A Comparative Study of Electrical Switching Behavior of Certain Tellurium based Chalcogenide Thin Films for Phase Change Memory (PCM) Applications

This work describes the electrical switching behavior of three telluride based amorphous chalcogenide thin film samples, Al-Te, Ge-Se-Te and Ge-Te-Si. These amorphous thin films are made using bulk glassy ingots, prepared by conventional melt quenching technique, using flash evaporation technique; while Al-Te sample has been coated in coplanar electrode geometry, Ge-Se-Te and Ge-Te-Si samples have been deposited with sandwich electrodes. It is observed that all the three samples studied, exhibit memory switching behavior in thin film form, with Ge-Te-Si sample exhibiting a faster switching characteristic. The difference seen in the switching voltages of the three samples studied has been understood on the basis of difference in device geometry and thickness. Scanning electron microscopic image of switched region of a representative Ge15Te81Si4 sample shows a structural change and formation of crystallites in the electrode region, which is responsible for making a conducting channel between the two electrodes during switching.

Collapse Behavior of an Artificially Cemented Clayey Silt

The present study examines the role of interparticle cementation in the collapse behavior of two partly saturated (S-r = 4 to 12%) and very highly porous (initial void ratio = 1.5 to 2) laboratory-desiccated clayey silt specimens containing varying amounts (5 and 15% by dry weight of the respective specimens) of the cementitious iron oxides hematite and goethite, which are generally encountered in tropical residual soils. Kaolinite is the representative clay mineral of the soil matrix used for this research. Interparticle cementation by the crystalline iron oxides was generated in the laboratory by repeated (six times) wetting and drying of the iron-hydroxide-admixed clayey silt specimens under ambient conditions of temperature and humidity. Results showed that, for a given laboratory-desiccated clayey silt specimen (i.e., a specimen containing 5 or 15% of iron oxide on a dry weight basis), the amount of collapse (represented by Delta epsilon, the change in vertical strain upon wetting under constant pressure) increases with an increase in the experimental loading under which the specimen is inundated. The laboratory results also show that the desiccated specimen with a higher iron oxide content (containing 15% iron oxide by dry weight of the desiccated specimen) in spite of a lower dry unit weight (gamma(d) = 8.8 kN/m(3)) undergoes a lesser amount of collapse on soaking under a constant external stress (50 or 100 kPa) than the desiccated specimen with a lower iron oxide content (i.e., containing 5% iron oxide by dry weight of the desiccated specimen, gamma(d) = 10.4 KN/m(3)). Based on the X-ray diffraction results and the stress-strain relationships obtained from isotropically consolidated undrained triaxial tests, it is suggested that the laboratory-desiccated specimens are characterized by a metastable bonding provided by capillary suction and the crystalline iron oxides. On soaking under load owing to the loss of the metastable bonding, collapse of the laboratory-desiccated specimens occurs. Also, in the case of the laboratory-desiccated specimen with a higher iron oxide content, the presence of a stronger interparticle cementation (due to a greater abundance of crystalline iron oxides) and a higher initial moisture content are considered responsible for the specimen exhibiting a lower amount of collapse in comparison to that exhibited by the desiccated specimen with a lesser iron oxide content.

Synthesis and mesogenic behavior of metal-containing liquid crystalline networks

A new hydroxy functionalized liquid crystalline (LC) polyazomethine has been synthesized by the solution polycondensation of a dialdehyde with a diamine. The polymer was characterized by IR, H-1-, and C-13-NMR spectroscopy. Studies on the liquid crystalline properties reveal the nematic mesomorphic behavior. This polymer functions as a polymeric chelate and forms a three-dimensional network structure through the metal complexation. Influence of various metals and their concentration on the liquid crystalline behavior of the network has been studied. Networks up to 30 mol % of the metal show LC phase transitions; above this the transitions are suppressed and the network behaves like an LC thermoset. (C) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Facial Coordination in BIS[BIS(Benzimidazol-2-Ylmethyl)Amine]Copper(II) Perchlorate Dihydrate - Synthesis, Structure, Spectra and Redox Behavior

The 1:1 and 1:2 cooper(II) complexes with the tridentate compound bis(benzimidazol-2-ylmethyl)amine (L(1)) and its benzimidazole (L(2)) and amine (L(3)) N-methyl-substituted derivatives have been prepared and their spectroscopic properties studied. While the 1:1 complexes are of the type CuLX(2) nH(2)O (X = C/O-4(-), NO3-, Cl- or Br-), the 1:2 complexes are of the type CuL(2) (ClO4)(2) nH(2)O (L = L(1) or L(3), n = 0-4). In all these complexes L acts as a tridentate ligand with the amine nitrogen and both the benzimidazole nitrogens co-ordinating to Cu-II. The complex [CuL(2)(1)][ClO4](2) 2H(2)O crystallises in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/c with a = 9.828(2), b = 9.546(2) and c = 19.906(2) Angstrom and beta = 95.71(1)degrees, for Z = 2. The R value is 0.0635 for 2180 significant reflections. The copper(II) ion has an elongated octahedral geometry with four equatorial benzimidazole and two long-distance axial amine N donors. The Cu-N-bzim and Cu-N-amine distances are 2.011(4) and 2.597(6) Angstrom respectively. Factors favouring facial co-ordination to tridentate ligands are discussed. The 1:1 complexes involve meridonal co-ordination of the ligands, with square-based geometry as revealed by ligand-field and EPR spectral properties. The NMe substitution as in CuL(3)(ClO4)(2) confers low V ($) over tilde$$(max) and high E(1/2) for the cu(II)-Cu-I couple. Most of the 1:1 complexes are less reversible but exhibit E(1/2) values more positive than those of the corresponding 1:2 complexes.

Permeability and Compressibility Behavior of Bentonite-Sand/Soil Mixes

As a seepage barrier slurry trench material should have a relatively low coefficient of permeability, in the range of 10(-7) cm/s, and at the same time should be compatible with surrounding material with regard to compressibility. Although bentonite-sand/soil mixes are used widely, there is no specific engineering approach to proportion these mixes that satisfies the above practical requirements. In this paper, a generalized approach is presented for predicting the permeability and compressibility characteristics of mixes with minimum input parameters. This approach will be helpful in proportioning mixes and predicting corresponding changes in engineering behavior. It is possible to proportion a mix to arrive at the required compressibility without affecting the permeability. This is explained using an illustrative example.

Singularity structure and chaotic behavior of the homopolar disk dynamo

We study in great detail a system of three first-order ordinary differential equations describing a homopolar disk dynamo (HDD). This system displays a large variety of behaviors, both regular and chaotic. Existence of periodic solutions is proved for certain ranges of parameters. Stability criteria for periodic solutions are given. The nonintegrability aspects of the HDD system are studied by investigating analytically the singularity structure of the system in the complex domain. Coexisting attractors (including period-doubling sequence) and coexisting strange attractors appear in some parametric regimes. The gluing of strange attractors and the ungluing of a strange attractor are also shown to occur. A period of bifurcation leading to chaos, not observed for other chaotic systems, is shown to characterize the chaotic behavior in some parametric ranges. The limiting case of the Lorenz system is also studied and is related to HDD.

Synthesis, Thermotropic Behavior, and Permeability Properties of Vesicular Membranes Composed of Cationic Mixed-Chain Surfactants

In order to elucidate the role of the linkage region that connects polar headgroups with hydrophobic segments in a lipid monomer, cationic mixed-chain amphiphiles containing acyl and alkyl hydrophobic segments connected at the level of Me(2)N(+) headgroups 2a-d were synthesized. Related dialkyldimethyl-ammonium ion surfactants 1a-e and diacyl systems 3a-c were also synthesized. Despite mismatch in the connector region, amphiphiles 2a-d form bilayer vesicles like their dialkyl and diacyl counterparts, as revealed by electron microscopy. Introduction of an ester connector function between the polar and hydrophobic parts raises the phase transition temperature (T-m), transition enthalpies, and resistance to ion permeation. Consideration of energy minimized conformations points toward the importance of differences in the depth of chain penetration into the putative bilayer.

The effect of grain size on the high-strain, high-strain-rate behavior of copper

Copper with four widely differing grain sizes was subjected to high-strain-rate plastic deformation in a special experimental arrangement in which high shear strains of approximately 2 to 7 were generated. The adiabatic plastic deformation produced temperature rises in excess of 300 K, creating conditions favorable for dynamic recrystallization, with an attendant change in the mechanical response. Preshocking of the specimens to an amplitude of 50 GPa generated a high dislocation density; twinning was highly dependent on grain size, being profuse for the 117- and 315-mu m grain-size specimens and virtually absent for the 9.5-mu m grain-size specimens. This has a profound effect on the subsequent mechanical response of the specimens, with the smaller grain-size material undergoing considerably more hardening than the larger grain-size material. A rationale is proposed which leads to a prediction of the shock threshold stress for twinning as a function of grain size. The strain required for localization of plastic deformation was dependent on the combined grain size/shock-induced microstructure, with the large grain-size specimens localizing more readily. The experimental results obtained are rationalized in terms of dynamic recrystallization, and a constitutive equation is applied to the experimental results; it correctly predicts the earlier onset of localization for the large grain-size specimens. It is suggested that the grain-size dependence of shock response can significantly affect the performance of shaped charges.

Dynamic Behavior of Poly(2-vinylpyridine) in Solution Studied by 13C Nuclear Magnetic Relaxation

Abstract: The dynamics of poly(2-vinylpyridine) in chloroform solution has been examined by C-13 spin-lattice relaxation time and NOE measurements as a function of temperature. The experiments were performed at 50.3 and 100.6 MHz. The backbone carbon relaxation data have been analyzed in terms of six motional models. Among these models, the models which consider conformational transitions and bond librations for the backbone were found to be more successful. Pyridyl ring motion has been modeled as a restricted rotation with the rotational amplitude varying with temperature. The activation energy parameters obtained from the relaxation data of the pyridyl ring carbon have been compared with the energy barrier for ring rotation estimated from conformational energy calculations using the AM1 semiempirical quantum chemical method. The results of the conformational energy calculations support the description of pyridyl ring motion as a restricted rotation.

Synthesis, Structures, and Magnetic Behavior of a Series of Copper(II) Azide Polymers of Cu-4 Building Clusters and Isolation of a New Hemiaminal Ether as the Metal Complex

Four new neutral copper azido polymers, Cu-4(N-3)(8)(L-1)(2)](n) (1), Cu-4(N-3)(8)(L-2)(2)](n) (2), Cu-4(N-3)(8)(L-3)(2)](n) (3), and Cu-9(N-3)(18)(L-4)(4)](n) (4) L1-4 are formed in situ by reacting pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde with 22-(methylamino)ethyl]pyridine (mapy, L-1), N,N-dimethylethylenediamine (N,N-dmen, L-2), N,N-diethylethylenediamine (N,N-deen, L-3), and N,N,2,2-tetramethylpropanediamine (N,N,2,2-tmpn, L-4)], have been synthesized by using 0.5 mol equiv of the chelating tridentate ligands with Cu-(NO3)(2)center dot 3H(2)O and an excess of NaN3. Single-crystal X-ray structures show that the basic unit of these complexes, especially 1-3, contains very similar Cu-4(II) building blocks. The overall structure of 3 is two-dimensional, while the other three complexes are one-dimensional in nature. Complex 1 represents a unique example containing hemiaminal ether arrested by copper(R). Complexes 1 and 2 have a rare bridging azido pathway: both end-on and end-to-end bridging azides between a pair of Cu-II centers. Cryomagnetic susceptibility measurements over a wide range of temperature exhibit dominant ferromagnetic behavior in all four complexes. Density functional theory calculations (B3LYP functional) have been performed on complexes 1-3 to provide a qualitative theoretical interpretation of their overall ferromagnetic behavior.

On the integrability and chaotic behavior of an ecological model

A three-species food chain model is studied analytically as well as numerically. Integrability of the model is studied using Painleve analysis while chaotic behavior is studied using numerical techniques, such as calculation of Lyapunov exponents, plotting the bifurcation diagram and phase plots. We correct and critically comment on the wrong results reported recently on this ecological model, in a paper by Rai [1995].

Anomalous Behavior of Linear Hydrocarbon Chains in Water-DMSO Binary Mixture at Low DMSO Concentration

We find that at a mole fraction 0.05 of DMSO (x(DMSO) = 0.05) in aqueous solution, a linear hydrocarbon chain of intermediate length (n = 30-40) adopts the most stable collapsed conformation. In pure water, the same chain exhibits an intermittent oscillation between the collapsed and the extended coiled conformations. Even when the mole fraction of DMSO in the bulk is 0.05, the concentration of the same in the first hydration layer around the hydrocarbon of chain length 30 (n = 30) is as large as 17%. Formation of such hydrophobic environment around the hydrocarbon chain may be viewed as the reason for the collapsed conformation gaining additional stability. We find a second anomalous behavior to emerge near x(DMSO) = 0.15, due to a chain-like aggregation of the methyl groups of DMSO in water that lowers the relative concentration of the DMSO molecules in the hydration layer. We further find that as the concentration of DMSO is gradually increased, it progressively attains the extended coiled structure as the stable conformation. Although Flory-Huggins theory (for binary mixture solvent) fails to predict the anomaly at x(DMSO) = 0.05, it seems to capture the essence of the anomaly at 0.15.

Micromechanical modeling of granular materials: effect of confining pressure on mechanical behavior

This paper reports the effect of confining pressure on the mechanical behavior of granular materials from micromechanical considerations starting from the grain scale level, based on the results of numerically simulated tests on disc assemblages using discrete element modeling (DEM). The two macro parameters which are influenced by the increase in confining pressure are stiffness (increases) and volume change (decreases). The lateral strain coefficient (Poisson's ratio) at the beginning of the test is more or less constant. The angle of internal friction slightly decreases with increase in confining pressure. The numerical results of disc assemblages indicate very clearly a non-linear Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope with increase in confining pressure. The increase in average coordination number and accompanying decrease of fabric anisotropy reduce the shear strength at higher confining pressures. Micromechanical explanations of the macroscopic behavior are presented in terms of the force and fabric anisotropy coefficients. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. AII rights reserved.

Permeability and consolidation behavior of fly ashes

A knowledge of permeability and consolidation is essential in a number of engineering problems such as settlement, seepage, and stability of the structures. Since fly ash is used very widely for several geotechnical applications, there is a need to understand its permeability and consolidation behavior. This paper presents a detailed study conducted on two Indian fly ashes. It brings out the role of chemical composition (free lime) on the permeability and consolidation behavior of fly ashes. It is found that the permeability values computed based on grain-size distribution agree well with those obtained based on test data.

Relaxation behavior of twin nonlinear optical chromophores: Effect of the spacer length

A new series of twin nonlinear optical (NLO) molecules, having two 4-nitrophenol chromophores that are linked via a flexible polymethylene spacer of varying length [(CH2)(n), n = 1-12], were synthesized. Powder second harmonic generation measurements of these twin samples indicated a pronounced odd-even oscillation, with the odd twins exhibiting a high SHG value while the even ones gave no measurable SH signal. This behavior reflects the crystal packing preferences in such twin NLO systems that have odd and even numbers of atoms linking them - the even ones appear to prefer a centrosymmetric packing arrangement. The orientational/disordering dynamics of these twin NLO molecules, doped in a polymer (poly(methyl methacrylate)) matrix, has also been studied using SHG in electric field poled samples. Interestingly, the maximum attainable SH signal, chi((2)), in, the poled samples also showed an odd-even oscillation; the odd ones again having a higher value of chi((2)) This unprecedented odd-even oscillation in such molecularly doped systems is rationalized as being due to the intrinsically greater ease of a parallel alignment of the two chromophores in the twins with an odd spacer than in those with an even one. Further, the temporal stability of the SHG intensity at 70 degrees C, after the removal of the applied corona, was also studied. The relaxation of all the twin chromophores followed a biexponential decay; the characteristic relaxation time (tau(2)) for the slow decay component suggests that while the twin with a single methylene unit relaxes relatively slowly, the relaxation is significantly faster in cases where n = 2 and 3. In the twins with even longer spacer segments, the relaxation again becomes slower and reaches a saturation value. The observed minimum appears to reflect the interplay of two competing factors that affect the chromophore alignment in such twin systems, namely, the electrostatic repulsion between neighboring oriented dipoles and the intrinsic flexibility of the spacer.