High-density plasma etching of indium-zinc oxide films in Ar/Cl2 and Ar/CH4/H2 chemistries

The dry etching characteristics of transparent and conductive indium-zinc oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma. While the Cl₂-based plasma mixture showed little enhancement over physical sputtering in a pure argon atmosphere, the CH₄/H₂/Ar chemistry produced an increase of the IZO etch rate. On the other hand, the surface morphology of IZO films after etching in Ar and Ar/Cl₂ discharges is smooth, whereas that after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar presents particle-like features resulting from the preferential desorption of In- and O-containing products. Etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar also produces formation of a Zn-rich surface layer, whose thickness (∼40 nm) is well-above the expected range of incident ions in the material (∼1 nm). Such alteration of the IZO layer after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar plasmas is expected to have a significant impact on the transparent electrode properties in optoelectronic device fabrication.     

Effect of evaporation temperature on the formation of particulate membranes from crystalline polymers by dry-cast process

The membrane formation of crystalline poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL), poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), and polyamide (Nylon-66) membranes prepared by dry-cast process was studied. Membrane morphologies from crystalline polymers were found to be strongly dependent on the evaporation temperature. At low temperatures, all the casting solution evaporated into a particulate morphology that was governed by the polymer crystallization mechanism. The rise in the evaporation temperature changed EVAL membrane structure from a particulate to a dense morphology. However, as the temperature increased PVDF and Nylon-66 membranes still exhibited particulate morphologies. The membrane structures obtained were discussed in terms of the characteristics of polymer crystallization in the casting solution theoretically. At elevated temperatures the crystallization was restricted for the EVAL membrane because the increase rate in the polymer concentration was fast relative to the time necessary for growth of nuclei. Nonetheless, the time available for PVDF and Nylon-66 with stronger crystalline properties was large enough to form the crystallization-controlled particulate structure that differed in particle size only. In addition, particles in the PVDF membrane were driven together to disappear the boundary, but those in the Nylon-66 membrane exhibited features of linear grain boundary. The difference in particle morphology was attributed to the Nylon-66 with the most strongly crystalline property. Therefore, the kinetic difference in the crystallization rate of the polymer solution play an important role in dominating the membrane structure by dry-cast process.     

Material transport between the atmosphere and sediment of the Lake Balaton

A monitoring system was developed to gain information on the present level of pollutants in the Lake Balaton, Hungary. Determination of 13 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and inorganic pollutants (mostly toxic metals) in aerosol, precipitation and sediment samples was carried out. The aim of collecting aerosol and precipitate samples in the same site at the same period was to determine the distribution of elements in two depositions. For the fractionation by particle size, aerosols were sampled by a cascade impactor. A simple three-stage sequential leaching procedure was applied to establish the distribution of metals among environmentally mobile, bound to carbonates and oxides, and environmentally immobile, (bound to silicates) fractions in aerosols. Sediment samples were collected from 17 different sites inside of the lake and 10 sites at harbors at 30–70 cm in depth. Core samples were cut to 10-cm pieces, dried at room temperature, and finally passed through a 63-μm sieve. Total concentrations of elements were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) after an acidic digestion. The concentrations of PAHs were determined by HPLC method with fluorescence detection.In aerosol samples collected from September 6, 2002 to January 26, 2003, concentration of Cd was <0.1 μg/m³, and the majority of Cd has been found in the mobile fraction. Cadmium was associated to particles between 0.25 and 2 μm indicating the anthropogenic origin. Similar distribution of Pb was obtained in all seasons, and the highest concentration of Pb was found as 8.6 ng/m³ in particle size of 0.7 and 1.4 μm. Results of total concentration of elements of bottom sediments of the Lake Balaton and harbors were compared to Interim Sediment Quality Guideline (ISQG) values and the Probable Effect Level (PEL) values. Data showed that the average concentrations of elements were usually less than those of ISQGs and other background data for soils and geochemical values. The sediment is not polluted and its disposal is feasible. There is no direct correlation between the concentration of elements deposited onto the surface of the lake from dry and wet deposition and the upper part of the sediment. So, from the budget of the deposition, the concentration of elements in the upper layer of the sediment cannot be predicted.Seasonal changes of the concentration of PAHs in aerosol was observed, samples collected at winter contained the highest values. In December–January 2002/2003, the wet deposition was found as 64 μg/m² period. Among the individual compounds, the wet deposition rate of phenantrane, fluoranthene and pyrene was dominant, while for dry deposition, these compounds were fluoranthene and pyrene. The concentrations of ∑PAHs found for all sites and depth of sediment samples ranged from 11 to 1734 μg/kg dry weight with an average of 132 μg/kg. These values represent a quite low pollution level compared to other sediment with anthropogenic influence. Based on the results, it can be definitely confirmed that the chemical quality of the water and sediment of the Lake Balaton is satisfactory.     

Determination of Fibre Pore Structure: Influence of Salt,pH and Conventional Wet Strength Resins

It has been shown, in the present investigation, that the two methods used to investigate the pore size distribution of unbleached chemical pulps, i.e. inverse size exclusion chromatography (ISEC) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), give different average pore radius for the pores inside the fibre wall. This is due to the way in which these experiments are performed and the sensitivity of the methods to different types of pores in the cell wall. It was also shown that the two methods gave different results when changing the pH and the ionic strength of the pulp suspension. The pore radius, as detected with ISEC, decreased with both increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH, indicating a loose structure of the exterior of the fibrillar network. However, the pore radius as detected with NMR, was virtually unaffected when increasing the ionic strength, indicating a very rigid structure of the interior of the fibre wall. Decreasing pH though, lead to a decrease in pore radius indicating that upon protonation of the carboxylic groups in the fibre wall, the electrostatic repulsion is diminished and the average pore radius decreases. The NMR technique was also used to study wet strength aid penetration into the fibre wall. It was shown that wet strength aids with a small molecular weight, penetrated the fibre wall, as detected by a decrease in pore radius. It was also shown that addition of different wet strength aids increased the tensile index of the sheet and decreased the fibre strength, measured as zero span-strength of the sheets.     

Study of the effect of different fiber coatings and extraction conditions on dry cured ham volatile compounds extracted by solid-phase microextraction (SPME)

Extraction of dry cured ham volatile compounds by solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was optimized. Different fiber coatings (carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (CAR/PDMS), divinylbenzene/carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane (DVB/CAR/PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB)), times of extraction (15, 30, 60 min) and sample preparation (ground samples and homogenates with NaCl saturated solution) were assayed. CAR/PDMS and DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber coatings extracted more than 100 volatile compounds and showed the highest area counts for most volatile compounds. CAR/PDMS coating extracted better those compounds whose Kovats index (KI) was lower than 980 (on average) and DVB/CAR/PDMS those with higher KI. Fifteen minutes of extraction provided a volatile compound profile with lower area counts for most compounds and qualitatively different to that obtained with 30 and 60 min of extraction. Homogenates gave a different profile compared to ground samples, with lower total counts for most compounds but higher proportion of aldehydes, and presence of several compounds not found in ground samples.     

高炉渣非晶态含量的定量分析方法研究

通过X-ray衍射方法对高炉渣中非晶态与晶态的含量进行了定量分析研究。定量分析过程包括标准样品制备、配样与衍射以及数据处理分析。数据处理包括非晶态衍射峰及晶态峰在一定衍射角度内的积分、线性拟合与定量系数确定。提出了X-ray衍射方法所用的高炉渣标准样品的制备方法,包括100％非晶态标样和100％晶态标样。提出了由100％非晶态和100％晶态为标准样品时,高炉渣中非晶态含量的测定方法,适用于非晶态含量较高(>80%)的高炉渣的定量分析。结合数学处理和X-ray衍射结果,可得到原始高炉渣中非晶态含量和晶态含量,以及相应的比例系数,适用于非晶态含量高的高炉渣(>90%)。     

分析北京城市污泥中铅砷镉形态浓度的ICP-MS

城市污泥中重金属的难降解和高毒性限制了污泥的资源化利用.以北京G和Q污水处理厂的压滤出厂污泥为实验材料,采用BCR三步浸提法对污泥中铅砷镉Pb,As,Cd的三种形态进行提取,以HNO3-HClO4进行全量消解,利用ICP-MS检测Pb,As,Cd的全量和各形态的含量,从而为北京城市污泥的资源开发研究提供基础数据.实验结果表明,北京城市污泥中Pb和Cd含量比上世纪末明显降低:其中,G污泥中Pb,As,Cd的全量(干重)分别为19.60,37.96和1.34 mg·kg-1,而Q污泥中分别为19.58,23.46和2.30 mg·kg-1;两种污泥中Pb含量相差甚微,G污泥中As明显高于Q污泥,而Cd则显著低于后者;两种污泥中相应金属的三种形态的变化趋势基本一致:Pb与As以HAc酸溶态为主,H2O2可氧化态最少;而Cd主要以NH2OH-HCl可还原态存在,HAc酸溶态最少.三种重金属中生物毒性大的形态均占70%以上.     

红外光谱法测定聚(乳酸-苯丙氨酸)共聚物的含量

分别以苯丙氨酸和乳酸为原料合成了3-苯甲基-2,5-吗啉二酮(PMD)与丙交酯(LA),以PMD和LA作为聚合单体经开环聚合分别得到PMD均聚物(PPMD)、丙交酯均聚物(PLA)及聚(乳酸-苯丙氨酸)共聚物。对合成的均聚物进行红外分析,确定1 671.53和870.82 cm-1处的吸收峰分别为PPMD和PLA的特征峰。根据以上两种特征吸收峰并以朗伯-比耳定律为理论依据,建立了利用红外光谱法测定聚(乳酸-苯丙氨酸)共聚物含量的方法。实验测定的标准工作曲线为y=0.055 67x+0.1091,r=0.999 3。利用该标准工作曲线定量测定了共聚物组分含量,其结果与1H NMR测定值一致,相对误差在2％以内,证明红外光谱法可方便、快捷地测定聚(乳酸-苯丙氨酸)共聚物组分含量,且适用于其他聚(乳酸-氨基酸)共聚物的含量测定,具有一定的实用性及推广性。     

On a mechanical lens

In this paper, we consider the dynamics of a heavy homogeneous ball moving under the influence of dry friction on a fixed horizontal plane. We assume the ball to slide without rolling. We demonstrate that the plane may be divided into two regions, each characterized by a distinct coefficient of friction, so that balls with equal initial linear and angular velocity will converge upon the same point from different initial locations along a certain segment. We construct the boundary between the two regions explicitly and discuss possible applications to real physical systems.     

Mobile relays for enhanced broadband connectivity in high speed train systems

With the introduction of wireless modems and smart phones, the passenger transport industry is witnessing a high demand to ensure not only the safety of the trains, but also to provide users with Internet access all the time inside the train. When the Mobile Terminal (MT) communicates directly with the Base Station (BS), it will experience a severe degradation in the Quality of Service due to the path loss and shadowing effects as the wireless signal is traveling through the train. In this paper, we study the performance in the case of relays placed on top of each train car. In the proposed approach, these relays communicate with the cellular BS on one hand, and with the MTs inside the train cars on the other hand, using the Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular technology. A low complexity heuristic LTE radio resource management approach is proposed and compared to the Hungarian algorithm, both in the presence and absence of the relays. The presence of the relays is shown to lead to significant enhancements in the effective data rates of the MTs. In addition, the proposed resource management approach is shown to reach a performance close to the optimal Hungarian algorithm.