Limitation of Auger electron spectroscopy in the determination of the metal-on-oxide growth mode: Pd on MgO(100)

A discussion on the use of Auger electron spectroscopy as a quantitative tool to determine the growth mode of metals on single crystal oxide surfaces is presented. In the case of Pd grown epitaxially on MgO(100), the three-dimensional character of the growth is easily seen at coverage above one monolayer. However, in the submonolayer regime, and mainly at low substrate temperatures, the AES results are ambiguous. The combination of AES with the more sensitive helium-atom diffraction method allows us to demonstrate that the growth is three-dimensional from the early stages, the particles becoming flatter when the substrate temperature decreases. We compare our results with other growth studies on different metal/oxide systems. At low temperature, the ideal growth modes are not always observed, the final morphology of the films being determined mainly by kinetic effects. Thus a pseudo-Stranski-Krastanov growth mode is often obtained with formation of 2D islands followed by 3D clustering from a critical submonolayer coverage.     

Conformations privilegiees de dithieno[c,e]dihydro azepines,oxepinnes et thiepinnes: Etude par spectroscopie d'absorption electronique

The comparative study of the electronic absorption spectra (uv) of dithieno[c,e]dihydro azepins, oxepins and thiepins and of the corresponding bithiophens shows that “twist” forms are privileged for the cyclic compounds. This conclusion is confirmed by a theoretical analysis (CNDO/S) and by a study of sterically hindered compounds.     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Biological Properties of Five Enkephalin-like Pentapeptides Containing p-Nitrophenylalanine

Five pentapeptides with the amino acid sequence L -tyrosyl-D -alanyl-glycyl-L -p-nitrophenylalanyl-X, wherein X = L -leucine, L -leucine amide, L -methionine amide, L -1-adamantylalanine amide, and L -neopentylglycine amide were prepared by chemical synthesis in solution and characterized chemically and physically. The effect of the incorporation of the unnatural amino acids adamantylalanine and neopentylglycine, ‘fat’-analogues of leucine and methionine, on the inhibition of electrically evoked contractions of the myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation from guinea pig ileum was studied. Their activities relative to the peptides with X = Leu · OH, Leu-NH₂, and Met-NH₂ (X = Neo-NH₂ is particularly potent) are discussed in terms of hydrophobic and steric factors, and resistance towards enzymic degradation.     

Calcul de la fonction correlation de phonon pour la diffraction d'une particule par un solide

A method of calculating expressions of the type $\text{<T exp[?i}\text{k}{}_1\text{u}{}_{\ln }\text{(t}{}_1\text{)] ... exp [?i}\text{k}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{u}{}_{\ln }\text{(t}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{>}$ which is simpler than that based on Wick's theorem is proposed. Expressions of the above type are widely used in studying the effects of temperature in electron and neutron diffraction.     

The magnetic-non magnetic transition of cerium impurities in lanthanum-thorium based alloys

A simple theoretical model which assumes a linear increase with thorium concentration for the cerium 4? level with respect to the Fermi level can explain both the decrease $\text{ΔT}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{c}$ of the superconducting temperature and the logarithmic slope $\text{d}\text{ρ}\text{c}\text{dln}\text{T}$ of the Kondo resistivity in LaTh based alloys with cerium impurities. The model yields two different maxima for |$\text{d}\text{ρ}\text{c}\text{dln}\text{T}$| and $\text{ΔT}{}_{\mathrm{c}}\text{c}$, the second one of which occurs when the resistivity minimum disappears, in very good agreement with experimental data.     

The creation of Au nanoscale surface patterns by the low energy Ar + beam irradiation of Au clusters evaporated onto a SiO2/Si surface

Ex-situ contact-mode atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) was used to study the evolution of the topography of nanoscale Au clusters, deposited onto SiO₂/Si surfaces, as a function of Ar⁺ beam irradiation. Various nanoscale Au surface patterns were created, at an ion beam energy of 2.5 keV, by controlling the ion beam conditions. These patterns include ordered or disordered spheres as well as a nanoporous metal layer. We found that the original ( 4 nm) clusters coalesced, under the ion beam, to form both larger clusters ( 9 nm) and a nanoporous interphase layer ( 6.5 nm). Under continued irradiation, both the original clusters and the nanoporous layer were absorbed into the larger clusters.PACS 39.29+k; 81.16.-c; 61.46.+w     

Design of pi-conjugated organic materials for one-dimensional energy transport in nanochannels

Various end-substituted distyrylbenzenes have been synthesized to serve as guest molecules in inclusion compounds to promote efficient energy transport along one-dimensional channels. Their optical and photophysical properties have been characterized at both experimental and theoretical levels. All molecules display a large transition dipole moment between the ground state and lowest excited state and hence a short radiative lifetime (on the order of 1-2 ns). They also exhibit a large spectral overlap between the emission and absorption spectra, which enables efficient energy transport between molecules arranged in a head-to-tail configuration in nanochannels. Hopping rates on the order of 10(12) s(-1) are calculated at a full quantum-chemical level; this is much larger than the radiative lifetimes and opens the way for energy migration over large distances. Changes in the nature of the terminal substituents are found to modulate the optical properties weakly but to impact significantly the energy transfer rates.     

Radical reaction of sodium hypophosphite with terminal alkynes: synthesis of 1,1-bis-H-phosphinates

[reaction: see text] The room-temperature radical addition of sodium hypophosphite to terminal alkynes produces the previously unknown 1-alkyl-1,1-bis-H-phosphinates in moderate yield. The reaction is initiated by R3B and air and proceeds under mild conditions in an open container. The bissodium salts precipitate spontaneously from the reaction mixtures, thus providing a simple purification procedure and the opportunity for multigram synthesis. The 1,1-bis-H-phosphinate products are novel precursors of the biologically important 1,1-bisphosphonates.     

Nondestructive Rydberg atom counting with mesoscopic fields in a cavity

We present an efficient, state-selective, nondemolition atom-counting procedure based on the dispersive interaction of a sample of circular Rydberg atoms with a mesoscopic field contained in a high-quality superconducting cavity. The state-dependent atomic index of refraction, proportional to the atom number, shifts the classical field phase. A homodyne procedure translates the information from the phase to the intensity. The final field intensity is readout by a mesoscopic atomic sample. This method opens promising routes for quantum information processing and nonclassical state generation with Rydberg atoms.