Synthesis of azido-polymers of butadiene

Iodine azide adds to cyclohexene in acetonitrile or 4:1 methylene chloride/acetonitrile to give trans-1-azido-2-iodocyclohexane. In methylene chloride this reaction gives a mixture of the cis-and trans-iodoazides owing to competing radical addition. Iodine azide adds to 1-hexene in acetonitrile by an ionic mechanism to give a 3:1 mixture of the 2-azido-1-azido- and 1-azido-2-iodohexanes. Dehydroiodination of the model iodoazides proceeds smoothly with potassium t-butoxide in diethyl ether or THF in the presence of 5 mol % 18-crown-6 at room temperature, giving in the previous example a mixture of 2-azido- and trans-1-azidohexenes. Polybutadiene, carboxyterminated poly(acrylonitrile-co-butadiene), and hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene gave iodoazide derivatives with up to 96% of the theoretical maximum nitrogen content and strong azide IR absorption. High azidoiodination gave polymer with N₃/I ratios slightly higher than unity while low percent azidoiodination led to polymer with N₃/I ratios of as low as 2:3. All of the nitrogen introduced was in the form of azide function. Dehydroiodination gave polymers with vinyl azide functionality and caused loss of some of the azide groups. All the azidoiodinated polymers decomposed between 120 and 160°C. The dehydroiodinated materials were less stable, decomposing between 100 and 150°C. The temperature of initial decomposition decreased as azide content increased. Polymers with >55–60% of the theoretical maximum azide content were shock sensitive.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation on the relative stability of the PdS2- and pyrite-type structures of PdSe2

Under ambient condition PdSe2 has the PdS2-type structure. The crystal structure of PdSe2 under pressure (up to 30 GPa) was investigated at room temperature by X-ray diffraction in an energy-dispersive configuration using a diamond anvil cell with a mixture of water/ethanol/methanol as a pressure transmitting medium. A reversible structural transition from the PdS2-type to the pyrite-type structure occurs around 10 GPa, and the applied pressure reduces the spacing between adjacent 2/proportional to [PdSe2] layers of the PdS2-type structure to form the three-dimensional lattice of the pyrite-type structure. First principles and extended Hückel electronic band structure calculations were carried out to confirm the observed pressure-induced structural changes. We also examined why the isoelectronic analogues NiSe2 and PtSe2 adopt structures different from the PdS2-type structure on the basis of qualitative electronic structure considerations.     

A wide locking range and low Voltage CMOS direct injection-locked frequency divider

A low voltage and wide locking range injection-locked frequency divider using a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process is presented. The wide locking range and the low-voltage operation are performed by adding an injection nMOS between the differential outputs of the divider that contains on-chip transformers which result in positive feedback loops to swing the output signals above the supply and below the ground potential. This dual-swing capability maximizes the carrier power and achieves low-voltage performance. The measurement results show that at the supply voltage of 0.75-V, the divider free-running frequency is 2.02 GHz, and at the incident power of 0 dBm the locking range is about 1.49 GHz (36.88%), from the incident frequency 3.27 to 4.64GHz.     

Density functional study of LaFeAsO(1-x)F(x): a low carrier density superconductor near itinerant magnetism

Density functional studies of 26 K superconducting LaFeAs(O,F) are reported. We find a low carrier density, high density of states, N(E(F)), and modest phonon frequencies relative to T(c). The high N(E(F)) leads to proximity to itinerant magnetism, with competing ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic fluctuations and the balance between these controlled by the doping level. Thus LaFeAs(O,F) is in a unique class of high T(c) superconductors: high N(E(F)) ionic metals near magnetism.     

A 5.6 GHz Low Power Balanced VCO in 0.18 $mu$m CMOS

A 5.6 GHz balanced voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is designed and implemented in a 0.18 mum CMOS 1P6M process. It consists of two single-ended complementary Colpitts LC-tank VCOs coupled by two pairs of varactors. At the supply voltage of 1.2 V, the output phase noise of the VCO is -119.13 dBc/Hz at 1MHz offset frequency from the carrier frequency of 5.6 GHz, and the figure of merit is -190.29 dBc/Hz. Total VCO core power consumption is 2.4 mW. Tuning range is about 600 MHz, from 5.36 to 5.96 GHz, while the control voltage was tuned from 0 to 1.2 V.     

Photoluminescence characteristics of Mg- and Si-doped GaN thin films grown by MOCVD technique

We have studied the optical, structural and surface morphology of doped and undoped GaN thin films. The p- and n-type thin films have been successfully prepared by low-pressure MOCVD technique by doping with Mg and Si, respectively. The different carrier concentrations were obtained in the GaN thin films by varying dopant concentrations. Photoluminescence (PL) studies were carried to find the defect levels in the doped and undoped GaN thin films at low temperature. In the undoped GaN thin films, a low intensity and broad yellow band peak was observed. The donor–acceptor pair (DAP) emission and its phonon replicas were observed in both the Si or Mg lightly doped GaN thin films. The dominance of the blue and the yellow emissions increased in the PL spectra, as the carrier concentration was increased. The XRD and SEM analyses were employed to study the structural and surface morphology of the films, respectively. Both the doped and the undoped films exhibited hexagonal structure and polycrystalline nature. Mg-doped GaN thin films showed columnar structure whereas Si-doped films exhibited spherical shape grains.     

Simultaneous recovery of EDTA and lead(II) from their chelated solutions using a cation exchange membrane

Factors affecting the efficiency of electrochemical recovery of EDTA and Pb(II) from their chelated solutions were systematically examined using a cation exchange membrane Neosepta CM-1. The catholyte contained an equimolar amount of Pb(II) and EDTA, and the anolyte contained 0.1 M NaNO₃. The iridium oxide coated on titanium (IrO₂/Ti) and stainless steel were used as anode and cathode, respectively. Experiments were carried out at different current densities (46.3–185 A/m²), initial catholyte pH values (1.47–6.02) and Pb(II) concentrations (0.005–0.03 M). An economically feasible current efficiency and recovery percentages of Pb(II) and EDTA could be achieved if the concentration of the chelated Pb(II) was sufficiently high.     

Raman and photoluminescence analyses of the crystalline InAlAs layer grown on InP substrate

Photoluminescence and Raman measurements are used to characterize the In_xAl_1-xAs (0.48 < × <0.573)epilayers grown on InP substrate by molecular beam epitaxy. It is found that as In composition, x, deviates too much from 0.52, misfit dislocations may be introduced. These dislocations will dramatically reduce the radiative efficiency of the InAlAs epilayers. Raman spectra become broader and more asymmetry due to alloy potential fluctuations as the mismatch becomes large.     

Influence of underfill materials on the reliability of coreless flip chip package

A flip chip package was assembled by using 6-layer laminated polyimide coreless substrate, eutectic Sn37Pb solder bump, two kinds of underfill materials and Sn_3.0Ag_0.5Cu solder balls. Regarding to the yield, the peripheral solder joints were often found not to connect with the substrate due to the warpage at high temperature, modification of reflow profile was benefit to improve this issue. All the samples passed the moisture sensitive level test with a peak temperature of 260 °C and no delamination at the interface of underfill and substrate was found. In order to know the reliability of coreless flip chip package, five test items including temperature cycle test (TCT), thermal shock test (TST), highly accelerated stress test (HAST), high temperature storage test (HTST) and thermal humidity storage test (THST) were done. Both of the two underfill materials could make the samples pass the HTST and THST, however, in the case of TCT, TST and HAST, the reliability of coreless flip chip package was dominated by underfill material. A higher Young’s modules of underfill, the more die crack failures were found. Choosing a correct underfill material was the key factor for volume production of coreless flip chip package.     

Modeling Alleviative Effects of Ca,Mg, and K on Cu-Induced Oxidative Stress in Grapevine Roots Grown Hydroponically

The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of alleviation effects of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) on copper (Cu)-induced oxidative toxicity in grapevine roots. Root growth, Cu and cation accumulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and antioxidant activities were examined in grapevine roots grown in nutrient solutions. The experimental setting was divided into three sets; each set contained a check (Hoagland solution only) and four treatments of simultaneous exposure to 15 μM Cu with four cation levels (i.e., Ca set: 0.5, 2.5, 5, and 10 mM Ca; Mg set: 0.2, 2, 4, and 8 mM Mg; K set: 0.6, 2.4, 4.8, and 9.6 mM K). A damage assessment model (DAM)-based approach was then developed to construct the dose-effect relationship between cation levels and the alleviation effects on Cu-induced oxidative stress. Model parameterization was performed by fitting the model to the experimental data using a nonlinear regression estimation. All data were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by multiple comparisons using the least significant difference (LSD) test. The results showed that significant inhibitory effects on the elongation of roots occurred in grapevine roots treated with 15 μM Cu. The addition of Ca and Mg significantly mitigated phytotoxicity in root growth, whereas no significant effect of K treatment on root growth was found. With respect to oxidative stress, ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents, as well as antioxidant (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and ascorbate peroxidase (APX)) activities, were stimulated in the roots after exposure to 15 μM Cu for three days. Moreover, H₂O₂ levels decreased significantly as Ca, Mg, and K concentrations increased, indicating that the coexistence of these cations effectively alleviated Cu-induced oxidative stress; however, alleviative effects were not observed in the assessment of the MDA content and antioxidant enzyme activities. Based on the DAM, an exponential decay equation was developed and successfully applied to characterize the alleviative effects of Ca, Mg, and K on the H₂O₂ content induced by Cu in the roots. In addition, compared with Mg and K, Ca was the most effective cation in the alleviation of Cu-induced ROS. Based on the results, it could be concluded that Cu inhibited root growth and Ca and Mg absorption in grapevines, and stimulated the production of ROS, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, the alleviation effects of cations on Cu-induced ROS were well described by the DAM-based approach developed in the present study.