AC conductivity in amorphous germanium

The ac conductivity in evaporated amorphous germanium films has been measured as a function of annealing and has been found to obey the ω^0.8 law, in accordance with the hopping model. The dc conductivity measurements on the same samples show a $\text{T}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>4</mtext>}}$ law behaviour. The densities of localized states near the Fermi level g(E_F), obtained from both experiments are in reasonable agreement with each other. Both the measurements show a reduction by about a factor of 2 in g(E_F) when a freshly prepared film is fully annealed. High-temperature substrate films also show the ω^0.8 behaviour. This suggests that the frequency dependence of the ac conductivity is not caused by voids alone. Other possible explanations of our results are also discussed.     

Solar eclipse effects of 22 July, 2009 on the propagation of radio signals

The results of investigation of the variation of radio signal strengths during the solar eclipse on July 22, 2009 are reported in this paper. Observations of the radio signals transmitted from different radio stations at different frequencies and received at a particular observing site indicate a distinct change in signal strength around the time the eclipse umbra passes the propagation paths. The three types of variations in the eclipse day and particularly during its peak period are different from propagation under normal condition. The phenomena of signal variations, the noted “Inverted U-shape“ at one of the frequencies before the occurrence of the eclipse and 13 to 15 minutes time difference between the enhancement of the signal strength and the onset of eclipse are some interesting characteristics. The results are interpreted by ionospheric D-layer behavior at such times.     

Catalytic properties of vanadium bronzes, I. Decomposition of isopropanol

Decomposition of isopropanol on V₂O₅ and the bonzes Li_0.02V₂O₅, Na_0.02V₂O₅, Na_0.06V₂O₅, Li_0.33V₂O₅, and Na_0.33V₂O₅ has been studied in the temperature range 168–300°C. The main reaction was found to be dehydration to propene with negligible dehydrogenation to acetone on the first four catalysts. Dehydration on these catalysts increased with the alkali metal content, but the energy of activation remained unchanged. On the last two catalysts, dehydration and dehydrogenation proceeded at comparable rates. A tentative mechanism for the dehydration of isopropanol is proposed, based on the effect of the product on the initial rate, the electric conductivity of the catalysts and their ESR spectra.

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V₂O₅ : Li_0,02V₂O₅, Na_0,02V₂O₅, Na_0,06V₂O₅, Li_0,33V₂O₅ Na_0,33V₂O₅ 186–300°C. . , . . , , .

     

Studies on catalytic decomposition of CO over transition metal ion (TMI) doped alumina-boria catalyst systems

ESCA and ESR studies on TMI incorporating alumina-boria catalyst systems for CO conversion show the presence of carbidic phase and no valence change of the incorporated copper in the spent catalyst.     

Liquids and liquid mixtures: Deduction of the BGY equation considering the angular distribution function

The Born→Green→Yvon equation for molecular fluid has been deduced considering the orientational distribution functions. The isotropic and anisotropic parts of the distribution function have been separated. The expressions deduced can be used in the case of mixtures and for the non-central type of intermolecular potential energy.     

Solid state properties and catalytic behavior of the α- and β-vanadium bronzes

Decomposition of isopropanol (IPA) on V₂O₅, Li_0.02V₂O₅, Na_0.02V₂O₅, Na_0.06V₂O₅, Li_0.33V₂O₅, and Na_0.33V₂O₅ has been studied in the temperature range 186–300°C. The first four catalysts (α-phase) show predominately dehydration, whereas the last two (β-phase) have comparable dehydration and dehydrogenation activity. Dehydration activity increases with alkali metal concentration within the α-phase, but falls sharply on the β-phase catalysts. This difference is attributed to the different rate determining steps for the reaction on the α- and β-phase catalysts. X-ray and ir spectral data show that the β-phase catalysts are much more stable than the α-phase. A mechanism for the dehydration of IPA based on the electrical resistivity, ESR spectra, and kinetic data has been proposed.     

Kinetics and mechanism of formation of square-planar copper(II) and nickel(II) complexes of ethylenebisbiguanide in aqueous acetate buffer media

Summary The kinetics of formation of square-planar Cu^II and Ni^II complexes of the quadridentate ligand, ethylenebisbiguanide, have been studied spectrophotometrically in aqueous HOAc–NaOAc buffer, at ionic strength 0.2 mol dm^–3, in the 25–35°C temperature range. The observed rate constants for the formation reactions are independent of pH (and of OAc^– concentration) in the pH range used (3.6–4.8 for Cu^II and 5.0–5.8 for Ni^II) where the product complexes form stoichiometrically, but show first-order dependence on the ligand concentration;i.e. k_obs=k_f[L]_total. At 25°C k_f values (dm³ mol^–1s^–1) are 35.2±0.4 for Cu^II and (8.4±0.1)×10^–3 for Ni^II. The mechanism of the reactions is discussed.     

Measurement of dispersion numbers for 36 and 100% tri-isoamyl phosphate solvents equilibrated with aqueous nitric acid solutions

The cross sections for the ¹¹⁸Sn (n, α)¹¹⁵Cd, ¹²⁰Sn (n, α)^117gCd and ¹²⁰Sn (n, α)^117mCd reactions have been measured in the neutron energy range of 13.5–14.6 MeV using the activation technique and a coaxial HPGe γ-ray detector. The fast neutrons were produced by the T (d, n) ⁴He reaction. The neutron energies in the measurements were determined by cross section ratios for ⁹³Nb(n,2n)^92mNb and ⁹⁰Zr(n, 2n)^89m+gZr reactions. The results of present work were discussed and compared with theoretical calculation data, measurement results found in the literature and with the comprehensive evaluation data in ENDF/B-VII.0, CENDL-3.1, JENDL-4.0 libraries.     

Recent advances in ZnO nanostructures and thin films for biosensor applications: Review

Biosensors have shown great potential for health care and environmental monitoring. The performance of biosensors depends on their components, among which the matrix material, i.e., the layer between the recognition layer of biomolecule and transducer, plays a crucial role in defining the stability, sensitivity and shelf-life of a biosensor. Recently, zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures and thin films have attracted much interest as materials for biosensors due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, high isoelectric point, electrochemical activity, high electron mobility, ease of synthesis by diverse methods and high surface-to-volume ratio. ZnO nanostructures have shown the binding of biomolecules in desired orientations with improved conformation and high biological activity, resulting in enhanced sensing characteristics. Furthermore, compatibility with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology for constructing integrated circuits makes ZnO nanostructures suitable candidate for future small integrated biosensor devices. This review highlights recent advances in various approaches towards synthesis of ZnO nanostructures and thin films and their applications in biosensor technology.