A new route to obtain fluorescence X-ray absorption spectra of compounds and to remove the self-absorption induced nonlinearity in the spectra.

A new route to obtain fluorescence X-ray absorption spectra of compounds and to remove the self-absorption induced nonlinearity in the spectra is described. The fluorescent intensity If is linearly proportional to the absorption coefficient µ. For studies of surface structures around an element (κ) the fluorescence detection is often the mode of choice. However, the measurement may suffer from a self-absorption (SA) effect which nonlinearly distorts the spectra. The effect is severe when κ is concentrated or the measurements are carried out in certain geometries. Here, the correlations among emission events in compounds are examined following resonance X-ray core-electron excitation within κ. Under conditions leading to SA, If emitted from κ apparently has a conjugated relationship with the fluorescent intensities simultaneously emitted from other elements (ξ). Normalizing the former (κ) by the latter (ξ) will largely remove SA effects and reduce this nonlinear problem to a tractable linear problem. This does result in a moderate reduction of the spectral amplitude due to the so-called secondary emission from ξ excited by the emission from κ. Nonetheless, the resulting spectra will allow one to accurately determine bond distances and disorder and, in some respects, can be superior to spectra obtained via the absorption channel. For µξ < µκ and grazing incidence geometry, the amplitude reduction can be small and simple normalization is sufficient to restore the spectral integrity with remarkable accuracy. This has been instrumental in unravelling the surface and subsurface structures around cations in amorphous Ga-In-O and Zn-Sn-O films which are otherwise inaccessible due to severe SA effects. This method has also been applied to several samples with µξ ≃ µκ to examine its applicability. For these samples, the amplitude reduction is 12 ± 4% versus their standards for the data measured with the classical 45°/45° geometry. This experimental method is easy to implement. Since If from κ and ξ are measured by the same detector system, it is also superior to other methods in removing systematic errors such as detector system nonlinearity, electronic noise, and some beam instabilities, and in removing spectral imperfections due to, for example, SA effects, diffraction effects and sample inhomogeneity. The distortions resulting from the latter can be severe in the spectra measured in transmission mode.

Atomic-Site-Specific Surface Valence-Band Structure from X-Ray Standing-Wave Excited Photoemission.

X-ray standing-wave (XSW) excited photoelectron emission was used to measure the site-specific valence band (VB) for ½ monolayer (ML) Pt grown on a SrTiO_{3} (001) surface. The XSW induced modulations in the core level (CL), and VB photoemission from the surface and substrate atoms were monitored for three hkl substrate Bragg reflections. The XSW CL analysis shows the Pt to have a face-centered-cubic-like cube-on-cube epitaxy with the substrate. The XSW VB information compares well to a density functional theory calculated projected density of states from the surface and substrate atoms. Overall, this Letter represents a novel method for determining the contribution to the density of states by valence electrons from specific atomic surface sites.

Evaluating UK National Guidance for Screening of Children for Tuberculosis. A Prospective Multicenter Study.

RATIONALE: To identify infected contacts of tuberculosis (TB) cases, the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended the addition of IFN-γ release assays (IGRA) to the tuberculin skin test (TST) in its 2006 TB guidelines. Treatment for TB infection was no longer recommended for children who screened TST-positive but IGRA-negative. OBJECTIVES: We performed a cohort study to evaluate the risk of TB disease in this group. METHODS: Children exposed to an infectious case of TB in their household were recruited from 11 pediatric TB clinics. TST and IGRA were performed at baseline, with IGRA repeated at 8 weeks and TST repeated if initially negative. Children were treated according to 2006 NICE guidelines and followed for 24 months. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Of 431 recruited children, 392 completed the study. We diagnosed 48 (12.2%) cases of prevalent TB disease, 105 (26.8%) with TB infection, and 239 (60.9%) without TB infection or disease. Eighteen children aged 2 years and above had a positive TST but persistently negative IGRA. None received TB infection treatment and none developed TB disease. Ninety (26.1%) children qualified for TB infection treatment according to 2006 NICE guidelines. In contrast, 147 (42.7%) children would have qualified under revised NICE guidance, issued in 2016. CONCLUSIONS: In this low-prevalence setting we saw no incident cases of TB disease in children who were TST-positive but IGRA-negative and did not receive treatment for TB infection. Following the latest NICE guidance, significantly more children will require medication.

High-Modulus Low-Cost Carbon Fibers from Polyethylene Enabled by Boron Catalyzed Graphitization.

Currently, carbon fibers (CFs) from the solution spinning, air oxidation, and carbonization of polyacrylonitrile impose a lower price limit of ≈$10 per lb, limiting the growth in industrial and automotive markets. Polyethylene is a promising precursor to enable a high-volume industrial grade CF as it is low cost, melt spinnable and has high carbon content. However, sulfonated polyethylene (SPE)-derived CFs have thus far fallen short of the 200 GPa tensile modulus threshold for industrial applicability. Here, a graphitization process is presented catalyzed by the addition of boron that produces carbon fiber with >400 GPa tensile modulus at 2400 °C. Wide angle X-ray diffraction collected during carbonization reveals that the presence of boron reduces the onset of graphitization by nearly 400 °C, beginning around 1200 °C. The B-doped SPE-CFs herein attain 200 GPa tensile modulus and 2.4 GPa tensile strength at the practical carbonization temperature of 1800 °C.

The impact of BCG vaccination on tuberculin skin test responses in children is age dependent: evidence to be considered when screening children for tuberculosis infection.

BACKGROUND: Following exposure to TB, contacts are screened to target preventive treatment at those at high risk of developing TB. The UK has recently revised its recommendations for screening and now advises a 5 mm tuberculin skin test (TST) cut-off irrespective of age or BCG status. We sought to evaluate the impact of BCG on TST responses in UK children exposed to TB and the performance of different TST cut-offs to predict interferon γ release assay (IGRA) positivity. METHODS: Children <15 years old were recruited from 11 sites in the UK between January 2011 and December 2014 if exposed in their home to a source case with sputum smear or culture positive TB. Demographic details were collected and TST and IGRA undertaken. The impact of BCG vaccination on TST positivity was evaluated in IGRA-negative children, as was the performance of different TST cut-offs to predict IGRA positivity. RESULTS: Of 422 children recruited (median age 69 months; IQR: 32-113 months), 300 (71%) had been vaccinated with BCG. BCG vaccination affected the TST response in IGRA-negative children less than 5 years old but not in older children. A 5 mm TST cut-off demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity in BCG-unvaccinated children, and an excellent negative predictive value but was associated with low specificity (62.7%; 95% CI 56.1% to 69.0%) in BCG-vaccinated children. For BCG-vaccinated children, a 10 mm cut-off provided a high negative predictive value (97.7%; 95% CI 94.2% to 99.4%) with the positive predictive value increasing with increasing age of the child. DISCUSSION: BCG vaccination had little impact on TST size in children over 5 years of age. The revised TST cut-off recommended in the recent revision to the UK TB guidelines demonstrates good sensitivity but is associated with impaired specificity in BCG-vaccinated children.

High-temperature tensile cell for in situ real-time investigation of carbon fibre carbonization and graphitization processes.

A new high-temperature fibre tensile cell is described, developed for use at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory to enable the investigation of the carbonization and graphitization processes during carbon fibre production. This cell is used to heat precursor fibre bundles to temperatures up to ∼2300°C in a controlled inert atmosphere, while applying tensile stress to facilitate formation of highly oriented graphitic microstructure; evolution of the microstructure as a function of temperature and time during the carbonization and higher-temperature graphitization processes can then be monitored by collecting real-time wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) patterns. As an example, the carbonization and graphitization behaviour of an oxidized polyacrylonitrile fibre was studied up to a temperature of ∼1750°C. Real-time WAXD revealed the gradual increase in microstructure alignment with the fibre axis with increasing temperature over the temperature range 600-1100°C. Above 1100°C, no further changes in orientation were observed. The overall magnitude of change increased with increasing applied tensile stress during carbonization. As a second example, the high-temperature graphitizability of PAN- and pitch-derived commercial carbon fibres was studied. Here, the magnitude of graphitic microstructure evolution of the pitch-derived fibre far exceeded that of the PAN-derived fibres at temperatures up to ∼2300°C, indicating its facile graphitizability.

Concurrent Covalent and Supramolecular Polymerization.

Covalent and supramolecular polymerizations, both of which offer their own unique advantages, have emerged as popular strategies for making artificial materials. Herein, we describe a concurrent covalent and supramolecular polymerization strategy-namely, one which utilizes 1) a bis-azide-functionalized diazaperopyrenium dication that undergoes polymeriation covalently with a bis-alkyne-functionalized biphenyl derivative in one dimension as a result of a rapid and efficient ß-cyclodextrin(CD)-accelerated, cucurbit[6]uril(CB)-templated azide-alkyne cycloaddition, while 2) the aromatic core of the dication is able to dimerize in a criss-cross fashion by dint of π-π interactions, enabling simultaneous supramolecular assembly, resulting in an extended polymer network in an orthogonal dimension.

Atomic-Scale Interface for Pt Nanoparticles on SrTiO3 (001).

The interfacial structure formed by Pt nanoparticles grown epitaxially on a SrTiO3 (001) surface by pulsed laser deposition was studied by X-ray standing-wave (XSW) excited core-level photoelectron emission. The XSW-generated 3D atomic map of the Pt and interfacial oxygens for the oxidized Pt/SrTiO3 interface differs significantly from that of the as-deposited interface. After oxidation, the Pt atoms shifted upward and their atomic occupation at fcc-like sites evolved as the oxidation temperature increased. Interfacial oxygen atoms were differentiated from bulk O atoms by the chemical shift in the binding energy of their 1s electrons. After oxidation, the interfacial oxygen atoms rearranged to form a TiO2 bilayer at the interface. These results provide a more complete description of the strong metal-support interaction process at the interface.

Atomic-Scale View of Redox Induced Changes for Monolayer MoOx on α-TiO2(110) with Chemical-State Sensitivity.

Supported molybdenum oxide (MoOx) plays an important role in catalytic transformations from alcohol dehydrogenation to transesterification. During these reactions, molybdenum and oxygen surface species undergo structural and chemical changes. A detailed, chemical-state specific, atomic-scale structural analysis of the catalyst under redox conditions is important for improving catalytic properties. In this study, a monolayer of Mo grown on α-TiO2(110) by atomic-layer deposition is analyzed by X-ray standing wave (XSW) excited X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The chemical shifts for Mo 2p3/2 and O 1s peaks are used to distinguish Mo6+ from Mo4+ and surface O from bulk O. Excitation of XPS by XSW allows pinpointing the location of these surface species relative to the underlying substrate lattice. Measured 3D composite atomic density maps for the oxidized and reduced interfaces compare well with our density functional theory models and collectively create a unique view of the redox-driven dynamics for this complex catalytic structure.

Elucidating chemical and morphological changes in tetrachloroauric solutions induced by X-ray photochemical reaction.

Chemical and morphological changes induced by an X-ray photochemical reaction in tetrachloroauric solutions leading to Au(3+)-to-Au(0) reduction are monitored in real time by X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray small angle scattering. Prior to metal precipitation, the intermediate state, also observed by other techniques, is unambiguously determined for the first time to be the reduction of Au(3+) to Au(1+), whose kinetics is strictly of the zeroth order. The morphological changes occur simultaneously in the solutions, that is, the gold complexes rearrange and aggregate, as unequivocally observed by the correlated changes in the Au L(3) emission and small angle scattering intensities. The experimental evidence indicates that the eventual metal precipitation is strongly influenced by the changing solution acidity under X-ray irradiation. Detailed local structure changes are also described.

Key factors limiting carbon nanotube yarn strength: exploring processing-structure-property relationships.

Studies of carbon nanotube (CNT) based composites have been unable to translate the extraordinary load-bearing capabilities of individual CNTs to macroscale composites such as yarns. A key challenge lies in the lack of understanding of how properties of filaments and interfaces across yarn hierarchical levels govern the properties of macroscale yarns. To provide insight required to enable the development of superior CNT yarns, we investigate the fabrication-structure-mechanical property relationships among CNT yarns prepared by different techniques and employ a Monte Carlo based model to predict upper bounds on their mechanical properties. We study the correlations between different levels of alignment and porosity and yarn strengths up to 2.4 GPa. The uniqueness of this experimentally informed modeling approach is the model's ability to predict when filament rupture or interface sliding dominates yarn failure based on constituent mechanical properties and structural organization observed experimentally. By capturing this transition and predicting the yarn strengths that could be obtained under ideal fabrication conditions, the model provides critical insights to guide future efforts to improve the mechanical performance of CNT yarn systems. This multifaceted study provides a new perspective on CNT yarn design that can serve as a foundation for the development of future composites that effectively exploit the superior mechanical performance of CNTs.

Zr and Ba edge phenomena in the scintillation intensity of fluorozirconate-based glass-ceramic X-ray detectors.

The energy-dependent scintillation intensity of Eu-doped fluorozirconate glass-ceramic X-ray detectors has been investigated in the energy range from 10 to 40 keV. The experiments were performed at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, USA. The glass ceramics are based on Eu-doped fluorozirconate glasses, which were additionally doped with chlorine to initiate the nucleation of BaCl(2) nanocrystals therein. The X-ray excited scintillation is mainly due to the 5d-4f transition of Eu(2+) embedded in the BaCl(2) nanocrystals; Eu(2+) in the glass does not luminesce. Upon appropriate annealing the nanocrystals grow and undergo a phase transition from a hexagonal to an orthorhombic phase of BaCl(2). The scintillation intensity is investigated as a function of the X-ray energy, particle size and structure of the embedded nanocrystals. The scintillation intensity versus X-ray energy dependence shows that the intensity is inversely proportional to the photoelectric absorption of the material, i.e. the more photoelectric absorption the less scintillation. At 18 and 37.4 keV a significant decrease in the scintillation intensity can be observed; this energy corresponds to the K-edge of Zr and Ba, respectively. The glass matrix as well as the structure and size of the embedded nanocrystals have an influence on the scintillation properties of the glass ceramics.