Polarization inscription in ferroelectric (111) PZT and (100) SBT films

Ferroelectric thin films form an equilibrium domain structure compatible with their respective crystallographic symmetry. In tetragonal (111) PZT, 90° domains prevail; in (pseudo-tetragonal) (100) SBT both 90° and 180° domains are present. The size of 90° domains has been measured for e.g., PZT as slabs of 15 nm width. Domain size is a result of stress minimization in the film during the paraelectric (PE) → ferroelectric (FE) transition. A precise and regular domain pattern for (111) PZT and (100) SBT films has been investigated in detail by TMSFM. Single domains can be addressed mechanically with the tip of an AFM. Such single domain switching corresponds to a data storage density of 200 Gbit/inch². Applications of ferroelectric and high- paraelectric materials for e.g., non-volatile data storage replacing DRAM devices or as sensors in infrared cameras are increasingly becoming popular.     

Structural and electrical characterization of SxSe100−x thin films

Thin films of samples of the glassy S_xSe_100−x system with 0 ≤ x ≤ 7.28 have been prepared by thermal evaporation technique at room temperature (300 K). X-ray investigations show that the structure of pure selenium (Se) does change seriously by the addition of small amount of sulphur S ≤7.28%. The lattice parameters were determined as a function of sulphur content. Results of differential thermal analysis (DTA) of the glassy compositions of the system S_xSe_100−x were discussed. The characteristic temperatures (T_g, T_c and T_m) were evaluated. Dark electrical resistivities, ρ, of S_xSe_100−x thin films with different thicknesses from 100 to 500 nm, were measured in the temperature range from 300 to 423 K. Two distinct linear parts with different activation energies were observed. The variation of electrical resistivity of examined compositions has been discussed as a function of the film thickness, temperature and the sulphur content. The application of Mott model for the phonon assisted hopping of small polarons gave the same two activation energies obtained from the resistivity temperature calculations.     

XPS,AFM, ATR and TPD evidence for terraced,dihydrogen terminated, 1×1 (100) silicon

Heating (100) silicon at high temperature (say, higher than 850 °C) in H₂, cooling to 670–700 °C in the same ambient, and quenching to room temperature in N₂ results in environmentally robust, terraced 1 × 1 (100) SiH₂. Evidence for this conclusion is based on angle‐resolved x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy in the attenuated total reflection mode, thermal programmed desorption, and reflection high‐energy electron diffraction. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrolysis of cephanone in the micelles with different charges

The hydrolysis of cephanone in water and micelles with different charges was studied by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. The change of pH with the hydrolysis of cephanone was determined. The mechanism of the hydrolysis and the effect of the acidity of the media on the hydrolysis were studied. The results show that the hydrolysis rate of cephanone increases with the acidity. Compared with water, SDS micelles accelerate this hydrolysis, whereas CTAB and Triton X-100 micelles suppress it. The effects of the micelles with different charges on the hydrolysis are explained by the proton concentration of the micro-environment where cephanone exists and by the charge density of the polar group of the cephanone molecules.     

Determination of Utratrace Silver Using Surfactant As Sensitizer by Catalytic Near Field Laser Thermal Lens Spectrometry

Thermal lens spectrometry (TLS) is an excellent tool for trace analysis1. TLS allows the detection of absorbances of 10-7～10-8, concentration of ≈ 10-11 mol稬-1 and the analysis of 10-15 L volumes with ≈10-2 absorbing molecules2. Kinetic analysis is playing an increasingly important part in modern analytical chemistry. Therefore, TLS shows much promise in combination with kinetic analysis. However, there are few data on TLS applications in kinetic analysis method so far3～4. A ne…     

Kinetics of the surface tension of micellar solutions: Comparison of different experimental techniques

The kinetics of the surface tension of micellar solutions of nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 is measured experimentally by means of three different techniques: oscillating jet, maximum bubble pressure and inclined plate. They allow to study the micellization kinetics at various time scales (from a few milliseconds to a few seconds) in fairly large concentration region up to 50 times CMC. The experimental data are satisfactorily explained by a theoretical model accounting for the kinetics of micellization, diffusion of surfactant species and expansion of the bubble interface. By this model are computed the characteristic times of diffusion and micellization, which are of comparable magnitude (about 5 to 200 ms), and the Gibbs' elasticity. The micellization time constant corresponds to the slow relaxation process known to coincide with the disintegration of micelles. Comparing our data with other data from literature one can conclude that more realistic information for the micellization kinetics is obtained by the maximum bubble pressure and the oscillating jet method. The inclined plate seems too slow to measure the relaxation processes in micellar solutions of this surfactant.     

Cloud point extraction equilibrium of lanthanum(III), europium(III) and lutetium(III) using di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid and Triton X-100

The cloud point extraction behaviors of lanthanoids(III) (Ln(III) = La(III), Eu(III) and Lu(III)) with and without di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) using Triton X-100 were investigated. It was suggested that the extraction of Ln(III) into the surfactant-rich phase without added chelating agent was caused by the impurities contained in Triton X-100. The extraction percentage more than 91% for all Ln(III) metals was obtained using 3.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol dm⁻³ HDEHP and 2.0% (v/v) Triton X-100. From the equilibrium analysis, it was clarified that Ln(III) was extracted as Ln(DEHP)₃ into the surfactant-rich phase. The extraction constant of Ln(III) with HDEHP and 2.0% (v/v) Triton X-100 were also obtained.     

Dialysis-Chelex method for determination of exchangeable copper in human plasma

A method based on dialysis in the presence of histidine, and subsequent copper adsorption and preconcentration using Chelex-100 resin, has been developed for selective extraction of exchangeable copper from blood plasma. The method was verified by comparative analysis using two different instrumental techniques, ICP–MS and AAS. The results obtained were in excellent agreement. Accurate quantification of the exchangeable copper and the firmly bound copper was achieved. The method was further validated by analysis of a lyophilised human serum certified reference material.     

Effect of ionic and non-ionic surfactants on the reduction of water soluble colloidal MnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> by glycolic acid

Kinetics of the redox reaction between colloidal MnO₂ and glycolic acid have been studied spectrophotometrically by monitoring the decay in the absorbance of colloidal MnO₂ in absence and presence of surfactants. Anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate has no effect, non-ionic Triton X-100 catalyzed the reaction and experiments were not possible in presence of cationic cetyltrimethylammonium bromide due to the precipitation of MnO₂.The reaction followed the same type of kinetic behavior, i.e., fractional-, first- and fractional-order dependencies, respectively, in [glycolic acid], [MnO₂] and [H⁺ ] in both the media. Effects of gum arabic and manganese(II) have also been studied and discussed. Mechanisms in accordance with the experimental data are proposed for the reaction.     

Alkyl (C<Subscript>10</Subscript>, C<Subscript>12</Subscript>, C<Subscript>14</Subscript> and C<Subscript>16</Subscript>) triphenyl phosphonium bromide influenced cloud points of nonionic surfactants (Triton X 100, Brij 56 and Brij 97) and the polymer (Polyvinyl methyl ether)

The clouding points (CP) of the nonionic surfactants p-tert-octyl phenyl polyoxyethylene ether (Triton X 100), Brij-56 and Brij-97, and the water soluble polymer polyvinylmethylether (PVME) have been measured in the presence of the ionic surfactants alkyl (C₁₀, C₁₂, C₁₄ and C₁₆) triphenyl phosphonium bromides (ATPBs). The threshold additive concentrations required for efficient CP enhancement of the systems that were studied have been determined. Considering CP as the threshold state of phase separation, the energetics of the process at different additive concentrations has been evaluated. The spontaneity of free energy of the clouding process (G _c ⁰ ) at the transition concentrations followed the order PVME > TX 100  Bj 56 > Bj 97. The clouding process has been found to be energetically endothermic with fairly large enthalpy and entropy changes that nicely compensate each other. The compensation temperature has been evaluated and compared with different types of the clouding agents.This revised version was published online in January 2005 with corrections to the names of the authors.