Volumetric and infrared measurements on amorphous ice structure

We have simultaneously used adsorption isotherm volumetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in order to take the investigations on amorphous ice structure a step further, especially concerning porosity and annealing-induced modifications. We have studied surface reorganization during annealing and found that the number of surface sites decreases before crystallization, their relative ratios being different for amorphous and crystalline ice. We also present results confirming that ice can have a large specific surface area and nevertheless be non-microporous.     

Preparation and properties of the biodegradable graded blend of poly(L‐lactic acid) and poly(ethylene oxide)

We prepared biodegradable poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)/poly(L ‐lactic acid) (PLLA) graded blends by the dissolution–diffusion process, and discussed the biodegradability and tensile strength of the graded blends by comparing isotropic blend and PLLA only. All the graded blends were degraded more largely than the PLLA only and isotropic blend (PEO: 37.5 wt %), which had the same content as the total content of those graded blends. The graded blend having most excellent wide compositional gradient was degraded most largely with the enzyme. Thus, graded structure of the blends promoted their biodegradabilities large. It was considered that the dissolution of PEO with water increased the surface area attacked by the enzyme, while PEO caught PLLA oligomers to promote the biodegradation of PLLA. Then, the biodegradabilities of the graded blends were suppressed by the increasing crystallinity of PLLA. Furthermore, the strengths of all the graded blends were larger than those of the isotropic blend. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 2972–2981, 2007     

New insights on amorphous silicon-nitride microcavities

All amorphous silicon-nitride planar optical microcavities operating in the visible range have been grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The luminescence intensity of the N-rich silicon-nitride layer from a microcavity with 6 period distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) is two order of magnitude higher than that of the luminescent layer without the cavity. Moreover, a strong directionality of the microcavities emission can be observed. Such results can be ascribed to the anisotropic optical density of states induced in the Fabry–Perot structure. The quality factors of the resonators are strictly correlated to the number of periods of the DBRs.     

Magnetic properties of mechanically alloyed Co–Ti powder

An amorphous phase containing traces of non-transformed Co and Ti powders was obtained by mechanical alloying nominal compositions of Co₆₇Ti₃₃ and Co₅₀Ti₅₀ in a high-energy ball-mill. These alloys were prepared from elemental powders of Co and Ti. The heat treatment of Co₆₇Ti₃₃ at 573, 873 and 1173 K crystallized nanoparticles of Co₂Ti and Co₃Ti compounds, while the same treatments conducted on Co₅₀Ti₅₀ resulted in the formation of Co₂Ti and CoTi nanoparticles. The saturation magnetizations reached a maximum value in the amorphous state and they decreased when the temperatures of the heat treatment rose. Demagnetizing interparticle interaction effects were estimated through hysteresis loops and initial magnetization curves using the Fourier technique.     

La5Al3Ni2 – an Intermetallic Phase Observed upon Crystallization of La50Al25Ni25 Metallic Glass

The yet unknown intermetallic phase La₅Al₃Ni₂ was obtained by partially crystallizing amorphous La₅₀Al₂₅Ni₂₅ at 550 K (further heating above 600 K leads to irreversible disappearance of this phase), and its crystal structure was determined from X‐ray powder diffraction data. The crystal structure of the La₅Al₃Ni₂ phase constitutes a new structure type (Cmcm, a = 14.231Å, b = 6.914Å, c = 10.460Å, oC40) and is built from [Al₃Ni₂] chains surrounded by La atoms. In the ternary system La‐Al‐Ni La₅Al₃Ni₂ is located on the section La₅₀Al_50−nNi_n (0 ≤ n ≤ 50) with the binary compounds LaAl and LaNi as end members. Strikingly, also the crystal structures of the end members can be conceived as chain structures with Al and Ni chains surrounded by La, respectively.     

Mössbauer and X-ray diffraction characterization of Fe60Al40 coatings prepared by thermal spraying

Microstructured (atomized) and nanostructured (milled) Fe₆₀Al₄₀ powders together with their corresponding coatings synthesized by High Velocity Oxy-fuel (HVOF) or Atmospheric Plasma Spray (APS) thermal spraying techniques have been characterized by Mössbauer Spectroscopy (MS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The evolution of the microstructure and the atomic ordering degree in the powders and coatings are discussed at the light of the various processing conditions. The operational correlation between the parameters of the duplex morphology of coatings and the processing parameters is discussed.     

Energy of formation for and liquid binary alloys

We have investigated the free energy of formation for Ag_xIn_1-x and Ag_xSn_1-x liquid binary alloys at temperatures 1173 and 1250 K, respectively. A microscopic theory based on the first order perturbation has been applied. The interionic interaction and a reference liquid are the fundamental components of the theory. The interionic interaction is described by a local pseudopotential. A liquid of hard spheres (HS) of two different effective diametres and charges is used to describe the reference system. The results of the calculations for energy of formation agree very well with the available experimental data. Our calculations also reveal that a simple perturbative approach along with appropriate effective pair potentials can produce nearly quantitative results for the concerned alloys.     

Magnetic and electrical transport properties of delta-doped amorphous Ge:Mn magnetic semiconductors

We report on the growth and characterization of delta-doped amorphous Ge:Mn diluted magnetic semiconductor thin films on GaAs (0 0 1) substrates. The fabricated samples exhibit different magnetic behaviors, depending on the Mn doping concentration. The Curie temperature was found to be dependent on both the Mn doping concentration and spacing between the doping layers. A sharp drop in magnetization and rise in resistivity are observed at low temperature in samples with high Mn doping concentrations, which is also accompanied by a negative thermal remanent magnetization (TRM) in the higher temperature range. The temperature at which the magnetization starts to drop and the negative TRM appears show a correlation with the Mn doping concentration. The experimental results are discussed based on the formation of ferromagnetic regions at high temperature and antiferromagnetic coupling between these regions at low temperature.     

Comparison of the Kerr effect and X-ray pole figure methods for determining crystallographic texture in PrFeB magnets

In this study, magnetic domains in Pr₁₆Fe₇₆B₈ sintered magnets have been observed by Kerr effect and a histogram of the angular distribution of domain orientations has been used to determine the magnetic texture (cos Φ). The degree of easy-axis alignment of Pr₂Fe₁₄B matrix grains in these magnets has been also determined by X-ray pole figure analysis using the (0 0 4) reflection. The (0 0 4) pole figure measurements were carried out by the Schultz's reflection method. The (0 0 4) normalized intensity data has been fitted for a Gaussian distribution and the degree of crystal alignment, cos Θ, has been calculated using the Stoner–Wohlfarth model. Comparison of these methods has been carried out. It has been shown that in magnets with medium and high degrees of crystallographic alignment, the pole figure values are higher than that obtained by the Kerr effect method. Conversely, in magnets with low degrees of alignment, cos Θ is lower than cos Φ.     

Electron-stimulated desorption of D (H) from condensed D2O (H2O) films

The electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) of D⁻ and H⁻ ions from condensed D₂O and H₂O films is investigated. Three low-energy peaks are observed in the ESD anion yield, which are identified as arising from excitation of ²B₁, ²A₁ and ²B₂ dissociative electron attachment (DEA) resonances. Additional structure is observed between 18 and 32 eV, which may be due to ion pair formation or to DEA resonances involving the 2a₁ orbital. The ion yield resulting from excitation of the ²B₁ resonance increases as the film is heated. We attribute the increase in the ion yield to thermally induced hydrogen bond breaking near the surface, which enhances the lifetimes of the excited states that lead to desorption.