Metal-assisted etching of p-silicon—Pore formation and characterization

Etching of silicon and formation of definite porous surfaces can be carried out by different methods. Metal-assisted etching represents a convenient method for the application of induced etching for beneficial applications. Porous silicon layers (PSL) on Si are useful and important in solar energy conversion and optoelectronics. Porous silicon on silicon increases the effective area and thus higher optical absorption as well as solar conversion efficiency can be achieved. The effective optical properties of PSL have found great interest in optoelectronics. In the last few years PSL of definite pore structures have been prepared by metal-assisted etching of p-Si in aqueous hydrofluoric acid solutions containing different oxidizing agents. Potassium dichromate, at definite concentration and after optimum etching time of p-Si on which Pt nuclei were electroless deposited, has shown promising effects. The effect of etching time, K₂Cr₂O₇ concentration and HF concentration on the main characteristics of the porous structure was investigated and discussed. In this respect electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used. The experimental data were fitted to theoretical data according to a proposed electrical equivalent circuit model. The morphology of the formed layers and surface contaminations were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques.The results have shown that PSL with nano and micro pores were formed on p-Si when etched in HF-K₂Cr₂O₇ aqueous solutions. At 22.0 mol L⁻¹ HF and relatively high concentration of K₂Cr₂O₇ [>0.05 mol L⁻¹] a passive K₂SiF₆ layer was formed on the Si surface with a thickness that is affected by the concentrations of both HF and K₂Cr₂O₇. The passive K₂SiF₆ layer reduces the effectiveness of the PSL in both the solar conversion process and also its electrical and optical characteristics.     

Characterization of stain etched p-type silicon in aqueous HF solutions containing HNO3 or KMnO4

Stain etching of p-type silicon in hydrofluoric acid solutions containing nitric acid or potassium permanganate as an oxidizing agent has been examined. The effects of etching time, oxidizing agent and HF concentrations on the electrochemical behavior of etched silicon surfaces have been investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). An electrical equivalent circuit was used for fitting the impedance data. The morphology and the chemical composition of the etched Si surface were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques, respectively. A porous silicon layer was formed on Si etched in HF solutions containing HNO₃, while etching in HF solutions containing KMnO₄ led to the formation of a porous layer and simultaneous deposition of K₂SiF₆ inside the pores. The thickness of K₂SiF₆ layer increases with increasing the KMnO₄ concentration and decreases as the concentration of HF increases.     

Assessing the Antimicrobial Activity of Polyisoprene Based Surfaces

There has been an intense research effort in the last decades in the field of biofouling prevention as it concerns many aspects of everyday life and causes problems to devices, the environment, and human health. Many different antifouling and antimicrobial materials have been developed to struggle against bacteria and other micro- and macro-organism attachment to different surfaces. However the “miracle solution” has still to be found. The research presented here concerns the synthesis of bio-based polymeric materials and the biological tests that showed their antifouling and, at the same time, antibacterial activity. The raw material used for the coating synthesis was natural rubber. The polyisoprene chains were fragmented to obtain oligomers, which had reactive chemical groups at their chain ends, therefore they could be modified to insert polymerizable and biocidal groups. Films were obtained by radical photopolymerization of the natural rubber derived oligomers and their structure was altered, in order to understand the mechanism of attachment inhibition and to increase the efficiency of the anti-biofouling action. The adhesion of three species of pathogenic bacteria and six strains of marine bacteria was studied. The coatings were able to inhibit bacterial attachment by contact, as it was verified that no detectable leaching of toxic molecules occurred.     

Structure and antimicrobial activity relationship of quaternary N‐alkyl chitosan derivatives against some plant pathogens

In the present work, quaternary chitosans as water‐soluble compounds were prepared based on three‐step process. Schiff bases were firstly synthesized by the reaction between the amino groups of chitosan with aliphatic aldehydes followed by a reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) to form N‐(alkyl) chitosans. N,N,N‐(dimethyl alkyl) chitosans were then obtained by a reaction of chitosan containing N‐butyl, N‐pentyl, N‐hexyl, N‐heptyl, and N‐octyl substituents with methyl iodide. The compounds were characterized using IR and NMR spectroscopy. Subsequent experiments were conducted to test their antimicrobial activities against the most economic plant pathogenic bacteria of crown gall disease Agrobacterium tumefaciens, soft mold disease Erwinia carotovora, fungi of grey mold Botrytis cinerea, root rot disease Fusarium oxysporum, and damping off disease Pythium debaryanum. Quaternary chitosans enhanced the antibacterial activity and N,N,N‐(dimethyl pentyl) chitosan was the most active one with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 750 and 1225 mg/L against A. tumefaciens and E. carotovora, respectively. All quaternized chitosans gave stronger antifungal activities than chitosan where N,N,N‐(dimethyl pentyl) chitosan and N,N,N‐(dimethyl octyl) chitosan were significantly the highest in mycelial growth inhibiation against B. cinerea (EC₅₀ = 908 and 383 mg/L, respectively), F. oxysporum (EC₅₀ = 871 and 812 mg/L, respectively), and P. debaryanum (EC₅₀ = 624 and 440 mg/L, respectively). In addition, spore germination of B. cinerea and F. oxysporum was significantly affected with the compounds at the tested concentrations and the inhibition activity was increased with an increase in the chain length of the alkyl substituent. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Changes in free amino acids and biogenic amines of Egyptian salted-fermented fish (Feseekh) during ripening and storage

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the formation of amino acids and biogenic amines in Egyptian salted-fermented fish (Feseekh) during ripening (20 days) and storage (40–60 days). The total concentration of free amino acids increased from 8 (dry weight; DW) to 72 g/kg (DW) after 60 days of storage. The predominant free amino acids were leucine, glutamic acid, lysine, alanine, valine, aspartic acid, isoleucine and citrulline. Their concentrations accounted for 68% of the total concentration of amino acids after 60 days. The total contents of biogenic amines ranged from 84 to 1633 mg/kg (DW) during the investigated period. Cadaverine was the major amine detected in Feseekh at all sampling stages and its concentration varied between 21 and 997 mg/kg (DW). The histamine content (211 mg/kg DW) only exceeded the maximum tolerance level (200 mg/kg) after 60 days. It could be concluded that Feseekh can be consumed without any health risks between 20 and 40 days but it can be hazardous after 60 days due to the biogenic amine content.     

Influence of hydrostatic pressure on the electrical properties of unvulcanized FEF-loaded SBR

Styrene butadience rubber (SBR-1502) loaded with different concentrations of FEF carbon black was tested to find out the effect of pressure on its electrical properties during vulcanization. Using the thermodynamically calculated values of the pressure coefficient (K), the thermoelastic coefficient (L = ?T/?P) was also estimated and compared with that obtained by other workers. The thermoelastic coefficient was found to be strongly dependent on the carbon black concentration.     

Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical behaviour of passivated niobium electrodes during hydrogen evolution

The electrochemical and photoelectrochemical behavior of niobium electrodes passivated in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 1 M HNO₃ has been investigated. High intensity pulse lasers were used as light sources. This technique allows photoelectrochemical measurements with light wavelengths smaller than the band gap of the semiconducting passive film. The donor concentration and the flat band potential of the passive films were calculated from capacity measurements. The effect of cathodic hydrogen evolution on the behaviour of the oxide film formed was found to depend on the time of the cathodic treatment of the electrode. The results showed that the behaviour of the passive film formed on niobium in nitric acid is different from that formed in sulphuric acid. The calculated donor concentrations and the extrapolated flat band potentials indicate that the nature of the passive film depends on the formation medium. The adsorption of hydrogen on the passivated Nb-electrode up to a time limit of 1 ms could be traced using photocharge measurements with excitation energies less than the band gap energy of the semiconducing oxide film.     

Survival of rotavirus SA-11 on vegetables

Survival of rotavirus on lettuce, radishes, and carrots was studied to evaluate the potential of rotavirus transmission by vegetables irrigated with wastewater. The vegetables were contaminated with rotavirus SA-11 and stored at 4°C and room temperature in covered and uncovered containers to simulate post harvest conditions. Virus decay rates were greater on radishes and carrots than lettuce. Decay rates of rotavirus on lettuce, radish, and carrot ranged from ?0·057 to ?0·479 (log₁₀ pfu/day). Rotavirus SA-11 survived on lettuce, radish, and carrot for 25 to 30 days at 4°C but at room temperature survival was very different for the various vegetables varying from 5 to 25 days. Greatest survival was always observed on the lettuce. These data suggest that rotaviruses can survive long enough on contaminated vegetables as to be transmitted by this vehicle.     

Electrochemical behaviour of cobalt in aqueous solutions of different pH

A systematic study of the corrosion and passivation behaviour of cobalt in aqueous solutions of different pH was carried out. Open circuit potential measurements, polarization experiments and electrochemical spectroscopic (EIS) investigations were employed. The experimental results show that the metal surface is always covered by a native passive film which consists of CoO. The formation of the oxide film obeys a two-electron charge transfer process. The dissolution of the barrier film is controlled by the pH of the solution. In neutral and basic solutions the barrier film is stable. In these media a barrier film thickening with the formation of secondary layer is considered. In acidic solutions, the passive film is unstable and dissolves via a pure chemical process. The mechanism of the corrosion and passivation processes taking place at the electrode/electrolyte interface in the different solutions is discussed. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to confirm the electrochemical measurements and the suggested mechanisms.