Abstract: A two-dimensional hybrid Monte Carlofluid model is applied to study HBr/He inductively coupled plasmas used for etching of Si. Complete sets of gas-phase and surface reactions are presented and the effects of the gas mixing ratio on the plasma characteristics and on the etch rates are discussed. A comparison with experimentally measured etch rates is made to validate the modelling results. The etch rate in the HBr plasma is found to be quite low under the investigated conditions compared to typical etch rates of Si with F- or Cl-containing gases. This allows for a higher control and fine-tuning of the etch rate when creating ultra-small features. Our calculations predict a higher electron temperature at higher He fraction, because the electrons do not lose their energy so efficiently in vibrational and rotational excitations. As a consequence, electron impact ionization and dissociation become more important, yielding higher densities of ions, electrons and H atoms. This results in more pronounced sputtering of the surface. Nevertheless, the overall etch rate decreases upon increasing He fraction, suggesting that chemical etching is still the determining factor for the overall etch rate.

Abstract: Diatoms are unicellular microalgae that self-assemble an intricate porous silica cell wall, called frustule. Diatom frustules possess a unique combination of physical and chemical properties (chemical inertness, high mechanical strength, large surface area, low density, good porosity and highly ordered features on the nano-to-micro scale) making diatom frustules suited for many nanotechnological applications. For most proposed applications the organic material covering the frustules needs to be removed. In this paper we investigate the effect of different frustule cleaning methods (drying, autoclavation, SDS/EDTA treatment, H2O2 treatment and HNO3 treatment) and subsequent heat treatment at different temperatures (105 °C, 350 °C, 550 °C and 750 °C) on the material characteristics of the diatom Pinnularia sp. Material characteristics under study are morphology, surface area, pore size, elemental composition and organic content. The cleaned Pinnularia frustules are subsequently investigated as adsorbents to remove methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution.

Abstract: Starting from a microscope model of the intermolecular potential, a unified description is presented of the Bragg scattering law in the orientationally disordered and in the ordered phase of solid C-60. The orientational structure factor is expanded in terms of symmetry-adapted surface harmonics. The expansion coefficients are calculated from theory and compared with experiment Their temperature evolution is studied in the disordered phase at the 260 K transitions and in the ordered phase. In the ordered phase, new results from high-resolution neutron powder diffraction are given. In the disordered phase, space group Fm $($) over bar$$ 3m, the reflections have A(1g) symmetry; in the ordered phase, space group Pa $$($) over bar 3, reflections of T-2g symmetry appear and in addition the A(1g) reflections are renormalized. The orientational density distribution is calculated. The effective crystal-field potential is constructed, its temperature evolution in the ordered phase is studied and related to the occurrence of an orientational glass.

Abstract: Due to unique properties of NiTi shape memory alloys such as high corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, super elasticity and shape memory behavior, NiTi shape memory alloys are suitable materials for medical applications. Although TiO2 passive layer in these alloys can prevent releasing of nickel to the environment, high nickel content and stability of passive layer in these alloys are very debatable subjects. In this study a NiTi shape memory alloy with nominal composition of 50.7 atom% Ni was investigated by corrosion tests. Electrochemical tests were performed in two physiological environments of Ringer solution and NaCl 0.9% solution. Results indicate that the breakdown potential of the NiTi alloy in NaCl 0.9% solution is higher than that in Ringer solution. The results of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) reveal that low pitting corrosion occurred in Ringer solution compared with NaCl solution at potentiostatic tests. The pH value of the solutions increases after the electrochemical tests. The existence of hydride products in the X-ray diffraction analysis confirms the decrease of the concentration of hydrogen ion in solutions. Topographical evaluations show that corrosion products are nearly same in all samples. The biocompatibility tests were performed by reaction of mouse fibroblast cells (L929). The growth and development of cells for different times were measured by numbering the cells or statistics investigations. The figures of cells for different times showed natural growth of cells. The different of the cell numbers between the test specimen and control specimen was negligible; therefore it may be concluded that the NiTi shape memory alloy is not toxic in the physiological environments simulated with body fluids.

Abstract: The effects of the mold preheating and the silicon content of ductile iron on the percentage of carbides, graphite nodule counts and shrinkage volume were investigated. The results showed that the percentage of carbides and the shrinkage volume decreased when the mold preheating increased. The ductile iron with the carbon equivalent of 4.45% and the silicon content of 2.5% without any porosity defects was achieved when the mold preheating was 450 °C. Increasing the silicon content in the range of 2.1%3.3% led to the increase in graphite nodule count and graphite size and the decrease in percentage of carbides. It is due to the increase in induced expansion pressure during the graphite formation with the increasing of silicon content. The suitable condition for casting a sound product of ductile iron without the riser at the mold preheating temperature of 300 °C is the silicon content of 3.3% and carbon equivalent of 4.7%.

Abstract: The high-rate sensitivity of nanostructured metallic materials demonstrated in the recent literature is related to the predominance of thermally activated deformation mechanisms favoured by a large density of internal interfaces. Here we report time-resolved high-resolution electron transmission microscopy creep tests on thin nanograined films using on-chip nanomechanical testing. Tests are performed on ​palladium, which exhibited unexpectedly large creep rates at room temperature. Despite the small 30-nm grain size, relaxation is found to be mediated by dislocation mechanisms. The dislocations interact with the growth nanotwins present in the grains, leading to a loss of coherency of twin boundaries. The density of stored dislocations first increases with applied deformation, and then decreases with time to drive additional deformation while no grain boundary mechanism is observed. This fast relaxation constitutes a key issue in the development of various micro- and nanotechnologies such as ​palladium membranes for hydrogen applications.

Abstract: The globular structure of M2 high speed steel in the rolled – annealed and as cast conditions was investigated in the semisolid state. Metallographic observations resulted in globular austenite particles that were surrounded by a liquid phase. Dissolution of various carbides in the austenite phase at semisolid temperatures led to grain boundary liquation and formation of near-spherical solid grains in a liquid matrix. Therefore, at the semisolid state, the solid particles were free from carbides. MC- type and M6C- type eutectic carbides re- precipitated at the grain boundaries during cooling of the samples from the semisolid temperature. The variation of shape factor versus holding time and holding temperature was examined. A transition value for shape factor changes in high speed steels was achieved. The growth rate constants of the Ostwald ripening and the coalescence mechanisms were calculated by using the experimentally determined rate constant. It was observed that less liquid droplets were enclosed inside the solid particles compared with non-ferrous alloys. Besides, it has been shown that at high solid fraction, the Ostwald ripening mechanism plays a prominent role in the coarsening phenomenon in comparison with the coalescence mechanism. Grains can rotate and arrange low misorientation with each other at high liquid contents, therefore low energetic grain boundaries form between these grains. These grain boundaries play an important role in the coalescence mechanism.

Abstract: By means of synchrotron x-ray and electron diffraction, we studied the structural changes at the charge order transition T-CO = 176 K in the mixed-valence quadruple perovskite (NaMn3)Mn4O12. Below T-CO we find satellite peaks indicating a commensurate structural modulation with the same propagation vector q = ( 1/2,0,-1/2) of the CE magnetic structure that orders at low temperatures, similarly to the case of simple perovskites such as La0.5Ca0.5MnO3. In the present case, the modulated structure, together with the observation of a large entropy change at T-CO, gives evidence of a rare case of full Mn3+/Mn4+ charge and orbital order, consistent with the Goodenough-Kanamori model.

Abstract: The darkening of lead chromate yellow pigments, caused by a reduction of the chromate ions to Cr(III) compounds, is known to affect the appearance of several paintings by Vincent van Gogh. In previous papers of this series, we demonstrated that the darkening is activated by light and depends on the chemical composition and crystalline structure of the pigments. In this work, the results of Part 2 are extended and complemented with a new study aimed at deepening the knowledge of the nature and distribution of Cr and S species at the interface between the chrome yellow paint and the nonoriginal coating layer. For this purpose, three microsamples from two varnished paintings by Van Gogh and a waxed low relief by Gauguin (all originally uncoated) have been examined. Because nonoriginal coatings are often present in artwork by Van Gogh and contemporaries, the understanding of whether or not their application has influenced the morphological and/or physicochemical properties of the chrome yellow paint underneath is relevant in view of the conservation of these masterpieces. In all the samples studied, microscopic X-ray fluorescence (mu-XRF) and X-ray absorption near edge structure (mu-XANES) investigations showed that Cr(III)-based alteration products are present in the form of grains inside the coating (generally enriched of S species) and also homogeneously widespread at the paint surface. The distribution of Cr(III) species may be explained by the mechanical friction caused by the coating application by brush that picked up and redistributed the superficial Cr compounds, likely already present in the reduced state as result of the photodegradation process. The analysis of the XANES profiles allowed us to obtain new insights into the nature of the Cr(III) alteration products, that were identified as sulfate-, oxide-, organo-metal-, and chloride-based compounds. Building upon the knowledge acquired through the examination of original paint samples and from the investigation of aged model paints in the last Part 4 paper, in this study we aim to characterize a possible relation between the chemical composition of the coating and the chrome yellow degradation pathways by studying photochemically aged model samples covered with a dammar varnish contaminated with sulfide and sulfate salts. Cr speciation results did not show any evidence of the active role of the varnish and added S species on the reduction process of chrome yellows.

Abstract: The investigation of the system SmBaFe-O in air has allowed an oxygen deficient perovskite Sm2-epsilon Ba3+epsilon Fe5O15-delta (delta = 0.75, epsilon = 0.125) to be synthesized. In contrast to the XRPD pattern which gives a cubic symmetry (a(p) = 3.934 angstrom), the combined HREM/EELS study shows that this phase is nanoscale ordered with a quintuple tetragonal cell, a(p) X a(p) X 5(ap). The nanodomains exhibit a unique stacking sequence of the A-site cationic layers along the crystallographic c-axis, namely SmBaBa/SmBa/SmBaSm, and are chemically twinned in the three crystallographic directions. The nanoscale ordering of this perovskite explains its peculiar magnetic properties on the basis of antiferromagnetic interactions with spin blockade at the boundary between the nanodomains. The variation of electrical conductivity and oxygen content of this oxide versus temperature suggest potential SOFC applications. They may be related to the particular distribution of oxygen vacancies in the lattice and to the 3d(5)(L) under bar configuration of iron.

Abstract: Two-dimensional group-IV lattices silicene and germanene are known to share many of graphene's remarkable mechanical and electronic properties. Due to the out-of-plane buckling of the former materials, there are more means of electronic funtionalization, e.g. by applying uniaxial strain or an out-of-plane electric field. We consider monolayer hexagonal Sn (stanene) as an ideal candidate to feasibly implement and exploit graphene physics for nanoelectronic applications: with increased out-of-plane buckling and sizable spin-orbit coupling it lends itself to improved Dirac cone engineering. We investigate the ballistic charge transport regime of armchair Sn nanoribbons, classified according to the ribbon width W = {3m – 1, 3m, 3m + 1} with integer m. We study transport through (non-magnetic) armchair ribbons using a combination of density functional theory and non-equilibrium Green's functions. Sn ribbons have earlier current onsets and carry currents 20% larger than C/Si/Ge-nanoribbons as the contact resistance of these ribbons is found to be comparable. ((c) 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Abstract: Synergistic compositions of detonation nanodiamond (DND) particles with polytetrafluoroethylene and molybdenum dialkyldithiophosphate were used in ring-on-ring, four-ball, and block-on-ring tests as an additive to polyalphaolefins and engine oils. Modest to significant reductions in the friction coefficients, wear, or both were observed. In the wear scars produced in the block-on-ring tests, the friction surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and profilometry. Significant polishing effects of the friction surfaces in lubricants containing DND were revealed in SEM observations and roughness measurements. The roughness of the scar surfaces produced in the presence of DND additives was about 35% lower than the roughness of the scars observed in pure oil experiments.