A metastable de-excitation spectroscopy (MDS) study on oxygen adsorption on a polycrystalline zirconium surface

The adsorption of oxygen on a polycrystalline zirconium surface at room temperature has been studied by metastable de-excitation spectroscopy (MDS) in conjunction with UPS and AES. From the analysis of the measured spectra, we have shown the following. (1) At the initial stage of oxygen adsorption (exposure <1.2 L), the surface density of states (SDOS) of zirconium changes little at around the Fermi level (E_F), while it decreases appreciably at 1–2 eV below E_F (E_B=1–2 eV) by oxygen adsorption. (2) The SDOS at E_B=0–2 eV decreases with increasing oxygen exposure at >1.2 L and disappears at >8 L. (3) The oxygen 2p states (E_B=5–8 eV) are localized at the subsurface region at oxygen exposure 0–2 L. (4) The ZrO₂ phase appears at the outermost zirconium surface at around 2 L, then grows with increasing exposure, and finally dominates at >8 L. It is suggested that two different phases (ZrO₂ phase and that in which oxygen occupies subsurface sites) coexist at the outermost surface at 2–8 L.     

Physical investigations on pulsed laser deposited nanocrystalline ZnO thin films

The nanocrystalline ZnO thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on quartz and i-Si (100) substrates at different substrate temperatures (473 K–873 K) and at different mixed partial pressures (0.05, 0.01, and 0.5 mbar) of Ar+O₂. The structural studies from XRD spectra reveals that the films deposited at 0.05 mbar and at lower substrate temperatures were c-axis oriented with predominant (002) crystallographic orientation. At 873 K along with (002) orientation, additional crystallographic orientations were also observed in case of films deposited at 0.01 and 0.5 mbar pressures. The composition of Zinc and Oxygen in ZnO films from EDAX reveals that the films deposited at lower partial pressures were have high at.% of O₂ whereas higher partial pressures and substrate temperatures had high at.% Zn. The surface microstructure of the films show that the films deposited at lower partial pressures (0.05 mbar ) and at lower substrate temperatures (473 K) were found to have nanoparticles of size 15 nm where as films deposited at 873 K have nanorods. The length of these nanorods increases with increasing Ar+O₂ partial pressure to 0.5 mbar. The optical energy gap of the film deposited at lower partial pressure and substrate temperature was 3.3 eV and decrease with the increase of substrate temperatures. The films deposited at 0.5 mbar and at 873 K emitted an intense luminescence at a wavelength of 390 nm. The measured thickness of deposited films by spectroscopic ellipsometry is around 456 nm.     

Measurement of the analyzing power in p-->d-->(p p)n with a fast forward 1S0 proton pair

A measurement of the analyzing power A(y) of the p-->d--> (p p) + n reaction was carried out at the ANKE spectrometer at COSY at beam energies of 0.5 and 0.8 GeV by detection of a fast forward proton pair of small excitation energy E(pp) < 3 MeV. The S-wave dominance in the fast diproton is experimentally demonstrated in this reaction. While at T(p) = 0.8 GeV the measured analyzing power almost vanishes, it rises to nearly unity at T(p) = 0.5 GeV for neutrons emitted at theta(c.m.)(n) = 167 degrees. The results are compared with a model taking into account one-nucleon exchange, single scattering, and Delta(1232) excitation in the intermediate state. The model describes fairly well the unpolarized cross section obtained earlier and the analyzing power at 0.8 GeV; it fails to reproduce A(y) at 0.5 GeV.     

Radiative effect differences between multi-layered and single-layer clouds derived from CERES, CALIPSO, and CloudSat data

Clouds alter general circulation through modification of the radiative heating profile within the atmosphere. Their effects are complex and depend on height, vertical structure, and phase. The instantaneous cloud radiative effect (CRE) induced by multi-layered (ML) and single-layer (SL) clouds is estimated by analyzing data collected by the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), CloudSat, and Clouds and Earth’s Radiation Energy Budget System (CERES) missions from March 2007 through February 2008. The CRE differences between ML and SL clouds at the top of the atmosphere (TOA) and at the surface were also examined. The zonal mean shortwave (SW) CRE differences between the ML and SL clouds at the TOA and surface were positive at most latitudes, peaking at 120 W m⁻² in the tropics and dropping to −30 W m⁻² at higher latitudes. This indicated that the ML clouds usually reflected less sunlight at the TOA and transmitted more to the surface than the SL clouds, due to their higher cloud top heights. The zonal mean longwave (LW) CRE differences between ML and SL clouds at the TOA and surface were relatively small, ranging from −30 to 30 W m⁻². This showed that the ML clouds only increased the amount of thermal radiation at the TOA relative to the SL clouds in the tropics, decreasing it elsewhere. In other words, ML clouds tended to cool the atmosphere in the tropics and warm it elsewhere when compared to SL clouds. The zonal mean net CRE differences were positive at most latitudes and dominated by the SW CRE differences.     

Utilization of Mg2Al–layered double hydroxide as an effective sequestrator to trap Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution impacted by water quality parameters

Recently, Mg₂Al–layered double hydroxide (Mg₂Al–LDH) has been extensively studied as promising candidates to trap metal ions due to their high complexation and adsorption capacity. Herein, Mg₂Al–LDH was utilized as an effectiveness sequestrator to trap Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution by an adsorption process using batch technique under ambient conditions. The results showed that Cu(II) adsorption on Mg₂Al–LDH increases with pH increasing and maintains a high level at pH>7.0. The adsorption of Cu(II) was obviously affected by ionic strength at low pH, which was not dependent on ionic strength at high pH. The presence of HA or FA promotes the adsorption of Cu(II) on Mg₂Al–LDH at low pH values, while reduces the adsorption of Cu(II) at high pH values. The adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) on Mg₂Al–LDH at three different temperatures were simulated by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin-Radushkevitch (D–R) models very well. The thermodynamic parameters were determined from the temperature-dependent adsorption, and the results showed that Cu(II) adsorption on Mg₂Al–LDH was exothermic and the process was favored at high temperature. The results suggest that Mg₂Al–LDH is suitable as a sorbent material for the recovery and attenuation of Cu(II)-polluted wastewater.     

LEED investigation of germanium surfaces cleaned by sublimation of sulphide films; structural transitions on clean Ge(110) surface

Sublimation of deposited germanium sulphide films at the temperatures as low as 350°C results in the appearance of LEED patterns of clean surfaces of germanium. In the interface between Ge(111) or Ge(110) and germanium sulphide, ordered structures are observed, namely Ge(111)?(2 × 1)S and Ge(110)?(10 × 5)S. The conclusion about the structure of the Ge(100) germanium sulphide interface cannot be made unambiguously. The structures of clean Ge(110) surfaces are described. The annealing of clean surfaces of Ge(110) at different temperatures leads to the formation of one of two possible surface structures. After annealing at temperatures below 380°C and above 430°C the Ge(110)?c(8 × 10) clean superstructure is observed. After annealing at temperatures from 380 up to 430°C the surface (110) is rearranged in vicinal planes of the (17 15 1) type with the (2 × 1) superstructure. These structures undergo reversible transitions from one to another at temperatures of about 380 and 430°C.     

Structural and optical properties of ZnO film by plasma-assisted MOCVD

High quality ZnO film was deposited by plasma-assisted metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). We observed a dominant peak at 34.6° due to (0 0 2) ZnO, which indicated that the growth of ZnO film was strongly C-oriented. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the -rocking curve was 0.56° indicating relatively small mosaicity. Photoluminescence (PL) measurement was performed at both room temperature and low temperature. Ultraviolet (UV) emission at 3.30 eV was found with high intensity at room temperature while the deep level transition was weakly observed at 2.513 eV. The ratio of the intensity of UV emission to that of deep level emission was as high as 193, which implied high quality of ZnO film. From PL spectrum at 10 K, we observed A-exciton emission at 3.377 eV and D°X bound exciton transition at 3.370 eV. The donor–acceptor transition and LO phonon replicas were observed at 3.333 and 3.241 eV respectively. Raman scattering was performed in back scattering at room temperature. The E₂, A_1(LO) and A_1(TO) mode was seen at 437.6, 575.8 and 380 cm^–1 respectively. In comparison with Raman spectrum of ZnO powder, we found that ZnO film was nearly free of strain, which indicated high crystal quality.     

Structural and dynamical properties of iridium surfaces: First principles and molecular dynamics investigations

The structural and dynamical properties of Ir(1 0 0) clean surface are investigated in the temperature range 100-1100 K. We performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the interaction potential energies obtained from the density-functional theory (DFT) and plane-wave pseudopotential (PWPP) method. The obtained contraction of the first interlayer distance, d₁₂ , decreases from −4.94% at 100 K to −4.84% at 1100 K. This decrease deviates by 11.8% at 100 K to 13.6% at 1100 K, from that at 0 K (−5.6%). The expansion of the second interlayer distance, d₂₃, however increases from 0.89% at 100 K to 1% at 1100 K, causing a deviation that ranges from −11% to 0% from that at 0 K (1%). The deviation of the calculated surface vibrational frequencies and surface relaxations over the entire range of temperatures (100-1100 K) is rather modest as a result of small anharmonic effects of the surface.     

Structural and optical properties of ZnO nanopowder prepared by microwave-assisted synthesis

We report the characterization of nano-size zinc oxide (ZnO) powder synthesized via microwave-assisted heating of Zn(CH₃COO)₂·2H₂O and NaHCO₃ solution with deionized water (DI water) as the solvent. The as-synthesized ZnO powder was calcined at temperatures from 400 to 800 °C for 8 h. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra revealed pure wurtzite structure for the ZnO nanopowder (NP) calcined at 800 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed increasing size ZnO NP with uniform size distribution with increase in calcination temperature. Significant UV emission at about 373 nm has been observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the as-synthesized and calcined ZnO NP. Our results showed enhanced PL intensity with a reduced full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) for ZnO NP synthesized at higher calcination temperature.     

Surface structure effects in the reactions of nitric oxide with hydrogen and carbon monoxide on rhodium: A comparison with the surface structure effects observed for the hydrogen-oxygen and carbon monoxide-oxygen reactions

Using field electron microscopy (FEM) and thermal desorption and reaction spectroscopy (TDS) the behaviour of various Rh single crystal surfaces towards reactions involving NO has been studied. If, after NO adsorption up to saturation at 77 K, the temperature is slowly raised the FEM results suggest that dissociation of NO starts at the (321), (331) and (533) surfaces. The reaction of NO_ads with hydrogen starts also at these surfaces (at about 360 K) suggesting that NO bond scission initiates the reaction. After initiation a surface explosion is observed. Depending on the heating rate either a clean surface or a N_ads covered surface is obtained after completion of the reaction. Apparently, the reduction of adsorbed N_ads by hydrogen can occur at a significant rate at this temperature. At a higher heating rate the formed N adatoms do not react with hydrogen and are readily desorbed as N₂ at 600 K. The reaction of NO_ads with CO starts again on the (321) and (331) surfaces. The rate of the reaction with CO is, however, much lower than that with hydrogen. For the reaction of CO_ads with NO, desorption of CO is the initiation step. The mechanisms of the reactions and the dependence of the reaction on the surface structure are discussed in relation to literature data.     

Rheological Investigations of Copolymers of N-(Substituted Maleimide)s with Styrene in Dimethylsulfoxide

The viscoelastic behavior of poly(N-(4-formylphenoxy-4′-carbonylphenyl)maleimide-co-styrene) and poly(N-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide-co-styrene) in dimethylsulfoxide is investigated. The rheological parameters (elastic modulus, viscous modulus, loss tangent) were determined at different temperatures in the range 20°C–80°C. Poly(N-(4-carboxyphenyl)maleimide-co-styrene) exhibits a Newtonian behavior in the frequency range from 0.05 to 700 rad/s at all temperatures. For poly(N-(4-formylphenoxy-4′-carbonylphenyl)maleimide-co-styrene), a shear thinning behavior was observed at temperatures below 40°C (pseudoplastic behavior), whereas at higher temperatures the sample exhibits Newtonian flow throughout the studied frequencies range. The activation energies of the flow (calculated by using the zero shear viscosity values) give indications about the intensity of polymer-polymer interactions as a function of the maleimide monomer structure.     

Electron beam aging of BaSi2O5:Pb

The effects of several parameters on the aging rate of BaSi₂O₅:Pb under electron bombardment have been investigated. Results showed that the aging rate increased (1) at lower beam current densities, (2) at higher electron energies, (3) with certain impurities (particularly group III-A) incorporated in the phosphor, and (4) at higher temperatures. A hypothetical mechanism involving oxygen release is proposed.     

Search for Bs0 --> micro+ micro- and B0 --> micro+ micro- decays with 2 fb-1 of pp collisions

We have performed a search for B(s)(0) --> micro(+) micro(-) and B(0) --> micro(+) micro(-) decays in pp collisions at square root s = 1.96 TeV using 2 fb(-1) of integrated luminosity collected by the CDF II detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The observed number of B(s)(0) and B0 candidates is consistent with background expectations. The resulting upper limits on the branching fractions are B(B(s)0) --> micro(+) micro(-)) <5.8 x 10(-8) and B(B(0) --> micro(+) micro(-))<1.8 x 10(-8) at 95% C.L.     

Phason and amplitudon in the charge-density-wave phase of one-dimensional charge stripes in La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4

The present systematic Raman scattering experiments reveal the phason and amplitudon of the charge density wave (CDW) mode in the charge stripes of La(2-x)Sr(x)CuO4. Only about 15% of the electronic density of states condenses into the CDW state. The symmetries of the CDW modes change by the rotation of the stripes at the insulator-metal transition. The energy of the phason is finite at 0.06 < or = x < or = 0.1 and zero at x = 0.035 and 0.115 < or = x < or = 0.135, which suggests that the CDW is commensurate at 0.06 < or = x < or = 0.1 and incommensurate otherwise. The zero-energy phason seems to reduce T(c) at x = 1/8.     

Fundamental optical properties of α-RuCl3

The fundamental optical properties in the paramagnetic phase of α-RuCl₃ are studied at different temperatures in the photon energy interval 0.03 to 10 eV. Infrared reflectivity spectra show a transverse optical frequency at 0.038 eV (32 μm) for an E_u mode (E⊥c, in plane atomic displacements). The absorption spectra in the energy range 0.2 to 1 eV reveal three bands (0.29, 0.51, 0.71 eV) attributed to d-d electronic transitions. Reflectance and thermo-reflectance measurements indicate the onset of the charge-transfer transitions at 1.1 eV and show structure at 1.85, 2.55, 3.05, 4.5 eV. The marked reflectivity peak at 5.2 eV is probably related to p(Cl) → s(Ru) band-to-band transitions.     

Temperature dependence of excitonic luminescence from nanocrystalline ZnO films

The properties of the excitonic luminescence for nanocrystalline ZnO thin films are investigated by using the dependence of excitonic photoluminescence (PL) spectra on temperature. The ZnO thin films are prepared by thermal oxidation of ZnS films prepared by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LP-MOCVD) technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that ZnO thin films have a polycrystalline hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferred (0 0 2) orientation. A strong ultraviolet (UV) emission peak at 3.26 eV is observed, while the deep-level emission band is barely observable at room temperature. The strength of the exciton-longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon coupling is deduced from the temperature dependence of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the fundamental excitonic peak, decrease in exciton-longitudinal-optical (LO) phonon coupling strength is due to the quantum confinement effect.     

Effects of Ti-doped concentration on the microstructures and optical properties of ZnO thin films

The Ti-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ti) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering technique with different Ti doping concentrations. The effect of Ti contents on the crystalline structure and optical properties of the as-deposited ZnO:Ti films was systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The XRD measurements revealed that all the films had hexagonal wurtzite type structure with a strong (100) preferential orientation and relatively weak (002), (101), and (110) peaks. It was found that the intensity of the (100) diffraction peaks was strongly dependent on the Ti doping concentration. And the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of (002) diffraction peaks constantly changed at various Ti contents, which decreased first and then increased, reaching a minimum of about 0.378° at 1.43 at.% Ti. The morphologies of ZnO:Ti films with 1.43 at.% Ti showed a denser texture and better smooth surface. All the films were found to be highly transparent in the visible wavelength region with an average transmittance over 90%. Compared with E_g = 3.219 eV for pure ZnO film, all the doping samples exhibited a blue-shift of E_g. It can be attributed to the incorporation of Ti atoms and raising the concentration of carriers. Five emission peaks located at 412, 448, 486, 520, and 550 nm were observed from the photoluminescence spectra measured at room temperature and the origin of these emissions was discussed.     

A multifrequency EPR study of poly(PADPA) synthesized with Trametes versicolor laccase from the aniline dimer p-aminodiphenylamine (PADPA) in the presence of anionic vesicles

Poly(PADPA) synthesized with the enzyme Trametes versicolor laccase (TvL) at pH = 3.5 in aqueous solution from the aniline dimer p-aminodiphenylamine (PADPA) was studied by EPR spectrometry at X-band and W-band frequencies. For the synthesis of poly(PADPA), vesicles formed from AOT (sodium bis-(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate) were used as structure-directing templates, and TvL/O₂ as catalyst and oxidant. The isolated product is abbreviated as “poly(PADPA)-TvL-AOT” to distinguish it from poly(PADPA) obtained by other means. The EPR spectrum of poly(PADPA)-TvL-AOT recorded at room temperature is complex. It can be decomposed into two separate Dyson–type spectral components. Furthermore, the spectra measured at high frequency exhibit a line broadening behavior in comparison to the spectra recorded at low frequency where there is no line broadening. This behavior was used to estimate the effective inter-chain spin exchange interaction for each monitored spectral component. The obtained effective distances between the polymer (or oligomer) chains in both identified components of poly(PADPA)-TvL-AOT can be explained by considering slightly different interactions between the chains and the AOT molecules present in the sample. Additionally, due to different average g tensor values, g_av, of these components, it seems that each spectral component originates from one of two different molecular subunits (or local structural motifs) within the polymer (or oligomer) chains.     

Mössbauer effect study of γ-FeMn alloys

The disordered antiferromagnetic γ-FeMn alloys in the range of Mn concentration from 0 up to 50 at.% Mn were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and Mössbauer spectroscopy (ME) at room temperature and at 80 K. The lattice parameter is constant for Mn contents below 27 at.% and increases linearly for higher Mn concentration. The RT Mössbauer spectra for the alloys with less than 20 at.% Mn were fitted with quadrupole splitting (QS) distribution, and above 20 at.% Mn they were fitted with magnetic hyperfine field (HF) distribution. The averageQS decreases, while the HF maintain a constant value by increasing the Mn concentration. At 80 K, the HF increases linearly up to 30 at.% Mn and then maintains a constant value at about 38 kOe. The peak of the specific heat (c _p) at the Néel temperature changes from broad to sharp as the Mn content increases. The Néel temperature increases with Mn concentration.     

Photoconductivity studies of (PbCrO4-HgO-ZnO) composites

This paper deals with the photoconductivity studies of (PbCrO₄-HgO-ZnO) composites comprising of base materials of three different energy gaps. The response of (10%PbCrO₄-80%HgO-10%ZnO) and (20%PbCrO₄-60%HgO-20%ZnO) composites is faster than that of other compositions and of base materials. The dark current for (20%PbCrO₄-60%HgO-20%ZnO) is trap limited-space charge limited at higher voltages while it shows non-ohmic behaviour at lower voltages. The photocurrent for (20%PbCrO₄-60%HgO-20%ZnO) composition shows non-ohmic behaviour at lower voltages and tends to saturation at higher voltages. The photocurrent for the above composition varies sublinearly with the intensity of illumination. The (10% PbCrO₄-80%HgO-10%ZnO) composition is the best suitable material for optical switching. The existence of discrete trap depths at 16°C appears plausible for different compositions.