XRD-Studies of SiC/Si layers on carbon substrates

Structural investigations of thin films of SiC, SiC with free silicon and various titanium suicides (TiSi₂, TiSi and Ti₅Si₃) are described. The crystal phases have been identified using X-ray diffractometry. The growth of reaction products from surface reactions between silicon and deposited titanium can be observed.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer.nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Nanoclusters of Silicon and Germanium

Synthetic routes for the preparation of Si or Ge nanoclusters as gaseous species, colloids, supported composites, or as unsupported powders are reviewed along with selected characterization data. The optical properties of these and related materials, such as porous Si, are summarized with particular emphasis on photo- or electroluminescence phenomena. Research opportunities related to Si and Ge cluster chemistry are suggested.     

Interpretation of Auger depth profiles of thin SiC layers on Si

Silicon carbide thin films, prepared by carbonization of Si-wafers are analysed by Auger depth profiling. The influence of atomic mixing is simulated with a Monte Carlo model. By using mixing simulations the dependence of the two mixing parameters (width of the mixing zone and recoil depth) on ion beam energy, incidence angle and ion mass can be calculated. For comparison of the simulated data with Auger measurements an Auger electron escape depth correction is necessary. The simulated and -corrected data of several layer structures show good qualitative agreement with Auger depth profiles of thin carbonized SiC-layers.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

Synthesis and characterization of new oligosilane derivatives of iron and molybdenum

By use of salt elimination, the transition metal substituted oligosilanes (η⁵-C₅Me₄Et)Fe(CO)₂SiMe₂SiMe₂Cl 1, (η⁵-C₅Me₄Et)Mo(CO)₃SiMe₂SiMe₂Br 2, (η⁵-C₅Me₄Et)Fe(CO)₂(SiMe₂)₆(CO)₂Fe(η⁵-C₅Me₄Et) 3 and (η⁵-C₅Me₄Et)Fe(CO)₂(SiMe₂)₆Br 4 were prepared and characterized. Compound 1 is well crystallized from pentane and its structure has been determined by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

ANISOTROPIC STRAIN EFFECT ON MORPHOLOGY AND ATOMIC STRUCTURE OF VICINAL Si(001) SURFACE

On vicinal Si(001) surfaces, dependence of growth morphology on the applied strain direction and formation of vacancy lines from Ag-induced missing dimer vacancies are studied. Both phenomena are intimately related to the anisotropic nature of the strain field which originates from the surface dimerization. Strain relief mechanism, reflecting on the surface morphology, is shown to be different in two orthogonal directions. Normal to the steps, step-pair bunching and waving lead to formation of hillocks and pits. Along the step direction, bending of step pairs forms a cusp which later develops into a deep groove. Toward the atomic scale, the formation of the vacancy lines is driven by the short-range attractive interaction between the vacancies in adjacent dimer rows and the long-range repulsive interaction between them in the same dimer row. A full form and magnitudes of the interactions are derived from the thermally-excited wandering of the vacancy lines formed by a nominal amount of Ag depositing onto the surface.     

Double Pore Silica Gel Monolith Applied to Liquid Chromatography

Silica gels retaining double pore structure in the size ranges of micrometer and nanometer have been applied to the rod-shaped monolithic column for liquid chromatography. The macropore structure was designed by controlling the phase separation process induced by the hydrolysis and polycondensation of alkoxysilane, whereas the mesopore structure was tailored by the solvent exchange treatments on wet gels. The size exclusion chromatograms on polystyrene standards exhibited almost similar features for octadecyl-modified rod and conventional packed beads columns. The dependence of plate height on the velocity of mobile phase determined for amylbenzene was by far weaker in the rod column than in the packed beads column, suggesting that additional geometrical factors should be considered in describing the separation mechanism in the rod column.     

Effect of Elicitation with Iron Chelate and Sodium Metasilicate on Phenolic Compounds in Legume Sprouts

Seven-day-old sprouts of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris L.), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) were studied. The legume seeds and then sprouts were soaked each day for 30 min during 6 days with water (control) or mixture of Fe-EDTA and sodium silicate (Optysil), or sodium silicate (Na-Sil) alone. Germination and sprout growing was carried out at temperature 20 ± 2 °C in 16/8 h (day/night) conditions. Phenolic compounds (free, ester, and glycosides) content were determined by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS using a multiple reaction monitoring of selected ions. Flavonoids and phenolic acids were released from their esters after acid hydrolysis and from glycosides by alkaline hydrolysis. The presence and high content of (−)-epicatechin (EC) in fenugreek sprouts was demonstrated for the first time. Applied elicitors decreased the level of free EC in fenugreek and alfalfa sprouts but enhanced the content of its esters. Besides, elicitors decreased the content of quercetin glycosides in lentil and fenugreek sprouts but increased the content of quercetin and apigenin glycosides in alfalfa sprouts. The applied elicitors decreased the glycoside levels of most phenolic acids in lentil and p-hydroxybenzoic acid in fenugreek, while they increased the content of this acid in alfalfa. The mixture of iron chelate and sodium silicate had less effect on changes in flavonoid and phenolic acid content in legume sprouts than silicate alone. In general, the used elicitors increased the content of total phenolic compounds in fenugreek and alfalfa sprouts and decreased the content in lentil sprouts. Among the evaluated elicitors, Optysil seems to be worth recommending due to the presence of iron chelate, which can be used to enrich sprouts with this element.     

Planar Tetracoordinate Silicon in Organic Molecules As Carbenoid-Type Amphoteric Centers: A Computational Study

Designing and synthesizing a stable compound with a planar tetracoordinate silicon (ptSi) center is a challenging goal for chemists. Here, a series of potential aromatic ptSi compounds composed of four conjugated rings shared by a centrally embedded Si atom are theoretically designed and computationally verified. Both Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics (BOMD) simulations and potential energy surface scannings verify the high stability and likely existence of these compounds, particularly Si-16-5555 (SiN₄C₈H₈) with 16 π electrons, under standard ambient temperature and pressure. Notably, the Hückel aromaticity rule, which works well for single rings, is inconsistent with the high stability of Si-16-5555 where the 16 p electrons are spread over four five-membered rings fused together. Bonding analyses show that the strong electron donation from the peripheral 12-membered conjugated ring with 16 π electrons to the vacant central atomic orbital Si 3p_z leads to the stabilization for both the ptSi coordination and planar aromaticity. The partial occupation of Si 3p_z results in the peculiar carbenoid-type behaviors for the amphoteric center. By modulating the electron density on the ring with substituent groups, we can regulate the nucleophilic and electrophilic properties of the central Si.     

Click Chemistry in Ultra-high Vacuum – Tetrazine Coupling with Methyl Enol Ether Covalently Linked to Si(001)

The additive-free tetrazine/enol ether click reaction was performed in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) with an enol ether group covalently linked to a silicon surface: Dimethyl 1,2,4,5-tetrazine-3,6-dicarboxylate molecules were coupled to the enol ether group of a functionalized cyclooctyne which was adsorbed on the silicon (001) surface via the strained triple bond of cyclooctyne. The reaction was observed at a substrate temperature of 380 K by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A moderate energy barrier was deduced for this click reaction in vacuum by means of density functional theory based calculations, in good agreement with the experimental results. This UHV-compatible click reaction thus opens a new, flexible route for synthesizing covalently bound organic architectures.     

Electrostatic Interactions Leading to Hierarchical Interpenetrating Electroconductive Networks in Silicon Anodes for Fast Lithium Storage

Recently, the frequency of combining MXene, which has unique properties such as metal-level conductivity and large specific surface area, with silicon to achieve excellent electrochemical performance has increased considerably. There is no doubt that the introduction of MXene can improve the conductivity of silicon and the cycling stability of electrodes after elaborate structure design. However, most exhaustive contacts can only improve the electrode conductivity on the plane. Herein, a MXene@Si/CNTs (HIEN-MSC) composite with hierarchical interpenetrating electroconductive networks has been synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly. In this process, the CNTs are first combined with silicon nanoparticles and then assembled with MXene nanosheets. Inserting CNTs into silicon nanoparticles can not only reduce the latter‘s agglomeration, but also immobilizes them on the three-dimensional conductive framework composed of CNTs and MXene nanosheets. Therefore, the HIEN-MSC electrode shows superior rate performance (high reversible capacity of 280 mA h⁻¹ even tested at 10 A g⁻¹), cycling stability (stable reversible capacity of 547 mA h g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at 1 A g⁻¹) and applicability (a high reversible capacity of 101 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles when assembled with NCM622 into a full cell). These results may provide new insights for other electrodes with excellent rate performance and long-cycle stability.