Pulsed laser deposition of hydroxyapatite film on laser gas nitriding NiTi substrate

A hydroxyapatite (HA) film was deposited on laser gas nitriding (LGN) NiTi alloy substrate using pulsed laser deposition technique. TiN dendrite prepared by LGN provided a higher number of nucleation sites for HA film deposition, which resulted in that a lot number of HA particles were deposited on TiN dendrites. Moreover, the rough LGN surface could make the interface adhesive strength between HA film and substrate increase as compared with that on bare NiTi substrate.     

Occurrence of particle debris field during focused Ga ion beam milling of glassy carbon

To explore the machining characteristics of glassy carbon by focused ion beam (FIB), particles induced by FIB milling on glassy carbon have been studied in the current work. Nano-sized particles in the range of tens of nanometers up to 400 nm can often be found around the area subject to FIB milling. Two ion beam scanning modes - slow single scan and fast repetitive scan - have been tested. Fewer particles are found in single patterns milled in fast repetitive scan mode. For a group of test patterns milled in a sequence, it was found that a greater number of particles were deposited around sites machined early in the sequence. In situ EDX analysis of the particles showed that they were composed of C and Ga. The formation of particles is related to the debris generated at the surrounding areas, the low melting point of gallium used as FIB ion source and the high contact angle of gallium on glassy carbon induces de-wetting of Ga and the subsequent formation of Ga particles. Ultrasonic cleaning can remove over 98% of visible particles. The surface roughness (R_a) of FIB milled areas after cleaning is less than 2 nm.     

Condensation in the Zero Range Process: Stationary and Dynamical Properties

The zero range process is of particular importance as a generic model for domain wall dynamics of one-dimensional systems far from equilibrium. We study this process in one dimension with rates which induce an effective attraction between particles. We rigorously prove that for the stationary probability measure there is a background phase at some critical density and for large system size essentially all excess particles accumulate at a single, randomly located site. Using random walk arguments supported by Monte Carlo simulations, we also study the dynamics of the clustering process with particular attention to the difference between symmetric and asymmetric jump rates. For the late stage of the clustering we derive an effective master equation, governing the occupation number at clustering sites.     

Bose gases in one-dimensional harmonic trap

Thermodynamic quantities, occupation numbers and their fluctuations of a one-dimensional Bose gas confined by a harmonic potential are studied using different ensemble approaches. Combining number theory methods, a new approach is presented to calculate the occupation numbers of different energy levels in microcanonical ensemble. The visible difference of the ground state occupation number in grand-canonical ensemble and microcanonical ensemble is found to decrease by power law as the number of particles increases.     

A study of some Yugoslav bentonites by Mössbauer,X-ray and ESR spectroscopy

A number of bentonite samples and their constituents were studied as a function of composition and the annealing temperature using X-ray, Mossbauer and ESR spectroscopy. The main clay minerals in bentonites are montmorillonites, which display in MS three ferric doublets and one ferrous doublet indicating iron occupation in cis and trans OH octahedral sites and in tetrahedral sites. Haematite particles were detected in some samples prefired above 900 °C. Several mineralogical transformations were identified in samples annealed in the temperature region below 1200 °C. The presence of isolated ferric and Mn(II) ions was confirmed by ESR spectra.     

Intermediate statistics as a consequence of deformed algebra

We present a formulation of deformed oscillator algebra which leads to intermediate statistics as a continuous interpolation between Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics. It is deduced that a generalized permutation or exchange symmetry leads to the introduction of the basic number and it is then established that this in turn leads to the deformed algebra of oscillators. We obtain the mean occupation number describing the particles obeying intermediate statistics which thus establishes the interpolating statistics and describe boson-like and fermion-like particles obeying intermediate statistics. We also obtain an expression for the mean occupation number in terms of an infinite continued fraction, thus clarifying successive approximations.     

Do bosons obey Bose-Einstein distribution: Two iterated limits of Gentile distribution

It is a common impression that by only setting the maximum occupation number to infinity, which is the demand of the indistinguishability of bosons, one can achieve the statistical distribution that bosons obey — the Bose-Einstein distribution. In this Letter, however, we show that only with an infinite maximum occupation number one cannot uniquely achieve the Bose-Einstein distribution, since in the derivation of the Bose-Einstein distribution, the problem of iterated limit is encountered. For achieving the Bose-Einstein distribution, one needs to take both the maximum occupation number and the total number of particles to infinities, and, then, the problem of the order of taking limits arises. Different orders of the limit operations will lead to different statistical distributions. For achieving the Bose-Einstein distribution, besides setting the maximum occupation number, we also need to state the order of the limit operations.     

Adsorption of CO on Ni-promoted TiO2(110)

The valence-band structure and the vibrational modes of CO adsorbed on nickel-promoted TiO₂(110) surfaces as a function of CO exposure have been studied by means of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS). It is found that CO exists in molecular form at room temperature on the nickel-promoted TiO₂(110) surfaces and most likely binds to the Ni atoms or nickel-affected sites rather than to the substrate atoms. At saturation coverage, CO molecules adsorb simultaneously on the 2-fold bridge sites and terminal sites on the (111)-oriented Ni islands deposited upon TiO₂(110). The occupation of the edge sites of Ni islands gives rise to an anomalously low frequency of the C---O stretching vibration. This frequency, indicative of a weakened C---O bond, suggests existence of a precursor to the dissociated state.     

Pulsed electron beam annealing and furnace annealing of Cu-implanted Al single crystals

A comparison has been performed of the effects of pulsed electron beam annealing (PEBA) and furnace annealing on the distribution and lattice site occupation of Cu implanted into Al single crystals. Both parameters have been determined by Rutherford backscattering and channeling measurements with 2 MeV He⁺ ions. With furnace annealing at 300°C the Cu diffusion into the bulk was determined by the release process from the implanted layer, while for PEBA a redistribution of the copper was observed for pulses with deposited energy densities above the threshold for melting. A supersaturated solid solution with 95% (2.1 at.%) of the impurity atoms on substitutional sites was formed by the electron beam treatment. After thermal annealing only little improvement of the lattice site occupation was observed with 66% of the impurities atoms on lattice sites, however with slight displacements from the perfect positions.     

Interaction of NO with Au nanoparticles supported on (100) terraces and topological defects of MgO

The adsorption of nitric oxide (NO) on Au_n (n = 1–3) particles deposited on anionic (O^2?) sites of MgO has been studied using the DFT (Density Functional Theory) approach. The regular O^2? sites of MgO(100) and the sites in edge and corner topological defects with high symmetry of MgO were considered. The adhesion energy of Au_n to MgO is larger for Au₂ and Au₃ due to higher polarization effects. On the other hand, the interaction strength of NO with supported Au_n particles depends mainly on the electronic configuration (open or closed shell) of the particle; the Au particles with odd number of atoms show larger NO binding energies. A comparison was performed with the reactivity of free Au_n particles. From this, it is possible to conclude that the support enhances the NO–Au_n bonding strength for the monomer, weakens this interaction in the case of the dimer, and does not have an effect in the trimers. Besides, the NO–Au_n bonding is essentially insensitive to the coordination of the anionic site where the Au_n particle is linked. A large red-shift of the N–O stretching frequency was obtained, particularly for the Au particles with odd number of atoms, due to a negative charge transfer from Au to NO.     

Porphyrin films — 5: Strong fluorescence

Films of tetra(perfluorophenyl)porphyrin (TFPP) show comparable strong host fluorescence whether deposited on room temperature or heated (135°C) mica substrates. Films of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) show only 9% as much fluorescence when deposited on unheated mica but 60% as much fluorescence when deposited on heated mica; moreover, the latter films show enhanced fluorescence from impurity guests. Octaethylporphyrin (OEP) behaves like tetraphenylporphyrin. It is observed that crystallite size is larger for films deposited on heated as compared to unheated mica. Larger crystallites could explain increased host and guest fluorescence in films of TPP and OEP prepared on heated substrates if grain boundaries serve as sites both for quenching and for trapping host excitons. The strong host fluorescence of films of TFPP can be explained either (a) by very slow exciton diffusion rates or (b) very few host quenching sites and very few guest trapping sites.     

Time history of diesel particle deposition in cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge reactors

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatment reactors have recently been developed for elimination of diesel particulate matter for reducing both the mass and number concentration of particles. The role of the plasma itself is obscured by the phenomenon of particle deposition on the reactor surface. Therefore, in this study, the Lagrangian particle transport model is used to simulate the dispersion and deposition of nano-particles in the range of 5 to 500 nm in a NTP reactor in the absence of an electric field. A conventional cylindrical dielectric barrier discharge reactor is selected for the analysis. Brownian diffusion, gravity and Saffman lift forces were included in the simulations, and the deposition efficiencies of different sized diesel particles were studied. The results show that for the studied particle diameters, the effect of Saffman lift is negligible and gravity only affects the motion of particles with a diameter of 500 nm or larger. Time histories of particle transport and deposition were evaluated for one-time injection and a continuous (multiple-time) injection. The results show that the number of deposited particles for one-time injection is identical to the number of deposited particles for multiple-time injections when adjusted with the shift in time. Furthermore, the maximum number of escaped particles occurs at 0.045 s after the injection for all particle diameters. The presented results show that some particle reduction previously ascribed to plasma treatment has ignored contributions from the surface deposition.     

A facile method for preparing highly conductive and reflective surface-silvered polyimide films

A novel method was developed for the preparation of reflective and electrically conductive surface-silvered polyimide (PI) films. The polyimide films were functionalized with poly(dopamine), simply by dipping the PI films into aqueous dopamine solution and mildly stirring at room temperature. Electroless plating of silver was readily carried out on the poly(dopamine) deposited PI (PI-DOPA) surface. The surface compositions of the modified PI films were studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS results show that the PI-DOPA surfaces were successfully deposited with ploy(dopamine) and were ready for electroless deposition of silver. The poly(dopamine) layer was used not only as the chemi-sorption sites for silver particles during the electroless plating of silver, but also as an adhesion promotion layer for the electrolessly deposited silver. The as-prepared silvered PI films show high conductivity and reflectivity, with a surface resistance of 1.5 Ω and a reflectivity of 95%, respectively.     

A POSSIBLE GENERALIZATION OF THE SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION BASED ON THE GAUSS PRINCIPLE OF LEAST SQUARES

The linear Schrödinger equation is generalized into non-linear equation based on the Gauss' principle of least squares. The weight function is assigned in such a way that it might be interpreted as occupation number density of hidden particles that obey the Fermi–Dirac stastistics. It is shown that the motion of a free particle, according to the so generalized non-linear equation, is described by a well behaved nondeforming wave packet moving with a constant velocity, in contrast to the always deforming wave packet according to the linear Schrödinger equation.     

The adsorption of carbon monoxide on TiO2(110) supported palladium

Palladium overlayers deposited on TiO₂(110) by metal vapour deposition have been investigated using LEED, XPS and FT-RAIRS of adsorbed CO. Low coverages of palladium (<3 ML) deposited at 300 K adsorb CO exclusively in a bridged configuration with a band (B₁ at 1990 cm⁻¹) characteristic of CO adsorption on Pd(110) and Pd(100) surfaces. When annealed to 500 K, XPS and LEED indicate the nucleation of Pd particles on which CO adsorbs predominantly as a strongly bound linear species which we associate with edge sites on the Pd particles (L* band at 2085 cm⁻¹). Both bridged and linear CO bands are exhibited as increases in reflectivity at the resonant frequency, indicating the retention of small particle size during the annealing process. Palladium overlayers of intermediate coverages (10–20 ML) deposited at 300 K undergo some nucleation during growth, and adsorbed CO exhibits both absorption and transmission bands in the B₁ (1990 cm⁻¹) and B₂ (1940 cm⁻¹) regions. The latter is associated with the formation of Pd(111) facets. Highly dispersed Pd particles are produced on annealing at 500 K. This is evidenced by the dominance of transmission bands for adsorbed CO and a significant concentration of edge sites, which accommodate the strongly bound linear species at 300 K. Adsorption of CO at low temperature also allows the identification of the constituent faces of Pd and the conversion of Pd(110)/(100) facets to Pd(111) facets during the annealing process. High coverages of palladium (100 ML) produce only absorption bands in FT-RAIRS of adsorbed CO associated with the Pd facets, but annealing these surfaces also shows a conversion to Pd(111) facets. LEED indicates that at coverages above 10 ML, the palladium particles exhibit (111) facets parallel to the substrate and aligned with the TiO₂(110) unit cell, and that this ordering in the particles is enhanced by annealing.     

Influences of different powders on the characteristics of particle charging and deposition in powder coating processes

This experimental study investigated the influences of two different powder systems (coarse and ultrafine) on particle charging and deposition characteristics during electrostatic powder coating processes. Results disclosed that, despite their differences in particle sizes, the two powders behave similarly in deposition process, commonly resulting in a cone-shaped deposited pattern in the inner portion of the substrate and an increase of deposited particles in the fringe region. However, their different properties lead to the discrepancies in their deposition efficiencies, which account for a higher efficiency with the coarse powder. The study further revealed that the coarse powder is superior to the ultrafine powder in charging in-flight particles, which directly contributes to its higher deposition efficiencies. Furthermore, it was disclosed that the two powders exhibit distinct characteristics in charging deposited particles. Compared to the coarse powder, the ultrafine powder is more uniform in charging deposited particles, mainly owing to its greater particle number and higher specific surface area but less mass. In particular, the charging efficiency of overall deposited particles decreases for the ultrafine powder but increases for the coarse powder with increased charging voltage, closely related to their particle properties. However, both powders decrease in charging efficiency of deposited particles with extended spraying duration due to back corona intensifying with spraying.     

Random walks on sparsely periodic and random lattices: I. Random walk properties from lattice bond enumeration

We have developed a new technique for calculating certain asymptotic random walk properties on sparsely periodic and related random lattices in two and three dimensions. This technique is based on an ansatz which relates the number of lattice bonds in “irreducible lattice fragments” to the number of steps along these bonds. We show that certain random walk properties can be calculated very simply on the basis of this ansatz and that they depend only on the density of bonds and not on the arrangement of the bonds within the lattice. The random walk properties calculated here (mean square displacements, number of distinct sites visited, probability of return to the origin) are in complete agreement with results obtained earlier via generating function techniques. A subsequent paper contains generating function calculations which verify a number of new results presented here, such as mean occupation frequency of lattice sites, and a proof of our basic assumption on the relation between the number of lattice bonds and random walk steps.     

Deposition Processes with Hardcore Behaviour

Particles are deposited onto a surface with discrete sites. They are subject to an inhibition by which they cannot pass close by a particle already fixed on the surface. This implies that the surface builds up with vertical gaps between the particles. In this paper it is shown that there is a limiting rate at which the surface grows, and that this is related to the “roughness” of the surface.     

Hetero-Colloidal Metal Particle Multilayer Films Grown Using Electrostatic Interactions at the Air–water Interface

The formation of nanoparticle multilayer films by electrostatic immobilization of surface-modified colloidal particles at the air–water interface has been recently demonstrated by us. In this paper, we extend our study to show that multilayer assemblies consisting of metal particles of different chemical nature (hetero-colloidal particle superlattices) and size can be deposited by the versatile Langmuir–Blodgett technique. Multilayer films consisting of a different number of bilayers of gold and silver colloidal particles have been deposited and characterized using quartz crystal microgravimetry and UV–visible spectroscopy measurements. It is observed that while layer-by-layer deposition of the different colloidal particle assemblies is possible by this technique without a detectable variation in the cluster density in the different layers, a degree of post-deposition reorganization of the clusters occurs in the film. In addition to this aging behavior, the effect of different organic solvents on the reorganization process has also been studied.