Metallic nanostructures in a polymer matrix and substrate fabrication and structural characterization

Metal nanostructures are of considerable interest in the field of plasmonics and metamaterials and could have a wider impact if they are successfully embedded in a stable, inert and flexible polymer matrix. Fabrication of such structures is challenging for a variety of reasons including thermal stability, material compatibility with processing steps and general handling of material. In this work we have demonstrated the fabrication of metal nanostructures and embedded them in a polymer. Furthermore, these structures were fabricated on a flexible polymer membrane and detached from a carrier substrate. Characterization of these structures was performed with SEM, TEM and EDS.     

Effect of trivalent iron substitution on structure and properties of PLZT ceramics

Polycrystalline samples of Fe-modified PLZT (lead lanthanum zirconate titanate) are prepared by a mixed-oxide reaction technique. The formation of the compound has been confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction studies. The unit cell structure of the material has been found to be rhombohedral. Fourier-transform infrared reflection (FTIR) spectra have been recorded to correspond the structural changes associated with the phase formation. The effects of Fe concentration on the microstructure and dielectric constant of PLZT materials have been investigated. The ferroelectric phase transition of PLFZT materials is studied using dielectric measurements, which shows a shift in the transition temperature towards the higher-temperature side with increased Fe ion concentration. The piezoelectric constants of this system are investigated by the same way of changed contents of Fe ion in the main PLZT compound. The optimum values of Q_m, k_p, and d₃₃ are 73, 0.32 and 406. The electrical conductivity increases with the increase in Fe ion concentration. PACS 77.80.Bh; 77.84.Dy; 77.22.Ch; 72.15.Eb; 06.60.Ei; 39.30.+w     

Effect of sol concentration on the properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel technique

ZnO thin films are deposited on the glass substrates by sol-gel drain coating technique by varying the concentration of the sol. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to investigate the effect of sol concentration on the crystallinity and surface morphology of the films. The results show that with increase in sol concentration, the value of full width at half maximum (FWHM) of (0 0 2) peak decreases while the strain first increases and then decreases. The sol with higher concentration results in the increase in the grain size. The studies on the optical properties show that the band gap value increases from 3.27 to 3.3 eV when the sol concentration changes from 0.03 to 0.1 M. The photoconductivity studies reveal that the film for 0.05 M sol shows the maximum photoresponse for ultraviolet (UV) wavelength (<400 nm) which is co-related with the deep-level defects. The growth and decay of the photocurrent is found to be slowest for the same film.     

Period adding bifurcation in a logistic map with memory

We introduce a single step memory dependence in the fully chaotic logistic map. This makes it a two dimensional system in general. However, we show that by using composite functions to define two one dimensional maps, it is possible to obtain some analytic results for the bifurcation structure. Numerical results support the calculated bifurcation scheme and, in addition, yield a further insight which allows the calculation of the convergence ratio for a new period adding scenario.     

Dehydration kinetics of an Indian clay

Decomposition of clay from Garo Hills of Meghalaya (India) was studied by dynamic thermogravimetry. A fourteen kinetic equation procedure was applied for analysis of non-isothermal weight change upto a temperature of 1223 K. Two stages of decomposition were clearly distinguised i.e. the initial dehydration period at temperature 373 K to 673 K and the dehydroxylation period in the temperature range 723 K to 1073 K. First order decomposition mechanism was found to be applicable to both dehydration and dehydroxylation steps. Activation energies of 67 kJ/mol and 278 kJ/mol are estimated for the first and second steps with frequency factors of 16.3 s^–1 and 5.16×10⁶s^–1 respectively. The weight loss relating to the steps in TG curves allows determination of the contents of the basic mineral in the clay. Percentages of Al₂O₃.SiO₂ and total volatiles as calculated from weight loss data are in accordance with the results of classical chemical analysis.

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Zusammenfassung Mittels DTG wurde die thermische Zersetung von Ton aus der Garo-Hills-Gegend bei Meghalaya (Indien) untersucht. Zur Analyse der nicht-isothermen Gewichtsveränderungen bis zu einer Temperatur von 1223 K wurde ein Verfahren mit vierzehn kinetischen Gleichungen angewendet. Zwei Teilschritte der Zersetzung können eindeutig unterschieden werden, nämlich die anfängliche Dehydratationsperiode bei Temperaturen von 373 bis 673 K und die Dehydroxylierungsperiode bei Temperaturen zwischen 723 K un 1073 K. Für beide Vorgänge konnte als Reaktionsmechanismus eine Zersetzung erster Ordnung angewendet werden. Für den ersten un zweiten Teilschritt konnten Aktivierungsenergien von 67 kJ/mol bzw. 278 kJ/mol un Frequenzfaktoren von 16.3s^–1 bzw. 5.16×10⁶s^–1 ermittelt werden. Der aus den TG-Kurven hervorgehende Gewichtsverlust läßt auf den Gehalt des Tones an Basismineral schließen. Der prozentuelle Gehalt an Al₂O₃, SiO₂ und der gesamten flüchtigen Bestandteile, berechnet aus den Gewichtsverlusdaten, stimmt mit den Ergebnissen aus herkömmlichen chemischen Analysen überein.

     

Synthesis of highly functionalized indeno[1,2-b]furans

Some novel functionalized indeno[1,2-b]furans were synthesized from the reaction of indandione/indanone and aldehydes at room temperature followed by the reaction of the Knoevenagel condendensed intermediate with 4-hydroxycoumarins in the presence of iodine as catalyst in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) under thermal conditions. The reaction involved in a condensation and Michael addition followed by lactone ring opening and intramolecular cyclization process to afford the product in high yield in easy work-up procedure.     

CoFe2O4–SiO2–SO3H nanocomposite as a magnetically recoverable catalyst for oxidative bromination of alkynes

A hybrid catalyst has been prepared by incorporating sulfonic acid onto cobalt ferrite magnetic nanoparticles. The catalyst was successfully applied for rapid (20?min) synthesis of α,α-dibromoketones directly from alkynes and NBS. The reaction works well in the presence of 10?wt% of the catalyst at room temperature to produce the desired products in high yield. The catalyst could be recovered using an external magnet and reused without appreciable change in activity.     

Amino Acid Based Low‐Molecular‐Weight Ionogels as Efficient Dye‐Adsorbing Agents and Templates for the Synthesis of TiO2 Nanoparticles

The gelation of ionic liquids is attracting significant attention because of its large spectrum of applications across different disciplines. These ‘green solvents’ have been the solution to a number of common problems due to their eco‐friendly features. To expand their applications, the gelation of ionic liquids has been achieved by using amino acid‐based low‐molecular‐weight compounds. Variation of individual segments in the molecular skeleton of the gelators, which comprise the amino acid and the protecting groups at the N and C termini, led to an understanding of the structure–property correlation of the ionogelation process. An aromatic ring containing amino acid‐based molecules protected with a phenyl or cyclohexyl group at the N terminus were efficient in the gelation of ionic liquids. In the case of aliphatic amino acids, gelation was more prominent with a phenyl group as the N‐terminal protecting agent. The probable factors responsible for this supramolecular association of the gelators in ionic liquids have been studied with the help of field‐emission SEM, ¹H NMR, FTIR, and luminescence studies. It is the hydrophilic–lipophilic balance that needs to be optimized for a molecule to induce gelation of the green solvents. Interestingly, to maximize the benefits from using these green solvents, these ionogels have been employed as templates for the synthesis of uniform‐sized TiO₂ nanoparticles (25–30 nm). Furthermore, as a complement to their applications, ionogels serve as efficient adsorbents of both cationic and anionic dyes and were distinctly better relative to their organogel counterparts.     

Single spin asymmetries in charged pion production from semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering on a transversely polarized 3He Target at Q2 = 1.4-2.7 GeV2

We report the first measurement of target single spin asymmetries in the semi-inclusive (3)He(e,e'π(±))X reaction on a transversely polarized target. The experiment, conducted at Jefferson Lab using a 5.9 GeV electron beam, covers a range of 0.16 < x < 0.35 with 1.4 < Q(2) < 2.7 GeV(2). The Collins and Sivers moments were extracted from the azimuthal angular dependence of the measured asymmetries. The π(±) Collins moments for (3)He are consistent with zero, except for the π(+) moment at x = 0.35, which deviates from zero by 2.3σ. While the π(-) Sivers moments are consistent with zero, the π(+) Sivers moments favor negative values. The neutron results were extracted using the nucleon effective polarization and measured cross section ratios of proton to (3)He, and are largely consistent with the predictions of phenomenological fits and quark model calculations.     

Reverse self-assembly: (111)-oriented gold crystallization at alkylthiol monolayer templates

It has long been known that thiol-terminated molecules self-assemble as commensurate monolayers on Au(111) surfaces. By spreading floating octadecanethiol monolayers on aqueous solutions of chloroauric acid (HAuCl4) and using x rays to reduce the gold ions as well as to probe the structure, we have observed the nucleation of (111)-oriented Au nanoparticles at thiol surfaces. This process may be similar to the formation of biogenic gold by bacteria. The thiol monolayer acts as a "soft template," changing its structure as Au crystals form so that there is a sqrt[3]×sqrt[3] commensurate relationship.