Phase composition and transformations in magnetron-sputtered (Al,V)2O3 coatings

Coatings of (Al1-xVx)2O3, with x ranging from 0 to 1, were deposited by pulsed DC reactive sputter deposition on Si(100) at a temperature of 550 {\deg}C. XRD showed three different crystal structures depending on V-metal fraction in the coating: {\alpha}-V2O3 rhombohedral structure for 100 at.% V, a defect spinel structure for the intermediate region, 63 - 42 at.% V. At lower V-content, 18 and 7 at.%, a gamma-alumina-like solid solution was observed, shifted to larger d-spacing compared to pure {\gamma}-Al2O3. The microstructure changes from large columnar faceted grains for {\alpha}-V2O3 to smaller equiaxed grains when lowering the vanadium content toward pure {\gamma}-Al2O3. Annealing in air resulted in formation of V2O5 crystals on the surface of the coating after annealing to 500 {\deg}C for 42 at.% V and 700 {\deg}C for 18 at.% V metal fraction respectively. The highest thermal stability was shown for pure {\gamma}-Al2O3-coating, which transformed to {\alpha}-Al2O3 after annealing to 1100{\deg} C. Highest hardness was observed for the Al-rich oxides, ~24 GPa. The latter decreased with increasing V-content, larger than 7 at.% V metal fraction. The measured hardness after annealing in air decreased in conjunction with the onset of further oxidation of the coatings

InP-based two-dimensional photonic crystals filled with polymers

Polymer filling of the air holes of Indium Phosphide based two-dimensional photonic crystals is reported. After infiltration of the holes with a liquid monomer and solidification of the infill in situ by thermal polymerization, complete filling is proven using scanning electron microscopy. Optical transmission measurements of a filled photonic crystal structure exhibit a redshift of the air band, confirming the complete filling.Comment: To be published in Appl. Phys. Let

Biosynthetic potential of the global ocean microbiome

Natural microbial communities are phylogenetically and metabolically diverse. In addition to underexplored organismal groups, this diversity encompasses a rich discovery potential for ecologically and biotechnologically relevant enzymes and biochemical compounds. However, studying this diversity to identify genomic pathways for the synthesis of such compounds and assigning them to their respective hosts remains challenging. The biosynthetic potential of microorganisms in the open ocean remains largely uncharted owing to limitations in the analysis of genome-resolved data at the global scale. Here we investigated the diversity and novelty of biosynthetic gene clusters in the ocean by integrating around 10,000 microbial genomes from cultivated and single cells with more than 25,000 newly reconstructed draft genomes from more than 1,000 seawater samples. These efforts revealed approximately 40,000 putative mostly new biosynthetic gene clusters, several of which were found in previously unsuspected phylogenetic groups. Among these groups, we identified a lineage rich in biosynthetic gene clusters ('Candidatus Eudoremicrobiaceae') that belongs to an uncultivated bacterial phylum and includes some of the most biosynthetically diverse microorganisms in this environment. From these, we characterized the phospeptin and pythonamide pathways, revealing cases of unusual bioactive compound structure and enzymology, respectively. Together, this research demonstrates how microbiomics-driven strategies can enable the investigation of previously undescribed enzymes and natural products in underexplored microbial groups and environments

Scandinavian society for the study of diabetes Abstracts Seventh Meeting

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46039/1/125_2005_Article_BF01219478.pd