Influence of ideal and non-ideal excitation sources on the dynamics of a nonlinear vibro-impact system

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Preparation of Excitation Sources to Portable X-Ray Spectrometer by Recovering 241am from Radioactive Lightning Conductor

With the prohibition of the use of radioactive lightning conductor in Brazil, this material passed to be collected and stored as radioactive waste in the waste deposits of The Brazilian National Nuclear Energy Commission (CNEN). The majority of these lightning conductor used as radioactive source 241Am with activity varying of 1 the 5 mCi. In this work are presented preliminary studies by recovering of 241Am through the electroplating technique, in order to posterior use as sources to portable X-rays fluorescence spectrometer. The 241Am sources have been removed from lightning conductor and dissolved in acid solution. The solution presented an activity of 0,6 Ci L-1. Small amounts of this solution were added to some electrolytes and tested in order to evaluate optimum electrolyte for deposition of 241Am. It was studied as electrolytes: HNO3 (0,2 mol L-1), NH4Cl (5,0 mol L-1) and a mixture of KCN and K2CO3 (in the rate of 2,0 g of each per liter). Yields of up to 90% were obtained applied a current density of 50 mA cm-2.

Excitation energy dependent raman signatures of ABA- and ABC-stacked few-layer graphene

The dependence of the Raman spectrum on the excitation energy has been investigated for ABA-and ABC- stacked few-layer graphene in order to establish the fingerprint of the stacking order and the number of layers, which affect the transport and optical properties of few-layer graphene. Five different excitation sources with energies of 1.96, 2.33, 2.41, 2.54 and 2.81â €...eV were used. The position and the line shape of the Raman 2D, G*, N, M, and other combination modes show dependence on the excitation energy as well as the stacking order and the thickness. One can unambiguously determine the stacking order and the thickness by comparing the 2D band spectra measured with 2 different excitation energies or by carefully comparing weaker combination Raman modes such as N, M, or LOLA modes. The criteria for unambiguous determination of the stacking order and the number of layers up to 5 layers are established.

Study of the temperature distribution in Si nanowires under microscopic laser beam excitation

The use of laser beams as excitation sources for the characterization of semiconductor nanowires (NWs) is largely extended. Raman spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) are currently applied to the study of NWs. However, NWs are systems with poor thermal conductivity and poor heat dissipation, which result in unintentional heating under the excitation with a focused laser beam with microscopic size, as those usually used in microRaman and microPL experiments. On the other hand, the NWs have subwavelength diameter, which changes the optical absorption with respect to the absorption in bulk materials. Furthermore, the NW diameter is smaller than the laser beam spot, which means that the optical power absorbed by the NW depends on its position inside the laser beam spot. A detailed analysis of the interaction between a microscopic focused laser beam and semiconductor NWs is necessary for the understanding of the experiments involving laser beam excitation of NWs. We present in this work a numerical analysis of the thermal transport in Si NWs, where the heat source is the laser energy locally absorbed by the NW. This analysis takes account of the optical absorption, the thermal conductivity, the dimensions, diameter and length of the NWs, and the immersion medium. Both free standing and heat-sunk NWs are considered. Also, the temperature distribution in ensembles of NWs is discussed. This analysis intends to constitute a tool for the understanding of the thermal phenomena induced by laser beams in semiconductor NWs.

Vibrational spectroscopy of phthalocyanine and naphthalocyanine in sandwich-type (na)phthalocyaninato and porphyrinato rare earth complexes : (Part 10) The infrared and Raman characteristics of phthalocyanine in heteroleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes with decreased molecular symmetry

The infrared (IR) spectroscopic data for a series of eleven heteroleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth complexes MIII(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] (M = Sm–Lu, Y) [H2Pc = unsubstituted phthalocyanine, H2Pc(α-OC5H11)4 = 1,8,15,22-tetrakis(3-pentyloxy)phthalocyanine] have been collected with 2 cm−1 resolution. Raman spectroscopic properties in the range of 500–1800 cm−1 for these double-decker molecules have also been comparatively studied using laser excitation sources emitting at 632.8 and 785 nm. Both the IR and Raman spectra for M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] are more complicated than those of homoleptic bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth analogues due to the decreased molecular symmetry of these double-decker compounds, namely C4. For this series, the IR Pc√− marker band appears as an intense absorption at 1309–1317 cm−1, attributed to the pyrrole stretching. With laser excitation at 632.8 nm, Raman vibrations derived from isoindole ring and aza stretchings in the range of 1300–1600 cm−1 are selectively intensified. In contrast, when excited with laser radiation of 785 nm, the ring radial vibrations of isoindole moieties and dihedral plane deformations between 500 and 1000 cm−1 for M(Pc)[Pc(α-OC5H11)4] intensify to become the strongest scatterings. Both techniques reveal that the frequencies of pyrrole stretching, isoindole breathing, isoindole stretchings, aza stretchings and coupling of pyrrole and aza stretchings depend on the rare earth ionic size, shifting to higher energy along with the lanthanide contraction due to the increased ring-ring interaction across the series. The assignments of the vibrational bands for these compounds have been made and discussed in relation to other unsubstituted and substituted bis(phthalocyaninato) rare earth analogues, such as M(Pc)2 and M(OOPc)2 [H2OOPc = 2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octakis(octyloxy)phthalocyanine].

Pulsed dc- and sine-wave-excited cold atmospheric plasma plumes: A comparative analysis

Cold atmospheric-pressure plasma plumes are generated in the ambient air by a single-electrode plasma jet device powered by pulsed dc and ac sine-wave excitation sources. Comprehensive comparisons of the plasma characteristics, including electrical properties, optical emission spectra, gas temperatures, plasma dynamics, and bacterial inactivation ability of the two plasmas are carried out. It is shown that the dc pulse excited plasma features a much larger discharge current and stronger optical emission than the sine-wave excited plasma. The gas temperature in the former discharge remains very close to the room temperature across the entire plume length; the sine-wave driven discharge also shows a uniform temperature profile, which is 20-30 degrees higher than the room temperature. The dc pulse excited plasma also shows a better performance in the inactivation of gram-positive staphylococcus aureus bacteria. These results suggest that the pulsed dc electric field is more effective for the generation of nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma plumes for advanced plasma health care applications.

Optical amplification near 1300 nm in bismuth-doped strontium germanate glass

We demonstrate the broadband optical amplification in bismuth-doped strontium germanate glass with 808 nm and 980 nm laser diodes (LDs) as excitation sources. The net optical gain has been obtained within the wavelength region of 1272 to 1348 nm with 808 nm laser diode under 0.97 W power. The maximum gain and gain coefficients are 1.23 and 1.03 cm(-1) at 1315 nm, respectively. The signal increment at 1300 nm is 2.8 times with 980 nm LD, under 3 W power. The differential thermal analysis measurement reveals the good thermal stability of the studied glass. This glass could be suggested as a promising gain medium for broadband optical amplifiers.

Broadband near-infrared emission in Er3+-Tm3+ codoped chalcohalide glasses

The near-IR emission spectra of Er3+-Tm3+ codoped 70GeS(2)-20In(2)S(3)-10CsI chalcohalide glasses were studied with an 808 nm laser as an excitation source. A broad emission extending from 1.35 to 1.7 mu m with a FWHM of similar to 160 nm was recorded in a 0.1 mol.% Er2S3, 0.5 mol.% Tm2S3 codoped chalcohalide glass. The fluorescence decay curves of glasses were measured by monitoring the emissions of Tm3+ at 1460 nm and Er3+ at 1540 nm, and the lifetimes were obtained from the first-order exponential fit. The luminescence mechanism and the possible energy-transfer processes are discussed with respect to the energy-level diagram of Er3+ and Tm3+ ions. (C) 2008 Optical Society of America

Identifying framework titanium in TS-1 zeolite by UV resonance Raman spectroscopy

Framework titanium in Ti-silicalite-1 (TS-1) zeolite was selectively identified by its resonance Raman bands using ultraviolet (W) Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra of the TS-1 and silicalite-1 zeolites were obtained and compared using continuous wave laser lines at 244, 325, and 488 nm as the excitation sources. It was only with the excitation at 244 nm that resonance enhanced Raman bands at 490, 530, and 1125 cm(-1) appeared exclusively for the TS-1 zeolite. Furthermore, these bands increased in intensity with the crystallization time of the TS-1 zeolite. The Raman bands at 490, 530, and 1125 cm(-1) are identified as the framework titanium species because they only appeared when the laser excites the charge-transfer transition of the framework titanium species in the TS-1. No resonance Raman enhancement was detected for the bands of silicalite-1 zeolite and for the band at 960 cm(-1) of TS-1 with any of the excitation sources ranging from the visible tb UV regions. This approach can be applicable for the identification of other transition metal ions substituted in the framework of a zeolite or any other molecular sieve.

The Discrimination of Colored Acrylic, Cotton, and Wool Textile Fibers Using Micro-Raman Spectroscopy. Part 1 : In Situ Detection and Characterization of Dyes

Raman spectroscopy has been applied to characterize fiber dyes and determine the discriminating ability of the method. Black, blue, and red acrylic, cotton, and wool samples were analyzed. Four excitation sources were used to obtain complementary responses in the case of fluorescent samples. Fibers that did not provide informative spectra using a given laser were usually detected using another wavelength. For any colored acrylic, the 633-nm laser did not provide Raman information. The 514-nm laser provided the highest discrimination for blue and black cotton, but half of the blue cottons produced noninformative spectra. The 830-nm laser exhibited the highest discrimination for red cotton. Both visible lasers provided the highest discrimination for black and blue wool, and NIR lasers produced remarkable separation for red and black wool. This study shows that the discriminating ability of Raman spectroscopy depends on the fiber type, color, and the laser wavelength.

Photothermal beam deflection for non-destructive evaluation of semiconductor thin films

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is the use of non-invasive techniques to determine the integrity of a material, component, or structure. Engineers and scientists use NDT in a variety of applications, including medical imaging, materials analysis, and process control.Photothermal beam deflection technique is one of the most promising NDT technologies. Tremendous R&D effort has been made for improving the efficiency and simplicity of this technique. It is a popular technique because it can probe surfaces irrespective of the size of the sample and its surroundings. This technique has been used to characterize several semiconductor materials, because of its non-destructive and non-contact evaluation strategy. Its application further extends to analysis of wide variety of materials. Instrumentation of a NDT technique is very crucial for any material analysis. Chapter two explores the various excitation sources, source modulation techniques, detection and signal processing schemes currently practised. The features of the experimental arrangement including the steps for alignment, automation, data acquisition and data analysis are explained giving due importance to details.Theoretical studies form the backbone of photothermal techniques. The outcome of a theoretical work is the foundation of an application.The reliability of the theoretical model developed and used is proven from the studies done on crystalline.The technique is applied for analysis of transport properties such as thermal diffusivity, mobility, surface recombination velocity and minority carrier life time of the material and thermal imaging of solar cell absorber layer materials like CuInS2, CuInSe2 and SnS thin films.analysis of In2S3 thin films, which are used as buffer layer material in solar cells. The various influences of film composition, chlorine and silver incorporation in this material is brought out from the measurement of transport properties and analysis of sub band gap levels.The application of photothermal deflection technique for characterization of solar cells is a relatively new area that requires considerable attention.The application of photothermal deflection technique for characterization of solar cells is a relatively new area that requires considerable attention. Chapter six thus elucidates the theoretical aspects of application of photothermal techniques for solar cell analysis. The experimental design and method for determination of solar cell efficiency, optimum load resistance and series resistance with results from the analysis of CuInS2/In2S3 based solar cell forms the skeleton of this chapter.

Prompt electron emission and collisional ionization of ambient gas during pulsed laser ablation of silver

A silver target kept under partial vacuum conditions was irradiated with focused nanosecond pulses at 1:06 mm from a Nd:YAG laser. The electron emission monitored with a Langmuir probe shows a clear twin-peak distribution. The first peak which is very sharp has only a small delay and it indicates prompt electron emission with energy as much as 60 5 eV. Also the prompt electron emission shows a temporal profile with a width that is same as that for the laser pulse whereas the second peak is broader, covers several microseconds, and represents the low-energy electrons (2 0:5 eV) associated with the laser-induced silver plasma as revealed by time-of-flight measurements. It has been found that prompt electrons ejected from the target collisionally excite and ionize ambient gas molecules. Clearly resolved rotational structure is observed in the emission spectra of ambient nitrogen molecules. Combined with time-resolved spectroscopy, the prompt electrons can be used as excitation sources for various collisional excitation–relaxation experiments. The electron density corresponding to the first peak is estimated to be of the order of 1017 cm?--3 and it is found that the density increases as a function of distance away from the target. Dependence of probe current on laser intensity shows plasma shielding at high laser intensities.

Analytical methodologies based on X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF) and Inductively Couple Plasma Spectroscopy (ICP) for the assessment of metal dispersal around mining environments

La investigació que es presenta en aquesta tesi es centra en l'aplicació i millora de metodologies analítiques existents i el desenvolupament de nous procediments que poden ser utilitzats per a l'estudi dels efectes ambientals de la dispersió dels metalls entorn a les zones mineres abandonades. En primer lloc, es van aplicar diferents procediments d'extracció simple i seqüencial per a estudiar la mobilitat, perillositat i bio-disponibilitat dels metalls continguts en residus miners de característiques diferents. Per altra banda, per a estudiar les fonts potencials de Pb en la vegetació de les zones mineres d'estudi, una metodologia basada en la utilització de les relacions isotòpiques de Pb determinades mitjançant ICP-MS va ser avaluada. Finalment, tenint en compte l'elevat nombre de mostres analitzades per a avaluar l'impacte de les activitats mineres, es va considerar apropiat el desenvolupament de mètodes analítics d'elevada productivitat. En aquest sentit la implementació d'estratègies quantitatives així com l'aplicació de les millores instrumentals en els equips de XRF han estat avaluades per a aconseguir resultats analítics fiables en l'anàlisi de plantes. A més, alguns paràmetres de qualitat com la precisió, l'exactitud i els límits de detecció han estat curosament determinats en les diverses configuracions de espectròmetres de XRF utilitzats en el decurs d'aquest treball (EDXRF, WDXRF i EDPXRF) per a establir la capacitat de la tècnica de XRF com a tècnica alternativa a les clàssiques comunament aplicades en la determinació d'elements en mostres vegetals.

Secondary emission of nanocrystalline zinc oxide

The Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of nanocrystalline zinc oxide produced by mechanochemical synthesis were measured using a pulsed nitrogen laser (337.1 nm) and xenon lamp (360 nm) as excitation sources in PL measurements and a cw Nd:YAG laser in Raman measurements. PL was observed in the range 400–800 nm. The Raman spectrum of nanocrystalline (90 nm) ZnO was compared to that of coarsegrained ZnO. The Raman bands of nanocrystalline zinc oxide were found to be shifted to lower frequencies and broadened. Laser radiation was shown to cause local heating of zinc oxide up to 1000 K, resulting in photoinduced formation of zinc nanoclusters. Mixtures of zinc oxide and sodium chloride powders are heated to substantially lower temperatures. Under nitrogen laser excitation, the green PL band (535 nm), characteristic of bulk ZnO, is shifted to longer wavelengths by 85 nm. The results are interpreted in terms of light confinement in zinc oxide microclusters consisting of large number of nanocrystallites. The photoinduced processes in question may be a viable approach to producing metal-insulator structures in globular photonic crystals, opals, filled with zinc oxide.

Dynamics of energy transfer and frequency upconversion in Tm3+ doped fluoroindate glass

The spectroscopic properties of Tm3+-doped fluoroindate glasses (FIG) were described by single wavelength pumping in the red region. The Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory was used to obtain the quantum efficiency of the 4f-4f transitions and other spectroscopic parameters. The dynamics of the fluorescence was investigated and energy transfer (ET) processes among Tm3+ ions were studied. The results indicate that a two-step one-photon absorption process is responsible for the ultraviolet upconversion (UC) emissions, and dipole-dipole interaction provides the main contribution for ET rate is equal to the decay rate of noninteracting among active ions.