Model for the potential barrier depth along the grain boundaries of an ultrathin tin dioxide gas sensor

A potential barrier model along the grain boundaries in ultrathin tin dioxide (SnO₂) gas sensors is presented. It is assumed that the negatively charged oxygens are adsorbed only on the grain boundaries. The potential barrier depth is expressed as functions of grain size, donor concentration and surface coverage of adsorbed oxygen ions at the boundaries. A direct consequence is that the conduction electrons are effectively confined in a grain when the film thickness becomes smaller than a critical value. This indicates a drastic increase in resistivity with decreasing film thickness in air, and thus an occurrence of an extremely high gas sensitivity.     

Thermal instability of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconductor around 650δC

Bi_0.85Pb_0.15Sr_0.8CaCu_1.4O _y superconductor was quenched to room temperature after annealing at several temperatures in air. From the initial magnetization curve measurement for the annealed samples, it was found that the volume fraction of superconducting phases of the sample annealed at 650°C greatly decreased. TEM observation revealed that a second phase often appeared in the grain-boundary region for the sample annealed at 700°C. The second phase was identified as Bi₁Pb₂Sr_2.6Ca_1.6O _y by energy dispersive spectroscopy.     

Influence of thermomechanical and mechanical processing on the fatigue resistance of VT3-1

The influence of the structure and crystallographic texture of VT3-1 alloy formed by thermomechanical processing of a forging and also of the production factors of subsequent production of a gas turbine engine blade from the forging on the fatigue resistance characteristics was investigated. It was established that the reason for the reduction in fatigue limit and the significant spread in test data is nonuniformity of the structure and texture, both in different forgings and within the same forging, caused by variations in such parameters of thermomechanical processing as the temperature and degree of deformation. The nonuniformity plays a determining role in the reduction in fatigue limit as the result of hydrogen absorption during chemical etching. It was shown that such an effect may be eliminated by degassing vacuum annealing and the general level of fatigue resistance characteristics may be increased as the result of thermomechanical processing of forgings with strict observance of the specified forging temperature.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 6, pp. 12–19, June, 1992.     

Gas diffusion and dielectric studies of polystyrene‐fullerene compositions

Polystyrene‐fullerene compositions containing up to 0.45 mol % (3 wt %) fullerene C₆₀ were investigated. It was established that the addition of fullerene to polystyrene (PS) leads to an increase of molecular packing density and so influences the transport of small molecules through the polymer films. Gas diffusion through films of PS‐fullerene compositions is slower than through PS films, and gas separating properties of compositions are higher. Dielectric studies showed that the fullerene is distributed as clusters in the polymer matrix of solid composition prepared from a toluene solution of PS and fullerene. Heating without air to the temperature higher than PS glass transition leads to increasing relaxation time of α‐transition in PS of compositions containing >0.15 mol % (1 wt %) fullerene. This effect is caused by rather strong interaction of PS chains via fullerene molecules entered into the PS‐fullerene complex. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 2946–2951, 2002     

Electrical properties of N2O/NH3 plasma grownoxynitride on strained-Si

Growth of ultrathin (<100 Å) oxynitride on strained-Si using microwave N₂O and NH₃ plasma is reported. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicate a nitrogen-rich layer at the strained-Si/SiO₂ interface. The electrical properties of oxynitrides have been characterized using a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure. A moderately low value of insulator charge density (6.1×10¹⁰ cm^-2) has been obtained for NH₃ plasma treated N₂O oxide sample. Nitrided oxide shows a larger breakdown voltage and an improved charge trapping properties under Fowler-Nordheim (F-N) constant current stress     

A novel therapeutic approach for rectal varices: a case report of rectal varices treated with double balloon-occluded embolotherapy

We present a patient with continuous melena, diagnosed as rectal varices bleeding. She had a history of esophageal varices, which was treated by endoscopic ligation therapy. Eight years after the treatment of esophageal varices, the continuous melena began. Colonoscopic examination showed that the melena was caused by rectal varices, which were so severe that they could not be treated by either endoscopic sclerotherapy or surgical devascularization. Taking into considering the overall risk of treating rectal varices, we chose the approach of double balloon-occluded embolotherapy (DBOE) with 5% ethanolamine oleate with iopamodol as a liquid embolic material. DBOE is one of the interventional radiology techniques (Morita et al., Acta Hepatol Jpn 1994;35:109-120), but in this case was a completely new and novel clinical procedure for rectal varices. After the DBOE therapy, the condition of rectal varices was markedly improved. Thus, DBOE might be a new tool for treating inoperable rectal varices.     

The free vibration of skew plates using the hierarchical finite element method

The hierarchical finite element method is used to determine the natural frequencies and modes of flat, isotropic skew plates. A number of such plates with different boundary conditions—including free edges and point supports—are considered in this paper. The dependence of frequency on skew angle, aspect ratio and Poisson's ratio is investigated, though succinctness prohibits a complete study exploring the full interrelation of these parameters. Extensive results are presented in diagrammatic, graphical, and tabular format; these are shown to be in very good agreement with the work of other investigators, and should prove a valuable source of data for use by engineers and scientists.