Annealing of silicon epitaxial n+-p-structures irradiated with fast electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korshunov, F.P.; Turin, P.M.; Gurinovich, V.A.; Zhdanovich, N.E.

2010-01-01

Static (forward voltage drop and barrier capacitance) and dynamic (minority charge carriers lifetime in p-base) parameters changes of n + -p-structures irradiated with electrons (6 MeV) have been investigated. It is established that the forward voltage drop and the barrier capacitance of n + -p-junction recover during annealing at about 623 K, but the minority charge carriers lifetime recovery occurs at annealing temperatures above 773 K. The recovery of a forward voltage drop and barrier capacitance is related with annealing of radiation complexes of divacancy-oxygen (V 2 O) and boron-carbon (B i C s ). The recovery of minority charge carriers lifetime in structures is related mainly with annealing of radiation complex of carbonoxygen (C i O i ). (authors)

Effects of toluene on protein synthesis and the interaction with ethanol in hepatocytes isolated from fed and fasted rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith-Kielland, A.; Ripel, Aa.; Gadeholt, G.

1989-01-01

The effects of three different concentrations (about 20, 100 and 1000 μM) of toluene on protein synthesis were studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed and fasted rats after 60 and 120 min. of incubation. The interaction between ethanol (60 mM) and the low and high toluene concentrations were also tested. To measure protein synthesis, 14 C-valine was used as the precursor amino acid. Total valine concentration was 2 mM to ensure near-constant specific radioactivity of precursor. Toluene concentrations were measured by head-space gas chromatography. Protein synthesis was unchanged in the presence of low toluene concentrations. Intermediate toluene concentration decreased protein synthesis by about 20% and high toluene concentration decreased protein synthesis by about 60%. Protein synthesis was similar in cells from fed and fasted rats. Ethanol alone inhibited protein synthesis by 20-30%, more in fasted than in fed rats. Toluene and ethanol in combination inhibited protein synthesis additively. The high toluene concentration with or without ethanol appeared to inhibit synthesis/secretion of export proteins in hepatocytes from fasted rats. In conclusion, our study indicates that toluene in relatively high concentrations inhibits general protein synthesis in isolated rat hepatocytes. Toluene and ethanol seems to inhibit protein synthesis additively. (author)

Effects of toluene on protein synthesis and the interaction with ethanol in hepatocytes isolated from fed and fasted rats

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith-Kielland, A.; Ripel, Aa.; Gadeholt, G.

1989-01-01

The effects of three different concentrations (about 20, 100 and 1000 ..mu..M) of toluene on protein synthesis were studied in hepatocytes isolated from fed and fasted rats after 60 and 120 min. of incubation. The interaction between ethanol (60 mM) and the low and high toluene concentrations were also tested. To measure protein synthesis, /sup 14/C-valine was used as the precursor amino acid. Total valine concentration was 2 mM to ensure near-constant specific radioactivity of precursor. Toluene concentrations were measured by head-space gas chromatography. Protein synthesis was unchanged in the presence of low toluene concentrations. Intermediate toluene concentration decreased protein synthesis by about 20% and high toluene concentration decreased protein synthesis by about 60%. Protein synthesis was similar in cells from fed and fasted rats. Ethanol alone inhibited protein synthesis by 20-30%, more in fasted than in fed rats. Toluene and ethanol in combination inhibited protein synthesis additively. The high toluene concentration with or without ethanol appeared to inhibit synthesis/secretion of export proteins in hepatocytes from fasted rats. In conclusion, our study indicates that toluene in relatively high concentrations inhibits general protein synthesis in isolated rat hepatocytes. Toluene and ethanol seems to inhibit protein synthesis additively.

Structural coarsening during annealing of an aluminum plate heavily deformed using ECAE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mishin, Oleg V.; Zhang, Yubin; Godfrey, A.

2015-01-01

The microstructure and softening behaviour have been investigated in an aluminum plate heavily deformed by equal channel angular extrusion and subsequently annealed at 170 °C. It is found that at this temperature the microstructure evolves by coarsening with no apparent signs of recrystallization...... even after 2 h of annealing. Both coarsening and softening are rapid within first 10 minutes of annealing followed by a slower evolution with increasing annealing duration. Evidence of triple junction (TJ) motion during coarsening is obtained by inspecting the microstructure in one region using...... the electron backscatter diffraction technique both before and after annealing for 10 minutes. The fraction of fast-migrating TJs is found to strongly depend of the type of boundaries composing a junction. The greatest fraction of fast-migrating TJs is in the group, where all boundaries forming a junction...

Thermochromic effect in NdNiO{sub 3-{delta}} thin films annealed in ambient air

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Capon, F; Horwat, D; Pierson, J F [Institut Jean Lamour, Departement CP2S, (UMR CNRS 7198), Ecole des Mines, Parc de Saurupt, CS 14234, 54042 Nancy Cedex (France); Zaghrioui, M; Laffez, P, E-mail: fabien.capon@mines.inpl-nancy.f [Universite de Tours, IUT de Blois, Laboratoire d' Electrodynamique des Materiaux Avances, UMR CNRS CEA 6187, Place Jean Jaures, 41029 Blois cedex (France)

2009-09-21

The synthesis of NdNiO{sub 3} perovskite structure was achieved by soft post deposition annealing of initially amorphous thin films reactively sputter deposited on silicon substrates. The physical measurements were fully consistent with the properties expected for the thermochromic NdNiO{sub 3} phase. Upon heating, the optical transmission that was correlated with the electrical properties decreased in the infrared domain showing a thermochromic effect in this optical region. The metal-insulator transition temperature was found to be -68 {sup 0}C for the specimen tested and the jump in resistance at the transition was 1.4 orders of magnitude. The state-of-the-art methods that normally involve an annealing at a high oxygen pressure (200 x 10{sup 5} Pa) or epitaxial stabilization were considerably improved in this work by the use of dc sputtering and the optimization of the deposition conditions. Therefore, the novel soft process proposed here opens up numerous research possibilities. (fast track communication)

Two- and three-step annealing effects of metallic and semiconducting iron silicides formed by ion beam synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katsumata, Hiroshi [Meiji Univ., Tokyo (Japan); Makita, Yunosuke; Kobayashi, Naoto [and others

1997-03-01

Polycrystalline {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} was formed by ion beam synthesis (IBS). Annealing was made using two different procedures; 1) two-step annealing (2SA) ((T{sub 1} = 600degC, 1 hr) + (T{sub 2} = 900degC, 2 hrs)), 2) three-step annealing (3SA) ((T{sub 1} = 600degC, 1 hr) + (T{sub 2} = 1100degC, 1 min) + (T{sub 3} = 800 - 900degC, 18 hrs)). All the synthesized {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} layers presented an n-type conductivity with resistivities of 0.24 - 0.25 {Omega}{center_dot}cm, and they showed a direct band-gap of 0.801 - 0.824 eV with a moderate contribution of an indirect band-gap which is a few tens meV lower than the direct one. Although RBS and optical absorption measurements showed a superior crystalline quality of 3SA-samples to 2SA-samples, Raman scattering signals appeared only for 2SA-samples at 198 and 250 cm{sup -1}. This is explained by considering a decrease in the amount of {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} for 3SA-samples, which was deduced from the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The most adequate annealing temperature (T{sub 3}) for transforming {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}Si{sub 5} to {beta}-FeSi{sub 2} was found to be 850degC, in which the transformation process was observed by XRD and photomicroscope as a function of T{sub 3}. (author)

Defect evolution and dopant activation in laser annealed Si and Ge

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cristiano, F.; Shayesteh, M.; Duffy, R.

2016-01-01

Defect evolution and dopant activation are intimately related to the use of ion implantation and annealing, traditionally used to dope semiconductors during device fabrication. Ultra-fast laser thermal annealing (LTA) is one of the most promising solutions for the achievement of abrupt and highly...... doped junctions. In this paper, we report some recent investigations focused on this annealing method, with particular emphasis on the investigation of the formation and evolution of implant/anneal induced defects and their impact on dopant activation. In the case of laser annealed Silicon, we show...

Optimization of chemical compositions in low-carbon Al-killed enamel steel produced by ultra-fast continuous annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Futao, E-mail: dongft@sina.com [The State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Du, Linxiu; Liu, Xianghua [The State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Xue, Fei [College of Electrical Engineering, Hebei United University, Tangshan 063000 (China)

2013-10-15

The influence of Mn,S and B contents on microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties and hydrogen trapping ability of low-carbon Al-killed enamel steel was investigated. The materials were produced and processed in a laboratory and the ultra-fast continuous annealing processing was performed using a continuous annealing simulator. It was found that increasing Mn,S contents in steel can improve its hydrogen trapping ability which is attributed by refined ferrite grains, more dispersed cementite and added MnS inclusions. Nevertheless, it deteriorates mechanical properties of steel sheet. Addition of trace boron results in both good mechanical properties and significantly improved hydrogen trapping ability. The boron combined with nitrogen segregating at grain boundaries, cementite and MnS inclusions, provides higher amount of attractive hydrogen trapping sites and raises the activation energy for hydrogen desorption from them. - Highlights: • We study microstructures and properties in low-carbon Al-killed enamel steel. • Hydrogen diffusion coefficients are measured to reflect fish-scale resistance. • Manganese improves hydrogen trapping ability but decrease deep-drawing ability. • Boron improves both hydrogen trapping ability and deep-drawing ability. • Both excellent mechanical properties and fish-scale resistance can be matched.

Effect of the annealing temperature for the hydrogen Q-degradation on superconducting cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ota, Tomoko; Sukenobu, Satoru; Tanabe, Yoshio; Onishi, Yoshimichi; Noguchi, Shuichi; Ono, Masaaki; Saito, Kenji; Shishido, Toshio; Yamazaki, Yoshishige

1997-01-01

Hydrogen Q-degradation was studied in niobium superconducting cavities prepared by barrel polishing, and electropolishing without annealing, though a fast cooling down of cavities. Cavity performance with various annealing temperature were tested using a 1.3GHz single-cell cavity to compare the effects of annealing temperature for hydrogen Q-degradation. (author)

Thin-film designs by simulated annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Boudet, T.; Chaton, P.; Herault, L.; Gonon, G.; Jouanet, L.; Keller, P.

1996-11-01

With the increasing power of computers, new methods in synthesis of optical multilayer systems have appeared. Among these, the simulated-annealing algorithm has proved its efficiency in several fields of physics. We propose to show its performances in the field of optical multilayer systems through different filter designs.

Manipulation of magnetic properties of glass-coated microwires by annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhukov, A., E-mail: arkadi.joukov@ehu.es [Dpto. Fisica de Materiales, Fac. Quimicas, UPV/EHU, 20009 San Sebastian (Spain); IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48011 Bilbao (Spain); Chichay, K. [Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236041 Kaliningrad (Russian Federation); Talaat, A. [Dpto. Fisica de Materiales, Fac. Quimicas, UPV/EHU, 20009 San Sebastian (Spain); Rodionova, V. [Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236041 Kaliningrad (Russian Federation); National University of Science and Technology (MISIS), 119049 Moscow (Russian Federation); Blanco, J.M. [Dpto. Física Aplicada, EUPDS Basque Country University UPV/EHU (Spain); Ipatov, M.; Zhukova, V. [Dpto. Fisica de Materiales, Fac. Quimicas, UPV/EHU, 20009 San Sebastian (Spain)

2015-06-01

We demonstrated that magnetic properties (hysteresis loops, domain wall propagation and giant magnetoimpedance effect) of Fe and Co-rich amorphous microwires can be tailored by stress and conventional annealing. Observed dependences discussed considering stress relaxation, back stresses and change of the magnetostriction after samples annealing. These considerations have been proved by experimental observation of the change of the magnetostriction coefficient sign induced by annealing. - Highlights: • Manipulation of hysteresis loop of amorphous Co–Fe- rich microwires by annealing. • Coexistence of Giant magnetoimpedance effect and fast domain wall propagation in the same sample. • Evidence of annealing dependence of the magnetostriction coefficient. • Effect of stress induced anisotropy on magnetic properties and GMI effect.

Manipulation of magnetic properties of glass-coated microwires by annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhukov, A.; Chichay, K.; Talaat, A.; Rodionova, V.; Blanco, J.M.; Ipatov, M.; Zhukova, V.

2015-01-01

We demonstrated that magnetic properties (hysteresis loops, domain wall propagation and giant magnetoimpedance effect) of Fe and Co-rich amorphous microwires can be tailored by stress and conventional annealing. Observed dependences discussed considering stress relaxation, back stresses and change of the magnetostriction after samples annealing. These considerations have been proved by experimental observation of the change of the magnetostriction coefficient sign induced by annealing. - Highlights: • Manipulation of hysteresis loop of amorphous Co–Fe- rich microwires by annealing. • Coexistence of Giant magnetoimpedance effect and fast domain wall propagation in the same sample. • Evidence of annealing dependence of the magnetostriction coefficient. • Effect of stress induced anisotropy on magnetic properties and GMI effect

Effect of Whole-Body X-Irradiation of the Synthesis of Individual Fatty Acids in Liver Slices from Normal and Fasted Rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Heinz Johs. Max; Hansen, Lisbeth Grænge; Faber, M.

1965-01-01

(1) Using (2-14C) acetate and (1-14C) butyrate as precursors, rat-liver fatty acids were synthesized in vitro and assayed by paper chromatography. (2) Whole-body x-irradiation induced a change in the synthetic pattern of hepatic fatty acids towards a relatively enhanced synthesis of palmitic acid....... (3) X-irradiation and fasting seem to have opposite effects on fatty-acid synthesis. X-irradiation counteracts the drop in total synthesis and the relatively enhanced synthesis of palmitoleic acid induced by fasting. The relative enhancement of palmitic-acid synthesis mentioned under (2) stands...... in contrast to the effect of fasting, which specifically decreases the hepatic synthesis of palmitic acid. (4) There is a general similarity between corresponding fatty-acid patterns based on synthesis from (2-14C) acetate and (1-14C) butyrate, respectively....

Effects of buffer layer annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of hydrothermal grown ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, X.Q.; Kim, C.R.; Lee, J.Y.; Heo, J.H.; Shin, C.M. [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ryu, H., E-mail: hhryu@inje.ac.kr [Department of Nano Systems Engineering, Center for Nano Manufacturing, Inje University, Obang-dong, Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-749 (Korea, Republic of); Chang, J.H. [Major of Nano Semiconductor, Korea Maritime University, 1 Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-Ku, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, H.C. [Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Korea Maritime University, 1 Dongsam-dong, Yeongdo-Ku, Busan 606-791 (Korea, Republic of); Son, C.S. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Gwaebeop-dong, Sasang-gu, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, W.J. [Department of Nano Engineering, Dong-Eui University, 995 Eomgwangno, Busanjin-gu, Busan 614-714 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, W.G. [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, 861-1 Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-702 (Korea, Republic of); Tan, S.T. [Institute of Microelectronics, 11 Science Park Road, Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); Zhao, J.L. [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Sun, X.W. [Institute of Microelectronics, 11 Science Park Road, Science Park II, Singapore 117685 (Singapore); School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798 (Singapore)

2009-02-01

ZnO was deposited on bare Si(1 0 0), as-deposited, and annealed ZnO/Si(1 0 0) substrates by hydrothermal synthesis. The effects of a ZnO buffer layer and its thermal annealing on the properties of the ZnO deposited by hydrothermal synthesis were studied. The grain size and root mean square (RMS) roughness values of the ZnO buffer layer increased after thermal annealing of the buffer layer. The effect of buffer layer annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties was investigated by photoluminescence, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Hydrothermal grown ZnO deposited on ZnO/Si(1 0 0) annealed at 750 deg. C with the concentration of 0.3 M exhibits the best structural and optical properties.

Optical annealing of CaF2:Mn for cooled optically stimulated luminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, S.D.; Stahl, K.A.; Endres, G.W.R.; McDonald, J.C.

1989-01-01

Optical annealing of the cooled optically stimulated luminescence in CaF 2 :Mn at room temperature has been demonstrated. The laser of choice for optical annealing of CaF 2 : Mn is a 326 nm helium-cadmium ultraviolet laser. A complete cycle of readout and annealing of the CaF 2 :Mn cooled optically stimulated dosemeters can now be accomplished without heating the dosemeters above room temperature. This annealing work represents the next step toward creating a proton-recoil-based fast neutron dosimetry system based on the cooled optically stimulated luminescence technique. (author)

Human Cell Assays for Synthesis-Dependent Strand Annealing and Crossing over During Double-Strand Break Repair.

Science.gov (United States)

Zapotoczny, Grzegorz; Sekelsky, Jeff

2017-04-03

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most deleterious types of lesions to the genome. Synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA) is thought to be a major pathway of DSB repair, but direct tests of this model have only been conducted in budding yeast and Drosophila To better understand this pathway, we developed an SDSA assay for use in human cells. Our results support the hypothesis that SDSA is an important DSB repair mechanism in human cells. We used siRNA knockdown to assess the roles of a number of helicases suggested to promote SDSA. None of the helicase knockdowns reduced SDSA, but knocking down BLM or RTEL1 increased SDSA. Molecular analysis of repair products suggests that these helicases may prevent long-tract repair synthesis. Since the major alternative to SDSA (repair involving a double-Holliday junction intermediate) can lead to crossovers, we also developed a fluorescent assay that detects crossovers generated during DSB repair. Together, these assays will be useful in investigating features and mechanisms of SDSA and crossover pathways in human cells. Copyright © 2017 Zapotoczny and Sekelsky.

Human Cell Assays for Synthesis-Dependent Strand Annealing and Crossing over During Double-Strand Break Repair

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grzegorz Zapotoczny

2017-04-01

Full Text Available DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs are one of the most deleterious types of lesions to the genome. Synthesis-dependent strand annealing (SDSA is thought to be a major pathway of DSB repair, but direct tests of this model have only been conducted in budding yeast and Drosophila. To better understand this pathway, we developed an SDSA assay for use in human cells. Our results support the hypothesis that SDSA is an important DSB repair mechanism in human cells. We used siRNA knockdown to assess the roles of a number of helicases suggested to promote SDSA. None of the helicase knockdowns reduced SDSA, but knocking down BLM or RTEL1 increased SDSA. Molecular analysis of repair products suggests that these helicases may prevent long-tract repair synthesis. Since the major alternative to SDSA (repair involving a double-Holliday junction intermediate can lead to crossovers, we also developed a fluorescent assay that detects crossovers generated during DSB repair. Together, these assays will be useful in investigating features and mechanisms of SDSA and crossover pathways in human cells.

Fast nanostructured carbon microparticle synthesis by one-step high-flux plasma processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aussems, D. U. B.; Bystrov, K.; Dogan, I.; Arnas, C.; Cabié, M.; Neisius, T.; Rasinski, M.; Zoethout, E.; Lipman, P.; van de Sanden, M. C. M.; Morgan, T. W.

2017-01-01

This study demonstrates a fast one-step synthesis method for nanostructured carbon microparticles on graphite samples using high-flux plasma exposure. These structures are considered as potential candidates for energy applications such as Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. The samples were

Fast nanostructured carbon microparticle synthesis by one-step high-flux plasma processing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aussems, D.U.B.; Bystrov, K.E.; Doǧan, I.; Arnas, C.; Cabié, M.; Neisius, T.; Rasinski, M.; Lipman, P.J.L.; van de Sanden, M.C.M.; Morgan, T.W.

This study demonstrates a fast one-step synthesis method for nanostructured carbon microparticles on graphite samples using high-flux plasma exposure. These structures are considered as potential candidates for energy applications such as Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors. The samples were

Visible light emission from silicon implanted and annealed SiO2layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghislotti, G.; Nielsen, B.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Lynn, K.G.; Di Mauro, L.F.; Bottani, C.E.; Corni, F.; Tonini, R.; Ottaviani, G.P.

1997-01-01

Silicon implanted and annealed SiO 2 layers are studied using photoluminescence (PL) and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). Two PL emission bands are observed. A band centered at 560 nm is present in as-implanted samples and it is still observed after 1,000 C annealing. The emission time is fast. A second band centered at 780 nm is detected after 1,000 C annealing. The intensity of the 780 nm band further increased when hydrogen annealing was performed. The emission time is long (1 micros to 0.2 ms). PAS results show that defects produced by implantation anneal at 600 C. Based on the annealing behavior and on the emission times, the origin of the two bands is discussed

Plasma assisted heat treatment: annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunatto, S F; Guimaraes, N V

2009-01-01

This work comprises a new dc plasma application in the metallurgical-mechanical field, called plasma assisted heat treatment, and it presents the first results for annealing. Annealing treatments were performed in 90% reduction cold-rolled niobium samples at 900 deg. C and 60 min, in two different heating ways: (a) in a hollow cathode discharge (HCD) configuration and (b) in a plasma oven configuration. The evolution of the samples' recrystallization was determined by means of the microstructure, microhardness and softening rate characterization. The results indicate that plasma species (ions and neutrals) bombardment in HCD plays an important role in the recrystallization process activation and could lead to technological and economical advantages considering the metallic materials' heat treatment application. (fast track communication)

Nuclear techniques of analysis in diamond synthesis and annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jamieson, D. N.; Prawer, S.; Gonon, P.; Walker, R.; Dooley, S.; Bettiol, A.; Pearce, J. [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics

1996-12-31

Nuclear techniques of analysis have played an important role in the study of synthetic and laser annealed diamond. These measurements have mainly used ion beam analysis with a focused MeV ion beam in a nuclear microprobe system. A variety of techniques have been employed. One of the most important is nuclear elastic scattering, sometimes called non-Rutherford scattering, which has been used to accurately characterise diamond films for thickness and composition. This is possible by the use of a database of measured scattering cross sections. Recently, this work has been extended and nuclear elastic scattering cross sections for both natural boron isotopes have been measured. For radiation damaged diamond, a focused laser annealing scheme has been developed which produces near complete regrowth of MeV phosphorus implanted diamonds. In the laser annealed regions, proton induced x-ray emission has been used to show that 50 % of the P atoms occupy lattice sites. This opens the way to produce n-type diamond for microelectronic device applications. All these analytical applications utilize a focused MeV microbeam which is ideally suited for diamond analysis. This presentation reviews these applications, as well as the technology of nuclear techniques of analysis for diamond with a focused beam. 9 refs., 6 figs.

Nuclear techniques of analysis in diamond synthesis and annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jamieson, D N; Prawer, S; Gonon, P; Walker, R; Dooley, S; Bettiol, A; Pearce, J [Melbourne Univ., Parkville, VIC (Australia). School of Physics

1997-12-31

Nuclear techniques of analysis have played an important role in the study of synthetic and laser annealed diamond. These measurements have mainly used ion beam analysis with a focused MeV ion beam in a nuclear microprobe system. A variety of techniques have been employed. One of the most important is nuclear elastic scattering, sometimes called non-Rutherford scattering, which has been used to accurately characterise diamond films for thickness and composition. This is possible by the use of a database of measured scattering cross sections. Recently, this work has been extended and nuclear elastic scattering cross sections for both natural boron isotopes have been measured. For radiation damaged diamond, a focused laser annealing scheme has been developed which produces near complete regrowth of MeV phosphorus implanted diamonds. In the laser annealed regions, proton induced x-ray emission has been used to show that 50 % of the P atoms occupy lattice sites. This opens the way to produce n-type diamond for microelectronic device applications. All these analytical applications utilize a focused MeV microbeam which is ideally suited for diamond analysis. This presentation reviews these applications, as well as the technology of nuclear techniques of analysis for diamond with a focused beam. 9 refs., 6 figs.

Nuclear techniques of analysis in diamond synthesis and annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamieson, D. N.; Prawer, S.; Gonon, P.; Walker, R.; Dooley, S.; Bettiol, A.; Pearce, J.

1996-01-01

Nuclear techniques of analysis have played an important role in the study of synthetic and laser annealed diamond. These measurements have mainly used ion beam analysis with a focused MeV ion beam in a nuclear microprobe system. A variety of techniques have been employed. One of the most important is nuclear elastic scattering, sometimes called non-Rutherford scattering, which has been used to accurately characterise diamond films for thickness and composition. This is possible by the use of a database of measured scattering cross sections. Recently, this work has been extended and nuclear elastic scattering cross sections for both natural boron isotopes have been measured. For radiation damaged diamond, a focused laser annealing scheme has been developed which produces near complete regrowth of MeV phosphorus implanted diamonds. In the laser annealed regions, proton induced x-ray emission has been used to show that 50 % of the P atoms occupy lattice sites. This opens the way to produce n-type diamond for microelectronic device applications. All these analytical applications utilize a focused MeV microbeam which is ideally suited for diamond analysis. This presentation reviews these applications, as well as the technology of nuclear techniques of analysis for diamond with a focused beam. 9 refs., 6 figs

Application of annealing for extension of WWER vessel lives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badanin, V.; Dragunow, Yu.G.; Fedorov, V.; Gorynin, I.; Nickolaev, V.

1992-01-01

The safe operation of nuclear power plants (NPP) is dependent upon the assurance that the reactor pressure vessel will not fail in a brittle manner when the effects of radiation embrittlement are taken into account. The recovery of the properties of the irradiated materials is an important way of extending the operating life of a reactor vessel. The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the efficiency of thermal annealing for the recovery of reactor vessel material properties and to present the implications for extended service life. In order to substantiate the application of annealing to the extensior of the service life of vessels, detailed investigations were conducted which involved thermal annealing temperature and time, fast neutron fluence, and metallurgical factors (i.e. impurity contents) on the recovery of properties after the annealing of irradiated materials. Similar studies were continued to determine predictive methods for radiation embrittlement after repeated annealings. In May 1987 the first pilot annealing of a commercial reactor vessel (Novo-Voronezhskaya, III, NPP) was performed. The development of the annealing equipment and investigations performed to test the annealing process proved successful, and an improved safe operation for the reactor vessel was thus atttained providing for an extended service life. (orig.)

Amplified Self-replication of DNA Origami Nanostructures through Multi-cycle Fast-annealing Process

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Feng; Zhuo, Rebecca; He, Xiaojin; Sha, Ruojie; Seeman, Nadrian; Chaikin, Paul

We have developed a non-biological self-replication process using templated reversible association of components and irreversible linking with annealing and UV cycles. The current method requires a long annealing time, up to several days, to achieve the specific self-assembly of DNA nanostructures. In this work, we accomplished the self-replication with a shorter time and smaller replication rate per cycle. By decreasing the ramping time, we obtained the comparable replication yield within 90 min. Systematic studies show that the temperature and annealing time play essential roles in the self-replication process. In this manner, we can amplify the self-replication process to a factor of 20 by increasing the number of cycles within the same amount of time.

Simulation of short-term annealing of displacement cascades in FCC metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinisch, H.L.; Doran, D.G.; Schwartz, D.M.

1980-01-01

Computer models have been developed for the simulation of high energy displacement cascades. The objective is the generation of defect production functions for use in correlation analysis of radiation effects in fusion reactor materials. In particular, the stochastic cascade annealing simulation code SCAS has been developed and used to model the short-term annealing behavior of simulated cascades in FCC metals. The code is fast enough to make annealing of high energy cascades practical. Sets of cascades from 5 keV to 100 keV in copper were generated by the binary collision code MARLOWE

Activation of ion implanted Si for backside processing by Ultra-fast Laser Thermal Annealing: Energy homogeneity and micro-scale sheet resistance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huet, K.; Lin, Rong; Boniface, C

2009-01-01

In this paper ion activation of implanted silicon using ultra-fast laser thermal annealing (LTA) process was discussed. The results stated that there was high dopant activation using LTA process for over 70%, excellent within shot activation uniformity, and there was a possibility for overlap...... parameter optimization. It was observed that, for activation LTA process, shallow box-shaped profiles- high diffusivity of B in liquids and high-temperatures was observed only near the surface in a submicrosecond timescale. Possible solutions were suggested as to low-cost and high-end for overlap...

Annealing effects on resistivity and Hall coefficient of neutron irradiated silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biggeri, U.

1995-01-01

High Temperature Annealing (HTA) treatment has been carried out on fast-neutron irradiated silicon samples with temperatures up to 300 C. Fluences of irradiation up to 1x10 14 n/cm 2 were used. Before annealing, samples irradiated with fluences higher than 1x10 13 n/cm 2 suffered the type conductivity inversion from n-type to p-type. The changes in the resisitivity and Hall coefficient during each annealing step have been measured by Hall effect analysis. Results indicate the possible creation of acceptors for low temperature annealing up to 150 C and the phosphorous release by E centres at annealing temperatures among 150 C and 200 C. Heating samples up to 300 C allows the recovering of the sample resistivity to its value before irradiation, with the peculiarity that bulks inverted to p-type after irradiation does not come back to n-type after annealing. (orig.)

Fast simulated annealing inversion of surface waves on pavement using phase-velocity spectra

Science.gov (United States)

Ryden, N.; Park, C.B.

2006-01-01

The conventional inversion of surface waves depends on modal identification of measured dispersion curves, which can be ambiguous. It is possible to avoid mode-number identification and extraction by inverting the complete phase-velocity spectrum obtained from a multichannel record. We use the fast simulated annealing (FSA) global search algorithm to minimize the difference between the measured phase-velocity spectrum and that calculated from a theoretical layer model, including the field setup geometry. Results show that this algorithm can help one avoid getting trapped in local minima while searching for the best-matching layer model. The entire procedure is demonstrated on synthetic and field data for asphalt pavement. The viscoelastic properties of the top asphalt layer are taken into account, and the inverted asphalt stiffness as a function of frequency compares well with laboratory tests on core samples. The thickness and shear-wave velocity of the deeper embedded layers are resolved within 10% deviation from those values measured separately during pavement construction. The proposed method may be equally applicable to normal soil site investigation and in the field of ultrasonic testing of materials. ?? 2006 Society of Exploration Geophysicists.

The annealing effects on irradiated SiC piezo resistive pressure sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almaz, E.; Blue, T. E.; Zhang, P.

2009-01-01

The effects of temperature on annealing of Silicon Carbide (SiC) piezo resistive pressure sensor which was broken after high fluence neutron irradiation, were investigated. Previously, SiC piezo resistive sensor irradiated with gamma ray and fast neutron in the Co-60 gamma-ray irradiator and Beam Port 1 (BP1) and Auxiliary Irradiation Facility (AIF) at the Ohio State University Nuclear Reactor Laboratory (OSUNRL) respectively. The Annealing temperatures were tested up to 400 C. The Pressure-Output voltage results showed recovery after annealing process on SiC piezo resistive pressure sensor. The bridge resistances of the SiC pressure sensor stayed at the same level up to 300 C. After 400 C annealing, the resistance values changed dramatically.

Fast assembly of ordered block copolymer nanostructures through microwave annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaojiang; Harris, Kenneth D; Wu, Nathanael L Y; Murphy, Jeffrey N; Buriak, Jillian M

2010-11-23

Block copolymer self-assembly is an innovative technology capable of patterning technologically relevant substrates with nanoscale precision for a range of applications from integrated circuit fabrication to tissue interfacing, for example. In this article, we demonstrate a microwave-based method of rapidly inducing order in block copolymer structures. The technique involves the usage of a commercial microwave reactor to anneal block copolymer films in the presence of appropriate solvents, and we explore the effect of various parameters over the polymer assembly speed and defect density. The approach is applied to the commonly used poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) and poly(styrene)-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) families of block copolymers, and it is found that the substrate resistivity, solvent environment, and anneal temperature all critically influence the self-assembly process. For selected systems, highly ordered patterns were achieved in less than 3 min. In addition, we establish the compatibility of the technique with directed assembly by graphoepitaxy.

Kinetics of isothermal annealing of hypochlorite in γ-irradiated potassium chlorate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnikar, H.J.; Patil, S.F.; Patil, B.T.

1977-01-01

The kinetics of isothermal annealing of hypochlorite formed in the gamma radiolysis of potassium chlorate crystals have been studied at different temperatures in the range of 100-160 deg C. The hypochlorite is found to anneal by a combination of first and second order processes, the former being fast, virtually reaching completion within a few hours. It is then followed by a slow second order process. (authors)

Facile Synthesis of Calcium Borate Nanoparticles and the Annealing Effect on Their Structure and Size

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manizheh Navasery

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Calcium borate nanoparticles have been synthesized by a thermal treatment method via facile co-precipitation. Differences of annealing temperature and annealing time and their effects on crystal structure, particle size, size distribution and thermal stability of nanoparticles were investigated. The formation of calcium borate compound was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and Thermogravimetry (TGA. The XRD patterns revealed that the co-precipitated samples annealed at 700 °C for 3 h annealing time formed an amorphous structure and the transformation into a crystalline structure only occurred after 5 h annealing time. It was found that the samples annealed at 900 °C are mostly metaborate (CaB2O4 nanoparticles and tetraborate (CaB4O7 nanoparticles only observed at 970 °C, which was confirmed by FTIR. The TEM images indicated that with increasing the annealing time and temperature, the average particle size increases. TGA analysis confirmed the thermal stability of the annealed samples at higher temperatures.

Improved perovskite phototransistor prepared using multi-step annealing method

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Mingxuan; Zhang, Yating; Yu, Yu; Yao, Jianquan

2018-02-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskites with good intrinsic physical properties have received substantial interest for solar cell and optoelectronic applications. However, perovskite film always suffers from a low carrier mobility due to its structural imperfection including sharp grain boundaries and pinholes, restricting their device performance and application potential. Here we demonstrate a straightforward strategy based on multi-step annealing process to improve the performance of perovskite photodetector. Annealing temperature and duration greatly affects the surface morphology and optoelectrical properties of perovskites which determines the device property of phototransistor. The perovskite films treated with multi-step annealing method tend to form highly uniform, well-crystallized and high surface coverage perovskite film, which exhibit stronger ultraviolet-visible absorption and photoluminescence spectrum compare to the perovskites prepared by conventional one-step annealing process. The field-effect mobilities of perovskite photodetector treated by one-step direct annealing method shows mobility as 0.121 (0.062) cm2V-1s-1 for holes (electrons), which increases to 1.01 (0.54) cm2V-1s-1 for that treated with muti-step slow annealing method. Moreover, the perovskite phototransistors exhibit a fast photoresponse speed of 78 μs. In general, this work focuses on the influence of annealing methods on perovskite phototransistor, instead of obtains best parameters of it. These findings prove that Multi-step annealing methods is feasible to prepared high performance based photodetector.

Growth of monodisperse nanocrystals of cerium oxide during synthesis and annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghosh, Swapankumar; Divya, Damodaran; Remani, Kottayilpadi C.; Sreeremya, Thadathil S.

2010-01-01

Monodisperse cerium oxide nanocrystals have been successfully synthesised using simple ammonia precipitation technique from cerium(III) nitrate solution at different temperatures in the range 35-80 o C. The activation energy for growth of CeO 2 nanocrystals during the precipitation is calculated as 11.54 kJ/mol using Arrhenius plot. Average crystal diameter was obtained from XRD analysis, HR-TEM and light scattering (PCS). The analysis of size data from HR-TEM images and PCS clearly indicated the formation of highly crystalline CeO 2 particles in narrow size range. CeO 2 nanocrystals precipitated at 35 o C were further annealed at temperatures in the range 300-700 o C. The activation energy for crystal growth during annealing is also calculated and is close to the reported values. An effort is made to predict the mechanism of crystal growth during the precipitation and annealing.

Growth of monodisperse nanocrystals of cerium oxide during synthesis and annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, Swapankumar, E-mail: swapankumar.ghosh2@mail.dcu.ie; Divya, Damodaran [National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (India); Remani, Kottayilpadi C. [Sree Neelakanda Government Sanskrit College, Department of Chemistry (India); Sreeremya, Thadathil S. [National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) (India)

2010-06-15

Monodisperse cerium oxide nanocrystals have been successfully synthesised using simple ammonia precipitation technique from cerium(III) nitrate solution at different temperatures in the range 35-80 {sup o}C. The activation energy for growth of CeO{sub 2} nanocrystals during the precipitation is calculated as 11.54 kJ/mol using Arrhenius plot. Average crystal diameter was obtained from XRD analysis, HR-TEM and light scattering (PCS). The analysis of size data from HR-TEM images and PCS clearly indicated the formation of highly crystalline CeO{sub 2} particles in narrow size range. CeO{sub 2} nanocrystals precipitated at 35 {sup o}C were further annealed at temperatures in the range 300-700 {sup o}C. The activation energy for crystal growth during annealing is also calculated and is close to the reported values. An effort is made to predict the mechanism of crystal growth during the precipitation and annealing.

Annealing Kinetic Model Using Fast and Slow Metastable Defects for Hydrogenated-Amorphous-Silicon-Based Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung Yeop Myong

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The two-component kinetic model employing “fast” and “slow” metastable defects for the annealing behaviors in pin-type hydrogenated-amorphous-silicon- (a-Si:H- based solar cells is simulated using a normalized fill factor. Reported annealing data on pin-type a-Si:H-based solar cells are revisited and fitted using the model to confirm its validity. It is verified that the two-component model is suitable for fitting the various experimental phenomena. In addition, the activation energy for annealing of the solar cells depends on the definition of the recovery time. From the thermally activated and high electric field annealing behaviors, the plausible microscopic mechanism on the defect removal process is discussed.

Effects of annealing on the recombination dynamics of low-temperature grown ZnO nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hilker, B.; Bekeny, C.; Voss, T.; Gutowski, J. [IFP, Universitaet Bremen, 28334 Bremen (Germany); Hauschild, R.; Kalt, H. [Universitaet Karlsruhe, 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Postels, B.; Bakin, Andrey; Waag, A. [IHT, TU Braunschweig, 38023 Braunschweig (Germany)

2007-07-01

We present systematic temperature and excitation density dependent time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) measurements of as-grown and annealed ZnO nanorods fabricated by an aqueous chemical growth (ACG) technique at {proportional_to}90 C. The as-grown nanorods show strong nearband-edge and rather weak deep-level emission indicating their already good optical quality. At 4K, we find a broad emission line at 3.36 eV (line width 30 meV) which we attribute to recombination from a donor band formed through the high donor concentration. After annealing in oxygen and nitrogen atmospheres at 600-800 C well-resolved and sharper excitonic transitions are observed. To understand the recombination dynamics in the nanorods we carried out TRPL measurements using a frequency-doubled femtosecond laser and a streak camera. The as-grown sample shows a very fast monoexponential decay time of {proportional_to}10ps independent of temperature and excitation density. In contrast, the annealed samples exhibit a biexponential decay. Each a fast {tau}1 and a slow {tau}2 time constant have been determined for all annealed samples both of them significantly varying depending on the annealing atmosphere and temperature. This will be discussed on the basis of a phenomenological rate-equation model.

Inkjet Printing With In Situ Fast Annealing For Patterned Multilayer Deposition

KAUST Repository

Boulfrad, Samir; Alarousu, Erkki; Da'as, Eman Husni; Jabbour, Ghassan

2013-01-01

Patterned multilayer films, such as those used in electronic devices, solar cells, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) may be deposited and annealed in a single tool. The tool includes an inkjet printer head, a heater, and a laser. The inkjet printer head deposits on a substrate either suspended particles of a functional material or solvated precursors of a functional material. The head is mounted on a support that allows the head to scan the substrate by moving along the support in a first direction and moving the support along a second direction. After the head deposits the material the heater evaporates solvent from substrate, and the depositing and heating may be repeated one or more times to form a patterned multilayer material. Then, a laser, microwave, and/or Joule effect heating device may be used to anneal the multilayer material to a desired pattern and crystalline state.

Inkjet Printing With In Situ Fast Annealing For Patterned Multilayer Deposition

KAUST Repository

Boulfrad, Samir

2013-12-05

Patterned multilayer films, such as those used in electronic devices, solar cells, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), and solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs) may be deposited and annealed in a single tool. The tool includes an inkjet printer head, a heater, and a laser. The inkjet printer head deposits on a substrate either suspended particles of a functional material or solvated precursors of a functional material. The head is mounted on a support that allows the head to scan the substrate by moving along the support in a first direction and moving the support along a second direction. After the head deposits the material the heater evaporates solvent from substrate, and the depositing and heating may be repeated one or more times to form a patterned multilayer material. Then, a laser, microwave, and/or Joule effect heating device may be used to anneal the multilayer material to a desired pattern and crystalline state.

The annealing of radiation damage in type Ia diamond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Collins, Alan T; Kiflawi, Isaac

2009-01-01

The kinetics of the recovery of radiation damage in type Ia diamond has been investigated using isothermal annealing at 600 deg. C. In diamonds having a reasonably homogeneous distribution of nitrogen the decay of the vacancy concentration with time can be approximately described by a single exponential. Previous investigations have identified 'fast' and 'slow' components in the annealing, and we show that the existence of more than one time constant is associated with inhomogeneous nitrogen concentrations. The measurements show further that, in order to obtain the oscillator strengths of nitrogen-vacancy centres, studies must be restricted to diamonds with moderately high nitrogen concentrations.

Controllably annealed CuO-nanoparticle modified ITO electrodes: Characterisation and electrochemical studies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Tong; Su, Wen; Fu, Yingyi [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Hu, Jingbo, E-mail: hujingbo@bnu.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Key Laboratory of Beam Technology and Material Modification of Ministry of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China)

2016-12-30

Graphical abstract: We report a simple and controllable synthesis of CuO-nanoparticle-modified ITO by employing a combination of ion-implantation and annealing methods for the first time. The optimum CuO/ITO electrode shows uniform morphology, highly accessible surface area, long-term stability and excellent electrochemical performance towards biomolecules such as glucose in alkaline solution. - Highlights: • Controllably annealed CuO/ITO electrode was synthesized for the first time. • The generation mechanism of CuO nanoparticles is revealed. • The optimum CuO/ITO electrode shows excellent electrochemical performance. • A reference for the controllable preparation of other metal oxide nanoparticles. - Abstract: In this paper, we report a facile and controllable two-step approach to produce indium tin oxide electrodes modified by copper(II) oxide nanoparticles (CuO/ITO) through ion implantation and annealing methods. After annealing treatment, the surface morphology of the CuO/ITO substrate changed remarkably and exhibited highly electroactive sites and a high specific surface area. The effects of annealing treatment on the synthesis of CuO/ITO were discussed based on various instruments’ characterisations, and the possible mechanism by which CuO nanoparticles were generated was also proposed in this work. Cyclic voltammetric results indicated that CuO/ITO electrodes exhibited effective catalytic responses toward glucose in alkaline solution. Under optimal experimental conditions, the proposed CuO/ITO electrode showed sensitivity of 450.2 μA cm{sup −2} mM{sup −1} with a linear range of up to ∼4.4 mM and a detection limit of 0.7 μM (S/N = 3). Moreover, CuO/ITO exhibited good poison resistance, reproducibility, and stability properties.

Improved behavior of cooper-amine complexes during thermal annealing for conductive thin film synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ayag, Kevin Ray; Panama, Gustavo; Paul, Shrabani; Kim, Hong Doo [Dept. of Advanced Materials Engineering for Information and Electronics, Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2017-02-15

Previous studies successfully produced conductive thin films from organo-metallic-compounds-based inks. Some inks like those made from copper salt and amines, however, tend to move during thermal annealing and, thus, affect the conductive pattern on the substrate. In this study, conductive inks were synthesized by forming complexes of copper with amines and/or blended amines. To build-up an organo-metallic framework and preserve the pattern throughout the annealing period, diamine was added to the complex in different proportions. The prepared inks were coated on glass substrate and were annealed on a hot plate at 170°C under the gaseous mixture of formic acid and alcohol for 5 min. The metallic film was observed to retain the original pattern of the ink during and after annealing. Adhesion on the substrate was also improved. Inks with blended amines produced films with lower resistivities. The lowest electrical resistivity recorded was 4.99 μΩ cm, three times that of bulk copper.

Synthesis of borides in molybdenum implanted by B+ ions under thermal and electron annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kazdaev, Kh.R.; Akchulakov, M.T.; Bayadilov, E.M.; Ehngel'ko, V.I.; Lazarenko, A.V.; Chebukov, E.S.

1989-01-01

The possibility of formation of borides in the near surface layers of monocrystalline molybdenum implanted by boron ions at 35 keV energy under thermal and pulsed electron annealing by an electon beam at 140 keV energy is investigated. It is found that implantation of boron ions into molybdenum with subsequent thermal annealing permits to produce both molybdenum monoboride (α-MoB) and boride (γ-Mo 2 B) with rather different formation mechanisms. Formation of the α-MoB phase occurs with the temperature elevation from the centers appeared during implantation, while the γ-Mo 2 B phase appears only on heating the implanted layers up to definite temperature as a result of the phase transformation of the solid solution into a chemical compound. Pulsed electron annealing instead of thermal annealing results mainly in formation of molybdenum boride (γ-Mo 2 B), the state of structure is determined by the degree of heating of implanted layers and their durable stay at temperatures exceeding the threshold values

Annealing effects on magnetic properties of silicone-coated iron-based soft magnetic composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Shen; Sun Aizhi; Zhai Fuqiang; Wang Jin; Zhang Qian; Xu Wenhuan; Logan, Philip; Volinsky, Alex A.

2012-01-01

This paper focuses on novel iron-based soft magnetic composites synthesis utilizing high thermal stability silicone resin to coat iron powder. The effect of an annealing treatment on the magnetic properties of synthesized magnets was investigated. The coated silicone insulating layer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Silicone uniformly coated the powder surface, resulting in a reduction of the imaginary part of the permeability, thereby increasing the electrical resistivity and the operating frequency of the synthesized magnets. The annealing treatment increased the initial permeability, the maximum permeability, and the magnetic induction, and decreased the coercivity. Annealing at 580 °C increased the maximum permeability by 72.5%. The result of annealing at 580 °C shows that the ferromagnetic resonance frequency increased from 2 kHz for conventional epoxy resin coated samples to 80 kHz for the silicone resin insulated composites. - Highlights: ► Silicone uniformly coated the powder, increased the operating frequency of SMCs. ► The annealing treatment increased the DC properties of SMCs. ► Annealing at 580 °C increased the maximum permeability by 72.5%. ► Compared with epoxy coated, the SMCs had higher resistivity annealing at 580 °C.

Annealing effects on magnetic properties of silicone-coated iron-based soft magnetic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Shen; Sun, Aizhi; Zhai, Fuqiang; Wang, Jin; Zhang, Qian; Xu, Wenhuan; Logan, Philip; Volinsky, Alex A.

2012-03-01

This paper focuses on novel iron-based soft magnetic composites synthesis utilizing high thermal stability silicone resin to coat iron powder. The effect of an annealing treatment on the magnetic properties of synthesized magnets was investigated. The coated silicone insulating layer was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Silicone uniformly coated the powder surface, resulting in a reduction of the imaginary part of the permeability, thereby increasing the electrical resistivity and the operating frequency of the synthesized magnets. The annealing treatment increased the initial permeability, the maximum permeability, and the magnetic induction, and decreased the coercivity. Annealing at 580 °C increased the maximum permeability by 72.5%. The result of annealing at 580 °C shows that the ferromagnetic resonance frequency increased from 2 kHz for conventional epoxy resin coated samples to 80 kHz for the silicone resin insulated composites.

Annealing of dislocation loops in neutron-irradiated copper investigated by positron annihilation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauster, W.B.; Mantl, S.; Schober, T.; Triftshauser, W.

1975-01-01

Positron annihilation angular correlation measurements were carried out on neutron-irradiated copper as a function of annealing temperature. Two types of specimens were used: single crystals irradiated with fast neutrons, and 10 B-doped polycrystalline samples irradiated with thermal neutrons. All irradiations were at approximately 320 0 K. A structure in the annealing curve, not previously observed by other techniques, indicates that between 460 and 600 0 K the dislocation loops present after irradiation dissociate and more effective positron trapping sites are formed. (auth)

Synthesis and characterization of iron cobalt (FECO) nanorods ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Synthesis and characterization of iron cobalt (FECO) nanorods prepared by simple ... shaped by increasing annealing temperature from room temperature to 800 ... Keywords: FeCo nanoparticles, sodium borohydrid, CTAB, chemical synthesis ...

Synthesis and characterization of (Lu{sub 1−x−y}Y{sub x}Ce{sub y}){sub 2}SiO{sub 5} luminescent powders with fast decay time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aburto-Crespo, M. [Programa de Posgrado en Física de Materiales CICESE-UNAM, Km. 107 Carretera Tij-Ens, Ensenada, B. C. 22860, México (Mexico); Hirata, G.A., E-mail: hirata@cnyn.unam.mx [Centro de Nanociencias y Nanotecnología-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Km. 107 Carretera Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, B. C. 22860, México (Mexico); McKittrick, J. [University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0411 (United States)

2013-04-15

The structural and luminescent properties of blue-emitting (Lu{sub 1−x−y}Y{sub x}Ce{sub y}){sub 2}SiO{sub 5} (0.1≤x≤0.4, y=0.05, 0.005) phosphors prepared by combustion synthesis and post-annealed at 1200 °C for different annealing times are reported. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the formation of a (Lu,Y){sub 2}SiO{sub 5} solid solution as a majority phase with small traces of a residual phase that was identified as Lu{sub 2}SiO{sub 7}. Under long-UV excitation, the powders yield a very bright blue-emission consisting of two bands with maximum emissions located at λ=405 nm and λ=440 nm, both corresponding to the Ce{sup 3+} allowed transitions {sup 2}D{sub 3/2}→{sup 2}F{sub 5/2} and {sup 2}D{sub 5/2}→{sup 2}F{sub 7/2}, respectively. Moreover, luminescence decay times of 38–45 ns were measured, which depend on the composition, making these powders excellent candidates for application as scintillators in medical imaging. -- Highlights: ► A facile technique to fabricate (Lu,Y)-oxyorthosilicate nanophosphors is presented. ► The structural and excellent luminescent properties including excitation, emission and short decay times are reported. ► The Ce-doped oxyorthosilicates nanophosphors present a fast decay time of the order of 38–45 ns.

Role of dopant in annealing of chemical radiation damage in potassium nitrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohapatra, B.M.; Bhatta, D.

1984-01-01

The role of cationic vacancy in th annealing of gamma-irradiated potassium nitrate has been investigated using Ba 2+ as a dopant. Isothermal annealing data show that the pure potassium nitrate is immune to annealing above and below the temperature of crystal transition 127degC (Rhombic↔tTrigonal), while the doped crystals undergo recovery by a combination of one first order and one second order process above the phase change and by a second order process below this temperature. The recovery process above 127degC is initially fast (upto 1 hr) but subsequently it slows down to a pseudo-plateau. The proportion of damage which recombines by first and second order processes is 40.6 and 59.4 respectively. (author)

Controlled soft-template synthesis of ultrathin C@FeS nanosheets with high-Li-storage performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chen; Zeng, Yi; Rui, Xianhong; Xiao, Ni; Zhu, Jixin; Zhang, Wenyu; Chen, Jing; Liu, Weiling; Tan, Huiteng; Hng, Huey Hoon; Yan, Qingyu

2012-06-26

We report a facile approach to prepare carbon-coated troilite FeS (C@FeS) nanosheets via surfactant-assisted solution-based synthesis. 1-Dodecanethiol is used as both the sulfur source and the surfactant, which may form different-shaped micelles to direct the growth of nanostructures. Under appropriate growth conditions, the iron and sulfur atoms react to form thin layers of FeS while the hydrocarbon tails of 1-dodecanethiol separate the thin FeS layers, which turn to carbon after annealing in Ar. Such an approach can be extended to grow C@FeS nanospheres and nanoplates by modifying the synthesis parameters. The C@FeS nanosheets display excellent Li storage properties with high specific capacities and stable charge/discharge cyclability, especially at fast charge/discharge rates.

irradiation growth in annealed Zr2.5wt%Nb at 3530K

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rogerson, A.; Murgatroyd, R.A.

1978-10-01

Zr 2.5wt%Nb growth specimens have been irradiated at 353 0 K to a fast neutron dose of approximately 4.0 x 10 25 n/m 2 . Specimens were taken from the longitudinal and transverse directions of a nominally annealed, seam-welded tube and irradiated in both the stress relieved and fully annealed conditions. Growth in these specimens is characterised by large positive and negative strains in the longitudinal and transverse directions respectively, with dimensional changes in weld material exhibiting intermediate growth behaviour. The results are compared with growth data on both annealed and cold worked Zircaloy-2 at 353 0 K and discussed in terms of the effect of texture, grain size, and cold work on irradiation growth. It is concluded that the continuation of growth to high doses in annealed Zr-2.5wt%Nb at 353 0 K results from interstitial induced dislocation climb with vacancies diffusing to grain boundaries. (author)

Electrochemical synthesis of self-organized TiO2 crystalline nanotubes without annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Giorgi, Leonardo; Dikonimos, Theodoros; Giorgi, Rossella; Buonocore, Francesco; Faggio, Giuliana; Messina, Giacomo; Lisi, Nicola

2018-03-01

This work demonstrates that upon anodic polarization in an aqueous fluoride-containing electrolyte, TiO2 nanotube array films can be formed with a well-defined crystalline phase, rather than an amorphous one. The crystalline phase was obtained avoiding any high temperature annealing. We studied the formation of nanotubes in an HF/H2O medium and the development of crystalline grains on the nanotube wall, and we found a facile way to achieve crystalline TiO2 nanotube arrays through a one-step anodization. The crystallinity of the film was influenced by the synthesis parameters, and the optimization of the electrolyte composition and anodization conditions (applied voltage and time) were carried out. For comparison purposes, crystalline anatase TiO2 nanotubes were also prepared by thermal treatment of amorphous nanotubes grown in an organic bath (ethylene glycol/NH4F/H2O). The morphology and the crystallinity of the nanotubes were studied by field emission gun-scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, whereas the electrochemical and semiconducting properties were analyzed by means of linear sweep voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy, and Mott-Schottky plots. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) allowed us to determine the surface composition and the electronic structure of the samples and to correlate them with the electrochemical data. The optimal conditions to achieve a crystalline phase with high donor concentration are defined.

Annealing cycles and the self-organization of functionalized colloids

Science.gov (United States)

Dias, Cristóvão S.; Araújo, Nuno A. M.; Telo da Gama, Margarida M.

2018-01-01

The self-assembly of functionalized (patchy) particles with directional interactions into target structures is still a challenge, despite the significant experimental advances in their synthesis. Self-assembly pathways are typically characterized by high energy barriers that hinder access to stable (equilibrium) structures. A possible strategy to tackle this challenge is to perform annealing cycles. By periodically switching on and off the inter-particle bonds, one expects to smooth-out the kinetic pathways and favor the assembly of targeted structures. Preliminary results have shown that the efficiency of annealing cycles depends strongly on their frequency. Here, we study numerically how this frequency-dependence scales with the strength of the directional interactions (size of the patch σ). We use analytical arguments to show that the scaling results from the statistics of a random walk in configurational space.

Parameter identification based on modified simulated annealing differential evolution algorithm for giant magnetostrictive actuator

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Xiaohui; Liu, Yongguang

2018-01-01

There is a serious nonlinear relationship between input and output in the giant magnetostrictive actuator (GMA) and how to establish mathematical model and identify its parameters is very important to study characteristics and improve control accuracy. The current-displacement model is firstly built based on Jiles-Atherton (J-A) model theory, Ampere loop theorem and stress-magnetism coupling model. And then laws between unknown parameters and hysteresis loops are studied to determine the data-taking scope. The modified simulated annealing differential evolution algorithm (MSADEA) is proposed by taking full advantage of differential evolution algorithm's fast convergence and simulated annealing algorithm's jumping property to enhance the convergence speed and performance. Simulation and experiment results shows that this algorithm is not only simple and efficient, but also has fast convergence speed and high identification accuracy.

Effect of annealing on the mechanical and scratch properties of BCN films obtained by magnetron sputtering deposition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Shuyan, E-mail: xsynefu@126.com [Key Laboratory of Forest Sustainable Management and Environmental Microorganism Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Ma, Xinxin [School of Material Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Wen, Huiying [Key Laboratory of Forest Sustainable Management and Environmental Microorganism Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China); Tang, Guangze [School of Material Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Li, Chunwei [Key Laboratory of Forest Sustainable Management and Environmental Microorganism Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040 (China)

2014-09-15

Highlights: • The amorphous BCN films were annealed at different temperatures under vacuum condition. • The order degree increases with the annealing temperature increasing, and the films do not decompose even the annealing temperature rise to 1000 °C. • The nano-hardness and modulus of the films decrease with the increasing of annealing temperatures. • The critical load of BCN films is not affected by the annealing temperature, and the films have good interfacial adhesion. • The scratch resistance properties of BCN film are improved by annealing at 600 °C. - Abstract: Boron-carbon-nitride (BCN) films have been fabricated by direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Boron carbide/graphite compound and a mixture of nitrogen and argon are used as target and carrier gas, respectively, during BCN synthesis. The obtained BCN films are annealed at different temperatures under vacuum condition. The effect of annealing temperature on the structure, mechanical properties and scratch behavior of the BCN films has been investigated. The results indicate that no decomposition products are found even the BCN films are annealed at 1000 °C. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films decrease with the increase of annealing temperatures. The BCN film annealed at 600 °C has the strongest scratch resistance. The friction coefficient of all BCN films is in range of 0.05 to 0.15.

Effect of annealing on the mechanical and scratch properties of BCN films obtained by magnetron sputtering deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Shuyan; Ma, Xinxin; Wen, Huiying; Tang, Guangze; Li, Chunwei

2014-01-01

Highlights: • The amorphous BCN films were annealed at different temperatures under vacuum condition. • The order degree increases with the annealing temperature increasing, and the films do not decompose even the annealing temperature rise to 1000 °C. • The nano-hardness and modulus of the films decrease with the increasing of annealing temperatures. • The critical load of BCN films is not affected by the annealing temperature, and the films have good interfacial adhesion. • The scratch resistance properties of BCN film are improved by annealing at 600 °C. - Abstract: Boron-carbon-nitride (BCN) films have been fabricated by direct current unbalanced magnetron sputtering. Boron carbide/graphite compound and a mixture of nitrogen and argon are used as target and carrier gas, respectively, during BCN synthesis. The obtained BCN films are annealed at different temperatures under vacuum condition. The effect of annealing temperature on the structure, mechanical properties and scratch behavior of the BCN films has been investigated. The results indicate that no decomposition products are found even the BCN films are annealed at 1000 °C. The hardness and elastic modulus of the films decrease with the increase of annealing temperatures. The BCN film annealed at 600 °C has the strongest scratch resistance. The friction coefficient of all BCN films is in range of 0.05 to 0.15

Optimization of pressurized water reactor shuffling by simulated annealing with heuristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevens, J.G.; Smith, K.S.; Rempe, K.R.; Downar, T.J.

1995-01-01

Simulated-annealing optimization of reactor core loading patterns is implemented with support for design heuristics during candidate pattern generation. The SIMAN optimization module uses the advanced nodal method of SIMULATE-3 and the full cross-section detail of CASMO-3 to evaluate accurately the neutronic performance of each candidate, resulting in high-quality patterns. The use of heuristics within simulated annealing is explored. Heuristics improve the consistency of optimization results for both fast- and slow-annealing runs with no penalty from the exclusion of unusual candidates. Thus, the heuristic application of designer judgment during automated pattern generation is shown to be effective. The capability of the SIMAN module to find and evaluate families of loading patterns that satisfy design constraints and have good objective performance within practical run times is demonstrated. The use of automated evaluations of successive cycles to explore multicycle effects of design decisions is discussed

Electrical behavior of amide functionalized graphene oxide and graphene oxide films annealed at different temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rani, Sumita; Kumar, Mukesh; Kumar, Dinesh; Sharma, Sumit

2015-01-01

Films of graphene oxide (GO) and amide functionalized graphene oxides (AGOs) were deposited on SiO 2 /Si(100) by spin coating and were thermally annealed at different temperatures. Sheet resistance of GO and AGOs films was measured using four probe resistivity method. GO an insulator at room temperature, exhibits decrease in sheet resistance with increase in annealing temperature. However, AGOs' low sheet resistance (250.43 Ω) at room temperature further decreases to 39.26 Ω after annealing at 800 °C. It was observed that the sheet resistance of GO was more than AGOs up to 700 °C, but effect was reversed after annealing at higher temperature. At higher annealing temperatures the oxygen functionality reduces in GO and sheet resistance decreases. Sheet resistance was found to be annealing time dependent. Longer duration of annealing at a particular temperature results in decrease of sheet resistance. - Highlights: • Amide functionalized graphene oxides (AGOs) were synthesized at room temperature (RT). • AGO films have low sheet resistance at RT as compared to graphene oxide (GO). • Fast decrease in the sheet resistance of GO with annealing as compared to AGOs • AGOs were found to be highly dispersible in polar solvents

Rapid thermal pulse annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, M.G.; Koehn, B.W.; Chaplin, R.L.

1976-01-01

Characteristics of recovery processes have been investigated for cases of heating a sample to successively higher temperatures by means of isochronal annealing or by using a rapid pulse annealing. A recovery spectra shows the same features independent of which annealing procedure is used. In order to determine which technique provides the best resolution, a study was made of how two independent first-order processes are separated for different heating rates and time increments of the annealing pulses. It is shown that the pulse anneal method offers definite advantages over isochronal annealing when annealing for short time increments. Experimental data by means of the pulse anneal techniques are given for the various substages of stage I of aluminium. (author)

In-situ PXRD Study on the Annealing of SrFe12O19 Nano Particles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gjørup, Frederik; Saura-Múzquiz, Matilde; Christensen, Mogens

Nano sized strontium hexaferrite is synthesized using a hydrothermal flow synthesis, at temperature and pressure above waters critical point. The nano particles are hexagonal platelets, with the easy axis of magnetization along the short c-axis of the platelet. The nano powders are normally pressed...... and annealed to form mechanically stable pellets. This study uses In-situ Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD) to examine the particle growth during annealing of the powder, with emphasis on the ratio between the axes of the platelets (a/c-ratio). By applying an external magnetic field before annealing......, the particles will align along the field lines of the external magnet, and the contact surfaces along the c-axis should increase. It will be examined whether the external magnetic field increases the growth along the c-axis relative to the a/b-axis, compared to annealing without prior magnetization....

Effects of annealing on the sensitivity of LiF TLD-100 after repeated use for low dose measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogunleye, O.T.; Richmond, R.G.

1987-01-01

The changes in sensitivity of LiF TLD-100 extruded ribbons subjected to repeated use up to 100 times were investigated. Three different annealing regimes were compared. The dosemeters were annealed at 400 0 C followed by (i) a slow or (ii) fast cooling to room temperature or (iii) utilising a 20 s readout process in the reader without a high temperature annealing at 400 0 C. Each of the three groups consisted of two sets of 20 chips each, with one set receiving 500 μ Gy of 90 Sr beta radiation and the other unirradiated. Sensitivity evaluations were performed every five cycles through the first 50 cycles, and on each tenth cycle thereafter. On the average, the fast cooled group maintained their integrity best, while a maximum variation in sensitivity of about 15% was observed in the irradiated set of the slowly cooled group. A permanent increase in sensitivity of at least 10% was observed for the set of dosemeters receiving radiation without annealing. Glow curve analyses showed an increase in the ratio of peaks 4 and 5 with repeated use of this group. (author)

Texture evolution in Fe-3% Si steel treated under unconventional annealing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stoyka, Vladimir; Kovac, Frantisek; Stupakov, Oleksandr; Petryshynets, Ivan

2010-01-01

The present work investigates texture evolution stages in grain-oriented steel heat-treated using unconventional conditions. The Fe-3%Si steel taken after final cold rolling reduction from an industrial line was subjected to a laboratory isothermal annealing at different temperatures. The annealing temperatures were varied in a range of 850-1150 deg. C. During the annealing each specimen was heated at 10 deg. C/s and kept at the stated temperature for 5 min. Development of microstructure and texture in the annealed specimens were followed by the DC measurements of magnetic properties. The grain oriented steel, taken from the same industrial line after final box annealing was also analyzed and compared with the laboratory annealed specimens. It was shown that there is an optimal temperature region that, with combination of a fast heating rate, led to the best conditions of a drastically reduced development time of the {110} crystallographic texture in the cold rolled grain-oriented steel. Materials heat treated below the optimum temperature region account for a primary recrystallization, while applying heat above this region leads to a secondary recrystallization without abnormal grain growth. Moreover, in the optimum temperature range, there was a particular temperature leading to the most optimal microstructure and texture. The magnetic properties, measured after the optimal heat treatment, were close to that measured on specimens taken after the final box annealing. The electron back scattered diffraction measurement technique revealed that sharpness of the {110} crystallographic texture, developed at the optimum temperature is comparable to the steel taken after the industrial final box annealing. This fact is evidence that there is a temperature where the abnormal grain growth proceeds optimally.

Electrical properties and annealing kinetics study of laser-annealed ion-implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, K.L.; Liu, Y.S.; Kirkpatrick, C.G.; Possin, G.E.

1979-01-01

This paper describes measurements of electrical properties and the regrowth behavior of ion-implanted silicon annealed with an 80-ns (FWHM) laser pulse at 1.06 μm. The experimental results include: (1) a determination of threshold energy density required for melting using a transient optical reflectivity technique, (2) measurements of dopant distribution using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, (3) characterization of electrical properties by measuring reverse leakage current densities of laser-annealed and thermal-annealed mesa diodes, (4) determination of annealed junction depth using an electron-beam-induced-current technique, and (5) a deep-level-transient spectroscopic study of residual defects. In particular, by measuring these properties of a diode annealed at a condition near the threshold energy density for liquid phase epitaxial regrowth, we have found certain correlations among these various annealing behaviors and electrical properties of laser-annealed ion-implanted silicon diodes

Simulated annealing for tensor network states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iblisdir, S

2014-01-01

Markov chains for probability distributions related to matrix product states and one-dimensional Hamiltonians are introduced. With appropriate ‘inverse temperature’ schedules, these chains can be combined into a simulated annealing scheme for ground states of such Hamiltonians. Numerical experiments suggest that a linear, i.e., fast, schedule is possible in non-trivial cases. A natural extension of these chains to two-dimensional settings is next presented and tested. The obtained results compare well with Euclidean evolution. The proposed Markov chains are easy to implement and are inherently sign problem free (even for fermionic degrees of freedom). (paper)

Investigation of optimum annealing parameters for formation of dip coated Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} thin film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chaudhari, Sushmita; Kannan, P.K.; Dey, Suhash R., E-mail: suhash@iith.ac.in

2016-08-01

Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) is most attractive absorber material for inorganic solar cell applications because of its cost effective and ecofriendly nature. To obtain phase pure CZTS film, effects of annealing parameters on synthesis of CZTS thin film are investigated. CZTS films are deposited through dip coating method followed by heat treatment to form crystalline CZTS thin films. Factors influencing the crystallinity, morphology and composition of the films such as annealing temperature, time, rate and atmosphere are studied through X-Ray Diffraction, Raman Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy. After numerous experiments of synthesis of CZTS in different annealing conditions and its characterization, it is observed that 1.4 eV band gap CZTS thin film of kesterite structure is obtained by annealing the film in nitrogen atmosphere for 60 min at 300 °C with 10 °C/min ramping rate. - Highlights: • Dip coated Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} film is developed using non-hydrazine based precursor solution. • Optimum annealing condition to achieve best crystalline film is studied. • Optimal condition is 300 °C in N{sub 2} atmosphere for 60 min at 10 °C/min ramping rate. • Bandgap of prepared films is 1.4 eV, suitable for solar cell applications.

Response to annealing and reirradiation of AISI 304L stainless steel following initial high-dose neutron irradiation in EBR-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porter, D.L.; McVay, G.L.; Walters, L.C.

1980-01-01

The object of this study was to measure the stability of irradiation-induced microstructure upon annealing and, by selectively annealing out some of these features and reirradiating the material, it was expected that information could be gained concerning the role of microstructural changes in the void swelling process. Transmission electron microscopic examinations of isochronally annealed (200 to 1050 0 C) AISI 304L stainless steel, which had been irradiated at approximately 415 0 C to a fast (E > 0.1 MeV) neutron fluence of approximately 5.1 x 10 26 n/m 2 , verified that the two-stage hardness recovery with temperatures was related to a low temperature annealing of dislocation structures and a higher temperature annealing of voids and solute redistribution

A search for radio pulsars and fast transients in M31 using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rubio-Herrera, E.; Stappers, B.W.; Hessels, J.W.T.; Braun, R.

2013-01-01

We present the results of the most sensitive and comprehensive survey yet undertaken for radio pulsars and fast transients in the Andromeda galaxy (M31) and its satellites, using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) at a central frequency of 328 MHz. We used the WSRT in a special

Investigation of irradiation embrittlement and annealing behaviour of JRQ pressure vessel steel by instrumented impact tests

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valo, M; Rintamaa, R; Nevalainen, M; Wallin, K; Torronen, K [Technical Research Centre of Finland, Espoo (Finland); Tipping, P [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

1994-12-31

Seven series of A533-B type pressure vessel steel specimens irradiated as well as irradiated - annealed - re-irradiated to different fast neutron fluences (up to 5.10{sup 19}/cm{sup 2}) have been tested with a new type of instrumented impact test machine. The radiation embrittlement and the effect of the intermediate annealing was assessed by using the ductile and cleavage fracture initiation toughness. Although the ductile fracture initiation toughness exhibited scatter, the transition temperature shift corresponding to the dynamic cleavage fracture initiation agreed well with the 41 J Charpy-V shift. The results indicate that annealing is beneficial in restoring mechanical properties in an irradiated nuclear pressure vessel steel. (authors). 8 refs., 11 figs., 1 tab.

Fast and Straightforward Synthesis of Luminescent Titanium(IV Dioxide Quantum Dots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Václav Štengl

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The nucleus of titania was prepared by reaction of solution titanium oxosulphate with hydrazine hydrate. These titania nuclei were used for titania quantum dots synthesis by a simple and fast method. The prepared titanium(IV dioxide quantum dots were characterized by measurement of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, atomic force microscopy (AFM, high-resolution electron microscopy (HRTEM, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED. The optical properties were determined by photoluminescence (PL spectra. The prepared titanium(IV dioxide quantum dots have the narrow range of UV excitation (365–400 nm and also a close range of emission maxima (450–500 nm.

Scalable effective-temperature reduction for quantum annealers via nested quantum annealing correction

Science.gov (United States)

Vinci, Walter; Lidar, Daniel A.

2018-02-01

Nested quantum annealing correction (NQAC) is an error-correcting scheme for quantum annealing that allows for the encoding of a logical qubit into an arbitrarily large number of physical qubits. The encoding replaces each logical qubit by a complete graph of degree C . The nesting level C represents the distance of the error-correcting code and controls the amount of protection against thermal and control errors. Theoretical mean-field analyses and empirical data obtained with a D-Wave Two quantum annealer (supporting up to 512 qubits) showed that NQAC has the potential to achieve a scalable effective-temperature reduction, Teff˜C-η , with 0 temperature of a quantum annealer. Such effective-temperature reduction is relevant for machine-learning applications. Since we demonstrate that NQAC achieves error correction via a reduction of the effective-temperature of the quantum annealing device, our results address the problem of the "temperature scaling law for quantum annealers," which requires the temperature of quantum annealers to be reduced as problems of larger sizes are attempted to be solved.

Cascade annealing: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doran, D.G.; Schiffgens, J.O.

1976-04-01

Concepts and an overview of radiation displacement damage modeling and annealing kinetics are presented. Short-term annealing methodology is described and results of annealing simulations performed on damage cascades generated using the Marlowe and Cascade programs are included. Observations concerning the inconsistencies and inadequacies of current methods are presented along with simulation of high energy cascades and simulation of longer-term annealing

Microstructural evolution at the initial stages of annealing in a Bi-2223 multifilament tape

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Y.L.; Grivel, J.-C.; Wang, W.G.

2001-01-01

The microstructural evolution at the initial stage of annealing in a multifilament Bi-2223 (2223) tape is studied in quenched samples using XRD, SEM and EDS. The annealing was carried out at 830 degreesC under reduced oxygen partial pressure. Samples were quenched in air upon reaching 830 degrees...... and the size (measured in tape plane) is comparable with the particle spacing indicating a liquid activity on an overall scale and sufficient feeding of Cu and Ca. Consequently, the 2223 develops at a fast rate. After 10 li the liquid amount is decreased, the particle spacing is far larger than the liquid size...

Influence of alloying and secondary annealing on anneal hardening ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Influence of alloying and secondary annealing on anneal hardening effect at sintered copper alloys. SVETLANA NESTOROVIC. Technical Faculty Bor, University of Belgrade, Bor, Yugoslavia. MS received 11 February 2004; revised 29 October 2004. Abstract. This paper reports results of investigation carried out on sintered ...

Void formation by annealing of neutron-irradiated plastically deformed molybdenum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petersen, K.; Nielsen, B.; Thrane, N.

1976-01-01

The positron annihilation technique has been used in order to study the influence of plastic deformation on the formation and growth of voids in neutron irradiated molybdenum single crystals treated by isochronal annealing. Samples were prepared in three ways: deformed 12-19% before irradiation, deformed 12-19% after irradiation, and - for reference purposes -non-deformed. In addition a polycrystalline sample was prepared in order to study the influence of the grain boundaries. All samples were irradiated at 60 0 C with a flux of 2.5 x 10 18 fast neutrons/cm 2 . After irradiation the samples were subjected to isochronal annealing. It was found that deformation before irradiation probably enhanced the formation of voids slightly. Deformation after irradiation strongly reduced the void formation. The presence of grain boundaries in the polycrystalline sample had a reducing influence on the growth of voids. (author)

Diet-induced obesity alters protein synthesis: Tissue-specific effects in fasted vs. fed mice

OpenAIRE

Anderson, Stephanie R.; Gilge, Danielle A.; Steiber, Alison L.; Previs, Stephen F.

2008-01-01

The influence of obesity on protein dynamics is not clearly understood. We have designed experiments to test the hypothesis that obesity impairs the stimulation of tissue-specific protein synthesis following nutrient ingestion. C57BL/6J mice were randomized into two groups: group 1 (control, n = 16) were fed a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet and group 2 (experimental, n = 16) were fed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet ad libitum for 9 weeks. On the experiment day, all mice were fasted for 6 h...

Electrical properties of indium arsenide irradiated with fast neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolin, N.G.; Osvenskii, V.B.; Rytova, N.S.; Yurova, E.S.

1987-01-01

A study was made of the influence of irradiation with fast reactor neutrons on electrical properties of indium arsenide samples with different dopant concentrations. The laws governing the formation and annealing of radiation defects in indium arsenide were found to be governed by the donor-acceptor interaction. Depending on the density of free carriers in the original crystal, irradiation could produce charged defects of predominantly donor or acceptor types. Donor defects in irradiated InAs samples were annealed practically completely, whereas a considerable fraction of residual acceptor defects was retained even after heat treatment at 900 degree C. The concentration of these residual acceptors depended on the electron density at the annealing temperature

Reactor pressure vessel thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, A.D.

1997-01-01

The steel plates and/or forgings and welds in the beltline region of a reactor pressure vessel (RPV) are subject to embrittlement from neutron irradiation. This embrittlement causes the fracture toughness of the beltline materials to be less than the fracture toughness of the unirradiated material. Material properties of RPVs that have been irradiated and embrittled are recoverable through thermal annealing of the vessel. The amount of recovery primarily depends on the level of the irradiation embrittlement, the chemical composition of the steel, and the annealing temperature and time. Since annealing is an option for extending the service lives of RPVs or establishing less restrictive pressure-temperature (P-T) limits; the industry, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have assisted in efforts to determine the viability of thermal annealing for embrittlement recovery. General guidance for in-service annealing is provided in American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard E 509-86. In addition, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Code Case N-557 addresses annealing conditions (temperature and duration), temperature monitoring, evaluation of loadings, and non-destructive examination techniques. The NRC thermal annealing rule (10 CFR 50.66) was approved by the Commission and published in the Federal Register on December 19, 1995. The Regulatory Guide on thermal annealing (RG 1.162) was processed in parallel with the rule package and was published on February 15, 1996. RG 1.162 contains a listing of issues that need to be addressed for thermal annealing of an RPV. The RG also provides alternatives for predicting re-embrittlement trends after the thermal anneal has been completed. This paper gives an overview of methodology and recent technical references that are associated with thermal annealing. Results from the DOE annealing prototype demonstration project, as well as NRC activities related to the

Annealing characteristics of SiO2-Si structures after incoherent light pulse processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sieber, N.; Klabes, R.; Voelskow, M.; Fenske, F.

1982-01-01

The behaviour of oxide charges and interface charges in boron implanted and non-implanted SiO 2 -Si structures as well as the electrical activation of the dopants by the action of incoherent light pulses was studied. Depth profiles of electrically active boron ions are presented for different annealing conditions as measured by the pulsed C-V method. It can be concluded that exposure of MOS structures to intense radiation of flash lamps does not increase the fixed charge and the fast state density at the SiO 2 -Si interface if optimal annealing conditions (energy densities) are employed. Low dose boron implanted silicon can be electrically activated without diffusion or segregation of dopants

Atomic scale imaging of structural changes in solid electrolyte lanthanum lithium niobate upon annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Xiaobing; Fisher, Craig A.J.; Kobayashi, Shunsuke; Ikuhara, Yumi H.; Fujiwara, Yasuyuki; Hoshikawa, Keigo; Moriwake, Hiroki; Kohama, Keiichi; Iba, Hideki; Ikuhara, Yuichi

2017-01-01

La (1-x)/3 Li x NbO 3 (LLNbO) is a promising electrolyte material for solid-state lithium-ion batteries because it is stable in contact with Li metal and contains a high concentration of intrinsic Li-ion vacancies. One strategy for improving its ionic conductivity and making it more competitive with other solid-state Li-ion electrolytes is to disorder the Li-ion vacancies by appropriate post-synthesis heat treatment, e.g., annealing. In this study, we examine the effects of annealing on single crystals of LLNbO with Li contents x = 0.07 and 0.13 based on simultaneous atomic resolution high angle annular dark field and annular bright field imaging methods using state-of-the-art aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopes. It is found that La modulation within A1 layers of the cation-deficient layered perovskite structure becomes more diffuse after annealing. In addition, some La atoms move to A-site positions and O4 window positions in the nominally vacant A2 layer, while O atom columns in this layer become rumpled in the [001] p direction, indicating that the NbO 6 octahedra are more heavily distorted after annealing. The observed crystal structure differences between as-prepared and annealed single crystals explain the drop in Li-ion conductivities of LLNbO single crystals after heat treatment.

Chemical Annealing of Zinc Tetraphenylporphyrin Films: Effects on Film Morphology and Organic Photovoltaic Performance

KAUST Repository

Trinh, Cong

2012-07-10

We present a chemical annealing process for organic thin films. In this process, a thin film of a molecular material, such as zinc tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP), is exposed to a vapor of nitrogen-based ligand (e.g., pyrazine, pz, and triazine, tz), forming a film composed of the metal-ligand complex. Fast and quantitative formation of the complex leads to marked changes in the morphology and optical properties of the film. X-ray diffraction studies show that the chemical annealing process converts amorphous ZnTPP films to crystalline ZnTPP•ligand films, whose porphryin planes lie nearly parallel to the substrate (average deviation is 8° for the ZnTPP•pz film). Organic solar cells were prepared with ZnTPP donor and C 60 acceptor layers. Devices were prepared with and without chemical annealing of the ZnTPP layer with a pyrazine ligand. The devices with chemically annealed ZnTPP donor layer show an increase in short-circuit current (J SC) and fill factor (FF) relative to analogous unannealed devices, presumably because of enhanced exciton diffusion length and improved charge conductivity. The open circuit voltages (V OC) of the chemically annealed devices are lower than their unannealed counterpart because of enhanced polaron pair recombination at the donor/acceptor heterojunction. A net improvement of 5-20% in efficiency has been achieved, after chemical annealing of ZnTPP films with pyrazine. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Strong white photoluminescence from annealed zeolites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai, Zhenhua; Fujii, Minoru; Imakita, Kenji; Hayashi, Shinji

2014-01-01

The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated for the first time. The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence (PL) under ultraviolet light excitation. With increasing annealing temperature, the emission intensity of annealed zeolites first increases and then decreases. At the same time, the PL peak red-shifts from 495 nm to 530 nm, and then returns to 500 nm. The strongest emission appears when the annealing temperature is 500 °C. The quantum yield of the sample is measured to be ∼10%. The PL lifetime monotonously increases from 223 μs to 251 μs with increasing annealing temperature. The origin of white PL is ascribed to oxygen vacancies formed during the annealing process. -- Highlights: • The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated. • The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence. • The maximum PL enhancement reaches as large as 62 times. • The lifetime shows little dependence on annealing temperature. • The origin of white emission is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies

Study of iterative synthesis method by deflation in the resolution of neutron diffusion equation applied to fast reactors calculation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reis Filho, P.E.G. dos

1982-01-01

A new synthesis method to substitute for the classical method of finite diferences for XYZ geometry (geometry of critical experiments in fast reactors), is developed. The new method allows a fine energy group division, that is, finer than the 6 groups division used in calculations of power core specification. (E.G.) [pt

Effects of Supplementation of Branched-Chain Amino Acids to Reduced-Protein Diet on Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis and Degradation in the Fed and Fasted States in a Piglet Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liufeng Zheng

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Supplementation of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA has been demonstrated to promote skeletal muscle mass gain, but the mechanisms underlying this observation are still unknown. Since the regulation of muscle mass depends on a dynamic equilibrium (fasted losses–fed gains in protein turnover, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of BCAA supplementation on muscle protein synthesis and degradation in fed/fasted states and the related mechanisms. Fourteen 26- (Experiment 1 and 28-day-old (Experiment 2 piglets were fed reduced-protein diets without or with supplemental BCAA. After a four-week acclimation period, skeletal muscle mass and components of anabolic and catabolic signaling in muscle samples after overnight fasting were determined in Experiment 1. Pigs in Experiment 2 were implanted with carotid arterial, jugular venous, femoral arterial and venous catheters, and fed once hourly along with the intravenous infusion of NaH13CO3 for 2 h, followed by a 6-h infusion of [1-13C]leucine. Muscle leucine kinetics were measured using arteriovenous difference technique. The mass of most muscles was increased by BCAA supplementation. During feeding, BCAA supplementation increased leucine uptake, protein synthesis, protein degradation and net transamination. The greater increase in protein synthesis than in protein degradation resulted in elevated protein deposition. Protein synthesis was strongly and positively correlated with the intramuscular net production of α-ketoisocaproate (KIC and protein degradation. Moreover, BCAA supplementation enhanced the fasted-state phosphorylation of protein translation initiation factors and inhibited the protein-degradation signaling of ubiquitin-proteasome and autophagy-lysosome systems. In conclusion, supplementation of BCAA to reduced-protein diet increases fed-state protein synthesis and inhibits fasted-state protein degradation, both of which could contribute to the elevation of skeletal muscle

DOE's annealing prototype demonstration projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, J.; Nakos, J.; Rochau, G.

1997-01-01

One of the challenges U.S. utilities face in addressing technical issues associated with the aging of nuclear power plants is the long-term effect of plant operation on reactor pressure vessels (RPVs). As a nuclear plant operates, its RPV is exposed to neutrons. For certain plants, this neutron exposure can cause embrittlement of some of the RPV welds which can shorten the useful life of the RPV. This RPV embrittlement issue has the potential to affect the continued operation of a number of operating U.S. pressurized water reactor (PWR) plants. However, RPV material properties affected by long-term irradiation are recoverable through a thermal annealing treatment of the RPV. Although a dozen Russian-designed RPVs and several U.S. military vessels have been successfully annealed, U.S. utilities have stated that a successful annealing demonstration of a U.S. RPV is a prerequisite for annealing a licensed U.S. nuclear power plant. In May 1995, the Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories awarded two cost-shared contracts to evaluate the feasibility of annealing U.S. licensed plants by conducting an anneal of an installed RPV using two different heating technologies. The contracts were awarded to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Center for Research and Technology Development (CRTD) and MPR Associates (MPR). The ASME team completed its annealing prototype demonstration in July 1996, using an indirect gas furnace at the uncompleted Public Service of Indiana's Marble Hill nuclear power plant. The MPR team's annealing prototype demonstration was scheduled to be completed in early 1997, using a direct heat electrical furnace at the uncompleted Consumers Power Company's nuclear power plant at Midland, Michigan. This paper describes the Department's annealing prototype demonstration goals and objectives; the tasks, deliverables, and results to date for each annealing prototype demonstration; and the remaining annealing technology challenges

Room temperature growth of ZnO nanorods by hydrothermal synthesis

Science.gov (United States)

Tateyama, Hiroki; Zhang, Qiyan; Ichikawa, Yo

2018-05-01

The effect of seed layer morphology on ZnO nanorod growth at room temperature was studied via hydrothermal synthesis on seed layers with different thicknesses and further annealed at different temperatures. The change in the thickness and annealing temperature enabled us to control over a diameter of ZnO nanorods which are attributed to the changing of crystallinity and roughness of the seed layers.

Laser Annealing on the Surface Treatment of Thin Super Elastic NiTi Wire

Science.gov (United States)

Samal, S.; Heller, L.; Brajer, J.; Tyc, O.; Kadrevek, L.; Sittner, P.

2018-05-01

Here the aim of this research is annealing the surface of NiTi wire for shape memory alloy, super-elastic wire by solid state laser beam. The laser surface treatment was carried out on the NiTi wire locally with fast, selective, surface heat treatment that enables precisely tune the localized material properties without any precipitation. Both as drawn (hard) and straight annealing NiTi wire were considered for laser annealing with input power 3 W, with precisely focusing the laser beam height 14.3 % of the Z-axis with a spot size of 1 mm. However, straight annealing wire is more interest due to its low temperature shape setting behavior and used by companies for stent materials. The variable parameter such as speed of the laser scanning and tensile stress on the NiTi wire were optimized to observe the effect of laser response on the sample. Superelastic, straight annealed NiTi wires (d: 0.10 mm) were held prestrained at the end of the superelastic plateau (ε: 5 ∼6.5 %) above the superelastic region by a tensile machine ( Mitter: miniature testing rig) at room temperature (RT). Simultaneously, the hardness of the wires along the cross-section was performed by nano-indentation (NI) method. The hardness of the NiTi wire corresponds to phase changes were correlated with NI test. The laser induced NiTi wire shows better fatigue performance with improved 6500 cycles.

The synthesis of [O-methyl-{sup 11}C]venlafaxine: a non-classical, fast-acting antidepressant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gee, A.D.; Gjedde, A. [Aarhus Univ. Hospital, PET Center, Aarhus (Denmark); Smith, D.F. [Aarhus Univ. Psychiatric Hospital, Inst. for Biological Psychiatry, Risskov (Denmark)

1997-01-01

As part of our program to develop PET tracers for the 5-HT reuptake site, venlafaxine, a non-classical, fast-acting antidepressant, was selected as a candidate for labelling with {sup 11}C for in vivo evaluation. [O-methyl-{sup 11}C]venlafaxine was produced by the alkylation of O-desmethyl venlafaxine with [{sup 11}C]methyl iodide followed by HPLC purification and formulation. Radiochemically pure [O-methyl-{sup 11}C]venlafaxine was obtained in a 30 {+-} 5% decay corrected radiochemical yield and a specific activity > 50 GBq/{mu}mol(1.4 Ci/{mu}mol) at the end of synthesis. For a typical production starting with 46 GBq (1.3 Ci) [{sup 11}C]CO{sub 2}, 5.2 GBq (140 mCi) [O-methyl-{sup 11}C]venlafaxine was obtained as a sterile, formulated solution in a synthesis time of 30 min (counted from EOB). (Author).

Semiconductor annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, J.M.; Scovell, P.D.

1982-01-01

A process for annealing crystal damage in ion implanted semiconductor devices in which the device is rapidly heated to a temperature between 450 and 900 0 C and allowed to cool. It has been found that such heating of the device to these relatively low temperatures results in rapid annealing. In one application the device may be heated on a graphite element mounted between electrodes in an inert atmosphere in a chamber. (author)

Formation of Au nanoparticles in sapphire by using Ar ion implantation and thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, L.H.; Zhang, C.H.; Yang, Y.T.; Li, B.S.; Zhang, L.Q.; Fu, Y.C.; Zhang, H.H.

2009-01-01

In this paper, we present results of the synthesis of gold nanoclusters in sapphire, using Ar ion implantation and annealing in air. Unlike the conventional method of Au implantation followed by thermal annealing, Au was deposited on the surface of m- and a- cut sapphire single crystal samples including those pre-implanted with Ar ions. Au atoms were brought into the substrate by subsequent implantation of Ar ions to form Au nanoparticles. Samples were finally annealed stepwisely in air at temperatures ranging from 400 to 800 deg. C and then studied using UV-vis absorption spectrometry, transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattered spectrometry. Evidence of the formation Au nanoparticles in the sapphire can be obtained from the characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption band in the optical absorption spectra or directly from the transmission electron microscopy. The results of optical absorption spectra indicate that the specimen orientations and pre-implantation also influence the size and the volume fraction of Au nanoparticles formed. Theoretical calculations using Maxwell-Garnett effective medium theory supply a good interpretation of the optical absorption results.

Rapid Hydrothermal Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanowires by Annealing Methods on Seed Layers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jang Bo Shim

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Well-aligned zinc oxide (ZnO nanowire arrays were successfully synthesized on a glass substrate using the rapid microwave heating process. The ZnO seed layers were produced by spinning the precursor solutions onto the substrate. Among coatings, the ZnO seed layers were annealed at 100°C for 5 minutes to ensure particle adhesion to the glass surface in air, nitrogen, and vacuum atmospheres. The annealing treatment of the ZnO seed layer was most important for achieving the high quality of ZnO nanowire arrays as ZnO seed nanoparticles of larger than 30 nm in diameter evolve into ZnO nanowire arrays. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed a single-crystalline lattice of the ZnO nanowires. Because of their low power (140 W, low operating temperatures (90°C, easy fabrication (variable microwave sintering system, and low cost (90% cost reduction compared with gas condensation methods, high quality ZnO nanowires created with the rapid microwave heating process show great promise for use in flexible solar cells and flexible display devices.

Dielectric response of capacitor structures based on PZT annealed at different temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kamenshchikov, Mikhail V., E-mail: Mikhailkamenshchikov@yandex.ru [Tver State University, 170002, Tver (Russian Federation); Solnyshkin, Alexander V. [Tver State University, 170002, Tver (Russian Federation); Pronin, Igor P. [Ioffe Institute, 194021, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)

2016-12-09

Highlights: • Correlation of the microstructure of PZT films and dielectric response was found. • Difference of dielectric responses under low and high bias is caused by domains. • Internal fields is discussed on the basis of the space charges. • Dependences of PZT films characteristics on synthesis temperature are extremal. - Abstract: Dielectric response of thin-film capacitor structures of Pt/PZT/Pt deposited by the RF magnetron sputtering method and annealed at temperatures of 540–570 °C was investigated. It was found that dielectric properties of these structures depend on the synthesis temperature. Stability of a polarized state is considered on the basis of the analysis of hysteresis loops and capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics. The contribution of the domain mechanism in the dielectric response of the capacitor structure comprising a ferroelectric is discussed. Extreme dependences of electrophysical characteristics of PZT films on their synthesis temperature were observed. Correlation of dielectric properties with microstructure of these films is found out.

Influence of growth flux solvent on anneal-tuning of ground states in CaFe2As2

Science.gov (United States)

Roncaioli, Connor; Drye, Tyler; Saha, Shanta R.; Paglione, Johnpierre

2018-04-01

The effects of anneal-tuning of single-crystalline samples of CaFe2As2 synthesized via a molten Sn-flux method are investigated using x-ray diffraction, chemical composition, electrical transport, and magnetic susceptibility measurements in order to understand the role of growth conditions on the resultant phase diagram. Previous studies of CaFe2As2 crystals synthesized using a self-flux (FeAs) method revealed an ability to tune the structural and magnetic properties of this system by control of post-synthesis annealing conditions, resulting in an ambient pressure phase diagram that spans from tetragonal/orthorhombic antiferromagnetism to the collapsed tetragonal phase of this system. In this work, we compare previous results to those obtained on crystals synthesized via Sn flux, finding similar tunability in both self- and Sn-flux cases, but less sensitivity to annealing temperatures in the latter case, resulting in a temperature-shifted phase diagram.

Nanosecond laser ablated copper superhydrophobic surface with tunable ultrahigh adhesion and its renewability with low temperature annealing

Science.gov (United States)

He, An; Liu, Wenwen; Xue, Wei; Yang, Huan; Cao, Yu

2018-03-01

Recently, metallic superhydrophobic surfaces with ultrahigh adhesion have got plentiful attention on account of their significance in scientific researches and industrial applications like droplet transport, drug delivery and novel microfluidic devices. However, the long lead time and transience hindered its in-depth development and industrial application. In this work, nanosecond laser ablation was carried out to construct grid of micro-grooves on copper surface, whereafter, by applying fast ethanol assisted low-temperature annealing, we obtained surface with superhydrophobicity and ultrahigh adhesion within hours. And the ultrahigh adhesion force was found tunable by varying the groove spacing. Using ultrasonic cleaning as the simulation of natural wear and tear in service, the renewability of superhydrophobicity was also investigated, and the result shows that the contact angle can rehabilitate promptly by the processing of ethanol assisted low-temperature annealing, which gives a promising fast and cheap circuitous strategy to realize the long wish durable metallic superhydrophobic surfaces in practical applications.

Biomolecular Specificity Regulated Synthesis of Nanocatalysts and Heterointegration of Photosynthesis Nanodevices

Science.gov (United States)

2016-01-01

Pd Nanocomposite Photocatalyst for Tandem Synthesis of Benzimidazole 2.1 Approaches: Wet -chemical synthetic routes are explored to create...nanocatalysts, and tandem catalysts systems were created through physical mixture and annealing . XRD, XPS, TEM, and STEM are used to characterized the detailed...its synergetic effect. Through annealing treatment, the metallic surface previously of segregated Au and Pd domains transforms to Au-Pd alloy. Since

Multiphase Simulated Annealing Based on Boltzmann and Bose-Einstein Distribution Applied to Protein Folding Problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Frausto-Solis, Juan; Liñán-García, Ernesto; Sánchez-Hernández, Juan Paulo; González-Barbosa, J Javier; González-Flores, Carlos; Castilla-Valdez, Guadalupe

2016-01-01

A new hybrid Multiphase Simulated Annealing Algorithm using Boltzmann and Bose-Einstein distributions (MPSABBE) is proposed. MPSABBE was designed for solving the Protein Folding Problem (PFP) instances. This new approach has four phases: (i) Multiquenching Phase (MQP), (ii) Boltzmann Annealing Phase (BAP), (iii) Bose-Einstein Annealing Phase (BEAP), and (iv) Dynamical Equilibrium Phase (DEP). BAP and BEAP are simulated annealing searching procedures based on Boltzmann and Bose-Einstein distributions, respectively. DEP is also a simulated annealing search procedure, which is applied at the final temperature of the fourth phase, which can be seen as a second Bose-Einstein phase. MQP is a search process that ranges from extremely high to high temperatures, applying a very fast cooling process, and is not very restrictive to accept new solutions. However, BAP and BEAP range from high to low and from low to very low temperatures, respectively. They are more restrictive for accepting new solutions. DEP uses a particular heuristic to detect the stochastic equilibrium by applying a least squares method during its execution. MPSABBE parameters are tuned with an analytical method, which considers the maximal and minimal deterioration of problem instances. MPSABBE was tested with several instances of PFP, showing that the use of both distributions is better than using only the Boltzmann distribution on the classical SA.

Suppression of slow capacitance relaxation phenomenon in Pt/Ba0.3Sr0.7TiO3/Pt thin film ferroelectric structures by annealing in oxygen atmosphere

KAUST Repository

Altynnikov, A. G.

2014-01-27

The impact of oxygen annealing on the switching time of ferroelectric thin film capacitor structures Pt/Ba0.3Sr0.7TiO3/Pt was investigated. The response of their capacitance on pulsed control voltages before and after annealing was experimentally measured. It was demonstrated that the annealing results in suppression of the capacitance slow relaxation processes and increase of the threshold control voltages. These structures can therefore be attractive for fabrication of fast acting microwave devices. © 2014 Author(s).

Forming of nanocrystal silicon films by implantation of high dose of H+ in layers of silicon on isolator and following fast thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyschenko, I.E.; Popov, V.P.; Talochkin, A.B.; Gutakovskij, A.K.; Zhuravlev, K.S.

2004-01-01

Formation of nanocrystalline silicon films during rapid thermal annealing of the high-dose H + ion implanted silicon-on-insulator structures was studied. It was found, that Si nanocrystals had formed alter annealings at 300-400 deg C, their formation being strongly limited by the hydrogen content in silicon and also by the annealing time. It was supposed that the nucleation of crystalline phase occurred inside the silicon islands between micropores. It is conditioned by ordering Si-Si bonds as hydrogen atoms are leaving their sites in silicon network. No coalescence of micropores takes place during the rapid thermal annealing at the temperatures up to ∼ 900 deg C. Green-orange photoluminescence was observed on synthesized films at room temperature [ru

Aqueous chemical growth of Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) thin films: Air annealing and photoelectrochemical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shinde, N.M.; Deshmukh, P.R.; Patil, S.V. [Thin Film Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004, M.S. (India); Lokhande, C.D., E-mail: l_chandrakant@yahoo.com [Thin Film Physics Laboratory, Department of Physics, Shivaji University, Kolhapur 416004, M.S. (India)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► Facile and efficient route for synthesis of CZTS film. ► Effect of annealing on structural, morphological and electrical properties of CZTS films. ► Solar cell study. - Abstract: In present investigation, Cu{sub 2}ZnSnS{sub 4} (CZTS) thin films have been deposited on to glass substrates by novel chemical successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The effect of air annealing in the temperature range between 573 and 773 K on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties has been studied. The X-ray diffraction studies revealed the formation of polycrystalline CZTS films. The surface morphological study showed smooth, compact and uniform film formation after annealing formation. The band gap was in between range from 1.5 to 1.8 eV depending on annealing temperature. The thermo emf measurement revealed that the CZTS exhibits p-type electrical conductivity. Further, photoactivity of CZTS thin films was tested by forming the photoelectrochemical cell.

Effect of annealing on magnetic properties and structure of Fe-Ni based magnetic microwires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhukova, V.; Korchuganova, O.A.; Aleev, A.A.; Tcherdyntsev, V.V.; Churyukanova, M.; Medvedeva, E.V.; Seils, S.; Wagner, J.; Ipatov, M.; Blanco, J.M.; Kaloshkin, S.D.; Aronin, A.; Abrosimova, G.; Orlova, N.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • High domain wall mobility of Fe-Ni-based microwires. • Enhancement of domain wall velocity and mobility in Fe-rich microwires after annealing. • Observation of areas enriched by Si and depleted by B after annealing. • Phase separation in annealed Fe-Ni based microwires in metallic nucleus and near the interface layer. - Abstract: We studied the magnetic properties and domain wall (DW) dynamics of Fe 47.4 Ni 26.6 Si 11 B 13 C 2 and Fe 77.5 Si 7.5 B 15 microwires. Both samples present rectangular hysteresis loop and fast magnetization switching. Considerable enhancement of DW velocity is observed in Fe 77.5 Si 7.5 B 15 , while DW velocity of samples Fe 47.4 Ni 26.6 Si 11 B 13 C 2 is less affected by annealing. The other difference is the magnetic field range of the linear region on dependence of domain wall velocity upon magnetic field: in Fe 47.4 Ni 26.6 Si 11 B 13 C 2 sample is considerably shorter and drastically decreases after annealing. We discussed the influence of annealing on DW dynamics considering different magnetoelastic anisotropy of studied microwires and defects within the amorphous state in Fe 47.4 Ni 26.6 Si 11 B 13 C 2 . Consequently we studied the structure of Fe 47.4 Ni 26.6 Si 11 B 13 C 2 sample using X-ray diffraction and the atom probe tomography. The results obtained using the atom probe tomography supports the formation of the B-depleted and Si-enriched precipitates in the metallic nucleus of Fe-Ni based microwires.

Computational algorithm for molybdenite concentrate annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alkatseva, V.M.

1995-01-01

Computational algorithm is presented for annealing of molybdenite concentrate with granulated return dust and that of granulated molybdenite concentrate. The algorithm differs from the known analogies for sulphide raw material annealing by including the calculation of return dust mass in stationary annealing; the latter quantity varies form the return dust mass value obtained in the first iteration step. Masses of solid products are determined by distribution of concentrate annealing products, including return dust and benthonite. The algorithm is applied to computations for annealing of other sulphide materials. 3 refs

Effects of beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB) on the expression of ubiquitin ligases, protein synthesis pathways and contractile function in extensor digitorum longus (EDL) of fed and fasting rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Gerlinger-Romero, Frederico; Guimarães-Ferreira, Lucas; Yonamine, Caio Yogi; Salgueiro, Rafael Barrera; Nunes, Maria Tereza

2018-03-01

Beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), a leucine metabolite, enhances the gain of skeletal muscle mass by increasing protein synthesis or attenuating protein degradation or both. The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of HMB on molecular factors controlling skeletal muscle protein synthesis and degradation, as well as muscle contractile function, in fed and fasted conditions. Wistar rats were supplied daily with HMB (320 mg/kg body weight diluted in NaCl-0.9%) or vehicle only (control) by gavage for 28 days. After this period, some of the animals were subjected to a 24-h fasting, while others remained in the fed condition. The EDL muscle was then removed, weighed and used to evaluate the genes and proteins involved in protein synthesis (AKT/4E-BP1/S6) and degradation (Fbxo32 and Trim63). A sub-set of rats were used to measure in vivo muscle contractile function. HMB supplementation increased AKT phosphorylation during fasting (three-fold). In the fed condition, no differences were detected in atrogenes expression between control and HMB supplemented group; however, HMB supplementation did attenuate the fasting-induced increase in their expression levels. Fasting animals receiving HMB showed improved sustained tetanic contraction times (one-fold) and an increased muscle to tibia length ratio (1.3-fold), without any cross-sectional area changes. These results suggest that HMB supplementation under fasting conditions increases AKT phosphorylation and attenuates the increased of atrogenes expression, followed by a functional improvement and gain of skeletal muscle weight, suggesting that HMB protects skeletal muscle against the deleterious effects of fasting.

Semiconductor annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, J.M.; Scovell, P.D.

1981-01-01

A process for annealing crystal damage in ion implanted semiconductor devices is described in which the device is rapidly heated to a temperature between 450 and 600 0 C and allowed to cool. It has been found that such heating of the device to these relatively low temperatures results in rapid annealing. In one application the device may be heated on a graphite element mounted between electrodes in an inert atmosphere in a chamber. The process may be enhanced by the application of optical radiation from a Xenon lamp. (author)

Effect of template post-annealing on Y(Dy)BaCuO nucleation on CeO2 buffered metallic tapes

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xuefeng; Zhong, Yun; Zhong, Huaxiao; Fan, Feng; Sang, Lina; Li, Mengyao; Fang, Qiang; Zheng, Jiahui; Song, Haoyu; Lu, Yuming; Liu, Zhiyong; Bai, Chuanyi; Guo, Yanqun; Cai, Chuanbing

2017-08-01

Substrate engineering is very significant in the synthesis of the high-temperature superconductor (HTS) coated conductor. Here we design and synthesize several distinct and stable Cerium oxide (CeO2) surface reconstructions which are used to grow epitaxial films of the HTS YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO). To identify the influence of annealing and post-annealing surroundings on the nature of nucleation centers, including Ar/5%H2, humid Ar/5%H2 and O2 in high temperature annealing process, we study the well-controlled structure, surface morphology, crystal constants and surface redox processes of the ceria buffers by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and field-emission scanning electronic microscopy (FE-SEM), respectively. The ceria film post-annealed under humid Ar/5%H2 gas shows the best buffer layer properties. Furthermore, the film absorbs more oxygen ions, which appears to contribute to oxygenation of superconductor film. The film is well-suited for ceria model studies as well as a perfect substitute for CeO2 bulk material.

A fast chemoenzymatic synthesis of [11C]-N5,N10-methylenetetrahydrofolate as a potential PET tracer for proliferating cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeed, Muhammad; Tewson, Timothy J.; Erdahl, Colbin E.; Kohen, Amnon

2012-01-01

Introduction: Thymidylate synthase and folate receptors are well-developed targets of cancer therapy. Discovery of a simple and fast method for the conversion of 11 CH 3 Ito[ 11 C]-formaldehyde ( 11 CH 2 O) encouraged us to label the co-factor of this enzyme. Preliminary studies conducted on cell lines have demonstrated a preferential uptake of [11- 14 C]-(R)-N 5 ,N 10 -methylene-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrofolate ( 14 CH 2 H 4 folate) by cancerous cell vs. normal cells from the same organ (Saeed M., Sheff D. and Kohen A. Novel positron emission tomography tracer distinguishes normal from cancerous cells. J Biol Chem 2011;286:33872–33878), pointing out 11 CH 2 H 4 folate as a positron emission tomography (PET) tracer for cancer imaging. Herein we report the synthesis of 11 CH 2 H 4 folate, which may serve as a potential PET tracer. Methods: In a remotely controlled module, methyl iodide ( 11 CH 3 I) was bubbled into a reaction vial containing trimethylamine N-oxide in N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) and heated to 70°C for 2 min. Formaldehyde ( 11 CH 2 O) formed after the completion of reaction was then mixed with a solution of freshly prepared tetrahydrofolate (H 4 folate) by using a fast chemoenzymatic approach to accomplish synthesis of 11 CH 2 H 4 folate. Purification of the product was carried out by loading the crude reaction mixture on a SAX cartridge, washing with water to remove unbound impurities and finally eluting with a saline solution. Results: The synthesis and purification of 11 CH 2 H 4 folate were completed within 5 min. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the product after SAX purification indicates that more than 90% of the radioactivity that was retained on the SAX cartridge was in 11 CH 2 H 4 folate, with minor ( 11 CH 2 O. Conclusion: We present a fast (∼5 min) synthesis and purification of 11 CH 2 H 4 folate as a potential PET tracer. The final product is received in physiologically compatible buffer (100 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7

Annealing experiments on and high-temperature behavior of the superconductor yttrium barium copper oxide (YBa2Cu3Ox)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brabers, V.A.M.; Jonge, de W.J.M.; Bosch, L.A.; Steen, van der C.; de Groote, A.M.W.; Verheyen, A.A.; Vennix, C.W.H.M.

1988-01-01

The high temperature behaviour (300–1100 K) of the superconductor YBa2Cu3Ox has been studied by annealing experiments, thermal dilatation, thermogravimetry and measurements of the electrical resistance and thermoelectric power. For the fast oxidation process of this compound, reaction enthalpies

Management of the Bohunice RPVs annealing procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Repka, M.

1994-01-01

The program of annealing regeneration procedure of RPVs units 1 and 2 of NPP V-1 (EBO) realization in the year 1993, is the topic of this paper. In the paper the following steps are described in detail: the preparation works, the annealing procedure realization schedule and safety management: starting with zero conditions, assembling of annealing apparatus, annealing procedure, cooling down and disassembling procedure of annealing apparatus. At the end the programs of annealing of both RPVs including the dosimetry measurements are discussed and evaluated. (author). 3 figs

Influence of synthesis conditions on microstructure and phase transformations of annealed Sr2FeMoO6−x nanopowders formed by the citrate–gel method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Yarmolich

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The sequence of phase transformations during Sr2FeMoO6−x crystallization by the citrate–gel method was studied for powders synthesized with initial reagent solutions with pH values of 4, 6 and 9. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the as-produced and annealed powders had the largest Sr2FeMoO6−x agglomerates with diameters in the range of 0.7–1.2 µm. The average grain size of the powders in the dispersion grows from 250 to 550 nm with increasing pH value. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the powders annealed at different temperatures between 770 and 1270 K showed that the composition of the initially formed Sr2FeMoO6−x changes and the molybdenum content increases with further heating. This leads to a change in the Sr2FeMoO6−x crystal lattice parameters and a contraction of the cell volume. An optimized synthesis procedure based on an initial solution of pH 4 allowed a single-phase Sr2FeMoO6−x compound to be obtained with a grain size in the range of 50–120 nm and a superstructural ordering of iron and molybdenum cations of 88%.

Mathematical foundation of quantum annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morita, Satoshi; Nishimori, Hidetoshi

2008-01-01

Quantum annealing is a generic name of quantum algorithms that use quantum-mechanical fluctuations to search for the solution of an optimization problem. It shares the basic idea with quantum adiabatic evolution studied actively in quantum computation. The present paper reviews the mathematical and theoretical foundations of quantum annealing. In particular, theorems are presented for convergence conditions of quantum annealing to the target optimal state after an infinite-time evolution following the Schroedinger or stochastic (Monte Carlo) dynamics. It is proved that the same asymptotic behavior of the control parameter guarantees convergence for both the Schroedinger dynamics and the stochastic dynamics in spite of the essential difference of these two types of dynamics. Also described are the prescriptions to reduce errors in the final approximate solution obtained after a long but finite dynamical evolution of quantum annealing. It is shown there that we can reduce errors significantly by an ingenious choice of annealing schedule (time dependence of the control parameter) without compromising computational complexity qualitatively. A review is given on the derivation of the convergence condition for classical simulated annealing from the view point of quantum adiabaticity using a classical-quantum mapping

Placement by thermodynamic simulated annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vicente, Juan de; Lanchares, Juan; Hermida, Roman

2003-01-01

Combinatorial optimization problems arise in different fields of science and engineering. There exist some general techniques coping with these problems such as simulated annealing (SA). In spite of SA success, it usually requires costly experimental studies in fine tuning the most suitable annealing schedule. In this Letter, the classical integrated circuit placement problem is faced by Thermodynamic Simulated Annealing (TSA). TSA provides a new annealing schedule derived from thermodynamic laws. Unlike SA, temperature in TSA is free to evolve and its value is continuously updated from the variation of state functions as the internal energy and entropy. Thereby, TSA achieves the high quality results of SA while providing interesting adaptive features

Modernizing quantum annealing using local searches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chancellor, Nicholas

2017-01-01

I describe how real quantum annealers may be used to perform local (in state space) searches around specified states, rather than the global searches traditionally implemented in the quantum annealing algorithm (QAA). Such protocols will have numerous advantages over simple quantum annealing. By using such searches the effect of problem mis-specification can be reduced, as only energy differences between the searched states will be relevant. The QAA is an analogue of simulated annealing, a classical numerical technique which has now been superseded. Hence, I explore two strategies to use an annealer in a way which takes advantage of modern classical optimization algorithms. Specifically, I show how sequential calls to quantum annealers can be used to construct analogues of population annealing and parallel tempering which use quantum searches as subroutines. The techniques given here can be applied not only to optimization, but also to sampling. I examine the feasibility of these protocols on real devices and note that implementing such protocols should require minimal if any change to the current design of the flux qubit-based annealers by D-Wave Systems Inc. I further provide proof-of-principle numerical experiments based on quantum Monte Carlo that demonstrate simple examples of the discussed techniques. (paper)

Change of Composition in Metallic Fuel Slug of U-Zr Alloy from High-Temperature Annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Youn, Young Sang; Lee, Jeong Mook; Kim, Jong Yun; Kim, Jong Hwan; Song, Hoon [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-09-15

The U–Zr alloy is a candidate for fuel to be used as metallic fuel in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). Its chemical composition before and after annealing at the operational temperature of SFRs (610 .deg. C) was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The original alloy surface contained uranium oxides with the U(IV) and U(VI) oxidation states, Zr{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and a low amount of uranium metal. After annealing at 610 .deg. C, the alloy was composed of uranium metal, uranium carbide, uranium oxide with the U(V) valence state, zirconium metal, and amorphous carbon. Meanwhile, X-ray diffraction data indicate that the bulk composition of the alloy remained unchanged.

Change of Composition in Metallic Fuel Slug of U-Zr Alloy from High-Temperature Annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youn, Young Sang; Lee, Jeong Mook; Kim, Jong Yun; Kim, Jong Hwan; Song, Hoon

2016-01-01

The U–Zr alloy is a candidate for fuel to be used as metallic fuel in sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). Its chemical composition before and after annealing at the operational temperature of SFRs (610 .deg. C) was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The original alloy surface contained uranium oxides with the U(IV) and U(VI) oxidation states, Zr 2 O 3 , and a low amount of uranium metal. After annealing at 610 .deg. C, the alloy was composed of uranium metal, uranium carbide, uranium oxide with the U(V) valence state, zirconium metal, and amorphous carbon. Meanwhile, X-ray diffraction data indicate that the bulk composition of the alloy remained unchanged

A fast chemical route for the synthesis of TBHQ functionalized reduced graphene oxide and its electrochemical performances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rana, Subhasis; Sen, Pintu, E-mail: psen@vecc.gov.in; Bandyopadhyay, S.K.

2016-02-01

A fast chemical route for the synthesis of tertiary butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) functionalized reduced graphene oxide (FRGO) and their application as high performance electrode materials for supercapacitors have been reported. Reductions of chemically exfoliated graphene oxides (GO) in the presence of small amount of TBHQ (1–2 wt % with respect to GO) at various time periods were investigated through XRD, FTIR and Raman studies. Reappearance of broad diffraction peak close to graphite peak (002) reveals an efficient method of reduction of different oxygen containing functional groups present in GO/FGO resulting in a decrease of interlayer d-spacing (∼3.5 Å). Absence of the absorption peaks in FTIR for –C=O, t-O–H, epoxide and alkoxy groups supports the complete reduction of GO to FRGO by hydrazine hydrate within a short time period of 4 h reduction under reflux condition. A large red shift in UV spectrum of FRGO – 4 h (270 nm) reveals the complete reduction of graphene oxide. The average crystallite sp{sup 2} domains sizes have been estimated through Raman spectroscopy. Plausible mechanism of TBHQ assisted fast chemical reduction of FGO has been enumerated. 1.5 wt % TBHQ in FRGO shows the best electrochemical performance where TBHQ not only acts as a reducing agent during functionalization, but also plays as an active redox molecule for enhanced capacitance of 200 F/g. - Highlights: • A fast chemical route has been adopted for the synthesis of TBHQ functionalized RGO. • The kinetics of chemical reduction becomes faster in the presence of TBHQ. • The FTIR spectrum of functionalized RGO supports the complete reduction process. • TBHQ also plays a vital role for enhancing capacitance of functionalized RGO.

Fast wettability transition from hydrophilic to superhydrophobic laser-textured stainless steel surfaces under low-temperature annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Ngo, Chi-Vinh; Chun, Doo-Man

2017-07-01

Recently, the fabrication of superhydrophobic metallic surfaces by means of pulsed laser texturing has been developed. After laser texturing, samples are typically chemically coated or aged in ambient air for a relatively long time of several weeks to achieve superhydrophobicity. To accelerate the wettability transition from hydrophilicity to superhydrophobicity without the use of additional chemical treatment, a simple annealing post process has been developed. In the present work, grid patterns were first fabricated on stainless steel by a nanosecond pulsed laser, then an additional low-temperature annealing post process at 100 °C was applied. The effect of 100-500 μm step size of the textured grid upon the wettability transition time was also investigated. The proposed post process reduced the transition time from a couple of months to within several hours. All samples showed superhydrophobicity with contact angles greater than 160° and sliding angles smaller than 10° except samples with 500 μm step size, and could be applied in several potential applications such as self-cleaning and control of water adhesion.

Ensemble annealing of complex physical systems

OpenAIRE

Habeck, Michael

2015-01-01

Algorithms for simulating complex physical systems or solving difficult optimization problems often resort to an annealing process. Rather than simulating the system at the temperature of interest, an annealing algorithm starts at a temperature that is high enough to ensure ergodicity and gradually decreases it until the destination temperature is reached. This idea is used in popular algorithms such as parallel tempering and simulated annealing. A general problem with annealing methods is th...

Comparison of pulsed electron beam-annealed and pulsed ruby laser-annealed ion-implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilson, S.R.; Appleton, B.R.; White, C.W.; Narayan, J.; Greenwald, A.C.

1978-11-01

Recently two new techniques, pulsed electron beam annealing and pulsed laser annealing, have been developed for processing ion-implanted silicon. These two types of anneals have been compared using ion-channeling, ion back-scattering, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Single crystal samples were implanted with 100 keV As + ions to a dose of approx. 1 x 10 16 ions/cm 2 and subsequently annealed by either a pulsed Ruby laser or a pulsed electron beam. Our results show in both cases that the near-surface region has melted and regrown epitaxially with nearly all of the implanted As (97 to 99%) incroporated onto lattice sites. The analysis indicates that the samples are essentially defect free and have complete electrical recovery

Deconvoluting the mechanism of microwave annealing of block copolymer thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Jin, Cong; Murphy, Jeffrey N; Harris, Kenneth D; Buriak, Jillian M

2014-04-22

The self-assembly of block copolymer (BCP) thin films is a versatile method for producing periodic nanoscale patterns with a variety of shapes. The key to attaining a desired pattern or structure is the annealing step undertaken to facilitate the reorganization of nanoscale phase-segregated domains of the BCP on a surface. Annealing BCPs on silicon substrates using a microwave oven has been shown to be very fast (seconds to minutes), both with and without contributions from solvent vapor. The mechanism of the microwave annealing process remains, however, unclear. This work endeavors to uncover the key steps that take place during microwave annealing, which enable the self-assembly process to proceed. Through the use of in situ temperature monitoring with a fiber optic temperature probe in direct contact with the sample, we have demonstrated that the silicon substrate on which the BCP film is cast is the dominant source of heating if the doping of the silicon wafer is sufficiently low. Surface temperatures as high as 240 °C are reached in under 1 min for lightly doped, high resistivity silicon wafers (n- or p-type). The influence of doping, sample size, and BCP composition was analyzed to rule out other possible mechanisms. In situ temperature monitoring of various polymer samples (PS, P2VP, PMMA, and the BCPs used here) showed that the polymers do not heat to any significant extent on their own with microwave irradiation of this frequency (2.45 GHz) and power (∼600 W). It was demonstrated that BCP annealing can be effectively carried out in 60 s on non-microwave-responsive substrates, such as highly doped silicon, indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass, glass, and Kapton, by placing a piece of high resistivity silicon wafer in contact with the sample-in this configuration, the silicon wafer is termed the heating element. Annealing and self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) and polystyrene-block-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS

Effect of annealing on magnetic properties and structure of Fe-Ni based magnetic microwires

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhukova, V. [Dpto. de Física de Materiales, Fac. Químicas, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Dpto. de Física Aplicada, EUPDS, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Korchuganova, O.A.; Aleev, A.A. [National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), 115409 Moscow (Russian Federation); Tcherdyntsev, V.V.; Churyukanova, M. [National University of Science and Technology «MISIS», 119049 Moscow (Russian Federation); Medvedeva, E.V. [Institute of Electrophysics, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences 620016 Yekaterinburg (Russian Federation); Seils, S.; Wagner, J. [Karlsruhe Nano Micro Facility (KNMF), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Ipatov, M. [Dpto. de Física de Materiales, Fac. Químicas, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Dpto. de Física Aplicada, EUPDS, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Blanco, J.M. [Dpto. de Física Aplicada, EUPDS, UPV/EHU, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Kaloshkin, S.D. [National University of Science and Technology «MISIS», 119049 Moscow (Russian Federation); Aronin, A. [National University of Science and Technology «MISIS», 119049 Moscow (Russian Federation); Insitute of Solid State Physics, Moscow Region, 142432 Chernogolovka (Russian Federation); Abrosimova, G.; Orlova, N. [Insitute of Solid State Physics, Moscow Region, 142432 Chernogolovka (Russian Federation); and others

2017-07-01

Highlights: • High domain wall mobility of Fe-Ni-based microwires. • Enhancement of domain wall velocity and mobility in Fe-rich microwires after annealing. • Observation of areas enriched by Si and depleted by B after annealing. • Phase separation in annealed Fe-Ni based microwires in metallic nucleus and near the interface layer. - Abstract: We studied the magnetic properties and domain wall (DW) dynamics of Fe{sub 47.4}Ni{sub 26.6}Si{sub 11}B{sub 13}C{sub 2} and Fe{sub 77.5}Si{sub 7.5}B{sub 15} microwires. Both samples present rectangular hysteresis loop and fast magnetization switching. Considerable enhancement of DW velocity is observed in Fe{sub 77.5}Si{sub 7.5}B{sub 15}, while DW velocity of samples Fe{sub 47.4}Ni{sub 26.6}Si{sub 11}B{sub 13}C{sub 2} is less affected by annealing. The other difference is the magnetic field range of the linear region on dependence of domain wall velocity upon magnetic field: in Fe{sub 47.4}Ni{sub 26.6}Si{sub 11}B{sub 13}C{sub 2} sample is considerably shorter and drastically decreases after annealing. We discussed the influence of annealing on DW dynamics considering different magnetoelastic anisotropy of studied microwires and defects within the amorphous state in Fe{sub 47.4}Ni{sub 26.6}Si{sub 11}B{sub 13}C{sub 2}. Consequently we studied the structure of Fe{sub 47.4}Ni{sub 26.6}Si{sub 11}B{sub 13}C{sub 2} sample using X-ray diffraction and the atom probe tomography. The results obtained using the atom probe tomography supports the formation of the B-depleted and Si-enriched precipitates in the metallic nucleus of Fe-Ni based microwires.

Si diffusion in compositional disordering of Si-implanted GaAs/AlGaAs superlattices induced by rapid thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uematsu, Masashi; Yanagawa, Fumihiko

1988-01-01

The Si diffusion in Si-implanted GaAs/Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 As superlattices intermixed in the disrodering process induced by rapid thermal annealing (RTA), is investigated by means of secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The SIMS profiles indicate that no fast Si diffusion occurs during the disordering, and the disordering occurs when the Si concentration exceeds 1 x 10 19 cm -3 , which is about three times larger than the threshold value for the disordering by furnace annealing (FA). The number of Si atoms which are allowed to pass through the heterointerface is considered to be essential for disordering. (author)

Annealing effects in solid-state track recorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gold, R.; Roberts, J.H.; Ruddy, F.H.

1981-01-01

Current analyses of the annealing process in Solid State Track Recorders (SSTR) reveal fundamental misconceptions. The use of the Arrhenius equation to describe the decrease in track density resulting from annealing is shown to be incorrect. To overcome these deficiencies, generalized reaction rate theory is used to describe the annealing process in SSTR. Results of annealing experiments are used to guide this theoretical formulation. Within this framework, the concept of energy per etchable defect for SSTR is introduced. A general correlation between sensitivity and annealing susceptibility in SSTR is deduced. In terms of this general theory, the apparent correlation between fission track size and fission track density observed under annealing is readily explained. Based on this theoretical treatment of annealing phenomena, qualitative explanations are advanced for current enigmas in SSTR cosmic ray work

Singularities of 28Si electrical activation in a single crystal and epitaxial GaAs under radiation annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ardyshev, V.M.; Ardyshev, M.V.; Khludkov, S.S.

2000-01-01

Using the voltage-capacitance characteristics method, the concentration profiles of 28 Si that is implanted in monocrystal and epitaxial GaAs after fast thermal annealing (FTA) (825, 870, 950 deg C, 12 s) have been studied; using Van-der-Paw method, the electron Hall mobility temperature dependence in the range of 70-400 K has been measured. Unlike thermal annealing (800 deg C, 30 min), the silicon diffusion depth redistribution into GaAs is shown to occur for both types of material. The coefficient of diffusion of Si in the single crystal is 2 times greater, but the electrical activation efficiency is somewhat less than in the epitaxial GaAs for each of the temperatures of FTA. The analysis of the temperature dependence of the electron mobility in ion-implanted layers after FTA gives the evidence about the significantly lower concentration of defects restricting the mobility in comparison with results obtained at thermal annealing during 30 min [ru

Synthesis of stable TiO2 nanotubes: effect of hydrothermal treatment, acid washing and annealing temperature.

Science.gov (United States)

López Zavala, Miguel Ángel; Lozano Morales, Samuel Alejandro; Ávila-Santos, Manuel

2017-11-01

Effect of hydrothermal treatment, acid washing and annealing temperature on the structure and morphology of TiO 2 nanotubes during the formation process was assessed. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis were conducted to describe the formation and characterization of the structure and morphology of nanotubes. Hydrothermal treatment of TiO 2 precursor nanoparticles and acid washing are fundamental to form and define the nanotubes structure. Hydrothermal treatment causes a change in the crystallinity of the precursor nanoparticles from anatase phase to a monoclinic phase, which characterizes the TiO 2 nanosheets structure. The acid washing promotes the formation of high purity nanotubes due to Na + is exchanged from the titanate structure to the hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. The annealing temperature affects the dimensions, structure and the morphology of the nanotubes. Annealing temperatures in the range of 400 °C and 600 °C are optimum to maintain a highly stable tubular morphology of nanotubes. Additionally, nanotubes conserve the physicochemical properties of the precursor Degussa P25 nanoparticles. Temperatures greater than 600 °C alter the morphology of nanotubes from tubular to an irregular structure of nanoparticles, which are bigger than those of the precursor material, i.e., the crystallinity turn from anatase phase to rutile phase inducing the collapse of the nanotubes.

Understanding the microwave annealing of silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chaochao Fu

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Though microwave annealing appears to be very appealing due to its unique features, lacking an in-depth understanding and accurate model hinder its application in semiconductor processing. In this paper, the physics-based model and accurate calculation for the microwave annealing of silicon are presented. Both thermal effects, including ohmic conduction loss and dielectric polarization loss, and non-thermal effects are thoroughly analyzed. We designed unique experiments to verify the mechanism and extract relevant parameters. We also explicitly illustrate the dynamic interaction processes of the microwave annealing of silicon. This work provides an in-depth understanding that can expedite the application of microwave annealing in semiconductor processing and open the door to implementing microwave annealing for future research and applications.

Fast neutron dosimetry using CaSO4:Dy thermoluminescent dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azorin, N.G.; Salvi, C.R.; Rubio, J.L.; Gutierrez, C.A.

1980-01-01

The use of CaSO 4 :Dy phosphor powder in fast neutron dose measurements using the activation of sulphur from the 32 S(n,p) 32 P reaction is described. The thermoluminescence induced during the irradiation and that due to the decay of short-lived activation products, is erased by annealing the dosimeters after a post-irradiation time of 3 days. The self-induced thermoluminescence measured at different intervals of post-irradiation time, gives an estimation of the fast neutron dose to which the dosimeters were exposed

Reduced-Complexity Deterministic Annealing for Vector Quantizer Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ortega Antonio

2005-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a reduced-complexity deterministic annealing (DA approach for vector quantizer (VQ design by using soft information processing with simplified assignment measures. Low-complexity distributions are designed to mimic the Gibbs distribution, where the latter is the optimal distribution used in the standard DA method. These low-complexity distributions are simple enough to facilitate fast computation, but at the same time they can closely approximate the Gibbs distribution to result in near-optimal performance. We have also derived the theoretical performance loss at a given system entropy due to using the simple soft measures instead of the optimal Gibbs measure. We use thederived result to obtain optimal annealing schedules for the simple soft measures that approximate the annealing schedule for the optimal Gibbs distribution. The proposed reduced-complexity DA algorithms have significantly improved the quality of the final codebooks compared to the generalized Lloyd algorithm and standard stochastic relaxation techniques, both with and without the pairwise nearest neighbor (PNN codebook initialization. The proposed algorithms are able to evade the local minima and the results show that they are not sensitive to the choice of the initial codebook. Compared to the standard DA approach, the reduced-complexity DA algorithms can operate over 100 times faster with negligible performance difference. For example, for the design of a 16-dimensional vector quantizer having a rate of 0.4375 bit/sample for Gaussian source, the standard DA algorithm achieved 3.60 dB performance in 16 483 CPU seconds, whereas the reduced-complexity DA algorithm achieved the same performance in 136 CPU seconds. Other than VQ design, the DA techniques are applicable to problems such as classification, clustering, and resource allocation.

Enhancement of thermoelectric power factor of Sr2CoMoO6 double perovskite by annealing in reducing atmosphere

Science.gov (United States)

Tanwar, Khagesh; Saxena, Mandvi; Maiti, Tanmoy

2017-10-01

In general, n-type thermoelectric materials are rather difficult to design. This study particularly pivoted on designing potential environmentally benign oxides based n-type thermoelectric material. We synthesized Sr2CoMoO6 (SCMO) polycrystalline ceramics via the solid-state synthesis route. XRD, SEM, and thermoelectric measurements were carried out for phase constitution, microstructure analysis, and to determine its potential for thermoelectric applications. As-sintered SCMO sample showed an insulator like behavior till 640 °C after which it exhibited an n-type non-degenerate semiconductor behavior followed by a p-n type conduction switching. To stabilize a high temperature n-type behavior, annealing of SCMO in reducing atmosphere (H2) at 1000 °C was carried out. After annealing, the SCMO demonstrated an n-type semiconductor behavior throughout the temperature range of measurement. The electrical conductivity (σ) and the power factor (S2σ) were found to be increased manifold in the annealed SCMO double perovskite.

Ultrafast Flame Annealing of TiO2 Paste for Fabricating Dye-Sensitized and Perovskite Solar Cells with Enhanced Efficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jung Kyu; Chai, Sung Uk; Cho, Yoonjun; Cai, Lili; Kim, Sung June; Park, Sangwook; Park, Jong Hyeok; Zheng, Xiaolin

2017-11-01

Mesoporous TiO 2 nanoparticle (NP) films are broadly used as electrodes in photoelectrochemical cells, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), and perovskite solar cells (PSCs). State-of-the-art mesoporous TiO 2 NP films for these solar cells are fabricated by annealing TiO 2 paste-coated fluorine-doped tin oxide glass in a box furnace at 500 °C for ≈30 min. Here, the use of a nontraditional reactor, i.e., flame, is reported for the high throughput and ultrafast annealing of TiO 2 paste (≈1 min). This flame-annealing method, compared to conventional furnace annealing, exhibits three distinct benefits. First, flame removes polymeric binders in the initial TiO 2 paste more completely because of its high temperature (≈1000 °C). Second, flame induces strong interconnections between TiO 2 nanoparticles without affecting the underlying transparent conducting oxide substrate. Third, the flame-induced carbothermic reduction on the TiO 2 surface facilitates charge injection from the dye/perovskite to TiO 2 . Consequently, when the flame-annealed mesoporous TiO 2 film is used to fabricate DSSCs and PSCs, both exhibit enhanced charge transport and higher power conversion efficiencies than those fabricated using furnace-annealed TiO 2 films. Finally, when the ultrafast flame-annealing method is combined with a fast dye-coating method to fabricate DSSC devices, its total fabrication time is reduced from over 3 h to ≈10 min. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Rapid thermal annealing of InAs/GaAs quantum dots under a GaAs proximity cap

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Babinski, Adam; Jasinski, J.; Bozek, R.; Szepielow, A.; Baranowski, J. M.

2001-01-01

The effect of postgrowth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on GaAs proximity-capped structures with self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) is investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). As can be seen from the TEM images, QDs increase their lateral sizes with increasing annealing temperature (up to 700 C). QDs cannot be distinguished after RTA at temperature 800 C or higher, and substantial thickening of the wetting layer can be seen instead. The main PL peak blueshifts as a result of RTA. We propose that in the as-grown sample as well, as in samples annealed at temperatures up to 700 C, the peak is due to the QDs. After RTA at 800 C and higher the PL peak is due to a modified wetting layer. Relatively fast dissolution of QDs is explained in terms of strain-induced lateral Ga/In interdiffusion. It is proposed that such a process may be of importance in proximity-capped RTA, when no group-III vacancy formation takes place at the sample/capping interface

Architecture of 3D ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} marigold flowers: Influence of annealing on cold emission and photocatalytic behavior

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kokane, Sanjay B.; Suryawanshi, Sachin R. [Center for Advanced Studies in Material Science and Condensed Matter Physics, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007 (India); Sasikala, R., E-mail: sasikala@barc.gov.in [Chemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 411085 (India); More, Mahendra A., E-mail: mam@physics.unipune.ac.in [Center for Advanced Studies in Material Science and Condensed Matter Physics, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007 (India); Sartale, Shrikrishna D., E-mail: sdsartale@physics.unipune.ac.in [Center for Advanced Studies in Material Science and Condensed Matter Physics, Department of Physics, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune 411007 (India)

2017-06-15

The present work demonstrates the field emission characteristics and photocatalytic behavior of ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} marigold flowers synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method. The effect of annealing of these 3D porous hierarchical nanostructures on field emission and photocatalytic performances is studied. When compared with the as-synthesized sample, annealed ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} exhibits a ∼2-fold improvement in photocatalytic activity for methylene blue (MB) degradation under visible light irradiation. The turn-on, threshold fields and high emission current densities are also strongly influenced as a result of annealing. The turn on field required to draw an emission current density of ∼1 μA/cm{sup 2} is found to be ∼2.4 and ∼1.8 V/μm for as-synthesized and annealed ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} marigold flowers, respectively. Field-emission measurements demonstrate remarkably large field enhancement and better stability for annealed samples. The X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis reveal that annealing improves the crystallinity and also help to remove the structural defects in ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4}. The enhancement in the field emission and photocatalytic activity of annealed ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} marigold flowers is attributed to the modification of electronic properties as a result of dehydration, crystallite growth and reduced surface defects/impurity phases. - Highlights: • 3D hierarchical porous ZnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} marigold flowers synthesis by hydrothermal method. • Roles of CTAB as capping agent and thermal annealing are investigated. • Thermal annealing improves photocatalysis and field emission behavior drastically.

Microstructural dynamics of Bi-2223/Ag tapes annealed in 8% O₂

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, L.G.; Poulsen, H.F.; Abrahamsen, A.B.

2002-01-01

The microstructural dynamics of Bi-2223 tapes are investigated in situ during annealing in 8% O-2 by means of 100 keV x-ray diffraction. A green mono- and a green multi-filamentary tape are annealed at 829.5 degreesC. During ramp-up (Ca,Sr)(2)PbO4 decomposes above 750 degreesC, resulting in an in......The microstructural dynamics of Bi-2223 tapes are investigated in situ during annealing in 8% O-2 by means of 100 keV x-ray diffraction. A green mono- and a green multi-filamentary tape are annealed at 829.5 degreesC. During ramp-up (Ca,Sr)(2)PbO4 decomposes above 750 degreesC, resulting...... in an incorporation of Pb in Bi-2212. The associated grain growth of Bi-2212 is the main cause of the strain relief and the c-axis grain alignment of the Bi containing phases. Above 825 degreesC the Bi-2212 partly dissociates into (Ca,Sr)(14)Cu24Ox and a liquid phase. The linewidth of Bi-2212 is constant during...... the transformation to Bi-2223, indicating no strain or finite-size broadening. The most probable transformation mechanism is found to be nucleation and growth with a fast decomposition of the individual Bi-2212 grain, followed by a growth of Bi-2223 from the Bi-2212 melt reacting with (Ca,Sr)(14)Cu24Ox. The multi...

The influence of annealing atmosphere on the material properties of sol-gel derived SnO2:Sb films before and after annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeng, Jiann-Shing

2012-01-01

SnO 2 films with and without Sb doping were prepared by the sol-gel spin-coating method. Material properties of the SnO 2 films with different Sb contents were investigated before and after annealing under O 2 or N 2 . When SnO 2 films are annealed under N 2 or O 2 , the resistivity decreases with increasing annealing temperature, which may be related to the increased crystallinity and reduced film defects. The intensity of SnO 2 peaks for both O 2 - and N 2 -annealed films increases as the annealing temperature increases. Small nodules are revealed on the surface of SnO 2 films after annealing in N 2 or O 2 atmospheres, and some voids are present on the surface of N 2 -annealed SnO 2 films. After doping with Sb, the resistivity of SnO 2 films after annealing in O 2 is greater than that of N 2 -annealed SnO 2 films. The surface morphology of SnO 2 films incorporating different molar ratios of Sb after annealing are similar to that of as-spun SnO 2 films with adding Sb. There were no voids found on the surfaces of N 2 -annealed SnO 2 :Sb films. In addition, the peak intensity of SnO 2 :Sb films after O 2 -annealing is higher than those films after N 2 -annealing. The chemical binding states and Hall mobility of the high-temperature annealed SnO 2 films without and with adding Sb are also related to the annealing atmospheres. This study discusses the connection among the material properties of the SnO 2 films with different Sb contents and how these properties are influenced by the Sb-doping concentration and the annealing atmospheres of SnO 2 films.

Synthesis and field emission properties of carbon nanotubes grown in ethanol flame based on a photoresist-assisted catalyst annealing process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Xiaoxia; Fang Guojia; Liu Nishuang; Wang Chong; Zheng Qiao; Zhou Hai; Zhao Dongshan; Long Hao; Liu Yuping; Zhao Xingzhong

2009-01-01

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been grown directly on a Si substrate without a diffusion barrier in ethanol diffusion flame using Ni as the catalyst after a photoresist-assisted catalyst annealing process. The growth mechanism of as-synthesized CNTs is confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission-electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The photoresist is the key for the formation of active catalyst particles during annealing process, which then result in the growth of CNTs. The catalyst annealing temperature has been found to affect the morphologies and field electron emission properties of CNTs significantly. The field emission properties of as-grown CNTs are investigated with a diode structure and the obtained CNTs exhibit enhanced characteristics. This technique will be applicable to a low-cost fabrication process of electron-emitter arrays.

Simulated annealing of displacement cascades in FCC metals. 1. Beeler cascades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doran, D.G.; Burnett, R.A.

1974-09-01

An important source of damage to structural materials in fast reactors is the displacement of atoms from normal lattice sites. A high energy neutron may impart sufficient energy to an atom to initiate a displacement cascade consisting of a localized high density of hundreds of interstitials and vacancies. These defects subsequently interact to form clusters and to reduce their density by mutual annihilation. This short term annealing of an isolated cascade has been simulated at high and low temperatures using a correlated random walk model. The cascade representations used were developed by Beeler and the point defect properties were based on the model of γ-iron by Johnson. Low temperature anneals, characterized by no vacancy migration and a 104 site annihilation region (AR), resulted in 49 defect pairs at 20 keV and 11 pairs at 5 keV. High temperature anneals, characterized by both interstitial and vacancy migration and a 32 site AR, resulted in 68 pairs at 20 keV and 18 pairs at 5 keV when no cluster dissociation was permitted; most of the vacancies were in immobile clusters. These high temperature values dropped to 40 and 14 upon dissolution of the vacancy clusters. Parameter studies showed that, at a given temperature, the large AR resulted in about one-half as many defects as the small AR. Cluster size distributions and examples of spatial configurations are included. (U.S.)

Optoelectronic study and annealing stability of room temperature pulsed laser ablated ZnSe polycrystalline thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Khan, Taj Muhammad, E-mail: tajakashne@gmail.com; Zakria, M.; Ahmad, Mushtaq; Shakoor, Rana I.

2014-03-15

increased from 2.65 eV to 2.7 eV for the annealed crystalline film at 350 °C which was further decreased to 2.56 eV for the annealed amorphous film at 400 °C. The observed results manifested that room temperature pulsed laser ablated ZnSe thin film showed excellent structural, optical and morphological stability up 350 °C for optoelectronic applications. -- Highlights: • Room temperature synthesis of ZnSe thin film by PLD. • Annealing effect on Raman scattering of the deposited material. • Optical properties. • Structural properties. • Semiconductor nanostructures.

Influence of initial annealing on structure evolution and magnetic properties of 3.4% Si non-oriented steel during final annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simões Mendanha Pedrosa, Josiane [Department of Physics, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto MG-3540000 (Brazil); Costa Paolinelli, Sebastião da [Research Department Aperam South America, Praça Primeiro de Maio, 9, Timóteo MG-35180018 (Brazil); Barros Cota, André, E-mail: abcota@ufop.br [Department of Physics, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto MG-3540000 (Brazil)

2015-11-01

The effect of the initial annealing on structure evolution and magnetic properties during the final annealing of a 3.4% Si non-oriented grain steel was evaluated. Half of the samples were submitted to initial annealing at 1030 °C before cold rolling and all samples were subjected to final annealing process at temperatures from 540 °C to 1100 °C. The magnetic induction and core loss in the final samples, the microstructure by optical microscopy and the crystallographic texture by X-ray diffraction and EBSD were evaluated. The results show that the samples without initial annealing presented better magnetic properties than the samples with initial annealing, due to the higher ratio between Eta fiber and Gamma fiber volume fractions (Eta/Gamma ratio) in their structure after final annealing. - Highlights: • Texture and magnetic properties of 3.4% Si non-oriented electrical steel were measured. • Without initial annealing, better texture and magnetic properties were obtained. • Good texture and magnetic properties are obtained with Steckel hot band structure.

Direct synthesis of BiCuChO-type oxychalcogenides by mechanical alloying

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pele, Vincent; Barreteau, Celine [Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d’Orsay, Univ. Paris-Sud, UMR 8182, Orsay F-91405 (France); CNRS, Orsay F-91405 (France); Berardan, David, E-mail: david.berardan@u-psud.fr [Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d’Orsay, Univ. Paris-Sud, UMR 8182, Orsay F-91405 (France); CNRS, Orsay F-91405 (France); Zhao, Lidong; Dragoe, Nita [Institut de Chimie Moléculaire et des Matériaux d’Orsay, Univ. Paris-Sud, UMR 8182, Orsay F-91405 (France); CNRS, Orsay F-91405 (France)

2013-07-15

We report on the direct synthesis of BiCuChO based materials by mechanical alloying (Ch=Se, Te). We show that contrary to the synthesis paths used in the previous reports dealing with this family of materials, which use costly annealings in closed silica tubes under controlled atmosphere, this new synthesis route enables the synthesis of pure phase materials at room temperature under air, with reasonable milling time. This synthesis procedure is easily scalable for large scale applications. - Highlights: • Phase pure BiCuSeO doped and undoped prepared by mechanical alloying. • Synthesis performed under air at room temperature. • Electrical properties similar to that of samples synthesized by a classical path.

Ion-beam synthesis and photoluminescence of SiC nanocrystals assisted by MeV-heavy-ion-beam annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamsuwan, J.; Intarasiri, S.; Kirkby, K.; Chu, P.K.; Singkarat, S.; Yu, L.D.

2012-01-01

This work explored a novel way to synthesize silicon carbide (SiC) nanocrystals for photoluminescence. Carbon ions at 90 keV were implanted in single crystalline silicon wafers at elevated temperature, followed by irradiation using xenon ion beams at an energy of 4 MeV with two low fluences of 5 × 10 13 and 1 × 10 14 ions/cm 2 at elevated temperatures for annealing. X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, infrared spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the formation of nanocrystalline SiC. Photoluminescence was measured from the samples. The results demonstrated that MeV-heavy-ion-beam annealing could indeed induce crystallization of SiC nanocrystals and enhance emission of photoluminescence with violet bands dominance due to the quantum confinement effect.

Simulated annealing and circuit layout

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aarts, E.H.L.; Laarhoven, van P.J.M.

1991-01-01

We discuss the problem of approximately sotvlng circuit layout problems by simulated annealing. For this we first summarize the theoretical concepts of the simulated annealing algorithm using Ihe theory of homogeneous and inhomogeneous Markov chains. Next we briefly review general aspects of the

Radiation annealing in cuprous oxide

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vajda, P.

1966-01-01

Experimental results from high-intensity gamma-irradiation of cuprous oxide are used to investigate the annealing of defects with increasing radiation dose. The results are analysed on the basis of the Balarin and Hauser (1965) statistical model of radiation annealing, giving a square...

Pattern Laser Annealing by a Pulsed Laser

Science.gov (United States)

Komiya, Yoshio; Hoh, Koichiro; Murakami, Koichi; Takahashi, Tetsuo; Tarui, Yasuo

1981-10-01

Preliminary experiments with contact-type pattern laser annealing were made for local polycrystallization of a-Si, local evaporation of a-Si and local formation of Ni-Si alloy. These experiments showed that the mask patterns can be replicated as annealed regions with a resolution of a few microns on substrates. To overcome shortcomings due to the contact type pattern annealing, a projection type reduction pattern laser annealing system is proposed for resistless low temperature pattern forming processes.

Annealing-induced Ge/Si(100) island evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yangting; Drucker, Jeff

2003-01-01

Ge/Si(100) islands were found to coarsen during in situ annealing at growth temperature. Islands were grown by molecular-beam epitaxy of pure Ge and annealed at substrate temperatures of T=450, 550, 600, and 650 deg. C, with Ge coverages of 6.5, 8.0, and 9.5 monolayers. Three coarsening mechanisms operate in this temperature range: wetting-layer consumption, conventional Ostwald ripening, and Si interdiffusion. For samples grown and annealed at T=450 deg. C, consumption of a metastably thick wetting layer causes rapid initial coarsening. Slower coarsening at longer annealing times occurs by conventional Ostwald ripening. Coarsening of samples grown and annealed at T=550 deg. C occurs via a combination of Si interdiffusion and conventional Ostwald ripening. For samples grown and annealed at T≥600 deg. C, Ostwald ripening of SiGe alloy clusters appears to be the dominant coarsening mechanism

Annealing behavior of alpha recoil tracks in phlogopite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Shaokai; Yuan Wanming; Dong Jinquan; Bao Zengkuan

2005-01-01

Alpha recoil tracks (ARTs) formed during the a-decay of U, Th as well as their daughter nuclei are used as a new dating method which is to some extent a complementarity of fission track dating due to its ability to determine the age of young mineral. ARTs can be observable under phase-contrast interference microscope through chemical etching. In order to study the annealing behavior of ARTs in phlogopite, two methods of annealing experiments were executed. Samples were annealed in the electronic tube furnace at different temperatures ranging from 250 degree C to 450 degree C in steps of 50 degree C. For any given annealing temperature, different annealing times were used until total track fading were achieved. It is found that ARTs anneal much more easily than fission tracks, the annealing ratio increase non-linearly with annealing time and temperature. Using the Arrhenius plot, an activation energy of 0.68ev is finally found for 100% removal of ARTs, which is less than the corresponding value for fission tracks (FTs). Through extending the annealing time to geological time, a much lower temperature range of the sample's cooling history can be got.

Effects of synthesis variables on the magnetic properties of CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Briceno, Sarah, E-mail: sarahbriara@gmail.com [Laboratorio de Fisica de la Materia Condensada, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Apartado 20632, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Braemer-Escamilla, Werner; Silva, Pedro [Laboratorio de Fisica de la Materia Condensada, Centro de Fisica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Apartado 20632, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Delgado, Gerzon E. [Laboratorio de Cristalografia, Departamento de Quimica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Merida 5101-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Plaza, Eric [Laboratorio de Microscopia Electronica. Instituto Zuliano de Investigaciones Tecnologicas. Apartado 331. Km. 15. La Canada (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Palacios, Jordana [Laboratorio de Polimeros, Centro de Quimica, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas (IVIC), Apartado 20632, Caracas 1020-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of); Canizales, Edgard [Area de Analisis Quimico Inorganico. PDVSA. INTEVEP. Los Teques 1070-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)

2012-09-15

Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}) have been synthesized using precipitation in water solution with polyethylene glycol as surfactant. Influence of various synthesis variables included pH, reaction time and annealing temperature on the magnetic properties and particle sizes has also been studied. Structural identification of the samples was carried out using Thermogravimetric and Differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, High resolution transmission electron microscopy. Vibrating sample magnetometer was used for the magnetic investigation of the samples. Magnetic properties of nanoparticles show strong dependence on the particle size. The magnetic properties increase with pH of the precipitating medium and annealing temperature while the coercivity goes through a maximum, peaking at around 25 nm. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} have been synthesized via chemical synthesis route using PEG as surfactant. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Influence of various synthesis variables on the magnetic properties has been studied. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic properties of nanoparticles show strong dependence on the particle size. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Magnetic properties increase with pH and annealing temperature.

Reduced annealing temperatures in silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Swartz, C. K.

1981-01-01

Cells irradiated to a fluence of 5x10,000,000,000,000/square cm showed short circuit current on annealing at 200 C, with complete annealing occurring at 275 C. Cells irradiated to 100,000,000,000,000/square cm showed a reduction in annealing temperature from the usual 500 to 300 C. Annealing kinetic studies yield an activation energy of (1.5 + or - 2) eV for the low fluence, low temperature anneal. Comparison with activation energies previously obtained indicate that the presently obtained activation energy is consistent with the presence of either the divacancy or the carbon interstitial carbon substitutional pair, a result which agrees with the conclusion based on defect behavior in boron-doped silicon.

Protein synthesis and degradation during starvation-induced cardiac atrophy in rabbits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samarel, A.M.; Parmacek, M.S.; Magid, N.M.; Decker, R.S.; Lesch, M.

1987-01-01

To determine the relative importance of protein degradation in the development of starvation-induced cardiac atrophy, in vivo fractional synthetic rates of total cardiac protein, myosin heavy chain, actin, light chain 1, and light chain 2 were measured in fed and fasted rabbits by continuous infusion of [ 3 H] leucine. In addition, the rate of left ventricular protein accumulation and loss were assessed in weight-matched control and fasted rabbits. Rates of total cardiac protein degradation were then estimated as the difference between rates of synthesis and growth. Fasting produced left ventricular atrophy by decreasing the rate of left ventricular protein synthesis (34.8 +/- 1.4, 27.3 +/- 3.0, and 19.3 +/- 1.2 mg/day of left ventricular protein synthesized for 0-, 3-, and 7-day fasted rabbits, respectively). Inhibition of contractile protein synthesis was evident by significant reductions in the fractional synthetic rates of all myofibrillar protein subunits. Although fractional rates of protein degradation increased significantly within 7 days of fasting, actual amounts of left ventricular protein degraded per day were unaffected. Thus, prolonged fasting profoundly inhibits the synthesis of new cardiac protein, including the major protein constituents of the myofibril. Both this inhibition in new protein synthesis as well as a smaller but significant reduction in the average half-lives of cardiac proteins are responsible for atrophy of the heart in response to fasting

Simulated annealing with constant thermodynamic speed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salamon, P.; Ruppeiner, G.; Liao, L.; Pedersen, J.

1987-01-01

Arguments are presented to the effect that the optimal annealing schedule for simulated annealing proceeds with constant thermodynamic speed, i.e., with dT/dt = -(v T)/(ε-√C), where T is the temperature, ε- is the relaxation time, C ist the heat capacity, t is the time, and v is the thermodynamic speed. Experimental results consistent with this conjecture are presented from simulated annealing on graph partitioning problems. (orig.)

Increases in urea synthesis and the ornithine-urea cycle capacity in the giant African snail, Achatina fulica, during fasting or aestivation, or after the injection with ammonium chloride.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiong, Kum Chew; Loong, Ai May; Chew, Shit Fun; Ip, Yuen Kwong

2005-12-01

The objectives of this study are to determine whether a full complement of ornithine-urea cycle (OUC) enzymes is present in the hepatopancreas of the giant African snail Achatina fulica, and to investigate whether the rate of urea synthesis and the OUC capacity can be up-regulated during 23 days of fasting or aestivation, or 24 hr post-injection with NH(4)Cl (10 micromol g(-1) snail) into the foot muscle. A. fulica is ureotelic and a full complement of OUC enzymes, including carbamoyl phosphate synthetase III (CPS III), was detected from its hepatopancreas. There were significant increases in the excretion of NH(4)(+), NH(3) and urea in fasting A. fulica. Fasting had no significant effect on the tissue ammonia contents, but led to a progressive accumulation of urea, which was associated with an 18-fold increase in the rate of urea synthesis. Because fasting took place in the presence of water and because there was no change in water contents in the foot muscle and hepatopancreas, it can be concluded that the function of urea accumulation in fasting A. fulica was unrelated to water retention. Aestivation in arid conditions led to a non-progressive accumulation of urea in A. fulica. During the first 4 days and the last 3 days of the 23-day aestivation period, experimental snails exhibited significantly greater rates of urea synthesis compared with fasted snails. These increases were associated with significant increases in activities of various OUC enzymes, except CPS III, in the hepatopancreas. However, the overall urea accumulation in snails aestivated and snails fasted for 23 days were comparable. Therefore, the classical hypothesis that urea accumulation occurred to prevent water loss through evaporation during aestivation in terrestrial pulmonates may not be valid. Surprisingly, there were no accumulations of ammonia in the foot muscle and hepatopancreas of A. fulica 12 or 24 hr after NH(4)Cl was injected into the foot muscle. In contrast, the urea content in

Structure and Spatial Distribution of Ge Nanocrystals Subjected to Fast Neutron Irradiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander N. Ionov

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The influence of fast neutron irradiation on the structure and spatial distribution of Ge nanocrystals (NC embedded in an amorphous SiO2 matrix has been studied. The investigation was conducted by means of laser Raman Scattering (RS, High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. The irradiation of Ge- NC samples by a high dose of fast neutrons lead to a partial destruction of the nanocrystals. Full reconstruction of crystallinity was achieved after annealing the radiation damage at 8000C, which resulted in full restoration of the RS spectrum. HR-TEM images show, however, that the spatial distributions of Ge-NC changed as a result of irradiation and annealing. A sharp decrease in NC distribution towards the SiO2 surface has been observed. This was accompanied by XPS detection of Ge oxides and elemental Ge within both the surface and subsurface region.

Coherent Coupled Qubits for Quantum Annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, Steven J.; Samach, Gabriel O.; Hover, David; Gustavsson, Simon; Kim, David K.; Melville, Alexander; Rosenberg, Danna; Sears, Adam P.; Yan, Fei; Yoder, Jonilyn L.; Oliver, William D.; Kerman, Andrew J.

2017-07-01

Quantum annealing is an optimization technique which potentially leverages quantum tunneling to enhance computational performance. Existing quantum annealers use superconducting flux qubits with short coherence times limited primarily by the use of large persistent currents Ip. Here, we examine an alternative approach using qubits with smaller Ip and longer coherence times. We demonstrate tunable coupling, a basic building block for quantum annealing, between two flux qubits with small (approximately 50-nA) persistent currents. Furthermore, we characterize qubit coherence as a function of coupler setting and investigate the effect of flux noise in the coupler loop on qubit coherence. Our results provide insight into the available design space for next-generation quantum annealers with improved coherence.

Synthesis of V-doped TiO{sub 2} films by chemical bath deposition and the effect of post-annealing on their properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shopova-Gospodinova, Denitsa [Institut fuer Materialwissenschaft, Universitaet Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Jeurgens, Lars P.H.; Welzel, Udo [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Intelligente Systeme (formerly MPI for Metals Research), Department Mittemeijer, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Bauermann, Luciana Pitta; Hoffmann, Rudolf C. [Institut fuer Materialwissenschaft, Universitaet Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Bill, Joachim, E-mail: mwishopova@imw.uni-stuttgart.de [Institut fuer Materialwissenschaft, Universitaet Stuttgart, Heisenbergstrasse 3, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

2012-07-01

Amorphous composite films, composed of a Ti{sub 1-x}V{sub x}O{sub 2} solid-solution phase and a V{sub 2}O{sub 5} phase, were produced by chemical bath deposition and subsequently air-annealed at various temperatures up to 550 Degree-Sign C. The microstructure and chemical composition of the as-prepared and annealed films were investigated by a combinatorial experimental approach using Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Ultraviolet-Visible Spectrometry was applied to determine the optical band gap of the as-prepared and annealed films. It followed that the incorporation of vanadium in the as-deposited films reduces the optical band gap of TiO{sub 2} from about 3.8 eV to 3.2 eV. Annealing of the films up to 350 Degree-Sign C leads to slight increase of band gap, as attributed to a reduction of the defect density in the initially amorphous oxide films due to the gradual development of long-range order and a concurrent reduction of the V{sup 4+}-dopant concentration in the Ti{sub 1-x}V{sub x}O{sub 2} solid-solution phase. The films crystallized upon annealing in air at 550 Degree-Sign C, which resulted in drastic changes of the phase constitution, optical absorbance and surface morphology. Due to the lower solubility of V{sup 4+} in crystalline TiO{sub 2}, V{sup 4+} segregates out of the crystallizing Ti{sub 1-x}V{sub x}O{sub 2} solid-solution phase, forming crystalline V{sub 2}O{sub 5} at the film surface. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Incorporation of vanadium in TiO2 thin film reduces its optical band gap. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Amorphous V-doped TiO2 and TiO2-V2O5 composite films were air-annealed up to 550 Masculine-Ordinal-Indicator C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Annealing of the films up to 350 Degree-Sign C leads to slight increase of the band gap.

Micro-structural study and Rietveld analysis of fast reactor fuels: U–Mo fuels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, S.; Choudhuri, G.; Banerjee, J.; Agarwal, Renu; Khan, K.B.; Kumar, Arun

2015-01-01

U–Mo alloys are the candidate fuels for both research reactors and fast breeder reactors. In-reactor performance of the fuel depends on the microstructural stability and thermal properties of the fuel. To improve the fuel performance, alloying elements viz. Zr, Mo, Nb, Ti and fissium are added in the fuel. The first reactor fuels are normally prepared by injection casting. The objective of this work is to compare microstructure, phase-fields and hardness of as-cast four different U–Mo alloy (2, 5, 10 and 33 at.% Mo) fuels with the equilibrium microstructure of the alloys. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer and optical microscope have been used to characterize the morphology of the as-cast and annealed alloys. The monoclinic α'' phase in as-cast U-10 at.% Mo alloy has been characterized through Rietveld analysis. A comparison of metallographic and Rietveld analysis of as-cast (dendritic microstructure) and annealed U-33 at.% Mo alloy, corresponding to intermetallic compound, has been reported here for the first time. This study will provide in depth understanding of microstructural and phase evolution of U–Mo alloys as fast reactor fuel. - Highlights: • U–Mo alloys in as-cast as well as in annealed conditions have been studied using Optical Microscope, SEM, XRD. • The monoclinic α'' phase in as-cast U-10 at.% Mo alloy has been characterized through Rietveld analysis. • The dendritic microstructure of γ-(U,Mo) and B.C.C. ‘Mo’ phase of 33 at.% U–Mo alloy have been analysed. • Rietveld analysis has been done to optimize lattice parameters and calculate phase fractions in annealed alloys. • The Vickers microhardness of U_2Mo phase shows lower hardness than two phase microstructures in annealed alloys.

Micro-structural study and Rietveld analysis of fast reactor fuels: U–Mo fuels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chakraborty, S., E-mail: sibasis@barc.gov.in [Radiometallurgy Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Choudhuri, G. [Atomic Fuels Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Banerjee, J. [Radiometallurgy Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Agarwal, Renu [Product Development Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085 (India); Khan, K.B.; Kumar, Arun [Radiometallurgy Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085 (India)

2015-12-15

U–Mo alloys are the candidate fuels for both research reactors and fast breeder reactors. In-reactor performance of the fuel depends on the microstructural stability and thermal properties of the fuel. To improve the fuel performance, alloying elements viz. Zr, Mo, Nb, Ti and fissium are added in the fuel. The first reactor fuels are normally prepared by injection casting. The objective of this work is to compare microstructure, phase-fields and hardness of as-cast four different U–Mo alloy (2, 5, 10 and 33 at.% Mo) fuels with the equilibrium microstructure of the alloys. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer and optical microscope have been used to characterize the morphology of the as-cast and annealed alloys. The monoclinic α'' phase in as-cast U-10 at.% Mo alloy has been characterized through Rietveld analysis. A comparison of metallographic and Rietveld analysis of as-cast (dendritic microstructure) and annealed U-33 at.% Mo alloy, corresponding to intermetallic compound, has been reported here for the first time. This study will provide in depth understanding of microstructural and phase evolution of U–Mo alloys as fast reactor fuel. - Highlights: • U–Mo alloys in as-cast as well as in annealed conditions have been studied using Optical Microscope, SEM, XRD. • The monoclinic α'' phase in as-cast U-10 at.% Mo alloy has been characterized through Rietveld analysis. • The dendritic microstructure of γ-(U,Mo) and B.C.C. ‘Mo’ phase of 33 at.% U–Mo alloy have been analysed. • Rietveld analysis has been done to optimize lattice parameters and calculate phase fractions in annealed alloys. • The Vickers microhardness of U{sub 2}Mo phase shows lower hardness than two phase microstructures in annealed alloys.

Energy Saving in Industrial Annealing Furnaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fatma ÇANKA KILIÇ

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this study, an energy efficiency studies have been carried out in a natural gas-fired rolling mill annealing furnace of an industrial establishment. In this context, exhaust gas from the furnace has been examined in terms of waste heat potential. In the examinations that have been made in detail; waste heat potential was found as 3.630,31 kW. Technical and feasibility studies have been carried out to realize electricity production through an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC system for evaluating the waste heat potential of the annealing furnace. It has been calculated that 1.626.378,88 kWh/year of electricity can be generated by using the exhaust gas waste heat of the annealing furnace through an ORC system to produce electric energy with a net efficiency of 16%. The financial value of this energy was determined as 436.032,18 TL/year and the simple repayment period of the investment was 8,12 years. Since the annealing period of the annealing furnace is 2800 hours/year, the investment has not been found to be feasible in terms of the feasibility studies. However, the investment suitability can be assured when the annealing furnace is operating at full capacity for 8,000 hours or more annually.

Effect of annealing on magnetic properties and structure of Fe-Ni based magnetic microwires

Science.gov (United States)

Zhukova, V.; Korchuganova, O. A.; Aleev, A. A.; Tcherdyntsev, V. V.; Churyukanova, M.; Medvedeva, E. V.; Seils, S.; Wagner, J.; Ipatov, M.; Blanco, J. M.; Kaloshkin, S. D.; Aronin, A.; Abrosimova, G.; Orlova, N.; Zhukov, A.

2017-07-01

We studied the magnetic properties and domain wall (DW) dynamics of Fe47.4Ni26.6Si11B13C2 and Fe77.5Si7.5B15 microwires. Both samples present rectangular hysteresis loop and fast magnetization switching. Considerable enhancement of DW velocity is observed in Fe77.5Si7.5B15, while DW velocity of samples Fe47.4Ni26.6Si11B13C2 is less affected by annealing. The other difference is the magnetic field range of the linear region on dependence of domain wall velocity upon magnetic field: in Fe47.4Ni26.6Si11B13C2 sample is considerably shorter and drastically decreases after annealing. We discussed the influence of annealing on DW dynamics considering different magnetoelastic anisotropy of studied microwires and defects within the amorphous state in Fe47.4Ni26.6Si11B13C2. Consequently we studied the structure of Fe47.4Ni26.6Si11B13C2 sample using X-ray diffraction and the atom probe tomography. The results obtained using the atom probe tomography supports the formation of the B-depleted and Si-enriched precipitates in the metallic nucleus of Fe-Ni based microwires.

Synthesis of graphene by MEVVA source ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ying, J.J.; Xiao, X.H.; Dai, Z.G.; Wu, W.; Li, W.Q.; Mei, F.; Cai, G.X.; Ren, F.; Jiang, C.Z.

2013-01-01

Ion implantation provides a new synthesis route for graphene, and few-layered graphene synthesis by ion implantation has been reported. Here we show the synthesis of a single layer of high-quality graphene by Metal Vapor Vacuum Arc (MEVVA) source ion implantation. Polycrystalline nickel and copper thin films are implanted with MEVVA source carbon ions at 40 kV, followed by high-temperature thermal annealing and quenching. A Raman spectrum is applied to probe the quality and thickness of the prepared graphene. A single layer of high-quality graphene is grown on the nickel films, but not on the copper films. The growth mechanisms on the nickel and copper films are explained. MEVVA source ion implantation has been widely applied in industrial applications, demonstrating that this synthesis method can be generalized for industrial production

Synthesis of Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles by laser ablation in deionized water and their annealing transformation into CuO nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Gondal, M. A.; Qahtan, Talal F.; Dastageer, Mohamed Abdulkader; Maganda, Yasin W.; Anjum, Dalaver H.

2013-01-01

Nano-structured Cupric Oxide (CuO) has been synthesized using pulsed laser ablation of pure copper in water using Q-switched pulsed laser beam of 532 nm wavelength and, 5 nanosecond pulse duration and laser pulse energy of 100 mJ/pulse. In the initial unannealed colloidal suspension, the nanoparticles of Copper (Cu) and Cuprious oxide (Cu2O) were identified. Further the suspension was dried and annealed at different temperatures and we noticed the product (Cu/Cu2O) was converted predominantly into CuO at annealing temperature of 300 'C for 3 hours. As the annealing temperature was raised from 300 to 900 'C, the grain sizes of CuO reduced to the range of 9 to 26 nm. The structure and the morphology of the prepared samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscope. Photoluminescence and UV absorption spectrometrystudies revealed that the band gap and other optical properties of nano-structured CuO were changed due to post annealing. Fourier transform spectrometry also confirmed the transformation of Cu/Cu2O into CuO. Copyright © 2013 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Cu/Cu2O nanoparticles by laser ablation in deionized water and their annealing transformation into CuO nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Gondal, M. A.

2013-08-01

Nano-structured Cupric Oxide (CuO) has been synthesized using pulsed laser ablation of pure copper in water using Q-switched pulsed laser beam of 532 nm wavelength and, 5 nanosecond pulse duration and laser pulse energy of 100 mJ/pulse. In the initial unannealed colloidal suspension, the nanoparticles of Copper (Cu) and Cuprious oxide (Cu2O) were identified. Further the suspension was dried and annealed at different temperatures and we noticed the product (Cu/Cu2O) was converted predominantly into CuO at annealing temperature of 300 \\'C for 3 hours. As the annealing temperature was raised from 300 to 900 \\'C, the grain sizes of CuO reduced to the range of 9 to 26 nm. The structure and the morphology of the prepared samples were investigated using X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscope. Photoluminescence and UV absorption spectrometrystudies revealed that the band gap and other optical properties of nano-structured CuO were changed due to post annealing. Fourier transform spectrometry also confirmed the transformation of Cu/Cu2O into CuO. Copyright © 2013 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.

Characterization of the crystalline quality of β-SiC formed by ion beam synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Intarasiri, S.; Hallen, A.; Kamwanna, T.; Yu, L.D.; Possnert, G.; Singkarat, S.

2006-01-01

The ion beam synthesis (IBS) technique is applied to form crystalline silicon carbide (SiC) for future optoelectronics applications. Carbon ions at 80 and 40 keV were implanted into (1 0 0) high-purity p-type silicon wafers at room temperature and 400 deg. C, respectively, to doses in excess of 10 17 ions/cm 2 . Subsequent thermal annealing of the implanted samples was performed in a vacuum furnace at temperatures of 800, 900 and 1000 deg. C, respectively. Elastic recoil detection analysis was used to investigate depth distributions of the implanted ions and infrared transmittance (IR) measurement was used to characterize formation of SiC in the implanted Si substrate. Complementary to IR, Raman scattering measurements were also carried out. Levels of the residual damage distribution of the samples annealed at different temperatures were compared with that of the as-implanted one by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) in the channeling mode. The results show that C-ion implantation at the elevated temperature, followed by high-temperature annealing, enhances the synthesis of crystalline SiC

Temperature Scaling Law for Quantum Annealing Optimizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Albash, Tameem; Martin-Mayor, Victor; Hen, Itay

2017-09-15

Physical implementations of quantum annealing unavoidably operate at finite temperatures. We point to a fundamental limitation of fixed finite temperature quantum annealers that prevents them from functioning as competitive scalable optimizers and show that to serve as optimizers annealer temperatures must be appropriately scaled down with problem size. We derive a temperature scaling law dictating that temperature must drop at the very least in a logarithmic manner but also possibly as a power law with problem size. We corroborate our results by experiment and simulations and discuss the implications of these to practical annealers.

On the analysis of the activation mechanisms of sub-melt laser anneals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarysse, T.; Bogdanowicz, J.; Goossens, J.; Moussa, A.; Rosseel, E.; Vandervorst, W.; Petersen, D.H.; Lin, R.; Nielsen, P.F.; Hansen, Ole; Merklin, G.; Bennett, N.S.; Cowern, N.E.B.

2008-01-01

In order to fabricate carrier profiles with a junction depth (∼15 nm) and sheet resistance value suited for sub-32 nm Si-CMOS technology, the usage of sub-melt laser anneal is a promising route to explore. As laser annealed junctions seem to outperform standard anneal approaches, a detailed assessment of the basics of laser induced activation seem appropriate. In this work the electrical activation is studied from a comparison between the dopant profiles as measured by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, and the electrically active fraction as extracted from sheet resistance and mobility measurements. The latter is based on a large variety of techniques. For the sheet resistance we use conventional Four-Point Probe (FPP), Variable Probe Spacing (VPS), contactless junction photo voltage (JPV), Micro Four-Point Probe (M4PP) and an optical technique, namely Model Based Infra-red spectroscopic Reflectrometry (MBIR). For the sheet carrier density and sheet mobility extraction we use conventional Hall (without cloverleaf van der Pauw patterning, to reflect the need for fast turn-round sheet measurements), MBIR, and a recently developed new Hall-like capability using M4PP. By recognizing the interaction between the various parameters as they are not completely independent, it is possible to test the consistency of the various methods and to identify potential short comings. This concept is applied to the activation behavior of low and high implanted Boron doses and indicates that the obtained electrically active concentration level as well as the concurrent mobility is dependent on the dopant concentration level. This implies that the activation of B through the laser anneal process in the explored temperature-time space is governed by kinetic processes (i.e. the dissolution of B-I pairs) and not by the (temperature related) solid solubility

Infrared thermal annealing device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gladys, M.J.; Clarke, I.; O'Connor, D.J.

2003-01-01

A device for annealing samples within an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) scanning tunneling microscopy system was designed, constructed, and tested. The device is based on illuminating the sample with infrared radiation from outside the UHV chamber with a tungsten projector bulb. The apparatus uses an elliptical mirror to focus the beam through a sapphire viewport for low absorption. Experiments were conducted on clean Pd(100) and annealing temperatures in excess of 1000 K were easily reached

Ultrafast, 2 min synthesis of monolayer-protected gold nanoclusters (d < 2 nm)

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Matthew N.; Li, Dawei; Dass, Amala; Eah, Sang-Kee

2012-06-01

An ultrafast synthesis method is presented for hexanethiolate-coated gold nanoclusters (d gold nanoclusters are separated from the reaction byproducts fast and easily without any need for post-synthesis cleaning.An ultrafast synthesis method is presented for hexanethiolate-coated gold nanoclusters (d gold nanoclusters are separated from the reaction byproducts fast and easily without any need for post-synthesis cleaning. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details of gold nanocluster synthesis and mass-spectrometry. See DOI: 10.1039/c2nr30890h

Inverse planning anatomy-based dose optimization for HDR-brachytherapy of the prostate using fast simulated annealing algorithm and dedicated objective function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lessard, Etienne; Pouliot, Jean

2001-01-01

An anatomy-based dose optimization algorithm is developed to automatically and rapidly produce a highly conformal dose coverage of the target volume while minimizing urethra, bladder, and rectal doses in the delivery of an high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy boost for the treatment of prostate cancer. The dwell times are optimized using an inverse planning simulated annealing algorithm (IPSA) governed entirely from the anatomy extracted from a CT and by a dedicated objective function (cost function) reflecting clinical prescription and constraints. With this inverse planning approach, the focus is on the physician's prescription and constraint instead of on the technical limitations. Consequently, the physician's control on the treatment is improved. The capacity of this algorithm to represent the physician's prescription is presented for a clinical prostate case. The computation time (CPU) for IPSA optimization is less than 1 min (41 s for 142 915 iterations) for a typical clinical case, allowing fast and practical dose optimization. The achievement of highly conformal dose coverage to the target volume opens the possibility to deliver a higher dose to the prostate without inducing overdosage of urethra and normal tissues surrounding the prostate. Moreover, using the same concept, it will be possible to deliver a boost dose to a delimited tumor volume within the prostate. Finally, this method can be easily extended to other anatomical sites

Boosting quantum annealer performance via sample persistence

Science.gov (United States)

Karimi, Hamed; Rosenberg, Gili

2017-07-01

We propose a novel method for reducing the number of variables in quadratic unconstrained binary optimization problems, using a quantum annealer (or any sampler) to fix the value of a large portion of the variables to values that have a high probability of being optimal. The resulting problems are usually much easier for the quantum annealer to solve, due to their being smaller and consisting of disconnected components. This approach significantly increases the success rate and number of observations of the best known energy value in samples obtained from the quantum annealer, when compared with calling the quantum annealer without using it, even when using fewer annealing cycles. Use of the method results in a considerable improvement in success metrics even for problems with high-precision couplers and biases, which are more challenging for the quantum annealer to solve. The results are further enhanced by applying the method iteratively and combining it with classical pre-processing. We present results for both Chimera graph-structured problems and embedded problems from a real-world application.

Rapid thermal annealing of phosphorus implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Y.H.; Pogany, A.; Harrison, H.B.; Williams, J.S.

1985-01-01

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of phosphorus-implanted silicon has been investigated by four point probe, Van der Pauw methods and transmission electron microscopy. The results have been compared to furnace annealing. Experiments show that RTA, even at temperatures as low as 605 deg C, results in good electrical properties with little remnant damage and compares favourably with furnace annealing

Polymer Dehalogenation-Enabled Fast Fabrication of N,S-Codoped Carbon Materials for Superior Supercapacitor and Deionization Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yingna; Zhang, Guoxin; Han, Biao; Li, Haoyuan; Hu, Cejun; Pang, Yingchun; Chang, Zheng; Sun, Xiaoming

2017-09-06

Doped carbon materials (DCM) with multiple heteroatoms hold broad interest in electrochemical catalysis and energy storage but require several steps to fabricate, which greatly hinder their practical applications. In this study, a facile strategy is developed to enable the fast fabrication of multiply doped carbon materials via room-temperature dehalogenation of polyvinyl dichloride (PVDC) promoted by KOH with the presence of different organic dopants. A N,S-codoped carbon material (NS-DCM) is demonstratively synthesized using two dopants (dimethylformamide for N doping and dimethyl sulfoxide for S doping). Afterward, the precursive room-temperature NS-DCM with intentionally overdosed KOH is submitted to inert annealing to obtain large specific surface area and high conductivity. Remarkably, NS-DCM annealed at 600 °C (named as 600-NS-DCM), with 3.0 atom % N and 2.4 atom % S, exhibits a very high specific capacitance of 427 F g -1 at 1.0 A g -1 in acidic electrolyte and also keeps ∼60% of capacitance at ultrahigh current density of 100.0 A g -1 . Furthermore, capacitive deionization (CDI) measurements reveal that 600-NS-DCM possesses a large desalination capacity of 32.3 mg g -1 (40.0 mg L -1 NaCl) and very good cycling stability. Our strategy of fabricating multiply doped carbon materials can be potentially extended to the synthesis of carbon materials with various combinations of heteroatom doping for broad electrochemical applications.

Computational Multiqubit Tunnelling in Programmable Quantum Annealers

Science.gov (United States)

2016-08-25

ARTICLE Received 3 Jun 2015 | Accepted 26 Nov 2015 | Published 7 Jan 2016 Computational multiqubit tunnelling in programmable quantum annealers...state itself. Quantum tunnelling has been hypothesized as an advantageous physical resource for optimization in quantum annealing. However, computational ...qubit tunnelling plays a computational role in a currently available programmable quantum annealer. We devise a probe for tunnelling, a computational

Stored energy and annealing behavior of heavily deformed aluminium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kamikawa, Naoya; Huang, Xiaoxu; Kondo, Yuka

2012-01-01

It has been demonstrated in previous work that a two-step annealing treatment, including a low-temperature, long-time annealing and a subsequent high-temperature annealing, is a promising route to control the microstructure of a heavily deformed metal. In the present study, structural parameters...... are quantified such as boundary spacing, misorientation angle and dislocation density for 99.99% aluminium deformed by accumulative roll-bonding to a strain of 4.8. Two different annealing processes have been applied; (i) one-step annealing for 0.5 h at 100-400°C and (ii) two-step annealing for 6 h at 175°C...... followed by 0.5 h annealing at 200-600°C, where the former treatment leads to discontinuous recrystallization and the latter to uniform structural coarsening. This behavior has been analyzed in terms of the relative change during annealing of energy stored as elastic energy in the dislocation structure...

Global warming: Temperature estimation in annealers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jack Raymond

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Sampling from a Boltzmann distribution is NP-hard and so requires heuristic approaches. Quantum annealing is one promising candidate. The failure of annealing dynamics to equilibrate on practical time scales is a well understood limitation, but does not always prevent a heuristically useful distribution from being generated. In this paper we evaluate several methods for determining a useful operational temperature range for annealers. We show that, even where distributions deviate from the Boltzmann distribution due to ergodicity breaking, these estimates can be useful. We introduce the concepts of local and global temperatures that are captured by different estimation methods. We argue that for practical application it often makes sense to analyze annealers that are subject to post-processing in order to isolate the macroscopic distribution deviations that are a practical barrier to their application.

Origin of reverse annealing effect in hydrogen-implanted silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Di, Zengfeng [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Nastasi, Michael A [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Wang, Yongqiang [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2009-01-01

In contradiction to conventional damage annealing, thermally annealed H-implanted Si exhibits an increase in damage or reverse annealing behavior, whose mechanism has remained elusive. On the basis of quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy combined with channeling Rutherford backscattering analysis, we conclusively elucidate that the reverse annealing effect is due to the nucleation and growth of hydrogen-induce platelets. Platelets are responsible for an increase in the height and width the channeling damage peak following increased isochronal anneals.

Extrapolation of zircon fission-track annealing models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palissari, R.; Guedes, S.; Curvo, E.A.C.; Moreira, P.A.F.P.; Tello, C.A.; Hadler, J.C.

2013-01-01

One of the purposes of this study is to give further constraints on the temperature range of the zircon partial annealing zone over a geological time scale using data from borehole zircon samples, which have experienced stable temperatures for ∼1 Ma. In this way, the extrapolation problem is explicitly addressed by fitting the zircon annealing models with geological timescale data. Several empirical model formulations have been proposed to perform these calibrations and have been compared in this work. The basic form proposed for annealing models is the Arrhenius-type model. There are other annealing models, that are based on the same general formulation. These empirical model equations have been preferred due to the great number of phenomena from track formation to chemical etching that are not well understood. However, there are two other models, which try to establish a direct correlation between their parameters and the related phenomena. To compare the response of the different annealing models, thermal indexes, such as closure temperature, total annealing temperature and the partial annealing zone, have been calculated and compared with field evidence. After comparing the different models, it was concluded that the fanning curvilinear models yield the best agreement between predicted index temperatures and field evidence. - Highlights: ► Geological data were used along with lab data for improving model extrapolation. ► Index temperatures were simulated for testing model extrapolation. ► Curvilinear Arrhenius models produced better geological temperature predictions

Mechanical properties and annealing texture of zirconium sheets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hanif-ur-Rehman; Khawaja, F.A.

1996-01-01

Mechanical properties like yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength(UTS), percentage elongation and annealing texture has been studied in sheets of commercially pure zirconium. The YS and UTS decrease as a function of annealing temperature up to 600 V, but both quantities have maximum value in sample annealed at 800 deg. C. The percentage elongation decreased with increase in annealing temperature up to 600 deg. C. A slight decrease and minimum value of percentage elongation was observed at 650 and 800 C respectively. The texture development in the annealed samples has been studied by the X-ray diffraction method. The sampled annealed at 800 deg. C showed a texture component (0001) [01 bar 10] with orientation density of about 8 times random, while the samples annealed at 600,650 and 700 deg. C showed a texture component (0001)[2 bar 110] with orientation density of about 5 times random. Thus it is concluded, that the texture component (0001)[2 bar 110] and (0001)[01 bar 10] at 650 and 800 geg. C respectively, may be the responsible for the increase in YS and UTS and decrease in percentage elongation at these temperatures. (author)

Annealing of KDP crystals in vacuum and under pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pritula, I.M.; Kolybayeva, M.I.; Salo, V.I.

1997-01-01

The effect of the high temperature annealing (T an > 230 degrees C) on the absorption spectra and laser damage threshold of KDP crystals was studied in the present paper. The experiments on isotermal annealing were performed under pressure in the atmosphere with specific properties. The composition of the atmosphere was selected to be chose to that of the desorbing gas component determined during annealing in vacuum. The mentioned conditions allowed to conduct annealing in the temperature range of 230 - 280 degrees C without degradation of the sample. The variations in the absorption spectra showed that the effect of the annealing is most strongly revealed in the short - wave region of the spectrum (λ -1 before and k=0.12 cm -1 after annealing) demonstrate that at temperatures ∼ 230 - 280 degrees C the processes ensuring the improvement of the structure quality are stimulated in the volume of the crystals: (a) before the annealing laser damage threshold was 1.5 10 11 W/cm 2 ; (b) after the annealing (t = 280 degrees C) it became 4 10 11 W/cm 2

Microwave assisted synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles for lighting and dye removal application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, Vijay, E-mail: vijays_phy@rediffmail.com [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Gohain, M. [Department of Chemistry, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Som, S.; Kumar, Vinod [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Bezuindenhoudt, B.C.B. [Department of Chemistry, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa); Swart, Hendrik C., E-mail: swarthc@ufs.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, ZA 9300 (South Africa)

2016-01-01

In this study, we report on the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) via the microwave-assisted technique. The as-synthesized ZnO nanoparticles were annealed at 500 °C for three hours. The ZnO NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic techniques. XRD results confirmed the formation of as-synthesized ZnO powder oriented along the (101) direction. The Kubelka–Munk function has been employed to determine the band gap of the ZnO powder. ZnO powder has been studied by photoluminescence (PL) before and after annealing to identify the emission of defects in the visible range. The intensity of the PL emission has decreased after annealing. The synthesized ZnO samples were also studied for methyl orange dye removal from waste water. It has been found that the as-synthesized ZnO shows better adsorption behaviour as compared to the annealed sample.

Selective molecular annealing: in situ small angle X-ray scattering study of microwave-assisted annealing of block copolymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Toolan, Daniel T W; Adlington, Kevin; Isakova, Anna; Kalamiotis, Alexis; Mokarian-Tabari, Parvaneh; Dimitrakis, Georgios; Dodds, Christopher; Arnold, Thomas; Terrill, Nick J; Bras, Wim; Hermida Merino, Daniel; Topham, Paul D; Irvine, Derek J; Howse, Jonathan R

2017-08-09

Microwave annealing has emerged as an alternative to traditional thermal annealing approaches for optimising block copolymer self-assembly. A novel sample environment enabling small angle X-ray scattering to be performed in situ during microwave annealing is demonstrated, which has enabled, for the first time, the direct study of the effects of microwave annealing upon the self-assembly behavior of a model, commercial triblock copolymer system [polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-co-butylene)-block-polystyrene]. Results show that the block copolymer is a poor microwave absorber, resulting in no change in the block copolymer morphology upon application of microwave energy. The block copolymer species may only indirectly interact with the microwave energy when a small molecule microwave-interactive species [diethylene glycol dibenzoate (DEGDB)] is incorporated directly into the polymer matrix. Then significant morphological development is observed at DEGDB loadings ≥6 wt%. Through spatial localisation of the microwave-interactive species, we demonstrate targeted annealing of specific regions of a multi-component system, opening routes for the development of "smart" manufacturing methodologies.

Layer-controllable graphene by plasma thinning and post-annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Lufang; Feng, Shaopeng; Xiao, Shaoqing; Shen, Gang; Zhang, Xiumei; Nan, Haiyan; Gu, Xiaofeng; Ostrikov, Kostya (Ken)

2018-05-01

The electronic structure of graphene depends crucially on its layer number and therefore engineering the number of graphene's atomic stacking layers is of great importance for the preparation of graphene-based devices. In this paper, we demonstrated a relatively less invasive, high-throughput and uniform large-area plasma thinning of graphene based on direct bombardment effect of fast-moving ionic hydrogen or argon species. Any desired number of graphene layers including trilayer, bilayer and monolayer can be obtained. Structural changes of graphene layers are studied by optical microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. Post annealing is adopted to self-heal the lattice defects induced by the ion bombardment effect. This plasma etching technique is efficient and compatible with semiconductor manufacturing processes, and may find important applications for graphene-based device fabrication.

Effects of annealing atmosphere on ZnO{sup -} ions-implanted silica glass: synthesis of Zn and ZnO nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuiri, P K [Department of Physics, Achhruram Memorial College, P.O. Jhalda, Purulia 723202 (India); Mahapatra, D P, E-mail: kuiripk@gmail.co [Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751005 (India)

2010-10-06

The effects of annealing atmosphere (argon or oxygen) on Zn nanoparticles (NPs), embedded in silica glass, synthesized by implanting 50 keV ZnO{sup -} ions to a fluence of 7 x 10{sup 16} cm{sup -2} have been studied. Optical absorption (OA) measurements carried out on the as-implanted samples have been found to result in a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band centred at {approx}255 nm due to the presence of Zn NPs in the silica glass. An increase in SPR peak intensity with a corresponding reduction of its full width at half maximum have been seen in the OA spectrum taken from the as-implanted sample following annealing in Ar ambient at 700 {sup 0}C for 2 h, indicating a growth in the size of Zn NPs. However, annealing the as-implanted sample in O{sub 2} gas at 700 {sup 0}C for 2 h has been found to result in a steep absorption edge at {approx}364 nm in the OA spectrum which indicates the formation of ZnO NPs. These ZnO NPs show quantum confinement effects due to their small sizes. No observable photoluminescence (PL) emission has been seen from Zn NPs, whereas an excitonic band at {approx}368 nm and three deep-level PL emission bands at {approx}453 nm, {approx}521 nm and {approx}650 nm, respectively, have been seen from ZnO NPs. It was argued that the deep-level PLs were due to the singly ionized oxygen vacancies located at ZnO NPs' surfaces. These observations suggest that ZnO NPs were formed due to oxidation of Zn NPs via interaction with the indiffusing O{sub 2} molecules during annealing in O{sub 2} ambient, but not with the interaction of the implanted oxygen in silica glass.

Fast Synthesis of Dynamic Colour Textures

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Filip, Jiří; Haindl, Michal; Chetverikov, D.

-, č. 66 (2006), s. 53-54 ISSN 0926-4981 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA2075302; GA AV ČR 1ET400750407; GA MŠk 1M0572 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 507752 - MUSCLE Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : dynamic colour texture * texture synthesis * texture modelling Subject RIV: BD - Theory of Information http://www.ercim.org/publication/Ercim_News/enw66/haindl.html

Annealed star-branched polyelectrolytes in solution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Klein Wolterink, J.; Male, van J.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Koopal, L.K.; Zhulina, E.B.; Borisov, O.V.

2002-01-01

Equilibrium conformations of annealed star-branched polyelectrolytes (polyacids) are calculated with a numerical self-consistent-field (SCF) model. From the calculations we obtain also the size and charge of annealed polyelectrolyte stars as a function of the number of arms, pH, and the ionic

Radiation damage annealing mechanisms and possible low temperature annealing in silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Swartz, C. K.

1980-01-01

Deep level transient spectroscopy and the Shockley-Read-Hall recombination theory are used to identify the defect responsible for reverse annealing in 2 ohm-cm n+/p silicon solar cells. This defect, with energy level at Ev + 0.30 eV, has been tentatively identified as a boron-oxygen-vacancy complex. It has been also determined by calculation that the removal of this defect could result in significant annealing at temperatures as low as 200 C for 2 ohm-cm and lower resistivity cells.

Physical characterization of Cu{sub 2}ZnGeSe{sub 4} thin films from annealing of Cu-Zn-Ge precursor layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Buffière, M., E-mail: buffiere@imec.be [Imec—Partner in Solliance, Leuven (Belgium); Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), KU Leuven, Heverlee (Belgium); ElAnzeery, H. [Imec—Partner in Solliance, Leuven (Belgium); KACST-Intel Consortium Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications (CENA), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Microelectronics System Design department, Nile University, Cairo (Egypt); Oueslati, S.; Ben Messaoud, K. [Imec—Partner in Solliance, Leuven (Belgium); KACST-Intel Consortium Center of Excellence in Nano-manufacturing Applications (CENA), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, El Manar (Tunisia); Brammertz, G.; Meuris, M. [Imec Division IMOMEC — Partner in Solliance, Diepenbeek (Belgium); Institute for Material Research (IMO) Hasselt University, Diepenbeek (Belgium); Poortmans, J. [Imec—Partner in Solliance, Leuven (Belgium); Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), KU Leuven, Heverlee (Belgium)

2015-05-01

Cu{sub 2}ZnGeSe{sub 4} (CZGeSe) can be considered as a potential alternative for wide band gap thin film devices. In this work, CZGeSe thin films were deposited on Mo-coated soda lime glass substrates by sequential deposition of sputtered Cu, Zn and e-beam evaporated Ge layers from elemental targets followed by annealing at high temperature using H{sub 2}Se gas. We report on the effect of the precursor stack order and composition and the impact of the annealing temperature on the physical properties of CZGeSe thin films. The optimal layer morphology was obtained when using a Mo/Cu/Zn/Ge precursor stack annealed at 460 °C. We have observed that the formation of secondary phases such as ZnSe can be prevented by tuning the initial composition of the stack, the stack order and the annealing conditions. This synthesis process allows synthesizing CZGeSe absorber with an optical band gap of 1.5 eV. - Highlights: • Cu{sub 2}ZnGeSe{sub 4} (CZGeSe) thin films were deposited using a two-step process. • CZGeSe dense layers were obtained using a Mo/Cu/Zn/Ge precursor annealed at 460 °C. • Formation of ZnSe can be avoided by tuning the composition and order of the initial stack. • P-type CZGeSe absorber with an optical band gap of 1.5 eV was obtained.

Temperature distribution study in flash-annealed amorphous ribbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moron, C.; Garcia, A.; Carracedo, M.T.

2003-01-01

Negative magnetrostrictive amorphous ribbons have been locally current annealed with currents from 1 to 8 A and annealing times from 14 ms to 200 s. In order to obtain information about the sample temperature during flash or current annealing, a study of the temperature dispersion during annealing in amorphous ribbons was made. The local temperature variation was obtained by measuring the local intensity of the infrared emission of the sample with a CCD liquid nitrogen cooled camera. A distribution of local temperature has been found in spite of the small dimension of the sample

Parametric investigation of the formation of epitaxial Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2} on 4H-SiC from Al-Ti annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abi-Tannous, T., E-mail: tony.abi-tannous@insa-lyon.fr [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire Ampère, INSA-Lyon, UMR 5005, F-69621 (France); Soueidan, M. [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire Ampère, INSA-Lyon, UMR 5005, F-69621 (France); Ferro, G. [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire des Multimatériaux et Interfaces, UMR 5615, F-69622 (France); Lazar, M. [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire Ampère, INSA-Lyon, UMR 5005, F-69621 (France); Toury, B. [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire des Multimatériaux et Interfaces, UMR 5615, F-69622 (France); Beaufort, M.F.; Barbot, J.F. [Institut Pprime CNRS - Université de Poitiers - ENSMA - UPR 3346 Département Physique et Mécanique des Matériaux SP2MI 86962 Futuroscope Chasseneuil Cedex (France); Penuelas, J. [Université de Lyon, Institut des Nanotechnologies de Lyon, UMR CNRS 5270, 69134 ECULLY Cedex (France); Planson, D. [Université de Lyon, CNRS, Laboratoire Ampère, INSA-Lyon, UMR 5005, F-69621 (France)

2015-08-30

Highlights: • Growth of Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2} thin films onto 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) 8° and 4°-off substrates. • High temperature application for SiC ohmic contact. • Thermal annealing of Ti{sub -}Al layers. • Influence of the composition in the Ti{sub x}Al{sub 1−x} alloy was investigated. • Influence of the annealing temperature (900–1200 °C) after deposition was investigated. • The structural investigations were mainly performed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). • Elementary and profile characterization were performed using X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). - Abstract: The growth of Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2} thin films was studied onto 4H-SiC (0 0 0 1) 8° and 4°-off substrates by thermal annealing of Ti{sub x}Al{sub 1−x} (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 1) layers. The annealing time was fixed at 10 min under Argon atmosphere. The synthesis conditions were also investigated according to the annealing temperature (900–1200 °C) after deposition. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) show that the layer of Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2} is epitaxially grown on the 4H-SiC substrate. In addition the interface looks sharp and smooth with evidence of interfacial ordering. Moreover, during the annealing procedure, the formation of unwanted aluminum oxide was detected by using X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS); this layer can be removed by using a specific annealing procedure.

Effect of Annealing Temperature on Flowerlike Cu3BiS3 Thin Films Grown by Chemical Bath Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Deshmukh, S. G.; Patel, S. J.; Patel, K. K.; Panchal, A. K.; Kheraj, Vipul

2017-10-01

For widespread application of thin-film photovoltaic solar cells, synthesis of inexpensive absorber material is essential. In this work, deposition of ternary Cu3BiS3 absorber material, which contains abundant and environmentally benign elements, was carried out on glass substrate. Flowerlike Cu3BiS3 thin films with nanoflakes as building block were formed on glass substrate by chemical bath deposition. These films were annealed at 573 K and 673 K in sulfur ambient for structural improvement. Their structure was characterized using Raman spectroscopy, as well as their surface morphological and optical properties. The x-ray diffraction profile of as-deposited Cu3BiS3 thin film revealed amorphous structure, which transformed to orthorhombic phase after annealing. The Raman spectrum exhibited a characteristic peak at 290 cm-1. Scanning electron microscopy of as-deposited Cu3BiS3 film confirmed formation of nanoflowers with diameter of around 1052 nm. Wettability testing of as-deposited Cu3BiS3 thin film demonstrated hydrophobic nature, which became hydrophilic after annealing. The measured ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectra of the Cu3BiS3 thin films gave an absorption coefficient of 105 cm-1 and direct optical bandgap of about 1.42 eV after annealing treatment. Based on all these results, such Cu3BiS3 material may have potential applications in the photovoltaic field as an absorber layer.

Facile Synthesis of V2O5 Hollow Spheres as Advanced Cathodes for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xingyuan Zhang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Three-dimensional V2O5 hollow structures have been prepared through a simple synthesis strategy combining solvothermal treatment and a subsequent thermal annealing. The V2O5 materials are composed of microspheres 2–3 μm in diameter and with a distinct hollow interior. The as-synthesized V2O5 hollow microspheres, when evaluated as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, can deliver a specific capacity as high as 273 mAh·g−1 at 0.2 C. Benefiting from the hollow structures that afford fast electrolyte transport and volume accommodation, the V2O5 cathode also exhibits a superior rate capability and excellent cycling stability. The good Li-ion storage performance demonstrates the great potential of this unique V2O5 hollow material as a high-performance cathode for lithium-ion batteries.

One pot synthesis of pure micro/nano photoactive α-PbO crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Bhagat, Dharini; Waldiya, Manmohansingh; Vanpariya, Anjali; Mukhopadhyay, Indrajit

2018-05-01

The present study reports a simple, fast and cost effective precipitation technique for synthesis of pure α-PbO powder. Lead monoxide powder with tetragonal structure was synthesized chemically at an elevated temperature using lead acetate and sodium hydroxide solution bath. XRD powder diffraction was used to find the structural properties as well as phase transition from alpha to beta. Study revealed that synthesized PbO powder was crystalline with tetragonal symmetry, having an average crystallite size of 70 nm and lattice constants; a=3.97Å, b=3.97Å, and c=5.02Å. Phase transition from tetragonal to orthorhombic structure was studied by comparing the XRD data of the annealed samples in the temperature range from 200 °C to 600 °C. UV-Visible spectroscopy was used to find out the optical properties of prepared PbO powder. Diffuse reflectance and absorbance spectra confirmed the formation of α-PbO with obtained direct band gap of 1.9 eV. Synthesized lead monoxide (α-PbO) powder has promising application in energy conversion as well as energy storage applications.

Vacancies supersaturation induced by fast neutronn irradiation in FeNi alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lucki, G.; Watanabe, S.; Chambron, W.; Verdoni, J.

1976-01-01

Isothermal annealings have been performed between 400 and 555 0 C with and without fast neutron (1 MeV) irradiation. Pure FeNi (50-50 at %) was irradiated in the Melousine reactor in Grenoble and FeNiMO (50-50 at % + 50 ppm.) in the IEAR 1 reactor at the Instituto de Energia Atomica in Sao Paulo. The toroidal shaped specimens were fabricated from Johnson Mathey zone refined ingots and were initially annealed at 800 0 C during 1 h in hydrogen atmosphere and then slowly cooled (4 h) inside the furnace. Magnetic After Effect Measurements (MAE) permitted the evaluation of activation energies during fast neutron irradiation (1.54eV) and without irradiation (3.14eV) for pure FeNi and respectively (1.36eV) and 2.32eV) for FeNiMO. Since the time constants of relaxation process are inversely proportional to the vacancies comcentration a quantitative evaluation of vacancies supersaturation was made it decreases from value 700 at 410 0 C to the value 40 at 190 0 C for pure FeNi and from 765 to 121 for FeNiMO in the same temperature range

Magnet properties of Mn70Ga30 prepared by cold rolling and magnetic field annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ener, Semih; Skokov, Konstantin P.; Karpenkov, Dmitriy Yu.; Kuz'min, Michael D.; Gutfleisch, Oliver

2015-01-01

The remanence and coercivity of arc melted Mn 70 Ga 30 can be substantially improved by cold rolling. For best performance the rolled material should be annealed at T=730 K in the presence of a magnetic field of 1 T. The so-obtained magnet has a remanence of 0.239 T and a coercivity of 1.24 T at room temperature. The underlying reason for the high coercivity and remanence is the increase of the content of a metastable ferrimagnetic D0 22 phase at the expense of the normally stable anti-ferromagnetic D0 19 . Magnetic field significantly increases the nucleation rate of the ferromagnetic D0 22 phase that leads to grain size refinement and as a consequence of improving remanence and coercive field. - Highlights: • Alternative synthesis method for D0 22 phase formation in Mn–Ga is developed. • Effect of cold rolling and annealing on magnetic properties of Mn 70 Ga 30 is examined. • Small magnetic fields are sufficient to accelerate nucleation of the D0 22 phase

Effect of synthesis methods with different annealing temperatures on micro structure, cations distribution and magnetic properties of nano-nickel ferrite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

El-Sayed, Karimat [XRD Lab, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University, Cairo (Egypt); Mohamed, Mohamed Bakr, E-mail: mbm1977@yahoo.com [XRD Lab, Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Ain-Shams University, Cairo (Egypt); Hamdy, Sh.; Ata-Allah, S.S. [Reactor Physics Department, NRC, Atomic Energy Authority, P.O. Box 13759, Cairo (Egypt)

2017-02-01

Nano-crystalline NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} was synthesized by citrate and sol–gel methods at different annealing temperatures and the results were compared with a bulk sample prepared by ceramic method. The effect of methods of preparation and different annealing temperatures on the crystallize size, strain, bond lengths, bond angles, cations distribution and degree of inversions were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscope, Mössbauer effect spectrometer and vibrating sample magnetometer. The cations distributions were determined at both octahedral and tetrahedral sites using both Mössbauer effect spectroscopy and a modified Bertaut method using Rietveld method. The Mössbauer effect spectra showed a regular decrease in the hyperfine field with decreasing particle size. Saturation magnetization and coercivity are found to be affected by the particle size and the cations distribution. - Highlights: • Annealed nano NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} was prepared by different methods. • The crystallite sizes are critical. • Mössbauer spectra show superparamagnetic doublet. • Cations distributions by MÓ§ssbauer and Bertaut method are constituents. • Cations distribution are significantly affects the magnetic properties.

Plasticity margin recovery during annealing after cold deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogatov, A.A.; Smirnov, S.V.; Kolmogorov, V.L.

1978-01-01

Restoration of the plasticity margin in steel 20 after cold deformation and annealing at 550 - 750 C and soaking for 5 - 300 min was investigated. The conditions of cold deformation under which the metal acquires microdefects unhealed by subsequent annealing were determined. It was established that if the degree of utilization of the plasticity margin is psi < 0.5, the plasticity margin in steel 20 can be completely restored by annealing. A mathematical model of restoration of the plasticity margin by annealing after cold deformation was constructed. A statistical analysis showed good agreement between model and experiment

Quantum Annealing and Quantum Fluctuation Effect in Frustrated Ising Systems

OpenAIRE

Tanaka, Shu; Tamura, Ryo

2012-01-01

Quantum annealing method has been widely attracted attention in statistical physics and information science since it is expected to be a powerful method to obtain the best solution of optimization problem as well as simulated annealing. The quantum annealing method was incubated in quantum statistical physics. This is an alternative method of the simulated annealing which is well-adopted for many optimization problems. In the simulated annealing, we obtain a solution of optimization problem b...

The influence of annealing on manganese implanted GaAs films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buerger, Danilo; Zhou, Shengqiang; Grenzer, Joerg; Reuther, Helfried; Anwand, Wolfgang; Gottschalch, Volker; Helm, Manfred; Schmidt, Heidemarie

2009-01-01

Besides low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy, ion implantation provides an alternative route to incorporate Mn into GaAs above the equilibrium solubility limit. Recently, Mn implanted GaAs diluted magnetic semiconductor was obtained by pulsed laser annealing. However, post-implantation annealing can lead to the formation of secondary phases. In order to compare the post-annealing effect, we investigate GaMnAs by implanting up to 6 at% Mn followed by rapid thermal and flashlamp annealing. The structural properties were probed by high resolution X-ray diffraction. The magnetic properties were determined by SQUID measurements. Auger electron spectroscopy has been used to profile the depth distribution of Mn in GaAs after implantation and annealing. We elucidate after implantation a loss of As and that during rapid thermal annealing most of the Mn diffuses towards the surface. Flash lamp annealing prevents out-diffusion, but the recrystallisation efficiency is low. Only the flash lamp annealed samples reveal weak ferromagnetism.

Susceptor and proximity rapid thermal annealing of InP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katz, A.; Pearton, S.J.; Geva, M.

1990-01-01

This paper presents a comparison between the efficiency of InP rapid thermal annealing within two types of SiC-coated graphite susceptors and by using the more conventional proximity approach, in providing degradation-free substrate surface morphology. The superiority of annealing within a susceptor was clearly demonstrated through the evaluation of AuGe contact performance to carbon-implanted InP substrates, which were annealed to activate the implants prior to the metallization. The susceptor annealing provided better protection against edge degradation, slip formation and better surface morphology, due to the elimination of P outdiffusion and pit formation. The two SiC-coated susceptors that were evaluated differ from each other in their geometry. The first type must be charged with the group V species prior to any annealing cycle. Under the optimum charging conditions, effective surface protection was provided only to one anneal (750 degrees C, 10s) of InP before charging was necessary. The second contained reservoirs for provision of the group V element partial pressure, enabled high temperature annealing at the InP without the need for continual recharging of the susceptor. Thus, one has the ability to subsequentially anneal a lot of InP wafers at high temperatures without inducing any surface deterioration

Optical scattering characteristic of annealed niobium oxide films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai Fachun; Li Ming; Wang Haiqian; Hu Hailong; Wang Xiaoping; Hou, J.G.; Song Yizhou; Jiang Yousong

2005-01-01

Niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) films with thicknesses ranging from 200 to 1600 nm were deposited on fused silica at room temperature by low frequency reactive magnetron sputtering system. In order to study the optical losses resulting from the microstructures, the films with 500 nm thickness were annealed at temperatures between 600 and 1100 deg. C, and films with thicknesses from 200 to 1600 nm were annealed at 800 deg. C. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy images show that the root mean square of surface roughness, the grain size, voids, microcracks, and grain boundaries increase with increasing both the annealing temperature and the thickness. Correspondingly, the optical transmittance and reflectance decrease, and the optical loss increases. The mechanisms of the optical losses are discussed. The results suggest that defects in the volume and the surface roughness should be the major source for the optical losses of the annealed films by causing pronounced scattering. For samples with a determined thickness, there is a critical annealing temperature, above which the surface scattering contributes to the major optical losses. In the experimental scope, for the films annealed at temperatures below 900 deg. C, the major optical losses resulted from volume scattering. However, surface roughness was the major source for the optical losses when the 500-nm films were annealed at temperatures above 900 deg. C

Improvement on the electrical characteristics of Pd/HfO2/6H-SiC MIS capacitors using post deposition annealing and post metallization annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Esakky, Papanasam; Kailath, Binsu J.

2017-08-01

HfO2 as a gate dielectric enables high electric field operation of SiC MIS structure and as gas sensor HfO2/SiC capacitors offer higher sensitivity than SiO2/SiC capacitors. The issue of higher density of oxygen vacancies and associated higher leakage current necessitates better passivation of HfO2/SiC interface. Effect of post deposition annealing in N2O plasma and post metallization annealing in forming gas on the structural and electrical characteristics of Pd/HfO2/SiC MIS capacitors are reported in this work. N2O plasma annealing suppresses crystallization during high temperature annealing thereby improving the thermal stability and plasma annealing followed by rapid thermal annealing in N2 result in formation of Hf silicate at the HfO2/SiC interface resulting in order of magnitude lower density of interface states and gate leakage current. Post metallization annealing in forming gas for 40 min reduces interface state density by two orders while gate leakage current density is reduced by thrice. Post deposition annealing in N2O plasma and post metallization annealing in forming gas are observed to be effective passivation techniques improving the electrical characteristics of HfO2/SiC capacitors.

Interpretation of microstructure evolution during self-annealing and thermal annealing of nanocrystalline electrodeposits—A comparative study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pantleon, Karen; Somers, Marcel A. J.

2010-01-01

and nickel electrodeposits was achieved by time-resolved X-ray diffraction line profile analysis and crystallographic texture analysis during room temperature storage and during isothermal annealing at elevated temperatures. These in-situ studies with unique time resolution allowed quantification of the self-annealing......Electrodeposition results in a non-equilibrium state of the as-deposited nanocrystalline microstructure, which evolves towards an energetically more favorable state as a function of time and/or temperature upon deposition. Real-time investigation of the evolving microstructure in copper, silver...... kinetics of copper and silver electrodeposits as well as the annealing kinetics of electrodeposited nickel. Similarities and characteristic differences of the kinetics and mechanisms of microstructure evolution in the various electrodeposits are discussed and the experimental results are attempted...

Implantation annealing in GaAs by incoherent light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, D.E.; Ryan, T.G.; Soda, K.J.; Comer, J.J.

1983-01-01

Implanted GaAs has been successfully activated through concentrating the output of quartz halogen lamps to anneal in times of the order of 1 sec. The resulting layers are not restricted by the reduced mobilities and thermal instabilities of laser annealed GaAs. Better activation can be obtained than with furnace annealing but this generally requires maximum temperatures >= 1050degC. (author)

Nuclide creation and annealing reactor waste in neutron fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kondrat'ev, V.N.; Kadenko, I.M.

2007-01-01

We consider chemical elements in the Universe (their properties and transmutations) as a fuel powering an evolution of stars, galaxies, etc. The nuclear fusion reactions represent an energy source of stars and, in particular, the Sun fitting the life on the Earth. This brings a question on an origin and conditions for creation of life. We discuss some specific features of nuclear reaction chains at the hydrostatic burning of nuclides in stars and treaties for development of thermonuclear fusion reactors at the Earth based environment. The nova and supernova give promising astrophysical site candidates for synthesis of heavy atomic nuclei and renewing other nuclear components. Such an explosive nucleosynthesis yields the actinides containing basic fuel for nuclear fission reactors, among others. We briefly outline the e-, s-, and r-processes while accounting for ultra-strong stellar magnetization, and discuss some ideas for annealing the radioactive toxic nuclear waste

Improvement on the electrical characteristics of Pd/HfO{sub 2}/6H-SiC MIS capacitors using post deposition annealing and post metallization annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Esakky, Papanasam, E-mail: papanasamte@gmail.com; Kailath, Binsu J

2017-08-15

Highlights: • Post deposition annealing (PDA) and post metallization annealing (PMA) on the electrical characteristics of Pd/HfO{sub 2}/6H-SiC MIS capacitors. • Post deposition N{sub 2}O plasma annealing inhibits crystallization of HfO{sub 2} during high temperature annealing. • Plasma annealing followed by RTA in N{sub 2} results in formation of hafnium silicate at the HfO{sub 2}-SiC interface. • PDA reduces interface state density (D{sub it}) and gate leakage current density (J{sub g}) by order. • PMA in forming gas for 40 min results in better passivation and reduces D{sub it} by two orders and J{sub g} by thrice. - Abstract: HfO{sub 2} as a gate dielectric enables high electric field operation of SiC MIS structure and as gas sensor HfO{sub 2}/SiC capacitors offer higher sensitivity than SiO{sub 2}/SiC capacitors. The issue of higher density of oxygen vacancies and associated higher leakage current necessitates better passivation of HfO{sub 2}/SiC interface. Effect of post deposition annealing in N{sub 2}O plasma and post metallization annealing in forming gas on the structural and electrical characteristics of Pd/HfO{sub 2}/SiC MIS capacitors are reported in this work. N{sub 2}O plasma annealing suppresses crystallization during high temperature annealing thereby improving the thermal stability and plasma annealing followed by rapid thermal annealing in N{sub 2} result in formation of Hf silicate at the HfO{sub 2}/SiC interface resulting in order of magnitude lower density of interface states and gate leakage current. Post metallization annealing in forming gas for 40 min reduces interface state density by two orders while gate leakage current density is reduced by thrice. Post deposition annealing in N{sub 2}O plasma and post metallization annealing in forming gas are observed to be effective passivation techniques improving the electrical characteristics of HfO{sub 2}/SiC capacitors.

Laser annealing of ion implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, C.W.; Narayan, J.; Young, R.T.

1978-11-01

The physical and electrical properties of ion implanted silicon annealed with high powered ruby laser radiation are summarized. Results show that pulsed laser annealing can lead to a complete removal of extended defects in the implanted region accompanied by incorporation of dopants into lattice sites even when their concentration far exceeds the solid solubility limit

Study of annealing effects in Al–Sb bilayer thin films

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

There are three methods to prepare compound semiconductor systems: bilayer annealing (Singh and Vijay 2004a), rapid thermal annealing (Singh and Vijay 2004b) and ion beam mixing (Dhar et al 2003). The annealing and ion beam mixing were found to show inferior mixing effects compared to rapid thermal annealing.

Synthesis of Fe-Al-Ti Based Intermetallics with the Use of Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Kwiatkowska

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS technique was combined with direct synthesis to fabricate L21-ordered Fe-Al-Ti based intermetallic alloys. It was found that ternary Fe-Al-Ti alloys can be synthesized using the LENS technique from a feedstock composed of a pre-alloyed Fe-Al powder and elemental Ti powder. The obtained average compositions of the ternary alloys after the laser deposition and subsequent annealing were quite close to the nominal compositions, but the distributions of the elements in the annealed samples recorded over a large area were inhomogeneous. No traces of pure Ti were observed in the deposited alloys. Macroscopic cracking and porosity were observed in all investigated alloys. The amount of porosity in the samples was less than 1.2 vol. %. It seems that the porosity originates from the porous pre-alloyed Fe-Al powders. Single-phase (L21, two-phase (L21-C14 and multiphase (L21-A2-C14 Fe-Al-Ti intermetallic alloys were obtained from the direct laser synthesis and annealing process. The most prominent feature of the ternary Fe-Al-Ti intermetallics synthesized by the LENS method is their fine-grained structure. The grain size is in the range of 3–5 μm, indicating grain refinement effect through the highly rapid cooling of the LENS process. The Fe-Al-Ti alloys synthesized by LENS and annealed at 1000 °C in the single-phase B2 region were prone to an essential grain growth. In contrast, the alloys annealed at 1000 °C in the two-phase L21-C14 region exhibited almost constant grain size values after the high-temperature annealing.

Finite-time thermodynamics and simulated annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andresen, B.

1989-01-01

When the general, global optimization technique simulated annealing was introduced by Kirkpatrick et al. (1983), this mathematical algorithm was based on an analogy to the statistical mechanical behavior of real physical systems like spin glasses, hence the name. In the intervening span of years the method has proven exceptionally useful for a great variety of extremely complicated problems, notably NP-problems like the travelling salesman, DNA sequencing, and graph partitioning. Only a few highly optimized heuristic algorithms (e.g. Lin, Kernighan 1973) have outperformed simulated annealing on their respective problems (Johnson et al. 1989). Simulated annealing in its current form relies only on the static quantity 'energy' to describe the system, whereas questions of rate, as in the temperature path (annealing schedule, see below), are left to intuition. We extent the connection to physical systems and take over further components from thermodynamics like ensemble, heat capacity, and relaxation time. Finally we refer to finite-time thermodynamics (Andresen, Salomon, Berry 1984) for a dynamical estimate of the optimal temperature path. (orig.)

Annealing of Al implanted 4H silicon carbide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hallen, A; Suchodolskis, A; Oesterman, J; Abtin, L; Linnarsson, M

2006-01-01

Al ions were implanted with multiple energies up to 250 keV at elevated temperatures in n-type 4H SiC epitaxial layers to reach a surface concentration of 1x10 20 cm -3 . These samples were then annealed at temperatures between 1500 and 1950 deg. C. A similar 4H SiC epitaxial sample was implanted by MeV Al ions to lower doses and annealed only at 200 and 400 deg. C. After annealing, cross-sections of the samples were characterized by scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM). The results show that the resistivity of high-dose Al implanted samples has not reached a saturated value, even after annealing at the highest temperature. For the MeV Al implanted sample, the activation of Al has not yet started, but a substantial annealing of the implantation induced damage can be seen from the SSRM depth profiles

Effects of thermal annealing on electrical characteristics of Cd/CdS/n-Si/Au-Sb sandwich structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saglam, M.; Ates, A.; Guezeldir, B.; Astam, A.; Yildirim, M.A.

2009-01-01

In general, at the metal-semiconductor contacts, interfacial layers have been fabricated by different methods such as molecular beam epitaxy, metal organic chemical vapor deposition, sputtering and vacuum evaporation. However, all of these techniques have encountered various difficulties in the deposited films. Instead of these methods, since Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method is simple, fast, sensitive, and less costly to prepare interfacial layer, we have first employed this method in order to prepare Cd/CdS/n-Si/Au-Sb sandwich structure. For this reason, the CdS thin film has been directly formed on n-type Si substrate by means of SILAR method. The Cd/CdS/n-Si/Au-Sb sandwich structure has demonstrated clearly rectifying behaviour by the current-voltage (I-V) curves studied at room temperature. In order to observe the effect of the thermal annealing, this structure has been annealed at temperatures from 50 to 300 deg. C for 3 min in N 2 atmosphere. The characteristic parameters such as barrier height, ideality factor and series resistance of this structure have been calculated from the forward bias I-V characteristics as a function of annealing temperature with different methods. The values of n, Φ b and mean R s of the initial Cd/CdS/n-Si/Au-Sb sandwich structure were found to be 2.31, 0.790 eV and 1.86 kΩ respectively. After annealing at 300 deg. C, these values were changed to 1.89, 0.765 eV and 0.48 kΩ. It has been seen that the barrier height, ideality factor and series resistance have slightly changed with increasing annealing temperature up to 300 deg. C.

Burst annealing of high temperature GaAs solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Brothers, P. R.; Horne, W. E.

1991-01-01

One of the major limitations of solar cells in space power systems is their vulnerability to radiation damage. One solution to this problem is to periodically heat the cells to anneal the radiation damage. Annealing was demonstrated with silicon cells. The obstacle to annealing of GaAs cells was their susceptibility to thermal damage at the temperatures required to completely anneal the radiation damage. GaAs cells with high temperature contacts and encapsulation were developed. The cells tested are designed for concentrator use at 30 suns AMO. The circular active area is 2.5 mm in diameter for an area of 0.05 sq cm. Typical one sun AMO efficiency of these cells is over 18 percent. The cells were demonstrated to be resistant to damage after thermal excursions in excess of 600 C. This high temperature tolerance should allow these cells to survive the annealing of radiation damage. A limited set of experiments were devised to investigate the feasibility of annealing these high temperature cells. The effect of repeated cycles of electron and proton irradiation was tested. The damage mechanisms were analyzed. Limitations in annealing recovery suggested improvements in cell design for more complete recovery. These preliminary experiments also indicate the need for further study to isolate damage mechanisms. The primary objective of the experiments was to demonstrate and quantify the annealing behavior of high temperature GaAs cells. Secondary objectives were to measure the radiation degradation and to determine the effect of repeated irradiation and anneal cycles.

Burst annealing of high temperature GaAs solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brothers, P.R.; Horne, W.E.

1991-01-01

One of the major limitations of solar cells in space power systems is their vulnerability to radiation damage. One solution to this problem is to periodically heat the cells to anneal the radiation damage. Annealing was demonstrated with silicon cells. The obstacle to annealing of GaAs cells was their susceptibility to thermal damage at the temperatures required to completely anneal the radiation damage. GaAs cells with high temperature contacts and encapsulation were developed. The cells tested are designed for concentrator use at 30 suns AMO. The circular active area is 2.5 mm in diameter for an area of 0.05 sq cm. Typical one sun AMO efficiency of these cells is over 18 percent. The cells were demonstrated to be resistant to damage after thermal excursions in excess of 600 degree C. This high temperature tolerance should allow these cells to survive the annealing of radiation damage. A limited set of experiments were devised to investigate the feasibility of annealing these high temperature cells. The effect of repeated cycles of electron and proton irradiation was tested. The damage mechanisms were analyzed. Limitations in annealing recovery suggested improvements in cell design for more complete recovery. These preliminary experiments also indicate the need for further study to isolate damage mechanisms. The primary objective of the experiments was to demonstrate and quantify the annealing behavior of high temperature GaAs cells. Secondary objectives were to measure the radiation degradation and to determine the effect of repeated irradiation and anneal cycles

Formation of oxygen related donors in step-annealed CZ–silicon

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The effect of step-annealing necessitated by the difficulties being faced in the long duration annealing treatments to be given to CZ–silicon has been studied. One pre-anneal of 10 h followed by annealing of 10 h causes a decrease in the absorption coefficient for carbon (c). Oxygen and carbon both accelerate thermal ...

A note on simulated annealing to computer laboratory scheduling ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The concepts, principles and implementation of simulated Annealing as a modem heuristic technique is presented. Simulated Annealing algorithm is used in solving real life problem of Computer Laboratory scheduling in order to maximize the use of scarce and insufficient resources. KEY WORDS: Simulated Annealing ...

Structural and photoluminescence properties of ZrO2:Eu3+ SiO2 nanophosphors as a function of annealing temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parma, Alvise; Freris, Isidora; Riello, Pietro; Enrichi, Francesco; Cristofori, Davide; Benedetti, Alvise

2010-01-01

The synthesis, morphology and luminescence properties of two systems comprising luminescent Eu 3+ -doped zirconium oxide nanocrystals embedded in an amorphous silica matrix are reported. The two systems, prepared with the same overall wt% composition of silica (75%) and Eu x Zr (1-x) O (2-x/2) solid solution (25%), have been annealed in the range 135-1000 o C and subsequently functionalized with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. Detailed X-ray diffraction analyses and transmission electron micrographs, combined with infrared spectroscopy and luminescence spectroscopy data, have been used to demonstrate the influence of annealing temperature on the: (i) nanostructure, (ii) luminescence properties and (iii) availability of superficial -OH groups for efficient surface functionalization. The optimum calcination temperature was found to be 700 o C for each series in terms of luminescence lifetime efficiency and post-functionalization efficiency with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane.

Piper-betle-shaped nano-S-catalyzed synthesis of 1-amidoalkyl-2-naphthols under solvent-free reaction condition: a greener "nanoparticle-catalyzed organic synthesis enhancement" approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Vijay K; Borah, Madhurjya; Thakur, Ashim J

2013-04-05

Nano-S prepared by an annealing process showed excellent catalytic activity for the synthesis of 1-amidoalkyl-2-naphthols under solvent-free reaction condition at 50 °C. The catalyst could be reused up to the fifth cycle without loss in its action. The green-ness of the present protocol was also measured using green metrics drawing its superiority.

Synthesis and characterization of amorphous SiO{sub 2} nanowires via pulsed laser deposition accompanied by N{sub 2} annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Hui; Guan, Leilei; Xu, Zhuoqi; Zhao, Yu; Sun, Jian; Wu, Jiada; Xu, Ning, E-mail: ningxu@fudan.edu.cn

2016-12-15

Highlights: • The SiO{sub 2} nanowires were synthesized by PLD accompanied by N{sub 2} annealing. • The as-grown SiO{sub 2} nanowires were analyzed by HRTEM, SAED and EDS. • The grown SiO{sub 2} nanowire films are transparent in the range of 350–800 nm. • The SiO{sub 2} nanowire films can emit stable ultraviolet emission. - Abstract: Amorphous SiO{sub 2} nanowires are successfully fabricated on fused silica substrates covered by nickel/carbon catalyst bilayers via a method of pulsed laser deposition accompanied by annealing in ambient N{sub 2}. The field emission scanning electron microscopy images show that the optimum annealing temperature for the growth of SiO{sub 2} nanowires is about 1200 °C and the grown SiO{sub 2} nanowires become denser, longer and more uniform with the increment of annealing duration. The results of transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy show that the grown nanowires are amorphous and have dark spheres on their tops. The analyses of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveal that the nanowires are composed of SiO{sub 2} and the dark spheres on their tops contain little nickel. It is inferred that nickel, carbon and CO are the key elements to promote the SiO{sub 2} nanowire growth in the solid-liquid-solid mode. Transmission spectra demonstrate that the as-grown nanowire thin films can have about 94% average transmittance in the range of 350–800 nm, meanwhile the photoluminescence spectra of the as-grown SiO{sub 2} nanowire samples show stable ultraviolet emission centered at about 363 nm with a shoulder at about 393 nm.

High-temperature annealing of graphite: A molecular dynamics study

Science.gov (United States)

Petersen, Andrew; Gillette, Victor

2018-05-01

A modified AIREBO potential was developed to simulate the effects of thermal annealing on the structure and physical properties of damaged graphite. AIREBO parameter modifications were made to reproduce Density Functional Theory interstitial results. These changes to the potential resulted in high-temperature annealing of the model, as measured by stored-energy reduction. These results show some resemblance to experimental high-temperature annealing results, and show promise that annealing effects in graphite are accessible with molecular dynamics and reactive potentials.

Growth and characterization of air annealing Tb-doped YAG:Ce single crystal for white-light-emitting diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gong, Maogao; Xiang, Weidong; Liang, Xiaojuan; Zhong, Jiasong; Chen, Daqin; Huang, Jun; Gu, Guorui; Yang, Cheng; Xiang, Run

2015-01-01

Highlights: • We report preparation of transparent Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal by Czochralski method. • The effect of annealing on Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal had been investigated. • The Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal after annealing exhibited better optical performance. • The Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal could be used as an ideal candidate for WLED. - Abstract: We report the preparation of transparent Ce and Tb co-doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystal by the Czochralski method. The characterization of the resulting single crystal was accomplished by using X-ray powder diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Absorption peak of the single crystal at about 460 nm has been obtained from ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrometer and their intensity is changed with different annealing condition. Its optical properties also have been investigated using fluorescence spectrometer. What’s more, its photoelectric parameters were studied by LED fast spectrometer. The constructed single crystal based white-light-emitting diode exhibits a high luminous efficiency of 140.89 lm/W, and a correlated color temperature of 4176 K as well as a color rendering index of 56.7, which reveal the prominent feasibility of the present single crystal material in white-light-emitting diode application

Growth and characterization of air annealing Tb-doped YAG:Ce single crystal for white-light-emitting diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong, Maogao [College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035 (China); Xiang, Weidong, E-mail: xiangweidong001@126.com [College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035 (China); Liang, Xiaojuan [College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035 (China); Zhong, Jiasong; Chen, Daqin [College of Materials & Environmental Engineering, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018 (China); Huang, Jun; Gu, Guorui; Yang, Cheng; Xiang, Run [College of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035 (China)

2015-08-05

Highlights: • We report preparation of transparent Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal by Czochralski method. • The effect of annealing on Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal had been investigated. • The Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal after annealing exhibited better optical performance. • The Ce,Tb:YAG single crystal could be used as an ideal candidate for WLED. - Abstract: We report the preparation of transparent Ce and Tb co-doped Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} single crystal by the Czochralski method. The characterization of the resulting single crystal was accomplished by using X-ray powder diffractometer, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Absorption peak of the single crystal at about 460 nm has been obtained from ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrometer and their intensity is changed with different annealing condition. Its optical properties also have been investigated using fluorescence spectrometer. What’s more, its photoelectric parameters were studied by LED fast spectrometer. The constructed single crystal based white-light-emitting diode exhibits a high luminous efficiency of 140.89 lm/W, and a correlated color temperature of 4176 K as well as a color rendering index of 56.7, which reveal the prominent feasibility of the present single crystal material in white-light-emitting diode application.

Fasting in king penguin. II. Hormonal and metabolic changes during molt.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherel, Y; Leloup, J; Le Maho, Y

1988-02-01

The coincidence of fast and molt in penguins is an interesting condition for investigating the factors controlling protein metabolism; avian molt involves the utilization of amino acids for synthesis of new feathers, whereas a major factor for adaptation to fasting in birds, as for mammals, is reduction in net protein breakdown. Hormonal and biochemical changes were studied in seven molting king penguins. Their initial body mass was 18 kg. It decreased by 58% over 41 days of fasting. Feather synthesis lasted for the first 3 wk of the fast. It was marked by plasma concentrations of alanine and uric acid 1.5 to 2 times those for nonmolting fast, and plasma thyroxine was increased five times. At the completion of molt all these values returned to levels comparable to those in nonmolting fast. As indicated by high plasma levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate, lipid stores were mobilized readily during molting. The fast ended by a phase of enhancement in protein utilization that was characterized by a fivefold increase in uricacidemia and coincided with an 80% drop in plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate and a fourfold increase in plasma corticosterone. These data suggest that two different hormones control the two successive periods marked by an increased protein mobilization during the molting fast, i.e., thyroxine during feather growth and corticosterone toward the end of the fast, when the molt is completed.

Interpretation of microstructure evolution during self-annealing and thermal annealing of nanocrystalline electrodeposits-A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pantleon, Karen; Somers, Marcel A.J.

2010-01-01

Electrodeposition results in a non-equilibrium state of the as-deposited nanocrystalline microstructure, which evolves towards an energetically more favorable state as a function of time and/or temperature upon deposition. Real-time investigation of the evolving microstructure in copper, silver and nickel electrodeposits was achieved by time-resolved X-ray diffraction line profile analysis and crystallographic texture analysis during room temperature storage and during isothermal annealing at elevated temperatures. These in-situ studies with unique time resolution allowed quantification of the self-annealing kinetics of copper and silver electrodeposits as well as the annealing kinetics of electrodeposited nickel. Similarities and characteristic differences of the kinetics and mechanisms of microstructure evolution in the various electrodeposits are discussed and the experimental results are attempted to be interpreted in terms of recovery, recrystallization and grain growth.

Optimization using quantum mechanics: quantum annealing through adiabatic evolution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santoro, Giuseppe E; Tosatti, Erio

2006-01-01

We review here some recent work in the field of quantum annealing, alias adiabatic quantum computation. The idea of quantum annealing is to perform optimization by a quantum adiabatic evolution which tracks the ground state of a suitable time-dependent Hamiltonian, where 'ℎ' is slowly switched off. We illustrate several applications of quantum annealing strategies, starting from textbook toy-models-double-well potentials and other one-dimensional examples, with and without disorder. These examples display in a clear way the crucial differences between classical and quantum annealing. We then discuss applications of quantum annealing to challenging hard optimization problems, such as the random Ising model, the travelling salesman problem and Boolean satisfiability problems. The techniques used to implement quantum annealing are either deterministic Schroedinger's evolutions, for the toy models, or path-integral Monte Carlo and Green's function Monte Carlo approaches, for the hard optimization problems. The crucial role played by disorder and the associated non-trivial Landau-Zener tunnelling phenomena is discussed and emphasized. (topical review)

High pressure annealing of Europium implanted GaN

KAUST Repository

Lorenz, K.; Miranda, S. M. C.; Alves, E.; Roqan, Iman S.; O'Donnell, K. P.; Bokowski, M.

2012-01-01

GaN epilayers were implanted with Eu to fluences of 1×10^13 Eu/cm2 and 1×10^15 Eu/cm2. Post-implant thermal annealing was performed in ultra-high nitrogen pressures at temperatures up to 1450 ºC. For the lower fluence effective structural recovery of the crystal was observed for annealing at 1000 ºC while optical activation could be further improved at higher annealing temperatures. The higher fluence samples also reveal good optical activation; however, some residual implantation damage remains even for annealing at 1450 ºC which leads to a reduced incorporation of Eu on substitutional sites, a broadening of the Eu luminescence lines and to a strongly reduced fraction of optically active Eu ions. Possibilities for further optimization of implantation and annealing conditions are discussed.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

High pressure annealing of Europium implanted GaN

KAUST Repository

Lorenz, K.

2012-02-09

GaN epilayers were implanted with Eu to fluences of 1×10^13 Eu/cm2 and 1×10^15 Eu/cm2. Post-implant thermal annealing was performed in ultra-high nitrogen pressures at temperatures up to 1450 ºC. For the lower fluence effective structural recovery of the crystal was observed for annealing at 1000 ºC while optical activation could be further improved at higher annealing temperatures. The higher fluence samples also reveal good optical activation; however, some residual implantation damage remains even for annealing at 1450 ºC which leads to a reduced incorporation of Eu on substitutional sites, a broadening of the Eu luminescence lines and to a strongly reduced fraction of optically active Eu ions. Possibilities for further optimization of implantation and annealing conditions are discussed.© (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Rapid hardening induced by electric pulse annealing in nanostructured pure aluminum

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zeng, Wei; Shen, Yao; Zhang, Ning

2012-01-01

Nanostructured pure aluminum was fabricated by heavy cold-rolling and then subjected to recovery annealing either by applying electric pulse annealing or by traditional air furnace annealing. Both annealing treatments resulted in an increase in yield strength due to the occurrence of a “dislocation...... source-limited hardening” mechanism. However, the hardening kinetics was substantially faster for the electric pulse annealed material. Detailed microstructural characterization suggested that the rapid hardening during electric pulse annealing is related to an enhanced rate of recovery of dislocation...

Differences between glycogen biogenesis in fast- and slow-twitch rabbit muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cussó, R; Lerner, L R; Cadefau, J

2003-01-01

Skeletal muscle glycogen is an essential energy substrate for muscular activity. The biochemical properties of the enzymes involved in de novo synthesis of glycogen were analysed in two types of rabbit skeletal muscle fiber (fast- and slow-twitch). Glycogen concentration was higher in fast...

Defect induced ferromagnetism in MgO and its exceptional enhancement upon thermal annealing: a case of transformation of various defect states.

Science.gov (United States)

Pathak, Nimai; Gupta, Santosh Kumar; Prajapat, C L; Sharma, S K; Ghosh, P S; Kanrar, Buddhadev; Pujari, P K; Kadam, R M

2017-05-17

MgO particles of few micron size are synthesized through a sol-gel method at different annealing temperatures such as 600 °C (MgO-600), 800 °C (MgO-800) and 1000 °C (MgO-1000). EDX and ICP-AES studies confirmed a near total purity of the sample with respect to paramagnetic metal ion impurities. Magnetic measurements showed a low temperature weak ferromagnetic ordering with a T C (Curie temperature) around 65 K (±5 K). Unexpectedly, the saturation magnetization (M s ) was found to be increased with increasing annealing temperature during synthesis. It was observed that with J = 1 or 3/2 or S = 1 or 3/2, the experimental points are fitted well with the Brillouin function of weak ferromagnetic ordering. A positron annihilation lifetime measurement study indicated the presence of a divacancy (2V Mg + 2V O ) cluster in the case of the low temperature annealed compound, which underwent dissociations into isolated monovacancies of Mg and O at higher annealing temperatures. An EPR study showed that both singly charged Mg vacancies and oxygen vacancies are responsible for ferromagnetic ordering. It also showed that at lower annealing temperatures the contribution from was very low while at higher annealing temperatures, it increased significantly. A PL study showed that most of the F + centers were present in their dimer form, i.e. as centers. DFT calculation implied that this dimer form has a higher magnetic moment than the monomer. After a careful consideration of all these observations, which have been reported for the first time, this thermally tunable unusual magnetism phenomenon was attributed to a transformation mechanism of one kind of cluster vacancy to another.

Parameter discovery in stochastic biological models using simulated annealing and statistical model checking.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Faraz; Jha, Sumit K; Jha, Susmit; Langmead, Christopher J

2014-01-01

Stochastic models are increasingly used to study the behaviour of biochemical systems. While the structure of such models is often readily available from first principles, unknown quantitative features of the model are incorporated into the model as parameters. Algorithmic discovery of parameter values from experimentally observed facts remains a challenge for the computational systems biology community. We present a new parameter discovery algorithm that uses simulated annealing, sequential hypothesis testing, and statistical model checking to learn the parameters in a stochastic model. We apply our technique to a model of glucose and insulin metabolism used for in-silico validation of artificial pancreata and demonstrate its effectiveness by developing parallel CUDA-based implementation for parameter synthesis in this model.

The effect of annealing atmosphere on the thermoluminescence of synthetic calcite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pagonis, Vasilis

1998-01-01

Samples of high purity calcite powder were annealed in air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide atmospheres in the temperature range 300-700 deg. C and in atmospheric pressure. The samples were subsequently irradiated and the effect of the annealing atmosphere and temperature on the thermoluminescence (TL) of the samples was studied. Our results show that both carbonate and oxygen ions play an important part in the TL of calcite annealed in this temperature range. The intensities of the TL signal in the nitrogen and carbon dioxide anneals rise continuously with the annealing temperature. For all annealing temperatures it was found that the carbon dioxide atmosphere caused an increase in the observed TL signal as compared with anneals in an inert nitrogen atmosphere, while the shape of the TL glow curves remained the same. This increase in the observed TL signal is explained via the surface adsorption of carbonate ions. The shape and location of the TL peaks suggest that samples annealed in air exhibit a different type of TL center than samples annealed in nitrogen and carbon dioxide atmospheres. A possible mechanism for the role of oxygen ions involves a surface adsorption process and a subsequent diffusion of oxygen ions in the bulk of the crystal. Annealing of the samples in air at temperatures T>600 deg. C causes a collapse of the TL signal, in agreement with previous studies of calcite powders. No such collapse of the TL signal is observed for the nitrogen and carbon dioxide anneals, suggesting that a different type of TL center and/or recombination center is involved in air anneals. Arrhenius plots for the air anneals yield an activation energy E=0.45±0.05 eV, while the carbon dioxide and nitrogen anneals yield a lower activation energy E=0.28±0.04 eV

Rapid and accurate synthesis of TALE genes from synthetic oligonucleotides.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Fenghua; Zhang, Hefei; Gao, Jingxia; Chen, Fengjiao; Chen, Sijie; Zhang, Cuizhen; Peng, Gang

2016-01-01

Custom synthesis of transcription activator-like effector (TALE) genes has relied upon plasmid libraries of pre-fabricated TALE-repeat monomers or oligomers. Here we describe a novel synthesis method that directly incorporates annealed synthetic oligonucleotides into the TALE-repeat units. Our approach utilizes iterative sets of oligonucleotides and a translational frame check strategy to ensure the high efficiency and accuracy of TALE-gene synthesis. TALE arrays of more than 20 repeats can be constructed, and the majority of the synthesized constructs have perfect sequences. In addition, this novel oligonucleotide-based method can readily accommodate design changes to the TALE repeats. We demonstrated an increased gene targeting efficiency against a genomic site containing a potentially methylated cytosine by incorporating non-conventional repeat variable di-residue (RVD) sequences.

Thermal annealing studies in muscovite and in quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.H.; Gold, R.; Ruddy, F.H.

1979-06-01

In order to use Solid State Track Recorders (SSTR) in environments at elevated temperatures, it is necessary to know the thermal annealing characteristics of various types of SSTR. For applications in the nuclear energy program, the principal interest is focused upon the annealing of fission tracks in muscovite mica and in quartz. Data showing correlations between changes in track diameters and track densities as a function of annealing time and temperature will be presented for Amersil quartz glass. Similar data showing changes in track lengths and in track densities will be presented for mica. Time-temperature regions will be defined where muscovite mica can be accurately applied with negligible correction for thermal annealing

Annealing effect on the structural and optical properties of Cr/α-Cr2O3 monodispersed particles based solar absorbers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khamlich, S.; McCrindle, R.; Nuru, Z.Y.; Cingo, N.; Maaza, M.

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: A cost-effective and environmentally friendly green chemical method, the so-called aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method, was used to deposit chromium/alpha-chromium(III) oxide, Cr/α-Cr 2 O 3 , monodispersed particles, for solar absorbers applications. Highlights: ► Cr/α-Cr 2 O 3 have been deposited by the aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method. ► High temperature annealing affects the optical selectivity of the deposited particles. ► Oxygen diffusion to the interface at high temperature results in the oxidization of the substrate. - Abstract: A cost-effective and environmentally friendly green chemical method, the so-called aqueous chemical growth (ACG) method, was used to deposit chromium/alpha-chromium(III) oxide, Cr/α-Cr 2 O 3 , monodispersed particles, for solar absorbers applications. The deposited particles were annealed at various temperatures in a hydrogen atmosphere for 2 h to study the annealing temperature dependence of the structural, chemical and optical properties of the particles grown on tantalum substrates. The deposited Cr/α-Cr 2 O 3 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), attenuated total reflection (ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and diffuse reflectance UV–vis–NIR spectroscopy. The XRD and ATR analysis indicated that by increasing annealing temperature, the particles crystallinity was improved and Ta 2 O 5 was formed around 600 °C, due to the fast oxygen diffusion from the deposited α-Cr 2 O 3 toward the tantalum substrate. The optical measurements show that samples annealed at 400 and 500 °C exhibit the targeted high absorbing optical characteristics of “Black chrome”, while those annealed below 400 °C and above 500 °C show a significant low absorptivity and high emissivity.

Annealing behavior of high permeability amorphous alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabenberg, L.

1980-06-01

Effects of low temperature annealing on the magnetic properties of the amorphous alloy Co 71 4 Fe 4 6 Si 9 6 B 14 4 were investigated. Annealing this alloy below 400 0 C results in magnetic hardening; annealing above 400 0 C but below the crystallization temperature results in magnetic softening. Above the crystallization temperature the alloy hardens drastically and irreversibly. Conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to show that the magnetic property changes at low temperatures occur while the alloy is truly amorphous. By imaging the magnetic microstructures, Lorentz electron microscopy has been able to detect the presence of microscopic inhomogeneities in this alloy. The low temperature annealing behavior of this alloy has been explained in terms of atomic pair ordering in the presence of the internal molecular field. Lorentz electron microscopy has been used to confirm this explanation

Peculiarities of radiation defect formation and annealing in n-Si due to their interaction with each other and defect clusters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lugakov, P.F.; Lukyanitsa, V.V.

1984-01-01

Rearrangement processes proceeding during annealing (T/sub a/ = 50 to 500 0 C) of radiation defects in 60 Co γ-irradiated (T/sub irr/ 0 C) n-Si crystals (rho = 100 to 600 Ωcm) grown by the vacuum float-zone technique are studied. The temperature dependences of the Hall coefficient are measured. The results obtained are interpreted taking into account the interaction during annealing of vacancy-type defects (E-centres, divacancies) with each other and interstitial radiation defects (C/sub i/-C/sub s/ complexes, interstitial carbon C/sub i/). Phosphorus-two vacancies complexes, stable to T/sub a/ >= 500 0 C, are shown to be formed as a result of rearrangements and interaction of E-centres between themselves. The character of interaction of vacancy defects with interstitial ones is found to change significantly in the presence of defect clusters in the bulk of the crystal which are formed under heat treatment (T = 800 0 C, two hours) of the samples preliminary irradiated with fast neutrons (flux PHI/sub n/ = 1x10 14 to 1x10 16 cm -2 ). The peculiarities of radiation defects annealing observed in this case are explained taking into account the influence of defect clusters on the migration processes of mobile defects. Nature of radiation defects being formed at various stages of annealing is discussed. (author)

Increased renal sodium absorption by inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis during fasting in healthy man. A possible role of the epithelial sodium channels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graffe Carolina C

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Treatment with prostaglandin inhibitors can reduce renal function and impair renal water and sodium excretion. We tested the hypotheses that a reduction in prostaglandin synthesis by ibuprofen treatment during fasting decreased renal water and sodium excretion by increased absorption of water and sodium via the aquaporin2 water channels and the epithelial sodium channels. Methods The effect of ibuprofen, 600 mg thrice daily, was measured during fasting in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded crossover study of 17 healthy humans. The subjects received a standardized diet on day 1, fasted at day 2, and received an IV infusion of 3% NaCl on day 3. The effect variables were urinary excretions of aquaporin2 (u-AQP2, the beta-fraction of the epithelial sodium channel (u-ENaCbeta, cyclic-AMP (u-cAMP, prostaglandin E2 (u-PGE2. Free water clearance (CH2O, fractional excretion of sodium (FENa, and plasma concentrations of vasopressin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, atrial-, and brain natriuretic peptide. Results Ibuprofen decreased u-AQP2, u-PGE2, and FENa at all parts of the study. During the same time, ibuprofen significantly increased u-ENaCbeta. Ibuprofen did not change the response in p-AVP, u-c-AMP, urinary output, and free water clearance during any of these periods. Atrial-and brain natriuretic peptide were higher. Conclusion During inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis, urinary sodium excretion decreased in parallel with an increase in sodium absorption and increase in u-ENaCbeta. U-AQP2 decreased indicating that water transport via AQP2 fell. The vasopressin-c-AMP-axis did not mediate this effect, but it may be a consequence of the changes in the natriuretic peptide system and/or the angiotensin-aldosterone system Trial Registration Clinical Trials Identifier: NCT00281762

Swelling of rat hepatocytes stimulates glycogen synthesis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baquet, A.; Hue, L.; Meijer, A. J.; van Woerkom, G. M.; Plomp, P. J.

1990-01-01

In hepatocytes from fasted rats, several amino acids are known to stimulate glycogen synthesis via activation of glycogen synthase. The hypothesis that an increase in cell volume resulting from amino acid uptake may be involved in the stimulation of glycogen synthesis is supported by the following

Dosimetric characteristics of muscovite mineral studied under different annealing conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalita, J M; Wary, G

2015-01-01

The annealing effect on the thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of x-ray irradiated muscovite mineral relevant to dosimetry has been studied. For un-annealed and 473 K annealed samples an isolated TL peak has been observed at around 347 K; however, annealing at 573, 673 and 773 K two composite peaks have been recorded at around 347 and 408 K. Kinetic analysis reveals that there is a trap level at a depth of 0.71 eV, and due to annealing at 573 K (or above), a new trap level generates at 1.23 eV. The dosimetric characteristics, such as dose response, fading and reproducibility, have been studied in detail for all types of samples. The highest linear dose response has been observed from 10 to 2000 mGy in the 773 K annealed sample. Due to generation of the deep trap level, fading is found to reduce significantly just after annealing above 573 K. Reproducibility analysis shows that after 10 cycles of reuse the coefficient of variations in the results for 60, 180 and 1000 mGy dose irradiated 773 K annealed samples are found to be 1.78%, 1.37% and 1.58%, respectively. These analyses demand that after proper annealing muscovite shows important dosimetric features that are essentially required for a thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD). (paper)

Grain engineering by ultrasonic substrate vibration post-treatment of wet perovskite films for annealing-free, high performance, and stable perovskite solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiong, Hao; Zabihi, Fatemeh; Wang, Hongzhi; Zhang, Qinghong; Eslamian, Morteza

2018-05-10

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have gained great interest, owing to a fast increase in their power conversion efficiency (PCE), within a few years. However, their wide application and scale-up are hampered due to multiple obstacles, such as chemical instability, which leads to a short lifetime, and their complicated reaction and crystallization, which requires thermal annealing. Here, we address these issues using the ultrasonic substrate vibration post treatment (SVPT) applied on the as-spun perovskite wet films, so as to achieve a uniform, microscale and stable mixed-halide and mixed-cation perovskite layer, (FAPbI3)0.85(MAPbBr3)0.15, without the need for a conventional thermal annealing step. This is achieved by the creation of fluid micromixing and in situ annealing within the solution, caused by the ultrasonic excitation of the wet film. The optoelectronic properties of the perovskite films subjected to the SVPT, including photoemission, carrier lifetime and band gap, are remarkably improved compared to the conventionally annealed films. When incorporated into a planar PSC, a maximum PCE of 18.55% was achieved, compared to 15.17% for the control device, with high reproducibility and no hysteresis, and the device retained 80% of its initial PCE, over a period of 20 days of storage under ambient conditions.

Modeling of irradiation embrittlement and annealing/recovery in pressure vessel steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lott, R.G.; Freyer, P.D.

1996-01-01

The results of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) annealing studies are interpreted in light of the current understanding of radiation embrittlement phenomena in RPV steels. An extensive RPV irradiation embrittlement and annealing database has been compiled and the data reveal that the majority of annealing studies completed to date have employed test reactor irradiated weldments. Although test reactor and power reactor irradiations result in similar embrittlement trends, subtle differences between these two damage states can become important in the interpretation of annealing results. Microstructural studies of irradiated steels suggest that there are several different irradiation-induced microstructural features that contribute to embrittlement. The amount of annealing recovery and the post-anneal re-embrittlement behavior of a steel are determined by the annealing response of these microstructural defects. The active embrittlement mechanisms are determined largely by the irradiation temperature and the material composition. Interpretation and thorough understanding of annealing results require a model that considers the underlying physical mechanisms of embrittlement. This paper presents a framework for the construction of a physically based mechanistic model of irradiation embrittlement and annealing behavior

Preparation and Thermal Characterization of Annealed Gold Coated Porous Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Afarin Bahrami

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Porous silicon (PSi layers were formed on a p-type Si wafer. Six samples were anodised electrically with a 30 mA/cm2 fixed current density for different etching times. The samples were coated with a 50–60 nm gold layer and annealed at different temperatures under Ar flow. The morphology of the layers, before and after annealing, formed by this method was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS measurements were carried out to measure the thermal diffusivity (TD of the PSi and Au/PSi samples. For the Au/PSi samples, the thermal diffusivity was measured before and after annealing to study the effect of annealing. Also to study the aging effect, a comparison was made between freshly annealed samples and samples 30 days after annealing.

Thermal annealing of an embrittled reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mager, T.R.; Dragunov, Y.G.; Leitz, C.

1998-01-01

As a result of the popularity of the Agencies report 'Neutron Irradiation Embrittlement of Reactor Pressure Vessel Steels' of 1975, it was decided that another report on this broad subject would be of use. In this report, background and contemporary views on specially identified areas of the subject are considered as self-contained chapters, written by experts. Chapter 11 deals with thermal annealing of an embrittled reactor pressure vessel. Anneal procedures for vessels from both the US and the former USSR are mentioned schematically, wet anneals at lower temperature and dry anneals above RPV design temperatures are investigated. It is shown that heat treatment is a means of recovering mechanical properties which were degraded by neutron radiation exposure, thus assuring reactor pressure vessel compliance with regulatory requirements

Solvent vapor annealing of an insoluble molecular semiconductor

KAUST Repository

Amassian, Aram

2010-01-01

Solvent vapor annealing has been proposed as a low-cost, highly versatile, and room-temperature alternative to thermal annealing of organic semiconductors and devices. In this article, we investigate the solvent vapor annealing process of a model insoluble molecular semiconductor thin film - pentacene on SiO 2 exposed to acetone vapor - using a combination of optical reflectance and two-dimensional grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements performed in situ, during processing. These measurements provide valuable and new insight into the solvent vapor annealing process; they demonstrate that solvent molecules interact mainly with the surface of the film to induce a solid-solid transition without noticeable swelling, dissolving or melting of the molecular material. © 2010 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Annealing-induced Fe oxide nanostructures on GaAs

OpenAIRE

Lu, Y X; Ahmad, E; Xu, Y B; Thompson, S M

2005-01-01

We report the evolution of Fe oxide nanostructures on GaAs(100) upon pre- and post-growth annealing conditions. GaAs nanoscale pyramids were formed on the GaAs surface due to wet etching and thermal annealing. An 8.0-nm epitaxial Fe film was grown, oxidized, and annealed using a gradient temperature method. During the process the nanostripes were formed, and the evolution has been demonstrated using transmission and reflection high energy electron diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy...

Hydrogen Annealing Of Single-Crystal Superalloys

Science.gov (United States)

Smialek, James L.; Schaeffer, John C.; Murphy, Wendy

1995-01-01

Annealing at temperature equal to or greater than 2,200 degrees F in atmosphere of hydrogen found to increase ability of single-crystal superalloys to resist oxidation when subsequently exposed to oxidizing atmospheres at temperatures almost as high. Supperalloys in question are principal constituents of hot-stage airfoils (blades) in aircraft and ground-based turbine engines; also used in other high-temperature applications like chemical-processing plants, coal-gasification plants, petrochemical refineries, and boilers. Hydrogen anneal provides resistance to oxidation without decreasing fatigue strength and without need for coating or reactive sulfur-gettering constituents. In comparison with coating, hydrogen annealing costs less. Benefits extend to stainless steels, nickel/chromium, and nickel-base alloys, subject to same scale-adhesion and oxidation-resistance considerations, except that scale is chromia instead of alumina.

MgO magnetic tunnel junctions of enduring F-type upon annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleicher, F; Halisdemir, U; Urbain, E; Gallart, M; Boukari, S; Beaurepaire, E; Gilliot, P; Bowen, M; Lacour, D; Montaigne, F; Hehn, M

2015-01-01

The authors performed magnetotransport experiments to determine whether annealing alters the oxygen vacancy-mediated tunnelling potential landscape of the central portion of a MgO ultrathin film within sputtered CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junctions. Using the Î rel method reveals a temperature-dependent tunnelling barrier height for a non-annealed barrier that arises from single oxygen vacancies (F centres) and is qualitatively identical to that found for its partly and fully annealed counterparts. Thus these MTJs with F centres remain of F-type upon annealing. This explicitly confirms that the large tunnel-magnetoresistance (TMR) increase upon annealing results mainly from structural modifications of MgO and CoFeB and not from vacancy pairing within the barrier. Photoluminescence spectra performed on both annealed and non-annealed thin MgO films grown on CoFeB electrodes support this conclusion. This work should promote renewed scrutiny over the precise impact of annealing on tunnelling magnetotransport across MgO. (paper)

Vessel annealing. Will it become a routine procedure?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, M.

1995-01-01

The effect of neutron radiation on the reactor pressure vessel and the influence of annealing performed to eliminate this effect are explained. Some practical examples are given. A simple heat treatment at 450 degC for 168 h is sufficient to eliminate a major fraction of the radiation effect in the displacement of the transition temperature from the brittle state to the tough state. Some observations indicate that at this temperature, excessive energy recovery takes place at the upper toughness limit in the Charpy diagram. The annealing furnace manufactured by the SKODA company is described. The furnace consists of heating elements in 13 zones and 5 heating sections. The maximum power of each element is 75 kW, the total power of the furnace is 975 kW. The annealing procedure and its results are briefly outlined for the reactor pressure vessel at unit 2 of the Jaslovske Bohunice NPP. Reactor pressure vessel annealing is proposed for the Marble Hill NPP which has been shut down. Preparatory activities for annealing are also under way at the Loviisa NPP. (J.B.)

MoO3 Thickness, Thermal Annealing and Solvent Annealing Effects on Inverted and Direct Polymer Photovoltaic Solar Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guillaume Wantz

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Several parameters of the fabrication process of inverted polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells based on titanium oxide as an electron selective layer and molybdenum oxide as a hole selective layer were tested in order to achieve efficient organic photovoltaic solar cells. Thermal annealing treatment is a common process to achieve optimum morphology, but it proved to be damageable for the performance of this kind of inverted solar cells. We demonstrate using Auger analysis combined with argon etching that diffusion of species occurs from the MoO3/Ag top layers into the active layer upon thermal annealing. In order to achieve efficient devices, the morphology of the bulk heterojunction was then manipulated using the solvent annealing technique as an alternative to thermal annealing. The influence of the MoO3 thickness was studied on inverted, as well as direct, structure. It appeared that only 1 nm-thick MoO3 is enough to exhibit highly efficient devices (PCE = 3.8% and that increasing the thickness up to 15 nm does not change the device performance. 

Ultra-low-energy ion-beam synthesis of nanometer-separated Si nanoparticles and Ag nanocrystals 2D layers

Science.gov (United States)

Carrada, M.; Haj Salem, A.; Pecassou, B.; Paillard, V.; Ben Assayag, G.

2018-03-01

2D networks of Si and Ag nanocrystals have been fabricated in the same SiO2 matrix by Ultra-Low-Energy Ion-Beam-Synthesis. Our synthesis scheme differs from a simple sequential ion implantation and its key point is the control of the matrix integrity through an appropriate intermediate thermal annealing. Si nanocrystal layer is synthesised first due to high thermal budget required for nucleation, while the second Ag nanocrystal plane is formed during a subsequent implantation due to the high diffusivity of Ag in silica. The aim of this work is to show how it is possible to overcome the limitation related to ion mixing and implantation damage to obtain double layers of Si-NCs and Ag-NCs with controlled characteristics. For this, we take advantage of annealing under slight oxidizing ambient to control the oxidation of Si-NCs and the Si excess in the matrix. The nanocrystal characteristics and in particular their position and size can be adjusted thanks to a compromise between the implantation energy, the implanted dose for both Si and Ag ions and the intermediate annealing conditions (atmosphere, temperature and duration).

Synthesis of dilute magnetic semiconductors by ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Braunstein, G.H.; Dresselhaus, G.; Withrow, S.P.

1986-01-01

We have synthesized layers of CdMnTe by implantation of Mn into CdTe. Samples of CdTe have been implanted with Mn ions of 60 keV energy to fluences in the range 1 x 10 13 cm -2 to 2 x 10 16 cm -2 resulting in local concentrations of up to 10% at the maximum of the Mn distribution. Rutherford backscattering-channeling analysis has been used to study the radiation damage after implantation and after subsequent rapid thermal annealing (RTA). These experiments reveal that RTA for 15 sec at a temperature T greater than or equal to 700 0 C results in the complete recovery of the lattice order, without affecting the stoichiometry of CdTe. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements of a sample showing complete annealing reveal an increase in the band gap corresponding to the synthesis of very dilute (x approx. = 0.004) Cd/sub 1-x/Mn/sub x/Te. A shift of the excitonic PL peak to lower energies is observed when a magnetic field H less than or equal to 1T is applied. These measurements provide clear evidence for the synthesis of a DMS by ion implantation of Mn into CdTe

Study on thermal annealing of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, G.; Bolotnikov, A.E.; Fochuk, P.M.; Camarda, G.S.; Cui, Y.; Hossain, A.; Kim, K.; Horace, J.; McCall, B.; Gul, R.; Xu, L.; Kopach, O.V.; James, R.B.

2010-01-01

Cadmium Zinc Telluride (CZT) has attracted increasing interest with its promising potential as a room-temperature nuclear-radiation-detector material. However, different defects in CZT crystals, especially Te inclusions and dislocations, can degrade the performance of CZT detectors. Post-growth annealing is a good approach potentially to eliminate the deleterious influence of these defects. At Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), we built up different facilities for investigating post-growth annealing of CZT. Here, we report our latest experimental results. Cd-vapor annealing reduces the density of Te inclusions, while large temperature gradient promotes the migration of small-size Te inclusions. Simultaneously, the annealing lowers the density of dislocations. However, only-Cd-vapor annealing decreases the resistivity, possibly reflecting the introduction of extra Cd in the lattice. Subsequent Te-vapor annealing is needed to ensure the recovery of the resistivity after removing the Te inclusions.

Irradiation embrittlement and optimisation of annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This conference is composed of 30 papers grouped in 6 sessions related to the following themes: neutron irradiation effects in pressure vessel steels and weldments used in PWR, WWER and BWR nuclear plants; results from surveillance programmes (irradiation induced damage and annealing processes); studies on the influence of variations in irradiation conditions and mechanisms, and modelling; mitigation of irradiation effects, especially through thermal annealing; mechanical test procedures and specimen size effects

Irradiation embrittlement and optimisation of annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-12-31

This conference is composed of 30 papers grouped in 6 sessions related to the following themes: neutron irradiation effects in pressure vessel steels and weldments used in PWR, WWER and BWR nuclear plants; results from surveillance programmes (irradiation induced damage and annealing processes); studies on the influence of variations in irradiation conditions and mechanisms, and modelling; mitigation of irradiation effects, especially through thermal annealing; mechanical test procedures and specimen size effects.

A general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures using plasma electrolytic oxidation method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Yanan; Liu, Baodan, E-mail: baodanliu@imr.ac.cn; Zhai, Zhaofeng; Liu, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Bing; Liu, Lusheng; Jiang, Xin, E-mail: xjiang@imr.ac.cn

2015-11-30

Graphical abstract: A general strategy for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructure has been developed based on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology (up). Using this method, ZnWO{sub 4} and NiWO{sub 4} nanostructures with controllable morphologies and superior crystallinity can be easily obtained (down), showing obvious advantage in comparison with conventional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. - Highlights: • Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) method has been used for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructures. • ZnWO{sub 4} nanoplates have strong mechanical adhesion with porous TiO{sub 2} film substrate. • The morphology and dimensional size of ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures can be selectively tailored by controlling the annealing temperature and growth time. • The PEO method can be widely applied to the growth of various metal oxides. - Abstract: A new method based on conventional plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology has been developed for the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures. Using this method, ZnWO{sub 4} and NiWO{sub 4} nanostructures with controllable morphologies (nanorods, nanosheets and microsheets) and superior crystallinity have been synthesized. It has been found that the morphology diversity of ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures can be selectively tailored through tuning the electrolyte concentration and annealing temperatures, showing obvious advantages in comparison to traditional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. Precise microscopy analyses on the cross section of the PEO coating and ZnWO{sub 4} nanostructures confirmed that the precursors initially precipitated in the PEO coating and its surface during plasma discharge process are responsible for the nucleation and subsequent growth of metal tungstate nanostructures by thermal annealing. The method developed in this work represents a general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures and the formation mechanism of

A general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures using plasma electrolytic oxidation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Yanan; Liu, Baodan; Zhai, Zhaofeng; Liu, Xiaoyuan; Yang, Bing; Liu, Lusheng; Jiang, Xin

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: A general strategy for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructure has been developed based on plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology (up). Using this method, ZnWO 4 and NiWO 4 nanostructures with controllable morphologies and superior crystallinity can be easily obtained (down), showing obvious advantage in comparison with conventional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. - Highlights: • Plasma electrolyte oxidation (PEO) method has been used for the rational synthesis of tungstate nanostructures. • ZnWO 4 nanoplates have strong mechanical adhesion with porous TiO 2 film substrate. • The morphology and dimensional size of ZnWO 4 nanostructures can be selectively tailored by controlling the annealing temperature and growth time. • The PEO method can be widely applied to the growth of various metal oxides. - Abstract: A new method based on conventional plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology has been developed for the rational synthesis of metal tungstate nanostructures. Using this method, ZnWO 4 and NiWO 4 nanostructures with controllable morphologies (nanorods, nanosheets and microsheets) and superior crystallinity have been synthesized. It has been found that the morphology diversity of ZnWO 4 nanostructures can be selectively tailored through tuning the electrolyte concentration and annealing temperatures, showing obvious advantages in comparison to traditional hydrothermal and sol–gel methods. Precise microscopy analyses on the cross section of the PEO coating and ZnWO 4 nanostructures confirmed that the precursors initially precipitated in the PEO coating and its surface during plasma discharge process are responsible for the nucleation and subsequent growth of metal tungstate nanostructures by thermal annealing. The method developed in this work represents a general strategy toward the rational synthesis of metal oxide nanostructures and the formation mechanism of metal tungstate nanostructures fabricated by

Unraveling Quantum Annealers using Classical Hardness

Science.gov (United States)

Martin-Mayor, Victor; Hen, Itay

2015-01-01

Recent advances in quantum technology have led to the development and manufacturing of experimental programmable quantum annealing optimizers that contain hundreds of quantum bits. These optimizers, commonly referred to as ‘D-Wave’ chips, promise to solve practical optimization problems potentially faster than conventional ‘classical’ computers. Attempts to quantify the quantum nature of these chips have been met with both excitement and skepticism but have also brought up numerous fundamental questions pertaining to the distinguishability of experimental quantum annealers from their classical thermal counterparts. Inspired by recent results in spin-glass theory that recognize ‘temperature chaos’ as the underlying mechanism responsible for the computational intractability of hard optimization problems, we devise a general method to quantify the performance of quantum annealers on optimization problems suffering from varying degrees of temperature chaos: A superior performance of quantum annealers over classical algorithms on these may allude to the role that quantum effects play in providing speedup. We utilize our method to experimentally study the D-Wave Two chip on different temperature-chaotic problems and find, surprisingly, that its performance scales unfavorably as compared to several analogous classical algorithms. We detect, quantify and discuss several purely classical effects that possibly mask the quantum behavior of the chip. PMID:26483257

Mechanical behavior of multipass welded joint during stress relief annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueda, Yukio; Fukuda, Keiji; Nakacho, Keiji; Takahashi, Eiji; Sakamoto, Koichi.

1978-01-01

An investigation into mechanical behavior of a multipass welded joint of a pressure vessel during stress relief annealing was conducted. The study was performed theoretically and experimentally on idealized research models. In the theoretical analysis, the thermal elastic-plastic creep theory developed by the authors was applied. The behavior of multipass welded joints during the entire thermal cycle, from welding to stress relief annealing, was consistently analyzed by this theory. The results of the analysis show a good, fundamentally coincidence with the experimental findings. The outline of the results and conclusions is as follows. (1) In the case of the material (2 1/4Cr-1Mo steel) furnished in this study, the creep strain rate during stress relief annealing below 575 0 C obeys the strain-hardening creep law using the transient creep and the one above 575 0 C obeys the power creep law using the stational creep. (2) In the transverse residual stress (σsub(x)) distribution after annealing, the location of the largest tensile stress on the top surface is about 15 mm away from the toe of weld, and the largest at the cross section is just below the finishing bead. These features are similar to those of welding residual stresses. But the stress distribution after annealing is smoother than one from welding. (3) The effectiveness of stress relief annealing depends greatly on the annealing temperature. For example, most of residual stresses are relieved at the heating stage with a heating rate of 30 0 C/hr. to 100 0 C/hr. if the annealing temperature is 650 0 C, but if the annealing temperature is 550 0 C, the annealing is not effective even with a longer holding time. (4) In the case of multipass welding residual stresses studied in this paper, the behaviors of high stresses during annealing are approximated by ones during anisothermal relaxation. (auth.)

Tunable metal-insulator transitions in bilayer graphene by thermal annealing

OpenAIRE

Kalon, Gopinadhan; Shin, Young Jun; Yang, Hyunsoo

2012-01-01

Tunable and highly reproducible metal-insulator transitions have been observed in bilayer graphene upon thermal annealing at 400 K under high vacuum conditions. Before annealing, the sample is metallic in the whole temperature regime of study. Upon annealing, the conductivity changes from metallic to that of an insulator and the transition temperature is a function of annealing time. The pristine metallic state can be reinstated by exposing to air thereby inducing changes in the electronic pr...

Micro-structural study and Rietveld analysis of fast reactor fuels: U-Mo fuels

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, S.; Choudhuri, G.; Banerjee, J.; Agarwal, Renu; Khan, K. B.; Kumar, Arun

2015-12-01

U-Mo alloys are the candidate fuels for both research reactors and fast breeder reactors. In-reactor performance of the fuel depends on the microstructural stability and thermal properties of the fuel. To improve the fuel performance, alloying elements viz. Zr, Mo, Nb, Ti and fissium are added in the fuel. The first reactor fuels are normally prepared by injection casting. The objective of this work is to compare microstructure, phase-fields and hardness of as-cast four different U-Mo alloy (2, 5, 10 and 33 at.% Mo) fuels with the equilibrium microstructure of the alloys. Scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectrometer and optical microscope have been used to characterize the morphology of the as-cast and annealed alloys. The monoclinic α'' phase in as-cast U-10 at.% Mo alloy has been characterized through Rietveld analysis. A comparison of metallographic and Rietveld analysis of as-cast (dendritic microstructure) and annealed U-33 at.% Mo alloy, corresponding to intermetallic compound, has been reported here for the first time. This study will provide in depth understanding of microstructural and phase evolution of U-Mo alloys as fast reactor fuel.

Effect of annealing on properties of Mg doped Zn-ferrite nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Nadeem

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A comparison of structural and magnetic properties of as-prepared and annealed (900 °C Mg doped Zn ferrite nanoparticles (Zn1−xMgxFe2O4, with x=0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5 is presented. X-ray diffraction (XRD studies confirmed the cubic spinel structure for both the as-prepared and annealed nanoparticles. The average crystallite size and lattice parameter were increased by annealing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM images also showed that the average particle size increased after annealing. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR also confirmed the spinel structure for both series of nanoparticles. For both annealed and as-prepared nanoparticles, the O–Mtet.–O vibrational band shifts towards higher wave numbers with increased Mg concentration due to cationic rearrangement on the lattice sites. Magnetization studies revealed an anomalous decreasing magnetization for the annealed nanoparticles which is also ascribed to cationic rearrangement on the lattice sites after annealing. The measurement of coercivity showed a decreasing trend by annealing due to the increased nanoparticle size and better crystallinity.

Embrittlement recovery due to annealing of reactor pressure vessel steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eason, E.D.; Wright, J.E.; Nelson, E.E.; Odette, G.R.; Mader, E.V.

1996-01-01

Embrittlement of reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) can be reduced by thermal annealing at temperatures higher than the normal operating conditions. Although such an annealing process has not been applied to any commercial plants in the United States, one US Army reactor, the BR3 plant in Belgium, and several plants in eastern Europe have been successfully annealed. All available Charpy annealing data were collected and analyzed in this project to develop quantitative models for estimating the recovery in 30 ft-lb (41 J) Charpy transition temperature and Charpy upper shelf energy over a range of potential annealing conditions. Pattern recognition, transformation analysis, residual studies, and the current understanding of the mechanisms involved in the annealing process were used to guide the selection of the most sensitive variables and correlating parameters and to determine the optimal functional forms for fitting the data. The resulting models were fitted by nonlinear least squares. The use of advanced tools, the larger data base now available, and insight from surrogate hardness data produced improved models for quantitative evaluation of the effects of annealing. The quality of models fitted in this project was evaluated by considering both the Charpy annealing data used for fitting and the surrogate hardness data base. The standard errors of the resulting recovery models relative to calibration data are comparable to the uncertainty in unirradiated Charpy data. This work also demonstrates that microhardness recovery is a good surrogate for transition temperature shift recovery and that there is a high level of consistency between the observed annealing trends and fundamental models of embrittlement and recovery processes

Annealing effect on restoration of irradiation steel properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vishkarev, O.M.; Kolesova, T.N.; Myasnikova, K.P.; Pecherin, A.M.; Shamardin, V.K.

1986-01-01

The effect of temperature and annealing time on the restoration of properties of the 15Kh2NMFAA and 15Kh2MFA steels after irradiation at 285 deg with the fluence of 6x10 23 neutr/m 2 (E>0.5 MeV) is studied. Microhardness (H μ ) restoration in the irradiated 15Kh2NMFAA steel is shown to start from 350 deg C annealing temperature. The complete microhardness restoration is observed at the annealing temperature of 500 deg C for 10 hours

Annealing of the BR3 reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabry, A.; Motte, F.; Stiennon, G.; Debrue, J.; Gubel, P.; Van de Velde, J.; Minsart, G.; Van Asbroeck, P.

1985-01-01

The pressure vessel of the Belgian BR-3 plant, a small (11 MWe) PWR presently used for fuel testing programs and operated since 1962, was annealed during March, 1984. The anneal was performed under wet conditions for 168 hours at 650 0 F with core removal and within plant design margins justification for the anneal, summary of plant characteristics, description of materials sampling, summary of reactor physics and dosimetry, development of embrittlement trend curves, hypothesized pressurized and overcooling thermal shock accidents, and conclusions are provided in detail

Amino acids augment muscle protein synthesis in neonatal pigs during acute endotoxemia by stimulating mTOR-dependent translation initiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Orellana, Renán A; Jeyapalan, Asumthia; Escobar, Jeffery; Frank, Jason W; Nguyen, Hanh V; Suryawan, Agus; Davis, Teresa A

2007-11-01

In skeletal muscle of adults, sepsis reduces protein synthesis by depressing translation initiation and induces resistance to branched-chain amino acid stimulation. Normal neonates maintain a high basal muscle protein synthesis rate that is sensitive to amino acid stimulation. In the present study, we determined the effect of amino acids on protein synthesis in skeletal muscle and other tissues in septic neonates. Overnight-fasted neonatal pigs were infused with endotoxin (LPS, 0 and 10 microg.kg(-1).h(-1)), whereas glucose and insulin were maintained at fasting levels; amino acids were clamped at fasting or fed levels. In the presence of fasting insulin and amino acids, LPS reduced protein synthesis in longissimus dorsi (LD) and gastrocnemius muscles and increased protein synthesis in the diaphragm, but had no effect in masseter and heart muscles. Increasing amino acids to fed levels accelerated muscle protein synthesis in LD, gastrocnemius, masseter, and diaphragm. LPS stimulated protein synthesis in liver, lung, spleen, pancreas, and kidney in fasted animals. Raising amino acids to fed levels increased protein synthesis in liver of controls, but not LPS-treated animals. The increase in muscle protein synthesis in response to amino acids was associated with increased mTOR, 4E-BP1, and S6K1 phosphorylation and eIF4G-eIF4E association in control and LPS-infused animals. These findings suggest that amino acids stimulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis during acute endotoxemia via mTOR-dependent ribosomal assembly despite reduced basal protein synthesis rates in neonatal pigs. However, provision of amino acids does not further enhance the LPS-induced increase in liver protein synthesis.

Influence of oxygen on the annealing of radioactive defects in germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gasimov, G.M.; Mustafayev, Yn.M.; Gasimova, V.G.

2002-01-01

The isochronal annealing were carried out in the wide temperature range, for the establishment of oxygen influence on the annealing of radioactive defects (Rd) in any radiated germanium samples, concentrated with oxygen up to concentration of 9.7·10 16 cm -3 . It is shown that the curves of isochronal annealing of one of the such samples 1, with primary current charge concentration of 9.0·10 cm 14 , radiated by integral electron flow of φ= 8.0·10 16 cm -3 , at 293 K and also the non-oxygen samples 2, with primary concentration of 1.7·10 cm -3 , radiated at above mentioned conditions. The sample 1 is converted by radiation to p-type, but the conversion not occur in samples 2. It is illustrated, that that there is two annealing stage at 340-430 K, for the samples 2, which in results takes place the complete annealing of the RD. At 300 K the annealing takes place in samples of 1, but at 340 K - the reverse annealing of RD. The sample was at compensated state in the temperature range of 360-400 K. An annealing of RD takes place again at 440 K and the sample re-converted its conductivity type. The reverse annealing at 480 K, and at about 510 K, the substantial annealing of the defects has been observed, which in results a sample restores it's primary parameters. The carried out experiments show that as in converted, and also in n-type be samples, Is observed the reverse annealing of RD, but the reverse annealing of current charge carriers in n-type samples is observed only at such conditions, of the integral flow of accelerated elections exceeds the primary concentration of current charge carriers about 4 time of magnitude (φ≥4n 0 ). Besides, the complete annealing of RD in germanium samples concentrated with oxygen, takes place at more high temperatures in comparison with the non-oxygen samples

Propagating self-sustained annealing of radiation-induced interstitial complexes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bokov, P M; Selyshchev, P A

2016-01-01

A propagating self-sustained annealing of radiation induced defects as a result of thermal-concentration instability is studied. The defects that are considered in the model are complexes. Each of them consists of one atom of impunity and of one interstitial atom. Crystal with defects has extra energy which is transformed into heat during defect annealing. Simulation of the auto-wave of annealing has been performed. The front and the speed of the auto-wave have been obtained. It is shown that annealing occurs in a narrow region of time and space. There are two kinds of such annealing behaviour. In the first case the speed of the auto-wave oscillates near its constant mean value and the front of temperature oscillates in a complex way. In the second case the speed of propagation is constant and fronts of temperature and concentration look like sigmoid functions. (paper)

Investigating the evolution of local structure around Er and Yb in ZnO:Er and ZnO:Er, Yb on annealing using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Anjana, R.; Jayaraj, M. K.; Yadav, A. K.; Jha, S. N.; Bhattacharyya, D.

2018-04-01

The local structure around Er and Yb centre in ZnO favouring upconversion luminescence was studied using EXAFS (Extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy). Due to the ionic radii difference between Zn and Er, Yb ions, the dopants cannot replace Zn in the ZnO lattice properly. Er2O3 and Yb2O3 impurity phases are formed at the grain boundaries of ZnO. It is found that the local structure around the Er centre in ZnO is modified on annealing in air. The symmetry around both erbium and ytterbium reduces with increase in annealing temperature. Symmetry reduction will favour the intra-4f transition and the energy transitions causing upconversion luminescence. By fitting the EXAFS data with theoretically simulated data, it is found that the Er centre forms a local structure similar to C4ν symmetry which is a distorted octahedron. On annealing the sample to 1200 °C, all the erbium centres are transformed to C4ν symmetry causing enhanced upconversion emission. Yb centre has also been modified on annealing. The decrease in co-ordination number with annealing temperature will decrease the symmetry and increase the near infrared absorption cross section. The decrease in symmetry around both the erbium and ytterbium centre and formation of C4ν symmetry around Er centre is the reason behind the activation of upconversion luminescence with high temperature annealing in both Er doped and Er, Yb co-doped ZnO samples. The study will be useful for the synthesis of high efficiency upconversion materials.

In situ annealing of hydroxyapatite thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Shevon; Haluska, Michael; Narayan, Roger J.; Snyder, Robert L.

2006-01-01

Hydroxyapatite is a bioactive ceramic that mimics the mineral composition of natural bone. Unfortunately, problems with adhesion, poor mechanical integrity, and incomplete bone ingrowth limit the use of many conventional hydroxyapatite surfaces. In this work, we have developed a novel technique to produce crystalline hydroxyapatite thin films involving pulsed laser deposition and postdeposition annealing. Hydroxyapatite films were deposited on Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Si (100) using pulsed laser deposition, and annealed within a high temperature X-ray diffraction system. The transformation from amorphous to crystalline hydroxyapatite was observed at 340 deg. C. Mechanical and adhesive properties were examined using nanoindentation and scratch adhesion testing, respectively. Nanohardness and Young's modulus values of 3.48 and 91.24 GPa were realized in unannealed hydroxyapatite films. Unannealed and 350 deg. C annealed hydroxyapatite films exhibited excellent adhesion to Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrates. We anticipate that the adhesion and biological properties of crystalline hydroxyapatite thin films may be enhanced by further consideration of deposition and annealing parameters

A simple method of growing silver chloride nanocubes on silver nanowires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khaligh, Hadi Hosseinzadeh; Goldthorpe, Irene A

2015-01-01

The growth of AgCl nanocubes directly on the sidewalls of Ag nanowires is demonstrated. The nanocubes can be simply obtained through extended low temperature annealing of polyol-synthesized silver nanowires in a vacuum. The length of time and temperature of the anneal and the diameter of the nanowire affect the size and density of the nanocubes obtained. It is hypothesized that the AgCl material is supplied from reactants leftover from the silver nanowire synthesis. This novel hybrid nanostructure may have applications in areas such as photovoltaics, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and photocatalysis. (fast track communication)

Isothermal annealing of silicon implanted with 50 keV 10B ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weidner, B.; Zaschke, G.

1974-01-01

Isothermal annealing characteristics of silicon implanted with boron were measured and compared with calculated results. Implantation was performed with 50 keV 10 B ions in the dose range of 7.5 x 10 12 cm -2 to 2.0 x 10 15 cm -2 . Annealing temperatures ranged from 700 to 900 0 C. Maximum annealing time was 10 4 minutes. Annealing time strongly increases with increasing dose and decreasing temperature. Assuming that there is only one activation energy the isothermal annealing curves of constant dose and different temperatures were combined to a reduced annealing curve and the reduced isothermal annealing curve calculated. Starting from first order kinetics, considering the doping profile of boron in silicon and assuming a depth-dependent decay constant the experimentally determined annealing curves could be easily described over the total dose and time range

Annealing behavior of solution grown polyethylene single crystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Loos, J.; Tian, M.

2006-01-01

The morphology evolution of solution grown polyethylene single crystals has been studied upon annealing below their melting temperature by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM investigations have been performed ex situ, which means AFM investigations at room temperature after the annealing

Annealing temperature effect on self-assembled Au droplets on Si (111).

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Mao; Li, Ming-Yu; Kim, Eun-Soo; Lee, Jihoon

2013-12-13

We investigate the effect of annealing temperature on self-assembled Au droplets on Si (111). The annealing temperature is systematically varied while fixing other growth parameters such as deposition amount and annealing duration clearly to observe the annealing temperature effect. Self-assembled Au droplets are fabricated by annealing from 50°C to 850°C with 2-nm Au deposition for 30 s. With increased annealing temperatures, Au droplets show gradually increased height and diameter while the density of droplets progressively decreases. Self-assembled Au droplets with fine uniformity can be fabricated between 550°C and 800°C. While Au droplets become much larger with increased deposition amount, the extended annealing duration only mildly affects droplet size and density. The results are systematically analyzed with cross-sectional line profiles, Fourier filter transform power spectra, height histogram, surface area ratio, and size and density plots. This study can provide an aid point for the fabrication of nanowires on Si (111).

Annealing effects on electron-beam evaporated Al2O3 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shang Shuzhen; Chen Lei; Hou Haihong; Yi Kui; Fan Zhengxiu; Shao Jianda

2005-01-01

The effects of post-deposited annealing on structure and optical properties of electron-beam evaporated Al 2 O 3 single layers were investigated. The films were annealed in air for 1.5 h at different temperatures from 250 to 400 deg. C. The optical constants and cut-off wavelength were deduced. Microstructure of the samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Profile and surface roughness measurement instrument was used to determine the rms surface roughness. It was found that the cut-off wavelength shifted to short wavelength as the annealing temperature increased and the total optical loss decreased. The film structure remained amorphous even after annealing at 400 deg. C temperature and the samples annealed at higher temperature had the higher rms surface roughness. The decreasing total optical loss with annealing temperature was attributed to the reduction of absorption owing to oxidation of the film by annealing. Guidance to reduce the optical loss of excimer laser mirrors was given

Annealing effects on electron-beam evaporated Al 2O 3 films

Science.gov (United States)

Shuzhen, Shang; Lei, Chen; Haihong, Hou; Kui, Yi; Zhengxiu, Fan; Jianda, Shao

2005-04-01

The effects of post-deposited annealing on structure and optical properties of electron-beam evaporated Al 2O 3 single layers were investigated. The films were annealed in air for 1.5 h at different temperatures from 250 to 400 °C. The optical constants and cut-off wavelength were deduced. Microstructure of the samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Profile and surface roughness measurement instrument was used to determine the rms surface roughness. It was found that the cut-off wavelength shifted to short wavelength as the annealing temperature increased and the total optical loss decreased. The film structure remained amorphous even after annealing at 400 °C temperature and the samples annealed at higher temperature had the higher rms surface roughness. The decreasing total optical loss with annealing temperature was attributed to the reduction of absorption owing to oxidation of the film by annealing. Guidance to reduce the optical loss of excimer laser mirrors was given.

Hydration-annealing of chemical radiation damage in calcium nitrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nair, S.M.K.; James, C.

1984-01-01

The effect of hydration on the annealing of chemical radiation damage in anhydrous calcium nitrate has been investigated. Rehydration of the anhydrous irradiated nitrate induces direct recovery of the damage. The rehydrated salt is susceptible to thermal annealing but the extent of annealing is small compared to that in the anhydrous salt. The direct recovery of damage on rehydration is due to enhanced lattice mobility. The recovery process is unimolecular. (author)

Rapid phase segregation of P3HT:PCBM composites by thermal annealing for high-performance bulk-heterojunction solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, X.; Fang, G.J.; Qin, P.L.; Cheng, F.; Zhao, X.Z. [Wuhan University, Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-Structures of Ministry of Education, Department of Electronic Science and Technology, School of Physics and Technology, Wuhan (China)

2011-12-15

The performances of bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells are investigated for time-dependent thermal annealing with different morphology evolution scales, having special consideration for the diffusion and aggregation of fullerene derivative molecules based on blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl-C{sub 61}-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM). Meaningfully, rapid formation of dot-like and needle-like crystalline PCBM structures of a few micrometers up to 60 {mu}m in size is obtained with thermal annealing treatment from 2 to 15 min, which dynamically reflects a fast process of PCBM molecule and cluster aggregation. Upon ultrasonic-assisted processing and annealing treatment, the scale of P3HT crystals is drastically increased in view of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, leading to a high hole mobility. And, the P3HT domains can be gradually converted into larger P3HT crystals approved by the decreased full width at half-maximum in the XRD patterns. Corresponding current-voltage curves are measured in quantity and we propose a model to explain the effect of the crystalline degree of P3HT domains and aggregation of PCBM molecules and clusters on the phase segregation, expressing a viewpoint towards high performance of BHJ solar cells. (orig.)

Solventless synthesis of ruthenium nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

García-Peña, Nidia G. [Departmento de Tecnociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria A.P. 70-186, C.P. 04510 Coyoacán, México D.F. (Mexico); Redón, Rocío, E-mail: rredon@unam.mx [Departmento de Tecnociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cd. Universitaria A.P. 70-186, C.P. 04510 Coyoacán, México D.F. (Mexico); Herrera-Gomez, Alberto [Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro (Mexico); Fernández-Osorio, Ana Leticia [FES-Cuautitlán, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Edo. de Mexico (Mexico); Bravo-Sanchez, Mariela; Gomez-Sosa, Gustavo [Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Campus Juriquilla, Querétaro (Mexico)

2015-06-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Successful synthesis of Ru nanoparticles by a cheap, fast and solventless approach was achieved. • The zero-valent state as well as the by-product/impurity free of the mechanochemical obtained Ru nanoparticles was proven by XPS, TEM and XRD. • Compared to two other synthesis strategies, the above-mentioned synthesis was more suitable to obtain smaller particles with fewer impurities in shorter time. - Abstract: This paper presents a novel solventless method for the synthesis of zero-valent ruthenium nanoparticles Ru(0). The proposed method, although not entirely new in the nanomaterials world, was used for the first time to synthesize zero-valent ruthenium nanoparticles. This new approach has proved to be an environmentally friendly, clean, cheap, fast, and reproducible technique which employs low amounts of solvent. It was optimized through varying amounts of reducing salt on a determined quantity of precursor and measuring the effect of this variation on the average particle size obtained. The resulting products were fully characterized by powder XRD, TEM, HR-TEM, and XPS studies, all of which corroborated the purity of the nanoparticles achieved. In order to verify the advantages of our method over other techniques, we compared our nanoparticles with two common colloidal-synthesized ruthenium nanoparticles.

Principal and secondary luminescence lifetime components in annealed natural quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chithambo, M.L.; Ogundare, F.O.; Feathers, J.

2008-01-01

Time-resolved luminescence spectra from quartz can be separated into components with distinct principal and secondary lifetimes depending on certain combinations of annealing and measurement temperature. The influence of annealing on properties of the lifetimes related to irradiation dose and temperature of measurement has been investigated in sedimentary quartz annealed at various temperatures up to 900 deg. C. Time-resolved luminescence for use in the analysis was pulse stimulated from samples at 470 nm between 20 and 200 deg. C. Luminescence lifetimes decrease with measurement temperature due to increasing thermal effect on the associated luminescence with an activation energy of thermal quenching equal to 0.68±0.01eV for the secondary lifetime but only qualitatively so for the principal lifetime component. Concerning the influence of annealing temperature, luminescence lifetimes measured at 20 deg. C are constant at about 33μs for annealing temperatures up to 600 0 C but decrease to about 29μs when the annealing temperature is increased to 900 deg. C. In addition, it was found that lifetime components in samples annealed at 800 deg. C are independent of radiation dose in the range 85-1340 Gy investigated. The dependence of lifetimes on both the annealing temperature and magnitude of radiation dose is described as being due to the increasing importance of a particular recombination centre in the luminescence emission process as a result of dynamic hole transfer between non-radiative and radiative luminescence centres

Reduction of thermal quenching of biotite mineral due to annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalita, J.M.; Wary, G.

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Thermoluminescence of X-ray irradiate biotite was studied at various heating rates. • Thermal quenching was found to decrease with increase in annealing temperature. • Due to annealing one trap level was vanished and a new shallow trap level generated. • The new trap level contributes low thermally quenched thermoluminescence signal. - Abstract: Thermoluminescence (TL) of X-ray irradiated natural biotite annealed at 473, 573, 673 and 773 K were studied within 290–480 K at various linear heating rates (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 K/s). A Computerized Glow Curve Deconvolution technique was used to study various TL parameters. Thermal quenching was found to be very high for un-annealed sample, however it decreased significantly with increase in annealing temperature. For un-annealed sample thermal quenching activation energy (W) and pre-exponential frequency factor (C) were found to be W = (2.71 ± 0.05) eV and C = (2.38 ± 0.05) × 10 12 s −1 respectively. However for 773 K annealed sample, these parameters were found to be W = (0.63 ± 0.03) eV, C = (1.75 ± 0.27) × 10 14 s −1 . Due to annealing, the initially present trap level at depth 1.04 eV was vanished and a new shallow trap state was generated at depth of 0.78 eV which contributes very low thermally quenched TL signal

Effect of Annealing on the Thermoluminescence Properties of ZnO Nanophosphor

Science.gov (United States)

Kalita, J. M.; Wary, G.

2017-07-01

We report the effect of annealing on the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanophosphor. The sample was synthesised by a wet chemical process. The characterisation report shows that the size of the grains is within 123.0 nm-160.5 nm. TL measured at 2 K/s from a fresh un-annealed sample irradiated to 60 mGy shows a composite glow curve containing three peaks at 353.2 K, 429.1 K, and 455.3 K. On the other hand, samples annealed at 473 K and 573 K followed by irradiation to 60 mGy do not give TL. However, annealing at 673 K and 773 K followed by irradiation to the same dose produces a glow curve comprising two overlapping peaks at 352.3 K and 370.6 K. In the TL emission spectrum of un-annealed sample, two emission peaks were found in green ( 523 nm) and orange ( 620 nm) regions whereas in annealed samples, only a peak was found in the orange region ( 618 nm). Kinetic analysis shows that the activation energy corresponding to TL peaks at 353.2 K, 429.1 K, and 455.3 K of the un-annealed sample are 0.64 eV, 0.80 eV, and 1.20 eV whereas that of the peaks at 352.3 K and 370.6 K of 673 K and 773 K annealed samples are 0.64 eV and 0.70 eV, respectively. All peaks of un-annealed and annealed samples, except the one at 429.1 K of the un-annealed sample, follow first-order kinetics whereas the peak at 429.1 K follows second-order kinetics. Considering the kinetic and spectral features, an energy band model for ZnO nanophosphor has been proposed.

In-place thermal annealing of nuclear reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Server, W.L.

1985-04-01

Radiation embrittlement of ferritic pressure vessel steels increases the ductile-brittle transition temperature and decreases the upper shelf level of toughness as measured by Charpy impact tests. A thermal anneal cycle well above the normal operating temperature of the vessel can restore most of the original Charpy V-notch energy properties. The Amry SM-1A test reactor vessel was wet annealed in 1967 at less than 343 0 C (650 0 F), and wet annealing of the Belgian BR-3 reactor vessel at 343 0 C (650 0 F) has recently taken place. An industry survey indicates that dry annealing a reactor vessel in-place at temperatures as high as 454 0 C (850 0 F) is feasible, but solvable engineering problems do exist. Economic considerations have not been totally evaluated in assessing the cost-effectiveness of in-place annealing of commercial nuclear vessels. An American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) task group is upgrading and revising guide ASTM E 509-74 with emphasis on the materials and surveillance aspects of annealing rather than system engineering problems. System safety issues are the province of organizations other than ASTM (e.g., the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code body)

Unified model of damage annealing in CMOS, from freeze-in to transient annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sander, H.H.; Gregory, B.L.

Results of an experimental study at 76 0 K, are presented showing that radiation-produced holes in SiO 2 are immobile at this temperature. If an electric field is present in the SiO 2 during low temperature (76 0 K) irradiation to sweep out the mobile electrons, the holes will virtually all be trapped where created and produce a uniform positive charge density in the oxide. These results are the basis for concluding that if a complimentary p,n metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device is irradiated for sufficient time at 76 0 K to build-in an appreciable field, further irradiation with gate bias removed will produce very little additional change in V/sub th/, since the field in the oxide tends to keep all generated electrons in the oxide where they recombine with trapped holes. Hence the hole trapping rate = the hole annihilation rate. The room-temperature annealing following a pulsed gamma exposure occurs in two regimes. The first recovery of V/sub th/ occurs prior to 10 -4 seconds. The magnitude of this very early-time recovery, at room temperature, is oxide-dependent, and oxide process dependent. The rate-of-annealing is what is truly different between a rad-hard and a rad-soft device, since annealing in the hardest devices occurs very quickly at room temperature. (U.S.)

De novo synthesis of purine nucleotides in different fiber types of rat skeletal muscle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tullson, P.C.; John-Alder, H.; Hood, D.A.; Terjung, R.L.

1986-01-01

The contribution of de novo purine nucleotide synthesis to nucleotide metabolism in skeletal muscles is not known. The authors have determined rates of de novo synthesis in soleus (slow-twitch red), red gastrocnemius (fast-twitch red), and white gastrocnemius (fast-twitch white) using the perfused rat hindquarter. 14 C glycine incorporation into ATP was linear after 1 and 2 hours of perfusion with 0.2 mM added glycine. The intracellular (I) and extracellular (E) specific activity of 14 C glycine was determined by HPLC of phenylisothiocyanate derivatives of neutralized PCA extracts. The rates of de novo synthesis when expressed relative to muscle ATP content show slow and fast-twitch red muscles to be similar and about twice as great as fast-twitch white muscles. This could represent a greater turnover of the adenine nucleotide pool in more oxidative red muscle types

Strain relaxation near high-k/Si interface by post-deposition annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emoto, T.; Akimoto, K.; Yoshida, Y.; Ichimiya, A.; Nabatame, T.; Toriumi, A.

2005-01-01

We studied the effect of post-deposition annealing on a HfO 2 /Si interface of by extremely asymmetric X-ray diffraction. Comparing the rocking curves before annealing the sample with those of the annealed sample, it is found that an interfacial layer with a density of 3 g/cm 3 grows at the interface between the HfO 2 layer and the substrate during post-deposition annealing. The wavelength dependency of the integrated intensities of the rocking curve for the as-deposited sample fluctuated with the observation position. This fluctuation was suppressed by annealing. From these results we concluded that the strain introduced into the substrate becomes homogeneous by annealing. Moreover, a quantitative estimation of the strain by curve fitting reveals the existence of compressive strain under the HfO 2 layer

On lumped models for thermodynamic properties of simulated annealing problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andresen, B.; Pedersen, J.M.; Salamon, P.; Hoffmann, K.H.; Mosegaard, K.; Nulton, J.

1987-01-01

The paper describes a new method for the estimation of thermodynamic properties for simulated annealing problems using data obtained during a simulated annealing run. The method works by estimating energy-to-energy transition probabilities and is well adapted to simulations such as simulated annealing, in which the system is never in equilibrium. (orig.)

The changes of ADI structure during high temperature annealing

OpenAIRE

A. Krzyńska; M. Kaczorowski

2010-01-01

The results of structure investigations of ADI during it was annealing at elevated temperature are presented. Ductile iron austempered at temperature 325oC was then isothermally annealed 360 minutes at temperature 400, 450, 500 and 550oC. The structure investigations showed that annealing at these temperatures caused substantial structure changes and thus essential hardness decrease, which is most useful property of ADI from point of view its practical application. Degradation advance of the ...

Synthesis of high-oxidation Y-Ba-Cu-O phases in superoxygenated thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, H.; Gauquelin, N.; McMahon, C.; Hawthorn, D. G.; Botton, G. A.; Wei, J. Y. T.

2018-03-01

It is known that solid-state reaction in high-pressure oxygen can stabilize high-oxidation phases of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconductors in powder form. We extend this superoxygenation concept of synthesis to thin films which, due to their large surface-to-volume ratio, are more reactive thermodynamically. Epitaxial thin films of YBa2Cu3O7 -δ grown by pulsed laser deposition are annealed at up to 700 atm O2 and 900 ∘C , in conjunction with Cu enrichment by solid-state diffusion. The films show the clear formation of Y2Ba4Cu7O15 -δ and Y2Ba4Cu8O16 as well as regions of YBa2Cu5O9 -δ and YBa2Cu6O10 -δ phases, according to scanning transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. Similarly annealed YBa2Cu3O7 -δ powders show no phase conversion. Our results demonstrate a route of synthesis towards discovering more complex phases of cuprates and other superconducting oxides.

Distribution of ultraviolet-induced DNA repair synthesis in nuclease sensitive and resistant regions of human chromatin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smerdon, M.J.; Tlsty, T.D.; Lieberman, M.W.

1978-01-01

The distribution of ultraviolet radiation (uv) induced DNA repair synthesis within chromatin was examined in cultured human diploid fibroblasts (IMR-90). Measurement of the time course of repair synthesis yielded two distinct phases: An initial rapid phase (fast repair) which occurs during the first 2 to 3 h after damage and a slower phase (slow repair) associated with a tenfold decrease in the rate of nucleotide incorporation, which persists for at least 35 h after damage. Staphylococcal nuclease digests of nuclei from cells damaged with uv and labeled during the fast-repair phase revealed a marked preference of fast-repair synthesis for the nuclease-sensitive regions. A new method was developed to analyze the digestion data and showed that approximately 50% of the nucleotides incorporated during the fast-repair phase are located in staphylococcal nuclease-sensitive regions, which comprise about 30% of the genome. Calculations from these data indicate that in the staphylococcal nuclease-sensitive regions the number of newly inserted nucleotides per unit DNA is about twice that of resistant regions. These results were supported by electrophoresis studies which demonstrated a decreased representation of fast-repair synthesis in core particle DNA. In contrast, the distribution within chromatin of nucleotides incorporated during the slow-repair phase was found to be much more homogeneous with about 30% of the repair sites located in 25% of the genome. Digestion studieswith DNase I indicated a slight preference of repair synthesis for regions sensitive to this enzyme; however, no marked difference between the distributions of fast- and slow-repair synthesis was observed. This study provides evidence that the structural constraints placed upon DNA in chromatin also place constraints upon uv-induced DNA repair synthesis in human cells

Melting phenomenon and laser annealing in semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narayan, J.

1981-03-01

The work on annealing of displacement damage, dissolution of boron precipitates, and the broadening of dopant profiles in semiconductors after treating with ruby and dye laser pulses is reviewed in order to provide convincing evidence for the melting phenomenon and illustrate the mechanism associated with laser annealing. The nature of the solid-liquid interface and the interface instability during rapid solidification is considered in detail. It is shown that solute concentrations after pulsed laser annealing can far exceed retrograde maxima values. However, there is a critical solute concentration above which a planar solid-liquid interface becomes unstable and breaks into a cellular structure. The solute concentrations and cell sizes associated with this instability are calculated using a perturbation theory, and compared with experimental results

Strain of laser annealed silicon surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Nemanich, R. J.; Haneman, D.

1982-05-01

High resolution Raman scattering measurements have been carried out on pulse and continuous-wave laser annealed silicon samples with various surface preparations. These included polished and ion-bombarded wafers, and saw-cut crystals. The pulse annealing treatments were carried out in ultrahigh vacuum and in air. The residual strain was inferred from the frequency shift of the first-order Raman active mode of Si, and was detectable in the range 10-2-10-3 in all except the polished samples.

Annealing of ion implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chivers, D.; Smith, B.J.; Stephen, J.; Fisher, M.

1980-09-01

The newer uses of ion implantation require a higher dose rate. This has led to the introduction of high beam current implanters; the wafers move in front of a stationary beam to give a scanning effect. This can lead to non-uniform heating of the wafer. Variations in the sheet resistance of the layers can be very non-uniform following thermal annealing. Non-uniformity in the effective doping both over a single wafer and from one wafer to another, can affect the usefulness of ion implantation in high dose rate applications. Experiments to determine the extent of non-uniformity in sheet resistance, and to see if it is correlated to the annealing scheme have been carried out. Details of the implantation parameters are given. It was found that best results were obtained when layers were annealed at the maximum possible temperature. For arsenic, phosphorus and antimony layers, improvements were observed up to 1200 0 C and boron up to 950 0 C. Usually, it is best to heat the layer directly to the maximum temperature to produce the most uniform layer; with phosphorus layers however it is better to pre-heat to 1050 0 C. (U.K.)

Crystallization degree change of expanded graphite by milling and annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Qunwei; Wu Jihuai; Sun Hui; Fang Shijun

2009-01-01

Expanded graphite was ball milled with a planetary mill in air atmosphere, and subsequently thermal annealed. The samples were characterized by using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that in the milling initial stage (less than 12 h), the crystallization degree of the expanded graphite declined gradually, but after milling more than 16 h, a recrystallization of the expanded graphite toke place, and ordered nanoscale expanded graphite was formed gradually. In the annealing initial stage, the non-crystallization of the graphite occurred, but, beyond an annealing time, recrystallizations of the graphite arise. Higher annealing temperature supported the recrystallization. The milled and annealed expanded graphite still preserved the crystalline structure as raw material and hold high thermal stability.

RBEC lead-bismuth cooled fast reactor: review of conceptual decisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alekseev, P.; Fomichenko, P.; Mikityuk, K.; Nevinitsa, V.; Shchepetina, T.; Subbotin, S.; Vasiliev, A.

2001-01-01

A concept of the RBEC lead-bismuth fast reactor-breeder is a synthesis, on one hand, of more than 40-year experience in development and operation of fast sodium power reactors and reactors with Pb-Bi coolant for nuclear submarines, and, on the other hand, of large R and D activities on development of the core concept for modified fast sodium reactor. The report briefly presents main parameters of the RBEC reactor, as a candidate for commercial exploitation in structure of the future nuclear power. (author)

Contribution to implanted silicon layers and their annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Combasson, J.-L.

1976-01-01

Defects created by boron implantation in silicon have been characterized by measuring the diffusion coefficient during annealing. Implanted impurity distributions were calculated after analyzing the hypotheses relating to charged particle slowing down through matter. Profiles are predicted with a good accuracy, by replacing occasionally the electronic stopping law by an empirical law. The asymmetries predicted are generally observed but deviations may occur for crystalline targets, or when the ion is heavy with regard to the substrate (in the event the Thomas-Fermi potential is not yet valid due to the high impact parameters). When deviations are neglected, the displacement cascade from implantation is represented by a damage profile proportional to the distribution of the Frenkel pairs. The annealing of the implanted layers is characterized by three annealing stages. The first one (400 deg C-600 deg C) is imputed to divacancy annealing associated to the formation and migration of boron-vacancy complexes. The second one (500 deg C-650 deg C) is characterized by the Watkins replacement mechanism. At high temperatures, when the annealing duration is longer than that of precipitation, interstitial loops are dissolved, and the thermal diffusion of boron atoms involves the vacancy mechanism of thermal diffusion [fr

Laser annealing heals radiation damage in avalanche photodiodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Jin Gyu [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Anisimova, Elena; Higgins, Brendon L.; Bourgoin, Jean-Philippe [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Jennewein, Thomas [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada); Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Quantum Information Science Program, Toronto, ON (Canada); Makarov, Vadim [University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Waterloo, ON (Canada); University of Waterloo, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Waterloo, ON (Canada)

2017-12-15

Avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are a practical option for space-based quantum communications requiring single-photon detection. However, radiation damage to APDs significantly increases their dark count rates and thus reduces their useful lifetimes in orbit. We show that high-power laser annealing of irradiated APDs of three different models (Excelitas C30902SH, Excelitas SLiK, and Laser Components SAP500S2) heals the radiation damage and several APDs are restored to typical pre-radiation dark count rates. Of nine samples we test, six APDs were thermally annealed in a previous experiment as another solution to mitigate the radiation damage. Laser annealing reduces the dark count rates further in all samples with the maximum dark count rate reduction factor varying between 5.3 and 758 when operating at -80 C. This indicates that laser annealing is a more effective method than thermal annealing. The illumination power to reach these reduction factors ranges from 0.8 to 1.6 W. Other photon detection characteristics, such as photon detection efficiency, timing jitter, and afterpulsing probability, fluctuate but the overall performance of quantum communications should be largely unaffected by these variations. These results herald a promising method to extend the lifetime of a quantum satellite equipped with APDs. (orig.)

Temporal partitioning of adaptive responses of the murine heart to fasting.

Science.gov (United States)

Brewer, Rachel A; Collins, Helen E; Berry, Ryan D; Brahma, Manoja K; Tirado, Brian A; Peliciari-Garcia, Rodrigo A; Stanley, Haley L; Wende, Adam R; Taegtmeyer, Heinrich; Rajasekaran, Namakkal Soorappan; Darley-Usmar, Victor; Zhang, Jianhua; Frank, Stuart J; Chatham, John C; Young, Martin E

2018-03-15

Recent studies suggest that the time of day at which food is consumed dramatically influences clinically-relevant cardiometabolic parameters (e.g., adiposity, insulin sensitivity, and cardiac function). Meal feeding benefits may be the result of daily periods of feeding and/or fasting, highlighting the need for improved understanding of the temporal adaptation of cardiometabolic tissues (e.g., heart) to fasting. Such studies may provide mechanistic insight regarding how time-of-day-dependent feeding/fasting cycles influence cardiac function. We hypothesized that fasting during the sleep period elicits beneficial adaptation of the heart at transcriptional, translational, and metabolic levels. To test this hypothesis, temporal adaptation was investigated in wild-type mice fasted for 24-h, or for either the 12-h light/sleep phase or the 12-h dark/awake phase. Fasting maximally induced fatty acid responsive genes (e.g., Pdk4) during the dark/active phase; transcriptional changes were mirrored at translational (e.g., PDK4) and metabolic flux (e.g., glucose/oleate oxidation) levels. Similarly, maximal repression of myocardial p-mTOR and protein synthesis rates occurred during the dark phase; both parameters remained elevated in the heart of fasted mice during the light phase. In contrast, markers of autophagy (e.g., LC3II) exhibited peak responses to fasting during the light phase. Collectively, these data show that responsiveness of the heart to fasting is temporally partitioned. Autophagy peaks during the light/sleep phase, while repression of glucose utilization and protein synthesis is maximized during the dark/active phase. We speculate that sleep phase fasting may benefit cardiac function through augmentation of protein/cellular constituent turnover. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nd:YAG laser annealing investigation of screen-printed CIGS layer on PET: Layer annealing method for photovoltaic cell fabrication process

KAUST Repository

Alsaggaf, Ahmed

2014-06-01

Cu(In, Ga)Se2 (CIGS) ink was formulated from CIGS powder, polyvinyl butyral PVB, terpineol and polyester/polyamine co-polymeric dispersant KD-1. Thin films with different thicknesses were deposited on PET substrate using screen-printing followed by heat treatment using a Nd:YAG laser. The structure and morphology of the heated thin films were studied. The characterization of the CIGS powder, ink, and film was done using TGA, SEM, FIB, EDS, and XRD. TGA analysis shows that the CIGS ink is drying at 200 °C, which is well below the decomposition temperature of the PET substrate. It was observed by SEM that 20 pulses of 532nm and 60 mJ/cm2 Nd:YAG laser annealing causes atomic diffusion on the near surface area. Furthermore, FIB cross section images were utilized to monitor the effect of laser annealing in the depth of the layer. Laser annealing effects were compared to as deposited layer using XRD in reference to CIGS powder. The measurement shows that crystallinity of deposited CIGS is retained while EDS quantification and atomic ratio result in gradual loss of selenium as laser energy increases. The laser parameters were tuned in an effort to utilize laser annealing of screen-printed CIGS layer as a layer annealing method for solar cell fabrication process.

On the correlation between annealing and variabilities in pulsed-luminescence from quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chithambo, M.L.

2006-01-01

Properties of luminescence lifetimes in quartz related to annealing between 500 and 900 deg. C have been investigated. The luminescence was pulse-stimulated at 470nm from sets of granular quartz annealed at 500, 600, 700, 800, and 900 deg. C. The lifetimes decrease with annealing temperature from about 42 to 33μs when the annealing temperature is increased from 500 to 900 deg. C. Luminescence lifetimes are most sensitive to duration of annealing at 600 deg. C, decreasing from 40.2+/-0.7μs by as much as 7μs when the duration of annealing is changed from 10 to 60min. However, at 800-900 deg. C lifetimes are essentially independent of annealing temperature at about 33μs. Increasing the exciting beta dose causes an increase in the lifetimes of the stimulated luminescence in the sample annealed at 800 deg. C but not in those annealed at either 500 or 600 deg. C. The temperature-resolved distribution of luminescence lifetimes is affected by thermal quenching of luminescence. These features may be accounted for with reference to two principal luminescence centres involved in the luminescence emission process

Influence of low-temperature annealing on InSb properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsitsina, N.P.; Fadeeva, A.P.; Vdovkina, E.E.; Baryshev, N.S.; Aver'yanov, I.S.

1975-01-01

Annealing at 200 deg C during 6 days does not cause inversion of conductivity in n-InSb, leads to the increase of the carrier concentration and the decrease of the specific resistance in samples both of n- and of p-type; these variations being more significant in the material of n-type. The existence of a level at a distance of 0.15-0.17 eV from the ceiling of the valency zone in non-annealed samples of InSb is confirmed. The level is of acceptor type and disappears with low-temperature annealing. The low-temperature annealing practically does not influence the lifetime in p-type samples and results in the 5-20-fold increase in the lifetime in n-type samples

Intelligent medical image processing by simulated annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohyama, Nagaaki

1992-01-01

Image processing is being widely used in the medical field and already has become very important, especially when used for image reconstruction purposes. In this paper, it is shown that image processing can be classified into 4 categories; passive, active, intelligent and visual image processing. These 4 classes are explained at first through the use of several examples. The results show that the passive image processing does not give better results than the others. Intelligent image processing, then, is addressed, and the simulated annealing method is introduced. Due to the flexibility of the simulated annealing, formulated intelligence is shown to be easily introduced in an image reconstruction problem. As a practical example, 3D blood vessel reconstruction from a small number of projections, which is insufficient for conventional method to give good reconstruction, is proposed, and computer simulation clearly shows the effectiveness of simulated annealing method. Prior to the conclusion, medical file systems such as IS and C (Image Save and Carry) is pointed out to have potential for formulating knowledge, which is indispensable for intelligent image processing. This paper concludes by summarizing the advantages of simulated annealing. (author)

Structural relaxation dynamics and annealing effects of sodium silicate glass.

Science.gov (United States)

Naji, Mohamed; Piazza, Francesco; Guimbretière, Guillaume; Canizarès, Aurélien; Vaills, Yann

2013-05-09

Here we report high-precision measurements of structural relaxation dynamics in the glass transition range at the intermediate and short length scale for a strong sodium silicate glass during long annealing times. We evidence for the first time the heterogeneous dynamics at the intermediate range order by probing the acoustic longitudinal frequency in the GHz region by Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. Or, from in-situ Raman measurements, we show that relaxation is indeed homogeneous at the interatomic length scale. Our results show that the dynamics at the intermediate range order contains two distinct relaxation time scales, a fast and a slow component, differing by about a 10-fold factor below Tg and approaching to one another past the glass transition. The slow relaxation time agrees with the shear relaxation time, proving that Si-O bond breaking constitutes the primary control of structural relaxation at the intermediate range order.

Characterization of graphite etched with potassium hydroxide and its application in fast-rechargeable lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Shim, Jae-Hyun; Lee, Sanghun

2016-08-01

Surface-modified graphite for application as an anode material in lithium ion batteries was obtained by etching with KOH under mild conditions without high-temperature annealing. The surface of the etched graphite is covered with many nano-sized pores that act as entrances for lithium ions during the charging process. As compared with pristine graphite and other references such as pitch-coated or etched graphite samples with annealing, our non-annealed etched graphite exhibits excellent electrochemical properties, particularly at fast charging rates of over 2.5 C. While avoidance of the trade-off between increase of irreversible capacity and good rate capability has previously been a main concern in highly porous carbonaceous materials, we show that the slightly larger surface area created by the etching does not induce a significant increase of irreversible capacity. This study shows that it is important to limit the size of pores to the nanometer scale for excellent battery performance, which is possible by etching under relatively mild conditions.

A determination of the benefits of annealing irradiated pressure vessel weldments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lott, R.G.; Mager, T.R.

1988-01-01

The long-term benefit of annealing an irradiated reactor pressure vessel steel may be described in terms of a benefit factor, B. The benefit factor compares the mechanical properties of an annealed and reirradiated specimen with an equivalent specimen having no intermediate anneal. The benefit factor was determined using a series of microhardness specimens prepared from nuclear pressure vessel surveillance program materials. These specimens were annealed and then reirradiated in a test reactor. There was an obvious long-term benefit in the specimens annealed at 450 0 C. The long-term benefit was less obvious at 400 0 C and no significant benefit was noted at 350 0 C. The benefit factor may also be used as the basis of a surveillance program for an annealed pressure vessel. A strategy for such a surveillance program is described. (author)

Effect of tensile stress on the annealed structure of a metallic glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vianco, P.T.; Li, J.C.M.

1987-01-01

The low-temperature (120 0 --245 0 C) structural relaxation of Metglas/sup R/ 2826B (Ni 49 Fe 29 P 14 B 6 Si 2 ) amorphous alloy was investigated for samples subjected to a tensile stress in the range of 20--400 MPa during annealing. The stress-annealed samples demonstrated a much smaller increase of microhardness than was observed in similarly annealed ribbons without a stress. Further heat treatment of the stress-annealed specimens, this time without the stress, was capable of increasing the microhardnesses of only some ribbons to values equal to those of samples similarly heat treated initially without a stress. An additional exothermic peak in the differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms of the stress-annealed specimens indicated the presence of a more disordered structure at room temperature, which was found to correlate with the lower microhardness values. Otherwise, those artifacts of the DSC thermograms that were characteristic of samples annealed without a stress were still present in the stress-annealed ribbons. No effect on the crystallization temperature was noted but the glass transition temperature was increased in the stress-annealed case with respect to values attained when the stress was absent during heat treatment. A reduction in the degree of embrittlement of those samples annealed with a tensile stress was a further indication of more disorder in the stress-annealed ribbons

Thermoluminescence of annealed and shock-loaded feldspar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartmetz, C.P.

1988-01-01

Samples of oligoclase and bytownite were shock-loaded to a variety of pressures, and annealed for a variety of temperatures and times. The effect of Mrad doses of gamma-rays on oligoclase TL were also studied. After these treatments, thermoluminescence (TL) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements were made to: (1) determine the effects of shock on terrestrial feldspar and compare with variations in the TL emission of ordinary chondrites (OCs); (2) determine if disordering in feldspar was responsible for any related changes in TL properties of OCs; (3) determine if the combined effect of shock plus annealing causes the changes in TL properties; (4) see if radiation damage from cosmic ray exposure plays a role in the TL variations; (5) examine the implications of this work to the thermal and shock histories of OCs. The lightly shock-loaded and annealed oligoclase samples have a dominant peak temperature of 120-140 C, identical to type 3.3-3.5 OCs. The heavily shocked samples dominant peak is at 230C, similar to type > 3.5 OCs . While the heavily annealed/disordered oligoclase samples have a peak at 280C, this peak is rarely observed in OCs. Radiation damage from Mrad doses of gamma-rays produced no change in peak temperature, but facilitated the shift to higher peak temperatures. The TL sensitivity of the shocked samples decreased by a factor of 25. Samples annealed at low temperatures (438-533C) showed a factor of 2 decrease in TL, but at the highest temperatures, the TL was a factor of 8 higher

Defect studies in annealed ZnO by positron annihilation spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanyal, D; Roy, Tapatee Kundu; Chakrabarti, Mahuya; Dechoudhury, Siddhartha; Bhowmick, Debasis; Chakrabarti, Alok [Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India)

2008-01-30

Coincidence Doppler broadening of the positron annihilation technique has been employed to identify the defects in thermally annealed 'as-received' ZnO and thermally annealed ball-milled nanocrystalline ZnO. Results indicate that a significant amount of oxygen vacancy has been created in ZnO due to annealing at about 500 deg. C and above. The results also indicate that the Zn vacancy created during the ball milling process can be easily removed by annealing the sample at about 500 deg. C and above. The defect characterization has also been correlated with the magnetic properties of ZnO.

Defect studies in annealed ZnO by positron annihilation spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanyal, D; Roy, Tapatee Kundu; Chakrabarti, Mahuya; Dechoudhury, Siddhartha; Bhowmick, Debasis; Chakrabarti, Alok

2008-01-01

Coincidence Doppler broadening of the positron annihilation technique has been employed to identify the defects in thermally annealed 'as-received' ZnO and thermally annealed ball-milled nanocrystalline ZnO. Results indicate that a significant amount of oxygen vacancy has been created in ZnO due to annealing at about 500 deg. C and above. The results also indicate that the Zn vacancy created during the ball milling process can be easily removed by annealing the sample at about 500 deg. C and above. The defect characterization has also been correlated with the magnetic properties of ZnO

Effects of Thermal Annealing Conditions on Cupric Oxide Thin Film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Hyo Seon; Oh, Hee-bong; Ryu, Hyukhyun [Inje University, Gimhae (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Won-Jae [Dong-Eui University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-07-15

In this study, cupric oxide (CuO) thin films were grown on fluorine doped tin oxide(FTO) substrate by using spin coating method. We investigated the effects of thermal annealing temperature and thermal annealing duration on the morphological, structural, optical and photoelectrochemical properties of the CuO film. From the results, we could find that the morphologies, grain sizes, crystallinity and photoelectrochemical properties were dependent on the annealing conditions. As a result, the maximum photocurrent density of -1.47 mA/cm{sup 2} (vs. SCE) was obtained from the sample with the thermal annealing conditions of 500 ℃ and 40 min.

Non-stoquastic Hamiltonians in quantum annealing via geometric phases

Science.gov (United States)

Vinci, Walter; Lidar, Daniel A.

2017-09-01

We argue that a complete description of quantum annealing implemented with continuous variables must take into account the non-adiabatic Aharonov-Anandan geometric phase that arises when the system Hamiltonian changes during the anneal. We show that this geometric effect leads to the appearance of non-stoquasticity in the effective quantum Ising Hamiltonians that are typically used to describe quantum annealing with flux qubits. We explicitly demonstrate the effect of this geometric non-stoquasticity when quantum annealing is performed with a system of one and two coupled flux qubits. The realization of non-stoquastic Hamiltonians has important implications from a computational complexity perspective, since it is believed that in many cases quantum annealing with stoquastic Hamiltonians can be efficiently simulated via classical algorithms such as Quantum Monte Carlo. It is well known that the direct implementation of non-stoquastic Hamiltonians with flux qubits is particularly challenging. Our results suggest an alternative path for the implementation of non-stoquasticity via geometric phases that can be exploited for computational purposes.

Fast and low-cost synthesis of 1D ZnO–TiO{sub 2} core–shell nanoarrays: Characterization and enhanced photo-electrochemical performance for water splitting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hernández, Simelys, E-mail: simelys.hernandez@iit.it [Center for Space Human Robotics (IIT-POLITO), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Trento 21, 10129 Torino (Italy); Cauda, Valentina; Hidalgo, Diana; Farías Rivera, Vivian; Manfredi, Diego; Chiodoni, Angelica [Center for Space Human Robotics (IIT-POLITO), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Trento 21, 10129 Torino (Italy); Pirri, Fabrizio C. [Center for Space Human Robotics (IIT-POLITO), Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Corso Trento 21, 10129 Torino (Italy); Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino (Italy)

2014-12-05

Highlights: • Simple, fast and low-cost synthesis of 1-D ZnO–TiO{sub 2} core–shell heterostructures. • ZnO NWs completely covered with a shell of anatase TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals in only 3 min. • The TiO{sub 2} shell thickness depends on the impregnation time in the titania synthesis bath. • 2-fold enhancement of photo-electrochemical activity and better stability of ZnONWs. • Forty- times higher photocurrent densities than TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles film. - Abstract: We report on a simple, fast and low-cost synthesis procedure for the complete covering of zinc oxide (ZnO) 1D nanostructures with a protective shell of titania (TiO{sub 2}) nanoparticles. ZnO nanowires (NWs) were grown on transparent F-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) conductive layer on glass by seed layer-assisted hydrothermal route in aqueous media, while the titania shell was deposited on the ZnO NWs through an in situ non-acid sol–gel synthesis. The nanowires impregnation time in the titania sol was varied from 3 to 10 min. The resulting core–shell ZnO–TiO{sub 2} structures were characterized by different techniques, including Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and UV–Vis spectroscopy, confirming the uniform coverage of the wurzite ZnO NWs with anatase TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (NPs), with a shell thickness dependent on the impregnation time in the titania synthesis bath. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) tests of the ZnO–TiO{sub 2} material, used as anode for the water splitting reaction, confirmed the formation of the heterojunction by the enhanced photocurrent densities, reaching values of about 0.7 mA/cm{sup 2} under simulated solar light (AM1.5G, 100mW/cm{sup 2}). The core–shell photo-anodes performance was about twice and forty- times better than the ones with a film of equivalent thickness of bare ZnO NWs and TiO{sub 2} NPs, respectively. Steady-state measures of the photocurrent over the time and FESEM analysis confirmed that this procedure could be

Synthesis and Characterization of Some Alkaline-Earth-Oxide Nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jitendra Pal; Lim, Weon Cheol; Won, Sung Ok; Song, Jonghan; Chae, Keun Hwa

2018-04-01

The present work reports the synthesis of MgO and CaO nanoparticles by using the sol-gel autocombustion method. The annealing of the precursor at 1200 °C was observed to lead the formation of MgO nanoparticles having average crystallite size of 31 nm. Annealing the precursor at same temperature produced materials having a CaO phase with a minor impure phase of calcium carbonate ( 3%). The crystallite size corresponding to the CaO phase was 38 nm. A change of thermal history in the precursor was observed not to result in an improvement of the CaO phase. The change of thermal history in the precursor gave rise to mixed phases of CaCO3 and Ca(OH)2 rather than the phase of CaO. Further, annealing at 1200 °C for 12 h resulted in the formation of the CaO phase along with almost 1 - 5% of calcium hydroxide as an impurity phase. X-ray absorption spectroscopic measurements carried out on these materials revealed that the local electronic/atomic structure of these oxides was not only affected by the impurity phases but also influenced by the carbaneous impurities attached to the crystallites.

Influence of annealing conditions on anodic tungsten oxide layers and their photoelectrochemical activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syrek, Karolina; Zych, Marta; Zaraska, Leszek; Sulka, Grzegorz D.

2017-01-01

Highlights: • Effect of annealing temperature on the morphology and crystalline structure of anodic WO 3 was investigated. • Photoelectrochemical properties of WO 3 layers annealed at different temperatures were studied. • Edges of conduction and valence bands were estimated for tungsten oxide layers annealed at different temperatures. • Influence of annealing time on crystalline structure, morphology and photoelectrochemical performance was studied. - Abstract: The nanoporous tungsten oxide films having an amorphous structure were prepared in an electrolyte containing fluoride ions via an anodization process. The as-synthesized anodic oxide layers can be easily converted to the monoclinic WO 3 phase upon annealing in air. The as-synthesized and annealed WO 3 layers were investigated by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and photocurrent spectroscopy. The effect of annealing temperature and annealing time on the oxide morphology, crystal structure and electrochemical properties were studied. The samples were annealed in air at the temperatures ranging from 400 to 600 °C, and it was found that the original porous morphology of oxide is completely lost after annealing at 600 °C. The changes in the average crystallite sizes upon annealing were confirmed by XRD measurements. The photoelectrochemical performance of the annealed WO 3 layers were studied under pulsed UV illumination, and the highest photocurrents were observed at the incident light wavelength of 350 nm for the sample annealed at 500 °C for 2 h. The band gap energy and the positions of conduction and valence band edges were determined for all studied samples.

Synthesis of Hollow Nanotubes of Zn2SiO4 or SiO2: Mechanistic Understanding and Uranium Adsorption Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Tripathi, Shalini; Bose, Roopa; Roy, Ahin; Nair, Sajitha; Ravishankar, N

2015-12-09

We report a facile synthesis of Zn2SiO4 nanotubes using a two-step process consisting of a wet-chemical synthesis of core-shell ZnO@SiO2 nanorods followed by thermal annealing. While annealing in air leads to the formation of hollow Zn2SiO4, annealing under reducing atmosphere leads to the formation of SiO2 nanotubes. We rationalize the formation of the silicate phase at temperatures much lower than the temperatures reported in the literature based on the porous nature of the silica shell on the ZnO nanorods. We present results from in situ transmission electron microscopy experiments to clearly show void nucleation at the interface between ZnO and the silica shell and the growth of the silicate phase by the Kirkendall effect. The porous nature of the silica shell is also responsible for the etching of the ZnO leading to the formation of silica nanotubes under reducing conditions. Both the hollow silica and silicate nanotubes exhibit good uranium sorption at different ranges of pH making them possible candidates for nuclear waste management.

Crystallinity and mechanical effects from annealing Parylene thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, Nathan, E-mail: Nathan.Jackson@tyndall.ie [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Stam, Frank; O' Brien, Joe [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland); Kailas, Lekshmi [University of Limerick, Limerick (Ireland); Mathewson, Alan; O' Murchu, Cian [Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork, Cork (Ireland)

2016-03-31

Parylene is commonly used as thin film polymer for MEMS devices and smart materials. This paper investigates the impact on bulk properties due to annealing various types of Parylene films. A thin film of Parylene N, C and a hybrid material consisting of Parylene N and C were deposited using a standard Gorham process. The thin film samples were annealed at varying temperatures from room temperature up to 300 °C. The films were analyzed to determine the mechanical and crystallinity effects due to different annealing temperatures. The results demonstrate that the percentage of crystallinity and the full-width-half-maximum value on the 2θ X-ray diffraction scan increases as the annealing temperature increases until the melting temperature of the Parylene films was achieved. Highly crystalline films of 85% and 92% crystallinity were achieved for Parylene C and N respectively. Investigation of the hybrid film showed that the individual Parylene films behave independently to each other, and the crystallinity of one film had no significant impact to the other film. Mechanical testing showed that the elastic modulus and yield strength increase as a function of annealing, whereas the elongation-to-break parameter decreases. The change in elastic modulus was more significant for Parylene C than Parylene N and this is attributed to the larger change in crystallinity that was observed. Parylene C had a 112% increase in crystallinity compared to a 61% increase for Parylene N, because the original Parylene N material was more crystalline than Parylene C so the change of crystallinity was greater for Parylene C. - Highlights: • A hybrid material consisting of Parylene N and C was developed. • Parylene N has greater crystallinity than Parylene C. • Phase transition of Parylene N due to annealing results in increased crystallinity. • Annealing caused increased crystallinity and elastic modulus in Parylene films. • Annealed hybrid Parylene films crystallinity behave

Glucose metabolism during fasting is altered in experimental porphobilinogen deaminase deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Collantes, María; Serrano-Mendioroz, Irantzu; Benito, Marina; Molinet-Dronda, Francisco; Delgado, Mercedes; Vinaixa, María; Sampedro, Ana; Enríquez de Salamanca, Rafael; Prieto, Elena; Pozo, Miguel A; Peñuelas, Iván; Corrales, Fernando J; Barajas, Miguel; Fontanellas, Antonio

2016-04-01

Porphobilinogen deaminase (PBGD) haploinsufficiency (acute intermittent porphyria, AIP) is characterized by neurovisceral attacks when hepatic heme synthesis is activated by endogenous or environmental factors including fasting. While the molecular mechanisms underlying the nutritional regulation of hepatic heme synthesis have been described, glucose homeostasis during fasting is poorly understood in porphyria. Our study aimed to analyse glucose homeostasis and hepatic carbohydrate metabolism during fasting in PBGD-deficient mice. To determine the contribution of hepatic PBGD deficiency to carbohydrate metabolism, AIP mice injected with a PBGD-liver gene delivery vector were included. After a 14 h fasting period, serum and liver metabolomics analyses showed that wild-type mice stimulated hepatic glycogen degradation to maintain glucose homeostasis while AIP livers activated gluconeogenesis and ketogenesis due to their inability to use stored glycogen. The serum of fasted AIP mice showed increased concentrations of insulin and reduced glucagon levels. Specific over-expression of the PBGD protein in the liver tended to normalize circulating insulin and glucagon levels, stimulated hepatic glycogen catabolism and blocked ketone body production. Reduced glucose uptake was observed in the primary somatosensorial brain cortex of fasted AIP mice, which could be reversed by PBGD-liver gene delivery. In conclusion, AIP mice showed a different response to fasting as measured by altered carbohydrate metabolism in the liver and modified glucose consumption in the brain cortex. Glucose homeostasis in fasted AIP mice was efficiently normalized after restoration of PBGD gene expression in the liver. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Mechanism and microstructural evolution of polyol mediated synthesis of nanostructured M-type SrFe12O19

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tenorio Gonzalez, F.N.; Bolarín Miró, A.M.; Sánchez De Jesús, F.; Cortés Escobedo, C.A.; Ammar, S.

2016-01-01

The synthesis mechanism of nanostructured M-type strontium hexaferrite SrFe 12 O 19 with high coercivity (5.7 kOe) obtained by a polyol process and annealing is proposed. The results show that the hexaferrite is synthesized through the formation of a complex with diethylene glycol during the hydrolysis and solvation stage, followed by the condensation of magnetite and strontium oxide. The results of the monitoring of the process by X-ray diffraction (XRD) of synthesized powders, magnetization hysteresis loops and micromorphology are presented and discussed. The proposed mechanism suggests the intermediate formation of the magnetite phase, which shows coercivity near zero at room temperature and confirms the nanoscale of the particles. Results of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis indicate that this phase is followed by the formation of the hematite phase after a heat treatment up to 543 °C in an oxidizing atmosphere. Finally, the hexagonal phase is obtained after application of annealing at 836 °C through the reaction between hematite and strontium oxide. - Highlights: • SrFe 12 O 19 was successfully obtained by a polyol-assisted synthesis. • Magnetite nanoparticles have been obtained as intermediate phase. • A synthesis mechanism for the growing stage of magnetite is proposed. • A reaction sequence and the synthesis mechanism to obtain hexaferrite is presented.

The effect of fast particles' irradiation on electrooptical properties of GaP LEDs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gontaruk, O.; Kovalenko, A.; Malyj, E.; Petrenko, I.; Pinkovska, M.; Polivtcev, L.; Tartachnyk, V.

2013-01-01

The electrooptical properties of industrial AL 102 GaP light-emitting diodes (LEDs) irradiated with fast particles have been studied. 2 MeV electrons and fast reactor neutrons were used and devices' microplsma emitting, current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics were measured. It was shown that electron irradiation in the range (2-5)10 16 cm -2 leads to the drop of microplasma emitting intensity, decrease of capacity and reverse currents and increase of reverse bias. The annealing study of current-voltage characteristics after neutron irradiation of diodes confirms the assumption about prevailing radiation influence on diode base due to induce of deep levels. (authors)

Implantation annealing by scanning electron beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaussaud, C.; Biasse, B.; Cartier, A.M.; Bontemps, A.

1983-11-01

Samples of ion implanted silicon (BF 2 , 30keV, 10 15 ions x cm -2 ) have been annealed with a multiple scan electron beam, at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 0 C. The curves of sheet resistance versus time show a minimum. Nuclear reaction measurements of the amount of boron remaining after annealing show that the increase in sheet resistance is due to a loss of boron. The increase in junction depths, measured by spreading resistance on bevels is between a few hundred A and 1000 A [fr

Enhanced dielectric and electrical properties of annealed PVDF thin film

Science.gov (United States)

Arshad, A. N.; Rozana, M. D.; Wahid, M. H. M.; Mahmood, M. K. A.; Sarip, M. N.; Habibah, Z.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

Poly (vinylideneflouride) (PVDF) thin films were annealed at various annealing temperatures ranging from 70°C to 170°C. This study demonstrates that PVDF thin films annealed at temperature of 70°C (AN70) showed significant enhancement in their dielectric constant (14) at frequency of 1 kHz in comparison to un-annealed PVDF (UN-PVDF), dielectric constant (10) at the same measured frequency. As the annealing temperature was increased from 90°C (AN90) to 150°C (AN150), the dielectric constant value of PVDF thin films was observed to decrease gradually to 11. AN70 also revealed low tangent loss (tan δ) value at similar frequency. With respect to its resistivity properties, the values were found to increase from 1.98×104 Ω.cm to 3.24×104 Ω.cm for AN70 and UN-PVDF films respectively. The improved in dielectric constant, with low tangent loss and high resistivity value suggests that 70°C is the favorable annealing temperature for PVDF thin films. Hence, AN70 is a promising film to be utilized for application in electronic devices such as low frequency capacitor.

Study of photoluminescence from annealed bulk-ZnO single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoneta, M.; Ohishi, M.; Saito, H. [Department of Applied Physics, Okayama University of Science, 1-1 Ridai-cho, Okayama 700-0005 (Japan); Yoshino, K. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Miyazaki University, 1-1 Gakuen Kibanadai-nishi, Miyazaki 889-2192 (Japan); Honda, M. [Faculty of Science, Naruto University of Education, 748 Nakajima, Takashima, Naruto-cho, Naruto-shi 772-8502 (Japan)

2006-03-15

We have investigated the influence of rapid thermal annealing on the photoluminescence of bulk-ZnO single crystal. As-grown ZnO wafer, illuminated by 325 nm ultraviolet light at 4.2 K, emitted the visible luminescence of pale green centered of 2.29 eV. The luminescence was observed by the anneal at the temperature range between 400 C and 1000 C, however, its intensity decreased with anneal temperature. The free-exciton and the 2.18 eV emission line were obtained by the anneal at 1200 C for 60 sec. From the X-ray diffraction and the surface morphology measurements, the improvement of the crystallinity of bulk-ZnO crystal were confirmed. We suggest that a rapid thermal annealing technique is convenience to improve the the quality of bul-ZnO single crystals. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

On simulated annealing phase transitions in phylogeny reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Strobl, Maximilian A R; Barker, Daniel

2016-08-01

Phylogeny reconstruction with global criteria is NP-complete or NP-hard, hence in general requires a heuristic search. We investigate the powerful, physically inspired, general-purpose heuristic simulated annealing, applied to phylogeny reconstruction. Simulated annealing mimics the physical process of annealing, where a liquid is gently cooled to form a crystal. During the search, periods of elevated specific heat occur, analogous to physical phase transitions. These simulated annealing phase transitions play a crucial role in the outcome of the search. Nevertheless, they have received comparably little attention, for phylogeny or other optimisation problems. We analyse simulated annealing phase transitions during searches for the optimal phylogenetic tree for 34 real-world multiple alignments. In the same way in which melting temperatures differ between materials, we observe distinct specific heat profiles for each input file. We propose this reflects differences in the search landscape and can serve as a measure for problem difficulty and for suitability of the algorithm's parameters. We discuss application in algorithmic optimisation and as a diagnostic to assess parameterisation before computationally costly, large phylogeny reconstructions are launched. Whilst the focus here lies on phylogeny reconstruction under maximum parsimony, it is plausible that our results are more widely applicable to optimisation procedures in science and industry. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Laser-annealed GaP OHMIC contacts for high-temperature devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eknoyan, O.; Van der Hoeven, W.; Richardson, T.; Porter, W.A.; Coquat, J.A.

1980-01-01

The results of successful Nd:YAG laser annealed ohmic contacts on n-type GaP are reported. Comparisons on identical laser and thermal annealed contacts on the same substrates are performed. Aging investigations are also studied. The results indicate that laser annealed contacts have far superior electrical characteristics, much better surface morphology and are substantially more stable with aging than the same but thermally alloyed ones

Polyenergy ion beam synthesis of buried oxynitride layer in silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barabanenkov, M.Yu. E-mail: barab@ipmt-hpm.ac.ru; Agafonov, Yu.A.; Mordkovich, V.N.; Pustovit, A.N.; Vyatkin, A.F.; Zinenko, V.I

2000-11-01

The efficiency of silicon oxynitride synthesis in silicon crystals implanted with substoichiometric doses of oxygen and nitrogen ions is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Si crystals are implanted with oxygen and nitrogen ions with doses of 1.5 and 4.5x10{sup 17} cm{sup -2}, respectively, at fixed oxygen ion energy of 150 keV and nitrogen ion energies varied from 80 to 180 keV. The samples annealed at 1200 deg C for 2 h were analysed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). Theoretically, a `diffusion-alternative sinks' model is applied to the annealing stage of ion beam synthesis of a buried layer of a new phase in solids. It is shown that the maximum of the ternary phase production is attained when nitrogen ions are implanted deeper than oxygen ions. An explanation of this fact is given in terms of that (i) the segregation of oxygen and nitrogen species on the surface of oxide nuclei removes the kinetic restriction of nuclei growth, characteristic of oxide growth, at the expense of only oxygen atoms, and (ii) the higher the implantation energy the smoother the shape of ion range distribution in the target, which, in its turn, causes the predominance of the impurity sink over the impurity diffusion.

Polyenergy ion beam synthesis of buried oxynitride layer in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barabanenkov, M.Yu.; Agafonov, Yu.A.; Mordkovich, V.N.; Pustovit, A.N.; Vyatkin, A.F.; Zinenko, V.I.

2000-01-01

The efficiency of silicon oxynitride synthesis in silicon crystals implanted with substoichiometric doses of oxygen and nitrogen ions is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. Si crystals are implanted with oxygen and nitrogen ions with doses of 1.5 and 4.5x10 17 cm -2 , respectively, at fixed oxygen ion energy of 150 keV and nitrogen ion energies varied from 80 to 180 keV. The samples annealed at 1200 deg C for 2 h were analysed by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). Theoretically, a `diffusion-alternative sinks' model is applied to the annealing stage of ion beam synthesis of a buried layer of a new phase in solids. It is shown that the maximum of the ternary phase production is attained when nitrogen ions are implanted deeper than oxygen ions. An explanation of this fact is given in terms of that (i) the segregation of oxygen and nitrogen species on the surface of oxide nuclei removes the kinetic restriction of nuclei growth, characteristic of oxide growth, at the expense of only oxygen atoms, and (ii) the higher the implantation energy the smoother the shape of ion range distribution in the target, which, in its turn, causes the predominance of the impurity sink over the impurity diffusion

Electrical and structural characterization of as-grown and annealed hydrothermal bulk ZnO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassier, G. H.; Hayes, M.; Auret, F. D.; Mamor, M.; Bouziane, K.

2007-01-01

Hall effect measurements in the range 20-370 K on as-grown and annealed hydrothermal bulk ZnO have been performed. The bulk conductivity in the highly resistive as-grown sample was found to decrease and then increase after annealing at 550 deg. C and 930 deg. C, respectively. The conduction in the as-grown material is attributed to a deep donor which is replaced by a much shallower donor after annealing at 930 deg. C. Annealing at both temperatures also produced strong surface conduction effects. Nondegenerate low-mobility surface conduction dominated the electrical properties of the sample annealed at 550 deg. C, while a degenerate surface channel was formed after annealing at 930 deg. C. In addition, Rutherford backscattering and channeling spectrometry (RBS/C) was used to assess the effect of annealing on the crystalline quality of the samples. RBS/C measurements reveal that annealing at 930 deg. C leads to significant improvement of the crystalline quality of the material, while annealing at 550 deg. C results in the segregation of a nonchanneling impurity at the surface

Annealing effects in low upper-shelf welds (series 9)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskander, S.K.; Nanstad, R.K.

1995-01-01

The purpose of the Ninth Irradiation Series is to evaluate the correlation between fracture toughness and CVN impact energy during irradiation, annealing, and reirradiation (IAR). Results of annealing CVN specimens from the low-USE welds from the Midland beltline and nozzle course welds, as well as HSST plate 02 and HSSI weld 73W are given. Also presented is the effect of annealing on the initiation fracture toughness of annealed material from Midland beltline weld and HSST plate 02. The results from capsule 10-5 specimens of weld 73W confirm those previously obtained on the so-called undersize specimens that were irradiated in the Fifth Irradiation Series, namely that the recovery due to annealing at 343 degrees C (650 degrees F) for 1 week is insignificant. The fabrication of major components for the IAR facility for two positions on the east side of the FNR at the University of Michigan has begun. Fabrication of two reusable capsules (one for temperature verification and the other for dosimetry verification), as well as two capsules for IAR, studies is also under way. The design of a reusable capsule capable of reirradiating previously irradiated and annealed CVN and 1T C(T) specimens is also progressing. The data acquisition and control (DAC) instrumentation for the first two IAR facilities is essentially complete and awaiting completion of the IAR facilities and temperature test capsule for checkout and control algorithm development

Kinetics of annealing of irradiated surveillance pressure vessel steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, D.J.; Wechsler, M.S.

1982-01-01

Indentation hardness measurements as a function of annealing were made on broken halves of Charpy impact surveillance samples. The samples had been irradiated in commercial power reactors to a neutron fluence of approximately 1 x 10 18 neutrons per cm 2 , E > 1 MeV, at a temperature of about 300 0 C (570 0 F). Results are reported for the weld metal, which showed greater radiation hardening than the base plate or heat-affected zone material. Isochronal and isothermal anneals were conducted on the irradiated surveillance samples and on unirradiated control samples. No hardness changes upon annealing occurred for the control samples. The recovery in hardness for the irradiated samples took place mostly between 400 and 500 0 C. Based on the Meechan-Brinkman method of analysis, the activation energy for annealing was found to be 0.60 +- 0.06 eV. According to computer simulation calculations of Beeler, the activation energy for migration of vacancies in alpha iron is about 0.67 eV. Therefore, the results of this preliminary study appear to be consistent with a mechanism of annealing of radiation damage in pressure vessel steels based on the migration of radiation-produced lattice vacancies

Annealing evolutionary stochastic approximation Monte Carlo for global optimization

KAUST Repository

Liang, Faming

2010-01-01

outperform simulated annealing, the genetic algorithm, annealing stochastic approximation Monte Carlo, and some other metaheuristics in function optimization. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Structural relaxation in annealed hyperquenched basaltic glasses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guo, Xiaoju; Mauro, John C.; Potuzak, M.

2012-01-01

The enthalpy relaxation behavior of hyperquenched (HQ) and annealed hyperquenched (AHQ) basaltic glass is investigated through calorimetric measurements. The results reveal a common onset temperature of the glass transition for all the HQ and AHQ glasses under study, indicating that the primary...... relaxation is activated at the same temperature regardless of the initial departure from equilibrium. The analysis of secondary relaxation at different annealing temperatures provides insights into the enthalpy recovery of HQ glasses....

Magnet properties of Mn{sub 70}Ga{sub 30} prepared by cold rolling and magnetic field annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ener, Semih, E-mail: ener@fm.tu-darmstadt.de [Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Skokov, Konstantin P. [Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Karpenkov, Dmitriy Yu. [Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Faculty of Physics, Tver State University, 170100 Tver (Russian Federation); Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 236041 Kaliningrad (Russian Federation); Kuz' min, Michael D. [Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Gutfleisch, Oliver [Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Fraunhofer IWKS, Project Group for Material Cycles and Resource Strategy, 63457 Hanau (Germany)

2015-05-15

The remanence and coercivity of arc melted Mn{sub 70}Ga{sub 30} can be substantially improved by cold rolling. For best performance the rolled material should be annealed at T=730 K in the presence of a magnetic field of 1 T. The so-obtained magnet has a remanence of 0.239 T and a coercivity of 1.24 T at room temperature. The underlying reason for the high coercivity and remanence is the increase of the content of a metastable ferrimagnetic D0{sub 22} phase at the expense of the normally stable anti-ferromagnetic D0{sub 19}. Magnetic field significantly increases the nucleation rate of the ferromagnetic D0{sub 22} phase that leads to grain size refinement and as a consequence of improving remanence and coercive field. - Highlights: • Alternative synthesis method for D0{sub 22} phase formation in Mn–Ga is developed. • Effect of cold rolling and annealing on magnetic properties of Mn{sub 70}Ga{sub 30} is examined. • Small magnetic fields are sufficient to accelerate nucleation of the D0{sub 22} phase.

Use of superheated steam to anneal the reactor pressure vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porowski, J.S.

1994-01-01

Thermal annealing of an embrittled Reactor Pressure Shell is the only recognized means for recovering material properties lost due to long-term exposure of the reactor walls to radiation. Reduced toughness of the material during operation is a major concern in evaluations of structural integrity of older reactors. Extensive studies performed within programs related to life extension of nuclear plants have confirmed that the thermal treatment of 850 degrees F for 168 hours on irradiated material essentially recovers material properties lost due to neutron exposure. Dry and wet annealing methods have been considered. Wet annealing involves operating the reactor at near design temperatures and pressures. Since the temperature of wet annealing must be limited to vessel design temperature of 650 degrees F, only partial recovery of the lost properties is achieved. Thus dry annealing was selected as an alternative for future development and industrial implementation to extend the safe life of reactors

Pulsed electron-beam annealing of selenium-implanted gallium arsenide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inada, T.; Tokunaga, K.; Taka, S.

1979-01-01

Electrical properties of selenium-implanted gallium arsenide annealed by a single shot of high-power pulsed electron beams have been investigated by differential Hall-effect and sheet-resistivity measurements. It has been shown that higher electrical activation of implanted selenium can be obtained after electron-beam annealing at an incident energy density of 1.2 J/cm 2 , independent of heating of GaAs substrate during implantation. Measured carrier concentrations exhibit uniformly distributed profiles having carrier concentrations of 2--3 x 10 19 /cm 3 , which is difficult to realize by conventional thermal annealing

Comparative studies of laser annealing technique and furnace annealing by X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis of lithium manganese oxide thin films for lithium-ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pröll, J.; Weidler, P.G.; Kohler, R.; Mangang, A.; Heißler, S.; Seifert, H.J.; Pfleging, W.

2013-01-01

The structure and phase formations of radio frequency magnetron sputtered lithium manganese oxide thin films (Li 1.1 Mn 1.9 O 4 ) under ambient air were studied. The influence of laser annealing and furnace annealing, respectively, on the bulk structure and surface phases was compared by using ex-situ X-ray diffraction and Raman analysis. Laser annealing technique formed a dominant (440)-reflection, furnace annealing led to both, (111)- and (440)-reflections within a cubic symmetry (S.G. Fd3m (227)). Additionally, in-situ Raman and in-situ X-ray diffraction were applied for online detection of phase transformation temperatures. In-situ X-ray diffraction measurements clearly identified the starting temperature for the (111)- and (440)-reflections around 525 °C and 400 °C, respectively. The 2θ Bragg peak positions of the characteristic (111)- and (440)-reflections were in good agreement with those obtained through conventional furnace annealing. Laser annealing of lithium manganese oxide films provided a quick and efficient technique and delivered a dominant (440)-reflection which showed the expected electrochemical behavior of the well-known two-step de-/intercalation process of lithium-ions into the cubic spinel structure within galvanostatic testing and cyclic voltammetry. - Highlights: ► Formation of cubic spinel-like phase of Li–Mn–O thin films by rapid laser annealing ► Laser annealing at 680 °C and 100 s was demonstrated as quick crystallization method. ► 400 °C was identified as characteristic onset temperature for (440)-reflex formation

Post-annealing effects on pulsed laser deposition-grown GaN thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Yu-Wen; Wu, Hao-Yu; Lin, Yu-Zhong; Lee, Cheng-Che; Lin, Ching-Fuh

2015-01-01

In this work, the post-annealing effects on gallium nitride (GaN) thin films grown from pulsed laser deposition (PLD) are investigated. The as-deposited GaN thin films grown from PLD are annealed at different temperatures in nitrogen ambient. Significant changes of the GaN crystal properties are observed. Raman spectroscopy is used to observe the crystallinity, the change of residual stress, and the thermal decomposition of the annealed GaN thin films. X-ray diffraction is also applied to identify the crystal phase of GaN thin films, and the surface morphology of GaN thin films annealed at different temperatures is observed by scanning electron microscopy. Through the above analyses, the GaN thin films grown by PLD undergo three stages: phase transition, stress alteration, and thermal decomposition. At a low annealing temperature, the rock salt GaN in GaN films is transformed into wurtzite. The rock salt GaN diminishes with increasing annealing temperature. At a medium annealing temperature, the residual stress of the film changes significantly from compressive strain to tensile strain. As the annealing temperature further increases, the GaN undergoes thermal decomposition and the surface becomes granular. By investigating the annealing temperature effects and controlling the optimized annealing temperature of the GaN thin films, we are able to obtain highly crystalline and strain-free GaN thin films by PLD. - Highlights: • The GaN thin film is grown on sapphire by pulsed laser deposition. • The GaN film undergoes three stages with increasing annealing temperature. • In the first stage, the film transfers from rock salt to wurtzite phase. • In the second stage, the stress in film changes from compressive to tensile. • In the final stage, the film thermally decomposes and becomes granular

Room temperature synthesis and characterization of CdO nanowires by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dhawale, D.S.; More, A.M.; Latthe, S.S.; Rajpure, K.Y.; Lokhande, C.D.

2008-01-01

A chemical synthesis process for the fabrication of CdO nanowires is described. In the present work, transparent and conductive CdO films were synthesized on the glass substrate using chemical bath deposition (CBD) at room temperature. These films were annealed in air at 623 K and characterized for the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties were studied by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical and electrical resistivity. The XRD analysis showed that the as-deposited amorphous can be converted in to polycrystalline after annealing. Annealed CdO nanowires are 60-65 nm in diameter and length ranges typically from 2.5 to 3 μm. The optical properties revealed the presence of direct and indirect band gaps with energies 2.42 and 2.04 eV, respectively. Electrical resistivity measurement showed semiconducting behavior and thermoemf measurement showed n-type electrical conductivity

Toward understanding dynamic annealing processes in irradiated ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myers, Michael Thomas [Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

2013-05-01

High energy particle irradiation inevitably generates defects in solids. The ballistic formation and thermalization of the defect creation process occur rapidly, and are believed to be reasonably well understood. However, knowledge of the evolution of defects after damage cascade thermalization, referred to as dynamic annealing, is quite limited. Unraveling the mechanisms associated with dynamic annealing is crucial since such processes play an important role in the formation of stable postirradiation disorder in ion-beam-processing of semiconductors, and determines the “radiation tolerance” of many nuclear materials. The purpose of this dissertation is to further our understanding of the processes involved in dynamic annealing. In order to achieve this, two main tasks are undertaken.

The effect of humidity on annealing of polymer optical fibre bragg gratings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Woyessa, Getinet; Nielsen, Kristian; Bang, Ole

2015-01-01

The effect of humidity on annealing of PMMA based microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) Bragg gratings is studied. Polymer optical fibers (POFs) are annealed in order to release stress formed during the fabrication process. Un-annealed fibers will have high hysteresis and low sensitivity...... to humidity, particularly when operated at high temperature. Typically annealing of PMMA POFs is done at 80oC in an oven with no humidity control and therefor at low humidity. The response to humidity of PMMA FBGs annealed at different levels of humidity at the same temperature has also been studied. PMMA...

Production and beam annealing of damage in carbon implanted silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kool, W.H.; Roosendaal, H.E.; Wiggers, L.W.; Saris, F.W.

1978-01-01

The annealing of damage introduced by 70 keV C implantation of Si is studied for impact of H + and He + beams in the energy interval 30 to 200 keV. For a good description of the annealing behaviour it is necessary to account for the damage introduction which occurs simultaneously. It turns out that the initial damage annealing rate is proportional to the amount of damage. The proportionality constant is related to a quantity introduced in an earlier paper in order to describe saturation effects in the damage production after H + or He + impact in unimplanted Si. This indicates that the same mechanism governs both processes: beam induced damage annealing and saturation of the damage introduction. (author)

The precipitation in annealing and its effect on permittivity of Fe–Si–Al powders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Gang; Cui, Yin; Zhang, Nan; Wang, Xin; Xie, Jian Liang

2016-01-01

SEM images show that some precipitates distributed on the surface of as-annealed Fe–Si–Al powders. Subsequent experimental results indicate that both morphology and microstructure of as-annealed Fe–Si–Al powders change with increasing annealing temperature. Meanwhile, dielectric properties analysis suggesting that both real part ε′ and imaginary part ε″ of the Fe–Si–Al powders decrease significantly after annealed at 450 °C or higher temperature. We assume that it’s the precipitates with low electrical conductivity developed on the surface of powders that increase the surface resistivity of as-annealed powders and leading to a lower imagine part of permittivity. The drop of real part ε′ ascribed to the weakened interfacial polarization which resulted from the decrease of structural defects such as grain boundaries and interfaces during annealing process. - Highlights: • As-milled Fe–Si–Al powders were annealed at various temperature. • The change of morphology and microstructure of as-annealed Fe–Si–Al was examined. • Complex permittivity decrease significantly after annealed over 400 °C and permeability increase as annealing temperature rises. • The precipitation process in annealing and its effect on permittivity were analyzed.

Experimental study of swelling of irradiated solid methane during annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shabalin, E.; Fedorov, A.; Kulagin, E.; Kulikov, S.; Melikhov, V.; Shabalin, D.

2008-01-01

Solid methane, notwithstanding its poor radiation properties, is still widely in use at pulsed neutron sources. One of the specific problems is radiolytic hydrogen gas pressure on the walls of a methane chamber during annealing of methane. Results of experimental study of this phenomenon under fast neutron irradiation with the help of a specially made low temperature irradiation rig at the IBR-2 pulsed reactor are presented. Peak pressure on the wall of the experimental capsule during heating of a sample irradiated at 23-35 K appeared to have a maximum of 27 bar at the absorbed dose 20 MGy, and then falls down with higher doses. Pressure always reached its peak value within the temperature range 72-79 K. Generally, three phases of methane swelling during heating can be distinguished, each characterized by proper rate and intensity. Results of this study were accounted for in design of the solid methane moderator of the second target station of the ISIS facility (England)

Precipitation response of annealed type 316 stainless steel in HFIR irradiations at 550 to 6800C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maziasz, P.J.

1978-01-01

Precipitation in annealed type 316 stainless steel after HFIR irradiation at 550--680 0 C to fluences producing 2000--3300 at. ppM He and 30--47 dpa is changed relative to fast reactor or thermal aging exposure to similar temperatures and times. The phases observed after HFIR irradiation are the same as those observed after aging to temperatures 70--200 0 C higher or for much longer times. There is a similar temperature shift in addition to different phases observed for HFIR irradiation compared with EBR-II. The changes observed are coincident with including simultaneous helium production to high levels in the irradiation damage products of the material

The effect of the fast neutron current on the amino acid contents and nucleic acid synthesis in maize plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhundova, N.I.

2001-01-01

At the present time the effects of external influences on the genetic structures of the plant cells and the transmission of the accepted signals to other cellular structures and then to the whole organism have actively been studied. According to the opinion of a number of authors the gene expression and repression are immediate responses to the environment changes. To affect the plant genetic apparatus it is quite enough to expose it to some factors such as gamma rays, X- rays, neutron currents, saline-, temperature- or osmotic stresses. At the current stage of the research of the molecular mechanisms of the plant adaptation to the environment changes the priority goal is to ascertain the nature of the influence of the above mentioned factors on the processes of DNA replication and transcription, as the nucleic acids are the targets for external effects. The fast neutron current is one of the factors that influence the plant growth and development. Unlike gamma rays, the mechanism of the neutron irradiation on the plant genetic apparatus is very poorly studied. The objective of our research was the study of the fast neutron current effects on the DNA replication and transcription processes and amino acid synthesis in the irradiated maize plants

Pulsed Q-switched ruby laser annealing of Bi implanted Si crystals investigated by channeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutch, B.I.; Shih-Chang, T.; Shang-Hwai, L.; Zu-Yao, Z.; Jia-Zeng, H.; Ren-Zhi, D.; Te-Chang, C.; De-Xin, C.

1979-01-01

Channeling was used to investigate pulsed, Q switched ruby-laser annealed and thermally annealed Si single crystals implanted with 40-keV Bi ions to a dose of 10 15 atoms/cm 2 . After thermal annealing, residual damage decreased with increasing annealing temperature to a minimum value of 30% at 900 0 C. The Bi atoms in substitutional sites reached a maximum value (50%) after annealing at 750 0 C but decreased with increasing annealing temperature. Out diffusion of Bi atoms occurred at temperatures higher than 625 0 C. For comparison, the residual damage disappeared almost completely after pulsed-laser annealing (30 ns pulse width, Energy, E = 3J/cm 2 ). The concentration of Bi in Si exceeded its solid solubility by an order of magnitude; 95% of Bi atoms were annealed to substitutional sites. Laser pulses of different energies were used to investigate the efficiency of annealing. (author)

Defect annealing in Mn/Fe-implanted TiO2 (rutile)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunnlaugsson, H P; Svane, A; Weyer, G; Mantovan, R; Masenda, H; Naidoo, D; Mølholt, T E; Gislason, H; Ólafsson, S; Johnston, K; Bharuth-Ram, K; Langouche, G

2014-01-01

A study of the annealing processes and charge state of dilute Fe in rutile TiO 2 single crystals was performed in the temperature range 143–662 K, utilizing online 57 Fe emission Mössbauer spectroscopy following low concentrations (<10 −3  at%) implantation of 57 Mn (T 1/2  = 1.5 min). Both Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ were detected throughout the temperature range. Three annealing stages were distinguished: (i) a broad annealing stage below room temperature leading to an increased Fe 3+ fraction; (ii) a sharp annealing stage at ∼330 K characterized by conversion of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ and changes in the hyperfine parameters of Fe 2+ , attributed to the annealing of Ti vacancies in the vicinity of the probe atoms; and (iii) an annealing stage in the temperature range from 550 to 600 K, where all Fe ions are transformed to Fe 3+ , attributed to the annealing of the nearby O vacancies. The dissociation energy of Mn Ti –V O pairs was estimated to be 1.60(15) eV. Fe 2+ is found in an environment where it can probe the lattice structure through the nuclear quadrupole interaction evidencing the extreme radiation hardness of rutile TiO 2 . Fe 3+ is found in a paramagnetic state with slow spin–lattice relaxation which follows a ∼T n temperature dependence with 4.1 < n < 6.3 at T > 350 K. (paper)

Effects of annealing on evaporated SnS thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samsudi Sakrani; Bakar Ismail

1994-01-01

The effects of annealing of evaporated tin sulphide thin films (SnS) are described. The films were initially deposited onto glass substrate, followed by annealing in an encapsulated carbon block under the running argon gas at 310 degree Celsius. Short time annealing of the films results in a slight change of the compositions to a mix SnS/SnS sub 2 compound, and the tendency of increasing SnS sub 2 formation was observed on the films annealed for longer periods up to 20 hours. X-ray results showed the transformation of SnS peaks (040) and (080) to predominantly SnS sub 2 peaks - (001), (100), (101), and (110). The associated absorption coefficients measured on the films were found to be greater than 10 sup 5 cm sup -1, with indication of higher photon energy leading to the formation of SnS sub 2 compound

Effects of annealing on evaporated SnS thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sakrani, Samsudi; Ismail, Bakar [Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor Bahru (Malaysia). Dept. of Physics

1994-12-31

The effects of annealing of evaporated tin sulphide thin films (SnS) are described. The films were initially deposited onto glass substrate, followed by annealing in an encapsulated carbon block under the running argon gas at 310 degree Celsius. Short time annealing of the films results in a slight change of the compositions to a mix SnS/SnS sub 2 compound, and the tendency of increasing SnS sub 2 formation was observed on the films annealed for longer periods up to 20 hours. X-ray results showed the transformation of SnS peaks (040) and (080) to predominantly SnS sub 2 peaks - (001), (100), (101), and (110). The associated absorption coefficients measured on the films were found to be greater than 10 sup 5 cm sup -1, with indication of higher photon energy leading to the formation of SnS sub 2 compound.

Traffic Flow Optimization Using a Quantum Annealer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florian Neukart

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Quantum annealing algorithms belong to the class of metaheuristic tools, applicable for solving binary optimization problems. Hardware implementations of quantum annealing, such as the quantum processing units (QPUs produced by D-Wave Systems, have been subject to multiple analyses in research, with the aim of characterizing the technology’s usefulness for optimization and sampling tasks. In this paper, we present a real-world application that uses quantum technologies. Specifically, we show how to map certain parts of a real-world traffic flow optimization problem to be suitable for quantum annealing. We show that time-critical optimization tasks, such as continuous redistribution of position data for cars in dense road networks, are suitable candidates for quantum computing. Due to the limited size and connectivity of current-generation D-Wave QPUs, we use a hybrid quantum and classical approach to solve the traffic flow problem.

Improved luminescence properties of nanocrystalline silicon based electroluminescent device by annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, Keisuke; Hirakuri, Kenji

2006-01-01

We report an annealing effect on electrical and luminescence properties of a red electroluminescent device consisting of nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si). The red luminescence was generated by flowing the forward current into the device at a low threshold direct current (DC) forward voltage with a rise of annealing temperature up to 500 deg. C. Moreover, the luminescence of the device annealed at 500 deg. C was more intense than that of the device annealed at 200 deg. C or less under the same forward current density, because of the injection of a large quantity of carriers to the radiative recombination centers at the nc-Si surface vicinity. These were attained by a low resistivity of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode and good contact at the ITO electrode/luminous layer interface region by the annealing treatment. The above results indicated that the annealing treatment of the device is effective for the realization of high luminance due to the improvement in the injection efficiency of carriers to the radiative recombination centers

Effect of annealing temperature on the mechanical properties of Zircaloy-4 cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beauregard, R.J.; Clevinger, G.S.; Murty, K.L.

1977-01-01

The mechanical properties of Zircaloy cladding materials are sensitive to those fabrication variables which have an effect on the preferred crystallographic orientation or texture of the finished tube. The effect of one such variable, the final annealing temperature, on various mechanical properties is examined using tube reduced Zircaloy-4 fuel rod cladding annealed at temperatures from 905F to 1060F. This temperature range provides cladding with varying degrees of recrystallization including full recrystallization. The burst strength of the cladding at 650F decreased with the annealing temperature reaching a saturation value at approximately 1000F. The total circumferential elongation increased with the annealing temperature reaching a maximum at approximately 1000F and decreasing at higher temperatures. Hoop creep characteristics of Zircaloy cladding were studied as a function of the annealing temperature using closed-end internal pressurization tests at 750F and hoop stresses of 10, 15, 20 and 25 ksi. The effect of annealing temperature on the room temperature mechanical anisotropy parameters, R and P, was studied. The R-parameter was essentially independent of the annealing temperature while the P-parameter increased with annealing temperature. The mechanical anisotropy parameters were also studied as a function of the test temperature from ambient to approximately 800F using continuously monitored high precision extensometry. (Auth.)

Superheated steam annealing of pressurized water reactor vessel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porowski, J.S.

1993-01-01

Thermal annealing of an embrittled Reactor Pressure Shell is the only recognized means for recovering material properties lost due to long-term exposure of the reactor walls to radiation. Reduced toughness of the material during operation is a major concern in evaluations of structural integrity of older reactors. Extensive studies performed within programs related to life extension of nuclear plants have confirmed that the thermal treatment of 850 deg. F for 168 hours on irradiated material essentially recovers material properties lost due to neutron exposure. Dry and wet annealing methods have been considered. Wet annealing involves operating the reactor at near design temperatures and pressures. Since the temperature of wet annealing must be limited to vessel design temperature of 650 deg. F, only partial recovery of the lost properties is achieved. Thus dry annealing was selected as an alternative for future development and industrial implementation to extend the safe life of reactors. Dry thermal annealing consists of heating portions of the reactor vessel at a specific temperature for a given period of time using a high temperature heat source. The use of spent fuel assemblies, induction heating and resistance heating elements as well as the circulation of heated fluid were investigated as potential candidate methods. To date the use of resistance heating elements which are lowered into a dry empty reactor was considered to be the preferred method. In-depth research in the United States and practical applications of such a method in Russia have confirmed feasibility of the method. The method of using circulating superheated steam to anneal the vessel at 850 deg. F without complete removal of the reactor internals is described herein. After removing the reactor head and fuel, the core barrel along with the upper and lower core in PWRs is lifted to open an annular space between the reactor shell flange and the core barrel flange. The thermal shield can remain

Encapsulated Silicon Nanocrystals Formed in Silica by Ion Beam Synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Han Woo; Woo, Hyung Joo; Kim, Joon Kon; Kim, Gi Dong; Hong, Wan; Ji, Young Yong

2004-01-01

The photoluminescence (PL) emission of Si nanocrystals synthesized by 400 keV Si ion implanted in SiO 2 is studied as a function of ion dose and annealing time. The formation of nanocrystals at around 600 nm from the surface was confirmed by RBS and HRTEM, and the Si nanocrystals showed a wide and very intense PL emission at 700-900 nm. The intensity of this emission showed a typical behaviour with a fast transitory increase to reach a saturation with the annealing time, however, the red shift increased continuously because of the Ostwald ripening. The oversaturation of dose derived a decrease of PL intensity because of the diminishment of quantum confinement. A strong enhancement of PL intensity by H passivation was confirmed also, and the possible mechanism is discussed

Effects of different annealing atmospheres on the properties of cadmium sulfide thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yücel, E., E-mail: dr.ersinyucel@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Mustafa Kemal University, 31034 Hatay (Turkey); Kahraman, S. [Department of Metallurgy and Material Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Mustafa Kemal University, 31034 Hatay (Turkey); Güder, H.S. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Mustafa Kemal University, 31034 Hatay (Turkey)

2015-08-15

Graphical abstract: The effects of different annealing atmospheres (air and sulfur) on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CdS thin films were studied at three different pH values. - Highlights: • Compactness and smoothness of the films were enhanced after sulfur annealing. • Micro-strain values of some films were improved after sulfur annealing. • Dislocation density values of some films were improved after sulfur annealing. • Band gap values of the films were improved after sulfur annealing. - Abstract: Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by using chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. The effects of different annealing atmospheres (air and sulfur) on the structural, morphological and optical properties of CdS thin films were studied at three different pH values. Compactness and smoothness of the films (especially for pH 10.5 and 11) enhanced after sulfur annealing. pH value of the precursor solution remarkably affected the roughness, uniformity and particle sizes of the films. Based on the analysis of X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the films, micro-strain and dislocation density values of the sulfur-annealed films (pH 10.5 and 11) were found to be lower than those of air-annealed films. Air-annealed films (pH 10.5, 11 and 11.5) exhibited higher transmittance than sulfur-annealed films in the wavelength region of 550–800 nm. Optical band gap values of the films were found between 2.31 eV and 2.36 eV.

Creep rupture properties of solution annealed and cold worked type 316 stainless steel cladding tubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathew, M.D.; Latha, S.; Mannan, S.L.; Rodriguez, P.

1990-01-01

Austenitic stainless steels (mainly type 316 and its modifications) are used as fuel cladding materials in all current generation fast breeder reactors. For the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam, modified type 316 stainless steel (SS) was chosen as the material for fuel cladding tubes. In order to evaluate the influence of cold work on the performance of the fuel element, the investigation was carried out on cladding tubes in three metallurgical conditions (solution annealed, ten percent cold worked and twenty percent cold worked). The results indicate that: (i) The creep strength of type 316 SS cladding tube increases with increasing cold work. (ii) The benificial effects of cold work are retained at almost all the test conditions investigated. (iii) The Larson Miller parameter analysis shows a two slope behaviour for 20PCW material suggesting that caution should be exercised in extrapolating the creep rupture life to stresses below 125 MPa. At very low stress levels, the LMP values fall below the values of the 10 PCW material. (author). 6 refs., 19 figs. , 10 tabs

Annealing-free synthesis of C-N co-doped TiO{sub 2} hierarchical spheres by using amine agents via microwave-assisted solvothermal method and their photocatalytic activities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Yu-Chun, E-mail: yuchunwu@mail.ncku.edu.tw; Ju, Lung-Shen

2014-08-01

Highlights: • The synthesis method for C-N co-doped TiO{sub 2} hierarchical spheres is proposed. • Microwave-assisted solvothermal method is applied. • C and N are doped into TiO{sub 2} via a direct chelating reaction of amine compounds. • The photodegradation rate is eightfold higher than the commercial P25 powders. - Abstract: The annealing-free synthesis of C-N co-doped TiO{sub 2} hierarchical spheres is proposed in this study. C and N were doped into the TiO{sub 2} structure via a direct chelating process to the Ti-precursor by using different amine agents, including hexadecylamine (HDA), diethylamine (DEA), trimethylamine (TMA), and diethylenetriamine (DETA). C-N co-doped TiO{sub 2} spheres (300 nm to 500 nm) composed of nanoparticles approximately 11 nm to 13 nm in size were obtained via an efficient microwave-assisted solvothermal reaction at 190 °C for 60 min. The effects of C and N doping by using different amine compounds on the bandgap energy and photocatalytic performance of TiO{sub 2} were investigated. Among the amine compounds, DETA provided the highest chelating efficiency because it provides two primary amine groups, which resulted in the highest C and N doping concentrations and the largest degree of bandgap narrowing (2.77 eV); nevertheless, the high chelating ratio of C and N restrained the crystallization of TiO{sub 2} and considerably decreased its photocatalytic activity. The use of TMA produced optimal C and N doping concentrations, which effectively reduced the bandgap of TiO{sub 2} to 2.85 eV without affecting its crystallization. Its photodecomposition activity to rhodamine B was eightfold of that of commercial Degussa P25 powders under visible light irradiation.

Annealing to Mitigate Pitting in Electropolished Niobium Coupons and SRF Cavities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooley, L.D.; Hahn, E.; Hicks, D.; Romanenko, A.; Schuessler, R.; Thompson, C.; /Fermilab

2011-06-08

Ongoing studies at Fermilab investigate whether dislocations and other factors instigate pitting during cavity electropolishing (EP), despite careful processing controls and the inherent leveling mechanism of EP itself. Here, cold-worked niobium coupons, which exhibited increased tendencies for pitting in our past study, were annealed in a high vacuum furnace and subsequently processed by EP. Laser confocal scanning microscopy and special defect counting algorithms were used to assess the population of pits formed. Hardness measurements indicated that annealing for 2 hours at 800 C produced recovery, whereas annealing for 12 hours at 600 C did not, as is consistent with known changes for cavities annealed in a similar way. The 800 C anneal was effective in some cases but not others, and we discuss reasons why tendencies for pitting remain. We discuss implications for cavities and continued work to understand pitting.

Considerable improvement in the stability of solution processed small molecule OLED by annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mao Guilin [Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology for Information, Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Wu Zhaoxin, E-mail: zhaoxinwu@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology for Information, Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); He Qiang [Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology for Information, Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Department of UAV, Wuhan Ordnance Noncommissioned Officers Academy, Wuhan, 430075 (China); Jiao Bo; Xu Guojin; Hou Xun [Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology for Information, Key Laboratory for Physical Electronics and Devices of the Ministry of Education, School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, 710049 (China); Chen Zhijian; Gong Qihuang [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics and Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, 100871 (China)

2011-06-15

We investigated the annealing effect on solution processed small organic molecule organic films, which were annealed with various conditions. It was found that the densities of the spin-coated (SC) films increased and the surface roughness decreased as the annealing temperature rose. We fabricated corresponding organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) by spin coating on the same annealing conditions. The solution processed OLEDs show the considerable efficiency and stability, which were prior or equivalent to the vacuum-deposited (VD) counterparts. Our research shows that annealing process plays a key role in prolonging the lifetime of solution processed small molecule OLEDs, and the mechanism for the improvement of the device performance upon annealing was also discussed.

Annealed silver-islands for enhanced optical absorption in organic solar cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otieno, Francis, E-mail: frankotienoo@gmail.com [Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050Johannesburg (South Africa); Materials for Energy Research Group, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050 Johannesburg (South Africa); Airo, Mildred [School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050 (South Africa); Ranganathan, Kamalakannan [School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050 (South Africa); DST-NRF Centre of Strong Materials and the Molecular Sciences Institute, School of Chemistry, University of the Witwatersrand, 2193 Johannesburg (South Africa); Wamwangi, Daniel [Material Physics Research Institute, School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050Johannesburg (South Africa); Materials for Energy Research Group, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits, 2050 Johannesburg (South Africa)

2016-01-01

Silver nano-islands are explored for enhancing optical absorption and photo-conversion efficiency in organic solar cells (OSCs) based on the surface plasmon resonance effect under diverse annealing conditions. Ag nano-islands have been deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at 15 W for 10 s and subsequently annealed between 100 °C–250 °C in air and Argon ambient. The optical properties of the reconstructed Ag islands demonstrate an increase and a blue shift in the absorption bands with increasing annealing temperature. This is the localized surface plasmon effect due to the Ag islands of diverse sizes, shapes and coverages. The increase in optical absorption with temperature is attributed to changes in island shape and density as collaborated by atomic force microscopy and TEM. As a proof of concept, an organic solar cell was characterized for current–voltage (I–V) measurements under dark and under solar simulated white light. Incorporation of annealed Ag islands has yielded an efficiency increment of between 4–24%. - Highlights: • RF Sputtering can be used to produce Ag NPs at low power. • Annealing enhances size, shape reconstruction as well as inter-particle separation. • Annealing in Argon ambient is more suitable than in air. • Ag NPs annealed at 250 °C enhances device absorption and PCE by up to 24%.

Effect of heat moisture treatment and annealing on physicochemical ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Red sorghum starch was physically modified by annealing and heat moisture treatment. The swelling power and solubility increased with increasing temperature range (60-90°), while annealing and heatmoisture treatment decreased swelling power and solubility of starch. Solubility and swelling were pH dependent with ...

High annealing temperature induced rapid grain coarsening for efficient perovskite solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Xiaobing; Zhi, Lili; Jia, Yi; Li, Yahui; Cui, Xian; Zhao, Ke; Ci, Lijie; Ding, Kongxian; Wei, Jinquan

2018-08-15

Thermal annealing plays multiple roles in fabricating high quality perovskite films. Generally, it might result in large perovskite grains by elevating annealing temperature, but might also lead to decomposition of perovskite. Here, we study the effects of annealing temperature on the coarsening of perovskite grains in a temperature range from 100 to 250 °C, and find that the coarsening rate of the perovskite grain increase significantly with the annealing temperature. Compared with the perovskite films annealed at 100 °C, high quality perovskite films with large columnar grains are obtained by annealing perovskite precursor films at 250 °C for only 10 s. As a result, the power conversion efficiency of best solar cell increased from 12.35% to 16.35% due to its low recombination rate and high efficient charge transportation in solar cells. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mechanism and microstructural evolution of polyol mediated synthesis of nanostructured M-type SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tenorio Gonzalez, F.N.; Bolarín Miró, A.M. [Área Académica de Ciencias de la Tierra y Materiales, UAEH, Carr. Pachuca-Tulancingo Km. 4.5, C.P. 42184 Pachuca, Hidalgo (Mexico); Sánchez De Jesús, F., E-mail: fsanchez@uaeh.edu.mx [Área Académica de Ciencias de la Tierra y Materiales, UAEH, Carr. Pachuca-Tulancingo Km. 4.5, C.P. 42184 Pachuca, Hidalgo (Mexico); Cortés Escobedo, C.A. [Centro de Investigación e Innovación Tecnológica del IPN, Cda. CECATI S/N, Col. Sta. Catarina, C. P. 02250 Azcapotzalco, D. F. (Mexico); Ammar, S. [Université Paris Diderot, Paris 7, Laboratoire Interfaces, Traitements, Organisation et Dynamiqué des Systéme UMR, 7086, Paris (France)

2016-06-01

The synthesis mechanism of nanostructured M-type strontium hexaferrite SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} with high coercivity (5.7 kOe) obtained by a polyol process and annealing is proposed. The results show that the hexaferrite is synthesized through the formation of a complex with diethylene glycol during the hydrolysis and solvation stage, followed by the condensation of magnetite and strontium oxide. The results of the monitoring of the process by X-ray diffraction (XRD) of synthesized powders, magnetization hysteresis loops and micromorphology are presented and discussed. The proposed mechanism suggests the intermediate formation of the magnetite phase, which shows coercivity near zero at room temperature and confirms the nanoscale of the particles. Results of thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis indicate that this phase is followed by the formation of the hematite phase after a heat treatment up to 543 °C in an oxidizing atmosphere. Finally, the hexagonal phase is obtained after application of annealing at 836 °C through the reaction between hematite and strontium oxide. - Highlights: • SrFe{sub 12}O{sub 19} was successfully obtained by a polyol-assisted synthesis. • Magnetite nanoparticles have been obtained as intermediate phase. • A synthesis mechanism for the growing stage of magnetite is proposed. • A reaction sequence and the synthesis mechanism to obtain hexaferrite is presented.

Annealing effects on the migration of ion-implanted cadmium in glassy carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hlatshwayo, T.T., E-mail: thulani.hlatshwayo@up.ac.za [Physics Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria (South Africa); Sebitla, L.D. [Physics Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria (South Africa); Physics Department, University of Botswana, Gaborone (Botswana); Njoroge, E.G.; Mlambo, M.; Malherbe, J.B. [Physics Department, University of Pretoria, Pretoria (South Africa)

2017-03-15

The migration behaviour of cadmium (Cd) implanted into glassy carbon and the effects of annealing on radiation damage introduced by ion implantation were investigated. The glassy carbon substrates were implanted with Cd at a dose of 2 × 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2} and energy of 360 keV. The implantation was performed at room temperature (RT), 430 °C and 600 °C. The RT implanted samples were isochronally annealed in vacuum at 350, 500 and 600 °C for 1 h and isothermally annealed at 350 °C up to 4 h. The as-implanted and annealed samples were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Raman results revealed that implantation at room temperature amorphized the glassy carbon structure while high temperature implantations resulted in slightly less radiation damage. Isochronal annealing of the RT implanted samples resulted in some recrystallization as a function of increasing temperature. The original glassy carbon structure was not achieved at the highest annealing temperature of 600 °C. Diffusion of Cd in glassy carbon was already taking place during implantation at 430 °C. This diffusion of Cd was accompanied by significant loss from the surface during implantation at 600 °C. Isochronal annealing of the room temperature implanted samples at 350 °C for 1 h caused Cd to diffuse towards the bulk while isothermal annealing at 500 and 600 °C resulted in the migration of implanted Cd toward the surface accompanied by a loss of Cd from the surface. Isothermal annealing at 350 °C for 1 h caused Cd to diffuse towards the bulk while for annealing time >1 h Cd diffused towards the surface. These results were interpreted in terms of trapping and de-trapping of implanted Cd by radiation damage.

Damage recovery in ZnO by post-implantation annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Audren, A.; Hallen, A.; Linnarsson, M.K.; Possnert, G.

2010-01-01

ZnO bulk samples were implanted with 200 keV-Co ions at room temperature with two fluences, 1 x 10 16 and 8 x 10 16 cm -2 , and then annealed in air for 30 min at different temperatures up to 900 o C. After the implantation and each annealing step, the samples were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) in random and channeling directions to follow the evolution of the disorder profile. The RBS spectra reveal that disorder is created during implantation in proportion to the Co fluence. The thermal treatments induce a disorder recovery, which is however, not complete after annealing at 900 o C, where about 15% of the damage remains. To study the Co profile evolution during annealing, the samples were, in addition to RBS, characterized by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The results show that Co diffusion starts at 800 o C, but also that a very different behavior is seen for Co concentrations below and above the solubility limit.

Structural evolution of tunneling oxide passivating contact upon thermal annealing.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Sungjin; Min, Kwan Hong; Jeong, Myeong Sang; Lee, Jeong In; Kang, Min Gu; Song, Hee-Eun; Kang, Yoonmook; Lee, Hae-Seok; Kim, Donghwan; Kim, Ka-Hyun

2017-10-16

We report on the structural evolution of tunneling oxide passivating contact (TOPCon) for high efficient solar cells upon thermal annealing. The evolution of doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) into polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si) by thermal annealing was accompanied with significant structural changes. Annealing at 600 °C for one minute introduced an increase in the implied open circuit voltage (V oc ) due to the hydrogen motion, but the implied V oc decreased again at 600 °C for five minutes. At annealing temperature above 800 °C, a-Si:H crystallized and formed poly-Si and thickness of tunneling oxide slightly decreased. The thickness of the interface tunneling oxide gradually decreased and the pinholes are formed through the tunneling oxide at a higher annealing temperature up to 1000 °C, which introduced the deteriorated carrier selectivity of the TOPCon structure. Our results indicate a correlation between the structural evolution of the TOPCon passivating contact and its passivation property at different stages of structural transition from the a-Si:H to the poly-Si as well as changes in the thickness profile of the tunneling oxide upon thermal annealing. Our result suggests that there is an optimum thickness of the tunneling oxide for passivating electron contact, in a range between 1.2 to 1.5 nm.

Annealing effects on the photoresponse properties of CdSe nanocrystal thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou Shiyun; Zhou Changhua; Wang Hongzhe; Shen Huaibin; Cheng Gang; Du Zuliang; Zhou, Shaomin; Li Linsong

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The as-prepared CdSe nanocrystal films were treated at 500 deg. C for 3 h under continuous N 2 . → Annealing process removed the organic capping completely and eliminated oxide on the CdSe surface. → Thermal annealing resulted the increase of the crystallite sizes and necking the NCs. → The photoresponse speed of the CdSe nanocrystal films was improved. - Abstract: The photoresponse properties of the as-prepared and annealed close-packed CdSe nanocrystal (NC) films were investigated under laser illumination by Kelvin probe force microscopy. The annealing process improved the photoresponse speed of the CdSe NC films. The work function of the annealed CdSe NC films changed more rapidly than that of the non-annealed film in air at room temperature. Combined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements and thermogravimetric analysis, the observed phenomena can be interpreted that annealing process removed the organic capping agents completely and eliminated oxide on the CdSe surface, which formed the tunnel barrier between NCs in the CdSe NC films. Consequently, it improved the separation rate of photoelectric charges and thus provided high speed photoresponse.

cw argon laser annealing of anodic oxide on GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakravarti, S.N.; Das, P.; Webster, R.T.; Bhat, K.N.

1981-01-01

Anodic oxide films (850 +- 50 A thick) grown on n + (100) bulk GaAs were subjected to selective area annealing using a cw argon laser operating at an output power of 1.2 W. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements performed on Al-anodic oxide-GaAs MOS capacitor structures show that laser-annealed capacitor dots have greatly reduced field-induced hysteresis effects in their capacitance-voltage characteristics compared to the unannealed ones. The oxide leakage current also shows a significant improvement: the leakage current magnitude of MOS capacitors in laser-annealed oxide island is over four orders of magnitude less than the oxide region which was not exposed to the laser radiation. Dielectric breakdown measurement indicates that laser-annealed capacitors have considerably higher breakdown voltages, about a factor of 2 higher than the unannealed capacitors

Annealing behaviour of excess carriers in neutron-transmutation-doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maekawa, T.; Nogami, S.; Inoue, S.

1993-01-01

In neutron-transmutation-doped silicon wafers excess carriers are clearly generated over the transmuted phosphorus atoms. The generation occurs for annealing temperatures above 900 o C. The maximum percentage of excess carriers obtained is about 24.5% of the final carrier concentration. Due to the difference in energy of generation and removal, the excess carriers can be removed by annealing above 800 o C. The radiation damage responsible for generation of excess carriers is fairly thermostable in the range of annealing temperatures below 800 o C. From deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements, it is found that the radiation damage remains insensitive to changes in carrier concentration. The activation energies of excess carrier generation and removal are estimated from the analysis of the thermal and temporal behaviours of radiation damage in the annealing process. (Author)

Positron annihilation spectroscopy study on annealing effect of CuO nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi, Jianjian; Wang, Jiaheng; Yang, Wei; Zhu, Zhejie; Wu, Yichu

2016-01-01

The microstructure and defects of CuO nanoparticles under isochronal annealing were investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD and SEM results indicated that the average grain sizes of CuO nanoparticles grew slowly below 800 °C, and then increased rapidly with the annealing temperature from 800 to 1000 °C. Positron lifetime analysis exhibited that positrons were mainly annihilated in mono-vacancies (V Cu , V O ) and vacancy clusters when annealing from 200 to 800 °C. Furthermore, W-S plot of Doppler broadening spectra at different annealing temperatures found that the (W, S) points distributed on two different defect species, which suggested that V − Cu - V + O complexes were produced when the grains grew to bigger size after annealing above 800 °C, and positrons might annihilate at these complexes. (author)

Positron annihilation spectroscopy study on annealing effect of CuO nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shi, Jianjian; Wang, Jiaheng; Yang, Wei; Zhu, Zhejie; Wu, Yichu, E-mail: ycwu@whu.edu.cn [School of Physics and Technology, Hubei Key Laboratory of Nuclear Solid State Physics, Wuhan University (WHU), Wuhan (China)

2016-03-15

The microstructure and defects of CuO nanoparticles under isochronal annealing were investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). XRD and SEM results indicated that the average grain sizes of CuO nanoparticles grew slowly below 800 °C, and then increased rapidly with the annealing temperature from 800 to 1000 °C. Positron lifetime analysis exhibited that positrons were mainly annihilated in mono-vacancies (V{sub Cu}, V{sub O}) and vacancy clusters when annealing from 200 to 800 °C. Furthermore, W-S plot of Doppler broadening spectra at different annealing temperatures found that the (W, S) points distributed on two different defect species, which suggested that V{sup −}{sub Cu} - V{sup +}{sub O} complexes were produced when the grains grew to bigger size after annealing above 800 °C, and positrons might annihilate at these complexes. (author)

Annealing effects of ZnO nanorods on dye-sensitized solar cell efficiency

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Jooyoung; Lee, Juneyoung [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemoon-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Lim, Sangwoo, E-mail: swlim@yonsei.ac.k [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemoon-gu, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-06-01

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) were fabricated using ZnO nanorod arrays vertically grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass using a low-temperature hydrothermal method. When the ZnO seed layer was annealed, greater DSSC efficiency was obtained. This may be attributed to the improvement of adhesion between the FTO and the seed layer and the corresponding effective growth of the ZnO nanorods. The DSSCs fabricated using ZnO nanorods which underwent annealing were more efficient than those that did not undergo annealing. The ZnO nanorods which were annealed in N{sub 2}/H{sub 2} or O{sub 2} had increased dye loadings due to higher OH concentrations on the hydrophilic surface, which contributed to the improved DSSC efficiency. The fill factor increased after the annealing of the ZnO nanorods, potentially due to the improved crystallinity of the ZnO nanorods. In this study, annealing of both the seed layer and the ZnO nanorods resulted in the greatest DSSC efficiency.

SnS absorber thin films by co-evaporation: Optimization of the growth rate and influence of the annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robles, Víctor, E-mail: victor.robles@ciemat.es; Trigo, Juan Francisco; Guillén, Cecilia; Herrero, José

2015-05-01

Tin sulfide thin films were prepared by co-evaporation on soda-lime glass substrates, for use as absorber layers. The synthesis was carried out at 350 °C substrate temperature and varying the growth rate in the 2-6 Å/s range, adjusting the deposition time in order to obtain thicknesses in the 700-1500 nm range. After evaporation, the samples were heated at 400 °C and 500 °C under various atmospheres. The evolution of the morphological, structural and optical properties has been analyzed as a function of the thickness and deposition rate, before and after annealing. For the samples grown at the lowest rate, SnS and Sn{sub 2}S{sub 3} phase mixing has been observed by X-ray diffraction. Samples with reduced thickness preferably crystallize in the SnS phase, whereas thicker layers become richer in the Sn{sub 2}S{sub 3} phase. The sulfur treatment of samples prepared at the lowest rate results in the formation of SnS{sub 2} phase. Otherwise, the samples obtained at the highest rates show single-phase SnS after heating at 400 °C in sulfur atmosphere, with gap energy values around 1.24 eV. - Highlights: • Tin sulfide thin films were deposited by co-evaporation at different growth rates. • The influence of the growth rate and post-annealing at different conditions was studied. • The SnS phase was obtained by optimizing the growth rate and the annealing process. • The SnS phase presented properties for use as absorber layer.

Rapid magnetic hardening by rapid thermal annealing in NdFeB-based nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, K.-T.; Jin, Z Q; Chakka, Vamsi M; Liu, J P [Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019 (United States)

2005-11-21

A systematic study of heat treatments and magnetic hardening of NdFeB-based melt-spun nanocomposite ribbons have been carried out. Comparison was made between samples treated by rapid thermal annealing and by conventional furnace annealing. Heating rates up to 200 K s{sup -1} were adopted in the rapid thermal processing. It was observed that magnetic hardening can be realized in an annealing time as short as 1 s. Coercivity of 10.2 kOe in the nanocomposites has been obtained by rapid thermal annealing for 1 s, and prolonged annealing did not give any increase in coercivity. Detailed results on the effects of annealing time, temperature and heating rate have been obtained. The dependence of magnetic properties on the annealing parameters has been investigated. Structural characterization revealed that there is a close correlation between magnetic hardening and nanostructured morphology. The coercivity mechanism was also studied by analysing the magnetization minor loops.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of annealed SUS 304H austenitic stainless steel with copper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sen, Indrani [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Amankwah, E. [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Department of Materials Science, African University of Science and Technology, Abuja (Nigeria); Kumar, N.S. [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India); Fleury, E. [Center for High Temperature Energy Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of); Oh-ishi, K.; Hono, K. [National Institute for Materials Science, 1-2-1 Sengen, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan); Ramamurty, U., E-mail: ramu@materials.iisc.ernet.in [Department of Materials Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 (India)

2011-05-25

Research highlights: {yields} SUS 304H austenitic stainless steel containing 3 wt.% Cu was annealed at 700 deg. C for up to 100 h. {yields} Microstructure and mechanical properties of annealed alloys are examined. {yields} Nano-sized Cu-rich precipitation upon annealing. {yields} Strength of the alloy remains invariant with annealing whereas ductility improves. {yields} Fatigue crack growth threshold of 3 wt.% Cu added alloy increases with annealing. - Abstract: An experimental investigation into the effect of Cu on the mechanical properties of 0 and 3 wt.% Cu added SUS 304H austenitic stainless steel upon annealing at 700 deg. C for up to 100 h was conducted. Optical microscopy reveals grain coarsening in both the alloys upon annealing. Observations by transmission electron microscopy revealed the precipitation of nanometer-sized spherical Cu particles distributed within the austenitic grains and the presence of carbides at the dislocations. Both the yield and ultimate tensile strengths of the alloys were found to remain invariant with annealing. Tensile ductility and the threshold stress intensity factor range for fatigue crack growth for 3 wt.% Cu added alloy increase with annealing. These are attributed to the grain coarsening with annealing. In all, the addition of Cu to SUS 304H does not affect the mechanical performance adversely while improving creep resistance.

Recent evaluation of 'wet' thermal annealing to resolve reactor pressure vessel embrittlement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Server, W.L.; Biemiller, E.C.

1993-01-01

Prior to the decision to close the Yankee Rowe plant in 1992, a great deal of effort was expended in trying to resolve the degree of neutron embrittlement that the reactor pressure vessel had experienced after 30 years of operation. One mitigative measure that was examined in detail was the possibility of performing a relatively low temperature thermal anneal (at approximately 650 deg. F) to partially restore the original design level of mechanical properties of the reactor pressure vessel beltline region which were lost due to the neutron radiation exposure. This low temperature anneal was to involve heating of the primary coolant water using pump heat in a similar manner as that used to anneal the Belgian BR-3 reactor pressure vessel in the early 1980s. This 'wet' anneal was successful in recovering mechanical properties for the BR-3 vessel, but the extent of the recovery, as well as the rate of re-embrittlement after the anneal, were issues that were difficult to quantify since the exact reactor pressure vessel steels were not available for experimental verification. For the case of Yankee Rowe, material was available from past surveillance programs for at least one of the materials in the vessel, as well as materials obtained from various sources which could act as bounding surrogates. An irradiation /annealing/reirradiation program was developed to better quantify the degree of recovery and re-embrittlement for these materials, but this program was halted before significant test results were obtained. Prior to the initiation of the testing program, a review of past annealing data was performed and the data were scrutinized for direct relevance to the annealing response of the Yankee Rowe vessel. This paper discusses the results derived from this review. The results from the critical review of the past annealing data indicated that a 'wet' anneal of the Yankee Rowe vessel may have been successful in reducing the degree of embrittlement to the point that the

Graphite moderator annealing of the experimental reactor for irradiation (0.5 MW)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliveira Avila, Carlos Alberto de; Pires, Luis Fernando Goncalves

1995-01-01

This work describes an operational procedure for the annealing of the graphite moderator in the 0,5 MW Experimental Reactor for Irradiation. A theoretical methodology has been developed for calculating the temperature field during the annealing process. The equations for mass, momentum, and energy conservation for the coolant as well as for the energy conservation in the moderator are solved numerically. The energy stored in the graphite and released in the annealing is accounted for by the use of a modified source term in the energy conservation equation for the moderator. A good agreement has been found for comparisons of the calculations with annealing data from the BEPO reactor. The major parameters affecting annealing have also been determined. (author). 8 refs, 11 figs

Effects of annealing on tensile property and corrosion behavior of Ti-Al-Zr alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Tae-Kyu; Choi, Byung-Seon; Jeong, Yong-Hwan; Lee, Doo-Jeong; Chang, Moon-Hee

2002-01-01

The effects of annealing on the tensile property and corrosion behavior of Ti-Al-Zr alloy were evaluated. The annealing in the temperature range from 500 to 800 deg. C for 1 h induced the growth of the grain and the precipitate sizes. The results of tensile tests at room temperature showed that the strengths and the ductility were almost independent of the annealing temperature. However, the results of corrosion test in an ammonia aqueous solution of pH 9.98 at 360 deg. C showed that the corrosion resistance depended on the annealing temperature, and the corrosion rate was accelerated with increasing annealing temperature. Hydrogen contents absorbed during the corrosion test of 220 days also increased with the annealing temperature. It could be attributed to the growth of Fe-rich precipitates by annealing. It is thus suggested that the lower annealing temperatures provide the better corrosion properties without degrading the tensile properties

Cyclical Annealing Technique To Enhance Reliability of Amorphous Metal Oxide Thin Film Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hong-Chih; Chang, Ting-Chang; Lai, Wei-Chih; Chen, Guan-Fu; Chen, Bo-Wei; Hung, Yu-Ju; Chang, Kuo-Jui; Cheng, Kai-Chung; Huang, Chen-Shuo; Chen, Kuo-Kuang; Lu, Hsueh-Hsing; Lin, Yu-Hsin

2018-02-26

This study introduces a cyclical annealing technique that enhances the reliability of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) via-type structure thin film transistors (TFTs). By utilizing this treatment, negative gate-bias illumination stress (NBIS)-induced instabilities can be effectively alleviated. The cyclical annealing provides several cooling steps, which are exothermic processes that can form stronger ionic bonds. An additional advantage is that the total annealing time is much shorter than when using conventional long-term annealing. With the use of cyclical annealing, the reliability of the a-IGZO can be effectively optimized, and the shorter process time can increase fabrication efficiency.

Annealing of chemical radiation damage in zirconium nitrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mahamood, Aysha; Chandunni, E.; Nair, S.M.K.

1979-01-01

A kinetic study of the annealing of γ-irradiation damage in zirconium nitrate is presented. The annealing can be represented as a combination of a first order and a second order process. It is considered that the first order process is the combination of close correlated pairs of Osup(-) and NO fragments and the second order process involves the single reaction of random recombination of the fragments throughout the crystal. (auth.)

Liquid nitrogen enhancement of partially annealed fission tracks in glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilione, L.J.; Gold, D.P.

1976-01-01

It is known that the number density of fission tracks in solids is reduced if the sample is heated before chemical etching, and the effect of annealing must be allowed for before an age can be assigned to the sample. The extent of annealing can be determined by measuring the reduction of track parameters (diameter and/or length) and comparison with unannealed tracks. Correct ages can be obtained by careful calibration studies of track density reduction against track diameter or length reduction at different annealing temperatures and times. For crystallised minerals, however, the resulting correction techniques are not generally valid. In the experimental work described glass samples were partially annealed and then immersed in liquid N 2 for various periods, and it was shown that the properties of the glass and the track parameters could be altered so as to observe tracks that would normally be erased by annealing. The results of track density measurements against liquid N 2 immersion times are shown graphically. A gain of about 40% was achieved after 760 hours immersion time. The size of the tracks was not noticeably affected by the immersion. It was thought that thermal shock might be the cause of the track enhancement, but it was found that repeated immersion for about 2 hours did not lead to an increase in track density. Other studies suggest that the mechanism that erases the tracks through annealing may be partially reversed when the temperature of the sample is significantly lowered for a sufficient length of time. Further work is under way to find whether or not the process of enhancement is a reversal of the annealing process. Similar enhancement effects using liquid N 2 have been observed for d-particle tracks in polycarbonate detectors. (U.K.)

Effects of annealing on the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of Ti-Al-V alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, T. K.; Choi, B. S.; Baek, J. H.; Choi, B. K.; Jeong, Y. H.; Lee, D. J.; Jang, M. H.; Jeong, Y. H.

2002-01-01

In order to determine the annealing condition after cold rolling, the effects of annealing on the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of Ti-Al-V alloy were evaluated. The results of tensile tests at room temperature showed that the strengths and the ductility were almost independent of the annealing temperature. The results of hardness test also revealed that the hardness was independent of the annealing, However, the results of corrosion test in an ammoniated water of pH 9.98 at 360 .deg. C showed that the corrosion resistance depended on the annealing temperature, and the corrosion rate was accelerated with increasing annealing temperature. Hydrogen contents absorbed during the corrosion test of 120 days also increased with the annealing temperature. It may be attributed to the growth of α' precipitates by annealing. It is thus suggested that the lower annealing temperatures provide the better corrosion properties without degrading the tensile properties

Radiation annealing in Ag and Au due to energetic displacement cascades

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Averback, R.S.; Merkle, K.L.

1975-01-01

Radiation annealing due to energetic displacement cascades has been studied in Ag and Au. Thin film specimens, 2500 A, were doped to various concentrations of Frenkel pair defects by irradiating with 150 keV protons at temperatures below 10 K. Subsequently, the specimens were irradiated below 10 K with energetic, approximately 540 keV, self-ions. Electrical resistivity measurements were used to monitor the concentration of defects as a function of dose. In Au, approximately 5 percent of the doped-in Frenkel pairs, annealed during the 540 keV Au irradiation. The annealing volume associated with individual cascades was found to be 2.1 x 10 -16 cm 3 . In Ag approximately 5 percent of the doped-in defects annealed during a 500 keV Ag irradiation and the annealing volume of the cascade was found to be 5 x 10 -16 cm 3 . In addition, the effects of doping concentration and specimen temperature during doping were investigated

Influence of the surfactant and annealing rate on the morphology, magnetic and structural characteristics of Co2FeAl nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pezeshki-Nejad, Zahra; Ramazani, Abdolali; Alikhanzadeh-Arani, Sima; Almasi-Kashi, Mohammad; Salavati-Niasari, Masoud

2016-01-01

This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of the attractive magnetic alloys, full-Heusler Co 2 FeAl nanoparticles. A modified co-precipitation method has been developed in a template of chitosan biopolymer. XRD pattern of the product confirmed the high crystalline quality of the L2 1 ‒ordered nanoparticles, refined by Rietveld analysis. It was found that using different annealing rates can be surprisingly effective to achieve different morphologies from granular microstructure to fibrous-shaped nanostructure. Based on the obtained results of the high resolution TEM image, the presence of both populations of large single crystal grains and polycrystalline clusters containing several small particles (about 10 nm) can be found in the sample annealed up to 700 °C with 5 °C/min. This particle size distribution led to the co-existence of high and low coercive-field phases in the related FORC diagram. Major hysteresis loops showed that the using of chitosan biopolymer resulted in a smaller magnetic saturation compared to that of the control sample, probably due to presence of the oxide shell around the surface of nanoparticles when exposed to air. - Highlights: • First Order Reversal Curves (FORCs) analysis was used to study precisely. • A simple chemical process of co- precipitation rout was used for synthesizing the nanoparticles. • Well known chitosan biopolymer was used as polymer template for coating the nanoparticles. • Effects of the temperature and heating rate in the annealing process were investigated.

Rapid thermal and swift heavy ion induced annealing of Co ion implanted GaN films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baranwal, V.; Pandey, A. C.; Gerlach, J. W.; Rauschenbach, B.; Karl, H.; Kanjilal, D.; Avasthi, D. K.

2008-01-01

Thin epitaxial GaN films grown on 6H-SiC(0001) substrates were implanted with 180 keV Co ions at three different fluences. As-implanted samples were characterized with secondary ion mass spectrometry and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry to obtain the Co depth profiles and the maximum Co concentrations. As-implanted samples were annealed applying two different techniques: rapid thermal annealing and annealing by swift heavy ion irradiation. Rapid thermal annealing was done at two temperatures: 1150 deg. C for 20 s and 700 deg. C for 5 min. 200 MeV Ag ions at two fluences were used for annealing by irradiation. Crystalline structure of the pristine, as-implanted, and annealed samples was investigated using x-ray diffraction, and the results were compared. Improvement of the crystalline quality was observed for rapid thermal annealed samples at the higher annealing temperature as confirmed with rocking curve measurements. The results indicate the presence of Co clusters in these annealed samples. Swift heavy ion irradiation with the parameters chosen for this study did not lead to a significant annealing

Annealing behaviour of a nanostructured Cu–45 at.%Ni alloy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tian, Hui; Suo, H. L.; Mishin, Oleg

2013-01-01

The microstructure and crystallographic texture have been investigated in a Cu–45 at.%Ni alloy after heavy rolling and subsequent annealing at different temperatures. Cold-rolling to a von Mises strain of 5.7 produced a sample with an average boundary spacing along the normal direction of ~70 nm...... and a large fraction of high-angle boundaries (HABs), ~70 %. Annealing of this sample for 1 h at temperatures ≤450 °C causes structural coarsening, during which the fraction of HABs decreases. Annealing at higher temperatures results in pronounced discontinuous recrystallization accompanied by twinning. Large...... frequencies of twin boundaries contribute to high HAB fractions measured in the as-recrystallized condition. Cube-oriented grains demonstrate a size advantage compared to grains of other orientations, thus creating a strong cube texture in the recrystallized material. Further annealing of the recrystallized...

Thermal annealing of tilted fiber Bragg gratings

Science.gov (United States)

González-Vila, Á.; Rodríguez-Cobo, L.; Mégret, P.; Caucheteur, C.; López-Higuera, J. M.

2016-05-01

We report a practical study of the thermal decay of cladding mode resonances in tilted fiber Bragg gratings, establishing an analogy with the "power law" evolution previously observed on uniform gratings. We examine how this process contributes to a great thermal stability, even improving it by means of a second cycle slightly increasing the annealing temperature. In addition, we show an improvement of the grating spectrum after annealing, with respect to the one just after inscription, which suggests the application of this method to be employed to improve saturation issues during the photo-inscription process.

Relative response of TL and component-resolved OSL to alpha and beta radiations in annealed sedimentary quartz

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polymeris, George S.; Afouxenidis, Dimitrios; Raptis, Spyridoula; Liritzis, Ioannis; Tsirliganis, Nestor C.; Kitis, George

2011-01-01

Knowledge of the relative luminescence response to alpha and beta radiation is very important in TL and OSL dating. In the present study the relative alpha to beta response is studied in a sedimentary quartz sample, previously fired at 900 deg. C for 1 h, in the dose region between 1 and 128 Gy, for both thermoluminescence (TL) and linearly modulated optically stimulated luminescence (LM - OSL). The LM - OSL measurements were performed at room temperature and at 125 deg. C. All OSL signals were deconvolved into their individual components. Comparison of OSL curves after alpha and beta irradiation strongly supports that quartz OSL components follow first order kinetics in both cases. In the case of TL, the relative alpha to beta response is found to be very different for each TL glow-peak, but it does not depend strongly on irradiation dose. In the case of LM - OSL measurements, it is found that the relative behaviour of the alpha to beta response is different for three distinct regions, namely the fast OSL component, the region of medium OSL component originating from the TL glow-peak at 110 deg. C when stimulation takes place at room temperature and finally the region of slow OSL component. Following stimulation at ambient temperature, the relative alpha to beta response of all components was not observed to depend significantly on dose, with the value of ratio being 0.03 and a tendency to decrease with increasing dose. However, in the case of measurements performed at 125 deg. C, the relative response of the fast components is much enhanced, and for the remaining components it increases with increasing dose. Special care must be taken to examine the relative alpha to beta response of the fast component at 125 deg. C which contrasts the relative response of the TL peak at ca. 325 deg. C. The implications for the dating of annealed quartz are also briefly discussed. - Highlights: → Relative alpha to beta response for TL and LM-OSL is studied in annealed

Possible roles of HIV-1 nucleocapsid protein in the specificity of proviral DNA synthesis and in its variability.

Science.gov (United States)

Lapadat-Tapolsky, M; Gabus, C; Rau, M; Darlix, J L

1997-05-02

Retroviral nucleocapsid (NC) protein is an integral part of the virion nucleocapsid where it coats the dimeric RNA genome. Due to its nucleic acid binding and annealing activities, NC protein directs the annealing of the tRNA primer to the primer binding site and greatly facilitates minus strand DNA elongation and transfer while protecting the nucleic acids against nuclease degradation. To understand the role of NCp7 in viral DNA synthesis, we examined the influence of NCp7 on self-primed versus primer-specific reverse transcription. The results show that HIV-1 NCp7 can extensively inhibit self-primed reverse transcription of viral and cellular RNAs while promoting primer-specific synthesis of proviral DNA. The role of NCp7 vis-a-vis the presence of mutations in the viral DNA during minus strand elongation was examined. NCp7 maximized the annealing between a cDNA(-) primer containing one to five consecutive errors and an RNA representing the 3' end of the genome. The ability of reverse transcriptase (RT) in the presence of NCp7 to subsequently extend the mutated primers depended upon the position of the mismatch within the primer:template complex. When the mutations were at the polymerisation site, primer extension by RT in the presence of NCp7 was very high, about 40% for one mismatch and 3% for five consecutive mismatches. Mutations within the DNA primer or at its 5' end had little effect on the extension of viral DNA by RT. Taken together these results indicate that NCp7 plays major roles in proviral DNA synthesis within the virion core due to its ability to promote prime-specific proviral DNA synthesis while concurrently inhibiting non-specific reverse transcription of viral and cellular RNAs. Moreover, the observation that NCp7 enhances the incorporation of mutations during minus strand DNA elongation favours the notion that NCp7 is a factor contributing to the high mutation rate of HIV-1.

Oxidation phase growth diagram of vanadium oxides film fabricated by rapid thermal annealing

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Tamura KOZO; Zheng-cao LI; Yu-quan WANG; Jie NI; Yin HU; Zheng-jun ZHANG

2009-01-01

Thermal evaporation deposited vanadium oxide films were annealed in air by rapid thermal annealing (RTP). By adjusting the annealing temperature and time, a series of vanadium oxide films with various oxidation phases and surface morphologies were fabricated, and an oxidation phase growth diagram was established. It was observed that different oxidation phases appear at a limited and continuous annealing condition range, and the morphologic changes are related to the oxidation process.

Structural study of conventional and bulk metallic glasses during annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pineda, E.; Hidalgo, I.; Bruna, P.; Pradell, T.; Labrador, A.; Crespo, D.

2009-01-01

Metallic glasses with conventional glass-forming ability (Al-Fe-Nd, Fe-Zr-B, Fe-B-Nb compositions) and bulk metallic glasses (Ca-Mg-Cu compositions) were studied by synchrotron X-ray diffraction during annealing throughout glass transition and crystallization temperatures. The analysis of the first diffraction peak position during the annealing process allowed us to follow the free volume change during relaxation and glass transition. The structure factor and the radial distribution function of the glasses were obtained from the X-ray measurements. The structural changes occurred during annealing are analyzed and discussed.

Composition dependent thermal annealing behaviour of ion tracks in apatite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nadzri, A., E-mail: allina.nadzri@anu.edu.au [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601 (Australia); Schauries, D.; Mota-Santiago, P.; Muradoglu, S. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601 (Australia); Trautmann, C. [GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Planckstrasse 1, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Gleadow, A.J.W. [School of Earth Science, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010 (Australia); Hawley, A. [Australian Synchrotron, 800 Blackburn Road, Clayton, VIC 3168 (Australia); Kluth, P. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601 (Australia)

2016-07-15

Natural apatite samples with different F/Cl content from a variety of geological locations (Durango, Mexico; Mud Tank, Australia; and Snarum, Norway) were irradiated with swift heavy ions to simulate fission tracks. The annealing kinetics of the resulting ion tracks was investigated using synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combined with ex situ annealing. The activation energies for track recrystallization were extracted and consistent with previous studies using track-etching, tracks in the chlorine-rich Snarum apatite are more resistant to annealing than in the other compositions.

Investigations of morphological changes during annealing of polyethylene single crystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tian, M.; Loos, J.

2001-01-01

The morphological evolution of isolated individual single crystals deposited on solid substrates was investigated during annealing experiments using in situ and ex situ atomic force microscopy techniques. The crystal morphology changed during annealing at temperatures slightly above the original

The Synthesis of Peculiar Structure of Springlike Multiwall Carbon Nanofibers/Nanotubes via Mechanothermal Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sahebali Manafi

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mechanothermal (MT method is one of the methods used for large-scale production of carbon nanotubes/nanofibers. The different peculiar morphologies of carbon allotropes are introduced with an extraordinary structure for the first time by MT method. In this paper, the influence of milling time and annealing temperature on the crystallinity and morphology of the synthesized nanopowders was investigated. Surprisingly, in this investigation, we report the synthesis of springlike multiwalled carbon nanofibers (S-MWCNFs by a two-step annealing of milled graphite in an Ar atmosphere. On the other hand, the MT method could be used for the preparation of suitable structures with applications in nanocomposite materials, which is an important task in the era of nanotechnology.

Solid-state microwave annealing of ion-implanted 4H-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundaresan, Siddarth G.; Tian, Yong-lai; Ridgway, Mark C.; Mahadik, Nadeemullah A.; Qadri, Syed B.; Rao, Mulpuri V.

2007-01-01

Solid-state microwave annealing was performed at temperatures up to 2120 deg, C for 30 s on ion-implanted 4H-SiC in N 2 ambient. The surface roughness in the samples annealed without a surface cap at 1950 deg, C is 2.65 nm for 10 μm x 10 μm atomic force microscopy scans. The sheet resistances measured on Al + - and P + -implanted 4H-SiC, annealed by microwaves, are lower than the best conventional furnace annealing results reported in literature. X-ray diffraction spectra indicate alleviation of the lattice damage induced by the ion-implantation and also incorporation of most of the implanted species into substitutional lattice sites

Electrically-inactive phosphorus re-distribution during low temperature annealing

Science.gov (United States)

Peral, Ana; Youssef, Amanda; Dastgheib-Shirazi, Amir; Akey, Austin; Peters, Ian Marius; Hahn, Giso; Buonassisi, Tonio; del Cañizo, Carlos

2018-04-01

An increased total dose of phosphorus (P dose) in the first 40 nm of a phosphorus diffused emitter has been measured after Low Temperature Annealing (LTA) at 700 °C using the Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometry technique. This evidence has been observed in three versions of the same emitter containing different amounts of initial phosphorus. A stepwise chemical etching of a diffused phosphorus emitter has been carried out to prepare the three types of samples. The total P dose in the first 40 nm increases during annealing by 1.4 × 1015 cm-2 for the sample with the highly doped emitter, by 0.8 × 1015 cm-2 in the middle-doped emitter, and by 0.5 × 1015 cm-2 in the lowest-doped emitter. The presence of surface dislocations in the first few nanometers of the phosphorus emitter might play a role as preferential sites of local phosphorus gettering in phosphorus re-distribution, because the phosphorus gettering to the first 40 nm is lower when this region is etched stepwise. This total increase in phosphorus takes place even though the calculated electrically active phosphorus concentration shows a reduction, and the measured sheet resistance shows an increase after annealing at a low temperature. The reduced electrically active P dose is around 0.6 × 1015 cm-2 for all the emitters. This can be explained with phosphorus-atoms diffusing towards the surface during annealing, occupying electrically inactive configurations. An atomic-scale visual local analysis is carried out with needle-shaped samples of tens of nm in diameter containing a region of the highly doped emitter before and after LTA using Atom Probe Tomography, showing phosphorus precipitates of 10 nm and less before annealing and an increased density of larger precipitates after annealing (25 nm and less).

Mechanisms of texture evolution during annealing of Zr and Ti alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gerspacher, F.

2007-12-01

Zirconium and Titanium are hexagonal metals. Thus, they have a weaker symmetry than cubic metals, and a stronger crystalline anisotropy. Despite this strong anisotropy, the fundamental mechanisms of the texture evolution of these metals have not been deeply investigated yet. We studied here the texture and microstructure evolution during annealing after several conditions of deformation, and showed that: - slow texture change is expected in grain growth after severe rolling, because of oriented growth - rapid texture change after low reductions is due to oriented nucleation - transverse rolling gives rise to a correlation between orientation and stored energy in the deformed material, which also induces fast texture changes. These mechanisms have been explained on the basis of microstructure specificities. In addition, texture evolution during normal grain growth was studied and the use of modeling allowed to confirm some hypotheses made on boundary mobility anisotropy. The mechanisms of appearance of abnormal grain growth have also been clarified. (author)

Burst annealing of electron damage in silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, A.C.; Horne, W.E.; Thompson, M.A.; Lancaster, C.A.

1985-01-01

A study has been performed of burst annealing of electron damage in silicon solar cells. Three groups of cells consisting of 3 and 0.3 ohm-cm silicon were exposed to fluences of 2 x 10 to the 14th power, 4 x 10 to the 14th power, and 8 x 10 to the 14th power 1-MeV electrons/sq cm, respectively. They were subsequently subjected to 1-minute bursts of annealing at 500 C. The 3 ohm-cm cells showed complete recovery from each fluence level. The 0.3 ohm-cm cells showed complete recovery from the 2 x 10 to the 14th power e/sq cm fluence; however, some of the 0.3 ohm-cm cells did not recover completely from the higher influences. From an analysis of the results it is concluded that burst annealing of moderate to high resistivity silicon cell arrays in space is feasible and that with more complete understanding, even the potentially higher efficiency low resistivity cells may be usable in annealable arrays in space

Applications of transient annealing to solar cell processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bentini, G.G. (C.N.R. Istituto LAMEL, Bologna (Italy))

1983-01-01

The economical reasons supporting the introduction of transient annealing in solar cell manufacturing are briefly discussed. Such techniques may play an important role, as they are compatible with the request of high throughput, automated processing together with the high quality of the p-n junction which are necessary for large scale economical production of photovoltaic energy. A survey of the applications of the different transient annealing techniques to solar cell processing has been developed by comparing in detail the results obtained up to now the case of solid and liquid phase transient annealing, associated with dry techniques such as Ion Implantation or dopant deposition on the wafer surface. The possibility of using laser pulses for the formation of the p-n junction by incorporation of dopant atoms from a suitable gaseous environment, has also been examined.

Effect of vacuum annealing on evaporated pentacene thin films for memory device applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gayathri, A.G.; Joseph, C.M.

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: Switching of ITO/pentacene/Al thin films for different annealing temperatures. - Highlights: • Memory device performance in pentacene improved considerably with annealing. • ON/OFF ratio of the pentacene device increases due to annealing. • Threshold voltage reduces from 2.55 V to 1.35 V due to annealing. • Structure of pentacene thin films is also dependent on annealing temperature. - Abstract: Thin films of pentacene were deposited thermally onto glass substrates and annealed at 323 K, 373 K, 423 K, 473 K and 523 K in high vacuum. Effect of annealing on the morphological and structural properties of these films was studied. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the crystalline nature of the films. Electrical studies for the use as write once read many (WORM) memory devices were done for the vacuum deposited pentacene thin films on indium tin oxide coated glass. Due to annealing, a sharp increase in the ON/OFF ratio of current and a decrease in threshold voltage were observed at around 373 K. This device showed a stable switching with an ON/OFF current ratio as high as 10 9 and a switching threshold voltage of 1.35 V. The performance of the device degraded above 423 K due to the changes in the crystallinity of the film.

Effect of transient annealing on patterned CoFeB-based magnetic tunnel junctions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Kuo-Ming; Huang, Chao-Hsien; Lin, Shiao-Chi; Wu, Jong-Ching [Department of Physics and Taiwan SPIN Research Center, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua 50007 (China); Kao, Ming-Jer; Tsai, Ming-Jinn [Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu 31040 (China); Horng, Lance

2007-12-15

In this study, the transient annealing effect on the switching behavior of microstructured Co{sub 60}Fe{sub 20}B{sub 20}-based magnetic tunnel junctions has been studied through magnetoresistance measurements (R-H loop). Elliptical shape of devices with long/short axis of 4/2 micrometers was patterned out of sheet film stack of: Ta(20)/PtMn(15)/CoFeB(3)/Al(0.7)-oxide/CoFeB(2)/Ru(8)/Ta(40) (thickness unit in nanometers) after a conventional long time field cooling annealing. The transient annealing was then executed by sample loading into a furnace with pre-set temperatures ranging from 100 to 400 C for only 5 minutes in the absence of any external magnetic field. The vortex-like reverse of free layer in as-etched MTJ evidently changes to single-domain-like reverser after 200{proportional_to}250 C transient annealing. The magnetoresistance was found to increase with increasing annealing temperatures up to 265 C and then slowly decrease at higher annealing temperatures. The transient thermal annealing creates obvious efforts to repair magnetic properties of MTJ cell befor 265 C annealing and results in less damage at temperature of 350 C and 400 C. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of transient annealing on patterned CoFeB-based magnetic tunnel junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Kuo-Ming; Huang, Chao-Hsien; Lin, Shiao-Chi; Wu, Jong-Ching; Kao, Ming-Jer; Tsai, Ming-Jinn; Horng, Lance

2007-01-01

In this study, the transient annealing effect on the switching behavior of microstructured Co 60 Fe 20 B 20 -based magnetic tunnel junctions has been studied through magnetoresistance measurements (R-H loop). Elliptical shape of devices with long/short axis of 4/2 micrometers was patterned out of sheet film stack of: Ta(20)/PtMn(15)/CoFeB(3)/Al(0.7)-oxide/CoFeB(2)/Ru(8)/Ta(40) (thickness unit in nanometers) after a conventional long time field cooling annealing. The transient annealing was then executed by sample loading into a furnace with pre-set temperatures ranging from 100 to 400 C for only 5 minutes in the absence of any external magnetic field. The vortex-like reverse of free layer in as-etched MTJ evidently changes to single-domain-like reverser after 200∝250 C transient annealing. The magnetoresistance was found to increase with increasing annealing temperatures up to 265 C and then slowly decrease at higher annealing temperatures. The transient thermal annealing creates obvious efforts to repair magnetic properties of MTJ cell befor 265 C annealing and results in less damage at temperature of 350 C and 400 C. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Effect of vacuum annealing on evaporated pentacene thin films for memory device applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gayathri, A.G., E-mail: gaythri305@yahoo.com; Joseph, C.M., E-mail: cmjoseph@rediffmail.com

2016-09-15

Graphical abstract: Switching of ITO/pentacene/Al thin films for different annealing temperatures. - Highlights: • Memory device performance in pentacene improved considerably with annealing. • ON/OFF ratio of the pentacene device increases due to annealing. • Threshold voltage reduces from 2.55 V to 1.35 V due to annealing. • Structure of pentacene thin films is also dependent on annealing temperature. - Abstract: Thin films of pentacene were deposited thermally onto glass substrates and annealed at 323 K, 373 K, 423 K, 473 K and 523 K in high vacuum. Effect of annealing on the morphological and structural properties of these films was studied. X-ray diffraction patterns confirmed the crystalline nature of the films. Electrical studies for the use as write once read many (WORM) memory devices were done for the vacuum deposited pentacene thin films on indium tin oxide coated glass. Due to annealing, a sharp increase in the ON/OFF ratio of current and a decrease in threshold voltage were observed at around 373 K. This device showed a stable switching with an ON/OFF current ratio as high as 10{sup 9} and a switching threshold voltage of 1.35 V. The performance of the device degraded above 423 K due to the changes in the crystallinity of the film.

Towards p-type ZnO using post-growth annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dangbegnon, J.K.; Roro, K.T.; Botha, J.R. [Department of Physics, P.O. Box 77000, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

2008-01-15

The optical properties of zinc oxide (ZnO) films grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on GaAs substrate are investigated. Samples were annealed in two different ambients, namely nitrogen and oxygen, and studied by photoluminescence (PL). Samples annealed in oxygen at 600 C show arsenic acceptor-related signatures. The near-band-edge emission is dominated by an excitonic feature at 3.355 eV and compensation broadens the spectra. No such changes are observed when similar samples are annealed in nitrogen. The diffusion of arsenic from the GaAs substrate appears to be a source of acceptors. This effect is enhanced in an oxygen atmosphere. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Reduction of Annealing Times for Energy Conservation in Aluminum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anthony D. Rollett; Hasso Weiland; Mohammed Alvi; Abhijit Brahme

2005-08-31

Carnegie Mellon University was teamed with the Alcoa Technical Center with support from the US Dept. of Energy (Office of Industrial Technology) and the Pennsylvania Technology Investment Authority (PTIA) to make processing of aluminum less costly and more energy efficient. Researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering have investigated how annealing processes in the early stages of aluminum processing affect the structure and properties of the material. Annealing at high temperatures consumes significant amounts of time and energy. By making detailed measurements of the crystallography and morphology of internal structural changes they have generated new information that will provide a scientific basis for shortening processing times and consuming less energy during annealing.

Influence of rolling and annealing conditions on texture and mechanical properties of zirconium (1960)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orssaud, J.

1958-06-01

Rolling and annealing textures of KROLL zirconium samples at several rolling rates were studied by pole figures with an automatic recorder versus the position in the sheet thickness. Tensile tests, hardness measurements and micrographic examinations allowed to study the evolution of the recrystallization and the variation of the mechanical properties after rolling and/or annealing. Annealing textures slightly varies with the annealing temperature. Annealing at 500 deg. C gives several peculiarities. This temperature seems characteristic in the study of zirconium. (author) [fr

Implantation activation annealing of Si-implanted gallium nitride at temperatures > 1,100 C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zolper, J.C.; Han, J.; Biefeld, R.M.

1997-01-01

The activation annealing of Si-implanted GaN is reported for temperatures from 1,100 to 1,400 C. Although previous work has shown that Si-implanted GaN can be activated by a rapid thermal annealing at ∼1,100 C, it was also shown that significant damage remained in the crystal. Therefore, both AlN-encapsulated and uncapped Si-implanted GaN samples were annealed in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition system in a N 2 /NH 3 ambient to further assess the annealing process. Electrical Hall characterization shows increases in carrier density and mobility for annealing up to 1,300 C before degrading at 1,400 C due to decomposition of the GaN epilayer. Rutherford backscattering spectra show that the high annealing temperatures reduce the implantation induced damage profile but do not completely restore the as-grown crystallinity

Effects of Annealing on TiN Thin Film Growth by DC Magnetron Sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Azadeh Jafari

2014-07-01

Full Text Available We have reviewed the deposition of titanium nitride (TiN thin films on stainless steel substrates by a DC magnetron sputtering method and annealing at different annealing temperatures of 500, 600, and 700°C for 120 min in nitrogen/argon atmospheres. Effects of annealing temperatures on the structural and the optical properties of TiN films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD, atomic force microscope (AFM, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, and UV-VIS spectrophotometer. Our experimental studies reveal that the annealing temperature appreciably affected the structures, crystallite sizes, and reflection of the films. By increasing the annealing temperature to 700°C crystallinity and reflection of the film increase. These results suggest that annealed TiN films can be good candidate for tokamak first wall due to their structural and optical properties.

Layer-by-layer composition and structure of silicon subjected to combined gallium and nitrogen ion implantation for the ion synthesis of gallium nitride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korolev, D. S.; Mikhaylov, A. N.; Belov, A. I.; Vasiliev, V. K.; Guseinov, D. V.; Okulich, E. V. [Nizhny Novgorod State University (Russian Federation); Shemukhin, A. A. [Moscow State University, Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics (Russian Federation); Surodin, S. I.; Nikolitchev, D. E.; Nezhdanov, A. V.; Pirogov, A. V.; Pavlov, D. A.; Tetelbaum, D. I., E-mail: tetelbaum@phys.unn.ru [Nizhny Novgorod State University (Russian Federation)

2016-02-15

The composition and structure of silicon surface layers subjected to combined gallium and nitrogen ion implantation with subsequent annealing have been studied by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering, electron spin resonance, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. A slight redistribution of the implanted atoms before annealing and their substantial migration towards the surface during annealing depending on the sequence of implantations are observed. It is found that about 2% of atoms of the implanted layer are replaced with gallium bonded to nitrogen; however, it is impossible to detect the gallium-nitride phase. At the same time, gallium-enriched inclusions containing ∼25 at % of gallium are detected as candidates for the further synthesis of gallium-nitride inclusions.

Effect of synthesis conditions on the preparation of YIG powders via co-precipitation method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rashad, M.M.; Hessien, M.M.; El-Midany, A.; Ibrahim, I.A.

2009-01-01

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) (Y 3 Fe 5 O 12 ) powders have been synthesized through a co-precipitation method in the presence of sodium bis(2-ethylhexylsulfosuccinate), AOT as an anionic surfactant. The garnet precursors produced were obtained from aqueous iron and yttrium nitrates mixtures using 5 M sodium hydroxide at pH 10. A statistical Box-Behnken experimental design was used to investigate the effect of the main parameters (i.e. AOT surfactant concentration, annealing time and temperature) on YIG powder formation, crystallite size, morphology and magnetic properties. YIG particles were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrating sample magnetometer. XRD revealed that the formation of single cubic phase of YIG was temperature dependent and increased by increasing the annealing temperature from 800 to 1200 o C. SEM micrographs showed that the addition of AOT surfactant promoted the microstructure of YIG in crystalline cubic-like structure. The magnetic properties were sensitive to the synthesis variables of annealing temperature, time and AOT surfactant concentration. The maximum saturation magnetization (28.13 emu/g), remanence magnetization (21.57 emu/g) and coercive force (703 Oe) were achieved at an annealing temperature of 1200 o C, time 2 h and 500 ppm of AOT surfactant concentration.

Thermal Plasma Synthesis of Crystalline Gallium Nitride Nanopowder from Gallium Nitrate Hydrate and Melamine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tae-Hee Kim

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Gallium nitride (GaN nanopowder used as a blue fluorescent material was synthesized by using a direct current (DC non-transferred arc plasma. Gallium nitrate hydrate (Ga(NO33∙xH2O was used as a raw material and NH3 gas was used as a nitridation source. Additionally, melamine (C3H6N6 powder was injected into the plasma flame to prevent the oxidation of gallium to gallium oxide (Ga2O3. Argon thermal plasma was applied to synthesize GaN nanopowder. The synthesized GaN nanopowder by thermal plasma has low crystallinity and purity. It was improved to relatively high crystallinity and purity by annealing. The crystallinity is enhanced by the thermal treatment and the purity was increased by the elimination of residual C3H6N6. The combined process of thermal plasma and annealing was appropriate for synthesizing crystalline GaN nanopowder. The annealing process after the plasma synthesis of GaN nanopowder eliminated residual contamination and enhanced the crystallinity of GaN nanopowder. As a result, crystalline GaN nanopowder which has an average particle size of 30 nm was synthesized by the combination of thermal plasma treatment and annealing.

Simulated annealing image reconstruction for positron emission tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundermann, E.; Lemahieu, I.; Desmedt, P.

1994-01-01

In Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images have to be reconstructed from moisy projection data. The noise on the PET data can be modeled by a Poison distribution. In this paper, we present the results of using the simulated annealing technique to reconstruct PET images. Various parameter settings of the simulated annealing algorithm are discussed and optimized. The reconstructed images are of good quality and high contrast, in comparison to other reconstruction techniques. (authors)

Population annealing: Theory and application in spin glasses

OpenAIRE

Wang, Wenlong; Machta, Jonathan; Katzgraber, Helmut G.

2015-01-01

Population annealing is an efficient sequential Monte Carlo algorithm for simulating equilibrium states of systems with rough free energy landscapes. The theory of population annealing is presented, and systematic and statistical errors are discussed. The behavior of the algorithm is studied in the context of large-scale simulations of the three-dimensional Ising spin glass and the performance of the algorithm is compared to parallel tempering. It is found that the two algorithms are similar ...

Low-temperature annealing of radiation defects in electron-irradiated gallium phosphide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolb, A.A.; Megela, I.G.; Buturlakin, A.P.; Goyer, D.B.

1990-01-01

The isochronal annealing of radiation defects in high-energy electron irradiated n-GaP monocrystals within the 77 to 300 K range has been investigated by optical and electrical techniques. The changes in conductance and charge carrier mobility as functions of annealing temperature as well as the variation of optical absorption spectra of GaP under irradiation and annealing provide evidence that most of radiation defects are likely secondary complexes of defects

Response of neutron-irradiated RPV steels to thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskander, S.K.; Sokolov, M.A.; Nanstad, R.K.

1997-01-01

One of the options to mitigate the effects of irradiation on reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) is to thermally anneal them to restore the fracture toughness properties that have been degraded by neutron irradiation. This paper summarizes experimental results of work performed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to study the annealing response of several irradiated RPV steels

Annealing effect on the microstructure and magnetic properties of 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ding, H.L.; Gao, R.; Zhang, T.; Wang, X.P.; Fang, Q.F.; Liu, C.S.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: TEM images of microstructure for 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel annealed for 2 h at different temperatures: (a) 600 °C, (b) 800 °C, (c) 950 °C, and (d) 1150 °C, and the evolution trends of coercivity field (H_C) and Vickers microhardness for samples annealed at above temperatures for 2 h and 50 h. - Highlights: • The thermal stability of annealed 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel was investigated. • The particle size keeps fairly constant with increasing annealing temperature. • The grain size is still 2–4 μm even after annealing for 50 h at 1150 °C. • The hardness and H_C are almost unchanged after annealing from 800 °C to 1150 °C. - Abstract: The microstructure and magnetic properties of the 14%Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) ferritic steel fabricated by sol–gel and HIP method were investigated by annealing in vacuum for 2 h (at 300, 600, 800, 950 and 1150 °C) and 50 h (at 600, 800, 950 and 1150 °C). Microstructure analysis shows that as the annealing temperature increases, the size of oxide nanoparticles becomes smaller and their dispersion in matrix becomes more homogeneous. Grain size remains stable when the annealing temperature is below 800 °C, while above 800 °C, grain size grows with the increasing annealing temperature and time. The Vickers microhardness and coercivity (H_C) display almost similar evolution trend with annealing temperature for 2 h and 50 h. No obvious recrystallization appears after 1150 °C annealing, which indicates the high microstructural stability of 14%Cr-ODS ferritic steel. The possible mechanism for above behaviors is discussed in this paper.

Influence of substitution, nonstoichiometry and annealing-conditions on superconductivity and normal conductivity of Fe1+δ (Te1‑x Xx ) (X=Se, S)

Science.gov (United States)

Lima, M. S. L.; ElMassalami, M.; Deguchi, K.; Takeya, H.; Takano, Y.

2018-03-01

Thermal evolution of resistivity, ρ(T, x), of as-prepared samples of Fe1+δ Te1‑x S x (δ ≈ 0, x ≤ 0.2 = solubility limit) demonstrate a granular log-in-T character within Ts < T <300K, a Kondo-like resistive contribution within Tc < T < Ts and granular superconductivity at low temperature (Ts = structural transition point of Fe1+δ Te, Tc =superconducting transition point). We attribute the log-in-T character as well as the nonbulk superconducting features of as-prepared samples to their granular superconductor nature. Annealing in oxygen removes Kondo-like contribution, annihilates pair-breaking centres and establishes bulk superconductivity but, in contrast, the high-temperature granular log-in-T character is hardly influenced. This analysis was successfully extended to the isomorphous Fe1+δ Te1‑x Se x as well as to other types of post-synthesis sample-treatment (e.g. annealing in different gas ambient or soaking in particular liquids).

Perbandingan Algoritma Simulated Annealing dan Harmony Search dalam Penerapan Picking Order Sequence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanti Octavia

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Implementation of mobile rack warehouse is commonly used in manufacturing industry because it can minimize the warehouse area used. Applying picking orders in taking of Stock Keeping Unit (SKU on mobile rack warehouses could give fast loading order. This research aims to find out which algorithm is better in applying picking order sequence in mobile rack warehouse. The algorithm used is Simualted Annealing (SA and Harmony Search (HS algorithm. Both of these algorithms will be compared in terms of the gap with the shortest path method.The result shows that the HS algorithm produces a better solution than the SA algorithm with lower CPU time, but the convergence rate of HS is lower than that of SA.HS was able to produce a better solution than the shortest path method of 9 cases, while SA only 8 cases from 15 cases.

Nitrogen annealing of zirconium or titanium metals and their alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eucken, C.M.

1982-01-01

A method is described of continuously nitrogen annealing zirconium and titanium metals and their alloys at temperatures at from 525 0 to 875 0 C for from 1/2 minute to 15 minutes. The examples include the annealing of Zircaloy-4. (U.K.)

Synthesis and microstructural studies of annealed Cu(2)O/Cu(x)S bilayer as transparent electrode material for photovoltaic and energy storage devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Taleatu, B A; Arbab, E A A; Omotoso, E; Mola, G T

2014-10-01

Cu2 O thin film and a transparent bilayer have been fabricated by electrodeposition method. The growths were obtained in potentiostatic mode with gradual degradation of anodic current. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study showed that the bilayer is polycrystalline and it possesses mixture of different crystallite phases of copper oxides. Surface morphology of the films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images revealed that the films were uniformly distributed and the starting material (Cu2 O) had cubical structure. Grains agglomeration and crystallinity were enhanced by annealing. Optical studies indicated that all the samples have direct allowed transition. Energy band gap of the bilayer film was reduced by annealing treatment thus corroborating quantum confinement upshot. © 2014 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2014 Royal Microscopical Society.

Effects of methane annealing ambience on the structure and photoluminescence of BCNO phosphors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Fang; Zhang, Xinghua; Lu, Zunming; Tang, Chengchun

2014-01-01

Green-emitting BCNO phosphors are synthetized by low temperature liquid method. And then the properties of structure and photoluminescence of BCNO phosphors annealed under methane ambience at 500–700 °C for 4 h and at 600 °C for 3–6 h are researched. When the phosphor was annealed for the same time period, the crystallinity was improved first and then became poor as the annealing temperature increased. In addition, the emission peak shifted to high wavelength, and the maximum shift span reached up to 40 nm. When the phosphor was annealed at the same temperature, the crystallinity was improved and the emission peak was red-shifted. The multi-peaks fitting results indicated that three luminescence mechanisms which were C-related defect, B–O luminescence center and other defects or vacancies played important roles in BCNO phosphors. - Highlights: • When the annealing time period was fixed to 4 h, the XRD results showed the crystallinity was improved at first and then became poor as the annealing temperature increased. Furthermore, the PL results indicated the emission peak was red-shifted and then blue-shifted and the maximum shift span reached up to 40 nm when the annealing temperature was 600 °C. • With regard to the samples annealed at 600 °C for 3, 4, 5 and 6 h respectively, the crystallinity was improved as the annealing time period prolonged. In addition, the emission peak was red-shifted first and then blue-shifted and the maximum shift span reached up to 40 nm when the annealing time was 4 h. • What's more, the three-peaks fitting graphs uncovered that the luminescence properties were decided by three mechanisms which were C-related defect, B–O luminescence center and other defects or vacancies. Therefore, the peakshift and luminescence intensity were influenced by the comprehensive superposition of these three factors. • In this work, we found the inter luminescence mechanisms of BCNO phosphor by the annealing experiments under methane

X-ray diffraction investigation of self-annealing in nanocrystalline copper electrodeposits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pantleon, Karen; Somers, Marcel A. J.

2006-01-01

X-ray diffraction analysis and electrical resistivity measurements were conducted simultaneously for in-situ examination of self-annealing in copper electrodeposits. Considerable growth of the as-deposited nano-sized crystallites occurs with time and the crystallographic texture changes by multip...... twinning during self-annealing. The kinetics of self-annealing depends on the layer thickness as well as on the orientation and/or the size of the as-deposited crystallites. (c) 2006 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.......X-ray diffraction analysis and electrical resistivity measurements were conducted simultaneously for in-situ examination of self-annealing in copper electrodeposits. Considerable growth of the as-deposited nano-sized crystallites occurs with time and the crystallographic texture changes by multiple...

The Effect of Annealing on the Elastic Modulus of Orthodontic Wires

Science.gov (United States)

Higginbottom, Kyle

Introduction: Nickel Titanium orthodontic wires are currently used in orthodontic treatment due to their heat activated properties and their delivery of constant force. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of annealing on the elastic modulus of Nickel Titanium, Stainless Steel and Beta-titanium (TMA) wires. Different points along the wire were tested in order to determine how far from the annealed ends the elastic modulus of the wires was affected. Methods: Eighty (80) orthodontic wires consisting of 4 equal groups (SS/TMA/Classic NitinolRTM/Super Elastic NitinolRTM) were used as the specimens for this study. All wires were measured and marked at 5mm measurements, and cut into 33.00mm sections. The wires were heated with a butane torch until the first 13.00mm of the wires were red hot. Load deflection tests using an InstronRTM universal testing machine were run at 5mm distances from the end of the wire that had been annealed. The change in elastic modulus was then determined. Results: There was a significant difference (F = 533.001, p = 0.0005) in the change in elastic modulus for the four distances. There was also a significant difference (F = 57.571, p = 0.0005) in the change in elastic modulus for the four wire types. There was a significant interaction (F = 19.601, p = 0.005) between wire type and distance, however this interaction negated the differences between the wires. Conclusion: 1) There are significant differences in the changes in elastic modulus between the areas of the wires within the annealed section and those areas 5mm and 10mm away from the annealed section. The change in elastic modulus within the annealed section was significantly greater at 8 mm than it was at 13mm, and this was significantly greater than 18mm and 23mm (5mm and 10mm beyond the annealed section). However, there was no statistical difference in the change in elastic modulus between 5mm and 10mm away from the annealed section (18mm and 23mm respectively). 2

Simulated annealing image reconstruction for positron emission tomography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundermann, E; Lemahieu, I; Desmedt, P [Department of Electronics and Information Systems, University of Ghent, St. Pietersnieuwstraat 41, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium (Belgium)

1994-12-31

In Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images have to be reconstructed from moisy projection data. The noise on the PET data can be modeled by a Poison distribution. In this paper, we present the results of using the simulated annealing technique to reconstruct PET images. Various parameter settings of the simulated annealing algorithm are discussed and optimized. The reconstructed images are of good quality and high contrast, in comparison to other reconstruction techniques. (authors). 11 refs., 2 figs.

Experimental quantum annealing: case study involving the graph isomorphism problem.

Science.gov (United States)

Zick, Kenneth M; Shehab, Omar; French, Matthew

2015-06-08

Quantum annealing is a proposed combinatorial optimization technique meant to exploit quantum mechanical effects such as tunneling and entanglement. Real-world quantum annealing-based solvers require a combination of annealing and classical pre- and post-processing; at this early stage, little is known about how to partition and optimize the processing. This article presents an experimental case study of quantum annealing and some of the factors involved in real-world solvers, using a 504-qubit D-Wave Two machine and the graph isomorphism problem. To illustrate the role of classical pre-processing, a compact Hamiltonian is presented that enables a reduced Ising model for each problem instance. On random N-vertex graphs, the median number of variables is reduced from N(2) to fewer than N log2 N and solvable graph sizes increase from N = 5 to N = 13. Additionally, error correction via classical post-processing majority voting is evaluated. While the solution times are not competitive with classical approaches to graph isomorphism, the enhanced solver ultimately classified correctly every problem that was mapped to the processor and demonstrated clear advantages over the baseline approach. The results shed some light on the nature of real-world quantum annealing and the associated hybrid classical-quantum solvers.

Development of a supplemental surveillance program for reactor pressure vessel thermal annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Server, W.L.; Rosinski, S.T.

1997-01-01

The technical decision to thermally anneal a nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) depends upon the level of embrittlement in the RPV steels, the amount of recovery of fracture toughness properties expected from the anneal, and the rate of re-embrittlement after the vessel is placed back into service. The recovery of Charpy impact toughness properties after annealing can be estimated initially by using a recovery model developed using experimental measurements of recovery (such as that developed by Eason et al. for U.S. vessel materials). However, actual validation measurements on plant-specific archived vessel materials (hopefully in the existing surveillance program) are needed; otherwise, irradiated surrogate materials, essentially the same as the RPV steels or bounding in expected behavior, must be utilized. The efficient use of any of these materials requires a supplemental surveillance program focused at both recovery and reirradiation embrittlement. Reconstituted Charpy specimens and new surveillance capsules will most likely be needed as part of this supplemental surveillance program. A new version of ASTM E 509 has recently been approved which provides guidance on thermal annealing in general and specifically for the development of an annealing supplemental surveillance program. The post-anneal re-embrittlement properties are crucial for continued plant operation, and the use of a re-embrittlement model, such as the lateral shift approach, may be overly conservative. This paper illustrates the new ASTM E 509 Standard Guide methodology for an annealing supplemental surveillance program. As an example, the proposed program for the Palisades RPV beltline steels is presented which covers the time from annealing to the end of operating license and beyond, if license renewal is pursued. The Palisades nuclear power plant RPV was planned to be annealed in 1998, but that plant is currently being re-evaluated. The proposed anneal was planned to be conducted at a

Molecular dynamics simulation of annealed ZnO surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Tjun Kit; Yoon, Tiem Leong [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia); Lim, Thong Leng [Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Melaka Campus, 75450 Melaka (Malaysia)

2015-04-24

The effect of thermally annealing a slab of wurtzite ZnO, terminated by two surfaces, (0001) (which is oxygen-terminated) and (0001{sup ¯}) (which is Zn-terminated), is investigated via molecular dynamics simulation by using reactive force field (ReaxFF). We found that upon heating beyond a threshold temperature of ∼700 K, surface oxygen atoms begin to sublimate from the (0001) surface. The ratio of oxygen leaving the surface at a given temperature increases as the heating temperature increases. A range of phenomena occurring at the atomic level on the (0001) surface has also been explored, such as formation of oxygen dimers on the surface and evolution of partial charge distribution in the slab during the annealing process. It was found that the partial charge distribution as a function of the depth from the surface undergoes a qualitative change when the annealing temperature is above the threshold temperature.

Effect of pre-annealing on NO32- centers in synthetic hydroxyapatite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nosenko, V.V.; Vorona, I.P.; Ishchenko, S.S.; Baran, N.P.; Zatovsky, I.V.; Gorodilova, N.A.; Povarchuk, V.Yu.

2012-01-01

Effect of pre-annealing of synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAP) on properties of γ- and UV- induced NO 3 2- centers was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Nitrate-containing hydroxyapatite powders ((N)HAP)) and the powders with an admixture of carbonate and nitrate ions ((C,N)HAP) were annealed in the temperature range T ann = 20 °C − 600 °C before irradiation. It was found that pre-annealing of (N)HAP samples changes the parameters of NO 3 2- centers while no changes took place in (C,N)HAP. Moreover, at the pre-annealing temperatures T ann > 200 °C two new NO 3 2- centers were observed in (N)HAP samples; they are characterized by larger value of A ⊥ (3.67 and 4.41 mT) as compared to the known centers. It was also found that the dependence of NO 3 2- centers amount on T ann is non-monotonous in both types of samples. Presumably this is caused by the escape of water molecules from HAP during the annealing and essential modification of the defect subsystem of HAP.

Defect production in simulated cascades: Cascade quenching and short-term annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heinisch, H.L.

1983-01-01

Defect production in displacement cascades in copper has been modeled using the MARLOWE code to generate cascades and the stochastic annealing code ALSOME to simulate cascade quenching and short-term annealing of isolated cascades. Quenching is accomplished by using exaggerated values for defect mobilities and for critical reaction distances in ALSOME for a very short time. The quenched cascades are then short-term annealed with normal parameter values. The quenching parameter values were empirically determined by comparison with results of resistivity measurements. Throughout the collisional, quenching and short-term annealing phases of cascade development, the high energy cascades continue to behave as a collection of independent lower energy lobes. For recoils above about 30 keV the total number of defects and the numbers of free defects scale with the damage energy. As the energy decreases from 30 keV, defect production varies with the changing nature of the cascade configuration, resulting in more defects per unit damage energy. The simulated annealing of a low fluence of interacting cascades revealed an interstitial shielding effect on depleted zones during Stage I recovery. (orig.)

Effects of annealing temperature in a metal alloy nano-dot memory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jung Min; Lee, Gae Hun; Song, Yun Heub; Bea, Ji Cheol; Tanaka, Tetsu

2011-01-01

The annealing temperature dependence of the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristic has been studied in a metal-oxide semiconductor structure containing FePt nano-dots. Several in-situ annealing temperatures from 400 to ∼700 .deg. C in a high vacuum ambience (under 1 x 10 -5 Pa) were evaluated in view of the cell's characteristics and its reliability. Here, we demonstrate that the annealing temperature is significant for memory performance in an alloy metal nano-dot structure. A higher in-situ temperature provides better retention and a more reliable memory window. In the sample with an in-situ annealing condition of 700 .deg. C for 30 min, a memory window of 9.2 V at the initial stage was obtained, and a memory window of 6.2 V after 10 years was estimated, which is reliable for a non-volatile memory. From these results, the annealing condition for an alloy metal nano-dot memory is one of the critical parameters for the memory characteristics, and should be optimized for better memory performance.

Indium tin oxide films prepared by atmospheric plasma annealing and their semiconductor-metal conductivity transition around room temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Yali; Li Chunyang; He Deyan; Li Junshuai

2009-01-01

We report the synthesis of indium tin oxide (ITO) films using the atmospheric plasma annealing (APA) technique combined with the spin-coating method. The ITO film with a low resistivity of ∼4.6 x 10 -4 Ω cm and a high visible light transmittance, above 85%, was achieved. Hall measurement indicates that compared with the optimized ITO films deposited by magnetron sputtering, the above-mentioned ITO film has a higher carrier concentration of ∼1.21 x 10 21 cm -3 and a lower mobility of ∼11.4 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . More interestingly, these electrical characteristics result in the semiconductor-metal conductivity transition around room temperature for the ITO films prepared by APA.

Influence of the surfactant and annealing rate on the morphology, magnetic and structural characteristics of Co{sub 2}FeAl nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pezeshki-Nejad, Zahra [Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, P.O. Box. 87317–51167, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Ramazani, Abdolali [Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, P.O. Box. 87317–51167, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Physics, University of Kashan, 87317-51167, Kashan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Alikhanzadeh-Arani, Sima [Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, P.O. Box. 87317–51167, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Almasi-Kashi, Mohammad [Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, P.O. Box. 87317–51167, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Physics, University of Kashan, 87317-51167, Kashan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Salavati-Niasari, Masoud, E-mail: salavati@kashanu.ac.ir [Institute of Nano Science and Nano Technology, University of Kashan, P.O. Box. 87317–51167, Kashan, Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-08-15

This research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of the attractive magnetic alloys, full-Heusler Co{sub 2}FeAl nanoparticles. A modified co-precipitation method has been developed in a template of chitosan biopolymer. XRD pattern of the product confirmed the high crystalline quality of the L2{sub 1}‒ordered nanoparticles, refined by Rietveld analysis. It was found that using different annealing rates can be surprisingly effective to achieve different morphologies from granular microstructure to fibrous-shaped nanostructure. Based on the obtained results of the high resolution TEM image, the presence of both populations of large single crystal grains and polycrystalline clusters containing several small particles (about 10 nm) can be found in the sample annealed up to 700 °C with 5 °C/min. This particle size distribution led to the co-existence of high and low coercive-field phases in the related FORC diagram. Major hysteresis loops showed that the using of chitosan biopolymer resulted in a smaller magnetic saturation compared to that of the control sample, probably due to presence of the oxide shell around the surface of nanoparticles when exposed to air. - Highlights: • First Order Reversal Curves (FORCs) analysis was used to study precisely. • A simple chemical process of co- precipitation rout was used for synthesizing the nanoparticles. • Well known chitosan biopolymer was used as polymer template for coating the nanoparticles. • Effects of the temperature and heating rate in the annealing process were investigated.

Annealing effects of carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy resin composites irradiated by electron beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Udagawa, Akira; Sasuga, Tuneo; Ito, Hiroshi; Hagiwara, Miyuki

1987-01-01

Carbon cloth-reinforced epoxy resin composites were irradiated with 2 MeV electrons at room temperature and then annealed in air for 2 h at temperatures up to 180 deg C. A considerable decrease in the three-point bending strength occurred when the irradiated composites were annealed in the temperature range of 115 - 135 deg C which is below the glass transition temperature T g of the matrix resin, while the bending strength remained unchanged up to 180 deg C for the unirradiated composites. In the dynamic viscoelastic spectra of the irradiated matrix, a new relaxation appeared at the temperature extending from 50 deg C to just below the matrix T g and disappeared on annealing for 2 h at 135 deg C. Annealing also decreased the concentration of free radicals existing stably in the irradiated matrix at room temperature. After annealing, a large amount of clacks and voids were observed in the fractography of the composites by scanning electron microscopy. These results indicate: (1) Annealing brings about rearrangement of the radiation-induced molecular chain scission in the matrix; (2) The bending strength of the irradiated composites decreased owing to the increased brittleness of the matrix by annealing. (author)

Toward the understanding of annealing effects on (GaIn)2O3 films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Fabi; Jan, Hideki; Saito, Katsuhiko; Tanaka, Tooru; Nishio, Mitsuhiro; Nagaoka, Takashi; Arita, Makoto; Guo, Qixin

2015-01-01

(GaIn) 2 O 3 films with nominal indium content of 0.3 deposited at room temperature by pulsed laser deposition have been annealed in different gas ambient (N 2 , vacuum, Ar, O 2 ) and temperatures (700–1000 °C) in order to understand the annealing effects. X-ray diffraction and X-ray rocking curve revealed that the film annealed at 800 °C under O 2 ambient has best crystallinity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that oxygen ambient annealing has greatly helped on decreasing the oxygen vacancy. (GaIn) 2 O 3 films with different nominal indium content varying from 0.2 to 0.7 annealed at 800 °C under O 2 ambient also showed high crystal quality, improved optical transmittance, and smooth surface. - Highlights: • (GaIn) 2 O 3 films have been annealed in different gas ambient and temperature. • Only oxygen ambient can crystallize (GaIn) 2 O 3 film. • Film annealed at 800 °C appears best crystal quality. • High quality films were obtained with wide indium content varying from 0.2 to 0.7

Simulated annealing model of acupuncture

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Charles; Szu, Harold

2015-05-01

The growth control singularity model suggests that acupuncture points (acupoints) originate from organizers in embryogenesis. Organizers are singular points in growth control. Acupuncture can cause perturbation of a system with effects similar to simulated annealing. In clinical trial, the goal of a treatment is to relieve certain disorder which corresponds to reaching certain local optimum in simulated annealing. The self-organizing effect of the system is limited and related to the person's general health and age. Perturbation at acupoints can lead a stronger local excitation (analogous to higher annealing temperature) compared to perturbation at non-singular points (placebo control points). Such difference diminishes as the number of perturbed points increases due to the wider distribution of the limited self-organizing activity. This model explains the following facts from systematic reviews of acupuncture trials: 1. Properly chosen single acupoint treatment for certain disorder can lead to highly repeatable efficacy above placebo 2. When multiple acupoints are used, the result can be highly repeatable if the patients are relatively healthy and young but are usually mixed if the patients are old, frail and have multiple disorders at the same time as the number of local optima or comorbidities increases. 3. As number of acupoints used increases, the efficacy difference between sham and real acupuncture often diminishes. It predicted that the efficacy of acupuncture is negatively correlated to the disease chronicity, severity and patient's age. This is the first biological - physical model of acupuncture which can predict and guide clinical acupuncture research.

Positron annihilation characteristics of ODS and non-ODS EUROFER isochronally annealed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ortega, Y.; Castro, V. de; Monge, M.A.; Munoz, A.; Leguey, T.; Pareja, R.

2008-01-01

Yttrium oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) and non-ODS EUROFER produced by mechanical alloying and hot isostatic pressing have been subjected to isochronal annealing up to 1523 K, and the evolution of the open-volume defects and their thermal stability have been investigated using positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening (CDB) techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations have also been performed on the studied samples to verify the characteristics of the surviving defects after annealing at 1523 K. The CDB spectra of ODS EUROFER exhibit a characteristic signature that is attributed to positron annihilation in Ar-decorated cavities at the oxide particle/matrix interfaces. The variation of the positron annihilation parameters with the annealing temperature shows three stages: up to 623 K, between 823 and 1323 K, and above 1323 K. Three-dimensional vacancy clusters, or voids, are detected in either materials in as-HIPed condition and after annealing at T ≤ 623 K. In the temperature range 823-1323 K, these voids' growth and nucleation and the growth of other new species of voids take place. Above 1323 K, some unstable cavities start to anneal out, and cavities associated to oxide particles and other small precipitates survive to annealing at 1523 K. The TEM observations and the positron annihilation results indicate that these cavities should be decorated with Ar atoms absorbed during the mechanical alloying process

Positron annihilation characteristics of ODS and non-ODS EUROFER isochronally annealed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ortega, Y. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganes (Spain)], E-mail: yanicet@fis.ucm.es; Castro, V. de; Monge, M.A.; Munoz, A.; Leguey, T.; Pareja, R. [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 28911 Leganes (Spain)

2008-05-31

Yttrium oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) and non-ODS EUROFER produced by mechanical alloying and hot isostatic pressing have been subjected to isochronal annealing up to 1523 K, and the evolution of the open-volume defects and their thermal stability have been investigated using positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening (CDB) techniques. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations have also been performed on the studied samples to verify the characteristics of the surviving defects after annealing at 1523 K. The CDB spectra of ODS EUROFER exhibit a characteristic signature that is attributed to positron annihilation in Ar-decorated cavities at the oxide particle/matrix interfaces. The variation of the positron annihilation parameters with the annealing temperature shows three stages: up to 623 K, between 823 and 1323 K, and above 1323 K. Three-dimensional vacancy clusters, or voids, are detected in either materials in as-HIPed condition and after annealing at T {<=} 623 K. In the temperature range 823-1323 K, these voids' growth and nucleation and the growth of other new species of voids take place. Above 1323 K, some unstable cavities start to anneal out, and cavities associated to oxide particles and other small precipitates survive to annealing at 1523 K. The TEM observations and the positron annihilation results indicate that these cavities should be decorated with Ar atoms absorbed during the mechanical alloying process.

Annealing texture of rolled nickel alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meshchaninov, I.V.; Khayutin, S.G.

1976-01-01

A texture of pure nickel and binary alloys after the 95% rolling and annealing has been studied. Insoluble additives (Mg, Zr) slacken the cubic texture in nickel and neral slackening of the texture (Zr). In the case of alloying with silicium (up to 2%) the texture practically coinsides with that of a technical-grade nickel. The remaining soluble additives either do not change the texture of pure nickel (C, Nb) or enhance the sharpness and intensity of the cubic compontnt (Al, Cu, Mn, Cr, Mo, W, Co -at their content 0.5 to 2.0%). A model is proposed by which variation of the annealing texture upon alloying is caused by dissimilar effect of the alloying elements on the mobility of high- and low-angle grain boundaries

On crystallization of bisphenol-A polycarbonate thin films upon annealing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Chunhong; Li, Qichao; Mao, Wenfeng; Wang, Peng; He, Chunqing, E-mail: hecq@whu.edu.cn

2015-10-16

Crystallization of polycarbonate (PC) films as a function of annealing time has been investigated by various methods. A distinct diffraction peak at 17.56°, a sharp decrease of film thickness, an increase of refractive index and branch-type structures on the surface are found merely for the film after crystallization. Interestingly, positron annihilation parameters demonstrate fractional free-volumes in PC films vary significantly not only before crystallization but also at the early stage of annealing, which are not found by other methods. The results show that free-volumes in PC film must be increased remarkably before crystallization, which enables the occurrence of molecule rearrangement. - Highlights: • Fractional free-volume in PC film decreased of early stage of annealing. • Crystallization of PC film on Si substrate occurred after annealed for ∼48 hours. • Fractional free-volume in PC film increased remarkably before crystallization. • Positron diffusion length and S parameter revealed the variation of free volumes.

Valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Shijing; Zhang Boping; Zhao Cuihua; Li Songjie; Zhang Meixia; Yan Liping

2011-01-01

The cobalt oxide (CoO and Co 3 O 4 ) thin films were successfully prepared using a spin-coating technique by a chemical solution method with CH 3 OCH 2 CH 2 OH and Co(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O as starting materials. The grayish cobalt oxide films had uniform crystalline grains with less than 50 nm in diameter. The phase structure is able to tailor by controlling the annealing atmosphere and temperature, in which Co 3 O 4 thin film was obtained by annealing in air at 300-600, and N 2 at 300, and transferred to CoO thin film by raising annealing temperature in N 2 . The fitted X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the Co2p electrons are distinguishable from different valence states of cobalt oxide especially for their satellite structure. The valence control of cobalt oxide thin films by annealing atmosphere contributes to the tailored optical absorption property.

On crystallization of bisphenol-A polycarbonate thin films upon annealing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Chunhong; Li, Qichao; Mao, Wenfeng; Wang, Peng; He, Chunqing

2015-01-01

Crystallization of polycarbonate (PC) films as a function of annealing time has been investigated by various methods. A distinct diffraction peak at 17.56°, a sharp decrease of film thickness, an increase of refractive index and branch-type structures on the surface are found merely for the film after crystallization. Interestingly, positron annihilation parameters demonstrate fractional free-volumes in PC films vary significantly not only before crystallization but also at the early stage of annealing, which are not found by other methods. The results show that free-volumes in PC film must be increased remarkably before crystallization, which enables the occurrence of molecule rearrangement. - Highlights: • Fractional free-volume in PC film decreased of early stage of annealing. • Crystallization of PC film on Si substrate occurred after annealed for ∼48 hours. • Fractional free-volume in PC film increased remarkably before crystallization. • Positron diffusion length and S parameter revealed the variation of free volumes

Influence of the synthesis route and parameters on the thermoluminescence response of ZnO phosphors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Orante B, V.; Bernal, R.; Brown, F.; Castano, V.M.; Cruz V, C.

2007-01-01

Full text: ZnO nano phosphors obtained by thermal annealing of chemically synthesized ZnS powder has been recently reported to exhibit striking properties to be used as thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeters for intermediate and high doses of ionizing radiation. Encouraged by these results, we began a research focused to improve the process of fabrication of ZnO phosphors, by varying the chemical route and parameters of synthesis in each route. We essayed three different chemical ways to obtain ZnO. In each case, different sintering processes were applied to the product obtained from the chemical reaction. TL is very sensitive to impurities traces, whose incorporation is influenced by the synthesis history, so that we obtain that general features of TL glow curves can be tuned by controlling the synthesis parameters. (Author)

Effects of surface polishing and annealing on the optical conductivity of intermetallic compounds

CERN Document Server

Rhee, J Y

1999-01-01

The optical conductivity spectra of several intermetallic compounds were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Three spectra were measured for each compound; just after the sample was mechanically polished, at high temperature, and after the sample was annealed at 110 .deg. C for at least one day and cooled to room temperature. An equiatomic FeTi alloy showed the typical effects of annealing after mechanical polishing of surface. The spectrum after annealing had a larger magnitude and sharper structures than the spectrum before annealing. We also observed shifts of peaks in the spectrum. A relatively low-temperature annealing gave rise to unexpectedly substantial effects, and the effects were explained by recrystallization and/or a disorder -> order transition of the surface of the sample which was damaged and, hence, became highly disordered by mechanical polishing. Similar effects were also observed when the sample temperature was lowered. The observed changes upon annealing could partly be explained by p...

Review of in-service thermal annealing of nuclear reactor pressure vessels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Server, W.L.

1984-01-01

Radiation embrittlement of ferritic pressure vessel steels increases the ductile-brittle transition temperature and decreases the upper-shelf level of toughness as measured by Charpy impact tests. A thermal anneal cycle well above the normal operating temperature of the vessel can restore most of the original Charpy V-notch energy properties. A test reactor pressure vessel has been wet annealed at less than 343 0 C (650 0 F), and annealing of the Belgian BR-3 reactor vessel has recently taken place. An industry survey indicates that dry annealing a reactor vessel in-place is feasible, but solvable engineering problems do exist. The materials with highest radiation sensitivity in the older reactor vessels are submerged-arc weld metals with high copper and nickel concentrations. The limited Charpy V-notch and fracture toughness data available for five such welds were reviewed. The review suggested that significant recovery results from annealing at 454 0 C (850 0 F) for one week. Two of the main concerns with a localized heat treatment at 454 0 C (850 0 F) are the degree of distortion that may occur after the annealing cycle and the extent of residual stresses. A thermal and structural analysis of a reactor vessel for distortions and residual stresses found no problems with the reactor vessel itself but did indicate a rotation at the nozzle region of the vessel that would plastically deform the attached primary piping. Further analytical studies are needed. An American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) task group is upgrading and revising the ASTM Recommended Guide for In-Service Annealing of WaterCooled Nuclear Reactor Vessels (E 509-74) with emphasis on the materials and surveillance aspects of annealing rather than system engineering problems. System safety issues are the province of organizations other than ASTM (for example, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code body)

A device for routine studies of nuclear track annealing in mineral grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jha, R.; Lal, D.

1984-01-01

For studies of annealing of nuclear tracks in common rock-forming minerals, we have devised a simple heating system that provides a highly stable hot environment characterized by a large temperature gradient. The temperature can be maintained at the desired values within +- 2 deg C over a period of several months. The system allows placing of samples at eight different temperature points in the temperature range of 350 to 550 deg C in a single setting. This range essentially encompasses the entire temperature range normally used in laboratory track annealing of mineral grains with annealing duration of a few minutes to a couple of months. Lower as well as higher temperatures and different ranges are possible by changing the material used for the heating system and its geometry. However, for annealing at high temperature, and for short duration we found that it is more convenient to heat samples in the appropriate region of the cone of a large gas flame. We present, as an example, results of cosmic-ray track annealing studies in hypersthene grains from the Johnstown meteorite. The simplicity and reproducibility of the technique allows an in-depth study of annealing characteristics of different minerals. (author)

Investigation of a pulsed current annealing method in reusing MOSFET dosimeters for in vivo IMRT dosimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Guang-Wen; Qi, Zhen-Yu, E-mail: qizhy@sysucc.org.cn; Deng, Xiao-Wu [Department of Radiation Oncology, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Oncology in Southern China, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou 510060 (China); Rosenfeld, Anatoly [Centre for Medical Radiation Physics, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522 (Australia)

2014-05-15

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of pulsed current annealing in reusing metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) dosimeters forin vivo intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) dosimetry. Methods: Several MOSFETs were irradiated atd{sub max} using a 6 MV x-ray beam with 5 V on the gate and annealed with zero bias at room temperature. The percentage recovery of threshold voltage shift during multiple irradiation-annealing cycles was evaluated. Key dosimetry characteristics of the annealed MOSFET such as the dosimeter's sensitivity, reproducibility, dose linearity, and linearity of response within the dynamic range were investigated. The initial results of using the annealed MOSFETs for IMRT dosimetry practice were also presented. Results: More than 95% of threshold voltage shift can be recovered after 24-pulse current continuous annealing in 16 min. The mean sensitivity degradation was found to be 1.28%, ranging from 1.17% to 1.52%, during multiple annealing procedures. Other important characteristics of the annealed MOSFET remained nearly consistent before and after annealing. Our results showed there was no statistically significant difference between the annealed MOSFETs and their control samples in absolute dose measurements for IMRT QA (p = 0.99). The MOSFET measurements agreed with the ion chamber results on an average of 0.16% ± 0.64%. Conclusions: Pulsed current annealing provides a practical option for reusing MOSFETs to extend their operational lifetime. The current annealing circuit can be integrated into the reader, making the annealing procedure fully automatic.