Morphological evidence for surface pre-melting on Si(1 1 1)

We present what we believe to be the first morphological evidence for the occurrence of surface pre-melting on the Si(1 1 1) surface. Our results complement the extensive previous evidence from diffraction and ion scattering techniques for the presence of pre-melted (liquid-like) layers on Si(1 1 1) below the bulk melting temperature and also suggest how atomic steps are involved in the initiation of such layers. Our results are based on atomic force microscopy studies of morphologies that are preserved when surfaces are annealed in a range of high temperatures and then rapidly cooled to room temperature for observation. A unique feature of the experiments is the use of specially prepared atomically flat or very low step density surfaces; this allows us to see how the liquid-like morphologies are associated with the steps and also allows the high temperature structures to survive the cooling process without being absorbed into the steps which normally would exist on a surface vicinal to (1 1 1). Quenched-in structures ascribed to pre-melting also act as sinks for diffusing ‘excess’ adatoms generated by the (1 × 1) to (7 × 7) transition and this leads to the formation of dendritic islands.     

Microstructure and properties of styrene‐butadiene rubber based nanocomposites prepared from an aminosilane modified synthetic lamellar nanofiller

In this work, a novel nanocomposite series based on styrene‐butadiene rubber (SBR latex) and alpha‐zirconium phosphate(α‐ZrP) lamellar nanofillers is successfully prepared. The α‐ZrP lamellar filler is modified at the cation exchange capacity by γ‐aminopropyltrimethoxysilane and the filler surface modification is first discussed. A significant improvement of the mechanical properties is obtained by using the surface modified nanofillers. However, no modification of the gas barrier properties is observed. The impact of addition of bis(triethoxysilylpropyl)tetrasulfide (TESPT) as coupling agent in the system is discussed on the nanofiller dispersion state and on the filler–matrix interfacial bonding. Simultaneous use of modified nanofillers and TESPT coupling agent is found out with extraordinary reinforcing effects on both mechanical and gas barrier properties and the key factors at the origin of the improvement of these properties are identified. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013 , 51, 1051–1059     

Distorting symmetric designs

A simple replacement approach is used to construct new symmetric and affine designs from projective or affine spaces. This is used to construct symmetric designs with a given automorphism group, to study GMW designs, and to construct new affine designs whose automorphism group fixes a point and has just two point- and block-orbits.      

On the speed of a cookie random walk

We consider the model of the one-dimensional cookie random walk when the initial cookie distribution is spatially uniform and the number of cookies per site is finite. We give a criterion to decide whether the limiting speed of the walk is non-zero. In particular, we show that a positive speed may be obtained for just three cookies per site. We also prove a result on the continuity of the speed with respect to the initial cookie distribution.      

Why Matter Occupies so Large a Volume？

The paper represents a rigorous treatment of the underlying quantum theory, not just in words but providing the underlying technical details, as to why matter occupies so large a volume and its intimate connection with the Pauli exclusion principle, as more and more matter is put together, as well as of the contraction or shrinkage of ＂bosonic matter＂, upon collapse, for which the Panli exclusion is abolished. From the derived explicit bounds of integrals of powers of the particle number densities, explicit bounds on probabilities of the occurrences of the events just described are extracted. These probabilities lead one to infer the change of the ＂size＂ or extension of such matter, upon expansion or contraction, respectively, as their content is increased.     

Detection of copper(II) sulfate’s uniformity and its thermal behavior in flammability of cotton fabric

Blue vitriol (copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate), CuSO₄·5H₂O has been chosen and investigated for its effectiveness as a flame-retardant, when impregnated into cotton fabric (cotton with a plain structure; woven 180 g m⁻², with 22 numbers of yarns per 10 mm). Using the vertical flame test, the extent of resistance to burning of the specimens has been determined. The impregnation was accomplished via dipping and stirring of bone-dried, weighed fabrics into the individual and suitable concentrations of the salt at room temperature. Afterwards the samples were squeeze rolled and dried horizontally at 110°C for 30 min in an oven and cooled in a desiccator and reweighed with an analytical precision. They were then kept under ordinary conditions overnight prior the fulfillment of the vertical flame test. The efficient quantities of the aforesaid salt expressed in g per 100 g dry fabric have been determined in an average figure of 12.75%. Estimation of uniformity in a selected sample was carried out via a spectrophotometer and results are in favor of the heterogeneous distribution of the salt in the fabric’s middle sectors. However initial and final parts of specimen showed to be rather uniformed. Thermogravimetric analysis of the pure cotton and the treated ones with insufficient and effective amounts of the salt were fulfilled and their thermograms were compared and commented. The results obtained for the effect of copper(II) sulfate comply with ‘The Dust or Wall Effect Theory’. This action is also assigned to the condensed phase retardation.     

A complete class for linear estimation in a general linear model

Summary It is shown that in linear estimation both unbiased and biased, all unique (up to equivalence with respect to risk) locally best estimators and their limits constitute a complete class.     

Research on the Raman properties of NiFe/cicada wing composite SERS platform modified by silver nanoparticles

Composite structures have been widely concerned in the preparation of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. In this paper, by solving the problem that the magnetic material was difficult to glow in magnetron sputtering, ferro-nickel (NiFe) alloy was deposited on the cicada wing (CW) and the NiFe/CW substrate was obtained. The results of sliver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) modified on the substrate were subsequently compared, and the SERS properties of the new Ag/NiFe/CW substrate were analyzed. Obviously, the intensity of SERS signals has been greatly improved after the modification of Ag NPs, and the substrate exhibits excellent reproducibility. The Ag NPs modified substrates were also applied to the detection of toxic crystal violet (CV) solution, which showed remarkable SERS activity. It has been proved that the strategy of modifying Ag NPs on the substrate to form a composite structure has great potential for improving the SERS performance of the substrate.