Surface and interface analysis at 3rd generation light sources

A third generation of synchrotron radiation facilities is coming on line worldwide, whose brilliance exceeds previous ultraviolet and x-ray light sources by four orders of magnitude. The capabilities at second and third generation light sources are discussed, using examples in surface and interface chemistry and magnetic nanostructures. The authors' experience at the IBM-Tennessee-Tulane-LLNL-LBL undulator beam line will serve as a hands-on guide for work at one of the new facilities.     

Improving CO2 selectivity in polymerized room-temperature ionic liquid gas separation membranes through incorporation of polar substituents

Solid, polymer membranes fabricated from room-temperature ionic liquid monomers containing oligo(ethylene glycol) or nitrile-terminated alkyl substituents tethered to imidazolium cations were found to exhibit ideal CO₂/N₂ and CO₂/CH₄ separation factors significantly greater than those with comparable length n-alkyl substituents, with similar CO₂ permeability. Polymers containing these functional groups exhibited CO₂/N₂ gas separation performance exceeding the “upper bound” of a “Robeson Plot”.