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Continental earthquakes, especially shallow earthquakes, can cause disasters in populated areas. On 20 May 2016, a moderate magnitude earthquake (Mw 6.0) ruptured on Northern Territory of Australia. With the aim of seismic hazard assessment, coseismic and postsesmic deformation of the Petermann earthquake has been determined using ALOS-2 ascending and Sentinel-1A descending images. The coseismic deformation field suggests that the earthquake ruptured in the NNW direction with a length of about 20 km, a rake angle of 57.1° and a moment magnitude of Mw 6.06. The maximum slip of 1.31 m can be observed at the depth of 1.25 km. The small baseline subset (SBAS) InSAR was utilized to obtain the postseismic deformation from 69 Sentinel-1A images in a descending orbit. The spatiotemporal evolution of the postseismic deformation presents a gradually decaying trend, with a maximum displacement of 5.4 cm within 858 days after the mainshock. Our afterslip model suggests that the maximum slip of 0.28 m occurred at the depth of 0.25 km with a slight shift to the northwest compared to the coseismic slip. The static Coulomb failure stress (CFS) changes at various depths were calculated, indicating the consistency between high loaded stress zones and aftershock distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CsPbI3 inorganic perovskites with ideal bandgap and much enhanced thermal stability compared with organic−inorganic hybrid perovskites, have attracted much interest in the field of solar cells. The performances of solar cells highly depend on the quality of perovskite films, yet the research on fabrication methods of inorganic perovskites is far below that of organic–inorganic hybrid counterparts. Antisolvent engineering is a widely used method in controlling the morphology and crystallinity of organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites. Its effect varies with parameters such as the physicochemical properties of antisolvents and the compositions of perovskite precursors. Specially, there lacks a comprehensive study comparing different antisolvents used in low-temperature processed CsPbI3 from dimethylammonium-based precursors. In this work, we used three different antisolvents to control the growth of CsPbI3 films in a low-temperature (<200 °C) processed procedure and systematically compared the properties of resultant films. The green antisolvent ethyl acetate (EA) engineered CsPbI3 films exhibit improved morphology and crystallinity as well as reduced defects, compared with the counterparts processed without antisolvent or those with widely employed toxic antisolvents toluene and chlorobenzene. The EA antisolvent engineering results in efficient CsPbI3 perovskite solar cells with a champion power conversion efficiency of 8.8%. Our work thus provides a green and viable way to prepare high quality CsPbI3 perovskite films for optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CsPbI 3 all-inorganic perovskite has now drawn much attention due to its superior thermal stability compared with the organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. Despite the great progress achieved recently in this field, CsPbI 3 still suffers from low phase stability when exposed to moisture. We found the phase transition of CsPbI 3 would be accelerated after depositing the conventional hole transport material (HTM) 2,2′,7,7′-Tetrakis[N,N-di(4-methoxyphenyl)amino]− 9,9′-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). This is attributed to the negative effects of the additives in spiro-OMeTAD HTM: the hydrolysis of lithium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI), the corrosivity of 4-tert-butylpyridine (TBP), and the evaporation of TBP. By slightly modifying the additive content, full coordination between LiTFSI and TBP could be achieved and the negative effects mentioned above could be mitigated. Furthermore, tris(2-(1 H-pyrazol-1-yl)− 4-tert-butylpyridine)cobalt(III)-tris(bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide) (Co(III)TFSI) was added to promote oxidation of spiro-OMeTAD HTM in inert environment. With these approaches of additive engineering, HTMs with better interface contact and charge transport capability could be obtained. The device with optimized spiro-OMeTAD HTM achieved a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.61% compared with 6.63% of the control one. Moreover, the optimal device maintained 81% of its initial PCE after storage for 30 days, exceeding that (68%) of the control one. Our results highlight the importance of spiro-OMeTAD HTM on the stability of CsPbI 3 all-inorganic perovskite and provide a facile and feasible way to increase the stability and performance of corresponding solar cells. [Display omitted] • Spiro-OMeTAD HTMs triggered accelerated phase transition of black-phase CsPbI 3. • The negative effects of each component in HTMs were evaluated. • The stability of CsPbI 3 improved with modified spiro-OMeTAD HTM. • CsPbI 3 PSCs with optimized spiro-OMeTAD HTM achieved a champion PCE of 10.61%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extraction of high-accuracy co- and post-seismic deformation fields and inversions of seismic slip distributions is significant in the comprehension of seismogenic mechanisms. On 12 November 2017, a MW 7.3 earthquake occurred on the border between Iran and Iraq. To construct the co-seismic deformation field, Sentinel-1A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from three tracks were used. Based on a prior knowledge, least-squares iterative approximation was employed to construct the three-dimensional (3D) co-seismic deformation field. to derive a time series of 2D post-seismic deformation, the multidimensional small baseline subset (MSBAS) technique was use. Co-seismic deformation fields were asymmetric; the maximum relative displacement was nearly 90cm in the radar line-of-sight between two centers of co-seismic deformation. The 3D co-seismic deformation field showed southwestward horizontal motion and continuous subsidence-to-uplift variation from northeast to southwest. The two-dimensional (2D) post-seismic deformation time series showed a gradual decaying trend and good correspondence with the aftershock distribution. The main mechanism of post-seismic deformation was an afterslip of the post-seismic faults. We used the elastic half-space model to invert co-seismic deformation fields and obtain source parameters of the slip model. The maximum and average slips were 2.5 and 0.72 m, respectively. The average slip angle was 126.38° and the moment magnitude was MW 7.34. The results of this study will contribute to research on regional tectonic activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doping with transition metal ion is an effective way to modulate the physical properties of ZnO. Here, structural, optical, gas-sensing and magnetic properties of (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods prepared by hydrothermal method are investigated systematically. Reitveld refinement of X-ray diffraction patterns reveal (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods with hexagonal crystal structure and a contraction in lattice parameters Mn and Ni-doping. Since transition metal ions doping could influence the microstructure and defect state, the (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods show the higher sensitivity to ethanol gas and stronger room temperature saturation magnetization of nanorods. X-ray photoelectron spectra and UV–vis absorption spectra analysis reveal that oxygen vacancies related to defects in the nanorods increase with increasing Ni doping concentration, resulting in the increased carrier concentration. And the singly charged oxygen vacancies increase with Ni doping concentration derived from Gaussian fitting PL spectra result. This work demonstrates that the singly charged oxygen vacancies and surrounding transition metal ions forming bound magnetic polarons are accountable for the origin of ferromagnetism in (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods. Unlabelled Image • Improved gas sensing and ferromagnetism properties are related to the concentration of oxygen vacancy. • The bandgap and carrier concentration increase with Ni concentration of (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods. • Singly charged oxygen vacancies in the nanorods were analyzed by the PL spectra results. • V O + and surrounding Ni2+ and Mn2+ions are responsible for ferromagnetism in (Mn, Ni) codoped ZnO nanorods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CsPbI 3 all-inorganic perovskite has attracted much attention due to its improved thermal stability compared with organic-inorganic hybrid counterparts. The shallow conduction band of CsPbI 3 leads to an energy band mismatch between it and the widely used electron transport material SnO 2 , causing a severe loss in the performance. As a result, most high-efficiency inorganic perovskite solar cells are based on high-temperature sintered TiO 2 with better energy band alignment. To exploit the potential of SnO 2 in inorganic perovskite solar cells, SnO 2 nanocrystals were complexed with ethoxylated polyethyleneimine (PEIE). This strategy affords continuous adjustment of SnO 2 band structure by varying PEIE content, leading to an ideal energy band alignment with CsPbI 3. The introduction of PEIE also promotes the growth of CsPbI 3 films, resulting in larger grains. Moreover, improved charge extraction is achieved after PEIE introduction. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of CsPbI 3 all-inorganic perovskite solar cells significantly increases from 11.61 % to 13.89 %. Our work provides a simple strategy to produce high-performance CsPbI 3 all-inorganic perovskite solar cells with low-temperature solution process. [Display omitted] • PEIE incorporation enables continuous adjustment of SnO 2 band structure. • Favorable energy band alignment is achieved between PEIE-SnO 2 and CsPbI 3. • PEIE improves SnO 2 charge transport and facilitates CsPbI 3 crystal growth. • PEIE-SnO 2 boosts the PCE of low-temperature processed CsPbI 3 PSC to 13.89 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 11 October and 3 November 2018, two large landslides occurred in Baige Village, Tibet, China, forcing the Jinsha River to be cut off and form a dammed lake, resulting in massive economic damages and deaths. This paper uses ground-based radar (GBR) and spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technologies to perform dynamic monitoring of the Baige landslide. Firstly, the GBR results suggest that the cumulative deformation from 4 to 10 December 2018 was 1.4 m, and the landslide still exhibits a risk of instability. Secondly, with the Sentinel-1A ascending and descending orbit images from December 2018 to February 2022, the InSAR-stacking technology assisted by the generic atmospheric correction online service (GACOS) and the multidimensional small baseline subset (MSBAS) method are utilized to obtain the annual deformation velocity and cumulative deformation in the satellite radar line of sight (LOS) direction of the landslide. Finally, according to the spatial–temporal deformation characteristics of feature points, combined with optical images, field investigation, and geological conditions, the development trend and inducing factors of the Baige landslide are comprehensively analyzed. It is shown that the Baige landslide is in constant motion at present, and the deformation is spreading from the slope to its right side. This research establishes a framework of combining emergency monitoring (i.e., GBR) with long-term monitoring (i.e., spaceborne InSAR). The framework is more conducive to obtaining the deformation and evolution of landslides, providing a greater possibility for studying the development trend and risk assessment of landslides, and assisting in reducing or even avoiding the losses caused by landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mw 6.3 Yutian earthquake, occurred in northwestern Tibet on 25 June 2020, is one of the major events sequentially occurring in the region following the 2008 Mw 7.2, 2012 Mw 6.2, and 2014 Mw 6.9 earthquakes, and is of great significance for studying the tectonic activity and assessing future seismic hazards in the region. In this study, we used Sentinel‐1 Synthetic Aperture Radar images to retrieve co‐ and post‐seismic deformation and to investigate the coseismic rupture behavior of the fault and the mechanisms of postseismic deformation. Based on the slip models of recent four nearby major earthquakes, we explored the local stress evolution, triggering mechanism of the 2020 event and future regional seismic hazards. Postseismic modeling reveals that afterslip on fault patches surrounding the ruptured co‐seismic patches is the main mechanism responsible for the near‐field deformation, with the poroelastic rebound relaxation only accounts for maximumly 25% of the ground displacement and limited impact on the overall deformation pattern. The Coulomb failure stress changes (ΔCFS) suggest that the 2020 Yutian earthquake was inhibited by the 2008 Mw 7.2 earthquake but facilitated by the 2012 Mw 6.2 and 2014 Mw 6.9 earthquakes, resulting in an overall ΔCFS with a large lateral gradient on the 2020 fault. Stress concentrations on nearby major faults indicate increasing chances of seismic hazards in the eastern section of the Altyn Tagh fault at 82.8°E, the western section of the Guozha Co fault at 81.5°E and the entire section of the Ashikule fault. Plain Language Summary: The 2020 Mw 6.3 Yutian earthquake is one of the major events sequentially occurred following the 2008 Mw 7.2, 2012 Mw 6.2, and 2014 Mw 6.9 earthquakes in Yutian County. As large earthquakes result in stress perturbations altering regional seismicity, it provides great opportunity for studying the regional tectonic activity and assessing future seismic hazards. In this study, we investigated the coseismic rupture behavior of the 2020 earthquake and the mechanisms of postseismic deformation observed by radar observations. We also explored the local stress evolution, triggering mechanism of the 2020 event and future seismic hazards. Postseismic modeling indicates that afterslip is responsible for most of the near‐field deformation, with the poroelastic rebound effect contributing only a small portion. Earthquakes prior to 2020 have generated considerable stress perturbations with complex patterns which may have triggered the 2020 Yutian earthquake. Stress concentrations on nearby faults indicate that future attention should be paid in the eastern section of the Altyn Tagh fault at 82.8°E, the western section of the Guozha Co fault at 81.5°E and the entire section of the Ashikule fault. Key Points: The afterslip and poroelastic rebound mechanisms were examined to explain the observed postseismic deformationPrevious major events caused complex stress changes on the fault ruptured in 2020 with along‐strike gradients from positive to negativeStress concentrations on major nearby faults were calculated and future seismic hazards were evaluated [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 22 July 2020, an Mw 6.3 earthquake occurred in Nima County, central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. We used the synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technique with Sentinel-1 images to retrieve the line of sight (LOS) coseismic deformation fields which indicate that the maximum surface displacement reached ~30 cm. We then processed a series of interferograms spanning one year after the Nima earthquake with the Small Baseline Subset Interferometric SAR (SBAS-InSAR) technique. The maximum cumulative postseismic LOS surface displacement reached ~8 cm and approximately followed a logarithmic function over time. The inversion of the fault geometry and co- and afterslip distribution shows that the epicenter location was (33.18°N, 86.88°E) at a depth of 7.4 km, and the causative fault had an N29.1°E strike and 50.2° dip. The most coseismic slip was concentrated at depths between 3 to 12 km with a peak value of 2.0 m at 7.4 km, whilst most afterslips were concentrated at depths between 0 to 12 km with a peak value of 0.2 m at 5 km. The postseismic moment energy was about 5.04 × 1017 N∙m 308 days after the event, which was approximately 13.8% of the coseismic moment energy. By analyzing the contribution of afterslip and poroelastic rebound to postseismic deformation, it was concluded that afterslip was the main early postseismic deformation mechanism. Future attention should be paid to the northern segment of the West Yibug Caka fault and East Yibug Caka fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nyainrong microcontinent carries key information about the ongoing evolution of the central Tibetan Plateau. The 2021 Mw 5.7 Nagqu earthquake is the largest instrumentally recorded event inside this microcontinent, which provides an ideal opportunity to elucidate the influence of this ancient microcontinent on the seismogenic mechanisms, stress heterogeneity and strain partitioning across the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we constrain the seismogenic fault geometry and distributed fault slip using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations. By using the regional focal mechanism solutions, we invert the stress regimes surrounding the Nyainrong microcontinent. Our analysis demonstrates that the mainshock was caused by a normal fault with a comparable sinistral strike-slip component on a North-West dipping fault plane. The Nyainrong microcontinent is surrounded by a dominant normal faulting stress regime to the northeast and a dominant strike-slip stress regime to the southwest. Moreover, the clockwise rotation of the maximum horizontal stress (SHmax) from the southwest to the northeast is ~20°. This indicates that the Nyainrong microcontinent is involved in the mainshock occurrence as well as regional stress heterogeneity, and strain partitioning. Our results highlight the significance of the ancient microcontinent in the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan Plateau. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide area landslide detection is a major international research hotspot in the field of geological hazards, and the integration of multi-temporal optical satellite images and spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) appears to be an effective way to realize this. In this paper, a technical framework is presented for wide area landslide detection: (i) multi-temporal satellite optical images are used to detect landslides with distinguishable geomorphological features; (ii) Generic Atmospheric Correction Online Service (GACOS) assisted InSAR stacking is employed to generate annual surface displacement rate maps in radar line of sight using satellite SAR images from both ascending and descending tracks, which are in turn utilized to automatically detect active landslides from ground motion using hotspot analysis, and (iii) the distribution characteristics of the detected landslides are investigated by examining their relationships with topographic and hydrological factors. Three expressways in Sichuan Province, China—namely the Yakang (Ya'an-Kangding), Yaxi (Ya'an-Xichang), and Lushi (Luding-Shimian) expressways—and their surrounding regions (a total area of approximately 20,000 square kilometers) were chosen as the study area. A total of 413 landslides were detected, among which 320 were detected using multi-temporal satellite optical images, and 109 were detected using GACOS-assisted InSAR stacking. It should be noted that only 16 landslides were detected by both approaches; these landslides all exhibited not only obvious geomorphological features but also ground motion. A statistical analysis of the topographic and hydrological factors shows that of the detected landslides: 81% are distributed at elevations of 1000–2500 m, over 60% lie within the elevation range of 100~400 m, and 90% present with medium and steep slopes (20°~45°), and 80% are located within areas seeing an annual rainfall of 950~1050 mm. Nine landslides were found to pose potential safety hazards to the expressways. The research findings in this paper have directly benefitted the Sichuan expressways; equally important, it is believed that the technical framework presented in this paper will provide guidance for hazard mitigation and the prevention of transportation hazards in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large and shallow strike-slip earthquakes produce striking ground ruptures, damaging roads and infrastructure but providing great opportunities for examining the fault's structure. After the 2022 Mw 6.7 Menyuan earthquake, we observed abundant surface fractures by a combination of optical remote sensing, radar offset and unmanned aerial vehicle measurements. These fractures reveal a complex fault structure including apparent bending geometries and bifurcating branches, which are essential to understanding the mechanisms of faulting. In this paper, we used triangular dislocations to construct the fault geometry that reflected the distribution of measured strike changes but avoided unexcepted discontinuities and overlaps where the fault bent. The modeled fault geometry revealed an extensional releasing bend which was responsible for the southward branching of the fault rupture at its western edge. Our results also demonstrated the potential to explain the occurrence of aftershock clusters and to infer their fault geometries through the correlation analysis of the aftershock distribution and the slip induced stress field. The triangular dislocation model also enabled the calculation of the fault plane roughness and its spatial variation which directly controlled the fault slip magnitude and rupture termination. These analyses reveal an unprecedented level of detail of the fault structure and slip mechanics and, to some extent, offer insights into the physical processes and structural properties of crustal faults in the Earth's shallow crust. • Curved and branched surface ruptures were observed by multi-sourced geodetic data. • The fault structure was related to the distribution and clustering of aftershocks. • The fault rupture forked southward at its western end because of a releasing bend. • The fault plane roughness controlled the slip propagation and termination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crystalline silicon solar cells are developing towards higher conversion efficiency, however, the surface recombination and Auger recombination from heavily doped silicon are the main limit. Some metal oxides are of great interest because of their selective contact performance with crystalline silicon, which can minimize the carrier recombination in the contact area. Especially, due to the high work function of molybdenum oxide (MoO x), the MoO x film can provide excellent hole transport and electron blocking properties for the silicon surface. Here, we have deposited MoO x films on the surface of silicon wafer by spin-coating a copper hydromolybdate solution. The MoO x film can provide superior passivation quality compared to thermal evaporated one, with the τ eff of 110.6 μs (Δn = 1015 cm−3) obtained on n-type Czochralski silicon. Moreover, the passivation of MoO x film can be further improved by annealing at low temperature and under reduced atmosphere environment. The dense surface morphology of amorphous films and formation of Si–O–Si bonds by annealing are the main reasons for improved silicon surface passivation. This work demonstrates the feasibility of using solution-processed transition metal oxides as effective and low-cost carrier-selective passivating contacts for silicon photovoltaic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In July 2019, a series of seismic events, including a magnitude (Mw) 7.1 mainshock and Mw 6.4 foreshock, occurred in Eastern California. Studying these seismic events can significantly improve our understanding of the Eastern California tectonic environment. Sentinel-1A and ALOS-2 PALSAR images were utilized to obtain co-seismic deformation fields, including mainshock and foreshock deformation. The Okada elastic dislocation model and ascending and descending orbit results were used to invert the co-seismic slip distribution and obtain a co-seismic focal mechanism solution. Using ascending Sentinel-1A images, a time-series deformation was obtained for 402 d after the earthquake, and the deformation evolution mechanism was analyzed. The maximum uplift caused by the co-seismic mechanism reached 1.5 m in the line of sight (LOS), and the maximum subsidence reached 1 m in the LOS. For 402 d after the earthquake, the area remained active, and its deformation was dominated by after-slip. The co-seismic inversion results illustrated that California earthquakes were mainly strike-slip. The co-seismic inversion magnitude was approximately Mw 7.08. The Coulomb stress change illustrated that the seismic moment caused by the co-seismic slip was 4.24 × 1026 N × m, which is approximately Mw 7.06. This finding is consistent with the co-seismic slip distribution inversion results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluid extraction or injection into underground reservoirs may cause ground deformation, manifested as subsidence or uplift. Excessive deformation may threaten the infrastructure of the oilfield and its surroundings and may even induce earthquakes. Therefore, the monitoring of surface deformation caused by oil production activities is important for the safe production of oilfields and safety assessments of surrounding infrastructure. Karamay oilfield is one of the major oil and gas fields in China. In this study, we take the Karamay oilfield in Xinjiang as a case study to detect surface deformation caused by subsurface fluid injection. Sentinel-1A images of 32 ascending (Path 114) and 34 descending (Path 165) tracks spanning March 2017 to August 2018, were used to derive vertical and horizontal deformation over Karamay oilfield using the MSBAS-InSAR method. The observed two-dimensional deformation exhibited significant vertical and east-west deformation in this region. The maximum uplift and horizontal velocity was approximately 160 mm/year and 65 mm/year, respectively. We also modeled one of the typical deformation zones using a dislocation model in a homogenous elastic half-space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]