Structure and properties of the one-dimensional cobalt oxide CaCo2O4

We have studied crystal structure and transport properties of the quasi one-dimensional cobalt oxide CaCo₂O₄. The CaCo₂O₄ phase crystallizes in calcium-ferrite type structure, which consists of a corner- and edge-shared CoO₆ octahedron network including one-dimensional double chains. Large thermoelectric power (S  150 μV/K at 390 K) with metallic temperature dependence of S, moderate resistivity (ρ  2.9 × 10⁻¹ Ω cm at 390 K) with carrier localization at low temperature, and normal thermal conductivity (κ  6.3 W/Km at 390 K) were observed. The phonon mean-free path was calculated from the observed data, as a function of temperature. The long phonon mean-free path (l  24 Å at 300 K) implies that the thermal conductivity could be suppressed by impurity scattering of phonons with partial element substitution.     

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba2Ca5Cu6O12 (O1−x Fx)2

Scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) measurements on multi-layered cuprate superconductor Ba₂Ca₅Cu₆O₁₂ (O_1−x F_x)₂ are carried out. STM topographies show randomly distributed bright spot structures with a typical spot size of 0.8 nm. These bright spots are occupied about 28% per one unit cell of c-plane, which is comparable to the regular amount of apical oxygen of 20% obtained from element analysis. Tunneling spectra simultaneously show both the small and the large gap structures. These gap sizes at 4.9 K are about Δ 15 meV and 90 meV, respectively. The small gap structure disappears at the temperature close to T_C, while the large gap persists up to 200 K. Therefore, these features correspond to the superconducting gap and pseudogap, respectively. These facts give evidence for some ordered state with large energy scale even in the superconducting state. For the superconducting gap, the ratio of 2Δ/K_BT_C = 4.9 is obtained with T_C = 70 K, which is determined from temperature dependence of the tunneling spectra.     

Nucleation, growth and morphology of Co thin films on Ag(1 1 0)

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments reveal that Co growth on Ag(1 1 0), at coverages of Co < 1 ML and low substrate temperatures (150 K), involves a concomitant insertion of Co into the top Ag layer and exchange of Ag out onto the surface. At 300 K, coverages of Co > 1 ML gives rise to a 3D nanocluster growth on the surface, with the clusters covered by Ag. Depending slightly on coverage, the clusters have a typical diameter of 3 nm and a height of 0.4 nm. Upon annealing to 500 K, major changes are observed in the morphology of the surface. STM and AES show that there is a reduction of the number of Co islands on the surface, partly due to subsurface Co cluster migration and partly due to sintering into larger clusters.     

What can we learn about the spectrum of high-energy stray neutron fields from Bonner sphere measurements?

Extended-Range Bonner sphere spectrometers (ERBSSs) are well suited for measurements in high-energy stray neutron fields, where neutron energies extend from thermal to a few hundred MeV. These fields typically have a thermal peak, a fairly flat intermediate region, a medium energy peak at 1 MeV and a high-energy peak at a few 100 MeV. The data analysis is not straightforward: it requires unfolding with response functions that have a substantial amount of overlap, and the responses of the modified spheres (which provide information about the fluence at high energies) increase dramatically above 100 MeV. In this paper, I try to determine which of the main features of the spectrum are well determined by the data given optimal methods of analysis, and which features are subject to ambiguity. To do this, I analyse ERBSS measurements using two methods of analysis that are particularly useful for this purpose, Bayesian parameter estimation and maximum entropy unfolding.     

Quasi-distributed displacement sensor for structural monitoring using a commercial OTDR

A quasi-distributed displacement sensor for structural monitoring using an optical time domain reflectometer is demonstrated. Four displacement sensing heads are placed along a standard single mode optical fibre in several locations with different intervals. Their configurations introduce power loss through the decrease of their fibre loop radius when displacement is applied. The decrease of the light intensity with displacement variation is reported. Losses of 9 dB for a 120 mm displacement with a sensitivity of 0.027 dB/mm are reported. The quasi-distributed configuration is able to address sensors with 1 m distance resolution between them.     

Spectroscopic investigation of arsenate and selenate incorporation into hydroxylapatite

The mechanism(s) of arsenate and selenate incorporation into hydroxylapatite (HAP) using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy was investigated for As- and Se-doped HAP samples with concentrations between 200 and 2500 ppm. EXAFS data on As and Se K-edges have shown similar local coordination environments and are similar to that of P in HAP, suggesting the substitution of arsenate or selenate tetrahedra on the phosphate sites. EXAFS best-fitting for As-doped samples shows that the first shell is fitted with approximately 4 O atoms at 1.68 Å, showing As(V) in tetrahedral coordination, and Se K-edge EXAFS data are characterized by the backscattering contributions an oxygen shell at 1.2 Å in the Fourier transform, which can be fit with 4 O atoms at 1.65 ± 0.01 Å. This is characteristic of Se–O distances in SeO₄ tetrahedron. These findings suggest that arsenate and selenate substitute for phosphate groups with local distortions during the incorporation of these metals into the structure of HAP.     

Effect of the synthesis route on the structural properties and shape of the indium oxide (In2O3) nano-particles

Nano-crystalline indium oxide (In₂O₃) particles have been synthesized by sol–gel and hydro-thermal techniques. A simple hydro-alcoholic solution consisting indium nitrate hydrate and citric acid (in sol–gel method) and 1, 4-butandiol (in hydro-thermal method) have been utilized. The structural properties of indium oxide nano-powders annealed at 450 °C (for both methods) have been characterized by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and specific surface area (SSA) analysis. Structural analysis of the samples shows cubic phase in sol–gel and cubic-hexagonal phase mixture in hydro-thermally prepared particles. The nano-particles prepared by sol–gel method have nearly spherical shape, whereas hydro-thermally-made ones display wire- and needle-like shape in addition to the spherical shape. The obtained In₂O₃ nano-particles surface areas were 23.2 and 55.3 in sol–gel and hydro-thermal methods, respectively. The optical direct band gap of In₂O₃ nano-particles were determined to be 4.32 and 4.24 eV for sol–gel and hydro-thermal methods, respectively. These values exhibit 0.5 eV blue shift from that the bulk In₂O₃ (3.75 eV), which is related to the particle size reduction and approaching the quantum confinement limit of nano-particles.     

Microwave dielectric properties of (1 − x)(Mg0.95Co0.05)TiO3–x(Na0.5La0.5)TiO3 ceramic system

The microstructures and the microwave dielectric properties of the (1 − x)(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–x(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃ ceramic system were investigated. Two-phase system was confirmed by the XRD patterns and the EDX analysis. A co-existed second phase (Mg_0.95Co_0.05)Ti₂O₅ was also detected. The microwave dielectric properties are strongly related to the density and the matrix of the specimen. A new microwave dielectric material 0.88(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–0.12(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃, possessing an excellent combination of dielectric properties: ε_r  22.36, Q × f  110,000 GHz (at 9 GHz), τ_f  2.9 ppm/°C), is proposed as a candidate dielectric for GPS patch antennas.     

Photonic generation of microwave signal using a dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode distributed Bragg reflector fiber laser

In this paper, a novel all-optical microwave generation technique based on a dual-wavelength single-longitudinal-mode (SLM) distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser is proposed and demonstrated. By exploiting spatial hole burning (SHB) effect, this laser could provide stable dual-wavelength SLM operation with a wavelength separation of 0.088 nm corresponding to the microwave signal at 10.484 GHz with a 3 dB bandwidth of 28 kHz. By appropriately adjusting the pump power, dual-wavelength oscillation could be maintained at different temperatures. We have theoretically analyzed the mechanism for microwave generation of the proposed DBR laser, and the calculated microwave frequency is in good agreement with our experimental results. Furthermore, experimental observation shows both of the laser wavelengths and generated microwave signals have good stability at room temperature.     

The effect of stoichiometry on the combustion behavior of a nanoscale Al/MoO3 thermite

The effect of stoichiometry on the combustion behavior of the nanoscale aluminum molybdenum trioxide (nAl/MoO₃) thermite was studied in a burn tube experiment by characterizing the propagation velocity and pressure output of the reaction. Changing the stoichiometry affects the combustion through changes in the product temperature, phase, and composition. The mixture ratios of the composites were varied over an extremely wide range (5% nAl (95% MoO₃)–90% nAl (10% MoO₃)). Results revealed three separate combustion regimes: a steady high speed propagation (100 to 1000 m/s) from approximately 10% to 65% nAl, an oscillating and accelerating wave near 70% nAl, and a steady-slow speed propagation (0.1–1 m/s) from approximately 75% to 85% nAl. Propagation was observed to fail both <10% nAl and >85% nAl. This is the first known observation of such limits for a nanoscale thermite in a tube geometry. The instrumented tube tests revealed peak pressures over 8 MPa near stoichiometric conditions in the steady high speed propagation region, no measurable pressure rise at low speed propagation, and building pressures for accelerating waves. The results suggest the propagation mode to be a supersonic convective wave for near stoichiometric mixtures and a conductive deflagration for extremely fuel-rich mixtures. The implications of these results for microscale combustion applications are discussed.     

Carbon nanotube–polymer composites for photonic devices

We report the fabrication of high optical quality single wall carbon nanotube polyvinyl alcohol composites and their application in nanotube based photonic devices. These show a broad absorption of semiconductor tubes centred at 1.55 μm, the spectral range of interest for optical communications. The films are used as mode-lockers in an erbium doped fibre laser, achieving 700 fs mode-locked pulses. Raman spectroscopy shows no damage after a long time continuous laser operation.     

Dimensional evolution of silicon nanowires synthesized by Au–Si island-catalyzed chemical vapor deposition

This study explores the nucleation and morphological evolution of silicon nanowires (Si-NWs) on Si (0 0 1) and (1 1 1) substrates synthesized using nanoscale Au–Si island-catalyzed rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition. The Au–Si islands are formed by Au thin film (1.2–3.0 nm) deposition at room temperature followed by annealing at 700 °C, which are employed as a liquid-droplet catalysis during the growth of the Si-NWs. The Si-NWs are grown by exposing the substrates with Au–Si islands to a mixture of gasses SiH₄ and H₂. The growth temperatures and the pressures are 500–600 °C and 0.1–1.0 Torr, respectively. We found a critical thickness of the Au film for Si-NWs nucleation at a given growth condition. Also, we observed that the dimensional evolution of the NWs significantly depends on the growth pressure and temperature. The resulting NWs are 30–100 nm in diameter and 0.4–12.0 μm in length. For Si (0 0 1) substrates 80% of the NWs are aligned along the 1 1 1 direction which are 30° and 60° with respect to the substrate surface while for Si (1 1 1) most of the NWs are aligned vertically along the 1 1 1 direction. In particular, we observed that there appears to be two types of NWs; one with a straight and another with a tapered shape. The morphological and dimensional evolution of the Si-NWs is significantly related to atomic diffusion kinetics and energetics in the vapor–liquid–solid processes.     

Structure and reaction pathways of methyl lactate on Pd(1 1 1)

The adsorption and reaction of methyl lactate (CH₃CH(OH)COOCH₃) is studied in ultrahigh vacuum on a Pd(1 1 1) surface using temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection–absorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS). Methyl lactate reacts at relatively low temperatures (220 K) by O–H bond scission. This intermediate can either react with hydrogen to reform methyl lactate at 280–300 K or undergo β-hydride elimination to form flat-lying methyl pyruvate. This decomposes to form acetyl and methoxy carbonyl species as found previously following methyl pyruvate adsorption on Pd(1 1 1). These species predominantly react to form carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen.     

Dynamics of the collective excitations of the quantum Hall system

Using the non linear optical technique of 3-pulse 4-wave mixing, we study the dynamics of the collective excitations of the quantum Hall system. We excite the system with 100 fs pulses propagating in directions k₁ and k₃ and then probe its time evolution with a delayed pulse k₂. We measure the non-linear optical response from the lowest Landau level along the direction k₁+k₂−k₃. As function of the time delay of pulse k₂, this signal shows striking beats for short time delays (500 fs), followed by a rise (20 ps) and then a decay (100 ps). We identify the microscopic origin of this dynamics by extending the standard theory of ultra fast nonlinear optics to include the effects of the correlations.     

Symmetry-adapted tight-binding calculations of the totally symmetric A1 phonons of single-walled carbon nanotubes and their resonant Raman intensity

The atomistic calculations of the physical properties of perfect single-walled carbon nanotubes based on the use of the translational symmetry of the nanotubes face increasing computational difficulties for most of the presently synthesized nanotubes with up to a few thousand atoms in the unit cell. This difficulty can be circumvented by use of the helical symmetry of the nanotubes and a two-atom unit cell. We present the results of such symmetry-adapted tight-binding calculations of the totally symmetric A₁ phonons (the RBM and the G-band modes) and their resonant Raman intensity for several hundred nanotubes.In particular, we show that (1) the frequencies and the resonant Raman intensity of the RBM and the G-band modes show diameter and chirality dependence and family patterns, (2) the strong electron– phonon interactions in metallic nanotubes lead to Kohn anomalies at the zone center, (3) the G-band consists of a subband due to phonons of semiconducting tubes centered at 1593 cm⁻¹, a subband of phonons at 1570 cm⁻¹, and a subband of phonons of metallic tubes at 1540 cm⁻¹. The latter prediction confirms previous theoretical results but disagrees with the commonly adopted assignment of the G-band features.     

Comparison of Yb-doped fiber laser with one-end and double-end pumping configuration

A high-power Ytterbium-doped fiber laser (YDFL) with homemade double clad fiber (DCF) is introduced in this paper. The output power characteristics of a linear cavity fiber laser have been studied theoretically by solving the rate equations and experimentally tested with single- and double-end-pumping configurations. When both ends of the fiber are pumped by two high-power laser diodes with a launched power of 300 W each, a maximum CW output of 444 W is obtained with a slope efficiency of 75%.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of the hetero-/homogeneous combustion of lean propane/air mixtures over platinum

The pure heterogeneous and the coupled hetero-/homogeneous combustion of fuel-lean propane/air mixtures over platinum have been investigated at pressures 1 bar  p  7 bar, fuel-to-air equivalence ratios 0.23  φ  0.43, and catalytic wall temperatures 723 K  T_w  1286 K. Experiments were performed in an optically accessible catalytic channel-flow reactor and involved 1-D Raman measurements of major gas-phase species concentrations across the reactor boundary layer for the assessment of catalytic fuel conversion and planar laser induced fluorescence (LIF) of the OH radical for the determination of homogeneous ignition. Numerical predictions were carried out with a 2-D elliptic CFD code that included a one-step catalytic reaction for the total oxidation of propane on Pt, an elementary C₃ gas-phase chemical reaction mechanism, and detailed transport. A global catalytic reaction step valid over the entire pressure–temperature-equivalence ratio parameter range has been established, which revealed a p^0.75 dependence of the catalytic reactivity on pressure. The aforementioned global catalytic step was further coupled to a detailed gas-phase reaction mechanism in order to simulate homogeneous ignition characteristics in the channel-flow reactor. The predictions reproduced within 10% the measured homogeneous ignition distances at pressures p  5 bar, while at p = 7 bar the simulations overpredicted the measurements by 19%. The overall model performance suggests that the employed hetero-/homogeneous chemical reaction schemes are suitable for the design of propane-fueled catalytic microreactors.     

Temperature dependent photoluminescence from ZnO/MgZnO multiple quantum wells grown by pulsed laser deposition

We have studied temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) from ZnO Multiple Quantum Wells (MQWs) of different well layer thicknesses in the range 1–4 nm grown on (0001) sapphire by a novel in-house developed buffer assisted pulsed laser deposition. At 10 K the PL peak shifted toward blue with decreasing well layer thickness and at constant well layer thickness the PL peak shifted towards red with increasing temperature. To the best of our knowledge we have observed for the first time an efficient room temperature (RT) PL emanating from such MQWs. The red shift of the PL peak with increasing temperature has been found to be due to the band gap shrinkage in accordance with the Varshni’s empirical relation. The spectral linewidth was found to increase with increasing temperature due to the scattering of excitons with acoustic and optical phonons in different temperature regimes. Both at RT and at 10 K the PL peak shifted with respect to the well layer thickness in the range of 3.35–3.68 eV with decreasing thickness in agreement with the calculated values.     

Initial nucleation of Au on the R45° reconstructed Fe3O4(0 0 1) surface

The initial nucleation of Au onto the R45° reconstructed Fe₃O₄(0 0 1) surface has been studied using scanning tunnelling microscopy. Au clusters are formed, with a typical lateral dimension of 0.9 nm. The measured corrugation height of the clusters, 0.1 nm, suggests that they are a single atomic layer in height. The clusters nucleate on a specific surface site, which lies at the centre of a R45° reconstructed unit cell. The size and spatial distribution of the Au clusters formed is shown to strongly correlate to the symmetry and periodicity of the reconstructed magnetite surface. It is also shown that even when the clusters are in close proximity they still only occupy this single nucleation site, and thus maintain the periodicity of the substrate. We relate the order and stability of this system to the fact that magnetite (0 0 1) is polar, and suggest that such surfaces offer ideal templates for self-assembly due to the stability of their polarity induced reconstructions.     

One-dimensional excitons in inorganic–organic self-organized quantum-wire crystals [NHC(I)=NH]PbI and [CHSC(=NH)NH]PbI

Optical properties of lead-iodide-based one-dimensional perovskite-type crystals [NH₂C(I)=NH₂]₃PbI₅ and [CH₃SC(=NH₂)NH₂]₃PbI₅ have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. The electronic and excitonic structures are studied based on group theoretical consideration and first-principle band calculation. Strong one-dimensional anisotropy of the optical absorption spectra, large Stokes shifts (1.0 eV) and huge exchange energies (70 meV) indicate that the excitons in these crystals are one-dimensional Frenkel excitons.