Quantitative surface analysis by Auger and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Recent developments in quantitative surface analysis by Auger (AES) and x-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies are reviewed and problems relating to a more accurate quantitative interpretation of AES/XPS experimental data are discussed. Special attention is paid to consideration of elementary physical processes involved and influence of multiple scattering effects on signal line intensities. In particular, the major features of core-shell ionization by electron impact, Auger transitions and photoionization are considered qualitatively and rigorous approaches used to calculate the respective transition probabilities are analysed. It is shown that, in amorphous and polycrystalline targets, incoherent scattering of primary and signal Auger and photoelectrons can be described by solving analytically a kinetic equation with appropriate boundary conditions. The analytical results for the angular and energy distribution, the mean escape depth, and the escape probability as a function of depth of origin of signal electrons as well as that for the backscattering factor in AES are in good agreement with the corresponding Mote Carlo simulation data. Methods for inelastic background subtraction, surface composition determination and depth-profile reconstructions by angle-resolved AES/XPS are discussed. Examples of novel techniques based on x-ray induced photoemission are considered.     

Modeling of serine protease prototype reactions with the flexible effective fragment potential quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical method

A complete cycle of chemical transformations for the serine protease prototype reaction is modeled following calculations with the flexible effective fragment quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) method. The initial molecular model is based on the crystal structure of the trypsin–bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor complex including all atoms of the enzyme within approximately 15–18 Å of the oxygen center O of the catalytic serine residue. Several selections of the QM/MM partitioning are considered. Fractions of the side chains of the residues from the catalytic triad (serine, histidine and aspartic acid) and a central part of a model substrate around the C–N bond to be cleaved are included into the QM subsystem. The remaining part, or the MM subsystem, is represented by flexible chains of small effective fragments, whose potentials explicitly contribute to the Hamiltonian of the QM part, but the corresponding fragment–fragment interactions are described by the MM force fields. The QM/MM boundaries are extended over the C–C bonds of the peptides assigned to the QM subsystem in the enzyme, C–C and C–N bonds in model substrates. Multiple geometry optimizations have been performed by using the RHF/6-31G method in the QM part and OPLSAA or AMBER sets of MM parameters, resulting in a series of stationary points on the complex potential-energy surfaces. All structures generally accepted for the serine protease catalytic cycle have been located. Energies at the stationary points found have been recomputed at the MP2/6-31+G^* level for the QM part in the protein environment. Structural changes along the reaction path are analyzed with special attention to hydrogen-bonding networks. In the case of a model substrate selected as a short peptide CH₃(NHCO-CH₂)₂ – HN–CO–(CH₂–NHCO)CH₃ the computed energy profile for the acylation step shows too high activation energy barriers. The energetics of this rate-limiting step is considerably improved, if more realistic model for the substrate is considered, following the motifs of the ThrI11–GlyI12–ProI13-–CysI14–LysI15–AlaI16–ArgI17–IleI18–IleI19 sequence of the bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor.     

Aspects of thermal conductivity relative to heat flow

Summary The various techniques and methodologies of thermal conductivity measurement have been conventionally based on the determination of the rate of directional heat flow through a material having a unit temperature differential between its opposing faces. The constancy of this rate depends on the material density, its thermal resistance and the heat flow path itself. The last of these variables contributes most significantly to the true value of steady-state axial and radial heat dissipation depending on the magnitude of transient thermal diffusivity along these directions. The purpose of this paper is to exemplify the above features by defined parameters of heat flow measurement by existing methodologies. No new method is proposed here. Importantly, the relationship between the rate of heat transfer, total heat transferred and thermal conductivity at a given temperature under steady-state conditions for a fixed heat flow path will be illustrated.     

无脂链磺化酞菁铜多层膜体系：电子非弹性平均自由程的研究

磺化酞菁铜多层膜体系是利用Langmuir-Blodgett技术制备的有序有机分子膜,它对于XPS测试有很好的稳定性,本文在固定电子出射角的条件下利用XPS方法研究了不同厚度的膜样品中Cu_((2(?))_(3/2))、Ni_(1(?))、S_(2p)峰强度的变化规律,讨论了膜内分子有序排列引起的散射效应对电子平均自由程的影响。     

Identification of micro-scale calorimetric devices

Micro-calorimetric devices using Si-based sensors are very useful for the study of gas–solid reactions, in which very low mass of reactants are necessary. But in fact the consequence of using flat detectors is an increase of the uncertainty in the measured energy. In this work a calorimetric gas sensor based on Xensor chip is analysed studying the local x–y contributions of dissipation to the sensitivity related to the value in the centre. We study also the effects of the gas-flow on the sensitivity, comparing the results obtained with two Xensor type chips. Finally we carry out a deeper analysis of the x–y effects on the calorimetric detector for dissipations in the reactant shell extremely close to the detector surface to visualize the link between the power density distribution and the output signal.     

Room-temperature synthesis and conductivity of the pyrochlore type Dy2(Ti1−yZry)2O7 (0?y?1) solid solution

Different compositions in a solid solution of general formula Dy₂(Ti_1−yZr_y)₂O₇, showing high oxygen ion conductivity, have been successfully prepared at room temperature via mechanochemical synthesis. Stoichiometric mixtures of the constituent oxides were dry milled together in a planetary ball mill by using zirconia vials and balls. Chemical changes in the powder mixtures as a function of composition and milling time were followed by X-ray diffraction and revealed that, in all cases and after milling for 19 h, the powder mixtures consisted of a single phase. Electrical properties were measured on sintered pellets as a function of frequency, temperature and zirconium content, revealing an increase in conductivity of more than one order of magnitude for y?0.4, which, as observed in the similar Y₂(Ti_1−yZr_y)₂O₇, has been related with the onset of disordering of the anion sublattice. Despite increasing structural disorder with increasing Zr content, conductivity remains almost constant for y>0.6, reaching a maximum value of ∼5×10⁻³ for Dy₂Zr₂O₇ at 900 °C.     

Ion Transfer in CdF<Subscript>2</Subscript>-based Iso- and Polyvalent Solid Solutions

The ionic conductivity of solid solution Cd_0.77Sr_0.23F₂ is 1.6 × 10⁻⁴ S/cm at 500 K. The conduction mechanism changes from a vacancy mechanism to an interstitial one at 523–553 K. In solid solutions Cd_0.9R_0.1F_2.1 (R = La-Lu, Y), the activation enthalpy of conduction decreases from 0.9 to 0.8 eV with decreasing ionic radius of R³⁺, raising the 500-K conductivity from 6 ×10⁻⁶ S/cm for La³⁺to 6 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm for Lu³⁺. For crystalline Cd_0.95In_0.05F_2.05, ionic and electronic conductivities at 313 K equal 5 × 10⁻⁴ and 5 − 10⁻⁶ S/cm.__________Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 5, 2005, pp. 627–632.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Sorokin, Buchinskaya, Sul’yanova, Sobolev.     

A new method for predicting conduction anesthesia

A new method for predicting conduction anesthesia has been suggested. The method is based on calculation of theP matrix probabilities of interatomic contacts for each molecule of the compounds considered. TheP matrix enables one to evaluate the main tendencies of atoms and atomic groups to interact in biochemical sorption on the nerve fiber surface. The minimum effective concentrations calculated for 25 compounds are in good agreement with the experimental data. The correlation coefficient between the experimental and calculated values is 0.98 when the standard deviation is 0.1 mmol L⁻¹. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 10, pp. 1781–1784, October, 1997.     

Molecular vibrations in a gradient extremal path

Summary The calculation of vibrational states using a gradient extremal path is discussed. Gradient extremal paths are defined by local criteria, which lead to stable solutions. This has certain advantages in comparison with a steepest-descent path, which is often difficult to determine accurately. For cases where a reaction path formalism is applicable, a path based on the gradient extremal concept gives results in close agreement with those obtained using traditional steepest-descent methods. We present algorithms for carrying out such calculations and also give some numerical results.     

采用多光程长建模方法检测血液成分含量

为了提高近红外光谱血液成分含量分析模型的预测精度,利用多个光程长(optical path length,OPL)共同参与建模的方法进行血糖等6种血液成分的定量分析。通过微米位移机构实现不同光程长血液光谱的测量,由全自动生化分析仪给出生化成分分析结果,并出具化验单。采用偏最小二乘法(PLS2)进行血液的近红外光谱建模及预测。由于血液光谱存在显著的非线性特征,不同光程长的血液样本的等效吸收系数不同,同一波长不同光程长(0.20~1.25 mm)测得的血液光谱互不相关。主动把非线性特性作为一种测量手段引入,不再利用单个的最佳光程长建模,而是用各个血液组分对应的多个最佳光程长的近红外光谱同时参与建立校正模型,进行血液成分的分析预测。研究结果表明,多光程长建模方法用于血液成分含量分析,可提高血液成分校正模型的预测精度。