Electronic Structure of the YH3 Phase from Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy

Yttrium can be loaded with hydrogen up to high concentrations causing dramatic structural and electronic changes of the host lattice. We report on angle-resolved photoemission experiments of the Y trihydride phase. Most importantly, we find the absence of metal d-bands at the Fermi level and a set of flat, H-induced bands located at much higher binding energy than predicted, indicating an increased electron affinity at H sites

Thin films of calcium phosphate and titanium dioxide by a sol-gel route: a new method for coating medical implants

Titanium is a commonly used biomaterial for dental and orthopaedic applications. To increase its ability to bond with bone, some attempts were made to coat its surface with calcium phosphate (CaP). This paper describes a new type of coating. Instead of a pure CaP layer, a mixing of titanium dioxide (TiO2) and CaP is fabricated and deposited as a coating. These layers are deposited by a sol-gel route on pure titanium substrates using various pre-treatments. The method consists of mixing a solution of tetrabutyl ortho-titanate or a sol of titanium dioxide with a solution of calcium nitrate and phosphorous esters. This composite is deposited on to commercially pure titanium plates, mechanically polished or blasted with pure crystalline aluminum oxide, using the spin-coating technique. These coatings are then fired at 650 or 850°C for various times. The samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction for their crystallinity, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for their surface chemical composition and scanning electron microscopy for their topography. Samples treated at 850°C present a well-pronounced crystallinity, and a high chemical purity at the surface. The topography is strongly related to the viscosity of the precursor and the substrate pre-treatment. Possibilities to structure the outermost layer are presented. © 1999 Kluwer Academic Publisher

Local epitaxy of Ag on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x(001)

Thin films of Ag have been deposited onto cleaved Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x(001) surfaces at room temperature. Ag 3d x-ray photoelectron diffraction experiments show very poor local order at coverages of up to 7 Å. For higher Ag coverages, a distinct diffraction pattern is forming, indicative of local epitaxy in the form of two domains of Ag(110) patches with one diagonal of the rectangular surface unit cell aligned along the substrate a axis. Comparison with previously published scanning-tunneling-microscopy results [Y. S. Luo et al., Phys. Rev. B 46, 1114 (1992)] leads us to the conclusion that Ag epitaxy is promoted by local disruption of the substrate upon initial Ag depositio

Angle-resolved photoemission experiments on Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+?(001)

Core-level X-ray photoelectron-diffraction patterns have been measured from cleaved Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (001) surfaces for all elements present in this compound. The incommensurate modulation alongb ([010]) leads to a strong inequivalence ofa- andb-directions for Bi, Sr and Cu photoelectrons, while Ca and O emission show less effect. Ultraviolet-photoemission experiments recording the emission intensity at the Fermi energy over a large solid angle are also presented, providing a direct mapping of the Fermi surface. Ac(2×2) superstructure is observed on the Fermi surface suggesting antiferromagnetic correlations within the Cu−O planes. The effects of the lattice modulation are clearly observable at the Fermi energy, and they are enhanced for binding energies higher than a few tens of meV

First principles modelling of magnesium titanium hydrides

Mixing Mg with Ti leads to a hydride Mg(x)Ti(1-x)H2 with markedly improved (de)hydrogenation properties for x < 0.8, as compared to MgH2. Optically, thin films of Mg(x)Ti(1-x)H2 have a black appearance, which is remarkable for a hydride material. In this paper we study the structure and stability of Mg(x)Ti(1-x)H2, x= 0-1 by first-principles calculations at the level of density functional theory. We give evidence for a fluorite to rutile phase transition at a critical composition x(c)= 0.8-0.9, which correlates with the experimentally observed sharp decrease in (de)hydrogenation rates at this composition. The densities of states of Mg(x)Ti(1-x)H2 have a peak at the Fermi level, composed of Ti d states. Disorder in the positions of the Ti atoms easily destroys the metallic plasma, however, which suppresses the optical reflection. Interband transitions result in a featureless optical absorption over a large energy range, causing the black appearance of Mg(x)Ti(1-x)H2.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, 4 table

Refining the Pediatric Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome

Since its introduction into the medical literature in the 1970s, the term multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (or some variant) has been applied broadly to any patient with >1 concurrent organ dysfunction. However, the epidemiology, mechanisms, time course, and outcomes among children with multiple organ dysfunction vary substantially. We posit that the term pediatric multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (or MODS) should be reserved for patients with a systemic pathologic state resulting from a common mechanism (or mechanisms) that affects numerous organ systems simultaneously. In contrast, children in whom organ injuries are attributable to distinct mechanisms should be considered to have additive organ system dysfunctions but not the syndrome of MODS. Although such differentiation may not always be possible with current scientific knowledge, we make the case for how attempts to differentiate multiple organ dysfunction from other states of additive organ dysfunctions can help to evolve clinical and research priorities in diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy from largely organ-specific to more holistic strategies

Aebi et al. Reply:

A Reply to the Comment by Sudip Chakravarty.Original: P. Aebi, J. Osterwalder, P. Schwaller, L. Schlapbach, M. Shimoda, T. Mochiku, and K. Kadowaki, Complete Fermi surface mapping of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x(001): Coexistence of short range antiferromagnetic correlations and metallicity in the same phase, Phys. Rev. Lett. 72, 2757 (1994)Comment: Sudip Chakravarty, Comment on “Complete Fermi Surface Mapping of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x(001): Coexistence of Short Range Antiferromagnetic Correlations and Metallicity in the Same Phase”, Phys. Rev. Lett. 74, 1885 (1995

Angle-scanned photoemission: Fermi surface mapping and structural determination

A brief survey of the angle-scanned photoemission technique is given. It incorporates two complementary methods in one:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TVX-3X82696-4F/1/e2ffd4efc660238ad8d4ad8f685991b

Angle-scanned photoemission: Fermi surface mapping and structural determination

A brief survey of the angle-scanned photoemission technique is given. It incorporates two complementary methods in one:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6TVX-3X82696-4F/1/e2ffd4efc660238ad8d4ad8f685991b