The Activation Energy <Emphasis Type="Italic">U</Emphasis>(<Emphasis Type="Italic">T</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="Italic">H</Emphasis>) in Y-based Superconductors

Based on the Arrhenius equation, a method to calculate the activation energy from the resistance transition is proposed for high temperature superconductors. This method is applied to the Y-based superconductors. The activation energy is found to be U(T,H)∼(1−T/T _c )^4.8(H/H ₀)^−3.8 of YBCO crystal, and U(T,H)∼(1−T/T _c )^3.3(H/H ₀)^−2.2 of Er doped MTG YBCO crystal, respectively. With the obtained activation energy U(T,H), the lower part of the experimental curve ρ(T,H) and its derivative can be reproduced.      

Long-wavelength photodiodes based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaInAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb heterostructures

Photodiodes sensitive in the wavelength ranges 1–2.5 μm and 1–4.8 μm at room temperature have been created on the basis of n-GaSb/n-GaInAsSb/p-AlGaAsSb double-junction heterostructures of two types. The broadband photosensitivity of the diode structures of both types is indicative of the complete separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs in the staggered n-p heterojunction (n-GaInAsSb/p-AlGaAsSb). The noise characteristics of photodetectors based on the proposed diode structures have been studied. Prospects of the use of these devices in thermophotovoltaic cells for low-temperature radiation sources are considered.     

Nonlinear <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-ary Sequences

Low correlation p-ary sequences with p an odd prime are constructed. They are obtained as Gray images of codewords of a subcode of the generalized Kerdock codes over the ring _p². They can be shown to be nonlinear in some precise sense. The research of this author is partially supported by NUS-ARF research grant R-146-000-029-112 and DSTA research grant R-394-000-011-422.This research was done while this author was visiting Temasek Laboratories and Department of Mathematics, NUS. The author thanks them for their hospitality.Keywords:Galois rings, Gray map, Kerdock code, CDMA.     

Body distribution of poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>,<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-glycolide) copolymer degradation products in rats

Poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) copolymers are among the few synthetic polymers approved for human use, but the biocompatibility of PLGA-derived oligomers and particles remains questionable. Here, high molecular weight PLGA (Mw = 32,000) was radiolabeled with ¹²⁵I in chloroform solution, and the body distribution of PLGA copolymer degradation products was examined following subcutaneous implantation of round ¹²⁵I-PLGA films on the back of Sprague Dawley rats. Autoradiographic images of the PLGA implant taken at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks revealed that the central portion of the film degraded much more rapidly than the marginal portions. Examination of the body compartment distribution at these time points revealed that over one-half of the radioactivity was recovered from skin. The remaining radioactivity was concentrated in the blood, liver, and kidneys. Radioactivity steadily appeared in the blood and remained elevated up to 12 weeks after implantation, while the liver to kidney distribution began to decrease after 6 weeks. Cumulatively, these results indicate that the clearance of degraded particles and fragments from the implantation site is extremely delayed. Moreover, the degraded particles and fragments were selectively concentrated in the liver and kidneys, following release of degraded products into the bloodstream from the implantation site.     

Binding energies of Si 2<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> and Co 3<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis> electrons in cobalt silicides

The binding energies of Si 2p and Co 3p core-shell electrons in four stable cobalt silicides (Co₃Si, Co₂Si, CoSi, and CoSi₂) have been determined by high-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The silicides were formed by solid-state epitaxy under identical conditions on Si(100), Si(110), and Si(111) faces of silicon single crystals.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> junctions in ZnO implanted with group V ions

n-Type ZnO〈Ga〉 films were implanted with 150-keV N⁺ (As⁺) ions to a dose of 7 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻² and then annealed in atomic oxygen at different temperatures. p-Type conductivity was obtained at annealing temperatures in the range 770–870 K. The parameters of the p-type layers were determined by photoluminescence spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Hall effect measurements. According to the Hall data, the p-type layers had a resistivity of ∼30 Ω cm, carrier mobility of ∼2 cm²/(V s), and carrier concentration of ∼10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The electroluminescence spectra of the p-n junctions produced by ion implantation showed a band at 440 nm, due to recombination via donor-acceptor pairs.     

Anisotropic Thermal Expansion of <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Terphenyl: a Self-Assembled Supramolecular Array of Poly-<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-phenyl Nanoribbons

The recent discovery of superconductivity in a metallic aromatic hydrocarbon, alkali-doped p-terphenyl, has attracted considerable interest. The critical temperature T _c ranges from few to 123 K, the record for organic superconductors, due to uncontrolled competition of multiple phases and dopants concentrations. In the proposed mechanism of Fano resonance in a superlattice of quantum wires with coexisting polarons and Fermi particles, the lattice properties play a key role. Here, we report a study of the temperature evolution of the parent compound p-terphenyl crystal structure proposed to be made of a self-assembled supramolecular network of nanoscale nanoribbons. Using temperature-dependent synchrotron X-ray diffraction, we report the anisotropic thermal expansion in the ab plane, which supports the presence of a nanoscale network of one-dimensional nanoribbons running in the b-axis direction in the P21/a structure. Below the enantiotropic phase transition at 193 K, the order parameter of the C-1 structure follows a power law behavior with the critical exponent α =?0.34 ± 0.02 and the thermal expansion of the a-axis and b-axis show major changes supporting the formation of a two-dimensional bonds network. The large temperature range of the orientation fluctuations in a double well potential of the central phenyl has been determined.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-AgCoO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO heterojunction diode grown by rf magnetron sputtering

P-type transparent semiconducting AgCoO₂ thin films were deposited by rf magnetron sputtering of sintered AgCoO₂ target. The AgCoO₂ films grown by rf sputtering were highly c-axis oriented showing only (001) reflections in the X-ray diffraction pattern unlike in the case of amorphous films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The bulk powder of AgCoO₂ was synthesized by hydrothermal process. The optical bandgap was estimated as 4·15 eV and has a transmission of about 50% in the visible region. The temperature dependence of conductivity shows a semiconducting behaviour. The positive sign of Seebeck coefficient (+220 μVK⁻¹) indicates p-type conductivity. Transparent p-n heterojunction on glass substrate was fabricated by rf magnetron sputtering of p-AgCoO₂ and n-type ZnO: Al thin films. The structure of the diode was glass/ITO/n-ZnO/p-AgCoO₂. The junction between p-AgCoO₂ and n-ZnO was found to be rectifying.     

Impact-ionization-stimulated electroluminescence in isotype <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-AlGaAsSb/<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-GaInAsSb heterostructures

We have studied electroluminescence in n-GaSb/n-AlGaAsSb/n-GaInAsSb heterostructures with isotype heterojunctions, in which the quantum efficiency of emission is increased due to the additional production of electron-hole pairs as a result of the impact ionization that takes place near the heterointerface. The impact ionization in such heterostructures is possible due to the presence of deep wells in the energy band structure.     

Injection photodiode based on <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-CdTe film

Photosensitive large-block p-type cadmium telluride (p-CdTe) film with a resistivity of ρ ≈ 10⁶−10⁷ Ω cm has been used to create an Al-p-CdTe-Mo structure with a Schottky barrier, which exhibits the properties of an injection photodiode. Being switched in the forward current passage direction (with “+” on the Mo contact) at high illumination levels, the proposed structure exhibits a responsivity of S _λ ≈ 2.6 A/W at a wavelength of λ = 0.625 μm, which is about five times the spectral response of the ideal photodetector for this wavelength range.     

Synthesis and characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-ZnO:Al/CoPc/<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Si structures

Photosensitive structures of the n-ZnO:Al/CoPc/p-Si type were synthesized for the first time using vacuum sublimation of cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) and magnetron sputtering of a ZnO:Al target. The maximum photoresponse is observed when the structure is illuminated from the side of the ZnO layer and amounts to ?400 V/W at T = 300 K. Mechanisms of current transfer and peculiarities of the photosensitivity spectrum are considered. It is suggested that the new photosensitive structures can be used in multiband photoconverters of natural radiation with a broad working spectral range.     

MLPG approximation to the <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Laplace problem

Meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method is discussed for solving 2D, nonlinear, elliptic p-Laplace or p-harmonic equation in this article. The problem is transferred to corresponding local boundary integral equation (LBIE) using Divergence theorem. The analyzed domain is divided into small circular sub-domains to which the LBIE is applied. To approximate the unknown physical quantities, nodal points spread over the analyzed domain and MLS approximation, are utilized. The method is a meshless method, since it does not require any background interpolation and integration cells and it dose not depend on geometry of domain. The proposed scheme is simple and computationally attractive. Applications are demonstrated through illustrative examples.     

Electrospun poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">d</Emphasis>/<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide) hybrid matrix: a novel scaffold material for soft tissue engineering

Electrospinning is a long-known polymer processing technique that has received more interest and attention in recent years due to its versatility and potential use in the field of biomedical research. The fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) electrospun matrices for drug delivery and tissue engineering is of particular interest. In the present study, we identified optimal conditions to generate novel electrospun polymeric scaffolds composed of poly-d/l-lactide and poly-l-lactide in the ratio 50:50. Scanning electron microscopic analyses revealed that the generated poly(d/l-lactide-co-l-lactide) electrospun hybrid microfibers possessed a unique porous high surface area mimicking native extracellular matrix (ECM). To assess cytocompatibility, we isolated dermal fibroblasts from human skin biopsies. After 5 days of in vitro culture, the fibroblasts adhered, migrated and proliferated on the newly created 3D scaffolds. Our data demonstrate the applicability of electrospun poly(d/l-lactide-co-l-lactide) scaffolds to serve as substrates for regenerative medicine applications with special focus on skin tissue engineering.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Version error estimation for linear elasticity

An error estimator, formulated earlier for h-adaptive strategies, is extended for use in the p-version finite element analysis. The estimation of error is based on solving a series of local problems, based on patches consisting of elements surrounding each node, with prescribed homogeneous essential boundary conditions. Unlike the original approach in which a patch was constructed based on one element, each patch in the present scheme is automatically formed based on a number of elements surrounding a corresponding node. The present scheme, based on enhancing the degree of interpolation, provides a better estimate than the original h-scheme while still preserving the original lower bound property. The capability of the new scheme is investigated in some numerical examples in terms of its global and local performance.     

Speed of sound in <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-hexane, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-octane, <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-decane,and <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-hexadecane in the liquid state

This paper describes an improved experimental facility for measuring the speed of sound in liquids with an accuracy of up to 0.1%. Measurements of the speed of sound in liquid n-hexane, n-octane, n-decane, and n-hexadecane at temperatures of 298–433 K and pressures of 0.1–100 MPa have been made. It has been shown that in the possible comparison range the obtained values of the speed of sound are in good agreement with the literature data. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 81, No. 4, pp. 732–736, July–August, 2008.     

The finite point method for the <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-Laplace equation

In this paper, the finite point method (FPM) is presented for solving the 2D, nonlinear, elliptic p-Laplace or p-harmonic equation. The FPM is a truly meshfree technique based on the combination of the moving least squares approximation on a cloud of points with the point collocation method to discretize the governing equation. The lack of dependence on a mesh or integration procedure is an important feature, which makes the FPM simple, efficient and applicable to solve nonlinear problems. Applications are demonstrated through illustrative examples.     

Specific features of technology of electron irradiation of large-area <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> silicon structures

We have studied the influence of irradiation by 4-MeV electrons via flat metal screens on the main electrical characteristics of high-power silicon diodes intended to operate at currents up to 600 A. The electron irradiation was performed via metal masks, which led to the formation of enhanced recombination zones (ERZs) in the base region of p ⁺-n-n ⁺ silicon structures. It is shown that the local irradiation of a large-area diode structure improves (as compared to the total irradiation) the relationship been the reverse recovery time (t _rr ) and energy loss in the conducting state (U _f ), while decreasing the temperature sensitivity of the reverse current (I _R ). It is established that the relationships between t _rr , U _F , and I _R in locally irradiated structures depends on the experimental conditions (ERZ size).     

High-pressure behavior and Hirshfeld surface analysis of nitrogen-rich materials: triazido-<Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-triazine (TAT) and triazido-<Emphasis Type="Italic">s</Emphasis>-heptazine (TAH)

Triazido-s-triazine (TAT) and triazido-s-heptazine (TAH) are two kinds of effective nitrogen-rich precursors for carbon nitride nanomaterials and potential high-energy density materials. In this work, the high-pressure behavior (0–500 GPa) and Hirshfeld surface of crystalline TAT and TAH were studied in details to better compare and reveal their stabilities. Crystal and molecular structures of TAT and TAH largely changed with the increase in pressure. The distortion of rings happens at 171 GPa for TAT and 483 GPa for TAH. The azide/tetrazole (AZ/TZ) isomerization happens in crystalline TAT, and the tetrazole ring forms at 266 GPa for the first time, while this phenomenon has not been observed in crystalline TAH during the whole process. Hirshfeld surface analyses intuitively show that: (1) both compounds possess the planar conjugated molecular structures; (2) N…N nonbonding interactions contribute a lot to stabilize their crystal packings; and (3) TAH is much more resistant to high pressure and more stable than TAT. The systematic investigation gives a guidance to understand the physical and chemical behaviors of nitrogen-rich azidoheterocyclic materials.     

Understanding the effect of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-type and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-type doping in the channel of graphene nanoribbon transistor

In this paper, device performance of graphene nanoribbon field effect transistor (GNRFET) with different doping concentrations in different parts of the channel is reported. The study is performed by using atomistic simulations based on self-consistent solution of Schrodinger’s and Poisson’s equation within the non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism. The transfer and output characteristics suggest that device performance with n-type doping in the channel is better with smaller supply voltage compared to higher supply voltage. On increasing the n-type doping concentration, we obtained better on-current and output characteristics in comparison with undoped and p-type doped channel GNRFET. Further, we introduced step-doping profile in the graphene nanoribbon (GNR) channel and found that the device gives better on-current and good saturation condition when compared to undoped or uniformly-doped channel.     

Modification of radiation hardness of silicon <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-<Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis> junction photodiodes by hydrogen plasma treatment

The influence of treatment by a low energy hydrogen ions on degradation of the spectral response, diffusion length of minority carriers (L_D) and efficiency (η) of silicon p-n junction photodiodes (solar cells without antireflective coatings) under the effect of electron irradiation has been investigated. Evaluation of the radiation hardness was made by subjecting the unhydrogenated and hydrogenated photodiodes to 1 MeV electron irradiation with doses of (0.1÷3) × 10¹⁵ cm^-2. The measurements have shown that pre-hydrogenation of the silicon p-n junction devices significantly decreases the degradation rate of L_D and η thereby improving their radiation hardness.