Understanding silica-supported metal catalysts: Pd/silica as a case study

Supported metal catalysts, particularly noble metals supported on SiO₂, have attracted considerable attention due to the importance of the silica–metal interface in heterogeneous catalysis and in electronic device fabrication. Several important issues, e.g., the stability of the metal–oxide interface at working temperatures and pressures, are not well-understood. In this review, the present status of our understanding of the metal–silica interface is reviewed. Recent results of model studies in our laboratories on Pd/SiO₂/Mo(1 1 2) using LEED, AES and STM are reported. In this work, epitaxial, ultrathin, well-ordered SiO₂ films were grown on a Mo(1 1 2) substrate to circumvent complications that frequently arise from the silica–silicon interface present in silica thin films grown on silicon.     

Ammonia Decomposition on Ir(100): From Ultrahigh Vacuum to Elevated Pressures

Ammonia decomposition on Ir(100) has been studied over the pressure range from ultrahigh vacuum to 1.5 Torr and at temperatures ranging from 200 to 800 K. The kinetics of the ammonia decomposition reaction was monitored by total pressure change. The apparent activation energy obtained in this study (84 kJ/mol) is in excellent agreement with our previous studies using supported Ir catalysts (Ir/Al₂O₃ 82 kJ/mol). Partial pressure dependence studies of the reaction rate yielded a positive order (0.9±0.1) with respect to ammonia and negative order (–0.7 ±0.1) with respect to hydrogen. Temperature-programmed desorption data from clean and hydrogen co-adsorbed Ir(100) surfaces indicate that ammonia undergoes facile decomposition on both these surfaces. Recombinative desorption of N₂ is the rate-determining step with a desorption activation energy of 63 kJ/mol. Co-adsorption data also indicate that the observed negative order with respect to hydrogen pressure is due to enhancement of the reverse reaction (NH _x + H NH _x+1, x=0–2) in the presence of excess H atoms on the surface.     

Human SMILE-Derived Stromal Lenticule Scaffold for Regenerative Therapy: Review and Perspectives

A transparent cornea is paramount for vision. Corneal opacity is one of the leading causes of blindness. Although conventional corneal transplantation has been successful in recovering patients’ vision, the outcomes are challenged by a global lack of donor tissue availability. Bioengineered corneal tissues are gaining momentum as a new source for corneal wound healing and scar management. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-scaffold-based engineering offers a new perspective on corneal regenerative medicine. Ultrathin stromal laminar tissues obtained from lenticule-based refractive correction procedures, such as SMall Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE), are an accessible and novel source of collagen-rich ECM scaffolds with high mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and transparency. After customization (including decellularization), these lenticules can serve as an acellular scaffold niche to repopulate cells, including stromal keratocytes and stem cells, with functional phenotypes. The intrastromal transplantation of these cell/tissue composites can regenerate native-like corneal stromal tissue and restore corneal transparency. This review highlights the current status of ECM-scaffold-based engineering with cells, along with the development of drug and growth factor delivery systems, and elucidates the potential uses of stromal lenticule scaffolds in regenerative therapeutics.     

Interdiffusion in the Fe-Pt System

Diffusion-couple experiments are conducted in the Fe-Pt system. The phase boundary compositions of the phases measured in this study are found to be different than the compositions published previously. In the γ-FePt solid solution, the interdiffusion coefficient increases with the Pt content up to 25 at. pct Pt. Fe is the faster diffusing species in this phase. The trend in the interdiffusion coefficient is explained with the help of calculated driving force for diffusion. To reduce errors, the average interdiffusion coefficients are calculated in the FePt and FePt₃ compounds.     

Developing a statistical model to predict hydrogen production by a mixed anaerobic mesophilic culture

Optimizing the hydrogen (H₂) yield at several initial pH conditions in a mixed batch anaerobic mesophilic culture fed with glucose and linoleic acid (LA) was performed using a three factor three level Box–Benkhen design (BBD). Based on the BBD approach, a statistical model was developed to predict the H₂ yield. The variables considered for the experimental design were the LA concentration, the initial pH and the number of times glucose was added to the culture. The D-optimality method predicted a maximum H₂ yield of 3.49 mol H₂ mol glucose⁻¹ for cultures fed 1.9 g l⁻¹ LA, maintained at an initial pH of 5.15 and received 1.79 glucose additions. The response outcome (H₂ yield of 3.38 ± 0.22 mol mol glucose⁻¹) at the nearest setting of the experimental factors (2.0 g l⁻¹ LA, an initial pH of 5.0 and two glucose additions) was 3.3% less than the predicted maximum value. The model provides a useful approach for predicting H₂ production when H₂ consumers are inhibited in mixed batch anaerobic cultures.     

Impact of Mole Fractions due to Work Function Variability (WFV) of Metal Gate on Electrical Parameters in Strained SOI-FinFET

In the recent sub-20 nm technology node, the process variability issues have become a major problem for scaling of MOS devices. We present a design for a strained Si/SiGe FinFET on an insulator using a 3D TCAD simulator. The impact of metal gate work function variability (WFV) on electrical parameters is studied. Such impact of WFV for different mole fractions (x) of the SiGe layer in a strained SOI-FinFET with varying grain size is presented. The results show that as the mole fraction is increased, the variability in threshold voltage (σVT) and off current (σIoff) is decreased; while, the variability of on-current (σIon) is increased. A notable observation is the distribution of electrical parameters approaches a normal distribution for smaller grain sizes.     

Studies on miscibility of blends of ethylene methyl acrylate and polydimethyl siloxane rubber

Blends of ethylene methyl acrylate (EMA) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) rubber (PDMS) are demonstrated to be miscible. The miscibility results in a single and composition-dependent glass transition temperature. IR spectra of the blends provide direct evidence of chemical reaction between EMA and PDMS rubber.     

Ultra‐selective epoxidation of styrene on pure Cu{111} and the effects of Cs promotion

Styrene undergoes efficient epoxidation to styrene epoxide on the Cu{111} surface. At the optimum condition (Θ_o = 0.03 ML) ∼20% of the styrene is converted to the epoxide with almost 100% selectivity. Comparison with Ag{111} shows that the epoxidation activity and selectivity of Cu greatly exceed those of Ag. Incipient oxidation of the Cu{111} surface does not suppress the adsorption of styrene, but the oxidised metal is catalytically inert. Submonolayer amounts of Cs enhance styrene uptake and increase conversion to the epoxide without adversely affecting epoxidation selectivity. This effect is due to inhibition of Cu oxidation by Cs. Our findings are discussed in the light of current understanding of Ag‐catalysed alkene epoxidation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ultra-high temperature (>300 °C) suspended thermodiode in SOI CMOS technology

This paper reports for the first time on the performance and long-term stability of a silicon on insulator (SOI) thermodiode with tungsten metallization, suspended on a dielectric membrane, at temperatures beyond 300 °C. The thermodiode has been designed and fabricated with minute saturation currents (due to both small size and the use of SOI technology) to allow an ultra-high temperature range and minimal non-linearity. It was found that the thermodiode forward voltage drop versus temperature plot remains linear up to 500 °C, with a non-linearity error of less than 7%. Extensive experimental results on performance of the thermodiode that was fabricated using a Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) SOI process are presented. These results are backed up by infrared measurements and a range of 2-D (dimension) and 3-D simulations using ISE and ANSYS software. The on-chip drive electronics for the thermodiode and the micro-heater, as well as the sensor transducing circuit were placed adjacent to the membrane. We demonstrate that the thermodiode is considerably more reliable in long-term direct current operation at high temperatures when compared to the more classical resistive temperature detectors (RTDs) using CMOS metallization layers (tungsten or aluminum). We also compare a membrane thermodiode with a reference thermodiode placed on the silicon substrate and assess their relative performance at elevated temperatures. The experimental results from this comparison confirm that the thermodiode suffers minimal piezo-junction/piezo-resistive effects.     

LGVTON: a landmark guided approach for model to person virtual try-on

Multimedia Tools and Applications - In this paper, we propose a Landmark Guided Virtual Try-On (LGVTON) method for clothes, which aims to solve the problem of clothing trials on e-commerce...