Guilin Jiang

Characterization of the plastic substrates, the reflective layers, the adhesives, and the grooves of today's archival-grade recordable DVDs

The plastic substrates, reflective layers, dyes, and adhesives of four archival-grade, recordable DVDs and one standard-grade recordable DVD were analyzed to determine their chemical compositions and/or physical dimensions. Chemical analyses by attenuated total internal reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray/scanning transmission electron microscopy, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry show that all these DVDs use very similar polycarbonate plastic substrates and acrylate-based adhesives, but different reflective layers and dye write layers. In addition, physical measurements by atomic force microscopy show differences in the DVD groove depth, width, and other dimensions. These chemical and physical analyses may help explain variations in DVD lifetimes and facilitate development of the next-generation archival-grade DVDs.

Analysis of Straw by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Straw is an example of an agricultural residue (byproduct of food and feed production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of straw provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion; ash chemistry analysis — an elemental analysis of the ash content, expressed as oxides (which does not imply that they occur as oxides...

Influence of Scribe Speed and Force on Chemomechanical Nanofunctionalized Features

Researchers at Brigham Young University have recently developed a new method for preparing monolayer films on silicon surfaces. The method consists of wetting the wafer with a reactive organic liquid, mechanically scribing a feature on the surface of the wafer while it is immersed, and cleaning the surface to remove the organic liquid and any silicon particles that are produced by scribing. The objective of this paper is to present preliminary results on understanding how the scribed features and their performance are affected by the mechanical characteristics of the scribing system. Performance is simply judged here by the amount of water a hydrophobic square (corral) can hold. Testing was performed to determine the influence of tip force and scribing speed on the geometry and performance of the scribed lines. Lower forces produced smoother lines, however the corrals that were formed using a high force were shown to hold the most water.Copyright

Analysis of the plastic substrates, the reflective layers, and the adhesives of today's archival-grade DVDs

The plastic substrates, reflective layers, dyes, and adhesives of four archival-grade DVDs and one standard-grade recordable DVD were analyzed to determine their chemical compositions and/or physical dimensions. Chemical analyses by ATR-FTIR, ToF-SIMS, XPS and EDX/STEM show that all these DVDs use very similar polycarbonate plastic substrates and acrylate-based adhesives, but different reflective layers and dye write layers. In addition, physical measurements by AFM show differences in the DVD groove depth, width, and other dimensions. These chemical and physical analyses may help explain variations in DVD lifetimes and facilitate development of the next generation of archival-grade DVDs.

Analysis of Sugar Beet Pulp by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Sugar beet pulp is an example of an agricultural residue (byproduct of food and feed production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of sugar beet pulp provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion. These data are summarized with the XPS spectra.

Optical Disc Drives: A Study of Variation

Optical disc drives vary significantly in their performance. Here we report a principal components analysis performed on data from new drives, which separates out the better performing drives and finds correlations among drive test variables.

Analysis of Coal by Static Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS)

Coal remains a primary fuel for power generation. Herein we present time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectra (ToF-SIMS data) taken with a Ga primary ion beam from ca. 30 coal specimens. These commercially different coal specimens were obtained from coal mining companies and/or power plants. They represent all major coal types used in power generation (bituminous coals, subbituminous coals, and lignites), and include low-rank materials (lignites and subbituminous coals), which are represented as a minor portion of the data. Often, inorganic ions (Na+, Al+, Si+, and K+) are pronounced in the spectra, overshadowing peaks from organic moieties. This reflects the high sensitivity of SIMS under our analysis conditions for these inorganic species. These results, including a previous, published chemometrics analysis of this data (L. Pei, G. Jiang, B. J. Tyler, L. L. Baxter, and M. R. Linford, Energy & Fuels 2008, 22, 1059), suggest that ToF-SIMS can be a useful method for coal analysis.

Analysis of Sunflower Shells by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Sunflower shells are an example of an agricultural residue (byproduct of food and feed production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of sunflower shells provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion; ash chemistry analysis — an elemental analysis of the ash content, expressed as oxides (which does not imply th...

Analysis of Shea Nut Shells by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Shea nut shells are an example of an agricultural residue (byproduct of food and feed production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of shea nut shells provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion; ash chemistry analysis — an elemental analysis of the ash content, expressed as oxides (which does not imply that...

Analysis of Sawdust by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

Determining the chemical structure and composition of biomass fuels using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can provide fundamental knowledge of their structures that is useful in understanding and predicting their combustion behavior. Sawdust is an example of a forest product residue (byproduct of paper and lumber production) of potential interest for biomass combustion. The XPS spectra of sawdust provide both its elemental composition and indications of its bonding. Traditional fuel analyses of this fuel are also provided. These include: ultimate analysis — the elemental composition of the overall fuel (C, H, N, S, and O); chlorine analysis — reported here as part of the ultimate analysis but formally a separate procedure; proximate analysis — the proximate composition of the fuel (moisture, fixed carbon, volatiles, and ash); heating value — the specific heat of combustion; ash chemistry analysis — an elemental analysis of the ash content, expressed as oxides (which does not imply that they occur a...