Study of optical properties of potassium permanganate ($$\hbox {KMnO}_{4}$$) doped poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) composite films

We have developed films of pure polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) (0.5, 1, 2 and 5%) and potassium permanganate \((\hbox {KMnO}_{4})\)-doped PMMA composite films of thickness (\(\sim 100\, \upmu \hbox {m}\)) using the solution-cast technique. To identify the possible change that happen to the PMMA films due to doping, the optical properties were investigated for different concentrations of \(\hbox {KMnO}_{4}\) by recording the absorbance (A) and transmittance (\(T\%\)) spectra of these films using UV–Vis spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 300–1100 nm. From the data obtained from the optical parameters viz. absorption coefficient (\(\alpha \)), extinction coefficient (\(\kappa \)), finesse coefficient (F), refractive index (\(\eta \)), real and imaginary parts of dielectric constant (\(\varepsilon _{\mathrm{r}}\) and \(\varepsilon _{\mathrm{i}})\) and optical conductivity (\(\sigma \)) were calculated for the prepared films. The indirect optical band gap for the pure and the doped-PMMA films were also estimated.     

Ga doping induced structural and optical modification in $$\hbox {Ge}_{2}\hbox {Sb}_{2}\hbox {Te}_{5}$$ Ge 2 Sb 2 Te 5 thin films

\(\text {Ge}_2\text {Sb}_2\text {Te}_5\) (GST) is considered a promising candidate for next-generation data storage devices due to its unique property of non-volatility and low power consumption. In present work, the bulk alloys and thin films of (\(\text {Ge}_2\text {Sb}_2\text {Te}_5\))\(_{100-x}\text {Ga}_x\) (x = 0, 3, and 10) are prepared using melt quenching and thermal deposition method, respectively. The effect of Ga doping on host composition is investigated by analyzing X-ray diffraction patterns and field emission scanning electron microscope images. From obtained results, it is found that all doped thin films retained the amorphous nature and exhibited uniform and smooth morphology. In Raman spectra, the appearance of a new peak in 10% Ga-doped GST thin film indicated an alteration in the atomic arrangement of host lattice. Transmission spectra revealed the highly transparent nature of all deposited thin films in the near-infrared region. The optical band gap of Ga-doped GST thin film is lower than that of the pure GST thin film which can be correlated with an increase in band tailing, attributed to an increase in localized defect states in the band gap. Due to the pronounced electronegativity difference between the Ga and Te element, new Ga–Te bonds with a higher number of wrong bonds (Ge–Ge, Sb–Sb, and Ge–Sb) are expected to thermally stabilize the amorphous phase. Such results predict the better performance of Ga-doped GST composition for better performance of phase-change random access memory.

     

Thickness-Dependent Properties of YBCO Films Grown on GZO/CLO-Buffered NiW Substrates

To study the role of novel Gd\(_2\)Zr\(_2\)O\(_7\)/Ce\(_{0.9}\)La\(_{0.1}\)O\(_2\) buffer layer structure on a biaxially textured NiW substrate, a set of YBa\(_2\)Cu\(_3\)O\(_{7-\delta }\) (YBCO) films with different thicknesses were prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Interface imperfections as well as thickness-dependent structural properties were observed in the YBCO thin films. The structure is also reflected into the improved superconducting properties with the highest critical current densities in films with intermediate thicknesses. Therefore, it can be concluded that the existing buffer layers need more optimization before they can be successfully used for films with various thicknesses. This issue is linked to the extremely susceptible growth method of PLD when compared to the commonly used chemical deposition methods. Nevertheless, PLD-grown films can give a hint on what to concentrate to be able to further improve the buffer layer structures for future coated conductor technologies.     

Effect of Aging on the Spectral Radiative Properties of Plastic Film-Covered Greenhouse under Arid Conditions

Plastic films are widely used to cover greenhouses in arid regions. Unlike predicting the total radiative properties of films, predicting the deterioration behavior of the spectral radiative properties is quite difficult during the service life of the films. These properties should be of great interest for crop morphogenesis studies. This study was to investigate the degradation behavior of spectral transmittance, \( \tau_{\lambda } \), and reflectance, \( \rho_{\lambda } \) (in the solar spectrum range), of a 200 µm thick, LDPE film-covered greenhouse model that was exposed for 1 year to an arid climate. Every 30 days, \( \tau_{\lambda } \) and \( \rho_{\lambda } \) were measured for six samples taken from the six surfaces of the greenhouse cover and averaged to obtain the cover properties. Based on the collected data, nonlinear correlations (each as a function of the wavelength, λ, and the exposure time, t) were obtained to predict \( \tau_{\lambda } \) and \( \rho_{\lambda } \) at any time during the service life of the cover under such climatic conditions. Results showed that 1 year exposure drastically reduced the spectral and total transmittance of the cover film to global and PAR solar radiation by about 32 % and increased the spectral and total reflectance by about 19 % compared to new film. Degradation of the radiative properties of the film did not affect the light quality or the transmission ratios of light into the greenhouse. The transmitted PAR was reduced from 115 W·m^?2 to 27 W·m^?2 after 1 year exposure.     

First- and Second-Order Phase Transition in Parallel Triple Quantum Dots: The Roles of Symmetric and Asymmetric Hopping

By means of the numerical renormalization group method, I study the quantum phase transition (QPT) and the electronic transport in parallel triple quantum dot system with symmetric and/or asymmetric hopping. For symmetric hopping \(t_{1} = t_{2}\) and zero magnetic field \(B = 0\) , I find a first order transition between spin quadruplet and doublet as \(t_{1}\) ( \(t_{2}\) ) increases. With increasing \(B\) , a second order QPT between \(S_{z} = 1/2\) of the doublet and \(S_{z} = 3/2\) of the quadruplet is observed. For asymmetric hopping \(t_{1} \ne t_{2}\) , the QPT depends closely on the other hopping. For fixed \(t_{1} < \varGamma \) , where \(\varGamma \) is the hybridization function between the dots and the leads, a first order transition is observed as \(t_{2}\) increases, while for \(t_{1} \ge \varGamma \) , a crossover occurs. In the presence of \(B\) , the transition between \(S_{z} = 1/2\) and \(S_{z} = 3/2\) is a first order QPT for \(t_{1} < \varGamma \) , while a second order for \(t_{1} \ge \varGamma \) .     

Tailoring of optical and electrical properties of PMMA by incorporation of Ag nanoparticles

Silver–poly(methyl methacrylate) (Ag–PMMA) nanocomposite films were prepared via ex situ chemical route by employing sodium borohydride (\(\hbox {NaBH}_{4}\)) as a reducing agent. In this study, PVP-stabilized Ag nanoparticles were prepared and mixed with PMMA solution. Optical and structural characterizations of resulting nanocomposite films were performed using UV–visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak of Ag nanoparticles was observed at about 3.04 eV (408 nm) in absorption spectra of Ag–PMMA nanocomposite films. TEM micrograph revealed that the spherical Ag nanoparticles with an average diameter of 5.4\(\,\pm \,\)2.5 nm are embedded in PMMA. In Raman spectra, besides shifting of vibrational bands, enhancement in intensity of Raman signal with incorporation of Ag nanoparticles was observed. Current (I)–voltage (V) measurements revealed that conductivity of PMMA increased with increasing concentration of Ag nanoparticles. Analysis of I–V data further disclosed that at voltage <2 V, ohmic conduction mechanism is the dominant mechanism, while at voltage >2 V Poole–Frenkel is the dominant conduction mechanism. Urbach’s energy, the measure of disorder, increased from 0.40 eV for PMMA to 1.11 eV for Ag–PMMA nanocomposite films containing 0.039 wt% of Ag nanoparticles.     

Multi-vortex State Induced by Proximity Effects in a Small Superconducting Square

The influence of the different negative values of the deGennes parameter \(b\) in the thermodynamic properties of a superconducting infinitely long prism of square cross section area \(S=9\xi ^{2}(0)\) in the presence of a magnetic field is investigated theoretically by solving numerically the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equations; \(\xi (0)\) is the coherent length at zero temperature. We obtain the vorticity, magnetic induction, Cooper pair density, magnetization and phase of the order parameter as functions of the external applied magnetic field and the \(b\) parameter. Our results show that a multi-vortex state appear in the sample choosing a convenient value of \(b<0\) parameter, even for such small system. Also, we study a superconducting parallelepiped of volume \(V=Sd\) by means of true \(3D\) numerical simulations; \(d\) is the height of the parallelepiped. We focused our analysis on the way which the magnetization curves approximate from \(d\) finite to the characteristic curve of \(d\rightarrow \infty \) . This is the case for which the magnetic field and the order parameter are invariant along \(z\) -direction. For a superconductor of size \(S=9\xi ^2(0)\) we find that the limit below which the system should be considered a real three-dimensional sample when is \(d=8\xi \) .     

<10$$ \bar{1} $$0> Dislocation at a {2$$ \bar{1} $$$$ \bar{1} $$0} low-angle grain boundary in LiNbO3

A LiNbO₃ bicrystal that contains a {2\( \bar{1} \) \( \bar{1} \)0} low-angle grain boundary with both of 2° tilt misorientation and a slight twist misorientation was fabricated, and resulting dislocation structure at the boundary was analyzed by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning TEM. The observations revealed that two types of dislocations of b = 1/3 <2\( \bar{1} \) \( \bar{1} \)0> and b = <10\( \bar{1} \)0> are formed at the boundary. A 1/3 <2\( \bar{1} \) \( \bar{1} \)0> dislocation, which dissociates into two partial dislocations with a {2\( \bar{1} \) \( \bar{1} \)0} stacking fault in between, compensates only tilt misorientation of the boundary. On the other hand, it was found that a <10\( \bar{1} \)0> dislocation, which dissociates into three equivalent partial dislocations with b = 1/3 <10\( \bar{1} \)0>, has both edge and screw components in total. That is, the <10\( \bar{1} \)0> dislocations are formed to compensate the twist misorientation of the boundary, in addition to the tilt misorientation. It is interesting that the three partial dislocations from a <10\( \bar{1} \)0> dislocation are arranged in a zigzag pattern with left–right asymmetry. This special configuration is suggested to originate from the presence of stable stacking fault structure on the {2\( \bar{1} \) \( \bar{1} \)3} plane in LiNbO₃.     

Eco-friendly method to synthesize and characterize 2D nanostructured (1,2-bis(diphenyl-phosphino)ethyl) tungsten tetracarbonyl methyl red/copper oxide di-layer thin films

Three-layer thicknesses (\({T}_{1 }= 50\), \({T}_{2 }= 75\) and \({T}_{3 }= 100\) nm) of 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethyl tungsten tetracarbonyl methyl red (DPE-W-MR) were deposited onto the CuO thin film (50 nm) to produce DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films by sol–gel spin-coating technique. The composition and the chemical structure of the as-prepared thin films were characterized using various techniques including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, \(^{1}\hbox {H}\)-NMR and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the size and shape of the CuO nanoparticles and the fabricated thin films. The films are crystalline as evidenced by the XRD pattern and DPE-W-MR has an orthorhombic crystal system. The crystallite size was calculated from an analysis of the line broadening features using the Scherrer formula; the average crystallite sizes of DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films are 52.92, 56.24 and 72.26 nm for \({T}_{1}\), \({T}_{2}\) and \({T}_{3}\), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis and the thermal curve of DPE-W-MR complex were studied. Optical properties of DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films are discussed. The optical band gap energies of DPE-W-MR di-layer thin films/CuO decreased (2.25, 2.1 and 1.88 eV) as the film thickness increased (from \({T}_{1}\) to \({T}_{3})\). Based on the optical results and the quantum confinement effects, the DPE-W-MR/CuO di-layer thin films may be candidates as semiconductor materials for optoelectronic devices.     

Secondary crystalline phases identification in Cu_2ZnSnSe_4 thin films: contributions from Raman scattering and photoluminescence

In this work, we present the Raman peak positions of the quaternary pure selenide compound Cu \(_2\) ZnSnSe \(_4\) (CZTSe) and related secondary phases that were grown and studied under the same conditions. A vast discussion about the position of the X-ray diffraction (XRD) reflections of these compounds is presented. It is known that by using XRD only, CZTSe can be identified but nothing can be said about the presence of some secondary phases. Thin films of CZTSe, Cu \(_2\) SnSe \(_3\) , ZnSe, SnSe, SnSe \(_2\) , MoSe \(_2\) and a-Se were grown, which allowed their investigation by Raman spectroscopy (RS). Here we present all the Raman spectra of these phases and discuss the similarities with the spectra of CZTSe. The effective analysis depth for the common back-scattering geometry commonly used in RS measurements, as well as the laser penetration depth for photoluminescence (PL) were estimated for different wavelength values. The observed asymmetric PL band on a CZTSe film is compatible with the presence of CZTSe single-phase and is discussed in the scope of the fluctuating potentials' model. The estimated bandgap energy is close to the values obtained from absorption measurements. In general, the phase identification of CZTSe benefits from the contributions of RS and PL along with the XRD discussion.     

Cross-metric compatability and inconsistencies of altmetrics

Metrics like the number of tweets or Mendeley readers are currently discussed as an alternative to evaluate research. These alternative metrics (altmetrics) still need to be evaluated in order to fully understand their meaning, their benefits and limitations. While several preceding studies concentrate on correlations of altmetrics with classical measures like citations, this study aims at investigating metric-compatibility within altmetrics. For this purpose, 5000 journal articles from six disciplines have been analyzed regarding their metrics with the help of the aggregators PlumX and Altmetric.com. For this set, the highest numbers of events have been recognized regarding Mendeley readers, followed by Twitter and Facebook mentions. Thereby variations considering the aggregators could be observed. Intra-correlations between the metrics across one aggregator have been calculated, as well as inter-correlations for the corresponding metrics across the aggregators. For both aggregators, low to medium intra-correlations could be calculated which shows the diversity of the different metrics. Regarding inter-correlations, PlumX and Altmetric.com are highly consistent concerning Mendeley readers (\(r=0.97\)) and Wikipedia mentions (\(r=0.82\)), whereas the consistency concerning Twitter (\(r=0.49\)), blogs (\(r=0.46\)) and Reddit (\(r=0.41\)) is on a moderate level. The sources Facebook (\(r=0.29\)), Google+ (\(r=0.28\)) and News (\(r=0.11\)) show only low correlations.     

Ternary codes from some reflexive uniform subset graphs

We examine the ternary codes \(C_3(A_i+I)\) from matrices \(A_i+I\) where \(A_i\) is an adjacency matrix of a uniform subset graph \(\Gamma (n,3,i)\) of \(3\) -subsets of a set of size \(n\) with adjacency defined by subsets meeting in \(i\) elements of \(\Omega \) , where \(0 \le i \le 2\) . Most of the main parameters are obtained; the hulls, the duals, and other subcodes of the \(C_3(A_i+I)\) are also examined.     

Large Area Transition Edge Sensor X-ray Microcalorimeters for Diffuse X-ray Background Studies

We are developing transition edge sensor (TES) mirocalorimeters with large area (0.72 mm \(^2\) ) absorbers to study the keV diffuse X-ray background. The goal is to develop a 2 cm \(^2\) array of 256 pixels for a sounding rocket payload. We present a pixel design which includes a Mo/Au bilayer TES coupled to a large (850 x 850 x 0.2 \(\upmu \) m \(^3\) ) gold absorber. Our simulations indicate that such a design can achieve energy resolution as good as 1.6 eV FWHM in our target bandpass of 0.05–1 keV. Additionally, thermal modelling shows that for typical gold layers, the position-dependent variation of the pulse shape over the large area of the absorber is not expected to significantly degrade this energy resolution. An array of devices will be fabricated in late 2013 to test this design.     

({p, \rho,T, x}) Properties of \text{ CO}_{2}/Propane Binary Mixtures at 280 K to 440 K and 3 MPa to 200 MPa

The (p, \(\rho \) , T, x) properties of binary mixtures of CO \(_{2}\) (volume fraction purity 0.99999) and propane (mole fraction purity 0.9999) ( \(x_{1}\) CO \(_{2}+x_{2}\) propane; \(x_{1} = 0.1744\) , 0.3863, 0.5837, and 0.7732) were measured in the compressed liquid phase using a metal-bellows variable volumometer. Measurements were conducted from 280 K to 440 K and 3 MPa to 200 MPa. The expanded uncertainties ( \(k = 2\) ) were estimated to be temperature, \(<\) 3 mK; pressure, 1.5 kPa ( \(p\le 7\)  MPa), 0.06 % (7 MPa \(< p\le 50\)  MPa), 0.1 % (50 MPa \(< p\le 150\)  MPa), 0.2 % ( \(p> 150\)  MPa); density, 0.10 %; and composition, \(4.4\times 10^{-4}\) . At \(p >100\)  MPa and 280 K or 440 K, the uncertainties in density measurements increase to 0.14 % and 0.22 %, respectively. The data were compared with available equations of state. The excess molar volumes, \(v_\mathrm{m}^\mathrm{E}\) , of the mixtures were calculated and plotted as a function of temperature and pressure.     

Four-Channel Current-Biased Kinetic Inductance Detectors Using MgB_2 Nanowires for Sensing Pulsed Laser Irradiation

We recently proposed the idea of a novel sort of superconducting detector, i.e., a current-biased kinetic inductance detector (CB-KID). This detector is different from a current-biased transition edge detector studied previously, and is able to sense a change in kinetic inductance \(L_k\) given by \(L_{k} = \Lambda _{k}l/S = m_{s}l/n_{s}{q_{s}}^{2}S\) ( \(\Lambda _{k}\) ; kinetic inductivity, \(m_s\) ; mass of Cooper pair, \(n_s\) ; density of Cooper pairs, \(q_s\) ; charge of Cooper pair, \(l\) ; length of device, \(S\) ; cross sectional area) under a constant dc bias current \(I_b\) . In the present work, we first extend this idea to construct a multi-channel CB-KIDs array made of 200-nm-thick MgB \(_2\) thin-film meanderline with 3- \(\upmu \) m thin wire. We succeeded in observing clear signals for imaging from the four-channel CB-KIDs at 4 K by irradiating focused pulsed laser. A scanning laser spot can be achieved by an XYZ piezo-driven stage and an optical fiber with an aspheric focused lens. We can see typical signals from all 4 channels at 4 K, and obtain the positional dependence of the signal as the contour in XY plane. Our CB-KIDs can be used as neutron detectors by utilizing energy released from a nuclear reaction between \(^{10}\) B and cold neutron.     

Study of $$\upbeta $$-phase development in spin-coated PVDF thick films

A study was conducted to ascertain the effect of variation in spin speed and baking temperature on \(\upbeta \)-phase content in the spin-coated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) thick films (\({\sim }4{-}25\,\upmu \hbox {m}\)). Development of \(\upbeta \)-phase is dependent on film stretching and crystallization temperature. Therefore, to study the development of \(\upbeta \)-phase in films, stretching is achieved by spinning and crystallization temperature is adjusted by means of baking. PVDF films are characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. It is observed that crystallization temperature lower than \(60^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) and increase in spin speed increases the \(\upbeta \)-phase content in PVDF films. Crystallization temperature above \(60^{\circ }\hbox {C}\) reduces \(\upbeta \)-phase content and increases \(\upalpha \)-phase content. It was also observed that viscosity of the PVDF solution affects the \(\upbeta \)-phase development in films at a particular spin speed.     

Thermal Conductivity and Thermal Boundary Resistances of ALD Al$$_{}$$O$$_{3}$$3 Films on Si and Sapphire

On Si and sapphire substrates, 6–45 nm thick films of atomic layer-deposited Al\(_{2}\)O\(_{3}\) were grown. The thermal conductivity of ALD films has been determined from a linear relation between film thickness and thermal resistance measured by the 3\(\omega \) method. ALD films on Si and sapphire showed almost same thermal conductivity in the temperature range of 50–350 K. Residual thermal resistance was also obtained by extrapolation of the linear fit and was modeled as a sum of the thermal boundary resistances at heater–film and film–substrate interfaces. The total thermal resistance addenda for films on sapphire was close to independently measured thermal boundary resistance of heater–sapphire interface. From the result, it was deduced that the thermal boundary resistance at ALD Al\(_{2}\)O\(_{3}\)–sapphire interface was much lower than that of heater–film. By contrast, the films on Si showed significantly larger thermal boundary resistance than films on sapphire. Data of \(< 30\) nm films on Si were excluded because an AC coupling of electrical heating voltage to semiconductive Si complicated the relation between 3\(\omega \) voltage and temperature.     

NRC Microwave Refractive Index Gas Thermometry Implementation Between 24.5 K and 84 K

The implementation of microwave refractive index gas thermometry at the National Research Council between 24.5 K and 84 K is reported. A new gas-handling system for accurate control and measurement of experimental gas pressure has been constructed, and primary thermometry measurements have been taken using a quasi-spherical copper resonator and helium gas at temperatures corresponding to three defining fixed points of the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90). These measurements indicate differences between the thermodynamic temperature T and ITS-90 temperature \(T_{90}\) of \(\left( T - T_{90} \right) = -0.60 \pm 0.56\) mK at \(T_{90} = 24.5561\) K, \(\left( T - T_{90} \right) = -2.0 \pm 1.3\) mK at \(T_{90} = 54.3584\) K, and \(\left( T - T_{90} \right) = -4.0 \pm 2.9\) mK at \(T_{90} = 83.8058\) K. The present results at \(T_{90} = 24.5561\) K and \(T_{90} = 83.8058\) K agree with previously reported measurements from other primary thermometry techniques of acoustic gas thermometry and dielectric constant gas thermometry, and the result at \(T_{90} = 54.3584\) K provides new information in a temperature region where there is a gap in other recent data sets.     

An algorithm for computing the error sequence of p^{n}-periodic binary sequences

For binary sequences with period \(p^{n}\) , where \(p\) is an odd prime and 2 is a primitive root modulo \(p^{2}\) , we present an algorithm which computes the minimum number \(k\) so that the \(k\) -error linear complexity is not greater than a given constant \(c\) . An associated error sequence which gives the \(k\) -error linear complexity is also obtained.     

Some results on the differential functions over finite fields

Let \(g\) be a function over \(\mathbb {F}_q\) . If there exist a function \(f\) and \(a\in \mathbb {F}_q^*\) such that \(g(x)=f(x+a)-f(x)\) , then we call \(g\) a differential function and call \(f\) a differential-inverse of \(g\) . We present two criteria to decide whether a given \(g\) is a differential function. The set of the degrees of all differential functions over \({\mathbb {F}}_q\) is determined. Then we give a lower bound and an upper bound on the number of differential functions over \({\mathbb {F}}_q\) . Besides, we show how to construct differential inverses of a given differential function. At last, some applications of our results are introduced.