Abstract: The recent discovery of electron vortex beams carrying quantised angular momentum in the TEM has led to an active field of research, exploring a variety of potential applications including the possibility of mapping magnetic states at the atomic scale. A prerequisite for this is the availability of atomic sized electron vortex beams at high beam current and mode purity. In this paper we present recent progress showing that by making use of the Aharonov-Bohm effect near the tip of a long single domain ferromagnetic Nickel needle, a very efficient aperture for the production of electron vortex beams can be realised. The aperture transmits more than 99% of all electrons and provides a vortex mode purity of up to 92%. Placing this aperture in the condenser plane of a state of the art Cs corrected microscope allows us to demonstrate atomic resolution HAADF STEM images with spatial resolution better than 1 Angstrom, in agreement with theoretical expectations and only slightly inferior to the performance of a non-vortex probe on the same instrument.

Abstract: Photocatalytic reactors for the degradation of gaseous organic pollutants often suffer from major limitations such as small reaction area, sub-optimal irradiation conditions and thus limited reaction rate. In this work, an alternative solution is presented that involves a glass tube coated on the inside with (silvermodified) TiO2 and spiraled around a UVA lamp. First, the spiral reactor is coated from the inside with TiO2 using an experimentally verified procedure that is optimized toward UV light transmission. This procedure is kept as simple as possible and involves a single casting step of a 1 wt% suspension of TiO2 in ethanol through the spiral. This results in a coated tube that absorbs nearly all incident UV light under the experimental conditions used. The optimized coated spiral reactor is then benchmarked to a conventional annular photoreactor of the same outer dimensions and total catalyst loading over a broad range of experimental conditions. Although residence time distribution experiments indicate slightly longer dwelling of molecules in the spiral reactor, no significant difference in by-passing of gas between the spiral reactor and the annular reactor can be claimed. Acetaldehyde degradation efficiency of 100% is obtained with the spiral reactor for a residence time as low as 60 s, whereas the annular reactor could not achieve full degradation even at 1000 s residence time. In a final case study, addition of long-term stable silver nanoparticles, protected by an ultra-thin polymer shell applied via the layer-by-layer (LbL) method, to the spiral reactor coating is shown to double the degradation efficiency and provides an interesting strategy to cope with higher pollutant concentrations without changing the overall dimensions.

Abstract: Nanoheterostructures based on metal oxide semiconductors have emerged
as promising materials for the conversion of sunlight into chemical energy.
In the present study, ZnO-based nanocomposites have been developed by
a hybrid vapor phase route, consisting in the chemical vapor deposition
of ZnO systems on fluorine-doped tin oxide substrates, followed by the
functionalization with Fe2O3 or WO3 via radio frequency-sputtering. The
target systems are subjected to thermal treatment in air both prior and after
sputtering, and their properties, including structure, chemical composition,
morphology, and optical absorption, are investigated by a variety of characterization
methods. The obtained results evidence the formation of highly
porous ZnO nanocrystal arrays, conformally covered by an ultrathin Fe2O3
or WO3 overlayer. Photocurrent density measurements for solar-triggered
water splitting reveal in both cases a performance improvement with respect
to bare zinc oxide, that is mainly traced back to an enhanced separation of
photogenerated charge carriers thanks to the intimate contact between the
two oxides. This achievement can be regarded as a valuable result in view of
future optimization of similar nanoheterostructured photoanodes.

Abstract: Vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (v-MWCNTs) are functionalized using atomic oxygen generated in a microwave plasma. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profile analysis shows that the plasma treatment effectively grafts oxygen exclusively at the v-MWCNT tips. Electron microscopy shows that neither the vertical alignment nor the structure of v-MWCNTs were affected by the plasma treatment. Density functional calculations suggest assignment of XPS C 1s peaks at 286.6 and 287.5 eV, to epoxy and carbonyl functional groups, respectively.

Abstract: In this work, a detailed structural and spectroscopic study of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin films grown by a continuous bias assisted CVD growth technique is reported. This technique allows the tuning of grain size and phase purity in the deposited material. The crystalline properties of the films are characterized by SEM, TEM, EELS, and Raman spectroscopy. A clear improvement of the crystalline structure of the nanograined diamond film is observed for low negative bias voltages, while high bias voltages lead to thin films consisting of diamond grains of only ∼10 nm nanometer in size, showing remarkable similarities with so-called ultrananocrystalline diamond. These layers arecharacterized by an increasing amount of sp2-bonded carbon content of the matrix in which the diamond grains are embedded. Classical molecular dynamics simulations support the observed experimental data, giving insight in the underlying mechanism for the observed increase in deposition rate with bias voltage. Furthermore, a high atomic concentration of hydrogen has been determined in these films. Finally, Raman scattering analyses confirm that the Raman line observed at ∼1150 cm−1 cannot be attributed to trans-poly-acetylene, which continues to be reported in literature, reassigning it to a deformation mode of CHx bonds in NCD.

Abstract: The evolution of the structure, magnetic ordering, and superconductivity in the series Ba(1-x)Na(x)Fe(2)As(2) is reported up to the limiting Na-rich composition with x = 0.6; the more Na-rich compositions are unstable at high temperatures with respect to competing phases. The magnetic and superconducting behaviors of the Bai,Na,Fe,As, members are similar to those of the betterinvestigated Ba(1-x)Na(x)Fe(2)As(2) analogues. This is evidently a consequence of the quantitatively similar evolution of the structure of the FeAs layers in the two series. In Ba(1-x)Na(x)Fe(2)As(2) antiferromagnetic order and an associated structural distortion are evident for x <= 0.35 and superconductivity is evident when x exceeds 0.2. For 0.4 <= x <= 0.6 bulk superconductivity is evident, and the long-range antiferromagnetically ordered state is completely suppressed. The maximum T(c) in the Ba(1-x)Na(x)Fe(2)As(2) series, as judged by the onset of diamagnetism, is 34K in Ba(0.6)Na(0.4)Fe(2)As(2). Despite the large mis-match in sizes between the two electropositive cations which separate the FeAs layers, there is no evidence for ordering of these cations on the length scale probed by electron diffraction.

Abstract: Nanoscale corrugation is a fundamental property of graphene arising from its low-dimensional nature. It places a fundamental limit to the conductivity of graphene and influences its properties. However the degree of the influence of the corrugation has not been well established because of the little knowledge about its spectrum in suspended graphene. We present a transmission electron microscopy technique that enables us to measure the average corrugation height and length. We applied the technique also to measure the temperature dependence of the corrugation. The difference in corrugation between suspended and supported graphene has been illustrated.

Abstract: The atomic configurations at macrotwin interfaces between microtwinned martensite plates in Ni65Al35 material are investigated using transmission electron microscopy. The observed structures are interpreted in view of possible formation mechanisms for these interfaces. A distinction is made between cases in which the microtwins, originating from mutually perpendicular {110} austenite planes, enclose a final angle larger or smaller than 90degrees. Two different configurations, a crossing and a step type are described. Depending on the actual case, tapering, bending and tip splitting of the smaller microtwinvariants are observed. The most reproducible deformations occur in a region of approximately 5-10 nm width around the interface while a variety of structural defects are observed further away from the interface. These structures and deformations are interpreted in terms of the coalescence of two separately nucleated microtwinned martensite plates and the need to accommodate remaining stresses. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Well tuned: ZSM-5 with platinum nanoparticles preferably hydrogenates trans fatty acids over cis isomers in model triacylglycerols for geometric reasons. The central fatty acid chain reacts faster, pointing to pore mouth adsorption in a tuning fork conformation (see picture). This conformation induces stepwise hydrogenation, resulting in fast removal of the unstable central triene, while formation of saturated chains is limited.

Abstract: Dark field electron holography is a new TEM-based technique for measuring strain with nanometer scale resolution. Here we present the procedure to align a transmission electron microscope and obtain dark field holograms as well as the theoretical background necessary to reconstruct strain maps from holograms. A series of experimental parameters such as biprism voltage, sample thickness, exposure time, tilt angle and choice of diffracted beam are then investigated on a silicon-germanium layer epitaxially embedded in a silicon matrix in order to obtain optimal dark field holograms over a large field of view with good spatial resolution and strain sensitivity.

Abstract: The metallic interface between two oxide insulators, such as LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO), provides new opportunities for electronics and spintronics. However, due to the presence of multiple orbital populations, tailoring the interfacial properties such as the ground state and metal-insulator transitions remains challenging. Here, an unforeseen tunability of the phase diagram of LAO/STO is reported by alloying LAO with a ferromagnetic LaMnO3 insulator without forming lattice disorder and at the same time without changing the polarity of the system. By increasing the Mn-doping level, x, of LaAl1-xMnxO3/STO (0 <= x <= 1), the interface undergoes a Lifshitz transition at x = 0.225 across a critical carrier density of n(c) = 2.8 x 10(13) cm(-2), where a peak T-SC approximate to 255 mK of superconducting transition temperature is observed. Moreover, the LaAl1-xMnxO3 turns ferromagnetic at x >= 0.25. Remarkably, at x = 0.3, where the metallic interface is populated by only d(xy) electrons and just before it becomes insulating, a same device with both signatures of superconductivity and clear anomalous Hall effect (7.6 x 10(12) cm(-2) < n(s) <= 1.1 x 10(13) cm(-2)) is achieved reproducibly. This provides a unique and effective way to tailor oxide interfaces for designing on-demand electronic and spintronic devices.

Abstract: We report an atomic layer epitaxial growth of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) thin films of SrO(SrTiO3)(n) (n = infinity, 2, 3, 4) by means of metalorganic aerosol deposition (MAD). The films are grown on SrTiO3(001) substrates by means of a sequential deposition of Sr-O/Ti-O-2 atomic monolayers, monitored in-situ by optical ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal the RP structure with n = 2-4 in accordance with the growth recipe. RP defects, observed by TEM in a good correlation with the in-situ ellipsometry, mainly result from the excess of SrO. Being maximal at the film/substrate interface, the SrO excess rapidly decreases and saturates after 5-6 repetitions of the SrO(SrTiO3)(4) block at the level of 2.4%. This identifies the SrTiO3 substrate surface as a source of RP defects under oxidizing conditions within MAD. Advantages and limitations of MAD as a solution-based and vacuum-free chemical deposition route were discussed in comparison with molecular beam epitaxy. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.