Growth of Nanometric Gold Particles in Solution Phase

The time evolution of colloidal gold particles in the nanometric regime has been investigated by employing electron microscopy and electronic absorption spectroscopy. The particle size distributions are essentially Gaussian and show the same time dependence for both the mean and the standard deviation, enabling us to obtain a time-independent universal curve for the particle size. Temperature dependent studies show the growth to be an activated process with a barrier of about 18 kJ mol(-1). We present a phenomenological equation for the evolution of particle size and suggest that the growth process is stochastic.

Liquid phase epitaxial growth of pure and doped GaSb layers: morphological evolution and native defects

Undoped and Te-doped gallium antimonide (GaSb) layers have been grown on GaSb bulk substrates by the liquid phase epitaxial technique from Ga-rich and Sb-rich melts. The nucleation morphology of the grown layers has been studied as a function of growth temperature and substrate orientation. MOS structures have been fabricated on the epilayers to evaluate the native defect content in the grown layers from the C-V characteristics. Layers grown from antimony rich melts always exhibit p-type conductivity. In contrast, a type conversion from p- to n- was observed in layers grown from gallium rich melts below 400 degrees C. The electron mobility of undoped n-type layers grown from Ga-rich melts and tellurium doped layers grown from Sb- and Ga-rich solutions has been evaluated.

Low temperature H-1 NMR relaxation studies of phase transitions in dicalcium barium propionate

The two low-temperature phase transitions in dicalcium barium propionate have been investigated by H-1 NMR relaxation (T-1,T-2,T-1 rho) studies carried out at a Larmor frequency of 300 MHz. The T-1 and T-1 rho results indicate the presence of C2H5 dynamics near these two transitions. We infer from the T-1 rho results that the slow motions of the C2H5 groups are responsible for the II-III transition.

Low-temperature magnetoresistance of ?-phase FexNi80-xCr20 alloys near the critical composition for ferromagnetism

We present a comprehensive study of magnetoresistance (MR) of the crystalline pseudobinary ?-phase Fe alloy series FexNi80-xCr20 (50?x?66). This alloy series shows exotic magnetic phases as the composition (x) is varied. It has a critical composition for ferromagnetism at x=xc?59�60. MR was measured in the temperature range 1.7�110 K and up to a field of 7 T. The observed MR was small and the change was ?1%. The temperature dependence of MR was found to contain a positive and a negative contribution. The positive term was found to be ?H2 and it dominates at high field and high temperatures. We explain this as a manifestation of Kohler�s rule. The negative MR was found to have a quadratic dependence on magnetization M. The magnitude of the negative MR reaches a maximum as x?xc.

Metastable phase relations and europium(II) luminescence of barium hexa-aluminates prepared by gel to crystallite conversion

Wet chemical reaction of hydrated alumina gels, Al2O3.yH(2)O(80phase is evident from the splitting of (00l) reflections, on heat treatment above 1600 degrees C, indicating the subsolidus decomposition to 0.82BaO 6Al(2)O3 and 1.32BaO 6Al(2)O(3). High resolution electron microscopy reveals extensive distribution of the blocking defects and structural intergrowths. The metastable Ba-hexa-aluminates doped with Eu(II), exhibit predominantly the 436nm emission band for all the 'x' values. No deterioration in emission intensity is noticed on long term preservation of the phosphors. Differences prevailing in literature on the phase relations in Ba-hexa-aluminates can be attributed to preparative route dependent metastability.

Comment on “Noise-Induced Nonequilibrium Phase Transition"

A Comment on the Letter by C. Van den Broeck, J. M. R. Parrondo, and R. Toral, Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 3395 (1994). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply.

Nonequilibrium phase transitions in a driven sandpile model

We construct a driven sandpile slope model and study it by numerical simulations in one dimension. The model is specified by a threshold slope sigma(c), a parameter alpha, governing the local current-slope relation (beyond threshold), and j(in), the mean input current of sand. A non-equilibrium phase diagram is obtained in the alpha-j(in) plane. We find an infinity of phases, characterized by different mean slopes and separated by continuous or first-order boundaries, some of which we obtain analytically. Extensions to two dimensions are discussed.z

Use of finite wordlength FIR digital filter structures with improved magnitude and phase characteristics for reduction of muscle noise in EEG signals

One of the main disturbances in EEG signals is EMG artefacts generated by muscle movements. In the paper, the use of a linear phase FIR digital low-pass filter with finite wordlength precision coefficients is proposed, designed using the compensation procedure, to minimise EMG artefacts in contaminated EEG signals. To make the filtering more effective, different structures are used, i.e. cascading, twicing and sharpening (apart from simple low-pass filtering) of the designed FIR filter Modifications are proposed to twicing and sharpening structures to regain the linear phase characteristics that are lost in conventional twicing and sharpening operations. The efficacy of all these transformed filters in minimising EMG artefacts is studied, using SNR improvements as a performance measure for simulated signals. Time plots of the signals are also compared. Studies show that the modified sharpening structure is superior in performance to all other proposed methods. These algorithms have also been applied to real or recorded EMG-contaminated EEG signal. Comparison of time plots, and also the output SNR, show that the proposed modified sharpened structure works better in minimising EMG artefacts compared with other methods considered.

Preparation and Characterization of Single-Phase Beta-Sialon

A simple method for the preparation of monophasic beta-SiAlON using nitridation of Si and AIN with an oxygen partial pressure of 10(-4) atm is described. The effect of the AlN/Si ratio in the initial mixture on the formation of beta-SiAlON is discussed. The likely mechanism of the formation of beta-SiAlON is outlined.

Probing the structural changes in the phase transitions of a Bi2MoO6 catalyst: the nature of the intermediate-temperature phase

The nature of the phase transitions of Bi2MoO6 has been investigated by the combined use of X-ray diffraction and Xray absorption spectroscopy. The distorted MoO6 octahedra in the low-temperature form are shown to undergo further distortion in the intermediate-temperature form before transforming to MoO4 tetrahedra in the high-temperature phase. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.

Universal Stability and Temperature Dependent Phase Transformation in Group VIIIB-IB Transition Metal FCC Nanowires

Atomistic simulation of Ag, Al, Au, Cu, Ni, Pd, and Pt FCC metallic nanowires show a universal FCC -> HCP phase transformation below a critical cross-sectional size, which is reported for the first time in this paper. The newly observed HCP structure is also confirmed from previous experimental results. Above the critical cross-sectional size, initial < 100 >/{100} FCC metallic nanowires are found to be metastable. External thermal heating shows the transformation of metastable < 100 >/{100} FCC nanowires into < 110 >/{111} stable configuration. Size dependent metastability/instability is also correlated with initial residual stresses of the nanowire by use of molecular static simulation using the conjugant gradient method at a temperature of 0 K. It is found that a smaller cross-sectional dimension of an initial FCC nanowire shows instability due to higher initial residual stresses, and the nanowire is transformed into the novel HCP structure. The initial residual stress shows reduction with an increase in the cross-sectional size of the nanowires. A size dependent critical temperature is also reported for metastable FCC nanowires using molecular dynamic, to capture the < 110 >/{111} to < 100 >/{100} shape memory and pseudoelasticity.

Nonequilibrium-phase transition and 'specific-heat' singularity in the kinetic Ising model: A Monte Carlo study

The nonequilibrium-phase transition has been studied by Monte Carlo simulation in a ferromagnetically interacting (nearest-neighbour) kinetic Ising model in presence of a sinusoidally oscillating magnetic field. The ('specific-heat') temperature derivative of energies (averaged over a full cycle of the oscillating field) diverge near the dynamic transition point.

Nonequilibrium phase transition in the kinetic Ising model: Critical slowing down and the specific-heat singularity

The nonequilibrium dynamic phase transition, in the kinetic Ising model in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field has been studied both by Monte Carlo simulation and by solving numerically the mean-field dynamic equation of motion for the average magnetization. In both cases, the Debye ''relaxation'' behavior of the dynamic order parameter has been observed and the ''relaxation time'' is found to diverge near the dynamic transition point. The Debye relaxation of the dynamic order parameter and the power law divergence of the relaxation time have been obtained from a very approximate solution of the mean-field dynamic equation. The temperature variation of appropriately defined ''specific heat'' is studied by the Monte Carlo simulation near the transition point. The specific heat has been observed to diverge near the dynamic transition point.

Nonequilibrium phase transition in the kinetic Ising model: Divergences of fluctuations and responses near the transition point

The nonequilibrium dynamic phase transition in the kinetic Ising model in the presence of an oscillating magnetic field is studied by Monte Carlo simulation. The fluctuation of the dynamic older parameter is studied as a function of temperature near the dynamic transition point. The temperature variation of appropriately defined ''susceptibility'' is also studied near the dynamic transition point. Similarly, the fluctuation of energy and appropriately defined ''specific heat'' is studied as a function of temperature near the dynamic transition point. In both cases, the fluctuations (of dynamic order parameter and energy) and the corresponding responses diverge (in power law fashion) near the dynamic transition point with similar critical behavior (with identical exponent values).

On the existence of a nickel hydroxide phase which is neither alpha nor beta

A novel phase of nickel hydroxide with an average interlayer spacing 5.4-5.6 Angstrom has been synthesized which is neither ct nor beta type but is an interstratification of both. It ages to the beta form in strong alkali. These observations have implications on the dissolution-reprecipitation mechanism suggested for the alpha-->beta transformation of nickel hydroxide.