Structural characteristics and catalytic activities of nanocrystalline Ni-Mo-B coatings obtained by catalytic electroless reduction

The structures, chemical states of elements, and catalytic activities of Ni-Mo-B alloys with different molybdenum contents, which were obtained by catalytic electroless reduction of metal ions, were studied. The rates of the partial reactions (heterogeneous hydrolysis of dimethylamine borane, reduction of nickel ions, and evolution of molecular hydrogen) were found to make a bell-shaped curve when plotted versus the concentration of molybdate ions in solution. Original Russian Text ? V.M. Krutskikh, M.V. Ivanov, A.B. Drovosekov, E.N. Lubnin, B.F. Lyakhov, Yu.M. Polukarov, 2007, published in Zashchita Metallov, 2007, Vol. 43, No. 6, pp. 619–625.     

Conformational Molecular Switches for Post-CMOS Nanoelectronics

Theoretical treatments forecast that bistable CMOS devices using electronic charge as a state variable will operate at their maximum thermal dissipation limit possibly as early as 2012. The problem is further compounded by increasing manufacturing challenges associated with the ever decreasing logic switch dimensions. These challenges require the development of new fabrication strategies that replace or complement current top-down lithography with bottom-up protocols using controlled self-assembly of nanomaterial building blocks. To answer some of these issues, this paper focuses on a new device paradigm consisting of an arene-metal-arene conformational switch, addressable through capacitive, inductive, or resonant-tunneling field coupling. The operating principle is based on voltage-tunable modulation in quantum electron transmission. The switch is open (off) when the metal ion is displaced to a position at a C-H bond on the arene ring due to an externally applied bias. Conversely, when the external bias is removed, the metal ion moves to an axis- symmetric position on the arene ring, and the switch is closed (on). The paper presents a summary of the architecture, operating principle, and advantages of the conformational switch, along with associated findings from proof-of-concept theoretical and experimental studies of its target specifications and performance. The paper also discusses opportunities and challenges related to the integration of conformational switches into hybrid CMOS-molecular and monolithic (all molecular) circuits.     

Solution-Processed n-Type Organic Field-Effect Transistors With High on /off Current Ratios Based on Fullerene Derivatives

Solution-processed n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the fullerene derivative {6}-1-(3-(2- thienylethoxycarbonyl)-propyl)-{5}-l-phenyl-[5,6]-C61 (TEPP) and phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) in a multiring source/drain structure are reported. Devices with TEPP show high electron mobility up to 7.8 x 10^-2 cm²/Vs in the saturation regime for bottom-contact OFETs with Au S/D electrodes with a solution-processed fullerene derivative. The ON/OFF ratios reported in this letter, which are in the range of 10⁵ -10⁶, are among the highest values reported for such devices. This mobility is always higher compared to PCBM devices prepared in identical conditions. The mobility of TEPP and PCBM increased with increasing temperatures in the range of 100-300 K with activation energy of 78 and 113 meV, respectively, which suggests that the thermally activated hopping of electrons is dominant in TEPP.     

Tensile,creep, and low-cycle fatigue behavior of a cast γ-TiAl-based alloy for gas turbine applications

The influence of chemical composition on the microstructure of the γ-titanium aluminide alloy Ti-48Al-2W-0.5Si (at. pct) and the accompanying tensile, low-cycle fatigue, and creep properties has been evaluated. The study showed that small variations in chemical composition and casting procedures resulted in considerable variations in the microstructure, yielding vastly different mechanical properties. Low contents of aluminum and tungsten led to a coarse-grained lamellar (γ/α ₂) microstructure with high creep resistance. A composition close to the nominal one produced a duplex (γ+γ/α ₂) structure with favorable strength, ductility, and low-cycle fatigue properties. By controlling the solidification and cooling rates at casting, a pseudoduplex (PS-DP) microstructure with a unique combination of high strength and high fatigue and creep resistance can be obtained. These unique properties can be explained by the diffuse boundaries between the relatively small γ grains and the neighboring lamellar colonies, combined with semicoherent interfaces between the γ and α ₂ phases. At tensile and low-cycle fatigue loading, these boundaries act like high-angle boundaries, producing a virtually fine-grained material promoting strength, whereas at creep loading, grain-boundary sliding is hindered in the semicoherent interfaces leading to high creep resistance.     

Metabolic-heat relation for aerobic yeast respiration and fermentation

A specially developed temperature control system on a laboratory scale fermenter enabled continuous measurement of the rate of heat production during undisturbed growth of microbial cultures. Apart from being correlated with oxygen uptake rate, the heat of fermentation was established as an additional indicator of metabolic activity. The ‘aerobic respiration’ energetic activity of Candida utilis, Candida lipolytica and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on different carbon substrates was investigated with cultures of the latter species being also studied under the ‘aerobic fermentation’ conditions induced by glucose catabolite repression.     

Microsomal and photochemical oxidation of aflatoxin B1

The UV irradiation (lambda = 362 nm) of aflatoxin B1 (AfB1) dissolved in water resulted in the formation of an oxidized product. The process was not inhibited by ionol, a routine inhibitor of the radical processes. The oxidized product was not found in the system where AfB1 was metabolized by the 3-methylcholanthrene-activated rat liver microsomes. It is suggested that the product is identical with 2,3-dihydrodiol of AfB1.     

New long-chain hydroxy acids fromGrevillea decora

In addition to the ω-5 olefinic acids found in otherGrevillea species, about 10% of the acyl groups ofG. decora seed oil contain a hydroxy group and an ω-5 double bond. The chainlengths of these acids are from C₂₂ to C₃₀, with the largest concentration at the C₂₆ and C₂₈ chainlengths. The hydroxy group is located on odd carbons from carbon-5 through carbon-13. These acids previously were unknown in nature. The most abundant of these are 7-hydroxy-cis-17-docosenoic, 7-hydroxy-cis-19-tetracosenoic, 9-hydroxy-cis-19-tetracosenoic, 9-hydroxy-cis-21-hexacosenoic, 11-hydroxy-cis-21-hexacosenoic, and 13-hydroxy-cis-23-octacosenoic acids. The oil also contains the largest known concentration of the unoxygenated C₂₆ and C₂₈ ω-5 monoenes.     

Nonlinear circuit analysis using the method of harmonic balance—A review of the art. Part I. Introductory concepts

The harmonic balance method is a technique for the numerical solution of nonlinear analog circuits operating in a periodic, or quasi-periodic, steady-state regime. The method can be used to efficiently derive the continuous-wave response of numerous nonlinear microwave components including amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators. Its efficiency derives from imposing a predetermined steady-state form for the circuit response onto the nonlinear equations representing the network, and solving for the set of unknown coefficients in the response equation. Its attractiveness for nonlinear microwave applications results from its speed and ability to simply represent the dispersive, distributed elements that are common at high frequencies. The last decade has seen the development and application of harmonic balance techniques to model analog circuits, particularly microwave circuits. The first part of this paper reviews the fundamental achievements made during this time. The second part covers the extension of the method to quasi-periodic regimes, optimization analysis, and practical application. A critical assessment of the various types of harmonic balance techniques is given. The different sampling and Fourier transform methods are compared, and numerical speed and precision results are given enabling a quantitative analysis of the merits of the major variants of the harmonic balance technique. Examples of designs which have been modeled using the harmonic balance technique and built both in hybrid and MMIC form are presented.     

Neural network payload estimation for adaptive robot control

A concept is proposed for utilizing artificial neural networks to enhance the high-speed tracking accuracy of robotic manipulators. Tracking accuracy is a function of the controller's ability to compensate for disturbances produced by dynamical interactions between the links. A model-based control algorithm uses a nominal model of those dynamical interactions to reduce the disturbances. The problem is how to provide accurate dynamics information to the controller in the presence of payload uncertainty and modeling error. Neural network payload estimation uses a series of artificial neural networks to recognize the payload variation associated with a degradation in tracking performance. The network outputs are combined with a knowledge of nominal dynamics to produce a computationally efficient direct form of adaptive control. The concept is validated through experimentation and analysis on the first three links of a PUMA-560 manipulator. A multilayer perceptron architecture with two hidden layers is used. Integration of the principles of neural network pattern recognition and model-based control produces a tracking algorithm with enhanced robustness to incomplete dynamic information. Tracking efficacy and applicability to robust control algorithms are discussed.