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Nanoparticles in the dispersion are electrodeposited onto conductive substrates forming crystalline nano-structured films. The deposition process can be well manipulated, and the films prepared have excellent electrochromic performance.

Sol-gel/carbon nanotubes (CNTs) nano-composite films were electrochemically deposited by applying negative potential to a conducting substrate, i.e. indium tin oxide (ITO) and Ag grid printed on polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The deposition is driven by the local pH rise on the cathode that catalyzes the formation of sol-gel films. The latter serves as binder and entrapment for CNTs. The 10 deposition can be well manipulated by deposition potential and time, and the film can be selectively electrodeposited on the conductive parts of Ag grids printed on PET from an optimized dispersion. The thickness, transmittance, morphology and hydrophilicity of the films are characterized by profilometry, spectrophotometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and water contact angle, respectively. It is further revealed that the electrodeposited sol-gel/CNTs composite films have non-linear optical properties 15 and exhibit pronounced antireflective performance (specular reflection < 0.5% over visible to long-wave IR range, allowing their potential applications as optical materials. Journal Name, [year], [vol], 00-00 | 5 65The composite films are hydrophilic, and can be selectively electrodeposited on conductive surfaces. Finally, we demonstrated that the electrodeposited sol-gel/CNT composite films show good non-linear optical properties and pronounced antireflection performance (blackness), which are mainly 70 attributed to the high content of CNTs in the films. This work suggests electrodeposition as a powerful method of preparing solgel/CNT composite films for optical applications.This work reports a method of electrodepositing sol-gel/CNT composite films. The deposition is highly selective to conductive surfaces, and the films show non-linear optical properties and excellent antireflection performance.

Efficient navigation based on chemical cues is an essential feature shared by all animals. These cues may be encountered in complex spatiotemporal patterns and with orders of magnitude varying intensities. Nevertheless, sensory neurons accurately extract the relevant information from such perplexing signals. Here, we show how a single sensory neuron in Caenorhabditis elegans animals can cell‐autonomously encode complex stimulus patterns composed of instantaneous sharp changes and of slowly changing continuous gradients. This encoding relies on a simple negative feedback in the G‐protein‐coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling pathway in which TAX‐6/Calcineurin plays a key role in mediating the feedback inhibition. This negative feedback supports several important coding features that underlie an efficient navigation strategy, including exact adaptation and adaptation to the magnitude of the gradient's first derivative. A simple mathematical model explains the fine neural dynamics of both wild‐type and tax‐6 mutant animals, further highlighting how the calcium‐dependent activity of TAX‐6/Calcineurin dictates GPCR inhibition and response dynamics. As GPCRs are ubiquitously expressed in all sensory neurons, this mechanism may be a general solution for efficient cell‐autonomous coding of external stimuli.

Efficient navigation based on chemical cues is an essential feature shared by all animals. These cues may be encountered in complex spatio-temporal patterns and with orders of magnitude varying intensities. Nevertheless, sensory neurons accurately extract the relevant information from such perplexing signals. Here, we show how a single sensory neuron in C. elegans worms can cell-autonomously encode complex stimulus patterns composed of instantaneous sharp changes and of slowly-changing continuous gradients. This encoding relies on a simple negative feedback in the GPCR signaling pathway in which TAX-6/Calcineurin plays a key role in mediating the feedback inhibition. Crucially, this negative feedback pathway supports several important coding features that underlie an efficient navigation strategy, including exact adaptation and adaptation to the magnitude of the gradient’s first derivative. A simple mathematical model accurately captured the fine neural dynamics of both wt and tax-6 mutant animals, further highlighting how the calcium-dependent activity of TAX-6/Calcineurin dictates GPCR inhibition and response dynamics. As GPCRs are ubiquitously expressed in all sensory neurons, this mechanism may be a universal solution for efficient cell-autonomous coding of external stimuli.