Nihar Ranjan Ray

Quantitative analysis of hydrogenated diamondlike carbon films by visible Raman spectroscopy

The correlations between properties of hydrogenated diamondlike carbon films and their Raman spectra have been investigated. The films are prepared by plasma deposition technique, keeping different hydrogen to methane ratios during the growth process. The hydrogen concentration, sp3 content, hardness, and optical Tauc gap of the materials have been estimated from a detailed analysis of their Raman spectra. We have also measured the same parameters of the films by using other commonly used techniques, such as sp3 content in films by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, their Tauc gap by ellipsometric measurements, and hardness by microhardness testing. The reasons for the mismatch between the characteristics of the films, as obtained by Raman measurements and by the above mentioned techniques, have been discussed. We emphasize on the importance of the visible Raman spectroscopy in reliably predicting the above key properties of diamondlike carbon films.

Arsenic(III) sorption on nanostructured cerium incorporated manganese oxide (NCMO): A physical insight into the mechanistic pathway

Arsenic(III) sorption was investigated with nanostructured cerium incorporated manganese oxide (NCMO). The pH between 6.0 and 8.0 was optimized for the arsenic(III) sorption. Kinetics and equilibrium data (pH=7.0±0.2, T=303±1.6 K, and I=0.01 M) of arsenic(III) sorption by NCMO described, respectively, the pseudo-second order and the Freundlich isotherm equations well. The sorption process was somewhat complicated in nature and divided into two different segments, initially very fast sorption followed by slow intraparticle diffusion process. Sorption reaction of arsenic(III) on NCMO was endothermic (ΔH°=+13.46 kJ mol(-1)) and spontaneous (ΔG°=-24.75 to -30.15 kJ mol(-1) at T=283-323 K), which took place with increasing entropy (ΔS°=+0.14 kJ mol(-1)K(-1)) at solid-liquid interface. Energy of arsenic(III) sorption estimated by analyzing the equilibrium data using the D-R isotherm model was 15.4 kJ mol(-1), indicating the ion-exchange type mechanism. Raman, FT-IR, pH effect, desorption, etc. studies indicated that arsenic(III) was oxidized to arsenic(V) during the sorption process.

Covalent Immobilization of Protein onto a functionalized Hydrogenated Diamond-like Carbon Substrate

Hydrogenated diamond-like carbon (HDLC) has an atomically smooth surface that can be deposited on high-surface area substrata and functionalized with reactive chemical groups, providing an ideal substrate for protein immobilization. A synthetic sequence is described involving deposition and hydrogenation of DLC followed by chemical functionalization. These functional groups are reacted with amines on proteins causing covalent immobilization on contact. Raman measurements confirm the presence of these surface functional groups, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirms covalent protein immobilization. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of immobilized proteins is reproducible because proteins do not move as a result of interactions with the AFM probe-tip, thus providing an advantage over mica substrata typically used in AFM studies of protein. HDLC offers many of the same technical advantages as oxidized graphene but also allows for coating large surface areas of biomaterials relevant to the fabrication of medical/biosensor devices.

Molecular discriminators using single wall carbon nanotubes

The interaction between single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and amphiphilic molecules has been studied in a solid phase. SWNTs are allowed to interact with different amphiphilic probes (e.g. lipids) in a narrow capillary interface. Contact between strong hydrophobic and amphiphilic interfaces leads to a molecular restructuring of the lipids at the interface. The geometry of the diffusion front and the rate and the extent of diffusion of the interface are dependent on the structure of the lipid at the interface. Lecithin having a linear tail showed greater mobility of the interface as compared to a branched tail lipid like dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, indicating the hydrophobic interaction between single wall carbon nanotube core and the hydrophobic tail of the lipid. Solid phase interactions between SWNT and lipids can thus become a very simple but efficient means of discriminating amphiphilic molecules in general and lipids in particular.

Signature of Misoriented Bilayer Graphenelike and Graphanelike Structure in the Hydrogenated Diamond-Like Carbon Film

In the present experimental work, we have described the signature of misoriented bilayer graphenelike and graphanelike structure in the hydrogenated diamond-like carbon film having interlayer disorder region and high specific surface area. Our new results have implications for bilayer graphene/graphane electronic devices.

Characterization of Agglomerated Nanosized Titanium(IV) Oxide Prepared by Two Pathways and Their Performance Toward Cu(II) Adsorption

ABSTRACT Two different TiO2 particles with nanodimensions were prepared by sol-gel (TO-S) and low temperature chemical precipitation method (TO-P) from a TiCl4 precursor. As a result, the TO-S preparation was according to the “green chemistry” method because it did not involve any toxic or hazardous by-products. The average size of the nanoparticles of TO-S and TO-P were 27 and 12 nm, respectively. Agglomerates of these nanodimensional particles should have high surface area and can be useful for adsorptive removal of toxic species from aqueous solutions. Higher Cu(II) adsorption capacity of TO-P than TO-S may be attributed to the hydrated nature of the former material.

Origin of the inversion of up-down potential asymmetry in the magnetized toroidal plasma

The up-down potential asymmetry in the toroidal magnetic plasma is caused by the separation of ions and electrons due to the toroidicity of the confining magnetic field and/or due to the effect of flow along the vertical magnetic field. In the SINP tokamak an interesting phenomenon of inversion of up-down asymmetry during a discharge has been observed experimentally. The origin of this up-down potential asymmetry and its inversion is attributed to two oppositely directed vertical velocities, causing the separation of charged species.

Microscopic properties of MPCVD diamond coatings studied by micro-Raman and micro-photoluminescence spectroscopy

Diamond coatings were deposited on silicon (100) substrate using the microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition (MPCVD) technique at different process conditions. Process parameters such as CH4–H 2 gas mixture concentration, microwave power, chamber pressure and substrate temperature were varied. The diamond coatings were characterized by micro-Raman and micro-photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy techniques. In this paper we report a comparison of the overall quality of MPCVD polycrystalline diamond coatings grown under different processing conditions in terms of stress distribution, thickness uniformity and surface roughness. Micro-Raman spectroscopy studies over various points on the deposited coating showed that the Raman line widths of diamond peak varied from 3.2 to 18.3 cm−1 with the variation of CH4 and H2 gas concentration. The micro-PL spectra suggested the presence of impurity concentration and defects within the diamond coating synthesized at different processing conditions. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images provide the direct evidence of the presence of crystal defects which corroborates the Raman and PL results. The coherence scanning interferometry (CSI) showed that surface roughness of diamond coating varied from 0.43 to 11 μm with thickness at different positions of the three coating samples. It has been concluded that Raman line-width broadening and Raman-shift are due to the presence of crystal defects as well as non-uniform distribution of stresses present in the diamond crystals of the coating, due to the incorporation of Si as impurity element and non-uniform temperature distribution during growth. Defect density gets reduced at higher processing temperatures. It is also being proposed that better thickness uniformity and lower surface roughness can be achieved for coatings deposited at low methane concentration under optimized process conditions.