Simultaneous determination of cation exchange capacity and surface area of acid activated bentonite powders by methylene blue sorption

To distinguish the ion exchanged and physically adsorbed methylene blue cations (MB⁺) on ionic surfaces, acid activated bentonite samples were used as porous adsorbents. A natural calcium bentonite (CaB) sample from Enez/Edirne, Turkey, was acid activated at 90 °C for 16 h with various HCl/CaB ratios. The irreversible exchange and physical adsorption of MB⁺ cations on the ionic solids have simultaneously occurred. The ion exchanged (m_ex) and physically adsorbed (m_ad) MB⁺ contents were obtained as the values of sorption capacity at c = 0 and the increase to a plateaus of adsorption isotherms, respectively. The m_ad value was taken to be monolayer adsorption capacity. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and specific surface area (S_MB) for each sample were calculated from the m_ex and m_ad values, respectively. Also, the BET specific surface areas (S_BET) and pore size distribution were determined from low temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption data. A linear correlation between the S_MB and S_BET values was found.     

Transport processes in heavy metal fluoride glasses

Na self-diffusion, Li self-diffusion, Na⁺–Li⁺ ion exchange, electrical conductivity, and mechanical relaxation have been studied below T_g on glasses of the system ZrF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AF (A=Na, Li), with A=10, 20, 30 mol%. Compared to the transport mechanism in alkali-containing silicate glasses, the mechanisms in these non-oxide glasses are anomalous. Thus the self-diffusion coefficient of Na decreases with increasing NaF content, whereas that of Li increases with increasing LiF content. Both the electrical conductivity and the Na⁺–Li⁺ ion exchange reach a minimum at ≈ 20 mol% LiF, and the mechanical relaxation shows one peak for the 20 and 30 mol% LiF-glasses and two peaks for the glass with 10 mol% LiF, evidencing both a contribution of F⁻ and Li⁺ ions to the transport. Moreover, the presence of the three partially interacting mobile species F⁻, Na⁺, Li⁺ obviously leads to an anionic–cationic mixed ion effect. Applying the Nernst–Einstein equation to the Li⁺ transport in LiF-containing glasses shows that its mechanism is dissimilar to that in oxide glasses. Calculated short jump distances possibly can be interpreted as an Li⁺ movement via energetically suitable sites near F⁻ ions. Likewise the Nernst–Planck model, successfully applied to the ionic transport in mixed alkali silicate glasses, obviously does also not hold for the present heavy metal fluoride glasses.     

Adhesion of elastic films on mound rough surfaces

In this work, we have investigated the adhesive behaviour of elastic films in contact with solid substrates, which are bounded by mound surface roughness. This type of roughness is described by the rms roughness amplitude w, the average mound separation Λ, and the system correlation length ζ. It is shown that both lateral roughness parameters Λ and ζ strongly influence adhesive characteristics. Indeed, with increasing elastic film modulus E, film adhesion is only possible for sufficiently large mound separations Λ. Moreover, the critical elastic modulus E_c (for which spontaneous film decohesion takes place for E>E_c) is shown to increase fast with increasing mound separation Λ when Λ?ζ, while as a function of the system correlation length ζ it increases relatively fast when ζ?Λ.     

Impact of extinction ratio of single arm sin LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder modulator on the performance of 10 and 20 Gb/s NRZ optical communication system

We investigate the impact of extinction ratio of single arm sin² LiNbO₃ Mach-Zehnder (MZ) amplitude modulator on the performance of 10 and 20 Gb/s single-channel optical communication system. For different fiber lengths, the system performance has been analyzed with the increase in the extinction ratio. The effect of variation in dispersion parameter has also been illustrated. The impact of extinction ratio (ζ), dispersion parameter and length of the fiber has been further optimized with minimum bit error rate (BER) at optimal decision threshold (10⁻⁹) for 10 and 20 Gb/s bit rate. It is found that the system gives optimum performance at extinction ratio (ζ) value 20 dB. The increase in the transmission distance from 468 km for 10 Gb/s to 532 km for 20 Gb/s has been reported, and 8 dB improvement in the Q value has been observed as the value of ζ is increased from 10 to 20 dB. At 20 Gb/s, the system gives optimum performance for dispersion parameter value only up to 4 ps/nm km; however, at 10 Gb/s the system can operate for dispersion values up to 14.3 ps/nm km. Further we investigate the self-phase modulation (SPM) effect for the increase in the input power. It is observed that the SPM effect is negligible below 3 dB m input power and it increases at higher power levels.     

The theoretical and experimental study of the ionization processes during the low energy ion sputtering

The process by which atoms are ionized as they are sputtered from a metal surface has been analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. In the theoretical part the expressions for ionization coefficient R⁺ of atoms having the ionization energy much larger than the metal work function have been derived using a molecular orbital method. The effect of the level crossing was estimated in an approximate way. In the experimental part the SIMS experiments on clean Ni and Al surfaces and on Ni surface covered with a submonolayer of adsorbed K, Na and Al are reported. It has been found and it is for the first time reported that the energy distribution of ions sputtered from a submonolayer of adatoms is independent of energy (200–2500 eV) and mass (Ar⁺ Xe⁺ of incident ions and depends only upon the adsorption energy of the adatom. The energy distribution of ions sputtered from bulk samples has been found dependent on the primary ion energy. The measurement of the absolute value of R⁺ has shown that there is a strong correlation between the number of the adatom valence d-electrons and the value of R⁺, the value of R⁺ being smaller for atoms with more d-electrons. These experimental data have been compared with the theoretical expressions and the important role of the mechanism which takes into account the bending of the adatom energy level has been assessed.     

Influence of self-affine and mound roughness on the surface impedance and skin depth of conductive materials

In this work, we explore the influence of self-affine and mound surface roughness on the surface impedance and skin depth. For self-affine roughness, the surface impedance and skin depth increases with decreasing the roughness exponent H (for k_Fξ?1 with k_F the Fermi wave-vector), and/or increasing roughness ratio w/ξ, where w is the rms roughness amplitude and ξ the in-plane roughness correlation length. For mound roughness, the surface impedance and skin depth decrease monotonically with increasing average mound separation λ when λ>ζ with ζ the correlation length (assuming k_Fζ?1), while for λ<ζ they are both decreased with increasing λ.     

Towards XUV lasers with charge transfer pumping

Detailed studies of charge exchange pumping of ions in femtosecond laser-produced plasmas colliding with a pulsed gas jet are presented. Strong selective excitation of XUV ionic transitions in the reaction C⁴⁺ + H → C³⁺ + H⁺ is observed. Dependences of line intensities on various experimental parameters are reported which are in good agreement with the theory of charge transfer processes. Analyses of experimental data provide evidence that an efficient charge exchange pumping is realized at densities of reagents well in excess of 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, which is essential for the realization of XUV lasers. In preliminary investigations of the reaction C⁶⁺ + H → C⁵⁺ (n = 3, 4) + H⁺ a strong increase of line intensities at 13.5 and 18.2 nm is reported. Analysis of lasing in Na-like ions with an example for Chlorine promises even more efficient pumping as compared with the before analyzed hydrogen like ions.     

Height-height correlations for surface growth on percolation networks

The height-height correlations of the surface growth for equilibrium and nonequilibrium restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) model were investigated on randomly diluted lattices, i.e., on infinite percolation networks. It was found that the correlation function calculated over the chemical distances reflected the dynamics better than that calculated over the geometrical distances. For the equilibrium growth on a critical percolation network, the correlation function for the evolution time t?1 yielded a power-law behavior with the power ζ^′, associated with the roughness exponent ζ via the relation ζ=ζ^′d_f/d_l, with d_f and d_l being, respectively, the fractal dimension and the chemical dimension of the substrate. For the nonequilibrium growth, on the other hand, the correlation functions did not yield power-law behaviors for the concentration of diluted sites x less than or equal to the critical concentration x_c.     

Ionic conductivity and point defects in pure and doped MnF2 and MgF2 single crystals

Conductivity, σ, of MnF₂ and MgF₂ single crystals, pure and doped (with Li⁺, Na⁺, Y³⁺, Gd³⁺), has been measured, from room temperature to 500°C. Further, some crystals were contaminated with O^2? as an additional impurity. These tetragonal (rutile structure) crystals both behave like typical ionic conductors. Of particular interest is the existence of a large anisotropy, σ being largest when measured parallel to the c-axis. Study of the conductivity isotherms and anisotropy as functions of impurity concentration allows identification of the conduction mechanism in terms of the migration of two mobile defects: the fiuorine-ion vacancy, V_F, and interstitial, F_i. A value of 1.44 eV was obtained for the enthalpy of formation of the intrinsic anion Frenkel defect, 0.80 eV for the migration enthalpy of a V_F and 0.88 eV for an F₁ in MnF₂ parallel to the c-axis. Similar values were obtained for MgF₂. This work shows that more information about point defects can be obtained from conductivity measurements in non-cubic cyrstals than in cubic ionic crystals, because of the additional information from conductivity anisotropy.     

Phase transitions in De Sitter space

This paper uses zeta-function regularisation to calculate the one-loop functional determinants for fields of any spin in De Sitter space. As an example, we investigate the Coleman-Weinberg spontaneous symmetry breaking mechanism in massless scalar electrodynamics. The effective potential is calculated in Landau gauge. It depends upon the curvature, and upon the renormalised value of ζ (inζRφ²). The phase transition will be first or second order, and the critical curvature and mass are found. The methods can be applied to any gauge theory.     

NMR study on an Li+-ion diffusion in the solid solution Li4−x(PO4)x(SiO4)1−x with the Li4SiO4-type structure

Diffusive motion of an Li⁺ion in the solid solution Li_4?x(PO₄)_x(SiO₄)_1?x (0 ≦ x ≦ 0.35) was studied by ⁷Li pulsed nmr between ? 70 and 440°C. Activation energies for an Li⁺ ion diffusion decreased monotonically with increasing x in the composition. These values are smaller than those reported from the measurement of ionic conductivity. Discrepency seems to result from the local nature of an Li⁺ diffusion observed by nmr contrary to the long-range one in the ionic conduction.     

Optical pumping of ions in buffer gases

A method for polarizing thermal ions in buffer gases directly by optical pumping is presented in detail. The production and storage of Sr⁺ (and Ba⁺) ions in noble gases, their diffusion and relevant collision processes are discussed. An arc discharge hollow cathode for the generation of intense ionic resonance lines is described. The Sr⁺ (5² S _1/2) and electron spin polarizations are treated by rate equations. Fitting the solutions to experimental data obtained from transient signals yields an estimate of a few times 10³Å² for the Sr⁺ion-electron spin exchange cross section.     

The reaction Pomeron-Pomeron →π + π − and an unusual production mechanism for thef 2 (1270)

Data are presented on Pomeron-Pomeron interactions which produce a centralπ ⁺ π ^? system in proton-proton collisions at \(\sqrt s = 62 GeV\) at the CERN Intersecting Storage Rings. This process may favor the production of gluonic bound states. A partial-wave analysis of theπ ⁺ π ^? system shows evidence for the production of the statesf ₀(975),f ₀(1400), andf ₂(1270). The fitted mass for thef ₂(1270) is about 50 MeV below the world average. In addition, the production mechanism for thef ₂(1270) is uniquely different from that for the other final states in that there is a correlation between the outgoing protons. this is consistent with a picture of two-gluon exchange with thef ₂(1270) produced by gluon fusion, and could indicate that thef ₂(1270) has a glueball component.     

Jump diffusion coefficient of different cations intercalated into amorphous WO3

This work shows how the combination of quasi-equilibrium (chronopotentiometry) and kinetical measurements (electrochemical impedance) is able to extract ionic mobility values like the jump diffusion coefficient D_J. Results are presented on the jump diffusion coefficient variation with composition of several cations (Li⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺) intercalated into electron beam evaporation-prepared a-WO₃ thin films. D_J exhibits higher values for the smallest ion (Li⁺), and decreases as the ion size enlarges. In all cases D_J shows lower values for high intercalation levels. It is noted that the type of cation rather influences transport mechanisms than equilibrium properties (insertion thermodynamics). The energy barrier of ion hopping is analyzed in light of available microscopic diffusion models and theoretical simulations.     

The influence of ionic temperature on plasmasphere structure formation

The formation of the three-dimensional structure of the plasmasphere-ionosphere system under the action of ionization/recombination, charge exchange, and field-aligned (along geomagnetic field lines) diffusion of the O⁺ and H⁺ ions was studied by numerical simulation with the use of the global theoretical model of the upper atmosphere of the Earth (UAM). These processes were shown to form a spatially inhomogeneous and nonstationary plasma sheath of the Earth with several large-scale structural total plasma density and ionic composition singularities. A substantial contribution to their formation was made not only by the magnetic field geometry but also by ionic temperature spatial nonuniformity mainly determined by nonlocal heating with photoelectrons. The mechanism of this influence was studied.     

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange induced by an electric field in α-Al2O3 single crystals

Abstract

Hydrogen and deuterium are observed in α-Al₂O₃ crystals in the form of OH^? and OD^? radicals, respectively, which absorb in the infrared region. Infrared-absorption measurements were used to monitor diffusion of deuterons and protons in α-Al₂O₃ single crystals under the application of a moderate electric field parallel to the crystallographic c-axis, in the temperature range of 973—1333K. A linear dependence of the percent of exchange with both annealing time and applied voltage is observed, indicating that ionic conduction was taking place. The activation energy for the H⁺  D⁺ exchange was determined to be 2.4 eV, less than half the value obtained by pure thermal means, suggesting that under the application of an electric field the deuteron (proton) diffusion mechanism is different.     

Magnetic moment of the 188 kev excited state in125I

Theg-factor of the 188 keV 3/2⁺ state in¹²⁵I has been determined with the perturbed angular correlation method to be g=0.70 (5). This result is close to the value reported earlier for the corresponding level in¹²⁵I.     

Defect parameters for strontium fluoride

The ionic conductivity of dilute Sr₁?xYb_xF₂+x solid solutions has been studied as a function of temperature. For the migration enthalpy of fluoride interstitials the value 0.946 eV is obtained, and the value 0.56 eV for the dissociation enthalpy of neutral associates (Yb_SrF_i)^x. The latter value is concordant with the theoretical binding energy for this type of associate. A re-analysis of the conductivity data for SrF₂ leads to the value 2.70 eV for intrinsic defect formation, contrary to reported values which range from 2.2 to 2.3 eV.     

Influence of ion–ion correlation on Na+ transport in Na2Ni2TeO6: molecular dynamics study

Molecular dynamics (MD) study of Na⁺ transport in Na₂Ni₂TeO₆ is performed systematically with varying strength of Na⁺–Na⁺ short range repulsions to understand the physical principle governing ion transport mechanism. Na⁺ diffusion is enhanced by nearly an order of magnitude with reduced Na⁺–Na⁺ short range repulsion within the studied range. A similar behavior is also observed in other systems, e.g., AgI and Na₂Zn₂TeO₆, where mobile ions are located closely. The Na⁺ ion occupancy in Na₂Ni₂TeO₆ shows a significant shift from Na1 to Na2 sites gaining some degree of correlation. The study also emphasizes how mobile ion size influences the ionic diffusion. The fresh insight such as microscopic migration pathways, energy barriers, and jumping mechanism of Na⁺ are derived from the study.     

SU3 comparison of line reversed charge exchange and hyperchange exchange reactions

The recent data at 10.1 GeV/c on the hypercharge reactions π⁺p → K⁺Σ⁺ (1385) and the line reversed processes are compared with the SU₃ related charge exchange processes K⁺n → K^op and K⁺p →K^oΔ⁺⁺ and their line reversed partners in order to study the systematics of line reversal breaking. Allowing for a t- independent SU₃ breaking between charge and hypercharge exchange the data follow the SU₃ relations. We conclude that the line reversal breaking in the hypercharge exchange reactions is in agreement with the breaking in exchange degeneracy (in both flip and non-flip amplitudes) which is observed for the charge exchange processes.