Exact ground states of a frustrated 2D magnet: deconfined fractional excitations at a first-order quantum phase transition

We introduce a frustrated spin 1/2 Hamiltonian which is an extension of the two dimensional J1-J2 Heisenberg model. The ground states of this model are exactly obtained at a first-order quantum phase transition between two valence bond crystals. At this point, the low energy excitations are deconfined spinons and spin-charge separation occurs under doping in the limit of low concentration of holes. In addition, this point is characterized by the proliferation of topological defects.     

FTIR study of the ethanol electrooxidation on Pt(100) modified by osmium nanodeposits

In the present work, ethanol electrooxidation on a Pt(100) electrode modified by different coverage degrees of osmium nanoislands obtained by spontaneous depositions, was extensively studied employing in situ FTIR spectroscopy. A collection of spectra of the ethanol adsorption and oxidation processes was acquired during the first series of a positive potential step, to determine the intermediate species, as well as the main products formed. The spectroscopic results obtained were correlated with conventional electrochemical results obtained by cyclic voltammetry. It was shown that the catalytic activity of Pt(100) for ethanol oxidation increases significantly after osmium deposition and that the mechanistic pathway for this reaction depends directly on the osmium coverage degree. Thus, for low osmium coverage (theta;( Os) up to 0.15) the formation of CO as an intermediate was favored and hence the full oxidation of adsorbed ethanol to CO(2) was increased. For higher osmium coverages (theta;(Os) up to 0.33), the higher the coverage is, the more the direct ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde and acetic acid is favored. For osmium coverage degree of 0.40, the catalytic activity of the electrode for ethanol oxidation decreased. On an almost complete osmium layer (theta;(Os) = 0.92) obtained by electrodeposition at 50 mV vs reversible hydrogen electrode, the catalytic activity for ethanol oxidation shows a much lower value.     

Vinyl acetate formation by the reaction of ethylene with acetate species on oxygen-covered Pd(111)

The reaction pathway of vinyl acetate synthesis is scrutinized by reacting gas-phase ethylene (at an effective pressure of 1 x 10-4 Torr) with eta2-acetate species (with a coverage of 0.31 +/- 0.02 monolayer) on a Pd(111)-O(2x2) model catalyst surface in ultrahigh vacuum. It is found that the 1414 cm-1 infrared feature due to the symmetric OCO stretching mode of the acetate species decreases in intensity due to reaction with gas-phase ethylene, while temperature-programmed desorption experiments demonstrate that vinyl acetate is formed. The formation of ethylidyne species is detected when almost all of the acetate species have been removed. The experimental removal kinetics are reproduced by a model in which adsorbed acetates react with an ethylene-derived (possibly ethylene or vinyl) species, where ethylene adsorption is blocked by the acetate present on the surface.     

Phonon density of states and compression behavior in iron sulfide under pressure

We report the partial phonon densities of states (DOS) of iron sulfide, a possible component of the rocky planet's core, measured by the 57Fe nuclear resonant inelastic x-ray scattering and calculate the total phonon DOS under pressure. From the phonon DOS, we drive thermodynamic parameters. A comparison of the observed and estimated compressibilities makes it clear that there is a large pure electronic contribution in the observed compressibility in the metallic state. Our results present the observation of thermodynamic parameters of iron sulfide with the low-spin state of an Fe2+ ion at the high density, which is similar to the condition of the Martian core.     

Accurate sensitivity in optically preamplified direct detection

We present a novel model for calculating the bit error rate in optical communication systems in the case of on-off keying intensity modulation and optically preamplified direct detection. The model accounts for the intersymbol interference and is based on the Laguerre photon-count probability distribution predicted by photodetection theory. For a non-return-to-zero modulation format an accurate value of the sensitivity for a quantum-limited receiver of 33.9 photons/bit is obtained.     

Silicon polypodands: powerful metal cation complexing agents and solid-liquid phase-transfer catalysts of new generation

Silicon polypodands 5-7 are found to be powerful complexing agents of alkali metal salts in low polarity solvents and very efficient catalysts in anion-promoted reactions under solid-liquid PTC conditions. The catalytic activity is comparable with that of the cyclic polyether PHDB18C6 8.     

Mechanochemical preparation of hydrogen-bonded adducts between the diamine 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane and dicarboxylic acids of variable chain length: an X-ray diffraction and solid-state NMR study

Mechanical mixing of solid dicarboxylic acids of variable chain length HOOC(CH(2))(n)COOH (n = 1-7) with solid 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane generates the corresponding salts or co-crystals of the formula [N(CH(2)CH(2))(3)N]-H-[OOC(CH(2))(n)COOH] (n=1-7). Preparation of the same systems from solution has been instrumental for a full characterization of the mechanochemical products by means of single-crystal and powder-diffraction X-ray analyses, as well as by solid-state NMR. The acid-base adducts, whether involving proton transfer from the COOH group to the N-acceptor, that is having ((-))O...H-N((+)) interactions, or the formation of neutral O-H...N hydrogen bonds, show a melting point alternation phenomenon analogous to that shown by the neutral carboxylic acids. The carbon chemical shift tensors of the COOH group obtained from the sideband intensity of low speed spinning NMR spectra provide a reliable criterion for assigning the protonation state of the adducts.     

Thermal behavior of in vitro mineralized anionic collagen matrices

In the present study porcine skin and bovine pericardium were used as a source of type I collagen. Both were submitted to an alkaline treatment and mineralized by the alternate soaking method. Thermal stability and extent of mineralization have been investigated using DSC and TG. After alkaline hydrolysis there is a decrease in thermal stability but mineralization stabilizes collagen structure. Thermogravimetric data have shown that the amount of hydroxyapatite present in bovine pericardium matrix (45%) was greater than on porcine skin matrix (20%). Presence of hydroxyapatite was confirmed by EDX.     

Iron Species Present in Fe/ZSM-5 Catalysts – Influence of the Preparation Method

The Fe species present in Fe/ZSM-5 catalysts prepared by ionic exchange in aqueous solution or in the solid state are investigated. The samples were characterized by XRD, EPR, Mössbauer Spectroscopy (MOS-S) and chemical analysis. XRD showed that the peak intensity decreased with the increase in Fe content in the samples. EPR and MOS-S showed that the Fe atoms in all the activated samples appear as Fe⁺³, independently of the method used in the catalyst preparation. The MOS-S data also showed that Fe/ZSM-5, prepared by ion exchange in the solid state presented lower hematite content and more Fe species in charge-compensation sites, the responsible for the catalytic activity, as confirmed by the behavior in the propane oxidation.     

On the plane problem of the flow around a submerged beam

We consider the problem of the steady flow of an ideal heavy fluid around a submerged beam. The problem is obtained from the free-boundary problem of the flow past a submerged obstacle in the limit of bodies of vanishing thickness. We introduce a special Sobolev space formulation of the problem in term of a perturbed stream function and prove its unique solvability for every value of the unperturbed flow velocity, with the possible exception of a discrete set depending on the geometry of the domain. The asymptotic properties of the solutions are discussed.