Study of lithium encapsulation in porous membrane using ion and neutron beams

Ion track-etched membranes are porous systems obtained by etching of the latent ion tracks using a suitable etchant solution. In this work, control of the pores' spatial profiles and dimensions in PET polymers was achieved by varying etching temperature and etching time. For determination of the pores' shape, Ion Transmission Spectroscopy technique was employed. In this method, alterations of the energy loss spectra of the transmitted ions reflect alterations in the material density of the porous foils, as well as alterations of their thickness. Simulation code, developed by the team, allowed the tomographic study of the ion track 3D geometry and its evolution during chemical etching. From the doping of porous membranes with lithium-based solution and its analysis by Thermal Neutron Depth Profiling method, the ability of porous PET membranes to encapsulate nano-sized material was also inspected. The study is important for various applications, e.g., for catalysis, active agents, biosensors, etc

Instrumentation for study of nanomaterials in NPI REZ (New laboratory for material study in Nuclear Physics Institute in REZ)

Nano-sized materials become irreplaceable component of a number of devices for every aspect of human life. The development of new materials and deepening of the current knowledge require a set of specialized techniques-deposition methods for preparation/modification of the materials and analytical tools for proper understanding of their properties. A thoroughly equipped research centers become the requirement for the advance and development not only in nano-sized field. The Center of Accelerators and Nuclear Analytical Methods (CANAM) in the Nuclear Physics Institute (NPI) comprises a unique set of techniques for the synthesis or modification of nanostructured materials and systems, and their characterization using ion beam, neutron beam and microscopy imaging techniques. The methods are used for investigation of a broad range of nano-sized materials and structures based on metal oxides, nitrides, carbides, carbon-based materials (polymers, fullerenes, graphenes, etc.) and nano-laminate composites (MAX phases). These materials can be prepared at NPI using ion beam sputtering, physical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy. Based on the deposition method and parameters, the samples can be tuned to possess specific properties, e.g., composition, thickness (nm-μm), surface roughness, optical and electrical properties, etc. Various nuclear analytical methods are applied for the sample characterization. RBS, RBS-channeling, PIXE, PIGE, micro-beam analyses and Transmission Spectroscopy are accomplished at the Tandetron 4130MC accelerator, and additionally the Neutron Depth Profiling (NDP) and Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation (PGNA) analyses are performed at an external neutron beam from the LVR-15 research reactor. The multimode AFM facility provides further surface related information, magnetic/electrical properties with nano-metric precision, nano-indentation, etc

E-Health : Software Development and Implementation (EHSDI) course

E-Health: Software Development and Implementation (EHSDI) is a training course developed by Partners in Health and now in its second year of implementation in Rwanda, where it is run in partnership with the Rwanda Development Board. The goal of the course is to produce local software developers with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop electronic medical record software, specifically to develop modules for OpenMRS. The course is 9 months long

Specific features of depth distribution profiles of implanted cobalt ions in rutile TiO 2

This paper reports on the results of the calculation of the depth distribution profiles of the concentration of the impurity implanted into an anisotropic crystalline material. The sputtering of the irradiated material, fast one-dimensional diffusion of the impurity along structural channels, and accumulation of the implanted impurity at different depths have been taken into account. The results of the calculations have been compared with the experimental distribution profiles of cobalt ions implanted into the crystal structure of rutile TiO 2 along and across structural channels at different temperatures of the irradiated substrate. A comparison of the model and experimental profiles has made it possible to evaluate the precipitation rate of cobalt in the TiO 2 matrix on different precipitation centers. A model has been proposed for explaining the unusual shift in the peak of the concentration distribution of implanted ions deep into the sample with an increase in the temperature of the irradiated substrate. The model has allowed one to separate the contributions from different phases of the impurity (nanoparticles and solid solution) to the magnetism of the Co: TiO 2 system. © 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd

Annealing of gold nanostructures sputtered on polytetrafluoroethylene

Gold nanolayers sputtered on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) surface and their changes induced by post-deposition annealing at 100°C to 300°C are studied. Changes in surface morphology and roughness are examined by atomic force microscopy, electrical sheet resistance by two point technique, zeta potential by electrokinetic analysis and chemical composition by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in dependence on the gold layer thickness. Transition from discontinuous to continuous gold coverage takes place at the layer thicknesses 10 to 15 nm and this threshold remains practically unchanged after the annealing at the temperatures below 200°C. The annealing at 300°C, however, leads to significant rearrangement of the gold layer and the transition threshold increases to 70 nm. Significant carbon contamination and the presence of oxidized structures on gold-coated samples are observed in XPS spectra. Gold coating leads to a decrease in the sample surface roughness. Annealing at 300°C of pristine PTFE and gold-coated PTFE results in significant increase of the sample surface roughness

Do neutral nuclei exist?

Discusses arguments put forward in literature regarding the existence of neutral nuclei. The possible sources of neutral nuclei are considered. An experiment carried out with a proton synchrocyclotron in CERN is described using as a source of neutral nuclei tungsten foil irradiated with a 24 GeV proton beam and as a detector of the neutral nuclei a highly pure sample of zinc. The experiment has proved indirectly the existence of neutral nuclei of the /sup A/n type. The detection of the neutral nuclei was based on the assumption that the nuclei /sup A/n reacted with the Zn nuclei resulting in /sup 72/Zn with further decay to /sup 72/Ga. (1 refs)