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A new mixed alkali hydro-isocyanurate, RbNa(HC3N3O3)·2H2O, with the noncentrosymmetric space group Pna21 (No. 33), has been successfully grown by a hydrothermal method. The structure can be described as 2D wavy [Na(HC3N3O3)O4]∞ layers separated by Rb atoms. The UV-vis diffuse reflection measurement revealed that RbNa(HC3N3O3)·2H2O has a large band gap of 5.10 eV, corresponding to the UV cutoff edge of 241 nm. The polarizing microscope measurement of a micron-sized single crystal shows that RbNa(HC3N3O3)·2H2O has a large birefringence of 0.194. The powder SHG measurement indicated that RbNa(HC3N3O3)·2H2O exhibits a strong SHG effect that is 5.3 times that of KH2PO4 (KDP) and can realize phase-matching in the visible and UV region. Moreover, the differences in the SHG responses between RbNa(HC3N3O3)·2H2O and two isostructural compounds have been investigated, which depend heavily on the structural modulation of the (HC3N3O3)2− group by cations. Meanwhile, the electronic structures and optical properties were well analyzed using DFT methods.

An alkali rare-earth phosphate fluoride nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal, Na3Sc2(PO4)2F3 (NSPOF), was designed and synthesized. The structure of NSPOF can be described as a three-dimensional (3D) framework assembled with a chessboard-shaped two-dimensional (2D) [Sc2P2O8F3]∞ layer and disordered Na+ cations in the cavities, possessing [PO4]3− tetrahedral groups and [ScO4F2] tetrahedral bipyramids as fundamental building blocks. With the introduction of Sc3+ and F− into the phosphate moiety, the NSPOF exhibited an obviously enlarged birefringence of 0.0978@546.1 nm, which is large enough for phase-matching (PM) in the UV region. In particular, the shortest PM wavelength calculated based on the calculated refractive index dispersion curve can reach 305 nm, which is shorter than those of most reported phosphates. The large birefringence can be attributed to the uniform alignment of [ScO4F2] tetrahedral bipyramids and the [PO4]3− tetrahedral groups. This work will provide a new avenue for the design and discovery of more phosphate NLO materials with large birefringence.

Two new d10-transition metal iodate fluorides, centrosymmetric ZnIO3F and noncentrosymmetric CdIO3F, were successfully synthesized by intriguing structure evolution. Both compounds have higher thermal stability and CdIO3F has a large SHG response and wide band gap. Our study may afford a viable route to design materials with excellent NLO functions.

Birefringence of a crystal is an important optical property. For example, birefringence is crucial to realizing phase-matching condition for nonlinear optical crystals that are applied to laser technologies. However, it is difficult to analyze the origin of birefringence and then to tune it for practical applications. Here, we developed a method to apply the Bader charge analysis to the investigation of the birefringence of crystal on an atomic scale based on the density functional theory calculation. We calculated the birefringence of nonlinear optical crystals CsPbCO3F and KSrCO3F as a demonstration using this method. It is shown that [CO3]2– and F– make opposite contributions to the birefringence for both crystals. The birefringence contributions from cations are 22 and −29% for Pb and Cs, respectively, in the CsPbCO3F crystal, while the contributions from Sr and K is −11 and −4% to the birefringence of KSrCO3F, respectively. Using this Bader charge analysis method, we can obtain the individual ion’s c...

Two ternary non-chalcopyrite pnictide-based nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals, BaGe2P2 (BGP) and BaGe2As2 (BGA) with the non-centrosymmetric tetragonal space group P42mc (NO.105), were successfully ...

An unusual tetra-nuclear linear cyanido-bridged complex [Ru2 (μ-ap)4 -CN-Ru2 (μ-ap)4 ](BPh4 ) (1) (ap=2-anilinopyridinate) has been synthesized and well characterized. The crystallographic data, magnetic measurement, IR, EPR and theoretical calculation results demonstrate that complex 1 is the first example of mixed spin Ru2 5+ -based complex with uncommon electronic configurations of S=1/2 for the cyanido-C bound Ru2 5+ and S=3/2 for the cyanido-N bound Ru2 5+ . This phenomenon can be understood by the theoretical calculation results that from the precursor Ru2 (μ-ap)4 (CN) (S=3/2) to complex 1 the energy gap between π* and δ* orbitals of the cyanido-C bound Ru2 5+ core increases from 0.57 to 1.61 eV due to the enhancement of asymmetrical π back-bonding effect, but that of the cyanido-N bound Ru2 5+ core is essential identical (0.56 eV). Besides, the analysis of UV/Vis-NIR spectra suggests that there exists metal to metal charge transfer (MMCT) from the cyanido-N bound Ru2 5+ (S=3/2) to the cyanido-C bound Ru2 5+ (S=1/2), supported by the TDDFT calculations.

The mid/far-infrared (MFIR) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials are very important for the development of new laser sources through laser frequency conversion technologies. In this work, two new noncentrosymmetric chalcogenide compounds Ba10In6Zn7S10Se16 (S10Se16) and Ba10In6Zn7Se26 (Se26) were successfully synthesized for MFIR NLO materials. They are composed of T2 super tetrahedron and show excellent comprehensive NLO performance. Their NLO coefficients are approximately 0.7 and 0.8 times of AgGaS2 at 2.05 μm, and both have high laser induced damage threshold (LIDT) about 12.3 and 10.0 times of AgGaS2, respectively. Both compounds show consistent melting characteristics, which is beneficial for the growth of large-size crystals. The band gaps, NLO coefficients, and density of states (DOS) of the crystals are calculated by first principles simulations to study the origination of NLO response, which indicates that the NLO performance of Se26 is mainly derived from tetrahedrons and supertetrahedrons composed of In/Zn and Se.

Although cellulose hydrogels are one of promising biomaterials for drug release carrier, their passive manner of drug release and the absence of remote stimuli response limit their further applications. Herein, we report a simple one-pot method for the synthesis of magnetic β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)/cellulose hydrogel beads, which exhibited rapid swelling–deswelling properties under an external magnetic field (EMF) to remotely control drug release from passive release to stepwise release. The grafted β-CD endows the hydrogel with high drug loading capacity and, simultaneously, the incorporation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles provide the force for stepwise drug release through EMF induced rapid and reversible deformation of 3D network. We demonstrate that the efficiency of the hydrogel in the stepwise drug release dose and rate can be controlled by switching on–off the EMF and adjusting the content of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Additionally, results from cytotoxicity tests confirmed the excellent biocompatibility of the developed hydrogel, which is promising to be used in the biomedical field.

Enough exposure of an active face is a key factor of nanocatalysis for sustainable energy conversion. Here, we exhibit the effect of axial coordination of organic metal complex molecules on the mor...

Two hydrated borate crystals, namely, centrosymmetric LiRbB5O8(OH)·H2O (LRB) and non-centrosymmetric K2B5O8(OH)·2H2O (K2B5), were successfully synthesized by a solvothermal technique. Although two titled compounds have the same fundamental building block B5O10(OH), the distinct linkage modes make them exhibit completely different structures. Compounds LRB and K2B5 crystallize in the nonpolar space group of P21/n and polar space group Pna21, respectively. Thermal analyses of both compounds were performed. Besides, they had short UV cutoff edge (

Sjögren's syndrome or radiotherapy for head and neck cancer leads to the irreversible hypofunction of salivary gland (SG). The stem/progenitor cell-based regenerative strategy has been proven to be the most promising approach to repair the function of SG. The molecular mechanisms that regulate SG morphogenesis, especially during lumen formation, provide valuable hints for establishment of such regenerative strategies. It has been demonstrated that numerous growth factors particularly belonging to SHH, BMP, and FGF signaling pathway are involved in the regulation of lumen formation and have shown protective effects on the SG from irradiation in mouse models. However, it remains elusive whether the expression pattern and function of these signaling molecules are conserved in humans. In this study, we examined the expression patterns of the molecules critical for SHH, BMP, and FGF signaling cascades from the canalicular stage to the terminal bud stage, the key stages for lumen formation, in human SG and compared them with the expression data observed in mice. Our results manifested that genes involved in SHH signaling pathway showed identical expression patterns, while genes involved in BMP as well as FGF pathway exhibited similar but distinct expression patterns in humans to those in the mouse. We concluded that the expression patterns of genes involved in SHH, BMP, and FGF pathways in the development of human SG exhibit high similarity to that in the development of mouse SG during lumen formation, suggesting that the molecular mechanism regulating the morphogenesis of SG during lumen formation may be conserved in mice and humans. Our results will have an implication in the future establishment of stem-cell based approaches for the repair of SG function.

Mid- and far-infrared nonlinear optical (MFIR NLO) materials are important in modern laser technologies. However, it is very challenging to develop materials that can achieve a subtle balance between the key requirements, such as large NLO response, high laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT), wide IR transparency, and phase-matching. In this work, a new wide IR transparency (0.38–15.3 μm) NLO crystal Ba10In6Zn7S26 (SS26) is synthesized. Further, its composite system Ba10In6Zn7S26-nZnS is synthesized by eutectic reaction. In particular, Ba10In6Zn7S26-14ZnS (SS40) shows excellent balanced NLO performance that includes a large band gap of 3.05 eV, high LIDT (13.3 × AgGaS2), large second harmonic generation (SHG) response (2.1 × AgGaS2 at 2050 nm, 5.2 × KDP at 1064 nm), and wide optical transmission window (0.37–15.4 μm). Importantly, the phase-matching condition is realized for SS40 by interfaces formed between the crystal face (112) of matrix SS26 and the crystal face (111) of reinforcement cubic ZnS by top...

Balancing the second-harmonic generation (SHG) coefficient, band gap, and birefringence is a vital but addressable challenge for designing infrared nonlinear optical materials. By applying a "rigidity-flexibility coupling" strategy, a quaternary diamond-like phosphide, Mg

The developing human and mouse teeth constitute an ideal model system to study the regulatory mechanism underlying organ growth control due to the fact that their teeth share highly conserved and well-characterized developmental processes and their developmental tempo vary notably. In the current study, we manipulated heterogenous recombination between human and mouse dental tissues and demonstrate that the dental mesenchyme dominates the tooth developmental tempo and FGF8 could be a critical player during this developmental process. Forced activation of FGF8 signaling in the dental mesenchyme of mice promoted cell proliferation, prevented cell apoptosis via p38 and perhaps PI3K-Akt intracellular signaling, and impelled the transition of the cell cycle from G1- to S-phase in the tooth germ, resulting in the slowdown of the tooth developmental pace. Our results provide compelling evidence that extrinsic signals can profoundly affect tooth developmental tempo and the dental mesenchymal FGF8 could be a pivotal factor in controlling developmental pace in a non-cell-autonomous manner during mammalian odontogenesis.

Two polymorphic phosphide-based infrared (IR) nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals, α-Ca

To obtain new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with a large second harmonic generation (SHG) effect has always been a great challenge. We have synthesized the first metal borate-iodate NLO crystal, Be

Objective In chondrogenesis, BMP signaling was inferred to exhibit regional specificity during Meckel's cartilage morphogenesis. This study aimed to explore the differences in BMP signaling activity between different parts of Meckel's cartilage and the impacts of BMP4 or ALK3 deficiency on the development of Meckel's cartilage during embryogenesis. Materials and methods The BRE-gal reporter mouse line was utilized to gain an overall picture of canonical BMP signaling activity, as assessed by X-gal staining. Mouse models lacking either Bmp4 or Alk3 in neural crest cells (Wnt1-Cre;Bmp4fl/fl and Wnt1-Cre;Alk3fl/fl ) were generated to explore the morphogenesis of Meckel's cartilage and the mandibular symphysis, as assessed by skeletal staining, histology, and immunostaining. Results Different parts of Meckel's cartilage exhibited activation of different combinations of BMP signaling pathways. In Wnt1-Cre;Bmp4fl/fl mutants, Sox9+ condensation of the chondrogenic rostral process failed to form, and the V-shaped Runx2+ tissue was split in the median mandibular symphysis. The Wnt1-Cre;Bmp4fl/fl and Wnt1-Cre;Alk3fl/fl mouse models both exhibited truncated Meckel's cartilage, aberrant mandibular intramembranous bone, and tongue muscle abnormalities. Conclusions The central hard-tissue loss of both mutant mouse models led to a mandibular symphysis cleft, mimicking the typical sign of the median mandible Tessier 30 cleft in humans.

Over the last few decades, the development of each new nonlinear optical (NLO)-active functional unit has led to the discoveries of a series of excellent NLO materials. In the present work, based on first-principles studies, we identified a novel deep-UV (DUV) NLO-active functional unit, a non-π-conjugated group viz. (NH

Currently, to obtain new ultraviolet (UV) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with large second-harmonic generation (SHG) response and short SHG phase-matching cutoff wavelength (λ

Two new alkaline earth barbiturates, Ca(H

Two new d10-transition metal iodate fluorides, centrosymmetric ZnIO3F and noncentrosymmetric CdIO3F, were successfully synthesized by intriguing structure evolution. Both compounds have higher thermal stability and CdIO3F has a large SHG response and wide band gap. Our study may afford a viable route to design materials with excellent NLO functions.

The first alkali-metal nitrate isocyanurates, A(H

A novel mixed alkali hydro-isocyanurate, KLi(HC3N3O3)·2H2O was first prepared in AOH-BOH-H3C3N3O3 (A/B = Li/Na/K/Rb/Cs) system via a solvent-drop grinding method. KLi(HC3N3O3)·2H2O shows a large second harmonic generation response (5.3 × KH2PO4) with an ultraviolet cutoff edge of 237 nm. More importantly, the bulk single crystal can be readily grown through water solution technique. Characterization of these crystals indicates that KLi(HC3N3O3)·2H2O has a high laser damage threshold (LDT) (4.76 GW/cm2) and exhibits a large birefringence (Δn = 0.186@514 nm), which reduces Type I phase-matching to 246 nm.

A combination of conductive polymer with natural biomass is an ideal alternative to the classical conductive materials. In this study, PPy/SA/TOMFC composite hydrogels were fabricated by incorporation of TEMPO-oxidized microfibrillated cellulose (TOMFC) into the alginate-based matrix along with the in situ polymerization of pyrrole monomer. It was found that the mechanical and conductive properties of the composite hydrogels were associated with the concentration of TOMFC, which facilitated the formation of more compact 3D network structures and the growing of PPy conductive network. The mechanical properties of the synthesized hydrogels were significantly enhanced by incorporation of higher amount of TOMFC. In addition, with the introduction of 5.0 wt% TOMFC, the electrical conductivity of composite hydrogels could be ten times higher than that of PPy/SA hydrogels. Moreover, the obtained PPy/SA/TOMFC hydrogels exhibited tunable swelling properties and good biocompatibility, making them promising candidates for the use as biomaterial.

An alkaline-earth-metal iodate fluoride, Ba(IO

Two unprecedented metal borate-iodates, Sr[B(OH)4](IO3) (SBIO) and Li4Sr5[B12O22(OH)4](IO3)2 (LSBIO), were synthesized via the strategy of introducing (IO3)− into borates. In particular, the LSBIO possessed a new B12O26 fundamental building block (FBB). The two compounds integrated the advantages of both pure iodates and borates, showing enlarged band gaps and birefringence. Moreover, diverse B–O FBBs achieved the modulation of birefringence. This work reported the first two examples of borate-iodates.

A new series of dihydro-isocyanurates, namely, RE(H2C3N3O3)2·(OH)·xH2O (RE = La, Y and Gd) was readily obtained by a mild hydrothermal technique using lithium hydroxide as a deprotonation agent. La(H2C3N3O3)2·OH·2H2O and Re(H2C3N3O3)2·OH·5H2O (Re = Y, Gd) crystallized in the centrosymmetric (CS) space groups P21/c and P1[combining macron], respectively. Their intricate 3D frameworks were built by cationic polyhedrons (LaO8N/ReO8) and (H2C3N3O3)- groups. The experiments and theoretical studies demonstrated that these compounds possessed short ultraviolet cut-off edges (≤240 nm) and large birefringences (Δn≥ 0.257@546.1 nm). In addition, the theoretical studies further revealed that the (H2C3N3O3)2- group plays a pivotal role in strengthening the optical anisotropy for all compounds.

Organic mechanochromic luminescent (ML) materials have attracted extensive interest due to their potential uses in displays, sensing, bioimaging and data storage. ML materials that distinctively respond to different mechanical stimuli are especially fascinating. A simple pyridinium-based white-light emitter (P1-PF6) exhibiting this sort of ML with room-temperature fluorescence-phosphorescence dual emission (rFPDE) was found to possess a 3.66% quantum yield. Interestingly, mechanical grinding induced phosphorescence disappearance owing to a collapse of the crystalline ordering. Grinding followed by adding a drop of ethanol resulted in an extraordinary tricolor emission switching between white, blue and pinkish orange. More interestingly, mechanical pressing induced phosphorescence enhancement, resulting in the emission color changing from white to pinkish orange. This novel phenomenon may be due to the fact that pressure facilitates a closer arrangement between adjacent molecules, thereby enhancing the intermolecular interactions. In sum, a very scarce example is herein reported. Moreover, because the pure organic pyridinium with rFPDE achieves reversible two-channel ML over a wide wavelength range, this material has potential applications in multi-dimensional sensors.

Developing physical hydrogels with advanced mechanical performance and multi-functionalities as alterative materials for load-bearing soft tissues remains a great challenge. Biological protein-based materials generally exhibit superior strength and toughness owing to their hierarchical structures via hydrogen-bonding assembly. Inspired by natural biological protein materials, tannic acid (TA) is exploited as a molecular coupling bridge between cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) chains for the fabrication of a bio-based advanced physical hydrogel via strong multiple H-bonds. When exposed to mechanical stress, the sacrificial H-bonds can dissipate energy effectively on the molecular scale via dynamic rupture and reformation, endowing these biomimetic hydrogels with remarkable toughness, ultrahigh strength, large elongation, and good self-recoverability, which are much superior to those of most hydrogen bond-based hydrogels. Moreover, the characteristics of TA endow these biomimetic hydrogels with versatile adhesiveness and good antibacterial properties. This work presents an innovative biomimetic strategy for robust biocompatible hydrogels with superior mechanical strength and functionalities, which holds great promise for applications in tissue engineering and biomedical fields.

An effective approach, the partial aliovalent cation substitution (PACS), was successfully employed to develop nonlinear optical (NLO) material. Two novel rare earth carbonates, Y2(CO3)3·H2O (YC) and (NH4)2Ca2Y4(CO3)9·H2O (CYC), were synthesized, which feature the same honeycomb-like framework structure. From YC to CYC, the partial substitution of Y3+ with Ca2+ led to the evolution of space group from centrosymmetric P63/mcm to noncentrosymmetric P63mc. The CYC exhibited a second harmonic generation (SHG) effect of 2.1 × KH2PO4 (KDP) and a deep-UV cutoff edge (

KBe2 BO3 F2 (KBBF) is still the only practically usable crystal that can generate deep-ultraviolet (DUV) coherent light by direct second harmonic generation (SHG). However, applications are hindered by layering, leading to difficulty in the growth of thick crystals and compromised mechanical integrity. Despite efforts, it is still a great challenge to discover new nonlinear optical (NLO) materials that overcome the layering while keeping the DUV SHG available. Now, two new DUV NLO beryllium borates have been successfully designed and synthesized, NH4 Be2 BO3 F2 (ABBF) and γ-Be2 BO3 F (γ-BBF), which not only overcome the layering but also can be used as next-generation DUV NLO materials with the shortest type I phase-matching second-harmonic wavelength down to 173.9 nm and 146 nm, respectively. Significantly, γ-BBF is superior to KBBF in all metrics and would be the most outstanding DUV NLO crystal.

We systematically investigate saturated adsorption of H atoms on the SrTiO3 (001) surface to reveal the origin of H2 molecule formation using density functional theory methods. We find that H atoms prefer to adsorb on O sites at low coverage, while adsorbing on Ti sites at higher coverage. Interestingly, H on O sites and H on neighboring Ti sites (HTi) dimerize to form H2 molecules provided that enough electrons are doped in the conduction bands of SrTiO3. Bader charges and electronic structures show that negatively charged HTi plays a decisive role in the formation of H2. Both calculated hydrogen coverage and electron density at saturated adsorption are in good agreement with experimental values. Our results provide an illuminating instance of H2 formation on perfect oxide surface, which shall pave the way to further understanding the detailed mechanism of H2 evolution on more complex oxide surfaces.

Three new alkaline-rare earth carbonate and carbonate fluorides, KY(CO3)2, Na2Gd(CO3)F3 and NaGd0.25Lu0.75(CO3)F2, were synthesized through the subcritical hydrothermal method. The three crystals crystallize in the centrosymmetric space groups C2/c, Pbca and Pnma, respectively. All the three compounds were structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction. The ultraviolet–visible–near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectra indicate that the absorption edges of all crystals are below 200 nm. The first-principles calculations show that the birefringences of KY(CO3)2, Na2Gd(CO3)F3 and NaGd0.25Lu0.75(CO3)F2 are 0.105, 0.084 and 0.198, respectively. The birefringences for all compounds originate from a geometrical addition of the microscopic anisotropic polarizability of the planar [CO3] groups. And the smaller the angle between the [CO3] group and the crystal axis is, the larger the structure factor C will be, and the corresponding birefringence will also be larger.

A new polar iodate fluoride, PbFIO3, was designed via multisite substitution by taking BiO(IO3) as a prototype. It crystalizes in the polar space group Iba2. Similar to BiO(IO3), it has an Aurivillius-type cationic [PbF]+ layer. As regarding IO3 polyhedron in PbFIO3, they inherit the beneficial arrangement of IO3 polyhedron in BiO(IO3), which result in the strong second-harmonic generation (SHG) response about 8 times that of KH2PO4 (KDP). In addition, benefiting from the introduction of strong electronegative F atoms replacing the O atoms of 2D (Bi2O2)2+ layer, PbFIO3 exhibits a larger band gap about 3.87 eV compared to BiO(IO3) (3.3 eV). Besides strong SHG response and wide band gap, PbFIO3 possess a moderate birefringence of 0.06@546.1 nm as well. These superior linear and nonlinear optical (NLO) properties make PbFIO3 being a potential NLO crystal.

We develop a new method to calculate nonlinear optical (NLO) susceptibility and give a definition of the extended figure of merit (EFOM) contributed from optical susceptibility, refractive index, and absorptions to evaluate the material intrinsic property. The calculated phonon frequency determines the infrared absorption coefficient and transparent cutoff edge. We calculate the conversion efficiencies of the terahertz source generating from chalcogenides PbM6Te10 (M = Ga, In), based on difference frequency generation of optical process in terms of the EFOM and experiment parameters. The calculated terahertz light conversion efficiencies of PbGa6Te10 and PbIn6Te10 are in the order of 10–3 to 10–2 at low side of THz wavelengths, and the conversion efficiency of PnIn6Te10 is larger than that of PbGa6Te10 at the same conditions. A small terahertz wavelength and absorption coefficient and a large nonlinear susceptibility, that is, a large EFOM will result in a large conversion efficiency. These studies give a...

A new noncentrosymmetric material, namely, K2[B3O3(OH)5] has been obtained by conventional solution reaction. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Ama2 (no. 40). In the structure of K2[B3O3(OH)5], the BO2(OH) triangles and BO2(OH)2 tetrahedra are linked via sharing corners forming the isolated [B3O3(OH)5]2- anionic groups with no dangling bonds in oxygen atoms. And K2[B3O3(OH)5] is the first synthetic noncentrosymmetric borates with [B3O3(OH)5]2- anionic groups. Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) using the Kurtz−Perry technique showed that K2[B3O3(OH)5] is type I phase-matchable, and the measured SHG coefficient is 0.32 times that of KH2PO4. The UV transmittance spectroscopy measurement indicated that the UV absorption edge was below 200 nm, suggesting that K2[B3O3(OH)5] might be a promising deep-UV nonlinear optical material. Band structure and optical property calculations based on DFT methods were also performed.

Two new sodium–zinc carbonates, NaZnCO3F and Na4Zn(CO3)3, were designed and synthesized. As a new AMCO3F (A = alkali metal; M = divalent metal) type crystal, the moderate SHG effect of 2.75 × KDP and large birefringence (Δn = 0.171 at 1064 nm) of NaZnCO3F indicate its UV NLO applications. The centrosymmetric Na4Zn(CO3)3 could be used as a UV birefringence material. Remarkably, a new rotation regulation mechanism was found with the synthesis of NaZnCO3F, which improved the previous theory proposed for the ATCO3F (A = K, Rb; T = Zn, Cd) and will provide more accurate guidance for the synthesis of other new members with rotating layers in the AMCO3F family.

Two new centric alkali metal bismuth selenite fluorides, ABi2SeO3F5 (A = K and Rb), have been synthesized through a soft hydrothermal method. KBi2SeO3F5 crystallizes in an orthorhombic crystal system with the centric space group Pbcm possessing a three-dimensional (3D) network made up of SeO3 trigonal pyramids and asymmetric BiO3F5 polyhedra. As regards compound RbBi2SeO3F5, it crystallizes in a triclinic crystal system with a centric space group of P1[combining macron], which contains alternant two-dimensional (2D) [Bi2SeO3F5]∞1- layers separated by Rb+ cations. In terms of structure, the differences between KBi2SeO3F5 and RbBi2SeO3F5 originate from the size of alkali metal cations, which has a great influence on the framework geometry and the dimensionalities of crystals. The UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study of powder samples indicates that the band gaps of KBi2SeO3F5 and RbBi2SeO3F5 are approximately 4.08 and 4.18 eV, respectively, which are the largest ones among the known bismuth selenites owing to the existence of alkali metal cations as well as fluorine anions in crystals. Furthermore, theoretical calculations show that the optical absorption of two compounds is mainly attributed to the contribution of BiOxFy polyhedra and [SeO3]2- anionic groups.

In this work, we chose to explore the infrared (IR) nonlinear optical (NLO) materials centering on Cd and Ge elements, and finally synthesized a new IR NLO quaternary selenide BaCdGeSe4. Compound BaCdGeSe4 crystallizes in non-centrosymmetric (NCS) space group Fdd2 (No. 43), and it is built by parallel two-dimensional (2D) anionic [CdGeSe4]2- layers with the cation Ba2+ embedded between the layers. Under the 2050 ​nm laser excitation, compound BaCdGeSe4 appears type-I phase-matchable behavior and its second-harmonic generation intensities is about 0.5 times of AgGaS2.

A new noncentrosymmetric (NCS) material, namely, Na2GdCO3F3 has been obtained using the hydrothermal method. Na2GdCO3F3 exhibits an intricate three-dimensional structure that is composed of NaO4F2, NaO2F4 and GdO3F6 distorted polyhedra and planar [CO3] triangles. Powder second-harmonic generation (SHG) using the Kurtz−Perry technique shows that Na2GdCO3F3 is type I phase-matchable, and the measured SHG coefficient was 2.0 times that of KH2PO4(KDP). The result from the UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study of the powder samples indicated that the short-wavelength absorption edge was below 200 nm, suggesting that Na2GdCO3F3 is a promising deep-UV nonlinear optical material.

Purpose: Our previous study found that in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of the K14-cre; Ctnnb1ex3f mouse embryo, the morphogenesis of glenoid fossa was interrupted by the dislocated condyle. This observation suggested that the formation of the glenoid fossa required tissue interactions with condylar mesenchyme. The purpose of this study was to clarify if the interactions between other components are essential for TMJ morphogenesis.Materials and methods: We examined the gross morphology, histology, cell proliferation, and gene expression in the developing TMJ of K14-cre; Ctnnb1ex3f mice by whole-mount bone and cartilage staining, Azon staining, BrdU labeling, and in situ hybridization, respectively.Results: In K14-cre; Ctnnb1ex3f mice, the zygomatic arch was misconnected to the mandibular bone by ectopic bone formation, which disrupted the attachment of temporalis to the mandibular bone and joint capsule formation. Although the initiation and differentiation of the condylar cartilage were slightly impacted, the K14-cre; Ctnnb1ex3f TMJ lacked joint cavities and separated disc, suggesting that the tissue interactions between the joint capsule and the TMJ were indispensable for the cavity formation and disc separation. The ectopic activation of Gli2 in the cells occupying the cavities, and the enhanced PTHrP transcription in the condylar perichondrium of the K14-cre; Ctnnb1ex3f TMJ suggested that the disrupted interactions between the joint capsule and the TMJ impaired cavity formation and disc separation by altering Hh signaling.Conclusion: Joint capsule formation was essential for cavity formation and disc separation during TMJ development.

An ammonium-containing metal iodate fluoride compound, (NH

Two unprecedented metal borate-iodates, Sr[B(OH)

A new series of dihydro-isocyanurates, namely, RE(H