Effect of Co,Pd and Pt ultra-thin films on the Ni-silicide formation: investigating the sandwich configuration

The effect of Co, Pd and Pt ultrathin films on the kinetics of the formation of Ni-silicide by reactive diffusion is investigated. 50 nm Ni/1 nm X/ 50 nm Ni (X?=?Co, Pd, Pt) deposited on Si(100) substrates are studied using in-situ and ex-situ measurements by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The presence of Co, Pd or Pt thin films in between the Ni layers delays the formation of the metal rich phase compared to the pure Ni/Si system and thus these films act as diffusion barriers. A simultaneous silicide formation (δ-Ni₂Si and NiSi phases) different from the classic sequential formation is found during the consumption of the top Ni layer for which Ni has to diffuse through the barrier. A model for the simultaneous growth in the presence of a barrier is developed, and simulation of the kinetics measured by XRD is used to determine the permeability of the different barriers. Atom probe tomography (APT) of the Ni/Pd/Ni system shows that the Pd layer is located between the Ni top layer and δ-Ni₂Si during the silicide growth, in accordance with a silicide formation controlled by Ni diffusion through the Pd layer. The effect of the barrier on the silicide formation and properties is discussed.

     

Fluorescent Polyimide Films Produced with Diatomite and Mesoporous Silica as Promising High-Tech Material

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials - Due to their excellent properties, polymides (PIs) result promising as high-performance materials in different technological fields....     

Strain mediated enhancement in magnetoelectric properties of sonochemically synthesized piezoelectric and piezomagnetic composites

Materials with magneto-electric (ME) properties are of great importance because of their demand in electronic industries. Three dimensional nano-particles of the ME-composites having the general formula (1-x)CoCr_0.3Fe_1.7O₄(CCFO)+(x)BaTiO₃(BTO) (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1.0) were obtained by comprising the piezoelectric-BTO and piezomagnetic-CCFO phases. The individual phases of CCFO and BTO were synthesized separately by ultrasonic irradiation assisted sonochemical and sol-gel routs. X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) confirmed the well-crystalline nature of both the phases. BTO and CCFO phases were under tensile strain as confirmed by the variation in lattice constants with varying proportion of BTO and CCFO. An energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy spectrum confirmed the phase purity of the samples and stoichiometric concentration of elements. Magnetic properties were investigated by M ? H loop measurements and dielectric properties by using RF impedance analyzer. Dielectric constant increased with the increasing percentage of BTO. The maximum value of ME coefficient (24.7 mV/cm?Oe) is observed for the 60%CCFO+40%BTO sample. The obtained results were discussed in the light of grain size, strain and the basic properties of the individual phases. The prepared materials can be applicable in electronic devices where high magneto-electric coefficient is desirable.     

A comparative study of phenols composition,antioxidant, and antifungal potency of leaves extract from five Moroccan Vitis vinifera L. varieties

Vitis vinifera (L) crops, covers an area of about 54,000 ha corresponding to a production of 230,000 t of grapes, representing 5.5% of the national perennial corps. However, this plant is sensitive to various ravages and diseases, among others, the cryptogrammic by fungi. The degrading enzymes of the cell wall are among the factors of pathogenicity the more important than fungi use to colonize their host plants. In this study, the first step was devoted to the antioxidant activity and phenols composition (phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase [PAL], tyrosine-ammonia-lyase [TAL], flavonoids, and tannins) as well as high-performance liquid chromatography analysis in five vineyard leaves extract, which are “Superior, Early sweet and Flame” (Allochthonous), “Abbou and Adari” (endemic). In the second step, the lytic activities “pectinase, polygalacturonase, xylanase, mannanase, glucanase, and cellulase” were investigated among six epiphytic fungus to compare their hydrolytic aggressiveness. Subsequently, as a third part, phenols antifungal potency and Trichoderma biocontrol were displayed in the study. The phenolic compounds observed in the attributes leaves were different among varieties (p < .05), and show that the endemic variety “Abbou” leads the phytochemical amount, which has the highest quantities of PAL, and TAL, as well as the DPPH and FRAP antioxidant activity, while the introduced variety show a higher amount in total phenol and flavonoids. The polygalacturonase, mannanase, and pectinase activities are probably the main factors responsible for the aggressiveness of the studied fungus. Phenols potency showed a good mycelial inhibition with 82.09% as compared to the biocontrol (64.45%). Given the efficacy of the phytochemical control in this study, the phenols could be a part of integrated management strategies for sustainable control of vineyard disease.     

Unsteady natural convection magnetohydrodynamic stagnation point flow with assisting and opposing characteristics: Buongiorno model

In this investigation, the flow of an unsteady mixed convection boundary layer viscous nanofluid on a stretchable sheet is considered. The flow examination is affected by a magnetic field. The reason for the examination exhibited is to create models for nanomaterials that incorporate the Brownian movement and thermophoresis phenomena. The created nonlinear standard differential condition is illuminated numerically utilizing the Runge-Kutta-Gill technique and the start program. The different factors of speed, temperature, and concentration are reported and discussed. The examination shows that the speed, temperature, and concentration are lower in contrast with the consistent stream on account of an assisting flow, whereas the opposite situation is noticed in the opposing flow case. The effects of Brownian movement and thermophoresis in the concentration case are totally different.     

Boosted hydrogen evolution activity from Sr doped ZnO/CNTs nanocomposite as visible light driven photocatalyst

CNTs were decorated onto Sr doped ZnO nanoparticles to construct an efficient photocatalyst via a facile sol-gel method. The as-fabricated Sr doped ZnO/CNTs with recyclability exhibits Sr and CNTs content dependent hydrogen evolution activit under visible light illumination. The Sr doped ZnO/CNTs photocatalyst shows the highest hydrogen evolution rate of 2732.2 μmolh^?1g^?1, which is 33.7 and 2.83 times higher than pure ZnO and Sr doped ZnO photocatalysts, respectively. The improved hydrogen evolution activity of Sr doped ZnO/CNTs is primarily assigned to high surface area, Sr doping and construction of heterojunction, which can extend the light absorption, decrease the optical band gap and improve the charge separation. Moreover, the underlying photocatalytic mechanism is proposed on the basis of Mott-Schottky study and explains the interfacial charge transfer process from ZnO to CNTs and Sr. This work open new strategies to synthesize CNTs based nanocomposite for hydrogen evolution.     

Ferroelectric,dielectric, magnetic,structural and photocatalytic properties of Co and Fe doped LaCrO3 perovskite synthesized via micro-emulsion route

In the present investigation, La_1-xCo_xCr_1-yFe_yO₃ (x,y = 0.0, 0.12, 0.36, 0.60) perovskite was fabricated via a facile micro-emulsion route. The synthesized perovskites were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) techniques to examine the effect of Co and Fe ions on the physico-chemical properties. The ferroelectric, dielectric, and magnetic properties of La_1-xCo_xCr_1-yFe_yO₃ were changed significantly as a function of dopants contents (Co and Fe ions). Outcomes revealed that the dielectric, ferroelectric and magnetic properties of LaCrO₃ perovskite can be tuned significantly via Co and Fe doping and La_0.40Co_0.60Cr_0.40Fe_0.60O₃ have potential for photocatalytic dye removal under (visible) light expoure. The photocatalytic activity (PCA) of the pristine LaCrO₃ and La_0.40Co_0.60Cr_0.40Fe_0.60O₃ photocatalyst was evaluated under (visible) light irradiation for crystal violet (CV) dye. Experimental results revealed that La_0.40Co_0.60Cr_0.40Fe_0.60O₃ photocatalyst degrdae almost 77.21% CV dye with the rate constant value of 0.01475 min^?1. In the presence of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) scavenger, the PCA of the La_0.40Co_0.60Cr_0.40Fe_0.60O₃ photocatalyst and rate constant value of the photocatalytic reaction decreased to 32.5% and 0.00491 min^?1, suggesting the superoxide as main active specie. Results revealed that Co and Fe doping doped material is efficient for photocatalytic presentations under solar light expoure.