Recent study of nanomaterials prepared by inert gas condensation using ultra high vacuum chamber

The ultra high vacuum chamber was developed in the Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Madras with the funding from DST, India. This UHV chamber is used to prepare nanocrystalline materials by inert gas condensation technique (IGCT). Nanocrystalline materials such as PbF₂, Mn²⁺-doped PbF₂, Sn-doped In₂O₃ (ITO), ZnO, Al₂O₃, Ag₂O, CdO, CuO, ZnSe:ZnO etc., were prepared by this technique and characterized. Results of some of these materials will be presented in this paper. In solid-state²⁰⁷Pb NMR on PbF₂ a separate signal due to the presence of grain boundary has been observed. The structural phase transition pressure during the phase transformation from the cubic phase to orthorhombic phase under high pressure shows an increase with the decrease in grain size. Presence of electronic centres in nanocrystalline PbF₂ is observed from Raman studies and the same has been confirmed by photoluminescence studies. Al₂O₃ was prepared and⁵⁶Fe ions were implanted. After implantation segregation of⁵⁶Fe ions was examined by SEM. The oxidation properties of ITO were studied by HRTEM. As against the expectation of oxide coating on individual nanograins of In-Sn alloy, ITO nanograins grew into faceted nanograins on heat treatment in air and O₂ atmosphere. The growth of ITO under O₂ atmosphere showed pentagon symmetry. The PMN was initially prepared by solid-state reaction. Further, this PMN relaxor material will be used to convert into nanocrystalline PMN by IGCT with sputtering and will be studied     

Engineering Plasmonic Environments for 2D Materials and 2D-Based Photodetectors

Two-dimensional layered materials are considered ideal platforms to study novel small-scale optoelectronic devices due to their unique electronic structures and fantastic physical properties. However, it is urgent to further improve the light–matter interaction in these materials because their light absorption efficiency is limited by the atomically thin thickness. One of the promising approaches is to engineer the plasmonic environment around 2D materials for modulating light–matter interaction in 2D materials. This method greatly benefits from the advances in the development of nanofabrication and out-plane van der Waals interaction of 2D materials. In this paper, we review a series of recent works on 2D materials integrated with plasmonic environments, including the plasmonic-enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield, strong coupling between plasmons and excitons, nonlinear optics in plasmonic nanocavities, manipulation of chiral optical signals in hybrid nanostructures, and the improvement of the performance of optoelectronic devices based on composite systems.     

掺杂聚苯乙烯制备研究

讨论了惯性约束聚变研究中采用化学及物理手段在聚苯乙烯（PS）材料掺杂卤素、硅、氘等非金属元素以及铁、铬、钛等金属元素的原理和方法。利用硅烷偶联剂对氧化物表面进行了预处理,采用本体聚合的方式将氧化物掺杂在PS网络之中,简述了它们在ICF中的应用。     

a-C:F薄膜的热稳定性与光学带隙的关联

以CF4和C6H6的混合气体作为气源,在微波电子回旋共振化学气相沉积(ECRCVD)装置中制备了氟化非晶碳薄膜(aC:F),并在N2气氛中作了退火处理以考察其热稳定性.通过傅里叶变换红外吸收谱和紫外可见光谱获得了薄膜中CC双键的相对含量和光学带隙,发现膜中CC键含量与光学带隙之间存在着密切的关联,在高微波功率下沉积的氟化非晶碳膜具有低的光学带隙和较好的热稳定性. 关键词： 氟化非晶碳膜 光学带隙 退火温度 热稳定性     

Robust liquid crystal droplets

The preparation and properties of cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal droplets encapsulated by the polymerizable lecithin 1,2-bis(10,12-tricosadiynoyl)-sn-glyero-3-phosphocholine (DC_8,9PC) are described. Under a wide variety of preparation conditions the droplets obtain a diameter of approximately 10 mum. These droplets are stable for periods of over one year at room temperature. Furthermore, they are stable upon temperature cycling between the nematic and isotropic phases and between the smectic A to nematic to isotropic phase transitions.     

A Silicon Nanowire‐Based Electrochemical Sensor with High Sensitivity and Electrocatalytic Activity

A new kind of silicon nanowire (SiNWs)‐based nanoelectrode assembly, a gold‐nanoparticle‐decorated silicon nanowire array (AuNPs@SiNWsAr), is employed for the construction of high‐performance electrochemical sensors. Significantly, the electrochemical nanosensors are capable of sensitive detection of various electroactive molecules (e.g., dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), and glucose). Further, DA molecules loaded on the surface of AuNPs@SiNWsAr preserve stable high electroactivity overnight without special protection, while free DA molecules may lose their biological activity due to severe oxidization in ambient environment. These findings may offer new opportunities for the design of high‐performance electrochemical nanosensors with high sensitivity and robust stability.     

Radiophotolumenescence of Irradiated Polymethylmethacrylate Doped with Some Charge Transfer Complexes

Radiophotolumenescence (RPL) of irradiated and non irradiated thin films of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) doped with anthracene (Anth) as a donor, and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) as an acceptor, has been investigated. The RPL – glow spectrum was recorded to study the characterizing emission bands from the point of view of glow peak position and intensity and hence the prospective relative sensitivities. RFL – signal fading after one month storage in dark at room temperature post gamma irradiation was also studied. PMMA doped with 6:4 donor to acceptor ratio has been proved to be the most sensitive one with less fading regarding gamma detection. On the other hand 2 Anth: 8 TCNQ was found to be the proper dopant concentration ratio for thermal neutron detection.     

Autoradiographische Untersuchungen zur Vermisechung von Baustoffkomponenten

Die Feinverteilung des Kalkes im Kalk-Quarzsand-Gemisch ist eine notwendige Bedingung fur hohe erreichbare Festigkeit der Silikatbaustoffe. Vergleiehende Untersuchungen über die Kalkverteilung an neutronenaktivierten feinkörnigen Baustoffproben mit Hilfe von Szintillationsmessungen des ⁴⁷Ca-Gehaltes und mittels autoradiographischer Darstellung der Kalkverteilung in kleinen Prüfkörpern unter Ausnützung der relativ weichen β-Strahlung des ⁴⁵Ca ergaben, daβ die autoradiographischen Aussagen über die Homogenität der Proben am besten mit den Festigkeitsiwerten der Prüfkörper korrespondieren.     

Application of Autoradiography to the Investigation of New Doping Techniques of Semiconductor Materials

The development of technology of new semiconductor devices requires fundamental studies of a number of phenomena taking place in semiconductors during the doping process or accompanying the doping process.

These studies are concerned with the following problems:

1. Diffusion of gold in silicon and the effect of diffusion layers (particularly phosphorus layers) and epitaxial silicon layers on the distribution of gold in thin silicon plates.

2. Distribution of admixtures in silicon introduced with the aid of the ion implantation technique. Our studies concerned with the second of the above mentioned problems comprised an autoradiographic examination of the homogeneity of the beam of phosphorus ions implanted in silicon, and a study of some apparatus factors and of the purity of the basic material on the implantation.