Direct Deposition of Crystalline TaN Thin Films on FTO for PEC Water Splitting.

Tantalum nitride is a promising photoanode material for solar water splitting, but further study and practical use are constrained by the harsh conditions of the synthesis from Ta metal. Here, we report the direct deposition of crystalline TaN on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrate via a custom-built atomic layer deposition (ALD) system. A combination of TaCl (Ta precursor) and ammonia (N source) was sequentially pulsed into the ALD reactor with the substrate heated to 550 °C to deposit compact and thin films of TaN with controllable thicknesses on FTO substrates.

Conversion Mechanism of Soluble Alkylamide Precursors for the Synthesis of Colloidal Nitride Nanomaterials.

There are few molecular precursors that chemically convert to nitride nanomaterials, which severely limits the development of this important class of materials. Alkylamides are soluble and stable nitride precursors that can be based on the same primary amines that are often used in colloidal nanomaterial synthesis, but their conversion involves the breaking of stable C-N bonds through a mechanism that remained unknown up to now. A critical aspect of this conversion mechanism is uncovered here, involving a prelimary step whereby alkylamides are oxidized to N-alkylimines to yield NH amide species that are postulated to be the actual reactive precursors in the formation of indium nitride nanomaterials.

As Precious as Platinum: Iron Nitride for Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Liquid Ammonia.

The electrolysis of ammonia (NH), a potential carrier for hydrogen fuel, has only been studied in detail in systems employing expensive, noble metal anodes such as platinum, ruthenium, and iridium. For NH to serve as a practical hydrogen storage medium, the electrolysis process must be energy efficient, scalable, and inexpensive. Clearly, alternatives to precious metals would greatly reduce costs if the performance of less expensive, more abundant metals rivaled those of their expensive counterparts.

Art in Alzheimer's care: promoting well-being in people with late-stage Alzheimer's disease.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the responses of people with late-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) to a creative bonding intervention (CBI). The CBI consisted of simple art activities. Guided by Reed's self-transcendence theory, research questions were "Will persons with late-stage AD show evidence of self-transcendence during the CBI?" and "Will persons with late-stage AD show evidence of well-being during the CBI?" Twelve CBI sessions, documented by videotape and field notes, were conducted with four participants.