspiring a new paradigm for advancing SG arrays toward system-level applications.

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Hot Electron Engineering in Layered Heterojunctions for Efficient Infrared Detection.

Although infrared detection is of high technological and strategic importance, the narrow-bandgap materials used for infrared detection often suffer from poor air stability and pose environmental hazards. Hot electron-based detectors avoid such issues by using conventional wide bandgap semiconductors and exploiting intraband transition. However, hot electron infrared detectors usually suffer from poor quantum efficiency. By photoexciting MoS2 conduction electrons over a thin barrier layer, here we show that a reversal of the role of the emitter and collector results in a >1000-fold enhancement in the photoresponse compared with a conventional metal/2D semiconductor Schottky diode. We reveal that electron-electron scattering plays a key role in the device performance, which can be effectively tuned by a gate voltage. The photodetector exhibits a nearly flat response up to a measurement wavelength of 1800 nm with a responsivity of 42 mA/W (@1550 nm) at room temperature. We demonstrate an operating frequency of 30 kHz @1550 nm excitation (100 kHz @633 nm). The detector chip is integrated with post-processing electronics in a printed circuit board, making it readily useable for system-level applications─a demonstration of heterogeneous integration of 2D materials with conventional electronics.

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: "Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications"

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of IEEE Transactions on Materials for Electron Devices: "Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications"

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Multi-functional code for hydrogen isotopes transport analyses: verification & validation against fusion-relevant applications

Abstract The management of hydrogen isotopes within a fusion reactor remains a key design issue, with many constraints concerning tritium. The fusion power plant should be self-sufficient with respect to its fuel, while the contamination of components and the releases outside the primary system should be limited. There is a need for versatile numerical tools to assess tritium inventories and losses, which will support the design of components relevant to tritium management and inform mitigation strategies. This work presents the development, verification and validation of the System-level Application for Engineering Tritium Transport Analysis (SAETTA). SAETTA is a modular, system-level code designed with flexibility in mind. It is capable of simulating thin membranes as well as large systems with several components and connections. The program is built using Python, with a one-dimensional approach to simulate the transport of hydrogen isotopes in fluid and solid systems. Various factors influencing the transport of hydrogen isotopes are addressed, such as chemical reactions, mass transfer in the fluid, surface effects, permeation, trapping, leakage and decay. SAETTA methodology and implementation strategy are thoroughly outlined. In addition, a comprehensive verification and validation campaign has been specifically designed and performed to demonstrate the code capabilities in a wide range of fusion-related applications.

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Exploration of the exciting world of multifunctional oxide-based electronic devices: from material to system-level applications

Urease-coupled systems and materials: design strategies, scope and applications.

Synthetic systems have co-opted urease, a crucial enzyme serving many biological functions, to recapitulate complex biological features. Therefore, the urease-urea feedback reaction network (FCRN) is reciprocated with soft materials to induce various animate-like features, including self-regulation, error correction, and decision-making capabilities, that are processed through a variety of non-linear functions. Although free-urease-based homogeneous systems are capable of adhering to many non-linear characteristics, they lack the ability to showcase the diffusion-controlled spatiotemporal phenomena. Therefore, it demands urease immobilization, whereby a compartmentalized reaction hub can facilitate the interplay of FCRN with reaction diffusion to regulate the system's operation, allowing various non-linear responses and spatiotemporal self-organization. Indeed, the beneficial framework of urease-based commercial systems in modern technology necessitates the accessibility, reusability, and long-term stability of urease. Consequently, several techniques for urease immobilization merit attention. This review highlights the diverse covalent and non-covalent approaches for urease immobilization on different substrates and illustrates several chemical reactions and non-covalent interactions as tools for creating targeted systems and soft materials to realize many on-demand functions. We also emphasize how the advancement of systems chemistry has propelled research in soft materials to comprehend system-level applications by demonstrating several emerging non-linear functions with potent applications in many directions, including sensing, soft robotics, regulation of material properties and many more.

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Call for Papers: Special Issue on Exploration of the Exciting World of Multifunctional Oxide-Based Electronic Devices: From Material to System-Level Applications

Pre-implementation patient, provider, and administrator perspectives of remote measurement-based care in a safety net outpatient psychiatry department.

Psychiatric measurement-based care (MBC) can be more effective than usual care, but health systems face implementation challenges. Achieving attitudinal alignment before implementing MBC is critical, yet few studies incorporate perspectives from multiple stakeholders this early in planning. This analysis identifies alignment and themes in pre-implementation feedback from patients, providers, and administrators regarding a planned MBC implementation in a safety net psychiatry clinic. We used interview guides informed by Conceptual Model of Implementation Research to gather qualitative pre-implementation attitudes about perceived Appropriateness, Acceptability, and Feasibility of an MBC measure (Computerized Adaptive Test-Mental Health; CAT-MH) from five patients, two providers, and six administrators. We applied rapid qualitative analysis methods to generate actionable feedback for department leadership still planning implementation. [Correction added on 22 January 2025, after first online publication: In the previous sentence, the word 'general' was replaced with the word 'generate'.] We used a multistep process to generate thematic findings with potential relevance for other similar mental health settings. There was more attitudinal alignment across stakeholder groups regarding MBC's Acceptability and Feasibility than its Appropriateness. All three groups agreed that it was important to contextualize MBC for patients and providers, anticipate MBC's impact on patient-provider relationships, and consider the system's capacity to respond to patient needs unearthed by CAT-MH before implementation began. Our thematic analysis suggests: (1) Introducing MBC may complicate patient-provider relationships by adding a new and potentially conflicting input for decision making, that is, MBC data, to the more typical inputs of patient report and provider expertise; [Correction added on 22 January 2025, after first online publication: In the previous sentence, the word 'complicated' was replaced with the word 'complicate'.] (2) MBC poses theoretical risks to health equity for safety net patients because of limitations in access to MBC tools themselves and the resources needed to respond to MBC data; and (3) Tension exists between individual- and system-level applications of MBC. Our analysis highlights shifting treatment dynamics, equity considerations, and tension between individual- and population-level needs that our participants anticipated when planning for MBC implementation in a safety net psychiatry clinic.

Scale-Bridging Mechanics Transfer Enables Ultrabright Mechanoluminescent Fiber Electronics.

Mechanoluminescent (ML) fibers and textiles enable stress visualization without auxiliary power, showing great potential in wearable electronics, machine vision, and human-computer interaction. However, traditional ML devices suffer from inefficient stress transfer in soft-rigid material systems, leading to low luminescence brightness and short cycle life. Here, we propose a tendon-inspired scale-bridging mechanics transfer mechanism for ML composites, which employs molecular-scale copolymerized cross-linking and nanoscale inorganic nanoparticles as hierarchical stress transfer sites. This strategy effectively reduces the dissipation of stress in molecular chain segments and alleviates local stress concentration, increases luminescence by 9 times, and extends cycle life to more than 10,000 times. Furthermore, a scalable (kilometer-scale) anti-Plateau-Rayleigh instability manufacturing technology is developed for thermoset ML fibers, compatible with various existing textile techniques. We also demonstrate its system-level applications in motion capture, underwater interaction, etc., providing a feasible strategy for the next generation of smart visual textiles.

Chirally-coupled-ring fibers for arbitrary-order orbital angular momentum mode generation and detection.

A novel chirally-coupled-ring fiber (CCRF) is proposed for efficiently generating and detecting arbitrary-order orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes in ring-core fibers (RCFs). The CCRF comprises inner and outer cores, N angularly uniformly distributed dielectric rods, and a cladding layer. These rods, twisted along the fiber axis between the cores, introduce angular geometry perturbations to manipulate the core modes. Through meticulous theoretical modeling and systematic analysis grounded in coupled-mode theory, we reveal CCRF eigenmodes carrying spin-entangled OAM, elucidate the mode coupling and power transfer in CCRFs, and present the CCRF design principle. Utilizing the full-vector beam propagation method, we carry out a proof-of-principle experimental system to demonstrate the capability of CCRFs in OAM mode manipulation and their feasibility and superiority in system-level applications. Additionally, we generate OAM modes across a wide range of topological charges from ℓ = -8 to ℓ = 8 using CCRFs, with conversion efficiencies from 92.10% to 99.63% and mode purities from 90.28% to 99.48%. Attributed to a coaxial dual-core structure with core-separated geometry perturbations, CCRFs enable flexible manipulation of arbitrary-order OAM modes without altering core geometry parameters, effectively solving design flexibility and compatibility problems in conventional single-core fiber devices. The proposed CCRF holds great promise for fiber-based OAM applications, especially for RCF-based OAM multiplexing communications.