Electrical current distribution across a metal-insulator-metal structure during bistable switching

Combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron-beam-induced current (EBIC) imaging with transport measurements, it is shown that the current flowing across a two-terminal oxide-based capacitor-like structure is preferentially confined in areas localized at defects. As the thin-film device switches between two different resistance states, the distribution and intensity of the current paths, appearing as bright spots, change. This implies that switching and memory effects are mainly determined by the conducting properties along such paths. A model based on the storage and release of charge carriers within the insulator seems adequate to explain the observed memory effect.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, submitted to J. Appl. Phy

The Crystal Structure of NaPt_3O_4

The structure of a microcrystalline platinum compound is derived from x‐ray data. Space group O h 3—Pm3n, a_0 = 5.69A, with 6 Pt at ±(¼ 0 ½, ↺), 8 O at ±(¼ ¼ ¼, ¼ ¾ ¾, ↺), and 2 Na at (000, ½ ½ ½), corresponding to the formula NaPt_3O_4. The coordinations are as follows: platinum 4 O and 2 Pt, oxygen: 3 O and 2 Na,sodium: 8 O. The substance is an ionic conductor

The Structure of Na_xPt_3O_4

In the preceding note Galloni and Busch report the results of a spectroscopic analysis of a platinum oxide similar to the compound recently investigated by us. While their compound apparently did not contain significant amounts of sodium, we had assigned the formula NaPt_3O_4 to our preparation

0-pi Josephson tunnel junctions with ferromagnetic barrier

We fabricated high quality Nb/Al_2O_3/Ni_{0.6}Cu_{0.4}/Nb superconductor-insulator-ferromagnet-superconductor Josephson tunnel junctions. Using a ferromagnetic layer with a step-like thickness, we obtain a 0-pi junction, with equal lengths and critical currents of 0 and pi parts. The ground state of our 330 microns (1.3 lambda_J) long junction corresponds to a spontaneous vortex of supercurrent pinned at the 0-pi step and carrying ~6.7% of the magnetic flux quantum Phi_0. The dependence of the critical current on the applied magnetic field shows a clear minimum in the vicinity of zero field.Comment: submitted to PR

Polarization states of polydomain epitaxial Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 thin films and their dielectric properties

Ferroelectric and dielectric properties of polydomain (twinned) single-crystal Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 thin films are described with the aid of a nonlinear thermodynamic theory, which has been developed recently for epitaxial ferroelectric films with dense laminar domain structures. For Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 (PZT) films with compositions x = 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5, and 0.4, the "misfit strain-temperature" phase diagrams are calculated and compared with each other. It is found that the equilibrium diagrams of PZT films with x > 0.7 are similar to the diagram of PbTiO3 films. They consist of only four different stability ranges, which correspond to the paraelectric phase, single-domain tetragonal ferroelectric phase, and two pseudo-tetragonal domain patterns. In contrast, at x = 0.4, 0.5, and 0.6, the equilibrium diagram displays a rich variety of stable polarization states, involving at least one monoclinic polydomain state. Using the developed phase diagrams, the mean out-of-plane polarization of a poled PZT film is calculated as a function of the misfit strain and composition. Theoretical results are compared with the measured remanent polarizations of PZT films grown on SrTiO3. Dependence of the out-of-plane dielectric response of PZT films on the misfit strain in the heterostructure is also reported.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figure

Implementation of an Integrated Thermal Building Model for Investigations of Heat Flows

A model of the building heating system, consisting of energy source, a distributed automatic control system, elements of individual heating unit and heating system is designed. Application Simulink of mathematical package Matlab is selected as a platform for the model. There are the specialized application Simscape libraries in aggregate with a wide range of Matlab mathematical tools allow to apply the "acausal" modeling concept. Implementation the "physical" representation of the object model gave improving the accuracy of the models

Modification of aluminum alloy surface properties by wave-long laser texturing

Change of the static contact angle (SCA) of 10 [mu]L distilled water droplet on laser textured aluminium alloy (AMG-6) substrates was studied. The texture was deposited by a laser system based on a fiber laser. An increase in the power of laser radiation is found to lead to a decrease in the SCA measured on the first day after texturing. Change of dispersion and polar surface energy components of textured substrates is determined. Under the influence of the environment, the surface properties of AMG-6 change with time. SCA increased and reached stable state on the twentieth day after texturing

Isothiourea-catalyzed enantioselective functionalisation of glycine Schiff base aryl esters via 1,6- and 1,4-additions

The St Andrews team thanks the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Critical Resource Catalysis (CRITICAT, grant code EP/L016419/1) (RC) for funding. The Linz team gratefully acknowledges generous financial support by the Austrian Science Funds (FWF) through project No. P31784.The enantioselective α-functionalisation of glycine Schiff base aryl esters through isothiourea catalysis is successfully demonstrated for 1,6-additions to para-quinone methides (21 examples, up to 95 : 5 dr and 96 : 4 er) and 1,4- additions to methylene substituted dicarbonyl or disulfonyl Michael acceptors (17 examples, up to 98 : 2 er). This nucleophilic organocatalysis approach gives access to a range of α-functionalised α-amino acid derivatives and further transformations of the activated aryl ester group provide a straightforward entry to advanced amino acid-based esters, amides or thioesters.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe