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At least 919 records · Page 51

1,8-Dihydroxy Naphthalene—A New Building Block for the Self-Assembly with Boronic Acids and 4,4′-Bipyridine to Stable Host–Guest Complexes with Aromatic Hydrocarbons

The new Lewis acid–base adducts of general formula X(nad)B←NC5H4-C5H4N→B(nad)X [nad = 1,8-O2C10H6, X = C6H5 (2c), 3,4,5-F3-C6H2 (2d)] were synthesized in high yields via reactions of 1,8-dihydroxy naphthalene [nadH2] and 4,4′-bipyridine with the aryl boronic acids C6H5B(OH)2 and 3,4,5-F3-C6H2B(OH)2, respectively, and structurally characterized by multi-nuclear NMR spectroscopy and SCXRD. Self-assembled H-shaped Lewis acid–base adduct 2d proved to be effective in forming thermally stable host–guest complexes, 2d × solvent, with aromatic hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene, toluene, mesitylene, aniline, and m-, p-, and o-xylene. Crystallographic analysis of these solvent adducts revealed host–guest interactions to primarily occur via π···π contacts between the 4,4′-bipyridyl linker and the aromatic solvents, resulting in the formation of 1:1 and 1:2 host–guest complexes. Thermogravimetric analysis of the isolated complexes 2d × solvent revealed their high thermal stability with peak temperatures associated with the loss of solvent ranging from 122 to 147 °C. 2d, when self-assembled in an equimolar mixture of m-, p-, and o-xylene (1:1:1), preferentially binds to o-xylene. Collectively, these results demonstrate the ability of 1,8-dihydroxy naphthalene to serve as an effective building block in the selective self-assembly to supramolecular aggregates through dative covalent N→B bonds.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Vacancies in fully hydrogenated boron nitride layer: implications for functional nanodevices

Using density functional theory, a series of calculations of structural and electronic properties of hydrogen vacancies in a fully hydrogenated boron nitride (fH-BN) layer were conducted. By dehydrogenating the fH-BN structure, B-terminated vacancies can be created which induce complete spin polarization around the Fermi level, irrespective of the vacancy size. On the contrary, the fH-BN structure with N-terminated vacancies can be a small-gap semiconductor, a typical spin gapless semiconductor, or a metal depending on the vacancy size. Utilizing such vacancy-induced band gap and magnetism changes, possible applications in spintronics are proposed, and a special fH-BN based quantum dot device is designed.

08 HYDROGEN↗

The Effect of Boron Content on Wetting Kinetics in Si-B Alloy/h-BN System

In this work, the effect of boron content on the high-temperature wetting behavior in the Si-B alloy/h-BN systems was experimentally examined. For this reason, hypoeutectic, eutectic and hypereutectic Si-B alloys (Si-1B, Si-3.2B and Si-5.7B wt.%, respectively) were produced by electric arc melting method and then subjected to sessile drop/contact heating experiments with polycrystalline h-BN substrates, at temperatures up to 1750 °C. Similar to pure Si/h-BN system, wetting kinetics curves calculated on a basis of in situ recorded drop/substrate images point toward non-wetting behavior of all selected Si-B alloy/h-BN couples. The highest contact angle values of ~ 150° were obtained for hypoeutectic and eutectic Si-B alloys in the whole examined temperature range.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Reactive belite stabilization mechanisms by boron-bearing dopants

Belite-rich cements hold promise for reduced energy consumption and CO{sub 2} emissions, but their use is hindered by the slow hydration rates of ordinary belites. This drawback may be overcome by activation of belite by doping. Here, the doping mechanism of B and Na/B in belites is reported. For B-doping, three solid solutions have been tested: Ca{sub 2-x/2{open_square}x/2}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 1-x}(BO{sub 3}){sub x}, Ca{sub 2}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 1-x}(BO{sub 3}){sub x}O{sub x/2} and Ca{sub 2-x}B{sub x}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 1-x}(BO{sub 4}){sub x}. The experimental results support the substitution of silicate groups by tetrahedral borate groups with the concomitant substitution of calcium by boron for charge compensation, Ca{sub 2-x}B{sub x}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 1-x}(BO{sub 4}){sub x}. Otherwise, the coupled Na/B-doping of belite has also been investigated and Ca{sub 2-x}Na{sub x}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 1-x}(BO{sub 3}){sub x} series is confirmed to exist for a large range of x values. Along this series, {alpha}'{sub H}-C{sub 2}S is the main phase (for x {>=} 0.10) and is single phase for x = 0.25. Finally, a new structural description for borax doping in belite has been developed for {alpha}'{sub H}-Ca{sub 1.85}Na{sub 0.15}(SiO{sub 4}){sub 0.85}(BO{sub 3}){sub 0.15}, which fits better borax activated belite cements in Rietveld mineralogical analysis.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Boron Neutron Capture Therapty (BNCT) in an Oral Precancer Model: Therapeutic Benefits and Potential Toxicity of a Double Application of BNCT with a Six-Week Interval

Given the clinical relevance of locoregional recurrences in head and neck cancer, we developed a novel experimental model of premalignant tissue in the hamster cheek pouch for long-term studies and demonstrated the partial inhibitory effect of a single application of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) on tumor development from premalignant tissue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a double application of BNCT with a 6 week interval in terms of inhibitory effect on tumor development, toxicity and DNA synthesis. We performed a double application, 6 weeks apart, of (1) BNCT mediated by boronophenylalanine (BPA-BNCT); (2) BNCT mediated by the combined application of decahydrodecaborate (GB-10) and BPA [(GB-10 + BPA)-BNCT] or (3) beam-only, at RA-3 nuclear reactor and followed the animals for 8 months. The control group was cancerized and sham-irradiated. BPA-BNCT, (GB- 10 + BPA)-BNCT and beam-only induced a reduction in tumor development from premalignant tissue that persisted until 8, 3, and 2 months respectively. An early maximum inhibition of 100% was observed for all 3 protocols. No normal tissue radiotoxicity was detected. Reversible mucositis was observed in premalignant tissue, peaking at 1 week and resolving by the third week after each irradiation. Mucositis after the second application was not exacerbated by the first application. DNA synthesis was significantly reduced in premalignant tissue 8 months post-BNCT. A double application of BPA-BNCT and (GB-10 + BPA)-BNCT, 6 weeks apart, could be used therapeutically at no additional cost in terms of radiotoxicity in normal and dose-limiting tissues.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Photovoltaic devices based on high density boron-doped single-walled carbon nanotube/n-Si heterojunctions

A simple and easily processible photovoltaic device has been developed based on borondoped single-walled carbon nanotubes (B-SWNTs) and n-type silicon (n-Si) heterojunctions. The single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were substitutionally doped with boron atoms by thermal annealing, in the presence of B 2 O 3 . The samples used for these studies were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The fully functional solar cell devices were fabricated by airbrush deposition that generated uniform B-SWNT films on top of the n-Si substrates. The carbon nanotube films acted as exciton-generation sites, charge collection and transportation, while the heterojunctions formed between B-SWNTs and n-Si acted as charge dissociation centers. The current-voltage characteristics in the absence of light and under illumination, as well as optical transmittance spectrum are reported here. It should be noted that the device fabrication process can be made amenable to scalability by depositing direct and uniform films using airbrushing, inkjet printing, or spin-coating techniques.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗

Electrical transport properties of the Si-doped cubic boron nitride thin films prepared by in situ cosputtering

Si-doped cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films with various Si concentrations were achieved by in situ cosputtering during ion beam assisted deposition. Effects of the Si concentration and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) conditions on the electrical transport properties of Si-doped c-BN thin films were investigated systematically. The results suggest that the optimum RTA condition is at the temperature of 1000 deg. C for 3 min. The resistance of Si-doped c-BN films gradually decreases as the Si concentration increases, indicating an electrical doping effect of the Si impurity. The temperature dependent electrical conductivity of the Si-doped c-BN films suggests that different conduction mechanisms are dominant over the different temperature ranges. Based on the Davis-Mott model, we propose that the extended-state conduction, band tail-state conduction and short-range hopping conduction are responsible for the respective temperature ranges. In addition, the reduction in activation energy of Si impurities is observed as the Si concentration increases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Investigation of the Phase Formation of AlSi-Coatings for Hot Stamping of Boron Alloyed Steel

Hot stamping of boron alloyed steel is gaining more and more importance for the production of high strength automotive body parts. Within hot stamping of quenchenable steels the blank is heated up to austenitization temperature, transferred to the tool, formed rapidly and quenched in the cooled tool. To avoid scale formation during the heating process of the blank, the sheet metal can be coated with an aluminium-silicum alloy. The meltimg temperature of this coating is below the austenitization temperature of the base material. This means, that a diffusion process between base material and coating has to take place during heating, leading to a higher melting temperature of the coating.In conventional heating devices, like roller hearth furnaces, the diffusion process is reached by relatively low heating rates. New technologies, like induction heating, reach very high heating rates and offer great potentials for the application in hot stamping. Till now it is not proofed, that this technology can be used with aluminum-silicon coated materials. This paper will present the results of comparative heating tests with a conventional furnace and an induction heating device. For different time/temperature-conditions the phase formation within the coating will be described.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

NDT characterization of boron carbide for ballistic applications

Boron Carbide (B{sub 4}C) is widely used to provide ballistic protection in challenging service environments. This work was carried out to develop non-destructive testing (NDT) for B{sub 4}C characterization. Deliberate flaws were introduced within the B{sub 4}C tiles during manufacturing. An experimental program was undertaken to determine the best method to detect defects in ceramic tiles and material characterization. Ultrasonic characterization of the material was found to be able to detect both density variation and defects within the material.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Influence of Boron doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties of CdO thin films by spray pyrolysis technique

Cadmium oxide and Boron (B) doped Cadmium oxide thin films were deposited using spray pyrolysis technique. The structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of undoped and B doped CdO films are analyzed by varying the dopant concentration in the solution. The structural study shows the polycrystalline nature and cubic structure of undoped and B doped CdO thin films. Surface morphological study reveals that the grains are spherical in shape. Optical and electrical studies showed n-type semiconducting nature and optical band gap of 2.44 eV of deposited thin films.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Boron phosphide under pressure: In situ study by Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction

Cubic boron phosphide, BP, has been studied in situ by X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering up to 55 GPa at 300 K in a diamond anvil cell. The bulk modulus of B{sub 0} = 174(2) GPa has been established, which is in excellent agreement with our ab initio calculations. The data on Raman shift as a function of pressure, combined with equation-of-state (EOS) data, allowed us to estimate the Grüneisen parameters of the TO and LO modes of zinc-blende structure, γ{sub G}{sup TO }= 1.26 and γ{sub G}{sup LO }= 1.13, just like in the case of other A{sup III}B{sup V} diamond-like phases, for which γ{sub G}{sup TO }> γ{sub G}{sup LO }≅ 1. We also established that the pressure dependence of the effective electro-optical constant α is responsible for a strong change in relative intensities of the TO and LO modes from I{sub TO}/I{sub LO} ∼ 0.25 at 0.1 MPa to I{sub TO}/I{sub LO} ∼ 2.5 at 45 GPa, for which we also find excellent agreement between experiment and theory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Cat-doping: Novel method for phosphorus and boron shallow doping in crystalline silicon at 80 °C

Phosphorus (P) or boron (B) atoms can be doped at temperatures as low as 80 to 350 °C, when crystalline silicon (c-Si) is exposed only for a few minutes to species generated by catalytic cracking reaction of phosphine (PH₃) or diborane (B₂H₆) with heated tungsten (W) catalyzer. This paper is to investigate systematically this novel doping method, “Cat-doping”, in detail. The electrical properties of P or B doped layers are studied by the Van der Pauw method based on the Hall effects measurement. The profiles of P or B atoms in c-Si are observed by secondary ion mass spectrometry mainly from back side of samples to eliminate knock-on effects. It is confirmed that the surface of p-type c-Si is converted to n-type by P Cat-doping at 80 °C, and similarly, that of n-type c-Si is to p-type by B Cat-doping. The doping depth is as shallow as 5 nm or less and the electrically activated doping concentration is 10¹⁸ to 10¹⁹cm⁻³ for both P and B doping. It is also found that the surface potential of c-Si is controlled by the shallow Cat-doping and that the surface recombination velocity of minority carriers in c-Si can be enormously lowered by this potential control.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Role of defects in the process of graphene growth on hexagonal boron nitride from atomic carbon

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is an attractive substrate for graphene, as the interaction between these materials is weak enough for high carrier mobility to be retained in graphene but strong enough to allow for some epitaxial relationship. We deposited graphene on exfoliated h-BN by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), we analyzed the atomistic details of the process by ab initio density functional theory (DFT), and we linked the DFT and MBE results by random walk theory. Graphene appears to nucleate around defects in virgin h-BN. The DFT analysis reveals that sticking of carbon to perfect h-BN is strongly reduced by desorption, so that pre-existing seeds are needed for the nucleation. The dominant nucleation seeds are C{sub N}C{sub B} and O{sub N}C{sub N} pairs and B{sub 2}O{sub 3} inclusions in the virgin substrate.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Ab-initio calculation study on the formation mechanism of boron-oxygen complexes in c-Si

Boron-oxygen (B-O) complex in crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells is responsible for the light-induced efficiency degradation of solar cell. However, the formation mechanism of B-O complex is not clear yet. By Ab-initio calculation, it is found that the stagger-type oxygen dimer (O{sub 2i}{sup st}) should be the component of B-O complex, whose movement occurs through its structure reconfiguration at low temperature, instead of its long-distance diffusion. The O{sub 2i}{sup st} can form two stable “latent centers” with the B{sub s}, which are recombination-inactive. The latent centers can be evolved into the metastable recombination centers via their structure transformation in the presence of excess carriers. These results can well explain the formation behaviors of B-O complexes in c-Si.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermodynamical study of boron doped CeX{sub 3} (X=Pd, Rh)

The structural, electronic, thermal, and optical properties of cubic non magnetic CeX{sub 3}(X=Pd, Rh) compounds which crystallize in the Au{sub 3}Cu structure have been studied using the projected augmented wave (PAW) method within the density functional theory (DFT) with generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange correlation potential. In this paper we have calculated the band structure which are interpreted using the density of states. The optical properties such as extinction coefficients clearly illustrate the changes in CeX{sub 3} due to intercalation of boron. Lattice instability is observed in CePd{sub 3}B from the calculated dynamical properties.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Highly conducting and preferred <220> oriented boron doped nc–Si films for window layers in nc–Si solar cells

Growth and optimization of the boron dopednanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) films have been studied by varyingthe gaspressure applied to the hydrogendiluted silane plasma in RF (13.56 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system, using diborane (B{sub 2}H{sub 6}) as the dopant gas. High magnitudeof electrical conductivity (~10{sup 2} S cm{sup −1}) and<220>orientedcrystallographic lattice planes have been obtained with high crystalline volume fraction (~86 %) at an optimum pressure of 2.5 Torr. XRD and Raman studies reveal good crystallinity with preferred orientation, suitable for applications in stacked layer devices, particularly in nc–Si solar cells.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Avalanche proton-boron fusion based on elastic nuclear collisions

Recent experiments done at Prague with the 600 J/0.2 ns PALS laser interacting with a layer of boron dopants in a hydrogen enriched target have produced around 10{sup 9} alphas. We suggest that these unexpected very high fusion reactions of proton with {sup 11}B indicate an avalanche multiplication for the measured anomalously high nuclear reaction yields. This can be explained by elastic nuclear collisions in the broad 600 keV energy band, which is coincident with the high nuclear p-{sup 11}B fusion cross section, by the way of multiplication through generation of three secondary alpha particles from a single primarily produced alpha particle.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Growth and device processing of hexagonal boron nitride epilayers for thermal neutron and deep ultraviolet detectors

Solid-state neutron detectors with high performance are highly sought after for the detection of fissile materials. However, direct-conversion neutron detectors based on semiconductors with a measureable efficiency have not been realized. We report here the first successful demonstration of a direct-conversion semiconductor neutron detector with an overall detection efficiency for thermal neutrons of 4% and a charge collection efficiency as high as 83%. The detector is based on a 2.7 μm thick {sup 10}B-enriched hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) epitaxial layer. The results represent a significant step towards the realization of practical neutron detectors based on h-BN epilayers. Neutron detectors based on h-BN are expected to possess all the advantages of semiconductor devices including wafer-scale processing, compact size, light weight, and ability to integrate with other functional devices.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗