DJL

Natural animals such as crotaline and boid snakes have the ability to detect infrared radiation, which is emitted by any living object while it is invisible to human eyes. To evade thermal detection, various attempts, such as the stealth or low observability technologies, are generally made to reduce the infrared signature. However, the validity of these technologies is background dependent. In this paper, the first, large-scale, far-infrared, unidirectional invisibility cloak in air environment is experimentally demonstrated. The cloak constructed from germanium can smoothly guide the infrared wave around the hidden object when facing the incident wave direction. The cloak works for full polarization in a broad far-infrared spectrum. This work provides a new way to manipulate infrared radiation for future applications.

A unidirectional invisibility cloak is designed to hide large-scale objects from thermal detection in an air environment based on a modified quasiconformal mapping method. The cloak constructed from germanium acts as an infrared-guiding shell to eliminate the effect of distortion in thermal image. The excellent cloaking performance shows that the cloak works for full polarization in a broad, far-infrared spectrum.

Sulfur atoms covalently bonded to graphene and efficiently bridging few-layered MoS₂ and graphene enable a MoS₂/SG composite with excellent Li⁺storage capacity and remarkably long cycling stability. Such composite materials hold great promise in next-generation rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.

To overcome traditional barriers in optical imaging and microscopy, optoacoustic-imaging has been changed to combine the accuracy of spectroscopy with the depth resolution of ultrasound, achieving a novel modality with powerful in vivo imaging. However, magnetic resonance imaging provides better spatial and anatomical resolution. Thus, a single hybrid nanoprobe that allows for simultaneous multimodal imaging is significant not only for cutting edge research in imaging science, but also for accurate clinical diagnosis. A core-shell-structured coordination polymer composite microsphere has been designed for in vivo multimodality imaging. It consists of a Fe₃O₄ nanocluster core, a carbon sandwiched layer, and a carbocyanine-Gd^III (Cy-Gd^III) coordination polymer outer shell (Fe₃O₄@C@Cy-Gd^III). Folic acid-conjugated poly(ethylene glycol) chains are embedded within the coordination polymer shell to achieve extended circulation and targeted delivery of probe particles in vivo. Control of Fe₃O₄ core grain sizes results in optimal r₂ relaxivity (224.5 × 10^–3 m⁻¹ s^-1) for T₂-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. Cy-Gd^III coordination polymers are also regulated to obtain a maximum 25.1% of Cy ligands and 5.2% of Gd^III ions for near-infrared fluorescence and T₁-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, respectively. The results demonstrate their impressive abilities for targeted, multimodal, and reliable imaging.

Magnetic coordination polymer composite microspheres are constructed for concurrent response to T₁- and T₂-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) and optoacoustic signals. A Fe₃O₄ nanocluster core is surrounded in a sandwiched carbon layer and a carbocyanine-Gd^III coordination polymer outer shell with anchored folic-acid-conjugated poly(ethylene glycol) chains.

The arsenic eaters of Styria, who were supposedly immunized against the toxic effects of arsenic (As₂O₃), appeared increasingly in scientific and popular literature in the second half of the 19th century. This Essay starts with a depiction of this phenomenon from a detective novel and questions whether the observations and scientific knowledge at that time can confirm this legend. Figure from J. H. Pepper, The Boy’s Book of Metals, p. 433.

The perovskite phase (CH₃NH₃)₂Pb(SCN)₂I₂ with a structure closely related to the K₂NiF₄-type was identified as the product of the reaction of CH₃NH₃I and Pb(SCN)₂ by single-crystal X-ray analysis. This extends the range of suitable dyes for solar cell applications to a class of perovskite-related structures of the general composition (AMX₃)_n(AX)_m.