Geometrical resonance of the Rayleigh sound wave absorption as a method for direct measurements of the electron specular reflection coefficient from the metal surface

A theory of resonant absorption of the Rayleigh sound waves in metals has been developed for the case of weak magnetic fields (i.e. the Pippard type geometrical oscillations). The amplitude and shape of resonance lines have been studied in relation to the nature of electron reflection from the surface. It has been shown that observations of the geometrical resonance oscillations may serve for investigating directly surface reflectivity of the metal with respect to conduction electrons.     

Bis(salicylaldiminate) copper(II) and palladium(II) complexes: towards columnar mesophases

Copper and palladium complexes of new salicylaldimines derived from 3,4,5-tridecyloxyaniline, 2,3,4-tridecyloxyaniline and 4-decyloxyaniline have been synthesized and characterized. All the ligands bear four or more aliphatic chains with the aim of inducing columnar mesophases at low temperatures. In particular, metal complexes derived from 4-(3,4,5-tridecyloxybenzoyloxy)-salicyliden-3,4,5-tridecyloxyaninile display rectangular columnar mesophases at (or near) room temperature. These mesophase assignments have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction. A significant decrease of the melting points of the compounds is observed in the tridecyloxyaniline derivatives compared with those of similar complexes derived from mono- or di-decyloxyaniline.     

Localization effects and dispersion of the dielectric response function in one-dimensional metals

We report the results of calculations and analysis concerning the dependence of the dielectric response function(, q) on frequency and wave numberq in one-dimensional conductors. The localization of electron states leads to unusually complicated dependences of(, q) on andq in low-frequency and long-wavelength regions, while the spatial and time dispersions become closely interwoven with each other. The effect of geometric resonance is discussed. It appears as quasiharmonical oscillations of complex susceptibility as function of andq, owing to the hopping nature of electron conductivity in a nonuniform electromagnetic field.     

Layered Surface Acoustic Wave Hydrogen Sensor Based on Polyethylaniline Nanofibers

Here we report on a layered Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) gas sensor featuring polyethylaniline nanofibers as the active layer. A rapidly-mixed reaction was employed to synthesize polyethylaniline nanofibers. The product was deposited on a microfabricated ZnO/36° YX LiTaO₃ SAW transducer. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) were utilized to characterize the nanomaterials. The novel sensor was tested towards different concentrations of hydrogen at room temperature. It was observed that the sensor maintained a stable baseline with good repeatability. Hence, the sensor is expected to be potentially attractive for industrial applications.