Topology of the surface micro- and nano- structures induced by the synthesis of NiTi intermetallic phases under Selective Laser Sintering is studied by Scanning Electron Microscopy. According previously developed us method, those data were analysed by image processing software for identification and discussion of common features and peculiarities of the phase and structural transformations. It was shown, that fine substructures have self- ordering nature. Geometric similarity of synthesizing structures expects their fractal nature. The dependence between the fractal dimension -D of low-dimensional nanostructures and laser energy input -A was found. The change of the fractal dimension of low dimensional structures clearly correlates with the change of roughness, while the increase of the laser energy input influences the fractal dimension - D in different ways. Shown that particularities of phase structural transformations at the intermetallic synthesis in the Ni-Ti system have been defined an appearance of nano sized and self-ordering substructures of cellular, dendrite or mosaic types. A sharp variation of the D orientation indicates about of change of the phase-formation mechanism.

Ultraviolet photoconductivity in Copper doped ZnO (Cu:ZnO) thin films synthesized by sol-gel technique is investigated. Response characteristics of Pure ZnO thin film and Cu:ZnO thin film UV photodetector with 1.3 at. wt % Cu doping biased at 5 V for UV radiation of λ = 365 nm and intensity = 24 µwatt/cm2 has been studied. Cu:ZnO UV photodetector is found to exhibit a high photocoductive gain (K = 1.5×104) with fast recovery (T90% = 23s) in comparison to pure ZnO thin film based photodetector (K = 4.9×101 and T90% = 41s). Cu2+ ions have been substituted in ZnO lattice which has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy leading to lowering of dark current (Ioff ∼ 1.44 nA). Upon UV illumination, more electron hole pairs are generated in the photodetector due to the high porosity and roughness of the surface of the film which favours adsorption of more oxygen on the surface of the photodetector. The photogenerated holes recombined with the trapped electrons, increasing the concentration of photogenerated electrons in the conduction band enhancing the photocurrent (Ion ∼ 0.02 mA) of the Cu:ZnO photodetector.

Amorphous carbon (a-C) films have a growing interest in the biological and medical field, as a coating material, due to their biocompatibility and antibacterial property. However, a-C films deposited directly on polymers often show adhesion failure.

In this paper, two types of a-C films, amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) film and hydrogen-free a-C (H-free a-C) film were deposited on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) using a plasma deposition method. Prior to a-C film coating, the PTFE substrates were treated with Ar and O2 plasma and an appropriate interlayer was chosen to enhance the adhesion strength. The effect of the plasma pretreatment on the chemical composition of the PTFE was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A T-peel test was carried out to evaluate the adhesion strength of the a-C coated PTFE. In the T-peel test, Ar plasma pretreatment improved the adhesion strength more effectively than that of O2 plasma pretreatment, because of the substantial defluorination and oxygen bonding occurred by Ar plasma pretreatment. Moreover, H-free a-C film reduced the numbers of Escherichia coli (E. coli) colonies dramatically, compared with original PTFE and a-C:H coated PTFE. Consequently, H-free a-C film coating can be a promising method to inhibit the increase of bacteria.

Corrosion behavior is a key issue for the waste disposal of irradiated metals, such as hulls and endpieces, and is considered to be a leaching source of radionuclides including C-14. However, little information about Zircaloy corrosion in anticorrosive conditions has been provided.

In the present study, long-term corrosion tests of Zircaloy-4 and Zircaloy-2 were performed in assumed disposal conditions (dilute NaOH solution, pH 12.5, 303 K) by using the gas flow system for 1500 days. The corrosion rate, which was determined by measuring gaseous hydrogen and the hydrogen absorbed in Zircaloy, decreased with immersion time and was lower than the value of 2×10−2 μm/y used in performance assessment (1500-day values: 5.84×10−3 and 5.66×10−3 μm/y for Zircaloy-4, 1000-day values: 8.81×10−3 μm/y for Zircaloy-2). The difference in corrosion behavior between Zircaloy 4 and Zircaloy-2 was negligible. The average values of the hydrogen absorption ratios for Zircaloy-4 and Zircaloy-2 during corrosion were 91% and 94%, respectively.

The hydrogen generation kinetics of both gas evolution and absorption into metal can be shown by a parabolic curve. This result indicates that the diffusion process controls the Zircaloy corrosion in the early corrosion stage of the present study, and that the thickness of the oxide film in this stage is limited to approximately 25 nm and may therefore be in the form of dense tetragonal zirconia.

Load transfer and mechanical strength of reinforced polymers are fundamental to developing advanced composites. This paper demonstrates enhanced load transfer and mechanical strength due to synergistic effects in binary mixtures of nano-carbon/polymer composites. Different compositional mixtures (always 1 wt. % total) of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and single-layer graphene (SLG) were mixed in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and effects on load transfer and mechanical strength were studied using Raman spectroscopy. Significant shifts in the G-bands were observed both in tension and compression for single as well binary nano-carbon counterparts in polymer composites. Small amounts of MWNT0.1 dispersed in SLG0.9/PDMS samples (subscripts represents weight percentage) reversed the sign of the Raman wavenumbers from positive to negative values demonstrating reversal of lattice stress. A wavenumber change from 10 cm-1 in compression (-10% strain) to 10 cm-1 in tension (50% strain), and an increase in elastic modulus of ∼103% was observed for MWNT0.1SLG0.9/PDMS with applied uniaxial tension. Presence of MWNTs in the matrix reduced the segmental polymeric chain length and provided limited extensibility to the chains. This in turn eliminated compressive deformation of SLG and significantly enhanced load transfer and mechanical strength of composites in tension. The orientation order of MWNT with application of uniaxial tensile strain directly affected the shift in Raman wavenumbers (2D band and G-band) and load transfer. It is observed that the cooperative behavior of binary nano-carbons in polymer composites resulted in enhanced load transfer and mechanical strength. Such binary compositions could be fundamental to developing advanced composites.

The objectives of this work are to prepare and characterize iodine-rich thermites and reactive materials for potential application in bio-agent defeat. Iodine-rich compositions were prepared using metal iodate oxidizers in combination with aluminum fuel. Higher iodine contents were achieved using iodine-rich additives, tetraiodoethylene and tin tetraiodide. Reactivity during rapid combustion was evaluated for both nanoscale and micron-scale materials. The nanoscale materials were evaluated directly using a spark-initiated pan dent test. The micron-scale materials were mixed with 50% of nano Al/MoO3 and also evaluated with the pan dent test. The results for the mixed material were shown to fit well to a linear combination of the expected dent for each component, based on a rapid reaction. Results of the pan dent test were used to down-select micron thermites for further testing. Bismuth iodate was synthesized by precipitation from nitric acid solutions. The average particle size was controlled by the addition rate, and sizes included 95 nm (amorphous structure), and 330 nm and 3 micron (both crystalline). Additional sizes were produced by ball milling the 3 micron material, giving 1 micron and 350 nm sizes. Fluoropolymers were included in some compositions to provide additional biocidal products, namely HF, that could be produced from reaction of AlF3 product with water.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of decanoic acids were prepared on cerium oxide nanoparticles (NPs). The dispersion of the NPs was improved by increasing the packing density of decanoic acid SAM on the NPs. Highly concentrated ceria nanofluids more than 22 vol% (about 77 wt%) in cyclohexane and trans-decalin were achieved, according to the criterion to the packing density and chain length of the alkanoic acid of the SAM to disperse the ceria NPs in nonpolar organic solvents proposed previously. Temperature effect on the dispersion was also examined and it was turned out that the dispersion was strongly enhanced with activation of Brownian motion.

Structural, optical and luminescent properties of Si-rich HfO2 films fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering were investigated versus annealing treatment. Pronounced phase separation process occurred at 950-1100°C and resulted in the formation of hafnia and silica phases, as well as pure silicon clusters. An intense light emission of annealed samples in visible spectral range was obtained under broad band excitation. It was ascribed to exciton recombination inside silicon clusters as well as host defects. To confirm the formation of Si clusters, the structures were co-doped with Er3+ ions and effective light emission at 1.54µm was obtained under non-resonant excitation due to energy transfer from Si clusters towards Er3+ ions. The interaction of Si clusters, host defects and Er3+ ions under is discussed.

4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) end-capped with mimics of adhesive moiety found in mussel adhesive protein, dopamine, was combined with a biocompatible nano-silicate, Laponite, in creating a nanocomposite hydrogel with improved materials and adhesive properties. Dopamine’s ability to form both irreversible covalent (cohesive and interfacial) and reversible physical (with Laponite) crosslinks was exploited in creating an injectable tissue adhesive. Incorporation of Laponite did not interfere with the curing of the adhesive. In some instances, increasing Laponite content reduced gelation time as dopamine-Laponite bond reduced the required number of covalent bonds needed for network formation. Incorporation of Laponite also increased compressive materials properties (e.g., max strength, energy to failure, etc.) of the nanocomposite without compromising its compliance as strain at failure was also increased. From lap shear adhesion test using wetted pericardium as the substrate, incorporating Laponite increased work of adhesion by 5 fold over that of control. Strong, physical bonds formed between dopamine and Laponite increased bulk materials properties, which contributed to the enhanced adhesive properties.

In this paper we present an ac-magneto-transport study of a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in the quantum Hall effect (QHE) regime, for frequencies in the range [100Hz, 1MHz]. We present an approach to understand admittance measurements based in the Landauer-Buttiker formalism for QHE edge channels and taking into account the capacitance and the topology of the cables connected to the contacts used in the measurements. Our model predicts an universal behavior with the a-dimensional parameter R H Cω where R H is the 2 wires resistance of the 2DEG, C the capacitance cables and the angular frequency, in agreement with experiments. For a specific configuration, we measure the electrochemical capacitance of the quantum Hall edge channels as predicted by Christen and Büttiker.

Semiconductor technology is the key point of the information society. However, as technology developing, the traditional semiconductor material such as silicon (Si) could not meet the demand of the society. Therefore, the next generation semiconductor material silicon carbide (SiC) is widely concerned. Compared to Si, SiC has some superior physical and chemical properties. On the other hand, it is difficult to polish SiC wafers due to the chemical, mechanical, and thermal stability. To achieve high-efficient CMP processing of SiC substrates, oxygen gas was introduced which might increase removal rates. MnO2 slurry was selected instead of silica slurry and strong oxidant KMnO4 was used to improve SiC-CMP process as an additive. In this paper, the effect of oxidant was inspected first. Meanwhile, we carried out the CMP experiment with the new type CMP machine to control the processing atmospheres including types of gases and gas pressures. As conclusions, oxygen and high atmospheric pressure can increase the removal rate in MnO2 slurry. KMnO4 additive has a great effect on increase of the removal rate. One of additional interesting results is that there seems to be the optimum mixture ratio of N2 and O2 gases to achieve a higher removal rate of SiC wafer.

Papers in the Appendix were published in electronic format as Volume 1534

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) was polymerized with the biological dopants dextran sulphate and chondroitin sulphate. Polymer physical and mechanical properties were investigated using quartz crystal microgravimetry with dissipation monitoring and atomic force microscopy, revealing polymer shear modulus and interfacial roughness to be significantly altered as a function of the dopant species. The adsorption of fibronectin, an important extracellular protein that is critical for a range of cellular functions and processes, was investigated using QCM-D, revealing protein adsorption to be increased on the DS doped PEDOT film relative to the CS doped film. PEDOT films have traditionally been doped with synthetic counterions such as polystyrene sulphonate (PSS), however the incorporation of biological molecules as the counterion, which has been shown to improve polymer biofunctionality, has received far less attention. In particular, there has been little detailed study on the impact of incorporating polyelectrolyte biomolecules into the PEDOT polymer matrix on fundamental polymer properties which are critical for biomedical applications. This investigation provides a detailed characterization of the interfacial and mechanical properties of biologically doped PEDOT films, as well as the efficacy of the composite films to bind and retain extracellular proteins of the type that are critical to the biocompatibility of the polymeric material.

It has been noted by various reports that during recent years, there has been an alarming decline in young people’s interest for science studies and mathematics. Since it is believed that the traditional teaching methods often fail to foster positive attitudes towards learning science, the European Commission has made intensive efforts to promote science education in schools though new methods based on the inquiry based techniques: questions, search and answers. This is coupled to hands-on experience, playful learning accompanied by laboratory exercises and examples.

“Discover the COSMOS” is such a project which brings into synergy resources from high energy, astronomy and space physics to promote e-Science in Europe. Event analysis tools from the ATLAS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider of CERN -such as the “hunt for the Higgs” application- as well as time slices in various robotic telescopes around the world and the related software to process the images, are all available as educational scenaria for both the students and the educators. Moreover, the best practices are presented in a more theoretical for the teachers in the “Pathway” project. Examples of the available resources as well as first results from the evaluation of the programs are presented.

With the application of near-infrared radiation (NIR), TiO2 films for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) on metallic substrates can be sintered in just 12.5 s. The photovoltaic performance of devices made with NIR sintered films match those devices made with conventionally sintered films prepared by heating for 1800 s. Here we characterise the electron transport, electron lifetime and phase-morphological properties of ultrafast NIR sintered films, using impedance spectroscopy, transient photovoltage decay and x-ray diffraction measurements. An important factor in NIR processing of TiO2 films is the peak metal temperature (PMT) and we show that during the 12.5 second heat treatment that a PMT of around 635 °C gives near identical electron transport, electron lifetime and morphological properties, as well comparable photovoltaic performance to a conventionally sintered (500 °C, 30 mins) film. What is perhaps most interesting is that the rapid heating of the TiO2 (to temperatures of up to 785°C) does not lead to a large scale rutile phase transition. As such photovoltaic performance of resultant DSC devices is maintained even though the TiO2 has been at temperatures which traditionally would have reduced cell photocurrents via anatase-to-rutile phase transition.

The electrodeposition of hydrated ruthenium dioxide (hRuO2) on Ti interdigitated current collectors deposited onto silicon substrate has been investigated with the objective of preparing a high capacitance and high power micro-supercapacitor (µ-SC) device. Ti current collectors were synthesised by typical photolithography processes, and hRuO2 thin films were electrodeposited from ruthenium chloride precursors. Device specific capacitances exceeding 20 mF·cm−2 were obtained, and more than 80 % of that value is retained even at scan rate as high as 1 V∙s−1 in 0.5 M H2SO4. The mean specific power per active surface area of the device is 368 mW·cm−2. The device is stable and 90% of the initial capacity is retained after 105 cycles (1 V potential window). The characteristic response time of the hRuO2 µ-SC is 250 ms, with low ESR (0.61 Ω cm−2) and EDR (0.07 Ω cm−2) values. All these characteristics demonstrate the potential of such µ-SC devices to be part of the next generation of micro-supercapacitors.

The development of an iodine immobilization technique that can fix radioactive iodine in waste form for a long period and constrain its leaching into pore water is necessary in order to secure the long-term safety of geological disposal of transuranic (TRU) waste. Lead borate glass vitrified at a low temperature is regarded as a promising material for immobilizing the Iodine-129 that is recovered from spent AgI filters generated by reprocessing plants in Japan and which may have a significant effect on the long-term safety of geological disposal.

Batch leaching tests were conducted to understand glass dissolution behavior in various solutions that account for geological disposal conditions. Boron dissolved at the highest rate in all types of solutions to be used as an index element for measuring the glass dissolution rate. On the other hand, lead dissolved in these solutions at a much lower rate. These results are consistent with an electron micro-probe analysis (EPMA) of the altered glass surfaces that indicated the depletion of boron and enrichment of lead near the surfaces.

The altered glass surfaces were further examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM/TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). SEM/TEM observation showed formation of a porous altered layer consisting of fine crystallites on the pristine glass and euhedral crystals on the altered layer. XRD analysis indicated that the fine crystallites and euhedral crystals are hydrocerussite, Pb3 (CO3)2(OH) 2, which was predicted by geochemical calculation as the precipitate for the experimental system.

The role of field-induced electrochemical migration oxygen ions in switching behaviour of LSMO films is established through I-V measurements under various top electrode device configurations. We report observation of bubbling, mechanical damage and delamination of top electrode in LSMO-based large area RRAM devices. Polarity dependence of this phenomenon, as observed in-situ during electrical measurements, reveals O-evolution to be the likely cause for such electrode damage. The effect of this phenomenon on switching behaviour of devices with reactive as well as inert top electrodes is presented. To mitigate the electrode integrity issue, we explore the use of conducting oxide electrodes on the active LSMO film.