Effect of preparation and metal content on the introduction of Fe in BEA zeolite, studied by DR UV-vis, EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopy

Fe-containing SiBEA zeolites were prepared by a two-step postsynthesis method: creation of vacant T-sites by dealumination of tetraethylammonium BEA zeolite with nitric acid and then impregnation of the resulting SiBEA zeolite with an aqueous solution of Fe(NO₃)₃. X-ray diffraction shows that iron is incorporated in SiBEA at lattice sites. The presence of Fe in its oxidation state +3 and at isolated tetrahedral sites for low metal content, was demonstrated by diffuse reflectance UV-vis, EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopy. For high iron content, diffuse reflectance UV-vis and Mössbauer spectra revealed the additional presence of extra-lattice FeO_x oligomers and superparamagnetic Fe-oxyhydroxide. Mössbauer spectroscopy identified superparamagnetic Fe-oxyhydroxide as the main phase when basic conditions are used for the preparation.     

Ageing of Alkylthiol‐Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

The ageing of spherical gold nanoparticles having 6‐nm‐diameter cores and a ligand shell of dodecanethiol is investigated under different storage conditions. Losses caused by agglomeration and changes in optical particle properties are quantified. Changes in colloidal stability are probed by analytical centrifugation in a polar solvent mixture. Chemical changes are detected by elementary analysis of particles and solvent. Fractionation occurs under all storage conditions. Ageing is not uniform but broadens the property distributions of the particles. Small‐number statistics in the ligand shell density and the morphological heterogeneity of particles are possible explanations. Washing steps exacerbate ageing, a process that could not be fully reversed by excess ligands. Dry storage is not preferable to storage in solvent. Storage under inert argon atmosphere reduces losses more than all other conditions but could not prevent it entirely.     

High resolution 13C NMR in undoped cis- and trans-polyacetylene

We have applied ¹³C cross-polarization (CP) powder- and MAS-NMR to cis- and trans-polyacetylene. All three elements of the chemical shift tensor (σ₁₁, σ₂₂, σ₃₃) were determined in p.p.m. with respect to TMS as: (a) Cis; σ₁₁ = ?228, σ₂₂ = ?139, σ₃₃ = ?17; (b) Trans; σ₁₁ = ?234, σ₂₂ = ?146, σ₃₃ = ?34.     

"Compression-only" behavior: a second-order nonlinear response of ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles

Oscillating phospholipid-coated ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles display a so-called "compression-only" behavior, where it is observed that the bubbles compress efficiently while their expansion is suppressed. Here, a theoretical understanding of the source of this nonlinear behavior is provided through a weakly nonlinear analysis of the shell buckling model proposed by Marmottant et al. [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 118, 3499-3505 (2005)]. It is shown that the radial dynamics of the bubble can be considered as a superposition of a linear response at the fundamental driving frequency and a second-order nonlinear low-frequency response that describes the negative offset of the mean bubble radius. The analytical solution deduced from the weakly nonlinear analysis shows that the compression-only behavior results from a rapid change of the shell elasticity with bubble radius. In addition, the radial dynamics of single phospholipid-coated microbubbles was recorded as a function of both the amplitude and the frequency of the driving pressure pulse. The comparison between the experimental data and the theory shows that the magnitude of compression-only behavior is mainly determined by the initial phospholipids concentration on the bubble surface, which slightly varies from bubble to bubble.     

Dimerization in the commensurate network of 4-n-octyl-4’-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) molecules adsorbed on MoS $_\mathsf{2}$ single crystal

By combining X-ray diffraction under grazing incidence (GIXD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements, we have determined the structure of 4-n-octyl-4-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) molecules adsorbed on MoS₂, under the thick organic film. The commensurability of the adsorbed network and the unit cell structure have been determined, revealing a complex 2D structure. This structure is characterized by straight ribbons with two types of ribbons, alternatively stacked. In one type, molecules are equally spaced, as they are paired in the other type. Considering the energetics of adsorption with a model of single ribbon, we recover the two observed ribbon structures. The alternate stacking of the ribbons appears as a consequence of the connection between the commensurabilities in the two main crystallographic directions. Moreover, we have found a particularly high value for the molecule-substrate potential corrugations, indicating that the dipole moment of 8CB molecules could play a fundamental role in the molecule-substrate interactions.Received: 1 April 2004, Published online: 29 June 2004PACS: 61.10.-i X-ray diffraction and scattering - 68.35.Bs Structure of clean surfaces (reconstruction) - 61.30.-v Liquid crystals - 68.35.Md Surface thermodynamics, surface energies     

Effect of an entrained air bubble on the acoustics of an ink channel

Piezo-driven inkjet systems are very sensitive to air entrapment. The entrapped air bubbles grow by rectified diffusion in the ink channel and finally result in nozzle failure. Experimental results on the dynamics of fully grown air bubbles are presented. It is found that the bubble counteracts the pressure buildup necessary for the droplet formation. The channel acoustics and the air bubble dynamics are modeled. For good agreement with the experimental data it is crucial to include the confined geometry into the model: The air bubble acts back on the acoustic field in the channel and thus on its own dynamics. This two-way coupling limits further bubble growth and thus determines the saturation size of the bubble.     

Simplified formulas for non-normal reflection from monoclinic crystals

Based on Berreman's 4 × 4 matrix formalism [W. Berreman, J. Opt. Soc. Am. 62, 502 (1972)] we derive simplified expressions for the reflection formulas from the a-c crystal surface for non-normal incidence. The computational effort to apply the formulas was found to be only insignificantly higher than those for normal incidence, but considerably lower than for the general expressions. Consequently, the simplified formulas can be readily applied for dispersion analysis of spectra gained by spectroscopic ellipsometry or attenuated total reflection.