Measurements of the light output functions of plastic scintillator using 9Be(d,n)10B reaction neutron source

The light output functions for protons of ST-401 and BC-408 plastic scintillators were measured using white neutron source produced by the 9Be(d,n)10B reaction at the HI-13 Tandem Accelerator at China Institute of Atomic Energy(CIAE).The LOFs of plastic scintillators for protons in the energy range of 0.516.5 MeV were obtained by the time-of-flight(TOF)technique and an iterative procedure.Two parameters(kB and C)were deduced by fitting the experimental data.     

Optical properties of nanocrystalline-coated Y2O3:Er, Yb obtained by mechano-chemical and combustion synthesis

Y₂O₃:Er³⁺, Yb³⁺ nanocrystals have been obtained by ball milling and using a combustion synthesis procedure. In both cases the nanocrystals have been successfully coated with SiO₂ following the Stöber method. The average size of the as-synthesized nanoparticles has been estimated from X-ray diffraction patterns and transmission electron microscopy images. The dependence of the optical properties of these samples on synthesis procedure or dopant concentration has been investigated. Emission, excitation and lifetime measurements have been carried out. Upconversion luminescence has been detected in all samples and an enhancement of the red to green emission ratio has been observed in all samples after infrared compared to visible excitation. The mechanisms responsible for the upconversion phenomena have been discussed.     

Characterization and luminescent properties of SiO2:ZnS:Mn and ZnS:Mn nanophosphors synthesized by a sol-gel method

ZnS and SiO₂-ZnS nanophosphors, with or without different concentration of Mn²⁺ activator ions, were synthesized by using a sol-gel method. Dried gels were annealed at 600 °C for 2 h. Structure, morphology and particle sizes of the samples were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), highresolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The diffraction peaks associated with the zincblende and the wurtzite structures of ZnS were detected from as prepared ZnS powders and additional diffraction peaks associated with ZnO were detected from the annealed powders. The particle sizes of the ZnS powders were shown to increase from 3 to 50 nm when the powders were annealed at 600 °C. An UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a 325 nm He-Cd laser were used to investigate luminescent properties of the samples in air at room temperature. The bandgap of ZnS nanoparticles estimated from the UV-Vis data was 4.1 eV. Enhanced orange photoluminescence (PL) associated with ⁴T₁→⁶A₁ transitions of Mn²⁺ was observed from as prepared ZnS:Mn²⁺and SiO₂-ZnS:Mn²⁺ powders at 600 nm when the concentration of Mn²⁺ was varied from 2-20 mol%. This emission was suppressed when the powders were annealed at 600 °C resulting in two emission peaks at 450 and 560 nm, which can be ascribed to defects emission in SiO₂ and ZnO respectively. The mechanism of light emission from Mn²⁺, the effect of varying the concentration on the PL intensity, and the effect of annealing are discussed.     

Sensitive detection of ammonia and ethylene with a pulsed quantum cascade laser using intra and interpulse spectroscopic techniques

Spectroscopic concentration measurements of ammonia and ethylene were done with a pulsed, distributed feedback (DFB) quantum cascade (QC) laser centered at 970 cm⁻¹. An astigmatic Herriot cell with 150 m path length was employed, and we compare the results from experiments using inter- and intrapulse techniques, respectively. The measurements include the detection of ammonia in breath with these methodologies. In the interpulse technique, the laser was excited with short current pulses (5–10 ns), and the pulse amplitude was modulated with an external current ramp resulting in a ∼0.3 cm⁻¹ frequency scan. A standard amplitude demodulation technique was implemented for extracting the absorption line, thus avoiding the need for a fast digitizer or a gated integrator. In the intrapulse technique, a linear frequency down-chirp is used for sweeping across the absorption line. A 200 ns long current pulse was used for these measurements which resulted in a spectral window of ∼1.74 cm⁻¹ during the down-chirp. The use of a room temperature mercury-cadmium-telluride detector resulted in a completely cryogen free spectrometer. We demonstrate detection limits of ∼3 ppb for ammonia and ∼5 ppb for ethylene with less than 10 s averaging time with the intrapulse method and ∼4 ppb for ammonia and ∼7 ppb for ethylene with the interpulse technique with an integration time of ∼5 s.     

Preparation and characterization of graphitic carbon nitride through pyrolysis of melamine

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has been synthesized via a two-step pyrolysis of melamine (C₃H₆N₆) at 800°C for 2 h under vacuum conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns strongly indicate that the synthesized sample is g-C₃N₄. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) morphologies indicate that the product is mainly composed of graphitic carbon nitride. The stoichiometric ratio of C:N is determined to be 0.72 by elemental analysis (EA). Chemical bonding of the sample has been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) verifies the bonding state between carbon and nitrogen atoms. Optical properties of the g-C₃N₄ were investigated by PL (photoluminescence) measurements and UV–Vis (ultraviolet–visible) absorption spectra. We suppose its luminescent properties may have potential application as component of optical nanoscale devices. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) were also performed.     

The effect of pre-annealing of sputtered ZnO seed layers on growth of ZnO nanorods through a hydrothermal method

Oriented ZnO nanorods were grown on ion-beam-sputtered ZnO seed layers through a hydrothermal approach without any metal catalyst. The sputtered ZnO seed layers were pre-annealed at different temperatures before the growth of ZnO nanorods. The effects of pre-annealing of the ZnO seed layers on the growth rate, crystallinity and optical properties of ZnO nanorods thereon were studied. The obtained ZnO nanorods had a wurtzite structure and grew along the preferential [0001] orientation with a normal direction to the substrates. Results show that the growth rate and density of the ZnO nanorods strongly depend on the pre-treatment conditions of the ZnO seed layer. With higher pre-treatment temperature, the crystallinity and surface characteristics of the ZnO seed layer were improved and thereafter the growth rate of ZnO nanorods thereon increased. Photoluminescence spectroscopy results show that the UV emission also becomes stronger and sharper with increasing annealing temperature of the ZnO seed layer.     

β delayed emission of a proton by a one-neutron halo nucleus

Some one-neutron halo nuclei can emit a proton in a β decay of the halo neutron. The branching ratio towards this rare decay mode is calculated within a two-body potential model of the initial core + neutron bound state and final core + proton scattering states. The decay probability per second is evaluated for the ¹¹Be, ¹⁹C and ³¹Ne one-neutron halo nuclei. It is very sensitive to the neutron separation energy.     

Structural evolutions of hydrothermally prepared mesostructured MCM-48 silica using differently manufactured amorphous silica powders

The hydrothermal synthesis of Si-MCM-48 mesoporous molecular sieves was carried out using a ternary SiO₂:CTAOH:H₂O system wherein differently manufactured amorphous silica powders such as fumed silica (FMDS), spray dried precipitated silica (SDPS) and flash dried precipitated silica (FDPS) were used as silica source materials. The changes in structural/textural properties were evaluated using powder XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption and scanning electron microscopy techniques. Studies on the progressive development of MCM-48 mesophases revealed that, the reactivity of the silica source follow the trend: FMDS > SDPS > FDPS. MCM-48 synthesized using low cost FDPS has exhibited thicker pore walls but poorer orderness, while MCM-48 prepared from relatively expensive FMDS has thinner pore walls and more ordered structure. Moreover, the extent of contraction caused by calcinations, agglomerate size and structural stability were found to depend on the reactivity of the silica source used.     

Autocatalytic redox fabrication and magnetic studies of Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays

Uniform and large-scale Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays have been fabricated by autocatalytic redox reaction in an anodic alumina membrane (AAM). The images of Co-Ni-P alloy nanowire arrays and single nanowires are obtained by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), respectively. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive spectra (EDS) are employed to study the morphology and chemical composition of the nanowires. The results indicate that the Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays are amorphous in structure. The magnetic property of Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays is characterized using a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The hysteresis loops show that the easily magnetized direction of Co-Ni-P nanowire arrays is parallel to the nanowire arrays and that it has obvious magnetic anisotropy as a result of the shape anisotropy.