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With the development of nano molding technology (NMT), the polymer/metal hybrid (PMH) composites have made great progress in industries like automobile, aircraft, and boat. The bonding structure and bonding strength are the key factors ruling the application of PMH. In this work, the PMH containing polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and Al alloy was prepared by NMT, and the surface treating of Al alloy and the bonding mechanism of PMH has been studied. The results reveal that the bonding strength between metal and polymer shows dependence on the pore structure of the metal surface, which could be controlled by changing the anodizing voltage and time. The PMH in which the Al plate was anodized at 15 V for 6 h achieves the best bonding strength of 1,543 N. The morphological analysis reveals that there forms an anchor and bolt structure in the interface of PPS and Al plate, which bonds the polymer and metal tightly. In addition, the chemical interaction between PPS and Al was confirmed by attenuated total reflection (ATR) infrared spectroscopy, which indicates that both physical and chemical effects contribute to the bonding strength of the PMH. This PMH has great potential of being used as alternative to traditional pure metal components, especially the packing materials of automobiles, electronic products, and furniture.

Cordierite is a violet-blue gem mineral primarily composed of magnesium aluminum silicate. This study employed three samples of Mg-cordierite and conducted tests on their gemological characteristics, spectroscopic features, and chemical composition using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectrophotometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electron microprobe. The study also explored and analyzed the polychroism and coloration mechanisms of the samples. The results indicate that the lattice vibrations of the Mg-cordierite samples differ along the directions parallel to the a, b, and c crystallographic axes, leading to certain variations in spectral characteristics among these directions. The article provides experimental evidence for the reasons for the polychroism of cordierite in different crystal axes, which is of great significance in the quality evaluation of cordierite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distance effect of the doped heteroatoms away from the catalytic centers has rarely been reported. In this work, we conducted density functional theory calculations to thoroughly investigate the influence of heteroatom (N, P, B, and S atoms) doping distance on the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of graphene-based FeN4 sites. We uncovered a Sabatier-like relationship between heteroatom doping distance and ORR activity of FeN4 sites. The nearest doping does not significantly improve and even block the ORR activity of FeN4 sites. Optimal ORR activity is achieved when the heteroatoms are 4–5 Å (N, P, and S atoms) or 6–7 Å (B atoms) away from the Fe atoms. Analysis of electronic structure indicates that distance effect can modulate the local chemical environment of Fe atoms, thereby account for the changes in ORR activity along with the doping distance and doping atoms. This study provides insights into the influence of heteroatom doping on the chemical environment of reaction active centers, and provides the theoretical guidance for controlling the doping distance of heteroatoms to achieve optimal catalytic activity and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genomic imprinting refers to allele-specific expression of genes depending on parental origin, and it is regulated by epigenetic modifications. Intraspecific allelic variation for imprinting has been detected; however, the intraspecific genome-wide allelic epigenetic variation in maize and its correlation with imprinting variants remain unclear. Here, three reciprocal hybrids were generated by crossing Zea mays inbred lines CAU5, B73, and Mo17 in order to examine the intraspecific conservation of the imprinted genes in the kernel. The majority of imprinted genes exhibited intraspecific conservation, and these genes also exhibited interspecific conservation (rice, sorghum, and Arabidopsis) and were enriched in some specific pathways. By comparing intraspecific allelic DNA methylation in the endosperm, we found that nearly 15% of DNA methylation existed as allelic variants. The intraspecific whole-genome correlation between DNA methylation and imprinted genes indicated that DNA methylation variants play an important role in imprinting variants. Disruption of two conserved imprinted genes using CRISPR/Cas9 editing resulted in a smaller kernel phenotype. Our results shed light on the intraspecific correlation of DNA methylation variants and variation for imprinting in maize, and show that imprinted genes play an important role in kernel development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical manometry is a highly promising method for measuring pressure. However, its wider application is limited by the lower sensitivity and influenced by environmental factors. Herein, multi‐mode optical pressure sensors based on Eu2+‐doped Li4SrCa(SiO4)2 phosphors suitable for a variety of complex pressure‐measuring environments are designed. The phosphors contain two separate luminescence centers at 443 nm (EuSr) and 584 nm (EuCa), respectively. In the lower pressure range, the emission peak undergoes a massive redshift of 5.19 nm GPa−1 of EuCa, which is 14× better than commercially available ruby sensors. In order to improve the pressure response range and the accuracy of pressure measurement, for the first time, a new approach in the pressure readout method in which single Eu2+ ions doping based on fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) pressure measurement is realized in designed materials. Meanwhile, the measured full width at half maximum (FWHM) as an indicator of pressure sensor performance also reveals that the sensing performance is d FWHM/d P ≈ 1.23 nm GPa−1 and d FWHM/d P ≈ 0.84 nm GPa−1 for EuSr and EuCa positions, respectively. Additionally, the structural stability of the phosphor is confirmed by in situ Raman spectrum. The above results indicate that the Li4SrCa(SiO4)2:0.04Eu2+ phosphor is a good candidate for multi‐mode optical pressure sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]