Stabilization of the pentagonal surface of the icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystal by controlled Si absorption

The Debye-temperature of the pentagonal surface of the icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystal (QC) is measured by means of low-energy electron diffraction after the absorption of different amounts of Si. We observe an increase of the surface Debye-temperature from 300±7 K for the freshly prepared surface to 330±7 K after the absorption of 60-Å Si. Because the quasicrystalline order persists at the surface in spite of the diffusion of Si into the substrate, we suggest that the diffusion is dominated by a vacancy-mediated process.     

High resolution photoemission spectroscopy study near the Fermi edge for different surfaces prepared on the icosahedral AlPdMn phase

High resolution photoemission measurements performed at low temperatures on a single-grained sample of the AlPdMn icosahedral phase show that the density of states N(E) strongly depends on the nature of the surface. For an ordered quasicrystalline surface, prepared by Ar etching and ultra high vacuum annealing, a dip feature is observed in N(E) near the Fermi level, which energy dependence can be analyzed with a simple square-root power law. By contrast, N(E) varies only little with energy both for a disordered surface and a crystalline surface of the same sample. A sharp Fermi edge is then clearly observed. This shows that the metallic character of the surface of a quasicrystal is strongly reduced when the surface presents a quasicrystalline ordering. Received 19 February 2000 and Received in final form 6 November 2000     

TEMPOS devices as humidity sensors

An impedance spectroscopy technique has been employed to study the humidity sensing property of a novel ion-track-based device called ‘TEMPOS’ (tunable electronic materials with pores in oxide on silicon). Polymer electrolytes (PEs) and semiconductor-dispersed PE have been used as sensing elements. The sensing behaviour depends on the material inserted in the tracks and on the frequency and magnitude of the applied signal. Cole–Cole plots have been obtained at a constant humidity (30%, 43%, 54%, 65% and 82% relative humidity) and at a constant voltage (1–5 V), for frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 100 kHz. A decrease in the impedance of the sensor is observed with an increase in the humidity and frequency of the applied signal. The width of the sensitive region increases with a decrease in the frequency. At a constant humidity, the influence of voltage on the impedance is small and PEs are found to be better sensing materials. Tracks act as pores for chemisorption and physiosorption to take place at the dielectric surface. Chemisorption probably leads to charge transfer between material inserted in tracks and the moisture.     

Oxygen-induced surface faceting of the threefold-symmetry surface of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystal

We have investigated the oxidation behavior of the threefold-symmetry surface of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystal by low-energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. Upon oxygen exposure at 740 K, the predominantly planar surface develops facets of an Al-oxide layer, each facet oriented along a high-symmetry direction of the icosahedral bulk structure. While the facets along the fivefold-symmetry directions are structurally well-ordered, the facets along the twofold- and threefold-symmetry directions are structureless. The results are compared with the oxide formation on the fivefold-symmetry surface of icosahedral AlPdMn quasicrystal.     

Basics of NMR line shape in quasicrystals

The measurement and analysis of broad nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra of quasicrystals require experimental methods and theoretical interpretations different from NMR investigations of regular periodic crystals. Frequency- and field-sweep methods for recording quasicrystalline NMR spectra are described and compared with the measurement of²⁷Al NMR spectra of icosahedral AlPdMn and decagonal AlNiCo quasicrystals. The nuclear spin interactions that determine the NMR line shape are the same for both types of the above Al-based quasicrystals, where the electric quadrupolar interaction with the broad distribution of its electric field gradient parameters predominantly determines the shape of the broad satellite “background” intensity. The essential observations are an almost isotropic²⁷Al NMR spectrum of the icosahedral quasicrystals and a strong angular dependence of the spectrum of decagonal quasicrystals.     

An experimental study on the characterization of electric charge in electrostatic dust removal

Automatic dust removal using the electrostatic forces of electrodynamic screen (EDS) is an emerging method for mitigation of energy yield losses caused by dust accumulation on solar collectors. Both electric field distribution and dust particles' charge acquired during the removal process play pivotal roles in thorough evaluation of EDS performance. Previous studies have comprehensively analyzed the electric field distribution in EDS. In this paper we have conducted a number of experiments to examine how two EDS design parameters, electrode width and inter-electrode spacing, and two operational parameters, applied voltage and relative humidity, affect dust particles' charge. Sixteen EDS prototypes in two sets were developed and tested in a laboratory environment to study the acquired charge by dust particles via charge-to-mass ratio measurements. It has been shown that the charge-to-mass ratio is directly affected by the electric field intensity on an EDS surface. Furthermore, we have shown the detrimental impact of relative humidity on EDS performance. The results are advantageous in the evaluation of EDS design and its optimization to attain maximum dust removal efficiency.     

Composites reinforced by Al—Cu—Fe quasicrystalline particles with a copper matrix and their tribological properties

Copper-based composite coatings with addition of 34 wt % of Al—Cu—Fe quasicrystalline powder of dispersity less than 20 fum, as well as 70 wt % of quasicrystalline powder of dispersity less than 40fum and less than 3 fum, were produced by the cold spray process. The phase composition during annealing of samples at various temperatures was studied by X-ray phase analysis. Tribological properties of each composite coating and pure copper were investigated. The experimental results showed a considerable improvement of the tribological properties of the material at the addition of quasicrystals. The least wear was observed in the composite sample containing quasicrystalline inclusions of less than 3 fum subjected to thermal treatment. In this case the counterbody wear was practically absent.     

Electrowetting on ZnO nanowires

In this paper, we study the electrowetting character on ZnO nanowires. We grow the ZnO nanowires on indium tin oxide (ITO) by a hydrothermal method, and the ZnO nanowires surface is further hydrophobized by spin-coating Teflon. Such a prepared surface shows superhydrophobic properties with an initial contact angle 165°. When the applied external voltage between the ITO and the sessile droplet is less than 50 V, the contact angle continuously changed from 165° to 120°, and exhibits instant reversibility. For a slightly higher voltage, a mutation of the contact angle changing to 100° was observed and the contact angle was not reversible after removing the applied voltage, which indicates a transition from non-wetting state to wetting state. Further increasing of the applied voltage, the apparent contact angle decreased to an invariable value 70°, and electrical breakdown emerged synchronously.     

Structure and peculiarities of nanodeformation in Ti–Zr–Ni quasi-crystals

Ti–Zr–Ni samples with a substantial predominance of icosahedral quasicrystalline phase were produced by the melt-spinning technique. Their structure and mechanical properties were studied by X-ray diffraction and nanoindentation methods. The quasicrystalline phase was found to have a primitive lattice with the quasicrystallinity parameter a _q = 0.5200–0.5210?nm. Quasicrystalline deformation behaviour under nanoindentation versus phase composition and structure is discussed in comparison with single crystal W–12?wt%?Ta. The estimated elastic modulus E of the quasicrystalline phase shows no correlation with the element composition. The nanohardness was shown to increase with increasing quasicrystalline-phase perfection. Load–displacement curves of Ti–Zr–Ni quasicrystals (QCs) show stepwise character with alternation of elastic and plastic sections. Such non-uniform plastic flow in QCs might be caused by the localization of plastic deformation in shear bands. The non-uniformity of the plastic deformation increases with the increasing quasicrystalline phase perfection.     

Local Anodic Oxidation of Thin GeO Films and Formation of Nanostructures Based on Them

The process of local anodic oxidation of thin GeO films has been studied using an atomic force microscope. The electron-probe microanalysis showed that oxidized areas of a GeO film were germanium dioxide. The effect of the voltage pulse duration applied to the probe–substrate system and the atmospheric humidity on the height of the oxide structures has been studied. The kinetics of the local anodic oxidation (LAO) in a semi-contact mode obeys the Cabrera–Mott model for large times. The initial growth rate of the oxide (R₀) significantly increases and the time of starting the oxidation (t₀) decreases as the atmospheric humidity increases by 20%, which is related to an increase in the concentration of oxygen-containing ions at the surface of the oxidized GeO film. It was shown that nanostructures in thin GeO layers can be formed by the LAO method.     

Spin polarization of two-dimensional electron gas in hybrid ferromagnetic/semiconductor nanostructures

We present a theoretical study on the spin-dependent transport of electrons in hybrid ferromagnetic/semiconductor nanosystem under an applied bias voltage. Experimentally, this kind of nanosystem can be realized by depositing a magnetized ferromagnetic stripe with arbitrary magnetization direction on the surface of a semiconductor heterostructure. It is shown that large spin-polarized current can be achieved in such a nanosystem. It is also shown that the spin polarity of the electron transport can be switched by adjusting the applied bias voltage. These interesting properties may provide an alternative scheme to realize spin injection into semiconductors, and such a nanosystem may be used as a tunable spin-filter by bias voltage.     

Energy levels and their correlations in quasicrystals

Quasicrystals can be considered, from the point of view of their electronic properties, as being intermediate between metals and insulators. For example, experiments show that quasicrystalline alloys such as AlCuFe or AlPdMn have conductivities far smaller than those of the metals that these alloys are composed from. Wavefunctions in a quasicrystal are typically intermediate in character between the extended states of a crystal and the exponentially localized states in the insulating phase, and this is also reflected in the energy spectrum and the density of states. In the theoretical studies we consider in this review, the quasicrystals are described by a pure hopping tight binding model on simple tilings. We focus on spectral properties, which we compare with those of other complex systems, in particular, the Anderson model of a disordered metal. We discuss ‘strong‘ and ‘weak’ quasicrystals, which are described by different universal laws. We find similarities and universal behaviour, but also significant differences between quasiperiodic models and models with disorder. Like weakly disordered metals, the quasicrystal can be described by the universal level statistics that can be derived from random matrix theory. These level statistics are only one aspect of the energy spectrum, whose very large fluctuations can also be described by a level spacing distribution that is log-normal. An analysis of spectral rigidity shows that electrons diffuse with a bigger exponent (super-diffusion) than in a disordered metal. Adding disorder attenuates the singular properties of the perfect quasicrystal, and leads to improved transport. Spectral properties are also used in computing conductances of such systems, and to attempt to resolve the experimental enigmas such as whether quasicrystals are intrinsically conductors, and if so, how conductances depend on the structure.     

常压射流等离子体发射光谱研究

使用改进介质阻挡放电装置生成常压射流等离子体,采用光纤光栅光谱仪在300～1 000 nm范围记录了不同放电电压的氩气发射光谱,并比较了空气和氩气常压介质阻挡放电等离子体发射光谱,分析发现氩气发射光谱中的谱线都是氩原子的发射谱线,表明常压射流装置产生的等离子体全部为氩等离子体,而无其他空气成分参与放电。为测量电子激发温度,选用相距较近的763.51和772.42 nm两条光谱线对电子温度进行分析,结果表明电子激发温度的范围在0.1～0.3 eV,而且它还随着放电电压的增加而增加。初步使用“红外测温仪”测量被处理材料表面温度,结果发现材料表面的温度也随着放电电压的增加而增加,范围在50～100 ℃,材料表面温度的变化趋势可以近似表征等离子体宏观温度变化趋势。通过分析常压射流等离子体的温度特性,探讨了常压射流等离子体温度对材料改性研究的意义。     

Fabrication of solid-state fuel cell based on DNA film

We have fabricated a fuel cell based on the DNA film (DNAFC) and examined its properties under various humidity conditions at room temperature. The open-circuit voltage of a DNAFC is generated by supplying H₂ gas to the anode. The open-circuit voltage strongly depends on the humidity conditions, and in a DNA film, the optimum condition in which the open-circuit voltage attains a value as high as 0.55 V is achieved under the relative humidity condition of 55%. Furthermore, the cell voltage of the DNAFC decreases with an increase in current density, as observed in fuel cells such as proton exchange membrane fuel cell, solid oxide fuel cell, and several others. These results indicate that DNA film can be used as the fuel cell electrolyte under approximately 55% humidity condition.     

聚(偏氟乙烯-三氟乙烯)纳米薄膜极化反转与疲劳特性

采用旋涂法制备了厚度为140 nm的聚(偏氟乙烯-三氟乙烯)[P(VDF-TrFE)]纳米薄膜, 研究了不同退火温度以及环境相对湿度对薄膜的极化反转和疲劳性能的影响. 运用X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜和傅里叶变换红外光谱仪等测试技术对薄膜的微结构进行了表征. 实验结果表明, 通过不同温度的退火处理, P(VDF-TrFE)铁电薄膜的结晶度随着退火温度的升高而不断提高, 并且一定的温度范围内的退火处理可以提高薄膜的极化性能; 此外, P(VDF-TrFE) 铁电薄膜性能还表现出一定的环境湿度的敏感特性, 这与薄膜的物理性能和结构特点密切相关; P(VDF-TrFE)铁电薄膜在不同的环境湿度条件下 表现出较好的电学特性, 其漏电流均保持在10 ^-7A/cm² 的较低水平. 本工作揭示了再退火过程对薄膜的极化反转速度和疲劳恢复特性的影响, 并结合薄膜二次疲劳结果, 探讨了薄膜可逆的内部疲劳恢复特性机理.     

Practical representation of incommensurable and quasicrystalline structures

Long-period and quasicrystalline structures are represented as the limit sets of a multifractal corresponding to an arbitrary incommensurable structure. The investigation is based on a study of the simplest mappings representing the nodes of the lattice which arise upon superposition of incommensurable structures. We separately consider quasicrystalline structures and we investigate their fractal properties. We generalize to arbitrary incommensurable structures.Sumskii State University. RÉTO Scientific-Industrial Enterprises. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 11, pp. 62–71, November, 1994.     

Preparation of ceramic coating on Ti substrate by plasma electrolytic oxidation in different electrolytes and evaluation of its corrosion resistance: Part II

The aim of this work is to discuss the growth characteristics and corrosion behavior of the prepared ceramic coatings on titanium by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technique in different electrolytes. PEO process was carried out on titanium under constant voltage regime using a pulse power supply. Three kinds of electrolytes, phosphate, silicate and borate based solutions, were used to evaluate the influence of electrolyte composition on the structure, surface morphology, phase composition and corrosion behavior of prepared ceramic oxide films (titania). The phase composition of the coatings was investigated by X-ray diffraction. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to evaluate the growth and surface morphology of coatings. Elements of coatings were investigated with energy dispersive spectrometer. Corrosion behavior of the coatings was also examined by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The spark voltage of oxide films had a significant effect on the surface morphology, size and homogeneity of micro-pores, thickness and corrosion properties of coatings.     

Sound velocity and absorption measurements under high pressure using picosecond ultrasonics in a diamond anvil cell: application to the stability study of AlPdMn

We report an innovative high pressure method combining the diamond anvil cell device with the technique of picosecond ultrasonics. Such an approach allows us to measure sound velocity and attenuation of solids and liquids under pressure of tens of GPa, overcoming all the drawbacks of traditional techniques. The power of this experimental technique is demonstrated in studies of lattice dynamics and relaxation processes in a metallic single grain of AlPdMn quasicrystal, and in rare gas solids neon and argon.     

Surface plasmon resonance biosensing by electro-optically modulated attenuated total reflection

This study presents a surface plasmon resonance biosensing technique based on electro-optically modulated attenuated total reflection. The initial wavevector of the light for exciting surface plasmons is specified by setting the incident angle and is then modulated by electro-optic effect. The light power which is attenuated-total-reflected from the metal/dielectric interface is correspondingly electro-optically modulated. Its variation with the applied voltage is utilized to determine the analyte concentration. In the biosensing process, the incident angle determines the initial position of the operation point and thus the detection sensitivity. The presented technique has the features of resolution tunability and sensitivity tunability under various base indices of sensing layer or analyte solution for optimal operation. In this work, the effects of the incident angle, the Au-film thickness, and the ridge width on the detection sensitivity are also discussed.