Formation and structural anomaly of the metastable phases in an immiscible Ag-Mo system studied by ion beam mixing and molecular dynamics simulation

For the equilibrium immiscible Ag-Mo system characterized by a large positive heat of formation, the nanosized Ag-Mo multilayered samples are designed and prepared to include sufficient interfacial free energy to elevate their initial energetic states to be higher than that of either the amorphous phase or solid solution and then subject to 200 keV xenon ion irradiation. The results show that a uniform amorphous alloy can be obtained within a composition range, at least, from 25 to 88 atom % of Mo. Interestingly, in the intermediate stage of ion irradiation, a bcc phase, an amorphous phase, and an order (bcc)-disorder coexisting state appear simultaneously in the Ag12Mo88 multilayered sample and extend over the entire bright field image with unanimously homogeneous composition. In thermodynamic modeling, a Gibbs free energy diagram of the Ag-Mo system is constructed, based on Miedema's model, and suggests that within a narrow composition regime of 85-90 atom % of Mo, the energy difference between the bcc and the amorphous phases is extremely small, which is probably the very reason for the order-disorder coexisting state to appear. In atomistic modeling, an ab initio derived Ag-Mo potential is applied to perform molecular dynamics simulations. The simulations not only determine an intrinsic glass-forming ability/range (GFA/GFR) of the Ag-Mo system to be from 10 to 88 atom % of Mo but also reveal the possibility of the formation/appearance of a crystalline and amorphous mixture in a narrow composition regime of 88-92 atom % of Mo. Apparently, the theoretical results are in excellent agreement and/or compatible with the experimental observations in ion beam mixing.     

Formation of amorphous alloys by ion beam mixing and its multiscale theoretical modeling in the equilibrium immiscible Sc-W system

Unique amorphous alloys are synthesized at the compositions of 25 and 40 atom % of W by ion beam mixing in the equilibrium immiscible Sc-W system characterized by a positive heat of formation of +14 kJ/mol. In thermodynamic modeling, a Gibbs free energy diagram is constructed based on Miedema's theory, and the diagram predicts a glass-forming range of the Sc-W system to be within 12-58 atom % of W. To develop an atomistic model, ab initio calculations are first conducted to assist the construction of an n-body Sc-W potential under the embedded atom method. The proven realistic potential is applied in molecular dynamic simulations to study the crystal-to-amorphous transition in the Sc-W solid solutions, thus determining the glass-forming ability of the system to be within 15-50 atom % of W. Apparently, both theoretical predicted glass-forming ranges cover the experimentally measured one, showing an excellent agreement. We report, in this paper, the experimental results from ion beam mixing and the multiscale theoretical modeling concerning the amorphous alloy formation in the Sc-W system together with a brief discussion of the structural transition mechanism.     

Nucleation free energy of pore formation in an amphiphilic bilayer studied by molecular dynamics simulations

The formation of a pore in a membrane requires a considerable rearrangement of the amphiphilic molecules about to form the bilayer edge surrounding the pore, and hence is accompanied by a steep increase of the free energy. Recent rupture and conductance experiments suggest that this reshuffling process is also responsible for a small energy barrier that stabilizes "prepores" with diameters of less than 1 nm, rendering both the opening and closing of pores an activated process. We use the potential of mean constraint force method to study this free energy profile, as a function of pore radius, in a coarse grained bilayer model. The calculations show that the free energy rises by (15-20) kT during pore opening, making it an extremely rare nucleation event. Although we do not observe a barrier to pore closure, the results do make the existence of such a barrier plausible. For larger pores we find a smooth transition to Litster's model, from which a line tension coefficient of about 3.7 x 10(-11) J m(-1) is deduced.     

Study of ion beam induced mixing in Sn/Si system using electrical resistivity measurements

The ion-beam mixing of Sn thin film evaporated on silicon has been investigated by continuously measuring the electrical resistivity of the sample during irradiation by Kr ions. The resistivity results exhibit a tendency toward a saturation process and allow the determination of the critical dose corresponding to the total mixing condition. The variation of the volume fraction of intermixed atoms as a function of the ion dose has been deduced and compared with a semiempirical formula to explain the observed mixing kinetics. A linear dependence of the volume fraction of the intermixed atoms on the fluence is observed, which is a signature of recoil type mixing.     

Sulphate ion dynamics in α-alums studied by esr at high pressures

The variation of zero-field splitting and linewidth of Cr³⁺ ion in KCr and KAI alums with hydrostatic pressure and with temperature is investigated. A model for the apparent phase transition is proposed on the basis of the reorientational motion of the SO^2?₄ groups.     

Gas phase ion/molecule reactions in phosphine/germane mixtures studied by ion trapping

Gaseous mixtures of phosphine and germane have been investigated by ion trap mass spectrometry. Reaction pathways together with rate constants of the main reactions are reported. The mechanisms of ion/molecule reactions have been elucidated by single and multiple isolation steps. The GeH_n⁺ (n = 1–3) ions react with phosphine to give GePH_n⁺ (n = 2–4) ions. The GePH₄⁺ ion further reacts with GeH₄ to yield Ge₂PH₆⁺. The GePH_n⁺ (n = 2–4) mixed ionic family also originates from the P⁺ phosphine primary ion, as well as from the P₂H_n⁺ (n = 0–3) secondary ions of phosphine reacting with neutral germane and from Ge₂H₂⁺ reacting with phosphine. The main reaction pathways of the PH_n⁺ (n = 0–2) ions with GeH₄ lead to the formation of the GeH₂⁺ and GeH₃⁺ ionic species. Protonation of phosphine from different ionic precursors is a very common process and yields the stable phosphonium ion, PH₄⁺. Trends in total abundances of secondary GePH_n⁺ (n = 2–4) ions as function of reaction time for different PH₃/GeH₄ pressure ratios show that excess of germane slightly affects the nucleation of mixed Ge-P ions.     

Radical ion and triplet formation in electron transfer fluorescence quenching studied by nanosecond laser spectroscopy

Application of nanosecond laser flash photolysis led to the detection of delayed triplet production (from initially produced radical ions) in electron transfer fluorescence quenching. From both, the second order radical ion decay and the triplet growing-in, a diffusion-controlled recombination rate constant in acetonitrile of (4.3 ± 0.3) × 10¹⁰ M^?1 sec^?1 (ca. 1.2 × 10¹⁰ M^?1 in n-propanol) is obtained.     

在线固相萃取-离子色谱法测定4种芳环磺酸盐中的硫酸根离子

建立一种在线固相萃取-离子色谱测定4种芳环磺酸盐中硫酸根离子含量的新方法。将自装填的多孔石墨化碳固相萃取柱应用于离子色谱系统,对样品进行在线前处理。样品经过多孔石墨化碳固相萃取柱基体消除后进入收集环,通过阀切换方式使待测硫酸根离子转入阴离子分析柱和检测系统。固相萃取流路用1.5 mmol/L碳酸钠以0.8 mL/min的流速对基体在线富集,进样量为20μL,分析柱为SH-AC-3(250 mm×4.0 mm)+SH-AG-3(50 mm×4.0 mm)色谱柱,柱温为35℃,在6 mmol/L碳酸钠-4 mmol/L碳酸氢钠条件下等度洗脱,流速为0.8 mL/min。结果表明:硫酸根离子在0.50~20.00 mg/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,线性相关系数为0.998 3,保留时间、峰高和峰面积的相对标准偏差均在0.28%~2.86%之间,方法检出限为0.010 6 mg/L,回收率为91.01%~109.3%,具有良好的线性关系和重复性。整个在线分析过程在25 min之内完成。该方法进样量少、快速、高效。     

SIMS investigations of titanium profiles in LiNbO3 produced by ion beam mixing and diffusion

Summary In order to increase the refractive indices of LiNbO₃ just beneath the surface, i.e. to produce waveguides, titanium was incorporated into y-cut substrates by two different methods: Evaporated Ti layers were either diffused at 1000°C or mixed into the substrate with a 3 MeV Ti⁺ beam. Radiation damage caused by ion beam mixing was removed by epitaxial regrowth. The resulting Ti concentration profiles were investigated by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry. The diffused profiles could be fitted by half Gaussians with a diffusion constant ofD = 5.25 × 10^–17 m²/s at 1000°C. The ion beam mixed and annealed profiles show a non-zero slope at the surface and differ significantly from Gaussians.

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SIMS-Untersuchung von Titanprofilen in LiNbO₃ hergestellt durch Ionenstrahl-Mischung und Diffusion

     

Controlling disorder in host lattice by hetero-valence ion doping to manipulate luminescence in spinel solid solution phosphors

Phosphor materials have been rapidly developed in the past decades. Developing phosphors with desired properties including strong luminescence intensity and long lifetime has attracted widespread attention. Herein, we show that hetero-valence ion doping can serve as a potent strategy to manipulate luminescence in persistent phosphors by controlling disorder in the host lattice. Specifically, spinel phosphor Zn(Ga_(1-x)Zn_x)(Ga_(1-x)Ge_x)O_4:Cr is developed by doping ZnGa_2O_4:Cr with tetravalent Ge~(~(4+)).Compared to the original ZnGa_2O_4:Cr, the doped Zn(Ga_(1-x)Zn_x)(Ga_(1-x)Ge_x)O_4:Cr possesses significantly enhanced persistent luminescence intensity and prolonged decay time. Rietveld refinements show that Ge~(4+)enters into octahedral sites to substitute Ga~(3+), which leads to the co-substitution of Ga~(3+) by Zn~(2+) for charge compensation. The hetero-valence substitution of Ga~(3+) by Ge~(4+)and Zn~(2+) enriches the charged defects in Zn(Ga_(1-x)Zn_x)(Ga_(1-x)Ge_x)O_4:Cr, making it possible to trap large amounts of charge carriers within the defects during excitation. Electron paramagnetic resonance measurement further confirms that the amount of Cr~(3+) neighboring charged defects increases with Ge~(4+)doping. Thus charge carriers released from defects can readily combine with the neighboring Cr~(3+) to produce bright persistent luminescence after excitation ceases. The hetero-valence ion doping strategy can further be employed to develop many other phosphors and contributes to lighting, photocatalysis and bioimaging.     

Positronium formation in NaY-zeolites studied by lifetime, positron beam Doppler broadening and 3-gamma detection techniques

Results of positron annihilation measurements on NaY pressed powders and deposited thin films using slow positron beam and conventional fast positron techniques are presented. In lifetime experiments using an external ²²Na source an averaged long lifetime of 1.8 ns with a sum intensity of 27% was observed in pressed powders in the presence of air at room temperature (RT). In literature this lifetime is ascribed to positrons annihilating in water filled or β cages Habrowska, A.M., Popiel, E.S., 1987. Positron annihilation in zeolite 13X. J. Appl. Phys. 62, 2419. By means of isotopic exchange some of the Na was replaced by ²²Na. These powders showed a long lifetime component of 7–8 ns with an intensity increasing from 1 to 12% when heated under normal atmosphere from RT to 200°C. No significant increase of the shorter (1.5 ns) lifetime was observed, while its intensity dropped from 13.4 to 6.6%. Both effects are ascribed to the loss of water from cages only. The beam experiments revealed a high fraction of 3-gamma annihilations in the pressed powder and thin film samples, indicating the annihilation of o-Ps and thereby the existence of large open volumes.     

Electrolyte-dependent formation of solid electrolyte interphase and ion intercalation revealed by in situ surface characterizations

The formation of solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) and ion intercalation are two key processes in rechargeable batteries, which need to be explored under dynamic operating conditions. In this work, both planar and sandwich model lithium batteries consisting of Li metal | ionic liquid electrolyte | graphite electrode have been constructed and investigated by a series of in situ surface analysis platforms including atomic force microscopy, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found th...     

A study of molecular dynamics and phase transitions in solid MBBA

Abstract

The solid state polymorphism of liquid crystalline MBBA was investigated by temperature dependent NMR spin-lattice relaxation time measurements. The sensitivity of the method could be utilized because the correlation time of the measurement is in the correlation time region of molecular motion. Motional correlation time and activation energy values were determined and the results show some interesting changes between the different solid phases. Non-trivial variation in the end-chain rotational motion in two crystalline phases has been observed. Conclusions were drawn on the relationship between rotational molecular dynamics, intermolecular order and phase transitions.     

Kinetics and dynamics of dissolution/mixing of a high-viscosity liquid phase in a low-viscosity solvent phase

We studied mixing in the initially separated binary mixture of polystyrene/5CB liquid crystal and ternary mixtures of water/surfactant C12E5/polymer PEG system. In both systems the domains of one phase were characterized by a much higher viscosity than the solvent matrix. We demonstrated experimentally that during mixing these domains decrease their size linearly with time without a visible change of the optical contrast (i.e., without a rapid change of their compositions). Computer simulations and a theoretical model explain quantitatively our experimental observations.     

Electrochemical adsorption and phase formation on mercury in sulphide ion solutions

Under electrochemical conditions, the formation of thin mercuric sulphide films on mercury proceeds in three distinct stages. In the first, mercuric sulphide adsorbs over a narrow range of potential to build up a monomolecular layer. This adsorbed layer subsequently rearranges in such a way that its packing density is increased. The rearrangement corresponds to a first order phase transformation, and clear evidence for the nucleation of the rearranged phase has been obtained. Finally the growth of subsequent monolayers of mercuric sulphide proceeds by the nucleation and expansion of two dimensional centres on the rearranged first layer. A variety of electrochemical techniques has been used in this study to characterise these three individual steps in detail.     

Taking a little off the top: nanorod array morphology and growth studied by focused ion beam tomography

The high surface area, large aspect ratio, and porous nature of nanorod arrays make them excellent foundation materials for many devices. Of the many synthesis techniques for forming nanorods, glancing angle deposition (GLAD) offers one of the more straightforward and flexible methods for ensuring control of alignment, porosity, and architecture of the nanorods. Here we demonstrate the first use of a dual-beam (focused ion beam (FIB) combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM)) instrument to section and image the internal morphology of a nanorod array fabricated using the GLAD technique. We have used the FIB-SEM to reconstruct the 3D composition of TiO(2) nanorods, allowing us to visualize for the first time the core structures of many potential devices. We have also been able to probe the relationship between critical parameters such as diameter (w(act)), internanorod spacing (ν(act)), center-to-center spacing (c(act)), and nanorod population density (d(act)) and the depth of the nanocolumn (t) for a single homogeneous structure. A continuous data set was obtained from a single 5-μm-thick GLAD film, avoiding the artifacts arising from the analysis of the top surfaces of multiple samples of varying thicknesses. An analysis of the acquired sectioned data has allowed us to determine that the critical nanocolumn parameters follow a power-law scaling trend with w(act) = 9.4t(0.35) nm, ν(act) = 15.2t(0.25) nm, c(act) = 24.8t(0.31) nm, and d(act) = 3402t(-0.65) columns μm(-2). Using the FIB/SEM images acquired for the TiO(2) nanorods, we have also investigated the evolution of individual nanocolumns and have observed that bifurcation and branching play a significant role in the extinction or survival of these nanorods. These findings will allow for the optimization of nanorod properties for device applications. Also, the FIB sectioning and reconstruction process developed here will permit for the investigation of nanorod arrays formed from a range of synthesis techniques and materials.     

固相萃取-离子交换色谱法测定植物提取物中三聚氰胺

建立了固相萃取-离子交换色谱法测定5种植物提取物中三聚氰胺。植物提取物样品经1%三氯乙酸水溶液提取,OASISMCX固相萃取柱净化。分析时用LC-SCX离子交换色谱柱（25 cm×4.6 mmi.d.,5μm）分离,V（0.05 mol/LKH2PO4）∶V（乙腈）=75∶25溶液为流动相,流速1.0 mL/min,在紫外波长240 nm下检测。三聚氰胺在0.5-100.0 mg/L的范围内,质量浓度与色谱峰面积呈良好的线性关系（r=0.9999）,检出限为1.0 mg/kg,加标回收率在82.8%-103.2%范围内,相对标准偏差小于5.5%。     

Sputtering angle effects by Kr mixing in N+ ion beam on the lifetime of nitrided carbon stripper foils

Nitrided carbon stripper (NCS) foils with high nitrogen content were produced by ion beam sputtering of reactive nitrogen gas. Such foils seem to be very useful as strippers in high-intensity heavy ion accelerators. We have conducted comprehensive research, development, and production of such foils with high reproducibility. Krypton, a heavy noble gas, was mixed with the reaction nitrogen gas (IBSRN) in the ion beam sputtering process to produce stripper foils with short sputtering deposition time and long lifetimes in the high intensity ion beam irradiation. With the (N₂ + Kr) mixed gas ions we investigated the influence of different sputtering angles (α) on the lifetime of the NCS-foils in case of poly-graphite material. The lifetime measurement of these foils of 20 ± 5 μg/cm² was performed with a 3.2 MeV Ne⁺ ion beam as usual. The foils made at a sputtering angle of 15° showed a maximum of 11.0 and 7.5  C/cm² average charge density, respectively, which corresponded to about 275 and 187 times the lifetime of the best commercially available foils.