Electronic ceramics based on polycrystalline SnO2, TiO2 and (Sn xTi1-x)O2 solid solution

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

Photoreflectance studies of optical transitions in cubic GaN grown on GaAs(001) substrates

The optical properties of cubic GaN epitaxial layers were investigated by modulated photoreflectance (PR) and photoluminescence in the temperature interval from 5 to 300 K. The epilayers were grown on GaAs(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using a nitrogen RIF-activated plasma source. The PR spectra show a transition which is well fitted using the third-derivative functional form of the unperturbed dielectric function, which we interpret as band-to-band transition. Our results allow determination of the temperature dependence of the main gap of c-GaN and give insights into the residual strain in the film, as well as allow us to estimate the binding energy of the complex formed by an exciton bound to a neutral acceptor. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Formation and characterization of soy bean oil/surfactant/water microemulsions

Pseudoternary phase diagrams, at 25 degrees C, were constructed for the systems soy bean oil (SBO)/surfactant/water, with single anionic sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT), nonionic monoolein (MO) and mixtures of these surfactants, showing the isotropic phase of W/O microemulsions (MEs). The area of ME formation in the phase diagrams was shown to be dependent of the relative amount of surfactants, being larger for MO:AOT equals to 2:1. Rheological and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies indicated that the viscosity of the isotropic ME phase exhibited two different behaviors depending on composition. The viscosity of dry MEs initially decreased with increasing amount of water following a dilution line in the phase diagram, i.e., a constant surfactant:SBO percentage ratio. As the water content increased the relative viscosity attained a minimum and then increased. This minimum could be related to the transition between two ME regions, L-2 and L'(2), having different characteristics. DLS measurements confirm the existence of ordinary W/O ME droplets in the L-2 region and suggest the existence of another structure in the L'(2) region. The size of the MEs droplets in L-2 phase ranges from 3.6 to 16.5 nm, depending on composition of SBO, surfactant and water. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) also indicates the existence of structures with different characteristics, for the SAXS curves exhibit a typical micelle asymmetrical peak at low scattering vector q for MEs in L-2 but a symmetrical correlation peak at higher q vector in L'(2). (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aqueous solution behavior of thermosensitive (N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylic acid-ethyl methacrylate) terpolymers

A series of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM)-acrylic acid-ethyl methacrylate terpolymers with varied monomer compositions was prepared by radical polymerization. The solution behavior of these polymers was studied in dilute aqueous solution using spectrophotometry, fluorescence spectroscopy and high-sensitivity differential scanning calorimetry. The results obtained revealed that the lower critical solution temperatures depend strongly on the copolymer composition, solution pH and ionic strength. At a high pH, the ionization of acrylic acid (AA) units leads to an increase in solution cloud points (T-c). Solutions of polymers containing 10% or less of AA display a constant T-c for pH above 5.5, with 15% there is a continuous increase in T-c with pH and, for higher AA contents, no clouding was observed within the studied temperature range. Fluorescence probe studies were conducted by following the I (1)/I (3) ratio of pyrene vibronic bands and the emission of anilinonaphtalene sulfonic acid, sodium salt (ANS), both approaches revealing the existence of hydrophobic domains for polymers with higher ethyl methacrylate content at temperatures lower than T-c, suggesting some extent of aggregation and/or a coil-to-globule transition. Scanning calorimetry measurements showed an endothermic transition at temperatures agreeing with the previously detected cloud points. Moreover, the transition curves became broader and with a smaller transition enthalpy, as both the AA content and the solution pH were increased. These broader transitions were interpreted to be the result of a wider molecular distribution upon polymer ionization, hence, displaying varied solution properties. The decrease in transition enthalpy was rationalized as a consequence of reminiscent hydration of NIPAM units, even after phase separation, owing to the presence of electric charges along the polymer chain.

Emergence of the Pointer Basis through the Dynamics of Correlations

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Optical emission and electron capture of rare-earth trivalent ions located at distinct sites in SnO(2) thin films

We present photoluminescence and decay of photo excited conductivity data for sol-gel SnO(2) thin films doped with rare earth ions Eu(3+) and Er(3+), a material with nanoscopic crystallites. Photoluminescence spectra are obtained under excitation with several monochromatic light sources, such as Kr(+) and Ar(+) lasers, Xe lamp plus a selective monochromator with UV grating, and the fourth harmonic of a Nd: YAG laser (4.65eV), which assures band-to-band transition and energy transfer to the ion located at matrix sites, substitutional to Sn(4+). The luminescence structure is rather different depending on the location of the rare-earth doping, at lattice symmetric sites or segregated at grain boundary layer, where it is placed in asymmetric sites. The decay of photo-excited conductivity also shows different trapping rate depending on the rare-earth concentration. For Er-doped films, above the saturation limit, the evaluated capture energy is higher than for films with concentration below the limit, in good agreement with the different behaviour obtained from luminescence data. For Eu-doped films, the difference between capture energy and grain boundary barrier is not so evident, even though the luminescence spectra are rather distinct.

Deviation from the sech2 superradiant emission law in a two-level atomic system

The atomic superradiant emission is treated in the single-particle mean-field approximation. A single-particle Hamiltonian, which represents a dressed two-level atom in a radiation field, can be obtained and it is verified that it describes the transient regime of the emission process. While the line-shape emission for a bare atom follows the sech2 law, for the dressed atom the line shape deviates appreciably from this law and it is verified that the deviation depends crucially on the ratio of the dynamic frequency shift to the transition frequency. This kind of deviation is observed in experimental results. © 1990 The American Physical Society.

Deformed Gaussian orthogonal ensemble and the statistical fluctuations in the spectra of the quartic oscillator

The nearest-neighbor spacing distributions proposed by four models, namely, the Berry-Robnik, Caurier-Grammaticos-Ramani, Lenz-Haake, and the deformed Gaussian orthogonal ensemble, as well as the ansatz by Brody, are applied to the transition between chaos and order that occurs in the isotropic quartic oscillator. The advantages and disadvantages of these five descriptions are discussed. In addition, the results of a simple extension of the expression for the Dyson-Mehta statistic Δ3 are compared with those of a more popular one, usually associated with the Berry-Robnik formalism. ©1999 The American Physical Society.

Phenomenological tests for the freezing of the QCD running coupling constant

We discuss phenomenological tests for the frozen infrared behavior of the running coupling constant and gluon propagators found in some solutions of Schwinger-Dyson equations of the gluonic sector of QCD. We verify that several observables can be used in order to select the different expressions of αs found in the literature. We test the effect of the nonperturbative coupling in the τ-lepton decay rate into nonstrange hadrons, in the ρ vector meson helicity density matrix that are produced in the χc2 → ρρ decay, in the photon to pion transition form factor, and compute the cross-sections for elastic proton-proton scattering and exclusive ρ production in deep inelastic scattering. These quantities depend on the infrared behavior of the coupling constant at different levels, we discuss the reasons for this dependence and argue that the existent and future data can be used to test the approximations performed to solve the Schwinger-Dyson equations and they already seem to select one specific infrared behavior of the coupling.

GPS performance in the quantification of integrated water vapor in Amazonian regions

The Amazonian regions are characterized by large space-time variability in the humidity fields due to the intense convective process in those areas associated with the great humidity potential generated by high temperatures. An experiment denominated RACCI/DRY-TO-WET (RAdiation, Cloud, and Climate Interactions in the Amazonia during the DRY-TO-WET Transition Season) was carried out in the Brazilian Amazonian Region in 2002. The IWV values from GPS and other techniques, such as radiosondes, radiometer and humidity sounding satellites were used in this experiment to supply subsidies to evaluate the aerosols influence in the associated processes modifications to seasonality of atmospheric water vapor. Those regions are one of the most humid of the planet, where IWV (Integrated Water Vapor) average values are in the order of 50 kg/m2. As according the literature the IWV quantification using GPS has not been explored in those circumstances, the objective this paper is to present the preliminary results obtained in the evaluation of the GPS performance in Amazonian Regions when comparing with other techniques. The tendency measurement values indicated that the IWV values from GPS tend to be larger than those from radiosondes and smaller than those from radiometer. On the other hand, IWV values from GPS are very close of the average values supplied by radiosondes and radiometer. Due to the great amount of atmospheric water vapor existent in this region, the results obtained in the experiment in percentile terms are quite better than those found in the literature, which are around of 10%.

Magnetic properties of spinel-type oxides NiMn2-xMexO4

New materials, based on the well-known spinel compound NiMn 2O4, have been synthesized and characterized from the magnetic point of view. The manganese cation was partially substituted in the general formula NiMn2-xMexO4, by nonmagnetic and magnetic elements, such as Me = Ga, Zn, Ni and Cr (0 × 1). Prior to the determination of their magnetic properties, the non-substituted spinel NiMn2O4 was carefully characterized and studied as a function of the oxygen stoichiometry, based on the influence of the annealing atmosphere and quenching rate. The ferrimagnetic character was observed in all samples, with a paramagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition temperature T c stabilized at 110 K, and well defined long-range antiferromagnetic interactions at lower temperatures, which depend on the applied field and the substitute concentration. © 2006 Sociedad Chilena de Química.

Latin America on its path into the digital age: where are we?

Includes bibliography

Microscopic and dielectric analyses of vanadium and tungsten modified barium zirconium titanate ceramics

Dielectric spectroscopy was used in this study to examine polycrystalline vanadium and tungstendoped BaZr 0.1Ti 0.90O 3 (BZT10:2V and BZT10:2W) ceramics obtained by the mixed oxide method. According to X-ray diffraction analyses, addition of vanadium and tungsten lead to ceramics free of secondary phases. SEM analyses reveal that both dopants result in slower oxygen ion motion and consequently lower grain growth rate. Temperature dependence dielectric study showed normal ferroelectric to paraelectric transition well above the room temperature for the BZT10 and BZT10:2V ceramics. However, BZT10:2W ceramic showed a relaxor-like behavior near phase transition characterized by the empirical parameter γ. Piezoelectric force microscopy images reveals that the piezoelectric coefficient is strongly influenced by type of donor dopant suggesting promising applications for dynamic random access memories and data-storage media. Copyright © 2010 American Scientific Publishers All rights reserved.

Cavas históricas de ouro do Jaraguá: o que resta para se preservar?

The Historical Jaraguá Gold Caves are vestiges of excavations in weathered rock, dating back to the Brazilian colonial times, situated NW of Jaraguá peak, in the São Paulo municipality (SP). The areas were investigated to support historical preservation innitiatives. The excavations have lateral steep slopes and a narrow fat bottom zone, occupied by dense vegetation. The trace of the excavations is sinuous, trending N40-50W, in accordance to a transition zone of Neoproterozoic rocks: metapelites and metapsamites by the SW side and calc-silicate rocks and amphybolites at NE. The structural control results from three successive deformation phases. Urban expansion and road construction, during the last 30 years, have strongly impacted the areas: (I) Base of Quebra-Pé hill; (II) Jardim Britânia; (III) Morro Doce; (IV) Nova Anhangüera Park. A 5 th site was disfgured by earthworks. The Jardim Britânia area is partly discharacterized by earthflls; this however does not impede further protection actions. This framework allows to recommend authorities: (1) to permit immediate preservation of these areas; (2) to develop programs to build an integrated site for scientifc diffusion or an educational center for exhibition of rocks, ores and mineral samples; (3) to support the interest of some owners to preserve the area called Morro Doce, (4) to put forward a few proposals for educational use of the excavations, by production of feld guides on the historic sites. The alternatives will help keeping alive the memory of mining in the São Paulo State.

Structural and electrical properties of LaNiO3 thin films grown on (100) and (001) oriented SrLaAlO4 substrates by chemical solution deposition method

LaNiO3 thin films were deposited on SrLaAlO4 (1 0 0) and SrLaAlO4 (0 0 1) single crystal substrates by a chemical solution deposition method and heat-treated in oxygen atmosphere at 700° C in tube oven. Structural, morphological, and electrical properties of the LaNiO 3 thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and electrical resistivity as temperature function (Hall measurements). The X-ray diffraction data indicated good crystallinity and a structural preferential orientation. The LaNiO3 thin films have a very flat surface and no droplet was found on their surfaces. Samples of LaNiO3 grown onto (1 0 0) and (0 0 1) oriented SrLaAlO4 single crystal substrates reveled average grain size by AFM approximately 15-30 nm and 20-35 nm, respectively. Transport characteristics observed were clearly dependent upon the substrate orientation which exhibited a metal-to-insulator transition. The underlying mechanism is a result of competition between the mobility edge and the Fermi energy through the occupation of electron states which in turn is controlled by the disorder level induced by different growth surfaces. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l.