0000000000076543
AUTHOR
Adam Ingram
Free-volume Study in GeS2-Ga2S3-CsCl Chalcohalide Glasses Using Positron Annihilation Technique
Abstract Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy combined with Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation was applied to study free-volume entities in Ge-Ga-S glasses having different amount of CsCl additives. It is shown that the structural changes caused by CsCl additives can be adequately described by positron trapping modes determined within two-state model. The results testify in a favor of rather unchanged nature of corresponding free-volume voids responsible for positron trapping in the studied glasses, when mainly concentration of these traps is a subject to most significant changes with composition.
Positronics of radiation-induced effects in chalcogenide glassy semiconductors
Using As2S3 and AsS2 glasses as an example, the principal possibility of using positron annihilation spectroscopy methods for studying the evolution of the free volume of hollow nanoobjects in chalcogenide glassy semiconductors exposed to radiation is shown. The results obtained by measurements of the positron annihilation lifetime and Doppler broadening of the annihilation line in reverse chronological order are in full agreement with the optical spectroscopy data in the region of the fundamental absorption edge, being adequately described within coordination defect-formation and physical-aging models.
Structural-relaxation phenomena in As–S glasses as probed by combined PAL/DBAR technique
Abstract Experimental techniques exploring phenomena of positron–electron interaction, namely the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation, are shown to be very informative tools to study radiation- and thermally-induced phenomena in chalcogenide glasses of binary As–S system. Time-dependent processes of free-volume voids agglomeration (expansion), fragmentation (refining) and disappearing (contraction) are identified as main stages of physical aging in S-rich glasses, while a competitive channel of coordination topological defects formation associated with void charging becomes significant in a vicinity of near-stoichiometric glass compos…
Accretion in strong field gravity with eXTP
In this paper we describe the potential of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) mission for studies related to accretion flows in the strong field gravity regime around both stellar-mass and supermassive black-holes. eXTP has the unique capability of using advanced 'spectral-timing-polarimetry' techniques to analyze the rapid variations with three orthogonal diagnostics of the flow and its geometry, yielding unprecedented insight into the inner accreting regions, the effects of strong field gravity on the material within them and the powerful outflows which are driven by the accretion process.
Effect of Er3+-doping on 65GeS2-25Ga2S3-10CsCl glass probed by annihilating positrons
Abstract Effect of Er3+-doping resulting in pronounced mid-IR fluorescence functionality was examined first in chalcohalide 65GeS2-25Ga2S3-10CsCl glass using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy. The detected PAL spectra were reconstructed from unconstrained x2-term analysis employing two-state simple trapping model for one kind of positron trapping free-volume defects, the parameterization being performed at the example of 65GeS2-25Ga2S3-10CsCl glass doped with 0.6 at. % of Er3+. The observed decrease in positron trapping rate was proved to be primary void-evolution process in this Er-activated glass, like in many other chalcogenide glasses affected by rare earth doping. The n…
Positron trapping defects in free-volume investigation of Ge–Ga–S–CsCl glasses
Abstract Evolution of free-volume positron trapping defects caused by crystallization process in (80GeS 2 –20Ga 2 S 3 ) 100−х (СsCl) x , 0 ≤ x ≤ 15 chalcogenide-chalcohalide glasses was studied by positron annihilation lifetime technique. It is established that CsCl additives in Ge–Ga–S glassy matrix transform defect-related component spectra, indicating that the agglomeration of free-volume voids occurs in initial and crystallized (80GeS 2 –20Ga 2 S 3 ) 100−х (СsCl) x , 0 ≤ x ≤ 10 glasses. Void fragmentation in (80GeS 2 –20Ga 2 S 3 ) 85 (СsCl) 15 glass can be associated with loosing of their inner structure. Full crystallization in each of these glasses corresponds to the formation of defe…
Positron annihilation probing of crystallization effects in TAS-235 glass affected by Ga additions
Abstract Crystallization effects in Te20As30Se50 glass known also as TAS-235 affected by Ga additions to Ga2Te20As28Se50 and Ga5Te20As25Se50 compositions are probed with positron annihilation spectroscopy in the measuring modes exploring positron lifetimes and Doppler broadening of annihilation line. Occurring of cubic-phase Ga2Se3 droplets with character nanoscale sizes in partially-crystallized Ga2Te20As28Se50 alloy is shown to be associated with agglomeration of intrinsic free-volume voids, this process being enhanced over microcrystalline scale in Ga5Te20As25Se50 alloy. Crystallization changes in the void structure of TAS-235 glass are considered in terms of free-volume evolution under …
The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing
The Large Observatory For x-ray Timing (LOFT) was studied within ESA M3 Cosmic Vision framework and participated in the final down-selection for a launch slot in 2022-2024. Thanks to the unprecedented combination of effective area and spectral resolution of its main instrument, LOFT will study the behaviour of matter under extreme conditions, such as the strong gravitational field in the innermost regions of accretion flows close to black holes and neutron stars, and the supra-nuclear densities in the interior of neutron stars. The science payload is based on a Large Area Detector (LAD, 10 m 2 effective area, 2-30 keV, 240 eV spectral resolution, 1 deg collimated field of view) and a WideFi…
Structural phase transition in [(C2H5)4N][(CH3)4N]ZnCl4
The hybrid crystal [(C2H5)4N][(CH3)4N]ZnCl4 was studied using several experimental methods. DSC studies revealed the first order phase transition to the high temperature phase at about 496 K. This phase transition was confirmed in dielectric studies. Optical observation revealed the domain structure appearance characteristic for that of the phase transition between tetragonal and orthorhombic phases. This phase transition shows a lowering of symmetry as in the case of bromide analogs. Additionally, the optical studies showed the appearance of a number of cracks in the sample and in some cases, the samples became milky after cooling from the high temperature to the room temperature phase.
Cooperativity Scaling and Free Volume in Plasticized Polylactide
The authors would like to thank the region Haute Normandie for their financial support and the acquisition of the Broadband Dielectric Spectrometer. R.G. acknowledges U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant no. DMR-1725188) for the acquisition of PAL spectrometer. The experimental evidence of the increase of activation energy associated with the super Arrhenius behavior governing amorphous polylactide by free volume variations has been obtained through a combination of calorimetric, dielectric, and positron annihilation lifetime measurements. The amount of free volume in polylactide was controlled by the amount of acetyltributylcitrate plasticizer in the composition. Plasticization is shown…
Nanoporous characterization of modified humidity-sensitive MgO-Al 2 O 3 ceramics by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy method
The work was supported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science. H. Klym thanks Prof. O. Shpotyuk for the fruitful discussion.
Positron annihilation characterization of free volume in microand macro-modified Cu0.4Co0.4Ni0.4Mn1.8O4ceramics
Free volume and pore size distribution size in functional micro and macro-micro-modified Cu0.4Co0.4Ni0.4Mn1.8O4 ceramics are characterized by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy in comparison with Hg-porosimetry and scanning electron microscopy technique. Positron annihilation results are interpreted in terms of model implication positron trapping and ortho-positronium decaying. It is shown that free volume of positron traps are the same type for macro and micro modified Cu0.4Co0.4Ni0.4Mn1.8O4 ceramics. Classic Tao-Eldrup model in spherical approximation is used to calculation of the size of nanopores smaller than 2 nm using the ortho-positronium lifetime.
'Cold' crystallization in nanostructurized 80GeSe2-20Ga2Se3 glass
International audience; 'Cold' crystallization in 80GeSe 2-20Ga 2 Se 3 chalcogenide glass nanostructurized due to thermal annealing at 380°C for 10, 25, 50, 80, and 100 h are probed with X-ray diffraction, atomic force, and scanning electron microscopy, as well as positron annihilation spectroscopy performed in positron annihilation lifetime and Doppler broadening of annihilation line modes. It is shown that changes in defect-related component in the fit of experimental positron lifetime spectra for nanocrystallized glasses testify in favor of structural fragmentation of larger free-volume entities into smaller ones. Nanocrystallites of Ga 2 Se 3 and/or GeGa 4 Se 8 phases and prevalent GeSe…