Photoluminescence and optical absorption properties of silicon quantum dots embedded in Si-rich silicon nitride matrices

Silicon nitride (SiN_x) films were prepared with a gas mixture of SiH₄ and NH₃ on Si wafers using the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) method. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and infrared absorption have been used to reveal the existence of the Si quantum dots (Si QDs) and to determine the chemical composition of the silicon nitride layers. The optical properties of these structures were studied by photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and indicate that emission mechanisms are dominated by confined excitons within Si QDs. The peak position of PL could be controlled in the wavelength range from 1.5 to 2.2 eV by adjusting the flow rates of ammonia and silane gases. Absorbance spectra obtained in the transmission mode reveal optical absorption from Si QDs, which is in good correlation with PL properties. These results have implications for future nanomaterial deposition controlling and device applications.     

Cross sections of spallation residues produced in 1A GeV 208Pb on proton reactions

Spallation residues produced in 1 GeV per nucleon 208Pb on proton reactions have been studied using the Fragment Separator facility at GSI. Isotopic production cross sections of elements from 61Pm to 82Pb have been measured down to 0.1 mb with a high accuracy. The recoil kinetic energies of the produced fragments were also determined. The obtained cross sections agree with most of the few existing gamma-spectroscopic data. The data are compared with different intranuclear-cascade and evaporation-fission models. Drastic deviations were found for a standard code used in technical applications.     

Remarks on the Formulation of the Cosmological Constant/Dark Energy Problems

Associated with the cosmic acceleration are the old and new cosmological constant problems, recently put into the more general context of the dark energy problem. In broad terms, the old problem is related to an unexpected order of magnitude of this component while the new problem is related to this magnitude being of the same order of the matter energy density during the present epoch of cosmic evolution. Current plans to measure the equation of state or density parameters certainly constitute an important approach; however, as we discuss, this approach is faced with serious feasibility challenges and is limited in the type of conclusive answers it could provide. Therefore, is it really too early to seek actively for new tests and approaches to these problems? In view of the difficulty of this endeavor, we argue in this work that a good place to start is by questioning some of the assumptions underlying the formulation of these problems and finding new ways to put this questioning to the test. First, we calculate how much fine tuning the cosmic coincidence problem represents. Next, we discuss the potential of some cosmological probes such as weak gravitational lensing to identify novel tests to probe dark energy questions and assumptions and provide an example of consistency tests. Then, motivated by some theorems in General Relativity, we discuss if the full identification of the cosmological constant with vacuum energy is unquestionable. We discuss some implications of the simplest solution for the principles of General Relativity. Also, we point out the relevance of experiments at the interface of astrophysics and quantum field theory, such as the Casimir effect in gravitational and cosmological contexts. We conclude that challenging some of the assumptions underlying the cosmological constant problems and putting them to the test may prove useful and necessary to make progress on these questions.     

Inhibition efficiency and adsorption mechanism of 4-aminobenzoic acid for copper corrosion in nitric acid medium: a combined experimental and theoretical investigation

Structural Chemistry - A combined experimental and theoretical study is presented to predict and analyze the inhibition efficiency and adsorption mechanism of 4-aminobenzoic acid molecule for...     

Multidentate ligands for the synthesis of multi-metallic complexes

The reaction of the Schiff base species tris-((2-hydroxybenzylidene)aminoethyl)-amine (TrenSal) and tris-((2-hydroxy-5-bromobenzylidene)aminoethyl)amine (Tren5BrSal) with the acetates of nickel and zinc are reported. Two trimetallic complexes (M₃L₂) of Tren5BrSal with nickel and zinc have been crystallographically characterised. The attempted crystallisation of bis-(tris-((2-hydroxybenzylidene)aminoethyl)amine nickel) nickel from solutions containing TMEDA lead to the production of two novel complexes: namely a nickel adduct of the partially hydrolysed TrenSal ligand and an interesting nickel bromide–carbonate salt. [(TrenSal)₂Ni₃] is reacted with PbCl₂ to form a novel tetrametallic complex, [{(TrenSal)Ni}Pb(NC₅H₅)Cl]₂, where a Pb₂Cl₂ moiety replaces the nickel at the core of the complex. Extending the study to include the related hexadentate ligand, 1,1,1-tris-((2-hydroxybenzylidene)-aminomethyl)propane (TEtSal), we were able to isolate and characterise both [(TEtSal)₂Ni₃] and [{(TEtSal)Ni}₂Pb].     

Pharmazeutische Pr?parate

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Synthesis of new azo compounds based on N-(4-hydroxypheneyl)maleimide and N-(4-methylpheneyl)maleimide

Maleic anhydride was reacted with p-aminophenol and p-toluidine in the presence of di-phosphorus pentoxide (P?O?) as a catalyst to produce two compounds: N-(4-hydroxy-phenyl)maleimide (I) and N-(4-methylphenyl)maleimide (II). The new azo compounds I(a-c) and II(a-c) were prepared by the reaction of I and II with three different aromatic amines, namely aniline, p-aminophenol and p-toluidine. The structures of these compounds were confirmed by CHN, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR, mass spectrum and UV/Vis spectroscopy.     

Antibody immobilization on gold nanoparticles coated layer-by-layer with polyelectrolytes

Nanoscale materials are used in the biomedical field for magnetic resonance imaging, protein detection and drug/gene delivery. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are particularly investigated in cancer treatment and imaging. In this study, we described a simple and reliable liquid method to coat AuNPs (diameter: 21 nm) layer-by-layer with alternative cationic polyallylamine and anionic polystyrenesulfonate. The C-terminal amino acid of the antibody directed against anti-bovine serum albumin was activated by EDC/NHS, and then condensed with the amino functions of the external polyallylamine layer. An ELISA test confirmed that the antigen recognition of the bioconjugate antibody was conserved. This AuNP coating and the covalently coupling could be used as a generic process for binding other specific antibodies, particularly those overexpressed in cancer cells and angiogenesis.     

On Some Measure Convolution Operators in Neutron Transport Theory

We show how some fundamental spectral properties of neutron transport semigroups in L ^p spaces (1<p<+∞), such as stability of essential spectra or critical spectra and related results, can be inferred from the study of two measure convolution operators on  \(\mathbb{R}^{n}\) .