Silicon最新文献

A laboratory-based Petri dishes experiment was conducted to investigate the role of silicon (Si) seed priming in enhancing drought tolerance in maize (Zea mays L.). Seeds were primed with different concentrations of sodium silicate (0, 10, 20, and 30 g L⁻¹) for 12 h and then subjected to drought stress at –0.12 MPa using polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000). Results showed that drought significantly reduced germination percentage, seedling growth, and biomass accumulation. However, seed priming with 20 g L⁻¹ Si markedly improved seedling performance under drought stress. Compared to the non-primed control, this treatment increased germination percentage by 127%, shoot length by 139%, root dry weight by 102%, and seedling vigor index (SVI) by 362%. These results demonstrate that seed priming with 20 gL⁻¹ Si is highly effective in enhancing drought tolerance in maize. These enhancements were associated with improved water uptake, greater shoot and root elongation, and enhanced dry matter accumulation. This study highlights the effectiveness of silicon seed priming as a simple, low-cost, and sustainable strategy to improve maize seedling establishment and early drought toleranceespecially relevant for scarce water regions and climate-resilient agriculture.

Present study deals with the syntheses of larnite (Ca₃SiO₄) specimen using citric acid and l-alanine as fuels or reducing agents separately while employing sol–gel combustion technique. After decomposition of the gel followed by calcination, the molecular structure and purity of larnite was evaluated by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). Afterwards, nano titania (TiO₂) was embedded with larnite to obtain a set of four larnite/TiO₂ samples of composite in assorted compositions, i.e., L-AL + TiO₂ (50:50), L-AL + TiO₂ (70:30), L-C + TiO₂ (50:50) and L-C + TiO₂ (70:30). The formation of larnite/TiO₂ composite samples were confirmed by PXRD and FT-IR. FE-SEM and TEM micrographs exhibited surface morphology and EDS demonstrated the elemental composition. The biomineralization study revealed that composites were found completely covered with hydroxyapatite till the ninth day of immersion in simulated body fluid. Further, using the well diffusion technique, four samples of larnite/nano titania composites were tested for their antibacterial properties against four infectious microbial species, including Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, Klebsiella pneumonia and Bacillus subtilis; and against Candida albicans for their antifungal properties. Out of specimen obtained from both the fuels, 50:50 larnite/TiO₂ composites demonstrated effective antibacterial and antifungal activity against each of the four bacterial infections and one common fungal infection. The IC₅₀ values of 50:50 larnite/nano titania composites were observed as 41.03 μg/mL and 40.02 μg/mL for l-alanine and citric acid fuels, respectively.

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This study presents a modified circular photonic crystal fiber (SiC-PCF) featuring a rectangular slotted core infiltrated with silicon carbide (SiC) designed to enhance optical characteristics for advanced photonic applications. The optical performance of the proposed SiC-PCF was evaluated using the finite element method (FEM) in COMSOL Multiphysics, focusing on key parameters including birefringence, nonlinear coefficient, chromatic dispersion, effective mode area, and confinement loss at an operating wavelength of 1550 nm. Results demonstrate a high birefringence of 0.903 with a corresponding beat length of 1.717 µm. Nonlinear coefficients of 3.117 × 10⁴ W⁻¹ km⁻¹ and 1.039 × 10⁴ W⁻¹ km⁻¹ were achieved for x-polarization and y-polarization respectively, alongside effective areas of 0.3967 µm² and 1.19 µm². Chromatic dispersion coefficients were measured at − 816.1 ps/(nm·km) for x-polarization and − 8237 ps/(nm·km) for y-polarization, with minimal confinement losses of 4.704 × 10⁻⁵ dB/cm and 8.667 × 10⁻⁶ dB/cm respectively. These findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed SiC-PCF for applications in nonlinear optics, telecommunications, and high-precision sensing technologies.

Silica nanoparticles (SiO₂NPs) refer to nanoscale forms of silicon dioxide, representing a versatile platform in materials science and nanotechnology due to their unique physicochemical properties and adaptable structural features. The fungi mediated synthesis of SiO₂NPs has emerged as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional chemical and physical methods, offering distinct benefits in the production of nanomaterials. This review aims to provide a critical summary of the current knowledge regarding the mechanisms, properties, and applications of myco-assisted SiO₂NPs, emphasizing both their potential and the associated challenges. A thorough literature search and analysis focusing on studies showcasing the biosynthesis, characterization, and functional applications of fungal-based SiO₂NPs was performed. This review highlights the ability of fungi to synthesize SiO₂NPs with regulated size and shape, enhanced biocompatibility, and low environmental effects. However, inconsistencies in yield and reproducibility continue to pose a major challenge. Fungi such as Aspergillus niger, Penicillium oxalicum can synthesize SiO₂NPs through reduction of silicate precursors. The bioremediation potential and insecticidal properties of fungal-assisted SiO₂NPs paves towards sustainable and eco-friendly production. The myco-synthesized SiO₂NPs also exhibit biomedical applications, such as antimicrobial potential, use as biomarkers, and for medical biosensing. However, future research should focus on the identification of the biomolecules of fungal origin and optimization of reaction conditions to achieve consistency and reproducibility in the morphology and physicochemical properties of myco-assisted SiO₂NPs, for the exploration of novel applications in biomedicine, agriculture, and environmental remediation to fully harness the benefits of myco-assisted SiO₂NPs.

This paper presents a novel biosensor based on a dual-material double-gate GaAsSb/InGaAs heterojunction tunnel FET with a low-k dielectric layer on a silicon substrate. Calibrated TCAD simulations demonstrate that the proposed structure achieves enhanced sensitivity and power efficiency compared to conventional single-gate or high-k designs. Key findings show that the biosensor exhibits high sensing characteristic in response to biomolecular charge and dielectric constant, with tunable performance under different bias conditions. Specifically, at a drain voltage of 0.5 V, the proposed biosensor achieves a maximum current sensitivity of (1.56times 10^{5}) when detecting neutral biomolecule with a relative dielectric constant of 5, and a maximum current selectivity of (5.80times 10^{3}) when distinguishing it from another with relative dielectric constant of 10. In addition, the sensor demonstrates linear current and threshold voltage responses with respect to the density of charged biomolecules across all operating conditions. The results also highlight the role of structural parameters such as fill factor, steric hindrance, and cavity size, offering insights for future optimization in practical biosensing applications. Finally, benchmarking results confirm that the proposed design outperforms previously reported biosensors by more than one order of magnitude in current sensitivity for gelatin detection, while maintaining low-voltage operation.

An abrupt tunnelling intersection needs to exist for a TFET (tunnel field effect transistor) to operate with outstanding electronic and switching capabilities. Additionally, reliability challenges resulting from trap charges created during TFET manufacturing need to be addressed for TFET design. This study examines the dependability of the suggested DGO (dual gate oxide) Tunnel FET centred around bilateral tunnelling (BT-TFET) incorporating low work-function metal strip (LWMS) for the first time. Sharp tunnelling interface at the channel and source conjunction is generated by administering LWMS in the dielectric with high-k region near the source, thereby benefitting threshold voltage (V_th) and subthreshold swing (SS). Furthermore, the gate dielectric's dual oxide promotes the capacitance interaction involving the gate and the dielectric, strengthening the device's quality and dependability features. The recommended LWMS-DGO-BT-TFET demonstrates a diminished V_th of 0.6 V, a superior ON to OFF state current proportion of 10¹³, and a dropped SS of 14.7 mV/decade. The dependability of the suggested device has been investigated by assessing the repercussions of positive as well as negative traps on various metrics such as static or DC, RF/analogue performance statistics, consisting of electric field, transfer metrics, transconductance (g_m), and so forth, of the suggested LWMS-DGO-BT-TFET and the original single gate oxide bilateral tunnelling TFET incorporating LWMS (LWMS-SGO-BT-TFET). Beyond that, contrasting evaluation of both of these designs was additionally conducted with respect to distortion statistics comprising third-order voltage intercept point (VIP₃), second-order and third-order transconductance coefficients. Research has shown that positive traps lift the ON-current of the suggested design by 7.38% and the LWMS-SGO-BT-TFET by 48.90%. Whereas, negative ITCs prompt the ON-current of the suggested design and the classical design to decline by 8.87% and 29.34%, correspondingly. Accordingly, the study found that LWMS-DGO-BT-TFET, which features multiple traps, is more resilient to performance volatility than both DGO-BT-TFET, which is a typical device, and LWMS-SGO-BT-TFET, which is a classical device.

In this work, the extended-source heterostructure vertical tunnel FET (ES-Hetero-VTFET-pH) is characterized as a pH sensor that improves linearity and sensing performance capabilities. To improve the carrier tunnelling across the heterojunction between the source (Si) and the GaSb channel, the source region incorporates a low bandgap material known as GaSb. To simulate the pH sensor in the SILVACO TCAD, the pH model has been developed, which shows the relation between the interface charge density and the density of states of the semiconductor material. With heterojunction, the sensitivity reported in this article is more than 100 mV/pH, which is also improved using a gate stack structure in the proposed pH sensor. Furthermore, the linearity of the device has been evaluated using IIP3, IMD3, VIP2, VIP3 and gm2, gm3.

This study investigates a nanosheet field-effect transistor with a gate stack composed of two oxide layers: SiO₂ and HfO₂. Using simulation-based analysis, this study focused on the impact of the dielectric composition on self-heating effects. Specifically, we consider the impact of the thickness ratio of the SiO₂ and HfO₂ layers for different forms of the channel cross-section while under a constant equivalent gate oxide thickness. The influence of edge effects on the drain current was also examined. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of the Joule heating and heat dissipation within the transistor channel was conducted for different gate dielectric compositions. Contrary to expectations, the results demonstrate that increasing the total thickness of the dual-layer gate dielectric does not increase the channel temperature, but rather decreases it.

In recent years, natural graphite, widely used as anode material for commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), has been classified by EU as a Strategic Raw Material (SRM) and its partial or total replacement with non-critical or end-of-life (EoL) material is recommended. Silicon is one of the most promising materials to replace natural graphite. In fact, it is known that silicon can form alloys with lithium, with a theoretical energy storage capacity at room temperature of 3579 mA h g⁻¹ (when lithiated to Li₁₅Si₄), i.e., significantly higher than that of graphite (372 mA h g⁻¹) and comparable with metallic lithium (3860 mA h g⁻¹). The limiting factor of silicon as anodic material for lithium-ion battery systems is represented by its volumetric expansion, which can reach values more than 300% during battery charge–discharge cycles, involving progressive fragmentation and loss of active material and resulting in rapid decrease of the accumulated capacity. Moreover, the recent inclusion of silicon into the EU list of strategic raw materials and the high environmental impact of silicon production from SiO₂, make the recovery and recycling of this material thoroughly recommended, especially from EoL products like photovoltaic (PV) panels. The paper offers a state-of-the-art on challenges and solutions related to the use of silicon as anodic material in LIBs, besides a survey on the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and the market penetration of silicon anode battery technology.

The fabricated Au/TiO₂/n-Si (MIS) capacitor was exposed to radiation from a ⁶⁰Co gamma-ray source. Dielectric characteristics of the MIS capacitor, including the dielectric constant (ε'), dielectric loss (ε''), dielectric loss tangent (tanδ), ac electrical conductivity (σ_ac), and both the real (M') and imaginary (M'') parts of the complex electric modulus (M*), as well as the real (Z') and imaginary (Z'') parts of the complex impedance (Z*), were determined using capacitance (C) and conductance (G/ω) data measured at five frequencies (1, 10, 100, 500, and 1000 kHz) after each irradiation dose (5, 10, 50, 100 kGy). Results indicated that the value C and G/ω declined as the radiation dose amplified at each frequency. The dielectric constant also decreased with radiation dose, attributed to displacement damage and the creation of mobile charge carriers or dipolar molecules. The dielectric constant was high at low frequencies because of interfacial polarization. Impedance values increased with radiation dose due to reduced mobile charge carrier density. While the study does not conclusively prove the fabricated MIS capacitor’s suitability as a dosimeter or radiation sensor, its unique response to radiation indicates potential. Thus, the results should be interpreted cautiously with this limitation in mind.