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Framework flexibility is one of the most important characteristics of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), making them highly suitable for adsorption applications. There have been a limited number of computational efforts to study flexible MOFs in the literature, and they are mostly focused on MIL-53. We studied a flexible MOF known as LMOF-201, which was found to exhibit guest-induced flexible properties; however, the mechanism of the appearance of flexibility is still unclear. First, we validated our simulation results by reproducing the experimental isotherm and powder X-ray diffraction measurements of experimental structures using grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) and reactive force field (ReaxFF) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Then, we demonstrated the importance of the presence of a carbonyl oxygen atom in LMOF-201 to induce flexibility. The mechanism determined in this study will enable LMOF-201 to be considered for adsorption applications in the future.

ZK-5 (a KFI-type framework topology) is a “small-pore” zeolite with a three-dimensional channel system with eight-membered ring micropore openings (ca. 0.39 nm). Several recent studies have shown that ZK-5 has the potential to be applied in solid adsorbents or catalysts, particularly in CO2 capture and NOx reduction in industry. However, the quality (e.g. micropore volume) of conventional ZK-5 (0.21–0.22 cm3 g−1) remains smaller than the theoretical micropore volume of the KFI-type framework topology (0.32–0.34 cm3 g−1). Improving the micropore volume of ZK-5 could therefore enhance its performance. In this study, we apply the seed-assisted method to obtain KFI-type zeolite starting by adding conventionally synthesized ZK-5 as a seed into organic structure-directing agent (OSDA)-free K,Sr-aluminosilicate reactants, followed by hydrothermal treatment. The series of experimental characterizations of the obtained products showed that under certain synthesis conditions, the addition of a seed could enhance the micropore volume of KFI-type zeolites to 0.26–0.28 cm3 g−1, which is larger than previously reported for ZK-5. Such enhanced properties led to higher CO2 adsorption capacities for the obtained KFI-type zeolites compared with conventional ZK-5 over a wide range of pressures. A series of experiments and comparison with previous literature, indicated that the crystallization behavior of the KFI-type zeolites did not follow typical seed-mediated growth. Instead, seed-dissolution–recrystallization behavior is thought to have occurred in the seeded-gel system.

We present a lab-on-chip experiment to accurately measure losses of superconducting microstrip lines at microwave and submillimeter wavelengths. The microstrips are fabricated from Nb-Ti-N, which is deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering, and amorphous silicon which is deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Submillimeter wave losses are measured using on-chip Fabry-Perot resonators (FPRs) operating around 350 GHz. Microwave losses are measured using shunted half-wave resonators with an identical geometry and fabricated on the same chip. We measure a loss tangent of the amorphous silicon at single-photon energies of tan⁡δ=3.7±0.5×10-5 at approximately 6GHz and tan⁡δ=2.1±0.1×10-4 at 350 GHz. These results represent very low losses for deposited dielectrics, but the submillimeter wave losses are significantly higher than the microwave losses, which cannot be understood using the standard two-level system loss model.

Catalytic conversion of methane (CH4) to light olefins is motivated by increasing recoverable reserves of methane resources, abundantly available in natural gas, shale gas, and gas hydrates. The development of effective processes for conversion of CH4 to light olefins is still a great challenge. The interface of ZSM-5 zeolite and TiO2 nanoparticles is successfully constructed in their core–shell particles via mechanochemical treatment with high shear stress. The oxidative coupling of methane at a low temperature under application of an electric field may be induced by the O2 activation via electrons running through the surface of TiO2 located at the interface of TiO2 and zeolite particles. Moreover, C3H6 was also produced by the ethylene to propylene (ETP) reaction catalyzed by Bronsted acid sites in the ZSM-5 zeolite within core–shell particles.

The adsorption–desorption isotherms and relaxation curves of water in chromium terephthalate metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-101, were measured by the gravimetric method at 298 K and 1 atm. Th...

Zeolite Y is one of the most important catalysts that are used in catalytic processes such as fluidic catalytic cracking (FCC). This zeolite can be degraded during the FCC process, particularly under high-temperature steaming conditions; however, the degradation mechanisms have not been fully elucidated yet and previous studies have mainly focused on dealumination behaviors. In this study, we performed high-temperature treatments under steaming conditions to prepare a series of degraded zeolite Y samples, which were carefully investigated through techniques such as argon adsorption, high-energy X-ray total scattering, and transmission electron microscopy. A non-linear correlation between the crystallinity and micropore volume was observed. We propose that the degradation mechanism involved the formation of a dense amorphous layer, which the argon molecules cannot infiltrate into, on the surface of the crystals during high-temperature steaming treatment.

Hybrid organic-lead halide perovskites exhibit remarkable properties as semiconductors and light absorbers. Here, we report the formation of silsesquioxane-lead halide hybrid layered perovskites. We prepared silsesquioxane with a cubic cage-like structure and fabricated hybrid silsesquioxane-lead halide layered perovskites in a self-assembled manner. It is demonstrated that the silsesquioxane maintain their cage-like structure between lead halide perovskite layers. The silsesquioxane-lead halide perovskites also show excitonic absorption and emission in the visible light region similar to typical lead halide layered perovskites.

Hierarchically nanostructured, coral-like carbons with uniform spherical ∼50 nm pores and

Uniformity in thickness and electronic properties of superconducting niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN) thin films is a critical issue for upscaling superconducting electronics, such as microwave kinetic inductance detectors for submillimeter wave astronomy. In this article we make an experimental comparison between the uniformity of NbTiN thin films produced by two DC magnetron sputtering systems with vastly different target sizes: the Nordiko 2000 equipped with a circular $\varnothing$ 100 mm target, and the Evatec LLS801 with a rectangular target of 127 mm $\times$ 444.5 mm. In addition to the films deposited staticly in both systems, we have also deposited films in the LLS801 while shuttling the substrate in front of the target, with the aim of further enhancing the uniformity. Among these three setups, the LLS801 system with substrate shuttling has yielded the highest uniformity in film thickness ( $\pm$ 2%), effective resistivity (decreasing by 5% from center to edge), and superconducting critical temperature ( $T_{\mathrm{c}}$ = 15.0 K–15.3 K) over a $\varnothing$ 100 mm wafer. However, the shuttling appears to increase the resistivity by almost a factor of 2 compared to static deposition. Surface SEM inspections suggest that the shuttling could have induced a different mode of microstructural film growth.

We have performed low-temperature magnetotransport measurements on epitaxial graphene composed of domains of single-layer and bilayer areas simultaneously present on SiC(0 0 0 1). Positive magnetoresistance that tends to saturate at high magnetic fields is observed for longitudinal component , while the Hall resistance exhibits sublinear behaviour. The lineshapes for both and can be accounted for extremely well by the semiclassical magnetotransport model incorporating two types of carriers conducting in parallel. Two sets of mobilities and densities, corresponding to single-layer and bilayer regions, respectively, can be obtained by fitting the experimental traces to the two-carrier model formulae. From the carrier densities, in turn, the ratio of the single-layer to bilayer areas can be deduced, assuming the alignment of the Fermi levels in the two types of areas with differing dispersion relations and Dirac point energies. The ratio of areas thus obtained is consistent with the ratio directly ob...

We present a novel lab-on-chip technique to measure the very low losses in superconducting transmission lines at (sub-) mm wavelengths. The chips consist of a 100 nm thick NbTiN Coplanar Waveguide (CPW) Fabry Perot (FP) resonator, coupled on one side to an antenna and on the other side to a Microwave Kinetic Inductance detector. Using a single frequency radiation source allows us to measure the frequency response of the FP around 350 GHz and deduce its losses. We show that the loss is dominated by radiation loss inside the CPW line that forms the FP and that it decreases with decreasing line width and increasing kinetic inductance as expected. The results can be quantitatively understood using SONNET simulations. The lowest loss is observed for a CPW with a total width of $6\ \mathrm{\mu m}$ and corresponds to a Q-factor of $\approx15,000$., Comment: 5 pages + appendix. Accepted for publication in APL. Author's accepted version

We report new observations on picosecond deep ultraviolet coherent beams generated in a CLBO as the fourth and fifth harmonics of a diode pumped high average power Yb:YAG thin disk laser operating at 77 kHz repetition rate at 1030 nm. The effects of the two-photon absorption were observed, e.g. the modification of phase matching conditions, lowering of the conversion efficiency. The fifth harmonic generation (4ω+1ω) was studied for different time delays between both pump beams and for the case of excess input power of the fundamental. The latter effect suggests a possibility of increasing DUV output at short crystals. The highest output power obtained at 257 nm was 7.6 W and 1 W at 206 nm. To our knowledge these DUV output powers rank among the highest for picosecond pulses at the repetition rate of the order of magnitude of 100 kHz.

The effect of pore length on the water filling and emptying rates was studied using mesoporous silica (MPS) with same pore diameter but different pore lengths. The pore diameter of the synthesized MPS was ∼8 nm, whereas the average pore lengths were 460, 1,770, and 4000 nm. The gravimetric method was employed to record the time course of the adsorbed mass of water in MPS at 298 K and 1 atm. In both the filling and emptying processes, the relaxation curves (time course of adsorbed mass of water per unit mass of sample) were not significantly related to the pore length. This independence of the initial adsorption and desorption rates on the pore length suggests that the surface of the MPS aggregates is the bottleneck in the overall adsorption and desorption processes and that the initial mass flux in each nanopore is inversely proportional to the pore length. Furthermore, because the relaxation times to reach the equilibrium state were independent of the pore length, the mass flux of water uptake, release, and transport probably increase with an increase in the pore length during the entire adsorption and desorption processes. A transport model to describe these phenomena was proposed.

Magnetic field and spin-orbit interaction (SOI) are representative freedoms that can be entangled to electron spins. In experiments, while magnetic field strong enough for the control of spin is difficult to be localized onto the area for single spins such as quantum dots, the orbit can be localized to narrow regions with mesoscopic structures. Hence for quantum information manipulation borne by electron spins, the control through SOI has an advantage in that sense.

Significance Weyl semimetals carry the promise of quantum electronic applications. Theoretical calculations have suggested that Luttinger semimetals recently found in iridium oxides may be a suitable group of materials where such topological phases, including Weyl semimetal state, may be found. For example, praseodymium-iridium oxide, P r 2 I r 2 O 7 , is one such Luttinger semimetal that can be tuned by perturbations such as strain into a Weyl semimetal state. Despite theoretical predictions of Weyl semimetal states in P r 2 I r 2 O 7 crystals, experimental proof remains elusive due to the difficulty of applying sufficient mechanical strain on single crystals. Our study provides strong experimental evidence that a Weyl semimetal state may indeed appear in strained pyrochlore iridium oxide films, opening a way to explore topological phases.

We present herein an ultrafast, organic structure-directing agent (OSDA)-free synthesis of mordenite zeolite in a tubular reactor capable of fast heating. Using a typical Na2O/SiO2/Al2O3 system, the synthesis time was shortened to 10 min, which is much shorter than the time required by conventional methods (tens of hours). The addition of milled seeds, which have a smaller crystal size (200 nm), was found to be more effective in enhancing the crystallization than the micrometer-sized raw seeds (2 μm). The fast-synthesized mordenite possesses properties similar to those of mordenite synthesized by conventional methods in terms of crystallinity while having a comparably small crystal size. In addition, the effects of the alkalinity and SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of the initial reactant mixture on the crystallization rate were evaluated, but no significant effects were observed. On the contrary, the yield and SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of the product were dependent on the alkalinity and SiO2/Al2O3 ratio of the initial reactant mixture. Based on these observations, the crystallization behavior of mordenite, obtained from an ultrafast, OSDA-free synthesis method, is discussed.

We report on the generation of picosecond pulses at 515 nm and deep ultraviolet pulses at 257 nm and 206 nm. They are generated as second, fourth and fifth harmonic frequencies of the high power diode-pumped Yb:YAG thin-disk laser at the fundamental wavelength of 1030 nm. The laser at the fundamental wavelength is based on a chirped-pulse amplification of oscillator pulses in two-stage regenerative amplifier based on thin-disks as active media. The diode pumping at the zero phonon line is used. The pulses are produced at ~100 kHz repetition frequency, 2-10 ps pulse duration and ≤2 mJ pulse energy. The fundamental beam is doubled in an LBO crystal at an efficiency of 42%. Subsequently the fourth harmonic frequency (257 nm) is produced by frequency doubling of the second harmonic frequency in a CLBO crystal. The unconverted part of the fundamental beam after SHG is used with the fourth harmonic beam as 1ω+4ω frequency sum in a further CLBO crystal for the fifth harmonic frequency (206 nm) generation. Two issues are important in the efficient optical conversion: nonlinear absorption given mainly by two-photon absorption (TPA) and proper timing of interacting pulses. In our simulations we take into account TPA and study the consequences of different timing of 1ω- and 4ω-pulses on the CLBO when generating the 5th harmonic. It was found that 1.4 ps delay of the 1ω-pulse after the 4ω-pulse is necessary to get the highest 5ω-output. Also the 5ω-pulse duration is affected by the timing.

Hi-tech industrial or biotechnological laser applications request for picosecond pulsed 2-μm laser generating sub-1-J pulses in >kHz repetition range. At HiLASE center the development of the laser system with target to generate 1-J picosecond pulses with 1-kHz repetition rate has started. In this paper, we present a concept of the laser system and demonstrate recent results from the first part of the laser – the holmium fiber oscillator. The holmium fiber front-end is pumped by a continuous wave

Hybrid organic-inorganic layered perovskites are typically nonporous solids. However, the incorporation of silsesquioxanes with a cubic cage structure as interlayer materials creates micropores between the perovskite layers. In this study, we increase in the micropore volume in layered perovskites by replacing a portion of the silsesquioxane interlayers with organic amines. In the proposed method, approximately 20% of the silsesquioxane interlayers can be replaced without changing the layer distance owing to the size of the silsesquioxane. When small amines (e.g., ethylamine) are used in this manner, the micropore volume of the obtained hybrid layered perovskites increases by as much as 44%; when large amines (e.g., phenethylamine) are used, their micropore volume decreases by as much as 43%. Through the variation of amine fraction, the micropore volume can be adjusted in the range. Finally, the magnetic moment measurements reveal that the layered perovskites with mixed interlayers exhibit ferromagnetic ordering at temperature below 20 K, thus indicating that the obtained perovskites maintain their functions as layered perovskites.

Hi-tech industrial or biotechnological laser applications request for picosecond pulsed 2-um laser generating sub-1-J pulses in >kHz repetition range. At Hilase development of laser system with target to generate 1-J picosecond pulses with 1-kHz repetition rate has started. Design of the system based on Ho:YAG thin-disk generating at 2.1-um is divided into several phases. First phase includes demonstration of new mode-locked graphen-based saturable absorber Ho-doped fiber laser concept followed by preamplifier systems delivering 10-uJ pulses. Pulses are then amplified to >10-mJ level in Ho:YAG thin-disk regenerative amplifier operating at 10-kHz, and finally amplified in double stage cryogenically-cooled multi-pass amplifier to 1-J at 1-kHz so average output power reaches 1-kW in mid-IR. We present a concept of this laser system with emphasize on the front-end and the first regen. The holmium fiber front-end is pumped by a continuous wave 0.5-W thulium fiber laser generating at wavelength of 1950-nm. Mode-locking in the oscillator is reached by graphene multilayer optical element as a passive saturable absorber (GSA). The GSA provides broadband wavelength operation and is promising for MIR sources. In the laser setup, the GSA is placed in a free-space cavity as a part of ring laser configuration. This oscillator produces

An overview of the latest developments of kilowatt-level diode pumped solid state lasers for advanced applications at the HiLASE Centre is presented. An overview of subcontracted and in-house-developed laser beamlines is presented. The aim of development is to build kW-class beamlines delivering picosecond pulses between 1- and 100-kHz repetition rates and high-energy nanosecond pulses at 10 Hz. The picosecond beamlines are based on Yb:YAG thin-disk amplifiers and chirped pulse amplification. The current status of the beamlines’ performance is reported. The advantages of zero-phonon line and pulsed pumping are demonstrated with respect to efficiency, thin disk temperature and beam quality. New diagnostics methods supporting the high average power lasers’ development, such as the high-resolution spectroscopy of Yb-doped materials, in situ thin disk deformation measurements, single-shot M2 measurement, realization of wavefront correction by a deformable mirror and the laser performance of a new mixed garnet ceramics, are described. The energetic, thermal and fluid-mechanical numerical modeling for the optimization of the multi-slab amplifiers is also described.

In many fields of modern physics and industrial applications high-average power pulsed diode-pumped solid-state lasers are essential. Scaling of these lasers towards higher pulse energies is often limited by the onset of thermal effects which are determined by the average power. In this paper we would like to propose a way of increasing the pulse energies by operating the PERLA B laser system in 100 Hz burst mode with 1 ms burst duration and intra-burst repetition rate of 10 kHz. The CPA-based system incorporates fiber front-end, regenerative amplifier and the multipass amplifier followed by the booster amplifier and

Mid-IR wavelength range (between 2 and 8 μm) offers perspective applications, such as minimally-invasive neurosurgery, gas sensing, or plastic and polymer processing. Maturity of high average power near-IR lasers is beneficial for powerful mid-IR generation by optical parametric conversion. We utilize in-house developed Yb:YAG thin-disk laser of 100 W average power at 77 kHz repetition rate, wavelength of 1030 nm, and about 2 ps pulse width for pumping of a ten-watt level picosecond mid-IR source. Seed beam is obtained by optical parametric generation in a double-pass 10 mm long PPLN crystal pumped by a part of the fundamental near-IR beam. Tunability of the signal wavelength between 1.46 μm and 1.95 μm was achieved with power of several tens of miliwatts. Main part of the fundamental beam pumps an optical parametric amplification stage, which includes a walk-off compensating pair of 10 mm long KTP crystals. We already demonstrated the OPA output signal and idler beam tunability between 1.70-1.95 μm and 2.18-2.62 μm, respectively. The signal and idler beams were amplified up to 8.5 W and 5 W, respectively, at 42 W pump without evidence of strong saturation. Thus, increase in signal and idler output power is expected for pump power increase.

We have investigated microwave transmission through the edge of quantum Hall systems by employing a coplanar waveguide (CPW) fabricated on the surface of a GaAs/AlGaAs two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) wafer. An edge is introduced to the slot region of the CPW by applying a negative bias $V_\mathrm{g}$ to the central electrode (CE) and depleting the 2DEG below the CE. We observe peaks attributable to the excitation of edge magnetoplasmons (EMP) at a fundamental frequency $f_0$ and at its harmonics $i f_0$ ($i$ = 2, 3,...). The frequency $f_0$ increases with decreasing $V_\mathrm{g}$, indicating that EMP propagates with higher velocity for more negative $V_\mathrm{g}$. The dependence of $f_0$ on $V_\mathrm{g}$ is interpreted in terms of the variation in the distance between the edge state and the CE, which alters the velocity by varying the capacitive coupling between them. The peaks are observed to continue, albeit with less clarity, up to the regions of $V_\mathrm{g}$ where 2DEG still remains below the CE., Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures

Picosecond parametric mid-IR source pumped by a thin-disk laser delivers up to 9 W signal and 5 W idler beam. The signal and idler tuning ranges are 1.52 - 1.98 μm and 2.14 - 3.15 μm, respectively.

High-energy ps-laser pulses with excellent beam quality are required for efficient Compton X-ray source. We report on a thin-disk multipass amplifier operated in burst mode with output of 0.5 J burst energy.

We report highly anisotropic appearance of the quantum Hall effect (QHE) in epitaxial single-layer graphene grown on a vicinal SiC(0001) substrate. Well-developed QHE with zero resistance manifests itself for the current along the steps, whereas the QHE is obscured by pronounced positive magnetoresistance with quadratic magnetic-field dependence for the current across the steps. The latter, as well as the small slope of the Hall resistance, implies the presence of parallel conduction due to remnant carriers in the SiC substrate, albeit with seeming inconsistency with the zero resistance observed for the former current direction. We interpret the anisotropic behavior by assuming that the parallel conduction is sizable along the steps but is virtually prohibited across the steps.

Substituting effect of CF3 to the Ru-based binuclear complex [{RuIII(acac)2}2(μ-OEt)2], in which S = 1/2 spin dimer takes the singlet ground state have been investigated by means of the magnetic susceptibility χ and the longitudinal nuclear spin relaxation rate T1-1 of 1H/19F-NMR. In CF3-substituted complex [{RuIII(fhma)2}2(μ-OMe)2], we have observed the prominent magnetic response both in χ and T1−1. This behavior is attributed to the slight change in the Ru valence state due to the substitution.

Construction of high power nanosecond and picosecond lasers is getting important in many fields of industry and science. Hilase centre combined several hi-tech approaches in laser technology like diode pumping, disk and slab laser concept, ceramic gain media, or cryogenic cooling, and constructed nanosecond and picosecond laser platforms with unprecedented average output power and pulse energy exceeding 1000 W and 100 J, respectively.

Ytterbium-doped gain media are excellent materials for high power ultrashort pulse lasers. Especially Yb:YAG is very well established in picosecond lasers systems with kW power level due to its excellent optomechanical properties. However, limiting factor for amplification of high energy sub-picosecond and femtosecond pulses in Yb:YAG laser amplifiers is limited bandwidth of spectral gain and, as a consequence, gain narrowing in power amplifiers. Majority of existing Yb:YAG systems cannot generate pulses shorter than approx. 0.9 ps. One approach how to overcome the limitation is to introduce nonlinear effect (self-phase modulation) to increase spectral bandwidth [1]. Other approach is to use gain medium with broader spectral bandwidth. One of the best candidates to exchange the Yb:YAG is Yb:YGAG (Y3Ga2Al3O12).

High average power wavelength tunable picosecond mid-IR source based on parametric down-conversion is being developed. The conversion system is pumped by a Yb:YAG thin-disk laser delivering 100 W of average power at 100 kHz repetition rate, 1030 nm wavelength, and 3 ps pulse width. First, part of the beam pumps an optical parametric generator (OPG) consisting of a PPLN crystal. The generated wavelength is determined by PPLN’s poling period and temperature. Signal beam covered wavelength range between 1.46 mμ and 1.95 mμ. The corresponding idler wavelengths are 3.5 mμ and 2.18 mμ, respectively. Signal beam of about 20 mW was generated at 2 W pumping and double pass arrangement of the OPG stage. The signal pulse energy is further boosted in an optical parametric amplifier (OPA) consisting of two KTP crystals. The signal beam was amplified to 2 W at pumping of 38 W. The idler beam is taken out of the OPA stage as well. Wavelength tuning by KTP crystals’ phase-matching angle change was achieved in ranges and 1.7 - 1.95 μm and 2.18 - 2.62 mμ for signal and idler beam, respectively.

In this paper, we investigated laser performance of Er:Y2O3 ceramics at room temperature. With pulsed pumping with duty cycle of 1%, 1.02 W of peak output power was obtained at wavelength of 2.7 μm with slope efficiency of 3%. Furthermore, absorption spectra of the ceramics and temperature evolution for different pumping conditions were examined.

We investigated wavefront aberrations in a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG slab with a wavefront sensor using a probe beam technique under non-lasing condition. To analyze the pump-induced phase aberrations created in the crystal, the measured wavefronts were fitted with orthonormal Zernike polynomials. The Yb:YAG crystal of 2 mm thickness, 10 mm diameter, and 3 at.% doping concentration was mounted in a copper holder in a closed-loop pulse tube cryostat with cooling capacity of 12 W at 100 K. The gain medium was single-end pumped by a fiber-coupled laser diode at pumping intensity of ~6.5 kW/cm 2 with a maximum repetition rate of 100 Hz, pulse duration of 1 ms, and pump spot diameter of 2.5 mm. The time resolved measurement revealed that defocus, which was the main wavefront aberration, represents not only a thermal lensing effect but also an electronic lensing effect. The thermally induced defocus is more dominant at high repetition rate than the electronically induced defocus. We also measured wavefront aberrations of amplified beams in a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG slab. A room temperature operated thin-disk regenerative amplifier was used as a seed laser. The seed beam was amplified in the cryogenically cooled crystal at 160 K in a double pass configuration. The wavefront measurement was conducted at semi-saturated conditions, at three different repetition rates: 10 Hz, 20 Hz and 40 Hz, and at five different pump intensities in the range between 6.5 kW/cm 2 and 14.8 kW/cm 2 . Under lasing condition, only defocus aberration were induced. Due to opposite signs of the defocus aberration of the seed beam and pumped induced in the Yb:YAG crystal, wavefront of the amplified beam had smaller PtV (Peak to Valley) and RMS values than the seed beam.

Relations among absorption of pump beam, quantum defect and thermal load were investigated for pump wavelengths of 968 nm and near 940 nm in two independent, real-time measurement experiments complemented with thermal distribution simulation. Saturation of absorption at 969 nm pumping for non-lasing operational regime, which affects temperature rise and exists independently of the thin disk type, disk head construction, pump power and pump beam diameter is reported. Disk temperature dependence of absorption, quantum defect and disk geometry and large difference between absorption, disk temperature and o-o efficiency at both pump wavelengths are discussed.

We show that boron-doped epitaxial graphene can be successfully grown by thermal decomposition of a boron carbide thin film, which can also be epitaxially grown on a silicon carbide substrate. The interfaces of B4C on SiC and graphene on B4C had a fixed orientation relation, having a local stable structure with no dangling bonds. The first carbon layer on B4C acts as a buffer layer, and the overlaying carbon layers are graphene. Graphene on B4C was highly boron doped, and the hole concentration could be controlled over a wide range of 2 × 1013 to 2 × 1015 cm-2. Highly boron-doped graphene exhibited a spin-glass behavior, which suggests the presence of local antiferromagnetic ordering in the spin-frustration system. Thermal decomposition of carbides holds the promise of being a technique to obtain a new class of wafer-scale functional epitaxial graphene for various applications.

Thick mesoporous silica (MPS) films with sufficient mechanical strength and high porosity were prepared on aluminum plates by using electrophoretic deposition (EPD) with the addition of a small amount of polyvinylbutyral (PVB, 3.5–8.0 wt%) as binder. The porosity of the MPS films was approximately 50 vol%. The film thickness could be controlled by the deposition conditions, and a thickness of ca. 50 μm is reasonable for effectively using the whole MPS film. These MPS films exhibited good water vapor adsorption-desorption properties and sufficient stability for more than 150 adsorption-desorption cycles. When used in dehumidification applications, these MPS films had a dehumidification rate of 6.3 g-H2O/g-MPS per hour, with an adsorption-desorption cycle as short as 2 min even when a low temperature of 60 °C was used to regenerate the adsorbent.

Two-dimensional hexagonal mesoporous silica thin films of SBA-15 were synthesized on Si substrates via dip-coating using an evaporation-induced self-assembly process. The effect of the withdrawal speed on the thicknesses, one-dimensional pore alignments, and two-dimensional hexagonal pore arrays of the films was elucidated. Detailed analyses of FE-SEM and TEM images and XRD and XRR patterns of the synthesized thin films clarified that the pore sizes, interplanar spacings, and film thicknesses depend on the withdrawal speed. Furthermore, the same films were synthesized on Si substrates with microtrenches. The local flow of coating solutions around microtrenches affects the pore direction as well as the film thickness. In order to form well-ordered mesoporous silica thin films with large surface areas, it is important to control the synthetic conditions such as the local flow of the coating solutions as well as the physicochemical properties of the silica precursor solutions or template molecules.

In this paper, we discuss time evolution of the framework structure of SBA-15 during the aging process. We synthesize SBA-15 particles with different aging periods and investigate them using x-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 adsorption, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM) measurements. A combined study of XRD and N2 adsorption measurements reveals a very interesting relationship, wherein the sum of pore radius and wall thickness of SBA-15 during the aging process is always equal to the radius of the cylindrical P123 micelle, which describes the structural development of SBA-15 during the aging process: densification of the silica wall not only increases the pore radius and decreases the wall thickness, but also enlarges the distance between adjacent micelles by extruding the micelle corona from the wall. HR-SEM measurements show that the top surface of SBA-15 changes greatly during the aging process, and especially within the first 12 h. Most of the external surface parallel to the c-axis of SBA-15 is covered with silica species, and only disordered meso-windows are observed at the beginning of the aging process. As aging proceeds, the disordered mesopores disappear, and finally, periodic trenches remain after aging at 403 K for over 12 h. We also discuss the structural change in the surface perpendicular to the c-axis and demonstrate that these changes in the surface structure of SBA-15 can also be explained by the densification of the silica wall.

Interests in the extendibility are growing after the introduction of the LPP (Laser Produced Plasma) EUV source technology in the semiconductor industry, towards higher average power and shorter wavelength, based on the basic architecture of the established LPP EUV source technology. It is discussed in this article that the power scaling of the 13.5nm wavelength source is essentially possible by a slight increase of the driving laser power, CE (Conversion Efficiency) and EUV collection efficiency by some introduction of novel component technologies. Extension of the EUV wavelength towards BEUV (Beyond EUV), namely 6.x nm is discussed based on the general rule of the UTA (Unresolved Transition Arrays) of high Z ions, and development of multilayer mirrors in this particular wavelength region. Technical difficulties are evaluated for the extension of the LPP source technology by considering the narrower mirror bandwidth and higher melting temperature of the candidate plasma materials. Alternative approach based on the superconducting FEL is evaluated in comparison with the LPP source technology for the future solution.

Ordered mesoporous silica (MPS) is expected to provide an adsorbent for energy-efficient air-conditioning systems, such as desiccant cooling systems, humidity control systems, and adsorption heat pumps, which can contribute to the reduction of CO 2 emissions because they offer the possibility of recovery at temperatures as low as 50 °C. For these applications, it is crucial to establish a method for fixing MPS on substrates with high thermal conductivity. We have already studied the technological feasibility of using the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process to prepare a thick coating of MPS powder on a metal substrate. In this study, we investigated EPD with the addition of a small amount of binder and succeeded in increasing the mechanical strength and thermal stability of the thick MPS coating. The approximately 100 μm-thick MPS coating showed excellent water vapor adsorption–desorption properties and sufficient stability for more than 250 adsorption–desorption cycles, without any reduction in the adsorption amount. The dehumidification amount per cycle was 0.23 g-H 2 O/g-MPS, which correspond to 6.9 g-H 2 O/g-MPS/h.

Successful merger of state-of-the-art, semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers (QCL), with the mature CO2 laser technology, resulted in a delivery of highly-desired qualities of CO2 laser output that were not available previously without much effort. These qualities, such as multi-line operation, excellent spectro-temporal stability and pulse waveform control, became available from a single device of moderate complexity. This paper describes the operation principle and the unique properties of the solid{state seeded CO2 laser, invented for an application in laser-produced-plasma (LPP), extreme-UV (EUV) light source.

We present a femtosecond Yb:YGAG ceramic slab regenerative amplifier delivering 405 fs pulses at 1030 nm with spectral bandwidth of 4.1 nm (FWHM) at a repetition rate of 100 kHz.