Direct measurement of electrical transport through DNA molecules

Attempts to infer DNA electron transfer from fluorescence quenching measurements on DNA strands doped with donor and acceptor molecules have spurred intense debate over the question of whether or not this important biomolecule is able to conduct electrical charges. More recently, first electrical transport measurements on micrometre-long DNA 'ropes', and also on large numbers of DNA molecules in films, have indicated that DNA behaves as a good linear conductor. Here we present measurements of electrical transport through individual 10.4-nm-long, double-stranded poly(G)-poly(C) DNA molecules connected to two metal nanoelectrodes, that indicate, by contrast, large-bandgap semiconducting behaviour. We obtain nonlinear current-voltage curves that exhibit a voltage gap at low applied bias. This is observed in air as well as in vacuum down to cryogenic temperatures. The voltage dependence of the differential conductance exhibits a peak structure, which is suggestive of the charge carrier transport being mediated by the molecular energy bands of DNA.     

Room-temperature ferroelectricity in supramolecular networks of charge-transfer complexes

Materials exhibiting a spontaneous electrical polarization that can be switched easily between antiparallel orientations are of potential value for sensors, photonics and energy-efficient memories. In this context, organic ferroelectrics are of particular interest because they promise to be lightweight, inexpensive and easily processed into devices. A recently identified family of organic ferroelectric structures is based on intermolecular charge transfer, where donor and acceptor molecules co-crystallize in an alternating fashion known as a mixed stack: in the crystalline lattice, a collective transfer of electrons from donor to acceptor molecules results in the formation of dipoles that can be realigned by an external field as molecules switch partners in the mixed stack. Although mixed stacks have been investigated extensively, only three systems are known to show ferroelectric switching, all below 71 kelvin. Here we describe supramolecular charge-transfer networks that undergo ferroelectric polarization switching with a ferroelectric Curie temperature above room temperature. These polar and switchable systems utilize a structural synergy between a hydrogen-bonded network and charge-transfer complexation of donor and acceptor molecules in a mixed stack. This supramolecular motif could help guide the development of other functional organic systems that can switch polarization under the influence of electric fields at ambient temperatures.     

Gating charge displacement in voltage-gated ion channels involves limited transmembrane movement

Voltage-gated ion channels are responsible for generating electrical impulses in nerves and other excitable cells. The fourth transmembrane helix (S4) in voltage-gated channels is the primary voltage-sensing unit that mediates the response to a changing membrane electric field. The molecular mechanism of voltage sensing, particularly with respect to the magnitude of the transmembrane movement of S4, remains controversial. To determine the extent of this transmembrane movement, we use fluorescent resonance energy transfer between the S4 domain and a reference point in the lipid bilayer. The lipophilic ion dipicrylamine distributes on either side of the lipid bilayer depending on the membrane potential, and is used here as a resonance-energy-transfer acceptor from donor molecules attached to several positions in the Shaker K+ channel. A voltage-driven transmembrane movement of the donor should produce a transient fluorescence change because the acceptor also translocates as a function of voltage. In Shaker K+ channels no such transient fluorescence is observed, indicating that the S4 segment does not translocate across the lipid bilayer. Based on these observations, we propose a molecular model of voltage gating that can account for the observed 13e gating charge with limited transmembrane S4 movement.     

石墨烯在光电器件中的应用

 讨论了近年来石墨烯在太阳能电池、有机发光二极管以及场致发射器件方面的应用研究。石墨烯是碳的同素异形体的一种,是二维的薄膜材料,具有独特的导电特性及机械弯曲性能,可以作为太阳能电池、有机发光器件的柔性电极;石墨烯与有机聚合物材料复合可以形成大的给体受体界面,有利于太阳能电池中激子的扩散速率、载流子迁移率的提高,可以作为有机太阳能电池的电子受体材料;石墨烯具有一维尖锐的刀口状边缘,具有大的电场增强系数,同时由于石墨烯自身的良好导电能力,可以作为场致发射器件中的电子传导与电场发射材料。石墨烯在光电器件中应用的深入研究有望突破目前光电技术的发展瓶颈,是一个极具前景的新研究领域。     

BaPbO3与BaTiO3陶瓷的导电特性比较

从BaPbO3与BaTiO3多晶态陶瓷的缺陷结构出发,结合不同气氛下烧成试样的室温电导率,探讨两种材料的导电特性与晶体缺陷结构之间的关系,从微观本质上阐述晶体缺陷对材料电学性能的影响.结果表明:BaPbO3与BaTiO3不同的缺陷结构决定了两种材料具有不同的电学性能;BaPbO3材料中受主能级较浅,受主中心所束缚的空穴很容易跃迁至价带形成导电载流子,在氧化气氛下烧成的试样呈高导电性;BaTiO3材料中受主能级较深,氧化气氛下烧成的试样为绝缘体.     

黄铜铬酸表面膜的导电性

采用金属－膜金属结构测量了黄铜在铬酸中形成的表面膜的导电性。实验得到膜的导电性良好，虽为半导体，却表现出准金属行为这一瑟文献报导不同的结论。     

SnO2/Fe2O3复合膜界面电导率特性分析

等离子体化学气相淀积法（PCVD法）制备的复合膜SnO2/Fe2O3界面电导特性是由于非平衡反应生成的过渡层的结果。其电导机理可用半导体薄膜理论来阐明：当锡在Fe2O3中的浓度低时，由于准自由电子补偿机制起作用，电导率升高；当锡与铁在过渡层中浓度接近时，杂质散射和晶界电阻增大，电导率急剧减小。     

SnO_2/Fe_2O_3复合膜界面电导率特性分析

等离子体化学气相淀积法 (PCVD法 )制备的复合膜 Sn O2 /Fe2 O3界面电导特性是由于非平衡反应生成的过渡层的结果 .其电导机理可用半导体薄膜理论来阐明 :当锡在 Fe2 O3中的浓度低时 ,由于准自由电子补偿机制起作用 ,导电率升高 ;当锡与铁在过渡层中浓度接近时 ,杂质散射和晶界电阻增大 ,电导率急剧减小     

低杂波电流驱动等离子体中热电导的分析(英文)

研究了在HT-7托卡马克低杂波电流驱动实验中,等离子体环电压不为零时热电导与剩余环向电场之间的相互作用.实验发现在部分非感应电流驱动实验中,热电导增强了电流驱动.给出了低杂波电流驱动实验中等离子体的热电导.     

Hydrous silicate melt at high pressure

The structure and physical properties of hydrous silicate melts and the solubility of water in melts over most of the pressure regime of Earth's mantle (up to 136 GPa) remain unknown. At low pressure (up to a few gigapascals) the solubility of water increases rapidly with increasing pressure, and water has a large influence on the solidus temperature, density, viscosity and electrical conductivity. Here we report the results of first-principles molecular dynamics simulations of hydrous MgSiO3 melt. These show that pressure has a profound influence on speciation of the water component, which changes from being dominated by hydroxyls and water molecules at low pressure to extended structures at high pressure. We link this change in structure to our finding that the water-silicate system becomes increasingly ideal at high pressure: we find complete miscibility of water and silicate melt throughout almost the entire mantle pressure regime. On the basis of our results, we argue that a buoyantly stable melt at the base of the upper mantle would contain approximately 3 wt% water and have an electrical conductivity of 18 S m(-1), and should therefore be detectable by means of electromagnetic sounding.     

单电流注入的三维MREIT快速重建及实验

磁共振电阻抗成像（MREIT）是将磁共振成像（MRI）与传统电阻抗成像（EIT）技术相结合的一种电导率成像技术,通过提供成像体精确的几何信息与成像体内部的磁通密度值,改善了电阻抗成像的病态性,使得电导率图像的分辨率显著提高．针对MREIT系统的快速成像问题,在分析磁共振电阻抗成像的数学模型和正逆问题的基础上,提出利用单次电流的磁通密度分量即可进行电导率图像重建的方法,缩短了测量时间,并降低了电极间的电磁干扰;将灵敏度矩阵法扩展到三维MREIT,采用半解析法计算灵敏度矩阵,使得图像重建速度得到提高;并通过仿真与仿体实验验证了该方法的有效性．结果表明获得的电导率分布图像具有较高的分辨率和图像质量,测量与重建时间的缩短为MREIT的临床应用奠定了基础．     

The effect of water on the electrical conductivity of olivine

It is well known that water (as a source of hydrogen) affects the physical and chemical properties of minerals--for example, plastic deformation and melting temperature--and accordingly plays an important role in the dynamics and geochemical evolution of the Earth. Estimating the water content of the Earth's mantle by direct sampling provides only a limited data set from shallow regions (<200 km depth). Geophysical observations such as electrical conductivity are considered to be sensitive to water content, but there has been no experimental study to determine the effect of water on the electrical conductivity of olivine, the most abundant mineral in the Earth's mantle. Here we report a laboratory study of the dependence of the electrical conductivity of olivine aggregates on water content at high temperature and pressure. The electrical conductivity of synthetic polycrystalline olivine was determined from a.c. impedance measurements at a pressure of 4 GPa for a temperature range of 873-1,273 K for water contents of 0.01-0.08 wt%. The results show that the electrical conductivity is strongly dependent on water content but depends only modestly on temperature. The water content dependence of conductivity is best explained by a model in which electrical conduction is due to the motion of free protons. A comparison of the laboratory data with geophysical observations suggests that the typical oceanic asthenosphere contains approximately 10(-2) wt% water, whereas the water content in the continental upper mantle is less than approximately 10(-3) wt%.     

Silicon nanowires as efficient thermoelectric materials

Thermoelectric materials interconvert thermal gradients and electric fields for power generation or for refrigeration. Thermoelectrics currently find only niche applications because of their limited efficiency, which is measured by the dimensionless parameter ZT-a function of the Seebeck coefficient or thermoelectric power, and of the electrical and thermal conductivities. Maximizing ZT is challenging because optimizing one physical parameter often adversely affects another. Several groups have achieved significant improvements in ZT through multi-component nanostructured thermoelectrics, such as Bi(2)Te(3)/Sb(2)Te(3) thin-film superlattices, or embedded PbSeTe quantum dot superlattices. Here we report efficient thermoelectric performance from the single-component system of silicon nanowires for cross-sectional areas of 10 nm x 20 nm and 20 nm x 20 nm. By varying the nanowire size and impurity doping levels, ZT values representing an approximately 100-fold improvement over bulk Si are achieved over a broad temperature range, including ZT approximately 1 at 200 K. Independent measurements of the Seebeck coefficient, the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity, combined with theory, indicate that the improved efficiency originates from phonon effects. These results are expected to apply to other classes of semiconductor nanomaterials.     

分子平面性对其双光子吸收特性影响

利用基于密度泛函理论水平下的响应场方法，研究了新近合成的双光子有机分子的非线性光学性质．计算结果表明，该类分子具有较好的双光子吸收特性，分子的官能团供需电子的能力、分子的平面性都是影响分子双光子吸收特性的重要因素．     

基于序列信息理论预测线虫基因选择性剪切位点

基因的选择性剪切使得在DNA上一段相同的序列翻译成多个不同的蛋白质序列.选择性剪切的出现把剪切位点分为选择性供体位点、组成性供体位点、选择性受体位点和组成性受体位点.基于EBI中的线虫基因选择性剪切位点数据库,选取不同位点的单碱基频率和序列片段的三联体频数作为参数,利用位置权重矩阵和离散增量结合支持向量机,对选择性剪切位点进行了理论预测.对选择性供体位点和选择性受体位点的预测成功率分别为63.78%和72.63%,特异性分别为68.02%和83.96%.     

Zn_(0.95)Co_(0.05)O的介电性质研究

通过在高温下(473~1 073 K)对离子电导率、交流电导率以及介电常数和损耗的测量,来研究Zn0.95Co0.05O体系的电学及介电性质,获得了体系的离子导电和交流导电的活化能,以及介电常数和损耗随温度和频率的变化关系.     

P型ZnO：N薄膜的拉曼及光电特性研究

采用电子柬蒸发技术在石英衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜,以N离子注入的方式及后期退火处理实现N掺杂ZnO薄膜．借助拉曼散射光谱、透射光谱和霍尔测试等手段研究了ZnO：N薄膜的拉曼及光电特性．结果表明：所有样品均呈现ZnO纤锌矿结构,在ZnO：N薄膜拉曼光谱中发现与N相关的振动模式（位于272．5,505．1和643．6cm-）,分析表明N已掺入ZnO薄膜中;霍尔测试表明,通过适当退火处理后,ZnO：N薄膜向P型转变,其空穴浓度为7．73x10^17cm-3,迁移率为3．46cm2V-1s-1,电阻率为2．34Ωcm．然而,长期进行霍尔跟踪测试发现ZnO：N薄膜的P型性能随时间并不稳定,结合拉曼散射光谱和第一性原理计算分析认为由于p-ZnO：N薄膜中存在残余压应力,同时薄膜中还出现了易补偿空穴的施主缺陷（N2）o是P型不稳定的根本原因．     

施主杂质引入方式对BaTiO3材料PTCR效应的影响

采用了不同的施主掺杂方式，通过过剩施主的一次和二次掺杂材料的室温电阻率和PTCR效应的研究，从缺陷化学的角度，讨论了引入方式与施、受主相互补偿机制的关系和对材料电学性能的影响。     

AlGaN/GaN heterostructure field transistor for label-free detection of DNA hybridization

This paper demonstrates electrical detection of single strand deoxyribonucleic acid (ssDNA) conjugation by AlGaN/GaN hetero-structure field effect transistor (HFET) biological sensors. The probe ssDNA molecules are modified by thiol groups. The immobilization of probe molecules is achieved by S-Au bonding on a thin layer of gold film in the sensing area. The immobilization and hybridization process are firstly implemented on Si surfaces and checked by fluorescent and atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging. The hybridization process is monitored on AlGaN/GaN HFETs. Time-dependent current change is observed when a matched ssDNA solution is applied, while no response is observed for a mismatched ssDNA sequence. The DNA hybridization process is dominated by the conjugation between matched ssDNA sequences in the first few tens of seconds. After that, the hybridization process is dominated by mass transfer processes and saturation of the immobilized probe ssDNA molecules.     

MDEIT中电流密度成像替代电导率成像的可行性分析

针对新型磁探测电阻抗成像技术的正问题,利用有限元方法求解得到目标体内部的电压和电流密度分布,然后根据Biot-Savart定律获得目标体外部的磁感应强度数据,并且分析了有限元方法计算正问题的精度.结果表明,其足以用于磁探测电阻抗成像的电导率图像重建.在此基础上,通过仿真实验发现环形电极模式避免了电流的扩散效应,远离电极部分的z方向电流密度图像与电导率图像一致,以电流密度成像替代电导率成像,使得磁探测电阻抗成像简化为磁探测电流密度成像,缩短了数据测量时间和图像重建时间,为快速成像奠定了基础.