Electrodeposition of yellow bronze from acidic sulfate baths containing polyether laprol and micromolar additives of halides

The composition of yellow bronze coatings deposited from acidic sulfate solutions added with polyether laprol and the electrodeposition conditions are studied by voltammetry and XPS. It is found that halides in rather low (micromolar) concentrations affect significantly the partial electrodeposition processes. Chlorides increases cathodic polarization, widen the current window of the yellow bronze electrodeposition, and favor the increase in tin content of the coatings. Bromides narrow the current window, lower the tin content in the coatings, and hinder the yellow bronze surface oxidation. Iodides inhibit the copper electroreduction markedly, which makes the yellow bronze deposition practically impossible. Original Russian Text ? Z. Mockus, S. Kanapeckaité, V. Jasulaitiené, A. Survila, 2006, published in Zashchita Metallov, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 5, pp. 526–531.     

Broadly tunable deep blue laser based on a star-shaped oligofluorene truxene

We report amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) and optically pumped deep-blue-emitting distributed feedback (DFB) lasers based on a star-shaped oligofluorene truxene molecule. A low ASE threshold of 2.1 kW/cm² at 439 nm was achieved. The material exhibits a high net gain of 38 cm^?1 and also low optical loss coefficient of 3.5 cm^?1. Second-order DFB lasers show tuning of the emission wavelength from 422 to 473 nm, and a minimum threshold density of 515 W/cm². This is the broadest tuning range (51 nm) reported for organic deep-blue/blue lasing materials.     

Electrodeposition of Sn and Co coatings from citrate solutions

Optimal conditions for Sn and Co codeposition were achieved in slightly acid citrate solutions containing no excess of ligand. Sn–Co coatings were deposited with amounts of Co ranging from 15 to 86 mass %. Bright deposits were obtained when the Co content exceeded 76%. These coatings may be considered as solid solutions of tin in -Co and -Co. The -Sn phase is predominant in the case of coatings containing less Co. Voltammograms of the partial processes of Sn(II) and Co(II) reduction may be described quantitatively with the proviso that SnL^2– and CoLH^– are electrically active complexes.     

Effect of sintanol DS-10 and halides on tin(II) reduction kinetics

Voltammetry and the EIS technique were applied to study effect of polyether sintanol DS-10 on tin(II) reduction kinetics in strong acidic sulphate solutions containing different halides. Diffusion-controlled Sn(II) reduction was found to be significantly retarded by strong inhibitive adsorption of sintanol. Surface coverage obtained from both impedance and kinetic data may be quantitatively described by means of Frumkin isotherm accounting for interaction between adsorbed particles. Partial suppression of the surface activity of sintanol was observed in the presence of halides. This effect was found to increase in the sequence: Cl⁻ < Br⁻ < I⁻⋅     

Tensile stress and creep in thermally grown oxide

Structural components that operate at high temperatures (for example, turbine blades) rely on thermally grown oxide (TGO), commonly alumina, for corrosion protection. Strains that develop in TGOs during operation can reduce the protectiveness of the TGO. However, the occurrence of growth strains in TGOs, and mechanisms that cause them, are poorly understood. It is accepted that compressive strains can develop as oxygen and metal atoms meet to form new growth within constrained oxide. More controversial is the experimental finding that large tensile stresses, close to 1 GPa, develop during isothermal growth conditions in alumina TGO formed on a FeCrAlY alloy. Using a novel technique based on synchrotron radiation, we have confirmed these previous results, and show that the tensile strain develops as the early oxide, (Fe,Cr,Al)(2)O(3), converts to alpha-Al2O3 during the growth process. This allows us to model the strain behaviour by including creep and this diffusion-controlled phase change.     

Nondestructive optical determination of fiber organization in intact myocardial wall

Mapping the myocardial fiber organization is important for assessing the electrical and mechanical properties of normal and diseased hearts. Current methods to determine the fiber organization have several limitations: histological sectioning mechanically distorts the tissue and is labor-intensive, while diffusion tensor imaging has low spatial resolution and requires expensive MRI scanners. Here, we utilized optical clearing, a fluorescent dye, and confocal microscopy to create three-dimensional reconstructions of the myocardial fiber organization of guinea pig and mouse hearts. We have optimized the staining and clearing procedure to allow for the nondestructive imaging of whole hearts with a thickness up to 3.5 mm. Myocardial fibers could clearly be identified at all depths in all preparations. We determined the change of fiber orientation across strips of guinea pig left ventricular wall. Our study confirms the qualitative result that there is a steady counterclockwise fiber rotation across the ventricular wall. Quantitatively, we found a total fiber rotation of 105.7+/-14.9 degrees (mean+/-standard error of the mean); this value lies within the range reported by previous studies. These results show that optical clearing, in combination with a fluorescent dye and confocal microscopy, is a practical and accurate method for determining myocardial fiber organization.     

Conformations and Electronic Structure of Fullerene C24 and C26 Molecules

The quantum mechanical investigations of fullerene C₂₄, C₂₆, C₂₈ molecule conformers are performed in the framework of the point set group theory and semiempirical PM3 configuration interaction and the MNDO, AMI methods. The main criterion of stability of calculated fiillerene molecules we state the lowest total energy of various isomers and conformers that appears due to the Jahn-Teller distortion. The most stable occurs C₂₄ (D₆ symmetry) conformation with term¹A₁ and open shell C₂₆ (D_3h) conformation with term⁵A₁.     

XRD studies of the phase composition of the electrodeposited copper-rich Cu-Sn alloys

Studies of the phase and chemical compositions as well as of the surface morphology of Cu-Sn alloys electrodeposited in the sulphate solution containing laprol were carried out using the XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. The multiphase composition—pure copper, the α-CuSn phase and the intermediate hcp phase were determined to be present in the deposits obtained at cathode potentials positive to that of the reversible of the Sn/Sn²⁺electrode. When the content of Sn in the deposit was higher than 12-13 at.%, the β and/or δ phases were determined to be present along with that mentioned above. The deposit obtained at the potentials negative to that of the reversible of the Sn/Sn²⁺ electrode presented the δ phase with low quantities of the pure Cu and α-CuSn phases. The grain size of deposits increased with the cathode potential until it was positive to that of the reversible of the Sn/Sn²⁺ electrode. The presence of Br⁻ ions in the solution hindered the granular electrocrystallization and reduced the Sn proportion in the alloy. It was assumed that underpotential deposition (UPD) of Sn on copper could be responsible for the formation of the multiphase composition and the intermediate hcp phase. It was concluded that the brightness of the studied Cu-Sn coatings was conditioned by the surface morphology.     

Analysis of microstructure replication using vibratory assisted thermal imprint process

Microsystem Technologies - In this article, thermal imprint process for replication of high-quality microstructures on the surface of polymer is investigated. Vibrations has been previously...     

Exciton–Exciton Annihilation in Mixed‐Phase Polyfluorene Films

Singlet–singlet annihilation is studied in polyfluorene (PFO) films containing different fractions of β‐phase chains using time‐resolved fluorescence. On a timescale of >15 ps after excitation, the results are fitted well by a time‐independent annihilation rate, which indicates that annihilation is controlled by 3D exciton diffusion. A time‐dependent annihilation rate is observed during the first 15 ps in the glassy phase and in the β‐phase rich films, which can be explained by the slowdown of exciton diffusion after excitons reach low‐energy sites. The annihilation rate in the mixed‐phase films increases with increasing fraction of β‐phase present, indicating enhanced exciton diffusion. The observed trend agrees well with a model of fully dispersedβ‐phase chromophores in the surrounding glassy phase with the exciton diffusion described using the line‐dipole approximation for an exciton wavefunction extending over 2.5 nm. The results indicate that glassy andβ‐phase chromophores are intimately mixed rather than clustered or phase‐separated.