Enhanced photoluminescence of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors with alkali (M = Li+, Na+, K+) metal ion co-doping

Gd1.95Eu0.4M0.01O3 (M = Li+ Na+ K+) nanophosphors have been synthesized by a low temperature solution combustion (LSC) method. Powder X-ray diffraction pattern (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis and photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out to characterize their structural and luminescent properties. The excitation and emission spectra indicated that the phosphor could be well excited by UV light (243 nm) and emit red light about 612 nm. The effect of alkali co-dopant on PL properties has been examined. The results showed that incorporation of Li+, Na+ and K+ in to Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphor would lead to a remarkable increase of photoluminescence. The PL intensity of Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphor was improved evidently by co-doping with Li+ ions whose radius is less than that of Gd3+ and hardly with Na+, K+ whose radius is larger than that of Gd3+. The effect of co-dopants on enhanced luminescence was mainly regarded as the result of a suitable local distortion of crystal field surrounding the Eu3+ activator. These results will play an important role in seeking some more effective co-dopants. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V.

On concave univalent functions

We consider functions that map the open unit disc conformally onto the complement of an unbounded convex set with opening angle pa, a ? (1, 2], at infinity. In this paper, we show that every such function is close-to-convex of order (a - 1) and is included in the set of univalent functions of bounded boundary rotation. Many interesting consequences of this result are obtained. We also determine the extreme points of the set of concave functions with respect to the linear structure of the Hornich space.

Synthesis, characterization, thermo- and photoluminescence properties of Bi3+ co-doped Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors

Gd2O3:Eu3+ (4 mol%) co-doped with Bi3+ (Bi = 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 mol%) ions were synthesized by a low-temperature solution combustion method. The powders were calcined at 800A degrees C and were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The PXRD profiles confirm that the calcined products were in monoclinic with little cubic phases. The particle sizes were estimated using Scherrer's method and Williamson-Hall plots and are found to be in the ranges 40-60 nm and 30-80 nm, respectively. The results are in good agreement with TEM results. The photoluminescence spectra of the synthesized phosphors excited with 230 nm show emission peaks at similar to 590, 612 and 625 nm, which are due to the transitions D-5(0)-> F-7(0), D-5(0)-> F-7(2) and D-5(0)-> F-7(3) of Eu3+, respectively. It is observed that a significant quenching of Eu3+ emission was observed under 230 nm excitation when Bi3+ was co-doped. On the other hand, upon 350 nm excitation, the luminescent intensity of Eu3+ ions was enhanced by incorporation of Bi3+ (5 mol%) ions. The introduction of Bi3+ ions broadened the excitation band of Eu3+ of which a new strong band occurred ranging from 320 to 380 nm. This has been attributed to the 6s(2)-> 6s6p transition of Bi3+ ions, implying a very efficient energy transfer from Bi3+ ions to Eu3+ ions. The gamma radiation response of Gd2O3:Eu3+ exhibited a dosimetrically useful glow peak at 380A degrees C. Using thermoluminescence glow peaks, the trap parameters have been evaluated and discussed. The observed emission characteristics and energy transfer indicate that Gd2O3:Eu3+, Bi3+ phosphors have promising applications in solid-state lighting.

Spherical and rod-like Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors-Structural and luminescent properties

A comparative study of spherical and rod-like nanocrystalline GdO:Eu (GdEuO) red phosphors prepared by solution combustion and hydrothermal methods have been reported. Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) results confirm the as-formed product in combustion method showing mixed phase of monoclinic and cubic of GdO:Eu. Upon calcinations at 800C for 3 h, dominant cubic phase was achieved. The as-formed precursor hydrothermal product shows hexagonal Gd(OH):Eu phase and it converts to pure cubic phase of GdO:Eu on calcination at 600C for 3 h. TEM micrographs of hydrothermally prepared cubic GdO:Eu phase shows nanorods with a diameter of 15 nm and length varying from 50 to 150 nm, whereas combustion product shows the particles to be of irregular shape, with different sizes in the range 50-250 nm. Dominant red emission (612 nm) was observed in cubic GdO:Eu which has been assigned to transition. However, in hexagonal Gd(OH):Eu, emission peaks at 614 and 621 nm were observed. The strong red emission of cubic GdO:Eu nanophosphors by hydrothermal method are promising for high performance display materials. The variation in optical energy bandgap () was noticed in as-formed and heat treated systems in both the techniques. This is due to more ordered structure in heat treated samples and reduction in structural defects.

Effect of Li+-dopant on Photoluminescence of Gd2O3:Eu3+Nanophosphor

Li+-doped Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphors have been studied as potential red phosphors for application to field emission displays. The Li+-doped and undoped Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphors were synthesized by low temperature solution combustion method. The enhanced luminescence was regarded as the result of the creation of oxygen vacancies due to the Gd3+ sites occupied by Li+ ions, the alteration of the crystal field surrounding the activator Eu3+ ions owing to the incorporation of Li+ into interstial sites. The result in a remarkable increase on photoluminescence and the strong emission was observed at 612 nm by a factor of 4.1 in comparison with that of undoped sample.

Anomalous magnetic behavior of La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 nano-tubes constituted with 3-12 nm particles

Uniform La0.6Sr0.4MnO3 (LSMO) nanotubes of an average diameter 180 nm were synthesized by a modified sol-gel method employing nanochannel porous anodic alumina templates. The nanotubes were characterized chemically and structurally by XRD, SEM, EDX, and TEM. Postannealed (700 degrees C for 1 h hour) nanotubes were found to be polycrystalline from XRD and SAED studies. To get further insight into the nanotube structure, HRTEM studies were done, which revealed that obtained LSMO nanotubes were structurally constituted with nanoparticles of 3-12 nm size. These constituent nanoparticles were randomly aligned and self-knitted to build the nanotube wall. Investigation of magnetic properties at this structured nanoscale revealed remarkable irreversibility between the zero field cooling (ZFC) and field cooling (FC) magnetization curves accompanied with a peak in the ZFC curve indicating spin-glass-like behavior. Structural defects and compositional variations at surfaces and grain-boundaries of constituent nanoparticles might be responsible for this anomalous magnetic behavior.

Hydrothermal synthesis of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors: Effect of surfactant on structural and luminescence properties

Various morphologies of Eu3+ activated gadolinium oxide have been prepared by hydrothermal method using hexadecylamine (HDA) as surfactant at different experimental conditions. The powder X-ray diffraction studies reveal as-formed product is hexagonal Gd(OH)(3):Eu3+ phase and subsequent heat treatment at 350 and 600 degrees C transforms to monoclinic GdOOH:Eu3+ and cubic Gd2O3:Eu3+ phases respectively. SEM pictures of without surfactant show irregular shaped rods along with flakes. However, in the presence of HDA surfactant, the particles are converted into rods of various sizes. The temperature dependent morphological evolution of Gd2O3:Eu3+ without and with HDA surfactant is studied. TEM micrographs of Gd(OH)(3):Eu3+ sample with HDA confirms smooth nanorods with various diameters in the range 20-100 nm. FTIR studies reveal that HDA surfactant plays an important role in conversion of cubic to hexagonal phases. Among these three phases, cubic phase Gd2O3:Eu3+ (lambda(ex) = 254 nm) show red emission at 612 nm corresponding to D-5(0)-> F-7(2) and is more efficient host than the monoclinic counterpart. The band gap for hexagonal Gd(OH)(3):Eu3+ is more when compared to monoclinic GdOOH:Eu3+ and cubic Gd2O3:Eu3+. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of benzimidazole-grafted graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes composite for supercapacitance application

We are reporting the fabrication, characterizations and supercapacitance performance of benzimidazole-grafted graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (BI-GO/MWCNTs) composite. The synthesis of BI-GO materials involves cyclization reaction of carboxylic groups on GO among the hydroxyl and amino groups on o-phenylenediamine. The BI-GO/MWCNTs composite has been fabricated via in situ reduction of BI-GO using hydrazine in presence of MWCNTs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) have been used to characterize its surface and elemental composition. The uniform dispersion of MWCNTs with BI-GO helps to improve the charge transfer reaction during electrochemical process. The specific capacitance of BI-GO/MWCNTs composite is 275 and 460 F/g at 200 and 5 mV/s scan rate in 1 mol/L aqueous solution of H2SO4. This BI-GO/MWCNTs composite has shown 224 F/g capacitance after 1300 cycles at 200 mV/s scan rate, which represents its good electrochemical stability. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eco-friendly green synthesis, structural and photoluminescent studies of CeO2:Eu3+ nanophosphors using E. tirucalli plant latex

The investigation involves preparation and photoluminescence properties of CeO2:Eu3+ (1-11 mol%) nano phosphors by eco-friendly green combustion route using Euphorbia tirucalli plant latex as fuel. The final product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The PXRD and SEM results reveals cubic fluorite phase with flaky structure. The crystallite size obtained from TEM was found to be similar to 20-25 nm, which was comparable to W-H plots and Scherrer's method. Photoluminescence (PL) emission of all the Eu3+ doped samples shows characteristic bands arising from the transitions of D-5(0) -> F-5(J) (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) manifolds under excitation at 373 and 467 nm excitation. The D-5(0) -> F-7(2) (613 nm) transition often dominate the emission spectra, indicating that the Eu3+ cations occupy a site without inversion center. The highest PL intensity was recorded for 9 mol% Eu3+ ions with 5 ml latex. PL quenching was observed upon further increase in Eu3+ concentration. The international commission on illumination (CIE) chromaticity co-ordinates were calculated from emission spectra, the values (x, y) were very close to national television system committee (NTSC) standard values of pure red emission. The results demonstrate that the synthesized phosphor material could be very useful for display applications. Further, the phosphor material prepared by this method was found to be non toxic, environmental friendly and could be a potential alternative to economical routes. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Efficient generation of diffraction-limited multi-sheet pattern for biological imaging

We demonstrate a new technique to generate multiple light-sheets for fluorescence microscopy. This is possible by illuminating the cylindrical lens using multiple copies of Gaussian beams. A diffraction grating placed just before the cylindrical lens splits the incident Gaussian beam into multiple beams traveling at different angles. Subsequently, this gives rise to diffraction-limited light-sheets after the Gaussian beams pass through the combined cylindrical lens-objective sub-system. Direct measurement of field at and around the focus of objective lens shows multi-sheet pattern with an average thickness of 7.5 mu m and inter-sheet separation of 380 mu m. Employing an independent orthogonal detection sub-system, we successfully imaged fluorescently-coated yeast cells (approximate to 4 mu m) encaged in agarose gel-matrix. Such a diffraction-limited sheet-pattern equipped with dedicated detection system may find immediate applications in the field of optical microscopy and fluorescence imaging. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America

Secure Routing with an Integrated Localized Key Management Protocol in MANETs

A routing protocol in a mobile ad hoc network (MANET) should be secure against both the outside attackers which do not hold valid security credentials and the inside attackers which are the compromised nodes in the network. The outside attackers can be prevented with the help of an efficient key management protocol and cryptography. However, to prevent inside attackers, it should be accompanied with an intrusion detection system (IDS). In this paper, we propose a novel secure routing with an integrated localized key management (SR-LKM) protocol, which is aimed to prevent both inside and outside attackers. The localized key management mechanism is not dependent on any routing protocol. Thus, unlike many other existing schemes, the protocol does not suffer from the key management - secure routing interdependency problem. The key management mechanism is lightweight as it optimizes the use of public key cryptography with the help of a novel neighbor based handshaking and Least Common Multiple (LCM) based broadcast key distribution mechanism. The protocol is storage scalable and its efficiency is confirmed by the results obtained from simulation experiments.

Synthesis and Photoluminescence Properties of Eu3+ activated Ce0.5Al0.5O2-delta Nanophosphors for WLEDs Application

A series of Eu3+ activated Ce0.5Al0.5O2-delta nanophosphors have been synthesized by the nitrate - citrate gel combustion method. All the compounds crystallized in the cubic fluorite CeO2 structure with space group Fm-3m (No. 225). FESEM revealed the flakes-like morphology. The average particle size was estimated from TEM studies and found to be in the range 15-25 nm. The values were in good agreement with the Scherer's method. In photoluminescence (PL) spectra, the D-5(0) -> F-7(2) (612 nm) transition dominates than other transitions which indicates that the Eu3+ ions occupy a site without inversion center. CIE chromaticity diagram confirmed that these nanophosphors can be useful in the fabrication of red component in white light emitting diodes (WLEDs).

Modeling and mesoscopic damage constitutive relation of brittle short-fiber-reinforced composites

Aimed at brittle composites reinforced by randomly distributed short-fibers with a relatively large aspect ratio, stiffness modulus and strength, a mesoscopic material model was proposed. Based on the statistical description, damage mechanisms, damage-induced anisotropy, damage rate effect and stress redistribution, the constitutive relation were derived. By taking glass fiber reinforced polypropylene polymers as an example, the effect of initial orientation distribution of fibers, damage-induced anisotropy, and damage-rate effect on macro-behaviors of composites were quantitatively analyzed. The theoretical predictions compared favorably with the experimental results.

Efecto de tres niveles de proteína sobre los rendimientos productivos en conejos de engorde

El presente trabajo experimental se realizó con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto de la variación proteica sobre los rendimientos productivos en conejos de engorde y la evaluación económica de los Tratamientos. Se utilizarán 27 gazapos de 40 días de edad, de la raza Neozelandés Blanco (NB), con un peso vivo inicial promedio de 0.612 Kg. Se realizó sexaje de los animales resultando 12 hembras y 15 machos. Se utilizaron tres tratamientos. A los animales del grupo uno (T1) se les suministró pellet con 13% PB. En el segundo grupo (T2) o testigo se suministró pellet con 15% PB y el tercer tratamiento se suministró pellet con 17% PB. Para las evaluaciones estadísticas se empleó un diseño completamente aleatorio (DCA), con tres tratamientos y tres repeticiones por tratamiento. Cada repetición estaba constituida por tres gazapos distribuidos aleatoriamente a los que se le registraron diariamente consumo de alimento y semanalmente aumento de peso vivo, ganancia media diaria e índice de conversión alimenticia. Las variables analizadas estadísticamente por medio del análisis de varianza (ANDEVA) fueron la Consumo Promedio de Alimento (Kg/día), Ganancia Media Diaria (Gr/día) y el índice de conversión por cada tratamiento, Duración del período de Ceba y los Costos Totales por Tratamiento. Para las variables dependientes se obtuvieron los siguientes valores : %P T1. 13%; T2. 15%; T3. 17% CA(Kg) T1: 0.0757 %; T2: 0.0785; T3: 0.0945 GMD (Gr/Dia) T1: 18.874; T2:17.990; T3: 17.902 ICA (Kg A/Kg PV)T1: 4.01; T2: 4.36; T3: 5.28 lnc. Peso (Kg) T1: 1.189; T2: 1.134; T3: 1.128 Durante el ensayo los animales del tratamiento T1 (13 16 PB) fueron los primeros en alcanzar el peso comercial (1.872 Kg) a los 63 días del engorde. En tanto en los tratamientos T2 (15 % PB) y T3 (17 % PB) los pesos finales registrados fueron 1.850 y 1.833 Kg de PV respectivamente. En el ANDEVA realizado para las diferentes variables, se observó que el efecto de los tratamientos sobre Consumo alimenticio, Ganancia Media Diaria e índice de Conversión Alimenticia resultó no significativo concluyendo que no existe diferencia entre los tratamientos. Sin embargo el Tratamiento con13% de PB (T1) fue el que presentó menor consumo, mayor ganancia de peso y mejor conversión Con la realización del análisis de los costos totales para un gazapo en engorde se determinaron valores de $20.01(T1),20.45 (T2) y 21.55 (T3). Al determinar los costos de alimentación por tratamiento se obtuvieron valores de C$ 27.91 para el13% de PB (T1), C$ 30.86 para el15% de PB (T2) y C$ 43.53 para el 17% de PB (T3). Pudiendo concluir que el tratamiento con 13% de PB (T1) fue el que presentó menores costos de alimentación y por lo tanto se obtuvo mayor utilidad.

Evaluación agronómica y uso eficiente del nitrógeno por dieciseis lineas de sorgo (Sorghum bicolor L Moench) en el municipio de Posoltega, Chinandega

El presente trabajo se realizó en el Centro Experimental de Occidente (CEO) localizado en el municipio de Posoltega, departamento de Chinandega, ubicado en las coordenadas 12º 33’ de latitud Norte y 85º 59’ de longitud Oeste, a una elevación de 80 metros sobre el nivel del mar (m.s.n.m), en la época de postrera, periodo comprendido entre Agosto y Diciembre del 2003. Se evaluaron 15 líneas de sorgo mas un testigo local (Pinolero 1) con una aplicación general en el área de 193.6 kg de completo 12–30–10, y se estudiaron dos niveles de Nitrógeno 0 y 112 kg de N ka ha-1 fraccionado en dos aplicaciones, un 50 % a los 30 dds y el restante (50 %) a los 45 dds. El diseño experimental utilizado fue un bifactorial en arreglos de bloques completamente al azar (BCA), con cuatro repeticiones. Los resultados reflejan que la mayoría de las variables evaluadas presentaron diferencias altamente significativas, para ambos factores en estudio (A y B); a excepción de la variable longitud de panoja que no presento diferencia significativa entre líneas de sorgo, igualmente ocurrió para la interacción la que no presento significancia en la mayoría de las variables evaluadas. Los mejores rendimientos de grano y biomasa seca se presentaron cuando se aplico el nivel 112 kg de N. ha-1 al suelo, sobresaliendo la línea ICSVLM-93079 con 4,612 kg de grano ha-1 lo equivalente a 71 qq/mz, y la ICSVLM-89524 con 7,232.37 kg ha-1 de materia seca (7.68 tn ha-1). Cabe destacar que 13 de los 16 materiales evaluados presentaron rendimientos entre 2,000 y 3,000 kg de grano ha-1 los que están por encima del promedio nacional, estos rendimientos se obtuvieron sin la aplicación de urea. Las evaluaciones de Relación de Eficiencia y Eficiencia Fisiológica de N, estuvieron por encima del 60 %, sin embargo la Eficiencia de Recuperación del fertilizante aplicado fue baja principalmente por el alto nivel de N aplicado.