Formation of functional groups on graphite during oxygen plasma treatment

Improved sample wettability was obtained by oxygen plasma functionalization of pyrolytic graphite. The samples were exposed to highly dissociated oxygen plasma with the density of 1 × 10¹⁶ m⁻³, the electron temperature of about 5.5 eV and the density of neutral oxygen atoms of 8 × 10²¹ m⁻³ for 20 s. The surface wettability was measured by a contact angle of water drop. The contact angle dropped from original 112° down to about 1°. The functional groups were detected by XPS analyses. The survey spectrum showed a substantial increase of oxygen concentration on the surface, while high-resolution analyses showed additional oxygen was bonded onto the graphite surface in the form of C-O polar functional group responsible for the increase of the surface energy.     

Bicircular projections and characterization of Hilbert spaces

We prove that every JB* triple with rank one bicircular projection is a direct sum of two ideals, one of which is isometrically isomorphic to a Hilbert space.

     

Banana-shaped molecules peculiarly oriented in a magnetic field: (2)H NMR spectroscopy and quantum mechanical calculations.

The orientational properties of the banana-shaped liquid crystal 4-chloro-1,3-phenylenebis{4-[4'-(10-undecenyloxy)]benzoyloxy} benzoate (ClPbis11BB) are reported in the nematic phase under the effect of an external magnetic field. A new hypothesis, which states that the central ring of the aromatic core is oriented perpendicularly to the external magnetic field, is proposed. In support of this hypothesis, a series of studies based on (2)H NMR spectroscopy, both in the bulk and in solution, are discussed. (2)H NMR measurements on three selectively deuterium-labelled isotopomers are presented, together with DFT results from B3LYP/cc-pvDz calculations performed on the aromatic core. The rather flat shape of the investigated intramolecular energy surface allows for several different conformations to be populated, the computed magnetic susceptibilities of which are consistent with the proposed hypothesis of peculiar orientation of banana-shaped molecules. Moreover, the orientation of the magnetic susceptibility tensor is shown to be strongly dependent on the internal conformation of the banana-shaped molecules.     

Some aspects of quality assessment of the k0-based method of NAA

Neutron activation analysis is one of the analytical techniques often used for certification of reference materials. The k₀-based method of instrumental neutron activation analysis can also be applied in intercomparison runs in the certification process and therefore it is desirable to know its accuracy in advance. Possible systematic errors related to the application of nuclear data at given neutron flux rate parameters, that can affect the uncertainties of the results obtained by this specific method, are elucidated and error propagation factors calculated for a typical irradiation position in the TRIGA Mark II reactor of the Jozef Stefan Institute. It was found that these uncertainties are at the level of 1–2% on the average.     

Status of uncertainty assessment in k 0-NAA measurement: anything still missing?

Several approaches to quantifying measurement uncertainty in k ₀-based neutron activation analysis (k ₀-NAA) are reviewed, comprising the original approach, the spreadsheet approach, the dedicated computer program involving analytical calculations and the two k ₀-NAA programs available on the market. Two imperfectness in the dedicated programs are identified, their impact assessed and possible improvements presented for a concrete experimental situation. The status of uncertainty assessment in k ₀-NAA is discussed and steps for improvement are recommended. It is concluded that the present magnitude of measurement uncertainty should further be improved by making additional efforts in reducing uncertainties of the relevant nuclear constants used.     

B-tau unification and large atmospheric mixing: a case for a noncanonical seesaw mechanism

We study the second and third generation masses in the context of the minimal renormalizable SO(10) theory. We show that if the seesaw takes the noncanonical (type II) form, large atmospheric neutrino mixing angle requires b-tau unification.     

Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling of Fe-oxide layers on electromagnetic sheets prepared by low temperature oxidation

Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling was applied to characterize the Fe-oxide layers prepared by low temperature oxidation of Fe electromagnetic sheets produced on an industrial line for applications in the field of electrical motors. In addition the surface morphology, layer composition and layer structure were analysed by electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. We found that the oxide layers on Fe-sheets with good adhesion between the oxide layer and Fe-substrate, consist mainly of magnetite and to a smaller extent of haematite; the layers are typically thinner than 1 μm and the interface between the oxide layer and the Fe-substrate is relatively broad, i.e. up to 0.3 μm. On the contrary, a decrease of adhesion between the oxide layer and the Fe-substrate was found when the layer is thicker than 1 μm and the layer/substrate interface is narrow and contaminated by foreign elements.