ABSTRACT
A complex interplay between the crystal structure and the electron behavior within borophene renders this material an intriguing 2D system, with many of its electronic properties still undiscovered. Experimental insight into those properties is additionally hampered by the limited capabilities of the established synthesis methods, which, in turn, inhibits the realization of potential borophene applications. In this multimethod study, photoemission spectroscopies and scanning probe techniques complemented by theoretical calculations have been used to investigate the electronic characteristics of a high-coverage, single-layer borophene on the Ir(111) substrate. Our results show that the binding of borophene to Ir(111) exhibits pronounced one-dimensional modulation and transforms borophene into a nanograting. The scattering of photoelectrons from this structural grating gives rise to the replication of the electronic bands. In addition, the binding modulation is reflected in the chemical reactivity of borophene and gives rise to its inhomogeneous aging effect. Such aging is easily reset by dissolving boron atoms in iridium at high temperature, followed by their reassembly into a fresh atomically thin borophene mesh. Besides proving electron-grating capabilities of the boron monolayer, our data provide comprehensive insight into the electronic properties of epitaxial borophene which is vital for further examination of other boron systems of reduced dimensionality.
ABSTRACT
Thin films containing 3D-ordered semiconductor quantum wires offer a great tool to improve the properties of photosensitive devices. In the present work, we investigate the photo-generated current in thin films consisting of an interconnected 3D-ordered network of Ge quantum wires in an alumina matrix. The films are prepared using nitrogen-assisted magnetron sputtering co-deposition of Ge and Al2O3. We demonstrate a strong photocurrent generation in the films, much stronger than in similar films containing Ge quantum dots. The enhanced photocurrent generation is the consequence of the multiple exciton generation and the films' specific structure that allows for efficient carrier transport. Thin film with the largest nitrogen content showed enhanced performance compared to other thin films with 1.6 excitons created after absorption of a single photon at an energy nearly equal to the double bandgap value. The bandgap value depends on the geometrical properties of the quantum wires, and it is close to the maximum of the solar irradiance in this case. In addition, we show that the multiple exciton generation is the most pronounced at the photon energy values equal to multiple values of the thin film bandgap.
ABSTRACT
KEY MESSAGE : Stress hormones, particularly jasmonic acid, influenced root growth, auxin levels, and transcription of auxin amidohydrolase BrIAR3 in Brassica rapa seedlings, while auxin conjugate synthetases BrGH3.1 and BrGH3.9 were down-regulated by all treatments. The influence of stress hormones: jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and abscisic acid (ABA) on 1-day-old seedlings of Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) was investigated with particular focus on auxin levels and the regulation of reversible auxin conjugation as a mechanism of auxin homeostasis. At the physiological level, stress hormones inhibited root growth, where JA was the most prominent inhibitor with an IC50 value 3.1 µM, which is one and two orders of magnitude lower than that found for ABA and SA, respectively. JA treatment significantly increased the total auxin content, by induction of free and conjugated forms. Also, the stress hormones affected the transcription of genes involved in the process of the reversible auxin conjugation: auxin amidohydrolases BrIAR3 and BrILL2, and auxin conjugate synthetases BrGH3.1 and BrGH3.9. JA treatment increased the transcript level of BrIAR3 two-fold, while it did not affect the transcription of BrILL2. SA and ABA down-regulated the transcription of both auxin amidohydrolase genes by 30 %. Transcription of both auxin conjugate synthetases was significantly down-regulated by all treatments by 30-70 %. Among the investigated biochemical stress markers, glutathione along with protein carbonylation appeared the most affected upon treatments. The redox status of the seedlings was shifted to the more oxidized state upon JA and ABA treatments, whereas SA caused more reduced redox state in comparison to the control. The principal component analysis visualized relationship among auxin and stress parameters upon treatments. Accordingly, the role of auxin in stress response of Brassica seedlings was discussed.
