MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important for plant development and stress responses. However, factors regulating miRNA metabolism are not completely understood. SICKLE (SIC), a proline-rich protein critical for development and abiotic stress tolerance of Arabidopsis, was identified in this study. Loss-of-function sic-1 mutant plants exhibited a serrated, sickle-like leaf margin, reduced height, delayed...

Development of homogenous metal matrix nanocomposites with uniform distribution of nanoreinforcement, preserved matrix nanostructure features, and improved properties, was possible by means of innovative processing techniques. In this work, Al-SiC nanocomposites were synthesized by mechanical milling and consolidated through spark plasma sintering. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (F...

Density-functional tight-binding molecular dynamics (DFTB/MD) methods were employed to demonstrate single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) nucleation resulting from thermal annealing of SiC nanoparticles. SWNT nucleation in this case is preceded by a change of the SiC structure from a crystalline one, to one in which silicon and carbon are segregated. This structural transformation ultimately resu...

Abstract. This paper demonstrates the first 4H-SiC metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) UV photodetector. Two types of MSM photodetectors are fabricated for comparison: one in p-type 4HSiC and the other in n-type 4H-SiC. The n-type SiC photodetectors show a low dark current less than 10nA at -15V bias while the p-type ones show a lower dark current of 0.3nA at -25V. Photoresponsivity is measured fro...

A maximal product of stiffness and viscoelastic damping (E tan d), a figure of merit for damping layers, is desirable for structural damping applications. Particulate-reinforced metal–matrix composites were prepared by ultrasonic agitation of the melt and composed of the zinc–aluminum (ZnAl) alloy Zn80Al20 (in wt%) as the lossy matrix and SiC or BaTiO3 as the particulate reinforcements. ZnAl–Si...

There have been numerous efforts to improve the performance of graphene-based electronic devices by chemical doping. Most studies have focused on gas-phase doping with chemical vapor deposition. However, that requires a complicated transfer process that causes undesired doping and defects by residual polymers. Here, we report a solid-phase synthesis of doped graphene by means of silicon carbide...

UNLABELLED Si quantum dots (Si QDs)/SiC multilayers were fabricated by annealing hydrogenated amorphous Si/SiC multilayers prepared in a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system. The thickness of amorphous Si layer was designed to be 4 nm, and the thickness of amorphous SiC layer was kept at 2 nm. Transmission electron microscopy observation revealed the formation of Si QDs after 900°C ...

In this paper, a simple method to synthesize silicon carbide (SiC) nanoribbons is presented. Silicon powder and carbon black powder placed in a horizontal tube furnace were exposed to temperatures ranging from 1,250 to 1,500°C for 5-12 h in an argon atmosphere at atmospheric pressure. The resulting SiC nanoribbons were tens to hundreds of microns in length, a few microns in width and tens of na...

We have demonstrated a method of producing nanoplatelets or complex well-ordered nanostructures from silicon carbide (SiC) whiskers. Preferential etching of SiC whiskers in a mixture of hydrofluoric and nitric acids (3:1 ratio) at 100 degrees C results in the selective removal of cubic SiC and the formation of complex structures resembling a pagoda architecture. Possible mechanisms governing se...

The status of transparent SiC for short wave (3–5 μm) windows and domes is reviewed. Transparent β-SiC was fabricated by the pyrolysis of methyltrichlorosilane in the presence of excess H2 and argon in a hot wall, chemical vapor deposition reactor. Characterization of the material indicates that the transparent SiC is a theoretically dense, void free, highly pure (99.9996%) cubic material posse...