UV assisted low temperature nitridation and post deposition oxidation technique for hafnium oxide gate dielectric

An evaluation of a low temperature method (∼400 °C) for synthesis of nitrogen incorporated hafnia gate dielectric has been reported. This method is based on metal film growth in ammonia ambient and subsequent oxidation under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy confirmed the presence of nitrided interface layer with a thickness of ∼12 ?. Equivalent oxide thickness values of around 11.5 ? and leakage current densities lower than 1 × 10⁻⁴ A/cm² at an operation voltage (−1 V) were achieved. The post deposition ultraviolet oxidation process was performed to check the interface oxidation resistance. The interface growth rate showed that as the interface bonding characteristics changed from Si-N to Si-O predominant bonding system of nitrogen incorporated films, the activation energy for oxygen diffusion changed from 18.0 kJ/mol to 9.8 kJ/mol and the activation energy of undoped hafnia films was 2.3 kJ/mol in every growth region.     

Thallation of fluorenes: A kinetic and mechanistic study

The kinetics of thallation of fluorene with thallium triacetate (TTA) in HOAc-H₂SO₄ solutions led to the rate expression The rate of thallation is found to increase with increasing acid concentration, and a sixth-order dependence on [H₂SO₄] is observed. Decrease in solvent polarity increases the rate of thallation. The effect of substituents is in accord with the electrophilic substitution at an aromatic system. Thallation occurs at 4-position. A mechanism similar to aromatic bromination is proposed for the thallation of fluorene.     

Generalised potential for computing classical turning points of molecular oscillators

Expressions for classical turning points of the molecular oscillator are derived using a generalised first-order potential. Equivalence of the potential is established with results derived from the Morse, Dunham, and RKR potentials wwhen the energy is a quadratic function of the vibrational quantum number.     

Nonlinear Normal Modes in a System with Nonholonomic Constraints

We investigate the dynamics of a system involving the planar motionof a rigid body which is restrained by linear springs and whichpossesses a skate-like nonholonomic constraint known as aplygin'ssleigh. It is shown that the system can be reduced to one with 2 degrees of freedom. The resulting phase flow is shownto involve a curve of nonisolated equilibria. Using second-orderaveraging, the system is shown to possess two families of nonlinearnormal modes (NNMs). Each NNM involves two amplitude parameters.The structure of the NNMs is shown to depart from the generic formin the neighborhood of a 1:1 internal resonance.     

Rapid ring‐opening polymerization of 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one initiated by titanium alkoxides

Ring‐opening polymerization of 1,4‐dioxan‐2‐one in bulk was initiated by three titanium alkoxides, titanium dichlorodiisopropoxide (TiCl₂(OiPr)₂), titanium chlorotriisopropoxide (TiCl(OiPr)₃), and titanium tetraisopropoxide (Ti(OiPr)₄). The results indicate that the polymerization rate increased with number of OiPr groups in the initiator. High conversion of monomer (90%) and high molecular weight (11.9 × 10⁴ g/mol) of resulting polymer can be achieved in only 5 min at 60 °C with Ti(OiPr)₄ as an initiator. Analysis on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra suggests the initiating sites for TiCl₂(OiPr)₂, TiCl(OiPr)₃, and Ti(OiPr)₄ to be 1.9, 2.6, and 3.8, respectively. Coordination‐insertion mechanism for the polymerization via cleavage of the acyl–oxygen bonds of the monomer was proved by NMR investigation. Kinetic studies indicate that polymerization initiated by Ti(OiPr)₄ followed a first‐order kinetics, with an apparent activation energy of 33.7 kJ/mol. It is noteworthy that this value is significantly lower than earlier reported values with other catalysts, namely La(OiPr)₃ (50.5 kJ/mol) and Sn(Oct)₂ (71.8 kJ/mol), which makes it an attractive catalyst for reactive extrusion polymerization. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2010     

Inhibitive action of <Emphasis Type=Italic>Clematis gouriana</Emphasis> extract on the corrosion of mild steel in acidic medium

The inhibitive action of Clematis gouriana (CG) on mild steel (MS) corrosion in 1.0 M HCl solution was studied. Inhibition efficiency of CG was carried out by using various weight loss methods, potentiodynamic polarisation, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Inhibition efficiencies of up to 95.70% for CG can be obtained. Adsorption of CG on the MS surface was found to obey the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Free energy of adsorption calculated from the temperature studies revealed the possibility of both chemisorptions and physisorption. The adsorbed film on the MS surface containing the CG inhibitor was also characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive spectrum. The possible active ingredient responsible for the anticorrosion effect is identified as aporphine alkaloid which is isolated and screened for the anticorrosion effect using electrochemical studies. The possible mode of corrosion inhibition of aporphine alkaloid is also derived using FTIR studies.     

N‐Arylation of Heterocycles with Chloro‐ and Fluoroarenes using Resin‐Supported Sulfonato‐Cu(salen) Complex

Sulfonato‐Cu(salen) complex immobilized onto a Merrifield's resin was found to be an efficient catalyst for the N‐arylation of heterocycles with electron‐withdrawing hloro‐ and fluoroarenes. The reactions were carried out in the presence of an inexpensive mild base, K₂CO₃, and N‐arylated compounds were obtained in good to excellent yields. The catalyst was recovered by simple filtration and reused for three cycles with almost consistent activity.     

Parameterless discrete Painlevé equations and their Miura relations

We present a study of discrete Painlevé equations which do not have any parameter, apart from those that can be removed by the appropriate scaling. We find four basic equations of this type as well as several more related to the basic ones by Miura transformations, which we derive explicitly. We obtain also the continuous limits of the basic parameterless equations and show that two of them are the discrete analogues of both the continuous Painlevé I and the zero-parameter Painlevé III.     

Effect of inorganic metal ion impurities on lyoluminescence

It is observed that the intensity of lyoluminescence (LL) (the emission during the dissolution of irradiated crystals) is considerably enhanced in the presence of certain transition metal ions in low concentration, while the LL is quenched due to the presence of certain other transition metal ions. A detailed investigation is carried out to understand the effect of these metal ions and probable mechanisms are proposed.