293 research outputs found
Aluminium Nanowires: Influence of Work Hardening on Conductance Histograms
Conductance histograms of work-hardened Al show a series up to 11 equidistant
peaks with a period of 1.15 +/- 0.02 of the quantum conductance unit G_0 =
2e^2/h. Assuming the peaks originate from atomic discreteness, this agrees with
the value of 1.16 G_0 per atom obtained in numerical calculations by Hasmy et
al.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Atomic size oscillations in conductance histograms for gold nanowires and the influence of work hardening
Nanowires of different nature have been shown to self-assemble as a function
of stress at the contact between two macroscopic metallic leads. Here we
demonstrate for gold wires that the balance between various metastable nanowire
configurations is influenced by the microstructure of the starting materials
and we discover a new set of periodic structures, which we interpret as due to
the atomic discreteness of the contact size for the three principal crystal
orientations.Comment: This version corrects an error in attributing the three observed
periods, and includes a comparison with recent model calculation
Conductance of Pd-H nanojunctions
Results of an experimental study of palladium nanojunctions in hydrogen
environment are presented. Two new hydrogen-related atomic configurations are
found, which have a conductances of ~0.5 and ~1 quantum unit (2e^2/h). Phonon
spectrum measurements demonstrate that these configurations are situated
between electrodes containing dissolved hydrogen. The crucial differences
compared to the previously studied Pt-H_2 junctions, and the possible
microscopic realizations of the new configurations in palladium-hydrogen
atomic-sized contacts are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Multivariate analysis of energy dispersive X-ray diffraction data for the detection of illicit drugs in border control
A system using energy dispersive X-ray diffraction has been tested to detect the presence of illicit drugs concealed within parcels typical of those which are imported into the UK via postal and courier services. The system was used to record diffraction data from calibration samples of diamorphine (heroin) and common cutting agents and a partial least squares regression model was established between diamorphine concentration and diffraction spectra. Parcels containing various crystalline and amorphous materials, including diamorphine, were then scanned to obtain multiple localised diffraction spectra and to form a hyperspectral image. The calibration model was used for the prediction of diamorphine concentration throughout the volume of parcels and enabled the presence and location of diamorphine to be determined from the visual inspection of concentration maps. This research demonstrates for the first time the potential of an EDXRD system to generate continuous hyperspectral images of real parcels from volume scanning in security applications and introduces the opportunity to explore hyperspectral image analysis in chemical and material identification. However, more work must be done to make the system ready for implementation in border control operations by bringing down the procedure time to operational requirements and by proving the system's portability
Correlative Microscopy of Morphology and Luminescence of Cu porphyrin aggregates
Transfer of energy and information through molecule aggregates requires as
one important building block anisotropic, cable-like structures. Knowledge on
the spatial correlation of luminescence and morphology represents a
prerequisite in the understanding of internal processes and will be important
for architecting suitable landscapes. In this context we study the morphology,
fluorescence and phosphorescence of molecule aggregate structures on surfaces
in a spatially correlative way. We consider as two morphologies, lengthy
strands and isotropic islands. It turns out that phosphorescence is quite
strong compared to fluorescence and the spatial variation of the observed
intensities is largely in line with the amount of dye. However in proportion,
the strands exhibit more fluorescence than the isotropic islands suggesting
weaker non-radiative channels. The ratio fluorescence to phosphorescence
appears to be correlated with the degree of aggregation or internal order. The
heights at which luminescence saturates is explained in the context of
attenuation and emission multireflection, inside the dye. This is supported by
correlative photoemission electron microscopy which is more sensitive to the
surface region. The lengthy structures exhibit a pronounced polarization
dependence of the luminescence with a relative dichroism up to about 60%,
revealing substantial perpendicular orientation preference of the molecules
with respect to the substrate and parallel with respect to the strands
Evaluating the performance of ionic liquid coatings for mitigation of spacecraft surface charges
To reduce the impact of charging effects on satellites, cheap and lightweight
conductive coatings are desirable. We mimic space-like charging environments in
ultra-high vacuum (UHV) chambers during deposition of charges via the electron
beam of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). We use the charge induced
signatures in SEM images of a thin ionic liquid (IL) film on insulating
surfaces such as glass, to assess the general performance of such coatings. In
order to get a reference structure in SEM, the samples were structured by
nanosphere lithography and coated with IL. The IL film (we choose BMP DCA, due
to its beneficial physical properties) was applied ex situ and a thickness of
10 to 30 nm was determined by reflectometry. Such an IL film is stable under
vacuum conditions. It would also only lead to additional mass of below 20
mg/m. At about 5 A/m e/(sm), a typical
sample charging rate in SEM, imaging is possible with no noticeable contrast
changes over many hours; this electron current density is already 6 orders of
magnitudes higher than "worst case geosynchronous environments" of
A/m. Measurements of the surface potential are used for
further insights in the reaction of IL films to the electron beam of a SEM.
Participating mechanisms such as polarization or reorientation will are
discussed.Comment: Submitted to Proceedings of the 14th IAA Symposium on Small
Satellites for Earth System Observatio
Strain in epitaxial MnSi films on Si(111) in the thick film limit studied by polarization-dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure
We report a study of the strain state of epitaxial MnSi films on Si(111)
substrates in the thick film limit (100-500~\AA) as a function of film
thickness using polarization-dependent extended x-ray absorption fine structure
(EXAFS). All films investigated are phase-pure and of high quality with a sharp
interface between MnSi and Si. The investigated MnSi films are in a thickness
regime where the magnetic transition temperature assumes a
thickness-independent enhanced value of 43~K as compared with that of
bulk MnSi, where . A detailed refinement of
the EXAFS data reveals that the Mn positions are unchanged, whereas the Si
positions vary along the out-of-plane [111]-direction, alternating in
orientation from unit cell to unit cell. Thus, for thick MnSi films, the unit
cell volume is essentially that of bulk MnSi --- except in the vicinity of the
interface with the Si substrate (thin film limit). In view of the enhanced
magnetic transition temperature we conclude that the mere presence of the
interface, and its specific characteristics, strongly affects the magnetic
properties of the entire MnSi film, even far from the interface. Our analysis
provides invaluable information about the local strain at the MnSi/Si(111)
interface. The presented methodology of polarization dependent EXAFS can also
be employed to investigate the local structure of other interesting interfaces.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figure
Imaging Cerenkov emission as a quality assurance tool in electron radiotherapy
A new potential quality assurance (QA) method is explored (including assessment of depth dose, dose linearity, dose rate linearity and beam profile) for clinical electron beams based on imaging Cerenkov light. The potential of using a standard commercial camera to image Cerenkov light generated from electrons in water for fast QA measurement of a clinical electron beam was explored and compared to ionization chamber measurements. The new method was found to be linear with dose and independent of dose rate (to within 3%). The uncorrected practical range measured in Cerenkov images was found to overestimate the actual value by 3 mm in the worst case. The field size measurements underestimated the dose at the edges by 5% without applying any correction factor. Still, the measured field size could be used to monitor relative changes in the beam profile. Finally, the beam-direction profile measurements were independent of the field size within 2%. A simulation was also performed of the deposited energy and of Cerenkov production in water using GEANT4. Monte Carlo simulation was used to predict the measured light distribution around the water phantom, to reproduce Cerenkov images and to find the relation between deposited energy and Cerenkov production. The camera was modelled as a pinhole camera in GEANT4, to attempt to reproduce Cerenkov images. Simulations of the deposited energy and the Cerenkov light production agreed with each other for a pencil beam of electrons, while for a realistic field size, Cerenkov production in the build-up region overestimated the dose by +8%
Sensitive X-ray Detectors Synthesised from CsPbBr3
The materials used in detection of high energy photons are of primary importance in the construction of efficient, cost effective and sensitive detectors. Current research into Perovskites for solar cell technology has stimulated interest in their potential alternative uses, one of which is in direct photon conversion radiation detectors, owed primarily to their high-Z elemental composition twinned with exceptional charge carrier transport properties. Here, the Perovskite CsPbBr 3 has been synthesised through solution growth. The raw CsPbBr 3 was a granular powder which was formed into disks of 8 mm diameter and 1-2 mm thickness by two methods: 1). the powders were pressed into pellets using a hydraulic press or 2). sealed in a quartz ampoule under vacuum and then melted and quenched to form a polycrystalline solid which was cut to size. Metallic contacts were deposited on the front and back faces to permit charge collection. The results from the pressed devices are promising, particularly given that the production method is cost effective, repeatable and scalable. The solid-from-melt devices show similar performance but further development is required to optimise the production method
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