British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The estimation of numerical values of the mean distance of closest approach of ions, a, of alkaline-earth metal ion salts in aqueous solutions, determined from activity coefficients, as well as from different theoretical approaches, is presented and discussed.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry was employed to investigate the initial regime of rare earth metal (REM) conversion coatings formation on AZ31 magnesium alloy. Three REM salts solutions, 0.05 mol.dm"-"3 Ce(NO_3)_3, La(NO)_3 and Sm(NO)_3 solutions, were used for REM conversion coatings preparation. By deconvoluting the ellipsometric data, the surface of the fresh well-polished AZ31 magnesium alloy was found to be covered with 15.80 nm thick native (hydr)oxide film; the refractive indices and the thickness of Ce, La and Sm conversion coatings were obtained. The formation kinetics of three REM coatings follows different exponential functions and the coatings exhibit different optical properties. La conversion coating has the largest n values and the lowest k values while Sm conversion coating is just opposite. Moreover, the pH variation of the bulk conversion solutions upon the coatings formation was recorded. It is ...

CERN Document Server

We compare the metallicities of stars with radial velocity planets to the metallicity of a sample of field dwarfs. We confirm recent work indicating that the stars-with-planet sample as a whole is iron rich. However, the lowest mass stars tend to be iron poor, with several having [Fe/H]0.48) that contributes to but does not explain the mass-metallicity trend in the stars-with-planets sample. We use Monte Carlo models to show that adding an average of 6.5 Earth masses of iron to each star can explain both the mass-metallicity and the age-metallicity relations of the stars-with-planets sample. However, for at least one star, HD 38529, there is good evidence that the bulk metallicity is high. We conclude that the observed metallicities and metallicity trends are the result of the interaction of three ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The work in the past year has primarily involved four areas of magnetic thin films: amorphous rare earth-transition metal alloys, epitaxial CoPt{sub 3} and Ni-Pt alloy thin films, amorphous rare earth doped Si (a new class of dilute magnetic semiconductor with large negative magnetoresistance which the authors have discovered), and exchange-coupled antiferromagnetic insulators. In the amorphous alloys, they made a systematic study of the effects of local anisotropy, macroscopic (perpendicular) anisotropy, and exchange constant on the fundamental (and practical) properties of these magnetic alloys, as originally described in the grant proposal. The work on the epitaxial Co-Pt (and more recently Ni-Pt) alloys was originally undertaken as a comparison study to the amorphous alloys. Crystalline Co-Pt alloys have many striking similarities to the amorphous rare earth-transition metal ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The geographical arrangement of people on the surface of the earth is approximated by a mathematical equation of 361 terms. This is a convenient form for comparison with other distributions and for...Full Text Available

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Development of Bipolar Separator Plates with Porous Insertions of Metal Felt as Bearing Surfaces for Fuel Cell Electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

A pyrochemical partitioning process has been conceptually designed so that the transmutation of spent LWR fuels in PEACER can produce mainly low-level waste (Class C waste) for near-surface burial. Chloride salt technology developed for IFR has been employed as the baseline. Electrorefining, reductive extraction and salt recycling steps are used to construct overall flowsheet in order to support PEACER operation. The decontamination factor for transuranic elements was estimated based on both thermodynamic models and reported experimental data. It is expected that overall decontamination factor can be as high as 10{sup 5} for transuranic elements. Final wastes from pyrochemical processing for PEACER are noble metals, alkaline earth metal, and lanthanides. The final wastes are stabilized by mixing with zeolite and glass-frits such that concentration limit for class C waste can be met. The volume of Class ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This patent describes a process for preparing poly(aryl ether ketones) by nucleophilic displacement polymerization in the presence of at least one alkali metal base selected from potassium, rubidium or cesium, and fluoride ions, which comprises adding to the polymerization: (a) an effective amount of at least one metal salt selected from lithium, sodium, alkaline earth or lanthanide chloride, bromide, iodide, sulfate, alkyl or aryl carboxylate, cyanide, borate or phosphate to slow or stop advancement of molecular weight and (b) an end-capping agent.

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Development of a Comprehensive Decontamination Database and an Absorption-Electrochemical Metal Surface Decontamination Technique Combining Chemical and Electrochemical Process

CERN Document Server

The possible physical linkage between galactic cosmic rays intensity and the Earth's cloud cover is discussed using the analysis of the first indirect aerosol effect (Twomey effect) and its experimental representation as the dependence of average cloud droplet effective radius on aerosol index characterizing the aerosol concentration in the atmospheric air column of unit section. It is shown that the basic kinetic equation of the Earth's climate energy-balance model is described by the bifurcation equation (with respect to the temperature of the Earth's surface) in the form of fold catastrophe with two governing parameters defining the variations of insolation and Earth's magnetic field (or galactic cosmic rays intensity in the atmosphere), respectively. The principle of hierarchical climatic models construction, which consists in the structural invariance of balance equations of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Climates at regional scale are strongly dependent on the interaction between atmosphere and its lower boundary, the oceans and the land surface mosaic. Land surfaces influence climate through their albedo, and the aerodynamic roughness, the processes of the biosphere and many soil hydrological properties; all these factors vary considerably geographically. Land surfaces receive a certain portion of the solar irradiance depending on the cloudiness, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo. Short-wave solar irradiance is the source of the heat energy exchange at the earth`s surface and also regulates many biological processes, e.g. photosynthesis. Methods for estimating solar irradiance, atmospheric transparency and surface albedo were reviewed during the course of this project. The solar energy at earth`s ...

Science.gov (United States)

Aluminium is an abundant metal consisting about 8 per cent of the earth's crust. It has long been considered as essentially nontoxic and nonabsorbable from the gastrointestinal tract. More recent studies have, however, due to better analytical capabilitie...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

World demand for rare-earth elements and the metal yttrium?which are crucial for novel electronic equipment and green-energy technologies?is increasing rapidly. Several types of seafloor sediment harbour high concentrations of these elements. However, seafloor sediments have not been regarded as a rare-earth element and yttrium resource, because data on the spatial distribution of these deposits are insufficient. Here, we report measurements of the elemental composition of over 2,000 seafloor sediments, sampled at depth intervals of around one metre, at 78 sites that cover a large part of the Pacific Ocean. We show that deep-sea mud contains high concentrations of rare-earth elements and yttrium at numerous sites throughout the eastern South and central North Pacific. We estimate that an a...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Two transition metal ions (Cu^2^+ and Co^2^+) and two rare earth metal ions (Ce^3^+ and La^3^+) were used as the assisted metal ions, respectively to prepare the transition metal and rare metal assisted Fe bimetallic amidoximated polyacrylonitrile (AO-PAN) fiber complexes. And their coordination configuration and visible light adsorption properties were examined by coordination number determination and UV-vis-DRS. Then the catalytic performance of these complexes was evaluated as the heterogeneous Fenton catalysts in Rhodamine B degradation by changing the nature and dosage of the assisted ions added. The results indicated that the incorporation of the assisted metal ions led to Fe bimetallic AO-PAN complexes with the more unsaturated configurations than Fe monometallic AO-PAN complex due ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A procedure was developed to monitor boundaries within which secondary mining operations can be applied. Principal techniques include instrument and operative-remote observations of earth shifts and aerial photography of displacements on the surface of the trough.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Work continued on the correlations of catalytic activity of metals and surface structure. Work is described in the following areas: CO oxidation on a Cu/Rh(100) Bimetallic catalysts; electronic properties of bimetallic surfaces; and reflection absorption spectroscopy of bimetallic surfaces. 5 figs. (CBS)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The mechanism of chemical poisoning of model heterogeneously catalyzed reactions on transition metal surfaces is studied. Clean Mo(001) surfaces were characterized; results suggest a first-layer contraction of 10% of the bulk interlayer spacing. Characterization of clean Co(0001) surfaces is underway. Decomposition of formic acid on Mo(001) surfaces is being studied. (DLC)

Science.gov (United States)

An inner surface substrate of metal tubes is provided with a single layer of randomly distributed metal bodies bonded to the substrate, spaced from each other, and substantially surrounded by the substrate to form body void space.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Statement of problem Even though metal ceramic restorations (MCRs) are widely used by clinicians, the influence of the metal on the color of overlaying porcelain is unknown. Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the color alterations of different types of metal ceramic alloys during several stages of metal surface preparation and to determine the effect of those changes on the resulting color of opaque porcelain (OP). Material and Methods Seven different types of alloys (3 base metal, 3 noble, and 1 high noble) were used to prepare disk-shaped specimens (1 mm x 10 mm, n=3), followed by OP application (0.1 mm). Lab values of specimens were recorded after different stages of metal surface preparation (ingot, after casting, after oxidation, and after the OP application) in addition...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Based on results from recent studies of elemental dietary intake and organ or tissue content for adult Chinese men, quoted nationwide elemental concentrations in Chinese soil and newly published national average consumption of dietary foods, values of both transfer coefficients and discrimination factor (DF) for transfer from soil via the diet to both critical organs and the whole body have been calculated for important elements in radiation protection, including alkaline earths, alkali metals, rare earths and other related elements. These calculations have used both the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) model and the DF method. In the UNSCEAR model, the basic parameters used to describe the transport of radionuclides are the transfer coefficients P_i_j, which describe the relationship of concentrations or other amounts between compartment i and the following compartment j, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Improvements in critical current capacity for superconducting film structures are disclosed and include the use of a superconducting RE-BCO layer including a mixture of rare earth metals, e.g., yttrium and europium, where the ratio of yttrium to europium in the RE-BCO layer ranges from about 3 to 1 to from about 1.5 to 1.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pitting corrosion is localized accelerated dissolution of metal that occurs as a result of a breakdown of the otherwise protective passive film on the metal surface. This paper provides an overview of the critical factors influencing the pitting corrosion of metals. The phenomenology of pitting corrosion is discussed, including the effects of alloy composition, environment, potential, and temperature. A summary is then given of studies that have focused on various stages of the pitting process, including breakdown of the passive film, metastable pitting, and pit growth. 120 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

I propose that an interpretation of the interaction of noble gas atoms with metal surfaces as predominantly physisorbing provides the best explanation for the systematics of their binding energies and surface dipoles, as well as for the tendency of noble gas atoms to bind in low coordinated sites. In the present context physisorption is defined as a process driven by the overlap of the electrostatic atomic potentials of the interacting species. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

In order to reduce the number of surface mining accidents related to low visibility conditions and blind spots of trucks and to provide 3D information for truck drivers and real time monitored truck information for the remote dispatcher, a 3D assisted driving system (3D-ADS) based on the GPS, mesh-wireless networks and the Google-Earth engine as the graphic interface and mine-mapping server, was developed at Virginia Tech. The research results indicate that this 3D-ADS system has the potential to increase reliability and reduce uncertainty in open pit mining operations by customizing the local 3D digital mining map, constructing 3D truck models, tracking vehicles in real time using a 3D interface and indicating available escape routes for driver safety.

Science.gov (United States)

The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth hosts the best and most complete online collection of astronaut photographs of the Earth.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Repassivation resulting from the bared metal surface is a critical process for judging whether or not material suffers from corroding or immunizing. Nickel based alloys with high chromium content were developed to increase the corrosion resistant to sulphur compounds. Active humps resulting from active dissolution of nickel were obtained by creating the bared metal surfaces in thiosulphate solutions. The lower the Cr content the higher is the dissolution rate. The passive films formed on the bared metal surface were examined by ac impedance. Results suggest the formation of multi-layers oxide which were affected by active dissolution reactions during repassivation. (author).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Three new rare earth metal-rich compounds, Gd_4NiTe_2, and Er_5M_2Te_2 (M=Ni, Co), were synthesized in direct reactions using R, R_3M, and R_2Te_3 (R=Gd, Er; M=Co, Ni) and single-crystal structures were determined. Gd_4NiTe_2 is orthorhombic and crystallizes in space group Pnma with four formula units per cell. Lattice parameters at 110(2)K are a=15.548(9), b=4.113(2), c=11.7521(15)A. Er_5Ni_2Te_2 and Er_5Co_2Te_2 are isostructural and crystallize in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm with two formula units per cell. Lattice parameters at 110(2)K are a=3.934(1), b=14.811(4), c=14.709(4)A, and a=3.898(1), b=14.920(3), c=14.889(3)A, respectively. Metal-metal bonding correlations were analyzed using the empirical Pauling bond order concept.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

... obtain the film thickness for a given x-ray intensity ratio. 2.3 ANALYSING FOR

Science.gov (United States)

The formation of palladium silicides near the interface may decrease hydrogen solubility at the effective metal/semiconductor ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The crystal structure of Ca{sub 2}RuD{sub 6} has been determined by neutron powder diffraction: space group Fm3m, K{sub 2}PtCl{sub 6} structure, as found for other hexahydride salts of group 8 metals with alkaline earth or lanthanide counter ions. No structural phase transition was observed between 340 K and 50 K. The deuterium nuclear quadrupole coupling constant, 54.7 kHz, leads to an ionic character of the Ru-D bond of 76%. The known trends in the behaviour of A{sub 2}MH{sub 6} salts are interpreted in terms of the ionization energies of the cation and the central metal atom.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This section of the report is concerned with the study of the metallisation, oxidation and doping of materials which are of importance to the micro-electronics industry. The Van de Graaff accelerator and radioactive tracers are used for studying surface and sub-surface behaviour of these materials.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Protecting Earth and planets against the invasion of 'alien life forms' is not military science fiction, but it is the peaceful daily job of engineers and scientists of space agencies. 'Planetary Protection' is preventing microbial contamination of both the target planet and the Earth when sending robots on interplanetary space mission. It is important to preserve the 'natural' conditions of other planets and to not bring with robots 'earthly microbes' (forward contamination) when looking for 'spores of extra terrestrial life'. The Earth and its biosphere must be protected from potential extraterrestrial biological contamination when returning samples of other planets to the Earth (backward contamination). The NASA-Caltech Laboratory for Planetary Protection of Dr. Kasthuri Venkateswaran at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (California, USA) routinely monitors and characterizes ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A tobermorite/hydroxyapatite composite was prepared by hydrothermal treatment using diatomaceous earth, ?-tricalcium phosphate and slaked lime starting materials. The XRD patterns of the composite confirmed that tobermorite and hydroxyapatite were formed after the hydrothermal process. The bending strength of the composite reached a level higher than 9?MPa after the hydrothermal process. The development of the bending strength was due to the formation of tobermorite and hydroxyapatite during the hydrothermal process. The composite had a high specific surface area due to these newly formed crystals.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silicon nitride-based ceramics behavior is strongly influenced by microstructural parameters, which, in turn are determined by chosen densification method. Highly covalent Si-N bond hind are the silicon nitride densification. Therefore, metal oxides are used in order to get high density. However, such oxides must be carefully selected, because they affect the general macroscopic properties of sintered bodies. In the present work, the viability of rare earth concentrate use to produce #beta#--Si_6_-_xAl_xO_xN_8_-_x and its effect on mechanical properties of the sintering ceramics are studied. Additive composition, heating rate, soaking time and sintering temperature were took as variables. Hardness, fracture toughness, Young's modulus and flexural strength were investigated. Lattice parameter compositional dependence and secondary phases crystallized after past-sintering heat treatment were also determined. The results show that rare ...

Scientific Electronic Library Online (English)

Abstract in english We consider the three dimensional electromagnetic inverse scattering problem of determining information about a buried coated object from a knowledge of the electric and magnetic fields measured on the surface of the earth corresponding to time harmonic electric dipoles as incident fields. We assume that the buried object is a perfect conductor that is (possibly) partially coated by a thin dielectric layer. No a priori assumption is made on the extent of the coating, i.e. (more) the object can be fully coated, partially coated or not coated at all. We present an algorithm based on the linear sampling method and reciprocity gap functional for reconstructing the shape of the scattering obstacle together with an estimate of the surface impedance of the coating.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calculating the local spectral densities at magnetic adatoms, we estimate the variation in the Yosida-Kondo resonance due to the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction and the direct exchange between adatoms in systems of magnetic trimers on metal surfaces. The results show that the RKKY interaction leads to the gradual variation in Kondo temperature, and the direct exchange can be the origin of the drastic variation. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inorganic acids are commonly used for surface cleaning and finishing of metals. The acids become unuseable due to contamination with metals or diluted and weakened. Diffusion dialysis has become a way to recover the useable acid and allow separation of the metals for recovery and sale to refineries. This technique is made possible by the use of membranes that are strong enough to withstand low ph and have long service life.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The interfaces between metal electrodes and electroactive organic materials are important for the performance of organic electronic devices. One way of optimizing the anode/organic interface is the insertion of a (sub-)monolayer of molecular acceptors. Here we present an UPS study of new electron acceptor molecules deposited on Au(111), Cu(111) and Ag(111). This study intends to improve the understanding of how the interactions of specific electron withdrawing groups with metal surfaces are correlated with observed modifications of interfacial electron density distribution, work function change ({delta}{phi}), and the energy level alignment. We find that {delta}{phi}, which is the difference between the work function ({phi}) of the clean metal surface and {phi} after formation of a molecular monolayer, is a monotonic function of initial {phi} of the metal. Two ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We report the simultaneous formation of self-assembled surface ripples in Cd{sub 2}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 7} pyrochlore caused by focused ion beam (FIB) patterning and uniformly distributed metallic nanodots induced by phase decomposition under ion bombardment. The characteristic wavelength of the surface ripples is controllable from the nm to the sub-{micro}m scale. High-density Cd metallic nanoparticles, {approx} 5 nm, formed and the distribution of nanoparticles is consistent with the morphological characteristics of the ripple pattern. This approach provides a means of fabricating surface nanostructure with various patterns and a controllable particle size and distribution by combining ion beam-induced phase decomposition with high-precision FIB patterning.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A new coumarin-based sensor molecule (L1) has been synthesized and this was found to bind calcium and magnesium ions more effectively as compared to other alkali/alkaline earth/lanthanide and certain transition metal ions. A significant enhancement in fluorescence intensity was observed on binding to Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions; while a minor quenching was observed for weakly bound Hg2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Co2+ ions. PET process, coupled with the ICT process, is proposed to explain the observed spectral response.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A small scale biomass metal contacting experiment was performed to screen the optimal plant species for biosorption and bioaccumulation of cadmium, zinc, nickel, lead, and copper. Experiments were also conducted to test the ability of the biomass to lower the metal concentrations below the US Environmental Protection Agency surface water discharge criteria. The minimum residual concentration was 0.1 mg/L for zinc, 0.004 mg/L for lead, and about 0.01 mg/L for cadmium, nickel, and lead. Results indicate that water milfoil can be used for bioremoval of metals.

CERN Document Server

We study spectroscopically determined iron abundances of 642 solar-type stars to search for the signature of accreted iron-rich material. We find that the metallicity [Fe/H] of a subset of 466 main sequence stars, when plotted as a function of stellar mass, mimics the pattern seen in lithium abundances in open clusters. Using Monte Carlo models we find that, on average, these stars have accreted about 0.4 Earth masses of iron while on the main sequence. A much smaller sample of 19 stars in the Hertzsprung gap, which are slightly evolved and whose convection zones are significantly more massive, have lower average [Fe/H], and their metallicity shows no clear variation with stellar mass. These findings suggest that terrestrial-type material is common around solar type stars.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A metal matrix is inserted into a phase-change material to enhance the heat transfer during phase-change processes. The metal matrix tends to act like a heat transfer fin from the heated or cooled surface and to increase the effective thermal conductivity of the phase-change fluid. The scope of the study involves numerically modeling the heat transfer to and from constant-temperature cylindrical tubes surrounded by water during the freezing and melting processes. Comparisons of heat transfer with and without the metal matrix are made, with different porosities and densities of the metal matrix being examined. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the effectiveness of the metal matrix as a heat transfer enhancement device.

Science.gov (United States)

Atmospheric and ionospheric perturbations associated with the acoustic-gravity waves (AGW) with typical frequencies of a few hertz -millihertz are considered. These events may be caused by the influence from space and atmosphere as well as by oscillations of the Earth surface and other near-surface phenomena. The surface sources include long-period oscillations of the Earth's surface, earthquakes, explosions, thermal heating, seisches and tsunami waves. The wavelike phenomena manifest themself as travelling disturbances of air (in the atmosphere) and of electron density (in the ionosphere). Travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are well detected by radio physical methods. AGW generation by near-surface sources is modeled by the numerical solution of the equation of geophysical fluid dynamics for different sources in two-dimensional ...

Science.gov (United States)

Automated Transport. Not Studied in Detail. Earth's Neighborhood. Simplified Infrastructure. Mars. Earth-. Moon L. 1. Gateway. Moon. Earth-Sun L. 2. Science ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) has been used, together with scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS), to investigate the optical and electronic properties of nanodots formed by depositing Ag on the Si(111)-3 x 1-Ag surface. One-dimensional (1D) arrays of nanodots were grown on a single-domain (3 x 1)-Ag surface and the anisotropic optical response in the 0.5-5 eV range measured by RAS. Aligned, elongated Ag islands were also grown on this surface to compare their properties with those of the nanodots. STS of the Ag islands showed distinct metallic behaviour, whereas the nanodots revealed a bandgap of #approx#0.6 eV, indicating that the surface of the dots has a non-metallic character, similar to that of the Si(111)-3 x 1-Ag surface. RAS also showed substantial differences between the structures, with a large infrared anisotropy for ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The introduction of oxygen in the vicinity of a metallic target surface, bombarded with positive argon ions of twenty kiloelectron-volts, increases the number of sputtered atoms in the excited state. This phenomenon of exaltation, very sensitive in the case of nickel and aluminium, is much less marked in the case of molybdenum. Moreover, the emission of excited particles coming from the beam's ions is not modified. A quantum-mechanical model of a kinetic emission process, which permits the interpretation of the clean metallic target's emission phenomena, seems insufficient to explain all of the results obtained in the presence of oxygen. In this last case one can therfore use a thermodynamic model in which excited metallic particles can be formed directly by chemical surface reactions of neutralization or reduction. (orig.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

'The objective of this project is to provide a means to optimize ligand architecture for f-block metal recognition. The authors strategy builds on an innovative and successful molecular modeling approach in developing polyether ligand design criteria for the alkali and alkaline earth cations. The hypothesis underlying this proposal is that differences in metal ion binding with multidentate ligands bearing the same number and type of donor groups are primarily attributable to intramolecular steric factors. They propose quantifying these steric factors through the application of molecular mechanics models. The research involves close integration of theoretical and experimental chemistry. The experimental work entails synthesizing novel ligands and experimentally determining structures and binding constants for metal ion complexation by series of ligands in which architecture is systematically ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We describe the synthesis and characterization of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle based heavy metal sorbents with various surface chemistries that demonstrate an excellent affinity for the separation of heavy metals in contaminated water systems (i.e. spiked Columbia river water). The magnetic nanoparticle sorbents are prepared from an easy to synthesize iron oxide precursor, followed by a simple, one-step ligand exchange technique to introduce the organic surface functionality of interest chosen to target either specific or broader classes of heavy metals. Functionalized superparamagnetic nanoparticles are excellent sorbent materials for the extraction of heavy metal contaminants from environmental and clinical samples since they are easily removed from the media once bound to the contaminant by simply applying a magnetic field. These engineered ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A versatile method for estimating the characteristics of radon transport in soil is developed. The method allows the following characteristics to be estimated: depth distribution function of the soil gas radon concentration, equilibrium radon concentration in the soil air, depth at which the radon concentration reaches its equilibrium value, radon flux density from the Earth's surface, and convective radon transport velocity. The method is based on soil gas radon concentration measurements and is appropriate in the case of relatively uniform geology. (orig.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Organic/metal interface properties are of high interest for the application of molecular (sub)monolayers to modify surface properties. They are applied for, e.g., molecular electronics, chemical sensing, or the tuning of injection barriers in organic electronic devices. We present a joint theoretical and experimental study of F{sub 4}TCNQ adsorbed on Cu(111). The electronic and structural properties were determined by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and X-ray standing wave (XSW) measurements. To better understand the complex process of binding, we modelled the system using density-functional theory. We find forward-donation from the lone pairs of the molecule into metallic states and back-donation from the metal into the LUMO of the molecule. The data on Cu(111) are compared to F4TCNQ on Au(111) and Ag(111) as well as to investigations of pyrenetetraone on various coinage ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iron alloys and aluminum were nitrogen implanted in a controlled oxygen atmosphere and the role of hydrogen on the surface etching mechanisms studied. The surface composition was analyzed by in situ photoemission electron spectroscopy (XPS). In iron alloys, hydrogen strongly etches oxygen, improving nitrogen retention on the surface. On the other hand, hydrogen removes nitrogen from aluminum surfaces, with a deleterious effect on the nitriding effectiveness. The oxygen removal in iron alloys is associated with the catalytic effect of electrons in d-orbitals and the nitrogen removal in aluminum is associated with a steric effect.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A thermodynamic model for predicting the distribution coefficients has been developed by taking into account the extraction mechanism and the chloride complexation when Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy and Ho for single component systems are extracted from acidic chloride solutions by di-2-ethylhexyl ester in kerosene, respectively. The model equation includes two constants, of which one corresponds to the apparent extraction equilibrium constant and the other is due to the variation of the activity coefficients of organic species. These values are determined from a few experimental data by the curve fitting method. Then, the distribution coefficients under untried calculations, Bromley's formulation is used to estimate the activity coefficients of aqueous species and the interaction parameters for some rare earth chlorides are reported in terms of morality and molarity using data from Spedding et al. According to the authors the validity of this method has been confirmed by ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The partitioning of transuranium elements (TRUs) from high-level liquid waste (HLLW) through the use of pyrometallurgical technology has been underway since 1986, for the purpose of the improving the safety and public acceptance of the disposal of high-level vitrified waste. Prior to the pyrometallurgical partitioning process, the alkali metals can be separated at the denitration process for oxide conversion of HLLW, chlorination in a chloride salt bath can be used to effectively convert oxides to chlorides, and evaporated chlorides can be captured with high efficiency in another adopted chloride salt bath. The higher separation factors between actinides and rare earths are obtained in a LiCl-KCl/Bi system than in a LiCl-KCl/Cd system. Based on the results, we propose a practical process flow for partitioning TRUs from HLLW by pyrometallurgical technology. This process was demonstrated successfully using simulated purex waste. Each element of ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Electrostatic nature of plant plasma membrane (PM) plays significant roles in the ion uptake and toxicity. Electrical potential at the PM exterior surface (ψ₀^o) influences...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

A metallization scheme has been developed which allows selective plating of silicon solar cell surfaces. The system is comprised of three layers. Palladium, through the formation of palladium silicide at 300/sup 0/C in nitrogen, makes ohmic contact to the silicon surface. Nickel, plated on top of the palladium silicide layer, forms a solderable interface. Lead-tin solder on the nickel provides conductivity and allows a convenient means for interconnection of cells. To apply this metallization, three chemical plating baths are employed. Palladium is deposited with an immersion palladium solution and an electroless palladium solution, and nickel is deposited with an electroless nickel solution. Solder is applied with a molten solder dip. Extensive development work has been performed to achieve an effective immersion palladium solution formulation, leading to reproducible formation of the palladium ...

CERN Document Server

A stellar evolution computer model has been used to determine changes in the luminosity L and effective temperature T(e) of single stars during their time on the main sequence. The range of stellar masses investigated was from 0.5 to 1.5 times that of the Sun, each with a mass fraction of metals (metallicity, Z) from 0.008 to 0.05. The extent of each star's habitable zone (HZ) has been determined from its values of L and T(e). These stars form a reference framework for other main sequence stars. All of the 104 main sequence stars known to have one or more giant planets have been matched to their nearest stellar counterpart in the framework, in terms of mass and metallicity, hence closely approximating their HZ limits. The limits of HZ, for each of these stars, have been compared to its giant planet(s)'s range of strong gravitational influence. This allows a quick assessment as to whether Earth-mass ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A process is described for the selective oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide in about 90% or greater yield with a minimum of nitrogen or dinitrogen oxide (N/sub 2/O) as by-products, comprising: (1) contacting gaseous ammonia in an oxygen containing gas optionally with an inert gaseous diluent with a mixed metal perovskite catalyst of the general formula: ABO/sub 3/, wherein: A is selected from the alkali, alkaline earth, lanthanide, or actinide metals or a mixture of these metals having a relatively large ionic, radius, and B is selected from an element or a combination of elements selected from Groups IB, IVB, VB, VIB, VIIB, or VIII of the Periodic Table, wherein the perovskite phase of the catalyst has an equilibrium partial pressure of oxygen at 1000/sup 0/C of greater than about 10/sup -15/ bar; and (2) heating the reactants of step (1) at greater than about 500/sup 0/C under conditions of 10 to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In order to effectively recover uranium, rotation speed of solid cathode was examined, and effect of uranium concentration and current density on electrodeposition were confirmed. And the potentiostatic and galvanostatic electrorefining experiments were conducted. Element used in the experiments were Zr, Nd, La chlorides. The reduction potentials of chlorides metals on liquid Cd cathode were measured by cyclic voltammetry experiments. The electrowinning experiments were performed in order to recover small amounts of uranium in salt. Experimental set-up for the batch type reductive extraction experiments were developed and installed. On the base of experimental results of batch type, multi-stage extraction equipment was set-up, and optimum number of stage and recover yield were measured. In the oxidative extraction study is examine selective separation behavior of the rare earth metals from alloy composed of actinide and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effect of pigments on the development of corrosion products between the painting system and metal surface when exposed to marine environments has been discussed. The pigments studied were: red mud zinc chromate, zinc chromate, red oxide zinc phosphate, manganese phosphate barium chromate and basic lead silico chromate. Moessbauer spectroscopy revealed that the upper rust layer in all the cases consisted of #gamma#-Fe_2O_3, #gamma#-FeOOH and #alpha#-FeOOH. The lower rust layer immediately in contact with the metal surface consisted of an asymmetrical doublet due to #gamma#-FeOOH. (Auth.).

Science.gov (United States)

The metal-semiconductor solar cell is a potential candidate for converting solar energy to electrical energy for space and terrestrial application. In this paper, a method for obtaining parameters of practical antireflection (AR) coatings for the metal-semiconductor solar cells is given. This method utilizes the measured equivalent index of refraction obtained from ellipsometry, since the surface to be AR coated has a multilayer structure. Both the experimental results and theoretical calculations of optical parameters for Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5/ AR coatings on Au-GaAs and Au-GaAs/sub 0.78/P/sub 0.22/ solar cells are presented for comparison. (AIP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surface energy of III-V semiconductors ended by (110) clean surface and surface covered by atomic monolayer of aluminium, copper and sulfur has been calculated. We have used the Greens-function technique based on the scheme of linear muffin-tin orbitals in the atomic sphere approximation (LMTO-ASA) for the crystal potential and width the local density approximation (LDA) for electrons. Two types of coverage are considered: full monolayer with two additional atoms per two-dimensional unit cell and half monolayer with one additional atom per unit cell. Full monolayer of metallic atoms increases the surface energy. Cu atoms lead to greater destabilization than Al atoms. Sulfur atoms stabilize (110) surface for all considered compounds. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) was used to map thermal conductivity images in an ultrafine-grained copper surface layer produced by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). It is found that the deformed surface layer shows different thermal conductivities that strongly depend on the grain size of the microstructure: the thermal conductivity of the nanostructured surface layer decreases obviously when compared with that of the coarse-grained matrix of the sample. The role of the grain boundaries in thermal conduction is analyzed in correlation with the heat conduction mechanism in pure metal. A theoretical approach, based on this investigation, was used to calculate the heat flow from the probe tip to the sample and then estimate the thermal conductivities at different scanning positions. Experimental results and theoretical calculation demonstrate that SThM can be used as ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence and particle induced X-ray emission methods were used for a rapid and nondestructive analysis of metallic glasses. The methods are compared in accuracy and precision with the atomic absorption method. Some results of analyses of Fe_xNi_8_0_-_xB_2_0 materials are briefly reviewed. The distribution of elements along the width and length, and a qualitative analysis of the composition of material surfaces are considered. (author) 3 refs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the area of seasonally thawing soil, porous or broken coatings cannot significantly retard the process of pile metal destruction, since it will occur through electroosmotic penetration of the base electrolyte to the metal surface. Such processes can be prevented by electrochemical protective methods. Systems based on grid cathode stations with power control and distribution units are recommended for use for cathode protection of steel pile foundations.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calculations of the Compton profiles for the transition metals Ta and W are performed, using electron wave functions obtained from self-consistent augmented plane wave (APW) band structure calculations within the local density formalism of Hedin-Lundqvist. Relativistic effects are included except for the spin-orbit interaction. The observed structures of the Compton profiles in these metals are understood in terms of the topology of their Fermi surfaces. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mechanisms and associated energetics for adatom diffusion on the (100) and (110) surfaces of Ni, Cu, Rh, Pd, and Ag are investigated. Self-diffusion was studied on (100) and (I 10) surfaces of Ni, Cu, Pd and Ag using corrected effective medium method (CEM) and approximation to CEM used for molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo studies (MD/MC-CEM). Self-diffusion on Pd(100), Ag(100), Ni(110), Cu(110), Pd(110), and Ag(110) is accomplished by classical diffusion: the adatom hops from its equilibrium adsorption site over an intervening bridge site to an adjacent equilibrium site. Self-diffusion on Ni(100) and Cu(100) proceeds by atomic-exchange diffusion: the adatom on the surface displaces an atom in the first surface layer. Aside from explicit inclusion of the kinetic-exchange-correlation energy, it is critical to include enough movable atoms in the calculation to insure correct energetics. Distortions ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The rare earth metal rich compounds RE4NiMg (RE=Y, Pr-Nd, Sm, Gd-Tm, Lu) were synthesized from the elements in sealed tantalum tubes in an induction furnace. All compounds were investigated by X-ray diffraction on powders and single crystals: Gd4RhIn type, space group F4-bar 3m, Z=16, a=1367.6(2) pm for Y4NiMg, a=1403.7(3) pm for Pr4NiMg, a=1400.7(1) pm for Nd4NiMg, a=1386.5(2) pm for Sm4NiMg, a=1376.1(2) pm for Gd4NiMg, a=1362.1(1) pm for Tb4NiMg, a=1355.1(2) pm for Dy4NiMg, a=1355.2(1) pm for Ho4NiMg, a=1354.3(2) pm for Er4NiMg, a=1342.9(3) pm for Tm4NiMg, and a=1336.7(3) pm for Lu4NiMg. The nickel atoms have trigonal prismatic rare earth coordination. These NiRE6 prisms are condensed via common edges to a three-dimensional network which leaves voids for Mg4 tetrahedra and the RE1 atoms which show only weak coordination to the nickel atoms. The single crystal data indicate two kinds of solid solutions. The RE1 positions ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Welded Ni-base alloys and Alloy 800 were exposed under metal dusting conditions at 600 C and 650 C for up to 6000 hours. Alloy 800 was attacked very strongly already in the first days and Alloy 600 also rather soon and widespread, on both materials attack started mainly in the heat affected zone. Several surface states of Alloy 600: brushed, ground, sand-blasted and pickled were tried only grinding caused a modest delay and decrease of metal dusting attack. Generally the attack was less widespread but deeper at 650 C than at 600 C, also for Alloy 601 and 602. The latter alloys show minor, mainly local attack, but especially the welds are affected. TIG welding led to better resistance than hand-welding. (Abstract Copyright [2003], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Electrostatic fields of the order of 1 V/Angst, as they occur at field emission tips, are comparable to those experienced by valence electrons in atoms and molecules. Such fields are strong enough to induce a significant redistribution of the valence charge in chemical bonds. In this work we investigate the effects on the electronic properties of a single adatom on a metal surface induced by the presence of an electrostatic field. In particular we present the results of a full ab initio DFT calculation, within the embedding method, of the CCV Auger spectra of Si and Mg atoms in and on a jellium-Ag host. Differently from impurities in bulk, Auger spectral profiles of adsorbates on metal surfaces can show notable modifications due to the applied electric field.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

12 kind of environmental samples such as soil, underground water, seawater, etc. around the Nuclear Power Plants(NPP) and surface seawater around the Korea peninsula were sampled, For the samples of rain, pine-needle, air, seawater, underground water, chinese cabbage, grain of rice and milk sampled around NPP, and surface seawater and rain sampled all around country, tritium concentration was measured, The tritium concentration in the tap water and the gamma activity in the domestic and imported beef that were sampled at ward in the large city in Korea(Seoul, Pusan, Taegu, Taejun, Inchun, Kwangju) were analyzed for the meat and drinking waters. As the results of analyzing, tritium concentration in rain and tap water were very low all around country, but a little higher around the NPP than general surrounding. At the Wolsung NPP, tritium concentration was descend according to distance from the stack. Tritium activity of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A procedure was developed for separating rubidium from irradiated aluminum encapsulated uranium. The separations procedure produces a final ultra-high purity RbCl product for subsequent high performance mass spectrometric analysis. The procedure involves first removing most of the macro-components and fission products by strong base anion exchange using, first, concentrated HCl, then oxalic acid media and second, selectively separating rubidium from alkaline-earth ions and other alkali-metal ions, including cesium, using Bio-Rex-40 cation-exchange resin. The resultant RbCl is then put through a final vacuum sublimation step. Ultra-pure reagents and specially clean glassware are used throughout the procedure to minimize contamination by naturally-occurring rubidium.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Many important advances in the physics of strongly correlated electron systems have been driven by the development of new materials: for instance the filled skutterudites Formula Not Shown ( Formula Not Shown metal, alkaline earth, lanthanide, or actinide; Formula Not Shown , Ru, or Os; Formula Not Shown , As, or Sb), certain lanthanide and actinide intermetallic compounds such as Formula Not Shown and Formula Not Shown ( Formula Not Shown , Rh, or Ir), and layered oxypnictides and related materials. These types of complex multinary d- and f-electron compounds have proven to be a vast reservoir of novel strongly correlated electron ground states and phenomena. In these materials, the occurrence of such a wide range of ground states and phenomena arises from a delicate interplay between com...

CERN Document Server

Jahn-Teller theorem, proposed in 1937, predicts a distortional instability for a molecule that has symmetry based degenerate electronic states. In 1939 Krishnan emphasized the importance of this theorem for the arrangement of water molecules around the transition metal or rare earth ions in aqueous solutions and hydrated saltes, in a short and interesting paper published in Nature by pointing out atleast four existing experimental results in support of the theorem. This paper of Krishnan has remained essentially unknown to the practitioners of Jahn-Teller effect, eventhough it pointed to the best experimental results that were available, in the 30's and 40's, in support of Jahn-Teller theorem. Some of the modern day experiments are also in conformity with some specific suggestions of Krishnan.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recently, the precise isotope ratios of some refractory elements in meteorites have been reported using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The in situ decay of {sup 182}Hf (T{sub 1/2}=9 Myr), which was produced at the latest nucleosynthesis, is recognized in many meteorites as isotopic anomalies of its daughter isotope, {sup 182}W. The degrees of relative {sup 182}W isotopic deviation in extra-terrestrial and terrestrial silicate samples vary from +0.3% to {+-}0% related to the size of their parent bodies. One ready interpretation of its correlation is the difference in timing of metal-silicate separation in the parent bodies. Between the earth and meteorite parent bodies, the difference is calculated to be about four times of the half-life of {sup 182}Hf, equivalent to 36 Myr. (author)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Design layout of horizontal steam generator (SJ) with a special feedwater heating surface (by a surface water economizer), designated for NPPs with WWER-1000 reactors, is suggested. The design enables to decrease sharply the difference between the temperatures of saturation and feedwater. Blowdown outlet is organized against PG face, which increases the efficiency of flowing. The suggested layout enables to decrease thermal stresses in structural units and PG metal content, as compared to the PGV-1000 steam generator.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hydrogen uptake and embrittlement of tantalum by electrolytically produced hydrogen is investigated on samples of varying composition and type of pretreatment. Of decisive influence on the uptake of hydrogen are the oxide layers present on the tantalum surface. By contact with platinum group metals as alloying constituents, surface coatings or anodic protection, a protection of tantalum can be obtained depending on the experimental conditions.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Solar ultraviolet radiation is damaging for living organisms due to its high energy pro each photon. The UV radiation is often separated into three regions according to the wavelength: UVC (200-280 nm), UVB (280-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm). The most hazardous part, UVC is absorbed completely in the upper atmosphere by molecular oxygen. UVB radiation is absorbed by atmospheric ozone partly, and it is reaching Earth`s surface, as UVA radiation. Besides atmospheric ozone, very important factors in determining the intensity of UVB radiation globally are the solar zenith angle and cloudiness. It may be calculated from global ozone changes that the clear-sky UVB doses may have enhanced by 10-15 % during spring and 5-10 % during summer at the latitudes of Finland, following the decrease of total ozone between 1979-90. The Finnish ozone and UV monitoring activities have become a part of international activities, especially the EU Environment and ...

CERN Document Server

Surface compositional changes in GaAs due to RF plasmas of different gases have been investigated by XPS and etch rates were measured using AFM. Angular Resolved XPS (ARXPS) was also employed for depth analysis of the composition of the surface layers. An important role in this study was determination of oxide thickness using XPS data. The study of surface - plasma interaction was undertaken by correlating results of surface analysis with plasma diagnosis. Different experiments were designed to accurately measure the BEs associated with the Ga 3d, Ga 2p sub 3 sub / sub 2 and LMM peaks using XPS analysis and propose identification in terms of the oxides of GaAs. Along with GaAs wafers, some reference compounds such as metallic Ga and Ga sub 2 O sub 3 powder were used. A separate study aiming the identification of the GaAs surface oxides formed on the GaAs ...

Science.gov (United States)

Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) has been used with Eddy current testing to detect small defects not only in thin film structures but also in multilayered metallic structures. This work detected small scratches in the thin film under the surface where these defects were unable to be inspected or monitored by regular testing. In addition, rotational GMR magnetic sensor based Eddy current probes were used for detecting buried corner cracks at the edge of holes in metallic structures. The results of this study proved that giant magnetoresistance is very powerful and effective to sense the magnetic field, which is the result from the perturbation of the Eddy currents caused by a defect. This method can be used for quality control of metallization layers on silicon wafer and to detect cracks in thick structures such as cracks in aging aircraft.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As stated last quarter, we discovered potassium as an impurity in the mixed metal oxides. The potassium was probably incorporated into the solid during the coprecipitation using K{sub 2}CO{sub 3}. Currently NH{sub 4}OH is being used as the precipitating base. We have discovered that the precipitation agent influences the surface composition of the mixed-metal oxides. Chemical analysis of the surface and bulk compositions showed significant differences in surface compositions of the K{sub 2}CO{sub 3} and NH{sub 4}OH precipitated catalysts. In TPR experiments we have discovered that the precipitating pH markedly affects the reducibility of the ZnMnCr oxides. This shows that the choice of base as well as the pH strongly affects the surface composition of the mixed metal catalysts. Additional studies are in progress in which we are studying how ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The rare-earth based nickelates RNiO{sub 3} (R=Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Pr{sub 1-x}La{sub x}, 0{<=}x{<=}0.7) were studied by inelastic neutron scattering. Energy splittings due to the crystalline-electric-field (CEF) interaction at the R{sup 3+} site within the electronic ground-state J multiplet (for R=Pr, Nd, and Pr{sub 1-x}La{sub x}) as well as within the two lowest-lying J multiplets (for R=Sm and Eu) were directly observed, and the corresponding CEF energy-level schemes were reconstructed. The latter were rationalized in terms of CEF parameters, which vary smoothly over the rare-earth series and give magnetic properties associated with the R sublattice in agreement with results from neutron powder diffraction experiments. Across the metal-insulator transition, a continuous change in the electronic part of the CEF parameters is observed. However, an attempt to quantify a charge transfer from the observed ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Results of self-consistent local-spin-density-functional calculations are reported for the first time for the Ni(110) surface, represented by one-, three-, and five-layer slabs. Calculations for one- and five-layer slabs of Ni(100) are also reported. The behavior of the surface magnetization with varying slab thickness elucidates the nature and origin of the surface magnetic moment. We predict a 13% enhancement of the Ni(110) surface magnetic moment compared to the bulk value. For the Ni(100) surface, we find a smaller surface enhancement about 7%, compared to bulk, which agrees with the results of Jepsen et al. The enhancement of surface magnetic moments on Ni(100) and Ni(110) surfaces is attributed to s-d dehybridization at the surface and to the presence of electrostatic shifts required to ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Effect of scale on determination of 12Kh18N10T steel tendency to intergranular corrosion (IGC) by rapid electrochemical techniques in solution of 10 % H_2SO_4+0.0025 g/l KCNS was investigated. It is shown that scale presence of steel surface accelerates anode dissolving, activates grain boundaries. All this results to the effect of tendency to IGC in steels, not inclined to it. The scale is not completely removed from the surface, but remains partially along grain boundaries in result of successive pickling of scale and then a surface layer of metal. This also couses the effect of tendency to IGC.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The importance of indigenous soil Mn level on plant Mn uptake from metal salt or sewage sludge amended soils was investigated. Twelve soil materials, six surface and six subsurface, were amended with either varying rates of a composite of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn sulfate salts, equivalent to the total of these metals present in a digested sewage sludge (Washington, DC) at rates of 0 to 896 dry metric tons/ha or with the sludge itself, at 224 dry metric tons/ha. Corn (Zea mays L.) was grown in the greenhouse for 30 days, 1 year after amendment application. Two pH levels of about 5.5 and 6.5 were maintained during the experiment on the metal salt amended soil materials. Plant tissue Mn levels increased with the application of Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn (in combination) as metal salts or as sewage sludge over the range of soil materials used. The amount of increase with a given increase in applied ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spent oxide fuels are reduced in a molten salt of CaCl_2-CaF_2 to convert them into metals, then melted in an Fe-U bath disposed in an electrolytic refining vessel and brought into contact with molten Mg, to extract transuranium elements and rare earth elements contained in the Fe-U bath as metals in the molten Mg. Then molten Mg is removed and the residue is brought into contact with KCl-LiCl molten salt and electrolyzed using the Fe-U as an anode. Then, uranium is recovered by deposition on an iron cathode disposed in chloride electrolytes of the electrolytic refining vessel. Uranium and transuranium elements can be thus separated and, for example, depleted uranium for use in blanket fuels can be recovered easily. This can greatly reduce the temporary storage amount of depleted uranium, to eliminate requirement for a large-scaled facility used exclusively for storing uranium and long time management for uranium. (T.M.).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

One option in establishing advanced technology for disposing of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) is to remove TRU elements from HLW and then transform them into short-lived radionuclides. Tertiary pyridine-type anion exchange resin was investigated as a separation medium for spent fuel reprocessing using a HCl solution. Distribution coefficients of typical elements, along with uranium, were measured in the pyridine resin--HCl solution system, where HCl concentration was varied from 1 to 9 M. The results reveal: elements of the alkali metal, alkaline earth and lanthanide groups are not adsorbed, the adsorption patterns of the transition metals differ according to HCl concentration, and uranium is adsorbed in the high HCl concentration region. Furthermore, the present report describes the experimental results obtained for the adsorption behaviour of uranium, americium, curium and various lanthanide elements on tertiary ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Various kinds of decontaminations are carried out in atomic power plant. Here current decontamination technologies such as chemical decontamination with chemical solution or blast decontamination have a problem of reduction of secondary radioactive waste generated in the decontamination process. On the other hand, a low pressure arc plasma can remove metal oxide film on the metal substrate without heavy damage on the metal substrate when the object to be treated was set as a cathode. Dry surface decontamination technology with using low-pressure arc plasma can decrease secondary radioactive waste because low-pressure arc plasma does not need any chemical solution. In addition, the time required for treatment can be shorter, so it is possible for the low-pressure arc plasma decontamination technology to interpolate the current decontamination technologies such as spot decontamination technology etc. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We present first-time measurements of the Fermi surface and low-energy electronic structure of intermetallic compounds Gd_2PdSi_3 and Tb_2PdSi_3 by means of angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES). We show that the Fermi surface in both compounds consists of an electron barrel at the #GAMMA# point surrounded by spindle-shaped electron pockets originating from the same band, with the band bottom of both features lying at 0.5 eV below the Fermi level. From the experimentally measured band structure, we estimate the momentum-dependent RKKY coupling strength and demonstrate that it is peaked at the 1/2#GAMMA# K wave vector. Comparison with neutron diffraction data from the same crystals shows perfect agreement of this vector with the propagation vector of the low-temperature in-plane magnetic order, thereby demonstrating the decisive role of the Fermi surface geometry in explaining the complex magnetically ordered ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The purpose of the invention is a process for the production of a particularly finely divided, homogeneous transition metal phosphide and transition metal chalcogenide of Daltonian stochiometry by the conversion of at least one powder transition metal or a transition metal alloy with phosphorus or with a chalcogen at raised temperature, which is characterized by the fact that the conversion is carried out in the presence of at least one inert finely divided auxiliary material which is soluble in water and does not sinter together at the reaction temperature, and that the conversion produce removes the auxiliary material. Even relatively small quantities of the auxiliary material are sufficient to ensure rapid and homogeneous conversion of the reaction partners to the reaction product having a large surface. A ratio of 1 part by volume of a mixture of a transition ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A solar energy collection and conversion system is disclosed in which a cassegrain mirror system is rotated about a diurnal axis, which axis is adjusted for seasonal variations in the incidence of the sun's rays on the earth's surface. A black body absorption cavity filled with translucent or transparent fluid material is used for direct absorption of the sun's rays. The incident solar energy is absorbed directly by the fluid medium. The fluid within the cavity may be maintained under extremely high pressures and temperatures in order to utilize this fluid as a heat storage medium. Such heat storage is facilitated by apparatus which permits a change in the volume of the reflective cavity in response to the temperature or pressure of the fluid within the cavity.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The transformation of ferrihydrite to siderite (FeCO3) in the presence of supercritical CO2 (scCO2) and aqueous sulfide has been investigated by in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD). The chemical transformation of iron-bearing minerals to form iron carbonates may play a role in the chemistry related to the geological sequestration of carbon dioxide in the Earth's (sub)surface. The iron oxyhydroxide ferrihydrite in an aqueous solution containing sodium sulfide in contact with scCO2 at 100^oC reacts within 24h to form siderite and elemental sulfur. In situ studies of this reaction with ATR-FTIR show that ferrihydrite exists with an adsorbed layer of carbonate. However, the presence of the carbonate adsorbat...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The compositions of the Earth's crust and mantle, and those of the Moon and Mars, are relatively well known both isotopically and elementally. The same is true of our knowledge of the asteroid belt composition, based on meteorite analyses. Remote measurements of Venus, the Jovian atmosphere, and the outer planet moons, have provided some estimates of their compositions. The Sun constitutes a large majority, > 99%, of all the matter in the solar system. The elemental composition of the photosphere, the visible 'surface' of the Sun, is constrained by absorption lines produced by particles above the surface. Abundances for many elements are reported to the {+-}10 or 20% accuracy level. However, the abundances of other important elements, such as neon, cannot be determined in this way due to a relative lack of atomic states at low excitation energies. Additionally and most importantly, the ...

Science.gov (United States)

In the course of observing by means of Auger spectroscopy graphite gasification reactions catalyzed by metals, it has been found that in the presence of hydrogen, nickel appears to diffuse from the surface into the bulk of the graphite. When potassium is deposited on graphite, it is volatilized above 400/sup 0/C. Surprisingly the production of methane and carbon dioxide from the reaction of graphite and steam was catalyzed by potassium at as low a temperature as 250/sup 0/C. It has been shown that literature on the alkylation of benzene with synthesis gas is erroneous and that the products reported are due to Lewis acid catalyzed cracking of benzene. A novel cobalt mediated, reversible cleavage of a vinyl-hydrogen bond has been discovered. All products from the thermal decomposition of tetralin have been identified. The stereochemistry of cis-1, 2 dihydrotetralin was determined. In the utilization of the water gas shift reaction as a reducing ...

Science.gov (United States)

Feb 25, 2008 ... In the two Landsat scenes shown above, the pattern of deforestation can be clearly discerned. Deep green in these images shows lush ...

Science.gov (United States)

films and cylinders of rare earth doped yttrium aluminum garnets. ... We knew that yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) could be doped with ...

Science.gov (United States)

... of this material is, however, outside the currently approved earth fill materials collection area ... fill material suitable for its intended use. The currently approved site contains material that is ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The surface coverage of amorphous silica gels used in the synthesis of silica polyamine composites has been investigated by 29Si NMR. By diluting the polyamine anchor silane, chloropropyl trichlorosilane, with methyl trichlorosilane it was found that surface coverage could be markedly improved for a range of amine polymers after grafting to the silica surface. The commensurate decrease in the number of anchor points and increase in the number of free amines results in an increase in metal capacity and/or an improvement in capture kinetics. Solid state CPMAS-13C NMR has been employed to investigate the structure and metal ion binding of a series of these composite materials. It is reported that the highly branched polymer, poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) exhibits much broader 13C NMR resonances than the linear polymers poly(allylamine) (PAA) and poly(vinylamine) (PVA). These results are ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The indirect conversion of coal to liquid hydrocarbons via steam gasification followed by synthesis gas (CO/H/sub 2/) chemistry has been the subject of intensive study for a number of decades. A key technological challenge facing researchers in this area is control over the product distribution during the hydrocarbon synthesis step. In the case of iron Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, it has been known that the addition of alkali to the metal catalyst has a significant impact on the product distribution. Iron catalysts treated with alkali produce less methane more alkenes and higher molecular weight products. In spite of numerous investigations, the details of this promotional effect are not understood on a molecular level. To explore the role of alkali in the surface chemistry of iron catalysts, the authors have carried out a combined surface science and catalytic kinetic study of a model iron catalyst with and without ...

Science.gov (United States)

Before electroless plating, polymer surfaces must be sensitized and/or activated by using either the conventional two-step or one-step process. The latter stage is a compulsory one to make such surfaces catalytic, e.g., for Ni-P deposition. These processes are performed here using O{sub 2}, NH{sub 3}, or N{sub 2} plasma pretreatments. Reaction mechanisms are proposed for each of the processes and for each type of surface considered (oxygenated or both oxygenated and nitrogenated by the plasma treatment). Direct palladium chemisorption onto nitrogenated groups is highlighted. This allows one to simplify the process making the surface catalytic via elimination of the use of SnCl{sub 2} and to extend the method to any polymer. An additional interest of the plasma treatments, besides their high efficiency in grafting chemical functions, is to perform this grafting at will on selected areas which results in ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focused ion beam (FIB) micromachining has been used to produce inclined planes on semiconductor surfaces. A 10 keV FIB system, utilising a Ga"+ liquid metal ion source (LMIS), was employed. The ramped surfaces were prepared by digitally deflecting the ion beam in a serpentine fashion over a rectangular area and incrementing the time the beam spends at a pixel, dwell time, line by line. For the conditions used, control in micromachining the inclination of the ramps to the starting horizontal surface is of the order of 1 arc s per scan of the FIB over the area of interest. The possibility of using such surfaces prepared by FIB, along with vacuum growth techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), for application to strain relief structures and lateral device production is discussed. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A burner system particularly useful for downhole deployment includes a tubular combustion chamber unit housed within a tubular coolant jacket assembly. The combustion chamber unit includes a monolithic tube of refractory material whose inner surface defines the combustion zone. A metal reinforcing sleeve surrounds and extends the length of the refractory tube. The inner surface of the coolant jacket assembly and outer surface of the combustion chamber unit are dimensioned so that those surfaces are close to one another in standby condition so that the combustion chamber unit has limited freedom to expand with that expansion being stabilized by the coolant jacket assembly so that compression forces in the refractory tube do not exceed about one-half the safe compressive stress of the material; and the materials of the combustion chamber unit are selected to establish thermal gradient ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plasma erosion craters caused by electrical discharges on the surface of materials are important features of the erosion processes resulting in the degradation of electrodes. In the present work, electrical discharges were produced on a bi-metallic Ni/Cu multilayered surface. By means of dual beam techniques, coupling a focused ion beam (FIB) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM), not only the surface but also the sub-surface structure of the craters were investigated. Using the combination of SEM, FIB and STEM-EDX, a complete three-dimensional investigation of the craters were carried out. The analysis of the microstructure modifications as a function of depth enabled to determine the field of interaction between the plasma and the material. (orig.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

By using a plasma nitriding procedure at the PUPR Mirror Cusp Plasma machine, surface hardness is increased in 302/304-type stainless steel samples by exposing them to high-ion-density plasma at high vacuum. This method successfully dopes the surface of the material with strengthening nitrogen ions, without the use of chemical procedures that sacrifice the resistance to corrosion of the given material. A 500 V negative bias is placed on the sample exposed to the nitrogen plasma, where high-energy ions are therefore attracted and immersed into the metallic matrix microns into the surface of the stainless steel. This potential maintains a constant surface temperature at approximately 800 deg. C. The plasma parameters including ion density and plasma temperature were diagnosed using single Langmuir probes. The stainless steel samples were then tested using scanning electron microscopy ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metallic multilayers offer a fantastic playground to investigate elastic stresses in films of nanometer thickness. We will present and discuss a few examples from our recent work on Au-Ni and Ag-Cu systems where we combined plate bending measurements and electron or X-ray diffraction to investigate stress buildup and interfacial mixing. Comparing these two cases we discuss the results with respect to basic parameters like the misfits in lattice parameters and in elastic moduli, the mixing enthalpies and the surface energies.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the early 1970s Yang and Menichelli demonstrated that direct laser illumination of low-density secondary explosive prr:ssings through a transparent window could produce detonation. 'The energy requirement for threshold initiation of detonation was reduced when a thin metal coating of metal covered the side of the window against which the low-density explosive was pressed. We have obtained experimental results that are in general agreement with the results of Renllund, Stanton and Trott (1 989) and recent: work by Nagayama, hou and Nakahara (2001). We report exploration of the effects of laser beam diameter, PEiTN density and specific surface area, and thickness of a titanium coating on the window.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

NiMnSb has attracted a great deal of interest as a spin injector/detector in spintronic devices because it has a Curie temperature of 728 K and is predicted to be half-metallic (100% spin polarized). NiMnSb has been reported to have greatly reduced surface polarization, and to lose its half metallicity above 80 K. Here we report the investigation of the surface polarisation and electronic structure of NiMnSb by measurement of the transport spin polarization using point contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy, and anomalous Hall effect in thin films on Si(0 0 1). A comparison to bulk properties is made.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In this work, we have investigated the capability of different bimetallic nanoparticle alloy combinations to be used in fibre optic sensors based on the technique of surface plasmon resonance. The metals considered for this analysis are silver, gold, copper and aluminium. The performance of the sensor with different bimetallic nanoparticle alloy combinations is evaluated and compared numerically. The performance is analysed in terms of three parameters: sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and operating range for the sensing layer refractive index values. On the basis of the comparison and some logistic criteria, the best possible bimetallic alloy combinations along with a requisite alloy composition ratio are predicted. The bimetallic nanoparticle alloy combination is capable of simultaneously providing larger values of sensitivity, SNR and operating range, which is not possible with any single metallic nanoparticle ...

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We demonstrate that the nanoparticle formation during laser ablation of metals by short (of a few tens of ps) laser pulses strongly depends on the concentration of surrounding gas. While, at vacuum conditions, nanoparticle formation shows very ''sharp'' atomic force microscope images of aggregated clusters, following with clear appearance of plasmon resonance on the absorption spectra of deposited films, an addition of gas particles starts to decrease the probability of cluster formation. This process shows a threshold for both helium (33 torr) and xenon (12 torr) above which no surface plasmon resonance and correspondingly no observable nanoparticles on the deposited surfaces were detected. The destruction of nanoparticle formation was attributed to the negative influence of surrounding gas particles on ablated particles aggregation. (orig.)

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) allows the examination of hydrated and dried specimens without a conductive metal coating which could be advantageous in the imaging of biological and medical objects. The aim of this study was to assess the performance and benefits of wet-mode and low vacuum ESEM in comparison to high vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using the choroid plexus of chicken embryos as a model, an organ of the brain involved in the formation of cerebrospinal fluid in vertebrates. Specimens were fixed with or without heavy metals and examined directly or after critical point drying with or without metal coating. For wet mode ESEM freshly excised specimens without any pre-treatment were also examined. Conventional high vacuum SEM revealed the characterist...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The redistribution of implanted As and Sb following metal-silicide formation of Pt, Pd, and Ni has been studied. The phases of the silicides used were PtSi, Pd_2Si, and NiSi. Investigations with Rutherford backscattering analysis showed that after the formation of the silicides, the Sb was always found in the silicide layer near the surface of the samples, whereas PtSi and Pd_2Si caused a partial rejection of As for implanted doses of 2 x 10"1"5 cm"-"2 and higher. No rejection of As was found after the formation of NiSi. The results are discussed in terms of solid solubilities and impurity-metal compound formation. The data presented has implications in the fabrication of Ohmic contacts and the adjustments of the heights of Schottky barriers on silicon.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Different semi precious alloys (Pd-Ag, Pd-Au) have been studied after thermal oxidation treatments to analyze the mechanical improvement of the interface between the metal and the ceramic. Using the four point bending test, the authors have analyzed the different steps corresponding to the mechanical evolution of the bi-material : cracking energy on the surface, relaxation energy after first cracking, propagation energy of cracks at the interface zone. It has been shown that some alloys only have a high resistance to the interface cracking and the role played by the interface reactions to improve this property. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liquid metal cooling for the first wall and blanket of a magnetic confinement fusion reactor has various advantages. However, it has the disadvantages of large magnetohydrodynamic pressure drops and heat transfer deterioration under a strong magnetic field. Thus, the present authors have proposed cooling with a helium-lithium annular mist flow as well as the cooling with a liquid metal boiling flow, and as fundamental studies, investigated the effect of a magnetic field on the flow characteristics and heat transfer of liquid metal two-phase systems since the 1970s. In the present paper we summarize the important findings obtained from our experimental studies for (i) an air-mercury stratified flow in a horizontal rectangular channel, (ii) a helium-lithium annular mist flow in a horizontal rectangular channel, (iii) the mercury pool boiling on a horizontal surface, and (iv) air-mercury upward flows in a ...

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Laser-assisted processing techniques, utilized to produce fine, metal grid patterns for high-efficiency solar cells, are being investigated, developed, and characterized. The work performed in the third quarter of this contract is detailed here. A preliminary economic evaluation has yielded the conclusion that laser-assisted pyrolysis of spun-on silver neodecanoate is the most promising of all the metallization techniques being investigated in this contract. Early adhesion problems have been solved by optimizing deposition parameters. Linewidth studies have been carried out as a function of laser power, scan speed, and film thickness. Preliminary solar cells have been fabricated and characterized using this metallization scheme. Silver neodecanoate films have also been decomposed using a pulsed uv laser and metal mask. A detailed study of the various models of localized surface ...

Science.gov (United States)

Surface wave tomography method based on analysis of ambient noise is widely used during the last decade. It is assumed that correlated component of noise is composed of surface waves generated by sources distributed over the Earth's surface more or less uniformly. In such a case the cross-correlation function (CCF) at two stations may be considered as the Green's function of surface wave. This function should be symmetric relatively to zero time. However analysis of CCF at the stations located at the East-European Platform shows that as a rule CCF is characterized with a strong asymmetry. Since "purered noise cannot be extracted from seismic records due to superposition of earthquake signals, the method for calculation of CCF includes amplitude normalization for suppression of earthquakes that reduces signals from earthquakes to a noise level. The parts of records containing waves ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alloy 600 is commonly used in the primary systems of PWR plants because of its excellent resistance to a stress corrosion cracking and pitting. But a stress corrosion cracking and pitting corrosion are occasionally observed under PWR conditions, which may be correlated with the passive film on the Alloy 600 surface. There is little information on the composition of films growing on the surface of Alloy 600 at high temperature. Therefore, an understanding of the basic electrochemical behaviors about an anodic dissolution and the passivation of the bare surface of metals and alloys provides important information about localized corrosions like a SCC and pitting. Oxide on the steel surfaces in an aqueous solution above 100 .deg. C is composed of a duplex film structure. The inner layer of the oxide is dense and less porous, which is formed by a growth of the oxide layer on the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The effects of the plasma nitriding with the formation of compound nitride and diffusion zones and of the boronising with the different ion doses on hydrogen distribution and hydrogen induced deterioration of a surface layer were examined in the case of Armco iron. Electrochemical studies of hydrogen permeation rate, hydrogen vacuum extraction measurements, optical and scanning microscopy, X-ray diffraction and elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) were used. Accumulation of entering hydrogen within the various constituent zones of the modified layer inhibits the hydrogen transport into the metal and thus, decreases the mean hydrogen content in the deeper zones and in the core. Hydrogen accumulation within the compact nitride zone causes the expansion of the nitride lattice, nitride phase transformation and deterioration. The ion boronising enhances the hydrogen effects in the plasma nitrided layers. Therefore, modification of the ...

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Despite the rapid development of literature pertaining to fundamental (1-4) studies of oxidation catalysis, a general theory of heterogeneous selective oxidation catalysis explaining the selectivity behavior of different metal oxide systems has not yet been developed. Redox mechanisms have been widely invoked in the kinetic and mechanistic descriptions of selective oxidation reactions, suggesting a dynamic behavior of hydrocarbon and oxygen interactions with the catalyst surface. Nevertheless, most of the recent theoretical approaches of this subject matter (5-7) are essentially static in nature. Correlations are made with surface structure on the basis of crystallographic considerations with selectivity being related to the nature, number, bond-strength and nearness of oxygen atoms in the neighborhood of adsorption centers. The effect of the reaction medium on the configuration of the catalyst surface, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The possibility of surface modification of high-speed steel cutting tool by means of vacuum-plasma treatment including ion nitriding in gas plasma followed by the deposition of wear resistant (Ti, Al)N coatings in metal-gas plasma of a vacuum arc discharge is studied. The regularities of nitrided layer formation and the structure of these layers under various operation conditions of cutting tool are investigated. Optimum conditions of vacuum-plasma treatment providing the best wear resistance of cutting are determined

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition system is built. The electrical and optical characteristics of the APPECVD system is given. The system is used to deposit conductive polymers and nano composites onto glass and metal surfaces. The morphological, optical, chemical and electrical characteristics of deposited surfaces are investigated using SEM, AFM four probe deposition purposes. The photovoltaic applications of plasma deposited polymers and nonconsumption are compared with deposited with electrochemical methods show different results. The electrical, chemical and morphological structures of the samples will be given.

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The relationship between the gas to melt ratio (GMR) and the surface temperature of an evolving billet surface in spray forming is investigated numerically. The basis for the analysis is an integrated approach for modelling the entire spray forming process. This model includes the droplet atomization taking thermal coupling into consideration and the deposition of material at the surface of the billet taking geometrical aspects such as shading into account. The coupling between these two models is accomplished by ensuring that the total droplet size distribution of the spray is the summation of ''local'' droplet size distributions along the r-axis of the spray cone. The criterion for a successful process has been a predefined process window characterised by a desired fraction solid range at a certain distance from the atomizer. Inside this process window, the gas and melt flows have been ...

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The electrogeometric model cannot consider the influence of some parameters on the screening of the wire conductor of the H.V. lines. For analysing the influence of these parameters (the conductor potential, the influence of the distance from phase conductor to earth wire, the influence of the reducing factor of the striking earth distance, the earth slope, etc.), the Monte Carlo method is preferable. The influence of the earth slope on the screening effect of the wire conductor for different conditions is presented in this paper. (author)

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biosorption of heavy metals by various biological materials has been studied extensively in the last decade due to its potential particularly in wastewater treatment. The presence of a large number of metals in industrial metal-bearing solutions makes it necessary to investigate their effect on the final metal uptake by individual biosorbent materials. Nonliving biomass of Sargassum, a brown marine alga, is capable of binding more than 10% of its dry weight in toxic cadmium ions. Although ubiquitous iron interferes with Cd uptake, only approximately 4.5% of it is sequestered (biomass dry weight). Biosorption of both metals at pH 4.5 could be described by Langmuir-type isotherms with b, the affinity-related coefficient (Cd: b = 0.015; Fe: b = 0.027). The interference of Fe with Cd uptake, and vice versa, was assessed by deriving three-dimensional equilibrium ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The interaction of Np(V), Pu(VI) and Tc(VII) with metal reductants Zn, Cr, Sn and their alloys was investigated in 0.5-4 mol l"-"1 NaOH solutions in static and dynamic conditions (by filtration of solutions through the column filled with grains of metal). In this paper, it was found that the reduction and succeeding precipitation hydroxides of these elements, on the surface of metal grains from 0.5 to 4 mol l"-"1 NaOH solutions, gives a decontamination factor (DF) from 1.1 to 67. The best result was achieved for Pu (DF=67) on Cr grains after 2.5 h contact at 60 C with 0.5 mol l"-"1 NaOH solution containing Pu(VI). Increasing the NaOH concentration, and the addition of chromate ions and complex-forming agents to alkaline solution results in a decrease of the decontamination factor (DF). A better result for Np sorption from 1 mol l"-"1 NaOH solutions was achieved after longer contact, than for Pu, with Cr ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis was used for the determination of Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn and Ph in industrial wastewaters (from surface treatment of metals and glasses) after precipitation of determined elements by 8-hydroxyquinoline. (author).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The invention relates to a pulsed laser ablation method of metals and/or dielectric films from the surface of a wafer, printed circuit board or a hybrid substrate. By utilizing a high-energy ultra-short pulses of laser light, such a method can be used to manufacture electronic circuits and/or electro-mechanical assemblies without affecting the material adjacent to the ablation zone.

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The authors synthesized a number of esters of stearic acid with polyhydric alcohols and ran comparative tests on aliphatic alcohols to determine their effects on the antiwear properties of the fuel. They conclude that the differences in effectiveness in improving the lubricity by the use of aliphatic alcohols and the full and partial esters of polyhydric alcohols and stearic acid can be explained by the presence of hydroxyl and ester groups close to each other in partial esters. This is reflected in the higher polarity of the partial esters, a higher rate of adsorption, and a stronger bonding of the adsorbed layer to the metal surface.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We demonstrate tuning of Schottky energy barriers in organic electronic devices by utilizing chemically tailored electrodes. The Schottky energy barrier of Ag on poly[2-methoxy], 5-(2{prime}-ethyl-hexyloxy)- 1,4-phenylene was tuned over a range of more than 1 eV by using self-assembled monolayers (SAM{close_quote}s) to attach oriented dipole layers to the Ag prior to device fabrication. Kelvin probe measurements were used to determine the effect of the SAM{close_quote}s on the Ag surface potential. {ital Ab} {ital initio} Hartree-Fock calculations of the molecular dipole moments successfully describe the surface potential changes. The chemically tailored electrodes were then incorporated in organic diode structures and changes in the metal/organic Schottky energy barriers were measured using an electroabsorption technique. These results demonstrate the use of self-assembled monolayers to control ...

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Studies were conducted of the bifunctional oxygen electrode. The development of a rechargeable metal-oxygen (air) cell has been hampered to a great extent by the lack of a stable and cost effective oxygen electrode capable of use during both charge and discharge. The first type of bifunctional electrode consists of two distinct catalytifc layers. The oxygen reduction catalyst layer containing a supported gold catalyst is in contact with a hydrophilic nickel layer in which evolution of oxygen takes place. Loadings of gold from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/cm/sup 2/ were investigated; carbon, graphite, metal, and spinel oxides were evaluated as substrates. The second part of the research effort was centered on developing a reversible oxygen electrode containing only one catalytic layer for both reduction and evolution of oxygen. The work was directed specifically to the study of perovskite type of oxides with the composition AA/sup 1/BO/sub 3/ where A is an ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

A protective film has been developed on the surface of carbon steel in low chloride aqueous environment using a synergistic mixture of an environmentally friendly phosphonic acid, N,N-bis(phosphonomethyl) glycine (BPMG), and zinc ions. Impedance studies of the metal/solution interface indicated that the surface film is highly protective against the corrosion of carbon steel in the chosen environment. Potentiodynamic polarization studies showed that the inhibitor is a mixed inhibitor. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis (XPS) of the film showed the presence of the elements iron, phosphorus, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and zinc. Deconvolution spectra of these elements in the surface film showed the presence of oxides/hydroxides of iron(III), Zn(OH)2, and [Zn(II)-BPMG] complex. This infe...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heusler films with L2_1 and B2 structure are deposited simultaneously on amorphous carbon films, Si(100) surfaces, and in situ cleaved InAs(110) surfaces by coevaporation of Ni and the alloy MnIn. Morphology, structure, and stoichiometry are investigated with transmission-electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and X-ray spectroscopy. The almost perfect lattice match supports highly oriented growth of Ni_2MnIn on InAs, which is proven by electron diffraction under grazing incidence. The electrical resistivity of thin films on Si show metallic behavior. At temperatures of liquid helium point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy is performed on films grown on Si(100) and in situ cleaved InAs(110) surfaces yielding spin polarizations comparable to the ones of Fe, Ni, Co, and permalloy (Ni_8_0Fe_2_0).

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The adhesion of microorganisms onto materials surface mediated by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) lead to an important modification of the metal-solution interface. The requirement of modern civilization with the heightened sense of environmental responsibilities and quality of life can be met by using some eco-friendly microbiocides with different spectra of activity. Some N{sub 2}O{sub 2} donor Schiff base compounds were synthesized and characterized by IR, NMR and ESR spectroscopy. These compounds were found effective in controlling the growth of biofilm of E. coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Thiobacillus thiooxidans on copper surface. The optimum concentration of these compounds are in the range of 1--10 ppm. Various electrochemical, microbiological and surface-analytical techniques were used to monitor the biofilm in the presence of microbiocides.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Many important advances in the physics of strongly correlated electron systems have been driven by the development of new materials: for instance the filled skutterudites MT4X12 (M=alkali metal, alkaline earth, lanthanide, or actinide; T=Fe, Ru, or Os; X=P, As, or Sb), certain lanthanide and actinide intermetallic compounds such as URu2-xRexSi2 and CeTIn5 (T=Co, Rh, or Ir), and layered oxypnictides and related materials. These types of complex multinary d- and f-electron compounds have proven to be a vast reservoir of novel strongly correlated electron ground states and phenomena. In these materials, the occurrence of such a wide range of ground states and phenomena arises from a delicate interplay between competing interactions that can be tuned by partial or complete substitution of one element for another, as well as the application of pressure, and magnetic fields, resulting in rich and complex electronic phase diagrams in the hyperspace of ...

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DC resistivity, dc magnetization, and specific heat of eight Sc{sub 5}Co{sub 4}Ge{sub 10}-type crystal-structure compounds R{sub 5}T{sub 4}Ge{sub 10} for R = Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and T = Rh and Ir are presented. The resistivity, single-crystal magnetization, and specific-heat results show that in all those compounds, the magnetic moments order antiferromagnetically in the c direction at low temperature. However, in the Er and Tm compounds, the magnetizations along x-y hard directions do not show any anomalies above 2.0 K. This suggests that the ordered Er and Tm ions, which have positive quadrupole coefficients, interact with a crystal field that has an electronic potential valley along the c axis. The fitting of the hard axis magnetizations to Curie-Weiss law suggests that the resulting antiferromagnetic-like {theta} reflects the strength of the crystal-field torque on the magnetic moments rather than the strength of antiferromagnetic exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Feasibility of depositing continuous films of nano-porous alumino-silicates, primarily zeolites and MCM-41, on metallic and non-metallic substrates was examined with an aim to develop membranes for separation of gaseous mixtures and also for application as hydrogen storage material. Mesoporous silica was deposited in-side the pores of these nano-porous disks with an aim to develop membranes for selective separations. Our study involves supported zeolite film growth on substrates using in-situ hydrothermal synthesis. Faujasite, Silicalite and Mesoporous silica have been grown on various metallic and non-metallic supports. Metallic substrates used for film growth included anodized titanium, sodium hydroxide treated Titanium, Anodized aluminum, and sintered copper. A non-metallic substrate used was nano-porous aluminum oxide. Zeolite film growth was characterized ...

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Monodisperse noble metal nanoparticles are of tremendous interest for numerous applications, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, catalysis or biosensing. However, preparation of monodisperse metal nanoparticles is still a challenging task, because typical preparation methods yield nanoparticle ensembles with broad shape and/or size distributions. To overcome this drawback, tailoring of metal nanoparticles with laser light has been developed, which is based on the pronounced shape- and size-dependent optical properties of metal nanoparticles. I will demonstrate that nanoparticle tailoring with ns-pulsed laser light is a suitable method to prepare nanoparticle ensembles with a narrow shape and/or size distribution. While irradiation with ns-pulsed laser light during nanoparticle growth permits a precise shape tailoring, post-grown irradiation allows a size tailoring. For ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method to control charge transfer reaction in DNA using hybrid nanometer-sized TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles was developed. In this system extended charge separation reflects the sequence of DNA and was measured using metallic silver deposition or by photocurrent response. Light-induced extended charge separation in these systems was found to be dependent on the DNA-bridge length and sequence. The yield of photocatalytic deposition of silver was studied in systems having GG accepting sites imbedded in AT runs at varying distances from the TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle surface. Weak distance dependence of charge separation indicative of a hole hopping through mediating adenine (A) sites was found. The quantum yield of silver deposition in the system having a GG accepting site placed 8.5 {angstrom} from the nanoparticle surface was found to be {Phi} = 0.70 (70%) and {Phi} = 0.56 (56%) for (A){sub n} and (AT){sub n/2} bridge, ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The growth of epitaxial MnO(100) and MnO(111) layers on Pd(100) surface has been investigated by spot-profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction, dynamic atomic force microscopy, photoemission and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, and density functional theory. We have found that despite the large lattice mismatch to the Pd(100) substrate, the MnO(100) layers are kinetically stabilized at low temperatures (?350 deg. C) and at oxygen pressures between 2x10-7 and 5x10-7 mbar. Annealing in ultrahigh vacuum at 650 deg. C or, alternatively, deposition of manganese metal in oxygen pressure -7 mbar causes the transformation of the MnO(100) to a polar MnO(111) surface, which is decorated by triangular pyramids with (100) side facets. It is suggested that the growth of MnO(111) layers is energetically preferred over MnO(100) due to the epitaxial stabilization at the metal-oxide interface.

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Natural, formaldehyde-treated and copolymer-grafted orange peels were evaluated as adsorbents to remove lead ions from aqueous solutions. The optimum pH for lead adsorption was found to be pH 5. The adsorption process was fast, reaching 99% of sorbent capacity in 10 min for the natural and treated biomasses and 20 min for the grafted material. The treated biomass showed the highest sorption rate and capacity in the batch experiments, with the results fitting well to a pseudo-first order rate equation. In the continuous test with the treated biomass, the capacity at complete exhaustion was 46.61 mg g{sup -1} for an initial concentration of 150 mg L{sup -1}. Scanning electronic microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that the materials had a rough surface, and that the adsorption of the metal took place on the surface. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the functional groups ...

Science.gov (United States)

Nanosized particles are important because of their unique properties, different from the bulk, which leads to their enhanced catalytic, photocatalytic and electronic properties. This work has dealt with three different nanoparticle systems in the context of three different aspects of nanoparticle properties: (a) photocatalytis (TiO2/metal) system, (b) luminescence (CdSe) (c) alloying (Pt-Ag and Pd-Ag). The initial photocatalytic enhancement obtained by adding noble metal on semiconductor nanoparticles, degrades as fast as in 15 minutes and questions their long-term performance. XANES measurements on such irradiated systems like TiO2/Au, TiO2/Pt, TiO2/Ir indicates a positive oxidation state of these noble metals which renders them as recombination centers for photo-excited electrons and explains the decreased photocurrent. The oxidation is caused by holes. The EXAFS results also indicate a change of the interfacial structure ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porosity evolution at reactive interfaces is a key process that governs the evolution and performances of many engineered systems that have important applications in earth and environmental sciences. This is the case, for example, at the interface between cement structures and clays in deep geological nuclear waste disposals. Although in a different transport regime, similar questions arise for permeable reactive barriers used for biogeochemical remediation in surface environments. The COMEDIE project aims at investigating the coupling between transport, hydrodynamics and chemistry when significant variations of porosity occur. The present work focuses on a numerical benchmark used as a design exercise for the future COMEDIE-2D experiment. The use of reactive transport simulation tools like Hytec and Crunch provides predictions of the physico-chemical evolutions that are expected during the future experiments in laboratory. Focus is given in ...

Science.gov (United States)

We explore the impact of obliquity variations on planetary habitability in hypothetical systems with high mutual inclination. For the hypothetical systems, we restrict our exploration to systems consisting of a solar-mass star, an Earth-mass planet at 1 AU, and 1 or 2 giant planets. We verify that these systems are stable for 108 years with N-body simulations. We then calculate the obliquity variations induced by the orbital architecture on the Earth-mass planets. We find that in some cases the spin axes can rotate through 360 degrees in as little as 10,000 years (John is that right? Can you look through the systems and find the most extreme case of obliquity variation?) Next, we run energy balance models (EBM) on the terrestrial planets to assess surface temperature and ice coverage on the planets' oceans. Finally, we explore differences in the outer edge of the habitable zone for planets with rapid obliquity variations. ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The experimental study on #beta#-delayed proton decays near the proton drip line published by our group over the last 8 years were reviewed and summarized briefly, including first observation of 9 precursors in the rare-earth region and new measurements of 5 nuclei in the mass-90 region near N-Z line with the aid of the 'p-#gamma#' coincidence in combination with a He-jet tape transport system. Systematically comparing the experimental data with the current nuclear-model predictions, following points were represented. (1) the experimental half-lives for "8"5Mo and "9"2Rh as well as the predicted 'waiting point' nuclei "8"9Ru and "9"3Pd are 5-10 times longer than the macroscopic-microscopic model predictions given by Moeller et al. It considerably influences the prediction of mass abundances of the nuclides produced in rp-process. (2) The current-model predictions are not consistent with the experimental spin-parity assignments of the proton drip-line nuclei ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alloy 600 is used as a material for steam generator tubing in pressurized water reactors(PWR) due to its high corrosion resistance under PWR environment. In spite of its corrosion resistance, stress corrosion cracking(SCC) has occurred on the primary side as well as the secondary side of the tubing. Oxide on steel surfaces in aqueous solution above 100 .deg. C is composed of duplex film structure. Inner layer of the oxide is dense and less porous, which is formed by growth of oxide layer on metal surface. Outer layer of the oxide is loose adhesive, which is formed by dissolution precipitation mechanism. Growth processes occur at the metal/oxide and oxide/electrolyte interfaces and are controlled by transport of the layer forming species through the layer, i.e. by the inward diffusion of oxygen including electrolyte species and the outward diffusion of metal cations. Understanding of ...

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In order to design catalysts suitable for primary liquefaction stage and secondary upgrading stage respectively in the multi-stage liquefaction process, various carbon-supported catalysts were prepared. Catalytic activities of them were investigated for the hydrogenation of 1-methylnaphthalene, to discuss the influences of metals and carbon species on the catalytic activity. Various water soluble and oil soluble Mo and Ni salts were used for NiMo supported catalysts. Among various carbon supports, Ketjen Black (KB) was effective for preparing the catalyst showing the most excellent hydrogenation activity. The KB and Black Pearl 2000 (BP2000) showing high hydrogenation activity were fine particles having high specific surface area more than 1000 m{sup 2}/g and primary particle diameter around 30 nm. This was inferred to contribute to the high dispersion support of active metals. Since such fine particles of carbon exhibited ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The corrosion behavior of hard metals with VC and Cr3C2 grain growth inhibitors was investigated in alkaline solutions by electrochemical methods. The two inhibitors have opposite effects on the corrosion behavior: Cr3C2 significantly improves the corrosion behavior, whereas VC-containing alloys show a poor resistance. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses of the distributions of Cr and V in the composite material, as well as in the surface layers formed during corrosion were employed to clarify the influence of these elements on the corrosion behavior. The measurements showed that VC is precipitated mostly along the WC/binder interface after the liquid-phase sintering process, while Cr3C2 is almost homogene...

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Because power requirements in induction heating applications are largely dependent on the physical properties of the product to be heated, inducting, heating is mainly used in steelwork applications, for the manufacture of finished or semi-finished parts. Applications here cover five main types of steelworks operation: smelting, heating prior to forming, heat treatment, surface treatment, and assembly process. At the same time, technological progress has opened up innovative applications in sectors such as chemical and agro-food industries. Other emerging applications for induction include direct forming of liquid metal, wholly or partially replacing mechanical transformations on solid metal. Techniques include electromagnetic forming, continuous cold-crucible casting, electromagnetic mixing, flow control by continuous magnetic field, and production of intense sliding fields (pumps, flow regulation). (author)

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Solar cells consisting of polymer layers sandwiched between a transparent electrode on glass and a metal top electrode are studied using dynamic time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) in dual-beam mode. Because depth profiling of polymers and polymer-metal stacks is a relatively new field the craters were thoroughly investigated by environmental SEM (ESEM), interferometry, surface profilometry and tapping mode AFM. A huge increase in crater bottom roughness was observed when starting from the aluminum top layer going in depth, resulting in a loss of depth resolution. It is shown that layer-to-layer diffusion and contaminants at buried interfaces can be extracted from the depth profiles when taking into account the loss of depth resolution.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

It is generally known that a number of metallic glasses have excellent corrosion resistance in a variety of chemically hostile environments. Consequently, the use of laser cladding to coat a massive crystalline material such as aluminium with a layer of a metallic glass has obvious advantages. In this paper, the authors will show that the formation of a predominantly amorphous layer of Zr_6_0Al_1_5NI_2_5 alloy by laser processing is possible, if the obstacles to amorphization are overcome. In addition, evidence of the excellent corrosion resistance of this alloy in a NaCl solution will be given. A comparative study of the corrosion behavior of this amorphous alloy with pure aluminium and Al-Cr alloy will be done, in order to complete previous studies of laser processed coatings of aluminum substrates.

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The increased demand for renewable energy sources has led to large areas of former agricultural land being proposed for short rotation coppice (SRC) establishment. Concerns expressed over the potential impacts of tree roots on buried archaeological evidence led to a study into the rooting habit of SRC. Roots were exposed in trenches dug within a variety of willow and poplar clonal stands grown on brown earth, pelosol, ground-water gley and surface-water gley soils. Root depths and diameters were recorded in each of the 33 trenches. In total, over 18,000 roots were measured on 264 coppice stools. The rotation length, species and stool location within a block were all found to influence the maximum size of root produced. Soil type had some influence on the root number and depth, but the pattern of root distribution down the soil profile was similar for both species. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Many problems in physics necessitate the solution of equations which develop sharp gradients, such as shocks. These include atmospheric shocks near the earth's surface, plasma physics phenomena, both in the laboratory and in space, combustion, petroleum reservoir modelling, and light propagation in glass fibers. To deal with this situation, methods are needed which place a high density of nodes in the neighborhoods of the steep gradients. One of the most promising of these methods is the moving finite element method which was first invented by Miller. This approach, in which the nodes are moved so as to minimize the residual error, has been used successfully by Gelinas, Doss, and co-workers to study several different one-dimensional problems and shows great promise as well in dealing with two dimensions. A paper describing the one-dimensional results has already been published, and a paper describing the two-dimensional results is in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Geothermal energy resources are found in many countries. A reasonable and efficient utilization of these resources has been a worldwide concern. The application of geothermal heat pump systems (GHPS) can help increase the efficiency of using geothermal energy and reduce the thermal pollution to the earth surface. However, this is only possible with a proper working fluid. In this paper, a non-azeotropic working fluid (R290/R600a/R123) is presented for a GHPS where geothermal water at 40-45{sup o}C and heating network water at 70-80{sup o}C serve as the low and high temperature heat sources. Experimental results show that the coefficient of performance (COP) of a GHPS using the working fluid is above 3.5 with the condensation temperature above 80{sup o}C and the condensation pressure below 18 bar, while the temperature of the geothermal water is reduced from 40-46{sup o}C to 31-36{sup o}C. (author)

Science.gov (United States)

of satellite, aircraft and ground-based observations. In ..... swarm traps by Utah Department of Food and Agriculture (DAF) personnel. Preliminary Results ..... the 150th anniversary of the book's publication and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth. ...... cold war submarine missions to find that Arctic Ocean ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rare Earth Cobalt (REC) permanent magnets have unique properties that permit solutions to some optical tasks that cannot be accomplished with conventional magnets. A review of design and of performance characteristics of these magnets includes an analytical description of the three dimensional fringe fields of REC quadrupoles.

Science.gov (United States)

This frequently-asked-questions feature provides answers about earthquakes, faults, plate tectonics, and earth structure. Maps and diagrams are provided with some answers, and links to additional information and to related topics are included.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

We calculate the expected fluxes of cosmic ray nuclei with charge 5 ≤ Z ≤ 28 at various depths in the earth's atmosphere, taking into account the initial charge distribution,...Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arsenic in soils from the Asarco lead smelter in East Helena, Montana was characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). Arsenic oxidation state and geochemical speciation were analyzed as a function of depth (two sampling sites) and surface distribution. These results were compared with intensive desorption/dissolution experiments performed in a pH stat reactor for samples from the site with the highest degree of As heterogeneity. The objectives of the study were to investigate the solid-phase geochemical As speciation, assess the speciation of As in solutions equilibrated with the solids under controlled pH (pH=4 or 6) and Eh (using hydrogen or air) environments, observe the effects of phosphate on the release of As into solution, and examine the effects of phosphate on metal mobility in the systems. Arsenic was predominantly found in the As(V) valence state, though there was evidence that As(III) and As(0) were present also. The ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

This work showed the formation of phospholipid vesicle coating on inorganic sericite surface with characterization by combining electron microscopy of FE-SEM, TEM, AFM, and qualitatively evaluated the coated phospholipid vesicle by XPS as a function of etching time. The possibility of phospholipid vesicle mobility on the surface was restrained by the chelation effect of magnesium cation. The stabilization properties of phospholipid vesicles on sericite surface were demonstrated by the various concentration of magnesium cation. The presence of magnesium was found to have a much more pronounced influence on the lipid deposition process. The Mg cation plays an important role for attaching the phospholipids with optimum concentration of 7 mM. Totally, the phospholipid vesicles coating on inorganic powder could be useful for bio-related fields such as cosmetics and drug delivery system as the key functional compounds. We hope ...

Science.gov (United States)

Attempt to form the Schottky barrier on mercury indium telluride (MIT) surface by deposition transparent conducting electrode (TCE) and avoid the negative results by non-rectifier contacts nature, we have investigated the oxidation of clean MIT surfaces to form an insulating layer to overcome this disadvantage by metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) photodetectors designing. Oxide film is grown on the MIT surface by plasma enhance chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Previously cleaned MIT wafers were dipped and boiled in solution, which consists of mixture of bromine and an organic solvent in ratio of 1:50. By the way of using these films as intermediate slightly conducting insulator, a fast-response MIT based surface-barrier photodetectors have been developed. Pt films were used as TCE frontal electrode by vacuum magnetron sputtering (VMS). The current-voltage characteristic is ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanowires of copolymers film based on aniline and 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulphonic acid were electrochemically synthesized on the iron electrode by cyclic voltammetry using oxalic acid as a supporting electrolyte. Protective properties of copolymer film on the iron surface in 1.0 M HCl solution was investigated by chronoamperometry, potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the copolymer film showed the significant shifting in the corrosion potential and greater charge transfer resistance. Moreover, the copolymer showed the larger degree of surface coverage onto the iron surface, reflecting the higher protection for corrosion of the iron in acidic medium. In addition, the film constitutes a physical as well as a chemical barrier layer due to the presence of -OH and -NH groups in ANSA unit, which provides passivity protection in polymer coatings. The ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The prospect for the recovery of rare earths from red mud, the bauxite tailings from the production of alumina is examined. The Jamaican red mud by far has the higher trace concentrations of lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, and yttrium. Scandium is also present. The dissolution of the rare earth is a major extraction problem because of the large volume of other materials. The recovery processes that have been proposed include the production of co-products such as iron, alumina, and titanium concentrates, with the rare earths going with the titanium. In this paper a critical examination of the possible processes are presented with the recommended research projects to be carried out.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

NASA's Glory spacecraft is equipped to survey and map aerosols in Earth's atmosphere during a mission marking the return to flight of the Taurus XL rocket.

Science.gov (United States)

Topics covered include: Methods of Helium Injection and Removal for Heat Transfer Augmentation; The

Science.gov (United States)

Silanization of the silica gel surface in the synthesis of silica gel polyamine composites uses (chloropropyl)-trichlorosilane (CPTCS). It is possible to substitute a molar fraction of reagent CPTCS with methyltrichlorosilane (MTCS), creating a mixed silane surface layer. Two types of silica gels were modified with a series of MTCS:CPTCS molar ratios. Solid-state CP/MAS 29Si and 13C NMR spectroscopies were used to evaluate the surface silane composition. Surface silane coverage was markedly improved for the resulting gels. When polyamines were grafted to the resultant MTCS:CPTCS silane layers, it was shown that the decrease in the number of propyl attachments to the polyamine resulted in increased quantities of ''free amines''. Optimum MTCS:CPTCS ratios were determined for three polyamines grafted onto one silica gel. A substantial free amine increase was observed for ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Creation of new multi-composite materials is an essential issue to attain an innovative improvement of the current nuclear technology. In this paper, some highlights are focused on the research of creation of those materials and the relating subjects in NIRIM. (1) The KOH corrosion test method are expected to be efficiently available in the limited cases instead of Na corrosion test one. (2) The preliminary creation of the multi-composite ceramics were achieved by Y- ion implantation into sapphire and the RF sputtering, of which the specified orientation was realized by the existence of the buffer layer. The importance of the defect control are described with the relation to the corrosion resistance improvement. (3) The ion beam induced phenomena have been investigated on the surface change of silica glass and the crystallization of Cu film on SrTiO{sub 3}. (4) The electronic states of the alkali-metal adsorbed surfaces and ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

With the assistance of mechanical activation, yttrium-stabilized #alpha#-SiAlON was prepared by combustion synthesis in air, instead of high-pressure N_2 atmosphere for the first time. The reaction activity of metallic particles was remarkably enhanced by mechanical activation, which conduced the reduction of grain size, increased the total surface area and formation of fresh surface. The formation of #alpha#-SiAlON by combustion synthesis in air was explained by a kinetically induced reaction mechanism, in which both initial formation of #alpha#-SiAlON and following avoidance of oxidation were fulfilled by the retardation of O_2 infiltration owing to the short reaction period and fast cooling rate.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Studies of the adsorption of oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, and their coadsorption, on black carbon in the form of n-hexane soot have been carried out by microgravimetry, EPR and FTIR spectroscopy over a wide range of experimental conditions. The mechanisms of adsorption of O{sub 2} and NO{sub 2} are entirely different, as reflected by adsorption isotherms, the behavior of carbon`s unpaired electrons, the spectral features of surface species formed, mass changes during adsorption-desorption cycles, and an essential lack of competition for surface sites. Significant effects of temperature, water, SO{sub 2} and NO{sub 2} concentration, O{sub 2}, simulated solar radiation, and the presence of trace metals, have been observed and interpreted.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanoscale islands of Cu_2O have been synthesized on single-crystal SrTiO_3 (100) substrates using oxygen plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE). Island growth location has been controlled by using an ex situ Ga"+ focused ion beam (FIB) to modify the growth surface in discrete locations prior to island synthesis. The FIB modifications have generated surface topography with lateral dimensions of 150-200 nm. Ex situ atomic force microscopy study after island growth reveals that certain FIB substrate modification and MBE growth condition combinations lead to directed self-assembly of metal oxide islands at the edges of the FIB modified zones.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method is proposed for making a filtering material (FM) through applying bitumen or tar to a porous substance and subsequent roasting. Blast furnace slag, pumice and other inorganic substances are used as the porous substance. The method makes it possible to acquire an inexpensive filtering material with a developed surface (Pv), which replaces activated charcoal. Example. Blast furnace slag is heated to 200 to 300 degrees and with mixing is impregnated by 5 to 15 percent bitumen or tar. The impregnated slag is roasted at 800 to 1,000 degrees until full carbonization of the bitumen or tar, acquiring in this way a filtering material, which is characterized by a specific surface of 700 to 1,000 square centimeters per gram and suitable as a replacement for activated charcoal for removing organic components and heavy metals from gaseous and liquid phases. The cost of the filtering material is one eighth to one tenth of that ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this thesis the results are described of an investigation into the radiationless transfer of electronic excitation energies in various Eu"3"+ and Tb"3"+ compounds, which show structural peculiarities in the rare-earth sublattice. These peculiarities are an one-dimensional sublattice as well as two different crystallographic locations for the rare-earth ion. 154 refs.; 43 figs.; 12 tabs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This paper describes construction procedures to be employed at the Kansk-Achinsk Fuel and Power Generation Complex, where over 8,000 people are employed, and particularly at the Beresovskii-1 surface mine with a planned annual output of 55 million t of coal. Roads are to be built of reinforced concrete slabs, reducing labor consumption by 1.5-2 times, while the use of pile foundations for buildings will reduce the consumption of monolithic reinforced concrete by 2.5 times and labor by 20,000 man days. Similar economies may be achieved by the use of light metal structures. Details are given of the erection of coal storage silos 68 m high using sliding forms. The 15 km transport gallery from the mine to the Beresovskii GREhS-1 power station will be constructed using a conveyor method with units weighing up to 50 t, saving up to 25% on labor. Total savings on metal for the Berezovskii-1 mine as a whole will be 2,200 t, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stripping Voltammetry (SV) at microelectrodes has gained increased interest in the analysis of aqueous solutions due to its ability to analyze low concentrations (ppb) of electroactive metallic species in solution. Existing integrated circuit (IC) technology allows the inexpensive fabrication of microelectrodes with dimensions on the order of microns and with a high degree of uniformity and reproducibility. Additional circuitry, both multiplexing and signal conditioning, can be placed directly onto the sensor offering increased sensitivity and flexibility. Multi-element electrochemical sensors containing arrays of Pt, Au, and Ag electrodes and capable of individual measurement through built-in multiplexing or simultaneous measurement at the appropriate potential ranges for each individual electrode were fabricated using existing 2 micron IC technology. Results of simultaneous measurements of low concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in solution indicate that ...

CERN Document Server

The behavior of silver and lead azides (scaly and threadlike crystals, and compacted powders) in initiation of explosive decomposition by laser pulsed radiation has been investigated. Initiation energy thresholds in irradiation at wavelengths of 1064 nm, 532 nm, 354.7 nm, 266 nm corresponding to four laser radiation harmonics have been measured. Samples both uncovered and covered with a transparent dielectric (a quartz plate) with the compressive force of up to 0.5GPa were initiated. In the transparent spectral region (the first and second laser harmonics) of the heavy metal azide matrix the effect of covering the sample surface with a plate on initiation energy threshold was insignificant, whereas, in the region of bandgap absorption (the fourth harmonic) strong dependence of the initiation threshold on whether the surface under irradiation is uncovered or covered. The results obtained have been considered with the account ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) is a new hybrid technology for surface treatment of materials based on the principles of plasma nitriding and ion implantation. The equipment and the operation of the system are introduced. As well as providing an alternate method of ion implantation, it is possible to combine energetic ion bombardment with plasma nitriding. Different metal materials and treatment conditions have been studied. The capability of PIII-treatment to improve the properties of a wide range of metals has been proven. Application for forming tools and their industrial test has been successful. (orig.) [Deutsch] Die Plasmaimmersionsimplantation (PIII) ist eine neue Hybridtechnologie zur Behandlung von Werkstoffoberflaechen und basiert auf den Prinzipien des Plasmanitrierens und der Ionenimplantation. Die Anlagentechnik und die Arbeitsweise werden vorgestellt. Verfahrensspezifische Vorteile entstehen durch die ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recent progress in the metallic conducting Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films built from TTF derivative and fatty acids is reported. A simple LB method of transferring the mixed Langmuir (L) film of BEDO-TTF (BO) and stearic acid (SA) onto substrates provided metallic conducting LB films. A homogeneous L film formation on the water surface observed by Brewster angle microscope (BAM) is an essential factor for the well-ordered LB films. In the L film, the carboxylate group of fatty acid forms anion layer bringing about a spontaneous formation of mixed valence state (MVS) of BO layer. Similar spontaneous formation was also found in the molecular combination of nonoxygen-substituted donor of EDT-TTF and octadecanesulfonic acid (OS). This type of reaction would be useful for obtaining conducting LB films. For the LB films of BEDO-TTF and stearic acid, we found a negative transverse magnetoresistance at low temperature that was ...

CERN Document Server

Increasing the speed and complexity of semiconductor integrated circuits requires advanced processes that put extreme constraints on the level of metal contamination allowed on the surfaces of silicon wafers. Such contamination degrades the performance of the ultrathin SiO sub 2 gate dielectrics that form the heart of the individual transistors. Ultimately, reliability and yield are reduced to levels that must be improved before new processes can be put into production. It should be noted that much of this metal contamination occurs during the wet chemical etching and rinsing steps required for the manufacture of integrated circuits and industry is actively developing new processes that have already brought the metal contamination to levels beyond the measurement capabilities of conventional analytical techniques. The measurement of these extremely low contamination levels has required the use of ...