Refining search terms for nanotechnology

The ability to delineate the boundaries of an emerging technology is central to obtaining an understanding of the technology’s research paths and commercialization prospects. Nowhere is this more relevant than in the case of nanotechnology (hereafter identified as “nano”) given its current rapid growth and multidisciplinary nature. (Under the rubric of nanotechnology, we also include nanoscience and nanoengineering.) Past efforts have utilized several strategies, including simple term search for the prefix nano, complex lexical and citation-based approaches, and bootstrapping techniques. This research introduces a modularized Boolean approach to defining nanotechnology which has been applied to several research and patenting databases. We explain our approach to downloading and cleaning data, and report initial results. Comparisons of this approach with other nanotechnology search formulations are presented. Implications for search strategy development and profiling of the nanotechnology field are discussed.

Iodine-mediated one-pot synthesis of C-3 acylated indolizines from pyridines,aryl methyl ketones and acrylate derivatives

An I₂/CuI-promoted multi-component reaction from pyridines, aryl methyl ketones and electron deficient acrylates has been accomplished in a “one-pot” manner, which provides a straightforward and efficient access to C-3 acylated indolizines. The key intermediate of N-ylides is hypothesized to be generated in situ from pyridines and (hetero)aryl methyl ketones in the presence of iodine. This method has been applied in the synthesis of two molecules with anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory activities.     

Volatile compounds profiling by using proton transfer reaction‐time of flight‐mass spectrometry (PTR‐ToF‐MS). The case study of dark chocolates organoleptic differences

Direct‐injection mass spectrometry (DIMS) techniques have evolved into powerful methods to analyse volatile organic compounds (VOCs) without the need of chromatographic separation. Combined to chemometrics, they have been used in many domains to solve sample categorization issues based on volatilome determination. In this paper, different DIMS methods that have largely outperformed conventional electronic noses (e‐noses) in classification tasks are briefly reviewed, with an emphasis on food‐related applications. A particular attention is paid to proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‐MS), and many results obtained using the powerful PTR‐time of flight‐MS (PTR‐ToF‐MS) instrument are reviewed. Data analysis and feature selection issues are also summarized and discussed. As a case study, a challenging problem of classification of dark chocolates that has been previously assessed by sensory evaluation in four distinct categories is presented. The VOC profiles of a set of 206 chocolate samples classified in the four sensory categories were analysed by PTR‐ToF‐MS. A supervised multivariate data analysis based on partial least squares regression‐discriminant analysis allowed the construction of a classification model that showed excellent prediction capability: 97% of a test set of 62 samples were correctly predicted in the sensory categories. Tentative identification of ions aided characterisation of chocolate classes. Variable selection using dedicated methods pinpointed some volatile compounds important for the discrimination of the chocolates. Among them, the CovSel method was used for the first time on PTR‐MS data resulting in a selection of 10 features that allowed a good prediction to be achieved. Finally, challenges and future needs in the field are discussed.     

Separation and quantitative determination of the cerium group lanthanides by gas-liquid chromatography

A gas chromatographic method is reported for the separation and subsequent quantitative determination of the cerium group lanthanides. The lanthanides (RE) are synergistically extracted from aqueous solution with the polyfluorinated beta-diketone 1,1,1,2,2,6,6,7,7,7-decafluoro-3,5-heptanedione, H(FHD), as ligand, and di-n-butylsulphoxide, DBSO, as neutral donor. The composition of the extracted species is reported to be RE(FHD)(3) .2DBSO. Thermogravimetric analysis of the complexes is reported. Analytical curves were prepared and found to be usable over the range of 0.1-10 mug of metal. Individual lanthanides were determined with 99.0 % recovery with a relative mean deviation of +/-2.0%. Mixture of lanthanides were analyzed with 101.2% recovery with a relative mean deviation of +/-2.2%.     

SNMS-analysis of insulators

Three different operation modes of secondary neutral mass spectrometry have been applied for bulk and depth profile analysis of various insulators and insulating surface layers. Sample charging by ion bombardment has been compensated by different experimental techniques.     

The Road Traffic Analysis Based on an Urban Traffic Model of the Circular Working Field

Under a relatively realistic model,this paper theoretically analyzes the road traffic status inside anurban working field,including its radial roads and circular ones.Concretely,the radial and the circular averagetraveling distances of a car commuter in a tiny ring with wide dx are first derived,and then the necessary roadarea,road area rate distributions,the proportion between the radial and the circular roads to be needed are alsocalculated.The results presented here and the properties shown through the numerical analysis are consideredto be significant at the very beginning stage of designing an urban city.     

Depth Profile Analysis on the Nanometer Scale by a Combination of Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and Focused Ion Beam Specimen Preparation (FIB)

Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) offers high sensitivity and high accuracy in quantitative measurements of chemical compositions and mass coverages. Owing to the low detection limits of the wavelength-dispersive technique, monolayers with mass coverages of about 0.05µgcm^–2 can be detected. Assuming a density of 5gcm^–3 this corresponds to a thickness of 0.1nm. With these advantages in mind, EPMA was extended to depth profile analysis in the sub-micron range using a surface removal technique.The present paper shows how depth profile analysis can be improved by combining EPMA and the focused ion beam (FIB) technique. The focused ion beam system uses a Ga⁺ ion beam. The ion beam allows the milling of defined geometries on the nanometer scale, so that very shallow bevels with exactly defined angles in relation to the surface can be obtained. Low surface damage is expected due to low sputtering effects. Calibrated WDX measurements along the bevel deliver quantitative concentration depth profiles. First results obtained with this new combination of methods will be presented for a multilayered sample used in optical data storage.     

Industrial problem solving using infrared photoacoustic spectroscopy

Until recently photoacoustic detectors coupled to infrared spectrophotometers were low signal-to-noise devices. Often long acquisition times and low resolution were used in order to obtain any spectrum at all.However, newer designs of photoacoustic detectors which are optimized for use in the infrared have become available. Nearly theoretical signal-to-noise values of 2000/l for a single 8 cm^–1 scan have been observed using the MTEC photoacoustic detector on the Perkin-Elmer Model 1800 FT-IR. Using this combination of photoacoustic detector and the Model 1800, it is feasible to conduct quantitative measurements and so it becomes very important to understand the parameters of the measurements which determine the precision.This paper will discuss the various types of analysis that can be performed on industrial samples by using a photoacoustic detector. Aspects of sample handling and the effect of mirror velocity in the interferometer on quantitative analysis will be discussed. Not only will quantitative results be reported, but also the results of spectral difference calculations, which require the same precision as quantitative measurements, will be presented. Depth profiling and sample identification will also be discussed.     

Quantitative depth profiling of an alternating Pt/Co multilayer and a Pt-Co alloy multilayer by SIMS using a Buckminsterfullerene (C60) source

A Buckminsterfullerene ion beam has been applied to the depth profiling of an alternating pure Pt and pure Co multilayer. Quantitative depth profiling was performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) with C₆₀ ions using Pt-Co alloy films with different compositions. Relative sensitivity factors (RSFs) derived from a Pt₃₉Co₆₁ alloy film were used to convert an original depth profile to a composition depth profile. A severe interface artifact observed in the depth profile of a Pt/Co multilayer was quantitatively correlated with a gradual variation of matrix composition through the Pt/Co and Co/Pt interfaces by comparison with the depth profiling of an alloy multilayer film. Moreover, the interface artifact could be compensated by conversion of the profile to a composition profile using the same RSFs. The depth resolutions of a Pt/Co multilayer derived from the composition depth profile were much larger than the apparent interface widths measured from the original depth profile due to the nonlinear relationship between the Co and Pt ion intensities and their compositions.