Investigation of Ti/CuO interface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy

The Ti/CuO interface has been studied by the techniques of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Thin films of titanium were deposited on a CuO substrate at room temperature by the e-beam technique. The photoelectron spectra of titanium and copper were found to exhibit significant chemical interaction at the interface. The titanium overlayer was observed to get oxidized to TiO₂, while the CuO was observed to get reduced to elemental copper. This chemical interaction was observed to occur until a thickness of 7 nm of the titanium overlayer. For thicknesses greater than this value, the presence of unreacted titanium in the sample was detected. Barrier characteristics at the Ti/CuO interface were also carried out for substrate temperatures of 300°C, 400°C, 500°C, and 600°C as a function of the titanium overlayer thickness. A linear trend in the barrier thickness of the overlayer was observed between 400°C and 600°C substrate temperatures. The atomic force microscopy micrographs of the unannealed samples depicted layer-by-layer growth of elemental titanium on copper. At the Ti/CuO interface in such samples, the micrographs exhibited island formation of TiO₂ corresponding to the Volmer-Weber growth model. This formation has been interpreted as the relaxation in the strain energy. The percentage coverage of the underlying substrate by the TiO₂ islands showed a linear trend for the thicknesses of the titanium overlayer investigated. The average size of these islands also showed a linear trend as a function of the thickness of the overlayer.     

Facile synthesis of sugar lactols via bromine-mediated oxidation of thioglycosides

Synthesis of a variety of sugar lactols (hemiacetals) has been accomplished in moderate to excellent yields by using bromine-mediated oxidation of thioglycosides. It was found that acetonitrile is the optimal solvent for this oxidation reaction. This approach involving bromine as oxidant is superior to that using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) which produces byproduct succinimide often difficult to separate from the lactol products.     

On the spectroscopic examination of printed documents by using a field emission scanning electron microscope with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FE-SEM-EDS) and chemometric methods: application in forensic science

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry - The detection of computer-generated document forgeries has always been a challenging task for forensic document examiners (FDE). With the aim to support the...     

Bianchi Type <Emphasis Type="Italic">VI</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript> Magnetized Barotropic Bulk Viscous Fluid Massive String Universe in General Relativity

A model of a cloud formed by massive strings is studied in the context of the usual general relativity. This model is used as a source of Bianchi type VI ₀ massive with magnetic field and bulk viscosity. To get a determinate model, we assume that the expansion (θ) in the model is proportional to the shear (σ) and also the fluid obeys the barotropic equation of state. The behaviour of the models from physical and geometrical aspects in presence and absence of magnetic field and bulk viscosity is discussed.     

Comparative study of different Schlieren diffracting elements

This paper presents an analysis of diffraction effects taking place at different Schlieren diffracting elements. Two types of diffraction effects are prominent in the Schlieren schemes. One is diffraction of direct light (source image) at the Schlieren element, which limits the sensitivity and resolution of Schlieren systems. The second type is the diffraction of light deflected from the test object at the Schlieren-diffracting element. This second type of diffraction degrades the quality of Schlieren results. Experimental results showing the effect of diffraction of light deflected from the test object at a phase knife-edge, corner of a square phase aperture and an optical fiber tip as Schlieren diffracting elements have been presented and discussed.      

Growth mechanism and optoelectronic properties of nanocrystalline In2O3 films prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis of metal-organic precursor

Thin films of indium oxide, In₂O₃, were deposited by chemical spray pyrolysis technique, using aqueous alcoholic solutions of indium acetylacetonate (In-acac) precursor, on glass substrates kept at temperatures between 300 and 500 °C. The structural, optical, and electrical properties have been investigated as a function of deposition temperature, precursor concentration, carrier gas pressure, and substrate-to-nozzle distance. X-ray diffraction studies showed that the formation of nanocrystalline In₂O₃ films is preferentially oriented along (2 2 2) plane. The surface morphological modifications with substrate temperature were observed using scanning electron and atomic force microscopic studies. Optical transmittance behavior of the films in the visible and IR region was strongly affected by the deposition parameters. The optical band gap values observed are between 3.53 and 3.68 eV. The long wavelength limit of refractive index is 1.83. The Hall mobility is found to vary from 23 to 37 cm²/V s and carrier density is found nearly constant at about 10²⁰ cm⁻³.     

Morphological characterization of the antennal sensilla of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with reference to their probable functions

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), is one of the most significant economic pests of citrus worldwide. This insect vectors three phloem-restricted bacteria in the genus Candidatus Liberibacter that cause huanglongbing (citrus greening), the most severe disease limiting citrus production worldwide. We examined the external morphology of the antennal sensilla of male and female D. citri using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and determined the putative functions of the identified sensilla using transmission electron microscopic (TEM) techniques. The filiform antennae of D. citri were of the conventional type comprised of a basal scape, pedicel and a long, thread-like flagellum, which is composed of eight flagellomeres. Eleven morphologically unique sensillar types were found and described on the antennae of male and female D. citri. Of those identified, the two apical setae, multiporous types I and II sensilla trichoidea, and the antennal rhinaria were porous and may be involved in perception of host- and mate-related volatile chemicals. However, the aporous types I, II and III sensilla trichoidea may have mechanosensory functions and the chaetica sensilla, cavity sensilla and unidentified uniporous sensilla may be involved in proprioception, thermo-hygroreception and cold detection, respectively. The shape, external morphology and array of sensilla on the antennae of male and female D. citri were similar. The only major difference observed was in the morphology of the short apical setae, whose tips were recessed inward in females but not so in males. The results are discussed in relation to plausible roles of the identified sensilla in mate and host location by this species.     

Nondestructive characterization of musical pillars of Mahamandapam of Vitthala Temple at Hampi, India

This paper presents the first scientific investigation on the musical pillars of the Vitthala Temple at Hampi, India. The solid stone columns in these pillars produce audible sound, when struck with a finger. Systematic investigations on the acoustic characteristics of the musical pillars of mahamandapam (great stage) of the Vitthala Temple have been carried out. The 11 most popular pillars that produce sounds of specific musical instruments are considered for the investigations. The sound produced from these 11 most popular musical pillars was recorded systematically and different nondestructive testing techniques such as low frequency ultrasonic testing, impact echo testing, and in situ metallography were employed on the musical columns of these pillars. The peak frequencies in the amplitude spectrum of the sound produced from various columns in these pillars are correlated with the dimensional measurements and ultrasonic velocity determined using impact echo technique. The peak frequencies obtained experimentally have been found to have excellent correlation with the calculated flexural frequencies based on the dimensional measurements and ultrasonic velocities of the columns.     

Influence of metal organic and inorganic precursors on spray pyrolyzed ceramic MgO (2 0 0) thin films for epitaxial over layers

The MgO (2 0 0) surface is widely used as a substrate for epitaxial growth of superconducting and ferro-electric films. Highly oriented, single crystalline, extremely flat and transparent MgO films have been successfully deposited on quartz substrates by the chemical spray pyrolysis technique using economically viable metal organic and inorganic precursors under optimized conditions at the substrate temperature of 600 °C. Thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) in the temperature range 30-600 °C with the heating rate of 10 °C/min revealed the decomposition behavior of the precursors and confirmed the suitable substrate temperature range for film processing. The heat of reaction, ΔH due to decomposition of metal organic precursor contributed additional heat energy to the substrate for better crystallization. The intensity of the (2 0 0) peak in X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements and the smooth surface profiles revealed the dependency of precursor on film formation. The compositional purity and the metal-oxide bond formation were tested for all the films. UV-Vis-NIR optical absorption in the 200-1500 nm range revealed an optical transmittance above 80% and the absorption edge at about 238 nm corresponding to an optical band gap E_g = 5.25 eV. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) micrographs of MgO films confirmed better crystallinity with larger grain size (0.85 μm) and reduced surface roughness (26 nm), respectively.