The (Bi0.5Na0.5)0.94Ba0.06Ti1-x (Nd0.5Ta0.5) xO3 (0.01≤x≤0.05) lead-free ceramics (BNBT-xNT) used (Nd0.5Ta0.5)4+ complex-ions to modify its structure and electrical properties. The BNBT-xNT ceramics exhibit the coexistence of tetragonal and rhombohedral phase. The (Nd0.5Ta0.5)4+ complex-ions prohibit grain growth, and its average grain size decreases from 2.53 µm to 0.84 µm with increasing complex-ion content. The NT doping not only induces the transformation from ferroelectric phase to relaxor ferroelectric phase but also decreases the coercive field and remnant polarization. The permittivity curves are broadened at heavily doping content. The energy storage and strain properties are improved by complex-ions. The maximum energy storage density of 0.475 J/cm3 is obtained at x = 0.035 and 60 kV/cm, the energy storage efficiency achieves the maximum efficiency of 61.5% at x=0.05. As increasing complex-ion content, the typical butterfly-shaped strain curve develops into a sprout-shaped one, and the maximum strain of 0.199% is obtained at x=0.02.

Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) tablets were used to deposit ITO films on p-GaN layer of light-emitting diodes. Needles and cracks in ITO tablets generated during electron beam evaporation process were deeply investigated. The formation of needles is predominantly resulted from the scanning trace, which is controlled by x and y axes scanning singles. The needles can be eliminated by controlling electron beam scanning trace. The loose microstructure with uniform grains and pores in the ITO tablets results in weak bonding strength, which leads to cracks under the thermal shock of high energy electron beam. A three-dimensional reticulated skeleton structure with strong bonding strength can restrain these cracks.

The fresh-water green unicellular alga Haematococcus pluvialis is known to accumulate astaxanthin under stress conditions. In the present study, transcriptional expression of eight genes involved in astaxanthin biosynthesis exposed to EBR (25 and 50 mg/L) was analyzed using qRT-PCR. The results demonstrated that both 25 and 50 mg/L EBR could increase astaxanthin productivity and the eight carotenogenic genes were up-regulated by EBR with different expression profiles. Moreover, EBR25 induction had a greater influence on the transcriptional expression of ipi-1, ipi-2, crtR-B, lyc and crtO (> 5- fold up-regulation) than on psy, pds, bkt; EBR50 treatment had a greater effect on the transcriptional expression of ipi-2, pds, lyc, crtR-B, bkt and crtO than on ipi-1 and psy. Furthermore, astaxanthin biosynthesis under EBR was up-regulated mainly by ipi1־ and psy at the post-transcriptional level, pds, lyc, crtR-B, bkt and crtO at the transcriptional level and ipi-2 at both levels.