Sorption of Pu(VI) onto TiO2

The sorption of Pu(VI) onto TiO(2) was studied as a function of pH (2-10) and Pu concentration (10(-8)-10(-4) M) under an N(2) atmosphere, in 0.016 and 0.1 M NaClO(4). A batch-wise method was used, in which pH was measured in separate experimental containers after removal of a sample to determine the amount of Pu that had been sorbed. As Pu is radioactive, it was used as a tracer and measured by liquid scintillation counting. No ionic strength dependence was discerned, which was taken as an indication of inner sphere complex formation. In the interval of pH 2-7 the system could be described by the formation of two positively charged surface complexes using a 1-pK Stern model. Sorption of the plutonyl ion (PuO(2)(2+)) and the first hydrolysis species (PuO(2)(OH)(+)) was estimated using FITEQL to logK(1)=6.9 and logK(2)=1.4, respectively.     

First-Known High-Nuclearity Copper–Nickel Carbonyl Cluster: [CuxNi35−x(CO)40]5− (with x=3 or 5) Containing an Unprecedented 35-Atom Three-Layer hcp Triangular Stacking Metal-Core Geometry

Reactions of [Ni₆(CO)₁₂]^2- (1) with CuBr₂ have given rise in small yields (10%) to the first example of a close-packed copper-nickel carbonyl cluster; its formulation as [Cu_xNi_35-x(CO)₄₀]^5- (with x=3 or 5) is based upon a low-temperature CCD X-ray crystallographic determination coupled with an elemental analysis and X-ray fluorescence measurements. This air-unstable black pentaanion (2) together with one co-crystallized bromide anion, six [NMe₄]⁺ counterions, and one solvated acetone molecule comprise the crystallographic independent part in a monoclinic unit cell of P2₁/n symmetry (with Z=4). The geometrically unprecedented 35-atom hcp M(A)₂M(B)₃Ni₃₀ polyhedron of pseudo-D_3h symmetry consists of a central 15-atom equilateral ₄M(B)₃Ni₁₂ triangle that is capped on both sides by two symmetry-related 10-atom equilateral ₃M(A)Ni₉ triangles. The 35-atom M(A)₂M(B)₃Ni₃₀ core is encapsulated by 40 COs, whose connectivities, due to an extra CO ligand on one of the three triangular sides, reduce the pseudo D_3h symmetry of the metal core to C_s. An elemental analysis via AA and X-ray fluorescence measurements resulted in Cu/Ni ratios of 3.2/31.8 and 3.7/31.3, respectively, that are consistent with the metal core being either Cu₅Ni₃₀ (i.e., M(A)=M(B)=Cu) or Cu₃Ni₃₂ (i.e., M(A)=Ni; M(B)=Cu). Several attempts to determine the actual stoichiometry of the metal core by use of electrospray FT/MS/ICR measurements were unsuccessful. The maximum metal-core diameter of 2 is ca. 0.41 nm parallel and 0.85 nm perpendicular to the principal 3-fold axis.     

Monitoring VIV fatigue damage on marine risers

Long flexible cylinders (e.g., risers, tendons and mooring lines) exposed to the marine environment encounter ocean currents leading to vortex-induced vibration (VIV). These oscillations, often driven at high frequencies over extended periods of time, may result in structural failure of the member due to fatigue damage accumulation. Recent developments in instrumentation and installation of data acquisition systems on board marine risers have made accurate measurement of riser responses possible. This paper aims at using the data from these data acquisition devices (typically strain gages and accelerometers) in order to understand the evolution of the riser VIV, with the final aim of estimating the fatigue damage. For this purpose we employ systematic techniques to reconstruct riser VIV response using the data from the available sensors. The reconstructed riser response allows estimation of the dynamic axial stresses due to bending and consequently the estimates of the fatigue damage along the entire riser. The above methods can take into account the fatigue damage arising from complicated riser motions involving the presence of traveling waves even with the use of very few sensors. An alternate approach using a Van der Pol wake oscillator model is also explored to obtain fatigue life estimates caused by riser VIV.     

Electron correlation forms in the LiH molecule—fermi correlation

Correlation forms for electrons of the same spin small molecules are analyzed by taking the LiH molecule as an example. The analyses are carried out on the basis of the reduced density matrix theory and for both the ground state and the first excited state. It turns out that although there is a certain similarity, the correlated motions of parallel-spin electrons in this four-electron molecule are more complicated than those found for the two-electron molecule. The correlation forms are not always constant. They vary essentially from one state to another, but are insensitive to fairly large changes of the internuclear distance for a given state.     

Characterization of an actively linearized ultrabroadband chirped laser with a fiber-laser optical frequency comb

The optical frequency sweep of an actively linearized, ultrabroadband, chirped laser source is characterized through optical heterodyne detection against a fiber-laser frequency comb. Frequency sweeps were measured over approximately 5 THz bandwidths from 1530 nm to 1570 nm. The dominant deviation from linearity resulted from the nonzero dispersion of the fiber delay used as a reference for the sweep linearization. Removing the low-order dispersion effects, the residual sweep nonlinearity was less than 60 kHz rms, corresponding to a constant chirp with less than 15 ppb deviation across the 5 THz sweep.     

Nanosecond laser ablation and deposition of silicon

Nanosecond-pulsed KrF (248 nm, 25 ns) and Nd:YAG (1064 nm, 532 nm, 355 nm, 5 ns) lasers were used to ablate a polycrystalline Si target in a background pressure of <10⁻⁴ Pa. Si films were deposited on Si and GaAs substrates at room temperature. The surface morphology of the films was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Round droplets from 20 nm to 5 μm were detected on the deposited films. Raman Spectroscopy indicated that the micron-sized droplets were crystalline and the films were amorphous. The dependence of the properties of the films on laser wavelengths and fluence is discussed.