Nitride precipitation in a powdered iron alloy studied by thermoanalytical methods

Precipitation of nitrides (MnSiN₂, δ-VN_x) is studied in a powdered iron alloy (7.9 w/o Mn, 9.3 w/o Si, 1.2 w/o V, 0.03 ± 0.01 w/o N) of typical particle size 20 μm, by thermoanalytical techniques (TG, DTG, DTA). Equilibrium measurements are carried out at 900–1100°C in the N₂ pressure range 50–760 mm Hg. The nitride precipitates formed are isolated from the alloy matrix by a copper—ammonia separation method. The equilibration studies provide thermodynamic data which characterize the solubility of MnSiN₂(s) in the alloy used.     

Phase transformation in a nanostructured M300 maraging steel obtained by SPS of mechanically alloyed powders

New complexes of type [Cu(HTBG)₂]Cl₂ (1), [Cu(TBG)₂]·3H₂O (2) and [CuL]·nH₂O (3) L:L¹, n = 2 and (4) L:L², n = 1 (HTBG: 2-tolylbiguanide, L¹ and L²: ligands resulted from 2-tolylbiguanide, ammonia/hydrazine and formaldehyde one pot condensation) were synthesised and characterised. The features of complexes have been assigned from microanalytical, IR and UV–Vis data. Redox behaviour was established by cyclic voltammetry. The in vitro qualitative and quantitative antimicrobial activity assays showed that the complexes exhibited variable antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains isolated from the hospital environment. The thermal analyses have evidenced the thermal intervals of stability and also the thermodynamic effects that accompany them. After water elimination, complexes have a similar thermal behaviour. Processes as water elimination, melting, chloride anion removal as well as oxidative degradation of the organic ligands were observed. The final product of decomposition was copper (II) oxide.     

Radioactive waste treatment products studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy II. Iron hydroxide precipitation systems

Different iron hydroxide precipitation processes simulating radioactive waste, treatment have been investigated by Mössbauer spectroscopy at room temperature and at 80 K. Magnetic oxides (hematite or magnetite) partially affected by superparamagnetic relaxation have been observed. The crystallization degree and the particle size depend on the concentration and the addition order of chemicals. Much smaller particles were precipitated with Ca(OH)₂ than with NaOH as neutralization reagent.     

Delamination of organic coating on carbon steel studied by scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy

Corrosion‐induced delamination of an epoxy coating on the AISI/SAE 1045 carbon steel was studied under a humid atmospheric condition (temperature of 25 °C, 1 standard atmospheric pressure, relative humidity of 90%) by the technique of scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM). Surface‐polished 1045 samples were first cold‐coated with the epoxy and then subject to the atmospheric corrosion under the specified condition. At predetermined time intervals, surface Volta potential differences of the samples were measured using the SKPFM over the dry surface of epoxy coating. The map of Volta potential differences demonstrated high contrasts among three characteristic zones: intact steel‐epoxy interface, delaminated interface, and interface with active corrosion, which was then linked to the actual corrosion potential of the steel (measured using a potentiostat with respect to a saturated calomel electrode) based on a rigorous calibration procedure. It was found that the SKPFM was able to provide direct and nondestructive detection of early active corrosion and coating delamination on steels at a submicroscopic resolution, which outperformed the conventional electrochemical techniques for the same purposes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanoscale coupling of photons to vibrational excitation of Ag nanoparticle 2D array studied by scanning tunneling microscope light emission spectroscopy

Scanning tunneling microscope light emission (STM-LE) spectroscopy has been utilized to elucidate the luminescence phenomena of Ag nanoparticles capped with myristate (myristate-capped AgNP) and 2-methyl-1-propanethiolate (C(4)S-capped AgNP) on the dodecanethiol-precovered Au substrate. The STM imaging revealed that myristate-capped AgNPs form an ordered hexagonal array whereas C(4)S-capped AgNPs show imperfect ordering, indicating that a shorter alkyl chain of C(4)S-capped AgNP is not sufficient to form rigid interdigitation. It should be noted that such a nanoparticle ordering affects the luminescence properties of the Ag nanoparticle. We found that the STM-LE is only detected from the Ag nanoparticles forming the two-dimensional superlattice. This indicates that the STM-LE of the Ag nanoparticle is radiated via the collective excitation of the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spread over the Ag nanoparticles. Note that the STM-LE spectra of the Ag nanoparticles exhibit spike-like peaks superimposed on the broad light emission peak. Using Raman spectroscopy, we concluded that the spike-like structure appearing in the STM-LE spectra is associated with the vibrational excitation of the molecule embedded between Ag nanoparticles.     

Oxide and nitride protective layers on stainless steel studied by AES,WDS and XPS

Protective surface layers on AISI 321 stainless steel were prepared by thermal treatments at two different temperatures in air and two controlled atmospheres. Different oxide and/or nitride layers were formed. Surface morphology of the layers was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) depth profiling of the samples was performed. Since depth profiling suggested layer thicknesses of the order of hundreds of nanometres, an attempt was made to obtain some fast, averaged information about the layer compositions using wavelength dispersive spectroscopy (WDS) at two different beam energies to obtain probing depths best suited to the layer thickness. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) profiling of one layer was also performed to obtain information about the chemical states of the elements inside the layer. The analysed samples showed considerable differences with respect to their surface morphology, oxide/nitride layer thicknesses, compositions and layer–metal interface thickness. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nanoscale phenomena in synthetic functional oxide heterostructures.

This paper reviews nanoscale phenomena such as polarization relaxation dynamics and piezoelectric characterization in model ferroelectric thin films and nanostructures using voltage-modulated scanning force microscopy. Using this technique we show the three-dimensional reconstruction of the polarization vector in lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. Second, the time-dependent relaxation of remanent polarization in epitaxial PZT ferroelectric thin films, containing a uniform two-dimensional grid of 90 degrees domains (c-axis in the plane of the film), has been investigated extensively. The 90 degrees domain walls preferentially nucleate the 180 degrees reverse domains during relaxation. Relaxation occurs through the nucleation and growth of reverse 180 degrees domains, which subsequently coalesce and consume the entire region as a function of relaxation time. In addition we also present results on investigation of the relaxation phenomenon on a very local scale, where pinning and bowing of domain walls has been observed. We also show how this technique is used for obtaining quantitative information on piezoelectric constants and by engineering special structures, and how we realize ultrahigh values of piezoconstants. Last, we also show direct hysteresis measurements on nanoscale capacitors, where there is no observable loss of polarization in capacitors as small as 0.16 microm2 in area.     

The effect of gas environment on rolling oil removal from cold-rolled steel as studied by TG

Summary This study investigates mechanisms of cold rolling oil removal from the surface of low-carbon steel. The removal process has been probed using thermogravimetric analysis techniques. A range of furnace atmospheres, from non-oxidizing through to highly oxidising, have been used to simulate the oil removal conditions in the industrial process. The activation energies of oil removal under each gas atmosphere have been determined by MTG and the Flynn-Wall-Ozawa method. The results show that a reducing atmosphere is the optimal environment for effective oil removal. Steel-oil surface interactions have also been investigated to show that the steel substrate catalyses oil removal.     

The secondary structure of a membrane-modifying peptide in a supramolecular assembly studied by PELDOR and CW-ESR spectroscopies.

The new technique of pulsed electron-electron double resonance in electron spin-echo (PELDOR) in combination with the CW-ESR method has been used to investigate the secondary structure of a double spin-labeled peptide (the [TOAC-1,8]-analogue of the peptaibol antibiotic trichogin GA IV) that is hidden into a tetrameric supramolecular assembly of unlabeled peptide molecules. The magnetic dipole-dipole relaxation of spin labels has been experimentally studied in glassy solutions of the double-labeled peptide frozen to 77 K in a mixture of chloroform-toluene with an excess of unlabeled peptide. The PELDOR signal oscillations have been observed at high degrees of dilution with unlabeled peptide. The intramolecular distance between the spin labels of the peptide molecule in the aggregate has been determined from the oscillation frequency to be 15.7 A which is close to the value of (approximately equal to) 14 A calculated for a 3(10)-helical structure. Estimation of the fraction of this ordered secondary structure shows that about 19% of the peptide molecules in aggregates are folded in the 3(10)-helical conformation. The present experimental results are consistent with our molecular model presented in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 3843-3848, wherein four amphiphilic 3(10)-helical peptide molecules form a vesicular system with the polar amino acid side chains pointing to the interior, and the apolar side chains, to the exterior of the cluster. The experimental data were compared with the results obtained with other techniques.     

Band‐gap Modification in a Nanoscale Region of Polyethylene by Fast Electrons

Drastic change: A nanoscale spot of polyethylene (PE) can change its electrical properties dramatically after exposure to fast electrons—from a representative insulator, via a semiconductor, to a hopping conductor (see picture). These modifications of the chemical and energy‐band structures of PE are extremely localized, thus opening a new way to use this conventional polymer in nanotechnology.

     

Diffusion of water in gelatin studied by a new refractometric method

Summary A refractometric method designed to study the diffusive behaviour of low molecular compounds in solid macromolecular substances in the form of thin layers is described. The layer thickness is determined interferometrically in the apparatus. The system gelatin-water is studied at three different thicknesses, 31 , 40 and 82 , at 25°C. The diffusion process is found to be characterized by a diffusion coefficient which is dependent on concentration only, i. e. independent of time. Also, the concentration at the surface of the layer is found to change instantly from the initial concentration to the equilibrium concentration at the beginning of a diffusion experiment.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird eine refraktometrische Methode zur Untersuchung der Diffusion von niedermolekularen Verbindungen in festen makromolekularen Substanzen in Form dünner Schichten beschrieben. Die Schichtdicke wird im Gerät interferometrisch bestimmt. Das System Gelatine-Wasser ist bei drei verschiedenen Dicken (31 , 40 und 82 ) bei 25°C gemessen. Es zeigt sich, daß der Diffusionskoeffizient allein von der Konzentration, also z. B. u. a. unabhängig von der Zeit ist. Auch wechselt die Konzentration an der Oberflächenschicht augenblicklich von der anfänglichen zur Gleichgewichtskonzentration bei Beginn eines Diffusions-experimentes.

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With 13 figures and 2 tables     

DNA electrophoresis in uncross-linked polyacrylamide solution, studied by epifluorescence microscopy.

Electrophoresis of human DNA fragments (approximately 1 x 10(5) to 1 x 10(7) bases in size) was conducted in a solution of uncross-linked polyacrylamide contained in a horizontally mounted 1 mm diameter glass tube and monitored by epifluorescence microscopy. In presence of the polymer, molecular conformations described as a "trailing network" of DNA and a globular "head" were observed. The migration velocity varies between species differing in the size of the "head", and in the ratio between the size of the "head" and that of the trailing "network". By contrast, in pure buffer, lambda phage DNA migrates in a globular form at a mobility consistent with known macroscopic data. When electrophoresis in the polymer solution of an agarose plug preparation of Schizosaccharomyces pombe DNA was carried out after melting at 70 degrees C, a migrating DNA-agarose complex was observed. The complex was not fully dissociated by an agarose-hydrolyzing enzyme (Gelase).     

Conformational changes in beta-endorphin as studied by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Because of a wide range of physiological functions, the structure of beta-endorphin (BE) is of great interest. In this study, conformational changes in BE induced by methanol are explored with electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Differences in the charge-state distribution (CSD) and the extent of hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange were used to monitor the conformational changes. The latter experiments were conducted via time-resolved ESI-MS in a continuous-flow apparatus. Both these techniques demonstrate that BE exists in a random coil open structure in aqueous media, but it acquires a more compact conformation with increased concentration of methanol. The H/D exchange experiments reveal that BE forms 61% alpha-helix in mixed solvents.