Low-temperature formation and characterization of Cu2O nanoparticles in the binary gold alloys

Thermal analyses, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dilatometry, reveal an important anomaly at low temperature for Au-25 wt.% Cu composition after homogenization at 700°C during 2 hours under vacuum followed by heating up to 160°C before water quenching. This anomaly has been already observed and not explained. Surface characterization, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), exhibits a specific topography, consisting of a nanostructured surface. The precipitates of nanostructured particles are homogeneously scattered all over the surface for this 18-carat gold alloy. Moreover, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that the composition of the observed particles corresponds to cuprous oxide phase (Cu₂O). The formation of such material can be explained by the diffusion of copper atoms from the lattice to the surface at 160°C. Pulsed radio-frequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (RF GD-OES) further proves the proposed Cu₂O formation through a diffusion process. The appearance of such cuprous oxide nanoparticles on the Au-Cu alloy surface explains the low-temperature DSC and dilatometry anomaly and affects directly the surface electrical resistance at low temperature. These results might open a large gate for new ideas to investigate in catalytic, electronic, and antimicrobial activities.     

PTCR effect in carbon black/copolymer composites

Some materials show an abrupt increase in resistivity when the temperature changes only over a few degrees. This phenomenon, known as PTCR effect (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity), has been largely studied in the last few years, due to its potential applications in industry. Particularly, it can be used in auto controlled heaters, temperature sensors, protection circuits and in security systems for power electronic circuits.In this work we present the study of the electrical properties of the percolating system carbon black particles filled with ethylene butylacrylate copolymer composite (EBA), in the temperature range from −100 to 100 °C and in frequencies between 10 Hz and 100 kHz. The PTCR effect was observed at temperatures slightly above the room temperature, for concentrations higher than that of the percolation critical concentration.The mechanism responsible for the change in resistivity, at this stage, is predominantly tunnelling, wherein the conductive filler particles are not in physical contact, and the electrons tunnel through the insulating gap between them. At low temperatures, such as below and close to the glass transition temperature, the DC conductivity obeys the Arrhenius law. The calculated activation energy values are independent of carbon black contents inside the copolymer matrix, suggesting that these particles do not interact significantly with the chain segments of the macromolecules in the EBA copolymer.     

Tensor Characterizations of Summing Polynomials

Operators T that belong to some summing operator ideal can be characterized by means of the continuity of an associated tensor operator \({\overline{T}}\) that is defined between tensor products of sequences spaces. In this paper, we provide a unifying treatment of these tensor product characterizations of summing operators. We work in the more general frame provided by homogeneous polynomials, where an associated “tensor” polynomial—which plays the role of \({\overline{T}}\)—, needs to be determined first. Examples of applications are shown.     

A comparative study on structural and optical properties of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO thin films obtained by ultrasonic spray method using different solvents

Transparent conducting ZnO and Al doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrate by ultrasonic spray method. The thin films with concentration of 0.1 M were deposited at 350 °C with 2 min of deposition time. The effects of ethanol and methanol solution before and after doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties were examined. The DRX analyses indicated that ZnO films have nanocrystalline nature and hexagonal wurtzite structure with (1 0 0) and (0 0 2) preferential orientation corresponding to ZnO films resulting from methanol and ethanol solution, respectively. The crystallinity of the thin films improved with methanol solution after doping to (0 0 2) oriented. All films exhibit an average optical transparency about 90%, in the visible range. The band gaps values of ZnO thin films are increased after doping from 3.10 to 3.26 eV and 3.27 to 3.30 eV upon Al doping obtained by ethanol and methanol solution, respectively. The electrical conductivity increase from 7.5 to 15.2 (Ω cm)⁻¹ of undoped to Al doped ZnO thin films prepared by using ethanol solution. However, for the methanol solution; the electrical conductivity of the film is stabilized after doping.     

Biological Activities Evaluation of Enantiopure Isoxazolidine Derivatives: In Vitro,In Vivo and In Silico Studies

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - A series of enantiopure isoxazolidines (3a–c) were synthesized by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between a (−)-menthone-derived nitrone and various...     

Chiral copper(II) bisoxazoline covalently anchored to silica and mesoporous MCM-41 as a heterogeneous catalyst for the enantioselective Friedel-Crafts hydroxyalkylation

Two solid catalysts in which a chiral copper(II) bisoxazoline has been covalently anchored on silica and MCM-41 have been prepared; the solids are enantioselective catalysts (up to 92% ee) for the Friedel-Crafts hydroxyalkylation of 1,3-dimethoxybenzene with 3,3,3-trifluoropyruvate.     

Domination spaces and factorization of linear and multilinear summing operators

It is well known that not every summability property for multilinear operators leads to a factorization theorem. In this paper we undertake a detailed study of factorization schemes for summing linear and nonlinear operators. Our aim is to integrate under the same theory a wide family of classes of mappings for which a Pietsch type factorization theorem holds. Our construction includes the cases of absolutely p-summing linear operators, (p, σ)-absolutely continuous linear operators, factorable strongly p-summing multilinear operators, (p1,?. . .?, pn)-dominated multilinear operators and dominated (p1,?. . .?, pn; σ)-continuous multilinear operators.     

Theoretical study of hydrogen‐bonded complexes of benzene with hydrides of astrochemical interest

Post Hartree–Fock and DFT calculations have been performed for studying the possibility for a benzene support to be linked to various hydrides through a quasi Bz···H? A bond. Interaction energy of compounds, including C? H bonds (CH₄, CH₃F, CH₂O, CHN, CHN? O), N? H bonds (NH₃, NH₂F, NHC, NHCO, NH₃O), and O? H bonds (OH₂, OHF, NCOH), were evaluated, taking basis set superposition error (BSSE) and zero point vibrational energy (ZPVE) corrections into account. Numerical convergence of results with respect to the ingredients included at different steps of theory (basis set, DFT functionals, correlation treatments, geometry optimization) was tested mainly on the example of the water adduct and, for comparison, the Bz···H₃O⁺ system containing a cation instead of a neutral molecule. A rather large range of adsorption energies is obtained, from about 1 kcal/mol for methane to more than 6 kcal/mol for cyanic acid, according to the acidic character of the adsorbed species in each family of Bz···H? A bonds. Some consequences for astrophysical problems involving PAHs in the interstellar medium are pointed out. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008