Role of defects in tailoring structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO

In this short topical review, a brief account of the evolution of defects due to controlled changes in polycrystalline zinc oxide has been presented. X-ray diffraction, Positron annihilation spectroscopy and optical absorption spectroscopy has been employed to understand various defective states of ZnO. Thermogravimetric analysis, room temperature resistivity and photoluminescence measurements (just mentioned) have been used to throw more light on this topic. A coherent scenario in the light of previous works in this field has been discussed. At the end discussion on the magnetic studies on ZnO-based systems has been added in short.     

Real-Time Ultrasonic Monitoring of the Vulcanization Process in Nitrile Rubbers

Russian Journal of Nondestructive Testing - Nitrile rubbers, also known as Nitrile-Butadiene rubbers, belong to the category of synthetic rubbers and are a better choice as materials for...     

Characterization of Nanocrystalline Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3) Synthesized by a Novel Approach Through Aqueous Precursor Method

Bi₂Te₃-based alloys are currently best-known, technologically important thermoelectric materials near room temperature. In this paper, nanocrystalline Bi₂Te₃ was synthesized by an aqueous solution technique based on the reaction between the aqueous solution of Bi-ethylenediamine tetraaceticacid (EDTA), TeO-EDTA, and NaBH₄ at room temperature. NaBH₄ was used as a reducing agent. TeO-EDTA was prepared from TeO₂ after satisfactory purification. The sample purity was examined by selected area energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy by which the particle morphologies and size were studied. The particle size ranges from 60 to 90 nm.     

33.7 MHz heavy-ion radio frequency quadrupole linac at VECC Kolkata

A 33.7 MHz heavy-ion radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linear accelerator has been designed, built, and tested. It is a four-rod-type RFQ designed for acceleration of 1.38 keVu, qA> or =116 ions to about 29 keVu. Transmission efficiencies of about 85% and 80% have been measured for the unanalyzed and analyzed beams, respectively, of oxygen ((16)O(2+), (16)O(3+), (16)O(4+)), nitrogen ((14)N(3+), (14)N(4+)), and argon ((40)Ar(4+)). The system design and measurements along with results of beam acceleration test will be presented.     

Thermal Decomposition of Molecular Materials {\{{\rm N}(n{-}{\rm C}_{4}{\rm H}_{9})_{4}[{\rm M}^{\rm II} {\rm Fe}^{\rm III}({\rm C}_{2} {\rm O}_{4})_{3}]\}_{\infty},\,{\rm M}^{\rm II} = {\rm Zn},\, {\rm Co},\, {\rm Fe}}

Thermal decomposition of oxalate-based molecular precursors, namely ${\{{\rm N}(n{-} {\rm C}_{4} {\rm H}_{9})_{4}[{\rm Zn}^{\rm II}{\rm Fe}^{\rm III}({\rm C}_{2} {\rm O}_{4})_{3}]\}_{\infty}, \{{\rm N}(n{-}{\rm C}_{4}{\rm H}_{9})_{4}[{\rm Co}^{\rm II}{\rm Fe}^{\rm III}({\rm C}_{2}{\rm O}_{4})_{3}]\}_{\infty}}$ , and ${\{{\rm N}(n{-}{\rm C}_{4} {\rm H}_{9})_{4}[{\rm Fe}^{\rm II}{\rm Fe}^{\rm III}({\rm C}_{2}{\rm O}_{4})_{3}]\}_{\infty}}$ , abbreviated as BuZnFe, BuCoFe, and BuFeFe, respectively, are studied using thermogravimetry (TG) in the temperature range from ~300?K to ~675?K at multiple heating rates. This study also deals with how the thermal decomposition of the complexes proceed stepwise through a series of intermediate reactions. The effect of the divalent metal M^II on the nature of thermal decomposition of the complexes, reflected in their TG profiles in terms of number of steps involved, is reported in this study. The temperature range of thermal decomposition steps for BuZnFe, BuCoFe, and BuFeFe with the same heating rates are studied systematically. Two different isoconversional methods, namely an improved iterative method and a model-free method are employed to calculate the kinetic parameters, and thus the most probable reaction mechanism of thermal decomposition is determined. Based on kinetic parameters, the important thermodynamic parameters such as the changes of entropy, enthalpy, and Gibbs free energy are estimated for the activated complex formation from the precursors. Considering the mass loss during the different thermal decomposition steps of BuZnFe, BuCoFe, and BuFeFe, observed in the thermogravimetry profiles, the overall reactions of the thermal decompositions are demonstrated.     

Substrate-induced magnetic ordering and switching of iron porphyrin molecules

To realize molecular spintronic devices, it is important to externally control the magnetization of a molecular magnet. One class of materials particularly promising as building blocks for molecular electronic devices is the paramagnetic porphyrin molecule in contact with a metallic substrate. Here, we study the structural orientation and the magnetic coupling of in-situ-sublimated Fe porphyrin molecules on ferromagnetic Ni and Co films on Cu(100). Our studies involve X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism experiments. In a combined experimental and computational study we demonstrate that owing to an indirect, superexchange interaction between Fe atoms in the molecules and atoms in the substrate (Co or Ni) the paramagnetic molecules can be made to order ferromagnetically. The Fe magnetic moment can be rotated along directions in plane as well as out of plane by a magnetization reversal of the substrate, thereby opening up an avenue for spin-dependent molecular electronics.     

Variability in rheology of cemented paste backfill with hydration age,binder and superplasticizer dosages

The use of (CPB) material to ameliorate geotechnical stability of underground mine is in nascent stage in India. Rheological properties of CPB change with travelling time as it is transported to underground mine stope through pipeline reticulation. In this paper, rheological properties of CPB based on mill tailings of a carbonate rich mineral processing waste are evaluated for different dosages of polycarboxylate (PC) based (SP). Each CPB sample having 78?wt% solids is mixed separately with 4%, 6% or 8% of binder dosages (ratio of the weight of dry binder to the weight of dry tailings) and, 0%, 0.5%, or 1.0% of SP dosages as weight of dry binder. The paper presents a methodology for determining yield stress, plastic viscosity and thixotropic behaviour of CPB mixture as a function of hydration age, binder and SP dosages. Results from the experimental campaigns indicate that SP content has significant influence on rheological behaviour of CPB and can be suitably exploited to enhance the flow characteristics of the carbonate rich process tailings. The study also develops multivariate linear regression models of yield stress, plastic viscosity and thixotropy of CPB depending on the hydration age, binder and SP dosages.     

Availability and cost-centered preventive maintenance scheduling of continuous operating series systems using multi-objective genetic algorithm: A case study

This article presents a multi-objective (maximization of availability and minimization of maintenance cost) preventive maintenance (PM) scheduling model for a continuous operating series system (COSS) which do not provide an off-working period for PM. The objective functions are optimized by using a Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA). The effectiveness of the model is demonstrated through a coal-fired boiler-tube. The case study shows that the model can improve the availability along with profound reduction of the maintenance cost, i.e., increases the profit of the plant.     

Electrical and dielectric properties of sol–gel derived mullite doped with transition metals

Highly crystallized mullite composite has been synthesized at 1000 °C and 1300 °C via sol–gel technique in the presence of transition metal ions such as cobalt, nickel and copper. The dielectric properties (dielectric constant, loss tangent and a.c. conductivity) of the composites have been measured at room temperature and their variation with increasing frequency and concentration of the doped metals has been investigated. The composite doped with nickel exhibits minimum dielectric constant of 3.15 at 0.002(M) concentration at a frequency of 1.5 MHz. Experimental data shows a linear increase in a.c. conductivity with increasing concentration of metal doping ions .The dielectric constant and loss tangent of the composites are within the range of requirements for commercial use in electronics.