Relationships between strain, microstructure and oxide growth at the nano- and microscale

In the present article, the relationships between oxidation processes, surface strains and the microstructure of duplex stainless steels were investigated. Specimens were oxidized at 500 °C under secondary vacuum for 1 h to form a thin oxide film (thickness in the range of 20-50 nm). Such specimens were considered as the model system for developing novel methods of analysis in understanding the behavior of passive films. The interfacial strain field after oxidation was measured experimentally at the microscale using the point grid method. On the other hand, the chemical composition of the oxide film was determined at the submicroscopic scale by means of local scanning Auger spectroscopy (wi…

Controlled thermal oxidation of nanostructured vanadium thin films

Abstract Pure V thin films were dc sputtered with different pressures (0.4 and 0.6 Pa) and particle incident angles α of 0°, 20° and 85°, by using the GLancing Angle Deposition (GLAD) technique. The sputtered films were characterized regarding their electrical resistivity behaviour in atmospheric pressure and in-vacuum conditions as a function of temperature (40–550 °C), in order to control the oxidation process. Aiming at comprehending the oxidation behaviour of the samples, extensive morphological and structural studies were performed on the as-deposited and annealed samples. Main results show that, in opposition to annealing in air, the columnar nanostructures are preserved in vacuum con…

Flash annealing influence on structural and electrical properties of TiO2/TiO/Ti periodic multilayers

Abstract Multilayered structures with a 40 nm period composed of titanium and two different titanium oxides, TiO and TiO 2 , were accurately produced by DC magnetron sputtering using the reactive gas pulsing process. These multilayers were sputtered onto Al 2 O 3 sapphire to avoid substrate compound diffusion during flash annealing (ranging from 350 °C to 550 °C). Structure and composition of these periodic TiO 2 /TiO/Ti stacks were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and transmission electronic microscopy techniques. Two crystalline phases α-Ti and fcc-TiO were identified in the metallic-rich sub-layers whereas the oxygen-rich ones were composed of a mixture…

Chemical and structural characterization of periodic metal/oxide nanometric layers using STEM-EELS

Chemical and structural characterization of periodic metal/oxide nanometric layers using STEM-EELS

Structuration of nanometric tungsten/tungsten oxide periodic films combining gas pulsing and glancing angle deposition

Structuration of nanometric tungsten/tungsten oxide periodic films combining gas pulsing and glancing angle deposition

The Detailed Science Case for the Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer, 2019 edition

(Abridged) The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) is an end-to-end science platform for the design, execution and scientific exploitation of spectroscopic surveys. It will unveil the composition and dynamics of the faint Universe and impact nearly every field of astrophysics across all spatial scales, from individual stars to the largest scale structures in the Universe. Major pillars in the science program for MSE include (i) the ultimate Gaia follow-up facility for understanding the chemistry and dynamics of the distant Milky Way, including the outer disk and faint stellar halo at high spectral resolution (ii) galaxy formation and evolution at cosmic noon, via the type of revolutionary…

Interdependence of structural and electrical properties in tantalum/tantalum oxide multilayers

International audience; Dc reactive sputtering was used to deposit tantalum metal/oxide periodic nanometric multilayers using the innovative technique namely, the reactive gas pulsing process (RGPP). Different pulsing periods were used for each deposition to produce metal-oxide periodic alternations included between 5 and 80 nm. Structure, crystallinity and chemical composition of these films were systematically investigated by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy techniques. Moreover, electrical properties were also studied by the Van der Pauw technique.

Elucidation of antioxidant properties of wood bark derived saturated diarylheptanoids: a comprehensive (DFT-supported) understanding.

A series of diarylheptanoids, namely 1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-heptan-3-one-5-O-D-xylopyranoside (oregonin), 1,7-bis-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3-hydroxyheptane-5-O-β-D-xylopyranoside and 1,7-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-heptane-3-one-5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (platyphylloside), were isolated from the bark of alder family trees, a species widely spread over in Europe. As antioxidants, these natural polyphenols have a promising potential in various fields of application, but their redox reactivity is insufficiently characterized. In this work, their antioxidant activity is described using assays based on DPPH and ABTS(+) radical scavenging, oxygen anion radicals (O2(-)) quenching. The standardized ORA…

The 4MOST Survey of Dwarf Galaxies and their Stellar Streams (4DWARFS)

The present-day Milky Way is the result of a long history of mergers and interactions with smaller galaxies. The 4DWARFS survey will target the dwarf galaxies and stellar streams in the 4MOST footprint, and unveil their chrono-chemo-kinematical properties. The survey will provide radial velocities, chemical abundances and stellar ages for 140 000 stars, and thus increase the number of stars with detailed information in such systems by several orders of magnitude. 4DWARFS will provide a new, deeper view of the Milky Way environment, shedding light on the first stars, chemical evolution, dark matter halos, and hierarchical galaxy formation down to the smallest scales.

The Arietta Study: Exploring Severe Asthma Biomarkers in a Real-World Setting

Preparation of conductive PDDA/(PEDOT:PSS) multilayer thin film: influence of polyelectrolyte solution composition.

Abstract Self-assembled multilayer films made of PEDOT:PSS poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) and PDDA poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) were prepared using layer-by-layer method. In order to modify the growth regime of the multilayer, to fabricate an electrical conductive film and to control its thickness, the effects of pH, type of electrolyte, ionic strength and polyelectrolyte concentration were investigated. Optical reflectometry measurements show that the pH of the solutions has no effect on the film growth while the adsorbed amount increases more rapidly when BaCl2 is used instead of NaCl as electrolyte. An increase in the ionic strength (with NaCl) induces…

On the nature of a shell of young stars in the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud

Understanding the evolutionary history of the Magellanic Clouds requires an in-depth exploration and characterization of the stellar content in their outer regions, which ultimately are key to tracing the epochs and nature of past interactions. We present new deep images of a shell-like over-density of stars in the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The shell, also detected in photographic plates dating back to the fifties, is located at ~1.9 degr from the center of the SMC in the north-east direction.The structure and stellar content of this feature were studied with multi-band, optical data from the Survey of the MAgellanic Stellar History (SMASH) carried out with the Dark Ene…

Ballistic and thermalized regimes to tune structure and conducting properties of W-Mo thin films

Three steps strategy for thin film growth simulation: example of Cr/CrNx multlayers

Three steps strategy for thin film growth simulation: example of Cr/CrNx multlayers

Oblique angle co-deposition of nanocolumnar tungsten thin films with two W sources: Effect of pressure and target current

Two series of tungsten thin films are sputtered on silicon and glass substrates by oblique angle co-deposition technique with an original configuration. Two opposite distinct tungsten targets are simultaneously used, both tilted with an oblique angle of 80°. The growth is performed at low (0.33 Pa) and high (1.5 Pa) argon sputtering pressure and the current intensity applied to the targets varies between 50 and 250 mA. The effect of these deposition parameters on the films microstructure and electrical properties is investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and pole figures, and van der Pauw method. Due to self-shadowing effect, all tungsten sputtered …

Phase mixture in MOCVD and reactive sputtering TiOxNy thin films revealed and quantified by XPS spectra factorial analysis

International audience

The interdependence of structural and electrical properties in TiO2/TiO/Ti periodic multilayers

International audience; Multilayered structures with 14-50 nm periods composed of titanium and two different titanium oxides, TiO and TiO2, were accurately produced by DC magnetron sputtering using the reactive gas pulsing process. The structure and composition of these periodic TiO2/TiO/Ti stacks were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electronic microscopy techniques. Two crystalline phases, hexagonal close packed Ti and face centred cubic TiO, were identified in the metallic-rich sub-layers, whereas the oxygen-rich ones comprised a mixture of amorphous TiO2 and rutile phase. DC electrical resistivity rho measured for temperatures ranging from 300 to 500 K exhibited a meta…

Detection of Indoor Air Pollutants Using Reactive Sputtering/GLAD of Tin Oxide Thin Films

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Structural and electrical properties in tungsten/tungsten oxide multilayers

International audience; Tungsten and tungsten oxide periodic nanometric multilayers have been deposited by DC reactive sputtering using the reactive gas pulsing process. Different pulsing periods have been used for each deposition to produce metal-oxide periodic alternations ranging from 3.3 to 71.5 nm. The morphology, crystallinity and chemical composition of these films have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. The produced multilayers exhibited an amorphous structure and the composition stability of WO3 sub-layers has been pointed out. Moreover, electrical properties have also been studied by the van der Pauw technique…

Phase mixture in MOCVD and reactive sputtering TiOxNy thin films revealed and quantified by XPS factorial analysis.

Abstract Titanium oxynitride thin films have been deposited by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition and reactive sputtering. The growth temperature for chemical vapour-deposited films and water vapour partial pressure for sputter-deposited films have been used to modulate the chemical composition. Both series have been analysed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in order to describe the structure of the materials using a factorial analysis approach. Titanium and metalloid concentrations have also been determined and compared to an elemental analysis performed using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis. The two deposition methods led …

Tungsten oxide thin films sputter deposited by the reactive gas pulsing process for the dodecane detection

International audience; The DC reactive magnetron sputtering of a metallic tungsten target was performed in an argon + oxygen atmosphere for depositing tungsten oxide thin films. In order to control the oxygen concentration in the films, the reactive gas pulsing process, namely RGPP, was implemented. Rectangular pulses were used with a constant pulsing period T = 16 s whereas the duty cycle α (time of oxygen injection to pulsing period T ratio) was systematically changed from 0 to 100% of T. This pulsing injection of the reactive gas allowed a gradual evolution of the films composition from pure metallic to over-stoichiometric WO3+ɛ’ compounds. These WOx films were sputter deposited on comm…

Structural analysis of W3O/WO3 and TiO/TiO2 periodic multilayer thin films sputter deposited by the reactive gas pulsing process

International audience; DC reactive sputtering was used to deposit titanium and tungsten-based metal/oxide periodic nanometric multilayers using pure metallic targets and Ar + O-2 gas mixture as reactive atmosphere. The innovative technique namely, the reactive gas pulsing process allows switching between the metal and oxide to prepare a periodic multilayered structure with various metalloid concentrations and nanometric dimensions. The same pulsing period was used for each deposition to produce metal-oxide periodic alternations close to 10 nm. Structure, crystallinity and chemical composition of these films were systematically investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and Energ…

Influence of flash annealing on structure and electrical properties of multilayered TiO2/TiO/Ti thin films

Influence of flash annealing on structure and electrical properties of multilayered TiO2/TiO/Ti thin films

Assessing biomarkers in a real-world severe asthma study (ARIETTA)

AbstractThe prognostic value of asthma biomarkers in routine clinical practice is not fully understood. ARIETTA (NCT02537691) is an ongoing, prospective, longitudinal, international, multicentre real-world study designed to assess the relationship between asthma biomarkers and disease-related health outcomes. The trial aims to enrol and follow for 52 weeks approximately 1200 severe asthma patients from approximately 160 sites in more than 20 countries. Severe asthmatics, treated with daily inhaled corticosteroid (≥500 μg of fluticasone propionate or equivalent) and at least 1 second controller medication are to be included. In this real-world study, patients will be treated according to the…