WorldWideScience

Sample records for high crystalline quality

  1. Molecular Beam Epitaxy Growth of High Crystalline Quality LiNbO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tellekamp, M. Brooks; Shank, Joshua C.; Goorsky, Mark S.; Doolittle, W. Alan

    2016-12-01

    Lithium niobate is a multi-functional material with wide reaching applications in acoustics, optics, and electronics. Commercial applications for lithium niobate require high crystalline quality currently limited to bulk and ion sliced material. Thin film lithium niobate is an attractive option for a variety of integrated devices, but the research effort has been stagnant due to poor material quality. Both lattice matched and mismatched lithium niobate are grown by molecular beam epitaxy and studied to understand the role of substrate and temperature on nucleation conditions and material quality. Growth on sapphire produces partially coalesced columnar grains with atomically flat plateaus and no twin planes. A symmetric rocking curve shows a narrow linewidth with a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 8.6 arcsec (0.0024°), which is comparable to the 5.8 arcsec rocking curve FWHM of the substrate, while the film asymmetric rocking curve is 510 arcsec FWHM. These values indicate that the individual grains are relatively free of long-range disorder detectable by x-ray diffraction with minimal measurable tilt and twist and represents the highest structural quality epitaxial material grown on lattice mismatched sapphire without twin planes. Lithium niobate is also grown on lithium tantalate producing high quality coalesced material without twin planes and with a symmetric rocking curve of 193 arcsec, which is nearly equal to the substrate rocking curve of 194 arcsec. The surface morphology of lithium niobate on lithium tantalate is shown to be atomically flat by atomic force microscopy.

  2. High-quality single crystalline NiO with twin phases grown on sapphire substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuo Uchida

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available High-quality single crystalline twin phase NiO grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy is reported. X-ray rocking curve analysis of NiO films grown at different temperatures indicates a minimum full width at half maximum of the cubic (111 diffraction peak of 0.107° for NiO film grown at as low as 550 °C. Detailed microstructural analysis by Φ scan X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy reveal that the NiO film consists of large single crystalline domains with two different crystallographic orientations which are rotated relative to each other along the [111] axis by 60°. These single crystal domains are divided by the twin phase boundaries.

  3. Placement of a crystalline lens and intraocular lens: Retinal image quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siedlecki, Damian; Nowak, Jerzy; Zajac, Marek

    2006-01-01

    The influence of changes of both crystalline lens and intraocular lens (IOL) misalignment on the retinal image quality was investigated. The optical model of the eye used in investigations was the Liou-Brennan model, which is commonly considered as one of the most anatomically accurate. The original crystalline lens from this model was replaced with an IOL, made of rigid polymethylmethacrylate, in a way that recommend obligatory procedures. The modifications that were made both for crystalline lens and IOL were the longitudinal, the transversal, and the angular displacement.

  4. Quality by Design approach to spray drying processing of crystalline nanosuspensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Sumit; Gokhale, Rajeev; Burgess, Diane J

    2014-04-10

    Quality by Design (QbD) principles were explored to understand spray drying process for the conversion of liquid nanosuspensions into solid nano-crystalline dry powders using indomethacin as a model drug. The effects of critical process variables: inlet temperature, flow and aspiration rates on critical quality attributes (CQAs): particle size, moisture content, percent yield and crystallinity were investigated employing a full factorial design. A central cubic design was employed to generate the response surface for particle size and percent yield. Multiple linear regression analysis and ANOVA were employed to identify and estimate the effect of critical parameters, establish their relationship with CQAs, create design space and model the spray drying process. Inlet temperature was identified as the only significant factor (p value dried nano-crystalline powders. Aspiration and flow rates were identified as significant factors affecting yield (p value dried at higher inlet temperatures had lower moisture compared to those dried at lower inlet temperatures. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Liquid crystallinity driven highly aligned large graphene oxide composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Kyung Eun; Oh, Jung Jae; Yun, Taeyeong [Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sang Ouk, E-mail: sangouk.kim@kaist.ac.kr [Center for Nanomaterials and Chemical Reactions, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Chemistry, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 305-701 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-15

    Graphene is an emerging graphitic carbon materials, consisting of sp{sup 2} hybridized two dimensinal honeycomb structure. It has been widely studied to incorporate graphene with polymer to utilize unique property of graphene and reinforce electrical, mechanical and thermal property of polymer. In composite materials, orientation control of graphene significantly influences the property of composite. Until now, a few method has been developed for orientation control of graphene within polymer matrix. Here, we demonstrate facile fabrication of high aligned large graphene oxide (LGO) composites in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix exploiting liquid crystallinity. Liquid crystalline aqueous dispersion of LGO is parallel oriented within flat confinement geometry. Freeze-drying of the aligned LGO dispersion and subsequent infiltration with PDMS produce highly aligned LGO/PDMS composites. Owing to the large shape anisotropy of LGO, liquid crystalline alignment occurred at low concentration of 2 mg/ml in aqueous dispersion, which leads to the 0.2 wt% LGO loaded composites. - Graphical abstract: Liquid crystalline LGO aqueous dispersions are spontaneous parallel aligned between geometric confinement for highly aligned LGO/polymer composite fabrication. - Highlights: • A simple fabrication method for highly aligned LGO/PDMS composites is proposed. • LGO aqueous dispersion shows nematic liquid crystalline phase at 0.8 mg/ml. • In nematic phase, LGO flakes are highly aligned by geometric confinement. • Infiltration of PDMS into freeze-dried LGO allows highly aligned LGO/PDMS composites.

  6. Low-cost high-quality crystalline germanium based flexible devices

    KAUST Repository

    Nassar, Joanna M.

    2014-06-16

    High performance flexible electronics promise innovative future technology for various interactive applications for the pursuit of low-cost, light-weight, and multi-functional devices. Thus, here we show a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication of flexible metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with high-κ/metal gate stack, using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) cost-effective technique to obtain a high-quality Ge channel. We report outstanding bending radius ~1.25 mm and semi-transparency of 30%.

  7. Low-cost high-quality crystalline germanium based flexible devices

    KAUST Repository

    Nassar, Joanna M.; Hussain, Aftab M.; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2014-01-01

    High performance flexible electronics promise innovative future technology for various interactive applications for the pursuit of low-cost, light-weight, and multi-functional devices. Thus, here we show a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatible fabrication of flexible metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with high-κ/metal gate stack, using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) cost-effective technique to obtain a high-quality Ge channel. We report outstanding bending radius ~1.25 mm and semi-transparency of 30%.

  8. Effects of crystalline quality and electrode material on fatigue in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin film capacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, J.; Johnson, L.; Safari, A.; Ramesh, R.; Sands, T.; Gilchrist, H.; Keramidas, V. G.

    1993-07-01

    Pb(Zr(0.52)Ti(0.48))O3 (PZT)/Y1Ba2Cu3O(x) (YBCO) heterostructures were grown by pulsed laser deposition, in which PZT films were epitaxial, highly oriented, or polycrystalline. These PZT films were obtained by varying the deposition temperature from 550 to 760 C or by using various substrates such as SrTiO3 (100), MgO (100), and r-plane sapphire. PZT films with Pt top electrodes exhibited large fatigue with 35-50 percent loss of the remanent polarization after 10 exp 9 cycles, depending on the crystalline quality. Polycrystalline films showed better fatigue resistance than epitaxial or highly oriented films. However, PZT films with both top and bottom YBCO electrodes had significantly improved fatigue resistance for both epitaxial and polycrystalline films. Electrode material seems to be a more important parameter in fatigue than the crystalline quality of the PZT films.

  9. Electrochemical synthesis of highly crystalline copper nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaur, Amandeep; Gupta, Tanish; Kumar, Akshay; Kumar, Sanjeev; Singh, Karamjeet; Thakur, Anup

    2015-01-01

    Copper nanowires were fabricated within the pores of anodic alumina template (AAT) by template synthesis method at pH = 2.9. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to investigate the structure, morphology and composition of fabricated nanowires. These characterizations revealed that the deposited copper nanowires were highly crystalline in nature, dense and uniform. The crystalline copper nanowires are promising in application of future nanoelectronic devices and circuits

  10. Groundwater quality in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers, eastern United States

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindsey, Bruce

    2017-12-07

    Groundwater provides nearly 50 percent of the Nation’s drinking water. To help protect this vital resource, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Project assesses groundwater quality in aquifers that are important sources of drinking water (Burow and Belitz, 2014). The Piedmont and Blue Ridge crystalline-rock aquifers constitute one of the important areas being evaluated.

  11. Review of status developments of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jingjing; Yao, Yao; Xiao, Shaoqing; Gu, Xiaofeng

    2018-03-01

    In order to further improve cell efficiency and reduce cost in achieving grid parity, a large number of PV manufacturing companies, universities and research institutes have been devoted to a variety of low-cost and high-efficiency crystalline Si solar cells. In this article, the cell structures, characteristics and efficiency progresses of several types of high-efficiency crystalline Si solar cells that have been in small scale production or are promising in mass production are presented, including passivated emitter rear cell, tunnel oxide passivated contact solar cell, interdigitated back contact cell, heterojunction with intrinsic thin-layer cell, and heterojunction solar cells with interdigitated back contacts. Both the industrialization status and future development trend of high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells are also pinpointed.

  12. Highly crystalline zinc incorporated hydroxyapatite nanorods' synthesis, characterization, thermal, biocompatibility, and antibacterial study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Udhayakumar, Gayathri; Muthukumarasamy, N.; Velauthapillai, Dhayalan; Santhosh, Shanthi Bhupathi

    2017-10-01

    Highly crystalline zinc incorporated hydroxyapatite (Zn-HAp) nanorods have been synthesized using microwave irradiation method. To improve bioactivity and crystallinity of pure HAp, zinc was incorporated into it. As-synthesized samples were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), and the thermal and crystallinity behavior of Zn-HAp nanoparticle were studied by thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Antibacterial activity of the as-synthesized nanorods was evaluated against two prokaryotic strains ( Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus). The FT-IR studies show the presence of hydroxide and phosphate functional groups. HRTEM and FESEM images showed highly crystalline rod-shaped nanoparticles with the diameter of about 50-60 nm. EDAX revealed the presence of Ca, Zn, P, and O in the prepared samples. The crystallinity and thermal stability were further confirmed by TGA-DSC analysis. The biocompatibility evaluation results promoted that the Zn-HAp nanorods are biologically active apatites and potentially promising bone-substitute biomaterials for orthopaedic application.

  13. Facile "modular assembly" for fast construction of a highly oriented crystalline MOF nanofilm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Gang; Yamada, Teppei; Otsubo, Kazuya; Sakaida, Shun; Kitagawa, Hiroshi

    2012-10-10

    The preparation of crystalline, ordered thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) will be a critical process for MOF-based nanodevices in the future. MOF thin films with perfect orientation and excellent crystallinity were formed with novel nanosheet-structured components, Cu-TCPP [TCPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin], by a new "modular assembly" strategy. The modular assembly process involves two steps: a "modularization" step is used to synthesize highly crystalline "modules" with a nanosized structure that can be conveniently assembled into a thin film in the following "assembly" step. With this method, MOF thin films can easily be set up on different substrates at very high speed with controllable thickness. This new approach also enabled us to prepare highly oriented crystalline thin films of MOFs that cannot be prepared in thin-film form by traditional techniques.

  14. H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-molecular beam epitaxy of high quality ZnO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El Shaer, A.; Bakin, A.; Che Mofor, A.; Kreye, M.; Waag, A. [Technical University Braunschweig, Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Braunschweig (Germany); Blaesing, J.; Krost, A. [Otto-von-Guericke-University, Institute of Experimental Physics, Magdeburg (Germany); Stoimenos, J. [Aristotele University, Physics Department, Thessaloniki (Greece); Pecz, B. [Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, P.O. Box 49, Budapest (Hungary)

    2007-07-15

    We have studied the growth and characterization of ZnO epilayers on (0001)-sapphire by H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). A high temperature (HT) MgO buffer followed by a low-temperature ZnO buffer was introduced in order to accommodate the lattice mismatch between ZnO and sapphire. The surface morphology of the samples was studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystalline quality of the layers was investigated by employing high resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The electrical properties of the grown ZnO layers were studied by Hall-effect measurements in a standard van der Pauw configuration. The measured surface roughness for the best layers is as low as 0.26 nm rms. HRXRD measurements of the obtained ZnO layers show excellent quality of the single crystalline ZnO heteroepitaxially grown on (0001)-sapphire with a HT MgO buffer layers. The influence of the growth conditions on the crystalline quality is discussed. The FWHM of the HRXRD (0002) rocking curves measured for the 2-inch ZnO-on-sapphire is as low as 27 arcsec with a very high lateral homogeneity across the whole 2-inch ZnO epilayers. The results indicate that H{sub 2}O{sub 2}-MBE is a suitable technique to fabricate ZnO epilayers of very high quality. (orig.)

  15. Crystalline and amorphous carbon nitride films produced by high-energy shock plasma deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bursilll, L.A.; Peng, Julin; Gurarie, V.N.; Orlov, A.V.; Prawer, S.

    1995-01-01

    High-energy shock plasma deposition techniques are used to produce carbon-nitride films containing both crystalline and amorphous components. The structures are examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, parallel-electron-energy loss spectroscopy and electron diffraction. The crystalline phase appears to be face-centered cubic with unit cell parameter approx. a=0.63nm and it may be stabilized by calcium and oxygen at about 1-2 at % levels. The carbon atoms appear to have both trigonal and tetrahedral bonding for the crystalline phase. There is PEELS evidence that a significant fraction of the nitrogen atoms have sp 2 trigonal bonds in the crystalline phase. The amorphous carbon-nitride film component varies from essentially graphite, containing virtually no nitrogen, to amorphous carbon-nitride containing up to 10 at % N, where the fraction of sp 3 bonds is significant. 15 refs., 5 figs

  16. The role of macromolecular crowding in the evolution of lens crystallins with high molecular refractive index

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Huaying; Magone, M Teresa; Schuck, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Crystallins are present in the lens at extremely high concentrations in order to provide transparency and generate a high refractive power of the lens. The crystallin families prevalent in the highest density lens tissues are γ-crystallins in vertebrates and S-crystallins in cephalopods. As shown elsewhere, in parallel evolution, both have evolved molecular refractive index increments 5–10% above those of most proteins. Although this is a small increase, it is statistically very significant and can be achieved only by very unusual amino acid compositions. In contrast, such a molecular adaptation to aid in the refractive function of the lens did not occur in crystallins that are preferentially located in lower density lens tissues, such as vertebrate α-crystallin and taxon-specific crystallins. In the current work, we apply a model of non-interacting hard spheres to examine the thermodynamic contributions of volume exclusion at lenticular protein concentrations. We show that the small concentration decrease afforded by the higher molecular refractive index increment of crystallins can amplify nonlinearly to produce order of magnitude differences in chemical activities, and lead to reduced osmotic pressure and the reduced propensity for protein aggregation. Quantitatively, this amplification sets in only at protein concentrations as high as those found in hard lenses or the nucleus of soft lenses, in good correspondence to the observed crystallin properties in different tissues and different species. This suggests that volume exclusion effects provide the evolutionary driving force for the unusual refractive properties and the unusual amino acid compositions of γ-crystallins and S-crystallins

  17. High-quality heat flow determination from the crystalline basement of the south-east margin of North China Craton

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Guangzheng; Tang, Xiaoyin; Rao, Song; Gao, Peng; Zhang, Linyou; Zhao, Ping; Hu, Shengbiao

    2016-03-01

    Very few of heat flow data have come from the crystalline basement in the North China Craton but rather from boreholes in the sedimentary cover of oil-gas basins. Explorations for hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal resources and porphyry gold deposits in eastern China offer now valuable opportunities to study the terrestrial heat flow in the crystalline basement. In this study, we obtained continuous temperature logs from two boreholes (the LZ borehole with a depth of 3471 m and the DR borehole with a depth of 2179 m) located in the south-east margin of the North China Craton. The boreholes have experienced long shut-in times (442 days and 261 days for the LZ borehole and DR borehole, respectively); thus, it can be expected that the temperature conditions have re-equilibrated after drilling and drill-mud circulation. Rock thermal conductivity and radiogenic heat production were measured for 68 crystalline rock samples from these two boreholes. The measured heat-flow density was determined to be 71.8 ± 2.3 mW m-2 (for the LZ borehole) and 91.5 ± 1.2 mW m-2 (for the DR borehole). The heat flow for the LZ borehole is close to the value of 75 mW m-2 determined in the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling main hole (CCSD MH), both being in the Sulu-Dabie orogenic belt and thus able to verify each other. The value for the DR borehole is higher than the above two values, which supports former high heat-flow values determined in the Bohai Bay Basin.

  18. High-quality EuO thin films the easy way via topotactic transformation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mairoser, Thomas; Mundy, Julia A.; Melville, Alexander; Hodash, Daniel; Cueva, Paul; Held, Rainer; Glavic, Artur; Schubert, Jürgen; Muller, David A.; Schlom, Darrell G.; Schmehl, Andreas

    2015-07-01

    Epitaxy is widely employed to create highly oriented crystalline films. A less appreciated, but nonetheless powerful means of creating such films is via topotactic transformation, in which a chemical reaction transforms a single crystal of one phase into a single crystal of a different phase, which inherits its orientation from the original crystal. Topotactic reactions may be applied to epitactic films to substitute, add or remove ions to yield epitactic films of different phases. Here we exploit a topotactic reduction reaction to provide a non-ultra-high vacuum (UHV) means of growing highly oriented single crystalline thin films of the easily over-oxidized half-metallic semiconductor europium monoxide (EuO) with a perfection rivalling that of the best films of the same material grown by molecular-beam epitaxy or UHV pulsed-laser deposition. As the technique only requires high-vacuum deposition equipment, it has the potential to drastically improve the accessibility of high-quality single crystalline films of EuO as well as other difficult-to-synthesize compounds.

  19. Blending crystalline/liquid crystalline small molecule semiconductors: A strategy towards high performance organic thin film transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Chao; He, Yaowu; Li, Aiyuan; Zhang, Dongwei; Meng, Hong

    2016-10-01

    Solution processed small molecule polycrystalline thin films often suffer from the problems of inhomogeneity and discontinuity. Here, we describe a strategy to solve these problems through deposition of the active layer from a blended solution of crystalline (2-phenyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene, Ph-BTBT) and liquid crystalline (2-(4-dodecylphenyl) [1]benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene, C12-Ph-BTBT) small molecule semiconductors with the hot spin-coating method. Organic thin film transistors with average hole mobility approaching 1 cm2/V s, much higher than that of single component devices, have been demonstrated, mainly due to the improved uniformity, continuity, crystallinity, and stronger intermolecular π-π stacking in blend thin films. Our results indicate that the crystalline/liquid crystalline semiconductor blend method is an effective way to enhance the performance of organic transistors.

  20. Crystalline-Amorphous Core−Shell Silicon Nanowires for High Capacity and High Current Battery Electrodes

    KAUST Repository

    Cui, Li-Feng

    2009-01-14

    Silicon is an attractive alloy-type anode material for lithium ion batteries because of its highest known capacity (4200 mAh/g). However silicon\\'s large volume change upon lithium insertion and extraction, which causes pulverization and capacity fading, has limited its applications. Designing nanoscale hierarchical structures is a novel approach to address the issues associated with the large volume changes. In this letter, we introduce a core-shell design of silicon nanowires for highpower and long-life lithium battery electrodes. Silicon crystalline- amorphous core-shell nanowires were grown directly on stainless steel current collectors by a simple one-step synthesis. Amorphous Si shells instead of crystalline Si cores can be selected to be electrochemically active due to the difference of their lithiation potentials. Therefore, crystalline Si cores function as a stable mechanical support and an efficient electrical conducting pathway while amorphous shells store Li ions. We demonstrate here that these core-shell nanowires have high charge storage capacity (̃1000 mAh/g, 3 times of carbon) with ̃90% capacity retention over 100 cycles. They also show excellent electrochemical performance at high rate charging and discharging (6.8 A/g, ̃20 times of carbon at 1 h rate). © 2009 American Chemical Society.

  1. High rate flame synthesis of highly crystalline iron oxide nanorods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merchan-Merchan, W; Taylor, A M; Saveliev, A V

    2008-01-01

    Single-step flame synthesis of iron oxide nanorods is performed using iron probes inserted into an opposed-flow methane oxy-flame. The high temperature reacting environment of the flame tends to convert elemental iron into a high density layer of iron oxide nanorods. The diameters of the iron oxide nanorods vary from 10 to 100 nm with a typical length of a few microns. The structural characterization performed shows that nanorods possess a highly ordered crystalline structure with parameters corresponding to cubic magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) with the [100] direction oriented along the nanorod axis. Structural variations of straight nanorods such as bends, and T-branched and Y-branched shapes are frequently observed within the nanomaterials formed, opening pathways for synthesis of multidimensional, interconnected networks

  2. Hydrothermal Synthesis and Biocompatibility Study of Highly Crystalline Carbonated Hydroxyapatite Nanorods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Caibao; Chen, Yingzhi; Huang, Yongzhuo; Zhu, Peizhi

    2015-08-01

    Highly crystalline carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) nanorods with different carbonate contents were synthesized by a novel hydrothermal method. The crystallinity and chemical structure of synthesized nanorods were studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photo-electronic spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The biocompatibility of synthesized CHA nanorods was evaluated by cell viability and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of MG-63 cell line. The biocompatibility evaluation results show that these CHA nanorods are biologically active apatites and potentially promising bone-substitute biomaterials for orthopedic application.

  3. Managed aquifer recharge in weathered crystalline basement aquifers in India: Monitoring of the effect of tank infiltration on water quality over several monsoon events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alazard, Marina; Boisson, Alexandre; Maréchal, Jean-Christophe; Dewandel, Benoît; Perrin, Jérôme; Pettenati, Marie; Picot-Colbeaux, Géraldine; Ahmed, Shakeel; Thiéry, Dominique; Kloppmann, Wolfram

    2015-04-01

    Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) structures like percolation tanks are considered by the Indian national and regional governments as major option for tackling declining groundwater levels due to overexploitation for irrigation purposes (Boisson et al., 2014). Their main purpose is to restore groundwater availability under strong climatic and anthropogenic pressure. Furthermore, MAR-induced dilution with fresh surface water is generally expected to improve groundwater quality with respect to both anthropogenic and geogenic contaminants (total mineralisation, nitrates, chlorides, sulphates and fluoride contents). The impact of a percolation tank on groundwater quality was investigated in a context that is typical for hydro-climatic and geological settings in southern and eastern India: fractured crystalline basement aquifers overlain by a weathering zone under semi-arid climate. Water level data and geochemical indicators (stable isotopes and major ions) were monitored for both groundwater and surface water, over several successive monsoon events. In case of high to very high water levels, the groundwater quality is globally improved. However, in a few cases, the quality of the groundwater can be negatively impacted due to leaching of salts under the tank, particularly during the first rain events of the monsoon. Geogenic fluoride contents in groundwater, induced by water-rock interaction and enhanced by recycling of agricultural return flow under paddy fields, is found to be relatively stable over the year. This finding points out that the underlying processes, mainly dissolution of F-bearing phases like fluorapatites combined with Ca/Na cation exchange and calcite precipitation, both limiting the possibility of F-removal via fluorite precipitation (Pettenati et al., 2013, 2014), are not impacted by the hydrological conditions. This work highlights the complexity of the recharge processes in crystalline aquifers, enhanced by the variability of hydrological conditions

  4. Minimalistic Liquid-Assisted Route to Highly Crystalline α-Zirconium Phosphate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yu; Wang, Xiaodong Tony; Jaenicke, Stephan; Chuah, Gaik-Khuan

    2017-08-24

    Zirconium phosphates have potential applications in areas of ion exchange, catalysis, photochemistry, and biotechnology. However, synthesis methodologies to form crystalline α-zirconium phosphate (Zr(HPO 4 ) 2 ⋅H 2 O) typically involve the use of excess phosphoric acid, addition of HF or oxalic acid and long reflux times or hydrothermal conditions. A minimalistic sustainable route to its synthesis has been developed by using only zirconium oxychloride and concentrated phosphoric acid to form highly crystalline α-zirconium phosphate within hours. The morphology can be changed from platelets to rod-shaped particles by fluoride addition. By varying the temperature and time, α-zirconium phosphate with particle sizes from nanometers to microns can be obtained. Key features of this minimal solvent synthesis are the excellent yields obtained with high atom economy under mild conditions and ease of scalability. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Improved crystalline quality of AlN epitaxial layer on sapphire by introducing TMGa pulse flow into the nucleation stage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hualong; Wang, Hailong; Chen, Yingda; Zhang, Lingxia; Chen, Zimin; Wu, Zhisheng; Wang, Gang; Jiang, Hao

    2018-05-01

    The crystalline quality of AlN epitaxial layers on sapphire substrates was improved by introducing trimethylgallium (TMGa) pulse flow into the growth of AlN nucleation layers. It was found that the density of both screw- and edge-type threading dislocations could be significantly reduced by introducing the TMGa pulse flow. With increasing TMGa pulse flow times, the lateral correlation length (i.e. the grain size) increases and the strain in the AlN epilayers changes from tensile state to compressive state. Unstrained AlN with the least dislocations and a smooth surface was obtained by introducing 2-times TMGa pulse flow. The crystalline improvement is attributed to enhanced lateral growth and improved crystalline orientation by the TMGa pulse flow.

  6. Gel–sol synthesis and aging effect on highly crystalline anatase ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Gel–sol synthesis and aging effect on highly crystalline anatase nanopowder .... −1 in static air. To identify the gel-phase, it was mixed with D2O to form sample solution ... Ti(OH)4 chemical composition is produced this way: Ti3. [. (OC2H4)3 N. ].

  7. Nitrogen in highly crystalline carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ducati, C; Koziol, K; Stavrinadis, A; Friedrichs, S; Windle, A H; Midgley, P A

    2006-01-01

    Multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with an unprecedented degree of internal order were synthesised by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) adding a nitrogen-containing compound to the hydrocarbon feedstock. Ferrocene was used as the metal catalyst precursor. The remarkable crystallinity of these nanotubes lies both in the isochirality and in the crystallographic register of their walls, as demonstrated by electron diffraction and high resolution electron microscopy experiments. High resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the walls of the nanotubes consist of truncated stacked cones, instead of perfect cylinders, with a range of apex angles that appears to be related to the nitrogen concentration in the synthesis process. The structure of armchair, zigzag and chiral nanotubes is modelled and discussed in terms of density of topological defects, providing an interesting comparison with our microscopy experiments. A growth mechanism based on the interplay of base- and tip-growth is proposed to account for our experimental observations

  8. Comparison of SRP high-level waste disposal costs for borosilicate glass and crystalline ceramic waste forms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonell, W.R.

    1982-04-01

    An evaluation of costs for the immobilization and repository disposal of SRP high-level wastes indicates that the borosilicate glass waste form is less costly than the crystalline ceramic waste form. The wastes were assumed immobilized as glass with 28% waste loading in 10,300 reference 24-in.-diameter canisters or as crystalline ceramic with 65% waste loading in either 3400 24-in.-diameter canisters or 5900 18-in.-diameter canisters. After an interim period of onsite storage, the canisters would be transported to the federal repository for burial. Total costs in undiscounted 1981 dollars of the waste disposal operations, excluding salt processing for which costs are not yet well defined, were about $2500 million for the borosilicate glass form in reference 24-in.-diameter canisters, compared to about $2900 million for the crystalline ceramic form in 24-in.-diameter canisters and about $3100 million for the crystalline ceramic form in 18-in.-diameter canisters. No large differences in salt processing costs for the borosilicate glass and crystalline ceramic forms are expected. Discounting to present values, because of a projected 2-year delay in startup of the DWPF for the crystalline ceramic form, preserved the overall cost advantage of the borosilicate glass form. The waste immobilization operations for the glass form were much less costly than for the crystalline ceramic form. The waste disposal operations, in contrast, were less costly for the crystalline ceramic form, due to fewer canisters requiring disposal; however, this advantage was not sufficient to offset the higher development and processing costs of the crystalline ceramic form. Changes in proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations to permit lower cost repository packages for defense high-level wastes would decrease the waste disposal costs of the more numerous borosilicate glass forms relative to the crystalline ceramic forms

  9. High quality ZnO layers with adjustable refractive indices for integrated optics applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heideman, Rene; Lambeck, Paul; Gardeniers, Johannes G.E.

    1995-01-01

    Thin (approx. 1 μm) crystalline ZnO films with a good optical quality and a good (0002) texture are grown under two considerably different process parameter sets using a r.f. planar magnetron sputtering unit. The optical parameters of the two corresponding ZnO layers are distinctly different: high

  10. Menadione degrades the optical quality and mitochondrial integrity of bovine crystalline lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olsen, Kenneth W; Bantseev, Vladimir; Choh, Vivan

    2011-01-26

    The crystalline lens is a unique cellular organ that performs metabolic processes while maintaining transparency for optical functionality. Mitochondria play a role in providing cells with aerobic respiration necessary for these metabolic processes. Using menadione, a mitochondria-specific inhibitor of the quinone family, and bovine lenses in vitro, this study was undertaken to determine whether a relationship exists between mitochondrial function and optical function. Bovine lenses were treated with 50 μM, 200 μM, 600 μM, and 1,000 μM menadione and lens optical function, assessed as optical quality, was observed over 9 days. Confocal micrographs of mitochondria in superficial secondary fiber cells were also analyzed in 50 μM, 200 μM, and 600 μM menadione-treated lenses over 48 h. A decrease in lens optical quality was observed in a dose-dependent manner within 24 h for the 200 µM- (p=0.0422), 600 µM- (pmenadione. The data show that menadione has a detrimental effect on mitochondrial integrity and this change is associated with degradation of optical quality, suggesting a possible link between mitochondrial function and optical function.

  11. Fabrication of high crystalline SnS and SnS2 thin films, and their switching device characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Hyeongsu; Lee, Jeongsu; Shin, Seokyoon; Lee, Juhyun; Lee, Seungjin; Park, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Sejin; Lee, Namgue; Bang, Minwook; Lee, Seung-Beck; Jeon, Hyeongtag

    2018-05-01

    Representative tin sulfide compounds, tin monosulfide (SnS) and tin disulfide (SnS2) are strong candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, based on non-toxicity, low cost, unique structures and optoelectronic properties. However, it is insufficient for synthesizing of tin sulfide thin films using vapor phase deposition method which is capable of fabricating reproducible device and securing high quality films, and their device characteristics. In this study, we obtained highly crystalline SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition and obtained highly crystalline SnS2 thin films by phase transition of the SnS thin films. The SnS thin film was transformed into SnS2 thin film by annealing at 450 °C for 1 h in H2S atmosphere. This phase transition was confirmed by x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the cause of the phase transition. We then compared the film characteristics of these two tin sulfide thin films and their switching device characteristics. SnS and SnS2 thin films had optical bandgaps of 1.35 and 2.70 eV, and absorption coefficients of about 105 and 104 cm‑1 in the visible region, respectively. In addition, SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited p-type and n-type semiconductor characteristics. In the images of high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, SnS and SnS2 directly showed a highly crystalline orthorhombic and hexagonal layered structure. The field effect transistors of SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited on–off drain current ratios of 8.8 and 2.1 × 103 and mobilities of 0.21 and 0.014 cm2 V‑1 s‑1, respectively. This difference in switching device characteristics mainly depends on the carrier concentration because it contributes to off-state conductance and mobility. The major carrier concentrations of the SnS and SnS2 thin films were 6.0 × 1016 and 8.7 × 1013 cm‑3, respectively, in this experiment.

  12. Comparison of high pressure homogenization and stirred bead milling for the production of nano-crystalline suspensions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakach, Mostafa; Authelin, Jean-René; Perrin, Marc-Antoine; Lakkireddy, Harivardhan Reddy

    2018-05-19

    Currently, the two technologies primarily used for the manufacturing of nano-crystalline suspensions using top down process (i.e. wet milling) are high pressure homogenization (HPH) and stirred bead milling (SBM). These two technologies are based upon different mechanisms, i.e., cavitation forces for HPH and shear forces for stirred bead milling. In this article, the HPH and SBM technologies are compared in terms of the impact of the suspension composition the process parameters and the technological configuration on milling performances and physical quality of the suspensions produced. The data suggested that both HPH and SBM are suitable for producing nano-crystalline suspensions, although SBM appeared more efficient than HPH, since the limit of milling (d 50 ) for SBM was found to be lower than that obtained with HPH (100 nm vs 200 nm). For both these technologies, regardless of the process parameters used for milling and the scale of manufacturing, the relationship of d 90 versus d 50 could be described by a unique master curve (technology signature of milling pathway) outlining that the HPH leads to more uniform particle size distribution as compared to SBM. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Enzymatic transesterification of soybean oil with ethanol using lipases immobilized on highly crystalline PVA microspheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergamasco, Juliana; Araujo, Marcelo V. de; Vasconcellos, Adriano de; Luizon Filho, Roberto A.; Hatanaka, Rafael R.; Giotto, Marcus V.; Aranda, Donato A.G.; Nery, José G.

    2013-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) microspheres with different degree of crystallinity were used as solid supports for Rhizomucor miehei lipase immobilization, and the enzyme-PVA complexes were used as biocatalysts for the transesterification of soybean oil to fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE). The amounts of immobilized enzyme on the polymeric supports were similar for both the amorphous microspheres (PVA4) and the high crystalline microspheres (PVA25). However, the enzymatic activity of the immobilized enzymes was depended on the crystallinity degree of the PVA microspheres: enzymes immobilized on the PVA4 microspheres have shown low enzymatic activity (6.13 U mg −1 ), in comparison with enzymes immobilized on the high crystalline PVA25 microspheres (149.15 U mg −1 ). A synergistic effect was observed for the enzyme-PVA25 complex during the transesterification reaction of soybean oil to FAEE: transesterification reactions with free enzyme with the equivalent amount of enzyme that were immobilized onto the PVA25 microspheres (5.4 U) have yielded only 20% of FAEE, reactions with the pure highly crystalline microsphere PVA25 have not yielded FAEE, however reactions with the enzyme-PVA25 complexes have yielded 66.3% of FAEE. This synergistic effect of an immobilized enzyme on a polymeric support has not been observed before for transesterification reaction of triacylglycerides into FAEE. Based on ATR-FTIR, 23 Na- and 13 C-NMR-MAS spectroscopic data and the interaction of the polymeric network intermolecular hydrogen bonds with the lipases residual amino acids a possible explanation for this synergistic effect is provided. Highlights: • Rhizomucor miehei lipase was immobilized on PVA microspheres (PVA4, PVA12, PVA25). • Polymer-enzyme complex was characterized by XDR, SEM, ATR-FTIR, 13 C-CPMAS-NMR, 23 Na-MAS-NMR. • Polymer-enzymes (PVA12 and PVA25) enzymes yielded considerable amount of ethyl esters. • Synergistic effect was observed for the polymer-enzyme complexes

  14. Microstructurally Based Prediction of High Strain Failure Modes in Crystalline Solids

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-07-05

    interfaces in hcp– fcc systems subjected to high strain-rate deformation and fracture modes, Journal of Materials Research, (8 2015): 0. doi: 10.1557/jmr...rupture • Comparison and validation with experimental observations/ measurements • New dislocation-density crystalline plasticity that accounts for...relationships between coherent interfaces in hcp– fcc systems subjected to high strain-rate deformation and fracture modes, Journal of Materials Research, Vol. 30

  15. Creep in crystalline rock with application to high level nuclear waste repository

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eloranta, P.; Simonen, A.

    1992-06-01

    The time-dependent strength and deformation properties of hard crystalline rock are studied. Theoretical models defining the phenomena which can effect these properties are reviewed. The time- dependent deformation of the openings in the proposed nuclear waste repository is analysed. The most important factors affecting the subcritical crack growth in crystalline rock are the stress state, the chemical environment, temperature and microstructure of the rock. There are several theoretical models for the analysis of creep and cyclic fatigue: deformation diagrams, rheological models thermodynamic models, reaction rate models, stochastic models, damage models and time-dependent safety factor model. They are defective in describing the three-axial stress condition and strength criteria. In addition, the required parameters are often too difficult to determine with adequate accuracy. Therefore these models are seldom applied in practice. The effect of microcrack- driven creep on the stability of the work shaft, the emplacement tunnel and the capsulation hole of a proposed nuclear waste repository was studied using a numerical model developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. According to the model, the microcrack driven creep progresses very slowly in good quality rock. Poor rock quality may accelerate the creep rate. The model is very sensitive to the properties of the rock and secondary stress state. The results show that creep causes no stability problems on excavations in good rock. The results overestimate the effect of the creep, because the analysis omitted the effect of support structures and backfilling

  16. Template synthesis of highly crystalline and monodisperse iron oxide pigments of nanosize

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sreeram, Kalarical Janardhanan; Indumathy, Ramasamy; Rajaram, Ananthanarayanan; Nair, Balachandran Unni; Ramasami, Thirumalachari

    2006-01-01

    Synthesis of highly crystalline and monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles is reported. The separation of Fe centers through site-specific binding to a polysaccharide-alginate matrix enables the generation of particles with a monodisperse or narrow size distribution character, resulting in transparent pigments. Site-specific interactions coupled with gel like character of alginate is proposed as the mechanism behind generation of lower particle sizes. Alginate-Fe complexes developed were subjected to heat treatment to provide for crystalline character and development of hematite (α-Fe 2 O 3 ). Conditions most ideal for achieving monodispersity and lower sizes have been optimized and confirmed through microscopic and photon correlation spectroscopic measurements

  17. Highly selective electrodeposition of sub-10 nm crystalline noble metallic nanorods inside vertically aligned multiwall carbon nanotubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xuyang; Wang, Ranran; Wu, Qiang; Zhang, Xiaohua; Yang, Zhaohui; Guo, Jun; Chen, Muzi; Tang, Minghua; Cheng, Yajun; Chu, Haibin

    2016-07-01

    In this paper crystalline noble metallic nanorods including Au and Ag with sub-10 nm diameter, are encapsulated within prealigned and open-ended multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) through an electrodeposition method. As the external surface of CNTs has been insulated by the epoxy the CNT channel becomes the only path for the mass transport as well as the nanoreactor for the metal deposition. Highly crystallized Au and Ag2O nanorods parallel to the radial direction of CNTs are confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and x-ray powder diffraction spectroscopy. The Ag2O nanorods are formed by air oxidation on the Ag metals and show a single crystalline structure with (111) planes. The Au nanorods exhibit a complex crystalline structure including twin-crystal and lattice dislocation with (111) and (200) planes. These crystalline noble metallic nanostructures may have important applications for nanocatalysts for fuel cells as well as nanoelectronic and nanophotonic devices. This method is deemed to benefit the precise deposition of other crystalline nanostructures inside CNTs with a small diameter.

  18. Tension-controlled single-crystallization of copper foils for roll-to-roll synthesis of high-quality graphene films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Insu; Park, Subeom; Kim, Dongjin; San Moon, Jin; Park, Won Bae; Kim, Tae Hyeong; Hyoun Kang, Jin; Lee, Wonbae; Kim, Youngsoo; Lee, Dong Nyung; Cho, Sung-Pyo; Choi, Hyunchul; Kang, Inbyeong; Park, Jong Hyun; Lee, Jeong Soo; Hong, Byung Hee

    2018-04-01

    It has been known that the crystalline orientation of Cu substrates plays a crucial role in chemical vapor deposition (CVD) synthesis of high-quality graphene. In particular, Cu (1 1 1) surface showing the minimum lattice mismatch with graphene is expected to provide an ideal catalytic reactivity that can minimize the formation of defects, which also induces larger single-crystalline domain sizes of graphene. Usually, the Cu (1 1 1) substrates can be epitaxially grown on single-crystalline inorganic substrates or can be recrystallized by annealing for more than 12 h, which limits the cost and time-effective synthesis of graphene. Here, we demonstrate a new method to optimize the crystalline orientations of vertically suspended Cu foils by tension control during graphene growth, resulting in large-area recrystallization into Cu (1 1 1) surface as the applied tension activates the grain boundary energy of Cu and promotes its abnormal grain growth to single crystals. In addition, we found a clue that the formation of graphene cooperatively assists the recrystallization into Cu (1 1 1) by minimizing the surface energy of Cu. The domain sizes and charge carrier mobility of graphene grown on the single-crystalline Cu (1 1 1) are 5 times and ~50% increased, respectively, in comparison with those of graphene from Cu (1 0 0), indicating that the less lattice mismatch and the lower interaction energy between Cu (1 1 1) and graphene allows the growth of larger single-crystalline graphene with higher charge carrier mobility. Thus, we believe that our finding provides a crucial idea to design a roll-to-roll (R2R) graphene synthesis system where the tension control is inevitably involved, which would be of great importance for the continuous production of high-quality graphene in the future.

  19. Low-Temperature and Rapid Growth of Large Single-Crystalline Graphene with Ethane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiao; Lin, Li; Sun, Luzhao; Zhang, Jincan; Rui, Dingran; Li, Jiayu; Wang, Mingzhan; Tan, Congwei; Kang, Ning; Wei, Di; Xu, H Q; Peng, Hailin; Liu, Zhongfan

    2018-01-01

    Future applications of graphene rely highly on the production of large-area high-quality graphene, especially large single-crystalline graphene, due to the reduction of defects caused by grain boundaries. However, current large single-crystalline graphene growing methodologies are suffering from low growth rate and as a result, industrial graphene production is always confronted by high energy consumption, which is primarily caused by high growth temperature and long growth time. Herein, a new growth condition achieved via ethane being the carbon feedstock to achieve low-temperature yet rapid growth of large single-crystalline graphene is reported. Ethane condition gives a growth rate about four times faster than methane, achieving about 420 µm min -1 for the growth of sub-centimeter graphene single crystals at temperature about 1000 °C. In addition, the temperature threshold to obtain graphene using ethane can be reduced to 750 °C, lower than the general growth temperature threshold (about 1000 °C) with methane on copper foil. Meanwhile ethane always keeps higher graphene growth rate than methane under the same growth temperature. This study demonstrates that ethane is indeed a potential carbon source for efficient growth of large single-crystalline graphene, thus paves the way for graphene in high-end electronical and optoelectronical applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Highly Crystalline C8-BTBT Thin-Film Transistors by Lateral Homo-Epitaxial Growth on Printed Templates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janneck, Robby; Pilet, Nicolas; Bommanaboyena, Satya Prakash; Watts, Benjamin; Heremans, Paul; Genoe, Jan; Rolin, Cedric

    2017-11-01

    Highly crystalline thin films of organic semiconductors offer great potential for fundamental material studies as well as for realizing high-performance, low-cost flexible electronics. The fabrication of these films directly on inert substrates is typically done by meniscus-guided coating techniques. The resulting layers show morphological defects that hinder charge transport and induce large device-to-device variability. Here, a double-step method for organic semiconductor layers combining a solution-processed templating layer and a lateral homo-epitaxial growth by a thermal evaporation step is reported. The epitaxial regrowth repairs most of the morphological defects inherent to meniscus-guided coatings. The resulting film is highly crystalline and features a mobility increased by a factor of three and a relative spread in device characteristics improved by almost half an order of magnitude. This method is easily adaptable to other coating techniques and offers a route toward the fabrication of high-performance, large-area electronics based on highly crystalline thin films of organic semiconductors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Machine-learning approach for local classification of crystalline structures in multiphase systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dietz, C.; Kretz, T.; Thoma, M. H.

    2017-07-01

    Machine learning is one of the most popular fields in computer science and has a vast number of applications. In this work we will propose a method that will use a neural network to locally identify crystal structures in a mixed phase Yukawa system consisting of fcc, hcp, and bcc clusters and disordered particles similar to plasma crystals. We compare our approach to already used methods and show that the quality of identification increases significantly. The technique works very well for highly disturbed lattices and shows a flexible and robust way to classify crystalline structures that can be used by only providing particle positions. This leads to insights into highly disturbed crystalline structures.

  2. Highly crystalline mesoporous C{sub 60} with ordered pores. A class of nanomaterials for energy applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Benzigar, Mercy R.; Joseph, Stalin; Ilbeygi, Hamid [Future Industries Institute (FII), Division of Information Technology Energy and Environment (DivITEE), University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (Australia); Park, Dae-Hwan; Talapaneni, Siddulu Naidu [Global Innovative Center for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW (Australia); Sarkar, Sujoy; Chandra, Goutam; Umapathy, Siva; Srinivasan, Sampath [Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry and Department of Instrumentation and Applied Physics, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore (India); Vinu, Ajayan [Future Industries Institute (FII), Division of Information Technology Energy and Environment (DivITEE), University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA (Australia); Global Innovative Center for Advanced Nanomaterials (GICAN), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW (Australia)

    2018-01-08

    Highly ordered mesoporous C{sub 60} with a well-ordered porous structure and a high crystallinity is prepared through the nanohard templating method using a saturated solution of C{sub 60} in 1-chloronaphthalene (51 mg mL{sup -1}) as a C{sub 60} precursor and SBA-15 as a hard template. The high solubility of C{sub 60} in 1-chloronaphthalene helps not only to encapsulate a huge amount of the C{sub 60} into the mesopores of the template but also supports the oligomerization of C{sub 60} and the formation of crystalline walls made of C{sub 60}. The obtained mesoporous C{sub 60} exhibits a rod-shaped morphology, a high specific surface area (680 m{sup 2} g{sup -1}), tuneable pores, and a highly crystalline wall structure. This exciting ordered mesoporous C{sub 60} offers high supercapacitive performance and a high selectivity to H{sub 2}O{sub 2} production and methanol tolerance for ORR. This simple strategy could be adopted to make a series of mesoporous fullerenes with different structures and carbon atoms as a new class of energy materials. (copyright 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  3. Guiding principle for crystalline Si photovoltaic modules with high tolerance to acetic acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masuda, Atsushi; Hara, Yukiko

    2018-04-01

    A guiding principle for highly reliable crystalline Si photovoltaic modules, especially those with high tolerance to acetic acid generated by hydrolysis reaction between water vapor and an ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) encapsulant, is proposed. Degradation behavior evaluated by the damp heat test strongly depends on Ag finger electrodes and also EVA encapsulants. The acetic acid concentration in EVA on the glass side directly determines the degradation behavior. The most important factor for high tolerance is the type of Ag finger electrode materials when using an EVA encapsulant. Photovoltaic modules using newly developed crystalline Si cells with improved Ag finger electrode materials keep their maximum power of 80% of the initial value even after the damp heat test at 85 °C and 85% relative humidity for 10000 h. The pattern of dark regions in electroluminescence images is also discussed on the basis of the dynamics of acetic acid in the modules.

  4. Size Tunable Synthesis of Highly Crystalline BaTiO3 Nanoparticles using Salt-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itoh, Yoshifumi; Lenggoro, I. Wuled; Okuyama, Kikuo; Maedler, Lutz; Pratsinis, Sotiris E.

    2003-01-01

    Highly crystalline, dense BaTiO 3 nanoparticles in a size range from 30 to 360nm with a narrow size distribution (σ g = 1.2-1.4) were prepared at various synthesis temperatures using a salt-assisted spray pyrolysis (SASP) method without the need for post-annealing. The effect of synthesis temperature on particle size, crystallinity and surface morphology of the nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning/transmission electron microscopy. The nature of the crystalline structure was analyzed by Rietveld refinement and Raman spectroscopy. The particle size decreased with decreasing operation temperature. The crystal phase was transformed from tetragonal to cubic at a particles size of about 50nm at room temperature. SASP can be used to produce high weight fraction of tetragonal BaTiO 3 nanoparticles down to 64nm in a single step

  5. Liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite material for dental application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tai, Yun-Yuan; Hsu, Sheng-Hao; Chen, Rung-Shu; Su, Wei-Fang; Chen, Min-Huey

    2015-01-01

    Novel liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites, which exhibit reduced polymerization shrinkage and effectively bond to tooth structures, can be applied in esthetic dentistry, including core and post systems, direct and indirect restorations, and dental brackets. The purposes of this study were to investigate the properties of liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposites including biocompatibility, microhardness, and frictional forces of bracket-like blocks with different filler contents for further clinical applications. In this study, we evaluated liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite materials that exhibited various filler contents, by assessing their cell activity performance using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and their microhardness with or without thermocycling. We also evaluated the frictional force between bracket-like duplicates and commercially available esthetic bracket systems using Instron 5566. The liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite materials showed good biocompatibility. The materials having high filler content demonstrated greater microhardness compared with commercially available bracket materials, before and after the thermocycling treatment. Thus, manufacturing processes are important to reduce frictional force experienced by orthodontic brackets. The microhardness of the bracket-like blocks made by our new material is superior to the commercially available brackets, even after thermocycling. Our results indicate that the evaluated liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite materials are of an appropriate quality for application in dental core and post systems and in various restorations. By applying technology to refine manufacturing processes, these new materials could also be used to fabricate esthetic brackets for orthodontic treatment. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  6. Simultaneous high crystallinity and sub-bandgap optical absorptance in hyperdoped black silicon using nanosecond laser annealing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Franta, Benjamin, E-mail: bafranta@gmail.com; Pastor, David; Gandhi, Hemi H.; Aziz, Michael J.; Mazur, Eric [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Rekemeyer, Paul H.; Gradečak, Silvija [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2015-12-14

    Hyperdoped black silicon fabricated with femtosecond laser irradiation has attracted interest for applications in infrared photodetectors and intermediate band photovoltaics due to its sub-bandgap optical absorptance and light-trapping surface. However, hyperdoped black silicon typically has an amorphous and polyphasic polycrystalline surface that can interfere with carrier transport, electrical rectification, and intermediate band formation. Past studies have used thermal annealing to obtain high crystallinity in hyperdoped black silicon, but thermal annealing causes a deactivation of the sub-bandgap optical absorptance. In this study, nanosecond laser annealing is used to obtain high crystallinity and remove pressure-induced phases in hyperdoped black silicon while maintaining high sub-bandgap optical absorptance and a light-trapping surface morphology. Furthermore, it is shown that nanosecond laser annealing reactivates the sub-bandgap optical absorptance of hyperdoped black silicon after deactivation by thermal annealing. Thermal annealing and nanosecond laser annealing can be combined in sequence to fabricate hyperdoped black silicon that simultaneously shows high crystallinity, high above-bandgap and sub-bandgap absorptance, and a rectifying electrical homojunction. Such nanosecond laser annealing could potentially be applied to non-equilibrium material systems beyond hyperdoped black silicon.

  7. Patterning crystalline indium tin oxide by high repetition rate femtosecond laser-induced crystallization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Chung-Wei; Lin, Cen-Ying; Shen, Wei-Chih; Lee, Yi-Ju; Chen, Jenq-Shyong

    2010-01-01

    A method is proposed for patterning crystalline indium tin oxide (c-ITO) patterns on amorphous ITO (a-ITO) thin films by femtosecond laser irradiation at 80 MHz repetition rate followed by chemical etching. In the proposed approach, the a-ITO film is transformed into a c-ITO film over a predetermined area via the heat accumulation energy supplied by the high repetition rate laser beam, and the unirradiated a-ITO film is then removed using an acidic etchant solution. The fabricated c-ITO patterns are observed using scanning electron microscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The crystalline, optical, electrical properties were measured by X-ray diffraction, spectrophotometer, and four point probe station, respectively. The experimental results show that a high repetition rate reduces thermal shock and yields a corresponding improvement in the surface properties of the c-ITO patterns.

  8. Anisotropy-based crystalline oxide-on-semiconductor material

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKee, Rodney Allen; Walker, Frederick Joseph

    2000-01-01

    A semiconductor structure and device for use in a semiconductor application utilizes a substrate of semiconductor-based material, such as silicon, and a thin film of a crystalline oxide whose unit cells are capable of exhibiting anisotropic behavior overlying the substrate surface. Within the structure, the unit cells of the crystalline oxide are exposed to an in-plane stain which influences the geometric shape of the unit cells and thereby arranges a directional-dependent quality of the unit cells in a predisposed orientation relative to the substrate. This predisposition of the directional-dependent quality of the unit cells enables the device to take beneficial advantage of characteristics of the structure during operation. For example, in the instance in which the crystalline oxide of the structure is a perovskite, a spinel or an oxide of similarly-related cubic structure, the structure can, within an appropriate semiconductor device, exhibit ferroelectric, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, electro-optic, ferromagnetic, antiferromagnetic, magneto-optic or large dielectric properties that synergistically couple to the underlying semiconductor substrate.

  9. Nano-Like Effects in Crystalline Thermoelectric Materials at High Temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Korzhuev, M. A.; Katin, I. V.

    2013-05-01

    The mechanisms of improving the figure of merit Z and power parameter W of thermoelectric materials (TEMs) in the transitions λph→a and λe→a are considered (Here λph and λe are the mean free path of the phonons and electrons in the sample, and a is the inter atomic distance). It is shown that the same mechanisms are responsible for the growth of Z and W crystalline TEMs at high temperatures.

  10. A highly crystalline single Au wire network as a high temperature transparent heater

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, K. D. M.; Kulkarni, Giridhar U.

    2014-05-01

    A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. A transparent conductor which can generate high temperatures finds important applications in optoelectronics. In this article, a wire network made of Au on quartz is shown to serve as an effective high temperature transparent heater. The heater has been fabricated by depositing Au onto a cracked sacrificial template. The highly interconnected Au wire network thus formed exhibited a transmittance of ~87% in a wide spectral range with a sheet resistance of 5.4 Ω □-1. By passing current through the network, it could be joule heated to ~600 °C within a few seconds. The extraordinary thermal performance and stability owe much to the seamless junctions present in the wire network. Furthermore, the wire network gets self-annealed through joule heating as seen from its increased crystallinity. Interestingly, both transmittance and sheet resistance improved following annealing to 92% and 3.2 Ω □-1, respectively. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Optical micrographs, EDAX, XRD, SEM and TEM images of Au metal wires. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr00869c

  11. RNA aptamers targeted for human αA-crystallin do not bind αB-crystallin, and spare the α-crystallin domain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallik, Prabhat K; Shi, Hua; Pande, Jayanti

    2017-09-16

    The molecular chaperones, α-crystallins, belong to the small heat shock protein (sHSP) family and prevent the aggregation and insolubilization of client proteins. Studies in vivo have shown that the chaperone activity of the α-crystallins is raised or lowered in various disease states. Therefore, the development of tools to control chaperone activity may provide avenues for therapeutic intervention, as well as enable a molecular understanding of chaperone function. The major human lens α-crystallins, αA- (HAA) and αB- (HAB), share 57% sequence identity and show similar activity towards some clients, but differing activities towards others. Notably, both crystallins contain the "α-crystallin domain" (ACD, the primary client binding site), like all other members of the sHSP family. Here we show that RNA aptamers selected for HAA, in vitro, exhibit specific affinity to HAA but do not bind HAB. Significantly, these aptamers also exclude the ACD. This study thus demonstrates that RNA aptamers against sHSPs can be designed that show high affinity and specificity - yet exclude the primary client binding region - thereby facilitating the development of RNA aptamer-based therapeutic intervention strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. 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

  13. Applications of high resolution NMR to geochemistry: crystalline, glass, and molten silicates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, E.

    1985-11-01

    The nuclear spin interactions and the associated quantum mechanical dynamics which are present in solid state NMR are introduced. A brief overview of aluminosilicate structure is presented and crystalline structure is then reviewed, with emphasis on the contributions made by 29 Si NMR spectroscopy. The local structure of glass aluminosilicates as observed by NMR, is presented with analysis of the information content of 29 Si spectra. A high-temperature (to 1300 0 C) NMR spectroscopic investigation of the local environment and dynamics of molecular motion in molten aluminosilicates is described. A comparison is made of silicate liquid, glass, and crystalline local structure. The atomic and molecular motions present in a melt are investigated through relaxation time (T 1 and T 2 ) measurements as a function of composition and temperature for 23 Na and 29 Si

  14. CBE growth of high-quality ZnO epitaxial layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El-Shaer, A.; Bakin, A.; Mofor, A.C.; Kreye, M.; Waag, A. [Institute of Semiconductor Technology, Technical University Braunschweig, Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, 38106 Braunschweig (Germany); Blaesing, J.; Krost, A. [Institute of Experimental Physics, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Germany); Stoimenos, J. [Physics Department, Aristotele University, Univ. Campus, 54006 Thessaloniki (Greece); Pecz, B. [Research Institute for Technical Physics and Materials Science, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 49, 1525 Budapest (Hungary); Heuken, M. [Aixtron AG, Kackertstr. 15-17, 52072 Aachen (Germany)

    2006-03-15

    Further improvements on the recently reported novel approach to zinc oxide Chemical Beam Epitaxy (CBE) are presented. Hydrogen peroxide is employed as a very efficient novel oxidant. ZnO layers with a thickness from 100 nm to 600 nm were grown on c-sapphire using a MgO buffer. PL-mapping as well as conductivity mapping shows a good uniformity across the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire epiwafers. The measured surface roughness for the best layers is as low as 0.26 nm. HRXRD measurements of the obtained ZnO layers show excellent quality of the single crystalline ZnO. The FWHM of the HRXRD (0002) rocking curves measured for the 2 inch ZnO-on-sapphire wafers is as low as 27 arcsec with a very high lateral homogeneity across the whole wafer. Plane view HRTEM observations reveal the very good quality of the ZnO films. The results indicate that CBE is a suitable technique to fabricate ZnO of very high structural quality, which can eventually be used as an alternative to bulk ZnO substrates. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  15. Development of highly porous crystalline titania photocatalysts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marszewski, Michal

    The objectives of this dissertation are the design, synthesis, and characterization of titania materials with surface area, porosity, crystallinity and doping tailored toward photocatalytic applications. Ultimately, the research should result in a strategy allowing the synthesis of titania with all these important features. The synthetic methods investigated in this research will include: i) soft-templating, ii) hard-templating, and iii) modified precursor strategy. Soft-templating strategy uses organic templates--either block copolymers or surfactants--that under specific conditions assemble into micelles, and later, these micelles are used to template the desired material around them. The resulting organic-inorganic composite is then calcined in air to remove the organic template and recover the final material with high surface area and large pore volume. This work explores 1) synthesis of titania materials in the presence of polymer templates, and the effects of different synthetic conditions on the structure of the resulting materials. Hard-templating, in contrast to soft-templating, uses inorganic templates. The hard template is introduced during the synthesis to cast its shape onto the fabricated material and removed afterwards, when the material has formed. The final material is an inverse replica of the hard template used, typically with a well-developed mesostructure. This work explores 1) hard templating synthesis of titania materials using silica and alumina, and 2) the effects of the template amount and type. The modified precursor strategy is a novel synthetic method, developed in this research, and designed specifically to achieve titania material with high surface area, large pore volume, high crystallinity, and possibly doping. The modified precursors are prepared by reacting generic titania precursors, such as titanium isopropoxide (TIPO), with organic acids, which results in substitution of some or all alkoxide groups in TIPO structure. The goal

  16. Synthesis of Large-Scale Single-Crystalline Monolayer WS2 Using a Semi-Sealed Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feifei Lan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available As a two-dimensional semiconductor, WS2 has attracted great attention due to its rich physical properties and potential applications. However, it is still difficult to synthesize monolayer single-crystalline WS2 at larger scale. Here, we report the growth of large-scale triangular single-crystalline WS2 with a semi-sealed installation by chemical vapor deposition (CVD. Through this method, triangular single-crystalline WS2 with an average length of more than 300 µm was obtained. The largest one was about 405 μm in length. WS2 triangles with different sizes and thicknesses were analyzed by optical microscope and atomic force microscope (AFM. Their optical properties were evaluated by Raman and photoluminescence (PL spectra. This report paves the way to fabricating large-scale single-crystalline monolayer WS2, which is useful for the growth of high-quality WS2 and its potential applications in the future.

  17. Amplitude dependent damping in single crystalline high purity molybdenum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zelada-Lambri, G.I; Lambri, O.A; Garcia, J.A; Lomer, J.N

    2004-01-01

    Amplitude dependent damping measurements were performed on high purity single crystalline molybdenum at several different constant temperatures between room temperature and 1273K. The employed samples were single crystals with the orientation, having a residual resistivity ratio of about 8000. Previously to the amplitude dependent damping tests, the samples were subjected to different thermomechanical histories. Amplitude dependent damping effects appear only during the first heating run in temperature where the samples have the thermomechanical state of the deformation process at room temperature. In the subsequent run-ups in temperature, i.e, after subsequent annealings, amplitude dependent damping effects were not detected (au)

  18. High quality β-FeSi2 thin films prepared on silicon (100) by using pulsed laser ablation of Fe target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, S.C.; Yang, C.; Liu, M.; Jiang, S.Z.; Ma, Y.Y.; Chen, C.S.; Gao, X.G.; Sun, Z.C.; Hu, B.; Wang, C.C.; Man, B.Y.

    2012-01-01

    High quality β-FeSi 2 thin films have been fabricated on silicon (100) substrate by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique with the Fe and sintered FeSi 2 targets. The crystalline quality and surface morphology of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. These results indicate that the samples prepared with a Fe target can acquire a better crystalline quality and a smoother surface than those with a sintered FeSi 2 target. The reasons were discussed with subsurface superheating mechanism. The intrinsic PL spectrum attributed to the interband transition of β-FeSi 2 for all the samples was compared, showing that the film prepared with Fe target can acquire a good PL property by optimizing experimental parameters. It is suggested that sputtering Fe on Si substrate by the pulsed laser offers a cheap and convenient way to prepare the β-FeSi 2 thin films. -- Highlights: ► β-FeSi 2 films were fabricated by PLD technique with the Fe and FeSi 2 targets. ► The films prepared with Fe target have good crystalline quality and smooth surface. ► The Fe target prepared film acquired a high PL intensity. ► Sputtering Fe on Si substrate offers a convenient way to prepare the β-FeSi 2 films.

  19. Hydrogeological processes controlling water quality in the crystalline basement aquifer of the Vea Catchment in Northeast Ghana

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koffi, K. V.; Obuobie, E.; Banning, A.; Wohnlich, S.

    2016-12-01

    In the Vea catchment of Northeast Ghana, groundwater appears to be a good alternative source for domestic and agricultural water supply as surface water is largely unavailable in the prolonged dry season that characterises this semi-arid area underlain by a crystalline rock aquifer. But the usability of water depends on its quality and therefore this study was done to investigate the processes influencing groundwater hydrochemistry in the study area to inform sustainable development and use of the resource. Sixty one groundwater samples were collected from different lithologies of the crystalline aquifer, and analysed for hydrochemical and physico-chemical parameters. Results show that groundwater chemistry is governed by rock-water interaction in the area. It is mainly controlled by cation exchange and silicate weathering processes. The majority of the samples was found to cluster in the Ca-Mg-HCO3 water type, regardless of aquifer geology. From a hydrochemistry perspective, the groundwater in the area is generally suitable for irrigation and drinking purposes.

  20. Quantum coherent transport in SnTe topological crystalline insulator thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Assaf, B. A.; Heiman, D. [Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Katmis, F.; Moodera, J. S. [Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Department of Physics, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Wei, P. [Department of Physics, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States); Satpati, B. [Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India); Zhang, Z. [Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States); Bennett, S. P.; Harris, V. G. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States)

    2014-09-08

    Topological crystalline insulators (TCI) are unique systems where a band inversion that is protected by crystalline mirror symmetry leads to a multiplicity of topological surface states. Binary SnTe is an attractive lead-free TCI compound; the present work on high-quality thin films provides a route for increasing the mobility and reducing the carrier density of SnTe without chemical doping. Results of quantum coherent magnetotransport measurements reveal a multiplicity of Dirac surface states that are unique to TCI. Modeling of the weak antilocalization shows variations in the extracted number of carrier valleys that reflect the role of coherent intervalley scattering in coupling different Dirac states on the degenerate TCI surface.

  1. High Efficiency, Low Cost Solar Cells Manufactured Using 'Silicon Ink' on Thin Crystalline Silicon Wafers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antoniadis, H.

    2011-03-01

    Reported are the development and demonstration of a 17% efficient 25mm x 25mm crystalline Silicon solar cell and a 16% efficient 125mm x 125mm crystalline Silicon solar cell, both produced by Ink-jet printing Silicon Ink on a thin crystalline Silicon wafer. To achieve these objectives, processing approaches were developed to print the Silicon Ink in a predetermined pattern to form a high efficiency selective emitter, remove the solvents in the Silicon Ink and fuse the deposited particle Silicon films. Additionally, standard solar cell manufacturing equipment with slightly modified processes were used to complete the fabrication of the Silicon Ink high efficiency solar cells. Also reported are the development and demonstration of a 18.5% efficient 125mm x 125mm monocrystalline Silicon cell, and a 17% efficient 125mm x 125mm multicrystalline Silicon cell, by utilizing high throughput Ink-jet and screen printing technologies. To achieve these objectives, Innovalight developed new high throughput processing tools to print and fuse both p and n type particle Silicon Inks in a predetermined pat-tern applied either on the front or the back of the cell. Additionally, a customized Ink-jet and screen printing systems, coupled with customized substrate handling solution, customized printing algorithms, and a customized ink drying process, in combination with a purchased turn-key line, were used to complete the high efficiency solar cells. This development work delivered a process capable of high volume producing 18.5% efficient crystalline Silicon solar cells and enabled the Innovalight to commercialize its technology by the summer of 2010.

  2. High quality atomically thin PtSe2 films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Mingzhe; Wang, Eryin; Zhou, Xue; Zhang, Guangqi; Zhang, Hongyun; Zhang, Kenan; Yao, Wei; Lu, Nianpeng; Yang, Shuzhen; Wu, Shilong; Yoshikawa, Tomoki; Miyamoto, Koji; Okuda, Taichi; Wu, Yang; Yu, Pu; Duan, Wenhui; Zhou, Shuyun

    2017-12-01

    Atomically thin PtSe2 films have attracted extensive research interests for potential applications in high-speed electronics, spintronics and photodetectors. Obtaining high quality thin films with large size and controlled thickness is critical. Here we report the first successful epitaxial growth of high quality PtSe2 films by molecular beam epitaxy. Atomically thin films from 1 ML to 22 ML have been grown and characterized by low-energy electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Moreover, a systematic thickness dependent study of the electronic structure is revealed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and helical spin texture is revealed by spin-ARPES. Our work provides new opportunities for growing large size single crystalline films to investigate the physical properties and potential applications of PtSe2.

  3. Experimental synthesis of crystalline matrices based on Ce, Ba, Sr zirconates for immobilization of high-level radioactive actinides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anderson, E.B.; Burakov, B.E.; Vasiliev, V.G.; Starchenko, V.A.

    1993-01-01

    In geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste the main storage barriers, in the first place the matrix containing radionuclides, must remain undestructible over a long period of time. Very high requirements are imposed for the matrices from the viewpoint of their chemical stability and mechanical strength. Zirconates may be classified among compounds potentially suitable for the creation of crystalline matrices incorporating radionuclides in their structure. The paper considers results of laboratory experiments on the synthesis of crystalline matrices based on various zirconates by the methods of gas-static and axial pressing. Problems are discussed concerning the crystalline matrix industrial synthesis technology developed at the Radium Institute. One of the most promising directions in solving the problem of high-level waste (HLW) removal from the sphere of human activity is disposal in deep geological formations. The realization of this direction envisages creation of multibarrier compositions. Special attention is paid to the technology for the synthesis of the first, the most crucial, engineering barrier: the matrix into which radionuclides are incorporated. It is assumed that crystalline compounds best satisfy all the requirements as the most thermodynamically stable

  4. Preparation of high magneto-optical performance and crystalline quality Ce{sub 1}Gd{sub 2}Fe{sub 5−x}Ga{sub x}O{sub 12} films on CLNGG substrate crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Qiu-ping; Zheng, Ze-yuan; Lin, Nan-xi; Liu, Xiao-feng; Hong, Can-huang; Hu, Xiao-lin, E-mail: linamethyst@fzu.edu.cn; Zhuang, Nai-feng; Chen, Jian-zhong, E-mail: j.z.chen@fzu.edu.cn

    2016-11-01

    Thin films of Ce{sub 1}Gd{sub 2}Fe{sub 5−x}Ga{sub x}O{sub 12} (Ce,Ga:GIG) were prepared on Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 5}O{sub 12} (GGG) and Ca{sub 2.90}Li{sub 0.30}Nb{sub 1.93}Ga{sub 2.76}O{sub 12} (CLNGG) substrates by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique. The phase, grain orientation, surface morphology, transmittance, magnetism and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) properties of films were analyzed. And the effects of lattice mismatch and non-magnetic Ga{sup 3+}-doping were discussed. The results show that the films with higher crystallized quality and lower stress can be obtained by growing on CLNGG than on GGG. Moreover, the coercive force, magnetization, magneto-optical effect intensity and orientation of film can be effectively regulated by adjusting Ga{sup 3+}-doped concentration. - Highlights: • With excellent magneto-optical performance, Ce,Ga:GIG film has a good application prospect. • Ce,Ga:GIG film with high quality were prepared on CLNGG by RF magnetron sputtering. • Crystalline quality and morphology of films are intently related to the substrate. • Ga{sup 3+} doping obviously affect on magnetism and magneto-optical property of Ce:GIG film.

  5. Applications of high resolution NMR to geochemistry: crystalline, glass, and molten silicates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider, E.

    1985-11-01

    The nuclear spin interactions and the associated quantum mechanical dynamics which are present in solid state NMR are introduced. A brief overview of aluminosilicate structure is presented and crystalline structure is then reviewed, with emphasis on the contributions made by /sup 29/Si NMR spectroscopy. The local structure of glass aluminosilicates as observed by NMR, is presented with analysis of the information content of /sup 29/Si spectra. A high-temperature (to 1300/sup 0/C) NMR spectroscopic investigation of the local environment and dynamics of molecular motion in molten aluminosilicates is described. A comparison is made of silicate liquid, glass, and crystalline local structure. The atomic and molecular motions present in a melt are investigated through relaxation time (T/sub 1/ and T/sub 2/) measurements as a function of composition and temperature for /sup 23/Na and /sup 29/Si.

  6. A comparative study of the metastable equilibrium solubility behavior of high-crystallinity and low-crystallinity carbonated apatites using pH and solution strontium as independent variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heslop, D D; Bi, Y; Baig, A A; Otsuka, M; Higuchi, W I

    2005-09-01

    Using solution strontium and pH as independent variables, the metastable equilibrium solubility (MES) behavior of two carbonated apatite (CAP) samples has been examined, a high-crystallinity CAP (properties expected to be similar to dental enamel) and a low-crystallinity CAP (properties expected to be similar to bone mineral). CAP samples were prepared by precipitation/digestion: (CAP A: high-crystallinity, 1.3 wt% CO3, synthesized at 85 degrees C; CAP B: low-crystallinity, 6.4 wt% CO3, synthesized at 50 degrees C). Baseline MES distributions were determined in a series of 0.1 M acetate buffers containing only calcium and phosphate (no strontium) over a broad range of solution conditions. To assess the influence of strontium, MES profiles were determined in a similar fashion with 20, 40, 60, and 80% of the solution calcium being replaced on an equal molar basis by solution strontium. To determine the correct function governing CAP dissolution, ion activity products (IAPs) were calculated from the compositions of buffer solutions based on the hydroxyapatite template (Ca(10-n)Sr(n)(PO4)6(OH)2 (n = 0-10)) and the calcium/hydroxide deficient hydroxyapatite template (Ca(9-n)Sr(n)(HPO4)(PO4)5OH (n = 0-9)). (a) for CAP A, at high solution strontium/calcium ratios, the MES profiles were essentially superimposable when the solution IAPs were calculated using the stoichiometry of Ca6Sr4(PO4)6(OH)2 and for CAP B by a stoichiometry of Ca7Sr2(HPO4)(PO4)5OH; (b) for CAP A, at low strontium/calcium ratios, the stoichiometry yielding MES data superpositioning was found to be that of hydroxyapatite and for CAP B, that of calcium/hydroxide deficient hydroxyapatite. When other stoichiometries were assumed, good superpositioning of the data was not possible.

  7. Effect of growth interruption on the crystalline quality and electrical properties of Ga-doped ZnO thin film deposited on quartz substrate by magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Geun-Hyoung

    2013-01-01

    Ga-doped ZnO(GZO) thin films were deposited on the quartz substrate by magnetron sputtering system with growth interruption technique. As the number of interruptions and interruption time increased, the carrier concentration and Hall mobility in GZO films significantly increased. As a result, the resistivity of GZO films decreased. The optical transmittance of GZO films also increased with the number of interruption and interruption time. The transmittance showed over 90% in visual region. Atomic force microscopy measurement showed that the film surface became smoother with an increase of the number of interruption. In addition, the crystalline quality and electrical properties of GZO films were more improved when the growth interruption was employed with a temperature gradient. - Highlights: • Ga-doped ZnO thin films were deposited with growth interruption technique. • The crystallinity of the films was improved with the number of interruptions. • The crystallinity of the films was improved as the interruption time increased. • The growth interruption with a temperature gradient more improved the film quality

  8. Improvements in numerical modelling of highly injected crystalline silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Altermatt, P.P. [University of New South Wales, Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering, 2052 Sydney (Australia); Sinton, R.A. [Sinton Consulting, 1132 Green Circle, 80303 Boulder, CO (United States); Heiser, G. [University of NSW, School of Computer Science and Engineering, 2052 Sydney (Australia)

    2001-01-01

    We numerically model crystalline silicon concentrator cells with the inclusion of band gap narrowing (BGN) caused by injected free carriers. In previous studies, the revised room-temperature value of the intrinsic carrier density, n{sub i}=1.00x10{sup 10}cm{sup -3}, was inconsistent with the other material parameters of highly injected silicon. In this paper, we show that high-injection experiments can be described consistently with the revised value of n{sub i} if free-carrier induced BGN is included, and that such BGN is an important effect in silicon concentrator cells. The new model presented here significantly improves the ability to model highly injected silicon cells with a high level of precision.

  9. Crystalline and Crystalline International Disposal Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viswanathan, Hari S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, Shaoping [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dittrich, Timothy M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, Jeffrey De' Haven [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Karra, Satish [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Makedonska, Nataliia [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Reimus, Paul William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2017-03-06

    This report presents the results of work conducted between September 2015 and July 2016 at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the crystalline disposal and crystalline international disposal work packages of the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) for DOE-NE’s Fuel Cycle Research and Development program. Los Alamos focused on two main activities during this period: Discrete fracture network (DFN) modeling to describe flow and radionuclide transport in complex fracture networks that are typical of crystalline rock environments, and a comprehensive interpretation of three different colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport experiments conducted in a fractured granodiorite at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland between 2002 and 2013. Chapter 1 presents the results of the DFN work and is divided into three main sections: (1) we show results of our recent study on the correlation between fracture size and fracture transmissivity (2) we present an analysis and visualization prototype using the concept of a flow topology graph for characterization of discrete fracture networks, and (3) we describe the Crystalline International work in support of the Swedish Task Force. Chapter 2 presents interpretation of the colloidfacilitated radionuclide transport experiments in the crystalline rock at the Grimsel Test Site.

  10. Nanoscale crystallinity modulates cell proliferation on plasma sprayed surfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, Alan M. [School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield HD1 3DH (United Kingdom); Paxton, Jennifer Z.; Hung, Yi-Pei; Hadley, Martin J.; Bowen, James; Williams, Richard L. [School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Grover, Liam M., E-mail: l.m.grover@bham.ac.uk [School of Chemical Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

    2015-03-01

    Calcium phosphate coatings have been applied to the surface of metallic prostheses to mediate hard and soft tissue attachment for more than 40 years. Most coatings are formed of high purity hydroxyapatite, and coating methods are often designed to produce highly crystalline surfaces. It is likely however, that coatings of lower crystallinity can facilitate more rapid tissue attachment since the surface will exhibit a higher specific surface area and will be considerably more reactive than a comparable highly crystalline surface. Here we test this hypothesis by growing a population of MC3T3 osteoblast-like cells on the surface of two types of hip prosthesis with similar composition, but with differing crystallinity. The surfaces with lower crystallinity facilitated more rapid cell attachment and increased proliferation rate, despite having a less heterogeneous surface topography. This work highlights that the influence of the crystallinity of HA at the nano-scale is dominant over macro-scale topography for cell adhesion and growth. Furthermore, crystallinity could be easily adjusted by without compromising coating purity. These findings could facilitate designing novel coated calcium phosphate surfaces that more rapidly bond tissue following implantation. - Highlights: • Crystallinity of HA at the nano-scale was dominant over macro-scale topography. • Lower crystallinity caused rapid cell attachment and proliferation rate. • Crystallinity could be easily adjusted by without compromising coating purity.

  11. Nanoscale crystallinity modulates cell proliferation on plasma sprayed surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, Alan M.; Paxton, Jennifer Z.; Hung, Yi-Pei; Hadley, Martin J.; Bowen, James; Williams, Richard L.; Grover, Liam M.

    2015-01-01

    Calcium phosphate coatings have been applied to the surface of metallic prostheses to mediate hard and soft tissue attachment for more than 40 years. Most coatings are formed of high purity hydroxyapatite, and coating methods are often designed to produce highly crystalline surfaces. It is likely however, that coatings of lower crystallinity can facilitate more rapid tissue attachment since the surface will exhibit a higher specific surface area and will be considerably more reactive than a comparable highly crystalline surface. Here we test this hypothesis by growing a population of MC3T3 osteoblast-like cells on the surface of two types of hip prosthesis with similar composition, but with differing crystallinity. The surfaces with lower crystallinity facilitated more rapid cell attachment and increased proliferation rate, despite having a less heterogeneous surface topography. This work highlights that the influence of the crystallinity of HA at the nano-scale is dominant over macro-scale topography for cell adhesion and growth. Furthermore, crystallinity could be easily adjusted by without compromising coating purity. These findings could facilitate designing novel coated calcium phosphate surfaces that more rapidly bond tissue following implantation. - Highlights: • Crystallinity of HA at the nano-scale was dominant over macro-scale topography. • Lower crystallinity caused rapid cell attachment and proliferation rate. • Crystallinity could be easily adjusted by without compromising coating purity

  12. Interface-Induced Zeeman-Protected Superconductivity in Ultrathin Crystalline Lead Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Yi; Wang, Ziqiao; Zhang, Xuefeng; Liu, Chaofei; Liu, Yongjie; Zhou, Zhimou; Wang, Junfeng; Wang, Qingyan; Liu, Yanzhao; Xi, Chuanying; Tian, Mingliang; Liu, Haiwen; Feng, Ji; Xie, X. C.; Wang, Jian

    2018-04-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) superconducting systems are of great importance for exploring exotic quantum physics. The recent development of fabrication techniques has stimulated studies of high-quality single-crystalline 2D superconductors, where intrinsic properties give rise to unprecedented physical phenomena. Here, we report the observation of Zeeman-type spin-orbit interaction protected superconductivity (Zeeman-protected superconductivity) in 4-monolayer (ML) to 6-ML crystalline Pb films grown on striped incommensurate Pb layers on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. An anomalously large in-plane critical field far beyond the Pauli limit is detected, which can be attributed to the Zeeman-protected superconductivity due to the in-plane inversion symmetry breaking at the interface. Our work demonstrates that, in superconducting heterostructures, the interface can induce Zeeman-type spin-orbit interactions and modulate the superconductivity.

  13. High-Performance Single-Crystalline Perovskite Thin-Film Photodetector

    KAUST Repository

    Yang, Zhenqian; Deng, Yuhao; Zhang, Xiaowei; Wang, Suo; Chen, Huazhou; Yang, Sui; Khurgin, Jacob; Fang, Nicholas X.; Zhang, Xiang; Ma, Renmin

    2018-01-01

    The best performing modern optoelectronic devices rely on single-crystalline thin-film (SC-TF) semiconductors grown epitaxially. The emerging halide perovskites, which can be synthesized via low-cost solution-based methods, have achieved substantial

  14. Fabrications and application of single crystalline GaN for high-performance deep UV photodetectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Velazquez, R.; Rivera, M.; Feng, P., E-mail: p.feng@upr.edu [Department of Physics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, 00936-8377, PR/USA (Puerto Rico); Aldalbahi, A. [Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia)

    2016-08-15

    High-quality single crystalline Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor has been synthesized using molecule beam epitaxy (MBE) technique for development of high-performance deep ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors. Thickness of the films was estimated by using surface profile meter and scanning electron microscope. Electronic states and elemental composition of the films were obtained using Raman scattering spectroscopy. The orientation, crystal structure and phase purity of the films were examined using a Siemens x-ray diffractometer radiation. The surface microstructure was studied using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Two types of metal pairs: Al-Al, Al-Cu or Cu-Cu were used for interdigital electrodes on GaN film in order to examine the Schottky properties of the GaN based photodetector. The characterizations of the fabricated prototype include the stability, responsivity, response and recovery times. Typical time dependent photoresponsivity by switching different UV light source on and off five times for each 240 seconds at a bias of 2V, respectively, have been obtained. The detector appears to be highly sensitive to various UV wavelengths of light with very stable baseline and repeatability. The obtained photoresponsivity was up to 354 mA/W at the bias 2V. Higher photoresponsivity could be obtained if higher bias was applied but it would unavoidably result in a higher dark current. Thermal effect on the fabricated GaN based prototype was discussed.

  15. Solvent-free directed patterning of a highly ordered liquid crystalline organic semiconductor via template-assisted self-assembly for organic transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Aryeon; Jang, Kwang-Suk; Kim, Jinsoo; Won, Jong Chan; Yi, Mi Hye; Kim, Hanim; Yoon, Dong Ki; Shin, Tae Joo; Lee, Myong-Hoon; Ka, Jae-Won; Kim, Yun Ho

    2013-11-20

    Highly ordered organic semiconductor micropatterns of the liquid-crystalline small molecule 2,7-didecylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C10 -BTBT) are fabricated using a simple method based on template-assisted self-assembly (TASA). The liquid crystallinity of C10 -BTBT allows solvent-free fabrication of high-performance printed organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Crystallinity and flux pinning properties of MgB2 bulks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamamoto, A.; Shimoyama, J.; Ueda, S.; Katsura, Y.; Iwayama, I.; Horii, S.; Kishio, K.

    2006-01-01

    The relationship between flux pinning properties and crystallinity of MgB 2 bulks was systematically studied. Improved flux pinning properties under high fields were observed for samples with low crystallinity. Increased impurity scattering due to strain and defects in lattice corresponding to the degraded crystallinity was considered to enhance flux pinning strength at grain boundaries. Low-temperature synthesis and carbon substitution were confirmed to be effective for degrading crystallinity of MgB 2 bulks, resulting in high critical current properties under high fields

  17. Crystalline and Crystalline International Disposal Activities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Viswanathan, Hari S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, Shaoping [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Reimus, Paul William [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Makedonska, Nataliia [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, Jeffrey De' Haven [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Karra, Satish [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dittrich, Timothy M. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-12-21

    This report presents the results of work conducted between September 2014 and July 2015 at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the crystalline disposal and crystalline international disposal work packages of the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) for DOE-NE’s Fuel Cycle Research and Development program.

  18. Interface-Induced Zeeman-Protected Superconductivity in Ultrathin Crystalline Lead Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Liu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Two-dimensional (2D superconducting systems are of great importance for exploring exotic quantum physics. The recent development of fabrication techniques has stimulated studies of high-quality single-crystalline 2D superconductors, where intrinsic properties give rise to unprecedented physical phenomena. Here, we report the observation of Zeeman-type spin-orbit interaction protected superconductivity (Zeeman-protected superconductivity in 4-monolayer (ML to 6-ML crystalline Pb films grown on striped incommensurate Pb layers on Si(111 substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. An anomalously large in-plane critical field far beyond the Pauli limit is detected, which can be attributed to the Zeeman-protected superconductivity due to the in-plane inversion symmetry breaking at the interface. Our work demonstrates that, in superconducting heterostructures, the interface can induce Zeeman-type spin-orbit interactions and modulate the superconductivity.

  19. The quest for crystalline ion beams

    CERN Document Server

    Schramm, U; Bussmann, M; Habs, D

    2002-01-01

    The phase transition of an ion beam into its crystalline state has long been expected to dramatically influence beam dynamics beyond the limitations of standard accelerator physics. Yet, although considerable improvement in beam cooling techniques has been made, strong heating mechanisms inherent to existing high-energy storage rings have prohibited the formation of the crystalline state in these machines up to now. Only recently, laser cooling of low-energy beams in the table-top rf quadrupole storage ring PAaul Laser cooLing Acceleration System (PALLAS) has lead to the experimental realization of crystalline beams. In this article, the quest for crystalline beams as well as their unique properties as experienced in PALLAS will be reviewed.

  20. Generic Crystalline Disposal Reference Case

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Painter, Scott Leroy [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, Shaoping [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Harp, Dylan Robert [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Perry, Frank Vinton [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Wang, Yifeng [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-02-20

    A generic reference case for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in crystalline rock is outlined. The generic cases are intended to support development of disposal system modeling capability by establishing relevant baseline conditions and parameters. Establishment of a generic reference case requires that the emplacement concept, waste inventory, waste form, waste package, backfill/buffer properties, EBS failure scenarios, host rock properties, and biosphere be specified. The focus in this report is on those elements that are unique to crystalline disposal, especially the geosphere representation. Three emplacement concepts are suggested for further analyses: a waste packages containing 4 PWR assemblies emplaced in boreholes in the floors of tunnels (KBS-3 concept), a 12-assembly waste package emplaced in tunnels, and a 32-assembly dual purpose canister emplaced in tunnels. In addition, three failure scenarios were suggested for future use: a nominal scenario involving corrosion of the waste package in the tunnel emplacement concepts, a manufacturing defect scenario applicable to the KBS-3 concept, and a disruptive glaciation scenario applicable to both emplacement concepts. The computational approaches required to analyze EBS failure and transport processes in a crystalline rock repository are similar to those of argillite/shale, with the most significant difference being that the EBS in a crystalline rock repository will likely experience highly heterogeneous flow rates, which should be represented in the model. The computational approaches required to analyze radionuclide transport in the natural system are very different because of the highly channelized nature of fracture flow. Computational workflows tailored to crystalline rock based on discrete transport pathways extracted from discrete fracture network models are recommended.

  1. Fabrication of high-quality single-crystal Cu thin films using radio-frequency sputtering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seunghun; Kim, Ji Young; Lee, Tae-Woo; Kim, Won-Kyung; Kim, Bum-Su; Park, Ji Hun; Bae, Jong-Seong; Cho, Yong Chan; Kim, Jungdae; Oh, Min-Wook; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Jeong, Se-Young

    2014-08-29

    Copper (Cu) thin films have been widely used as electrodes and interconnection wires in integrated electronic circuits, and more recently as substrates for the synthesis of graphene. However, the ultra-high vacuum processes required for high-quality Cu film fabrication, such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), restricts mass production with low cost. In this work, we demonstrated high-quality Cu thin films using a single-crystal Cu target and radio-frequency (RF) sputtering technique; the resulting film quality was comparable to that produced using MBE, even under unfavorable conditions for pure Cu film growth. The Cu thin film was epitaxially grown on an Al2O3 (sapphire) (0001) substrate, and had high crystalline orientation along the (111) direction. Despite the 10(-3) Pa vacuum conditions, the resulting thin film was oxygen free due to the high chemical stability of the sputtered specimen from a single-crystal target; moreover, the deposited film had >5× higher adhesion force than that produced using a polycrystalline target. This fabrication method enabled Cu films to be obtained using a simple, manufacturing-friendly process on a large-area substrate, making our findings relevant for industrial applications.

  2. Birnessite-type MnO2 nanosheets with layered structures under high pressure: elimination of crystalline stacking faults and oriented laminar assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yugang; Wang, Lin; Liu, Yuzi; Ren, Yang

    2015-01-21

    Squeezing out crystalline stacking faults: Birnessite-type δ-phase MnO2 microflowers containing interconnected ultrathin nanosheets are synthesized through a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process and exhibit a layered crystalline structure with significant stacking faults. Compressing these MnO2 nanosheets in a diamond anvil cell with high pressure up to tens of GPa effectively eliminates the crystalline stacking faults. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Atomic layer deposition of crystalline SrHfO3 directly on Ge (001) for high-k dielectric applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDaniel, Martin D.; Ngo, Thong Q.; Ekerdt, John G.; Hu, Chengqing; Jiang, Aiting; Yu, Edward T.; Lu, Sirong; Smith, David J.; Posadas, Agham; Demkov, Alexander A.

    2015-01-01

    The current work explores the crystalline perovskite oxide, strontium hafnate, as a potential high-k gate dielectric for Ge-based transistors. SrHfO 3 (SHO) is grown directly on Ge by atomic layer deposition and becomes crystalline with epitaxial registry after post-deposition vacuum annealing at ∼700 °C for 5 min. The 2 × 1 reconstructed, clean Ge (001) surface is a necessary template to achieve crystalline films upon annealing. The SHO films exhibit excellent crystallinity, as shown by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The SHO films have favorable electronic properties for consideration as a high-k gate dielectric on Ge, with satisfactory band offsets (>2 eV), low leakage current (<10 −5 A/cm 2 at an applied field of 1 MV/cm) at an equivalent oxide thickness of 1 nm, and a reasonable dielectric constant (k ∼ 18). The interface trap density (D it ) is estimated to be as low as ∼2 × 10 12  cm −2  eV −1 under the current growth and anneal conditions. Some interfacial reaction is observed between SHO and Ge at temperatures above ∼650 °C, which may contribute to increased D it value. This study confirms the potential for crystalline oxides grown directly on Ge by atomic layer deposition for advanced electronic applications

  4. A new approach to epitaxially grow high-quality GaN films on Si substrates: the combination of MBE and PLD.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wenliang; Wang, Haiyan; Yang, Weijia; Zhu, Yunnong; Li, Guoqiang

    2016-04-22

    High-quality GaN epitaxial films have been grown on Si substrates with Al buffer layer by the combination of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technologies. MBE is used to grow Al buffer layer at first, and then PLD is deployed to grow GaN epitaxial films on the Al buffer layer. The surface morphology, crystalline quality, and interfacial property of as-grown GaN epitaxial films on Si substrates are studied systematically. The as-grown ~300 nm-thick GaN epitaxial films grown at 850 °C with ~30 nm-thick Al buffer layer on Si substrates show high crystalline quality with the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) for GaN(0002) and GaN(102) X-ray rocking curves of 0.45° and 0.61°, respectively; very flat GaN surface with the root-mean-square surface roughness of 2.5 nm; as well as the sharp and abrupt GaN/AlGaN/Al/Si hetero-interfaces. Furthermore, the corresponding growth mechanism of GaN epitaxial films grown on Si substrates with Al buffer layer by the combination of MBE and PLD is hence studied in depth. This work provides a novel and simple approach for the epitaxial growth of high-quality GaN epitaxial films on Si substrates.

  5. Unraveling Crystalline Structure of High-Pressure Phase of Silicon Carbonate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rulong Zhou

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Although CO_{2} and SiO_{2} both belong to group-IV oxides, they exhibit remarkably different bonding characteristics and phase behavior at ambient conditions. At room temperature, CO_{2} is a gas, whereas SiO_{2} is a covalent solid with rich polymorphs. A recent successful synthesis of the silicon-carbonate solid from the reaction between CO_{2} and SiO_{2} under high pressure [M. Santoro et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108, 7689 (2011] has resolved a long-standing puzzle regarding whether a Si_{x}C_{1−x}O_{2} compound between CO_{2} and SiO_{2} exists in nature. Nevertheless, the detailed atomic structure of the Si_{x}C_{1−x}O_{2} crystal is still unknown. Here, we report an extensive search for the high-pressure crystalline structures of the Si_{x}C_{1−x}O_{2} compound with various stoichiometric ratios (SiO_{2}:CO_{2} using an evolutionary algorithm. Based on the low-enthalpy structures obtained for each given stoichiometric ratio, several generic structural features and bonding characteristics of Si and C in the high-pressure phases are identified. The computed formation enthalpies show that the SiC_{2}O_{6} compound with a multislab three-dimensional (3D structure is energetically the most favorable at 20 GPa. Hence, a stable crystalline structure of the elusive Si_{x}C_{1−x}O_{2} compound under high pressure is predicted and awaiting future experimental confirmation. The SiC_{2}O_{6} crystal is an insulator with elastic constants comparable to typical hard solids, and it possesses nearly isotropic tensile strength as well as extremely low shear strength in the 2D plane, suggesting that the multislab 3D crystal is a promising solid lubricant. These valuable mechanical and electronic properties endow the SiC_{2}O_{6} crystal for potential applications in tribology and nanoelectronic devices, or as a stable solid-state form for CO_{2} sequestration.

  6. Crystalline Silica Primer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ,

    1992-01-01

    Crystalline silica is the scientific name for a group of minerals composed of silicon and oxygen. The term crystalline refers to the fact that the oxygen and silicon atoms are arranged in a threedimensional repeating pattern. This group of minerals has shaped human history since the beginning of civilization. From the sand used for making glass to the piezoelectric quartz crystals used in advanced communication systems, crystalline silica has been a part of our technological development. Crystalline silica's pervasiveness in our technology is matched only by its abundance in nature. It's found in samples from every geologic era and from every location around the globe. Scientists have known for decades that prolonged and excessive exposure to crystalline silica dust in mining environments can cause silicosis, a noncancerous lung disease. During the 1980's, studies were conducted that suggested that crystalline silica also was a carcinogen. As a result of these findings, crystalline silica has been regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). Under HCS, OSHAregulated businesses that use materials containing 0.1% or more crystalline silica must follow Federal guidelines concerning hazard communication and worker training. Although the HCS does not require that samples be analyzed for crystalline silica, mineral suppliers or OSHAregulated

  7. Rationale for geological isolation of high-level radioactive waste, and assessment of the suitability of crystalline rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smedes, H.W.

    1980-01-01

    This report summarizes the disposal objective to be met and the requisite geotechnical criteria to meet that objective; evaluates our present ability to determine whether certain criteria can be met and to predict whether they will continue to be met; discusses the consequences of failure to meet certain criteria; assesses what is known about how crystalline rocks meet those criteria; lists important gaps in our knowledge that presently preclude final assessment of suitability; and suggests priority research to fill those gaps. The report presents an elaboration of the above-stated behavior and suitability of crystalline rocks, and a rationale of site-selection in support of the recommended prompt and intensive study of granite and other crystalline rocks as potentially highly suitable candidate media for radioactive waste disposal. An overview is presented on what the rocks are, where they are, and what the critical attributes are of various crystalline-rock terranes in the conterminous United States. This is intended to provide a basis to aid in selecting, first regions, and then sites within those regions, as candidate repository sites

  8. Characterization of single crystalline ZnTe and ZnSe grown by vapor phase transport

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Trigubo, A B; Di Stefano, M C [FRBA-UTN, (1179) Buenos Aires (Argentina); Aguirre, M H [Dpto de Quim Inorg, Fac de Cs Quim, Univ Complutense, (28040) Madrid (Spain); Martinez, A M; D' Elia, R; Canepa, H; Heredia, E, E-mail: atrigubo@citefa.gov.a [CINSO-CITEFA: (1603) Villa Martelli, Pcia de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2009-05-01

    Tubular furnaces were designed and built to obtain single crystalline ZnTe and ZnSe ingots using respectively physical and chemical transport methods. Different temperature profiles and growth rates were analyzed in order to optimize the necessary crystalline quality for device development. Optical and scanning electron micrographs of the corrosion figures produced by chemical etching were used to obtain the dislocation density and the misorientation between adjacent subgrains in ZnTe and ZnSe wafers. Structural quality of the single crystalline material was determined by transmission electronic microscopy. Optical transmittance was measured by infrared transmission spectrometry and the resulting values were compared to commercial samples.

  9. Diverse topics in crystalline beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Jie; Draeseke, A.; Sessler, A.M.; Li, Xiao-Ping

    1995-01-01

    Equations of motion are presented, appropriate to interacting charged particles of diverse charge and mass, subject to the external forces produced by various kinds of magnetic fields and radio-frequency (rf) electric fields in storage rings. These equations are employed in the molecular dynamics simulations to study the properties of crystalline beams. The two necessary conditions for the formation and maintenance of crystalline beams are summarized. The transition from ID to 2D, and from 2D to 3D is explored, and the scaling behavior of the heating rates is discussed especially in the high temperature limit. The effectiveness of various cooling techniques in achieving crystalline states has been investigated. Crystalline beams made of two different species of ions via sympathetic cooling are presented, as well as circulating ''crystal balls'' bunched in all directions by magnetic focusing and rf field. By numerically reconstructing the original experimental conditions of the NAP-M ring, it is found that only at extremely low beam intensities, outside of the range of the original measurement, proton particles can form occasionally-passing disks. The proposed New ASTRID ring is shown to be suitable for the formation and maintenance of crystalline beams of all dimensions

  10. Soil Crystallinity As a Climate Indicator: Field Experiments on Earth and Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horgan, Briony; Scudder, Noel; Rampe, Elizabeth; Rutledge, Alicia

    2016-01-01

    Soil crystallinity is largely determined by leaching rates, as high leaching rates favor the rapid precipitation of short order or poorly-crystalline phases like the aluminosilicate allophane. High leaching rates can occur due to high precipitation rates, seasonal monsoons, or weathering of glass, but are also caused by the rapid onset of seasonal melting of snow and ice in cold environments. Thus, cold climate soils are commonly dominated by poorly crystalline phases, which mature into kaolin minerals over time. Thus, we hypothesize that, in some contexts, soils with high abundances of poorly crystalline phases could indicate formation under cold climatic conditions. This model could be helpful in interpreting the poorly-constrained paleoclimate of ancient Mars, as the crystallinity of ancient soils and soil-derived sediments appears to be highly variable in time and space. While strong signatures of crystalline phyllosilicates have been identified in possible ancient paleosols on Mars, Mars Science Laboratory rover investigations of diverse ancient sediments at Gale Crater has shown that they can contain very high abundances (40-50 wt%) of poorly crystalline phases. We hypothesize that these poorly crystalline phases could be the result of weathering by ice/snow melt, perhaps providing support for sustained cold climates on early Mars punctuated by more limited warm climates. Furthermore, such poorly crystalline soils could be highly fertile growth media for future human exploration and colonization on Mars. To test this hypothesis, we are currently using rover-like instrumentation to investigate the mineralogy and chemistry of weathering products generated by snow and ice melt in a Mars analog alpine environment: the glaciated Three Sisters volcanic complex in central Oregon. Alteration in this glacial environment generates high abundances of poorly crystalline phases, many of which have compositions distinct from those identified in previous terrestrial

  11. Towards III-V solar cells on Si: Improvement in the crystalline quality of Ge-on-Si virtual substrates through low porosity porous silicon buffer layer and annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calabrese, Gabriele; Baricordi, Stefano; Bernardoni, Paolo; Fin, Samuele; Guidi, Vincenzo; Vincenzi, Donato

    2014-01-01

    A comparison between the crystalline quality of Ge grown on bulk Si and on a low porosity porous Si (pSi) buffer layer using low energy plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition is reported. Omega/2Theta coupled scans around the Ge and Si (004) diffraction peaks show a reduction of the Ge full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of 22.4% in presence of the pSi buffer layer, indicating it is effective in improving the epilayer crystalline quality. At the same time atomic force microscopy analysis shows an increase in root means square roughness for Ge grown on pSi from 38.5 nm to 48.0 nm, as a consequence of the larger surface roughness of pSi compared to bulk Si. The effect of 20 minutes vacuum annealing at 580°C is also investigated. The annealing leads to a FWHM reduction of 23% for Ge grown on Si and of 36.5% for Ge on pSi, resulting in a FWHM of 101 arcsec in the latter case. At the same time, the RMS roughness is reduced of 8.8% and of 46.5% for Ge grown on bulk Si and on pSi, respectively. The biggest improvement in the crystalline quality of Ge grown on pSi with respect to Ge grown on bulk Si observed after annealing is a consequence of the simultaneous reorganization of the Ge epilayer and the buffer layer driven by energy minimization. A low porosity buffer layer can thus be used for the growth of low defect density Ge on Si virtual substrates for the successive integration of III-V multijunction solar cells on Si. The suggested approach is simple and fast –thus allowing for high throughput-, moreover is cost effective and fully compatible with subsequent wafer processing. Finally it does not introduce new chemicals in the solar cell fabrication process and can be scaled to large area silicon wafers

  12. Growth of high quality large area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

    OpenAIRE

    Moeckly, Brian H.; Ruby, Ward S.

    2006-01-01

    We report a new in-situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials u...

  13. Fabrication of the tetrathiafulvalene–2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane charge transfer complex with high crystallinity by eutectic melting method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jueun; Kang, Youngjong; Lee, Jaejong

    2018-06-01

    We show that high crystallinity and charge transporting gain can be obtained in a noble donor–acceptor system (CT complex) composed of organic complex: tetrathiafulvalene–2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTF–F4TCNQ). The complex is small-gap organic metallic or semiconductor (less than 1 eV), and we predict having a high conductivity. We perform an approach to fabricate organic CT complex with high crystallinity by eutectic melting method. Our process is simple and shows crystal growth with improved crystallinity when combined with soft-lithography.

  14. Low-temperature growth of high quality AlN films on carbon face 6H-SiC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Myunghee [Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Ohta, Jitsuo; Fujioka, Hiroshi [Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1 Sakado, Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Kobayashi, Atsushi [Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Oshima, Masaharu [Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, 4-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075 (Japan)

    2008-01-15

    AlN films have been grown on atomically flat carbon face 6H-SiC (000 anti 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition and their structural properties have been investigated. In-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction observations have revealed that growth of AlN at 710 C proceeds in a Stranski-Krastanov mode, while typical layer-by-layer growth occurs at room temperature (RT) with atomically flat surfaces. It has been revealed that the crystalline quality of the AlN film is dramatically improved by the reduction in growth temperature down to RT and the full width at half maximum values in the X-ray rocking curves for 0004 and 10 anti 12 diffractions of the RT-grown AlN film are 0.05 and 0.07 , respectively. X-ray reciprocal space mapping has revealed that the introduction of misfit dislocations is suppressed in the case of RT growth, which is probably responsible for the improvement in crystalline quality. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  15. One-pot fabrication of high-quality InP/ZnS (core/shell) quantum dots and their application to cellular imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hussain, Sahid; Won, Nayoun; Nam, Jutaek; Bang, Jiwon; Chung, Hyokyun; Kim, Sungjee

    2009-07-13

    True colors: High-quality InP and InP/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) are obtained by means of a simple one-pot method in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Rapid and size-controlled reactions lead to highly crystalline and nearly monodisperse QDs at relatively low temperatures. The particles emit from cyan blue to far-red, and are successfully used in cellular imaging (see figure).

  16. High diffraction efficiency polarization gratings recorded by biphotonic holography in an azobenzene liquid crystalline polyester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sánchez, C; Alcalá, R; Hvilsted, Søren

    2001-01-01

    High diffraction efficiencies have been achieved with polarization gratings recorded in thin films of an azobenzene side-chain liquid crystalline polyester by means of biphotonic processes. Efficiency values up to 30% have been reached after an induction period of 300 s and subsequent evolution...

  17. Crystallinity of the epitaxial heterojunction of C60 on single crystal pentacene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsuruta, Ryohei; Mizuno, Yuta; Hosokai, Takuya; Koganezawa, Tomoyuki; Ishii, Hisao; Nakayama, Yasuo

    2017-06-01

    The structure of pn heterojunctions is an important subject in the field of organic semiconductor devices. In this work, the crystallinity of an epitaxial pn heterojunction of C60 on single crystal pentacene is investigated by non-contact mode atomic force microscopy and high-resolution grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. Analysis shows that the C60 molecules assemble into grains consisting of single crystallites on the pentacene single crystal surface. The in-plane mean crystallite size exceeds 0.1 μm, which is at least five time larger than the size of crystallites deposited onto polycrystalline pentacene thin films grown on SiO2. The results indicate that improvement in the crystal quality of the underlying molecular substrate leads to drastic promotion of the crystallinity at the organic semiconductor heterojunction.

  18. Bio-based liquid crystalline polyesters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilsens, Carolus; Rastogi, Sanjay; Dutch Collaboration

    2013-03-01

    The reported thin-film polymerization has been used as a screening method in order to find bio-based liquid crystalline polyesters with convenient melting temperatures for melt-processing purposes. An in depth study of the structural, morphological and chemical changes occurring during the ongoing polycondensation reactions of these polymers have been performed. Structural and conformational changes during polymerization for different compositions have been followed by time resolved X-ray and Infrared spectroscopy. In this study, bio-based monomers such as vanillic acid and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid are successfully incorporated in liquid crystalline polyesters and it is shown that bio-based liquid crystalline polymers with high aromatic content and convenient processing temperatures can be synthesized. Special thanks to the Dutch Polymer Institute for financial support

  19. GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

    2016-01-01

    Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. - Highlights: • First practical application of epitaxial garnet films demonstrated in SEM. • Improved image quality of SEM equipped with GAGG:Ce single crystalline thin film scintillator. • Scintillation properties of GAGG:Ce films compared with standard bulk crystal scintillators.

  20. High-resolution electron microscopy study of electron-irradiation-induced crystalline-to-amorphous transition in α-SiC single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inui, H.; Mori, H.; Sakata, T.

    1992-01-01

    An electron-irradiation-induced crystalline-to-amorphous (CA) transition in α-SiC has been studied by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The irradiation-produced damage structure was examined as a function of dose of electrons by taking high-resolution maps extending from the unirradiated crystalline region to the completely amorphized region. In the intermediate region between those two regions, that is in the CA transition region, the damage structure was essentially a mixture of crystalline and amorphous phases. The volume fraction of the amorphous phase was found to increase with increasing dose of electrons and no discrete crystalline-amorphous interface was observed in the CA transition region. These facts indicate the heterogeneous and gradual nature of the CA transition. In the transition region close to the unirradiated crystalline region, a sort of fragmentation of the crystal lattice was observed to occur, crystallites with slightly different orientations with respect to the parent crystal were formed owing to the strain around the dispersed local amorphous regions. In the transition region close to the amorphized region, these crystallites were reduced in size and were embedded in an amorphous matrix. This damage structure is the result of the increased volume fraction of the amorphous phase. In the completely amorphized region, no lattice fringes were recognized in the HREM images. The atomistic process of the CA transition is discussed on the basis of the present results and those from previous studies. (Author)

  1. Atomic layer deposition of crystalline SrHfO{sub 3} directly on Ge (001) for high-k dielectric applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McDaniel, Martin D.; Ngo, Thong Q.; Ekerdt, John G., E-mail: ekerdt@utexas.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States); Hu, Chengqing; Jiang, Aiting; Yu, Edward T. [Microelectronics Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78758 (United States); Lu, Sirong; Smith, David J. [Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Posadas, Agham; Demkov, Alexander A. [Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

    2015-02-07

    The current work explores the crystalline perovskite oxide, strontium hafnate, as a potential high-k gate dielectric for Ge-based transistors. SrHfO{sub 3} (SHO) is grown directly on Ge by atomic layer deposition and becomes crystalline with epitaxial registry after post-deposition vacuum annealing at ∼700 °C for 5 min. The 2 × 1 reconstructed, clean Ge (001) surface is a necessary template to achieve crystalline films upon annealing. The SHO films exhibit excellent crystallinity, as shown by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The SHO films have favorable electronic properties for consideration as a high-k gate dielectric on Ge, with satisfactory band offsets (>2 eV), low leakage current (<10{sup −5} A/cm{sup 2} at an applied field of 1 MV/cm) at an equivalent oxide thickness of 1 nm, and a reasonable dielectric constant (k ∼ 18). The interface trap density (D{sub it}) is estimated to be as low as ∼2 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2 }eV{sup −1} under the current growth and anneal conditions. Some interfacial reaction is observed between SHO and Ge at temperatures above ∼650 °C, which may contribute to increased D{sub it} value. This study confirms the potential for crystalline oxides grown directly on Ge by atomic layer deposition for advanced electronic applications.

  2. Crystalline matter for solidification of highly radioactive wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grauer, R.

    1984-02-01

    Highly active wastes from reprocessed nuclear fuels must be incorporated into a solid chemically resistant inorganic matrix prior to final storage. One possible alternative to glassification is to embed the complex oxide mixture in a crystalline ceramic. A discussion from the structural and chemical viewpoint is presented giving guidelines for the selection and development of such a product. The chemical and phase composition concerning the most important developments are described. SYNROC is the most highly developed solid ceramic that has been evaluated to date for power reactor wastes. However, its testing and development so far has been restricted to simulated inactive materials. One of the most important aspects of solid high activity wastes is their behaviour in water. SYNROC reacts more slowly than glasses with water at temperatures over 100 0 C. Its low release of actinides under these conditions is remarkable. At temperatures under 100 0 C the important nuclide Cs 137 is released from SYNROC and from glasses at comparable rates. These assertions concerning chemical stability are however based on short term experiments, which have not considered the possibly complex interactions occurring during final storage. The information is therefore insufficient to describe the basic model required to predict long term behaviour under final storage conditions. Finally the report makes recommendations for a further programme of work. (Auth.)

  3. Glycation precedes lens crystallin aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swamy, M.S.; Perry, R.E.; Abraham, E.C.

    1987-01-01

    Non-enzymatic glycosylation (glycation) seems to have the potential to alter the structure of crystallins and make them susceptible to thiol oxidation leading to disulfide-linked high molecular weight (HMW) aggregate formation. They used streptozotocin diabetic rats during precataract and cataract stages and long-term cell-free glycation of bovine lens crystallins to study the relationship between glycation and lens crystallin aggregation. HMW aggregates and other protein components of the water-soluble (WS) and urea-soluble (US) fractions were separated by molecular sieve high performance liquid chromatography. Glycation was estimated by both [ 3 H]NaBH 4 reduction and phenylboronate agarose affinity chromatography. Levels of total glycated protein (GP) in the US fractions were about 2-fold higher than in the WS fractions and there was a linear increase in GP in both WS and US fractions. This increase was parallelled by a corresponding increase in HMW aggregates. Total GP extracted by the affinity method from the US fraction showed a predominance of HMW aggregates and vice versa. Cell-free glycation studies with bovine crystallins confirmed the results of the animals studies. Increasing glycation caused a corresponding increase in protein insolubilization and the insoluble fraction thus formed also contained more glycated protein. It appears that lens protein glycation, HMW aggregate formation, and protein insolubilization are interrelated

  4. Highly tilted liquid crystalline materials possessing a direct phase transition from antiferroelectric to isotropic phase

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milewska, K.; Drzewiński, W. [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Czerwiński, M., E-mail: mczerwinski@wat.edu.pl [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Dąbrowski, R. [Institute of Chemistry, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland); Piecek, W. [Institute of Applied Physics, Military University of Technology, 00-908 Warsaw (Poland)

    2016-03-01

    Pure compounds and multicomponent mixtures with a broad temperature range of high tilted liquid crystalline antiferroelectric phase and a direct phase transition from antiferroelectric to isotropic phase, were obtained. X-ray diffraction analysis confirms these kinds of materials form a high tilted anticlinic phase, with a fixed layer spacing and very weak dependency upon temperature, after the transition from the isotropic phase. Due to this, not only pure orthoconic antiferroelectric liquid crystals but also those with a moderate tilt should generate a good dark state. Furthermore, due to the increased potential for forming anticlinic forces, such materials could minimize a commonly observed asymmetry of a rise and fall switching times at a surface stabilized geometry. - Highlights: • The new class of liquid crystalline materials with the direct SmC{sub A}*. • Iso phase transition were obtained. • Materials possess the layer spacing fixed and very weak dependent upon temperature. • Smectic layers without shrinkage are observed. • A good dark state can be generate in SSAFLC.

  5. Role of transport band edge variation on delocalized charge transport in high-mobility crystalline organic semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadashchuk, Andrey; Tong, Fei; Janneck, Robby; Fishchuk, Ivan I.; Mityashin, Alexander; Pavlica, Egon; Köhler, Anna; Heremans, Paul; Rolin, Cedric; Bratina, Gvido; Genoe, Jan

    2017-09-01

    We demonstrate that the degree of charge delocalization has a strong impact on polarization energy and thereby on the position of the transport band edge in organic semiconductors. This gives rise to long-range potential fluctuations, which govern the electronic transport through delocalized states in organic crystalline layers. This concept is employed to formulate an analytic model that explains a negative field dependence coupled with a positive temperature dependence of the charge mobility observed by a lateral time-of-flight technique in a high-mobility crystalline organic layer. This has important implications for the further understanding of the charge transport via delocalized states in organic semiconductors.

  6. Visible diffraction from quasi-crystalline arrays of carbon nanotubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, Timothy P.; Butt, Haider; Wilkinson, Timothy D.; Amaratunga, Gehan A. J.

    2015-08-01

    Large area arrays of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are patterned in a quasi-crystalline Penrose tile arrangement through electron beam lithography definition of Ni catalyst dots and subsequent nanotube growth by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. When illuminated with a 532 nm laser beam high-quality and remarkable diffraction patterns are seen. The diffraction is well matched to theoretical calculations which assume apertures to be present at the location of the VACNTs for transmitted light. The results show that VACNTs act as diffractive elements in reflection and can be used as spatially phased arrays for producing tailored diffraction patterns.

  7. Alpha-crystallin-type heat shock proteins: socializing minichaperones in the context of a multichaperone network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narberhaus, Franz

    2002-03-01

    Alpha-crystallins were originally recognized as proteins contributing to the transparency of the mammalian eye lens. Subsequently, they have been found in many, but not all, members of the Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya. Most members of the diverse alpha-crystallin family have four common structural and functional features: (i) a small monomeric molecular mass between 12 and 43 kDa; (ii) the formation of large oligomeric complexes; (iii) the presence of a moderately conserved central region, the so-called alpha-crystallin domain; and (iv) molecular chaperone activity. Since alpha-crystallins are induced by a temperature upshift in many organisms, they are often referred to as small heat shock proteins (sHsps) or, more accurately, alpha-Hsps. Alpha-crystallins are integrated into a highly flexible and synergistic multichaperone network evolved to secure protein quality control in the cell. Their chaperone activity is limited to the binding of unfolding intermediates in order to protect them from irreversible aggregation. Productive release and refolding of captured proteins into the native state requires close cooperation with other cellular chaperones. In addition, alpha-Hsps seem to play an important role in membrane stabilization. The review compiles information on the abundance, sequence conservation, regulation, structure, and function of alpha-Hsps with an emphasis on the microbial members of this chaperone family.

  8. Large-area aligned growth of single-crystalline organic nanowire arrays for high-performance photodetectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Yiming; Zhang Xiujuan; Pan Huanhuan; Zhang Xiwei; Zhang Yuping; Zhang Xiaozhen; Jie Jiansheng

    2013-01-01

    Due to their extraordinary properties, single-crystalline organic nanowires (NWs) are important building blocks for future low-cost and efficient nano-optoelectronic devices. However, it remains a critical challenge to assemble organic NWs rationally in an orientation-, dimensionality- and location-controlled manner. Herein, we demonstrate a feasible method for aligned growth of single-crystalline copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) NW arrays with high density, large-area uniformity and perfect crossed alignment by using Au film as a template. The growth process was investigated in detail. The Au film was found to have a critical function in the aligned growth of NWs, but may only serve as the active site for NW nucleation because of the large surface energy, as well as direct the subsequent aligned growth. The as-prepared NWs were then transferred to construct single NW-based photoconductive devices, which demonstrated excellent photoresponse properties with robust stability and reproducibility; the device showed a high switching ratio of ∼180, a fast response speed of ∼100 ms and could stand continuous operation up to 2 h. Importantly, this strategy can be extended to other organic molecules for their synthesis of NW arrays, revealing great potential for use in the construction of large-scale high-performance functional nano-optoelectronic devices. (paper)

  9. Single-crystalline LiFePO4 nanosheets for high-rate Li-ion batteries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yu; Peng, Lele; Liu, Borui; Yu, Guihua

    2014-05-14

    The lithiation/delithiation in LiFePO4 is highly anisotropic with lithium-ion diffusion being mainly confined to channels along the b-axis. Controlling the orientation of LiFePO4 crystals therefore plays an important role for efficient mass transport within this material. We report here the preparation of single crystalline LiFePO4 nanosheets with a large percentage of highly oriented {010} facets, which provide the highest pore density for lithium-ion insertion/extraction. The LiFePO4 nanosheets show a high specific capacity at low charge/discharge rates and retain significant capacities at high C-rates, which may benefit the development of lithium batteries with both favorable energy and power density.

  10. Review of New Technology for Preparing Crystalline Silicon Solar Cell Materials by Metallurgical Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Man; Dai, Yongnian; Ma, Wenhui; Yang, Bin; Chu, Qingmei

    2017-11-01

    The goals of greatly reducing the photovoltaic power cost and making it less than that of thermal power to realize photovoltaic power grid parity without state subsidies are focused on in this paper. The research status, key technologies and development of the new technology for preparing crystalline silicon solar cell materials by metallurgical method at home and abroad are reviewed. The important effects of impurities and defects in crystalline silicon on its properties are analysed. The importance of new technology on reducing production costs and improving its quality to increase the cell conversion efficiency are emphasized. The previous research results show that the raw materials of crystalline silicon are extremely abundant. The product of crystalline silicon can meet the quality requirements of solar cell materials: Si ≥ 6 N, P 1 Ω cm, minority carrier life > 25 μs cell conversion efficiency of about 19.3%, the product costs energy consumption energy consumption, low carbon and sustainable development are prospected.

  11. High quality factor gigahertz frequencies in nanomechanical diamond resonators

    OpenAIRE

    Gaidarzhy, Alexei; Imboden, Matthias; Mohanty, Pritiraj; Rankin, Janet; Sheldon, Brian W.

    2007-01-01

    We report actuation and detection of gigahertz-range resonance frequencies in nano-crystalline diamond mechanical resonators. High order transverse vibration modes are measured in coupled-beam resonators exhibiting frequencies up to 1.441 GHz. The cantilever-array design of the resonators translates the gigahertz-range resonant motion of micron-long cantilever elements to the displacement of the central supporting structure. Use of nano-crystalline diamond further increases the frequency comp...

  12. United States Crystalline Repository Project - key research areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patera, E.S.

    1986-01-01

    The Crystalline Repository Project is responsible for siting the second high-level nuclear waste repository in crystalline rock for the US Department of Energy. A methodology is being developed to define data and information needs and a way to evaluate that information. The areas of research the Crystalline Repository Project is involved in include fluid flow in a fractured network, coupled thermal, chemical and flow processes and cooperation in other nations and OECD research programs

  13. Interface state density evaluation of high quality hetero-epitaxial 3C–SiC(0 0 1) for high-power MOSFET applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anzalone, R., E-mail: ruggero.anzalone@imm.cnr.it; Privitera, S.; Camarda, M.; Alberti, A.; Mannino, G.; Fiorenza, P.; Di Franco, S.; La Via, F.

    2015-08-15

    Graphical abstract: Figure shows the normalized capacitance (C/C{sub OX}) versus voltage (V) for the MOS capacitors on 3 μm, 7 μm thick 3C–SiC films and silicon (as reference), respectively. The shift of the curve respect to the reference is due to the presence of fixed and/or trapped charge in the oxide and interface trapped charge, due to the presence of interface states of density D{sub it}, located at the semiconductor/oxide interface. - Highlights: • We analyzed the flat-band voltage shift for different semiconductor epi-thickness. • The interface state density as a function of epi-defects was evaluated. • We observed the relationship between XRD and C–V results. • Epitaxial thickness influence on interface state density was evaluated. - Abstract: The effects of the crystal quality and surface morphology on the electrical properties of MOS capacitors have been studied in devices manufactured on 3C–SiC epitaxial layers grown on silicon (1 0 0) substrate. The interface state density, which represents one of the most important parameters, has been determined through capacitance measurements. A cross-correlation between high resolution X-ray diffraction, AFM analysis and electrical conductance measurements has allowed to determine the relationship between the crystalline quality and the interface state density. A decrease of the interface state density down to about 10{sup 11} cm{sup −2} eV{sup −1} was observed with improving the crystalline quality.

  14. Irradiation sterilization of semi-crystalline polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, J.; Dunn, T.; Stannett, V.

    1978-01-01

    A semi-crystalline polymer such as polypropylene, is sterilized by high energy irradiation, with the polymer containing a non-crystalline mobilizing additive which increases the free volume of the polymer, to prevent embrittlement of the polymer during and subsequent to the irradiation. The additive has a density of from 0.6 to 1.9 g/cm 3 and a molecular weight from 100 to 10,000 g/mole

  15. Wear resistance of nano- and micro-crystalline diamond coatings onto WC-Co with Cr/CrN interlayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polini, Riccardo [Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 1, Rome, 00133 (Italy); Barletta, Massimiliano, E-mail: barletta@ing.uniroma2.i [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Universita di Roma Tor Vergata, Via del Politecnico, 1, Rome, 00133 (Italy); Cristofanilli, Giacomo [Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica, 1, Rome, 00133 (Italy)

    2010-12-30

    Cr/CrN bi-layers have been used recently to promote the growth of high quality Hot Filament Chemical Vapour Deposition (HFCVD) diamond coatings onto Co-cemented tungsten carbide (WC-6 wt.%Co) substrates. In the present investigation, the influence of the crystalline size of the diamond coatings on their wear endurance is looked into. Nano- (NDC) and micro-crystalline Diamond Coatings (MDC) were deposited by HFCVD onto untreated and Fluidized Bed (FB) treated Cr/CrN interlayers. NDCs, characterized by a cauliflower-like morphology, showed improved wear resistance. However, the superimposition of NDCs onto Cr/CrN interlayers micro-corrugated by FB treatment was found to be the most promising choice, leading to the formation of highly adherent and wear resistant coatings.

  16. Enhancing upconversion emission of Er, Yb co-doped highly transparent YF3 films by synergistic tuning nano-textured morphology and crystallinity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qu, Ming-Hao; Wang, Ru-Zhi; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Ying; Li, Kai-Yu; Zhou, Hua; Yan, Hui

    2014-01-01

    Highly transparent Er, Yb codoped YF 3 upconversion films were successfully prepared by electron beam deposition method. The effects of the substrate temperature on the morphology, crystallinity and emission characteristics of Er, Yb codoped YF 3 films were studied carefully. It was found that the morphology and crystallinity varied from smooth amorphous to root-intertwined polycrystalline structure with the substrate temperature increase. Besides, the emission characteristics of the films can be modulated by the synergy of their surface morphologies and crystallinities. Remarkably, a large enhancement of the upconversion emission, up to five decades while only an insignificant decrease of the optical transmittance (10% at most), was achieved by forming root-intertwined polycrystalline structures. These highly transparent upconversion films may have good potential for enhancing the conversion efficiency of wide band-gap solar cells. -- Highlights: • Er, Yb co-dopedYF 3 upconversion films have been successfully prepared. • The upconversion property can be modulated by morphology and crystallinity. • The upconversion transparent YF 3 films are promising for solar cells applications

  17. High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive flexible metal substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutta, P.; Rathi, M.; Gao, Y.; Yao, Y.; Selvamanickam, V.; Zheng, N.; Ahrenkiel, P.; Martinez, J.

    2014-01-01

    We demonstrate heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystalline-like n and p-type doped GaAs thin films on inexpensive, flexible, and light-weight metal foils by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Single-crystalline-like Ge thin film on biaxially textured templates made by ion beam assisted deposition on metal foil served as the epitaxy enabling substrate for GaAs growth. The GaAs films exhibited strong (004) preferred orientation, sharp in-plane texture, low grain misorientation, strong photoluminescence, and a defect density of ∼10 7  cm −2 . Furthermore, the GaAs films exhibited hole and electron mobilities as high as 66 and 300 cm 2 /V-s, respectively. High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive metal substrates can pave the path for roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible III-V solar cells for the mainstream photovoltaics market.

  18. High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive flexible metal substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dutta, P., E-mail: pdutta2@central.uh.edu; Rathi, M.; Gao, Y.; Yao, Y.; Selvamanickam, V. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204 (United States); Zheng, N.; Ahrenkiel, P. [Department of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701 (United States); Martinez, J. [Materials Evaluation Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas 77085 (United States)

    2014-09-01

    We demonstrate heteroepitaxial growth of single-crystalline-like n and p-type doped GaAs thin films on inexpensive, flexible, and light-weight metal foils by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Single-crystalline-like Ge thin film on biaxially textured templates made by ion beam assisted deposition on metal foil served as the epitaxy enabling substrate for GaAs growth. The GaAs films exhibited strong (004) preferred orientation, sharp in-plane texture, low grain misorientation, strong photoluminescence, and a defect density of ∼10{sup 7 }cm{sup −2}. Furthermore, the GaAs films exhibited hole and electron mobilities as high as 66 and 300 cm{sup 2}/V-s, respectively. High mobility single-crystalline-like GaAs thin films on inexpensive metal substrates can pave the path for roll-to-roll manufacturing of flexible III-V solar cells for the mainstream photovoltaics market.

  19. High quality junctions by interpenetration of vapor liquid solid grown nanostructures for microchip integration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jebril, Seid; Kuhlmann, Hanna; Adelung, Rainer [Funktionale Nanomaterialien, CAU Kiel (Germany); Mueller, Sven [Nanowires and Thin Films, II. Physikalisches Institut, Goettingen (Germany); Ronning, Carsten [Institute for Solid State Physics, Universitaet Jena (Germany); Kienle, Lorenz [Synthese und Realstruktur, CAU Kiel (Germany); Duppel, Viola [MPI fuer Festkoerperforschung, Stuttgart (Germany)

    2009-07-01

    The usability of nanostructures in electrical devices like gas sensors depends critically on the ability to form high quality contacts and junctions. For the fabrication of various nanostructures, vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) growth is a wide spread and very efficient technique. However, forming contacts with the VLS grown structures to utilize them in a device is still tedious, because either the substrate has to be epitaxial to the VLS material or a manual alignment is necessary. Here we demonstrate the contact formation by simply using the ability of individual crystals to interpenetrate each other during the straight forward VLS growth. This allows growing VLS structures directly on two neighboring gold circuit paths of a microchip; bridges over predefined gaps will be formed. Moreover, TEM investigations confirm the high quality of the crystalline junctions that allow demonstrations as UV and hydrogen-sensor. The VLS devices are compared with conventional produced.

  20. High-Performance Single-Crystalline Perovskite Thin-Film Photodetector

    KAUST Repository

    Yang, Zhenqian

    2018-01-10

    The best performing modern optoelectronic devices rely on single-crystalline thin-film (SC-TF) semiconductors grown epitaxially. The emerging halide perovskites, which can be synthesized via low-cost solution-based methods, have achieved substantial success in various optoelectronic devices including solar cells, lasers, light-emitting diodes, and photodetectors. However, to date, the performance of these perovskite devices based on polycrystalline thin-film active layers lags behind the epitaxially grown semiconductor devices. Here, a photodetector based on SC-TF perovskite active layer is reported with a record performance of a 50 million gain, 70 GHz gain-bandwidth product, and a 100-photon level detection limit at 180 Hz modulation bandwidth, which as far as we know are the highest values among all the reported perovskite photodetectors. The superior performance of the device originates from replacing polycrystalline thin film by a thickness-optimized SC-TF with much higher mobility and longer recombination time. The results indicate that high-performance perovskite devices based on SC-TF may become competitive in modern optoelectronics.

  1. Highly-crystalline ultrathin gadolinium doped and carbon-coated Li4Ti5O12 nanosheets for enhanced lithium storage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, G. B.; Yang, L. W.; Wei, X. L.; Ding, J. W.; Zhong, J. X.; Chu, P. K.

    2015-11-01

    Highly-crystalline gadolinium doped and carbon-coated ultrathin Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) nanosheets (denoted as LTO-Gd-C) as an anode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are synthesized on large scale by controlling the amount of carbon precursor in the topotactic transformation of layered ultrathin Li1.81H0.19Ti2O5·xH2O (H-LTO) nanosheets at 700 °C. The characterizations of structure and morphology reveal that the gadolinium doped and carbon-coated ultrathin LTO nanosheets have high crystallinity with a thickness of about 10 nm. Gadolinium doping allows the spinel LTO products to be stabilized, thereby preserving the precursor's sheet morphology and single crystal structure. Carbon encapsulation serves dual functions by restraining crystal growth of the LTO primary nanoparticles in the LTO-Gd-C nanosheets and decreasing the external electron transport resistance. Owing to the synergistic effects rendered by ultrathin nanosheets with high crystallinity, gadolinium doping and carbon coating, the developed ultrathin LTO nanosheets possess excellent specific capacity, cycling performance, and rate capability compared with reference materials, when evaluated as an anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs). The simple and effective strategy encompassing nanoscale morphological engineering, surface modification, and doping improves the performance of LTO-based anode materials for high energy density and high power LIBs applied in large scale energy storage.

  2. Fabrication of high quality GaAs-on-insulator via ion-cut of epitaxial GaAs/Ge heterostructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Yongwei; Zhang, Miao [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Deng, Chuang; Men, Chuanling [School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093 (China); Chen, Da [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Zhu, Lei; Yu, Wenjie; Wei, Xing [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Di, Zengfeng, E-mail: zfdi@mail.sim.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China); Wang, Xi [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China)

    2015-08-15

    Highlights: • GaAs-on-insulator has been achieved by integrating of epitaxy, ion-cut and selective chemical etching. • Superior to the direct ion-cut of bulk GaAs layer with the H implantation fluence 2.0 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −2}, the fabrication of GaAs-on-insulator by the transfer of GaAs/Ge heterostructure only needs H implantation fluence as low as 0.8 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −2}. • The crystalline quality of the top GaAs layer of the final GaAs-on-insulator wafer is not affected by the implantation process and comparable to the as-grown status. - Abstract: Due to the extraordinary electron mobility, III–V compounds are considered as the ideal candidate channel materials for future electronic devices. In this study, a novel approach for the fabrication of high-crystalline quality GaAs-on-insulator has been proposed by integrating of ion-cut and selective chemical etching. GaAs layer with good crystalline quality has been epitaxially grown on Ge by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). With H implantation and wafer bonding process, the GaAs/Ge heterostructure is transferred onto silicon dioxide wafer after the proper thermal treatment. Superior to the direct ion-cut of GaAs layer, which requires the H implantation fluence as high as 2.0 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −2}, the transfer of GaAs/Ge heterostructure in the present study only needs the implantation of 0.8 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −2} H ions. GaAs-on-insulator structure was successfully achieved by the selective chemical etching of defective Ge layer using SF{sub 6} plasma. As the GaAs/Ge heterostructure can be easily epitaxy grown on silicon platform, the proposed approach for GaAs-on-insulator manufacturing is rather compatible with mature Si integrated circuits (ICs) technology and thus can be integrated to push the microelectronic technology to post-Si era.

  3. Fabrication of high quality GaAs-on-insulator via ion-cut of epitaxial GaAs/Ge heterostructure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Yongwei; Zhang, Miao; Deng, Chuang; Men, Chuanling; Chen, Da; Zhu, Lei; Yu, Wenjie; Wei, Xing; Di, Zengfeng; Wang, Xi

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • GaAs-on-insulator has been achieved by integrating of epitaxy, ion-cut and selective chemical etching. • Superior to the direct ion-cut of bulk GaAs layer with the H implantation fluence 2.0 × 10 17 cm −2 , the fabrication of GaAs-on-insulator by the transfer of GaAs/Ge heterostructure only needs H implantation fluence as low as 0.8 × 10 17 cm −2 . • The crystalline quality of the top GaAs layer of the final GaAs-on-insulator wafer is not affected by the implantation process and comparable to the as-grown status. - Abstract: Due to the extraordinary electron mobility, III–V compounds are considered as the ideal candidate channel materials for future electronic devices. In this study, a novel approach for the fabrication of high-crystalline quality GaAs-on-insulator has been proposed by integrating of ion-cut and selective chemical etching. GaAs layer with good crystalline quality has been epitaxially grown on Ge by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). With H implantation and wafer bonding process, the GaAs/Ge heterostructure is transferred onto silicon dioxide wafer after the proper thermal treatment. Superior to the direct ion-cut of GaAs layer, which requires the H implantation fluence as high as 2.0 × 10 17 cm −2 , the transfer of GaAs/Ge heterostructure in the present study only needs the implantation of 0.8 × 10 17 cm −2 H ions. GaAs-on-insulator structure was successfully achieved by the selective chemical etching of defective Ge layer using SF 6 plasma. As the GaAs/Ge heterostructure can be easily epitaxy grown on silicon platform, the proposed approach for GaAs-on-insulator manufacturing is rather compatible with mature Si integrated circuits (ICs) technology and thus can be integrated to push the microelectronic technology to post-Si era

  4. Optimization of oxidation processes to improve crystalline silicon solar cell emitters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Shen

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Control of the oxidation process is one key issue in producing high-quality emitters for crystalline silicon solar cells. In this paper, the oxidation parameters of pre-oxidation time, oxygen concentration during pre-oxidation and pre-deposition and drive-in time were optimized by using orthogonal experiments. By analyzing experimental measurements of short-circuit current, open circuit voltage, series resistance and solar cell efficiency in solar cells with different sheet resistances which were produced by using different diffusion processes, we inferred that an emitter with a sheet resistance of approximately 70 Ω/□ performed best under the existing standard solar cell process. Further investigations were conducted on emitters with sheet resistances of approximately 70 Ω/□ that were obtained from different preparation processes. The results indicate that emitters with surface phosphorus concentrations between 4.96 × 1020 cm−3 and 7.78 × 1020 cm−3 and with junction depths between 0.46 μm and 0.55 μm possessed the best quality. With no extra processing, the final preparation of the crystalline silicon solar cell efficiency can reach 18.41%, which is an increase of 0.4%abs compared to conventional emitters with 50 Ω/□ sheet resistance.

  5. Multi-crystalline II-VI based multijunction solar cells and modules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hardin, Brian E.; Connor, Stephen T.; Groves, James R.; Peters, Craig H.

    2015-06-30

    Multi-crystalline group II-VI solar cells and methods for fabrication of same are disclosed herein. A multi-crystalline group II-VI solar cell includes a first photovoltaic sub-cell comprising silicon, a tunnel junction, and a multi-crystalline second photovoltaic sub-cell. A plurality of the multi-crystalline group II-VI solar cells can be interconnected to form low cost, high throughput flat panel, low light concentration, and/or medium light concentration photovoltaic modules or devices.

  6. Crystalline to amorphous transformation in silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheruvu, S.M.

    1982-09-01

    In the present investigation, an attempt was made to understand the fundamental mechanism of crystalline-to-amorphous transformation in arsenic implanted silicon using high resolution electron microscopy. A comparison of the gradual disappearance of simulated lattice fringes with increasing Frenkel pair concentration with the experimental observation of sharp interfaces between crystalline and amorphous regions was carried out leading to the conclusion that when the defect concentration reaches a critical value, the crystal does relax to an amorphous state. Optical diffraction experiments using atomic models also supported this hypothesis. Both crystalline and amorphous zones were found to co-exist with sharp interfaces at the atomic level. Growth of the amorphous fraction depends on the temperature, dose rate and the mass of the implanted ion. Preliminary results of high energy electron irradiation experiments at 1.2 MeV also suggested that clustering of point defects occurs near room temperature. An observation in a high resolution image of a small amorphous zone centered at the core of a dislocation is presented as evidence that the nucleation of an amorphous phase is heterogeneous in nature involving clustering or segregation of point defects near existing defects

  7. neutron transmission through crystalline materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El Mesiry, M.S.

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the present work is to study the neutron transmission through crystalline materials. Therefore a study of pyrolytic graphite (PG) as a highly efficient selective thermal neutron filter and Iron single crystal as a whole one, as well as the applicability of using their polycrystalline powders as a selective cold neutron filters is given. Moreover, the use of PG and iron single crystal as an efficient neutron monochromator is also investigated. An additive formula is given which allows calculating the contribution of the total neutron cross-section including the Bragg scattering from different )(hkl planes to the neutron transmission through crystalline iron and graphite. The formula takes into account their crystalline form. A computer CFe program was developed in order to provide the required calculations for both poly- and single-crystalline iron. The validity of the CFe program was approved from the comparison of the calculated iron cross-section data with the available experimental ones. The CFe program was also adapted to calculate the reflectivity from iron single crystal when it used as a neutron monochromator The computer package GRAPHITE, developed in Neutron Physics laboratory, Nuclear Research Center, has been used in order to provide the required calculations for crystalline graphite in the neutron energy range from 0.1 meV to 10 eV. A Mono-PG code was added to the computer package GRAPHITE in order to calculate the reflectivity from PG crystal when it used as a neutron monochromator.

  8. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic estimation of crystallinity in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    We present here optical properties and crystallinity index of quartz (SiO2) in natural rocks samples from the Mikir and Khasi hills, Assam, India. Infrared spectroscopy has been used to study the structure of quartz in rock samples and estimate the mining quality of quartz mineral, which is substantiated by calculating the ...

  9. The thermal expansion of a highly crystalline hexagonal BC2N compound synthesized under high temperature and pressure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Qinghua; Liu Zhongyuan; Hu Qianku; Li Hui; He Julong; Yu Dongli; Li Dongchun; Tian Yongjun

    2006-01-01

    The thermal expansion has been investigated for a highly crystalline hexagonal BC 2 N compound synthesized by the compression of a turbostratic B-C-N precursor with iron catalyst at the high temperature of 1500 deg. C and the high pressure of 5.5 GPa. The thermal expansion in the c direction is large and linear with an expansion coefficient of 35.86 x 10 -6 K -1 up to 1000 deg. C, while in the basal plane, the a dimension displays a slight linear contraction up to 750 deg. C with a contraction coefficient of -8.76 x 10 -7 K -1 , but above 750 deg. C a linear expansion is observed with a larger expansion coefficient of 1.52 x 10 -6 K -1

  10. Synthesis and structure of large single crystalline silver hexagonal microplates suitable for micromachining

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyutov, Dimitar L.; Genkov, Kaloyan V.; Zyapkov, Anton D.; Tsutsumanova, Gichka G.; Tzonev, Atanas N. [Department of Solid State Physics and Microelectronics, Faculty of Physics, University of Sofia, 5, J. Bouchier Blvd, Sofia (Bulgaria); Lyutov, Lyudmil G. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Sofia, 1, J. Bouchier Blvd, Sofia (Bulgaria); Russev, Stoyan C., E-mail: scr@phys.uni-sofia.bg [Department of Solid State Physics and Microelectronics, Faculty of Physics, University of Sofia, 5, J. Bouchier Blvd, Sofia (Bulgaria)

    2014-01-15

    We report a simple one-step synthesis method of large single crystalline Ag (111) hexagonal microplates with sharp edges and a size of up to tens of microns. Single silver crystals were produced by reduction silver nitrate aqueous solution with 4-(methylamino)phenol sulfate. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, selected area electron diffraction and optical microscopy techniques were combined to characterize the crystals. It is shown that the microplates can be easily dispersed and transferred as single objects onto different substrates and subsequently used as a high quality plasmonic starting material for micromachining of future nanocomponents, using modern top-down techniques like focused-ion beam milling and gas injection deposition. - Highlights: • Synthesis of large Ag hexagonal microplates with high crystallinity. • It is shown and discussed the role of twinning for the anisotropic 2D growth. • The Ag plates are stable in water and can be dispersed onto different substrates. • Their positioning and subsequent micromachining with FIB/GIS is demonstrated. • Suitable starting material for future plasmonic nanocomponents.

  11. Zero lattice mismatch and twin-free single crystalline ScN buffer layers for GaN growth on silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lupina, L.; Zoellner, M. H.; Dietrich, B.; Capellini, G. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt, Oder (Germany); Niermann, T.; Lehmann, M. [Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Optik und Atomare Physik, Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Thapa, S. B.; Haeberlen, M.; Storck, P. [SILTRONIC AG, Hanns-Seidel-Platz 4, 81737 München (Germany); Schroeder, T. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt, Oder (Germany); BTU Cottbus, Konrad-Zuse-Str. 1, 03046 Cottbus (Germany)

    2015-11-16

    We report the growth of thin ScN layers deposited by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on Sc{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Si(111) substrates. Using x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy, we find that ScN films grown at 600 °C are single crystalline, twin-free with rock-salt crystal structure, and exhibit a direct optical band gap of 2.2 eV. A high degree of crystalline perfection and a very good lattice matching between ScN and GaN (misfit < 0.1%) makes the ScN/Sc{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer system a very promising template for the growth of high quality GaN layers on silicon.

  12. Used fuel disposition in crystalline rocks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Y. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hadgu, Teklu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kalinina, Elena Arkadievna [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jerden, James L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Copple, Jacqueline M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Cruse, T. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Ebert, W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Buck, E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Eittman, R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tinnacher, R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Tournassat, Christophe. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Davis, J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Viswanathan, H. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dittrich, T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, F. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Karra, S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Makedonska, N. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Reimus, P. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Zavarin, Mavrik [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Joseph, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-09-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Fuel Cycle Technology established the Used Fuel Disposition Campaign (UFDC) in fiscal year 2010 (FY10) to conduct the research and development (R&D) activities related to storage, transportation and disposal of used nuclear fuel and high level nuclear waste. The objective of the Crystalline Disposal R&D Work Package is to advance our understanding of long-term disposal of used fuel in crystalline rocks and to develop necessary experimental and computational capabilities to evaluate various disposal concepts in such media.

  13. Novel polypyrrole films with excellent crystallinity and good thermal stability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeeju, Pullarkat P.; Varma, Sreekanth J.; Francis Xavier, Puthampadath A.; Sajimol, Augustine M.; Jayalekshmi, Sankaran

    2012-01-01

    Polypyrrole has drawn a lot of interest due to its high thermal and environmental stability in addition to high electrical conductivity. The present work highlights the enhanced crystallinity of polypyrrole films prepared from the redoped sample solution. Initially hydrochloric acid doped polypyrrole was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole using ammonium peroxidisulphate as oxidant. The doped polypyrrole was dedoped using ammonia solution and then redoped with camphor sulphonic acid. Films were coated on ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates from the redoped sample solution in meta-cresol. The enhanced crystallinity of the polypyrrole films has been established from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the redoped polypyrrole film is about 30 times higher than that of the hydrochloric acid doped pellet sample. The results of Raman spectroscopy, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples support the enhancement in crystallinity. Percentage crystallinity of the samples is estimated from XRD and DSC data. The present work is significant, since crystallinity of films is an important parameter for selecting polymers for specific applications. - Highlights: ► Polypyrrole films redoped with CSA have been prepared from meta-cresol solution. ► The solution casted films exhibit semi-crystallinity and good thermal stability. ► Percentage crystallinity estimated using XRD and DSC analysis is about 65%. ► Raman studies support the enhancement in crystallinity based on XRD and DSC data. ► The conductivity of the film is 30 times higher than that of HCl doped sample.

  14. Novel polypyrrole films with excellent crystallinity and good thermal stability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jeeju, Pullarkat P., E-mail: jeejupp@gmail.com [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India); Varma, Sreekanth J.; Francis Xavier, Puthampadath A.; Sajimol, Augustine M. [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India); Jayalekshmi, Sankaran, E-mail: jayalekshmi@cusat.ac.in [Division for Research in Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin-22, Kerala (India)

    2012-06-15

    Polypyrrole has drawn a lot of interest due to its high thermal and environmental stability in addition to high electrical conductivity. The present work highlights the enhanced crystallinity of polypyrrole films prepared from the redoped sample solution. Initially hydrochloric acid doped polypyrrole was prepared by chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole using ammonium peroxidisulphate as oxidant. The doped polypyrrole was dedoped using ammonia solution and then redoped with camphor sulphonic acid. Films were coated on ultrasonically cleaned glass substrates from the redoped sample solution in meta-cresol. The enhanced crystallinity of the polypyrrole films has been established from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. The room temperature electrical conductivity of the redoped polypyrrole film is about 30 times higher than that of the hydrochloric acid doped pellet sample. The results of Raman spectroscopy, Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the samples support the enhancement in crystallinity. Percentage crystallinity of the samples is estimated from XRD and DSC data. The present work is significant, since crystallinity of films is an important parameter for selecting polymers for specific applications. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Polypyrrole films redoped with CSA have been prepared from meta-cresol solution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The solution casted films exhibit semi-crystallinity and good thermal stability. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Percentage crystallinity estimated using XRD and DSC analysis is about 65%. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Raman studies support the enhancement in crystallinity based on XRD and DSC data. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The conductivity of the film is 30 times higher than that of HCl doped sample.

  15. Impact of microcrystalline silicon carbide growth using hot-wire chemical vapor deposition on crystalline silicon surface passivation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pomaska, M.; Beyer, W.; Neumann, E.; Finger, F.; Ding, K.

    2015-01-01

    Highly crystalline microcrystalline silicon carbide (μc-SiC:H) with excellent optoelectronic material properties is a promising candidate as highly transparent doped layer in silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. These high quality materials are usually produced using hot wire chemical vapor deposition under aggressive growth conditions giving rise to the removal of the underlying passivation layer and thus the deterioration of the crystalline silicon (c-Si) surface passivation. In this work, we introduced the n-type μc-SiC:H/n-type μc-SiO x :H/intrinsic a-SiO x :H stack as a front layer configuration for p-type SHJ solar cells with the μc-SiO x :H layer acting as an etch-resistant layer against the reactive deposition conditions during the μc-SiC:H growth. We observed that the unfavorable expansion of micro-voids at the c-Si interface due to the in-diffusion of hydrogen atoms through the layer stack might be responsible for the deterioration of surface passivation. Excellent lifetime values were achieved under deposition conditions which are needed to grow high quality μc-SiC:H layers for SHJ solar cells. - Highlights: • High surface passivation quality was preserved after μc-SiC:H deposition. • μc-SiC:H/μc-SiO x :H/a-SiO x :H stack a promising front layer configuration • Void expansion at a-SiO x :H/c-Si interface for deteriorated surface passivation • μc-SiC:H provides a high transparency and electrical conductivity.

  16. High quality TbMnO3 films deposited on YAlO3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glavic, Artur; Voigt, Joerg; Persson, Joerg; Su, Yixi; Schubert, Juergen; Groot, Joost de; Zande, Willi; Brueckel, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → We found a good substrate and suitable deposition parameters to create untwinned, epitaxial thin films of TbMnO 3 . → Laboratory experiments prove the crystalline quality of the films. → We were able to measure the micro magnetic structure in the films by polarized neutron diffraction (to our knowledge the first neutron investigations on TbMnO 3 thin films). - Abstract: High quality thin films of TbMnO 3 were grown by pulsed laser deposition on orthorhombicYAlO 3 (1 0 0). The interface and surface roughness of a 55 nm thick film were probed by X-ray reflectometry and atomic force microscopy, yielding a roughness of 1 nm. X-ray diffraction revealed untwinned films and a small mosaic spread of 0.04 o and 0.2 o for out-of-plane and in-plane reflections, respectively. This high degree of epitaxy was also confirmed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. Using polarized neutron diffraction we could identify a magnetic structure with the propagation vector (0 0.27 0), identical to the bulk magnetic structure of TbMnO 3 .

  17. One-Pot Synthesis of Tunable Crystalline Ni3 S4 @Amorphous MoS2 Core/Shell Nanospheres for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu; Sun, Wenping; Rui, Xianhong; Li, Bing; Tan, Hui Teng; Guo, Guilue; Madhavi, Srinivasan; Zong, Yun; Yan, Qingyu

    2015-08-12

    Transition metal sulfides gain much attention as electrode materials for supercapacitors due to their rich redox chemistry and high electrical conductivity. Designing hierarchical nanostructures is an efficient approach to fully utilize merits of each component. In this work, amorphous MoS(2) is firstly demonstrated to show specific capacitance 1.6 times as that of the crystalline counterpart. Then, crystalline core@amorphous shell (Ni(3)S(4)@MoS(2)) is prepared by a facile one-pot process. The diameter of the core and the thickness of the shell can be independently tuned. Taking advantages of flexible protection of amorphous shell and high capacitance of the conductive core, Ni(3)S(4) @amorphous MoS(2) nanospheres are tested as supercapacitor electrodes, which exhibit high specific capacitance of 1440.9 F g(-1) at 2 A g(-1) and a good capacitance retention of 90.7% after 3000 cycles at 10 A g(-1). This design of crystalline core@amorphous shell architecture may open up new strategies for synthesizing promising electrode materials for supercapacitors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Synthesis of high quality diamond film for the dosimeter realization in the radiotherapy domain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaissiere, Nicolas

    2014-01-01

    This thesis aims to master the MPCVD synthesis of heteroepitaxial diamond films of high crystalline quality on iridium substrate for radiotherapy dosimeters. This objective has led us to develop the epitaxial iridium layer grown on SrTiO 3 substrates (001). A vacuum frame equipped with an electron gun has been developed and calibrated. The obtained layers characterized by XRD, possess a structural quality equivalent to the state of the art/in literature. Bias Enhanced Nucleation (BEN)- MPCVD induces nucleation of 'domains' on the iridium surface, according a unique nucleation pathway. Significant work has been conducted on (BEN)-MPCVD optimization to obtain a reliable and reproducible method for generating homogeneous 'domains' on a surface of 5 x 5 mm 2 . Combined characterizations (SEM, XPS, AES) of 'domains' surface enabled us to establish the identity card of their chemical and morphological properties. We demonstrate that they contain diamond nuclei. In addition, the temporal expansion of these 'domains' seems to follow preferential directions <110> of iridium lattice during the (BEN)-MPCVD stage. From these results, self-supported heteroepitaxial diamond films 100μ-m thick have been grown. The correlation between their crystalline quality and their detection response was conducted with the LCD dosimeter team. The inhomogeneities in the crystal structure due to structural defects have been identified. To study more locally these samples, a measurement campaign was carried out by microbeam X on the DIFFABS line at Soleil Synchrotron. The combination of the different knowledge acquired during this thesis has allowed the fabrication and characterization of the first detector based on heteroepitaxial diamond at the LCD laboratory. (author) [fr

  19. 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

  20. Research and development of photovoltaic power system. Development of novel technologies for fabrication of high quality silicon thin films for solar cells; Taiyoko hatsuden system no kenkyu kaihatsu. Kohinshitsu silicon usumaku sakusei gijutsu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimizu, T [Kanazawa University, Ishikawa (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1994-12-01

    Described herein are the results of the FY1994 research program for development of novel technologies for fabrication of high quality thin films of silicon for solar cells. The study on the mechanisms and effects of chemical annealing reveals that the film structure greatly varies depending on substrate temperature during the hydrotreatment process, based on the tests with substrate temperature, deposition of superthin film (T1) and hydrotreatment (T2) as the variable parameters. Chemical annealing at low temperature produces a high-quality a-Si:H film of low defect content. The study on fabrication of thin polycrystalline silicon films at low temperature observes on real time the process of deposition of the thin films on polycrystalline silicon substrates, where a natural oxide film is removed beforehand from the substrate. The results indicate that a thin polycrystalline silicon film of 100% crystallinity can be formed even on a polycrystalline silicon substrate by controlling starting gas composition and substrate temperature. The layer-by-layer method is used as the means for forming the seed crystals on a glass substrate, where deposition and hydrotreatment are repeated alternately, to produce the thin crystalline silicon films of high crystallinity. 3 figs.

  1. Halide based MBE of crystalline metals and oxides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greenlee, Jordan D.; Calley, W. Laws; Henderson, Walter; Doolittle, W. Alan [Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Atlanta, Georgia (United States)

    2012-02-15

    A halide based growth chemistry has been demonstrated which can deliver a range of transition metals using low to moderate effusion cell temperatures (30-700 C) even for high melting point metals. Previously, growth with transition metal species required difficult to control electron beam or impurity inducing metal organic sources. Both crystalline oxide and metal films exhibiting excellent crystal quality are grown using this halide-based growth chemistry. Films are grown using a plasma assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) system with metal-chloride precursors. Crystalline niobium, cobalt, iron, and nickel were grown using this chemistry but the technology can be generalized to almost any metal for which a chloride precursor is available. Additionally, the oxides LiNbO{sub 3} and LiNbO{sub 2} were grown with films exhibiting X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve full-widths at half maximum of 150 and 190 arcseconds respectively. LiNbO{sub 2} films demonstrate a memristive response due to the rapid movement of lithium in the layered crystal structure. The rapid movement of lithium ions in LiNbO{sub 2} memristors is characterized using impedance spectroscopy measurements. The impedance spectroscopy measurements suggest an ionic current of.1 mA for a small drive voltage of 5 mV AC or equivalently an ionic current density of {proportional_to}87 A/cm{sup 2}. This high ionic current density coupled with low charge transfer resistance of {proportional_to}16.5 {omega} and a high relaxation frequency (6.6 MHz) makes this single crystal material appealing for battery applications in addition to memristors. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  2. Liquid crystalline solutions of cellulose in phosphoric acid for preparing cellulose yarns

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boerstoel, H.

    2006-01-01

    The presen thesis describes a new process for manufacturing high tenacity and high modulus cellulose yarns. A new direct solvent for cellulose has been discovered, leading to liquid crystalline solutions. This new solvent, superphosphoric acid, rapidly dissolves cellulose. These liquid crystalline

  3. CoO-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-colored transparent glass-ceramics with high crystallinity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Wufu; Zhang, Qian; Luo, Zhiwei; Yu, Jingbo; Gao, Xianglong; Li, Yunxing; Lu, Anxian

    2018-02-01

    To obtain CoO-doped MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 (MAS)-colored transparent glass-ceramics with high crystallinity, the glass with the composition 21MgO-21Al2O3-54SiO2-4B2O3-0.2CoO (in mol %) was prepared by conventional melt quenching technique and subsequently thermal treated at several temperatures. The crystallization behavior of the glass, the precipitated crystalline phases and crystallinity were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The microstructure of the glass-ceramics was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FSEM). The transmittance of glass-ceramic was measured by UV spectrophotometer. The results show that a large amount of α-cordierite (indianite) with nano-size was precipitated from the glass matrix after treatment at 1020 °C for 3 h. The crystallinity of the transparent glass-ceramic reached up to 97%. Meanwhile, the transmittance of the glass-ceramic was 74% at 400 nm with a complex absorption band from 450 nm to 700 nm. In addition, this colored transparent glass-ceramic possessed lower density (2.469 g/cm3), lower thermal expansion coefficient (1.822 × 10-6 /℃), higher Vickers hardness (9.1 GPa) and higher bending strength (198 MPa) than parent glass.

  4. Development of a methodology for the analysis of the crystalline quality of single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Metairon, Sabrina

    1999-01-01

    This work aims to establish a methodology for the analysis of the crystalline quality of single crystals. It is shown in the work as from neutron diffraction tridimensional rocking curves it is possible to determine the intrinsic widths at half maximum of the crystalline domains of a crystal, as well as the relative intensities of such domains and the angular distances between them. The construction of contour maps, on the bases of the tridimensional curves, make easier the determination of the above characteristics. For the development of the method, tridimensional rocking curves (I x ω x χ) have been obtained with neutrons from a barium lithium fluoride (BaLiF 3 ) and an aluminum crystal. The intensity I was obtained as rocking curves around the ω axis, with the angle % varying in a convenient interval. The individual (I x ω) and (I x χ) curves, which constitute the tridimensional rocking curve, were fitted by Gaussians and, in continuation of the process, the instrumental broadenings in directions ω and χ were deconvoluted from them. The instrumental broadenings were obtained with perfect type lithium fluoride (LiF) single crystals in the form of rocking curves around the ω and χ axes. Due to an enhanced Lorentz factor in direction χ, the scale in this direction was 'shrunk' by a correction factor in order to make the widths at half maximum of domains equivalent to those found in direction co. The contour map constructed with the deconvoluted rocking curves for BaLiF 3 , showed the existence of a 'proximity effect' that occurs when the widths at half maximum of domains have values near the value of the instrumental broadening. The contour map constructed with the deconvoluted rocking curves for aluminum, showed five domains of the mosaic type. Such domains were characterized concerning the width at half maximum, relative intensity and distance between them. (author)

  5. The effect of crystallinity on cell growth in semi-crystalline microcellular foams by solid-state process: modeling and numerical simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rezvanpanah, Elham; Ghaffarian Anbaran, S. Reza

    2017-11-01

    This study establishes a model and simulation scheme to describe the effect of crystallinity as one of the most effective parameters on cell growth phenomena in a solid batch foaming process. The governing model of cell growth dynamics, based on the well-known ‘Cell model’, is attained in details. To include the effect of crystallinity in the model, the properties of the polymer/gas mixtures (i.e. solubility, diffusivity, surface tension and viscosity) are estimated by modifying relations to consider the effect of crystallinity. A finite element-finite difference (FEFD) method is employed to solve the highly nonlinear and coupled equations of cell growth dynamics. The proposed simulation is able to evaluate all properties of the system at the given process condition and uses them to calculate the cell size, pressure and gas concentration gradient with time. A high-density polyethylene/nitrogen (HDPE/N2) system is used herein as a case study. Comparing the simulation results with the others works and experimental results verify the accuracy of the simulation scheme. The cell growth is a complicated combination of several phenomena. This study attempted to reach a better understanding of cell growth trend, driving and retarding forces and the effect of crystallinity on them.

  6. Nanomagnets with high shape anisotropy and strong crystalline anisotropy: perspectives on magnetic force microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campanella, H; Llobet, J; Esteve, J; Plaza, J A; Jaafar, M; Vázquez, M; Asenjo, A; Del Real, R P

    2011-01-01

    We report on a new approach for magnetic imaging, highly sensitive even in the presence of external, strong magnetic fields. Based on FIB-assisted fabricated high-aspect-ratio rare-earth nanomagnets, we produce groundbreaking magnetic force tips with hard magnetic character where we combine a high aspect ratio (shape anisotropy) together with strong crystalline anisotropy (rare-earth-based alloys). Rare-earth hard nanomagnets are then FIB-integrated to silicon microcantilevers as highly sharpened tips for high-field magnetic imaging applications. Force resolution and domain reversing and recovery capabilities are at least one order of magnitude better than for conventional magnetic tips. This work opens new, pioneering research fields on the surface magnetization process of nanostructures based either on relatively hard magnetic materials—used in magnetic storage media—or on materials like superparamagnetic particles, ferro/antiferromagnetic structures or paramagnetic materials.

  7. Electronic processes in non-crystalline materials

    CERN Document Server

    Mott, Nevill Francis

    2012-01-01

    Since the first edition of this highly successful book the field saw many great developments both in experimental and theoretical studies of electrical properties of non-crystalline solids. It became necessary to rewrite nearly the whole book, while the aims of the second edition remained the same: to set out the theoretical concepts, to test them by comparison with experiment for a wide variety of phenomena, and to apply them to non-crystalline materials. Sir Nevill Mott shared the1977 Nobel Prize for Physics, awarded for his research work in this field. The reissue of this book as part of th

  8. Solution processed nanogap organic diodes based on liquid crystalline materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yi-Fei; Iino, Hiroaki; Hanna, Jun-ichi

    2017-09-01

    Co-planar nanogap organic diodes were fabricated with smectic liquid crystalline materials of the benzothienobenzothiophene (BTBT) derivative by a spin-coating technique. A high rectification ratio of the order of 106 at ±3 V was achieved when a liquid crystalline material of 2,7-didecyl benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (10-BTBT-10) was used in a device configuration of Al/10-BTBT-10/pentafluorobenzenethiol-treated Au on a glass substrate, which was 4 orders higher than that of the device based on non-liquid crystalline materials of 2,7-dibutyl benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (4-BTBT-4) and BTBT. Similar results were also observed when another liquid crystalline material of ω, ω'-dioctylterthiophene (8-TTP-8) and a non-liquid crystalline material of terthiophene (TTP) were used. These improved rectifications can be ascribed to the self-assembly properties and controllable molecular orientation of liquid crystalline materials, which made uniform perpendicular oriented polycrystalline films favorable for superior charge transport in nano-channels.

  9. Crystalline color superconductivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alford, Mark; Bowers, Jeffrey A.; Rajagopal, Krishna

    2001-01-01

    In any context in which color superconductivity arises in nature, it is likely to involve pairing between species of quarks with differing chemical potentials. For suitable values of the differences between chemical potentials, Cooper pairs with nonzero total momentum are favored, as was first realized by Larkin, Ovchinnikov, Fulde, and Ferrell (LOFF). Condensates of this sort spontaneously break translational and rotational invariance, leading to gaps which vary periodically in a crystalline pattern. Unlike the original LOFF state, these crystalline quark matter condensates include both spin-zero and spin-one Cooper pairs. We explore the range of parameters for which crystalline color superconductivity arises in the QCD phase diagram. If in some shell within the quark matter core of a neutron star (or within a strange quark star) the quark number densities are such that crystalline color superconductivity arises, rotational vortices may be pinned in this shell, making it a locus for glitch phenomena

  10. One-pot, template- and surfactant-free solvothermal synthesis of high-crystalline Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures with adjustable morphologies and high magnetization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zong, Yan; Xin, Hongna; Zhang, Jiarui [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710000 (China); Li, Xinghua, E-mail: lixinghua04@gmail.com [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710000 (China); Feng, Juan [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710000 (China); Deng, Xia [School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Sun, Yong [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710000 (China); Zheng, Xinliang, E-mail: zhengxl@nwu.edu.cn [School of Physics, Northwest University, Xi’an 710000 (China)

    2017-02-01

    In the present study, high-crystalline and well-defined Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures with tunable morphologies were fabricated through a facile one-pot solvothermal approach. The morphology, crystal structure and chemical compositions of the products were characterized at the nanoscale. X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction patterns indicate that the products have a pure spinel phase without the presence of any other impurity. Based on the transmission electron microscope technology, shape evolution of the products were investigated. Several morphologies including irregular particles, clusters, hollow sphere and octahedrons can be obtained by only adjusting the amount of NaOH without using any surfactant. Magnetism investigations show that all the products perform ferromagnetic behavior with high saturation magnetization at room temperature, which mainly originates from their high crystalline nature and template-free fabrication process. - Highlights: • Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} were prepared by a template- and surfactant-free solvothermal route. • The shapes of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures can be controlled by changing the amount of NaOH. • All the Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanostructures with different shapes have high magnetization values.

  11. Large-size, high-uniformity, random silver nanowire networks as transparent electrodes for crystalline silicon wafer solar cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Shouyi; Ouyang, Zi; Jia, Baohua; Gu, Min

    2013-05-06

    Metal nanowire networks are emerging as next generation transparent electrodes for photovoltaic devices. We demonstrate the application of random silver nanowire networks as the top electrode on crystalline silicon wafer solar cells. The dependence of transmittance and sheet resistance on the surface coverage is measured. Superior optical and electrical properties are observed due to the large-size, highly-uniform nature of these networks. When applying the nanowire networks on the solar cells with an optimized two-step annealing process, we achieved as large as 19% enhancement on the energy conversion efficiency. The detailed analysis reveals that the enhancement is mainly caused by the improved electrical properties of the solar cells due to the silver nanowire networks. Our result reveals that this technology is a promising alternative transparent electrode technology for crystalline silicon wafer solar cells.

  12. Crack detection and analyses using resonance ultrasonic vibrations in full-size crystalline silicon wafers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Belyaev, A.; Polupan, O.; Dallas, W.; Ostapenko, S.; Hess, D.; Wohlgemuth, J.

    2006-01-01

    An experimental approach for fast crack detection and length determination in full-size solar-grade crystalline silicon wafers using a resonance ultrasonic vibrations (RUV) technique is presented. The RUV method is based on excitation of the longitudinal ultrasonic vibrations in full-size wafers. Using an external piezoelectric transducer combined with a high sensitivity ultrasonic probe and computer controlled data acquisition system, real-time frequency response analysis can be accomplished. On a set of identical crystalline Si wafers with artificially introduced periphery cracks, it was demonstrated that the crack results in a frequency shift in a selected RUV peak to a lower frequency and increases the resonance peak bandwidth. Both characteristics were found to increase with the length of the crack. The frequency shift and bandwidth increase serve as reliable indicators of the crack appearance in silicon wafers and are suitable for mechanical quality control and fast wafer inspection

  13. Atomically flat single-crystalline gold nanostructures for plasmonic nanocircuitry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, J S; Geisler, P; Bruening, C; Kern, J; Prangsma, J C; Wu, X; Feichtner, Thorsten; Ziegler, J; Weinmann, P; Kamp, M; Forchel, A; Hecht, B [Wilhelm-Conrad-Roentgen-Center for Complex Material Systems, University of Wuerzburg (Germany); Biagioni, P [CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano (Italy)

    2011-07-01

    Deep subwavelength integration of high-definition plasmonic nano-structures is of key importance for the development of future optical nanocircuitry. So far the experimental realization of proposed extended plasmonic networks remains challenging, mainly due to the multi-crystallinity of commonly used thermally evaporated gold layers. Resulting structural imperfections in individual circuit elements drastically reduce the yield of functional integrated nanocircuits. Here we demonstrate the use of very large but thin chemically grown single-crystalline gold flakes. After immobilization on any arbitrary surface, they serve as an ideal basis for focused-ion beam milling. We present high-definition ultra-smooth gold nanostructures with reproducible nanosized features over micrometer lengthscales. By comparing multi- and single-crystalline optical antennas we prove that the latter have superior optical properties which are in good agreement with numerical simulations.

  14. High Quality, Low Cost Bulk Gallium Nitride Substrates Grown by the Electrochemical Solution Growth Method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seacrist, Michael [SunEdison Inc., St. Peters, MO (United States)

    2017-08-15

    The objective of this project was to develop the Electrochemical Solution Growth (ESG) method conceived / patented at Sandia National Laboratory into a commercially viable bulk gallium nitride (GaN) growth process that can be scaled to low cost, high quality, and large area GaN wafer substrate manufacturing. The goal was to advance the ESG growth technology by demonstrating rotating seed growth at the lab scale and then transitioning process to prototype commercial system, while validating the GaN material and electronic / optical device quality. The desired outcome of the project is a prototype commercial process for US-based manufacturing of high quality, large area, and lower cost GaN substrates that can drive widespread deployment of energy efficient GaN-based power electronic and optical devices. In year 1 of the project (Sept 2012 – Dec 2013) the overall objective was to demonstrate crystalline GaN growth > 100um on a GaN seed crystal. The development plan included tasks to demonstrate and implement a method for purifying reagent grade salts, develop the reactor 1 process for rotating seed Electrochemical Solution Growth (ESG) of GaN, grow and characterize ESG GaN films, develop a fluid flow and reaction chemistry model for GaN film growth, and design / build an improved growth reactor capable of scaling to 50mm seed diameter. The first year’s project objectives were met in some task areas including salt purification, film characterization, modeling, and reactor 2 design / fabrication. However, the key project objective of the growth of a crystalline GaN film on the seed template was not achieved. Amorphous film growth on the order of a few tenths of a micron has been detected with a film composition including Ga and N, plus several other impurities originating from the process solution and hardware. The presence of these impurities, particularly the oxygen, has inhibited the demonstration of crystalline GaN film growth on the seed template. However, the

  15. CVD growth of large-area and high-quality HfS2 nanoforest on diverse substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Binjie; Wang, Zegao; Qi, Fei; Wang, Xinqiang; Yu, Bo; Zhang, Wanli; Chen, Yuanfu

    2018-03-01

    Two-dimensional layered transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted burgeoning attention due to their various properties and wide potential applications. As a new TMD, hafnium disulfide (HfS2) is theoretically predicted to have better electrical performance than widely studied MoS2. The experimental researches also confirmed the extraordinary feature in electronics and optoelectronics. However, the maximal device performance may not be achieved due to its own limitation of planar structure and challenge of transfer without contamination. Here, through the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, inch-size HfS2 nanoforest has been directly grown on diverse objective substrates covering insulating, semiconducting and conducting substrates. This direct CVD growth without conventional transfer process avoids contamination and degradation in quality, suggesting its promising and wide applications in high-quality and multifarious devices. It is noted that all the HfS2 nanoforests grown on diverse substrates are constructed with vertically aligned few-layered HfS2 nanosheets with high crystalline quality and edge orientation. Moreover, due to its unique structure, the HfS2 nanoforest owns abundant exposed edge sites and large active surface area, which is essential to apply in high-performance catalyst, sensor, and energy storage or field emitter.

  16. Hydrothermal synthesis of highly crystalline RuS2 nanoparticles as cathodic catalysts in the methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yanjuan; Li, Nan; Yanagisawa, Kazumichi; Li, Xiaotian; Yan, Xiao

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Highly crystalline RuS 2 nanoparticles have been first synthesized by a “one-step” hydrothermal method. • The product presents a pure cubic phase of stoichiometric ratio RuS 2 with average particle size of 14.8 nm. • RuS 2 nanoparticles were used as cathodic catalysts in methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis. • The catalyst outperforms commercial Pt/C in methanol tolerance and stability towards Cl − . - Abstract: Highly crystalline ruthenium sulfide (RuS 2 ) nanoparticles have been first synthesized by a “one-step” hydrothermal method at 400 °C, using ruthenium chloride and thiourea as reactants. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy/energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), thermo gravimetric-differential thermal analyze (TG-DTA), transmission electron microscopy equipped with selected area electron diffraction (TEM/SAED). Fourier transform infrared spectra (IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD result illustrates that the highly crystalline product presents a pure cubic phase of stoichiometric ratio RuS 2 and the average particle size is 14.8 nm. SEM and TEM images display the products have irregular shape of 6–25 nm. XPS analyst indicates that the sulfur exists in the form of S 2 2− . Cyclic voltammetry (CV), rotating disk electrode (RDE), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements are conducted to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the highly crystalline RuS 2 nanoparticles in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis. The results illustrate that RuS 2 is active towards oxygen reduction reaction. Although the activity of RuS 2 is lower than that of Pt/C, the RuS 2 catalyst outperforms commercial Pt/C in methanol tolerance and stability towards Cl −

  17. Influence of substrate dc bias on crystallinity of silicon films grown at a high rate from inductively-coupled plasma CVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kosku, N.; Murakami, H.; Higashi, S.; Miyazaki, S.

    2005-01-01

    We have investigated the effect of substrate bias on the microcrystalline film growth from inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) of H 2 -diluted SiH 4 at 250 deg. C to get an insight on the role of ion and electron incidence for the crystallization. By applying dc bias voltage to the substrate in the range of -20 ∼ 20 V during the film growth, the crystallinity is improved significantly with no significant change in the deposition rate, but in contrast the application of biases as high as ±50 V degrades the crystallinity. These results indicate that the incidence of ions or electrons with a moderate energy to the growing film surface promotes the nucleation and the growth of crystallites. Also, the optimum bias condition for the crystallization is changed with the antenna-substrate distance, which suggests the contribution of hydrogen radical flux to the crystalline film growth

  18. High-quality GaN nanowires grown on Si and porous silicon by thermal evaporation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shekari, L., E-mail: lsg09_phy089@student.usm.my [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia); Ramizy, A.; Omar, K.; Hassan, H. Abu; Hassan, Z. [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory, School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia)

    2012-12-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A new kind of substrate (porous silicon) was used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Also this research introduces an easy and safe method to grow high quality GaN NWs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This is a new growth process to decrease the cost, complexity of growth of GaN NWs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer It is a controllable method to synthesize GaN NWs by thermal evaporation. - Abstract: Nanowires (NWs) of GaN thin films were prepared on as-grown Si (1 1 1) and porous silicon (PS) substrates using thermal evaporation method. The film growth produced high-quality wurtzite GaN NWs. The size, morphology, and nanostructures of the crystals were investigated through scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The NWs grown on porous silicon were thinner, longer and denser compared with those on as-grown Si. The energy band gap of the NWs grown on PS was larger than that of NWs on as-grown Si. This is due to the greater quantum confinement effects of the crystalline structure of the NWs grown on PS.

  19. GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

    2016-04-01

    Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Highly mesoporous single-crystalline zeolite beta synthesized using a nonsurfactant cationic polymer as a dual-function template

    KAUST Repository

    Zhu, Jie

    2014-02-12

    Mesoporous zeolites are useful solid catalysts for conversion of bulky molecules because they offer fast mass transfer along with size and shape selectivity. We report here the successful synthesis of mesoporous aluminosilicate zeolite Beta from a commercial cationic polymer that acts as a dual-function template to generate zeolitic micropores and mesopores simultaneously. This is the first demonstration of a single nonsurfactant polymer acting as such a template. Using high-resolution electron microscopy and tomography, we discovered that the resulting material (Beta-MS) has abundant and highly interconnected mesopores. More importantly, we demonstrated using a three-dimensional electron diffraction technique that each Beta-MS particle is a single crystal, whereas most previously reported mesoporous zeolites are comprised of nanosized zeolitic grains with random orientations. The use of nonsurfactant templates is essential to gaining single-crystalline mesoporous zeolites. The single-crystalline nature endows Beta-MS with better hydrothermal stability compared with surfactant-derived mesoporous zeolite Beta. Beta-MS also exhibited remarkably higher catalytic activity than did conventional zeolite Beta in acid-catalyzed reactions involving large molecules. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

  1. Analysis of rapidly synthesized guest-filled porous complexes with synchrotron radiation: practical guidelines for the crystalline sponge method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramadhar, Timothy R. [Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115 (United States); Zheng, Shao-Liang [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138 (United States); Chen, Yu-Sheng [ChemMatCARS, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago c/o Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois, 60439 (United States); Clardy, Jon, E-mail: jon-clardy@hms.harvard.edu [Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115 (United States)

    2015-01-01

    This report describes complete practical guidelines and insights for the crystalline sponge method, which have been derived through the first use of synchrotron radiation on these systems, and includes a procedure for faster synthesis of the sponges. These guidelines will be applicable to crystal sponge data collected at synchrotrons or in-house facilities, and will allow researchers to obtain reliable high-quality data and construct chemically and physically sensible models for guest structural determination. A detailed set of synthetic and crystallographic guidelines for the crystalline sponge method based upon the analysis of expediently synthesized crystal sponges using third-generation synchrotron radiation are reported. The procedure for the synthesis of the zinc-based metal–organic framework used in initial crystal sponge reports has been modified to yield competent crystals in 3 days instead of 2 weeks. These crystal sponges were tested on some small molecules, with two being unexpectedly difficult cases for analysis with in-house diffractometers in regard to data quality and proper space-group determination. These issues were easily resolved by the use of synchrotron radiation using data-collection times of less than an hour. One of these guests induced a single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation to create a larger unit cell with over 500 non-H atoms in the asymmetric unit. This led to a non-trivial refinement scenario that afforded the best Flack x absolute stereochemical determination parameter to date for these systems. The structures did not require the use of PLATON/SQUEEZE or other solvent-masking programs, and are the highest-quality crystalline sponge systems reported to date where the results are strongly supported by the data. A set of guidelines for the entire crystallographic process were developed through these studies. In particular, the refinement guidelines include strategies to refine the host framework, locate guests and determine

  2. Analysis of rapidly synthesized guest-filled porous complexes with synchrotron radiation: practical guidelines for the crystalline sponge method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramadhar, Timothy R.; Zheng, Shao-Liang; Chen, Yu-Sheng; Clardy, Jon

    2015-01-01

    This report describes complete practical guidelines and insights for the crystalline sponge method, which have been derived through the first use of synchrotron radiation on these systems, and includes a procedure for faster synthesis of the sponges. These guidelines will be applicable to crystal sponge data collected at synchrotrons or in-house facilities, and will allow researchers to obtain reliable high-quality data and construct chemically and physically sensible models for guest structural determination. A detailed set of synthetic and crystallographic guidelines for the crystalline sponge method based upon the analysis of expediently synthesized crystal sponges using third-generation synchrotron radiation are reported. The procedure for the synthesis of the zinc-based metal–organic framework used in initial crystal sponge reports has been modified to yield competent crystals in 3 days instead of 2 weeks. These crystal sponges were tested on some small molecules, with two being unexpectedly difficult cases for analysis with in-house diffractometers in regard to data quality and proper space-group determination. These issues were easily resolved by the use of synchrotron radiation using data-collection times of less than an hour. One of these guests induced a single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation to create a larger unit cell with over 500 non-H atoms in the asymmetric unit. This led to a non-trivial refinement scenario that afforded the best Flack x absolute stereochemical determination parameter to date for these systems. The structures did not require the use of PLATON/SQUEEZE or other solvent-masking programs, and are the highest-quality crystalline sponge systems reported to date where the results are strongly supported by the data. A set of guidelines for the entire crystallographic process were developed through these studies. In particular, the refinement guidelines include strategies to refine the host framework, locate guests and determine

  3. Effects of alkaline or liquid-ammonia treatment on crystalline cellulose: changes in crystalline structure and effects on enzymatic digestibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Himmel Michael E

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In converting biomass to bioethanol, pretreatment is a key step intended to render cellulose more amenable and accessible to cellulase enzymes and thus increase glucose yields. In this study, four cellulose samples with different degrees of polymerization and crystallinity indexes were subjected to aqueous sodium hydroxide and anhydrous liquid ammonia treatments. The effects of the treatments on cellulose crystalline structure were studied, in addition to the effects on the digestibility of the celluloses by a cellulase complex. Results From X-ray diffractograms and nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, it was revealed that treatment with liquid ammonia produced the cellulose IIII allomorph; however, crystallinity depended on treatment conditions. Treatment at a low temperature (25°C resulted in a less crystalline product, whereas treatment at elevated temperatures (130°C or 140°C gave a more crystalline product. Treatment of cellulose I with aqueous sodium hydroxide (16.5 percent by weight resulted in formation of cellulose II, but also produced a much less crystalline cellulose. The relative digestibilities of the different cellulose allomorphs were tested by exposing the treated and untreated cellulose samples to a commercial enzyme mixture (Genencor-Danisco; GC 220. The digestibility results showed that the starting cellulose I samples were the least digestible (except for corn stover cellulose, which had a high amorphous content. Treatment with sodium hydroxide produced the most digestible cellulose, followed by treatment with liquid ammonia at a low temperature. Factor analysis indicated that initial rates of digestion (up to 24 hours were most strongly correlated with amorphous content. Correlation of allomorph type with digestibility was weak, but was strongest with cellulose conversion at later times. The cellulose IIII samples produced at higher temperatures had comparable crystallinities to the initial cellulose I

  4. Critical current densities amd pinning mechanisms of high-Tc films on single crystalline and technologically relevant substrates. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adrian, H.

    1995-12-01

    The report deals with six project tasks: (1) Effects of impurity additions at atomic level on the pinning behaviour and the critical current densities, examined in epitactic YBA 2 (Cu 1-x Ni x ) 3 O 7 films. It could be proven that the Ni atoms increase the activation energy for flux movement and the critical current density in a concentration range of 0 2 Sr 2 Ca n-1 Cu n O 2n+4+δ films (n = 2 and 3) with good crystalline properties, high critical currents, and high current densities were prepared. Thin YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films of high quality could be grown on saphire substrates, both by the MO-CVD process and by MBE. The aim of depositing biaxially textured YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 films with high critical current densities on polycrystalline, metallic substrates was achieved by the IBAD process combined with MBE. The buffer layer was YSZ. Heterostructures of the layer sequence YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 /CeO 2 /Y 0.3 Pr 0.7 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7 /YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 and YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 /CeO 2 /Au were prepared by laser ablation and sputtering processes, in order to examine Josephson ramp contacts and superconducting field-effect transistors. (orig./MM) [de

  5. High-resolution observation of phase contrast at 1MeV. Amorphous or crystalline objects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourret, A.; Desseaux, J.

    1975-01-01

    Many authors have stressed the possibilities of high voltage to improve resolution, but owing to numerous experimental difficulties the resolution limit at 1MeV, which lies around 1A for conventional lenses, has so far been unattainable. Thus the phase contrast at 1MeV has not been studied on evaporated objects. On the other hand the fringes of crystal planes have been observed at 1MeV. the CEN-G microscope having been considerably modified it has been possible to observe the phase contrast of amorphous or crystalline objects [fr

  6. Investigations on growth morphology, bulk growth and crystalline perfection of L-threonine, an organic nonlinear optical material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Linet, J. Mary; Das, S. Jerome

    2010-01-01

    L-threonine single crystal was successfully grown from aqueous solution. The morphology of the grown crystal was compared with the predicted morphology using Bravais-Friedel-Donnay-Harker law and was found to be in good agreement with the predicted morphology. Good optical quality bulk single crystal of enhanced size has been grown using unidirectional crystal growth method. High-resolution X-ray analysis study resulted in a rocking curve with a full width half maximum of 20 arc sec exhibiting the good crystalline quality of the grown crystal. The optical transmission study shows 90% of transmission in the entire visible region that exhibits the good optical quality of the grown crystal. The mechanical properties were analyzed by Vicker's microhardness method.

  7. Solubility of crystalline organic compounds in high and low molecular weight amorphous matrices above and below the glass transition by zero enthalpy extrapolation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amharar, Youness; Curtin, Vincent; Gallagher, Kieran H; Healy, Anne Marie

    2014-09-10

    Pharmaceutical applications which require knowledge of the solubility of a crystalline compound in an amorphous matrix are abundant in the literature. Several methods that allow the determination of such data have been reported, but so far have only been applicable to amorphous polymers above the glass transition of the resulting composites. The current work presents, for the first time, a reliable method for the determination of the solubility of crystalline pharmaceutical compounds in high and low molecular weight amorphous matrices at the glass transition and at room temperature (i.e. below the glass transition temperature), respectively. The solubilities of mannitol and indomethacin in polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) K15 and PVP K25, respectively were measured at different temperatures. Mixtures of undissolved crystalline solute and saturated amorphous phase were obtained by annealing at a given temperature. The solubility at this temperature was then obtained by measuring the melting enthalpy of the crystalline phase, plotting it as a function of composition and extrapolating to zero enthalpy. This new method yielded results in accordance with the predictions reported in the literature. The method was also adapted for the measurement of the solubility of crystalline low molecular weight excipients in amorphous active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). The solubility of mannitol, glutaric acid and adipic acid in both indomethacin and sulfadimidine was experimentally determined and successfully compared with the difference between their respective calculated Hildebrand solubility parameters. As expected from the calculations, the dicarboxylic acids exhibited a high solubility in both amorphous indomethacin and sulfadimidine, whereas mannitol was almost insoluble in the same amorphous phases at room temperature. This work constitutes the first report of the methodology for determining an experimentally measured solubility for a low molecular weight crystalline solute

  8. National survey of crystalline rocks and recommendations of regions to be explored for high-level radioactive waste repository sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smedes, H.W.

    1983-04-01

    A reconnaissance of the geological literature on large regions of exposed crystalline rocks in the United States provides the basis for evaluating if any of those regions warrant further exploration toward identifying potential sites for development of a high-level radioactive waste repository. The reconnaissance does not serve as a detailed evaluation of regions or of any smaller subunits within the regions. Site performance criteria were selected and applied insofar as a national data base exists, and guidelines were adopted that relate the data to those criteria. The criteria include consideration of size, vertical movements, faulting, earthquakes, seismically induced ground motion, Quaternary volcanic rocks, mineral deposits, high-temperature convective ground-water systems, hydraulic gradients, and erosion. Brief summaries of each major region of exposed crystalline rock, and national maps of relevant data provided the means for applying the guidelines and for recommending regions for further study. It is concluded that there is a reasonable likelihood that geologically suitable repository sites exist in each of the major regions of crystalline rocks. The recommendation is made that further studies first be conducted of the Lake Superior, Northern Appalachian and Adirondack, and the Southern Appalachian Regions. It is believed that those regions could be explored more effectively and suitable sites probably could be found, characterized, verified, and licensed more readily there than in the other regions

  9. National survey of crystalline rocks and recommendations of regions to be explored for high-level radioactive waste repository sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smedes, H.W.

    1983-04-01

    A reconnaissance of the geological literature on large regions of exposed crystalline rocks in the United States provides the basis for evaluating if any of those regions warrant further exploration toward identifying potential sites for development of a high-level radioactive waste repository. The reconnaissance does not serve as a detailed evaluation of regions or of any smaller subunits within the regions. Site performance criteria were selected and applied insofar as a national data base exists, and guidelines were adopted that relate the data to those criteria. The criteria include consideration of size, vertical movements, faulting, earthquakes, seismically induced ground motion, Quaternary volcanic rocks, mineral deposits, high-temperature convective ground-water systems, hydraulic gradients, and erosion. Brief summaries of each major region of exposed crystalline rock, and national maps of relevant data provided the means for applying the guidelines and for recommending regions for further study. It is concluded that there is a reasonable likelihood that geologically suitable repository sites exist in each of the major regions of crystalline rocks. The recommendation is made that further studies first be conducted of the Lake Superior, Northern Appalachian and Adirondack, and the Southern Appalachian Regions. It is believed that those regions could be explored more effectively and suitable sites probably could be found, characterized, verified, and licensed more readily there than in the other regions.

  10. High quality antireflective ZnS thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tec-Yam, S.; Rojas, J.; Rejón, V.; Oliva, A.I.

    2012-01-01

    Zinc sulfide (ZnS) thin films for antireflective applications were deposited on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD). Chemical analysis of the soluble species permits to predict the optimal pH conditions to obtain high quality ZnS films. For the CBD, the ZnCl 2 , NH 4 NO 3 , and CS(NH 2 ) 2 were fixed components, whereas the KOH concentration was varied from 0.8 to 1.4 M. Groups of samples with deposition times from 60 to 120 min were prepared in a bath with magnetic agitation and heated at 90 °C. ZnS films obtained from optimal KOH concentrations of 0.9 M and 1.0 M exhibited high transparency, homogeneity, adherence, and crystalline. The ZnS films presented a band gap energy of 3.84 eV, an atomic Zn:S stoichiometry ratio of 49:51, a transmittance above 85% in the 300–800 nm wavelength range, and a reflectance below 25% in the UV–Vis range. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed a cubic structure in the (111) orientation for the films. The thickness of the films was tuned between 60 nm and 135 nm by controlling the deposition time and KOH concentration. The incorporation of the CBD-ZnS films into ITO/ZnS/CdS/CdTe and glass/Mo/ZnS heterostructures as antireflective layer confirms their high optical quality. -- Highlights: ► High quality ZnS thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD). ► Better CBD-ZnS films were achieved by using 0.9 M-KOH concentration. ► Reduction in the reflectance was obtained for ZnS films used as buffer layers.

  11. Liquid crystalline order in polymers

    CERN Document Server

    Blumstein, Alexandre

    1978-01-01

    Liquid Crystalline Order in Polymers examines the topic of liquid crystalline order in systems containing rigid synthetic macromolecular chains. Each chapter of the book provides a review of one important area of the field. Chapter 1 discusses scattering in polymer systems with liquid crystalline order. It also introduces the field of liquid crystals. Chapter 2 treats the origin of liquid crystalline order in macromolecules by describing the in-depth study of conformation of such macromolecules in their unassociated state. The chapters that follow describe successively the liquid crystalli

  12. High quality graphene synthesized by atmospheric pressure CVD on copper foil

    OpenAIRE

    Trinsoutrot, Pierre; Rabot, Caroline; Vergnes, Hugues; Delamoreanu, Alexandru; Zenasni, Aziz; Caussat, Brigitte

    2013-01-01

    International audience; Graphene was synthesized at 1000 °C by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition on copper foil from methane diluted in argon and hydrogen. The influence of the main synthesis parameters was studied on 2 × 2 cm2 foils in order to obtain continuous monolayer graphenewithout crystalline defect. The uniformity, crystal quality and number of layers of graphenewere analyzed by Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electronic Microscopy. First, an increase of the annealing pr...

  13. Picosecond laser ablation of poly-L-lactide: Effect of crystallinity on the material response

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ortiz, Rocio; Quintana, Iban; Etxarri, Jon; Lejardi, Ainhoa; Sarasua, Jose-Ramon

    2011-01-01

    The picosecond laser ablation of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) as a function of laser fluence and degree of crystallinity was examined. The ablation parameters and the surface modifications were analyzed under various irradiation conditions using laser wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet through the visible. When processing the amorphous PLLA, both energy threshold and topography varied considerably depending on laser wavelength. Laser irradiation showed a reduction in the energy ablation threshold as the degree of crystallinity increased, probably related to photomechanical effects involved in laser ablation with ultra-short pulses and the lower stress accommodation behavior of semicrystalline polymers. In particular, cooperative chain motions are impeded by the higher degree of crystallinity, showing fragile mechanical behavior and lower energy dissipation. The experimental results on ablation rate versus laser energy showed that UV laser ablation on semicrystalline PLLA was more efficient than the visible ablation, i.e., it exhibits higher etch rates over a wide range of pulse energy conditions. These results were interpreted in terms of photo-thermal and photo-chemical response of polymers as a function of material micro-structure and incident laser wavelength. High quality micro-grooves were produced in amorphous PLLA, reveling the potential of ultra-fast laser processing technique in the field of micro-structuring biocompatible and biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications.

  14. Picosecond laser ablation of poly-L-lactide: Effect of crystallinity on the material response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ortiz, Rocio; Quintana, Iban; Etxarri, Jon [Manufacturing Processes Department, Fundacion TEKNIKER, Av. Otaola 20, 20600, Eibar, Guipuzcoa (Spain); Lejardi, Ainhoa; Sarasua, Jose-Ramon [Department of Mining and Metallurgy Engineering and Materials Science, School of Engineering, University of the Basque Country (EHU-UPV), Alameda de Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain)

    2011-11-01

    The picosecond laser ablation of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) as a function of laser fluence and degree of crystallinity was examined. The ablation parameters and the surface modifications were analyzed under various irradiation conditions using laser wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet through the visible. When processing the amorphous PLLA, both energy threshold and topography varied considerably depending on laser wavelength. Laser irradiation showed a reduction in the energy ablation threshold as the degree of crystallinity increased, probably related to photomechanical effects involved in laser ablation with ultra-short pulses and the lower stress accommodation behavior of semicrystalline polymers. In particular, cooperative chain motions are impeded by the higher degree of crystallinity, showing fragile mechanical behavior and lower energy dissipation. The experimental results on ablation rate versus laser energy showed that UV laser ablation on semicrystalline PLLA was more efficient than the visible ablation, i.e., it exhibits higher etch rates over a wide range of pulse energy conditions. These results were interpreted in terms of photo-thermal and photo-chemical response of polymers as a function of material micro-structure and incident laser wavelength. High quality micro-grooves were produced in amorphous PLLA, reveling the potential of ultra-fast laser processing technique in the field of micro-structuring biocompatible and biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications.

  15. 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.

  16. Irradiation-induced dimensional changes of poorly crystalline carbons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bullock, R.E.

    1979-01-01

    Data are presented on irradiation-induced changes of poorly crystalline carbons at high temperatures(>900 0 C). The materials surveyed include: (1) carbon fibers, (2) glassy carbons, (3) carbonaceous matrix materials for HTGR fuel rods and (4) pyrocarbons. The materials are listed in order of increasing stability, with maximum strains ranging from more than 50% for fibers to less than 10% for pyrocarbons. Dimensional changes of highly anisotropic carbon fibers appear to be sensitive to irradiation temperature, as slightly anisotropic pyrocarbons are, whereas temperature seems to have little influence on the behavior of isotropic glassy carbons over the range from 600 to 1350 0 C. Dimensional changes for graphite-filled matrix materials were roughly isotropic on the average and did not seem to be strongly temperature dependent for the lower fluences investigated. Increased graphite filler lowered volumetric dimensional changes of the matrix in agreement with a rule-of-mixtures relationship between change components for the filler and the less-stable binder phases. Instabilities of all of the poorly crystalline materials were generally greater than those for more crystalline carbons under the same conditions, including highly orientated graphites that approximate single-crystal behavior. (author)

  17. High quality TmIG films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy grown by sputtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, C. N.; Tseng, C. C.; Yeh, S. L.; Lin, K. Y.; Cheng, C. K.; Fanchiang, Y. T.; Hong, M.; Kwo, J.

    Ferrimagnetic thulium iron garnet (TmIG) films grown on gadolinium gallium garnet substrates recently showed stress-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA), attractive for realization of quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) of topological insulator (TI) films via the proximity effect. Moreover, current induced magnetization switching of Pt/TmIG has been demonstrated for the development of room temperature (RT) spintronic devices. In this work, high quality TmIG films (about 25nm) were grown by sputtering at RT followed by post-annealing. We showed that the film composition is tunable by varying the growth parameters. The XRD results showed excellent crystallinity of stoichiometric TmIG films with an out-of-plane lattice constant of 1.2322nm, a narrow film rocking curve of 0.017 degree, and a film roughness of 0.2 nm. The stoichiometric films exhibited PMA and the saturation magnetization at RT was 109 emu/cm3 (RT bulk value 110 emu/cm3) with a coercive field of 2.7 Oe. In contrast, TmIG films of Fe deficiency showed in-plane magnetic anisotropy. The high quality sputtered TmIG films will be applied to heterostructures with TIs or metals with strong spin-orbit coupling for novel spintronics.

  18. Investigation of optimal conditions for production of highly crystalline nanocellulose with increased yield via novel Cr(III)-catalyzed hydrolysis: Response surface methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, You Wei; Lee, Hwei Voon; Abd Hamid, Sharifah Bee

    2017-12-15

    For the first time, a highly efficient Cr(NO 3 ) 3 catalysis system was proposed for optimization the yield and crystallinity of nanocellulose end product. A five-level three-factor central composite design coupled with response surface methodology was employed to elucidate parameters interactions between three design factors, namely reaction temperature (x 1 ), reaction time (x 2 ) and concentration of Cr(NO 3 ) 3 (x 3 ) over a broad range of process conditions and determine the effect on crystallinity index and product yield. The developed models predicted the maximum nanocellulose yield of 87% at optimum process conditions of 70.6°C, 1.48h, and 0.48M Cr(NO 3 ) 3 . At these conditions, the obtained nanocellulose presented high crystallinity index (75.3%), spider-web-like interconnected network morphology with the average width of 31.2±14.3nm. In addition, the yielded nanocellulose rendered a higher thermal stability than that of original cellulosic source and expected to be widely used as reinforcement agent in bio-nanocomposites materials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Hemicelluloses negatively affect lignocellulose crystallinity for high biomass digestibility under NaOH and H2SO4 pretreatments in Miscanthus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Ning

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Lignocellulose is the most abundant biomass on earth. However, biomass recalcitrance has become a major factor affecting biofuel production. Although cellulose crystallinity significantly influences biomass saccharification, little is known about the impact of three major wall polymers on cellulose crystallization. In this study, we selected six typical pairs of Miscanthus samples that presented different cell wall compositions, and then compared their cellulose crystallinity and biomass digestibility after various chemical pretreatments. Results A Miscanthus sample with a high hemicelluloses level was determined to have a relatively low cellulose crystallinity index (CrI and enhanced biomass digestibility at similar rates after pretreatments of NaOH and H2SO4 with three concentrations. By contrast, a Miscanthus sample with a high cellulose or lignin level showed increased CrI and low biomass saccharification, particularly after H2SO4 pretreatment. Correlation analysis revealed that the cellulose CrI negatively affected biomass digestion. Increased hemicelluloses level by 25% or decreased cellulose and lignin contents by 31% and 37% were also found to result in increased hexose yields by 1.3-times to 2.2-times released from enzymatic hydrolysis after NaOH or H2SO4 pretreatments. The findings indicated that hemicelluloses were the dominant and positive factor, whereas cellulose and lignin had synergistic and negative effects on biomass digestibility. Conclusions Using six pairs of Miscanthus samples with different cell wall compositions, hemicelluloses were revealed to be the dominant factor that positively determined biomass digestibility after pretreatments with NaOH or H2SO4 by negatively affecting cellulose crystallinity. The results suggested potential approaches to the genetic modifications of bioenergy crops.

  20. Fingerprinting analysis of non-crystalline pharmaceutical compounds using high energy X-rays and the total scattering pair distribution function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Timur D.

    2011-12-01

    In the development of new medicinal products, poor oral bioavailability, due to the low solubilities of many active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), is increasingly a barrier for treatments to be administered using tablet or capsule formulations and one of the main challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry. Non-crystalline phases such as the amorphous and nanostructured states can confer increased solubility to a drug, and therefore, have recently garnered a lot of interest from pharmaceutical researchers. However, little is known about local ordering in non-crystalline pharmaceuticals due to the lack of reliable experimental probes, hindering the clinical application of these compounds. The powerful tools of crystallography begin to lose their potency for structures on the nanoscale; conventional X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) patterns become broad and featureless in these cases and are not useful for differentiating between different local molecular packing arrangements. In this thesis, we introduce the use of high energy X-rays coupled with total scattering pair distribution function (TSPDF) and fingerprinting analysis to investigate the local structures of non-crystalline pharmaceutical compounds. The high energy X-rays allow us to experimentally collect diffuse scattering intensities, which contain information about a sample's local ordering, in addition to the Bragg scattering available in conventional XRPD experiments, while the TSPDF allows us to view the intra- and inter-molecular correlations in real space. The goal of this study was to address some fundamental problems involving fingerprinting non-crystalline APIs using TSPDF in order to lay the groundwork for the proper use of the technique by the pharmaceutical community. We achieved this by developing the methodology as well as the exploring the scientific implications. On the methodology side, we introduced PDFGetX3, a new software program for calculating TSPDFs that simplifies the procedure

  1. Liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite material for dental application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Yuan Tai

    2015-01-01

    Conclusion: The microhardness of the bracket-like blocks made by our new material is superior to the commercially available brackets, even after thermocycling. Our results indicate that the evaluated liquid crystalline epoxy nanocomposite materials are of an appropriate quality for application in dental core and post systems and in various restorations. By applying technology to refine manufacturing processes, these new materials could also be used to fabricate esthetic brackets for orthodontic treatment.

  2. Quality of water from crystalline rock aquifers in New England, New Jersey, and New York, 1995-2007

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flanagan, Sarah M.; Ayotte, Joseph D.; Robinson, Gilpin R.

    2012-06-25

    Crystalline bedrock aquifers in New England and parts of New Jersey and New York (NECR aquifers) are a major source of drinking water. Because the quality of water in these aquifers is highly variable, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) statistically analyzed chemical data on samples of untreated groundwater collected from 117 domestic bedrock wells in New England, New York, and New Jersey, and from 4,775 public-supply bedrock wells in New England to characterize the quality of the groundwater. The domestic-well data were from samples collected by the USGS National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program from 1995 through 2007. The public-supply-well data were from samples collected for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Program from 1997 through 2007. Chemical data compiled from the domestic wells include pH, specific conductance, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, and turbidity; 6 nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, 14 major ions, 23 trace elements, 222radon gas (radon), 48 pesticide compounds, and 82 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Additional samples were collected from the domestic wells for the analysis of gross alpha- and gross beta-particle radioactivity, radium isotopes, chlorofluorocarbon isotopes, and the dissolved gases methane, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and argon. Chemical data compiled from the public-supply wells include pH, specific conductance, nitrate, iron, manganese, sodium, chloride, fluoride, arsenic, uranium, radon, combined radium (226radium plus 228radium), gross alpha-particle radioactivity, and methyl tert-butyl ether (MtBE).Patterns in fluoride, arsenic, uranium, and radon distributions were discernable when the data were compared to lithology groupings of the bedrock, indicating that the type of bedrock has an effect on the quality of groundwater from NECR aquifers. Fluoride concentrations were significantly higher in groundwater samples from the alkali granite, peraluminous granite, and

  3. Feasible conversion of solid waste bauxite tailings into highly crystalline 4A zeolite with valuable application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Dongyang; Wang, Zhendong; Guo, Min [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Zhang, Mei, E-mail: zhangmei@ustb.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Liu, Jingbo [The Department of Chemistry, Texas A and M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, TX 78363 (United States); The Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • Concept to convert waste to valuable product is carried out in this study. • An industrially feasible and cost-effective approach was developed and optimized. • Highly crystalline and well-defined zeolite was produced under moderate conditions. • The zeolite derived from the bauxite tailings displayed high ion exchange capacity. • Bauxite tailings have potential application in heavy metal ions adsorbent. - Abstract: Bauxite tailings are a major type of solid wastes generated in the flotation process. The waste by-products caused significant environmental impact. To lessen this hazardous effect from poisonous mine tailings, a feasible and cost-effective solution was conceived and implemented. Our approach focused on reutilization of the bauxite tailings by converting it to 4A zeolite for reuse in diverse applications. Three steps were involved in the bauxite conversion: wet-chemistry, alkali fusion, and crystallization to remove impurities and to prepare porous 4A zeolite. It was found that the cubic 4A zeolite was single phase, in high purity, with high crystallinity and well-defined structure. Importantly, the 4A zeolite displayed maximum calcium ion exchange capacity averaged at 296 mg CaCO{sub 3}/g, comparable to commercially-available zeolite (310 mg CaCO{sub 3}/g) exchange capacity. Base on the optimal synthesis condition, the reaction yield of zeolite 4A from bauxite tailings achieved to about 38.43%, hence, this study will provide a new paradigm for remediation of bauxite tailings, further mitigating the environmental and health care concerns, particularly in the mainland of PR China.

  4. Feasible conversion of solid waste bauxite tailings into highly crystalline 4A zeolite with valuable application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Dongyang; Wang, Zhendong; Guo, Min; Zhang, Mei; Liu, Jingbo

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Concept to convert waste to valuable product is carried out in this study. • An industrially feasible and cost-effective approach was developed and optimized. • Highly crystalline and well-defined zeolite was produced under moderate conditions. • The zeolite derived from the bauxite tailings displayed high ion exchange capacity. • Bauxite tailings have potential application in heavy metal ions adsorbent. - Abstract: Bauxite tailings are a major type of solid wastes generated in the flotation process. The waste by-products caused significant environmental impact. To lessen this hazardous effect from poisonous mine tailings, a feasible and cost-effective solution was conceived and implemented. Our approach focused on reutilization of the bauxite tailings by converting it to 4A zeolite for reuse in diverse applications. Three steps were involved in the bauxite conversion: wet-chemistry, alkali fusion, and crystallization to remove impurities and to prepare porous 4A zeolite. It was found that the cubic 4A zeolite was single phase, in high purity, with high crystallinity and well-defined structure. Importantly, the 4A zeolite displayed maximum calcium ion exchange capacity averaged at 296 mg CaCO 3 /g, comparable to commercially-available zeolite (310 mg CaCO 3 /g) exchange capacity. Base on the optimal synthesis condition, the reaction yield of zeolite 4A from bauxite tailings achieved to about 38.43%, hence, this study will provide a new paradigm for remediation of bauxite tailings, further mitigating the environmental and health care concerns, particularly in the mainland of PR China

  5. Conduit for high temperature transfer of molten semiconductor crystalline material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiegl, George (Inventor); Torbet, Walter (Inventor)

    1983-01-01

    A conduit for high temperature transfer of molten semiconductor crystalline material consists of a composite structure incorporating a quartz transfer tube as the innermost member, with an outer thermally insulating layer designed to serve the dual purposes of minimizing heat losses from the quartz tube and maintaining mechanical strength and rigidity of the conduit at the elevated temperatures encountered. The composite structure ensures that the molten semiconductor material only comes in contact with a material (quartz) with which it is compatible, while the outer layer structure reinforces the quartz tube, which becomes somewhat soft at molten semiconductor temperatures. To further aid in preventing cooling of the molten semiconductor, a distributed, electric resistance heater is in contact with the surface of the quartz tube over most of its length. The quartz tube has short end portions which extend through the surface of the semiconductor melt and which are lef bare of the thermal insulation. The heater is designed to provide an increased heat input per unit area in the region adjacent these end portions.

  6. High aspect ratio MEMS capacitor for high frequency impedance matching applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yalcinkaya, Arda Deniz; Jensen, Søren; Hansen, Ole

    2003-01-01

    We present a microelectromechanical tunable capacitor with a low control voltage, a wide tuning range and adequate electrical quality factor. The device is fabricated in a single-crystalline silicon layer using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for obtaining high-aspect ratio (> 20) parallel comb...

  7. Optical studies of high quality synthetic diamond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharp, S.J.

    1999-01-01

    This thesis is concerned with the study of fundamental and defect induced optical properties of synthetic diamond grown using high pressure, high temperature (HPHT) synthesis or chemical vapour deposition (CVD). The primary technique used for investigation is cathodoluminescence (including imaging and decay-time measurements) in addition to other forms of optical spectroscopy. This thesis is timely in that the crystallinity and purity of synthetic diamond has increased ten fold over the last few years. The diamond exciton emission, which is easily quenched by the presence of defects, is studied in high quality samples in detail. In addition the ability now exists to engineer the isotopic content of synthetic diamond to a high degree of accuracy. The experimental chapters are divided as follows: Chapter 2: High resolution, low temperature spectra reveal a splitting of the free-exciton phonon recombination emission peaks and the bound-exciton zero phonon line. Included are measurements of the variation in intensity and decay-time as a function of temperature. Chapter 3: The shift in energy of the phonon-assisted free-exciton phonon replicas with isotopic content has been measured. The shift is in agreement with the results of interatomic force model for phonon scattering due to isotope disorder. Chapter 4: A study of the shift in energy with isotopic content of the diamond of the GR1 band due to the neutral vacancy has allowed a verification of the theoretical predictions due to the Jahn Teller effect. Chapter 5: The spatial distribution of the free-exciton luminescence is studied in HPHT synthetic and CVD diamond. A variation in intensity with distance from the surface is interpreted as a significant non-radiative loss of excitons to the surface. Chapter 6: The decay-times of all known self-interstitial related centres have been measured in order to calculate the concentration of these centres present in electron irradiated diamond. (author)

  8. Crystallinity evaluation of polyhydroxybutyrate and polycaprolactone blends

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cavalcante, Maxwell P.; Rodrigues, Elton Jorge R.; Tavares, Maria Ines B.

    2015-01-01

    Polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB, is a polymer obtained through bacterial or synthetic pathways. It has been used in the biomedical field as a matrix for drug delivery, medical implants and as scaffold material for tissue engineering. PHB has high structural organization, which makes it highly crystalline and brittle, making biodegradation difficult, reducing its employability. In order to enhance the mechanical and biological properties of PHB, blends with other polymers, biocompatible or not, are researched and produced. In this regard, blends of PHB and polycaprolactone, PCL, another biopolymer widely used in the biomedical industry, were obtained via solution casting and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and low field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). Results have shown a dependence between PHB's crystallinity index and PCL quantity employed to obtain the blends.(author)

  9. Fabrication and characterization of high quality n-ZnO/p-GaN heterojunction light emission diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng Hao; Mei, Z.X.; Zeng, Z.Q.; Liu, Y.Z.; Guo, L.W.; Jia, J.F.; Xue, Q.K.; Zhang, Z.; Du, X.L.

    2011-01-01

    High quality single crystalline n-type ZnO film was grown on p-type GaN substrate using molecular beam epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy reveals a sharp ZnO/GaN interface. Light-emitting diode was fabricated from this heterostructure, and a turn-on voltage of ∼ 3.4 V was demonstrated. We found that the emission peak shifts from violet (430 nm) to near-ultraviolet (375 nm) when the driving current increases from 0.38 mA to 3.08 mA. This intriguing phenomenon can be understood by charged carrier's radical recombination occurring at both sides of the device, and the current enhancement of ZnO emission efficiency.

  10. Preparation of high crystalline nanoparticles of rare-earth based complex pervoskites and comparison of their structural and magnetic properties with bulk counterparts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Basith, M. A.; Islam, M. A.; Ahmmad, Bashir

    2017-01-01

    of crystalline and amorphous phases. FESEM images demonstrate the formation of nanoparticles with average particle size in the range of 50–100 nm for both ultrasonication and 4 h (h) of ball milling. The bulk materials and nanoparticles synthesized by both ultrasonication and 4 h ball milling exhibit...... of the nanoparticles due to ball milling particularly for milling time exceeding 8 h. This investigation demonstrates the potential of ultrasonication as a simple route to prepare high crystalline rare-earth based manganite nanoparticles with improved control compared to the traditional ball milling technique....

  11. Laser writing of single-crystalline gold substrates for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Astha; Sharma, Geeta; Ranjan, Neeraj; Mittholiya, Kshitij; Bhatnagar, Anuj; Singh, B. P.; Mathur, Deepak; Vasa, Parinda

    2017-07-01

    Surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy, a powerful contemporary tool for studying low-concentration analytes via surface plasmon induced enhancement of local electric field, is of utility in biochemistry, material science, threat detection, and environmental studies. We have developed a simple, fast, scalable, and relatively low-cost optical method of fabricating and characterizing large-area, reusable and broadband SERS substrates with long storage lifetime. We use tightly focused, intense infra-red laser pulses to write gratings on single-crystalline, Au (1 1 1) gold films on mica which act as SERS substrates. Our single-crystalline SERS substrates compare favourably, in terms of surface quality and roughness, to those fabricated in poly-crystalline Au films. Tests show that our SERS substrates have the potential of detecting urea and 1,10-phenantroline adulterants in milk and water, respectively, at 0.01 ppm (or lower) concentrations.

  12. Technology needs for selecting and evaluating high-level waste repository sites in crystalline rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1988-12-01

    This report describes properties and processes that govern the performance of the geological barrier in a nuclear waste isolation system in crystalline rock and the state-of-the-art in the understanding of these properties and processes. Areas and topics that require further research and development as well as technology needs for investigating and selecting repository sites are presented. Experiences from the Swedish site selection program are discussed, and a general investigation strategy is presented for an area characterization phase of an exploratory program in crystalline rocks. 255 refs., 65 figs., 10 tabs

  13. Response to state comments on the draft regional characterization reports for the Crystalline Repository Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-11-01

    In May, 1983, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Crystalline Repository Project Office (CPO) issued six draft Regional Characterization Reports (RCRs) for review and comment to the 17 Crystalline States comprising the Northeastern, Southeastern, and North Central crystalline regions. Comment letters were received from 13 of the 17 states. The more than 2000 comments generally focused on the quality and content of the characterization reports and on their intended use in region-to-area screening. These comments were paraphrased and grouped into 23 subjects within the following four topical areas: (1) General and Programmatic; (2) Geologic; (3) Environmental and Socioeconomic; and (4) Editorial. This document provides responses to the comments submitted by the states

  14. Thermodynamically Controlled High-Pressure High-Temperature Synthesis of Crystalline Fluorinated sp 3 -Carbon Networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klier, Kamil; Landskron, Kai

    2015-11-19

    We report the feasibility of the thermodynamically controlled synthesis of crystalline sp3-carbon networks. We show that there is a critical pressure below which decomposition of the carbon network is favored and above which the carbon network is stable. Based on advanced, highly accurate quantum mechanical calculations using the all-electron full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method (FP-LAPW) and the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state, this critical pressure is 26.5 GPa (viz. table of contents graphic). Such pressures are experimentally readily accessible and afford thermodynamic control for suppression of decomposition reactions. The present results further suggest that a general pattern of pressure-directed control exists for many isolobal conversions of sp2 to sp3 allotropes, relating not only to fluorocarbon chemistry but also extending to inorganic and solid-state materials science.

  15. Prediction of degree of crystallinity for the LTA zeolite using artificial neural networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ghanbari Shahram

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Zeolites are microporous aluminosilicate/silicate crystalline materials with three-dimensional tetrahedral configuration. In this study, the degree of crystallinity of the synthesized Linde Type A (LTA zeolite, which is the main indicator of its quality/purity is tried to be modeled. Effect of crystallization time, temperature, molar ratio of the synthesis gel on the relative crystallinity of the LTA zeolites is investigated using artificial neural networks. Our experimental observations and some data collected from literature have been used for adjusting the parameters of the proposed model and evaluating its performance. It has been observed that two-layer perceptron network with eight hidden neurons is the most accurate approach for the considered task. The designed model predicts the experimental datasets with a mean square error of 3.99 × 10-6, absolute average relative deviation of 8.69 %, and regression coefficient of 0.9596. The proposed model can decrease the required time and number of experiments to evaluate the extent of crystallinity of the LTA zeolites.

  16. Morphological and crystalline characterization of pulsed laser deposited pentacene thin films for organic transistor applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Antonio; Bonhommeau, Sébastien; Sirotkin, Sergey; Desplanche, Sarah; Kaba, Mamadouba; Constantinescu, Catalin; Diallo, Abdou Karim; Talaga, David; Penuelas, Jose; Videlot-Ackermann, Christine; Alloncle, Anne-Patricia; Delaporte, Philippe; Rodriguez, Vincent

    2017-10-01

    We show that high-quality pentacene (P5) thin films of high crystallinity and low surface roughness can be produced by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) without inducing chemical degradation of the molecules. By using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements, we also demonstrate that the deposition of P5 on Au layers result in highly disordered P5 thin films. While the P5 molecules arrange within the well-documented 1.54-nm thin-film phase on high-purity fused silica substrates, this ordering is indeed destroyed upon introducing an Au interlayer. This observation may be one explanation for the low electrical performances measured in P5-based organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) deposited by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT).

  17. Ripple structures on surfaces and underlying crystalline layers in ion beam irradiated Si wafers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grenzer, J.; Muecklich, A. [Forschungszentrum Rossendorf, Institut fuer Ionenstrahlphysik und Materialforschung, Dresden (Germany); Biermanns, A.; Grigorian, S.A.; Pietsch, U. [Institute of Physics, University of Siegen (Germany)

    2009-08-15

    We report on the formation of ion beam induced ripples in Si(001) wafers when bombarded with Ar+ ions at an energy of 60 keV. A set of samples varying incidence and azimuthal angles of the ion beam with respect to the crystalline surface orientation was studied by two complementary near surface sensitive techniques, namely atomic force microscopy and depth-resolved X-ray grazing incidence diffraction (GID). Additionally, cross-section TEM investigations were carried out. The ripple-like structures are formed at the sample surface as well as at the buried amorphous-crystalline interface. Best quality of the ripple pattern was found when the irradiating ion beam was aligned parallel to the (111) planes. The quality decreases rapidly if the direction of the ion beam deviates from (111). (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  18. Electromagnetic processes in strong crystalline fields

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    We propose a number of new investigations on aspects of radiation from high energy electron and positron beams (10-300 GeV) in single crystals and amorphous targets. The common heading is radiation emission by electrons and positrons in strong electromagnetic fields, but as the setup is quite versatile, other related phenomena in radiation emission can be studied as well. The intent is to clarify the role of a number of important aspects of radiation in strong fields as e.g. observed in crystals. We propose to measure trident 'Klein-like' production in strong crystalline fields, 'crystalline undulator' radiation, 'sandwich' target phenomena, LPM suppression of pair production as well as axial and planar effects in contributions of spin to the radiation.

  19. FY 1995 annual report on development of techniques for creating high-quality crystalline materials for low-loss power controlling components; 1995 nendo teisonshitsu denryoku seigyo soshiyo kohinshitsu kessho zairyo sosei gijutsu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1996-09-01

    The R and D project is implemented for manufacturing high-quality semiconductor crystalline materials of large size and uniform characteristics, in order to improve semiconductors as components for controlling power systems, and reduce power loss. The semiconductor melts, in particular silicon melt, is highly reactive, readily reacting with the atmosphere and crucible holding the melt, and it is difficult to collect their thermal properties. Therefore, an electro-magnetic levitation furnace working under a microgravity is used, to dispense with a crucible for measurement of their properties in the absence of thermal convection. The preliminary tests using the furnace produce surface tensions of the melts, because Ge is less reactive than silicon, stable in the form of a GeSbTe compound, and not wettable with Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, MgO, SiO{sub 2} or Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}. The measurement of electric resistance of InSb indicates that InSb has characteristics of a semiconductor when it is solid and a metal when it is liquid, as is the case with Si. The program codes are developed by each researcher, and combined with each other to establish the comprehensive thermal flow analysis program, which includes all of the aspects of the internal CZ furnace structure for growing the crystals. (NEDO)

  20. The molecular chaperone function of α-crystallin is impaired by UV photolysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borkman, R.F.; McLaughlin, J.

    1995-01-01

    Buffer solutions of the lens protein γ-crystallin and the enzymes aldolase and liver alcohol dehydrogenase became turbid and formed solid precipitate upon exposure to an elevated temperature of 63 o C or to UV radiation at 308 nm. When α-crystallin was added to the protein solutions in stoichiometric amounts, heat or UV irradiation did not cause turbidity, or turbidity developed much less rapidly than in the absence of α-crystallin. Hence, normal α-crystallin functioned as a ''molecular chaperone,'' providing protection against both UV and heat-induced protein aggregation. When α-crystallin was preirradiated with UV at 308 nm, its ability to function as a chaperone vis-a-vis both UV and heat-induced aggregation was significantly impaired, but only at relatively high UV doss. (author)

  1. Crystalline Organic Pigment-Based Field-Effect Transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haichang; Deng, Ruonan; Wang, Jing; Li, Xiang; Chen, Yu-Ming; Liu, Kewei; Taubert, Clinton J; Cheng, Stephen Z D; Zhu, Yu

    2017-07-05

    Three conjugated pigment molecules with fused hydrogen bonds, 3,7-diphenylpyrrolo[2,3-f]indole-2,6(1H,5H)-dione (BDP), (E)-6,6'-dibromo-[3,3'-biindolinylidene]-2,2'-dione (IIDG), and 3,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)-2,5-dihydropyrrolo-[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione (TDPP), were studied in this work. The insoluble pigment molecules were functionalized with tert-butoxylcarbonyl (t-Boc) groups to form soluble pigment precursors (BDP-Boc, IIDG-Boc, and TDPP-Boc) with latent hydrogen bonding. The single crystals of soluble pigment precursors were obtained. Upon simple thermal annealing, the t-Boc groups were removed and the soluble pigment precursor molecules with latent hydrogen bonding were converted into the original pigment molecules with fused hydrogen bonding. Structural analysis indicated that the highly crystalline soluble precursors were directly converted into highly crystalline insoluble pigments, which are usually only achievable by gas-phase routes like physical vapor transport. The distinct crystal structure after the thermal annealing treatment suggests that fused hydrogen bonding is pivotal for the rearrangement of molecules to form a new crystal in solid state, which leads to over 2 orders of magnitude enhancement in charge mobility in organic field-effect transistor (OFET) devices. This work demonstrated that crystalline OFET devices with insoluble pigment molecules can be fabricated by their soluble precursors. The results indicated that a variety of commercially available conjugated pigments could be potential active materials for high-performance OFETs.

  2. Gamma-irradiation effects to posttranslational modification and chaperon function of bovine α-crystalline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hiroki, K; Matsumoto, S.; Awakura, M.; Fujii, N.

    2001-01-01

    The formation of D-asparate (D-Asp) in αA-crystallin of the aged human eye and the cataract crystalline lens has been reported. Crystalline lens keeps the transparency by forming α-crystallin which consists of a high order association of αA-and αB-crystallin. Bovine α-crystallin for investigating a chaperone function which protects the crystalline lens from getting to opaque or disordered agglutination with heat or light, is irradiated by gamma-ray (Co-60) at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 kGy, respectively. The irradiated bovine α-crystallin are analyzed with electrophoresis, gel permeation chromatograph, and UV absorption spectrometer for checking on the agglutination and the isomerization of macromolecules. Oxidation of methionine residues (Met-1) and isomerization of asparagine residues (Asp-151) in the αA-crystallin are ascertained in molecular levels with reversed phase liquid chromatography. The Met-1 oxidation and the Asp-151 isomerization depend on gamma-irradiation doses. It is thought that OH radical and H radical in water generated by the irradiation lead to the oxidation and the isomerization. Stereoinversion in the α-crystallin following to such a chemical change are considered to lead to the agglutination of polymer and the reduction of chaperon function. (M. Suetake)

  3. PHOTOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF H{sub 2}O ICE CRYSTALLINITY ON TRANS-NEPTUNIAN OBJECTS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Terai, Tsuyoshi [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 650 North A‘ohoku Place, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Itoh, Yoichi [Center for Astronomy, University of Hyogo, 407-2 Nishigaichi, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5313 (Japan); Oasa, Yumiko [Faculty of Education, Saitama University, 255 Shimo-Okubo, Sakura, Saitama 338-8570 (Japan); Furusho, Reiko; Watanabe, Junichi, E-mail: tsuyoshi.terai@nao.ac.jp [National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)

    2016-08-10

    We present a measurement of H{sub 2}O ice crystallinity on the surface of trans-neptunian objects with near-infrared narrow-band imaging. The newly developed photometric technique allows us to efficiently determine the strength of a 1.65 μ m absorption feature in crystalline H{sub 2}O ice. Our data for three large objects—Haumea, Quaoar, and Orcus—which are known to contain crystalline H{sub 2}O ice on the surfaces, show a reasonable result with high fractions of the crystalline phase. It can also be pointed out that if the grain size of H{sub 2}O ice is larger than ∼20 μ m, the crystallinities of these objects are obviously below 1.0, which suggests the presence of the amorphous phase. In particular, Orcus exhibits a high abundance of amorphous H{sub 2}O ice compared to Haumea and Quaoar, possibly indicating a correlation between the bulk density of the bodies and the degree of surface crystallization. We also found the presence of crystalline H{sub 2}O ice on Typhon and 2008 AP{sub 129}, both of which are smaller than the minimum size limit for inducing cryovolcanism as well as a transition from amorphous to crystalline phase through thermal evolution due to the decay of long-lived isotopes.

  4. Gamma crystallins of the human eye lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vendra, Venkata Pulla Rao; Khan, Ismail; Chandani, Sushil; Muniyandi, Anbukkarasi; Balasubramanian, Dorairajan

    2016-01-01

    Protein crystallins co me in three types (α, β and γ) and are found predominantly in the eye, and particularly in the lens, where they are packed into a compact, plastic, elastic, and transparent globule of proper refractive power range that aids in focusing incoming light on to the retina. Of these, the γ-crystallins are found largely in the nuclear region of the lens at very high concentrations (>400 mg/ml). The connection between their structure and inter-molecular interactions and lens transparency is an issue of particular interest. We review the origin and phylogeny of the gamma crystallins, their special structure involving the use of Greek key supersecondary structural motif, and how they aid in offering the appropriate refractive index gradient, intermolecular short range attractive interactions (aiding in packing them into a transparent ball), the role that several of the constituent amino acid residues play in this process, the thermodynamic and kinetic stability and how even single point mutations can upset this delicate balance and lead to intermolecular aggregation, forming light-scattering particles which compromise transparency. We cite several examples of this, and illustrate this by cloning, expressing, isolating and comparing the properties of the mutant protein S39C of human γS-crystallin (associated with congenital cataract-microcornea), with those of the wild type molecule. In addition, we note that human γ-crystallins are also present in other parts of the eye (e.g., retina), where their functions are yet to be understood. There are several 'crucial' residues in and around the Greek key motifs which are essential to maintain the compact architecture of the crystallin molecules. We find that a mutation that replaces even one of these residues can lead to reduction in solubility, formation of light-scattering particles and loss of transparency in the molecular assembly. Such a molecular understanding of the process helps us construct the

  5. In situ atomic layer nitridation on the top and down regions of the amorphous and crystalline high-K gate dielectrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsai, Meng-Chen [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Lee, Min-Hung [Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Technology, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei 11677, Taiwan (China); Kuo, Chin-Lung; Lin, Hsin-Chih [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Chen, Miin-Jang, E-mail: mjchen@ntu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China)

    2016-11-30

    Highlights: • The structural and electrical characteristics of the ZrO{sub 2} high-K dielectrics, treated with the in situ atomic layer doping of nitrogen into the top and down regions (top and down nitridation, TN and DN, respectively), were investigated. • The amorphous DN sample has a lower leakage current density (J{sub g}) than the amorphous TN sample, attributed to the formation of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} in the interfacial layer (IL). • The crystalline TN sample exhibited a lower CET and a similar J{sub g} as compared with the crystalline DN sample, which can be ascribed to the suppression of IL regrowth. • The crystalline ZrO{sub 2} with in situ atomic layer doping of nitrogen into the top region exhibited superior scaling limit, electrical characteristics, and reliability. - Abstract: Amorphous and crystalline ZrO{sub 2} gate dielectrics treated with in situ atomic layer nitridation on the top and down regions (top and down nitridation, abbreviated as TN and DN) were investigated. In a comparison between the as-deposited amorphous DN and TN samples, the DN sample has a lower leakage current density (J{sub g}) of ∼7 × 10{sup −4} A/cm{sup 2} with a similar capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) of ∼1.53 nm, attributed to the formation of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} in the interfacial layer (IL). The post-metallization annealing (PMA) leads to the transformation of ZrO{sub 2} from the amorphous to the crystalline tetragonal/cubic phase, resulting in an increment of the dielectric constant. The PMA-treated TN sample exhibits a lower CET of 1.22 nm along with a similar J{sub g} of ∼1.4 × 10{sup −5} A/cm{sup 2} as compared with the PMA-treated DN sample, which can be ascribed to the suppression of IL regrowth. The result reveals that the nitrogen engineering in the top and down regions has a significant impact on the electrical characteristics of amorphous and crystalline ZrO{sub 2} gate dielectrics, and the nitrogen incorporation at the top of crystalline

  6. Confined crystallization, crystalline phase deformation and their effects on the properties of crystalline polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Haopeng

    With the recent advances in processing and catalyst technology, novel morphologies have been created in crystalline polymers and they are expected to substantially impact the properties. To reveal the structure-property relationships of some of these novel polymeric systems becomes the primary focus of this work. In the first part, using an innovative layer-multiplying coextrusion process to obtain assemblies with thousands of polymer nanolayers, dominating "in-plane" lamellar crystals were created when the confined poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) layers were made progressively thinner. When the thickness was confined to 25 nanometers, the PEO crystallized as single, high-aspect-ratio lamellae that resembled single crystals. This crystallization habit imparted more than two orders of magnitude reduction in the gas permeability. The dramatic decrease in gas permeability was attributed to the reduced diffusion coefficient, because of the increase in gas diffusion path length through the in-plane lamellae. The temperature dependence of lamellar orientation and the crystallization kinetics in the confined nanolayers were also investigated. The novel olefinic block copolymer (OBC) studied in the second part consisted of long crystallizable sequences with low comonomer content alternating with rubbery amorphous blocks with high comonomer content. The crystallizable blocks formed lamellae that organized into space-filling spherulites even when the fraction of crystallizable block was so low that the crystallinity was only 7%. These unusual spherulites were highly elastic and recovered from strains as high as 300%. These "elastic spherulites" imparted higher strain recovery and temperature resistance than the conventional random copolymers that depend on isolated, fringed micellar-like crystals to provide the junctions for the elastomeric network. In the third part, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) was used to obtain the temperature dependence of the free

  7. Atomic layer deposition for high-efficiency crystalline silicon solar cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Macco, B.; van de Loo, B.W.H.; Kessels, W.M.M.; Bachmann, J.

    2017-01-01

    This chapter illustrates that Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) is in fact an enabler of novel high-efficiency Si solar cells, owing to its merits such as a high material quality, precise thickness control, and the ability to prepare film stacks in a well-controlled way. It gives an overview of the

  8. Hydrothermal synthesis of highly crystalline RuS{sub 2} nanoparticles as cathodic catalysts in the methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yanjuan [Key Laboratory of Marine Chemistry Theory and Technology, Minisry of Education Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100 (China); College of Material Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012 (China); Li, Nan, E-mail: lin@jlu.edu.cn [College of Material Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012 (China); Yanagisawa, Kazumichi [Research Laboratory of Hydrothermal Chemistry, Kochi University, Kochi 780-8520 (Japan); Li, Xiaotian [College of Material Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials of Ministry of Education, Jilin University, 2699 Qianjin Street, Changchun 130012 (China); Yan, Xiao [Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China)

    2015-05-15

    Highlights: • Highly crystalline RuS{sub 2} nanoparticles have been first synthesized by a “one-step” hydrothermal method. • The product presents a pure cubic phase of stoichiometric ratio RuS{sub 2} with average particle size of 14.8 nm. • RuS{sub 2} nanoparticles were used as cathodic catalysts in methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis. • The catalyst outperforms commercial Pt/C in methanol tolerance and stability towards Cl{sup −}. - Abstract: Highly crystalline ruthenium sulfide (RuS{sub 2}) nanoparticles have been first synthesized by a “one-step” hydrothermal method at 400 °C, using ruthenium chloride and thiourea as reactants. The products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy/energy disperse spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), thermo gravimetric-differential thermal analyze (TG-DTA), transmission electron microscopy equipped with selected area electron diffraction (TEM/SAED). Fourier transform infrared spectra (IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD result illustrates that the highly crystalline product presents a pure cubic phase of stoichiometric ratio RuS{sub 2} and the average particle size is 14.8 nm. SEM and TEM images display the products have irregular shape of 6–25 nm. XPS analyst indicates that the sulfur exists in the form of S{sub 2}{sup 2−}. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), rotating disk electrode (RDE), chronoamperometry (CA) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements are conducted to evaluate the electrocatalytic activity and stability of the highly crystalline RuS{sub 2} nanoparticles in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for methanol fuel cell and hydrochloric acid electrolysis. The results illustrate that RuS{sub 2} is active towards oxygen reduction reaction. Although the activity of RuS{sub 2} is lower than that of Pt/C, the RuS{sub 2} catalyst outperforms commercial Pt/C in methanol tolerance and stability towards Cl{sup −}.

  9. Effect of Ultrasonic Vibration on Mechanical Properties of 3D Printing Non-Crystalline and Semi-Crystalline Polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guiwei; Zhao, Ji; Wu, Wenzheng; Jiang, Jili; Wang, Bofan; Jiang, Hao; Fuh, Jerry Ying Hsi

    2018-05-17

    Fused deposition modeling 3D printing has become the most widely used additive manufacturing technology because of its low manufacturing cost and simple manufacturing process. However, the mechanical properties of the 3D printing parts are not satisfactory. Certain pressure and ultrasonic vibration were applied to 3D printed samples to study the effect on the mechanical properties of 3D printed non-crystalline and semi-crystalline polymers. The tensile strength of the semi-crystalline polymer polylactic acid was increased by 22.83% and the bending strength was increased by 49.05%, which were almost twice the percentage increase in the tensile strength and five times the percentage increase in the bending strength of the non-crystalline polymer acrylonitrile butadiene styrene with ultrasonic strengthening. The dynamic mechanical properties of the non-crystalline and semi-crystalline polymers were both improved after ultrasonic enhancement. Employing ultrasonic energy can significantly improve the mechanical properties of samples without modifying the 3D printed material or adjusting the forming process parameters.

  10. Large-Area Synthesis of High-Quality Uniform Few-Layer MoTe2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Lin; Xu, Kai; Zubair, Ahmad; Liao, Albert D; Fang, Wenjing; Ouyang, Fangping; Lee, Yi-Hsien; Ueno, Keiji; Saito, Riichiro; Palacios, Tomás; Kong, Jing; Dresselhaus, Mildred S

    2015-09-23

    The controlled synthesis of large-area, atomically thin molybdenum ditelluride (MoTe2) crystals is crucial for its various applications based on the attractive properties of this emerging material. In this work, we developed a chemical vapor deposition synthesis to produce large-area, uniform, and highly crystalline few-layer 2H and 1T' MoTe2 films. It was found that these two different phases of MoTe2 can be grown depending on the choice of Mo precursor. Because of the highly crystalline structure, the as-grown few-layer 2H MoTe2 films display electronic properties that are comparable to those of mechanically exfoliated MoTe2 flakes. Our growth method paves the way for the large-scale application of MoTe2 in high-performance nanoelectronics and optoelectronics.

  11. Crystalline and amorphous phases in carbon nitride films produced by intense high-pressure plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurarie, V.N.; Orlov, A.V.; Bursill, L.A.; JuLin, P.; Nugent, K.W.; Chon, J.W.; Prawer, S.

    1997-01-01

    Carbon-nitride films are prepared using a high-intensity pulsed plasma deposition technique. A wide range of nitrogen pressure and discharge intensity are used to investigate their effect on the morphology, nitrogen content, structure, bonding, phase composition and mechanical characteristics of the CN films deposited. Increasing the nitrogen pressure from 0.1 atm to 10 atm results in an increase of nitrogen incorporation into CN films to maximum of 45 at %. Under the high-energy density deposition conditions which involve ablation of the quartz substrate the CN films are found to incorporate in excess of 60 at %N. Raman spectra of these films contain sharp peaks characteristic of a distinct crystalline CN phase. TEM diffraction patterns for the films deposited below 1 atm unambiguously show the presence of micron-sized crystals displaying a cubic symmetry. (authors)

  12. Nanopatterning of Crystalline Silicon Using Anodized Aluminum Oxide Templates for Photovoltaics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Tsu-An

    A novel thin film anodized aluminum oxide templating process was developed and applied to make nanopatterns on crystalline silicon to enhance the optical properties of silicon. The thin film anodized aluminum oxide was created to improve the conventional thick aluminum templating method with the aim for potential large scale fabrication. A unique two-step anodizing method was introduced to create high quality nanopatterns and it was demonstrated that this process is superior over the original one-step approach. Optical characterization of the nanopatterned silicon showed up to 10% reduction in reflection in the short wavelength range. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to analyze the nanopatterned surface structure and it was found that interpore spacing and pore density can be tuned by changing the anodizing potential.

  13. Dissolution of crystalline ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, W.B.

    1982-01-01

    The present program objectives are to lay out the fundamentals of crystalline waste form dissolution. Nuclear waste ceramics are polycrystalline. An assumption of the work is that to the first order, the release rate of a particular radionuclide is the surface-weighted sum of the release rates of the radionuclide from each crystalline form that contains it. In the second order, of course, there will be synergistic effects. There will be also grain boundary and other microstructural influences. As a first approximation, we have selected crystalline phases one at a time. The sequence of investigations and measurements is: (i) Identification of the actual chemical reactions of dissolution including identification of the solid reaction products if such occur. (ii) The rates of these reactions are then determined empirically to give what may be called macroscopic kinetics. (iii) Determination of the rate-controlling mechanisms. (iv) If the rate is controlled by surface reactions, the final step would be to determine the atomic kinetics, that is the specific atomic reactions that occur at the dissolving interface. Our concern with the crystalline forms are in two areas: The crystalline components of the reference ceramic waste form and related ceramics and the alumino-silicate phases that appear in some experimental waste forms and as waste-rock interaction products. Specific compounds are: (1) Reference Ceramic Phases (zirconolite, magnetoplumbite, spinel, Tc-bearing spinel and perovskite); (2) Aluminosilicate phases (nepheline, pollucite, CsAlSi 5 O 12 , Sr-feldspar). 5 figures, 1 table

  14. Vermont's involvement with the DOE's high-level radioactive waste disposal crystalline repository project. Final technical report, January 1-September 30, 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-09-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) is charged with siting a second repository for the disposal of highly radioactive nuclear wastes. Because of this siting process, the DOE has looked to localities in 17 states in the eastern US for possible sites in crystalline rock. During the beginning of the progress report period, crystalline rocks in Vermont were under consideration as sites for further study. Vermont, through the Vermont State Geologist's Office, was closely involved with the DOE program during this period. Our main function has been to review DOE reports; attend DOE workshops and meetings; and inform the Vermont public, with the help of the DOE, about the high-level nuclear waste repository siting process. Nine sites in Vermont were under consideration during the Regional Characterization Phase until January 16, 1986. Because of this fact, there was considerable public interest in this program. Upon release of the Draft Area Recommendation Report, Vermont crystalline rock bodies were dropped from consideration. A site in New Hampshire and two sites in Maine remained on the list. Because of the draft status of the report and the possibility that a site 20 miles from the Vermont border in New Hampshire could remain as a selected site, Vermont has stayed active and interested. Two briefings and hearings were held in the State during the comment period January 16 through April 16, 1986. A thorough review of the Draft Area Recommendation Report was completed using reviewers from our Office, State agencies, outside experts, and citizen groups. With the announcement on May 28, 1986 of the suspension of the second repository siting process in crystalline rocks, our Office has worked toward closing out our active involvement

  15. High quality single atomic layer deposition of hexagonal boron nitride on single crystalline Rh(111) four-inch wafers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hemmi, A.; Bernard, C.; Cun, H.; Roth, S.; Klöckner, M.; Kälin, T.; Osterwalder, J.; Greber, T., E-mail: greber@physik.uzh.ch [Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, CH-8057 Zürich (Switzerland); Weinl, M.; Gsell, S.; Schreck, M. [Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, D-86135 Augsburg (Germany)

    2014-03-15

    The setup of an apparatus for chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and its characterization on four-inch wafers in ultra high vacuum (UHV) environment is reported. It provides well-controlled preparation conditions, such as oxygen and argon plasma assisted cleaning and high temperature annealing. In situ characterization of a wafer is accomplished with target current spectroscopy. A piezo motor driven x-y stage allows measurements with a step size of 1 nm on the complete wafer. To benchmark the system performance, we investigated the growth of single layer h-BN on epitaxial Rh(111) thin films. A thorough analysis of the wafer was performed after cutting in atmosphere by low energy electron diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy, and ultraviolet and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The apparatus is located in a clean room environment and delivers high quality single layers of h-BN and thus grants access to large area UHV processed surfaces, which had been hitherto restricted to expensive, small area single crystal substrates. The facility is versatile enough for customization to other UHV-CVD processes, e.g., graphene on four-inch wafers.

  16. 120 mm Single-crystalline perovskite and wafers: towards viable applications

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yucheng Liu; Bo Wang; Qingbo Wei; Fengwei Xiao; Haibo Fan; Hao Deng; Liangping Deng; Shengzhong (Frank) Liu; Xiaodong Ren; Jing Zhang; Zhou Yang; Dong Yang; Fengyang Yu; Jiankun Sun; Changming Zhao; Zhun Yao

    2017-01-01

    As the large single-crystalline silicon wafers have revolutionized many industries including electronics and solar cells,it is envisioned that the availability of large single-crystalline perovskite crystals and wafers will revolutionize its broad applications in photovoltaics,optoelectronics,lasers,photodetectors,light emitting diodes (LEDs),etc.Here we report a method to grow large single-crystalline perovskites including single-halide crystals:CH3NH3PbX3 (X=Ⅰ,Br,Cl),and dual-halide ones:CH3NH3Pb(ClxBr1-x)3 and CH3NH3Pb(BrxI1-x)3,with the largest crystal being 120 mm in length.Meanwhile,we have advanced a process to slice the large perovskite crystals into thin wafers.It is found that the wafers exhibit remarkable features:(1) its trap-state density is a million times smaller than that in the microcrystalline perovskite thin films (MPTF);(2) its carrier mobility is 410 times higher than its most popular organic counterpart P3HT;(3) its optical absorption is expanded to as high as 910 nm comparing to 797 nm for the MPTF;(4) while MPTF decomposes at 150 ℃,the wafer is stable at high temperature up to 270 ℃;(5) when exposed to high humidity (75% RH),MPTF decomposes in 5 h while the wafer shows no change for overnight;(6) its photocurrent response is 250 times higher than its MPTF counterpart.A few electronic devices have been fabricated using the crystalline wafers.Among them,the Hall test gives low carrier concentration with high mobility.The trap-state density is measured much lower than common semiconductors.Moreover,the large SC-wafer is found particularly useful for mass production of integrated circuits.By adjusting the halide composition,both the optical absorption and the light emission can be fine-tuned across the entire visible spectrum from 400 nm to 800 nm.It is envisioned that a range of visible lasers and LEDs may be developed using the dual-halide perovskites.With fewer trap states,high mobility,broader absorption,and humidity resistance,it is

  17. High quality Ge epilayer on Si (1 0 0) with an ultrathin Si1-x Ge x /Si buffer layer by RPCVD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Da; Guo, Qinglei; Zhang, Nan; Xu, Anli; Wang, Bei; Li, Ya; Wang, Gang

    2017-07-01

    The authors report a method to grow high quality strain-relaxed Ge epilayer on a combination of low temperature Ge seed layer and Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer by reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition system without any subsequent annealing treatment. Prior to the growth of high quality Ge epilayer, an ultrathin Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer with the thickness of 50 nm and a 460 nm Ge seed layer were deposited successively at low temperature. Then an 840 nm Ge epilayer was grown at high deposition rate with the surface root-mean-square roughness of 0.707 nm and threading dislocation density of 2.5  ×  106 cm-2, respectively. Detailed investigations of the influence of ultrathin low-temperature Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer on the quality of Ge epilayer were performed, which indicates that the crystalline quality of Ge epilayer can be significantly improved by enhancing the Ge concentration of Si1-x Ge x /Si superlattice buffer layer.

  18. A metastable liquid melted from a crystalline solid under decompression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Chuanlong; Smith, Jesse S.; Sinogeikin, Stanislav V.; Kono, Yoshio; Park, Changyong; Kenney-Benson, Curtis; Shen, Guoyin

    2017-01-01

    A metastable liquid may exist under supercooling, sustaining the liquid below the melting point such as supercooled water and silicon. It may also exist as a transient state in solid-solid transitions, as demonstrated in recent studies of colloidal particles and glass-forming metallic systems. One important question is whether a crystalline solid may directly melt into a sustainable metastable liquid. By thermal heating, a crystalline solid will always melt into a liquid above the melting point. Here we report that a high-pressure crystalline phase of bismuth can melt into a metastable liquid below the melting line through a decompression process. The decompression-induced metastable liquid can be maintained for hours in static conditions, and transform to crystalline phases when external perturbations, such as heating and cooling, are applied. It occurs in the pressure-temperature region similar to where the supercooled liquid Bi is observed. Akin to supercooled liquid, the pressure-induced metastable liquid may be more ubiquitous than we thought.

  19. Effect of glycation on α-crystallin structure and chaperone-like function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, P. Anil; Kumar, M. Satish; Reddy, G. Bhanuprakash

    2007-01-01

    The chaperone-like activity of α-crystallin is considered to play an important role in the maintenance of the transparency of the eye lens. However, in the case of aging and in diabetes, the chaperone function of α-crystallin is compromized, resulting in cataract formation. Several post-translational modifications, including non-enzymatic glycation, have been shown to affect the chaperone function of α-crystallin in aging and in diabetes. A variety of agents have been identified as the predominant sources for the formation of AGEs (advanced glycation end-products) in various tissues, including the lens. Nevertheless, glycation of α-crystallin with various sugars has resulted in divergent results. In the present in vitro study, we have investigated the effect of glucose, fructose, G6P (glucose 6-phosphate) and MGO (methylglyoxal), which represent the major classes of glycating agents, on the structure and chaperone function of α-crystallin. Modification of α-crystallin with all four agents resulted in the formation of glycated protein, increased AGE fluorescence, protein cross-linking and HMM (high-molecular-mass) aggregation. Interestingly, these glycation-related profiles were found to vary with different glycating agents. For instance, CML [Nϵ-(carboxymethyl)lysine] was the predominant AGE formed upon glycation of α-crystallin with these agents. Although fructose and MGO caused significant conformational changes, there were no significant structural perturbations with glucose and G6P. With the exception of MGO modification, glycation with other sugars resulted in decreased chaperone activity in aggregation assays. However, modification with all four sugars led to the loss of chaperone activity as assessed using an enzyme inactivation assay. Glycation-induced loss of α-crystallin chaperone activity was associated with decreased hydrophobicity. Furthermore, α-crystallin isolated from glycated TSP (total lens soluble protein) had also increased AGE

  20. Molecular reorientations in a substance with liquid-crystalline and plastic-crystalline phases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, Xuan Phuc.

    1986-05-01

    Results of dielectric relaxation (DR), quasielastic neutron scattering (QNS), far infrared absorption (FIR), proton magnetic resonance (PMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and preliminary X-ray diffraction measurements on the di-n-pentyloxyazoxybenzene (5.OAOB) are presented. The measurements carried out by all these methods showed that 5.OAOB exhibits a nontypical for liquid-crystalline materials phase diagram. It has two mesophases: a nematic (N) and an ''intermediate'' crystalline phase just below it. A complex interpretation of results obtained is given. All suggestions concerning the character of reorientational motions of the molecule as a whole as well as of its segments in mesomorphic phases are analyzed. From comparison of the DR and QNS studies one can conclude that in the N phase the molecule as a whole performs rotational diffusion around the long axis (τ DR ∼ 100 ps) and at the same time the two moieties perform faster independent reorientations around N - benzene rings bonds withτ QNS ∼ 5 ps. On the basis of various experimental data it is shown that the CrI phase is a plastic-crystalline phase for which the molecule and its segments perform fast stochastic unaxial reorientations. This is the first case where the existence of such a phase in liquid-crystalline materials has been experimentally confirmed. (author)

  1. Neutron transmission through crystalline Fe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.; Habib, N.; Kilany, M.; El-Mesiry, M.S.

    2004-01-01

    The neutron transmission through crystalline Fe has been calculated for neutron energies in the range 10 4 < E<10 eV using an additive formula. The formula permits calculation of the nuclear capture, thermal diffuse and Bragg scattering cross-section as a function of temperature and crystalline form. The obtained agreement between the calculated values and available experimental ones justifies the applicability of the used formula. A feasibility study on using poly-crystalline Fe as a cold neutron filter and a large Fe single crystal as a thermal one is given

  2. Synthesis of single-crystalline Al layers in sapphire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schlosser, W.; Lindner, J.K.N.; Zeitler, M.; Stritzker, B.

    1999-01-01

    Single-crystalline, buried aluminium layers were synthesized by 180 keV high-dose Al + ion implantation into sapphire at 500 deg. C. The approximately 70 nm thick Al layers exhibit in XTEM investigations locally abrupt interfaces to the single-crystalline Al 2 O 3 top layer and bulk, while thickness and depth position are subjected to variations. The layers grow by a ripening process of oriented Al precipitates, which at low doses exist at two different orientations. With increasing dose, precipitates with one out of the two orientations are observed to exist preferentially, finally leading to the formation of a single-crystalline layer. Al outdiffusion to the surface and the formation of spherical Al clusters at the surface are found to be competing processes to buried layer formation. The formation of Al layers is described by Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), Cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies as a function of dose, temperature and substrate orientation

  3. The physics of large deformation of crystalline solids

    CERN Document Server

    Bell, James F

    1968-01-01

    Historically, a major problem for the study of the large deformation of crystalline solids has been the apparent lack of unity in experimentally determined stress-strain functions. The writer's discovery in 1949 of the unexpectedly high velocity of incremental loading waves in pre-stressed large deformation fields emphasized to him the pressing need for the independent, systematic experimental study of the subject, to provide a firm foundation upon which physically plausible theories for the finite deformation of crystalline solids could be constructed. Such a study undertaken by the writer at that time and continued uninterruptedly to the present, led in 1956 to the development of the diffraction grating experiment which permitted, for the first time, the optically accurate determination of the strain-time detail of non-linear finite amplitude wave fronts propagating into crystalline solids whose prior history was precisely known. These experimental diffraction grating studies during the past decade have led...

  4. Growth and Brilliant Photo-Emission of Crystalline Hexagonal Column of Alq3 Microwires

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seokho Kim

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available We report the growth and nanoscale luminescence characteristics of 8-hydroxyquinolinato aluminum (Alq3 with a crystalline hexagonal column morphology. Pristine Alq3 nanoparticles (NPs were prepared using a conventional reprecipitation method. Crystal hexagonal columns of Alq3 were grown by using a surfactant-assisted self-assembly technique as an adjunct to the aforementioned reprecipitation method. The formation and structural properties of the crystalline and non-crystalline Alq3 NPs were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The nanoscale photoluminescence (PL characteristics and the luminescence color of the Alq3 single NPs and their crystal microwires (MWs were evaluated from color charge-coupled device images acquired using a high-resolution laser confocal microscope. In comparison with the Alq3 NPs, the crystalline MWs exhibited a very bright and sharp emission. This enhanced and sharp emission from the crystalline Alq3 single MWs originated from effective π-π stacking of the Alq3 molecules due to strong interactions in the crystalline structure.

  5. Exfoliation of Threading Dislocation-Free, Single-Crystalline, Ultrathin Gallium Nitride Nanomembranes

    KAUST Repository

    Elafandy, Rami T.

    2014-04-01

    Despite the recent progress in gallium nitride (GaN) growth technology, the excessively high threading dislocation (TD) density within the GaN crystal, caused by the reliance on heterogeneous substrates, impedes the development of high-efficiency, low-cost, GaN-based heterostructure devices. For the first time, the chemical exfoliation of completely TD-free, single-crystalline, ultrathin (tens of nanometers) GaN nanomembranes is demonstrated using UV-assisted electroless chemical etching. These nanomembranes can act as seeding layers for subsequent overgrowth of high-quality GaN. A model is proposed, based on scanning and transmission electron microscopy as well as optical measurements to explain the physical processes behind the formation of the GaN nanomembranes. These novel nanomembranes, once transferred to other substrates, present a unique and technologically attractive path towards integrating high-efficiency GaN optical components along with silicon electronics. Interestingly, due to their nanoscale thickness and macroscopic sizes, these nanomembranes may enable the production of flexible GaN-based optoelectronics. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Reverse-phase HPLC analysis of human alpha crystallin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swamy, M S; Abraham, E C

    1991-03-01

    A rapid and highly sensitive reverse-phase HPLC (RP-HPLC) method was used to separate crystallin subunits from human alpha crystallin. Three distinct peaks were separated; by electrophoretic and immunological analyses the first and second peaks were identified as alpha B and alpha A respectively. On the other hand, peak 3 appeared to be a modified form of alpha crystallin. The ratio of alpha A and alpha B proteins was 3:1 in 1 day old lenses which gradually changed to 2:1 in 17 year old lenses and to 1:1 in the 50 and 82 year old whole lenses and 82 year old lens cortex, with a concomitant increase in the modified alpha, suggesting that alpha A subunits are relatively more involved in aggregation. Analysis of the 82 year old lens nucleus also supported this conclusion. The RP-HPLC analysis of the HMW aggregate fraction showed substantial enrichment of the modified alpha. The alpha A and alpha B subunits independently reassociated to form polymeric alpha crystallin whereas the modified alpha reassociated to form HMW aggregates as shown by molecular sieve HPLC. Hence it appears that the HMW aggregate peak was constituted by modified alpha crystallin. Only in the peak 3 material the 280 nm absorbance was about 2-fold higher than what was expected from the actual protein content. The data suggest that the changes induced by post-translational modifications may have some role in the formation of modified alpha. The present RP-HPLC method is useful in separating these modified alpha from the unmodified alpha A and alpha B subunits.

  7. Polymer and Polymer Gel of Liquid Crystalline Semiconductors

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Teppei Shimakawa; Naoki Yoshimoto; Jun-ichi Hanna

    2004-01-01

    It prepared a polymer and polymer gel of a liquid crystalline (LC) semiconductor having a 2-phenylnaphthalene moiety and studied their charge carrier transport properties by the time-of-flight technique. It is found that polyacrylate having the mesogenic core moiety of 2-phenylnaphtalene (PNP-acrylate) exhibited a comparable mobility of 10-4cm2/Vs in smectic A phase to those in smectic A (SmA) phase of small molecular liquid crystals with the same core moiety, e.g., 6-(4'-octylphenyl)- 2-dodecyloxynaphthalene (8-PNP-O12), and an enhanced mobility up to 10-3cm2/Vs in the LC-glassy phase at room temperature, when mixed with a small amount of 8-PNP-O12. On the other hand, the polymer gel consisting of 20 wt %-hexamethylenediacrylate (HDA)-based cross-linked polymer and 8-PNP-O12 exhibited no degraded mobility when cross-linked at the mesophase. These results indicate that the polymer and polymer composite of liquid crystalline semiconductors provide us with an easy way to realize a quality organic semiconductor thin film for the immediate device applications.

  8. The make up of crystalline bedrock - crystalline body and blocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huber, M.; Huber, A.

    1986-01-01

    Statements of a geological nature can be made on the basis of investigations of the bedrock exposed in southern Black Forest and these can, in the form of prognoses, be applied to the crystalline Basement of northern Switzerland. Such statements relate to the average proportions of the main lithological groups at the bedrock surface and the surface area of the granite body. Some of the prognoses can be compared and checked with the results from the deep drilling programme in northern Switzerland. Further, analogical interferences from the situation in the southern Black Forest allow predictions to be made on the anticipated block structure of the crystalline Basement. (author)

  9. Total scattering of disordered crystalline functional materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shamoto, Shin-Ichi; Kodama, Katsuaki; Iikubo, Satoshi; Taguchi, Tomitsugu

    2009-01-01

    There are disorders in some modern functional materials. As an example, the crystalline phase of an optical recording material has low thermal conductivity but high electrical conductivity, simultaneously. This contradiction is a challenge to material scientists in designing good functional materials, which should have at least two types of crystallographic sites. One site limits thermal conductivity while the other site carries electrons or holes with high mobility. This problem exists with not only optical recording materials but also thermoelectric materials. The periodic boundary condition gets lost in the disordered parts. This therefore, makes atomic pair distribution function (PDF) analysis with a wide range of real space suitable for investigating the form and size of crystalline parts as well as disordered parts in the material. Pulsed neutron powder diffraction is one of the best tools for use in this new type of emerging research, together with synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and electron diffraction.

  10. Enhancing the piezoelectric properties of flexible hybrid AlN materials using semi-crystalline parylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Nathan; Mathewson, Alan

    2017-04-01

    Flexible piezoelectric materials are desired for numerous applications including biomedical, wearable, and flexible electronics. However, most flexible piezoelectric materials are not compatible with CMOS fabrication technology, which is desired for most MEMS applications. This paper reports on the development of a hybrid flexible piezoelectric material consisting of aluminium nitride (AlN) and a semi-crystalline polymer substrate. Various types of semi-crystalline parylene and polyimide materials were investigated as the polymer substrate. The crystallinity and surfaces of the polymer substrates were modified by micro-roughening and annealing in order to determine the effects on the AlN quality. The AlN crystallinity and piezoelectric properties decreased when the polymer surfaces were treated with O2 plasma. However, increasing the crystallinity of the parylene substrate prior to deposition of AlN caused enhanced c-axis (002) AlN crystallinity and piezoelectric response of the AlN. Piezoelectric properties of 200 °C annealed parylene-N substrate resulted in an AlN d 33 value of 4.87 pm V-1 compared to 2.17 pm V-1 for AlN on polyimide and 4.0 pm V-1 for unannealed AlN/parylene-N. The electrical response measurements to an applied force demonstrated that the parylene/AlN hybrid material had higher V pp (0.918 V) than commercial flexible piezoelectric material (PVDF) (V pp 0.36 V). The results in this paper demonstrate that the piezoelectric properties of a flexible AlN hybrid material can be enhanced by increasing the crystallinity of the polymer substrate, and the enhanced properties can function better than previous flexible piezoelectrics.

  11. Pengaruh Kecepatan Pendinginan Terhadap Perubahan Volume Leburan Polymer Crystalline dan Non-Crystalline

    OpenAIRE

    Fahrurrozi, Mohammad; Moristanto, Bagus Senowulung dan

    2003-01-01

    AbstractThe study was directed to develop a method to predict the influence of the rate of cooling to the degree of crystallittitv (DOC) and volume change of crystalline polymers. Crystalline polymer melts exhibit volume shrinkage on cooling below melting point due to crystallization. Crystallization and volunrc shrinkage will proceed with varies rate as long as the temperature is above the glass tansition temperatrre. DOC achieved by polymer is not only determined by the inherent crystallini...

  12. Durable crystalline Si photovoltaic modules based on silicone-sheet encapsulants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hara, Kohjiro; Ohwada, Hiroto; Furihata, Tomoyoshi; Masuda, Atsushi

    2018-02-01

    Crystalline Si photovoltaic (PV) modules were fabricated with sheets of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (silicone) as an encapsulant. The long-term durability of the silicone-encapsulated PV modules was experimentally investigated. The silicone-based modules enhanced the long-term durability against potential-induced degradation (PID) and a damp-heat (DH) condition at 85 °C with 85% relative humidity (RH). In addition, we designed and fabricated substrate-type Si PV modules based on the silicone encapsulant and an Al-alloy plate as the substratum, which demonstrated high impact resistance and high incombustible performance. The high chemical stability, high volume resistivity, rubber-like elasticity, and incombustibility of the silicone encapsulant resulted in the high durability of the modules. Our results indicate that silicone is an attractive encapsulation material, as it improves the long-term durability of crystalline Si PV modules.

  13. Enhanced photoactivity from single-crystalline SrTaO2N nanoplates synthesized by topotactic nitridation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Jie; Skrabalak, Sara E.

    2017-01-01

    There are few methods yielding oxynitride crystals with defined shape, yet shape-controlled crystals often give enhanced photoactivity. Herein, single-crystalline SrTaO 2 N nanoplates and polyhedra are achieved selectively. Central to these synthetic advances is the crystallization pathways used, in which single-crystalline SrTaO 2 N nanoplates form by topotactic nitridation of aerosol-prepared Sr 2 Ta 2 O 7 nanoplates and SrTaO 2 N polyhedra form by flux-assisted nitridation of the nanoplates. Evaluation of these materials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) showed improved performance for the SrTaO 2 N nanoplates, with a record apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 6.1 % for OER compared to the polyhedra (AQE: 1.6 %) and SrTaO 2 N polycrystals (AQE: 0.6 %). The enhanced performance from the nanoplates arises from their morphology and lower defect density. These results highlight the importance of developing new synthetic routes to high quality oxynitrides. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  14. Enhanced Photoactivity from Single-Crystalline SrTaO2 N Nanoplates Synthesized by Topotactic Nitridation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Jie; Skrabalak, Sara E

    2017-11-06

    There are few methods yielding oxynitride crystals with defined shape, yet shape-controlled crystals often give enhanced photoactivity. Herein, single-crystalline SrTaO 2 N nanoplates and polyhedra are achieved selectively. Central to these synthetic advances is the crystallization pathways used, in which single-crystalline SrTaO 2 N nanoplates form by topotactic nitridation of aerosol-prepared Sr 2 Ta 2 O 7 nanoplates and SrTaO 2 N polyhedra form by flux-assisted nitridation of the nanoplates. Evaluation of these materials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) showed improved performance for the SrTaO 2 N nanoplates, with a record apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 6.1 % for OER compared to the polyhedra (AQE: 1.6 %) and SrTaO 2 N polycrystals (AQE: 0.6 %). The enhanced performance from the nanoplates arises from their morphology and lower defect density. These results highlight the importance of developing new synthetic routes to high quality oxynitrides. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Thermal and Chemical Stability of Crystalline Silicotitanate Sorbent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, P.A.; Mattus, C.H.

    1999-01-01

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) is evaluating technologies for removing cesium-137 (137Cs) from the supemate solutions stored in the high-level waste tanks at the site. Crystalline silicotitanate sorbent (IONSIV IE-9 1 lo, UOP Molecular Sieves; Mount Laurel, NJ) is very effective for removing cesium from high-salt solution, such as the SRS supemates, and is currently being used at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to remove radioactive cesium from similar solutions, Because of the extremely high loading of 137Cs that would be expected for the large columns of crystalline silicotitanate (CST) that would be used for treating the SRS supemate, any loss of flow or cooling to the columns could result in high temperatures within the column from radiolytic heating. The ability of CST to retain previously loaded cesium while in contact with SRS tank supemates at various temperatures was determined by performing bench scale simulant tests using CST samples that were loaded with stable cesium and radi oactive cesium tracer. These results were compared with those obtained from loading tests at the same temperatures

  16. Synergic effect of tungstophosphoric acid and sonication for rapid synthesis of crystalline nanocellulose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamid, Sharifah Bee Abd; Zain, Siti Khadijah; Das, Rasel; Centi, Gabriele

    2016-03-15

    The utilization of sonication in combination with tungstophosphoric acid (PWA) catalyst reduces dramatically the time of operations from 30h to 10min by using an optimum sonication power of 225W. The basic cellulosic structure is maintained, allowing preparing high-quality nanocellulose. The size of the nanocellulose obtained was in the range from 15 to 35nm in diameter and several hundred nanometers in length, with a high crystallinity of about 88%. The nanocellulose shows a surface charge of -38.2mV which allows to obtaina stable colloidal suspension. The surface tension of the stable, swollen aqueous nanocellulose was close to that of water. These characteristics, together with the fast procedure allowed from the synergic combination of PWA and sonication, evidence the high potential of the proposed method for the industrial production of nanocellulose having the properties required in many applications. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  17. Reaction Front Evolution during Electrochemical Lithiation of Crystalline Silicon Nanopillars

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Seok Woo

    2012-12-01

    The high theoretical specific capacity of Si as an anode material is attractive in lithium-ion batteries, although the issues caused by large volume changes during cycling have been a major challenge. Efforts have been devoted to understanding how diffusion-induced stresses cause fracture, but recent observations of anisotropic volume expansion in single-crystalline Si nanostructures require new theoretical considerations of expansion behavior during lithiation. Further experimental investigation is also necessary to better understand the anisotropy of the lithiation process. Here, we present a method to reveal the crystalline core of partially lithiated Si nanopillars with three different crystallographic orientations by using methanol to dissolve the Li atoms from the amorphous Li-Si alloy. The exposed crystalline cores have flat {110} surfaces at the pillar sidewalls; these surfaces represent the position of the reaction front between the crystalline core and the amorphous Li-Si alloy. It was also found that an amorphous Si structure remained on the flat surfaces of the crystalline core after dissolution of the Li, which was presumed to be caused by the accumulation of Si atoms left over from the removal of Li from the Li-Si alloy. © 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Reaction Front Evolution during Electrochemical Lithiation of Crystalline Silicon Nanopillars

    KAUST Repository

    Lee, Seok Woo; Berla, Lucas A.; McDowell, Matthew T.; Nix, William D.; Cui, Yi

    2012-01-01

    The high theoretical specific capacity of Si as an anode material is attractive in lithium-ion batteries, although the issues caused by large volume changes during cycling have been a major challenge. Efforts have been devoted to understanding how diffusion-induced stresses cause fracture, but recent observations of anisotropic volume expansion in single-crystalline Si nanostructures require new theoretical considerations of expansion behavior during lithiation. Further experimental investigation is also necessary to better understand the anisotropy of the lithiation process. Here, we present a method to reveal the crystalline core of partially lithiated Si nanopillars with three different crystallographic orientations by using methanol to dissolve the Li atoms from the amorphous Li-Si alloy. The exposed crystalline cores have flat {110} surfaces at the pillar sidewalls; these surfaces represent the position of the reaction front between the crystalline core and the amorphous Li-Si alloy. It was also found that an amorphous Si structure remained on the flat surfaces of the crystalline core after dissolution of the Li, which was presumed to be caused by the accumulation of Si atoms left over from the removal of Li from the Li-Si alloy. © 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Liquid crystalline dihydroazulene photoswitches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Anne Ugleholdt; Jevric, Martyn; Mandle, Richard J.

    2015-01-01

    A large selection of photochromic dihydroazulene (DHA) molecules incorporating various substituents at position 2 of the DHA core was prepared and investigated for their ability to form liquid crystalline phases. Incorporation of an octyloxy-substituted biphenyl substituent resulted in nematic...... phase behavior and it was possible to convert one such compound partly into its vinylheptafulvene (VHF) isomer upon irradiation with light when in the liquid crystalline phase. This conversion resulted in an increase in the molecular alignment of the phase. In time, the meta-stable VHF returns...... to the DHA where the alignment is maintained. The systematic structural variation has revealed that a biaryl spacer between the DHA and the alkyl chain is needed for liquid crystallinity and that the one aromatic ring in the spacer cannot be substituted by a triazole. This work presents an important step...

  20. Zerodur polishing process for high surface quality and high efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tesar, A.; Fuchs, B.

    1992-08-01

    Zerodur is a glass-ceramic composite importance in applications where temperature instabilities influence optical and mechanical performance, such as in earthbound and spaceborne telescope mirror substrates. Polished Zerodur surfaces of high quality have been required for laser gyro mirrors. Polished surface quality of substrates affects performance of high reflection coatings. Thus, the interest in improving Zerodur polished surface quality has become more general. Beyond eliminating subsurface damage, high quality surfaces are produced by reducing the amount of hydrated material redeposited on the surface during polishing. With the proper control of polishing parameters, such surfaces exhibit roughnesses of < l Angstrom rms. Zerodur polishing was studied to recommend a high surface quality polishing process which could be easily adapted to standard planetary continuous polishing machines and spindles. This summary contains information on a polishing process developed at LLNL which reproducibly provides high quality polished Zerodur surfaces at very high polishing efficiencies

  1. Structure of a Highly Active Cephalopod S-crystallin Mutant: New Molecular Evidence for Evolution from an Active Enzyme into Lens-Refractive Protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Wei-Hung; Cheng, Shu-Chun; Liu, Yu-Tung; Wu, Cheng-Guo; Lin, Min-Han; Chen, Chiao-Che; Lin, Chao-Hsiung; Chou, Chi-Yuan

    2016-08-08

    Crystallins are found widely in animal lenses and have important functions due to their refractive properties. In the coleoid cephalopods, a lens with a graded refractive index provides good vision and is required for survival. Cephalopod S-crystallin is thought to have evolved from glutathione S-transferase (GST) with various homologs differentially expressed in the lens. However, there is no direct structural information that helps to delineate the mechanisms by which S-crystallin could have evolved. Here we report the structural and biochemical characterization of novel S-crystallin-glutathione complex. The 2.35-Å crystal structure of a S-crystallin mutant from Octopus vulgaris reveals an active-site architecture that is different from that of GST. S-crystallin has a preference for glutathione binding, although almost lost its GST enzymatic activity. We've also identified four historical mutations that are able to produce a "GST-like" S-crystallin that has regained activity. This protein recapitulates the evolution of S-crystallin from GST. Protein stability studies suggest that S-crystallin is stabilized by glutathione binding to prevent its aggregation; this contrasts with GST-σ, which do not possess this protection. We suggest that a tradeoff between enzyme activity and the stability of the lens protein might have been one of the major driving force behind lens evolution.

  2. Growth of large-size-two-dimensional crystalline pentacene grains for high performance organic thin film transistors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chuan Du

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available New approach is presented for growth of pentacene crystalline thin film with large grain size. Modification of dielectric surfaces using a monolayer of small molecule results in the formation of pentacene thin films with well ordered large crystalline domain structures. This suggests that pentacene molecules may have significantly large diffusion constant on the modified surface. An average hole mobility about 1.52 cm2/Vs of pentacene based organic thin film transistors (OTFTs is achieved with good reproducibility.

  3. [Quality management is associated with high quality services in health care].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Tenna Hassert; Riis, Allan; Mainz, Jan; Jensen, Anne-Louise Degn

    2013-12-09

    In these years, quality management has been the focus in order to meet high quality services for the patients in Danish health care. This article provides information on quality management and quality improvement and it evaluates its effectiveness in achieving better organizational structures, processes and results in Danish health-care organizations. Our findings generally support that quality management is associated with high quality services in health care.

  4. Crystalline Repository Project. Technical progress report, October 1982-March 1983

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    This document reports the progress being made periodically on the development of a geologic repository in crystalline rock for the permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste. The reporting elements are arranged by the work breakdown structure so that related studies are presented together. The studies are reported by the Office of Crystalline Respository Development (OCRD), a prime contractor of the US Department of Energy Repository Project Office. The studies include work by other prime contractors and by subcontractors to OCRD

  5. High-pressure raman study on single crystalline methane hydrate surrounded by methane in a diamond anvil cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohno, Y; Sasaki, S; Kume, T; Shimizu, H

    2008-01-01

    High-pressure Raman measurements have been performed for single crystalline methane hydrate (MH) surrounded by fluid or solid methane in a diamond anvil cell. We successfully obtained the pure O-H stretching and lattice vibration spectra in MH-sI and MH-II phases. In these Raman spectra, there is no Raman band from water or ice-VI. The observed pressure of phase transformation from MH-sI to MH-II is 0.9 GPa, which is the same result as methane hydrate surrounded by water

  6. Manipulating Ion Migration for Highly Stable Light-Emitting Diodes with Single-Crystalline Organometal Halide Perovskite Microplatelets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Mingming; Shan, Xin; Geske, Thomas; Li, Junqiang; Yu, Zhibin

    2017-06-27

    Ion migration has been commonly observed as a detrimental phenomenon in organometal halide perovskite semiconductors, causing the measurement hysteresis in solar cells and ultrashort operation lifetimes in light-emitting diodes. In this work, ion migration is utilized for the formation of a p-i-n junction at ambient temperature in single-crystalline organometal halide perovskites. The junction is subsequently stabilized by quenching the ionic movement at a low temperature. Such a strategy of manipulating the ion migration has led to efficient single-crystalline light-emitting diodes that emit 2.3 eV photons starting at 1.8 V and sustain a continuous operation for 54 h at ∼5000 cd m -2 without degradation of brightness. In addition, a whispering-gallery-mode cavity and exciton-exciton interaction in the perovskite microplatelets have both been observed that can be potentially useful for achieving electrically driven laser diodes based on single-crystalline organometal halide perovskite semiconductors.

  7. Quantifying low amorphous or crystalline amounts of alpha-lactose-monohydrate using X-ray powder diffraction, near-infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fix, I; Steffens, K J

    2004-05-01

    Efficient and accurate quantification of low amorphous and crystalline contents within pharmaceutical materials still remains a challenging task in the pharmaceutical industry. Since X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) equipment has improved in recent years, our aim was 1) to investigate the possibility of substantially lowering the detection limits of amorphous or crystalline material to about 1% or 0.5% w/w respectively by applying conventional Bragg Brentano optics, combined with a fast and simple evaluation technique; 2) to perform these measurements within a short time to make it suitable for routine analysis; and 3) to subject the same data sets to a partial least squares regression (PLSR) in order to investigate whether it is possible to improve accuracy and precision compared to the standard integration method. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were chosen as reference method. As model substance, alpha lactose monohydrate was chosen to create calibration curves based on predetermined mixtures of highly crystalline and amorphous substance. In contrast to DSC, XRPD and NIRS revealed an excellent linearity, precision, and accuracy with the percent of crystalline amount and a detectability down to about 0.5% w/w. Chemometric evaluation (partial least squares regression) applied to the XRPD data further improved the quality of our calibration.

  8. Thermodynamics of Crystalline States

    CERN Document Server

    Fujimoto, Minoru

    2010-01-01

    Thermodynamics is a well-established discipline of physics for properties of matter in thermal equilibrium surroundings. Applying to crystals, however, the laws encounter undefined properties of crystal lattices, which therefore need to be determined for a clear and well-defined description of crystalline states. Thermodynamics of Crystalline States explores the roles played by order variables and dynamic lattices in crystals in a wholly new way. This book is divided into three parts. The book begins by clarifying basic concepts for stable crystals. Next, binary phase transitions are discussed to study collective motion of order variables, as described mostly as classical phenomena. In the third part, the multi-electron system is discussed theoretically, as a quantum-mechanical example, for the superconducting state in metallic crystals. Throughout the book, the role played by the lattice is emphasized and examined in-depth. Thermodynamics of Crystalline States is an introductory treatise and textbook on meso...

  9. Highly crystalline carbon dots from fresh tomato: UV emission and quantum confinement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Weijian; Li, Chun; Sun, Xiaobo; Pan, Wei; Yu, Guifeng; Wang, Jinping

    2017-12-01

    In this article, fresh tomatoes are explored as a low-cost source to prepare high-performance carbon dots by using microwave-assisted pyrolysis. Given that amino groups might act as nucleophiles for cleaving covalent bridging ester or ether in the crosslinked macromolecules in the biomass bulk, ethylenediamine (EDA) and urea with amino groups were applied as nucleophiles to modulate the chemical composites of the carbon nanoparticles in order to tune their fluorescence emission and enhance their quantum yields. Very interestingly, the carbon dots synthesized in the presence of urea had a highly crystalline nature, a low-degree amorphous surface and were smaller than 5 nm. Moreover, the doped N contributed to the formation of a cyclic form of core that resulted in a strong electron-withdrawing ability within the conjugated C plane. Therefore, this type of carbon dot exhibited marked quantum confinement, with the maximum fluorescence peak located in the UV region. Carbon nanoparticles greater than 20 nm in size, prepared using pristine fresh tomato and in the presence of EDA, emitted surface state controlled fluorescence. Additionally, carbon nanoparticles synthesized using fresh tomato pulp in the presence of EDA and urea were explored for bioimaging of plant pathogenic fungi and the detection of vanillin.

  10. Unique Bond Breaking in Crystalline Phase Change Materials and the Quest for Metavalent Bonding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Min; Cojocaru-Mirédin, Oana; Mio, Antonio M; Keutgen, Jens; Küpers, Michael; Yu, Yuan; Cho, Ju-Young; Dronskowski, Richard; Wuttig, Matthias

    2018-05-01

    Laser-assisted field evaporation is studied in a large number of compounds, including amorphous and crystalline phase change materials employing atom probe tomography. This study reveals significant differences in field evaporation between amorphous and crystalline phase change materials. High probabilities for multiple events with more than a single ion detected per laser pulse are only found for crystalline phase change materials. The specifics of this unusual field evaporation are unlike any other mechanism shown previously to lead to high probabilities of multiple events. On the contrary, amorphous phase change materials as well as other covalently bonded compounds and metals possess much lower probabilities for multiple events. Hence, laser-assisted field evaporation in amorphous and crystalline phase change materials reveals striking differences in bond rupture. This is indicative for pronounced differences in bonding. These findings imply that the bonding mechanism in crystalline phase change materials differs substantially from conventional bonding mechanisms such as metallic, ionic, and covalent bonding. Instead, the data reported here confirm a recently developed conjecture, namely that metavalent bonding is a novel bonding mechanism besides those mentioned previously. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Crystallization and evaluation of hen egg-white lysozyme crystals for protein pH titration in the crystalline state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwai, Wakari; Yagi, Daichi; Ishikawa, Takuya; Ohnishi, Yuki; Tanaka, Ichiro; Niimura, Nobuo

    2008-05-01

    To observe the ionized status of the amino acid residues in proteins at different pH (protein pH titration in the crystalline state) by neutron diffraction, hen egg-white lysozyme was crystallized over a wide pH range (2.5-8.0). Crystallization phase diagrams at pH 2.5, 6.0 and 7.5 were determined. At pH diagram, and at pH > 4.5 the border shifted to the right (higher precipitant concentration). The qualities of these crystals were characterized using the Wilson plot method. The qualities of all crystals at different pH were more or less equivalent (B-factor values within 25-40). It is expected that neutron diffraction analysis of these crystals of different pH provides equivalent data in quality for discussions of protein pH titration in the crystalline state of hen egg-white lysozyme.

  12. Lateral topological crystalline insulator heterostructure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Qilong; Dai, Ying; Niu, Chengwang; Ma, Yandong; Wei, Wei; Yu, Lin; Huang, Baibiao

    2017-06-01

    The emergence of lateral heterostructures fabricated by two-dimensional building blocks brings many exciting realms in material science and device physics. Enriching available nanomaterials for creating such heterostructures and enabling the underlying new physics is highly coveted for the integration of next-generation devices. Here, we report a breakthrough in lateral heterostructure based on the monolayer square transition-metal dichalcogenides MX2 (M  =  W, X  =  S/Se) modules. Our results reveal that the MX2 lateral heterostructure (1S-MX2 LHS) can possess excellent thermal and dynamical stability. Remarkably, the highly desired two-dimensional topological crystalline insulator phase is confirmed by the calculated mirror Chern number {{n}\\text{M}}=-1 . A nontrivial band gap of 65 meV is obtained with SOC, indicating the potential for room-temperature observation and applications. The topologically protected edge states emerge at the edges of two different nanoribbons between the bulk band gap, which is consistent with the mirror Chern number. In addition, a strain-induced topological phase transition in 1S-MX2 LHS is also revealed, endowing the potential utilities in electronics and spintronics. Our predictions not only introduce new member and vitality into the studies of lateral heterostructures, but also highlight the promise of lateral heterostructure as appealing topological crystalline insulator platforms with excellent stability for future devices.

  13. High diffraction efficiency polarization gratings recorded by biphotonic holography in an azobenzene liquid crystalline polyester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, C.; Alcala, R.; Hvilsted, S.; Ramanujam, P. S.

    2001-01-01

    High diffraction efficiencies have been achieved with polarization gratings recorded in thin films of an azobenzene side-chain liquid crystalline polyester by means of biphotonic processes. Efficiency values up to 30% have been reached after an induction period of 300 s and subsequent evolution with the sample in darkness. These values are at least two orders of magnitude higher than those previously reported for biphotonic recording. The gratings can be erased with unpolarized blue light and partial recovery of the diffraction efficiency has been observed after the erasure process when the sample is kept in darkness. Red light illumination of the erased film increases the recovered efficiency value and the recovery rate. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  14. Alpha B- and βA3-crystallins containing d-aspartic acids exist in a monomeric state.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakaue, Hiroaki; Takata, Takumi; Fujii, Norihiko; Sasaki, Hiroshi; Fujii, Noriko

    2015-01-01

    Crystallin stability and subunit-subunit interaction are essential for eye lens transparency. There are three types of crystallins in lens, designated as α-, β-, and γ-crystallins. Alpha-crystallin is a hetero-polymer of about 800kDa, consisting of 35-40 subunits of two different αA- and αB-subunits, each of 20kDa. The β/γ-crystallin superfamily comprises oligomeric β-crystallin (2-6 subunits) and monomeric γ-crystallin. Since lens proteins have very long half-lives, they undergo numerous post-translational modifications including racemization, isomerization, deamidation, oxidation, glycation, and truncation, which may decrease crystallin solubility and ultimately cause cataract formation. Racemization and isomerization of aspartyl (Asp) residues have been detected only in polymeric α- and oligomeric β-crystallin, while the situation in monomeric γ-crystallin has not been studied. Here, we investigated the racemization and isomerization of Asp in the γ-crystallin fraction of elderly donors. The results show that Asp residues of γS-, γD- and γC-crystallins were not racemized and isomerized. However, strikingly, we found that a portion of αB-crystallin and βA3-crystallin moved to the lower molecular weight fraction which is the same size of γ-crystallin. In those fractions, Asp-96 of αB-crystallin and Asp-37 of βA3-crystallin were highly inverted, which do not occur in the native lens higher molecular weight fraction. Our results indicate the possibility that the inversion of Asp residues may induce dissociation of αB- and βA3-crystallins from the polymeric and oligomeric states. This is the first report that stereoinversion of amino acids disturbs lens protein assembly in aged human lens. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Nano-sized crystalline drug production by milling technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moribe, Kunikazu; Ueda, Keisuke; Limwikrant, Waree; Higashi, Kenjirou; Yamamoto, Keiji

    2013-01-01

    Nano-formulation of poorly water-soluble drugs has been developed to enhance drug dissolution. In this review, we introduce nano-milling technology described in recently published papers. Factors affecting the size of drug crystals are compared based on the preparation methods and drug and excipient types. A top-down approach using the comminution process is a method conventionally used to prepare crystalline drug nanoparticles. Wet milling using media is well studied and several wet-milled drug formulations are now on the market. Several trials on drug nanosuspension preparation using different apparatuses, materials, and conditions have been reported. Wet milling using a high-pressure homogenizer is another alternative to preparing production-scale drug nanosuspensions. Dry milling is a simple method of preparing a solid-state drug nano-formulation. The effect of size on the dissolution of a drug from nanoparticles is an area of fundamental research, but it is sometimes incorrectly evaluated. Here, we discuss evaluation procedures and the associated problems. Lastly, the importance of quality control, process optimization, and physicochemical characterization are briefly discussed.

  16. Groundwater in crystalline bedrock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmqvist, K.

    1990-06-01

    The aim of this project was to make detailed descriptions of the geological conditions and the different kinds of leakage in some tunnels in Sweden, to be able to describe the presence of ground water in crystalline bedrock. The studies were carried out in TBM tunnels as well as in conventionally drilled and blasted tunnels. Thanks to this, it has been possible to compare the pattern and appearance of ground water leakage in TBM tunnels and in blasted tunnels. On the basis of some experiments in a TBM tunnel, it has been confirmed that a detailed mapping of leakage gives a good picture of the flow paths and their aquiferous qualities in the bedrock. The same picture is found to apply even in cautious blasted tunnels. It is shown that the ground water flow paths in crystalline bedrock are usually restricted to small channels along only small parts of the fractures. This is also true for fracture zones. It has also been found that the number of flow paths generally increases with the degree of tectonisation, up to a given point. With further tectonisation the bedrock is more or less crushed which, along with mineral alteration, leaves only a little space left for the formation of water channels. The largest individual flow paths are usually found in fracture zones. The total amount of ground water leakage per m tunnel is also greater in fracture zones than in the bedrock between the fracture zones. In mapping visible leakage, five classes have been distinguished according to size. Where possible, the individual leak inflow has been measured during the mapping process. The quantification of the leakage classes made in different tunnels are compared, and some quantification standards suggested. A comparison of leakage in different rock types, tectonic zones, fractures etc is also presented. (author)

  17. Scalable Directed Assembly of Highly Crystalline 2,7-Dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Zhimin; Abbasi, Salman A; Busnaina, Ahmed A

    2018-05-30

    Assembly of organic semiconductors with ordered crystal structure has been actively pursued for electronics applications such as organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Among various film deposition methods, solution-based film growth from small molecule semiconductors is preferable because of its low material and energy consumption, low cost, and scalability. Here, we show scalable and controllable directed assembly of highly crystalline 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) films via a dip-coating process. Self-aligned stripe patterns with tunable thickness and morphology over a centimeter scale are obtained by adjusting two governing parameters: the pulling speed of a substrate and the solution concentration. OFETs are fabricated using the C8-BTBT films assembled at various conditions. A field-effect hole mobility up to 3.99 cm 2 V -1 s -1 is obtained. Owing to the highly scalable crystalline film formation, the dip-coating directed assembly process could be a great candidate for manufacturing next-generation electronics. Meanwhile, the film formation mechanism discussed in this paper could provide a general guideline to prepare other organic semiconducting films from small molecule solutions.

  18. Solution-Processible Crystalline NiO Nanoparticles for High-Performance Planar Perovskite Photovoltaic Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Uisik; Kim, Bong-Gi; Nguyen, Duc Cuong; Park, Jong-Hyeon; Ha, Na Young; Kim, Seung-Joo; Ko, Seung Hwan; Lee, Soonil; Lee, Daeho; Park, Hui Joon

    2016-07-28

    In this work, we report on solution-based p-i-n-type planar-structured CH3NH3PbI3 perovskite photovoltaic (PV) cells, in which precrystallized NiO nanoparticles (NPs) without post-treatment are used to form a hole transport layer (HTL). X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed the crystallinity of the NPs, and atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy confirmed the uniform surfaces of the resultant NiO thin film and the subsequent perovskite photoactive layer. Compared to the conventional poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PSS) HTL, the NiO HTL had excellent energy-level alignment with that of CH3NH3PbI3 and improved electron-blocking capability, as analyzed by photoelectron spectroscopy and diode modeling, resulting in Voc ~0.13 V higher than conventional PSS-based devices. Consequently, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.4% with a high fill factor (FF, 0.74), short-circuit current density (Jsc, 20.2 mA·cm(-2)), and open circuit voltage (Voc, 1.04 V) having negligible hysteresis and superior air stability has been achieved.

  19. Crystallinity in starch plastics: consequences for material properties

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Soest, van J.J.G.; Vliegenthart, J.F.G.

    1997-01-01

    The processing of starches with biodegradable additives has made biodegradable plastics suitable for a number of applications. Starch plastics are partially crystalline as a result of residual crystallinity and the recrystallization of amylose and amylopectin. Such crystallinity is a key determinant

  20. Near-infrared emission from mesoporous crystalline germanium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boucherif, Abderraouf; Aimez, Vincent; Arès, Richard, E-mail: richard.ares@usherbrooke.ca [Institut Interdisciplinaire d’Innovation Technologique (3IT), Université de Sherbrooke, 3000 Boulevard Université, Sherbrooke, J1K OA5, Québec (Canada); Laboratoire Nanotechnologies Nanosystèmes (LN2)-CNRS UMI-3463, Université de Sherbrooke, 3000 Boulevard Université, Sherbrooke, J1K OA5, Québec (Canada); Korinek, Andreas [Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy, Brockhouse Institute for Materials Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M1 (Canada)

    2014-10-15

    Mesoporous crystalline germanium was fabricated by bipolar electrochemical etching of Ge wafer in HF-based electrolyte. It yields uniform mesoporous germanium layers composed of high density of crystallites with an average size 5-7 nm. Subsequent extended chemical etching allows tuning of crystallites size while preserving the same chemical composition. This highly controllable nanostructure exhibits photoluminescence emission above the bulk Ge bandgap, in the near-infrared range (1095-1360nm) with strong evidence of quantum confinement within the crystallites.

  1. Estimate of the dose received in crystalline lens by pediatric interventional cardiologists

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koren, C.; Alejo, L.; Serrada, A.

    2014-08-01

    The objective of this work is to estimate the maximum dose accumulated during one year in the crystalline lens of the pediatric interventional cardiologists that work in the Hospital Universitario La Paz. Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters (OSLDs) were used for to carry out this estimation, placed in the eyes of an anthropomorphic mannequin whose position in the room simulates the more habitual conditions of the clinical practice. Previously to the simulation, different tests to validate the used dosimetric system were realized, including those related with the stability, reproducibility and lector linearity, as well as the angular and energy dependence of the OSLDs. During the simulation the mannequin eyes were irradiated and were measured with OSLDs the rate of superficial equivalent dose in crystalline lens for the different qualities of beam habitually used, as much in fluoroscopy as in acquisition. With the obtained data during three years, corresponding to the fluoroscopy times and the acquisitions number of the interventional procedures carried out; as much therapeutic as diagnostic, and rate by measuring of obtained dose, has been considered the superficial equivalent dose and the equivalent dose at 3 mm deep accumulated in the crystalline lens of the pediatric interventional cardiologist with more work load of the Hospital, during the years 2011 and 2012. None of the obtained maximum values exceed the new dose annual limit in crystalline lens of 20 mSv, recommended by ICRP in April of 2011. (author)

  2. Determination of chloride content in crystalline silicotitanate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilmarth, W.R.

    1999-01-01

    Crystalline Silicotitanate (CST) is one of three options under evaluation to replace the In-Tank Precipitation process. This Salt Disposition Alternatives team identified three options for pretreatment of High Level Waste supernate: non-elutable ion exchange, precipitation with sodium tetraphenylborate or direct disposal in grout. The ion exchange option would use crystalline silicotitanate (CST). Researchers at Texas A and M and Sandia National Laboratory developed CST. The engineered form of CST was procured from UOP LLC under the trade name IONSIVreg s ign IE-911. Review of vendor literature and discussions with UOP personnel led to speculation concerning the fate of chloride ion during the manufacture process of IE-911. Walker proposed tests to examine the chloride content of CST and removal methods. This report describes the results of tests to determine the chloride levels in as received CST and washed CST

  3. Silicon Monoxide at 1 atm and Elevated Pressures: Crystalline or Amorphous?

    KAUST Repository

    AlKaabi, Khalid

    2014-03-05

    The absence of a crystalline SiO phase under ordinary conditions is an anomaly in the sequence of group 14 monoxides. We explore theoretically ordered ground-state and amorphous structures for SiO at P = 1 atm, and crystalline phases also at pressures up to 200 GPa. Several competitive ground-state P = 1 atm structures are found, perforce with Si-Si bonds, and possessing Si-O-Si bridges similar to those in silica (SiO2) polymorphs. The most stable of these static structures is enthalpically just a little more stable than a calculated random bond model of amorphous SiO. In that model we find no segregation into regions of amorphous Si and amorphous SiO2. The P = 1 atm structures are all semiconducting. As the pressure is increased, intriguing new crystalline structures evolve, incorporating Si triangular nets or strips and stishovite-like regions. A heat of formation of crystalline SiO is computed; it is found to be the most negative of all the group 14 monoxides. Yet, given the stability of SiO2, the disproportionation 2SiO (s) → Si(s)+SiO2(s) is exothermic, falling right into the series of group 14 monoxides, and ranging from a highly negative ΔH of disproportionation for CO to highly positive for PbO. There is no major change in the heat of disproportionation with pressure, i.e., no range of stability of SiO with respect to SiO2. The high-pressure SiO phases are metallic. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

  4. Growth of high-quality large-area MgB2 thin films by reactive evaporation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moeckly, B H; Ruby, W S

    2006-01-01

    We report a new in situ reactive deposition thin film growth technique for the production of MgB 2 thin films which offers several advantages over all existing methods and is the first deposition method to enable the production of high-quality MgB 2 films for real-world applications. We have used this growth method, which incorporates a rotating pocket heater, to deposit MgB 2 films on a variety of substrates, including single-crystalline, polycrystalline, metallic, and semiconductor materials up to 4 inch in diameter. This technique allows growth of double-sided, large-area films in the intermediate temperature range of 400-600 deg. C. These films are clean, well-connected, and consistently display T c values of 38-39 K with low resistivity and residual resistivity values. They are also robust and uncommonly stable upon exposure to atmosphere and water. (rapid communication)

  5. Waste separation and pretreatment using crystalline silicotitanate ion exchangers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tadros, M.E.; Miller, J.E. [Sandia National Lab., Albuquerque, NM (United States); Anthony, R.G. [Texas A& M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)

    1997-10-01

    A new class of inorganic ion exchangers called crystalline silicotitanates (CSTs) has been developed jointly by Sandia National Laboratories and Texas A&M University to selectively remove Cs and other radionuclides from a wide spectrum of radioactive defense wastes. The CST exhibits high selectivity and affinity for Cs and Sr under a wide range of conditions. Tests show it can remove part-per-million concentrations of Cs{sup +} from highly alkaline, high-sodium simulated radioactive waste solutions modeled after those at Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Savannah River. The materials exhibit ion exchange properties based on ionic size selectivity. Specifically, crystalline lattice spacing is controlled to be highly selective for Cs ions even in waste streams containing very high (5 to 10 M) concentrations of sodium. The CST technology is being demonstrated with actual waste at several DOE facilities. The use of inorganic ion exchangers. The inorganics are more resistant to chemical, thermal, and radiation degradation. Their high selectivities result in more efficient operations offering the possibility of a simple single-pass operation. In contrast, regenerable organic ion exchangers require additional processing equipment to handle the regeneration liquids and the eluant with the dissolved Cs.

  6. Site-specific evaluation of safety issues for high-level waste disposal in crystalline rocks. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jobmann, M. (ed.) [DBE Technology GmbH, Peine (Germany)

    2016-03-31

    In the past, German research and development (R and D) activities regarding the disposal of radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuel, focused mainly on domal rock salt because rock salt was the preferred host rock formation. In addition, generic R and D work regarding alternative host rocks (crystalline rocks and claystones) had been performed as well for a long time but with lower intensity. Around the year 2000, as a consequence of the moratorium on the Gorleben site, the Federal Government decided to have argillaceous rocks and crystalline rocks investigated in more detail. As Germany does not have any underground research and host rock characterization facilities, international cooperation received a high priority in the German R and D programme for high-level waste (HLW) disposal in order to increase the knowledge regarding alternative host rocks. Major cornerstones of the cooperation are joint projects and experiments conducted especially in underground research laboratories (URL) in crystalline rocks at the Grimsel Test Site (Switzerland) and the Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) Aespoe(Sweden) and in argillaceous rocks at the URL Mont Terri (Switzerland) and Bure (France). In 2001, the topic of radioactive waste disposal was integrated into the agreement between the former Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy (Minatom, now Rosatom) and the German Ministry of Labor (BMWA), now Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), on cooperation regarding R and D on the peaceful utilization of nuclear power (agreement on ''Wirtschaftlich-Technische Zusammenarbeit'' WTZ). The intention was to have a new and interesting opportunity for international R and D cooperation regarding HLW disposal in crystalline rocks and the unique possibility to perform site-specific work, to test the safety demonstration tools available, and to expand the knowledge to all aspects specific to these host rocks. Another motivation for joining this cooperation was the

  7. Final workshop proceedings of the collaborative project ''Crystalline ROCK retention processes''

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rabung, Thomas; Garcia, David; Montoya Vanessa; Molinero, Jorge (eds.)

    2014-07-01

    The present document is the proceedings of the Final Workshop of the EURATOM FP7 Collaborative Project CROCK (Crystalline Rock Retention Processes). The key driver for initiation the CP CROCK, identified by national Waste Management Organizations, is the undesired high uncertainty and the associated conservatism with respect to the radionuclide transport in the crystalline host-rock far-field around geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes.

  8. Crystalline mesoporous tungsten oxide nanoplate monoliths synthesized by directed soft template method for highly sensitive NO2 gas sensor applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoa, Nguyen Duc; Duy, Nguyen Van; Hieu, Nguyen Van

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► Mesoporous WO 3 nanoplate monoliths were obtained by direct templating synthesis. ► Enable effective accession of the analytic molecules for the sensor applications. ► The WO 3 sensor exhibited a high performance to NO 2 gas at low temperature. -- Abstract: Controllable synthesis of nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors with nanocrystalline size, porous structure, and large specific surface area is one of the key issues for effective gas sensor applications. In this study, crystalline mesoporous tungsten oxide nanoplate-like monoliths with high specific surface areas were obtained through instant direct-templating synthesis for highly sensitive nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) sensor applications. The copolymer soft template was converted into a solid carbon framework by heat treatment in an inert gas prior to calcinations in air to sustain the mesoporous structure of tungsten oxide. The multidirectional mesoporous structures of tungsten oxide with small crystalline size, large specific surface area, and superior physical characteristics enabled the rapid and effective accession of analytic gas molecules. As a result, the sensor response was enhanced and the response and recovery times were reduced, in which the mesoporous tungsten oxide based gas sensor exhibited a superior response of 21,155% to 5 ppm NO 2 . In addition, the developed sensor exhibited selective detection of low NO 2 concentration in ammonia and ethanol at a low temperature of approximately 150 °C.

  9. Different alpha crystallin expression in human age-related and congenital cataract lens epithelium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jing; Zhou, Sheng; Guo, Minfei; Li, Yuting; Gu, Jianjun

    2016-05-28

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the different expressions of αA-crystallin and αB-crystallin in human lens epithelium of age-related and congenital cataracts. The central part of the human anterior lens capsule approximately 5 mm in diameter together with the adhering epithelial cells, were harvested and processed within 6 hours after cataract surgery from age-related and congenital cataract patients or from normal eyes of fresh cadavers. The mRNA and soluble protein levels of αA-crystallin and αB-crystallin in the human lens epithelium were detected by real-time PCR and western blots, respectively. The mRNA and soluble protein expressions of αA-crystallin and αB-crystallin in the lens epithelium were both reduced in age-related and congenital cataract groups when compared with the normal control group. However, the degree of α-crystallin loss in the lens epithelium was highly correlated with different cataract types. The α-crystallin expression of the lens epithelium was greatly reduced in the congenital cataract group but only moderately decreased in the age-related cataract group. The reduction of αA-crystallin soluble protein levels in the congenital cataract group was approximately 2.4 fold decrease compared with that of the age-related cataract group, while an mRNA fold change of 1.67 decrease was observed for the age-related cataract group. Similarly, the reduction of soluble protein levels of αB-crystallin in the congenital cataract group was approximately a 1.57 fold change compared with that of the age-related cataract group. A 1.75 fold change for mRNA levels compared with that of the age-related cataract group was observed. The results suggest that the differential loss of α-crystallin in the human lens epithelium could be associated with the different mechanisms of cataractogenesis in age-related versus congenital cataracts, subsequently resulting in different clinical presentations.

  10. Mechanical dispersion in fractured crystalline rock systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lafleur, D.W.; Raven, K.G.

    1986-12-01

    This report compiles and evaluates the hydrogeologic parameters describing the flow of groundwater and transport of solutes in fractured crystalline rocks. This report describes the processes of mechanical dispersion in fractured crystalline rocks, and compiles and evaluates the dispersion parameters determined from both laboratory and field tracer experiments. The compiled data show that extrapolation of the reliable test results performed over intermediate scales (10's of m and 10's to 100's of hours) to larger spatial and temporal scales required for performance assessment of a nuclear waste repository in crystalline rock is not justified. The reliable measures of longitudinal dispersivity of fractured crystalline rock are found to range between 0.4 and 7.8 m

  11. Characterization of highly crystalline lead iodide nanosheets prepared by room-temperature solution processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frisenda, Riccardo; Island, Joshua O.; Lado, Jose L.; Giovanelli, Emerson; Gant, Patricia; Nagler, Philipp; Bange, Sebastian; Lupton, John M.; Schüller, Christian; Molina-Mendoza, Aday J.; Aballe, Lucia; Foerster, Michael; Korn, Tobias; Niño, Miguel Angel; Perez de Lara, David; Pérez, Emilio M.; Fernandéz-Rossier, Joaquín; Castellanos-Gomez, Andres

    2017-11-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting materials are particularly appealing for many applications. Although theory predicts a large number of 2D materials, experimentally only a few of these materials have been identified and characterized comprehensively in the ultrathin limit. Lead iodide, which belongs to the transition metal halides family and has a direct bandgap in the visible spectrum, has been known for a long time and has been well characterized in its bulk form. Nevertheless, studies of this material in the nanometer thickness regime are rather scarce. In this article we demonstrate an easy way to synthesize ultrathin, highly crystalline flakes of PbI2 by precipitation from a solution in water. We thoroughly characterize the produced thin flakes with different techniques ranging from optical and Raman spectroscopy to temperature-dependent photoluminescence and electron microscopy. We compare the results to ab initio calculations of the band structure of the material. Finally, we fabricate photodetectors based on PbI2 and study their optoelectronic properties.

  12. Search for underground openings for in situ test facilities in crystalline rock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wollenberg, H.A.; Strisower, B.; Corrigan, D.J.; Graf, A.N.; O' Brien, M.T.; Pratt, H.; Board, M.; Hustrulid, W.

    1980-01-01

    With a few exceptions, crystalline rocks in this study were limited to plutonic rocks and medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks. Nearly 1700 underground mines, possibly occurring in crystalline rock, were initially identified. Application of criteria resulted in the identification of 60 potential sites. Within this number, 26 mines and 4 civil works were identified as having potential in that they fulfilled the criteria. Thirty other mines may have similar potential. Most of the mines identified are near the contact between a pluton and older sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rocks. However, some mines and the civil works are well within plutonic or metamorphic rock masses. Civil works, notably underground galleries associated with pumped storage hydroelectric facilities, are generally located in tectonically stable regions, in relatively homogeneous crystalline rock bodies. A program is recommended which would identify one or more sites where a concordance exists between geologic setting, company amenability, accessibility and facilities to conduct in situ tests in crystalline rock.

  13. Search for underground openings for in situ test facilities in crystalline rock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wollenberg, H.A.; Strisower, B.; Corrigan, D.J.; Graf, A.N.; O'Brien, M.T.; Pratt, H.; Board, M.; Hustrulid, W.

    1980-01-01

    With a few exceptions, crystalline rocks in this study were limited to plutonic rocks and medium to high-grade metamorphic rocks. Nearly 1700 underground mines, possibly occurring in crystalline rock, were initially identified. Application of criteria resulted in the identification of 60 potential sites. Within this number, 26 mines and 4 civil works were identified as having potential in that they fulfilled the criteria. Thirty other mines may have similar potential. Most of the mines identified are near the contact between a pluton and older sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rocks. However, some mines and the civil works are well within plutonic or metamorphic rock masses. Civil works, notably underground galleries associated with pumped storage hydroelectric facilities, are generally located in tectonically stable regions, in relatively homogeneous crystalline rock bodies. A program is recommended which would identify one or more sites where a concordance exists between geologic setting, company amenability, accessibility and facilities to conduct in situ tests in crystalline rock

  14. The phase diagram of crystalline surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anagnostopoulos, K.N.; Bowick, M.J.; Catterall, S.M.

    1995-01-01

    We report the status of a high-statistics Monte Carlo simulation of non-self-avoiding crystalline surfaces with extrinsic curvature on lattices of size up to 128 2 nodes. We impose free boundary conditions. The free energy is a gaussian spring tethering potential together with a normal-normal bending energy. Particular emphasis is given to the behavior of the model in the cold phase where we measure the decay of the normal-normal correlation function

  15. High-quality InN films on MgO (100) substrates: The key role of 30° in-plane rotation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Compeán García, V. D.; López Luna, E.; Rodríguez, A. G.; Vidal, M. A.; Orozco Hinostroza, I. E.; Escobosa Echavarría, A.

    2014-01-01

    High crystalline layers of InN were grown on MgO(100) substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy. Good quality films were obtained by means of an in-plane rotation process induced by the annealing of an InN buffer layer to minimize the misfit between InN and MgO. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction showed linear streaky patterns along the [011 ¯ 0] azimuth and a superimposed diffraction along the [112 ¯ 0] azimuth, which correspond to a 30° α-InN film rotation. This rotation reduces the mismatch at the MgO/InN interface from 19.5% to less than 3.5%, increasing the structural quality, which was analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Only the (0002) c plane diffraction of α-InN was observed and was centered at 2θ = 31.4°. Raman spectroscopy showed two modes corresponding to the hexagonal phase: E1(LO) at 591 cm −1 and E2(high) at 488 cm −1 . Hall effect measurements showed a carrier density of 9 × 10 18  cm −3 and an electron Hall mobility of 340 cm 2 /(V s) for a film thickness of 140 nm

  16. HPHT growth and x-ray characterization of high-quality type IIa diamond.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, R C; Chumakov, A I; Connell, S H; Dube, D; Godfried, H P; Hansen, J O; Härtwig, J; Hoszowska, J; Masiello, F; Mkhonza, L; Rebak, M; Rommevaux, A; Setshedi, R; Van Vaerenbergh, P

    2009-09-09

    The trend in synchrotron radiation (x-rays) is towards higher brilliance. This may lead to a very high power density, of the order of hundreds of watts per square millimetre at the x-ray optical elements. These elements are, typically, windows, polarizers, filters and monochromators. The preferred material for Bragg diffracting optical elements at present is silicon, which can be grown to a very high crystal perfection and workable size as well as rather easily processed to the required surface quality. This allows x-ray optical elements to be built with a sufficient degree of lattice perfection and crystal processing that they may preserve transversal coherence in the x-ray beam. This is important for the new techniques which include phase-sensitive imaging experiments like holo-tomography, x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, coherent diffraction imaging and nanofocusing. Diamond has a lower absorption coefficient than silicon, a better thermal conductivity and lower thermal expansion coefficient which would make it the preferred material if the crystal perfection (bulk and surface) could be improved. Synthetic HPHT-grown (high pressure, high temperature) type Ib material can readily be produced in the necessary sizes of 4-8 mm square and with a nitrogen content of typically a few hundred parts per million. This material has applications in the less demanding roles such as phase plates: however, in a coherence-preserving beamline, where all elements must be of the same high quality, its quality is far from sufficient. Advances in HPHT synthesis methods have allowed the growth of type IIa diamond crystals of the same size as type Ib, but with substantially lower nitrogen content. Characterization of this high purity type IIa material has been carried out with the result that the crystalline (bulk) perfection of some of the HPHT-grown materials is approaching the quality required for the more demanding applications such as imaging applications and imaging

  17. Improved crystal quality of a-plane GaN with high- temperature 3-dimensional GaN buffer layers deposited by using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sung Hyun; Moon, Dae Young; Kim, Bum Ho; Kim, Dong Uk; Chang, Ho Jun; Jeon, Heon Su; Yoon, Eui Joon; Joo, Ki Su; You, Duck Jae; Nanishi, Yasushi

    2012-01-01

    a-plane GaN on r-plane sapphire substrates suffers from high density defects and rough surfaces. To obtain pit-free a-plane GaN by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, we intentionally grew high-temperature (HT) 3-dimensional (3D) GaN buffer layers on a GaN nucleation layer. The effects of the HT 3D GaN buffer layers on crystal quality and the surface morphology of a-plane GaN were studied. The insertion of a 3D GaN buffer layer with an optimum thickness was found to be an effective method to obtain pit-free a-plane GaN with improved crystalline quality on r-plane sapphire substrates. An a-plane GaN light emitting diode (LED) at an emission wavelength around 480 nm with negligible peak shift was successfully fabricated.

  18. Determination of crystallinity of ceramic materials from the Ruland Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kniess, C.T.; Prates, P.B.; Gomes Junior, J.C.; Lima, J.C. de; Riella, H.G.; Kuhnen, N.C.

    2011-01-01

    Some methods found in literature approach the different characteristics between crystalline and amorphous phases by X ray diffraction technique. These methods use the relation between the intensities of the crystalline peaks and background amorphous or the absolute intensity of one of these to determine the relative amount of crystalline and amorphous material. However, a crystalline substance presents shows coherent diffuse scattering and a loss in the intensity of the peaks of diffraction in function of thermal vibrations of atoms and imperfections in the crystalline structure. A correct method for the determination of the crystallinity must take in account these effects. This work has as objective to determine the crystallinity of ceramic materials obtained with the addition of mineral coal bottom ashes, using the X ray diffraction technique and the Ruland Method, that considers the diminution of the intensity of the crystalline peak because of the disorder affects. The Ruland Method shows adequate for the determination of the crystallinity of the ceramic materials. (author)

  19. High energy single frequency Yb:YAG crystalline fiber waveguide master oscillator power amplifier, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall objective is to demonstrate the concept of Yb:YAG crystalline fiber MOPA laser and investigation the technical feasibility toward 50 mJ single frequency...

  20. Molecular and biochemical analyses of CbCel9A/Cel48A, a highly secreted multi-modular cellulase by Caldicellulosiruptor bescii during growth on crystalline cellulose.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhuolin Yi

    Full Text Available During growth on crystalline cellulose, the thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii secretes several cellulose-degrading enzymes. Among these enzymes is CelA (CbCel9A/Cel48A, which is reported as the most highly secreted cellulolytic enzyme in this bacterium. CbCel9A/Cel48A is a large multi-modular polypeptide, composed of an N-terminal catalytic glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9 module and a C-terminal GH48 catalytic module that are separated by a family 3c carbohydrate-binding module (CBM3c and two identical CBM3bs. The wild-type CbCel9A/Cel48A and its truncational mutants were expressed in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli, respectively. The wild-type polypeptide released twice the amount of glucose equivalents from Avicel than its truncational mutant that lacks the GH48 catalytic module. The truncational mutant harboring the GH9 module and the CBM3c was more thermostable than the wild-type protein, likely due to its compact structure. The main hydrolytic activity was present in the GH9 catalytic module, while the truncational mutant containing the GH48 module and the three CBMs was ineffective in degradation of either crystalline or amorphous cellulose. Interestingly, the GH9 and/or GH48 catalytic modules containing the CBM3bs form low-density particles during hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose. Moreover, TM3 (GH9/CBM3c and TM2 (GH48 with three CBM3 modules synergistically hydrolyze crystalline cellulose. Deletion of the CBM3bs or mutations that compromised their binding activity suggested that these CBMs are important during hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose. In agreement with this observation, seven of nine genes in a C. bescii gene cluster predicted to encode cellulose-degrading enzymes harbor CBM3bs. Based on our results, we hypothesize that C. bescii uses the GH48 module and the CBM3bs in CbCel9A/Cel48A to destabilize certain regions of crystalline cellulose for attack by the highly active GH9 module and other

  1. Molecular and biochemical analyses of CbCel9A/Cel48A, a highly secreted multi-modular cellulase by Caldicellulosiruptor bescii during growth on crystalline cellulose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Zhuolin; Su, Xiaoyun; Revindran, Vanessa; Mackie, Roderick I; Cann, Isaac

    2013-01-01

    During growth on crystalline cellulose, the thermophilic bacterium Caldicellulosiruptor bescii secretes several cellulose-degrading enzymes. Among these enzymes is CelA (CbCel9A/Cel48A), which is reported as the most highly secreted cellulolytic enzyme in this bacterium. CbCel9A/Cel48A is a large multi-modular polypeptide, composed of an N-terminal catalytic glycoside hydrolase family 9 (GH9) module and a C-terminal GH48 catalytic module that are separated by a family 3c carbohydrate-binding module (CBM3c) and two identical CBM3bs. The wild-type CbCel9A/Cel48A and its truncational mutants were expressed in Bacillus megaterium and Escherichia coli, respectively. The wild-type polypeptide released twice the amount of glucose equivalents from Avicel than its truncational mutant that lacks the GH48 catalytic module. The truncational mutant harboring the GH9 module and the CBM3c was more thermostable than the wild-type protein, likely due to its compact structure. The main hydrolytic activity was present in the GH9 catalytic module, while the truncational mutant containing the GH48 module and the three CBMs was ineffective in degradation of either crystalline or amorphous cellulose. Interestingly, the GH9 and/or GH48 catalytic modules containing the CBM3bs form low-density particles during hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose. Moreover, TM3 (GH9/CBM3c) and TM2 (GH48 with three CBM3 modules) synergistically hydrolyze crystalline cellulose. Deletion of the CBM3bs or mutations that compromised their binding activity suggested that these CBMs are important during hydrolysis of crystalline cellulose. In agreement with this observation, seven of nine genes in a C. bescii gene cluster predicted to encode cellulose-degrading enzymes harbor CBM3bs. Based on our results, we hypothesize that C. bescii uses the GH48 module and the CBM3bs in CbCel9A/Cel48A to destabilize certain regions of crystalline cellulose for attack by the highly active GH9 module and other endoglucanases

  2. Carrier mobility in mesoscale heterogeneous organic materials: Effects of crystallinity and anisotropy on efficient charge transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Hajime; Shirasawa, Raku; Nakamoto, Mitsunori; Hattori, Shinnosuke; Tomiya, Shigetaka

    2017-07-01

    Charge transport in the mesoscale bulk heterojunctions (BHJs) of organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs) is studied using multiscale simulations in combination with molecular dynamics, the density functional theory, the molecular-level kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method, and the coarse-grained kMC method, which was developed to estimate mesoscale carrier mobility. The effects of the degree of crystallinity and the anisotropy of the conductivity of donors on hole mobility are studied for BHJ structures that consist of crystalline and amorphous pentacene grains that act as donors and amorphous C60 grains that act as acceptors. We find that the hole mobility varies dramatically with the degree of crystallinity of pentacene because it is largely restricted by a low-mobility amorphous region that occurs in the hole transport network. It was also found that the percolation threshold of crystalline pentacene is relatively high at approximately 0.6. This high percolation threshold is attributed to the 2D-like conductivity of crystalline pentacene, and the threshold is greatly improved to a value of approximately 0.3 using 3D-like conductive donors. We propose essential guidelines to show that it is critical to increase the degree of crystallinity and develop 3D conductive donors for efficient hole transport through percolative networks in the BHJs of OPVs.

  3. A transparent conductive oxide electrode with highly enhanced flexibility achieved by controlled crystallinity by incorporating Ag nanoparticles on substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Triambulo, Ross E.; Cheong, Hahn-Gil [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Gun-Hwan [Advanced Thin Film Research Group, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Yi, In-Sook [R and D Center, InkTec Co., Ltd., Ansan (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jin-Woo, E-mail: jwpark09@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-01-25

    Highlights: • We developed a composite transparent electrode with Ag nanoparticles and indium-tin-oxide. • Transmittance of AgNPs was improved by formation of oxide layers by O{sub 2} plasma treatment. • Ag nanoparticles became crystalline seeds to grow strong ITO with a uniform growth orientation. • The hybrid electrode is highly more conductive and stable under bending than ITO. - Abstract: We report the synthesis of highly flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) on a polymer substrate whose surface was engineered by oxide-coated Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) smaller than 20 nm in diameter. Polyimide (PI) substrates were spin coated with Ag ion ink and were subsequently heat treated to form AgNP coatings. The Ag oxide was formed by O{sub 2} plasma treatment to reduce the light absorbance by AgNPs. ITO was dc magnetron sputter-deposited atop the AgNPs. The ITO on the AgNPs was crystalline grown primarily with (2 2 2) growth orientation. This contrasts to the typical microstructure of ITO grown on the polymer, which is that growing c-ITO nucleates are embedded in an amorphous ITO (a-ITO) matrix like a particulate composite. The surface roughness of ITO on AgNPs was as small as the ITO on PI without AgNPs. The crystalline nature of the ITO on the AgNP-coated polymer resulted in the decrease of electric resistivity (ρ) by 65% compared to that of ITO on the bare PI. Furthermore, an electric resistivity change (Δρ) of the ITO on the AgNPs was only 8% at a bending radius (r{sub b}) down to 4 mm, whereas the ITO on the non-coated polymer became almost insulating at an r{sub b} of 10 mm, owing to a drastic increase in the number of cracks. To validate the potential application in the displays, flexible organic light emitting diodes (f-OLEDs) were fabricated on the ITO on AgNPs and the performances was compared with the f-OLED on ITO on the bare PI.

  4. A transparent conductive oxide electrode with highly enhanced flexibility achieved by controlled crystallinity by incorporating Ag nanoparticles on substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Triambulo, Ross E.; Cheong, Hahn-Gil; Lee, Gun-Hwan; Yi, In-Sook; Park, Jin-Woo

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We developed a composite transparent electrode with Ag nanoparticles and indium-tin-oxide. • Transmittance of AgNPs was improved by formation of oxide layers by O 2 plasma treatment. • Ag nanoparticles became crystalline seeds to grow strong ITO with a uniform growth orientation. • The hybrid electrode is highly more conductive and stable under bending than ITO. - Abstract: We report the synthesis of highly flexible indium tin oxide (ITO) on a polymer substrate whose surface was engineered by oxide-coated Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) smaller than 20 nm in diameter. Polyimide (PI) substrates were spin coated with Ag ion ink and were subsequently heat treated to form AgNP coatings. The Ag oxide was formed by O 2 plasma treatment to reduce the light absorbance by AgNPs. ITO was dc magnetron sputter-deposited atop the AgNPs. The ITO on the AgNPs was crystalline grown primarily with (2 2 2) growth orientation. This contrasts to the typical microstructure of ITO grown on the polymer, which is that growing c-ITO nucleates are embedded in an amorphous ITO (a-ITO) matrix like a particulate composite. The surface roughness of ITO on AgNPs was as small as the ITO on PI without AgNPs. The crystalline nature of the ITO on the AgNP-coated polymer resulted in the decrease of electric resistivity (ρ) by 65% compared to that of ITO on the bare PI. Furthermore, an electric resistivity change (Δρ) of the ITO on the AgNPs was only 8% at a bending radius (r b ) down to 4 mm, whereas the ITO on the non-coated polymer became almost insulating at an r b of 10 mm, owing to a drastic increase in the number of cracks. To validate the potential application in the displays, flexible organic light emitting diodes (f-OLEDs) were fabricated on the ITO on AgNPs and the performances was compared with the f-OLED on ITO on the bare PI

  5. Purity and crystallinity of microwave synthesized antimony sulfide microrods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martínez-Alonso, Claudia, E-mail: claudiamartinezalonso30@gmail.com [Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Querétaro, 76010 (Mexico); Olivos-Peralta, Eliot U. [Instituto de Energías Renovables, Universidad NacionalAutónoma de México, Temixco, Morelos, 62580 (Mexico); Sotelo-Lerma, Mérida [Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo, Sonora, 83000 (Mexico); Sato-Berrú, Roberto Y. [Centro de Ciencias Aplicadas y Desarrollo Tecnológico, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, MéxicoD.F., 04510 (Mexico); Mayén-Hernández, S.A. [Facultad de Química, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Querétaro, 76010 (Mexico); Hu, Hailin, E-mail: hzh@ier.unam.mx [Instituto de Energías Renovables, Universidad NacionalAutónoma de México, Temixco, Morelos, 62580 (Mexico)

    2017-01-15

    Antimony sulfide (Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3}) is a promising semiconductor material for solar cell applications. In this work, microrods of Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} were synthesized by microwave heating with different sulfur sources, solvents, temperature, heating rate, power, and solution concentration. It was found that 90% of stoichiometric Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} can be obtained with thiourea (TU) or thioacetamide (TA) as sulfur sources and that their optical band gap values were within the range of 1.59–1.60 eV. The most crystalline Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} were obtained by using TU. The morphology of the Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} with TU the individual rods were exhibited, whereas rods bundles appeared in TA-based products. The solvents were ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethylformamide (DMF). EG generates more heat than DMF during the microwave synthesis. As a result, the Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} obtained with EG contained a larger percentage of oxygen and smaller crystal sizes compared to those from DMF. On the other hand, the length and diameter of Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} microrods can be increased by applying higher heating power although the crystal size did not change at all. In summary, pure and highly crystalline Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} microrods of 6–10 μm long and 330–850 nm in diameter can be obtained by the microwave method with a careful selection of chemical and thermodynamic parameters of the synthesis. - Highlights: • Purity up to 90% of crystalline Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanorods can be obtained by microwave heating. • The combination of solvent and sulfide type affects crystallinity & purity of Sb2S3. • The high pressure generated in microwave heating helps to form Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} nanorods.

  6. Purity and crystallinity of microwave synthesized antimony sulfide microrods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martínez-Alonso, Claudia; Olivos-Peralta, Eliot U.; Sotelo-Lerma, Mérida; Sato-Berrú, Roberto Y.; Mayén-Hernández, S.A.; Hu, Hailin

    2017-01-01

    Antimony sulfide (Sb_2S_3) is a promising semiconductor material for solar cell applications. In this work, microrods of Sb_2S_3 were synthesized by microwave heating with different sulfur sources, solvents, temperature, heating rate, power, and solution concentration. It was found that 90% of stoichiometric Sb_2S_3 can be obtained with thiourea (TU) or thioacetamide (TA) as sulfur sources and that their optical band gap values were within the range of 1.59–1.60 eV. The most crystalline Sb_2S_3 were obtained by using TU. The morphology of the Sb_2S_3 with TU the individual rods were exhibited, whereas rods bundles appeared in TA-based products. The solvents were ethylene glycol (EG) and dimethylformamide (DMF). EG generates more heat than DMF during the microwave synthesis. As a result, the Sb_2S_3 obtained with EG contained a larger percentage of oxygen and smaller crystal sizes compared to those from DMF. On the other hand, the length and diameter of Sb_2S_3 microrods can be increased by applying higher heating power although the crystal size did not change at all. In summary, pure and highly crystalline Sb_2S_3 microrods of 6–10 μm long and 330–850 nm in diameter can be obtained by the microwave method with a careful selection of chemical and thermodynamic parameters of the synthesis. - Highlights: • Purity up to 90% of crystalline Sb_2S_3 nanorods can be obtained by microwave heating. • The combination of solvent and sulfide type affects crystallinity & purity of Sb2S3. • The high pressure generated in microwave heating helps to form Sb_2S_3 nanorods.

  7. Generic process for preparing a crystalline oxide upon a group IV semiconductor substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    McKee, Rodney A.; Walker, Frederick J.; Chisholm, Matthew F.

    2000-01-01

    A process for growing a crystalline oxide epitaxially upon the surface of a Group IV semiconductor, as well as a structure constructed by the process, is described. The semiconductor can be germanium or silicon, and the crystalline oxide can generally be represented by the formula (AO).sub.n (A'BO.sub.3).sub.m in which "n" and "m" are non-negative integer repeats of planes of the alkaline earth oxides or the alkaline earth-containing perovskite oxides. With atomic level control of interfacial thermodynamics in a multicomponent semiconductor/oxide system, a highly perfect interface between a semiconductor and a crystalline oxide can be obtained.

  8. Crystalline Bioceramic Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    de Aza, P. N.

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available A strong interest in the use of ceramics for biomedical engineering applications developed in the late 1960´s. Used initially as alternatives to metallic materials in order to increase the biocompatibility of implants, bioceramics have become a diverse class of biomaterials, presently including three basic types: relatively bioinert ceramics; bioactive or surface reactive bioceramics and bioresorbable ceramics. This review will only refer to bioceramics “sensus stricto”, it is to say, those ceramic materials constituted for nonmetallic inorganic compounds, crystallines and consolidated by thermal treatments of powders to high temperatures. Leaving bioglasses, glass-ceramics and biocements apart, since, although all of them are obtained by thermal treatments to high temperatures, the first are amorphous, the second are obtained by desvitrification of a glass and in them vitreous phase normally prevails on the crystalline phases and the third are consolidated by means of a hydraulic or chemical reaction to room temperature. A review of the composition, physiochemical properties and biological behaviour of the principal types of crystalline bioceramics is given, based on the literature data and on the own experience of the authors.

    A finales de los años sesenta se despertó un gran interés por el uso de los materiales cerámicos para aplicaciones biomédicas. Inicialmente utilizados como una alternativa a los materiales metálicos, con el propósito de incrementar la biocompatibilidad de los implantes, las biocerámicas se han convertido en una clase diversa de biomateriales, incluyendo actualmente tres tipos: cerámicas cuasi inertes; cerámicas bioactivas o reactivas superficialmente y cerámicas reabsorbibles o biodegradables. En la presente revisión se hace referencia a las biocerámicas en sentido estricto, es decir, a aquellos materiales constitutitos por compuestos inorgánicos no metálicos, cristalinos y consolidados

  9. A Transition Metal-Binding, Trimeric βγ-Crystallin from Methane-Producing Thermophilic Archaea, Methanosaeta thermophila.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Shanti Swaroop; Jamkhindikar, Aditya Anand; Raman, Rajeev; Jobby, Maroor K; Chadalawada, Swathi; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan; Sharma, Yogendra

    2017-03-07

    βγ-Crystallins are important constituents of the vertebrate eye lens, whereas in microbes, they are prevalent as Ca 2+ -binding proteins. In archaea, βγ-crystallins are conspicuously confined to two methanogens, viz., Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina. One of these, i.e., M-crystallin from Methanosarcina acetivorans, has been shown to be a typical Ca 2+ -binding βγ-crystallin. Here, with the aid of a high-resolution crystal structure and isothermal titration calorimetry, we report that "Methallin", a βγ-crystallin from Methanosaeta thermophila, is a trimeric, transition metal-binding protein. It binds Fe, Ni, Co, or Zn ion with nanomolar affinity, which is consistent even at 55 °C, the optimal temperature for the methanogen's growth. At the center of the protein trimer, the metal ion is coordinated by six histidines, two from each protomer, leading to an octahedral geometry. Small-angle X-ray scattering analysis confirms that the trimer seen in the crystal lattice is a biological assembly; this assembly dissociates to monomers upon removal of the metal ion. The introduction of two histidines (S17H/S19H) into a homologous βγ-crystallin, Clostrillin, allows it to bind nickel at the introduced site, though with micromolar affinity. However, because of the lack of a compatible interface, nickel binding could not induce trimerization, affirming that Methallin is a naturally occurring trimer for high-affinity transition metal binding. While βγ-crystallins are known to bind Ca 2+ and form homodimers and oligomers, the transition metal-binding, trimeric Methallin is a new paradigm for βγ-crystallins. The distinct features of Methallin, such as nickel or iron binding, are also possible imprints of biogeochemical changes during the period of its origin.

  10. Plasmonic Physics of 2D Crystalline Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zahra Torbatian

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Collective modes of doped two-dimensional crystalline materials, namely graphene, MoS 2 and phosphorene, both monolayer and bilayer structures, are explored using the density functional theory simulations together with the random phase approximation. The many-body dielectric functions of the materials are calculated using an ab initio based model involving material-realistic physical properties. Having calculated the electron energy-loss, we calculate the collective modes of each material considering the in-phase and out-of-phase modes for bilayer structures. Furthermore, owing to many band structures and intreband transitions, we also find high-energy excitations in the systems. We explain that the material-specific dielectric function considering the polarizability of the crystalline material such as MoS 2 are needed to obtain realistic plasmon dispersions. For each material studied here, we find different collective modes and describe their physical origins.

  11. Crystalline ceramics: Waste forms for the disposal of weapons plutonium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewing, R.C.; Lutze, W.; Weber, W.J.

    1995-05-01

    At present, there are three seriously considered options for the disposition of excess weapons plutonium: (i) incorporation, partial burn-up and direct disposal of MOX-fuel; (ii) vitrification with defense waste and disposal as glass ''logs''; (iii) deep borehole disposal (National Academy of Sciences Report, 1994). The first two options provide a safeguard due to the high activity of fission products in the irradiated fuel and the defense waste. The latter option has only been examined in a preliminary manner, and the exact form of the plutonium has not been identified. In this paper, we review the potential for the immobilization of plutonium in highly durable crystalline ceramics apatite, pyrochlore, monazite and zircon. Based on available data, we propose zircon as the preferred crystalline ceramic for the permanent disposition of excess weapons plutonium

  12. Regulation of mouse small heat shock protein αb-crystallin gene by aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuang Liu

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available The stress-inducible small heat shock protein (shsp/αB-crystallin gene is expressed highly in the lens and moderately in other tissues. Here we provide evidence that it is a target gene of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR transcription factor. A sequence (-329/-323, CATGCGA similar to the consensus xenobiotic responsive element (XRE, called here XRE-like, is present in the αBE2 region of αB-crystallin enhancer and can bind AhR in vitro and in vivo. αB-crystallin protein levels were reduced in retina, lens, cornea, heart, skeletal muscle and cultured muscle fibroblasts of AhR(-/- mice; αB-crystallin mRNA levels were reduced in the eye, heart and skeletal muscle of AhR(-/- mice. Increased AhR stimulated αB-crystallin expression in transfection experiments conducted in conjunction with the aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT and decreased AhR reduced αB-crystallin expression. AhR effect on aB-crystallin promoter activity was cell-dependent in transfection experiments. AhR up-regulated αB-crystallin promoter activity in transfected HeLa, NIH3T3 and COS-7 cells in the absence of exogenously added ligand (TCDD, but had no effect on the αB-crystallin promoter in C(2C(12, CV-1 or Hepa-1 cells with or without TCDD. TCDD enhanced AhR-stimulated αB-crystallin promoter activity in transfected αTN4 cells. AhR could bind to an XRE-like site in the αB-crystallin enhancer in vitro and in vivo. Finally, site-specific mutagenesis experiments showed that the XRE-like motif was necessary for both basal and maximal AhR-induction of αB-crystallin promoter activity. Our data strongly suggest that AhR is a regulator of αB-crystallin gene expression and provide new avenues of research for the mechanism of tissue-specific αB-crystallin gene regulation under normal and physiologically stressed conditions.

  13. Epigenetic regulation of αA-crystallin in high myopia-induced dark nuclear cataract.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiang-Jia Zhu

    Full Text Available PURPOSE: To assess the etiology of early-onset dark nucleus in high-myopic patients and its relationship with the epigenetic regulation of αA-crystallin (CRYAA. METHODS: We reviewed clinical data from patients who underwent cataract surgery at our center in 2012. Lens epithelial samples were collected during capsulorhexis, whereas young lens epithelium was donated. Cataract type and severity were graded according to the Lens Opacity Classification System III (LOCS III. DNA methylation was analyzed by pyrosequencing the CpG islands of the CRYAA promoter in the following groups: Age-Related Cataract (ARC Nuclear Color (NC 2-3; High-Myopic Cataract (HMC NC2-3; ARC NC5-6; HMC NC5-6; and in young lenses graded NC1. We analyzed CRYAA expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR, reverse transcription PCR, and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The odds ratio of dark nucleus in high-myopic patients was 5.16 (95% confidence interval: 3.98-6.69; p<0.001. CpG islands in lens epithelial CRYAA promoter in the HMC NC5-6 Group exhibited the highest methylation of all the groups, but no statistically significant differences were evident between the HMC NC2-3 and ARC NC2-3 Groups. Likewise, CRYAA mRNA and protein levels in the HMC NC5-6 Group were significantly lower than the ARC NC5-6 Group and high-myopic controls. CONCLUSIONS: High myopia is a risk factor for dark nucleus. Downregulation of CRYAA via the hypermethylation of CpG islands in its promoter could underlie the earlier onset of dark nucleus in high-myopic patients.

  14. High-Performance Flexible Single-Crystalline Silicon Nanomembrane Thin-Film Transistors with High- k Nb2O5-Bi2O3-MgO Ceramics as Gate Dielectric on a Plastic Substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Guoxuan; Zhang, Yibo; Lan, Kuibo; Li, Lingxia; Ma, Jianguo; Yu, Shihui

    2018-04-18

    A novel method of fabricating flexible thin-film transistor based on single-crystalline Si nanomembrane (SiNM) with high- k Nb 2 O 5 -Bi 2 O 3 -MgO (BMN) ceramic gate dielectric on a plastic substrate is demonstrated in this paper. SiNMs are successfully transferred to a flexible polyethylene terephthalate substrate, which has been plated with indium-tin-oxide (ITO) conductive layer and high- k BMN ceramic gate dielectric layer by room-temperature magnetron sputtering. The BMN ceramic gate dielectric layer demonstrates as high as ∼109 dielectric constant, with only dozens of pA current leakage. The Si-BMN-ITO heterostructure has only ∼nA leakage current at the applied voltage of 3 V. The transistor is shown to work at a high current on/off ratio of above 10 4 , and the threshold voltage is ∼1.3 V, with over 200 cm 2 /(V s) effective channel electron mobility. Bending tests have been conducted and show that the flexible transistors have good tolerance on mechanical bending strains. These characteristics indicate that the flexible single-crystalline SiNM transistors with BMN ceramics as gate dielectric have great potential for applications in high-performance integrated flexible circuit.

  15. Building the safety case for a hypothetical underground repository in crystalline rock. Final report. Vol. 2. Safety file

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Biurrun, E.; Engelmann, H.J.; Jobmann, M.; Lommerzheim, A.; Popp, W.; Frentz, R.R. v.; Wahl, A.

    1996-10-01

    The study was intended as a desk simulation of the process of preparing a licensing application for a deep repository for spent fuel and high level waste in crystalline rock. After clarifying of organizational aspects of table of contents specifying all aspects in a safety life for license application were considered. The volume II is subdivided in two parts. Part A describes the general information, waste description, site characteristics, disposal facility design, reporitory construction and operation, quality assurance, operational safety, repository closure, organization and financial aspects, and long-term safety assessment. Part B deals with the impact of retrievability. (DG)

  16. THE STUDY OF GAS MIGRATION IN CRYSTALLINE ROCK USING INJECTION TESTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiří Svoboda

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The study of gas migration in crystalline rock using injection tests is being carried out in the frame of the FORGE (Fate of Repository Gases project. The Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU, Centre of Experimental Geotechnics (CEG is participating in WP4 which is focused on disturbed host rock formations with respect to radioactive waste deep repositories. A series of in-situ tests is being conducted at the Josef Underground Laboratory. The aim of the testing is to simulate and study phenomena that might lead to gas-driven radionuclide transport in fractured crystalline rock. The in-situ tests combine migration and large-scale gas injection measurements; gas injection tests are being employed for the study of gas transport. For the purposes of comparison of the behaviour of the rock mass with regard to air and water a series of water pressure tests are also being carried out. The quality of the rock mass is assessed using rock mass classification systems.

  17. Use of synthetic, crystalline, L-α-dimyristoyl lecithin in cardiolipin antigens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reyn, Alice; Bentzon, Michael Weis

    1956-01-01

    Experiments were carried out by the authors to determine whether synthetic, crystalline, L-α-dimyristoyl lecithin could replace natural purified lecithins in the preparation of cardiolipin antigens. These experiments were designed specifically to find out whether it was possible to obtain the same serological reactions, qualitatively and quantitatively, with the test antigen as with a reference antigen containing natural lecithin, and whether the test antigen had the same keeping qualities as the reference antigen. The tests used were the quantitative complement-fixation test as modified by Mørch in 1933, and the VDRL slide flocculation test. The results showed that synthetic, crystalline, L-α-dimyristoyl lecithin could replace natural lecithin in the preparation of cardiolipin antigens, but that the antigens prepared with the synthetic lecithin were significantly less sensitive than those prepared with an equimolar amount of natural lecithin. The authors consider that further investigation is required before the use of synthetic lecithin is finally adopted. PMID:13342931

  18. Electrochemically synthesized amorphous and crystalline nanowires: dissimilar nanomechanical behavior in comparison with homologous flat films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeeshan, M. A.; Esqué-de Los Ojos, D.; Castro-Hartmann, P.; Guerrero, M.; Nogués, J.; Suriñach, S.; Baró, M. D.; Nelson, B. J.; Pané, S.; Pellicer, E.; Sort, J.

    2016-01-01

    The effects of constrained sample dimensions on the mechanical behavior of crystalline materials have been extensively investigated. However, there is no clear understanding of these effects in nano-sized amorphous samples. Herein, nanoindentation together with finite element simulations are used to compare the properties of crystalline and glassy CoNi(Re)P electrodeposited nanowires (φ ~ 100 nm) with films (3 μm thick) of analogous composition and structure. The results reveal that amorphous nanowires exhibit a larger hardness, lower Young's modulus and higher plasticity index than glassy films. Conversely, the very large hardness and higher Young's modulus of crystalline nanowires are accompanied by a decrease in plasticity with respect to the homologous crystalline films. Remarkably, proper interpretation of the mechanical properties of the nanowires requires taking the curved geometry of the indented surface and sink-in effects into account. These findings are of high relevance for optimizing the performance of new, mechanically-robust, nanoscale materials for increasingly complex miniaturized devices.The effects of constrained sample dimensions on the mechanical behavior of crystalline materials have been extensively investigated. However, there is no clear understanding of these effects in nano-sized amorphous samples. Herein, nanoindentation together with finite element simulations are used to compare the properties of crystalline and glassy CoNi(Re)P electrodeposited nanowires (φ ~ 100 nm) with films (3 μm thick) of analogous composition and structure. The results reveal that amorphous nanowires exhibit a larger hardness, lower Young's modulus and higher plasticity index than glassy films. Conversely, the very large hardness and higher Young's modulus of crystalline nanowires are accompanied by a decrease in plasticity with respect to the homologous crystalline films. Remarkably, proper interpretation of the mechanical properties of the nanowires

  19. Effect of annealing temperature on the crystalline quality and phase transformation of chemically deposited CdSe films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zapata-Torres, M.; Chale-Lara, F.; Caballero-Briones, F.; Calzadilla, O.

    2005-01-01

    Polycrystalline CdSe thin films were grown on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition at 50 C. The samples were annealed in air atmosphere at different temperatures and characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that the as-grown films have cubic structure. These samples maintain their cubic structure for annealing temperatures between 60 C and 300 C. For annealing temperatures higher than 300 C we obtain a mixture of cubic and hexagonal phases. The analysis made by X-ray diffraction and Raman dispersion show that the samples annealed at temperatures under the phase-transition temperature increase their crystalline quality. In order to determinate the temperature for the complete transition of the cubic phase, we used the precipitated material obtained during the grown of the CdSe films. This material was annealed on air atmosphere between 300 C and 500 C with 50 intervals. The samples were measured by X-ray diffraction. The samples maintained the cubic structure if the annealing temperature is under 300 C. For temperatures between 300 C and 450 C we found a mixture of cubic and hexagonal phase. For an annealing temperature of 500 C we obtain only the hexagonal phase. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  20. CRYSTALLINE SILICATES IN EVOLVED STARS. I. SPITZER/INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH SPECTROSCOPY OF IRAS 16456-3542, 18354-0638, AND 23239+5754

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, B. W.; Zhang, Ke [Department of Astronomy, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875 (China); Li, Aigen [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 (United States); Lisse, C. M., E-mail: bjiang@bnu.edu.cn, E-mail: kzhang@caltech.edu, E-mail: lia@missouri.edu, E-mail: carey.lisse@jhuapl.edu [Johns Hopkins University, Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States)

    2013-03-01

    We report the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) observations of three evolved stars: IRAS 16456-3542, 18354-0638, and 23239+5754. The 9.9-37.2 {mu}m Spitzer/IRS high-resolution spectra of these three sources exhibit rich sets of enstatite-dominated crystalline silicate emission features. IRAS 16456-3542 is extremely rich in crystalline silicates, with >90% of its silicate mass in crystalline form, the highest to date ever reported for crystalline silicate sources.

  1. Enhanced photoactivity from single-crystalline SrTaO{sub 2}N nanoplates synthesized by topotactic nitridation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Jie; Skrabalak, Sara E. [Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (United States)

    2017-11-06

    There are few methods yielding oxynitride crystals with defined shape, yet shape-controlled crystals often give enhanced photoactivity. Herein, single-crystalline SrTaO{sub 2}N nanoplates and polyhedra are achieved selectively. Central to these synthetic advances is the crystallization pathways used, in which single-crystalline SrTaO{sub 2}N nanoplates form by topotactic nitridation of aerosol-prepared Sr{sub 2}Ta{sub 2}O{sub 7} nanoplates and SrTaO{sub 2}N polyhedra form by flux-assisted nitridation of the nanoplates. Evaluation of these materials for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) showed improved performance for the SrTaO{sub 2}N nanoplates, with a record apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 6.1 % for OER compared to the polyhedra (AQE: 1.6 %) and SrTaO{sub 2}N polycrystals (AQE: 0.6 %). The enhanced performance from the nanoplates arises from their morphology and lower defect density. These results highlight the importance of developing new synthetic routes to high quality oxynitrides. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  2. Dielectric properties and conductivity of carbon nanofiber/semi-crystalline polymer composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sui, G.; Jana, S.; Zhong, W.H.; Fuqua, M.A.; Ulven, C.A.

    2008-01-01

    The properties of semi-crystalline polymer nanocomposites are affected by the nanofillers directly and indirectly, as two phases, i.e., crystalline and amorphous, exist in the polymer. The effects of nanofillers on the two phases could be competitive. The dielectric properties and conductivity of carbon nanofibers (CNF)/semi-crystalline polymer nanocomposites are studied in this paper. CNF/polypropylene (PP) nanocomposites are prepared in experiment by melt blending. The resulting morphology and crystalline structure are characterized by means of differential scanning calorimetry, wide angle X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The PP nanocomposite containing 5 wt.% CNF exhibits a surprisingly high dielectric constant under wide sweep frequencies attended by low dielectric loss. Its dielectric constant is >600 under lower frequency, and remains >200 at a frequency of 4000 Hz. The electrical and thermal conductivities of the nanocomposites are studied, and enhancements are seen with increased CNF content. Theoretical analyses on the physical properties are carried out by applying the existing models. Research results indicate that a common commercial plastic with good comprehensive performance, which exhibited the potential for applications in advanced electronics, was obtained by a simple industry benign technique

  3. Autokinase activity of alpha-crystallin inhibits its specific interaction with the DOTIS element in the murine gamma D/E/F-crystallin promoter in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrowski, D; Graw, J

    1997-10-01

    In a previous report we demonstrated the in vitro interaction of alpha-crystallin with an element downstream of the transcriptional initiation site (DOTIS) of the murine gamma E-crystallin promoter (Pietrowski et al., 1994, Gene 144, 171-178). The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of phosphorylation on this particular interaction. We could demonstrate that the autophosphorylation of alpha-crystallin leads to a complete loss of interaction with the DOTIS element, however, PKA-dependent phosphorylation of alpha-crystallin is without effect on the interaction. It is hypothesized that the autophosphorylation of alpha-crystallin might be involved in regulatory mechanisms of the murine gamma D/E/F-crystallin gene expression.

  4. Biomimetic processing of oriented crystalline ceramic layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cesarano, J.; Shelnutt, J.A.

    1997-10-01

    The aim of this project was to develop the capabilities for Sandia to fabricate self assembled Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of various materials and to exploit their two-dimensional crystalline structure to promote the growth of oriented thin films of inorganic materials at room temperature. This includes the design and synthesis of Langmuir-active (amphiphilic) organic molecules with end groups offering high nucleation potential for various ceramics. A longer range goal is that of understanding the underlying principles, making it feasible to use the techniques presented in this report to fabricate unique oriented films of various materials for electronic, sensor, and membrane applications. Therefore, whenever possible, work completed in this report was completed with the intention of addressing the fundamental phenomena underlying the growth of crystalline, inorganic films on template layers of highly organized organic molecules. This problem was inspired by biological processes, which often produce exquisitely engineered structures via templated growth on polymeric layers. Seashells, for example, exhibit great toughness owing to their fine brick-and-mortar structure that results from templated growth of calcium carbonate on top of layers of ordered organic proteins. A key goal in this work, therefore, is to demonstrate a positive correlation between the order and orientation of the template layer and that of the crystalline ceramic material grown upon it. The work completed was comprised of several parallel efforts that encompassed the entire spectrum of biomimetic growth from solution. Studies were completed on seashells and the mechanisms of growth for calcium carbonate. Studies were completed on the characterization of LB films and the capability developed for the in-house fabrication of these films. Standard films of fatty acids were studied as well as novel polypeptides and porphyrins that were synthesized.

  5. Rapid and highly efficient growth of graphene on copper by chemical vapor deposition of ethanol

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lisi, Nicola, E-mail: nicola.lisi@enea.it [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Surface Technology Laboratory, Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Buonocore, Francesco; Dikonimos, Theodoros; Leoni, Enrico [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Surface Technology Laboratory, Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy); Faggio, Giuliana; Messina, Giacomo [Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell' Informazione, delle Infrastrutture e dell' Energia Sostenibile (DIIES), Università “Mediterranea” di Reggio Calabria, 89122 Reggio Calabria (Italy); Morandi, Vittorio; Ortolani, Luca [CNR-IMM Bologna, Via Gobetti 101, 40129 Bologna (Italy); Capasso, Andrea [ENEA, Materials Technology Unit, Surface Technology Laboratory, Casaccia Research Centre, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123 Rome (Italy)

    2014-11-28

    The growth of graphene by chemical vapor deposition on metal foils is a promising technique to deliver large-area films with high electron mobility. Nowadays, the chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons on copper is the most investigated synthesis method, although many other carbon precursors and metal substrates are used too. Among these, ethanol is a safe and inexpensive precursor that seems to offer favorable synthesis kinetics. We explored the growth of graphene on copper from ethanol, focusing on processes of short duration (up to one min). We investigated the produced films by electron microscopy, Raman and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A graphene film with high crystalline quality was found to cover the entire copper catalyst substrate in just 20 s, making ethanol appear as a more efficient carbon feedstock than methane and other commonly used precursors. - Highlights: • Graphene films were grown by fast chemical vapor deposition of ethanol on copper. • High-temperature/short-time growth produced highly crystalline graphene. • The copper substrate was entirely covered by a graphene film in just 20 s. • Addition of H{sub 2} had a negligible effect on the crystalline quality.

  6. Vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption spectroscopy of crystalline and amorphous benzene

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dawes, Anita; Pascual, Natalia; Hoffmann, Soren V.

    2017-01-01

    We present the first high resolution vacuum ultraviolet photoabsorption study of amorphous benzene with com parisons to annealed crystalline benzene and the gas phase. Vapour deposited benzene layers w ere grow n at 25 K and annealed to 90 K under conditions pertinent to interstellaricy dust grains...

  7. The molecular chaperone α-crystallin inhibits UV-induced protein aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Borkman, R.F.; Knight, Grady; Obi, Bettie

    1996-01-01

    Solutions of γ-crystallin, and various enzymes, at neutral pH and 24-26 o C, became turbid upon exposure to UV radiation at 295 or 308 nm. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed interchain cross-linking and aggregate formation compared to dark control solutions as reported previously. When α-crystallin was added to the protein solutions in stoichiometric amounts. UV irradiation resulted in significantly less turbidity than in the absence of α-crystallin. For example, addition of 0.5 mg of α-crystallin to 0.5 mg of γ-crystallin in 1.0 ml solution yielded only 25% of the turbidity seen in the absence of α-crystallin. Addition of 2.0 mg of α-crystallin resulted in 20% of the turbidity. Given the molecular weights of α- and γ-crystallin (about 800 kDa and 20 kDa, respectively), A γ/α 1:1 weight ratio corresponds to a 40:1 molar ratio, and a γ-/α 1:4 weight ratio corresponds to a 10:1 molar ratio. Hence, the molar ratio of α-crystallin needed to effectively protect γ-crystallin from photochemical opacification was γ/α = n:1, where n was in the range 10-40. In terms of subunits, this ratio is γ/α = 1:m, where m = 1-4. Thus, each γ-crystallin molecule needs 1-4 α subunits for protection. Similar stoichiometries were observed for protection of the other proteins studied. The protection stems in part from screening of UV radiation by α-crystallin but more importantly from a chaperone effect analogous to that seen in thermal aggregation experiments. (author)

  8. Establishing whether the structural feature controlling the mechanical properties of starch films is molecular or crystalline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ming; Xie, Fengwei; Hasjim, Jovin; Witt, Torsten; Halley, Peter J; Gilbert, Robert G

    2015-03-06

    The effects of molecular and crystalline structures on the tensile mechanical properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS) films from waxy, normal, and high-amylose maize were investigated. Starch structural variations were obtained through extrusion and hydrothermal treatment (HTT). The molecular and crystalline structures were characterized using size-exclusion chromatography and X-ray diffractometry, respectively. TPS from high-amylose maize showed higher elongation at break and tensile strength than those from normal maize and waxy maize starches when processed with 40% plasticizer. Within the same amylose content, the mechanical properties were not affected by amylopectin molecular size or the crystallinity of TPS prior to HTT. This lack of correlation between the molecular size, crystallinity and mechanical properties may be due to the dominant effect of the plasticizer on the mechanical properties. Further crystallization of normal maize TPS by HTT increased the tensile strength and Young's modulus, while decreasing the elongation at break. The results suggest that the crystallinity from the remaining ungelatinized starch granules has less significant effect on the mechanical properties than that resulting from starch recrystallization, possibly due to a stronger network from leached-out amylose surrounding the remaining starch granules. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. High-rate synthesis of microcrystalline silicon films using high-density SiH4/H2 microwave plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, Haijun; Saha, Jhantu K.; Ohse, Naoyuki; Shirai, Hajime

    2007-01-01

    A high electron density (> 10 11 cm -3 ) and low electron temperature (1-2 eV) plasma is produced by using a microwave plasma source utilizing a spoke antenna, and is applied for the high-rate synthesis of high quality microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) films. A very fast deposition rate of ∼ 65 A/s is achieved at a substrate temperature of 150 deg. C with a high Raman crystallinity and a low defect density of (1-2) x 10 16 cm -3 . Optical emission spectroscopy measurements reveal that emission intensity of SiH and intensity ratio of H α /SiH are good monitors for film deposition rate and film crystallinity, respectively. A high flux of film deposition precursor and atomic hydrogen under a moderate substrate temperature condition is effective for the fast deposition of highly crystallized μc-Si films without creating additional defects as well as for the improvement of film homogeneity

  10. Microstructure, thermal properties and crystallinity of amadumbe starch nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukurumbira, Agnes; Mariano, Marcos; Dufresne, Alain; Mellem, John J; Amonsou, Eric O

    2017-09-01

    Amadumbe (Colocasia esculenta), commonly known as taro is a tropical tuber that produces starch-rich underground corms. In this study, the physicochemical properties of starch nanocrystals (SNC) prepared by acid hydrolysis of amadumbe starches were investigated. Two varieties of amadumbe corms were used for starch extraction. Amadumbe starches produced substantially high yield (25%) of SNC's. These nanocrystals appeared as aggregated and individual particles and possessed square-like platelet morphology with size: 50-100nm. FTIR revealed high peak intensities corresponding to OH stretch, CH stretch and H 2 O bending vibrations for SNCs compared to their native starch counterparts. Both the native starch and SNC exhibited the A-type crystalline pattern. However, amadumbe SNCs showed higher degree of crystallinity and slightly reduced melting temperatures than their native starches. Amadumbe SNCs presented similar thermal decomposition property as their native starches. Amadumbe starch nanocrystals may have potential application in biocomposite films due to their square-like platelet morphology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Novel Insights into the Proteus mirabilis Crystalline Biofilm Using Real-Time Imaging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra A Wilks

    Full Text Available The long-term use of indwelling catheters results in a high risk from urinary tract infections (UTI and blockage. Blockages often occur from crystalline deposits, formed as the pH rises due to the action of urease-producing bacteria; the most commonly found species being Proteus mirabilis. These crystalline biofilms have been found to develop on all catheter materials with P. mirabilis attaching to all surfaces and forming encrustations. Previous studies have mainly relied on electron microscopy to describe this process but there remains a lack of understanding into the stages of biofilm formation. Using an advanced light microscopy technique, episcopic differential interference contrast (EDIC microscopy combined with epifluorescence (EF, we describe a non-destructive, non-contact, real-time imaging method used to track all stages of biofilm development from initial single cell attachment to complex crystalline biofilm formation. Using a simple six-well plate system, attachment of P. mirabilis (in artificial urine to sections of silicone and hydrogel latex catheters was tracked over time (up to 24 days. Using EDIC and EF we show how initial attachment occurred in less than 1 h following exposure to P. mirabilis. This was rapidly followed by an accumulation of an additional material (indicated to be carbohydrate based using lectin staining and the presence of highly elongated, motile cells. After 24 h exposure, a layer developed above this conditioning film and within 4 days the entire surface (of both catheter materials was covered with diffuse crystalline deposits with defined crystals embedded. Using three-dimensional image reconstruction software, cells of P. mirabilis were seen covering the crystal surfaces. EDIC microscopy could resolve these four components of the complex crystalline biofilm and the close relationship between P. mirabilis and the crystals. This real-time imaging technique permits study of this complex biofilm development

  12. Novel Insights into the Proteus mirabilis Crystalline Biofilm Using Real-Time Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilks, Sandra A; Fader, Mandy J; Keevil, C William

    2015-01-01

    The long-term use of indwelling catheters results in a high risk from urinary tract infections (UTI) and blockage. Blockages often occur from crystalline deposits, formed as the pH rises due to the action of urease-producing bacteria; the most commonly found species being Proteus mirabilis. These crystalline biofilms have been found to develop on all catheter materials with P. mirabilis attaching to all surfaces and forming encrustations. Previous studies have mainly relied on electron microscopy to describe this process but there remains a lack of understanding into the stages of biofilm formation. Using an advanced light microscopy technique, episcopic differential interference contrast (EDIC) microscopy combined with epifluorescence (EF), we describe a non-destructive, non-contact, real-time imaging method used to track all stages of biofilm development from initial single cell attachment to complex crystalline biofilm formation. Using a simple six-well plate system, attachment of P. mirabilis (in artificial urine) to sections of silicone and hydrogel latex catheters was tracked over time (up to 24 days). Using EDIC and EF we show how initial attachment occurred in less than 1 h following exposure to P. mirabilis. This was rapidly followed by an accumulation of an additional material (indicated to be carbohydrate based using lectin staining) and the presence of highly elongated, motile cells. After 24 h exposure, a layer developed above this conditioning film and within 4 days the entire surface (of both catheter materials) was covered with diffuse crystalline deposits with defined crystals embedded. Using three-dimensional image reconstruction software, cells of P. mirabilis were seen covering the crystal surfaces. EDIC microscopy could resolve these four components of the complex crystalline biofilm and the close relationship between P. mirabilis and the crystals. This real-time imaging technique permits study of this complex biofilm development with no risk

  13. Dangling bonds and crystalline inclusions in amorphous materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ferrari, L [Ferrara Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Matematica; Russo, G [Bologna Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica

    1981-02-07

    It is suggested that on the surface of crystalline inclusions dangling bond formation is favoured due to unbalanced local stresses. The energy for bond tearings is probably originated from the exothermic process leading to the crystalline inclusion configuration which is more stable than the original amorphous one. A thermodynamical calculation is performed giving the ratio nsub(k) of crystalline inclusions having k dangling bonds on their surface.

  14. High-quality compressive ghost imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Heyan; Zhou, Cheng; Tian, Tian; Liu, Dongqi; Song, Lijun

    2018-04-01

    We propose a high-quality compressive ghost imaging method based on projected Landweber regularization and guided filter, which effectively reduce the undersampling noise and improve the resolution. In our scheme, the original object is reconstructed by decomposing of regularization and denoising steps instead of solving a minimization problem in compressive reconstruction process. The simulation and experimental results show that our method can obtain high ghost imaging quality in terms of PSNR and visual observation.

  15. Fundamental Research and Development for Improved Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells: Final Subcontract Report, March 2002 - July 2006

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rohatgi, A.

    2007-11-01

    This report summarizes the progress made by Georgia Tech in the 2002-2006 period toward high-efficiency, low-cost crystalline silicon solar cells. This program emphasize fundamental and applied research on commercial substrates and manufacturable technologies. A combination of material characterization, device modeling, technology development, and complete cell fabrication were used to accomplish the goals of this program. This report is divided into five sections that summarize our work on i) PECVD SiN-induced defect passivation (Sections 1 and 2); ii) the effect of material inhomogeneity on the performance of mc-Si solar cells (Section 3); iii) a comparison of light-induced degradation in commercially grown Ga- and B-doped Czochralski Si ingots (Section 4); and iv) the understanding of the formation of high-quality thick-film Ag contacts on high sheet-resistance emitters (Section 5).

  16. Unusually high critical current of P-doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} single crystalline thin film

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kurth, Fritz; Engelmann, Jan; Schultz, Ludwig [IMW, IFW Dresden, Dresden (Germany); TU Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Tarantini, Chiara; Jaroszynski, Jan [ASC, NHMFL, Florida (United States); Grinenko, Vadim; Reich, Elke; Huehne, Ruben [IMW, IFW Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Haenisch, Jens [IMW, IFW Dresden, Dresden (Germany); ITEP, KIT, Karlsruhe (Germany); Mori, Yasohiro; Sakagami, Akihiro; Kawaguchi, Takahiko; Ikuta, Hiroshi [Department of Crystalline Materials Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan); Holzapfel, Bernhard [ITEP, KIT, Karlsruhe (Germany); Iida, Kazumasa [IMW, IFW Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Department of Crystalline Materials Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya (Japan)

    2015-07-01

    Microstructurally clean, isovalently P-doped BaFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} single crystalline thin films have been prepared by molecular beam epitaxy. These films show a superconducting transition temperature (T{sub c}) of over 30 K and high transport self-field critical current densities (J{sub c}) of over 6 MA/cm{sup 2} at 4.2 K, which are among the highest for Fe based superconductors. In-field J{sub c} exceeds 0.1 MA/cm{sup 2} at μ{sub 0}H = 35 T for H parallel ab and μ{sub 0}H = 18 T for H parallel c, respectively, in spite of moderate upper critical fields compared to other FeSCs with similar T{sub c}. This unusually high J{sub c} makes P-doped Ba-122 very favorable for high-field magnet applications.

  17. Hard sphere-like glass transition in eye lens α-crystallin solutions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foffi, Giuseppe; Savin, Gabriela; Bucciarelli, Saskia; Dorsaz, Nicolas; Thurston, George M; Stradner, Anna; Schurtenberger, Peter

    2014-11-25

    We study the equilibrium liquid structure and dynamics of dilute and concentrated bovine eye lens α-crystallin solutions, using small-angle X-ray scattering, static and dynamic light scattering, viscometry, molecular dynamics simulations, and mode-coupling theory. We find that a polydisperse Percus-Yevick hard-sphere liquid-structure model accurately reproduces both static light scattering data and small-angle X-ray scattering liquid structure data from α-crystallin solutions over an extended range of protein concentrations up to 290 mg/mL or 49% vol fraction and up to ca. 330 mg/mL for static light scattering. The measured dynamic light scattering and viscosity properties are also consistent with those of hard-sphere colloids and show power laws characteristic of an approach toward a glass transition at α-crystallin volume fractions near 58%. Dynamic light scattering at a volume fraction beyond the glass transition indicates formation of an arrested state. We further perform event-driven molecular dynamics simulations of polydisperse hard-sphere systems and use mode-coupling theory to compare the measured dynamic power laws with those of hard-sphere models. The static and dynamic data, simulations, and analysis show that aqueous eye lens α-crystallin solutions exhibit a glass transition at high concentrations that is similar to those found in hard-sphere colloidal systems. The α-crystallin glass transition could have implications for the molecular basis of presbyopia and the kinetics of molecular change during cataractogenesis.

  18. STM, SECPM, AFM and Electrochemistry on Single Crystalline Surfaces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulrich Stimming

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Scanning probe microscopy (SPM techniques have had a great impact on research fields of surface science and nanotechnology during the last decades. They are used to investigate surfaces with scanning ranges between several 100 mm down to atomic resolution. Depending on experimental conditions, and the interaction forces between probe and sample, different SPM techniques allow mapping of different surface properties. In this work, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM in air and under electrochemical conditions (EC-STM, atomic force microscopy (AFM in air and scanning electrochemical potential microscopy (SECPM under electrochemical conditions, were used to study different single crystalline surfaces in electrochemistry. Especially SECPM offers potentially new insights into the solid-liquid interface by providing the possibility to image the potential distribution of the surface, with a resolution that is comparable to STM. In electrocatalysis, nanostructured catalysts supported on different electrode materials often show behavior different from their bulk electrodes. This was experimentally and theoretically shown for several combinations and recently on Pt on Au(111 towards fuel cell relevant reactions. For these investigations single crystals often provide accurate and well defined reference and support systems. We will show heteroepitaxially grown Ru, Ir and Rh single crystalline surface films and bulk Au single crystals with different orientations under electrochemical conditions. Image studies from all three different SPM methods will be presented and compared to electrochemical data obtained by cyclic voltammetry in acidic media. The quality of the single crystalline supports will be verified by the SPM images and the cyclic voltammograms. Furthermore, an outlook will be presented on how such supports can be used in electrocatalytic studies.

  19. 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.

  20. What Is Crystalline Silica?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... and ceramic manufacturing and the tool and die, steel and foundry industries. Crystalline silica is used in manufacturing, household abrasives, adhesives, paints, soaps, and glass. Additionally, ...

  1. Thermal expansion behavior of fluor-chlorapatite crystalline solutions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hovis, G.; Harlov, D.; Gottschalk, M.; Hudacek, W.; Wildermuth, S.

    2009-04-01

    the fluor-chlorapatite series is little affected by composition. This contrasts with relationships in alkali feldspars (Hovis and coworkers, 1997, 1999), which show that K-rich feldspars expand less than Na-rich feldspars. It contrasts also with the behavior of additional AlSi3 feldspars (Hovis and others, 2008), in which room-temperature chemical expansion limits the degree to which the structure can expand thermally. It also differs from expansion in kalsilite crystalline solutions (Hovis and coworkers, 2003, 2006), which depends on K:Na ratio. Among the minerals we have studied previously, only nepheline displays expansion behavior similar to that of fluor-chlorapatite crystalline solutions in that thermal expansion shows little sensitivity to composition. In AlSi3 feldspars and kalsilite one observes a single crystallographically distinct alkali site and a dominating SiO4 tetrahedral framework that limits the vibrational characteristics of the alkali-site occupant(s). Fluor-chlorapatite crystalline solutions have no such structural framework. Moreover, the anion site in the latter changes structural character in the transition from fluorapatite to chlorapatite. This flexibility apparently allows anion vibrational characteristics, coupled with those of Ca polyhedral components, to change continuously and in a compensating manner across the series. The thermal expansion data also imply that volumes of F-Cl mixing in fluor-chlorapatite are constant from room temperature to 1000 °C. References: Cherniak, D.J. (2000) Rare earth element diffusion in apatite. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 64, 3871-3885. Harlov, D.E. and Förster, H-J. (2002) High grade fluid metasomatism on both a local and regional Scale: the Seward Peninsula, Alaska and the Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Northern Italy Part II: phosphate mineral chemistry. Journal of Petrology 43, 801-824. Holland, T.J.B. and Redfern, S.A.T. (1997) Unit-cell refinement: Changing the dependent variable, and use of regression

  2. Fabrication of high-quality brazed joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orlov, A.V.

    1980-01-01

    Problem of ensuring of joint high-quality when brazing different parts in power engineering is considered. To obtain high-quality joints it is necessary to correctly design brazed joint and to choose a gap width, overlap length and fillet radius; to clean up carefully the surfaces to be brazed and fix them properly one relative to another; to apply a solder so as to provide its flowing into the gap and sticking in it; to exactly regulate thermal conditions of brazing. High quality and reliability of brazed joints are ensured by the application of solders based on noble metals, and cheap solders based on nickel, manganese and copper. Joints brazed with nickel base solders may operate at temperatures as high as 888 deg C

  3. Lens proteome map and alpha-crystallin profile of the catfish Rita rita.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohanty, Bimal Prasanna; Bhattacharjee, Soma; Das, Manas Kumar

    2011-02-01

    Crystallins are a diverse group of proteins that constitute nearly 90% of the total soluble proteins of the vertebrate eye lens and these tightly packed crystallins are responsible for transparency of the lens. These proteins have been studied in different model and non-model species for understanding the modifications they undergo with ageing that lead to cataract, a disease of protein aggregation. In the present investigation, we studied the lens crystallin profile of the tropical freshwater catfish Rita rita. Profiles of lens crystallins were analyzed and crystallin proteome maps of Rita rita were generated for the first time. alphaA-crystallins, member of the alpha-crystallin family, which are molecular chaperons and play crucial role in maintaining lens transparency were identified by 1- and 2-D immunoblot analysis with anti-alphaA-crystallin antibody. Two protein bands of 19-20 kDa were identified as alphaA-crystallins on 1-D immunoblots and these bands separated into 10 discrete spots on 2-D immunoblot. However, anti-alphaB-crystallin and antiphospho-alphaB-crystallin antibodies were not able to detect any immunoreactive bands on 1- and 2-D immunoblots, indicating alphaB-crystallin was either absent or present in extremely low concentration in Rita rita lens. Thus, Rita rita alpha-crystallins are more like that of the catfish Clarias batrachus and the mammal kangaroo in its alphaA- and alphaB-crystallin content (contain low amount from 5-9% of alphaB-crystallin) and unlike the dogfish, zebrafish, human, bovine and mouse alpha-crystallins (contain higher amount of alphaB-crystallin from 25% in mouse and bovine to 85% in dogfish). Results of the present study can be the baseline information for stimulating further investigation on Rita rita lens crystallins for comparative lens proteomics. Comparing and contrasting the alpha-crystallins of the dogfish and Rita rita may provide valuable information on the functional attributes of alphaA- and alphaB-isoforms, as

  4. High-quality InN films on MgO (100) substrates: The key role of 30° in-plane rotation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Compeán García, V. D.; López Luna, E.; Rodríguez, A. G.; Vidal, M. A. [Coordinación para la Innovación y Aplicación de la Ciencia y Tecnología (CIACyT), Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí (UASLP), Álvaro Obregón 64, 78000 San Luis Potosí (Mexico); Orozco Hinostroza, I. E. [Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4a Sección, 78216 San Luis Potosí (Mexico); Escobosa Echavarría, A. [Electric Engineering Department, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Apartado Postal 14-740, 07000 México D.F. (Mexico)

    2014-05-12

    High crystalline layers of InN were grown on MgO(100) substrates by gas source molecular beam epitaxy. Good quality films were obtained by means of an in-plane rotation process induced by the annealing of an InN buffer layer to minimize the misfit between InN and MgO. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction showed linear streaky patterns along the [011{sup ¯}0] azimuth and a superimposed diffraction along the [112{sup ¯}0] azimuth, which correspond to a 30° α-InN film rotation. This rotation reduces the mismatch at the MgO/InN interface from 19.5% to less than 3.5%, increasing the structural quality, which was analyzed by high-resolution X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Only the (0002) c plane diffraction of α-InN was observed and was centered at 2θ = 31.4°. Raman spectroscopy showed two modes corresponding to the hexagonal phase: E1(LO) at 591 cm{sup −1} and E2(high) at 488 cm{sup −1}. Hall effect measurements showed a carrier density of 9 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3} and an electron Hall mobility of 340 cm{sup 2}/(V s) for a film thickness of 140 nm.

  5. Preparation and photo Fenton-like activities of high crystalline CuO fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yan; He, Jing; Shi, Ruixia; Yang, Ping

    2017-11-01

    CuO fibers were successfully fabricated by a simple electrospinning method, followed by calcination. Some experimental parameters such as the content of Cu(NO3)2•3H2O, the content of PVP, the stirring time, the applied voltage, as well the calcination temperature were investigated, respectively, and their influences on the morphologies of fibers and the spinnability of precursor solution were analyzed. The CuO fibers calcined at 550 °C consisted of numerous CuO grains exhibited a well-crystalline structure. Furthermore, the CuO fibers demonstrated effective photo-Fenton degradation to methyl orange with the assist of H2O2 and the adding volume of H2O2 affects the degradation activities greatly. The degradation rate of methyl orange by the CuO fibers in the presence of 238.8 mmol/L H2O2 is 3.8 times as much as one by P25 alone under the irradiation of Xe lamp. The degradation ratio of methyl orange could achieve 83% in 180 min. The enhanced photocatalytic activities of the CuO fibers were attributed to two aspects: one is the well-crystalline of CuO fibers; the other is that H2O2 accepted the photogenerated electrons and holes effectively, which not only prevented the recombination of charge carriers but also produced additional rad OH. In this work, the formation and photocatalysis mechanisms of CuO fibers were also investigated.

  6. Highly-crystalline ultrathin Li4Ti5O12 nanosheets decorated with silver nanocrystals as a high-performance anode material for lithium ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, G. B.; Li, W.; Yang, L. W.; Wei, X. L.; Ding, J. W.; Zhong, J. X.; Chu, Paul K.

    2015-02-01

    A novel composite of highly-crystalline ultrathin Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) nanosheets and Ag nanocrystals (denoted as LTO NSs/Ag) as an anode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) is prepared by hydrothermal synthesis, post calcination and electroless deposition. The characterizations of structure and morphology reveal that the LTO nanosheets have single-crystal nature with a thickness of about 10 nm and highly dispersed Ag nanocrystals have an average diameter of 5.8 nm. The designed LTO NSs/Ag composite takes advantage of both components, thereby providing large contact area between the electrolyte and electrode, low polarization of voltage difference, high electrical conductivity and lithium ion diffusion coefficient during electrochemical processes. The evaluation of its electrochemical performance demonstrates that the prepared LTO NSs/Ag composite has superior lithium storage performance. More importantly, this unique composite has an ability to deliver high reversible capacities with superlative cyclic capacity retention at different current rates, and exhibit excellent high-rate performance at a current rate as high as 30 C. Our results improve the current performance of LTO based anode material for LIBs.

  7. Electrical transport in crystalline phase change materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Woda, Michael

    2012-01-01

    In this thesis, the electrical transport properties of crystalline phase change materials are discussed. Phase change materials (PCM) are a special class of semiconducting and metallic thin film alloys, typically with a high amount of the group five element antimony or the group six element tellurium, such as Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 . The unique property portfolio of this material class makes it suitable for memory applications. PCMs reveal fast switching between two stable room-temperature phases (amorphous and crystalline) realized by optical laser or electrical current pulses in memory devices. Additionally, a pronounced property contrast in form of optical reflectivity and electrical conductivity between the amorphous and crystalline phase is the characteristic fingerprint of PCMs. The emerging electrical solid state memory PCRAM is a very promising candidate to replace Flash memory in the near future or to even become a universal memory, which is non-volatile and shows the speed and cyclability of DRAM. One of the main technological challenges is the switching process into the amorphous state, which is the most power demanding step. In order to reduce the switching power, the crystalline resistivity needs to be increased at a given voltage. Thus understanding and tayloring of this property is mandatory. In this work, first the technological relevance, i.e. optical and electrical memory concepts based on PCMs are introduced. Subsequently a description of the physical properties of PCMs in four categories is given. Namely, structure, kinetics, optical properties and electrical properties are discussed. Then important recent developments such as the identification of resonant bonding in crystalline PCMs and a property predicting coordination scheme are briefly reviewed. The following chapter deals with the theoretical background of electrical transport, while the next chapter introduces the experimental techniques: Sputtering, XRR, XRD, DSC, thermal annealing

  8. Characterization of crystalline structures in Opuntia ficus-indica

    OpenAIRE

    Contreras-Padilla, Margarita; Rivera-Muñoz, Eric M.; Gutiérrez-Cortez, Elsa; del López, Alicia Real; Rodríguez-García, Mario Enrique

    2014-01-01

    This research studies the crystalline compounds present in nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes. The identification of the crystalline structures was performed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The crystalline structures identified were calcium carbonate (calcite) [CaCO3], calcium-magnesium bicarbonate [CaMg(CO3)2], magnesium oxide [MgO], calcium oxalate monohydrate [Ca(C2O4)•(H2O)], potassium peroxydiphosph...

  9. Determination of thicknesses and temperatures of crystalline silicon wafers from optical measurements in the far infrared region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franta, Daniel; Franta, Pavel; Vohánka, Jiří; Čermák, Martin; Ohlídal, Ivan

    2018-05-01

    Optical measurements of transmittance in the far infrared region performed on crystalline silicon wafers exhibit partially coherent interference effects appropriate for the determination of thicknesses of the wafers. The knowledge of accurate spectral and temperature dependencies of the optical constants of crystalline silicon in this spectral region is crucial for the determination of its thickness and vice versa. The recently published temperature dependent dispersion model of crystalline silicon is suitable for this purpose. Because the linear thermal expansion of crystalline silicon is known, the temperatures of the wafers can be determined with high precision from the evolution of the interference patterns at elevated temperatures.

  10. Massachusetts' participation in the US Department of Energy's Crystalline Repository Project: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-12-01

    The purpose of this report is to review activities of the Crystalline Rock Project in Massachusetts, the context in which it arose, and the implications and possibilities of future federal policy decisions on the siting of a high-level waste repository in a crystalline rock body. Although Massachusetts has been eliminated from consideration, there are still issues of concern to be resolved regarding the potential impacts upon Massachusetts if a site were ever to be chosen in New England

  11. Irreducible tensor operators and crystalline potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boutron, F.; Saint-James, D.

    1961-01-01

    It is often accepted that the effects of its neighbourhood on the quantum state of an ion A may be obtained by the model of the crystalline effective field approximation. Within this assumption Stevens has developed a method which provides equivalent operators that facilitate the calculation of the matrix elements of the crystalline field in a given multiplicity. This method has been extended here. We demonstrate that in the expansion of the crystalline field in powers of the electrons coordinates of the ion A - for electrons of the same sub-shell of A - only even terms can contribute. Equivalent operators and matrix elements, in a given multiplicity, are given for these development terms - up to order 6 - and for potential invariant by the operations of one of the thirty-two point-groups. (author) [fr

  12. University Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics Research and Development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ajeet Rohatgi; Vijay Yelundur; Abasifreke Ebong; Dong Seop Kim

    2008-08-18

    The overall goal of the program is to advance the current state of crystalline silicon solar cell technology to make photovoltaics more competitive with conventional energy sources. This program emphasizes fundamental and applied research that results in low-cost, high-efficiency cells on commercial silicon substrates with strong involvement of the PV industry, and support a very strong photovoltaics education program in the US based on classroom education and hands-on training in the laboratory.

  13. Studies of mono-crystalline CVD diamond pixel detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Bartz, E; Atramentov, O; Yang, Z; Hall-Wilton, R; Schnetzer, S; Patel, R; Bugg, W; Hebda, P; Halyo, V; Hunt, A; Marlow, D; Steininger, H; Ryjov, V; Hits, D; Spanier, S; Pernicka, M; Johns, W; Doroshenko, J; Hollingsworth, M; Harrop, B; Farrow, C; Stone, R

    2011-01-01

    The Pixel Luminosity Telescope (PLT) is a dedicated luminosity monitor, presently under construction, for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It measures the particle flux in several three layered pixel diamond detectors that are aligned precisely with respect to each other and the beam direction. At a lower rate it also performs particle track position measurements. The PLTs mono-crystalline CVD diamonds are bump-bonded to the same readout chip used in the silicon pixel system in CMS. Mono-crystalline diamond detectors have many attributes that make them desirable for use in charged particle tracking in radiation hostile environments such as the LHC. In order to further characterize the applicability of diamond technology to charged particle tracking we performed several tests with particle beams that included a measurement of the intrinsic spatial resolution with a high resolution beam telescope. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  14. Studies of mono-crystalline CVD diamond pixel detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bugg, W. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (United States); Hollingsworth, M., E-mail: mhollin3@utk.edu [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (United States); Spanier, S.; Yang, Z. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville (United States); Bartz, E.; Doroshenko, J.; Hits, D.; Schnetzer, S.; Stone, R.; Atramentov, O.; Patel, R.; Barker, A. [Rutgers University, Piscataway (United States); Hall-Wilton, R.; Ryjov, V.; Farrow, C. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Pernicka, M.; Steininger, H. [HEPHY, Vienna (Austria); Johns, W. [Vanderbilt University, Nashville (United States); Halyo, V.; Harrop, B. [Princeton University, Princeton (United States); and others

    2011-09-11

    The Pixel Luminosity Telescope (PLT) is a dedicated luminosity monitor, presently under construction, for the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It measures the particle flux in several three layered pixel diamond detectors that are aligned precisely with respect to each other and the beam direction. At a lower rate it also performs particle track position measurements. The PLT's mono-crystalline CVD diamonds are bump-bonded to the same readout chip used in the silicon pixel system in CMS. Mono-crystalline diamond detectors have many attributes that make them desirable for use in charged particle tracking in radiation hostile environments such as the LHC. In order to further characterize the applicability of diamond technology to charged particle tracking we performed several tests with particle beams that included a measurement of the intrinsic spatial resolution with a high resolution beam telescope.

  15. Crystalline morphology of the matrix of PEEK-carbon fiber aromatic polymer composites. I. Assessment of crystallinity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blundell, D.J.; Chalmers, J.M.; Mackenzie, M.W.; Gaskin, W.F.

    1985-01-01

    The crystallinity of the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) matrix polymer in the Aromatic Polymer Composite APC-2 has been estimated using a combination of techniques based on wide angle x-ray diffraction and infrared reflection spectroscopy. Crystallinity varies systematically with cooling rate and annealing time over the range 20 to 40%. The occurrence of oriented crystal growth of the PEEK relative to the carbon fiber can be monitored by x-ray diffraction. 8 references, 10 figures, 1 table

  16. Damage characterization for particles filled semi-crystalline polymer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauro Franck

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Damage evolution and characterization in semi-crystalline polymer filled with particles under various loadings is still a challenge. A specific damage characterization method using Digital Image Correlation is proposed for a wide range of strain rates considering tensile tests with hydraulic jacks as well as Hopkinson's bars. This damage measurement is obtained by using and adapting the SEE method [1] which was developed to characterize the behaviour laws at constant strain rates of polymeric materials in dynamic. To validate the characterization process, various damage measurement techniques are used under quasi-static conditions before to apply the procedure in dynamic. So, the well-known damage characterization by loss of stiffness technique under quasi-static loading is applied to a polypropylene. In addition, an in-situ tensile test, carried out in a microtomograph, is used to observe the cavitation phenomenon in real time. A good correlation is obtained between all these techniques and consequently the proposed technique is supposed suitable for measuring the ductile damage observed in semi-crystalline polymers under dynamic loading. By applying it to the semi-crystalline polymer at moderate and high speed loadings, the damage evolution is measured and it is observed that the damage evolution is not strain rate dependent but the failure strain on the contrary is strain rate dependent.

  17. Crystalline mesoporous tungsten oxide nanoplate monoliths synthesized by directed soft template method for highly sensitive NO{sub 2} gas sensor applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoa, Nguyen Duc, E-mail: ndhoa@itims.edu.vn [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) (Viet Nam); Duy, Nguyen Van [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) (Viet Nam); Hieu, Nguyen Van, E-mail: hieu@itims.edu.vn [International Training Institute for Materials Science (ITIMS), Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) (Viet Nam)

    2013-02-15

    Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Highlights: ► Mesoporous WO{sub 3} nanoplate monoliths were obtained by direct templating synthesis. ► Enable effective accession of the analytic molecules for the sensor applications. ► The WO{sub 3} sensor exhibited a high performance to NO{sub 2} gas at low temperature. -- Abstract: Controllable synthesis of nanostructured metal oxide semiconductors with nanocrystalline size, porous structure, and large specific surface area is one of the key issues for effective gas sensor applications. In this study, crystalline mesoporous tungsten oxide nanoplate-like monoliths with high specific surface areas were obtained through instant direct-templating synthesis for highly sensitive nitrogen dioxide (NO{sub 2}) sensor applications. The copolymer soft template was converted into a solid carbon framework by heat treatment in an inert gas prior to calcinations in air to sustain the mesoporous structure of tungsten oxide. The multidirectional mesoporous structures of tungsten oxide with small crystalline size, large specific surface area, and superior physical characteristics enabled the rapid and effective accession of analytic gas molecules. As a result, the sensor response was enhanced and the response and recovery times were reduced, in which the mesoporous tungsten oxide based gas sensor exhibited a superior response of 21,155% to 5 ppm NO{sub 2}. In addition, the developed sensor exhibited selective detection of low NO{sub 2} concentration in ammonia and ethanol at a low temperature of approximately 150 °C.

  18. Review of DOE's proposal for Crystalline bedrock disposal of radioactive waste, north-central area

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Green, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    The DOE's Region-to-Area Screening Methodology for the Crystalline Repository Project (DOE/CH-1), the Final North-Central Region Geologic Characterization Report (DOE/CH-8(1)), and the Draft Area Recommendation Report for the Crystalline Repository Project (DOE/CH-15), with the associated maps, were reviewed. The review has focused on all general information regarding geologic topics and all site-specific data for DOE sites NC-10 and NC-3. This report contains two parts: (1) a point-by-point critique of perceived errors, omissions, or other shortcomings in each of the three documents; and (2) a discussion of the feasibility of crystalline bedrock as a suitable host medium for high-level radioactive waste

  19. Crystalline structure of metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holas, A.

    1972-01-01

    An attempt is made to find the crystalline structure of metals on the basis of the existing theory of metals. The considerations are limited to the case of free crystals, that is, not subjected to any stresses and with T=0. The energy of the crystal lattice has been defined and the dependence of each term on structures and other properties of metals has been described. The energy has been used to find the values of crystalline structure parameters as the values at which the energy has an absolute minimum. The stability of the structure has been considered in cases of volume changes and shearing deformations. A semiqualitative description has been obtained which explains characteristic properties of one-electron metals. (S.B.)

  20. Crystallization and evaluation of hen egg-white lysozyme crystals for protein pH titration in the crystalline state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwai, Wakari; Yagi, Daichi; Ishikawa, Takuya; Ohnishi, Yuki; Tanaka, Ichiro; Niimura, Nobuo

    2008-01-01

    Hen egg-white lysozyme was crystallized over a wide pH range (2.5–8.0) and the quality of the crystals was characterized. Crystallization phase diagrams at pH 2.5, 6.0 and 7.5 were determined To observe the ionized status of the amino acid residues in proteins at different pH (protein pH titration in the crystalline state) by neutron diffraction, hen egg-white lysozyme was crystallized over a wide pH range (2.5–8.0). Crystallization phase diagrams at pH 2.5, 6.0 and 7.5 were determined. At pH < 4.5 the border between the metastable region and the nucleation region shifted to the left (lower precipitant concentration) in the phase diagram, and at pH > 4.5 the border shifted to the right (higher precipitant concentration). The qualities of these crystals were characterized using the Wilson plot method. The qualities of all crystals at different pH were more or less equivalent (B-factor values within 25–40). It is expected that neutron diffraction analysis of these crystals of different pH provides equivalent data in quality for discussions of protein pH titration in the crystalline state of hen egg-white lysozyme

  1. High-temperature performance of the brazement of molybdenum single crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirakoa, Y.

    1992-01-01

    Molybdenum is utilized in the fields of high-temperature vacuum industry, electrical and electronic industry, and chemical industries. For the wider application of this material, however, it is necessary to obtain a joining with good quality. In this investigation, high-temperature brazing of a single-crystalline molybdenum was performed. Then the bend properties of the brazement after a high-temperature annealing were evaluated. The single-crystalline molybdenum had been produced by the secondary recrystallization method. Brazing was performed in vacuum at 2273K using Mo-40Ru alloy powder as a brazing material. The brazement was investigated via optical microscopy, EPMA, Knoop hardness, and three point bending. In this paper the effects of annealing in hydrogen and vacuum are discussed

  2. Role of αA-crystallin-derived αA66-80 peptide in guinea pig lens crystallin aggregation and insolubilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raju, Murugesan; Mooney, Brian P; Thakkar, Kavi M; Giblin, Frank J; Schey, Kevin L; Sharma, K Krishna

    2015-03-01

    Earlier we reported that low molecular weight (LMW) peptides accumulate in aging human lens tissue and that among the LMW peptides, the chaperone inhibitor peptide αA66-80, derived from α-crystallin protein, is one of the predominant peptides. We showed that in vitro αA66-80 induces protein aggregation. The current study was undertaken to determine whether LMW peptides are also present in guinea pig lens tissue subjected to hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) in vivo. The nuclear opacity induced by HBO in guinea pig lens is the closest animal model for studying age-related cataract formation in humans. A LMW peptide profile by mass spectrometry showed the presence of an increased amount of LMW peptides in HBO-treated guinea pig lenses compared to age-matched controls. Interestingly, the mass spectrometric data also showed that the chaperone inhibitor peptide αA66-80 accumulates in HBO-treated guinea pig lens. Following incubation of synthetic chaperone inhibitor peptide αA66-80 with α-crystallin from guinea pig lens extracts, we observed a decreased ability of α-crystallin to inhibit the amorphous aggregation of the target protein alcohol dehydrogenase and the formation of large light scattering aggregates, similar to those we have observed with human α-crystallin and αA66-80 peptide. Further, time-lapse recordings showed that a preformed complex of α-crystallin and αA66-80 attracted additional crystallin molecules to form even larger aggregates. These results demonstrate that LMW peptide-mediated cataract development in aged human lens and in HBO-induced lens opacity in the guinea pig may have common molecular pathways. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Availability of high quality weather data measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Elsa; Johansen, Jakob Berg; Furbo, Simon

    In the period 2016-2017 the project “Availability of high quality weather data measurements” is carried out at Department of Civil Engineering at the Technical University of Denmark. The aim of the project is to establish measured high quality weather data which will be easily available...... for the building energy branch and the solar energy branch in their efforts to achieve energy savings and for researchers and students carrying out projects where measured high quality weather data are needed....

  4. Technological development for super-high efficiency solar cells. Technological development for super-high efficiency singlecrystalline silicon solar cells (super-high efficiency singlecrystalline Si solar cells); Chokokoritsu taiyo denchi no gijutsu kaihatsu. Chokokoritsu tankessho silicon taiyo denchi no gijutsu kaihatsu (chokokoritsu tankessho silicon taiyo denchi cell no gijutsu kaihatsu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tatsuta, M [New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Tokyo (Japan)

    1994-12-01

    This paper reports the study results on technological development of super-high efficiency singlecrystalline silicon solar cells in fiscal 1994. (1) On development of high-performance light receiving layer, the fine electrode for receiving surfaces was designed to reduce serial resistance, and the high-quality oxide passivation film was studied to reduce surface recombination velocity. (2) On development of forming technology of back heterojunction, the high-quality cell with B-doped fine crystalline Si film on its back was studied by heat treatment of the fine crystalline Si film, and the cell structure with high back reflectance of light was also studied. (3) On analysis for high-efficiency cells, the relation between the back recombination velocity at the interface between p-type substrate and back passivation film, and the internal collection efficiency as probe light was injected from the back, was calculated by numerical simulation. As a result, the cell back recombination velocity could be evaluated by measuring the spectral internal collection efficiency to back injection. 15 figs., 6 tabs.

  5. A study on effective thermal conductivity of crystalline layers in layer melt crystallization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Kwang-Joo; Ulrich, Joachim

    2002-01-01

    An effective thermal conductivity in layer melt crystallization was explored based on a model considering inclusions inside a crystalline layer during crystal growth, molecular diffusion of inclusions migration due to temperature gradient and heat generation due to recrystallization of inclusions in the crystalline layer. The effective thermal conductivity increases with time, in general, as a result of compactness of the layer. Lower cooling temperature, i.e. greater supercooling, results in a more porous layer with lower effective thermal conductivity. A similar result is seen for the parameter of melt temperature, but less pronounced. A high concentration of the melt results in a high effective thermal conductivity while low concentration yields low effective thermal conductivity. At higher impurity levels in the melt phase, constitutional supercooling becomes more pronounced and unstable growth morphologies occur more easily. Cooling rate and Reynolds number also affect the effective thermal conductivity. The predictions of an effective thermal conductivity agree with the experimental data. The model was applied to estimate the thermal conductivities of the crystalline layer during layer melt crystallization. (author)

  6. In situ differential reflectance spectroscopy of thin crystalline films of PTCDA on different substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Proehl, Holger; Nitsche, Robert; Dienel, Thomas; Leo, Karl; Fritz, Torsten

    2005-01-01

    We report an investigation of the excitonic properties of thin crystalline films of the archetypal organic semiconductor PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride) grown on poly- and single crystalline surfaces. A sensitive setup capable of measuring the optical properties of ultrathin organic molecular crystals via differential reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is presented. This tool allows to carry out measurements in situ, i.e., during the actual film growth, and over a wide spectral range, even on single crystalline surfaces with high symmetry or metallic surfaces, where widely used techniques like reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) or fluorescence excitation spectroscopy fail. The spectra obtained by DRS resemble mainly the absorption of the films if transparent substrates are used, which simplifies the analysis. In the case of mono- to multilayer films of PTCDA on single crystalline muscovite mica(0001) and Au(111) substrates, the formation of the solid state absorption from monomer to dimer and further to crystal-like absorption spectra can be monitored

  7. Combination of confocal principle and aperture stop separation improves suppression of crystalline lens fluorescence in an eye model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klemm, Matthias; Blum, Johannes; Link, Dietmar; Hammer, Martin; Haueisen, Jens; Schweitzer, Dietrich

    2016-09-01

    Fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) is a new technique to detect changes in the human retina. The autofluorescence decay over time, generated by endogenous fluorophores, is measured in vivo. The strong autofluorescence of the crystalline lens, however, superimposes the intensity decay of the retina fluorescence, as the confocal principle is not able to suppress it sufficiently. Thus, the crystalline lens autofluorescence causes artifacts in the retinal fluorescence lifetimes determined from the intensity decays. Here, we present a new technique to suppress the autofluorescence of the crystalline lens by introducing an annular stop into the detection light path, which we call Schweitzer's principle. The efficacy of annular stops with an outer diameter of 7 mm and inner diameters of 1 to 5 mm are analyzed in an experimental setup using a model eye based on fluorescent dyes. Compared to the confocal principle, Schweitzer's principle with an inner diameter of 3 mm is able to reduce the simulated crystalline lens fluorescence to 4%, while 42% of the simulated retina fluorescence is preserved. Thus, we recommend the implementation of Schweitzer's principle in scanning laser ophthalmoscopes used for fundus autofluorescence measurements, especially the FLIO device, for improved image quality.

  8. Highly conducting and crystalline doubly doped tin oxide films fabricated using a low-cost and simplified spray technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ravichandran, K., E-mail: kkr1365@yahoo.co [P.G. and Research Department of Physics, AVVM. Sri Pushpum College, Poondi, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu 613503 (India); Muruganantham, G.; Sakthivel, B. [P.G. and Research Department of Physics, AVVM. Sri Pushpum College, Poondi, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu 613503 (India)

    2009-11-15

    Doubly doped (simultaneous doping of antimony and fluorine) tin oxide films (SnO{sub 2}:Sb:F) have been fabricated by employing an inexpensive and simplified spray technique using perfume atomizer from aqueous solution of SnCl{sub 2} precursor. The structural studies revealed that the films are highly crystalline in nature with preferential orientation along the (2 0 0) plane. It is found that the size of the crystallites of the doubly doped tin oxide films is larger (69 nm) than that (27 nm) of their undoped counterparts. The dislocation density of the doubly doped film is lesser (2.08x10{sup 14} lines/m{sup 2}) when compared with that of the undoped film (13.2x10{sup 14} lines/m{sup 2}), indicating the higher degree of crystallinity of the doubly doped films. The SEM images depict that the films are homogeneous and uniform. The optical transmittance in the visible range and the optical band gap of the doubly doped films are 71% and 3.56 eV respectively. The sheet resistance (4.13 OMEGA/square) attained for the doubly doped film in this study is lower than the values reported for spray deposited fluorine or antimony doped tin oxide films prepared from aqueous solution of SnCl{sub 2} precursor (without using methanol or ethanol).

  9. High-performance flexible microwave passives on plastic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Zhenqiang; Seo, Jung-Hun; Cho, Sang June; Zhou, Weidong

    2014-06-01

    We report the demonstration of bendable inductors, capacitors and switches fabricated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate that can operate at high microwave frequencies. By employing bendable dielectric and single crystalline semiconductor materials, spiral inductors and metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors with high quality factors and high resonance frequencies and single-pole, single-throw (SPST) switches were archived. The effects of mechanical bending on the performance of inductors, capacitors and switches were also measured and analyzed. We further investigated the highest possible resonance frequencies and quality factors of inductors and capacitors and, high frequency responses and insertion loss. These demonstrations will lead to flexible radio-frequency and microwave systems in the future.

  10. Spontaneous Synthesis of Highly Crystalline TiO2 Compact/Mesoporous Stacked Films by a Low-Temperature Steam-Annealing Method for Efficient Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanehira, Yoshitaka; Numata, Youhei; Ikegami, Masashi; Miyasaka, Tsutomu

    2018-05-23

    Highly crystalline TiO 2 nanostructured films were synthesized by a simple steam treatment of a TiCl 4 precursor film under a saturated water vapor atmosphere at 125 °C, here referred to as the steam-annealing method. In a single TiO 2 film preparation step, a bilayer structure comprising a compact bottom layer and a mesoporous surface layer was formed. The mesoporous layer was occupied by bipyramidal nanoparticles, with a composite phase of anatase and brookite crystals. Despite the low-temperature treatment process, the crystallinity of the TiO 2 film was high, comparable with that of the TiO 2 film sintered at 500 °C. The compact double-layered TiO 2 film was applied to perovskite solar cells (PSCs) as an electron-collecting layer. The PSC exhibited a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 18.9% with an open-circuit voltage ( V OC ) of 1.15 V. The PCE and V OC were higher than those of PSCs using a TiO 2 film formed by 500 °C sintering.

  11. Enhancement of crystallinity and magnetization in Fe3O4 nanoferrites induced by a high synthesized magnetic field

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xinxiu; Zhang, Zhanxian; Chen, Shijie; Lei, Wei; Xu, Yan; Lin, Jia; Luo, Xiaojing; Liu, Yongsheng

    2018-05-01

    A one-step hydrothermal method in different dc magnetic fields was used to prepare the Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Under the magnetic field, the average particle size decreased from 72.9 to 41.6 nm, meanwhile, the particle crystallinity is greatly improved. The magnetic field enhances its saturation magnetization and coercivity. The high magnetic field induce another magnetic structure. At room temperature, these nanoparticles exhibit superparamagnetism whose critical size (D sp) is about 26 nm. The Verwey transition is observed in the vicinity of 120 K of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The effective magnetic anisotropy decreases with the increase of the test temperature because of the H c decreased.

  12. Single-crystalline AlN growth on sapphire using physical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardenas-Valencia, Andres M., E-mail: andres.cardenas@sri.co [SRI International (United States); Onishi, Shinzo; Rossie, Benjamin [SRI International (United States)

    2011-02-07

    A novel technique for growing single crystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) films is presented. The novelty of the technique, specifically, comes from the use of an innovative physical vapor deposition magnetron sputtering tool, which embeds magnets into the target material. A relatively high deposition rates is achieved ({approx}0.2 {mu}m/min), at temperatures between 860 and 940 {sup o}C. The AlN, grown onto sapphire, is single-crystalline as evidenced by observation using transmission electron microscopy. Tool configuration and growth conditions are discussed, as well as a first set of other analytical results, namely, x-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible transmission spectrophotometry.

  13. Synthesis and characterization of single-crystalline zinc tin oxide nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Jen-Bin; Wu, Po-Feng; Lin, Hsien-Sheng; Lin, Ya-Ting; Lee, Hsuan-Wei; Kao, Chia-Tze; Liao, Wei-Hsiang; Young, San-Lin

    2014-05-01

    Crystalline zinc tin oxide (ZTO; zinc oxide with heavy tin doping of 33 at.%) nanowires were first synthesized using the electrodeposition and heat treatment method based on an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, which has an average diameter of about 60 nm. According to the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results, the synthesized ZTO nanowires are highly ordered and have high wire packing densities. The length of ZTO nanowires is about 4 μm, and the aspect ratio is around 67. ZTO nanowires with a Zn/(Zn + Sn) atomic ratio of 0.67 (approximately 2/3) were observed from an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and corresponding selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns demonstrated that the ZTO nanowire is hexagonal single-crystalline. The study of ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared (UV/Vis/NIR) absorption showed that the ZTO nanowire is a wide-band semiconductor with a band gap energy of 3.7 eV.

  14. The Effect of PtRuIr Nanoparticle Crystallinity in Electrocatalytic Methanol Oxidation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vladimir Linkov

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Two structural forms of a ternary alloy PtRuIr/C catalyst, one amorphous and one highly crystalline, were synthesized and compared to determine the effect of their respective structures on their activity and stability as anodic catalysts in methanol oxidation. Characterization techniques included TEM, XRD, and EDX. Electrochemical analysis using a glassy carbon disk electrode for cyclic voltammogram and chronoamperometry were tested in a solution of 0.5 mol L−1 CH3OH and 0.5 mol L−1 H2SO4. Amorphous PtRuIr/C catalyst was found to have a larger electrochemical surface area, while the crystalline PtRuIr/C catalyst had both a higher activity in methanol oxidation and increased CO poisoning rate. Crystallinity of the active alloy nanoparticles has a big impact on both methanol oxidation activity and in the CO poisoning rate.

  15. Characterization of high quality Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} thin films prepared by rf-magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouchama, Idris [Departement d' Electronique, Faculte de Technologie, Universite de Msila (Algeria); Djessas, Kamal [Laboratoire Procedes Materiaux et Energie Solaire, PROMES-CNRS, Rambla de la Thermodynamique, Technosud, 66100 Perpignan (France); Bouloufa, Abdeslam [Laboratoire d' Electrochimie et Materiaux, Universite Ferhat Abbas de Setif (Algeria); Gauffier, Jean-Luc [Departement de Physique, INSA de Toulouse, 135, Avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4 (France)

    2013-01-15

    This paper reports the production of high quality polycrystalline thin layers of CuIn{sub 0.7}Ga{sub 0.3}Se{sub 2} (CIGS), using rf-magnetron sputtering, from a powder target. These films are designed to be used as absorbers in solar cells. The depositions were carried out at substrate temperatures below 250 C and glass substrates was used. The influence of the substrate temperatures on the crystalline quality as well as structural, optical and electrical properties of thin layers obtained has been studied. X-ray diffraction showed that the films were highly orientated in the (112) and/or (204)/(220) direction. In{sub 2}Se{sub 3} secondary phase was observed on the samples grown at lower substrate temperatures. The surface morphology of CIGS layers studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) has been also discussed. The most surprising and exciting outcome of this study was that the as grown films were of near stoichiometric composition. Resistivity measurements were carried out using the four point probe method. The optical absorption showed that energy gap values are between 1.13 and 1.18 eV and rather sharp absorption fronts. Thin film resistivities are between 10.7 and 60.9 {Omega}.cm depending on the experimental growth conditions (copyright 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  16. High-strength bulk nano-crystalline silver prepared by selective leaching combined with spark plasma sintering

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Marek, I.; Vojtěch, D.; Michalcová, A.; Kubatík, Tomáš František

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 627, March (2015), s. 326-332 ISSN 0921-5093 Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : Nano-crystalline material * Selective leaching * Silver * Spark plasma sintering * Strength Subject RIV: JK - Corrosion ; Surface Treatment of Materials Impact factor: 2.647, year: 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2015.01.014

  17. Dissolution kinetics of B clusters in crystalline Si

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Salvador, D.; Napolitani, E.; Bisognin, G.; Carnera, A.; Bruno, E.; Mirabella, S.; Impellizzeri, G.; Priolo, F.

    2005-01-01

    Boron (B) clustering in crystalline Si induced by interaction with Si self-interstitials is a widely studied phenomenon of fundamental importance for Si micro- and nano-electronic technology. The requested B activation increase brings the B concentration to a very high level and a detailed understanding of B clustering at high concentration is demanded. In the present work we present some recent results regarding the B clustering process starting from B concentration both below and above the B solubility limit. We show that B clusters, produced by self-interstitial interaction with substitutional B in crystalline Si, dissolve under annealing according to two distinct paths with very different characteristic times. The two regimes generally coexist, but while the faster dissolution path is predominant for clusters formed at low B concentration (1 x 10 19 B/cm 3 ), the slower one is characteristic of clusters formed above the solubility limit and dominates the dissolution process at high B concentration (2 x 10 2 B/cm 3 ). The activation energies of both processes are characterized and discussed. It is shown that the faster path can be connected to a direct emission of mobile B from small clusters, while the slower path is demonstrated not to be self-interstitial limited and it is probably related to a more complex cluster dissolution process

  18. Inductively and capacitively coupled plasmas at interface: A comparative study towards highly efficient amorphous-crystalline Si solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Yingnan; Ong, Thiam Min Brian; Levchenko, I.; Xu, Shuyan

    2018-01-01

    A comparative study on the application of two quite different plasma-based techniques to the preparation of amorphous/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) interfaces for solar cells is presented. The interfaces were fabricated and processed by hydrogen plasma treatment using the conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vacuum deposition (PECVD) and inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition (ICP-CVD) methods The influence of processing temperature, radio-frequency power, treatment duration and other parameters on interface properties and degree of surface passivation were studied. It was found that passivation could be improved by post-deposition treatment using both ICP-CVD and PECVD, but PECVD treatment is more efficient for the improvement on passivation quality, whereas the minority carrier lifetime increased from 1.65 × 10-4 to 2.25 × 10-4 and 3.35 × 10-4 s after the hydrogen plasma treatment by ICP-CVD and PECVD, respectively. In addition to the improvement of carrier lifetimes at low temperatures, low RF powers and short processing times, both techniques are efficient in band gap adjustment at sophisticated interfaces.

  19. Controllable Nanoscale Inverted Pyramids for High-Efficient Quasi-Omnidirectional Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Haiyuan; Zhong, Sihua; Zhuang, Yufeng; Shen, Wenzhong

    2017-11-14

    Nanoscale inverted pyramid structures (NIPs) have always been regarded as one of the most paramount light management schemes to achieve the extraordinary performance in various devices, especially in solar cells, due to their outstanding antireflection ability with relative lower surface enhancement ratio. However, the current approaches to fabricating the NIPs are complicated and not cost-effective for the massive cell production in the photovoltaic industry. Here, controllable NIPs are fabricated on crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers by Ag catalyzed chemical etching and alkaline modification, which is a preferable all-solution-processed method. Through applying the NIPs to c-Si solar cells and optimizing the cell design, we have successfully achieved highly efficient NIPs textured solar cells with the champion efficiency of 20.5%. Importantly, the NIPs textured solar cells are further demonstrated to possess the quasi-omnidirectional property over the broad sunlight incident angles of approximately 0°-60°. Moreover, the NIPs are theoretically revealed to offer light trapping advantage for ultrathin c-Si solar cells. Hence, the NIPs formed by the controllable method exhibit a great potential to be used in the future photovoltaic industry as surface texture. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  20. Controlling the morphology of side chain liquid crystalline block copolymer thin films through variations in liquid crystalline content.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verploegen, Eric; Zhang, Tejia; Jung, Yeon Sik; Ross, Caroline; Hammond, Paula T

    2008-10-01

    In this paper, we describe methods for manipulating the morphology of side-chain liquid crystalline block copolymers through variations in the liquid crystalline content. By systematically controlling the covalent attachment of side chain liquid crystals to a block copolymer (BCP) backbone, the morphology of both the liquid crystalline (LC) mesophase and the phase-segregated BCP microstructures can be precisely manipulated. Increases in LC functionalization lead to stronger preferences for the anchoring of the LC mesophase relative to the substrate and the intermaterial dividing surface. By manipulating the strength of these interactions, the arrangement and ordering of the ultrathin film block copolymer nanostructures can be controlled, yielding a range of morphologies that includes perpendicular and parallel cylinders, as well as both perpendicular and parallel lamellae. Additionally, we demonstrate the utilization of selective etching to create a nanoporous liquid crystalline polymer thin film. The unique control over the orientation and order of the self-assembled morphologies with respect to the substrate will allow for the custom design of thin films for specific nanopatterning applications without manipulation of the surface chemistry or the application of external fields.

  1. Aspirin degradation in surface-charged TEMPO-oxidized mesoporous crystalline nanocellulose.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carlsson, Daniel O; Hua, Kai; Forsgren, Johan; Mihranyan, Albert

    2014-01-30

    TEMPO-mediated surface oxidation of mesoporous highly crystalline Cladophora cellulose was used to introduce negative surface charges onto cellulose nanofibrils without significantly altering other structural characteristics. This enabled the investigation of the influence of mesoporous nanocellulose surface charges on aspirin chemical stability to be conducted. The negative surface charges (carboxylate content 0.44±0.01 mmol/g) introduced on the mesoporous crystalline nanocellulose significantly accelerated aspirin degradation, compared to the starting material which had significantly less surface charge (0.06±0.01 mmol/g). This effect followed from an increased aspirin amorphisation ability in mesopores of the oxidized nanocellulose. These results highlight the importance of surface charges in formulating nanocellulose for drug delivery. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Mechanical energy losses in plastically deformed and electron plus neutron irradiated high purity single crystalline molybdenum at elevated temperatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zelada, Griselda I. [Laboratorio de Materiales, Escuela de Ingenieria Electrica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingenieria y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Avda. Pellegrini 250, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Lambri, Osvaldo Agustin [Laboratorio de Materiales, Escuela de Ingenieria Electrica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Ingenieria y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Avda. Pellegrini 250, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Instituto de Fisica Rosario - CONICET, Member of the CONICET& #x27; s Research Staff, Avda. Pellegrini 250, 2000 Rosario (Argentina); Bozzano, Patricia B. [Laboratorio de Microscopia Electronica, Unidad de Actividad Materiales, Centro Atomico Constituyentes, Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Avda. Gral. Paz 1499, 1650 San Martin (Argentina); Garcia, Jose Angel [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencias y Tecnologia, Universidad del Pais Vasco, Apdo. 644, 48080 Bilbao, Pais Vasco (Spain)

    2012-10-15

    Mechanical spectroscopy (MS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies have been performed in plastically deformed and electron plus neutron irradiated high purity single crystalline molybdenum, oriented for single slip, in order to study the dislocation dynamics in the temperature range within one third of the melting temperature. A damping peak related to the interaction of dislocation lines with both prismatic loops and tangles of dislocations was found. The peak temperature ranges between 900 and 1050 K, for an oscillating frequency of about 1 Hz. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  3. Reticular Chemistry for the Highly Connected Porous Crystalline Frameworks and Their Potential Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Zhijie

    2018-03-31

    Control at the molecular level over porous solid-state materials is of prime importance for fine-tuning the local structures, as well as the resultant properties. Traditional porous solid-state materials such as zeolite and activated carbon are the benchmarks in the current market with vital applications in sorption and heterogeneous catalysis. However, the adjustments of pore size and geometry of those materials, which are essential for the broader aspect of modern prominent applications, remain challenging. Reticular chemistry has emerged as a dominant tool toward the ‘designed syntheses’ of porous crystalline frameworks (e.g. metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)) with a specific pore system. This dissertation illustrates the power of reticular chemistry and its use in the directional assembly of highly coordinated MOF materials, as well as their potential applications such as gas storage, natural gas upgrading, and light hydrocarbon separation. Highly connected minimal edge-transitive derived and related nets, obtained via the deconstruction of nodes of the edge-transitive nets, are suitable blueprints and can potentially be deployed in the future ‘designed syntheses’ of MOFs. The further employment of the conceptual net-coded building units (e.g. highly connected MBBs and edge-transitive SBLs) in the practical reticular synthesis results in the rational design and construction of functional MOF platforms like shp-, alb-, kce-, kex- and eea- MOFs. In addition, the isoreticular synthesis of Al-cea-MOF-2 with functionalized pendant acid moieties inside pore channels in comparison to the parent Al-cea-MOF-1 led to enhanced light hydrocarbons separation performance. Moreover, controlling the molecular defects in Zr-fum-fcu-MOFs resulted in the development of an ultramicroporous adsorbent with an engineered aperture size for the highly efficient separation of butane/iso-butane.

  4. [Representation and mathematical analysis of human crystalline lens].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tălu, Stefan; Giovanzana, Stefano; Tălu, Mihai

    2011-01-01

    The surface of human crystalline lens can be described and analyzed using mathematical models based on parametric representations, used in biomechanical studies and 3D solid modeling of the lens. The mathematical models used in lens biomechanics allow the study and the behavior of crystalline lens on variables and complex dynamic loads. Also, the lens biomechanics has the potential to improve the results in the development of intraocular lenses and cataract surgery. The paper presents the most representative mathematical models currently used for the modeling of human crystalline lens, both optically and biomechanically.

  5. Highly qualified does not equal high quality: A study of urban stakeholders' perceptions of quality in science teaching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miranda, Rommel Joseph

    By employing qualitative methods, this study sought to determine the perceptions that urban stakeholders hold about what characteristics should distinguish a high school science teacher whom they would consider to demonstrate high quality in science teaching. A maximum variation sample of six science teachers, three school administrators, six parents and six students from a large urban public school district were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth interview techniques. From these data, a list of observable characteristics which urban stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching was generated. Observational techniques were utilized to determine the extent to which six urban high school science teachers, who meet the NCLB Act criteria for being "highly qualified", actually possessed the characteristics which these stakeholders hold as evidence of high quality in science teaching. Constant comparative analysis was used to analyze the data set. The findings suggest that urban stakeholders perceive that a high school science teacher who demonstrates high quality in science teaching should be knowledgeable about their subject matter, their student population, and should be resourceful; should possess an academic background in science and professional experience in science teaching; should exhibit professionalism, a passion for science and teaching, and a dedication to teaching and student learning; should be skillful in planning and preparing science lessons and in organizing the classroom, in presenting the subject matter to students, in conducting a variety of hands-on activities, and in managing a classroom; and should assess whether students complete class goals and objectives, and provide feedback about grades for students promptly. The findings further reveal that some of the urban high school science teachers who were deemed to be "highly qualified", as defined by the NCLB Act, engaged in practices that threatened quality in science

  6. Solution-phase synthesis of single-crystalline Fe3O4 magnetic nanobelts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Lili; Chu Ying; Liu Yang; Wang Dan

    2009-01-01

    Single-crystalline Fe 3 O 4 nanobelt was first synthesized on a large scale by a facile and efficient hydrothermal process. The samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The SAED pattern obtained from a typical individual nanobelt has a highly symmetrical dotted lattice, which reveals the single-crystalline nature of belt-like Fe 3 O 4 . The saturation magnetization of the Fe 3 O 4 nanobelt is higher than the wire, hollow sphere and octahedral structure. Such methods are easy and mild, and could synthesize other metal oxide in such experiment situation

  7. Electrical transport in crystalline phase change materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woda, Michael

    2012-01-06

    In this thesis, the electrical transport properties of crystalline phase change materials are discussed. Phase change materials (PCM) are a special class of semiconducting and metallic thin film alloys, typically with a high amount of the group five element antimony or the group six element tellurium, such as Ge{sub 2}Sb{sub 2}Te{sub 5}. The unique property portfolio of this material class makes it suitable for memory applications. PCMs reveal fast switching between two stable room-temperature phases (amorphous and crystalline) realized by optical laser or electrical current pulses in memory devices. Additionally, a pronounced property contrast in form of optical reflectivity and electrical conductivity between the amorphous and crystalline phase is the characteristic fingerprint of PCMs. The emerging electrical solid state memory PCRAM is a very promising candidate to replace Flash memory in the near future or to even become a universal memory, which is non-volatile and shows the speed and cyclability of DRAM. One of the main technological challenges is the switching process into the amorphous state, which is the most power demanding step. In order to reduce the switching power, the crystalline resistivity needs to be increased at a given voltage. Thus understanding and tayloring of this property is mandatory. In this work, first the technological relevance, i.e. optical and electrical memory concepts based on PCMs are introduced. Subsequently a description of the physical properties of PCMs in four categories is given. Namely, structure, kinetics, optical properties and electrical properties are discussed. Then important recent developments such as the identification of resonant bonding in crystalline PCMs and a property predicting coordination scheme are briefly reviewed. The following chapter deals with the theoretical background of electrical transport, while the next chapter introduces the experimental techniques: Sputtering, XRR, XRD, DSC, thermal annealing

  8. Solution coating of large-area organic semiconductor thin films with aligned single-crystalline domains

    KAUST Repository

    Diao, Ying

    2013-06-02

    Solution coating of organic semiconductors offers great potential for achieving low-cost manufacturing of large-area and flexible electronics. However, the rapid coating speed needed for industrial-scale production poses challenges to the control of thin-film morphology. Here, we report an approach - termed fluid-enhanced crystal engineering (FLUENCE) - that allows for a high degree of morphological control of solution-printed thin films. We designed a micropillar-patterned printing blade to induce recirculation in the ink for enhancing crystal growth, and engineered the curvature of the ink meniscus to control crystal nucleation. Using FLUENCE, we demonstrate the fast coating and patterning of millimetre-wide, centimetre-long, highly aligned single-crystalline organic semiconductor thin films. In particular, we fabricated thin films of 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl) pentacene having non-equilibrium single-crystalline domains and an unprecedented average and maximum mobilities of 8.1±1.2 cm2 V-1 s -1 and 11 cm2 V-1 s-1. FLUENCE of organic semiconductors with non-equilibrium single-crystalline domains may find use in the fabrication of high-performance, large-area printed electronics. © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  9. An integrated approach to isotopic study of crystalline rock for a high-level waste repository: Area phase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, L.A.

    1986-01-01

    An integrated approach to assessing isotopic systems in crystalline rock is planned for area phase studies. This approach combines radiogenic isotope systems with petrography in order to characterize potential crystalline repository media. The coeval use of selected isotope systems will minimize the limitations of each method and provide intensive parameters yielding data on alteration timing, secondary mineral formation, temperature history, and radionuclide species migration. Isotope systems will be selected in order to measure differences in sensitivity to thermal disturbances and mobility due to fluid interaction. Comparative evaluation of isotope pair behavior may be used in combination with mineral versus whole-rock dates to provide data on heating and mobilization of alkali elements, lanthanides, and gases, caused by future introduction of waste

  10. Biocompatibility of crystalline opal nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Ortiz, Marlen; Acosta-Torres, Laura S; Hernández-Padrón, Genoveva; Mendieta, Alicia I; Bernal, Rodolfo; Cruz-Vázquez, Catalina; Castaño, Victor M

    2012-10-22

    Silica nanoparticles are being developed as a host of biomedical and biotechnological applications. For this reason, there are more studies about biocompatibility of silica with amorphous and crystalline structure. Except hydrated silica (opal), despite is presents directly and indirectly in humans. Two sizes of crystalline opal nanoparticles were investigated in this work under criteria of toxicology. In particular, cytotoxic and genotoxic effects caused by opal nanoparticles (80 and 120 nm) were evaluated in cultured mouse cells via a set of bioassays, methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium-bromide (MTT) and 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU). 3T3-NIH cells were incubated for 24 and 72 h in contact with nanocrystalline opal particles, not presented significant statistically difference in the results of cytotoxicity. Genotoxicity tests of crystalline opal nanoparticles were performed by the BrdU assay on the same cultured cells for 24 h incubation. The reduction of BrdU-incorporated cells indicates that nanocrystalline opal exposure did not caused unrepairable damage DNA. There is no relationship between that particles size and MTT reduction, as well as BrdU incorporation, such that the opal particles did not induce cytotoxic effect and genotoxicity in cultured mouse cells.

  11. Graphene on insulating crystalline substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akcoeltekin, S; El Kharrazi, M; Koehler, B; Lorke, A; Schleberger, M

    2009-01-01

    We show that it is possible to prepare and identify ultra-thin sheets of graphene on crystalline substrates such as SrTiO 3 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and CaF 2 by standard techniques (mechanical exfoliation, optical and atomic force microscopy). On the substrates under consideration we find a similar distribution of single layer, bilayer and few-layer graphene and graphite flakes as with conventional SiO 2 substrates. The optical contrast C of a single graphene layer on any of those substrates is determined by calculating the optical properties of a two-dimensional metallic sheet on the surface of a dielectric, which yields values between C = -1.5% (G/TiO 2 ) and C = -8.8% (G/CaF 2 ). This contrast is in reasonable agreement with experimental data and is sufficient to make identification by an optical microscope possible. The graphene layers cover the crystalline substrate in a carpet-like mode and the height of single layer graphene on any of the crystalline substrates as determined by atomic force microscopy is d SLG = 0.34 nm and thus much smaller than on SiO 2 .

  12. Fabrication of highly crystalline oxide thin films on plastics: Sol–gel transfer technique involving high temperature process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiromitsu Kozuka

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Si(100 substrates were coated with a polyimide (PI–polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP mixture film, and an alkoxide-derived TiO2 gel film was deposited on it by spin-coating. The gel films were fired under various conditions with final annealing at 600–1000 °C. The PI–PVP layer was completely decomposed at such high temperatures while the TiO2 films survived on Si(100 substrates without any damages. When the final annealing temperature was raised, the crystalline phase changed from anatase to rutile, and the crystallite size and the refractive index of the films tended to increase. The TiO2 films thus fired on Si(100 substrates were transferred to polycarbonate (PC substrates by melting the surface of the plastic substrate either in a near-infrared image furnace or on a hot plate under a load. Cycles of deposition and firing were found to be effective in achieving successful transfer even for the films finally annealed at 1000 °C. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analyses on the film/Si(100 interface suggested that the residual carbon or carbides at the interface could be a possible factor, but not a necessary and decisive factor that allows the film transfer.

  13. Investigation on thermodynamics of ion-slicing of GaN and heterogeneously integrating high-quality GaN films on CMOS compatible Si(100) substrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Kai; Jia, Qi; You, Tiangui; Zhang, Runchun; Lin, Jiajie; Zhang, Shibin; Zhou, Min; Zhang, Bo; Yu, Wenjie; Ou, Xin; Wang, Xi

    2017-11-08

    Die-to-wafer heterogeneous integration of single-crystalline GaN film with CMOS compatible Si(100) substrate using the ion-cutting technique has been demonstrated. The thermodynamics of GaN surface blistering is in-situ investigated via a thermal-stage optical microscopy, which indicates that the large activation energy (2.5 eV) and low H ions utilization ratio (~6%) might result in the extremely high H fluence required for the ion-slicing of GaN. The crystalline quality, surface topography and the microstructure of the GaN films are characterized in detail. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) for GaN (002) X-ray rocking curves is as low as 163 arcsec, corresponding to a density of threading dislocation of 5 × 10 7  cm -2 . Different evolution of the implantation-induced damage was observed and a relationship between the damage evolution and implantation-induced damage is demonstrated. This work would be beneficial to understand the mechanism of ion-slicing of GaN and to provide a platform for the hybrid integration of GaN devices with standard Si CMOS process.

  14. Fast High-Quality Noise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frisvad, Jeppe Revall; Wyvill, Geoff

    2007-01-01

    At the moment the noise functions available in a graphics programmer's toolbox are either slow to compute or they involve grid-line artifacts making them of lower quality. In this paper we present a real-time noise computation with no grid-line artifacts or other regularity problems. In other words......, we put a new tool in the box that computes fast high-quality noise. In addition to being free of artifacts, the noise we present does not rely on tabulated data (everything is computed on the fly) and it is easy to adjust quality vs. quantity for the noise. The noise is based on point rendering (like...... spot noise), but it extends to more than two dimensions. The fact that it is based on point rendering makes art direction of the noise much easier....

  15. Diffractometric method for determining the degree of crystallinity of materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chukhchin, D. G., E-mail: dimatsch@mail.ru; Malkov, A. V.; Tyshkunova, I. V.; Mayer, L. V.; Novozhilov, E. V. [Lomonosov Northen (Arctic) Federal University (Russian Federation)

    2016-05-15

    A new method for determining the degree of crystallinity of a material from X-ray diffraction data has been developed. The method is based on estimating the rate of change in function I = f(2θ) in the entire range of scattering angles. A calculation is performed using the ratio of the integral modulus of the first derivative of intensity with respect to angle 2θ to the integral area under the diffraction pattern curve. The method was tested on two substances with known amorphous and crystalline components. A linear relationship is revealed between the specified ratio of crystalline and amorphous parts and the calculated crystallinity index. The proposed method allows one to estimate impartially and compare the degree of crystallinity for samples of different nature.

  16. Heavy ion irradiation of crystalline water ice. Cosmic ray amorphisation cross-section and sputtering yield

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dartois, E.; Augé, B.; Boduch, P.; Brunetto, R.; Chabot, M.; Domaracka, A.; Ding, J. J.; Kamalou, O.; Lv, X. Y.; Rothard, H.; da Silveira, E. F.; Thomas, J. C.

    2015-04-01

    Context. Under cosmic irradiation, the interstellar water ice mantles evolve towards a compact amorphous state. Crystalline ice amorphisation was previously monitored mainly in the keV to hundreds of keV ion energies. Aims: We experimentally investigate heavy ion irradiation amorphisation of crystalline ice, at high energies closer to true cosmic rays, and explore the water-ice sputtering yield. Methods: We irradiated thin crystalline ice films with MeV to GeV swift ion beams, produced at the GANIL accelerator. The ice infrared spectral evolution as a function of fluence is monitored with in-situ infrared spectroscopy (induced amorphisation of the initial crystalline state into a compact amorphous phase). Results: The crystalline ice amorphisation cross-section is measured in the high electronic stopping-power range for different temperatures. At large fluence, the ice sputtering is measured on the infrared spectra, and the fitted sputtering-yield dependence, combined with previous measurements, is quadratic over three decades of electronic stopping power. Conclusions: The final state of cosmic ray irradiation for porous amorphous and crystalline ice, as monitored by infrared spectroscopy, is the same, but with a large difference in cross-section, hence in time scale in an astrophysical context. The cosmic ray water-ice sputtering rates compete with the UV photodesorption yields reported in the literature. The prevalence of direct cosmic ray sputtering over cosmic-ray induced photons photodesorption may be particularly true for ices strongly bonded to the ice mantles surfaces, such as hydrogen-bonded ice structures or more generally the so-called polar ices. Experiments performed at the Grand Accélérateur National d'Ions Lourds (GANIL) Caen, France. Part of this work has been financed by the French INSU-CNRS programme "Physique et Chimie du Milieu Interstellaire" (PCMI) and the ANR IGLIAS.

  17. Assuring quality in high-consequence engineering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoover, Marcey L.; Kolb, Rachel R.

    2014-03-01

    In high-consequence engineering organizations, such as Sandia, quality assurance may be heavily dependent on staff competency. Competency-dependent quality assurance models are at risk when the environment changes, as it has with increasing attrition rates, budget and schedule cuts, and competing program priorities. Risks in Sandia's competency-dependent culture can be mitigated through changes to hiring, training, and customer engagement approaches to manage people, partners, and products. Sandia's technical quality engineering organization has been able to mitigate corporate-level risks by driving changes that benefit all departments, and in doing so has assured Sandia's commitment to excellence in high-consequence engineering and national service.

  18. Early hydration of portland cement with crystalline mineral additions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahhal, V.; Talero, R.

    2005-01-01

    This research presents the effects of finely divided crystalline mineral additions (quartz and limestone), commonly known as filler, on the early hydration of portland cements with very different mineralogical composition. The used techniques to study the early hydration of blended cements were conduction calorimeter, hydraulicity (Fratini's test), non-evaporable water and X-ray diffraction. Results showed that the stimulation and the dilution effects increase when the percentage of crystalline mineral additions used is increased. Depending on the replacement proportion, the mineralogical cement composition and the type of crystalline addition, at 2 days, the prevalence of the dilution effect or the stimulation effect shows that crystalline mineral additions could act as sites of heat dissipation or heat stimulation, respectively

  19. Room temperature formation of high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases at crystalline complex oxide interfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Yunzhong; Bovet, N.; Kasama, Takeshi

    2014-01-01

    Well-controlled sub-unit-cell layer-bylayer epitaxial growth of spinel alumina is achieved at room temperature on a TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 single-crystalline substrate. By tailoring the interface redox reaction, 2D electron gases with mobilities exceeding 3000 cm 2 V−1 s−1 are achieved at this no...

  20. Liquid Crystalline Thermosets from Ester, Ester-imide, and Ester-amide Oligomers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dingemans, Theodorus J. (Inventor); Weiser, Erik S. (Inventor); St. Clair, Terry L. (Inventor)

    2009-01-01

    Main chain thermotropic liquid crystal esters, ester-imides, and ester-amides were prepared from AA, BB, and AB type monomeric materials and end-capped with phenylacetylene, phenylmaleimide, or nadimide reactive end-groups. The end-capped liquid crystal oligomers are thermotropic and have, preferably, molecular weights in the range of approximately 1000-15,000 grams per mole. The end-capped liquid crystaloligomers have broad liquid crystalline melting ranges and exhibit high melt stability and very low melt viscosities at accessible temperatures. The end-capped liquid crystal oli-gomers are stable forup to an hour in the melt phase. They are highly processable by a variety of melt process shape forming and blending techniques. Once processed and shaped, the end-capped liquid crystal oigomers were heated to further polymerize and form liquid crystalline thermosets (LCT). The fully cured products are rubbers above their glass transition temperatures.

  1. Crystalline beam ground state

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Jie; Li, Xiao-Ping

    1993-01-01

    In order to employ molecular dynamics (MD) methods, commonly used in condensed matter physics, we have derived the equations of motion for a beam of charged particles in the rotating rest frame of the reference particle. We include in the formalism that the particles are confined by the guiding and focusing magnetic fields, and that they are confined in a conducting vacuum pipe while interacting with each other via a Coulomb force. Numerical simulations using MD methods has been performed to obtain the equilibrium crystalline beam structure. The effect of the shearing force, centrifugal force, and azimuthal variation of the focusing strength are investigated. It is found that a constant gradient storage ring can not give a crystalline beam, but that an alternating-gradient (AG) structure can. In such a machine the ground state is, except for one-dimensional (1-D) crystals, time dependent. The ground state is a zero entropy state, despite the time-dependent, periodic variation of the focusing force. The nature of the ground state, similar to that found by Schiffer et al. depends upon the density and the relative focusing strengths in the transverse directions. At low density, the crystal is 1-D. As the density increases, it transforms into various kinds of 2-D and 3-D crystals. If the energy of the beam is higher than the transition energy of the machine, the crystalline structure can not be formed for lack of radial focusing

  2. A high throughput DNA extraction method with high yield and quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Zhanguo

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Preparation of large quantity and high quality genomic DNA from a large number of plant samples is a major bottleneck for most genetic and genomic analyses, such as, genetic mapping, TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesion IN Genome, and next-generation sequencing directly from sheared genomic DNA. A variety of DNA preparation methods and commercial kits are available. However, they are either low throughput, low yield, or costly. Here, we describe a method for high throughput genomic DNA isolation from sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench] leaves and dry seeds with high yield, high quality, and affordable cost. Results We developed a high throughput DNA isolation method by combining a high yield CTAB extraction method with an improved cleanup procedure based on MagAttract kit. The method yielded large quantity and high quality DNA from both lyophilized sorghum leaves and dry seeds. The DNA yield was improved by nearly 30 fold with 4 times less consumption of MagAttract beads. The method can also be used in other plant species, including cotton leaves and pine needles. Conclusion A high throughput system for DNA extraction from sorghum leaves and seeds was developed and validated. The main advantages of the method are low cost, high yield, high quality, and high throughput. One person can process two 96-well plates in a working day at a cost of $0.10 per sample of magnetic beads plus other consumables that other methods will also need.

  3. High-pressure Raman study of vibrational spectra in crystalline acetanilide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Masamichi; Kuroda, Noritaka; Nishina, Yuichiro

    1993-01-01

    We have studied the effect of pressure on the low-frequency lattice modes and the amide-I (N-CO stretching) vibrational modes in crystalline acetanilide (C6H5NHCOCH3) in the temperature range 80-300 K by means of Raman spectroscopy. The Raman intensity of the 1650-cm-1 band, which appears upon cooling, is enhanced by applying pressure. The energy difference between the amide-I phonon (Ag mode) and the 1650-cm-1 bands does not change appreciably under pressure up to at least 4 GPa. These results are analyzed in terms of the self-trapped model in which a single lattice mode couples with the amide-I excitation by taking into account the effect of pressure on the low-frequency lattice modes and on the dipole-dipole interactions associated with the amide-I vibration. A band is observed at 30 cm-1 below the amide-I phonon band at low temperatures with a pressure above ~2 GPa.

  4. Electron microscopy observation of TiO2 nanocrystal evolution in high-temperature atomic layer deposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Jian; Li, Zhaodong; Kvit, Alexander; Krylyuk, Sergiy; Davydov, Albert V; Wang, Xudong

    2013-01-01

    Understanding the evolution of amorphous and crystalline phases during atomic layer deposition (ALD) is essential for creating high quality dielectrics, multifunctional films/coatings, and predictable surface functionalization. Through comprehensive atomistic electron microscopy study of ALD TiO2 nanostructures at designed growth cycles, we revealed the transformation process and sequence of atom arrangement during TiO2 ALD growth. Evolution of TiO2 nanostructures in ALD was found following a path from amorphous layers to amorphous particles to metastable crystallites and ultimately to stable crystalline forms. Such a phase evolution is a manifestation of the Ostwald-Lussac Law, which governs the advent sequence and amount ratio of different phases in high-temperature TiO2 ALD nanostructures. The amorphous-crystalline mixture also enables a unique anisotropic crystal growth behavior at high temperature forming TiO2 nanorods via the principle of vapor-phase oriented attachment.

  5. Quantitative aspects of crystalline lactose in milk products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roetman, K.

    1982-01-01

    The occurrence of crystalline lactose in milk products and its influence on their physical properties are briefly reviewed. The importance of the quantitive determination of crystalline lactose for scientific and industrial purposes is indicated, and a summary is given of our earlier work. This

  6. Attenuation of Thermal Neutrons by Crystalline Silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.; Habib, N.; Ashry, A.; Fathalla, M.

    2002-01-01

    A simple formula is given which allows to calculate the contribution of the total neutron cross - section including the Bragg scattering from different (hkt) planes to the neutron * transmission through a solid crystalline silicon. The formula takes into account the silicon form of poly or mono crystals and its parameters. A computer program DSIC was developed to provide the required calculations. The calculated values of the total neutron cross-section of perfect silicon crystal at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures were compared with the experimental ones. The obtained agreement shows that the simple formula fits the experimental data with sufficient accuracy .A good agreement was also obtained between the calculated and measured values of polycrystalline silicon in the energy range from 5 eV to 500μ eV. The feasibility study on using a poly-crystalline silicon as a cold neutron filter and mono-crystalline as a thermal neutron one is given. The optimum crystal thickness, mosaic spread, temperature and cutting plane for efficiently transmitting the thermal reactor neutrons, while rejecting both fast neutrons and gamma rays accompanying the thermal ones for the mono crystalline silicon are also given

  7. Concrete Waste Recycling Process for High Quality Aggregate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishikura, Takeshi; Fujii, Shin-ichi

    2008-01-01

    Large amount of concrete waste generates during nuclear power plant (NPP) dismantling. Non-contaminated concrete waste is assumed to be disposed in a landfill site, but that will not be the solution especially in the future, because of decreasing tendency of the site availability and natural resources. Concerning concrete recycling, demand for roadbeds and backfill tends to be less than the amount of dismantled concrete generated in a single rural site, and conventional recycled aggregate is limited of its use to non-structural concrete, because of its inferior quality to ordinary natural aggregate. Therefore, it is vital to develop high quality recycled aggregate for general uses of dismantled concrete. If recycled aggregate is available for high structural concrete, the dismantling concrete is recyclable as aggregate for industry including nuclear field. Authors developed techniques on high quality aggregate reclamation for large amount of concrete generated during NPP decommissioning. Concrete of NPP buildings has good features for recycling aggregate; large quantity of high quality aggregate from same origin, record keeping of the aggregate origin, and little impurities in dismantled concrete such as wood and plastics. The target of recycled aggregate in this development is to meet the quality criteria for NPP concrete as prescribed in JASS 5N 'Specification for Nuclear Power Facility Reinforced Concrete' and JASS 5 'Specification for Reinforced Concrete Work'. The target of recycled aggregate concrete is to be comparable performance with ordinary aggregate concrete. The high quality recycled aggregate production techniques are assumed to apply for recycling for large amount of non-contaminated concrete. These techniques can also be applied for slightly contaminated concrete dismantled from radiological control area (RCA), together with free release survey. In conclusion: a technology on dismantled concrete recycling for high quality aggregate was developed

  8. Novel biphotonic holographic storage in a side-chain liquid crystalline polyester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ramanujam, P.S.; Hvilsted, S.; Andruzzi, F.

    1993-01-01

    We report novel biphotonic holographic storage of text and gratings on unoriented films of a side-chain liquid crystalline polyester capable of high density storage and complete erasure. The holograms have a typical size of 1 mm. The recording utilizes unusual photochemistry involving azo dye...

  9. Substrate bias effect on crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared by pulsed ion-beam evaporation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, Fazlat; Gunji, Michiharu; Yang, Sung-Chae; Suzuki, Tsuneo; Suematsu, Hisayuki; Jiang, Weihua; Yatsui, Kiyoshi [Nagaoka Univ. of Technology, Extreme Energy-Density Research Inst., Nagaoka, Niigata (Japan)

    2002-06-01

    The deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films has been tried by a pulsed ion-beam evaporation method, where high crystallinity and deposition rate have been achieved without heating the substrate. The crystallinity and the deposition rate were improved by applying bias voltage to the substrate, where instantaneous substrate heating might have occurred by ion-bombardment. (author)

  10. Substrate bias effect on crystallinity of polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared by pulsed ion-beam evaporation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, Fazlat; Gunji, Michiharu; Yang, Sung-Chae; Suzuki, Tsuneo; Suematsu, Hisayuki; Jiang, Weihua; Yatsui, Kiyoshi

    2002-01-01

    The deposition of polycrystalline silicon thin films has been tried by a pulsed ion-beam evaporation method, where high crystallinity and deposition rate have been achieved without heating the substrate. The crystallinity and the deposition rate were improved by applying bias voltage to the substrate, where instantaneous substrate heating might have occurred by ion-bombardment. (author)

  11. High quality superconducting titanium nitride thin film growth using infrared pulsed laser deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torgovkin, A.; Chaudhuri, S.; Ruhtinas, A.; Lahtinen, M.; Sajavaara, T.; Maasilta, I. J.

    2018-05-01

    Superconducting titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were deposited on magnesium oxide, sapphire and silicon nitride substrates at 700 °C, using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique, where infrared (1064 nm) pulses from a solid-state laser were used for the ablation from a titanium target in a nitrogen atmosphere. Structural studies performed with x-ray diffraction showed the best epitaxial crystallinity for films deposited on MgO. In the best films, superconducting transition temperatures, T C, as high as 4.8 K were observed, higher than in most previous superconducting TiN thin films deposited with reactive sputtering. A room temperature resistivity down to ∼17 μΩ cm and residual resistivity ratio up to 3 were observed in the best films, approaching reported single crystal film values, demonstrating that PLD is a good alternative to reactive sputtering for superconducting TiN film deposition. For less than ideal samples, the suppression of the film properties were correlated mostly with the unintended incorporation of oxygen (5–10 at%) in the film, and for high oxygen content films, vacuum annealing was also shown to increase the T C. On the other hand, superconducting properties were surprisingly insensitive to the nitrogen content, with high quality films achieved even in the highly nitrogen rich, Ti:N = 40/60 limit. Measures to limit oxygen exposure during deposition must be taken to guarantee the best superconducting film properties, a fact that needs to be taken into account with other deposition methods, as well.

  12. Large-scale synthesis of single-crystalline MgO with bone-like nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu Haixia; Yang Qing; Tang Kaibin; Xie Yi

    2006-01-01

    Uniform bone-like MgO nanocrystals have been prepared via a solvothermal process using commercial Mg powders as the starting material in the absence of any catalyst or surfactant followed by a subsequent calcination. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements indicate that the product consists of a large quantity of bone-like nanocrystals with lengths of 120-200 nm. The widths of these nanocrystals at both ends are in the range of 20-50 nm, which are 3-20 nm wider than those of the middle parts. Explorations of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and selected area electronic diffraction (SAED) exhibit that the product is high-quality cubic single-crystalline nanocrystals. The photoluminescence (PL) measurement suggests that the product has an intensive emission centered at 410 nm, showing that the product has potential application in optical devices. The advantages of our method lie in high yield, the easy availability of the starting materials and permitting large-scale production at low cost. The growth mechanism was proposed to be related with solvent's oxidation in the precursor formation process and following nucleation and mass-transfer in the decomposition of the precursor

  13. Nonlinear optical properties of TeO$_2$ crystalline phases from first principles

    OpenAIRE

    Berkaine, Nabil; Orhan, Emmanuelle; Masson, Olivier; Thomas, Philippe; Junquera, Javier

    2010-01-01

    We have computed second and third nonlinear optical susceptibilities of two crystalline bulk tellurium oxide polymorphs: $\\alpha$-TeO$_{2}$ (the most stable crystalline bulk phase) and $\\gamma$-TeO$_{2}$ (the crystalline phase that ressembles the more to the glass phase. Third order nonlinear susceptibilities of the crystalline phases are two orders of magnitude larger than $\\alpha$-SiO$_{2}$ cristoballite, thus extending the experimental observations on glasses to the case of crystalline com...

  14. cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of bovine lens alpha-crystallin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spector, A.; Chiesa, R.; Sredy, J.; Garner, W.

    1985-01-01

    This communication reports that the A1 and B1 chains of bovine lens alpha-crystallin are phosphorylated. The conclusion is based on the following evidence: (i) When soluble preparations from lens cortex are incubated with [gamma- 32 P]ATP, a cAMP-dependent labeling of a high molecular weight protein is obtained. (ii) After NaDodSO 4 /PAGE, the label is found in two bands with Mr 22,000 and 20,000, corresponding to the B and A chains of alpha-crystallin, respectively. (iii) Isoelectric focusing indicates that the radioactivity is almost exclusively in bands with pI values of 5.58 and 6.70, corresponding to the A1 and B1 chains, respectively. (iv) Similar results are obtained in experiments of [ 32 P]orthophosphate incorporation in lens organ culture. (v) Analyses of the digested protein indicate the label is exclusively in phosphoserine. (vi) 31 P NMR analyses of native, proteolytically digested, and urea-treated alpha-crystallin gives a chemical shift of 4.6 ppm relative to 85% H 3 PO 4 at pH 7.4, suggesting that the phosphate is covalently bound to a serine in the protein. An abundance of approximately one phosphate per four or five monomer units was found. (vii) Similar results were obtained by chemical analyses of independently prepared alpha-crystallin samples. The results are consistent with the view that the A1 and B1 chains arise as result of the phosphorylation of directly synthesized A2 and B2 polypeptides. It is suggested that this metabolically controlled phosphorylation may be associated with the terminal differentiation of the lens epithelial cell and the intracellular organization of the lens fiber cell

  15. Crystalline and amorphous H2O on Charon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalle Ore, Cristina M.; Cruikshank, Dale P.; Grundy, Will M.; Ennico, Kimberly; Olkin, Catherine B.; Stern, S. Alan; Young, Leslie A.; Weaver, Harold A.

    2015-11-01

    Charon, the largest satellite of Pluto, is a gray-colored icy world covered mostly in H2O ice, with spectral evidence for NH3, as previously reported (Cook et al. 2007, Astrophys. J. 663, 1406-1419 Merlin, et al. 2010, Icarus, 210, 930; Cook, et al. 2014, AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts, 46, #401.04). Images from the New Horizons spacecraft reveal a surface with terrains of widely different ages and a moderate degree of localized coloration. The presence of H2O ice in its crystalline form (Brown & Calvin 2000 Science 287, 107-109; Buie & Grundy 2000 Icarus 148, 324-339; Merlin et al, 2010) along with NH3 is consistent with a fresh surface.The phase of H2O ice is a key tracer of variations in temperature and physical conditions on the surface of outer Solar System objects. At Charon’s surface temperature H2O is expected to be amorphous, but ground-based observations (e.g., Merlin et al. 2010) show a clearly crystalline signature. From laboratory experiments it is known that amorphous H2O ice becomes crystalline at temperatures of ~130 K. Other mechanisms that can change the phase of the ice from amorphous to crystalline include micro-meteoritic bombardment (Porter et al. 2010, Icarus, 208, 492) or resurfacing processes such as cryovolcanism.New Horizons observed Charon with the LEISA imaging spectrometer, part of the Ralph instrument (Reuter, D.C., Stern, S.A., Scherrer, J., et al. 2008, Space Science Reviews, 140, 129). Making use of high spatial resolution (better than 10 km/px) and spectral resolving power of 240 in the wavelength range 1.25-2.5 µm, and 560 in the range 2.1-2.25 µm, we report on an analysis of the phase of H2O ice on parts of Charon’s surface with a view to investigate the recent history and evolution of this small but intriguing object.This work was supported by NASA’s New Horizons project.

  16. Chemical vapor deposition growth of single-crystalline cesium lead halide microplatelets and heterostructures for optoelectronic applications

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yiliu Wang; Xun Guan; Dehui Li; Hung-Chieh Cheng; Xidong Duan; Zhaoyang Lin; Xiangfeng Duan

    2017-01-01

    Orgaruc-inorganic hybrid halide perovskites,such as CH3NH3PbI3,have emerged as an exciting class of materials for solar photovoltaic applications;however,they are currently plagued by insufficient environmental stability.To solve this issue,all-inorganic halide perovskites have been developed and shown to exhibit significantly improved stability.Here,we report a single-step chemical vapor deposition growth of cesium lead halide (CsPbX3) microcrystals.Optical microscopy studies show that the resulting perovskite crystals predominantly adopt a square-platelet morphology.Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies of the resulting crystals demonstrate a highly crystalline nature,with CsPbC13,CsPbBr3,and CsPbI3 showing tetragonal,monoclinic,and orthorhombic phases,respectively.Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies show that the resulting platelets exhibit well-faceted structures with lateral dimensions of the order of 10-50 μm,thickness around 1 μm,and ultra-smooth surface,suggesting the absence of obvious grain boundaries and the single-crystalline nature of the individual microplatelets.Photoluminescence (PL) images and spectroscopic studies show a uniform and intense emission consistent with the expected band edge transition.Additionally,PL images show brighter emission around the edge of the platelets,demonstrating a wave-guiding effect in high-quality crystals.With a well-defined geometry and ultra-smooth surface,the square platelet structure can function as a whispering gallery mode cavity with a quality factor up to 2,863 to support laser emission at room temperature.Finally,we demonstrate that such microplatelets can be readily grown on a variety of substrates,including silicon,graphene,and other two-dimensional materials such as molybdenum disulfide,which can readily allow the construction of heterostructure optoelectronic devices,including a graphene/perovskite/ graphene vertically-stacked photodetector with

  17. Lattice dynamics, elasticity and magnetic abnormality in ordered crystalline alloys Fe3Pt at high pressures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Tai-min; Yu, Guo-Liang; Su, Yong; Ge, Chong-Yuan; Zhang, Xin-Xin; Zhu, Lin; Li, Lin

    2018-05-01

    The ordered crystalline Invar alloy Fe3Pt is in a special magnetic critical state, under which the lattice dynamic stability of the system is extremely sensitive to external pressures. We studied the pressure dependence of enthalpy and magnetism of Fe3Pt in different crystalline alloys by using the first-principles projector augmented-wave method based on the density functional theory. Results show that the P4/mbm structure is the ground state structure and is more stable relative to other structures at pressures below 18.54 GPa. The total magnetic moments of L12, I4/mmm and DO22 structures decrease rapidly with pressure and oscillate near the ferromagnetic collapse critical pressure. At the pressure of 43 GPa, the ferrimagnetic property in DO22 structure becomes apparently strengthened and its volume increases rapidly. The lattice dynamics calculation for L12 structures at high pressures shows that the spontaneous magnetization of the system in ferromagnetic states induces the softening of the transverse acoustic phonon TA1 (M), and there exists a strong spontaneous volume magnetostriction at pressures below 26.95 GPa. Especially, the lattice dynamics stability is sensitive to pressure, in the pressure range between the ferromagnetic collapse critical pressure (41.9 GPa) and the magnetism completely disappearing pressure (57.25 GPa), and near the pressure of phase transition from L12 to P4/mbm structure (27.27 GPa). Moreover, the instability of magnetic structure leads to a prominent elastic modulus oscillation, and the spin polarizability of electrons near the Fermi level is very sensitive to pressures in that the pressure range. The pressure induces the stability of the phonon spectra of the system at pressures above 57.25 GPa.

  18. Planar-integrated single-crystalline perovskite photodetectors

    KAUST Repository

    Saidaminov, Makhsud I.

    2015-11-09

    Hybrid perovskites are promising semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. However, they suffer from morphological disorder that limits their optoelectronic properties and, ultimately, device performance. Recently, perovskite single crystals have been shown to overcome this problem and exhibit impressive improvements: low trap density, low intrinsic carrier concentration, high mobility, and long diffusion length that outperform perovskite-based thin films. These characteristics make the material ideal for realizing photodetection that is simultaneously fast and sensitive; unfortunately, these macroscopic single crystals cannot be grown on a planar substrate, curtailing their potential for optoelectronic integration. Here we produce large-area planar-integrated films made up of large perovskite single crystals. These crystalline films exhibit mobility and diffusion length comparable with those of single crystals. Using this technique, we produced a high-performance light detector showing high gain (above 104 electrons per photon) and high gain-bandwidth product (above 108 Hz) relative to other perovskite-based optical sensors.

  19. CVD synthesis of large-area, highly crystalline MoSe2 atomic layers on diverse substrates and application to photodetectors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Jing; Huang, Xing; Liu, Ling-Zhi; Wang, Meng; Wang, Lei; Huang, Ben; Zhu, Dan-Dan; Li, Jun-Jie; Gu, Chang-Zhi; Meng, Xiang-Min

    2014-08-07

    Synthesis of large-area, atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) on diverse substrates is of central importance for the large-scale fabrication of flexible devices and heterojunction-based devices. In this work, we successfully synthesized a large area of highly-crystalline MoSe2 atomic layers on SiO2/Si, mica and Si substrates using a simple chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method at atmospheric pressure. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Raman spectroscopy reveal that the as-grown ultrathin MoSe2 layers change from a single layer to a few layers. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy demonstrates that while the multi-layer MoSe2 shows weak emission peaks, the monolayer has a much stronger emission peak at ∼ 1.56 eV, indicating the transition from an indirect to a direct bandgap. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis confirms the single-crystallinity of MoSe2 layers with a hexagonal structure. In addition, the photoresponse performance of photodetectors based on MoSe2 monolayer was studied for the first time. The devices exhibit a rapid response of ∼ 60 ms and a good photoresponsivity of ∼ 13 mA/W (using a 532 nm laser at an intensity of 1 mW mm(-2) and a bias of 10 V), suggesting that MoSe2 monolayer is a promising material for photodetection applications.

  20. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic estimation of crystallinity in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Wintec

    The crystallinity parameter is calculated by using a standard procedure which can be used to estimate the distribution of quartz in various rocks for mining purpose. The infrared ... The X-ray diffraction full ... crystallinity and trace mineral components of rocks (Partha- ... infrared techniques (Rice et al 1995). ... The absorption.

  1. Irradiation induced crystalline to amorphous transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourgoin, J.

    1980-01-01

    Irradiation of a crystalline solid with energetic heavy particles results in cascades of defects which, with increasing dose, overlap and form a continuous disordered layer. In semiconductors the physical properties of such disordered layers are found to be similar to those of amorphous layers produced by evaporation. It is shown in the case of silicon, that the transition from a disordered crystalline (X) layer to an amorphous (α) layer occurs when the Gibbs energy of the X phase and of the defects it contains becomes larger than the Gibbs energy of the α phase. (author)

  2. Thermodynamics of Crystalline States

    CERN Document Server

    Fujimoto, Minoru

    2013-01-01

    Thermodynamics is a well-established discipline of physics for properties of matter in thermal equilibrium with the surroundings. Applying to crystals, however, the laws encounter undefined properties of crystal lattice, which therefore need to be determined for a clear and well-defined description of crystalline states. Thermodynamics of Crystalline States explores the roles played by order variables and dynamic lattices in crystals in a wholly new way. The book begins by clarifying basic concepts for stable crystals. Next, binary phase transitions are discussed to study collective motion of order variables, as described mostly as classical phenomena. New to this edition is the examination of magnetic crystals, where magnetic symmetry is essential for magnetic phase transitions. The multi-electron system is also discussed  theoretically, as a quantum-mechanical example, for superconductivity in metallic crystals. Throughout the book, the role played by the lattice is emphasized and studied in-depth. Thermod...

  3. Crystalline lens - Eyes under high radiological protection. From regulation to acts. With neuro-radiologists of the Pitie-Salpetriere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-01-01

    As the limit exposure of workers' crystalline lens to ionizing radiations is about to be lowered, this set of three articles proposes an overview of this specific issue. A recent study performed by the IRSN revealed that interventional cardiologists display four more crystalline lens opacification that the rest of the population, and also revealed that other incidents could affect the eyes of some operators of nuclear medicine. In interventional radiology, fingers, fists and eyes are the most exposed and have not been so well protected as the rest of the body. After dosimetry measurements, the use of protective glasses has been introduced. These protective measures could be applied in other nuclear activities. Studies are being performed on the eyes of children living in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl accident. A second article comments the various actions and initiatives aiming at limiting the dose received by the crystalline lens: preparation of a new regulation for the follow-up of exposed workers, definition of standards for dose measurement devices, risk assessments, recommendation to interventional radiologists to optimize their exposure (process, protective clothes, and so on). A last article briefly reports the implementation of a dose follow-up for interventional neuro-radiologists in a Parisian hospital

  4. Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jalali, A R; Nørgaard, P; Nielsen, M O

    2010-01-01

    Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage......Effect of forage quality in faeces from different ruminant species fed high and low quality forage...

  5. Appearance of large crystalline domains in VO{sub 2} films grown on sapphire (001) and their phase transition characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Azhan, Nurul Hanis; Su, Kui; Okimura, Kunio, E-mail: okifn@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University, Hiratsuka 259-1292 (Japan); Zaghrioui, Mustapha; Sakai, Joe [GREMAN, UMR 7347 CNRS, Université François Rabelais de Tours, Parc de Grandmont 37200 Tours (France)

    2015-06-28

    We report the first observation of large crystalline domains of several μm-size in VO{sub 2} films deposited on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (001) substrates by rf-biased reactive sputtering technique. The large crystalline domains, dominated with random in-plane oriented growth of (011){sub M1}-orientation, appear only under adequate substrate biasing, such as 10 W, while most biasing conditions result in conventional nanosized grains of highly oriented (010){sub M1}-orientation. Two temperature-controlled analyses, x-ray diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy, have revealed that some parts of large crystalline domains undergo intermediate monoclinic (M2) phase during the thermally-induced structural phase transition from monoclinic (M1) to rutile-tetragonal (R) phase. As an effect of the appearance of large crystalline domains, the film showed in-plane tensile stress, resulting in high T{sub IMT} of 69 °C due to the elongation of the V-V distance in its low-temperature monoclinic phase.

  6. Morphology and crystallinity of sisal nanocellulose after sonication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sosiati, H.; Wijayanti, D. A.; Triyana, K.; Kamiel, B.

    2017-09-01

    Different preparation methods on the natural fibers resulted in different morphology. However, the relationships between type of natural fibers, preparation methods and the morphology of produced nanocellulose could not be exactly defined. The sisal nanocellulose was presently prepared by alkalization and bleaching followed by sonication to verify changes in the morphology and crystallinity of nanocellulose related to the formation mechanism. The extracted microcellulose was subjected to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The isolated cellulose nanospheres were examined with respect to morphology by SEM and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and, to crystallinity by electron diffraction analysis. Bleaching after alkalization made the microfibrils clearly separated from each other to the individual fiber whose width of the single fiber was ranging from 6 to 13 µm. The XRD crystallinity index (CI) of microcellulose gradually increased after the chemical treatments; 83.12% for raw sisal fiber, 88.57% for alkali treated fiber and 94.03% for bleached fibers. The ultrasonic agitation after bleaching that was carried out at 750 Watt, 20 kHz and amplitude of 39% for 2 h produces homogeneous cellulose nanospheres less than 50 nm in diameter with relatively low crystallinity. The electron diffraction analysis confirmed that the low crystallinity of produced nnocellulose is related to the effect of chemical treatment done before sonication.

  7. Electrical analysis of high dielectric constant insulator and metal gate metal oxide semiconductor capacitors on flexible bulk mono-crystalline silicon

    KAUST Repository

    Ghoneim, Mohamed T.

    2015-06-01

    We report on the electrical study of high dielectric constant insulator and metal gate metal oxide semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) on a flexible ultra-thin (25 μm) silicon fabric which is peeled off using a CMOS compatible process from a standard bulk mono-crystalline silicon substrate. A lifetime projection is extracted using statistical analysis of the ramping voltage (Vramp) breakdown and time dependent dielectric breakdown data. The obtained flexible MOSCAPs operational voltages satisfying the 10 years lifetime benchmark are compared to those of the control MOSCAPs, which are not peeled off from the silicon wafer. © 2014 IEEE.

  8. Temperature dependence of viscoelasticity of crystalline cellulose with different molecular weights added to silicone elastomer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sugino, Naoto; Nakajima, Shinya; Kameda, Takao; Takei, Satoshi; Hanabata, Makoto

    2017-08-01

    Silicone elastomers ( polydimethylsiloxane _ PDMS) are widely used in the field of imprint lithography and microcontactprinting (μCP). When performing microcontactprinting, the mechanical properties of the PCMS as a base material have a great influence on the performance of the device. Cellulose nanofibers having features of high strength, high elasticity and low coefficient of linear expansion have attracted attention in recent years due to their characteristics. Therefore, three types of crystalline cellulose having different molecular weights were added to PDMS to prepare a composite material, and dynamic viscoelasticity was measured using a rheometer. The PDMS with the highest molecular weight crystalline cellulose added exhibited smaller storage modulus than PDMS with other molecular weight added in all temperature ranges. Furthermore, when comparing PDMS to which crystalline cellulose was added and PDMS which is not added, the storage modulus of PDMS to which cellulose was added in the low temperature region was higher than that of PDMS to which it was not added, but it was reversed in the high temperature region It was a result. When used in a low temperature range (less than 150 ° C.), it can be said that cellulose can function as a reinforcing material for PDMS.

  9. Crystalline silicon films grown by pulsed dc magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reinig, Peter; Fenske, Frank; Fuhs, Walther; Selle, Burkhardt [Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin, Abt. Silizium-Photovoltaik, Kekulestr. 5, D-12489 Berlin (Germany)

    2002-04-01

    Pulsed dc magnetron sputtering is used as a novel method for the deposition of crystalline silicon films on glass substrates. Hydrogen-free polycrystalline Si-films are deposited with high deposition rates at temperatures of 400-450 C and pulse frequencies f in the range 0-250 kHz. Strong preferential (100) orientation of the crystallites is observed with increasing f. High frequency and similarly high negative substrate bias cause an increase of the Ar content and an enhancement of structural disorder. Measurements of the transient floating potential suggest that the observed structural effects are related to bombardment of the growing film by Ar{sup +} ions of high energy.

  10. TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN HIGH EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hasan SERİN, Alper AYTEKİN

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The approach of Total Quality Management (TQM has been even more common and most recently its use in high education has been discussed. Likewise the enterprises producing various products, universities have also inputs, processes, and outputs. Due to conditions of competition, universities have to improve the qualities of these inputs, processes, and outputs, according to satisfaction, demands, and expectations of internal and external customers. If the TQM has been implemented in the universities with a manner that aims for customer satisfaction (students, lecturers, public and private establishments, and families, supports constant development, ensures participatory approach, and encourages working in groups, it will provide universities with effectiveness, efficiency, dynamics, and economics. In this study, common problems of universities, definitions of quality and TQM in high education, customer concept at universities, and factors affecting the quality of education have been explained. Besides, in order TQM approach to be successfully implemented in the universities, various suggestions have been presented.

  11. Low Voltage, High-Q SOI MEMS Varactors for RF Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yalcinkaya, Arda Deniz; Jensen, Søren; Hansen, Ole

    2003-01-01

    A micro electromechanical tunable capacitor with a low control voltage, a wide tuning range and high electrical quality factor is presented with detailed characterizations. A 50μm thick single-crystalline silicon layer was etched using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for obtaining high-aspect ra...... is a suitable passive component to be used in band-pass filtering, voltage controlled oscillator or impedance matching applications on the very high frequency(VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) bands....

  12. CHAR CRYSTALLINE TRANSFORMATIONS DURING COAL COMBUSTION AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR CARBON BURNOUT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    ROBERT H. HURT

    1998-09-08

    Recent work at Sandia National Laboratories, Imperial College, and the U.K. utility PowerGen, has identified an important mechanism believed to have a large influence on unburned carbon levels from pulverized coal-fired boilers. That mechanism is char carbon crystalline rearrangements on subsecond times scales at temperatures of 1800 - 2500 K, which lead to char deactivation in the flame zones of furnaces. The so-called thermal annealing of carbons is a well known phenomenon, but its key role in carbon burnout has only recently been appreciated, and there is a lack of quantitative data in this time/temperature range. In addition, a new fundamental tool has recently become available to study crystalline transformations, namely high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) fringe imaging, which provides a wealth of information on the nature and degree of crystallinity in carbon materials such as coal chars. Motivated by these new developments, this University Coal Research project has been initiated with the following two goals:  to determine transient, high-temperature, thermal deactivation kinetics as a function of parent coal and temperature history.  to characterize the effect of this thermal treatment on carbon crystalline structure through high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and specialized, quantitative image analysis. Work is currently underway on the following three tasks: Task 1 Experimental technique development. The goal of this task is to develop and demonstrate an apparatus and procedure for measuring transient, high-temperature, thermal deactivation of coal chars. While peak gas temperatures in boilers are often in the range 1800 - 2000 K, peak particle temperatures can be much higher due to high rates of heat release at the particle surface due to exothermic carbon oxidation. The prototype transient heat treatment apparatus is based on an inert-gas purged graphite-rod sample holder that is subjected to rapid Joule heating to

  13. The crystal structure and luminescence quenching of poly- and single-crystalline KYW{sub 2}O{sub 8}:Tb{sup 3+}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwung, Sebastian [Fachbereich Chemieingenieurwesen, Fachhochschule Münster, Stegerwaldstraße 39, 48565 Steinfurt (Germany); Rytz, Daniel, E-mail: rytz@fee-io.de [Forschungsinstitut für mineralische und metallische Werkstoffe-Edelsteine/ Edelmetalle-GmbH (FEE), Struthstraße 2, 55743 Idar-Oberstein (Germany); Heying, Birgit; Rodewald, Ute Ch.; Niehaus, Oliver [Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 30 48149 Münster (Germany); Enseling, David [Fachbereich Chemieingenieurwesen, Fachhochschule Münster, Stegerwaldstraße 39, 48565 Steinfurt (Germany); Jüstel, Thomas, E-mail: tj@fh-muenster.de [Fachbereich Chemieingenieurwesen, Fachhochschule Münster, Stegerwaldstraße 39, 48565 Steinfurt (Germany); Pöttgen, Rainer, E-mail: pottgen@uni-muenster.de [Institut für Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universität Münster, Corrensstrasse 30 48149 Münster (Germany)

    2015-10-15

    Terbium-substituted KYW{sub 2}O{sub 8} single crystals of high optical quality were grown by the top seeded solution growth technique. The degree of yttrium–terbium mixed occupancy was determined for two samples through structure refinements on the basis of single crystal X-ray diffractometer data. Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility data underline the paramagnetic nature of terbium doped crystals. No magnetic ordering is evident down to 2 K. Luminescence measurements yield the typical excitation and emission spectra as expected for Tb{sup 3+} activated materials. The decay time of Tb{sup 3+} decreases linearly with the Tb{sup 3+} concentration, while the excess of thermal quenching does not change significantly. At about 405 K the decay time is reduced by roughly 50% relative to the low-temperature value, both for the powders as for the single crystals. - Highlights: • Single crystalline and powder series of K(Y,Tb)W{sub 2}O{sub 8.} • Refined XRD data of high quality crystals. • Linear decrease of the decay time with Tb{sup 3+} content.

  14. Crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition in irradiated silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seidman, D.N.; Averback, R.S.; Okamoto, P.R.; Baily, A.C.

    1986-01-01

    The amorphous(a)-to-crystalline (c) phase transition has been studied in electron(e - ) and/or ion irradiated silicon (Si). The irradiations were performed in situ in the Argonne High Voltage Microscope-Tandem Facility. The irradiation of Si, at 0 K, with 1-MeV e - to a fluence of 14 dpa failed to induce the c-to-a transition. Whereas an irradiation, at 0 K, with 1.0 or 1.5-MeV Kr+ ions induced the c-to-a transition by a fluence of approx.0.37 dpa. Alternatively a dual irradiation, at 10 0 K, with 1.0-MeV e - and 1.0 or 1.5-MeV Kr+ to a Kr+ fluence of 1.5 dpa - where the ratio of the displacement rates for e - to ions was approx.0.5 - resulted in the Si specimen retaining a degree of crystallinity. These results are discussed in terms of the degree of dispersion of point defects in the primary state of damage and the mobilities of point defects

  15. The strength of crystalline color superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mannarelli, Massimo; Rajagopal, Krishna; Sharma, Rishi

    2007-01-01

    We present a study of the shear modulus of the crystalline color superconducting phase of quark matter, showing that this phase of dense, but not asymptotically dense, quark matter responds to shear stress as a very rigid solid. This phase is characterized by a gap parameter Δ that is periodically modulated in space and therefore spontaneously breaks translational invariance. We derive the effective action for the phonon fields that describe space- and time-dependent fluctuations of the crystal structure formed by Δ, and obtain the shear modulus from the coefficients of the spatial derivative terms. Within a Ginzburg-Landau approximation, we find shear moduli which are 20 to 1000 times larger than those of neutron star crusts. This phase of matter is thus more rigid than any known material in the universe, but at the same time the crystalline color superconducting phase is also superfluid. These properties raise the possibility that the presence of this phase within neutron stars may have distinct implications for their phenomenology. For example (some) pulsar glitches may originate in crystalline superconducting neutron star cores

  16. Crosslinking and photoreaction of ozone-oxidized calf-lens alpha-crystallin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujimori, E.

    1982-01-01

    Direct-photo-oxidation, singlet oxygen-oxidation, or photosensitized oxidation can modify lens crystallins, causing an increase in blue fluorescence and covalent crosslinking. A relationship between these changes has not been elucidated. We now report results from experiments with ozone oxidation. When calf-lens alpha-crystallin is treated with zone oxidation. When calf-lens alpha-crystallin is treated with ozone, new absorption, fluorescence, and phosphorescence, which are characteristic of the oxidized product of tryptophan (N-formylkynurenine), appear at 320, 435, and 445 nm, respectively. In addition, in this ozonization of alpha-crystallin, its polypeptides are crosslinked by nondisulfide bonds. Irradiation of ozone-treated alpha-crystallin with near-ultraviolet (365 nm) light increases crosslinking and reduces the 320 nm absorbance with a concomitant appearance of a new absorption at about 420 nm. This photoproduct exhibits an intense fluorescence around 450 nm and a weak phosphorescence at 510 nm, with excitation peaks at 400, 415, and 422 nm. These findings are essentially the same as those observed in photo-oxidized alpha-crystallin, suggesting the involvement of the same tryptophan oxidized product in the modification of the lens protein

  17. 76 FR 78313 - Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells and Modules From China

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-16

    ...)] Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells and Modules From China Determinations On the basis of the record \\1... injured by reason of imports from China of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules, provided... imports of crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells and modules from China. Accordingly, effective October...

  18. α-Crystallin localizes to the leading edges of migrating lens epithelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maddala, Rupalatha; Vasantha Rao, P.

    2005-01-01

    α-crystallin (αA and αB) is a major lens protein, which belongs to the small heat-shock family of proteins and binds to various cytoskeletal proteins including actin, vimentin and desmin. In this study, we investigated the cellular localization of αA and αB-crystallins in migrating epithelial cells isolated from porcine lens. Immunofluorescence localization and confocal imaging of αB-crystallin in confluent and in migrating subconfluent cell cultures revealed a distinct pattern of subcellular distribution. While αB-crystallin localization was predominantly cytoplasmic in confluent cultures, it was strongly localized to the leading edges of cell membrane or the lamellipodia in migrating cells. In accordance with this pattern, we found abundant levels of αB-crystallin in membrane fractions compared to cytosolic and nuclear fractions in migrating lens epithelial cells. αA-crystallin, which has 60% sequence identity to αB-crystallin, also exhibited a distribution profile localizing to the leading edge of the cell membrane in migrating lens epithelial cells. Localization of αB-crystallin to the lamellipodia appears to be dependent on phosphorylation of residue serine-59. An inhibitor of p38 MAP kinase (SB202190), but not the ERK kinase inhibitor PD98059, was found to diminish localization of αB-crystallin to the lamellipodia, and this effect was found to be associated with reduced levels of Serine-59 phosphorylated αB-crystallin in SB202190-treated migrating lens epithelial cells. αB-crystallin localization to the lamellipodia was also altered by the treatment with RGD (Arg-Ala-Asp) peptide, dominant negative N17 Rac1 GTPase, cytochalasin D and Src kinase inhibitor (PP2), but not by the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 or the myosin II inhibitor, blebbistatin. Additionally, in migrating lens epithelial cells, αB-crystallin exhibited a clear co-localization with the actin meshwork, β-catenin, WAVE-1, a promoter of actin nucleation, Abi-2, a component of WAVE

  19. Analysis of high-quality modes in open chaotic microcavities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fang, W.; Yamilov, A.; Cao, H.

    2005-01-01

    We present a numerical study of the high-quality modes in two-dimensional dielectric stadium microcavities. Although the classical ray mechanics is fully chaotic in a stadium billiard, all of the high-quality modes show a 'strong scar' around unstable periodic orbits. When the deformation (ratio of the length of the straight segments over the diameter of the half circles) is small, the high-quality modes correspond to whispering-gallery-type trajectories and their quality factors decrease monotonically with increasing deformation. At large deformation, each high-quality mode is associated with multiple unstable periodic orbits. Its quality factor changes nonmonotonically with the deformation, and there exists an optimal deformation for each mode at which its quality factor reaches a local maximum. This unusual behavior is attributed to the interference of waves propagating along different constituent orbits that could minimize light leakage out of the cavity

  20. Liquid crystalline fiber optic colorimeter for hydrostatic pressure measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolinski, Tomasz R.; Bajdecki, Waldemar K.; Domanski, Andrzej W.; Karpierz, Miroslaw A.; Konopka, Witold; Nasilowski, T.; Sierakowski, Marek W.; Swillo, Marcin; Dabrowski, Roman S.; Nowinowski-Kruszelnicki, Edward; Wasowski, Janusz

    2001-08-01

    This paper presents results of tests performed on a fiber optic system of liquid crystalline transducer for hydrostatic pressure monitoring based on properties of colorimetry. The system employs pressure-induced deformations occurring in liquid crystalline (LC) cells configured in a homogeneous Frederiks geometry. The sensor is compared of a round LC cell placed inside a specially designed pressure chamber. As a light source we used a typical diode operating at red wavelength and modulated using standard techniques. The pressure transducer was connected to a computer with a specially designed interface built on the bas of advanced ADAM modules. Results indicate that the system offers high response to pressure with reduced temperature sensitivity and, depending on the LC cell used, can be adjusted for monitoring of low hydrostatic pressures up to 6 MPa. These studies have demonstrated the feasibility of fiber optic liquid crystal colorimeter for hydrostatic pressure sensing specially dedicated to pipe- lines, mining instrumentation, and process-control technologies.

  1. Liquid Crystalline Perylene diimides : Architecture and Charge Carrier Mobilities

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Struijk, C.W.; Sieval, A.B.; Dakhorst, J.E.J.; Dijk, van M.; Kimkes, P.; Koehorst, R.B.M.; Donker, H.

    2000-01-01

    The phase behavior of three N-alkyl-substituted perylene diimide derivatives is examined by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. The occurrence of multiple phase transitions indicates several crystalline and several liquid crystalline phases. X-ray diffraction

  2. Feasible conversion of solid waste bauxite tailings into highly crystalline 4A zeolite with valuable application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Dongyang; Wang, Zhendong; Guo, Min; Zhang, Mei; Liu, Jingbo

    2014-11-01

    Bauxite tailings are a major type of solid wastes generated in the flotation process. The waste by-products caused significant environmental impact. To lessen this hazardous effect from poisonous mine tailings, a feasible and cost-effective solution was conceived and implemented. Our approach focused on reutilization of the bauxite tailings by converting it to 4A zeolite for reuse in diverse applications. Three steps were involved in the bauxite conversion: wet-chemistry, alkali fusion, and crystallization to remove impurities and to prepare porous 4A zeolite. It was found that the cubic 4A zeolite was single phase, in high purity, with high crystallinity and well-defined structure. Importantly, the 4A zeolite displayed maximum calcium ion exchange capacity averaged at 296 mg CaCO3/g, comparable to commercially-available zeolite (310 mg CaCO3/g) exchange capacity. Base on the optimal synthesis condition, the reaction yield of zeolite 4A from bauxite tailings achieved to about 38.43%, hence, this study will provide a new paradigm for remediation of bauxite tailings, further mitigating the environmental and health care concerns, particularly in the mainland of PR China. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Nanodefects in ultrahard crystalline cubic boron nitride

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nistor, S. V.; Stefan, M.; Goovaerts, E.; Schoemaker, D.

    2002-01-01

    Cubic boron nitride (cBN), the second hardest known material after diamond, exhibits high thermal conductivity and an excellent ability to be n or p doped, which makes it a strong candidate for the next generation of high-temperature micro optical and micro electronic devices. According to recent studies, cBN exhibits a better resistance to radiation damage than diamond, which suggests potential applications in extreme radiation environments. Crystalline cBN powders of up to 0.5 mm linear size is obtained in a similar way as diamond, by catalytic conversion of hexagonal BN (hBN) to cBN at even higher pressures (> 5GPa) and temperatures (∼ 1900 K). Considering the essential role played by the nanodefects (point defects and impurities) in determining its physical properties, it is surprising how limited is the amount of published data concerning the properties of nanodefects in this material, especially by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the most powerful method for identification and characterization of nanodefects in both insulators and semiconductors. This seems to be due mainly to the absence of natural cBN gems and the extreme difficulties in producing even mm 3 sized synthetic crystals. We shall present our recent EPR studies on cBN crystalline powders, performed in a broad temperature range from room temperature (RT) down to 1.2 K on several sorts of large size cBN powder grits of yellow and amber color for industrial applications. Previous multifrequency (9.3 GHz and 95 GHz) EPR studies of brown to black cBN crystallites prepared with excess of boron, resulted in the discovery of two new types of paramagnetic point defects with different spectral properties, called the D1 and D2 centers. Our X(9.3 GHz)-band EPR investigations resulted in the observation in amber cBN crystalline powders of a spectrum with a strong temperature dependence of the lineshape. It was found that for high and low temperatures, respectively, the numerical

  4. Diffraction enhanced X-ray imaging of mammals crystalline lens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Antunes, A.; Hoennicke, M.G.; Safatle, A.M.V.; Cusatis, C.; Moraes Barros, P.S.; Morelhao, S.L.

    2005-01-01

    Crystalline lenses are transparent biological materials where the organization of the lens fibers can also be affected by changes at molecular level, and therefore the structure and morphology of the tissue can be correlated to the loss of transparency of the lens. In this work, internal structure of mammal lenses regarding the long-range ordering of the fibers are investigated by diffraction enhanced X-ray imaging (DEI) radiography. Moreover, DEI and absorption X-ray synchrotron radiographs for healthy and cataractous crystalline lenses are compared. Significant differences in healthy and cataractous crystalline lenses are observed

  5. Proceedings of the workshop on crystalline ion beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasse, R.W.; Hofmann, I.; Liesen, D.

    1989-04-01

    The workshop consisted of mainly invited and some contributed papers. More informal discussions took place in three working groups on the following topics: beam cooling techniques; diagnostics of crystalline beams; storage rings for crystalline beams. The present volume collects all papers as well as the summaries of the working groups. See hints under the relevant topics. (orig./HSI)

  6. High-Efficiency Solid-State Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells: Fast Charge Extraction through Self-Assembled 3D Fibrous Network of Crystalline TiO 2 Nanowires

    KAUST Repository

    Tétreault, Nicolas

    2010-12-28

    Herein, we present a novel morphology for solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells based on the simple and straightforward self-assembly of nanorods into a 3D fibrous network of fused single-crystalline anatase nanowires. This architecture offers a high roughness factor, significant light scattering, and up to several orders of magnitude faster electron transport to reach a near-record-breaking conversion efficiency of 4.9%. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

  7. Characterization of low crystallinity cellulose as a direct compression excipient: Effects of physicochemical properties of cellulose excipients on their tabletting characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kothari, Sanjeev Hukmichand

    A scale-up method for the preparation of a new excipient, low crystallinity powder cellulose (LCPC), was established. Physicochemical characterization of a series of LCPC materials was performed, and compared to the physicochemical properties of commercially existing cellulose excipients, microcrystalline cellulose (AvicelsRTM) and powdered celluloses (Solka Flocs RTM). Low crystallinity cellulose powders had high amorphous contents (>50%) and a low degree of polymerization (2 kg), typically showed low yield pressures (200 MPa), and intermediate compactability (250--600 MPa2) values. Mechanical characterization of the three types of cellulose materials, and the statistical models obtained for the results, indicated that a high porosity (>810%), a high average of amorphous content (>40%) and moisture content (>4%), and a low degree of polymerization (disintegration times (5 to 90 seconds) for LCPC tablets at low as well as high solid fractions suggest the high affinity of these materials to water, due to their high amorphous contents that expose a larger number of hydroxyl groups to water, compared to the more crystalline materials, such as microcrystalline celluloses, the tablets of which showed extremely long disintegration times (24 to 6000 seconds). The physicochemical and mechanical characterization of low crystallinity cellulose suggests it to be a promising direct compression excipient for immediate release tablet formulations.

  8. Mesomorphous versus traces of crystallinity: The itraconazole example

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Atassi, Faraj, E-mail: fatassi@yahoo.com; Behme, Robert J.; Patel, Phenil J.

    2013-12-20

    Highlights: • Characterizing partially disordered pharmaceuticals is very challenging due to the fact that more than one discrete disordered phase can be present. • Dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric analysis are extremely helpful in characterizing pharmaceutical mesophases (liquid crystals). • Thermotropic pharmaceutical mesophases, often mistaken as amorphous or partially crystalline, can show different phases of liquid crystallinity at different temperature. • Liquid crystalline pharmaceutical materials often show amorphous behavior along with other characteristics specific to mesomorphous materials. • The thermal and mechanical history of pharmaceutical disordered samples has a significant effect on their phase composition. - Abstract: Characterizing disordered pharmaceutical materials can be challenging, especially materials with partially disordered structures that lose one or two directional order (mesophases) and do not fit the traditional characterization categories of amorphous, crystalline or a combination of the two. Itraconazole, an antifungal agent, was chosen as a model compound that, when quench cooled, exhibits atypical disordered structure. Five different analytical tools were used to map out the molecular structure of this material and how it changes with changing temperature. X-ray diffraction showed some remnant crystallinity while dielectric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, DSC and hot stage microscopy gave more detailed molecular structure of the disordered material and explained all temperature related structural changes. The characterization of mesomorphous Itraconazole described here will help characterize a wide range of pharmaceuticals that exhibit thermotropic (temperature induced) mesomorphism at the molecular level.

  9. Mesomorphous versus traces of crystallinity: The itraconazole example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Atassi, Faraj; Behme, Robert J.; Patel, Phenil J.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Characterizing partially disordered pharmaceuticals is very challenging due to the fact that more than one discrete disordered phase can be present. • Dynamic mechanical analysis and dielectric analysis are extremely helpful in characterizing pharmaceutical mesophases (liquid crystals). • Thermotropic pharmaceutical mesophases, often mistaken as amorphous or partially crystalline, can show different phases of liquid crystallinity at different temperature. • Liquid crystalline pharmaceutical materials often show amorphous behavior along with other characteristics specific to mesomorphous materials. • The thermal and mechanical history of pharmaceutical disordered samples has a significant effect on their phase composition. - Abstract: Characterizing disordered pharmaceutical materials can be challenging, especially materials with partially disordered structures that lose one or two directional order (mesophases) and do not fit the traditional characterization categories of amorphous, crystalline or a combination of the two. Itraconazole, an antifungal agent, was chosen as a model compound that, when quench cooled, exhibits atypical disordered structure. Five different analytical tools were used to map out the molecular structure of this material and how it changes with changing temperature. X-ray diffraction showed some remnant crystallinity while dielectric analysis, dynamic mechanical analysis, DSC and hot stage microscopy gave more detailed molecular structure of the disordered material and explained all temperature related structural changes. The characterization of mesomorphous Itraconazole described here will help characterize a wide range of pharmaceuticals that exhibit thermotropic (temperature induced) mesomorphism at the molecular level

  10. Synthesis and characterization of semi-crystalline polyarylene ether nitrile with AIEE feature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Pan; Li, Kui; Jia, Kun; Liu, Xiaobo

    2017-12-01

    An AIEgen 1, 2-di (4-hydroxyphenyl)-1, 2-diphenylethene (TPE-2OH) was introduced into the back bone of semi-crystalline poly arylene ether nitriles (PEN). The fluorescence spectra results indicated that the derived polymer displayed a typical aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) active with an emitting peak at ∼470 nm. Then the AIEE active PEN was prepared into films through casting method and realised strong fluorescence emission and excellent mechanics properties. Besides, the crystal AIEE active polymer shows sphere micro-morphology along with a strong blue emission. These findings will open a door for further research on the high performance semi-crystalline PEN at flexible display technology and optical sensors.

  11. Region-to-area screening methodology for the crystalline repository project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1984-08-01

    The ''Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982'' (NWPA), enacted January 7, 1983 as Public Law 97-425, confirmed the responsibility of the US Department of Energy (DOE) for management of high-level radioactive waste. The NWPA directed the DOE to provide safe facilities for isolation of high-level radioactive waste from the environment in federally owned and federally licensed repositories. To achieve the goals of providing licensed repositories for high-level radioactive waste, a technical program has been developed by the DOE to meet all relevant radiological protection criteria and other requirements. By March 1987, the NWPA requires the DOE to recommend to the President a single site, chosen from five nominated sites for construction of the first repository. Rock types being considered as potential hosts for the first repository include salt, basalt, and tuff. The NWPA also requires the DOE to select three candidate sites, chosen from five nominated sites to be recommended to the President by July 1989, as possible locations for the second repository. Potential host rock types for the second federal repository will include crystalline rock. This document outlines the methodology for region-to-area screening of exposed crystalline rock bodies for suitability as sites for further study. 17 refs., 14 figs., 2 tabs

  12. High beam quality and high energy short-pulse laser with MOPA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Quanwei; Pang, Yu; Jiang, JianFeng; Tan, Liang; Cui, Lingling; Wei, Bin; Sun, Yinhong; Tang, Chun

    2018-03-01

    A high energy, high beam quality short-pulse diode-pumped Nd:YAG master oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) laser with two amplifier stages is demonstrated. The two-rod birefringence compensation was used as beam quality controlling methods, which presents a short-pulse energy of 40 mJ with a beam quality value of M2 = 1.2 at a repetition rate of 400Hz. The MOPA system delivers a short-pulse energy of 712.5 mJ with a pulse width of 12.4 ns.The method of spherical aberration compensation is improved the beam quality, a M2 factor of 2.3 and an optical-to-optical efficiency of 27.7% is obtained at the maximum laser out power.The laser obtained 1.4J out energy with polarization integration.

  13. Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite quantum dots with high PLQY and enhanced carrier mobility through crystallinity control by solvent engineering and solid-state ligand exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woo Choi, Jin; Woo, Hee Chul; Huang, Xiaoguang; Jung, Wan-Gil; Kim, Bong-Joong; Jeon, Sie-Wook; Yim, Sang-Youp; Lee, Jae-Suk; Lee, Chang-Lyoul

    2018-05-22

    The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and charge carrier mobility of organic-inorganic perovskite QDs were enhanced by the optimization of crystallinity and surface passivation as well as solid-state ligand exchange. The crystallinity of perovskite QDs was determined by the Effective solvent field (Esol) of various solvents for precipitation. The solvent with high Esol could more quickly countervail the localized field generated by the polar solvent, and it causes fast crystallization of the dissolved precursor, which results in poor crystallinity. The post-ligand adding process (PLAP) and post-ligand exchange process (PLEP) increase the PLQY of perovskite QDs by reducing non-radiative recombination and the density of surface defect states through surface passivation. Particularly, the post ligand exchange process (PLEP) in the solid-state improved the charge carrier mobility of perovskite QDs in addition to the PLQY enhancement. The ligand exchange with short alkyl chain length ligands could improve the packing density of perovskite QDs in films by reducing the inter-particle distance between perovskite QDs. The maximum hole mobility of 6.2 × 10-3 cm2 V-1 s-1, one order higher than that of pristine QDs without the PLEP, is obtained at perovskite QDs with hexyl ligands. By using PLEP treatment, compared to the pristine device, a 2.5 times higher current efficiency in perovskite QD-LEDs was achieved due to the improved charge carrier mobility and PLQY.

  14. High quality-factor optical resonators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henriet, Rémi; Salzenstein, Patrice; Coillet, Aurélien; Saleh, Khaldoun; Chembo, Yanne K; Ristic, Davor; Ferrari, Maurizio; Mortier, Michel; Rasoloniaina, Alphonse; Dumeige, Yannick; Féron, Patrice; Cibiel, Gilles; Llopis, Olivier

    2014-01-01

    Various resonators are investigated for microwave photonic applications. Micro-sphere, disk and fiber ring resonators were designed, realized and characterized. Obtained quality factors are as high as Q = 10 10 . (paper)

  15. X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy analyses on the crystallinity of engineered biological hydroxyapatite for medical application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poralan, G. M., Jr.; Gambe, J. E.; Alcantara, E. M.; Vequizo, R. M.

    2015-06-01

    Biological hydroxyapatite (BHAp) derived from thermally-treated fish bones was successfully produced. However, the obtained biological HAp was amorphous and thus making it unfavorable for medical application. Consequently, this research exploits and engineers the crystallinity of BHAp powders by addition of CaCO3 and investigates its degree of crystallinity using XRD and IR spectroscopy. On XRD, the HAp powders with [Ca]/[P] ratios 1.42, 1.46, 1.61 and 1.93 have degree of crystallinity equal to 58.08, 72.13, 85.79, 75.85% and crystal size equal to 0.67, 0.74, 0.75, 0.72 nm, respectively. The degree of crystallinity and crystal size of the obtained calcium deficient biological HAp powders increase as their [Ca]/[P] ratio approaches the stoichiometric ratio by addition of CaCO3 as source of Ca2+ ions. These results show the possibility of engineering the crystallinity and crystal size of biological HAp by addition of CaCO3. Moreover, the splitting factor of PO4 vibration matches the result with % crystallinity on XRD. Also, the area of phosphate-substitution site of PO4 vibration shows linear relationship (R2 = 0.994) with crystal size calculated from XRD. It is worth noting that the crystallinity of the biological HAp with [Ca]/[P] ratios 1.42 and 1.48 fall near the range 60-70% for highly resorbable HAp used in the medical application.

  16. Area Recommendation Report for the Crystalline Repository Project: Volume 1, Draft

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1986-01-01

    This Draft Area Recommendation Report for the Crystalline Repository Project identifies portions of crystalline rock bodies as proposed potentially acceptable sites for consideration in the second high-level radioactive waste repository program. The US Department of Energy evaluated available geologic and environmental data for 235 crystalline rock bodies in the North Central, Northeastern, and Southeastern regions to identify preliminary candidate areas. Further evaluation of these preliminary candidate areas resulted in the selection of 12 as proposed potentially acceptable sites. The 12 proposed potentially acceptable sites are located in the States of Georgia (1), Maine (2), Minnesota (3), New Hampshire (1), North Carolina (2), Virginia (2), and Wisconsin (1). The data, analyses, and rationale with which the 12 proposed potentially acceptable sites were selected are presented in this draft report. The analyses presented demonstrate that the evidence available for each proposed potentially acceptable site supports (1) a finding that the site is not disqualified in accordance with the application requirements of Appendix III of the siting guidelines and (2) a decision to proceed with the continued investigation of the site on the basis of the favorable and potentially adverse conditions identified to date. Once this report is finalized, potentially acceptable sites in crystalline rock will be formally identified by the Secretary of Energy, in accordance with the DOE siting guidelines. These potentially acceptable sites will be investigated and evaluated in more detail during the area phase of the siting process. An additional eight areas, which meet the requirements for identification as potentially acceptable sites, will retain their designation as candidate areas

  17. Effects of crystalline grain size and packing ratio of self-forming core/shell nanoparticles on magnetic properties at up to GHz bands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suetsuna, Tomohiro; Suenaga, Seiichi; Sakurada, Shinya; Harada, Koichi; Tomimatsu, Maki; Takahashi, Toshihide

    2011-01-01

    Self-forming core/shell nanoparticles of magnetic metal/oxide with crystalline grain size of less than 40 nm were synthesized. The nanoparticles were highly concentrated in an insulating matrix to fabricate a nanocomposite, whose magnetic properties were investigated. The crystalline grain size of the nanoparticles strongly influenced the magnetic anisotropy field, magnetic coercivity, relative permeability, and loss factor (tan δ=μ''/μ') at high frequency. The packing ratio of the magnetic metallic phase in the nanocomposite also influenced those properties. High permeability with low tan δ of less than 1.5% at up to 1 GHz was obtained in the case of the nanoparticles with crystalline grain size of around 15 nm with large packing ratio of the nanoparticles. - Research highlights: → Self-forming core/shell nanoparticles of magnetic metal/oxide were synthesized. → Crystalline grain size of the nanoparticle and its packing ratio were controlled. → Magnetic properties changed according to the size and packing ratio.

  18. 21 CFR 524.2620 - Liquid crystalline trypsin, Peru balsam, castor oil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 6 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Liquid crystalline trypsin, Peru balsam, castor... NEW ANIMAL DRUGS § 524.2620 Liquid crystalline trypsin, Peru balsam, castor oil. (a)(1) Specifications... delivered to the wound site contains 0.12 milligram of crystalline trypsin, 87.0 milligrams of Peru balsam...

  19. Effect of increased crystallinity of single-walled carbon nanotubes used as field emitters on their electrical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shimoi, Norihiro, E-mail: shimoi@mail.kankyo.tohoku.ac.jp [Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

    2015-12-07

    Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) synthesized by arc discharge are expected to exhibit good field emission (FE) properties at a low driving voltage. We used a coating containing homogeneously dispersed highly crystalline SWCNTs produced by a high-temperature annealing process to fabricate an FE device by a wet-coating process at a low cost. Using the coating, we succeeded in reducing the power consumption of field emitters for planar lighting devices. SWCNTs synthesized by arc discharge have crystal defects in the carbon network, which are considered to induce inelastic electron tunneling that deteriorates the electrical conductivity of the SWCNTs. In this study, the blocking of the transport of electrons in SWCNTs with crystal defects is simulated using an inelastic electron tunneling model. We succeeded in clarifying the mechanism underlying the electrical conductivity of SWCNTs by controlling their crystallinity. In addition, it was confirmed that field emitters using highly crystalline SWCNTs can lead to new applications operating with low power consumption and new devices that may change our daily lives in the future.

  20. High-quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation: current and future directions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abella, Benjamin S

    2016-06-01

    Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) represents the cornerstone of cardiac arrest resuscitation care. Prompt delivery of high-quality CPR can dramatically improve survival outcomes; however, the definitions of optimal CPR have evolved over several decades. The present review will discuss the metrics of CPR delivery, and the evidence supporting the importance of CPR quality to improve clinical outcomes. The introduction of new technologies to quantify metrics of CPR delivery has yielded important insights into CPR quality. Investigations using CPR recording devices have allowed the assessment of specific CPR performance parameters and their relative importance regarding return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital discharge. Additional work has suggested new opportunities to measure physiologic markers during CPR and potentially tailor CPR delivery to patient requirements. Through recent laboratory and clinical investigations, a more evidence-based definition of high-quality CPR continues to emerge. Exciting opportunities now exist to study quantitative metrics of CPR and potentially guide resuscitation care in a goal-directed fashion. Concepts of high-quality CPR have also informed new approaches to training and quality improvement efforts for cardiac arrest care.

  1. Quality management manual for production of high quality cassava flour

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dziedzoave, Nanam Tay; Abass, Adebayo Busura; Amoa-Awua, Wisdom K.

    The high quality cassava flour (HQCF) industry has just started to evolve in Africa and elsewhere. The sustainability of the growing industry, the profitability of small- and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) that are active in the industry and good-health of consumers can best be guaranteed through...... the adoption of proper quality and food safety procedures. Cassava processing enterprises involved in the productionof HQCF must therefore be commited to the quality and food safety of the HQCF. They must have the right technology, appropriate processing machhinery, standard testing instruments...... and the necessary technical expertise. This quality manual was therefore developed to guide small- to medium-scale cassava in the design and implematation of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system and Good manufacturing Practices (GMP) plans for HQCF production. It describes the HQCF production...

  2. Crystalline silicon cell performance at low light intensities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reich, N.H.; van Sark, W.G.J.H.M.; Alsema, E.A.; Turkenburg, W.C. [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Department of Science, Techonology and Society, Heidelberglaan 2, 3584 CS Utrecht (Netherlands); Lof, R.W.; Schropp, R.E.I. [Utrecht University, Faculty of Science, Debye Institute for Nanomaterials Science, Nanophotonics - Physics of Device, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.000, 3508 TA Utrecht (Netherlands); Sinke, W.C. [Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN), P.O. Box 1, 1755 ZG Petten (Netherlands)

    2009-09-15

    Measured and modelled JV characteristics of crystalline silicon cells below one sun intensity have been investigated. First, the JV characteristics were measured between 3 and 1000 W/m{sup 2} at 6 light levels for 41 industrially produced mono- and multi-crystalline cells from 8 manufacturers, and at 29 intensity levels for a single multi-crystalline silicon between 0.01 and 1000 W/m{sup 2}. Based on this experimental data, the accuracy of the following four modelling approaches was evaluated: (1) empirical fill factor expressions, (2) a purely empirical function, (3) the one-diode model and (4) the two-diode model. Results show that the fill factor expressions and the empirical function fail at low light intensities, but a new empirical equation that gives accurate fits could be derived. The accuracy of both diode models are very high. However, the accuracy depends considerably on the used diode model parameter sets. While comparing different methods to determine diode model parameter sets, the two-diode model is found to be preferred in principle: particularly its capability in accurately modelling V{sub OC} and efficiency with one and the same parameter set makes the two-diode model superior. The simulated energy yields of the 41 commercial cells as a function of irradiance intensity suggest unbiased shunt resistances larger than about 10 k{omega} cm{sup 2} may help to avoid low energy yields of cells used under predominantly low light intensities. Such cells with diode currents not larger than about 10{sup -9} A/cm{sup 2} are excellent candidates for Product Integrated PV (PIPV) appliances. (author)

  3. The effect of calcining temperature on the properties of 0-3 piezoelectric composites of PZT and a liquid crystalline thermosetting polymer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ende, D.A. van den; Groen, W.A.; Zwaag, S. van der

    2011-01-01

    We report on the optimisation of a recently developed high performance 0-3 piezoelectric composite comprising of the piezoelectric Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) powder and a liquid crystalline thermosetting matrix polymer (LCT). The matrix polymer is a liquid crystalline polymer comprising of an

  4. A REVIEW OF THE MEASUREMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF CRYSTALLINITY AND ITS RELATION TO PROPERTIES IN NEAT POLY(PHENYLENE SULFIDE) AND ITS FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITES

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spruiell, J.E.

    2005-01-31

    This literature review paper was prepared for the Department of Energy Automotive Lightweighting Program to address materials interest expressed by the Automotive Composites Consortium and it summarizes the measurement and development of crystallinity and its relation to properties in poly(phenylene sulfide) (PPS) and its fiber reinforced composites. The objective of this effort was to broaden the understanding of low-cost, semi-crystalline thermoplastic resins and composites for use in potential future automotive applications. PPS has an excellent combination of attributes including good mechanical properties and thermal stability, high chemical resistance, low moisture absorption, good weathering resistance, high dimensional stability, low flammability, and excellent processability. Specific areas addressed in this report include: Structure of PPS; Techniques for measuring crystallinity; Crystallinity as a function of prior treatment; Crystallization kinetics and morphology; Effect of variation of crystallinity on properties of PPS and its composites; Environmental stability; Unusual effects of cooling rates and degree of crystallinity on mechanical properties of AS4/PPS composites; Recent PPS laminate data (Ten Cate Advanced Composites); and Recommendations for future research.

  5. Used Fuel Disposition in Crystalline Rocks: FY16 Progress Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Y. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hadgu, Teklu [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Kalinina, Elena Arkadievna [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Jerden, James L. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Copple, Jacqueline M. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Cruse, T. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Ebert, W. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Buck, E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Eittman, R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Tinnacher, R. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Tournassat, Christophe [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Davis, J. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Viswanathan, H. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Dittrich, T. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Hyman, F. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Karra, S. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Makedonska, N. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Reimus, P. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Zavarin, Mavrik [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Joseph, C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2016-09-21

    The objective of the Crystalline Disposal R&D Work Package is to advance our understanding of long-term disposal of used fuel in crystalline rocks and to develop necessary experimental and computational capabilities to evaluate various disposal concepts in such media. FY16 continued to be a successful year in both experimental and modeling arenas in evaluation of used fuel disposal in crystalline rocks. The work covers a wide range of research topics identified in the R&D plan.

  6. Characterization of crystalline rocks in the Lake Superior region, USA: implications for nuclear waste isolation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sood, M.K.; Edgar, D.E.; Flower, M.F.J.

    1984-01-01

    The Lake Superior region (Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Minnesota) contains 41 Precambrian crystalline (medium- to coarse-grained igneous and high-grade metamorphic) rock complexes comprising 64 individual but related rock bodies with known surface exposures. Each complex has a map area greater than 78 km 2 . About 54% of the rock complexes have areas of up to 500 km 2 , 15% fall between 500 km 2 and 1000 km 2 , 19% lie between 1000 km 2 and 2500 km 2 , and 12% are over 2500 km 2 . Crystalline rocks of the region vary widely in composition, but they are predominantly granitic. Repeated thermo-tectonic events have produced early Archean gneisses, migmatites, and amphibolites with highly tectonized fabrics that impart a heterogeneous and anisotropic character to the rocks. Late Archean rocks are usually but not invariably gneissose an migmatitic. Proterozoic rocks of the region include synorogenic (foliated) granitic rocks, anorogenic (nonfoliated) granites, and the layered gabbro-anorthosite-troctolite intrusives of the rift-related Keweenawan igneous activity. Compared with the Archean rocks of the region, the Proterozoic bodies generally lack highly tectonized fabrics and have more definable contacts where visible. Anorogenic intrusions are relatively homogeneous and isotropic. On the basis of observed geologic characteristics, postorogenic and anorogenic crystalline rock bodies located away from recognized tectonic systems have attributes that make them relatively more desirable as a possible site for a nuclear waste repository in the region. This study was conducted at Argonne National Laboratory under the sponsorship of the US Department of Energy through the Office of Crystalline Repository Development at Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio

  7. Large-scale treatment of high-salt, high-pH wastewater for 137Cs and 90Sr removal, using crystalline silicotitanate resin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, P.A.; Walker, J.F.; Lee, D.D.

    1998-04-01

    A full-scale demonstration of cesium removal technology has been conducted at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This demonstration utilized a modular, mobile ion-exchange system and existing facilities for the off-gas system, secondary containment, and utilities. The ion-exchange material, crystalline silicotitanate (CST), was selected on the basis of its effectiveness in laboratory tests. The CST, which was developed through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement between DOE and private industry, is highly selective for removing cesium from solutions containing high concentrations of other contaminants, such as sodium and potassium. Approximately 116,000 liters of supernate was processed during the demonstration with ∼ 1,142 Ci of 137 Cs removed from the supernate and loaded onto 266 liters of the CST sorbent. The supernate processed had a high salt content, about 4 M NaNO 3 and a pH of 12 to 13. The CST also loaded Ba, Pb, Sr, U and Zn. Analysis of the spent sorbent has shown that it is not hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The cesium breakthrough curves for the lab and full-scale columns agreed very well, suggesting that lab-scale tests can be used to predict the performance of larger systems. The cesium breakthrough curves for runs at different flowrates show that film diffusion is significant in controlling the mass transfer process. Operational factors that increase the effect of film diffusion include the small size and high porosity of the CST sorbent, and the relatively low liquid velocity through the sorbent

  8. Nanomembrane structures having mixed crystalline orientations and compositions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lagally, Max G.; Scott, Shelley A.; Savage, Donald E.

    2014-08-12

    The present nanomembrane structures include a multilayer film comprising a single-crystalline layer of semiconductor material disposed between two other single-crystalline layers of semiconductor material. A plurality of holes extending through the nanomembrane are at least partially, and preferably entirely, filled with a filler material which is also a semiconductor, but which differs from the nanomembrane semiconductor materials in composition, crystal orientation, or both.

  9. Circuit design techniques for non-crystalline semiconductors

    CERN Document Server

    Sambandan, Sanjiv

    2012-01-01

    Despite significant progress in materials and fabrication technologies related to non-crystalline semiconductors, fundamental drawbacks continue to limit real-world application of these devices in electronic circuits. To help readers deal with problems such as low mobility and intrinsic time variant behavior, Circuit Design Techniques for Non-Crystalline Semiconductors outlines a systematic design approach, including circuit theory, enabling users to synthesize circuits without worrying about the details of device physics. This book: Offers examples of how self-assembly can be used as a powerf

  10. (Preoxidation cleaning optimization for crystalline silicon)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-01-01

    A series of controlled experiments has been performed in Sandia's Photovoltaic Device Fabrication Laboratory to evaluate the effect of various chemical surface treatments on the recombination lifetime of crystalline silicon wafers subjected to a high-temperature dry oxidation. From this series of experiments we have deduced a relatively simple yet effective cleaning sequence. We have also evaluated the effect of different chemical damage-removal etches for improving the recombination lifetime and surface smoothness of mechanically lapped wafers. This paper presents the methodology used, the experimental results obtained, and our experience with using this process on a continuing basis over a period of many months. 7 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.

  11. Electrospun single crystalline fork-like K2V8O21 as high-performance cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Pengfei; Zhu, Ting; Su, Qiong; Lin, Jiande; Cui, Rong; Cao, Xinxin; Wang, Yaping; Pan, Anqiang

    2018-06-01

    Single crystalline fork-like potassium vanadate (K2V8O21) has been successfully prepared through electrospinning combined with a subsequent annealing process. The as-obtained K2V8O21 forks show a unique layer-by-layer stacked structure with conductive carbon. When used as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the as-prepared fork-like materials exhibit high specific discharge capacity and excellent cyclic stability. High specific discharge capacity of 200.2 mA h g-1 and 131.5 mA h g-1 can be delivered at the current densities of 50 mA g-1 and 500 mA g-1, respectively. Furthermore, the K2V8O21 electrodes exhibit excellent long-term cycling stability that maintain a capacity of 108.3 mA h g-1 after 300 cycles at 500 mA g-1 with a fading rate of only 0.054% per cycle, revealing their potential applications in next generation high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

  12. Synthesis and crystalline properties of CdS incorporated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) composite film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Arunendra Kumar; Sunder, Aishwarya; Mishra, Shweta; Bajpai, Rakesh

    2018-05-01

    This paper gives an insight on the synthesis and crystalline properties of Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) (host matrix) composites impregnated with Cadmium Sulphide (CdS) using Dimethyl formamide (DMF) as the base, prepared by the well known solvent casting technique. The effect of doping concentration of CdS in to the PVDF matrix was studied using X-ray diffraction technique. The structural properties like crystallinity Cr, interplanar distance d, average size of the crystalline region (D), and average inter crystalline separation (R) have been estimated for the developed composite. The crystallinity index, crystallite size and inter crystalline separation is increasing with increase in the concentration of CdS in to the PVDF matrix while the interplanar distance d is decreasing.

  13. Electrophoretic variation in low molecular weight lens crystallins from inbred strains of rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donner, M E; Skow, L C; Kunz, H W; Gill, T J

    1985-10-01

    Analysis of rat lens soluble proteins by analytical isoelectric focusing detected two inherited electrophoretic differences in low molecular weight (LM) crystallins from inbred strains of rats (Rattus norvegicus). The polymorphic lens crystallins were shown to be similar to a genetically variant LM crystallin, LEN-1, previously described in mice (Mus musculus) and encoded on chromosome 1, at a locus linked to Pep-3 (dipeptidase). Linkage analysis demonstrated that the rat crystallin locus was loosely linked to Pep-3 at a recombination distance of 38 +/- 4.5 U. These data suggest the conservation of a large chromosomal region during the evolution of Rodentia and support the hypothesis that the gamma-crystallins are evolving more rapidly than alpha- or beta-crystallins.

  14. Study of the structural evolutions of crystalline tungsten oxide films prepared using hot-filament CVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feng, P X; Wang, X P; Zhang, H X; Yang, B Q; Wang, Z B; Gonzalez-BerrIos, A; Morell, G; Weiner, B

    2007-01-01

    Structural evolutions of tungsten oxide(WO 3 ) samples on different substrates are studied using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The WO 3 samples are prepared using hot-filament CVD techniques. The focus of the study is on the evolutions of nano structures at different stages following deposition time. The experimental measurements reveal evolutions of the surface structures from uniform film to fractal-like structures, and eventually to nano particles, and crystalline structures from mono (0 1 0) crystalline thin film to polycrystalline thick film developments. The effect of high temperature on the nanostructured WO 3 is also investigated. Well-aligned nanoscale WO 3 rod arrays are obtained at a substrate temperature of up to 1400 deg. C. Further increasing the substrate temperature yields microscale crystalline WO 3 particles

  15. In situ surface and interface study of crystalline (3×1)-O on InAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qin, Xiaoye, E-mail: xxq102020@utdallas.edu; Wallace, Robert M., E-mail: rmwallace@utdallas.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080 (United States); Wang, Wei-E.; Rodder, Mark S. [Advanced Logic Lab, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc., Austin, Texas 78754 (United States)

    2016-07-25

    The oxidation behavior of de-capped InAs (100) exposed to O{sub 2} gas at different temperatures is investigated in situ with high resolution of monochromatic x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and low energy electron diffraction. The oxide chemical states and structure change dramatically with the substrate temperature. A (3 × 1) crystalline oxide layer on InAs is generated in a temperature range of 290–330 °C with a coexistence of In{sub 2}O and As{sub 2}O{sub 3}. The stability of the crystalline oxide upon the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of HfO{sub 2} is studied as well. It is found that the generated (3 × 1) crystalline oxide is stable upon ALD HfO{sub 2} growth at 100 °C.

  16. Quality Assurance Strategy for Existing Homes: Final Quality Management Primer for High Performing Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Del Bianco, M.; Taggart, J.; Sikora, J.; Wood, A.

    2012-12-01

    This guide is designed to help Building America (BA) Teams understand quality management and its role in transitioning from conventional to high performance home building and remodeling. It explains what quality means, the value of quality management systems, the unique need for QMS when building high performing homes, and the first steps to a implementing a comprehensive QMS. This document provides a framework and context for BA teams when they encounter builders and remodelers.

  17. Quality Assurance Strategy for Existing Homes. Final Quality Management Primer for High Performing Homes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Del Bianco, M. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Taggart, J. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Sikora, J. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States); Wood, A. [NAHB Research Center Industry Partnership, Upper Marlboro, MD (United States)

    2012-12-01

    This guide is designed to help Building America (BA) teams understand quality management and its role in transitioning from conventional to high performance home building and remodeling. It explains what quality means, the value of quality management systems, the unique need for QMS when building high performing homes, and the first steps to a implementing a comprehensive QMS. This document provides a framework and context for BA teams when they encounter builders and remodelers.

  18. A rapid mechanism to remobilize and homogenize highly crystalline magma bodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgisser, Alain; Bergantz, George W

    2011-03-10

    The largest products of magmatic activity on Earth, the great bodies of granite and their corresponding large eruptions, have a dual nature: homogeneity at the large scale and spatial and temporal heterogeneity at the small scale. This duality calls for a mechanism that selectively removes the large-scale heterogeneities associated with the incremental assembly of these magmatic systems and yet occurs rapidly despite crystal-rich, viscous conditions seemingly resistant to mixing. Here we show that a simple dynamic template can unify a wide range of apparently contradictory observations from both large plutonic bodies and volcanic systems by a mechanism of rapid remobilization (unzipping) of highly viscous crystal-rich mushes. We demonstrate that this remobilization can lead to rapid overturn and produce the observed juxtaposition of magmatic materials with very disparate ages and complex chemical zoning. What distinguishes our model is the recognition that the process has two stages. Initially, a stiff mushy magma is reheated from below, producing a reduction in crystallinity that leads to the growth of a subjacent buoyant mobile layer. When the thickening mobile layer becomes sufficiently buoyant, it penetrates the overlying viscous mushy magma. This second stage rapidly exports homogenized material from the lower mobile layer to the top of the system, and leads to partial overturn within the viscous mush itself as an additional mechanism of mixing. Model outputs illustrate that unzipping can rapidly produce large amounts of mobile magma available for eruption. The agreement between calculated and observed unzipping rates for historical eruptions at Pinatubo and at Montserrat demonstrates the general applicability of the model. This mechanism furthers our understanding of both the formation of periodically homogenized plutons (crust building) and of ignimbrites by large eruptions.

  19. Single crystalline metal films as substrates for graphene growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zeller, Patrick; Henss, Ann-Kathrin; Wintterlin, Joost [Department Chemie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Weinl, Michael; Schreck, Matthias [Institut fuer Physik, Universitaet Augsburg (Germany); Speck, Florian; Ostler, Markus [Lehrstuhl fuer Technische Physik, Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg, Erlangen (Germany); Institut fuer Physik, Technische Universitaet Chemnitz (Germany); Seyller, Thomas [Institut fuer Physik, Technische Universitaet Chemnitz (Germany)

    2017-11-15

    Single crystalline metal films deposited on YSZ-buffered Si(111) wafers were investigated with respect to their suitability as substrates for epitaxial graphene. Graphene was grown by CVD of ethylene on Ru(0001), Ir(111), and Ni(111) films in UHV. For analysis a variety of surface science methods were used. By an initial annealing step the surface quality of the films was strongly improved. The temperature treatments of the metal films caused a pattern of slip lines, formed by thermal stress in the films, which, however, did not affect the graphene quality and even prevented wrinkle formation. Graphene was successfully grown on all three types of metal films in a quality comparable to graphene grown on bulk single crystals of the same metals. In the case of the Ni(111) films the originally obtained domain structure of rotational graphene phases could be transformed into a single domain by annealing. This healing process is based on the control of the equilibrium between graphene and dissolved carbon in the film. For the system graphene/Ni(111) the metal, after graphene growth, could be removed from underneath the epitaxial graphene layer by a pure gas phase reaction, using the reaction of CO with Ni to give gaseous Ni(CO){sub 4}. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  20. Fabrication of single-crystalline plasmonic nanostructures on transparent and flexible amorphous substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mori, Tomohiro; Mori, Takeshi; Tanaka, Yasuhiro; Suzaki, Yoshifumi; Yamaguchi, Kenzo

    2017-02-01

    A new experimental technique is developed for producing a high-performance single-crystalline Ag nanostructure on transparent and flexible amorphous substrates for use in plasmonic sensors and circuit components. This technique is based on the epitaxial growth of Ag on a (001)-oriented single-crystalline NaCl substrate, which is subsequently dissolved in ultrapure water to allow the Ag film to be transferred onto a wide range of different substrates. Focused ion beam milling is then used to create an Ag nanoarray structure consisting of 200 cuboid nanoparticles with a side length of 160 nm and sharp, precise edges. This array exhibits a strong signal and a sharp peak in plasmonic properties and Raman intensity when compared with a polycrystalline Ag nanoarray.

  1. On the determination of crystallinity and cellulose content in plant fibres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thygesen, Anders; Oddershede, Jette; Lilholt, Hans

    2005-01-01

    A comparative study of cellulose crystallinity based on the sample crystallinity and the cellulose content in plant fibres was performed for samples of different origin. Strong acid hydrolysis was found superior to agricultural fibre analysis and comprehensive plant fibre analysis for a consistent...... determination of the cellulose content. Crystallinity determinations were based on X-ray powder diffraction methods using side-loaded samples in reflection (Bragg-Brentano) mode. Rietveld refinements based on the recently published crystal structure of cellulose I beta followed by integration of the crystalline...... and 60 - 70 g/ 100 g cellulose in wood based fibres. These findings are significant in relation to strong fibre composites and bio-ethanol production....

  2. Extracellular requirements for the endocytosis of carcinogenic crystalline nickel sulfide particles by facultative phagocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heck, J.D.; Costa, M.

    1982-01-01

    Various culture medium components were examined for their effect upon the phagocytosis of carcinogenic crystalline and non-carcinogenic amorphous NiS by cultured fibroblastic cells using both a visual and radioactive assay for phagocytosis. Crystalline 63 NiS was phagocytosed by cells in a simple salts/glucose maintenance medium to an extent similar to that observed in complex culture medium fortified with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), suggesting that serum proteins and other components in complex culture medium exert little influence upon the uptake of these heavy metal particles. Phagocytosis of crystalline NiS was shown to be highly dependent upon Ca 2+ since omission of Ca 2+ from the salts/glucose medium substantially reduced phagocytosis, while readdition of Ca 2+ stimulated uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. The uptake of the NiS particles was inhibited by trifluoperazine, a calmodulin antagonist, implicating intracellular Ca 2+ in this phagocytosis process. Since the opposite surface charge of crystalline and amorphous NiS has been related to their different phagocytic uptake by cells whose primary function is not phagocytosis (facultative phagocytes), these results show that the culture medium components do not modify the surface charge of these particles in a way that significantly influences their uptake. (Auth.)

  3. Production of TiO2 crystalline nanoparticles by laser ablation in ethanol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boutinguiza, M.; Rodriguez-Gonzalez, B.; Val, J. del; Comesaña, R.; Lusquiños, F.; Pou, J.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Nanoparticles of TiO 2 have been obtained by laser ablation of Ti submerged in ethanol using CW laser. ► The use of CW laser contributes to control the size distribution and to complete oxidation. ► The particles formation mechanism is the melting and rapid solidification. - Abstract: TiO 2 nanoparticles have received a special attention due to their applications in many different fields, such as catalysis, biomedical engineering, and energy conversion in solar cells. In this paper we report on the production of TiO 2 nanoparticles by means of a pulsed laser to ablate titanium metallic target submerged in ethanol. The results show that titanium crystalline dioxide nanoparticles can be obtained in a narrow size distribution. Crystalline phases, morphology and optical properties of the obtained colloidal nanoparticles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and UV/vis absorption spectroscopy. The produced particles consisted mainly of titanium oxide crystalline nanoparticles showing spherical shape with most diameters ranging from 5 to 50 nm. Nanoparticles are polycrystalline exhibiting the coexistence of the three main phases with the predominance of brookite.

  4. New photo-convertible reactions of blue-fluorescent calf α-crystallin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujimori, E.

    1979-01-01

    Both native blue fluorescent α-crystalline from calf lenses and UV (300 nm)-irradiated blue-fluorescent α-crystalline, when further irradiated with 365 nm-UV light, produce photo-products capable of emitting a new fluorescence at 455 nm. Illumination of the photo-products with 420 nm visible light regenerates the original fluorescence at 420-425 nm. In addition, another fluorescence at 400 nm has also been found in UV (300 nm)-irradiated blue-fluorescent α-crystallin, when exposed to 365 nm-UV light. (author)

  5. Effects of γ-irradiation and thermal treatment of crystallinity of drawn HDPE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Zhanjun; Silverman, J.

    1997-01-01

    The effect of absorbed dose irradiated in vacuum and air on the crystallinity of drawn HDPE was studied. Experimental results show that up to 250 kGy of absorbed dose when irradiated in vacuum, the crystallinity of drawn HDPE is decreased from about 75% to about 71%, and then the increase of absorbed dose until 1000 kGy has no further effect in lowering the crystallinity; when irradiated in air, an absorbed dose of 1000 kGy has no effect on the crystallinity of drawn HDPE. The effect of temperature of thermal treatment on the crystallinity of unirradiated drawn HDPE was also investigated. At first, the crystallinity is increased with the increase of temperature of thermal treatment, at about 120 degree C, it reaches the maximum value, and then it is rapidly lowered with the further increase of temperature of thermal treatment. Based on the existence of a lot of voids and lattice defects inside the drawn HDPE, the above experimental results were explained

  6. Molecular origins of anisotropic shock propagation in crystalline and amorphous polyethylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connor, Thomas C.; Elder, Robert M.; Sliozberg, Yelena R.; Sirk, Timothy W.; Andzelm, Jan W.; Robbins, Mark O.

    2018-03-01

    Molecular dynamics simulations are used to analyze shock propagation in amorphous and crystalline polyethylene. Results for the shock velocity Us are compared to predictions from Pastine's equation of state and hydrostatic theory. The results agree with Pastine at high impact velocities. At low velocities the yield stress becomes important, increasing the shock velocity and leading to anisotropy in the crystalline response. Detailed analysis of changes in atomic order reveals the origin of the anisotropic response. For shock along the polymer backbone, an elastic front is followed by a plastic front where chains buckle with a characteristic wavelength. Shock perpendicular to the chain backbone can produce plastic deformation or transitions to different orthorhombic or monoclinic structures, depending on the impact speed and direction. Tensile loading does not produce stable shocks: Amorphous systems craze and fracture while for crystals the front broadens linearly with time.

  7. Inequality in Preschool Quality? Community-Level Disparities in Access to High-Quality Learning Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bassok, Daphna; Galdo, Eva

    2016-01-01

    In recent years, unequal access to high-quality preschool has emerged as a growing public policy concern. Because of data limitations, it is notoriously difficult to measure disparities in access to early learning opportunities across communities and particularly challenging to quantify gaps in access to "high-quality" programs. Research…

  8. Large-area and highly crystalline MoSe2 for optical modulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Jinde; Chen, Hao; Lu, Wei; Liu, Mengli; Li, Irene Ling; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Wenfei; Wang, Jinzhang; Xu, Zihan; Yan, Peiguang; Liu, Wenjun; Ruan, Shuangchen

    2017-12-01

    Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been successfully used as broadband optical modulator materials for pulsed fiber laser systems. However, the nonlinear optical absorptions of exfoliated TMDs are strongly limited by their nanoflakes morphology with uncontrollable lateral size and thickness. In this work, we provide an effective method to fully explore the nonlinear optical properties of MoSe2. Large-area and high quality lattice MoSe2 grown by chemical vapor deposition method was adopted as an optical modulator for the first time. The large-area MoSe2 shows excellent nonlinear optical absorption with a large modulation depth of 21.7% and small saturable intensity of 9.4 MW cm-2. After incorporating the MoSe2 optical modulator into fiber laser cavity as a saturable absorber, a highly stable Q-switching operation with single pulse energy of 224 nJ is achieved. The large-area MoSe2 possessing superior nonlinear optical properties compared to exfoliated nanoflakes affords possibility for the larger-area two-dimensional materials family as high performance optical devices.

  9. Large linear magnetoresistance in topological crystalline insulator Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roychowdhury, Subhajit; Ghara, Somnath; Guin, Satya N.; Sundaresan, A.; Biswas, Kanishka

    2016-01-01

    Classical magnetoresistance generally follows the quadratic dependence of the magnetic field at lower field and finally saturates when field is larger. Here, we report the large positive non-saturating linear magnetoresistance in topological crystalline insulator, Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te, at different temperatures between 3 K and 300 K in magnetic field up to 9 T. Magnetoresistance value as high as ∼200% was achieved at 3 K at magnetic field of 9 T. Linear magnetoresistance observed in Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te is mainly governed by the spatial fluctuation carrier mobility due to distortions in the current paths in inhomogeneous conductor. - Graphical abstract: Large non-saturating linear magnetoresistance has been evidenced in topological crystalline insulator, Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te, at different temperatures between 3 K and 300 K in magnetic field up to 9 T. - Highlights: • Large non-saturating linear magnetoresistance was achieved in the topological crystalline insulator, Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te. • Highest magnetoresistance value as high as ~200% was achieved at 3 K at magnetic field of 9 T. • Linear magnetoresistance in Pb_0_._6Sn_0_._4Te is mainly governed by the spatial fluctuation of the carrier mobility.

  10. Crystalline beams: Theory, experiments, and proposals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruggiero, A.G.

    1995-01-01

    Crystalline Beams are an ordered state of an ensemble of ions, circulating in a storage ring, with very small velocity fluctuations. They can be obtained from ordinary warm ion beams with the application of intense cooling techniques (stochastic, electron, laser). A phase transition occurs when sufficiently small velocity spreads are reached, freezing the particle-to-particle spacing in strings, Zigzags, and helices ... The properties and the feasibility of Crystalline Beams depend on the choice of the lattice of the Storage Ring. There are three issues closely related to the design of the Storage Ring; namely: the determination of Equilibrium Configurations, Confinement Conditions, and Stability Conditions. Of particular concern is the effect of the trajectory curvature and of the beam momentum spread, since they set the requirements on the amount of momentum cooling, on the focussing, and on the distribution of bending in the lattice of the storage ring. The practical demonstration of Crystalline Beams may create the basis for an advanced technology for particle accelerators, where the limitations due to Coulomb intrabeam scattering and space-charge forces would finally be brought under control, so that beams of ions, more dense than normal, can be achieved for a variety of new applications

  11. Low-quality birds do not display high-quality signals: The cysteine-pheomelanin mechanism of honesty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galván, Ismael; Wakamatsu, Kazumasa; Camarero, Pablo R; Mateo, Rafael; Alonso-Alvarez, Carlos

    2015-01-01

    The mechanisms that make that the costs of producing high-quality signals are unaffordable to low-quality signalers are a current issue in animal communication. The size of the melanin-based bib of male house sparrows Passer domesticus honestly signals quality. We induced the development of new bibs while treating males with buthionine-sulfoximine (BSO), a substance that depletes the levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) and the amino acid cysteine, two elements that switch melanogenesis from eumelanin to pheomelanin. Final bib size is negatively related to pheomelanin levels in the bib feathers. BSO reduced cysteine and GSH levels in all birds, but improved phenotypes (bibs larger than controls) were only expressed by high-quality birds (BSO birds with largest bibs initially). Negative associations between final bib size and cysteine levels in erythrocytes, and between pheomelanin and cysteine levels, were observed in high-quality birds only. These findings suggest that a mechanism uncoupling pheomelanin and cysteine levels may have evolved in low-quality birds to avoid producing bibs of size not corresponding to their quality and greater relative costs. Indeed, greater oxidative stress in cells was not observed in low-quality birds. This may represent the first mechanism maintaining signal honesty without producing greater relative costs on low-quality signalers. PMID:25330349

  12. The open-circuit voltage in microcrystalline silicon solar cells of different degrees of crystallinity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nath, Madhumita; Roca i Cabarrocas, P.; Johnson, E.V.; Abramov, A.; Chatterjee, P.

    2008-01-01

    We have used a detailed electrical-optical computer model (ASDMP) in conjunction with the experimental characterization of microcrystalline silicon thin-film solar cells of different degrees of crystallinity (but having identical P- and N-layers) to understand the observed decrease of the open-circuit voltage with increasing crystalline fraction. In order to model all aspects of the experimental current density-voltage and quantum efficiency characteristics of cells having low (∼ 75%) and high (over 90%) crystalline fraction, we had to assume both a higher mobility gap defect density and a lower band gap for the more crystallized material. The former fact is widely known to bring down the open-circuit voltage. Our calculations also reveal that the proximity of the quasi-Fermi levels to the energy bands in the cell based on highly crystallized (and assumed to have a lower band gap) microcrystalline silicon results in higher free and trapped carrier densities in this device. The trapped hole population is particularly high at and close to the P/I interface on account of the higher inherent defect density in this region and the fact that the hole quasi-Fermi level is close to the valence band edge here. This fact results in a strong interface field, a collapse of the field in the volume, and hence a lower open-circuit voltage. Thus a combination of higher mobility gap defects and a lower band gap is probably the reason for the lower open-circuit voltage in cells based on highly crystallized microcrystalline silicon

  13. Bacterial adhesion on amorphous and crystalline metal oxide coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almaguer-Flores, Argelia; Silva-Bermudez, Phaedra; Galicia, Rey; Rodil, Sandra E.

    2015-01-01

    Several studies have demonstrated the influence of surface properties (surface energy, composition and topography) of biocompatible materials on the adhesion of cells/bacteria on solid substrates; however, few have provided information about the effect of the atomic arrangement or crystallinity. Using magnetron sputtering deposition, we produced amorphous and crystalline TiO 2 and ZrO 2 coatings with controlled micro and nanoscale morphology. The effect of the structure on the physical–chemical surface properties was carefully analyzed. Then, we studied how these parameters affect the adhesion of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our findings demonstrated that the nano-topography and the surface energy were significantly influenced by the coating structure. Bacterial adhesion at micro-rough (2.6 μm) surfaces was independent of the surface composition and structure, contrary to the observation in sub-micron (0.5 μm) rough surfaces, where the crystalline oxides (TiO 2 > ZrO 2 ) surfaces exhibited higher numbers of attached bacteria. Particularly, crystalline TiO 2 , which presented a predominant acidic nature, was more attractive for the adhesion of the negatively charged bacteria. The information provided by this study, where surface modifications are introduced by means of the deposition of amorphous or crystalline oxide coatings, offers a route for the rational design of implant surfaces to control or inhibit bacterial adhesion. - Highlights: • Amorphous (a) and crystalline (c) TiO 2 and ZrO 2 coatings were deposited. • The atomic ordering influences the coatings surface charge and nano-topography. • The atomic ordering modifies the bacterial adhesion for the same surface chemistry. • S. aureus adhesion was lower on a-TiO 2 and a-ZrO 2 than on their c-oxide counterpart. • E. coli adhesion on a-TiO 2 was lower than on the c-TiO 2

  14. Bacterial adhesion on amorphous and crystalline metal oxide coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Almaguer-Flores, Argelia [Facultad de Odontología, División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 México D.F. (Mexico); Silva-Bermudez, Phaedra, E-mail: suriel21@yahoo.com [Unidad de Ingeniería de Tejidos, Terapia Celular y Medicina Regenerativa, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación, Calzada México-Xochimilco No. 289, Col. Arenal de Guadalupe, 14389 México D.F. (Mexico); Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 México D.F. (Mexico); Galicia, Rey; Rodil, Sandra E. [Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito Exterior s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 04510 México D.F. (Mexico)

    2015-12-01

    Several studies have demonstrated the influence of surface properties (surface energy, composition and topography) of biocompatible materials on the adhesion of cells/bacteria on solid substrates; however, few have provided information about the effect of the atomic arrangement or crystallinity. Using magnetron sputtering deposition, we produced amorphous and crystalline TiO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2} coatings with controlled micro and nanoscale morphology. The effect of the structure on the physical–chemical surface properties was carefully analyzed. Then, we studied how these parameters affect the adhesion of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Our findings demonstrated that the nano-topography and the surface energy were significantly influenced by the coating structure. Bacterial adhesion at micro-rough (2.6 μm) surfaces was independent of the surface composition and structure, contrary to the observation in sub-micron (0.5 μm) rough surfaces, where the crystalline oxides (TiO{sub 2} > ZrO{sub 2}) surfaces exhibited higher numbers of attached bacteria. Particularly, crystalline TiO{sub 2}, which presented a predominant acidic nature, was more attractive for the adhesion of the negatively charged bacteria. The information provided by this study, where surface modifications are introduced by means of the deposition of amorphous or crystalline oxide coatings, offers a route for the rational design of implant surfaces to control or inhibit bacterial adhesion. - Highlights: • Amorphous (a) and crystalline (c) TiO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2} coatings were deposited. • The atomic ordering influences the coatings surface charge and nano-topography. • The atomic ordering modifies the bacterial adhesion for the same surface chemistry. • S. aureus adhesion was lower on a-TiO{sub 2} and a-ZrO{sub 2} than on their c-oxide counterpart. • E. coli adhesion on a-TiO{sub 2} was lower than on the c-TiO{sub 2}.

  15. Determination of cellulose I crystallinity by FT-Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umesh P. Agarwal; Richard S. Reiner; Sally A. Ralph

    2009-01-01

    Two new methods based on FT-Raman spectroscopy, one simple, based on band intensity ratio, and the other, using a partial least-squares (PLS) regression model, are proposed to determine cellulose I crystallinity. In the simple method, crystallinity in semicrystalline cellulose I samples was determined based on univariate regression that was first developed using the...

  16. Solid State Characterization of Commercial Crystalline and Amorphous Atorvastatin Calcium Samples

    OpenAIRE

    Shete, Ganesh; Puri, Vibha; Kumar, Lokesh; Bansal, Arvind K.

    2010-01-01

    Atorvastatin calcium (ATC), an anti-lipid BCS class II drug, is marketed in crystalline and amorphous solid forms. The objective of this study was to perform solid state characterization of commercial crystalline and amorphous ATC drug samples available in the Indian market. Six samples each of crystalline and amorphous ATC were characterized using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis, Karl Fisher titrimetry, microscopy (hot s...

  17. The effect of modified ijuk fibers to crystallinity of polypropylene composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabowo, I.; Nur Pratama, J.; Chalid, M.

    2017-07-01

    Nowadays, plastics becomes concern associated with its degradation and environmental issues. It has led studies to develop an environmental-friendly material. To minimize the impact of those problems, recently the usage of natural fibers as a filler are introduced because of biodegradability and availability. The promising natural fiber is “ijuk” fiber from Arenga pinnata plant as a filler and polypropylene (PP) polymer as a matrix. Unfortunately, the natural fibers and polymers have the different properties on which polymers are polar while natural fibers are non-polar so that reducing the compatibility and resulting the poor crystallinity. To enhance the compatibility and crystallinity, ijuk fibers were prepared by multistage treatments including alkalinization with 5 and 10% sodium hydroxide (NaOH), oxidation with 3 and 6% sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) and hydrolysis with 20% sulphuric acid (H2SO4) in sequences. The purposes of multistage treatments are to remove the components such as lignin, wax, hemicellulose, to cause an oxidative fragmentation of remaining lignin and to annihilate the amorphous parts respectively. Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) confirms the compatibility meanwhile Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) reveals the crystallinity and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) displays surface morphology of polypropylene. The experiments were revealing that the effects of “ijuk” fibers by the multistage treatments of 5 and 10% NaOH resulting the crystallinity of polypropylene around 31.2 and 27.64% respectively compared to the crystallinity before adding the “ijuk” fibers for 16.8%. It indicates that the entire treatments increasing the compatibility and crystallinity of polypropylene. In addition, the use of 5% NaOH offers the better crystallinity than non-treated polypropylene. The experiments conclude that by adding alkalinized “ijuk” fibers of multistage treatments can increase the compatibility and crystallinity of polypropylene.

  18. Laterally inherently thin amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chowdhury, Zahidur R., E-mail: zr.chowdhury@utoronto.ca; Kherani, Nazir P., E-mail: kherani@ecf.utoronto.ca [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Toronto, 10 King' s College Road, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G4 (Canada)

    2014-12-29

    This article reports on an amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cell concept wherein the heterojunction regions are laterally narrow and distributed amidst a backdrop of well-passivated crystalline silicon surface. The localized amorphous-crystalline silicon heterojunctions consisting of the laterally thin emitter and back-surface field regions are precisely aligned under the metal grid-lines and bus-bars while the remaining crystalline silicon surface is passivated using the recently proposed facile grown native oxide–plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride passivation scheme. The proposed cell concept mitigates parasitic optical absorption losses by relegating amorphous silicon to beneath the shadowed metallized regions and by using optically transparent passivation layer. A photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 13.6% is obtained for an untextured proof-of-concept cell illuminated under AM 1.5 global spectrum; the specific cell performance parameters are V{sub OC} of 666 mV, J{sub SC} of 29.5 mA-cm{sup −2}, and fill-factor of 69.3%. Reduced parasitic absorption, predominantly in the shorter wavelength range, is confirmed with external quantum efficiency measurement.

  19. Confinement and stability of crystalline beams in storage rings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haffmans, A.F.

    1995-01-01

    We present a fully analytical approach to the study of the confinement and stability of open-quote open-quote Crystalline Beams close-quote close-quote in storage rings, in terms of such fundamental accelerator concepts as tune shift and stopband. We consider a open-quote open-quote Crystalline Beam close-quote close-quote consisting of substrings, arranged symmetrically around the reference trajectory, and we examine the motion of a slightly perturbed test particle on one of them. Our approach quite naturally leads to the conclusion, that (a) storage rings need to be operated below the transition energy, and (b) the open-quote open-quote Crystalline Beam close-quote close-quote has the same periodicity as the storage ring. Each open-quote open-quote Crystalline Beam close-quote close-quote has an upper and lower limit of the spacing between the ions. The upper limit is determined by condition (b), and the lower limit is set by the stability of the test particle motion around the equilibrium. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

  20. Influence of coating steps of perovskite on low-temperature amorphous compact TiO x upon the morphology, crystallinity, and photovoltaic property correlation in planar perovskite solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahiduzzaman, Md.; Furumoto, Yoshikazu; Yamamoto, Kohei; Yonezawa, Kyosuke; Azuma, Yosuke; Kitamura, Michinori; Matsuzaki, Hiroyuki; Karakawa, Makoto; Kuwabara, Takayuki; Takahashi, Kohshin; Taima, Tetsuya

    2018-03-01

    The fabrication of high-efficiency solution-processable perovskite solar cells has been achieved using mesostructured films and compact titanium dioxide (TiO2) layers in a process that involves high temperatures and cost. Here, we present an efficient approach for fabricating chemical-bath-deposited, low-temperature, and low-cost amorphous compact TiO x -based planar heterojunction perovskite solar cells by one-step and two-step coatings of the perovskite layer. We also investigate the effect of the number of perovskite coating steps on the compact TiO x layer. The grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering technique is used to clarify the relationship between morphology, crystallinity, and photovoltaic properties of the resulting devices. Analysis of the films revealed that one-step spin-coating of perovskite exhibited an enhancement of film quality and crystallization that correlates to photovoltaic performance 1.5 times higher than that of a two-step-coated device. Our findings show that the resulting morphology, crystallinity, and device performances are strongly dependent on the number of coating steps of the perovskite thin layer on the compact TiO x layer. This result is useful knowledge for the low-cost production of planar perovskite solar cells.

  1. Endogenous α-crystallin inhibits expression of caspase-3 induced by hypoxia in retinal neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ying, Xi; Peng, Yanli; Zhang, Jiaping; Wang, Xingli; Wu, Nan; Zeng, Yuxiao; Wang, Yi

    2014-08-28

    To investigate the expression of endogenous, hypoxic stress-induced α-crystallin and caspase-3 in rat retinal neurons in vitro. Retinal neurons were cultured from Long-Evans rats. The expression of endogenous α-crystallin was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Furthermore, hypoxic exposure was performed in cultured cells, and the expression of endogenous α-crystallin and caspase-3 was assayed by Western blotting. Positive α-crystallin staining was observed in cultured retinal neurons, and expression of endogenous α-crystallin mRNA peaked 3-5d after inoculation (Pendogenous, hypoxic stress-induced α-crystallin expression increased gradually, peaking 6h after hypoxia. The expression was more abundant compared to the control (Pendogenous α-crystallin in retinal neurons, especially over-expression induced by hypoxic stress, results in the down regulation of caspase-3. The data suggest that endogenous α-crystallin may act as an endogenous neuroprotective factor in retinal neurons. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Definitions of terms relating to crystalline polymers (IUPAC Recommendations 2011)

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Meille, S. V.; Allegra, G.; Geil, P. H.; He, J.; Hess, M.; Jin, J.-I.; Kratochvíl, Pavel; Mormann, W.; Stepto, R.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 83, č. 10 (2011), s. 1831-1871 ISSN 0033-4545 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : IUPAC Polymer Division * crystalline polymers * crystalline polymer conformation Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 2.789, year: 2011

  3. Anomalous behavior of B1g mode in highly transparent anatase nano-crystalline Nb-doped Titanium Dioxide (NTO thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Subodh K. Gautam

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The effect of Niobium doping and size of crystallites on highly transparent nano-crystalline Niobium doped Titanium Dioxide (NTO thin films with stable anatase phase are reported. The Nb doping concentration is varied within the solubility limit in TiO2 lattice. Films were annealed in controlled environment for improving the crystallinity and size of crystallites. Elemental and thickness analysis were carried out using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and cross sectional field emission scanning electron microscopy. Structural characteristics reveal a substitutional incorporation of Nb+5 in the TiO2 lattice which inhibits the anatase crystallites growth with increasing the doping percentage. The micro-Raman (MR spectra of films with small size crystallites shows stiffening of about 4 cm−1 for the Eg(1 mode and is ascribed to phonon confinement and non-stoichiometry. In contrast, B1g mode exhibits a large anomalous softening of 20 cm−1 with asymmetrical broadening; which was not reported for the case of pure TiO2 crystallites. This anomalous behaviour is explained by contraction of the apical Ti-O bonds at the surface upon substitutional Nb5+ doping induced reduction of Ti4+ ions also known as hetero-coordination effect. The proposed hypotheses is manifested through studying the electronic structure and phonon dynamics by performing the near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS and temperature dependent MR down to liquid nitrogen temperature on pure and 2.5 at.% doped NTO films, respectively.

  4. Emblems of Quality in Higher Education. Developing and Sustaining High-Quality Programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haworth, Jennifer Grant; Conrad, Clifton F.

    This book proposes an "engagement" theory of program quality to evaluate and improve higher education programs at all degree levels. Based on interviews with 781 participants in a national study of Masters degree programs, it focuses on the interactive roles of students, faculty, and administrators in developing high-quality programs…

  5. Solid state characterization of commercial crystalline and amorphous atorvastatin calcium samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shete, Ganesh; Puri, Vibha; Kumar, Lokesh; Bansal, Arvind K

    2010-06-01

    Atorvastatin calcium (ATC), an anti-lipid BCS class II drug, is marketed in crystalline and amorphous solid forms. The objective of this study was to perform solid state characterization of commercial crystalline and amorphous ATC drug samples available in the Indian market. Six samples each of crystalline and amorphous ATC were characterized using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRPD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis, Karl Fisher titrimetry, microscopy (hot stage microscopy, scanning electron microscopy), contact angle, and intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR). All crystalline ATC samples were found to be stable form I, however one sample possessed polymorphic impurity, evidenced in XRPD and DSC analysis. Amongst the amorphous ATC samples, XRPD demonstrated five samples to be amorphous 'form 27', while, one matched amorphous 'form 23'. Thermal behavior of amorphous ATC samples was compared to amorphous ATC generated by melt quenching in DSC. ATC was found to be an excellent glass former with T(g)/T(m) of 0.95. Residual crystallinity was detected in two of the amorphous samples by complementary use of conventional and modulated DSC techniques. The wettability and IDR of all amorphous samples was found to be higher than the crystalline samples. In conclusion, commercial ATC samples exhibited diverse solid state behavior that can impact the performance and stability of the dosage forms.

  6. Effect of the UV modification of α-crystallin on its ability to suppress nonspecific aggregation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ellozy, A.R.; Ceger, Patricia; Wang, R.H.; Dillon, James

    1996-01-01

    Recent studies have shown that structural modifications of α-crystallin during lens aging decrease it's effectiveness as a molecular chaperone. Some of these post-translational modifications have been linked to UV radiation, and this study was undertaken to investigate the effect of UV irradiation on the ability of α-crystallin to suppress nonspecific aggregation. The effect of 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) was also investigated as a model for its glucoside (3-HKG), a main lens chromophore that has been linked to photochemical changes in the human lens. Alpha- and γ-crystallin solutions (1 mg/mL, 1:0.125 wt/wt) were photolyzed (transmission above 295nm) for various time intervals. Thermal denaturation of γ-crystallin with or without α-crystallin was carried out at 70 o C and increases in light scattering were measured at 360 nm. We found that (1) irradiation of γ-crystallin increased its susceptibility to heat-induced scattering. The addition of α-crystallin protects it against thermal denaturation, although its ability to do so decreases the longer γ-crystallin is irradiated and (2) irradiation of α-crystallin decreases its ability to suppress nonspecific aggregation and the presence of 3-HK during irradiation decreases its further. Our results indicate that post-translational modifications of α-crystallin due to UV irradiation affect the sites and mechanisms by which it interacts with γ-crystallin. The kinetics of γ-crystallin unfolding during thermal denaturation were also analyzed. We found that a simple two state model applied for nonirradiated γ-crystallin. This model does not hold when γ-crystallin is irradiated in the prescence or absence of α-crystallin. In these cases, two step or multistep mechanisms are more likely. (Author)

  7. Thermotropic liquid crystalline polyazomethine nanocomposites via in situ interlayer polymerization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, Ungki; Chang, Jin-Hae

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Nanocomposites of polyazomethine with the organoclay C 12 -MMT were synthesized by using the in situ interlayer polymerization method. → The thermal properties of the polyazomethine hybrids increase with the addition of the organoclay up to a critical content and then decrease with further organoclay loading. → Liquid crystalline compositions with 0-9 wt% organoclay have threaded Schlieren nematic textures. - Abstract: Nanocomposites of polyazomethine (PAM) with the organoclay C 12 -MMT were synthesized by using the in situ interlayer polymerization method. The variations with organoclay content of the thermal properties, morphology, and liquid crystalline mesophases of the hybrids were determined for concentrations from 0 to 9 wt% C 12 -MMT. The thermal properties and the morphologies of the PAM nanocomposites were examined by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), wide angle X-ray diffractometry (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and polarizing optical microscopy (POM). The XRD analysis and TEM micrographs show that the levels of nanosize dispersion can be controlled by varying the C 12 -MMT content. The clay particles are better dispersed in the matrix polymer at low clay contents than at high clay contents. With the exception of the glass transition temperature (T g ), the maximum enhancement in the thermal properties was found to arise at an organoclay content of 1 wt%. Further, the PAM hybrids were shown to exhibit a nematic liquid crystalline phase for organoclay contents in the range 0-9 wt%.

  8. High quality Y-type hexaferrite thick films for microwave applications by an economical and environmentally benign crystal growth technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hu, Bolin; Chen, Yajie, E-mail: y.chen@neu.edu; Gillette, Scott; Su, Zhijuan; Harris, Vincent G. [Center for Microwave Magnetic Materials and Integrated Circuits and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 (United States); Wolf, Jason; McHenry, Michael E. [Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213 (United States)

    2014-02-17

    Thick barium hexaferrite Ba{sub 2}Zn{sub 2}Fe{sub 12}O{sub 22} (i.e., Zn{sub 2}Y) films having thicknesses of ∼100 μm were epitaxially grown on MgO (111) substrates using an environmentally benign ferrite-salt mixture by vaporizing the salt. X-ray diffraction pole figure analyses showed (00l) crystallographic alignment with little in plane dispersion confirming epitaxial growth. Saturation magnetization, 4πM{sub s}, was measured for as-grown films to be 2.51 ± 0.1 kG with an out of plane magnetic anisotropy field H{sub A} of 8.9 ± 0.1 kOe. Ferromagnetic resonance linewidth, as the peak-to-peak power absorption derivative at 9.6 GHz, was measured to be 62 Oe. These properties demonstrate a rapid, convenient, cost-effective, and nontoxic method of growing high quality thick crystalline ferrite films which could be used widely for microwave device applications.

  9. Characterization of chemical vapour deposited diamond films: correlation between hydrogen incorporation and film morphology and quality

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, C J; Neves, A J; Carmo, M C

    2005-01-01

    In order to tailor diamond synthesized through chemical vapour deposition (CVD) for different applications, many diamond films of different colours and variable quality were deposited by a 5 kW microwave plasma CVD reactor under different growth conditions. The morphology, quality and hydrogen incorporation of these films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively. From this study, a general trend between hydrogen incorporation and film colour, morphology and quality was found. That is, as the films sorted by colour gradually become darker, ranging from white through grey to black, high magnification SEM images illustrate that the smoothness of the well defined crystalline facet gradually decreases and second nucleation starts to appear on it, indicating gradual degradation of the crystalline quality. Correspondingly, Raman spectra evidence that the diamond Raman peak at 1332 cm -1 becomes broader and the non-diamond carbon band around 1500 cm -1 starts to appear and becomes stronger, confirming increase of the non-diamond component and decrease of the phase purity of the film, while FTIR spectra show that the CH stretching band and the two CVD diamond specific peaks around 2830 cm -1 rise rapidly, and this indicates that the total amount of hydrogen incorporated into the film increases significantly

  10. Comparative studies on the pest reactions of single- and poly- crystalline MoSi2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chou, T.C.; Nieh, T.G.

    1992-01-01

    Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2 ) has many attractive properties, e.g., high melting point (2020 degrees C), relatively low density (6.28 g/cm 3 ), good thermal stability and thermal shock resistance, and excellent oxidation resistance, for potential high temperature applications. Specifically, it is oxidation resistant at temperatures up to about 1900 degrees C, resulting from the formation of a self-healing, glassy silica (SiO 2 ) surface layer. Because of its suitability for use as a high temperature coating and as heating elements, the oxidation properties of MoSi 2 have been extensively studied in the past 30 years, but mainly in the high temperature regimes. In this paper, the authors investigate the evolution and morphological characteristics of the oxidation products of both MoSi 2 single crystals and cast polycrystals. Special attention is given to addressing the nucleation of pest in single crystalline material. The results from both the single- and poly-crystalline samples are correlated with an effort to resolve the origin of MoSi 2 pest. Their implications to the early-stage formation (nucleation) of pest are discussed

  11. Autophobicity and layering behavior of thin liquid-crystalline polymer films.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wielen, van der M.W.J.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Fleer, G.J.

    1998-01-01

    The stability against breaking-up of thin spin-coated films of liquid-crystalline polymers depends on the film thickness and annealing temperature. This study concerns side-chain liquid-crystalline polymers, based on alternating copolymers of maleic anhydride and mesogenic alkenes. The mesogenic

  12. Study of point defects in non crystalline alloys by high temperature mass transport experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Limoge, Y.

    1986-09-01

    We present in this communication the results of new experiments designed to study the mass transport mechanism in non-crystalline metallic alloys. They are based on the isothermal measurement of the crystallization kinetics, either without constraint or under electron irradiation or hydrostatic pressure. These experiments show that in the alloys studied, (FeNi) 8 (Pb) 2 and Ni 6 Nb 4 ), irradiation enhances the diffusion on the one hand, and on the other that there exist an activation volume for diffusion, of the order of one atomic volume. We discuss then the atomic model of diffusion needed to explain our results

  13. [Crystalline lens photodisruption using femtosecond laser: experimental study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatoux, O; Touboul, D; Buestel, C; Balcou, P; Colin, J

    2010-09-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze the interactions during femtosecond (fs) laser photodisruption in ex vivo porcine crystalline lenses and to study the parameters for laser interaction optimization. An experimental femtosecond laser was used. The laser characteristics were: 1030 nm wavelength; pulse duration, 400 fs; and numerical aperture, 0.13. Specific software was created to custom and monitor any type of photoablation pattern for treatment purposes. Porcine crystalline lenses were placed in an open sky holder filled with physiological liquid (BSS) covered by a glass plate. A numerical camera was associated with metrological software in order to magnify and quantify the results. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on some samples to identify the microscopic plasma interactions with the lens. The optimization of parameters was investigated in terms of the optical breakdown threshold, the sizing of interactions, and the best pattern for alignments. More than 150 crystalline lenses of freshly enucleated pigs were treated. The optical breakdown threshold (OBT) was defined as the minimal energy level per pulse necessary to observe a physical interaction. In our study, the OBT varied according to the following parameters: the crystalline lens itself, varying from 4.2 to 7.6 μJ (mean, 5.1 μJ), and the depth of laser focus, varying up to 1 μJ, increasing in the depth of the tissue. Analyzing the distance between impacts, we observed that the closer the impacts were the less power was needed to create a clear well-drawn defect pattern (lines), i.e., with a 4-μJ optimized OBT, when the impacts were placed every 2 μm for the x,y directions and 60 μm for the z direction. Coalescent bubbles created by plasma formation always disappeared in less than 24h. The nonthermal effect of plasma and the innocuousness on surrounding tissues were proven by the TEM results. The crystalline lens photodisruption by the femtosecond laser seems an innovative

  14. Effect of silicon solar cell processing parameters and crystallinity on mechanical strength

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Popovich, V.A.; Yunus, A.; Janssen, M.; Richardson, I.M. [Delft University of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Delft (Netherlands); Bennett, I.J. [Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Solar Energy, PV Module Technology, Petten (Netherlands)

    2011-01-15

    Silicon wafer thickness reduction without increasing the wafer strength leads to a high breakage rate during subsequent handling and processing steps. Cracking of solar cells has become one of the major sources of solar module failure and rejection. Hence, it is important to evaluate the mechanical strength of solar cells and influencing factors. The purpose of this work is to understand the fracture behavior of silicon solar cells and to provide information regarding the bending strength of the cells. Triple junctions, grain size and grain boundaries are considered to investigate the effect of crystallinity features on silicon wafer strength. Significant changes in fracture strength are found as a result of metallization morphology and crystallinity of silicon solar cells. It is observed that aluminum paste type influences the strength of the solar cells. (author)

  15. Harvesting solar light with crystalline carbon nitrides for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

    KAUST Repository

    Bhunia, Manas Kumar

    2014-08-14

    Described herein is the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution using crystalline carbon nitrides (CNs) obtained by supramolecular aggregation followed by ionic melt polycondensation (IMP) using melamine and 2,4,6-triaminopyrimidine as a dopant. The solid state NMR spectrum of 15N-enriched CN confirms the triazine as a building unit. Controlling the amount and arrangements of dopants in the CN structure can dramatically enhance the photocatalytic performance for H2 evolution. The polytriazine imide (PTI) exhibits the apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) of 15% at 400 nm. This method successfully enables a substantial amount of visible light to be harvested for H2 evolution, and provides a promising route for the rational design of a variety of highly active crystalline CN photocatalysts. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Age-related changes in spectral transmittance of the human crystalline lens in situ.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakanishi, Yoshihito; Awano, Masakazu; Mizota, Atsushi; Tanaka, Minoru; Murakami, Akira; Ohnuma, Kazuhiko

    2012-01-01

    It was the aim of this study to measure spectral transmission of the human crystalline lens in situ. The crystalline lens was illuminated by one of four light-emitting diodes of different colors. The relative spectral transmittance of the human crystalline lens was measured with the Purkinje-Sanson mirror images over a wide range of ages. The study evaluated 36 crystalline lenses of 28 subjects aged 21-76 years. There was a significant correlation between the age and spectral transmittance for blue light. Spectral transmittance of the crystalline lens in situ could be measured with Purkinje-Sanson mirror images. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  17. Transport and diffusion on crystalline surfaces under external forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindenberg, Katja; Lacasta, A M; Sancho, J M; Romero, A H

    2005-01-01

    We present a numerical study of classical particles obeying a Langevin equation and moving on a solid crystalline surface under an external force that may either be constant or modulated by periodic oscillations. We focus on the particle drift velocity and diffusion. The roles of friction and equilibrium thermal fluctuations are studied for two nonlinear dynamical regimes corresponding to low and to high but finite friction. We identify a number of resonances and antiresonances, and provide phenomenological interpretations of the observed behaviour

  18. Nonlinear laser pulse response in a crystalline lens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, R P; Gupta, Pradeep Kumar; Singh, Ram Kishor; Strickland, D

    2016-04-01

    The propagation characteristics of a spatial Gaussian laser pulse have been studied inside a gradient-index structured crystalline lens with constant-density plasma generated by the laser-tissue interaction. The propagation of the laser pulse is affected by the nonlinearities introduced by the generated plasma inside the crystalline lens. Owing to the movement of plasma species from a higher- to a lower-temperature region, an increase in the refractive index occurs that causes the focusing of the laser pulse. In this study, extended paraxial approximation has been applied to take into account the evolution of the radial profile of the Gaussian laser pulse. To examine the propagation characteristics, variation of the beam width parameter has been observed as a function of the laser power and initial beam radius. The cavitation bubble formation, which plays an important role in the restoration of the elasticity of the crystalline lens, has been investigated.

  19. Mixing induced reactive transport in fractured crystalline rocks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez-Landa, Lurdes; Carrera, Jesus; Dentz, Marco; Fernàndez-Garcia, Daniel; Nardí, Albert; Saaltink, Maarten W.

    2012-01-01

    In this paper the solute retention properties of crystalline fractured rocks due to mixing-induced geochemical reactions are studied. While fractured media exhibit paths of fast flow and transport and thus short residence times for conservative solutes, at the same time they promote mixing and dilution due to strong heterogeneity, which leads to sharp concentration contrasts. Enhanced mixing and dilution have a double effect that favors crystalline fractured media as a possible host medium for nuclear waste disposal. Firstly, peak radionuclide concentrations are attenuated and, secondly, mixing-induced precipitation reactions are enhanced significantly, which leads to radionuclide immobilization. An integrated framework is presented for the effective modeling of these flow, transport and reaction phenomena, and the interaction between them. In a simple case study, the enhanced dilution and precipitation potential of fractured crystalline rocks are systematically studied and quantified and contrasted it to retention and attenuation in an equivalent homogeneous formation.

  20. Long quantum channels for high-quality entanglement transfer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Banchi, L; Apollaro, T J G; Cuccoli, A; Verrucchi, P; Vaia, R

    2011-01-01

    High-quality quantum-state and entanglement transfer can be achieved in an unmodulated spin bus operating in the ballistic regime, which occurs when the endpoint qubits A and B are nonperturbatively coupled to the chain by a suitable exchange interaction j 0 . Indeed, the transition amplitude characterizing the transfer quality exhibits a maximum for a finite optimal value j opt 0 (N), where N is the channel length. We show that j opt 0 (N) scales as N -1/6 for large N and that it ensures a high-quality entanglement transfer even in the limit of arbitrarily long channels, almost independently of the channel initialization. For instance, for any chain length the average quantum-state transmission fidelity exceeds 90% and decreases very little in a broad neighbourhood of j opt 0 (N). We emphasize that, taking the reverse point of view, should j 0 be experimentally constrained, high-quality transfer can still be obtained by adjusting the channel length to its optimal value. (paper)