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Tanshinone IIa (TanIIa), an ingredient of Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, has an anticancer effect on various solid tumors with high efficiency and low toxicity. Nonetheless, the underlying role of TanIIa in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) remains unclear. Here, we revealed that TanIIa drastically inhibited NB4 cell viability with an IC50 value of 31.25 μmol/L. Using flow cytometry apoptosis assay, we identified that TanIIa dose-dependently exacerbated NB4 cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, TanIIa upregulated apoptotic factor levels, namely, cleaved-caspase 9, cleaved-caspase 3, and cleaved-PARP-1. Moreover, we noticed that TanIIa dose-dependently suppressed the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis. This axis not only functions as an essential antiapoptotic modulator but also serves as a suppressant regulator of autophagy. Correspondingly, we detected the levels of autophagic marker, namely, LC3B, which were increased after the TanIIa treatment. Furthermore, the autophagy inhibitor Baf-A1 could effectively reverse the TanIIa-induced apoptosis, manifesting that TanIIa eliminated NB4 cells in an autophagy-dependent manner. In conclusion, tanshinone IIa exerts anti-APL effects through triggering autophagy and apoptosis in NB4 cells.

Objective To explore the effect of berberine (BBR) on skeletal muscle mass and metabolism and the possible mechanism. Methods Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks to establish the insulin resistance obesity model. Then, mice were randomly divided into two groups (normal chow diet (NCD) and HFD), while NCD and HFD were further classified into two groups respectively, which were NCD+CS (Carmellose Sodium), NCD+BBR, HFD+CS and HFD+BBR. After the BBR intervention, insulin tolerance test (ITT) and glucose tolerance test (GTT) were carried out. Metabolic parameters and inflammatory biomarkers were detected. Various parts of adipose tissue and gastrocnemius were separated and measured. The gastrocnemius muscle was selected for tissue staining. The mRNA expression of myostatin (Mstn) was tested by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of Mstn, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), small ribonucleoprotein particle protein 2 (Smd2), small ribonucleoprotein particle protein 3 (Smd3), and small ribonucleoprotein particle protein 4 (Smd4). Results Both body weights (P

Articular cartilage defects cannot adequately self-repair because of avascular and complex tissues. Although various scaffold materials have been reported to promote cartilage repair, challenges remain in this field. In the present study, an orientated microtubules scaffold that consisted of collagen, chitosan, silk fibroin, and polylysine-heparin sodium nanoparticles containing transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), was constructed using a unidirectional freeze-drying method. The collagen/chitosan/0.5silk fibroin scaffolds showed optimal properties via the evaluation of physicochemical characterization, mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The collagen/chitosan/0.5silk fibroin scaffolds containing polylysine-heparin sodium nanoparticles loaded with TGF-β1 (COL/CS/0.5SF-TPHNs) could control the slow release of TGF-β1. Simultaneously, the in vitro COL/CS/0.5SF-TPHNs scaffolds exhibited not only an excellent biocompatibility to support mouse mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) adhesion and proliferation, but also exhibited excellent repair effect in cartilage defects of rabbit models in vivo. Our results showed that the COL/CS/0.5SF-TPHNs scaffolds have the potential to induce articular cartilage formation, mainly because TGF-β1 could induce the mBMSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes and osteoblasts. Consequently, the current study can achieve cartilage repair, and COL/CS/0.5SF-TPHNs scaffolds are expected to be potential composites for cartilage tissue engineering.

Context: The relationship between resveratrol and histone acetylation in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has not yet been reported. Objective: To explore the functional role of resveratrol in RCC. Materials and methods: Functional experiments were performed to determine proliferatio n of ACHN cells with treatment of resveratrol (0, 7.8125, 15.625, 31.25 and 62.5 μg/mL, for 12, 24 and 48 h of culture) or 0.1 μM SAHA. The enzyme activities of MMP-2/-9 were measured by gelatine zymography and histone acetylation by Western blot. Results: When the cells were treated with 15.625, 31.25 and 62.5 μg/mL resveratrol, ACHN cells viability was 73.2 ± 3.5%, 61.4 ± 3.1%, 50.2 ± 4.7% for 12 h, 62.7 ± 4.5%, 52.4 ± 5.5%, 40.2 ± 3.8% for 24 h, and 60.8 ± 3.7%, 39.4 ± 5.1%, 37.6 ± 2.7% for 48 h, and the wound closure (%) of migration was increased from 0.6 to 0.7, 0.85, 0.9 for 12 h and from 0.23 to 0.3, 0.48, 0.59 for 24 h. The invasion rate was 8.5 ± 0.9%, 7.4 ± 0.3% and 5.8 ± 0.6%, and cell cycle was arrested at G1 from 42.5 ± 2.9% to 55.3 ± 5.7%, 59.8 ± 3.4%, 68.7 ± 4.6%. MMP-2/-9 expression (p

This study evaluated the effects of different light spectra (white light, WL, blue light, BL and red light, RL) on the root morphological traits and metabolites accumulation and biosynthesis in Sarcandra glabra. We performed transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling by RNA-seq and ultra-performance liquid chromatography−electrospray ionization−tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-MS/MS), respectively. When morphological features were compared to WL, BL substantially increased under-ground fresh weight, root length, root surface area, and root volume, while RL inhibited these indices. A total of 433 metabolites were identified, of which 40, 18, and 68 compounds differentially accumulated in roots under WL (WG) vs. roots under BL (BG), WG vs. roots under RL (RG), and RG vs. BG, respectively. In addition, the contents of sinapyl alcohol, sinapic acid, fraxetin, and 6-methylcoumarin decreased significantly in BG and RG. In contrast, chlorogenic acid, rosmarinyl glucoside, quercitrin and quercetin were increased considerably in BG. Furthermore, the contents of eight terpenoids compounds significantly reduced in BG. Following transcriptomic profiling, several key genes related to biosynthesis of phenylpropanoid-derived and terpenoids metabolites were differentially expressed, such as caffeic acid 3-O-methyltransferase) (COMT), hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate hydroxycinnamoyl transferase (HCT), O-methyltransferase (OMT), and 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthetase (DXS). In summary, our findings showed that BL was suitable for growth and accumulation of bioactive metabolites in root tissue of S. glabra. Exposure to a higher ratio of BL might have the potential to improve the production and quality of S. glabra seedlings, but this needs to be confirmed further.

Ciclopirox (CPX) is an antifungal drug that has recently been reported to act as a potential anticancer drug. However, the effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of CPX on glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) remain unknown. Bortezomib (BTZ) is the first proteasome inhibitor-based anticancer drug approved to treat multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, as BTZ exhibits toxic effects on diverse tumor cells. Herein, we show that CPX displays strong anti-tumorigenic activity on GBM. Mechanistically, CPX inhibits GBM cellular migration and invasion by reducing N-Cadherin, MMP9 and Snail expression. Further analysis revealed that CPX suppresses the expression of several key subunits of mitochondrial enzyme complex, thus leading to the disruption of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in GBM cells. In combination with BTZ, CPX promotes apoptosis in GBM cells through the induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Moreover, CPX and BTZ synergistically activates nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling and induces cellular senescence. Our findings suggest that a combination of CPX and BTZ may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance the anticancer activity of CPX against GBM.

Background Sarcandra glabra is an evergreen and traditional Chinese herb with anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumor effects. Light is one of the most influential factor affecting the growth and quality of herbs. In recent times, the introduction of Light Emission Diode (LED) technology has been widely used for plants in greenhouse. However, the impact of such lights on plant growth and the regulatory mechanism of phenylpropanoid-derived compounds in S. glabra remain unclear. Results The red LED light (RL) substantially increased the plant height and decreased the stem diameter and leaf area relative to the white LED light (WL), while the blue LED light (BL) significantly reduced the height and leaf area of S. glabra. According to transcriptomic profiling, 861, 378, 47, 10,033, 7917, and 6379 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified among the groups of leaf tissue under BL (BY) vs. leaf tissue under RL (RY), BY vs. leaf tissue under WL (WY), RY vs. WY, root tissue under WL (WG) vs. WY, stem tissue under WL (WJ) vs. WG, and WJ vs. WY, respectively. We identified 46 genes encoding for almost all known enzymes involved in phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, e.g., phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), chalcone synthase (CHS), and flavonol synthase (FLS). We found 53 genes encoding R2R3-MYB proteins and bHLH proteins, respectively, where several were related to flavonoids biosynthesis. A total of 454 metabolites were identified based on metabolomic profiling, of which 44, 87, and 296 compounds were differentially produced in WY vs. RY, WY vs. BY, and WY vs. WG. In BY there was a substantial reduction in the production of esculetin, caffeic acid, isofraxidin, and fraxidin, while the yields of quercitrin and kaempferol were significantly up-regulated. In RY, the contents of cryptochlorogenic acid, cinnamic acid, and kaempferol decreased significantly. Besides, in WG, the production of metabolites (e.g. chlorogenic acid, cryptochlorogenic acid, and scopolin) declined, while their yields increased significantly (e.g. esculetin, fraxetin, isofraxidin, and fraxidin). Conclusion These results provide further insight into the regulatory mechanism of accumulation patterns of phenylpropanoid-derived compounds in S. glabra under various light conditions, allowing optimum breeding conditions to be developed for this plant.

Genome-wide association studies have identified many individual genetic loci associated with multiple complex traits and common diseases. There are, however, few examples where the molecular basis of such pleiotropy has been elucidated. To address this challenge, we describe an integrative approach, focusing on the p.Ser219Gly (rs867186 A>G) variant in thePROCRgene (encoding the endothelial protein C receptor, EPCR), which has been associated with lower coronary artery disease (CAD) risk but higher venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. In a phenome scan of 12 cardiometabolic diseases and 24 molecular factors, we found thatPROCR-219Gly associated with higher plasma levels of zymogenic and activated protein C as well as coagulation factor VII. Using statistical colocalization and Mendelian randomization analyses, we uncovered shared genetic etiology across activated protein C, factor VII, CAD and VTE, identifying p.S219G as the likely causal variant at the locus. In a recall-by-genotype study of 52 healthy volunteers stratified by p.S219G, we detected 2.5-fold higher soluble EPCR levels and 1.2-fold higher protein C levels in plasma per effect allele, suggesting the allele induces EPCR shedding from the membrane of endothelial cells. Finally, in cell adhesion assays, we found that increasing concentrations of activated protein C, but not soluble EPCR, reduced leukocyte–endothelial cell adhesion, a marker for vascular inflammation. These results support a role for protein C as a causal factor in arterial and venous diseases, suggesting thatPROCR-219Gly protects against CAD through anti-inflammatory mechanisms while it promotes VTE risk through pro-thrombotic mechanisms. Overall, our study illustrates a multi-modal approach that can help reveal molecular underpinnings of cross-disease associations.

Light is an essential energy source for plant photosynthesis, although it can also be a stress-causing element. Therefore, the current research was aimed to compare photosynthetic responses of Anthurium × ‘Red’ leaves at different positions (bottom old leaf, 1, center mature leaf, 2, top expanded leaf, 3) established under three photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFDs): 550 μmol·m−2·s−1 as high (H), 350 μmol·m−2·s−1 as medium (M), and 255 μmol·m−2·s−1 as low (L). After six months, all the replicates were relocated to interior rooms with a PPFD of 30 μmol·m−2·s−1. There were no significant differences in chlorophyll concentration of the old leaf among treatments, before (Day 0) and after shifting the plants to interior rooms (Day 30). The total chlorophyll concentrations of the mature and top leaves increased significantly. In greenhouse conditions, H and M treatments did not show any significant change for net photosynthetic rate (Pn) at various leaf positions. However, M2 exhibited an improved Pn in the interior conditions. Plants grown under M treatment were greener and had bigger leaves compared to other treatments. Our study reveals that Anthurium × ‘Red’ photosynthesis responses to different light conditions varied distinctly. However, M treatment can keep the plants looking green by accumulating enough energy for indoor conditions, and middle and lower leaves may be triggered to restore photosynthetic activity under low light or indoor conditions.

Aperiodic molybdenum/silicon (Mo/Si) multilayer designed as a broadband polarizer with reflectivity over a wide wavelength range of 13–30 nm at a fixed incidence angle of 45° was developed by a numerical method. The multilayer was prepared using direct current magnetron sputtering. The reflectivity and polarizing properties were characterized using synchrotron radiation. In 13–30 nm wavelength region, the measured s -reflectivity ( R s ) with standard deviation is 13.5%±3.1%, p -reflectivity ( R p ) with standard deviation is 1.4%±0.5%. The mean of polarization degree is 81.2%. This broadband multilayer polarizer can be used in extreme ultraviolet polarization measurements, and will greatly simplify experimental arrangements.

Design, fabrication and characterization of aperiodic tungsten/carbon (W/C) multi-layer mirror were studied. W/C multi-layer was designed as a broad-angle reflective supermirror for Cu–Kα line (λ = 0.154 nm) in the grazing incident angular range (0.9–1.1°) using simulated annealing algorithm. To deposit the W/C depth-graded multi-layer mirror accurately, we introduce an effective layer growth rate as a function of layer thickness. This method greatly improves the reflectivity curve compared to the conventional multi-layer mirror prepared with constant growth rate. The deposited multi-layer mirror exhibits an average reflectivity of 19% over the grazing incident angle range of 0.88–1.08° which mainly coincides with the designed value. Furthermore, the physical mechanisms were discussed and the re-sputtering process of light-atom layers is accounted for the modification of layer thicknesses which leads to the effective growth rates. Using this calibration method, the aperiodic multi-layer mirrors can be better fabricated for X-ray optics.

Aperiodic molybdenum/silicon broadband multilayer analyzers with constant reflectivity over a wide spectral range for a fixed incidence angle have been designed using a combined analytical/numerical method. The analyzers were fabricated using direct current magnetron sputtering and characterized using the soft X-ray polarimeter at the BESSY facility. Nearly constant s-reflectivity, up to 37%, is observed over the 15–17 nm wavelength range at a grazing incidence angle of 50°, and the degree of polarization is over 98%. Furthermore, the analyzer also exhibits high s-reflectivity and polarization over a broad angular range, 43–53°, at a fixed wavelength of 15.5 nm. This kind of broadband multilayer analyzer can be used in extreme ultraviolet polarization measurements, and will greatly simplify experimental arrangements.

Silica aerogels were made by sol-gel techniques using industrial silicon derivatives (polyethoxydisiloxanes, E-40), followed by drying under sub-critical pressure with iso-butanol. The shrinkage (linear), specific surface area, SBET, SEM, TEM and the pore size distribution of the silica aerogels were investigated. The results show that the shrinkage (linear) is below 5%, diameter of the silica particles is about 6 nm and the pore size of the silica aerogels is 10 nm. The specific surface area of the silica aerogel is 559.2 m2/g. IR and NMR techniques were used to determine the organic groups on the silica matrix, GC/MS was also introduced to analyse the composition of the recycled iso-butanol. The surface modification and the reactions of iso-butanol to the silica aerogel are also discussed.

Silica aerogels were made by sol-gel techniques using industrial silicon derivatives (polyethoxydisiloxanes, E-40), followed by supercritical drying with ethanol. The morphology and microstructure of the silica aerogels were investigated by using specific surface area, SBET, SEM, TEM and the pore size distribution techniques. The thermal conductivity was also measured as a function of air pressure. The results show that the diameter of the silica particles is about 13 nm and the pore size of the silica aerogels is 20–80 nm. The specific surface area of the silica aerogel is about 470 m2/g and the thermal conductivity of the silica aerogel prepared with E-40 is 0.014 w m−1 K−1 at room temperature and 1 atm.

Influence of interface roughness on the reflectivity of Tungsten/boron-carbide (W/B4C) multilayers varying with bi-layer number, N, is investigated. For W/B4C multilayers with the same design period thickness of 2.5 nm, a real-structure model is used to calculate the variation of reflectivities with N=50, 100, 150, and 200, respectively. Then, these multilayers are fabricated by a direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering system. Their reflectivity and scattering intensity are measured by an X-ray diffractometer (XRD) working at Cu K\alpha line. The X-ray reflectivity measurement indicates that the reflectivity is a function of its bi-layer number. The X-ray scattering measured results show that the interface roughness of W/B4C multilayers increases slightly from layer to layer during multilayer growing. The variation of the reflectivity and interface roughness with bi-layer number is accurately explained by the presented real-structure model.

A preparation process of a surface perturbation target was introduced in this article. Through laser interference and a nickel-electroplate process, sinusoidal surface perturbation on the photoresist and nickel plate mold with sinusoidal surface perturbation were obtained. We transferred sinusoidal perturbation on brominated polystyrene foils by a spin-coating process. By removing the brominated polystyrene foils from the nickel-plate mold, the brominated polystyrene sinusoidal surface perturbation target was obtained. The transfer precision of the sinusoidal perturbation was measured by scanning electron microscopy. The measurements showed that the surface perturbation was transferred precisely. The surface roughness on the surface perturbation target was about 15.0 nm, analyzed by an α-step apparatus.

The X-ray low angle reflectivity measurement is used to investigate single and bilayer films to determine the parameters of nanometer-scale structures, three effectual methods are presented by using X-ray reflectivity analysis to provide an accurate estimation of the nanometer film structures. The parameters of tungsten (W) single layer, such as the material density, interface roughness and deposition rate, were obtained easily and speedily. The base metal layer was introduced to measure the profiles of single low Z material film. A 0.3 nm chromium (Cr) film was also studied by low angle reflectivity analysis.

Interest in the ultralow density X-ray laser target has led to the development of methods for preparing low density materials containing special elements such as Ge and Ta. A new method is used to synthesize ultralow density SiO2GeO2 binary aerogels, the density achieved can be as low as 5 kg/m3 and the weight percent of germanium can be higher than 40. TEM micrographs show that these SiO2GeO2 binary aerogels have a network structure with an average chain diameter of about 8 nm. SEM micrographs show their mesopores to be of the size 102 nm, while their pores of the size 1–102 nm are measured by the N2 adsorption method.

Intrinsic stresses of carbon films deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering were investigated. The bombardments of energetic particles during the growth of films were considered to be the main reason for compressive intrinsic stresses. The values of intrinsic stresses were determined by measuring the radius of curvature of substrates before and after film deposition. By varying argon pressure and target-substrate distance, energies of neutral carbon atoms impinging on the growing films were optimized to control the intrinsic stresses level. The stress evolution in carbon films as a function of film thickness was investigated and a void-related stress relief mechanism was proposed to interpret this evolution.

Mutilayers are important optical elements and widely used for extreme ultraviolet astronomical observation. For selecting the emission line multilayers should have high reflectivity and narrow spectral bandwidth. In this paper, six different multilayers including Si/C, Si/B 4 C, Si/Mo/B 4 C, Si/SiC, Mg/SiC and Mo/Si were designed for normal incidence angle of 5° at He-IIemission line(λ=30.4 nm). These multilayers have been fabricated using a direct current magnetron sputtering system. The period of multilayers were measured by X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and the reflectivities were measured on National Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Hefei, China. Then the reflectivities and the spectral bandwidth of these multilayers were compared respectively. It shows that the spectral bandwidth of multilayers of low Z materials is narrower than that of the normal Mo/Si multiayer, the reflectivity of Si/Mo/B 4 C multilayer is higher than that of Si-based multilayers of two kinds of materials. And Mg/SiC multilayer has the highest reflectivity of 43.81% and the narrowest spectral bandwidth of 1.44nm, which proves that Mg/SiC multilayer is more potential for selecting the emission line in extreme ultraviolet solar physics.

We investigate the adhesion mechanism of aluminum spheres on a silicon substrate. Aluminum particles in the size range of 60-1500 nm were deposited onto a silicon substrate. It was found that aluminum particles underwent plastic deformation rather than elastic deformation because of van der Waals interactions. A finite element model developed recently is also used to analyze our results. Because the MP model was proposed to describe plastic deformation based on an analysis of metal microcontacts, our results prove the correctness of the MP model from its origin and basis of arguments.

Recently, the scope of the investigation of the deformation mechanism extended to the micrometer and submicrometer regimes. The sphere−substrate contact method was usually used because it is rather difficult to make two micrometer or submicrometer spheres contact each other precisely. Here, we used the sphere−sphere contact method via a novel, simple process to investigate the deformation of spheres. The silica particle size ranges from 400 to 900 nm. Traditionally, the harder the particle, the smaller both the contact radius and the adhesion force. Therefore, it is widely accepted that silica particles should undergo elastic deformation, but we found that silica particles underwent plastic deformation rather than elastic deformation because of van der Waals interaction. The contact radii were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

SiC/Mg, Mo/Si and SiC/Si period multilayer mirrors were developed for solar He-II radiation at 30.4 nm. The optical stabilities of the SiC/Mg multilayer were investigated before and after space environment simulation tests for the purpose of potential application in space extreme ultraviolet observation. The multilayers are deposited by using direct current magnetron sputtering method in Ar gas atmosphere on polished fused silica substrate. Then, the reflectivities were measured at synchrotron radiation. The SiC/Mg multilayer provides the highest reflectivity of 34.0%, only 18.6% and 13.9% for Mo/Si and SiC/Si multilayer mirrors. However, Mg is known to be highly reactive and low melting point. Therefore, the thermal cycling stability test and radiation exposure experiments were performed for SiC/Mg multilayer to simulate the space environment, respectively. The testing results indicate that the reflectivity of SiC/Mg multilayer decreases slightly. After thermal cycling from -45 to 145 Celsius degree three times, the reflectivity decrease from 34.0% to 31.0%. After gamma radiation exposure, the reflectivity decreases from 31.4% to 29.4%.

In this paper, Stober process with high concentration of tetra-ethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) up to 1.24 M is used to prepare monodisperse and uniform-size silica particles. The reactions are carried out at [TEOS]=0.22-1.24 M, low concentrations of ammonia ([NH(3)]=0.81[TEOS]), and [H(2)O]=6.25[TEOS] in isopropanol. The solids content in the resulting suspension achieves a maximum value of 7.45% at 1.24 M TEOS. Various-sized particles in the range of 30-1000 nm are synthesized. The influences of TEOS, NH(3), and H(2)O on the size and size distribution of the particles are discussed. A modified monomer addition model combined with aggregation model is proposed to analyze the formation mechanism of silica particles.

Multilayer mirrors are the important optical elements for astronomical observation at extreme ultraviolet region. In this article, three kinds of multilayer mirrors were introduced for solar observation and magnetosphere observation. Mo/Si multilayer mirror was fabricated for solar Fe-XII emission line at wavelength of 19.5nm. For solar He-II radiation at 30.4 nm, Mo/Si, Si/SiC, Si/C, Si/B4C and Mg/SiC multilayers were investigated, and the measurements results shows that Mg/SiC multilayer provides the highest reflectivity of 43.8% at incidence angle of 5 degree. The third multilayer mirror was a dual-function mirror used for earth's magnetosphere observation, which requires high-reflective for He-II emission line at wavelength of 30.4nm but anti-reflectance at 58.4nm from ionosphere He-I emission. Using aperiodic Mg/SiC multilayer, the dual-function multilayer mirror was designed. Compared to periodic multilayer, the dual-function multilayer suppresses the reflectivity for He-I at 58.4nm from 2.2% to 0.1%, without loss of the reflection for He-II at 30.4nm, significantly.

The SiC/Mg and B4C/Mo/Si multilayers were fabricated for He-II radiation at 30.4nm. The measured reflectivitier were 38.0% for SiC/Mg multilayer at incident angle 12 degree, and 32.5% for B4C/Mo/Si multilayer at 5 degree, respectively.

200μg/cm2 free-standing Zr filters of 20mm in diameter were prepared .Results show that the transmittance is 19% at 13.9nm, Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen are the major impurities that affect transmittance in the soft X-ray region.

We designed two kinds of supermirrors composed of Carbon and Tungsten in current paper. Using Simplex Optimization method, we designed C/W supermirror with broad incident angular range (0.5°~0.9°) at Cu Kα line (λ=0.154nm). Connecting the analytical method, based on oversimplified analytical and semi-empirical formulas, with the Simplex Optimization method, we designed C/W supermirror with broad photon energy range (16~25keV), at θ=0.5°. The negative effect, due to the interfacial roughness and diffusion between the adjacent sublayers in multilayer, also emerges in simulating the practice performance of the both supermirrors. The supermirrors with broad incident angular range were fabricated by DC magnetron sputtering, because such supermirror is easy to be measured at our lab, using X-ray diffractormeter. The measured reflectivity near the first order Bragg peak is about 30% at Cu Kα line. The roughness factor is about 0.84nm by the fitting data.

The broadband x-ray supermirrors have been designed, fabricated and studied experimentally. They are intended for operating in the photon energy range from 12.4 to 20keV at the fixed grazing incident angle of 0.5°. The choice of material pairs composing a non-periodic multilayer structure is considered from the maximum achievable reflectivity and the layer structure stability. Tungsten and silicon are selected, which have the great index contrast in this energy range and are suitable for fabrication with the use of the vested coating system. The interface width determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lies in the range of 0.4~0.6nm. Following a theoretical approach including analytical and numerical techniques, the designed multilayer mirrors have a practically constant reflectivity of about 24% in the desired photon energy range. The multilayers were deposited onto polished silicon substrates by a high vacuum DC magnetron sputtering system and were characterized by x-ray diffractormeter (XRD) at 8.0keV. The experiments show that the sample has about 10% reflectivity in a wide angular range; The roughness of the interface for both tungsten on silicon layer and silicon on tungsten layer was estimated to be about 0.5nm. Oscillations in the reflectivity curve proved to be larger than the expected ones. They may be caused by the random variation of the layer thickness, as well as the interdiffusion between two materials. Possibilities for further improvements of wideband multilayer mirrors are analysed as well.

ZrO 2 thin films were prepared by sol-gel technology from suitable zirconia aqueous colloidal suspensions containing nano-crystalline ZrO 2 at room temperature synthesized by hydrothermal process from inorganic precursor (ZrOCl 2 (DOT) 8 H 2 O). By adding a soluble organic binder PVP to the suspension prior to application, it substantially increased the coating refractive index and the abrasion- resistance as well as the laser damage threshold. The features of the coatings and the colloidal suspensions were investigated. Multilayer highly reflective dielectric coatings were also elaborated by laying down quarterwave- thick alternating coatings of the binder-aided zirconia and silica, which was prepared with the sol-gel process from TEOS. Laser damage thresholds of 20 and 18 J/cm 2 (1064 nm, 1 ns) were achieved for single ZrO 2 -PVP coating and ZrO 2 -PVP/SiO 2 multilayers respectively.

Oxide growth on rare-earth erbium film at room temperature was quantitatively followed by means of quartz oscillation technique. Structure and chemistry of the oxide layer were characterized by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The humidity in oxidizing environment is found to be the key factor leading to the increase of oxidation rate of the erbium film. The oxide layer is composed of crystallites of erbium and erbium oxide. The O 1s photoelectron spectra are characterized by two components that are assigned to oxide and hydroxide species respectively. The oxide layer shows a layered structure with an oxide layer covered by a hydroxide overlayer.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Experimental results on aperiodic broadband transmission molybdenum/silicon multilayer phase retarders for the extreme ultraviolet range are presented. The broadband phase retarders were designed using a numerical method and made using direct current magnetron sputtering on silicon nitride membrane. The polarization properties of these aperiodic transmission phase retarders have been investigated using the soft x-ray polarimeter at BESSY-II. The measured phase shift was about 42° in the wavelength range of 13.8–15.5nm, and the corresponding s-component transmission (Ts) decreased from 6% to 2% with increasing wavelength.

Broadband extreme ultraviolet molybdenum/yttrium aperiodic multilayer analyzers were designed for polarization experiments in 8.5–11.7nm wavelength range. The multilayer analyzers were made using direct current magnetron sputtering and characterized using the soft x-ray polarimeter at BESSY-II facility. Measured s reflectivities at the Brewster angle are 5.5% for a multilayer designed for 8.5–10.1nm wavelength range and 6.1% for one designed for 9.1–11.7nm. The multilayers also exhibit high polarization degree up to 98.79%. In addition, the multilayer was also measured over 38°–52° angular range at the fixed wavelength of 10.2nm and the mean s reflectivity is 6.2%.

Nonperiodic molybdenum/silicon broadband multilayer polarizers have been designed using numerical optimization algorithm and fabricated using direct current magnetron sputtering. Their performances have been characterized using the high precision eight-axis soft x-ray polarimeter at the BESSY facility. Different multilayers have measured s-polarized reflectivities of 27% at 13.1nm and higher than 15% over the wavelength range of 13–19nm. Nearly constant s reflectivity, up to 37%, is observed over the 15–17nm wavelength range, where the degree of polarization is more than 98%. Furthermore, these multilayer polarizers also show high s reflectivity and polarization over a broad angular range at fixed wavelength.

The design, fabrication and characterization of the X-ray supermirrors are discussed in this paper. Using the local optimization method of simplex algorithm and the global one of simulated annealing algorithm with different initial multilayer structures, we designed the broad angular band supermirrors with different grazing incidence angle intervals at the energy of 8.0 keV (the Kα line of Cu) and the broad energetic band supermirrors with different energy intervals at fixed grazing incidence angles. The fabricating techniques for depositing non-periodic multilayers are also studed. The W/C and W/Si supermirrors are deposited on silicon substrates and characterized by a high resolution X-ray D1 diffractometer from Bede Company, UK. Choosing the interface roughness and the densities of the materials as independent variables, some measured reflectivity curves are fitted using the Debye-Waller factor with interface roughness. The experimental results show that the optical performances of the fabricated supermirrors are in agreement with the designed ones.