Waiting times of entangled electrons in normal–superconducting junctions

We consider a normal–superconducting junction in order to investigate the effect of new physical ingredients on waiting times. First, we study the interplay between Andreev and specular scattering at the interface on the distribution of waiting times of electrons or holes separately. In that case the distribution is not altered dramatically compared to the case of a single quantum channel with a quantum point contact since the interface acts as an Andreev mirror for holes. We then consider a fully entangled state originating from splitting of Cooper pairs at the interface and demonstrate a significant enhancement of the probability to detect two consecutive electrons in a short time interval. Finally, we discuss the electronic waiting time distribution in the more realistic situation of partial entanglement.     

An improved model for the cantilever NEMS actuator including the surface energy,fringing field and Casimir effects

The influence of the surface energy on the instability of nano-structures under the electrostatic force has been investigated in recent years by different researchers. It appears that in all prior research, the response of all structures becomes softer due to the surface effects. In the present study, the pull-in instability of a NEMS device incorporating the electrostatic force and Casimir intermolecular attraction for different values of the surface parameter is investigated by the Duan–Rach method of determined coefficients (MDC) in order to identify the remarkable effect of the surface energy. Although the obtained results verify the behavior of such structures in presence of the fringing field and the Casimir attraction same as the previous investigations, however the incremental effects of the surface energy cause the aforementioned structures to behave more stiffly in contrast.     

On the photon-drag effect of photocurrent of surface states of topological insulators

The photocurrent of surface states of topological insulator due to photon-drag effect is computed, being based on pure Dirac model of surface states. The scattering by disorder is taken into account to provide a relaxation mechanism for the photocurrent. The Keldysh–Schwinger formalism has been employed for the systematic calculation of photocurrent. The helicity dependent photocurrent of sizable magnitude transverse to the in-plane photon momentum is found, which is consistent with experimental data. Other helicity independent photocurrents with various polarization states are also calculated.     

Structural characterization and X-ray analysis by Williamson–Hall method for Erbium doped Aluminum Nitride nanoparticles,synthesized using inert gas condensation technique

We have synthesized AlN nanoparticles (NPs) doped in-situ with Er (AlN:Er) using inert gas condensation technique. Using x-ray diffraction (XRD) peak broadening analysis with the Williamson–Hall (W–H) Uniform Deformation Model (UDM) the crystallite size of the NPs and the strain in NPs were found to be 80±38 nm and 3.07×10⁻³±0.9×10⁻³ respectively. In comparison, using the Debye–Scherrer's (DS) formula, we have inferred that the crystallite size of the NPs was 23±6 nm and the average strain was 4.3×10⁻³±0.4×10⁻³. The scanning electron microscopy images show that the NPs are spherical and have an average diameter of ∼300 nm. The crystallite size is smaller than the size of the NPs revealing their polycrystalline behavior. In addition, the NPs strain, stress and energy density were also calculated using W–H analysis combined with the Uniform Deformation Stress Model (UDSM) and the Uniform Deformation Energy Density Model (UDEDM). Suggested by the spherical geometry and polycrystalline nature of the AlN NPs, the strain computed from UDM, UDSM and UDEDM were in agreement confirming an isotropic mechanical nature of the particle. Luminescence measurements revealed the temperature dependence of the optical emission of the Er³⁺ ions, confirming the use of AlN:Er NPs for nano-scale temperature sensing.     

Reprint of : Spin polarization induced by an electric field in the presence of weak localization effects

We evaluate the spin polarization (Edelstein or inverse spin galvanic effect) and the spin Hall current induced by an applied electric field by including the weak localization corrections for a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that the weak localization effects yield logarithmic corrections to both the spin polarization conductivity relating the spin polarization and the electric field and to the spin Hall angle relating the spin and charge currents. The renormalization of both the spin polarization conductivity and the spin Hall angle combine to produce a zero correction to the total spin Hall conductivity as required by an exact identity. Suggestions for the experimental observation of the effect are given.     

Dielectric properties and study of AC electrical conduction mechanisms by non-overlapping small polaron tunneling model in Bis(4-acetylanilinium) tetrachlorocuprate(II) compound

In the present work, the synthesis and characterization of the Bis(4-acetylanilinium) tetrachlorocuprate(II) compound are presented. The structure of this compound is analyzed by X-ray diffraction which confirms the formation of single phase and is in good agreement the literature. Indeed, the Thermo gravimetric Analysis (TGA) shows that the decomposition of the compound is observed in the range of 420–520 K. However, the differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicates the presence of a phase transition at T=363 k. Furthermore, the dielectric properties and AC conductivity were studied over a temperature range (338–413 K) and frequency range (200 Hz–5 MHz) using complex impedance spectroscopy. Dielectric measurements confirmed such thermal analyses by exhibiting the presence of an anomaly in the temperature range of 358–373 K. The complex impedance plots are analyzed by an electrical equivalent circuit consisting of resistance, constant phase element (CPE) and capacitance. The activation energy values of two distinct regions are obtained from log σT vs 1000/T plot and are found to be E=1.27 eV (T<363 K) and E=1.09 eV (363 K<T).The frequency dependence of ac conductivity, σ_ac, has been analyzed by Jonscher's universal power law σ(ω)=σ_dc+Aω^s. The value of s is to be temperature-dependent, which has a tendency to increase with temperature and the non-overlapping small polaron tunneling (NSPT) model is the most applicable conduction mechanism in the title compound.     

Remarkably improved cycling stability of 3D porous Cu–Sn anode for lithium-ion full cells by adjusting working voltage range

Numerous studies confirm that three dimensional porous Cu–Sn (3DP Cu–Sn) anode possesses good application prospect in light of its desirable electrochemical performance on lithium ion half cells, but there are a few related systematic researches on lithium ion full cells until now, which is indispensable before its commercialization. Herein, the effects of galvanostatic charge-discharge voltage range on the cycling stability of 3DP Cu–Sn anode for lithium ion full cells are investigated systematically. The results show that the suitable charge-discharge voltage range plays a key role in improving the reversible capacity and cycling stability of the 3DP Cu–Sn||LiCoO₂ full cell, which is closely related to maintaining the electrode structure stable by controlling the amount of Li⁺ extracted and inserted. Especially, in the voltage range of 1.2–3.9 ​V, the full cell exhibits remarkably improved electrochemical properties with the high initial reversible capacity of 2.71 ​mAh cm⁻² and 71.95% capacity retention upon 80 cycles. We believe that this work can provide a significant reference for the practical application of porous Sn-based anodes.     

Preparation and characterization of fragrance by extracting the essential oils from different raw materials

The extraction is a simple process and it is widely used to extract the fragrances in fragrance industries from essential oils. There are number of compounds (i.e. flowers, oils, leaves etc.) from which we can prepare the fragrance by extracting the essential oils from them. In this work, we have prepared the fragrance from the essential oils by the liquid-liquid extraction process, where the essential oil presented as the concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds. We used the combination of Gas chromatography and Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) characterization techniques to make our product more useful, convenient and compitative with the other fragrance available in the market. This study would be helpful to understand the preparation of the fragrance from the concentrated hydrophobic liquid type essential oils which contains volatile aroma compounds by using a significant liquid-liquid extraction process.     

N-Tosylhydrazone as an oxidizing directing group for the redox-neutral access to isoquinolines via Cp1Co(III)-Catalyzed C–H/N–N activation

Herein, an efficient and economic access has been revealed for the synthesis of isoquinolines via C–H bond activation strategy by using comparatively inexpensive and versatile cobalt catalyst. A hardly investigated directing group, N-tosylhydrazone has been effectively applied as an internal oxidant for an annulation reaction with internal alkynes via C–H/N–N bond functionalization. This catalytic protocol works for the extensive variety of substrates in moderate to excellent yields under external oxidant-free conditions. Additionally, the proposed protocol has advantages such as broad substrate coverage with significant product yields, readily synthesized substrates as well as scalability up to the gram quantity which further improves the competency of the methodology.     

Quantification of the bisphosphonate alendronate using capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry with dynamic pH barrage junction focusing

A quantitative method was developed for the direct identity confirmation and quantification of alendronate using CE-MS combined with a pH-assisted focusing technique, dynamic pH barrage junction focusing. A pH-induced variation in electrophoretic mobility led to online focusing of alendronate at the sample/pH barrage boundary, significantly improving the detection sensitivity. In addition, the use of a flow-through microvial CE electrospray interface and the multiple reaction monitoring mode of MS further improved the specificity and quantification capability of this technology. This quantitative method presented a wide linear dynamic range over 8–2000 ng/mL and an LOD of 2 ng/mL. A 460-fold improvement in sensitivity was obtained when pH barrage junction focusing was applied during the CE process, in comparison to when normal CE was conducted without online sample stacking. The superior detection sensitivity over previously reported methods enables direct analysis of bisphosphonate compounds, eliminating tedious pre-column sample enrichment and derivatization. Validation of alendronate content in a commercial drug tablet further proved the reliability and power of this method. This simple method with no sample derivatization, superior sensitivity, and short run time (<8 min) is a promising alternative for accurate quantification of alendronate and other types of bisphosphonate compounds in both drug formulations and plasma samples.