Thermally induced alkylation of diamond

We present an approach for the thermally activated formation of alkene-derived self-assembled monolayers on oxygen-terminated single and polycrystalline diamond surfaces. Chemical modification of the oxygen and hydrogen plasma-treated samples was achieved by heating in 1-octadecene. The resulting layers were characterized using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal desorption spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and water contact angle measurements. This investigation reveals that alkenes selectively attach to the oxygen-terminated sites via covalent C-O-C bonds. The hydrophilic oxygen-terminated diamond is rendered strongly hydrophobic following this reaction. The nature of the process limits the organic layer growth to a single monolayer, and FTIR measurements reveal that such monolayers are dense and well ordered. In contrast, hydrogen-terminated diamond sites remain unaffected by this process. This method is thus complementary to the UV-initiated reaction of alkenes with diamond, which exhibits the opposite reactivity contrast. Thermal alkylation increases the range of available diamond functionalization strategies and provides a means of straightforwardly forming single organic layers in order to engineer the surface properties of diamond.     

Molar extinction coefficients of some carbohydrates in aqueous solutions

Molar extinction coefficients of some carbohydrates viz. l-arabinose (C₅H₁₀O₅), d-glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆), d-mannose (C₆H₁₂O₆), d-galactose (C₆H₁₂O₆), d(-) fructose (C₆H₁₂O₆) and maltose (C₁₂H₂₄O₁₂) in aqueous solutions have been determined at 81, 356, 511, 662, 1173 and 1332 keV by gamma ray transmission method in a narrow beam good geometry set-up. These coefficients have been found to depend upon the photon energy following a 4-parameter polynomial. These extinction coefficients for different sugars having the same molecular formula have same values varying within experimental uncertainty. Within concentration ranges studied, Beer-Lambert law is obeyed very well.     

Laserspektroskopie

X-Ray spectra and chemical binding     

Frozen‐In Magnetic Order in Uniaxial Magnetic Gels: Preparation and Physical Properties

We describe the preparation and characterization of uniaxial magnetic gels. Fibril formation of the embedded magnetic particles generates easily detectable magnetic and optical anisotropies. A finite magnetization is frozen‐in and leads to a ferromagnetic‐like response in small homogeneous external magnetic fields. We present, for the first time, frequency dependent measurements of the shear modulus G′. Despite their optical and magnetic anisotropy, the gels are mechanically isotropic.

The time‐dependent G′ for a ferrogel in the parallel orientation in a homogeneous field of 200 mT.     

NiMnGa nanostructures produced by electron beam lithography and Ar-ion etching

The technologies of electron beam lithography, dry etching and systems integration are investigated to fabricate a series of Ni-Mn-Ga double-beam structures designed with decreasing critical dimensions of 10 μm, 1 μm and 400 nm. Ni-Mn-Ga thin films of 1 μm thickness are deposited by magnetron sputtering and heat-treated in free-standing condition after selective removal of the substrate. Differential scanning calorimetry and electrical resistance measurements on the films show the characteristic features of martensitic transformation above room temperature. First optical beam deflection experiments demonstrate the magnetic and thermal actuation performance of the double-beam structures.     

Homoconjugation in the adamantane cage: DFT/IGLO studies of the 1, 3-dehydro-5-adamantyl cation, its isoelectronic boron analogue 1, 3-dehydro-5-boraadamantane, and related systems(1)(,)

The structure of 1,3-dehydro-5-adamantyl cation and its isoelectronic boron analogue 1,3-dehydro-5-boraadamantane as well as some related adamantane systems, hitherto unknown as persistent long-lived species, were investigated by using the density functional theory (DFT) method. (13)C and (11)B NMR chemical shifts of the compounds were also calculated using the IGLO method. Stabilization of the systems due to homoconjugation is discussed.     

Theoretical study of relative width of photonic band gap for the 3-D dielectric structure

Calculations for the relative width (Δω/ω₀) as a function of refractive index and relative radius of the photonic band gap for the fcc closed packed 3-D dielectric microstructure are reported and comparison of experimental observations and theoretical predictions are given. This work is useful for the understanding of photonic crystals and occurrence of the photonic band gap.     

Drop impact on surfactant films and solutions

Drops impacting on horizontal aqueous surfactant films have been analyzed using a high-speed camera. Drops of either water or aqueous surfactant solutions had a diameter of 2.4?±?0.4 mm and impacted with a velocity of 0.1 to 1.3 m/s. As surfactants, anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate and cationic cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide were used. Pure water drops impacting on freestanding surfactant films showed coalescence, bouncing, partial bouncing, passing, and partial passing. For bouncing, the concentration of surfactant in the surfactant film must exceed the critical micelle concentration. When surfactant was added to the drop, coalescence and partial passing were suppressed. We attribute the different behavior to different hydrodynamic boundary conditions at the surface of pure water and surfactant solution, leading to different repulsive hydrodynamic forces arising when the air has to flow out of the closing gap between the two liquid surfaces. The boundary condition changes as a function of surfactant concentration from a slip to no-slip, leading to stronger hydrodynamic repulsion. In addition, estimates of the characteristic velocities show that diffusion of air into the water is slow and can only account for the very last thinning of the air gap before coalescence.