GaN单晶衬底上同质外延界面杂质的研究

氮化镓单晶衬底上的同质外延具有显著的优势,但是二次生长界面上的杂质聚集一直是困扰同质外延广泛应用的难题,特别是对电子器件会带来沟道效应,对激光器应用会影响谐振腔中的光场分布。本文通过金属有机化合物化学气相沉积(MOCVD)生长的原位处理,实现了界面杂质聚集的有效抑制。研究发现,界面上的主要杂质是C、H、O和Si,其中C、H、O可以通过原位热清洗去除;界面Si聚集的问题主要是由衬底外延片保存过程中暴露空气带来的,其次是氮化镓衬底中Si背底浓度,在外延过程中,生长载气对氮化镓单晶衬底不稳定的N面造成刻蚀,释放的杂质元素会对二次生长界面产生影响,本文较系统地阐明了界面杂质的形成机制,并提出了解决方案。     

以尿素为氮源合成AlN粉体过程中非晶碳的石墨化

针对有机合成过程中碳及碳化物的残余,传统方法中普遍使用除碳的工艺,而很少有文章针对非晶碳的结构和形貌进行表征。为此,本文采用高尿素含量的前驱盐体系,通过在氮气保护气氛中煅烧获得AlN粉体。采用X射线衍射分析、红外和拉曼光谱分析、扫描电子显微镜和透射电子显微镜对850~1 500 ℃温度范围内煅烧获得产物的结构和形貌进行表征,对AlN合成过程中含碳产物结构形貌的变化,以及AlN和含碳产物之间相互的依存生长关系进行分析。结果表明,AlN生长的过程中伴随着无定形碳的石墨化转变,AlN颗粒的形貌也受含碳残余产物形貌的影响而出现有规律的变化。     

Copper-catalyzed methyl esterification of aromatic aldehydes and benzoic alcohols by TBHP as both oxidant and methyl source

A copper-catalyzed synthesis of methyl esters from aromatic aldehydes in the presence of tert-butyl hydrogen peroxide (TBHP) was developed via a radical reaction mechanism. TBHP acts not only as an efficient oxidant, but also as a green methyl source in such transformation. Moreover, this method could also be efficiently extended to the methyl esterification of benzylic alcohols.     

Sustainable alternative in environmental monitoring using carbon nanoparticles as optical probes

Environmental monitoring is getting more important nowadays due to the greater stress faced by the natural environment in the era of urbanisation and industrialisation. To accomplish the task, rapid and reliable analytical probes are essentially needed to perform the monitoring at real time basis with high sensitivity and accuracy. In view of this, analytical probes developed using carbon nanoparticles are one of the latest alternatives that are proven with capability to detect various analytes of the environment. Carbon nanoparticles portray good fluorescence property that enables the integration onto optical sensing transducers. Further engineering via surface functionalization can be performed in the interest to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the probes. There are several advantages of using carbon nanoparticles and the most significant benefit is the sustainability prospect as compared to other groups of fluorophores. Carbon nanoparticles can be synthesised with greener approach via simple pyrolysis or hydrolysis processes that involve minimum use of toxic or harmful starting precursors, besides able to tap on using renewable resources such as carbon rich agricultural wastes. The synthesis is often performed under mild condition and produces less or no side chemical products. Carbon nanoparticles by nature show low toxicity effect to the environment. This review focuses specifically of the sustainable significances, advantages and achievements in adopting carbon nanoparticles as an alternative for environmental monitoring.     

Electrochemical Sensing of Uric Acid Using Glassy Carbon Modified with Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Dispersed in Polyethylenimine

This work reports the advantages of using glassy carbon electrodes modified with multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) dispersed in polyethylenimine (PEI). The presence of MWCNTs wrapped by PEI largely facilitated the strong adsorption of uric acid (UA) and allowed its highly sensitive and selective quantification even in the presence of high excess of ascorbic acid. The selected conditions for the electrochemical sensing were 5 s accumulation at ?0.300 V under stirring and quantification in a 0.050 M phosphate buffer solution pH 7.40 by differential pulse voltammetry adsorptive‐stripping after medium exchange. The platform allowed the successful application in the quantification of UA in urine.     

Mercury arc lamp based super-resolution imaging with conventional fluorescence microscopes

We present an implementation of localization based three-dimensional super-resolution imaging on a regular microscope. We retain the original arc lamp as the photoactivation light source, and incorporate an inexpensive diode laser for imaging. As alterations to the standard microscope is minimal, this optical setup can be easily adapted in a typical research laboratory and even undergraduate teaching experiments, providing an inexpensive system for students and research scientists who require such super resolution capabilities. With this simple design, a spatial resolution of better than 40 nm at a reasonable frame rate has been achieved, adequate for most routine applications.     

Real-time assessment of carbon nanotube alignment in a polymer matrix under an applied electric field via polarized Raman spectroscopy

A technique has been developed utilizing polarized Raman spectroscopy to measure alignment of carbon nanotubes in situ in a polymer matrix under an applied electric field. Previous studies of alignment have been restricted to optically transparent solvents or polymerized specimens that prevent accurate analyses of alignment dynamics in polymers. The effects of electric field strength on the degree of alignment and the time to achieve an aligned state are discussed. The use of in situ, real-time polarized Raman spectroscopy provides a non-invasive technique for assessing carbon nanotube alignment, which can assist in determining processing conditions to improve the mechanical and electrical properties of aligned nanocomposites.     

Application of magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites for the solid‐phase extraction of phthalate esters in water samples

Magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites were successfully prepared in situ and used to develop a highly sensitive magnetic solid‐phase extraction method for the preconcentration of phthalate esters such as di‐n‐butyl phthalate, butyl phthalate, dihexyl phthalate, and di‐(2‐ethyl hexyl) phthalate from water. The adsorption and desorption of the phthalate esters on magnetic graphitic carbon nitride nanocomposites were investigated and the parameters affecting the partition of the phthalate esters, such as adsorption, desorption, recovery, were assessed. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed method showed excellent sensitivity with limits of detection (S/N = 3) in the range of 0.05–0.1 μg/L and precision in the range of 1.1–2.6% (n = 5). This method was successfully applied to the analysis of real water samples, and good spiked recoveries over the range of 79.4–99.4% were obtained. This research provides a possibility to apply this nanocomposite for adsorption, preconcentration, or even removal of various carbon‐based ring or hydrophobic pollutants.     

Separation of cannabinoids on three different mixed‐mode columns containing carbon/nanodiamond/amine‐polymer superficially porous particles

Three mixed‐mode high‐performance liquid chromatography columns packed with superficially porous carbon/nanodiamond/amine‐polymer particles were used to separate mixtures of cannabinoids. Columns evaluated included: (i) reversed phase (C₁₈), weak anion exchange, 4.6 × 33 mm, 3.6 μm, and 4.6 × 100 mm, 3.6 μm, (ii) reversed phase, strong anion exchange (quaternary amine), 4.6×33 mm, 3.6 μm, and (iii) hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography, 4.6 × 150 mm, 3.6 μm. Different selectivities were achieved under various mobile phase and stationary phase conditions. Efficiencies and peak capacities were as high as 54 000 N/m and 56, respectively. The reversed phase mixed‐mode column (C₁₈) retained tetrahydrocannabinolic acid strongly under acidic conditions and weakly under basic conditions. Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid was retained strongly on the reversed phase, strong anion exchange mixed‐mode column under basic polar organic mobile phase conditions. The hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography column retained polar cannabinoids better than the (more) neutral ones under basic conditions. A longer reversed phase (C₁₈) mixed‐mode column (4.6 × 100 mm) showed better resolution for analytes (and a contaminant) than a shorter column. Fast separations were achieved in less than 5 min and sometimes 2 min. A real world sample (bubble hash extract) was also analyzed by gradient elution.