In this paper, we report the results of surface and interface scattering on anomalous Hall effect in Co/Pd multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The surface scattering effect has been extracted from the total anomalous Hall effect. By scaling surface scattering contribution with ρAHs∼ργss, the exponent γ has been found to decrease with the increase of surface scattering resistivity, which could account for the thickness-dependent anomalous Hall effect. Interface diffusion induced by rapid thermal annealing modifies not only the magnetization and longitudinal resistivity but also the anomalous Hall effect; a large exponent γ ∼ 5.7 has been attributed to interface scattering-dominated anomalous Hall effect.

Four new polycyclic antibiotics, citreamicin ? A (1), citreamicin ? B (2), citreaglycon A (3), and dehydrocitreaglycon A (4), were isolated from marine-derived Streptomyces caelestis. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by 1D and 2D NMR spectra. All four compounds displayed antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus subtillis. Citreamicin ? A (1), citreamicin ? B (2) and citreaglycon A (3) also exhibited low MIC values of 0.25, 0.25, and 8.0 ?g/mL, respectively, against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) ATCC 43300. 2012 by the authors; licensee MDPI.

A monodispersed 15 nm Ni9Pt1 catalyst synthesized via a reverse microemulsion method, shows a lower activation energy than both Ni and Pt catalysts during the methane cracking reaction. Thanks to the synergic effect of Ni–Pt alloy, this catalyst presents a stable H2 formation rate at 700 °C, and forms carbon nanotubes, anchoring the catalyst particles on top.

Fullerene-based materials are widely used as electron acceptors in organic bulk-heterojunction solar cells; yet, they have rarely been used as the only photoactive component due to their low absorbance and limited charge generation efficiency. However, blending the wide-bandgap p-type material copper (I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) with [6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) leads to the formation of a unique mesostructured p-n like heterointerface between CuSCN and PC70BM and solar cells with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of up to 5.4%. Here, we examine in detail the reasons for the surprisingly good device performance and elucidate the charge photogeneration and recombination mechanisms in CuSCN-based devices with PC70BM as the exclusive light-absorbing material. Our studies clearly demonstrate that a substantial fraction of the photocurrent in the CuSCN-based devices results from improved dissociation of fullerene excitons and efficient charge transfer at the CuSCN:PC70BM interface combined with reduced geminate and nongeminate charge recombination losses. Our results have implications beyond the fullerene-based devices studied here, as they demonstrate that careful selection of a mesostructured p-type transparent semiconductor paves the path to a new type of efficient single photoactive material solar cells.

In-plane and out-of-plane arrangements of carbon atoms in graphene layers play critical roles in the fundamental physics and practical applications of these novel two-dimensional materials. Here, we report initial results on the edge/crystal orientations and stacking orders of bi-and tri-layer graphene (BLG and TLG) from Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments performed on the same sample. We introduce a new method of transferring graphene flakes onto a normal TEM grid. Using this novel method, we probed the BLG and TLG flakes that had been previously investigated by Raman scattering with high-resolution (atomic) TEM.

We investigated the dependence of electromechanical coupling and the piezoelectric response of a micromachined Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48)O 3 (PZT) diaphragm on its curvature by observing the impedance spectrum and central deflection responses to a small AC voltage. The curvature of the diaphragm was controlled by applying air pressure to its back. We found that a depolarized flat diaphragm does not initially exhibit electromechanical coupling or the piezoelectric response. However, upon the application of static air pressure to the diaphragm, both electromechanical coupling and the piezoelectric response can be induced in the originally depolarized diaphragm. The piezoelectric response increases as the curvature increases and a giant piezoelectric response can be obtained from a bent diaphragm. The obtained results clearly demonstrate that a high strain gradient in a diaphragm can polarize a PZT film through a flexoelectric effect, and that the induced piezoelectric response of the diaphragm can be controlled by adjusting its curvature.

Unraveling the atomic structures of ultrafine iron clusters is critical to understanding their size-dependent catalytic effects and electronic properties. Here, we describe the stable close-packed structure of ultrafine Fe clusters for the first time, thanks to the superior properties of graphene, including the monolayer thickness, chemical inertness, mechanical strength, electrical and thermal conductivity. These clusters prefer to take regular planar shapes with morphology changes by local atomic shuffling, as suggested by the early hypothesis of solid-solid transformation. Our observations differ from observations from earlier experimental study and theoretical model, such as icosahedron, decahedron or cuboctahedron. No interaction was observed between Fe atoms or clusters and pristine graphene. However, preferential carving, as observed by other research groups, can be realized only when Fe clusters are embedded in graphene. The techniques introduced here will be of use in investigations of other clusters or even single atoms or molecules.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections are difficult to treat due to the presence of a multitude of virulence factors and antibiotic resistance. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of P. aeruginosa BK1, an invasive and multidrug-resistant strain, isolated from a bacterial keratitis patient in southern India.

Monodispersed NiPt nanoparticles of 10 nm were synthesized by water-in-oil microemulsion. The Ni-Pt alloy structure was stable during the thermal treatment between 330 and 1037 °C, whereas the relatively low temperature range of 600-700 °C was favorable for methane cracking to produce hydrogen and carbon nanotubes.

Lead halide perovskite materials have shown excellent optoelectronic as well as photovoltaic properties. However, the presence of lead and the chemical instability relegate lead halide perovskites to research applications only. Here, we investigate an emerging lead-free and air stable compound (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 as a non-toxic potential alternative to lead halide perovskites. We have synthesized thin films, powders and millimeter-scale single crystals of (CH3NH3)3Bi2I9 and investigated their structural and optoelectronic properties. We demonstrate that the degree of crystallinity strongly affects the optoelectronic properties of the material, resulting in significantly different band gaps in polycrystalline thin films and single crystals. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy reveals outstanding photocharge generation in the visible (<700 nm), while transient absorption spectroscopy and space charge limited current measurements point to a long exciton lifetime and a high carrier mobility, respectively, similar to lead halide perovskites, pointing to the remarkable potential of this semiconductor. Photovoltaic devices fabricated using this material yield low power conversion efficiency (PCE) to date, but the PCE is expected to rise with improvements in thin film processing and device engineering.