Length of the flooded zone in the column inlet and evaluation of different retention gaps for capillary gas chromatography

In on-column or in splitless injection with recondensation of the solvent, the length of the flooded zone in the column inlet depends primarily on the wettability of the internal wall of the inlet. For columns with a coated inlet this explains why peak distortion due to band broadening in space by a certain sample volume is pronounced in one case and hardly observable in another. Glass or fused silica capillaries silylated with diphenyltetramethyldisilazane were found to give optimal retention gaps. They combine thorough and thermostable deactivation with good wettability and low retention power. On the other hand it is very easy to deactivate fused silica capillaries with Carbowax. The resulting retention gaps are suitable for a wide range of applications and are particularly attractive for the analysis of dirty samples which require frequent replacement of the inlet.     

Origin of visible-light-driven photocatalysis: A comparative study on N/F-doped and N-F-codoped TiO2 powders by means of experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations

An overall comparative study was carried out on N-doped, F-doped, and N-F-codoped TiO₂ powders (NTO, FTO, NFTO) synthesized by spray pyrolysis in order to elucidate the origin of their visible-light-driven photocatalysis. The comparisons in their experimentally obtained characteristics were based on the analysis of XPS, UV-Vis, PL, NH₃-TPD and ESR spectra. The comparisons in their theoretically predicted properties were based on the analysis of the calculated electronic structures. As the results, N-doping into TiO₂ resulted in not only the improvement in visible-light absorption but also the creation of surface oxygen vacancies. F-doping produced several beneficial effects including the creation of surface oxygen vacancies, the enhancement of surface acidity and the increase of Ti³⁺ ions. Doped N atoms formed a localized energy state above the valence band of TiO₂, whereas doped F atoms themselves had no influence on the band structure. The photocatalytic tests indicated that the NFTO demonstrated the highest visible-light activity for decompositions of both acetaldehyde and trichloroethylene. This high activity was ascribed to a synergetic consequence of several beneficial effects induced by the N-F-codoping.     

Band splitting in overloaded isocratic elution chromatography I. The experimental evidence

A series of samples of increasing volume (from 0.001 to 4.0 cm3), containing the same constant concentration (40 g/l) of two simple compounds, ethylbenzoate and 4-tert.-butylphenol were injected on a Kromasil-C18 column with methanol-water (62:38. v/v) as the mobile phase. Complex band profiles were observed when the volume of the sample became large enough and strong band interference took place. The analysis of the fractions collected during the elution of the mixed band demonstrates that, for samples larger than 2 cm3, the band of 4-tert.-butylphenol is split into two separate bands, one eluted before and the other eluted after the band of ethylbenzoate. Such a phenomenon has never been observed yet in RPLC, under isocratic elution conditions.     

Structure,Chemical Bonding,and Properties of Sc2Ni2In

Sc₂Ni₂In was prepared by a reaction of the elemental components in an are furnace and subsequent annealing at 1070 K. Sc₂Ni₂In is a Pauli paramagnet and a poor metallic conductor with a specific resistivity of 224 mΩcm at room temperature. Its crystal structure was refined from X-ray powder data: P4/mbm, a = 716.79(1) pm, c = 333.154(8) pm, Z = 2, R_wp = 0.040, and R_B(I) = 0.026. Sc₂Ni₂In crystallizes with a ternary ordered version of the U₃Si₂-type structure. The nickel and indium atoms occupy [NiSc₆] trigonal prisms and [InSc₈] square prisms, respectively. These structural fragments are derived from the AlB₂ and CsCl-type structures. Semi-empirical band structure calculations reveal Sc₂Ni₂In to be a nickelide, and the strongest bonding interactions are found for the Sc? Ni contacts, followed by Sc? In and Ni? In. A rigidband model suggests the existence of the isotypic phase Sc₂Ni₂Sb.     

Ternary silicides M2Cr4Si5 (M=Ti, Zr, Hf): filled variants of the Ta4SiTe4 structure type

The isostructural ternary silicides M₂Cr₄Si₅ (M=Ti, Zr, Hf) were prepared by arc-melting of the elemental components. The single-crystal structure of Zr₂Cr₄Si₅ was determined by X-ray diffraction (Pearson symbol oI44, orthorhombic, space group Ibam, Z=4, a=7.6354(12) Å, b=16.125(3) Å, c=5.0008(8) Å). Zr₂Cr₄Si₅ adopts the Nb₂Cr₄Si₅-type structure, an ordered variant of the V₆Si₅-type structure. It consists of square antiprisms that have Zr and Cr atoms at the corners and Si atoms at the centers; they share opposite faces to form one-dimensional chains _∞¹[Zr_4/2Cr_4/2Si] surrounded by additional Si atoms and extending along the c direction. In a new interpretation of the structure, additional Cr atoms occupy interstitial octahedral sites between these chains, clarifying the relation between this structure and that of Ta₄SiTe₄. The formation of short Si-Si bonds in Zr₂Cr₄Si₅ is contrasted with the absence of Te-Te bonds in Ta₄SiTe₄. The compounds M₂Cr₄Si₅ (M=Ti, Zr, Hf) exhibit metallic behavior and essentially temperature-independent paramagnetism. Bonding interactions were analyzed by band structure calculations, which confirm the importance of Si-Si bonding in these metal-rich compounds.     

Z-scan analysis and ab initio studies of β-BaTeMo2O9 single crystal

The Z-scan measurements for the non-centrosymmetric optical crystals β-BaTeMo₂O₉ (BTMO) were performed. The corresponding experiments were carried out using the 5 ns pulses of the second harmonic of a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser at the 532 nm wavelength. It was shown that the studied crystals possess promising third-order optical susceptibilities, which allow to use the crystal as optical limiters. The comparison with other oxide materials is presented. To clarify the origin of the observed effect, the electronic and optical properties of BTMO were calculated using the density functional theory (DFT)-based method. The performed calculations of the electronic and optical properties revealed certain peculiar features that can be suitable for the nonlinear optical applications. The relation between the observed nonlinear optical features and the calculated band structure is emphasized. The values of the calculated band gap and refractive index for β-BaTeMo₂O₉ are also reported.     

Assessing the Calibration of High-Dimensional Ensemble Forecasts Using Rank Histograms

Any decision-making process that relies on a probabilistic forecast of future events necessarily requires a calibrated forecast. This article proposes new methods for empirically assessing forecast calibration in a multivariate setting where the probabilistic forecast is given by an ensemble of equally probable forecast scenarios. Multivariate properties are mapped to a single dimension through a prerank function and the calibration is subsequently assessed visually through a histogram of the ranks of the observation’s preranks. Average ranking assigns a prerank based on the average univariate rank while band depth ranking employs the concept of functional band depth where the centrality of the observation within the forecast ensemble is assessed. Several simulation examples and a case study of temperature forecast trajectories at Berlin Tegel Airport in Germany demonstrate that both multivariate ranking methods can successfully detect various sources of miscalibration and scale efficiently to high-dimensional settings. Supplemental material in form of computer code is available online.     

Additive assisted hydrothermal synthesis,characterization and optical properties of one dimensional DyPO4:Ce3+ nanostructures

One dimensional nanostructures of cerium doped dysprosium phosphate (DyPO₄:Ce³⁺) were synthesized via hydrothermal route in the presence of different surfactants [sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), dodecyl sulfosuccinate (DSS), polyvinyl pyrollidone (PVP)] and solvent [ethylene glycol and water]. The prepared nanostructures were characterized by Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectrophotometer and photoluminescence (PL) studies. The PXRD and FTIR results indicate purity, good crystallinity and effective doping of Ce³⁺ in nanostructures. SEM and TEM micrographs display nanorods, nanowires and nanobundles like morphology of DyPO₄:Ce³⁺. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS) of DyPO₄:Ce³⁺nanostructures confirm the presence of dopant. UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectra of prepared compounds are used to calculate band gap and explore their optical properties. Luminescent properties of DyPO₄:Ce³⁺ was studied by using PL emission spectra. The effect of additives and solvents on the uniformity, morphology and optical properties of the nanostructures were studied in detail.     

Band alignment regulation of HfO2/SiC heterojunctions induced by PEALD with in situ NH3-plasma passivation

The efficient passivation of in situ NH₃-plasma pre-treatment and its regulation of the band alignment between HfO₂ and 4H-SiC have been investigated by XPS. With in situ NH₃-plasma passivation by PEALD, a VBO of 0.72 eV and a CBO of 1.54 eV can be obtained across the HfO₂/4H-SiC interface. The Si-O bonds components reduction in the passivated interface layers will lead to band bending or band shift at the interface and regulate the band alignments between HfO₂ and 4H-SiC. The physical mechanism investigation of band alignments can be a cornerstone for the application of HfO₂/4H-SiC heterojunctions in the high-power devices.     

Band gap engineering in silicene: A theoretical study of density functional tight-binding theory

In this work, we performed first principles calculations based on self-consistent charge density functional tight-binding to investigate different mechanisms of band gap tuning of silicene. We optimized structures of silicene sheet, functionalized silicene with H, CH₃ and F groups and nanoribbons with the edge of zigzag and armchair. Then we calculated electronic properties of silicene, functionalized silicene under uniaxial elastic strain, silicene nanoribbons and silicene under external electrical fields. It is found that the bond length and buckling value for relaxed silicene is agreeable with experimental and other theoretical values. Our results show that the band gap opens by functionalization of silicene. Also, we found that the direct band gap at K point for silicene changed to the direct band gap at the gamma point. Also, the functionalized silicene band gap decrease with increasing of the strain. For all sizes of the zigzag silicene nanoribbons, the band gap is near zero, while an oscillating decay occurs for the band gap of the armchair nanoribbons with increasing the nanoribbons width. At finally, it can be seen that the external electric field can open the band gap of silicene. We found that by increasing the electric field magnitude the band gap increases.