SEM and XRF spectroscopy methods for studying and controlling the surface morphology of metal-polymer films

The surface morphology and the degree of porosity of metal-polymer films deposited by the electrolytic method are studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy. Mathematical processing is performed, and the structure of the sample surfaces is analyzed using images obtained in the mode of secondary-electron recording. The volume-packing coefficients for heterogeneous coatings are determined using the XRF analysis data. The dependence of the surface structure and volume-packing coefficient of copper in the film on the polymer type and the coating thickness is established.     

枢轨接触面形貌对电枢起动特性的影响

在脉冲大电流直线驱动装置中,电枢和轨道的接触状态会改变电枢起动特性,而电枢起动过程将直接影响整个发射系统的效率和寿命,因此有必要对电枢起始阶段的滑动接触状态进行研究。搭建发射实验平台,通过高速相机观察电枢起动状态,并结合有限元软件 ANSYS,对电枢的预紧力、初始接触状态以及电磁压力、电流密度进行仿真分析,研究电枢表面形貌对电枢起动的影响。结论表明：开槽电枢增加了电枢本身的柔顺性,使得预紧力增大,同时由于电流趋肤效应使得电流密度分布更加均匀,从而电磁压力增大,电枢起动变慢,接触电阻变小。实验和仿真结果对于改善电枢起动过程的接触状态,减轻烧蚀具有重要意义。

     

Polydisperse fluid in contact with a semipermeable membrane

Using density functional theory developed by Rosefeld, a model polydisperse fluid has been studied in contact with a membrane permeable to some components of the fluid. Calculations were carried out for three kinds of polydisperse fluid, each characterized by a different distribution of particle sizes. The structure of fluid has been evaluated on both sides of the membrane, plus the distribution of the particles in bulk fluid and in the surface layers. The adsorption and osmotic pressure in the system have been calculated.     

Fractal surface analysis of Zircaloy-4 SEM micrographs using the time-series method

The SEM microfractographies of Zircaloy-4 are studied by the time-series method. We first develop a computer application which associates a time series to each SEM micrograph. Furthermore, we will apply the phase space embedding technique to reconstruct the attractor and to compute the autocorrelation dimension. Using the fractal analysis technique, the SEM microfractographies of the fracture surface of the Zircaloy-4 samples have been analyzed.      

AFM and SEM investigation of a Zn-doped silicon surface

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with X-ray energy-dispersive microanalysis were used to investigate a silicon surface upon the decomposition of a super-saturated zinc solid solution in it. It was established that the created material was inhomogeneous and contained microdefects in the form of zinc precipitates that settled on dislocations or grain boundaries.     

The Ornstein-Zernike equation for a fluid in contact with a surface

(Molecular Physics, 1976, 31, 1291)     

Vibration of a flexible plate in contact with the free surface of a heavy liquid

Free vibration of a flexible plate floating on the free surface of a perfect incompressible finite-depth heavy liquid are studied. The problem is solved in the shallow water approximation. Conditions for the existence of discrete frequencies below the waveguide cutoff frequency and associated localized (nonpropagating) liquid vibration modes in the plate-liquid system are determined.     

XRD and SEM analysis of a laser-irradiated cadmium

A pulsed Nd:YAG laser (10 mJ, 12 ns, 1064 nm) was employed to study the IR irradiation effects on metallic samples of cadmium. The laser was irradiated for 100, 200, and 300 shots under a vacuum ～10^?3 Torr. The results were investigated using a Hi Tech S3000H Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X’pert Pro PANalytical X-ray Diffractometer (XRD). The micrographs obtained from SEM reveal that the surface morphological changes have occurred in the form of a crater. The forward expansion of plasma into an ambient gas coupled with the recondensation of the target surface results in the formation of debris. Large temperature gradients produce variations in the thermal resistance that leads to the distributed shape of the heat-affected zone. The hydrodynamic effects are apparent with a liquid flow to form the recast material around the periphery of the laser focal area. The turbulent resolidified material is formed when surface asperities are accelerated away from the liquid surface during each laser pulse due to melting followed by the thermal expansion of the liquid. The positive feed back of the repeated pulses resulted in the form of ripples. Grains appear on the surface as evidence of heterogeneous nucleation. The confirmation of the formation of these structures has been done by X-ray Diffractometer (XRD).     

Silicon surface morphology study after exposure to tailored femtosecond pulses

Temporal pulse shaping of ultrashort laser pulses has been used for laser ablation of semiconductors. Even the simplest double pulse sequence with a delay of several picoseconds shows remarkable differences in the interaction process, compared to a single pulse of the same total energy. We discuss the interaction of double pulses with single crystal silicon sample in the context of crater morphology for multiple pulses on the same spot. The growth of the typical columnar structures in helium at atmospheric pressure is suppressed and the crater bottom is flat despite the Gaussian beam profile. The influence of the temporal pulse shape has to be treated in conjunction with the influence of the other ablation parameters.     

Structural and dynamical aspects of water in contact with a hydrophobic surface

By means of molecular dynamics simulations we study the structure and dynamics of water molecules in contact with a model hydrophobic surface: a planar graphene-like layer. The analysis of the distributions of a local structural index indicates that the water molecules proximal to the graphene layer are considerably more structured than the rest and, thus, than the bulk. This structuring effect is lost in a few angstroms and is basically independent of temperature for a range studied comprising parts of both the normal liquid and supercooled states (240K to 320K). In turn, such structured water molecules present a dynamics that is slower than the bulk, as a consequence of their improved interactions with their first neighbors.     

High spatial resolution surface imaging and analysis of fungal cells using SEM and AFM

We review the use of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and force spectroscopy (FS) for probing the ultrastructure, chemistry, physical characteristics and motion of fungal cells. When first developed, SEM was used to image fixed/dehydrated/gold coated specimens, but here we describe more recent SEM developments as they apply to fungal cells. CryoSEM offers high resolution for frozen fungal samples, whereas environmental SEM allows the analysis of robust samples (e.g. spores) under ambient conditions. Dual beam SEM, the most recently developed, adds manipulation capabilities along with element detection. AFM has similar lateral and better depth resolution compared to SEM, and can image live cells including growing fungal hyphae. FS can analyze cell wall chemistry, elasticity and dynamic cell characteristics. The integration of AFM with optical microscopy will allow examination of individual molecules or cellular structures in the context of fungal cell architecture. SEM and AFM are complementary techniques that are clarifying our understanding of fungal biology.     

Periodic contact between piezoelectric materials and a rigid body with a wavy surface

An exact analysis is conducted for periodic, two-dimensional (2D) contact of piezoelectric materials in contact with a rigid body with a wavy surface pressed by uniform stresses at infinity. For three cases of eigenvalue distribution, three harmonic functions automatically satisfying the periodicity conditions are carefully constructed to facilitate the derivation of the solution of the considered problem. The stresses and electric displacements are obtained as infinite series. It is found that for the full contact case, the disturbance stress and electric displacement fields remain only the first harmonic which has the slowest decay in the y-direction. The convergence behaviours of the infinite series are checked, which shows that the external loading p and different positions have a great effect on the convergence behaviours of the infinite series and 400 terms are enough to get accurate solution at each position. Numerical results are presented to justify the validity of the present derivation and show the effect of the external loading on the contact behaviours.     

Neutralization of the effect of surface doping at a metal-semiconductor contact

A study is made of the volt-ampere and volt-faraday characteristics of metal-semiconductor contacts formed by the deposition of a number of metals (Al, In, Sn, Cu, Au) onto the surface of a semiconductor (GaAs, Si) subjected to preliminary doping by indium from a molecular beam in a vacuum. It is established that surface doping (SD), while considerably altering the charge and the work function of the free surface of the semiconductor, at the same time has hardly any effect on the properties of the contacts investigated. The deposition of a sublayer of SiO with a thickness of 6–30 Å onto the doped surface before the formation of the contact makes it possible to retain the SD effect even after the application of the contact. The disappearance of the SD effect when the metal is deposited in the absence of a sublayer of SiO is explained by the action of mirror-image forces and the field of the contact potential difference.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 3, pp. 131–134, March, 1977.     

3D ultrasound analysis of carotid plaque volume and surface morphology

Morphological characterization of carotid plaques has been used for risk stratification and evaluation of response to therapy, evaluation of new risk factors, genetic research, and for quantifying effects of new anti-atherosclerotic therapies. We developed a 3D US system that allows detailed studies of carotid plaques in 3D. Our software includes 3D reconstruction, viewing, manual and semi-automated segmentation of carotid plaques, and surface morphology analysis to be used for quantitative tracking of plaque changes. We evaluated our plaque quantification software by examining plaque volume measurement accuracy, variability, and plaque surface morphology. We used vascular test phantoms to study segmentation accuracy, and used 48 3D US carotid plaques of patients ranging in size from 13.2 mm(3) to 544.0 mm(3) to study plaque volume measurement variability. We compared results from the semi-automated plaque measurements to the results obtained from manual measurements, which were used as the "gold" standard. We developed a surface plaque morphology quantification technique based on the segmented plaque surface curvature and used it to analyze plaques. Accuracy of plaque volume measurements for the simulated plaques ranged from 4.2% to 1.5% for volumes ranging from 68.5 mm(3) to 286 mm(3). The variability study showed that coefficients of variation in the measurement of plaque volume decreased with increasing plaque size for both inter- (90.8-3.9%) and intra-observer (70.2-3.1%) measurements over the plaque sizes measured. Surface morphology analysis showed that 1 mm ulceration could be quantified and monitored for changes over time. The automated plaque quantification approach showed a little higher intra-observer variability than the manual technique, and its performance was better for segmenting the wall than the lumen. Our results indicate that our approach is sensitive tool and can be used in studies of plaque progression and regression as it relates to atherosclerosis treatment effects and can be used effectively in longitudinal studies for direct measurement carotid plaque volume.     

Prediction of contact angle on a microline patterned surface

The Cassie and Baxter’s equation has been modified to predict wetting phenomena on a microline patterned surface with the concept of effective solid-liquid interfacial energy. This interfacial energy was deduced from the total energy barrier at a metastable equilibrium and Helmholtz free energy. The contact angle predicted by the modified equation is reasonably close to the experimental data for the microline patterned surface.     

Spectral analysis on the surface molecular structure of modified polyvinylidene fluoride membrane

Taking advantage of Fourier transform infrared spectrum and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the researcher has conducted a contrastive research on the surface molecular structure of porous PVDF membrane before and after modification. Research results indicate that, though the C-F characteristic peak of the PVDF membrane still exists after modification, the peak is obviously flat, which indicates that the content of F atom decreases evidently; the results also indicate that hydroxyl characteristic peak is sharper, which indicates the content of O atom increases evidently. This proves that chemical binding force has been produced by chemical reactions on the surface of PVDF membrane during the modification. The coexistence of C-F functional group with C-OH one on the surface of PVDF membrane after modification proves that the surface features of the PVDF membrane have been successfully altered. Combination of Fourier transform infrared spectrum with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is proved an effective approach for analyzing the surface structure of the membrane.     

Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface morphology and performance of microporous PES membrane

PES-TiO₂ composite membranes were prepared via phase inversion by dispersing TiO₂ nanopaticles in PES casting solutions. The crystal structure, thermal stability, morphology, hydrophilicity, permeation performance, and mechanical properties of the composite membranes were characterized in detail. XRD, DSC and TGA results showed that the interaction existed between TiO₂ nanopaticles and PES and the thermal stability of the composite membrane had been improved by the addition of TiO₂ nanopaticles. As shown in the SEM images, the composite membrane had a top surface with high porosity at low loading amount of TiO₂, which was caused by the mass transfer acceleration in exposure time due to the addition of TiO₂ nanopaticles. At high loading amount of TiO₂, the skinlayer became much looser for a significant aggregation of TiO₂ nanopaticles, which could be observed in the composite membranes. EDX analysis also revealed that the nanoparticles distributed in membrane more uniformly at low loading amount. Dynamic contact angles indicated that the hydrophilicity of the composite membranes was enhanced by the addition of TiO₂ nanopaticles. The permeation properties of the composite membranes were significantly superior to the pure PES membrane and the mean pore size also increased with the addition amount of TiO₂ nanopaticles increased. When the TiO₂ content was 4%, the flux reached the maximum at 3711 L m⁻² h⁻¹, about 29.3% higher than that of the pure PES membrane. Mechanical test also revealed that the mechanical strength of composite membranes enhanced as the addition of TiO₂ nanopaticles.