Characterization of silicon nanowires grown on silicon, stainless steel and indium tin oxide substrates

Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) have been grown on crystalline silicon (Si), indium tin oxide (ITO) and stainless steel (SS) substrates using a gold catalyst coating with a thickness of 200 nm via pulsed plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PPECVD). Their morphological, mineralogical and surface characteristics have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman analysis. SiNWs growth is accompanied by oxidation, thus yielding partially (SiO _x ) and fully oxidized (SiO₂) Si sheaths. The mean diameters of these SiNWs range from 140 to 185 nm. Si with (111) and (220) planes exists in SiNWs grown on all three substrates while Si with a (311) plane is detected only for Si and ITO substrates. Computational simulation using density functional theory (DFT) has also been conducted to supplement the experimental Raman analyses for crystalline Si and SiO₂. XPS results reveal that ca. 30 % of the SiNWs have been oxidized for all substrates. The results presented in this paper can be used to aid selection of appropriate substrates for SiNW growth, depending on specific applications.     

A multianalytical approach to investigate stone biodeterioration at a UNESCO world heritage site: the volcanic rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Northern Ethiopia

A multianalytical approach combining Optical Microscopy (OM), Backscattered Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscopy + Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (VP-BSEM + EDS), Powder X-ray Diffractometry (PXRD), Raman Spectroscopy, and Microbiological techniques has been applied to characterize decay products and processes occurring at the surface of two rock-hewn churches (Bete Gyorgis and Bete Amanuel) at the UNESCO’s World Heritage site of Lalibela, Northern Ethiopia. The two churches were carved into volcanic scoria deposits of basaltic composition. In their geological history, the Lalibela volcanic rocks underwent late to post-magmatic hydrothermal alteration together with partial laterization and are therefore characterized by a decay-prone highly vesicular microtexture with late stage to post-magmatic precipitation of secondary mineral phases (calcite–zeolite–smectite). The main objective of the study was to gain a better insight into the weathering products and mechanisms affecting the surface of the stone monuments and to assess the relative contribution of natural “geological” weathering processes versus biological/salt attack in stone decay at this unique heritage site. Results indicate that while the main cause of bulk rock deterioration and structural failure could be related to the stone inherited “geological” features, biological attack by micro- (bacteria) and/or macro- (lichens) organisms is currently responsible for severe stone surface physical and chemical weathering leading to significant weakening of the stone texture and to material loss at the surface of the churches walls. A prompt and careful removal of the biological patinas with the correct biocidal treatment is therefore recommended.     

Protonolysis of the Hg-C bond of chloromethylmercury and dimethylmercury. A DFT and QTAIM study

Possible mechanisms for degrading chloromethylmercury (CH(3)HgCl) and dimethylmercury [(CH3)2Hg] involving thiol and ammonium residues were investigated by DFT and atoms-in-molecules (QTAIM) calculations. Using H2S and HS- as models for thiol and thiolate groups RSH and RS-, respectively, we obtained transition states and energy barriers for possible decomposition routes to Hg(SH)2 based on a model proposed by Moore and Pitts (Moore, M. J.; Distefano, M. D.; Zydowsky, L. D.; Cummings, R. T.; Walsh, C. T. Acc. Chem. Res. 1990, 23, 301. Pitts, K. E.; Summers, A. O. Biochemistry 2002, 41, 10287). Demethylation was found to be a multistep process that involved initial substitution of Cl- by RS-. We found that successive coordination of Hg with thiolates leads to increased negative charge on the methyl group and facilitates the protonolysis of the Hg-C bond by H-SH. This was also found to be the case for (CH3)2Hg. We found that NH4(+) readily protonolyzes the Hg-C bond of these thiolate complexes, suggesting that ammonium residues of protonated amino acids might also act as effective proton donors.     

Toward the molecular flashlight: preparation,properties, and photophysics of a hypericin-luciferin tethered molecule

The synthesis of a molecule containing hypericin and luciferin moieties joined by a tether is reported. The light-induced (in vitro) antiviral activity as well as the photophysical properties of this new compound are measured and compared with those of the parent compounds, hypericin and pseudohypericin. This tethered molecule exhibits excited-state behavior that is very similar to that of its parent compounds and antiviral activity that is identical, within experimental error, to that of its more closely related parent compound, pseudohypericin. The implications for a photodynamic therapy that is independent of external light sources are discussed.     

The Extraction of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Atmospheric Particulate Matter Samples by Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE)

Abstract

The Accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) of PAHs (23 2- to 6-ring species) spiked onto glass fibre filters (GFFs) was studied as a function of variable extraction solvents, pressure, temperature and extraction times. Acceptable recoveries (85% ± 15%) were obtained for certain combinations of conditions and a tentative method (1500 psi, 150°C, 70:30 hexane:acetone mixture, 7 min heat-up time, 5 min static extraction time, 60% flush volume, 2 static cycles was selected for further testing. However, this method did not prove as effective as the traditional Soxhlet method of extraction when these parameters were used to extract native PAHs from ambient atmospheric particulate matter collected on a GFF by Integrated Atmospheric Deposition Network (IADN) sampling protocols. The extraction recovery study for spiked GFFs was repeated using slightly different extraction conditions: 2000 psi, 100°C, 70:30 hexane:acetone, 5 min heat-up time, 5 min static extraction time, 150% flush volume, 3 static cycles. When this method was applied to the extraction of native PAHs from ambient atmospheric particulate matter collected on GFFs, the results showed equivalent or better recoveries to that of the Soxhlet method. The total time of extraction was 25 min requiring only 30 mL of solvent. This ASE method is presently used to quantitatively determine PAHs in IADN particle-phase samples.     

Diffusion of Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein in Living OLN-93 Cells Investigated by Raster-Scanning Image Correlation Spectroscopy (RICS)

Many membrane proteins and lipids are partially confined in substructures ranging from tens of nanometers to micrometers in size. Evidence for heterogeneities in the membrane of oligodendrocytes, i.e. the myelin-producing cells of the central nervous system, is almost exclusively based on detergent methods. However, as application of detergents can alter the membrane phase behaviour, it is important to investigate membrane heterogeneities in living cells. Here, we report on the first investigations of the diffusion behavior of the myelin-specific protein MOG (myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein) in OLN-93 as studied by the recently developed RICS (raster-scanning image correlation spectroscopy) technique. We implemented RICS on a standard confocal laser-scanning microscope with one-photon excitation and analog detection. Measurements on FITC-dextran were used to evaluate the performance of the system and the data analysis procedure. Ellen Gielen and Nick Smisdom contributed equally to this work.     

The electronic structure of small lithium clusters

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations using the STO-6G and STO6-21G basis sets have been performed for the cluster series Li _n ⁺ , Li _n , and Li _n ^– (wheren=2–7). Thirty-two optimized structures are discussed and reported, many of which (especially for the anionic structures) have not yet been considered. The calculations suggest that for all three species the optimum geometries are planar. Of the two levels of theories that were investigated, STO-6G//STO-6G and STO6-21G//STO-6G, the latter hybrid theory was found to be less reliable. In particular, for the anionic structures these calculations should provide a platform from which more sophisticated, i.e., configuration interaction, geometry optimization can be performed.     

An Analytic Zariski Structure Over a Field

Following the introduction and preliminary investigations of analytic Zariski structures in Peatfield and Zilber (Ann pure Appl Logic 132:125–180, 2005) an example of an analytic Zariski structure extending an algebraically closed field is provided. The example is constructed using Hrushovski’s method of free amalgamation, and a topology is introduced in which we can verify the analytic Zariski axioms.