Phase modulation in dipolar-coupled A2 spin systems: effect of maximum state mixing in 1H NMR in vivo

Coupling constants of nuclear spin systems can be determined from phase modulation of multiplet resonances. Strongly coupled systems such as citrate in prostatic tissue exhibit a more complex modulation than AX connectivities, because of substantial mixing of quantum states. An extreme limit is the coupling of n isochronous spins (An system). It is observable only for directly connected spins like the methylene protons of creatine and phosphocreatine which experience residual dipolar coupling in intact muscle tissue in vivo. We will demonstrate that phase modulation of this "pseudo-strong" system is quite simple compared to those of AB systems. Theory predicts that the spin-echo experiment yields conditions as in the case of weak interactions, in particular, the phase modulation depends linearly on the line splitting and the echo time.     

Ferroelectric properties of bilayer structured Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3/SrBi2Ta2O9 (PZT/SBT) thin films on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates

Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃ (PZT) thin films with large remanent polarization and SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films with excellent fatigue-resisting characteristic have been widely studied for non-volatile random access memories, respectively. To combine these two advantages_, bilayered Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃/SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (PZT/SBT) thin films were fabricated on Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrates by chemical solution deposition method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed that the diffraction peaks of PZT/SBT thin films were completely composed of PZT and SBT, and no other secondary phase was observed. The electrical properties of the bilayered structure PZT/SBT films have been investigated in comparison with pure PZT and SBT films. PZT/SBT bilayered thin films showed larger remanent polarization (2P_r) of 18.37 μC/cm² than pure SBT and less polarization fatigue up to 1 × 10⁹ switching cycles than pure PZT. These results indicated that this bilayered structure of PZT/SBT is a promising material combination for ferroelectric memory applications.     

Changes in wetting properties of silica surface treated with DPPC in the presence of phospholipase A2 enzyme

Wetting properties of silica plates contacted with dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) or DPPC/enzyme (phospholipase PLA₂) in NaCl solution were determined by thin layer wicking and with a help of Washburn equation. The wicking experiments were performed both for bare plates and the silica plates precontacted overnight with the probe liquid saturated vapors the silica plates, as well as untreated and DPPC (or DPPC/enzyme) treated. Adsorption of DPPC on original silica plates increases a bit hydrophobic character of silica surface in such a way that hydrocarbon chains are directed outwards and the polar part towards the silica surface. However, after the enzyme action the products of DPPC hydrolysis by PLA₂ (palmitic acid and lysophosphatidylcholine) increase again hydrophilic character of silica surface (an increase in acid-base interactions, ).The changes of silica surface wettability are evidently dependent on the time of enzyme contacting with DPPC in NaCl solution. Although, the changes of total surface free energy of silica after treatment with DPPC/enzyme solution are minor about 2-6 mJ/m², the changes of the electron-donor () and Lifshitz-van der Waals () component of the surface free energy are noticeable. Despite, these results are somehow preliminary, it seems that thin layer wicking method is an interesting tool for investigation of the effect of adsorbed DPPC on hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of silica surface and influence of enzyme PLA₂ action.     

Theoretical investigation of optical spectra and covalent effect of Cr in Y2Ti2O7 and Y2Sn2O7

In this work, the complete matrix of optical spectral levels in trigonal symmetry of 3d² (3d⁸) ions are established on basis of strong field coupling mechanism by using two spin–orbit coupling parameters model. The contribution of the spin–orbit coupling of ligand to the optical spectra has been included in these formulas. As an application, the optical spectra of Cr⁴⁺ in Y₂Ti₂O₇ and Y₂Sn₂O₇ have been studied by the complete diagonalization (energy matrix) method. The covalent effect has been studied and the difficulty about Dq parameter in explanation of optical spectra of Cr-doped Y₂Ti₂O₇ and Y₂Sn₂O₇ is removed. The theoretical results are in good agreement with observed data.     

Al NMR studies of NpPd5Al2

We present ²⁷Al NMR studies for a single crystal of the Np-based superconductor NpPd₅Al₂. We have observed a five-line ²⁷Al NMR spectrum with a center line and four satellite lines separated by first-order nuclear quadrupole splittings. The Knight shift clearly drops below T_c. The temperature dependence of the ²⁷Al nuclear spin-lattice relaxation rate shows no coherence peak below T_c, indicating that NpPd₅Al₂ is an unconventional superconductor with an anisotropic gap. The analysis of the present NMR data provides evidence for strong-coupling d-wave superconductivity in NpPd₅Al₂.     

In vivo NMR T2 relaxation of experimental brain tumors in the cat: A multiparameter tissue characterization

Experimental gliomas (F98) were inoculated in cat brain for the systematic study of their in vivo T₂ relaxation time behavior. With a CPMG multi-echo imaging sequence, a train of 16 echoes was evaluated to obtain the transverse relaxation time and the magnetization M(0) at time t = 0. The magnetization decay curves were analyzed for biexponentiality. All tissues showed monoexponential T₂, only that of the ventricular fluid and part of the vital tumor tissue were biexponential. Based on these NMR relaxation parameters the tissues were characterized, their correct assignment being assured by comparison with histological slices. T₂ of normal grey and white matter was 74 ± 6 and 72 ± 6 msec, respectively. These two tissue types were distinguished through M(0) which for white matter was only 0.88 of the intensity of grey matter in full agreement with water content, determined from tissue specimens. At the time of maximal tumor growth and edema spread a tissue differentiation was possible in NMR relaxation parameter images. Separation of the three tissue groups of normal tissue, tumor and edema was based on T₂ with T_2(normal) < T_2(tumor) < T_2(edema). Using M(0) as a second parameter the differentiation was supported, in particular between white matter and tumor or edema. Animals were studied at 1–4 wk after tumor implantation to study tumor development. The magnetization M(0) of both tumor and peritumoral edema went through a maximum between the second and third week of tumor growth. T₂ of edema was maximal at the same time with 133 ± 4 msec, while the relaxation time of tumor continued to increase during the whole growth period, reaching values of 114 ± 12 msec at the fourth week. Thus, a complete characterization of pathological tissues with NMR relaxometry must include a detailed study of the developmental changes of these tissues to assure correct experimental conditions for the goal of optimal contrast between normal and pathological regions in the NMR images.     

Er3+掺杂SiO2复合的Al2O3粉末结构及光致发光特性

采用溶胶-凝胶(sol-gel)工艺制备0.1 mol% Er³⁺掺杂Al₂O₃体系和SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合体系粉末. 实验结果表明：5 mol%的SiO₂复合加入Al₂O₃抑制γ→θ和θ→α相转变. 掺0.1 mol%Er³⁺:Al₂O₃体系粉末，900℃烧结，在1.47—1.63μm波段内光致发光(PL)谱为中心波长1.53 μm、半高宽56 nm的单一宽峰，1000—1200℃烧结，劈裂为多峰PL谱. 掺0.1 mol%Er³⁺:SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合体系粉末，在高达1200℃烧结，仍保持中心波长1.53 μm的单一宽峰PL谱，由于—OH更完全的脱除，PL强度较900℃烧结Al₂O₃体系，SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合体系均提高1个数量级. 关键词： 2-Al₂O₃复合体系')" href="#">SiO₂-Al₂O₃复合体系 掺铒 溶胶-凝胶工艺 光致发光     

The surface state of URu2Si2

The ‘hidden-order’ (HO) transition of URu₂Si₂ remains a puzzle after 25 years of research. Using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) we found that a hole-like band around Γ having its band maximum at E = −35 meV, and previously thought to be a bulk band of the system, is indeed a surface state not related to the HO phase transition. Here we present our detailed investigations to assign that state to a surface feature, and discuss on the possible origins of this surface band.     

Phase relations in the ZnO-V2O5-K2O system

The subsolidus phase relations of a ZnO-V 2 O 5-K 2 O system are investigated by X-ray powder diffraction.There is 1 ternary compound,11 binary compounds and 14 three-phase regions in this system.The phase diagrams of V 2 O 5 K 2 O with the K 2 O content ranging from 0 to 71 mol% and pseudo-binary system of ZnO-K 2 ZnV 2 O 7 are also studied by X-ray powder diffraction and differential thermal analysis methods.     

Large triplet pairing mixing in the FFLO state of spin fluctuation mediated superconductivity in Q1D systems

We study the Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov (FFLO) state of spin fluctuation mediated superconductivity and focus on the effect of coexisting charge fluctuations. We find that (i) consecutive transitions from singlet pairing to FFLO and further to S_z=1 triplet pairing can generally take place upon increasing the magnetic field when strong charge fluctuations coexist with spin fluctuations and (ii) the enhancement of the charge fluctuations lead to a significant increase of the parity mixing in the FFLO state, where the triplet/singlet component ratio in the gap function can be close to unity. We propose that such consecutive pairing state transition and strong parity mixing in the FFLO state may take place in a quasi-one-dimensional organic superconductor (TMTSF)₂X.     

A nuclear magnetic resonance study of the structural properties and molecular motions of Li2KH(SO4)2 and LiKSO4 single crystals

The structural properties and relaxation mechanisms of Li₂KH(SO₄)₂ crystals were determined using the temperature dependences of NMR spectra and the spin-lattice relaxation times (T₁) of their ¹H, ⁷Li, and ³⁹K nuclei. The results obtained were compared with the previously reported physical properties of LiKSO₄ crystals. The substitution of the potassium ions with protons in the LiKSO₄ crystals were variations in the phase transition temperatures, and the non-appearance of ferroelastic properties. The ⁷Li T₁ for the Li₂KH(SO₄)₂ crystals was much shorter than the ⁷Li T₁ for the LiKSO₄ crystals, and these findings indicate that the presence of the protons in Li₂KH(SO₄)₂ causes the Li ions to move with greater freedom.     

Mechanism of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 removal during chemical mechanical planarization in acidic H2O2 slurry

In this paper, chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) of amorphous Ge2Sb2Te5 (a-GST) in acidic H2O2 slurry is investigated. It was found that the removal rate of a-GST is strongly dependent on H2O2 concentration and gradually increases with the increase in H2O2 concentration, but the static etch rate first increases and then slowly decreases with the increase in H2O2 concentration. To understand the chemical reaction behavior of H2O2 on the a-GST surface, the potentiodynamic polarization curve, surface morphology and cross-section of a-GST immersed in acidic slurry are measured and the results reveal that a-GST exhibits a from active to passive behavior for from low to high concentration of H2O2 . Finally, a possible removal mechanism of a-GST in different concentrations of H2O2 in the acidic slurry is described.     

Electronic band structure and Fermi surface of new low-temperature Ni-based superconductors: 3.3 K (Ni2P2)(Sr4Sc2O6) and 2.7 K (Ni2As2)(Sr4Sc2O6) from first principles

Based on first-principle FLAPW-GGA calculations, we have investigated structural and electronic properties of the recently synthesized tetragonal (space group P4/nmm) nickel-based pnictide oxide superconductors: 3.3 K (Ni₂P₂)(Sr₄Sc₂O₆) and 2.7 K (Ni₂As₂)(Sr₄Sc₂O₆). Optimized structural data, electronic bands, total and partial densities of states, and Fermi surface topology have been obtained and discussed in comparison with available experiments and with their Fe-based (Fe₂P₂)(Sr₄Sc₂O₆) and (Fe₂As₂)(Sr₄Sc₂O₆) analogs.     

Study of modulation property to incident laser by surface micro-defects on KH2PO4 crystal

KH₂PO₄ crystal is a crucial optical component of inertial confinement fusion. Modulation of an incident laser by surface micro-defects will induce the growth of surface damage, which largely restricts the enhancement of the laser induced damage threshold. The modulation of an incident laser by using different kinds of surface defects are simulated by employing the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method. The results indicate that after the modulation of surface defects, the light intensity distribution inside the crystal is badly distorted, with the light intensity enhanced symmetrically. The relations between modulation properties and defect geometries (e.g., width, morphology, and depth of defects) are quite different for different defects. The modulation action is most obvious when the width of surface defects reaches 1.064 μ. For defects with smooth morphology, such as spherical pits, the degree of modulation is the smallest and the light intensity distribution seems relatively uniform. The degree of modulation increases rapidly with the increase of the depth of surface defects and becomes stable when the depth reaches a critical value. The critical depth is 1.064 μ for cuboid pits and radial cracks, while for ellipsoidal pits the value depends on both the width and the length of the defects.     

Emission features of Ho ion in Nb2O5, Ta2O5 and La2O3 mixed Li2O-ZrO2-SiO2 glasses

Li₂O-ZrO₂-SiO₂: Ho³⁺ glasses mixed with three interesting d-block elemental oxides, viz., Nb₂O₅, Ta₂O₅ and La₂O₃, were prepared. Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra of these glasses have been recorded at room temperature. The luminescence spectra of Nb₂O₅ and Ta₂O₅ mixed Li₂O-ZrO₂-SiO₂ glasses (free of Ho³⁺ ions) have also exhibited broad emission band in the blue region. This band is attributed to radiative recombination of self-trapped excitons (STEs) localized on substitutionally positioned octahedral Ta⁵⁺ and Nb⁵⁺ ions in the glass network. The Judd-Ofelt theory was successfully applied to characterize Ho³⁺ spectra of all the three glasses. From this theory various radiative properties, like transition probability A, branching ratio β_r and the radiative lifetime τ_r, for ⁵S₂ emission levels in the spectra of these glasses have been evaluated. The radiative lifetime for ⁵S₂ level of Ho³⁺ ions has also been measured and quantum efficiencies were estimated. Among the three glasses studied the La₂O₃ mixed glass exhibited the highest quantum efficiency. The reasons for such higher value have been discussed based on the relationship between the structural modifications taking place around the Ho³⁺ ions.     

Electrochemical behaviour of sputtered c-V2O5 and LiCoO2 thin films for solid state lithium microbatteries

Here are reported for the first time electrochemical data on all-solid-state lithium microbatteries using crystalline sputtered V₂O₅ thin films as cathode materials and LiPON as solid electrolyte. The stable specific capacity of 30 µAh/cm² found with a 2.4 µm thick film competes very well with the best values obtained for solid state microbatteries using amorphous films. With the challenge of decreasing the temperature of heat treatment for sputtered LiCoO₂ thin films, we show that a temperature of 500 °C combined with an optimized bias sputtering (-50 V) allows to get highly crystalline deposits, to minimize the presence of Co₃O₄ and to suppress any trace of the cubic phase. At the same time the theoretical specific capacity is reached in the 4.2 V-3 V range and a good cycling behaviour is achieved with a high capacity of 50 µAh/cm²/µm after 140 cycles at 10 µA.cm².     

Phase relation in the BaO-ZrO2-YO1.5 system: Presence of separate BaZrO3 phases and complexity in phase formation

In order to estimate the phase stability and homogeneous range of BaZrO₃, which is expected as a candidate electrolyte material for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cell, the phase relation in the BaO-ZrO₂-YO_1.5 systems has been examined at a typical processing temperature of 1600 °C. The stable existence of two cubic phases of BaZrO₃, termed as BZ(I) and BZ(II), with different dopant concentration is observed above 1400 °C in the present study. The latter is of long-range ordered supercell with a wide range of solid solution between Ba₃Zr₂YO_8.5 and Ba₉Zr₄Y₈O₂₉. Also observed is the presence of liquid phase at higher BaO concentration region above the ternary eutectic temperature that is estimated to be around 1300 °C, giving enormous effects to sintering process when Y³⁺ is overdoped beyond the solubility limit. From the present results, the pseudo-ternary phase diagram of BaO-ZrO₂-YO_1.5 of the isothermal section at 1600 °C is proposed.     

The effect of Si surface nitridation on the interfacial structure and electrical properties of (La2O3)0.5(SiO2)0.5 high-k gate dielectric films

Thermal stability, interfacial structures and electrical properties of amorphous (La₂O₃)_0.5(SiO₂)_0.5 (LSO) films deposited by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on Si (1 0 0) and NH₃ nitrided Si (1 0 0) substrates were comparatively investigated. The LSO films keep the amorphous state up to a high annealing temperature of 900 °C. HRTEM observations and XPS analyses showed that the surface nitridation of silicon wafer using NH₃ can result in the formation of the passivation layer, which effectively suppresses the excessive growth of the interfacial layer between LSO film and silicon wafer after high-temperature annealing process. The Pt/LSO/nitrided Si capacitors annealed at high temperature exhibit smaller CET and EOT, a less flatband voltage shift, a negligible hysteresis loop, a smaller equivalent dielectric charge density, and a much lower gate leakage current density as compared with that of the Pt/LSO/Si capacitors without Si surface nitridation.     

Chemical quenching of positronium in Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalysts

Fe₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by solid state reaction method using α-Fe₂O₃ and γ-Al₂O₃ nano powders. The microstructure and surface properties of the catalyst were studied using positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening annihilation radiation measurements. The positron lifetime spectrum shows four components. The two long lifetimes τ₃ and τ₄ are attributed to positronium annihilation in two types of pores distributed inside Al₂O₃ grain and between the grains, respectively. With increasing Fe₂O₃ content from 3 wt% to 40 wt%, the lifetime τ₃ keeps nearly unchanged, while the longest lifetime τ₄ shows decrease from 96 ns to 64 ns. Its intensity decreases drastically from 24% to less than 8%. The Doppler broadening S parameter shows also a continuous decrease. Further analysis of the Doppler broadening spectra reveals a decrease in the p-Ps intensity with increasing Fe₂O₃ content, which rules out the possibility of spin-conversion of positronium. Therefore the decrease of τ₄ is most probably due to the chemical quenching reaction of positronium with Fe ions on the surface of the large pores.     

Study of the near-field modulation property of microwaviness on a KH2PO4 crystal surface

The KH 2 PO 4 crystal is a key component in optical systems of inertial confinement fusion (ICF).The microwaviness on a KH 2 PO 4 crystal surface is strongly related to its damage threshold which is a key parameter for application.To study the laser induced damage mechanism caused by microwaviness,in this paper the near-field modulation properties of microwaviness to the incident wave are discussed by the Fourier modal method.Research results indicate that the microwaviness on the machined surface will distort the incident wave and thus lead to non-uniform distribution of the light intensity inside the crystal;in a common range of microwaviness amplitude,the light intensity modulation degree increases about 0.03 whenever the microwaviness amplitude increases 10 nm;1 order diffraction efficiencies are the key factors responsible for light intensity modulation inside the crystal;the light intensity modulation is just around the microwaviness in the form of an evanescent wave,not inside the crystal when the microwaviness period is below 0.712 μm;light intensity modulation degree has two extreme points in microwaviness periods of 1.064 μm and 1.6 μm,remains unchanged between periods of 3 μm and 150 μm,and descends above the period of 150 μm to 920 μm.