Nathan S. Lewis

Bio: Nathan S. Lewis is an academic researcher from California Institute of Technology. The author has contributed to research in topics: Semiconductor & Silicon. The author has an hindex of 112, co-authored 720 publications receiving 64808 citations. Previous affiliations of Nathan S. Lewis include Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dihydrogen Complexes of Metalloporphyrins: Characterization and Catalytic Hydrogen Oxidation Activity

Abstract: A series of monometallic dihydrogen complexes of the type M(OEP)(L)(H{sub 2}) (M = Ru, Os; L = THF, *Im) was synthesized and characterized by {sup 1}H NMR. The H-H bond length was found to increase when Os was replaced by Ru or when *Im was replaced by THF. The bond distances (as determined by T{sub 1}) range from 0.92 to 1.18 {angstrom}. The first example of a bimetallic bridging dihydrogen complex, Ru{sub 2}(DPB)(*IM){sub 2}(H{sub 2}), was also prepared. The H{sub 2} ligand is simultaneously bound to both Ru-metal centers. High-field {sup 1}H NMR experiments (620 MHz) revealed a -7.37 Hz dipolar splitting of the H{sub 2} ligand for this complex. Analysis of this splitting suggests that the H{sub 2} ligand is bound with the H-H axis perpendicular to the Ru-Ru axis. These complexes were examined as possible catalysts for the oxidation of dihydrogen through prior heterolytic activation of H{sub 2}. Only Ru(OEP)(THF)(H{sub 2}) can be conveniently deprotonated. Ru(OEP)(THF)(H{sub 2}) is also implicated in the Ru-(OEP)((THF){sub 2}) catalyzed isotopic exchange between H{sub 2} and D{sub 2}O in THF solution. Each step for this mechanism has been elucidated. We have also achieved catalytic dihydrogen oxidation using [Ru(OEP)]{sub 2} adsorbed onto graphite. Twomore » mechanisms for this ruthenium porphyrin catalyzed dihydrogen oxidation are presented and compared. 54 refs., 12 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Control of the stability, electron-transfer kinetics, and pH-dependent energetics of Si/H2O interfaces through methyl termination of Si(111) surfaces.

Abstract: Methyl-terminated, n-type, (111)-oriented Si surfaces were prepared via a two-step chlorination-alkylation method. This surface modification passivated the Si surface toward electrochemical oxidation and thereby allowed measurements of interfacial electron-transfer processes in contact with aqueous solutions. The resulting semiconductor/liquid junctions exhibited interfacial kinetics behavior in accord with the ideal model of a semiconductor/liquid junction. In contrast to the behavior of H-terminated Si(111) surfaces, current density vs. potential measurements of CH_3-terminated Si(111) surfaces in contact with an electron acceptor having a pH-independent redox potential (methyl viologen^(2+/+)) were used to verify that the band edges of the modified Si electrode were fixed with respect to changes in solution pH. The results provide strong evidence that the energetics of chemically modified Si interfaces can be fixed with respect to pH and show that the band-edge energies of Si can be tuned independently of pH-derived variations in the electrochemical potential of the solution redox species.

Epitaxial growth and critical current density of thin films of YBa2Cu3O7−x on LaAlO3 substrates

Abstract: Thin films of the high‐temperature superconductor YBa2 Cu3 O7−x have been produced on (100) LaAlO3 substrates by coevaporation and furnace annealing. A 14‐μm‐wide and 400‐μm‐long constriction patterned on a 0.8‐μm‐thick film had a zero resistance transition temperature of 90 K, a transition width of 1.5 K, and a critical current density of 8×104 A cm−2 at 77 K. Although x‐ray diffraction shows a definite c‐axis alignment normal to the substrate plane, further analysis reveals that c‐axis alignment in the substrate plane is also present. The detailed microstructural picture is revealed by transmission electron microscopy: a continuous layer, about 0.2 μm thick adjacent to the substrate, with c axis normal to the substrate plane, and the remaining top portion of the film, with the c axis in the film plane. In spite of the bilayer structure, the film remains epitaxial (the axes of the superconductor are parallel to the 〈100〉 directions of the substrate).

Classification performance of carbon black-polymer composite vapor detector arrays as a function of array size and detector composition

Abstract: The vapor classification performance of arrays of conducting polymer composite vapor detectors has been evaluated as a function of the number and type of detectors in an array. Quantitative performance comparisons were facilitated by challenging a collection of detector arrays with vapor discrimination tasks that were sufficiently difficult that at least some of the arrays did not exhibit perfect classification ability for all of the tasks of interest. For nearly all of the discrimination tasks investigated in this work, classification performance either increased or did not significantly decrease as the number of chemically different detectors in the array increased. Any given subset of the full array of detectors, selected because it yielded the best classification performance at a given array size for one particular task, was invariably outperformed by a different subset of detectors, and by the entire array, when used in at least one other vapor discrimination task. Arrays of detectors were nevertheless identified that yielded robust discrimination performance between compositionally close mixtures of 1-propanol and 2-propanol, n-hexane and n-heptane, and meta-xylene and para-xylene, attesting to the excellent analyte classification performance that can be obtained through the use of such semi-selective vapor detector arrays.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

A low-cost, high-efficiency solar cell based on dye-sensitized colloidal TiO2 films

Abstract: THE large-scale use of photovoltaic devices for electricity generation is prohibitively expensive at present: generation from existing commercial devices costs about ten times more than conventional methods1. Here we describe a photovoltaic cell, created from low-to medium-purity materials through low-cost processes, which exhibits a commercially realistic energy-conversion efficiency. The device is based on a 10-µm-thick, optically transparent film of titanium dioxide particles a few nanometres in size, coated with a monolayer of a charge-transfer dye to sensitize the film for light harvesting. Because of the high surface area of the semiconductor film and the ideal spectral characteristics of the dye, the device harvests a high proportion of the incident solar energy flux (46%) and shows exceptionally high efficiencies for the conversion of incident photons to electrical current (more than 80%). The overall light-to-electric energy conversion yield is 7.1-7.9% in simulated solar light and 12% in diffuse daylight. The large current densities (greater than 12 mA cm-2) and exceptional stability (sustaining at least five million turnovers without decomposition), as well as the low cost, make practical applications feasible.

疟原虫var基因转换速率变化导致抗原变异[英]／Paul H, Robert P, Christodoulou Z, et al//Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

Abstract: 抗原变异可使得多种致病微生物易于逃避宿主免疫应答。表达在感染红细胞表面的恶性疟原虫红细胞表面蛋白1（PfPMP1）与感染红细胞、内皮细胞、树突状细胞以及胎盘的单个或多个受体作用，在黏附及免疫逃避中起关键的作用。每个单倍体基因组var基因家族编码约60种成员，通过启动转录不同的var基因变异体为抗原变异提供了分子基础。

Heterogeneous photocatalyst materials for water splitting

Abstract: This critical review shows the basis of photocatalytic water splitting and experimental points, and surveys heterogeneous photocatalyst materials for water splitting into H2 and O2, and H2 or O2 evolution from an aqueous solution containing a sacrificial reagent Many oxides consisting of metal cations with d0 and d10 configurations, metal (oxy)sulfide and metal (oxy)nitride photocatalysts have been reported, especially during the latest decade The fruitful photocatalyst library gives important information on factors affecting photocatalytic performances and design of new materials Photocatalytic water splitting and H2 evolution using abundant compounds as electron donors are expected to contribute to construction of a clean and simple system for solar hydrogen production, and a solution of global energy and environmental issues in the future (361 references)