Surface Tension,Density, and Thermal Expansion of (Bi-Ag)<Subscript>eut</Subscript>-Zn Alloys

The thermophysical properties of Bi-Ag eutectic-based alloys with additions of 3 at.%, 6 at.%, and 9 at.% Zn are presented. The density of liquid alloys was determined using the dilatometric method, while the surface tension was measured using the maximum bubble pressure method. Thermal expansion of solid alloys was measured with an optical dilatometric technique. It was found that addition of zinc to the Bi-Ag eutectic slightly decreases density, while an increase of the surface tension and thermal expansion coefficient is observed. Relatively good agreement is observed between surface tension calculated from the thermodynamic model and the experimental data.     

The rs2516839 Polymorphism of the USF1 Gene May Modulate Serum Triglyceride Levels in Response to Cigarette Smoking

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the USF1 gene (upstream stimulatory factor 1) influence plasma lipid levels. This study aims to determine whether USF1 SNPs interact with traditional risk factors of atherosclerosis to increase coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. In the present study serum lipid levels and USF1 gene polymorphisms (rs2516839 and rs3737787) were determined in 470 subjects: 235 patients with premature CAD and 235 controls. A trend of increasing triglycerides (TG) levels in relation to the C allele dose of rs2516839 SNP was observed. The synergistic effect of cigarette smoking and C allele carrier state on CAD risk was also found (SIM = 2.69, p = 0.015). TG levels differentiated significantly particular genotypes in smokers (1.53 mmol/L for TT, 1.80 mmol/L for CT and 2.27 mmol/L for CC subjects). In contrast, these differences were not observed in the non-smokers subgroup (1.57 mmol/L for TT, 1.46 mmol/L for CT and 1.49 mmol/L for CC subjects). In conclusion, the rs2516839 polymorphism may modulate serum triglyceride levels in response to cigarette smoking. Carriers of the C allele seem to be particularly at risk of CAD, when exposed to cigarette smoking.     

Resistive switching characteristics of CMOS embedded HfO2-based 1T1R cells

This work addresses a 1T1R RRAM architecture, which allows for the precise and reliable control of the forming/set current by using an access transistor. The 1T1R devices were fabricated in a modified 0.25 μm CMOS technology. The memory cells show stable resistive switching in dc as well as pulse-induced mode with an endurance of 10³ and 10² cycles, respectively. The variation of pulse widths as a function of amplitudes in 1R devices confirmed the set process distribution over a wide range of pulse widths (300 ns-100 μA), whereas the reset process variation is confined (1-3 μs).     

Joining and surfacing of advanced materials

The application of advanced materials, i.e. advanced ceramics, glasses, intermetallic phases and various type of composites, not only depends on their manufacture processes including a great input of know-how, but also on their abilities for processing, among which the joining processes play an important role. The uses of advanced materials are changing rapidly, with a major emphasis on technical applications, especially the components of machines, apparatus and technical devices expected to withstand very heavy exploitation conditions. Furthermore,these materials are becoming more complex, in terms of being strengthened and toughened by transformation processes as well as by the addition of other ceramic or metallic materials including nanomaterials. The successful use of advanced materials requires the development of equally advanced joining materials, processes and technology. Some selected examples of results of joining advanced materials with the use of various procedures as well as surface modification of structural components with the use of advanced materials obtained in the Welding Engineering Department of Warsaw University of Technology, Poland, are presented.     

Pervaporation for Drying and Dewatering

Dewatering denotes moisture removal from materials and it is a more general term than drying. In dehydration and drying technology, a growing role of modern techniques used either separately or in hybrid solutions is observed. Membrane techniques find many industrial applications in this field. Based on available literature, examples of dehydration on membranes, important from the viewpoint of energy saving, environmental protection, and recoverable energy sources, are presented in this study. Special attention is given to the process of pervaporation as the most modern and promising technique for azeotropic mixture separation to be used in dehydration of solvents, including alcohols, and removal of volatile organic compounds from sewage, concentration of aromas, and separation of multicomponent systems.     

Pervaporation for Drying and Dewatering

Dewatering denotes moisture removal from materials and it is a more general term than drying. In dehydration and drying technology, a growing role of modern techniques used either separately or in hybrid solutions is observed. Membrane techniques find many industrial applications in this field. Based on available literature, examples of dehydration on membranes, important from the viewpoint of energy saving, environmental protection, and recoverable energy sources, are presented in this study. Special attention is given to the process of pervaporation as the most modern and promising technique for azeotropic mixture separation to be used in dehydration of solvents, including alcohols, and removal of volatile organic compounds from sewage, concentration of aromas, and separation of multicomponent systems.     

Penetration of Monodisperse,Singly Charged Nanoparticles through Polydisperse Fibrous Filters

The article presents experimental results and theoretical analysis of aerosol nanoparticle penetration through fibrous filters with a broad fiber diameter distribution. Four fibrous filters were produced using the melt-blown technique. The analysis of the filters’ SEM images indicated that they had log-normal fiber diameter distribution. Five kinds of proteins and two types of silica particles were generated by electrospraying and were then classified using a Parallel Differential Mobility Analyzer to obtain well-defined, monodisperse, singly charged challenge aerosols with diameters ranging from 6.3 to 27.2 nm. Particle penetration through the filters was determined using a water-based CPC. Experimental results were compared first with predictions derived from the classical theory of aerosol filtration. It is demonstrated that it is inappropriate to apply it to the arithmetic mean fiber diameter, as this results in turn in a huge underestimation of nanoparticle penetration. A better, but still unsatisfactory agreement is observed when that theory was used together with the pressure drop equivalent fiber diameter or when the Kirsch model of nonuniform fibrous media was applied. We show that the classical theory applied to any fixed fiber diameter predicts a stronger dependence of nanoparticle penetration on the Peclet number as compared to experimental data. All these observations were successfully explained by using our original partially segregated flow model that accounts for the filter fiber diameter distribution. It was found that the parameter of aerosol segregation intensity inside inhomogeneous filters increases with the increase in particle size, when the convective transport becomes more pronounced in comparison to the diffusive one.     

Thermal oxidation of chemical vapour deposited tungsten layers on silicon substrates for embedded non-volatile memory application

This research is targeted to enhance the functionality of bipolar complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor by innovative concepts of embedded resistive random access memory (RRAM) cells integration in the back-end-of-line (BEOL) region. The material of our interest is tungsten oxide as an insulator in RRAM cells and we focussed on the growth and characterisation of closed tungsten oxide layers. In this materials science study, we investigated the tungsten oxidation process under BEOL constraints (< 450 °C). Thin films of tungsten oxide (6-50 nm) were prepared by oxidising, under an atmosphere of one bar oxygen, the chemical vapour deposited tungsten layers on TiN covered silicon wafers. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations indicate that the stoichiometric WO₃ grows after oxidation at 300 °C for an hour. The tungsten oxide layers prepared above 300 °C for longer than 15 min were non-stoichiometric. The X-ray diffraction investigations reveal the crystallisation of the WO₃ layers in monoclinic phase above 350 °C when oxidised for longer than 30 min; above 400 °C the (001) growth texture becomes dominant.     

High-gain, high-power 1550-nm polarization independent MQW optical amplifier

A practical 1550-nm polarization independent semiconductor optical amplifier configuration employing compressively strained quantum wells and a few commercially available optical components is reported. Crosstalk from counter propagating light, which may easily occur in such a configuration, has been sufficiently suppressed for practical use. For the entire configuration a net fiber-to-fiber gain of 17 dB, a 3-dB saturation output power of 13 dBm and a noise figure of 9 dB have been demonstrated. The polarization dependence was only 0.7 dB. The polarization independent 1550-nm semiconductor optical amplifier reported here is attractive when power consumption and compactness are of major concern and especially for applications involving nonlinear signal processing and switching.     

Electrochemical studies of the interaction between a modified activated carbon surface and heavy metal ions

Cyclic voltammetric studies of the influence of surface chemistry on the electrochemical behaviour of powdered activated carbon electrodes (PACE) in the presence of selected heavy metal ions (Pb²⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺) in bulk solution and pre-adsorbed on carbon were carried out. The variety of surfaces was achieved via the modification of carbon samples by heat treatment under vacuum and in an oxygen/ammonia atmosphere, as well as oxidation with conc. nitric acid. The chemical structures of the modified carbon surfaces were characterised by XPS and standard pH-titration. The adsorption capacities of the modified carbon samples towards the heavy metal ions in question were estimated. The mechanisms of adsorption processes of metal species on carbon surfaces were analysed and described on the basis of their electrochemical behaviour. The nature of the interactions between the modified carbon surfaces and adsorbed cations is discussed.