Search Results (19)

The purpose of this paper is, first of all, to review the previous works on the seismic (or earthquake (EQ)-related) direct current (DC) (or quasi-stationary) electric fields in the lower atmosphere, which is likely to be generated by the conductivity current flowing in the closed atmosphere–ionosphere electric circuit during the preparation phase of an EQ. The current source is electromotive force (EMF) caused by upward convective transport and the gravitational sedimentation of radon and charged aerosols injected into the atmosphere by soil gasses during the course of the intensification of seismic processes. The theoretical calculations predict that pre-EQ DC electric field enhancement in the atmosphere can reach the breakdown value at the altitudes 2–6 km, suggesting the generation of a peculiar seismic-related thundercloud. Then, we propose to apply this theoretical inference to the observational results of seismogenic VHF (very high frequency) and VLF/LF (very low frequency/low frequency) natural radio emissions. The formation of such a peculiar layer initiates numerous chaotic electrical discharges within this region, leading to the generation of VHF electromagnetic radiation. Earlier works on VHF seismogenic radiation performed in Greece have been compared with the theoretical estimates, and showed a good agreement in the frequency range and intensity. The same idea can also be applied, for the first time, to seismogenic VLF/LF lightning discharges, which is completely the same mechanism with conventional cloud-to-ground lightning discharges. In fact, such seismogenic VLF/LF lightning discharges have been observed to appear before an EQ. So, we conclude in this review that both seismogenic VHF radiation and VLF/LF lightning discharges are regarded as indirect evidence of the generation of anomalous electric fields in the lowest atmosphere due to the emanation of radioactive radon and charged aerosols during the preparation phase of EQs. Finally, we have addressed the most fundamental issue of whether VHF and VLF/LF radiation reported in earlier works is either of atmospheric origin (as proposed in this paper) or of lithospheric origin as the result of microfracturing in the EQ fault region, which has long been hypothesized. This paper will raise a question regarding this hypothesis of lithospheric origin by proposing an alternative atmospheric origin outlined in this review. Also, the data on seismogenic electromagnetic radiation and its inference on perturbations in the lower atmosphere will be suggested to be extensively integrated in future lithosphere–atmosphere–ionosphere coupling (LAIC) studies. Full article

Niobium diselenide (NbSe₂) is a layered transition metal dichalcogenide material which possesses unique electrical and superconducting properties for future nanodevices. While the superconducting, electrical, and bulk thermal transport properties of NbSe₂ have been widely studied, the in-plane thermal transport property of NbSe₂, which is important for potential thermoelectric applications, has not been thoroughly investigated. In this report, we study the lattice in-plane thermal transport of 2D NbSe₂ by solving the phonon Boltzmann transport equation with the help of the first principles calculation. The thermal conductivity obtained at room temperature is 12.3 W/mK. A detailed analysis shows that the transverse acoustic phonon dominates the lattice thermal transport, and an anomalously small portion of electron contribution to the total thermal conductivity is observed for this metallic phase. The results agree well with experimental measurements and provide detailed mode-by-mode thermal conductivity contribution from different phonon modes. This study can provide useful information for integrating NbSe₂ in nanodevices where both electrical and thermal properties are critical, showing great potential for integrating monolayer NbSe₂ to thermoelectric devices. Full article

At present, the question of the relationship between the characteristic martensitic transformation temperatures (MTT) and the electronic parameters of a system has not been fully studied. In the present work, an attempt to establish a similar relationship using the example of the concentration of charge carriers, n, was made. The field dependences of Hall resistivity ρ_H and magnetization M of the magnetocaloric Ni_47−xMn_41+xIn₁₂ (x = 0, 1, 2) alloys were measured at T = 4.2 K and in magnetic fields of up to 80 kOe. The MTT were obtained from the temperature dependences of electrical resistivity and magnetization. It was observed that the MTT correlate strongly with both the valence electron concentration e/a and the electronic transport characteristics, which are the coefficient of the normal (NHE) R₀ and anomalous (AHE) R_S Hall effect and the concentration of charge carriers n. Full article

Electric-field control of spin dynamics is significant for spintronic device applications. Thus far, effectively electric-field control of magnetic order, magnetic damping factor and spin–orbit torque (SOT) has been studied in magnetic materials, but the electric field control of spin relaxation still remains unexplored. Here, we use ionic liquid gating to control spin-related property in the ultra-thin (4 nm) heavy metal (HM) platinum (Pt) and ferromagnetic insulator (FMI) yttrium iron garnet (Y₃Fe₅O₁₂, YIG) heterostructure. It is found that the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), spin relaxation time and spin diffusion length can be effectively controlled by the electric field. The anomalous Hall resistance is almost twice as large as at 0 voltage after applying a small voltage of 5.5 V. The spin relaxation time can vary by more than 50 percent with the electric field, from 41.6 to 64.5 fs. In addition, spin relaxation time at different gate voltage follows the reciprocal law of the electron momentum scattering time, which indicates that the D’yakonov–Perel’ mechanism is dominant in the Pt/YIG system. Furthermore, the spin diffusion length can be effectively controlled by an ionic gate, which can be well explained by voltage-modulated interfacial spin scattering. These results help us to improve the interface spin transport properties in magnetic materials, with great contributions to the exploration of new physical mechanisms and spintronics device. Full article

This study performed a systematic experimental investigation into the structural, magnetic, and transport properties of the Co₂VGa Heusler alloy, which was theoretically predicted to exhibit half-metallic ferromagnetism. It has been experimentally found that the studied alloy has a relatively high-ordered L2₁ cubic structure at room temperature and orders ferromagnetically below ~350 K. Interestingly, by fitting the electric transport data with the properly governing equations in two different temperature regions, the two-magnon scattering process (the $T^{9/2}$ dependence) appears in the temperature range from 30 to 75 K. Moreover, the magnetoresistance effect changes from a negative value to a positive value when the temperature is below 100 K. Such experimental findings provide indirect evidence that the half-metallic nature of this alloy is retained only when the temperature is below 100 K. On the other hand, the magnetic transport measurements indicate that the anomalous Hall coefficient of this alloy increases when the temperature increases and reaches a relatively high value (~8.3 μΩ·cm/T) at 300 K due to its lower saturated magnetization. By analyzing the anomalous Hall resistivity scale with the longitudinal resistivity, it was also found that the anomalous Hall effect can be ascribed to the combined effect of extrinsic skew scattering and intrinsic Berry curvature, but the latter contribution plays a dominant role. Full article

Transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit rich phase diagrams dominated by the interplay of superconductivity and charge density waves, which often result in anomalies in the electric transport properties. Here, we employ the ionic gating technique to realize a tunable, non-volatile organic ion intercalation in bulk single crystals of molybdenum disulphide (MoS${}_2$). We demonstrate that this gate-driven organic ion intercalation induces a strong electron doping in the system without changing the pristine $2H$ crystal symmetry and triggers the emergence of a re-entrant insulator-to-metal transition. We show that the gate-induced metallic state exhibits clear anomalies in the temperature dependence of the resistivity with a natural explanation as signatures of the development of a charge-density wave phase which was previously observed in alkali-intercalated MoS${}_2$. The relatively large temperature at which the anomalies are observed (∼150 K), combined with the absence of any sign of doping-induced superconductivity down to ∼3 K, suggests that the two phases might be competing with each other to determine the electronic ground state of electron-doped MoS${}_2$. Full article

The existence and physical properties of topological excitations in ferroelectrics, especially mobile topological boundaries in one dimension, are of profound interest. Notably, topological excitations emerging in association with the neutral–ionic (NI) phase transition are theoretically suggested to carry fractional charges and cause anomalous charge transport. In recent years, we experimentally demonstrated mobile topological excitations in a quasi-one-dimensional (1D) ferroelectric, tetrathiafulvalene-p-chloranil [TTF-CA; TTF (C₆H₄S₄) and CA (C₆Cl₄O₂)], which shows the NI transition, using NMR, NQR, and electrical resistivity measurements. Thermally activated topological excitations carry charges and spins in the NI crossover region and in the ionic phase with a dimer liquid. Moreover, free solitons show a binding transition upon a space-inversion symmetry-breaking ferroelectric order. In this article, we review the recent progress in the study of mobile topological excitations emerging in TTF-CA, along with earlier reports that intensively studied these phenomena, aiming to provide the foundations of the physics of electrical conductivity and magnetism carried by topological excitations in the 1D ferroelectric. Full article

We demonstrate a strategy to directly map and quantify the effects of dipole formation on electrical transports and noises in the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of molecular wires. In this method, the SAM patterns of fluorinated molecules with dipole moments were prepared on conducting substrates, and a conducting probe in contact-mode atomic force microscopy was utilized to map currents and noises through the probe on the molecular patterns. The maps were analyzed to extract the characteristic parameters of dipolar noises in SAMs, and the results were compared with those of hydrogenated molecular patterns without dipole moments. At rather low bias conditions, the fluorinated molecular junctions exhibited a tunneling conduction and a resistance value comparable to that of the hydrogenated molecules with a six-times-longer length, which was attributed to stronger dipoles formation in fluorinated molecules. Interestingly, conductance (G) in different regions of fluorinated molecular patterns exhibited a strong correlation with a noise power spectral density of S_I/I² like S_I/I² ∝ G⁻², which can be explained by enhanced barrier fluctuations produced by the dipoles of fluorinated molecules. Furthermore, we observed that the noise power spectral density of fluorinated molecules showed an anomalous frequency (f) dependence like S_I/I² ∝ 1/f^1.7, possibly due to the slowing down of the tunneling of carriers from increased barrier fluctuations. In rather high bias conditions, conductions in both hydrogenated and fluorinated molecules showed a transition from tunneling to thermionic charge transports. Our results provide important insights into the effects of dipoles on mesoscopic transport and resistance-fluctuation in molecules and could have a significant impact on the fundamental understanding and applications in this area. Full article

In this work, using calculations based on the density functional theory, molecular dynamics, non-equilibrium Green functions method, and Monte Carlo simulation, we study electronic and phonon transport in a device based on quasi-fractal carbon nitride nanoribbons with Sierpinski triangle blocks. Modifications of electronic and thermal conductance with increase in generation g of quasi-fractal segments are estimated. Introducing energetic disorder, we study hopping electron transport in the quasi-fractal nanoribbons by Monte Carlo simulation of a biased random walk with generalized Miller–Abrahams transfer rates. Calculated time dependencies of the mean square displacement bear evidence of transient anomalous diffusion. Variations of anomalous drift-diffusion parameters with localization radius, temperature, electric field intensity, and energy disorder level are estimated. The hopping in quasi-fractal nanoribbons can serve as an explicit physical implementation of the generalized comb model. Full article

Open and non-engineered dumping is a typical method for solid waste disposal in most cities of Pakistan. This practice of waste dumping poses a serious threat to the surrounding ecosystem and human population due to the release and transport of decomposed organic matter, i.e., leachate from dumpsite into the groundwater. The present study was conducted over a non-engineered and open dumpsite (Chowa Gujar), located in the outskirts of the highly populated city of Peshawar by using integrated geophysical techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and geochemical techniques. The main goal was to delineate the characterization and depth of buried waste, to map the subsurface extension of contaminant plumes towards agricultural land and groundwater table and the concentration of heavy metals (HMs) in dump and agricultural soil. Geophysical results showed that the thickness of buried waste (predominantly composed of domestic waste) was around 4 m and the leachate plumes have percolated to the adjacent agricultural land. A range of heavy metals (mg/kg) such as Cr (20.5–26.6), Cd (2.6–5.7), Pb (0.35–21.25), Ni (2.5–53.05), Cu (29–68.3), Zn (45.7–77), and Co (18.9–23.2) have been found in the agricultural land adjacent to the dumpsite. The findings demonstrated that combined use of ERT and GPR successfully characterize the buried waste and spread of pollutant plumes spatially and vertically from Chowa Gujar dumpsite. The anomalous geophysical signatures were confirmed by geochemical characterization. The movement of leachate plumes towards agricultural land and groundwater table and the concentration of HMs in soil show that Chowa Gujar dumpsite is a potential source of contamination not only to the surrounding population but also to the agricultural land, surface (Bara River), and subsurface water bodies. In the study region, there is an urgency to take remediation and mitigation measures to reduce the level of pollution created by the dumpsite. Full article

Background: Tacrolimus (TAC) is a drug of natural origin used in conventional topical dosage forms to control atopic dermatitis. However, direct application of the drug often causes adverse side effects in some patients. Hence, drug nanoencapsulation could be used as an improved novel therapy to mitigate the adverse effects and enhance bioavailability of the drug. Methods: Physicochemical properties, in vitro drug release experiments, and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity studies were performed. Results: TAC-loaded nanocapsules were successfully prepared by the interfacial deposition of preformed polymer using poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL). The nanoparticulate systems presented a spherical shape with a smooth and regular surface, adequate diameter (226 to 250 nm), polydispersity index below 0.3, and suitable electrical stability (−38 to −42 mV). X-ray diffraction confirmed that the encapsulation method provided mainly the drug molecular dispersion in the nanocapsule oily core. Fourier-transform infrared spectra suggested that nanoencapsulation did not result in chemical bonds between drug and polymer. In vitro drug dissolution experiments showed a controlled release with a slight initial burst. The release kinetics showed zero-order kinetics. As per the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, anomalous transport features were observed. TAC-loaded PCL nanocapsules exhibited excellent anti-inflammatory activity when compared to the free drug. Conclusions: TAC-loaded PCL nanocapsules can be suitably used as a novel nano-based dosage form to control atopic dermatitis. Full article

In this review, we discuss the physical characteristics of the magnetic dual chiral density wave (MDCDW) phase of dense quark matter and argue why it is a promising candidate for the interior matter phase of neutron stars. The MDCDW condensate occurs in the presence of a magnetic field. It is a single-modulated chiral density wave characterized by two dynamically generated parameters: the fermion quasiparticle mass m and the condensate spatial modulation q. The lowest-Landau-level quasiparticle modes in the MDCDW system are asymmetric about the zero energy, a fact that leads to the topological properties and anomalous electric transport exhibited by this phase. The topology makes the MDCDW phase robust against thermal phonon fluctuations, and as such, it does not display the Landau–Peierls instability, a staple feature of single-modulated inhomogeneous chiral condensates in three dimensions. The topology is also reflected in the presence of the electromagnetic chiral anomaly in the effective action and in the formation of hybridized propagating modes known as axion-polaritons. Taking into account that one of the axion-polaritons of this quark phase is gapped, we argue how incident $\gamma$-ray photons can be converted into gapped axion-polaritons in the interior of a magnetar star in the MDCDW phase leading the star to collapse, a phenomenon that can serve to explain the so-called missing pulsar problem in the galactic center. Full article

The electric transport properties of flexible and transparent conducting bilayers, realized by sputtering ultrathin gold nanometric layers on sodium–alginate free-standing films, were studied. The reported results cover a range of temperatures from 3 to 300 K. In the case of gold layer thicknesses larger than 5 nm, a typical metallic behavior was observed. Conversely, for a gold thickness of 4.5 nm, an unusual resistance temperature dependence was found. The dominant transport mechanism below 70 K was identified as a fluctuation-induced tunneling process. This indicates that the conductive region is not continuous but is formed by gold clusters embedded in the polymeric matrix. Above 70 K, instead, the data can be interpreted using a phenomenological model, which assumes an anomalous expansion of the conductive region upon decreasing the temperature, in the range from 300 to 200 K. The approach herein adopted, complemented with other characterizations, can provide useful information for the development of innovative and green optoelectronics. Full article

Human serum albumin (HSA) layers are adsorbed on mica under controlled diffusion transport at pH 3.5 and various ionic strengths. The surface concentration of HSA is directly determined by AFM imaging of single molecules. It is shown that the adsorption kinetics derived in this way is quantitatively described using the random sequential (RSA) adsorption model. The electrokinetic characteristics of the HSA layers at various pHs comprising their zeta potential are acquired in situ while using the streaming potential method. It is shown that at pH 3.5 the zeta potential of mica becomes positive for HSA concentrations above 3000 μm⁻². At larger pHs, HSA layers exhibit negative zeta potential for the entire range of coverage. Thorough characteristics of these monolayers at various pHs were performed applying the colloid deposition method involving negatively charged polystyrene microparticles. The kinetics of their deposition and their maximum coverage are determined as a function of the HSA layer surface concentration, pH, and ionic strength. An anomalous deposition of microparticles on substrates also exhibiting a negative zeta potential is observed, which contradicts the Derjaguin, Landau, Vervey, Overbeek (DLVO) theory. This effect is interpreted in terms of heterogeneous charge distribution that results from molecule concentration fluctuations. It is also shown that the maximum concentration of microparticles abruptly decreases with the electric double-layer thickness that is regulated by changing ionic strength, which indicates that their deposition is governed by electrostatic interactions. One can argue that the results obtained in this work can be exploited as useful reference data for the analysis of deposition phenomena of bioparticles on protein layers. Full article

We examine an effect of acoustic phonon scattering on the electric conductivity of a single-component molecular conductor [Pd(dddt)${}_2$] (dddt = 5,6-dihydro-1,4-dithiin-2,3-dithiolate) with a half-filled band by applying the previous calculation in a two-dimensional model with Dirac cone [Phys. Rev. B. 98, 161205 (2018)], wherethe electric transport by the impurity scattering exhibits a noticeable interplay of the Dirac cone and the phonon scattering, resulting in maximum of the conductivity with increasing temperature. The conductor shows a nodal line semimetal, where the band crossing of HOMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital) and LUMO (Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) provides a loop of Dirac points located close to the Fermi energy followed by the density of states (DOS) similar to that of a two-dimensional Dirac cone. Using a tight-binding (TB) model [arXiv:2008.09277], which was obtained using the crystal structure observed from a recent X ray diffraction experiment under pressure, it is shown that the obtained conductivity explains reasonably the anomalous behavior in [Pd(dddt)${}_2$] exhibiting temperature-independent resistivity at finite temperatures. This paper demonstrates a crucial role of the acoustic phonon scattering at finite temperatures in the electric conductivity of Dirac electrons. The present theoretical results of conductivity are compared with those of the experiments. Full article