Pressure dependence of space charge deposition in piezoelectric polymer foams: simulations and experimental verification

The piezoelectric activity of PQ-50 cellular polypropylene (PP) foam (an example of a so-called ferroelectret) is measured after repeated charging in a nitrogen atmosphere at a range of pressures between 61 and 381?kPa. The results are compared against simulations using a multilayer electromechanical model based on Townsend??s model of Paschen breakdown and a realistic distribution of void heights determined from scanning electron micrographs. The modeled piezoelectric coefficients versus pressure are in good agreement with experimental data when adjusted Paschen coefficients are used, indicating that the Paschen curve for electric breakdown in gases needs to be modified for dielectric barrier discharges in microcavities. The highest d ₃₃ coefficients were achieved for pressures above 251?kPa. For previously uncharged PP foam, the model predicts an optimal charging pressure of 186 kPa.     

Structural investigations of silicon nanostructures grown by self-organized island formation for photovoltaic applications

The self-organized growth of crystalline silicon nanodots and their structural characteristics are investigated. For the nanodot synthesis, thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers with different thicknesses have been deposited onto the ultrathin (2 nm) oxidized (111) surface of Si wafers by electron beam evaporation under ultrahigh vacuum conditions. The solid phase crystallization of the initial layer is induced by a subsequent in situ annealing step at 700 °C, which leads to the dewetting of the initial a-Si layer. This process results in the self-organized formation of highly crystalline Si nanodot islands. Scanning electron microscopy confirms that size, shape, and planar distribution of the nanodots depend on the thickness of the initial a-Si layer. Cross-sectional investigations reveal a single-crystalline structure of the nanodots. This characteristic is observed as long as the thickness of the initial a-Si layer remains under a certain threshold triggering coalescence. The underlying ultra-thin oxide is not structurally affected by the dewetting process. Furthermore, a method for the fabrication of close-packed stacks of nanodots is presented, in which each nanodot is covered by a 2 nm thick SiO₂ shell. The chemical composition of these ensembles exhibits an abrupt Si/SiO₂ interface with a low amount of suboxides. A minority charge carrier lifetime of 18 µs inside of the nanodots is determined.     

Dipole driven bonding schemes of quinonoid zwitterions on surfaces

The permanent dipole of quinonoid zwitterions changes significantly when the molecules adsorb on Ag(111) and Cu(111) surfaces. STM reveals that sub-monolayers of adsorbed molecules can exhibit parallel dipole alignment on Ag(111), in strong contrast with the antiparallel ordering prevailing in the crystalline state and retrieved on Cu(111) surfaces, which minimizes the dipoles electrostatic interaction energy. DFT shows that the rearrangement of electron density upon adsorption is a result of donation from the molecular HOMO to the surface, and back donation to the LUMO with a concomitant charge transfer that effectively reduces the overall charge dipole.     

Modeling ammonia oxidation over a Pt (533) surface

We present a new reaction model for ammonia oxidation on a Pt (533) surface and perform numerical simulations using mean field equations. Kinetic parameters were taken from experiments and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations. The model is based on an oxygen-activated ammonia decomposition and includes NHx (x = 0, 1, 2) intermediates. Reaction rates and coverages obtained from calculations show semiquantitative agreement with values from kinetic and in-situ XPS measurements up to 0.1 mbar pressures. Pathways for ammonia oxidation were analyzed by varying kinetic parameters in the model, which provides new insights into the relative importance of different reaction steps.     

Widely-tunable mid-infrared frequency comb source based on difference frequency generation

We report on a mid-IR frequency comb source of unprecedented tunability covering the entire 3-10 μm molecular fingerprint region. The system is based on difference frequency generation in a GaSe crystal pumped by a 151 MHz Yb:fiber frequency comb. The process was seeded with Raman-shifted solitons generated in a highly nonlinear suspended-core fiber with the same source. Average powers up to 1.5 mW were achieved at the 4.7 μm wavelength.     

Synthesis of polysaccharide-b-PEG block copolymers by oxime click

The oxime click reaction is shown to be a straightforward methodology for the synthesis of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-polysaccharide diblock copolymers. The method is applicable to unmodified polysaccharides with a reductive end as demonstrated for dextran, hyaluronic acid and chitosan. Notably the oxime click reaction is applied for the first time to the end modification of polysaccharides.