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 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

In the body, vascular cells continuously interact with tissues that possess nanostructured surface features due to the presence of proteins (such as collagen and elastin) embedded in the vascular wall....Full Text Available

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Development of Technology for Metal Surface Decontamination in Aqueous Solutions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Recent research has shown that biologically inspired approaches to materials synthesis and self-assembly, hold promise of unprecedented atomic level control of structure and interfaces. In particular, the use of organic molecules to control the production of inorganic technological materials has the potential for controlling grain structure to enhance material strength; controlling facet expression for enhanced catalytic activity; and controlling the shape of nanostructured materials to optimize optical, electrical and magnetic properties. In this work, we use organic molecules to modify silver crystal shapes towards understanding the metal-organic interactions that lead to nanoparticle shape control. Using in situ electrochemical AFM (EC-AFM) as an in situ probe, we study the influence of a cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylamminobromide (CTAB) on Ag growth during electrochemical deposition on Ag(100). The results show that the organic ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The evolution of metallic substance atomic structure is studied on temperature variation including crystal heating up to melting points, a crystal- liquid phase transition and initiation of a high-density liquid specific structure. It is marked that heat induced changes of simple metal structure can be described as changes around a natural elementary cell which is common for both a crystal and a liquid and consists of a central atom and Z_1 atoms of the first coordination sphere. On this basis the vacancy model of melting is verified. Concentrations of melting vacancies are determined by coordination numbers in the form of Z_1/(1+Z_1)"2 which are the same for both a crystal and a natural elementary cell. The size of natural elementary cells is in an agreement with that of the coordination sphere featured in the liquid and phase transition statistical theory. Calculated data are given for a number of metals, Cs, Eu, Ni, V ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Single-crystalline nanostructures often exhibit gradients of surface (and/or interface) curvature that emerge from fabrication and growth processes or from thermal fluctuations. Thus, the system-inherent capillary force can initiate morphological transformations during further processing steps or during operation at elevated temperature. Therefore and because of the ongoing miniaturization of functional structures which causes a general rise in surface-to-volume ratios, solid-state capillary phenomena will become increasingly important: On the one hand diffusion-mediated capillary processes can be of practical use in view of non-conventional nanostructure fabrication methods based on self-organization mechanisms, on the other hand they can destroy the integrity of nanostructures which can go along with the failure of functionality. Additionally, capillarity-induced shape ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report a study of the physical characteristics of the pillars of C, Pt and W grown by 10-30 keV Ga focused ion beam (FIB) as a function of Ga ion flux, and present a quantitative analysis of the elements using energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX). All the FIB grown pillars exhibit a rough morphology with whisker like protrusions on the cylindrical surface and broadening of the base as compared to the nominal size. For a constant fluence, the height of the pillar initially increases and then reduces after going through a maximum as a function of ion flux in all the cases. The compositional analysis shows good metallic quality for Pt structures but reveals significant contamination of Ga in C and Ga and C in W structures at higher ion fluxes. Explanation to all these observations has been sought in the light of secondary ion and electron effects and the different processes involved which lead to the FIB induced deposition.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nanocrystalline and nanostructured materials offer unique microstructure-dependent properties that are superior to coarse-grained materials. These materials have been shown to have very high hardness, strength, and wear resistance. However, most current methods of producing nanostructured materials in weapons-relevant materials create powdered metal that must be consolidated into bulk form to be useful. Conventional consolidation methods are not appropriate due to the need to maintain the nanocrystalline structure. This research investigated new ways of creating nanocrystalline material, new methods of consolidating nanocrystalline material, and an analysis of these different methods of creation and consolidation to evaluate their applicability to mesoscale weapons applications where part features are often under 100 {micro}m wide and the material's microstructure must be very small to give homogeneous properties ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An annealing with the nanosecond laser light pulse is applied for crystal lattice reconstruction of a disturbed near-surface layer, which was created in semiconductor material as a result of the implantation process. Radiation with energy density higher than the threshold value causes the melting of the surface layer and than the epitaxial recrystallization from the melt on a different substrate. Structural changes occurring in the Ge implanted Si crystals after annealing with different energy densities are investigated by means of the cross-section high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. (author)

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

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

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Nanostructured Materials from Impulse Plasma in Liquid: Studying of Physical-Chemical Properties, Optimization of Conditions of Obtaining

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

To improve the friction and wear behavior of carbon fabric reinforced polymer composites (CFRP), nano-SiO2 was deposited on the fabric surface. The friction and wear behavior of the resulting composites were investigated on a model ring-on-block test rig. Experimental results revealed that fiber surface treatment contributed to largely improve the tribological properties of the CFRP composites. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigation showed that the worn surface of the surface modified CFRP composite was smoother under given load and sliding rate. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) studies of the carbon fiber surface showed that nanostructured Sio2 thin film can be obtained by SiO2 sols deposition, which improved th...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

We investigate the formation of nanostructures in 2D strained alloys on face centered cubic (111) surfaces by means of equilibrium Monte Carlo simulations. In the framework of an off-lattice model, we consider one monolayer of two bulk-immiscible adsorbates A and B with negative and positive misfit relative to the substrate, respectively. Simulations show that the adsorbates partly self-organize into island or stripe-like patterns. We show how these structures depend on the relative misfits, interaction, and concentration of components. The morphology is quite different for phase separation and intermixing regimes.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The investigated hybrid nanocomposite consists of a porous silicon template with electrochemically embedded Ni or Co nanostructures and offers magnetic characteristics which can be tailored by the electrochemical process parameters during fabrication. A twofold magnetic behaviour can be observed, a first one due to the spinmagnetism at magnetic fields below the saturation magnetization of the deposited metals and a second non-saturating term at higher fields (>1 T up to 7 T) above the saturation magnetization. In case of Ni deposited within the pores this non-saturating term shows a paramagnetic characteristic and follows exactly the Curie-Weiss law, whereas for Co/porous silicon samples the temperature dependent magnetization shows some deviations from the Curie Weiss law. In this high field region a difference in the temperature dependence between Ni and Co is observed whereas the non-saturating term does not depend on the geometry of ...

KoreaScience (Korea)

Full Text Available

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nanoparticles represent versatile building blocks in material science and nanotechnology. Thereby, the defined assembly of nanostructures (13 and 56 nm in diameter, respectively) is of significant importance. Short DNA sequences can be bound to the nanoparticle surface thus enabling highly specific DNA hybridization-driven events that direct the formation of nanoparticle constructs.In this paper, examples for the defined formation of gold nanoparticle constructs are demonstrated. In addition, gold-silver core-shell nanoparticles are introduced as further building blocks for the hybridization-controlled formation of nanoparticle constructs.

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)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spherical nanostructured Si/C composite was prepared by spray drying technique, followed by heat treatment, in which nanosized silicon and fine graphite particles were homogeneously embedded in carbon matrix pyrolyzed by phenol formaldehyde resin. Cyclic voltammetry tests showed two pairs of redox peaks corresponding to lithiation and delithiation of Si/C composite. The Si/C composite exhibited a reversible capacity of 635 mAh g"-"1 and good cycle performance used in lithium ion batteries. To improve cycle performance of this Si/C composite further, the carbon-coated Si/C composite was synthesized by the second spray drying and heat treatment processing. The cycle performance of carbon-coated Si/C composite was improved significantly, which was attributed to the formation of stable SEI passivation layers on the outer surface of carbon shell which protected the bared silicon from exposing to electrolyte directly.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In the present paper it is assumed that above a limiting value of fission fluency (burn-up) a more intensive process of irradiation introduced chemical interaction occurs. A significant part of fission gas product is thus expected to be chemically bounded in the matrix of UO_2 fuel. The fission gas atoms substituting, for example, uranium atoms in the crystallographic lattice can form weak facets. At a certain saturation condition, division of the grains can occur at the weak facets and the increase in fission-gas products release may be expected. The fact that the process of grain division for high burn-ups (70-80 MWd/kgU) forms an extremely fine structure up to the temperature as high as 1100 "oC and simultaneously the observed decreases in fission gas concentration in the fuel supports this concept. The analysis of fission gas concentration change due to the formation of nanostructures in UO_2 fuel at high burn-ups in terms of total surface ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Full text of publication follows: Energy and environment are two major concerns in our modern society due to the coming shortage in fossil energy sources and the growing of greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for the coming years is to discover new energy resources and to develop devices that are compatible with a sustainable development and generate few (or zero) emission. One of these devices is the fuel cell feed by hydrogen, whose application fields are very large. In particular, the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is the most realistic device for automotive application. However, hydrogen storage remains one of the most important challenges regarding its development. Although different techniques are available for storing hydrogen, no ideal solution has been found yet. Compression needs elaborated tanks in shape for supporting high pressures, liquefaction requires an expensive hydrogen cooling and adapted tanks. Chemical storage by hydrides imposes heavy devices. A ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Objective is to study the effects of local structure, interatomic forces, and atom size on the mobility of metal atoms in amorphous silica and at the silica surface. EXAFS studies of Zn and Pt in silica are reported. (DLC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A method for preparing metal for heating by infrared radiance to enable uniform and consistent heating. The surface of one or more metal parts, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy parts, is treated to alter the surface finish to affect the reflectivity of the surface. The surface reflectivity is evaluated, such as by taking measurements at one or more points on the surface, to determine if a desired reflectivity has been achieved. The treating and measuring are performed until the measuring indicates that the desired reflectivity has been achieved. Once the treating has altered the surface finish to achieve the desired reflectivity, the metal part may then be exposed to infrared radiance to heat the metal part to a desired temperature, and that heating will be substantially ...

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Multi-functional Bioactive Nano-structured Coatings for Load-Bearing Implants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The anodic reaction kinetics and interfacial mass transport of a direct polymer electrolyte membrane formic acid fuel cell have been investigated in an all solid-state electrochemical cell using a highly active nanostructured palladium-gold alloy microelectrode as an in situ probe. Well-defined 'S-shaped' steady-state cyclic voltammograms exhibiting current-rising region at lower overpotentials and limiting current region at higher overpotentials have been first obtained for the electrochemical oxidation of formic acid at varying temperature. The 'S-shaped' steady state polarization curves and chronoamperometric curves enable convenient measurements of the anodic reaction kinetics and interfacial mass transport of formic acid under real polymer electrolyte membrane conditions. It is encouragingly found that formic acid can be directly oxidized to CO2 with the first electron transfer being the likely rate-determining step and the formation of ...

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...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

SnO2/graphene nanocomposites have been fabricated by a simple chemical method. In the fabrication process, the control of surface charge causes echinoid-like SnO2 nanoparticles to be formed and uniformly decorated on the graphene. The electrostatic attraction between a graphene nanosheet (GNS) and the echinoid-like SnO2 particles under controlled pH creates a unique nanostructure in which extremely small SnO2 particles are uniformly dispersed on the GNS. The SnO2/graphene nanocomposite has been shown to perform as a high capacity anode with good cycling behavior in lithium rechargeable batteries. The anode retained a reversible capacity of 634 mA?h?g?1 with a coulombic efficiency of 98% after 50 cycles. The high reversibility can be attributed to the mechanical buffering by the GNS against...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Focused Ion Beams are an important approach for nanostructure fabrication in the semiconductor industry and material sciences. Applications in sputtering and ion induced deposition of materials are investigated. The IMSA FIB system equipped with the high resolution Orsay Physics CANION M31plus ion column with current densities up to 10 A/cm"2 including a gas injection system is applied. In this work the ion beam induced chemical vapour deposition of tungsten, wherefore tungsten hexacarbonyl as precursor gas is used for a first investigation. Conductive tungsten-nanowires with smallest cross-section upon a substrate of Si and SiO_2 are produced. The ion beam parameters of this focused ion beam system are optimized for the metal deposition. A short insight in the theory of layer nucleation and growth induced by the ion beam during the metal deposition is given. The layer quality is determined by Auger electron analysis which ...

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.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Porous nanostructured LiFePO{sub 4} powder with a narrow particle size distribution (100-300nm) for high rate lithium-ion battery cathode application was obtained using an ethanol based sol-gel route employing lauric acid as a surfactant. The synthesized LiFePO{sub 4} powders comprised of agglomerates of crystallites <65nm in diameter exhibiting a specific surface area ranging from 8m{sup 2}g{sup -1} to 36m{sup 2}g{sup -1} depending on the absence or presence of the surfactant. The LiFePO{sub 4} obtained using lauric acid resulted in a specific capacity of 123mAhg{sup -1} and 157mAhg{sup -1} at discharge rates of 10C and 1C with less than 0.08% fade per cycle, respectively. Structural and microstructural characterization were performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis while electronic conductivity and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

This article considers the fundamentals of what happens in asolid when it is impacted with a medium energy gallium ion. The study ofthe ion/sample interaction at the nanometer scale is applicable to mostfocused ion beam (FIB) based work even if the FIB/sample interaction isonly a step in the process, e.g., micromachining or microelectronicdevice processing. Whereas the objective in other articles in this issueis to use the FIB tool to characterize a material or to machine a deviceor transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample, the goal of the FIB inthis article is to have the FIB/sample interaction itself become theproduct. To that end, the FIB/sample interaction is considered in threecategories according to geometry: below, at, and above the surface.First, the FIB ions can penetrate the top atom layer(s) and interactbelow the surface. Ion implantation and ion damage on flat surfaces havebeen comprehensively examined; ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Magnetic pulse welding is a solid state impact welding process, similar to explosive welding, which produces metallurgical bond by oblique high-speed impact between two metal bodies. This violent impact removes the metal surface oxide layers and then joins the two atomic level clean metal surfaces together by the incidental compression pressure. The impact velocity is at 200?400?m/s and the being welded metal surface undergoes severe plastic deformation with strain rate in the order of 106?107?s?1. The ultrafine-grained structure was observed on the welded interface. This article studied two types of similar material lap joint interfaces and the base metals were aluminum alloy 6061 and copper alloy 110. Nano-indentation testing shows that the welded interfaces have significantly greater ha...

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 ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

Functionalizing of single molecules on surfaces has manifested great potential for bottom-up construction of complex devices on a molecular scale. We discuss the growth mechanism for the initial layers...Full Text Available

Science.gov (United States)

Most palladium thin film based hydrogen gas sensors have response and recovery times that are too long to make them useful in vehicular and stationary gas leak detection applications. In contrast, a palladium-silver thin film based microcantilever (MC) hydrogen gas microsensor is reported herein with near ideal response characteristics for use in these hydrogen economy related applications. Specifically, 3-10 second response and recovery times have been measured for these sensors in contrast to previous sensor response measurements of several to tens of minutes using Pd thin film and MC based sensing techniques. The much reduced response times observed in the present study are attributed to a wet chemical Pd-Ag thin film deposition technique and a gas conditioning protocol that produces a highly nanostructured, porous film that rapidly adsorbs and desorbs H2, allowing rapid equilibration with the H2 concentration in the surrounding air. The wet chemical process and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In ionic nanocrystals the cationic sub-lattice can be replaced with a different metal ion via a fast, simple, and reversible place-exchange, allowing post-synthetic modification of the composition of the nanocrystal, while preserving its size and shape. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that during such an exchange, the anionic framework of the crystal is preserved. When applied to nanoheterostructures, this phenomenon ensures that compositional interfaces within the heterostructure are conserved throughout the transformation. For instance, a morphology composed of a CdSe nanocrystal embedded in a CdS rod (CdSe/CdS) was exchanged to a PbSe/PbS nanorod via a Cu2Se/Cu2S structure. During every exchange cycle, the seed size and position within the nanorod were preserved, as evident by excitonic features, Z-contrast imaging, and elemental line-scans. Anionic framework conservation extends the domain of cation exchange to the design of more complex and unique ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe) were determined in surface waters in the surroundings of the depositories of the mining shrubs in the region of Banska Stiavnica (SR) by radionuclide X-ray fluorescence analysis. Allowed concentrations of the determined metals are exceeded numerously (multiplicity in some cases was 10"3-10"6). (author).

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

This paper deals with surface defects of automobile outer panels, which alter significantly the vehicle quality. Such defects occur during springback, after forming or flanging steps, and are characterized by concave depression of small amplitude over the convex shape of the part. The aim of this work is to reproduce at the laboratory scale a surface defect that occurs after flanging on a geometry similar to a door upper corner. A dedicated device has been designed in order to generate small size surface defects during flanging of metallic thin sheets. The outer surface of the sample was digitalized and the spatial geometry of the defect was evaluated from curvature change along 2D profiles. This study shows that the flanging height does not influence significantly the surface defect geome...

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.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Metallic Zn films were deposited on glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation. ZnO films were synthesized by thermal oxidation of Zn metallic films in air. At the annealing temperature of 550 ?C, ZnO nanowires appeared on the surface, which mainly result from the decrease of oxidation rate. A ZnO ultraviolet photodetector was fabricated based on a metal-semiconductor-metal planar structure. The detector showed a large UV photoresponse with an increase of two orders of magnitude. It is concluded that promising UV detectors can be obtained on ZnO films by thermal oxidation of Zn metallic films. The ways of performing spectral response measurements for polycrystalline ZnO films are also discussed.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

There is investigated the role of polymer layers on the metal surface of a fine filler in the formation of a PVC system with electrophysical properties. It is shown that a physicochemical polymer modification takes place under the surface active center influence. Thus, the surface layer properties (density and geometrical characteristics) differ from the PVC ones. The correlation between the electrophysical properties of the PVC composite and the surface layer in the range of the fine copper fraction of 0?11.3 vol % at E ? 106 V m?1 and a frequency response of 20?2 ? 105 Hz is determined. An explanation of the investigated relation is presented.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biomimetic vesicle media which can selectivity extract and concentrate heavy metals (e.g., Pb{sup 2+}) from dilute solutions of 5 ppm and less have been prepared. At a concentration of only 1% 2/v, these non-covalently assembled, unilamellar, surfactant vesicles provide approximately 1,000m{sup 2} of exposed membrane surface area per liter of suspension which gives rise to very rapid rates of metal ion extraction. To facilitate the selective transport of heavy metal ions through the ion impermeable vesicle wall, the vesicles are doped with lipophilic ionophores, both natural and synthetic. In addition, the metal chelating agent, nitrolotriacetate, is encapsulated in the aqueous vesicle core to provide the driving force for metal ion uptake and concentration. Concentration factors in excess of 1000 fold have been observed. Metal-sorbing ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Along with the shrinkage of LSI geometries, a higher quality of ultrapure water has been continuously required. Analytical technology for ultrapure water has also progressed before ultrapure water production technology improvements. In this study, we performed optimization of the analytical conditions for the direct analysis of acid droplets, and established an analytical technology for measurements of trace amounts of metallic impurities deposited on a wafer surface by means of Vapor Phase Decomposition (VPD)/Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). As a result, analytical technology for metallic elements of the 1x10"8 atoms/cm"2 level on wafer surface has been established. By applying analytical technology to the wafer that has been contacted with ultrapure water, a new evaluation technology for ultrapure water quality by means of wafer surface contamination has been ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calculating work-function modifications for flat-lying conjugated molecules on extended metal surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) is an extremely resource intensive task. This prevents fast screening of new molecules for their potential to optimize metal work functions for good electron or hole injection in organic electronic devices. We present a semi-classical model, which avoids that problem. This is achieved by identifying the dominant processes occurring at the interface between metal and adsorbate in the pinning-regime, which are then parameterizing their description using band-structure DFT calculations for a small training set With the resulting interdependent equations at hand, only simple gas-phase calculations are needed to predict the work-function changes induced by new molecules. The model is tested for ten molecules on three different metal ...

CERN Document Server

The process of radiation induced electron capture by protons or deuterons producing new ultra low momentum neutrons and neutrinos may be theoretically described within the standard field theoretical model of electroweak interactions. For protons or deuterons in the neighborhoods of surfaces of condensed matter metallic hydride cathodes, such conversions are determined in part by the collective plasma modes of the participating charged particles, e.g. electrons and protons. The radiation energy required for such low energy nuclear reactions may be supplied by the applied voltage required to push a strong charged current across a metallic hydride surface employed as a cathode within a chemical cell. The electroweak rates of the resulting ultra low momentum neutron production are computed from these considerations.

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 ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Asphalt emulsions were evaluated as a means to immobilize radiological contaminants deposited on urban surfaces after a dirty bomb attack. Contaminated surfaces would be sprayed with thin coatings of asphalt emulsion to encapsulate the radioactive particles until the site can be safely remediated. This research investigated applications of an asphalt emulsion (Topein C, Encapco Technologies, LLC, Napa, CA) to treat (zero-valent) iron, lead, and uranium powders on various building material surfaces. Initial studies found that some of the building materials (limestone, concrete, and metal) reacted with the emulsion producing gas bubbles, which formed 0.001 to 1 cm vesicles in the cured asphalt emulsion. These vesicles, however, did not expose the building material surface, and the reaction a...

International Science & Technology Center (ISTC)

Investigation of Interaction of Laser Radiation with Radioactive Deposits on the metal Surface and Creation of Experimental Stand for Development of Laser Technology for Remote Treatment of Materials Contaminated with Radioactive Substances at the Atomic Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In a closed circuit formed by bypassing pipelines connected to carbon steel parts, low oxygen coolants pass there through during operation. A solution containing ions of metals more noble than iron are circulated to bring the solution into contact with the carbon steel surface of the inner wall of the parts to form a deposition membrane of the metal more noble than iron on the surface to prevent acceleration of corrosion of the carbon steel parts due to low oxygen coolants. The solution containing ions of metals more noble than iron is a solution of palladium nitrate containing ions of platinum elements. This operation is conducted under a temperature condition of from 50degC to 150degC. In addition, the metal ion concentration of the solution circulating in the closed circuit is measured, it is compared with metal ion concentration ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Two sediment cores (Southern Branch, PC-1, and Western Branch, WB-2) were taken from the highly industrialized Elizabeth River, Virginia. The concentrations of trace metals cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc, major elements iron, manganese and aluminum, organic carbon content and the specific surface area of the sediments were determined in each of the cores. Down-core variations in metals varied significantly in each core with maximum contamination events occurring at different times in different portions of the river. In PC-1, maximum metal concentrations were seen after the appearance of "1"3"7Cs. In contrast, the highest levels in WB-2 occurred well before the appearance of "1"3"7Cs. Although stricter environmental regulations have caused a decrease in metal concentrations since the 1980s, the concentrations in the surface sediments of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reflection coefficients of electromagnetic waves in a nonuniform plasma layer with electrons, positive ions and negative ions, covering a metal surface are investigated by using the finite-difference-time-domain method. It is shown that the reflection coefficients are influenced greatly by the density gradient on the layer edge, layer thickness and electron proportion, i.e., the effect of the negative ions. It is also found that low reflection or high attenuation can be reached by properly choosing high electron proportion, thick plasma layer, and smooth density gradient in the low frequency regime, but sharp density gradient in the high frequency regime. (authors)

Science.gov (United States)

Metallic contamination was monitored with Surface Photovoltage (SPV) technique in integrated circuit manufacturing facilities. Conventionally, Czochralski silicon bulk materials were used as monitor wafers. However, it has been observed that the diffusion length and the `Iron' concentration measured with SPV were inconsistent from run to run in one facility. The inconsistency is believed to be due to oxygen precipitate in silicon materials during the thermal cycle. By using low oxygen concentration or Float Zone wafers, metallic contaminants can be monitored more accurately and consistently.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The manufacturing of TRIGA fuel rods with low enriched uranium follows in principle the same route as high-enriched uranium. The high purity of the primary metals (uranium, zirconium and erbium) is important for determining the equilibrium metal-hydrogen phases. The impurities from the metal, on the surface and from hydrogen may have an important influence on the hydriding process. This paper presents the aspects of the fuel contamination with oxygen during the manufacturing process of the low enriched uranium fuel. The continuous control of the oxygen concentration in the working zone ensures avoidance of the accidental contamination. Key words: manufacturing, fuel, oxygen, contamination. (authors)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A self-consistent pseudopotential method together with a mixed-basis set of plane waves and Gaussian orbitals are used to determine the electronic structure of the (001) surface of molybdenum. The pseudopotential is derived from a self-consistent calculation of the atomic levels and wave functions, and is tested for bulk molybdenum. The resulting bulk band structure and density of states are compared with existing augmented-plane-wave APW calculations. The same potential is applied to investigate the electronic structure of an uncontracted Mo (001) surface. A complete analysis of the surface states is given in terms of their distribution in the two-dimensional surface Brillouin zone, charge-density distribution, and the local density of states. The results are in very good agreement with recent photoemission measurements.

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 ...

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.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

We report the oxygen, hydrogen, and deuterium effects on nitrogen implantation of stainless steel. Oxygen is absorbed on the surface creating a potential barrier and diminishing the nitrogen retention. Deuterium removes more oxygen from the surface than hydrogen, augmenting the nitrogen chemical potential and yielding faster nitrogen diffusion into the bulk material.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Processes were developed that use lasers as manufacturing tools. These processes were stripping of insulation from cables and wires, machining of quartz, microdrilling and welding of reflective metals, and precision alignment of curved surfaces before machining. A technological basis also was formed which resulted in a process for automatic surface inspection of parts and aided development of machining processes for Kevlar parts.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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. (orig.).

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Based on the results obtained for C-N and Si-C-N films, a systematic investigation of reactive magnetron sputtering of hard quaternary Si-B-C-N materials has been carried out. The Si-B-C-N films were deposited on p-type Si(100) substrates by dc magnetron co-sputtering using a single C-Si-B target (at a fixed 20% boron fraction in the target erosion area) in nitrogen-argon gas mixtures. Elemental compositions of the films, their surface bonding structure and mechanical properties, together with their oxidation resistance in air, were controlled by the Si fraction (5-75%) in the magnetron target erosion area, the Ar fraction (0-75%) in the gas mixture, the rf induced negative substrate bias voltage (from a floating potential to -500 V) and the substrate temperature (180-350 deg. C). The total pressure and the discharge current on the magnetron target were held constant at 0.5 Pa and 1 A, respectively. The energy and flux of ions bombarding the growing films were ...

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)

Surface doping of conjugated polymers is realized by depositing a thin layer of graphene oxide (GO) on top of the polymers. The high proton density and the unique 2D structure of GO facilitate the protonic surface doping of conjugated polymers to achieve high conductivities. This finding represents a new strategy for improving charge transport across the metal/conjugated polymer interface to achieve much improved performance in organic solar cells. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A device for detecting neutrons includes a semi-insulated bulk semiconductor substrate having opposed polished surfaces. A blocking Schottky contact comprised of a series of metals such as Ti, Pt, Au, Ge, Pd, and Ni is formed on a first polished surface of the semiconductor substrate, while a low resistivity ("ohmic") contact comprised of metals such as Au, Ge, and Ni is formed on a second, opposed polished surface of the substrate. In one embodiment, n-type low resistivity pinout contacts comprised of an Au/Ge based eutectic alloy or multi-layered Pd/Ge/Ti/Au are also formed on the opposed polished surfaces and in contact with the Schottky and ohmic contacts. Disposed on the Schottky contact is a neutron reactive film, or coating, for detecting neutrons. The coating is comprised of a hydrogen rich polymer, such as a polyolefin or paraffin; lithium or lithium ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The aim of this work is to investigate the acoustic wave generation by pulsed and periodically modulated ion beams in different solid materials depending on the beam parameters and to demonstrate the possibility to apply an intensity modulated focused ion beam (FIB) for acoustic emission and for nondestructive investigation of the internal structure of materials on a microscopic scale. The combination of a FIB and an ultrasound microscope in one device can provide the opportunity of nondestructive investigation, production and modification of micro- and nanostructures simultaneously. This work consists of the two main experimental parts. In the first part the process of elastic wave generation during the irradiation of metallic samples by a pulsed beam of energetic ions was investigated in an energy range from 1.5 to 10 MeV and pulse durations of 0.5-5 #mu#s, applying ions with different masses, e.g. oxygen, silicon and gold, in charge states ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laser-assisted processing techniques for producing high-quality solar cell metallization patterns are being investigated, developed, and characterized. A literature search was carried out on the various state-of-the-art laser-assisted techniques for metal deposition, including laser chemical vapor deposition and laser photolysis of organometallics, as well as laser-enhanced electroplating. The results of the literature survey are briefly summarized. Experiments were carried out on laser-enhanced electroplating. Deposition of metals by laser-assisted pyrolysis of a variety of metallo-organic inks and metal-bearing polymer solutions spun as films onto silicon wafers was carried out. A detailed study of the various models of localized surface temperature rise in silicon due to laser heating has been carried out. Progress is reported in fabricating laser-metallized ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Metal dusting corrosion has been a serious problem in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, such as reforming and syngas production systems. This form of deterioration has led to worldwide material loss for 50 years. For the past three years, we have studied the mechanism of metal dusting for Fe- and Ni-base alloys. In this report, we present a correlation between the weight loss and depth of pits that form in Ni-base alloys. Nickel-base alloys were also tested at 1 and 14.8 atm (210 psi), in a high carbon activity environment. Higher system pressure was found to accelerate corrosion in most Ni-base alloys. To reduce testing time, a pre-pitting method was developed. Mechanical scratches on the alloy surface led to fast metal dusting corrosion. We have also developed preliminary data on the performance of weldments of several Ni-base alloys in a metal dusting environment. ...

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)

Pd-Si metallic glasses have been utilized as catalysts in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. The glasses are selective of ethane, whereas the in-situ crystallized glasses select a range of hydrocarbons characteristic of conventional Pd catalysts. This shift in selectivity has been observed in other hydrogenation reactions. Surface crystallization caused by the reaction conditions causes variable selectivity. Crystallization in reaction conditions has been monitored by DSC. During the course of the grant we developed the use of (+)- apopinene (6,6-dimethyl-1R,5R-bicyclo(3.1.1)hept-2-ene) as a molecular probe for determining the number and kinds of active sites on metallic glass catalysts. To accomplish this we conducted many experiments for comparison on other types of catalysts. These were foils, powders, and highly dispersed metals on several different supports. The glassy surfaces ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The profile imaging technique is used to study the oxidation of ZnTe and InP surfaces induced by in situ reaction due to the electron beam of the microscope and by ex situ heating in air. For both materials, in situ reaction with the electron beam resulted in desorption of the anion species and the formation of the metal oxide. The observation of In metal particles, and the fact that the rate of formation of In_2O_3 was substantially reduced by an improvement of the vacuum near the specimen region, suggested that the presence of oxygen is not involved in the desorption process. The ex situ heating of ZnTe up to 260 degrees C in air resulted in crystals of ZnO and Te metal, generally in a layered surface region with the sequence of ZnTe/Te/ZnO. The large Te crystals usually had an epitaxial relationship with the bulk ZnTe but the small ZnO crystals had random orientations. The ex ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In a vacuum insulator, the narrow electron beam emitted from the cathode impinges on the anode and raises its temperature and also may produce high thermal stress. This high thermal stress, in conjuction with the surface electrostatic pressure may rupture the surface and detach particles from it. In this thesis, the interaction of high energy electron and laser beams with metals and semiconductors is investigated. The differential equations governing the physical processes involved in the interaction are solved by the finite element method. Effects of beam penetration into the material, variable beam reflectance at the surface, finite beam size and dependence of material properties on temperature are accounted for. The two-phase moving boundary problem, also known as the Stefan problem, is solved by an enthalpy formulation of the heat equation. Material deformation by thermal stresses caused by high ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The interaction between molecules and solid surfaces plays important roles in various applications, including catalysis, sensors, nanoelectronics, and solar cells. Surprisingly, a full understanding of molecule-surface interaction at the quantum mechanical level has not been achieved even for very simple molecules, such as water. In this mini-review, we report recent progresses and current status of studies on interaction between representative molecules and surfaces. Taking water/metal, DNA bases/carbon nanotube, and organic dye molecule/oxide as examples, we focus on the understanding on the microstructure, electronic property, and electron-ion dynamics involved in these systems obtained from first-principles quantum mechanical calculations. We find that a quantum mechanical description ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Means of intensifying heat transfer with nucleate boiling, based on boiling under constrained conditions (in slots, on a capillary-porous surface) are the most promising since a high intensity of heat transfer is ensured. In the present work we attempt to evolve the main assumptions for the physical model of the process of vapour formation under constrained conditions and to extend them to the boiling of cryogenic liquids on surfaces with a capillary-porous deposit; also, the results are given of experimental investigations of heat transfer with the boiling of nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen at atmospheric perssures and below on capillary-porous surfaces of various metals of different structure produced by an electric arc method of gasothermal spray coating.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reduction of the metallic impurity concentration in the TCA plasma has enabled us to correlate the observed heating with the calculated position where the rf energy is deposited. In modelling the measured antenna loading due to the presence of Alfven resonance surfaces, and hence inferring the energy deposition profile, both ion cyclotron effects and the toroidal geometry must be considered. In particular, toroidicity couples energy to resonance surfaces that would not be excited in cylindrical geometry. The increase in electron density during a rf pulse changes the positions of these surfaces so that spectrum-related effects may be observed. The appearance of a new surface at the centre of the plasma is seen as a sharp discontinuity on many of the macroscopic parameters, accompanied by evidence of changes in the current density profile. These results, and the predictions of ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

It has been shown by recent experiments that bulk immiscible metals (e.g. Ag/Cu, Ag/Co and Au/Ni) can form binary alloys on certain surfaces where the substrate mediates the elastic misfits between the two components, thus relieving the elastic strain in the overlayer. These novel surface alloys exhibit a rich phase structure. We formulate a two-component Frenkel-Kontorova model in one dimension to study surface alloy formation. This model can naturally incorporate dislocation formation that plays a crucial role in determining the actual structure of the system. Using energy minimization calculations we provide a phase diagram in terms of average alloy composition and the energy of mixing. Monte Carlo simulations were also performed to study the structure and interaction of the emerging dislocations.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

Science.gov (United States)

Near-ideal Schottky barrier contacts to n-type Al0.22Ga0.78N have been developed by a two-step surface treatment technique. Plasma etching of the AlxGa1-xN surface prior to Schottky metal deposition, combined with sequential chemical treatment of the etched surface, holds promise for developing high quality low-leakage Schottky contacts for low noise applications and for recessed gate high electron mobility transistors. In this work, the effect of postetch chemical treatment of the n-type Al0.22Ga0.78N surface on the performance of the Ni/Au based Schottky contact has been investigated. Three different types of chemical treatment: viz, reactive ion etching, reactive ion etching plus dipping in hot aqua regia, and reactive ion etching plus dipping in hot KOH, are studied. Detailed current-voltage studies of three different surface treated diodes and a comparison ...

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.

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

The treatment of brain disorders is one of the greatest challenges in drug delivery because of a variety of main barriers in effective drug transport and maintaining therapeutic concentrations in the...Full Text Available

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zirconium is a transition element located along with sister elements titanium and hafnium in Group IVB of the periodic table. It is grayish white metal, with a density somewhat less than carbon steel. Zirconium is the ninth most common metallic element in the earth's crust, and is more abundant than zinc, lead, nickel, or even copper. Zirconium is exceptionally resistant to corrosion by many common acids and alkalis. It is resistant to most organic acids, such as formic, acetic, lactic, and oxalic acids. It also has a high resistance to localized forms of corrosion, such as pitting, crevice corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking. Its corrosion resistance is caused by the formation of a dense, tenaciously adherent, chemically inert oxide film on the surface. This oxide film protects the base metal from both chemical and mechanical attack at temperatures up to about 400 C (750 F). This article describes ...

Science.gov (United States)

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/sub 2/Si, 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/sub 2/Si caused a partial rejection of As for implanted doses of 2 x 10/sup 15/ cm/sup -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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A significant number of biosorption studies on the removal of heavy metal from aqueous solutions have been conducted worldwide. Nearly all of them have been directed towards optimizing biosorption parameters to obtain the highest removal efficiency while the rest of them are concerned with the biosorption mechanism. Combinations of FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM as well as classical methods such as titrations are extremely useful in determining the main processes on the surfaces of biosorbents. Diverse functional groups represented by carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulfate and amino groups play significant roles in the biosorption process. Solution pH normally has a large impact on biosorption performance. In brief, ion exchange and complexation can be pointed out as the most prevalent mechanisms for the biosorption of most heavy metals. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

Science.gov (United States)

Metal cations of arsenic, antimony, tin, manganese, zinc, cadmium, indium, and thallium have been evaluated in a preliminary way as possible3 inhibitors for controlling denting corrision observed in steam generators used with pressurized water reactors (PWR). The rationale for this approach was based upon the well-known inhibition effects of metal cations on corrosion rates in electrolyte/metal systems. A review of corrosion inhibition by metal cations (H. Leidheiser, Jr., Corrosion 36, 339 (1982)) has identified eleven inhibition mechanisms. The major test methods used for this evaluation were: (1) Isothermal capsule tests of carbon/steel/Inconel 600 tube bulging rates at temperatures up to 288/sup 0/C in seawater/copper-nickel chloride bulge-accelerating solutions. (2) Immersion weight-loss tests of steel coupled to Inconel 600 in boiling (102/sup 0/C) 3% sodium chloride solutions. In addition, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The relative abundance and variation of Cr, Co, Cd and Pb in Ascophyllum nodosum and intertidal surface sediments from six locations around the coast were assessed over six seasons. Higher Cd and Pb levels in Galway Docks and Cork Harbour were attributed to localised inputs of these metals from municipal and domestic waste, while at a reference site (Ballyconneely), high algal Cr concentrations were considered a function of geological setting rather than anthropogenic loading. Little seasonal variation was observed, with the exception of higher Co levels in plants in winter, associated with growth dynamics and increased fluvial inputs. In comparison with previously published data for metals in A. nodosum from the North Atlantic, with the exception of localised hot spots, the Irish coastline is still a relatively pristine environment. A. nodosum may be successfully and easily used as a biomonitor of ...

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

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 ...

Science.gov (United States)

Channel plasmon polaritons (CPPs) propagating along the bottom of subwavelength grooves cut into a metal surface were recently shown to exhibit strong confinement combined with low propagation loss, a feature that makes this guiding configuration very promising for the realisation of ultra-compact photonic components. Here, the results of our investigations of CPP guiding by V-grooves cut into gold are presented, demonstrating efficient large-angle bending and splitting of radiation as well as waveguide-ring resonators and Bragg grating filters.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The hydrodynamics of gas evolution plays an important role in the pitting corrosion of metals. A new technique for the measurement of the local hydrodynamics caused by corrosion processes, using the atomic force microscope, has been presented in this work. The hydrodynamics of hydrogen evolution on Al surface due to pitting corrosion was studied. The characteristic features of the hydrodynamics are discussed. To the best of our knowledge this is the first local measurement of pitting corrosion hydrodynamics.

Science.gov (United States)

Arsenic in soils from the Asarco Lead Smelter in East Helena, Montana was characterized by X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). As oxidation state and geochemical speciation were analyzed as a function of depth (two sampling sites) and surface distribution. These results were c...

Science.gov (United States)

The Abrasive Waterjet Cutting process was evaluated to determine if the equivalent could be utilized for cutting uranium metal at the Feed Materials Production Center (FMPC). In the process, a thin stream of ultrahigh pressure water carried grit material through a designated piecepart. In order to be acceptable for use at the FMPC, the equipment must be cost effective, minimize waste, and be adaptableto operating in an enclosure, and improve health and safety conditions. Observation of the cutting process showed that health and safety aspects could be optimized with an enclosed ventilated system. Also the equipment can be easily automated. The cutting action produced sparks similar to the sparks caused by a grinding operation. The sparks are captured in a water container under the workpiece that not only catches the sparks, but also serves to dissipiate the stream of water and residues produced by the cut. Metallographic tests performed on the cut ...

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).

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The simultaneous biosorption of Cr(VI) and Cu(II) on free Rhizopus arrhizus in a packed column operated in the continuous mode was investigated and compared to the single metal ion situation. The breakthrough curves were measured as a function of feed flow rate, feed pH, and different combinations of metal ion concentrations in the feed solutions. Column competitive biosorption data were evaluated in terms of the maximum (equilibrium) capacity in the column, the amount of metal loading on the R. arrhizus surface, the adsorption yield, and the total adsorption yield. In the single-ion situation the adsorption isotherms were developed for optimum conditions, and it was seen that the adsorption equilibrium data fit the noncompetitive Freundlich model. For the multicomponent adsorption equilibrium the competitive adsorption isotherms were also developed. The competitive Freundlich model for binary ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The aim of this article was to investigate the interactions of metal cations in aqueous solutions with the biomass of the freshwater macroalga Vaucheria sp. This problem is important when elaborating new applications of biosorption, e.g. the production of mineral feed additives for livestock from the biomass of algae enriched with microelement ions. Potentiometric titration was applied as a quick and cheap screening test to search for new efficient biosorbents. It revealed a variety of functional groups capable of cation exchange on the macroalgal surface, including carboxyl, phosphate, hydroxyl or amino groups. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on natural and chromium-loaded Vaucheria sp. confirmed that carboxyl groups played a dominant role in the biosorption. The study also showed that Ca(II), Na(I), K(I), and Mg(II) ions were released from the biomass after biosorption of Cu(II), Mn(II), Zn(II), and Co(II) ions, indicating that ion ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

To improve the surface properties of magnesium alloy, a lining process using shot peening was carried out. The lining of magnesium alloy with metals such as titanium and nickel is useful in heightening the corrosion and wear properties for the components. In the shot peening experiment, the foil set on the magnesium workpiece is pelted with many shots at a high velocity. The foil is bonded to the surface of the workpiece due to plastic deformation induced by the collision of the shots. A pure aluminum foil is inserted between the hard foil and magnesium workpiece to assist the bonding. To heighten the bondability, the foil and workpiece are heated and the flow stresses of the metals are reduced. In this experiment, a centrifugal shot peening machine with an electrical heater was employed. The workpieces were commercially magnesium alloys AZ31B and AZ91D, and the foils were commercially pure aluminum, ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

ESH-19 personnel collected soil and single-stage water samples around the perimeter of Area G at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) during FY 95 to characterize possible radionuclide movement out of Area G through surface water and entrained sediment runoff. Soil samples were analyzed for tritium, total uranium, isotopic plutonium, americium-241, and cesium-137. The single-stage water samples were analyzed for tritium and plutonium isotopes. All radiochemical data was compared with analogous samples collected during FY 93 and 94 and reported in LA-12986 and LA-13165-PR. Six surface soils were also submitted for metal analyses. These data were included with similar data generated for soil samples collected during FY 94 and compared with metals in background samples collected at the Area G expansion area.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The alloying of steel surface with aluminum (Al) using Microsecond-pulsed Intense Electron Beams (MIEB-Al) was developed and optimized in order to be used for improving the corrosion resistance of the 316, 1.4970 and T91 steels, exposed to liquid Pb and Pb-Bi-eutectic. The procedure consists in two steps: (i) coating the steel surface with Al or an Al-containing alloy layer and (ii) melting the coating layer and the steel surface layer using intense pulsed electron beam. In order to cover the steel surface with an homogeneous and crack-free Al-alloyed layer, the following experimental conditions are required: Al coating thickness range 5-10mm, electron kinetic energy 120keV; pulse duration 30ms; energy density 40-45J/cm2; number of pulses 2-3. Using the mentioned procedure, the corrosion r...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mono-dispersed cubic CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles have been synthesized using a surfactant-assisted method with laurylamine hydrochloride and cerium alkoxide modified with acetylacetone in an aqueous solution system. The prepared cubic CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles had a highly crystallized structure at 353 K and formed rod-like structures by calcination at 673 K after freeze-drying the CeO{sub 2} gel. We discovered a clear potential to make 1D, 2D or 3D CeO{sub 2}-materials with a well-controlled characteristic length and shape by assembling cubic-shaped CeO{sub 2} nanoparticle building blocks. CeO{sub 2}-TiO{sub 2} composite nanostructures have also been synthesized by changing the mole ratio of cerium alkoxide/titanium alkoxides. By utilizing the redox characteristic of CeO{sub 2}, CeO{sub 2} nanoparticles and CeO{sub 2}-TiO{sub 2} composite nanostructures after calcination, showed reaction activity toward the oxidization of I{sup -} to I{sub 2}, due ...

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A single crystalline ternary nanostructure having the formula A.sub.xB.sub.yO.sub.z, wherein x ranges from 0.25 to 24, and y ranges from 1.5 to 40, and wherein A and B are independently selected from the group consisting of Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Cm, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Dy, Er, Eu, F, Fe, Ga, Gd, Ge, Hf, Ho, I, In, Ir, K, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Nb, Nd, Ni, Os, P, Pb, Pd, Pr, Pt, Rb, Re, Rh, Ru, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Si, Sm, Sn, Sr, Ta, Tb, Tc, Te, Ti, Tl, Tm, U, V, W, Y, Yb, and Zn, wherein the nanostructure is at least 95% free of defects and/or dislocations.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

A single plasma process involving three consecutive steps has been developed for producing high gas flow catalytic nanostructures on the electrodes of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells (FC). Using a high density helicon radio frequency (13.56 MHz) plasma, nickel is sputtered onto a porous carbon support. Changing the background gas from argon to methane/hydrogen allowed 2 ?m long, 37 nm diameter carbon nanofibres (CNFs) to be grown by diffusion through the nickel clusters in a 'tip growth' mechanism at the relatively low temperature of 400 deg. C. The third step involves plasma sputtering of platinum onto the CNFs, resulting in nanoclusters (3-8 nm) being formed on the periphery of the CNFs. Four FC cathodes were synthesized on carbon paper and PTFE/carbon loaded cloth (known as gas diffusion layer, GDL), both with and without CNFs, with the Pt/CNFs nanostructures grown on PTFE/carbon loaded cloth having the best FC performances. ...

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...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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.

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Modifications of the structure and mechanical properties in LiF crystals irradiated with MeV-energy Au ions have been studied using nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy and optical spectroscopy. The nanostructuring of crystals under a high-fluence irradiation (above 1013 ions/cm2)?was?observed. Nanoindentation tests show a strong ion-induced increase of hardness (up?to 150?200%), which is related to the high volume concentration of complex color centers, defect aggregates, dislocation loops and grain boundaries acting as strong barriers for dislocations. From the?depth profiling of the hardness and energy loss it follows that both nuclear and electronic stopping mechanisms of MeV Au ions contribute to the creation of damage and hardening. Whereas the electronic stopping is dominating i...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The aim of this study was to develop a nanostructured Nb2O5-natural hydroxyapatite bulk composite to serve as an alternative biocompatible bulk material for implants. A set of samples of hydroxyapatite from fish bones with different concentrations of Nb2O5 were designed. They were prepared through a milling process, compacted under different pressures (350, 450, 550 and 650MPa) and sintered in air atmosphere at 1000^oC for 1h. The results revealed that the prepared composites presented strong interactions between the two elements and showed improvement in the sinterability with significant densification and microstructure changes, suggesting that they are promising for implants meant to replace bone tissues.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The oxide colloidal route, developed in the laboratory for mono-metallic catalysts, consists in preparing a metallic oxide hydro-sol which leads to the supported catalyst after deposition onto a support and an activation stage. In this work, this method has been adapted to the preparation of alumina supported bimetallic Pd-Sn catalysts to determine its interest for the control of the properties of the bimetallic phase (size, composition and structure). In the preliminary study concerning tin oxide sols, SnO{sub 2} (size=2,3 nm) and Sn{sub 6}O{sub 4}(OH){sub 4} (size = 25 nm) nano-particles were synthesized by neutralization respectively for tin(IV) and tin(H). The control through the pH of the aggregation of the PdO and SnO{sub 2} particles revealed that increasing oxide solubility promotes integral re-dispersion of the oxide particles. To synthesize oxide bimetallic sols, three strategies were defined. Copolymerization (formation of a mixed ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Experimental results of compatibility tests on ceramics-metal bonded structures performed under high heat flux conditions in splash test apparatus are reported. Emphasis is placed on results of the channel wall design and its critical operating conditions under MHD environment. The module design of one cold type and three semihot type insulators have been tested. These materials were Al_2O_3, Al_2MgO_4, LaAlO_4, MgO and Sialon ceramics. The methods of cold type ceramics-metal bonding structure were studied on Al_2O_3 and Spinel spray coating technology. The refractory metallizing and ceramics-metal graded structure manufactured by HIP technologies were applied to bonding between the MgO or LaAlO_4 and metallic cooling system. The Sialon non-bonding structure was tested with mechanical supported cooling system by shrinc fitting method. The results indicated that the bonding ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Zirconium and particularly Zr-2.5wt%Nb (Zr2.5Nb) alloy are useful for engineering bearing applications because they can be oxidized in air to form a hard surface ceramic. Oxidized zirconium (OxZr) due to its abrasion resistant ceramic surface and biocompatible substrate alloy has been used as a bearing surface in total joint arthroplasty for several years. OxZr is characterized by hard zirconium oxide (oxide) formed on Zr2.5Nb using one step thermal oxidation carried out in air. Because the oxide is only at the surface, the bulk material behaves like a metal, with high toughness. The oxide, furthermore, exhibits high adhesion to the substrate because of an oxygen-rich diffusion hardened zone (DHZ) interposing between the oxide and the substrate. In this study, we demonstrate a two step pro...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The linearized-augmented-plane-wave (LAPW) method for thin films is generalized by removing the remaining shape approximation to the potential inside the atomic spheres. A new technique for solving Poisson's equation for a general charge density and potential is described and implemented in the film LAPW method. In the resulting full-potential LAPW method (FLAPW), all contributions to the potential are completely taken into account in the Hamiltonian matrix elements. The accuracy of the method: already well known for clean metal surfaces: is demonstrated for the case of a nearly free (noninteracting) O_2 molecule which is a severe test case of the method because of its large anisotropic charge distribution. Detailed comparisons show that the accuracy of the FLAPW results for O_2 exceeds that of existing state-of-the-art local-density linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals (LCAO)-type calculations, and that taking the full potential LAPW results ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Using stoichiometrically controlled 1:1 functionalization of gold nanoparticles with fluorescent dye molecules in which the dye molecule is held away from the particle surface by a rigid DNA spacer allows precise determination of the distance-dependent effect of the metal nanoparticles on fluorescence intensity. Two dyes were studied, Cy3 and Cy5, with two sizes of nanoparticles, 5 and 10 nm. The larger the particle, the more quenching of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity, due to increased overlap of the dye's emission spectrum with the Au surface plasmon resonance. Fluorescence is quenched significantly for distances somewhat larger than the particle diameter, in good agreement with the predictions of an electrodynamics model based on interacting dipoles. The distance dependence of surface energy transfer behavior, i.e. quenching efficiency, is proportional to 1/d4, which involves no consideration ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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 ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Nanocrystalline chromium oxynitride films were deposited by reactive RF magnetron sputtering of metallic chromium target in argon and helium atmospheres. The paper deals with consequence of increase in oxygen partial pressure on structural, hydrophobic and optical properties of chromium oxynitride films. The film stoichiometry changes from CrN and Cr2O3 to only Cr2O3 with increase in oxygen partial pressure as evident from X-Ray Diffraction analysis in both cases. The average crystallite size decreases with increase in oxygen partial pressure for both gas atmospheres. The thickness calculated from transmission data and surface profilometer are in good harmony with each other. The deposited films are hydrophobic by nature and the contact angle of the films varies as a function of surface ro...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Plutonium oxide fuel pellets for powering radioisotopic thermoelectric generators for NASA space vehicles are encapsulated in iridium which has been grain-boundary-stabilized with thorium and aluminum. After aging for 6 months at 1310/sup 0/C under vacuum, enhanced grain growth is observed in the near-surface grains of the iridium next to the PuO/sub 2/. Examination of the grain boundaries by AES and SIMS shows a depletion of thorium and aluminum. Iron, chromium, and nickel from the fuel were found to diffuse into the iridium along the grain boundaries. Enhanced grain growth appears to result from thorium depletion in the grain boundaries of the near-surface grains next to the fuel. However, in one instance grain growth was slowed by the formation of thorium oxide by oxygen diffusing up the grain boundaries.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Approximately 95% of the world`s integrated chips are packaged using a hot, high pressure transfer molding process. The stress created by the flow of silica powder loaded epoxy can displace the fine bonding wires and can even distort the metalization patterns under the protective chip passivation layer. In this study the authors developed a technique to measure the mechanical stress over the surface of an integrated circuit during the molding process. A CMOS test chip with 25 diffused resistor stress sensors was applied to a commercial lead frame. Both compression and shear stresses were measured at all 25 locations on the surface of the chip every 50 milliseconds during molding. These measurements have a fine time and stress resolution which should allow comparison with computer simulation of the molding process, thus allowing optimization of both the manufacturing process and mold geometry.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nanoscale islands of Cu?O have been synthesized on single crystal SrTiO? (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 sythesis. The FIB modifications have generated surface topography with lateral dimensions of 150-200 nm. Ex-situ AFM 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)

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 ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In the past, organic substance is generally deemed as electrical insulator, but in recent years, molecular crystals and polymers showing electroconductivity like metal were synthesized and even those showing superconductivity have appeared. These materials are called organic metals or synthetic metals and have peculiar solid state physical properties. Examples of real application of organic electroconductive materials are becoming available, but in this article, a chip type aluminum solid electrolytic capacitor using polypyrrole is introduced. There are four kinds of capacitors including ceramic capacitors and aluminum electrolytic capacitors, etc. The aluminum electrolytic capacitor is most retarded than any other type of capacitor in introducing its chip type since its use of electrolytic solution becomes an obstacle. Polypyrrole synthesized by electrolytic polymerization through anode oxidation of pyrrole has good ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The construction materials used in coolant systems in nuclear power plants become covered with oxide films as a result of exposure to the aqueous environment. The susceptibility of the materials to different forms of corrosion, as well as the extent of the incorporation of radioactive species on the surfaces of the primary circuit, are greatly influenced by the physical and chemical properties of these oxide films. The composition and characteristics of the oxide films in turn depend on the applied water chemistry. This work was undertaken in order to collect and evaluate the present views on the structure and behaviour of oxide films formed on iron- and nickel-based materials in aqueous environments. This survey should serve to recognise the areas in which more understanding and research effort is needed. The review begins with a discussion on the bulk oxides of iron, nickel and chromium, as well as their mixed oxides. In addition to bulk oxides, the structure and ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The technology developed here will exploit the ability of microorganisms to remove dissolved metals from aqueous solutions. Microbial sorbents for uranium will be immobilized biosorbents will be deployed ex situ within flow-through reactors for the continuous or semicontinuous treatment of recovered wastewaters. The proposed technology will primarily be applied within a pump-and-treat process using immobilized biosorbents for the large-scale, long-term remediation of uranium-laden surface water or groundwater impoundments (environmental restoration). The technology may be equally useful as an ``end-of-pipe`` treatment of process effluents (waste management). Successful operation of this process will achieve immobilization of the targeted waste and accompanying volume reduction.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The DP West Plutonium Facility operated by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, was decontaminated between April 1978 and April 1981. The facility was constructed in 1944 to 1945 to produce plutonium metal and fabricate parts for nuclear weapons. It was continually used as a plutonium processing and research facility until mid-1978. Decontamination operations included dismantling and removing gloveboxes and conveyor tunnels; removing process systems, utilities, and exhaust ducts; and decontaminating all remaining surfaces. This report describes glovebox and conveyor tunnel separations, decontamination techniques, health and safety considerations, waste management procedures, and costs of the operation.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Previous studies have documented dissimilatory growth of bacteria on solid Mn{sup 4+} oxide, but Mn{sup 3+} oxides have not been previously studied; here the authors have demonstrated for the first time the bacterial reduction of manganite. Strain MR-4 of Shewanella putrefaciens was able to grow on and rapidly reduce insoluble needle-shaped crystals of synthetic manganite (MnOOH), converting them to soluble Mn{sup 2+} in the process. The rate of Mn{sup 3+} reduction was optimal at pH of 7.0 and 26 C consistent with an enzymatic reaction. In addition the rates of reduction were in proportion to the amount of manganite added, but nearly independent of the cell concentration present (e.g., cell number had only a small effect on the rate of Mn{sup 3+} reduction at early stages of growth) suggesting that surface properties were dictating the rates of metal reduction. This thesis was supported by major differences in reduction rates when Mn oxides of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alloy 690 and Alloy600 are used as a material for the steam generator tubing in the pressurized water reactor(PWR) of nuclear power plants due to its high corrosion resistance. Although those are a highly corrosion resistance material, their stress corrosion cracking(SCC) have been found on occasion, which are deeply related to a surface oxide film on a base material which have occurred on the primary side as well as the secondary side of a tubing. And The SCC is accelerated in the existing Pb which is the impurity of secondary steam generator components. The Oxide on a steel surface 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 metal surface. The outer layer of the oxide is less adhesive, which is formed by a dissolution and precipitation mechanism. Growth ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The wear behaviour of metallic material is influenced by the friction force, which in turn, is governed by the hardness and oxidation kinetics of the mating surface. In view of this, present investigation is undertaken to find the influence of mating surface on the high temperature wear of 253 MA alloy. This alloy is developed for high temperature application. In this work 253 MA alloy is made to slide against two different types of counter face material, namely 100Cr6 steel and PM 1000 alloy, at five different temperatures. 100Cr6 steel gets soften with increase of temperature whereas PM 1000 alloy retains its strength even at high temperature. The friction coefficient and the thickness loss of 253 MA alloy is measured and compared against both variety of mating surfaces as function of temperatures. The morphology of the worn surfaces and the transverse section of the worn ...

UK PubMed Central (United Kingdom)

After slow progress in the efforts to develop phase plates for electron microscopes, functional phase plate using thin carbon film has been reported recently. It permits collecting high-contrast images...Full Text Available

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nanocrystalline materials can exhibit properties which are considerably different from their coarse-grained counterparts, making them unique for basic or applied research and also very promising for potential applications. The topics which are addressed in the present paper are magnetic properties and magnetic correlations on the nanometer scale, mechanical properties, in particular the influence of grain boundaries on the elastic and plastic behaviour, and vibration models of grain boundary atoms in nanostructured materials. (author)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dissolved humic substances (humic and fulvic acids) occur in surface waters and groundwaters in concentrations ranging from less than 1 mg(C)/L to more than 100 mg(C)/L. Humic substances are strong complexing agents for many trace metals in the environment and are also capable of forming stable soluble complexes or chelates with radionuclides. Concentrations of humic materials as low as 1 mg(C)/L can produce a detectable increase in the mobility of some actinide elements by forming soluble complexes that inhibit sorption of the radionuclides onto rock materials. The stability of trace metal- or radionuclide-organic complexes is commonly measured by an empirically determined conditional stability constant (K'), which is based on the ratio of complexed metal (radionuclide) in solution to the product concentration of uncomplexed metal and humic complexant. Larger values of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The effect of electron beam welding parameters on fusion zone (FZ) microstructure and porosity in a Ti-6.8 Al-3.42 Mo-1.9 Zr-0.21 Si alloy (Russian designation VT 9) has been investigated. It has been observed that the FZ grain width increased continuously with increase in heat input when the base metal was in the #beta# heat-treated condition, while in the #alpha# + #beta# heat-treated base metal welds, the FZ grain width increased only after a threshold energy input. The difference is attributed to both the weld thermal cycle and the pinning effect of equiaxed primary alpha on grain growth in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) of #alpha# + #beta# heat-treated base metal. Postweld heat treatment (PWHT) in the subtransus and supertransus regions did not alter the columnar grain morphology in the FZ, possibly due to the lack of enough driving force for the formation of new grains by the breaking up of the columnar grains and grain ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

The research supported by this Department of Energy contract has primarily been devoted to the study of the electronic properties of surfaces with sub-micron size. In previous years, we have studied the photoexcitation of electrons from field emission tips by a focussed Argon-ion laser beam tuned to operate at specific photon energy. The photoexcited electrons escape into the vacuum by tunneling through a surface potential barrier which is distorted by the application of a strong electric field. The interest in these experiments lies in a better understanding of the photoexcitation process at low photon energies. The techniques that have been developed directly measure the excited state energy distribution of electrons emitted through the surface potential barrier. The basic information gained from this research is relevant to opto-electronic devices which rely on photoexcitation of electrons in the presence of strong ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

the development of lithium metal batteries is hindered by the bad reversibility of the Li{sup +}/Li pair, due to dendrites formation which limits the amount of active matter and can generate short-circuits. The chemical and electrochemical phenomena which take place at the electrode/organic electrolyte interface lead to the formation of a complex passivation film which is of prime importance for the functioning of this type of batteries. The in-situ infrared reflection spectroscopy is well adapted to the chemical study of the passivation layer. Two different techniques were used: the substraction normalized interfacial transform infrared spectroscopy (SNIFTIRS) and the electro-chemically modulated infrared reflectance spectroscopy. These methods have shown that the passivation layer that develops on the surface of the lithium electrode in contact with organic solutions (propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate and dimethoxyethane) is mainly made ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Both horizontally and vertically oriented rotating chambers with granular material held on the inner surface by centrifugal action are examined. Modifications to the condition for controlled quasi-static flow on an incline plane, phi/sub w/ < #alpha# < phi/sub r/, where phi/sub w/ is the wall friction angle, #alpha# is the angle of inclination of the plane, and phi/sub r/ is the drained angle of repose of the material are examined for the case of horizontal and vertical surfaces of revolution. Allowed included half angles for horizontally oriented chambers are likely to be in the range of 30"0 +- 10"0 for ceramic particles and metal surfaces. For vertical orientations the maximum half-angle of the top cone is slightly less than the wall friction angle phi/sub w/ while the lower portion can have a half angle as large as (90"0 - phi/sub w). Percolation of fines through shearing granular solids is ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Acrylonitrile electropolymerization (in an aprotic and anhydrous medium) has been used as a way to build thin, homogeneous and covering polyacrylonitrile layers grafted on the surface of usual metals and specially on copper-based shape memory alloy: Cu-Zn-Al. The results of the study first confirm the possibility of grafting thin and covering polyacrylonitrile layers on Cu-Zn-Al surface. The morphology of the films however is influenced by the geometry of the polycristalline structure of the alloy and its superficial defects. Samples obtained after grafting polyacrylonitrile films were submitted to corrosion tests based on Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements in a NaCl/H{sub 2}O medium. Results show that some post-treatments of the grafted films are necessary to improve their protective role, while preserving the strong interfacial bondings. Actually, thermal and mechanical cycling of the shape memory ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strippable or temporary coatings are innovative technologies for decontamination that effectively reduce loose contamination at low cost. These coatings have become a viable option during the deactivation and decommissioning of both US Department of Energy (DOE) and commercial nuclear facilities to remove or fix loose contamination on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. The ALARA{trademark} 1146 strippable coating was demonstrated as part of the Savannah River Site LSDDP and successfully removed transferable (surface) contamination from multiple surfaces (metal and concrete) with an average decontamination factor for alpha contamination of 6.68 and an average percentage of alpha contamination removed of 85.0%. Beta contamination removed was an average DF of 5.55 and an average percentage removed of 82.0%. This paper is an Innovative Technology Summary Report designed to provide potential users with ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

High voltage cathode materials Li-excess layered oxide compounds Li[Ni{sub x}Li{sub 1/3-2x/3}Mn{sub 2/3-x/3}]O{sub 2} (0 < x < 1/2) are investigated in a joint study combining both computational and experimental methods. The bulk and surface structures of pristine and cycled samples of Li[Ni{sub 1/5}Li{sub 1/5}Mn{sub 3/5}]O{sub 2} are characterized by synchrotron X-Ray diffraction together with aberration corrected Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (a-S/TEM). Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS) is carried out to investigate the surface changes of the samples before/after electrochemical cycling. Combining first principles computational investigation with our experimental observations, a detailed lithium de-intercalation mechanism is proposed for this family of Li-excess layered oxides. The most striking characteristics in these high voltage high energy density cathode materials are (1) formation of tetrahedral lithium ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thermal (gas) nitridation of stainless steel alloys can yield low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride containing surface layers (Cr{sub 2}N, CrN, TiN, V{sub 2}N, VN, etc.) of interest for fuel cells, batteries, and sensors. This paper presents results of proton exchange membrane (PEM) single-cell fuel cell studies of stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided developmental Fe-20Cr-4V weight percent (wt.%) and commercial type 2205 stainless steel alloy foils. The single-cell fuel cell behavior of the stamped and pre-oxidized/nitrided material was compared to as-stamped (no surface treatment) 904L, 2205, and Fe-20Cr-4V stainless steel alloy foils and machined graphite of similar flow field design. The best fuel cell behavior among the alloys was exhibited by the pre-oxidized/nitrided Fe-20Cr-4V, which exhibited {approx}5-20% better peak power output than untreated Fe-20Cr-4V, 2205, and 904L ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Full text.Changes in land use and urbanization yield more pressure put on limited soil and water resources, including the risk of pollution with toxic heavy metals. The study area lies in the Bekaa valley totaling about 12753 ha. The valley receives from the west torrential fan deposits and a mixture of colluvial and alluvial material. The principal soil classes are Fluvisols, Cambisols, Regosols, Vertisols and Luvisols. The area is populated and also the most important agricultural part of the plain. Agriculture in the plain is being practiced mainly with cash, field crops and vegetables. The western surrounding area is being used mainly for terraced fruit trees. This Arab-German Technical Cooperation Project (ACSAD-BGR) aimed, following the ISO standards and Eikman-Klocke recommendations, at investigating the nature of the extends of soil pollution by heavy metals in two pilot areas: The central Bekaa-Lebanon and Ghouta-Damascus. Different ...

CERN Document Server

Metals and alloy - Atmospheric corrosion testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noncollinear (NC) magnetism is common in nature, especially when there exist geometrical frustration and chemical imparity in the system. In this work we studied the NC magnetism and the response to external magnetic fields in surfaces and interfaces of transition metals by using an semi-empirical tight-binding (TB) method that parameterized to the ab initio TB-LMTO calculations. We implemented this method to study two systems. The first one is the system of 6 Mn monolayers on Fe(001) substrate. Due to the complex structure and magnetic properties of Mn, we found 23 collinear magnetic configurations but only one NC configuration. The collinear ground state has a layered antiferromagnetic (AFM) coupling which agrees with previous experiments and calculations. In the NC configuration the local AFM coupling in the Mn layers is preserved, but the surface is 90 degree coupled to the substrate. Similar to the experiment in ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A massively-parallel ab initio computer code, which uses Gaussian bases, pseudopotentials, and the local density approximation, permits the study of transition-metal systems with literally hundreds of atoms. We present total energies and relaxed geometries for Ru, Pd, and Ag clusters with N = 55, 135, and 140 atoms; we also used the DMOL code to study 13-atom Pd and Cu clusters, with and without hydrogen. The N = 55 and 135 clusters were chosen because of simultaneous cubo-octahedral (fcc) and icosahedral (icos) sub-shell closings, and we find icos geometries are preferred. Remarkably large compressions of the central atoms are observed for the icos structures (up to 6% compared with bulk interatomic spacings), while small core compressions ({approx} 1 %) are found for the fcc geometry. In contrast, large surface compressive relaxations are found for the fcc clusters ({approx} 2-3% in average nearest neighbor spacing), while the icos ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evolution of rapid (?10 ns) Ohmic overheating of a microprotrusion on a surface in contact with a plasma by emission current is studied taking into account the energy carried by plasma ions and electrons, as well as Ohmic heating, emissive source of energy release (Nottingham effect), and heat removal due to heat conduction. Plasma parameters were considered in the range of n = 1014-1020 cm-3 and Te = 0.1 eV-10 keV. The threshold value of energy transferred to the surface from the plasma is found to be 200 MW/cm2; above this value, heating becomes explosive (namely, an increase in the temperature growth rate (?2T/?t2 > 0) and in passing current (?J/?t > 0) is observed in the final stage at T ? 104 K and j ? 108 A/cm2). In spite of the fact that Ohmic heating does not play any significant role for plasmas with a density lower than 10 18 cm-3 because the current is limited by the space charge of electrons, rapid overheating of top of ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

In this work, amorphous hydrocarbon (a-C:H) film deposition on metallic mirrors was studied during working shots in tokamak T-10 and at exposure in Ar/CHD3/D2 dc magnetron discharge in a special laboratory high vacuum setup. Analysis of film composition (including hydrogen content) was carried out using nuclear physical methods. Thickness and optical parameters (refractive and extinction coefficients) of the films were estimated by ellipsometry. Laboratory films can be characterized as soft a-C:H films in comparison with hard tokamak films (? = 1.2 and 1.8 g/cm3, respectively). For the first one, a linear dependence of deposition rate on mirror temperature was observed in a wide temperature range. The addition of methane into initial Ar/D2 magnetron gas mixture leads to an increase of deposition rate. The data obtained should be taken into account to prevent hydrocarbon film formation on the surface of first mirrors in ITER.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Removal of sulfonamide (SAs) and tetracycline (TAs) classes of antibiotic compound from deionized water and DOC water by powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption was evaluated in this study. According to the study results, TAs were more easily adsorbed than SAs although TAs were more hydrophilic than SAs. The phenolic compounds in TAs might be responsible for their high adsorption. Complex formation of TAs with metal and metal oxide on the surface of activated carbon might also contribute to higher adsorption. The hydrophobic effect was important for removal of SAs. More hydrophobic SAs were removed more easily. The carbon type was not important for adsorption of SAs and TAs. Coal based carbon and coconut based carbon showed similar removal efficiencies for these antibiotics. Dissolved organic materials interfered with adsorption of SAs and TAs. Organic interference was more significant for the antibiotic compound, which ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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"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 C waste is estimated to be ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uranyl nitrate solution from 200-Area processing of spent SRP fuel tubes is now sent to Oak Ridge Y-12 for conversion of uranium metal. However, after implementation of the powder metallurgy (P/M) process, U{sub 3}O{sub 8} powder will be needed at SRP but not uranium metal. U{sub 3}O{sub 8} powder for fabrication and irradiation tests was produced during development of P/M at SRL by firing UO{sub 3}, obtained from Y-12, at 800{degrees}C for 6 hours in a low grade nitrogen atmosphere. The UO{sub 3} powder was produced by denitration of unsulfated uranyl nitrate solution. The stoichiometry, particle size distribution, surface area and density of the Y-12 and SRL powders were measured. A comparison was then made between SRL U{sub 3}O{sub 8} produced at 800{degrees}C in nitrogen and in air and U{sub 3}O{sub 8} produced at Y-12 at other heating temperatures.

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

The main reasons of tube failures in steam generators (SG) are considered. 1.Stress corrosion craining which has 28% of SG (most of them have stainless steel tubes). 2. Corrosion loss of metal, which accounts for 24% of tubes (phosphate corrosion due to addition of PO into water). 3.Denting-peripheral pressing of tubes in the openings of the foundation plates by the corrosive products, which are formed on internal surface of drillings in the foundation plates made of carbon steel. 4.Separation of a plating layer on tube panels. 5.Dratting-corrosion. 6.Metal fatigue. A series of experiments were conducted to study the influence of material selection on tube reliability (stainless steel 304, inconel-600, mone-400, incalloy-800). The problem of increase of SG elements reliability is a complex one and can be solved by direct selection of material, proper control of water-chemical conditions and other measures of corrosion ...

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liquid metal ion sources (LMISs) with Ga as ion species are widely used in focused ion beam (FIB) technology for micromachining and surface treatment on the sub-micron and nano-scale. Key features of a LMIS for investigating mechanical properties and 3D-microfabrication of materials are long life-time, high brightness, stable ion current and a highly effective milling ability for the material to be modified. In order to increase the material removal rate, heavier ions than Ga and their clusters should be applied. Bismuth (Bi) is the heaviest, non-radio-active element in the periodic table, is non-toxic and exhibits a low melting point. We have thus produced a long-life (about 1000 h) Bi LMIS with a good beam performance, applicable in any FIB system. Since Bi is the only element in this source, it is not necessary to separate it from other ions by a mass filter. Investigation of the sputtering rate of NiTi shape memory alloys using Ga and Bi ...

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 confirmed that the reduction ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A technique was developed that permits fluid flow to be visualized even where the flow is completely shrouded by metal. The technique employs real-time neutron radiography, which is similar to x-ray radiography except a collimated beam of neutrons is used. Various combinations of neutron-opaque tracer materials were tested with neutron-transparent fluid. Neutron opaque tracers, such as solid particles, fluid droplets, and streaklines were imaged through metal walls as they convected in neutron-transparent ambient fluid. Visualization of bubbles/voids were evaluated for possible future applications. Surface-flow patterns were also imaged by using neutron-opaque tufts. These techniques were evaluated for image contrast, resolution, and the ability to accurately track fluid flow fields. The techniques were also modeled to optimize contrast in various flow configurations. Imaging techniques such as real-time video, high speed ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Cobalt supported on Beta zeolite catalysts were prepared by impregnation of metal salts in aqueous solution and were tested for the Fischer Tropsch reaction. The support consisted of a Beta zeolite composed by crystallites of nanometric dimensions and a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of about 50. This support was impregnated with Co(NO3)2 aqueous solution using different metal loads of 7.5, 10, 15 and 20wt% Co. These materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), N2 adsorption (BET), thermal programmed reduction (TPR) and FTIR of adsorbed pyridine (i.e., surface acid sites distribution). All the catalysts showed a significant catalytic activity for the F-T reaction from synthesis gas (CO+2H2), in a continuous fixed bed reactor sys...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

As the first step for development of the corrosion resistant superheater tube materials of 500 C, 100 ata used in high efficient waste-to-energy plants, field corrosion tests of six conventional alloys were carried out at metal temperatures of 450 C and 550 C for 700 and 3,000 hours in four typical Japanese waste incineration plants. The test results indicate that austenitic alloys containing approximately 80 wt% [Cr+Ni] show excellent corrosion resistance. When the corrosive environment is severe, intergranular corrosion of 40{approximately}200 {micro}m depth occurs in stainless steel and high alloyed materials. It is confirmed quantitatively that corrosion behavior is influenced by environmental corrosion factors such as Cl concentration and thickness of deposits on tube surface, metal temperature, and flue gas temperature. The excellent corrosion resistance of high [Cr+Ni+Mo] alloys such as Alloy 625 is explained by the ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A process model was used to better understand the controls on the chemical evolution of drainage in a historic mining district. At the Pecos Mine Operable Unit, New Mexico, drainage near the waste rock pile is acidic (pH varies from 3.0--5.0) and carries high concentrations of Zn, Al, Cu and Pb. As drainage flows toward the Pecos River, pH increases to greater than 7 and heavy metal content decreases. A process model of natural attenuation in this drainage shows the main controls on pH are reaction with a local bedrock that contains limestone, and concurrent mixing with tributary streams. Models that account for both calcite dissolution and mixing reproduce the observed decrease in aqueous metal concentrations with increasing pH. Contaminant concentrations attenuate primarily via two distinct pathways: Al, Cu, Fe and Pb precipitate directly from solution, whereas Zn, Mg, Mn and SO{sub 4} concentrations decrease primarily through dilution. ...

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

In order to understand the resistance of passive films formed during corrosion processes, an analytical technique using x-ray diffraction was developed to examine the structure of metal in closest proximity to the metal/liquid interface. The in-situ structure at the metal liquid interface was examined for 90 % copper and 10 % nickel (90-10 Cu-Ni) in KOH solution at room temperature and at four different potentistatically controlled potentials ({minus}0.5 V, {minus}0.1 V, +0.5 V and +0.10 V versus Ni/NiO). The chemical changes at the metal interface were studied over a period of 48 hours. It was found that the integrity of the 90-10 Cu-Ni foil in KOH was lost after a continued application of the potential over 48 hours. The x-ray diffraction results indicated that the structure of both the inner and the outer passive layers, at {minus}0.5V and {minus}0.1 V (versus Ni/NiO), is comprised of Ni(OH){sub 2}, ...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

The nanostructure Ni-doped CdO films have been prepared by sol gel spin coating method. Atomic force microscopy results indicate that the CdO films are formed from the nanoparticles and the grain size is changed with nickel content. X-ray diffraction patterns of the films indicate that the undoped and Ni-doped CdO films have polycrystalline structure with a cubic sodium chloride structure, showing two main characteristic peaks assigned to the (111) and (200) planes. The optical band gap values of undoped and Ni-doped CdO films were determined by optical absorption method. The Eg values of the CdO films were found to be in the range of 2.26?2.60?eV. The Eg values of the CdO films increase with the content of Ni dopant (up to 6% Ni). It is evaluated that the optical band gap and grain size o...

British Library Electronic Table of Contents (United Kingdom)

Herein, we report engineering of nanostructured p-CuIn3Se5/n-CdS heterojunction thin film on a glass substrate, which is prepared at room temperature using simple wet chemical approach involving ion exchange reactions between CdS and Cu^+, In^3^+ and Se^2^- ions in alkaline medium. The uniform deposition of heterojunction thin films is achieved by optimizing the pH, temperature and molarity of the reactant bath. The as-deposited thin-films were annealed at 200^oC in air for 1h and further characterized for structural, optical and electrical properties using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Hall effect for type of conductivity, and I-V measurement to investigate the char...

CERN Document Server

material, and that these magnetic properties vary systematically with the diameter of the spherical pores within the films. A new oscillation effect has been observed for the coercivity of macroporous Ni sub 8 sub 0 Fe sub 2 sub 0 film with different pore layer thickness. sphere templates, the resulting films show well-formed, regular, two- and three-dimensional macroporous networks consisting of spherical pores arranged in a highly ordered face centred cubic (fee) structure. The spherical voids are interconnected by a series of smaller windows that form an open porous structure embedded in the material framework. The diameter of the spherical pores can be precisely changed over the range from 200 to 1000 nm by changing the diameter of the latex spheres used to form the templates. The resulting macroporous material structures are robust, self-supported, dense, polycrystalline, uniform and free from filling defects and contamination or problems caused by shrinkage during processing. The ...