Optimization of the electrodeposition process of high-performance bismuth antimony telluride compounds for thermoelectric applications

High-quality films of bismuth antimony telluride were synthesized by electrodeposition from nitric acid electroplating baths. The influence of a surfactant, sodium ligninsulfonate, on the structure, morphology, stoichiometry, and homogeneity of the deposited films has been investigated. It was found that addition of this particular surfactant significantly improved the microstructural properties as well as homogeneity of the films with a significant improvement in the thermoelectric properties over those deposited in the absence of surfactant. A detailed microprobe analysis of the deposited films yielded a stoichiometric composition of Bi(0.35)Sb(1.33)Te(3) for the films electrodeposited in the absence of surfactant and a stoichiometry of Bi(0.32)Sb(1.33)Te(3) for films deposited in the presence of surfactant.     

Invariant generators for generalized distributions

The existence of invariant generators for distributions satisfying a compatibility condition with the symmetry algebra is proved.     

类氖钛X射线激光实验研究

在“星光”装置上采用预脉冲技术和透-反射线聚焦系统成功地进行了类氛钛x射线激光实验.测量了TiXⅢ,3s-3p,J=0～1激光线的增益系数.首次实验研究了预脉冲能量不同时,激光线强度随泵浦激光能量的变化及其发散角和偏转角.     

Characterization of electrical charge separation at the interface of two aqueous solutions in the presence of concentration gradients and cation/anion mobility ratio asymmetry

Physical consequences of ionic diffusion processes play a major role on the outcome of electrophysiology experiments due to both their contribution to the ionic transmembrane transport and phenomena taking place at the measuring instruments interface. As most of the time heterogenities in biological media with respect to ionic diffusion constants are disregarded, we intended to look upon the general case of ionic diffusion at the interface of two liquids on which gradients of these diffusion constants no longer can be neglected. We developed a theoretical model for the diffusion potential which emerges at an aqueous interface under gradients of concentration and diffusion constants. The experimental validation of our model was achieved through potential difference measurements of the diffusion potential between two solutions containing sodium chloride (NaCl) and glycerine solutions of various concentrations. Within the studied domain of the electrical charge mobility ratio, we noticed that experimental results are in agreement with the theoretically inferred diffusion potential values. This demonstrates that the resulting relationship for the diffusion potential inferred from our model could be applied for other cases, as well. When the ionic solutions contains an indefinite quantity of glycerine or an unknown substance able to modify diffusion constants of sodium and chloride, it was shown that through measurements of the diffusion potential one can infer the unknown concentration of glycerine and the modified ionic mobility ratio. This, in turn, builds up the foundation for a novel yet simple and efficient analitycal sensing device for quantitative determination in the field.     

Simplices passing through a hole

We study small holes through which regular 3-, 4-, and 5-dimensional simplices can pass.     

On the singularity of Green's tensor for a perfectly conducting semi-infinite cone

This paper is intended to clarify a misunderstanding concerningthe source singularity of the electric Green's tensor for aperfectly conducting semi-infinite cone of circular cross-section.Tai's series expansion of the Green's tensor is known to lacka singular term at the source region. Jones has reconstructedthe solution to this problem and has pointed out the differencebetween his result and that of Tai. The aim of our paper isto demonstrate that, although Jones's closed-form solution iscorrect, there is a mistake in his comparison with Tai's seriessolution. We conclude that one of the two additional singularterms that Jones claims as missing from Tai's formula must beomitted. Besides, we compare Jones's closed-form solution withSmyshlyaev's solution to the very same problem. We concludethat the magnetic field expressions given by Jones and Smyshlyaevcoincide, but a singular term is missing from Smyshlyaev's expressionfor the electric field.     

Regularity and convergence of stochastic convolutions in duals of nuclear Fréchet spaces

Let Φ′ be the strong dual of a nuclear Fréchet space Φ. In this paper we present regularity properties, weak convergence, and convergence in probability and in mean square of Φ′-valued stochastic evolution equations and convolutions with respect to Φ′-valued cadlag martingales.     

On the limiting profile arising from orthonormalizing shifts of exponentially decaying functions

It is shown that, under certain conditions, orthonormalizingthe positive integer shifts of an exponentially decaying functionon the half line by the Gram-Schmidt process leads to a limitingprofile given by orthonormalizing all their integer shifts onthe whole line. These results derive from properties of Choleskyfactorization of bi-infinite and semi-infinite matrices. Anexample is provided by the negative exponential function andconjectures are given, supported by numerical evidence, forthe Gaussian and Lorentz function.     

On two conjectures of franz hering about convex surfaces

In this paper we show that from the point of view of the Baire categories for most convex bodies no shadow boundary is included in a hyperplane. A related, more quantitative question is also considered. It receives in general a negative answer and in theC ²-case a positive one, but remains open in theC ¹-case.