Film Formation in Binary Sol-Gel Systems

The film-forming capacity of binary systems containing Sb₂O₃, SnO₂, CeO₂, Y₂O₃, Nd₂O₃, Bi₂O₃, V₂O₅, ZnO, CuO, CdO, and Al₂O₃ are investigated. The best film-formers are Sb₂O₃ and SnO₂, whereas ZnO, CuO, CdO, and Al₂O₃ cannot produce films of optical quality. The rest of considered oxides do not impair the clarity of coatings when their molding content is 20 – 50%. A proportional dependence is established between the refractive index and the reflection coefficient of a film and the refractive indexes of oxides making parts of this film, as well as between the concentration of deposited FFS, the film-forming capacity of oxides, and the film thickness.     

Microwave Parametric Frequency Dividers With Conversion Gain

A novel active parametric frequency divider configuration using coupled microstrip transmission lines and two balanced pseudomorphic HEMTs (pHEMTs) is presented. The analysis of the divide-by-2 circuit presented applies the principles of subharmonic generation using a nonlinear reactance to an active semiconductor device such as a pHEMT. A 2-1-GHz active analog frequency divider is designed and fabricated, with measurements showing a 20% bandwidth, 13.5-dB conversion gain, and harmonic rejection levels of more than 22 dBc. A maximum conversion gain of 18 dB is also achieved. These higher conversion efficiencies and the ability to cascade dividers allow for higher order division ratios to be achieved with the same topology.     

Homogeneous and Heterogeneous Crystallization in Nanometer-Sized Regions of the Copper Halide Phase in Photochromic Glasses

The halide phase in copper halide photochromic glasses is studied by the small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique. The dependences of the volume and composition of the halide phase on the temperature of primary heat treatment are determined. The temperature of the formation of a vacuum pore upon cooling from the temperature of primary heat treatment and the temperature of pore disappearance upon heating are investigated as functions of the size of the halide phase regions. The influence of the size of the halide phase regions and the temperature of secondary heat treatment on the crystallization temperature of the halide phase is elucidated. It is shown that the previously observed increase in the crystallization temperature of the halide phase with an increase in the size of the phase regions is associated with the change-over from homogeneous to heterogeneous crystallization. In turn, the mechanism of crystallization depends on the region where the vacuum pore is formed. In the case when the effective radii of drops are less than 130–140 Å, the vacuum pore is formed in the bulk of a liquid drop and the homogeneous crystallization occurs. The nuclei of heterogeneous crystallization arise when the formation of the vacuum pore is accompanied by the destruction of the vitreous matrix. This takes place when the radii of liquid drops are larger than 165–170 Å. The nuclei of heterogeneous crystallization disappear upon heat treatment of glasses at temperatures above 600°C. As a result, upon cooling from these temperatures, the homogeneous crystallization is observed in all cases and the crystallization temperature does not depend on the size of the halide phase regions.     

Measurement of the Metal Surface Acidity/Electronegativity of Pt(110)

In previous work, it has been found that a hydrogen-covered Pt(110) surface is acidic, but quantification of the acidity has not yet been done. In this paper a spectroscopic method is developed to measure the acidity of a metal surface for the first time. The technique involves measuring the intensity of the N–H stretch from the C₅H₄XNH⁺ that forms when hydrogen coadsorbs with pyridine, 2-fluoropyridine and 3-fluoropyridine. The Bethe approximation is then used to estimate the metal surface acidity/electronegativity (MSAEL). The proton affinity/MSAEL of Pt(110) has been determined to be 907 ± 4 kJ/mol at high coverage. This is the first time the MSAEL has been measured on a metal surface. Implications for fuel cell catalysis are discussed.     

A New Generation of Steels for Metallic Structures

Metal Science and Heat Treatment -     

Vapor phase synthesis of ZnO structures

We observed zinc oxide structures formed in an oxygen-containing atmosphere as a result of oxidation of the surface of zinc droplets. The gas-phase oxidation leads to the formation of hollow ZnO whiskers on the metal surface, which grow due to the transport of zinc vapor through their channels. It was found that high partial pressures of zinc and atomic oxygen give rise to fractal structures, which appear in a cascade process involving the sequential formation of zinc oxide vapor, ZnO clusters, and cluster aggregates as a result of the cluster-cluster interaction. A deposit of ZnO synthesized on the cathode surface exhibits a columnar structure.     

Microsomal and photochemical oxidation of aflatoxin B1

The UV irradiation (lambda = 362 nm) of aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) dissolved in water resulted in the formation of an oxidized product. The process was not inhibited by ionol, a routine inhibitor of the radical processes. The oxidized product was not found in the system where AfB1 was metabolized by the 3-methylcholanthrene-activated rat liver microsomes. It is suggested that the product is identical with 2,3-dihydrodiol of AfB1.     

Neutron and capture γ-ray accumulation factors in engineering calculations of reactor shielding

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 66, No. 5, pp. 321–324, May, 1989.     

Method of determining the parameters of a photoelectric pulse transmitter with several optron pairs

Translated from Izmeritel'naya Tekhnika, No. 10, pp. 16–17, October, 1989.