Proton conductivity in sol–gel-derived P2O5–TiO2–SiO2 glasses

The sol–gel method was applied to prepare the P₂O₅–TiO₂–SiO₂ glasses with high proton conductivities and chemical stability. The glasses were prepared by the reaction of the Ti- and Si-alkoxides with PO(OCH₃)₃ or H₃PO₄, followed by heating at 600 °C. The obtained glasses were porous, the average pore diameter of which was <2 and 4 nm for glasses prepared using PO(OCH₃)₃ and H₃PO₄, respectively. The phosphorous ions, occurring as PO(OH)₃ in the TiO₂-free glass, were polymerized with one or two bridging-oxygen ions per PO₄ unit with the increasing TiO₂ content. Despite the P₂O₅–SiO₂ binary glasses exhibiting high conductivities of ∼10⁻² S/cm at room temperature, they also dissolved after immersing for 24 h in water. The chemical stability of these glasses increased significantly on the addition of TiO₂.     

The 2CH excitation band in C2H2–N2O and 2CH+torsion combination bands in C2H2–N2O and C2H2–CO2

A preliminary analysis of the 2CH excitation band in C₂H₂–N₂O in the 1.5 µm range (K. Didriche, C. Lauzin, P. Macko, M. Herman and W.J. Lafferty, Chem. Phys. Letters 469, 35 (2009).), only considering 117 low J-, and K_a - vibration-rotation lines, is significantly extended thanks to the analysis of new spectra including very regular series of lines with J/K_a up to 31/15. 1271 b-type lines were assigned. Perturbations are briefly discussed. The rotational temperature in the experiments is estimated to be 20?K and the upper state mean half-time is 1.6?ns for non perturbed levels. The previous analyses of the 2CH + torsion band in C₂H₂–N₂O and in C₂H₂–CO₂ (C. Lauzin, K. Didriche, T. Földes and M. Herman, Mol. Phys. 109, 2105 (2011).), are also extended to include 286 and 234 lines, respectively, also correcting for calibration errors. New rotational constants are obtained using a rigid rotor Hamiltonian by simultaneously fitting the ground, 2CH and 2CH + torsion states in C₂H₂–N₂O, and the latter state, only, in C₂H₂–CO₂.     

Non-adiabatic small-polaron hopping conduction in VN–PbO–TeO2 glasses

The dc conductivity of VN–PbO–TeO₂ glasses with different mole percentages of VN, PbO and TeO₂ has been measured in the temperature range 125–450?K. The conductivity of the glasses increases with increasing VN content for a fixed mole percentage of PbO. Neither Mott's variable-range hopping (VRH) model at low temperatures (T<Θ_D/4, where Θ_D is the Debye temperature) nor Greaves’ VRH model at intermediate temperatures (Θ_D/?4<T<Θ_D/2) describe the dc conductivity data for these glasses. Multiphonon tunnelling transport of strongly coupled electrons is also unable to account for the carrier transport. However, at high temperatures (T?>?Θ_D/2), conduction is shown to be due to small-polaron hopping in the non-adiabatic regime. Alteration of the VN content causes a change in the model parameters achieved from best-fitting curves for the glasses. Modulated differential scanning calorimetry analysis shows that the glass transition temperatures T _g in this system vary from 269 to 302°C.     

Waveguiding effect in 2D metal–dielectric–metal grating structure

We have studied the waveguiding effect in a 2D metal–dielectric–metal (MDM) grating structure formed on a quartz substrate. The grating was first formed via e-beam lithography and subsequently covered by Ag/MgF₂/Ag MDM films. At a pitch of 300 nm in both x- and y-directions, low reflectance and transmittance were observed in the UV–VIS range, indicating efficient coupling of normal incident light into waveguiding modes. As evidence, we measured the spectrum of the waveguide from the edge, and the bandwidth of the spectrum was as narrow as ∼74 nm. The bandwidth of the waveguide can be further improved by increasing the MDM stack number. In addition, the bandwidth can also be widened by increasing the pitch of the structure. The physical mechanism underlying the phenomena was analyzed and experimentally confirmed. Such effect could be useful in many applications, such as DFB lasers, solar cells, waveguides, and light emitting devices.     

Single-electron tunneling in granular Ag–SiO2films

Current transport properties of thin Ag–SiO₂granular films were studied. In spite of very simple device structures (i.e., just sandwiching the granular film with Al electrodes), clear Coulomb blockade and Coulomb staircase structures were observed in the current–voltage (I–V) characteristics. The observedI–Vcharacteristics were qualitatively explained by a double-barrier and a triple-barrier tunnel-junction model.     

Fundamental and combination bands of CO2–C2H2 and CO2–C2D2 in the mid-infrared region

Spectra of the weakly bound CO₂–C₂H₂ and CO₂–C₂D₂ complexes are observed in the regions of CO₂ ν₃ (≈ 2349 cm^?1) and C₂D₂ ν₃ (≈ 2440 cm^?1) fundamental vibrations, using an infrared optical parametric oscillator to probe a pulsed supersonic slit-jet expansion. Five bands are measured and analysed: the fundamental asymmetric stretch of the C₂D₂ component, two combination bands involving the out-of-plane torsional vibrations (C₂D₂ ν₃ + torsion and CO₂ ν₃ + torsion) for CO₂–C₂D₂, and two combination bands involving an intermolecular in-plane bending vibration for CO₂–C₂H₂ and CO₂–C₂D₂. The resulting intermolecular frequencies are 61.408(1), 54.5(5), 39.9(5), and 39.961(1) cm^?1 for CO₂–C₂H₂ and CO₂–C₂D₂ in-plane vibrations, and CO₂–C₂D₂ out-of-plane torsional vibrations in CO₂ and C₂D₂ regions, respectively. This is the first experimental determination of these intermolecular vibrational frequencies.     

Two triple points in the H2O–H2 system

Using a volumetric technique, phase transitions in the H₂O–H₂ system were investigated in the vicinity of two points of an invariant equilibrium, L+I _h+sII and L+sII+C ₁, located at 1.07 kbar and?10 °C and at 3.6 kbar and 1 °C, respectively. Liquid water (L), low-pressure hexagonal ice (I _h) and high-pressure cubic (sII) and rhombohedral (C ₁) clathrate hydrates were in equilibrium with gaseous hydrogen taken in excess.     

Formation and its mechanism of copper metal layers at surface by annealing in reduced atmosphere in CuO–Li2O–Nb2O5–SiO2 glass

A trace amount (0.5 mol%) of CuO-doped 40Li₂O–32Nb₂O₅–28SiO₂ glass (mol%) exhibits the formation of copper metal layers at the glass surface by annealing at temperatures (530 °C) below the glass transition temperature (544 °C) in the reduced atmosphere of 7% H₂–93%Ar. The coordination state of copper ions is examined from optical absorption and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum measurements, indicating the formation of Si–OH and Si–H bonds due to the diffusion of hydrogen into the inside of the glass and the reduction of Cu⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions. The mechanism of the formation of copper metals at the surface is proposed, in which the key points are the reduction of Cu²⁺ to Cu⁺ ions due to the hydrogen and the migration of Cu⁺ ions in the interior of the glass to the surface. The first finding on copper metal layers at the glass surface might have a potential for practical applications such as electrodes in glass.     

Subsolidus phase relation in the Bi_2O_3–Fe_2O_3–La_2O_3 system

Bismuth-containing semiconductor material is a hot topic in photocatalysts because of its effective absorption under the visible light.In this paper,we expect to explore a new bismuth-based photocatalyst by studying the subsolidus phase relations of the Bi2O3–Fe2O3–La2O3system.The X-ray diffraction data shows that in this ternary system the ternary compound does not exist,while seven binary compounds(including one solid solution series Bi1 xLaxO1.5with 0.167≤x≤0.339)are obtained and eight compatibility triangles are determined.     

Dynamic phase transition in the kinetic spin-2 Blume–Emery–Griffiths model in an oscillating field

We extend our recent paper [M. Keskin, O. Canko, M. Erta?, J. Exp. Theor. Phys. (Sov. Phys. JETP) 105 (2007) 1190.] to present a study, within a mean-field approach, the stationary states of the kinetic spin-2 Blume–Emery–Griffiths model in the presence of a time-dependent oscillating magnetic field by using the Glauber-type of stochastic dynamics. We found 20 fundamental types of dynamic phase diagrams where exhibit more complex and richer phase diagrams than our recent paper. Especially, the obtained dynamic phase diagrams show the dynamic triple, quadruple and dynamic double critical end points besides dynamic tricritical points that depending on interaction parameters. The phase diagrams also exhibit a disordered (d) and the ferromagnetic-2 (f₂) phases, and the f₂+d, f₂+fq, fq+d, f₂+f₁+fq and f₂+fq+d, where f₁ are fq the ferromagnetic-1 and ferroquadrupolar or simply quadrupolar phases respectively, coexistence phase regions that strongly depend on interaction parameters.     

Transport numbers in the molten system NaF–KF–AlF3–Al2O3

Transport numbers in the molten system NaF–KF–AlF₃ (Al₂O₃, CaF₂) were investigated by the Hittorf method. It was confirmed that in molten cryolite, Na₃AlF₆, 1,010 °C, the current is transported almost exclusively by the Na⁺ cations (t(Na⁺)?=?0.99). When AlF₃ was added to a Na₃AlF₆ melt, the transport number of sodium cations decreased to 0.74 at the composition corresponding to NaAlF₄. In molten K₃AlF₆, the transport number of K⁺ cations equals 0.836 at 1,005 °C. In melts containing both Na⁺ and K⁺, the cations contribute to the charge transport approximately in the ratio of the squares of their ionic radii. When 5 mass % of CaF₂ was added to the molten NaF–KF–AlF₃ system, it remarkably influenced the transport numbers of potassium and fluoride anions.     

Paramagnetic V2+ Centers in Yttrium–Aluminum Garnet

Physics of the Solid State - Investigation of the EPR spectrum of Y3Al5O12:V crystals have made it possible to determine the parameters of the fine and hyperfine structures of trigonal V2+ centers....     

Investigation of hydrogen storage in MWCNT–TiO2 composite

The hydrogen storage capacity of MWCNT–TiO₂ composite has been evaluated in the present work. The composite has been prepared by means of ultrasonication followed by drop casting on substrates. Morphology, structural and functional group studies of the prepared samples are carried out by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. Then, the samples are hydrogenated in the hydrogenation chamber as a function of time. Hydrogen storage capacity of the composite sample is found to be 0.9 wt% at 100 °C. Hydrogen uptake of the composite is accounted for the spillover mechanism in CNTs–metal oxide composite. Desorption temperature range, activation energy of desorption, binding energy of hydrogen are determined from thermogravimetric (TG) analysis.     

Electron–Hole Dimers in the Parent Phase of Quasi–2D Cuprates

Physics of the Solid State - The key feature of parent cuprates of the La2CuO4 type, in addition to their high ionic polarizability and closeness to polarization catastrophe, is identified as their...     

Phase transitions in CuS–Ag2S nanoparticle system

(Ag₂)_xCu_1?xS, x = .2, .4, .6 and .8 nanoparticles were synthesized by the solvothermal method. The as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction to study the crystal structure and size. The surface morphologies of the above samples were studied using scanning electron microscope. As there is continuous shift in the lower wavelength absorption edge of the UV–VIS spectrum of these samples with concentration, (Ag₂)_xCu_1?xS nanoparticles can be tuned to different band gap energies by varying the composition. The D.C. electrical resistance was measured in the temperature range 310–485 K. As Ag₂S transforms from monoclinic to bcc at around 450 K, copper sulfide nanoparticles also shows a phase transition at around 470 K, the effects of these two transitions are seen in the resistance measurements and in the UV–VIS spectra of the entire system. The electrical resistance of (Ag₂)_xCu_1?xS nanoparticles rapidly reduces as more and more copper sulfide is added.     

Parity violation in the 17/2−–17/2+ doublet in93Tc

The parity-violating mixing of the 17/2^– and 17/2⁺ levels in⁹³Tc nuclei, polarized by the tilted multifoil interaction, was measured by the observation of the forward-backward-ray asymmetry. The nuclear polarization, induced by the tilted multifoils, was measured directly for the neighboring^88,90Zr isomers. The forward to backward asymmetry was determined to be A=(2.5±2.1) 10^–3 which implies a parity violating matrix element ¦H _PV )¦=(4.0±3.7)meV.     

Optical properties of glasses in the Li2O–MoO3–P2O5 system

Glasses xLi₂O–(50-x)(MoO₃)₂–50P₂O₅ with x = 10, 20, 30, and 40 mol% were prepared and their optical and electrical properties were investigated. Analysis of the IR spectra revealed that the Li⁺ ions act as a glass modifier that enter the glass network by breaking up other linkages and creating non-bridging oxygens in the network. The optical absorption edge of the glasses was measured for specimens in the form of thin blown films and the optical absorption spectra of those were recorded in the range 200–800 nm. From the optical absorption edges studies, the optical band gap (E _opt) and the Urbach energy (E _e) values have been evaluated by following the available semi-empirical theories. The linear variation of (αhν)^1/2 with hν, is taken as evidence of indirect interband transitions. The E _opt values were found to decrease with increasing Li₂O content by causing increase in the number of non-bridging oxygens in network. The Urbach tail analysis gives the width of localized states between 0.48 and 0.74 eV.     

Joint explanation of W-mass and muon g–2 in the 2HDM

Because both W-mass and muon g-2 can be affected by mass splittings among extra Higgs bosons(H,A,H~±) in a two-Higgs-doublet model,we take a model with u-r lepton flavor violation interactions to examine the two anomalies reported by CDF Ⅱ and FNAL.We obtain the following observations:(ⅰ) Combined with theoretical constraints,the CDF W-mass measurement disfavors H or A degenerating in mass with H~± but allows H and A to degenerate.The mass splitting between H~± and H/A must be larger than 10 GeV...     

Pressure loading of detonation waves through 90-degree bend in high pressure H2–O2–N2 mixtures

Detonation experiments are conducted to investigate the detonation wave behavior in steam pipelines of boiling water reactors. Accumulated gases in BWRs are stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixtures diluted with steam at 7 MPa. In the experiment, flammable gas mixture diluted with nitrogen at room temperature and up to 5 MPa is used to achieve equivalent detonation condition. Two test pieces are used, one is straight tube and the other is 90-degree bend. No initial pressure dependency in detonation wave behavior is observed in the experiments. However, in the straight tube tests, detonation velocities higher than theoretical values are measured when the initial pressures are greater than 2.3 MPa. This result is considered as attribution of real gas effect. In the 90-degree bend experiments, pressure time histories reveal pressure loads greater than the straight tube portion at two locations. One is a high pressure peak at the extrados of the bend and the other is a double pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet. Second pressure peak just downstream of the bend outlet is due to transverse wave propagation. Additionally, the largest impulse is observed not at the extrados of the bend but at the intrados of bend outlet. These results show the importance of more investigations on transverse wave behaviors in failure potential evaluation.