Spontaneous Magnetic Transitions and Corresponding Magnetoelastic Properties of Intermetallic Compounds RMn_2Ge_2(R=Gd,Tb and Dy)

The spontaneous magnetic transitions and corresponding magnetoelastic properties of intermetallic compounds RMn_2Ge_2(R=Gd, Tb and Dy) were investigated by using the X-ray diffraction method and magnetic measurement. The results showed that the compounds experience two magnetic transitions, namely the second-order paramagnetic to antiferromagnetic transition at temperature T_N(T_N=368, 423 and 443 K for Gd Mn_2 Ge_2, Tb Mn_2 Ge_2 and Dy Mn_2 Ge_2, respectively) and the first-order antiferromagnetic-ferrimagnetic transition at temperature T_t(T_t=96, 80 and 40 K for Gd Mn_2 Ge_2, Tb Mn_2 Ge_2 and Dy Mn_2 Ge_2, respectively) as the temperature decreases. The temperature dependence of the lattice constant a(T) displays a negative magnetoelastic anomaly at the second-order transition point T_N and, at the first-order transition T_t, a increases abruptly for Gd Mn_2 Ge_2 and Tb Mn_2 Ge_2, Da/a about 10~(-3). Nevertheless, the lattice constant c almost does not change at these transition points indicating that such magnetoelastic anomalies are mainly contributed by the Mn-sublattice. The transitions of the magnetoelastic properties are also evidenced on the temperature dependence of magnetic susceptibility χ. The first-order transition behavior at T_t is explained by the Kittel mode of exchange inversion.     

Effects of annealing processes on Cu<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Si<Subscript>1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> thin films

The Cu _x Si_1-x thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) with in situ annealing on Si (001) and Si (111), respectively. The transformation of phase was detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that the as-deposited films were composed of Cu on both Si (001) and Si (111). The annealed thin films consisted of Cu + η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while Cu + η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively, at annealed temperature (T _a) = 300-600 °C. With the further increasing of T _a, at T _a= 700 °C, there was only one main phase, η”-Cu₃Si on Si (001) while η’-Cu₃Si on Si (111), respectively. The annealed thin films transformed from continuous dense structure to scattered-grain morphology with increasing T _a detected by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). It was also showed that the grain size would enlarge with increasing annealing time (t _a).     

Precipitation and Hetero-nucleation Effect of V（C,N） in V-Microalloyed Steel

The precipitation behavior of V（C, N） in steels microalloyed with vanadium was researched using a thermal simulator during single-pass deformation at 800-750 ℃. The V（C, N） precipitates and its nucleation effect on ferrite were investigated by TEM and EDS. The experimental results show that there are two remarkable heterogeneous nucleation effects of V（C, N） particles precipitated before γ →/ α phase change： primary reason is that high coherency between V（C, N） and ferrite promotes V（C, N） to become a nucleating center of intragranular ferrite; secondary reason is that the coarsening of V（C, N） causes locally solute-poor region in austenite, thus expedites the nucleation of intragranular ferrites further. Furthermore, the relationship between the size and shape of V（C, N） was studied, and identification method was provided for distinguishing interphase precipitation and general precipitation to avoid erroneous judgment and misguide.     

Straight SiO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> nanorod Y junctions

Novel straight silicon oxide [SiO _x (1<x<2)] nanorod Y junctions have been synthesized on Si plate by thermal evaporation of mixed powders of silica and carbon nanofibers at 1300°C and condensation on a Si substrate without assistance of any catalyst. The synthesized samples were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results suggested that the straight nanorod Y junctions are amorphous and consist only of elements Si and O, and these rods with diameters about 50–200 nm have a neat smooth surface. The growth of such silicon oxide nanorods may be a result of the second nucleation on the surface of rods causing a change in the growth direction of silicon oxide nanorods developed. Supported by the Academic Human Resources Development in Institutions of Higher Learning under the Jurisdiction of Beijing, and the Program of Science & Technology Activity for Chinese Homecoming Fellow Abroad and Research Program of Beijing Key Laboratory for Sensor (Grant No. KM200810772009)     

Synthesis and Characterization of LiCoxMn2-xO4 Cathode Materials

LiCoxMn2.04 cathode materials for lithium ion batteries were synthesized by mechanical activation-solid state reaction at 750 ℃ for 24 h in air atmosphere, and their crystal structure, morphology, element composition and electrochemical performance were characterized with XRD, SEM, ICP-AES and charge-discharge test. The experimental results show that all samples have a single spinel structure, well formed crystal shape and uniformly particle size distribution. The lattice parameters of LiCo Mn2-xO4 decrease and the average oxidation states of manganese ions increase with an increase in Co content. Compared with pure LiMn2O4, the LiCo Mn2xO4 （x=0.03-0.12） samples show a lower special capacity, but their cycling life are improved. The capacity loss of LiCo009Mn191O4 and LiCo0.1Mn1.88O4 is only 1.85% and 0.95%, respectively, after the 20th cycle. The improvement of the cycle performance is attributed to the substitution of Co at the Mn sites in the spinel structure, which suppresses the Jahn-Teller distortion and improves the structural stability.     

Preliminary biocompatibility evaluation of regenerated <Emphasis Type="Italic">Antheraea yamamai</Emphasis> Silk Fibroin <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

The study aimed to investigate the adhesion, morphology and proliferation of Sprague Dawley (SD) albino rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) by inverted microscope, cell counting, MTT test and laser scanning confocal microscop (LSCM). On the regenerated A yamamai SF film or blend films, the cell morphology was almost the same as that on collagen (collagen type I) film, the cell adhesion rate was higher than that on plastic cell plate and B mori SF film after 1 h (p < 0.01) of culture, and the cell proliferation was significantly higher than that on collagen film (p < 0.01) and plastic cell plate (p < 0.01), and also obviously better than that on B mori SF film. On the other hand, the viability of BMSCs in the regenerated A yamamai SF porous scaffold was better than that in B mori SF porous scaffold and medical grade polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponge.     

Performance of an activated carbon made from waste palm shell in simultaneous adsorption of SO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> and NO<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript> of flue gas at low temperature

This study examined the individual and simultaneous adsorption of SO{in{itx}} (SO{in{it2}}) and NO{in{itx}} (NO-NO{in{it2}}) on activated carbon prepared from waste palm shell. The adsorption process was examined in a fixed bed reactor at low temperatures (100\2-300\dgC). For individual adsorption without any catalytic activation, SO{in{itx}} showed good adsorption whereas NO{in{itx}} was very much poor. In the simultaneous adsorption of SO{in{itx}} and NO{in{itx}}, SO{in{itx}} showed greater adsorption affinity than NO{itx}. For palm shell activated carbon (PSAC) impregnated with metal catalyst (Ni and Ce) the concentration adsorbed profile showed that the amount of SO{in{itx}} adsorbed decreased regularly, while the amount of the adsorbed NO{in{itx}} increased irregularly. The properties of the pure and impregnated PSAC were analyzed by BET, SEM and EDX. These investigations indicated that PSAC impregnated with metal catalyst is the determining factor in the adsorption of SO{in{itx}} and NO{in{itx}} simultaneously. Supported financially by Yayasan FELDA, Malaysia (Grant No. 6050075)     

Thermal-dynamical properties and pressure dependence of phonon spectrum of ordered Si<Subscript>50</Subscript>Ge<Subscript>50</Subscript> alloy based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">ab initio</Emphasis> methods

The phonon spectrum of ordered zincblende Si₅₀Ge₅₀ alloy is calculated by ab initio method. The energy band structure at zero pressure and the pressure dependence of phonon dispersion curves are shown up to 20 GPa. The calculation finds a pressure-induced softening of the transverse acoustic phonon mode and the mode frequency reaching zero at about 14 GPa, which indicate breaking of the symmetry and formation of a new phase under high pressure. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50771090), the State Key Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2005CB724404) and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Team (Grant No. IRT0650)     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab initio</Emphasis> study of doping mechanisms in BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>-BiYO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

A density functional plane-wave pseudopotential method is used to study the doping mechanisms of impurity defects(Bi_Ba, Y_Ti) in BaTiO₃-BiYO₃. Single Bi_Ba and Y_Ti impurities have little structure distortion. Bi forms ionic bond with nearby O atom in single Bi impurity, Y formed [YO₆] octahedral in single Y impurity. However, in the co-doped Bi_Ba and Y_Ti structure, Bi formed three valence bonds with nearby O atom, which causes the large structure distortion. The doped ion makes the mobile of Ti⁴⁺ difficult and loss local ferroelectricity, which will broaden the dielectric constant temperature curve and increase the temperature stability of BaTiO₃ ceramic matrix.     

Structure and electrochemical properties of LiMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis>F<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

LiMn₂O₄−_xF_x prepared by the sol-gel method has a perfect crystal formation. The crystal particle size of the material was medium and distributed uniformly. The substitution of F for O increased the specific capacity of the material at the cost of the cycleability. The explanation of this results is that the F decreases the valence of Mn, that is, more Mn³⁺ and less Mn⁴⁺ exist in the material. The increase of Mn³⁺ will improve the initial specific capacity and Mn³⁺ is the original reason for Jahn-Teller effect that caused the poor cycleability of the cathode material by the micro-distortion of the crystal structure. In addition, the expanded measurement of the crystal lattice is also the reason for the poor cycleability. Therefore, the results of F-substitution and cation-substitution are opposite. If the two methods are combined, they can compensate the inability each other and the satisfactory results may be obtained. XIA Jun-lei: Born in 1977 Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 59972026)     

Structures and properties of [CoPt/Ag]<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis></Subscript> multilayer fims

The magnetic properties and structures of [CoPt/Ag] _n , multilayer films deposited by DC magnetron sputtering have been studied. During the deposited process, two kinds of deposited sequences, that is Ag layer (FDAG) first deposited or CoPt layer (FDCP) first deposited, have been chosen. The results show that the microstructures and coercivities were strongly influenced by the deposited sequence and the thickness of films. The coercivities of [Ag/CoPt] _n with FDAG are obviously higher than those of [CoPt/Ag] _n with FDCP. Especially, when the thickness of films is 8 nm, the difference of coercivities between the FDAG film and the FDCP film is the largest. It is possibly because Ag plays a role of underlayer in FDAG multilayers, which can induce both the transformation from fcc to fct and the oriented growth along c-axis. In addition, δM curves reveal that the [CoPt/Ag]₈ multilayer, film has a lower intergrain interaction than the CoPt/Ag bilayer film.     

Microstructure and thermal properties of (1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis>) As<Subscript>2</Subscript>S<Subscript>3</Subscript>−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis>CdCl<Subscript>2</Subscript> glassy system

The homogenous glass samples of the (1−x) As₂S₃−xCdCl₂ where x=0 and 0.05 were prepared by the conventional melt-quenched method. The addition of 5 mol% CdCl₂ enhanced the glass transition temperature of pure As₂S₃ glass sample by about 30°C. Based on the experimental data, the microstructure is considered to be that the discrete molecule species of AsCl₃ and nanocrystal CdS is homogeneously dispersed in the disordered polymer network formed by AsS₃ pyramids interconnected by sulfur bridges. TAO Hai-zheng : Born in 1973 Funded by the Foundation for Excellent Youth of China.     

Optimization of<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-type segmented Bi<Subscript>2</Subscript>Te<Subscript>3</Subscript>/CoSb<Subscript>3</Subscript> thermoelectric material prepared by spark plasma sintering

1 IntroductionIt is well known that the performance of monolithicthermoelectric materials can be characterized as figure-of-meritZ,Z=α2σ/κ, where ,α,σandκare the See-beck coefficients ,the electrical conductivity andthe ther-mal conductivity,respectively.In the past years , greatefforts have been made inlookingforthermoelectric mate-rials with a higher Seebeck coefficient ,electrical conduc-tivity and alowerthermal conductivity[1-9].Butfor monol-ithic thermoelectric materials , their f…     

Heterogenous expression of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Synechocystis</Emphasis> sp. PCC 6803 deg proteases and their possible roles on phycobiliprotein degradation <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

The Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 genome harbours a Deg gene family consisting of three members, htrA (degP, slr1204), hhoA (degQ, sll1679) and hhoB (degS, sll1427). This work provided biochemical characterization of HhoA, HtrA and HhoB from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Firstly mature HhoA, HhoB and HtrA from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were cloned and expressed as soluble recombinant his-tagged fusion protein in Escherichia coli. Then the proteolytic activity of HhoA, HhoB and HtrA was tested using casein, bovine serum albumin, five recombinant chromoproteins and cyanobacterial phycocyanin as substrates in vitro. The experimental results showed that HhoA and HtrA had proteolytic activity on casein, five recombinant chromoproteins and cyanobacterial phycocyanin. No proteolytic activity of HhoB was found using all substrates in vitro, indicating functional difference among Deg proteases from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Therefore, the results indicated the biochemical properties of HhoA and HtrA on hydrolysis of proteins and phycobiliproteins in vitro, which implicated that they were proteases possibly involved in phycobiliprotein degradation in vivo.     

Microstructure and Thermal Properties Analysis of （1-x）As2S3-x CdBr2 Glass System

The homogeneous glass sample for the ( 1 - x ) As2S3-xCdBr2, where x=0. 015,0. 035,0.05, was prepared by the conventional melt-quenched method. Amorphoas ( 1 - x ) As2S3-xCdBr2 alloys were determined by X-ray diffraction, thermal compreheasive analysis and Raman scattering. The glass transittion temperature (TR) deereases a bit with the addition of CdBr2 . Based on the experimental data, the microstrtucture is considered to be the discrete molecule species of AsBr3 and Cd - S atomic bonds or clusters are honigeneously dispersed in a disordered polymer network formed by AsS3 pyramids interlinked by sulfur bridges.     

Construction of amperometric glucose biosensor based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">in-situ</Emphasis> fabricated hierarchical meso-macroporous SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> modified Au film electrodes

Gold nanoparticles (GNPs) modified hierarchical meso-macroporous (HMMP) SiO₂ layer on the surface of Au film electrode was developed as a novel enzyme immobilization matrix for biosensors construction. HMMP SiO₂-Au bilayer film electrodes were in-situ fabricated with magnetron sputtering process and templating method. The as-prepared HMMP SiO₂ films were characterized by SEM, TEM, and cyclic voltammetry (CV). The modified layer of HMMP SiO₂ has interconnected pore channels, and the sizes of macropores and mesopores are about 330 nm and 9 nm, respectively. The HMMP SiO₂ modified gold film electrodes not only have no diffusion barrier for electrochemical probes, but also exhibit good electrochemical properties. In addition, the activity and stability of the immobilized enzyme can be commendably retained in HMMP SiO₂. The biosensor exhibits an excellent bioelectrocatalytic response to glucose with a linear range of 1.0×10^-4 M-1.0×10^-2 M, high sensitivity of 18.0 μA·mM^-1·cm^-2, as well as good reproducibility and stability.     

Structure and Electric Properties of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2） TiO3-xBaTiO3 Systems

The structural, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2） TiO3-xBaTiO3 ceramics were investigated for the compositional range, x=0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10. The samples were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction technique. All compositions show a single perovskite structure, and X-ray powder diffraction patterns can be indexed using a rhombohedral structure. Lattice constants and lattice distortion increase while the amount of BaTiO3 increases. The X-ray diffraction results show the morphotropic phase boundary （MPB） of （1-x）（Bi1/2Na12） TiO3-xBaTiO3 exists in near x=0.06-0.08. Temperature dependence of dielectric constant eT33/ε0 measurement reveals that all compositions experience one structural phase and two ferroelectric phases transition below 400℃： rhombohedral （or rhombohedral plus tetragonal） ferroelectric phase ←→ tetragonal antiferroelectric phase ←→ tetragonal paraelectric phase. Relaxor behaviors exist in the course of ferroelectric to antiferroelectric phase transition. Dielectric and piezoelectric properties are enhanced in the MPB range for （ 1-x）（Bi1/2Na1/2）TiO3-xBaTiO3.     

Crystallization of Fe78Si6B13 Bulk Crystaline/Amorphous （c/a） Composite

A metallic crystalline/amorphous （c/a） bulk composite was prepared by the slow cooling method after remelting the amorphous Fe78Si9B13 ribbon. By X-ray diffraction （XRD）, differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） and scanning electron microscope （SEM）, the composite consists of the primary dendrite α-Ee （without Si） as well as the amorphous matrix. After being anneal at 800 K, the uniform spheroid particles are formed in the c/a composite, which does not form in the amorphous ribbon under the various annealing process. Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays （EDAX）, SEM and XRD were applied to give more detailed information. The formation and evolution of the particle may stimulate the possible application of the Fe-matrix amorphous alloy.     

Angiogenesis induced by IKVAV-Containing amphiphile peptide <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vivo</Emphasis>

An IKVAV (Isoleucine-Lysine-Valine-Alanine-Valine)-containing peptide amphiphile molecule (IKVAV-PA) was implanted subcutaneouly into rat backbone in the middle. Angiogenesis induced by IKVAV-PA was evaluated in vivo. 200 μL of 10, 2, 1 and 0.5 wt% IKVAV-PA solution were added into DMEM/F₁₂ and self-assembled into nanofiber hydrogel. 1 mL of 1% IKVAV-PA (Experimental Group, EG) and 1 mL of 16.67% gelatin (Control Group, CG) were injected subcutaneously into rat backbone. The specimens were harvested two weeks after injection and examined immunohistochemically for VEGF(Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor). TEM observations of hydrogels revealed a network of nanofibers, and there was a significant positive correlation between IKVAV-PA concentration and nanofiber alignment. Light microscopy observation showed capillary vessel with complete walls formed in hydrogel, with erythrocytes noted inside the vessels in EG; capillary vessels or erythrocytes were not found within gelatin in CG. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that there were VEGF-positive cells within hydrogel, which were not found in CG. Self-assembled hydrogel from IKVAV-PA was able to induce the angiogenesis in vivo.     

Effect of Cu-Ti-C reaction composition on reinforcing particles size of TiC<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>/Cu composites

TiC _x /Cu composites were fabricated by combustion synthesis and hot press technology. Using XRD, SEM, EDS, FESEM analysis methods, the effects of various carbon sources and different Cu contents on the microstructures of TiC _x /Cu composites and the size of TiC _x particles were investigated. Results showed that TiC _x reinforcing particles size increases with decreasing Cu content in Cu-Ti-C reaction system. With carbon nanotubes (carbon black) serving as carbon source, the generated TiC _x particles size transits from nanometer to submicron when Cu content corresponding to the reaction system is reduced to 60 vol% (70 vol%); while graphite serves as carbon source, there is no clear limiting concentration. C particles with smaller size, larger specific surface area and better distribution result in finer TiC _x particles, which is more beneficial to generating nano-sized TiC _x /Cu composites.