6,565 research outputs found
Study of the isotropic contribution to the analysis of photoelectron diffraction experiments at the ALOISA beamline
The angular distribution of the intensity in photoemission experiments is
affected by electron diffraction patterns and by a smoothly varying ISO
contribution originated by both intrumental details and physical properties of
the samples. The origin of the various contributions to the ISO component has
been identified since many years. Nonetheless in this work we present original
developement of the ED analysis, which arises from the evolution of
instrumental performance, in terms of analyzers positioning and angular
resolution, as well as collimation and size of X-ray beams in third generation
synchrotron sources. The analytical treatement of the instrumental factors is
presented in detail for the end station of the ALOISA beamline (Trieste
Synchrotron), where a wide variety of scattering geometries is available for ED
experiments. We present here the basic formulae and their application to
experimental data taken on the Fe/Cu3Au(001) system in order to highlight the
role of the various parameters included in the distribution function. A
specific model for the surface illumination has been developed as well as the
overlayer thickness and surface roughness have been considered.Comment: RevTex, nine pages with five eps figures; to be published in J.
Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Pheno
A Two-Step Approach to Tune the Micro and Nanoscale Morphology of Porous Niobium Oxide to Promote Osteointegration
We present a two-step surface modification process to tailor the micro and nano morphology of niobium oxide layers. Niobium was firstly anodized in spark regime in a Ca-and P-containing solution and subsequently treated by acid etching. The effects of anodizing time and applied potential on the surface morphology is investigated with SEM and AFM, complemented by XPS compositional analysis. Anodizing with a limiting potential of 250 V results in the fast growth of oxide layers with a homogeneous distribution of micro-sized pores. Cracks are, however, observed on 250 V grown layers. Limiting the anodizing potential to 200 V slows down the oxide growth, increasing the anodizing time needed to achieve a uniform pore coverage but produces fracture-free oxide layers. The surface nano morphology is further tuned by a subsequent acid etching process that leads to the formation of nano-sized pits on the anodically grown oxide surface. In vitro tests show that the etching-induced nanostructure effectively promotes cell adhesion and spreading onto the niobium oxide surface
Understanding the Initial Stages of Reversible Mg Deposition and Stripping in Inorganic Non-Aqueous Electrolytes
Multi-valent (MV) battery architectures based on pairing a Mg metal anode
with a high-voltage ( 3 V) intercalation cathode offer a realistic design
pathway toward significantly surpassing the energy storage performance of
traditional Li-ion based batteries, but there are currently only few
electrolyte systems that support reversible Mg deposition. Using both static
first-principles calculations and molecular dynamics, we perform
a comprehensive adsorption study of several salt and solvent species at the
interface of Mg metal with an electrolyte of Mg and Cl dissolved in
liquid tetrahydrofuran (THF). Our findings not only provide a picture of the
stable species at the interface, but also explain how this system can support
reversible Mg deposition and as such we provide insights in how to design other
electrolytes for Mg plating and stripping. The active depositing species are
identified to be (MgCl) monomers coordinated by THF, which exhibit
preferential adsorption on Mg compared to possible passivating species (such as
THF solvent or neutral MgCl complexes). Upon deposition, the energy to
desolvate these adsorbed complexes and facilitate charge-transfer is shown to
be small ( 61 46.2 kJ mol to remove 3 THF from the strongest
adsorbing complex), and the stable orientations of the adsorbed but desolvated
(MgCl) complexes appear favorable for charge-transfer. Finally,
observations of Mg-Cl dissociation at the Mg surface at very low THF
coordinations (0 and 1) suggest that deleterious Cl incorporation in the anode
may occur upon plating. In the stripping process, this is beneficial by further
facilitating the Mg removal reaction
Surfactant-like Effect and Dissolution of Ultrathin Fe Films on Ag(001)
The phase immiscibility and the excellent matching between Ag(001) and
Fe(001) unit cells (mismatch 0.8 %) make Fe/Ag growth attractive in the field
of low dimensionality magnetic systems. Intermixing could be drastically
limited at deposition temperatures as low as 140-150 K. The film structural
evolution induced by post-growth annealing presents many interesting aspects
involving activated atomic exchange processes and affecting magnetic
properties. Previous experiments, of He and low energy ion scattering on films
deposited at 150 K, indicated the formation of a segregated Ag layer upon
annealing at 550 K. Higher temperatures led to the embedding of Fe into the Ag
matrix. In those experiments, information on sub-surface layers was attained by
techniques mainly sensitive to the topmost layer. Here, systematic PED
measurements, providing chemical selectivity and structural information for a
depth of several layers, have been accompanied with a few XRD rod scans,
yielding a better sensitivity to the buried interface and to the film long
range order. The results of this paper allow a comparison with recent models
enlightening the dissolution paths of an ultra thin metal film into a different
metal, when both subsurface migration of the deposit and phase separation
between substrate and deposit are favoured. The occurrence of a surfactant-like
stage, in which a single layer of Ag covers the Fe film is demonstrated for
films of 4-6 ML heated at 500-550 K. Evidence of a stage characterized by the
formation of two Ag capping layers is also reported. As the annealing
temperature was increased beyond 700 K, the surface layers closely resembled
the structure of bare Ag(001) with the residual presence of subsurface Fe
aggregates.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
From bi-layer to tri-layer Fe nanoislands on Cu3Au(001)
Self assembly on suitably chosen substrates is a well exploited root to
control the structure and morphology, hence magnetization, of metal films. In
particular, the Cu3Au(001) surface has been recently singled out as a good
template to grow high spin Fe phases, due to the close matching between the
Cu3Au lattice constant (3.75 Angstrom) and the equilibrium lattice constant for
fcc ferromagnetic Fe (3.65 Angstrom). Growth proceeds almost layer by layer at
room temperature, with a small amount of Au segregation in the early stage of
deposition. Islands of 1-2 nm lateral size and double layer height are formed
when 1 monolayer of Fe is deposited on Cu3Au(001) at low temperature. We used
the PhotoElectron Diffraction technique to investigate the atomic structure and
chemical composition of these nanoislands just after the deposition at 140 K
and after annealing at 400 K. We show that only bi-layer islands are formed at
low temperature, without any surface segregation. After annealing, the Fe atoms
are re-aggregated to form mainly tri-layer islands. Surface segregation is
shown to be inhibited also after the annealing process. The implications for
the film magnetic properties and the growth model are discussed.Comment: Revtex, 5 pages with 4 eps figure
Silicone Oil Tamponade Removal: Which Technique Is More Effective? An X-Ray Photoemission Spectroscopy Study
Purpose: To compare the efficacy of two surgical techniques used to remove silicone oil (SiO) emulsion tamponade after pars plana vitrectomy: triple airâfluid exchange (AFX) and balanced salt solution lavage (BSSL). Methods: X-ray photoemission spectroscopy measured silicon content of the dry residue of fluid samples taken during AFX and BSSL. Ten patients underwent AFX and five BSSL. Three fluid samples were taken per patient, and the dry residue of 10 drops per sample were analyzed. A fluid sample from a patient who never received SiO tamponade was also analyzed to set a âblankâ reference sample. Results: Patientsâ demographics showed no significant difference. Sample 1 of the two groups contained comparable silicon content while samples 2 and 3 of the AFX group contained significantly more silicon than that of the BSSL group (15.0 ± 0.1 and 12.0 ± 0.9 for the AFX group vs. 10.7 ± 1.4 and 5.2 ± 0.6 for the BSSL group, respectively; P < 0.05). The cumulative amount of silicon in the three successive samples was also significantly higher for the AFX group (42.3 ± 1.6 vs. 32 ± 2; P < 0.0001). The average silicon content ratio of consecutive samples was significantly higher for the AFX group compared to the BSSL group (0.90 ± 0.01 vs. 0.58 ± 0.06; P = 0.006). Conclusions: Triple AFX removed more silicon than triple lavage. The eye wall actively interacts with silicon emulsion retaining silicon content rather than behaving as a neutral container. Translational Relevance: Triple airâfluid exchange removed more silicon than BSS lavage. Neither technique behaved as a well-mixed box dilution, suggesting the eye walls actively retain emulsion and a dynamic equilibrium is established between silicon dispersion and the eye wall surface
Elastic and vibrational properties of alpha and beta-PbO
The structure, electronic and dynamic properties of the two layered alpha
(litharge) and beta (massicot) phases of PbO have been studied by density
functional methods. The role of London dispersion interactions as leading
component of the total interaction energy between layers has been addressed by
using the Grimme's approach, in which new parameters for Pb and O atoms have
been developed. Both gradient corrected and hybrid functionals have been
adopted using Gaussian-type basis sets of polarized triple zeta quality for O
atoms and small core pseudo-potential for the Pb atoms. Basis set superposition
error (BSSE) has been accounted for by the Boys-Bernardi correction to compute
the interlayer separation. Cross check with calculations adopting plane waves
that are BSSE free have also been performed for both structures and vibrational
frequencies. With the new set of proposed Grimme's type parameters structures
and dynamical parameters for both PbO phases are in good agreement with
experimental data.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
Real-world versus trial patients with transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy
Transthyretin (TTR) amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTRâAC) is caused either by singleâpoint mutations in the TTR gene (ATTRvâAC) or by deposition of the wildâtype protein (ATTRwtâAC).1 Long been considered a rare disease, ATTRâAC has been increasingly recognized in recent years, particularly among the elderly,1 mostly due to the possibility of a nonâinvasive diagnosis through bone scintigraph
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