The effect of annealing on the surface morphology of strained and unstrained InxAl1−xN thin films

In_xAl_1−xN is a particularly useful group-III nitride alloy because by adjusting its composition it can be lattice matched to GaN. Such lattice-matched layers may find application in distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). However, compared with other semiconducting nitride alloys, In_xAl_1-xN has not been researched extensively. In this study, thin In_xAl_1−xN epilayers were grown by metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) on GaN and Al_yGa_1−yN layers. Samples were subjected to annealing at their growth temperature of 790 °C for varying lengths of time, or alternatively to a temperature ramp to 1000 °C. Their subsequent surface morphologies were analysed by atomic force microscopy (AFM). For both unstrained In_xAl_1−xN epilayers grown on GaN and compressively strained epilayers grown on Al_yGa_1−yN, surface features and fissures were seen to develop as a consequence of thermal treatment, resulting in surface roughening. It is possible that these features are caused by the loss of In-rich material formed on spinodal decomposition. Additionally, trends seen in the strained In_xAl_1−xN layers may suggest that the presence of biaxial strain stabilises the alloy by suppressing the spinode and shifting it to higher indium compositions.     

Rapid nanoscale quantitative analysis of plant sphingolipid long-chain bases by GC-MS

In eukaryotic organisms, sphingolipids are major structural lipids of biological membranes and perform additional essential functions as signalling molecules. While long-chain bases (LCB), the common precursor to all sphingolipid classes, is represented by only one major molecular species in animals and fungi, up to nine LCB have been found in plants. In the absence of genuine plant sphingolipid references required for proper quantification, we have reinvestigated and optimized a protocol destined to the quantification of total plant LCB that relies on the use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). This rapid three-step protocol sequentially involves (1) the release of LCB from biological samples using barium hydroxide solution, (2) their oxidation into aldehydes by metaperiodate, and (3) the subsequent identification/quantification of these aldehydes by GC-MS. It is simple and reliable and enables separation of aldehydes upon their stero-specificity. It further enables the quantification of total LCB from a wide variety of samples including yeast and animal cell cultures.     

Copper catalyst activation driven by photoinduced electron transfer: a prototype photolatent click catalyst

PET cat. While the copper(II) tren ketoprofenate precatalyst 1 (see picture) is inactive at room temperature in methanol, it is quantitatively and rapidly reduced to its cuprous state upon light irradiation to provide a highly reactive click catalyst. By simply introducing air into the reaction medium the catalysis can be switched off and then switched on again by bubbling argon followed by irradiation.     

A novel stereoselective one-pot conversion of alcohols into alkyl halides mediated by N,N'-diisopropylcarbodiimide

Alcohols can be converted in high yields to the corresponding alkyl halides in a one-pot procedure via the corresponding O-alkylisourea; very short reaction times are possible when microwave irradiation is used.     

Synthesis of pulvinones via tandem Dieckmann condensation-alkoxide β-elimination

A series of pulvinones were prepared in three steps from a common precursor, methyl 3-phenylglycidate. This compound was readily converted to several diesters containing an ether function. Then, treatment of these compounds with lithium hexamethyldisilazide afforded the corresponding pulvinones, via tandem Dieckmann condensation-alkoxide β-elimination. The use of a 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl ether instead of a methyl ether facilitated the β-elimination and led to better yields of product.     

Semiclassical spectral estimates for Schrödinger operators at a critical energy level. Case of a degenerate minimum of the potential

We study the semi-classical trace formula at a critical energy level for a Schrödinger operator on Rn. We assume here that the potential has a totally degenerate critical point associated to a local minimum. The main result, which computes the contribution of this equilibrium, is valid for all time in a compact and establishes the existence of a total asymptotic expansion whose top order coefficient depends only on the germ of the potential at the critical point.     

Convolutions of semi-classical spectral distributions and periodic-orbit theory

We study the convolution of semi-classical spectral distributions associated to h-pseudodifferential operators on Rn. Under standard assumptions the micro-support of this object can be characterized via families of periodic orbits correlated simultaneously by energy and periods. When all the orbits are non-degenerate the convolution admits, as h tends to 0, an explicit asymptotic expansion in term of the respective dynamical systems. In this setting, this result validates the theory of orbits pairs used by physicists in quantum chaos. Some new contributions, related to the crossing of the period functions, are also analyzed.     

Racemic DNA Crystallography

Racemates increase the chances of crystallization by allowing molecular contacts to be formed in a greater number of ways. With the advent of protein synthesis, the production of protein racemates and racemic‐protein crystallography are now possible. Curiously, racemic DNA crystallography had not been investigated despite the commercial availability of L ‐ and D ‐deoxyribo‐oligonucleotides. Here, we report a study into racemic DNA crystallography showing the strong propensity of racemic DNA mixtures to form racemic crystals. We describe racemic crystal structures of various DNA sequences and folded conformations, including duplexes, quadruplexes, and a four‐way junction, showing that the advantages of racemic crystallography should extend to DNA.     

Definition and measurement of the normalized electrical impedance of lossy piezoelectric resonators for ultrasonic transducers

Relevant equivalent circuit parameters and values of material constants of a piezoelectric resonator can be determined from measurements of its electrical input impedance as a function of frequency. The complex electrical impedance curves and the associated critical frequencies are the basis of this characterization by the piezoelectric resonance method. In this paper, the previously introduced concept of normalized electrical impedance of the lossy resonator, extended to include piezoelectric losses, is applied to the analysis of the effects of different types of intrinsic losses on peak values, bandwidths and characteristic frequencies. The resulting impedance patterns depend solely on the electromechanical coupling coefficient and the loss tangents, providing a useful tool for the analysis of low-Q resonators. The normalized impedance is experimentally evaluated from the basic data provided by an HP 4194A impedance analyser by means of specifically developed ASP programs.