T1–T2 Correlation Spectra Obtained Using a Fast Two-Dimensional Laplace Inversion

Spin relaxation is a sensitive probe of molecular structure and dynamics. Correlation of relaxation time constants, such as T₁ and T₂, conceptually similar to the conventional multidimensional spectroscopy, have been difficult to determine primarily due to the absense of an efficient multidimensional Laplace inversion program. We demonstrate the use of a novel computer algorithm for fast two-dimensional inverse Laplace transformation to obtain T₁–T₂ correlation functions. The algorithm efficiently performs a least-squares fit on two-dimensional data with a nonnegativity constraint. We use a regularization method to find a balance between the residual fitting errors and the known noise amplitude, thus producing a result that is found to be stable in the presence of noise. This algorithm can be extended to include functional forms other than exponential kernels. We demonstrate the performance of the algorithm at different signal-to-noise ratios and with different T₁–T₂ spectral characteristics using several brine-saturated rock samples.     

2D solid state NMR spectral simulation of 310, α, and π-helices

Transmembrane helices are more uniform in structure than similar helices in water soluble proteins. Solid state NMR of aligned bilayer samples is being increasingly used to characterize helical membrane protein structures. Traditional spectroscopic methods have difficulty distinguishing between helices with i to i + 3 (3(10)), i to i + 4 (alpha), and i to i + 5 (pi) hydrogen bonding topology. Here, we show that resonance patterns in PISEMA spectra simulated for these different helices show unique and striking features. The size and shape of these Polar Index Slant Angle (PISA) wheels, as well as the resonances per turn and clockwise versus counter-clockwise sequential connectivity of the resonances demonstrate how these different helical structures, if present as a uniform structure, will be readily distinguished, and characterized.     

Linewidth-Resolved N HSQC, a Simple 3D Method to Measure N Relaxation Times from T1 and T2 Linewidths

A three-dimensional approach for measuring ¹⁵N relaxation times is described. Instead of selecting particular values for the relaxation period, in the proposed method the relaxation period is incremented periodically in order to create a 3D spectrum. This additional frequency domain of the transformed spectrum contains the relaxation time information in the T₁ and T₂ linewidths, and thus the longitudinal and transverse ¹⁵N relaxation times can be measured without determination of 2D cross peak volumes/intensities and subsequent curve fitting procedures.     

The ν1 and ν3 stretching fundamental bands of PD3

The infrared (IR) spectrum of PD₃ has been recorded in the 1580–1800 cm⁻¹ range at a resolution of 0.0027 cm⁻¹. About 2400 rovibrational transitions with J^′=K^′22 have been measured and assigned to the ν₁ (A₁) and ν₃ (E) stretching fundamentals. These include 506 “perturbation-allowed” transitions with selection rules Δ(k−l)=±3. Splittings of the K^′′=3 lines have been observed. Effects of strong perturbations are evident in the spectrum. Therefore the rovibrational Hamiltonian adopted for the analysis explicitly takes into account the Coriolis and k-type interactions between the v₁=1 and v₃=1 states, and includes also several essential resonances within these states. The rotational structure in the v₁=1 and v₃=1 vibrational states up to J^′=K^′=18 was reproduced by fitting simultaneously all experimental data. Thirty-four parameters reproduced 1950 transitions retained in the final cycle with a standard deviation of the fit equal to 4.9 × 10⁻⁴ cm⁻¹ (about the precision of the experimental measurements).     

LaCaMnO3 thin film laser energy/power meter

A prototype laser energy/power meter was designed based on the anisotropic Seebeck effect of LaCaMnO₃ thin film grown on vicinal cut LaAlO₃ substrate. The optical response of this device to the pulsed laser and the chopped CW laser was measured from infrared to ultraviolet. The peak voltage of the measured signal shows a good linear relation to the laser energy and power in the measured range. It was shown that at 1064 nm wavelength, this prototype device demonstrates higher sensitivity than that of commercial device.     

Methods for correlating T1ρ and FID components in wideline H NMR studies of motionally heterogeneous polymer systems

We address the problem of correlating the observed FID and T_1ρ components in wideline ¹H relaxation measurements of motionally heterogeneous polymers, and show that different methods of data treatment can highlight different aspects of the correlations present. For a sample of polypropylene we find that the T_1ρ relaxation behaviour is driven by relaxation associated with the intermediate FID component, which strongly suggests a motionally inhomogeneous amorphous region in the sample.     

Absorption spectrum of nitrous acid for the ν1+2ν3 band studied with continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy and theoretical calculations

We present the high resolution absorption measurements of gaseous HONO at room temperature using continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy in the near-infrared region between 6017 and 6067 cm⁻¹ at a resolution of 1 pm (0.037 cm⁻¹). For the trans-HONO isomer an extensive analysis of the ν₁+2ν₃ combination band 6045.8089 cm^–1 was performed starting from the results of a previous study for the 1¹ and 3¹ vibrational states [Guilmot J-M, Godefroid M, Herman M. Rovibrational parameters for trans-nitrous acid. J Mol Spectrosc 1993;160:387–400]. The present combination band is perturbed because of the existence of several dark states of HONO which could not be identified unambiguously. The rotational constants achieved for the 1¹3² state deviate slightly from the values which are predicted from the rotational constants achieved in the previous studies for the 1¹ and 3¹ vibrational states of trans-HONO.     

高温无铅BaTiO_3-(Bi_(1/2)Na_(1/2))TiO_3正温度系数电阻陶瓷阻抗和介电谱分析

采用固相反应法制备了Y2O3施主掺杂的92 mol%BaTiO3-8 mol%(Bi1/2Na1/2)TiO3(BBNT8)高温无铅正温度系数电阻(positive temperature coe?cient resistivity,PTCR)陶瓷.利用透射电镜观察材料的显微结构,发现陶瓷的显微结构主要包括晶粒和晶界两部分,观察不到明显的壳层结构.进一步利用交流阻抗谱研究了陶瓷的宏观电学性能,发现陶瓷的总电阻是晶粒和晶界两部分的贡献,而晶粒电阻很小,在居里温度以上变化不大,材料的PTCR效应主要是晶界部分的贡献.当温度高于居里温度时,随着温度的升高,晶界介电常数逐渐减小,导致势垒增加,晶界电阻增大,从而产生正温度系数效应.最后,通过测试材料的介电频谱特性,研究计算了陶瓷的室温电阻率.     

Preparation of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles by high-energy ball milling

α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were prepared by high-energy ball milling using α-FeOOH as raw materials. The prepared samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Mössbauer spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analysis–thermogravimetric analysis (DTA–TGA). The results showed that after 90 h milling α-Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles were obtained, and the particle size is about 20 nm. The mechanism of reaction during milling is supposed that the initial α-FeOOH powder turned smaller and smaller by the high-speed collision during ball milling, later these particles turned to be superparamagnetic, at last these superparamagnetic α-FeOOH particles were dehydrated and transformed into α-Fe₂O₃.     

Synthesis and dielectric properties of Bi1−xNdxFeO3 perovskites

Single-phase polycrystalline samples of Bi_1−xNd_xFeO₃ were prepared by standard solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the powder samples were recorded and analyzed for the confirmation of crystal structure lattice parameters. Further, these samples were characterized by IR technique to identify and understand the aspect of bonding in the present samples. The dielectric measurements were carried out on the samples as a function of frequency in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz at room temperature and also as a function of temperature in the range 300–750 K at certain fixed frequencies. The DC and AC electrical resistivity studies were carried out in order to understand conduction mechanism in the samples.     

Electrical and mechanical properties of proton conducting SrCe0.95Yb0.05O3 − α

Yb³⁺-doped ceramic strontium cerate of exactly the composition SrCe_0.95Yb_0.05O_{3 − α} was prepared, having a relative density of 99.0 (± 0.3%). Great care was taken to obtain homogeneous, carbonate free material. Analysis are made of the X-ray powder diffraction pattern of the as-prepared dense ceramic, resulting in the orthorhombic unit cell parameters a = 6.997(2) Å, b = 12.296(3) Å, c = 8.588(2) Å, Z = 8 and d_x = 5.806(2) g cm⁻³. Bending strength values of the ceramic in non-proton and proton conducting state are found to be 177 and 194 MPa respectively. The ceramic kept under proton conducting conditions for 500 h at 300 °C to 800 °C in a N₂ flow containing 155 mbar water vapour and 245 mbar H₂, have shown to remain chemically and structurally stable. Impedance spectroscopy measurements of the bulk conductivity of the proton conducting ceramic revealed an activation energy of 53.2 kJ mol⁻¹ and a preexponential factor of 359.1 (Ω cm)⁻¹ K. In the non-proton conducting state the ceramic is mainly oxygen ion vacancy conducting, which indicates that charge compensation on substituting Yb⁺³ in SrCeO₃ takes place by oxygen ion vacancies.     

Effect of Ca doping on the superconducting properties of GdBaSrCu3O7−δ bulk samples

Gd_1−xCa_xBaSrCu₃O_7−δ samples (0  x  0.1) were prepared via solid-state reaction. Four-point probes method was used for resistance versus temperature measurements. Results show decrease in T_c by increasing x content. This variation is assumed to be irrelevant to the different phases or impurity effects since X-ray patterns show all samples are tetragonal single-phase. Ca doping decreases the oxygen content and lattice parameters of the samples. It is suggested that Ca prevents the dislocation of oxygen, and then disrupts the hole concentration of the system and antiferromagnetic correlation at CuO₂ planes. Subsequently, destroys the superconductivity of the samples.     

Microwave dielectric properties of (1 − x)(Mg0.95Co0.05)TiO3–x(Na0.5La0.5)TiO3 ceramic system

The microstructures and the microwave dielectric properties of the (1 − x)(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–x(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃ ceramic system were investigated. Two-phase system was confirmed by the XRD patterns and the EDX analysis. A co-existed second phase (Mg_0.95Co_0.05)Ti₂O₅ was also detected. The microwave dielectric properties are strongly related to the density and the matrix of the specimen. A new microwave dielectric material 0.88(Mg_0.95Co_0.05)TiO₃–0.12(Na_0.5La_0.5)TiO₃, possessing an excellent combination of dielectric properties: ε_r  22.36, Q × f  110,000 GHz (at 9 GHz), τ_f  2.9 ppm/°C), is proposed as a candidate dielectric for GPS patch antennas.     

Synthesis, characterization and melt processing of Y1−x(Yb0.9Nd0.1)xBa2Cu3Oz superconductors

Effects of a combined substitute of Yb and Nd on Y site on the superconducting properties of YBa₂Cu₃O_y have been studied. We synthesized Y_1−x(Yb_0.9Nd_0.1)_xBa₂Cu₃O_z compound with x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0. Here, the ratio of Yb–Nd was fixed to be 9:1 for obtaining 123 phase without secondary phases. The melt processing thermal profiles for Y_1−x(Yb_0.9Nd_0.1)_xBa₂Cu₃O_z with x = 0.2 and 0.4 and the addition of 40 mol% {Y_1−x(Yb_0.9Nd_0.1)_x}₂BaCuO₅ and 0.5 wt% Pt in air were determined on the basis of the thermal analysis results. All samples showed a low grain growth rate, particularly for high x values, which may be partially ascribed to un-optimized thermal schedules. Although almost all the samples exhibited low J_c values, the sample with x = 0.2 exhibited T_c of 88.8 K and a relatively high J_c value of 16,000 A/cm² at 77 K for H//c-axis.     

Dielectric and impedance measurements on (1−x)Ba(Fe1/2Ta1/2)O3-xBa(Zn1/3Ta2/3)O3 ceramics

In this work, ((1−x)Ba(Fe_1/2Ta_1/2)O₃-xBa(Zn_1/3Ta_2/3)O₃), ((1−x)BFT-xBZT) ceramics with x = 0.00–0.12 were synthesized by the solid–state reaction method. X-ray diffraction data revealed that both the powders and ceramics were of a pure-phase cubic perovskite structure. All ceramics showed large dielectric constants. For the x = 0.12 sample, a very high dielectric constant (>20,600) was observed. A lowering in the dielectric loss compared to pure BFT ceramics was observed with the BZT addition. The impedance measurements indicated that BZT has a strong effect on the bulk grain and grain boundary resistance of BFT ceramics. These results are in agreement with the measured dielectric properties. Based on dielectric and impedance results, (1−x)BFT-xBZT ceramics could be of great interest for high performance dielectric materials applications due their giant dielectric constant behavior.     

Polyacrylonitrile electrolytes: 1. A novel high-conductivity composite polymer electrolyte based on PAN, LiClO4 and α-Al2O3

In this work, a series of novel solid-type α-Al₂O₃-containing polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based composite polymer electrolytes (CPE) with high conductivity and high mechanical property at room temperature has been prepared. The effect of the addition of α-Al₂O₃ on the properties of the PAN-based composite polymer electrolyte has been analyzed. The best conductivities obtained at room temperature is 5.7×10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ from the CPE with 7.5 wt.% α-Al₂O₃ and 0.6 LiClO₄ per PAN repeat unit. The stress–strain test result indicates that the membranes prepared possess high yield stress (73 kg cm⁻²) suitable for serving as separators in the solid-state lithium and lithium ion batteries and high yield elongation (225%) pliable to form good interface with electrodes. Also discussed are the effects of the addition of the ceramics on the interactions in the system and the possible conduction mechanism.     

Growth and properties of air-processed GdBa2Cu3O7−δ superconductors with fined Gd2BaCuO5 and Gd2Ba4CuFeOy additions

We have succeeded in synthesizing a powder form of Gd₂Ba₄CuFeO_y (Gd2411) in air. GdBa₂Cu₃O_7−δ (Gd123)/Gd₂BaCuO₅ (Gd211) precursor powders added with different amounts of Gd₂Ba₄CuFeO_y (x = 0, 0.002, 0.004, 0.02) in molar ratio to Gd123 have been fabricated successfully into the form of large, single grains by the top seeded melt growth (TSMG) process. The relation between the additions amounts of Gd2411/Gd211 and critical current density (J_C) was analyzed. We found Gd2411 particles stably exist in the Gd123 matrix without degradation of superconducting properties owing to the existence of the Fe magnetic ion. The trapped field was observed to increase significantly compared with the bulk without Gd2411 additions.     

Conversion of egg shell membrane to inorganic porous CexZr1−xO2 fibrous network

The binary system CeO₂–ZrO₂ is thermally stable and has superior reduction–oxidation properties. It has been commonly used in the three-way catalytic converters for automobiles. In this work, an inorganic biomorphic porous Ce_xZr_1−xO₂ fibrous network was successfully synthesized by using the egg shell membrane (ESM) as templates, and its morphology was a perfect replica of the original ESM. The synthesis involved a simple infiltration and calcination process. A fresh ESM was peeled from a chicken egg shell. It was soaked in a Ce(NO₃)₃ and Zr(NO₃)₄ mixture before it was calcined at 700 °C in ambient environment. The fibers in the biomorphic network had diameter ranged from 1 to 4 μm, and they were composed of Ce_xZr_1−xO₂ nanocrystallites having an average grain size of 10 nm.     

Structural properties and diffusion processes of the Cu3Au (0 0 1) surface

The surface relaxation and surface energy of both the mixed AuCu and pure Cu terminated Cu₃Au (0 0 1) surfaces are simulated and calculated by using the modified analytical embedded-atom method. We find that the mixed AuCu termination is energetically preferred over the pure Cu termination thereby the mono-vacancy diffusion is also investigated in the topmost few layers of the mixed AuCu terminated Cu₃Au (0 0 1) surface. In the mixed AuCu terminated surface the relaxed Au atoms are raised above Cu atoms for 0.13 Å in the topmost layer. All the surface atoms displace outwards, this effect occurs in the first three layers and changes the first two inter-layer spacing. For mono-vacancy migration in the first layer, the migration energies of Au and Cu mono-vacancy via two-type in-plane displace: the nearest neighbor jump (NNJ) and the second nearest neighbor jump (2NNJ), are calculated and the results show that the NNJ requires a much lower energy than 2NNJ. For the evolution of the energy requirements for successive nearest neighbor jumps (SNNJ) along three different paths: circularity, zigzag and beeline, we find that the circularity path is preferred over the other two paths due to its minimum energy barriers and final energies. In the second layer, the NN jumps in intra- and inter-layer of the Cu mono-vacancy are investigated. The calculated energy barriers and final energies show that the vacancy prefer jump up to a proximate Cu site. This replacement between the Cu vacancy in the second layer and Cu atom in the first layer is remunerative for the Au atoms enrichment in the topmost layer.     

Ab initio study of the chemical states of water on Cr2O3(0 0 0 1): From the isolated molecule to saturation coverage

The reactivity of the (0 0 0 1)-Cr–Cr₂O₃ surface towards water was studied by means of periodic DFT + U. Several water coverages were studied, from 1.2H₂O/nm² to 14.1H₂O/nm², corresponding to ¼, 1, 2 and 3 water/Cr at the (0 0 0 1)-Cr₂O₃ surface, respectively. With increasing coverage, water gradually completes the coordination sphere of the surface Cr atoms from 3 (dry surface) to 4 (1.2 and 4.7H₂O/nm²), 5 (9.4H₂O/nm²) and 6 (14.1H₂O/nm²). For all studied coverages, water replaces an O atom from the missing above plane. At coverages 1.2 and 4.7H₂O/nm², the Cr–O_s (surface oxygen) acid–base character and bond directionality govern the water adsorption. The adsorption is molecular at the lowest coverage. At 4.7H₂O/nm², molecular and dissociative states are isoenergetic. The activation energy barrier between the two states being as low as 12 kJ/mol, allowing protons exchanges between the OH groups, as evidenced by ab inito molecular dynamics at room temperature. At coverages of 9.4 and 14.1H₂O/nm², 1D- (respectively, 2D-) water networks are formed. The resulting surface terminations are –Cr(OH)₂ and –Cr(OH)₃– like, respectively. The increased stability of those terminations as compared to the previous ones are due to the stabilization of the adsorbed phase through a H-bond network and to the increase in the Cr coordination number, stabilizing the Cr (t_2g) orbitals in the valence band. An atomistic thermodynamic approach allows us to specify the temperature and water pressure domains of prevalence for each surface termination. It is found that the –Cr(OH)₃-like, –Cr(OH)₂ and anhydrous surfaces may be stabilized depending on (T, P) conditions. Calculated energies of adsorption and OH frequencies are in good agreement with published experimental data and support the full hydroxylation model, where the Cr achieves a 6-fold coordination, at saturation.