University of California, Santa Barbara

About: University of California, Santa Barbara is a education organization based out in Santa Barbara, California, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Galaxy. The organization has 30281 authors who have published 80852 publications receiving 4626827 citations. The organization is also known as: UC Santa Barbara & UCSB.

Semiconducting polymers: the Third Generation

Abstract: There has been remarkable progress in the science and technology of semiconducting polymers during the past decade. The field has evolved from the early work on polyacetylene (the First Generation material) to a proper focus on soluble and processible polymers and co-polymers. The soluble poly(alkylthiophenes) and the soluble PPVs are perhaps the most important examples of the Second Generation of semiconducting polymers. Third Generation semiconducting polymers have more complex molecular structures with more atoms in the repeat unit. Important examples include the highly ordered and crystalline PDTTT and the ever-growing class of donor–acceptor co-polymers that has emerged in the past few years. Examples of the latter include the bithiophene–acceptor co-polymers pioneered by Konarka and the polycarbazole–acceptor co-polymers pioneered by Leclerc and colleagues. In this tutorial review, I will summarize progress in the basic physics, the materials science, the device science and the device performance with emphasis on the following recent studies of Third Generation semiconducting polymers: stable semiconducting polymers; self-assembly of bulk heterojunction (BHJ) materials by spontaneous phase separation; bulk heterojunction solar cells with internal quantum efficiency approaching 100%; high detectivity photodetectors fabricated from BHJ materials.

Electrochemical interrogation of conformational changes as a reagentless method for the sequence-specific detection of DNA.

Abstract: We report a strategy for the reagentless transduction of DNA hybridization into a readily detectable electrochemical signal by means of a conformational change analogous to the optical molecular beacon approach. The strategy involves an electroactive, ferrocene-tagged DNA stem-loop structure that self-assembles onto a gold electrode by means of facile gold-thiol chemistry. Hybridization induces a large conformational change in this surface-confined DNA structure, which in turn significantly alters the electron-transfer tunneling distance between the electrode and the redoxable label. The resulting change in electron transfer efficiency is readily measured by cyclic voltammetry at target DNA concentrations as low as 10 pM. In contrast to existing optical approaches, an electrochemical DNA (E-DNA) sensor built on this strategy can detect femtomoles of target DNA without employing cumbersome and expensive optics, light sources, or photodetectors. In contrast to previously reported electrochemical approaches, the E-DNA sensor achieves this impressive sensitivity without the use of exogenous reagents and without sacrificing selectivity or reusability. The E-DNA sensor thus offers the promise of convenient, reusable detection of picomolar DNA.

Roadmap on silicon photonics

Abstract: Silicon photonics research can be dated back to the 1980s. However, the previous decade has witnessed an explosive growth in the field. Silicon photonics is a disruptive technology that is poised to revolutionize a number of application areas, for example, data centers, high-performance computing and sensing. The key driving force behind silicon photonics is the ability to use CMOS-like fabrication resulting in high-volume production at low cost. This is a key enabling factor for bringing photonics to a range of technology areas where the costs of implementation using traditional photonic elements such as those used for the telecommunications industry would be prohibitive. Silicon does however have a number of shortcomings as a photonic material. In its basic form it is not an ideal material in which to produce light sources, optical modulators or photodetectors for example. A wealth of research effort from both academia and industry in recent years has fueled the demonstration of multiple solutions to these and other problems, and as time progresses new approaches are increasingly being conceived. It is clear that silicon photonics has a bright future. However, with a growing number of approaches available, what will the silicon photonic integrated circuit of the future look like? This roadmap on silicon photonics delves into the different technology and application areas of the field giving an insight into the state-of-the-art as well as current and future challenges faced by researchers worldwide. Contributions authored by experts from both industry and academia provide an overview and outlook for the silicon waveguide platform, optical sources, optical modulators, photodetectors, integration approaches, packaging, applications of silicon photonics and approaches required to satisfy applications at mid-infrared wavelengths. Advances in science and technology required to meet challenges faced by the field in each of these areas are also addressed together with predictions of where the field is destined to reach.

A measurement by BOOMERANG of multiple peaks in the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background

Abstract: This paper presents a measurement of the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background from l = 75 to l = 1025 (~10' to 24) from a combined analysis of four 150 GHz channels in the BOOMERANG experiment. The spectrum contains multiple peaks and minima, as predicted by standard adiabatic inflationary models in which the primordial plasma undergoes acoustic oscillations. These results, in concert with other types of cosmological measurements and theoretical models, significantly constrain the values of ?tot, ?bh2, ?ch2, and ns.

Coastal Ecosystem-Based Management with Nonlinear Ecological Functions and Values

Abstract: A common assumption is that ecosystem services respond linearly to changes in habitat size. This assumption leads frequently to an "all or none" choice of either preserving coastal habitats or converting them to human use. However, our survey of wave attenuation data from field studies of mangroves, salt marshes, seagrass beds, nearshore coral reefs, and sand dunes reveals that these relationships are rarely linear. By incorporating nonlinear wave attenuation in estimating coastal protection values of mangroves in Thailand, we show that the optimal land use option may instead be the integration of development and conservation consistent with ecosystem-based management goals. This result suggests that reconciling competing demands on coastal habitats should not always result in stark preservation-versus-conversion choices.