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Sample records for co-doped silica fibres

  1. Theoretical modelling of dual-wavelength pumped Yb3+–Tm3+ co-doped silica fibre laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Yuqing; Chen, Jianguo

    2010-01-01

    Numerical simulations have, for the first time to our knowledge, been carried out to characterize the Yb 3+ –Tm 3+ co-doped silica fibre laser (YTFL), defined by a fibre grating and an end mirror, by using the rate equations, which take into consideration both the energy transfer processes from Yb 3+ to Tm 3+ ions and the cross-relaxation processes among different Tm 3+ ions. A dual-wavelength pumping scheme with one at 805 nm and the other at 975 nm is used to pump the YTFL. We have investigated the wavelength-dependent output power of the YTFL, from 1750 to 2200 nm, which takes its maximum output power at ∼ 1800 nm. The effect of the cross-relaxation processes in the Tm 3+ -doped silica fibre laser has been studied. The results indicate that these processes are beneficial to the laser and should be considered in the theoretical modelling. The influence of the Yb 3+ concentration on the characteristics of the YTFL has also been analysed and the results show that Yb 3+ dopants can improve the output power and slope efficiency of the laser

  2. High power operation of cladding pumped holmium-doped silica fibre lasers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemming, Alexander; Bennetts, Shayne; Simakov, Nikita; Davidson, Alan; Haub, John; Carter, Adrian

    2013-02-25

    We report the highest power operation of a resonantly cladding-pumped, holmium-doped silica fibre laser. The cladding pumped all-glass fibre utilises a fluorine doped glass layer to provide low loss cladding guidance of the 1.95 µm pump radiation. The operation of both single mode and large-mode area fibre lasers was demonstrated, with up to 140 W of output power achieved. A slope efficiency of 59% versus launched pump power was demonstrated. The free running emission was measured to be 2.12-2.15 µm demonstrating the potential of this architecture to address the long wavelength operation of silica based fibre lasers with high efficiency.

  3. Practical Hydrogen Loading of Air Silica Fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Henrik Rokkjær; Jensen, Jesper Bevensee; Jensen, Jesper Bo Damm

    2005-01-01

    A method for hydrogen-loading air-silica optical fibres has been developed allowing out-diffusion times comparable to standard step-index fibres. Examples of the first grating written in Ge-doped air-silica fibres using a 266nm UV-laser are shown.......A method for hydrogen-loading air-silica optical fibres has been developed allowing out-diffusion times comparable to standard step-index fibres. Examples of the first grating written in Ge-doped air-silica fibres using a 266nm UV-laser are shown....

  4. Influence of dose history on thermoluminescence response of Ge-doped silica optical fibre dosimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moradi, F.; Mahdiraji, G.A.; Dermosesian, E.; Khandaker, M.U.; Ung, N.M.; Mahamd Adikan, F.R.; Amin, Y.M.

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, silica based optical fibres show enough potential to be used as TL dosimeters in different applications. Reuse of optical fibre as a practical dosimeter demands to complete removal of accumulated doses via previous irradiations. This work investigates the existence and/or effect of remnant doses in fibre dosimeter from the previous irradiations, and proposes a method to control this artifact. A single mode Ge-doped optical fibre is used as TL radiation sensor, while a well calibrated Gammacell with 60 Co source is used for irradiations. The effect of irradiation history on the TL response of optical fibres is surveyed extensively for doses ranged from 1 to 1000 Gy. The results show that the absorbed dose history in a fibre affects its response in the next irradiation cycles. It is shown that a dose history of around 100 Gy can increase the response of optical fibre by a factor of 1.72. The effect of annealing at higher temperatures on stabilizing the fibre response is also examined and results revealed that another alteration in the structure of trapping states occurs in glass medium which can change the sensitivity of fibres. Preservation of the sensitivity during successive irradiation cycles can be achieved by a proper annealing procedure accompanied by a pre-dose treatment. - Highlights: • Influence of dose history on TL characteristics of fibre dosimeter is explored. • The phenomenon behind the TL variation caused by dose history is discussed. • Effect of annealing temperature on performance of fibre dosimeter is studied. • Pre-treatment methods for mitigating variation in reproducibility are proposed.

  5. Development of tailor-made silica fibres for TL dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradley, D.A.; Abdul Sani, Siti F.; Alalawi, Amani I.; Jafari, S.M.; Noor, Noramaliza M.; Hairul Azhar, A.R.; Mahdiraji, Ghafour Amouzad; Tamchek, Nizam; Ghosh, S.; Paul, M.C.; Alzimami, Khalid S.; Nisbet, A.; Maah, M.J.

    2014-01-01

    The Ge dopant in commercially available silica optical fibres gives rise to appreciable thermoluminscence (TL), weight-for-weight offering sensitivity to MV X-rays several times that of the LiF dosimeter TLD100. The response of these fibres to UV radiation, X-rays, electrons, protons, neutrons and alpha particles, with doses from a fraction of 1 Gy up to 10 kGy, have stimulated further investigation of the magnitude of the TL signal for intrinsic and doped SiO 2 fibres. We represent a consortium effort between Malaysian partners and the University of Surrey, aimed at production of silica fibres with specific TL dosimetry applications, utilizing modified chemical vapour deposition (MCVD) doped silica–glass production and fibre-pulling facilities. The work is informed by defect and dopant concentration and various production dependences including pulling parameters such as temperature, speed and tension; the fibres also provide for spatial resolutions down to <10 µm, confronting many limitations faced in use of conventional (TL) dosimetry. Early results are shown for high spatial resolution (∼0.1 mm) single-core Ge-doped TL sensors, suited to radiotherapy applications. Preliminary results are also shown for undoped flat optical fibres of mm dimensions and Ge-B doped flat optical fibres of sub-mm dimensions, with potential for measurement of doses in medical diagnostic applications. - Highlights: • Optical fibres tailor-made for TL dosimetry. • Sensitive to diagnostic as well as therapy doses in medicine. • Preform and fibre pulling facilities. • Relative TL and EPR measurements

  6. Latest developments in silica fibre luminescence dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bradley, D. A.; Abdul S, S. F.; Jafari, S. M.; Alanazi, A. [University of Surrey, Department of Physics, GU2 7XH Guildford, Surrey (United Kingdom); Amouzad M, G. [University of Malaya, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Integrated Lightwave Research Group, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Addul R, H. A.; Mizanur R, A. K. M.; Zubair, H. T.; Begum, M.; Yusoff, Z.; Omar, N. Y. M. [Multimedia University, Faculty of Engineering, 2010 Cyberjaya, Selangor (Malaysia); Maah, M. J. [University of Malaya, Department of Chemistry, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia); Collin, S. [National Physical Laboratory, Hampton Road, Teddington, TW11 OLW Middlesex (United Kingdom); Mat-Sharif, K. A.; Muhd-Yassin, S. Z.; Zulkifli, M. I., E-mail: d.a.bradley@surrey.ac.uk [Telekom Malaysia Research and Development Sdn Bhd., 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2015-10-15

    Full text: Using tailor made sub-mm diameter doped-silica fibres, we are carrying out luminescence dosimetry studies for a range of situations, including thermoluminescence (Tl)investigations on a liquid alpha source formed of {sup 223}RaCl (the basis of the Bayer Health care product Xofigo), the Tl response to a 62 MeV proton source and Tl response to irradiation from an {sup 241}Am-Be neutron source. In regard to the former, in accord with the intrinsic high linear energy transfer (Let) and short path length (<100 um) of the α-particles in calcified tissue, the product is in part intended as a bone-seeking radionuclide for treatment of metastatic cancer, offering high specificity and efficacy. The Tl yield of Ge-doped SiO{sub 2} fibres has been investigated including for photonic crystal fibre un collapsed, flat fibres and single mode fibres, these systems offering many advantages over conventional passive dosimetry types. In particular, one can mention comparable and even superior sensitivity, an effective atomic number Z{sub eff} of the silica dosimetric material close to that of bone, and the glassy nature of the fibres offering the additional advantage of being able to place such dosimeters directly into liquid environments. Finally we review the use of our tailor made fibres for on-line radioluminescence measurements of radiotherapy beams. The outcome from these various lines of research is expected to inform development of doped fiber radiation dosimeters of versatile utility, ranging from clinical applications through to industrial studies and environmental evaluations. (Author)

  7. Effects of time-temperature profiles on glow curves of germanium-doped optical fibre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, S. E.; Alawiah, A.; Bradley, D. A.; Mohd Noor, N.

    2017-08-01

    The Germanium (Ge) doped silica optical fibres have demonstrated the great potential to be developed as a thermoluminescent (TL) dosimeter that can be used in various applications in radiotherapy, diagnostic radiology, UV dosimetry system and food irradiation industry. Different time-temperature profile (TTP) parameters of the TL reader have been employed by many researchers in various of TL studies. Nevertheless, none of those studies adequately addressed the effects of the reader's preheat temperature and heating rate on the kinetic parameters of the TL glow curve specifically, the Ge-doped silica optical fibres. This research addresses the issue of TTP parameters with special attention to the determination of the kinetic parameters of the glow curve. The glow curve responses were explored and the kinetic parameters were analyzed by the WinGCF software, to show the effect of the preheat temperature and heating rate of the reader on Ge-doped fibre irradiated with 18 Gy of 6 MV photons radiation. The effect of TTP parameters was discussed and compared against the commercial fibre and tailored made fibre of 6 mol% Ge-doped of flat and cylindrical shape. The deconvolution of glow peaks and the kinetic parameters were obtained by the WinGCF software. This enables to fit accurately (1.5%fibre (50 °C) and cylindrical fibre (80 °C and 160 °C). It is found that the glow peaks of cylindrical fibre exhibit the highest peak integral as compared to flat and commercial fibres. This study revealed the possible relationship between the reader's TTP parameters and the kinetic parameters of TL glow curves for the commercial and tailored made Ge-doped silica optical fibres.

  8. Electron irradiation response on Ge and Al-doped SiO 2 optical fibres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaakob, N. H.; Wagiran, H.; Hossain, I.; Ramli, A. T.; Bradley, D. A.; Hashim, S.; Ali, H.

    2011-05-01

    This paper describes the thermoluminescence response, sensitivity, stability and reproducibility of SiO 2 optical fibres with various electron energies and doses. The TL materials that comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres were used in this experiment. The TL results are compared with those of the commercially available TLD-100. The doped SiO 2 optical fibres and TLD-100 are placed in a solid phantom and irradiated with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron beams at doses ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy using the LINAC at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was found that the commercially available Al- and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship. The intensity of TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre.

  9. Electron irradiation response on Ge and Al-doped SiO2 optical fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yaakob, N.H.; Wagiran, H.; Hossain, I.; Ramli, A.T.; Bradley, D.A; Hashim, S.; Ali, H.

    2011-01-01

    This paper describes the thermoluminescence response, sensitivity, stability and reproducibility of SiO 2 optical fibres with various electron energies and doses. The TL materials that comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres were used in this experiment. The TL results are compared with those of the commercially available TLD-100. The doped SiO 2 optical fibres and TLD-100 are placed in a solid phantom and irradiated with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron beams at doses ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy using the LINAC at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was found that the commercially available Al- and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship. The intensity of TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre.

  10. Effect of temperature on the active properties of erbium-doped optical fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kotov, L V [Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Dolgoprudnyi, Moscow Region (Russian Federation); Ignat' ev, A D [FORC - Photonics group, Moscow (Russian Federation); Bubnov, M M; Likhachev, M E [Fiber Optics Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2016-03-31

    We have studied the effect of heating on the performance of erbium-doped fibre based devices and determined temperaturedependent absorption and emission cross sections of the erbium ion in silica glass. The results demonstrate that heating of fibres in claddingpumped high-power (∼100 W) erbium-doped fibre lasers causes no significant decrease in their efficiency. In contrast, superluminescent sources operating in the long-wavelength region (1565 – 1610 nm) are extremely sensitive to temperature changes. (fiber optics)

  11. Electron irradiation response on Ge and Al-doped SiO{sub 2} optical fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yaakob, N.H.; Wagiran, H. [Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia); Hossain, I., E-mail: imamhossain@utm.m [Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia); Ramli, A.T. [Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia); Bradley, D.A [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Hashim, S. [Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia); Ali, H. [Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Darul Takzim (Malaysia)

    2011-05-01

    This paper describes the thermoluminescence response, sensitivity, stability and reproducibility of SiO{sub 2} optical fibres with various electron energies and doses. The TL materials that comprise Al- and Ge-doped silica fibres were used in this experiment. The TL results are compared with those of the commercially available TLD-100. The doped SiO{sub 2} optical fibres and TLD-100 are placed in a solid phantom and irradiated with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron beams at doses ranging from 0.2 to 4.0 Gy using the LINAC at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It was found that the commercially available Al- and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship. The intensity of TL response of Ge-doped fibre is markedly greater than that of the Al-doped fibre.

  12. All-silica photonic bandgap fibre with zero dispersion and a large mode area at 730 nm

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Riishede, Jesper; Lægsgaard, Jesper; Broeng, Jes

    2004-01-01

    A theoretical analysis of a photonic bandgap fibre, consisting of a pure silica background with a triangular lattice of Ge-doped high-index rods, is presented. This novel fibre design guides a single, well-confined mode in a core region made from undoped silica. The fibre is found to have positive...... waveguide dispersion, which may be used to shift the zero-dispersion wavelength down to 730 nm, while maintaining an effective mode area of 17 $mu@-m$+2$/. This is an order of magnitude larger than what may be achieved in highly non-linear index-guiding microstructured fibres with comparable zero...

  13. One pot synthesized Li, Zr doped porous silica nanoparticle for low temperature CO2 adsorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mani Ganesh

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Li, Zr doped porous silica was synthesized in one pot and investigated for low temperature CO2 adsorption. The synthesized nanoparticle was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption measurement, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The specific surface area, average pore diameter and pore volume were determined to be 962 m2/g, 2.3 nm and 0.56 cm3/g respectively. ICP-AES analysis revealed a metal content of 4 wt.% (Zr and 3.42 wt.% (Li. Their CO2 adsorption capacity was tested at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. An uptake of about 5 wt.% was observed and regenerable at a low temperature of 200 °C. This adsorption and desorption temperature of the sorbent is lower than the reported lithium silicate. The CO2 adsorption–desorption cyclic performance studies illustrated that Li, Zr doped porous silica is a recyclable, selective and potential sorbent for CO2 adsorption.

  14. An investigation of the thermoluminescence of Ge-doped SiO2 optical fibres for application in interface radiation dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdul Rahman, A.T.; Hugtenburg, R.P.; Abdul Sani, Siti Fairus; Alalawi, A.I.M.; Issa, Fatma; Thomas, R.; Barry, M.A.; Nisbet, A.; Bradley, D.A.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the ability of high spatial resolution (∼ 120 μm) Ge-doped SiO 2 TL dosimeters to measure photoelectron dose enhancement resulting from the use of a moderate to high-Z target (an iodinated contrast media) irradiated by 90 kVp X-rays. We imagine its application in a novel radiation synovectomy technique, modelled by a phantom containing a reservoir of I 2 molecules at the interface of which the doped silica dosimeters are located. Measurements outside of the iodine photoelectron range are provided for using a stepped-design that allows insertion of the fibres within the phantom. Monte Carlo simulation (MCNPX) is used for verification. At the phantom medium I 2 -interface additional photoelectron generation is observed, ∼60% above that in the absence of the I 2 , simulations providing agreement to within 3%. Percentage depth doses measured away from the iodine contrast medium reservoir are bounded by published PDDs at 80 kVp and 100 kVp. - Highlights: ▶ Studies of dosimetric characteristic of commercially available doped silica optical fibres. ▶ Investigation of the potential of the dosimeter in dose enhancement measurement. ▶ Use of photoelectron dose enhancement as might be applied in radiation synovectomy. ▶ Measurement of the percentage depth dose recorded by Ge-doped silica optical fibres. ▶ The Monte Carlo simulation provides comparison against measured data.

  15. Review of doped silica glass optical fibre: Their TL properties and potential applications in radiation therapy dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradley, D.A.; Hugtenburg, R.P.; Nisbet, A.; Abdul Rahman, Ahmad Taufek; Issa, Fatma; Mohd Noor, Noramaliza; Alalawi, Amani

    2012-01-01

    Review is made of dosimetric studies of Ge-doped SiO 2 telecommunication fibre as a 1-D thermoluminescence (TL) system for therapeutic applications. To-date, the response of these fibres has been investigated for UV sources, superficial X-ray beam therapy facilities, a synchrotron microbeam facility, electron linear accelerators, protons, neutrons and alpha particles, covering the energy range from a few eV to several MeV. Dosimetric characteristics include, reproducibility, fading, dose response, reciprocity between TL yield and dose-rate and energy dependence. The fibres produce a flat response to fixed photon and electron doses to within better than 3% of the mean TL distribution. Irradiated Ge-doped SiO 2 optical fibres show limited signal fading, with an average loss of TL signal of ∼0.4% per day. In terms of dose response, Ge-doped SiO 2 optical fibres have been shown to provide linearity to x and electron doses, from a fraction of 1 Gy up to 2 kGy. The dosimeters have also been used in measuring photoelectron generation from iodinated contrast media; TL yields being some 60% greater in the presence of iodine than in its absence. The review is accompanied by previously unpublished data. - Highlights: ► We review our TLD studies of Ge-doped SiO 2 fibres for therapeutic applications. ► Sources include UV, X-rays, protons, neutrons and alpha particles. ► These TLDs have also been used to measure photoelectrons from I 2 contrast media. ► The review is accompanied by previously unpublished data.

  16. Defect-induced luminescence in sol-gel silica samples doped with Co(II) at different concentrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jimenez-Sandoval, S. [Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados, Queretaro, Apdo. Postal 1-798, Queretaro, Qro. 76001 (Mexico); Estevez, M. [Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, UNAM, Apdo. Postal 1-1010, Queretaro, Qro. 76000 (Mexico); Pacheco, S. [Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo, Av. 100 metros (Mexico); Vargas, S. [Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, UNAM, Apdo. Postal 1-1010, Queretaro, Qro. 76000 (Mexico); Rodriguez, R. [Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, UNAM, Apdo. Postal 1-1010, Queretaro, Qro. 76000 (Mexico)], E-mail: rogelior@servidor.unam.mx

    2007-12-20

    The defect-induced luminescence properties of silica samples prepared by the sol-gel method and doped with Co(II) are reported. Silica monoliths doped with different concentrations of Co(II) were laser irradiated (He-Ne 632.8 nm) producing fluorescence. However, this fluorescence is exponentially reduced with the irradiation time, to practically disappear. The rate the fluorescence decays can be well modeled with a double exponential function of the irradiation time, containing two different relaxation times; a baseline is also required to take into account some residual fluorescence. The characteristic times involved in this luminescence quenching process are in the range of seconds. This luminescence suppression can be associated to the local heating produced by the laser irradiation when focused in a small area (2 {mu}m in diameter) on the sample. This heating process reduces physical (grain boundaries, surface states) and chemical (oxygen vacancies produced by the dopant) defects in the sample.

  17. A high-Q low threshold thulium-doped silica microsphere laser in the 2 μm wavelength region designed for gas sensing applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pal, Atasi; Chen, Shu Ying; Sun, Tong; Grattan, K T V; Sen, Ranjan

    2013-01-01

    A high-Q and low threshold laser resonator, operating in the 2 μm wavelength region, has been demonstrated by coupling a thulium-doped silica microsphere to a tapered fibre. Microspheres with diameters ranging from fifty to a few hundred micrometres were carefully fabricated for this purpose by melting an etched-clad thulium-doped silica fibre tip using a focused beam from a CO 2 laser, while the tapered fibre with waist diameter in the desired range of 2 μm was fabricated by using heating and stretching of standard single-mode telecommunication fibre. The tapered fibre served the dual purpose of transporting pump power into the sphere and allowing the extraction of the resulting laser emission. Under excitation at a wavelength of ∼1.6 μm, lasing occurred at wavelengths over the range from 1.9 to 2.0 μm. Single-mode laser operation was obtained by exciting the fundamental whispering gallery mode resonance of the microsphere, while multi-mode lasing occurred for non-fundamental mode excitation. The threshold power of the laser was measured to be about 50 μW delivered pump power, and a maximum laser power of 0.8 mW at around 1.94 μm was observed for a 6 mW pump power, operating at wavelengths around 1.6 μm. The laser was designed as a low threshold and compact source for miniaturized gas sensing devices operating over this important wavelength region. (letter)

  18. Mechanical losses in thin fused silica fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilenko, I A; Braginsky, V B; Lourie, S L

    2004-01-01

    Intracavity topology of the readout system for LIGO III project and table-top QND mechanical measurements under development require the use of small probe masses and suspensions with a very low level of internal losses. A good choice is to use thin fused silica fibres similar to LIGO II mirrors suspensions. Mechanical losses of silica fibres are investigated in this work through the study of quality factor dependence on diameter for pendulum and violin modes of oscillations with diameters ranging from 1.5 to 40 μm. The estimated values of effective mechanical loss angle show noticeably greater growth with lower diameters than might be expected while extrapolating known results of research done for thicker fibres

  19. Mechanical losses in thin fused silica fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bilenko, I A; Braginsky, V B; Lourie, S L [Department of Oscillatory Physics, Physics Faculty, Moscow State University (Russian Federation)

    2004-03-07

    Intracavity topology of the readout system for LIGO III project and table-top QND mechanical measurements under development require the use of small probe masses and suspensions with a very low level of internal losses. A good choice is to use thin fused silica fibres similar to LIGO II mirrors suspensions. Mechanical losses of silica fibres are investigated in this work through the study of quality factor dependence on diameter for pendulum and violin modes of oscillations with diameters ranging from 1.5 to 40 {mu}m. The estimated values of effective mechanical loss angle show noticeably greater growth with lower diameters than might be expected while extrapolating known results of research done for thicker fibres.

  20. An investigation of the thermoluminescence of Ge-doped SiO{sub 2} optical fibres for application in interface radiation dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abdul Rahman, A.T., E-mail: a.t.abdulrahman@surrey.ac.uk [Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford (United Kingdom); School of Physics and Material Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia (UiTM), Campus of Negeri Sembilan, 72000 Kuala Pilah (Malaysia); Hugtenburg, R.P. [Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB and School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Abdul Sani, Siti Fairus; Alalawi, A.I.M. [Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford (United Kingdom); Issa, Fatma [Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford (United Kingdom); Department of Radiotherapy, Tripoli Medical Centre (TMC), Tripoli (Libya); Thomas, R. [Radiation Dosimetry Team, National Physical Laboratory, Teddington (United Kingdom); Barry, M.A. [Department of Medical Physics, The Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) NHS Trust, Guildford, GU2 7XX Surrey (United Kingdom); Nisbet, A. [Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford (United Kingdom); Department of Medical Physics, The Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) NHS Trust, Guildford, GU2 7XX Surrey (United Kingdom); Bradley, D.A. [Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, GU2 7XH Guildford (United Kingdom); Department of Radiological Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11432 (Saudi Arabia)

    2012-07-15

    We investigate the ability of high spatial resolution ({approx} 120 {mu}m) Ge-doped SiO{sub 2} TL dosimeters to measure photoelectron dose enhancement resulting from the use of a moderate to high-Z target (an iodinated contrast media) irradiated by 90 kVp X-rays. We imagine its application in a novel radiation synovectomy technique, modelled by a phantom containing a reservoir of I{sub 2} molecules at the interface of which the doped silica dosimeters are located. Measurements outside of the iodine photoelectron range are provided for using a stepped-design that allows insertion of the fibres within the phantom. Monte Carlo simulation (MCNPX) is used for verification. At the phantom medium I{sub 2}-interface additional photoelectron generation is observed, {approx}60% above that in the absence of the I{sub 2}, simulations providing agreement to within 3%. Percentage depth doses measured away from the iodine contrast medium reservoir are bounded by published PDDs at 80 kVp and 100 kVp. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Triangle Studies of dosimetric characteristic of commercially available doped silica optical fibres. Black-Right-Pointing-Triangle Investigation of the potential of the dosimeter in dose enhancement measurement. Black-Right-Pointing-Triangle Use of photoelectron dose enhancement as might be applied in radiation synovectomy. Black-Right-Pointing-Triangle Measurement of the percentage depth dose recorded by Ge-doped silica optical fibres. Black-Right-Pointing-Triangle The Monte Carlo simulation provides comparison against measured data.

  1. Dopant concentration and thermoluminescence (TL) properties of tailor-made Ge-doped SiO2 fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zahaimi, Nurul Arina; Ooi Abdullah, Mohd Haris Ridzuan; Zin, Hafiz; Abdul Rahman, Ahmad Lutfi; Hashim, Suhairul; Saripan, Mohd Iqbal; Paul, Mukul Chandra; Bradley, D.A.; Abdul Rahman, Ahmad Taufek

    2014-01-01

    Study focuses on characterisation of diverse concentrations of Ge-doped SiO 2 fibre as a potential thermoluminescence (TL) system for radiotherapy dosimetry. Irradiations were made using a linear accelerator providing 6 MV and 10 MV photon beams. Investigation has been done on various doped core diameter Ge-doped SiO 2 glass fibres such as commercial telecommunication fibres of 8 µm and 9 µm (CorActive High Tech, Canada), tailor-made fibres of 23 and 50 µm produced by the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute Kolkata, and tailor-made fibres of 11 µm produced by the University of Malaya Photonics Research Centre. The fibres have been characterised for TL sensitivity, reproducibility, dose- and energy-dependence. The area under the TL glow curve increases with increasing core diameter. For repeat irradiations at a fixed dose the dosimeter produces a flat response better than 4% (1SD) of the mean of the TL distribution. Minimal TL signal fading was found, less than 0.5% per day post irradiation. Linearity of TL has been observed with a correlation coefficient (r 2 ) of better than 0.980 (at 95% confidence level). For particular dopant concentrations, the least square fits show the change in TL yield, in counts per second per unit mass, obtained from 50 µm core diameter fibres irradiated at 6 MV of photon to be 8 times greater than that of 8 µm core diameter fibre. With respect to energy response, the TL yield at 10 MV decreases by∼5% compared to that at 6 MV, primarily due to the lower mass energy absorption coefficient at higher photon energy. These early results indicate that selectively screened fibres can be developed into a promising TL system, offering high spatial resolution capability and, with this, verification of complex radiotherapy dose distributions. - Highlights: • We examined the TL glow curve intensity for various diameter sizes of germanium doped silica glass fibre. • TL sensitivity increased with the increase of fibre core

  2. Radiation hardening in sol-gel derived Er3+-doped silica glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hari Babu, B.; León Pichel, Mónica; Ollier, Nadège; El Hamzaoui, Hicham; Bigot, Laurent; Savelii, Inna; Bouazaoui, Mohamed; Poumellec, Bertrand; Lancry, Matthieu; Ibarra, Angel

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present paper is to report the effect of radiation on the Er 3+ -doped sol-gel silica glasses. A possible application of these sol-gel glasses could be their use in harsh radiation environments. The sol-gel glasses are fabricated by densification of erbium salt-soaked nanoporous silica xerogels through polymeric sol-gel technique. The radiation-induced attenuation of Er 3+ -doped sol-gel silica is found to increase with erbium content. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies reveal the presence of E′ δ point defects. This happens in the sol-gel aluminum-silica glass after an exposure to γ-rays (kGy) and in sol-gel silica glass after an exposure to electrons (MGy). The concentration levels of these point defects are much lower in γ-ray irradiated sol-gel silica glasses. When the samples are co-doped with Al, the exposure to γ-ray radiation causes a possible reduction of the erbium valence from Er 3+ to Er 2+ ions. This process occurs in association with the formation of aluminum oxygen hole centers and different intrinsic point defects

  3. RT Self-assembly of Silica Nanoparticles on Optical Fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Canning, John; Lindoy, Lachlan; Huyang, George

    2013-01-01

    The room temperature deposition of self-assembling silica nanoparticles onto D-shaped optical fibres x201c;D-fibrex201d;), drawn from milled preforms fabricated by modified chemical vapor deposition, is studied and preliminary results reported here.......The room temperature deposition of self-assembling silica nanoparticles onto D-shaped optical fibres x201c;D-fibrex201d;), drawn from milled preforms fabricated by modified chemical vapor deposition, is studied and preliminary results reported here....

  4. Flat Ge-doped optical fibres for food irradiation dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noor, N. Mohd; Jusoh, M. A. [Department of Imaging, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor (Malaysia); Razis, A. F. Abdull [Food Safety Research Centre, Faculty of Food Science and Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor (Malaysia); Laboratory of UPM-MAKNA Cancer Research, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor (Malaysia); Alawiah, A. [Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, 75450 Malacca (Malaysia); Bradley, D. A. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Department of Physics, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2015-04-24

    Exposing food to radiation can improve hygiene quality, germination control, retard sprouting, and enhance physical attributes of the food product. To provide for food safety, radiation dosimetry in irradiated food is required. Herein, fabricated germanium doped (Ge-doped) optical fibres have been used. The fibres have been irradiated using a gamma source irradiator, doses in the range 1 kGy to 10 kGy being delivered. Using Ge-doped optical fibres of variable size, type and dopant concentration, study has been made of linearity, reproducibility, and fading. The thermoluminescence (TL) yield of the fibres were obtained and compared. The fibres exhibit a linear dose response over the investigated range of doses, with mean reproducibility to within 2.69 % to 8.77 %, exceeding the dose range of all commercial dosimeters used in evaluating high doses for the food irradiation industry. TL fading of the Ge-doped flat fibres has been found to be < 13%.

  5. Flat Ge-doped optical fibres for food irradiation dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noor, N. Mohd; Jusoh, M. A.; Razis, A. F. Abdull; Alawiah, A.; Bradley, D. A.

    2015-01-01

    Exposing food to radiation can improve hygiene quality, germination control, retard sprouting, and enhance physical attributes of the food product. To provide for food safety, radiation dosimetry in irradiated food is required. Herein, fabricated germanium doped (Ge-doped) optical fibres have been used. The fibres have been irradiated using a gamma source irradiator, doses in the range 1 kGy to 10 kGy being delivered. Using Ge-doped optical fibres of variable size, type and dopant concentration, study has been made of linearity, reproducibility, and fading. The thermoluminescence (TL) yield of the fibres were obtained and compared. The fibres exhibit a linear dose response over the investigated range of doses, with mean reproducibility to within 2.69 % to 8.77 %, exceeding the dose range of all commercial dosimeters used in evaluating high doses for the food irradiation industry. TL fading of the Ge-doped flat fibres has been found to be < 13%

  6. Photo darkening of rare earth doped silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mattsson, Kent Erik

    2011-01-01

    /2/11/2 chemical bond is formed on dioxasilirane which comprises the PD color center for the visible and near-infrared. Difference in solid acidity of the silica material co-doped with Yb/Al and Yb/P may explain the observed difference in spectral shapes by change of bond order to the formed chemical bond. © 2011...

  7. Self-Q-switched ytterbium-doped cladding-pumped fibre laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grukh, Dmitrii A; Kurkov, Andrei S; Razdobreev, I M; Fotiadi, A A

    2002-01-01

    A self-Q-switched ytterbium-doped double-clad fibre laser is described. A samarium-doped fibre is used as a filter for protecting a pump source. A fibre coupler is employed to obtain a nonlinear feedback. The mechanism of pulse formation in the laser is considered, and the dependence of its output pulse on the coupler parameters is studied. (solitons and optical fibers)

  8. High-performace cladding-pumped erbium-doped fibre laser and amplifier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kotov, L V; Likhachev, M E; Bubnov, M M; Medvedkov, O I; Lipatov, D S; Vechkanov, N N; Guryanov, Aleksei N

    2012-01-01

    We report cladding-pumped erbium-doped fibre laser and amplifier configurations. Through fibre design optimisation, we have achieved a record-high laser slope efficiency, 40 % with respect to absorbed pump power (λ = 976 nm), and an output power of 7.5 W. The erbium-doped fibre amplifier efficiency reaches 32 %.

  9. Study on the Sensing Coating of the Optical Fibre CO2 Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karol Wysokiński

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Optical fibre carbon dioxide (CO2 sensors are reported in this article. The principle of operation of the sensors relies on the absorption of light transmitted through the fibre by a silica gel coating containing active dyes, including methyl red, thymol blue and phenol red. Stability of the sensor has been investigated for the first time for an absorption based CO2 optical fiber sensor. Influence of the silica gel coating thickness on the sensitivity and response time has also been studied. The impact of temperature and humidity on the sensor performance has been examined too. Response times of reported sensors are very short and reach 2–3 s, whereas the sensitivity of the sensor ranges from 3 to 10 for different coating thicknesses. Reported parameters make the sensor suitable for indoor and industrial use.

  10. Phosphate-core silica-clad Er/Yb-doped optical fiber and cladding pumped laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egorova, O N; Semjonov, S L; Velmiskin, V V; Yatsenko, Yu P; Sverchkov, S E; Galagan, B I; Denker, B I; Dianov, E M

    2014-04-07

    We present a composite optical fiber with a Er/Yb co-doped phosphate-glass core in a silica glass cladding as well as cladding pumped laser. The fabrication process, optical properties, and lasing parameters are described. The slope efficiency under 980 nm cladding pumping reached 39% with respect to the absorbed pump power and 28% with respect to the coupled pump power. Due to high doping level of the phosphate core optimal length was several times shorter than that of silica core fibers.

  11. Multimode laser emission from dye-doped hollow polymer optical fibre

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-09

    Feb 9, 2014 ... Dye-doped polymer optical fibre preforms were fabricated by the controlled polymeriza- tion of Rh B-doped methyl methacrylate (MMA). Hole in the preform can be achieved by placing a teflon rod on the centre of the glass tube during the polymerization. Final fibre structure with required diameter was ...

  12. Characterization of Ge-doped optical fibres for MV radiotherapy dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noor, Noramaliza M.; Hussein, M.; Kadni, T.; Bradley, D.A.; Nisbet, A.

    2014-01-01

    Ge-doped optical fibres offer promising thermoluminescence (TL) properties together with small physical size and modest cost. Their use as dosimeters for postal radiotherapy dose audits of megavoltage photon beams has been investigated. Key dosimetric characteristics including reproducibility, linearity, dose rate, temperature and angular dependence have been established. A methodology of measuring absorbed dose under reference conditions was developed. The Ge-doped optical fibres offer linearity between TL yield and dose, with a reproducibility of better than 5%, following repeated measurements (n=5) for doses from 5 cGy to 1000 cGy. The fibres also offer dose rate, angular and temperature independence, while an energy-dependent response of 7% was found over the energy range 6 MV to 15 MV (TPR 20,10 of 0.660, 0.723 and 0.774 for 6, 10 and 15 MV respectively). The audit methodology has been developed with an expanded uncertainty of 4.22% at 95% confidence interval for the photon beams studied. - Highlights: • We investigate dosimetric characteristics of commercial Ge-doped optical fibres. • We develop audit methodology for measuring absorbed dose under reference conditions. • Ge-doped optical fibres offer promising thermoluminescence (TL) properties. • Audit methodology has been developed with an expanded uncertainty of 4.22%

  13. Effect of silver nanoparticles on the dielectric properties of holmium doped silica glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rejikumar, P.R.; Jyothy, P.V.; Mathew, Siby; Thomas, Vinoy; Unnikrishnan, N.V.

    2010-01-01

    The effect of silver nanoparticle co-doping on the dielectric properties of holmium doped silica glasses was studied. Silver nanoparticles of size between 20 and 22 nm were produced by the sol-gel technique. One of the samples showed an icosahedral morphology of the nanocrystal formed, along with spherical morphology. It was found that the tuning of the dielectric constant values could be accomplished by co-doping. The sample, with 1 wt% of Ho, had low dielectric constant values within the range 100 Hz-3 MHz due to the formation of quasi-molecular structures of holmium. This effect was evaded to some extent with silver co-doping as a result of the interdispersion of holmium complexes. Also it was found that the co-doping produced a higher dielectric loss which was calculated from the tan δ-log f graph. The Cole-Cole parameters and the Jonscher power law parameters were also calculated and are presented.

  14. All-fibre Q-switching YDFL operation with bismuth-doped fibre as saturable absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, A. R.; Haris, H.; Arof, H.; Tan, S. J.; Ahmad, M. T.; Harun, S. W.

    2018-05-01

    We demonstrate the generation of a passively Q-switched ytterbium-doped fibre laser (YDFL) using a bismuth-doped fibre (BDF) as a solid-state fibre saturable absorber (FSA) in a ring cavity. The BDF used has a wide and low absorption band of 5 dB/m at the 1.0 μm region due to the ion transition of ? that occurs around the region. When introduced into a YDFL laser cavity, a stable Q-switched pulse operation was observed and the pulse repetition rate was proportional to the input pump power. It was limited to 72.99 kHz by the maximum power that the laser diode could supply. Meanwhile, the pulse width decreased from 12.22 to 4.85 μs as the pump power was increased from 215.6 to 475.6 mW. The finding suggests that BDF could be used as a potential SA for the development of robust, compact, efficient and low cost Q-switched fibre lasers operating at 1 micron region.

  15. Establishment of Ge-doped optical fibres as thermoluminescence dosimeters for brachytherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Issa, Fatma; Abdul Rahman, A.T.; Hugtenburg, Richard P.; Bradley, David A.; Nisbet, Andrew

    2012-01-01

    This study aims to establish the sensitive, ∼120 μm high spatial resolution, high dynamic range Ge-doped optical fibres as thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeters for brachytherapy dose distribution. This requires investigation to accommodate sensitivity of detection, both for the possibility of short range dose deposition from beta components as well as gamma/x-mediated dose. In-air measurements are made at distances close to radionuclide sources, evaluating the fall off in dose along the transverse axis of 133 Ba and 60 Co radioactive sources, at distances from 2 mm up to 20 mm from their midpoints. Measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo code DOSRZnrc simulations for photon-mediated dose only, agreement being obtained to within 3% and 1% for the 133 Ba and 60 Co sources, respectively. As such, in both cases it is determined that as intended, beta dose has been filtered out by source encapsulation. - Highlights: ► We seek to establish Ge-doped optical fibres as TLDs for brachytherapy. ► Dose was evaluated along the central axis of 133 Ba and 60 Co, at 2 mm–20 mm. ► We verify values using DOSRZnrc Monte Carlo code simulations. ► Good agreement is between dose measurements and calculation to within 3% and 1%. ► Methodology is to be used in obtaining doses around 125 I and 192 Ir sources.

  16. Regeneration of irradiated optical fibres by photo-bleaching?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henschel, H.; Koehn, O.

    1999-01-01

    It is known that a light power between 0,1 and 20 μW caused bleaching of colour centres, which implies a reduction of induced loss. Older fibres especially those with a core made of undoped, low OH silica, experience tremendous photo-bleaching. Light of shorter wavelengths has a higher bleaching efficiency than that of longer wavelengths and same light intensity. The investigations have demonstrated that the injection of photo-bleaching light of shorter wavelength and higher intensity can distinctly decrease the radiation-induced loss of Ge-doped fibres, especially at low temperatures. Another possibility to apply photo-bleaching by short wavelength is to regenerate fibres that are permanently installed in radiation environments. Modern undoped multi-mode (MM) step index (Si), Ge-doped MM graded index (Gi) and Ge-doped single-mode (SM) fibres that had been irradiated were submitted to bleaching light. In this article it is shown how loss reduction and necessary bleaching time depend on wavelength and intensity of the bleaching light, on fibre length (bleaching time) and on radiation dose. These results are promising for the regeneration of optical fibres in facilities where the fibres cannot be replaced easily by new ones. (A.C.)

  17. Bismuth-doped fibre amplifier operating between 1600 and 1800 nm

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Firstov, S V; Alyshev, S V; Riumkin, K E; Mel' kumov, M A; Dianov, E M [Fiber Optics Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Khopin, V F; Gurjanov, A N [G.G.Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Novgorod (Russian Federation)

    2015-12-31

    We report the first bismuth-doped fibre amplifier operating between 1600 and 1800 nm, which utilises bidirectional pumping (co-propagating and counter-propagating pump beams) by laser diodes at a wavelength of 1550 nm. The largest gain coefficient of the amplifier is 23 dB, at a wavelength of 1710 nm. It has a noise figure of 7 dB, 3-dB gain bandwidth of 40 nm and gain efficiency of 0.1 dB mW{sup -1}. (letters)

  18. Establishment of Ge-doped optical fibres as thermoluminescence dosimeters for brachytherapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Issa, Fatma, E-mail: f.issa@surrey.ac.uk [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Department of Radiotherapy, Tripoli Medical Centre (TMC), Tripoli (Libya); Abdul Rahman, A.T. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); School of Physics and Material Studies, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malaysia, Campus of Negeri Sembilan, 72000 Kuala Pilah (Malaysia); Hugtenburg, Richard P. [Department of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg UHB and School of Medicine, Swansea University, Swansea, SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Bradley, David A. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Department of Radiological Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11432 (Saudi Arabia); Nisbet, Andrew [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Department of Medical Physics, Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Guildford, GU2 7XX (United Kingdom)

    2012-07-15

    This study aims to establish the sensitive, {approx}120 {mu}m high spatial resolution, high dynamic range Ge-doped optical fibres as thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeters for brachytherapy dose distribution. This requires investigation to accommodate sensitivity of detection, both for the possibility of short range dose deposition from beta components as well as gamma/x-mediated dose. In-air measurements are made at distances close to radionuclide sources, evaluating the fall off in dose along the transverse axis of {sup 133}Ba and {sup 60}Co radioactive sources, at distances from 2 mm up to 20 mm from their midpoints. Measurements have been compared with Monte Carlo code DOSRZnrc simulations for photon-mediated dose only, agreement being obtained to within 3% and 1% for the {sup 133}Ba and {sup 60}Co sources, respectively. As such, in both cases it is determined that as intended, beta dose has been filtered out by source encapsulation. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We seek to establish Ge-doped optical fibres as TLDs for brachytherapy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Dose was evaluated along the central axis of {sup 133}Ba and {sup 60}Co, at 2 mm-20 mm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We verify values using DOSRZnrc Monte Carlo code simulations. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Good agreement is between dose measurements and calculation to within 3% and 1%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Methodology is to be used in obtaining doses around {sup 125}I and {sup 192}Ir sources.

  19. Radiation resistance of GeO2-doped silica core optical fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibata, Shuichi; Nakahara, Motohiro; Omori, Yasuharu

    1985-01-01

    Effects of hlogen addition to silica glass on the loss in optical fibers are examined by using halogen-free, chlorine-containing and fluorine-containing GeO 2 -doped silica core optical fibers. Measurements are made for dependence of induced loss in these optical fibers on various factors such as wavelength and total dose of gamma radiation as well as GeO 2 content. Ultraviolet absorption spectra are also observed. In addition, effects of halogens added to pure silica fibers are considered on the basis of Raman spectra of three different optical fibers (pure, F-doped, and F- and GeO 2 -codoped silica core). Thus, it is concluded that (1) addition of halogens (F and Cl) serves to decrease GeO defects and Ge(3) defects in GeO 2 -doped silica optical fibers ; (2) addition of halogens suppresses the increase in loss in GeO 2 -doped silica optical fibers induced by gamma radiation ; and (3) there are close relations between the increase in loss induced by gamma radiation and defects originally existing in the fibers. Effects of halogens added to GeO 2 -doped and pure silica optical fibers can be explained on the basis of the latter relations. (Nogami, K.)

  20. High-power Yb-doped continuous-wave and pulsed fibre lasers

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-01-05

    Jan 5, 2014 ... In this article, a review of Yb-doped CW and pulsed fibre lasers along with our study on self-pulsing dynamics in CW fibre lasers to find its role in high-power fibre laser development and the physical ... Solid State Laser Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452 013, India ...

  1. Dynamic population gratings in rare-earth-doped optical fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stepanov, Serguei [Optics Department, CICESE, km.107 carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, 22860, BC (Mexico)], E-mail: steps@cicese.mx

    2008-11-21

    Dynamic Bragg gratings can be recorded in rare-earth (e.g. Er, Yb) doped optical fibres by two counter-propagating mutually coherent laser waves via local saturation of the fibre optical absorption or gain (in optically pumped fibres). Typical recording cw light power needed for efficient grating formation is of sub-mW-mW scale which results in characteristic recording/erasure times of 10-0.1 ms. This review paper discusses fundamental aspects of the population grating formation, their basic properties, relating wave-mixing processes and also considers different applications of these dynamic gratings in single-frequency fibre lasers, tunable filters, optical fibre sensors and adaptive interferometry.

  2. Dynamic population gratings in rare-earth-doped optical fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stepanov, Serguei

    2008-01-01

    Dynamic Bragg gratings can be recorded in rare-earth (e.g. Er, Yb) doped optical fibres by two counter-propagating mutually coherent laser waves via local saturation of the fibre optical absorption or gain (in optically pumped fibres). Typical recording cw light power needed for efficient grating formation is of sub-mW-mW scale which results in characteristic recording/erasure times of 10-0.1 ms. This review paper discusses fundamental aspects of the population grating formation, their basic properties, relating wave-mixing processes and also considers different applications of these dynamic gratings in single-frequency fibre lasers, tunable filters, optical fibre sensors and adaptive interferometry.

  3. The thermoluminescence response of Ge-doped flat fibre for proton beam measurements: A preliminary study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hassan, M F; Fadzil, M S Ahmad; Noor, N Mohd; Abdul Rahman, W N Wan; Tominaga, T; Geso, M; Akasaka, H; Bradley, D A

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the thermoluminescence (TL) response of fabricated 2.3 mol% and 6.0 mol% germanium (Ge) doped flat optical fibres to proton irradiation. The fundamental dosimetric characteristics of the fibres have been investigated including dose linearity, reproducibility and fading. The thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were used as a reference dosimeter to allow the relative response of the fibres. The results show that Ge-doped flat fibres offer excellent dose linearity over the dose range from 1 Gy up to 10 Gy with correlation of determination (R 2 ) of 0.99. The fibres also demonstrated good reproducibility within the standard deviation (SD) of 0.86% to 6.41%. After 96 days post-irradiation, TLD-100 chips gave rise to the least loss in TL signal at around 18% followed by fabricated 2.3 mol% Ge-doped flat fibres about 24%. This preliminary study has demonstrated that the proposed fabricated Ge-doped flat fibre offers a promising potential for use in proton beam measurements. (paper)

  4. Effect of the preform fabrication process on the properties of all-silica optical fibres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grishchenko, A. B.

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, we present a detailed comparison of technical capabilities of processes for the fabrication of all-silica optical fibre preforms with the use of an atmospheric pressure radio frequency plasma (POVD process) and low-pressure microwave plasma (PCVD process) and analyse the origin of the difference in optical properties between fibres produced by these methods. It is shown that the higher temperature of the core material and the higher oxygen partial pressure in preform fabrication by the POVD process lead to an increase in optical losses in the visible and UV spectral regions in the silica fibres with low hydroxyl (OH) content and a decrease in the solarisation resistance of the fibres with high OH content, i.e. to a more rapid increase in background losses in response to UV irradiation. No such drawbacks are detected in the case of the growth of reflective layers by the PCVD process.

  5. Inverted opal luminescent Ce-doped silica glasses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Scotti

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Inverted opal Ce-doped silica glasses (Ce : Si molar ratio 1 ⋅ 10−3 were prepared by a sol-gel method using opals of latex microspheres as templates. The rare earth is homogeneously dispersed in silica host matrix, as evidenced by the absence of segregated CeO2, instead present in monolithic Ce-doped SG with the same cerium content. This suggests that the nanometric dimensions of bridges and junctions of the host matrix in the inverted opal structures favor the RE distribution avoiding the possible segregation of CeO2.

  6. Experimental demonstration of the switching dose-rate method on doped optical fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, J.; Myara, M.; Troussellier, L.; Régnier, E.; Burov, E.; Gilard, O.; Sottom, M.; Signoret, P.

    2017-11-01

    Optical technology developed for ground and submarine telecommunications is becoming of strong interest for next generation satellites. In addition to inter-satellite laser communications and LIDAR's, new applications are being considered such as on-board distribution and processing of microwave signals, fiber sensors or gyroscopes as well. Whereas common optical / optoelectronic components are known to be weakly sensitive to radiations, the essential optical amplifiers are strongly degraded in such an environment because of the RIA (Radio-Induced-Absorption) experienced by the Erbium-Doped Fiber (EDF) itself [1-3]. This degradation is mainly caused by the presence of co-doping ions, such as Aluminium or Germanium, inserted in the fibre to assist the inclusion of the Erbium ions in the silica matrix or to provide to the optical fibre its guiding properties.

  7. Detecting plant silica fibres in animal tissue by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodson, M J; Smith, R J; van Blaaderen, A; Crafton, T; O'Neill, C H

    1994-04-01

    Silica fibres from the inflorescence bracts of the grass Phalaris canariensis L. cause dermatitis, and have been implicated in the aetiology of oesophageal cancer in northeastern Iran. Here we describe a method for labelling these fibres so that they can be located in mammalian tissue. Fluorescein was covalently linked to isolated, purified fibres with the silane coupling agent 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane. The labelled hairs were then rubbed into the backs of mice. These were later killed and their skin fixed, stained and sliced at a thickness of 250 microns. A confocal laser scanning microscope gave brilliant images of the fibres at any depth up to 100 microns or more beneath the surface of the slice. Fibres penetrated deeply into the dermis. Several cubic millimetres of tissue could be surveyed in 1 h. The number of fibres present was approximately 2 mm-3 initially, falling to 0.1 mm-3 after 7 days.

  8. Preparation and spectroscopic properties of Yb-doped and Yb-Al-codoped high silica glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiao Yanbo; Wen Lei; Wu Botao; Ren Jinjun; Chen Danping; Qiu Jianrong

    2008-01-01

    Yb-doped and Yb-Al-codoped high silica glasses have been prepared by sintering nanoporous glasses. The absorption, fluorescent spectra and fluorescent lifetimes have been measured and the emission cross-section and minimum pump intensities were calculated. Codoping aluminum ions enhanced the fluorescence intensity of Yb-doped high silica glass obviously. The emission cross-sections of Yb-doped and Yb-Al-codoped high silica glasses were 0.65 and 0.82 pm 2 , respectively. The results show that Yb-Al-codoped high silica glass has better spectroscopic properties for a laser material. The study of high silica glass doped with ytterbium is helpful for its application in Yb laser systems, especially for high-power and high-repetition lasers

  9. Thulium-doped fibre broadband source for spectral region near 2 micrometers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Písařík, Michael; Peterka, P.; Aubrecht, J.; Cajzl, J.; Benda, A.; Mareš, D.; Todorov, F.; Podrazký, O.; Honzatko, P.; Kašík, I.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 24, č. 4 (2016), s. 223-231 ISSN 1230-3402 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : fibre lasers * amplified spontaneous emission * thulium-doped fibres Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers OBOR OECD: Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics) Impact factor: 1.449, year: 2016

  10. New radiation-induced effects in optical fibres feasible for dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomashuk, A.L.; Golant, K.M.; Dianov, E.M.; Nikolin, I.V.; Zakharkin, I.I.; Stepanov, V.A.

    1999-01-01

    Three new radiation-induced effects in silica optical fibres suitable for dosimetry are proposed: 1) in fibres with a high-OH cladding and a low-OH core, ionizing radiation disrupts the O-H bonds to let hydrogen diffuse into the core. This results in an increase in the OH-group absorption band amplitude, 2) the polymers used to coat optical fibres consist of hydrogen to the extent of about 50 %. Energetic neutrons produce recoil protons in the fibre coating, which can ''stick'' in the core, turn into hydrogen, and enter the glass network in the form of OH-group, and 3) in N-doped silica fibres irradiated with thermal neutrons, the following reaction 7 N 14 ( 0 n 1 , 1 p 1 ) 6 C 14 occurs and produces protons with energy 620 keV. With this energy, propagation length of protons in silica is 7 μm which means that the escape of protons from a 50 μm core is very weak. In fact all 3 effects lead to the irreversible increase in the OH-group absorption bands, which is proportional to the absorbed dose. With the help of these effects, temperature and dose-rate independent measurements of high doses become possible

  11. The three-electron bond =Sidoped silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mattsson, Kent Erik

    2013-01-01

    The formation and bleaching of color centers during annealing of pre-darkened ytterbium-doped silica fibers is modeled by three-electron bond (TEB) = Si... bonds is described in terms of a Markov statistical model with state change set by Bose-Einstein phonon statistics. The center hold one terminal and four active states with activation energies for transitions among these found to match bond energies of molecular oxygen in ionic character bonds of 1...... and 1½ bond order. Experimentally observed in- and decrease in absorption during ramp and isothermal annealing of pre-darkened ytterbium co-doped silica fibers are hereby matched by a set of = Si

  12. Embedding silica and polymer fibre Bragg gratings (FBG) in plastic 3D-printed sensing patches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zubel, Michal G.; Sugden, Kate; Webb, David J.

    2016-01-01

    This paper reports the first demonstration of a silica fibre Bragg grating (SOFBG) embedded in an FDM 3-D printed housing to yield a dual grating temperature-compensated strain sensor. We also report the first ever integration of polymer fibre Bragg grating (POFBG) within a 3-D printed sensing...

  13. Photon Irradiation Response on Ge and Al-Doped SiO2 Optical Fibres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yaakob, Nor Haliza; Wagiran, Husin; Ramli, Ahmad Termizi; Ali, Hassan; Asni, Hazila

    2010-07-01

    Recently, research groups have reported a number of radiation effects on the applications of SiO2 optical fibres with possible use as dosimeter material because these optical fibre provide a good basis for medical radiation dosimetry. The objective of this study is to investigate the thermoluminescence response and fading characteristic for germanium and aluminium doped SiO2 optical fibres with photon irradiation. These optical fibres are placed in solid phantom and irradiated to 6 and 10 MV photon beam at dose ranging from 0.06 Gy to 0.24 Gy using Primus MLC 3339 linear accelerator at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru. In fading studies, the TL measurements were continued up to 14 days period. The optical fibres will produce glow curves whereby the information is then analyzed. Al and Ge-doped optical fibres have a linear dose-TL signal relationship that is proportionality between the TL signal and the doses. Comparison for TL response between different linear accelerator showed a good agreement because these optical fibres also have a linear dose-TL signal relationship even using different equipments.

  14. Plasmonic properties and enhanced fluorescence of gold and dye-doped silica nanoparticle aggregates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Nathaniel Scott

    The development of metal-enhanced fluorescence has prompted a great interest in augmenting the photophysical properties of fluorescent molecules with noble metal nanostructures. Our research efforts, outlined in this dissertation, focus on augmenting properties of fluorophores by conjugation with gold nanostructures. The project goals are split into two separate efforts; the enhancement in brightness of fluorophores and long distance non-radiative energy transfer between fluorophores. We believe that interacting dye-doped silica nanoparticles with gold nanoparticles can facilitate both of these phenomena. Our primary research interest is focused on optimizing brightness, as this goal should open a path to studying the second goal of non-radiative energy transfer. The two major challenges to this are constructing suitable nanomaterials and functionalizing them to promote plasmonically active complexes. The synthesis of dye-doped layered silica nanoparticles allows for control over the discrete location of the dye and a substrate that can be surface functionalized. Controlling the exact location of the dye is important to create a silica spacer, which promotes productive interactions with metal nanostructures. Furthermore, the synthesis of silica nanoparticles allows for various fluorophores to be studied in similar environments (removing solvent and other chemo-sensitive issues). Functionalizing the surface of silica nanoparticles allows control over the degree of silica and gold nanoparticle aggregation in solution. Heteroaggregation in solution is useful for producing well-aggregated clusters of many gold around a single silica nanoparticle. The dye-doped surface functionalized silica nanoparticles can than be mixed efficiently with gold nanomaterials. Aggregating multiple gold nanospheres around a single dye-doped silica nanoparticle can dramatically increase the fluorescent brightness of the sample via metal-enhanced fluorescence due to increase plasmonic

  15. ytterbium- & erbium-doped silica for planar waveguide lasers & amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyndgaard, Morten Glarborg

    2001-01-01

    The purpose of this work was to demonstrate ytterbium doped planar components and investigate the possibilities of making erbium/ytterbium codoped planar waveguides in germano-silica glass. Furthermore, tools for modelling lasers and erbium/ytterbium doped amplifiers. The planar waveguides were...

  16. Biogenic silica fibre promotes carcinogenesis in mouse skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatt, T; Coombs, M; O'Neill, C

    1984-10-15

    Silica fibres derived from plants are common contaminants of human diet in certain regions of the world where oesophageal cancer reaches extremely high incidences. We show here that one of these types of fibre (derived from Phalaris canariensis L) promotes the occurrence of tumours in the skin of mice initiated with a polycyclic carcinogen. Three experiments are described. In the first, the grain which bears these fibres was added to the diet. This did not result in any abnormality in any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but there was a significant induction of tumours in the skin around the mouth and nose; these were the areas of the body surface which most frequently came into contact with the grain. In the second experiment, the mice were separated from the grain by an intervening wire gauze barrier; a similar number of tumours appeared on initiated mice treated in this way. In this case, contact now occurred most frequently on the dorsal surface, which was rubbed against the gauze barrier, and it was on this surface that the tumours appeared. No tumours appeared if the grain was removed. In the third experiment, pure fibres were isolated from the surface of the grain and boiled in strong nitric acid so as to remove any organic material. When these acid-cleaned fibres were applied to the initiated skin with light pressure, they promoted carcinogenesis in the same way as croton oil. In each experiment the majority of tumours produced were benign neoplasms, together with at least one squamous carcinoma. It seems possible that the size and shape of these fibres are the critical properties determining their promoting activity. Their mean diameter is 15 microns, their modal length close to 200 microns, and they are sharply pointed with a tip diameter of 0.5 micron.

  17. Fibre amplifier based on an ytterbium-doped active tapered fibre for the generation of megawatt peak power ultrashort optical pulses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koptev, M Yu; Anashkina, E A; Lipatov, D S; Andrianov, A V; Muravyev, S V; Kim, A V [Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Bobkov, K K; Likhachev, M E; Levchenko, A E; Aleshkina, S S; Semjonov, S L; Denisov, A N; Bubnov, M M [Fiber Optics Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Laptev, A Yu; Gur' yanov, A N [G.G.Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Novgorod (Russian Federation)

    2015-05-31

    We report a new ytterbium-doped active tapered fibre used in the output amplifier stage of a fibre laser system for the generation of megawatt peak power ultrashort pulses in the microjoule energy range. The tapered fibre is single-mode at its input end (core and cladding diameters of 10 and 80 μm) and multimode at its output end (diameters of 45 and 430 μm), but ultrashort pulses are amplified in a quasi-single-mode regime. Using a hybrid Er/Yb fibre system comprising an erbium master oscillator and amplifier at a wavelength near 1.5 μm, a nonlinear wavelength converter to the 1 μm range and a three-stage ytterbium-doped fibre amplifier, we obtained pulses of 1 μJ energy and 7 ps duration, which were then compressed by a grating-pair dispersion compressor with 60% efficiency to a 130 fs duration, approaching the transform-limited pulse duration. The present experimental data agree well with numerical simulation results for pulse amplification in the threestage amplifier. (extreme light fields and their applications)

  18. Preparation of acridine orange-doped silica nanoparticles for pH measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Jinshui; Zang, Lingjie; Wang, Yiru; Liu, Guoning

    2014-01-01

    Acridine orange was first encapsulated into silica shell via a facile reverse microemusion method to built core–shell fluorescent nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are all in spherical shape and have a narrow size distribution, and its application as a optical pH sensor has been demonstrated. This novel sensor is based on the pH-dependent fluorescence intensities of acridine orange in different pH value. The fluorescence intensity of acridine orange-doped silica nanoparticles was decreased by increasing pH value. Under optimum conditions, the changes of fluorescence intensity were proportional to the pH value in the range of 8.00–10.90. In addition, the sensor can be easily separated by centrifugation and adds no pollution to the environment compared to the free dyes. Furthermore, the effects of ionic strength and co-existing substances were proved to have little influence on the determination of pH. The sensor has been successfully applied to determine the pH of two artificial samples. Hence, the core–shell fluorescent nanoparticles show potential for practical application. -- Highlights: • Acridine orange was encapsulated into silica shell via a facile reverse microemusion method to built core–shell fluorescent nanoparticles. • The fluorescence intensity of acridine orange-doped silica nanoparticles was decreased by increasing pH value. • Its can be used as an optical pH sensor. • The sensor can be easily separated by centrifugation and adds no pollution to the environment compared to the free dyes. • The sensor has been successfully applied to determine the pH of artificial samples

  19. Studies on Ytterbium-doped Fibre Laser Operating in Different Regimes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gan, Y; Xiang, W H; Zhang, G Z

    2006-01-01

    An ytterbium-doped fibre laser with a unidirectional ring cavity containing a polarizer placed between two in-line polarization controllers is presented. Depending on an equivalent saturable absorber, this laser operates in continuous, Q-switched mode-locked or CW mode-locked regimes. The passive method described here allowed us to choose the operating regime of the fibre laser by rotating the two polarization controllers and adjusting the pump power. Results of numerical simulations of pulse propagation in such a mode-locked fibre ring laser are presented, which reveals that the Q-switched mode-locked or CW modelocked regimes can be achieved by aligning the polarizer near the slow or the fast axes of the fibre

  20. Thulium-doped fibre broadband source for spectral region near 2 micrometers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Písařík, M.; Peterka, Pavel; Aubrecht, Jan; Cajzl, Jakub; Benda, Adam; Mareš, D.; Todorov, Filip; Podrazký, Ondřej; Honzátko, Pavel; Kašík, Ivan

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 24, č. 4 (2016), s. 223-231 ISSN 1230-3402 R&D Projects: GA MZd(CZ) NV15-33459A Institutional support: RVO:67985882 ; RVO:68378271 Keywords : fibre lasers * amplified spontaneous emission * thulium-doped fibres Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers OBOR OECD: Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics) Impact factor: 1.449, year: 2016

  1. Gamma ray irradiation induced optical band gap variations in silica sol-gel doped sucrose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marzouki, F.; Farah, K.; Hamzaoui, A.H; Ben Ouada, H

    2015-01-01

    The silica xerogels doped sucrose was prepared via sol-gel process and exposed at room temperature to different doses of high energy ("6"0Co) gamma irradiation. Changes in the UV-visible and FTIR spectra of pristine and irradiated xerogels with varying of gamma doses rays show variation in the gap energy. It was found that energy gap of the investigated silica xerogels decreases with increasing the gamma irradiation doses. Thereby the irradiated samples reveal behaviour changes, from an insulator (Eg ∼5,8 eV) towards a semiconductor with (Eg ∼ 3.5 eV).

  2. Cerium-doped scintillating fused-silica fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akchurin, N.; Cowden, C.; Damgov, J.; Dragoiu, C.; Dudero, P.; Faulkner, J.; Kunori, S.

    2018-04-01

    We report on a set of measurements made on (scintillating) cerium-doped fused-silica fibers using high-energy particle beams. These fibers were uniformly embedded in a copper absorber in order to utilize electromagnetic showers as a source of charged particles for generating signals. This new type of cerium-doped fiber potentially offers myriad new applications in calorimeters in high-energy physics, tracking systems, and beam monitoring detectors for future applications. The light yield, pulse shape, attenuation length, and light propagation speeds are given and discussed. Possible future applications are also explored.

  3. Spectral and kinetic analysis of radiation induced optical attenuation in silica: towards intrinsic fibre optic dosimetry?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borgermans, P.

    2002-01-01

    The document is an abstract of a PhD thesis. The PhD work concerns the detailed investigation of the behaviour of optical fibres in radiation fields such as is the case for various nuclear and space application,s. The core of the work concerns the spectral and kinetic analysis of the radiation induced optical attenuation. Models describing underlying physical phenomena, both for the spectral and the time dimensions, have been developed. The potential of silica optical fibre waveguides for intrinsic dosimetry has been assessed by employing specific properties of radiation induced defects in the silica waveguide material

  4. Ultraviolet photoluminescence in Gd-doped silica and phosphosilicate fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. Wang

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Optical fiber lasers operating in the near infrared and visible spectral regions have relied on the spectroscopic properties of rare earth ions such as Yb3+, Er3+, Tm3+, Nd3+, and Sm3+. Here, we investigate Gd3+ doping in phosphosilicate and pure silica fibers using solution doping and sol-gel techniques, respectively, for potential applications in the ultraviolet. Photoluminescence spectra for optical fiber bundles and fiber preforms were recorded and compared. Emissions at 312 nm (phosphosilicate and 314 nm (pure silica were observed when pumping to the Gd3+ 6DJ, 6IJ, and 6PJ = 5/2, 3/2 energy levels. Oxygen deficient center was observed in solution doping sample with a wide absorption band centered at around 248 nm not affecting pumping to 6IJ states.

  5. Single-frequency thulium-doped distributed-feedback fibre laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Agger, Søren; Povlsen, Jørn Hedegaard; Varming, Poul

    2004-01-01

    We have successfully demonstrated a single-frequency distributed-feedback (DFB) thulium-doped silica fiber laser emitting at a wavelength of 1735 nm. The laser cavity is less than 5 cm long and is formed by intracore UV-written Bragg gratings with a phase shift. The laser is pumped at 790 nm from...... a Ti:sapphire laser and has a threshold pump power of 59 mW. The laser has a maximum output power of 1 mW in a singlefrequency, single-polarization radiation mode and is tunable over a few nanometers. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of a single-frequency DFB fiber laser...... that uses thulium as the amplifying medium. The lasing wavelength is the longest demonstrated with DFB fiber lasers and yet is among the shortest obtained for thulium-doped silica fiber lasers....

  6. Characterization of Metal-Doped Methylated Microporous Silica for Molecular Separations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    El-Feky, Hany Hassan; Briceno, Kelly; Szalata, Kamila

    2015-01-01

    Novel silica xerogels are prepared and developed by sol-gel method in the present study. The preparation involves cobalt-doping within the organic templated silica matrices, where methyltriethoxysilane (MTES), which contains methyl groups as a covalently bonded organic template is used. The synth...

  7. Proton irradiation effects on optical attenuation in doped- and pure-silica fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakasai, Kaoru; Bueker, H.; Haesing, F.W.; Pfeiffer, F.

    1999-05-01

    Optical attenuation in doped- and pure-silica fibers was measured at wavelengths of 470 nm, 660 nm, and 850 nm during and after 20 MeV proton irradiation. In the experiment the fibers were arranged on a holder to make one layer' so that uniform proton irradiation can be achieved to them. The induced loss of the doped-silica fiber increased strongly at the beginning of the first irradiation, and decreased slowly after stopping of the beam. In the second irradiation, however, the developed loss was not so large. On the other hand, the loss of the pure-silica fiber increased gradually in the first irradiation, and decreased very quickly after the beam stopped. The loss increased stepwise at the very beginning of the second irradiation. Small luminescence from the fibers during irradiation was observed also. The luminescence of the pure-silica fiber was slightly larger than that of the doped-silica fiber. The induced loss of HCP fibers was also measured when a SiO 2 plate was set in front of the fibers. It may be possible to estimate the proton dose in materials using fiber-optic technique. Proton sensitivities of doped- and pure-silica fibers were, respectively, 1.0 x 10 -10 at 660 nm and 5.5 x 10 -12 at 470 nm in units of (dB/m)/(protons/cm 2 ), where the values were estimated from the slope of the loss growth curves at the beginning of the first irradiation. (author)

  8. Optical Fibre NO2 Sensor Based on Lutetium Bisphthalocyanine in a Mesoporous Silica Matrix

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Debliquy

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article, we describe a NO2 sensor consisting of a coating based on lutetium bisphthalocyanine (LuPc2 in mesoporous silica. The sensor exploits the absorption spectrum change of this material which strongly and reversibly decreases in contact with NO2. NO2 is measured by following the amplitude change in the reflected spectrum of the coating deposited on the tip of a silica fibre. As diffusion of NO2 in LuPc2 is slow, the response time could be slow. To reduce it, the active molecules are dispersed in a mesoporous silica matrix deposited by a sol-gel process (Evaporation Induced Self Assembly avoiding the formation of large crystals. Doing so, the response is fairly fast. As the recovery is slow at room temperature, the recovery time is reduced by exposure to UV light at 365 nm. This UV light is directly introduced in the fibre yielding a practical sensor sensitive to NO2 in the ppm range suitable for pollution monitoring.

  9. Erbium environments in erbium-silicon/silica light emitting nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kashtiban, R J; Bangert, U; Crowe, I F; Halsall, M P

    2011-01-01

    Co-doping of SiO 2 with Si and Er to achieve silica fibre amplifiers has resulted in encouraging levels of light emission, much above those of Er-only doped SiO 2 . However, different fabrication methods, i.e., co-implantion and sequential implantation of Er and Si, has led to several factors difference in light levels. This paper looks into the reasons for these differences by establishing structure and local stoichiometry of the created entities via analytical transmission electron microscopy. In both cases Si-nanocrystals (NCs) have formed in the SiO 2 matrix. In the former case Er-ions are co-located with /integrated within the NCs, in the latter case NCs and Er are separate. By assessing the NCs' internal and interfacial structure with the surrounding material, we attempt to identify chemical/structural Er-phases/defects and their effect on the sensitising efficiency in the Er:Si-NCs system; high resolution phase contrast- and high angle dark field imaging as well as nano-scale spatially resolved electron energy core loss- and plasmon-spectroscopy carried out in an aberration corrected dedicated STEM lend valuable support to these studies.

  10. Effect of the doped fibre length on soliton pulses of a bidirectional mode-locked fibre laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahmad, H; Alwi Kutty, N A; Zulkifli, M Z; Harun, S W [Photonics Research Center (Department of Physics), University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2015-08-31

    A passively bidirectional mode-locked fibre laser is demonstrated using a highly concentrated erbium-doped fibre (EDF) as a gain medium. To accomplish mode-locked operation in a short cavity, use is made of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a saturable absorber. Soliton pulses are obtained at a wavelength of 1560 nm with a repetition rate ranging from 43.92 MHz to 46.97 MHz and pulse width stretching from 0.56 ps to 0.41 ps as the EDF length is reduced from 60 cm to 30 cm. (lasers)

  11. France's State of the Art Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors Qualified for the Monitoring of the French Underground Repository for High Level and Intermediate Level Long Lived Radioactive Wastes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delepine-Lesoille, Sylvie; Girard, Sylvain; Landolt, Marcel; Bertrand, Johan; Planes, Isabelle; Boukenter, Aziz; Marin, Emmanuel; Humbert, Georges; Leparmentier, Stéphanie; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Ouerdane, Youcef

    2017-06-13

    This paper presents the state of the art distributed sensing systems, based on optical fibres, developed and qualified for the French Cigéo project, the underground repository for high level and intermediate level long-lived radioactive wastes. Four main parameters, namely strain, temperature, radiation and hydrogen concentration are currently investigated by optical fibre sensors, as well as the tolerances of selected technologies to the unique constraints of the Cigéo's severe environment. Using fluorine-doped silica optical fibre surrounded by a carbon layer and polyimide coating, it is possible to exploit its Raman, Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering signatures to achieve the distributed sensing of the temperature and the strain inside the repository cells of radioactive wastes. Regarding the dose measurement, promising solutions are proposed based on Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) responses of sensitive fibres such as the P-doped ones. While for hydrogen measurements, the potential of specialty optical fibres with Pd particles embedded in their silica matrix is currently studied for this gas monitoring through its impact on the fibre Brillouin signature evolution.

  12. Damping and tuning of the fibre violin modes in monolithic silica suspensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gossler, S; Cagnoli, G; Crooks, D R M; Lueck, H; Rowan, S; Smith, J R; Strain, K A; Hough, J; Danzmann, K

    2004-01-01

    High Q mirror suspensions are a key element of the advanced interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. In December 2002 the last of the final interferometer optics of GEO 600 were monolithically suspended, using fused silica fibres. The violin modes of the suspension fibres can have Q greater than 10 8 and can therefore interfere with the interferometer length control servo. Hence, the violin modes need to be damped, without degrading the pendulum Q itself. Furthermore, the frequency spread of the fibres used has to be small to allow for high Q notch filtering in the length control servo. The requirements for the violin modes of the two GEO 600 inboard suspensions are Q 6 for the fundamental and Q 6 for the first harmonic mode, respectively. The frequency spread should not exceed 10% within one mode. To accomplish that, two sections of the fibres were coated with amorphous Teflon. By applying the coating, the Q of the relevant modes can be degraded to the desired values and furthermore, the frequencies of these modes can be tuned almost independently with a good accuracy over a wide range. After welding the fibres in the monolithic suspension, a corrective coating was applied to some fibres, to compensate for the frequency spread due to the tension spread of the four fibres within a suspension. We present the method and the results achieved

  13. France’s State of the Art Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors Qualified for the Monitoring of the French Underground Repository for High Level and Intermediate Level Long Lived Radioactive Wastes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Delepine-Lesoille

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the state of the art distributed sensing systems, based on optical fibres, developed and qualified for the French Cigéo project, the underground repository for high level and intermediate level long-lived radioactive wastes. Four main parameters, namely strain, temperature, radiation and hydrogen concentration are currently investigated by optical fibre sensors, as well as the tolerances of selected technologies to the unique constraints of the Cigéo’s severe environment. Using fluorine-doped silica optical fibre surrounded by a carbon layer and polyimide coating, it is possible to exploit its Raman, Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering signatures to achieve the distributed sensing of the temperature and the strain inside the repository cells of radioactive wastes. Regarding the dose measurement, promising solutions are proposed based on Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA responses of sensitive fibres such as the P-doped ones. While for hydrogen measurements, the potential of specialty optical fibres with Pd particles embedded in their silica matrix is currently studied for this gas monitoring through its impact on the fibre Brillouin signature evolution.

  14. France’s State of the Art Distributed Optical Fibre Sensors Qualified for the Monitoring of the French Underground Repository for High Level and Intermediate Level Long Lived Radioactive Wastes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delepine-Lesoille, Sylvie; Girard, Sylvain; Landolt, Marcel; Bertrand, Johan; Planes, Isabelle; Boukenter, Aziz; Marin, Emmanuel; Humbert, Georges; Leparmentier, Stéphanie; Auguste, Jean-Louis; Ouerdane, Youcef

    2017-01-01

    This paper presents the state of the art distributed sensing systems, based on optical fibres, developed and qualified for the French Cigéo project, the underground repository for high level and intermediate level long-lived radioactive wastes. Four main parameters, namely strain, temperature, radiation and hydrogen concentration are currently investigated by optical fibre sensors, as well as the tolerances of selected technologies to the unique constraints of the Cigéo’s severe environment. Using fluorine-doped silica optical fibre surrounded by a carbon layer and polyimide coating, it is possible to exploit its Raman, Brillouin and Rayleigh scattering signatures to achieve the distributed sensing of the temperature and the strain inside the repository cells of radioactive wastes. Regarding the dose measurement, promising solutions are proposed based on Radiation Induced Attenuation (RIA) responses of sensitive fibres such as the P-doped ones. While for hydrogen measurements, the potential of specialty optical fibres with Pd particles embedded in their silica matrix is currently studied for this gas monitoring through its impact on the fibre Brillouin signature evolution. PMID:28608831

  15. Wideband and flat-gain amplifier based on high concentration erbium-doped fibres in parallel double-pass configuration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamida, B A; Cheng, X S; Harun, S W; Naji, A W; Arof, H; Al-Khateeb, W; Khan, S; Ahmad, H

    2012-01-01

    A wideband and flat gain erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) is demonstrated using a hybrid gain medium of a zirconiabased erbium-doped fibre (Zr-EDF) and a high concentration erbium-doped fibre (EDF). The amplifier has two stages comprising a 2-m-long ZEDF and 9-m-long EDF optimised for C- and L-band operations, respectively, in a double-pass parallel configuration. A chirp fibre Bragg grating (CFBG) is used in both stages to ensure double propagation of the signal and thus to increase the attainable gain in both C- and L-band regions. At an input signal power of 0 dBm, a flat gain of 15 dB is achieved with a gain variation of less than 0.5 dB within a wide wavelength range from 1530 to 1605 nm. The corresponding noise figure varies from 6.2 to 10.8 dB within this wavelength region.

  16. Synthesis and surface characterization of alumina-silica-zirconia nanocomposite ceramic fibres on aluminium at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mubarak Ali, M., E-mail: masterscience2003@yahoo.co.in [Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Periyar University, Omalur Main Road, Salem 636 011, Tamil Nadu (India); Raj, V., E-mail: alaguraj2@rediffmail.com [Advanced Materials Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Periyar University, Omalur Main Road, Salem 636 011, Tamil Nadu (India)

    2010-04-01

    Alumina-silica-zirconia nanocomposite (ASZNC) ceramic fibres were synthesized by conventional anodization route. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force microscopy (AFM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray spectroscopy (EDAX) were used to characterize the morphology and crystalloid structure of ASZNC fibres. Current density (DC) is one of the important parameters to get the alumina-silica-zirconia nanocomposite (ASZNC) ceramic fibres by this route. Annealing of the films exhibited a drastic change in the properties due to improved crystallinity. The root mean square roughness of the sample observed from atomic force microscopic analysis is about 71.5 nm which is comparable to the average grain size of the coatings which is about 72 nm obtained from X-Ray diffraction. The results indicate that, the ASZNC fibres are arranged well in the nanostructure. The thickness of the coating increased with the anodizing time, but the coatings turned rougher and more porous. At the initial stage the growth of ceramic coating increases inwards to the metal substrate and outwards to the coating surface simultaneously. Subsequently, it mainly grows towards the metal substrate and the density of the ceramic coating increases gradually, which results in the decrease of the total thickness as anodizing time increases. This new approach of preparing ASZNC ceramic fibres may be important in applications ranging from gas sensors to various engineering materials.

  17. A Continuously Tunable Erbium-Doped Fibre Laser Using Tunable Fibre Bragg Gratings and Optical Circulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peng, Liu; Feng-Ping, Yan; Jian, Li; Lin, Wang; Ti-Gang, Ning; Tao-Rong, Gong; Shui-Sheng, Jian

    2008-01-01

    A continuously tunable erbium-doped fibre laser (TEDFL) based on tunable fibre Bragger grating (TFBG) and a three-port optical circulator (OC) is proposed and demonstrated. The OC acts as a 100%-reflective mirror. A strain-induced uniform fibre Bragger grating (FBG) which functions as a partial-reflecting mirror is implemented in the linear cavity. By applying axial strain onto the TFBG, a continuously tunable lasing output can be realized. The wavelength tuning range covers approximately 7.00nm in C band (from 1543.6161 to 1550.3307nm). The side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) is better than 50 dB, and the 3 dB bandwidth of the laser is less than 0.01 nm. Moreover, an array waveguide grating (AWG) is inserted into the cavity for wavelength preselecting, and a 50 km transmission experiment was performed using our TEDFL at a 10Gb/s modulation rate

  18. Synthesis of highly fluorescent silica nanoparticles in a reverse microemulsion through double-layered doping of organic fluorophores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoo, Hyojong; Pak, Joonsung

    2013-01-01

    Water-soluble, highly fluorescent double-layered silica nanoparticles (FL-DLSN) have been successfully synthesized through a reverse (water-in-oil) microemulsion method. The microemulsion was prepared by mixing a surfactant (Brij35), co-surfactant, organic solvent, water, and fluorescein as an organic fluorophore. The sizes of the silica nanoparticles were successfully controlled in the reverse microemulsion using Brij35 by changing the water-to-Brij35 ratio and by adding HCl. Initially, tetraethylorthosilicate was hydrolyzed by adding NH 4 OH as a catalyst and then polymerized to generate core fluorescent silica nanoparticles with fluorescein. 3-(Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTS) was sequentially added into the reaction mixture, and reacted on the surface of pre-generated core silica nanoparticles to form the second layer in the form of a shell. The second silica layer that was derived from the condensation of APTS effectively protected the fluorescein dye within the silica matrix. This is a novel and simple synthetic approach to generate highly fluorescent, monodispersed silica nanoparticles by doping organic molecules into a silica matrix.Graphical Abstract

  19. Synthesis of highly fluorescent silica nanoparticles in a reverse microemulsion through double-layered doping of organic fluorophores

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoo, Hyojong, E-mail: hyojong@hallym.ac.kr; Pak, Joonsung [Hallym University, Department of Chemistry (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    Water-soluble, highly fluorescent double-layered silica nanoparticles (FL-DLSN) have been successfully synthesized through a reverse (water-in-oil) microemulsion method. The microemulsion was prepared by mixing a surfactant (Brij35), co-surfactant, organic solvent, water, and fluorescein as an organic fluorophore. The sizes of the silica nanoparticles were successfully controlled in the reverse microemulsion using Brij35 by changing the water-to-Brij35 ratio and by adding HCl. Initially, tetraethylorthosilicate was hydrolyzed by adding NH{sub 4}OH as a catalyst and then polymerized to generate core fluorescent silica nanoparticles with fluorescein. 3-(Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTS) was sequentially added into the reaction mixture, and reacted on the surface of pre-generated core silica nanoparticles to form the second layer in the form of a shell. The second silica layer that was derived from the condensation of APTS effectively protected the fluorescein dye within the silica matrix. This is a novel and simple synthetic approach to generate highly fluorescent, monodispersed silica nanoparticles by doping organic molecules into a silica matrix.Graphical Abstract.

  20. Damping and tuning of the fibre violin modes in monolithic silica suspensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gossler, S [Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institute) and University of Hannover, Callinstr 38, D-30167 Hannover (Germany); Cagnoli, G [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Crooks, D R M [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Lueck, H [Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institute) and University of Hannover, Callinstr 38, D-30167 Hannover (Germany); Rowan, S [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Smith, J R [Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institute) and University of Hannover, Callinstr 38, D-30167 Hannover (Germany); Strain, K A [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Hough, J [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Institute for Gravitational Research, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ (United Kingdom); Danzmann, K [Max-Planck-Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institute) and University of Hannover, Callinstr 38, D-30167 Hannover (Germany)

    2004-03-07

    High Q mirror suspensions are a key element of the advanced interferometric gravitational-wave detectors. In December 2002 the last of the final interferometer optics of GEO 600 were monolithically suspended, using fused silica fibres. The violin modes of the suspension fibres can have Q greater than 10{sup 8} and can therefore interfere with the interferometer length control servo. Hence, the violin modes need to be damped, without degrading the pendulum Q itself. Furthermore, the frequency spread of the fibres used has to be small to allow for high Q notch filtering in the length control servo. The requirements for the violin modes of the two GEO 600 inboard suspensions are Q < 3 x 10{sup 6} for the fundamental and Q < 2 x 10{sup 6} for the first harmonic mode, respectively. The frequency spread should not exceed 10% within one mode. To accomplish that, two sections of the fibres were coated with amorphous Teflon. By applying the coating, the Q of the relevant modes can be degraded to the desired values and furthermore, the frequencies of these modes can be tuned almost independently with a good accuracy over a wide range. After welding the fibres in the monolithic suspension, a corrective coating was applied to some fibres, to compensate for the frequency spread due to the tension spread of the four fibres within a suspension. We present the method and the results achieved.

  1. Synthesis and Characterization of Fibre Reinforced Silica Aerogel Blankets for Thermal Protection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Chakraborty

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS as the source of silica, fibre reinforced silica aerogels were synthesized via fast ambient pressure drying using methanol (MeOH, trimethylchlorosilane (TMCS, ammonium fluoride (NH4F, and hexane. The molar ratio of TEOS/MeOH/(COOH2/NH4F was kept constant at 1 : 38 : 3.73 × 10−5 : 0.023 and the gel was allowed to form inside the highly porous meta-aramid fibrous batting. The wet gel surface was chemically modified (silylation process using various concentrations of TMCS in hexane in the range of 1 to 20% by volume. The fibre reinforced silica aerogel blanket was obtained subsequently through atmospheric pressure drying. The aerogel blanket samples were characterized by density, thermal conductivity, hydrophobicity (contact angle, and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The radiant heat resistance of the aerogel blankets was examined and compared with nonaerogel blankets. It has been observed that, compared to the ordinary nonaerogel blankets, the aerogel blankets showed a 58% increase in the estimated burn injury time and thus ensure a much better protection from heat and fire hazards. The effect of varying the concentration of TMCS on the estimated protection time has been examined. The improved thermal stability and the superior thermal insulation of the flexible aerogel blankets lead to applications being used for occupations that involve exposure to hazards of thermal radiation.

  2. Linear and nonlinear resonance features of an erbium-doped fibre ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-07-01

    Jul 1, 2014 ... Abstract. The continuous-wave output of a single-mode erbium-doped fibre ring laser when sub- jected to cavity-loss modulation is found to exhibit linear as well as nonlinear resonances. At sufficiently low driving amplitude, the system resembles a linear damped oscillator. At higher amplitudes, the ...

  3. Assessment of effect of Yb3+ ion pairs on a highly Yb-doped double-clad fibre laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallés, J. A.; Martín, J. C.; Berdejo, V.; Cases, R.; Álvarez, J. M.; Rebolledo, M. Á.

    2018-03-01

    Using a previously validated characterization method based on the careful measurement of the characteristic parameters and fluorescence emission spectra of a highly Yb-doped double-clad fibre, we evaluate the contribution of ion pair induced processes to the output power of a double-clad Yb-doped fibre ring laser. This contribution is proved to be insignificant, contrary to analysis by other authors, who overestimate the role of ion pairs.

  4. Integrated cladding-pumped multicore few-mode erbium-doped fibre amplifier for space-division-multiplexed communications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, H.; Jin, C.; Huang, B.; Fontaine, N. K.; Ryf, R.; Shang, K.; Grégoire, N.; Morency, S.; Essiambre, R.-J.; Li, G.; Messaddeq, Y.; Larochelle, S.

    2016-08-01

    Space-division multiplexing (SDM), whereby multiple spatial channels in multimode and multicore optical fibres are used to increase the total transmission capacity per fibre, is being investigated to avert a data capacity crunch and reduce the cost per transmitted bit. With the number of channels employed in SDM transmission experiments continuing to rise, there is a requirement for integrated SDM components that are scalable. Here, we demonstrate a cladding-pumped SDM erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) that consists of six uncoupled multimode erbium-doped cores. Each core supports three spatial modes, which enables the EDFA to amplify a total of 18 spatial channels (six cores × three modes) simultaneously with a single pump diode and a complexity similar to a single-mode EDFA. The amplifier delivers >20 dBm total output power per core and <7 dB noise figure over the C-band. This cladding-pumped EDFA enables combined space-division and wavelength-division multiplexed transmission over multiple multimode fibre spans.

  5. Structural and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates and silica-supported Eu3+-doped zirconium carbonate nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sivestrini, S.; Riello, P.; Freris, I.; Cristofori, D.; Enrichi, F.; Benedetti, A.

    2010-01-01

    The synthesis, morphology and luminescence properties of europium(III)-doped zirconium carbonates prepared as bulk materials and as silica-supported nanoparticles with differing calcination treatments are reported. Transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analyses have, respectively, been used to study the morphology and to quantify the atomic amount of europium present in the optically active phases of the variously prepared nanomaterials. Rietveld analysis was used to quantify the constituting phases and to determinate the europium content. Silica particles with an approximate size of 30 nm were coated with 2 nm carbonate nanoparticles, prepared in situ on the surface of the silica core. Luminescence measurements revealed the role of different preparation methods and of europium-doping quantities on the optical properties observed.

  6. Co-doping effect of CaS and Nd2S3 nanocrystallites on luminescence properties of sol-gel SiO2 xerogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, P.; Lue, M.K.; Song, C.F.; Xu, D.; Yuan, D.L.; Gu, F.

    2005-01-01

    The synthesis and photoluminescence characteristics of a porous phosphor silica xerogel containing CaS and Nd 2 S 3 nanoparticles entrapped in a sol-gel silica network are discussed. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron micrograph (TEM), UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy have been performed. The observed luminescence is assigned to CaS and Nd 2 S 3 nanoparticles embedded in the sol-gel silica xerogel. Transmission electron micrographs of doped samples revealed the presence of CaS and Nd 2 S 3 nanoparticles with average diameters of 10-20 nm. Two emission bands have been observed from co-doped sample

  7. Modelling the competition between photo-darkening and photo-bleaching effects in high-power ytterbium-doped fibre amplifiers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jolly, A.; Vinçont, C.; Pierre, Ch.; Boullet, J.

    2017-08-01

    We propose an innovative, fully space-time model to take into account the seed-dependent nature of ageing penalties in high-power ytterbium-doped fibre amplifiers. Ageing is shown to be based on the on-going competition between photo-darkening and photo-bleaching phenomena. Our approach is based on the natural interplay between the excited states of co-existing ytterbium pairs and colour centres in highly doped fibres, in the presence of thermal coupling between the closely spaced excited states. As initiated from IR photons, the excitation of colour centres up to the UV band is supposed to be governed by multi-photon absorption. The interactions of interest in the kinetics of photo-bleaching then take the form of highly efficient charge transfers, which imply the reduction of some fraction of the basically trivalent ions to their divalent state. Due to the activation of ytterbium pairs by means of energy transfer up-conversion, these interactions get more and more effective at elevated operating powers. Computational results using these principles actually help to fit our experimental data regarding seeding effects, as well as fully generic trends already evidenced in the literature. This gives a fine demonstration for the need to discriminate co-active pump and signal contributions. Our self-consistent, still simplified model then consists of a valuable tool to help for a deeper understanding of the ageing issues. Furthermore, considering higher-order ytterbium aggregates, this should open new routes towards more comprehensive models.

  8. Ultraviolet-light-induced processes in germanium-doped silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Martin

    2001-01-01

    A model is presented for the interaction of ultraviolet (UV) light with germanium-doped silica glass. It is assumed that germanium sites work as gates for transferring the excitation energy into the silica. In the material the excitation induces forbidden transitions to two different defect states...... which are responsible for the observed refractive index changes. Activation energies [1.85 +/-0.15 eV and 1.91 +/-0.15 eV] and rates [(2.7 +/-1.9) x 10(13) Hz and(7.2 +/-4.5) x 10(13) Hz] are determined for thermal elimination of these states. Good agreement is found with experimental results and new UV...

  9. Stable Dual-Wavelength Fibre Laser with Bragg Gratings Fabricated in a Polarization-Maintaining Erbium-Doped Fibre

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Wang; Feng-Ping, Yan; Xiang-Qiao, Mao; Shui-Sheng, Jian

    2008-01-01

    A new polarization-independent dual-wavelength fibre laser by fabricating a uniform FBG and a chirped FBG in a polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fibre (PM-EDF) is proposed and demonstrated. The wavelength spacing is 0.18nm and the optical signal-to-noise ratio is greater than 50dB with pump power of 246mW. Chirped FBG is used to make the reflectivity wavelengths of two PM-FBGs match easier. Since both EDF and FBGs are polarization-maintaining without splices and the two wavelengths are polarization-independent, the maximum amplitude variation and wavelength shifts for both lasing wavelength with 3-min intervals over a period of six hours are less than 0.2 dB and 0.005 nm, respectively, which shows stable dual-wavelength output

  10. Radiation hardness of Ce-doped sol-gel silica fibers for high energy physics applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cova, Francesca; Moretti, Federico; Fasoli, Mauro; Chiodini, Norberto; Pauwels, Kristof; Auffray, Etiennette; Lucchini, Marco Toliman; Baccaro, Stefania; Cemmi, Alessia; Bártová, Hana; Vedda, Anna

    2018-02-15

    The results of irradiation tests on Ce-doped sol-gel silica using x- and γ-rays up to 10 kGy are reported in order to investigate the radiation hardness of this material for high-energy physics applications. Sol-gel silica fibers with Ce concentrations of 0.0125 and 0.05 mol. % are characterized by means of optical absorption and attenuation length measurements before and after irradiation. The two different techniques give comparable results, evidencing the formation of a main broad radiation-induced absorption band, peaking at about 2.2 eV, related to radiation-induced color centers. The results are compared with those obtained on bulk silica. This study reveals that an improvement of the radiation hardness of Ce-doped silica fibers can be achieved by reducing Ce content inside the fiber core, paving the way for further material development.

  11. Silica–silica Polyimide Buffered Optical Fibre Irradiation and Strength Experiment at Cryogenic Temperatures for 355 nm Pulsed Lasers

    CERN Document Server

    Takala, E; Bordini, B; Bottura, L; Bremer, J; Rossi, L

    2012-01-01

    A controlled UV-light delivery system is envisioned to be built in order to study the stability properties of superconducting strands. The application requires a wave guide from room temperature to cryogenic temperatures. Hydrogen loaded and unloaded polyimide buffered silica–silica 100 microm core fibres were tested at cryogenic temperatures. A thermal stress test was done at 1.9 K and at 4.2 K which shows that the minimal mechanical bending radius for the fibre can be 10 mm for testing (transmission was not measured). The cryogenic transmission loss was measured for one fibre to assess the magnitude of the transmission decrease due to microbending that takes place during cooldown. UV-irradiation degradation measurements were done for bent fibres at 4.2 K with a deuterium lamp and 355 nm pulsed lasers. The irradiation tests show that the fibres have transmission degradation only for wavelengths smaller than 330 nm due to the two photon absorption. The test demonstrates that the fibres are suitable for the ...

  12. A fibre optic oxygen sensor for monitoring of human breathing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Rongsheng; Farmery, Andrew D.; Chen, Rui; Hahn, Clive E. W.

    2011-11-01

    A reliable and cost effective fibre optic oxygen sensor for monitoring of human breathing has been developed using a normal 200μm silica core/silica cladding optical fibre and a polymer sensing matrix. The fibre optic oxygen sensor is based on the fluorescence quenching of a fluorophore by oxygen. The sensing matrix, containing immobilized Pt(II) complexes, was coated at the end of the silica core/silica cladding optical fibre. The sensitivity and time response of the sensor were evaluated using the method of luminescence lifetime measurement. The polymer substrate influence on the time response of the sensor was improved by using a fibre taper design, and the response time of the optimized sensor was less than 200ms. This silica fibre based optic oxygen sensor is suitable for monitoring of patient breathing in intensive care unit in terms of safety and low cost.

  13. Preparation of silica doped titania nanoparticles with thermal stability and photocatalytic properties and their application for leather surface functionalization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Gaidau

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Doped nanoparticles based on titanium dioxide are of interest for their multifunctional properties and enlarged photocatalytic activity in visible domain. Silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method and their structural characteristics and photocatalytic activity were determined, in order to be used for leather coating as alternative to halogen based flame retardants and dry cleaning solvents. A range of concentrations from 2% to 20% silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles (% denotes the theoretical weight percent of Si was synthesized and characterized by ICP-OES, FT-IR, UV-vis spectroscopy, XRD, HRTEM and DLS. Titanium dioxide network penetration was supported by Si-O-Ti and OH identification in FT-IR spectra mainly on surface of 10% and 20% silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The increase of Si-O-Ti bonds with Si dopant concentration acts as efficient barriers against sinterization and growth of TiO2 particles and explains the low particle size identified in HRTEM analyses as compared to undoped TiO2NPs. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra of doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles showed the shifting of absorption band to visible domain for 10% silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The crystallite sizes were calculated from XRD spectra, ranging between 16.2 and 18.1 nm. HRTEM measurement of hydrothermally synthesized titanium dioxide nanoparticles showed anatase crystallites in the range of 8.8–27 nm, while in the 20% silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticle sample smaller crystallite with sizes between 2.7 nm and 3.5 nm was identified due to the constraints of the SiO2-based amorphous matrix. Nano sizes of 64 nm and 72 nm were found in water dispersions of 10% and 20% silica doped titanium dioxide nanoparticles and the Zeta potentials were of −53.6 mV and −52.9 mV, which indicate very good stabilities. The leather surface treated with composites of film forming polymers

  14. Effects of {gamma} and neutron irradiation on the optical absorption of pure silica core single-mode optical fibres from Nufern

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calderon, A. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Martinez-Rivero, C. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Matorras, F. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Rodrigo, T. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Sobron, M. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Vila, I. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Virto, A.L. [Instituto de Fisica de Cantabria, CSIC-University of Cantabria, Santander (Spain); Alberdi, J. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Arce, P. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Barcala, J.M. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Calvo, E. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Ferrando, A. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: Antonio.Ferrando@ciemat.es; Josa, M.I. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Luque, J.M. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Molinero, A. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Navarrete, J. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Oller, J.C. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Valdivieso, P. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Yuste, C. [CIEMAT, Particle Physics, Avda. Complutense 22, 28040, Madrid (Spain); Fenyvesi, A. [Institute of Nuclear Research, ATOMKI, Debrecen (Hungary); Molnar, J. [Institute of Nuclear Research, ATOMKI, Debrecen (Hungary)

    2006-09-15

    A measurement of the optical absorption, induced by photon irradiation up to a dose of 0.9 MGy, in Nufern silica core single-mode optical fibres is presented. In addition, the fibres were irradiated with neutrons, up to a total fluence of 2x10{sup 14} cm{sup -2} and the induced optical absorption was evaluated for four different wavelengths: 630, 670, 681 and 785 nm.

  15. Effects of γ and neutron irradiation on the optical absorption of pure silica core single-mode optical fibres from Nufern

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calderon, A.; Martinez-Rivero, C.; Matorras, F.; Rodrigo, T.; Sobron, M.; Vila, I.; Virto, A.L.; Alberdi, J.; Arce, P.; Barcala, J.M.; Calvo, E.; Ferrando, A.; Josa, M.I.; Luque, J.M.; Molinero, A.; Navarrete, J.; Oller, J.C.; Valdivieso, P.; Yuste, C.; Fenyvesi, A.; Molnar, J.

    2006-01-01

    A measurement of the optical absorption, induced by photon irradiation up to a dose of 0.9 MGy, in Nufern silica core single-mode optical fibres is presented. In addition, the fibres were irradiated with neutrons, up to a total fluence of 2x10 14 cm -2 and the induced optical absorption was evaluated for four different wavelengths: 630, 670, 681 and 785 nm

  16. Co-doped phosphorene: Enhanced sensitivity of CO gas sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, S. Y.; Luan, S.; Yu, H.

    2018-03-01

    First-principle calculation was carried out to systematically investigate carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption on pristine and cobalt (Co)-doped phosphorenes (Co-bP). Whether or not CO is adsorped, pristine phosphorene is a direct-band-gap semiconductor. However, the bandgap of Co-bP experiences direct-to-indirect transition after CO molecule adsorption, which will affect optical absorption considerably, implying that Co doping can enhance the sensitivity of phosphorene as a CO gas sensor. Moreover, Co doping can improve an adsorption energy of CO to 1.31 eV, as compared with pristine phosphorene (0.12 eV), also indicating that Co-bP is energetically favorable for CO gas sensing.

  17. Self-assembled Targeting of Cancer Cells by Iron(III)-doped, Silica Nanoparticles

    OpenAIRE

    Mitchell, K.K. Pohaku; Sandoval, S.; Cortes-Mateos, M. J.; Alfaro, J.G.; Kummel, A. C.; Trogler, W.C.

    2014-01-01

    Iron(III)-doped silica nanoshells are shown to possess an in vitro cell-receptor mediated targeting functionality for endocytosis. Compared to plain silica nanoparticles, iron enriched ones are shown to be target-specific, a property that makes them potentially better vehicles for applications, such as drug delivery and tumor imaging, by making them more selective and thereby reducing the nanoparticle dose. Iron(III) in the nanoshells can interact with endogenous transferrin, a serum protein ...

  18. Effects of the gamma-ray irradiation on the optical absorption of pure silica core single-mode fibres in the visible and NIR range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calderon, A.; Calvo, E.; Figueroa, C.F.; Martinez-Rivero, C.; Matorras, F.; Rodrigo, T.; Sobron, M.; Vila, I.; Virto, A.L.; Arce, P.; Barcala, J.M.; Ferrando, A.; Josa, M.I.; Luque, J.M.; Molinero, A.; Navarrete, J.; Oller, J.C.; Yuste, C.

    2005-01-01

    Optical absorption induced by photon radiation was evaluated for several commercial pure silica core, single mode, optical fibres. The study was performed for three different wavelengths: 630, 670 and 785 nm. We have identified a fibre whose induced transmission loss stays below 1 dB/m after 300 kGy gamma-ray irradiation

  19. Photosensitized Oxidation of 9,10-Dimethylanthracene on Dye-Doped Silica Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elim Albiter

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available A series of cationic dyes, methylene blue (MB, safranin O (SF, toluidine blue (TB, and neutral red (NR, were successfully incorporated into a silica matrix by using ultrasound irradiation during the Stöber process. Several analyses were performed, including scanning dynamic light scattering (DLS, electron microscopy (SEM, nitrogen physisorption, FTIR spectroscopy, UV-vis, and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The entrapped dyes on silica were evaluated in singlet oxygen (1O2 generation under visible light irradiation, by means of the photosensitized oxidation of 9,10-dimethylanthracene (DMA. According to the results, the photocatalytic performance of the silica composites was improved, and the leakage of the dye from the particles was suppressed. Among these four different types of dye-doped silica composites, the SiO2-SF composite showed the most efficient delivery of 1O2.

  20. A pure silica ytterbium-doped sol–gel-based fiber laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baz, Assaad; El Hamzaoui, Hicham; Fsaifes, Ihsan; Bouwmans, Géraud; Bouazaoui, Mohamed; Bigot, Laurent

    2013-01-01

    In this letter it is demonstrated that the sol–gel route combined with fiber fabrication by the stack and draw method can be used to realize efficient fiber lasers. More precisely, a pure silica ytterbium-doped photonic crystal fiber with a core obtained by the sol–gel polymeric technique is studied, and a laser efficiency of more than 73% is achieved for a laser emission around 1034 nm. The optical and spectroscopic properties of the monolith and fiber are investigated, together with the sensitivity of the fiber to photodarkening. The dimensions of the ytterbium-doped monolith combined with the uniform doping and refractive index that are reported make this technique particularly interesting for the realization of large-mode area fibers. (letter)

  1. Goat anti-rabbit IgG conjugated fluorescent dye-doped silica nanoparticles for human breast carcinoma cell recognition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Min-Yan; Chen, Ze-Zhong; Wu, Ling-Ling; Tang, Hong-Wu; Pang, Dai-Wen

    2013-11-12

    We report an indirect method for cancer cell recognition using photostable fluorescent silica nanoprobes as biological labels. The dye-doped fluorescent silica nanoparticles were synthesized using the water-in-oil (W/O) reverse microemulsion method. The silica matrix was produced by the controlled hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in water nanodroplets with the initiation of ammonia (NH3·H2O). Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or rhodamine B isothiocyanate conjugated with dextran (RBITC-Dextran) was doped in silica nanoparticles (NPs) with a size of 60 ± 5 nm as a fluorescent signal element by covalent bonding and steric hindrance, respectively. The secondary antibody, goat anti-rabbit IgG, was conjugated on the surface of the PEG-terminated modified FITC-doped or RBITC-Dextran-doped silica nanoparticles (PFSiNPs or PBSiNPs) by covalent binding to the PEG linkers using the cyanogen bromide method. The concentrations of goat anti-rabbit IgG covering the nanoprobes were quantified via the Bradford method. In the proof-of-concept experiment, an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) on the human breast cancer SK-Br-3 cell surface was used as the tumor marker, and the nanoparticle functionalized with rabbit anti-EpCAM antibody was employed as the nanoprobe for cancer cell recognition. Compared with fluorescent dye labeled IgG (FITC-IgG and RBITC-IgG), the designed nanoprobes display dramatically increased stability of fluorescence as well as photostability under continuous irradiation.

  2. The relationship between milling a new silica-doped zirconia and its resistance to low-temperature degradation (LTD): a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Takashi; Usami, Hirofumi; Ohnishi, Hiroshi; Nishida, Hisataka; Tang, Xuehua; Wakabayashi, Kazumichi; Sekino, Tohru; Yatani, Hirofumi

    2012-02-03

    The aim of this study was to determine the machinability of new silica-doped Y-TZP by CAD/CAM and the resistance to low temperature degradation of the milled sample by comparing with a commercial HIP type Y-TZP material. The copings could be milled from silica-doped Y-TZP blocks without chipping, and there was no significant difference between the two types of Y-TZP materials in either the marginal or the inner gap between the abutment and the coping. After aging, the monoclinic content in the commercial Y-TZP copings increased from 25% before testing to 65%, while that of silica-doped Y-TZP copings slightly increased from 23% to 30%. The silica-doped Y-TZP copings did not have any significant difference in fracture load in a comparison between the control group and the aging group, while the commercial Y-TZP copings had a significantly lower fracture load for the aging group than for the control group.

  3. Dual Mode Fluorophore-Doped Nickel Nitrilotriacetic Acid-Modified Silica Nanoparticles Combine Histidine-Tagged Protein Purification with Site-Specific Fluorophore Labeling

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Sung Hoon; Jeyakumar, M.; Katzenellenbogen, John A.

    2007-01-01

    We present the first example of a fluorophore-doped nickel chelate surface- modified silica nanoparticle that functions in a dual mode, combining histidine-tagged protein purification with site-specific fluorophore labeling. Tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-doped silica nanoparticles, estimated to contain 700–900 TMRs per ca. 23-nm particle, were surface modified with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), producing TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni+2. Silica-embedded TMR retains very high quantum yield, is resistant to quenc...

  4. Fibre Tip Sensors for Localised Temperature Sensing Based on Rare Earth-Doped Glass Coatings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik P. Schartner

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available We report the development of a point temperature sensor, based on monitoring upconversion emission from erbium:ytterbium-doped tellurite coatings on the tips of optical fibres. The dip coating technique allows multiple sensors to be fabricated simultaneously, while confining the temperature-sensitive region to a localised region on the end-face of the fibre. The strong response of the rare earth ions to changing temperature allows a resolution of 0.1–0.3 °C to be recorded over the biologically relevant range of temperatures from 23–39 °C.

  5. Modeling of Yb3+-sensitized Er3+-doped silica waveguide amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lester, Christian; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard; Rasmussen, Thomas

    1995-01-01

    A model for Yb3+-sensitized Er3+-doped silica waveguide amplifiers is described and numerically investigated in the small-signal regime. The amplified spontaneous emission in the ytterbium-band and the quenching process between excited erbium ions are included in the model. For pump wavelengths...

  6. Mass fabrication of homogeneously Yb-doped silica nanoparticles and their spectroscopic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiong Liangming; Sekiya, Edson H; Saito, Kazuya

    2009-01-01

    A large number of homogeneously Yb-doped silica nanoparticles were continually fabricated in a vapor synthesis route, in which the Yb doping level can be well controlled by varying either the heating temperature or the carrier gas flow rate of the Yb precursor. The sizes, shapes, and morphologies of the nanoparticles were examined, and no crystallites and no Yb 2 O 3 clusters were observed in the nanoparticles. These nanoparticles exhibit a clear Yb 3+ -derived absorption at around 973-975 nm and a dependence of the emission intensity and decay time on the doping level, much different from that of sintered pellets.

  7. Microwave studies on the dielectric properties of Sm3+ and Sm3+/CdTe doped sol-gel silica glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathew, Siby; Rejikumar, P.R.; Yohannan, Jaimon; Mathew, K.T.; Unnikrishnan, N.V.

    2008-01-01

    Complex permittivity and conductivity studies of Samarium and Samarium/semiconductor cadmium telluride sol-gel silica glass samples were done. We use cavity perturbation technique at S band frequencies using TE 10p Mode. Structural evolution of the matrix on annealing is discussed based on FTIR analysis/XRD power diffraction. In cavity perturbation technique dielectric parameters like complex permittivity and conductivity are determined by measuring changes in resonant frequency due to small perturbation inside the cavity produced by the introduction of the samples. The addition of the semiconductor along with the samarium was found to lower the permittivity, loss factor and conductivity. Variations of permittivity values with annealing temperature find applications in IC Technology, optic fibre communication, etc. The Sm 3+ /CdTe doped glasses can also be used in the fabrication of new and improved materials for microwave electronic circuits and in electromagnetic shielding devices

  8. Charge-transfer state excitation as the main mechanism of the photodarkening process in ytterbium-doped aluminosilicate fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bobkov, K K; Rybaltovsky, A A; Vel' miskin, V V; Likhachev, M E; Bubnov, M M; Dianov, E M [Fiber Optics Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Umnikov, A A; Gur' yanov, A N; Vechkanov, N N [G.G.Devyatykh Institute of Chemistry of High-Purity Substances, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Novgorod (Russian Federation); Shestakova, I A [Open Joint-Stock Company M.F. Stel' makh Polyus Research Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2014-12-31

    We have studied photodarkening in ytterbium-doped fibre preforms with an aluminosilicate glass core. Analysis of their absorption and luminescence spectra indicates the formation of stable Yb{sup 2+} ions in the glass network under IR laser pumping at a wavelength λ = 915 nm and under UV irradiation with an excimer laser (λ = 193 nm). We have performed comparative studies of the luminescence spectra of the preforms and crystals under excitation at a wavelength of 193 nm. The mechanism behind the formation of Yb{sup 2+} ions and aluminium – oxygen hole centres (Al-OHCs), common to ytterbium-doped YAG crystals and aluminosilicate glass, has been identified: photoinduced Yb{sup 3+} charge-transfer state excitation. (optical fibres)

  9. Dielectric and magnetic properties of (Zn, Co) co-doped SnO2 nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajwali, Khan; Fang Ming-Hu

    2015-01-01

    Polycrystalline samples of (Zn, Co) co-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles were prepared using a co-precipitation method. The influence of (Zn, Co) co-doping on electrical, dielectric, and magnetic properties was studied. All of the (Zn, Co) co-doped SnO 2 powder samples have the same tetragonal structure of SnO 2 . A decrease in the dielectric constant was observed with the increase of Co doping concentration. It was found that the dielectric constant and dielectric loss values decrease, while AC electrical conductivity increases with doping concentration and frequency. Magnetization measurements revealed that the Co doping SnO 2 samples exhibits room temperature ferromagnetism. Our results illustrate that (Zn, Co) co-doped SnO 2 nanoparticles have an excellent dielectric, magnetic properties, and high electrical conductivity than those reported previously, indicating that these (Zn, Co) co-doped SnO 2 materials can be used in the field of the ultrahigh dielectric material, high frequency device, and spintronics. (paper)

  10. Comparison of Eu(NO3)3 and Eu(acac)3 precursors for doping luminescent silica nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Enrichi, F.; Ricco, R.; Scopece, P.; Parma, A.; Mazaheri, A. R.; Riello, P.; Benedetti, A.

    2010-01-01

    In this study, we report the comparison between Eu 3+ -doped silica nanoparticles synthesized by Stoeber method using Eu(NO 3 ) 3 or Eu(acac) 3 as precursors. The impact of different europium species on the properties of the final silica nanospheres is investigated in details in terms of size, morphology, reachable doping amount, and luminescence efficiency. Moreover, the results obtained for different thermal treatments are presented and discussed. It is shown that the organic complex modify the silica growing process, leading to bigger and irregular nanoparticles (500-800 nm) with respect to the perfectly spherical ones (400 nm) obtained by the nitrate salt, but their luminescence intensity and lifetime is significantly higher when 800-900 o C annealing is performed.

  11. Defects induced in Yb3+/Ce3+ co-doped aluminosilicate fiber glass preforms under UV and γ-ray irradiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chiesa, Mario; Mattsson, Kent Erik; Taccheo, Stefano

    2014-01-01

    A set of Ce-/Yb-co-doped silica optical fiber preform cores, differing in terms of dopant concentrations are studied by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy before and after irradiation of the samples with excimer UV laser light and γ-rays. Evidence of Yb3+ clustering in the case...

  12. Photoluminescence characteristics of sintered silica glass doped with Cu ions using mesoporous SiO{sub 2}-PVA nanocomposite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikeda, Hiroshi [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan); Murata, Takahiro [Faculty of Education and Master' s Course in Education, Kumamoto University, 2-40-1 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto 860-8555 (Japan); Fujino, Shigeru, E-mail: fujino@astec.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Art, Science and Technology Center for Cooperative Research, Kyushu University, Kasuga, Fukuoka 816-8580 (Japan)

    2015-07-15

    Monolithic silica glasses doped with Cu ions were prepared by immersing a mesoporous SiO{sub 2}-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanocomposite in a copper nitrate solution followed by sintering at 1100 °C for 12 h in air. The Cu ions were reduced from divalent to monovalent during the sintering process and consequently Cu{sup +} was doped into the silica glass matrix. The sintered glass possessed blue or yellow photoluminescence (PL) under UV irradiation, depending on the total concentration of Cu ions in the sintered silica glass. At a lower concentration below 30 ppm, the isolated Cu{sup +} existed in the glass matrix resulting in the blue PL. However, above 70 ppm, the Cu{sup +}–Cu{sup +} pairs were present, exhibiting the yellow PL. It was demonstrated that the PL characteristics of the sintered silica glasses doped with monovalent copper ions were affected by the total concentration of Cu ions in the glass, which can be adjusted as a function of the immersion conditions. - Highlights: • Silica glass doped with Cu{sup +} was fabricated by sintering the nanocomposite. • The Cu ions were reduced from divalent to monovalent during the sintering process. • The sintered glass possessed blue or yellow PL under UV irradiation. • The blue and yellow PL are due to isolated Cu{sup +} and Cu{sup +}–Cu{sup +} pairs, respectively. • The PL characteristics depended on the total concentration of Cu ions in the glass.

  13. Effect of low dose rate irradiation on doped silica core optical fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Friebele, E.J.; Askins, C.G.; Gingerich, M.E.

    1984-01-01

    The optical attenuation induced in multimode doped silica core optical fiber waveguides by a year's exposure to low dose rate (1 rad/day) ionizing radiation was studied, allowing a characterization of fibers deployed in these environments and a determination of the permanent induced loss in the waveguides. Variations in the induced attenuation at 0.85 μm have been observed with changes in the dose rate between 1 rad/day and 9000 rads/min. These dose rate dependences have been found to derive directly from the recovery that occurs during the exposure; the recovery data predict little or no dose rate dependence of the damage at 1.3 μm. The low dose rate exposure has been found to induce significant permanent attenuation in the 0.7-1.7-μm spectral region in all fibers containing P in the core, whether doped uniformly across the diameter or constrained to a narrow spike on the centerline. Whereas permanent loss was induced at 0.85 μm in a P-free binary Ge-doped silica core fiber by the year's exposure, virtually no damage was observed at 1.3 μm

  14. Refractive index and density in F- and Cl-doped silica glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kakiuchida, Hiroshi; Shimodaira, Noriaki; Sekiya, Edson H.; Saito, Kazuya; Ikushima, Akira J.

    2005-01-01

    The refractive index and density of fluorine- and chlorine-doped silica glasses were measured as functions of fictive temperature. The halogen concentrations were observed to have a refractive index or density that is independent of the fictive temperature were found. This implies that these properties are not affected by any heat-treatment conditions

  15. Novel high resolution 125I brachytherapy source dosimetry using Ge-doped optical fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Issa, Fatma; Hugtenburg, Richard P.; Nisbet, Andrew; Bradley, David A.

    2013-01-01

    The steep dose gradients close to brachytherapy sources limit the ability to obtain accurate measurements of dose. Here we use a novel high spatial resolution dosimeter to measure dose around a 125 I source and compare against simulations. Ge-doped optical fibres, used as thermoluminescent dosimeters, offer sub-mm spatial resolution, linear response from 10 cGy to >1 kGy and dose-rate independence. For a 125 I brachytherapy seed in a PMMA phantom, doses were obtained for source-dosimeter separations from 0.1 cm up to several cm, supported by EGSnrc/DOSRZznrc Monte Carlo simulations and treatment planning system data. The measurements agree with simulations to within 2.3%±0.3% along the transverse and perpendicular axes and within 3.0%±0.5% for measurements investigating anisotropy in angular dose distribution. Measured and Veriseed™ brachytherapy treatment planning system (TPS) values agreed to within 2.7%±0.5%. Ge-doped optical fibre dosimeters allow detailed dose mapping around brachytherapy sources, not least in situations of high dose gradient. - Highlights: • We evaluate fall-off in dose for distances from an 125 I source of 1 mm to 60 mm. • The TL of optical fibres accommodate high dose gradients and doses that reduce by a factor of 10 3 across the range of separations. • We verify measured values using DOSRZnrc Monte Carlo code simulations and the Variseed™ Treatment Planning System. • Measured radial and angular dose are obtained with ≤3% uncertainty

  16. Nonlinear microstructured polymer optical fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frosz, Michael Henoch

    is potentially the case for microstructured polymer optical fibres (mPOFs). Another advantage is that polymer materials have a higher biocompatibility than silica, meaning that it is easier to bond certain types of biosensor materials to a polymer surface than to silica. As with silica PCFs, it is difficult...

  17. Fabrication of Ge nanocrystals doped silica-on-silicon waveguides and observation of their strong quantum confinement effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ou, Haiyan; Rottwitt, Karsten

    2009-01-01

    Germanium (Ge) nanocrystals embedded in silica matrix is an interesting material for new optoelectronic devices. In this paper, standard silica-on-silicon waveguides with a core doped by Ge nanocrystals were fabricated using plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition and reactive ion etching...

  18. Coating of calcia-doped ceria with amorphous silica shell by seeded polymerization technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Yin, Shu; Yabe, Shinryo; Sato, Tsugio

    2005-01-01

    Calcia-doped ceria is of potential interest as an ultraviolet (UV) radiation blocking material in personal care products. However, its high catalytic ability for oxidation of organic materials makes it difficult to use as a sunscreen material. Therefore, calcia-doped ceria was coated with amorphous silica by means of seeded polymerization technique in order to depress its oxidation catalytic ability. The catalytic ability as well as UV-shielding ability was investigated for coated particles

  19. Fluorescence lifetime measurements to determine the core-shell nanostructure of FITC-doped silica nanoparticles: An optical approach to evaluate nanoparticle photostability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santra, Swadeshmukul; Liesenfeld, Bernd; Bertolino, Chiara; Dutta, Debamitra; Cao Zehui; Tan Weihong; Moudgil, Brij M.; Mericle, Robert A.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we described a novel fluorescence lifetime-based approach to determine the core-shell nanostructure of FITC-(fluorescein isothiocyanate, isomer I) doped fluorescent silica nanoparticles (FSNPs). Because of phase homogeneity between the core and the shell, electron microscopic technique could not be used to characterize such core-shell nanostructure. Our optical approach not only revealed the core-shell nanostructure of FSNPs but also evaluated photobleaching of FSNPs both in the solvated and non-solvated (dry) states. The FSNPs were produced via Stoeber's method by hydrolysis and co-condensation reaction of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and fluorescein linked (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (FITC-APTS conjugate) in the presence of ammonium hydroxide catalyst. To obtain a pure silica surface coating, FSNPs were then post-coated with TEOS. The average particle size was 135 nm as determined by TEM (transmission electron microscope) measurements. Fluorescence excitation and emission spectral data demonstrated successful doping of FITC dye molecules in FSNPs. Fluorescence lifetime data revealed that approximately 62% of dye molecules remained in the solvated silica shell, while 38% of dye molecules remained in the non-solvated (dry) silica core. Photobleaching experiments of FSNPs were conducted both in DI water (solution state) and in air (dry state). Severe photobleaching of FSNPs was observed in air. However, FSNPs were moderately photostable in the solution state. Photostability of FSNPs in both solution and dry states was explained on the basis of fluorescence lifetime data

  20. Silica doped with lanthanum sol–gel thin films for corrosion protection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abuín, M.; Serrano, A.; Llopis, J.; García, M.A.; Carmona, N.

    2012-01-01

    We present here anticorrosive silica coatings doped with lanthanum ions for the protection of metallic surfaces as an alternative to chromate (VI)-based conversion coatings. The coatings were synthesized by the sol–gel method starting from silicon alkoxides and two different lanthanum precursors: La (III) acetate hydrate and La (III) isopropoxide. Artificial corrosion tests in acid and alkaline media showed their effectiveness for the corrosion protection of AA2024 aluminum alloy sheets for coating prepared with both precursors. The X-ray absorption Near Edge Structure and X-ray Absorption Fine Structure analysis of the coatings confirmed the key role of lanthanum in the structural properties of the coating determining its anticorrosive properties. - Highlights: ► Silica sol–gel films doped with lanthanum ions were synthesized. ► Films from lanthanum-acetate and La-alkoxide were prepared for comparison purposes. ► La-acetate is an affordable chemical reactive preferred for the industry. ► Films properties were explored by scanning electron microscopy and X-Ray absorption spectroscopy. ► An alternative to anticorrosive pre-treatments for metallic surfaces is suggested.

  1. Dispersion properties of photonic crystal fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard; Broeng, Jes; Dridi, Kim

    1998-01-01

    Approximate dispersion and bending properties of all-silica two-dimensional photonic crystal fibres are characterised by the combination of an effective-index model and classical analysis tools for optical fibres. We believe for the first time to have predicted the dispersion properties of photonic...... crystal fibres. The results strongly indicate that these fibres have potential applications as dispersion managing components...

  2. A microring multimode laser using hollow polymer optical fibre

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Dye-doped optical fibre; fibre laser; microcavity; whispering gallery mode. ... Cylindrical microcavities with diameters 155, 340 and 615 m were fabricated from a dye-doped hollow polymer optical fibre preform. ... International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi 682 022, India ...

  3. Irradiation studies of multimode optical fibres for use in ATLAS front-end links

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahout, G.; Pearce, M.; Andrieux, M-L.; Arvidsson, C-B.; Charlton, D.G.; Dinkespiler, B.; Dowell, J.D.; Gallin-Martel, L.; Homer, R.J.; Jovanovic, P.; Kenyon, I.R.; Kuyt, G.; Lundquist, J.; Mandic, I.; Martin, O.; Shaylor, H.R.; Stroynowski, R.; Troska, J.; Wastie, R.L.; Weidberg, A.R.; Wilson, J.A.; Ye, J.

    2000-01-01

    The radiation tolerance of three multimode optical fibres has been investigated to establish their suitability for the use in the front-end data links of the ATLAS experiment. Both gamma and neutron irradiation studies are reported. A step-index fibre with a pure silica core showed an induced attenuation of ∼0.05 dB/m at 330 kGy(Si) and 1x10 15 n(1 MeV Si)/cm 2 and is suitable for use with the inner detector links which operate at 40-80 Mb/s. A graded-index fibre with a predominantly germanium-doped core exhibits an induced attenuation of ∼0.1 dB/m at 800 Gy(Si) and 2x10 13 n(1 MeV Si)/cm 2 and is suitable for the calorimeter links which operate at 1.6 Gb/s. Measurements of the dose rate dependence of the induced attenuation indicate that the attenuation in ATLAS will be lower

  4. Implementation of Lean System on Erbium Doped Fibre Amplifier Manufacturing Process to Reduce Production Time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maneechote, T.; Luangpaiboon, P.

    2010-10-01

    A manufacturing process of erbium doped fibre amplifiers is complicated. It needs to meet the customers' requirements under a present economic status that products need to be shipped to customers as soon as possible after purchasing orders. This research aims to study and improve processes and production lines of erbium doped fibre amplifiers using lean manufacturing systems via an application of computer simulation. Three scenarios of lean tooled box systems are selected via the expert system. Firstly, the production schedule based on shipment date is combined with a first in first out control system. The second scenario focuses on a designed flow process plant layout. Finally, the previous flow process plant layout combines with production schedule based on shipment date including the first in first out control systems. The computer simulation with the limited data via an expected value is used to observe the performance of all scenarios. The most preferable resulted lean tooled box systems from a computer simulation are selected to implement in the real process of a production of erbium doped fibre amplifiers. A comparison is carried out to determine the actual performance measures via an analysis of variance of the response or the production time per unit achieved in each scenario. The goodness of an adequacy of the linear statistical model via experimental errors or residuals is also performed to check the normality, constant variance and independence of the residuals. The results show that a hybrid scenario of lean manufacturing system with the first in first out control and flow process plant lay out statistically leads to better performance in terms of the mean and variance of production times.

  5. Synthesis of Er and Er : Yb doped sol–gel derived silica glass and ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    Materials Science Centre, †Central Research Facility, Optical Fibre Unit, Indian Institute of Technology,. Kharagpur 721 302, India. MS received 1 March 2004; revised 4 July 2004. Abstract. Er3+ and Er3+ : Yb3+ doped optical quality, crack and bubble free glasses for possible use in mak- ing laser material have been ...

  6. Luminescent Solar Concentrators with Fibre Geometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Edelenbosch, O.Y.; Fisher, M.; Patrignani, L.; Sark, W.G.J.H.M. van; Chatten, A.J.

    2013-01-01

    The potential of a fibre luminescent solar concentrator has been explored by means of both analytical and ray-tracing techniques. Coated fibres have been found to be more efficient than homogeneously doped fibres, at low absorption. For practical fibres concentration is predicted to be linear

  7. Formation of Silica-Lysozyme Composites Through Co-Precipitation and Adsorption

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Heuvel, Daniela B.; Stawski, Tomasz M.; Tobler, Dominique J.; Wirth, Richard; Peacock, Caroline L.; Benning, Liane G.

    2018-04-01

    Interactions between silica and proteins are crucial for the formation of biosilica and the production of novel functional hybrid materials for a range of industrial applications. The proteins control both precipitation pathway and the properties of the resulting silica-organic composites. Here we present data on the formation of silica-lysozyme composites through two different synthesis approaches (co-precipitation vs. adsorption) and show that the chemical and structural properties of these composites, when analyzed using a combination of synchrotron-based scattering (total scattering and SAXS), spectroscopic, electron microscopy and potentiometric methods vary dramatically. We document that while lysozyme was not incorporated into nor did its presence alter the molecular structure of silica, it strongly enhanced the aggregation of silica particles due to electrostatic and potentially hydrophobic interactions, leading to the formation of composites with characteristics differing from pure silica. The differences increased with increasing lysozyme content for both synthesis approaches. Yet, the absolute changes differ substantially between the two sets of composites, as lysozyme did not just affect aggregation during co-precipitation but also particle growth and likely polymerization during co-precipitation. Our results improve the fundamental understanding of how organic macromolecules interact with dissolved and nanoparticulate silica and how these interactions control the formation pathway of silica-organic composites from sodium silicate solutions, a widely available and cheap starting material.

  8. Silica doped with lanthanum sol-gel thin films for corrosion protection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abuin, M. [Department of Materials Physics, Complutense University at Madrid, Avda. Complutense sn, 28004 Madrid (Spain); Serrano, A. [Glass and Ceramic Institute, CSIC, C. Kelsen 5, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Llopis, J. [Department of Materials Physics, Complutense University at Madrid, Avda. Complutense sn, 28004 Madrid (Spain); Garcia, M.A. [Glass and Ceramic Institute, CSIC, C. Kelsen 5, 28049 Madrid (Spain); IMDEA Nanoscience, Fco. Tomas y Valiente 7, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Carmona, N., E-mail: n.carmona@fis.ucm.es [Department of Materials Physics, Complutense University at Madrid, Avda. Complutense sn, 28004 Madrid (Spain)

    2012-06-01

    We present here anticorrosive silica coatings doped with lanthanum ions for the protection of metallic surfaces as an alternative to chromate (VI)-based conversion coatings. The coatings were synthesized by the sol-gel method starting from silicon alkoxides and two different lanthanum precursors: La (III) acetate hydrate and La (III) isopropoxide. Artificial corrosion tests in acid and alkaline media showed their effectiveness for the corrosion protection of AA2024 aluminum alloy sheets for coating prepared with both precursors. The X-ray absorption Near Edge Structure and X-ray Absorption Fine Structure analysis of the coatings confirmed the key role of lanthanum in the structural properties of the coating determining its anticorrosive properties. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Silica sol-gel films doped with lanthanum ions were synthesized. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Films from lanthanum-acetate and La-alkoxide were prepared for comparison purposes. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer La-acetate is an affordable chemical reactive preferred for the industry. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Films properties were explored by scanning electron microscopy and X-Ray absorption spectroscopy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer An alternative to anticorrosive pre-treatments for metallic surfaces is suggested.

  9. Optical and electrical properties of boron doped diamond thin conductive films deposited on fused silica glass substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ficek, M.; Sobaszek, M.; Gnyba, M. [Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12G. Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Ryl, J. [Department of Electrochemistry, Corrosion and Material Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12 Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Gołuński, Ł. [Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12G. Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Smietana, M.; Jasiński, J. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Warsaw University of Technology, 75 Koszykowa St., 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Caban, P. [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, 133 Wolczynska St., 01-919 Warsaw (Poland); Bogdanowicz, R., E-mail: rbogdan@eti.pg.gda.pl [Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdansk University of Technology, 11/12G. Narutowicza St., 80-233 Gdansk (Poland); Materials and Process Simulation Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • Growth of 60% of transmittance diamond films with resistivity as low as 48 Ω cm. • Two step seeding process of fused silica: plasma hydrogenation and wet seeding. • Nanodiamond seeding density of 2 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −2} at fused silica substrates. • High refractive index (2.4 @550 nm) was achieved for BDD films deposited at 500 °C. - Abstract: This paper presents boron-doped diamond (BDD) film as a conductive coating for optical and electronic purposes. Seeding and growth processes of thin diamond films on fused silica have been investigated. Growth processes of thin diamond films on fused silica were investigated at various boron doping level and methane admixture. Two step pre-treatment procedure of fused silica substrate was applied to achieve high seeding density. First, the substrates undergo the hydrogen plasma treatment then spin-coating seeding using a dispersion consisting of detonation nanodiamond in dimethyl sulfoxide with polyvinyl alcohol was applied. Such an approach results in seeding density of 2 × 10{sup 10} cm{sup −2}. The scanning electron microscopy images showed homogenous, continuous and polycrystalline surface morphology with minimal grain size of 200 nm for highly boron doped films. The sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} ratio was calculated using Raman spectra deconvolution method. A high refractive index (range of 2.0–2.4 @550 nm) was achieved for BDD films deposited at 500 °C. The values of extinction coefficient were below 0.1 at λ = 550 nm, indicating low absorption of the film. The fabricated BDD thin films displayed resistivity below 48 Ohm cm and transmittance over 60% in the visible wavelength range.

  10. Synthesis of nanocrystalline LaF3 doped silica glasses by hydrofluoric acid catalyzed sol–gel process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagayama, Shuhei; Kajihara, Koichi; Kanamura, Kiyoshi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Silica glasses doped by LaF 3 nanocrystals are obtained by HF-catalyzed sol–gel method. ► The processing time (∼1 week) is much shorter than that of previous studies. ► The uptake of SiF groups in the glass matrix greatly reduces the SiOH concentration. ► Effects of sintering conditions and properties of Er 3+ -doped samples are presented. - Abstract: Silica glasses doped with LaF 3 nanocrystals were prepared by HF-catalyzed sol–gel method. HF was used both as fluorine source and as catalyst of the sol–gel reaction, making it possible to shorten the processing time with reducing the concentration of SiOH groups to ∼10 18 cm −3 . The resultant glasses are transparent at visible spectral range, and the optical loss at the ultraviolet absorption edge is dominated by the Rayleigh scattering from LaF 3 crystallites. The size of LaF 3 crystallites increases with an increase in the sintering temperature and time, and is smaller than ∼40 nm in samples showing good visible transparency. Green upconversion photoluminescence is observed in an Er 3+ -doped sample under excitation at 980 nm.

  11. Synthesis and silica coating of calcia-doped ceria/plate-like titanate (K0.8Li0.27Ti1.73O4) nanocomposite by seeded polymerization technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Toni, Ahmed Mohamed; Yin, Shu; Sato, Tsugio

    2007-01-01

    Calcia-doped ceria is of potential interest as an ultraviolet (UV) radiation blocking material in personal care products because of the excellent UV light absorption property and low catalytic ability for the oxidation of organic materials superior to undoped ceria. In order to reduce the oxidation catalytic activity further, calcia-doped ceria was coated with amorphous silica by means of seeded polymerization technique. Generally, nanoparticles of inorganic materials do not provide a good coverage for human skin because of the agglomeration of the particles. The plate-like particles are required to enhance the coverage ability of inorganic materials. This can be accomplished by synthesis of calcia-doped ceria/plate-like potassium lithium titanate (K 0.8 Li 0.27 Ti 1.73 O 4 ) nanocomposite with subsequent silica coating to control catalytic activity of calcia-doped ceria. Calcia-doped ceria/plate-like potassium lithium titanate nanocomposite was prepared by soft chemical method followed by silica coating via seeded polymerization technique. Silica coated calcia-doped ceria/plate-like potassium lithium titanate nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, XPS and FT-IR

  12. Study of the use of methanol-filled Er-doped suspended-core fibres in a temperature-sensing ring laser system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martín, J C; Berdejo, V; Vallés, J A; Sánchez-Martín, J A; Díez, A; Andrés, M V

    2013-01-01

    We report on an experimental/numerical investigation into the use of methanol-filled Er-doped suspended-core fibres (SCFs) in temperature-sensing ring laser systems. We have adopted a ring laser configuration that includes an Er-doped SCF as a temperature-dependent attenuator (TDA) with a step-index Er-doped fibre (EDF) as the laser active medium. The laser performance dependence on the temperature was measured both in continuous wave (CW) and transient regimes. CW laser output power and build-up time values are compared with those of similar laser systems based on other types of Er-doped PCFs or using other laser configurations. A notable variation of 0.73% °C −1 was achieved in CW operation. Then, by means of parameters obtained by numerically fitting the experimental results, the potential sensing performance of the laser configuration with an SCF as a TDA is studied. Moreover, two ring cavity laser configurations (with the SCF acting basically as an attenuator or also as the active media) are compared and the influence of the position of the coupler inside the ring cavity and the contribution of the erbium doping to improve the sensor features are analysed. The longer interaction lengths compatible with laser action using the Er-doped SCF as a TDA could provide variations of laser output power up to 8.6% °C −1 for 90 mW pump power and a 1 m methanol-filled SCF. (paper)

  13. Magnetic behavior of Co–Mn co-doped ZnO nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Hengda; Liu, Xinzhong; Zheng, Zhigong

    2014-01-01

    Here, we report on systematic studies of the magnetic properties of Co and Mn co-doped ZnO nanoparticles prepared by a sol–gel technique. The effect of the concentration of the doping ions on the magnetic properties of Co and Mn co-doped ZnO nanoparticles is presented. X-ray diffraction characterizations (XRD) of co-doped ZnO nanoparticles are all wurtzite structure. The Zn 0.96 Co 0.02 Mn 0.02 O nanoparticles and Zn 0.94 Co 0.02 Mn 0.04 O nanoparticles display ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer figures show that with the concentration of the Mn ions increased, the saturation magnetic moment (M s ) increased, and the magnetic is probably due to the co-doping of the Mn ions. Our results demonstrate that the Mn ions doping concentration play an important role in the ferromagnetic properties of Co–Mn co-doped ZnO nanoparticles at room temperature. - Highlights: • The effect of the doping ions on the magnetic properties is presented. • The magnetic is probably due to the co-doping of the Mn ions. • The Mn ions concentration play an important role in the ferromagnetic properties

  14. Rare-Earth Oxide Ion (Tm3+, Ho3+, and U3+) Doped Glasses and Fibres for 1.8 to 4 Micrometer Coherent and Broadband Sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-07-24

    oxide ( TeO2 ) , fluorine- containing silicate (SiOF2) and germanate (GeOF2) glass hosts for each dopant by characterising the spectroscopic properties...Earth Oxide Ion (Tm3+, Ho3+, And U3+) Doped Glasses And Fibres For 1.8 To 4 Micrometer Coherent And Broadband Sources 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 5d...Rare-earth oxide ion (Tm3+, Ho3+, and U3+) doped glasses and fibres for 1.8 to 4 micrometer coherent and broadband sources Report prepared

  15. Room temperature ferromagnetism in Co doped ZnO within an optimal doping level of 5%

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohapatra, J.; Mishra, D.K.; Mishra, Debabrata; Perumal, A.; Medicherla, V.R.R.; Phase, D.M.; Singh, S.K.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Zn 1−x Co x O ((0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1)) system synthesized by solid state reaction technique. ► Observation of room temperature ferromagnetism for 3 and 5% Co doped ZnO. ► XPS and EPMA studies predict the occurrence of segregated CoO clusters. ► Suppresses ferromagnetic ordering in higher doping percentage of Co (>5%). -- Abstract: We report on the structural, micro-structural and magnetic properties of Zn 1−x Co x O (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) system. Electron probe micro-structural analysis on 5% Co doped ZnO indicates the presence of segregated cobalt oxide which is also confirmed from the Co 2p core level X-ray photoelectron spectrum. The presence of oxygen defects in lower percentage of Co doped ZnO (≤5%) enhances the carrier mediated exchange interaction and thereby enhancing the room-temperature ferromagnetic behaviour. Higher doping percentage of cobalt (>5%) creates weak link between the grains and suppresses the carrier mediated exchange interaction. This is the reason why room temperature ferromagnetism is not observed in 7% and 10% Co doped ZnO.

  16. Polarisation effects in fibre lasers

    OpenAIRE

    Lin, J.T.; Morkel, P.R.; Reekie, L.; Payne, D.N.

    1987-01-01

    Two orthogonal polarisation eigenmodes have been observed in a single-mode fibre laser. Experimental investigation shows good agreement with theoretical analysis. Both Nd3+ and Er3+-doped single-polarisation single-mode fibre lasers have been demonstrated

  17. Fibre-concrete container

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2000-01-01

    In this leaflet the fibre-concrete container for radioactive wastes is described. The fibre container is made of fibre-concrete that contains cement, aggregate, sand, filter, flame-silica, super-plastificator, water and scattered metal fibres. The fibre-concrete container has a dice shape with outer dimension 1.7 x 1.7 x 1.7 m. It is mounted of a container body, a container cover and two caps. Total weight of container is 4,240 kg, maximum weight of loaded container do not must exceed 15,000 kg. The physical and mechanical properties of the fibre-concrete container are described in detail. The fibre-concrete container manufactured for storing of low and intermediate radioactive wastes. A fibre-concrete container utilization to store of radioactive wastes solves these problems: increase of stability of stored packages of radioactive waste; watertightness within 300 years at least; static stability of bearing space; better utilization of bearing spaces; insulation of radioactive waste in a case of seismic and geological event; increase of fire resistance; and transport of radioactive waste

  18. A comparative study of three different synthesis routes for hydrophilic fluorophore-doped silica nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shahabi, Shakiba [University of Bremen, Advanced Ceramics (Germany); Treccani, Laura, E-mail: treccani@petroceramics.com [Petroceramics S.p.A., Kilometro Rosso Science Park (Italy); Rezwan, Kurosch [University of Bremen, Advanced Ceramics (Germany)

    2016-01-15

    The synthesis of fluorophore-doped silica nanoparticles (FDS NPs) with two conventional approaches, Stöber and microemulsion, as well as a novel amino acid-catalyzed seeds regrowth technique (ACSRT) is presented. The efficiency of each applied synthesis route toward incorporation of selected hydrophilic fluorophores, including rhodamine B isothiocyanate and fluorescein isothiocyanate, without and with an amine-containing crosslinker, into silica matrix was systematically studied. Our results clearly highlight the advantages of ACSRT to obtain FDS NPs with a remarkable encapsulation efficiency, high quantum yield, and enhanced stability against bleaching and dye leaking due to efficient embedding of the dyes inside silica network even without the amine-containing silane reagent. Moreover, evaluation of photostability of FDNPs internalized in human bone cells demonstrates the merits of ACSRT.

  19. First principles calculation of lithium-phosphorus co-doped diamond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Q.Y. Shao

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available We calculate the density of states (DOS and the Mulliken population of the diamond and the co-doped diamonds with different concentrations of lithium (Li and phosphorus (P by the method of the density functional theory, and analyze the bonding situations of the Li-P co-doped diamond thin films and the impacts of the Li-P co-doping on the diamond conductivities. The results show that the Li-P atoms can promote the split of the diamond energy band near the Fermi level, and improve the electron conductivities of the Li-P co-doped diamond thin films, or even make the Li-P co-doped diamond from semiconductor to conductor. The affection of Li-P co-doping concentration on the orbital charge distributions, bond lengths and bond populations is analyzed. The Li atom may promote the split of the energy band near the Fermi level and also may favorably regulate the diamond lattice distortion and expansion caused by the P atom.

  20. Ferrocenyl-doped silica nanoparticles as an immobilized affinity support for electrochemical immunoassay of cancer antigen 15-3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hong Chenglin; Yuan Ruo; Chai Yaqin; Zhuo Ying

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this study is to elaborate a simple and sensitive electrochemical immunoassay using ferrocenecarboxylic (Fc-COOH)-doped silica nanoparticles (SNPs) as an immobilized affinity support for cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) detection. The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs with redox-active were prepared by using a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The use of colloidal silica could prevent the leakage of Fc-COOH and were easily modified with trialkoxysilane reagents for covalent conjugation of CA 15-3 antibodies (anti-CA 15-3). The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The fabrication process of the electrochemical immunosensor was demonstrated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Under optimal conditions, the developed immunosensor showed good linearity at the studied concentration range of 2.0-240 U mL -1 with a coefficient 0.9986 and a detection limit of 0.64 U mL -1 at S/N = 3

  1. Ferrocenyl-doped silica nanoparticles as an immobilized affinity support for electrochemical immunoassay of cancer antigen 15-3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Chenglin; Yuan, Ruo; Chai, Yaqin; Zhuo, Ying

    2009-02-09

    The aim of this study is to elaborate a simple and sensitive electrochemical immunoassay using ferrocenecarboxylic (Fc-COOH)-doped silica nanoparticles (SNPs) as an immobilized affinity support for cancer antigen 15-3 (CA 15-3) detection. The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs with redox-active were prepared by using a water-in-oil microemulsion method. The use of colloidal silica could prevent the leakage of Fc-COOH and were easily modified with trialkoxysilane reagents for covalent conjugation of CA 15-3 antibodies (anti-CA 15-3). The Fc-COOH-doped SNPs were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The fabrication process of the electrochemical immunosensor was demonstrated by using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Under optimal conditions, the developed immunosensor showed good linearity at the studied concentration range of 2.0-240 UmL(-1) with a coefficient 0.9986 and a detection limit of 0.64 UmL(-1) at S/N=3.

  2. Alteration of the soliton behavior in silica-fibers doped with passive resonant atoms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Torres-Cisneros, G. E.; Nabiev, R.F.

    1991-01-01

    We have numerically studied for the first time the full dynamics describing the pulse propagation phenomenon in single-mode-silica-fibers doped with passive resonant two level atoms. For the specific case of a 3-order soliton we show that the inclusion of the resonant nonlinearities destroys the fundamental characteristics of the pulse soliton behavior. (Author)

  3. Fibre optics compatibility with radiative environment inside PWR containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Breuze, G.; Jucker, P.; Serre, J.

    1993-01-01

    Fibre optic links operating with multiplexed sensors data are potentially attractive for nuclear power plant applications. It hence became essential to test for radiation vulnerability not only transmission support -fibres- but also fibre-end electro-optical components which could be exposed to hostile environment, perhaps in worse conditions than fibres. Present paper gives results of multimode silica-based fibre behaviour during long-term steady-state low dose-rate gamma ray exposure - one year under 0.1 to 0.2 Gy/h. Studies concerned radiation-induced loss (ΔL) measurement of eight different commercially available fibres and bit error-rate (BER) recording of four 1 100 m length data links operating with a 100 m part exposed to gamma-rays. Main result is the good behaviour of pure silica-core fibres, especially a step-index polymer-clad fibre transmitting 850 nm light but also a graded-index fluorine-clad fibre for 1 300 nm window. Mean ΔL values are respectively 3 dB/km and 4.5 dB/km at the exposure end. Complementary result is no influence of gamma-ray exposure upon data link initial 10 -9 BER. (authors). 9 figs., 7 tabs., 26 refs

  4. Hydrothermal stability of silica, hybrid silica and Zr-doped hybrid silica membranes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Hove, Marcel; Luiten-Olieman, Mieke W.J.; Huiskes, Cindy; Nijmeijer, Arian; Winnubst, Louis

    2017-01-01

    Hybrid silica membranes have demonstrated to possess a remarkable hydrothermal stability in pervaporation and gas separation processes allowing them to be used in industrial applications. In several publications the hydrothermal stability of pure silica or that of hybrid silica membranes are

  5. Ordered mesoporous silica (OMS) as an adsorbent and membrane for separation of carbon dioxide (CO2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chew, Thiam-Leng; Ahmad, Abdul L; Bhatia, Subhash

    2010-01-15

    Separation of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from gaseous mixture is an important issue for the removal of CO(2) in natural gas processing and power plants. The ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) with uniform pore structure and high density of silanol groups, have attracted the interest of researchers for separation of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) using adsorption process. These mesoporous silicas after functionalization with amino groups have been studied for the removal of CO(2). The potential of functionalized ordered mesoporous silica membrane for separation of CO(2) is also recognized. The present paper reviews the synthesis of mesoporous silicas and important issues related to the development of mesoporous silicas. Recent studies on the CO(2) separation using ordered mesoporous silicas (OMS) as adsorbent and membrane are highlighted. The future prospectives of mesoporous silica membrane for CO(2) adsorption and separation are also presented and discussed. Copyright 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Solution electrospinning of particle-polymer composite fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Lasse; Fojan, Peter

    2016-01-01

    -scale, is produced. The maximum polymer-silica weight-ratio yielding stable fibres has also been determined. The morphology of the fibres at different weight ratios has been investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Low aerogel concentrations yield few particles located in polymer...

  7. Transcriptional co-activator PGC-1 alpha drives the formation of slow-twitch muscle fibres.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Jiandie; Wu, Hai; Tarr, Paul T; Zhang, Chen-Yu; Wu, Zhidan; Boss, Olivier; Michael, Laura F; Puigserver, Pere; Isotani, Eiji; Olson, Eric N; Lowell, Bradford B; Bassel-Duby, Rhonda; Spiegelman, Bruce M

    2002-08-15

    The biochemical basis for the regulation of fibre-type determination in skeletal muscle is not well understood. In addition to the expression of particular myofibrillar proteins, type I (slow-twitch) fibres are much higher in mitochondrial content and are more dependent on oxidative metabolism than type II (fast-twitch) fibres. We have previously identified a transcriptional co-activator, peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-gamma co-activator-1 (PGC-1 alpha), which is expressed in several tissues including brown fat and skeletal muscle, and that activates mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism. We show here that PGC-1 alpha is expressed preferentially in muscle enriched in type I fibres. When PGC-1 alpha is expressed at physiological levels in transgenic mice driven by a muscle creatine kinase (MCK) promoter, a fibre type conversion is observed: muscles normally rich in type II fibres are redder and activate genes of mitochondrial oxidative metabolism. Notably, putative type II muscles from PGC-1 alpha transgenic mice also express proteins characteristic of type I fibres, such as troponin I (slow) and myoglobin, and show a much greater resistance to electrically stimulated fatigue. Using fibre-type-specific promoters, we show in cultured muscle cells that PGC-1 alpha activates transcription in cooperation with Mef2 proteins and serves as a target for calcineurin signalling, which has been implicated in slow fibre gene expression. These data indicate that PGC-1 alpha is a principal factor regulating muscle fibre type determination.

  8. Phosphorus-doped thin silica films characterized by magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, H.J.; Skibsted, J.; Kristensen, Martin

    2001-01-01

    Magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of 31P and 29Si have been achieved for a thin silica film doped with only 1.8% 31P and deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition on a pure silicon wafer. The observation of a symmetric 31P chemical shift tensor is consistent...

  9. Measurement of dose enhancement close to high atomic number media using optical fibre thermoluminescence dosimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alalawi, Amani I.; Hugtenburg, R.P.; Abdul Rahman, A.T.; Barry, M.A.; Nisbet, A.; Alzimami, Khalid S.; Bradley, D.A.

    2014-01-01

    Present interest concerns development of a system to measure photoelectron-enhanced dose close to a tissue interface using analogue gold-coated doped silica-fibre thermoluminescence detectors and an X-ray set operating at 250 kVp. Study is made of the dose enhancement factor for various thicknesses of gold; measurements at a total gold thickness of 160 nm (accounting for incident and exiting photons) produces a mean measured dose enhancement factor of 1.33±0.01 To verify results, simulations of the experimental setup have been performed. - Highlights: • Dose enhancement • Thermoluminescence dosimeter • Monte Carlo simulation

  10. Functionalized Mesoporous Silica Membranes for CO2 Separation Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hyung-Ju Kim

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Mesoporous silica molecular sieves are emerging candidates for a number of potential applications involving adsorption and molecular transport due to their large surface areas, high pore volumes, and tunable pore sizes. Recently, several research groups have investigated the potential of functionalized mesoporous silica molecular sieves as advanced materials in separation devices, such as membranes. In particular, mesoporous silica with a two- or three-dimensional pore structure is one of the most promising types of molecular sieve materials for gas separation membranes. However, several important challenges must first be addressed regarding the successful fabrication of mesoporous silica membranes. First, a novel, high throughput process for the fabrication of continuous and defect-free mesoporous silica membranes is required. Second, functionalization of mesopores on membranes is desirable in order to impart selective properties. Finally, the separation characteristics and performance of functionalized mesoporous silica membranes must be further investigated. Herein, the synthesis, characterization, and applications of mesoporous silica membranes and functionalized mesoporous silica membranes are reviewed with a focus on CO2 separation.

  11. Rare-Earth Doped Photonic Crystal Fibre Lasers and Amplifiers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, Kristian G.

    2005-01-01

    In this thesis, a theoretical and numerical study of the use of rare-earthdoped photonic crystal fibres as optical amplifiers and lasers, has been performed. Photonic crystal fibres or microstructured optical fibres is a new kind of optical fibre in which the cladding region typically consist....... Their novel properties allow for design of optical fibre amplifiers and fibre lasers with superior performance, compared to solutions based on conventional fibres. The primary applications considered are high efficiency fibre amplifiers based on index guiding photonic crystal fibres, and cladding pumped....... The thesis also presents the basic properties of optical amplification, and describes the numerical model developed to model the behaviour of lasers and amplifiers based on photonic crystal fibres. The developed numerical tools are then used to investigate specific applications of photonic crystal fibres...

  12. Erbium-doped twin-core fibre narrow-band filter for fibre lasers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Peterka, Pavel; Kaňka, Jiří

    2001-01-01

    Roč. 33, 4/5 (2001), s. 571-581 ISSN 0306-8919. [Optical Waveguide Theory and Numerical Modelling /8./. Prague, 26.05.2000-27.05.2000] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA102/99/M057; GA ČR GA102/99/0393; GA AV ČR IAC2067902 Grant - others:EU COST(XE) OC 265.10 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z2067918 Keywords : optical fibre lasers * optical fibre filters * optical fibre couplers Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 0.706, year: 2001 http://www.ufe.cz/~peterka/opera/OQE_Peterka01_fulltext.pdf

  13. Formation of Silica-Lysozyme Composites Through Co-Precipitation and Adsorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela B. van den Heuvel

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Interactions between silica and proteins are crucial for the formation of biosilica and the production of novel functional hybrid materials for a range of industrial applications. The proteins control both precipitation pathway and the properties of the resulting silica–organic composites. Here, we present data on the formation of silica–lysozyme composites through two different synthesis approaches (co-precipitation vs. adsorption and show that the chemical and structural properties of these composites, when analyzed using a combination of synchrotron-based scattering (total scattering and small-angle X-ray scattering, spectroscopic, electron microscopy, and potentiometric methods vary dramatically. We document that while lysozyme was not incorporated into nor did its presence alter the molecular structure of silica, it strongly enhanced the aggregation of silica particles due to electrostatic and potentially hydrophobic interactions, leading to the formation of composites with characteristics differing from pure silica. The differences increased with increasing lysozyme content for both synthesis approaches. Yet, the absolute changes differ substantially between the two sets of composites, as lysozyme did not just affect aggregation during co-precipitation but also particle growth and likely polymerization during co-precipitation. Our results improve the fundamental understanding of how organic macromolecules interact with dissolved and nanoparticulate silica and how these interactions control the formation pathway of silica–organic composites from sodium silicate solutions, a widely available and cheap starting material.

  14. Development of tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites towards their use in DEMO—potassium doped tungsten wire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riesch, J.; Han, Y.; Almanstötter, J.; Coenen, J. W.; Höschen, T.; Jasper, B.; Zhao, P.; Linsmeier, Ch; Neu, R.

    2016-02-01

    For the next step fusion reactor the use of tungsten is inevitable to suppress erosion and allow operation at elevated temperature and high heat loads. Tungsten fibre-reinforced composites overcome the intrinsic brittleness of tungsten and its susceptibility to operation embrittlement and thus allow its use as a structural as well as an armour material. That this concept works in principle has been shown in recent years. In this contribution we present a development approach towards its use in a future fusion reactor. A multilayer approach is needed addressing all composite constituents and manufacturing steps. A huge potential lies in the optimization of the tungsten wire used as fibre. We discuss this aspect and present studies on potassium doped tungsten wire in detail. This wire, utilized in the illumination industry, could be a replacement for the so far used pure tungsten wire due to its superior high temperature properties. In tensile tests the wire showed high strength and ductility up to an annealing temperature of 2200 K. The results show that the use of doped tungsten wire could increase the allowed fabrication temperature and the overall working temperature of the composite itself.

  15. Development of tungsten fibre-reinforced tungsten composites towards their use in DEMO—potassium doped tungsten wire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riesch, J; Han, Y; Höschen, T; Zhao, P; Neu, R; Almanstötter, J; Coenen, J W; Jasper, B; Linsmeier, Ch

    2016-01-01

    For the next step fusion reactor the use of tungsten is inevitable to suppress erosion and allow operation at elevated temperature and high heat loads. Tungsten fibre-reinforced composites overcome the intrinsic brittleness of tungsten and its susceptibility to operation embrittlement and thus allow its use as a structural as well as an armour material. That this concept works in principle has been shown in recent years. In this contribution we present a development approach towards its use in a future fusion reactor. A multilayer approach is needed addressing all composite constituents and manufacturing steps. A huge potential lies in the optimization of the tungsten wire used as fibre. We discuss this aspect and present studies on potassium doped tungsten wire in detail. This wire, utilized in the illumination industry, could be a replacement for the so far used pure tungsten wire due to its superior high temperature properties. In tensile tests the wire showed high strength and ductility up to an annealing temperature of 2200 K. The results show that the use of doped tungsten wire could increase the allowed fabrication temperature and the overall working temperature of the composite itself. (paper)

  16. Uniform silica nanoparticles encapsulating two-photon absorbing fluorescent dye

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Weibing; Liu Chang; Wang Mingliang; Huang Wei; Zhou Shengrui; Jiang Wei; Sun Yueming; Cui Yiping; Xu Chunxinag

    2009-01-01

    We have prepared uniform silica nanoparticles (NPs) doped with a two-photon absorbing zwitterionic hemicyanine dye by reverse microemulsion method. Obvious solvatochromism on the absorption spectra of dye-doped NPs indicates that solvents can partly penetrate into the silica matrix and then affect the ground and excited state of dye molecules. For dye-doped NP suspensions, both one-photon and two-photon excited fluorescence are much stronger and recorded at shorter wavelength compared to those of free dye solutions with comparative overall dye concentration. This behavior is possibly attributed to the restricted twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT), which reduces fluorescence quenching when dye molecules are trapped in the silica matrix. Images from two-photon laser scanning fluorescence microscopy demonstrate that the dye-doped silica NPs can be actively uptaken by Hela cells with low cytotoxicity. - Graphical abstract: Water-soluble silica NPs doped with a two-photon absorbing zwitterionic hemicyanine dye were prepared. They were found of enhanced one-photon and two-photon excited fluorescence compared to free dye solutions. Images from two-photon laser scanning fluorescence microscopy demonstrate that the dye-doped silica NPs can be actively uptaken by Hela cells.

  17. High-flux MFI-alumina hollow fibres: a membrane-based process for on-board CO2 capture from internal combustion vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolas, C.H.

    2011-01-01

    This work focuses on the conception and development of a membrane-based process for an on-board CO 2 capture/storage application. In a first part, we simulate an on-board CO 2 capture unit based on a membrane process for the case study of a heavy vehicle (≥3500 kg). This study includes an energy analysis of the impact of gas separation and compression on the required membrane surface and module volume, as well the autonomy of the storage unit and the energy overconsumption involved in the process. In a second part, we study the influence of the hollow-fibre support quality on the final intergrowth level of nano-composite MFI-alumina membranes. Special attention is devoted to the influence of the isomorphic substitution of silica by boron and germanium, and replacement of the counter-cation (proton) by other elements, on the CO 2 /N 2 separation and permeance properties. Next, a complete chapter has been devoted to the evaluation of the thermodynamic (adsorption) and kinetic (diffusion) parameters in the CO 2 /N 2 separation. Finally, we analyze the influence of standard pollutants (water, NO x , hydrocarbons) on the CO 2 separation properties of the synthesized membranes. (author)

  18. Electron, hole and exciton self-trapping in germanium doped silica glass from DFT calculations with self-interaction correction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Du Jincheng; Rene Corrales, L.; Tsemekhman, Kiril; Bylaska, Eric J.

    2007-01-01

    Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to understand the refractive index change in germanium doped silica glasses for the trapped states of electronic excitations induced by UV irradiation. Local structure relaxation and excess electron density distribution were calculated upon self-trapping of an excess electron, hole, and exciton in germanium doped silica glass. The results show that both the trapped exciton and excess electron are highly localized on germanium ion and, to some extent, on its oxygen neighbors. Exciton self-trapping is found to lead to the formation of a Ge E' center and a non-bridging hole center. Electron trapping changes the GeO 4 tetrahedron structure into trigonal bi-pyramid with the majority of the excess electron density located along the equatorial line. The self-trapped hole is localized on bridging oxygen ions that are not coordinated to germanium atoms that lead to elongation of the Si-O bonds and change of the Si-O-Si bond angles. We carried out a comparative study of standard DFT versus DFT with a hybrid PBE0 exchange and correlation functional. The results show that the two methods give qualitatively similar relaxed structure and charge distribution for electron and exciton trapping in germanium doped silica glass; however, only the PBE0 functional produces the self-trapped hole

  19. Co-doping effects on luminescence and scintillation properties of Ce doped Lu3Al5O12 scintillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Beitlerova, Alena; Nagura, Aya; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Yuji; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshikawa, Akira

    2015-01-01

    The Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba 200 ppm co-doped Ce:Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystals were prepared by micro pulling down method. Absorption and luminescence spectra were measured together with several other scintillation characteristics, namely the scintillation decay and light yield to reveal the effect of the co-doping. The scintillation decays were accelerated by both Mg and Ca co-dopants. The Mg co-doped samples showed the fastest decay and the highest light yield among the co-doped samples

  20. Synthesis and cathodoluminescence of Sb/P co-doped GaN nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Zaien; Liu, Baodan; Yuan, Fang; Hu, Tao; Zhang, Guifeng; Dierre, Benjamin; Hirosaki, Naoto; Sekiguchi, Takashi; Jiang, Xin

    2014-01-01

    Sb/P co-doped Gallium Nitride (GaN) nanowires were synthesized via a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process by heating Ga 2 O 3 and Sb powders in NH 3 atmosphere. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) measurements confirmed the as-synthesized products were Sb/P co-doped GaN nanowires with rough morphology and hexagonal wurtzite structure. Room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) demonstrated that an obvious band shift of GaN nanowires can be observed due to Sb/P co-doping. Possible explanation for the growth and luminescence mechanism of Sb/P co-doped GaN nanowires was discussed. Highlight: • Sb/P co-doped GaN nanowires were synthesized through a well-designed multi-channel chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. • Sb/P co-doping leads to the crystallinity deterioration of GaN nanowires. • Sb/P co-doping caused the red-shift of GaN nanowires band-gap in UV range. • Compared with Sb doping, P atoms are more easy to incorporate into the GaN lattice

  1. Synthesis of fluorine- doped silica-coating by fluorosilane nanofluid to ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saboori, R.; Azin, R.; Osfouri, Sh; Sabbaghi, S.; Bahramian, A.

    2017-10-01

    Liquid repellency treatment has many applications in various sectors including oil and gas reservoirs and self-cleaning surfaces. In this study, effect of silica, fluorine-doped silica and fluorine-doped silica-coating by fluorosilane nanofluid on ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic surface of carbonate and sandstone rock were investigated. The nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel method and characterized using XRD, FTIR, FESEM and DLS and nanofluid was prepared. F-SiO2-F nanoparticle was adsorbed on surface of rocks and confirmed by FESEM and EDXA. Effect of nanofluid on wettability was investigated by measuring contact angles of water, crude oil, condensate, n-decane and ethylene glycol in air and stability of ultrahydrophobic and ultraoleophobic was investigated. Results show that nanofluid (0.05 wt% of nanoparticle) changes contact angle from strongly liquid-wet to strongly gas-wet in all systems. The original contact angle of water, crude oil, condensate, n-decane and ethylene glycol were 37.95°, 0°, 0°, 0° and 0° for carbonate rock and 40.30°, 0°, 0°, 0° and 0° for sandstone rock which altered to 146.47°, 145.59°, 138.24°, 139.06° and 146.52° for carbonate rock and 160.01°, 151.40°, 131.85°, 140.27° and 151.70° for sandstone rock after treatment. The ultraoleophobic and ultrahydrophobic stability were  >48 h and 120 min.

  2. Utilization of rice husk ash as silica source for the synthesis of mesoporous silicas and their application to CO2 adsorption through TREN/TEPA grafting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhagiyalakshmi, Margandan; Yun, Lee Ji; Anuradha, Ramani; Jang, Hyun Tae

    2010-01-01

    Mesoporous MCM-41, MCM-48 and SBA-15 were synthesized using Rice husk ash (RHA) as the silica source and their defective Si-OH sites were functionalized by 3-cholropropyltrimethoxysilane (CPTMS) which was subsequently grafted with amine compounds, Tris(2-aminoethyl)amine (TREN) and Tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and BET results of the parent mesoporous silica suggested their closeness of structural properties to those obtained from conventional silica sources. CO 2 adsorption of branched amine TREN and straight chain amine TEPA at 25, 50 and 75 deg. C was obtained by Thermogravimetric Analyser (TGA) at atmospheric pressure. TREN grafted mesoporous silica showed 7% of CO 2 adsorption while TEPA grafted mesoporous silicas showed less CO 2 adsorption, which is due to the presence of isolated amine groups in TREN. TREN grafted mesoporous silicas were also observed to be selective towards CO 2 , thermally stable and recyclable. The order of CO 2 adsorption with respect to amount of amine grafting was observed to be MCM-48/TREN > MCM-41/TREN > SBA-15/TREN.

  3. Polyethyleneimine-loaded bimodal porous silica as low-cost and high-capacity sorbent for CO{sub 2} capture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Witoon, Thongthai, E-mail: fengttwi@ku.ac.th [National Center of Excellence for Petroleum, Petrochemicals and Advance Material, Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900 (Thailand); Center for Advanced Studies in Nanotechnology and Its Applications in Chemical Food and Agricultural Industries, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900 (Thailand)

    2012-11-15

    In this work, bimodal (meso-macro) porous silicas with different mesopore diameters synthesized by using rice husk ash as a low-cost silica source and chitosan as a natural template were used as a polyethyleneimine (PEI) support for CO{sub 2} capture. Unimodal porous silica supports with equivalent mesopore diameters to bimodal porous silica supports have been prepared for purpose of comparison. Effects of different PEI contents (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt%) on CO{sub 2} sorption capacity have been systematically investigated. The porous silica supports and the PEI-loaded porous silica supports were characterized by N{sub 2}-sorption analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis. CO{sub 2} sorption measurements of all PEI-loaded porous silica supports were performed at different adsorption temperatures (60, 75, 85, 90, 95 and 105 Degree-Sign C). At low PEI contents (10-20 wt%), the CO{sub 2} sorption of all adsorbents was found to decrease as a function of adsorption temperature, which was a characteristic of a thermodynamically-controlled regime. A transition from the thermodynamically-controlled regime to a kinetically-controlled regime was found when the PEI content was increased up to 30 wt% for PEI-loaded unimodal porous silicas and 40 wt% for PEI-loaded bimodal porous silicas. At high PEI contents (40-50 wt%), the CO{sub 2} capturing efficiency of the PEI-loaded bimodal porous silicas was found to be considerably greater than that of the PEI-loaded unimodal porous silicas, indicating that most of the amine groups of PEI molecules loaded on the unimodal porous silica supports was useless, and thus the appeared macroporosity of the bimodal porous silica supports could provide a higher effective amine density to adsorb CO{sub 2}. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PEI-impregnated bimodal porous silica as low-cost sorbent for CO{sub 2} capture. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Macropores enhances

  4. Monte Carlo simulations of homogeneous upconversion in erbium-doped silica glasses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Philipsen, Jacob Lundgreen; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

    1997-01-01

    Quenching of Er3+ ions by homogeneous energy-transfer upconversion in high-concentration erbium-doped silica glasses has been theoretically investigated, The results indicate that at Er3+ concentrations of 1.0-2.0·1026 m-3 or below, the kinetic limit of strong migration is not reached, and hence...... the widely accepted quadratic upconversion model is not generally valid. Nevertheless, the results offer an explanation of the experimental observations of quadratic upconversion. Furthermore, it has been shown that at a given population inversion, the quenching rate depends on the rate of exchange...

  5. Temperature monitoring of vehicle engine exhaust gases under vibration condition using optical fibre temperature sensor systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, W Z; Suna, T; Grattana, K T V; Shen, Y H; Wei, C L; Al-Shamma'a, A I

    2006-01-01

    Two optical approaches, comprising and contracting both the fluorescence decay lifetime and the fibre Bragg grating (FBG) methods, were developed and evaluated for temperature monitoring of exhaust gases for use on a vehicle engine. The FBGs used in the system were written into specially designed Bi-Ge co-doped photosensitive fibres, to enable them to sustain high temperatures to over 800 0 C, which is far beyond that of FBGs written into most commercial photosensitive fibres. The sensors were subjected to a range of vibration tests, as a part of an optical exhaust monitoring network under development, and results from the test carried out are reported

  6. Mode-locked Pr3+-doped silica fiber laser with an external cavity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shi, Yuan; Poulsen, Christian; Sejka, Milan

    1994-01-01

    We present a Pr3+-doped silica-based fiber laser mode-locked by using a linear external cavity with a vibrating mirror. Stable laser pulses with a FWHM of less than 44 ps, peak power greater than 9 W, and repetition rate up to 100 MHz are obtained. The pulse width versus cavity mismatch ΔL and pump...... power have been investigated. With a short piece of nonlinear fiber included in the external cavity, laser pulses of 45 ps have been measured...

  7. Liquid filling of photonic crystal fibres for grating writing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Henrik Rokkjær; Canning, John; Lægsgaard, Jesper

    2007-01-01

    liquid filling of photonic crystal fibres reduces the scattering from air–glass interfaces during Bragg grating writing in many layered photonic crystal fibres. Within experimental uncertainty, the grating index modulation of a grating written in germanium-doped photonic crystal fibre with 10 rings...

  8. Adsorption of CO molecules on doped graphene: A first-principles study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weidong Wang

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available As a typical kinds of toxic gases, CO plays an important role in environmental monitoring, control of chemical processes, space missions, agricultural and medical applications. Graphene is considered a potential candidate of gases sensor, so the adsorption of CO molecules on various graphene, including pristine graphene, Nitrogen-doped graphene (N-doped graphene and Aluminum-doped graphene (Al-doped graphene, are studied by using first-principles calculations. The optimal configurations, adsorption energies, charge transfer, and electronic properties including band structures, density of states and differential charge density are obtained. The adsorption energies of CO molecules on pristine graphene and N-doped graphene are −0.01 eV, and −0.03 eV, respectively. In comparison, the adsorption energy of CO on Al-doped graphene is much larger, −2.69 eV. Our results also show that there occurs a large amount of charge transfer between CO molecules and graphene sheet after the adsorption, which suggests Al-doped graphene is more sensitive to the adsorption of CO than pristine graphene and N-doped graphene. Therefore, the sensitivity of gases on graphene can be drastically improved by introducing the suitable dopants.

  9. Optical and structural properties of individual Co-doped ZnO microwires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolomys, O. F.; Strelchuk, V. V.; Rarata, S. V.; Hayn, R.; Savoyant, A.; Giovannelli, F.; Delorme, F.; Tkach, V.

    2018-06-01

    The Co-doped ZnO microwires (MWs) were grown using the optical furnace method. We used Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), polarized micro-Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) and optical absorption spectroscopy to systematic investigation of the optical and structural properties of Co-doped ZnO MWs. The SEM analysis reveals that Co-doped ZnO MWs has hexagonal facets and cavity inside. The EDS results confirmed the presence and non-uniform distribution of Co impurities in the samples. Co doping of ZnO MWs leads to the decreased intensity, drastically broadening and high-energy shift of the NBE PL band. The red emission band at 1.85 eV originates from 2E(2G) → 4A2 (4F) intra-3d-transition of Co2+ in the ZnO lattice has been observed. The intense structured absorption bands within the near infrared ranges 3800-4800 and 5500-9000 cm-1 are caused by electronic spin-allowed transitions 4T2(F) ← 4A2(F) and 4T1(F) ← 4A2(F) of the tetrahedrally coordinated Co2+ (3 d7) ions substituting Zn2+ ions in Co-doped ZnO MWs. Micro-Raman studies of Co doped ZnO MWs show doping/disorder induced additional modes as compared to the undoped sample. The resonant enhancement of the additional local Co-related A1-symmetry Raman mode is observed in the parallel polarization geometry y(z , z) ybar . For the Co doped ZnO MWs, the enhancement of the additional Co-related local vibration mode with an increase in the excitation photon energy is also observed in the Raman spectra.

  10. Rapid synthesis of Co, Ni co-doped ZnO nanoparticles: Optical and electrochemical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Romeiro, Fernanda C.; Marinho, Juliane Z.; Lemos, Samantha C.S. [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil); Moura, Ana P. de [LIEC, Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Freire, Poliana G. [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil); Silva, Luis F. da; Longo, Elson [LIEC, Instituto de Química, Universidade Estadual Paulista, 14800-900 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Munoz, Rodrigo A.A. [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil); Lima, Renata C., E-mail: rclima@iqufu.ufu.br [Instituto de Química, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG (Brazil)

    2015-10-15

    We report for the first time a rapid preparation of Zn{sub 1−2x}Co{sub x}Ni{sub x}O nanoparticles via a versatile and environmentally friendly route, microwave-assisted hydrothermal (MAH) method. The Co, Ni co-doped ZnO nanoparticles present an effect on photoluminescence and electrochemical properties, exhibiting excellent electrocatalytic performance compared to undoped ZnO sample. Photoluminescence spectroscopy measurements indicated the reduction of the green–orange–red visible emission region after adding Co and Ni ions, revealing the formation of alternative pathways for the generated recombination. The presence of these metallic ions into ZnO creates different defects, contributing to a local structural disorder, as revealed by Raman spectra. Electrochemical experiments revealed that the electrocatalytic oxidation of dopamine on ZnO attached to multi-walled carbon nanotubes improved significantly in the Co, Ni co-doped ZnO samples when compared to pure ZnO. - Graphical abstract: Rapid synthesis of Co, Ni co-doped ZnO nanoparticles: optical and electrochemical properties. Co, Ni co-doped ZnO hexagonal nanoparticles with optical and electrocatalytic properties were successfully prepared for the first time using a microwave hydrothermal method at mild conditions. - Highlights: • Co{sup 2+} and Ni{sup 2+} into ZnO lattice obtained a mild and environmentally friendly process. • The heating method strongly influences in the growth and shape of the particles. • Short-range defects generated by the ions insertion affects the photoluminescence. • Doped ZnO nanoparticles improve the electrocatalytic properties of pure oxide.

  11. Structural, magnetic and electronic structure properties of Co doped ZnO nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Shalendra; Song, T.K.; Gautam, Sanjeev; Chae, K.H.; Kim, S.S.; Jang, K.W.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • XRD and HR-TEM results show the single phase nature of Co doped ZnO nanoparticles. • XMCD and dc magnetization results indicate the RT-FM in Co doped ZnO nanoparticles. • Co L 3,2 NEXAFS spectra infer that Co ions are in 2+ valence state. • O K edge NEXAFS spectra show that O vacancy increases with Co doping in ZnO. - Abstract: We reported structural, magnetic and electronic structure studies of Co doped ZnO nanoparticles. Doping of Co ions in ZnO host matrix has been studied and confirmed using various methods; such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersed X-ray (EDX), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, magnetic hysteresis loop measurements and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). From the XRD and HR-TEM results, it is observed that Co doped ZnO nanoparticles have single phase nature with wurtzite structure and exclude the possibility of secondary phase formation. FE-SEM and TEM micrographs show that pure and Co doped nanoparticles are nearly spherical in shape. O K edge NEXAFS spectra indicate that O vacancies increase with Co doping. The Co L 3,2 edge NEXAFS spectra revealed that Co ions are in 2+ valence state. DC magnetization hysteresis loops and XMCD results clearly showed the intrinsic origin of temperature ferromagnetism in Co doped ZnO nanoparticles

  12. Strong visible-light emission of ZnS nanocrystals embedded in sol-gel silica xerogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Ping; Lue, M.-K.; Song, C.-F.; Zhou, G.-J.; Ai, Z.-P.; Xu Dong; Yuan, D.-R.; Cheng, X.-F.

    2003-01-01

    ZnS nanoparticles embedded in novel porous phosphor silica xerogel have been synthesized by sol-gel processing. Their fluorescence properties have been evaluated and compared with those of the Na + -doped and un-doped silica xerogels. Stable and strong visible-light emission of the doped samples has been observed. The relative fluorescence intensities of the samples doped with ZnS nanoparticles (S 2- ions have been obtained by the water solution of NaS) are the highest among all of the doped samples. Its relative fluorescence intensity is about 7.5 times of that of the un-doped silica xerogel and about 300 times of that of pure ZnS nanoparticles. The emission wavelength of the ZnS-doped and Na + -doped samples is the same as that of the un-doped silica xerogel and ZnS nanoparticles (λ em =440-450 nm). This high efficiency luminescence of the doped silica xerogels has been assigned to the luminescence centers of ZnS nanoparticles and Na + in the porous phosphorescence silica xerogel

  13. A novel method for synthesis of {sup 56}Co-radiolabelled silica nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cydzik, I. [Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (Italy); Bilewicz, A. [Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology (Poland); Abbas, K. [Institute for Transuranium Elements (Ispra Site), European Commission, Joint Research Centre (Italy); Simonelli, F.; Bulgheroni, A.; Holzwarth, U., E-mail: uwe.holzwarth@jrc.ec.europa.eu; Gibson, N. [Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, European Commission, Joint Research Centre (Italy)

    2012-10-15

    A method for synthesis of radiolabelled amorphous silica nanoparticles is presented. The method is based on the well-known Stoeber process with the exception that {sup 56}Co radiotracer is introduced into one of the precursor materials prior to the initiation of the nanoparticle synthesis. The {sup 56}Co was prepared by proton irradiation of an iron foil, followed by dissolution in hydrochloric acid and {sup 56}Co/Fe radiochemical separation. In order to determine the residual Fe in the {sup 56}Co radiotracer solution, ICP-MS measurements were performed. Nanoparticles in the size range 20-100 nm were synthesised and characterised by gamma spectrometry, ICP-MS, XRD, DLS, and Zeta potential measurement. It was shown that the size and Zeta potential of the nanoparticles was roughly the same following synthesis with or without added {sup 56}Co, and in both cases, the structure was that of amorphous silica. It was found that 99.5 % of the {sup 56}Co was bound into the nanoparticles during synthesis, and centrifugation experiments confirmed that the radiolabels were stably incorporated into the silica matrix.

  14. Magnetic Properties of Electron-Doped LaCoO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomiyasu, Keisuke; Sato, Mika; Koyama, Shun-Ichi; Nojima, Tsutomu; Kajimoto, Ryoichi; Ji, Sungdae; Iwasa, Kazuaki

    2017-09-01

    We studied electron-doped LaCo1 - yTey6 + O3 by magnetization measurements and neutron scattering. The effective Bohr magneton, estimated by Curie-Weiss fitting around room temperature, is independent of y. This suggests that magnetic Co3+(HS), not nonmagnetic Co3+(LS), is mainly replaced by doped magnetic Co2+(HS). At the lowest temperatures, a Brillouin-function-like saturating behavior persists in the magnetization curves even in the high-y samples, and neither a clear magnetic reflection nor magnetic dispersion is observed by neutron scattering. These findings indicate that the magnetic correlation is very weak, in contrast to the well-known hole-doped LaCoO3 accompanied by a drastic transition to a ferromagnetic metal. However, we also found that the low-y samples exhibit nonnegligible enhancement of the saturated magnetization by ˜2μB per a doped electron. All these characteristics are discussed in the light of the activation and inactivation of a spin-state blockade.

  15. Hydrothermal stability investigation of micro- and mesoporous silica containing long-range ordered cobalt oxide clusters by XAS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Liang; Wang, David K; Kappen, Peter; Martens, Dana L; Smart, Simon; Diniz da Costa, João C

    2015-07-15

    This work investigates the hydrothermal stability of cobalt doped silica materials with different Co/Si molar ratios (0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.25). The resultant materials were characterized by N2 sorption and chemical structures by Raman and X-ray absorption spectroscopy before and after a harsh hydrothermal exposure (550 °C, 75 mol% vapour and 40 h). The cobalt silica materials showed a lower surface area loss from 48% to 12% with increasing Co/Si molar ratio from 0.05 to 0.25 and relatively maintaining their pore size distribution, while pure silica exhibited significant surface area reduction (80%) and pore size broadening. For low cobalt loading sample (Co/Si = 0.05), the cobalt was highly dispersed in the silica network in a tetrahedral coordination with oxygen and a small proportion of Co-Co interaction in the second shell. Long range order Co3O4 was observed when Co/Si molar ratio increased to 0.10 and 0.25. The hydrothermal exposure did not affect the local cobalt environments and no cobalt-silicon interaction was observed by X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The hydrothermal stability of the silica matrix was attributed to the physical barrier of cobalt oxide in opposing densification and silica mobility under harsh hydrothermal conditions.

  16. Preparation and CO{sub 2} adsorption properties of aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica microspheres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Araki, S.; Doi, H.; Sano, Y.; Tanaka, S.; Miyake, Y. [Hitachi Zosen Corp., Osaka (Japan). Technical Research Institute

    2009-11-15

    Aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silica microspheres (AF-MSM) were synthesized by a simple one-step modified Stober method. Dodecylamine (DDA) was used as the catalyst for the hydrolysis and condensation of the silica source and as the molecular template to prepare the ordered mesopores. The mesoporous silica surfaces were modified to aminopropyl groups by the co-condensation of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), up to a maximum of 20 mol.% APTES content in the silica source. The particle size, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) specific surface area, and mesoporous regularity decreased with increasing APTES content. It is believed that this result is caused by a decreasing amount of DDA incorporated into AF-MSM with increasing APTES content. It was also confirmed that the spherical shape and the mesostructure were maintained even if 20 mol.% of APTES was added to the silica source. Moreover, AF-MSM was applied to the CO{sub 2} adsorbent. The breakthrough time of the CO{sub 2} and CO{sub 2} adsorption capacities increased with increasing APTES content. The adsorption capacity of CO{sub 2} for AF-MSM, prepared at 20 mol.% APTES, was 0.54 mmol g{sup -1}. Carbon dioxide adsorbed onto AF-MSM was completely desorbed by heating in a N{sub 2} purge at 423 K for 30 min.

  17. Circularly photostimulated electrogyration in europium- and terbium-doped GaN nanocrystals embedded in a silica xerogel matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kityk, I V; Nyk, M; Strek, W; Jablonski, J M; Misiewicz, J

    2005-01-01

    Circularly polarized optical poling was proposed and discovered for GaN nanocrystallites embedded in a silica xerogel matrix. The method consists of the creation of screw-like polarization of the medium during the interaction of two circularly polarized coherent bicolour beams. It was shown that doping of the GaN nanocrystallites by Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ ions leads to substantial enhancement of the electrogyration. The effect observed is a consequence of the superposition of nanoconfined effects and the contribution of the localized rare-earth 4f levels. The role of the anharmonic electron-phonon interaction is discussed. The photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence spectra of the GaN composites were investigated. It was demonstrated that the Eu-doped nanocrystallites give a substantially higher effect of the electrogyration compared to the Tb-doped and non-doped ones

  18. Er3+-Al2O3 nanoparticles doping of borosilicate glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massera, Jonathan; Petit, Laeticia; Hupa, Leena; Hupa, Mikko; Koponen, Joona; Glorieux, Benoit

    2015-01-01

    Novel borosilicate glasses were developed by adding in the glass batch Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles synthetized by using a soft chemical method. A similar nanoparticle doping with modified chemical vapour deposition (MCVD) process was developed to increase the efficiency of the amplifying silica fibre in comparison to using MCVD and solution doping. It was shown that with the melt quench technique, a Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle doping neither leads to an increase in the Er 3+ luminescence properties nor allows one to control the rare-earth chemical environment in a borosilicate glass. The site of Er 3+ in the Er 3+ -Al 2 O 3 nanoparticle containing glass seems to be similar as in glasses with the same composition prepared using standard raw materials. We suspect the Er 3+ ions to diffuse from the nanoparticles into the glass matrix. There was no clear evidence of the presence of Al 2 O 3 nanoparticles in the glasses after melting. (author)

  19. Effect of shallow donors on Curie–Weiss temperature of Co-doped ZnO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Shuxia, E-mail: gsx0391@sina.com [Department of Physics, Jiaozuo Teachers College, Jiaozuo 454001 (China); Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004 (China); Li, Jiwu [Department of Physics, Jiaozuo Teachers College, Jiaozuo 454001 (China); Du, Zuliang [Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004 (China)

    2014-12-15

    Co-doped ZnO and Al, Co co-doped ZnO polycrystalline powders were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The magnetization curves measured at 2 K show no hysteresis neither remanence for all samples. ZnO:Co grown at low temperature has a positive Curie–Weiss temperature Θ, and ZnO:Co grown at high temperature has a negative Θ. But Al-doped ZnO:Co grown at high temperature has a positive Θ. Positive Curie–Weiss temperature Θ was considered to have relation to the presence of shallow donors in the samples. - Highlights: • Co-doped ZnO and Al, Co co-doped ZnO polycrystalline powders were synthesized. • No hysteresis is observed for all samples. • The Curie–Weiss temperature Θ changes its sign by Al doping. • Positive Θ should be related to shallow donors.

  20. Photonic, and photocatalytic behavior of TiO{sub 2} mediated by Fe, CO, Ni, N doping and co-doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jia [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan (China); Zhao, Y.F. [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Wang, T., E-mail: twang@zju.edu.cn [College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University (China); Li, H., E-mail: Lihui02@tyut.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan (China); Li, C., E-mail: canli1983@gmail.com [Institute of Coordination Bond Metrology and Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou 310018 (China)

    2015-12-01

    Fe, Co, Ni, or N addition could modulate the photonic and catalytic responses of TiO{sub 2} for photocatalysts applications. Their morphologies, structures, compositions and photocatalytic performance in the degradation of methylene blue were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that dopants affect the electronic transition energies by changing the optical band gap and the impurity absorption peaks of the specimens. Especially, co-doping enhances the visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO{sub 2} by 4–10 times that of pure TiO{sub 2}, and the Co and N co-doping derives 10-fold photocatalytic activity.

  1. Enhanced electrochemical capacitance and oil-absorbability of N-doped graphene aerogel by using amino-functionalized silica as template and doping agent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Yongxu; Liu, Libin; Xiang, Yu; Zhang, Qiang

    2018-03-01

    The development of novel energy storage devices with high power density and energy density is highly desired. However, as a promising material, the strong π-π interaction of graphene inhibits its applications. Herein, we provide a new approach that amino-functionalized silica are used as both templates to prevent the restacking of the graphene sheets and doping agents simultaneously. The microstructures, porous properties and chemical composition of the resulted N-doped reduced graphene oxide (RGO) aerogels, characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurement, indicate that the amount of SiO2-NH2 has profound effects on the surface area and carbon activity of the graphene sheets. Benefiting from the large specific surface area of 481.8 m2 g-1, low series resistances and high nitrogen doping content (4.4 atom%), the as-fabricated 3D hierarchical porous N-doped RGO aerogel electrode exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance in aqueous and organic electrolyte, such as ultrahigh specific capacitances of 350 F g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 and excellent reversibility with a cycling efficiency of 88% after 10000 cycles. In addition, the N-doped RGO aerogels possess high oil-absorbability with long recyclability.

  2. Random laser emission from a Rhodamine B-doped GPTS/TEOS-derived organic/silica monolithic xerogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abegão, Luis M. G.; Manoel, D. S.; Otuka, A. J. G.; Ferreira, P. H. D.; Vollet, D. R.; Donatti, D. A.; De Boni, L.; Mendonça, C. R.; De Vicente, F. S.; Rodrigues, J. J., Jr.; Alencar, M. A. R. C.

    2017-06-01

    A Rhodamine B-doped 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS)/tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)-derived organic/silica monolithic xerogel with excellent optical properties was prepared and its potential as a random laser host investigated. This hybrid material has a non-porous organic/inorganic morphology with silica-rich nanoparticles of less than 10 nm in diameter homogeneously dispersed within the matrix. Random laser emission with incoherent feedback, centered at 618 nm, was observed from Rhodamine B incorporated into the monolithic xerogel when excited by a 532 nm pulsed laser. This hybrid system is shown to be very promising for the development of a new class of random laser-based integrated devices, with applications ranging from optical bio-imaging to sensing.

  3. On single doping and co-doping of spray pyrolysed ZnO films: Structural, electrical and optical characterisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vimalkumar, T.V.; Poornima, N.; Jinesh, K.B.; Kartha, C. Sudha; Vijayakumar, K.P.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper we present studies on ZnO thin films (prepared using Chemical Spray pyrolysis (CSP) technique) doped in two different ways; in one set, 'single doping' using indium was done while in the second set, 'co-doping' using indium and fluorine was adopted. In the former case, effect of in-situ as well as ex-situ doping using In was analyzed. Structural (XRD studies), electrical (I-V measurements) and optical characterizations (through absorption, transmission and photoluminescence studies) of the films were done. XRD analysis showed that, for spray-deposited ZnO films, ex-situ doping using Indium resulted in preferred (0 0 2) plane orientation, while in-situ doping caused preferred orientation along (1 0 0), (0 0 2), (1 0 1) planes; however for higher percentage of in-situ doping, orientation of grains changed from (0 0 2) plane to (1 0 1) plane. The co-doped films had (0 0 2) and (1 0 1) planes. Lowest resistivity (2 x 10 -3 Ω cm) was achieved for the films, doped with 1% Indium through in-situ method. Photoluminescence (PL) emissions of ex-situ doped and co-doped samples had two peaks; one was the 'near band edge' emission (NBE) and the other was the 'blue-green' emission. But interestingly the PL emission of in-situ doped samples exhibited only the 'near band edge' emission. Optical band gap of the films increased with doping percentage, in all cases of doping.

  4. Polypyrrole/Co-tetraphenylporphyrin modified carbon fibre paper as a fuel cell electrocatalyst of oxygen reduction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Weimin; Chen, Jun; Wagner, Pawel; Wallace, Gordon G. [ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, Wollongong NSW 2522 (Australia); Swiegers, Gerhard F. [CSIRO Molecular and Health Technologies, Bag 10, Clayton VIC 3169 (Australia)

    2008-04-15

    A thin-layer of polypyrrole (PPy) film, immobilized with neutral 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrinato cobalt (II) (Co-TPP), was successfully and uniformly deposited onto mesoporous carbon fibre paper (CFP) via vapor-phase polymerization. The resulting PPy/Co-TPP-modified carbon fibre paper (PPy/Co-TPP-CFP) electrode was characterized by cyclic voltammetry, SEM and EDX-ray mapping. Its electrochemical stability and long-term electrocatalytic performance were investigated in a half-fuel cell testing system. The electrode displayed significant electrocatalytic performance for oxygen reduction at 0.0 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), with notable long-term stability. (author)

  5. Degradability and Clearance of Silicon, Organosilica, Silsesquioxane, Silica Mixed Oxide, and Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Croissant, Jonas G.

    2017-01-13

    The biorelated degradability and clearance of siliceous nanomaterials have been questioned worldwide, since they are crucial prerequisites for the successful translation in clinics. Typically, the degradability and biocompatibility of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have been an ongoing discussion in research circles. The reason for such a concern is that approved pharmaceutical products must not accumulate in the human body, to prevent severe and unpredictable side-effects. Here, the biorelated degradability and clearance of silicon and silica nanoparticles (NPs) are comprehensively summarized. The influence of the size, morphology, surface area, pore size, and surface functional groups, to name a few, on the degradability of silicon and silica NPs is described. The noncovalent organic doping of silica and the covalent incorporation of either hydrolytically stable or redox- and enzymatically cleavable silsesquioxanes is then described for organosilica, bridged silsesquioxane (BS), and periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) NPs. Inorganically doped silica particles such as calcium-, iron-, manganese-, and zirconium-doped NPs, also have radically different hydrolytic stabilities. To conclude, the degradability and clearance timelines of various siliceous nanomaterials are compared and it is highlighted that researchers can select a specific nanomaterial in this large family according to the targeted applications and the required clearance kinetics.

  6. Water Contact Angle Dependence with Hydroxyl Functional Groups on Silica Surfaces under CO2 Sequestration Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Cong; Zhang, Ning; Li, Weizhong; Song, Yongchen

    2015-12-15

    Functional groups on silica surfaces under CO2 sequestration conditions are complex due to reactions among supercritical CO2, brine and silica. Molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the effects of hydroxyl functional groups on wettability. It has been found that wettability shows a strong dependence on functional groups on silica surfaces: silanol number density, space distribution, and deprotonation/protonation degree. For neutral silica surfaces with crystalline structure (Q(3), Q(3)/Q(4), Q(4)), as silanol number density decreases, contact angle increases from 33.5° to 146.7° at 10.5 MPa and 318 K. When Q(3) surface changes to an amorphous structure, water contact angle increases 20°. Water contact angle decreases about 12° when 9% of silanol groups on Q(3) surface are deprotonated. When the deprotonation degree increases to 50%, water contact angle decreases to 0. The dependence of wettability on silica surface functional groups was used to analyze contact angle measurement ambiguity in literature. The composition of silica surfaces is complicated under CO2 sequestration conditions, the results found in this study may help to better understand wettability of CO2/brine/silica system.

  7. Particle size effect of redox reactions for Co species supported on silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chotiwan, Siwaruk; Tomiga, Hiroki; Katagiri, Masaki; Yamamoto, Yusaku; Yamashita, Shohei; Katayama, Misaki; Inada, Yasuhiro

    2016-01-01

    Conversions of chemical states during redox reactions of two silica-supported Co catalysts, which were prepared by the impregnation method, were evaluated by using an in situ XAFS technique. The addition of citric acid into the precursor solution led to the formation on silica of more homogeneous and smaller Co particles, with an average diameter of 4 nm. The supported Co 3 O 4 species were reduced to metallic Co via the divalent CoO species during a temperature-programmed reduction process. The reduced Co species were quantitatively oxidized with a temperature-programmed oxidation process. The higher observed reduction temperature of the smaller CoO particles and the lower observed oxidation temperature of the smaller metallic Co particles were induced by the higher dispersion of the Co oxide species, which apparently led to a stronger interaction with supporting silica. The redox temperature between CoO and Co 3 O 4 was found to be independent of the particle size. - Graphical abstract: Chemical state conversions of SiO 2 -supported Co species and the particle size effect have been analyzed by means of in situ XAFS technique. The small CoO particles have endurance against the reduction and exist in a wide temperature range. Display Omitted - Highlights: • The conversions of the chemical state of supported Co species during redox reaction are evaluated. • In operando XAFS technique were applied to measure redox properties of small Co particles. • A small particle size affects to the redox temperatures of cobalt catalysts.

  8. Magnetic silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers for drug delivery applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Timin, Alexander S., E-mail: a_timin@mail.ru [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000 Ivanovo (Russian Federation); RASA Center in Tomsk, Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30, Lenin Avenue, 634500 Tomsk (Russian Federation); Khashirova, Svetlana Yu. [Kabardino-Balkar State University, ul. Chernyshevskogo 173, Nal' chik, 360004 Kabardino-Balkaria (Russian Federation); Rumyantsev, Evgeniy V.; Goncharenko, Alexander A. [Inorganic Chemistry Department, Ivanovo State University of Chemistry and Technology (ISUCT), 7, Sheremetevsky prosp., 153000 Ivanovo (Russian Federation)

    2016-07-01

    Guanidine containing co-polymers grafted onto silica nanoparticles to form core-shell structure were prepared by sol-gel method in the presence of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. The morphological features for uncoated and coated silica particles have been characterized with scanning electron microscopy. The results show that the polymer coated silicas exhibit spherical morphology with rough polymeric surface covered by γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanoparticles. The grafting amount of guanidine containing co-polymers evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis was in the range from 17 to 30%. Then, the drug loading properties and cumulative release of silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers were evaluated using molsidomine as a model drug. It was shown that after polymer grafting the loading content of molsidomine could reach up to 3.42 ± 0.21 and 2.34 ± 0.14 mg/g respectively. The maximum drug release of molsidomine is achieved at pH 1.6 (approximately 71–75% release at 37 °C), whereas at pH 7.4 drug release is lower (50.4–59.6% release at 37 °C). These results have an important implication that our magneto-controlled silica hybrids modified with guanidine containing co-polymers are promising as drug carriers with controlled behaviour under influence of magnetic field. - Highlights: • Polymer coated silica hybrids containing γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} were prepared via sol–gel method. • Polymer grafting influences pH-response and surface properties of final products. • Molsidomine as a model drug was effectively loaded into polymer coated silicas. • The drug loading depends on the nature of grafted polymer and its content.

  9. Nanocasting synthesis of co-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3}: a 3D diluted magnetic semiconductor composed of nanospheres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deng, Ni; Li, Jing; Hong, Bo; Jin, Dingfeng; Peng, Xiaoling; Wang, Xinqing; Ge, Hongliang; Jin, Hongxiao, E-mail: hxjin@cjlu.edu.cn, E-mail: hxjin5704@qq.com [China Jiliang University, Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Magnetism, College of Materials Science and Engineering (China)

    2015-04-15

    Mesoporous 3D nanosphere arrays of In{sub 2−x}Co{sub x}O{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, and 0.07) were synthesized via nanocasting using the mesoporous silica LP-FDU-12 as a hard template. The mesostructure, morphology, optical properties, and magnetic properties of the materials were determined. The diameter of the nanospheres was about 15–22 nm, and the nanospheres stacked into 0.5–5 μm arrays (particles). The data revealed that the Co ions entered the lattice of the In{sub 2}O{sub 3} bixbyite phase leading to a reduction of the cell parameter. The result also demonstrated that the size of the mesostructured ordering was approximately the same as the particle diameter. Moreover, the optical band gap of Co-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} decreased monotonically with the increase of Co concentration and the room-temperature photoluminescence was also observed. The un-doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} exhibited a ferromagnetic behavior superimposed on a diamagnetic background, while the doped In{sub 2}O{sub 3} displayed a room-temperature ferromagnetic behavior superimposed on a paramagnetic background, which may be correlated with the surface texture of the mesostructure. The mesoporous diluted magnetic semiconductors may find their applications in spintronic nanodevices because of their 3D uniform arrangement of nanospheres and their room-temperature ferromagnetic behavior.

  10. Photovoltaic Properties of Co-doped ZnO Thin Film on Glass Substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabia Aye; Zin Ma Ma; May Nwe Oo; Than Than Win; Yin Maung Maung; Ko Ko Kyaw Soe

    2011-12-01

    Cobalt (Co) 0.4 mol doped zinc oxide (ZnO) fine powder was prepared by solid state mixed oxide route. Phase formation and crystal structure of Co-doped ZnO (CZO) powder were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the micro structure of Co doped ZnO powder. Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescent (EDXRF) technique gave the elemental content of cobalt and zinc. Co-doped ZnO film was formed on glass substrate by spin coating technique. Photovoltaic properties of CZO/glass cell were measured.

  11. DEVELOPMENT OF MESOPOROUS MEMBRANE MATERIALS FOR CO2 SEPARATION; SEMIANNUAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei-Heng Shih; Qiang Zhao; Tejas Patil

    2002-01-01

    The authors propose to use microporous silica as a suitable candidate for CO(sub 2)/N(sub 2) separation because the pore size is less than 10(angstrom). If a CO(sub 2)adsorbent is added to the microporous silica, the adsorption of CO(sub 2) can block the passage of N(sub 2) and an effective CO(sub 2)/N(sub 2) separator will be found. It was first demonstrated that microporous silica could be synthesized. The microporous silica was then impregnated with Ba(OH)(sub 2). The results of GC study showed that at temperatures between 50 C and 90 C, Ba-doped microporous silica can separate CO(sub 2) from N(sub 2) and the idea of a microporous membrane for CO(sub 2)/N(sub 2) separation is feasible. The new result gives strong support to the proposed research that was outlined in the Phase II proposal. They hope to be able to continue the research and build an effective CO(sub 2)/N(sub 2) membrane separator in the Phase II of this project

  12. Enhanced CO_2 capture on graphene via N, S dual-doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Jieyuan; Hou, Meiling; Chen, Yanqiu; Cen, Wanglai; Chu, Yinghao; Yin, Shi

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Sluggish conjugated π bonds of graphene should be weakened to promote adsorption activity. • A charge delivery channel along S → N → CO_2 path should be prior responsible for the enhancement of CO_2 capture on graphene. • Applicative temperature range of graphene-based adsorbents for CO_2 capture is extend to about 100 °C via N, S dual-doping. - Abstract: N, S doped graphene-based materials have been recently recognized as promising adsorbents for CO_2 capture, but understanding of the adsorption mechanism at the atomic level is still limited. Herein, the local structures and promotion mechanism of CO_2 capture by N, S doped graphene were investigated by combining density functional theory and ab initio thermodynamics. A single vacancy defected graphene involving N, S dual-doping was found to be a superior adsorbent for CO_2 capture under mild conditions (<100 °C, 1 atm). The enhanced CO_2 adsorption performance should be ascribed to a charge delivery channel along the S → N → CO_2 path, leading to extra charge transfer from graphene to CO_2. It is worth mentioning that the extra charge transfer was stimulated by the unique sp"2 hybridization of pyridine N and further enhanced by S in N, S dual-doped graphene. A possible mechanism has been proposed to explain the high adsorption performance of CO_2 by N, S dual-doped graphene, which offers insights for the design of new graphene-based adsorbents.

  13. Enhanced electrochemiluminescence quenching of CdS:Mn nanocrystals by CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Yun; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

    2011-07-01

    This work reports an aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin based on remarkably efficient energy-transfer induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) quenching from CdS:Mn nanocrystals (NCs) film to CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles (CdTe/SiO2 NPs). CdTe/SiO2 NPs were synthesized via the Stöber method and showed black bodies' strong absorption in a wide spectral range without excitonic emission, which made them excellent ECL quenchers. Within the effective distance of energy scavenging, the ECL quenching efficiency was dependent on the number of CdTe QDs doped into the silica NPs. Using ca. 200 CdTe QDs doped silica NPs on average of 40 nm in diameter as ECL quenching labels, attomolar detection of thrombin was successfully realized. The protein detection involves a competition binding event, based on thrombin replacing CdTe/SiO2 NPs labeled probing DNA which is hybridized with capturing aptamer immobilized on a CdS:Mn NCs film modified glassy carbon electrode surface by specific aptamer-protein affinity interactions. It results in the displacement of ECL quenching labels from CdS:Mn NCs film and concomitant ECL signal recovery. Owing to the high-content CdTe QDs in silica NP, the increment of ECL intensity (ΔIECL) and the concentration of thrombin showed a double logarithmic linear correlation in the range of 5.0 aM~5.0 fM with a detection limit of 1aM. And, the aptasensor hardly responded to antibody, bovine serum albumin (BSA), haemoglobin (Hb) and lysozyme, showing good detection selectivity for thrombin. This long-distance energy scavenging could have a promising application perspective in the detection of biological recognition events on a molecular level.This work reports an aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin based on remarkably efficient energy-transfer induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) quenching from CdS:Mn nanocrystals (NCs) film to CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles (CdTe/SiO2 NPs). CdTe/SiO2 NPs were synthesized via

  14. Nanosecond Q-switched operation of coupled Yb and Tm fibre lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsang, Yuen H [Laser Photonics Research Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Qamar, Fadi [Laser Photonics Research Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); King, Terence A [Laser Photonics Research Group, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Ko, Do-Kyeong [Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 1 Oryong-dong, Buk-Gu, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jongmin [Advanced Photonics Research Institute, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 1 Oryong-dong, Buk-Gu, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-05-07

    A small scale coupled Yb-silica and Tm-silica fibre laser system is described with output at 1.9 {mu}m and with Q-switching using an acousto-optic modulator and also by mechanical optical modulation. The Yb-fibre laser pump source exhibited strong self-pulsation with high-intensity pulses due to stimulated Brillouin scattering. But regular Q-switched pulses were generated from the Tm-fibre laser with an energy of {approx}2.4 {mu}J and duration (FWHM) of {approx}280 ns for modulation frequencies of 1-20 kHz when using acousto-optic modulation. The main effects that limit the Q-switched pulse peak power are the onset of gain-switched pulsing during the low-Q state and strong pump excited state absorption.

  15. Electronic structure and optical properties of Al and Mg co-doped GaN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji Yan-Jun; Du Yu-Jie; Wang Mei-Shan

    2013-01-01

    The electronic structure and optical properties of Al and Mg co-doped GaN are calculated from first principles using density function theory with the plane-wave ultrasoft pseudopotential method. The results show that the optimal form of p-type GaN is obtained with an appropriate Al:Mg co-doping ratio rather than with only Mg doping. Al doping weakens the interaction between Ga and N, resulting in the Ga 4s states moving to a high energy region and the system band gap widening. The optical properties of the co-doped system are calculated and compared with those of undoped GaN. The dielectric function of the co-doped system is anisotropic in the low energy region. The static refractive index and reflectivity increase, and absorption coefficient decreases. This provides the theoretical foundation for the design and application of Al—Mg co-doped GaN photoelectric materials

  16. Spectroscopies et modélisation de verres de silice dopés d'ions de terre rare - influence du co-dopage

    OpenAIRE

    Alombert-Goget , Guillaume

    2007-01-01

    This study concerns the role of a co-doping agent on the environment of the rare earth ions in silica glass and its consequences on the spectroscopy of the luminescent element. Two different co-doping agents were studied: aluminium and hafnium ions. The samples of doped and co-doped glasses were obtained by sol-gel process and were studied by different experimental methods: luminescence spectroscopy, FLN spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and EXAFS spectroscopy. In parallel some numerical simu...

  17. Effect of Co doping concentration on structural properties and optical parameters of Co-doped ZnO thin films by sol-gel dip-coating method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Giwoong; Yoon, Hyunsik; Kim, Byunggu; Lee, Dong-Yul; Kim, Jong Su; Leem, Jae-Young

    2014-11-01

    The structural and optical properties of Co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by a sol-gel dip-coating method were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the thin films were grown with a c-axis preferred orientation. The position of the (002) peak was almost the same in all samples, irrespective of the Co concentration. It is thus clear that Co doping had little effect on the position of the (002) peak. To confirm that Co2+ was substituted for Zn2+ in the wurtzite structure, optical measurements were conducted at room temperature by a UV-visible spectrometer. Three absorption peaks are apparent in the Co-doped ZnO thin films that do not appear for the undoped ZnO thin film. As the Co concentration was increased, absorption related to characteristic Co2+ transitions increased because three absorption band intensities and the area underneath the absorption wells between 500 and 700 nm increased with increasing Co concentration. The optical band gap and static dielectric constant decreased and the Urbach energy and extinction coefficient increased with increasing Co concentration.

  18. The renaissance and bright future of fibre lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tuennermann, A; Schreiber, T; Roeser, F; Liem, A; Hoefer, S; Zellmer, H; Nolte, S; Limpert, J

    2005-01-01

    The first rare-earth-doped fibre lasers were operated in the early 1960s and produced a few milliwatts at a wavelength around 1 μm. For the next several decades, fibre lasers were little more than a low-power laboratory curiosity. Recently, however, fibre lasers have entered the realm of kilowatt powers with diffraction-limited beam quality. In this paper we review the reasons for this power evolution. Beyond this, we will discuss how the next generation of fibres, so-called photonic crystal fibres, enable upward power scaling and therefore open up the avenue to new performance levels of solid-state lasers

  19. Microporous silica membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boffa, Vittorio; Yue, Yuanzheng

    2012-01-01

    Hydrothermal stability is a crucial factor for the application of microporous silica-based membranes in industrial processes. Indeed, it is well established that steam exposure may cause densification and defect formation in microporous silica membranes, which are detrimental to both membrane...... permeability and selectivity. Numerous previous studies show that microporous transition metal doped-silica membranes are hydrothermally more stable than pure silica membranes, but less permeable. Here we present a quantitative study on the impact of type and concentration of transition metal ions...... on the microporous structure, stability and permeability of amorphous silica-based membranes, providing information on how to design chemical compositions and synthetic paths for the fabrication of silica-based membranes with a well accessible and highly stabile microporous structure....

  20. Enhanced electrochemiluminescence quenching of CdS:Mn nanocrystals by CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Yun; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

    2011-07-01

    This work reports an aptasensor for ultrasensitive detection of thrombin based on remarkably efficient energy-transfer induced electrochemiluminescence (ECL) quenching from CdS:Mn nanocrystals (NCs) film to CdTe QDs-doped silica nanoparticles (CdTe/SiO(2) NPs). CdTe/SiO(2) NPs were synthesized via the Stöber method and showed black bodies' strong absorption in a wide spectral range without excitonic emission, which made them excellent ECL quenchers. Within the effective distance of energy scavenging, the ECL quenching efficiency was dependent on the number of CdTe QDs doped into the silica NPs. Using ca. 200 CdTe QDs doped silica NPs on average of 40 nm in diameter as ECL quenching labels, attomolar detection of thrombin was successfully realized. The protein detection involves a competition binding event, based on thrombin replacing CdTe/SiO(2) NPs labeled probing DNA which is hybridized with capturing aptamer immobilized on a CdS:Mn NCs film modified glassy carbon electrode surface by specific aptamer-protein affinity interactions. It results in the displacement of ECL quenching labels from CdS:Mn NCs film and concomitant ECL signal recovery. Owing to the high-content CdTe QDs in silica NP, the increment of ECL intensity (ΔI(ECL)) and the concentration of thrombin showed a double logarithmic linear correlation in the range of 5.0 aM∼5.0 fM with a detection limit of 1aM. And, the aptasensor hardly responded to antibody, bovine serum albumin (BSA), haemoglobin (Hb) and lysozyme, showing good detection selectivity for thrombin. This long-distance energy scavenging could have a promising application perspective in the detection of biological recognition events on a molecular level.

  1. Ultra-small dye-doped silica nanoparticles via modified sol-gel technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riccò, R.; Nizzero, S.; Penna, E.; Meneghello, A.; Cretaio, E.; Enrichi, F.

    2018-05-01

    In modern biosensing and imaging, fluorescence-based methods constitute the most diffused approach to achieve optimal detection of analytes, both in solution and on the single-particle level. Despite the huge progresses made in recent decades in the development of plasmonic biosensors and label-free sensing techniques, fluorescent molecules remain the most commonly used contrast agents to date for commercial imaging and detection methods. However, they exhibit low stability, can be difficult to functionalise, and often result in a low signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, embedding fluorescent probes into robust and bio-compatible materials, such as silica nanoparticles, can substantially enhance the detection limit and dramatically increase the sensitivity. In this work, ultra-small fluorescent silica nanoparticles (NPs) for optical biosensing applications were doped with a fluorescent dye, using simple water-based sol-gel approaches based on the classical Stöber procedure. By systematically modulating reaction parameters, controllable size tuning of particle diameters as low as 10 nm was achieved. Particles morphology and optical response were evaluated showing a possible single-molecule behaviour, without employing microemulsion methods to achieve similar results. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  2. Silica nanoparticles with a substrate switchable luminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bochkova, O D; Mustafina, A R; Fedorenko, S V; Konovalov, A I

    2011-01-01

    Silica nanoparticles with visible (Tb and Ru doped), near IR (Yb doped) and dual visible-near IR luminescence (Ru-Yb doped) were obtained by reverse w/o microemulsion procedure. Plenty of luminescent complexes (from 4900 to 10000) encapsulated into each nanoparticle ensures the intensive luminescence of nanoparticles and their applicability as biomarkers. The silica surface decoration by definite anchor groups is the required step for the gaining to these nanoparticles marking and sensing functions. Thus covalent and non-covalent surface modification of these nanoparticles was developed to provide the binding with biotargets and sensing of anions. The dicationic surfactant coating of negatively charged Tb(III)-TCAS doped silica nanoparticles was chosen as the basis for the anion responsible system. The reversible insertion of the quenching anions (namely phenol red) into the surfactant based layer at the surface of luminescent nanoparticles switches off the Tb-centered luminescence. In turn the reversible reestablishment of the luminescence results from the competitive insertion of the non-quenching anions into the surfactant layer at the silica/water interface. The hydrophobic anions exemplified by dodecylsulfates versus hydrophilic ones (hydrophosphates) are preferable in the competition with phenol red anions.

  3. Nano-silica as the go material on heat resistant tunnel lining

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omar, Faizah; Osman, S. A.; Mutalib, A.

    2018-04-01

    This paper is concerned with passive fire protection method of protective concrete mix that is made up of fly ash, polypropylene fibre, and nano-silica. Nano-silica is focused on as the innovative material to be used in the composition of the protective concrete mix. The previous experimental studies which analyse the performance of passive fire protection on tunnels are discussed. This paper also discusses passive fire protection. The fire protection materials and behaviour analyses of tunnel structure are also presented. At the end of the paper, the recommendation of the optimum composition concrete material with fly ash, polypropylene fibre and nano-silica as tunnel lining fire protective materials is proposed.

  4. Room-temperature ferromagnetism in pure and Co doped CeO2 powders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen Qiye; Zhang Huaiwu; Song Yuanqiang; Yang Qinghui; Zhu Hao; Xiao, John Q

    2007-01-01

    We report the room-temperature (RT) ferromagnetism (FM) observed in pure and Co doped CeO 2 powder. An insulating nonmagnetic CeO 2 single crystal, after grinding into fine powder, shows an RT-FM with a small magnetization of 0.0045 emu g -1 . However, the CeO 2 powder became paramagnetic after oxygen annealing, which strongly suggests an oxygen vacancy meditated FM ordering. Furthermore, by doping Co into CeO 2 powder the FM can significantly enhance through a F-centre exchange (FCE) coupling mechanism, in which both oxygen vacancies and magnetic ions are involved. As the Co content increases, the FM of Co doped CeO 2 initially increases to a maximum 0.47 emu g -1 , and then degrades very quickly. The complex correlation between the Co content and saturation magnetization was well interpreted by supposing the coexistence of three subsets of Co ions in CeO 2 . Our results reveal that the large RT-FM observed in Co doped CeO 2 powder originates from a combination effect of oxygen vacancies and transition metal doping

  5. Record power, ultra-broadband supercontinuum source based on highly GeO2 doped silica fiber

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jain, Deepak; Sidharthan, R.; Moselund, Peter M.

    2016-01-01

    the potential of germania based photonic crystal fiber or a step-index fiber supercontinuum source for high power ultra-broad band emission being by pumped a 1060 nm or a 1550 nm laser source. To the best of our knowledge, this is the record power, ultra-broadband, and all-fiberized supercontinuum light source...... based on silica and germania fiber ever demonstrated to the date. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America......We demonstrate highly germania doped fibers for mid-infrared supercontinuum generation. Experiments ensure a highest output power of 1.44 W for a broadest spectrum from 700 nm to 3200 nm and 6.4 W for 800 nm to 2700 nm from these fibers, while being pumped by a broadband Erbium-Ytterbium doped...

  6. Mullite fibres preparation by aqueous sol-gel process and activation energy of mullitization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tan Hongbin; Ding Yaping; Yang Jianfeng

    2010-01-01

    Mullite fibres were prepared by sol-gel process using aluminum carboxylates (ACs) and silica sol. ACs was synthesized from dissolving aluminum powder in a mixture of formic acid and oxalic acid using aluminum chloride hexahydrate as catalyst. A molar ratio of 1:2:1 for aluminum, formic acid and oxalic acid was optimized to obtain clear solution and viscous ACs sol for fibres synthesis. Thermogravimetry-differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to characterize the properties of the gel and ceramic fibres. The gel fibres completely transformed to mullite at 1200 o C, with a smooth surface and uniform diameter. The activation energy for mullite formation in precursor gel fibres was determined by means of differential thermal analysis. The value obtained, E a = 741.4 kJ/mol, was lower than most data reported in the literatures, which was attributed to the silica-alumina micro-phase separation when organic acids decomposed during gel fibres heating.

  7. Comparative study of Tm-doped and Tm-Sc co-doped Lu3Al5O12 scintillator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugiyama, Makoto; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka

    2014-01-01

    The crystals of Tm doped and Tm-Sc co-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG) grown by the floating zone (FZ) method were examined for their optical and scintillation properties. In transmittance spectra, strong absorption lines due to Tm 3+ 4f–4f transitions were observed. X-ray excited radioluminescence spectra were measured and broad and sharp emission peaks were detected. The former one was attributed to Sc 3+ and the latter one was due to Tm 3+ 4f–4f transitions. Scintillation yield enhancement due to Sc co-doping was observed by means of 137 Cs pulse height spectra. Scintillation decay times were several tens of μs under pulse X-ray excitation. - Highlights: • LuAG:Tm and LuAG:Tm, Sc single crystals have been grown by the FZ method. • Tm 3+ 4f–4f absorption has been observed in transmittance spectra. • Scintillation yield of Tm-doped LuAG has been enhanced by Sc co-doping

  8. Doping dependence of magnetic and transport properties in single crystalline Co-doped BaFe2As2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakajima, Yasuyuki; Taen, Toshihiro; Tamegai, Tsuyoshi

    2010-01-01

    We report the doping dependence of transport and magnetic properties in Co-doped BaFe 2 As 2 . With increasing Co concentration x, structural and magnetic transitions are suppressed and superconductivity emerges in the range of 0.3 c at low temperatures and low fields obtained from bulk magnetization is reasonably large and the doping dependence shows a maximum at x∼0.07 similar to T c . The values of J c at low temperatures reach about 1x10 6 A/cm 2 around the optimally doped region, which is potentially attractive for technological applications.

  9. Nitric Oxide-Releasing Silica Nanoparticle-Doped Polyurethane Electrospun Fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koh, Ahyeon; Carpenter, Alexis W.; Slomberg, Danielle L.; Schoenfisch, Mark H.

    2013-01-01

    Electrospun polyurethane fibers doped with nitric oxide (NO)-releasing silica particles are presented as novel macromolecular scaffolds with prolonged NO-release and high porosity. Fiber diameter (119–614 nm) and mechanical strength (1.7–34.5 MPa of modulus) were varied by altering polyurethane type and concentration, as well as the NO-releasing particle composition, size, and concentration. The resulting NO-releasing electrospun nanofibers exhibited ~83% porosity with flexible plastic or elastomeric behavior. The use of N-diazeniumdiolate- or S-nitrosothiol-modified particles yielded scaffolds exhibiting a wide range of NO release totals and durations (7.5 nmol mg−1–0.12 μmol mg−1 and 7 h to 2 weeks, respectively). The application of NO-releasing porous materials as coating for subcutaneous implants may improve tissue biocompatibility by mitigating the foreign body response and promoting cell integration. PMID:23915047

  10. Accelerator, superplasticiter and silica gome by wet shotcrete; Hormigon Proyectado por Via Humeda

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-07-01

    This project has been carried out by Geocontrol during the period September 1997-november 2000. The main target of this project was to establish a better knowledgement about the influence of the accelerator, silica fume, steel fibres and super plasticizer on the wet shotcrete properties. This project has been developed in three phases focused in three specifical targets: I. Effect of the accelerator, superplasticizer and silica fume dosages on shotcrete strength. II. Influence of steel fibres and silica fume on shotcrete characteristics. III. Steel fibres dosages and type effect of shotcrete absorbed energy. The main conclusions obtained from this research are the following. 1. Accelerators free of alkalis have a very little influence on the shotcrete strength reduction. 2. The best results are obtained when the accelerator dosage is the lowest, with a reference of the 4% of cement weigh. 3. The superplasticizer is very important in order to reach the lowest water/cement ratio. 4. Silica fume has a strong and positive influence on shotcrete characteristics but only if the dosages is higher than 30 kg/m''3. 5. The best results with silica fume are obtained when this product is added as a separate product, instead to be missed with other additive as superplasticizer. 6. Steel fibres addition improves dramatically the shotcrete post-failure characteristics. 7. A shotcrete without steel fibres and with a strength ranged between 25 and 40 MPa absorbers 130-180 Joules and another one with a steel mesh of 150x150x6 mm absorbers 1100 Joules. 8. Steel fibres shotcrete can reach the same energy absorption that another one reinforced with wire mesh. 9. During shotcreting the steel fibres dosages has a loss of 10 to 30 % due to shotcrete rebound. This research project allows to improve the knowledgement os shotcreting technique in order to use it with more efficiency than in the past. (Author)

  11. Doping induced magnetism in Co-ZnS nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sambasivam, S.; Paul Joseph, D.; Lin, J.G.; Venkateswaran, C.

    2009-01-01

    Zn 1-x Co x S nanoparticles with x=0, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 were synthesized by the co-precipitation method using thiophenol as capping agent. The effect of Co doping on the structural, optical and magnetic properties are investigated. The X-ray diffraction patterns show single phase with cubic structure and the images of Transmission Electron Microscopy indicate an average particle size of 39 nm. Significant blue shift in the optical absorbing band edge was observed with increasing Co doping. In the Co doped samples, room-temperature (RT) magnetic hysteresis is observed and the magnetization reduces with increasing Co content. However, these samples show paramagnetic resonance instead of ferromagnetic resonance at both 300 and 80 K, suggesting that the origin of RT magnetization in these Zn 1-x Co x S nanoparticles involves with the frustration of antiferromagnetic interactions. - Graphical abstract: Figure shows the magnetization data of Zn 1-x Co x S (0.1≤x≤0.3) nanoparticles annealed at 573 K/2 h in vacuum and measured at 300 K. This interesting feature of systematic reduction in magnetization may be due to introduction of antiferromagnetic ordering with increasing 'Co' concentration which may be due to competition between the antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic ordering within the sample. One could also observe the exchange bias effect which is an interface interaction observed in a ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic mixture. The exchange bias field (loop shift) towards negative field was around 63 Oe for the Zn 1-x Co x S (0.1≤x≤0.3) nanoparticles.

  12. Ibuprofen-loaded poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-ε-caprolactone) electrospun fibres for nerve regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pires, Liliana R; Guarino, Vincenzo; Oliveira, Maria J; Ribeiro, Cristina C; Barbosa, Mário A; Ambrosio, Luigi; Pêgo, Ana Paula

    2016-03-01

    The development of scaffolds that combine the delivery of drugs with the physical support provided by electrospun fibres holds great potential in the field of nerve regeneration. Here it is proposed the incorporation of ibuprofen, a well-known non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in electrospun fibres of the statistical copolymer poly(trimethylene carbonate-co-ε-caprolactone) [P(TMC-CL)] to serve as a drug delivery system to enhance axonal regeneration in the context of a spinal cord lesion, by limiting the inflammatory response. P(TMC-CL) fibres were electrospun from mixtures of dichloromethane (DCM) and dimethylformamide (DMF). The solvent mixture applied influenced fibre morphology, as well as mean fibre diameter, which decreased as the DMF content in solution increased. Ibuprofen-loaded fibres were prepared from P(TMC-CL) solutions containing 5% ibuprofen (w/w of polymer). Increasing drug content to 10% led to jet instability, resulting in the formation of a less homogeneous fibrous mesh. Under the optimized conditions, drug-loading efficiency was above 80%. Confocal Raman mapping showed no preferential distribution of ibuprofen in P(TMC-CL) fibres. Under physiological conditions ibuprofen was released in 24 h. The release process being diffusion-dependent for fibres prepared from DCM solutions, in contrast to fibres prepared from DCM-DMF mixtures where burst release occurred. The biological activity of the drug released was demonstrated using human-derived macrophages. The release of prostaglandin E2 to the cell culture medium was reduced when cells were incubated with ibuprofen-loaded P(TMC-CL) fibres, confirming the biological significance of the drug delivery strategy presented. Overall, this study constitutes an important contribution to the design of a P(TMC-CL)-based nerve conduit with anti-inflammatory properties. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. Growth study and photocatalytic properties of Co-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Shibin; Chang, Xueting; Li, Zhenjiang

    2012-01-01

    Cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals with different morphologies have been successfully generated using a solvothermal method with tungsten hexachloride and cobalt chloride salts as precursors. The resulting mesocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmet–Teller analysis of nitrogen sorptometer, and UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic properties of the cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals were evaluated on the basis of their ability to degrade methyl orange in an aqueous solution under simulated sunlight irradiation. Results showed that the cobalt doping had obvious effect on the morphologies of the final products, and lenticular and blocky cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals could be obtained with 1.0 wt.% and 2.0 wt.% cobalt doping, respectively. The cobalt-doped tungsten oxides exhibited superior photocatalytic activities to that of the undoped tungsten oxide. - Graphical abstract: Schematic illustrations of the growth of the bundled nanowires, lenticular mesocrystals, and blocky mesocrystals. Highlights: ► Co-doped W 18 O 49 mesocrystals were synthesized using a solvothermal method. ► The Co doping has obvious effect on the morphology of the final mesocrystals. ► The Co-doped W 18 O 49 exhibited superior photocatalytic activity to the undoped W 18 O 49 .

  14. Effects of Co{sup 2+} doping on physicochemical behaviors of hierarchical NiO nanostructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ding, Caihua [Beijing Key Laboratory of Construction Tailorable Advanced Functional Materials and Green Applications, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081 (China); Gao, WenChao [College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China); Zhao, Yongjie, E-mail: zhaoyjpeace@gmail.com [Beijing Key Laboratory of Construction Tailorable Advanced Functional Materials and Green Applications, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081 (China); Zhao, Yuzhen; Zhou, Heping [State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 (China); Li, Jingbo; Jin, Haibo [Beijing Key Laboratory of Construction Tailorable Advanced Functional Materials and Green Applications, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, 100081 (China)

    2016-12-30

    Highlights: • A series of Co{sup 2+} doped NiO materials were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. • Co{sup 2+} doping would bring about a series influence to the as-obtained NiO products. • Hierarchical NiO nanostructure transformed from nanosheets to nanoneedles with Co{sup 2+} doping. • The catalytic properties of NiO were significantly improved via the introduction of Co{sup 2+}. • Excellent catalytic activity was ascribed to the synergistic effect between Co{sup 2+} and NiO. - Abstract: A series of Co{sup 2+} doped NiO materials (Ni{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O with x = 0, 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5) were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method followed by a calcination process. The effects of Co{sup 2+} doping on the structural, morphological, magnetic and catalytic properties of NiO were systematically investigated. The results indicated that Co{sup 2+} doping would bring about a series influence to the as-obtained NiO product. The XRD results indicated that within the region of 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25 the doped products revealed a pure NiO phase. The elementary unit for the hierarchy NiO gradually transformed from nanosheets to nanoneedles with the increase of Co{sup 2+} doping content. As-obtained Co{sup 2+} doped NiO products showed ferromagnetism at room temperature and the magnetization value was increased with the increase of Co{sup 2+} doping content. The catalytic properties of NiO concerning the thermal decomposition of ammonium perchlorate (AP) were significantly improved via the introduction of Co{sup 2+}. The Ni{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}O products with x = 0.25 showed the best catalytic performance to AP, which could decrease the beginning and ending decomposition temperature of AP by 44 and 108 °C. The change of morphology, enhancement of electrical conductivity and the synergistic effect between Co{sup 2+} and NiO were the main factors responsible for the improvement of physicochemical behaviors.

  15. Fabrication and Properties of Silica Gel/Calcium Sulfate/Strontium-doped β-tricalcium Phosphate Composite Porous Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    QIN Xiao-su

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-tricalcium phosphate composite spherical pellets was fabricated, using the calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-TCP as raw material, and through the stirring spray drying method, and then composite spherical pellets were combined with silica gel, porous silica gel/calcium sulfate/strontium-doped β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold was obtained by stacking aggregation method in the mould. The XRD, SEM and FT-IR, etc are employed to examine the chemical composition, composite morphology and structure characteristics, and the degradability, porosity, mechanical properties and cytotoxicity of the scaffolds materials were studied. The results reveal that the composite porous scaffolds have irregular pore structure with pore size between 0.2-1.0mm, and they have a large number of micropores on each of the composite spherical pellets, with the aperture between 50-200μm. Moreover, the porosity of the composite scaffolds is about 62%, which can meet the requirements of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering in porosity; the cytotoxicity tests show the composite scaffolds have no cytotoxic effect and it has good degradation. Therefore, it has good application prospect in bone tissue engineering of the bone defect repair of non-bearing site.

  16. Does Elevated CO2 Alter Silica Uptake in Trees?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robinson W. Fulweiler

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Human activities have greatly altered global carbon (C and N (N cycling. In fact, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2 have increased 40% over the last century and the amount of N cycling in the biosphere has more than doubled. In an effort to understand how plants will respond to continued global carbon dioxide fertilization, long-term free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE experiments have been conducted at sites around the globe. Here we examine how atmospheric CO2 enrichment and N fertilization affects the uptake of silicon (Si in the Duke Forest, North Carolina, a stand dominated by Pinus taeda (loblolly pine, and five hardwood species. Specifically, we measured foliar biogenic silica (BSi concentrations in five deciduous and one coniferous species across three treatments: CO2 enrichment, N enrichment, and N and CO2 enrichment. We found no consistent trends in foliar Si concentration under elevated CO2, N fertilization, or combined elevated CO2 and N fertilization. However, two-thirds of the tree species studied here have Si foliar concentrations greater than well-known Si accumulators, such as grasses. Based on net primary production values and aboveground Si concentrations in these trees, we calculated forest Si uptake rates under control and elevated CO2 concentrations. Due largely to increased primary production, elevated CO2 enhanced the magnitude of Si uptake between 20% and 26%, likely intensifying the terrestrial silica pump. This uptake of Si by forests has important implications for Si export from terrestrial systems, with the potential to impact C sequestration and higher trophic levels in downstream ecosystems.

  17. Enhanced CO{sub 2} capture on graphene via N, S dual-doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jieyuan; Hou, Meiling [College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University (China); Chen, Yanqiu [Institute of New Energy and Low Carbon Technology, Sichuan University (China); Cen, Wanglai [Institute of New Energy and Low Carbon Technology, Sichuan University (China); National Engineering Research Center for Flue Gas Desulfurization (China); Chu, Yinghao, E-mail: chuyinghao@scu.edu.cn [College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University (China); National Engineering Research Center for Flue Gas Desulfurization (China); Yin, Shi, E-mail: yinshi_scu@foxmail.com [College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University (China)

    2017-03-31

    Highlights: • Sluggish conjugated π bonds of graphene should be weakened to promote adsorption activity. • A charge delivery channel along S → N → CO{sub 2} path should be prior responsible for the enhancement of CO{sub 2} capture on graphene. • Applicative temperature range of graphene-based adsorbents for CO{sub 2} capture is extend to about 100 °C via N, S dual-doping. - Abstract: N, S doped graphene-based materials have been recently recognized as promising adsorbents for CO{sub 2} capture, but understanding of the adsorption mechanism at the atomic level is still limited. Herein, the local structures and promotion mechanism of CO{sub 2} capture by N, S doped graphene were investigated by combining density functional theory and ab initio thermodynamics. A single vacancy defected graphene involving N, S dual-doping was found to be a superior adsorbent for CO{sub 2} capture under mild conditions (<100 °C, 1 atm). The enhanced CO{sub 2} adsorption performance should be ascribed to a charge delivery channel along the S → N → CO{sub 2} path, leading to extra charge transfer from graphene to CO{sub 2}. It is worth mentioning that the extra charge transfer was stimulated by the unique sp{sup 2} hybridization of pyridine N and further enhanced by S in N, S dual-doped graphene. A possible mechanism has been proposed to explain the high adsorption performance of CO{sub 2} by N, S dual-doped graphene, which offers insights for the design of new graphene-based adsorbents.

  18. Electrochemical Properties for Co-Doped Pyrite with High Conductivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongchao Liu

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, the hydrothermal method was adopted to synthesize nanostructure Co-doped pyrite (FeS2. The structural properties and morphology of the synthesized materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, respectively. Co in the crystal lattice of FeS2 could change the growth rate of different crystal planes of the crystal particles, which resulted in various polyhedrons with clear faces and sharp outlines. In addition, the electrochemical performance of the doping pyrite in Li/FeS2 batteries was evaluated using the galvanostatic discharge test, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that the discharge capacity of the doped material (801.8 mAh·g−1 with a doping ratio of 7% was significantly higher than that of the original FeS2 (574.6 mAh·g−1 because of the enhanced conductivity. Therefore, the doping method is potentially effective for improving the electrochemical performance of FeS2.

  19. Structural and optical studies of nano-structure silica gel doped with different rare earth elements, prepared by two different sol -gel techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Battisha, I.K.; El Beyally, A.; Seliman, S.I.; El Nahrawi, A.S.

    2005-01-01

    Structural and optical characteristics of pure silica gel (silica-xerogel, SiO 2 ) and doped with different concentrations ranging from 1 up to 6% of some rare earth (REEs) ions such as, praseodymium Pr +3 ,and Europium Eu +3 , Erbium Er +3 and Holmium Ho +3 , ions, in the form of thin film and monolith materials were prepared by sol - gel technique, Using tetra-ethoxysilane as precursor materials, which are of particular interest for sol-gel integrated optics applications. Some structural and optical features of sol-gel derived monolith and thin films are analyzed and compared, namely the structure of nano-particle monolith and thin film silica-gel samples, based on X-ray diffraction (XRD). The types of structural information obtainable are compared in detail. It is show that the XRD spectra of a-cristobalite are obtained for the two type materials and even by doping with the four REEs ions. Optical measurements of monolith and thin films were also studied and compared, the normal transmission and specular reflection were measured. The refractive index were calculated and discussed

  20. Absorption and luminescence characteristics of {sup 5}I{sub 7} ↔ {sup 5}I{sub 8} transitions of the holmium ion in Ho{sup 3+}-doped aluminosilicate preforms and fibres

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ryabochkina, P A; Chabushkin, A N [N.P. Ogarev Mordovian State University, Saransk (Russian Federation); Kosolapov, A F [Fiber Optics Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Kurkov, A S [A M Prokhorov General Physics Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2015-02-28

    We have obtained the spectral dependences of the absorption cross sections for the Ho{sup 3+} {sup 5}I{sub 8} → {sup 5}I{sub 6} and {sup 5}I{sub 8} → {sup 5}I{sub 7} transitions in Ho{sup 3+}-doped aluminosilicate fibres and the spectral dependence of the stimulated emission cross section for the Ho{sup 3+} {sup 5}I{sub 7} → {sup 5}I{sub 8} laser transition in Ho{sup 3+}-doped aluminosilicate fibre preforms. The lifetime of the Ho{sup 3+} {sup 5}I{sub 7} upper laser level in the preforms has been determined. (lasers)

  1. Structure and mechanical properties of silica doped zirconia thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uhlmann, Ina, E-mail: uhlmann@ceramics.tu-darmstadt.de [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Hawelka, Dominik [Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Hildebrandt, Erwin [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Pradella, Jens [Merck KGaA Darmstadt, 64293 Darmstadt (Germany); Rödel, Jürgen [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2013-01-01

    Sol–gel based wear resistant coatings are presented as an alternative to existing vapor deposition coatings. The films consist of zirconia which has been doped with 8 wt.% silica. Crack-free single as well as multilayer coatings with thicknesses of 80 and 150 nm, respectively, could be produced after sintering at 1000 °C. The evolution of layer thickness, optical, chemical and mechanical properties during film annealing was investigated by ellipsometry, scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, nanoindentation and micro-abrasion. Micro-abrasion has been established as an easy and powerful tool to achieve first comparative abrasion data which could be correlated to hardness, Young's modulus and structure of the films. Above 600 °C a tetragonal, oxide coating with a Young's modulus ranging from 80 to 90 GPa, a hardness from 7 to 8 GPa and an increased abrasion resistance was obtained. The film density reached 4.64 g/cm{sup 3} with the mean refractive index n{sub 550} {sub nm} lying between 1.88 and 1.93. - Highlights: ► Sol–gel zirconia–8 wt.% silica coatings with hardness up to 8 GPa achieved ► Layer thickness as compared by ellipsometry and scanning electron microscopy ► Crack-free multilayer coatings produced up to 150 nm.

  2. Barium and manganese-doped zinc silicate rods prepared by mesoporous template route and their luminescence property

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Lingyan; Tian, Chen; Zhao, Shifeng; Lu, Qingshan

    2018-06-01

    Barium and manganese-doped zinc silicates was prepared under hydrothermal treatment by mesoporous template route employing mesoporous silica as an active template. The sample displays a rod-like morphology with a mean diameter of ∼40 nm and a mean length of ∼450 nm, which inherits the characteristics of mesoporous silica. The individual rods show single crystalline and assemble into bundle-like hierarchical structure along the channels of the mesoporous silica. When barium ions together with manganese ions are co-doped in zinc silicate, the green emission corresponding to manganese ions display a significant enhancement, especially for the sample with the barium doping concentration of 0.08, which indicates that an energy transfer from barium to manganese ions takes place. With further increasing barium concentration from 0.08 to 0.10, the recombination between the defects related to barium and the excitation states of the manganese dominates accompanying non-radiative transitions which can reduce the emission efficiency.

  3. {sup 5}D{sub 3}{yields}{sup 7}F{sub J} emission of Tb doped sol-gel silica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seed Ahmed, H.A.A.; Ntwaeaborwa, O.M.; Gusowski, M.A. [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, IB51, Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300 (South Africa); Botha, J.R. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Kroon, R.E., E-mail: KroonRE@ufs.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, IB51, Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300 (South Africa)

    2012-05-15

    Amorphous silica samples doped with 0.1 and 1 mol% of terbium (Tb) were synthesized by the sol-gel method. In addition to the green light associated with {sup 5}D{sub 4}{yields}{sup 7}F{sub J} transitions of Tb{sup 3+}, the sample containing 0.1 mol% also emitted blue light as a result of {sup 5}D{sub 3}{yields}{sup 7}F{sub J} transitions during photoluminescence (PL) measurements. As a result of concentration quenching this blue emission was not observed for the samples doped with the higher concentration (1 mol%). However the blue {sup 5}D{sub 3} {yields}{sup 7}F{sub J} emission was observed in the 1 mol% doped samples during cathodoluminescence (CL) measurements. Since a rough calculation indicated that the excitation rate in the CL system where the blue emission is observed may be similar to a laser PL system under conditions where the blue emission is not observed, the difference is attributed to the nature of the excitation sources. It is suggested that during the CL excitation incident electrons can reduce non-luminescent Tb{sup 4+} ions in the silica, substituting for Si{sup 4+} ions, to the excited (Tb{sup 3+}) Low-Asterisk state and that these are responsible for the blue emission, which does not occur during PL excitation.

  4. Synthesis of nano-Au doped SiO2 aerogels by seeding method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren Hongbo; Wan Xiaobo; Zhang Lin; Du Aiming; Xiu Peng

    2006-01-01

    A new approach to synthesize gold nano cluster doped aerogel on the basis of surface-catalyzed reduction of metal ions was described. Au nano particles were formed in a silica aerogel matrix by hydroxylamine seeding method of reducing gold ions on the silica colloidal surface. Subsequently, the pH value of system was adjusted to about 7-8, the gel formed within 2 h. After aging for 2 d, the gels were washed in aceton, and then dried supercritically (from CO 2 ) to yield aerogels. The reduction process was attributed to hydroxylamine-induced surface catalysis. Au clusters in the aerogel monoliths were characterized with optical adsorption, transmission electron microscopy. These techniques have shown the cluster size and weight content in the aerogels. Brunauer-emmett-teller surface area measurements show that the specific surface area of silica aerogels and doped aerogels are higher than 800 m 2 /g. (authors)

  5. Synthesis and nonlinear optical properties of zirconia-protected gold nanoparticles embedded in sol-gel derived silica glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le Rouge, A.; El Hamzaoui, H.; Capoen, B.; Bernard, R.; Cristini-Robbe, O.; Martinelli, G.; Cassagne, C.; Boudebs, G.; Bouazaoui, M.; Bigot, L.

    2015-05-01

    A new approach to dope a silica glass with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is presented. It consisted in embedding zirconia-coated GNPs in a silica sol to form a doped silica gel. Then, the sol-doped nanoporous silica xerogel is densified leading to the formation of a glass monolith. The spectral position and shape of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) reported around 520 nm remain compatible with small spherical GNPs in a silica matrix. The saturable absorption behavior of this gold/zirconia-doped silica glass has been evidenced by Z-scan technique. A second-order nonlinear absorption coefficient β of about -13.7 cm GW-1 has been obtained at a wavelength near the SPR of the GNPs.

  6. Growth study and photocatalytic properties of Co-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Shibin [College of Logistics Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 200135 (China); College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061 (China); Chang, Xueting, E-mail: xuetingchang@yahoo.cn [College of Logistics Engineering, Shanghai Maritime University, Shanghai 200135 (China); Li, Zhenjiang [College of Electromechanical Engineering, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061 (China)

    2012-11-15

    Cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals with different morphologies have been successfully generated using a solvothermal method with tungsten hexachloride and cobalt chloride salts as precursors. The resulting mesocrystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller analysis of nitrogen sorptometer, and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The photocatalytic properties of the cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals were evaluated on the basis of their ability to degrade methyl orange in an aqueous solution under simulated sunlight irradiation. Results showed that the cobalt doping had obvious effect on the morphologies of the final products, and lenticular and blocky cobalt-doped tungsten oxide mesocrystals could be obtained with 1.0 wt.% and 2.0 wt.% cobalt doping, respectively. The cobalt-doped tungsten oxides exhibited superior photocatalytic activities to that of the undoped tungsten oxide. - Graphical abstract: Schematic illustrations of the growth of the bundled nanowires, lenticular mesocrystals, and blocky mesocrystals. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Co-doped W{sub 18}O{sub 49} mesocrystals were synthesized using a solvothermal method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The Co doping has obvious effect on the morphology of the final mesocrystals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The Co-doped W{sub 18}O{sub 49} exhibited superior photocatalytic activity to the undoped W{sub 18}O{sub 49}.

  7. Effect of transition metal-doped Ni(211) for CO dissociation: Insights from DFT calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang, Kuiwei; Zhang, Minhua [Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, R& D Center for Petrochemical Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300072 (China); Yu, Yingzhe, E-mail: yzhyu@tju.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, R& D Center for Petrochemical Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)

    2017-03-31

    Highlights: • Doping the step edge of Ni(211) with Fe or Ru observably enhances CO dissociation. • Rh doping is unfavorable for CO activation both kinetically and thermodynamically. • Two neat linear relations are proposed besides the Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relation. • The differences of CO adsorption are rationalized via the Blyholder model. - Abstract: Density functional theory slab calculations were performed to investigate the adsorption and dissociation of CO over pure and M-doped Ni(211) (M = Fe, Co, Ru and Rh) with the aim to elucidate the effect of transition metal doping for CO activation. Doping the step edge of Ni(211) with Fe, Co and Ru is found to enhance the binding of CO in the initial state (IS) (in the sequence by the improvement degree: Fe > Ru > Co) as well as the co-adsorption of C and O in the final state (FS) (Ru > Fe > Co). In contrast, Rh doping is unfavorable both in the IS and in the FS. Analysis of the overall potential energy surfaces (PES) suggests CO dissociation is facilitated by Fe, Ru and Co doping both kinetically and thermodynamically, wherein Fe and Ru behave extraordinary. Interestingly, Fe substitute is slightly superior to Ru in kinetics whereas the contrary is the case in thermodynamics. Rh doping elevates the energy height from 0.97 eV on Ni(211) to 1.32 eV and releases 0.39 eV less heat relative to Ni(211), again manifesting a negative effect. Besides the classical Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi relationship, we put forward another two neat linear relations, which can well describe the feature of CO dissociation. The differences of CO adsorption and activation in the IS over pure and doped Ni(211) surfaces are rationalized via electronic structure analysis. The findings presented herein are expected to provide theoretical guidance for catalyst design and optimization in relevant processes.

  8. Characteristics of Mg-doped and In-Mg co-doped p-type GaN epitaxial layers grown by metal organic chemical vapour deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, S J; Lee, Y S; Suh, E-K; Senthil Kumar, M; An, M H

    2010-01-01

    Mg-doped and In-Mg co-doped p-type GaN epilayers were grown using the metal organic chemical vapour deposition technique. The effect of In co-doping on the physical properties of p-GaN layer was examined by high resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Hall effect, photoluminescence (PL) and persistent photoconductivity (PPC) at room temperature. An improved crystalline quality and a reduction in threading dislocation density are evidenced upon In doping in p-GaN from HRXRD and TEM images. Hole conductivity, mobility and carrier density also significantly improved by In co-doping. PL studies of the In-Mg co-doped sample revealed that the peak position is blue shifted to 3.2 eV from 2.95 eV of conventional p-GaN and the PL intensity is increased by about 25%. In addition, In co-doping significantly reduced the PPC effect in p-type GaN layers. The improved electrical and optical properties are believed to be associated with the active participation of isolated Mg impurities.

  9. Fabrication and characterization of chromium-doped nanophase separated yttria-alumina-silica glass-based optical fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dutta, Debjit; Dhar, Anirban; Das, Shyamal; Paul, Mukul C. [Fiber Optics and Photonics Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata (India); Kir' yanov, Alexander V. [Centro de Investigaciones en Optica, Guanajuato (Mexico); Bysakh, Sandip [Electron Microscopic Section, Material Characterization Division, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata (India)

    2015-08-15

    The basic material and optical properties of chromium-doped nanophase-separated yttria-alumina-silica (YAS) glass based optical preforms and fibers, fabricated through the modified chemical vapor deposition process in conjunction with solution doping technique under suitable thermal annealing conditions are reported. The size of the phase-separated particles within the core of the annealed preform is around 20-30 nm which is significantly reduced to around 5.0 nm in the drawn fiber. The absorption spectra of fibers drawn from the annealed and non-annealed preform samples revealed the presence of Cr{sup 4+}, Cr{sup 3+}, and Cr{sup 6+} specie. Numerically, extinction of absorption drops ∝3-3.5 times for the annealed sample as a result of nano-phase restructuration during annealing process. Intense broadband emission (within 500-800 nm) in case of the annealed preform sample is observed as compared to the non-annealed one and is associated with the presence of Cr{sup 3+} ions in nanostructured environment inside the YAS core glass. The final fibers show broadband emission ranging from 900 to 1400 nm under pumping at 1064 nm which is attributed mainly to the presence of Cr{sup 3+}/Cr{sup 4+} ions. The fabricated fibers seem to be a potential candidate for the development of fiber laser sources for the visible and near-infra ranges and for effective Q-switching units for ∝1-1.1 μm all-fiber ytterbium lasers. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  10. Sequestration of Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) by ethyleneimine immobilized on silica

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arakaki, Luiza N.H.; Alves, Ana Paula M.; Silva Filho, Edson C. da; Fonseca, Maria G.; Oliveira, Severino F.; Espinola, Jose Geraldo P.; Airoldi, Claudio

    2007-01-01

    Thermodynamic data on interaction of Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) with silica modified with ethyleneimine are obtained by calorimetric titration. The amount of ethyleneimine anchored on silica surface was estimated to be 0.70 mmol g -1 . The enthalpies of binding Ni(II), Cu(II) and Co(II), are -3.59 ± 0.001, -4.88 ± 0.001, and -7.75 ± 0.003 kJ mol -1 , respectively

  11. Effects of Yttrium and Iron co-doping on the high temperature thermoelectric properties of Ca{sub 3}Co{sub 4}O{sub 9+δ}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, NingYu, E-mail: niwu@dtu.dk; Van Nong, Ngo; Pryds, Nini; Linderoth, Søren

    2015-07-25

    Highlights: • The Fe and Fe/Y doping at the Co- and Ca-sites of Ca{sub 3}Co{sub 4}O{sub 9+δ} were investigated. • The rising ρ by Y doping can be mitigated by the coupled Fe doping. • The increased Seebeck coefficient by Y doping can be maintained in co-doped system. • The co-doped system leads to an improvement of the thermoelectric performance. • The co-doped system may preserve the merits from each component doping. - Abstract: A series of Y and Fe co-doped Ca{sub 3−x}Y{sub x}Co{sub 4−y}Fe{sub y}O{sub 9+δ} (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.3, 0 ⩽ y ⩽ 0.1) samples synthesized by auto-combustion reaction and followed by a spark plasma sintering (SPS) processing with the effects of Fe and Y doping on the high temperature (RT to 800 °C) thermoelectric properties were systematically investigated. For the Fe-doped system (x = 0, y ⩽ 0.1), the electrical resistivity (ρ) decreased over the whole measured temperature range, while the Seebeck coefficient (S) remained almost the same. For the co-doped system, at any fixed Fe doping content, both ρ and S tended to increase with increasing Y dopants, however, the effect is more substantial on ρ than on S, particularly in the low temperature regime. In contrast to ρ and S, the in-plane thermal conductivity (κ) is only slightly influenced by Y and Fe substitutions. Among all the investigated samples, the co-doped sample with x = 0.1 and y = 0.03 showed a decrease of ρ, enhanced power factor over the measured temperature range, and improved ZT at 800 °C as compared to un-doped Ca{sub 3}Co{sub 4}O{sub 9+δ}.

  12. Mode locking in a bismuth fibre laser by using a SESAM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krylov, A A; Dvoirin, V V; Mashinsky, V M; Kryukov, P G; Okhotnikov, O G; Guina, M

    2008-01-01

    By using a semiconductor saturable-absorber mirror (SESAM) optimised for operation in the spectral range from 1100 to 1200 nm, passive mode locking is obtained in a cw bismuth-doped fibre laser. Pumping was performed by a cw ytterbium-doped fibre laser at a wavelength of 1075 nm. The operation of the laser is studied by using either a fibre Bragg grating or a loop fibre Sagnac mirror as the output resonator mirror. Stable laser pulses of duration from 50 ps to 3.5 ns, depending on the output mirror type, were generated. The pulse repetition rate was 11 MHz at a wavelength of ∼1160 nm and the maximum spectral width of 2.1 nm. The maximum average output power was 7.8 mW upon pumping by 1140 mW. (control of laser radiation parameters)

  13. Conception and preliminary evaluation of an optical fibre sensor for simultaneous measurement of pressure and temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bremer, K; Moss, B; Leen, G; Mueller, I; Lewis, E; Lochmann, S

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a novel concept of simultaneously measuring pressure and temperature using a silica optical fibre extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) pressure sensor incorporating a fibre Bragg grating (FBG), which is constructed entirely from fused-silica. The novel device is used to simultaneously provide accurate pressure and temperature readings at the point of measurement. Furthermore, the FBG temperature measurement is used to eliminate the temperature cross-sensitivity of the EFPI pressure sensor.

  14. Osteogenesis and angiogenesis properties of dental pulp cell on novel injectable tricalcium phosphate cement by silica doped.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Ying-Fang; Lin, Chi-Chang; Huang, Tsui-Hsien; Chou, Ming-Yung; Yang, Jaw-Ji; Shie, Ming-You

    2014-09-01

    β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is an osteoconductive material in clinical. In this study, we have doped silica (Si) into β-TCP and enhanced its bioactive and osteostimulative properties. To check its effectiveness, a series of Si-doped with different ratios were prepared to make new bioactive and biodegradable biocomposites for bone repair. Formation of the diametral tensile strength, ions released and weight loss of cements was considered after immersion. In addition, we also examined the behavior of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) cultured on Si-doped β-TCP cements. The results showed that setting time and injectability of the Si-doped β-TCP cements were decreased as the Si content was increased. At the end of the immersion point, weight losses of 30.1%, 36.9%, 48.1%, and 55.3% were observed for the cement doping 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% Si into β-TCP cements, respectively. In vitro cell experiments show that the Si-rich cements promote human dental pulp cell (hDPC) proliferation and differentiation. However, when the Si-doped in the cement is more than 20%, the amount of cells and osteogenesis protein of hDPCs was stimulated by Si released from Si-doped β-TCP cements. The degradation of β-TCP and osteogenesis of Si gives a strong reason to believe that these Si-doped β-TCP cements may prove to be promising bone repair materials. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Co-Doped ZnO nanoparticles: minireview.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Djerdj, Igor; Jaglicić, Zvonko; Arcon, Denis; Niederberger, Markus

    2010-07-01

    Diluted magnetic semiconductors with a Curie temperature exceeding 300 K are promising candidates for spintronic devices and spin-based electronic technologies. We review recent achievements in the field of one of them: Co-doped ZnO at the nanoparticulate scale.

  16. Preparation and characterization of Co-doped ZnO nanomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Huaming; Nie Sha

    2009-01-01

    Freeze-drying is a convenient cryochemical powder processing method. In this paper, Co-doped ZnO nanomaterials (CZN) with Co content from 2 mol% to 10 mol% have been successfully synthesized via a novel freeze-drying route. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the as-synthesized samples. All samples have a similar hexagonal wurtzite phase without metal cobalt, cobalt oxides or composites in the samples with Co concentration below 6 mol%. TEM image shows that CZN (4 mol% Co) is nanometer scale with average crystal size of 40 nm. Samples have a spherical morphology with moderate aggregation. The band gap energy of CZN from ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy decreases with increasing the Co doping concentration

  17. Silica nanoparticles doped with an iridium(III) complex for rapid and fluorometric detection of cyanide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mu, Juanjuan; Feng, Qingyue; Chen, Xiudan; Li, Jing; Wang, Huili; Li, Mei-Jin

    2015-01-01

    We describe a nanosensor for sensitive and selective detection of cyanide anions. The Ir(III) chlorine bridge complex [Ir(C N ) 2 -m-Cl] 2 (Irpq, where pq is C N = 2-phenyl quinoline) was doped into silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) with a typical size of about 30 nm. The intensity of the yellow emission of the doped SiNPs (under 410 nm exCitation) was strongly enhanced on addition of cyanide ions due to the replacement of chloride by cyanide. The method can detect cyanide ions in the 12.5 to 113 μM concentration range, and the limit of detection is 1.66 μM (at an S/N ratio of 3). The method is simple, sensitive and fast, and this makes it a candidate probe for the fast optical determination of cyanide. (author)

  18. Polymer Optical Fibre Sensors for Endoscopic Opto-Acoustic Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Broadway, Christian; Gallego, Daniel; Woyessa, Getinet

    2015-01-01

    in existing publications. A great advantage can be obtained for endoscopy due to a small size and array potential to provide discrete imaging speed improvements. Optical fibre exhibits numerous advantages over conventional piezo-electric transducers, such as immunity from electromagnetic interference...... is the physical size of the device, allowing compatibility with current technology, while governing flexibility of the distal end of the endoscope based on the needs of the sensor. Polymer optical fibre (POF) presents a novel approach for endoscopic applications and has been positively discussed and compared...... and a higher resolution at small sizes. Furthermore, micro structured polymer optical fibres offer over 12 times the sensitivity of silica fibre. We present a polymer fibre Bragg grating ultrasound detector with a core diameter of 125 microns. We discuss the ultrasonic signals received and draw conclusions...

  19. Piezoelectricity and charge trapping in ZnO and Co-doped ZnO thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Domenico D’Agostino

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Piezoelectricity and charge storage of undoped and Co-doped ZnO thin films were investigated by means of PiezoResponse Force Microscopy and Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy. We found that Co-doped ZnO exhibits a large piezoelectric response, with the mean value of piezoelectric matrix element d33 slightly lower than in the undoped sample. Moreover, we demonstrate that Co-doping affects the homogeneity of the piezoelectric response, probably as a consequence of the lower crystalline degree exhibited by the doped samples. We also investigate the nature of the interface between a metal electrode, made up of the PtIr AFM tip, and the films as well as the phenomenon of charge storage. We find Schottky contacts in both cases, with a barrier value higher in PtIr/ZnO than in PtIr/Co-doped ZnO, indicating an increase in the work function due to Co-doping.

  20. Structural, optical, magnetic and photocatalytic properties of Co doped CuS diluted magnetic semiconductor nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreelekha, N.; Subramanyam, K.; Amaranatha Reddy, D.; Murali, G.; Ramu, S.; Rahul Varma, K.; Vijayalakshmi, R.P.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Cu_1_−_xCo_xS nanoparticles were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation method. • Structural, band gap, magnetization and photocatalysis studies were carried out. • All the doped samples exhibited intrinsic room temperature ferromagnetism. • Effect of magnetic properties on photocatalytic activity was analyzed. • CuS:Co nanoparticles may find applications in photocatalytic and spintronic devices. - Abstract: Pristine and Co doped covellite CuS nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous solution by facile chemical co-precipitation method with Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid (EDTA) as a stabilizing agent. EDAX measurements confirmed the presence of Co in the CuS host lattice. Hexagonal crystal structure of pure and Co doped CuS nanoparticles were authenticated by XRD patterns. TEM images indicated that sphere-shape of nanoparticles through a size ranging from 5 to 8 nm. The optical absorption edge moved to higher energies with increase in Co concentration as indicated by UV–vis spectroscopy. Magnetic measurements revealed that bare CuS sample show sign of diamagnetic character where as in Co doped nanoparticles augmentation of room temperature ferromagnetism was observed with increasing doping precursor concentrations. Photocatalytic performance of the pure and Co doped CuS nanoparticles were assessed by evaluating the degradation rate of rhodamine B solution under sun light irradiation. The 5% Co doped CuS nanoparticles provide evidence for high-quality photocatalytic activity.

  1. Structural, optical, magnetic and photocatalytic properties of Co doped CuS diluted magnetic semiconductor nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreelekha, N.; Subramanyam, K. [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India); Department of Physics, Raghu Engineering College, Visakhapatnam, Andrapradesh 531162 (India); Amaranatha Reddy, D. [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Institute for Functional Materials, Pusan National University, Busan 609735 (Korea, Republic of); Murali, G. [Department of BIN Fusion Technology & Department of Polymer-Nano Science and Technology, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeonbuk (Korea, Republic of); Ramu, S. [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India); Rahul Varma, K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley (United States); Vijayalakshmi, R.P., E-mail: vijayaraguru@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India)

    2016-08-15

    Highlights: • Cu{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}S nanoparticles were synthesized via chemical co-precipitation method. • Structural, band gap, magnetization and photocatalysis studies were carried out. • All the doped samples exhibited intrinsic room temperature ferromagnetism. • Effect of magnetic properties on photocatalytic activity was analyzed. • CuS:Co nanoparticles may find applications in photocatalytic and spintronic devices. - Abstract: Pristine and Co doped covellite CuS nanoparticles were synthesized in aqueous solution by facile chemical co-precipitation method with Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetic Acid (EDTA) as a stabilizing agent. EDAX measurements confirmed the presence of Co in the CuS host lattice. Hexagonal crystal structure of pure and Co doped CuS nanoparticles were authenticated by XRD patterns. TEM images indicated that sphere-shape of nanoparticles through a size ranging from 5 to 8 nm. The optical absorption edge moved to higher energies with increase in Co concentration as indicated by UV–vis spectroscopy. Magnetic measurements revealed that bare CuS sample show sign of diamagnetic character where as in Co doped nanoparticles augmentation of room temperature ferromagnetism was observed with increasing doping precursor concentrations. Photocatalytic performance of the pure and Co doped CuS nanoparticles were assessed by evaluating the degradation rate of rhodamine B solution under sun light irradiation. The 5% Co doped CuS nanoparticles provide evidence for high-quality photocatalytic activity.

  2. Fabrication of superhydrophobic and antibacterial surface on cotton fabric by doped silica -based sols with nanoparticles of copper

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berendjchi, Amirhosein; Khajavi, Ramin; Yazdanshenas, Mohammad Esmaeil

    2011-11-01

    The study discussed the synthesis of silica sol using the sol-gel method, doped with two different amounts of Cu nanoparticles. Cotton fabric samples were impregnated by the prepared sols and then dried and cured. To block hydroxyl groups, some samples were also treated with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane. The average particle size of colloidal silica nanoparticles were measured by the particle size analyzer. The morphology, roughness, and hydrophobic properties of the surface fabricated on cotton samples were analyzed and compared via the scanning electron microscopy, the transmission electron microscopy, the scanning probe microscopy, with static water contact angle (SWC), and water shedding angle measurements. Furthermore, the antibacterial efficiency of samples was quantitatively evaluated using AATCC 100 method. The addition of 0.5% (wt/wt) Cu into silica sol caused the silica nanoparticles to agglomerate in more grape-like clusters on cotton fabrics. Such fabricated surface revealed the highest value of SWC (155° for a 10-μl droplet) due to air trapping capability of its inclined structure. However, the presence of higher amounts of Cu nanoparticles (2% wt/wt) in silica sol resulted in the most slippery smooth surface on cotton fabrics. All fabricated surfaces containing Cu nanoparticles showed the perfect antibacterial activity against both of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.

  3. High-quality laser cutting of stainless steel in inert gas atmosphere by ytterbium fibre and CO2 lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyat'ev, V B

    2014-01-01

    Processes of cutting stainless steel by ytterbium fibre and CO 2 lasers have been experimentally compared. The cut surface roughnesses for 3- and 5-mm-thick stainless steel sheets are determined. The absorption coefficient of laser radiation during cutting is measured. It is established that the power absorbed by metal during cutting by the CO 2 laser exceeds that for the ytterbium laser (provided that the cutting speed remains the same). The fact that the maximum cutting speed of the CO 2 laser is lower than that of the ytterbium fibre laser is explained. (laser technologies)

  4. Structural and magnetic properties of single-crystalline Co-doped barium titanate nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Hongxue; Cao Baobao; O'Connor, Charles J.

    2010-01-01

    Undoped and Co-doped BaTiO 3 nanoparticles were synthesized by a one-step sol-precipitation method. For all the samples, X-ray diffraction showed characteristic diffraction lines for BaTiO 3 without the indication of secondary phases. High-resolution transition electron microscopy images showed that BaTiO 3 nanoparticles exhibit the nature of single-crystal. Magnetometry revealed that all the Co-doped BaTiO 3 samples show paramagnetic behaviors and Co ions in BaTiO 3 are present as isolated paramagnetic centers. This is contrasted to several reported cases of ferromagnetism in Co-doped BaTiO 3 .

  5. Fibre Bragg Grating and Long Period Grating Sensors in Polymer Optical Fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bundalo, Ivan-Lazar

    mechanisms in polymer fibres using a CO2 laser. One is etching and the other one is perturbation of the microstructured region. After inscription of LPGs, the concept of a biocompatible distributed medical endoscope is presented, where an all-plastic LPG based device is produced. A transducer pod is made...... of applications and pushing the limits. The first part of the work focuses on the fabrication of FBGs in polymer optical fibres. FBGs are a periodic perturbation of the refractive index of the optical fibre core which act as a wavelength specific reflector. The fibres used are made of Polymethyl methacrylate....... In this system a high power CO2 laser is used for the inscription. An LPG is also a periodic perturbation of the guided core mode in fibre, but unlike FBG which reflects the core mode, the LPG couples the core mode to a cladding mode outside the core. We have shown that the LPG grating can be formed through two...

  6. Defect formation and magnetic properties of Co-doped GaN crystal and nanowire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, Li-Bin; Liu, Jing-Jing; Fei, Ying

    2013-01-01

    Theoretical calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) and generalized gradient approximation (GGA) has been carried out in studying defect formation and magnetic properties of Co doped GaN crystal and nanowire (NW). Co does not exhibit site preference in GaN crystal. However, Co occupies preferably surface sites in GaN NW. Transition level of the defect is also investigated in GaN crystal. We also find that Co Ga (S) in NW does not produce spin polarization and Co Ga (B) produces spontaneous spin polarization. Ferromagnetic (FM) and antiferromagnetic (AFM) couplings are analyzed by six different configurations. The results show that AFM coupling is more stable than FM coupling for Co doped GaN crystal. It is also found from Co doped GaN NW calculation that the system remains FM stability for majority of the configurations. Magnetic properties in Co doped GaN crystal can be mediated by N and Ga vacancies. The FM and AFM stability can be explained by Co 3d energy level coupling

  7. Fluorescence enhancement of samarium complex co-doped with terbium complex in a poly(methyl methacrylate) matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiu Hongfang; Zhang Lixin; Liu Guode; Fan Tao

    2009-01-01

    The fluorescence property of Sm(DBM) 3 phen- (DBM-dibenzoylmethide, phen-1,10-phenanthroline) and Tb(DBM) 3 phen-co-doped poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) was investigated. The excitation, emission spectra and fluorescence lifetime of the co-doped samples were examined. In the co-doped samples, the luminescence intensities of Sm 3+ enhance with an increase of the Tb(DBM) 3 phen content and with a decrease of the Sm(DBM) 3 phen content. The reason for the fluorescence enhancement effect in the co-doped polymer is the intermolecular energy transfer. To give a vivid picture for this co-doped system, a model for the fluorescence enhancement of Sm(DBM) 3 phen- and Tb(DBM) 3 phen-co-doped PMMA is presented

  8. Toward a multipoint optical fibre sensor system for use in process water systems based on artificial neural network pattern recognition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, D; Lyons, W B; Flanagan, C; Lewis, E

    2005-01-01

    An optical fibre sensor capable of detecting various concentrations of ethanol in water supplies is reported. The sensor is based on a U-bend sensor configuration and is incorporated into a 170-metre length of silica cladding silica core optical fibre. The sensor is interrogated using Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR) and it is proposed to apply artificial neural network (ANN) pattern recognition techniques to the resulting OTDR signals to accurately classify the sensor test conditions. It is also proposed that additional U-bend configuration sensors will be added to the fibre measurement length, in order to implement a multipoint optical fibre sensor system

  9. Synthesis and characterization of Ce, Cu co-doped ZnS nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harish, G.S.; Sreedhara Reddy, P.

    2015-01-01

    Ce, Cu co-doped ZnS nanoparticles were prepared at room temperature using a chemical co-precipitation method. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by X- ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) and high resolution Raman spectroscopic techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction studies showed that the diameter of the particles was around 2–3 nm. Broadened XRD peaks revealed the formation of nanoparticles with a face centered cubic (fcc) structure. DRS studies confirmed that the band gap increased with an increase in the dopant concentration. The Raman spectra of undoped and Ce, Cu ions co-doped ZnS nanoparticles showed longitudinal optical mode and transverse optical mode. Compared with the Raman modes (276 and 351 cm −1 ) of undoped ZnS nanoparticles, the Raman modes of Ce, Cu co- doped ZnS nanoparticles were slightly shifted towards lower frequency. PL spectra of the samples showed remarkable enhancement in the intensity upon doping

  10. High-power ultralong-wavelength Tm-doped silica fiber laser cladding-pumped with a random distributed feedback fiber laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xiaoxi; Du, Xueyuan; Wang, Xiong; Zhou, Pu; Zhang, Hanwei; Wang, Xiaolin; Liu, Zejin

    2016-07-15

    We demonstrated a high-power ultralong-wavelength Tm-doped silica fiber laser operating at 2153 nm with the output power exceeding 18 W and the slope efficiency of 25.5%. A random distributed feedback fiber laser with the center wavelength of 1173 nm was employed as pump source of Tm-doped fiber laser for the first time. No amplified spontaneous emissions or parasitic oscillations were observed when the maximum output power reached, which indicates that employing 1173 nm random distributed feedback fiber laser as pump laser is a feasible and promising scheme to achieve high-power emission of long-wavelength Tm-doped fiber laser. The output power of this Tm-doped fiber laser could be further improved by optimizing the length of active fiber, reflectivity of FBGs, increasing optical efficiency of pump laser and using better temperature management. We also compared the operation of 2153 nm Tm-doped fiber lasers pumped with 793 nm laser diodes, and the maximum output powers were limited to ~2 W by strong amplified spontaneous emission and parasitic oscillation in the range of 1900-2000 nm.

  11. Aminopropyl-functionalized mesoporous silicas as CO{sub 2} adsorbents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knowles, Gregory P.; Graham, Jeremy V.; Delaney, Seamus W.; Chaffee, Alan L. [School of Chemistry, PO Box 23, Monash University, Vic 3800 (Australia)

    2005-10-15

    A range of mesoporous silica substrates were functionalized with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane to form hybrid products suitable for carbon dioxide adsorption. A 'cylindrical pore' model was employed to characterize the extent of surface modification per unit substrate surface area and to permit its comparison on a common basis. The extent of surface functionalisation varied with substrate morphology. Combined DTA/TGA was used to characterise CO{sub 2} adsorption. Substantial reversible CO{sub 2} adsorption capacities were observed under anhydrous conditions (at 20 {sup o}C). In the presence of water, CO{sub 2} capacity was enhanced, but the rate of desorption was diminished. (author)

  12. Electromagnetic waves in optical fibres in a magnetic field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorelik, V S; Burdanova, M G

    2016-01-01

    A new method is reported of recording the secondary radiation of luminescent substances based on the use of capillary fibres of great length. Theoretical analysis of the dispersion curves of electromagnetic radiation in capillary fibres doped with erbium ions Er 3+ has been established. The Lorentz model is used for describing the dispersion properties of electromagnetic waves in a homogeneous medium doped with rare-earth ions. The dispersion dependencies of polariton and axion–polariton waves in erbium nitrate hydrate are determined on the basis of the model of the interaction between electromagnetic waves and the resonance electronic states of erbium ions in the absence and presence of a magnetic field. (paper)

  13. Dual-mode fluorophore-doped nickel nitrilotriacetic acid-modified silica nanoparticles combine histidine-tagged protein purification with site-specific fluorophore labeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sung Hoon; Jeyakumar, M; Katzenellenbogen, John A

    2007-10-31

    We present the first example of a fluorophore-doped nickel chelate surface-modified silica nanoparticle that functions in a dual mode, combining histidine-tagged protein purification with site-specific fluorophore labeling. Tetramethylrhodamine (TMR)-doped silica nanoparticles, estimated to contain 700-900 TMRs per ca. 23 nm particle, were surface modified with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), producing TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni2+. Silica-embedded TMR retains very high quantum yield, is resistant to quenching by buffer components, and is modestly quenched and only to a certain depth (ca. 2 nm) by surface-attached Ni2+. When exposed to a bacterial lysate containing estrogen receptor alpha ligand binding domain (ERalpha) as a minor component, these beads showed very high specificity binding, enabling protein purification in one step. The capacity and specificity of these beads for binding a his-tagged protein were characterized by electrophoresis, radiometric counting, and MALDI-TOF MS. ERalpha, bound to TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni++ beads in a site-specific manner, exhibited good activity for ligand binding and for ligand-induced binding to coactivators in solution FRET experiments and protein microarray fluorometric and FRET assays. This dual-mode type TMR-SiO2-NTA-Ni2+ system represents a powerful combination of one-step histidine-tagged protein purification and site-specific labeling with multiple fluorophore species.

  14. Evaluation of Ce3+ and alkali metal ions Co-doped LiSrAlF6 crystalline scintillators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wakahara, Shingo; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Pejchal, Jan; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Suzuki, Shotaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yoshikawa, Akira

    2013-01-01

    High scintillation efficiency of Eu-doped LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) and LiCaAlF 6 (LiCAF) codoped with alkali metal ions has been reported in our recent studies. Thus in this paper, we demonstrated the scintillation properties of 1% Ce-doped LiSAF crystals with 1% alkali metal ions co-doping to increase the light yield and understand the scintillation mechanism. The crystals showed intense emission band corresponding to the 5d-4f transition of Ce 3+ , and their light yields under thermal neutron excitation were higher than that of the Ce only doped crystal. Especially, the light yield of Ce–Na co-doped crystal exceeded about two times that of Ce only doped one. -- Highlights: ► Ce-doped and alkali metal co-doped LiSAF crystals were grown by μ-PD method. ► Alkali metal co-doped crystals showed higher light yield than Ce only doped crystal. ► Decay time of alkali metal co-doped LiSAF were longer than that of Ce only doped one

  15. Formation of hydroxyl radicals and kinetic study of 2-chlorophenol photocatalytic oxidation using C-doped TiO2, N-doped TiO2, and C,N Co-doped TiO2 under visible light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ananpattarachai, Jirapat; Seraphin, Supapan; Kajitvichyanukul, Puangrat

    2016-02-01

    This work reports on synthesis, characterization, adsorption ability, formation rate of hydroxyl radicals (OH(•)), photocatalytic oxidation kinetics, and mineralization ability of C-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2), N-doped TiO2, and C,N co-doped TiO2 prepared by the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and UV-visible spectroscopy were used to analyze the titania. The rate of formation of OH(•) for each type of titania was determined, and the OH-index was calculated. The kinetics of as-synthesized TiO2 catalysts in photocatalytic oxidation of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) under visible light irradiation were evaluated. Results revealed that nitrogen was incorporated into the lattice of titania with the structure of O-Ti-N linkages in N-doped TiO2 and C,N co-doped TiO2. Carbon was joined to the Ti-O-C bond in the C-doped TiO2 and C,N co-doped TiO2. The 2-CP adsorption ability of C,N co-doped TiO2 and C-doped TiO2 originated from a layer composed of a complex carbonaceous mixture at the surface of TiO2. C,N co-doped TiO2 had highest formation rate of OH(•) and photocatalytic activity due to a synergistic effect of carbon and nitrogen co-doping. The order of photocatalytic activity per unit surface area was the same as that of the formation rate of OH(•) unit surface area in the following order: C,N co-doped TiO2 > C-doped TiO2 > N-doped TiO2 > undoped TiO2.

  16. sup(60)Co hot atom chemistry of tris(acetylacetonato) cobalt(III) adsorbed on silica gel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishioji, H.; Sakai, Y.; Tominaga, T.

    1985-01-01

    The sup(60)Co hot atom reactions were studied in tris(acetylacetonato)cobalt(III) adsorbed on silica gel surface. sup(57)Fe Moessbauer spectra of tris(acetylacetonato)iron(III) in the corresponding system were also measured in order to examine the state of dispersion of complex molecules on silica gel. The retention formation processes were discussed in terms of the dependence of sup(60)Co retention on the adsorbed amount (concentration) of cobalt(III) complexes. (author)

  17. Polymer-silica hybrids for separation of CO2 and catalysis of organic reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva Mojica, Ernesto

    Porous materials comprising polymeric and inorganic segments have attracted interest from the scientific community due to their unique properties and functionalities. The physical and chemical characteristics of these materials can be effectively exploited for adsorption applications. This dissertation covers the experimental techniques for fabrication of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and silica (SiO2) porous supports, and their functionalization with polyamines for developing adsorbents with potential applications in separation of CO2 and catalysis of organic reactions. The supports were synthesized by processes involving (i) covalent cross-linking of PVA, (ii) hydrolysis and poly-condensation of silica precursors (i,e,. sol-gel synthesis), and formation of porous structures via (iii) direct templating and (iv) phase inversion techniques. Their physical structure was controlled by the proper combination of the preparation procedures, which resulted in micro-structured porous materials in the form of micro-particles, membranes, and pellets. Their adsorption characteristics were tailored by functionalization with polyethyleneimine (PEI), and their physicochemical properties were characterized by vibrational spectroscopy (FTIR, UV-vis), microscopy (SEM), calorimetry (TGA, DSC), and adsorption techniques (BET, step-switch adsorption). Spectroscopic investigations of the interfacial cross-linking reactions of PEI and PVA with glutaraldehyde (GA) revealed that PEI catalyzes the cross-linking reactions of PVA in absence of external acid catalysts. In-situ IR spectroscopy coupled with a focal plane array (FPA) image detector allowed the characterization of a gradient interface on a PEI/PVA composite membrane and the investigation of the cross-linking reactions as a function of time and position. The results served as a basis to postulate possible intermediates, and propose the reaction mechanisms. The formulation of amine-functionalized CO2 capture sorbents was based on the

  18. Fe/Co doped molybdenum diselenide: a promising two-dimensional intermediate-band photovoltaic material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jiajia; He, Haiyan; Pan, Bicai

    2015-01-01

    An intermediate-band (IB) photovoltaic material is an important candidate in developing the new-generation solar cell. In this paper, we propose that the Fe-doped or the Co-doped MoSe 2 just meets the required features in IB photovoltaic materials. Our calculations demonstrate that when the concentration of the doped element reaches 11.11%, the doped MoSe 2 shows a high absorptivity for both infrared and visible light, where the photovoltaic efficiency of the doped MoSe 2 is as high as 56%, approaching the upper limit of photovoltaic efficiency of IB materials. So, the Fe- or Co-doped MoSe 2 is a promising two-dimensional photovoltaic material. (paper)

  19. Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline Co-doped TiO2 synthesized by solid-state method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouaine, Abdelhamid; Schmerber, G.; Ihiawakrim, D.; Derory, A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Influence of Co doping on the TiO 2 tetragonal structure. ► Decrease of the energy band gap after doping with Co atoms. ► Appearance of ferromagnetism in Co-doped TiO 2 diluted magnetic semiconductors. - Abstract: We have used a solid-state method to synthesize polycrystalline Co-doped TiO 2 diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) with Co concentrations of 0, and 0.5 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that Co doped TiO 2 crystallizes in the rutile tetragonal structure with no additional peaks. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) did not indicate the presence of magnetic parasitic phases and confirmed that Co ions are uniformly distributed inside the samples. Optical absorbance measurements showed an energy band gap which decreases after doping with the Co atoms into the TiO 2 matrix. Magnetization measurements revealed a paramagnetic behavior for the as-prepared Co-doped TiO 2 and a ferromagnetic behavior for the same samples after annealed under a mixture of H 2 /N 2 atmosphere.

  20. High-quality laser cutting of stainless steel in inert gas atmosphere by ytterbium fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golyshev, A A; Malikov, A G; Orishich, A M; Shulyat' ev, V B [S.A. Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

    2014-03-28

    Processes of cutting stainless steel by ytterbium fibre and CO{sub 2} lasers have been experimentally compared. The cut surface roughnesses for 3- and 5-mm-thick stainless steel sheets are determined. The absorption coefficient of laser radiation during cutting is measured. It is established that the power absorbed by metal during cutting by the CO{sub 2} laser exceeds that for the ytterbium laser (provided that the cutting speed remains the same). The fact that the maximum cutting speed of the CO{sub 2} laser is lower than that of the ytterbium fibre laser is explained. (laser technologies)

  1. Infrared Supercontinuum Generation in Optical Fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dupont, Sune Vestergaard Lund

    During my PhD studies I have worked with intense lasers and optical fibres. In our conceptual universe the colour of light (wavelength) does not depend on the material in which it propagates. At high intensities however, nonlinear effects change the behaviour of light and rise of new wavelength...... with laser-like intensity is obtained, which otherwise is impossible without the use of more complicated equipment. Until recently, supercontinuum covering the mid-infrared was not possible due to absorption in the silica glass optical fibres are made of. In our project infrared transparent materials...... such as ZBLAN and chalcogenide have been investigated. Using ZBLAN it has been possible to generated a supercontinuum stretching beyond 4200 nm. Supercontinuum generation requires knowledge about the physical properties of the optical fibre in which the pulse-broadening takes place. Consequently thorough...

  2. Sol–gel-based silver nanoparticles-doped silica – Polydiphenylamine nanocomposite for micro-solid-phase extraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bagheri, Habib, E-mail: bagheri@sharif.edu; Banihashemi, Solmaz

    2015-07-30

    A nanocomposite of silica-polydiphenylamine doped with silver nanoparticles (Ag–SiO{sub 2}-PDPA) was successfully synthesized by the sol–gel process. For its preparation, PDPA was mixed with butanethiol capped Ag nanoparticles (NPs) and added to the silica sol solution. The Ag NPs were stabilized as a result of their adsorption on the SiO{sub 2} spheres. The surface characteristic of nanocomposite was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this work the Ag–SiO{sub 2}-PDPA nanocomposite was employed as an efficient sorbent for micro-solid-phase extraction (μ-SPE) of some selected pesticides. An amount of 15 mg of the prepared sorbent was used to extract and determine the representatives from organophosphorous, organochlorine and aryloxyphenoxy propionic acids from aqueous samples. After the implementation of extraction process, the analytes were desorbed by methanol and determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Important parameters influencing the extraction and desorption processes such as pH of sample solution, salting out effect, type and volume of the desorption solvent, the sample loading and eluting flow rates along with the sample volume were experimentally optimized. Limits of detection (LODs) and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.02–0.05 μg L{sup −1} and 0.1–0.2 μg L{sup −1}, respectively, using time scheduled selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode. The relative standard deviation percent (RSD %) with four replicates was in the range of 6–10%. The applicability of the developed method was examined by analyzing different environmental water samples and the relative recovery (RR %) values for the spiked water samples were found to be in the range of 86–103%. - Highlights: • A sol–gel-based silver nanoparticles doped silica-polydiphenylamine nanocomposite was synthesized. • The sorbent was applied to micro-solid-phase extraction of some selected pesticides in water

  3. Dynamic response analysis of DFB fibre lasers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yujun, Qian; Varming, Poul; Povlsen, Jørn Hedegaard

    1998-01-01

    We present a model for relative intensity noise (RIN) in DFB fibre lasers which predicts measured characteristics accurately. Calculation results implies that the RIN decreases rapidly with stronger Bragg grating and higher pump power. We propose here a simplified model based on three spatially...... independent rate equations to describe the dynamic response of erbium doped DFB fibre lasers on pump power fluctuations, using coupled-mode theory to calculate the steady-state hole-burning of the erbium ion inversion...

  4. CO2 Laser annealing of n-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bertolotti, M.; Ferrari, A.; Evangelisti, F.; Fiorini, P.; Proietti, M.G.

    1985-01-01

    Low power CO 2 laser annealing of n-doped a-Si:H is reported. Conductivity and its activation energy, photoconductivity, absorption coefficient and dependence of photoconductivity on light power show changes which can be interpreted as due to a better doping efficiency

  5. Measurement of Fluorescence in a Rhodamine-123 Doped Self-Assembled “Giant” Mesostructured Silica Sphere Using a Smartphone as Optical Hardware

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingemar Petermann

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The blue OLED emission from a mobile phone was characterised, revealing a sharp emission band centred at λ = 445 nm with a 3dB bandwidth Δλ ~ 20 nm. It was used to excite Rhodamine 123 doped within a “giant” mesostructured silica sphere during fabrication through evaporative self-assembly of silica nanoparticles. Fluorescence was able to be detected using a standard optical microscope fitted with a green transmission pass filter and cooled CCD and with 1 ms exposure time demonstrating the potential of mobile platforms as the basis for portable diagnostics in the field.

  6. Silica-Supported Co3O4 Nanoparticles as a Recyclable Catalyst for Rapid Degradation of Azodye

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Baghban

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, silica nanoparticles with particle size of ~ 10-20 nm were selected as a support for the synthesis of Co3O4 nanoparticles by impregnation of silica nanoparticles in solution of Co(II in a specific concentrations and then calcination to 800 oC. This nanocomposite was then, used as a catalyst for oxidative degradation of methyl orange (MO with ammonium persulfate in aqueous media. Effect of pH, temperature, contact time, amount of oxidant and catalyst were studied in the presence of manuscript. Scanning electron microscope (SEM, electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS, FT-IR, and ICP-AES analyses were used for analysis of silica-supported Co3O4 (Co3O4/SiO2. Treating MO with ammonium persulfate in the presence of Co3O4/SiO2 led to complete degradation of MO under the optimized conditions. Also, the catalyst exhibited recyclability at least over 10 consecutive runs. Copyright © 2016 BCREC GROUP. All rights reserved Received: 12nd December 2015; Revised: 27th January 2016; Accepted: 27th January 2016 How to Cite: Baghban, A., Doustkhah, E., Rostamnia, S., Aghbash, K.O. (2016. Silica-Supported Co3O4 Nanoparticles as a Recyclable Catalyst for Rapid Degradation of Azodye. Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis, 11 (3: 284-291 (doi:10.9767/bcrec.11.3.568.284-291 Permalink/DOI: http://doi.org/10.9767/bcrec.11.3.568.284-291

  7. Evolution of Spin fluctuations in CaFe2As2 with Co-doping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sapkota, A.; Das, P.; Böhmer, A. E.; Abernathy, D. L.; Canfield, P. C.; Kreyssig, A.; McQueeney, R. J.; Goldman, A. I.

    Spin fluctuations are an essential ingredient for superconductivity in Fe-based supercondcutors. In Co-doped BaFe2As2, the system goes from the antiferromagnetic (AFM) state to the superconducting (SC) state with Co doping, and the spin fluctuations also evolve from well-defined spin waves with spin gap in the AFM regime to gapless overdamped or diffused fluctuations in the SC regime. CaFe2As2 has a stronger magneto-elastic coupling than BaFe2As2 and no co-existence of SC and AFM region as observed in BaFe2As2 with Co doping. Here, we will discuss the evolution of spin fluctuations in CaFe2As2 with Co doping. Work at the Ames Laboratory was supported by US DOE, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Material Sciences and Engineering, under contract No. DE-AC02-07CH11358. This research used resources of SNS, a DOE office of science user facility operated by ORNL.

  8. Luminescent properties and energy transfer of Gd{sup 3+}/Eu{sup 3+} co-doped cubic CaCO{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Yidi; Zou, Haifeng; Zhang, Bowen; Zhou, Xiuqing; Song, Yanhua; Zheng, Keyan [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Shi, Zhan [State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Sheng, Ye, E-mail: shengye@jlu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China)

    2016-10-15

    Gd{sup 3+} and Eu{sup 3+} ions co-doped CaCO{sub 3} nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized via carbonization method. The emission spectra of co-doped CaCO{sub 3} phosphors in the range of VUV–vis spectral were studied. The results reveal that the co-doped CaCO{sub 3} phosphors show intense red emission in the VUV range because of the Gd{sup 3+} ions as sensitizers. The energy transfer process from Gd{sup 3+} to Eu{sup 3+} in CaCO{sub 3}:Gd{sup 3+}/Eu{sup 3+} phosphors was investigated and discussed in terms of the luminescence spectra and the decay curves, which demonstrated that the energy transfer of Gd{sup 3+}→Eu{sup 3+} is efficient. The mechanism of energy transfer from Gd{sup 3+} to Eu{sup 3+} is a resonant transfer, in which electric dipole–dipole interaction plays a leading role. Furthermore, the effect of doping concentration of Eu{sup 3+} ions on the energy transfer efficiency was also investigated. From the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, it was also found that the incorporation of Na{sup +} ions into CaCO{sub 3}:Gd{sup 3+}/Eu{sup 3+} could lead to a remarkable increase of luminescent intensity due to the charge compensation.

  9. Osteogenesis and angiogenesis properties of dental pulp cell on novel injectable tricalcium phosphate cement by silica doped

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Ying-Fang [Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Department of Stomatology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Lin, Chi-Chang, E-mail: chichang31@gmail.com [Department of Anatomy, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan (China); Huang, Tsui-Hsien; Chou, Ming-Yung [Department of Stomatology, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan (China); School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Yang, Jaw-Ji, E-mail: jjyang@csmu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Shie, Ming-You, E-mail: eviltacasi@gmail.com [Department of Anatomy, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan (China)

    2014-09-01

    β-Tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is an osteoconductive material in clinical. In this study, we have doped silica (Si) into β-TCP and enhanced its bioactive and osteostimulative properties. To check its effectiveness, a series of Si-doped with different ratios were prepared to make new bioactive and biodegradable biocomposites for bone repair. Formation of the diametral tensile strength, ions released and weight loss of cements was considered after immersion. In addition, we also examined the behavior of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) cultured on Si-doped β-TCP cements. The results showed that setting time and injectability of the Si-doped β-TCP cements were decreased as the Si content was increased. At the end of the immersion point, weight losses of 30.1%, 36.9%, 48.1%, and 55.3% were observed for the cement doping 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% Si into β-TCP cements, respectively. In vitro cell experiments show that the Si-rich cements promote human dental pulp cell (hDPC) proliferation and differentiation. However, when the Si-doped in the cement is more than 20%, the amount of cells and osteogenesis protein of hDPCs was stimulated by Si released from Si-doped β-TCP cements. The degradation of β-TCP and osteogenesis of Si gives a strong reason to believe that these Si-doped β-TCP cements may prove to be promising bone repair materials. - Highlights: • The higher the Si in the cement, the shorter the setting time and the higher the DTS. • Si20-doped in TCP improved cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. • The Si ion stimulated collagen secreted from cells. • The Si released from substrate can promote osteogenic and angiogenic.

  10. New insights into the toxicity of mineral fibres: A combined in situ synchrotron μ-XRD and HR-TEM study of chrysotile, crocidolite, and erionite fibres found in the tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gualtieri, Alessandro F; Bursi Gandolfi, Nicola; Pollastri, Simone; Burghammer, Manfred; Tibaldi, Eva; Belpoggi, Fiorella; Pollok, Kilian; Langenhorst, Falko; Vigliaturo, Ruggero; Dražić, Goran

    2017-05-15

    Along the line of the recent research topic aimed at understanding the in vivo activity of mineral fibres and their mechanisms of toxicity, this work describes the morpho-chemical characteristics of the mineral fibres found in the tissues of Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to intraperitoneal/intrapleural injection of UICC chrysotile, UICC crocidolite and erionite-Na from Nevada (USA). The fibres are studied with in situ synchrotron powder diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy to improve our understanding of the mechanisms of toxicity of these mineral fibres. In contact with the tissues of the rats, chrysotile fibres are prone to dissolve, with leaching of Mg and production of a silica rich relict. On the other hand, crocidolite and erionite-Na fibres are stable even for very long contact times within the tissues of the rats, showing just a thin dissolution amorphous halo. These findings support the model of a lower biopersistence of chrysotile with respect to crocidolite and erionite-Na but the formation of a silica-rich fibrous residue after the pseudo-amorphization of chrysotile may justify a higher cytotoxic potential and intense inflammatory activity of chrysotile in the short term in contact with the lung tissues. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Gamma irradiation up to 109 rads of all silica fibers, comparison with polymer clad silica fibers and solid sample between 0.4 and 2.5 micrometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boisde, G.; Bonnejean, C.; Perez, J.J.; Neumann, V.; Wurier, B.; Boucher, D.

    1983-05-01

    The effect of γ radiation (Co 60 ) on optical fibers is studied for investigations to remote measurement in irradiating environments. The spectral characteristics of PCS and AS silica fibers, PCS ''Wet'' and AS ''wet'' and ''superwet'' are compared. An automatic computerized system for measurement ''in situ'' is used between 0,4 AND 1,1 micron. Radiation-induced effects are examined at 840nm on PCS, AS with silicone, AS with epoxy (200 and 400/600μm) up to 5.10 8 rads. Samples of ''dry'', ''wet'', ''superwet'' and ''doped fluor'' silica are studied up to 1,3.10 9 rads between 0,3 and 2,5 μm. The photobleaching, the radiation hardening and the breakeage of PCS and AS-silicone after 10 7 rads are recognized. The spectral characteristics of a band at 610-630nm, a spectral deformation at 945nm for ''wet'' fibers and a peak of the radiation-induced attenuation are observed. The kinetic of the 630nm defect in silica fibers and silica samples is also investigated [fr

  12. Synthesis and properties of Co-doped titanate nanotubes and their optical sensitization with methylene blue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferreira, V.C.; Nunes, M.R.; Silvestre, A.J.; Monteiro, O.C.

    2013-01-01

    Here we report on a novel chemical route to synthesize homogenous cobalt-doped titanate nanotubes (CoTNT), using an amorphous Co-doped precursor. The influence of the synthesis temperature, autoclave dwell time and metal doping on the structural and microstructural as well as on the optical properties of the synthesized titanate nanotubes is studied and discussed. The optical band gaps of the CoTNT samples are red shifted in comparison with the values determined for the undoped samples, such red shifts bringing the absorption edge of the CoTNT samples into the visible region. CoTNT materials also demonstrate particular high adsorption ability for methylene blue, the amount of the adsorbed dye being higher than the one predictable for a monolayer formation. This suggests the possibility of intercalation of the dye molecule between the TiO 6 layers of the TNT structure. It is also shown that the methylene blue sensitized Co-doped nanostructures are highly stable under UV radiation and present a strong and broad absorption in the visible region. - Highlights: • New hydrothermal chemical route to synthesize cobalt-doped titanate nanotubes. • The Co-doping stabilizes the TNTs morphology in a temperature range of 160–200 °C. • Optical band gaps of CoTNTs are red shifted compared to the TNT samples. • Methylene blue sensitized CoTNTs are highly stable under UV–vis irradiation

  13. Synthesis and properties of Co-doped titanate nanotubes and their optical sensitization with methylene blue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferreira, V.C. [University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and CQB, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Nunes, M.R. [University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and CCMM, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal); Silvestre, A.J. [Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa, Department of Physics and ICEMS, R. Conselheiro Emídio Navarro 1, 1959-007 Lisboa (Portugal); Monteiro, O.C., E-mail: ocmonteiro@fc.ul.pt [University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and CQB, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal)

    2013-10-01

    Here we report on a novel chemical route to synthesize homogenous cobalt-doped titanate nanotubes (CoTNT), using an amorphous Co-doped precursor. The influence of the synthesis temperature, autoclave dwell time and metal doping on the structural and microstructural as well as on the optical properties of the synthesized titanate nanotubes is studied and discussed. The optical band gaps of the CoTNT samples are red shifted in comparison with the values determined for the undoped samples, such red shifts bringing the absorption edge of the CoTNT samples into the visible region. CoTNT materials also demonstrate particular high adsorption ability for methylene blue, the amount of the adsorbed dye being higher than the one predictable for a monolayer formation. This suggests the possibility of intercalation of the dye molecule between the TiO{sub 6} layers of the TNT structure. It is also shown that the methylene blue sensitized Co-doped nanostructures are highly stable under UV radiation and present a strong and broad absorption in the visible region. - Highlights: • New hydrothermal chemical route to synthesize cobalt-doped titanate nanotubes. • The Co-doping stabilizes the TNTs morphology in a temperature range of 160–200 °C. • Optical band gaps of CoTNTs are red shifted compared to the TNT samples. • Methylene blue sensitized CoTNTs are highly stable under UV–vis irradiation.

  14. First Principles Study of Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Co-Doped Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biao Li

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Using the first principles calculations, we have studied the atomic and electronic structures of single Co atom incorporated with divacancy in armchair graphene nanoribbon (AGNR. Our calculated results show that the Co atom embedded in AGNR gives rise to significant impacts on the band structures and the FM spin configuration is the ground state. The presence of the Co doping could introduce magnetic properties. The calculated results revealed the arising of spin gapless semiconductor characteristics with doping near the edge in both ferromagnetic (FM and antiferromagnetic (AFM magnetic configurations, suggesting the robustness for potential application of spintronics. Moreover, the electronic structures of the Co-doped AGNRs are strongly dependent on the doping sites and the edge configurations.

  15. In-line formation of chemically cross-linked P84® co-polyimide hollow fibre membranes for H2/CO2 separation

    KAUST Repository

    Choi, Seung Hak; Jansen, Johannes C.; Tasselli, Franco; Barbieri, Giuseppe; Drioli, Enrico

    2010-01-01

    In this study, chemically cross-linked asymmetric P84® co-polyimide hollow fibre membranes with enhanced separation performance were fabricated, using a dry-wet spinning process with an innovative in-line cross-linking step. The chemical

  16. An Improved Metal-Packaged Strain Sensor Based on A Regenerated Fiber Bragg Grating in Hydrogen-Loaded Boron–Germanium Co-Doped Photosensitive Fiber for High-Temperature Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Tu

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Local strain measurements are considered as an effective method for structural health monitoring of high-temperature components, which require accurate, reliable and durable sensors. To develop strain sensors that can be used in higher temperature environments, an improved metal-packaged strain sensor based on a regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG fabricated in hydrogen (H2-loaded boron–germanium (B–Ge co-doped photosensitive fiber is developed using the process of combining magnetron sputtering and electroplating, addressing the limitation of mechanical strength degradation of silica optical fibers after annealing at a high temperature for regeneration. The regeneration characteristics of the RFBGs and the strain characteristics of the sensor are evaluated. Numerical simulation of the sensor is conducted using a three-dimensional finite element model. Anomalous decay behavior of two regeneration regimes is observed for the FBGs written in H2-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber. The strain sensor exhibits good linearity, stability and repeatability when exposed to constant high temperatures of up to 540 °C. A satisfactory agreement is obtained between the experimental and numerical results in strain sensitivity. The results demonstrate that the improved metal-packaged strain sensors based on RFBGs in H2-loaded B–Ge co-doped fiber provide great potential for high-temperature applications by addressing the issues of mechanical integrity and packaging.

  17. Enhanced magnetic and dielectric behavior in Co doped BiFeO{sub 3} nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chakrabarti, Kaushik; Sarkar, Babusona; Ashok, Vishal Dev [Department of Materials Science, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032 (India); Chaudhuri, Sheli Sinha [Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032 (India); De, S.K., E-mail: msskd@iacs.res.in [Department of Materials Science, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700032 (India)

    2015-05-01

    Magnetic and dielectric properties of Co doped BiFeO{sub 3} (BFO) nanoparticles (13 nm) have been investigated. The dopant Co{sup 2+} converts spherical morphology to cubic nanostructures. The significant changes in temperature dependence of magnetization may be due to magnetic disorder phase induced by divalent Co. The substitution of Fe by Co disrupts cycloidal spin structure of BFO and improves the ferromagnetic property. Enhancement of the saturation magnetization and coercivity by about 10 times in doped BFO are due to changes in morphology. High dielectric constant of about 670 and low loss at room temperature show Co doped BFO as promising material for multifunctional devices.

  18. The effect of Bi3+ and Li+ co-doping on the luminescence characteristics of Eu3+-doped aluminum oxide films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Padilla-Rosales, I.; Martinez-Martinez, R.; Cabañas, G.; Falcony, C.

    2015-01-01

    The incorporation of Bi 3+ and Li + as co-dopants in Eu 3+ -doped aluminum oxide films deposited by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis technique and its effect on the luminescence characteristics of this material are described. Both Bi 3+ and Li + do not introduce new luminescence features but affect the luminescence intensity of the Eu 3+ related emission spectra as well as the excitation spectra. The introduction of Bi 3+ generates localized states in the aluminum oxide host that result in a quenching of the luminescence intensity, while Li + and Bi 3+ co-doping increase the luminescence intensity of these films. - Highlights: • Li and Bi co-doping increase the luminescence. • Bi creates localized states in the Al 2 O 3 host. • Li was incorporated as a co-activator

  19. Structural and optical properties of Co-doped ZnO nanocrystallites prepared by a one-step solution route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Ping; Wang Sha; Li Jibiao; Wei Yu

    2012-01-01

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystallites with different Co-doping levels were successfully synthesized by a simple one-step solution route at low temperature (95 deg. C) in this study. The structure and morphology of the samples thus obtained were characterized by XRD, EDS, XPS and FESEM. Results show that cobalt ions, in the oxidation state of Co 2+ , replace Zn 2+ ions in the ZnO lattice without changing its wurtzite structure. The dopant content varies from 0.59% to 5.39%, based on Co-doping levels. The pure ZnO particles exhibit well-defined 3D flower-like morphology with an average size of 550 nm, while the particles obtained after Co-doping are mostly cauliflower-like nanoclusters with an average size of 120 nm. Both the flower-like pure ZnO and the cauliflower-like Co:ZnO nanoclusters are composed of densely arrayed nanorods. The optical properties of the ZnO nanocrystallites following Co-doping were also investigated by UV-Visible absorption and Photoluminescence spectra. Our results indicate that Co-doping can change the energy-band structure and effectively adjust the luminescence properties of ZnO nanocrystallites. - Highlights: → Co-doped ZnO nanocrystallites were synthesized via a simple one-step solution route. → Co 2+ ions incorporated into the ZnO lattice without changing its wurtzite structure. → Co-doping changed the energy band structure of ZnO. → Co-doping effectively adjusted the luminescence properties of ZnO nanocrystallites.

  20. Structural and optical properties of Co-doped ZnO nanocrystallites prepared by a one-step solution route

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Ping, E-mail: lipingchina@yahoo.com.cn [Provincial Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hebei Normal University, 113 Yuhua Road, Shijiazhuang 050016, Hebei (China); Wang Sha; Li Jibiao; Wei Yu [Provincial Key Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hebei Normal University, 113 Yuhua Road, Shijiazhuang 050016, Hebei (China)

    2012-01-15

    Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystallites with different Co-doping levels were successfully synthesized by a simple one-step solution route at low temperature (95 deg. C) in this study. The structure and morphology of the samples thus obtained were characterized by XRD, EDS, XPS and FESEM. Results show that cobalt ions, in the oxidation state of Co{sup 2+}, replace Zn{sup 2+} ions in the ZnO lattice without changing its wurtzite structure. The dopant content varies from 0.59% to 5.39%, based on Co-doping levels. The pure ZnO particles exhibit well-defined 3D flower-like morphology with an average size of 550 nm, while the particles obtained after Co-doping are mostly cauliflower-like nanoclusters with an average size of 120 nm. Both the flower-like pure ZnO and the cauliflower-like Co:ZnO nanoclusters are composed of densely arrayed nanorods. The optical properties of the ZnO nanocrystallites following Co-doping were also investigated by UV-Visible absorption and Photoluminescence spectra. Our results indicate that Co-doping can change the energy-band structure and effectively adjust the luminescence properties of ZnO nanocrystallites. - Highlights: > Co-doped ZnO nanocrystallites were synthesized via a simple one-step solution route. > Co{sup 2+} ions incorporated into the ZnO lattice without changing its wurtzite structure. > Co-doping changed the energy band structure of ZnO. > Co-doping effectively adjusted the luminescence properties of ZnO nanocrystallites.

  1. Improved visible-light photocatalytic activity of TiO2 co-doped with copper and iodine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorraj, Masoumeh; Goh, Boon Tong; Sairi, Nor Asrina; Woi, Pei Meng; Basirun, Wan Jefrey

    2018-05-01

    Cu-I-co-doped TiO2 photocatalysts active to visible light absorption were prepared by hydrothermal method and calcined at various temperatures (350 °C, 450 °C, and 550 °C). The co-doped powders at 350 °C displayed the highest experimental Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area and lowest photoluminescence intensity, which demonstrated that a decrease in electron-hole recombination process. The synthesis of co-doped TiO2 was performed at this optimized temperature. In the co-doped sample, the Cu2+ doped TiO2 lattice created a major "red-shift" in the absorption edge due to the presence of the 3d Cu states, whereas the amount of red-shift from the I5+ doping in the TiO2 lattice was minor. Interestingly, the presence of Cu2+ species also boosted the reduction of I5+ ions to the lower multi-valance state I- in the TiO2 lattice by trapping the photogenerated electrons, which resulted in effective separation of the photogenerated charges. The Cu-I-co-doped TiO2 was able to degrade methyl orange dye under visible-light irradiation with improved photocatalytic activity compared with the single metal-doped TiO2 and pure TiO2 because of the strong visible light absorption and effective separation of photogenerated charges caused by the synergistic effects of Cu and I co-dopants.

  2. Soft-to-hard templating to well-dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres via one-pot carbon/silica source copolymerization

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qinglu Kong; Lingxia Zhang; Min Wang; Mengli Li; Heliang Yao; Jianlin Shi

    2016-01-01

    Here we report a new approach referred as "softto-hard templating" strategy via the copolymerization of carbon source (dopamine) and silica source (tetraethyl orthosilicate) for the synthesis of well dispersed N-doped mesoporous carbon nanospheres (MCNs),which exhibit high performance for electrochemical supercapacitor.This method overcomes the shortcoming of uncontrolled dispersity and complicated procedures of soft-or hard-tem-plating methods,respectively.Moreover,the synthesized MCNs feature enriched heteroatom N-doping and easy functionalization by noble-metal nanoparticles during the one-pot synthesis.All the above characters make the asprepared MCNs a promising platform in a variety of applications.To demonstrate the applicability of the synthesized nitrogen-doped MCNs,this material has been employed as an electrode for high-performance electrochemical supercapacitor,which shows a capacitance of 223 and 140 F/g at current densities of 0.5 and 10 A/g in 1 mol/L KOH electrolyte,respectively.

  3. Structural and chemical analysis of silica-doped β-TCP ceramic coatings on surgical grade 316L SS for possible biomedical application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karuppasamy Prem Ananth

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available We have developed a novel approach to introduce silica-doped β-tricalcium phosphate (Si-β-TCP on 316L SS substrates for enhanced biological properties. Doping of β-TCP with silica loadings ranging from 0 to 8 mol% was carried out using chemical precipitation method. Si-β-TCP powder was sintered at 800 °C followed by coating it on 316L SS substrate using electrophoretic deposition. The coated and uncoated samples were investigated by various characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM and X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF. Biomineralization ability of the coatings was evaluated by immersing in simulated body fluid (SBF solution for different number of days such as 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The results obtained in our study have shown that the apatite formation ability was high for the 8 mol% of Si-β-TCP. This will promote better biomineralization ability compared to the other coatings.

  4. Low-temperature CO oxidation over Cu/Pt co-doped ZrO2 nanoparticles synthesized by solution combustion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singhania, Amit; Gupta, Shipra Mital

    2017-01-01

    Zirconia (ZrO 2 ) nanoparticles co-doped with Cu and Pt were applied as catalysts for carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation. These materials were prepared through solution combustion in order to obtain highly active and stable catalytic nanomaterials. This method allows Pt 2+ and Cu 2+ ions to dissolve into the ZrO 2 lattice and thus creates oxygen vacancies due to lattice distortion and charge imbalance. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) results showed Cu/Pt co-doped ZrO 2 nanoparticles with a size of ca. 10 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra confirmed cubic structure and larger oxygen vacancies. The nanoparticles showed excellent activity for CO oxidation. The temperature T 50 (the temperature at which 50% of CO are converted) was lowered by 175 °C in comparison to bare ZrO 2 . Further, they exhibited very high stability for CO reaction (time-on-stream ≈ 70 h). This is due to combined effect of smaller particle size, large oxygen vacancies, high specific surface area and better thermal stability of the Cu/Pt co-doped ZrO 2 nanoparticles. The apparent activation energy for CO oxidation is found to be 45.6 kJ·mol -1 . The CO conversion decreases with increase in gas hourly space velocity (GHSV) and initial CO concentration.

  5. Aminopropyl-functionalised silica CO{sub 2} adsorbents via sonochemical methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gregory P. Knowles; Alan L. Chaffee [Monash University, Vic. (Australia). CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies

    2007-07-01

    Amine functionalized silicas are being investigated to provide high selectivity, high capacity sorbents for CO{sub 2} capture from flue gas. A series of aminopropyl-functionalised hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) products were prepared via sonication of mixtures of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTS) and HMS dispersed in toluene at 55{sup o}C. Sonication times and curing methods were varied. The HMS substrate was also separately functionalised via a more conventional stirred reactor for comparison. Sonication was expected to improve the dispersion of the substrate in the solvent and, also, the diffusion of the silane throughout the mesoporous substrate, thus providing products with higher tether loadings and correspondingly higher CO{sub 2} sorption capacities. The CO{sub 2} adsorption/desorption properties of the products were determined together with structural properties as measured by x-ray diffraction, N{sub 2} adsorption/desorption (77K), helium pycnometry and elemental analysis. The tether loadings of the sonication products (up to 1.8 tethers.nm{sup -2}) were found to increase with sonication time and in each case were greater than the corresponding product prepared by the conventional approach. It was also found that the crude product cured just as effectively under N{sub 2} flow as it did under vacuum, that rinsing the crude product prior to curing was not essential and that the concentration of the reagent mixture did influence the extent of functionalisation. As expected, sonication products with higher tether loadings were also found to have higher CO{sub 2} sorption capacities and higher Hads(CO{sub 2}).

  6. Investigating the sensitivity of PMMA optical fibres for use as an evanescent field absorption sensor in aqueous solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lye, P G; Boerkamp, M; Ernest, A; Lamb, D W

    2005-01-01

    Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) optical fibres are low-cost polymer fibres that are generally more physically robust than silica fibres, are more flexible, yet like silica fibres have the potential to be used for practical evanescent field absorption sensors in aqueous solutions. However, evanescent field absorption in aqueous solutions is influenced by more than just the specific absorptivity of the solution in question. The physical configuration of the optical fibre itself, as well as surface charge interactions between the fibre and the chromophore in the solution also significantly affects the sensitivity of the fibre to evanescent field absorption. This paper reports on an investigation of numerous physical phenomena that influence evanescent field absorption for PMMA fibres using an aqueous solution of the dye Amidoblack. Parameters investigated included fibre coiling configuration and bend radius, fibre interaction length, and effect of solution pH. Coiled fibres were found to be more sensitive to evanescent field absorption than straight (uncoiled) lengths, and sensitivity was found to increase with a further reduction in bend radius. At high solution pH, the absorption versus solution concentration proved to be linear whereas at low pH the absorption versus concentration relationship exhibited a clear deviation from linearity. The observed nonlinearity at low pH points to the importance of accounting for electrostatic interactions between chromophore and fibre surface when designing a PMMA sensor for evanescent field absorption measurements in aqueous solutions

  7. Local fields in Co and Mn Co-doped ZnO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sato, W., E-mail: wsato@se.kanazawa-u.ac.jp [Kanazawa University, Institute of Science and Engineering (Japan); Kano, Y.; Suzuki, T.; Nakagawa, M. [Kanazawa University, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology (Japan); Kobayashi, Y. [The University of Electro-Communications, Department of Engineering Science (Japan)

    2016-12-15

    The magnetic properties of ZnO co-doped with 5 at. % Co and 5 at. % Mn(Zn{sub 0.90}Co{sub 0.05}Mn{sub 0.05}O) synthesized by a solid-state reaction were investigated by means of {sup 57}Co emission Mössbauer spectroscopy. The majority of the probe ions (80 %) residing in defect-free substitutional Zn sites take the oxidation state of {sup 57}Fe {sup 2+}, and the others presumably form local defects taking the state of {sup 57}Fe {sup 3+} at room temperature. Both components show doublets, and RT ferromagnetism was thus absent in the sample. For the measurement at 10 K, spectral broadening was observed, implying a possible presence of a weak magnetic component.

  8. Radiation hardening of sol gel-derived silica fiber preforms through fictive temperature reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hari Babu, B; Lancry, Matthieu; Ollier, Nadege; El Hamzaoui, Hicham; Bouazaoui, Mohamed; Poumellec, Bertrand

    2016-09-20

    The impact of fictive temperature (Tf) on the evolution of point defects and optical attenuation in non-doped and Er3+-doped sol-gel silica glasses was studied and compared to Suprasil F300 and Infrasil 301 glasses before and after γ-irradiation. To this aim, sol-gel optical fiber preforms have been fabricated by the densification of erbium salt-soaked nanoporous silica xerogels through the polymeric sol-gel technique. These γ-irradiated fiber preforms have been characterized by FTIR, UV-vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and photoluminescence measurements. We showed that a decrease in the glass fictive temperature leads to a decrease in the glass disorder and strained bonds. This mainly results in a lower defect generation rate and thus less radiation-induced attenuation in the UV-vis range. Furthermore, it was found that γ-radiation "hardness" is higher in Er3+-doped sol-gel silica compared to un-doped sol-gel silica and standard synthetic silica glasses. The present work demonstrates an effective strategy to improve the radiation resistance of optical fiber preforms and glasses through glass fictive temperature reduction.

  9. Performance Study of CdS/Co-Doped-CdSe Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoping Zou

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to optimize the charge transfer path in quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs, we employed successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method to dope CdSe with Co for fabricating CdS/Co-doped-CdSe QDSCs constructed with CdS/Co-doped-CdSe deposited on mesoscopic TiO2 film as photoanode, Pt counter electrode, and sulfide/polysulfide electrolyte. After Co doping, the bandgap of CdSe quantum dot decreases, and the conduction band and valence band all improve, forming a cascade energy level which is more conducive to charge transport inside the solar cell and reducing the recombination of electron-hole thus improving the photocurrent and ultimately improving the power conversion efficiency. This work has not been found in the literature.

  10. Efficient diode pumped ytterbium-doped fibre laser

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Harun, S.W.; Paul, M.C.; Moghaddam, M.R.A.; Das, S.; Sen, R.; Dhar, Anirban; Pal, M.; Bhadra, S.K.; Ahmad, H.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 46, č. 1 (2010), s. 68-69 ISSN 0013-5194 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512 Keywords : Fibre lasers * Oscillator * Diode-pumped Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.001, year: 2010

  11. Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of Mn and Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Stella

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Mn and Fe-doped Co3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by a simple precipitation method. The synthesized particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM, transmission electron microscope (TEM, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM techniques. XRD analysis showed the cubic structure of Co3O4. SEM and TEM images confirmed the formation of interconnected nanoparticles. Mn and Fe-doped Co3O4 showed broad absorption in the visible region compared to undoped sample and the band gap values are red shifted. Five Raman active modes were observed from the Raman spectra. FTIR spectra confirmed the spinel structure of Co3O4 and the doping of Mn and Fe shifts the vibrational modes to lower wave number region. The magnetic measurements confirmed that Fe-doped Co3O4 shows a little ferromagnetic behavior compared to undoped and Mn-doped Co3O4, which could be related to the uncompensated surface spins and the finite size effects.

  12. Multimode laser emission from dye-doped hollow polymer optical fibre

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-09

    Feb 9, 2014 ... Fibre lasers; optical microcavities; whispering gallery modes. ... A blueshift in the mode structure was observed with decrease in fibre diameter leading to wide range tunability of the laser emission. ... International School of Photonics, Cochin University of Science & Technology, Cochin 682 022, India ...

  13. Structure and photoluminescence of boron and nitrogen co-doped carbon nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, B.B. [College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, 69 Hongguang Rd, Lijiatuo, Banan District, Chongqing 400054 (China); Gao, B. [College of Computer Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044 (China); Chongqing Municipal Education Examinations Authority, Chongqing 401147 (China); Zhong, X.X., E-mail: xxzhong@sjtu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shao, R.W.; Zheng, K. [Institute of Microstructure and Properties of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China)

    2016-07-15

    Graphical abstract: Boron- and nitrogen- doped carbon nanorods. - Highlights: • The co-doping of nitrogen and boron in carbon nanorods. • The doping mechanism of nitrogen and boron in carbon nanorods by plasma. • Photoluminescence properties of nitrogen- and boron-doped carbon nanorods. - Abstract: Boron and nitrogen doped carbon nanorods (BNCNRs) were synthesized by plasma-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition, where methane, nitrogen and hydrogen were used as the reaction gases and boron carbide was the boron source. The results of scanning electron microscopy, micro-Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicate that boron and nitrogen can be used as co-dopants in amorphous carbon nanorods. Combined with the characterization results, the doping mechanism was studied. The mechanism is used to explain the formation of different carbon materials by different methods. The photoluminescence (PL) properties of BNCNRs were studied. The PL results show that the BNCNRs generate strong green PL bands and weak blue PL bands, and the PL intensity lowered due to the doping of boron. The outcomes advance our knowledge on the synthesis and optical properties of carbon-based nanomaterials and contribute to the development of optoelectronic nanodevices based on nano-carbon mateirals.

  14. Effect of co-doped SnO{sub 2} nanoparticles on photoluminescence of cu-doped potassium lithium borate glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Namma, Haydar Aboud; Wagiran, H.; Hussin, R.; Ariwahjoedi, B. [Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Malaysia and Baghdad College of Economic Sciences University (Iraq); Fundamental and Applied Sciences Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, 31750 Tronoh (Malaysia)

    2012-09-26

    The SnO{sub 2} co-doped lithium potassium borate glasses doped with 0.05, 0.10, 0.25 and 0.50 mol% of Cu were synthesized by the melt quenching technique. The SnO{sub 2} co-dope was added to the compounds in the amounts of 0.05, 0.10, and 0.20 mol%. The photoluminescent spectrum for different concentrations of copper was studied. It was observed that the intensity of blue emission (450, 490 nm) varies with concentration mol%. In addition, with different concentration of SnO{sub 2} to 0.10 mol% Cu, the influence of the luminescence has been observed to enhance intensity and shifted to blue and red (490, 535 nm) emissions.

  15. Paramagnetic behavior of Co doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals controlled by self-purification mechanism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anitha, B. [Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581 (India); Khadar, M. Abdul, E-mail: mabdulkhadar@rediffmail.com [Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581 (India); Banerjee, Alok [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research (CSR), Khandwa Road, Indore 452 001 (India)

    2016-07-15

    Doping in nanocrystals is a challenging process because of the self- purification mechanism which tends to segregate out the dopants resulting in a greater dopant concentration near the surface than at the interior of nanocrystals. In the present work nanocrystals of TiO{sub 2} doped with different atom % of Co were synthesized by peroxide gel method. XRD analysis confirmed the tetragonal anatase structure and HRTEM images showed the rod-like morphology of the samples. Raman modes of anatase phase of TiO{sub 2} along with weak intensity peaks of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} for higher Co dopant concentrations were observed for the samples. EPR measurements revealed the presence of cobalt in +2 oxidation state in the TiO{sub 2} matrix. SQUID measurements indicated paramagnetic behavior of the Co doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals. The paramagnetic behavior is attributed to an increased concentration of Co{sup 2+} ions and an increased presence of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} phase near the surface of the TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals due to self-purification mechanism. - Graphical abstract: Variation of the intensity ratios of XRD peaks as a function of atomic ratio of Co. Inset: variation of structure factor for (101) reflection as a function of atomic ratio of Co. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Co doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals were synthesized by peroxide gel method. • HRTEM images showed Co doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals to be rod-like. • EPR spectra showed +2 oxidation states for Co in the samples. • Co doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals showed paramagnetic behavior.

  16. Photoluminescence properties of Co-doped ZnO nanocrystals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lommens, P.; Smet, P.F.; De Mello Donega, C.

    2006-01-01

    We performed photoluminescence experiments on colloidal, Co -doped ZnO nanocrystals in order to study the electronic properties of Co in a ZnO host. Room temperature measurements showed, next to the ZnO exciton and trap emission, an additional emission related to the Co dopant. The spectral...... position and width of this emission does not depend on particle size or Co concentration. At 8 K, a series of ZnO bulk phonon replicas appear on the Co-emission band. We conclude that Co ions are strongly localized in the ZnO host, making the formation of a Co d-band unlikely. Magnetic measurements...

  17. Thermally and optically stimulated radiative processes in Eu and Y co-doped LiCaAlF6 crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukuda, Kentaro; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka

    2015-01-01

    Yttrium co-doping was attempted to enhance dosimeter performance of Eu doped LiCaAlF 6 crystal. Eu doped and Eu, Y co-doped LiCaAlF 6 were prepared by the micro-pulling-down technique, and their dosimeter characteristics such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) were investigated. By yttrium co-doping, emission intensities of OSL and TSL were enhanced by some orders of magnitude. In contrast, scintillation characteristics of yttrium co-doped crystal such as intensity of prompt luminescence induced by X-ray and light yield under neutron irradiation were degraded

  18. Air-structured optical fibre drawn from a 3D-printed preform

    OpenAIRE

    Cook, Kevin; Canning, John; Leon-Saval, Sergio; Reid, Zane; Hossain, Md Arafat; Comatti, Jade-Edouard; Luo, Yanhua; Peng, Gang-Ding

    2016-01-01

    A structured optical fibre is drawn from a 3D-printed structured preform. Preforms containing a single ring of holes around the core are fabricated using filament made from a modified butadiene polymer. More broadly, 3D printers capable of processing soft glasses, silica and other materials are likely to come on line in the not-so distant future. 3D printing of optical preforms signals a new milestone in optical fibre manufacture.

  19. NIR-fluorescent dye doped silica nanoparticles for in vivo imaging, sensing and theranostic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rampazzo, Enrico; Genovese, Damiano; Palomba, Francesco; Prodi, Luca; Zaccheroni, Nelsi

    2018-04-01

    The development of nanostructures devoted to in vivo imaging and theranostic applications is one of the frontier fields of research worldwide. In this context, silica nanoparticles (SiO2-NPs) offer unquestionable positive properties: silica is intrinsically non-toxic, several versatile and accessible synthetic methods are available and many variations are possible, both in terms of porosity and functionalization for delivery and targeting purposes, respectively. Moreover, the accumulation of several dyes within a single nanostructure offers remarkable possibilities to produce very bright and photostable luminescent nanosystems. Advancements in imaging technology, bioassay, fluorescent molecular probes have boosted the efforts to develop dye doped fluorescent SiO2-NPs, but despite this, only a quite limited set of systems are applicable in vivo. Herein we discuss selected examples that appeared in the literature between 2013-17, with imaging capabilities in vivo and characterized by a significant near infrared (NIR) fluorescence emission. We present here very promising strategies to develop SiO2-NPs for diagnostic and therapeutic applications—some of which are already in clinical trials—and the possibility to develop bio-erodable SiO2-NPs. We are convinced that all these findings will be the basis for the spread of SiO2-NPs into clinical use in the near future.

  20. Complete doping in solid-state by silica-supported perchloric acid as dopant solid acid: Synthesis and characterization of the novel chiral composite of poly [(±)-2-(sec-butyl) aniline

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farrokhzadeh, Abdolkarim; Modarresi-Alam, Ali Reza, E-mail: modaresi@chem.usb.ac.ir

    2016-05-15

    Poly [(±)-2-(sec-butyl) aniline]/silica-supported perchloric acid composites were synthesized by combination of poly[(±)-2-sec-butylaniline] base (PSBA) and the silica-supported perchloric acid (SSPA) as dopant solid acid in solid-state. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and CHNS results confirm nigraniline oxidation state and complete doping for composites (about 75%) and non-complete for the PSBA·HCl salt (about 49%). The conductivity of samples was (≈0.07 S/cm) in agreement with the percent of doping obtained of the XPS analysis. Also, contact resistance was determined by circular-TLM measurement. The morphology of samples by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their coating were investigated by XPS, SEM-map and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The key benefits of this work are the preparation of conductive chiral composite with the delocalized polaron structure under green chemistry and solid-state condition, the improvement of the processability by inclusion of the 2-sec-butyl group and the use of dopant solid acid (SSPA) as dopant. - Highlights: • The solid-state synthesis of the novel chiral composites of poly[(±)-2-(sec-butyl)aniline] (PSBA) and silica-supported perchloric acid (SSPA). • It takes 120 h for complete deprotonation of PSBA.HCl salt. • Use of SSPA as dopant solid acid for the first time to attain the complete doping of PSBA. • The coating of silica surface with PSBA.

  1. Preparation and photocatalytic activity of B, Y co-doped nanosized TiO_2 catalyst

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    石中亮; 刘富梅; 姚淑华

    2010-01-01

    The catalysts of un-doped, single-doped and co-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) powders were prepared by sol-gel method with Ti(OC4H9)4 as a raw material. The photocatalytic decomposition of phenol in aqueous solution under UV light was used as a probe reaction to evaluate their photocatalytic activities. The effects of B, Y co-doping on the crystallite sizes, crystal pattern, surface composition, and optical property of the catalyst were investigated by thermogravimetric differential thermal analysis, X-ray d...

  2. Reflective variable optical attenuators and fibre ring lasers for wavelength-division multiplexing systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, He Liang

    Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical fibre system is an important enabling technology to fulfill the demands for bandwidth in the modern information age. The main objective of this project is to study novel devices with the potential to enhance the performance of WDM systems. In particular, a novel reflective variable optical attenuator (RVOA) used for dynamic gain equalization (DGE) and fibre lasers based on an entirely new type of erbium-doped fibres with ultrawide tuning range were investigated theoretically and experimentally. We proposed a new type of RVOA device which could be potentially integrated with arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) to reduce the cost of DGE substantially. Initially, fibre-based RVOAs, fabricated with optical fibre components such as fibre coupler and Faraday rotator mirror, were investigated theoretically and experimentally. Larger attenuation range up to 22 dB was realized for fibre coupler-based ROVA with a Faraday rotator mirror and its polarization-dependent loss is about 0.5 dB. Then polymeric waveguide-based RVOAs were investigated theoretically and experimentally. Using an epoxy Novolak resin as core material and an UV-cured resin (Norland's NOA61) as cladding material, a polymeric waveguide RVOA was successfully fabricated. The dynamic 15 dB attenuation range was achieved and the PDL was less than 0.2 dB. The measured insertion loss of the polymeric waveguide RVOA was too large (about 18 dB) and was mainly induced by coupling loss, material loss and poor alignment. In the second part of the study, fibre ring lasers with continuous wavelength tuning over wide wavelength range and fibre ring lasers with discrete wavelength tuning were investigated. Tunable lasers are important devices in WDM systems because they could be employed as reserved sources and therefore avoiding the need to stock large inventory of lasers to cover the ITU-wavelength grid. In this project, erbium ions doped bismuth oxide glass fibres instead of

  3. Structural, optical, and magnetic properties of polycrystalline Co-doped TiO{sub 2} synthesized by solid-state method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouaine, Abdelhamid, E-mail: abdelhamidfethi@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire d' Etude des Materiaux (LEM), Departement de Physique, Faculte des Sciences Exactes et des Sciences de la Nature et de la vie, Universite de Jijel, cite Oued-Aissa, B.P 98, Jijel 18000 (Algeria); Institut de Physique et Chimie des Materiaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS - UdS, 23 rue du Loess, B.P. 43, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France); Schmerber, G.; Ihiawakrim, D.; Derory, A. [Institut de Physique et Chimie des Materiaux de Strasbourg (IPCMS), UMR 7504 CNRS - UdS, 23 rue du Loess, B.P. 43, 67034 Strasbourg Cedex 2 (France)

    2012-11-01

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Influence of Co doping on the TiO{sub 2} tetragonal structure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Decrease of the energy band gap after doping with Co atoms. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Appearance of ferromagnetism in Co-doped TiO{sub 2} diluted magnetic semiconductors. - Abstract: We have used a solid-state method to synthesize polycrystalline Co-doped TiO{sub 2} diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMSs) with Co concentrations of 0, and 0.5 at.%. X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that Co doped TiO{sub 2} crystallizes in the rutile tetragonal structure with no additional peaks. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) did not indicate the presence of magnetic parasitic phases and confirmed that Co ions are uniformly distributed inside the samples. Optical absorbance measurements showed an energy band gap which decreases after doping with the Co atoms into the TiO{sub 2} matrix. Magnetization measurements revealed a paramagnetic behavior for the as-prepared Co-doped TiO{sub 2} and a ferromagnetic behavior for the same samples after annealed under a mixture of H{sub 2}/N{sub 2} atmosphere.

  4. Investigation on the effect of Tb(dbm)3phen on the luminescent properties of Eu(dbm)3phen-containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moretti, E.; Bellotto, L.; Basile, M.; Malba, C.; Enrichi, F.; Benedetti, A.; Polizzi, S.

    2013-01-01

    Eu(dbm) 3 phen and Tb(dbm) 3 phen complexes (tris(dibenzoylmethane) mono(1,10-phenantroline) Ln(III)) were impregnated in ordered mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) with an average size of 50–70 nm and a pore diameter centred at 2.8 nm, with the aim of increasing the luminescence by avoiding concentration quenching and having mainly in mind the application as down-shifter for multi-crystalline solar cells. The morphological, structural, textural and luminescent properties of the synthesized samples were characterized by N 2 adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV–visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence measurements. It is demonstrated that inclusion in the MSNs allows one to use much higher loadings (23 wt%) of the Eu-complex than in other matrices, and that co-doping with Tb(dbm) 3 phen improves luminescence for samples with Eu(dbm) 3 phen content lower than about 10 wt%. Results are interpreted by using a simple sphere of action model adapted to the case of a pore-limited system. - Graphical abstract: Sensitization of the antenna effect (down-conversion of UV radiation to red light) by the presence of Tb(dbm) 3 phen in the cavities of mesoporous silica nanoparticles containing Eu(dbm) 3 phen. - Highlights: • Detailed study of Eu(dbm) 3 phen-doped mesoporous silica nanoparticles luminescence. • Inclusion of up to 23 wt% of Eu(dbm) 3 phen without concentration quenching. • Detailed study of the role of the Tb(dbm) 3 phen co-dopant. • Co-doping effective for Eu 3+ (dbm) 3 phen loadings lower than about 10 wt%

  5. A disposable biosensor based on immobilization of laccase with silica spheres on the MWCNTs-doped screen-printed electrode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Yuanting

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Biosensors have attracted increasing attention as reliable analytical instruments in in situ monitoring of public health and environmental pollution. For enzyme-based biosensors, the stabilization of enzymatic activity on the biological recognition element is of great importance. It is generally acknowledged that an effective immobilization technique is a key step to achieve the construction quality of biosensors. Results A novel disposable biosensor was constructed by immobilizing laccase (Lac with silica spheres on the surface of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-doped screen-printed electrode (SPE. Then, it was characterized in morphology and electrochemical properties by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and cyclic voltammetry (CV. The characterization results indicated that a high loading of Lac and a good electrocatalytic activity could be obtained, attributing to the porous structure, large specific area and good biocompatibility of silica spheres and MWCNTs. Furthermore, the electrochemical sensing properties of the constructed biosensor were investigated by choosing dopamine (DA as the typical model of phenolic compounds. It was shown that the biosensor displays a good linearity in the range from 1.3 to 85.5 μM with a detection limit of 0.42 μM (S/N = 3, and the Michaelis-Menten constant (Kmapp was calculated to be 3.78 μM. Conclusion The immobilization of Lac was successfully achieved with silica spheres to construct a disposable biosensor on the MWCNTs-doped SPE (MWCNTs/SPE. This biosensor could determine DA based on a non-oxidative mechanism in a rapid, selective and sensitive way. Besides, the developed biosensor could retain high enzymatic activity and possess good stability without cross-linking reagents. The proposed immobilization approach and the constructed biosensor offer a great potential for the fabrication of the enzyme-based biosensors and the analysis of phenolic compounds.

  6. Gas Separation through Bilayer Silica, the Thinnest Possible Silica Membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Bowen; Mandrà, Salvatore; Curry, John O; Shaikhutdinov, Shamil; Freund, Hans-Joachim; Schrier, Joshua

    2017-12-13

    Membrane-based gas separation processes can address key challenges in energy and environment, but for many applications the permeance and selectivity of bulk membranes is insufficient for economical use. Theory and experiment indicate that permeance and selectivity can be increased by using two-dimensional materials with subnanometer pores as membranes. Motivated by experiments showing selective permeation of H 2 /CO mixtures through amorphous silica bilayers, here we perform a theoretical study of gas separation through silica bilayers. Using density functional theory calculations, we obtain geometries of crystalline free-standing silica bilayers (comprised of six-membered rings), as well as the seven-, eight-, and nine-membered rings that are observed in glassy silica bilayers, which arise due to Stone-Wales defects and vacancies. We then compute the potential energy barriers for gas passage through these various pore types for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, H 2 , N 2 , CO, and CO 2 gases, and use the data to assess their capability for selective gas separation. Our calculations indicate that crystalline bilayer silica, which is less than a nanometer thick, can be a high-selectivity and high-permeance membrane material for 3 He/ 4 He, He/natural gas, and H 2 /CO separations.

  7. Sb/Mn co-doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses for potential applications in photosynthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Chaofeng [Key Laboratory of Processing and Testing Technology of Glass & Functional Ceramics of Shandong Province, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353 (China); Laboratoire des Verres et Céramiques, UMR-CNRS 6226, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes 35042 (France); Zhang, Xianghua, E-mail: xiang-hua.zhang@univ-rennes1.fr [Laboratoire des Verres et Céramiques, UMR-CNRS 6226, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes 35042 (France); Ma, Hongli [Laboratoire des Verres et Céramiques, UMR-CNRS 6226, Université de Rennes 1, Rennes 35042 (France)

    2016-03-15

    A series of Sb/Mn co-doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses were prepared via the melt-quenching method to explore red luminescent materials for potential applications in photosynthesis of green plants, and these glasses are investigated by means of luminescence decay curves, absorption, emission, and excitation spectra. We find that the as-prepared glasses are transparent in the visible region and can emit strong red light under ultraviolet, purple, and green light excitations. Furthermore, energy transfer from Sb{sup 3+} to Mn{sup 2+} ions occurs in Sb/Mn co-doped glasses. The results demonstrate that the as-prepared Sb/Mn co-doped oxyfluoride silicate glasses may serve as a potential candidate for developing glass greenhouse, which can enhance the utilization of solar energy for the photosynthesis of the green plants.

  8. Dependences on RE of superconducting properties of transition metal co-doped (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 with RE = La–Gd

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yakita, H.; Ogino, H.; Sala, A.; Okada, T.; Yamamoto, A.; Kishio, K.; Iyo, A.; Eisaki, H.; Shimoyama, J.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We synthesized Co or Ni co-doped (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 with RE = La–Gd. • Co or Ni co-doping improved superconducting properties of all (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 samples. • T_c of (Ca, RE)FeAs_2 decreased with decreasing ionic radii of RE"3"+. • Eu doped samples showed exceptionally low T_c and long interlayer distance. • Long interlayer distance of Eu doped samples suggested co-existence of Eu"2"+ and Eu"3"+. - Abstract: Dependence of superconducting properties of (Ca, RE)(Fe, TM)As_2 [(Ca, RE)112, TM: Co, Ni)] on RE elements (RE = La–Gd) was systematically investigated. Improvement of superconducting properties by Co or Ni co-doping was observed for all (Ca, RE)112, which is similar to Co-co-doped (Ca, La)112 or (Ca, Pr)112. T_c of Co-co-doped samples decreased from 38 K for RE = La to 29 K for RE = Gd with decreasing ionic radii of RE"3"+. However, Co-co-doped (Ca, Eu)112 showed exceptionally low T_c = 21 K probably due to the co-existence of Eu"3"+ and Eu"2"+ suggested by longer interlayer distance d_F_e_–_F_e of (Ca, Eu)112 than other (Ca, RE)112.

  9. Genetic analysis of fibre quality traits in upland cotton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, I.A.; Shakeel, A.; Azhar, F.M.

    2001-01-01

    Five-parent diallel cross data were analysed following Hayman-Jinks genetic model in order to study pattern of inheritance of staple length, fibre strength, fibre fineness and fibre uniformity of upland cotton. The regression analysis of the F/sub 1/ data revealed that the simple additive dominance model was adequate for genetic analysis. Graphic analysis showed the presence of over-dominance type of gene action in the inheritance e of all the traits. The comparison of array means indicated that varieties Co-2-1 and B-682 had good general combining ability for staple length and fibre strength respectively, whilst CIM-443 showed better general combining ability for fibre fineness and fibre uniformity than the other varieties. The cross combination of Co-2-1 and CIM-443 with B-682 expressed best specific combining ability for staple length and fibre uniformity respectively. Similarly variety B-682 nickel well with DPL 7740-424 for the fibre strength, and coker-307 with CO-2-1 for fibre fineness. The type of gene action controlling inheritance of these characters, and better performance of some of the hybrids suggest that improvement may be possible by developing on appropriate breeding programme. (author)

  10. Electro spinning of Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) Nano fibres Encapsulated with Ag Nanoparticles for Skin Wound Healing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Ch.; Wang, B.; Lu, T.; Xu, F.; Xu, F.; Wang, B.; Xu, F.

    2011-01-01

    Skin wound healing is an urgent problem in clinics and military activities. Although significant advances have been made in its treatment, there are several challenges associated with traditional methods, for example, limited donor skin tissue for transplantation and inflammation during long-term healing time. To address these challenges, in this study we present a method to fabricate Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVOH) nano fibres encapsulated with Ag nanoparticle using electro spinning technique. The fibres were fabricated with controlled diameters (59 nm 3μm) by regulating three main parameters, that is, EVOH solution concentration, the electric voltage, and the distance between the injection needle tip (high-voltage point) and the fibre collector. Ag was added to the nano fibres to offer long-term anti-inflammation effect by slow release of Ag nanoparticles through gradual degradation of EVOH nano fibre. The method developed here could lead to new dressing materials for treatment of skin wounds.

  11. Growth and characterization of fluoride monocrystalline fibres of the type LiY1-x RExF4 (RE=rare-earths)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Espirito Santo, Ana Maria do

    2005-01-01

    In this work we present the growth and characterization of LiF pure and rare-earth doped (Er and Nd) yttrium-lithium tetra-fluoride (LiYF 4 or YLF) by the micropulling- down technique (muPD). The use of this technique is original for the present purpose. A mu-PD prototype in the resistive mode was firstly built to understand the most important operational parameters. A commercial equipment was later installed and specifically modified to grow fluoride fibres. Regular and transparent single-crystalline fibres of LiF (diameter of 0.6 mm and length up to 150 mm) were obtained. LiF crystalline fibres as a potential laser media presented the same spectroscopic properties of bulk crystals. The influence of capillary and crucible shapes, growth atmosphere and start composition stoichiometry on the growth process of YLF fibers were also investigated. In general, the fluorides are very sensitive to moisture contamination. The growth atmosphere plays an important role on the stoichiometry deviation. Since this fluoride melts incongruently, any compositional changes influences the solidification behavior of the material. Additionally, a limited pulling rate is required to the YLF phase formation and to the compositional homogeneity along the fiber. Homogeneous and regular section YLF fibres, with diameters between 0.5 to 0.8 mm and up to 60 mm in length, were obtained in a suitable and reproducible growth process. Er-doped (with nominal concentration of 10 and 40 mol%) and Nd-doped (with nominal concentration of 1.7 mol%) fibres were also successfully grown. Er-doped fibres were crack-free and the dopant concentration was practically uniform along the YLF phase. However, Nd-doped fibres presented a short initial transient in its concentration. The Nd distribution coefficient was evaluated as 0.58 for the YLF fibre. This value is greater than those estimated for YLF bulk crystals grown by normal freezing processes. The optical properties of the YLF:Nd fibres were similar to

  12. N2O + CO reaction over Si- and Se-doped graphenes: An ab initio DFT study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gholizadeh, Reza; Yu, Yang-Xin

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Si-doped graphene can be one of efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants. - Highlights: • N 2 O can be efficiently reduced by CO over Si-doped graphenes. • Enough charge transferred from Si to N 2 O makes the N 2 –O bond break easily. • Si-doped graphene is efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants. • vdW interaction and ZPE energy significantly influence the predictions of activation energies. - Abstract: Catalytic conversion of non-CO 2 green house gases and other harmful gases is a promising way to protect the atmospheric environment. Non-metal atom-doped graphene is attractive for use as a catalyst in the conversion due to its unique electronic properties, relatively low price and leaving no burden to the environment. To make an attempt on the development of green catalysts for the conversion, ab initio density functional theory is used to investigate the mechanisms of N 2 O reduction by CO on Si- and Se-doped graphenes. We have calculated the geometries and adsorption energies of reaction species (N 2 O, CO, N 2 and CO 2 ) as well as energy profiles along the reaction pathways. The activation energies of N 2 O decomposition and CO oxidation on both Si- and Se-doped graphenes have been obtained. Our calculated results indicate that the catalytic activity of Si-doped graphene is better than the Fe + in gas phase and comparable to the single Fe atom embedded on graphene. In the calculations, we found that van der Waals interactions and zero-point energy are two non-negligible factors for the predictions of the activation energies. Further discussion shows that Si-doped graphene can be one of efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants and Se-doped graphene can be a candidate for oxidizing CO by atomic oxygen.

  13. A comparative investigation on structure and multiferroic properties of bismuth ferrite thin films by multielement co-doping

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dong, Guohua; Tan, Guoqiang, E-mail: tan3114@163.com; Luo, Yangyang; Liu, Wenlong; Xia, Ao; Ren, Huijun

    2014-12-15

    Highlights: • Multielement (Tb, Cr and Mn) co-doped BiFeO{sub 3} films were fabricated by CSD method. • Multielement co-doping induces a structural transition. • It is found effective to stabilize the valence of Fe ions at +3 by the strategy. • The co-doping at A/B-sites gives rise to the superior multiferroic properties. - Abstract: (Tb, Cr and Mn) multielement co-doped BiFeO{sub 3} (BTFCMO) thin films were prepared by the chemical solution deposition method on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates. X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement and Raman analyses revealed that a phase transition from rhombohedral to triclinic structure occurs in the multielement co-doped BiFeO{sub 3} films. It is found that the doping is conducive to stabilizing the valence of Fe ions and reducing leakage current. In addition, the highly enhanced ferroelectric properties with a huge remanent polarization (2P{sub r}) of 239.6 μC/cm{sup 2} and a low coercive field (2E{sub c}) of 615.6 kV/cm are ascribed to the well film texture, the structure transition and the reduced leakage current by the co-doping. Moreover, the structure transition is the dominant factor resulting in the significant enhancement observed in magnetization (M{sub s} ∼ 10.5 emu/cm{sup 3}), owing to the collapse of the space-modulated spin structure. In this contribution, these results demonstrate that the multielement co-doping is in favor of the enhanced multiferroic properties of the BFO films for possible multifunctional applications.

  14. Hydrothermal synthesis of Mn-doped ZnCo2O4 electrode material for high-performance supercapacitor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mary, A. Juliet Christina; Bose, A. Chandra

    2017-12-01

    Mn-doped ZnCo2O4 nanoparticle has been synthesized by hydrothermal method without adding any surfactants. Structural, morphological and electrochemical performances have been studied for the pure and various concentration of Mn-doped ZnCo2O4 nanoparticles. XRD and Raman studies demonstrate the crystalline structure of the material. Specific capacitance of the 10 wt% Mn doped ZnCo2O4 nanomaterial is analysed using the three-electrode system. 10 wt% Mn-doped ZnCo2O4 has a maximum capacitance of 707.4 F g-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g-1. Coulombic efficiency of the material is 96.3% for 500 cycles in the KOH electrolyte medium. A two-electrode device using 10 wt% Mn-doped ZnCo2O4 exhibits the highest specific capacitance of 6.5 F g-1 at a current density of 0.03 A g-1 which is the suitable material for supercapacitor application.

  15. Effects of Na and K co-doping on growth and scintillation properties of Eu:SrI_2 crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Tomoki; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Kral, Robert; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Yuji; Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, Akira

    2016-01-01

    We grew Na and K co-doped Eu:SrI_2 [Na,Eu:SrI_2 and K,Eu:SrI_2] crystals by a modified micro-pulling-down method to reveal the co-doping effects on the crystal growth and scintillation properties. The non-codoped, Na0.5%, Na1.0%, K0.5% and K1.0%,Eu:SrI_2 crystals indicated high transparency while the milky parts were generated in the Na5.0% and K5.0%,Eu:SrI_2 crystals. The light yields of Na,Eu:SrI_2 and K,Eu:SrI_2 crystals under γ-ray irradiation were decreased by the Na and K co-doping. On the other hand, there was a small change within 940–1020 ns in the decay times by the Na and K co-doping. In the light yield proportionality under γ-ray irradiation, the non-proportionality in the low energy region was improved by Na and K co-doping. - Highlights: • Na or K co-doped Eu:SrI_2crystals were grown by the modified μ-PD method. • The milky parts were generated in the Na5.0% and K5.0%,Eu:SrI_2crystals. • The light yield of Eu:SrI_2was decreased by the Na or K co-doping. • The decay times of Eu:SrI_2were almost constant by the Na or K co-doping. • The non-proportionalitywas improved in the low energy region by the K co-doping.

  16. Continuously tunable photonic fractional Hilbert transformer using a high-contrast germanium-doped silica-on-silicon microring resonator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahoei, Hiva; Dumais, Patrick; Yao, Jianping

    2014-05-01

    We propose and experimentally demonstrate a continuously tunable fractional Hilbert transformer (FHT) based on a high-contrast germanium-doped silica-on-silicon (SOS) microring resonator (MRR). The propagation loss of a high-contrast germanium-doped SOS waveguide can be very small (0.02 dB/cm) while the lossless bend radius can be less than 1 mm. These characteristics lead to the fabrication of an MRR with a high Q-factor and a large free-spectral range (FSR), which is needed to implement a Hilbert transformer (HT). The SOS MRR is strongly polarization dependent. By changing the polarization direction of the input signal, the phase shift introduced at the center of the resonance spectrum is changed. The tunable phase shift at the resonance wavelength can be used to implement a tunable FHT. A germanium-doped SOS MRR with a high-index contrast of 3.8% is fabricated. The use of the fabricated MRR for the implementation of a tunable FHT with tunable orders at 1, 0.85, 0.95, 1.05, and 1.13 for a Gaussian pulse with the temporal full width at half-maximum of 80 ps is experimentally demonstrated.

  17. Thermally and optically stimulated radiative processes in Eu and Y co-doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fukuda, Kentaro, E-mail: ken-fukuda@tokuyama.co.jp [Tokuyama Corporation, 1-1 Mikage-cho, Shunan-shi, Yamaguchi 745-8648 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka [Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196 (Japan)

    2015-06-01

    Yttrium co-doping was attempted to enhance dosimeter performance of Eu doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} crystal. Eu doped and Eu, Y co-doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} were prepared by the micro-pulling-down technique, and their dosimeter characteristics such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) were investigated. By yttrium co-doping, emission intensities of OSL and TSL were enhanced by some orders of magnitude. In contrast, scintillation characteristics of yttrium co-doped crystal such as intensity of prompt luminescence induced by X-ray and light yield under neutron irradiation were degraded.

  18. Defect mediated magnetic interaction and high Tc ferromagnetism in Co doped ZnO nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Bappaditya; Giri, P K

    2011-10-01

    Structural, optical and magnetic studies have been carried out for the Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). ZnO NPs are doped with 3% and 5% Co using ball milling and ferromagnetism (FM) is studied at room temperature and above. A high Curie temperature (Tc) has been observed from the Co doped ZnO NPs. X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis confirm the absence of metallic Co clusters or any other phase different from würtzite-type ZnO. UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence studies on the doped samples show change in band structure and oxygen vacancy defects, respectively. Micro-Raman studies of doped samples shows defect related additional strong bands at 547 and 574 cm(-1) confirming the presence of oxygen vacancy defects in ZnO lattice. The field dependence of magnetization (M-H curve) measured at room temperature exhibits the clear M-H loop with saturation magnetization and coercive field of the order of 4-6 emu/g and 260 G, respectively. Temperature dependence of magnetization measurement shows sharp ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition with a high Tc = 791 K for 3% Co doped ZnO NPs. Ferromagnetic ordering is interpreted in terms of overlapping of polarons mediated through oxygen vacancy defects based on the bound magnetic polaron (BMP) model. We show that the observed FM data fits well with the BMP model involving localised carriers and magnetic cations.

  19. Study of hyperfine parameters in Co-doped tin dioxide using PAC spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Juliana M.; Carbonari, Artur W.; Martucci, Thiago; Costa, Messias S.; Saxena, Rajendra N.; Vianden, R.; Kessler, P.; Geruschke, T.; Steffens, M.

    2011-01-01

    PAC technique has been used to measure the hyperfine interactions in nano-structured powder samples of semiconducting SnO 2 doped with Co. The aim of this work is to compare the results of PAC measurements using two different techniques of introducing the radioactive 111 In probe nuclei in the sample of SnO 2 doped with Co. The perturbed gamma-gamma angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy is used for the measurements of the magnetic hyperfine field (MHF) and the electric field gradient (EFG) at 111 Cd sites in SnO 2 doped with 1% and 2% Co. The measurement of EFG is used to study the defects introduced in the semiconductor material and also for the identification of different phases formed within the compound. The techniques utilized for introducing the radioactive 111 In in the sample are the ion-implantation using radioactive ion beam of 111 In and the chemical process in which 111 InCl 3 solution is added during the preparation of SnO 2 doped with Co using sol gel method. The ion-implantation of 111 In in SnO 2 doped with Co was carried out using the University of Bonn ion-implanter with beam energy of 160 keV. The PAC measurements were carried out with four BaF 2 detector gamma spectrometer in the temperature range of 10-295 K. The results show no significant difference in the values of hyperfine parameters. Both techniques show practically the same electric quadrupole interaction for the substitutional site. The results were compared with previous PAC and Moessbauer measurements of SnO 2 powder samples using 111 In- 111 Cd probe. (author)

  20. High temperature H2/CO2 separation using cobalt oxide silica membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smart, S.; Diniz da Costa, J.C. [The University of Queensland, FIMLab - Films and Inorganic Membrane Laboratory, School of Chemical Engineering, Brisbane, Qld 4072 (Australia); Vente, J.F. [Energy research Centre of the Netherlands ECN, P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)

    2012-09-15

    In this work high quality cobalt oxide silica membranes were synthesized on alumina supports using a sol-gel, dip coating method. The membranes were subsequently connected into a steel module using a graphite based proprietary sealing method. The sealed membranes were tested for single gas permeance of He, H2, N2 and CO2 at temperatures up to 600C and feed pressures up to 600 kPa. Pressure tests confirmed that the sealing system was effective as no gas leaks were observed during testing. A H2 permeance of 1.9 x 10{sup -7} mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1} Pa-1 was measured in conjunction with a H2/CO2 permselectivity of more than 1500, suggesting that the membranes had a very narrow pore size distribution and an average pore diameter of approximately 3 Angstrom. The high temperature testing demonstrated that the incorporation of cobalt oxide into the silica matrix produced a structure with a higher thermal stability, able to resist thermally induced densification up to at least 600C. Furthermore, the membranes were tested for H2/CO2 binary feed mixtures between 400 and 600C. At these conditions, the reverse of the water gas shift reaction occurred, inadvertently generating CO and water which increased as a function of CO2 feed concentration. The purity of H2 in the permeate stream significantly decreased for CO2 feed concentrations in excess of 50 vol%. However, the gas mixtures (H2, CO2, CO and water) had a more profound effect on the H2 permeate flow rates which significantly decreased, almost exponentially as the CO2 feed concentration increased.

  1. Properties of bright solitons in averaged and unaveraged models for SDG fibres

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ajit; Kumar, Atul

    1996-04-01

    Using the slowly varying envelope approximation and averaging over the fibre cross-section the evolution equation for optical pulses in semiconductor-doped glass (SDG) fibres is derived from the nonlinear wave equation. Bright soliton solutions of this equation are obtained numerically and their properties are studied and compared with those of the bright solitons in the unaveraged model.

  2. Magnetic properties of Co-ferrite-doped hydroxyapatite nanoparticles having a core/shell structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petchsang, N.; Pon-On, W.; Hodak, J.H.; Tang, I.M.

    2009-01-01

    The magnetic properties of Co-ferrite-doped hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles of composition Ca 10-3x Fe 2x Co x (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 (where x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5% mole) are studied. Transmission electron microscope micrograms show that the 90 nm size nanoparticles annealed at 1250 o C have a core/shell structure. Their electron diffraction patterns show that the shell is composed of the hydroxyapatite and the core is composed of the Co-ferrite, CoFe 2 O 4 . Electron spin resonance measurements indicate that the Co 2+ ions are being substituted into the Ca(1) sites in HAP lattice. X-ray diffraction studies show the formation of impurity phases as higher amounts of the Fe 3+ /Co 2+ ions which are substituted into the HAP host matrix. The presence of two sextets (one for the A-site Fe 3+ and the other for the B-site Fe 3+ ) in the Moessbauer spectrum for all the doped samples clearly indicates that the CoFe 2 O 4 .cores are in the ferromagnetic state. Evidence of the impurity phases is seen in the appearance of doublet patterns in the Moessbauer spectrums for the heavier-doped (x=0.4 and 0.5) specimens. The decrease in the saturation magnetizations and other magnetic properties of the nanoparticles at the higher doping levels is consistent with some of the Fe 3+ and Co 2+ which being used to form the CoO and Fe 2 O 3 impurity phase seen in the XRD patterns.

  3. Critical current density in MgB2 bulk samples after co-doping with nano-SiC and poly zinc acrylate complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Z.; Suo, H.; Ma, L.; Zhang, T.; Liu, M.; Zhou, M.

    2011-01-01

    SiC and poly zinc acrylate complexes co-doped MgB 2 bulk has been synthesized. Co-doping can cause higher carbon substitutions and the second phase particles. Co-doping can further increase the Jc value of MgB 2 bulk on the base of the SiC doping. The co-doped MgB 2 bulk samples have been synthesized using an in situ reaction processing. The additives is 8 wt.% SiC nano powders and 10 wt.% [(CH 2 CHCOO) 2 Zn] n poly zinc acrylate complexes (PZA). A systematic study was performed on samples doped with SiC or PZA and samples co-doped with both of them. The effects of doping and co-doping on phase formation, microstructure, and the variation of lattice parameters were studied. The amount of substituted carbon, the critical temperature (T c ) and the critical current density (J c ) were determined. The calculated lattice parameters show the decrease of the a-axis, while no obvious change was detected for c-axis parameter in co-doped samples. This indicates that the carbon was substituted by boron in MgB 2 . The amount of substituted carbon for the co-doped sample shows an enhancement compared to that of the both single doped samples. The co-doped samples perform the highest J c values, which reaches 3.3 x 10 4 A/cm 2 at 5 K and 7 T. It is shown that co-doping with SiC and organic compound is an effective way to further improve the superconducting properties of MgB 2 .

  4. Triconstituent co-assembly to ordered mesostructured polymer-silica and carbon-silica nanocomposites and large-pore mesoporous carbons with high surface areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ruili; Shi, Yifeng; Wan, Ying; Meng, Yan; Zhang, Fuqiang; Gu, Dong; Chen, Zhenxia; Tu, Bo; Zhao, Dongyuan

    2006-09-06

    Highly ordered mesoporous polymer-silica and carbon-silica nanocomposites with interpenetrating networks have been successfully synthesized by the evaporation-induced triconstituent co-assembly method, wherein soluble resol polymer is used as an organic precursor, prehydrolyzed TEOS is used as an inorganic precursor, and triblock copolymer F127 is used as a template. It is proposed for the first time that ordered mesoporous nanocomposites have "reinforced concrete"-structured frameworks. By adjusting the initial mass ratios of TEOS to resol, we determined the obtained nanocomposites possess continuous composition with the ratios ranging from zero to infinity for the two constituents that are "homogeneously" dispersed inside the pore walls. The presence of silicates in nanocomposites dramatically inhibits framework shrinkage during the calcination, resulting in highly ordered large-pore mesoporous carbon-silica nanocomposites. Combustion in air or etching in HF solution can remove carbon or silica from the carbon-silica nanocomposites and yield ordered mesoporous pure silica or carbon frameworks. The process generates plenty of small pores in carbon or/and silica pore walls. Ordered mesoporous carbons can then be obtained with large pore sizes of approximately 6.7 nm, pore volumes of approximately 2.0 cm(3)/g, and high surface areas of approximately 2470 m(2)/g. The pore structures and textures can be controlled by varying the sizes and polymerization degrees of two constituent precursors. Accordingly, by simply tuning the aging time of TEOS, ordered mesoporous carbons with evident bimodal pores at 2.6 and 5.8 nm can be synthesized.

  5. Povolme řízený doping. Vždyť víme, co tělu škodí a co ne

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Černý, David

    -, 7. března (2014) ISSN 0862-6634 Keywords : sports manship * doping in sports * sports and society Subject RIV: AG - Legal Sciences http://www.reflex.cz/clanek/komentare/55036/povolme-rizeny-doping-vzdyt-vime-co-telu-skodi-a-co-ne.html

  6. Co-operative energy transfer in Yb3+-Er3+ co-doped SrGdxOy upconverting phosphor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ashwini; Pathak, Trilok K.; Dhoble, S. J.; . Terblans, J. J.; Swart, H. C.

    2018-04-01

    Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have shown considerable interest in many fields; however, low upconversion efficiency of UCNPs is still the most severe limitation of their applications. Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped SrGd4O7/Gd2O3(SGO) upconversion (UC) phosphors were synthesized by a modified co-precipitation process. The UC properties were investigated by direct excitation with a 980 nm laser. It was observed that the as prepared materials showed relatively strong green emission, while upon the incorporation of the Er3+ ion, there was an increase in the upconversion luminescence intensity for the red component. The effect of different doping concentration of Er3+on the emission spectra and X-ray diffraction patterns of the UC materials have also been studied. The luminescence lifetimes and Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage coordinates for these as prepared samples were determined to understand the energy transfer (ET) mechanisms occurring between Yb3+ and Er3+ in the SGO host matrix. The UC luminescence intensity as a function of laser pump power was monitored and it was confirmed that the UC process in SGO:Yb3+/Er3+is a two-photon absorption process. The findings reported here are expected to provide a better approach for understanding of the ET mechanisms in the oxide based Yb3+/Er3+ co-doped UC phosphors. This study might be helpful in precisely defined applications where optical transitions are essential criterion and this can be easily achieved by smart tuning of the emission properties of Yb3+/Er3+ co-doped UC phosphors.

  7. Structure and thermoelectric property of Te doped paracostibite CoSb1-xTexS compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Yonghui; Su, Xianli; Liu, Wei; Yan, Yonggao; Fu, Jiefei; Cheng, Xin; Zhang, Cheng; Tang, Xinfeng

    2018-06-01

    Paracostibite (CoSbS), a newly developed thermoelectric material, has aroused lots of interest due to its highly earth abundant and inexpensive constituent elements and potential application for thermoelectric power generation in the intermediate temperature range. Herein, a series of CoSb1-xTexS (x = 0-0.09) compounds were prepared by vacuum melting and annealing followed by SPS processing, and the effects of Te doping on the structure and thermoelectric properties were systematically investigated. Doping Te on the Sb site increases the carrier concentration up to 7.24 × 1020 cm-3 for CoSb0.93Te0.07S compound which is several orders of magnitude higher than that of un-doped CoSbS, and enhances the power factor. The maximum power factor of 14.07 μW cm-1 K-2 is attained at 900 K. Concomitantly, doping with Te on the Sb site leads to effective scattering of heat carrying phonon, accompanying with a strong suppression of the thermal conductivity with the increase of Te content, resulting in an increase of the ZT. A maximum ZT of 0.43 at 900 K is attained for CoSb0.93Te0.07S compound, which is 139% higher than that of un-doped CoSbS compound.

  8. Active and passive silica waveguide integration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hübner, Jörg; Guldberg-Kjær, Søren Andreas

    2001-01-01

    . The increasing complexity and functionality of optical networks prompts a demand for highly integrated optical circuits. On-board optical amplifiers, monolithically integrated with functionalities like switching or multiplexing/demultiplexing will allow flexible incorporation of optical integrated circuits...... in existing and future networks without affecting the power budget of the system. Silica on silicon technology offers a unique possibility to selectively dope sections of the integrated circuit with erbium where amplification is desired. Some techniques for active/passive integration are reviewed and a silica......Integrated optical amplifiers are currently regaining interest. Stand-alone single integrated amplifiers offer only limited advantage over current erbium doped fiber amplifiers, whereas arrays of integrated amplifiers are very attractive due to miniaturization and the possibility of mass production...

  9. Scalable synthesis of hierarchically structured carbon nanotube-graphene fibres for capacitive energy storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Dingshan; Goh, Kunli; Wang, Hong; Wei, Li; Jiang, Wenchao; Zhang, Qiang; Dai, Liming; Chen, Yuan

    2014-07-01

    Micro-supercapacitors are promising energy storage devices that can complement or even replace batteries in miniaturized portable electronics and microelectromechanical systems. Their main limitation, however, is the low volumetric energy density when compared with batteries. Here, we describe a hierarchically structured carbon microfibre made of an interconnected network of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes with interposed nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide sheets. The nanomaterials form mesoporous structures of large specific surface area (396 m2 g-1) and high electrical conductivity (102 S cm-1). We develop a scalable method to continuously produce the fibres using a silica capillary column functioning as a hydrothermal microreactor. The resultant fibres show a specific volumetric capacity as high as 305 F cm-3 in sulphuric acid (measured at 73.5 mA cm-3 in a three-electrode cell) or 300 F cm-3 in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/H3PO4 electrolyte (measured at 26.7 mA cm-3 in a two-electrode cell). A full micro-supercapacitor with PVA/H3PO4 gel electrolyte, free from binder, current collector and separator, has a volumetric energy density of ~6.3 mWh cm-3 (a value comparable to that of 4 V-500 µAh thin-film lithium batteries) while maintaining a power density more than two orders of magnitude higher than that of batteries, as well as a long cycle life. To demonstrate that our fibre-based, all-solid-state micro-supercapacitors can be easily integrated into miniaturized flexible devices, we use them to power an ultraviolet photodetector and a light-emitting diode.

  10. Synthesis and photoluminescence of Cr-, Ni-, Co-, and Ti-doped ZnSe nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huy, Bui The [Anastro Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Nhatrang Institute of Technology and Research Application, 2 Hungvuong, Nhatrang (Viet Nam); Seo, Min-Ho; Kumar, Avvaru Praveen [Anastro Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Hyuk [Department of Chemistry, Sookmyung Women’s University, Seoul 140-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yong-Ill, E-mail: yilee@changwon.ac.kr [Anastro Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-03-05

    Highlights: • The chain length, structure of surfactants operated the size nanoparticles. • Ni{sup 2+}, Co{sup 2+}, Cr{sup 3+}, and Ti{sup 3+} did not create any new centers in the structure of ZnSe. • Doping may have influenced the nanoparticles size because of the Zn replacement. • The TM ions change in ligand field caused the influence on fluorescence intensity. -- Abstract: We developed a facile strategy to synthesize transition metal (TM; Ni, Cr, Co, and Ti)-doped ZnSe nanoparticles (NPs) in aqueous media using a chemical co-precipitation method. Co-precipitation was performed in the presence of one of four different surfactants, namely mercaptoacetic acid (MAA), 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA), thioglycerol (TGC), or (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS). Surface morphology, chemical, and crystalline properties of the TM-doped ZnSe NPs were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Optical features were characterized by UV–visible and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The influence of various experimental parameters, including the amount of TM and the ratio of precursors, as well as different types of surfactants on the photoluminescence properties of TM-doped ZnSe NPs was investigated systematically. TM-doped ZnSe NPs were excited in the UV region and exhibited photoluminescence in the visible region. Intensity was affected by the concentration of the TM. The results showed that MPA had a stronger influence on photoluminescence than MAA, TGC, and MPTMS. The photoluminescence intensity of TM-doped ZnSe NPs was 30% higher than that of undoped ZnSe NPs.

  11. Synthesis and characterization of novel mesocomposites Co3O4 and CuO@OMS (ordered mesoporous silica) as active catalysts for hydrocarbon oxidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Comănescu, Cezar

    2014-03-01

    Novel metal nanoporous transition metal oxides M x O y (Co3O4, CuO) have been synthesized by thermal decomposition of inorganic salts precursors (acetates, nitrates) impregnated into hexagonal mesoporous silica (OMS, ordered mesoporous silica) of SBA-15 type (prepared in-house) at different precursor loadings, the mesocomposites thus obtained being monitored after each impregnation-calcination step by small and wide angle powder XRD. The pore size for the ordered silica host range from 5.08 to 7.06 nm. Retention of the hexagonal silica framework has been observed in spite of the temperatures up to 500 °C. Mesoporous Co3O4 has been obtained by leaching the silica through overnight HF dissolution, which partially preserved the small-range ordering found in the parent Co3O4@OMS composite prior to leaching. Both Co3O4 ( meso) and Co3O4@SBA-15 have been tested in methane oxidation and were found to be superior to the bulk Co3O4 performance, with mesoporous Co3O4 being able to fully oxidize methane to CO2 and H2O at 350 °C, while Co3O4@OMS exhibits a lower activity with 20 % conversion at 350 °C. CuO@OMS shows the lowest activity, with only 13 % conversion at 500 °C.

  12. Optical properties of single doped Cr3+ and co-doped Cr3+-Nd3+ aluminum tantalum tellurite glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez-Mendoza, U.R.; Speghini, A.; Jaque, D.; Zambelli, M.; Bettinelli, M.

    2004-01-01

    The optical properties for single doped Cr 3+ and co-doped Cr 3+ -Nd 3+ aluminum tantalum tellurite glasses have been studied as a function of temperature. For the single doped glass, the existence of two bands in the emission spectra at low temperature indicates the presence of two different sites for the Cr 3+ ions, labelled as usual as low- and high-field sites. The broad band centred in the Near Infrared region, corresponds to low-field sites transition 4 T 2 → 4 A 2 , and the narrow band centred at approximately 715 nm to the high-field sites transition 2 E→ 4 A 2 . The emission intensity for both high- and low-field sites shows a strong decrease with increasing temperature, with the emission for the former sites vanishing at RT. In both cases the quenching observed with the increase of temperature can be ascribed to the presence of non-radiative relaxation mechanisms. Experimental observations for the co-doped glass show that both radiative and non-radiative energy transfer processes from Cr 3+ to Nd 3+ are present

  13. Study of hyperfine parameters in Co-doped tin dioxide using PAC spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Juliana M.; Carbonari, Artur W.; Martucci, Thiago; Costa, Messias S.; Saxena, Rajendra N. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Vianden, R.; Kessler, P.; Geruschke, T.; Steffens, M., E-mail: vianden@hiskp.uni-bonn.d [Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitaet Bonn (HISKP- Bonn) (Germany). Helmholtz - Institut fuer Strahlen- und Kernphysik

    2011-07-01

    PAC technique has been used to measure the hyperfine interactions in nano-structured powder samples of semiconducting SnO{sub 2} doped with Co. The aim of this work is to compare the results of PAC measurements using two different techniques of introducing the radioactive {sup 111}In probe nuclei in the sample of SnO{sub 2} doped with Co. The perturbed gamma-gamma angular correlation (PAC) spectroscopy is used for the measurements of the magnetic hyperfine field (MHF) and the electric field gradient (EFG) at {sup 111}Cd sites in SnO{sub 2} doped with 1% and 2% Co. The measurement of EFG is used to study the defects introduced in the semiconductor material and also for the identification of different phases formed within the compound. The techniques utilized for introducing the radioactive {sup 111}In in the sample are the ion-implantation using radioactive ion beam of {sup 111}In and the chemical process in which {sup 111}InCl{sub 3} solution is added during the preparation of SnO{sub 2} doped with Co using sol gel method. The ion-implantation of {sup 111}In in SnO{sub 2} doped with Co was carried out using the University of Bonn ion-implanter with beam energy of 160 keV. The PAC measurements were carried out with four BaF{sub 2} detector gamma spectrometer in the temperature range of 10-295 K. The results show no significant difference in the values of hyperfine parameters. Both techniques show practically the same electric quadrupole interaction for the substitutional site. The results were compared with previous PAC and Moessbauer measurements of SnO{sub 2} powder samples using {sup 111}In-{sup 111}Cd probe. (author)

  14. L-lactic acid and sodium p-toluenesulfonate co-doped polypyrrole for high performance cathode in sodium ion battery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liao, Qishu; Hou, Hongying; Liu, Xianxi; Yao, Yuan; Dai, Zhipeng; Yu, Chengyi; Li, Dongdong

    2018-04-01

    In this work, polypyrrole (PPy) was co-doped with L-lactic acid (LA) and sodium p-toluenesulfonate (TsONa) for high performance cathode in sodium ion battery (SIB) via facile one-step electropolymerization on Fe foil. The as-synthesized LA/TsONa co-doped PPy cathode was investigated in terms of scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), galvanostatic charge/discharge and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The results suggested that some oval-bud-like LA/TsONa co-doped PPy particles did form and tightly combine with the surface of Fe foil; furthermore, LA/TsONa co-doped PPy cathode also delivered higher electrochemical performances than TsONa mono-doped PPy cathode. For example, the initial specific discharge capacity was as high as about 124 mAh/g, and the reversible specific capacity still maintained at about 110 mAh/g even after 50 cycles, higher than those of TsONa mono-doped PPy cathode. The synergy effect of multi components of LA/TsONa co-doped PPy cathode should be responsible for high electrochemical performances.

  15. Efficient CO2 sorbents based on silica foam with ultra-large mesopores

    KAUST Repository

    Qi, Genggeng; Fu, Liling; Choi, Brian Hyun; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.

    2012-01-01

    A series of high-capacity, amine impregnated sorbents based on a cost-effective silica foam with ultra-large mesopores is reported. The sorbents exhibit fast CO2 capture kinetics, high adsorption capacity (of up to 5.8 mmol g-1 under 1 atm of dry CO2), as well as good stability over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles. A simple theoretical analysis is provided relating the support structure to sorbent performance. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  16. Mixed conductivity in Co-doped lanthanum gallate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keppeler, F.M.; Nafe, H.; Aldinger, F.; Sammes, N.M.

    1998-01-01

    Materials of the composition La 0.8 Sr 0.2 Ga 0.85 Co x Mg 0.15 O 3-δ (x = 0 to 0.25) were synthesised using standard solid state technique resulting in phase purity and high density. Conductivity measurements at different temperatures and oxygen partial pressures revealed an ionic to metallic-like transition in conduction behaviour with rising Co amount. Samples with low Co contents (x=0.05) showed ionic behaviour with an average value of 0.15 S/cm at 900 deg C while heavy doping (x=0.25) resulted in metallic type conduction with a value of 5.43 S/cm at 900 deg C in air. Copyright (1998) Australasian Ceramic Society

  17. Ultimate realistic losses of ZrF/sub 4/ based IR fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    France, P.W.; Carter, S.F.; Moore, M.W.; Williams, J.R.

    1986-01-01

    An estimation has been made of the minimum loss that might be expected in ZrF/sub 4/ based IR fibre taking into account extrinsic absorption losses as well as the intrinsic loss mechanisms associated with the IR edge and Rayleigh scattering. The results suggest that an overall loss of approximately 0.03 dB/km might be expected at 2.56 μm, a factor of three higher than the intrinsic loss and a factor of seven lower than overall loss in a typical silica fibre

  18. Anomalous small-angle x-ray scattering of a femtosecond irradiated germano silicate fibre preform.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hindle, F.; Fertein, E.; Seifert, S.; Przygodski, C.S.; Bocquet, R.; Douay, M.; Bychkov, E.; Experimental Facilities Division (APS); LPCA, CNRS; PhLAM; Univ. des Sciences et Tech. de Lille

    2005-01-01

    RADIATION is shown to induce significant mesoscopic structure. The scattering intensity for irradiated glasses is close to two orders of magnitude greater than that of unexposed material. Anomalous small-angle X-ray scattering (ASAXS) around the germanium K-edge for the silica and germanium doped silica regions of a fiber preform is used to demonstrate that identical structures are induced in both glass materials, with germanium displaying a capacity to isomorphically replace silicon in the case of the germanium doped silica. Analysis of measured scattering indicates that photo-inscribed features are produced at two distinct scales with typical radii of R {approx} 20 Angstroms and R{sub min} {approx} 200 Angstroms.

  19. Seven-core active fibre for application in telecommunication satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipowicz, Marta; Napierała, Marek; Murawski, Michał; Ostrowski, Łukasz; Szostkiewicz, Łukasz; Szymański, Michał; Tenderenda, Tadeusz; Anders, Krzysztof; Piramidowicz, Ryszard; Wójcik, Grzegorz; Makara, Mariusz; Poturaj, Krzysztof; Mergo, Paweł; Nasiłowski, Tomasz

    2015-12-01

    The use of optical elements and other photonic components makes it possible to overcome telecommunication satellite's bottleneck problems such as size and weight reduction. Despite the unquestionable potential of such elements, nowadays they are not widely used in systems operating in space. This is due to many factors, including the fact that space radiation has disruptive influence on optical fibre. Namely it introduces additional radiation induced attenuation (RIA) that significantly lowers efficiency of optical fibre based systems. However, there is a possibility to produce radiation-hardened (rad-hard) components. One of them is seven core erbium-doped active fibre (MC-EDF) for fibre amplifiers in satellites that we have been developing. In this paper we present a detailed description of seven core structure design as well as experimental results. We report that average gain of 20 dB in C-band with noise figure of 5.8 dB was obtained. We also confirmed that low crosstalk value for a multicore fibre amplifier based on our fibre can be achieved.

  20. Effects of CuO co-doping on γ-ray irradiation resistance of active ions doped phosphate glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Zhihuan [Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); ENEA-UTTMAT, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Baccaro, Stefania; Cemmi, Alessia [ENEA-UTTMAT, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Shen, Wei [Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China); Chen, Guorong, E-mail: grchen@ecust.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237 (China)

    2013-09-15

    The effect of copper ion doping on the γ-ray irradiation resistance of Mn{sup 2+} and Pr{sup 3+} doped phosphate glasses has been studied. UV–visible transmission spectra and photoluminescence spectra have been measured before and after γ-irradiation to characterize the radiation-induced defects. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the irradiated samples with, and without Cu ions have been compared to show the ability of Cu ions to suppress the generation of radiation-induced color centers. The differential transmission spectra and the radiation-induced absorption coefficients have also been calculated for discussion of the observed phenomena. The much improved γ-irradiation resistance of Mn{sup 2+} and Pr{sup 3+} doped phosphate glasses has been demonstrated through CuO co-doping.

  1. Poly(ethyleneimine) infused and functionalized Torlon®-silica hollow fiber sorbents for post-combustion CO2 capture

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Fuyue Stephanie

    2014-03-01

    Organic-inorganic hybrid materials functionalized with amine-containing reagents are emerging as an important class of materials for capturing carbon dioxide from flue gas. Polymeric silica hollow fiber sorbents are fabricated through the proven dry-jet/wet-quench spinning process. In our study, a new technique for functionalizing polymeric silica hollow fiber sorbents with poly(ethyleneimine), followed by a post-spinning infusion step was studied. This two step process introduces a sufficient amount of poly(ethyleneimine) to the polymeric silica hybrid material support to improve the CO2 sorption capacity due to the added amine groups. The poly(ethyleneimine) infused and functionalized hollow fiber sorbents are also characterized by a thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA) to assess their CO2 sorption capacities. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Silica-modified Fe-doped calcium sulfide nanoparticles for in vitro and in vivo cancer hyperthermia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Steven Yueh-Hsiu; Yang, Kai-Chiang; Tseng, Ching-Li; Chen, Jung-Chih; Lin, Feng-Huei

    2011-01-01

    In this study, sulfide-based magnetic Fe-doped CaS nanoparticles modified with a silica layer were investigated for cancer hyperthermia. A polyvinyl pyrrolidone polymer was used as the coupling agent. The developed nanoparticles contained 11.6 wt% iron concentration, and their X-ray diffraction pattern was similar to those of CaS and Fe–CaS nanoparticles. The average particle size was approximately 47.5 nm and homogeneously dispersed in aqueous solutions. The major absorption bands of silica were observed from the FTIR spectrum. The magnetic properties and heating efficiency were also examined. The specific absorption ratio of nanoparticles at a concentration of 10 mg/mL at 37 °C in an ethanol carrier fluid was 37.92 W/g, and the nanoparticles would raise the temperature to over 45 °C within 15 min. A cytotoxicity analysis revealed that the nanoparticles had good biocompatibility, which indicated that the nanoparticles did not affect cell viability. The therapeutic effects of the nanoparticles were investigated using in vitro and animal studies. Cells seeded with nanoparticles and treated under an AC magnetic field revealed a percentage of cytotoxicity (60%) that was significantly higher from that in other groups. In the animal study, during a hyperthermia period of 15 days, tumor-bearing Balb/c mice that were subcutaneously injected with nanoparticles and exposed to an AC magnetic field manifested a reduction in tumor volume. The newly developed silica-modified Fe–CaS nanoparticles can thus be considered a promising and attractive hyperthermia thermoseed.

  3. The effect of intentional potassium co-doping on the luminescent properties of Yb3+ and Tm3+ doped α-NaYF4 core and core–shell nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Misiak, Małgorzata; Stręk, Wiesław; Arabasz, Sebastian; Bednarkiewicz, Artur

    2016-01-01

    Simple and effective ways to circumvent limited luminescence efficiency of up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are sought. One of the methods relays on distorting the crystallographic structure of host material by co-doping the nanocrystals with optically inactive co-dopants. Here we study the influence of K + doping and surface passivation on the up-converting properties of the α-NaYF 4 nanocrystals co-doped with 20% Yb 3+ and 0.1 or 2% Tm 3+ . The intentionally chosen concentrations of K + ions, which were meant to replaced sodium ions were fixed to 0, 5, 10, 20 to 30%. Potassium ions modified the spectroscopic properties of both core and core–shell NPs, but the differences were noticed between samples doped with 0.1% Tm 3+ and 2% Tm 3+ ions. Replacement of sodium by potassium ions decreased up-conversion luminescence intensity as well as shortened thulium excited states lifetimes in the samples doped with 0.1% Tm 3+ , while the opposite behavior was found in the samples co-doped with higher 2% thulium concentration. - Highlights: • We studied the influence of K + doping on luminescent properties of α-NaYF 4 :YbTm. • The 0.1 and 2% Tm doped core and core–shell samples were investigated. • K + -doping influence on UC properties was different in low and highly Tm doped NPs. • The explanations of the observed variations were proposed.

  4. Synergistic effects of F and Fe in co-doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yufei, E-mail: zhang.yu.fei@stu.xjtu.edu.cn; Shen, Huiyuan; Liu, Yanhua, E-mail: yhliu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Xi’an Jiaotong University, Department of Building Environment and Services Engineering, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering (China)

    2016-03-15

    TiO{sub 2} photocatalysts co-doped with F and Fe were synthesized by a sol–gel method. Synergistic effects of F and Fe in the co-doped TiO{sub 2} were verified by NH{sub 3} decomposition, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) absorption spectroscopy, and was analyzed by the simulation based on the density functional theory (DFT). The results from NH{sub 3} decomposition confirmed that the cooperation of F and Fe broadened the optical response of TiO{sub 2} to visible light region and also enhanced the photocatalytic activity of TiO{sub 2} under ultraviolet light. XRD patterns, SEM and HRTEM images showed that the co-doped samples were nanometric anatase with an average particle size of 25 nm. Co-doping with F and Fe inhibited the grain growth of TiO{sub 2} from anatase to rutile and resulted in a larger lattice defect. XPS analysis exhibited that the doped F and Fe atoms were into the TiO{sub 2} lattice. UV–Vis absorption spectra showed that its optical absorption edge was moved up to approximately 617 nm and its ultraviolet absorption was also enhanced. The DFT results indicated that the cooperation of Fe 3d and O 2p orbits narrowed the band gap of TiO{sub 2} and F 2p orbit widened the upper valence bands. The synergistic electron density around F and Fe in co-doped TiO{sub 2} was capable to enhance the photo-chemical stability of TiO{sub 2}.

  5. Thermoelectric performance of co-doped SnTe with resonant levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Min; Han, Yemao; Li, Laifeng, E-mail: laifengli@mail.ipc.ac.cn, E-mail: wangheng83@gmail.com [Key Laboratory of Cryogenics, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 (China); Gibbs, Zachary M. [Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd. Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Wang, Heng, E-mail: laifengli@mail.ipc.ac.cn, E-mail: wangheng83@gmail.com [Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1200 California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Snyder, G. Jeffrey [Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1200 California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); TMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101 (Russian Federation)

    2016-07-25

    Some group III elements such as Indium are known to produce the resonant impurity states in IV-VI compounds. The discovery of these impurity states has opened up new ways for engineering the thermoelectric properties of IV-VI compounds. In this work, resonant states in SnTe were studied by co-doping with both resonant (In) and extrinsic (Ag, I) dopants. A characteristic nonlinear relationship was observed between the Hall carrier concentration (n{sub H}) and extrinsic dopant concentration (N{sub I}, N{sub Ag}) in the stabilization region, where a linear increase of dopant concentration does not lead to linear response in the measured n{sub H}. Upon substituting extrinsic dopants beyond a certain amount, the n{sub H} changed proportionally with additional dopants (Ag, I) (the doping region). The Seebeck coefficients are enhanced as the resonant impurity is introduced, whereas the use of extrinsic doping only induces minor changes. Modest zT enhancements are observed at lower temperatures, which lead to an increase in the average zT values over a broad range of temperatures (300–773 K). The improved average zT obtained through co-doping indicates the promise of fine carrier density control in maximizing the favorable effect of resonant levels for thermoelectric materials.

  6. Evaluation of mechanical hardness and fracture toughness of Co and Al co-doped ZnO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siddheswaran, R.; Mangalaraja, R.V.; Avila, Ricardo E.; Manikandan, D.; Esther Jeyanthi, C.; Ananthakumar, S.

    2012-01-01

    Combustion synthesized nanocrystalline Co and Al co-doped ZnO powders [(Zn 1−x−y Co x Al y O; x=0.04, 0.03, 0.02; y=0.01, 0.02, 0.03)] were fabricated into cylindrical discs by uni-axial pressing and sintered intentionally at 1000 °C for 2 h to assess the mechanical performance. The crystallinity of the pure and doped ZnO was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis. The microstructures of the sintered samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the density, porosity, grain size and its distribution. Grains of 0.5–3 μm were observed for the samples sintered at 1000 °C. The mechanical properties such as micro-hardness, fracture toughness and strain hardening co-efficient were investigated by the Vickers indentation method. It was found that the crack mode observed during the indentation on the samples belongs to median cracks under a load of 19.6 N. Also, the hardness was enhanced with increasing mol% of Co, while the trend was reversed with the increase of Al content. In addition, the strain hardening coefficient and fracture toughness were calculated using the indentation data.

  7. Co@Co3O4 nanoparticle embedded nitrogen-doped carbon architectures as efficient bicatalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution reactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Chunling; Zhang, Li; Xu, Guancheng; Sun, Zhipeng; Zhao, Aihua; Jia, Dianzeng

    2018-01-01

    The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) play crucial roles in efficient energy conversion and storage solutions. Here, Co@Co3O4 nanoparticle embedded nitrogen-doped carbon architectures (denoted as Co@Co3O4/NCs) are prepared via a simple two-step and in situ approach by carbonization and subsequent oxidation of Co-MOF containing high contents of carbon and nitrogen. When evaluated as electrocatalyst towards both ORR and OER in a KOH electrolyte solution, the as-fabricated Co@Co3O4/NC-2 exhibits similar ORR catalytic activity to the commercial Pt/C catalyst, but superior stability and good methanol tolerance. Furthermore, the as-fabricated catalysts also show promising catalytic activity for OER. The effective catalytic activities originate from the synergistic effects between well wrapped Co@Co3O4 nanoparticles and nitrogen doped carbon structures.

  8. Effects of Polarization–Maintaining Fibre Degrading on Precision of Fibre Optic Gyroscopes in Radiation Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen, Xiao; De-Wen, Liu; Yang, Liu; Xiao-Su, Yi; Lin, Cong

    2008-01-01

    In the space environment, the precision of fibre optic gyroscopes (FOGs) degrades because of space radiation. Photonic components of FOGs are affected by radiation, especially the polarization-maintaining (PM) fibre coil. In relation to the space radiation environment characteristic, we have carried out a series of radiation experiments on a PM fibre coil with 60 Co radiation source at different dose rates. Based on the experimental results, the formula between the PM-fibre loss and radiation dose rate is built, and the relation between the precision of FOG and radiation dose is obtained accordingly. The results strongly show that the precision of our FOG degrades owing to the attenuation of the polarization-maintaining fibre, which provides theoretical foundation for the radiation-resistant design of the FOG

  9. N–Mg dual-acceptor co-doping in CuCrO{sub 2} studied by first-principles calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xu, Ying, E-mail: 1080071@hnust.edu.cn [School of Physics, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201 (China); Nie, Guo-Zheng [School of Physics, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201 (China); Zou, Daifeng [School of Physics, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201 (China); Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Nanobiomechanics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenzhen 518055 (China); Tang, Jing-Wu [School of Physics, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201 (China); Ao, Zhimin, E-mail: Zhimin.Ao@gdut.edu.cn [Institute of Environmental Health and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006 (China)

    2016-11-25

    In this paper, N–Mg dual-acceptor co-doping in CuCrO{sub 2} is investigated by first-principles calculations. The electronic structure and formation energies of Mg substituting Cr-site, N substituting O-site, and co-doping of both Mg on Cr-site and N on O-site in CuCrO{sub 2} are calculated. It is found that the structure with N and Mg codoped at the nearest sites has the lowest energy due to a modest attractive interaction between the two dopants. Compared with single N or Mg doped CuCrO{sub 2}, the N–Mg codoped CuCrO{sub 2} has a lower formation energy and shallower transition level. In addition, the total density of states (DOS) analysis shows that more hole states appear above the Fermi level and higher DOS for N–Mg co-doping is obtained in the N–Mg codoped CuCrO{sub 2}, which is good to enhance the p-type conductivity in CuCrO{sub 2}. - Highlights: • N–Mg dual-acceptor co-doping in CuCrO{sub 2} is investigated. • N–Mg complex has a lower formation energy and shallower transition level. • More hole states appear above the Fermi level for N–Mg co-doping. • N–Mg co-doping in CuCrO{sub 2} can be expected to have more stable p-type conductivity.

  10. Experimental and theoretical investigations on magnetic behavior of (Al,Co) co-doped ZnO nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayakumar, O D; Achary, S N; Sudakar, C; Naik, R; Salunke, H G; Rao, Rekha; Peng, X; Ahuja, R; Tyagi, A K

    2010-08-01

    We present the structural and magnetic properties of Zn(0.95-x)Co(0.05)Al(x)O (x = 0.0 to 0.1) nanoparticles, synthesized by a novel sol-gel route followed by pyrolysis. Powder X-ray diffraction data confirms the formation of a single phase wurtzite type ZnO structure for all the compositions. The Zn(0.95)Co(0.05)O nanoparticles show diamagnetic behavior at room temperature. However, when Al is co-doped with Co with x = 0.0 to 0.10 in Zn(0.95-x)Co(0.05)Al(x)O, a systematic increase in ferromagnetic moment is observed up to x = 0.07 at 300 K. Above x = 0.07 (e.g. for x = 0.10) a drastic decrease in ferromagnetic nature is observed which is concomitant with the segregation of poorly crystalline Al rich ZnO phase as evidenced from TEM studies. Theoretical studies using density functional calculations on Zn(0.95-x)Co(0.05)Al(x)O suggest that the partial occupancy of S2 states leads to an increased double exchange interaction favoring the ferromagnetic ground states. Such ferromagnetic interactions are favorable beyond a threshold limit. At a high level doping of Al, the exchange splitting is reduced, which suppresses the ferromagnetic ordering.

  11. Effect of co-doping of sodium on the thermoluminescence dosimetry properties of copper-doped zinc lithium borate glass system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saidu, A.; Wagiran, H.; Saeed, M.A.; Alajerami, Y.S.M.; Kadir, A.B.A.

    2016-01-01

    The effect of sodium as a co-dopant on the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of copper-doped zinc lithium borate (ZLB: Cu) subjected to Co-60 gamma radiation is reported in this study. TL intensity is enhanced with the introduction of sodium in ZLB: Cu. The obtained glow curve is simple with a single peak. The annealing procedure and the best heating rate for the proposed thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) are established, and the phosphor is reusable. The TL response within the dose range of 0.5–1000 Gy is investigated. The results show that the thermal fading behaviour is improved significantly. - Highlights: • Dosimetry properties of an improved TL dosimeter. • The dosimeter is made of lithium borate, modified with ZnO, doped with CuO and co-doped with Na 2 O. • With addition of Na to Cu in the ZLB host, TL yield and sensitivity has significantly enhanced. • The fading behaviour has also been minimized significantly. • The new material is also characterized with the linear dose response, and good reproducibility behaviour.

  12. High-beam quality, high-efficiency laser based on fiber with heavily Yb(3+)-doped phosphate core and silica cladding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egorova, O N; Semjonov, S L; Medvedkov, O I; Astapovich, M S; Okhrimchuk, A G; Galagan, B I; Denker, B I; Sverchkov, S E; Dianov, E M

    2015-08-15

    We have fabricated and tested a composite fiber with an Yb(3+)-doped phosphate glass core and silica cladding. Oscillation with a slope efficiency of 74% was achieved using core pumping at 976 nm with fiber lengths of 48-90 mm in a simple laser configuration, where the cavity was formed by a high-reflectivity Bragg grating and the cleaved fiber end. The measured M(2) factors were as low as 1.05-1.22 even though the fiber was multimode at the lasing wavelength.

  13. Perhydropolysilazane-derived silica-polymethylmethacrylate hybrid thin films highly doped with spiropyran: Effects of polymethylmethacrylate on the hardness, chemical durability and photochromic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamano, Akihiro; Kozuka, Hiromitsu

    2011-01-01

    Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-perhydropolysilazane (PHPS) hybrid thin films doped with spiropyran were prepared by spin-coating, which were then converted into 0.26-1.7 μm thick, spiropyran-doped PMMA-silica hybrid films by exposure treatment over aqueous ammonia. The spiropyran/(spiropyran + PHPS + PMMA) mass ratio was fixed at a high value of 0.2 so that the films exhibit visual photochromic changes in color, while the PMMA/(PMMA + PHPS) mass ratio, r, was varied. The spiropyran molecules in the as-prepared films were in merocyanine (MC) and spiro (SP) forms, with and without an optical absorption at 500 nm, at low (r ≤ 0.2) and high (r ≥ 0.4) PMMA contents, respectively. When PMMA content r was increased from 0 to 0.2, the degree of the MC-to-SP conversion on vis light illumination was enhanced, while at higher r's the spiropyran molecules underwent photodegradation. When the silica film (r = 0) was soaked in xylene under vis light, the spiropyran molecules were almost totally leached out, while not on soaking in the dark. On the other hand, no leaching occurred for the film of r = 0.2 either in the presence or absence of vis light. These suggest that the introduction of PMMA is effective in improving the chemical durability of the films, while the silica film (r = 0) is an interesting material with a photoresponsive controlled-release ability. The pencil hardness of the films decreased with increasing PMMA content, but remained over 9H at r ≤ 0.4.

  14. Using Cyclohexanol as a Co-Surfactant in the Synthesis of New Mesoporous Silica Particles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Ali Semsarzadeh

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available In the synthesis of mesoporous silica particles, the geometry, pore size, and specific surface area and pore volume of the particles can be greatly influenced by selected media and method, selection of co-solvent and co-surfactant. In this study, new SPB particles (silicone mesoporous particles, prepared by sol-gel method using block copolymers as template were synthesized in a water/n-octane system from the mixture of two copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide-b-poly (propylene oxide-b-poly(ethylene oxide (PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO and poly(propylene oxide-b-poly (ethylene oxide-b-poly(propylene oxide (PPO-b-PEO-b-PPO triblock copolymers. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS as precursor, cyclohexanol as co-surfactant, n-octane as co-solvent and citric acid catalyst were used. The specific surface area and pore volume, pore diameter, morphology, microstructure and porosity of the SPB particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption (BET method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The obtained results revealed that, using the mixture of two block copolymers in the synthesis of SPB1,2 particles, could produce mean pore diameters around 9 nm and control the pore size distribution of silica particles from non-normal to a normal distribution. Furthermore, the effect of chair conformation of cyclohexanol as a large co-surfactant on the mixed block copolymers due to increase in the uniformity and yield of the SPB1,2 mesoporous silica particles compared to the SPB1 particles, there is approximately a two fold increase in SPB1,2 particle yield. In this regard, the effect of cyclohexanol and the second block copolymer in making the new templates and micellization process were discussed.

  15. Impact behavior of f-silica and amine terminated polybutadiene co-acrylonitrile rubber modified novolac epoxy/Kevlar nanocomposites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavita, Pal, Vijayeta; Tiwari, R. K.

    2018-05-01

    In the present work, nano-fumed silica treated with 3-Glycidoxypropyl trimethoxy silane (f-silica) was used as a nanoreinforcement in the fabrication of amine terminated polybutadiene co-acrylonitrile rubber (ATBN) modified Kevlar/epoxy based nanocomposites. Nanocomposites with different f-silica loading (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt. %) and having same ATBN (10 wt. %) were made and characterized by Izod impact test for evaluating impact strength values. All the nanocomposites showed better impact strength than neat Kevlar/novolac epoxy based composite.

  16. Li(Zn,Co,MnAs: A bulk form diluted magnetic semiconductor with Co and Mn co-doping at Zn sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bijuan Chen

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available We report the synthesis and characterization of a series of bulk forms of diluted magnetic semiconductors Li(Zn1-x-yCoxMnyAs with a crystal structure close to that of III-V diluted magnetic semiconductor (Ga,MnAs. No ferromagnetic order occurs with single (Zn,Co or (Zn, Mn substitution in the parent compound LiZnAs. Only with co-doped Co and Mn ferromagnetic ordering can occur at the Curie temperature ∼40 K. The maximum saturation moment of the this system reached to 2.17μB/Mn, which is comparable to that of Li (Zn,MnAs. It is the first time that a diluted magnetic semiconductor with co-doping Co and Mn into Zn sites is achieved in “111” LiZnAs system, which could be utilized to investigate the basic science of ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors. In addition, ferromagnetic Li(Zn,Co,MnAs, antiferromagnetic LiMnAs, and superconducting LiFeAs share square lattice at As layers, which may enable the development of novel heterojunction devices in the future.

  17. Impedance spectroscopy of Li2CO3 doped (Ba,Sr)TiO3 ceramic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ham, Yong-Su; Koh, Jung-Hyuk

    2013-02-01

    (BaxSr1-x)TiO3-based ceramic has been considered as one of the most important electronic materials widely employed in microwave passive device applications. Many researches have been performed to lower the high sintering temperature, by adding various dopants such as B2O3, La2O3, etc. In our previous study, by adding Li2CO3 to (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 ceramics, the sintering temperature of Li2CO3 doped (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 ceramics decreased from 1350 to 900 °C. This study observed the crystalline structure and electrical properties of Li2CO3 doped (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 ceramics. In scanning the crystalline structure of Li2CO3 doped (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 ceramics, no pyro phase was observed by X-ray diffraction analysis. To investigate the electrical properties of Li2CO3 doped (Ba0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 ceramics, real and imaginary parts of the impedances were analyzed. Complex impedance data were measured from 100 Hz to 1 MHz at various temperature ranges.

  18. Mixed conductivity in Co-doped lanthanum gallate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Keppeler, F.M.; Nafe, H.; Aldinger, F. [Pulvermetallurgisches Laboratorium, Stuttgart (Germany). Max-Planck-Institut fur Metallforschung; Sammes, N.M. [The University of Waikato, Hamilton (New Zealand). Department of Technology

    1998-12-31

    Materials of the composition La{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}Ga{sub 0.85}Co{sub x}Mg{sub 0.15}O{sub 3-{delta}} (x = 0 to 0.25) were synthesised using standard solid state technique resulting in phase purity and high density. Conductivity measurements at different temperatures and oxygen partial pressures revealed an ionic to metallic-like transition in conduction behaviour with rising Co amount. Samples with low Co contents (x=0.05) showed ionic behaviour with an average value of 0.15 S/cm at 900 deg C while heavy doping (x=0.25) resulted in metallic type conduction with a value of 5.43 S/cm at 900 deg C in air. Copyright (1998) Australasian Ceramic Society 12 refs., 5 figs.

  19. Assessment of the role of micropore size and N-doping in CO2 capture by porous carbons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevilla, Marta; Parra, Jose B; Fuertes, Antonio B

    2013-07-10

    The role of micropore size and N-doping in CO2 capture by microporous carbons has been investigated by analyzing the CO2 adsorption properties of two types of activated carbons with analogous textural properties: (a) N-free carbon microspheres and (b) N-doped carbon microspheres. Both materials exhibit a porosity made up exclusively of micropores ranging in size between micropores with a size below 0.8 nm. It was also observed that the CO2 capture capacities of undoped and N-doped carbons are analogous which shows that the nitrogen functionalities present in these N-doped samples do not influence CO2 adsorption. Taking into account the temperature invariance of the characteristic curve postulated by the Dubinin theory, we show that CO2 uptakes can be accurately predicted by using the adsorption data measured at just one temperature.

  20. One-step preparation of N-doped graphene/Co nanocomposite as an advanced oxygen reduction electrocatalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bai, Fo; Huang, Hao; Tan, Yanlei; Hou, Changmin; Zhang, Ping

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: N-doped graphene/Co nanocomposites were synthesized through one-step pyrolysis process and the product exhibits high performance for ORR and excellent stability in alkaline medium. - Highlights: • N-doped graphene/Co nano-composite is directly synthesized by a one-step method from Co(NO3)2∙6H2O, glucose and dicyandiamide (DCDA). • The electrocatalytic performance of as-prepared NG/Co-0.5 shows the peak potential positively shifts about 10 mV than commercial Pt/C electrode. • The material shows an excellent stability and tolerance to methanol poisoning effects in alkaline medium. - Abstract: N-doped graphene/Co nanocomposites (NG/Co NPs) have been prepared by a simple one-step pyrolysis of Co(NO 3 ) 2 ∙6H 2 O, glucose and dicyandiamide (DCDA). The products with nitrogen doped and suitable graphitic degree perform high electrocatalytic activity (with the reduction peak at −0.099 V vs Ag/AgCl) and near four-electron selectivity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with excellent stability and durability in alkaline medium comparable to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Owing to the superb ORR performance, low cost and facile preparation, the catalysts of NG/Co NPs have great potential applications in fuel cells, metal-air batteries and ORR-related electrochemical industries

  1. Hydrothermal synthesis, structure and photocatalytic properties of La/Bi co-doped NaTaO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lan, Nguyen Thi; Huan, Bui Doan; Anh, Trinh Xuan; Chinh, Huynh Dang; Phan, Le Gia; Hoang, Luc Huy; Hong, Le Van

    2016-01-01

    La/Bi co-doped NaTaO 3 nanomaterials for photocatalytic applications have been successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method at low temperature. The obtained materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and UV-Vis molecular absorption spectroscopy. The results showed that the particle sizes of La/Bi co-doped NaTaO 3 were smaller than that of the pure NaTaO 3 . La/Bi co-doping has extended optical absorption in the visible light region and then successfully increased photocatalytic activity of the La/Bi-codoped NaTaO 3 that were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue (MB). (author)

  2. Evanescent field characterisation for a d-shaped optical fibre using scanning near-field optical microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huntington, S.T.; Nugent, K.A.; Roberts, A.; Mulvaney, P.; Lo, K.M.

    1997-01-01

    Scanning near field optical microscopy is used to measure the evanescent filed and mode profile of a Ge-doped D-shaped optical fibre. The structure of the fibre is determined by differential etching followed by an investigation of the resultant topography with an atomic force microscope. This information is then used to theoretically model the expected behaviour of the fibre and it is shown that the theoretically model the expected behaviour of the fibre and it is shown that the theoretical results are in excellent agreement with the experimentally observed fields

  3. Incorporation of polyoxotungstate complexes in silica spheres and in situ formation of tungsten trioxide nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yuanyuan; Fan, Haimei; Li, Wen; Bi, Lihua; Wang, Dejun; Wu, Lixin

    2010-09-21

    In this paper, we demonstrated a new convenient route for in situ fabrication of well separated small sized WO(3) nanoparticles in silica spheres, through a predeposition of surfactant encapsulated polyoxotungates as tungsten source, and followed by a calcination process. In a typical procedure, selected polyoxotungates with different charges were enwrapped with dioctadecyldimethylammonium cations through electrostatic interaction. Elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and spectral characterization confirmed the formation of prepared complexes with the anticipated chemical structure. The complexes were then phase-transferred into aqueous solution that predissolved surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and finally incorporated into silica spheres through a joint sol-gel reaction with tetraethyl orthosilicate in a well dispersed state under the protection of organic layer for polyoxotungates from the alkaline reaction condition. Transmission electron microscopic images illustrated the well dispersed WO(3) nanoparticles in the size range of ca. 2.2 nm in the silica spheres after the calcination at 465 °C. The sizes of both the silica spheres and WO(3) nanoparticles could be adjusted independently through changing the doping content to a large extent. Meanwhile, the doped polyoxotungate complexes acted as the template for the mesoporous structure in silica spheres after the calcination. Along with the increase of doping content and surfactant, the mesopore size changed little (2.0-2.9 nm), but the specific surface areas increased quite a lot. Importantly, the WO(3)-nanoparticle-doped silica spheres displayed an interesting photovoltaic property, which is favorable for the funtionalization of these nanomaterials.

  4. Carbon Nitrogen Co-Doped P25: Parameter Study on Photodegradation of Reactive Red 4

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azami M. S.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Photocatalytic degradation rate of reactive red 4 (RR4 using carbon coated nitrogen doped TiO2 (C N co-doped TiO2 in photocatalysis process is main goal on this research. The main operating the parameters such as effect of initial dye concentration, catalyst loading, aeration flow rate and initial pH on degradation of RR4 under 45 W fluorescent lamp was investigated. photocatalytic activity of RR4 dye decreased with increasing RR4 dye concentration. The optimum loading is around 0.04 g and optimum aeration rate is about 25 mL min-1 of C N co-doped TiO2. Effect of pH was conducted based on the optimum loading and conclude that the photocatalytic degradation of RR4 became faster at pH 2 - 7. For the future work, the modification of doping with others element like non-metal or metal with C N co-doped TiO2 can be enhanced toward the higher efficieny of photodegradation under visible light. Moreover, the immobilized technique can be used in future to overcome the difficulty of filtration on suspension.

  5. In vivo magnetic resonance and fluorescence dual imaging of tumor sites by using dye-doped silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jang, Haeyun; Lee, Chaedong; Nam, Gi-Eun; Quan, Bo; Choi, Hyuck Jae; Yoo, Jung Sun; Piao, Yuanzhe

    2016-01-01

    The difficulty in delineating tumor is a major obstacle for better outcomes in cancer treatment of patients. The use of single-imaging modality is often limited by inadequate sensitivity and resolution. Here, we present the synthesis and the use of monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles coated with fluorescent silica nano-shells for fluorescence and magnetic resonance dual imaging of tumor. The as-synthesized core–shell nanoparticles were designed to improve the accuracy of diagnosis via simultaneous tumor imaging with dual imaging modalities by a single injection of contrast agent. The iron oxide nanocrystals (∼11 nm) were coated with Rhodamine B isothiocyanate-doped silica shells via reverse microemulsion method. Then, the core–shell nanoparticles (∼54 nm) were analyzed to confirm their size distribution by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic laser scattering. Photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the fluorescent property of the dye-doped silica shell-coated nanoparticles. The cellular compatibility of the as-prepared nanoparticles was confirmed by a trypan blue dye exclusion assay and the potential as a dual-imaging contrast agent was verified by in vivo fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. The experimental results show that the uniform-sized core–shell nanoparticles are highly water dispersible and the cellular toxicity of the nanoparticles is negligible. In vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrates the capability of the developed nanoparticles to selectively target tumors by the enhanced permeability and retention effects and ex vivo tissue analysis was corroborated this. Through in vitro phantom test, the core/shell nanoparticles showed a T2 relaxation time comparable to Feridex ® with smaller size, indicating that the as-made nanoparticles are suitable for imaging tumor. This new dual-modality-nanoparticle approach has promised for enabling more accurate tumor imaging.

  6. In vivo magnetic resonance and fluorescence dual imaging of tumor sites by using dye-doped silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jang, Haeyun; Lee, Chaedong [Seoul National University, Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology (Korea, Republic of); Nam, Gi-Eun [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Quan, Bo [Seoul National University, Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Hyuck Jae [University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Asan Medical Center (Korea, Republic of); Yoo, Jung Sun [Seoul National University, Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Smart Humanity Convergence Center (Korea, Republic of); Piao, Yuanzhe, E-mail: parkat9@snu.ac.kr [Seoul National University, Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-02-15

    The difficulty in delineating tumor is a major obstacle for better outcomes in cancer treatment of patients. The use of single-imaging modality is often limited by inadequate sensitivity and resolution. Here, we present the synthesis and the use of monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles coated with fluorescent silica nano-shells for fluorescence and magnetic resonance dual imaging of tumor. The as-synthesized core–shell nanoparticles were designed to improve the accuracy of diagnosis via simultaneous tumor imaging with dual imaging modalities by a single injection of contrast agent. The iron oxide nanocrystals (∼11 nm) were coated with Rhodamine B isothiocyanate-doped silica shells via reverse microemulsion method. Then, the core–shell nanoparticles (∼54 nm) were analyzed to confirm their size distribution by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic laser scattering. Photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to characterize the fluorescent property of the dye-doped silica shell-coated nanoparticles. The cellular compatibility of the as-prepared nanoparticles was confirmed by a trypan blue dye exclusion assay and the potential as a dual-imaging contrast agent was verified by in vivo fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. The experimental results show that the uniform-sized core–shell nanoparticles are highly water dispersible and the cellular toxicity of the nanoparticles is negligible. In vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrates the capability of the developed nanoparticles to selectively target tumors by the enhanced permeability and retention effects and ex vivo tissue analysis was corroborated this. Through in vitro phantom test, the core/shell nanoparticles showed a T2 relaxation time comparable to Feridex{sup ®} with smaller size, indicating that the as-made nanoparticles are suitable for imaging tumor. This new dual-modality-nanoparticle approach has promised for enabling more accurate tumor imaging.

  7. N/S Co-doped Carbon Derived From Cotton as High Performance Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiawen Xiong

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Highly porous carbon with large surface areas is prepared using cotton as carbon sources which derived from discard cotton balls. Subsequently, the sulfur-nitrogen co-doped carbon was obtained by heat treatment the carbon in presence of thiourea and evaluated as Lithium-ion batteries anode. Benefiting from the S, N co-doping, the obtained S, N co-doped carbon exhibits excellent electrochemical performance. As a result, the as-prepared S, N co-doped carbon can deliver a high reversible capacity of 1,101.1 mA h g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 A g−1, and a high capacity of 531.2 mA h g−1 can be observed even after 5,000 cycles at 10.0 A g−1. Moreover, excellently rate capability also can be observed, a high capacity of 689 mA h g−1 can be obtained at 5.0 A g−1. This superior lithium storage performance of S, N co-doped carbon make it as a promising low-cost and sustainable anode for high performance lithium ion batteries.

  8. N{sub 2}O + CO reaction over Si- and Se-doped graphenes: An ab initio DFT study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gholizadeh, Reza [Laboratory of Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Yu, Yang-Xin, E-mail: yangxyu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn [Laboratory of Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2015-12-01

    Graphical abstract: Si-doped graphene can be one of efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants. - Highlights: • N{sub 2}O can be efficiently reduced by CO over Si-doped graphenes. • Enough charge transferred from Si to N{sub 2}O makes the N{sub 2}–O bond break easily. • Si-doped graphene is efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants. • vdW interaction and ZPE energy significantly influence the predictions of activation energies. - Abstract: Catalytic conversion of non-CO{sub 2} green house gases and other harmful gases is a promising way to protect the atmospheric environment. Non-metal atom-doped graphene is attractive for use as a catalyst in the conversion due to its unique electronic properties, relatively low price and leaving no burden to the environment. To make an attempt on the development of green catalysts for the conversion, ab initio density functional theory is used to investigate the mechanisms of N{sub 2}O reduction by CO on Si- and Se-doped graphenes. We have calculated the geometries and adsorption energies of reaction species (N{sub 2}O, CO, N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}) as well as energy profiles along the reaction pathways. The activation energies of N{sub 2}O decomposition and CO oxidation on both Si- and Se-doped graphenes have been obtained. Our calculated results indicate that the catalytic activity of Si-doped graphene is better than the Fe{sup +} in gas phase and comparable to the single Fe atom embedded on graphene. In the calculations, we found that van der Waals interactions and zero-point energy are two non-negligible factors for the predictions of the activation energies. Further discussion shows that Si-doped graphene can be one of efficient green catalysts for conversion of the airborne pollutants and Se-doped graphene can be a candidate for oxidizing CO by atomic oxygen.

  9. Multifunctional Silica Nanoparticles Modified via Silylated-Decaborate Precursors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fatima Abi-Ghaida

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A new class of multifunctional silica nanoparticles carrying boron clusters (10-vertex closo-decaborate and incorporating luminescent centers (fluorescein has been developed as potential probes/carriers for potential application in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT. These silica nanoparticles were charged in situ with silylated-fluorescein fluorophores via the Stöber method and their surface was further functionalized with decaborate-triethoxysilane precursors. The resulting decaborate dye-doped silica nanoparticles were characterized by TEM, solid state NMR, DLS, nitrogen sorption, elemental analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy.

  10. Alkaline earth metal and samarium co-doped ceria as efficient electrolytes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Amjad; Raza, Rizwan; Kaleem Ullah, M.; Rafique, Asia; Wang, Baoyuan; Zhu, Bin

    2018-01-01

    Co-doped ceramic electrolytes M0.1Sm0.1Ce0.8O2-δ (M = Ba, Ca, Mg, and Sr) were synthesized via co-precipitation. The focus of this study was to highlight the effects of alkaline earth metals in doped ceria on the microstructure, densification, conductivity, and performance. The ionic conductivity comparisons of prepared electrolytes in the air atmosphere were studied. It has been observed that Ca0.1Sm0.1Ce0.8O2-δ shows the highest conductivity of 0.124 Scm-1 at 650 °C and a lower activation energy of 0.48 eV. The cell shows a maximum power density of 630 mW cm-2 at 650 °C using hydrogen fuel. The enhancement in conductivity and performance was due to increasing the oxygen vacancies in the ceria lattice with the increasing dopant concentration. The bandgap was calculated from UV-Vis data, which shows a red shift when compared with pure ceria. The average crystallite size is in the range of 37-49 nm. DFT was used to analyze the co-doping structure, and the calculated lattice parameter was compared with the experimental lattice parameter.

  11. Scintillation properties of Zr co-doped Ce:(Gd, La)_2Si_2O_7 grown by the Czochralski process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murakami, Rikito; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Jary, Vitezslav; Ohashi, Yuji; Pejchal, Jan; Yokota, Yuui; Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, Akira

    2016-01-01

    (Gd_0_._7_5,Ce_0_._0_1_5,La_0_._2_3_5)_2Si_2O_7 (Ce:La-GPS) single crystals co-doped with 0, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 ppm Zr were grown by the Czochralski process, and their scintillation properties were investigated. We investigated the co-doping effect of a stable tetravalent ion in Ce:La-GPS for the first time. The scintillation decay times in the faster component were shortened with increasing the Zr concentration. While the non-co-doped sample showed ∼63 ns day time, the Zr 100, 200, 500 and 1000 ppm co-doped samples showed ∼61, ∼59, ∼57, ∼54 ns, respectively. Additionally, light output, photon nonproportional response (PNR) and other optical properties were investigated. - Highlights: • Czochralski growth of Ce:(Gd,La)_2Si_2O_7 single crystals. • Co-doping effect of a stable tetravalent ion in Ce:(Gd,La)_2Si_2O_7 system. • Photon nonproportional response of Zr co-doped Ce:(Gd,La)_2Si_2O_7.

  12. CO_2 capture in Mg oxides doped with Fe and Ni

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez S, I. F.

    2016-01-01

    In this work the CO_2 capture-desorption characteristics in Mg oxides doped with Fe and Ni obtained by the direct oxidation of Mg-Ni and Mg-Fe mixtures are presented. Mixtures of Mg-Ni and Mg-Fe in a different composition were obtained by mechanical milling in a Spex-type mill in a controlled atmosphere of ultra high purity argon at a weight / weight ratio of 4:1 powder using methanol as a lubricating agent, for 20 h. The powders obtained by mechanical milling showed as main phase, the Mg with nanocrystalline structure. Subsequently, the mixtures of Mg-Ni and Mg-Fe were oxidized within a muffle for 10 min at 600 degrees Celsius. By means of X-ray diffraction analysis, the Mg O with nano metric grain size was identified as the main phase, which was determined by the Scherrer equation. In the Mg O doped with Ni, was identified that as the Ni amount 1 to 5% by weight dispersed in the Mg O matrix was increased, the main peak intensity of the Ni phase increased, whereas in the Mg O doped with Fe was observed by XRD, that the Fe_2O_3 phase was present and by increasing the amount of Fe (1 to 5% by weight) dispersed in the crystalline phase of Mg O, the intensity of this impurity also increased. Sem-EDS analysis showed that the Ni and Fe particles are dispersed homogeneously in the Mg O matrix, and the particles are porous, forming agglomerates. Through energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis, the elemental chemical composition obtained is very close to the theoretical composition. The capture of CO_2 in the Mg O-1% Ni was carried out in a Parr reactor at different conditions of pressure, temperature and reaction time. Was determined that under the pressure of 0.2 MPa at 26 degrees Celsius for 1 h of reaction, the highest CO_2 capture of 7.04% by weight was obtained, while in Mg O-1% Fe the CO_2 capture was 6.32% by weight. The other magnesium oxides doped in 2.5 and 5% by weight Ni and Fe showed lower CO_2 capture. The different stages of mass loss and thermal

  13. Phase stability and lattice thermal conductivity reduction in CoSb{sub 3} skutterudites, doped with chalcogen atoms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Battabyal, M., E-mail: manjusha.battabyal@project.arci.res.in; Priyadarshini, B.; Gopalan, R. [International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), IIT M Research Park, Taramani, Chennai-600113 (India); Pradipkanti, L.; Satapathy, Dillip K. [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600036 (India)

    2016-07-15

    We report a significant reduction in the lattice thermal conductivity of the CoSb{sub 3} skuttertudites, doped with chalcogen atoms. Te/Se chalcogen atoms doped CoSb{sub 3} skutterudite samples (Te{sub 0.1}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12}, Se{sub 0.1}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12}, Te{sub 0.05}Se{sub 0.05}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12}) are processed by ball milling and spark plasma sintering. X-ray diffraction data combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectra indicate the doping of Te/Se chalcogen atoms in the skutterudite. The temperature dependent X-ray diffraction confirms the stability of the Te/Se doped CoSb{sub 3} skutterudite phase and absence of any secondary phase in the temperature range starting from 300 K to 773 K. The Raman spectroscopy reveals that different chalcogen dopant atoms cause different resonant optical vibrational modes between the dopant atom and the host CoSb{sub 3} skutterudite lattice. These optical vibrational modes do scatter heat carrying acoustic phonons in a different spectral range. It was found that among the Te/Se chalcogen atoms, Te atoms alter the host CoSb{sub 3} skutterudite lattice vibrations to a larger extent than Se atoms, and can potentially scatter more Sb related acoustic phonons. The Debye model of lattice thermal conductivity confirms that the resonant phonon scattering has important contributions to the reduction of lattice thermal conductivity in CoSb{sub 3} skutterudites doped with Te/Se chalcogen atoms. Lattice thermal conductivity ∼ 0.9 W/mK at 773 K is achieved in Te{sub 0.1}Co{sub 4}Sb{sub 12} skutterudites, which is the lowest value reported so far in CoSb{sub 3} skutterudites, doped with single Te chalcogen atom.

  14. Micro-joule pico-second range Yb3+-doped fibre laser for medical applications in acupuncture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvarez-Chavez, J. A.; Rivera-Manrique, S. I.; Jacques, S. L.

    2011-08-01

    The work described here is based on the optical design, simulation and on-going implementation of a pulsed (Q-switch) Yb3+-doped, 1-um diffraction-limited fibre laser with pico-second, 10 micro-Joule-range energy pulses for producing the right energy pulses which could be of benefit for patients who suffer chronic headache, photophobia, and even nausea which could is sometimes triggered by a series of factors. The specific therapeutic effect known as acupunctural analgesia is the main objective of this medium-term project. It is a simple design on which commercially available software was employed for laser cavity design. Monte Carlo technique for skin light-transport, thermal diffusion and the possible thermal de-naturalization optical study and prediction will also be included in the presentation. Full optical characterization will be included and a complete set of recent results on the laser-skin interaction and the so called moxi-bustion from the laser design will be extensively described.

  15. One-pot synthetic method to prepare highly N-doped nanoporous carbons for CO2 adsorption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meng, Long-Yue; Park, Soo-Jin

    2014-01-01

    A one-pot synthetic method was used for the preparation of nanoporous carbon containing nitrogen from polypyrrole (PPY) using NaOH as the activated agent. The activation process was carried out under set conditions (NaOH/PPY = 2 and NaOH/PPY = 4) at different temperatures in 600–900 °C for 2 h. The effect of the activation conditions on the pore structure, surface functional groups and CO 2 adsorption capacities of the prepared N-doped activated carbons was examined. The carbon was analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), N2/77 K full isotherms, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The CO 2 adsorption capacity of the N-doped activated carbon was measured at 298 K and 1 bar. By dissolving the activation agents, the N-doped activated carbon exhibited high specific surface areas (755–2169 m 2 g −1 ) and high pore volumes (0.394–1.591 cm 3 g −1 ). In addition, the N-doped activated carbons contained a high N content at lower activation temperatures (7.05 wt.%). The N-doped activated carbons showed a very high CO 2 adsorption capacity of 177 mg g −1 at 298 K and 1 bar. The CO 2 adsorption capacity was found to be dependent on the microporosity and N contents. - Highlights: • A one-pot synthetic method was used for the preparation of N-doped nanoporous carbons. • Polypyrrole (PPY) were activated with NaOH under set conditions (NaOH/PPY = 2 and 4). • N-doped activated carbon exhibited high specific surface areas (2169 m 2 g −1 ). • The carbons showed a very high CO 2 adsorption capacity of 177 mg g −1 at 298 K

  16. Precipitate coarsening and self organization in erbium-doped silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sckerl, Mads W.; Guldberg-Kjær, Søren Andreas; Poulsen, Mogens Rysholt

    1999-01-01

    The influence of heat treatment at and above 1100 degrees C on thin erbium-rich silica layers embedded in silica has been studied experimentally by secondary ion-mass spectrometry and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Redistribution of erbium atoms is observed at these temperature...

  17. Near-infrared and upconversion properties of neodymium-doped RE0.8La0.2VO4 (RE = Y, Gd) single-crystal fibres grown by the laser-heated pedestal growth technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Camargo, A S S de; Nunes, L A O; Andreeta, M R B; Hernandes, A C

    2002-01-01

    Neodymium-doped Y 0.8 La 0.2 VO 4 and Gd 0.8 La 0.2 VO 4 single-crystal fibres were successfully grown by the laser-heated pedestal growth (LHPG) technique. The fibres were completely transparent and no dark inclusions were observed by optical microscopy. In the characterization process, microprobe Raman, optical absorption, fluorescence, lifetime, and gain-excited state absorption spectra were investigated in addition to upconversion measurements. The fibres' structural and spectroscopic properties are very similar to those of YVO 4 and GdVO 4 bulk laser crystals, with the advantageous characteristic of broadened spectral linewidths that facilitate the pumping of the 1064 nm emission by a diode laser. These fairly new crystal compositions, that can be grown in fast and economical processes, are potential candidates for use as compact laser-active media

  18. Spin-state blockade in Te6+-substituted electron-doped LaCoO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomiyasu, Keisuke; Koyama, Shun-Ichi; Watahiki, Masanori; Sato, Mika; Nishihara, Kazuki; Onodera, Mitsugi; Iwasa, Kazuaki; Nojima, Tsutomu; Yamasaki, Yuuichi; Nakao, Hironori; Murakami, Youichi

    2015-03-01

    Perovskite-type LaCoO3 (Co3+: d6) is a rare inorganic material with sensitive and characteristic responses among low, intermediate, and high spin states. For example, in insulating nonmagnetic low-spin states below about 20 K, light hole doping (Ni substitution) induces much larger magnetization than expected; over net 10μB/hole (5μB/Ni) for 1μB/hole (1μB/Ni), in which the nearly isolated dopants locally change the surrounding Co low-spin states to magnetic ones and form spin molecules with larger total spin. Further, the former is isotropic, whereas the latter exhibits characteristic anisotropy probably because of Jahn-Teller distortion. In contrast, for electron doping, relatively insensitive spin-state responses were reported, as in LaCo(Ti4+) O3, but are not clarified, and are somewhat controversial. Here, we present macroscopic measurement data of another electron-doped system LaCo(Te6+) O3 and discuss the spin-state responses. This study was financially supported by Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B) (No. 22740209 and 26800174) from the MEXT of Japan.

  19. Lead removal from aqueous solutions by potassium titanate doped with silica; Remocion de plomo de soluciones acuosas por titanato de potasio dopado con silice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aguilar G, M. A.; Aguilar E, A. [Centro de Investigacion en Materiales Avanzados, Miguel de Cervantes No. 120, 31109 Chihuahua (Mexico); Gorokhovsky, A. V.; Escalante G, J. I. [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, Unidad Saltillo, Carretera Saltillo-Mty Km. 13, Apdo. Postal 663, Saltillo 25000, Coahuila (Mexico)], e-mail: mgzlz@hotmail.com

    2009-07-01

    This paper is related to elimination of Pb{sup 2+} ions from aqueous solutions by adsorption in potassium tetra titanate doped with silica. The adsorbent was prepared in the form of granules with pastes of potassium poly titanate (45 %), powdered Pyrex glass (5 %) and potato starch (50 %), which were extruded and thermally treated at 1100 C. The structural characteristic of the granulated adsorbent allows reducing the Pb concentration, from the solutions eluted through an adsorption column, to levels below the requirement of national standards. The effects of the time of saturation of the adsorbent and the ph of the solution were also investigated on the effectiveness of the adsorption of Pb. The mechanism of lead adsorption, by the developed adsorbent, is considered as a combination of adsorption, ion-exchange and co-precipitation processes. It is also shown that the lead-saturated adsorbent could be utilized to produce high-strength non-dangerous ceramic materials. (Author)

  20. Planar waveguide amplifiers and laser in erbium doped silica

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guldberg-Kjær, Søren Andreas; Kristensen, Martin

    1999-01-01

    with UV-light and that permanent Bragg-gratings can be induced. Planar waveguide lasers with integrated Bragg-gratings are manufactured and characterised. It is shown that linewidths below 125 kHz and output powers around 0.5 mW can be obtained, and that the manufactured lasers are resistant to mechanical...... lightwave circuits, as well as provide the gain medium for integrated planar waveguide lasers. The work and the obtained results are presented in this thesis: The manufacturing of silica thin films is described and it is shown that the refractive index o fthe films can be controlled by germanium co...... as well as thermal influence. A simple method for producing an array of planar waveguide lasers is presented and it is shown that the difference in output wavelength of the individual lasers can be controlled with great accuracy....

  1. Granulated Silica Method for the Fiber Preform Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sönke Pilz

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, we have studied the granulated silica method as a versatile and cost effective way of fiber preform production and the sol-gel method. Until now, we have used the sol-gel technology together with an iterative re-melting and milling step in order to produce rare earth or transition metal doped granular material for the granulated silica method. Here, we present that the iterative re-melting (laser-assisted and milling step is no longer needed to reach a high homogeneity. The sol-gel method also offers a high degree of compositional flexibility with respect to dopants; it further facilitates achieving high concentrations, even in cases when several dopants are used. We employed optical active doped sol-gel derived granulate for the fiber core, whereas pure or index-raised granulated silica has been employed for the cladding. Based on the powder-in-tube technique, where silica glass tubes are appropriately filled with these granular materials, fibers has been directly drawn (“fiber rapid prototyping”, or eventually after an additional optional quality enhancing vitrification step. The powder-in-tube technique is also ideally suited for the preparation of microstructured optical fibers.

  2. In-line formation of chemically cross-linked P84® co-polyimide hollow fibre membranes for H2/CO2 separation

    KAUST Repository

    Choi, Seung Hak

    2010-12-13

    In this study, chemically cross-linked asymmetric P84® co-polyimide hollow fibre membranes with enhanced separation performance were fabricated, using a dry-wet spinning process with an innovative in-line cross-linking step. The chemical modification was conducted by controlled immersion of the coagulated fibre in an aqueous 1,5-diamino-2-methylpentane (DAMP) cross-linker solution before the take-up. The effect of the cross-linker concentration on the thermal, mechanical, chemical and gas transport properties of the membranes was investigated. FT-IR/ATR analysis was used to identify the chemical changes in the polymer, while DSC analysis confirmed the changes in the Tg and the specific heat of the polymer upon cross-linking. Chemical cross-linking with a 10 wt.% aqueous DAMP solution strongly enhanced the H2/CO2 ideal selectivity from 5.3 to 16.1, while the H2 permeance of the membranes decreased from 7.06 × 10−3 to 1.01 × 10−3 m3(STP) m−2 h−1 bar−1 for a feed pressure of 1 bar at 25 °C. The increase of selectivity with decreasing permeance is somewhat higher than the slope in the Robeson upper bound, evidencing the positive effect of the cross-linking on the separation performance of the fibres. Simultaneously, the cross-linking leads to improved mechanical resistance of the membranes, which could be further enhanced by an additional thermal treatment. The produced membranes are therefore more suitable for use under harsh conditions and have a better overall performance than the uncross-linked ones.

  3. Spectrofluorimetry with attomole sensitivity in photonic crystal fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, Gareth O S; Jones, Anita C; Euser, Tijmen G; Russell, Philip St J

    2013-01-01

    We report the use of photonic crystal fibres (PCF) as spectrofluorimetric systems in which sample solutions are excited within the microstructure of the fibre. The use of intra-fibre excitation has several advantages that combine to enable highly sensitive measurements of fluorescence spectra and lifetimes: long path-lengths are achieved by the efficient guidance of the fundamental mode; sample volumes contained within the micron-scale structure are very small, only a few nanolitres per cm of path; collection and guidance of the emitted fluorescence is efficient and the fluorescence lifetime is unperturbed. Fluorophores in bulk solution can be studied in hollow core PCF, whereas the use of PCF with a suspended, solid core enables selective excitation of molecules in close proximity to the silica surface, through interaction with the evanescent field. We demonstrate the measurement of fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetimes in each of these excitation regimes and report the detection of attomole quantities of fluorescein. (paper)

  4. High performance yttrium-doped BSCF hollow fibre membranes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haworth, P.; Smart, S.; Glasscock, Julie

    2012-01-01

    measurements in air was similar for both compositions, suggesting that the higher oxygen fluxes obtained for BSCFY hollow fibres could be attributed to the higher non-stoichiometry due to yttrium addition to the BSCF crystal structure. In addition, the improvement of oxygen fluxes for small wall thickness (∼0...

  5. The superconducting properties of co-doped polycrystalline MgB2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, J D; Perkins, G K; Branford, W; Yates, K A; Caplin, A D; Cohen, L F; Chen, Soo Kien; Rutter, N A; MacManus-Driscoll, Judith L

    2007-01-01

    In this study we compare the critical current density, the irreversibility line and the upper critical field of four MgB 2 polycrystalline samples, which are either undoped or have 5% carbon or 5% carbon plus either 1% aluminium or 2% zirconium. We discuss how care must be taken for the extraction of the irreversibility line in such samples. We also show how ac susceptibility and Hall probe imaging can be used to examine whether the samples remain fully connected to the highest available fields. Compared to simple 5% carbon doping we find that co-doping provides modest improvement in the pinning properties at intermediate fields in the carbon plus zirconium doped sample

  6. Multimodal emissions from Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate glass: Upconversion, downshifting and quantum cutting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bahadur, A.; Yadav, R.S.; Yadav, R.V.; Rai, S.B., E-mail: sbrai49@yahoo.co.in

    2017-02-15

    This paper reports the optical properties of Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate (LB) glass prepared by melt quench method. The absorption spectrum of the Yb{sup 3+} doped LB glass contains intense NIR band centered at 976 nm due to {sup 2}F{sub 7/2}→{sup 2}F{sub 5/2} transition. The emission spectra of the prepared glasses have been monitored on excitation with 266, 355 and 976 nm. The Yb{sup 3+} doped glass emits a broad NIR band centered at 976 nm whereas the Tb{sup 3+} doped glass gives off visible bands on excitations with 266 and 355 nm. When the Tb{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} ions are co-doped together, the emission intensity in the visible region decreases whereas it increases in the NIR region significantly. The increase in the emission intensity in the NIR region is due to efficient cooperative energy transfer (CET) from Tb{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+} ions. The quantum cutting efficiency for Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped glass has been calculated and compared for 266 and 355 nm excitations. The quantum cutting efficiency is larger for 355 nm excitation (137%). The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass also emits upconverted visible bands on excitation with 976 nm. The mechanisms involved in the energy transfer have been discussed using schematic energy level diagram. The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass may be used in the optical devices and in solar cell for solar spectral conversion and behaves as a multi-modal photo-luminescent material. - Graphical abstract: The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate (LB) glass prepared by melt quench method emits upconverted visible emissions through upconversion CET from Yb{sup 3+} to Tb{sup 3+} ions and quantum cutting emissions through downconversion CET from Tb{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+} ions. Therefore, the Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass may find applications in optical devices and solar cell and behaves as a multi-modal photo-luminescent material. - Highlights: • The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3

  7. Colour centres in germanosilicate glass and optical fibres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neustruev, V.B.

    1994-01-01

    This review presents the state of the art of the study of germanium-related colour centres in silica glass and silica-based fibres. Most attention is concentrated on the dominant colour centres such as the Ge-related oxygen-deficient centres and paramagnetic Ge(n) centres, all of them having ultraviolet absorption bands. The hypothetical models and formation mechanisms proposed so far for these colour centres are discussed in detail. The origins of the models and formation mechanisms and their weak and strong points are analysed. The origin of the less well studied Ge-related colour centres in the visible spectral range (GeH, GeX, drawing-dependent defects) is also discussed. (author)

  8. Investigation of semi-insulating InP co-doped with Ti and various acceptors for use in X-ray detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zdansky, K.; Gorodynskyy, V.; Kozak, H.; Pekarek, L.

    2005-01-01

    Semi-insulating InP single crystals co-doped with Zn and Ti and co-doped with Ti and Mn were grown by Czochralski technique. Wafers of these crystals were annealed for a long time at a high temperature and cooled slowly. The samples were characterized by temperature dependent resistivity and Hall coefficient measurements. The binding energies of Ti in semi-insulating InP co-doped with Ti and Zn and co-doped with Ti and Mn were found to differ which shows that Ti may occupy different sites in InP. The curves of Hall coefficient vs. reciprocal temperature deviate from straight lines at low temperatures due to electron and hole mixed conductance. The value of resistivity of the annealed semi-insulating InP co-doped with Ti and Mn reaches high resistivity at a reduced temperature easily achievable by thermo-electric devices which could make this material useable in X-ray detection. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  9. Superparamagnetism and coercivity in HCP-Co nanoparticles dispersed in silica matrix

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Julian Fernandez, C. de E-mail: dejulian@padova.infm.it; Mattei, G.; Sangregorio, C.; Battaglin, C.; Gatteschi, D.; Mazzoldi, P

    2004-05-01

    The magnetic properties of Co HCP nanoparticles dispersed in a silica matrix with sizes between 2{+-}0.7 and 5{+-}2.2 nm were investigated. The temperature dependence of zero-field cooled and field cooled magnetizations and of the coercive field were analyzed considering the thermal activated demagnetization process. Enhanced anisotropy was observed for the 2 nm nanoparticles, while the demagnetization process of the larger ones is dominated by interparticle interactions.

  10. Synthesis Of Silver Nanoparticles Supported On Silica Using As Antifungal Agent By Gamma Irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen Thi Kim Lan; Nguyen Tue Anh; Dang Van Phu; Vo Kim Lang; Nguyen Thuy Khanh; Nguyen Quoc Hien

    2011-01-01

    Silver nanoparticles supported on silica (Ag nano/SiO 2 ) were prepared by gamma Co-60 irradiation method. The formation of Ag nano doped on silica particles was confirmed by the UV-Vis spectroscopy. The size of silver nanoparticles was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) which showed the particle size of Ag nano to be in range of 15-30 nm for Ag + concentration 10 mM. In addition, antifungal activity of Ag nano/SiO 2 was tested against Aspergillus niger var Tieghn by plate count method. The results indicated that the antifungal efficiency of Ag nano/SiO 2 was about 64, 71, 81, 82 and 96% at the concentrations of Ag nanoparticles of 30, 50, 70, 100 and 150 ppm respectively. (author)

  11. Electronic structure study of Co doped CeO2 nanoparticles using X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Shalendra; Gautam, Sanjeev; Song, T.K.; Chae, Keun Hwa; Jang, K.W.; Kim, S.S.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The electronic structural of Co–CeO 2 nanoparticles is investigated using XAFS. • Ce M 5,4 , Ce L 3 and O K edge NEXAFS reveal that the Ce-ions are in +4 valence state. • The NEXAFS spectrum performed at Co L3,2-edge confirms Co-ion in 2+ state. • The EXAFS analysis also show that Co ions are occupying Ce position in doped CeO 2 . • The distances between Ce–O and Ce–Ce/Co in all shells decreases with Co doping. - Abstract: We investigated the electronic structure of well characterized Co doped CeO 2 nanoparticles using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectra at Ce M 5,4 , Ce L 3 and O K-edge conclude that the Ce-ions are in +4 valence state in pure as well as in Co doped CeO 2 nanoparticles. The local structure around Ce-atom in Co doped CeO 2 nanoparticles was also determined using extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy at Ce L 3 edge. The EXAFS analysis suggest that the inter-atomic distance of Ce–O, Ce–Ce/Co decreases with Co doping, which indicate a contraction of the lattice. The decease in Ce–O distance also reflect that there is a formation of oxygen vacancies in CeO 2 matrix. The Debye–Waller factor also shows the consistent behaviour for all the coordination shells. The atomic multiplet calculations for Co L 3,2 -edge was performed to determine the valence state, symmetry and field splitting, which reflect that Co-ions are in 2+ state and substituted at Ce-site with crystal field splitting of 10Dq=-0.57eV. The XAFS measurements reveal that the Co-ions occupy the Ce position in the CeO 2 host matrix and create a oxygen vacancy

  12. Stable single longitudinal mode erbium-doped silica fiber laser based on an asymmetric linear three-cavity structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng Ting; Yan Feng-Ping; Li Qi; Peng Wan-Jing; Feng Su-Chun; Tan Si-Yu; Wen Xiao-Dong

    2013-01-01

    We present a stable linear-cavity single longitudinal mode (SLM) erbium-doped silica fiber laser. It consists of four fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) directly written in a section of photosensitive erbium-doped fiber (EDF) to form an asymmetric three-cavity structure. The stable SLM operation at a wavelength of 1545.112 nm with a 3-dB bandwidth of 0.012 nm and an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) of about 60 dB is verified experimentally. Under laboratory conditions, the performance of a power fluctuation of less than 0.05 dB observed from the power meter for 6 h and a wavelength variation of less than 0.01 nm obtained from the optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) for about 1.5 h are demonstrated. The gain fiber length is no longer limited to only several centimeters for SLM operation because of the excellent mode-selecting ability of the asymmetric three-cavity structure. The proposed scheme provides a simple and cost-effective approach to realizing a stable SLM fiber laser. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  13. PAMAM templated N,Pt co-doped TiO2 for visible light photodegradation of brilliant black.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nzaba, Sarre Kadia Myra; Ntsendwana, Bulelwa; Mamba, Bhekie Brilliance; Kuvarega, Alex Tawanda

    2018-05-01

    This study examined the photocatalytic degradation of an azo dye brilliant black (BB) using non-metal/metal co-doped TiO 2 . N,Pt co-doped TiO 2 photocatalysts were prepared by a modified sol-gel method using amine-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimer generation 0 (PG0) as a template and source of nitrogen. Structural, morphological, and textural properties were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy coupled to energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy (RS), photoluminescence (PL) and ultra-violet/visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). The synthesized photocatalysts exhibited lower band gap energies as compared to the Degussa P-25, revealing a red shift in band gap towards the visible light absorption region. Photocatalytic activity of N,Pt co-doped TiO 2 was measured by the reaction of photocatalytic degradation of BB dye. Enhanced photodegradation efficiency of BB was achieved after 180-min reaction time with an initial concentration of 50 ppm. This was attributed to the rod-like shape of the materials, larger surface area, and enhanced absorption of visible light induced by N,Pt co-doping. The N,Pt co-doped TiO 2 also exhibited pseudo-first-order kinetic behavior with half-life and rate constant of 0.37 and 0.01984 min -1 , respectively. The mechanism of the photodegradation of BB under the visible light irradiation was proposed. The obtained results prove that co-doping of TiO 2 with N and Pt contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic performances of TiO 2 for visible light-induced photodegradation of organic contaminants for environmental remediation. Therefore, this work provides a new approach to the synthesis of PAMAM templated N,Pt co-doped TiO 2 for visible light photodegradation of brilliant black.

  14. Spectroscopic and luminescent properties of Co2+ doped tin oxide thin films by spray pyrolysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Durga Venkata Prasad

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The wide variety of electronic and chemical properties of metal oxides makes them exciting materials for basic research and for technological applications alike. Oxides span a wide range of electrical properties from wide band-gap insulators to metallic and superconducting. Tin oxide belongs to a class of materials called Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCO which constitutes an important component for optoelectronic applications. Co2+ doped tin oxide thin films were prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis synthesis and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, optical, EPR and PL techniques to collect the information about the crystal structure, coordination/local site symmetry of doped Co2+ ions in the host lattice and the luminescent properties of the prepared sample. Powder XRD data revealed that the crystal structure belongs to tetragonal rutile phase and its lattice cell parameters are evaluated. The average crystallite size was estimated to be 26 nm. The morphology of prepared sample was analyzed by using SEM and TEM studies. Functional groups of the prepared sample were observed in the FT-IR spectrum. Optical absorption and EPR studies have shown that on doping, Co2+ ions enter in the host lattice as octahedral site symmetry. PL studies of Co2+ doped SnO2 thin films exhibit blue and yellow emission bands. CIE chromaticity coordinates were also calculated from emission spectrum of Co2+ doped SnO2 thin films.

  15. In vitro acellular dissolution of mineral fibres: A comparative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gualtieri, Alessandro F; Pollastri, Simone; Bursi Gandolfi, Nicola; Gualtieri, Magdalena Lassinantti

    2018-05-04

    The study of the mechanisms by which mineral fibres promote adverse effects in both animals and humans is a hot topic of multidisciplinary research with many aspects that still need to be elucidated. Besides length and diameter, a key parameter that determines the toxicity/pathogenicity of a fibre is biopersistence, one component of which is biodurability. In this paper, biodurability of mineral fibres of social and economic importance (chrysotile, amphibole asbestos and fibrous erionite) has been determined for the first time in a systematic comparative way from in vitro acellular dissolution experiments. Dissolution was possible using the Gamble solution as simulated lung fluid (pH = 4 and at body temperature) so to reproduce the macrophage phagolysosome environment. The investigated mineral fibres display very different dissolution rates. For a 0.25 μm thick fibre, the calculated dissolution time of chrysotile is in the range 94-177 days, very short if compared to that of amphibole fibres (49-245 years), and fibrous erionite (181 years). Diffraction and SEM data on the dissolution products evidence that chrysotile rapidly undergoes amorphization with the formation of a nanophasic silica-rich fibrous metastable pseudomorph as first dissolution step whereas amphibole asbestos and fibrous erionite show minor signs of dissolution even after 9-12 months.

  16. Development of TRPN dendrimer-modified disordered mesoporous silica for CO{sub 2} capture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xiaoyun; Zhang, Sisi; Qin, Hongyan; Wu, Wei, E-mail: wuweiupc@upc.edu.cn

    2014-08-15

    Highlights: • A novel series of TRPN dendrimers are synthesized. • Structurally disordered mesoporous silica was used to develop the CO{sub 2} adsorbent. • The CO{sub 2} adsorption capacity is relatively high. • The sorbent exhibits a high stability after 12 cycling runs. • The sorbent achieves complete desorption at low temperature (60 °C). - Abstract: A novel series of tri(3-aminopropyl) amine (TRPN) dendrimers were synthesized and impregnated on structurally disordered mesoporous silica (DMS) to generate CO{sub 2} adsorbents (TS). The physicochemical and adsorption properties of the adsorbents before and after dendrimer modification were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and N{sub 2} adsorption–desorption (N{sub 2}-BET) techniques. CO{sub 2} adsorption–desorption tests indicated that the sorbent demonstrates high CO{sub 2} adsorption capacity (138.1 mg g{sup −1} for G1 sample TS-G1-3CN-50 and 91.7 mg g{sup −1} for G2 sample TS-G2-6CN-50), and can completely desorb CO{sub 2} under vacuum at 60 °C. Its CO{sub 2} adsorption capacity at 25 °C increases with the amine loading, achieving the highest adsorption capacity (140.6 mg g{sup −1} for TS-G1-3CN) at 60%. The developed TS materials exhibited excellent cycling stability. After 12 consecutive adsorption–desorption runs, TS-G1-3CN-50 shows an adsorption capacity of 136.0 mg g{sup −1}, retaining 98.5% of its original value.

  17. First-principles investigation of H{sub 2}O adsorption on a BN co-doped nanotube

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Jianwei; Pu, Lichun; Hu, Nan [College of Optoelectronic Information, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054 (China); Zeng, Hui [College of Physical Science and Technology, Yangtze University, Jingzhou 434023 (China); Liang, Junwu [Department of Physics and Information Science, Yulin Normal University, Yulin 537000 (China); Peng, Ping [College of Science and Technology of Materials, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

    2012-01-15

    We have investigated the electronic and optical properties of a water adsorbed carbon nanotube (CNT) with boron/nitrogen co-doping by means of density-functional theories (DFTs). These properties play an important role in biological application of the co-doped nanotube. The positions of the inside adsorbed water molecules are all much alike due to confinement effects. The calculated results indicate that the water can be stably adsorbed both inside and outside of the co-doped nanotube. More importantly, the water molecule can act as donor or acceptor depending on its position. The adsorption can significantly decrease the band gap and enhance the localization of the {pi} electron. The optical properties are affected nonlinearly owing to the strong interactivity between the water molecule and the nanotube. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  18. NIR luminescent Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SiO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} nanostructured planar and channel waveguides: Optical and structural properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cunha, Cesar dos Santos [Departamento de Quimica, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, 14040-901, Ribeirao Preto/SP (Brazil); Ferrari, Jefferson Luis [Grupo de Pesquisa em Quimica de Materiais - (GPQM), Departamento de Ciencias Naturais, Universidade Federal de Sao Joao Del Rei, Campus Dom Bosco, Praca Dom Helvecio, 74, 36301-160, Sao Joao Del Rei, MG (Brazil); Oliveira, Drielly Cristina de [Departamento de Quimica, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, 14040-901, Ribeirao Preto/SP (Brazil); Maia, Lauro June Queiroz [Grupo Fisica de Materiais, Instituto de Fisica, UFG, Campus Samambaia, Caixa Postal 131, 74001-970, Goiania/GO (Brazil); Gomes, Anderson Stevens Leonidas [Departamento de Fisica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitaria, Recife/PE, 50670-901 (Brazil); Ribeiro, Sidney Jose Lima [Laboratorio de Materiais Fotonicos, Instituto de Quimica, UNESP, Caixa Postal 355, 14801-970, Araraquara/SP (Brazil); and others

    2012-09-14

    Optical and structural properties of planar and channel waveguides based on sol-gel Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} co-doped SiO{sub 2}-ZrO{sub 2} are reported. Microstructured channels with high homogeneous surface profile were written onto the surface of multilayered densified films deposited on SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates by a femtosecond laser etching technique. The densification of the planar waveguides was evaluated from changes in the refractive index and thickness, with full densification being achieved at 900 Degree-Sign C after annealing from 23 up to 500 min, depending on the ZrO{sub 2} content. Crystal nucleation and growth took place together with densification, thereby producing transparent glass ceramic planar waveguides containing rare earth-doped ZrO{sub 2} nanocrystals dispersed in a silica-based glassy host. Low roughness and crack-free surface as well as high confinement coefficient were achieved for all the compositions. Enhanced NIR luminescence of the Er{sup 3+} ions was observed for the Yb{sup 3+}-codoped planar waveguides, denoting an efficient energy transfer from the Yb{sup 3+} to the Er{sup 3+} ion. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sol-gel high NIR luminescent nanostructured planar and channel waveguides. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Microstructured channels written by a femtosecond laser etching technique. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Transparent glass ceramic with rare earth-doped ZrO{sub 2} nanocrystals in a silica host. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Enhanced NIR luminescence, efficient energy transfer from the Yb{sup 3+} to the Er{sup 3+} ion. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer New planar channel waveguides to be applied as EDWA in the C telecommunication band.

  19. Defect controlled room temperature ferromagnetism in Co-doped barium titanate nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ray, Sugata; Kolen'ko, Yury V; Watanabe, Tomoaki; Yoshimura, Masahiro; Itoh, Mitsuru; Kovnir, Kirill A; Lebedev, Oleg I; Turner, Stuart; Erni, Rolf; Tendeloo, Gustaaf Van; Chakraborty, Tanushree

    2012-01-01

    Defect mediated high temperature ferromagnetism in oxide nanocrystallites is the central feature of this work. Here, we report the development of room temperature ferromagnetism in nanosized Co-doped barium titanate particles with a size of around 14 nm, synthesized by a solvothermal drying method. A combination of x-ray diffraction with state-of-the-art electron microscopy techniques confirms the intrinsic doping of Co into BaTiO 3 . The development of the room temperature ferromagnetism was tracked down to the different donor defects, namely hydroxyl groups at the oxygen site and oxygen vacancies and their relative concentrations at the surface and the core of the nanocrystal, which could be controlled by post-synthesis drying and thermal treatments.

  20. A quantum chemical analysis of Zn and Sb doping and co-doping in SnO2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis Villamagua

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This work presents a quantum chemical study of Zn and Sb doping and co-doping in SnO2 carried out by a DFT+U method. The analysis has been developed by introducing three different modifications in the otherwise pure SnO2 system. In the first place, an oxygen vacancy was introduced within the crystal. Following, such a system was doped (separately by Zn or Sb impurities. Finally, the best energetic positions for both Zn and Sb atoms were simultaneously introduced within the lattice. Results of the simulations show that the confined charge that appeared due to the introduction of the oxygen vacancy interacts with the dopants atoms, being this interaction mostly responsible of the observed effects, i.e., EG shrinkage, F-centers formations, and magnetic momentum rise.

  1. High-intensity fibre laser design for micro-machining applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz-Neria, D. I.; Martinez-Piñón, F.; Hernandez-Escamilla, H.; Alvarez-Chavez, J. A.

    2010-11-01

    This work is focused on the design of a 250W high-intensity continuous-wave fibre optic laser with a 15μm spot size beam and a beam parameter product (BPP) of 1.8 for its use on Laser-assisted Cold Spray process (LCS) in the micro-machining areas. The metal-powder deposition process LCS, is a novel method based on Cold Spray technique (CS) assisted by laser technology. The LCS accelerates metal powders by the use of a high-pressure gas in order to achieve flash welding of particles over substrate. In LCS, the critical velocity of impact is lower with respect with CS while the powder particle is heated before the deposition by a laser beam. Furthermore, LCS does not heat the powder to achieve high temperatures as it happens in plasma processes. This property puts aside cooling problems which normally happen in sintered processes with high oxygen/nitrogen concentration levels. LCS will be used not only in deposition of thin layers. After careful design, proof of concept, experimental data, and prototype development, it should be feasible to perform micro-machining precise work with the use of the highintensity fibre laser presented in this work, and selective deposition of particles, in a similar way to the well-known Direct Metal Laser Sintering process (DMLS). The fibre laser consists on a large-mode area, Yb3+-doped, semi-diffraction limited, 25-m fibre laser cavity, operating in continuous wave regime. The fibre shows an arguably high slope-efficiency with no signs of roll-over. The measured M2 value is 1.8 and doping concentration of 15000ppm. It was made with a slight modification of the traditional MCVD technique. A full optical characterization will be presented.

  2. Impact of cationic diffusion on properties of iron-bearing glass fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smedskjaer, Morten M.; Yue, Yuanzheng; Deubener, Joachim

    2010-01-01

    A silica-rich surface layer of Fe3+-containing aluminosilicate glass fibres is created by means of an inward diffusion process of divalent network modifying cations. The latter is caused by the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ when the fibres undergo a heat treatment at temperatures around the glass...... transition temperature (Tg) in a reducing H2/N2 atmosphere. The thickness of the surface layer can be adjusted by varying the temperature or the duration of the heat treatment. The reduction process has a significant impact on the glass transition and crystallization behaviour, high temperature stability...

  3. Computational investigation of the co-doping effect of sulphur and nitrogen on the electronics of CsTaWO6

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liuxie Liu

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available CsTaWO6 is a typical AMWO6-type compound and the photocatalysis of the pure and doped phases has been extensively studied experimentally. In this work, the electronic structures of sulphur (S and nitrogen (N co-doped CsTaWO6 have been studied in the framework of density functional theory, in particular the S/N co-doping effect has been investigated. It is found that, (i S/N co-dopants prefer to be separated; (ii middle-gap states are introduced by N and S-dopant at the edges of valence band and conduction band; and (iii Co-doping not only narrows the band gap, but also promotes the separation of photo-excited electrons and holes. Feature (iii has been identified as a key reason why S/N co-doped CsTaWO6 is more efficient in photocatalytic water-splitting. A general doping strategy has been further suggested: co-dopants which can dominate the frontier states and favour to be separated can offer excellent photocatalysis performance.

  4. Determination of pulse energy dependence for skin denaturation from 585nm fibre laser

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mujica-Ascencio, S.; Velazquez-Gonzalez, J. S.; Mujica-Ascencio, C.; Alvarez-Chavez, J. A.

    2014-05-01

    In this paper, simulation and mathematical analysis for the determination of pulse energy from a Q-switched Yb3+-doped fibre laser is required in Port Wine Stain (PWS) treatment. The pulse energy depends on average power, gain, volume, repetition rate and pulse duration. In some treatments such as Selective Photothermolysis (SP), the peak power at the end of the optical fibre and pulse duration can be obtained and modified via a cavity design. For that purpose, a 585nm optical fibre laser full design which considers all of the above besides the average losses through the optical devices proposed for the design and the Ytterbium optical fibre overall gain will be presented.

  5. Doping of Co into V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanoparticles enhances photodegradation of methylene blue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suresh, R.; Giribabu, K.; Manigandan, R.; Munusamy, S.; Praveen Kumar, S.; Muthamizh, S. [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Maraimalai Campus, Chennai 600 025 (India); Stephen, A. [Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Madras, Guindy Maraimalai Campus, Chennai 600 025 (India); Narayanan, V., E-mail: vnnara@yahoo.co.in [Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Madras, Guindy Maraimalai Campus, Chennai 600 025 (India)

    2014-06-15

    Highlights: • Co-doped V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanoparticles are synthesized by thermal decomposition method. • The nanoparticles are used as photocatalyst for the first time. • Doped samples exhibited enhanced photodegradation property. • Observed enhanced activity is due to Co and plausible mechanism has been proposed. - Abstract: V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanoparticles doped with different amounts of (x = 2%, 5% and 10%) Co was successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition method with the purpose of enhancing their photodegradation performance under visible light irradiation. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman, UV–Vis, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The photodegradation property of the prepared pure V{sub 2}O{sub 5} and Co-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanoparticles were investigated by using aqueous solution of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. The obtained results clearly indicated that the amount of Co has significant effect on the photodegradation of MB. Particularly, 10%Co-V{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanoparticles exhibits enhanced photodegradation property than the pure, 2% and 5%Co-doped samples. A plausible mechanism was put forth for such significant improvements in photodegradation performance of Co-V{sub 2}O{sub 5}.

  6. Effect of V-Nd co-doping on phase transformation and grain growth process of TiO2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khatun, Nasima; Amin, Ruhul; Anita, Sen, Somaditya

    2018-05-01

    The pure and V-Nd co-doped TiO2 samples are prepared by the modified sol-gel process. The phase formation is confirmed by XRD spectrum. Phase transformation is delayed in V-Nd co-doped TiO2 (TVN) samples compared to pure TiO2. The particle size is comparatively small in TVN samples at both the temperature 450 °C and 900 °C. Hence the effect of Nd doping is dominated over V doping in both phase transformation and grain growth process of TiO2.

  7. Optical properties study of nano-composite filled D shape photonic crystal fibre

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udaiyakumar, R.; Mohamed Junaid, K. A.; Janani, T.; Maheswar, R.; Yupapin, P.; Amiri, I. S.

    2018-06-01

    With the nano-composite materials gaining momentum in the optical field, a new nano-composite filled D shape Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) is designed and the various optical properties are investigated with help of Finite Element Method. In the proposed structure the D-shape PCF is made up of silica with embedded silver nanoparticles and air holes are distributed along the fibre. The designed fibre shows various optical properties such as dispersion, birefringence, beat length and loss with respect to wavelength and compared with different filling factor like 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5. From our estimation and comparative analysis, it has been proved that the fibre loss has been decreased with increasing filling factor. Further this also showed flat dispersion at maximum filling factor.

  8. The effect of boron doping on crystal structure, magnetic properties and magnetocaloric effect of DyCo{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, C.L., E-mail: wangchaolun2004@163.com [The Ames Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3020 (United States); School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Liu, J. [The Ames Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3020 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-2300 (United States); Mudryk, Y.; Gschneidner, K.A. [The Ames Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3020 (United States); Long, Y. [School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Pecharsky, V.K. [The Ames Laboratory U.S. Department of Energy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-3020 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-2300 (United States)

    2016-05-01

    The magnetic properties and magnetic entropy changes of DyCo{sub 2}B{sub x} (x=0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2) alloys were investigated. The Curie temperature (T{sub C}) increases with increasing B concentration. The frequency dependence of ac magnetic susceptibility of DyCo{sub 2} caused by the narrow domain wall pinning effect is depressed by B doping, but the coercivity and the magnetic viscosity are prominently increased in the B doped alloys. The magnetic transition nature of DyCo{sub 2}B{sub x} changes from the first-order to the second-order with increasing x, which leads to the decrease of the maximum magnetic entropy change. However, the relative cooling power (RCP) of DyCo{sub 2} and the B doped alloys remains nearly constant. - Highlights: • The discrepancy between the ZFC and FCC curves of DyCo{sub 2}B{sub x} is enhanced in the B doped samples, while the frequency dependence of the ac magnetic susceptibility is depressed. • The Curie temperature, coercivity and viscosity of DyCo{sub 2}B{sub x} are increased by B doping • The magnetic transition nature of the B doped samples is changed from first order to second order, leading to the decrease of magnetic entropy change. However, the relative cooling power of DyCo{sub 2}B{sub 0.05} is increased about 18%.

  9. Superparamagnetism and coercivity in HCP-Co nanoparticles dispersed in silica matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Julian Fernandez, C. de; Mattei, G.; Sangregorio, C.; Battaglin, C.; Gatteschi, D.; Mazzoldi, P.

    2004-01-01

    The magnetic properties of Co HCP nanoparticles dispersed in a silica matrix with sizes between 2±0.7 and 5±2.2 nm were investigated. The temperature dependence of zero-field cooled and field cooled magnetizations and of the coercive field were analyzed considering the thermal activated demagnetization process. Enhanced anisotropy was observed for the 2 nm nanoparticles, while the demagnetization process of the larger ones is dominated by interparticle interactions

  10. A high-resolution detector based on liquid-core scintillating fibres with readout via an electron-bombarded charge-coupled device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cianfarani, C.; Duane, A.; Fabre, J.P.; Frenkel, A.; Golovkin, S.V.; Gorin, A.M.; Harrison, K.; Kozarenko, E.N.; Kushnirenko, A.E.; Ladygin, E.A.; Martellotti, G.; Medvedkov, A.M.; Nass, P.A.; Obudovski, V.P.; Penso, G.; Petukhov, Yu.P.; Siegmund, W.P.; Tyukov, V.E.; Vasilchenko, V.G.

    1994-01-01

    This paper is a presentation of results from tests in a 5 GeV/c hadron beam of detectors based on liquid-core scintillating fibres, each fibre consisting of a glass capillary filled with organic liquid scintillator. Fibre readout was performed via an Electron-Bombarded Charge-Coupled Device (EBCCD) image tube, a novel instrument that combines the functions of a high-gain, gated image intensifier and a Charge-Coupled Device. Using 1-methylnaphthalene doped with 3 g/l of R45 as liquid scintillator, the attenuation lengths obtained for light propagation over distances greater than 16 cm were 1.5 m in fibres of 20 μm core and 1.0 m in fibres of 16 μm core. For particles that crossed the fibres of 20 μm core at distances of ∼1.8 cm and ∼95 cm from the fibres' readout ends, the recorded hit densities were 5.3 mm -1 and 2.5 mm -1 respectively. Using 1-methylnaphthalene doped with 3.6 g/l of R39 as liquid scintillator and fibres of 75 μm core, the hit density obtained for particles that crossed the fibres at a distance of ∼1.8 cm from their readout ends was 8.5 mm -1 . With a specially designed bundle of tapered fibres, having core diameters that smoothly increase from 16 μm to 75 μm, a spatial precision of 6 μm was measured. (orig.)

  11. Thermoluminescence response of Ge-, Al- and Nd- doped optical fibers by 6 MeV - electron and 6 MeV - photon irradiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hossain, I.; Moburak, A. A.; Saeed, M.A.; Wagiran, H.; Hida, N.; Yaakob, H.N.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we report the prediction of thermoluminescence responses of Neodymium-doped SiO 2 optical fibre with various dose ranges from 0.5 Gy to 4.0 Gy by 6 MeV - electron irradiations without requirement for experimental measurements. A technique has been developed to calculate prediction of 6 MeV - electron response of Neodymium-doped SiO 2 optical fibre by observing the measured TL response of 6 MV - photon and the ratio of known measured photon/electron yield ratio distribution for Ge-doped, Al-doped optical fibre and standard TLD 100 dosimeter. The samples were kept in gelatin capsule an irradiated with 6 MV - photon at the dose range from 0.5 Gy to 4.0 Gy. Siemens model Primus 3368 linear accelerator located at Hospital Sultan Ismail, Johor Bahru has been used to deliver the photon beam to the samples. We found the average response ratio of 6 MV - photon and 6 MeV - electron in Ge-doped, Al-doped optical fibre and standard TLD-100 dosimeter are 0.83(3). Observing the measured value of 6 MV - photon irradiation this average ratio is useful to find the prediction of thermoluminescence responses by 6 MeV - electron irradiation of Neodymium-doped SiO 2 optical fibre by the requirement for experimental measurements with various dose ranges from 0.5 Gy to 4.0 Gy by 6 MV - photon irradiations.

  12. Direct Synthesis of Co-doped Graphene on Dielectric Substrates Using Solid Carbon Sources

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Qi Wang; Pingping Zhang; Qiqi Zhuo; Xiaoxin Lv; Jiwei Wang; Xuhui Sun

    2015-01-01

    Direct synthesis of high-quality doped graphene on dielectric substrates without transfer is highly desired for simplified device processing in electronic applications.However,graphene synthesis directly on substrates suitable for device applications,though highly demanded,remains unattainable and challenging.Here,a simple and transfer-free synthesis of high-quality doped graphene on the dielectric substrate has been developed using a thin Cu layer as the top catalyst and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as both carbon precursors and doping sources.N-doped and N,F-co-doped graphene have been achieved using TPB and F16Cu Pc as solid carbon sources,respectively.The growth conditions were systematically optimized and the as-grown doped graphene were well characterized.The growth strategy provides a controllable transfer-free route for high-quality doped graphene synthesis,which will facilitate the practical applications of graphene.

  13. Co-doping with antimony to control phosphorous diffusion in germanium

    KAUST Repository

    Tahini, H. A.; Chroneos, Alexander; Grimes, R. W.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2013-01-01

    donor co-doping on the migration activation energies of vacancy-mediated diffusion processes. The migration energy barriers for phosphorous and antimony were found to be increased significantly when larger clusters involving two donor atoms and a vacancy

  14. SYNTHESIS OF M–Nd DOPED Fe3O4 NANOPARTICLES (M = Co ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Preferred Customer

    nanoparticles were spherical shaped with inverse spinel structure. ... To obtain nano sized spinel ferrite particles, various preparation techniques have been ... SEM images of (a) Fe3O4, (b) Fe3O4 doped with Nd3+ and Co2+, (c) Fe3O4 doped with. Nd3+ .... Nayar, S.; Mir, A.; Ashok, A.; Sharma, A. J. Bionic Eng. 2010, 7, 29.

  15. Enhancement of ferromagnetic properties in Zn0.98Cu0.02O by additional Co doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Huilian; Zhang, Xu; Liu, Hongbo; Yang, Jinghai; Liu, Yang; Liu, Xiaoyan; Gao, Ming; Wei, Maobin; Cheng, Xin; Wang, Jian

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •The samples were synthesized by sol–gel technology to dope up to 3% Co in ZnCuO. •After Co doped into Zn 0.98 Cu 0.02 O sample photoluminescence shows an increase in green emission. •The saturation magnetization increased with Co doping. -- Abstract: Zn 0.98 Cu 0.02 O and Zn 0.95 Cu 0.02 Co 0.03 O powders were synthesized by sol–gel method, and the effects of Co codoping on the structure, optical and magnetic properties of the Zn 0.98 Cu 0.02 O powders were studied in detail. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement shows the Zn 0.98 Cu 0.02 O and Zn 0.95 Cu 0.02 Co 0.03 O powders were single phase with the ZnO wurtzite structure, and there was no ferromagnetic-related secondary phase in these powders. Moreover, these powders exhibited ferromagnetism at the room temperature investigated by the magnetic measurement, and the ferromagnetism of the Zn 0.98 Cu 0.02 O and Zn 0.95 Cu 0.02 Co 0.03 O samples were originated from the fact that the Cu ions and Co, Cu ions doped into the ZnO lattices, respectively. In addition, the saturation magnetization (Ms) was significantly increased with Co codoping due to the increased density of oxygen vacancies

  16. Development of bioconjugated dye-doped poly(styrene-co-maleimide) nanoparticles as a new bioprobe

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Swanepoel, A

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available -1 Journal of Materials Chemistry B Development of bioconjugated dye-doped poly(styrene-co- maleimide) nanoparticles as a new bioprobe A. Swanepoel, I. du Preez, T. Mahlangu, A. Chetty and B. Klumperman Abstract Fluorescent dye-doped poly...

  17. Effects of a Nano-Silica Additive on the Rock Erosion Characteristics of a SC-CO2 Jet under Various Operating Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Man Huang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In order to improve the erosion capacity of a supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2 jet, the influence of a nano-silica additive on the rock erosion characteristics was experimentally investigated. By impinging the SC-CO2 jets with nano-silica mass fractions of 0 wt % (pure SC-CO2 jet, 3 wt %, 6 wt %, 9 wt %, 12 wt %, 15 wt %, and 18 wt % on specimens of red sandstone, the erosion volumes under various operating conditions were measured and analyzed. Results show that an appropriate amount of nano-silica additive can greatly enhance the erosion ability of a SC-CO2 jet. The effect on the erosion ability largely depends on the operating conditions. For instance, when the other conditions are fixed, 6 wt %, 9 wt %, 12 wt %, and 15 wt % were the optimum mass fractions, successively, with the inlet pressure increasing from 30 MPa to 60 MPa. With the increase in ambient pressure, the optimum mass fraction is unchanged under the constant inlet pressure, while it increases under the constant pressure drop. Additionally, the optimum mass fraction decreases when the fluid temperature increases. In addition, the optimal standoff distances are about five times the nozzle diameter of the nano-silica SC-CO2 jet, and three times for the pure jet. This research provides a new method for effectively enhancing the rock erosion performance of a SC-CO2 jet.

  18. Study of defects and vacancies in structural properties of Mn, co-doped oxides: ZnO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Harish; Kaushik, A.; Alvi, P. A.; Dalela, B.; Dalela, S.

    2018-05-01

    The paper deals with the Structural properties on Mn, Co doped oxides ZnO samples using XRD, Positron Annihilation Lifetime (PAL) Spectra and Raman Spectra. The Mn, Co doped ZnO samples crystallize in a wurtzite structure without any impurity phases in XRD Spectra. The defect state of these samples has been investigated by using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy technique in which all the relevant lifetime parameters are measured for all the spectra. The results are explained in the direction of doping concentration in these samples in terms of defects structure on Zn lattice site VZn and oxygen defects Vo.

  19. Femtosecond pulse generation and amplification in Yb-doped fibre ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    remained a challenge as it requires the careful optimization of dispersion, nonlinearity, gain and ASE ... power is obtained from the fibre oscillator–amplifier system at a repetition rate of 43 ..... ing to 53% optical-to-optical conversion efficiency.

  20. A Pervaporation Study of Ammonia Solutions Using Molecular Sieve Silica Membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Yang

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available An innovative concept is proposed to recover ammonia from industrial wastewater using a molecular sieve silica membrane in pervaporation (PV, benchmarked against vacuum membrane distillation (VMD. Cobalt and iron doped molecular sieve silica-based ceramic membranes were evaluated based on the ammonia concentration factor downstream and long-term performance. A modified low-temperature membrane evaluation system was utilized, featuring the ability to capture and measure ammonia in the permeate. It was found that the silica membrane with confirmed molecular sieving features had higher water selectivity over ammonia. This was due to a size selectivity mechanism that favoured water, but blocked ammonia. However, a cobalt doped silica membrane previously treated with high temperature water solutions demonstrated extraordinary preference towards ammonia by achieving up to a 50,000 mg/L ammonia concentration (a reusable concentration level measured in the permeate when fed with 800 mg/L of ammonia solution. This exceeded the concentration factor expected by the benchmark VMD process by four-fold, suspected to be due to the competitive adsorption of ammonia over water into the silica structure with pores now large enough to accommodate ammonia. However, this membrane showed a gradual decline in selectivity, suspected to be due to the degradation of the silica material/pore structure after several hours of operation.

  1. Controlled generation of silver nanocolloid in amorphous silica materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gil, C.; Garcia-Heras, M.; Carmona, N.; Villages, M. A.

    2004-01-01

    Amorphous silica-based materials bulk and superficially doped with silver nano colloids were prepared. Bulk doped glasses were obtained by conventional melting and doped monolithic slabs by sol-gel. Superficially doped glasses were obtained by ion-exchange and doped coatings by sol-gel. The samples were characterised by TEM and UV-VIS spectrometry. Depending on the composition, the silver incorporation process, and the thermal treatments, several colourings were obtained. By controlling these parameters, metallic silver nano colloids can be generated in the matrices studied. Colloids aggregation and growing up depends on the matrix nature and on the experimental process carried out. (Author) 10 refs

  2. Synthesis and Thermoelectric Properties of Ni-Doped ZrCoSb Half-Heusler Compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Degang Zhao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The Ni-doped ZrCo1−xNixSb half-Heusler compounds were prepared by arc-melting and spark plasma sintering technology. X-ray diffraction analysis results showed that all samples were crystallized in a half-Heusler phase. Thermoelectric properties of ZrCo1−xNixSb compounds were measured from room temperature to 850 K. The electrical conductivity and the absolute value of Seebeck coefficient increased with the Ni-doping content increasing due to the Ni substitution at Co. sites. The lattice thermal conductivity of ZrCo1−xNixSb samples was depressed dramatically because of the acoustic phonon scattering and point defect scattering. The figure of merit of ZrCo1−xNixSb compounds was improved due to the decreased thermal conductivity and improved power factor. The maximum ZT value of 0.24 was achieved for ZrCo0.92Ni0.08Sb sample at 850 K.

  3. Optical and magnetic properties of Co-doped CuO flower/plates/particles-like nanostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basith, N Mohamed; Vijaya, J Judith; Kennedy, L John; Bououdina, M; Hussain, Shamima

    2014-03-01

    In this study, pure and Co-doped CuO nanostructures (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 at wt% of Co) were synthesized by microwave combustion method. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). Powder X-ray diffraction patterns refined by the Rietveld method indicated the formation of single-phase monoclinic structure. The surface morphology and elemental analysis of Co-doped CuO nanostructures were studied by using HR-SEM and EDX. Interestingly, the morphology was found to change considerably from nanoflowers to nanoplates then to nanoparticles with the variation of Co concentration. The optical band gap calculated using DRS was found to be 2.1 eV for pure CuO and increases up to 3.4 eV with increasing cobalt content. Photoluminescence measurements also confirm these results. The magnetic measurements indicated that the obtained nanostructures were ferromagnetic at room temperature with an optimum value of saturation magnetization at 1.0 wt.% of Co-doped CuO, i.e., 970 micro emu/g.

  4. Highly transparent and conductive Sn/F and Al co-doped ZnO thin films prepared by sol–gel method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Zhanchang; Luo, Junming; Tian, Xinlong; Wu, Shoukun; Chen, Chun; Deng, Jianfeng; Xiao, Chumin; Hu, Guanghui; Wei, Zhigang

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • F/Sn and Al co-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol–gel method. • The co-doped nanocrystals exhibit good crystal quality. • The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. • The films showed high transmittance and low resistivity. -- Abstract: Al doped ZnO, Al–Sn co-doped ZnO and Al–F co-doped ZnO nanocrystals were successfully synthesized onto glass substrates by the sol–gel method. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The results indicated that all the films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and exhibited a c-axis preferred orientation. The electrical and optical properties were also investigated by 4-point probe device and Uv–vis spectroscopy, room temperature photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectrum (Raman), respectively. The PL and Raman results suggested that the co-doped films with a very low defect concentration and exhibit a better crystallinity than AZO thin films. The XPS study confirmed the incorporation of Al, Sn and F ions in the ZnO lattice

  5. Co-doping as a tool for tuning the optical properties of singlewalled carbon nanotubes: A first principles study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Deepa; Jaggi, Neena

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents a first principles study on the effect of co-doping on various optical spectra of a zigzag single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT). Optical spectra of a pristine SWCNT, SWCNT co-doped with Aluminum (Al) & Phosphorus (P) and another one co-doped with Al, P and Nitrogen (N) have been calculated using density functional theory (DFT).The theory has been implemented using the Cambridge sequential total energy package (CASTEP) code available as a userfriendly module with the software 'Material Studio'. Polarized and unpolarized light as well as light through polycrystalline media have been considered. The dependence of various spectra on the status of incident light presents a clear evidence of anisotropicity in the optical properties. Analysis of the simulated spectra involves calculation and comparison of different optical properties like dielectric function, reflectivity, refractive index, conductivity and loss function for the pristine and co-doped SWCNTs. Noticeable variations are observed in the optical properties on simultaneously doping the SWCNT with Al and P and then further introducing N atom into the structure so that it can be concluded that co-doping (simultaneous doping with different combinations of dopants) can be evolved as a novel and effective tool for tailoring the optical properties of SWCNTs as per the requirements while designing an optical device. It will prove to be highly significant for effective designing of SWCNT based sensitive optical devices for a variety of technological applications.

  6. Combined Performance of Polypropylene Fibre and Weld Slag in High Performance Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ananthi, A.; Karthikeyan, J.

    2017-12-01

    The effect of polypropylene fibre and weld slag on the mechanical properties of High Performance Concrete (HPC) containing silica fume as the mineral admixtures was experimentally verified in this study. Sixteen series of HPC mixtures(70 MPa) were designed with varying fibre fractions and Weld Slag (WS). Fibre added at different proportion (0, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6%) to the weight of cement. Weld slag was substituted to the fine aggregate (0, 10, 20 and 30%) at volume. The addition of fibre decreases the slump at 5, 9 and 14%, whereas the substitution of weld slag decreases by about 3, 11 and 21% with respect to the control mixture. Mechanical properties like compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity test (UPV) and bond strength were tested. Durability studies such as Water absorption and Sorptivity test were conducted to check the absorption of water in HPC. Weld slag of 10% and fibre dosage of 0.3% in HPC, attains the maximum strength and hence this combination is most favourable for the structural applications.

  7. Enhanced Electrical Activation in In-Implanted Si0.35Ge0.65 by C Co-Doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, Ruixing; Kremer, Felipe; Sprouster, David J.; Mirzaei, Sahar; Decoster, Stefan

    2016-01-01

    In this report, we have achieved a significant increase in the electrically active dopant fraction in Indium (In)-implanted Si 0.35 Ge 0.65 , by co-doping with the isovalent element Carbon (C). Electrical measurements have been correlated with X-ray absorption spectroscopy to determine the electrical properties and the In atom lattice location. With C+In co-doping, the solid solubility of In in Si 0.35 Ge 0.65 was at least tripled from between 0.02 and 0.06 at% to between 0.2 and 0.6 at% as a result of C–In pair formation, which suppressed In metal precipitation. A dramatic improvement of electrical properties was thus attained in the co-doped samples.

  8. Characterization of Bi and Fe co-doped PZT capacitors for FeRAM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cross, Jeffrey S; Kim, Seung-Hyun; Wada, Satoshi; Chatterjee, Abhijit

    2010-08-01

    Ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) has been in mass production for over 15 years. Higher polarization ferroelectric materials are needed for future devices which can operate above about 100 °C. With this goal in mind, co-doping of thin Pb(Zr 40 ,Ti 60 )O 3 (PZT) films with 1 at.% Bi and 1 at.% Fe was examined in order to enhance the ferroelectric properties as well as characterize the doped material. The XRD patterns of PZT-5% BiFeO 3 (BF) and PZT 140-nm thick films showed (111) orientation on (111) platinized Si wafers and a 30 °C increase in the tetragonal to cubic phase transition temperature, often called the Curie temperature, from 350 to 380 °C with co-doping, indicating that Bi and Fe are substituting into the PZT lattice. Raman spectra revealed decreased band intensity with Bi and Fe co-doping of PZT compared to PZT. Polarization hysteresis loops show similar values of remanent polarization, but square-shaped voltage pulse-measured net polarization values of PZT-BF were higher and showed higher endurance to repeated cycling up to 10 10 cycles. It is proposed that Bi and Fe are both in the +3 oxidation state and substituting into the perovskite A and B sites, respectively. Substitution of Bi and Fe into the PZT lattice likely creates defect dipoles, which increase the net polarization when measured by the short voltage pulse positive-up-negative-down (PUND) method.

  9. Microwave assisted synthesis of Co doped NiO nanoparticles and its fluorescence properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Agrawal, Shraddha; Parveen, Azra, E-mail: azrap2015@gmail.com; Azam, Ameer

    2017-04-15

    Nanoparticles of Co doped NiO of the composition Co{sub x}Ni{sub 1-x}O(x=0, 0.03, 0.07, 0.10, 0.13, 0.15) have been successfully synthesized by microwave gel combustion method using citric acid as a chelating agent. The microstructural and compositional analyses have been carried out by XRD, TEM, FESEM and EDAX. The results of structural characterization shows the formation of Co doped Nickel oxide nanoparticles in single phase without any impurity. Particle size was estimated from XRD and Hall-Williamson relation and was found to increase with the increase in Co content. Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR) show the bonding relations of Co ions with the Ni lattice framework. Optical analyses were done by UV–visible absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopy. The absorbance spectra depict an increasing tendency and corresponding decrease in the band gap with the dopant concentration.

  10. The influence of Co content on the luminescence properties of Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Shuxia; Jiang, Haitao

    2018-04-01

    Co-doped ZnO nanoparticles have been synthesized by co-precipitation technique. Photoluminescence spectra change in the range from 350 nm to 600 nm and remain unchanged at about 690 nm with the Co content increase. The UV emission is assigned to exciton emission. The density of band-edge states increases with Co content. The blue emission could be ascribed to the recombination of electrons in Co+ ions and holes in the valence band, whose relative intensity and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) increase with the increase of cobalt concentration. The red emission results from the intra-d-shell emission at Co, which is independent of Co content. The relative density and energy-level position of green emission centers are also influenced by Co content.

  11. Development of efficient amine-modified mesoporous silica SBA-15 for CO2 capture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xiaoyun; Qin, Hongyan; Zheng, Xiuxin; Wu, Wei

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A secondary amine AN-TEPA is used to modify the SBA-15. • CO 2 adsorption capacity (180.1 mg g −1 -adsorbent for 70% amine loading) is high. • The sorbent exhibits a high stability after 12 cycling runs. • The modified SBA-15 achieves complete desorption at low temperature (100 °C). - Abstract: A novel CO 2 sorbent was prepared by impregnating mesoporous silica, SBA-15, with acrylonitrile (AN)-modified tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) in order to increase CO 2 adsorption capacity and improve cycling stability. The mesoporous silica with pre- and post-surface modification was investigated by X-ray diffraction characterization (XRD), N 2 adsorption–desorption test (N 2 -BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The adsorption/desorption performance of S-TN (TN: AN modified TEPA) and S-TEPA was studied by dynamic adsorption. Test results showed that the solid base-impregnated SBA-15 demonstrated high CO 2 adsorption capacity (180.1 mg g −1 -adsorbent for 70% amine loading level). Compared to S-TEPA (24.1% decrease of initial capacity), S-TN with 50% amine loading exhibited improved cycling stability, 99.9% activity reserved (from initial 153.0 mg g −1 to 151.3 mg g −1 ) after 12 cycles of adsorption/desorption at 100 °C. A mechanism of molecular structure of the loaded amine was attributed to the improved performance

  12. Role of IL-1 beta and COX2 in silica-induced IL-6 release and loss of pneumocytes in co-cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herseth, Jan I; Refsnes, Magne; Låg, Marit; Schwarze, Per E

    2009-10-01

    The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and IL-6 are of great importance in the development of silica-induced lung damage and repair. In this study we investigated the role of IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and COX2 in silica-induced regulation of IL-6 release and pneumocyte loss in various mono- and co-cultures of monocytes, pneumocytes and endothelial cells. All co-cultures with monocytes, and especially cultures including endothelial cells, showed an increase of silica-induced release of IL-6 compared to the respective monocultures. Treatment with the antagonist IL-1 ra strongly decreased IL-1 beta and IL-6 release in contact co-cultures of monocytes and pneumocytes. COX2 up-regulation by silica and IL-1 beta was eliminated by IL-1 ra. Inhibition of COX2 markedly reduced both IL-1 beta and IL-6 release. IL-1 ra was more effective than COX2-inhibition in reduction of IL-6, but not of IL-1 beta. Silica-induced pneumocyte loss was reduced by IL-1 beta, but this effect was not counteracted by the IL-1 receptor antagonist. Our findings suggest that silica-induced IL-6 release from pneumocytes is mainly mediated via IL-1 beta release from the monocytes, via both COX2-dependent and -independent pathways. Notably, COX2-derived mediators seem crucial for a positive feed-back regulation of IL-1 beta release from the monocytes. In contrast to silica-induced IL-6, the reduction in pneumocyte loss by IL-1 beta does not seem to be regulated through an IL-1R1-dependent mechanism.

  13. Microstructural and optical properties of Co doped NiO nanoparticles synthesized by auto combustion using NaOH as fuel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parveen, Azra; Agrawal, Shraddha; Azam, Ameer

    2018-05-01

    The nanoparticles of 5% Co doped NiO were synthesized by auto-combustion method in aqueous medium using NaOH as a fuel. The obtained particles were characterized using X-ray diffraction studies XRD. The results of structural characterization shows the formation of Co doped Nickel oxide nanoparticles in single phase without any impurity. The optical absorption spectra of Co doped NiO sample recorded by UV-VIS spectrophotometer in the range of 200 to 800 nm have been presented. The variation of dielectric constant and dielectric loss has been studied as function of frequency. Co doping affects the optical properties and band gap. NiO can potentially be used in optical, electronic, catalytic materials, antimicrobial agent and super-paramagnetic devices.

  14. Corrosion protection of AISI 1018 steel using Co-doped TiO_2/polypyrrole nanocomposites in 3.5% NaCl solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ladan, Magaji; Basirun, Wan Jeffrey; Kazi, Salim Newaz; Rahman, Fariza Abdul

    2017-01-01

    A polypyrrole nanocomposites (PPy NTCs) have been effectively synthesized in the presence of TiO_2 and Co-doped TiO_2 nanoparticles (NPs) by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed a tube shape structure of the PPy. The TEM results confirmed that the nanocomposite size of Co-doped TiO_2/PPy NTCs was smaller than TiO_2/PPy NTCs thereby increasing the interaction between the PPy nanotube and the AISI steel surface. The corrosion performance of the coatings was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 3.5% NaCl solution. The EIS results show that the log |Z| of AISI 1018 coated with Co-doped TiO_2/PPy NTCs and TiO_2/PPy NTCs reached about 8.2 and 6.0 respectively after 30 days of exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution. This is likely due to the increased surface area of the PPy synthesized in the presence of Co-doped TiO_2 NPs. The EIS results are confirmed by the potentiodynamic polarization and open circuit potential values of the Co-doped TiO_2/PPy which indicated little changes between 1 and 30 days of exposure which confirms the protection ability of this coating. . It is evident that the presence of Co-doped TiO_2 NPs can enhance the resistance against corrosion at the steel/electrolyte interface. - Highlights: • Polymerization of pyrrole monomer in the presence of Co-doped TiO_2 decreases the size of the polypyrrole nanotube (PPy NT). • The corrosion protection increases with the increase in PPy NT dispersion. • The corrosion resistance of steel coated with Co-doped TiO_2/PPy NTCs is considerably higher. • TiO_2/PPy with Co doping reduces the charge transfer across the electrolyte/AISI 1018 steel interface.

  15. Comparative investigation on cation-cation (Al-Sn) and cation-anion (Al-F) co-doping in RF sputtered ZnO thin films: Mechanistic insight

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mallick, Arindam; Basak, Durga, E-mail: sspdb@iacs.res.in

    2017-07-15

    Highlights: • Comparative study on Al, Al-Sn and Al-F doped ZnO films has been carried out. • High transparent Al-F co-doped film shows three times enhanced carrier density. • Al-F co-doped film shows larger carrier relaxation time. • Al-Sn co-doped films shows carrier transport dominated by impurity scattering. • Al-F co-doped ZnO film can be applied as transparent electrode. - Abstract: Herein, we report a comparative mechanistic study on cation-cation (Al-Sn) and cation-anion (Al-F) co-doped nanocrystalline ZnO thin films grown on glass substrate by RF sputtering technique. Through detailed analyses of crystal structure, surface morphology, microstructure, UV-VIS-NIR transmission-reflection and electrical transport property, the inherent characteristics of the co-doped films were revealed and compared. All the nanocrystalline films retain the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO and show transparency above 90% in the visible and NIR region. As opposed to expectation, Al-Sn (ATZO) co-doped film show no enhanced carrier concentration consistent with the probable formation of SnO{sub 2} clusters supported by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. Most interestingly, it has been found that Al-F (AFZO) co-doped film shows three times enhanced carrier concentration as compared to Al doped and Al-Sn co-doped films attaining a value of ∼9 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} due to the respective cation and anion substitution. The carrier relaxation time increases in AFZO while it decreases significantly for ATZO film consistent with the concurrence of the impurity scattering in the latter.

  16. Thermoelectric Properties of the Chemically Doped Ca3Co4O9 System: A Structural Perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tao; Tyson, Trevor; Wang, Hsin; Li, Qiang

    2010-03-01

    Cu doped and Y doped [Ca2CoO3][CoO2]1.61 (referred to as Ca3Co4O9) were prepared by solid state reaction. Temperature dependent thermoelectric properties, resistivity (ρ), Seeback coefficient (S) and thermal conductivity (κ), were measured. As seen before, it is found that doping by Cu and Y significantly enhances the thermoelectric properties. In order to understand the origin of these changes in properties in terms of the atomic structure, synchrotron x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy were applied to probe the change in the average structure and the location of the dopants. The details of the location and coordination of Co and Y in the host lattice and the effect on the figure of merit are discussed. This work is supported by DOE Grant DE-FG02-07ER46402.

  17. The synergetic effect of V and Fe-co-doping in TiO{sub 2} studied from the DFT + U first-principle calculation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Baoshun, E-mail: liubaoshun@126.com; Zhao, Xiujian

    2017-03-31

    Highlights: • The effect of Fe and V doping on TiO{sub 2} structure was studied with DFT + U calculation. • V and Fe co-doping affects the formation energies and electronic structure. • V and Fe co-doping causes the synergetic effect on the optical properties. - Abstract: Based on the density functional theory (DFT + U), a detailed study on the energetic, electronic, and optical properties of Fe-, V-, and Fe & V-co-doping anatase and rutile TiO{sub 2} was performed The synergetic effect of Fe & V bimetal co-doping on the optical absorption was discussed on electronic level. Two kinds of co-dopants were considered, which included edge-shared and corner-shared co-doping. It was shown that Fe and V atoms prefer to replace Ti atom in the O-rich contions than in the Ti-rich conditions. Co-doping in anatase reduces the formation energies in both cases, while the formation energies for rutile cannot be decreased. The Bader charge analysis indicates the +3 of Fe atom and +4 of V atom, and the obvious electron exchange between Fe and V atom in co-doping cases can be identified, which indicates the presence of synergetic effect induced by co-doping. The cooperation of Fe & V co-dopants was also supported by the result of projected density of states and spin charge density differences, as the hybridization of Fe3d with V3d orbitals was seen within the TiO{sub 2} forbidden band. Different from single-dopant systems, the V3d-Fe3d co-interaction leads to the formation of some spin mid-gap states, which have an obvious effect on the optical absorptions.

  18. Photoluminescence study of Mn doped ZnS nanoparticles prepared by co-precipitation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deshpande, M. P., E-mail: vishwadeshpande@yahoo.co.in; Patel, Kamakshi, E-mail: kamphysics@gmail.com; Gujarati, Vivek P.; Chaki, S. H. [Department of Physics, Sardar Patel University, VallabhVidyanagr-388120,Anand, Gujarat, India. (India)

    2016-05-06

    ZnS nanoparticles co-doped with different concentration (5,10,15%) of Mn were synthesized using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent under microwave irradiation. We confirmed doping of Mn in the host ZnS by EDAX whereas powder X-ray diffractogram showed the cubic zinc blende structure of all these samples. TEM images did showed agglomeration of particles and SAED pattern obtained indicated polycrystalline nature. From SAED pattern we calculated lattice parameter of the samples which have close resemblance from that obtained from XRD pattern. The band gap values of pure and doped ZnS nanoparticles were calculated from UV-Visible absorption spectra. ZnS itself is a luminescence material but when we dope it with transition metal ion such as Mn, Co, and Cu they exhibits strong and intense luminescence in the particular region. The photoluminescence spectra of pure ZnS nanoparticles showed an emission at 421 and 485nm which is blue emission which was originated from the defect sites of ZnS itself and also sulfur deficiency and when doped with Mn{sup 2+} an extra peak with high intensity was observed at 530nm which is nearly yellow-orange emission which isrelated to the presence of Mn in the host lattice.

  19. Electronic structures and optical properties of GaN nanotubes with MgGa–ON co-doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Mao; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Shuai; Bao, Zhi-qiang; Luo, Shao-jun; Zhou, Tie-Cheng; Zhu, Tian-cong; Li, Xiang; Li, Jia

    2013-01-01

    Both the electronic structures and the optical properties of single-walled zigzag GaN nanotubes (NTs) with Mg Ga –O N co-doping are investigated using first-principles calculations. We find that the Mg Ga –O N defect complex can exist stably in GaN NTs. The direct band gap width of the GaN NTs can be reduced by means of the Mg Ga –O N co-doping. The electrons of the valence band maximum (VBM) state are localized around the N atoms bonded with the Mg atom. The imaginary part ε 2 of the complex dielectric function of GaN NTs with Mg Ga –O N co-doping has a sharp peak closely related to the optical transitions between the VBM and conduction band minimum states. - Highlights: ► The Mg Ga –O N defect complex can exist stably in GaN NTs. ► The band gap of the GaN NTs can be reduced due to the Mg Ga –O N co-doping. ► The VBM states are localized around the N atoms bonded with the Mg atom. ► The ε 2 -plot has a peak related to the optical transition from the VBM to CBM state

  20. Effect of (Mn,Cr) co-doping on structural, electronic and magnetic properties of zinc oxide by first-principles studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aimouch, D. E.; Meskine, S.; Boukortt, A.; Zaoui, A.

    2018-04-01

    In this study, structural, electronic and magnetic properties of Mn doped (ZnO:Mn) and (Mn,Cr) co-doped zinc oxide (ZnO:(Mn,Cr)) have been calculated with the FP-LAPW method by using the LSDA and LSDA+U approximations. Going through three configurations of Mn,Cr co-doped ZnO corresponding to three different distances between manganese and chromium, we have analyzed that ZnO:(Mn,Cr) system is more stable in its preferred configuration2. The lattice constant of undoped ZnO that has been calculated in this study is in a good agreement with the experimental and theoretical values. It was found to be increased by doping with Mn or (Mn,Cr) impurities. The band structure calculations showed the metallic character of Mn doped and Mn,Cr co-doped ZnO. As results, by using LSDA+U (U = 6eV), we show the half-metallic character of ZnO:Mn and ZnO:Mn,Cr. We present the calculated exchange couplings d-d of Mn doped ZnO which is in a good agreement with the former FPLO calculation data and the magnetization step measurement of the experimental work. The magnetic coupling between neighboring Mn impurities in ZnO is found to be antiferromagnetic. In the case of (Mn,Cr) co-doped ZnO, the magnetic coupling between Mn and Cr impurities is found to be antiferromagnetic for configuration1 and 3, and ferromagnetic for configuration2. Thus, the ferromagnetic coupling is weak in ZnO:Mn. Chromium co-doping greatly enhance the ferromagnetism, especially when using configuration2. At last, we present the 2D and 3D spin-density distribution of ZnO:Mn and ZnO:(Mn,Cr) where the ferromagnetic state in ZnO:(Mn,Cr) comes from the strong p-d and d-d interactions between 2p-O, 3d-Mn and 3d-Cr electrons. The results of our calculations suggest that the co-doping ZnO(Mn, Cr) can be among DMS behavior for spintronic applications.

  1. Energetics and magnetism of Co-doped GaN(0001) surfaces: A first-principles study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Zhenzhen; Xiong, Zhihua; Chen, Lanli; Qin, Guangzhao

    2014-01-01

    A comprehensive first-principles study of the energetics, electronic, and magnetic properties of Co-doped GaN(0001) thin films are presented and the effect of surface structure on the magnetic coupling between Co atoms is demonstrated. It is found that Co atoms prefer to substitute the surface Ga sites in different growth conditions. In particular, a CoN/GaN interface structure with Co atoms replacing the first Ga layer is preferred under N-rich and moderately Ga-rich conditions, while CoGa x /GaN interface is found to be energetically stable under extremely Ga-rich conditions. It is worth noted that the antiferromagnetic coupling between Co atoms is favorable in clean GaN(0001) surface, but the existence of ferromagnetism would be expected to occur as Co concentration increased in Ga-bilayer GaN(0001) surface. Our study provides the theoretical understanding for experimental research on Co-doped GaN films and might promise the Co:GaN system potential applications in spin injection devices

  2. Preparation and mechanical properties of unidirectional boron nitride fibre reinforced silica matrix composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Duan; Zhang, Chang-Rui; Li, Bin; Cao, Feng; Wang, Si-Qing

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: → BN fibres hardly degrade when exposed at elevated temperatures. → Few researches have related to BN f /SiO 2 composites. → BN f /SiO 2 composites have fine high-temperature mechanical properties. → Self-healing properties of fused SiO 2 and B 2 O 3 may contribute to the properties. -- Abstract: The unidirectional BN f /SiO 2 composites were prepared via sol-gel method, and the structure, composition and mechanical properties were studied. The results show that the composites consist of BN fibres and α-cristobalite matrix probably as well as the interface phases of Si 3 N 4 and B 2 O 3 . The composites have a density of 1.70 g cm -3 and an open porosity of 20.8%. The average flexural strength, elastic modulus and fracture toughness at room temperature are 51.2 MPa, 23.2 GPa and 1.46 MPa m 1/2 , respectively. The composites show a very plane fracture surface with practically no pulled-out fibres. The mechanical properties of BN f /SiO 2 composites at 300-1000 o C are desirable, with the maximum flexural strength and residual ratio being 80.2 MPa and 156.8% at 500 o C, respectively, while it is a sharply reduced trend as for SiO 2f /SiO 2 composites. The high thermal stability of BN fibres and self-healing properties caused by the fused SiO 2 and B 2 O 3 enable the composites fine high-temperature mechanical properties.

  3. Theoretical studies of superconductivity in doped BaCoSO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Shengshan; Li, Yinxiang; Zhang, Qiang; Le, Congcong; Hu, Jiangping

    2018-06-01

    We investigate superconductivity that may exist in the doped BaCoSO, a multi-orbital Mott insulator with a strong antiferromagnetic ground state. The superconductivity is studied in both t-J type and Hubbard type multi-orbital models by mean field approach and random phase approximation (RPA) analysis. Even if there is no C 4 rotational symmetry, it is found that the system still carries a d-wave like pairing symmetry state with gapless nodes and sign changed superconducting order parameters on Fermi surfaces. The results are largely doping insensitive. In this superconducting state, the three {t_{{2_g}}} orbitals have very different superconducting form factors in momentum space. In particular, the intra-orbital pairing of the {d_{{x^2} - {y^2}}} orbital has an s-wave like pairing form factor. The two methods also predict very different pairing strength on different parts of Fermi surfaces. These results suggest that BaCoSO and related materials can be a new ground to test and establish fundamental principles for unconventional high temperature superconductivity.

  4. Methanesulfonic acid-assisted synthesis of N/S co-doped hierarchically porous carbon for high performance supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huo, Silu; Liu, Mingquan; Wu, Linlin; Liu, Mingjie; Xu, Min; Ni, Wei; Yan, Yi-Ming

    2018-05-01

    Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped carbons are considered as electrode materials for high performance supercapacitors, while their further development is still limited by complicated synthesis procedure, unsatisfied structure and low energy density. Developing a simple synthetic strategy to obtain rationally structured carbon materials and high supercapacitor performance is remaining a grand challenge. Herein, we describe the synthesis of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbons as high performance supercapacitors electrode by a methanesulfonic acid-assisted one-step carbonization and activation of the freeze-dried precursors mixture. The as-prepared carbon material not only exhibits ideally hierarchical pores, but also realizes uniform nitrogen and sulfur co-doping. In 6.0 M KOH electrolyte, the material can achieve a high specific capacitance of 272 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 and a promising rate performance retaining 172 F g-1 even at 100 A g-1. Moreover, a fabricated symmetric supercapacitor based on as-prepared nitrogen and sulfur co-doped hierarchical porous carbon delivers high energy densities of 12.4 W h kg-1 and 8.0 W h kg-1 in 6.0 M KOH liquid and KOH/PVA solid-state electrolytes, respectively. This work presents a simple and effective methanesulfonic acid-assisted approach for mass production of heteroatomic doping hierarchical porous carbons for future energy storage applications.

  5. Optical fibre radiation damage measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ediriweera, S.R.; Kvasnik, F.

    1991-01-01

    The results of studies of changes in the spectroscopic properties of commercial fibers are reported. Analysis of the attenuation spectra of various fibers have confirmed the expected different behavior of Ge-doped and pure silica fibers. However, differences in spectra of fibers made nominally from the same materials but using different processes were also observed. It is therefore concluded that the manufacturing process as well as doping determine the relative abundance of Type I and II color-center defects. The Raman spectra of the fibers were also obtained and analyzed. A strong resonant fluorescence at 650 nm, thought to be due to Type II color-centers, was observed in certain fibers. In general the changes in Raman spectra followed the theoretical expectation, however, the differences between fibers could not be entirely attributed to the doping levels. Again the manufacturing process and the subsequent treatment of fibers is thought to be partially responsible. 12 refs

  6. High-average-power laser medium based on silica glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujimoto, Yasushi; Nakatsuka, Masahiro

    2000-01-01

    Silica glass is one of the most attractive materials for a high-average-power laser. We have developed a new laser material base don silica glass with zeolite method which is effective for uniform dispersion of rare earth ions in silica glass. High quality medium, which is bubbleless and quite low refractive index distortion, must be required for realization of laser action. As the main reason of bubbling is due to hydroxy species remained in the gelation same, we carefully choose colloidal silica particles, pH value of hydrochloric acid for hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate on sol-gel process, and temperature and atmosphere control during sintering process, and then we get a bubble less transparent rare earth doped silica glass. The refractive index distortion of the sample also discussed.

  7. Co-doping induced coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in Bi{sub 3.9}Co{sub 0.1}O{sub 4}S{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Chuan [Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Feng, Zhenjie, E-mail: fengzhenjie@t.shu.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai 200444 (China); Yin, Xunqing; Li, Qing; Kang, Baojuan [Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Lu, Bo [Laboratory for Microstructures, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Jing, Chao; Cao, Shixun [Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Shanghai Key Laboratory of High Temperature Superconductors, Shanghai 200444 (China); Zhang, Jincang [Department of Physics, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China)

    2016-09-15

    Highlights: • Bi{sub 4}O{sub 4}S{sub 3} is a new discovered layered superconductor. Some doping effects, such as Ag, Cu, and Pb, are studied, the superconductivity is suppressed in these doping samples. We doped the Ni magnetic ions to the system, it is interesting that the superconductivity is not suppressed in x = 0.1 sample. Meanwhile, the coexistence of the superconductivity and magnetism is observed in the samples from the M-vs. –H loops. - Abstract: The effects of Co doping on the physical properties of the Bi{sub 4}O{sub 4}S{sub 3} system was studied. We discovered that stable Bi{sub 3.9}Co{sub 0.1}O{sub 4}S{sub 3} compound exhibits both long-range ferromagnetism and enhanced superconductivity with thermodynamic evidences for Tc ∼ 5.5 K. We found that there is an anomalous feature which represents superconducting transition in the hysteretic M-vs.-H loops for Bi{sub 3.9}Co{sub 0.1}O{sub 4}S{sub 3} at T = 3 K.

  8. Iron doped fibrous-structured silica nanospheres as efficient catalyst for catalytic ozonation of sulfamethazine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Zhiyong; Wang, Jianlong; Yang, Qi

    2018-04-01

    Sulfonamide antibiotics are ubiquitous pollutants in aquatic environments due to their large production and extensive application. In this paper, the iron doped fibrous-structured silica (KCC-1) nanospheres (Fe-KCC-1) was prepared, characterized, and applied as a catalyst for catalytic ozonation of sulfamethazine (SMT). The effects of ozone dosage, catalyst dosage, and initial concentration of SMT were examined. The experimental results showed that Fe-KCC-1 had large surface area (464.56 m2 g -1 ) and iron particles were well dispersed on the catalyst. The catalyst had high catalytic performance especially for the mineralization of SMT, with mineralization ratio of about 40% in a wide pH range. With addition of Fe-KCC-1, the ozone utilization increased nearly two times than single ozonation. The enhancement of SMT degradation was mainly due to the surface reaction, and the increased mineralization of SMT was due to radical mechanism. Fe-KCC-1 was an efficient catalyst for SMT degradation in catalytic ozonation system.

  9. Ce decay curves in Ce, Tb co-doped LaF3 and the energy transfer mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kroon, R.E.; Swart, H.C.; Ntwaeaborwa, O.M.; Seed Ahmed, H.A.A.

    2014-01-01

    Energy transfer phenomena can play an important role in the development of luminescent materials, and hosts co-doped with Ce 3+ and Tb 3+ ions continue to be actively studied. Several recent reports on Ce, Tb co-doped phosphors suggest different mechanisms for the energy transfer from Ce 3+ to Tb 3+ ions and further study is required to reach consensus on the mechanism or to understand why different mechanisms dominate in different hosts. A more direct method of analysis is proposed to distinguish between the different types of multipole energy transfer mechanisms. When applied to Ce, Tb co-doped LaF 3 , the experimental data shows a poor match to any of these models but is consistent with energy transfer through the exchange mechanism. The decay curves of Ce emission in Ce, Tb co-doped LaF 3 were also studied to obtain further insight on the energy transfer mechanism. Although the decrease in lifetime with increasing Tb concentration shows that energy transfer occurs through a non-radiative mechanism, the form of the decay curves does not correspond to what is expected for energy transfer via multipole interactions.

  10. Structural and magnetic properties of Co-doped ZnO thin films grown by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baghdad, R.; Lemée, N.; Lamura, G.; Zeinert, A.; Hadj-Zoubir, N.; Bousmaha, M.; Bezzerrouk, M. A.; Bouyanfif, H.; Allouche, B.; Zellama, K.

    2017-04-01

    Cobalt-doped ZnO thin films with several different percentage of Co from 0 up to 15 at% were synthesized via a cheap, simple and versatile method i.e. ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at atmospheric pressure and a substrate temperature of 350 °C. The structure of the as-prepared samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and FTIR. The Co-doping effect is revealed by the presence of three additional peaks around 235, 470 and 538 cm-1 respect to the Raman spectra of the unsubstituted film. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) put in evidence the decrease of the bond force constant f with increasing Co-doping. By ultra-violet visible near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectroscopy on Co-doped samples it was possible to show the presence of additional absorption bands at approximately 570, 620 and 660 nm suggesting that Co2+ ions do not change their oxidation when substituted to zinc and the ZnO lattice does not change its wurtzite structure as well. Finally, all our samples exhibit a paramagnetic behavior without any trace of intrinsic room temperature ferromagnetism.

  11. N-doped graphene coupled with Co nanoparticles as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction in alkaline media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Geng; Lu, Wangting; Cao, Feifei; Xiao, Zhidong; Zheng, Xinsheng

    2016-01-01

    Development of low-cost and highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is still a great challenge for the large-scale application of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, a noble metal-free ORR electrocatalyst in the form of N-doped graphene coupled with part of Co nanoparticles encased in N-doped graphitic shells (named as SUCo-0.03-800) is prepared by facile one-step pyrolysis of the mixture of sucrose, urea and cobalt nitrate. The novel structure is confirmed by High Resolution-TEM, XRD, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. SUCo-0.03-800 presents comparable ORR catalytic activity to commercial Pt/C catalyst with a dominating four-electron pathway under alkaline conditions, and both of its mass activity and volume activity also outperform Co-free N-doped graphene and other Co/N-C hybrids with higher Co content, which may probably be ascribed to the high specific surface area, novel structure and synergistic effect between encased Co nanoparticles and N-doped graphitic shell. Additionally, SUCo-0.03-800 also shows outstanding stability and improved selectivity towards ORR, making it a promising alternative to Pt with potential application in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

  12. Dual pO2/pCO2 fibre optic sensing film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davenport, John J; Hickey, Michelle; Phillips, Justin P; Kyriacou, Panayiotis A

    2017-05-15

    A fibre optic multi-sensor has been developed for biomedical sensing applications using a tip coating solution sensitive to both oxygen and carbon dioxide. An oxygen sensitive phosphorescence quenching complex based on platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) was combined with a carbon dioxide sensitive phosphorescence compound based on 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS). When excited by blue light (470 nm), the resultant coating had two fluorescent peaks at 515 nm (green) and 645 nm (red) which responded to partial pressure of CO 2 and O 2 respectively. The sensor was tested in vitro and shown to be able to measure CO 2 and O 2 simultaneously and in real time, with calibration constants of 0.0384 kPa -1 and 0.309 kPa -1 respectively. The O 2 sensitive peak received some overlap from the 515 nm peak (0.38% of peak intensity) as well as some cross-sensitivity (maximum, 5.1 kPa pCO 2 gave a measurement equivalent to 0.43 kPa of O 2 , a ratio of 0.08 : 1). However, these effects can be subtracted from measurements and no significant cross-sensitivity or overlap was seen in CO 2 measurements from O 2 . This novel compound presents great potential for use in medical sensors and we expect it to be important to a wide range of future applications.

  13. Crystal growth and evaluation of scintillation properties of Eu and alkali-metal co-doped LiSrAlF{sub 6} single crystals for thermal neutron detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wakahara, Shingo; Yokota, Yuui; Yamaji, Akihiro; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Sugiyama, Makoto; Kurosawa, Shunsuke [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Pejchal, Jan [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Institute of Physics AS CR, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague 16253 (Czech Republic); Kawaguchi, Noriaki [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Tokuyama, Co. Ltd., Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Fukuda, Kentaro [Tokuyama, Co. Ltd., Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan)

    2012-12-15

    In recent work, Na co-doping have found to improve the light output of Eu doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} (Eu:LiCAF) for thermal neutron scintillator. We grew Eu 2% and alkali metal 1% co-doped LiSAF crystals by Micro-Pulling down method to understand the effect of alkali metal co-doping on scintillation properties and mechanism compared with LiCAF. In photo- and {alpha}-ray induced radio-luminescence spectra of the all grown crystals, the emissions from d-f transition of Eu{sup 2+} were observed. Without relation to excitation source, decay times of co-doped LiSAF were longer than Eu only doped one. The light yield of Na, K and Cs co-doped LiSAF under {sup 252}Cf neutron excitation were improved. Especially, K co-doped Eu:LiSAF reached 33200 ph/n, which outperformed Eu only doped one by approximately 20% (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  14. Anomalous enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit by V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Ozdogan, K.

    2012-05-10

    The effect of V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3 is studied by full-potential density functional theory. We obtain a stronger increase of the carrier density for V than for Nbdopants. While in Nb-SrTiO3 a high carrier density counteracts a high thermoelectric figure of merit, the trend is inverted by V co-doping. The mechanism leading to this behavior is explained in terms of a local spin-polarization introduced by the V ions. Our results indicate that magnetic co-doping can be a prominent tool for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit.

  15. Anomalous enhancement of the thermoelectric figure of merit by V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3

    KAUST Repository

    Ozdogan, K.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Upadhyay Kahaly, M.

    2012-01-01

    The effect of V co-doping of Nb-SrTiO3 is studied by full-potential density functional theory. We obtain a stronger increase of the carrier density for V than for Nbdopants. While in Nb-SrTiO3 a high carrier density counteracts a high thermoelectric figure of merit, the trend is inverted by V co-doping. The mechanism leading to this behavior is explained in terms of a local spin-polarization introduced by the V ions. Our results indicate that magnetic co-doping can be a prominent tool for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit.

  16. Study of the recrystallization mechanisms of ultra-high purity iron doped with carbon, manganese and phosphorus; Etude des mecanismes de recristallisation dans le fer de ultra-haute purete dope en carbone, manganese et phosphore

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lesne, L.

    2000-07-04

    High purity steels have the potential to improve deep drawing properties for automotive applications. Understanding the influence of the chemical composition on the recrystallization mechanisms and on texture development should help to improve their properties. We have studied the influence of 10 ppm of carbon, 1000 ppm of manganese and 120 ppm of phosphorus on the recrystallization mechanisms of ultra-high purity iron (UHP iron > 99.997%). For this purpose we used 4 materials: one undoped (UHP), one doped with C, one doped with C, Mn and one doped With C, Mn, P. In order to restrict grain coarsening in the hot strips, hot rolling was performed in the ferritic region, in one pass of 80% thickness reduction. The hot bands were then fully recrystallized but exhibited non-isotropic textures, with in particular an intense Goss [110]<001> component for the doped materials. The hot-bands were subsequently cold rolled down to a thickness of 0.8 mm corresponding to a thickness reduction of 80%, and then continuously annealed at 10 deg. C/s. The recrystallization kinetics are delayed with the addition of doping elements. In particular, the incubation time for nucleation is shifted towards higher temperatures while the recrystallization velocity increases. The textures of the fully recrystallized materials exhibit a strong Goss component prejudicial for deep drawing properties. We have established that this component can only appear if coarse grains and carbon in solid solution were simultaneously present in the material before deformation. Characterisation of the cold deformed state enabled us to evaluate the energy stored during deformation as a function of the material composition and the grain orientation: - the overall stored energy increases with the doping elements content. - the stored energy in the {gamma} fibre grains is greater than in the {alpha} fibre grains: 30 J/mol for the {gamma} fibre instead of 5 J/mol for the {alpha} fibre, in the undoped UHP iron. In the

  17. Nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene/carbon nanotube as metal-free electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction: the enhanced performance by sulfur doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Jujiao; Liu, Yanming; Quan, Xie; Chen, Shuo; Zhao, Huimin; Yu, Hongtao

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Metal-free 3D architecture N,S co-doped GR/CNT is prepared by a one-step method. • N,S co-doped GR/CNT exhibits good activity and stability for OER. • S doping is indicated beneficial for OER performance of metal-free catalysts. • The catalytic kinetics is highly correlated with the content of C-S-C structure. • 3D architecture composed of GR and CNT also contributes to the OER activity. - Abstract: Highly active metal-free electrocatalysts consisting of earth-abundant elements for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are extremely desired for renewable energy technologies. Here we prepare the nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene/carbon nanotube (NS-GR/CNT) with 3D architecture by one-step hydrothermal method, which presents good performance for OER. The as-prepared NS-GR/CNT exhibits more negative onset potential and lower Tafel slope (0.56 V, 103 mV decade"−"1 vs. S.C.E. in 0.1 M KOH) compared to single N doped graphene/carbon nanotube (0.65 V, 285 mV decade"−"1), which indicates S doping can significantly enhance the OER performance. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the thiophene-like S (C-S-C) is the dominant S species in all the S doped samples. NS-GR/CNT with C-S-C content of 0.26% has the Tafel slope of 151 mV decade"−"1 while the value for NS-GR/CNT with C-S-C content of 1.09% is 103 mV decade"−"1. The decreased Tafel slope demonstrates the catalytic kinetics are highly correlated with the content of C-S-C. Density functional theory calculations suggest that C-S-C may improve the catalytic kinetics by facilitating the adsorption of the OH"− intermediate. Besides, the 3D architecture composed of graphene and CNTs also contributes to the good performance and chronoamperometric measurement demonstrates the good durability of NS-GR/CNTs.

  18. Erbium–ytterbium fibre laser emitting more than 13 W of power in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-01-05

    Jan 5, 2014 ... We report the work on erbium:ytterbium-doped double clad fibre laser (EYDFL), that is pumped at ... reduction in life-time. The active ... region. Figure 2 shows plot of output power vs. absorbed pump power (after accounting.

  19. Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turitsyn, Sergei K., E-mail: s.k.turitsyn@aston.ac.uk [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Babin, Sergey A. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Churkin, Dmitry V. [Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim [Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Podivilov, Evgenii V. [Novosibirsk State University, 2 Pirogova str., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Automation and Electrometry SB RAS, 1 Ac. Koptug. ave., 630090, Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

    2014-09-10

    The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

  20. Random distributed feedback fibre lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turitsyn, Sergei K.; Babin, Sergey A.; Churkin, Dmitry V.; Vatnik, Ilya D.; Nikulin, Maxim; Podivilov, Evgenii V.

    2014-01-01

    The concept of random lasers exploiting multiple scattering of photons in an amplifying disordered medium in order to generate coherent light without a traditional laser resonator has attracted a great deal of attention in recent years. This research area lies at the interface of the fundamental theory of disordered systems and laser science. The idea was originally proposed in the context of astrophysics in the 1960s by V.S. Letokhov, who studied scattering with “negative absorption” of the interstellar molecular clouds. Research on random lasers has since developed into a mature experimental and theoretical field. A simple design of such lasers would be promising for potential applications. However, in traditional random lasers the properties of the output radiation are typically characterized by complex features in the spatial, spectral and time domains, making them less attractive than standard laser systems in terms of practical applications. Recently, an interesting and novel type of one-dimensional random laser that operates in a conventional telecommunication fibre without any pre-designed resonator mirrors–random distributed feedback fibre laser–was demonstrated. The positive feedback required for laser generation in random fibre lasers is provided by the Rayleigh scattering from the inhomogeneities of the refractive index that are naturally present in silica glass. In the proposed laser concept, the randomly backscattered light is amplified through the Raman effect, providing distributed gain over distances up to 100 km. Although an effective reflection due to the Rayleigh scattering is extremely small (∼0.1%), the lasing threshold may be exceeded when a sufficiently large distributed Raman gain is provided. Such a random distributed feedback fibre laser has a number of interesting and attractive features. The fibre waveguide geometry provides transverse confinement, and effectively one-dimensional random distributed feedback leads to the

  1. Highly active Ni/Y-doped ZrO{sub 2} catalysts for CO{sub 2} methanation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takano, H., E-mail: takano_hi@hitachizosen.co.jp [Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kashiwa, 277-8515 (Japan); Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628 (Japan); Kirihata, Y.; Izumiya, K.; Kumagai, N. [Hitachi Zosen Corporation, Kashiwa, 277-8515 (Japan); Habazaki, H., E-mail: habazaki@eng.hokudai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628 (Japan); Division of Applied Chemistry & Frontier Chemistry Center, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8628 (Japan); Hashimoto, K. [Tohoku Institute of Technology, Sendai, 277-8515 (Japan)

    2016-12-01

    Highlights: • The Ni/Y-doped ZrO{sub 2} catalysts show highly catalytic activity for CO{sub 2} methanation. • Bidentate carbonate is a major adsorption spice on the Ni/Y-doped ZrO{sub 2} catalysts. • The oxide support of t-ZrO{sub 2} and/or c-ZrO{sub 2} with oxygen vacancies plays a key role. - Abstract: The catalytic methanation of CO{sub 2} was carried out on Ni catalysts supported on Y-doped ZrO{sub 2} with various Y{sup 3+} concentrations and Ni/(Zr + Y) molar ratio = 1. The catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy, specific surface area, temperature-programmed desorption of CO{sub 2}, and temperature-programmed reaction. In addition, operando diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy (DRIFT) was used to identify the adsorbed reaction intermediate. Catalysts supported on Y-doped ZrO{sub 2} show higher catalytic activity than the catalyst on Y-free ZrO{sub 2} with a monoclinic ZrO{sub 2} phase. The catalytic activity is also dependent upon the Y{sup 3+} concentration, and the highest activity was obtained for the catalyst with a Y/(Zr + Y) molar ratio of 0.333, which consists mainly of fcc Ni and cubic ZrO{sub 2} phase. Y{sup 3+} doping into ZrO{sub 2} introduces oxygen vacancies, which play an important role in enhancing the catalytic activity. The operando DRIFT study reveals that a CO adsorption intermediate is absent, and bidentate carbonate is an important intermediate for CH{sub 4} formation.

  2. Ionic conductivity of co-doped Sc2O3-ZrO2 ceramics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Omar, Shobit; bin Najib, Waqas; Chen, Weiwu

    2012-01-01

    The oxide ionic conductivity of Sc0.18Zr0.82O1.91 doped with 0.5 mol.% of both Yb2O3 and In2O3 is evaluated at various temperatures in air. Among various co-doped compositions, In0.02Sc0.18Zr0.80O1.90 exhibits the highest grain ionic conductivity followed by Yb0.02Sc0.18Zr0.80O1.90 at 500°C....... However, it also possesses phase transformation from c- to β-phase at 475°C on cooling. In the present work, an attempt is made to completely stabilize the cphase in In0.02Sc0.18Zr0.80O1.90 by substituting 0.5 mol.% of In2O3 with Yb2O3, which can enhance the ionic conductivity in co-doped compositions....

  3. Electronic Structure and Optical Properties of Co and Fe doped ZnO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Chunping

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available First-principle ultrasoft pseudo potential approach of the plane wave based on density functional theory has been used for studying the electronic characterization and optical properties of ZnO and Fe, Co doped ZnO. The results show that the doping impurities change the lattice parameters a little, but bring more changes in the electronic structures. The band gaps are broadened by doping. And the Fermi level accesses to the conduction band which will lead the system to show the character of metallic properties. The dielectric function and absorption peaks are identified and the changes compared to pure ZnO are analyzed in detail.

  4. Theoretical study of ozone adsorption on the surface of Fe, Co and Ni doped boron nitride nanosheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmanzadeh, Davood; Askari Ardehjani, Nastaran

    2018-06-01

    In this work, the adsorption of ozone molecule on Fe, Co and Ni doped boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) were investigated using density functional theory. The most stable adsorption configurations, charge transfer and adsorption energy of ozone molecule on pure and doped BNNSs are calculated. It is shown that ozone molecule has no remarkable interaction with pure boron nitride nanosheet, it tends to be chemisorbed on Fe, Co and Ni doped BNNSs with adsorption energy in the range of -249.4 to -686.1 kJ/mol. In all configurations, the adsorption of ozone molecule generates a semiconductor by reducing Eg in the pure and Fe, Co and Ni doped boron nitride nanosheet. It shows that the conductance of BNNSs change over the adsorption of ozone molecule. The obtained results in this study can be used in developing BN-based sheets for ozone molecule removal.

  5. Preparation and characterization of carbon and nitrogen Co-doped TiO/sub 2/ with enhanced visible light activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, D.; Fang, B.; Zhang, K.; Hu, C.

    2012-01-01

    To make full use of solar light in photocatalysis reactions, carbon and nitrogen co-doped Titanium dioxide nanoparticles were prepared through a facile process. Subsequently the structure and properties of the doped nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra (PL), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. In addition, the photo-catalytic activity of the samples was evaluated by photo-catalytic degradation of methyl orange aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. Results revealed that the calcined temperatures affected the structure and photo-catalytic activity of the nanoparticles and the N, C-co-doped TiO/sub 2/ (400 deg. C) nanoparticles exhibited the highest photo-catalytic activity, which could be attributed to the synergistic effect of co-doped carbon and nitrogen atoms. (author)

  6. Effect of Eu{sup 3+} doping on the structural and photoluminescence properties of cubic CaCO{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Yan; Sun, Yidi; Zou, Haifeng; Sheng, Ye; Zhou, Xiuqing; Zhang, Bowen; Zhou, Bing, E-mail: zhoubing@jlu.edu.cn

    2016-01-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The doping of Eu{sup 3+} ions decreased the size of CaCO{sub 3} nanoparticles. • The doping of Eu{sup 3+} ions brought about the change of CaCO{sub 3}'s optical bandgap. • Multiple sites of Eu{sup 3+} in CaCO{sub 3} nanocrystals have been identified. - Abstract: CaCO{sub 3}:xEu{sup 3+} (x = 0, 0.010, 0.015, 0.020, and 0.025) cubic nanoparticles were synthesized by carbonation method. The powder XRD patterns and SEM images of the CaCO{sub 3}:xEu{sup 3+} nanoparticles demonstrate that both the crystalline sizes and average particle sizes of synthesized samples decreased with the increase of Eu{sup 3+} content until x = 0.020. Kubelka–Munk plots and bandgap energy estimation indicate that the doping of Eu{sup 3+} ions changed optical bandgap of CaCO{sub 3}. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that the PL intensity of the CaCO{sub 3}:xEu{sup 3+} nanoparticles was enhanced with the increase of Eu{sup 3+} content in cubic CaCO{sub 3}:xEu{sup 3+}, and concentration quenching occurred when Eu{sup 3+} concentration exceeded 2.0 mol%. In addition, the doped sites of Eu{sup 3+} in CaCO{sub 3} crystalline were identified by the site-selective spectroscopy and decay curves.

  7. Defect mediated reversible ferromagnetism in Co and Mn doped zinc oxide epitaxial films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mal, Siddhartha; Nori, Sudhakar; Narayan, J. [Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); Mula, Suhrit [Department of Material Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela 769008 (India); Prater, J. T. [Materials Science Division, Army Research Office, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 (United States)

    2012-12-01

    We have introduced defects in ZnO (undoped and doped with Co and Mn) epitaxial thin films using laser irradiation from nanosecond laser pulses and thermal annealing in oxygen ambient. In contrast to the as grown samples, the laser irradiated films show a significant increase in conductivity, enhancement in UV emission, while maintaining the same wurtzite crystal structure. Room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) is observed in laser-irradiated samples, which increased with the number of laser pulses up to a certain value where magnetic moment saturates. The induced ferromagnetism as well as the enhanced electrical conductivity can be reversed with thermal annealing in oxygen ambient. The magnetization in Co and Mn doped films was found to be strong function of growth conditions and defect concentration. X-ray diffraction and optical absorption experiments suggested a 2+ valance state and tetrahedral coordination for both Co and Mn ions. There is a simultaneous increase in n-type electrical conductivity with the number of laser pulses and continue to exhibit semiconducting behavior in both undoped and doped films. The saturation magnetization was found to be 0.08 {mu}{sub B}/Co and 0.05 {mu}{sub B}/Mn, much lower than 3.0 {mu}{sub B}/Co and 5.0 {mu}{sub B}/Mn, indicating the prominent role of intrinsic defects in RTFM with some contribution from Co{sup 2+}-oxygen vacancy complexes. We propose a unified mechanism based upon introduction of intrinsic defects to explain RTFM and n-type conductivity enhancements during pulsed laser and thermal annealing.

  8. Optical fibre luminescence sensor for real-time LDR brachytherapy dosimetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woulfe, P.; O'Keeffe, S.; Sullivan, F. J.

    2018-02-01

    An optical fibre sensor for monitoring low dose radiation is presented. The sensor is based on a scintillation material embedded within the optical fibre core, which emits visible light when exposed to low level ionising radiation. The incident level of ionising radiation can be determined by analysing the optical emission. An optical fibre sensor is developed, based on radioluminescence whereby radiation sensitive scintillation material, terbium doped gadolinium oxysulphide (Gd2O2S:Tb), is embedded in a cavity of 700μm of a 1mm plastic optical fibre. The sensor is designed for in-vivo monitoring of the radiation dose during radio-active seed implantation for low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy, in prostate cancer treatment, providing radiation oncologists with real-time information of the radiation dose to the target area and/or nearby organs at risk (OARs). The radiation from the brachytherapy seeds causes emission of visible light from the scintillation material through the process of radioluminescence, which penetrates the fibre, propagating along the optical fibre for remote detection using a multi-pixel photon counter. The sensor demonstrates a high sensitivity to 0.397mCi of Iodine125, the radioactive source most commonly used in brachytherapy for treating prostate cancer.

  9. Corrosion protection of AISI 1018 steel using Co-doped TiO{sub 2}/polypyrrole nanocomposites in 3.5% NaCl solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ladan, Magaji, E-mail: ladanmagaji@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 (Malaysia); Department of Pure and Industrial Chemistry, Bayero University Kano (Nigeria); Basirun, Wan Jeffrey, E-mail: jeff@um.edu.my [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 (Malaysia); Institute of Nanotechnology and Catalysis (NanoCat), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 (Malaysia); Kazi, Salim Newaz; Rahman, Fariza Abdul [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603 (Malaysia)

    2017-05-01

    A polypyrrole nanocomposites (PPy NTCs) have been effectively synthesized in the presence of TiO{sub 2} and Co-doped TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs) by an in situ chemical oxidative polymerization. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed a tube shape structure of the PPy. The TEM results confirmed that the nanocomposite size of Co-doped TiO{sub 2}/PPy NTCs was smaller than TiO{sub 2}/PPy NTCs thereby increasing the interaction between the PPy nanotube and the AISI steel surface. The corrosion performance of the coatings was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization measurements in 3.5% NaCl solution. The EIS results show that the log |Z| of AISI 1018 coated with Co-doped TiO{sub 2}/PPy NTCs and TiO{sub 2}/PPy NTCs reached about 8.2 and 6.0 respectively after 30 days of exposure in 3.5% NaCl solution. This is likely due to the increased surface area of the PPy synthesized in the presence of Co-doped TiO{sub 2} NPs. The EIS results are confirmed by the potentiodynamic polarization and open circuit potential values of the Co-doped TiO{sub 2}/PPy which indicated little changes between 1 and 30 days of exposure which confirms the protection ability of this coating. . It is evident that the presence of Co-doped TiO{sub 2} NPs can enhance the resistance against corrosion at the steel/electrolyte interface. - Highlights: • Polymerization of pyrrole monomer in the presence of Co-doped TiO{sub 2} decreases the size of the polypyrrole nanotube (PPy NT). • The corrosion protection increases with the increase in PPy NT dispersion. • The corrosion resistance of steel coated with Co-doped TiO{sub 2}/PPy NTCs is considerably higher. • TiO{sub 2}/PPy with Co doping reduces the charge transfer across the electrolyte/AISI 1018 steel interface.

  10. Aminopropyl-Functionalized Silica CO2 Adsorbents via Sonochemical Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory P. Knowles

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Aminopropyl-functionalized hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS products, as are of interest for CO2 capture applications, were separately prepared by mixing aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTS and HMS in toluene via a conventional stirred reactor and via sonication assisted methods, to investigate the potential of sonication to facilitate the preparation of products with higher tether loadings and correspondingly higher CO2 sorption capacities. Sonication was expected to improve both the dispersion of the substrate in the solvent and the diffusion of the silane throughout the mesoporous substrate. Structural properties of the products were determined by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption/desorption (77 K, helium pycnometry, and elemental analysis, and CO2 adsorption/desorption properties were determined via thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The tether loadings of the sonication products (up to 1.8 tethers·nm−2 were found to increase with sonication time and in each case were greater than the corresponding product prepared by the conventional approach. It was also found that the concentration of the reagent mixture influenced the extent of functionalization, that the crude products cured effectively under N2 flow as under vacuum, and that rinsing the crude products prior to curing was not essential. Sonication products with higher tether loadings were found to exhibit higher CO2 sorption capacities as expected.

  11. FibreBags vs. FibreCaps for acid and neutral detergent fibre analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Koivisto , Jason

    2003-01-01

    International audience; A new procedure for determining acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre (ADF and NDF) was developed to reduce the need for filtration and to allow for batch processing of forage samples. The FibreBag system is an economically necessary evolution of the earlier FibreCap system. The purpose of this enquiry was to determine if the FibreBag is a suitable replacement for the FibreCap. The FibreBag method produced very similar results to the FibreCap system of analy...

  12. Silica Aerogels Doped with Ru(II) Tris 1,l0-Phenanthro1ine)-Electron Acceptor Dyads: Improving the Dynamic Range, Sensitivity and Response Time of Sol-Gel Based Oxygen Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kevebtusm Bucgikas; Rawashdeh, Abdel M.; Elder, Ian A.; Yang, Jinhua; Dass, Amala; Sotiriou-Leventis, Chariklia

    2005-01-01

    Complexes 1 and 2 were characterized in fluid and frozen solution and as dopants of silica aerogels. The intramolecular quenching efficiency of pendant 4-benzoyl-N-methylpyridinium group (4BzPy) is solvent dependent: emission is quenched completely in acetonitrile but not in alcohols. On the other hand, N-benzyl-N'-methylviologen (BzMeV) quenches the emission in all solvents completely. The differences are traced electrochemically to a stronger solvation effect by the alcohol in the case of 1. In fiozen matrices or absorbed on the surfaces of silica aerogel, both 1 and 2 are photoluminescent. The lack of quenching has been traced to the environmental rigidity. When doped aerogels are cooled to 77K, the emission shifts to the blue and its intensity increases in analogy to what is observed with Ru(II) complexes in media undergoing fluid-to-rigid transition. The photoluminescence of 1 and 2 from the aerogel is quenched by oxygen diffusing through the pores. In the presence of oxygen, aerogels doped with 1 can modulate their emission over a wider dynamic range than aerogels doped with 2, and both are more sensitive than aerogels doped with Ru(II) tris(1,l0- phenanthroline). In contrast to frozen solutions, the luminescent moieties in the bulk of aerogels kept at 77K are still accessible, leading to more sensitive platforms for oxygen sensors than other ambient temperature configurations.

  13. Dependence of the up-conversion emission of Li+ co-doped Y2O3:Er3+ films with dopant concentration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meza-Rocha, A.N.; Huerta, E.F.; Caldiño, U.; Carmona-Téllez, S.; Bettinelli, M.; Speghini, A.; Pelli, S.; Righini, G.C.

    2015-01-01

    The effect of dopant concentration on the up-conversion emission, and in particular on the Er 3+ related green and red emissions of spray pyrolysis deposited films of Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ co-doped with Li + , is reported. Er 3+ concentrations in the films in the range of 1.1–5.6 at% (1.5–14 at% Er 3+ in the spraying solution) were studied, as well as the effect of co-doping them with Li + . Large concentrations of Er 3+ favor the red emission, especially for contents higher than 10 at% in the spraying solution. Li + co-doping improves the green and red emissions up to 365 and 171 times, respectively, depending on the Er 3+ and Li + concentrations. - Highlights: Up-converting Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ and Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ , Li + films were deposited by spray pyrolysis. The effect of Li + co-doping on the green and red UC Er 3+ emission is reported. Li + co-doping improves the green and red emission up to 365 and 171 times

  14. Optical properties study of nano-composite filled D shape photonic crystal fibre

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Udaiyakumar

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available With the nano-composite materials gaining momentum in the optical field, a new nano-composite filled D shape Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF is designed and the various optical properties are investigated with help of Finite Element Method. In the proposed structure the D-shape PCF is made up of silica with embedded silver nanoparticles and air holes are distributed along the fibre. The designed fibre shows various optical properties such as dispersion, birefringence, beat length and loss with respect to wavelength and compared with different filling factor like 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5. From our estimation and comparative analysis, it has been proved that the fibre loss has been decreased with increasing filling factor. Further this also showed flat dispersion at maximum filling factor. Keywords: Nanoparticles, Nano-composite, Dispersion, Birefringence, Beat length

  15. Electrospun aniline-tetramer-co-polycaprolactone fibres for conductive, biodegradable scaffolds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guex, A G; Spicer, C D; Armgarth, A; Gelmi, A; Humphrey, E J; Terracciano, C M; Harding, S; Stevens, M M

    2017-09-01

    Conjugated polymers have been proposed as promising materials for scaffolds in tissue engineering applications. The restricted processability and biodegradability of conjugated polymers limit their use for biomedical applications however. Here we synthesised a block- co -polymer of aniline tetramer and PCL (AT-PCL), and processed it into fibrous non-woven scaffolds by electrospinning. We showed that fibronectin (Fn) adhesion was dependant on the AT-PCL oxidative state, with a reduced Fn unfolding length on doped membranes. Furthermore, we demonstrated the cytocompatibility and potential of these membranes to support the growth and osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 over 21 days.

  16. Boron/nitrogen pairs Co-doping in metallic carbon nanotubes: a first-principle study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouyang Fang-Ping; Peng Sheng-Lin; Chen Ling-Na; Sun Shu-Yuan; Xu Hui

    2011-01-01

    By using the first-principles calculations, the electronic structure and quantum transport properties of metallic carbon nanotubes with B/N pairs co-doping have been investigated. It is shown that the total energies of metallic carbon nanotubes are sensitive to the doping sites of the B/N pairs. The energy gaps of the doped metallic carbon nanotubes decrease with decreasing the concentration of the B/N pair not only along the tube axis but also around the tube. Moreover, the I—V characteristics and transmissions of the doped tubes are studied. Our results reveal that the conducting ability of the doped tube decreases with increasing the concentrations of the B/N pairs due to symmetry breaking of the system. This fact opens a new way to modulate band structures of metallic carbon nanotubes by doping B/N pair with suitable concentration and the novel characteristics are potentially useful in future applications. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  17. Thermal detection thresholds of Aδ- and C-fibre afferents activated by brief CO2 laser pulses applied onto the human hairy skin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maxim Churyukanov

    Full Text Available Brief high-power laser pulses applied onto the hairy skin of the distal end of a limb generate a double sensation related to the activation of Aδ- and C-fibres, referred to as first and second pain. However, neurophysiological and behavioural responses related to the activation of C-fibres can be studied reliably only if the concomitant activation of Aδ-fibres is avoided. Here, using a novel CO(2 laser stimulator able to deliver constant-temperature heat pulses through a feedback regulation of laser power by an online measurement of skin temperature at target site, combined with an adaptive staircase algorithm using reaction-time to distinguish between responses triggered by Aδ- and C-fibre input, we show that it is possible to estimate robustly and independently the thermal detection thresholds of Aδ-fibres (46.9±1.7°C and C-fibres (39.8±1.7°C. Furthermore, we show that both thresholds are dependent on the skin temperature preceding and/or surrounding the test stimulus, indicating that the Aδ- and C-fibre afferents triggering the behavioural responses to brief laser pulses behave, at least partially, as detectors of a change in skin temperature rather than as pure level detectors. Most importantly, our results show that the difference in threshold between Aδ- and C-fibre afferents activated by brief laser pulses can be exploited to activate C-fibres selectively and reliably, provided that the rise in skin temperature generated by the laser stimulator is well-controlled. Our approach could constitute a tool to explore, in humans, the physiological and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in processing C- and Aδ-fibre input, respectively.

  18. Morphology and contact angle studies of poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile modified epoxy resin blends and their glass fibre reinforced composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2007-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the surface characteristics of blends and composites of epoxy resin were investigated. Poly(styrene-co-acylonitrile (SAN was used to modify diglycedyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA type epoxy resin cured with diamino diphenyl sulfone (DDS and the modified epoxy resin was used as the matrix for fibre reinforced composites (FRP’s. E-glass fibre was used as the fibre reinforcement. The scanning electron micrographs of the fractured surfaces of the blends and composites were analyzed. Morphological analysis revealed different morphologies such as dispersed, cocontinuous and phase-inverted structures for the blends. Contact angle studies were carried out using water and methylene iodide at room temperature. The solid surface energy was calculated using harmonic mean equations. Blending of epoxy resin increases its contact angle. The surface free energy, work of adhesion, interfacial free energy, spreading coefficient and Girifalco-Good’s interaction parameter were changed significantly in the case of blends and composites. The incorporation of thermoplastic and glass fibre reduces the wetting and hydrophilicity of epoxy resin.

  19. TUNABLE MAGNETIC AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF Co-DOPED ZnO FILMS BY VARYING OXYGEN PARTIAL PRESSURE

    OpenAIRE

    L. G. WANG; H. W. ZHANG; X. L. TANG; Y. X. LI; Z. Y. ZHONG

    2011-01-01

    High quality Co-doped ZnO films with good reproducibility have been prepared under different oxygen partial pressure by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. These films were characterized using numerous characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction, electrical transport, and magnetization measurements. The effect of oxygen partial pressure on the structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of Co-doped ZnO films has been systematically studied. It was found that the structural, ...

  20. Effective visible light-active nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO4 for the degradation of organic pollutants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Min; Niu, Chao; Liu, Jun; Wang, Qianwu; Yang, Changxiu; Zheng, Haoyan

    2015-01-01

    Nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO 4 (N–xSm–BiVO 4 ) nanoparticles were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. The physicochemical properties of the resultant N–xSm–BiVO 4 particles were characterized using various methods: XPS, XRD, SEM, BET, and UV–Vis DRS analyses. The visible-light photocatalytic activity was successfully demonstrated by degrading a model dye, namely, methyl orange. The dopant content was optimized, and the nitrogen and samarium co-doped BiVO 4 extended the light absorption spectrum toward the visible region, significantly enhancing the photodegradation of the model dye. The Sm and N co-doped BiVO 4 exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity compared to materials with a single dopant or no dopant. The significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity of the N–Sm co-doped BiVO 4 under visible-light irradiation can be attributed to the synergistic effects of the nitrogen and samarium. - Highlights: • The N–Sm codoped BiVO 4 were synthesized using a sol–gel method with a corn stem template. • The N and Sm codoped BiVO 4 has excellent photocatalytic activity of methyl orange degradation. • The maximum activity was observed when the molar ratio of Sm/Bi was 1.0. • The high photocatalytic activity was caused by the synergistic effects between N doping and Sm doping

  1. Co-doping with antimony to control phosphorous diffusion in germanium

    KAUST Repository

    Tahini, H. A.

    2013-02-15

    In germanium, phosphorous and antimony diffuse quickly and as such their transport must be controlled in order to design efficient n-typed doped regions. Here, density functional theory based calculations are used to predict the influence of double donor co-doping on the migration activation energies of vacancy-mediated diffusion processes. The migration energy barriers for phosphorous and antimony were found to be increased significantly when larger clusters involving two donor atoms and a vacancy were formed. These clusters are energetically stable and can lead to the formation of even larger clusters involving a number of donor atoms around a vacancy, thereby affecting the properties of devices.

  2. Rose-like I-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 microspheres with enhanced visible light response: DFT calculation, synthesis and photocatalytic performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zai, Jiantao; Cao, Fenglei; Liang, Na; Yu, Ke; Tian, Yuan; Sun, Huai; Qian, Xuefeng

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • DFT reveals I"− can partially substitute CO_3"2"−to narrow the bandgap of Bi_2O_2CO_3. • Sodium citrate play a key role on the formation of rose-like I-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3. • Rose-like I-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 show enhanced visible light response. • The catalyst has enhanced photocatalytic activity to organic and Cr(VI) pollutes. - Abstract: Based on the crystal structure and the DFT calculation of Bi_2O_2CO_3, I"− can partly replace the CO_3"2"−in Bi_2O_2CO_3 to narrow its bandgap and to enhance its visible light absorption. With this in mind, rose-like I-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 microspheres were prepared via a hydrothermal process. This method can also be extended to synthesize rose-like Cl- or Br-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 microspheres. Photoelectrochemical test supports the DFT calculation result that I- doping narrows the bandgap of Bi_2O_2CO_3 by forming two intermediate levels in its forbidden band. Further study reveals that I-doped Bi_2O_2CO_3 microspheres with optimized composition exhibit the best photocatalytic activity. Rhodamine B can be completely degraded within 6 min and about 90% of Cr(VI) can be reduced after 25 min under the irradiation of visible light (λ > 400 nm).

  3. Study of doping non-PMMA polymer fibre canes with UV photosensitive compounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hassan, Hafeez Ul; Fasano, Andrea; Janting, Jakob

    2016-01-01

    and hollow-core TOPAS canes were doped with a solution of dopants in acetone/methanol and hexane/methanol, respectively. Doping time, solvent mixture concentration and doping temperature were optimised. A long and stepwise drying process was applied to the doped canes to ensure complete solvent removal...

  4. Fe-N co-doped SiO2@TiO2 yolk-shell hollow nanospheres with enhanced visible light photocatalytic degradation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan, Hengcheng; Yao, Weitang; Zhu, Wenkun; Tang, Yi; Ge, Huilin; Shi, Xiaozhong; Duan, Tao

    2018-06-01

    SiO2@TiO2 yolk@shell hollow nanospheres (STNSs) is considered as an outstanding photocatalyst due to its tunable structure and composition. Based on this point, we present an unprecedentedly excellent photocatalytic property of STNSs toward tannic acid via a Fe-N co-doped strategy. Their morphologies, compositions, structure and properties are characterized. The Fe-N co-doped STNSs formed good hollow yolk@shell structure. The results show that the energy gap of the composites can be downgraded to 2.82 eV (pure TiO2 = 3.2 eV). Photocatalytic degradation of tannic acid (TA, 30 mg L-1) under visible light (380 nm TiO2 nanospheres, non-doped STNSs and N-doped STNSs, the Fe-N co-doped STNSs exhibits the highest activity, which can degrade 99.5% TA into CO2 and H2O in 80 min. The probable degradation mechanism of the composites is simultaneously proposed, the band gap of STNSs becomes narrow by co-doping Fe-N, so that the TiO2 shell can stimulate electrons under visible light exposure, generate the ions of radOH and radO2- with a strong oxidizing property. Therefore this approach works is much desired for radioactive organic wastewater photocatalytic degradation.

  5. Theoretical aspects of fibre laser cutting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahrle, A; Beyer, E, E-mail: achim.mahrle@iws.fraunhofer.d [University of Technology Dresden, Institute for Surface and Manufacturing Technology, PO Box, 01062 Dresden (Germany)

    2009-09-07

    Fibre lasers offer distinct advantages over established laser systems with respect to power efficiency, beam guidance and beam quality. Consequently, the potential of these new laser beam sources will be increasingly exploited for laser cutting applications that are conventionally carried out with CO{sub 2} lasers. However, theoretical estimates of the effective absorptivity at the cut front suggest that the shorter wavelength of the fibre laser in combination with its high focusability seems to be primarily advantageous for thin sheet metal cutting whereas the CO{sub 2} laser is probably still capable of cutting thicker materials more efficiently. This surprising result is a consequence of the absorptivity behaviour of metals that shows essential quantitative differences for the corresponding wavelengths of both laser sources as a function of the angle of incidence between the laser beam and the material to be cut. In evaluation of the revealed dependences, solution strategies for an improvement of the efficiency of fibre laser cutting of thicker metal sheets are suggested.

  6. Effect of (Nd, Ni) co-doped on the multiferroic and photocatalytic properties of BiFeO{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vanga, Pradeep Reddy [Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli 620 015 (India); Mangalaraja, R.V. [Department of Materials Engineering, University of Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile); Ashok, M., E-mail: ashokm@nitt.edu [Nanomaterials Laboratory, Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli 620 015 (India)

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • Sol–gel synthesis. • Saturation magnetization and ferroelectricity increases in Ni co-doped samples. • Conduction mechanism is different in Nd doped and (Nd, Ni) co-doped samples. • Samples show good photocatalytic activity in the presence of H{sub 2}O{sub 2}. - Abstract: Bi{sub 0.95}Nd{sub 0.05}Fe{sub 1−x}Ni{sub x}O{sub 3} (x = 0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05) samples are synthesized by solgel method. The phase and crystal structure of the samples are confirmed by X-ray diffraction studies, Rietveld refinement is performed to calculate the structural parameters. The reflectance spectra show bands in UV and visible region and the optical band gap is calculated using Kulbeka–Munk function. The magnetization and leakage current density are strongly influenced by doping. Different conduction mechanisms are observed in Nd doped and Ni co-doped samples. All the samples exhibit ferroelectric nature at various frequencies. Photocatalytic activities of the samples are determined by the degradation of methylene blue dye in the presence of visible light and H{sub 2}O{sub 2} which shows samples are good photo-Fenton like catalyst.

  7. Preparation of silica coated and 90Y-radiolabeled β-NaYF4 upconverting nanophosphors for multimodal tracing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Najmr, Stan; Lu, Tianfeng; Keller, Austin W.; Zhang, Mingyue; Lee, Jennifer D.; Makvandi, Mehran; Pryma, Daniel A.; Kagan, Cherie R.; Murray, Christopher B.

    2018-06-01

    Rare-earth (RE) compounds have been actively pursued for therapeutic and diagnostic applications due to their ability to upconvert near infrared light into the UV–vis range. Through nanoengineering and bottom-up synthesis, additional functionality can be added to these upconverting systems. Herein, we report the synthesis of 90Y-doped β-NaYF4:Er, Yb upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs) to enable β-particle emission and upconversion by the same UCNP. To homogenously incorporate the radionuclides, we employ a hydroxide metathesis method to produce the RE precursor required for the solvothermal synthesis of monodisperse UCNPs. Once incorporated, we find that the β-emitting 90Y dopants do not influence the energy pathways required for upconversion, enabling simultaneous radio- and optical-tracing. The resulting large (>100 nm in height and width), anisotropic, 90Y-radiolabeled β-NaYF4 UCNPs are then coated with silica using a modified, micelle-driven Stöber process to enable their dispersion in polar solvents. Doing so highlights the importance of surfactant (Igepal CO-520) and silica source (tetraethyl orthosilicate) interactions to the continuity of the silica shell and makes the vast library of silica surface chemistry and functionality accessible to upconverting radiotracers.

  8. Novel porous carbon materials with ultrahigh nitrogen contents for selective CO 2 capture

    KAUST Repository

    Zhao, Yunfeng; Zhao, Lan; Yao, Kexin; Yang, Yang; Zhang, Qiang; Han, Yu

    2012-01-01

    Nitrogen-doped carbon materials were prepared by a nanocasting route using tri-continuous mesoporous silica IBN-9 as a hard template. Rationally choosing carbon precursors and carefully controlling activation conditions result in an optimized material denoted as IBN9-NC1-A, which possesses a very high nitrogen doping concentration (∼13 wt%) and a large surface area of 890 m 2 g -1 arising from micropores (<1 nm). It exhibits an excellent performance for CO 2 adsorption over a wide range of CO 2 pressures. Specifically, its equilibrium CO 2 adsorption capacity at 25 °C reaches up to 4.50 mmol g -1 at 1 bar and 10.53 mmol g -1 at 8 bar. In particular, it shows a much higher CO 2 uptake at low pressure (e.g. 1.75 mmol g -1 at 25 °C and 0.2 bar) than any reported carbon-based materials, owing to its unprecedented nitrogen doping level. The high nitrogen contents also give rise to significantly enhanced CO 2/N 2 selectivities (up to 42), which combined with the high adsorption capacities, make these new carbon materials promising sorbents for selective CO 2 capture from power plant flue gas and other relevant applications. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  9. An in situ vapour phase hydrothermal surface doping approach for fabrication of high performance Co3O4 electrocatalysts with an exceptionally high S-doped active surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Zhijin; Liu, Porun; Zhang, Haimin; Wang, Yun; Al-Mamun, Mohammad; Yang, Hua Gui; Wang, Dan; Tang, Zhiyong; Zhao, Huijun

    2015-04-04

    A facile in situ vapour phase hydrothermal (VPH) surface doping approach has been developed for fabrication of high performance S-doped Co3O4 electrocatalysts with an unprecedentedly high surface S content (>47%). The demonstrated VPH doping approach could be useful for enrichment of surface active sites for other metal oxide electrocatalysts.

  10. Properties of fluorine and tin co-doped ZnO thin films deposited by sol–gel method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Zhanchang; Zhang, Pengwei; Tian, Xinlong; Cheng, Guo; Xie, Yinghao; Zhang, Huangchu; Zeng, Xiangfu; Xiao, Chumin; Hu, Guanghui; Wei, Zhigang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •F and Sn co-doped ZnO thin films were synthesized by sol–gel method. •The effects of different F doping concentrations were investigated. •The co-doped nanocrystals exhibit good crystal quality. •The origin of the photoluminescence emissions was discussed. •The films showed high transmittance and low resistivity. -- Abstract: Highly transparent and conducting fluorine (F) and tin (Sn) co-doped ZnO (FTZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol–gel processing. The structure and morphology of the films are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) with various F doping concentrations. SEM images showed that the hexagonal ZnO crystals were well-arranged on the glass substrates and the HRTEM images indicated that the individual nanocrystals are highly oriented and exhibited a perfect lattice structure. Owing to its high carrier concentration and mobility, as well as good crystal quality, a minimum resistivity of 1 × 10 −3 Ω cm was obtained from the FTZO thin film with 3% F doping, and the average optical transmittance in the entire visible wavelength region was higher than 90%. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study confirmed the substitution of Zn 2+ by Sn ions and Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) observed for pure and FTZO thin films suggested the films exhibit a good crystallinity with a very low defect concentration

  11. Charge-doping and chemical composition-driven magnetocrystalline anisotropy in CoPt core-shell alloy clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Díaz, P.; Muñoz-Navia, M.; Dorantes-Dávila, J.

    2018-03-01

    Charge-doping together with 3 d-4 d alloying emerges as promising mechanisms for tailoring the magnetic properties of low-dimensional systems. Here, throughout ab initio calculations, we present a systematic overview regarding the impact of both electron(hole) charge-doping and chemical composition on the magnetocrystalline anisotropy (MA) of CoPt core-shell alloy clusters. By taking medium-sized Co n Pt m ( N = n + m = 85) octahedral-like alloy nanoparticles for some illustrative core-sizes as examples, we found enhanced MA energies and large induced spin(orbital) moments in Pt-rich clusters. Moreover, depending on the Pt-core-size, both in-plane and off-plane directions of magnetization are observed. In general, the MA of these binary compounds further stabilizes upon charge-doping. In addition, in the clusters with small MA, the doping promotes magnetization switching. Insights into the microscopical origins of the MA behavior are associated to changes in the electronic structure of the clusters. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  12. Enhanced room temperature ferromagnetism in electrodeposited Co-doped ZnO nanostructured thin films by controlling the oxygen vacancy defects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simimol, A. [Nanomaterials Research Lab, Surface Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Post Bag No. 1779, Bangalore 560017 (India); Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Calicut 673601 (India); Anappara, Aji A. [Department of Physics, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Calicut 673601 (India); Greulich-Weber, S. [Department of Physics, Nanophotonic Materials, Faculty of Science, University of Paderborn, 33095 Paderborn (Germany); Chowdhury, Prasanta [Nanomaterials Research Lab, Surface Engineering Division, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, Post Bag No. 1779, Bangalore 560017 (India); Barshilia, Harish C., E-mail: harish@nal.res.in

    2015-06-07

    We report the growth of un-doped and cobalt doped ZnO nanostructures fabricated on FTO coated glass substrates using electrodeposition method. A detailed study on the effects of dopant concentration on morphology, structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the ZnO nanostructures has been carried out systematically by varying the Co concentration (c.{sub Co}) from 0.01 to 1 mM. For c.{sub Co }≤ 0.2 mM, h-wurtzite phase with no secondary phases of Co were present in the ZnO nanostructures. For c.{sub Co} ≤ 0.2 mM, the photoluminescence spectra exhibited a decrease in the intensity of ultraviolet emission as well as band-gap narrowing with an increase in dopant concentration. All the doped samples displayed a broad emission in the visible range and its intensity increased with an increase in Co concentration. It was found that the defect centers such as oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials were the source of the visible emission. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies revealed, Co was primarily in the divalent state, replacing the Zn ion inside the tetrahedral crystal site of ZnO without forming any cluster or secondary phases of Co. The un-doped ZnO nanorods exhibited diamagnetic behavior and it remained up to a c.{sub Co} of 0.05 mM, while for c.{sub Co }> 0.05 mM, the ZnO nanostructures exhibited ferromagnetic behavior at room temperature. The coercivity increased to 695 G for 0.2 mM Co-doped sample and then it decreased for c.{sub Co }> 0.2 mM. Our results illustrate that up to a threshold concentration of 0.2 mM, the strong ferromagnetism is due to the oxygen vacancy defects centers, which exist in the Co-doped ZnO nanostructures. The origin of strong ferromagnetism at room temperature in Co-doped ZnO nanostructures is attributed to the s-d exchange interaction between the localized spin moments resulting from the oxygen vacancies and d electrons of Co{sup 2+} ions. Our findings provide a new insight for tuning the

  13. Nonlinear optical properties of Nd3+-Li+ co-doped ZnS-PVP thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talwatkar, S. S.; Sunatkari, A. L.; Tamgadge, Y. S.; Muley, G. G.

    2018-04-01

    The nonlinear optical properties of Nd3+-Li+ co-doped ZnS-PVP nanocomposite were studied using a continuous wave (CW) He-Ne laser (λ = 632.8 nm)by z-scan technique. The nonlinear refractive index (n2), absorption coefficient (β) and third order nonlinear susceptibility (χ(3)) of PVP thin films embedded with Nd3+-Li+ co-doped ZnS NPs was found in the order of 10-7 cm2/W, 10-6 cm/W and 10-7 esu respectively. The nonlinearity found increasing with Nd3+-Li+ co-dopant concentration. Based on the results, it is proposed that this material is a new class of luminescent material suitable in optoelectronics devices application, especially in light-emitting devices, electroluminescent devices, display devices, etc.

  14. Processing with kW fibre lasers: advantages and limits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kratky, A.; Schuöcker, D.; Liedl, G.

    2008-10-01

    Up-to-date fibre lasers produce multi-kw radiation with an excellent beam quality. Compared to CO2-lasers, fibre lasers have relatively low operational costs and offer a very high flexibility in production due to the beam delivery with process fibres. As a consequence, fibre lasers have attracted more and more attention. On the other hand, their use in industrial applications especially in the automotive industry is still limited to a certain extent and fibre lasers haven't replaced all other laser sources till now as it could be expected. In laser cutting, the small kerf width produced by fibre lasers should be advantageous since the heated volume is smaller compared to CO2-lasers. In fact, cutting velocities are usually much higher which is also caused by the higher absorption coefficient of most metals at the wavelength emitted by fibre lasers. Nevertheless, cutting with fibre lasers of some metals - e.g. stainless steels - is restricted to a small thicknesses of approx. 5mm. The reason for this is that the surface roughness of the edges increases dramatically with the thickness of the work piece. Applications of fibre lasers include e.g. remote welding or even remote cutting of a large variety of materials with usually excellent results. Due to the excellent beam quality the aspect ratio of the weld seam in relation to the penetration depth is quite good. In the case of thin sheet metal welding such a small beam waist is beneficial - but with thicker sheet metals it is very often disadvantageous since the preparation of samples is more complicated, costs increase and requirements on clamping devices rise. In this paper, advantages and disadvantages of fibre lasers are discussed briefly. Applications of a 1.5 kW fibre laser are presented and compared to classical laser systems.

  15. Structural and electronic properties of Mg and Mg-Nb co-doped TiO2 (101) anatase surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasani, Alireza; Baktash, Ardeshir; Mirabbaszadeh, Kavoos; Khoshnevisan, Bahram

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Formation energy of Mg and Mg-Nb co-doped TiO_2 anatase surface (101) is studied. • Effect of Mg defect to the TiO_2 anatase (101) surface and bond length distribution of the surface is studied and it is shown that Mg defects tend to stay far from each other. • Effect of Mg and Nb to the bond length distribution of the surface studied and it is shown that these defects tend to stay close to each other. • Effects of Mg and Mg-Nb defects on DSSCs using TiO_2 anatase hosting these defects are studied. - Abstract: In this paper, by using density functional theory, Mg and Nb-Mg co-doping of TiO_2 anatase (101) surfaces are studied. By studying the formation energy of the defects and the bond length distribution of the surface, it is shown that Mg defects tend to stay as far as possible to induce least possible lattice distortion while Nb and Mg defects stay close to each other to cause less stress to the surface. By investigating band structure of the surface and changes stemmed from the defects, potential effects of Mg and Mg-Nb co-doping of TiO_2 surface on dye-sensitized solar cells are investigated. In this study, it is shown that the Nb-Mg co-doping could increase J_S_C of the surface while slightly decreasing V_O_C compared to Mg doped surface, which might result in an increase in efficiency of the DSSCs compared to Nb or Mg doped surfaces.

  16. SiCO-doped carbon fibers with unique dual superhydrophilicity/superoleophilicity and ductile and capacitance properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Ping; Huang, Qing; Mukherjee, Amiya; Hsieh, You-Lo

    2010-12-01

    Silicon oxycarbide (SiCO) glass-doped carbon fibers with an average diameter of 163 nm were successfully synthesized by electrospinning polymer mixtures of preceramic precursor polyureasilazane (PUS) and carbon precursor polyacrylonitrile (PAN) into fibers then converting to ceramic/carbon hybrid via cross-linking, stabilization, and pyrolysis at temperatures up to 1000 °C. The transformation of PUS/PAN polymer precursors to SiCO/carbon structures was confirmed by EDS and FTIR. Both carbon and SiCO/carbon fibers were amorphous and slightly oxidized. Doping with SiCO enhanced the thermal stability of carbon fibers and acquired new ductile behavior in the SiCO/carbon fibers with significantly improved flexibility and breaking elongation. Furthermore, the SiCO/carbon fibers exhibited dual superhydrophilicity and superoleophilicity with water and decane absorbing capacities of 873 and 608%, respectively. The cyclic voltammetry also showed that SiCO/carbon composite fibers possess better capacitor properties than carbon fibers.

  17. Initial Reduction of CO2 on Pd-, Ru-, and Cu-Doped CeO2(111) Surfaces: Effects of Surface Modification on Catalytic Activity and Selectivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Chen; Wei, Shuxian; Zhou, Sainan; Zhang, Tian; Wang, Zhaojie; Ng, Siu-Pang; Lu, Xiaoqing; Wu, Chi-Man Lawrence; Guo, Wenyue

    2017-08-09

    Surface modification by metal doping is an effective treatment technique for improving surface properties for CO 2 reduction. Herein, the effects of doped Pd, Ru, and Cu on the adsorption, activation, and reduction selectivity of CO 2 on CeO 2 (111) were investigated by periodic density functional theory. The doped metals distorted the configuration of a perfect CeO 2 (111) by weakening the adjacent Ce-O bond strength, and Pd doping was beneficial for generating a highly active O vacancy. The analyses of adsorption energy, charge density difference, and density of states confirmed that the doped metals were conducive for enhancing CO 2 adsorption, especially for Cu/CeO 2 (111). The initial reductive dissociation CO 2 → CO* + O* on metal-doped CeO 2 (111) followed the sequence of Cu- > perfect > Pd- > Ru-doped CeO 2 (111); the reductive hydrogenation CO 2 + H → COOH* followed the sequence of Cu- > perfect > Ru- > Pd-doped CeO 2 (111), in which the most competitive route on Cu/CeO 2 (111) was exothermic by 0.52 eV with an energy barrier of 0.16 eV; the reductive hydrogenation CO 2 + H → HCOO* followed the sequence of Ru- > perfect > Pd-doped CeO 2 (111). Energy barrier decomposition analyses were performed to identify the governing factors of bond activation and scission along the initial CO 2 reduction routes. Results of this study provided deep insights into the effect of surface modification on the initial reduction mechanisms of CO 2 on metal-doped CeO 2 (111) surfaces.

  18. Structural, optical and magnetic properties of nanocrystalline Co-doped ZnO thin films grown by sol-gel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kayani, Zohra Nazir; Shah, Iqra; Zulfiqar, Bareera; Sabah, Aneeqa [Lahore College for Women Univ., Lahore (Pakistan); Riaz, Saira; Naseem, Shahzad [Univ. of the Punjab, Lahore (Pakistan). Centre of Excellence in Solid State Physics

    2018-04-01

    Cobalt-doped ZnO thin films have been deposited using a sol-gel route by changing the number of coats on the substrate from 6 to 18. This project deals with various film thicknesses by increasing the number of deposited coats. The effect of thickness on structural, magnetic, surface morphology and optical properties of Co-doped ZnO thin film was studied. The crystal structure of the Co-doped ZnO films was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The films have polycrystalline wurtzite hexagonal structures. A Co{sup 2+} ion takes the place of a Zn{sup 2+} ion in the lattice without creating any distortion in its hexagonal wurtzite structure. An examination of the optical transmission spectra showed that the energy band gap of the Co-doped ZnO films increased from 3.87 to 3.97 eV with an increase in the number of coatings on the substrate. Ferromagnetic behaviour was confirmed by measurements using a vibrating sample magnetometer. The surface morphology of thin films was assessed by scanning electron microscope. The grain size on the surface of thin films increased with an increase in the number of coats.

  19. Preparation of Mesoporous Silica-Supported Palladium Catalysts for Biofuel Upgrade

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ling Fei

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the preparation of two hydrocracking catalysts Pd/CoMoO4/silica and Pd/CNTs/CoMoO4/silica (CNTs, carbon nanotubes. The structure, morphologies, composition, and thermal stability of catalysts were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA. The catalyst activity was measured in a Parr reactor with camelina fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs as the feed. The analysis shows that the palladium nanoparticles have been incorporated onto mesoporous silica in Pd/CoMoO4/silica or on the CNTs surface in Pd/CNTs/CoMoO4/silica catalysts. The different combinations of metals and supports have selective control cracking on heavy hydrocarbons.

  20. Preparation and characterization of zinc and copper co-doped WO3 nanoparticles: Application in photocatalysis and photobiology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Sanaz; Sohrabi, Maryam; Golikand, Ahmad Nozad; Fakhri, Ali

    2016-08-01

    In this study, pure, Zn, Cu, Zn,Cu co-doped WO3 nanoparticles samples were prepared by precipitation and co-precipitation methods. These nanoparticles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), UV-visible and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The synthesized pure, Zn, Cu, Zn,Cu co-doped WO3 nanoparticles have smart optical properties and average sizes with 3.2, 3.12, 3.08 and 2.97eV of band-gap, 18.1, 23.2, 25.7 and 30.2nm, respectively. Photocatalytic activity of four nanoparticles was studying towards degradation of gentamicin antibiotic under ultraviolet and visible light irradiation. The result showed that Zn,Cu co-doped WO3 possessed high photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activity of WO3 nanoparticles could be remarkably increased by doping the Zn and Cu impurity. This can be attributed to the fact that the red shift of absorption edge and the trapping effect of the mono and co-doped WO3 nanoparticles. The research result presents a general and effective way to prepare different photocatalysts with enhanced visible and UV light-driven photocatalytic performance. Antibacterial activity of four different WO3 nanoparticles against Escherichia coli bacterium has been assessed by the agar disc method under light irradiation and dark medium. It is concluded from the present findings that WO3 nanoparticles can be used as an efficient antibacterial agent. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.