robotic-based-experimental-procedure-for-colorimetric-gas-sensing

Robotic-based Experimental Procedure for Colorimetric Gas Sensing Development

This paper presents a robot-based experimental program aimed at developing an efficient and fast colorimetric gas sensor. The program employs an automated ...

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

On-chip polarization detectors have attracted extensive research interest due to their filterless and ultracompact architecture. However, their polarization-dependent photoresponses cannot be dynamically adjusted, hindering the development toward intelligence. Here, we propose dynamically reconfigurable polarimetry based on in-sensor differentiation of two self-powered photoresponses with orthogonal polarization dependences and tunable responsivities. Such a device can be electrostatically configured in an ultrahigh polarization extinction ratio (PER) mode, where the PER tends to infinity, a Stokes parameter direct sensing mode, where the photoresponse is proportional to  or  with high accuracy (RMSE = 1.5%, RMSE = 2.0%), or a background suppressing mode, where the target-background polarization contrast is singularly enhanced. Moreover, the device achieves a polarization angle sensitivity of 0.51 mA·W·degree and a specific polarization angle detectivity of 2.8 × 10 cm·Hz·W·degree. This scheme is demonstrated throughout the near-to-long-wavelength infrared range, and it will bring a leap for next-generation on-chip polarimeters.

Dynamically Reconfigurable on-Chip Polarimeters Based on Nanoantenna Enabled Polarization Dependent Optoelectronic Computing.

Permafrost soil in high latitude tundra is one of the largest terrestrial carbon (C) stocks and is highly sensitive to climate warming. Understanding microbial responses to warming-induced environmental changes is critical to evaluating their influences on soil biogeochemical cycles. In this study, a functional gene array (i.e., geochip 4.2) was used to analyze the functional capacities of soil microbial communities collected from a naturally degrading permafrost region in Central Alaska. Varied thaw history was reported to be the main driver of soil and plant differences across a gradient of minimally, moderately, and extensively thawed sites. Compared with the minimally thawed site, the number of detected functional gene probes across the 15-65 cm depth profile at the moderately and extensively thawed sites decreased by 25% and 5%, while the community functional gene β-diversity increased by 34% and 45%, respectively, revealing decreased functional gene richness but increased community heterogeneity along the thaw progression. Particularly, the moderately thawed site contained microbial communities with the highest abundances of many genes involved in prokaryotic C degradation, ammonification, and nitrification processes, but lower abundances of fungal C decomposition and anaerobic-related genes. Significant correlations were observed between functional gene abundance and vascular plant primary productivity, suggesting that plant growth and species composition could be co-evolving traits together with microbial community composition. Altogether, this study reveals the complex responses of microbial functional potentials to thaw-related soil and plant changes and provides information on potential microbially mediated biogeochemical cycles in tundra ecosystems.

Microbial functional diversity covaries with permafrost thaw-induced environmental heterogeneity in tundra soil.

Polarization-independent dielectric meta-lens is proposed to monolithically integrate with a HgCdTe infrared photodetector to concentrate power flux into a reduced photosensitive area for performance enhancement. Although a reduction in photosensitive area could suppress the dark current, the more seriously reduced light absorptance would degrade the specific detectivity D. The integration of the meta-lens could reverse the situation by improving the absorptance of the photosensitive region. The meta-lens composed of an array of nano-pillars with varying diameters is formed by carving the CdZnTe substrate of the HgCdTe detector so that the integration could be accomplished in situ. The meta-lens focuses the incident light through the CdZnTe medium and at the HgCdTe photosensitive region. The focal spot is about the wavelength size and the focusing efficiency is above 63%. Concerning a HgCdTe detector with a pitch size of 40 μm × 40 μm, when the photosensitive area is reduced to 5 μm × 5 μm, the meta-lens could still keep the light absorptance above 50%, which is 49 times higher than that of the device without the meta-lens. The dark current reduces with the decreasing photosensitive area in a linear manner. When the photosensitive area shrinks from 40 μm × 40 μm to 10 μm × 10 μm or 5 μm × 5 μm, the dark current reduces by 16 or even 64 times. Compared to the pristine device, the employment of the meta-lens together with the reduction in photosensitive area could enhance D by 5.5 times for the photosensitive area as 5 μm × 5 μm. Further, the meta-lens exhibits a good dispersion tolerance over the wavelength range from 3.3 μm to 5 μm. The averaged detectivity enhancement over this spectrum range is around 3 times for the photosensitive area as 5 μm × 5 μm. The angular response of the meta-lens integrated detector depends on the focal length. For a focal length of 73 µm or 38 µm, the angle of view for a 5 μm × 5 μm photosensitive area is 4.0° or 7.7°. For the inter-pillar distance to be 2 µm in our design, the influence of the coupling effect between the nano-pillars on the performance of the meta-lens is little.

HgCdTe mid-Infrared photo response enhanced by monolithically integrated meta-lenses.

Early detection and grading of liver inflammation are important for the management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) patients. There is still lack of a noninvasive way for the inflammation characterization in NAFLD.

Water Specific MRI T1 Mapping for Evaluating Liver Inflammation Activity Grades in Rats With Methionine-Choline-Deficient Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

Photoelectric detection is developing rapidly from ultraviolet to infrared band. However, terahertz (THz) photodetection approaches is constrained by the bandgap, dark current, and absorption ability. In this work, room-temperature photoelectric detection is extended to the THz range implemented in a planar metal-NbSe-metal structure based on an electromagnetic induced well (EIW) theory, exhibiting an excellent broadband responsivity of 5.2 × 10 V W at 0.027 THz, 7.8 × 10 V W at 0.173 THz, and 9.6 × 10 V W at 0.259 THz. Simultaneously, the NbSe photoelectric detector (PD) with ultrafast response speed (∼610 ns) and ultralow equivalent noise power (4.6 × 10 W Hz) in the THz region is realized, enabling high-resolution imaging. The figure of merit (FOM) characterizing the detection performance of the device is 2 orders of magnitude superior to that of the reported THz PDs based 2D materials. Furthermore, the THz response speed is 2 orders of magnitude faster than that of the visible due to the different response mechanisms of the device. Our results exhibit promising potential to achieve highly sensitive and ultrafast photoelectric detection.

High Performance of Room-Temperature NbSe Terahertz Photoelectric Detector.

Layered semimetals with in-plane anisotropy are promising for advanced polarization-sensitive infrared detection. The investigation of the polarization-dependent photoresponse of semimetals over the whole visible-to-long-wave-infrared range and revealing the physical connection between their optoelectronic properties, optical properties, and electronic band structures is required, but there have been very few studies of this kind. In this work, we conducted a thorough investigation on the polarization-dependent infrared photoresponse of WTe over the visible-to-long-wave-infrared range and discovered a textbook-like perfect consistency between the wavelength-dependent polarization-sensitive photoresponse and the anisotropic dielectric constant mainly affected by interband transitions near the Weyl point. It is revealed that the polarization sensitivity and the responsivity both vary non-monotonically with the wavelength. This phenomenon is attributed to the polarization selective excitation of interband transitions associated with asymmetrically distributed electron orbitals around the Weyl points. Concerning the infrared detection properties of WTe, a maximum responsivity of 0.68 mA W is obtained under self-powered operation. The power dependence of the photoresponse is linear, and the response time is around 14 μs. This work would provoke further studies about the anisotropic photoresponse associated with the transitions even closer to the Dirac or Weyl points, and it provides an approach to select the right semimetal for the right wavelength range of infrared polarization detection.

Nonmonotonic wavelength dependence of the polarization-sensitive infrared photoresponse of an anisotropic semimetal.

Development of artificial biomaterials by mimicking extracellular matrix of bone tissue is a promising strategy for bone regeneration. Hydrogel has emerged as a type of viable substitute, but its inhomogeneous networks and weak mechanics greatly impede clinical applications. Here, a dual crosslinked gelling system is developed with tunable architectures and mechanics to promote osteogenic capacity. Polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) is designated as a rigid core surrounded by six disulfide-linked PEG shells and two 2-ureido-4[1H]-pyrimidinone (UPy) groups. Thiol-disulfide exchange is employed to fabricate chemical network because of the pH-responsive "on/off" function. While self-complementary UPy motif is capable of optimizing local microstructure to enhance mechanical properties. Taking the merits of biocompatibility and high-mechanics in periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) proliferation, attachment, and osteogenesis, hybrid hydrogel exhibits outstanding osteogenic potential both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, it is the first time that a key epigenetic regulator of ten-eleven translocation 2 (Tet2) is discovered to significantly elevate the continuously active the WNT/β-catenin through Tet2/HDAC1/E-cadherin/β-catenin signaling cascade, thereby promoting PDLSCs osteogenesis. This work represents a general strategy to design the hydrogels with customized networks and biomimetic mechanics, and illustrates underlying osteogenic mechanisms that will extend the design rationales for high-functional biomaterials in tissue engineering.

Mechanically Robust Hydrogels Facilitating Bone Regeneration through Epigenetic Modulation.

The unique and excellent optoelectronic properties of graphene make it a promising material for THz detection. However, the huge gap between the atomic thickness of graphene and the long wavelength of THz radiation severely limits the efficiency of light absorption and the photoresponse. Although optical antennas are commonly used to concentrate THz waves into deep subwavelength regions, a large amount of power is re-radiated out as waste rather than being absorbed by the active material. Here, we propose a cavity-antenna hybrid structure to enhance the THz absorption in a graphene flake through interference manipulation and impedance matching. The photoresponse of the device under an impedance-matched condition is 15 times higher than that under an impedance-mismatched condition. The cavity-antenna-coupled graphene THz detector exhibits a responsivity of 10.2 mA W and a noise-equivalent power of 0.92 nW Hz. The excellent performance of our device makes it one of the best room temperature sub-THz graphene detectors that we investigated. A theoretical model was established to analyze the interaction between the antenna-coupled graphene and the cavity structure. With a combination of both electrostatic doping and interference manipulation, the light coupling management by impedance matching can enhance the absorptance of graphene by more than two orders of magnitude. This work experimentally and theoretically revealed that the cavity-antenna hybrid structure can prominently enhance the responsivity of a tiny piece of graphene in the sub-THz regime. Meanwhile, this strategy can also be applied to enhance the absorptance of other low-dimensional or bulk materials.

Photoresponse enhancement in a cavity-antenna-coupled graphene terahertz detector.

Circular polarization detection enables a wide range of applications. With the miniaturization of optoelectronic systems, integrated circular polarization detectors with native sensitivity to the spin state of light have become highly sought after. The key issues with this type of device are its low circular polarization extinction ratios (CPERs) and reduced responsivities. Metallic two-dimensional chiral metamaterials have been integrated with detection materials for filterless circular polarization detection. However, the CPERs of such devices are typically below five, and the light absorption in the detection materials is hardly enhanced and is even sometimes reduced. Here, we propose to sandwich multiple quantum wells between a dielectric two-dimensional chiral metamaterial and a metal grating to obtain both a high CPER and a photoresponse enhancement. The dielectric-metal-hybrid chiral metamirror integrated quantum well infrared photodetector (QWIP) exhibits a CPER as high as 100 in the long wave infrared range, exceeding all reported CPERs for integrated circular polarization detectors. The absorption efficiency of this device reaches 54%, which is 17 times higher than that of a standard 45° edge facet coupled device. The circular polarization discrimination is attributed to the interference between the principle-polarization radiation and the cross-polarization radiation of the chiral structure during multiple reflections and the structure-material double polarization selection. The enhanced absorption efficiency is due to the excitation of a surface plasmon polariton wave. The dielectric-metal-hybrid chiral mirror structure is compatible with QWIP focal plane arrays.

High-Discrimination Circular Polarization Detection Based on Dielectric-Metal-Hybrid Chiral Metamirror Integrated Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors.

Filterless light-ellipticity-sensitive optoelectronic response generally has low discrimination, thus severely hindering the development of monolithic polarization detectors. Here, we achieve a breakthrough based on a configurable circular-polarization-dependent optoelectronic silent state created by the superposition of two photoresponses with enantiomerically opposite ellipticity dependences. The zero photocurrent and the significantly suppressed noise of the optoelectronic silent state singularly enhance the circular polarization extinction ratio (CPER) and the sensitivity to light ellipticity perturbation. The CPER of our device approaches infinity by the traditional definition. The newly established CPER taking noise into account is 3-4 orders of magnitude higher than those of ordinary integrated circular polarization detectors, and it remains high in an expanded wavelength range. The noise equivalent light ellipticity difference goes below 0.009° Hz at modulation frequencies above 1000 Hz by a light power of 281 μW. This scheme brings a leap in developing monolithic ultracompact circular polarization detectors.

Configurable circular-polarization-dependent optoelectronic silent state for ultrahigh light ellipticity discrimination.

Regulatory T (T) cells play an essential role in maintaining immune balance across various physiological and pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms underlying T homeostasis remain incompletely understood. Here, we report that RIPK1 is crucial for T cell survival and homeostasis. We generated mice with T cell-specific ablation of Ripk1 and found that these mice developed fatal systemic autoimmunity due to a dramatic reduction in the T cell compartment caused by excessive cell death. Unlike conventional T cells, T cells with Ripk1 deficiency were only partially rescued from cell death by blocking FADD-dependent apoptosis. However, simultaneous removal of both Fadd and Ripk3 completely restored the homeostasis of Ripk1-deficient T cells by blocking two cell death pathways. Thus, our study highlights the critical role of RIPK1 in regulating T cell homeostasis by controlling both apoptosis and necroptosis, thereby providing novel insights into the mechanisms of T cell homeostasis.

RIPK1 plays a crucial role in maintaining regulatory T-Cell homeostasis by inhibiting both RIPK3- and FADD-mediated cell death.

Since the avalanche phenomenon was first found in bulk materials, avalanche photodiodes (APDs) have been exclusively investigated. Among the many devices that have been developed, silicon APDs stand out because of their low cost, performance stability, and compatibility with CMOS. However, the increasing industrial needs pose challenges for the fabrication cycle time and fabrication cost. In this work, we proposed an improved fabrication process for ultra-deep mesa-structured silicon APDs for photodetection in the visible and near-infrared wavelengths with improved performance and reduced costs. The improved process reduced the complexity through significantly reduced photolithography steps, e.g., half of the steps of the existing process. Additionally, single ion implantation was performed under low energy (lower than 30 keV) to further reduce the fabrication costs. Based on the improved ultra-concise process, a deep-mesa silicon APD with a 140 V breakdown voltage was obtained. The device exhibited a low capacitance of 500 fF, the measured rise time was 2.7 ns, and the reverse bias voltage was 55 V. Moreover, a high responsivity of 103 A/W@870 nm at 120 V was achieved, as well as a low dark current of 1 nA at punch-through voltage and a maximum gain exceeding 1000.

Low-Energy Ion Implantation and Deep-Mesa Si-Avalanche Photodiodes with Improved Fabrication Process.

RNA molecules serve a wide range of functions that are closely linked to their structures. The basic structural units of RNA consist of single- and double-stranded regions. In order to carry out advanced functions such as catalysis and ligand binding, certain types of RNAs can adopt higher-order structures. The analysis of RNA structures has progressed alongside advancements in structural biology techniques, but it comes with its own set of challenges and corresponding solutions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in RNA structure analysis techniques, including structural probing methods, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryo-electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Often, a combination of multiple techniques is employed for the integrated analysis of RNA structures. We also survey important RNA structures that have been recently determined using various techniques.

RNA structure determination: From 2D to 3D.

Metastasis is the primary culprit behind cancer-related fatalities in multiple cancer types, including prostate cancer. Despite great advances, the precise mechanisms underlying prostate cancer metastasis are far from complete. By using a transgenic mouse prostate cancer model (TRAMP) with and without Phf8 knockout, we have identified a crucial role of PHF8 in prostate cancer metastasis. By complexing with E2F1, PHF8 transcriptionally upregulates SNAI1 in a demethylation-dependent manner. The upregulated SNAI1 subsequently enhances epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis. Given the role of the abnormally activated PHF8/E2F1-SNAI1 axis in prostate cancer metastasis and poor prognosis, the levels of PHF8 or the activity of this axis could serve as biomarkers for prostate cancer metastasis. Moreover, targeting this axis could become a potential therapeutic strategy for prostate cancer treatment. © 2024 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Histone demethylase PHF8 promotes prostate cancer metastasis via the E2F1-SNAI1 axis.

X-ray crystallography is a fundamental technique that provides atomic-level insights into RNA structures. However, obtaining crystals of RNA structures diffracting to high resolution is challenging. We introduce a simple strategy to enhance the resolution limit of RNA crystals by the selective substitution of Watson-Crick pairs by GU pairs within RNA sequences. Our approach has successfully yielded high-resolution structures for eight unique RNA crystals. Notably, six instances showed marked resolution enhancement upon GC/AU to GU base pair substitution, with two cases achieving high-resolution structures from initially poor data. In one case, reverting GU to GC base pairs also improved resolution. Our method facilitated the first structural determinations of the Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 and Olfactory Receptor family 4 subfamily K member 15 ribozymes, the 2'-deoxyguanosine-III riboswitch and the Broccoli RNA aptamer. The placement of GU base pairs within the first 5' helical stem of any given RNA species, or in one peripheral stem, is shown to be sufficient. These results offer a simple and effective approach for designing sequences or selecting sequences from homologous sequences, for high-resolution RNA structure determination.

Article	Year
Dynamically Reconfigurable on-Chip Polarimeters Based on Nanoantenna Enabled Polarization Dependent Optoelectronic Computing. Nano letters\| PubMed ID: 38206182	2024
Microbial functional diversity covaries with permafrost thaw-induced environmental heterogeneity in tundra soil. Global change biology\| PubMed ID: 28715138	2018
HgCdTe mid-Infrared photo response enhanced by monolithically integrated meta-lenses. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 32286355	2020
Water Specific MRI T1 Mapping for Evaluating Liver Inflammation Activity Grades in Rats With Methionine-Choline-Deficient Diet-Induced Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Journal of magnetic resonance imaging : JMRI\| PubMed ID: 35212074	2022
High Performance of Room-Temperature NbSe Terahertz Photoelectric Detector. ACS applied materials & interfaces\| PubMed ID: 35289598	2022
Nonmonotonic wavelength dependence of the polarization-sensitive infrared photoresponse of an anisotropic semimetal. Nanoscale\| PubMed ID: 35532931	2022
Mechanically Robust Hydrogels Facilitating Bone Regeneration through Epigenetic Modulation. Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)\| PubMed ID: 36161289	2022
Photoresponse enhancement in a cavity-antenna-coupled graphene terahertz detector. Nanoscale\| PubMed ID: 36601861	2023
High-Discrimination Circular Polarization Detection Based on Dielectric-Metal-Hybrid Chiral Metamirror Integrated Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 36616770	2022
Configurable circular-polarization-dependent optoelectronic silent state for ultrahigh light ellipticity discrimination. Light, science & applications\| PubMed ID: 37443133	2023
RIPK1 plays a crucial role in maintaining regulatory T-Cell homeostasis by inhibiting both RIPK3- and FADD-mediated cell death. Cellular & molecular immunology\| PubMed ID: 38082146	2024
Low-Energy Ion Implantation and Deep-Mesa Si-Avalanche Photodiodes with Improved Fabrication Process. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 38276332	2024
RNA structure determination: From 2D to 3D. Fundamental research\| PubMed ID: 38933295	2023
Histone demethylase PHF8 promotes prostate cancer metastasis via the E2F1-SNAI1 axis. The Journal of pathology\| PubMed ID: 39022843	2024
A general strategy for engineering GU base pairs to facilitate RNA crystallization. Nucleic acids research\| PubMed ID: 39721592	2025

Jie Deng

Biography

JoVE Journal Publications

Other Publications