Monoatomic ion guns mounted on X-ray photoelectron spectrometers are frequently used for depth profiling to determine the depth distribution of various chemical compounds, or for surface cleaning. Sputtering with single ions may cause severe damage to some materials. Hence, in this study the influence of different sputter parameters on the degradation kinetics was examined. For comparison, the potential of Ar cluster sputtering was tested with the same materials, namely hydrozincite and FeO two representatives of corrosion products that are susceptible to degradation. Chemical damage could only be minimized by cooling or cluster sputtering within a narrow cluster energy window. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Russia, Sweden, and Germany are enhancing their scientific cooperation, particularly in the exploitation of modern X-ray and neutron facilities for the design of advanced materials. The three countries are striving to become an international powerhouse in the use of advanced X-ray and Neutron Facilities in materials science. With upcoming facilities including the European XFEL in Hamburg, the ESS and MAX-IV in Lund as well as the upgraded neutron reactor PIK in St. Petersburg, the Baltic region will significantly strengthen its analytical research capabilities over the next decade. Two strategic cooperation platforms have been launched with strong support by national funding agencies, the Röntgen-Angstrom Cluster (RAC) between Germany and Sweden and the Ioffe-Röntgen-Institute (IRI) between Germany and the Russian Federation.

β-Chitinous scaffolds isolated from the skeleton of marine cephalopod Sepia officinalis were used as a template for the in vitro formation of ZnO under conditions (70 °C) which are extreme for biological materials. Novel β-chitin/ZnO film-like composites were prepared for the first time by hydrothermal synthesis, and were thoroughly characterized using numerous analytical methods including Raman spectroscopy, HR-TEM and XRD. We demonstrate the growth of hexagonal ZnO nanocrystals on the β-chitin substrate. Our chitin/ZnO composites presented in this work show antibacterial properties against Gram positive bacteria and can be employed for development of inorganic-organic wound dressing materials.

At the European X-ray Free Electron Laser facility one- or two-Si(111) channel (cut) crystal X-ray monochromator (K-monochromator) are planned for photon beam based alignment: gap tuning of the undulator segments and phase tuning of the phase shifters during commissioning and maintenance of the undulators. A prototype device has been built using a single channel-cut crystal and was characterized at PETRAIII synchrotron (at P01, which is the only beamline with two undulator segments) by applying different undulator adjustment methods, intended for the European XFEL, that use imaging and intensity detection. This paper presents the setup and the first results from the experimental qualification of the K-monochromator prototype.

Magnetic properties of the gadolinium intercalated graphite compound, Gd-GIC, were investigated. This is the first report on the magnetic properties of a trivalent rare-earth GIG. Differences between zero field cooled (ZFC) and field cooled (FC) susceptibility curves were observed. The ZFC curve shows a sharp decrease below 4K indicating the existence of a disordered magnetic slate. Charge transfer from the Gd atoms to the graphite host was concluded from the temperature dependence and hysteresis of the susceptibility. The orbital susceptibility does not reveal any significant anisotropy, which also indicates substantial charge transfer, supporting results of previous photoemission studies.

Modification of gray test iron with as much as 0.08% Mg leads to globularization of graphite and greatly changes the average rate of fracture. The fracture of the pearlitic matrix is brittle in character. The fracture of the pearlitic matrix is brittle in character. Thus, the discrete pattern of crack propagation observed is due mainly to the presence of graphite inclusions, which are areas of scattering of the elastic energy of the crack — relaxation areas. Comparison of the electron fractographs of cast and heat-treated samples (alloy with 0.08% Mg) revealed new elements of brittle fracture in the latter. Crack propagation in the ferritic cast iron is a ccompanied by intensive twinning (Fig. 3g, positive replica). It should be noted that ferritizing annealing has a negligible effect on the average rate of crack propagation (∼350 m/sec).