Colloidal ZnO nanostructures and functional coatings: A survey

The past research work devoted to ZnO nanocolloidal sol-gel route is reviewed. It highlights the cluster chemistry of alcoholic ZnAc₂ solutions and the results of ZnO colloid growth investigations performed worldwide. Moreover, the role of doping and co-doping in the processing of functional ZnO coatings is discussed. The possibilities of tuning the optical properties are also reported with a particular attention to luminescence. The last part of this paper deals with electrical and photoelectrochemical properties of ZnO nanocrystals and their aggregates. This contribution is dedicated to the 80th birthday of Prof. Arnim Henglein from the Hahn-Meitner-Institut in Berlin and to the memory of Prof. Jacques Mugnier from the Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1 in France.     

Two-component model of solar plages

By use of the 2-m Mcmath-Pierce telescope at Kitt Peak, the high-quality spectra of a plage with moderate brightness near the center of solar disk were obtained. The data include seven spectral lines, which are Hα, Hβ, CaII H and K lines and the infrared triplet. With the consideration of fine structures of solar plages, a two-component atmospheric model is constructed by keeping the cool component to be the quiet atmosphere. Three cases of the hot component are given for different filling factors where the temperature and density distribution are adjusted in order to reproduce the seven observed spectral profiles. We also briefly discuss the influence of the column density at the base of the corona, m0, and the macro-turbulent velocity on the required filling factor and computed profiles. The two-component model is compared with precious one-component semi-empirical models. The limitation of the model is pointed out and further improvement is indicated.     

High-throughput screening of fuel cell electrocatalysts

The drawbacks of our earlier report of preparing fuel cell catalyst arrays by borohydride reduction of inkjet prepared arrays of metal salts are discussed along with the need for inclusion of state-of-the-art metrics in all array screening. An alternative method for screening of hydrogen/air cathode catalysts, direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) anode catalysts, and catalyst loading studies is provided. State-of-the-art Johnson Matthey catalysts were used in control experiments to demonstrate the utility of the array fuel cell for high throughput screening of fuel cell catalysts in the 3-4 mg/cm² range. This report lays out hard learned rules for high throughput screening and demonstrates that the array fuel cell can be used for very precise screening of libraries of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) components without the pitfalls discussed in the introduction.     

An investigation on planar dielectric light collectors for illumination and solar energy applications

In this paper the performances of inhomogeneous dielectric slabs as solar light collectors for both illumination and solar energy applications are analysed.     

Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensor for Detection of NO2 Using Poly (3-Octylthiophene)

A fiber-optic chemical sensor (FOCS) for detection of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) molecules is reported. The FOCS presents an optropode structure because of the transmission properties of the sensitive material. The NO₂ FOCS is activated by using the semiconductor polymer: regioregular head-to-tail poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl). The operation wavelength of the sensor is 543.5 nm such that a simple LED and detector can be used for the design of this device. The sensor response decreases after each exposure, demonstrating the reduction in sensitivity as well as irreversibility lower than 5%. However, its properties such as rapid response, high selectivity, high sensitivity (0.43 ± 0.01 muW/ppm), hygroscopic properties, and its operation at room temperature make this kind of FOCS a good alternative for NO₂ toxic gas detection.     

Estimation of growth rate in unidirectionally solidified multicrystalline silicon by the growth-induced striation method

Multicrystalline silicon was grown by unidirectional solidification method using the accelerated crucible rotation technique. The application of the accelerated crucible rotation technique in unidirectional solidification method induced growth striations across the axial direction of the grown crystal. This striation pattern was observed from carbon concentration distribution, obtained by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The generated striation pattern was found to be weak and discontinuous. Some striations were absent, probably due to back melting, caused during each crucible rotation. From the growth striations and applied time period in crucible rotation, the growth rate was estimated by using Fourier transformation analysis.     

半导体带电粒子探测器的研制及其在空间物理中的应用

阐述了空间辐射环境监测的意义,描述了半导体带电粒子探测器的研制及由其组成的望远镜系统在空间物理中的应用,并给出了用此探测器在卫星上进行地球辐射环境监测、太阳质子事件和地磁暴探测的部分结果.     

Numerical Prediction of the Strain State of Thermoset Matrix/Mineral Filler Composite Plates

The numerical prediction of the fields of inelastic strains (the linear invariant of the tensor of inelastic strains) in thermoset polyester/marble filler composite plates is discussed. A uniformly distributed load is applied to the plates, which lie on a steel base. The strain fields are predicted by means of the boundary element method by using creep test data for the composites and the polyester matrix itself. Identical creep tests were performed for two ages of the materials (1 month and 13 years), which allowed evaluating the aging effect. The study is carried out in two stages. At the first stage, the application of the generalized Maxwell-Gurevich equation to the thermoset matrix/mineral filler composite is demonstrated. The model parameters determined from the experimental creep data is used for the second stage, where the state of inelastic strains in the plates is predicted by applying the boundary element method. The influence of composite formulation (filler content) and physical aging of the polyester matrix on the state of inelastic strains in the plates is shown.__________Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 145–156, March–April, 2005.     

Crystallographic report: Bis(isonicotinonitrile)cadmium diselencyanate, [Cd(SeCN)2(pyCN)2] (pyCN = isonicotinonitrile)

The title compound, [Cd(SeCN)₂(pyCN)₂]_∞, adopts an extended one‐dimensional chain structure in which the neighboring cadmium atoms are bridged by two selenocyanate ions. The central cadmium atom has a distorted octahedral geometry defined by two isonicotinonitrile and four selenocyanate ions in a 4N2Se fashion. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Roles of rhenium diimine complexes as metal‐ion probes and photosensitizers in functional polyurethanes

Polyurethanes incorporated with rhenium diimine complexes were synthesized. The polymers exhibited interesting morphologies and solution properties. Results from gel permeation chromatography suggested the formation of polymer aggregates in solutions. The polymers could act as probes for metal ions. The addition of metal ions to polymer solutions led to significant changes in the electronic absorption properties of the polymer solutions. This was attributed to the interactions between the polyether moieties and metal ions. The metal complexes could also act as efficient photosensitizers. After doping with charge‐transport viologens, the photoconductivity of the polymers was greatly enhanced. The experimental quantum efficiency was simulated with Onsager's theory. The thermalization distances and the primary yields were typically 12–14 Å and 10^?3, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 1708–1715, 2003