Evaluation of Bulk and Surfaces Absorption Edge Energy of Sol-Gel-Dip-Coating SnO2 Thin Films

The absorption edge and the bandgap transition of sol-gel-dip-coating SnO2 thin films, deposited on quartz substrates, are evaluated from optical absorption data and temperature dependent photoconductivity spectra. Structural properties of these films help the interpretation of bandgap transition nature, since the obtained nanosized dimensions of crystallites are determinant on dominant growth direction and, thus, absorption energy. Electronic properties of the bulk and (110) and (101) surfaces are also presented, calculated by means of density functional theory applied to periodic calculations at B3LYP hybrid functional level. Experimentally obtained absorption edge is compared to the calculated energy band diagrams of bulk and (110) and (101) surfaces. The overall calculated electronic properties in conjunction with structural and electro-optical experimental data suggest that the nature of the bandgap transition is related to a combined effect of bulk and (101) surface, which presents direct bandgap transition.

Enhancement of optical absorption by modulation of the oxygen flow of TiO2 films deposited by reactive sputtering

Oxygen-deficient TiO2 films with enhanced visible and near-infrared optical absorption have been deposited by reactive sputtering using a planar diode radio frequency magnetron configuration. It is observed that the increase in the absorption coefficient is more effective when the O-2 gas supply is periodically interrupted rather than by a decrease of the partial O-2 gas pressure in the deposition plasma. The optical absorption coefficient at 1.5 eV increases from about 1 x 10(2) cm(-1) to more than 4 x 10(3) cm(-1) as a result of the gas flow discontinuity. A red-shift of similar to 0.24 eV in the optical absorption edge is also observed. High resolution transmission electron microscopy with composition analysis shows that the films present a dense columnar morphology, with estimated mean column width of 40nm. Moreover, the interruptions of the O-2 gas flow do not produce detectable variations in the film composition along its growing direction. X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman experiments indicate the presence of the TiO2 anatase, rutile, and brookite phases. The anatase phase is dominant, with a slight increment of the rutile and brookite phases in films deposited under discontinued O-2 gas flow. The increase of optical absorption in the visible and near-infrared regions has been attributed to a high density of defects in the TiO2 films, which is consistent with density functional theory calculations that place oxygen-related vacancy states in the upper third of the optical bandgap. The electronic structure calculation results, along with the adopted deposition method and experimental data, have been used to propose a mechanism to explain the formation of the observed oxygen-related defects in TiO2 thin films. The observed increase in sub-bandgap absorption and the modeling of the corresponding changes in the electronic structure are potentially useful concerning the optimization of efficiency of the photocatalytic activity and the magnetic doping of TiO2 films. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4724334]

SURFACE MODIFICATION of SUGARCANE BAGASSE CELLULOSE and ITS EFFECT on MECHANICAL and WATER ABSORPTION PROPERTIES of SUGARCANE BAGASSE CELLULOSE HDPE COMPOSITES

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Development of a method to determine Ni and Cd in biodiesel by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

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

Analytical procedure based on slurry sampling for determining selenium in organic vegetable samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

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

Effect of thermocycling on hardness, absorption, solubility and colour change of soft liners

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of addition of pigments and opacifier on the hardness, absorption, solubility and surface degradation of facial silicone after artificial ageing

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

Application of cellulose modified with p-aminobenzoic groups in preconcentration system for determination of Cu, Fe, Ni, and Zn in fuel ethanol samples by flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Cellulose chemically modified with p-aminobenzoic groups, abbreviated as Cel-PAB, was used for preconcentration of copper, iron, nickel, and zinc from ethanol fuel, normally used in Brazil as engine fuel. The surface characteristics and the surface area of the cellulose were obtained before and after chemical modification using FT-IR, elemental analysis, and surface area analysis (B.E.T.). The retention and recovery of the analyte elements were studied by applying batch and column techniques.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction characterization of CuO-TiO2-CeO2 catalyst system

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques have been applied to characterize the surface composition and structure of a series of CuO-TiO2-CeO2 catalysts. For a small loading of cerium, ceria was mainly dispersed on the titania surface and a minor amount of CeO2 crystallite appeared. At higher loading of cerium, the CeO2 phase increased and the atomic Ce/Ti ratio values were smaller than the nominal composition, as a consequence of cerium agglomeration. This result suggests that only a fraction of cerium can be spread on the titania surface. For titanium-based mixed oxide, we observed that cerium is found as Ce3+ uniquely on the surface. The atomic Cu/(Ce+Ti) ratio values showed no influence from cerium concentration on the dispersion of copper, although the copper on the surface was shown to be dependent on the cerium species. For samples with a high amount of cerium, XPS analysis indicated the raise of second titanium species due cerium with spin-orbit components at higher binding energies than those presented by Ti4+ in a tetragonal structure. The structural results obtained by XAS are consistent with those obtained by XRD and XPS. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.

Effects of forest fragmentation, anthropogenic edges and fruit colour on the consumption of ornithocoric fruits

We investigated effects of fruit colour (red, black or white), habitat (anthropogenic edges and forest interior) and fragment size on the removal of artificial fruits in semideciduous forests in south-east Brazil. Eight forest fragments ranging from 251 to 36,000 ha were used. We used artificial fruits, which were placed on shrubs between I and 2 m in height and checked after 48 and 96 h for peck marks in the fruits. All three variables affected the probability of consumption of our fruit models. Red and black fruits were statistically more pecked than the white fruits. The probability of fruit consumption was lower in the interior than at the edge and less in small than in large fragments. However, the decrease fruit consumption in small compared with large fragments was more accentuated for red and black fruits than for white fruits. Our results show that habitat reduction and edges affect the chances of a fruit being eaten by birds, which may ultimately affect plant fitness in forest fragments. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

WATER ABSORPTION of THE FUR and SWIMMING BEHAVIOR of SEMIAQUATIC and TERRESTRIAL ORYZOMINE RODENTS

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Paracellular Absorption: A Bat Breaks the Mammal Paradigm

Bats tend to have less intestinal tissue than comparably sized nonflying mammals. The corresponding reduction in intestinal volume and hence mass of digesta carried is advantageous because the costs of flight increase with load carried and because take-off and maneuverability are diminished at heavier masses. Water soluble compounds, such as glucose and amino acids, are absorbed in the small intestine mainly via two pathways, the transporter-mediated transcellular and the passive, paracellular pathways. Using the microchiropteran bat Artibeus literatus (mean mass 80.6 +/- 3.7 g), we tested the predictions that absorption of water-soluble compounds that are not actively transported would be extensive as a compensatory mechanism for relatively less intestinal tissue, and would decline with increasing molecular mass in accord with sieve-like paracellular absorption. Using a standard pharmacokinetic technique, we fed, or injected intraperitonealy the metabolically inert carbohydrates L-rhamnose (molecular mass = 164 Da) and cellobiose (molecular mass = 342 Da) which are absorbed only by paracellular transport, and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (3OMD-glucose) which is absorbed via both mediated (active) and paracellular transport. As predicted, the bioavailability of paracellular probes declined with increasing molecular mass (rhamnose, 90 +/- 11%; cellobiose, 10 +/- 3%, n = 8) and was significantly higher in bats than has been reported for laboratory rats and other mammals. In addition, absorption of 3OMD-glucose was high (96 +/- 11%). We estimated that the bats rely on passive, paracellular absorption for more than 70% of their total glucose absorption, much more than in non-flying mammals. Although possibly compensating for less intestinal tissue, a high intestinal permeability that permits passive absorption might be less selective than a carrier-mediated system for nutrient absorption and might permit toxins to be absorbed from plant and animal material in the intestinal lumen.

Absorption cross section of electromagnetic waves for Schwarzschild black holes

The absorption cross section of black holes has been investigated for various fields. Nevertheless, the absorption cross section of Schwarzschild black holes for the electromagnetic field has been only calculated in the low- and high-frequency approximations until now. Here we compute it numerically for arbitrary frequencies.

Semiclassical approach to black hole absorption of electromagnetic radiation emitted by a rotating charge

We consider an electric charge, minimally coupled to the Maxwell field, rotating around a Schwarzschild black hole. We investigate how much of the radiation emitted from the swirling charge is absorbed by the black hole and show that most of the photons escape to infinity. For this purpose we use the Gupta-Bleuler quantization of the electromagnetic field in the modified Feynman gauge developed in the context of quantum field theory in Schwarzschild spacetime. We obtain that the two photon polarizations contribute quite differently to the emitted power. In addition, we discuss the accurateness of the results obtained in a full general relativistic approach in comparison with the ones obtained when the electric charge is assumed to be orbiting a massive object due to a Newtonian force.

Absorption cross section of canonical acoustic holes

We compute numerically the absorption cross section of a canonical acoustic hole for sound waves with arbitrary frequencies. Our outputs are in full agreement with the expected low- and high-frequency limits.