Focussing quantum states

Does the size of atoms present a lower limit to the size of electronic structures that can be fabricated in solids? This limit can be overcome by using devices that exploit quantum mechanical scattering of electron waves at atoms arranged in focussing geometries on selected surfaces. Calculations reveal that features smaller than a hydrogen atom can be obtained. These structures are potentially useful for device applications and offer a route to the fabrication of ultrafine and well defined tips for scanning tunneling microscopy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction data for the dynamic reaction processes between titanium and air under laser irradiation

This article presents data related to the research article entitled “Diffusion of oxygen and nitrogen into titanium under laser irradiation in air” [1]. When irradiated with varying laser parameters under ambient air, titanium surfaces are observed to exhibit differing colors. To better understand this phenomenon, the dynamic reaction steps between titanium and air under laser irradiation were investigated with in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction method. With a programmed laser profile, a set of diffraction patterns were collected by a 2D detector and then analyzed with the program FIT2D. Based on the data, the detailed high-temperature reactions between titanium and air during laser irradiation were clearly revealed. The presented raw in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction data can be reused for the further insights of laser surface modification of titanium in air, or for discovering the optimal laser conditions for industrial decoration or medical applications of titanium

Titanium and nitrogen interactions under laser additive manufacturing conditions

To understand how to make bulk titanium parts or coatings with desired levels of titanium nitrides, this paper investigates the dynamic interactions between titanium and nitrogen under representative laser-based additive manufacturing (AM) conditions. Under a set of gas environments containing different concentrations of nitrogen, the titanium and nitrogen reaction products—formed under typical Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) AM scanning conditions—are examined for compositions, phases, and microstructures. In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction (SXRD) test is performed to reveal the high temperature reaction steps between titanium and nitrogen

Direct extraction of the Eliashberg function for electron-phonon coupling: A case study of Be(1010)

We propose a systematic procedure to directly extract the Eliashberg function for electron-phonon coupling from high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission data. The procedure is successfully applied to the Be(1010) surface, providing new insights to electron-phonon coupling at this surface. The method is shown to be robust against imperfections in experimental data and suitable for wider applications.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. More details concerning the procedure are include

Formation of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) on ZnO at room temperature: Implications for the fundamental model of EPFR generation.

Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have significant environmental and public health impacts. In this study, we demonstrate that EPFRs formed on ZnO nanoparticles provide two significant surprises. First, EPR spectroscopy shows that phenoxy radicals form readily on ZnO nanoparticles at room temperature, yielding EPR signals similar to those previously measured after 250°C exposures. Vibrational spectroscopy supports the conclusion that phenoxy-derived species chemisorb to ZnO nanoparticles under both exposure temperatures. Second, DFT calculations indicate that electrons are transferred from ZnO to the adsorbed organic (oxidizing the Zn), the opposite direction proposed by previous descriptions of EPFR formation on metal oxides

Lattice-stiffening transition in copolymer films of vinylidene fluoride (70%) with trifluoroethylene (30%)

We report the discovery of a compressibility phase transition at 160 K in crystalline copolymer films of vinylidene fluoride (70%) with trifluoroethylene (30%). This phase transition is distinct from the known bulk ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition at 353 K and surface ferroelectric phase transition at 295 K. The new phase transition is characterized by an increase in the effective Debye temperature from 48 to 245 K along the 〈010〉 direction as the temperature falls below 160 K. This phase transition is evident in neutron scattering, x-ray diffraction, angle-resolved photoemission, and in the dipole active phonon modes in electron energy-loss spectroscopy. © 1999 The American Physical Society

CoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy as an Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst in an Acidic Solution

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) have intriguing material properties, but their potential as catalysts has not been widely explored. Based on a concise theoretical model, we predict that the surface of a quaternary HEA of base metals, CoCrFeNi, should go from being nearly fully oxidized except for pure Ni sites when exposed to O2 to being partially oxidized in an acidic solution under cathodic bias, and that such a partially oxidized surface should be more active for the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic solutions than all the component metals. These predictions are confirmed by electrochemical and surface science experiments: the Ni in the HEA is found to be most resistant to oxidation, and when deployed in 0.5 M H2SO4, the HEA exhibits an overpotential of only 60 mV relative to Pt for the HER at a current density of 1 mA/cm2

Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy at low temperatures of the (110) surface of Te doped GaAs single crystals

We have performed voltage dependent imaging and spatially resolved spectroscopy on the (110) surface of Te doped GaAs single crystals with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM). A large fraction of the observed defects are identified as Te dopant atoms which can be observed down to the fifth subsurface layer. For negative sample voltages, the dopant atoms are surrounded by Friedel charge density oscillations. Spatially resolved spectroscopy above the dopant atoms and above defect free areas of the GaAs (110) surface reveals the presence of conductance peaks inside the semiconductor band gap. The appearance of the peaks can be linked to charges residing on states which are localized within the tunnel junction area. We show that these localized states can be present on the doped GaAs surface as well as at the STM tip apex.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in PR