Valence band and chemical interactions of Zn/CdSnAs2 interfaces

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) together with argon ion sputtering was used to investigate the interface of the Zn/CdSnAs₂ system at various temperatures. The formation of an intermediate compound between Zn and As is proposed. The surface enrichment of Cd and Sn at 200 and 400°C is explained in terms of bond breaking and lattice strain theories.NCL Communication No. 4352     

Copper phthalocyanine films deposited by liquid-liquid interface recrystallization technique (LLIRCT)

The simple recrystallization process is innovatively used to obtain the nanoparticles of copper phthalocyanine by a simple method. Liquid-liquid interface recrystallization technique (LLIRCT) has been employed successfully to produce small sized copper phthalocyanine nanoparticles with diameter between 3-5 nm. The TEM-SAED studies revealed the formation of 3-5 nm sized with beta-phase dominated mixture of alpha and beta copper phthalocyanine nanoparticles. The XRD, SEM, and the UV-vis studies were further carried out to confirm the formation of copper phthalocyanine thin films. The cyclic voltametry (CV) studies conclude that redox reaction is totally reversible one electron transfer process. The process is attributed to Cu(II)/Cu(I) redox reaction.     

Amino acid rejection behaviour as a function of concentration

The solute rejection versus concentration behaviour of five different amino acids has been investigated using a Nitto Denko NTR7450 nanofiltration membrane. The experimental data for amino acid rejection was also compared against a combined steric and charge rejection model. At its isoelectric point, lysine was effectively neutral and its behaviour was well described by the model incorporating a steric function only. For phenylalanine, the combined model was found to fit the data well. In contrast there was poor agreement between the model and rejection data for glutamine, glutamic acid and glycine whose rejection values at first increased with concentration. This result implied that another governing process was in operation. Dimerisation as an explanation for the observed phenomena was also investigated. Size analysis of amino acid molecules as a function of the prevailing concentration using dynamic light scattering was limited but showed no evidence of dimerisation. This data was supported by osmotic pressure measurements which demonstrated no evidence of non-linearity in the relation between osmotic pressure and concentration.     

Radiological dose assessment of naturally occurring radioactive materials in concrete building materials

Previous studies have shown that the natural radioactivity contained in building materials have significantly influenced the dose rates in dwelling. Exposure to natural radiation in building has been of concerned since almost 80 % of our daily live are spend indoor. Thus, the aim of the study is to assess the radiological risk associated by natural radioactivity in soil based building materials to dwellers. A total of 13 Portland cement, 46 sand and 43 gravel samples obtained from manufacturers or bought directly from local hardware stores in Peninsular of Malaysia were analysed for their radioactivity concentrations. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the studied building materials samples were found to be in the range of 3.7–359.3, 2.0–370.8 and 10.3–1,949.5 Bq kg^?1 respectively. The annual radiation dose rates (μSv year^?1) received by dwellers were evaluated for 1 to 50 years of exposure using Resrad-Build Computer Code based on the activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K found in the studied building material samples. The rooms modelling were based on the changing parameters of concrete wall thickness and the room dimensions. The annual radiation dose rates to dwellers were found to increase annually over a period of 50 years. The concrete thicknesses were found to have significantly influenced the dose rates in building. The self-absorption occurred when the concrete thickness was thicker than 0.4 m. Results of this study shows that the dose rates received by the dwellers of the building are proportional to the size of the room. In general the study concludes that concrete building materials; Portland cements, sands, and gravels in Peninsular of Malaysia does not pose radiological hazard to the building dwellers.     

Zeaxanthin Production by Novel Marine Isolates from Coastal sand of India and its Antioxidant Properties

Zeaxanthin carotenoids are class of commercially important natural products and diverse biomolecules produced by plants and many microorganisms. Bacteria often produce a cocktail of polar and nonpolar carotenoids limiting their industrial applications. Marine members of the family Flavobacteriaceae are known to produce potential carotenoids such as astaxanthin and zeaxanthin. A few bacterial species have been reported for the predominant production zeaxanthin. Here, we report the molecular identification of the zeaxanthin as a major carotenoid produced by two novel bacteria (YUAB-SO-11 and YUAB-SO-45) isolated from sandy beaches of South West Coast of India and the effect of carbon sources on the production of zeaxanthin. The strains were identified based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing as a member of genus Muricauda. The closest relatives of YUAB-SO-11 and YUAB-SO-45 were Muricauda aquimarina (JCM 11811^T) (98.9 %) and Muricauda olearia (JCM 15563^T) (99.2 %), respectively, indicating that both of these strains might represent a novel species. The highest level of zeaxanthin production was achieved (YUAB-SO-11, 1.20?±?0.11 mg g^?1) and (YUAB-SO-45, 1.02?±?0.13 mg g^?1) when cultivated in marine broth supplemented with 2 % NaCl (pH 7) and incubated at 30 °C. Addition of 0.1 M glutamic acid, an intermediate of citric acid cycle, enhanced the zeaxanthin production as 18 and 14 % by the strains YUAB-SO-11 and YUAB-SO-45 respectively. The zeaxanthin showed in vitro nitric oxide scavenging, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl scavenging activities higher than the commercial zeaxanthin. The results of this study suggest that two novel strains YUAB-SO-11 and YUAB-SO-45 belonging to genus Muricauda produce zeaxanthin as a predominant carotenoid, and higher production of zeaxanthin was achieved on glutamic acid supplementation. The pigment showed good in vitro antioxidant activity, which can be exploited further for commercial applications.     

Phase transfer of silver nanoparticles from aqueous to organic solutions using fatty amine molecules

We demonstrate the phase transfer of silver nanoparticles synthesized in an aqueous medium into hexane containing the cationic surfactant octadecylamine (ODA). During vigorous shaking of the biphasic mixture, rapid phase transfer of the silver nanoparticles into the organic phase was observed. The phase transfer of the silver nanoparticles arises due to coupling of the silver nanoparticles with the ODA molecules present in organic phase via either coordination bond formation or weak covalent interaction. This process renders the nanoparticles sufficiently hydrophobic and dispersible in the organic phase. The ODA-stabilized silver nanoparticles could be separated out from the organic phase in the form of a powder and are readily redispersible in different organic solvents. The nature of binding of the ODA molecules to the silver nanoparticle surface was characterized using UV-vis spectroscopy, thermogravimetry, transmission electron microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.     

Photocatalytic activity and characterization of sol-gel-derived Cr(III)-doped TiO2-coated active carbon composites

Cr(III)-doped, TiO₂-coated active carbon (Cr–TiO₂/AC) were prepared by a sol–gel method. The effect of supports, including TiO₂ and active carbon (AC), on the molecular structure and photocatalytic activity of chromium oxide for complete decomposition of EDTA has been examined with respect to the content of Cr on the catalyst surface. The photocatalytic activity of the Cr–TiO₂/AC composites was evaluated in the decomposition of EDTA solution under UV irradiation. The results indicate that Cr–TiO₂/AC has a higher efficiency in decomposition of EDTA than TiO₂, TiO₂/AC or active carbon. This was attributed to the different functions of active carbon and chromate species. (1) Nanosize TiO₂ particles on composites were not reunited, possible because active carbon retards transformation of anatase into rutile and decreases the crystallite size. (2) Production of high concentrations of organic compound near Cr–TiO₂. (3) Carbon in active carbon causes some of the TiO₂ to reduce to Ti³⁺ ions, which prevents electron–hole pair recombination. (4) Formation of polychromate species, with a stronger redox capability, on the surface of TiO₂/AC. It was found that the addition of Cr to TiO₂ sol could suppress the grain growth of TiO₂ crystals and increase the hydroxyl content on the surface of TiO₂/AC. The photocatalytic efficiency and activity of the composites remained good, even after three cycles.     

Irradiation effects of 12 eV oxygen ions on polyimide and fluorinated ethylene propylene

Polyimide (PI) and Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) samples (15 mm×15 mm×50 μm ) were exposed to atomic oxygen ions of average energy ～12 eV and flux ～5×10¹³ ions cm ^?2 s ^?1, produced in the Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma. The energy and the flux of the oxygen ions at different positions in the plasma were measured by a retarding field analyzer. The fluence of the oxygen ions was varied from sample to sample in the range of ～5×10¹⁶ to 2×10¹⁷ ions cm ^?2 by changing the irradiation period. The pre- and the post-irradiated samples were characterized by the weight loss, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) techniques. The weight of the PI and FEP samples decreased with increasing the ion fluence. However, the erosion yield for the PI is found to be higher, by almost a factor five, when compared with that of FEP. On the surface region of irradiated samples, the concentrations of the carbon, fluorine, and oxygen and their corresponding chemical bonds have changed appreciably. Moreover, blisters and nanoglobules were also observed even at a fluence of ～10¹⁷ ions cm ^?2. This oxygen ion fluence is almost two orders of magnitude lower than that of the 5 eV atomic oxygen, which a satellite encounters in the space, at the low Earth orbit, during its mission period of about 7 years.     

Flux line lattice symmetries in the borocarbide superconductor LuNi2B2C

We compare the results of small angle neutron scattering on the flux line lattice (FLL) obtained in the borocarbide superconductor LuNi₂B₂C with the applied field along the c- and a-axes. For H‖c the temperature dependence of the FLL structural phase transition from square to hexagonal symmetry was investigated. Above 10 K the transition onset field. H ₂(T), rises sharply, bending away from H _c2(T) in contradiction to theoretical predictions of the two merging. For H‖a a first order FLL reorientation transition is observed at H _tr=3–3.5 kOe. Below H _tr the FLL nearest neighbor direction is parallel to the b-axis, and above H _tr to the c-axis. This transition cannot be explained using nonlocal corrections to the London model.