Effect of high gamma dose on the PADC properties

The effect of the properties of PADC nuclear track detectors after exposure to high doses of gamma absorbed doses up to 5×10⁵ Gray (50 Mrad) were studied. The gamma source was a 9.03 PBq (244 KCi), Co-60 source. Results indicate that each of the bulk etch rate (V_b), the tracks etch rate (V_t) and the sensitivity (V) of the detectors increases with the high gamma absorbed dose, but there is a drop in these parameters at the low gamma absorbed dose. Signs of surface roughness were observed by increasing the gamma absorbed doses and changes in color observed for doses larger than 2×10⁵ Gray. The temperature of detectors during irradiation time reached 41°C. The fission fragment tracks (from Cf-252 source) disappeared quickly within the etching time (minutes) for total absorbed doses greater than 3×10⁵ Gray due to their high bulk etch rate.     

陶瓷阻力曲线测定的新方法——断裂栅法

将零厚度单向试件栅刻蚀工艺应用于晶须增韧氮化硅陶瓷基复合材料表面，通过记录试件所在桥路的输出电压值，可得到随载荷不断增大裂纹逐渐向前扩展过程中每一时刻的裂尖位置和裂纹长度，从而得到该种材料的阻力曲线。     

Synthesis of Carbon/Sulfur Nanolaminates by Electrochemical Extraction of Titanium from Ti2SC

Herein we electrochemically and selectively extract Ti from the MAX phase Ti₂SC to form carbon/sulfur (C/S) nanolaminates at room temperature. The products are composed of multi‐layers of C/S flakes, with predominantly amorphous and some graphene‐like structures. Covalent bonding between C and S is observed in the nanolaminates, which render the latter promising candidates as electrode materials for Li‐S batteries. We also show that it is possible to extract Ti from other MAX phases, such as Ti₃AlC₂ , Ti₃SnC₂ , and Ti₂GeC, suggesting that electrochemical etching can be a powerful method to selectively extract the “M” elements from the MAX phases, to produce “AX” layered structures, that cannot be made otherwise. The latter hold promise for a variety of applications, such as energy storage, catalysis, etc.     

Influence of Solution Volume on the Dissolution Rate of Silicon Dioxide in Hydrofluoric Acid

Experimental data and modeling of the dissolution of various Si/SiO₂ thermal coatings in different volumes of hydrofluoric acid (HF) are reported. The rates of SiO₂‐film dissolution, measured by means of various electrochemical techniques, and alteration in HF activity depend on the thickness of the film coating. Despite the small volumes (0.6–1.2 mL) of the HF solution, an effect of SiO₂‐coating thickness on the dissolution rate was detected. To explain alterations detected in HF activity after SiO₂ dissolution, spectroscopic analyses (NMR and FTIR) of the chemical composition of the solutions were conducted. This is associated with a modification in the chemical composition of the HF solution, which results in either the formation of an oxidized species in solution or the precipitation of dissolution products. HF₂^? accumulation in the HF solution, owing to SiO₂ dissolution was identified as the source of the chemical alteration.     

Silver‐Assisted Chemical Etching on Silicon with Polyvinylpyrrolidone‐Mediated Formation of Silver Dendrites

Metal‐assisted chemical etching (MaCE) on silicon (Si)—mediated by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)—is systematically investigated herein. It is found that the morphologies and crystallographic natures of the grown silver (Ag) dendrites can be significantly modulated, with the presence of PVP in the MaCE process leading to the formation of faceted Ag dendrites preferentially along the (111) crystallographic phase, rather than along the (200) phase. Further explorations of the PVP‐mediated effect on Si etching are also revealed. In contrast to the aligned Si nanowires formed by MaCE without PVP addition, only distributed nanopores with sizes of 200 to 400 nm appear on the Si surfaces in the presence of PVP. The origin of surface polishing on Si in the PVP‐mediated MaCE process can be attributed to the distinct transport pathway of holes supplied by the Ag⁺ ions, where the holes are injected directly into the primary Ag seeds, rather than through Ag dendrites, thus leading to the isotropic etching of the Si surface.     

Interactions of DNA with graphene and sensing applications of graphene field-effect transistor devices: A review

Graphene field-effect transistors (GFET) have emerged as powerful detection platforms enabled by the advent of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) production of the unique atomically thin 2D material on a large scale. DNA aptamers, short target-specific oligonucleotides, are excellent sensor moieties for GFETs due to their strong affinity to graphene, relatively short chain-length, selectivity, and a high degree of analyte variability. However, the interaction between DNA and graphene is not fully understood, leading to questions about the structure of surface-bound DNA, including the morphology of DNA nanostructures and the nature of the electronic response seen from analyte binding. This review critically evaluates recent insights into the nature of the DNA graphene interaction and its affect on sensor viability for DNA, small molecules, and proteins with respect to previously established sensing methods. We first discuss the sorption of DNA to graphene to introduce the interactions and forces acting in DNA based GFET devices and how these forces can potentially affect the performance of increasingly popular DNA aptamers and even future DNA nanostructures as sensor substrates. Next, we discuss the novel use of GFETs to detect DNA and the underlying electronic phenomena that are typically used as benchmarks for characterizing the analyte response of these devices. Finally, we address the use of DNA aptamers to increase the selectivity of GFET sensors for small molecules and proteins and compare them with other, state of the art, detection methods.     

Bismuth Nanoparticles@Porous Silicon Nanostructure,Application as a Selective and Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for the Determination of Thioridazine

A bismuth@porous silicon (Bi/PSi) nanostructure is fabricated and used as a new highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for measurement of thioridazine. For this purpose, commercial silicon powder is converted to porous silicon using metal‐assisted chemical etching method. Then, bismuth nanoparticles are deposited on the surface of the porous silicon that synthesized in the previous step. The effects of pH and instrumental parameters are studied on the sensor response. After optimization of the parameters, differential pulse voltammetry is used to determine sub‐micro molar amounts of thioridazine. The Linear region of the electrochemical sensor is in the range of 0.1 to 260 μmol L⁻¹ thioridazine with a detection limit of 0.03 μmol L⁻¹, when Bi/PSi/CNTPE is used as an electrochemical sensor. The precision and accuracy of the sensor is evaluated. The Bi/PSi/CNTPE is used as an appropriated tool for accurate measurement of low amounts of thioridazine in real samples with satisfactory results.     

Fibrillar structure development of polyacrylonitrile fibers treated by ultrasonic etching in oxidative stabilization

Polyacrylonitrile fibers were oxidatively stabilized through 10 gradient‐elevated temperature zones in sequence. The ultrasonic etching method was used for fibril separation of fibers heated at different temperatures, and the fibrillar structure development was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The voids among fibrils are the weak combination points. Under ultrasonic etching, the voids are enlarged. Subsequently, the solvent enters and spreads among fibrils, which results in the separation of fibrils. Separated fibrils with diameters of 100–400 nm appear in fibers heated at less than 235°C. Fibrils in fibers heated from 195°C to 235°C tend to adhere to each other, and the observed macrofibrils are composed of several to dozens of fibrils. For fibers heated from 195°C to 245°C, only a few fibril bundles emerge on the skin near the fiber end, and the fibrils manifest themselves as numerous protuberances on the cross section. In the ranges of 255–275°C, fibrils compactly combine with each other, which suggests insolubility and infusibility, and no separated fibrils appear. The fibrils arrange in a systematic way along the fiber axis and grooves parallel to the fiber axis on the fibers' surface. These grooves are the macro behavior of fibrils arranging on the fiber surface. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A NEW METHOD TO DETERMINE THE R-CURVE OF CERAMICS-FRACTURE GRATING METHOD

The etching technique of the single-lined zero-thickness specimen grating is applied tothe surface of the SiC fiber toughening Si_3N_4 ceramic composite specimen.The position of the crackand the crack length during the process of crack extension when the load is applied and gradually in-creased can be determined by recording the output voltage value of the Wheatstone bridge in which theceramic specimen with the fracture grating on is located.The crack-growth-resistance(R-curve) of thismaterialis thus obtained.     

测量界面软铬层力学性质的纳米压入法

为了测量双层铬的界面软铬层力学性质,提出了化学腐蚀基体法,通过溶解掉基体制备没有基体支撑的自由铬层,将在横截面内线状显示的界面转化为界面表面(铬层与基体相连接的面),避免了横截面不能显示界面表面的缺点。对界面表面进行纳米压入实验和借助于表征薄膜力学性质的表面压入能量法,测得了描述界面软铬层力学性质的弹性模量和压入弹、塑性功等参数。