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Large roughness and structure disorder in ferroelectric ultrathin Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film results in severe space scatter in electrical, ferroelectric and piezoelectric characteristics, thus limiting the nanoscale research and reliability of nano-devices. However, no effective method aiming at large-area uniform organic ferroelectric LB film has ever been reported to date. Herein, we present a facile hot-pressing strategy to prepare relatively large-area poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) LB film with ultra-smooth surface root mean square (RMS) roughness is 0.3 nm in a 30 μm × 30 μm area comparable to that of metal substrate, which maximized the potential of LB technique to control thickness distribution. More importantly, compared with traditionally annealed LB film, the hot-pressed LB film manifests significantly improved structure uniformity, less fluctuation in ferroelectric characteristics and higher dielectric and piezoelectric responses, owing to the uniform dipole orientation and higher crystalline quality. Besides, different surface charge relaxation behaviors are investigated and the underlying mechanisms are explained in the light of the interplay of surface charge and polarization charge in the case of nanoscale non-uniform switching. We believe that our work not only presents a novel strategy to endow PVDF LB film with unprecedented reliability and improved performance as a competitive candidate for future ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) and nano electro mechanical systems (NEMS), but also reveals an attracting coupling effect between the surface potential distribution and nanoscale non-uniform switching behavior, which is crucial for the understanding of local transport characterization modulated by band structure, bit signal stability for data-storage application and the related surface charge research, such as charge gradient microscopy (CGM) based on the collection of surface charge on the biased ferroelectric domains.

The application of BiOCl in photocatalysis has been restricted by its low utilization of solar energy and fast recombination of charge carriers. In this study, zero-dimensional (0D) Bi2WO6 nanoparticles/two-dimensional (2D) layered BiOCl heterojunction composite was successfully constructed by facile hydrothermal and solvothermal methods. The most favorable sunlight photocatalytic activity was achieved for the as-prepared Bi2WO6–BiOCl composites with a ratio of 1%. The photocatalytic rate and mineralization efficiency of one typical antibiotic (i.e., oxytetracycline) over 1% Bi2WO6–BiOCl was about 2.7 and 5.3 times as high as that of BiOCl. Both experimental characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations confirmed that the excellent photocatalytic performance mainly arised from the effective charge separation along the Bi2WO6 and BiOCl heterojunction interface. The effective electron transfer was driven by the internal electric field at the interfacial junction. In addition, 1% Bi2WO6–BiOCl exhibited excellent stability, and no apparent deactivation was observed after 4 test cycles. Therefore, the 0D/2D Bi2WO6–BiOCl heterojunction showed a great potential for the photocatalytic degradation of emerging organic pollutants.

The genetically modified maize carrying an insect-resistant gene and herbicide-tolerant gene has substantial benefits for crop production. The three-generation reproductive toxicity of the maize was studied in this paper. One hundred and eighty Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into three groups, which were fed with a genetically modified maize (GM) diet, receptor maize (RM) diet, and AIN-93G (AIN) diet (used as control), respectively. The body weight, food consumption, reproductive parameters, hematological parameters, serum chemistry, organ weight, and histopathology for the three generations were examined, respectively. Minor differences were found between the GM group and the RM group or the AIN control group in terms of reproductive data, hematology, blood chemistry parameters, and organ index, but no macroscopic or histological adverse effects were found or considered as treatment-related. In conclusion, the three-generation study of genetically modified maize DBN9936 with Cry1Ab and epsps genes at a high level showed no unintended adverse effects on rats' reproductive system.

Emerging dielectric composites consisting of polymer and ceramic nano-inclusions or several polymers facilitate the development of capacitive energy storage materials, as they can preserve high breakdown strength and exhibit enhanced dielectric constant. Ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and its copolymers have been intensively studied as the matrices because of their high intrinsic dielectric constant and breakdown strength. Here, we review the recent advances on improving the energy density of PVDF-based composite dielectrics. It is concluded that, promotion of energy density is mainly established on enhanced breakdown strength and improved discharge efficiency. The microstructure design, material performance, and mechanism associated with these parameters are described. Perspectives for future development on PVDF-based nanocomposites and application of other potential polymer matrices are presented at last.

High-energy-density dielectric materials are highly desirable for the miniaturization and integration of modern electronics and power modules for applications in electrical power, communication, medical and defense systems. However, the conventional polymer nanocomposites with nanofillers randomly dispersed exhibit a limited energy storage performance (e.g. discharged energy density

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based dielectric polymers are in great demand for the future electronic and electrical industry because of their high dielectric constants and energy density. However, some issues that limit their practical applications remain unsolved. One of the most urgent issues is their high dielectric loss and hence low efficiency. In this contribution, we proposed and demonstrate that substantially enhanced discharge efficiency of PVDF-based polymers nanocomposites could be achieved by simultaneously optimizing their topological-structure and phase composition. In the poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VDF-HFP))/poly(vinylidene fluoride-ter-trifluoroethylene-ter-chlorofluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)) multilayered nanocomposites fabricated by non-equilibrium process, an ultrahigh discharge efficiency of ~85% is achieved up to 600 MV/m, which is the highest discharge efficiency reported so far for any polar-polymer dielectric materials at such high electric field. By adjusting the quenching temperature, the phase-composition hence dielectric permittivity in the terpolymer layers could be tuned for suppressed ferroelectric loss. Results of phase-field simulations further reveal that local electric field is substantially weakened at the interfaces between the Co/Ter polymer layers, which will act as barriers to motion of charge carriers and give rise to much suppressed conduction loss and a remarkably enhanced breakdown strength. Synergy of the optimized topological-structure and phase-composition thus leads to a nanocomposite that exhibits an unprecedented high discharge efficiency of the multilayered nanocomposites that is comparable to the bench-mark biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) at high electric field as well as a high discharge energy density that is over 10 times higher than that of BOPP.

Nanomaterials have been widely utilized in human daily life. The interaction between nanoparticles (NPs) and food matrices through oral ingestion is important for fate and potential toxicity of NPs. In this study, the interaction between NPs (i.e., titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO)) and food matrices (namely sucrose, protein powder, and corn oil) was investigated by use of an in vitro physiological model. Measurement using asymmetrical flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) showed that particle size of TiO2 NPs in saliva fluid decreased from 102 ± 6.21 nm (control) to 69.2 ± 6.90 and 81.9 ± 4.30 nm in protein powder and corn oil. Similar trend was also observed for ZnO. Compared with gastric fluid, micelles formed by corn oil in intestinal fluid further dispersed NPs, as indicated by approximately 11.1% and 13.2% decrease in particle size of TiO2 and ZnO NPs, respectively. Characterization of TEM, FTIR and AFM showed that a layer of biological corona was attached on surface of NPs in protein and oil. The XPS demonstrated that oil bound with NPs through forming covalent bonds, while protein bound with NPs through van der Waals force and electrostatic force for TiO2 and ZnO NPs, respectively. The result here demonstrated the importance of considering food effect when investigating the morphology and behavior of NPs after oral ingestion. This understanding was valuable in assessment of environmental fate and biological effects of NPs.

For the past decade, a novel cooling technique based on electrocaloric (EC) materials has been intensively investigated as an environmentally friendly and highly efficient alternative to the conventional vapor-compression refrigeration. Among all the EC materials, relaxor terpolymer P(VDF-TrFE-CFE) has been demonstrated as a promising candidate owing to its large EC effect and superior thermal stability. However, for the terpolymer, the EC strength (represented by EC temperature change under unit electric field (ΔT/E)) is still far from being satisfactory, which limits the mass application of terpolymer as a viable cooling medium in civil applications. Here, an effective method is employed to induce edge-on lamellae into the terpolymer to enhance the EC strength. Owing to the dipolar moments in the edge-on lamellae, which could be rotated more easily in the out-of-plane direction by the electric field, the treated terpolymer with edge-on lamellae exhibits a much enhanced EC strength of 0.13 K m−1 MV−1. Further exploration also shows a significantly decreased coercive field in the treated terpolymer due to the induced edge-on lamellae, and hence larger dipolar-entropy change could be generated at a modest electric field. The results indicate that a relaxor-like β-phase may also contribute to the enhanced polarizability. More importantly, the terpolymer with edge-on lamellae exhibits high thermal stability within a broad temperature range near room temperature. This work emphasizes the critical role of crystal structure on the macroscopic properties of electrocaloric polymers.

Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) has attracted considerable attention due to its ubiquitous presence in different environmental compartments worldwide. However, information on its aerobic biodegradability in coastal environments remains unknown. Here, the aerobic biodegradation of TBBPA using a Pseudoalteromonas species commonly found in the marine environment was investigated. We found that extracellular biogenic siderophore, superoxide anion radical (O2•-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were involved in TBBPA degradation. Upregulation of genes (nqrA and lodA) encoding Na+-translocating NADH-quinone oxidoreductase and l-lysine-e-oxidase supported the extracellular O2•- and H2O2 production. The underlying mechanism of TBBPA biodegradation presumably involves both O2•- reduction and •OH-based advanced oxidation process (AOP). Furthermore, TBBPA intermediates of tribromobisphenol A, 4-isopropylene-2,6-dibromophenol, 4-(2-hydroxyisopropyl)-2,6-dibromophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol (TBP), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 2-bromobenzoic acid were detected in the culture medium. Debromination and β-scission pathways of TBBPA biodegradation were proposed. Additionally, membrane integrity assays revealed that the increase of intracellular catalase (CAT) activity and the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) might account for the alleviation of oxidative damage. These findings could deepen understanding of the biodegradation mechanism of TBBPA and other related organic pollutants in coastal and artificial bioremediation systems.

Novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) have been widely used and frequently detected in various environmental matrices. In this study, 2-ethylhexyl-2,3,4,5-tetrabromobenzoate (TBB), bis-(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBPH) and their metabolites (namely 2,3,4,5-tetra-bromo benzoic acid (TBBA) and mono(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate (TBMEHP)) were exposed to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Metabolites can induce stronger cytotoxicity than parent compounds with EC50 at 47.3 (TBBA), 8.6 μg/ml (TBMEHP) vs > 200 μg/mL for parent compounds. Gene expression of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, the gene associated with blood platelet kinetics, was significantly induced under TBBA and TBMEHP exposure. The in vivo test was consistent with gene expression result that the number of platelets in mouse blood was significantly increased after gavaged with 0.8 μg/mL TBBA and TBMEHP. In addition, TBB or TBPH were exposed to mice via gavage, and higher concentrations of TBBA (4 h, 60.8 ± 12.9 ng/mL, 8 h, 69.4 ± 2.24 ng/mL) in mouse blood were found than those of TBMEHP (4 h, 17.2 ± 4.01 ng/mL, 8 h, 12.8 ± 3.20 ng/mL), indicating that TBB was more readily in vivo metabolized than TBPH. The in vivo metabolism of TBB and TBPH and the stronger toxicity of their metabolites underscore the potential risk through NBFR exposure and the importance of understanding NBFR metabolism process.

Polymer nanocomposite dielectrics, composed of polymer matrices with high breakdown strength and nanofillers with high dielectric constant, can achieve outstanding energy density. However, the great difference of intrinsic surface properties between the polymer and nanofillers will lead to poor compatibility and thus damage the dielectric properties of the composites. Introducing a transition layer to the filler surface can effectively reduce the degree of mismatch. In this work, we use a “direct in situ polymerization” method to synthesize core–shell BaTiO3 nanoparticles (BTO_nps) with three types of stable and dense fluoro-polymer shells, e.g., poly(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate) (PTFEMA), poly(2,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluorobutyl methacrylate) (PHFBMA), and poly(1H,1H,7H-dodecafluoroheptyl methacrylate) (PDFHMA), and individually disperse them into the poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoro propylene) (P(VDF-HFP)) matrix. Benefitting from the good interaction between the fluorine-containing segments in the shell polymer and the matrix segments, the dispersion of core–shell BTO_nps and their compatibility with P(VDF-HFP) are improved, which leads to a significant improvement in the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. The results show that BTO@PDFHMA/P(VDF-HFP) composite exhibits an ultrahigh energy density of 16.8 J cm−3 at 609 MV m−1 with particle loading amount of 15 wt%, compared to 11.5 J cm−3 at 492 MV m−1 for a conventional solution blended BTO/P(VDF-HFP) composite. Meanwhile, the discharge efficiency is enhanced from ∼62 to ∼78%. It is elucidated that the core–shell strategy can achieve improved particle dispersion and dielectric properties. We consider that this simple method can well achieve the preparation of core–shell structures in dielectric nanocomposites.

Metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have exhibited various exotic physical properties and hold the promise of novel optoelectronic and topological devices applications. However, the synthesis of metallic TMDs is based on gas-phase methods and requires high temperature condition. As an alternative to the gas-phase synthetic approach, lower temperature eutectic liquid-phase synthesis presents a very promising approach with the potential for larger-scale and controllable growth of high-quality thin metallic TMDs single crystals. Herein, we report the first realization of low-temperature eutectic liquid-phase synthesis of type-II Dirac semimetal PtTe2 single crystals with thickness ranging from 2 to 200 nm. The electrical measurement of synthesized PtTe2 reveals a record-high conductivity of as high as 3.3*106 S/m at room temperature. Besides, we experimentally identify the weak antilocalization behavior in the type-II Dirac semimetal PtTe2 for the first time. Furthermore, we develop a simple and general strategy to obtain atomically-thin PtTe2 crystal by thinning as-synthesized bulk samples, which can still retain highly crystalline and exhibits excellent electric conductivity. Our results of controllable and scalable low-temperature eutectic liquid-phase synthesis and layer-by-layer thinning of high-quality thin PtTe2 single crystals offer a simple and general approach for obtaining different thickness metallic TMDs with high-melting point transition metal.

Ferroelectric memories are endowed with high data storage density by nanostructure designing, while the robustness is also impaired. For organic ferroelectrics favored by flexible memories, low Curie transition temperature limits their thermal stability. Herein, a ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) is demonstrated based on an array of P(VDF‐TrFE) lamellae by self‐assembly. Written data shows enhanced thermal endurance up to 90 °C and undergoes 12 thermal cycles between 30 and 80 °C with little volatilization. The promoted thermal stability is attributed to pinning effect at interfaces between grain boundaries and lamellae, where charged domain walls and charged defects are coupled. These results provide a strategy for improving robustness of organic flexible FeRAMs, and reveal an attracting coupling effect between different phases of ferroelectric polymer.