The influence of poly(ethylene oxide) and illumination on the copper electrodeposition process onto n-Si(100)

In this study, we examined the influence of illumination and the presence of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) as an additive for the copper electrodeposition process onto n-Si(100). The study was carried out by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and the potential steps method, from which the corresponding nucleation and growth mechanism (NGM) were determined. Likewise, a morphologic analysis of the deposits obtained at different potential values by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM) was carried out. In a first stage, Mott-Schottky measurements so as to characterize the energetics of the semiconductor/electrolyte interface were made. Also, parallel capacity measurements were carried out in order to determine the surface state density of the substrate. It was found that when PEO concentration is increased, the number of these surface states decreases. The CV results indicated that the presence of PEO inhibits the photoelectrochemical reaction of oxide formation on the surface of the semiconductor. This allows a decrease in the overpotential associated with the electrodeposition process. The analysis of the j/t transients shows that the NGM corresponds to progressive three-dimensional (3D) diffusional controlled (PN3D(Diff)), which was confirmed by the AFM technique. Neither illumination nor the presence of PEO changes the mechanisms. Their influence is in that they diminish the size of the nuclei and the speed with which these are formed, which produces a more homogeneous electrodeposit.     

Synthesis,Quantification, and Characterization of Fatty Acid Amides from In Vitro and In Vivo Sources

Fatty acid amides are a diverse family of underappreciated, biologically occurring lipids. Herein, the methods for the chemical synthesis and subsequent characterization of specific members of the fatty acid amide family are described. The synthetically prepared fatty acid amides and those obtained commercially are used as standards for the characterization and quantification of the fatty acid amides produced by biological systems, a fatty acid amidome. The fatty acid amidomes from mouse N₁₈TG₂ cells, sheep choroid plexus cells, Drosophila melanogaster, Bombyx mori, Apis mellifera, and Tribolium castaneum are presented.     

Influence of the zirconia transformation on the thermal behavior of zircon–zirconia composites

During a heating?Ccooling cycle, zirconia (ZrO₂) undergoes a martensitic transformation from monoclinic to tetragonal structure phases, which presents special hysteresis loop in the dilatometry curve at temperatures between 800 and 1100?°C. Monoclinic zirconia (m-ZrO₂) particles reinforced ceramic matrix composites not always present this behavior. In order to elucidate this fact a series of zircon?Czirconia (ZrSiO₄?CZrO₂) ceramic composites have been obtained by slip casting and characterized. The final properties were also correlated with the zirconia content (0?C30?vol.%). The influence of the martensitic transformation (m?Ct) in well-dispersed zirconia grains ceramic composite on the thermal behavior was analyzed. Thermal behavior evaluation was carried out; the correlation between the thermal expansion coefficients with the zirconia content showed a deviation from the mixing rule applied. A hysteresis loop was observed in the reversible dilatometric curve of composites with enough zirconia grains (??10?vol.%). Over this threshold the zirconia content is correlated with the loop area. The transformation temperatures were evaluated and correlated with the zirconia addition. When detected the m?Ct temperature transformation is slightly influenced by the zirconia content (due to the previously evaluated decrease in the material stiffness) and similar to the temperature reported in literature. The reverse (cooling) transformation temperature is strongly decreased by the ceramic matrix. The DTA results are consistent with the dilatometric analysis, but this technique showed more reliable results. Particularly the endothermic m?Ct transformation temperature showed to be easily detected even when the only m-ZrO₂ present was the product of the slight thermal dissociation of the zircon during the processing of the pure zircon material.     

Investigation of fundamental transport properties and thermodynamics in diglyme-salt solutions

Ionic mobility, the thermodynamics of ionic association, and the structure of associated species are studied in solutions of diglyme containing either lithium triflate or tetrabutylammonium triflate. Infrared spectroscopic, PFG NMR, thermodynamic, and crystallographic data suggest that the solute species existing in diglyme-lithium triflate are "free" ions, contact ion pairs, and dimers. Equilibrium constants, S(o), deltaH(o), and deltaG(o) are calculated for processes occurring between these species. In particular, the equilibrium constant, corrected for nonideality using a modified Debye-Hückel expression, is calculated for the dissociation of contact ion pairs into "free" cations and anions. A second equilibrium constant for the formation of dimers from contact ion pairs is also calculated; these constants do not significantly vary with salt concentration up to about 1.3 x 10(-3) mol cm(-3). The measured temperature dependence of equilibrium constants was used to calculate deltaH(o) and deltaS(o) for the two processes. The value of deltaS(o) = -102 J mol(-1) K(-1) for the dissociation of contact ion pairs shows that the large entropy decrease due to cation solvation outweighs the entropy increase due to dissociation of a contact ion pair. Ionic mobilities are calculated in lithium triflate-diglyme solutions using conductivity data in conjunction with information about the nature and concentrations of solute species obtained from IR spectroscopy. Mobilities in tetrabutlyammonium triflate-diglyme solutions are calculated directly from conductivity data. It was concluded that the concentration dependence of the molar conductivity is due in large part to the variation of the ion mobilities with concentration.     

Search for quark compositeness with the dijet centrality ratio in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

A search for quark compositeness in the form of quark contact interactions, based on hadronic jet pairs (dijets) produced in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV, is described. The data sample of the study corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 2.9 pb(-1) collected with the CMS detector at the LHC. The dijet centrality ratio, which quantifies the angular distribution of the dijets, is measured as a function of the invariant mass of the dijet system and is found to agree with the predictions of the standard model. A statistical analysis of the data provides a lower limit on the energy scale of quark contact interactions. The sensitivity of the analysis is such that the expected limit is 2.9 TeV; because the observed value of the centrality ratio at high invariant mass is below the expectation, the observed limit is 4.0 TeV at the 95% confidence level.     

An efficient and practical synthesis of 2,4-substituted pyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5(6H)-ones

We describe an efficient synthesis of 2,4-substituted pyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5(6H)-ones, which involves the acid-promoted cyclization of cyano enamine 15 to afford 2,4-bis(methylthio)pyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5(6H)-one 17 as a key intermediate. Selective displacement of the 4-methylthio group by a wide range of anilines followed by oxidation of the 2-methylthio group and subsequent substitution by amines enabled the synthesis of a variety of 2,4-disubstituted pyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidin-5(6H)-ones.     

Search for signatures of extra dimensions in the diphoton mass spectrum at the large hadron collider

A search for signatures of extra spatial dimensions in the diphoton invariant-mass spectrum has been performed with the CMS detector at the LHC. No excess of events above the standard model expectation is observed using a data sample collected in proton-proton collisions at √s=7 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2.2 fb(-1). In the context of the large-extra-dimensions model, lower limits are set on the effective Planck scale in the range of 2.3-3.8 TeV at the 95% confidence level. These limits are the most restrictive bounds on virtual-graviton exchange to date. The most restrictive lower limits to date are also set on the mass of the first graviton excitation in the Randall-Sundrum model in the range of 0.86-1.84 TeV, for values of the associated coupling parameter between 0.01 and 0.10.     

Single-photon space-like antibunching

We use heralded single photons to perform an antibunching experiment in which the clicks at the detectors are space-like separated events. The idea of such experiment dates back to the 5th Solvay conference, when it was proposed by Einstein as an expression of his concerns about quantum theory.     

Comparison of INAA and RNAA Methods with Thermal-Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Iridium Determinations in Atmospheric Tracer Studies

The sensitivity and precision of instrumental neutron activation analysis (NAA), radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA), and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) are compared for the determination of Ir in ambient size-fractionated aerosol particulate samples. The results of the TIMS analyses indicated high analytical precision (0.2% at >50 pg Ir), but the sensitivity of detection was limited by blank values (300–500 fg). The sensitivities for INAA and RNAA were comparable, i.e., 60 to 90 fg in size-segregated particulate samples.