Enhanced Up‐Conversion Luminescence in Er3+‐Doped 25GeS2·35Ga2S3·40CsCl Chalcogenide Glass–Ceramics

Enhanced luminescence in rare‐earth‐doped chalcogenide glass–ceramics is of great interest for the potential integrated optoelectronic devices. However, fundamental mechanism on the enhancement of luminescence upon crystallization remains largely unknown. We report the fabrication and characterization of wide transmission chalcogenide glass and glass–ceramics based on the 25GeS₂·35Ga₂S₃·40CsCl:0.3Er glass composition, and discuss the mechanism of enhanced luminescence. By monitoring the ⁴I_9/2–⁴I_15/2 of Er³⁺ transition, up‐conversion luminescence of 12 times higher was observed in glass–ceramics compared with that in base glass. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Raman scattering spectroscopies were employed to obtain the information of selective environment of Er³⁺ ions and microstructural evolution with the crystallization progress. Both of them evidenced that the enhanced up‐conversion luminescence was mainly related to the local environmental evolution from a mixed chlorine‐sulfur coordination to a low phonon energy chlorine coordination in the residual glassy matrix of glass–ceramics.     

Kinetics of Liquid/Liquid Extraction of Europium(III) Cation by Two Malonic Diamides

In the framework of the DIAMEX separation process, the kinetics of extraction of Eu(III) ion by two diamides, DMDBTDMA and DMDOHEMA, have been studied using the rotating membrane cell technique. The kinetics with DMDBTDMA from a nitric acid solution were found to be very fast, in keeping with a previous work using the Nitsch cell, and in disagreement with another work using a Lewis-type cell. A simple model for turbulent transport in the latter cell is proposed to interpret this result. The extraction kinetics with DMDOHEMA was found to be slower than with DMDBTDMA at 22°C. The activation energy of the interfacial reaction was deduced from experiments at 11°C, 22°C, and 33°C. The activation energy of the distribution ratio is shown to have a particular effect on that of the overall kinetic rate constant in the general case.     

Influence of constitutive model in springback prediction using the split-ring test

The aim of this paper is to compare several plastic yield criteria to show their relevance on the prediction of springback behavior for a AA5754-0 aluminum alloy. An experimental test similar to the Demeri Benchmark Test [Demeri MY, Lou M, Saran MJ. A benchmark test for springback simulation in sheet metal forming. In: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc., vol. 01-2657, 2000] has been developed. This test consists in cutting a ring specimen from a full drawn cup, the ring being then split longitudinally along a radial plan. The difference between the ring diameters, before and after splitting, gives a direct measure of the springback phenomenon, and indirectly, of the amount of residual stresses in the cup. The whole deep drawing process of a semi-blank and numerical splitting of the ring are performed using the finite element code Abaqus. Several material models are analyzed, all considering isotropic and kinematic hardening combined with one of the following plasticity criteria: von Mises, Hill’48 and Barlat’91. This last yield criterion has been implemented in Abaqus. Main observed data are force-displacement curves during forming, cup thickness according to material orientations and ring gap after splitting. The stress distributions in the cup, at the end of the drawing stage, and in the ring, after springback, are analyzed and some explanations concerning their influence on springback mechanisms are given.     

Contribution of treated wastewater to the microbiological quality of Seine River in Paris

Urban part of Seine River serving as drinking water supply in Paris can be heavily contaminated by Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis. In the absence of agricultural practice in this highly urbanized area, we investigated herein the contribution of treated wastewater to the microbiological quality of this river focusing on these two parasites. Other microorganisms such as faecal bacterial indicators, enteroviruses and oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii were assessed concurrently. Raw wastewaters were heavily contaminated by Cryptosporidium and Giardia (oo)cysts, whereas concentrations of both protozoa in treated wastewater were lower. Treated wastewater, flowed into Seine River, had a parasite concentration closed to the one found along the river, in particular at the entry of a drinking water plant (DWP). Even if faecal bacteria were reliable indicators of a reduction in parasite concentrations during the wastewater treatment, they were not correlated to protozoal contamination of wastewater and river water. Oocysts of T. gondii were not found in both raw and treated wastewater, or in Seine River. Parasitic contamination was shown to be constant in the Seine River up to 40 km upstream Paris. Altogether, these results strongly suggest that treated wastewater does not contribute to the main parasitic contamination of the Seine River usually observed in this urbanized area.     

Investigating the Molecular Processes behind the Cell-Specific Toxicity Response to Titanium Dioxide Nanobelts

Some engineered nanomaterials incite toxicological effects, but the underlying molecular processes are understudied. The varied physicochemical properties cause different initial molecular interactions, complicating toxicological predictions. Gene expression data allow us to study the responses of genes and biological processes. Overrepresentation analysis identifies enriched biological processes using the experimental data but prompts broad results instead of detailed toxicological processes. We demonstrate a targeted filtering approach to compare public gene expression data for low and high exposure on three cell lines to titanium dioxide nanobelts. Our workflow finds cell and concentration-specific changes in affected pathways linked to four Gene Ontology terms (apoptosis, inflammation, DNA damage, and oxidative stress) to select pathways with a clear toxicity focus. We saw more differentially expressed genes at higher exposure, but our analysis identifies clear differences between the cell lines in affected processes. Colorectal adenocarcinoma cells showed resilience to both concentrations. Small airway epithelial cells displayed a cytotoxic response to the high concentration, but not as strongly as monocytic-like cells. The pathway-gene networks highlighted the gene overlap between altered toxicity-related pathways. The automated workflow is flexible and can focus on other biological processes by selecting other GO terms.     

Comparative study of the usefulness of low energy Cs(+), Xe(+), and O(2)(+) ions for depth profiling amino-acid and sugar films

This work reports a comparative study on the capability of low energy primary ion beams for depth profiling nonpolymeric molecules including amino-acid and sugar layers. Due to their different behavior regarding depth profiling, phenylalanine and trehalose molecules are chosen as reference systems. Each molecule was dissolved in suitable solvent prior to spin-coating on clean silicon wafer. The film thicknesses were in the order of 70 and 100 nm for phenylalanine and trehalose respectively. Depth profiling feasibility were assessed first using Cs(+) as reactive sputtering ion at various energies. The results obtained under Cs(+) sputtering ions are compared afterward to those obtained under Xe(+) sputtering ions which are inert and have a mass very similar to Cs(+). In order to investigate the effect of oxygen, depth profiling are also performed using either Xe(+) under oxygen flooding or O(2)(+) as sputtering ions. While phenylalanine could be depth profiled successfully using Cs(+) ions, Xe(+) and O(2)(+) ions failed to retain any characteristic signal. The sputtering yields measured as a function of the ion beam energies were higher using Cs(+), in particular at low energies. The chemical reactivity of the cesium atoms being implanted during the sputtering process helps to prevent the loss of the molecular phenylalanine signal. In contrast, depth profiling of trehalose was more successful upon Xe(+) and O(2)(+) compared to Cs(+). In this case the sputtering yields were higher if Xe(+) primary ion is employed instead of Cs(+). The different trends observed in this study are interpreted using arguments involving the reactivity of the sputtering ions.     

Fluorination of silicon carbide thin films using pure F2 gas or XeF2

Two fluorination methods: direct fluorination using F₂ gas and fluorination by the decomposition of fluorinating agent XeF₂ have been applied to silicon carbide SiC thin films in order to form a composite of carbide derived carbon film together with residual silicon carbide. Before and after fluorination, the thin films have been characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, Rutherford Backscattering spectroscopy, Fourier Transformed InfraRed and Raman spectroscopies. Whereas direct fluorination leads to irreversible damages into the thin films, XeF₂ method allows a progressive etching of the silicon atoms and the formation of non-fluorinated carbon.     

Reflectance of surfactant-templated mesoporous silica thin films: Simulations versus experiments

In this study, cubic and hexagonal mesoporous amorphous silica thin films were synthesized using evaporation-induced self-assembly process followed by calcination leaving highly ordered spherical or cylindrical pores in a silica matrix. The films featured pores with diameter between 4 and 11 nm, lattice parameter from 7.8 to 24 nm, and porosity between 22% and 45%. All films were dehydrated prior to reflectance measurements except for one film which was fully hydrated. The present study compares the spectral reflectance measured experimentally between 400 and 900 nm with that computed numerically by solving three-dimensional Maxwell's equations in mesoporous silica thin films with the same morphology as those synthesized. The matrix was assumed to have the same optical properties as bulk fused silica. The pore optical properties were either those of air or liquid water whether the film was dehydrated or hydrated, respectively. Excellent agreement was found between experimental and numerical reflectance for both cubic and hexagonal mesoporous silica films. This study experimentally validates our simulation tool and offers the prospect of ab-initio design of nanocomposite materials with arbitrary optical properties without using effective medium approximation or mixing rules.