Synthesis of Supported Heterogeneous Catalysts by Laser Ablation of Metallic Palladium in Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Medium

To obtain a supported heterogeneous catalyst, laser ablation of metallic palladium in supercritical carbon dioxide was performed in the presence of a carrier, microparticles of γ-alumina. The influence of the ablation process conditions—including supercritical fluid density, ablation, mixing time of the mixture, and laser wavelength—on the completeness and efficiency of the deposition of palladium particles on the surface of the carrier was studied. The obtained composites were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy using energy dispersive spectroscopy. We found that palladium particles were nanosized and had a narrow size distribution (2–8 nm). The synthesized composites revealed high activity as catalysts in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene.     

Electrical and structural characteristics of metamorphic In0.38Al0.62As/In0.37Ga0.63As/In0.38Al0.62As HEMT nanoheterostructures

The influence of the metamorphic buffer design and epitaxial growth conditions on the electrical and structural characteristics of metamorphic In_0.38Al_0.62As/In_0.37Ga_0.63As/In_0.38Al_0.62As high electron mobility transistor (MHEMT) nanoheterostructures has been investigated. The samples were grown on GaAs(100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The active regions of the nanoheterostructures are identical, while the metamorphic buffer In _x Al_{1 ? x} As is formed with a linear or stepwise (by Δ _x = 0.05) increase in the indium content over depth. It is found that MHEMT nanoheterostructures with a step metamorphic buffer have fewer defects and possess higher values of two-dimensional electron gas mobility at T = 77 K. The structures of the active region and metamorphic buffer have been thoroughly studied by transmission electron microscopy. It is shown that the relaxation of metamorphic buffer in the heterostructures under consideration is accompanied by the formation of structural defects of the following types: dislocations, microtwins, stacking faults, and wurtzite phase inclusions several nanometers in size.     

Study of the Ancient Crimean Ceramics by Electron Microscopy Methods

Crystallography Reports - Fragments of ancient amphorae and tiles dated to the IVth to IInd centuries BC, which were found on the Crimean peninsula, have been investigated by methods of scanning...     

Structural Features of PLZT Films

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films doped with lanthanum, Pb(_1–х)La_х(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52) (х = 0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08, or 0.01), have been investigated by electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Films were formed on Si–SiO₂–TiO₂–Pt substrates by chemical vapor deposition from a solution and annealed at temperatures T = 650 and 750°C. The main structural features of the films, differing them from undoped PZT films fabricated by the same method, have been established. It is found that doping with lanthanum delays the pyrochlore–perovskite transformation in the film bulk, i.e., in the regions distant from the film–substrate interface. The fraction of metastable pyrochlore phase increases with an increase in the La molar content in the films. The main reason for the delay is the deficit of lead in the intergranular perovskite space, especially in the upper part of the film. Annealing at T = 750°C reduces the content of pyrochlore phase but does not completely remove it, which was never observed for undoped PZT films. Doping with lanthanum leads to a change in the lattice period c and a tetragonal distortion of the perovskite lattice (c/a ratio). Hence, the [100] texture of the films obtained, in contrast to the typical [111] texture of PZT films, is due to the increase in the lattice mismatch between the film and platinum layer when lead atoms are replaced with lanthanum. Lattice distortions of “transrotational” character, whose value exceeds 160 deg/μm, are found to arise in growing crystals.     

Structure of Diamond-Like Silicon–Carbon Films Alloyed by Vanadium

The structure of diamond-like silicon–carbon films formed on silicon substrates by magnetron and plasmatron codeposition using a closed-field magnetron and a plasmatron activated by tungsten cathode has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. The main feature of the films alloyed by vanadium to concentrations of 12–31 at % was found to be a layered structure of the film cross section. It was established that vanadium alloying leads to the formation of vanadium carbide (VC) nanocrystals; the nanocrystal size increases from 1–2 to 10 nm. At the maximum vanadium content, VC nanocrystals have an anisotropic shape: they are extended in the direction perpendicular to the film–substrate interface.     

Methane Decomposition on the Surface of Molybdenum Nanoparticles at Room Temperature

The decomposition of methane on molybdenum nanoparticles was studied experimentally at room temperature. The molybdenum nanoparticles were synthesized in the gas phase using UV laser photolysis of Mo(CO)6 vapor in a flow reactor. The working part of the flow reactor was equipped with quartz windows for introducing the radiation from a pulsed Nd:YaG laser operating at the fourth harmonic (266 nm) at a frequency of 10 Hz. Methane was used as a carrier gas. As a result of irradiation of a mixture of methane with Mo(CO)6 vapors in the gas phase at room temperature, nanoparticles with sizes of 2–50 nm were synthesized. The phase composition of the nanoparticles included pure molybdenum, molybdenum carbide Mo2C, and molybdenum oxide MoO3. During the reaction, the hydrogen yield was measured with a VG-7 highly sensitive hydrogen analyzer based on a semiconductor metal–dielectric sensor. The measured H2 concentration varied from 5 to 25 ppm depending on the concentration of Mo(CO)6. The possibility of methane decomposition on molybdenum nanoparticles at room temperature was discussed based on the obtained data.     

Influence of Crystallization on the 3D Structure of Pores in Ferroelectric PZT Films

JETP Letters - The structure of porous lead titanate–zirconate films, obtained by chemical deposition from solutions containing Brij 76, has been visualized for the first time using focused...     

Electron microscopy of phase and structural transformations in soft magnetic nanocrystalline Fe-Zr-N films

The effect of deposition conditions (film thickness) on the structure of soft magnetic Fe_80–78Zr₁₀N_10–12 films formed by reactive magnetron deposition on a heat-resistant glass substrate has been investigated by analytical transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution electron microscopy, and diffraction analysis. The processes of evolution of the phase and structural state of films and the film-substrate interface upon annealing in the temperature range of 200–650°C have been analyzed taking into account the thermodynamic, kinetic, and structural factors and the specific features of the nanocrystalline state.     

Structure of Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 films grown by chemical solution deposition on polycor substrates

The structure of barium strontium titanate (BST) films grown by chemical solution deposition on polycor substrates was studied by transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that a grain structure inhomogeneous in cross section is formed after two-step crystallization at T = 700 and 950°C. There are equiaxed grains (44.2 nm in average size) in the BST-polycor interfacial region and a multilevel columnar structure (grain height up to 150 nm) with {100} texture in the film bulk. Grain growth inhibition during high-temperature annealing and underlayer formation in the interfacial region are caused by a change in the substrate structure, i.e., grain reorientation and {112} texture formation.