Sodium superionic conductors are keys to develop high safety and low cost all-solid-state sodium batteries. Among developed sodium ionic conductors, antiperovskite-type ionic conductors have attracted vast interest due to their high structural tolerance and good formability. Herein, we successfully synthesize Na3OBH4 with cubic antiperovskite structure by solid-state reaction from Na2O and NaBH4. Na3OBH4 exhibits ionic conductivity of 4.4 × 10–3 S cm–1 at room temperature (1.1 × 10–2 S cm–1 at 328 K) and activation energy of 0.25 eV. The ionic conductivity is 4 orders of magnitude higher than the existing antiperovskite Na3OX (X = Cl, Br, I). It is shown that such enhancement is not only due to the specific cubic antiperovskite structure of Na3OBH4 but also because of the rotation of BH4 cluster anion. This work deepens the understanding of the antiperovskite structure and the role of cluster anions for superionic conduction.

Orientation and alignment of molecules by ultrashort laser pulses is crucial for a variety of applications and has long been of interest in physics and chemistry, with the special emphasis on stereodynamics in chemical reactions and molecular orbitals imaging. As compared to the laser-induced molecular alignment, which has been extensively studied and demonstrated, achieving molecular orientation is a much more challenging task, especially in the case of asymmetric-top molecules. Here, we report the experimental demonstration of all-optical field-free three-dimensional orientation of asymmetric-top molecules by means of phase-locked cross-polarized two-color laser pulse. This approach is based on nonlinear optical mixing process caused by the off-diagonal elements of the molecular hyperpolarizability tensor. It is demonstrated on SO2 molecules and is applicable to a variety of complex nonlinear molecules.

No abstract

Highlights d C1QBP stabilizes the MRE11 protein by forming the MRC complex with MRE11/RAD50 d C1QBP inhibits MRE11 exonuclease activity by preventing its binding to DNA d Appropriate C1QBP levels are essential for genomic stability and DNA repair

We experimentally visualize the dissociative frustrated double ionization of hydrogen molecules by using few-cycle laser pulses in a pump-probe scheme, in which process the tunneling ionized electron is recaptured by one of the outgoing nuclei of the breaking molecule. Three internuclear distances are recognized to enhance the dissociative frustrated double ionization of molecules at different instants after the first ionization step. The recapture of the electron can be further steered to one of the outgoing nuclei as desired by using phase-controlled two-color laser pulses. Both the experimental measurements and numerical simulations suggest that the Rydberg atom is favored to emit to the direction of the maximum of the asymmetric optical field. Our results on the one hand intuitively visualize the dissociative frustrated double ionization of molecules, and on the other hand open the possibility to selectively excite the heavy fragment ejected from a molecule.

Atoms and molecules exposed to strong laser fields can be excited to the Rydberg states with very high principal quantum numbers and large orbitals. It allows acceleration of neutral particles, generate near-threshold harmonics, and reveal multiphoton Rabi oscillations and rich photoelectron spectra. However, the physical mechanism of Rydberg state excitation in strong laser fields is yet a puzzle. Here, we identify the electron-nuclear correlated multiphoton excitation as the general mechanism by coincidently measuring all charged and neutral fragments ejected from a H2 molecule. Ruled by the ac-Stark effect, the internuclear separation for resonant multiphoton excitation varies with the laser intensity. It alters the photon energy partition between the ejected electrons and nuclei and thus leads to distinct kinetic energy spectra of the nuclear fragments. The electron-nuclear correlation offers an alternative visual angle to capture rich ultrafast processes of complex molecules.

Graphene oxide (GO) reinforced Au nanorods@ZIF-8 (AuNRs@ZIF-8) was developed for electrochemical sensing of pesticides with high sensitivity and good stability.

We experimentally investigate the single and double ionization of N_{2} and O_{2} molecules in bicircular two-color femtosecond laser pulses, and compare with their companion atoms of Ar and Xe with comparable ionization thresholds. Electron recollision assisted enhanced ionization is observed in N_{2} and Ar by controlling the helicity and field ratio between the two colors, whereas the enhanced ionization via the recollision is almost absent in O_{2} and Xe. Our S-matrix simulations clearly reveal the crucial role of the detailed electronic structures of N_{2} and O_{2} on the two-dimensional recollision of the electrons driven by the bicircular two-color laser fields. As compared to Ar, the resonant multiphoton excitation dominates the double ionization of Xe.