Ultralow-voltage field-ionization discharge on whiskered silicon nanowires for gas-sensing applications

Several hundred million volts per centimetre of electric-field strength are required to field-ionize gas species. Such fields are produced on sharp metallic tips under a bias of a few kilovolts. Here, we show that field ionization is possible at dramatically lower fields on semiconductor nanomaterials containing surface states, particularly with metal-catalysed whiskers grown on silicon nanowires. The low-voltage field-ionization phenomena observed here cannot be explained solely on the basis of the large field-amplification effect of suspended gold nanoparticles present on the whisker tips. We postulate that field penetration causes upward band-bending at the surface of exposed silicon containing surface states in the vicinity of the catalyst. Band-bending enables the valence electron to tunnel into the surface states at reduced fields. This work provides a basis for development of low-voltage ionization sensors. Although demonstrated on silicon, low-voltage field ionization can be detected on any sharp semiconductor tip containing proper surface states.     

Equilibrium,kinetic and thermodynamic study of removal of reactive orange 12 on platinum nanoparticle loaded on activated carbon as novel adsorbent

The proposed research describes the synthesis and characterization of platinum nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon (Pt-NP-AC) and its efficient application as novel adsorbent for efficient removal of reactive orange 12 (RO-12). The influences of effective parameters following the optimization of variables on removal percentages, their value was set as 0.015 g Pt-NP-AC, pH 1, contact time of 13 min. At optimum values of all variables at 25 and 50 mgL⁻¹ of RO-12 enthalpy (ΔH⁰) and entropy (ΔS⁰) changes was found to be 59.89 and 225.076, respectively, which negative value of ΔG⁰ shows a spontaneous nature, and the positive values of ΔH⁰ and ΔS⁰ indicate the endothermic nature and adsorption organized of dye molecule on the adsorbent surface. Experimental data was fitted to different kinetic models including first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich and intra-particle diffusion models, and it was seen that the adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order model in consideration to intra-particle diffusion mechanism. At optimum values of all variables, the adsorption process follows the second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm model with adsorption capacity 285.143 mg g⁻¹ at room temperature.     

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-dependent plasticity within a distributed corticostriatal network mediates appetitive instrumental learning.

The effect of microinfusion of the N-methyl-{d}-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (AP-5) into the amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and dorsal and ventral subiculum on acquisition of a lever-pressing task for food in rats was examined. Serial transmission between the basolateral amygdala and nucleus accumbens core was also examined in an asymmetric infusion design. AP-5 administered bilaterally into either the amygdala or medial prefrontal cortex markedly impaired learning, whereas administration into the dorsal or ventral subiculum had no effect. Unilateral infusion of AP-5 into either the nucleus accumbens core or amygdala was also sufficient to impair learning. These data provide novel evidence for NMDA receptor-dependent plasticity within corticostriatal networks in the acquisition of appetitive instrumental learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Novel Gas Sensor Based on Tunneling-Field-Ionization on Whisker-Covered Gold Nanowires

Typical gas ionization sensors (GISs) work by fingerprinting the ionization breakdown voltages of the gases to be identified. In this work, we developed a GIS that operates by field-ionizing the unknown gas at exceptionally low voltages. The resultant field-ion current-voltage (I-V) characteristic was then used to identify the gas. Freestanding gold nanowires (AuNW), terminated with nanoscale whisker-like features, were employed as field-amplifiers to reduce the field ionization threshold voltages. Synthesis of the AuNWs was carried out by the template-assisted technique accompanied by two alterations: 1) polystyrene (PS) microspheres were incorporated to reduce the compactness of the pores, thus prevent the nanostructures from collapse, and 2) the template was impregnated by HAuCl₄ to form gold nanowhiskers during the electrochemical nucleation of AuNWs. The sensor was tested in three elemental gases: Ar, N₂ and He, in a pressure range of 0.01 < P < 100 torr. Each gas demonstrated a distinctive I-V curve, particularly in the field-limited regime. The threshold ionization voltages ranged from 1 to 10 V, almost three orders of magnitude lower than the voltages used in field-ion-microscopy. The low-voltage field ionization was attributed to the field-amplifying nanoscale whiskers on the AuNW tips, as well as the presence of residual amorphous alumina with semiconducting characteristics, due to incomplete removal of the porous anodized alumina (PAA) template.     

Energy consumption minimization and throughput improvement in cognitive radio networks by joint optimization of detection threshold,sensing time and user selection

Wireless Networks - Cooperative spectrum sensing schemes proposed to solve the hidden terminal problem and mitigate multipath fading and shadowing effects, which enhance the sensing performance and...     

Study on the size dependent effective Young modulus by EPI method based on modified couple stress theory

Microsystem Technologies - Various experimental and theoretical researches have been shown the size-dependence behavior of the effective Young modulus (EYM) in the micron and sub-micron scales. One...     

Microstructure and Sliding Wear Behaviour of Ni(Cr)-TiB_2 Coatings Deposited by HVOF Spraying of SHS Powders

THERMAL SPRAYING provides a large range ofcoatings,which increase the wear resistance ofsubstrates[1].One of the major coating families is thecermet,composed of hard ceramic particles with ametallic binder.The most commonly used cermetcoatings in industrial applications are based on eitherthe WC-Co or the Cr3C2-Ni(Cr)systems with WC-17wt%Co and Cr3C2-25wt%Ni(Cr)being typicalcompositions[2,3].Although WC-Co deposits are hardand wear resistant at ambient temperatures their rangeof ap…     

Computer simulation of developing abrasive jet machined profiles including particle interference

A novel and generally applicable computer simulation was developed to predict the time evolution of the eroded profiles of air abrasive jet machined surfaces, as a function of process parameters such as: abrasive nozzle size, inclination and distance to target surface, abrasive jet particle velocity, size and flux distribution. The effect of collisions between incoming and rebounding particles was included by the tracking of individual particles, performing inter-particle and particle to surface collision detection, and implementing collision kinematics. The target surface advancement was determined by representing the surface by a grid of cubic cells, each of which was assigned a damage parameter based on the number of particles impacting it. The predictions of eroded profiles of the simulation were tested against those that are experimentally measured for a typical microabrasive blasting setup, with good agreement at low particle flux, and reasonable agreement at high particle flux.