On the term “pH of the precipitation onset of heavy metal hydroxides”

It is suggested to take as pH of the precipitation onset of metal hydroxides the pH at which 10% of the initial amount of metal ions has precipitated. An equation for calculating this quantity is presented.     

Absorbance spectra of polycrystalline samples and twinned crystals of oligothiophenes

We propose optical absorption technique at oblique incidence as one of the spectroscopic tools that allow experimentally recognizing the macroscopic order and structural features of molecular solids of conjugated molecules, from single crystals to polycrystalline or twinned samples. We apply this spectroscopy to quaterthiophene as representative of a wide class of materials that usually possess optical transitions of Frenkel exciton origin with strong directional dispersion. The comparison between experimental and simulated data gives evidence of the high sensitivity of this technique for determining quantitatively the polycrystallinity of the measured samples, whose domains may show mirror-like orientation of the unit cell with respect to one of its faces.Frenkel exciton; Oligothiophene, Optical properties     

Galvanomagnetic and thermoelectric properties of multicomponent n-type solid solutions based on Bi and Sb chalcogenides

The galvanomagnetic and thermoelectric properties of n-Bi_2-x Sb_xTe_3-y-z Se_yS_z multicomponent solid solutions with atomic substitutions (Sb → Bi; Se, S → Te) are studied. The principal components of the effective mass tensor (m ₁, m ₂, m ₃) for the isotropic mechanism of charge carrier scattering are determined within a many-valley model of the energy spectrum for compositions 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.4 and 0.06 ≤ y = z ≤ 0.15. The effect of a variation in the parameters of the constant-energy surface on the thermoelectric efficiency is analyzed for different compositions and carrier concentrations in solid solutions.     

Influence of cobalt(III) dimethyldithiocarbamate complexes on styrene polymerization initiated by tert-butyl perbenzoate

Kinetic features of radical polymerization of styrene initiated by tert-butyl perbenzoate in the presence of tris(N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamato)cobalt(III) (CoL₃) and its adduct with iodine (CoL₃ · 2I₂) were studied. The optimal concentration ratios of the activators and tert-butyl perbenzoate, providing fast styrene polymerization at 338–368 K, were determined.     

Simulation of soliton propagation in a directional coupler

Soliton propagation in a directional fiber coupler is investigated. By using Fourier series analysis technique (FSAT), the effects of radii ratio and intermodal dispersion on soliton switching have been investigated.     

X-PEEM/NEXAFS and AFM of polypyrrole and copper micro-patterns on insulating fluoropolymer substrates

Micro-patterns (80 μm and 10 μm) of copper and semi-conducting polypyrrole on insulating fluorinated ethylene propylene substrates were characterized using synchrotron-based X-ray Photoemission Electron Microscopy (X-PEEM), Near Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (NEXAFS), and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Electronic states in the polypyrrole are verified using the NEXAFS data, and sample degradation upon irradiation is addressed. X-PEEM images show homogeneous distributions of the corresponding elements in the patterns. They do not exhibit dichroic effects and give information about the growth of copper and polypyrrole (i.e. nucleation of Cu, overgrowth of PPy, formation of PPy granules). AFM results are used to verify the topography of the patterns and support the findings on pattern growth.     

ENSTAR detector forη- mesic studies

We have initiated a search for a new type of nuclear matter, theη-mesic nucleus, using beams from the multi-GeV hadron facility, COSY at Juelich, Germany. A large acceptance scintillator detector, ENSTAR has been designed and built at BARC, Mumbai and fully assembled and tested at COSY. A test run for calibration and evaluation has been completed. In this contribution we present the design and technical details of the ENSTAR detector and how it will be used to detect protons and pions (the decay products ofη-mesic bound state). The detector is made of plastic scintillators arranged in three concentric cylindrical layers. The readout of the detectors is by means of optical fibres. The layers are used to generate ΔE –E spectra for particle identification and total energy information of stopped particles. The granularity of the detector allows for position (θ and ?ø determination making the event reconstruction kinematically complete     

Stable hysteretic reflection of light at a nonlinear interface

We have observed a hysteretic (bistable) reflection of a Gaussian laser beam at the interface between glass and a liquid solution of polystyrene microspheres as nonlinear medium with both branches of the hysteretic curve being stable, in contrast to the results of previous experiments.