A Wall Effect in the Photothermal Beam Deflection Response of Infrared-Absorbing Gases

FTIR photothermal beam deflection (PBD) spectroscopy was used to record PBD spectra of IR-absorbing gases in presence of IR-absorbing and non-absorbing solids. The presence of the solid, IR-absorbing or not, causes asymmetry at the juncture of the IR and probe laser     

Measurement of azimuthal magnetic fields in a Z-pinch gas discharge using the faraday rotation of a probe beam

The Faraday rotation of the plane of polarisation of a probe beam by azimuthal magnetic fields in the presence of beam deflection caused by refractive index gradients is discussed for a plasma carrying an axial current. A method for calculation of the magnetic field profile from experimental data is described. Bθ can be found by Abel inversion if the electron density is known and if deflected rays can be collected by an optical system and focussed onto a detector. Typical Faraday rotations calculated for the Bennett pinch assuming small beam deflection are found to be proportional to the plasma current and to the angle of deflection. If the probe beam wavelength is chosen to satisfy the approximate relation N₀λ² ≈ 3.5 × 10¹³ m^-1, where N₀ is the electron density on the axis, measurement of Bθ with beam deflections less than 2 × 10^-2 radians should be possible in cases where small rotations can be detected in the mid-to-far infra-red part of the spectrum.     

光热偏转光谱法的研究

为了建立棱镜型光热偏转光谱法的理论框架,采用棱镜的光色散特性研究了激励光源对待测样品表面周期性照射情况下的探测光偏转角与光热信号之间的解析关系。得到了棱镜型样品表面周期性变化的偏转角表达式。实现结果表明,该方法比传统型光谱法具有理论模型简单、实验容易实现、分辨率高、灵敏度高等优点。     

Observation of the Photoinduced Conductivity in a Regular Domain Structure with Tilted Walls in MgO:LiNbO3 at a Wavelength of 632.8 nm at Bragg Diffraction

A 632.8-nm radiation-induced change in the conductivity of a regular domain structure (RDS) formed in a 5% MgO:LiNbO₃ crystal has been detected for the first time. As a result, the relaxation rate for the Bragg diffraction efficiency on the RDS, which is observed after the application of an external electric field, increases with the intensity of a probe beam. This dependence is linear in the initial stage of relaxation caused by the screening of the external field because of the redistribution of charges over tilted conductive domain walls of the RDS. For the probe beam with an intensity of 49 mW/mm², the induced effective conductivity of the RDS, which is estimated as σ_eff = 3.5×10⁻⁹Ω⁻¹m⁻¹, is more than four orders of magnitude higher than the dark conductivity of the single-domain MgO:LiNbO₃ sample.

     

Pharmaceutical applications of photothermal beam deflection

We report the potential use of a noninvasive method of photothermal beam deflection (PBD) in pharmaceutical research exemplifying the determination of drug content in semisolid formulations and mapping the lateral drug diffusion into an artificial membrane. PBD exhibits a high sensitivity. The requirement of only minimal sample preparation makes this spectroscopic technique advantageous. PBD in conjunction with an appropriate scanner device and depth profiling is a promising technique for in vivo studies of three-dimensional drug diffusion into biological membranes. A short introduction to the basic principles of PBD is given.     

Compressibility and Fractal Dimension of Fine Coal Particles in Relation to Pore Structure Characterisation Using Mercury Porosimetry

Mercury porosimetry has been applied to characterize the pore structure of fine coals particles. Interparticle voids and compressibility effects on the mercury intrusion data were examined. It is found that coal compressibility has a significant effect on mercury porosimetry data when pressure P>20 MPa. The compressibility of the two coals used was determined to be 3.13×10⁻¹⁰ m² N⁻¹ and 2.50×10⁻¹⁰ m² N⁻¹ for CA and GO coals, respectively. Fractal dimension analysis provides a “fingerprint” to distinguish the effect of coal compression from the pore filling process during mercury intrusion. It is shown that fractal dimension can be evaluated from the compressibility corrected pore volume data. Results from the present study suggest that statistic self-similarity of the fractal dimension perspective is limited by certain artificial effects, such as crushing and grinding. Different surface irregularities exist over different pore size ranges, and a single fractal dimension value can only be used to describe the surface irregularity within a limited pore size range. The average fractal dimensions in the pore size range of 6–60 nm were found to be 2.71 and 2.43 for CA and GO coals, respectively.     

Ultrasound-electrospinning-assisted fabrication and sensing evaluation of a novel membrane as ultrasensitive sensor for copper (II) ions detection in aqueous environment

The present study has reported an optimized fabrication and application of a novel PVA/TEOS/Schiff base nanofibers membrane as a highly sensitive copper (II) ions in aqueous environment. Here in, for first time, an ultrasound-assisted synthesized symmetric Schiff base has been immobilized on a hybrid polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and TEOS using electrospinning technique for detection and filtration of copper ions. For this purpose, various working parameters were evaluated and finally the optimized nano fibers membrane was synthesized with 72 nm thickness and PVA/TEOS/Schiff base ratio of (wt%) 8:6:1. The optimized sample named PTLNFM has been employed successfully as an ultra sensitive chemosensor for Cu (II) detection in real samples. The immobilized Schiff base used as a chelating agent could detect copper (II) in the range from 9.34 × 10⁻⁸ to 1.15 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹ with the following correlation equation: Absorbance = 0.066 [Cu²⁺] × 10⁻⁶ + 0.095 and R² = 0.992 and LOD of 1.27 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ which was lower than most of the reported detection limits in the previous literatures. Validity of this method has been carried out by analysis of Cu²⁺ in real samples with satisfying recoveries of over 96.11–99.24%.The developed membrane could be offered for diverse use such as medical or industrial applications.     

A simple theoretical extension to the analysis of photothermal deflection signal for low thermal diffusivity evaluation

A modified amplitude method to analyze the photothermal probe beam deflection signal for the determination of low thermal diffusivity values of materials is proposed. This simple theoretical model, which is an extension of the amplitude method proposed by Quelin et al., takes into account the dependence of the photothermal signal on the height of the probe beam above the sample surface which affects mirage measurements when the thermal diffusivity of the coupling medium is greater than that of the sample. The present work is similar to the modification to the phase method proposed by Bertolotti et al. for determination of low thermal diffusivity. The method can be applied irrespective of whether the sample is optically transparent or optically opaque and is independent of thickness.     

Cesium ion desorption from graphite surfaces: Kinetics and dynamics of diffusion and desorption steps

The field reversal method was used to study the kinetics of Cs and Cs⁺ desorption from a pyrolytic graphite basal surface. Double-exponential decay was observed especially at high temperatures. Desorption of ions using an external flux from a Cs beam gave the primary rate parameters 2.60 eV and 5.3 × 10¹⁴ s⁻¹, at T = 1100–1600 K. The secondary rate parameters were 0.28 eV and 2.2 × 10⁵ s⁻¹, observed at T = 1250–1600 K. Due to the high sensitivity of the method, the kinetics of desorption of the previously absorbed Cs, diffusing out from the bulk crystal, could also be studied. These processes were more complex, giving the primary rate parameters 1.87 eV and 1.1 × 10¹⁴ s⁻¹, and the secondary rate parameters 2.07 eV and 1.97 × 10¹¹ s⁻¹ for T = 1400–1600 K. The variation of the primary and secondary rates and the field reversal peak heights as functions of retarding field time were also studied, as well as the field reversal peak variation with temperature. These results, as well as the ones found in previous studies of this system, indicate the existence of three adsorbed states on the more or less polycrystalline graphite surface. One apparently ionic state correlates with the diffusing state in the crystallites and with ionic states outside the surface. Conversion processes to and from this state, induced by the external field, were also observed.     

Photothermal deflection measurement of effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium

In this work, an effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium was measured using photothermal deflection (PD) technique. An in-house made Loschmidt diffusion cell with a photothermal-deflection probe were employed to measure the effective gas diffusion coefficient of a gas diffusion layer (GDL) with a porosity ε ≈ 0.7. The concentration evolutions of CO₂ in O₂ with and without the GDL were measured, respectively, using a transverse normal PD technique. The concentration variations were used to deduce the gas diffusion coefficients in the presence and absence of the GDL by solving mass diffusion equations. The effective gas diffusion coefficient of the GDL was calculated from the diffusion coefficients using a model of an equivalent resistance to diffusion and found to be 4.39 × 10^-6 m²s^-1, demonstrating that PD technique can be employed to determine the effective gas diffusion coefficient of a porous medium.     

方波调制时的光热光束偏转理论

本文叙述了加热光束光强以方波调制时的光热光束偏转理论,讨论了偏转信号值与加热光功率、光斑半径,两光点的相对位置及调制频率等的关系并与实验结果比较,其结果是定性一致的.     

Experimental evaluation of the gas-phase collision cross-section of effusive Au beam with noble gases: The effect of size and flux

We find that the effusive atomic beam of Au atoms is deflected away by collision with noble gas atoms crossing in a perpendicular geometry with a beam flux of >1 × 10¹⁶/cm²s. The ratio of defected Au atoms is found to increase proportional to the flux of noble gases. In addition, the effective cross-section for the collision between Au and noble gases (Ne, Ar, Xe) is measured to increase in an order of Ne < Ar < Xe. As a result of the increased collision probability, the deflection ratio of Au beam in the noble gases is measured to be enhanced for the Au flux in the range of 1 × 10¹¹–10¹³ Au/cm²s. Our results show that the gas-phase collision can be reliably determined by measuring the deflection ratio. The experimentally determined collision cross-section also explains the variation in the deflection ratio among various noble gases and the importance of a long-range van der Waals interaction between Au and noble gases in the deflection efficiency.     

Photothermal deflection microscopy for imaging sub-micronic defects in optical materials

Photothermal deflection is widely used to study defects in optical coatings and role of these defects in laser damage. Because defects responsible for laser damage are assumed to be nanometer-sized and lowly absorbing, both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity are required to detect them. In this work we theoretically and experimentally explore the capability of collinear photothermal deflection to give micronic resolution by reduction of the pump beam diameter. Thanks to a model describing temperature distribution and photothermal deflection, we have studied the effects of pump beam focusing on photothermal deflection. Then, we have developed a high resolution, high sensitivity microscope based on the photothermal deflection of a transmitted probe beam. The setup is characterized and the theoretical predictions are checked. We present a test of lateral spatial resolution obtained on specially prepared absorbing resolution targets and show that a lateral spatial resolution of 1 μm is reached on non-isolated defects. In case of single defects, we expect that 10 nm sized defects could be detected.     

A Diffusion Model for Spin-Spin Relaxation of Compartmentalized Water in Wood

A diffusion model for spin-spin relaxation of compartmentalized water with a surface relaxation was verified for lumen water in wood. Spin-spin relaxation measurements were carried out on water in redwood sapwood, spruce sapwood, and spruce compression-wood samples, which possessed different cell-lumen radius distributions as measured by scanning electron microscopy. For the redwood sample, NMR measurements were made for seven temperatures between 4 and 55°C over which the average lumen-water T₂ decreased from 177 to 103 ms. The lumen-water theory and experiment were in agreement, and evidence of higher-order relaxation modes, theoretically predicted for low temperatures, was found. This model was extended to two water regions to characterize the surface relaxation in terms of the spin-spin relaxation and diffusion coefficient of the cell-wall water and the partition coefficient. Using the extension and measurements of the spin-spin relaxation times and relative populations of lumen and cell-wall-water, estimates for cell-wall-water diffusion in a maximally hydrated redwood varied from 0.92 × 10⁻⁶ cm²/s at 4°C to 5.89 × 10⁻⁶ cm²/s at 55°C. The activation energy for cell-wall-water diffusion in redwood sap-wood in this temperature range was 6700 cal/mol, about 40% higher than the free-water value of 4767 cal/mol.     

Ag‐nanoparticle‐modified single Ag nanowire for detection of melamine by surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Silver nanowires synthesized by a solvothermal method were used as templates for fabricating silver‐nanoparticle‐decorated silver (AgNP/Ag) nanowires. The number density and particle size of Ag nanoparticles can be controlled by varying the concentration of Ag precursor. Single AgNP/Ag nanowire exhibited strong surface‐enhanced Raman scattering effect. Detection of melamine molecules at concentrations as low as 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ M was used as an example to show the possible applications of such AgNP/Ag nanowires. Their application in rapid detection of melamine in milk solution was further demonstrated. It was shown that melamine in milk solution at a low concentration of 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ M can be easily detected with little sample pretreatment. The results demonstrate the potential of single AgNP/Ag nanowire as a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering substrate for convenient and sensitive detection of trace amounts of melamine in a complex mixture. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Photothermal techniques with a top-hat beam excitation

A flatly topped circular beam (“top-hat beam”) is employed as the excitation beam for photothermal deflection and surface thermal lens techniques. The Fresnel diffraction model is applied to describe the photothermal signals. The theoretical comparison between a Gaussian beam and a top-hat beam excited photothermal signal amplitudes shows that the use of the top-hat beam excitation improves the measurement sensitivity of the photothermal techniques. Experimental results for both photothermal deflection and surface thermal lens are presented. The potential applications of the top-hat beam excited photothermal techniques are highlighted.     

Temperature-dependent 29Si NMR resonance shifts in lightly- and heavily-doped Si:P

Careful NMR measurements on a very lightly-doped reference silicon sample provide a convenient highly precise and accurate secondary chemical shift reference standard for ²⁹Si MAS-NMR applicable over a wide temperature range. The linear temperature-dependence of the ²⁹Si chemical shift measured in this sample is used to refine an earlier presentation of the paramagnetic (high-frequency) ²⁹Si resonance shifts in heavily-doped n-type silicon samples near the metal–nonmetal transition. The data show systematic decreases of the local magnetic fields with increasing temperature in the range 100–470 K for all samples in the carrier concentration range from 2×10¹⁸ cm⁻³ to 8×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. This trend is qualitatively similar to that previously observed for the two-orders of magnitude larger ³¹P impurity NMR resonance shifts in the same temperature and concentration ranges. The ²⁹Si and ³¹P resonance shifts are not related by a simple scaling factor, however, indicating that impurity and host nuclei are affected by different subsets of partially-localized extrinsic electrons at all temperatures.     

Kinetics of subnanometer displacements of solid surfaces under local heating by a laser pulse

A method with space-time resolution Δr∼ μm and δt∼0.1 μs is proposed for investigating the kinetics of angstrom-size displacements and deformations induced on solid surfaces by local irradiation with a laser pulse. The instantaneous deformation profiles were recorded at a set of points on the surface on micron-size scales by the method of photothermal deformation of the surface (PTDS) according to the kinetics of the deflection of a probe laser beam followed by extraction of data corresponding to the same moment in time; the instantaneous displacement profiles were obtained by integrating the instantaneous deformation profiles numerically in the radial direction. Instantaneous profiles obtained in this manner for angstrom-scale deformations and displacements are presented for a number of metal samples. The nature of the kinetic displacements obtained at the center of an ∼10–100 μm heating laser spot is discussed. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 105–109 (February 1997)     

SERS activity of pulsed laser ablated silver thin films with controlled nanostructure

The surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of silver thin films deposited by the pulsed laser ablation technique was investigated. The samples were grown in a controlled Ar atmosphere at pressures ranging between 10 and 70 Pa, and changing the number of laser pulses. Different surface morphologies, from isolated nearly spherical nanoparticles (NPs) to larger islands with smooth edges, were observed by means of scanning and transmission electron microscopies, as a function of the different deposition conditions adopted. SERS measurements were performed by soaking the samples in rhodamine 6G aqueous solutions over the concentration range between 1.0 × 10⁻⁴ and 5.0 × 10⁻⁸ M . Raman spectra were acquired using both the 632.8 and 514.5 nm excitation sources. The dependence of the SERS activity of the samples on the observed surface morphology is presented and discussed. The presence of the so called hot spots is envisaged. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of the absolute Raman scattering cross sections of sulfur and the standoff Raman detection of a 6‐mm‐thick sulfur specimen at 1500 m

The absolute Raman scattering cross sections (σ_RS) for the 471, 217, and 153 cm⁻¹ modes of sulfur were measured as 6.0 ± 1.2 × 10⁻²⁷, 7.7 ± 1.6 × 10⁻²⁷, and 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁶ cm² at 815, 799, and 794 nm, respectively, using a 785‐nm pump laser. The corresponding values of σ_RS at 1120, 1089, and 1081 nm were determined to be 1.5 ± 0.3 × 10⁻²⁷, 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁷, and 1.2 ± 0.24 × 10⁻²⁷ cm² using a 1064‐nm laser. A temperature‐controlled, small‐cavity (2.125 mm diameter) blackbody source was used to calibrate the signal output of the Raman spectrometers for these measurements. Standoff Raman detection of a 6‐mm‐thick sulfur specimen located at 1500 m from the pump laser and the Raman spectrometer was made using a 1.4‐W, CW, 785‐nm pump laser. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.