Direct in Situ Observation and Analysis of the Formation of Palladium Nanocrystals with High-Index Facets
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This paper presents the design and simulation results of a high-precision low-cost refractometer that demonstrates the main advantage of a wide measurement range (1 ≤ n ≤ 2). The proposed design is based on the diffractive properties of sub-micron gratings and Snell's Law. The precision and uncertainty factors of the proposed system were tested and analyzed, revealing that the proposed refractometer demonstrates a wide measurement range with sensitivity of 10{sup −4}.
Periodically structured electrodes are typically introduced to thin-film photovoltaics for the purpose of light management. Highly effective light-trapping and optimal in-coupling of light is crucial to enhance the overall device performance in such thin-film systems. Here, wavelength-scale structures are transferred via direct laser interference patterning to electron-selective TiO{sub 2} electrodes. Two representative thin-film solar cell architectures are deposited on top: an organic solar cell featuring blended P3HT:PCBM as active material, and a hybrid solar cell with Sb{sub 2}S{sub 3} as inorganic active material. A direct correlation in the asymmetry in total absorption enhancement and in structure-induced light in-coupling is spectroscopically observed for the two systems. The structuring is shown to be beneficial for the total absorption enhancement if a high n active material is deposited on TiO{sub 2}, but detrimental for a low n material. The refractive indices of the employed materials are determined via spectroscopic ellipsometry. The study outlines that the macroscopic Fresnel equations can be used to investigate the spectroscopically observed asymmetry in light in-coupling at the nanostructured TiO{sub 2} active material interfaces by visualizing the difference in reflectivity caused by the asymmetry in refractive indices.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by a gene defect that compromises the ability of the mucociliary transit (MCT) system to clear the airways of debris and pathogens. To directly characterise airway health and the effects of treatments we have developed a synchrotron X-ray microscopy method that non-invasively measures the local rate and patterns of MCT behaviour. Although the nasal airways of CF mice exhibit the CF pathophysiology, there is evidence that nasal MCT is not altered in CF mice1. The aim of this experiment was to determine if our non-invasive local airway health assessment method could identify differences in nasal MCT rate between normal and CF mice, information that is potentially lost in bulk MCT measurements. Experiments were performed on the BL20XU beamline at the SPring-8 Synchrotron in Japan. Mice were anaesthetized, a small quantity of micron-sized marker particles were delivered to the nose, and images of the nasal airways were acquired for 15 minutes. The nasal airways were treated with hypertonic saline or mannitol to increase surface hydration and MCT. Custom software was used to locate and track particles and calculate individual and bulk MCT rates. No statistically significant differences in MCT rate were found between normal and CF mouse nasal airways or between treatments. However, we hope that the improved sensitivity provided by this technique will accelerate the ability to identify useful CF lung disease-modifying interventions in small animal models, and enhance the development and efficacy of proposed new therapies.
The ultrafast carrier dynamics in a p-doped dash-in-a-well structure at 1.5 μm is experimentally investigated. An analysis of the timescales related to carrier relaxation and escape processes as well as the “dynamical” linewidth enhancement factor is presented and compared with results obtained from similar un-doped materials. Intentional p-doping of the active region results in an enhancement of the intermediate timescale of the gain dynamics associated with phonon-assisted electron capture and a reduction of the α-factor due to increased differential gain.
Refractive indices of SrF{sub 2} crystals doped with holmium, erbium, and thulium ions are measured. These crystals are used as active laser media, in particular, as materials for planar waveguides. The presence of active ions in these crystals may create a difference between the refractive indices of the cladding and the doped core of a planar waveguide. At dopant concentration to 4 %, the difference Δn between the refractive indices of the doped core and undoped reflective layer can reach 0.007.
The reflectance spectra of solid and liquids can be complicated since they depend not only on absorption, but also on the refraction, reflection, and scattering of light, all of which are wavelength dependent. The physical form and morphological effects associated with solid and liquid samples are thus known to affect their reflectance spectra in a non-linear fashion, particularly in the infrared. Measuring the optical constants n(?) and k(?) represents an alternative approach, allowing one to model these many effects and thus requiring fewer laboratory measurements. In this paper an overview is presented of the protocols used to measure the n/k optical constants, particularly for liquids. For the liquids, a multiple path length measurements approach is employed, and in this paper we demonstrate the method to determine the complex optical constants n(?) and k(?) of squalene. The resultant calculated spectra of 1 µm and 100 µm thick layers of squalene on an aluminum substrate as derived from the experimental n(?) and k(?) values are shown to demonstrate such effects. The public availability of the n(?)/k(?) data as well as solids hemispherical reflectance data are also discussed.
A brief review of the optical properties of oxide materials that are used at present as dielectrics in modern microelectronics is presented. Using spectral ellipsometry, dispersion dependencies for different materials are measured. A brief comparative analysis of different dielectric coatings is carried out. The results of our research will be useful in further studies of the properties of dielectrics, as well as in technologies that are employed in the development of new semiconductor instruments and devices.
Dithioazaspiroheterocyclic derivatives are synthesized by condensing dithiols with piperidin-4-one in the presence of catalytic amounts of Lewis acids. Acrylic dithioazaspiroheterocyclic derivatives are obtained by the reaction with acryloyl chloride. The polymerization of monomers yields transparent polymer films of optical quality. The refractive indices for the synthesized monomers and polymers are in the range of n = 1.59–1.64.
The transmission spectrum of a Se{sup 95}Te{sup 5} chalcogenide glassy semiconductor doped with samarium (0.05, 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 at %) is studied; the Swanepoel method and the single-oscillator model are used to determine the oscillator energy E{sup 0}, dispersion energy E{sup d}, optical width of the band gap E{sup g}, and linear (n) and nonlinear (n{sup 2}) refractive indices. The changes in the values of these parameters as a result of doping are attributed to modification of the local structure and to a change in the concentration of defect states.
Here, the objective of this Department of Energy SBIR program has been to develop technology for the advancement of advanced computing systems. NanoSonic worked with two subcontractors, the Polymicro Division of Molex, a U.S.-based manufacturer of specialized optical fiber and fiber components, and Virginia Tech, a research university involved through the Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI) program in high-speed computer networking research. NanoSonic developed a patented molecular-level self-assembly process to manufacture polymer-based optical fibers in a way similar to the modified chemical vapor deposition (MCVD) approach typically used to make glass optical fibers. Although polymer fiber has a higher attenuation per unit length than glass fiber, short connectorized polymer fiber jumpers offer significant cost savings over their glass counterparts, particularly due to the potential use of low-cost plastic fiber connectors. As part of the SBIR commercialization process, NanoSonic exclusively licensed this technology to a large ($100B+ market cap) U.S.-based manufacturing conglomerate near the end of the first year of the Phase II program. With this base technology developed and licensed, NanoSonic then worked with Polymicro to address secondary program goals of using related but not conflicting production methods to enhance the performance of other specialty optical fiber products and components, and Virginia Tech continued its evaluation of developed polymer fibers in its network infrastructure system on the university campus. We also report our current understanding of the observation during the Phase I program of quantum conductance and partial quantum conductance in metal-insulator-metal (MIM) devices. Such conductance behavior may be modeled as singlemode behavior in one-dimensional electrically conducting waveguides, similar in principle to singlemode optical propagation in dielectric fiber waveguides. Although NanoSonic has not licensed any of the additional technology developed during the second year of the program, several proprietary discussions with major materials companies are underway as of the conclusion of Phase II.
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Wetlands are important for their role in global climate as a source of methane and other trace gasses.
Global LAI-VI relationships are statistically significant, crop-specific, and mostly non-linear. This research enables the operationalization of large-area crop modeling and, by extension, has relevance to both fundamental and applied agroecosystem research.
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