Properties of In2S3 thin films deposited onto ITO/glass substrates by chemical bath deposition

In₂S₃ films have been chemically deposited on ITO coated glass substrates by chemical bath deposition, using different deposition times and precursor concentrations. The bilayers are intended for photovoltaic applications. Different characterization methods have been employed: optical properties of the films were investigated from transmittance measurements, structural properties by XRD and micro-Raman, and surface morphology by SEM microscopy analysis. Also, the direct and indirect band-gaps and the surface gap states were studied with surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS). We proposed that electronic properties of the In₂S₃ samples are controlled by two features: shallow tail states and a broad band centred at 1.5 eV approximately. Their relation with the structure is discussed, suggesting that their origin is related to defects created on the S sub-lattice, and then both defects are intrinsic to the material.     

Approximations of spectra of Schrödinger operators with complex potentials on ℝd

We study spectral approximations of Schrödinger operators T = ?Δ+Q with complex potentials on Ω = ?^d, or exterior domains Ω??^d, by domain truncation. Our weak assumptions cover wide classes of potentials Q for which T has discrete spectrum, of approximating domains Ω_n, and of boundary conditions on ?Ω_n such as mixed Dirichlet/Robin type. In particular, Re Q need not be bounded from below and Q may be singular. We prove generalized norm resolvent convergence and spectral exactness, i.e. approximation of all eigenvalues of T by those of the truncated operators T_n without spectral pollution. Moreover, we estimate the eigenvalue convergence rate and prove convergence of pseudospectra. Numerical computations for several examples, such as complex harmonic and cubic oscillators for d = 1,2,3, illustrate our results.     

Pseudopotential study of the ground and excited states of Yb2

The ground state of the van der Waals-type lanthanide dimer Yb₂ has been studied by means of relativistic energy-consistent ab initio pseudopotentials using three different core definitions. Electron correlation was treated by coupled-cluster theory, whereby core-valence correlation effects have been accounted for either explicitly by correlating the energetically highest coreorbitals or implicitly by means of an effective core-polarization potential. Results for the first and second atomic ionization potentials, the atomic dipole polarizability, and the spectroscopic constants of the molecular ground state are reported. Low-lying excited states have been investigated with spin-orbit configuration interaction calculations. It is also demonstrated for the whole lanthanide series that correlation effects due to the atomic-like, possibly open 4f-shell in lanthanides can be modeled effectively by adding a core-polarization potential to pseudopotentials attributing the 4f-shell to the core. Received: 3 April 1998 / Accepted: 27 July 1998 / Published online: 9 October 1998     

Chemical composition and potential bioactivities of essential oil from Quercus mongolica bark

The chemical composition and potential bioactivities of essential oil from Quercus mongolica bark (EOQMB) were researched for value-added utilization processing by-product. The results of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis showed that 30 components accounting for 98.42% were identified in EOQMB, with pentadecanoic acid the most abundant compound accounting for 34.90%, which was further confirmed by the Fourier transform infrared observation. EOQMB exerts antioxidant activities, and the IC₅₀ values for scavenging DPPH radical, ABTS radical, and hydroxyl radical were 8.48, 0.77, and 3.54 mg/mL, respectively. The effects of EOQMB on prolonging activated partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time and on decreasing fibrinogen are similar to those of heparin, and the promising anticoagulant activities of EOQMB could be largely contributed by pentadecanoic acid. Herein, the present study uncovered that the waste Q. mongolica bark can serve as a new potential material in pharmaceutical products.     

TiO2表面光催化基元过程

在过去的几十年里,得益于二氧化钛(TiO₂)作为光催化剂在光催化分解水、污染物降解方面的潜在应用,人们对TiO₂光催化剂的开发、改良以及TiO₂表面光催化机理的基础研究方面都投入了巨大的精力。因此,在超高真空环境下,利用不同的实验和理论方法,人们对TiO₂表面(特别是金红石TiO₂(110)表面)的热催化和光催化过程进行了大量的研究,以此来获得上述重要反应中的一些机理性的信息。本文中,将从TiO₂的物质结构以及电子结构开始,然后着重介绍TiO₂表面光生电荷(电子和空穴)的传输、捕获以及电子转移动力学方面的进展。在此基础上,总结了甲醇在金红石TiO₂(110)、TiO₂(011)以及锐钛矿TiO₂(101)表面光化学基元反应过程的一些实验结果。这些结果不仅能增进我们对表面光催化基元过程的认识,同时也能激励我们进一步去研究表面光催化基元过程。最后,基于现有光化学实验结果,简短地讨论了我们对光催化反应机理的一点看法,并提出了一个可能的光催化模型,这可以引起人们对光催化反应机理更全面的思考。     

Dependence of Colloidal Forces Between Bitumen and Silica on the Chain Lengths of Ammonium Surfactants

Effects of ammonium surfactants with different hydrocarbon chain lengths (C8, C12, C16, and C18) on the colloidal forces between bitumen and silica were studied by atomic force microscopy. The results showed that the chain length of the ammonium surfactants had a significant impact on both the long-range interaction and adhesion forces. With the addition of surfactants with relative short chains of C8 and C12 in the solutions, the long-range repulsive force decreased or even became strong attractive force, while it became repulsive again in solutions of surfactants with long chains of C16 and C18. It was further observed that addition of Ca²⁺ in various surfactants solutions would either depress or enhance the colloidal interactions based on the surfactant chain lengths. It was believed that variation of the interaction behaviors resulted from the mono-layer or bilayer adsorption of various surfactant molecules on the negatively charged surfaces of bitumen and silica, which affected the surface wettability and the surface charge characteristics and then greatly changed the colloidal interactions. The findings indicated that, to have a high bitumen recovery and good froth quality, the surfactant type and concentration of the di-valent metal ions in the oil sand processing slurry must be well considered.     

Effect of thermodiffusion on pH‐regulated surface charge properties of nanoparticle

Surface properties of nanoparticle are of high importance in the field of biotechnology, drug delivery and micro/nanofabrication. In this article, we developed a comprehensive theoretical model and subsequently solved that numerically to study the effect of thermodiffusion of ions on surface charge properties of nanoparticle. The theoretical study has been done considering silica nanoparticle for two aqueous solutions NaCl and KCl. The effect of solution pH in conjunction with nanoparticle temperature on surface charge density has been obtained for different salt concentrations (1, 10 and 100 mM) and nanoparticle size (diameter of 2 and 100 nm). It is observed from the results that with increasing temperature of the nanoparticle, the negative surface charge density gets higher due to increasing thermodiffusion effect. It is also found out that the magnitude of surface charge density is higher for KCl solution than NaCl solution under same condition which is attributed mostly due to less thermodiffusion of counterions for KCl than NaCl. Present study also shows that magnitude of surface charge density decreases with increasing nanoparticle size until it reaches a limiting value (called critical size) above which the effect of nanoparticle size on surface charge density is insignificant.     

Ab initio potential energy surface and vibration‐rotation energy levels of silicon dicarbide,SiC2

The accurate ground‐state potential energy surface of silicon dicarbide, SiC₂, has been determined from ab initio calculations using the coupled‐cluster approach. Results obtained with the conventional and explicitly correlated coupled‐cluster methods were compared. The core‐electron correlation, higher‐order valence‐electron correlation, and scalar relativistic effects were taken into account. The potential energy barrier to the linear SiCC configuration was predicted to be 1782 cm^?1. The vibration‐rotation energy levels of the SiC₂, ²⁹SiC₂, ³⁰SiC₂, and SiC¹³C isotopologues were calculated using a variational method. The experimental vibration‐rotation energy levels of the main isotopologue were reproduced to high accuracy. In particular, the experimental energy levels of the highly anharmonic vibrational ν₃ mode of SiC₂ were reproduced to within 6.7 cm^?1, up to as high as the v₃ = 16 state.     

s‐Triazine‐Based Functional Discotic Liquid Crystals: Synthesis,Mesomorphism and Photoluminescence

A new series of C₃‐symmetric, π‐conjugated molecules was designed, synthesized and characterized. The materials were derived from electron‐accepting s‐triazine, appended covalently to electron‐donating styrylbenzene arms, and were readily prepared in excellent yield with high purity by means of three‐fold condensation of triphosphonate with n‐alkoxybenzaldehydes under Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction conditions. Examination of the phase transitional properties by several complementary techniques evidenced self‐assembly into a hexagonal columnar phase, occurring over wide and reasonable thermal ranges. The photophysical properties were studied both in solution and in the fluid/frozen columnar states by UV/Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The emission spectra obtained as a function of the temperature rule out the breaking‐up of larger columns and a non‐radiative, thermally activated process. A study carried out on thin films of the glassy columnar state, which accounts for conserved fluorescence, defect‐free orientation, and freezing ionic species, with the help of atomic force microscopy (AFM) images, suggested a homogeneous granular morphology comprising fibrillar structures. Dissimilarities in the surface morphology and birefringence of thin films of the solid and frozen columnar states were clearly shown by Raman spectroscopy. An electrochemical investigation revealed a LUMO energy of ?4.0 eV. Thus, the discotic motifs presented herein meet certain criteria of organic materials, which are essential for developing electronic devices.     

A simple method for evaluation of the self-consistency of the radial distribution functions and the orientation of water molecules in the first coordination sphere from the results of molecular dynamics calculations

A simple method for determination of the angular orientation of water molecules in the first coordination sphere from the radial distribution functions is proposed. A comparative analysis of the ability of the model potentials of pair interaction to take into account the effects of manybody interactions (MBI) was performed. The responses of the model pair potentials to the MBI effects in the first and second coordination spheres were found to be poorly correlated with each other. It was concluded that it is necessary to derive a new analytical type of potential functions of pair interaction. Published inIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya. No. 11, pp. 1842–1846. November. 2000.