SiO2 and Al2O3 valence band density of states from self-deconvolution of L23VV Auger spectrum

The self-deconvolution of L₂₃VV Auger spectra of SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ has been carried out. The transition density functions obtained are compared with the local density of states (LDOS) of the valence band near the surface, as given by other techniques (XPS, UPS, XES) and also by theory. A fair agreement in the number and peak positions of valence band is produced. These compounds with MgO constitute an oxide series of increasing ionicity and the effects of initial hole localization in the transition density function are discussed.     

Dispersion and current-voltage characteristics of helical polyacetylene single fibers

To study the transport properties of individual helical polyacetylene (PA) fibers, we developed a method to extract a single fiber from tightly entangled ropes of helical PA bulk film. After a few minutes of sonication of a piece of helical PA bulk film in an organic solution containing surfactant, a droplet of solution is deposited on the pre-pattened electrode under argon atmosphere. AFM images show that extracted helical PA fibers are typically 10 mum in length and 100-200 nm in diameter. We found that the helicity of bulk materials is conserved. We present the temperature dependencies of current-voltage characteristics of individual helical PA fibers doped with iodine.     

Effects of co-substitution on the electrical properties of BiFeO3 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition

Ferroelectric BiFeO₃ thin films with Nd-Cr (or Sm-Cr) co-substitution (denoted by BNdFCr and BSmFCr, respectively) were deposited on the Pt(2 0 0)/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrates by a chemical solution deposition method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films without any secondary phases. The co-substituted BNdFCr (or BSmFCr) thin films, which were annealed at 550 °C for 30 min in N₂ atmosphere, exhibited enhanced electrical properties compared to BFO thin films with the remanent polarization (2P_r) and coercive electric field (2E_c) of 196, 188 μC/cm² and 600, 570 kV/cm with the electric field of 800 kV/cm, respectively. The leakage current densities of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films measured at room temperature were approximately three orders of magnitude lower than that of BFO thin film, and the leakage current at room temperature of the thin films exhibited three distinctive conduction behaviors. Furthermore, the values of pulse polarizations [i.e., +(P*-P^{^}) or −(P*-P^{^})] of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films were reasonably unchanged up to 1.4 × 10¹⁰ switching cycles.     

XPS investigations of ruthenium deposited onto representative inner surfaces of nuclear reactor containment buildings

In the case of a hypothetical severe accident in a nuclear power plant, interactions of gaseous RuO₄ with reactor containment building surfaces (stainless steel and epoxy paint) could possibly lead to a black Ru-containing deposit on these surfaces. Some scenarios include the possibility of formation of highly radiotoxic RuO₄(g) by the interactions of these deposits with the oxidizing medium induced by air radiolysis, in the reactor containment building, and consequently dispersion of this species. Therefore, the accurate determination of the chemical nature of ruthenium in the deposits is of the high importance for safety studies. An experiment was designed to model the interactions of RuO₄(g) with samples of stainless steel and of steel covered with epoxy paint. Then, these deposits have been carefully characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis by XPS of Ru deposits formed by interaction of RuO₄(g), revealed that the ruthenium is likely to be in the IV oxidation state, as the shapes of the Ru 3d core levels are very similar with those observed on the RuO₂·xH₂O reference powder sample. The analysis of O 1s peaks indicates a large component attributed to the hydroxyl functional groups. From these results, it was concluded that Ru was present on the surface of the deposits as an oxyhydroxide of Ru(IV). It has also to be pointed out that the presence of “pure” RuO₂, or of a thin layer of RuO₃ or Ru₂O₅, coming from the decomposition of RuO₄ on the surface of samples of stainless steel and epoxy paint, could be ruled out. These findings will be used for further investigations of the possible revolatilisation phenomena induced by ozone.     

Boundary Stabilization of Hyperbolic Hemivariational Inequalities

In this paper, we prove the existence of weak solutions and investigate uniform decay rates of global weak solutions for a hyperbolic hemivariational inequalitiy of dynamic elasticity. This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD, Basic Research Promotion Fund) (KRF-2007-355-C00002).     

LES study of diesel flame/wall interaction and mixing mechanisms at different wall distances

In this paper, the flame-wall interaction of reacting diesel spray under engine like conditions is investigated using large eddy simulations. The aim of this study is to understand the influence of the distance between the wall and the spray nozzle on the air entrainment rate, which is a key variable in formation/oxidation process of soot. Three experimental cases are investigated, a free jet case and two wall impingement cases with a distance from nozzle to wall of 30 mm and 50 mm, which are considered as characteristic wall impingement distances for light- and heavy-duty bores in diesel engines, respectively. The optical soot measurements imply a positive influence of wall on the rate of soot oxidation. Numerical simulations are employed to elucidate importance of different mechanisms for the air entrainment, i.e., air entrainment prior to flame lift-off position, enhanced mixing due to the wall impingement and enhanced mixing by the entrainment wave. The results show that oxidation process after the end of injection is driven by a different mixing mechanism depending on the distance to the wall. The 30 mm case resulted in a “mixing boost”, where the dominant mixing mechanism is the wall impingement vortex mixing, which gives rise to the fastest soot decay among the cases. The mixing in the 50 mm case is governed by a late wall impingement vortex mixing, giving rise to a low, but a constant air entrainment rate, i.e., a “mixing plateau”. The free jet case resulted in mixing governed by the entrainment wave mechanism. Both wall impingement cases have faster soot oxidation rate compared with the free jet case, but due to a different underlying mixing process. LES is shown to be able to replicate the line-of-sight measurements of natural OH* chemiluminescence and distribution of soot region from the optical soot diagnostics.     

The influence of distal substitution on the base-induced isomerization of long-chain terminal alkynes

When compared to a long-straight chain terminal alkyne, a long chain terminal alkyne with a distal isopropyl unit (isobranched) isomerizes about two times faster when treated with strong base under identical conditions, and appears to follow pseudo first order kinetics. In both cases, equilibration to a 95–97:5–3 mixture of terminal:internal alkyne accompanies isomerization. The difference in rate may be due to an unusual folding of both long-chain alkynes, bringing the distal substituent close to the carbon-carbon-triple bond moiety. The distal isopropyl moiety may provide unanticipated steric hindrance that disrupts such folding, making the propargylic proton more available for reaction with base.     

All-optical switching with a biexcitonic double lambda system

A double lambda four-level system could be implemented with biexcitonic transitions on GaAs quantum well. We observed that the phase dependent biexcitonic transition could be explained by interference between one-photon and three-photon transition in a double lambda four-level system. An ultralow-light switch pulse could control 80% of biexcitonic absorption, which demonstrated all-optical switching with biexcitonic double lambda system.     

Optimal Biopsy Protocols for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death among American men. Biopsy for prostate cancer is a procedure known as transrectal ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. Because of the low resolution of ultrasound, the urologist cannot usually distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue. For this reason, most biopsies follow standard protocols based on long-term experience of physicians. Recent studies indicate that these protocols have a significant rate of false negative diagnoses. In this research we use real prostate specimens removed by prostatectomy to develop a 3-D distribution map of cancer in the prostate, and use this to develop optimized biopsy procedures. The new procedures have detection rates that are significantly higher than those of current procedures, and thus have the potential to increase the rate of early detection of prostate cancer.