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Benzene and (1,4)-dimethyl-cyclohexane monolayers were physisorbed on graphite covered Pt(111) surfaces. Exposure of benzene monolayers at 125 K to D atoms (1700 K) initially hydrogenates sp2 hybridized C atoms with a cross section of ca. 8 Å2 producing C6H6D intermediates. Additional D atom reactions either transform this intermediate via a second hydrogenation reaction to cyclohexadiene-d2, C6H6D2, or restore benzene, C6H5D, via H abstraction. Once the aromaticity is broken, successive hydrogenation of the diene occurs rapidly generating the saturated cyclohexane-d6, C6H6D6. The C6H5D reaction product can undergo further H/D exchange reactions and, at any level of deuteration, the benzene species might get hydrogenated. Monolayers of the saturated hydrocarbon (1,4)-dimethyl-cyclohexane (DMCH) that are exposed to D atoms produce deuterated DMCH via successive abstraction/hydrogenation reactions. Thermal desorption mass spectra revealed that H atoms at the ring were exchanged with an apparent cross section of 1.7 Å2. Methyl groups H atoms were exchanged much more slowly than ring H atoms. It was also observed that D exposed molecules/radicals exhibit a tendency to desorb from the surface, which is ascribed to the exothermicity of the reactions which lead to these species. © 1996 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen containing carbon (C:H) films have been prepared by ion beam deposition of 160 eV ethane ions on a carrier consisting of a Pt(111) single crystal surface covered with a monolayer of graphite. Several monolayers thick films deposited at 350 K contain hydrogen bound to sp, sp2, and sp3 hybridized carbon. Vibrational spectroscopy reveals that thermal D(H) atoms directed to the C:H film surface hydrogenate unsaturated CH groups at the surface and transform sp and sp2 hybridized carbon to sp3. The observed reaction mechanism explains the microscopic processes in chemical erosion of graphite by hydrogen atoms which is a crucial reaction step in the low pressure synthesis of diamondlike carbon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking full advantage of the unique laboratory environment created by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will require the availability of foam-lined indirect-drive inertial confinement fusion targets. Here, we report on a new approach that enables fabrication of target structures that consist of a thin-walled (<30 &mgr;m) ultra-low-density (<30 mg cm3) hydrocarbon foam film inside a thick-walled, ∼2mm diameter ablator shell. In contrast to previous work on direct-drive targets that started with the fabrication of foam shells, we use a prefabricated ablator as a mold to cast the foam liner within the shell. This work summarizes crucial components of this new approach, including the aerogel chemistry, filling of the ablator shell with the aerogel precursor solution with nanolitre precision, creating uniform polymer gel coatings inside the ablator capsule, supercritical drying and doping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report on a general method to fabricate transition metal related defects in diamond. Controlled incorporation of Mo and W in synthetic CVD diamond was achieved by adding volatile metal precursors to the diamond chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth process. Effects of deposition temperature, grain structure and precursor exposure on the incorporation efficiency were systematically studied, and doping levels of up to 0.25at.% have been achieved. The metal atoms are uniformly distributed throughout the diamond grains without any indication of inclusion formation. These results are discussed in context of the kinetically controlled growth process of CVD diamond. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although actuation in biological systems is exclusively powered by chemical energy, this concept has not been realized in man-made actuator technologies, as these rely on generating heat or electricity first. Here, we demonstrate that surface-chemistry-driven actuation can be realized in high-surface-area materials such as nanoporous gold. For example, we achieve reversible strain amplitudes of the order of a few tenths of a per cent by alternating exposure of nanoporous Au to ozone and carbon monoxide. The effect can be explained by adsorbate-induced changes of the surface stress, and can be used to convert chemical energy directly into a mechanical response, thus opening the door to surface-chemistry-driven actuator and sensor technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A comprehensive study on the relationship between yield strength, relative density and ligament sizes is presented for nanoporous Au foams. Depth-sensing nanoindentation tests were performed on nanoporous foams ranging from 20% to 42% relative density with ligament sizes ranging from 10 to 900nm. The Gibson and Ashby yield strength equation for open-cell macrocellular foams is modified in order to incorporate ligament size effects. This study demonstrates that, at the nanoscale, foam strength is governed by ligament size, in addition to relative density. Furthermore, we present the ligament length scale as a new parameter to tailor foam properties and achieve high strength at low densities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) were used to study the interaction of sulfur dioxide with the bulk-terminated (1×1) and the reconstructed (1×2) structure of the TiO2(1 1 0) surface at 300 K. During exposure new features appear first on the added rows of the reconstructed (1×2) surface structure. In general these new features are randomly distributed, i.e., no ordered adsorbate phase builds up. However, in some areas locally ordered linear structures can be observed along the (1×2) rows with a periodicity two or three times higher than the substrate. Similar to these observations, randomly distributed spots also appear on single added rows of the (1×2) surface structure that are located on top of the (1×1) structure of the TiO2(1 1 0) surface. In contrast, additional features on the (1×1) structure itself can be seen only after higher SO2 exposure. Here, an ordered adsorbate phase with a (2×1) structure is formed. The new features of this (2×1) structure are located on top of the (1×1) rows along the [0 0 1] direction, which previously have been shown to represent the fivefold coordinated Ti surface cations. Subsequent AE spectra display a single peak in the sulfur region at 151.3 eV, confirming the predominant formation of Ti–S bonds during SO2 exposures. In LEED a diffuse (1×2) structure with faint (1×2) half-order reflections can be seen, demonstrating the overall disorder on the surface. Point defects on the stoichiometric (1×1) surface structure as well as on the reconstructed (1×2) surface structure are unaffected by SO2 exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recent indirect drive inertial confinement fusion implosions on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) [Spaeth et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 69, 25 (2016)] have crossed the threshold of ignition. However, performance has been variable due to several factors. One of the leading sources of variability is the quality of the high-density carbon (HDC) shells used as ablators in these experiments. In particular, these shells can have a number of defects that have been found to correlate with the appearance of ablator mix into the hot spot and a degradation in nuclear yield. These defects include pits on the ablator surface, voids in the ablator bulk, high-Z debris from the Hohlraum wall that adheres to the capsule surface, and finally the inherent granular micro-structure of the crystalline HDC itself. This paper summarizes high-resolution modeling of each of these mix sources in two recent high-performance NIF implosion experiments. The simulated impact from a range of individual capsule defects is found to be broadly consistent with the trends seen in experiment, lending credence to the modeling results and the details of the mixing process that they reveal. Interestingly, modeling of the micro-structure inherent to HDC shows that this perturbation source results in considerable mixing of the deuterium–tritium fuel with ablator material during the implosion. The reduction in fuel compression from this mix results in an approximately factor of two reduction in neutron yield in current implosions and emphasizes the importance of mitigating this significant performance degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition process for growing freestanding nanostructured diamond films, ∼80 μm thick, with residual tensile stress levels ≲90 MPa. We characterize the film microstructure, mechanical properties, chemical bond distribution, and elemental composition. Results show that our films are nanostructured with columnar grain diameters of ≲150 nm and a highly variable grain length along the growth direction of ∼50–1500 nm. These films have a rms surface roughness of ≲200 nm for a 300×400 μm2 scan, which is about one order of magnitude lower than the roughness of typical microcrystalline diamond films of comparable thickness. Soft x-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy indicates a large percentage of sp3 bonding in the films, consistent with a high hardness of 66 GPa. Nanoindentation and XANES results are also consistent with a high phase and elemental purity of the films, directly measured by x-ray and electron diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and elastic recoil detection analysis. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy reveals a large density of planar defects within the grains, suggesting a high rate of secondary nucleation during film growth. These films represent a new class of smooth, ultrathick nanostructured diamond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on atomic layer deposition of an ∼2-nm-thick ZnO layer on the inner surface of ultralow-density (∼0.5% of the full density) nanoporous silica aerogel monoliths with an extremely large effective aspect ratio of ∼105 (defined as the ratio of the monolith thickness to the average pore size). The resultant monoliths are formed by amorphous-SiO2 core/wurtzite-ZnO shell nanoparticles which are randomly oriented and interconnected into an open-cell network with an apparent density of ∼3% and a surface area of ∼100 m2 g-1. Secondary ion mass spectrometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging reveal excellent uniformity and crystallinity of ZnO coating. Oxygen K-edge and Zn L3-edge soft x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy shows broadened O p- as well as Zn s- and d-projected densities of states in the conduction band. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the mechanism of thermally activated chemical erosion of sputter-deposited carbon:hydrogen (C:H) films. Desorption of methane as gaseous products; Determination of C-CH bond breaking as rate limiting step of hydrocarbon production; Occurrence of CH[sub 3] radical desorption from the surface of the C:H films.

Presents information on a study which investigated the growth and thermal decomposition of ultrathin ion-beam deposited hydrogenated carbon films. Characteristics of film deposition; Experimental details; Results and discussion; Conclusions.

Gold (Au) is an interesting catalytic material because of its ability to catalyze reactions, such as partial oxidations, with high selectivities at low temperatures; but limitations arise from the low O2 dissociation probability on Au. This problem can be overcome by using Au nanoparticles supported on suitable oxides which, however, are prone to sintering. Nanoporous Au, prepared by the dealloying of AuAg alloys, is a new catalyst with a stable structure that is active without any support. It catalyzes the selective oxidative coupling of methanol to methyl formate with selectivities above 97% and high turnover frequencies at temperatures below 80°C. Because the overall catalytic characteristics of nanoporous Au are in agreement with studies on Au single crystals, we deduced that the selective surface chemistry of Au is unaltered but that O2 can be readily activated with this material. Residual silver is shown to regulate the availability of reactive oxygen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoindention has been used to study the plastic flow behavior of bcc Ta(001) in the temperature range 25-200°C. Most notably, it is found that the shape of the load-displacement curves changes with increasing temperature. Only one large discontinuity marking the onset of plasticity is observed in room-temperature experiments, whereas multiple pop-ins separated by elastic reloading segments were observed at 200°C. Detailed analysis of the load-displacement curves indicates that the lattice resistance decreases with increasing temperature, consistent with the mobilization of screw dislocations by thermal activation. Contributions from the oxide layer and/or thermal drift can be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HYBRID-E is an inertial confinement fusion implosion design that increases energy coupled to the hot spot by increasing the capsule scale in cylindrical hohlraums while operating within the current experimental limits of the National Ignition Facility. HYBRID-E reduces the hohlraum scale at a fixed capsule size compared to previous HYBRID designs, thereby increasing the hohlraum efficiency and energy coupled to the capsule, and uses the cross-beam energy transfer (CBET) to control the implosion symmetry by operating the inner (23° and 30°) and outer (44° and 50°) laser beams at different wavelengths (Δ λ > 0). Small case to capsule ratio designs can suffer from insufficient drive at the waist of the hohlraum. We show that only a small amount of wavelength separation between the inner and outer beams (Δ λ 1–2 Å) is required to control the symmetry in low-gas-filled hohlraums (0.3 mg/cm3 He) with enough drive at the waist of the hohlraum to symmetrically drive capsules 1180 μm in outer radius. This campaign is the first to use the CBET to control the symmetry in 0.3 mg/cm3 He-filled hohlraums, the lowest gas fill density yet fielded with Δ λ > 0. We find a stronger sensitivity of hot spot P2 in μm per Angstrom (40–50 μm/Å wavelength separation) than observed in high-gas-filled hohlraums and previous longer pulse designs that used a hohlraum gas fill density of 0.6 mg/cm3. There is currently no indication of transfer roll-off with increasing Δ λ , indicating that even longer pulses or larger capsules could be driven using the CBET in cylindrical hohlraums. We show that the radiation flux symmetry is well controlled during the foot of the pulse, and that the entire implosion can be tuned symmetrically in the presence of the CBET in this system, with low levels of laser backscatter out of the hohlraum and low levels of hot electron production from intense laser–plasma interactions. Radiation hydrodynamic simulations can accurately represent the early shock symmetry and be used as a design tool, but cannot predict the late-time radiation flux symmetry during the peak of the pulse, and semi-empirical models are used to design the experiments. Deuterium–tritium (DT)-layered tests of 1100 μm inner radius implosions showed performance close to expectations from simulations at velocities up to ∼360 km/s, and record yields at this velocity, when increasing the DT fuel layer thickness to mitigate hydrodynamic mixing of the ablator into the hot spot as a result of defects in the ablator. However, when the implosion velocity was increased, mixing due to these defects impacted performance. The ratio of measured to simulated yield for these experiments was directly correlated with the level of observed mixing. These simulations suggest that reducing the mixing, e.g., by improving the capsule defects, could result in higher performance. In addition, future experiments are planned to reduce the coast time at this scale, delay between the peak compression and the end of the laser, to increase the hot spot convergence and pressure. To reduce the coast time by several hundred ps compared to the 1100 μm inner radius implosions, HYBRID-E has also fielded 1050 μm inner radius capsules, which resulted in higher hot spot pressure and a fusion energy yield of ∼170 kJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of laser radiation with foams of various porosities and low densities has been the subject of several numerical and experimental studies (Nicolaď et al 2012 Phys. Plasmas 19 113105; Perez et al 2014 Phys. Plasmas 21 023102). In all cases, the modeling of low-Z under-dense foams as uniform gases of equivalent average density using standard radiation-hydrodynamics codes has resulted in heat-front velocities that are considerably faster than those observed experimentally. It has been theoretically conjectured that this difference may be attributed to the breakdown of the foam's morphology, leading to a dynamics of filament expansion where the ion and electron energy partitions are significantly different from those calculated using the uniform gas model. We found that 3D computer simulations employing a disconnected representation of the foam's microstructure which allowed for the dynamics of foam element heating, expansion, and stagnation largely supported the theoretical picture. Simulations using this model for laser experiments on under-dense 2 mg cc−1 SiO2 aerogel foams (Mariscal et al 2021 Phys. Plasmas 28 013106) reproduced the experimental data fairly well. We used the validated model in simulations of low-density structured foam-like materials (produced via additive manufacturing) with a variety of morphologies. We found that the log-pile configurations were consistent with the analytical propagation model of Gus'kov et al (2011 Phys. Plasmas 18 103114). Further validation of the model was obtained by simulating experiments performed at the Jupiter Laser Facility using the log-pile and octet-truss foam morphologies. Simulations of the foam–laser interaction using a wave propagation code showed that the microstructure was able to enhance stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) by concentrating the light energy into density holes. In turn, this promotes laser filamentation, reducing SBS and bringing the predicted values closer to the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on eight, indirect-drive, deuterium–tritium-layered, inertial-confinement-fusion experiments at the National Ignition Facility to determine the largest capsule that can be driven symmetrically without relying on cross-beam energy transfer or advanced Hohlraum designs. Targets with inner radii of up to 1050 μm exhibited controllable P2 symmetry, while larger capsules suffered from diminished equatorial drive. Reducing the Hohlraum gas-fill-density from 0.45 mg/cm³ to 0.3 mg/cm³ did not result in a favorable shift of P2 amplitude as observed in preceding tuning experiments. Reducing the laser-entrance-hole diameter from 4 mm to 3.64 mm decreased polar radiation losses as expected, resulting in an oblate symmetry. The experiments exhibited the expected performance benefit from increased experimental scale, with yields at a fixed implosion velocity roughly following the predicted 1D dependence. With an inner radius of 1050 μm and a case-to-capsule-ratio of 3.0, experiment N181104 is the lowest implosion-velocity experiment to exceed a total neutron yield of 1016. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mix of high-Z material from the capsule into the fuel can severely degrade the performance of inertial fusion implosions. On the Hybrid B campaign, testing the largest high-density-carbon capsules yet fielded at the National Ignition Facility, several shots show signatures of high levels of hot-spot mix. We attribute a ∼ 40 % yield degradation on these shots to the hot-spot mix, comparable to the level of degradation from large P2 asymmetries observed on some shots. A range of instability growth factors and diamond crystallinity were tested and they do not determine the level of mix for these implosions, which is instead set by the capsule quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colloidal solutions of metal nanoparticles are currently among the most studied substrates for sensors based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, such substrates often suffer from not being cost-effective, reusable, or stable. Here, we develop nanoporous Au as a highly active, tunable, stable, biocompatible, and reusable SERS substrate. Nanoporous Au is prepared by a facile process of free corrosion of AgAu alloys followed by annealing. Results show that nanofoams with average pore widths of ∼250 nm exhibit the largest SERS signal for 632.8 nm excitation. This is attributed to the electromagnetic SERS enhancement mechanism with additional field localization within pores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deformation mechanism of body-centered cubic (bcc) nanocrystalline tantalum with grain sizes of 10–30 nm is investigated by nanoindentation, scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In a deviation from molecular dynamics simulations and existing experimental observations on other bcc nanocrystalline metals, the plastic deformation of nanocrystalline Ta during nanoindentation is controlled by deformation twinning. The observation of multiple twin intersections suggests that the physical mechanism of deformation twinning in bcc nanocrystalline materials is different from that in face-centered cubic (fcc) nanocrystalline metals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present results for the largest diamond capsule implosions driven symmetrically on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) (inner radius of ∼1050 μm) without the use of cross beam transfer in cylindrical Hohlraums. We show that the methodology of designing Hohlraum parameters in a semi-empirical way using an extensive database resulted in a round implosion. In addition, we show that the radiation flux symmetry is well controlled during the foot of the pulse and that swings in P2 symmetry between the inflight dense shell and hot spot are within ±4 μm and that swings around peak compression are also within the symmetry specification of ±4 μm. We observed a stronger dependence of symmetry on the capsule scale than previously observed and also observed enhanced inner beam propagation for experiments using a gas fill density of 0.3 mg/cm3 and 1000 μm inner radius capsules. We have observed sufficient symmetry and mass remaining at near full NIF power and energy, up to 480 TW and 1.9 MJ, with little laser–plasma interactions (low laser backscattered light) and predict that this design could support extended NIF energy of up to 2.1 MJ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the extensive work done to characterize and improve the smoothness of ablator materials used in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), features indicative of seeded instability growth in these materials are still observed. A two-dimensional imaging velocimetry technique has been used on Omega to measure the velocity non-uniformities of shock fronts launched by indirect drive in the three ablator materials of current interest, glow-discharge polymer, beryllium, and high-density carbon ablators. Observed features are deviations from shock front planarity with amplitudes of a few tens of nanometers, local velocity variations of a few tens of m/s, and transverse spatial scales ranging from 5 to 200 μm. These data will help develop a full understanding of the effects of surface topography, dynamic material response, and internal heterogeneities on the stability of ICF capsules. For all three ablators, we have quantified perturbations at amplitudes that can dominate conventional surface roughness seeds to hydrodynamic instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first few hundred picoseconds of indirect drive for inertial confinement fusion on the National Ignition Facility, x-ray spots formed on the hohlraum wall when the drive beams cast shadows of the fuel fill-tube on the capsule surface. Differential ablation at the shadow boundaries seeds perturbations which are hydrodynamically unstable under subsequent acceleration and can grow to impact capsule performance. We have characterized this shadow imprint mechanism and demonstrated two techniques to mitigate against it using (i) a reduced diameter fuel fill-tube, and (ii) a pre-pulse to blow down the fill-tube before the shadow forming x-ray spots from the main outer drive beams develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inertial confinement fusion requires the inertia of the imploding mass to provide the necessary confinement such that the core reaches adequate high density, temperature, and pressure. Experiments utilize low-Z capsules filled with hydrogenic fuel, which are subject to multiple instabilities at the interfaces during the implosion. To improve the stability of the fuel:capsule interface and narrow the imploding shell profile, capsules are doped with a small atomic percentage of a high-Z material. A series of recent indirect-drive experiments executed at the National Ignition Facility with tungsten-doped high density carbon capsules has demonstrated that the presence of this dopant serves to increase the in-flight aspect ratio of the shell and increase the compression and neutron yield performance of both gas-filled and deuterium-tritium cryogenically layered targets. These experiments definitively demonstrate that benefits accrued by the introduction of a high-Z dopant into the capsule can outweigh the detrimentally reduced stability of the ablation front, avoiding shell breakup or significant radiative cooling of the hot spot. Future experiments will utilize these types of capsules to further increase nuclear performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which investigated mono layers thick hydrogenated carbon films doped with boron (C⁄B:H) in an ultrahigh-vacuum environment by high-resolution electron energy loss, Auger electron, electron energy loss and thermal desorption and decomposition spectroscopies. Materials and methods used; Characteristics of the C⁄B:H films; Overview of thermal decomposition of the C⁄B:H films.4

Liquid layer implosions using the “wetted foam” technique, where the liquid fuel is wicked into a supporting foam, have been recently conducted on the National Ignition Facility for the first time [Olson et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 245001 (2016)]. We report on a series of wetted foam implosions where the convergence ratio was varied between 12 and 20. Reduced nuclear performance is observed as convergence ratio increases. 2-D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations accurately capture the performance at convergence ratios (CR) ∼ 12, but we observe a significant discrepancy at CR ∼ 20. This may be due to suppressed hot-spot formation or an anomalous energy loss mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a reduced X-ray shadow imprint of hydrodynamic instabilities on the high-density carbon ablator surface of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsules using a reduced diameter fuel fill tube on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The perturbation seed mass from hydrodynamic instabilities was reduced by approximately an order of magnitude by reducing both the diameter and wall thickness of the fill tube by ∼2×, consistent with analytical estimates. This work demonstrates a successful mitigation strategy for engineered features for ICF implosions on the NIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The near vacuum campaign on the National Ignition Facility has concentrated its efforts over the last year on finding the optimum target geometry to drive a symmetric implosion at high convergence ratio (30×). As the hohlraum walls are not tamped with gas, the hohlraum is filling with gold plasma and the challenge resides in depositing enough energy in the hohlraum before it fills up. Hohlraum filling is believed to cause symmetry swings late in the pulse that are detrimental to the symmetry of the hot spot at high convergence. This paper describes a series of experiments carried out to examine the effect of increasing the distance between the hohlraum wall and the capsule (case to capsule ratio) on the symmetry of the hot spot. These experiments have shown that smaller Case to Capsule Ratio (CCR of 2.87 and 3.1) resulted in oblate implosions that could not be tuned round. Larger CCR (3.4) led to a prolate implosion at convergence 30× implying that inner beam propagation at large CCR is not impeded by the expanding hohlraum plasma. A Case to Capsule ratio of 3.4 is a promising geometry to design a round implosion but in a smaller hohlraum where the hohlraum losses are lower, enabling a wider cone fraction range to adjust symmetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nanocontact plastic behaviour of single-crystalline Ta (1 0 0), Ta (1 1 0) and Ta (1 1 1) was studied as a function of temperature and indentation rate. Tantalum, a representative body centred cubic (BCC) metal, reveals a unique deformation behaviour dominated by twinning and the generation of stacking faults. Experiments performed at room temperature exhibit a single pop-in event, while at 200 °C, above the critical temperature, a transition to multiple pop-ins was observed. The experimental results are discussed with respect to the orientation as well as temperature and correlated to the defect structures using both anisotropic finite element and MD simulations. The serrated flow observed at 200 °C is related to differences in the quasi-elastic reloading originating from changes in the defect mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent experiments on the National Ignition Facility [M. J. Edwards et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 070501 (2013)] demonstrate that utilizing a near-vacuum hohlraum (low pressure gas-filled) is a viable option for high convergence cryogenic deuterium-tritium (DT) layered capsule implosions. This is made possible by using a dense ablator (high-density carbon), which shortens the drive duration needed to achieve high convergence: a measured 40% higher hohlraum efficiency than typical gas-filled hohlraums, which requires less laser energy going into the hohlraum, and an observed better symmetry control than anticipated by standard hydrodynamics simulations. The first series of near-vacuum hohlraum experiments culminated in a 6.8 ns, 1.2 MJ laser pulse driving a 2-shock, high adiabat (α ~ 3.5) cryogenic DT layered high density carbon capsule. This resulted in one of the best performances so far on the NIF relative to laser energy, with a measured primary neutron yield of 1.8 × 1015 neutrons, with 20% calculated alpha heating at convergence ~27 × . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect-drive implosions with a high-density carbon (HDC) capsule were conducted on the National Ignition Facility (NIF) to test HDC properties as an ablator material for inertial confinement fusion. A series of five experiments were completed with 76-µm-thick HDC capsules using a four-shock laser pulse optimized for HDC. The pulse delivered a total energy of 1.3 MJ with a peak power of 360 TW. The experiment demonstrated good laser to target coupling (~90%) and excellent nuclear performance. A deuterium and tritium gas-filled HDC capsule implosion produced a neutron yield of 1.6 × 1015 ± 3 × 1013, a yield over simulated in one dimension of 70%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent discovery of more than a thousand planets outside our Solar System, together with the significant push to achieve inertially confined fusion in the laboratory, has prompted a renewed interest in how dense matter behaves at millions to billions of atmospheres of pressure. The theoretical description of such electron-degenerate matter has matured since the early quantum statistical model of Thomas and Fermi, and now suggests that new complexities can emerge at pressures where core electrons (not only valence electrons) influence the structure and bonding of matter. Recent developments in shock-free dynamic (ramp) compression now allow laboratory access to this dense matter regime. Here we describe ramp-compression measurements for diamond, achieving 3.7-fold compression at a peak pressure of 5 terapascals (equivalent to 50 million atmospheres). These equation-of-state data can now be compared to first-principles density functional calculations and theories long used to describe matter present in the interiors of giant planets, in stars, and in inertial-confinement fusion experiments. Our data also provide new constraints on mass-radius relationships for carbon-rich planets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films with a thickness of ~6 µm and average grain sizes ranging from 60 to 9 nm were deposited on silicon wafers using a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) process. These samples were then characterized in order to identify correlations between grain size, chemical composition and mechanical properties. The characterization reveals that our films are phase pure and exhibit a relatively smooth surface morphology. The levels of sp 2-bonded carbon and hydrogen impurities are low, showing a systematic variation with the grain size. The hydrogen content increases with decreasing grain size, whereas the sp 2 carbon content decreases with decreasing grain size. The material is weaker than single crystalline diamond, since both stiffness and hardness decrease with the reduction in crystal size. These trends suggest gradual changes in the nature of the grain boundaries, from graphitic in case of 60 nm grain size material to hydrogen terminated sp 3 carbon in 9 nm grain size material. The films exhibit low levels of internal stress and free-standing structures with a length of several centimeters could be fabricated without noticeable bending [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The reaction of sulfur and oxygen with the gold surface is important in many technological applications, including heterogeneous catalysis, corrosion, and chemical sensors. We have studied reactions on Au(111) using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in order to better understand the surface structure and the origin of gold’s catalytic activity. We find that the Au(111) surface dynamically restructures during deposition of sulfur and oxygen and that these changes in structure promote the reactivity of Au with respect to SO2 and O2 dissociation. Specifically, the Au(111) herringbone reconstruction lifts when either S or O is deposited on the surface. We attribute this structural change to the reduction of tensile surface stress via charge redistribution by these electronegative adsorbates. This lifting of the reconstruction was accompanied by the release of gold atoms from the herringbone structure. At high coverage, clusters of gold sulfides or gold oxides form by abstraction of gold atoms from regular terrace sites of the surface. Concomitant with the restructuring is the release of gold atoms from the herringbone structure to produce a higher density of low-coordinated Au sites by forming serrated step edges or small gold islands. These undercoordinated Au atoms may play an essential role in the enhancement of catalytic activity of gold in reactions such as oxygen dissociation or SO2 decomposition. Our results further elucidate the interaction between sulfur and oxygen and the Au(111) surface and indicate that the reactivity of Au nanoclusters on reducible metal oxides is probably related to the facile release of Au from the edges of these small islands. Our results provide insight into the sintering mechanism which leads to deactivation of Au nanoclusters and into the fundamental limitation in the edge definition in soft lithography using thiol-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on Au. Furthermore, the enhanced reactivity of Au after release of undercoordinated atoms from the surface indicate a relatively insignificant role of an oxide support for high reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formation and the thermal stability of silyl (SiH3) groups on Si(1 0 0) surfaces was investigated by mass spectrometry. Silyl groups were prepared either by adsorption and decomposition of disilane (Si2H6) on clean Si(1 0 0), or by using thermal hydrogen atoms to generate silicon hydride groups. The silyl coverage decreases with increasing temperature during disilane or H atom exposure. Maximum silyl coverages of 0.15 and 0.12 ML, respectively, were obtained after disilane or H atom saturation exposures at 110 K. On saturated Si(1 0 0) surfaces, i.e., in absence of dangling bonds, silyl groups are stable up to 500 K; above 500 K the formation of silane (SiH4) via disproportionation, −SiH3(a)+SiH2(a)→SiH4(g)+SiH(a), was observed. In the presence of dangling bonds, silyl groups decompose toward SiH2 and SiH groups, even at 110 K.The abstraction of adsorbed silyl by impinging hydrogen atoms, −SiH3(a)+H(g)→SiH4(g), was investigated in the temperature range from 110 to 800 K by in situ mass spectrometry. Silane was the sole product observed. The silyl abstraction probability increases by a factor of 6 with increasing substrate temperature between 110 and 500 K, indicating an apparent activation energy of 12.5 kJ mol−1, which can be discussed in terms of an increased reaction probability of vibrationally excited silyl groups. The regeneration of silyl groups by impinging hydrogen atoms was identified as the rate limiting step of the hydrogen induced etching of silicon under steady-state conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]