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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 325 records · Page 18
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1978

The co-adsorption of copper and oxygen on a tungsten 100 plane-type surface

The coadsorption of Cu on O2 and a W 100 plane-type surface is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, thermal desorption, low energy electron diffraction and by work function change measurements. It is shown that the presence of Cu on the surface initially decreases the sticking coefficient of O2. For longer oxygen exposures and for higher adsorption temperatures, the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen reaches values larger than those on the clean surface for the same O2 exposure. Except at the highest values and temperatures of the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen, the sticking coefficient for copper is unity and is independent of the oxygen coverage in the range studied. Coadsorption at room temperatures does not produce any long range order while coadsorption at elevated temperature leads to ordered structures. The saturation coverage of the two dimensional coadsorbate at 800 K is given by a relation. The work function is a complicated function of the coverage of preadsorbed oxygen and the coverage of preadsorbed Cu and is determined predominantly by the temperature at which oxygen is adsorbed. At high temperatures the sequence of adsorption has no influence, in contrast to the room temperature behavior.

Bauer, E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Airborne particle monitoring by electrostatic precipitation

For qualitative analysis of atmospheric particulates by microscopy, the sampling device should preserve the particles in the state existing at the moment of capture. A collector is described that uses electrostatic precipitation to capture and disperse specimens on various substrates for direct insertion into microscopes. Sampling runs in various atmospheres are described. Micrographs are presented to show particle morphology and distribution on the substrates. Chemical identification by X-ray energy probe and electron diffraction is illustrated.

Robinson, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The study of 'microsurfaces' using thermal desorption spectroscopy

The use of a newly combined ultrahigh vacuum technique for studying continuous and particulate evaporated thin films using thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and transmission electron diffraction (TED) is discussed. It is shown that (1) CO thermal desorption energies of epitaxially deposited (111) Ni and (111) Pd surfaces agree perfectly with previously published data on bulk (111) single crystal, (2) contamination and surface structural differences can be detected using TDS as a surface probe and TEM as a complementary technique, and (3) CO desorption signals from deposited metal coverages of one-thousandth of a monolayer should be detectable. These results indicate that the chemisorption properties of supported 'microsurfaces' of metals can now be investigated with very high sensitivity. The combined use of TDS and TEM-TED experimental methods is a very powerful technique for fundamental studies in basic thin film physics and in catalysis.

Thomas, M. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Carbynes - Carriers of primordial noble gases in meteorites

Five carbynes (triply bonded allotropes of carbon) have been found by electron diffraction in the Allende and Murchison carbonaceous chondrites: carbon VI, VIII, X, XI, and (tentatively) XII. From the isotopic composition of the associated noble-gas components, it appears that the carbynes in Allende (C3V chondrite) are local condensates from the solar nebula, whereas at least two carbynes in Murchison (C2 chondrite) are of exotic, presolar origin. They may be dust grains that condensed in stellar envelopes and trapped isotropically anomalous matter from stellar nucleosynthesis.

Whittaker, A. G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Ordered mixed-layer structures in the Mighei carbonaceous chondrite matrix

High resolution transmission electron microscopy of the Mighei carbonaceous chondrite matrix has revealed the presence of a new mixed layer structure material. This mixed-layer material consists of an ordered arrangement of serpentine-type (S) and brucite-type (B) layers in the sequence SBBSBB. Electron diffraction and imaging techniques show that the basal periodicity is approximately 17 A. Discrete crystals of SBB-type material are typically curved, of small size (less than 1 micron) and show structural variations similar to the serpentine group minerals. Mixed-layer material also occurs in association with planar serpentine. Characteristics of SBB-type material are not consistent with known terrestrial mixed-layer clay minerals. Evidence for formation by a condensation event or by subsequent alteration of pre-existing material is not yet apparent.

Mackinnon, I. D. R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Carbyne forms of carbon - Do they exist

Carbynes, or polymorphs of elemental carbon first reported synthesized by Kasatochkin et al (1967), have generally been recognized by their characteristic hexagonal electron diffraction pattern. It is pointed out, however, that sheet silicate minerals give rise to hexagonal diffraction patterns with a similar range of interplanar spacings. A reexamination of reported occurrences of carbynes, including chaoite, by means of TEM shows that nontronite and quartz contaminants could account for most of the cases previously attributed to chaoite. It is recommended that in future searches for carbyne, energy-dispersive X-ray analyses should be conducted to verify the chemistry of individual, carbyne-candidate grains.

Smith, P. P. K.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Microhardness studies on thin carbon films grown on P-type, (100) silicon

A program to grow thin carbon films and investigate their physical and electrical properties is described. Characteristics of films grown by rf sputtering and vacuum arc deposition on p type, (100) silicon wafers are presented. Microhardness data were obtained from both the films and the silicon via the Vickers diamond indentation technique. These data show that the films are always harder than the silicon, even when the films are thin (of the order of 1000 A). Vacuum arc films were found to contain black carbon inclusions of the order of a few microns in size, and clusters of inclusions of the order of tens of microns. Transmission electron diffraction showed that the films being studied were amorphous in structure.

Kolecki, J. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Drastic reduction of adsorption of CO and H2 on (111)-type Pd layers

Clean surfaces of (111)-type Pd layers, grown from the vapor phase on Mo(110) at room temperature, were used to study the adsorption of CO and H2 by temperature-programmed desorption, Auger electron spectroscopy, and low-energy electron diffraction. Mild annealing of the as-grown layers during a single desorption cycle (to about 600 K) drastically reduces the adsorption for both adsorbates. Low-dose argon-ion bombardment introduces surface imperfections which restore a high adsorption probability. The results are interpreted in terms of particular (111)-type surface structures that persist tp layer thicknesses of about four monolayers; the results raise questions with respect to the surface structure of supported thin epitaxial islands and particles of Pd and possibly also with respect to conventional methods of preparing bulk surfaces of Pd for adsorption studies.

Poppa, H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Enhanced adhesion from high energy ion irradiation

It has been found that the adhesion of thin metal films on insulators, semiconductors, and metals could be improved by subjecting the material to a high-energy ion bombardment. Griffith et al. (1982) have first suggested a use of this technique with insulators. The present investigation has the objective to determine the mechanism for the adhesion enhancement. A description is presented of a preliminary transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of thinned bonded samples of silver on silicon using electron diffraction. It is found that irradiation of a variety of thin film-substrate combinations by heavy ion beams will provide a remarkable improvement in the adherence of the film. The evidence for the mechanism involved in the enhancement of adhesion is discussed.

Werner, B. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Micas in experimentally shocked gneiss

Powder-propellant guns are used to shock biotites and muscovites from a gneiss at pressures between 18 and 70 GPa. It is shown that shock in biotite and muscovite can produce homogeneous and devolatilized glasses within microseconds. Shock-deformed micas are found to exhibit fracturing, kinking, and complex extinction patterns over the entire pressure range investigated. Localized melting of micas commences at 33 GPa and reaches completion at 70 GPa. Even though melted biotite and muscovite are opaque optically, they exhibit extensive microvesiculation and flow when observed with the SEM. It is confirmed through electron diffraction that biotite and muscovite have transformed to a glass. The distribution of vesicles in shock-vitrified mica reveals escape of volatiles within the short duration of the shock experiment. It is noted that experimentally shocked biotite and muscovite undergo congruent melting. It is noted that the compositions of the glasses are similar to the unshocked micas except for volatiles (H2O loss and and K loss). These unusual glasses produced from mica can be quenched by rapid cooling conditions during the shock experiment. On the basis of the results, it is pointed out that the extremely low H2O content of tektites can be reconciled with a terrestrial origin by impact.

Lambert, P.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The atomic geometries of GaP(110) and ZnS(110) revisited - A structural ambiguity and its resolution

The atomic geometries of GaP(110) and ZnS(110) are reexamined using the R-factor minimization procedure, developed for GaAs(110) and previously applied to GaSb(110), ZnTe(110), InAs(110), and AlP(110), to analyze experimental elastic low-energy electron diffraction intensities. Unlike most of the earlier cases, both GaP(110) and ZnS(110) exhibit two distinct minimum-Rx structures which cannot be distinguished by analysis of the shapes of the intensity profiles alone. One region of best-fit structures exhibits top-layer displacements normal to the surface characterized by a small bond-length-conserving, top-layer rotation (omega aproximately 2-3 deg), a small relaxation of the top layer away from the surface, and a 10 percent expansion of the top-layer bond length. The other region of best-fit structures is the conventional one: nearly bond-length-conserving rotations of omega = 26-28 deg in the top layer and a small (approximately 0.1 A) contraction of the uppermost layer spacing. This ambiguity may be removed, however, by consideration of the integrated beam intensities. The conventional region of structural parameters provides a decisively better description of the relative magnitudes of the integrated beam intensities and hence is the preferred structure.

Duke, C. B.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Oxidation of silicon nitride sintered with rare-earth oxide additions

The effects of rare-earth oxide additions on the oxidation of sintered Si3N4 were examined. Insignificant oxidation occurred at 700 and 1000 C, with no evidence of phase instability. At 1370 C, the oxidation rate was lowest for Y2O3 and increased for additions of La2O3, Sm2O3, and CeO2, in that order. Data obtained from X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, and scanning electron microscopy indicate that oxidation occurs via diffusion of cationic species from Si3N4 grain boundaries.

Mieskowski, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Abrasion and deformed layer formation of manganese-zinc ferrite in sliding contact with lapping tapes

Wear experiments were conducted using replication electron microscopy and reflection electron diffraction to study abrasion and the deformed layers produced in single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrite simulated heads during contact with lapping tapes. The crystaline state of the head is changed drastically during the abrasion process. Crystalline states ranging from nearly amorphous to highly textured polycrystalline can be produced on the wear surface of a single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrite head. The total thickness of the deformed layer was approximately 0.8 microns. This thickness increased as the load and abrasive grit size increased. The anisotropic wear of the ferrite was found to be inversely proportional to the hardness of the wear surface. The wear was lower in the order 211 111 10 0110. The wear of the ferrite increased markedly with an increase in sliding velocity and abrasive grit size.

Miyoshi, K.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The Correlation of Structural, Chemical, and Electronic Properties of Small Metal Particles and Their Alloys

The low pressure interaction of CO with small Ru particles supported on ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) cleaved mica was studied using flash thermal desorption, Auger electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and transmission electron diffraction. Average particle sizes for these experiments varied between 1.2 and 16 nm. A careful search for CO decomposition on the Ru particles revealed no evidence of dissociaiton over a temperature range and pressure range of 300 to 550 C and 10 to the minus 11th power to 10 to the minus 6th millibar, respectively. Cas and heat treatments caused significant morphological changes and dispersion in the Ru particles, which affected CO desorptiom These effects were dependent on the particle size.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1986

Surface modification strategies for (100)3C-SiC

Several surface modificaation techniques were performed in situ in an ultrahigh vacuum as part of a program to develop electrical contacts on the (100) face of cubic SiC. The Auger electron spectroscopy line shapes and peak-to-peak heights of the Si LVV and CKLL transitions indicated changes in surface stoichiometry, bonding, and short range order. Changes in the low-energy electron diffraction pattern identified changes in the symmetry of long range ordering on the surface. Heating above 1050 C depleted the surface of Si with an activation energy of 120 kcal/mol, resulting eventually in a disordered graphitic layer which was several atomic layers thick. Bombardment by Ar ions of energies greater than 1000 eV enhanced the Si to C ratio on the surface and destroyed the LEED pattern. Long range order was recovered by simultaneous heating and ion bombardment. Finally, adsorption of Cr on the Ar ion damaged surface and subsequent desorption left a reconstructed, p(2 x 1)Si enriched surface. Similar treatments with Al did not produce a surface reconstruction.

Bellina, J. J., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Effect of abrasive grit size on wear of manganese-zinc ferrite under three-body abrasion

Wear experiments were conducted using replication electron microscopy and reflection electron diffraction to study abrasion and deformed layers produced in single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrites under three-body abrasion. The abrasion mechanism of Mn-Zn ferrite changes drastically with the size of abrasive grits. With 15-micron (1000-mesh) SiC grits, abrasion of Mn-Zn ferrite is due principally to brittle fracture; while with 4- and 2-micron (4000- and 6000-mesh) SiC grits, abrasion is due to plastic deformation and fracture. Both microcracking and plastic flow produce polycrystalline states on the wear surfaces of single-crystal Mn-Zn ferrites. Coefficient of wear, total thickness of the deformed layers, and surface roughness of the wear surfaces increase markedly with an increase in abrasive grit size. The total thicknesses of the deformed layers are 3 microns for the ferrite abraded by 15-micron SiC, 0.9 microns for the ferrite abraded by 4-micron SiC, and 0.8 microns for the ferrite abraded by 1-micron SiC.

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa↗
NASA NTRS1987

Theoretical and material studies on thin-film electroluminescent devices

The effect of surface nucleation processes on the quality of ZnS layers grown on (001) GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy is reported. Reflection high energy electron diffraction indicated that nucleation at high temperatures produced more planar surfaces than nucleation at low temperatures, but the crystalline quality as accessed by x ray double crystal diffractometry is relatively independent of nucleation temperature. A critical factor in layer quality was the initial roughness of the GaAs surfaces.

Summers, C. J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Antiphase boundaries in epitaxially grown beta-SiC

When the surface of beta-SiC, grown epitaxially on (001) silicon by chemical vapor deposition, is chemically etched, boundaries appear which may be observed by optical or scanning electron microscopy. Examination by plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy shows boundaries in the film which exhibit line or fringe contrast. Convergent beam electron diffraction has been used to show that these boundaries separate domains that are in an antiphase relationship to each other. A model is presented which discusses the formation of these domains from independent nucleation on a stepped substrate surface.

Pirouz, P.↗