Quantitative determination of carbon on silver by Auger spectroscopy

The determination of carbon on silver is complicated by the superposition of the carbon Auger peak onto one of the silver peaks. In this work a method for the evaluation of the concentration of carbon atoms on the surface of silver samples is developed and discussed. This method is based on the variation of the silver peak profile, as a function of the carbon concentration. The intensity of the carbon Auger peak is calibrated by comparison with the chlorine Auger peak intensity corresponding to a known amount of chlorine atoms chemisorbed on silver.     

Chlorine monolayers on the low-index faces of silver

Chlorine chemisorption layers were obtained on the (100), (110) and (111) faces of silver single crystals by means of the reaction with dichloroethane. The structure and stability of the surface phases was studied mainly by LEED and Auger spectroscopy. On the (100) face, a c(2 × 2) superstructure was found at all coverages, which was interpreted as a reconstructed layer with a structure similar to that of the AgCl (100) planes. On the other two faces, different superstructures were observed, depending on the coverage. At low coverages, (2 × 1) and (√3 × √3)-R 30° superstructures were found on the (110) and (111) faces, respectively, which seem to be better interprétable as reconstructed layers. At maximum coverages, c(4 × 2) and (3 × 3) superstructures were observed respectively on the two faces. These phases were interpreted as mixed layers with a packing of the silver and chlorine atoms similar to that of the AgCl (111) planes. The proposed models are in agreement with the different thermal stabilities of the layers. The models of the maximum-coverage structures correspond to about the same chlorine amount on the three faces, in agreement with the Auger results. The structures are also discussed in relation to the known epitactic relations for the growth of AgCl on silver.     

Low-energy secondary emission from NiO(100)

The low-energy spectrum of secondary electrons emitted from the NiO(100) face has been investigated. The origin of the main features, at 8 and 12 eV, is discussed on the basis of their dependence on the temperature and the primary energy.     

Chemisorption of oxygen on the silver (110) surface

In the present work the interaction between oxygen and the silver (110) surface is investigated, mainly using LEED-Auger techniques and thermal desorption spectra. The formation and stability of adsorption layers is studied after exposures at pressures from 10^?3 to 1 torr. At maximum coverage, a (2 × 1) superstructure is formed which is stable up to the desorption temperature. At lower coverage, (3 × 1) and (4 × 1) superstructures are also observed. On the basis of the experimental evidence, tentative models for these structures are presented and discussed.     

Regularity of multivariate vector subdivision schemes

In this paper we discuss methods for investigating the convergence of multivariate vector subdivision schemes and the regularity of the associated limit functions. Specifically, we consider difference vector subdivision schemes whose restricted contractivity determines the convergence of the original scheme and describes the connection between the regularity of the limit functions of the difference subdivision scheme and the original subdivision scheme.     

Synthesis and coating of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles: a first step toward the obtainment of new magnetic nanocarriers

Monodisperse and stable cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4) nanoparticles (5.4 nm) have been produced, coated with mono- and difunctional phosphonic and hydroxamic acids, and fully characterized (using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic light scattering (DLS), IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) measurements). Cobalt leakage of the coated nanoparticles has been also studied. Magnetic measurements show the possible applications in hyperthermia at low frequencies, and for this reason, water-soluble coated CoFe2O4 can be seen as a first step toward the obtainment of novel systems for biomagnetic applications.     

The MAST-edge centred lumped scheme for the flow simulation in variably saturated heterogeneous porous media

A novel methodology is proposed for the solution of the flow equation in a variably saturated heterogeneous porous medium. The computational domain is descretized using triangular meshes and the governing PDEs are discretized using a lumped in the edge centres numerical technique. The dependent unknown variable of the problem is the piezometric head. A fractional time step methodology is applied for the solution of the original system, solving consecutively a prediction and a correction problem. A scalar potential of the flow field exists and in the prediction step a MArching in Space and Time (MAST) formulation is applied for the sequential solution of the Ordinary Differential Equation of the cells, ordered according to their potential value computed at the beginning of the time step. In the correction step, the solution of a large linear system with order equal to the number of edges is required. A semi-analytical procedure is also proposed for the solution of the prediction step. The computational performance, the order of convergence and the mass balance error have been estimated in several tests and compared with the results of other literature models.     

Exploring Oxidative NHC-Catalysis as Organocatalytic Polymerization Strategy towards Polyamide Oligomers

The polycondensation of diamines and dialdehydes promoted by an N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyst in the presence of a quinone oxidant and hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) is herein presented for the synthesis of oligomeric polyamides (PAs), which are obtained with a number-average molecular weight (M_n) in the range of 1.7–3.6 kg mol⁻¹ as determined by NMR analysis. In particular, the utilization of furanic dialdehyde monomers (2,5-diformylfuran, DFF; 5,5’-[oxybis(methylene)]bis[2-furaldehyde], OBFA) to access known and previously unreported biobased PAs is illustrated. The synthesis of higher molecular weight PAs (poly(decamethylene terephthalamide, PA10T, M_n = 62.8 kg mol⁻¹; poly(decamethylene 2,5-furandicarboxylamide, PA10F, M_n = 6.5 kg mol⁻¹) by a two-step polycondensation approach is also described. The thermal properties (TGA and DSC analyses) of the synthesized PAs are reported.     

Supercritical fluid extraction as a preparative tool for strawberry aroma analysis

To improve the aroma characterization of various strawberry cultivars, we tested supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) to determine its suitability for the extraction of aroma compounds from fresh fruit, comparing SFE results with traditional solvent extraction with dichloromethane. Using SFE it was possible to recover the majority of the aroma compounds which can be also found in the solvent extract; patterns related to variety and degree of maturation were preserved. Our results showed, however, that SFE is more selective and was able to recover the ‘character impact’ compound of wild strawberry. Our findings from the odor analysis of furaneol standard emphasize the importance of using a more selective extraction procedure, and always combining instrumental detection with sensory analysis.