Synthesis of Nanostructured/Macroscopic Low-Density Copper Foams Based on Metal-Coated Polymer Core-Shell Particles.

A robust, millimeter-sized low-density Cu foam with ∼90% (v/v) porosity, ∼30 nm thick walls, and ∼1 μm diameter spherical pores is prepared by the slip-casting of metal-coated polymer core-shell particles followed by a thermal removal of the polymer. In this paper, we report our key findings that enable the development of the low-density Cu foams. First, we need to synthesize polystyrene (PS) particles coated with a very thin Cu layer (in the range of tens of nanometers).

Deterministic control over high-Z doping of polydicyclopentadiene-based aerogel coatings.

We report on simple and efficient routes to dope polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD)-based aerogels and their coatings with high-Z tracer elements. Initially, direct halogenation of PDCPD wet gels and aerogels with elemental iodine or bromine was studied. Although several pathways were identified that allowed doping of PDCPD aerogels by direct addition of bromine or iodine to the unsaturated polymer backbone, they all provided limited control over the amount and uniformity of doping, especially at very low dopant concentrations.

Performance evaluation of a modular gamma camera using a detectability index.

Unlabelled: The performance of a modular gamma camera for the task of detecting signals in random noisy backgrounds was evaluated experimentally. The results were compared with a theoretical computer simulation.

Methods: The camera uses a 10 x 10 cm thallium-doped sodium iodide crystal, a 2 x 2 array of 53 x 53 mm photomultiplier tubes, and a parallel-hole collimator (1.