Coexistence of light and heavy carriers associated with superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in CeNi0.8Bi2 with a Bi square net

We found that the ZrCuSiAs-type crystal CeNi(0.8)Bi(2) with a layered structure composed of alternate stacking of [CeNi(x)Bi(1)](δ+) and Bi(2)(δ-) exhibits a superconductive transition at ～4 K. The conductivities, magnetic susceptibilities, and heat capacities measurements indicate the presence of two types of carriers with notable different masses, i.e., a light electron responsible for superconductivity and a heavy electron interacting with the Ce 4f electron. This observation suggests that 6p electrons of Bi(2) forming the square net and electrons in CeNi(x)Bi(1) layers primarily correspond to the light and heavy electrons, respectively.     

Growth and Characterization of Na2CaGe6O14 Single Crystals

Transparent, crack-free Na₂CaGe₆O₁₄ (NCG) single crystals were successfully grown using the Czcchralski technique. The largest crystal had 30 mm in total length and 18 mm in maximal diameter. Best crystal quality was achieved under low temperature gradient arrangement. The crystal structure of NCG has been refined from single crystal X-ray diffraction data. Some piezoelectric properties of NCG are reported.     

Second harmonic generation-based coherent vibrational spectroscopy for a liquid interface under the nonresonant pump condition

The molecular dynamics in the low-frequency region (0-500 cm(-1)) sensitively reflects the intermolecular interactions in a liquid. The second harmonic generation-based coherent vibrational spectroscopy (SHG-CVS) was developed to monitor the low-frequency dynamics of molecules at a liquid interface, which was difficult to access by using the present spectroscopic techniques such as sum frequency generation or attenuated total reflection (ATR)-IR. Background-free detection with the transient grating (TG) optical configuration was adopted to obtain the weak signal under the electronically nonresonant pump condition. It was demonstrated that the S/N ratio of the SHG-CVS with the TG configuration was remarkably superior to that with the conventional time-resolved SHG configuration, and the improved detection limit enabled us to detect the low-frequency dynamics of coumarin 314 molecules at the air/water interface under the electronically nonresonant pump condition.     

Negative‐working photoresist of methacrylate polymers based on the transesterification of the 2‐hydroxyethyl group in the presence of an acid

This article reports a novel crosslinking functionality of the 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate unit (HEMA) in the presence of an acid. The polymeric compositions, consisting of a polymer containing the HEMA unit and a photoacid generator, were insolubilized in an aqueous base developer on exposure to UV light and a successive baking process to provide a negative‐working photoresist. A series of poly(benzyl methacrylate‐co‐methacrylic acid‐co‐2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) terpolymers with various contents of HEMA were prepared to elucidate the photopolymeric characteristics. The polymer behavior in films was examined by a comparison of the photosensitivity and IR spectroscopic method. Experiments with a model compound were also carried out. On the basis of the results, we found that the resist was insolubilized by crosslinking through the transesterification of HEMA segments due to acid generated from the photoacid generator and subsequent heating. The advantage of using the 2‐hydroxyethyl group is that in the terpolymer, the HEMA unit is transparent at a short‐wavelength region and is a promising crosslinking unit for ArF lithographic photoresists. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 1858–1867, 2002     

Particle size of powders under hydrothermal conditions

Various non‐oxide (CuI, AgI, AgCl, PbS, CuS and ZnS) and oxide (ZnO, TiO₂, SnO₂, CeO₂ and ZrO₂) powders were prepared under hydrothermal conditions to investigate the effects of temperature, pH and precursors on the particle size of powders. It was found that the particle sizes of PbS, CuS and ZnS powders were much smaller than that of CuI, AgI and AgCl powders prepared under the same conditions. The particle sizes of TiO₂, SnO₂, CeO₂ and ZrO₂ powders are much smaller than that of ZnO powders prepared under the same conditions. It is concluded that the solution conditions have a certain effect on the particle size of powders under the hydrothermal conditions. The particle size of powders increased with the rising of temperature. Additional factors affecting the particle size were uncovered through studying the nucleation mechanism. The particle size was mainly related to the Madelung constant and the electric charge number of ions. Powders with smaller particle size resulted from systems that possessed the larger Madelung constant and ionic charge number. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)