Subwavelength-size solid immersion lens

We report on the fabrication and characterization of nanoscale solid immersion lenses (nano-SILs) with sizes down to a subwavelength range. Submicrometer-scale cylinders fabricated by electron-beam lithography are thermally reflowed to form a spherical shape. Subsequent soft lithography leads to nano-SILs on transparent substrates for optical characterization. The optical characterization is performed using a high-resolution interference microscope with illumination at 642 nm wavelength. The focal spots produced by the nano-SILs show both spot-size reduction and enhanced optical intensity, which are consistent with the immersion effect.     

Tachyon-polytropic inflation on the brane

We consider the tachyon-brane inflationary universe model in the context of a polytropic gas equation of state. In slow-roll approximation, we discuss general conditions of this model. For exponential potential, in high-energy limit the characteristics of the model are presented. By using the seven-year Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP7) observational data, we constrain the cosmological parameters of the model.     

Laser Light and X-Ray Diffraction Studies of Oriented Isotactic Polypropylene (iPP) Prepared by Temperature Slope Crystallization

Isotactic polypropylene (iPP) film was melt-crystallized in a temperature gradient. The iPP film showed well oriented α- and β-crystalline textures along the gradient. The crystalline structure, phase transition boundary and lamellar twisting were examined by X-ray diffraction and laser light diffraction (LLD). On the α-β boundary, LLD shows a sharp streak perpendicular to the boundary, where the a-axis of the β-crystal is oriented perpendicular to the temperature gradient. Apart from the boundary, the a-axis of the β-crystal becomes parallel to the gradient. The β-crystal shows lamellar twisting with a pitch of 200 μm at room temperature. When heated the β-crystal, the lamellar distance of 295Å at room temperature decreases to 285Å at 80–100°C and then increases to more than 300Å above 120°C. During the heating, the value of the twist period increases from 200 to 210 μm at 90–100°C, and then to above 224 μm at 140°C. The increase of the twist period is related to the increasing crystalline thickness of the β-lamellae.     

Effective synthesis of carbon nanotubes via catalytic decomposition of methane: Influence of calcination temperature on metal–support interaction of Co–Mo/MgO catalyst

The present work investigated the influence of calcination temperature for bimetallic Co–Mo/MgO catalyst on the synthesis of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) via catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) of methane. The experimental results showed that variation in the catalyst calcination temperature affected carbon yield, diameter distribution and quality of the CNTs. Increasing the catalyst calcination temperature enabled Co–Mo/MgO catalysts in growing CNTs at higher yield, narrower diameter distribution and better degree of graphitization, credited to the strong metal–support interaction (MSI) formed between CoO species and MgO support. We also discovered that the catalysts of weak MSI were beneficial to the nucleation and growth of CNTs, meanwhile the catalysts with strong MSI provoked the growth of CNTs with narrow diameter distribution. The catalyst calcined at 700 °C, possessing moderate MSI, was found to be the most suitable catalyst for the growth of high quality CNTs with the diameter of 7.70±0.77 nm and the carbon yield of as high as 647.4%.     

Enhancement of free space optical link in heavy rain attenuation using multiple beam concept

Free space optics (FSO) has attracted a lot of attention for a variety of applications in telecommunications area, and it is dream of every researcher and telecommunication society to make it a real alternative solution for the last mile problem, to replace fiber optics. FSO is much preferred because of its low maintenance cost and deployment time. FSO with single-beam system is vulnerable to atmospheric attenuation, so to overcome this, a multiple-beam FSO transceiver system has become prominent and is usually used. In this paper, average rain attenuation is evaluated from the collected rain intensity data which are collected for a period of seven months, and implemented in the study concerning results relating link distance, and received optical power of using multiple-beam FSO system in tropical rainy weather. Comparison is made in terms of received optical power, geometrical losses, atmospheric losses, and bit error rate (BER) on using different number of optical beams, based on simulation at data rate of 1 Gb/s. From the results it is clear that the quality of received power is improved by using up to four beams, along with link distance up to 1141.2 m as compared to one-beam, two-beam, and three-beam, with link distances 833.3 m, 991.0 m, 1075.4 m, respectively.     

Effect of frequency on sonochemical reactions. I: Oxidation of iodide

The effect of continuous sonication on the kinetics of iodine formation in aqueous iodide solutions was studied in the presence of air and argon at two frequencies, 20 and 900 kHz. Most workers in this area assume that frequency has a negligible effect on sonochemical reactions. The present results indicate, however, that there is a significant effect in the above solutions. The rate of sonochemical oxidation of iodide in aqueous solution is 3.1 times greater in presence of air than argon at 900 kHz, in contrast to the situation at 20 kHz, where the ratio is 0.9 A 900 kHz apparatus was specially designed to make it possible to measure the absolute acoustic power delivered into the solution. The rate of oxidation per unit power in this new 900 kHz apparatus can be more than 30 times greater than that at 20 kHz for the oxidation of iodide in the presence of air.     

Preparation,surface state and band structure studies of SrTi(1 − x)Fe(x)O(3 − δ) (x = 0–1) perovskite-type nano structure by X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy

In this report, SrTi_(1 ? x)Fe_(x)O_(3 ? δ) photocatalyst powder was synthesized by a high temperature solid state reaction method. The morphology, crystalline structures of obtained samples, was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively. The electronic properties and local structure of the perovskite STF_x (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) systems have been probed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. The effects of iron doping level x (x = 0–1) on the crystal structure and chemical state of the STF_x have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and the valence band edges for electronic band gaps were obtained for STF_x by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). A single cubic perovskite phase of STF_x oxide was successfully obtained at 1200 °C for 24 h by the solid state reaction method. The XPS results showed that the iron present in the STF_x perovskite structure is composed of a mixture of Fe³⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ (SrTi_(1 ? x)[Fe³⁺, Fe⁴⁺]_(x)O_(3 ? δ)). When the content x of iron doping was increased, the amount of Fe³⁺ and Fe⁴⁺ increased significantly and the oxygen lattice decreased on the surface of STF_x oxide. The UPS data has confirmed that with more substitution of iron, the position of the valence band decreased.     

Sensitive determination of adenosine disodium triphosphate in soil,milk, and pharmaceutical formulation by enoxacin–europium (III) fluorescence complex in solution

A new spectroflurometric method for the determination of adenosine disodium triphosphate (ATP) is developed. Fluorometric interaction between ATP and enoxacin (ENX)–Eu³⁺ complex was studied using UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Weak luminescence spectra of Eu³⁺ were enhanced after complexation with ENX at 589 nm and 614 nm upon excitation at 395 nm due to energy transfer from the ligand to the lanthanide ion. It was observed that luminescence spectrum of Eu³⁺ was strongly enhanced further at 614 nm after incorporation of ATP into the ENX–Eu³⁺ complex. Under optimal conditions, the enhancement of luminescence at 614 nm was responded linearly with the concentration of ATP. The linearity was maintained in the range of 1.5×10^?10–1.15×10^?8 M (R=0.9973) with the limit of detection (3σ) of 4.71×10^?11 M. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for 9 repeated measurements of 1×10^?9  M ATP was 1.25%. Successful determinations of ATP in soil, milk, and a pharmaceutical formulation with the proposed method were demonstrated.     

Reactivity of the Cu2O(1 0 0) surface: Insights from first principles calculations

We present a summary of results of systematic first principles calculations of the electronic and geometric structures of the Cu₂O(1 0 0) surface and the process of CO oxidation on this surface (energetics and pathways of adsorption, diffusion and reactions of CO and O₂ on the surface). The (p, T) phase diagram of the Cu₂O(1 0 0) in equilibrium of with gas phase O₂ built using the ab initio thermodynamics approach suggests that the O-terminated surface is preferred over the Cu-terminated one within the entire ranges of pressures and temperatures in which the compound exists. Metastable Cu-terminated Cu₂O(1 0 0) is found to undergo a surface reconstruction in agreement with experiment. We find CO to oxidize spontaneously on the O-terminated Cu₂O(1 0 0) surface by consuming surface O atoms. Our calculations also show that the surface O-vacancies left in the course of the CO oxidation can be easily filled with dissociative adsorption of the gas phase O₂ molecules, which are usually present in reaction environment.     

The effect of anodising time on the electrochemical behaviour of the Ti/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> NTs/IrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-RuO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Ta<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> anode

Nowadays, mixed metal oxide (MMO) anodes are a superior alternative to lead alloys in electrowinning processes. Passivation of titanium substrate is the most common mechanism of deactivation in these anodes. In this research, titanium oxide nanotubes have been utilised as an interlayer between the substrate and a mixed metal oxide coating in order to improve the anode electrochemical behaviour and life via retardation of titanium passivation. Anodising of the substrate was done in 0.5 wt% hydrofluoric acid for 30, 60 and 240 min. The samples were subsequently coated with a coating composed of IrO₂-RuO₂-Ta₂O₅. The microstructure of different samples was observed by scanning with an electron microscope, and the electrochemical behaviour of the samples was studied by accelerated life test, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The studies showed that formation of titanium oxide nanotubes with anodising times of 60 and 240 min increases the life of the anode through the provision of a compact coating. The life of the anode which was anodised for 240 min lasted about 20% longer than the sample which had a substrate without any anodised layer.