The study of the interactions between graphene and Ge(001)/Si(001)

The interaction between graphene and germanium surfaces was investigated using a combination of microscopic and macroscopic experimental techniques and complementary theoretical calculations.Density functional theory (DFT) calculations for different reconstructions of the Ge(001) surface showed that the interactions between graphene and the Ge(001) surface introduce additional peaks in the density of states,superimposed on the graphene valence and conduction energy bands.The growth of graphene induces nanofaceting of the Ge(001) surface,which exhibits well-organized hill and valley structures.The graphene regions covered by hills are of high quality and exhibit an almost linear dispersion relation,which indicates weak graphene-germanium interactions.On the other hand,the graphene component occupying valley regions is significantly perturbed by the interaction with germanium.It was also found that the stronger graphene-germanium interaction observed in the valley regions is connected with a lower local electrical conductivity.Annealing of graphene/Ge(001)/Si(001) was performed to obtain a more uniform surface.This process results in a surface characterized by negligible hill and valley structures;however,the graphene properties unexpectedly deteriorated with increasing uniformity of the Ge(001) surface.To sum up,it was shown that the mechanism responsible for the formation of local conductivity inhomogeneities in graphene covering the Ge(001) surface is related to the different strength of graphene-germanium interactions.The present results indicate that,in order to obtain high-quality graphene,the experimental efforts should focus on limiting the interactions between germanium and graphene,which can be achieved by adjusting the growth conditions.     

Electrochemical and spectral properties of meta-linked 1,3,5-tris(aryl)benzenes and 2,4,6-tris(aryl)-1-phenoles, and their polymers

We present electrochemical and spectral properties of symmetric monomers 1,3,5-tris(aryl)benzenes and 2,4,6-tris(aryl)-1-phenols and their polymers. These compounds contain thienyl, furyl or EDOT moieties attached to central benzene or phenol ring at the meta-position, synthesized by a Stille cross-coupling procedure. All monomers are electroactive and undergo electropolymerization creating thin films on an electrode surface. Polymers with meta-linkages were obtained by electrochemical oxidation. Detailed cyclic voltammetry and in situ UV-vis spectroelectrochemistry show that polymers with hydroxy groups exhibit higher conductivity and better stability than with benzene core. Interesting and different behavior occurs for 2,4,6-tris(2-thienyl)-1-phenol, for which the characteristic, sharp, redox peak is observed.     

Nanocrystalline LaNi4−xMn0.75Al0.25Cox electrode materials prepared by mechanical alloying (0≤x≤1.0)

Polycrystalline hydrogen storage alloys based on lanthanum (La) are commercially used as negative electrode materials for the nickel–metal hydride (Ni–MH_x) batteries. In this paper, mechanical alloying (MA) was used to synthesize nanocrystalline LaNi_4−xMn_0.75Al_0.25Co_x (x=0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0) hydrogen storage materials. XRD analysis showed that, after 30 h milling, the starting mixture of the elements decomposed into an amorphous phase. Following the annealing in high purity argon at 700 °C for 0.5 h, XRD confirmed the formation of the CaCu₅-type structures with a crystallite sizes of about 25 nm. The nanocrystalline materials were used as negative electrodes for a Ni–MH_x battery. Cobalt substituting nickel in LaNi₄Mn_0.75Al_0.25 greatly improved the discharge capacity and cycle life of the LaNi₅ material. For example, in the nanocrystalline LaNi_3.75Mn_0.75Al_0.25Co_0.25 powder, discharge capacities up to 258 mA h g⁻¹ (at 40 mA g⁻¹ discharge current) were measured. Mechanical alloying is a suitable procedure to obtain LaNi₅-type alloy powders for electrochemical energy storage.     

Copolymerization of hydroxyalkyl methacrylates with acrylamide and methacrylamide. II. Properties of the copolymers

Copolymers of 2-hydroxyethyl–methacrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl–methacrylate, or 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate with acrylamide or methacrylamide having different compositions were synthesized by free radical bulk polymerization. Some of their properties, for example, density, polymerization shrinkage, Vicat's softening point, glass transition temperature, hardness, and thermal and chemical stability were measured. The effect of the content of acrylamide or methacrylamide units on the properties of copolymers is discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 67:1243–1248, 1998     

Investigations on Romashkino asphaltic bitumen. 1. Use of ion-exchange and adsorption chromatography for the separation of maltenes

Use has been made of ion-exchange resins to remove acid and base fractions from maltenes originally separated from Romashkino asphaltic bitumen. The effect has been studied of the ion-exchange resin treatment on the group-type composition of maltenes using adsorption chromatography through alumina. Yields, elemental and densimetric analyses of sub-fractions obtained have been given. Data from the separation will aid in the characterization of the nonhydrocarbon materials generally described as resins.     

Abstract Cards and the Classification of Psychology.

Article comments on the Journal of Counseling Psychology's practice of inserting abstracts of articles printed on 3×5 cards. The Editor asked readers for their opinion about this proposed service and the comment author asserts that there is no doubt that the general establishment of this service in all professional journals would solve many troublesome problems of bibliographic documentation in psychology--but only if the majority of journals do it. The comment author then goes on the state that it would be also most desirable, though not necessary for the introduction of abstract cards, to develop some classification of the subject matter, and to print abstract cards with symbols of proper divisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of Nb, Cr, Sn additions on gas sensing properties of TiO2 thin films

The effect of Nb and Cr dopants as well as Sn⁴⁺ additions on the electronic structure of rf-sputtered TiO₂ thin films and its subsequent influence on gas sensor performance is reported. The changes in the electrical conductivities of TiO₂ thin films doped with up to 10 at.% Nb, 4 at.% Cr and TiO₂-SnO₂ in the full range of compositions upon exposure to hydrogen and oxygen are demonstrated. The spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient in the vicinity of the band gap transition of TiO₂ is shown to be affected by doping.     

Grain Boundary Diffusion of Magnesium in Zirconia

This paper reports the transport kinetics of Mg in cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia (containing 10% mol of Y₂O₃ (10YSZ)) involving the bulk and the grain boundary diffusion coefficients. The diffusion-controlled concentration profiles of Mg were determined using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in the range 1073–1273 K. The determined bulk diffusion coefficient and the grain boundary diffusion product may be expressed as the following functions of temperature, respectively: D = 5.7 exp[(−390 kJ/mol)/ RT ] cm²·s⁻¹ and D 'αδ= 3.2 × 10⁻¹⁵ exp[(−121 kJ/mol)/ RT ] cm³·s⁻¹, where α is the segregation enrichment factor and δ is the boundary layer thickness. The grain boundary enhancement factor decreases with temperature from 10⁵ at 1073 K to 10³ at 1273 K.