Influence of process parameters on energetic properties of sputter-deposited Al/CuO reactive multilayers.

In this study, we demonstrate the effect of change of the sputtering power and the deposition pressure on the ignition and the combustion properties of Al/CuO reactive thin films. A reduced sputtering power of Al along with the deposition carried out at a higher-pressure result in a high-quality thin film showing a 200% improvement in the burn rate and a 50% drop in the ignition energy. This highlights the direct implication of the change of the process parameters on the responsivity and the reactivity of the reactive film while maintaining the Al and CuO thin-film integrity both crystallographically and chemically.

Screening microalgae native to Quebec for wastewater treatment and biodiesel production.

Biodiesel production from microalgae lipids is being considered as a potential source of renewable energy. However, practical production processes will probably require the use of local strains adapted to prevailing climatic conditions. This report describes the isolation of 100 microalgal strains from freshwater lakes and rivers located in the vicinity of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Charge implantation measurement on electron-irradiated insulating materials by means of an SEM technique.

The goal of this article is first to review the charging effects occurring when an insulating material is subjected to electron irradiation in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and next their consequences from both scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) points of view. When bare insulators are observed, the so-called pseudo mirror effect leads to an anomalous contrast and also to an erroneous surface potential, V(S), measurement when a Duane-Hunt limit (DHL) method is used. An alternative possibility is to use an electron toroidal spectrometer (ETS), specially adapted to a SEM, which directly gives the V(S) value.