Simultaneous quantification of light elements in thin films deposited on Si substrates using proton EBS (Elastic Backscattering Spectroscopy)

Quantification of light elements content in thin films is an important and difficult issue in many technological fields such as polymeric functional thin films, organic thin film devices, biomaterials, and doped semiconducting structures. Light elements are difficult to detect with techniques based on X-ray emission, such as energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDAX). Other techniques,…

Influence of the synthesis parameter on the interlayer and framework structure of lamellar octadecyltrimethylammonium kanemite

Inorganic–organic nanostructures, used as host materials for selective adsorption of functional molecules and as mesostructured material precursors, can be constructed by the interlayer modification of inorganic layered materials with surfactants. The formation mechanism is mainly determined by the surfactant assemblies in the 2D limited space. In this paper, a detailed structural analysis of the lamellar…

Biomechanical properties of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit cuticle during development are modulated by changes in the relative amounts of its components

Keywords: attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR);biomechanics;cuticle;cutin;flavonoids;tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit Summary – In this study, growth-dependent changes in the mechanical properties of the tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cuticle during fruit development were investigated in two cultivars with different patterns of cuticle growth and accumulation. – The mechanical properties were determined in uniaxial tensile tests using strips…

Thermal conductivity at the amorphous-nanocrystalline phase transition in beech wood biocarbon

High-porosity samples of beech wood biocarbon (BE-C) were prepared by pyrolysis at carbonization temperatures T carb = 650, 1300, and 1600°C, and their resistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ were studied in the 5–300 and 80–300 K temperature intervals. The experimental results obtained were evaluated by invoking X-ray diffraction data and information on the temperature…

Effect of clays and metal containers in retaining Sm3+ and ZrO2+ and the process of reversibility

Knowledge and understanding about radionuclides retention processes on the materials composing the engineered barrier (clay mineral and metallic container waste) are required to ensure the safety and the long-term performance of radioactive waste disposal. Therefore, the present study focuses on the competitiveness of clay and the metallic container in the process of adsorption/desorption of the…

A new route of synthesis of Na-Mica-4 from sodalite

Synthesis of Na-Mica-4 has been achieved by a “mix and calcine” method using sodalite and magnesium fluoride as the only precursors. Previous research found sodalite as a key intermediate reaction product in the formation of Na-Mica-4 when the NaCl melt method was employed. Similarities in structure, chemical composition and cation distribution in products using the…

Effect of carbonization temperature on the microplasticity of wood-derived biocarbon

The uniaxial compression strength under stepped loading and the 325-nm-stepped deformation rate of biocarbon samples obtained by carbonization of beech wood at different temperatures in the 600–1600°C range have been measured using high-precision interferometry. It has been shown that the strength depends on the content of nanocrystalline phase in biocarbon. The magnitude of deformation jumps…