Liquid film deposition of chalcogenide thin films

Thin films of MoSx were prepared by liquid film deposition of MoS42- solutions in 1,2-diaminoethane (en) and 1,2-diaminopropane (pn) and subsequent thermolysis at temperatures up to 800°C under N2. As the coatings show a high carbon content of up to 30 at.% that influences the morphology and the physical properties, the precursor thermolysis and the solution properties were analysed in detail and correlated to the coating properties. A reduction of the intermediately formed MoS3 by organic residues at approx. 300°C was made out as the main cause of the carbon contamination during the thermolysis of the precursor salts (enH2)MoS4 and (pnH2)MoS4, leading to an immobilisation of the organic carbon. In the corresponding solutions cations of the form [RNH2...H...NH2R]+ could be detected, that result in an incorporation of additional diamine with 3-4 molecules per MoS42- ion in the wet films. This cross-linked structure on the one hand reduces the tendency of the precursor salts to crystallise and thus makes it easier to obtain amorphous precursor films, but on the other hand increases the content of organic residues before thermolysis

Terrestrial climate variability and seasonality changes in the Mediterranean region between 15 000 and 4000 years BP deduced from marine pollen records

Pollen-based climate reconstructions were performed on two high-resolution pollen marines cores from the Alboran and Aegean Seas in order to unravel the climatic variability in the coastal settings of the Mediterranean region between 15 000 and 4000 years BP (the Lateglacial, and early to mid-Holocene). The quantitative climate reconstructions for the Alboran and Aegean Sea records focus mainly on the reconstruction of the seasonality changes (temperatures and precipitation), a crucial parameter in the Mediterranean region. This study is based on a multi-method approach comprising 3 methods: the Modern Analogues Technique (MAT), the recent Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling/Generalized Additive Model method (NMDS/GAM) and Partial Least Squares regression (PLS). The climate signal inferred from this comparative approach confirms that cold and dry conditions prevailed in the Mediterranean region during the Oldest and Younger Dryas periods, while temperate conditions prevailed during the Bølling/Allerød and the Holocene. Our records suggest a West/East gradient of decreasing precipitation across the Mediterranean region during the cooler Late-glacial and early Holocene periods, similar to present-day conditions. Winter precipitation was highest during warm intervals and lowest during cooling phases. Several short-lived cool intervals (i.e. Older Dryas, another oscillation after this one (GI-1c2), Gerzensee/Preboreal Oscillations, 8.2 ka event, Bond events) connected to the North Atlantic climate system are documented in the Alboran and Aegean Sea records indicating that the climate oscillations associated with the successive steps of the deglaciation in the North Atlantic area occurred in both the western and eastern Mediterranean regions. This observation confirms the presence of strong climatic linkages between the North Atlantic and Mediterranean regions

City 5.0

Citizens’ access to goods and services in the private sector is restricted, in some cases by affordability, in other by limited availability in some areas or at some times. Public services are subject to similar restrictions. Digital technologies can help in overcoming these restrictions and by doing so shift goods and services from the private sector into the public domain. For instance, a free public live screening of an opera performance that is usually restricted to a limited number of wealthy citizens is a new form of public services that is delivered in a new way. This article explains the notion of City 5.0, a symbolic metaphor for a liveable city in which the potential of digital technologies is used to eliminate citizens’ restrictions in consuming public goods and services

Meshfree simulations for solution mining processes

Experimental and field investigations for solution mining processes have improved intensely within the last years. Due to today’s computing capacities, 3D simulations of potential salt solution caverns can further enhance the process understanding. They serve as a “virtual prototype” of a projected site and support planning in reasonable time. In this contribution, we present a meshfree generalized finite difference method based on a cloud of numerical points that is able to simulate solution mining processes on microscopic as well as macroscopic scales. Focusing on anticipated industrial requirements, Lagrangian and Eulerian formulations including an ALE-approach are considered