Electron microscopy study of aggregation of microclusters of sulphur

A study of aggregation of sulphur particles in colloidal suspension of sulphur in water-methanol mixture using TEM and electron diffraction is reported. From the micrographs the aggregates formed have been found to be random and tenuous indicating a fractal structure. The electron diffraction patterns of the aggregates are used to study the mechanism of diffusion and reaction limited aggregation.     

Differential density matrix overlap: an index for assessment of electron correlation in atoms and molecules

Summary A new index, called the differential density matrix overlap (DDMO), is proposed for assessment of the electron correlation effects in atoms and molecules. DDMO can be easily calculated as the negative value of the correlation energy derivative with respect to the relative position of the occupied and virtual orbitals. DDMO is transparent to physical interpretation. It can serve as a tool for analyzing the accuracy of approximate electron correlation methods and the validity of the Hartree-Fock wavefunction as the zeroth-order approximation. The properties of DDMO are discussed using test calculations on 11 atoms and molecules as an example.     

Front roughening in three-dimensional imbibition

We investigate the structure and dynamics of the interface between two immiscible liquids in a three-dimensional disordered porous medium. We apply a phase-field model that includes explicitly disorder and discuss both spontaneous and forced imbibition. The structure of the interface is dominated by a length scale ξ_× which arises from liquid conservation. We further show that disorder in the capillary and permeability act on different length scales and give rise to different scalings and structures of the interface properties. We conclude with a range of applications.     

Homogeneous immunoassays

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology -     

Structure, reactivity, and application of some triketone derivatives

The major tautomer of several triketone derivatives in organic and aqueous solutions has been determined. Their solvent- and base-sensitive properties have been applied in the design of a polarity-sensitive fluorescent probe and an acidichromic colorant, respectively. The regioselective acetylation and methylation of 2-acyldimedone, 3-acyl-4-hydroxycoumarin, and 2-acyl-1,3-indandione have also been investigated. The results indicated that acetylation and methylation of the first two occurred specifically at endocyclic enolic oxygens, whereas for the latter they occurred at exocyclic enolic oxygen.     

Surface reconstructions of InGaAs alloys

The surface reconstructions of In_xGa_1−xAs alloys grown by molecular beam epitaxy on the (0 0 1) surfaces of GaAs and InAs have been studied by reflection high-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunnelling microscopy. A surface phase diagram is presented for the nominally strain-free alloy as a function of substrate temperature and alloy composition, and structural models for the commonly observed 3× reconstructions are discussed. Two new, electronically stable structural models are described that account for the transition of the In_xGa_1−xAs surface alloy from a c(4 × 4) to an asymmetric 3× reconstruction and that are fully consistent with all current experimental evidence.     

Structural studies of Cr-doped mullite derived from single-phase precursors

Cr-doped mullites were prepared from single-phase precursors containing up to 9.60 wt% Cr₂O₃ using a sol-gel technique followed by thermal treatment. Particle induced X-ray emission spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction were used to characterize the samples. Mullites were orthorhombic, space group Pbam. Cr doping caused the increase of unit-cell parameters. Strongest expansion was noticed along c-axis followed by a and b (Δc/c=0.089, Δa/a=0.061, Δb/b=0.045% per mole Cr₂O₃). A second phase, namely θ-(Al,Cr)₂O₃, was revealed by XRD in the sample containing 9.60 wt% Cr₂O₃. The structure of mullites was refined by the Rietveld method, location of Cr³⁺ was performed by the EPR spectroscopy. At low chromium doping level (Cr₂O₃ content less than ∼5 wt%) Cr³⁺ ions were substituted for Al³⁺ in the AlO₆ octahedra of the mullite structure (M1 site). For higher doping level, Cr³⁺ ions were additionally substituted for Al³⁺ in the AlO₆ octahedra of the second phase [θ-(Al,Cr)₂O₃ at 1400 °C, or α-(Al,Cr)₂O₃ at 1600 °C] which segregated in the system. Substitution of Cr³⁺ for Al³⁺ on M1 site in the mullite structure resulted in increase of average distances in (M1)O₆ octahedron and decrease of average distances in T*O₄ tetrahedron, while average distances in TO₄ tetrahedron stayed almost constant.     

Study of nitrogen ion implantation and diffusion phenomena on thin chromium layers followed by the atomic force microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy techniques characterization

This research investigates the effect of ion implantation dosage level and further thermal treatment on the physical characteristics of chromium coatings on Si(1 1 1) substrates. Chromium films had been exposed to nitrogen ion fluencies of 1 × 10¹⁷, 3 × 10¹⁷, 6 × 10¹⁷ and 10 × 10¹⁷ N⁺ cm⁻² with a 15 keV energy level. Obtained samples had been heat treated at 450 °C at a pressure of 2 × 10⁻² Torr in an argon atmosphere for 30 h. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed significant increase in surface roughness as a result of nitrogen ion fluence increase. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) studies revealed a clear increased accumulation of Cr₂N phase near the surface as a result of higher N⁺ fluence. XRD patterns showed preferred growth of [0 0 2] and [1 1 1] planes of Cr₂N phase as a result of higher ion implantation fluence. These results had been explained based on the nucleation-growth of Cr₂N phase and nitrogen atoms diffusion history during the thermal treatment process.     

气体放电等离子体特性测量I-V曲线不对称性的研究

利用气体放电双探针法研究了等离子体的I-V曲线中的电流I相对于电压V轴交点的不对称性,并提出2种可能的解释:一认为是由于两探针表面积不同引起的;二认为是由于探针所在处等离子体电位不等引起的.本文利用仪器的工艺误差和调换放电管电压的方法,对提出的2种可能原因分别进行验证,并指出第二种解释的合理性,并对其进行了理论分析.     

Epitaxy: the motion picture

The engineering of many modern electronic devices demands control over a crystal down to the thickness of a single layer of atoms—and future demands will be even more challenging. Such control is achieved by the method of crystal growth known as epitaxy, and that makes this method the subject of intense study. More than that, recent advances are revolutionizing our knowledge of how surfaces grow. In fact, growing surfaces show a beautifully rich variety of phenomena, many of which are only now beginning to be uncovered. In the past few years many surface imaging techniques have been used to give us a close look at how crystals grow—while they are growing. The purpose of this article will be to illustrate some of the ways real surfaces grow and change as revealed by some of the latest in situ microscopic imaging technologies.

It is often said that crystal growth is more of an art than a science. Here we will show that it is emphatically both.