Millijoule pulse energy high repetition rate femtosecond fiber chirped-pulse amplification system

We report on an ytterbium-doped fiber chirped-pulse amplification (CPA) system delivering millijoule level pulse energy at repetition rates above 100 kHz corresponding to an average power of more than 100 W. The compressed pulses are as short as 800 fs. As the main amplifier, an 80 microm core diameter short length photonic crystal fiber is employed, which allows the generation of pulse energies up to 1.45 mJ with a B-integral as low as 7 at a stretched pulse duration of 2 ns. A stretcher-compressor unit consisting of dielectric diffraction gratings is capable of handling the average power without beam and pulse quality distortions. To our knowledge, we present the highest pulse energy ever extracted from fiber based femtosecond laser systems, and a nearly 2 orders of magnitude higher repetition rate than in previously published millijoule-level fiber CPA systems.     

Interface phenomena in (super)hard nitride nanocomposites: from coatings to bulk materials

Mechanical properties of nanocomposites usually surpass the mechanical properties of their micro-structured and single-crystalline counterparts. This is mainly due to an extremely high density of internal interfaces in nanocomposites like grain, crystallite and phase boundaries. When compared to diamond, carbides and borides, nitrides are of interest because of their high temperature oxidation resistance and compatibility with iron containing alloys. This tutorial review classifies the contributions of various internal interfaces to the hardness of the nanocomposites, and appreciates the outstanding role of partially coherent phase boundaries in the hardness enhancement. With selected examples of transition metal nitrides containing aluminium and silicon as well as of boron nitrides, it is explained how the nanocomposites with partially coherent phase boundaries and thus with enhanced hardness can be synthesised. As the possible ways of the formation of coherent phase boundaries, the local epitaxial growth of phases with limited mutual solubility, the production of supersaturated solid solutions followed by the segregation of elements during the spinodal decomposition and the incomplete phase transformation are discussed. The most important techniques, used for synthesis of nitride nanocomposites, like CVD, PVD, precursor-based methods, mechanical alloying and high-pressure-high-temperature synthesis are briefly reviewed. Besides, a short overview on hardness definitions and hardness measurements is included.     

Comparison of extra electrons in colloidal n-type Al(3+)-doped and photochemically reduced ZnO nanocrystals

The "extra" electrons in colloidal n-type ZnO nanocrystals formed by aliovalent doping and photochemical reduction are compared. Whereas the two are similar spectroscopically, they show very different electron-transfer reactivities, attributable to their different charge-compensating cations (Al(3+)vs. H(+)).     

Determination of myo-inositol (free and bound as phosphatidylinositol) in infant formula and adult nutritionals by liquid chromatography/pulsed amperometry with column switching: first action 2011.18

Myo-inositol is a 6-carbon cyclic polyalcohol also known as meso-inositol, meat sugar, inosite, and i-inositol. It occurs in nature in both free (myo-inositol) and bound (inositol phosphates and phosphatidylinositol) forms. For the determination of free myo-inositol, samples are mixed with dilute hydrochloric acid to extract myo-inositol and precipitate proteins, diluted with water, and filtered. For the determination of myo-inositol bound as phosphatidylinositol, samples are extracted with chloroform, isolated from other fats with silica SPE cartridges, and hydrolyzed with concentrated acid to free myo-inositol. Prepared samples are first injected onto a Dionex CarboPac PA1 column, which separates myo-inositol from other late-eluting carbohydrates. After column switching, myo-inositol is further separated on a CarboPac MA1 column using a 0.12% sodium hydroxide mobile phase; strongly retained carbohydrates are eluted from the PA1 column with a 3% sodium hydroxide mobile phase. Eluant from the CarboPac MA1 analytical column passes through an electrochemical detector cell where myo-inositol is detected by pulsed amperometry using a gold electrode. The method showed appropriate performance characteristics versus selected established standard method performance requirement parameters for the determination of myo-inositol: linear response; repeatability (RSDr) of 2%; and intermediate precision (RSDir) of 2.5%. Instrument LOD and LOQ were 0.0004 and 0.0013 mg/100 mL, respectively, and correspond to a free myo-inositol quantitation limit of 0.026 mg/100 g and a phosphatidylinositol quantitation limit of 0.016 mg/100 g. Correlation with the reference microbiological assay was good. The proposed method has been accepted by the Expert Review Panel as an AOAC First Action Method, suitable for the routine determination of myo-inositol in infant formula and adult nutritionals.     

Cation-Controlled Assembly of Polyoxotungstate-Based Coordination Networks

The Preyssler polyoxoanion, [NaP₅W₃₀O₁₁₀]¹⁴⁻ ({P₅W₃₀}), is used as a platform for evaluating the role of nonbridging cations in the formation of transition-metal-bridged polyoxometalate (POM) coordination frameworks. Specifically, the assembly architecture of Co²⁺-bridged frameworks is shown to be dependent on the identity and amount of alkali or alkaline-earth cations present during crystallization. The inclusion of Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, or Ca²⁺ in the framework synthesis is used to selectively synthesize five different Co²⁺-bridged {P₅W₃₀} structures. The influence of the competition between K⁺ and Co²⁺ for binding to {P₅W₃₀} in dictating framework assembly is evaluated. The role of ion pairing on framework assembly structure and available void volume is discussed. Overall, these results provide insight into factors governing the ability to achieve controlled assembly of POM-based coordination networks.