Synthesis of tunable core–shell nanostructures based on TiO2-graphene architectures and their application in the photodegradation of rhodamine dyes

We present the synthesis of core–shell nanostructural materials with multi-component architectures based on TiO₂ and graphitic layers. The composites have been synthesized by chemical vapor deposition with methane as the carbon source, for 5, 10, 30 and 45 min. The final products were characterized by a combination of analytical approaches which include: electron microscopy, Raman, FT-IR and UV–vis spectroscopy as well as thermogravimetric analysis. The amount of graphene shells covering the TiO₂ surfaces was found to vary linearly with the reaction time. Furthermore, the compounds were shown to have excellent stability and photocatalytic activity towards the UV degradation of rhodamine (RhB) dye solution at room temperature. These composites could have major applications in the area of environmental cleaning of various pollutants, electrochemistry or nanomedicine.     

Perturbation Analysis for a New Omni-Directional Antenna Consisted of Circular Rod Corrugations Gloved with a DNG Shell

A new omni-directional leaky-wave antenna is proposed in the paper, which is consisted of circular rod corrugations gloved with a Double-negative (DNG) shell. The leaky characteristics of the new antenna are analyzed by improved perturbation method. The electromagnetic fields are described in terms of a radial transmission-line network, which tremendously simplifies the analysis procedure with good calculation accuracy and brings considerable physical insight into the overall behavior of the dielectric grating antenna. The case where the n = −1 space harmonic of TE₀₁ mode radiating into the space is carefully investigated, it is demonstrated that the gloved cylindrical DNG shell greatly enhances the leaky strength of the antenna. As a result, the dimension of the antenna could be largely reduced keeping the radiation efficiency unchanged, which is of practical significance for some applications.     

Fabrication of nano-structured polythiophene nanoparticles in aqueous dispersion

The synthetic route of unsubstituted polythiophene (PT) nanoparticles was investigated in aqueous dispersion via Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization. With this new synthetic method, high conversion of thiophene monomers was obtained with only a trace of FeCl₃. The dispersion state showed that the PT nanoparticles were well dispersed in many polar solvents, compared to non-polar solvents, such as acetone, chloroform, hexane, and ethyl acetate. To compare the photoluminescence properties between PT nanoparticle dispersion and PT bulk polymers, the PL intensities were measured in the same measuring conditions. Further, core–shell poly(styrene/thiophene) (poly(St/Th)) latex particles were successfully prepared by Fe³⁺-catalyzed oxidative polymerization during emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization. The different polymerization rates of each monomer resulted in core–shell structure of the poly(St/Th) latex particles. The PL data of the only crumpled shells gave evidence that the shell component of core–shell poly(St/Th) latex particles is indeed PT, which was corroborated by SEM data. PL intensity of the core–shell poly(St/Th) nanoparticle dispersion was much higher than that of the PT nanoparticle dispersion, due to its thin shell layer morphology, which was explained by the self-absorption effect.     

Dealloyed PtCu catalyst as an efficient electrocatalyst in oxygen reduction reaction

Pt-transition metal alloy catalysts with an active Pt surface have exceptional properties for use in oxygen electro-reduction reactions in fuel cells. Herein, we report the simple synthesis of dealloyed PtCu catalysts and their catalytic performance in oxygen reduction. The dealloyed PtCu catalysts consisted of a Pt-enriched shell with a Pt–Cu alloy core and were synthesized through a chemical co-reduction process followed by thermal annealing and chemical dealloying. During synthesis, thermal annealing leads to a high degree of formation of PtCu alloy particles (e.g., PtCu or PtCu₃), and chemical dealloying causes selective dissolution of unstable Cu species from the surface layers of the PtCu alloy particles, resulting in a PtCu alloy@Pt-enriched surface core–shell configuration. Our PtCu₃/C catalyst exhibits a great improvement in the oxygen reduction reaction with a mass activity of 0.501 A/mg_Pt, which is 2.24 times greater than that of a commercial Pt catalyst. In this article, the synthesis details, characteristics and performance improvements in ORR of chemically dealloyed PtCu catalysts are systemically explained.     

Effects of crystalline grain size and packing ratio of self-forming core/shell nanoparticles on magnetic properties at up to GHz bands

Self-forming core/shell nanoparticles of magnetic metal/oxide with crystalline grain size of less than 40 nm were synthesized. The nanoparticles were highly concentrated in an insulating matrix to fabricate a nanocomposite, whose magnetic properties were investigated. The crystalline grain size of the nanoparticles strongly influenced the magnetic anisotropy field, magnetic coercivity, relative permeability, and loss factor (tan δ=μ″/μ′) at high frequency. The packing ratio of the magnetic metallic phase in the nanocomposite also influenced those properties. High permeability with low tan δ of less than 1.5% at up to 1 GHz was obtained in the case of the nanoparticles with crystalline grain size of around 15 nm with large packing ratio of the nanoparticles.     

Radiation induced inter-device leakage degradation

The evolution of inter-device leakage current with total ionizing dose in transistors in 180 nm generation technologies is studied with an N-type poly-gate field device (PFD) that uses the shallow trench isolation as an effective gate oxide. The overall radiation response of these structures is determined by the trapped charge in the oxide. The impacts of different bias conditions during irradiation on the inter-device leakage current are studied for the first time in this work, which demonstrates that the worst condition is the same as traditional NMOS transistors. Moreover, the two-dimensional technology computer-aided design simulation is used to understand the bias dependence.     

基于不稳定核基本性质测量的原子核结构研究

精密激光谱学是通过测量核素原子光谱的超精细结构和同位素移位来研究原子核的基本性质,为原子核自旋、磁矩、电四极矩及电荷均方根半径的确定提供了一种模型独立的测量方式。这些原子核基本性质的测量,能够比较精确地描述原子核微观结构的演化。近年来,随着放射性束流装置的发展,产生远离β-稳定线的丰中子/丰质子核素成为可能,也进一步促进了高分辨和高灵敏度的激光谱技术更加广泛的应用。简单介绍了基于放射性核素超精细结构的激光谱学测量原理,并通过几个经典实例来回顾近年来激光谱学在原子核奇特结构研究领域的独特贡献。主要通过分析几个重要核区原子核的基本性质,结合大尺度壳模型、ab initio理论、密度泛函理论等,来探索丰中子核中展现出来的一些新的奇特现象,如晕结构、幻数演化、形状共存等。High-precision laser spectroscopy technique is used to determine the ground state properties of exotic nuclei by probing its electronic hyperfine structure and isotope shift. It provides a model-independent measurement of nuclear spin, magnetic moment, electric quadrupole moment and charge radii. These nuclear parameters can be used to investigate the nuclear structure evolution and the nuclear shapes. With the development of accelerators and isotope separators, exotic isotopes far from β stability became accessible experimentally, which enhanced the capability of the laser spectroscopy technique being applied in the field of nuclear physics. A brief introduction to experimental principle is given, followed by a review of several typical examples for the experimental investigations in the different regions of nuclear chart. This aims to demonstrate the contributions of ground state properties measurement by using laser spectroscopy technique to the nuclear structure study of exotic isotopes. This discussion involves several different nuclear theory models in order to interpret the exotic phenomena observed in the neutron-rich isotopes, such as halo structure, shell evolution, shape coexistence and so on.     

Theoretical investigation of the Gamow-Teller transition across N=40 shell

The Gamow-Teller transitions for pf shell nuclei with proton number less than 40 and neutron number larger than 40 were believed to be blocked, due to the full filling of the neutron orbit. However, recent experimental research shows that the Gamow-Teller transitions for these kinds of nuclei are not blocked. In this paper, we systematically calculate the GT transition of pf shell nuclei ⁷⁶Se in different truncations, and the results are compared with experimental results. It is shown that, due to correlations, the believed blocked GT transition occurs, and the shell model calculations reproduce the experimental GT strength. In addition, the electron capture rates in a stellar environment are calculated and discussed.     

Nonclassical Symmetries for Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations via Compatibility

The determining equations for the nonclassical symmetry reductions of nonlinear partial differential equations with arbitrary order can be obtained by requiring the compatibility between the original equations and the invariant surface conditions. The (2+1)-dimensional shallow water wave equation,
Boussinesq equation, and the dispersive wave equations in shallow water serve as examples illustrating how compatibility leads quickly and easily to the determining equations for their nonclassical symmetries.