Color center formation in silica glass induced by high energy Fe and Xe ions

Silica glass samples were implanted with 1.157 GeV Fe-56 and 1.755 GeV Xe-136 ions to fluences range from 1 x 10(11) to 3.8 x 10(12) ions/cm(2). Virgin and irradiated samples were investigated by ultraviolet (UV) absorption from 3 to 6.4 eV and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The UV absorption investigation reveals the presence of various color centers (E' center, non-bridging oxygen hole center (NBOHC) and ODC(II)) appearing in the irradiated samples. It is found that the concentration of all color centers increase with the increase of fluence and tend to saturation at high fluence. Furthermore the concentration of E' center and that of NBOHC is approximately equal and both scale better with the energy deposition through processes of electronic stopping, indicating that E' center and NBOHC are mainly produced simultaneously from the scission of strained Si-O-Si bond by electronic excitation effects in heavy ion irradiated silica glass. The PL measurement shows three emissions peaked at about 4.28 eV (alpha band), 3.2 eV (beta band) and 2.67 eV (gamma band) when excited at 5 eV. The intensities of alpha and gamma bands increase with the increase of fluence and tend to saturation at high fluence. The intensity of beta band is at its maximum in virgin silica glass and it is reduced on increasing the ions fluence. It is further confirmed that nuclear energy loss processes determine the production of alpha and gamma bands and electronic energy loss processes determine the bleaching of beta band in heavy ion irradiated silica glass. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly efficient separation of dsDNA fragments on glass chips by using an ultralow viscosity sieving matrix

A novel protocol has been established to separate dsDNA fragments with high efficiency on glass chips by using an ultralow viscosity sieving matrix with added glucose. Low-molecular-weight hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), with a viscosity nearly equivalent to that of water, was used to electrophoretically separate fluorescent inter-calator-labeled double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) fragments on microfluidic glass chips. In comparison with conventional sieving protocols, low-molecular-weight HPMC as sieving matrix could result in reduced running cost and analysis time, in addition to a comparable separation efficiency of dsDNA fragments. In this paper, the addition of glucose was investigated to enhance the separation of DNA in the lowest viscosity polymer evaluated. The effect of staining dye and field strength were also evaluated. At an applied electric field strength of 200 V/cm, satisfactory resolution of the PBR322/HaeIII DNA marker could be achieved within 4 min by using 2% HPMC-5 with 6% glucose added. Coelectrophoresing PCR product along with phiX174/HaeIII DNA sizing marker was also demonstrated by using the ultralow viscosity HPMC-5 solution on a glass chip.

Glass formation ability and mechanical properties of Ti40Cu40Zr10Ni10 alloy

Melt-spun ribbon and bulk samples in cylindrical rod form with diameter ranging from 2 mm to 4 mm of Ti40Cu40Zr10Ni10 alloy were prepared by melt-spinning technique and copper mould casting method, respectively. The microstructure, thermal stability and mechanical properties of the bulk samples were investigated. A completely glassy single phase is formed in the 2 mm rod sample. Increasing the diameter of the rod samples resulted in the formation of CuTi crystalline phase in the 3 mm and 4 mm rod samples.

Hydrothermal synthesis and thermoelectric transport properties of impurity-free antimony telluride hexagonal nanoplates

Impurity-free single-crystalline antimony telluride hexagonal nanoplates (see figure) are synthesized by a facile and quick hydrothermal treatment without any organic additives or templates. The inherent crystal structure is the driving force for the growth of these Sb2Te3 hexagonal nanoplates. Films of these nanoplates shows p-type behavior, and exhibit a promisingly high Seebeck coefficient of 425 mu V K-1 at room temperature.

Effect of shear on the crystallization behavior of glass bead filled polypropylene

Linkam CSS450 optical shearing stage, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) and small-angle X-ray scattering(SAXS) were used to investigate the effect of shear on crystal structure and crystallization morphology of the glass bead filled polypropylene( PP). The results indicate that the glass bead worked as nucleating agent for the glass bead filled PP, compared with pure PP it restrained the formation of beta-crystal after shear treatment. When the mean size of glass bead is smaller(4 mu m) shear rate had less effect on the formation of beta-crystal of PP obviously.

Surface modification of bioactive glass nanoparticles and the mechanical and biological properties of poly(L-lactide) composites

Novel bioactive glass (13G) nanoparticles/poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) composites were prepared as promising bone-repairing materials. The BG nanoparticles (Si:P:Ca = 29:13:58 weight ratio) of about 40 run diameter were prepared via the sol-gel method. In order to improve the phase compatibility between the polymer and the inorganic phase, PLLA (M-n = 9700 Da) was linked to the surface of the BG particles by diisocyanate. The grafting ratio of PLLA was in the vicinity of 20 wt.%. The grafting modification could improve the tensile strength, tensile modulus and impact energy of the composites by increasing the phase compatibility.

Glass wafers bonding via Diels-Alder reaction at mild temperature

In this paper, we introduced a novel bonding method of glass wafers by Diels-Alder reaction at mild temperature. After standard hydroxylization and aminosilylation, two wafers were modified by 2-furaldehyde and maleic anhydride, respectively. Then they were brought into close contact and tightly held with a clamping fixture. A strong bonding could be achieved by annealing for 5 h at 200 degrees C. Bonding strength is as high as 1.78 MPa and sufficient for most application of microfluidic chips.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF TI-BASED METALLIC GLASS MATRIX COMPOSITES

Ti40Cu40Ni10Zr10-xScx (x = 0.5 and 1, at%) alloys were prepared by copper mould casting method. Microstructures of the phi 3 mm rod alloys were investigated by XRD and SEM. The results showed that the phi 3 mm rods were glassy matrix with TiCu crystalline phase. Mechanical properties were studied by compressive test. Ti40Cu40Ni10Zr9Sc1 alloy exhibited good compressive strength over 2200 MPa and superior compressive deformation is about 7.9%.

Preparation of bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles by combination of sol-gel and coprecipitation method

SiO2-CaO-P2O5 ternary bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles were prepared via the combination of sol-gel and coprecipitation processes. Precursors of silicon and calcium were hydrolyzed in acidic solution and gelated in alkaline condition together with ammonium dibasic phosphate. Gel particles were separated by centrifugation, followed by freeze drying, and calcination procedure to obtain the bioactive glass ceramic nanoparticles. The investigation of the influence of synthesis temperature on the nanopartilce's properties showed that the reaction temperature played an important role in the crystallinity of nanoparticle. The glass ceramic particles synthesized at 55 degrees C included about 15% crystalline phase, while at 25 degrees C and 40 degrees C the entire amorphous nanopowder could be obtained.

Characterization and optimization of AuNPs labeled by Raman reporters on glass based on silver enhancement

In this report, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) labeled by Raman reporters (AuNPs-R6G) were assembled on glass and used as the seeds to in situ grow silver-coated nanostructures based on silver enhancer solution, forming the nanostructures of AuNPs-R6G@Ag, which were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. More importantly, the obtained silver-coated nanostructures can be used as a surface enhancement Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. The different SERS activities can be controlled by the silver deposition time and assembly time of AuNPs-R6G on glass. The results indicate that the maximum SERS activity could be obtained on AuNPs-R6G when these nanostructures were assembled on glass for 2 h with silver deposition for 2 min.

Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells using TiO2 nanotube arrays on FTO glass

Highly ordered, vertically oriented TiO2 nanotube arrays were prepared by potentiostatic anodization of titanium on FTO-coated glass substrate and for the first time successfully applied in the fabrication of solid-state dye sensitized solar cells (SSDSCs), giving a power conversion efficiency of 1.67% measured under an irradiation of air mass 1.5 global (AM 1.5 G) full sunlight. Furthermore, 3.8% efficiency was reached with a 2.8 mu m thin TiO2 nanotube array film based on a metal free organic dye using ionic liquid electrolyte.