Direct electrodeposition of aluminium nano-rods

Electrodeposition of aluminium within an alumina nano-structured template, for use as high surface area current collectors in Li-ion microbatteries, was investigated. The aluminium electrodeposition was carried out in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride:aluminium chloride (1:2 ratio). First the aluminium electrodeposition process was confirmed by combined cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance measurements. Then, aluminium was electrodeposited under pulsed-potential conditions within ordered alumina membranes. A careful removal of the alumina template unveiled free standing arrays of aluminium nano-rods. The nano-columns shape and dimensions are directly related to the template dimensions. To our knowledge, this is the first time that direct electrodeposition of aluminium nano-pillars onto an aluminium substrate is reported

Magnetic properties of (Fe1−x_{1-x}Cox_x)2_2B alloys and the effect of doping by 5dd elements

We have explored, computationally and experimentally, the magnetic properties of \fecob{} alloys. Calculations provide a good agreement with experiment in terms of the saturation magnetization and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy with some difficulty in describing Co$_2$B, for which it is found that both full potential effects and electron correlations treated within dynamical mean field theory are of importance for a correct description. The material exhibits a uniaxial magnetic anisotropy for a range of cobalt concentrations between $x=0.1$ and $x=0.5$. A simple model for the temperature dependence of magnetic anisotropy suggests that the complicated non-monotonous temperature behaviour is mainly due to variations in the band structure as the exchange splitting is reduced by temperature. Using density functional theory based calculations we have explored the effect of substitutional doping the transition metal sublattice by the whole range of 5$d$ transition metals and found that doping by Re or W elements should significantly enhance the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy. Experimentally, W doping did not succeed in enhancing the magnetic anisotropy due to formation of other phases. On the other hand, doping by Ir and Re was successful and resulted in magnetic anisotropies that are in agreement with theoretical predictions. In particular, doping by 2.5~at.\% of Re on the Fe/Co site shows a magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy which is increased by 50\% compared to its parent (Fe$_{0.7}$Co$_{0.3}$)$_2$B compound, making this system interesting, for example, in the context of permanent magnet replacement materials or in other areas where a large magnetic anisotropy is of importance.Comment: 15 pages 17 figure

Porous Gold Surfaces for Implantable Neural Electrodes

Neural electrodes used for measurements of action potentials in brain cells are often made of gold. These electrodes need to be suciently small to cover only one brain cell, but this induces the problem of increased impedance since impedance scales inversely with surface area. This means that if the surface area is too small, only noise will be measured. One way to overcome this problem is to try to enlarge the real surface area by making the gold nanoporous. In this way, the geometric surface area can be kept small while the real surface area becomes several times larger. In this project, attempts to increase the surface area by anodization has been made. First, a silicon wafer with a large number of chips containing six electrodeseach was fabricated using techniques such as evaporation, UV exposure and etching. Then the chips were diced out of the wafer and each chip was glued onto a circuit board. The copper and gold were connected by a thin aluminum wire and covered by silicone for protection and isolation. Different anodization modes and times were tested on the electrodes, and the results were evaluated by both an optical microscope and a SEM. At the best combination of anodization mode and time, the impedance was measured both before and after anodization. Also, cyclic voltammetry was used in order to calculate the real surface area of the electrodes. The results of the measurements show an increase of the real surface area with up to approximately seven times. This was conrmed by the impedance measurements, which clearly showed that the impedance sharply decreased after anodization compared to the impedance measured before anodization. This indicates that surface enlargement of gold electrodes by anodization is a viable method, but it should be carried out on more electrodes in order to get reliable results

TROUBLING GENDER EQUALITY : REVISITING GENDER EQUALITY WORK IN THE FAMOUS NORDIC MODEL COUNTRIES

This article concerns gender equality work, that is, those educational and workplace activities that involve the promotion of gender equality. It is based on research conducted in Sweden and Finland, and focuses on the period during which the public sector has become more market-oriented and project-based all over the Nordic countries. The consequences of this development on gender equality work have not yet been thoroughly analysed. Our joint empirical analysis is based on discourse-analytic methodology and two previous empirical studies. By analysing interviews conducted with people involved in gender equality work, this article emphasises the effects of market-oriented and project-based gender equality work in education and working life in Sweden and in Finland. The findings highlight an alliance between projectisation and heteronormativity that acts to regulate how gender equality ought to be talked about in order for its issues to be heard. A persistently constructed 'remedy' to 'the gender equality problem' is that girls and women are positioned as 'needing' to change more than boys and men, by adopting more traditionally 'masculine manners' and choosing to work in more 'masculine sectors'. The findings also show that the constitutive forces of these discourses provide little leeway for critical perspectives.Peer reviewe

Perspectives on the Success and Early History of the Industrial Institute for Economic and Social Research (IUI)

The Industrial Institute of Economic and Social Research (IUI) was founded in 1939. In less than ten years, IUI grew from a small survey bureau to a leading research institute focused on microeconomic research relevant to industrial development. Based on a number of new commemorative essays and biographies written by or about former IUI researchers published in Henrekson (2009), this essay describes the Institute’s accomplishments and the particular research environment at IUI. It also discusses the conditions conducive to a creative, productive research environment. While most of these accounts do not extend beyond the end of the 1970s, the insights provided are highly relevant for contemporary research institutes.Applied research; Creativity; Entrepreneurship; Research institute