The state of Tin on Pt–Sn/Nb2O5 catalysts

The effect of tin addition on niobia supported catalysts was studied and compared to the properties of alumina supported bimetallic Pt–Sn catalysts. The catalyst surfaces were probed by methylcyclopentane conversion, showing that both the presence of Sn and the reduction of the support caused a decrease in hydrogenolysis activity, favoring the ring enlargement reaction. The thermodynamics of reduction of these systems, evaluated by following the reduction step (temperature programmed reduction — TPR) with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and irreversible H₂ and CO uptakes, allowed to conclude that a Pt–Sn alloy is formed on niobia supported catalysts.     

New Adhesion Promoters for Copper Leadframes and Epoxy Resin

New primer molecules have been synthesized to increase the adhesion strength between a copper leadframe and an epoxy molding compound in microelectronical devices. The coupling agents were preliminarily chemisorbed at the surface of copper plates via special binding groups like thiol, disulfide, ethylene diamine and phthalocyanine. Binding to the epoxy resin was performed via an hydroxyl group. Linear hydrocarbon spacers with various chain lengths connected the copper- and epoxy-binding groups. The self-assembled layers of the organic coupling agents at the metal surface were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis was used to study the coating with respect to its corrosion oxidation inhibition. Shear tests clearly indicated that the coupling agents increase adhesion strength and are stable even in extreme humidity and thermal conditions in analogy to IPC-Level-1 pretreatment. Thus, delamination of the microelectronical packages was prevented.     

Electrochemical behaviour of titanium in fluoride-containing saliva

The effect of fluoride on the electrochemical behaviour of titanium was studied. Open circuit potentials, breakdown potentials (E _b) and potentiostatic transient currents were measured in synthetic salivas of different compositions. Optical and scanning electron microscopic observations were also made. Results show that the growth rate of Ti oxide layer is affected by fluoride anions and tensile stresses are developed. The OCP/time relationship of Ti immersed in salivas A and B obeys a logarithmic law which depends on the saliva composition. The E _b value is influenced by the thickness of the oxide layer, by the composition of the saliva (including fluoride concentration), and by the technique utilised for its evaluation. Thus, results reported in the literature, which seem to be contradictory, could be explained taking into account the experimental conditions assayed. A careful control of the titanium-containing dental materials should be made after long treatments with fluoride-containing prophylactic products or when fluoride-releasing restorative materials are present in the vicinity.     

Absorption by rats of tocopherols present in edible vegetable oils

The absorption of tocopherols (α, γ, and σ) and fatty acids from rapeseed (RO), soybean (SOO), and sunflower (SUO) oil, both from the natural oils and from the oils following moderate heating (180°C for 15 min), was measured in lymphcannulated rats. Oils were administered as emulsions through a gastrostomy tube, and lymph samples were collected for 24 h. The composition of tocopherols in oils and lymph fractions was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, and fatty acids were measured by gas-liquid chromatography. The highest accumulated transport of α-tocopherol was observed after SUO administration, the lowest after SOO, with RO in between, corresponding to their relative contents (41.6±8.8, 32.7±5.0, and 24.9±4.3 μg at 24 h after administration of SUO, RO, and SOO, respectively). The calculated recoveries (in %) 24 h after oil administration were 21.4±4.5, 45.7±7.0, and 78.8±13.5 for SUO, RO, and SOO, respectively, suggesting that the absorption efficiency decreased when the α-tocopherol concentration increased. The recovery of α-tocopherol was higher than the recoveries of γ-and σ-tocopherol, indicating that the different tocopherols were not absorbed to the same extent or with similar rates. No differences between unheated and heated oils were observed in the absorption of tocopherols, whereas heating led to lower absorption of fatty acids, thus showing no direct association between absorption of tocopherols and fatty acids.     

A Study of Moisture Effects on Ti/Porous Silicon/Silicon Schottky Barrier

Results of capacitance-voltage and current-voltage measurements performed on Ti/porous silicon (PS)/p-Si diode structures are presented. A 5–10 increase of conductivity and capacity has been observed at f < 10000 Hz in response to the moisture change from 0 to 50%. Model of Schottky contact on thin PS layer with the charge carriers inside of pores and PS/Si interface is applied to explain the frequency dependence of conductivity/capacity as well as moisture effect.     

Arthropod–Frog Connection: Decahydroquinoline and Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Common to Microsympatric Myrmicine Ants and Dendrobatid Frogs

Neotropical poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) contain a wide variety of lipophilic alkaloids, apparently accumulated unchanged into skin glands from dietary sources. Panamanian poison frogs (Dendrobates auratus) raised in a large, screened, outdoor cage and provided for six months with leaf-litter from the frog's natural habitat, accumulated a variety of alkaloids into the skin. These included two isomers of the ant pyrrolizidine 251K; two isomers of the 3,5-disubstituted indolizidine 195B; an alkaloid known to occur in myrmicine ants; another such indolizidine, 211E; two pyrrolidines, 197B and 223N, the former known to occur in myrmicine ants; two tricyclics, 193C and 219I, the former known to occur as precoccinelline in coccinellid beetles; and three spiropyrrolizidines, 222, 236, and 252A, representatives of an alkaloid class known to occur in millipedes. The alkaloids 211E, 197B, and 223N appear likely to derive in part from ants that entered the screened cage. In addition, the frog skin extracts contained trace amounts of four alkaloids, 205D, 207H, 219H, and 231H, of unknown structures and source. Wild-caught frogs from the leaf-litter site contained nearly 40 alkaloids, including most of the above alkaloids. Pumiliotoxins and histrionicotoxins were major alkaloids in wild-caught frogs, but were absent in captive-raised frogs. Ants microsympatric with the poison frog at the leaf-litter site and at an island site nearby in the Bay of Panamá were examined for alkaloids. The decahydroquinoline (–)-cis-195A and two isomers of the pyrrolizidine 251K were found to be shared by microsympatric myrmicine ants and poison frogs. The proportions of the two isomers of 251K were the same in ant and frog.     

The ups and downs of protein topology; rapid comparison of protein structure

Protein topology can be described at different levels. At themost fundamental level, it is a sequence of secondary structureelements (a `primary topology string'). Searching predictedprimary topology strings against a library of strings from knownprotein structures is the basis of some protein fold recognitionmethods. Here a method known as TOPSCAN is presented for rapidcomparison of protein structures. Rather than a simple two-letteralphabet (encoding strand and helix), more complex alphabetsare used encoding direction, proximity, accessibility and lengthof secondary elements and loops in addition to secondary structure.Comparisons are made between the structural information contentof primary topology strings and encodings which contain additionalinformation (`secondary topology strings'). The algorithm isextremely fast, with a scan of a large domain against a libraryof more than 2000 secondary structure strings completing in     

Field-Assisted Sintering of Nanocrystalline Titanium Nitride

Nanosized TiN powder was densified via field-assisted sintering at temperatures of 1150°–1350°C and a pressure of 66 MPa under vacuum. A maximum relative density of ∼97% and a maximum mean grain size of 150–200 nm were obtained. Densification and microstructural evolution have been discussed, in terms of superplasticity and electric-field effects.     

Alumina–Aluminide Alloys (3A) Technology: I, Model Development

The general reaction behavior of the 3A process under the thermal explosion mode of synthesis has been investigated via a continuum model. The continuum model uses mass and energy balances to predict temperature difference ( T _s,avg− T _f) curves, as well as profile curves of the reactant conversions and sample temperature. In particular, the effect of the dimensionless parameters associated with the rate of local heat generation (β, the thermicity factor), the activation energy (γ, the Arrhenius number), the rate of heat redistribution (α, the modified thermal diffusivity), the rate of heat transfer by convection (Bi, the Biot number or convective heat transfer parameter), and the rate of heat transfer by radiation (Ω, the radiative heat transfer parameter) were investigated. Conditions to control the reaction process, which should produce high-density final products, were determined. It was found that the overall maximum temperature may be reduced for high γ, low β, high α, and high Bi and Ω. In terms of processing conditions, this may be obtained by reducing the initial reactant concentrations, optimizing the particle size, using small sample sizes and high compaction pressure, and increasing the heat loss by using a high thermal conductivity inert gas.     

XPS analysis of wet chemical etching of GaAs(110) by Br2–H2O: comparison of emersion and model experiments

We have applied photoelectron spectroscopy to investigate the surface composition after different surface treatments involving Br₂–H₂O mixtures in order to study wet chemical etching. Emersion experiments from Br₂–H₂O solution are compared with model experiments, in which Br₂–H₂O adsorbate and coadsorbate mixtures react with clean GaAs(110) surfaces. Our results indicate that Ga- and As-bromides formed initially are hydrolyzed to form the respective oxides. Without addition of Br₂, only slight oxidation of the surface takes place. There is an enrichment of Ga due to loss of As both in adsorption as well as in emersion experiments. Since in emersion experiments only a final situation is analyzed, the relative influence of surface reactivity and subsequent solvation effects cannot be distinguished easily, while model experiments give clear information on reaction products formed intermediately. However, model experiments differ in environment and temperature from the real solid–liquid interface. The presented results demonstrate that a combination of emersion and model experiments provide valuable insight into the mechanism of wet chemical etching on a microscopic level.