Combined IR and XPS analysis of the native (1 0 0) surface of single‐crystalline silicon after HFaq etching

A combined analysis, based on angle‐resolved X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and multiple‐internal‐reflection infrared spectroscopy, of the (1 0 0) silicon surface after etching in dilute aqueous solution of HF is presented. The analysis shows that the surface is mainly formed by a heterogeneous distribution of SiH, SiH₂ and SiH₃ terminations, but contains (in addition to sub‐stoichiometric oxidized silicon) a form of reduced silicon, not consistent with the currently accepted picture of the native HF_aq‐etched surface. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption of heavy metals by layered double hydroxides grown in situ on Al foam

We investigated the adsorption of heavy metal ions on a nanostructured coating of zinc-aluminum layered double hydroxides (Zn-Al LDHs) grown on aluminum foam by one-step hydrothermal process. This approach aimed to increase the interactive surface and provide a more practical medium for removal of toxic heavy metals from aqueous media. The foam coated with LDH was characterized by using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. After immersion in a copper-rich water solution, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated the occurrence of adsorbed copper on the LDH-coated foam with two oxidation states: particles of metallic copper Cu⁰ with oxidized surface Cu⁺¹. X-ray diffraction showed the presence of Cu⁺² in the LDH structure.     

Mechanical properties of anion exchange membranes by combination of tensile stress–strain tests and dynamic mechanical analysis

The thermomechanical properties of anion exchange polymers based on polysulfone (PSU) quaternized with trimethylamine (TMA) or 1,4‐diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) and containing hydroxide or chloride anions by tensile stress–strain tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) have been determined. The reported mechanical properties included the Young's modulus, tensile strength, and elongation at break from tensile tests and the storage and loss modulus and glass transition temperature from DMA. The anion exchange membranes behaved as stiff polymers with Young's modulus in the order of 1 GPa, relatively with high strength (about 30 MPa) and low elongation at break (around 10%) was observed. Tensile tests were also made with membranes exchanged with hydrogen‐carbonate and carbonate anions to control the absence of important carbonation of the OH form. The glass transition temperatures were of the order of 150 °C (PSU‐TMA) or 200 °C (PSU‐DABCO) for the hydroxide form, confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry; they increase further by about 50 K, when hydroxide ions are replaced by chloride. This result and the increase of the storage modulus could be interpreted by the higher hydration of hydroxide ions and the plasticizing effect of water, which reduced the Van der Waals interactions between the macromolecular chains. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1180–1187     

Aspect-ratio dependent oscillatory thermocapillary convection in the floating half zone

The dependency of the critical Marangoni number on the geometrical aspect ratio of the floating half zone is essential to predict the onset of oscillatory thermocapillary convection.The experimental studies in the microgravity conditions on floating half zones of several centimeters in diameter have predicted that the critical Marangoni number increases with the increasing aspect ratio,and the terrestrial experimental studies have predicted the contradictory conclusion for floating half zones of several mil...     

Non-Gravitational Effects with Density-Matching in Evaluating the Influence of Sedimentation on Colloidal Coagulation

The method of density matching between the solid and liquid phases is often adopted to effectively eliminate the effect of sedimentation of suspensions in studies on dynamic behaviour of a colloidal system. However, the associated changes in the solvent composition may bring side effects to the properties investigated and therefore might lead to a faulty conclusion if the relevant correction is not made. To illustrate the importance of this side effect, we present an example of the sedimentation influence on the coagulation rate of suspensions of 2μm （diameter） polystyrene. The liquid mixtures, in the proper proportions of water （H2O）, deuterium oxide （D2O） and methanol （MeOH） as the liquid phase, density-matched and unmatched experiments are performed. Besides the influence of viscosity, the presence of methanol in solvent media, used to enhance the sedimentation effect, causes significant changes （reduction） in rapid coagulation rates compared to that in pure water. Without the relevant corrections for those non-gravitational factors it seems that gravitational sedimentation would retard the coagulation. The magnitude of the contribution from the non-gravitational factor is quantitatively determined, making the relevant correction possible. After necessary the influence of the sedimentation on coagulation rates at corrections for all factors, our experiments show that the initial stage of the coagulation is not observable.