Geochemical Peculiarities of Galena and Sphalerite from Polymetallic Deposits of the Dal'negorskii Ore Region (Primorsky Krai, Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogulina, L. I.; Moiseenko, V. G.; Ponomarchuk, V. A.

2018-04-01

New data on the composition of the major minerals from the skarn and vein polymetallic deposits of the Dal'negorskii ore region are reported. Analysis of galena and sphalerite was carried out by the X-ray fluorescent energy-dispersive method of synchrotron radiation for the first time. It is shown that the minor elements in major minerals of different deposits are typomorphic. Among these elements are Fe, Cu, Ni, Cd, Ag, Sn, and Sb, as well as In in sphalerite and Te in galena. The high concentrations of Ag, Cu, Te, Cd, and In in the extracted minerals indicate the complex character of mineralization. The compositional patterns of ore minerals characterize the sequence of mineral formation from the skarn to vein ores, and the sequence of deposits from the mesothermal to epithermal conditions. This provides geochemical evidence for the stage model of the formation of mineralization in the Dal'negorskii ore region.

A comparative theoretical study of the catalytic activities of Au2(-) and AuAg(-) dimers for CO oxidation.

PubMed

Liu, Peng; Song, Ke; Zhang, Dongju; Liu, Chengbu

2012-05-01

The detailed mechanisms of catalytic CO oxidation over Au(2)(-) and AuAg(-) dimers, which represent the simplest models for monometal Au and bimetallic Au-Ag nanoparticles, have been studied by performing density functional theory calculations. It is found that both Au(2)(-) and AuAg(-) dimers catalyze the reaction according to the similar mono-center Eley-Rideal mechanism. The catalytic reaction is of the multi-channel and multi-step characteristic, which can proceed along four possible pathways via two or three elementary steps. In AuAg(-), the Au site is more active than the Ag site, and the calculated energy barrier values for the rate-determining step of the Au-site catalytic reaction are remarkably smaller than those for both the Ag-site catalytic reaction and the Au(2)(-) catalytic reaction. The better catalytic activity of bimetallic AuAg(-) dimer is attributed to the synergistic effect between Au and Ag atom. The present results provide valuable information for understanding the higher catalytic activity of Au-Ag nanoparticles and nanoalloys for low-temperature CO oxidation than either pure metallic catalyst.

Mineral potential tracts for polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits (phase V, deliverable 71): Chapter I in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Beaudoin, Georges

2015-01-01

In Mauritania, mineral occurrences of the polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposit type are found near the Florence-El Khdar shear zone in northeast Mauritania. The deposits visited were deemed representative of other similar occurrences and consist of quartz veins with trace sulfides. The low sulfide and Pb-Zn-Cu content in the quartz veins is unlike producing polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits, such that the veins are not considered to belong to this deposit type. Mineral potential tracts for polymetallic Pb-ZnCu veins are highly speculative considering the lack of known mineralization belonging to this deposit type. Mineral potential tracts for polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu veins are associated with and surround major shear zones in the Rgueïbat Shield and zones of complex faulting in the southern Mauritanides, at the exclusion of the imbricated thrust faults that are not considered favorable for this deposit type. No skarn and replacement deposits have been documented in Mauritania and the low mineral potential is indicated by lack of causative Mesozoic and Cenozoic mafic to felsic stocks.

Mineral Deposit Data for Epigenetic Base- and Precious-metal and Uranium-thorium Deposits in South-central and Southwestern Montana and Southern and Central Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klein, T.L.

2004-01-01

Metal deposits spatially associated with the Cretaceous Boulder and Idaho batholiths of southwestern Montana and southern and central Idaho have been exploited since the early 1860s. Au was first discovered in placer deposits; exploitation of vein deposits in bedrock soon followed. In 1865, high-grade Ag vein deposits were discovered and remained economically important until the 1890s. Early high-grade deposits of Au, Ag and Pb were found in the weathered portions of the veins systems. As mining progressed to deeper levels, Ag and Pb grades diminished. Exploration for and development of these vein deposits in this area have continued until the present. A majority of these base- and precious-metal vein deposits are classified as polymetallic veins (PMV) and polymetallic carbonate-replacement (PMR) deposits in this compilation. Porphyry Cu and Mo, epithermal (Au, Ag, Hg and Sb), base- and precious-metal and W skarn, W vein, and U and Th vein deposits are also common in this area. The world-class Butte Cu porphyry and the Butte high-sulfidation Cu vein deposits are in this study area. PMV and PMR deposits are the most numerous in the region and constitute about 85% of the deposit records compiled. Several types of syngenetic/diagenetic sulfide mineral deposits in rocks of the Belt Supergroup or their equivalents are common in the region and they have been the source of a substantial metal production over the last century. These syngenetic deposits and their metamorphosed/structurally remobilized equivalents were not included in this database; therefore, deposits in the Idaho portion of the Coeur d'Alene district and the Idaho Cobalt belt, for example, have not been included because many of them are believed to be of this type.

Mineralogical, textural, sulfur and lead isotope constraints on the origin of Ag-Pb-Zn mineralization at Bianjiadayuan, Inner Mongolia, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Degao; Liu, Jiajun; Cook, Nigel J.; Wang, Xilong; Yang, Yongqiang; Zhang, Anli; Jiao, Yingchun

2018-04-01

The Bianjiadayuan Ag-Pb-Zn deposit (4.81 Mt. @157.4 g/t Ag and 3.94% Pb + Zn) is located in the Great Hinggan Range Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu-Mo-Sn-Fe polymetallic metallogenic belt, NE China. Vein type Pb-Zn-Ag ore bodies are primarily hosted by slate, adjacent to a Sn ± Cu ± Mo mineralized porphyry intrusion. The deposit is characterized by silver-rich ores with Ag grades up to 3000 g/t. Four primary paragenetic sequences are recognized: (I) arsenopyrite + pyrite + quartz, (II) main sulfide + quartz, (III) silver-bearing sulfosalt + quartz, and (IV) boulangerite + calcite. A subsequent supergene oxidation stage has also been identified. Hydrothermal alteration consists of an early episode of silicification, two intermediate episodes (propylitic and phyllic), and a late argillic episode. Silver mineralization primarily belongs to the late paragenetic sequence III. Freibergite is the dominant and most important Ag-mineral in the deposit. Detailed ore mineralogy of Bianjiadayuan freibergite reveals evidence of chemical heterogeneity down to the microscale. Silver-rich sulfosalts in the late paragenetic sequence III are largely derived from a series of retrograde and solid-state reactions that redistribute Ag via decomposition and exsolution during cooling, illustrating that documentation of post-mineralization processes is essential for understanding silver ore formation. Sulfur and lead isotope compositions of sulfides, and comparison with those of local various geological units, indicate that the ore-forming fluids, lead, and other metals have a magmatic origin, suggesting a close genetic association between the studied Ag-Pb-Zn veins and the local granitic intrusion. Fluid cooling coupled with decreases in fO2 and fS2 are the factors inferred to have led to a decrease of silver solubility in the hydrothermal fluid, and successively promoted extensive Ag deposition.

Guazuma ulmifolia bark-synthesized Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles: Photocatalytic potential, DNA/protein interactions, anticancer activity and toxicity against 14 species of microbial pathogens.

PubMed

Karthika, Viswanathan; Arumugam, Ayyakannu; Gopinath, Kasi; Kaleeswarran, Periyannan; Govindarajan, Marimuthu; Alharbi, Naiyf S; Kadaikunnan, Shine; Khaled, Jamal M; Benelli, Giovanni

2017-02-01

In the present study, we focused on a quick and green method to fabricate Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy nanoparticles (NPs) using the bark extract of Guazuma ulmifolia L. Green synthesized metal NPs were characterized using different techniques, including UV-Vis spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD, AFM and HR-TEM analyses. The production of Ag, Au and Ag/Au alloy NPs was observed monitoring color change from colorless to brown, followed by pink and dark brown, as confirmed by UV-Vis spectroscopy characteristic peaks at 436, 522 and 510nm, respectively. TEM shed light on the spherical shapes of NPs with size ranges of 10-15, 20-25 and 10-20nm. Biosynthesized NPs showed good catalytic activity reducing two organic dyes, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and Congo red (CR). UV-vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, circular dichroism spectroscopy and viscosity analyses were used to investigate the NP binding with calf thymus DNA. The binding constant of NPs with DNA calculated in UV-Vis absorption studies were 1.18×10 4 , 1.83×10 4 and 2.91×10 4 M -1 , respectively, indicating that NPs were able to bind DNA with variable binding affinity: Ag/Au alloy NPs>Ag NPs>Au NPs. Ag/Au alloy NPs also showed binding activity to bovine serum albumin (BSA) over the other NPs. Ag and Ag/Au alloy NPs exhibited good antimicrobial activity on 14 species of microbial pathogens. In addition, the cytotoxic effects of Ag/Au alloy NPs were studied on human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) using MTT assay. Overall, our work showed the promising potential of bark-synthesized Ag and Ag/Au alloy NPs as cheap sources to develop novel and safer photocatalytic, antimicrobial and anticancer agents. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Synergistic effect in an Au-Ag alloy nanocatalyst: CO oxidation.

PubMed

Liu, Jun-Hong; Wang, Ai-Qin; Chi, Yu-Shan; Lin, Hong-Ping; Mou, Chung-Yuan

2005-01-13

Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles supported on mesoporous aluminosilicate have been prepared by one-pot synthesis using hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) both as a stabilizing agent for nanoparticles and as a template for the formation of mesoporous structure. The formation of Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Although the Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles have a larger particle size than the monometallic gold particles, they exhibited exceptionally high activity in catalysis for low-temperature CO oxidation. Even at a low temperature of 250 K, the reaction rate can reach 8.7 x 10(-6) mol.g(cat.)(-1).s(-1) at an Au/Ag molar ratio of 3/1. While neither monometallic Au@MCM-41 nor Ag@MCM-41 shows activity at this temperature, the Au-Ag alloy system shows a strongly synergistic effect in high catalytic activity. In this alloy system, the size effect is no longer a critical factor, whereas Ag is believed to play a key role in the activation of oxygen.

Nanoporous Au structures by dealloying Au/Ag thermal- or laser-dewetted bilayers on surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruffino, F.; Torrisi, V.; Grillo, R.; Cacciato, G.; Zimbone, M.; Piccitto, G.; Grimaldi, M. G.

2017-03-01

Nanoporous Au attracts great technological interest and it is a promising candidate for optical and electrochemical sensors. In addition to nanoporous Au leafs and films, recently, interest was focused on nanoporous Au micro- and nano-structures on surfaces. In this work we report on the study of the characteristics of nanoporous Au structures produced on surfaces. We developed the following procedures to fabricate the nanoporous Au structures: we deposited thin Au/Ag bilayers on SiO2 or FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide) substrates with thickness xAu and xAg of the Au and Ag layers; we induced the alloying and dewetting processes of the bilayers by furnace annealing processes of the bilayers deposited on SiO2 and by laser irradiations of the bilayers deposited on FTO; the alloying and dewetting processes result in the formation of AuxAgy alloy sub-micron particles being x and y tunable by xAu and xAg. These particles are dealloyed in HNO3 solution to remove the Ag atoms. We obtain, so, nanoporous sub-micron Au particles on the substrates. Analyzing the characteristics of these particles we find that: a) the size and shape of the particles depend on the nature of the dewetting process (solid-state dewetting on SiO2, molten-state dewetting on FTO); b) the porosity fraction of the particles depends on how the alloying process is reached: about 32% of porosity for the particles fabricated by the furnace annealing at 900 °C, about 45% of porosity for the particles fabricated by the laser irradiation at 0.5 J/cm2, in both cases independently on the Ag concentration in the alloy; c) After the dealloying process the mean volume of the Au particles shrinks of about 39%; d) After an annealing at 400 °C the nanoporous Au particles reprise their initial volume while the porosity fraction is reduced. Arguments to justify these behaviors are presented.

Late-Hercynian intrusion-related gold deposits: An integrated model on the Tighza polymetallic district, central Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Éric, Marcoux; Khadija, Nerci; Yannick, Branquet; Claire, Ramboz; Gilles, Ruffet; Jean-Jacques, Peucat; Ross, Stevenson; Michel, Jébrak

2015-07-01

radiogenic isotope studies. Nd and Sr isotope compositions of scheelite and granites suggest the participation of a juvenile component while lead isotopes demonstrate a major participation of the basement. Both gold mineralization and zoning suggest that the system developed at the end of the magmatic activity, accompanying a major transition in magmatic fluid composition. The morphology of the gold-bearing mineralization is dependent of the permeability and the reactivity of host-rocks: focus circulation of fluids through pre-existing tectonic corridors, reactivated by late-Hercynian intrusions favor the formation of large W-type gold veins, while infiltration of fluid within reactive stratigraphic layers gives rise to skarn mineralization. A 40Ar/39Ar date (W1 north vein: 291.8 ± 0.3 Ma) indicates that hydrothermal circulation predates gold and tungsten deposition in open fractures as well as Mine granite emplacement. The W-Au mineralization preceded the onset of a large convective hydrothermal cell around the intrusion that led to the formation of the Pb-Ag-Zn mined veins. The Tighza polymetallic district displays numerous similarities with the R-IRG model that was defined in the American Cordillera, such as thermal and zonation patterns, carbonic hydrothermal fluids and chronology of intrusion and related deposits, but also provides new insight to the R-IRG model such as wide Au-quartz veins instead of sheeted Au-veins, oxidation state of the magma, and Sr-Nd isotopic data. These results establish a major magmatic contribution and discard a direct genetic relationship between gold mineralization and major neighboring Pb-Ag-Zn veins. A large number of classic Pb-Zn district of the Western Hercynides belong to the same clan.

Chemical analysis of extracting transition metal oxides from polymetallic ore by sulphate process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Enkh-Uyanga, Otgon-Uul; Munkhtsetseg, Baatar; Urangoo, Urtnasan; Tserendulam, Enkhtur; Agiimaa, Davaadorj

2017-06-01

In this research work we attempt to improve the purity of polymetallic ores in Mongolia whilst developing practical applications of its refinement processes and this paper presents the results of chemical research of extracting transition metal titanium oxides, ferrous oxide and rare earth oxides from polymetallic ore. Thereby, chemical and mineral analysis of polymetallic ore is carried out basis of responses to the support process at various degrees of water whereas transition metal sulphates solubility differ. As a result of sulphate and resulphurization process we have extracted anatase with 62.5 percent titanium dioxide and brookite mineral with 89.6 percent of titanium dioxide as well as mineral with 83.8 percent of ferrous oxide hematite and rare earth oxides with 57.6 percent of cerium oxide. These oxides are identified under various conditions in the thermal processing. The morphology structure and chemical content compound of the mineral has been verified as a result of the XRF, XRD, SEM-EDX analysis.

Structure and optical properties of silica-supported Ag-Au nanoparticles.

PubMed

Barreca, Davide; Gasparotto, Alberto; Maragno, Cinzia; Tondello, Eugenio; Gialanella, Stefano

2007-07-01

Bimetallic Ag-Au nanoparticles are synthesized by sequential deposition of Au and Ag on amorphous silica by Radio Frequency (RF)-sputtering under mild conditions. Specimens are thoroughly characterized by a multi-technique approach, aimed at investigating the system properties as a function of the Ag/Au content, as well as the evolution induced by ex-situ annealing under inert (N2) or reducing (4% H2/N2) atmospheres. The obtained results demonstrate the possibility to obtain Ag-Au alloyed nanoparticles with controllable size, shape, structure, and dispersion under mild conditions, so that the optical properties can be finely tuned as a function of the synthesis and thermal treatment conditions.

Corrosion resistance evaluation of Pd-free Ag-Au-Pt-Cu dental alloys.

PubMed

Fujita, Takeshi; Shiraishi, Takanobu; Takuma, Yasuko; Hisatsune, Kunihiro

2011-01-01

The corrosion resistance of nine experimental Pd-free Ag-Au-Pt-Cu dental alloys in a 0.9% NaCl solution was investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV), optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). CV measurements revealed that the breakdown potential (E(bd)) and zero current potential (E(zc)) increased with increasing Au/(Au+Ag) atomic ratio. Thus, the Au/(Au+Ag) atomic ratio, but not the Cu content, influenced the corrosion resistance of Ag-Au-Pt-Cu alloys. After the forward scan of CV, both optical and scanning electron microscope images showed that in all the experimental alloys, the matrix phase was corroded but not the second phase. From corrosion resistance viewpoint, the Ag-Au-Pt-Cu alloys seemed to be suitable for clinical application.

Geologic setting and characteristic of mineral deposits in the central Wasatch Mountains, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

John, David A.

1997-01-01

Base- and precious-metal deposits in the central Wasatch Mountains southeast of Salt Lake City were mined for more than 100 years beginning in 1868. Deposits present in the Park City, Little Cottonwood, and Big Cottonwood mining districts include Ag-Pb-Zn ± Cu ± Au replacement and veins, a low-grade porphyry Cu-Au deposit, Cu-bearing skarns, a quartz monzonite-type (low F) porphyry Mo deposit, and high sulfidation (quartz-alunite) Au deposits. Most production came from polymetallic replacement and vein deposits in the Park City mining district, which has a recorded production of more than 1.4 million oz Au , 253 million oz Ag, 2.7 billion lbs Pb, 1.5 billion lbs Zn, and 129 million lbs Cu from 1872 to 1978. Production in the Little and Big Cottonwood districts, mostly from Pb-Ag replacement deposits, was much smaller. Most mineral deposits in the central Wasatch Mountains are genetically related to the Wasatch igneous belt, a series of high-K calc-alkaline stocks and cogenetic volcanic rocks that formed about 41(?) to 30 Ma. The mineral deposits mostly formed near the end of magmatic activity between about 36 to 31.4 Ma. A subeconomic porphyry Mo deposit in the Little Cottonwood stock is notably younger having formed about 26 to 23.5 Ma. The intrusive rocks were emplaced mostly along the westward extension of the west-trending Uinta arch during a period of NW-SE-directed extension, and much of the mineralization in the Park City district controlled by ENE-striking normal faults. About 15 degrees of eastward tilting of the central Wasatch Mountains during Late Cenozoic Basin and Range extension has resulted in progressively deeper levels of exposure from <1 km on the east to about 11 km on the west and in profound variations in the types of minerals deposits exposed in different parts of the range. Most deposits formed at paleodepths ≤5 km, and the most productive deposits in the Park City district formed at depths of 1 to 2 km. The prophyry Mo deposit in the

Exploration of new methods for growing Ag films on Au(111) studied by ARPES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luh, Dah-An; Cheng, Cheng-Maw; Tsai, Chi-Ting; Tsuei, Ku-Ding

2007-03-01

Ag/Au(111) thin films have attracted lots of interests as a model system in the past decades. Ag and Au are lattice-matched, and thin Ag films of very high quality are expected to grow on Au(111). However, the intermixing between Ag and Au at elevated temperatures has been a major concern during the growth of Ag films on the Au(111) surface. In many previous studies, Ag was deposited on the Au(111) surface at near room temperature to avoid the intermixing problem. Investigating the results from these studies, the Ag films on Au(111) grown by this recipe still show clear thickness variation. This thickness variation may result from Ag-Au intermixing or film roughening during the process of room temperature deposition. We are revisiting this classical model system with new growth methods. Our goal is to find growth methods that will stop the intermixing between Ag and Au and reduce the variation in the thickness of Ag films. Preliminary results from our study will be presented in this poster.

Porphyry Cu-Au mineralization in the Mirkuh Ali Mirza magmatic complex, NW Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maghsoudi, A.; Yazdi, M.; Mehrpartou, M.; Vosoughi, M.; Younesi, S.

2014-01-01

The Mirkuh Ali Mirza Cu-Au porphyry system in East Azerbaijan Province is located on the western part of the Cenozoic Alborz-Azerbaijan volcanic belt. The belt is also an important Cu-Mo-Au metallogenic province in northwestern Iran. The exposed rocks in the study area consist of a volcaniclastic sequence, subvolcanic rocks and intermediate to mafic lava flows of Neogene age. The volcanic rocks show a typical subduction-related magmatic arc geological and geochemical signature, with low concentration of Nb, Ta, and Ti. Mineralization is hosted by Neogene dacitic tuff and porphyritic dacite situated at the intersections of northeast and northwest faults. Field observations, alteration zonation, geochemical haloes and isotopic data of the Mirkuh Ali Mirza magmatic complex show similarities with typical convergent margin Cu-Au porphyry type deposits. The following features confirm the classic model for Cu-Au porphyry systems: (a) close spatial association with high-K calcalkaline to shoshonitic rock related to post-collision extensional setting (b) low grade Cu (0.57%) (c) stockworks as well as disseminated sulfides (c) zonality of the alteration patterns from intense phyllic at the center to outward weak-phyllic, argillic, and propylitic (d) the presence of a pyritic halo (e) accompanied by sheeted veins and low-sulfidation epithermal gold (f) mineralization spatially associated with intersection of structures, (g) genetically related to diorite porphyry stocks at depth (h) geochemical zonation of (Cu ± Au ± Ag ± Bi) → (Cu + Mo ± Bi ± Au ± Pb ± Zn ± As) → (Au + Mo ± Pb ± Zn) → (As + Ag + Sb + Mn + Ba + Pb + Zn + Hg) → Hg from center to outwards (i) The range of sulfur isotopic values is approximately zero (interpreted to have magmatic source) and similar to other subduction-related porphyry Cu deposits.

Enhanced catalyst activity by decorating of Au on Ag@Cu2O nanoshell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lei; Liu, Maomao; Zhao, Yue; Kou, Qiangwei; Wang, Yaxin; Liu, Yang; Zhang, Yongjun; Yang, Jinghai; Jung, Young Mee

2018-03-01

We successfully synthesized Au-decorated Ag@Cu2O heterostructures via a simple galvanic replacement method. As the Au precursor concentration increased, the density of the Au nanoparticles (NPs) on the Ag@Cu2O surface increased, which changed the catalytic activity of the Ag@Cu2O-Au structure. The combination of Au, Ag, and Cu2O exhibited excellent catalytic properties, which can further effect on the catalyst activity of the Ag@Cu2O-Au structure. In addition, the proposed Ag@Cu2O-Au nanocomposite was used to transform the organic, toxic pollutant, 4-nitrophenol (4-NP), into its nontoxic and medicinally important amino derivative via a catalytic reduction to optimize the material performance. The proposed Au-decorated Ag@Cu2O exhibited excellent catalytic activity, and the catalytic reduction time greatly decreased (5 min). Thus, three novel properties of Ag@Cu2O-Au, i.e., charge redistribution and transfer, adsorption, and catalytic reduction of organic pollutants, were ascertained for water remediation. The proposed catalytic properties have potential applications for photocatalysis and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)- and peroxidase-like catalysis.

Hollow Au-Ag Nanoparticles Labeled Immunochromatography Strip for Highly Sensitive Detection of Clenbuterol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jingyun; Zhang, Lei; Huang, Youju; Dandapat, Anirban; Dai, Liwei; Zhang, Ganggang; Lu, Xuefei; Zhang, Jiawei; Lai, Weihua; Chen, Tao

2017-01-01

The probe materials play a significant role in improving the detection efficiency and sensitivity of lateral-flow immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS). Unlike conventional ICTS assay usually uses single-component, solid gold nanoparticles as labeled probes, in our present study, a bimetallic, hollow Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) labeled ICTS was successfully developed for the detection of clenbuterol (CLE). The hollow Au-Ag NPs with different Au/Ag mole ratio and tunable size were synthesized by varying the volume ratio of [HAuCl4]:[Ag NPs] via the galvanic replacement reaction. The surface of hollow Ag-Au NPs was functionalized with 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) for further covalently bonded with anti-CLE monoclonal antibody. Overall size of the Au-Ag NPs, size of the holes within individual NPs and also Au/Ag mole ratio have been systematically optimized to amplify both the visual inspection signals and the quantitative data. The sensitivity of optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs probes has been achieved even as low as 2 ppb in a short time (within 15 min), which is superior over the detection performance of conventional test strip using Au NPs. The optimized hollow Au-Ag NPs labeled test strip can be used as an ideal candidate for the rapid screening of CLE in food samples.

Genesis of Middle Miocene Yellowstone hotspot-related bonanza epithermal Au-Ag deposits, Northern Great Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saunders, J. A.; Unger, D. L.; Kamenov, G. D.; Fayek, M.; Hames, W. E.; Utterback, W. C.

2008-09-01

Epithermal deposits with bonanza Au-Ag veins in the northern Great Basin (NGB) are spatially and temporally associated with Middle Miocene bimodal volcanism that was related to a mantle plume that has now migrated to the Yellowstone National Park area. The Au-Ag deposits formed between 16.5 and 14 Ma, but exhibit different mineralogical compositions, the latter due to the nature of the country rocks hosting the deposits. Where host rocks were primarily of meta-sedimentary or granitic origin, adularia-rich gold mineralization formed. Where glassy rhyolitic country rocks host veins, colloidal silica textures and precious metal-colloid aggregation textures resulted. Where basalts are the country rocks, clay-rich mineralization (with silica minerals, adularia, and carbonate) developed. Oxygen isotope data from quartz (originally amorphous silica and gels) from super-high-grade banded ores from the Sleeper deposit show that ore-forming solutions had δ 18O values up to 10‰ heavier than mid-Miocene meteoric water. The geochemical signature of the ores (including their Se-rich nature) is interpreted here to reflect a mantle source for the “epithermal suite” elements (Au, Ag, Se, Te, As, Sb, Hg) and that signature is preserved to shallow crustal levels because of the similar volatility and aqueous geochemical behavior of the “epithermal suite” elements. A mantle source for the gold in the deposits is further supported by the Pb isotopic signature of the gold ores. Apparently the host rocks control the mineralization style and gangue mineralogy of ores. However, all deposits are considered to have derived precious metals and metalloids from mafic magmas related to the initial emergence of the Yellowstone hotspot. Basalt-derived volatiles and metal(loid)s are inferred to have been absorbed by meteoric-water-dominated geothermal systems heated by shallow rhyolitic magma chambers. Episodic discharge of volatiles and metal(loid)s from deep basaltic magmas mixed with

Toward hybrid Au nanorods @ M (Au, Ag, Pd and Pt) core-shell heterostructures for ultrasensitive SERS probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xiaobin; Gao, Guanhui; Kang, Shendong; Lei, Yanhua; Pan, Zhengyin; Shibayama, Tamaki; Cai, Lintao

2017-06-01

Being able to precisely control the morphologies of noble metallic nanostructures is of essential significance for promoting the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effect. Herein, we demonstrate an overgrowth strategy for synthesizing Au @ M (M = Au, Ag, Pd, Pt) core-shell heterogeneous nanocrystals with an orientated structural evolution and highly improved properties by using Au nanorods as seeds. With the same reaction condition system applied, we obtain four well-designed heterostructures with diverse shapes, including Au concave nanocuboids (Au CNs), Au @ Ag crystalizing face central cube nanopeanuts, Au @ Pd porous nanocuboids and Au @ Pt nanotrepangs. Subsequently, the exact overgrowth mechanism of the above heterostructural building blocks is further analysed via the systematic optimiziation of a series of fabrications. Remarkably, the well-defined Au CNs and Au @ Ag nanopeanuts both exhibit highly promoted SERS activity. We expect to be able to supply a facile strategy for the fabrication of multimetallic heterogeneous nanostructures, exploring the high SERS effect and catalytic activities.

Effect of ablation time on femtosecond laser synthesis of Au- Ag colloidal nanoalloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidayah, A. N.; Triyono, D.; Herbani, Y.; Isnaeni; Suliyanti, M. M.

2018-03-01

Au-Ag nanoalloys have been synthesized by laser irradiation technique. First, Au and Ag nanoparticles were prepared from Au and Ag pure metal (99.9%) ablated using an 800 nm femtosecond laser in distilled water. Using the same laser, Au and Ag nanoparticle with 1:1 ratio were subsequently mixed and irradiated with various irradiation time, i.e. 0, 5, 20, and 35 minutes. We varied the ablation time for each metal nanoparticles, i.e. 25 minutes and 1 hour to see its effect on the production of nanoalloys in the subsequent irradiation. Au-Ag nanoalloys were characterized and analyzed using transmission electron microscope and UV-Vis spectrophotometry. The result shows that Au-Ag nanoalloys were already formed in 20 minutes irradiation, either for the sample ablated for 25 minutes or 1 hour. The result of TEM shows that the size of Au-Ag nanoalloys prepared from 1 hour ablation was around 15.03 nm.

Plasmon enhanced water splitting mediated by hybrid bimetallic Au-Ag core-shell nanostructures.

PubMed

Erwin, William R; Coppola, Andrew; Zarick, Holly F; Arora, Poorva; Miller, Kevin J; Bardhan, Rizia

2014-11-07

In this work, we employed wet chemically synthesized bimetallic Au-Ag core-shell nanostructures (Au-AgNSs) to enhance the photocurrent density of mesoporous TiO2 for water splitting and we compared the results with monometallic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs). While Au-AgNSs incorporated photoanodes give rise to 14× enhancement in incident photon to charge carrier efficiency, AuNPs embedded photoanodes result in 6× enhancement. By varying nanoparticle concentration in the photoanodes, we observed ∼245× less Au-AgNSs are required relative to AuNPs to generate similar photocurrent enhancement for solar fuel conversion. Power-dependent measurements of Au-AgNSs and AuNPs showed a first order dependence to incident light intensity, relative to half-order dependence for TiO2 only photoanodes. This indicated that plasmonic nanostructures enhance charge carriers formed on the surface of the TiO2 which effectively participate in photochemical reactions. Our experiments and simulations suggest the enhanced near-field, far-field, and multipolar resonances of Au-AgNSs facilitating broadband absorption of solar radiation collectively gives rise to their superior performance in water splitting.

Picosecond laser fabricated Ag, Au and Ag-Au nanoparticles for detecting ammonium perchlorate using a portable Raman spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byram, Chandu; Moram, Sree Sathya Bharathi; Soma, Venugopal Rao

2018-04-01

In this paper, we present the results from fabrication studies of Ag, Au, and Ag-Au alloy nanoparticles (NPs) using picosecond laser ablation technique in the presence of liquid media. The alloy formation in the NPs was confirmed from UV-Visible measurements. The shape and crystallinity of NPs were investigated by using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area diffraction pattern (SAED) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The SERS effect of fabricated NPs was tested with methylene blue and an explosive molecule (ammonium perchlorate) using a portable Raman spectrometer and achieved EFs of ˜106.

Plasmon Mapping in Au@Ag Nanocube Assemblies

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Surface plasmon modes in metallic nanostructures largely determine their optoelectronic properties. Such plasmon modes can be manipulated by changing the morphology of the nanoparticles or by bringing plasmonic nanoparticle building blocks close to each other within organized assemblies. We report the EELS mapping of such plasmon modes in pure Ag nanocubes, Au@Ag core–shell nanocubes, and arrays of Au@Ag nanocubes. We show that these arrays enable the creation of interesting plasmonic structures starting from elementary building blocks. Special attention will be dedicated to the plasmon modes in a triangular array formed by three nanocubes. Because of hybridization, a combination of such nanotriangles is shown to provide an antenna effect, resulting in strong electrical field enhancement at the narrow gap between the nanotriangles. PMID:25067991

Computational investigation of CO adsorbed on Aux, Agx and (AuAg)x nanoclusters (x = 1 - 5, 147) and monometallic Au and Ag low-energy surfaces*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gould, Anna L.; Catlow, C. Richard A.; Logsdail, Andrew J.

2018-02-01

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to investigate the use of CO as a probe molecule for the determination of the structure and composition of Au, Ag and AuAg nanoparticles. For very small nanoclusters (x = 1 - 5), the CO vibrational frequencies can be directly correlated to CO adsorption strength, whereas larger 147-atom nanoparticles show a strong energetic preference for CO adsorption at a vertex position but the highest wavenumbers are for the bridge positions. We also studied CO adsorption on Au and Ag (100) and (111) surfaces, for a 1 monolayer coverage, which proves to be energetically favourable on atop only and bridge positions for Au (100) and atop for Ag (100); vibrational frequencies of the CO molecules red-shift to lower wavenumbers as a result of increased metal coordination. We conclude that CO vibrational frequencies cannot be solely relied upon in order to obtain accurate compositional analysis, but we do propose that elemental rearrangement in the core@shell nanoclusters, from Ag@Au (or Au@Ag) to an alloy, would result in a shift in the CO vibrational frequencies that indicate changes in the surface composition. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Shaping Nanocatalysts", edited by Francesca Baletto, Roy L. Johnston, Jochen Blumberger and Alex Shluger.Supplementary material in the form of one pdf file available from the Journal web page at http://https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/e2017-80280-7

Study of Ag induced bimetallic (Au-Ag) nanowires on silicon (5 5 12) surfaces: Experiment and theoretical aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhukta, Anjan; Bagarti, Trilochan; Guha, Puspendu; Ravulapalli, Sathyavathi; Satpati, Biswarup; Rakshit, Bipul; Maiti, Paramita; Parlapalli, Venkata Satyam

2017-10-01

The reconstructed vicinal (high index) silicon surfaces, such as, Si (5 5 12) composes row-like structures that can be used as templates for growing aligned nanowires. By using a sub-monolayers of Ag, prior to Au deposition on reconstructed Si (5 512) surface, intermixing of Au and Ag, enhancement of aspect ratio of bimetallic Au-Ag nanowires with tunable morphology is reported. This is attributed to a combined effect of pre-grown Ag strips as nucleation centers for incoming Au ad-atoms and anisotropic Au-Ag intermixing. To achieve optimum conditions for the growth of larger aspect ratio Au-Ag nanostructures, the growth kinetics have been studied by varying growth and annealing temperatures. At ≈400 °C, the Ag diffused into silicon substrate and the inter-diffusion found to inhibit the formation of Au-Ag bimetallic nanostructures. Controlled experiments under ultra-high vacuum condition in a molecular beam epitaxy system and in-situ scanning tunneling microscopy measurements along with ex-situ scanning transmission and secondary electron microscopy measurements have been carried out to understand the bimetallic nanostructure growth. Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations based on kinematics of ad-atoms on an anisotropic template with a solid on solid model in which the relative ratios of binding energies (that are obtained from the Density Functional Theory) have been used and the KMC simulations results agree with the experimental observations. Advantage of having bimetallic structures as effective substrates for Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy application is demonstrated by detecting Rhodamine 6 G (R6G) molecule at the concentration of 10-7M.

Etching-dependent fluorescence quenching of Ag-dielectric-Au three-layered nanoshells: The effect of inner Ag nanosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Jian; Xu, Zai-jie; Weng, Guo-jun; Zhao, Jing; Li, Jian-jun; Zhao, Jun-wu

2018-07-01

In this report, Ag-dielectric-Au three-layered nanoshells with controlled inner core size were synthesized. The fluorescence emission of the rhodamine 6G (R6G) could be quenched by the three-layered nanoshells distinctly. What's more, the fluorescence quenching efficiency could be further improved by tuning the etching of inner Ag nanosphere. The maximum fluorescence quenching efficiency is obtained when the separate layer just appears between the inner Ag core and the outer Au shell. Whereas the fluorescence quenching efficiency is weakened when no gaps take place around the inner Ag core or the separate layer is too thick and greater than 13 nm. The fluorescence quenching properties of the Ag-dielectric-Au three-layered nanoshells with different initial sizes of the Ag nanoparticles are also studied. The maximum fluorescence quenching efficiency is obtained when the three-layered nanoshells are synthesized based on the Ag nanoparticles with 60 nm, which is better than others two sizes (42 and 79 nm). Thus we believe that the size of initial Ag nanospheres also greatly affects the optimized fluorescence quenching efficiency. These results about fluorescence quenching properties of Ag-dielectric-Au three-layered nanoshells present a potential for design and fabrication of fluorescence nanosensors based on tuning the geometry of the inner core and the separate layer.

Geochemistry of the Patricia Zn-Pb-Ag Deposit (paguanta, NE Chile)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinchilla Benavides, D.; Merinero Palomares, R.; Piña García, R.; Ortega Menor, L.; Lunar Hernández, R.

2013-12-01

The Patricia Zn-Pb-Ag ore deposit is located within the Paguanta mining project, situated at the northern end of the Andean Oligocene Porphyry Copper Belt of Chile. The sulfide mineralization occurs as W-E oriented veins hosted in volcanic rocks, mainly andesite (pyroclastic, ash and lavas), of Upper Cretaceous to Middle Tertiary age. The ore mineralogy (obtained by EMPA analyses) comprises in order of abundance, pyrite, sphalerite (5.5 - 10.89 wt % Fe, 9.8-19 % molar FeS and 0.52 wt % Cd), galena, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite and Ag-bearing sulfosalts. The veins show a zoned and banded internal structure with pyrite at the edges and sphalerite in the center. The Ag occurs mostly as Ag-Cu-Sb sulfosalts, in order of abundance: series freibergite - argentotennantite -polybasite and stephanite. Other minor Ag phases such as argentite, pyrargirite and diaphorite were also identified. These Ag phases are typically associated with the base-metal sulfides. Freibergite occurs filling voids within sphalerite, chalcopyrite and at the contact between sphalerite and galena. Polybasite, stephanite, pyrargirite and argentite are mostly in close association with freibergite. In the case of diaphorite, it commonly occurs filling voids between galena crystals or as inclusions within galena. Some minor Ag-bearing sulfosalts are also identified between pyrite crystals. The alteration minerals are dominated by chlorite, illite and kaolinite. The gangue minerals consist of quartz and carbonates identified by XRD as kutnahorite. We obtained linear correlation statistically significant only for Ag, As Au, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn and therefore we generated an enhanced scatter plot matrix of these elements. Bulk rock analyses (ICP/MS and XRF) of drill cores show that Ag is strongly and positively correlated with Pb and As, moderately with Cd, Sb, Au and Zn and weakly with Cu, while Au is moderately and positively correlated with Ag, As, Cd, Sb and Zn and weakly with Cu and Pb. These results

Direct electrochemical oxidation of S-captopril using gold electrodes modified with graphene-AuAg nanocomposites

PubMed Central

Pogacean, Florina; Biris, Alexandru R; Coros, Maria; Lazar, Mihaela Diana; Watanabe, Fumiya; Kannarpady, Ganesh K; Al Said, Said A Farha; Biris, Alexandru S; Pruneanu, Stela

2014-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel approach for the electrochemical detection of S-captopril based on graphene AuAg nanostructures used to modify an Au electrode. Multi-layer graphene (Gr) sheets decorated with embedded bimetallic AuAg nanoparticles were successfully synthesized catalytically with methane as the carbon source. The two catalytic systems contained 1.0 wt% Ag and 1.0 wt% Au, while the second had a larger concentration of metals (1.5 wt% Ag and 1.5 wt% Au) and was used for the synthesis of the Gr-AuAg-1 and Gr-AuAg-1.5 multicomponent samples. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis indicated the presence of graphene flakes that had regular shapes (square or rectangular) and dimensions in the tens to hundreds of nanometers. We found that the size of the embedded AuAg nanoparticles varied between 5 and 100 nm, with the majority being smaller than 20 nm. Advanced scanning transmission electron microscopy studies indicated a bimetallic characteristic of the metallic clusters. The resulting Gr-AuAg-1 and Gr-AuAg-1.5 samples were used to modify the surface of commonly used Au substrates and subsequently employed for the direct electrochemical oxidation of S-captopril. By comparing the differential pulse voltammograms recorded with the two modified electrodes at various concentrations of captopril, the peak current was determined to be well-defined, even at relatively low concentration (10−5 M), for the Au/Gr-AuAg-1.5 electrode. In contrast, the signals recorded with the Au/Gr-AuAg-1 electrode were poorly defined within a 5×10−6 to 5×10−3 M concentration range, and many of them overlapped with the background. Such composite materials could find significant applications in nanotechnology, sensing, or nanomedicine. PMID:24596464

Continuous-flow biosynthesis of Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles in a microreactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hongyu; Huang, Jiale; Sun, Daohua; Odoom-Wubah, Tareque; Li, Jun; Li, Qingbiao

2014-11-01

Herein, a microfluidic biosynthesis of Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticle (NP) in a tubular microreactor, based on simultaneous reduction of HAuCl4 and AgNO3 precursors in the presence of Cacumen Platycladi ( C. Platycladi) extract was studied. The flow velocity profile was numerically analyzed with computational fluid dynamics. Au-Ag bimetallic NPs with Ag/Au molar ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 were synthesized, respectively. The alloy formation, morphology, structure, and size were investigated by UV-Vis spectra analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM, scanning TEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. In addition, the effects of volumetric flow rate, reaction temperature, and concentration of C. Platycladi extract and NaOH on the properties of the as-synthesized Au-Ag bimetallic NPs were investigated. The results indicated that these factors could not only affect the molar ratios of the two elements in the Au-Ag bimetallic NPs, but also affect particle size which can be adjusted from 3.3 to 5.6 nm. The process was very rapid and green, since a microreactor was employed with no additional synthetic reagents used. This work is anticipated to provide useful parameters for continuous-flow biosynthesis of bimetallic NPs in microreactors.

Time-domain electromagnetic signatures of polymetallic vein deposits in Cottonwood Canyon area, Santa Cruz County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bultman, Mark W.

2002-01-01

This report tests the usefulness of airborne time-domain electromagnetic (TEM) data on three mineral-resource-related issues: (1) to test whether known mineral deposits at or near the surface display any signal in the TEM data; 2) determine whether TEM data can be used to locate bedrock concealed by basin fill; and (3) if the exposed mineral deposits display a signal in the TEM data, to determine if whether deposits are recognizable at depth in outcropping bedrock or in bedrock concealed beneath basin fill. Because Earth's total-intensity magnetic field data are also acquired with the TEM data, these data are included in the analysis. The Cottonwood Canyon area in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, contains several polymetallic vein deposits, including those of the Tyndall, Salero, and Wrightson mining districts, all of which have had significant mineral production. Polymetallic vein deposits, which generally consist of veins of disseminated metallic minerals, commonly exhibit a response to electrical geophysical methods. Also, on the basis of other studies, the conditions that produced the polymetallic vein mineralization in the region are believed to extend offshore into the bedrock concealed by basin fill. The polymetallic vein deposits of the Cottonwood Canyon area all display a geophysical signature in the TEM data. These deposits occur in bedrock that has, in general, a very low resistivity. The polymetallic vein deposits are associated with high-conductivity regions that extend from deep in the bedrock to the surface. These high-conductivity regions can be quite narrow (100 m) or quite wide (1 km); most are relatively narrow. Every known mineral deposit or prospect is associated with a high-conductivity feature. High-conductivity regions can also occur without an association with known mineral deposits. Airborne TEM data appear to be able to locate the basin fill/bedrock contact beneath basin fill. The basin fill (both dry and saturated) is generally more

Concealed basalt-matrix diatremes with Cu-Au-Ag-(Mo)-mineralized xenoliths, Santa Cruz Porphyry Cu-(Mo) System, Pinal County, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vikre, Peter; Graybeal, Frederick T.; Koutz, Fleetwood R.

2014-01-01

The Santa Cruz porphyry Cu-(Mo) system near Casa Grande, Arizona, includes the Sacaton mine deposits and at least five other concealed, mineralized fault blocks with an estimated minimum resource of 1.5 Gt @ 0.6% Cu. The Late Cretaceous-Paleocene system has been dismembered and rotated by Tertiary extension, partially eroded, and covered by Tertiary-Quaternary basin-fill deposits. The mine and mineralized fault blocks, which form an 11 km (~7 miles) by 1.6 km (~1 mile) NE-SW–trending alignment, represent either pieces of one large deposit, several deposits, or pieces of several deposits. The southwestern part of the known system is penetrated by three or more diatremes that consist of heterolithic breccia pipes with basalt and clastic matrices, and subannular tuff ring and maar-fill sedimentary deposits associated with vents. The tephra and maar-fill deposits, which are covered by ~485 to 910 m (~1,600–3,000 ft) of basin fill, lie on a mid-Tertiary erosion surface of Middle Proterozoic granite and Late Cretaceous porphyry, which compose most xenoliths in pipes and are the host rocks of the system. Some igneous xenoliths in the pipes contain bornite-chalcopyrite-covellite assemblages with hypogene grades >1 wt % Cu, 0.01 ounces per ton (oz/t) Au, 0.5 oz/t Ag, and small amounts of Mo (<0.01 wt %). These xenoliths were derived from mineralized rocks that have not been encountered in drill holes, and attest to additional, possibly higher-grade deposits within or subjacent to the known system.The geometry, stratigraphy, and temporal relationships of pipes and tephras, interpreted from drill hole spacing and intercepts, multigenerational breccias and matrices, reequilibrated and partially decomposed sulfide-oxide mineral assemblages, melted xenoliths, and breccia matrix compositions show that the diatremes formed in repeated stages. Initial pulses of basalt magma fractured granite, porphyry, and other crustal rocks during intrusion, transported multi-sized fragments

Third-order optical nonlinearity studies of bilayer Au/Ag metallic films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mezher, M. H.; Chong, W. Y.; Zakaria, R.

2016-05-01

This paper presents nonlinear optical studies of bilayer metallic films of gold (Au) and silver (Ag) on glass substrate prepared using electron beam evaporation. The preparation of Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the substrate involved the use of electron beam deposition, then thermal annealing at 600 °C and 270 °C, respectively, to produce a randomly distributed layer of Au and a layer of Ag NPs. Observation of field-effect scanning electron microscope images indicated the size of the NPs. Details of the optical properties related to peak absorption of surface plasmon resonance of the nanoparticle were revealed by use of UV-Vis spectroscopy. The Z-scan technique was used to measure the nonlinear absorption and nonlinear refraction of the fabricated NP layers. The third-order nonlinear refractive index coefficients for Au and Ag are (-9.34 and  -1.61)  ×  10-11 cm2 W-1 given lower n 2, in comparison with bilayer (Au and Ag) NPs at  -1.24  ×  10-10 cm2 W-1. The results show bilayer NPs have higher refractive index coefficients thus enhance the nonlinearity effects.

Fabrication of Porous Ag/TiO2/Au Coatings with Excellent Multipactor Suppression

PubMed Central

Wu, Duoduo; Ma, Jianzhong; Bao, Yan; Cui, Wanzhao; Hu, Tiancun; Yang, Jing; Bai, Yuanrui

2017-01-01

Porous Ag/TiO2/Au coatings with excellent multipactor suppression were prepared by fabrication of porous Ag surface through two-step wet chemical etching, synthesis of TiO2 coatings by electroless-plating-like solution deposition and deposition of Au coatings via electroless plating. Porous structure of Ag surface, TiO2 coatings on porous Ag surface and Au coatings on porous Ag/TiO2 surface were verified by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, the composition and crystal type of TiO2 coatings was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Secondary electron yield (SEY) measurement was used to monitor the SEY coefficient of the porous Ag coatings and Ag/TiO2/Au coatings. The as-obtained porous Ag coatings were proved exhibiting low SEY below 1.2, and the process was highly reproducible. In addition, the porous Ag/TiO2/Au coatings showed excellent multipactor suppression with the SEY 1.23 and good environmental stability. It is worth mentioning that the whole preparation process is simple and feasible, which would provide a promising application in RF devices. PMID:28281546

Templated Atom-Precise Galvanic Synthesis and Structure Elucidation of a [Ag24Au(SR)18](-) Nanocluster.

PubMed

Bootharaju, Megalamane S; Joshi, Chakra P; Parida, Manas R; Mohammed, Omar F; Bakr, Osman M

2016-01-18

Synthesis of atom-precise alloy nanoclusters with uniform composition is challenging when the alloying atoms are similar in size (for example, Ag and Au). A galvanic exchange strategy has been devised to produce a compositionally uniform [Ag24Au(SR)18](-) cluster (SR: thiolate) using a pure [Ag25(SR)18](-) cluster as a template. Conversely, the direct synthesis of Ag24Au cluster leads to a mixture of [Ag(25-x)Au(x)(SR)18](-), x=1-8. Mass spectrometry and crystallography of [Ag24Au(SR)18](-) reveal the presence of the Au heteroatom at the Ag25 center, forming Ag24Au. The successful exchange of the central Ag of Ag25 with Au causes perturbations in the Ag25 crystal structure, which are reflected in the absorption, luminescence, and ambient stability of the particle. These properties are compared with those of Ag25 and Ag24Pd clusters with same ligand and structural framework, providing new insights into the modulation of cluster properties with dopants at the single-atom level. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Evolution of catalytic activity of Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles on mesoporous support for CO oxidation.

PubMed

Wang, Ai-Qin; Chang, Chun-Ming; Mou, Chung-Yuan

2005-10-13

We report a novel Au-Ag alloy catalyst supported on mesoporous aluminosilicate Au-Ag@MCM prepared by a one-pot synthesis procedure, which is very active for low-temperature CO oxidation. The activity was highly dependent on the hydrogen pretreatment conditions. Reduction at 550-650 degrees C led to high activity at room temperature, whereas as-synthesized or calcined samples did not show any activity at the same temperature. Using various characterization techniques, such as XRD, UV-vis, XPS, and EXAFS, we elucidated the structure and surface composition change during calcination and the reduction process. The XRD patterns show that particle size increased only during the calcination process on those Ag-containing samples. XPS and EXAFS data demonstrate that calcination led to complete phase segregation of the Au-Ag alloy and the catalyst surface is greatly enriched with AgBr after the calcination process. However, subsequent reduction treatment removed Br- completely and the Au-Ag alloy was formed again. The surface composition of the reduced Au-Ag@MCM (nominal Au/Ag = 3/1) was more enriched with Ag, with the surface Au/Ag ratio being 0.75. ESR spectra show that superoxides are formed on the surface of the catalyst and its intensity change correlates well with the trend of catalytic activity. A DFT calculation shows that CO and O2 coadsorption on neighboring sites on the Au-Ag alloy was stronger than that on either Au or Ag. The strong synergism in the coadsorption of CO and O2 on the Au-Ag nanoparticle can thus explain the observed synergetic effect in catalysis.

Photoelectron spectroscopic and computational study of (M-CO2)- anions, M = Cu, Ag, Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinxing; Lim, Eunhak; Kim, Seong K.; Bowen, Kit H.

2015-11-01

In a combined photoelectron spectroscopic and computational study of (M-CO2)-, M = Au, Ag, Cu, anionic complexes, we show that (Au-CO2)- forms both the chemisorbed and physisorbed isomers, AuCO 2- and Au-(CO2), respectively; that (Ag-CO2)- forms only the physisorbed isomer, Ag-(CO2); and that (Cu-CO2)- forms only the chemisorbed isomer, CuCO 2- . The two chemisorbed complexes, AuCO 2- and CuCO 2- , are covalently bound, formate-like anions, in which their CO2 moieties are significantly reduced. These two species are examples of electron-induced CO2 activation. The two physisorbed complexes, Au-(CO2) and Ag-(CO2), are electrostatically and thus weakly bound.

Surface tension estimation of high temperature melts of the binary alloys Ag-Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogan, Ali; Arslan, Hüseyin

2017-11-01

Surface tension calculation of the binary alloys Ag-Au at the temperature of 1381 K, where Ag and Au have similar electronic structures and their atomic radii are comparable, are carried out in this study using several equations over entire composition range of Au. Apparently, the deviations from ideality of the bulk solutions, such as activities of Ag and Au are small and the maximum excess Gibbs free energy of mixing of the liquid phase is for instance -4500 J/mol at XAu = 0.5. Besides, the results obtained in Ag-Au alloys that at a constant temperature the surface tension increases with increasing composition while the surface tension decreases as the temperature increases for entire composition range of Au. Although data about surface tension of the Ag-Au alloy are limited, it was possible to make a comparison for the calculated results for the surface tension in this study with the available experimental data. Taken together, the average standard error analysis that especially the improved Guggenheim model in the other models gives the best agreement along with the experimental results at temperature 1383 K although almost all models are mutually in agreement with the other one.

Electroactive Au@Ag nanoparticles driven electrochemical sensor for endogenous H2S detection.

PubMed

Zhao, Yuan; Yang, Yaxin; Cui, Linyan; Zheng, Fangjie; Song, Qijun

2018-05-26

In this work, a novel and facile electrochemical sensor is reported for the highly selective and sensitive detection of dissolved hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), attributing to the redox reaction between Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) and H 2 S. Electroactive Au@Ag NPs not only possess excellent conductivity, but exhibit great electrochemical reactivity at 0.26 V due to the electrochemical oxidation from Ag° to Ag + . In the presence of H 2 S, the Ag shell of Au@Ag NPs can be oxidized to Ag 2 S, resulting in the decrease of differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) peak at 0.26 V. The electrochemical sensor exhibits a wide linear response range from 0.1 nM to 500 nM. The limit of detection (LOD) for H 2 S is as low as 0.04 nM. The developed sensor shows significant prospects in the study of pathological processes related to the mechanism of H 2 S production. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Nanoporous Au: An experimental study on the porosity of dealloyed AuAg leafs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grillo, R.; Torrisi, V.; Ruffino, F.

2016-12-01

We present a study on the fraction of porosity for dealloyed nanoporous Au leafs. Nanoporous Au is attracting great scientific interest due to its peculiar plasmonic properties and the high exposed surface (∼10 m2/g). As examples, it was used in prototypes of chemical and biological devices. However, the maximization of the devices sensitivity is subjected to the maximization of the exposed surface by the nanoporous Au, i. e. maximization of the porosity fraction. So, we report on the analyses of the porosity fraction in nanoporous Au leafs as a function of the fabrication process parameters. We dealloyed 60 μm-thick Au23Ag77 at.% leafs and we show that: a) for dealloying time till to 6 h, only a 450 nm-thick surface layer of the leafs assumes a nanoporous structure with a porosity fraction of 32%. For a dealloying time of 20 h the leafs result fragmented in small black pieces with a porosity fraction increased to 60%. b) After 600 °C-30 minutes annealing of the previous samples, the nanopores disappear due to the Au/residual Ag inter-diffusion. c) After a second dealloying process on the previously annealed samples, the surface nanoporous structure is, again, obtained with the porosity fraction increased to 50%.

Ag@Au concave cuboctahedra: A unique probe for monitoring Au-catalyzed reduction and oxidation reactions by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Jiawei; Winget, Sarah A.; Wu, Yiren; ...

2016-01-26

In this paper, we report a facile synthesis of Ag@Au concave cuboctahedra by titrating aqueous HAuCl4 into a suspension of Ag cuboctahedra in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), NaOH, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) at room temperature. Initially, the Au atoms derived from the reduction of Au 3+ by AA are conformally deposited on the entire surface of a Ag cuboctahedron. Upon the formation of a complete Au shell, however, the subsequently formed Au atoms are preferentially deposited onto the Au{100} facets, resulting in the formation of a Ag@Au cuboctahedron with concave structures at the sites of {111} facets. The concavemore » cuboctahedra embrace excellent SERS activity that is more than 70-fold stronger than that of the original Ag cuboctahedra at an excitation wavelength of 785 nm. The concave cuboctahedra also exhibit remarkable stability in the presence of an oxidant such as H 2O 2 because of the protection by a complete Au shell. These two unique attributes enable in-situ SERS monitoring of the reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) to 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) by NaBH4 through a 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene ( trans-DMAB) intermediate and the subsequent oxidation of 4-ATP back to trans-DMAB upon the introduction of H 2O 2.« less

Ag@Au concave cuboctahedra: A unique probe for monitoring Au-catalyzed reduction and oxidation reactions by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Jiawei; Winget, Sarah A.; Wu, Yiren

In this paper, we report a facile synthesis of Ag@Au concave cuboctahedra by titrating aqueous HAuCl4 into a suspension of Ag cuboctahedra in the presence of ascorbic acid (AA), NaOH, and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) at room temperature. Initially, the Au atoms derived from the reduction of Au 3+ by AA are conformally deposited on the entire surface of a Ag cuboctahedron. Upon the formation of a complete Au shell, however, the subsequently formed Au atoms are preferentially deposited onto the Au{100} facets, resulting in the formation of a Ag@Au cuboctahedron with concave structures at the sites of {111} facets. The concavemore » cuboctahedra embrace excellent SERS activity that is more than 70-fold stronger than that of the original Ag cuboctahedra at an excitation wavelength of 785 nm. The concave cuboctahedra also exhibit remarkable stability in the presence of an oxidant such as H 2O 2 because of the protection by a complete Au shell. These two unique attributes enable in-situ SERS monitoring of the reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol (4-NTP) to 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP) by NaBH4 through a 4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene ( trans-DMAB) intermediate and the subsequent oxidation of 4-ATP back to trans-DMAB upon the introduction of H 2O 2.« less

Fabrication of Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles by laser-induced dewetting of bilayer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Yoonseok; Lee, Jeeyoung; Lee, Myeongkyu

2018-03-01

We here show that Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) can be produced by dewetting an Ag/Au bilayer film coated on glass using a nanosecond-pulsed laser beam. Elemental analysis revealed that the obtained bimetallic NPs are Ag-Au alloys, with two elements well mixed over the whole volume of the particle. The composition of the produced particles was controllable by changing the relative thickness of each layer. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak was red-shifted with an increasing Au content and the LSPR wavelength could be tuned from 415 to 525 nm by varying the alloy composition. A film area of several square centimeters could be transformed into Ag-Au NPs by a single laser pulse of 6 ns duration. This study provides a facile and scalable route to prepare bimetallic NPs for plasmonic and other applications.

One-Step Synthesis of Au-Ag Nanowires through Microorganism-Mediated, CTAB-Directed Approach.

PubMed

Xu, Luhang; Huang, Dengpo; Chen, Huimei; Jing, Xiaoling; Huang, Jiale; Odoom-Wubah, Tareque; Li, Qingbiao

2018-05-28

Synthesis and applications of one dimensional (1D) metal nanostructures have attracted much attention. However, one-step synthesis of bimetallic nanowires (NWs) has remained challenging. In this work, we developed a microorganism-mediated, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-directed (MCD) approach to synthesize closely packed and long Au-Ag NWs with the assistance of a continuous injection pump. Characterization results confirmed that the branched Au-Ag alloy NWs was polycrystalline. And the Au-Ag NWs exhibited a strong absorbance at around 1950 nm in the near-infrared (NIR) region, which can find potential application in NIR absorption. In addition, the Au-Ag NWs showed excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) enhancement when 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (MBA) and rhodamine 6G (R6G) were used as probe molecules.

Structure formation in Ag-X (X = Au, Cu) alloys synthesized far-from-equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elofsson, V.; Almyras, G. A.; Lü, B.; Garbrecht, M.; Boyd, R. D.; Sarakinos, K.

2018-04-01

We employ sub-monolayer, pulsed Ag and Au vapor fluxes, along with deterministic growth simulations, and nanoscale probes to study structure formation in miscible Ag-Au films synthesized under far-from-equilibrium conditions. Our results show that nanoscale atomic arrangement is primarily determined by roughness build up at the film growth front, whereby larger roughness leads to increased intermixing between Ag and Au. These findings suggest a different structure formation pathway as compared to the immiscible Ag-Cu system for which the present study, in combination with previously published data, reveals that no significant roughness is developed, and the local atomic structure is predominantly determined by the tendency of Ag and Cu to phase-separate.

Melting curve of metals Cu, Ag and Au under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tam, Pham Dinh; Hoc, Nguyen Quang; Tinh, Bui Duc; Tan, Pham Duy

2016-01-01

In this paper, the dependence of the melting temperature of metals Cu, Ag and Au under pressure in the interval from 0 kbar to 40 kbar is studied by the statistical moment method (SMM). This dependence has the form of near linearity and the calculated slopes of melting curve are 3.9 for Cu, 5.7 for Ag and 6 for Au. These results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Phytosynthesis of stable Au, Ag and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles using J. Sambac leaves extract, and their enhanced antimicrobial activity in presence of organic antimicrobials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yallappa, S.; Manjanna, J.; Dhananjaya, B. L.

2015-02-01

A green chemistry approach for the synthesis of Au, Ag and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles (NPs) using the corresponding metal precursors and Jasminum sambac leaves extract as both reducing and capping media, under microwave irradiation, is reported. During the formation, as expected, the reaction mixture shows marginal decrease in pH and an increase in solution potential. The formation of NPs is evident from their surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak observed at ∼555 nm for Au, ∼435 nm for Ag and ∼510 nm for Au-Ag alloy. The XRD pattern shows fcc structure while the FTIR spectra indicate the presence of plant residues adsorbed on these NPs. Such a bio-capping of NPs is characterized by their weight loss, ∼35% due to thermal degradation of biomass, as observed in TG analysis. The colloidal dispersion of NPs is stable for about 6 weeks. The near spherical shape of NPs (ϕ20-50 nm) is observed by FE-SEM/TEM images and EDAX gives the expected elemental composition. Furthermore, these NPs showed enhanced antimicrobial activity (∼1-4-fold increase in zone of inhibition) in combination with antimicrobials against test strains. Thus, the phytosynthesized NPs could be used as effective growth inhibitors for various microorganisms.

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-01

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd150 nm/Ag80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks ( 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from 510 to 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

Fabrication and surface enhanced Raman scattering effect of centimeter level AgCuAu composite nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Dapeng; Zhang, Song; Yang, Wei; Chen, Jian

2017-10-01

Centimeter level AgCuAu composite nanowires were prepared by a solid-state ionics method under a direct current electric field (DCEF) using fast ionic conductor RbAg4I5 films and vacuum thermal evaporation method. The surface morphology and chemical composition of the AuAgCu composite nanowires were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), respectively. Raman enhancement performance of the AgCuAu composite nanowires substrates was detected by Rhodamine 6G (R6G) aqueous solutions as probe molecules. Long-range order and short-range order AgCuAu composite nanowires with the length of 1 cm were prepared. The nanowires were bamboo-shaped with high surface roughness and the diameters of nanowires ranged from 60 to 100 nm. The molar ratio of Ag:Cu:Au in composite nanowires is 15:2:1. The intrinsic Raman peaks of 10-16 mol/L R6G at 612, 773, 1125, 1182, 1307, 1361, 1418, 1506, 1545, 1575, 1597, 1650 cm-1 are all present when AgCuAu composite nanowires were used as the SERS substrates.

Study of Sn and SnAgCu Solders Wetting Reaction on Ni/Pd/Au Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. Y.; Wei, Y. S.; Lin, E. J.; Hsu, Y. C.; Tang, Y. K.

2016-12-01

Wetting reactions of pure Sn and Sn-Ag-Cu solder balls on Au(100 Å and 1000 Å)/Pd(500 Å)/Ni substrates were investigated. The (Au, Pd)Sn4 phase formed in the initial interfacial reaction between pure Sn and Au(100 Å and 1000 Å)/Pd(500 Å)/Ni substrates. Then, the initially formed (Au, Pd)Sn4 compound layer either dissolved or spalled into the molten Sn solder with 3 s of reflowing. The exposed Ni under-layer reacted with Sn solder and formed an interfacial Ni3Sn4 compound. We did not observe spalling compound in the Sn-Ag-Cu case, either on the thin Au (100 Å) or the thick Au (1000 Å) substrates. This implies that the Cu content in the Sn-Ag-Cu solder can efficiently suppress the spalling effect and really stabilize the interfacial layer. Sn-Ag-Cu solder has a better wetting than that of the pure Sn solder, regardless of the Au thickness of the Au/Pd/Ni substrate. For both cases of pure Sn and Sn-Ag-Cu, the initial wetting (<3-s reflowing) on the thin Au (100 Å) substrate is better than that of the thick Au (1000 Å) substrate. Over 3-s reflowing, the wetting on the thicker Au layer (1000 Å) substrate becomes better than the wetting on the thinner Au layer (100 Å) substrate.

Tuning the SERS Response with Ag-Au Nanoparticle-Embedded Polymer Thin Film Substrates.

PubMed

Rao, V Kesava; Radhakrishnan, T P

2015-06-17

Development of facile routes to the fabrication of thin film substrates with tunable surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) efficiency and identification of the optimal conditions for maximizing the enhancement factor (EF) are significant in terms of both fundamental and application aspects of SERS. In the present work, polymer thin films with embedded bimetallic nanoparticles of Ag-Au are fabricated by a simple two-stage protocol. Ag nanoparticles are formed in the first stage, by the in situ reduction of silver nitrate by the poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film through mild thermal annealing, without any additional reducing agent. In the second stage, aqueous solutions of chloroauric acid spread on the Ag-PVA thin film under ambient conditions, lead to the galvanic displacement of Ag by Au in situ inside the film, and the formation of Ag-Au particles. Evolution of the morphology of the bimetallic nanoparticles into hollow cage structures and the distribution of Au on the nanoparticles are revealed through electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) extinction of the nanocomposite thin film evolves with the Ag-Au composition; theoretical simulation of the extinction spectra provides insight into the observed trends. The Ag-Au-PVA thin films are found to be efficient substrates for SERS. The EF follows the variation of the LSPR extinction vis-à-vis the excitation laser wavelength, but with an offset, and the maximum SERS effect is obtained at very low Au content; experiments with Rhodamine 6G showed EFs on the order of 10(8) and a limit of detection of 0.6 pmol. The present study describes a facile and simple fabrication of a nanocomposite thin film that can be conveniently deployed in SERS investigations, and the utility of the bimetallic system to tune and maximize the EF.

Controlling Shape and Plasmon Resonance of Pt-Etched Au@Ag Nanorods.

PubMed

Ye, Rongkai; Zhang, Yanping; Chen, Yuyu; Tang, Liangfeng; Wang, Qiong; Wang, Qianyu; Li, Bishan; Zhou, Xuan; Liu, Jianyu; Hu, Jianqiang

2018-05-22

Pt-based catalysts with novel structure have attracted great attention due to their outstanding performance. In this work, H 2 PtCl 6 was used as both precursor and etching agent to realize the shape-controlled synthesis of Pt-modified Au@Ag nanorods (NRs). During the synthesis, the as-prepared Ag shell played a crucial role in both protecting the Au NRs from being etched away by PtCl 6 2- and leading to an unusual growth mode of Pt component. The site-specified etching and/or growth depended on the concentration of H 2 PtCl 6 , where high-yield core-shell structure or dumbbell-like structure could be obtained. The shape-controlled synthesis also led to a tunable longitudinal surface plasmon resonance from ca. 649 to 900 nm. Meanwhile, the core-shell Pt-modified Au@Ag NRs showed approximately 4-fold enhancement in catalytic reduction reaction of p-nitrophenol than that of the Au NRs, suggesting the great potential for photocatalytic reaction.

Structure evolution of self-catalyzed grown Au, Ag and their alloy nanostructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhu; Chen, Feng; Xu, Chunxiang; Yang, Guangcan; Zhu, Ye; Luo, Zhaoxu

2017-12-01

Monitoring the nucleation and growth of nanomaterials is a key technique for material synthesis design and control. An efficient fabrication method can be realized deeply understanding the growth mechanisms. Here, noble metal nanostructures, gold (Au) nanoparticles, silver nanostructures (Ag nanoparticles/Ag nanowires) and gold-silver alloy nanoparticles were prepared in a facile method at room temperature. The growth processes of the Au nanoparticles, Ag nanowires and Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles can be monitored real-timely through the ultraviolet visible absorption (UV-vis), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is found that the whole formation involved Digestive ripening and Ostwald ripening cooperative mechanism. Furthermore, the self-assembly growth is noticed in the oriented attachment of precursor Ag monomers into nanowires under the same synthetic conditions without external templates or rigorous conditions. This result can provide a platform to discover the underlying growth mechanism of wet-chemistry methods for metal nanostructure fabrication.

How Ag Nanospheres Are Transformed into AgAu Nanocages

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Moreau, Liane M.; Schurman, Charles A.; Kewalramani, Sumit

Bimetallic hollow, porous noble metal nanoparticles are of broad interest for biomedical, optical and catalytic applications. The most straightforward method for preparing such structures involves the reaction between HAuCl4 and well-formed Ag particles, typically spheres, cubes, or triangular prisms, yet the mechanism underlying their formation is poorly understood at the atomic scale. By combining in situ nanoscopic and atomic-scale characterization techniques (XAFS, SAXS, XRF, and electron microscopy) to follow the process, we elucidate a plausible reaction pathway for the conversion of citrate-capped Ag nanospheres to AgAu nanocages; importantly, the hollowing event cannot be explained by the nanoscale Kirkendall effect, normore » by Galvanic exchange alone, two processes that have been previously proposed. We propose a modification of the bulk Galvanic exchange process that takes into account considerations that can only occur with nanoscale particles. This nanoscale Galvanic exchange process explains the novel morphological and chemical changes associated with the typically observed hollowing process.« less

SERS activity studies of Ag/Au bimetallic films prepared by galvanic replacement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaonan; Fang, Jinghuai; Jin, Yonglong

2012-10-01

Ag films on Si substrates were fabricated by immersion plating, which served as sacrificial materials for preparation of Ag/Au bimetallic films by galvanic replacement method. SEM images displayed that the sacrificial Ag films presenting island morphology experienced interesting structural evolution process during galvanic replacement reaction, and nano-scaled holes were formed in the resultant bimetallic films. SERS measurements using crystal violet as an analyte showed that SERS intensities of bimetallic films were enhanced significantly compared with that of pure Ag films and related mechanisms were discussed. Immersion plating experiment carried out on Ag films on PEN substrates fabricated by photoinduced reduction method further confirmed that galvanic replacement is an easy method to fabricate Ag/Au bimetallic and a potential approach to improve the SERS performance of Ag films.

Mineralogical, stable isotope, and fluid inclusion studies of spatially related porphyry Cu and epithermal Au-Te mineralization, Fakos Peninsula, Limnos Island, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornadel, Andrew P.; Voudouris, Panagiotis Ch.; Spry, Paul G.; Melfos, Vasilios

2012-05-01

The Fakos porphyry Cu and epithermal Au-Te deposit, Limnos Island, Greece, is hosted in a ~20 Ma quartz monzonite and shoshonitic subvolcanic rocks that intruded middle Eocene to lower Miocene sedimentary basement rocks. Metallic mineralization formed in three stages in quartz and quartz-calcite veins. Early porphyry-style (Stage 1) metallic minerals consist of pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, bornite, sphalerite, molybdenite, and iron oxides, which are surrounded by halos of potassic and propylitic alteration. Stage 2 mineralization is composed mostly of quartz-tourmaline veins associated with sericitic alteration and disseminated pyrite and molybdenite, whereas Stage 3, epithermal-style mineralization is characterized by polymetallic veins containing pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, enargite, bournonite, tetrahedrite-tennantite, hessite, petzite, altaite, an unknown cervelleite-like Ag-telluride, native Au, and Au-Ag alloy. Stage 3 veins are spatially associated with sericitic and argillic alteration. Fluid inclusions in quartz from Stage 1 (porphyry-style) mineralization contain five types of inclusions. Type I, liquid-vapor inclusions, which homogenize at temperatures ranging from 189.5°C to 403.3°C have salinities of 14.8 to 19.9 wt. % NaCl equiv. Type II, liquid-vapor-NaCl, Type III liquid-vapor-NaCl-XCl2 (where XCl is an unknown chloride phase, likely CaCl2), and Type IV, liquid-vapor-hematite ± NaCl homogenize to the liquid phase by liquid-vapor homogenization or by daughter crystal dissolution at temperatures of 209.3 to 740.5 °C, 267.6 to 780.8 °C, and 357.9 to 684.2 °C, respectively, and, Type V, vapor-rich inclusions. Stage 2 veins are devoid of interpretable fluid inclusions. Quartz from Stage 3 (epithermal-style) veins contains two types of fluid inclusions, Type I, liquid-vapor inclusions that homogenize to the liquid phase (191.6 to 310.0 °C) with salinities of 1.40 to 9.73 wt. % NaCl equiv., and Type II, vapor-rich inclusions. Mixing

Modulation of Morphology and Optical Property of Multi-Metallic PdAuAg and PdAg Alloy Nanostructures.

PubMed

Pandey, Puran; Kunwar, Sundar; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-05-16

In this work, the evolution of PdAg and PdAuAg alloy nanostructures is demonstrated on sapphire (0001) via the solid-state dewetting of multi-metallic thin films. Various surface configurations, size, and arrangements of bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures are fabricated as a function of annealing temperature, annealing duration, film thickness, and deposition arrangements such as bi-layers (Pd/Ag), tri-layers (Pd/Au/Ag), and multi-layers (Pd/Au/Ag × 5). Specifically, the tri-layers film shows the gradual evolution of over-grown NPs, voids, wiggly nanostructures, and isolated PdAuAg alloy nanoparticles (NPs) along with the increased annealing temperature. In contrast, the multi-layers film with same thickness show the enhanced dewetting rate, which results in the formation of voids at relatively lower temperature, wider spacing, and structural regularity of alloy NPs at higher temperature. The dewetting enhancement is attributed to the increased number of interfaces and reduced individual layer thickness, which aid the inter-diffusion process at the initial stage. In addition, the time evolution of the Pd 150 nm /Ag 80 nm bi-layer films at constant temperature show the wiggly-connected and isolated PdAg alloy NPs. The overall evolution of alloy NPs is discussed based on the solid-state dewetting mechanism in conjunction with the diffusion, inter-diffusion, alloying, sublimation, Rayleigh instability, and surface energy minimization. Depending upon their surface morphologies, the bi- and tri-metallic alloy nanostructures exhibit the dynamic reflectance spectra, which show the formation of dipolar (above 700 nm) and quadrupolar resonance peaks (~ 380 nm) and wide dips in the visible region as correlated to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. An absorption dip is readily shifted from ~ 510 to ~ 475 nm along with the decreased average size of alloy nanostructures.

Geochronology and trace element geochemistry of titanite in the Machangqing Cu-Mo-dominated polymetallic deposit, Yunnan Province, southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Yu; Sun, Xiaoming; Hollings, Pete; Li, Dengfeng; Yang, Tianjian

2018-06-01

The Machangqing Cu-Mo-dominated polymetallic deposit is a porphyry-skarn-epithermal Cu-Mo (-Au) metallogenic system located in the middle part of the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan alkaline porphyry metallogenic belt. The skarn mineralization of the Machangqing deposit mainly occurs along the contacts between the alkalic porphyry intrusions and the surrounding Lower Ordovician Xiangyang Formation rocks. We present LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages and trace element data for titanite from the Machangqing deposit in order to investigate the origin of this deposit. Based on mineral textures and assemblages, two types of titanite are recognized in Machangqing: magmatic titanite (Type I) from the granite porphyry and hydrothermal titanite from the mineralized skarn. The coarse-grained magmatic titanite is euhedral and occurs as discrete grains in the interstices of feldspar, quartz and biotite, whereas fine- to medium-grained hydrothermal titanite crystals (Type II) are euhedral to subhedral and occur in association with skarn minerals such as garnet, pyroxene and magnetite. Magmatic titanite has lower FeO, Al2O3, F and Nb/Ta but higher TiO2, Th/U, HFSEs and Lu/Hf than hydrothermal titanite. The magmatic titanite has higher LREE/HREE ratios and total REE contents with stronger negative Eu anomalies than its mineralized skarn counterpart. Trace elemental characteristics of hydrothermal titanite in Machangqing are consistent with relatively low F contents and oxygen fugacities when compared to the neighboring Beiya gold-dominated polymetallic deposit in the same metallogenic belt. The weighted average 206Pb/238U age of 34.3 ± 1.2 Ma of hydrothermal titanite is within error but slightly younger than the age of magmatic titanite (37.5 ± 4.1 Ma), indicating that the skarn mineralization followed the emplacement of the granite porphyry and was broadly coeval with the porphyry mineralization. The porphyry and skarn types of mineralization at Machangqing were formed from the same metallogenic

Au-Ag-Cu nano-alloys: tailoring of permittivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashimoto, Yoshikazu; Seniutinas, Gediminas; Balčytis, Armandas; Juodkazis, Saulius; Nishijima, Yoshiaki

2016-04-01

Precious metal alloys enables new possibilities to tailor materials for specific optical functions. Here we present a systematic study of the effects of a nanoscale alloying on the permittivity of Au-Ag-Cu metals at 38 different atomic mixing ratios. The permittivity was measured and analyzed numerically by applying the Drude model. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the face centered cubic lattice of the alloys. Both, optical spectra and XRD results point towards an equivalent composition-dependent electron scattering behavior. Correlation between the fundamental structural parameters of alloys and the resulting optical properties is elucidated. Plasmonic properties of the Au-Ag-Cu alloy nanoparticles were investigated by numerical simulations. Guidelines for designing plasmonic response of nano- structures and their patterns are presented from the material science perspective.

Contrasting fluids and reservoirs in the contiguous Marcona and Mina Justa iron oxide-Cu (-Ag-Au) deposits, south-central Perú

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Huayong; Kyser, T. Kurtis; Clark, Alan H.

2011-10-01

The Marcona-Mina Justa deposit cluster, hosted by Lower Paleozoic metaclastic rocks and Middle Jurassic shallow marine andesites, incorporates the most important known magnetite mineralization in the Andes at Marcona (1.9 Gt at 55.4% Fe and 0.12% Cu) and one of the few major iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits with economic Cu grades (346.6 Mt at 0.71% Cu, 3.8 g/t Ag and 0.03 g/t Au) at Mina Justa. The Middle Jurassic Marcona deposit is centred in Ica Department, Perú, and the Lower Cretaceous Mina Justa Cu (Ag, Au) prospect is located 3-4 km to the northeast. New fluid inclusion studies, including laser ablation time-of-flight inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-TOF-ICPMS) analysis, integrated with sulphur, oxygen, hydrogen and carbon isotope analyses of minerals with well-defined paragenetic relationships, clarify the nature and origin of the hydrothermal fluid responsible for these contiguous but genetically contrasted deposits. At Marcona, early, sulphide-free stage M-III magnetite-biotite-calcic amphibole assemblages are inferred to have crystallized from a 700-800°C Fe oxide melt with a δ18O value from +5.2‰ to +7.7‰. Stage M-IV magnetite-phlogopite-calcic amphibole-sulphide assemblages were subsequently precipitated from 430-600°C aqueous fluids with dominantly magmatic isotopic compositions (δ34S = +0.8‰ to +5.9‰; δ18O = +9.6‰ to +12.2‰; δD = -73‰ to -43‰; and δ13C = -3.3‰). Stages M-III and M-IV account for over 95% of the magnetite mineralization at Marcona. Subsequent non-economic, lower temperature sulphide-calcite-amphibole assemblages (stage M-V) were deposited from fluids with similar δ34S (+1.8‰ to +5.0‰), δ18O (+10.1‰ to +12.5‰) and δ13C (-3.4‰), but higher δD values (average -8‰). Several groups of lower (<200°C, with a mode at 120°C) and higher temperature (>200°C) fluids can be recognized in the main polymetallic (Cu, Zn, Pb) sulphide stage M-V and may record the involvement of

Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles-based localized surface plasmon resonance and surface-enhanced Raman scattering biosensor for sensitive detection of 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole.

PubMed

Liao, Xue; Chen, Yanhua; Qin, Meihong; Chen, Yang; Yang, Lei; Zhang, Hanqi; Tian, Yuan

2013-12-15

In this paper, Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles were prepared based on the reduction of the metal salts HAuCl4 and AgNO3 at the surface of seed particles. Due to the synergistic effect between Au and Ag, the hybrid nanoparticles are particularly stable and show excellent performances on the detection of 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (methimazole). The binding of target molecule at the surface of Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles was demonstrated based on both localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra. The LSPR intensity is directly proportional to the methimazole concentration in the range of 0.10-3.00×10(-7) mol L(-1). The SERS spectrum can be applied in identification of methimazole molecule. The LSPR coupled with SERS based on the Au-Ag-Au double shell nanoparticles would be very attractive for the quantitative determination and qualitative analysis of the analytes in medicines. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of Ag/Au bimetallic films on Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chaonan; Fang, Jinghuai; Jin, Yonglong; Cheng, Mingfei

2011-11-01

Ag films on Si substrates were fabricated by immersion plating and served as sacrificial materials for preparation of Ag/Au bimetallic films by galvanic replacement reaction. The formation procedure of films on the surface of Si was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which revealed Ag films with island and dendritic morphologies experienced novel structural evolution process during galvanic replacement reaction, and nanostructures with holes were produced within the resultant Ag/Au bimetallic films. SERS activity both of sacrificial Ag films and resultant Ag/Au bimetallic films was investigated by using crystal violet as an analyte. It has been shown that SERS signals increased with the process of galvanic substitution and reached intensity significantly stronger than that obtained from pure Ag films.

An Atomically Precise Au10 Ag2 Nanocluster with Red-Near-IR Dual Emission.

PubMed

Lei, Zhen; Guan, Zong-Jie; Pei, Xiao-Li; Yuan, Shang-Fu; Wan, Xian-Kai; Zhang, Jin-Yuan; Wang, Quan-Ming

2016-08-01

A red-near-IR dual-emissive nanocluster with the composition [Au10 Ag2 (2-py-C≡C)3 (dppy)6 ](BF4 )5 (1; 2-py-C≡C is 2-pyridylethynyl, dppy=2-pyridyldiphenylphosphine) has been synthesized. Single-crystal X-ray structural analysis reveals that 1 has a trigonal bipyramidal Au10 Ag2 core that contains a planar Au4 (2-py-C≡C)3 unit sandwiched by two Au3 Ag(dppy)3 motifs. Cluster 1 shows intense red-NIR dual emission in solution. The visible emission originates from metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) from silver atoms to phosphine ligands in the Au3 Ag(dppy)3 motifs, and the intense NIR emission is associated with the participation of 2-pyridylethynyl in the frontier orbitals of the cluster, which is confirmed by a time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Au-Ag-Cu nano-alloys: tailoring of permittivity

PubMed Central

Hashimoto, Yoshikazu; Seniutinas, Gediminas; Balčytis, Armandas; Juodkazis, Saulius; Nishijima, Yoshiaki

2016-01-01

Precious metal alloys enables new possibilities to tailor materials for specific optical functions. Here we present a systematic study of the effects of a nanoscale alloying on the permittivity of Au-Ag-Cu metals at 38 different atomic mixing ratios. The permittivity was measured and analyzed numerically by applying the Drude model. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the face centered cubic lattice of the alloys. Both, optical spectra and XRD results point towards an equivalent composition-dependent electron scattering behavior. Correlation between the fundamental structural parameters of alloys and the resulting optical properties is elucidated. Plasmonic properties of the Au-Ag-Cu alloy nanoparticles were investigated by numerical simulations. Guidelines for designing plasmonic response of nano- structures and their patterns are presented from the material science perspective. PMID:27118459

Chronology of magmatism and mineralization in the Kassandra mining area, Greece: The potentials and limitations of dating hydrothermal illites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilg, H. Albert; Frei, Robert

1994-05-01

Various geochronological methods ( U/Pb, Rb/Sr, and K/Ar) have been applied to constrain the timing of magmatism and polymetallic mineralization in the Kassandra mining district, northern Greece. These data provide the first geochronological evidence that porphyry copper mineralization, proximal copper skarns, and distal high-temperature carbonate-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag-Au replacement ores formed contemporaneously and probably within less than 2 million years. Polymetallic mineralization is temporally related to the emplacement of granodioritic to quartz dioritic porphyries (24-25 Ma) that postdate the largest post-tectonic intrusion of the area, the Stratoni granodiorite (27.9 ± 1.2 Ma). Andesite porphyry dikes, which crosscut the Pb-Zn-Ag-Au ores and associated alterations, represent the last magmatic phase in the area (19.1 ± 0.6 Ma) and did not contribute to metal concentration. The combination of K/Ar, Rb/Sr, and oxygen isotope studies of hydrothermal illite-rich clays and careful granulometric analysis constrains the reliability of these geochronological methods and emphasizes the importance of characterizing the post-formational history of the sample. We identify various processes which partly disturbed the K/Ar and Rb/Sr system of some clays, such as retrograde alteration by heated meteoric waters, superimposed supergene illitization, and resetting of both isotopic systems due to a hydrothermal overprint related to the intrusion of the andesite porphyry. Our data, however, suggest that diffusive Ar loss from the finest clay fractions (< 0.6 μm) during cooling of the hydrothermal system probably played the most important role in the disturbance of the K/Ar system. Conventional K/Ar ages of < 2 μm fractions from high-temperature illites (> 200°C), therefore, do not give reliable formation ages. The loss of Ar may be used to model the cooling history of the hydrothermal system applying the concept of closure temperatures ( DODSON, 1973). 40K- 40Ar rad isochrons

Effect of Spin Multiplicity in O2 Adsorption and Dissociation on Small Bimetallic AuAg Clusters.

PubMed

García-Cruz, Raúl; Poulain, Enrique; Hernández-Pérez, Isaías; Reyes-Nava, Juan A; González-Torres, Julio C; Rubio-Ponce, A; Olvera-Neria, Oscar

2017-08-17

To dispose of atomic oxygen, it is necessary the O 2 activation; however, an energy barrier must be overcome to break the O-O bond. This work presents theoretical calculations of the O 2 adsorption and dissociation on small pure Au n and Ag m and bimetallic Au n Ag m (n + m ≤ 6) clusters using the density functional theory (DFT) and the zeroth-order regular approximation (ZORA) to explicitly include scalar relativistic effects. The most stable Au n Ag m clusters contain a higher concentration of Au with Ag atoms located in the center of the cluster. The O 2 adsorption energy on pure and bimetallic clusters and the ensuing geometries depend on the spin multiplicity of the system. For a doublet multiplicity, O 2 is adsorbed in a bridge configuration, whereas for a triplet only one O-metal bond is formed. The charge transfer from metal toward O 2 occupies the σ* O-O antibonding natural bond orbital, which weakens the oxygen bond. The Au 3 ( 2 A) cluster presents the lowest activation energy to dissociate O 2 , whereas the opposite applies to the AuAg ( 3 A) system. In the O 2 activation, bimetallic clusters are not as active as pure Au n clusters due to the charge donated by Ag atoms being shared between O 2 and Au atoms.

Atomic structure of water/Au, Ag, Cu and Pt atomic junctions.

PubMed

Li, Yu; Kaneko, Satoshi; Fujii, Shintaro; Nishino, Tomoaki; Kiguchi, Manabu

2017-02-08

Much progress has been made in understanding the transport properties of atomic-scale conductors. We prepared atomic-scale metal contacts of Cu, Ag, Au and Pt using a mechanically controllable break junction method at 10 K in a cryogenic vacuum. Water molecules were exposed to the metal atomic contacts and the effect of molecular adsorption was investigated by electronic conductance measurements. Statistical analysis of the electronic conductance showed that the water molecule(s) interacted with the surface of the inert Au contact and the reactive Cu ant Pt contacts, where molecular adsorption decreased the electronic conductance. A clear conductance signature of water adsorption was not apparent at the Ag contact. Detailed analysis of the conductance behaviour during a contact-stretching process indicated that metal atomic wires were formed for the Au and Pt contacts. The formation of an Au atomic wire consisting of low coordination number atoms leads to increased reactivity of the inert Au surface towards the adsorption of water.

Au@Ag core/shell cuboids and dumbbells: Optical properties and SERS response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khlebtsov, Boris N.; Liu, Zhonghui; Ye, Jian; Khlebtsov, Nikolai G.

2015-12-01

Recent studies have conclusively shown that the plasmonic properties of Au nanorods can be finely controlled by Ag coating. Here, we investigate the effect of asymmetric silver overgrowth of Au nanorods on their extinction and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties for colloids and self-assembled monolayers. Au@Ag core/shell cuboids and dumbbells were fabricated through a seed-mediated anisotropic growth process, in which AgCl was reduced by use of Au nanorods with narrow size and shape distribution as seeds. Upon tailoring the reaction rate, monodisperse cuboids and dumbbells were synthesized and further transformed into water-soluble powders of PEGylated nanoparticles. The extinction spectra of AuNRs were in excellent agreement with T-matrix simulations based on size and shape distributions of randomly oriented particles. The multimodal plasmonic properties of the Au@Ag cuboids and dumbbells were investigated by comparing the experimental extinction spectra with finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. The SERS efficiencies of the Au@Ag cuboids and dumbbells were compared in two options: (1) individual SERS enhancers in colloids and (2) self-assembled monolayers formed on a silicon wafer by drop casting of nanopowder solutions mixed with a drop of Raman reporters. By using 1,4-aminothiophenol Raman reporter molecules, the analytical SERS enhancement factor (AEF) of the colloidal dumbbells was determined to be 5.1×106, which is an order of magnitude higher than the AEF=4.0×105 for the cuboids. This difference can be explained by better fitting of the dumbbell plasmon resonance to the excitation laser wavelength. In contrast to the colloidal measurements, the AEF=5×107 of self-assembled cuboid monolayers was almost twofold higher than that for dumbbell monolayers, as determined with rhodamine 6G Raman reporters. According to TEM data and electromagnetic simulations, the better SERS response of the self-assembled cuboids is due to uniform

Study on surface-enhanced Raman scattering efficiency of Ag core-Au shell bimetallic nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Xiao; Gu, Huaimin; Kang, Jian; Yuan, Xiaojuan

2009-08-01

In this article, the relationship between the states of Ag core-Au shell (core-shell) nanoparticles (NP) and the intensity of Raman scattering of analytes dissolved in the water and adsorbed on the NP was studied. The core-shell NP were synthesised by coating Au layers over Ag seeds by the method of "seed-growth". To highlight the advantage of the core-shell NP, Ag colloid and Au colloid were chosen for contrasting. The analyte that were chosen for this testing were methylene blue (MB) for the reason that MB has very strong signal in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). The SERS activity of optimalizing states of Ag and Au colloids were compared with that of core-shell NP when MB was used as analyte. In this study, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate and sodium nitrate were used as aggregating agents for Ag, Au colloids and core-shell NP, because anions have a strong influence on the SERS efficiency and the stability of colloids. The results indicate that core-shell NP can obviously enhance the SERS of MB. The aim of this study is to prove that compared with the metal colloid, the core-shell NP is a high efficiency SERS active substrate.

A first principles study on the electronic origins of silver segregation at the Ag-Au (111) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoppe, Sandra; Müller, Stefan

2017-12-01

The special electronic structure of gold gives rise to many interesting phenomena, such as its color. The surface segregation of the silver-gold system has been the subject of numerous experimental and theoretical studies, yielding conflicting results ranging from strong Ag surface enrichment to Au surface segregation. Via a combined approach of density functional theory (DFT) and statistical physics, we have analyzed the segregation at the Ag-Au (111) surface with different Ag bulk concentrations. Interestingly, we observe a moderate Au surface segregation, which is due to a charge transfer from the less electronegative Ag to Au. Canonical Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the calculated concentration profile with a Au-enriched surface layer remains stable up to higher temperatures. However, the presence of adsorbed oxygen reverses the segregation behavior and leads to strong Ag enrichment of the surface layer.

Dissociative adsorption of water on Au/MgO/Ag(001) from first principles calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nevalaita, J.; Häkkinen, H.; Honkala, K.

2015-10-01

The molecular and dissociative adsorption of water on a Ag-supported 1 ML, 2 ML and 3 ML-a six atomic layer-thick MgO films with a single Au adatom is investigated using density functional theory calculations. The obtained results are compared to a bulk MgO(001) surface with an Au atom. On thin films the negatively charged Au strengthens the binding of the polar water molecule due to the attractive Au-H interaction. The adsorption energy trends of OH and H with respect to the film thickness depend on an adsorption site. In the case OH or H binds atop Au on MgO/Ag(001), the adsorption becomes more exothermic with the increasing film thickness, while the reverse trend is seen when the adsorption takes place on bare MgO/Ag(001). This behavior can be explained by different bonding mechanisms identified with the Bader analysis. Interestingly, we find that the rumpling of the MgO film and the MgO-Ag interface distance correlate with the charge transfer over the thin film and the interface charge, respectively. Moreover, we employ a modified Born-Haber-cycle to analyze the effect of film thickness to the adsorption energy of isolated Au and OH species on MgO/Ag(001). The analysis shows that the attractive Coulomb interaction between the negatively charged adsorbate and the positive MgO-Ag-interface does not completely account for the weaker binding with increasing film thickness. The redox energy associated with the charge transfer from the interface to the adsorbate is more exothermic with the increasing film thickness and partly compensates the decrease in the attractive Coulomb interaction.

Laccase/AuAg Hybrid Glucose Microfludic Fuel Cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-González, B.; Cuevas-Muñiz, F. M.; Guerra-Balcázar, M.; Déctor, A.; Arjona, N.; Ledesma-García, J.; Arriaga, L. G.

2013-12-01

In this work a hybrid microfluidic fuel cell was fabricated and evaluated with a AuAg/C bimetallic material for the anode and an enzymatic cathode. The cathodic catalyst was prepared adsorbing laccase and ABTS on Vulcan carbon (Lac-ABTS/C). This material was characterized by FTIR-ATR, the results shows the presence of absorption bands corresponding to the amide bounds. The electrochemical evaluation for the materials consisted in cyclic voltammetry (CV). The glucose electrooxidation reaction in AuAg/C occurs around - 0.3 V vs. NHE. Both electrocatalytic materials were placed in a microfluidic fuel cell. The fuel cell was fed with PBS pH 5 oxygen saturated solution in the cathodic compartment and 5 mM glucose + 0.3 M KOH in the anodic side. Several polarization curves were performed and the maximum power density obtained was 0.3 mWcm-2 .

Pulse laser ablation of Au, Ag, and Cu metal targets in liquid for nanoparticle production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbani, Y.; Irmaniar; Nasution, R. S.; Mujtahid, F.; Masse, S.

2018-03-01

We have fabricated metal and oxide nanoparticles using pulse laser ablation of Au, Ag, and Cu metal targets immersed in water. While laser ablation of Au and Ag targets in water produced metal nanoparticles which were stable for a month even without any dispersant, we found CuO nanoparticles for Cu target due to rapid oxidation of Cu in water resulted in its poor stability. Au, Ag, and CuO nanoparticles production were barely identified by naked eyes for their distinctive colour of red, yellow, and dark green colloidal suspensions, respectively. It was also verified using UV-Vis spectrometer that Au, Ag, and CuO colloidal nanoparticles have their respective surface plasmon resonance at 520, 400, and 620 nm. TEM observation showed that particle sizes for all the fabricated nanoparticles were in the range of 20 – 40 nm with crystalline structures.

Fabrication of Sb₂S₃ Hybrid Solar Cells Based on Embedded Photoelectrodes of Ag Nanowires-Au Nanoparticles Composite.

PubMed

Kim, Kang-Pil; Hwang, Dae-Kue; Woo, Sung-Ho; Kim, Dae-Hwan

2018-09-01

The Ag nanowire (NW) + Au nanoparticle (NP)-embedded TiO2 photoelectrodes were adopted for conventional planar TiO2-based Sb2S3 hybrid solar cells to improve the cell efficiency. Compared to conventional planar TiO2-based Sb2S3 hybrid solar cells, the Ag NW + Au NP/TiO2-based Sb2S3 hybrid solar cells exhibited an improvement of approximately 40% in the cell efficiency due to the significant increase in both Jsc and Voc. These enhanced Jsc and Voc were attributed to the increased surface area, charge-collection efficiency, and light absorption by embedding the Ag NWs + Au NPs composite. The Ag NW + Au NP/TiO2-based Sb2S3 hybrid solar cells showed the highest efficiency of 2.17%, demonstrating that the Ag NW + Au NP-embedded TiO2 photoelectrode was a suitable photoelectrode structure to improve the power conversion efficiency in the Sb2S3 hybrid solar cells.

Magmatism and polymetallic mineralization in southwestern Qinzhou-Hangzhou metallogenic belt, South China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xudong; Lu, Jianjun; Wang, Rucheng; Ma, Dongsheng

2016-04-01

As Neoproterozoic suture zone between the Yangtze Block and Cathaysia Block, Qinzhou-Hangzhou metallogenic belt is one of the 21 key metallogenic belts in China. Intensive multiple-aged felsic magmatism and related polymetallic mineralization take place in this belt. Although Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic, Triassic granites and associated deposits have been found in southwestern Qinzhou-Hangzhou metallogenic belt, Middle-Late Jurassic (150-165 Ma) magmatism and related mineralization is of the most importance. Three major kinds of Middle-Late Jurassic granitoids have been distinguished. (Cu)-Pb-Zn-bearing granitoids are slightly differentiated, calc-alkaline and metaluminous dioritic to granodioritic rocks. Sn-(W)-bearing granites contain dark microgranular enclaves and have high contents of REE and HFSE, suggesting affinities of aluminous A-type (A2) granites. W-bearing granites are highly differentiated and peraluminous rocks. (Cu)-Pb-Zn-bearing granitoids have ɛNd(t) values of -11 ˜ -4 and ɛHf(t) values of -12 ˜ -7, corresponding to TDMC(Nd) from 1.4 to 1.8 Ga and TDMC(Hf) from 1.6 to 2.0 Ga, respectively. The ɛNd(t) values of W-bearing granites vary from -11 to -8 with TDMC(Nd) of 1.6 ˜ 1.9 Ga and ɛHf(t) values change from -16 to -7 with TDMC(Hf) of 1.5 ˜ 2.0 Ga. Compared with (Cu)-Pb-Zn-bearing granitoids and W-bearing granites, the Sn-(W)-bearing granites have higher ɛNd(t) (-8 ˜ -2) and ɛHf(t) (-8 ˜ -2) values and younger TDMC(Nd) (1.1 ˜ 1.6 Ga) and TDMC(Hf) (1.2 ˜ 1.8 Ga) values, showing a more juvenile isotopic character. Sn-(W)-bearing granites originate from partial melting of granulitized lower crust involved with some mantle-derived materials. W-bearing granites are derived from partial melting of crust. (Cu)-Pb-Zn-bearing granitoids are also derived from crust but may be influenced by more mantle-derived materials. For (Cu)-Pb-Zn deposits, skarn and carbonate replacement are the most important mineralization types. Cu ore bodies mainly

Au@Ag core-shell nanocubes for efficient plasmonic light scattering effect in low bandgap organic solar cells.

PubMed

Baek, Se-Woong; Park, Garam; Noh, Jonghyeon; Cho, Changsoon; Lee, Chun-Ho; Seo, Min-Kyo; Song, Hyunjoon; Lee, Jung-Yong

2014-04-22

In this report, we propose a metal-metal core-shell nanocube (NC) as an advanced plasmonic material for highly efficient organic solar cells (OSCs). We covered an Au core with a thin Ag shell as a scattering enhancer to build Au@Ag NCs, which showed stronger scattering efficiency than Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) throughout the visible range. Highly efficient plasmonic organic solar cells were fabricated by embedding Au@Ag NCs into an anodic buffer layer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and the power conversion efficiency was enhanced to 6.3% from 5.3% in poly[N-9-hepta-decanyl-2,7-carbazole-alt-5,5-(4,7-di-2-thienyl-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCDTBT):[6,6]-phenyl C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC70BM) based OSCs and 9.2% from 7.9% in polythieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7):PC70BM based OSCs. The Au@Ag NC plasmonic PCDTBT:PC70BM-based organic solar cells showed 2.2-fold higher external quantum efficiency enhancement compared to AuNPs devices at a wavelength of 450-700 nm due to the amplified plasmonic scattering effect. Finally, we proved the strongly enhanced plasmonic scattering efficiency of Au@Ag NCs embedded in organic solar cells via theoretical calculations and detailed optical measurements.

Studies on plasmon characteristics and the local density of states of Au and Ag based nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinod, M.; Biju, V.; Gopchandran, K. G.

2016-01-01

Knowledge about the conductive properties and the local density of states of chemically pure Au, Ag, Ag@Au core-shell and Au-Ag bimetallic nanoparticles is technologically important. Herein, the I-V characteristics and the density of states derived from scanning tunneling microscopy measurements made under atmospheric conditions is reported. The nanoparticles in thin film form used in this study were prepared by laser ablation in water followed by drop and evaporation. The morphology of the surface of the nanostructures was observed from optimizing tunneling current in each case. The monometallic Au and Ag particles shows almost similar current characteristics as well as discrete energy states but the slope of I-V characteristics was different for bimetallic structures. An attempt has also been made to compare the current measurements done in the nanoscale with the surface plasmon characteristics.

Mineralogy, alteration patterns, geochemistry, and fluid properties of the Ag-Au epithermal deposit Nová Baňa, Slovakia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majzlan, Juraj; Berkh, Khulan; Kiefer, Stefan; Koděra, Peter; Fallick, Anthony E.; Chovan, Martin; Bakos, František; Biroň, Adrián; Ferenc, Štefan; Lexa, Jaroslav

2018-02-01

In this contribution, we report new data on mineralogy, alteration patterns, geochemistry, fluid properties and source of fluids for the deposit Nová Baňa, one of the smaller epithermal deposits in the Middle Miocene Štiavnica andesite stratovolcano (Western Carpathians, Slovakia). Ore veins and the associated rocks were studied in samples from outcrops and old mines, grab samples, and bore holes from the central part of the deposit (ore structures Althandel, Jozef, Jakub, Vavrinec), northern part (Freischurf), SE part (Gupňa) and SW part (Šibeničný vrch). Pervasive hydrothermal alteration transformed the rock-forming minerals into a mixture of adularia and fine-grained quartz, with lesser amount of pyrite, Ti oxides and Fe oxides. This assemblage was further altered to omnipresent interstratified illite/smectite that was used in this study as a geothermometer, corroborating the results from the fluid inclusion work. Ore minerals comprise predominantly pyrite, sphalerite, galena but all sulfides are relatively sparse in the samples studied. Minerals of precious metals are electrum, Ag-tetrahedrite, acanthite, members of the polybasite-pearceite and pyrargyrite-proustite solid solution, and rare miargyrite, Hg-Ag tetrahedrite, and diaphorite. In the central part, we have found also some stibnite. In the SE part of the deposit, acanthite, uytenbogaardtite, and petrovskaite occur and seem to be related to supergene enrichment of the ores. In bulk ore samples, Zn usually dominates over Pb and Cu. The average Ag:Au ratio for the entire deposit is 64:1. The concentrations of precious metals in the grab samples reach maxima of 50 ppm Au and 570 ppm Ag in the SE part and 116 ppm Au and 1110 ppm Ag in the central part of the deposit. Fluid inclusions show signs of trapping of a heterogeneous fluid. In the central, northern and SE parts of the deposit, homogenization temperatures of 190-260 °C and consistently low salinities of <5 wt% NaCl eq were recorded. In the SW

Antitumor Activity of Alloy and Core-Shell-Type Bimetallic AgAu Nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shmarakov, Igor; Mukha, Iuliia; Vityuk, Nadiia; Borschovetska, Vira; Zhyshchynska, Nelya; Grodzyuk, Galyna; Eremenko, Anna

2017-05-01

Nanoparticles (NPs) of noble metals, namely gold and silver, remain promising anticancer agents capable of enhancing current surgery- and chemotherapeutic-based approaches in cancer treatment. Bimetallic AgAu composition can be used as a more effective agent due to the synergetic effect. Among the physicochemical parameters affecting gold and silver nanoparticle biological activity, a primary concern relates to their size, shape, composition, charge, etc. However, the impact of metal components/composition as well as metal topological distribution within NPs is incompletely characterized and remains to be further elucidated and clarified. In the present work, we tested a series of colloidal solutions of AgAu NPs of alloy and core-shell type for an antitumor activity depending on metal molar ratios (Ag:Au = 1:1; 1:3; 3:1) and topological distribution of gold and silver within NPs (AucoreAgshell; AgcoreAushell). The efficacy at which an administration of the gold and silver NPs inhibits mouse Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) growth in vivo was compared. The data suggest that in vivo antitumor activity of the studied NPs strongly depends on gold and silver interaction arising from their ordered topological distribution. NPs with Ag core covered by Au shell were the most effective among the NPs tested towards LLC tumor growth and metastasizing inhibition. Our data show that among the NPs tested in this study, AgcoreAushell NPs may serve as a suitable anticancerous prototype.

Highly Stretchable and Transparent Supercapacitor by Ag-Au Core-Shell Nanowire Network with High Electrochemical Stability.

PubMed

Lee, Habeom; Hong, Sukjoon; Lee, Jinhwan; Suh, Young Duk; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Moon, Hyunjin; Kim, Hyeonseok; Yeo, Junyeob; Ko, Seung Hwan

2016-06-22

Stretchable and transparent electronics have steadily attracted huge attention in wearable devices. Although Ag nanowire is the one of the most promising candidates for transparent and stretchable electronics, its electrochemical instability has forbidden its application to the development of electrochemical energy devices such as supercapacitors. Here, we introduce a highly stretchable and transparent supercapacitor based on electrochemically stable Ag-Au core-shell nanowire percolation network electrode. We developed a simple solution process to synthesize the Ag-Au core-shell nanowire with excellent electrical conductivity as well as greatly enhanced chemical and electrochemical stabilities compared to pristine Ag nanowire. The proposed core-shell nanowire-based supercapacitor still possesses fine optical transmittance and outstanding mechanical stability up to 60% strain. The Ag-Au core-shell nanowire can be a strong candidate for future wearable electrochemical energy devices.

Bifunctional Ag@SiO 2 /Au Nanoparticles for Probing Sequential Catalytic Reactions by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Wu, Yiren; Su, Dong; Qin, Dong

2017-02-22

Here, we report the synthesis of bifunctional Ag@SiO 2/Au nanoparticles with an “islands in the sea” configuration by titrating HAuCl 4 solution into an aqueous suspension of Ag@SiO 2 core–shell nanocubes in the presence of NaOH, ascorbic acid, and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) at pH 11.9. The NaOH plays an essential role in generating small pores in the SiO 2 shell in situ, followed by the epitaxial deposition of Au from the Ag surface through the pores, leading to the formation of Au islands (6–12 nm in size) immersed in a SiO 2 sea. Furthermore, by controlling the amount of HAuCl 4more » titrated into the reaction system, the Au islands can be made to pass through and protrude from the SiO 2 shell, embracing catalytic activity toward the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4. And while the Ag in the core provides a strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity, the SiO 2 sea helps maintain the Au component as compact, isolated, and stabilized islands. The Ag@SiO 2/Au nanoparticles can serve as a bifunctional probe to monitor the stepwise Au-catalyzed reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol to 4-aminothiophenol by NaBH 4 and Ag-catalyzed oxidation of 4-aminothiophenol to trans-4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene by the O 2 from air in the same reaction system.« less

Bifunctional Ag@SiO 2 /Au Nanoparticles for Probing Sequential Catalytic Reactions by Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Yiren; Su, Dong; Qin, Dong

Here, we report the synthesis of bifunctional Ag@SiO 2/Au nanoparticles with an “islands in the sea” configuration by titrating HAuCl 4 solution into an aqueous suspension of Ag@SiO 2 core–shell nanocubes in the presence of NaOH, ascorbic acid, and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) at pH 11.9. The NaOH plays an essential role in generating small pores in the SiO 2 shell in situ, followed by the epitaxial deposition of Au from the Ag surface through the pores, leading to the formation of Au islands (6–12 nm in size) immersed in a SiO 2 sea. Furthermore, by controlling the amount of HAuCl 4more » titrated into the reaction system, the Au islands can be made to pass through and protrude from the SiO 2 shell, embracing catalytic activity toward the reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol by NaBH4. And while the Ag in the core provides a strong surface-enhanced Raman scattering activity, the SiO 2 sea helps maintain the Au component as compact, isolated, and stabilized islands. The Ag@SiO 2/Au nanoparticles can serve as a bifunctional probe to monitor the stepwise Au-catalyzed reduction of 4-nitrothiophenol to 4-aminothiophenol by NaBH 4 and Ag-catalyzed oxidation of 4-aminothiophenol to trans-4,4'-dimercaptoazobenzene by the O 2 from air in the same reaction system.« less

Correlating structural dynamics and catalytic activity of AgAu nanoparticles with ultrafast spectroscopy and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Ferbonink, G F; Rodrigues, T S; Dos Santos, D P; Camargo, P H C; Albuquerque, R Q; Nome, R A

2018-05-29

In this study, we investigated hollow AgAu nanoparticles with the goal of improving our understanding of the composition-dependent catalytic activity of these nanoparticles. AgAu nanoparticles were synthesized via the galvanic replacement method with controlled size and nanoparticle compositions. We studied extinction spectra with UV-Vis spectroscopy and simulations based on Mie theory and the boundary element method, and ultrafast spectroscopy measurements to characterize decay constants and the overall energy transfer dynamics as a function of AgAu composition. Electron-phonon coupling times for each composition were obtained from pump-power dependent pump-probe transients. These spectroscopic studies showed how nanoscale surface segregation, hollow interiors and porosity affect the surface plasmon resonance wavelength and fundamental electron-phonon coupling times. Analysis of the spectroscopic data was used to correlate electron-phonon coupling times to AgAu composition, and thus to surface segregation and catalytic activity. We have performed all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of model hollow AgAu core-shell nanoparticles to characterize nanoparticle stability and equilibrium structures, besides providing atomic level views of nanoparticle surface segregation. Overall, the basic atomistic and electron-lattice dynamics of core-shell AgAu nanoparticles characterized here thus aid the mechanistic understanding and performance optimization of AgAu nanoparticle catalysts.

Hollow Au/Ag nanostars displaying broad plasmonic resonance and high surface-enhanced Raman sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Leis, Adianez; Torreggiani, Armida; Garcia-Ramos, Jose Vicente; Sanchez-Cortes, Santiago

2015-08-01

Bimetallic Au/Ag hollow nanostar (HNS) nanoparticles with different morphologies were prepared in this work. These nanoplatforms were obtained by changing the experimental conditions (concentration of silver and chemical reductors, hydroxylamine and citrate) and by using Ag nanostars as template nanoparticles (NPs) through galvanic replacement. The goal of this research was to create bimetallic Au/Ag star-shaped nanoparticles with advanced properties displaying a broader plasmonic resonance, a cleaner exposed surface, and a high concentration of electromagnetic hot spots on the surface provided by the special morphology of nanostars. The size, shape, and composition of Ag as well as their optical properties were studied by extinction spectroscopy, hyperspectral dark field microscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Finally, the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity of these HNS was investigated by using thioflavin T, a biomarker of the β-amyloid fibril formation, responsible for Alzheimer's disease. Lucigenin, a molecule displaying different SERS activities on Au and Ag, was also used to explore the presence of these metals on the NP surface. Thus, a relationship between the morphology, plasmon resonance and SERS activity of these new NPs was made.Bimetallic Au/Ag hollow nanostar (HNS) nanoparticles with different morphologies were prepared in this work. These nanoplatforms were obtained by changing the experimental conditions (concentration of silver and chemical reductors, hydroxylamine and citrate) and by using Ag nanostars as template nanoparticles (NPs) through galvanic replacement. The goal of this research was to create bimetallic Au/Ag star-shaped nanoparticles with advanced properties displaying a broader plasmonic resonance, a cleaner exposed surface, and a high concentration of electromagnetic hot spots on the surface provided by the special morphology of nanostars

Tailor-made Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticle 2D arrays on protein-coated graphene oxide with assembly enhanced antibacterial activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Huiqiao; Liu, Jinbin; Wu, Xuan; Tong, Zhonghua; Deng, Zhaoxiang

2013-05-01

Water-dispersible two-dimensional (2D) assemblies of Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles are obtained through a highly selective electroless silver deposition on pre-assembled gold nanoparticles on bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated graphene oxide (BSA-GO). While neither BSA-GO nor AuNP-decorated BSA-GO shows any antibacterial ability, the silver-coated GO@Au nanosheets (namely GO@Au@Ag) exhibit an enhanced antibacterial activity against Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, superior to unassembled Au@Ag nanoparticles and even ionic Ag. Such an improvement may be attributed to the increased local concentration of silver nanoparticles around a bacterium and a polyvalent interaction with the bacterial surface. In addition, the colloidal stability of this novel nano-antimicrobial against the formation of random nanoparticle aggregates guarantees a minimized activity loss of the Au@Ag nanoparticles. The antibacterial efficacy of GO@Au@Ag is less sensitive to the existence of Cl-, in comparison with silver ions, providing another advantage for wound dressing applications. Our research unambiguously reveals a strong and very specific interaction between the GO@Au@Ag nanoassembly and E. coli, which could be an important clue toward a rational design, synthesis and assembly of innovative and highly active antibacterial nanomaterials.

Preparation of plasmonic porous Au@AgVO3 belt-like nanocomposites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity.

PubMed

Fu, Haitao; Yang, Xiaohong; Zhang, Zhikui; Wang, Wenwen; An, Xizhong; Dong, Yu; Li, Xue

2018-07-20

This study reports a visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalyst of Au deposited AgVO 3 nanocomposites prepared by a hydrothermal method, and further in situ modification of Au nanoparticles by a reducing agent of NaHSO 3 in an aqueous solution at room temperature. Various characterization techniques, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, were used to reveal the morphology, composition, and related properties. The results show that belt-like AgVO 3 nanoparticles with a width of ∼100 nm were successfully synthesized, and Au nanoparticles with controlled sizes (5-20 nm) were well distributed on the surface of the nanobelts. The UV-vis absorption spectra indicate that the decoration of Au nanoparticles can modulate the optical properties of the nanocomposites, namely, red shift occurs with the increase of Au content. The photocatalytic activities were measured by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) with the presence of photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation results show that AgVO 3 nanobelts exhibit good visible light photocatalytic activities with a degradation efficiency of 98% in 50 min and a reaction rate constant of 0.025 min -1 towards 30 ppm RhB. With the modification of Au nanoparticles, photocatalytic activity basically increases with the molar ratio of Au to V. Among the Au@AgVO 3 nanocomposites, the 3% (molar ratio) Au decorated AgVO 3 nanobelts showed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the k (0.064 min -1 ) was almost two times higher than that of the pure AgVO 3 nanobelts. This can be attributed to several factors including specific surface areas, optical properties, and the energy band structure of the composites under visible light illumination. These findings may be useful for the practical use of visible light-driven photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies for environmental remediation.

Preparation of plasmonic porous Au@AgVO3 belt-like nanocomposites with enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Haitao; Yang, Xiaohong; Zhang, Zhikui; Wang, Wenwen; An, Xizhong; Dong, Yu; Li, Xue

2018-07-01

This study reports a visible light-driven plasmonic photocatalyst of Au deposited AgVO3 nanocomposites prepared by a hydrothermal method, and further in situ modification of Au nanoparticles by a reducing agent of NaHSO3 in an aqueous solution at room temperature. Various characterization techniques, such as SEM, TEM, XRD, EDS, XPS, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, were used to reveal the morphology, composition, and related properties. The results show that belt-like AgVO3 nanoparticles with a width of ∼100 nm were successfully synthesized, and Au nanoparticles with controlled sizes (5–20 nm) were well distributed on the surface of the nanobelts. The UV–vis absorption spectra indicate that the decoration of Au nanoparticles can modulate the optical properties of the nanocomposites, namely, red shift occurs with the increase of Au content. The photocatalytic activities were measured by monitoring the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) with the presence of photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. The photodegradation results show that AgVO3 nanobelts exhibit good visible light photocatalytic activities with a degradation efficiency of 98% in 50 min and a reaction rate constant of 0.025 min‑1 towards 30 ppm RhB. With the modification of Au nanoparticles, photocatalytic activity basically increases with the molar ratio of Au to V. Among the Au@AgVO3 nanocomposites, the 3% (molar ratio) Au decorated AgVO3 nanobelts showed the highest photocatalytic activity, and the k (0.064 min‑1) was almost two times higher than that of the pure AgVO3 nanobelts. This can be attributed to several factors including specific surface areas, optical properties, and the energy band structure of the composites under visible light illumination. These findings may be useful for the practical use of visible light-driven photocatalysts with enhanced photocatalytic efficiencies for environmental remediation.

Episodic formation of the world-class Waihi epithermal Au-Ag vein system, Hauraki Goldfield, New Zealand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gasston, Erin; Mauk, Jeffrey L.; Cosca, Michael A.; Morgan, Leah; Hall, Chris M.

2017-01-01

The world-class Waihi vein system in New Zealand has produced more than 248,400 kg Au and 1.43 million kg Ag. New high-precision 40Ar/39Ar dates of adularia from different veins show that some veins formed at different times (6.15 Ma Martha vs. 5.83 and 5.85 Ma Empire and Welcome, respectively), even though they have similar mineralogy. The Martha vein formed over a period of approximately 150,000 years. The Moonlight vein, which has a different ore mineral assemblage, appears to have formed over a longer time interval that spanned formation of the Martha, Welcome, and Empire veins. These dates suggest that some veins in the Waihi vein system formed relatively quickly during only part of the lifetime of the hydrothermal system, whereas other veins may have formed over longer periods of time. However, the Au endowment of the Martha vein exceeds the Au endowment of the Moonlight vein, indicating that the total lifetime of the vein-forming hydrothermal system does not determine metal endowment.

Room temperature synthesis and optical studies on Ag and Au mixed nanocomposite polyvinylpyrrolidone polymer films.

PubMed

Udayabhaskar, R; Mangalaraja, R V; Manikandan, D; Arjunan, V; Karthikeyan, B

2012-12-01

Optical properties of silver, gold and bimetallic (Au:Ag) nanocomposite polymer films which are prepared by chemical method have been reported. The experimental data was correlated with the theoretical calculations using Mie theory. We adopt small change in the theoretical calculations of bimetallic/mixed particle nanocomposite and the theory agrees well with the experimental data. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used as reducing and capping agent. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) study reveals the presence of different functional groups, the possible mechanism that leads to the formation of nanoparticles by using PVP alone as reducing agent. Optical absorption spectra of Ag and Au nanocomposite polymers show a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band around 430 and 532 nm, respectively. Thermal annealing effect on the prepared samples at 60 °C for different time durations result in shift of SPR band maximum and varies the full width at half maximum (FWHM). Absorption spectra of Au:Ag bimetallic films show bands at 412 and 547 nm confirms the presence of Ag and Au nanoparticles in the composite. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A case study for the integration of predictive mineral potential maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Saro; Oh, Hyun-Joo; Heo, Chul-Ho; Park, Inhye

2014-09-01

This study aims to elaborate on the mineral potential maps using various models and verify the accuracy for the epithermal gold (Au) — silver (Ag) deposits in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment assuming that all deposits shared a common genesis. The maps of potential Au and Ag deposits were produced by geological data in Taebaeksan mineralized area, Korea. The methodological framework consists of three main steps: 1) identification of spatial relationships 2) quantification of such relationships and 3) combination of multiple quantified relationships. A spatial database containing 46 Au-Ag deposits was constructed using GIS. The spatial association between training deposits and 26 related factors were identified and quantified by probabilistic and statistical modelling. The mineral potential maps were generated by integrating all factors using the overlay method and recombined afterwards using the likelihood ratio model. They were verified by comparison with test mineral deposit locations. The verification revealed that the combined mineral potential map had the greatest accuracy (83.97%), whereas it was 72.24%, 65.85%, 72.23% and 71.02% for the likelihood ratio, weight of evidence, logistic regression and artificial neural network models, respectively. The mineral potential map can provide useful information for the mineral resource development.

A novel glucose biosensor platform based on Ag@AuNPs modified graphene oxide nanocomposite and SERS application.

PubMed

Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Atar, Necip; Yola, Mehmet Lütfi; Eryılmaz, Merve; Torul, Hilal; Tamer, Uğur; Boyacı, Ismail Hakkı; Ustündağ, Zafer

2013-09-15

This study represents a novel template demonstration of a glucose biosensor based on mercaptophenyl boronic acid (MBA) terminated Ag@AuNPs/graphene oxide (Ag@AuNPs-GO) nanomaterials. The nanocomposites were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The TEM image shows that Ag@AuNPs in the nanocomposite is in the range of diameters of 10-20 nm. The nanocomposite was used for the determination of glucose through the complexation between boronic acid and diol groups of glucose. Thus, a novel glucose biosensor was further fabricated by immobilizing glucose oxidase (GOD) into MBA terminated Ag@AuNPs-GO nanocomposite film (MBA-Ag@AuNPs-GO). The linearity range of glucose was obtained as 2-6mM with detection limit of 0.33 mM. The developed biosensor was also applied successfully for the determination of glucose in blood samples. The concentration value of glucose in blood samples was calculated to be 1.97±0.002 mM from measurements repeated for six times. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Intrusion-Related Gold Deposits: New insights from gravity and hydrothermal integrated 3D modeling applied to the Tighza gold mineralization (Central Morocco)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eldursi, Khalifa; Branquet, Yannick; Guillou-Frottier, Laurent; Martelet, Guillaume; Calcagno, Philippe

2018-04-01

The Tighza (or Jebel Aouam) district is one of the most important polymetallic districts in Morocco. It belongs to the Variscan Belt of Central Meseta, and includes W-Au, Pb-Zn-Ag, and Sb-Ba mineralization types that are spatially related to late-Carboniferous granitic stocks. One of the proposed hypotheses suggests that these granitic stocks are connected to a large intrusive body lying beneath them and that W-Au mineralization is directly related to this magmatism during a 287-285 Ma time span. A more recent model argues for a disconnection between the older barren outcropping magmatic stocks and a younger hidden magmatic complex responsible for the W-Au mineralization. Independently of the magmatic scenario, the W-Au mineralization is consensually recognized as of intrusion-related gold deposit (IRGD) type, W-rich. In addition to discrepancies between magmatic sceneries, the IRGD model does not account for published older age corresponding to a high-temperature hydrothermal event at ca. 291 Ma. Our study is based on gravity data inversion and hydro-thermal modeling, and aims to test this model of IRGD and its related magmatic geometries, with respect to subsurface geometries, favorable physical conditions for deposition and time record of hydrothermal processes. Combined inversion of geology and gravity data suggests that an intrusive body is rooted mainly at the Tighza fault in the north and that it spreads horizontally toward the south during a trans-tensional event (D2). Based on the numerical results, two types of mineralization can be distinguished: 1) the "Pre-Main" type appears during the emplacement of the magmatic body, and 2) the "Main" type appears during magma crystallization and the cooling phase. The time-lag between the two mineralization types depends on the cooling rate of magma. Although our numerical model of thermally-driven fluid flow around the Tighza pluton is simplified, as it does not take into account the chemical and deformation

Accumulation and interparticle connections of triangular Ag-coated Au nanoprisms by oil-coating method for surface-enhanced Raman scattering applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noda, Yuta; Asaka, Toru; Fudouzi, Hiroshi; Hayakawa, Tomokatsu

2018-03-01

To examine the optical responses of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for tuned plasmonic nanoparticles, triangular Ag-coated Au (Au@Ag) nanoprisms with different sizes were separately synthesized, which were well controlled in their size (edge-length) and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) wavelength (69.0 ± 8.4 to 173.8 ± 25.6 nm in size and 662-943 nm in LSPR wavelength). The mechanism of Ag shell formation on the Au nanoprisms was also studied with scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS). The Au@Ag nanoprisms were immobilized by covering a colloidal solution containing the nanoprisms with silicone oil and evaporating the solvent in the oil (oil-coating method) so as to form a layer of accumulated plasmonic Au@Ag nanoprisms that had LSPR peak wavelengths tuned from 839 to 1182 nm. The accumulation conditions were analyzed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and a Raman mapping technique. The Au@Ag nanoprisms under excitation at 632.8 nm exhibited higher SERS signals of rhodamine 6G, and SERS-mapped images of the novel immobilized films were obtained at different magnifications. It was concluded that accumulated Au@Ag nanoprisms undergoing tip-planar interconnections could produce enhanced local fields, resulting in higher SERS signals.

Growth of periodic nano-layers of nano-crystals of Au, Ag, Cu by ion beam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Cydale C.; Zheng, B.; Muntele, C. I.; Muntele, I. C.; Ila, D.

2005-01-01

Multilayered thin films of SiO2/AU+ SiO2/, SiO2/Ag+ SiO2/, and SiO2/Cu+ SiO2/, were grown by deposition. We have previously shown that MeV ion Bombardment of multi-nano-layers of SiO2/AU+ SiO2/ produces Au nanocrystals in the AU+ SiO2 layers. An increased number of nano-layers followed by MeV ion bombardment produces a wide optical absorption band, of which its FWHM depends on the number of nano-layers of SiO2/AU+ SiO2/. We have successfully repeated this process for nano-layers of SiO2/Ag+ SiO2/, and SiO2/Cu+ SiO2/. In this work we used 5 MeV Si as the post deposition bombardment ion and monitored the location as well as the optical absorption's FWHM for each layered structure using Optical Absorption Photospectrometry. The concentration and location of the metal nano-crystals were measured by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. We will report on the results obtained for nano-layered structures produced by post deposition bombardment of SiO2/AU+ SiO2/, SiO2/Ag+ SiO2/, and SiO2/Cu+ SiO2/ layered systems as well as the results obtained from a system containing a periodic combination of SiO2/AU+ SiO2/, SiO2/Ag+ SiO2/, and SiO2/Cu+ SiO2/.

Application of Direct Current Atmospheric Pressure Glow Microdischarge Generated in Contact with a Flowing Liquid Solution for Synthesis of Au-Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Dzimitrowicz, Anna; Jamroz, Piotr; Nyk, Marcin; Pohl, Pawel

2016-04-06

A direct current atmospheric pressure glow microdischarge (dc-μAPGD) generated between an Ar nozzle microjet and a flowing liquid was applied to produce Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Au@AgCSNPs) in a continuous flow system. Firstly, operating dc-μAPGD with the flowing solution of the Au(III) ions as the cathode, the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) core was produced. Next, to produce the core-shell nanostructures, the collected AuNPs solution was immediately mixed with an AgNO₃ solution and passed through the system with the reversed polarity to fabricate the Ag nanoshell on the AuNPs core. The formation of Au@AgCSNPs was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Three localized surface plasmon resonance absorption bands with wavelengths centered at 372, 546, and 675 nm were observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of Au@AgCSNPs, confirming the reduction of both the Au(III) and Ag(I) ions. The right configuration of metals in Au@AgCSNPs was evidenced by TEM. The Au core diameter was 10.2 ± 2.0 nm, while the thickness of the Ag nanoshell was 5.8 ± 1.8 nm. The elemental composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles was also confirmed by EDS. It is possible to obtain 90 mL of a solution containing Au@AgCSNPs per hour using the applied microdischarge system.

Application of Direct Current Atmospheric Pressure Glow Microdischarge Generated in Contact with a Flowing Liquid Solution for Synthesis of Au-Ag Core-Shell Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Dzimitrowicz, Anna; Jamroz, Piotr; Nyk, Marcin; Pohl, Pawel

2016-01-01

A direct current atmospheric pressure glow microdischarge (dc-μAPGD) generated between an Ar nozzle microjet and a flowing liquid was applied to produce Au-Ag core-shell nanoparticles (Au@AgCSNPs) in a continuous flow system. Firstly, operating dc-μAPGD with the flowing solution of the Au(III) ions as the cathode, the Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) core was produced. Next, to produce the core-shell nanostructures, the collected AuNPs solution was immediately mixed with an AgNO3 solution and passed through the system with the reversed polarity to fabricate the Ag nanoshell on the AuNPs core. The formation of Au@AgCSNPs was confirmed using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorbance spectrophotometry, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Three localized surface plasmon resonance absorption bands with wavelengths centered at 372, 546, and 675 nm were observed in the UV-Vis spectrum of Au@AgCSNPs, confirming the reduction of both the Au(III) and Ag(I) ions. The right configuration of metals in Au@AgCSNPs was evidenced by TEM. The Au core diameter was 10.2 ± 2.0 nm, while the thickness of the Ag nanoshell was 5.8 ± 1.8 nm. The elemental composition of the bimetallic nanoparticles was also confirmed by EDS. It is possible to obtain 90 mL of a solution containing Au@AgCSNPs per hour using the applied microdischarge system. PMID:28773393

A colorimetric assay for measuring iodide using Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles coupled with Cu(2+).

PubMed

Zeng, Jingbin; Cao, Yingying; Lu, Chun-Hua; Wang, Xu-Dong; Wang, Qianru; Wen, Cong-Ying; Qu, Jian-Bo; Yuan, Cunguang; Yan, Zi-Feng; Chen, Xi

2015-09-03

Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and coupled with copper ion (Cu(2+)) for the colorimetric sensing of iodide ion (I(-)). This assay relies on the fact that the absorption spectra and the color of metallic core-shell NPs are sensitive to their chemical ingredient and dimensional core-to-shell ratio. When I(-) was added to the Au@Ag core-shell NPs-Cu(2+) system/solution, Cu(2+) can oxidize I(-) into iodine (I2), which can further oxidize silver shells to form silver iodide (AgI). The generated Au@AgI core-shell NPs led to color changes from yellow to purple, which was utilized for the colorimetric sensing of I(-). The assay only took 10 min with a lowest detectable concentration of 0.5 μM, and it exhibited excellent selectivity for I(-) over other common anions tested. Furthermore, Au@Ag core-shell NPs-Cu(2+) was embedded into agarose gels as inexpensive and portable "test strips", which were successfully used for the semi-quantitation of I(-) in dried kelps. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proton, Deuteron and Helion Spectra from Central Au+Au collisions at the AG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgart, Stephen

2002-10-01

The AGS E895 experiment ran Au+Au collisions at bombarding energies of 2, 4, 6 and 8 AGeV. For central collisions, particle spectra have been measured for pions, kaons, protons, deuterons, and helions. From these spectra, the dN/dy distributions have been determined across a rapidity range from approximately -1.5 to 1.5 at maximum beam energy. Integration of the rapidity densities gives the total yields of each particle species. The final charge of the system can be calculated from the total yields to show that all of the initial charge is accounted for. The conclusions from the analyses of the condensate particle spectra will be presented. Fits to the spectra determine the freeze-out temperatures, radial flow velocities, and chemical potentials. The rapidity density distributions are used to estimate the longitudinal flow. The proton phase space density can be estimated by combining the proton spectra with the gaussian freeze-out radii intrepreted from a coalescence model employing the yields of protons, deuterons, tritons, and helions. Comparisons of the above results will be made to the experimental evidence from SIS, the AGS, the SPS, and RHIC.

Descriptions of mineral occurrences and interpretation of mineralized rock geochemical data in the Stikine geophysical survey area, Southeastern Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Taylor, Cliff D.

2003-01-01

tectonic activity to quiescence (such as conglomeratic and/or mafic volcaniclastics or flows overlain by platform carbonate or shale sequences), 2) presence and proximity to Late Triassic mafic-ultramafic intrusions, 3) presence of quartz-carbonate-fuchsite altered ultramafic bodies, 4) pyritic, graphitic shales, 5) presence of barite and/or iron-manganese-rich carbonates, 6) low-iron sphalerite and antimony-rich sulfosalt minerals, 7) a geochemical signature including Fe-Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag-Au-Sb-Hg-As-Cd-Ba-Mn-Mo-Tl and the ultramafic-related suite of elements Ni-Cr-Co, and 8) a geophysical signature characterized by the coincidence of a sharp resistivity contrast with evidence for buried intrusive rocks. Critical factors for the development of larger, economic orebodies are significant thickness of pyritic, graphitic shale indicating that a locally reducing sedimentary setting was established and that accumulation of an insulating shale blank occurred, and proximity to Late Triassic aged hypabyssal mafic-ultramafic intrusive rocks.

Zircon U-Pb and molybdenite Re-Os geochronology and geological significance of the Baoshan porphyry Cu polymetallic deposit in Jiangxi province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Liqiong; Wang, Liang

2017-10-01

Baoshan porphyry Cu polymetallic deposit belongs to Jiujiang-Ruichang Cu-Au ore field, which is a component part of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Cu-Au metallogenic belt. The U-Pb LA-MC-TCP MS dating of the zircons from Baoshan granodiorite porphyry yields an age of 147.81±0.48Ma (MSWD=1.07). Six molybdenite samples separated from Baoshan deposit are used for Re-Os dating and obtained the weighted average age of 147.42±0.84Ma and an isochron age of 147.7±1.2Ma. These ages suggest that the mineralization in the Baoshan deposit is genetically associated to the granodiorite porphyry, and the process of rock-and ore-forming is continuous. These data indicate that ages of intrusion and ore-body from Baoshan deposit are almost identical to other typical magmatic intrusion and deposits in Jiujiang-Ruichang metallogenic district. Tt is inferred that the Baoshan deposit was formed in the transition from EW-striking Tndosinian tectonic domain to NE-striking Paleo-Pacific tectonic domain.

Doping of the step-edge Si chain: Ag on a Si(557)-Au surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krawiec, M.; Jałochowski, M.

2010-11-01

Structural and electronic properties of monatomic Ag chains on the Au-induced, highly ordered Si(557) surface are investigated by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)/spectroscopy and first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The STM topography data show that a small amount of Ag (0.25 ML) very weakly modifies the one-dimensional structure induced by Au atoms. However, the bias-dependent STM topography and spectroscopy point to the importance of the electronic effects in this system, which are further corroborated by the DFT calculations. The obtained results suggest that Ag atoms act as electron donors leaving the geometry of the surface almost unchanged.

Leaching of Au, Ag, and Pd from waste printed circuit boards of mobile phone by iodide lixiviant after supercritical water pre-treatment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xiu, Fu-Rong, E-mail: xiu_chem@hotmail.com; Qi, Yingying; Zhang, Fu-Shen

Highlights: • We report a novel process for recovering Au, Ag, and Pd from waste PCBs. • The effect of SCWO on the leaching of Au, Ag, and Pd in waste PCBs was studied. • SCWO was highly efficient for enhancing the leaching of Au, Ag, and Pd. • The optimum leaching parameters for Au, Ag, and Pd in iodine–iodide were studied. - Abstract: Precious metals are the most attractive resources in waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) of mobile phones. In this work, an alternative process for recovering Au, Ag, and Pd from waste PCBs of mobile phones by supercriticalmore » water oxidation (SCWO) pre-treatment combined with iodine–iodide leaching process was developed. In the process, the waste PCBs of mobile phones were pre-treated in supercritical water, then a diluted hydrochloric acid leaching (HL) process was used to recovery the Cu, whose leaching efficiency was approximately 100%, finally the resulting residue was subjected to the iodine–iodide leaching process for recovering the Au, Ag, and Pd. Experimental results indicated that SCWO pre-treatment temperature, time, and pressure had significant influence on the Au, Ag, and Pd leaching from (SCWO + HL)-treated waste PCBs. The optimal SCWO pre-treatment conditions were 420 °C and 60 min for Au and Pd, and 410 °C and 30 min for Ag. The optimum dissolution parameters for Au, Pd, and Ag in (SCWO + HL)-treated PCBs with iodine–iodide system were leaching time of 120 min (90 min for Ag), iodine/iodide mole ratio of 1:5 (1:6 for Ag), solid-to-liquid ratio (S/L) of 1:10 g/mL (1:8 g/mL for Ag), and pH of 9, respectively. It is believed that the process developed in this study is environment friendly for the recovery of Au, Ag, and Pd from waste PCBs of mobile phones by SCWO pre-treatment combined with iodine–iodide leaching process.« less

Typing mineral deposits using their grades and tonnages in an artificial neural network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, Donald A.; Kouda, Ryoichi

2003-01-01

A test of the ability of a probabilistic neural network to classify deposits into types on the basis of deposit tonnage and average Cu, Mo, Ag, Au, Zn, and Pb grades is conducted. The purpose is to examine whether this type of system might serve as a basis for integrating geoscience information available in large mineral databases to classify sites by deposit type. Benefits of proper classification of many sites in large regions are relatively rapid identification of terranes permissive for deposit types and recognition of specific sites perhaps worthy of exploring further.Total tonnages and average grades of 1,137 well-explored deposits identified in published grade and tonnage models representing 13 deposit types were used to train and test the network. Tonnages were transformed by logarithms and grades by square roots to reduce effects of skewness. All values were scaled by subtracting the variable's mean and dividing by its standard deviation. Half of the deposits were selected randomly to be used in training the probabilistic neural network and the other half were used for independent testing. Tests were performed with a probabilistic neural network employing a Gaussian kernel and separate sigma weights for each class (type) and each variable (grade or tonnage).Deposit types were selected to challenge the neural network. For many types, tonnages or average grades are significantly different from other types, but individual deposits may plot in the grade and tonnage space of more than one type. Porphyry Cu, porphyry Cu-Au, and porphyry Cu-Mo types have similar tonnages and relatively small differences in grades. Redbed Cu deposits typically have tonnages that could be confused with porphyry Cu deposits, also contain Cu and, in some situations, Ag. Cyprus and kuroko massive sulfide types have about the same tonnages. Cu, Zn, Ag, and Au grades. Polymetallic vein, sedimentary exhalative Zn-Pb, and Zn-Pb skarn types contain many of the same metals. Sediment

Chitosan nanocomposite films based on Ag-NP and Au-NP biosynthesis by Bacillus Subtilis as packaging materials.

PubMed

Youssef, Ahmed M; Abdel-Aziz, Mohamed S; El-Sayed, Samah M

2014-08-01

Chitosan-silver (CS-Ag) and Chitosan-gold (CS-Au) nanocomposites films were synthesized by a simple chemical method. A local bacterial isolate identified as Bacillus subtilis ss subtilis was found to be capable to synthesize both silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) and gold nanoparticles (Au-NP) from silver nitrate (AgNO3) and chloroauric acid (AuCl(4-)) solutions, respectively. The biosynthesis of both Ag-NP and Au-NP characterize using UV/vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and then added to chitosan by different ratios (0.5, 1 and 2%). The prepared chitosan nanocomposites films were characterize using UV, XRD, SEM and TEM. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of the prepared films was evaluated against gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aerugenosa), fungi (Aspergillus niger) and yeast (Candida albicans). Therefore, these materials can be potential used as antimicrobial agents in packaging applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and electronic properties of graphene nanoflakes on Au(111) and Ag(111)

PubMed Central

Tesch, Julia; Leicht, Philipp; Blumenschein, Felix; Gragnaniello, Luca; Fonin, Mikhail; Marsoner Steinkasserer, Lukas Eugen; Paulus, Beate; Voloshina, Elena; Dedkov, Yuriy

2016-01-01

We investigate the electronic properties of graphene nanoflakes on Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy as well as density functional theory calculations. Quasiparticle interference mapping allows for the clear distinction of substrate-derived contributions in scattering and those originating from graphene nanoflakes. Our analysis shows that the parabolic dispersion of Au(111) and Ag(111) surface states remains unchanged with the band minimum shifted to higher energies for the regions of the metal surface covered by graphene, reflecting a rather weak interaction between graphene and the metal surface. The analysis of graphene-related scattering on single nanoflakes yields a linear dispersion relation E(k), with a slight p-doping for graphene/Au(111) and a larger n-doping for graphene/Ag(111). The obtained experimental data (doping level, band dispersions around EF, and Fermi velocity) are very well reproduced within DFT-D2/D3 approaches, which provide a detailed insight into the site-specific interaction between graphene and the underlying substrate. PMID:27002297

Highly efficient and porous TiO2-coated Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au microspheres for degradation of organic pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Mao; Chen, Suqing; Jia, Wenping; Fan, Guodong; Jin, Yanxian; Liang, Huading

2016-12-01

In this paper, we reported a novel hierarchical porous Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au@TiO2 core@shell microspheres with a highly photocatalytic activity and magnetically separable properties. The synthesis method is included of a Fe3O4 magnetic embedded Ag core (Ag@Fe3O4), an interlayer of carbon modified by PEI to form sufficient amounts of amine functional groups (Ag@Fe3O4@C-PEI), the grafting of Au nanoparticles on the surface of Ag@Fe3O4@C-PEI (Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au), and an ordered porous TiO2 structured shell. As an example of the applications, the photocatalytic activities of the samples were investigated by the reduction of Rhodamine B (RhB) under visible-light irradiation. The results show that the porous Ag@Fe3O4@C-Au@TiO2 core@shell microspheres display higher adsorption and photocatalytic activities compared to the pure porous TiO2 and Ag@Fe3O4@C@TiO2 microspheres, which are attributed to the local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by the Ag and Au nanoparticles and the high specific surface area.

AuScope research infrastructure - supporting Australian mineral discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McInnes, B.; Rawling, T.

2016-12-01

Earth and geospatial scientists are heavy users of data products. When industry geologists access spatial data from the field and the exploration office they require data products that are discoverable, searchable, interoperable and attributed with robust metadata. Over the last decade AuScope has utilised NCRIS funding to provide a variety of data products including geophysical data (reflection and passive seismic, magnetotellurics and gravity), GIS layers from state and national geological survey organisations, hyperspectral core logging (National Virtual Core Library) and time-series geospatial data from GNSS and VLBI instruments - all delivered using AuScope GRID technologies based on the Spatial Information Services Stack (SiSS). Perhaps one of the best examples of collaboration to deliver data products to industry users is the National Mineral Library. Working with researchers at Curtin Universities John de Laeter Centre and ANDS, AuScope has also supported the development of a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The project has produced an entirely new workflow, based around a TESCAN TIMA field emission scanning electron microscope, that allows metadata to be collected and recorded from the sample collection and preparation right through to data delivery and publication. This process has facilitated the scanning of a large stockpile of mineral samples from across Western Australia that will produce a state-wide Mineral Library, allowing mineral explorers to better understand the composition of critical rock outcrop samples from all over the state. This new NCRIS supported initiative provides a dataset that underpins both academic and applied research programs and is important for the economic future of Australia. Mining companies do a lot of heavy mineral analysis in research and development but, because there isn't a baseline for mineralogy across each state, it is difficult to have full confidence in the heavy mineral data. This creates an

Molecular oxygen adsorption and dissociation on Au12M clusters with M = Cu, Ag or Ir

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiménez-Díaz, Laura M.; Pérez, Luis A.

2018-03-01

In this work, we present a density functional theory study of the structural and electronic properties of isolated neutral clusters of the type Au12M, with M = Cu, Ag, or Ir. On the other hand, there is experimental evidence that gold-silver, gold-copper and gold-iridium nanoparticles have an enhanced catalytic activity for the CO oxidation reaction. In order to address these phenomena, we also performed density functional calculations of the adsorption and dissociation of O2 on these nanoparticles. Moreover, to understand the effects of Cu, Ag, and Ir impurity atoms on the dissociation of O2, we also analyze this reaction in the corresponding pure gold cluster. The results indicate that the substitution of one gold atom in a Au13 cluster by Ag, Cu or Ir diminishes the activation energy barrier for the O2 dissociation by nearly 1 eV. This energy barrier is similar for Au12Ag and Au12Cu, whereas for Au12Ir is even lower. These results suggest that the addition of other transition metal atoms to gold nanoclusters can enhance their catalytic activity towards the CO oxidation reaction, independently of the effect that the substrate could have on supported nanoclusters.

Fluid inclusion characteristics and geological significance of the Dajinshan W-Sn polymetallic deposit in Yunfu, Guangdong Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhangfa; Chen, Maohong; Zhao, Haijie

2015-05-01

The Dajinshan tungsten-tin polymetallic deposit is a quartz-vein-type ore deposit located in Western Guangdong Province. The ore bodies show a fairly simple shape and mainly occur as tungsten-tin polymetallic-bearing sulfide quartz veins, including quartz vein, quartz-greisens, and sulfide quartz veins, and their distribution is spatially related to Dajinshan granitoids. The formation of the deposit experienced three stages: a wolframite-molybdenite-quartz stage, a wolframite-cassiterite-sulfide-quartz stage, and a fluorite-calcite-carbonate stage. Based on detailed petrographic observations, we conducted microthermometric and Raman microspectroscopic studies of fluid inclusions formed at different ore-forming stages in the Dajinshan tungsten-tin polymetallic deposit, identifying four dominant types of fluid inclusions: aqueous two-phase inclusions, CO2-bearing inclusions, solid or daughter mineral-bearing inclusions, and gas-rich inclusions. The gas compositions of ore-forming fluids in the Dajinshan tungsten-tin polymetallic deposit are mostly CO2, CH4, and H2O. The hydrogen, oxygen, and sulfur isotopic data imply that the ore-forming fluids in the Dajinshan tungsten-tin polymetallic deposit were mainly derived from magmatic fluids, mixed with meteoric water in the ore-formation process. These results indicate that the fluid mixing and boiling led to the decomposition of the metal complex in ore-forming fluids and ore deposition.

On the Effect of Native SiO2 on Si over the SPR-mediated Photocatalytic Activities of Au and Ag Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Wang, Jiale; de Freitas, Isabel C; Alves, Tiago V; Ando, Romulo A; Fang, Zebo; Camargo, Pedro H C

2017-05-29

In hybrid materials containing plasmonic nanoparticles such as Au and Ag, charge-transfer processes from and to Au or Ag can affect both activities and selectivity in plasmonic catalysis. Inspired by the widespread utilization of commercial Si wafers in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) studies, we investigated herein the effect of the native SiO 2 layer on Si wafers over the surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-mediated activities of the Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs). We prepared SERS-active plasmonic comprised of Au and Ag NPs deposited onto a Si wafer. Here, two kinds of Si wafers were employed: Si with a native oxide surface layer (Si/SiO 2 ) and Si without a native oxide surface layer (Si). This led to Si/SiO 2 /Au, Si/SiO 2 /Ag, Si/Au, and Si/Ag NPs. The SPR-mediated oxidation of p-aminothiophenol (PATP) to p,p'-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) was employed as a model transformation. By comparing the performances and band structures for the Si/Au and Si/Ag relative to Si/SiO 2 /Au and Si/SiO 2 /Ag NPs, it was found that the presence of a SiO 2 layer was crucial to enable higher SPR-mediated PATP to DMAB conversions. The SiO 2 layer acts to prevent the charge transfer of SPR-excited hot electrons from Au or Ag nanoparticles to the Si substrate. This enabled SPR-excited hot electrons to be transferred to adsorbed O 2 molecules, which then participate in the selective oxidation of PATP to DMAB. In the absence of a SiO 2 layer, SPR-excited hot electrons are preferentially transferred to Si instead of adsorbed O 2 molecules, leading to much lower PATP oxidation. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Polyphase enrichment and redistribution processes in silver-rich mineral associations of the hydrothermal fluorite-barite-(Ag-Cu) Clara deposit, SW Germany

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keim, Maximilian F.; Walter, Benjamin F.; Neumann, Udo; Kreissl, Stefan; Bayerl, Richard; Markl, Gregor

2018-03-01

The silver-copper sulfide mineralization associated with the fluorite-barite vein system at the Clara deposit in SW Germany shows large scale vertical zoning. Low to moderate silver contents prevail in the upper 350 m, whereas high silver contents occur in the subsequent 450 m of the currently known vein system. This change in Ag tenor is related to conspicuous mineralogical changes with depth. A detailed petrographic and fluid inclusion study identifies evidence for five subsequent hydrothermal and one alteration stage—all contributing to mineralogical diversity. The vertical Ag zoning, however, is attributed only to the first of these stages. During this first stage, increasing oxidation of ascending hydrothermal fluids (90-160 °C, 24.2-26.7 wt% NaCl+CaCl2) led to the formation of high-Ag tetrahedrite-tennantite in the lower parts and basically Ag-free enargite in the upper parts of the vein system. The subsequent hydrothermal stage led to significant mineralogical changes, but inherited the pre-existing Ag zonation. In this second hydrothermal stage, which was related to fluids similar in composition to those of the first stage (70-125 °C, 23.1-26.5 wt% NaCl+CaCl2), dissolution of high Ag-tetrahedrite-tennantite resulted in the formation of complex Ag-sulfosalts together with moderately Ag-bearing tetrahedrite-tennantite and chalcopyrite. The first two stages were formed by fluid mixing of a sedimentary and a hot basement fluid. The influx of fluids with high Ag, Bi and Pb activity during stage 3 and 5 resulted in the local replacement of earlier Ag-sulfosalts by galena and Ag-(Bi)-sulfosalts. The fourth stage is marked by partial dissolution of sulfides and sulfosalts by a late, hot, undiluted basement fluid (250 °C, 18.7-20.9 wt% NaCl+CaCl2) precipitating fluorite, barite and quartz. Finally, supergene alteration lead to the dissolution of silver-bearing phases and the precipitation of acanthite and native silver. The study illustrates, how metal tenor

c-T phase diagram and Landau free energies of (AgAu)55 nanoalloy via neural-network molecular dynamic simulations.

PubMed

Chiriki, Siva; Jindal, Shweta; Bulusu, Satya S

2017-10-21

For understanding the structure, dynamics, and thermal stability of (AgAu) 55 nanoalloys, knowledge of the composition-temperature (c-T) phase diagram is essential due to the explicit dependence of properties on composition and temperature. Experimentally, generating the phase diagrams is very challenging, and therefore theoretical insight is necessary. We use an artificial neural network potential for (AgAu) 55 nanoalloys. Predicted global minimum structures for pure gold and gold rich compositions are lower in energy compared to previous reports by density functional theory. The present work based on c-T phase diagram, surface area, surface charge, probability of isomers, and Landau free energies supports the enhancement of catalytic property of Ag-Au nanoalloys by incorporation of Ag up to 24% by composition in Au nanoparticles as found experimentally. The phase diagram shows that there is a coexistence temperature range of 70 K for Ag 28 Au 27 compared to all other compositions. We propose the power spectrum coefficients derived from spherical harmonics as an order parameter to calculate Landau free energies.

Effect of (Ag, Sn) Doping on the Structure and Optical Properties of Au Nanocluster

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balu, Radhakrishnan; Karna, Shashi

2014-03-01

Noble metal nanoclusters (NCs) consisting of a few to 35 atoms in size in the sub 2 nm range dimension are considered to be nontoxic as opposed to nanoparticles that are cytotoxic. Also, due to the quantum confinement of electrons, these NCs exhibit atom-like energy spectrum and display fluorescent properties useful in a wide range of applications, including medical diagnosis. The unique features of NCs such as size-tunable optical properties, intense fluorescence in the visible, and biocompatibility have stimulated an active area of investigation of noble metal NCs comprised of Au, Ag, Cu, and Pt. Furthermore, the electronic properties of nanoclusters can be modified by combining them with other elements. In this study, we consider the space-filled configuration of Au32 NC and investigate the effects of Ag and Sn atom incorporation on geometry and electronic spectrum. Our study suggests that Ag and Sn doping of Au32 NC red-shifts the absorption maximum and also reduces the oscillator strength.

A theoretical investigation on Cu/Ag/Au bonding in XH2P⋯MY(X = H, CH3, F, CN, NO2; M = Cu, Ag, Au; Y = F, Cl, Br, I) complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhaoxu; Liu, Yi; Zheng, Baishu; Zhou, Fengxiang; Jiao, Yinchun; Liu, Yuan; Ding, XunLei; Lu, Tian

2018-05-01

Intermolecular interaction of XH2P...MY (X = H, CH3, F, CN, NO2; M = Cu, Ag, Au; Y = F, Cl, Br, I) complexes was investigated by means of an ab initio method. The molecular interaction energies are in the order Ag < Cu < Au and increased with the decrease of RP...M. Interaction energies are strengthened when electron-donating substituents X connected to XH2P, while electron-withdrawing substituents produce the opposite effect. The strongest P...M bond was found in CH3H2P...AuF with -70.95 kcal/mol, while the weakest one was found in NO2H2P...AgI with -20.45 kcal/mol. The three-center/four-electron (3c/4e) resonance-type of P:-M-:Y hyperbond was recognized by the natural resonance theory and the natural bond orbital analysis. The competition of P:M-Y ↔ P-M:Y resonance structures mainly arises from hyperconjugation interactions; the bond order of bP-M and bM-Y is in line with the conservation of the idealized relationship bP-M + bM-Y ≈ 1. In all MF-containing complexes, P-M:F resonance accounted for a larger proportion which leads to the covalent characters for partial ionicity of MF. The interaction energies of these Cu/Ag/Au complexes are basically above the characteristic values of the halogen-bond complexes and close to the observed strong hydrogen bonds in ionic hydrogen-bonded species.

A nanocomposite of Au-AgI core/shell dimer as a dual-modality contrast agent for x-ray computed tomography and photoacoustic imaging

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Orza, Anamaria; Wu, Hui; Li, Yuancheng

Purpose: To develop a core/shell nanodimer of gold (core) and silver iodine (shell) as a dual-modal contrast-enhancing agent for biomarker targeted x-ray computed tomography (CT) and photoacoustic imaging (PAI) applications. Methods: The gold and silver iodine core/shell nanodimer (Au/AgICSD) was prepared by fusing together components of gold, silver, and iodine. The physicochemical properties of Au/AgICSD were then characterized using different optical and imaging techniques (e.g., HR- transmission electron microscope, scanning transmission electron microscope, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, Z-potential, and UV-vis). The CT and PAI contrast-enhancing effects were tested and then compared with a clinically used CT contrast agentmore » and Au nanoparticles. To confer biocompatibility and the capability for efficient biomarker targeting, the surface of the Au/AgICSD nanodimer was modified with the amphiphilic diblock polymer and then functionalized with transferrin for targeting transferrin receptor that is overexpressed in various cancer cells. Cytotoxicity of the prepared Au/AgICSD nanodimer was also tested with both normal and cancer cell lines. Results: The characterizations of prepared Au/AgI core/shell nanostructure confirmed the formation of Au/AgICSD nanodimers. Au/AgICSD nanodimer is stable in physiological conditions for in vivo applications. Au/AgICSD nanodimer exhibited higher contrast enhancement in both CT and PAI for dual-modality imaging. Moreover, transferrin functionalized Au/AgICSD nanodimer showed specific binding to the tumor cells that have a high level of expression of the transferrin receptor. Conclusions: The developed Au/AgICSD nanodimer can be used as a potential biomarker targeted dual-modal contrast agent for both or combined CT and PAI molecular imaging.« less

Cu, Ag, Au: Electrical Resistivity Along their Melting Boundaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Secco, R.; Littleton, J. A. H.; Berrada, M.; Ezenwa, I.; Yong, W.

2017-12-01

Electrical resistivity of Cu, Ag and Au was measured at pressures up to 5 GPa and temperatures up to 300 K above melting in a 1000-ton cubic anvil press. Two W/Re thermocouples placed at opposite ends of the wire sample served as T probes as well as 4-wire resistance electrodes in a switched circuit. A polarity switch was also used to remove any bias associated with current flow and voltage measurement using thermocouple legs. Examination of the composition of recovered and sectioned samples was carried out using electron microprobe analyses. Melting temperatures at high pressures were determined from the large jump in resistivity on heating at constant pressure and these agree well with previous experimental and theoretical phase diagram studies. With increasing P and T, electrical resistivity behavior in these noble metals is consistent with 1atm data. The resistivity values at the melting temperature of Cu and Ag decrease with increasing high pressure and Au seems to behave similarly. The results are compared to prediction by Stacey and Anderson (PEPI, 2001).

An intermetallic Au24Ag20 superatom nanocluster stabilized by labile ligands.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Su, Haifeng; Xu, Chaofa; Li, Gang; Gell, Lars; Lin, Shuichao; Tang, Zichao; Häkkinen, Hannu; Zheng, Nanfeng

2015-04-08

An intermetallic nanocluster containing 44 metal atoms, Au24Ag20(2-SPy)4(PhC≡C)20Cl2, was successfully synthesized and structurally characterized by single-crystal analysis and density funtional theory computations. The 44 metal atoms in the cluster are arranged as a concentric three-shell Au12@Ag20@Au12 Keplerate structure having a high symmetry. For the first time, the co-presence of three different types of anionic ligands (i.e., phenylalkynyl, 2-pyridylthiolate, and chloride) was revealed on the surface of metal nanoclusters. Similar to thiolates, alkynyls bind linearly to surface Au atoms using their σ-bonds, leading to the formation of two types of surface staple units (PhC≡C-Au-L, L = PhC≡C(-) or 2-pyridylthiolate) on the cluster. The co-presence of three different surface ligands allows the site-specific surface and functional modification of the cluster. The lability of PhC≡C(-) ligands on the cluster was demonstrated, making it possible to keep the metal core intact while removing partial surface capping. Moreover, it was found that ligand exchange on the cluster occurs easily to offer various derivatives with the same metal core but different surface functionality and thus different solubility.

Controlled preparation of M(Ag, Au)/TiO2 through sulfydryl-assisted method for enhanced photocatalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Hongbo; Wu, Suli; Bi, Jiajie; Zhang, Shufen

2017-11-01

Here a simple and effective method was explored to fabricate M/TiO2 (M = Ag, Au) composites, which required neither pre-treatment of TiO2 nor any additives as reducing agent. Using amorphous TiO2 spheres functionalized with SH groups as starting materials, the noble metallic ions (Ag, Au) can be adsorbed by TiO2 due to their special affinity with SH groups, which is beneficial to the uniform dispersion of metallic ions on the surface of TiO2. Then the adsorbed ions were reduced to form noble metal nanoparticles by heating process (95 °C) directly without additive as reduction agent. Meanwhile, the amorphous TiO2 was transformed into anatase phase during the heating process. Thus, the transformation of TiO2 along with the reduction of noble metallic ions (Ag, Au) was simultaneously carried out by heating. The XRD patterns proved the formation of anatase TiO2 after heating. The characterizations of XPS and TEM proved the formation of Ag and Au nanoparticles on the surface of TiO2. The element mapping indicated that Ag nanoparticles are dispersed uniformly on the surface of TiO2. The photocatalytic activity of the composites has been investigated by the degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation. The results showed that when Ag/TiO2 (2.8 wt%) was used as photocatalyst, about 98% of the MO molecules were degraded in 70 min.

Biogenic synthesis of Ag-Au-In decorated on rGO nanosheet and its antioxidant and biological activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hazarika, Moushumi; Sonowal, Shashanka; Saikia, Indranirekha; Boruah, Purna K.; Das, Manash R.; Tamuly, Chandan

2017-09-01

Au-Ag-In-rGO nanocomposite was synthesized using fruit extract of Zanthoxylum rhetsa which is an eco-friendly, simple and green method. It was characterized by UV-visible, FT-IR, XRD, XPS, EDX, TEM technique. The antioxidant capacity of the nanocomposite was evaluated in presence of AgNO3, HAuCl4 and InCl3 solution respectively at 25 °C. The results showed significant antioxidant activity in presence of 1  ×  10-5 mM AgNO3 solution. The antibacterial activity of Au-Ag-In-rGO nanoparticles was carried out against the gram  -ve bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and gram  +ve bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus. The bacterial growth kinetics was studied. The bacterial strain E. coli and S. aureus showed complete inhibition at concentration 100 µg ml-1. The activity is more effective in case of Au-Ag-In-rGO compared to GO.

Ferritin-mediated biomimetic synthesis of bimetallic Au-Ag nanoparticles on graphene nanosheets for electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Li; Wang, Jiku; Ni, Pengjuan; Li, Zhuang

2015-03-01

We demonstrated a biomimetic green synthesis of bimetallic Au-Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on graphene nanosheets (GNs). The spherical protein, ferritin (Fr), was bound onto GNs and served as the template for the synthesis of GN/Au-Ag nanohybrids. The created GN/Au-Ag nanohybrids were further utilized to fabricate a non-enzymatic amperometric biosensor for the sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and this biosensor displayed high performances to determine H2O2 with a detection limit of 20.0 × 10-6 M and a linear detection range from 2.0 μM to 7.0 mM.

Wetting reaction of Sn-Ag based solder systems on Cu substrates plated with Au and/or Pd layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, C. Y.; Li, Jian; Vandentop, G. J.; Choi, W. J.; Tu, K. N.

2001-05-01

The wetting behavior of SnAg based Pb-free solders on Cu and Cu substrates plated with Au, Pd, and Au/Pd thin films have been studied. The wetting angle and kinetics of interfacial reaction were measured. The Au-plated substrates exhibit better wetting than the Pd-plated substrates. In the case of SnAg on Pd-plated Cu, SEM observation revealed that the solder cap was surrounded by an innerring of Cu-Sn compound and an outer ring of Pd-Sn compound. This implies that the molten SnAg solder had removed the Pd and wetted the Cu directly in the equilibrium state. The effects of pre-doping Cu in the SnAg solder on wetting behavior were also investigated. We found that wettability decreases with increasing Cu content in the solder. We also observed that the SnAgCu solders have a lower Cu consumption rate than the SnAg solder.

Centrality and collision system dependence of antiproton production from p+A to Au+Au collisions at AGS energies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sako, H.; Ahle, L.; Akiba, Y.; Ashktorab, K.; Baker, M. D.; Beavis, D.; Britt, H. C.; Chang, J.; Chasman, C.; Chen, Z.;

Synthesis of Ag and Au nanoparticles embedded in carbon film: Optical, crystalline and topography analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gholamali, Hediyeh; Shafiekhani, Azizollah; Darabi, Elham; Elahi, Seyed Mohammad

2018-03-01

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images give valuable information about surface roughness of thin films based on the results of power spectral density (PSD) through the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms. In the present work, AFM data are studied for silver and gold nanoparticles (Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H) embedded in amorphous hydrogenated carbon films and co-deposited on glass substrate via of RF-Sputtering and RF-Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition methods. Here, the working gas is acetylene and the targets are Ag and Au. While time and power are constant, the only variable parameter in this study is initial pressure. In addition, the crystalline structure of Ag NPs a-C: H and Au NPs a-C: H are studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD). UV-visible spectrophotometry will also investigate optical properties and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of samples.

New insights into the formation mechanism of Ag, Au and AgAu nanoparticles in aqueous alkaline media: alkoxides from alcohols, aldehydes and ketones as universal reducing agents.

PubMed

Gomes, Janaina F; Garcia, Amanda C; Ferreira, Eduardo B; Pires, Cleiton; Oliveira, Vanessa L; Tremiliosi-Filho, Germano; Gasparotto, Luiz H S

2015-09-07

In this report we present new insights into the formation mechanism of Ag, Au and AgAu nanoparticles with alcohols, aldehydes and ketones in alkaline medium at room temperature. We selected methanol, ethanol, glycerol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acetone to demonstrate their capability of reducing gold and silver ions under the above-mentioned conditions. We showed that the particles are also formed with potassium tert-butoxide in the absence of hydroxides. Our results strongly suggest that alkoxides, formed from any molecule containing a hydroxyl or a functional group capable of generating them in alkaline medium, are the actual and universal reducing agent of silver and gold ions, in opposition to the currently accepted mechanisms. The universality of the reaction mechanism proposed in this work may impact on the production of noble nanoparticles with simple chemicals normally found in standard laboratories.

Origin of sulfur and crustal recycling of copper in polymetallic (Cu-Au-Co-Bi-U ± Ag) iron-oxide-dominated systems of the Great Bear Magmatic Zone, NWT, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acosta-Góngora, P.; Gleeson, S. A.; Samson, I. M.; Corriveau, L.; Ootes, L.; Jackson, S. E.; Taylor, B. E.; Girard, I.

2018-03-01

The Great Bear Magmatic Zone, in northwest Canada, contains numerous polymetallic mineral occurrences, prospects, and deposits of the iron oxide copper-gold deposit (IOCG) family. The mineralization is hosted by the Treasure Lake Group and igneous rocks of the Great Bear arc and was deposited concomitantly with the arc magmatism (ca. 1.88 to 1.87 Ga). In situ δ 34S ( n = 48) and δ 65Cu ( n = 79) analyses were carried out on ore-related sulfides from a number of these systems. The δ 34S values mainly vary between 0 and +5‰, consistent with derivation of sulfur from the mantle. Lower δ 34S values (-7.7 to +1.4‰) from the Sue-Dianne breccia may indicate SO2 disproportionation of a magmatic hydrothermal fluid. The δ 65Cu values vary between -1.2 and -0.3‰, and are lower than the igneous δ 65Cu range of values (0.0 ± 0.27‰). The S and Cu isotopic data are decoupled, which suggests that Cu (and possibly some S) was dissolved and remobilized from supracrustal rocks during early stages of alteration (e.g., sodic alteration) and then precipitated by lower temperature, more oxidizing fluids (e.g., Ca-Fe-K alteration). A limited fluid inclusion dataset and δ 13C and δ 18O values are also presented. The δ 18Ofluid values are consistent with a magmatic origin or a host-rock equilibrated meteoric water source, whereas the δ 13Cfluid values support a marine carbonate source. Combined, the S and Cu isotopic data indicate that while the emplacement of the Great Bear magmatic bodies may have driven fluid convection and may be the source of fluids and sulfur, metals such as Cu could have been recycled from crustal sources.

Au 329–xAg x(SR) 84 Nanomolecules: Plasmonic Alloy Faradaurate-329

DOE PAGES

Kumara, Chanaka; Zuo, Xiaobing; Cullen, David A.; ...

2015-08-10

Though significant progress has been made to improve the monodispersity of larger (>10 nm) alloy metal nanoparticles, there still exists a significant variation in nanoparticle composition, ranging from ±1000s of atoms. Here in this paper, for the first time, we report the synthesis of atomically precise (±0 metal atom variation) Au 329–xAg x(SCH 2CH 2Ph) 84 alloy nanomolecules. The composition was determined using high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. In contrast to larger (>10 nm) Au–Ag nanoparticles, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak does not show a major shift, but a minor ~10 nm red-shift, upon increasing silver content. Themore » intensity of the SPR peak also varies in an intriguing manner, where a dampening is observed with medium silver incorporation, and a significant sharpening is observed upon higher Ag content. The report outlines (a) an unprecedented advance in nanoparticle mass spectrometry of high mass at atomic precision; and (b) the unexpected optical behavior of Au–Ag alloys in the region where nascent SPR emerges; specifically, in this work, the SPR-like peak does not show a major ~100 nm blue-shift with Ag alloying of Au 329 nanomolecules, as shown to be common in larger nanoparticles.« less

Localized surface plasmon resonance properties of symmetry-broken Au-ITO-Ag multilayered nanoshells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Jingwei; Mu, Haiwei; Lu, Xili; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Chao; Sun, Tao; Chu, Paul K.

2018-06-01

The plasmonic properties of symmetry-broken Au-ITO-Ag multilayered nanoshells by shell cutting are studied by the finite element method. The influence of the polarization of incident light and geometrical parameters on the plasmon resonances of the multilayered nanoshells are investigated. The polarization-dependent multiple plasmon resonances appear from the multilayered nanoshells due to symmetry breaking. In nanostructures with a broken symmetry, the localized surface plasmon resonance modes are enhanced resulting in higher order resonances. According to the plasmon hybridization theory, these resonance modes and greater spectral tunability derive from the interactions of an admixture of both primitive and multipolar modes between the inner Au core and outer Ag shell. By changing the radius of the Au core, the extinction resonance modes of the multilayered nanoshells can be easily tuned to the near-infrared region. To elucidate the symmetry-broken effects of multilayered nanoshells, we link the geometrical asymmetry to the asymmetrical distributions of surface charges and demonstrate dipolar and higher order plasmon modes with large associated field enhancements at the edge of the Ag rim. The spectral tunability of the multiple resonance modes from visible to near-infrared is investigated and the unique properties are attractive to applications including angularly selective filtering to biosensing.

Pulsed electrodeposition of two-dimensional Ag nanostructures on Au(111).

PubMed

Borissov, D; Tsekov, R; Freyland, W

2006-08-17

One-step pulsed potential electrodeposition of Ag on Au(111) in the underpotential deposition (UPD) region has been studied in 0.5 mM Ag2SO4 + 0.1 M H2SO4 aqueous electrolyte at various pulse durations from 0.2 to 500 ms. Evolution of the deposited Ag nanostructures was followed by in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and by measurement of the respective current transients. At short pulse durations a relatively high number density (4 x 10(11) cm(-2)) of two-dimensional Ag clusters with a narrow size and distance distribution is observed. They exhibit a remarkably high stability characterized by a dissolution potential which lies about 200 mV more anodically than the typical potential of Ag-(1 x 1) monolayer dissolution. To elucidate the underlying nucleation and growth mechanism, two models have been considered: two-dimensional lattice incorporation and a newly developed coupled diffusion-adsorption model. The first one yields a qualitative description of the current transients, whereas the second one is in nearly quantitative agreement with the experimental data. In this model the transformation of a Ag-(3 x 3) into a Ag-(1 x 1) structure indicated in the cyclic voltammogram (peaks at 520 vs 20 mV) is taken into account.

Chemical composition and varieties of fahlore-group minerals from Oligocene mineralization in the Rhodope area, Southern Bulgaria and Northern Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Repstock, Alexander; Voudouris, Panagiotis; Zeug, Manuela; Melfos, Vasilios; Zhai, Mingguo; Li, Hongzhong; Kartal, Tamara; Matuszczak, Julia

2016-02-01

Fahlore-group minerals in Oligocene magmatic-hydrothermal deposits from the central and eastern Rhodope area, Bulgaria and Greece (e.g. porphyry-epithermal systems at Pagoni Rachi, Maronia and Kassiteres-Sapes, polymetallic epithermal high- and intermediate-sulfidation veins at Kirki, Perama Hill, Mavrokoryfi, Pefka, Zvezdel-Pcheloyad and Madzharovo, skarn-carbonate replacement deposits at Laki, Davidkovo, Madan, Enyovche and intrusion-related deposits at Kimmeria), cover the whole range of the tetrahedrite-tennantite solid solution series and are dominated by zincian and ferroan varieties reflecting deposition from Zn-(and Fe)-rich fluids. The majority of the studied fahlores are "normal" fully-substituted with Cu (+Ag) close to 10 apfu. However, high-sulfidation epithermal deposits in Greece contain "Cu-excess" tetrahedrite-tennantite; those with extreme high Cu-excess > Fe + Zn occur in transitional high- to intermediate-sulfidation systems, whereas low "Cu-excess" tetrahedrite-tennantite with Zn > Cu-excess + Fe and Fe > Cu-excess + Zn are part of tellurides-bearing intermediate-sulfidation assemblages. The epithermal St. Demetrios and Pefka deposits display the most Cu-rich tetrahedrites (11.039 apfu Cu) and tennantite (11.784 apfu Cu) worldwide. Although Ag substitutes for Cu in the structure of Ag-rich tetrahedrite in several deposits, freibergite with 6.800 apfu Ag occurs only at Mavrokoryfi; in particular, the cadmian freibergite at Mavrokoryfi is the second finding of this variety worldwide. Tellurium-bearing fahlore varieties occur in association with enargite/luzonite and native gold in high-sulfidation ore assemblages. Tetravalent tellurium substitutes for trivalent As and Sb in goldfieldite and Te-rich tennantite and tetrahedrite at Mavrokoryfi, Perama Hill, St. Demetrios and Pefka deposits. Goldfieldite at Mavrokoryfi and Perama Hill is remarkably Te-rich (up to 3.766 apfu and 3.711 apfu Te, respectively), with total metal content of 10.591 apfu and

Highly sensitive colorimetric detection of glucose in a serum based on DNA-embeded Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Fei; Hou, Xiangshu; Xu, Kun

2015-10-01

Glucose is a key energy substance in diverse biology and closely related to the life activities of the organism. To develop a simple and sensitive method for glucose detection is extremely urgent but still remains a key challenge. Herein, we report a colorimetric glucose sensor in a homogeneous system based on DNA-embedded core-shell Au@Ag nanoparticles. In this assay, a glucose substrate was first catalytically oxidized by glucose oxidase to produce H2O2 which would further oxidize and gradually etch the outer silver shell of Au@Ag nanoparticles. Afterwards, the solution color changed from yellow to red and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of Au@Ag nanoparticles declined and red-shifted from 430 to 516 nm. Compared with previous silver-based glucose colorimetric detection strategies, the distinctive SPR band change is superior to the color variation, which is critical to the high sensitivity of this assay. Benefiting from the outstanding optical property, robust stability and well-dispersion of the core-shell Au@AgNPs hybrid, this colorimetric assay obtained a detection limit of glucose as low as 10 nM, which is at least a 10-fold improvement over other AgNPs-based procedures. Moreover, this optical biosensor was successfully employed to the determination of glucose in fetal bovine serum.

Fe-U-PGE-Au-Ag-Cu Deposits of the Udokan-Chiney Region (East Siberia, Russia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gongalskiy, B.; Krivolutskaya, N.; Murashov, K.; Nistratov, S.; Gryazev, S.

2012-04-01

Introduction. Cupriferous sandstones-shales and magmatic copper-nickel deposits mark out the western and southern boundaries of the Siberian Craton accordingly. Of special interest are the Paleoproterozoic deposits of the Udokan-Chiney mining district (Gongalskiy, Krivolutskaya, 2008). Copper reserves and resources of this region are estimated at more than 50 Mt. Half of them is concentrated at the unique Udokan Deposit and the second half is distributed among sedimentary (Unkur, Pravoingamakitskoye, Sakinskoye, Krasnoye, Burpala) and magmatic deposits of the Chiney (Rudnoye, Verkhnechineyskoye, Kontaktovoye), Luktur and Maylav massifs. Results. It was established that the ores are characterized by similarity in chemical composition (main, major and rare elements that are Ag, Au, PGE) and mineral assemblages with varying proportions. It is important to emphasize that Fe role in mineralization was previously ignored. Meanwhile the Udokan deposit contains 10 Mt of magnetite metacrystals so as chalcocite ores may contain up to 50% magnetite too. It has been recently found that the Chiney titanomagnetite ores comprise commercially significant uranium and rare-earth metal concentrations (Makaryev et al., 2011). Thus the Udokan-Chiney region comprises Cu, Fe, Ti, V, U, REE, Ag, Au, PGE. These deposits differ from similar objects, the Olympic Dam in particular, by a much smaller content of fluid-bearing minerals. Copper mineralization at the Udokan is represented by chalcocite-bornite ores. They occur as ore beds conformable with sedimentary structures or as cross-cutting veins. The central zones of the former are often brecciated. They are rimmed by fine magnetite, bornite, and chalcocite dissemination. Bornite-chalcopyrite and chalcopyrite-pyrite veins are known at the lower levels of the Udokan ore bed. Such ore compositions are predominant in other ore deposits in sedimentary rocks (Pravoingamakitskoye, Unkur) and have a hydrothermal origin. Silver grades are up to

Novel multifunctional graphene sheets with encased Au/Ag nanoparticles for advanced electrochemical analysis of organic compounds.

PubMed

Pruneanu, Stela; Biris, Alexandru R; Pogacean, Florina; Lazar, Diana Mihaela; Ardelean, Stefania; Watanabe, Fumyia; Dervishi, Enkeleda; Biris, Alexandru S

2012-11-12

This work is the first presentation of the synthesis of few-layer graphene decorated with gold and silver nanoparticles (Gr-Au-Ag) by chemical vapor deposition over a catalytic system formed of bimetallic Au-Ag nanoclusters supported on MgO and with methane used as the source of carbon. The sheetlike morphology of the graphene nanostructures, with mean sizes in the range of hundreds of nanometers, was observed by high-resolution electron microscopy. The distinctive feature found in all the samples was the regular rectangular or square shapes. This multi-component organic-inorganic nanomaterial was used to modify a platinum substrate and subsequently employed for the detection of carbamazepine, an anti-convulsion drug. UV/Vis spectroscopy revealed that a strong hypochromism occurred over time, after mixing solutions of graphene-Au-Ag with carbamazepine. This can be attributed to π-π stacking between the aromatic groups of the two compounds. Linear sweep voltammetry (LCV) provided evidence that the modified platinum substrate presented a significant electrocatalytic reaction toward the oxidation of carbamazepine. The intensity of the current was found to increase by up to 2.5 times, and the oxidation potential shifted from +1.5 to +1.35 V(Ag/AgCl) in comparison with the unmodified electrode. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was further used to thoroughly assess the activity of the platinum electrode that was modified by the deposition of the Gr-Au-Ag composites in the presence of various concentrations of carbamazepine. The experimental EIS records were used for the generation of an equivalent electrical circuit, based on the charge-transfer resistance (R(ct)), Warburg impedance (Z(D)), solution resistance (R(s)), and a constant phase element (CPE) that characterizes the non-ideal interface capacitive responses. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of Cu, Au and Ag on structural and surface properties of bioactive coatings based on titanium.

PubMed

Wojcieszak, D; Mazur, M; Kalisz, M; Grobelny, M

2017-02-01

In this work influence of copper, silver and gold additives on structural and surface properties of biologically active thin films based on titanium have been described. Coatings were prepared by magnetron sputtering method. During each process metallic discs (targets) - Ti and the additive (Cu, Ag or Au) were co-sputtered in argon atmosphere. Structural investigation of as-deposited coatings was performed with the aid of XRD and SEM/EDS method. It was found that all prepared thin films were homogenous. Addition of Cu, Ag and Au resulted in nanocrystalline structure. Moreover, influence of these additives on hardness and antibacterial activity of titanium coatings was also studied. Ti-Cu, Ti-Ag and Ti-Au films had lower hardness as-compared to Ti. According to AAS results the difference of their activity was related to the ion migration process. It was found that Ti-Ag and Ti-Au coatings had biocidal effect related to direct contact of their surface with microorganisms. In the case of Ti-Cu antimicrobial activity had direct and indirect nature due to efficient ion migration process from the film surface to the surrounding environment. Functional features of coatings such as wettability and corrosion resistance were also examined and included in the comprehensive analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carbon dot-Au(i)Ag(0) assembly for the construction of an artificial light harvesting system.

PubMed

Jana, Jayasmita; Aditya, Teresa; Pal, Tarasankar

2018-03-06

Artificial light harvesting systems (LHS) with inorganic counterparts are considered to be robust as well as mechanistically simple, where the system follows the donor-acceptor principle with an unchanged structural pattern. Plasmonic gold or silver nanoparticles are mostly chosen as inorganic counterparts to design artificial LHS. To capitalize on its electron accepting capability, Au(i) has been considered in this work for the synergistic stabilization of a system with intriguingly fluorescing silver(0) clusters produced in situ. Thus a stable fluorescent Au(i)Ag(0) assembly is generated with electron accepting capabilities. On the other hand, carbon dots have evolved as new fluorescent probes due to their unique physicochemical properties. Utilizing the simple electronic behavior of carbon dots, an electronic interaction between the fluorescent Au(i)Ag(0) and a carbon dot has been investigated for the construction of a new artificial light harvesting system. This coinage metal assembly allows surface energy transfer where it acts as an acceptor, while the carbon dot behaves as a good donor. The energy transfer efficiency has been calculated experimentally to be significant (81.3%) and the Au(i)Ag(0)-carbon dot assembly paves the way for efficient artificial LHS.

A novel surface plasmon resonance biosensor based on the PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform for horse IgG detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ning; Zhang, Di; Deng, Xinyu; Sun, Ying; Wang, Xinghua; Ma, Pinyi; Song, Daqian

2018-02-01

Herein we report a novel polydopamine-silver nanoparticle-polydopamine-gold (PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au) film based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for horse IgG detection. The PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform was built on Au-film via layer-by-layer self-assembly. Ag ion was reduced in situ to AgNPs in presence of PDA. The top PDA layer can prevent AgNPs from being oxidized and connect with antibody via Schiff alkali reaction directly. The morphology and thickness of the modified gold film were characterized using scanning electron microscope and Talystep. Experimental results show that the PDA-AgNPs-PDA-Au film sensing platform is stable, regenerative and sensitive for horse IgG detection. The detection limit of horse IgG obtained with the present biosensor is 0.625 μg mL- 1, which is 2-fold and 4-fold lower than that obtained with biosensor based on PDA modified Au film and conventional biosensor based on MPA, respectively. Furthermore, when challenged to real serum samples, our sensor exhibited excellent specificity to horse IgG, suggesting its potential for industrial application.

Leaching of Au, Ag, and Pd from waste printed circuit boards of mobile phone by iodide lixiviant after supercritical water pre-treatment.

PubMed

Xiu, Fu-Rong; Qi, Yingying; Zhang, Fu-Shen

2015-07-01

Precious metals are the most attractive resources in waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) of mobile phones. In this work, an alternative process for recovering Au, Ag, and Pd from waste PCBs of mobile phones by supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) pre-treatment combined with iodine-iodide leaching process was developed. In the process, the waste PCBs of mobile phones were pre-treated in supercritical water, then a diluted hydrochloric acid leaching (HL) process was used to recovery the Cu, whose leaching efficiency was approximately 100%, finally the resulting residue was subjected to the iodine-iodide leaching process for recovering the Au, Ag, and Pd. Experimental results indicated that SCWO pre-treatment temperature, time, and pressure had significant influence on the Au, Ag, and Pd leaching from (SCWO+HL)-treated waste PCBs. The optimal SCWO pre-treatment conditions were 420°C and 60min for Au and Pd, and 410°C and 30min for Ag. The optimum dissolution parameters for Au, Pd, and Ag in (SCWO+HL)-treated PCBs with iodine-iodide system were leaching time of 120min (90min for Ag), iodine/iodide mole ratio of 1:5 (1:6 for Ag), solid-to-liquid ratio (S/L) of 1:10g/mL (1:8g/mL for Ag), and pH of 9, respectively. It is believed that the process developed in this study is environment friendly for the recovery of Au, Ag, and Pd from waste PCBs of mobile phones by SCWO pre-treatment combined with iodine-iodide leaching process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

All-thiol-stabilized Ag44 and Au12Ag32 nanoparticles with single-crystal structures.

PubMed

Yang, Huayan; Wang, Yu; Huang, Huaqi; Gell, Lars; Lehtovaara, Lauri; Malola, Sami; Häkkinen, Hannu; Zheng, Nanfeng

2013-01-01

Noble metal nanoparticles stabilized by organic ligands are important for applications in assembly, site-specific bioconjugate labelling and sensing, drug delivery and medical therapy, molecular recognition and molecular electronics, and catalysis. Here we report crystal structures and theoretical analysis of three Ag44(SR)30 and three Au12Ag32(SR)30 intermetallic nanoclusters stabilized with fluorinated arylthiols (SR=SPhF, SPhF2 or SPhCF3). The nanocluster forms a Keplerate solid of concentric icosahedral and dodecahedral atom shells, protected by six Ag2(SR)5 units. Positive counterions in the crystal indicate a high negative charge of 4(-) per nanoparticle, and density functional theory calculations explain the stability as an 18-electron superatom shell closure in the metal core. Highly featured optical absorption spectra in the ultraviolet-visible region are analysed using time-dependent density functional perturbation theory. This work forms a basis for further understanding, engineering and controlling of stability as well as electronic and optical properties of these novel nanomaterials.

Electronic structures and nonlinear optical properties of trinuclear transition metal clusters M-(mu-S)-M' (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au).

PubMed

Chen, Xihua; Wu, Kechen; Snijders, Jaap G; Lin, Chensheng

2003-01-27

A series of trinuclear metal clusters MS4(M'PPh3)2(M'PPh3) (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au) have been studied using the density functional theory (DFT) method. The static polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities of the model clusters have been calculated using the finite-field (F-F) method. The model clusters, divided into two groups, are alike in the structure of two fragments of rhombic units M-(mu-S)2-M' (M = Mo, W; M' = Cu, Ag, Au), perpendicular to each other, which are joined by sharing the bridge metal M. It is the charge transfer from one of these moieties to the other in these characteristic sulfido-transitional metal cores that is responsible for the polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities. This kind of electronic delocalization, different from that of the planar pi-system, is interesting and warrants further investigation. The structural effects on properties are important. In these models, considerable third-order nonlinearities are exhibited. The element substitution effect of Mo and W is weak, while that of Cu and Ag is relatively substantial. An overall order is gamma xxxx(Mo-Ag) > gamma xxxx(W-Ag) > gamma xxxx(Mo-Au) > gamma xxxx(W-Au) > gamma xxxx (Mo-Cu) > gamma xxxx(W-Cu) and gamma av(Mo-Ag) approximately gamma av(W-Ag) > gamma av(Mo-Au) approximately gamma av(W-Au) approximately gamma av (Mo-Cu) approximately gamma av(W-Cu).

Lead isotope compositions as guides to early gold mineralization: The North Amethyst vein system, Creede district, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foley, Nora K.; Ayuso, Robert A.

1994-01-01

Pb isotope compositions from the late stage of the North Amethyst vein system and from the Bondholder and central and southern Creede mining districts are more radiogenic than the host volcanic rocks of the central cluster of the San Juan volcanic field. Our Pb isotope results indicate that early Au mineralization of the North Amethyst area may represent the product of an older and relatively local hydrothermal system distinct from that of the younger base metal and Ag mineralization found throughout the region. Fluids that deposited Au minerals may have derived their Pb isotope composition by a greater degree of interaction with shallow, relatively less radiogenic volcanic wall rocks. The younger, base metal and Ag-rich mineralization that overprints the Au mineralization in the North Amethyst area clearly has a more radiogenic isotopic signature, which implies that the later mineralization derived a greater component of its Pb from Proterozoic source rocks, or sediments derived from them.Paragenetically early sulfide-rich vein assemblages have the least radiogenic galenas and generally also have the highest Au contents. Thus, identification of paragenetically early vein assemblages with relatively unradiogenic Pb isotope compositions similar to those of the North Amethyst area provides an additional exploration tool for Au in the central San Juan Mountains area.

Metallic elements and metalloids in Boletus luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes mushrooms from polymetallic soils from SW China.

PubMed

Falandysz, Jerzy; Zhang, Ji; Wiejak, Anna; Barałkiewicz, Danuta; Hanć, Anetta

2017-08-01

Yunnan Province in China is known for its high biodiversity of mushrooms and a diverse geochemistry of soil bedrock and polymetallic soils, but our knowledge of mineral compositions of mushrooms from Yunnan is scarce. The metallic trace elements, Ag, Ba, Co, Cd, Cs, Cu, Cr, Hg, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, Rb, Sr, V, Tl, U and Zn, and the metalloids, As and Sb, have been investigated using validated methods with a dynamic reactive cell by mass spectroscopy - inductive coupled plasma and cold vapour - atomic absorption spectroscopy on three popular species of Boletus mushrooms from Southwestern China. The trace mineral profiles in caps and stipes of B. luridus (24 individuals), B. magnificus (29 individuals) and B. tomentipes (38 individuals) have been evaluated. The interspecific differences in the content of several trace elements could be attributed to known differences in the geochemistry of soils in Yunnan, but for copper a difference was observed within species. The mean values of concentrations in composite samples of caps for B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes from three to four locations were at the ranges (mgkg -1 dry biomass): Ag (1.3-3.7), As (0.79-53), Ba (4.0-12), Co (0.68-1.2), Cd (0.79-2.2), Cs (0.67-55), Cu (37-77), Cr (5.0-7.6), Hg (2.1-5.4), Li (0.15-0.61), Mn (13-28), Ni (0.86-4.6), Pb (0.59-1.8), Rb (90-120), Sb (0.014-0.088), Sr (0.63-1.6), V (1.4-2.2), Tl (0.017-0.054), U (0.029-0.065) and Zn (130-180). Caps of Boletus mushrooms were richer in Ag, Cu, Hg and Zn than stipes, while other elements were distributed roughly equally between both morphological parts. B. luridus, B. magnificus and B. tomentipes grew in certain sites in Yunnan contained Ag, As, Ba, Cr, Hg, Ni, Sr or V at elevated concentration. A specific geochemistry of the soils type (latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China) can explain occurrence of some minerals at greater or elevated amount in mushrooms

Correlating Cu-sulfide and Au mineralization in the Ertsberg-Grasberg District using LA-ICP-MS and HRXCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, K. A.; Miller, N. R.; Ketcham, R. A.; Kyle, R.

2016-12-01

The Ertsberg-Grasberg district in Papua, Indonesia, hosts to two of the largest intrusion-related Cu-Au deposits in the world: the Ertsberg East Skarn system and the Grasberg Intrusive Complex. Cu mineralization within the Grasberg porphyry and Ertsberg skarn systems primarily consists of bornite and chalcopyrite, with minor digenite and idiate. Native Au is commonly found in association with Cu mineralization where Au occurs as inclusions within or immediately proximal to primary Cu-sulfide minerals. At hydrothermal-ore forming temperatures, approximately 400° to 700° C, bornite and chalcopyrite can host up to 1800 ppm Au within the Cu-sulfide lattice. Upon retrograde cooling of the hydrothermal system, the ability of bornite and chalcopyrite to host Au decreases significantly to about 10 ppm, indicating that the Au could be expulsed from the sulfide lattice. Given the close association of native Au and Cu-sulfide concentrations, it is possible that native gold grains form as the Au emerges from the Cu-sulfides. Constraining the genetic and spatio-temporal relationship between Cu-sulfide and Au mineralization within these deposits is of significant interest with regard to the geometallurgical processing of the ore, and to future exploration. This study seeks to evaluate this relationship using High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (HRXCT) and Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Previous HRXCT studies on Ertsberg-Grasberg ore samples have identified numerous occurrences of native Au grains at the edges of Cu-sulfide masses. HRXCT data are used here to construct 3D Voronoi regions of potential Au "diffusional drainage" from within the Cu-sulfides, where the expectation is a positive correlation between Au grain size and modified Voronoi polyhedron volume, defined as the volume of sulfide closer to that grain than any other via a connected path through sulfide. LA-ICP-MS data are used to determine variations in Au contents

Interfacial surfactant competition and its impact on poly(ethylene oxide)/Au and poly(ethylene oxide)/Ag nanocomposite properties

PubMed Central

Seyhan, Merve; Kucharczyk, William; Yarar, U Ecem; Rickard, Katherine; Rende, Deniz; Baysal, Nihat; Bucak, Seyda; Ozisik, Rahmi

2017-01-01

The structure and properties of nanocomposites of poly(ethylene oxide), with Ag and Au nanoparticles, surface modified with a 1:1 (by volume) oleylamine/oleic acid mixture, were investigated via transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis, and static mechanical testing. Results indicated that there was more oleylamine on Ag nanoparticles but more oleic acid on Au nanoparticles. This difference in surfactant populations on each nanoparticle led to different interfacial interactions with poly(ethylene oxide) and drastically influenced the glass transition temperature of these two nanocomposite systems. Almost all other properties were found to correlate strongly with dispersion and distribution state of Au and Ag nanoparticles, such that the property in question changed direction at the onset of agglomeration. PMID:28461744

Thermosensitive polymer stabilized core-shell AuNR@Ag nanostructures as "smart" recyclable catalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Dongxiang; Liu, Na; Gao, Yuanyuan; Lin, Weihong; Li, Chunfang

2017-11-01

Core-shell AuNR@Ag nanostructures were synthesized and surface-grafted with thermosensitive poly( N-isopropylacrylamide) to enhance stability and endow stimuli-responsive property. The AuNR cores showed average dimensions of 8-nm diameter and 33-nm length, while the anisotropic silver shells displayed 1-2 nm thin side and maximal 8 nm fat side. The obtained polymer-stabilized AuNR@Ag nanostructures as catalysts showed normal Arrhenius change of apparent rate constant, k app, in catalyzed reaction between 20 and 30 °C, but displayed a decrease of k app with respect to the temperature increasing between 32.5-40 °C, showing self-inhibition of the observed catalytic activity. Such "smart" self-inhibition of catalytic activity at enhanced temperature can be attributed to the thermosensitive response of the grafted polymer molecules and should be significant to control the reaction rate and avoid superheat for exothermic reactions. Such polymer-stabilized nanocatalyst also could be recovered and reused in the catalytic system. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Optical spectroscopy of arrays of Ag-Au nanoparticles obtained by vacuum-thermal evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromov, D. G.; Mel'nikov, I. V.; Savitskii, A. I.; Trifonov, A. Yu.; Redichev, E. N.; Astapenko, V. A.

2017-03-01

The possibility of creating irregular arrays of bimetallic Ag-Au nanoparticles is investigated. The ability to manipulate their optical properties based on the simple engineering processes of thermal spraying followed by low-temperature annealing is demonstrated.

Comment on ``(Au-Ag)144(SR)60 alloy nanomolecules'' by C. Kumara and A. Dass, Nanoscale, 2011, 3, 3064

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barcaro, Giovanni; Sementa, Luca; Fortunelli, Alessandro; Stener, Mauro

2015-04-01

A recent paper in this journal reported the synthesis and characterization via electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy of (Au-Ag)144(SR)60 alloy nanomolecules with different compositions, ranging from 1 : 0 to 1 : 0.75 Au : Ag ratios. The UV-vis spectra of such systems were found to exhibit absorption peaks at 310 nm, 425 nm and 560 nm, interpreted as reminiscent of the silver surface plasmon resonance band due to simple atomic replacement of Au by Ag atoms in a fixed structural framework. On the basis of a comparison of experimentally observed and theoretically simulated optical absorption spectra, we conclude that the experimental situation must be more complicated, and that further work is needed to achieve atomistic insight into these fascinating systems.

Adsorption of squaraine molecules to Au(111) and Ag(001) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luft, Maike; Groß, Boris; Schulz, Matthias; Lützen, Arne; Schiek, Manuela; Nilius, Niklas

2018-02-01

The adsorption of anilino squaraines, an important chromophore for the use in organic solar cells, to Ag(001) and Au(111) has been studied with scanning tunneling microscopy. Self-assembly into square building blocks with eight molecules per unit cell is revealed on the Ag surface, while no ordering effects occur on gold. The squaraine-silver interaction is mediated by the carbonyl and hydroxyl oxygens located in the center of the molecule. The intermolecular coupling, on the other hand, is governed by hydrogen bonds formed between the terminal isobutyl groups and oxygen species of adjacent molecules. The latter gets maximized by rotating the molecules by a few degrees against a perfect square alignment. A similar molecular pattern does not form on Au(111) due to symmetry mismatch. Moreover, the high electronegativity of gold reduces the directing effect of oxygen-metal bonds that trigger the ordering process on silver. As a consequence, only frustrated three-fold symmetric units that do not expand into an ordered molecular network are present on the gold surface.

The photovoltaic performance of Ag2S quantum dots-sensitized solar cells using plasmonic Au nanoparticles/TiO2 working electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badawi, Ali; Mostafa, Nasser Y.; Al-Hosiny, Najm M.; Merazga, Amar; Albaradi, Ateyyah M.; Abdel-Wahab, F.; Atta, A. A.

2018-06-01

The photovoltaic performance of silver sulfide (Ag2S) quantum dots-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) using different concentrations (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt.%) of plasmonic Au nanoparticles (NPs)/titania (TiO2) electrodes has been investigated. Ag2S quantum dots (QDs) were adsorbed onto the Au NPs/titania electrodes using the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) deposition technique. The morphological properties of the Au NPs and the prepared titania electrodes were characterized using transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM), respectively. The energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra of the bare titania and Ag2S QDs-sensitized titania electrodes were recorded. The optical properties of the prepared Ag2S QDs-sensitized titania electrodes were measured using a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The estimated energy band gap of Ag2S QDs-sensitized titania electrodes is 1.96 eV. The photovoltaic performance of the assembled Ag2S QDSSCs was measured under 100 mW/cm2 solar illumination. The optimal photovoltaic parameters were obtained as follows: open circuit voltage Voc = 0.50 V, current density Jsc = 3.18 mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) = 0.35 and energy conversion efficiency η = 0.55% for 0.3 wt.% of Au NPs/titania electrode. These results are attributed to the enhancement in the absorption and decrease in the electron-hole pairs recombination rate. The open circuit voltage decay (OCVD) measurements of the assembled Ag2S QDSSCs were measured. The calculated electron lifetime (τ) in Ag2S QDSSCs with Au NPs/titania electrodes is at least one order of magnitude more than that with bare titania electrode. The cut-on-cut-off cycles of the solar illumination measurements show the rapid sensitivity and good reproducibility of the assembled Ag2S QDSSCs.

Nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni/Au contacts on p-type GaN for low contact resistance and high reflectivity.

PubMed

Kwon, Y W; Ju, I C; Kim, S K; Choi, Y S; Kim, M H; Yoo, S H; Kang, D H; Sung, H K; Shin, K; Ko, C G

2011-07-01

We synthesized the vertical-structured LED (VLED) using nano-scaled Pt between p-type GaN and Ag-based reflector. The metallization scheme on p-type GaN for high reflectance and low was the nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni/Au. Nano-scaled Pt (5 A) on Ag/Ni/Au exhibited reasonably high reflectance of 86.2% at the wavelength of 460 nm due to high transmittance of light through nano-scaled Pt (5 A) onto Ag layer. Ohmic behavior of contact metal, Pt/Ag/Ni/Au, to p-type GaN was achieved using surface treatments of p-type GaN prior to the deposition of contact metals and the specific contact resistance was observed with decreasing Pt thickness of 5 A, resulting in 1.5 x 10(-4) ohms cm2. Forward voltages of Pt (5 A)/Ag/Ni contact to p-type GaN showed 4.19 V with the current injection of 350 mA. Output voltages with various thickness of Pt showed the highest value at the smallest thickness of Pt due to its high transmittance of light onto Ag, leading to high reflectance. Our results propose that nano-scaled Pt/Ag/Ni could act as a promising contact metal to p-type GaN for improving the performance of VLEDs.

Label-free sensitive luminescence biosensor for immunoglobulin G based on Ag6Au6 ethisterone cluster-estrogen receptor α aggregation and graphene.

PubMed

Chen, Nannan; Guo, Wenjing; Lin, Zhixiang; Wei, Qiaohua; Chen, Guonan

2018-08-01

A specific and label-free "on-off-on" luminescence biosensor based on a novel heterometallic cluster [Ag 6 Au 6 (ethisterone) 12 ]-estrogen receptor α (Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα) aggregation utilizing graphene oxide (GO) as a quencher to lead a small background signal was firstly constructed to detect immunoglobulin G (IgG) with a simple process and high selectivity. The efficient photoluminescent (PL) Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα aggregation is strongly quenched by GO. In the presence of IgG, the PL of this system will be restored, and perceivable by human eyes under UV lamp excitation (365 nm). The quenching mechanism of GO on Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα and enhancement mechanism of IgG on Ag 6 Au 6 Eth-ERα-GO were investigated in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the biosensor for high sensitive IgG detection expressed a wider linear range of 0.0078-10 ng/mL and a lower detection limit of 0.65 pg/mL with good stability and repeatability, which provided a new approach for label-free IgG detection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mixed Phytochemicals Mediated Synthesis of Multifunctional Ag-Au-Pd Nanoparticles for Glucose Oxidation and Antimicrobial Applications.

PubMed

Rao, K Jagajjanani; Paria, Santanu

2015-07-01

The growing awareness toward the environment is increasing commercial demand for nanoparticles by green route syntheses. In this study, alloy-like Ag-Au-Pd trimetallic nanoparticles have been prepared by two plants extracts Aegle marmelos leaf (LE) and Syzygium aromaticum bud extracts (CE). Compositionally different Ag-Au-Pd nanoparticles with an atomic ratio of 5.26:2.16:1.0 (by LE) and 11.36:13.14:1.0 (by LE + CE) of Ag:Au:Pd were easily synthesized within 10 min at ambient conditions by changing the composition of phytochemicals. The average diameters of the nanoparticles by LE and LE + CE are ∼8 and ∼11 nm. The catalytic activity of the trimetallic nanoparticles was studied, and they were found to be efficient catalysts for the glucose oxidation process. The prepared nanoparticles also exhibited efficient antibacterial activity against a model Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli. The catalytic and antimicrobial properties of these readymade trimetallic nanoparticles have high possibility to be utilized in diverse fields of applications such as health care to environmental.

Reduction of Ag{sup I}, Au{sup III}, Cu{sup II}, and Hg{sup II} by Fe{sup II}/Fe{sup III} hydroxysulfate green rust.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O'Loughlin, E. J.; Kelly, S. D.; Kemner, K. M.

Green rusts are mixed Fe{sup II}/Fe{sup III} hydroxides that are found in many suboxic environments where they are believed to play a central role in the biogeochemical cycling of iron. X-ray absorption fine structure analysis of hydroxysulfate green rust suspensions spiked with aqueous solutions of AgCH{sub 3}COO, AuCl{sub n}(OH){sub 4-n}, CuCl{sub 2}, or HgCl{sub 2} showed that Ag{sup I}, Au{sup III}, Cu{sup II}, and Hg{sup II} were readily reduced to Ag{sup 0}, Au{sup 0}, Cu{sup 0}, and Hg{sup 0}. Imaging of the resulting solids from the Ag{sup I}-, Au{sup III}-, and Cu{sup II}-amended green rust suspensions by transmission electron microscopymore » indicated the formation of submicron-sized particles of Ag{sup 0}, Au{sup 0}, and Cu{sup 0}. The facile reduction of Ag{sup I}, Au{sup III}, Cu{sup II}, and Hg{sup II} to Ag{sup 0}, Au{sup 0}, Cu{sup 0}, and Hg{sup 0}, respectively, by green rust suggests that the presence of green rusts in suboxic soils and sediments can have a significant impact on the biogeochemistry of silver, gold, copper, and mercury, particularly with respect to their mobility.« less

Electrodeposition of Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites assisted by Faradaic AC-electroosmosis flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ji, Jianlong; Li, Pengwei; Sang, Shengbo, E-mail: sbsang@tyut.edu.cn

2014-03-15

Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites were synthesized successfully from the corresponding aqueous solution via the AC electrodeposition method. Both of the morphologies and compositions could be tuned by the electrolyte concentration and AC frequency. The prepared bimetallic dendrites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The underlying dendrite growth mechanism was then proposed in the context of the Directed Electrochemical Nanowires Assembly (DENA) models. Owing to the unscreened voltage dropping in the electrolyte bulk, electromigration dominates the species flux process, and cations tend to accumulate in areas with strong electricmore » field intensity, such as electrode edges. Moreover, Faradaic AC-electro-osmosis (ACEO) flow could increase the effective diffusion layer thickness in these areas during the electrochemical reaction, and leads to dendrite growth. Further Micro-Raman observations illustrated that the Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites exhibited pronounced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity, using 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MP) as model molecules.« less

Rock Geochemistry and Mineralogy from Fault Zones and Polymetallic Fault Veins of the Central Front Range, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Caine, Jonathan S.; Bove, Dana J.

2010-01-01

During the 2004 to 2008 field seasons, approximately 200 hand samples of fault and polymetallic vein-related rocks were collected for geochemical and mineralogical analyses. The samples were collected by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Evolution of Brittle Structures Task under the Central Colorado Assessment Project (CCAP) of the Mineral Resources Program (http://minerals.cr.usgs.gov/projects/colorado_assessment/index.html). The purpose of this work has been to characterize the relation between epithermal, polymetallic mineral deposits, paleostress, and the geological structures that hosted fluid flow and localization of the deposits. The data in this report will be used to document and better understand the processes that control epithermal mineral-deposit formation by attempting to relate the geochemistry of the primary structures that hosted hydrothermal fluid flow to their heat and fluid sources. This includes processes from the scale of the structures themselves to the far field scale, inclusive of the intrusive bodies that have been thought to be the sources for the hydrothermal fluid flow. The data presented in this report are part of a larger assessment effort on public lands. The larger study area spans the region of the southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado from the Wyoming to New Mexico borders and from the eastern boundary of the Front Range to approximately the longitude of Vail and Leadville, Colorado. Although the study area has had an extensive history of geological mapping, the mapping has resulted in a number of hypotheses that are still in their infancy of being tested. For example, the proximity of polymetallic veins to intrusive bodies has been thought to reflect a genetic relation between the two features; however, this idea has not been well tested with geochemical indicators. Recent knowledge regarding the coupled nature of stress, strain, fluid flow, and geochemistry warrant new investigations and approaches to test a variety of

Involvement of magmatic fluids at the Laloki and Federal Flag massive sulfide Cu-Zn-Au-Ag deposits, Astrolabe mineral district, Papua New Guinea: sulfur isotope evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noku, Shadrach K.; Espi, Joseph O.; Matsueda, Hiroharu

2015-01-01

We present the first sulfur (S) isotope data of sulfides, sulfates, pyrite in host mudstone, and bulk sulfur of gabbroic rocks from the Laloki and Federal Flag massive Cu-Zn-Au-Ag deposits in the Astrolabe mineral district, Papua New Guinea. Early-stage pyrite-marcasite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite from Laloki display wide range of δ34S values from -4.5 to +7.0 ‰ ( n = 16). Late-stage pyrite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite have restricted δ34S values of -1.9 to +4.7 ‰ ( n = 16). The mineralizing stage these correspond to had moderately saline (5.9-8.4 NaCl eq. wt%) mineralizing fluids of possible magmatic origin. A single analysis of late-stage barite has a value of δ34S +17.9 ‰, which is likely similar to coexisting seawater sulfate. Pyrite from the foot-wall mudstone at Laloki has very light δ34S values of -36.1 to -33.8 ‰ ( n = 2), which suggest an organic source for S. Pyrite-marcasite and chalcopyrite from Federal Flag show δ34S values of -2.4 to -1.9 ‰ ( n = 2), consistent with a magmatic origin, either leached from intrusive magmatic rocks or derived from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The very narrow range and near-zero δ34S values (-1.0 to +0.6 ‰) of bulk gabbroic samples is consistent with mantle-derived magmatic S. Sulfur isotope characteristics of sulfides and sulfates are, however, very similar to base metal sulfide accumulations associated with modern volcanic arcs and sedimented mid-ocean ridges. The most reasonable interpretation is that the range of the sulfide and sulfate δ34S values from both Laloki and Federal Flag massive sulfide deposits is indicative of the complex interaction of magmatic fluids, seawater, gabbroic rocks, and mudstone.

Sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone)/poly(vinyl alcohol) sensitizing system for solution photogeneration of small Ag, Au, and Cu crystallites.

PubMed

Korchev, A S; Shulyak, T S; Slaten, B L; Gale, W F; Mills, G

2005-04-28

Illumination of air-free aqueous solutions containing sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) and poly(vinyl alcohol) with 350 nm light results in benzophenone ketyl radicals of the polyketone. The polymer radicals form with a quantum yield 0.02 and decay with a second-order rate constant 6 orders of magnitude lower than that of typical alpha-hydroxy radicals. Evidence is presented that the polymeric benzophenone ketyl radicals reduce Ag+, Cu2+, and AuCl4- to metal particles of nanometer dimensions. Decreases in the reduction rates with increasing Ag(I), Cu(II), and Au(III) concentrations are explained using a kinetic model in which the metal ions quench the excited state of the polymeric benzophenone groups, which forms the macromolecular radicals. Quenching is fastest for Ag+, whereas Cu2+ and AuCl4- exhibit similar rate constants. Particle formation becomes more complex as the number of equivalents needed to reduce the metal ions increases; the Au(III) system is an extreme case where the radical reactions operate in parallel with secondary light-initiated and thermal reduction channels. For each metal ion, the polymer-initiated photoreactions produce crystallites possessing distinct properties, such as a very strong plasmon in the Ag case or the narrow size distribution exhibited by Au particles.

The Kongsberg silver deposits, Norway: Ag-Hg-Sb mineralization and constraints for the formation of the deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotková, Jana; Kullerud, Kåre; Šrein, Vladimír; Drábek, Milan; Škoda, Radek

2018-04-01

The Kongsberg silver district has been investigated by microscopy and electron microprobe analysis, focusing primarily on the Ag-Hg-Sb mineralization within the context of the updated mineral paragenesis. The earliest mineralization stage is represented by sulfides, including acanthite, and sulfosalts. Native silver formed initially through breakdown of early Ag-bearing phases and later through influx of additional Ag-bearing fluids and silver remobilization. The first two generations of native silver were separated in time by the formation of Ni-Co-Fe sulfarsenides and the monoarsenide niccolite along rims of silver crystals. The presence of As-free sulfosalts and the absence of di- and tri-arsenides suggest a lower arsenic/sulfur activity ratio for the Kongsberg deposits compared to other five-element deposits. Native silver shows binary Ag-Hg and Ag-Sb solid solutions, in contrast to the ternary Ag-Hg-Sb compositions typical for other deposits of similar type. Antimonial silver together with allargentum, dyscrasite, and pyrargyrite was documented exclusively from the northern area of the district. Elsewhere, the only Sb-bearing minerals are polybasite and tetrahedrite/freibergite. Hg-rich silver (up to 21 wt% Hg) has been documented only in the central-western area. Myrmekite of freibergite and chalcopyrite reflects exsolution from an original Ag-poor tetrahedrite upon cooling, while myrmekite of pyrite and silver, forming through breakdown of low-temperature phases (argentopyrite or lenaite) upon heating, characterizes the Kongsberg silver district. Based on the stabilities of minerals and mineral assemblages, the formation of the silver mineralization can be constrained to temperatures between 180 and 250 °C.

Noble gas data from Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits, ancestral Cascades Arc, USA: Evidence for a primitive mantle volatile source

USGS Publications Warehouse

Manning, Andrew H.; Hofstra, Albert H.

2017-01-01

The He, Ne, and Ar isotopic composition of fluid inclusions in ore and gangue minerals were analyzed to determine the source of volatiles in the high-grade Goldfield and Tonopah epithermal Au-Ag deposits in southwestern Nevada, USA. Ar and Ne are mainly atmospheric, whereas He has only a minor atmospheric component. Corrected 3He/4He ratios (with atmospheric He removed) range widely from 0.05 to 35.8 times the air 3He/4He ratio (RA), with a median of 1.43 RA. Forty-one percent of measured 3He/4He ratios are ≥4 RA, corresponding to ≥50% mantle He assuming a mantle ratio of 8 RA. These results suggest that mafic magmas were part of the magmatic-hydrothermal system underlying Goldfield and Tonopah, and that associated mantle-sourced volatiles may have played a role in ore formation. The three highest corrected 3He/4He ratios of 17.0, 23.7, and 35.8 RAindicate a primitive mantle He source and are the highest yet reported for any epithermal-porphyry system and for the Cascades arc region. Compiled 3He/4He measurements from epithermal-porphyry systems in subduction-related magmatic arcs around the world (n = 209) display a statistically significant correlation between 3He/4He and Au-Ag grade. The correlation suggests that conditions which promote higher fluid inclusion 3He/4He ratios (abundance of mantle volatiles and focused upward volatile transport) have some relation to conditions that promote higher Au-Ag grades (focused flow of metal-bearing fluids and efficient chemical traps). Results of this and previous investigations of He isotopes in epithermal-porphyry systems are consistent with the hypothesis posed in recent studies that mafic magmas serve an important function in the formation of these deposits.

Cytidine-directed rapid synthesis of water-soluble and highly yellow fluorescent bimetallic AuAg nanoclusters.

PubMed

Zhang, Yuanyuan; Jiang, Hui; Ge, Wei; Li, Qiwei; Wang, Xuemei

2014-09-16

Fluorescent gold/silver nanoclusters templated by DNA or oligonucleotides have been widely reported since DNA or oligonucleotides could be designed to position a few metal ions at close proximity prior to their reduction, but nucleoside-templated synthesis is more challenging. In this work, a novel type of strategy taking cytidine (C) as template to rapid synthesis of fluorescent, water-soluble gold and silver nanoclusters (C-AuAg NCs) has been developed. The as-prepared C-AuAg NCs have been characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The characterizations demonstrate that C-AuAg NCs with a diameter of 1.50 ± 0.31 nm, a quantum yield ∼9%, and an average lifetime ∼6.07 μs possess prominent fluorescence properties, good dispersibility, and easy water solubility, indicating the promising application in bioanalysis and biomedical diagnosis. Furthermore, this strategy by rapid producing of highly fluorescent nanoclusters could be explored for the possible recognition of some disease-related changes in blood serum. This raises the possibility of their promising application in bioanalysis and biomedical diagnosis.

Study of the effects of MeV Ag, Cu, Au, and Sn implantation on the optical properties of LiNbO3

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, E. K.; Ila, D.; Sarkisov, S.; Curley, M.; Poker, D. B.; Hensley, D. K.; Borel, C.

1998-01-01

The authors present the results of characterization of linear absorption and nonlinear refractive index of Au, Ag, Cu and Sn ion implantation into LiNbO3. Ag was implanted at 1.5 MeV to fluences of 2 to 17 x 17(exp 16)/sq cm at room temperature. Au and Cu were implanted to fluences of 5 to 20 x 10(exp 16)/sq cm at an energy of 2.0 MeV. Sn was implanted to a fluence of 1.6 x 10(exp 17)/sq cm at 160 kV. Optical absorption spectrometry indicated an absorption peak for the Au implanted samples after heat treatment at 1,000 C at approx. 620 nm. The Ag implanted samples absorption peaks shifted from approx. 450 nm before heat treatment to 550 nm after 500 C for 1h. Heat treatment at 800 C returned the Ag implanted crystals to a clear state. Cu nanocluster absorption peaks disappears at 500 C. No Sn clusters were observed by optical absorption or XRD. The size of the Ag and Au clusters as a function of heat treatment were determined from the absorption peaks. The Ag clusters did not change appreciably in size with heat treatment. The Au clusters increased from 3 to 9 nm diameter upon heat treatment at 1000 C. TEM analysis performed on a Au implanted crystal indicated the formation of Au nanocrystals with facets normal to the c-axis. Measurements of the nonlinear refractive indices were carried out using the Z-scan method with a tunable dye laser pumped by a frequency doubled mode-locked Nd:YAG laser. The dye laser had a 4.5 ps pulse duration time and 76 MHz pulse repetition rate (575 nm).

Phototodynamic activity of zinc monocarboxyphenoxy phthalocyane (ZnMCPPc) conjugated to gold silver (AuAg) nanoparticles in melanoma cancer cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manoto, Sello L.; Oluwole, David O.; Malabi, Rudzani; Maphanga, Charles; Ombinda-Lemboumba, Saturnin; Nyokong, Tebello; Mthunzi-Kufa, Patience

2017-02-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive therapeutic modality for the treatment of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. In PDT of cancer, irradiation with light of a specific wavelength leads to activation of a photosensitizer which results in generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which induces cell death. Many phthalocyanine photosensitizers are hydrophobic and insoluble in water, which limits their therapeutic efficiency. Consequently, advanced delivery systems and strategies are needed to improve the effectiveness of these photosensitizers. Nanoparticles have shown promising results in increasing aqueous solubility, bioavailability, stability and delivery of photosensitizers to their target. This study investigated the photodynamic activity of zinc monocarboxyphenoxy phthalocyanine (ZnMCPPc) conjugated to gold silver (AuAg) nanoparticles in melanoma cancer cells. The photodynamic activity of ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles were evaluated using cellular morphology, viability, proliferation and cytotoxicity. Untreated cells showed no changes in cellular morphology, proliferation and cytotoxicity. However, photoactivated ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles showed changes in cell morphology and a dose dependent decrease in cellular viability, proliferation and an increase in cell membrane damage. The ZnMCPPc conjugated to AuAg nanoparticles used in this study was highly effective in inducing cell death of melanoma cancer cells.

Silica-covered star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles as new electromagnetic nanoresonators for Raman characterisation of surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krajczewski, Jan; Kołątaj, Karol; Pietrasik, Sylwia; Kudelski, Andrzej

2018-03-01

One of the tools used for determining the composition of surfaces of various materials is shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS). SHINERS is a modification of "standard" surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), in which, before Raman spectra are recorded, the surfaces analysed are covered with a layer of plasmonic nanoparticles protected by a very thin layer of a transparent dielectric. The plasmonic cores of the core-shell nanoparticles used in SHINERS measurements generate a local enhancement of the electric field of the incident electromagnetic radiation, whereas the transparent coatings prevent the metal cores from coming into direct contact with the material being analysed. In this contribution, we propose a new type of SHINERS nanoresonators that contain spiky, star-shaped metal cores (produced from a gold/silver alloy). These spiky, star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles have been covered by a layer of silica. The small radii of the ends of the tips of the spikes of these plasmonic nanostructures make it possible to generate a very large enhancement of the electromagnetic field there, with the result that such SHINERS nanoresonators are significantly more efficient than the standard semi-spherical nanostructures. The Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles were synthesised by the reduction of a solution containing silver nitrate and chloroauric acid by ascorbic acid. The final geometry of the nanostructures thus formed was controlled by changing the ratio between the concentrations of AuCl4- and Ag+ ions. The shape of the synthesised star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles does not change significantly during the two standard procedures for depositing a layer of silica (by the decomposition of sodium silicate or the decomposition of tetraethyl orthosilicate).

Ag/Au/Polypyrrole Core-shell Nanowire Network for Transparent, Stretchable and Flexible Supercapacitor in Wearable Energy Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Hyunjin; Lee, Habeom; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Suh, Young Duk; Kim, Dong Kwan; Ha, Inho; Yeo, Junyeob; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2017-02-01

Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been conducted on metal nanowires as current collectors for the direct electropolymerization, even though the metal nanowire network structure has proven to be superior as a transparent, flexible, and stretchable electrode platform because the conducting polymer’s redox potential for polymerization is higher than that of widely studied metal nanowires such as silver and copper. In this study, we demonstrated a highly transparent and stretchable supercapacitor by developing Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks as electrode by coating the surface of Ag NWs with a thin layer of gold, which provide higher redox potential than the electropolymerizable monomer. The Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks demonstrated superior mechanical stability under various mechanical bending and stretching. In addition, proposed supercapacitors showed fine optical transmittance together with fivefold improved areal capacitance compared to pristine Ag/Au core-shell nanowire mesh-based supercapacitors.

Ag/Au/Polypyrrole Core-shell Nanowire Network for Transparent, Stretchable and Flexible Supercapacitor in Wearable Energy Devices

PubMed Central

Moon, Hyunjin; Lee, Habeom; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Suh, Young Duk; Kim, Dong Kwan; Ha, Inho; Yeo, Junyeob; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2017-01-01

Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been conducted on metal nanowires as current collectors for the direct electropolymerization, even though the metal nanowire network structure has proven to be superior as a transparent, flexible, and stretchable electrode platform because the conducting polymer’s redox potential for polymerization is higher than that of widely studied metal nanowires such as silver and copper. In this study, we demonstrated a highly transparent and stretchable supercapacitor by developing Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks as electrode by coating the surface of Ag NWs with a thin layer of gold, which provide higher redox potential than the electropolymerizable monomer. The Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks demonstrated superior mechanical stability under various mechanical bending and stretching. In addition, proposed supercapacitors showed fine optical transmittance together with fivefold improved areal capacitance compared to pristine Ag/Au core-shell nanowire mesh-based supercapacitors. PMID:28155913

Biosourced Polymetallic Catalysis: A Surprising and Efficient Means to Promote the Knoevenagel Condensation

PubMed Central

Deyris, Pierre-Alexandre; Bert, Valérie; Diliberto, Sébastien; Boulanger, Clotilde; Petit, Eddy; Legrand, Yves-Marie; Grison, Claude

2018-01-01

Zn hyperaccumulator (Arabidobsis halleri) and Zn accumulator Salix “Tordis” (Salix schwerinii × Salix viminalis) have shown their interest in the phytoextraction of polluted brownfields. Herein, we explore a novel methodology based on the chemical valorization of Zn-rich biomass produced by these metallophyte plants. The approach is based on the use of polymetallic salts derived from plants as bio-based catalysts in organic chemistry. The formed ecocatalysts were characterized via ICP-MS, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in order to precise the chemical composition, structure, and behavior of the formed materials. The Doebner-Knoevenagel reaction was chosen as model reaction to study their synthetic potential. Significant differences to usual catalysts such as zinc (II) chloride are observed. They can principally be related to a mixture of unusual mineral species. DFT calculations were carried out on these salts in the context of the Gutmann theory. They allow the rationalization of experimental results. Finally, these new bio-based polymetallic catalysts illustrated the interest of this concept for green and sustainable catalysis. PMID:29637065

Biosourced Polymetallic Catalysis: A Surprising and Efficient Means to Promote the Knoevenagel Condensation.

PubMed

Deyris, Pierre-Alexandre; Bert, Valérie; Diliberto, Sébastien; Boulanger, Clotilde; Petit, Eddy; Legrand, Yves-Marie; Grison, Claude

2018-01-01

Zn hyperaccumulator ( Arabidobsis halleri ) and Zn accumulator Salix "Tordis" ( Salix schwerinii × Salix viminalis ) have shown their interest in the phytoextraction of polluted brownfields. Herein, we explore a novel methodology based on the chemical valorization of Zn-rich biomass produced by these metallophyte plants. The approach is based on the use of polymetallic salts derived from plants as bio-based catalysts in organic chemistry. The formed ecocatalysts were characterized via ICP-MS, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) in order to precise the chemical composition, structure, and behavior of the formed materials. The Doebner-Knoevenagel reaction was chosen as model reaction to study their synthetic potential. Significant differences to usual catalysts such as zinc (II) chloride are observed. They can principally be related to a mixture of unusual mineral species. DFT calculations were carried out on these salts in the context of the Gutmann theory. They allow the rationalization of experimental results. Finally, these new bio-based polymetallic catalysts illustrated the interest of this concept for green and sustainable catalysis.

Biosourced polymetallic catalysis: A surprising and efficient means to promote the Knoevenagel condensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deyris, Pierre-Alexandre; Bert, Valérie; Diliberto, Sébastien; Boulanger, Clotilde; Petit, Eddy; Legrand, Yves-Marie; Grison, Claude

2018-03-01

Zn hyperaccumulator (Arabidobsis halleri) and Zn accumulator Salix ‘Tordis’ (Salix schwerinii x S. viminalis) have shown their interest in the phytoextraction of polluted brownfields. Herein, we explore an innovative methodology based on the chemical valorization of Zn-rich biomass produced by these metallophyte plants. The approach is based on the direct use of polymetallic salts derived from plants as “Lewis acid” catalysts in organic chemistry. The formed ecocatalysts were characterized via ICP-MS, XRD, FT-IR in order to elucidate the chemical composition, structure and behavior of the formed materials. The Doebner-Knoevenagel reaction was chosen as model reaction to study their synthetic potential. Significant differences to conventional catalysts such as zinc (II) chloride are observed. They can principally be related to a mixture of unusual mineral species. DFT calculations were carried out on these salts in the context of the Gutmann theory. They allow the rationalization of experimental results. Finally, these new bio-based polymetallic catalysts illustrated the interest of this concept for green and sustainable catalysis.

Autoclave mediated one-pot-one-minute synthesis of AgNPs and Au-Ag nanocomposite from Melia azedarach bark extract with antimicrobial activity against food pathogens.

PubMed

Pani, Alok; Lee, Joong Hee; Yun, Soon-Ii

2016-01-01

The increasing use of nanoparticles and nanocomposite in pharmaceutical and processed food industry have increased the demand for nontoxic and inert metallic nanostructures. Chemical and physical method of synthesis of nanostructures is most popular in industrial production, despite the fact that these methods are labor intensive and/or generate toxic effluents. There has been an increasing demand for rapid, ecofriendly and relatively cheaper synthesis of nanostructures. Here, we propose a strategy, for one-minute green synthesis of AgNPs and a one-pot one-minute green synthesis of Au-Ag nanocomposite, using Melia azedarach bark aqueous extract as reducing agent. The hydrothermal mechanism of the autoclave technology has been successfully used in this study to accelerate the nucleation and growth of nano-crystals. The study also presents high antimicrobial potential of the synthesized nano solutions against common food and water born pathogens. The multistep characterization and analysis of the synthesized nanomaterial samples, using UV-visible spectroscopy, ICP-MS, FT-IR, EDX, XRD, HR-TEM and FE-SEM, also reveal the reaction dynamics of AgNO3, AuCl3 and plant extract in synthesis of the nanoparticles and nanocomposite. The antimicrobial effectiveness of the synthesized Au-Ag nanocomposite, with high gold to silver ratio, reduces the dependency on the AgNPs, which is considered to be environmentally more toxic than the gold counterpart. We hope that this new strategy will change the present course of green synthesis. The rapidity of synthesis will also help in industrial scale green production of nanostructures using Melia azedarach.

Effect of thione primers on adhesive bonding between an indirect composite material and Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy.

PubMed

Imai, Hideyuki; Koizumi, Hiroyasu; Shimoe, Saiji; Hirata, Isao; Matsumura, Hideo; Nikawa, Hiroki

2014-01-01

The current study evaluated the effect of primers on the shear bond strength of an indirect composite material joined to a silverpalladium-copper-gold (Ag-Pd-Cu-Au) alloy (Castwell). Disk specimens were cast from the alloy and were air-abraded with alumina. Eight metal primers were applied to the alloy surface. A light-polymerized indirect composite material (Solidex) was bonded to the alloy. Shear bond strength was determined both before and after the application of thermocycling. Two groups primed with Metaltite (thione) and M. L. Primer (sulfide) showed the greatest post-thermocycling bond strength (8.8 and 6.5 MPa). The results of the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) analysis suggested that the thione monomer (MTU-6) in the Metaltite primer was strongly adsorbed onto the Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy surface even after repeated cleaning with acetone. The application of either the thione (MTU-6) or sulfide primer is effective for enhancing the bonding between a composite material and Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy.

Beet juice utilization: Expeditious green synthesis of nobel metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd) using microwaves

EPA Science Inventory

Metal nanoparticles of Ag, Au, Pt, and Pd were prepared in aqueous solutions via a rapid microwave-assisted green method using beet juice, an abundant sugar-rich agricultural produce, served as both a reducing and a capping reagent. The Ag nanoparticles with capping prepared by b...

Mercury contamination in agricultural soils from abandoned metal mines classified by geology and mineralization.

PubMed

Kim, Han Sik; Jung, Myung Chae

2012-01-01

This survey aimed to compare mercury concentrations in soils related to geology and mineralization types of mines. A total of 16,386 surface soils (0~15 cm in depth) were taken from agricultural lands near 343 abandoned mines (within 2 km from each mine) and analyzed for Hg by AAS with a hydride-generation device. To meaningfully compare mercury levels in soils with geology and mineralization types, three subclassification criteria were adapted: (1) five mineralization types, (2) four valuable ore mineral types, and (3) four parent rock types. The average concentration of Hg in all soils was 0.204 mg kg(-1) with a range of 0.002-24.07 mg kg(-1). Based on the mineralization types, average Hg concentrations (mg kg(-1)) in the soils decreased in the order of pegmatite (0.250) > hydrothermal vein (0.208) > hydrothermal replacement (0.166) > skarn (0.121) > sedimentary deposits (0.045). In terms of the valuable ore mineral types, the concentrations decreased in the order of Au-Ag-base metal mines ≈ base metal mines > Au-Ag mines > Sn-W-Mo-Fe-Mn mines. For parent rock types, similar concentrations were found in the soils derived from sedimentary rocks and metamorphic rocks followed by heterogeneous rocks with igneous and metamorphic processes. Furthermore, farmland soils contained relatively higher Hg levels than paddy soils. Therefore, it can be concluded that soils in Au, Ag, and base metal mines derived from a hydrothermal vein type of metamorphic rocks and pegmatite deposits contained relatively higher concentrations of mercury in the surface environment.

Real-time wetting dynamics and interfacial chemistry in low-melting 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag solder paste on Ni-Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bozack, M. J.

2004-11-01

We report the observation of real-time, in situ, wetting and spreading dynamics for 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag solder paste on Ni-Au surfaces during melting in a scanning electron microscope. The 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag is a low melting (139 °C) Pb-free eutectic alloy currently under consideration by automobile manufacturers for use in instrument displays. We find that, while there is excellent wetting of 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag solder paste on Ni-Au, there is almost no spreading. A large amount of Bi segregates to the surface of 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag solder balls during the sintering process. At melting, excessive flux outgassing and pooling are observed, several melted solder balls float on top of the flux, and substantial elemental segregation occurs during the first minutes of wetting. Neither Ni nor Au fully intermixes throughout the alloy at the interface within seconds of wetting. Bi does not move outward with the expanding alloy front. This combination of detrimental effects forms voids in the solder paste, contributes to low reliability of solder joints, and complicates the materials science at the solder-substrate interface as shown by Auger electron spectroscopy. Reliability work in progress (3000 cycles) shows that 57Bi-42Sn-1Ag on Ni-Au is less reliable than eutectic Sn-37Pb on Ni-Au for 2512 chip resistors cycled from -40 to 125 °C.

Mineralogy, fluid inclusion petrography, and stable isotope geochemistry of Pb-Zn-Ag veins at the Shizhuyuan deposit, Hunan Province, southeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shenghua; Mao, Jingwen; Yuan, Shunda; Dai, Pan; Wang, Xudong

2018-01-01

The Shizhuyuan polymetallic deposit is located in the central part of the Nanling region, southeastern China, and consists of proximal W-Sn-Mo-Bi skarns and greisens and distal Pb-Zn-Ag veins. The sulfides and sulfosalts in the distal veins formed in three distinct stages: (1) an early stage of pyrite and arsenopyrite, (2) a middle stage of sphalerite and chalcopyrite, and (3) a late stage of galena, Ag-, Sn-, and Bi-bearing sulfides and sulfosalts, and pyrrhotite. Combined sulfide and sulfosalt geothermometry and fluid inclusion analyses indicate that the early stage of mineralization occurred at a temperature of 400 °C and involved boiling under hydrostatic pressure ( 200 bar), with the temperature of the system dropping during the late stage to 200 °C. Laser Raman analysis indicates that the fluid inclusions within the studied minerals are dominated by H2O, although some contain carbonate solids and CH4 gas. Vein-hosted sulfides have δ34S values of 3.8-6.3‰ that are interpreted as indicative of a magmatic source of sulfur. The mineralization process can be summarized as follows: an aqueous fluid exsolved on final crystallization of the Qianlishan pluton, ascended along fracture zones, cooled to <400 °C, and boiled under hydrostatic conditions, and with decreasing temperature and sulfur fugacity, sulfide and sulfosalt minerals precipitated successively from the Ag-Cu-Zn-Fe-Pb-Sb-As-S-bearing fluid system.

Integration of multi-source and multi-scale datasets for 3D structural modeling for subsurface exploration targeting, Luanchuan Mo-polymetallic district, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Gongwen; Ma, Zhenbo; Li, Ruixi; Song, Yaowu; Qu, Jianan; Zhang, Shouting; Yan, Changhai; Han, Jiangwei

2017-04-01

In this paper, multi-source (geophysical, geochemical, geological and remote sensing) datasets were used to construct multi-scale (district-, deposit-, and orebody-scale) 3D geological models and extract 3D exploration criteria for subsurface Mo-polymetallic exploration targeting in the Luanchuan district in China. The results indicate that (i) a series of region-/district-scale NW-trending thrusts controlled main Mo-polymetallic forming, and they were formed by regional Indosinian Qinling orogenic events, the secondary NW-trending district-scale folds and NE-trending faults and the intrusive stock structure are produced based on thrust structure in Caledonian-Indosinian orogenic events; they are ore-bearing zones and ore-forming structures; (ii) the NW-trending district-scale and NE-trending deposit-scale normal faults were crossed and controlled by the Jurassic granite stocks in 3D space, they are associated with the magma-skarn Mo polymetallic mineralization (the 3D buffer distance of ore-forming granite stocks is 600 m) and the NW-trending hydrothermal Pb-Zn deposits which are surrounded by the Jurassic granite stocks and constrained by NW-trending or NE-trending faults (the 3D buffer distance of ore-forming fault is 700 m); and (iii) nine Mo polymetallic and four Pb-Zn targets were identified in the subsurface of the Luanchuan district.

Spryite, {{Ag}}8({{{As}}_{0.5}^{3 +} {{As}}_{0.5}^{5 +}}){{S}}6: structure determination and inferred absence of superionic conduction of the first As3+-bearing argyrodite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bindi, Luca; Keutsch, Frank N.; Morana, Marta; Zaccarini, Federica

2017-01-01

We report data on the composition and crystal structure of the first As3+-bearing natural argyrodite, spryite. Spryite has the formula ({{{Ag}}_{7.98} {{Cu}}_{0.05}})_{Σ = 8.03} ({{{As}}_{0.31}^{5 +} {{Ge}}_{0.36} {{As}}_{0.31}^{3 +} {{Fe}}_{0.02}^{3 +}})_{Σ = 1.00} {{S}}_{5.97}, ideally {{Ag}}8 ({{{As}}_{0.5}^{3 +} {{As}}_{0.5}^{5 +}}){{S}}6. The crystal studied was found in a sample from the Uchucchacua polymetallic deposit, Oyon district, Cajatambo, Lima Department, Peru. The structure was refined in the space group Pna21 up to R = 0.0782 using 2099 observed reflections [2 σ( I) level]. Spryite is intimately twinned with six twin domains. The structure solution showed that As3+ and As5+ coexist in the new mineral, which represents the first case ever discovered in either a mineral or a synthetic compound belonging to a sulfide/sulfosalt group. High-temperature in situ X-ray diffraction experiments indicated that no phase transitions occur in the temperature range investigated and that the mineral does not show any evidence of fast ionic conduction.

Silica-covered star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles as new electromagnetic nanoresonators for Raman characterisation of surfaces.

PubMed

Krajczewski, Jan; Kołątaj, Karol; Pietrasik, Sylwia; Kudelski, Andrzej

2018-03-15

One of the tools used for determining the composition of surfaces of various materials is shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS). SHINERS is a modification of "standard" surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), in which, before Raman spectra are recorded, the surfaces analysed are covered with a layer of plasmonic nanoparticles protected by a very thin layer of a transparent dielectric. The plasmonic cores of the core-shell nanoparticles used in SHINERS measurements generate a local enhancement of the electric field of the incident electromagnetic radiation, whereas the transparent coatings prevent the metal cores from coming into direct contact with the material being analysed. In this contribution, we propose a new type of SHINERS nanoresonators that contain spiky, star-shaped metal cores (produced from a gold/silver alloy). These spiky, star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles have been covered by a layer of silica. The small radii of the ends of the tips of the spikes of these plasmonic nanostructures make it possible to generate a very large enhancement of the electromagnetic field there, with the result that such SHINERS nanoresonators are significantly more efficient than the standard semi-spherical nanostructures. The Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles were synthesised by the reduction of a solution containing silver nitrate and chloroauric acid by ascorbic acid. The final geometry of the nanostructures thus formed was controlled by changing the ratio between the concentrations of AuCl 4 - and Ag + ions. The shape of the synthesised star-shaped Au-Ag nanoparticles does not change significantly during the two standard procedures for depositing a layer of silica (by the decomposition of sodium silicate or the decomposition of tetraethyl orthosilicate). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface plasmon dispersion engineering via double-metallic AU/AG layers for nitride light-emitting diodes

DOEpatents

Tansu, Nelson; Zhao, Hongping; Zhang, Jing; Liu, Guangyu

2014-04-01

A double-metallic deposition process is used whereby adjacent layers of different metals are deposited on a substrate. The surface plasmon frequency of a base layer of a first metal is tuned by the surface plasmon frequency of a second layer of a second metal formed thereon. The amount of tuning is dependent upon the thickness of the metallic layers, and thus tuning can be achieved by varying the thicknesses of one or both of the metallic layers. In a preferred embodiment directed to enhanced LED technology in the green spectrum regime, a double-metallic Au/Ag layer comprising a base layer of gold (Au) followed by a second layer of silver (Ag) formed thereon is deposited on top of InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QWs) on a sapphire/GaN substrate.

Real-time ab initio KMC simulation of the self-assembly and sintering of bimetallic epitaxial nanoclusters: Au + Ag on Ag(100).

PubMed

Han, Yong; Liu, Da-Jiang; Evans, James W

2014-08-13

Far-from-equilibrium shape and structure evolution during formation and post-assembly sintering of bimetallic nanoclusters is extremely sensitive to the periphery diffusion and intermixing kinetics. Precise characterization of the many distinct local-environment-dependent diffusion barriers is achieved for epitaxial nanoclusters using density functional theory to assess interaction energies both with atoms at adsorption sites and at transition states. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation incorporating these barriers then captures structure evolution on the appropriate time scale for two-dimensional core-ring and intermixed Au-Ag nanoclusters on Ag(100).

Real-Time Ab Initio KMC Simulation of the Self-Assembly and Sintering of Bimetallic Epitaxial Nanoclusters: Au + Ag on Ag(100)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Han, Yong; Liu, Da-Jiang; Evans, James W

2014-08-13

Far-from-equilibrium shape and structure evolution during formation and post-assembly sintering of bimetallic nanoclusters is extremely sensitive to the periphery diffusion and intermixing kinetics. Precise characterization of the many distinct local-environment-dependent diffusion barriers is achieved for epitaxial nanoclusters using density functional theory to assess interaction energies both with atoms at adsorption sites and at transition states. Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation incorporating these barriers then captures structure evolution on the appropriate time scale for two-dimensional core-ring and intermixed Au-Ag nanoclusters on Ag(100).

Equilibrium, kinetics and mechanism of Au3+, Pd2+ and Ag+ ions adsorption from aqueous solutions by graphene oxide functionalized persimmon tannin.

PubMed

Wang, Zhongmin; Li, Xiaojuan; Liang, Haijun; Ning, Jingliang; Zhou, Zhide; Li, Guiyin

2017-10-01

In this study, a novel bio-adsorbent (PT-GO) was prepared by functionalization persimmon tannin (PT) with graphene oxide (GO) and the effective adsorption behaviors of Au 3+ , Pd 2+ and Ag + ions from aqueous solution was investigated. The PT-GO was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Zeta potential. Many influence factors such as pH value, bio-adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of metal ions and contact time were optimized. The maximum adsorption capacity for Au 3+ , Pd 2+ and Ag + was 1325.09mg/g, 797.66mg/g and 421.01mg/g, respectively. The equilibrium isotherm for the adsorption of Au 3+ and Ag + on PT-GO were found to obey the Langmuir model, while the Freundlich model fitted better for Pd 2+ . The adsorption process of Au 3+ , Pd 2+ presented relatively fast adsorption kinetics with pseudo-second-order equation as the best fitting model, while the pseudo-first-order kinetic model was suitable for describing the adsorption of Ag + . Combination of ion exchange, electrostatic interaction and physical adsorption was the mechanism for adsorption of Au 3+ , Pd 2+ and Ag + onto PT-GO bio-adsorbent. Therefore, the PT-GO bio-adsorbent would be an ideal adsorbent for removal of precious metal ions and broaden the potential applications of persimmon tannin in environmental research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Different behaviors in the transformation of PATP adsorbed on Ag or Au nanoparticles investigated by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy - A study of the effects from laser energy and annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jian-Fang; Luo, Shi-Yi; Liu, Guo-Kun

2015-05-01

In order to explore the key role of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and active 3O2 for the chemical transformation to 4,4-dimercaptoazobenzene (DMAB) from p-aminothiophenol (PATP) adsorbed on Ag or Au NPs, we systematically investigated the laser wavelength and temperature dependent surface-enhanced Raman spectra of PATP capped Ag and Au NPs. DMAB can be easily observed at the 514.5 nm laser for Ag NPs but at the 632.8 nm laser for Au NPs, indicating that a suitable energy level is necessary for the formation of DMAB. The tendency is consistent with the wavelength dependent SPR properties of Ag or Au NPs accordingly. With the energy provided by annealing, the transformation of PATP to DMAB is much easier on Ag NPs at a lower temperature, and more DMAB can be observed at the same temperature, compared to the case of Au NPs under the same condition. It is mainly due to the active 3O2 on Ag surfaces could be more easily formed than that on Au surfaces.

3&4D Geomodeling Applied to Mineral Resources Exploration - A New Tool for Targeting Deposits.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Royer, Jean-Jacques; Mejia, Pablo; Caumon, Guillaume; Collon-Drouaillet, Pauline

2013-04-01

3 & 4D geomodeling, a computer method for reconstituting the past deformation history of geological formations, has been used in oil and gas exploration for more than a decade for reconstituting fluid migration. It begins nowadays to be applied for exploring with new eyes old mature mining fields and new prospects. We describe shortly the 3&4D geomodeling basic notions, concepts, and methodology when applied to mineral resources assessment and modeling ore deposits, pointing out the advantages, recommendations and limitations, together with new challenges they rise. Several 3D GeoModels of mining explorations selected across Europe will be presented as illustrative case studies which have been achieved during the EU FP7 ProMine research project. It includes: (i) the Cu-Au porphyry deposits in the Hellenic Belt (Greece); (ii) the VMS in the Iberian Pyrite Belt including the Neves Corvo deposit (Portugal) and (iii) the sediment-hosted polymetallic Cu-Ag (Au, PGE) Kupferschiefer ore deposit in the Foresudetic Belt (Poland). In each case full 3D models using surfaces and regular grid (Sgrid) were built from all dataset available from exploration and exploitation including geological primary maps, 2D seismic cross-sections, and boreholes. The level of knowledge may differ from one site to another however those 3D resulting models were used to pilot additional field and exploration works. In the case of the Kupferschiefer, a sequential restoration-decompaction (4D geomodeling) from the Upper Permian to Cenozoic was conducted in the Lubin- Sieroszowice district of Poland. The results help in better understanding the various superimposed mineralization events which occurred through time in this copper deposit. A hydro-fracturing index was then calculated from the estimated overpressures during a Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene up-lifting, and seems to correlate with the copper content distribution in the ore-series. These results are in agreement with an Early Paleocene

Hybrid microfluidic fuel cell based on Laccase/C and AuAg/C electrodes.

PubMed

López-González, B; Dector, A; Cuevas-Muñiz, F M; Arjona, N; Cruz-Madrid, C; Arana-Cuenca, A; Guerra-Balcázar, M; Arriaga, L G; Ledesma-García, J

2014-12-15

A hybrid glucose microfluidic fuel cell composed of an enzymatic cathode (Laccase/ABTS/C) and an inorganic anode (AuAg/C) was developed and tested. The enzymatic cathode was prepared by adsorption of 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) and Laccase on Vulcan XC-72, which act as a redox mediator, enzymatic catalyst and support, respectively. The Laccase/ABTS/C composite was characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, streaming current measurements (Zeta potential) and cyclic voltammetry. The AuAg/C anode catalyst was characterised by Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and cyclic voltammetry. The hybrid microfluidic fuel cell exhibited excellent performance with a maximum power density value (i.e., 0.45 mW cm(-2)) that is the highest reported to date. The cell also exhibited acceptable stability over the course of several days. In addition, a Mexican endemic Laccase was used as the biocathode electrode and evaluated in the hybrid microfluidic fuel cell generating 0.5 mW cm(-2) of maximum power density. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Heavy metals contamination and their risk assessment around the abandoned base metals and Au-Ag mines in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chon, Hyo-Taek

2017-04-01

Heavy metals contamination in the areas of abandoned Au-Ag and base metal mines in Korea was investigated in order to assess the level of metal pollution, and to draw general summaries about the fate of toxic heavy metals in different environments. Efforts have been made to compare the level of heavy metals, chemical forms, and plant uptake of heavy metals in each mine site. In the base-metals mine areas, significant levels of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were found in mine dump soils developed over mine waste materials and tailings. Leafy vegetables tend to accumulate heavy metals(in particular, Cd and Zn) higher than other crop plants, and high metal concentrations in rice crops may affect the local residents' health. In the Au-Ag mining areas, arsenic would be the most characteristic contaminant in the nearby environment. Arsenic and heavy metals were found to be mainly associated with sulfide gangue minerals, and the mobility of these metals would be enhanced by the effect of continuing weathering and oxidation. According to the sequential extraction of metals in soils, most heavy metals were identified as non-residual chemical forms, and those are very susceptible to the change of ambient conditions of a nearby environment. The concept of pollution index(PI) of soils gives important information on the extent and degree of multi-element contamination, and can be applied to the evaluation of mine soils before their agricultural use and remediation. The risk assessment process comprising exposure assessment, dose-response assessment, and risk characterization was discussed, and the results of non-cancer risk of As, Cd, and Zn, and those of cancer risk of As were suggested.

120 MeV Ag ion induced effects in Au/HfO2/Si MOSCAPs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manikanthababu, N.; Prajna, K.; Pathak, A. P.; Rao, S. V. S. Nageswara

2018-05-01

HfO2/Si thinfilms were deposited by RF sputtering technique. 120 MeV Ag ion irradiation has been used to study the electrical properties of Au/HfO2/Si MOSCAPs. SHI (120 MeV Ag) induced annealing, defects creation and intermixing effects on the electrical properties of these systems have been studied. Here, we have observed that the high electronic excitation can cause a significant reduction of leakage currents in these MOSCAP devices. Various quantum mechanical tunneling phenomenon has been observed from the I-V characteristics.

Ion irradiation synthesis of Ag-Au bimetallic nanospheroids in SiO2 glass substrate with tunable surface plasmon resonance frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xuan; Shibayama, Tamaki; Yu, Ruixuan; Takayanagi, Shinya; Watanabe, Seiichi

2013-08-01

Ag-Au bimetallic nanospheroids with tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) were synthesized by 100 keV Ar-ion irradiation of 30 nm Ag-Au bimetallic films deposited on SiO2 glass substrates. A shift of the LSPR peaks toward shorter wavelengths was observed up to an irradiation fluence of 1.0 × 1017 cm-2, and then shifted toward the longer wavelength because of the increase of fragment volume under ion irradiation. Further control of LSPR frequency over a wider range was realized by modifying the chemical components. The resulting LSPR frequencies lie between that of the pure components, and an approximate linear shift of the LSPR toward the longer wavelength with the Au concentration was achieved, which is in good agreement with the theoretical calculations based on Gans theory. In addition, the surface morphology and compositions were examined with a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer, and microstructural characterizations were performed using a transmission electron microscope. The formation of isolated photosensitive Ag-Au nanospheroids with a FCC structure partially embedded in the SiO2 substrate was confirmed, which has a potential application in solid-state devices.

Role of Dispersion in Metallophilic Hg···M Interactions (M = Cu, Ag, Au) within Coinage Metal Complexes of Bis(6-diphenylphosphinoacenaphth-5-yl)mercury.

PubMed

Hupf, Emanuel; Kather, Ralf; Vogt, Matthias; Lork, Enno; Mebs, Stefan; Beckmann, Jens

2016-11-07

The previously reported bis(6-diphenylphosphinoacenaphth-5-yl)mercury (1) was used as ligand for the preparation of the copper(I) complexes, 1·CuCl and [1·Cu(NCMe)]BF 4 , which were characterized by multinuclear NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. DFT calculations employing topological analysis of the electron and electron pair densities within the AIM and ELI-D space-partitioning schemes revealed significant metallophilic Hg···Cu interactions. Evaluation of noncovalent bonding aspects according to the noncovalent interaction (NCI) index was applied not only for the Cu complexes 1·CuCl and [1·Cu(NCMe)]BF 4 but also for the previously reported Ag and Au complexes, namely, [1·MCl] (M = Ag, Au) and [1·M(NCMe) n ] + (M = Ag, n = 2; M = Au, n = 0), and facilitated the assignment of attractive dispersive Hg···M interactions with the Hg···Cu contacts being comparable to the Hg···Ag but weaker than the Hg···Au interactions. The localization of the attractive noncovalent bonding regions increases in the order Cu < Ag < Au.

Effect of impurities on the mechanical and electronic properties of Au, Ag, and Cu monatomic chain nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çakır, D.; Gülseren, O.

2011-08-01

In this study, we have investigated the interaction of various different atomic and molecular species (H, C, O, H2, and O2) with the monatomic chains of Au, Ag, and Cu via total-energy calculations using the plane-wave pseudopotential method based on density functional theory. The stability, energetics, mechanical, and electronic properties of the clean and contaminated Au, Ag, and Cu nanowires have been presented. We have observed that the interaction of H, C, or O atoms with the monatomic chains are much stronger than the one of H2 or O2 molecules. The atomic impurities can easily be incorporated into these nanowires; they form stable and strong bonds with these one-dimensional structures when they are inserted in or placed close to the nanowires. Moreover, the metal-atomic impurity bond is much stronger than the metal-metal bond. Upon elongation, the nanowires contaminated with atomic impurities usually break from the remote metal-metal bond. We have observed both metallic and semiconducting contaminated nanowires depending on the type of impurity, whereas all clean monatomic chains of Au, Cu, and Ag exhibit metallic behavior. Our findings indicate that the stability and the electronic properties of these monatomic chains can be tuned by using appropriate molecular or atomic additives.

Tunable Catalysis of Water to Peroxide with Anionic, Cationic, and Neutral Atomic Au, Ag, Pd, Rh, and Os

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suggs, K.; Kiros, F.; Tesfamichael, A.; Felfli, Z.; Msezane, A. Z.

2015-05-01

Fundamental anionic, cationic, and neutral atomic metal predictions utilizing density functional theory calculations validate the recent discovery identifying the interplay between Regge resonances and Ramsauer-Townsend minima obtained through complex angular momentum analysis as the fundamental atomic mechanism underlying nanoscale catalysis. Here we investigate the optimization of the catalytic behavior of Au, Ag, Pd, Rh, and Os atomic systems via polarization effects and conclude that anionic atomic systems are optimal and therefore ideal for catalyzing the oxidation of water to peroxide, with anionic Os being the best candidate. The discovery that cationic systems increase the transition energy barrier in the synthesis of peroxide could be important as inhibitors in controlling and regulating catalysis. These findings usher in a fundamental and comprehensive atomic theoretical framework for the generation of tunable catalytic systems. The ultimate aim is to design giant atomic catalysts and sensors, in the context of the recently synthesized tri-metal Ag@Au@Pt and bimetal Ag@Au nanoparticles for greatly enhanced plasmonic properties and improved chemical stability for chemical and biological sensing. Research was supported by U.S. DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

Invoking Direct Exciton-Plasmon Interactions by Catalytic Ag Deposition on Au Nanoparticles: Photoelectrochemical Bioanalysis with High Efficiency.

PubMed

Ma, Zheng-Yuan; Xu, Fei; Qin, Yu; Zhao, Wei-Wei; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

2016-04-19

In this work, direct exciton-plasmon interactions (EPI) between CdS quantum dots (QDs) and Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were invoked ingeniously by catalytic Ag deposition on Au NPs for the stimulation of high efficient damping effect toward the excitonic responses in CdS QDs, on the basis of which a novel photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalytical format was achieved for sensitive microRNA detection. Specifically, upon the configurational change from the hairpin probe DNA to the "Y"-shaped ternary conjugate consisting of the original probe DNA, assistant DNA, and the target microRNA, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) catalytic chemistry would then trigger the transition of the interparticle interplay from the CdS QDs-Au NPs to the CdS QDs-Ag NPs systems for the microRNA detection due to the dependence of the photocurrent quenching on the target concentration. This work not only provided a unique method for EPI generation among the PEC nanosystems but also offered a versatile and general protocol for future PEC bioanalysis development.

Genesis of the Bangbule Pb-Zn-Cu polymetallic deposit in Tibet, western China: Evidence from zircon U-Pb geochronology and S-Pb isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kan, Tian; Zheng, Youye; Gao, Shunbao

2016-04-01

The Banbule Pb-Zn-Cu skarn deposit is located in the Longger-Gongbujiangda volcanic magma arc in the Gangdese-Nyainqentanglha Plate. It is the only lead-zinc polymetallic deposit discovered in the westernmost Nyainqentanglha metallogenic belt. The measured and indicated resources include 0.9 Mt of Pb+Zn (4.77% Pb and 4.74% Zn, respectively), 6499 t of Cu, and 178 t of Ag (18.75g/t Ag). The orebodies mainly occur as lenses, veins and irregular shapes in the contact zone between the quartz-porphyry and limestone of the Upper Permian Xiala Formation, or in the boundaries between limestone and sandstone. Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization in the Banbule deposit is closely associated with skarns. The ore minerals are dominated by galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and magnetite, with subordinate pyrite, malachite, and azurite. The gangue minerals are mainly garnet, actinolite, diopside, quartz, and calcite. The ore-related quartz-porphyry displays LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 77.31±0.74 Ma. The δ34S values of sulfides define a narrow range of -0.8 to 4.7‰ indicating a magmatic source for the ore-forming materials. Lead isotopic systematics yield 206Pb/204Pb of 18.698 to 18.752, 207Pb/204Pb of 15.696 to 15.760, and 208Pb/204Pb of 39.097 to 39.320. The data points are constrained around the growth curves of upper crust and orogenic belt according to the tectonic discrimination diagrams. The calculated Δβ - Δγ values plot within the magmatic field according to the discrimination diagram of Zhu et al. (1995). The S-Pb isotopic data suggest that Bangbule is a typical skarn deposit, and the Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization is genetically related to the quartz-porphyry in the mining district. The discovery of the Bangbule deposit indicates that there is metallogenic potential in the westernmost Nyainqentanglha belt, which is of great importance for the exploration work in this area.

Broadband light absorption enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells with Au-Ag alloy popcorn nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Qi; Liu, Fang; Liu, Yuxiang; Cui, Kaiyu; Feng, Xue; Zhang, Wei; Huang, Yidong

2013-07-01

In this paper, we present an investigation on the use of Au-Ag alloy popcorn-shaped nanoparticles (NPs) to realise the broadband optical absorption enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Both simulation and experimental results indicate that compared with regular plasmonic NPs, such as nano-spheres, irregular popcorn-shaped alloy NPs exhibit absorption enhancement over a broad wavelength range due to the excitation of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) at different wavelengths. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSCs is enhanced by 16% from 5.26% to 6.09% by incorporating 2.38 wt% Au-Ag alloy popcorn NPs. Moreover, by adding a scattering layer on the exterior of the counter electrode, the popcorn NPs demonstrate an even stronger ability to increase the PCE by 32% from 5.94% to 7.85%, which results from the more efficient excitation of the LSP mode on the popcorn NPs.

Broadband light absorption enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells with Au-Ag alloy popcorn nanoparticles.

PubMed

Xu, Qi; Liu, Fang; Liu, Yuxiang; Cui, Kaiyu; Feng, Xue; Zhang, Wei; Huang, Yidong

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an investigation on the use of Au-Ag alloy popcorn-shaped nanoparticles (NPs) to realise the broadband optical absorption enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Both simulation and experimental results indicate that compared with regular plasmonic NPs, such as nano-spheres, irregular popcorn-shaped alloy NPs exhibit absorption enhancement over a broad wavelength range due to the excitation of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) at different wavelengths. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSCs is enhanced by 16% from 5.26% to 6.09% by incorporating 2.38 wt% Au-Ag alloy popcorn NPs. Moreover, by adding a scattering layer on the exterior of the counter electrode, the popcorn NPs demonstrate an even stronger ability to increase the PCE by 32% from 5.94% to 7.85%, which results from the more efficient excitation of the LSP mode on the popcorn NPs.

Broadband light absorption enhancement in dye-sensitized solar cells with Au-Ag alloy popcorn nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Xu, Qi; Liu, Fang; Liu, Yuxiang; Cui, Kaiyu; Feng, Xue; Zhang, Wei; Huang, Yidong

2013-01-01

In this paper, we present an investigation on the use of Au-Ag alloy popcorn-shaped nanoparticles (NPs) to realise the broadband optical absorption enhancement of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Both simulation and experimental results indicate that compared with regular plasmonic NPs, such as nano-spheres, irregular popcorn-shaped alloy NPs exhibit absorption enhancement over a broad wavelength range due to the excitation of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) at different wavelengths. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of DSCs is enhanced by 16% from 5.26% to 6.09% by incorporating 2.38 wt% Au-Ag alloy popcorn NPs. Moreover, by adding a scattering layer on the exterior of the counter electrode, the popcorn NPs demonstrate an even stronger ability to increase the PCE by 32% from 5.94% to 7.85%, which results from the more efficient excitation of the LSP mode on the popcorn NPs. PMID:23817586

Crystallization-induced emission enhancement: A novel fluorescent Au-Ag bimetallic nanocluster with precise atomic structure

PubMed Central

Chen, Tao; Yang, Sha; Chai, Jinsong; Song, Yongbo; Fan, Jiqiang; Rao, Bo; Sheng, Hongting; Yu, Haizhu; Zhu, Manzhou

2017-01-01

We report the first noble metal nanocluster with a formula of Au4Ag13(DPPM)3(SR)9 exhibiting crystallization-induced emission enhancement (CIEE), where DPPM denotes bis(diphenylphosphino)methane and HSR denotes 2,5-dimethylbenzenethiol. The precise atomic structure is determined by x-ray crystallography. The crystalline state of Au4Ag13 shows strong luminescence at 695 nm, in striking contrast to the weak emission of the amorphous state and hardly any emission in solution phase. The structural analysis and the density functional theory calculations imply that the compact C–H⋯π interactions significantly restrict the intramolecular rotations and vibrations and thus considerably enhance the radiative transitions in the crystalline state. Because the noncovalent interactions can be easily modulated via varying the chemical environments, the CIEE phenomenon might represent a general strategy to amplify the fluorescence from weakly (or even non-) emissive nanoclusters. PMID:28835926

The Stypsi-Megala Therma porphyry-epithermal mineralization, Lesvos Island, Greece: new mineralogical and geochemical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Periferakis, Argyrios; Voudouris, Panagiotis; Melfos, Vasilios; Mavrogonatos, Constantinos; Alfieris, Dimitrios

2017-04-01

Lesvos Island is located at the NE part of the Aegean Sea and mostly comprises post-collisional Miocene volcanic rocks of shoshonitic to calc-alkaline geochemical affinities. In the northern part of the Island, the Stypsi Cu-Mo±Au porphyry prospect, part of the Stypsi caldera, is hosted within hydrothermally altered intrusives and volcanics [1]. Porphyry-style mineralization is developed in a microgranite porphyry that has intruded basaltic trachyandesitic lavas. Propylitic alteration occurs distal to the mineralization, whereas sodic-calcic alteration related to quartz-actinolite veinlets, and a phyllic overprint associated with a dense stockwork of banded black quartz±carbonate veinlets, characterizes the core of the system. Alunite-kaolinite advanced argillic alteration occurs at higher topographic levels and represents a barren lithocap to the porphyry mineralization. Intermediate-sulfidation (IS) milky quartz-carbonate veins overprint the porphyry mineralization along a NNE-trending fault that extends further northwards to Megala Therma, where it hosts IS base metal-rich Ag-Au mineralization [2]. New mineralogical data from the Megala Therma deposit suggest Ag-famatinite, Te-polybasite and Ag-tetrahedrite as the main carriers of Ag in the mineralization. Porphyry-style ores at Stypsi consist of magnetite postdated by pyrite and then by chalcopyrite, molybdenite, sphalerite, galena and bismuthinite within the black quartz stockworks or disseminated in the wallrock [1]. The dark coloration of quartz in the veinlets is due to abundant vapor-rich fluid inclusions. Quartz is granular and fine-grained and locally elongated perpendicular to the vein walls. Botryoidal textures are continuous through quartz grains, suggesting quartz recrystallization from a silica gel, a feature already described by [3] from banded quartz veinlets in porphyry Au deposits at Maricunga, Chile. Bulk ore analyses from porphyry-style mineralization at Stypsi displayed similar geochemical

Cooperative plasmonic effect of Ag and Au nanoparticles on enhancing performance of polymer solar cells.

PubMed

Lu, Luyao; Luo, Zhiqiang; Xu, Tao; Yu, Luping

2013-01-09

This article describes a cooperative plasmonic effect on improving the performance of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells. When mixed Ag and Au nanoparticles are incorporated into the anode buffer layer, dual nanoparticles show superior behavior on enhancing light absorption in comparison with single nanoparticles, which led to the realization of a polymer solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 8.67%, accounting for a 20% enhancement. The cooperative plasmonic effect aroused from dual resonance enhancement of two different nanoparticles. The idea was further unraveled by comparing Au nanorods with Au nanoparticles for solar cell application. Detailed studies shed light into the influence of plasmonic nanostructures on exciton generation, dissociation, and charge recombination and transport inside thin film devices.

A comparison of microbial communities in deep-sea polymetallic nodules and the surrounding sediments in the Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Yue-Hong; Liao, Li; Wang, Chun-Sheng; Ma, Wei-Lin; Meng, Fan-Xu; Wu, Min; Xu, Xue-Wei

2013-09-01

Deep-sea polymetallic nodules, rich in metals such as Fe, Mn, and Ni, are potential resources for future exploitation. Early culturing and microscopy studies suggest that polymetallic nodules are at least partially biogenic. To understand the microbial communities in this environment, we compared microbial community composition and diversity inside nodules and in the surrounding sediments. Three sampling sites in the Pacific Ocean containing polymetallic nodules were used for culture-independent investigations of microbial diversity. A total of 1013 near full-length bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences and 640 archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences with ~650 bp from nodules and the surrounding sediments were analyzed. Bacteria showed higher diversity than archaea. Interestingly, sediments contained more diverse bacterial communities than nodules, while the opposite was detected for archaea. Bacterial communities tend to be mostly unique to sediments or nodules, with only 13.3% of sequences shared. The most abundant bacterial groups detected only in nodules were Pseudoalteromonas and Alteromonas, which were predicted to play a role in building matrix outside cells to induce or control mineralization. However, archaeal communities were mostly shared between sediments and nodules, including the most abundant OTU containing 290 sequences from marine group I Thaumarchaeota. PcoA analysis indicated that microhabitat (i.e., nodule or sediment) seemed to be a major factor influencing microbial community composition, rather than sampling locations or distances between locations.

Chemical trend of superconducting transition temperature in hole-doped delafossite of CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, Akitaka; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi

2012-12-01

We have performed the first-principles calculations about the superconducting transition temperature Tc of hole-doped delafossite CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2. Calculated Tc are about 50 K (CuAlO2), 40 K (AgAlO2) and 3 K(AuAlO2) at maximum in the optimum hole-doping concentration. The low Tc of AuAlO2 is attributed to the weak electron-phonon interaction caused by the low covalency and heavy atomic mass.

Effect of Refractive Index of Substrate on Fabrication and Optical Properties of Hybrid Au-Ag Triangular Nanoparticle Arrays

PubMed Central

Liu, Jing; Chen, Yushan; Cai, Haoyuan; Chen, Xiaoyi; Li, Changwei; Yang, Cheng-Fu

2015-01-01

In this study, the nanosphere lithography (NSL) method was used to fabricate hybrid Au-Ag triangular periodic nanoparticle arrays. The Au-Ag triangular periodic arrays were grown on different substrates, and the effect of the refractive index of substrates on fabrication and optical properties was systematically investigated. At first, the optical spectrum was simulated by the discrete dipole approximation (DDA) numerical method as a function of refractive indexes of substrates and mediums. Simulation results showed that as the substrates had the refractive indexes of 1.43 (quartz) and 1.68 (SF5 glass), the nanoparticle arrays would have better refractive index sensitivity (RIS) and figure of merit (FOM). Simulation results also showed that the peak wavelength of the extinction spectra had a red shift when the medium’s refractive index n increased. The experimental results also demonstrated that when refractive indexes of substrates were 1.43 and 1.68, the nanoparticle arrays and substrate had better adhesive ability. Meanwhile, we found the nanoparticles formed a large-scale monolayer array with the hexagonally close-packed structure. Finally, the hybrid Au-Ag triangular nanoparticle arrays were fabricated on quartz and SF5 glass substrates and their experiment extinction spectra were compared with the simulated results.

STEM-EELS analysis of multipole surface plasmon modes in symmetry-broken AuAg nanowire dimers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schubert, Ina; Sigle, Wilfried; van Aken, Peter A.; Trautmann, Christina; Toimil-Molares, Maria Eugenia

2015-03-01

Surface plasmon coupling in nanowires separated by small gaps generates high field enhancements at the position of the gap and is thus of great interest for sensing applications. It is known that the nanowire dimensions and in particular the symmetry of the structures has strong influence on the plasmonic properties of the dimer structure. Here, we report on multipole surface plasmon coupling in symmetry-broken AuAg nanowire dimers. Our dimers, consisting of two nanowires with different lengths and separated by gaps of only 10 to 30 nm, were synthesized by pulsed electrochemical deposition in ion track-etched polymer templates. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy in scanning transmission electron microscopy allows us to resolve up to nine multipole order surface plasmon modes of these dimers spectrally separated from each other. The spectra evidence plasmon coupling between resonances of different multipole order, resulting in the generation of additional plasmonic modes. Since such complex structures require elaborated synthesis techniques, dimer structures with complex composition, morphology and shape are created. We demonstrate that finite element simulations on pure Au dimers can predict the generated resonances in the fabricated structures. The excellent agreement of our experiment on AuAg dimers with finite integration simulations using CST microwave studio manifests great potential to design complex structures for sensing applications.

The Marianas-San Marcos vein system: characteristics of a shallow low sulfidation epithermal Au-Ag deposit in the Cerro Negro district, Deseado Massif, Patagonia, Argentina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, Conrado Permuy; Guido, Diego M.; Jovic, Sebastián M.; Bodnar, Robert J.; Moncada, Daniel; Melgarejo, Joan Carles; Hames, Willis

2016-08-01

The Cerro Negro district, within the Argentinian Deseado Massif province, has become one of the most significant recent epithermal discoveries, with estimated reserves plus resources of ˜6.7 Moz Au equivalent. The Marianas-San Marcos vein system contains about 70 % of the Au-Ag resources in the district. Mineralization consists of Upper Jurassic (155 Ma) epithermal Au- and Ag-rich veins of low to intermediate sulfidation style, hosted in and genetically related to Jurassic intermediate composition volcanic rocks (159-156 Ma). Veins have a complex infill history, represented by ten stages with clear crosscutting relationships that can be summarized in four main episodes: a low volume, metal-rich initial episode (E1), an extended banded quartz episode with minor mineralization (E2), a barren waning stage episode (E3), and a silver-rich late tectonic-hydrothermal episode (E4). The first three episodes are interpreted to have formed at the same time and probably from fluids of similar composition: a 290-230 °C fluid dominated by meteoric and volcanic waters (-3‰ to -0‰ δ18Owater), with <3 % NaCl equivalent salinity and with a magmatic source of sulfur (-1 to -2 ‰ δ34Swater). Metal was mainly precipitated at the beginning of vein formation (episode 1) due to a combination of boiling at ˜600 to 800 m below the paleowater table, and associated mixing/cooling processes, as evidenced by sulfide-rich bands showing crustiform-colloform quartz, adularia, and chlorite-smectite banding. During episodes 2 and 3, metal contents progressively decrease during continuing boiling conditions, and veins were filled by quartz and calcite during waning stages of the hydrothermal system, and the influx of bicarbonate waters (-6 to -8.5 ‰ δ18Owater). Hydrothermal alteration is characterized by proximal illite, adularia, and silica zone with chlorite and minor epidote, intermediate interlayered illite-smectite and a distal chlorite halo. This assemblage is in agreement with

Hotspots engineering by grafting Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles on the Au film over slightly etched nanoparticles substrate for on-site paraquat sensing.

PubMed

Wang, Chaoguang; Wu, Xuezhong; Dong, Peitao; Chen, Jian; Xiao, Rui

2016-12-15

Paraquat (PQ) pollutions are ultra-toxic to human beings and hard to be decomposed in the environment, thus requiring an on-site detection strategy. Herein, we developed a robust and rapid PQ sensing strategy based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) technique. A hybrid SERS substrate was prepared by grafting the Au@Ag core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) on the Au film over slightly etched nanoparticles (Au FOSEN). Hotspots were engineered at the junctions as indicated by the finite difference time domain calculation. SERS performance of the hybrid substrate was explored using p-ATP as the Raman probe. The hybrid substrate gives higher enhancement factor comparing to either the Au FOSEN substrate or the Au@Ag core-shell NPs, and exhibits excellent reproducibility, homogeneity and stability. The proposed SERS substrates were prepared in batches for the practical PQ sensing. The total analysis time for a single sample, including the pre-treatment and measurement, was less than 5min with a PQ detection limit of 10nM. Peak intensities of the SERS signal were plotted as a function of the PQ concentrations to calibrate the sensitivity by fitting the Hill's equation. The plotted calibration curve showed a good log-log linearity with the coefficient of determination of 0.98. The selectivity of the sensing proposal was based on the "finger print" Raman spectra of the analyte. The proposed substrate exhibited good recovery when it applied to real water samples, including lab tap water, bottled water, and commercially obtained apple juice and grape juice. This SERS-based PQ detection method is simple, rapid, sensitive and selective, which shows great potential in pesticide residue and additives abuse monitoring. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced performances of dye-sensitized solar cells based on Au-TiO2 and Ag-TiO2 plasmonic hybrid nanocomposites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Huili; Fan, Jiajie; Zhang, Xiaoli; Mao, Jing; Shao, Guosheng

2018-02-01

Novel double-layer films were prepared and applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using commercial TiO2 nanoparticles as a bonding underlayer and noble metal (Au and Ag) nanoparticles (NP) and nanowires (NW) incorporated to hybrid TiO2 composites, consisting of 3 dimensional (3D) hierarchical microspheres, 3D hollow spheres, 2 dimensional (2D) nanosheets and commercial P25 nanoparticles, as multifunctional light scattering overlayer. The influence of Au NP, Ag NP, Au NW, and Ag NW on of microstructures of the film electrodes and the photovoltaic (PV) performances of DSSCs was investigated. The result revealed that the ranges and intensity of sunlight absorption, the photo capture ability for dye molecules of the hybrid nanocomposite film electrodes, and the photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE) of the cells were all significantly enhanced due to the plasmonic effect of the noble metal nanostructures. All composite DSSCs with noble metal nanostructures have higher PCE than the pure TiO2 solar cell. This is attributed the improved electron transport of the noble metal nanostructures, and the improvement of light absorption because of their local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect. Under optical conditions, a PCE of 5.74% was obtained in the TiO2-AgNW DSSC, representing a 25.3% enhancement compared to a reference solar cell based on pure TiO2 film (4.58%). The main reason of the advancement is the improved electron transport of AgNW, the light absorption enhancement on account of the LSPR effect of AgNW, and increased light scattering due to the incorporation of the large one dimensional AgNWs within the photo-anode.

Adjustable coordination of a hybrid phosphine-phosphine oxide ligand in luminescent Cu, Ag and Au complexes.

PubMed

Dau, Thuy Minh; Asamoah, Benjamin Darko; Belyaev, Andrey; Chakkaradhari, Gomathy; Hirva, Pipsa; Jänis, Janne; Grachova, Elena V; Tunik, Sergey P; Koshevoy, Igor O

2016-09-28

A potentially tridentate hemilabile ligand, PPh2-C6H4-PPh(O)-C6H4-PPh2 (P(3)O), has been used for the construction of a family of bimetallic complexes [MM'(P(3)O)2](2+) (M = M' = Cu (1), Ag (2), Au (3); M = Au, M' = Cu (4)) and their mononuclear halide congeners M(P(3)O)Hal (M = Cu (5-7), Ag (8-10)). Compounds 1-10 have been characterized in the solid state by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis to reveal a variable coordination mode of the phosphine-oxide group of the P(3)O ligand depending on the preferable number of coordination vacancies on the metal center. According to the theoretical studies, the interaction of the hard donor P[double bond, length as m-dash]O moiety with d(10) ions becomes less effective in the order Cu > Ag > Au. 1-10 exhibit room temperature luminescence in the solid state, and the intensity and energy of emission are mostly determined by the nature of metal atoms. The photophysical characteristics of the monometallic species were compared with those of the related compounds M(P(3))Hal (11-16) with the non-oxidized ligand P(3). It was found that in the case of the copper complexes 5-7 the P(3)O hybrid ligand introduces effective non-radiative pathways of the excited state relaxation leading to poor emission, while for the silver luminophores the P[double bond, length as m-dash]O group leads mainly to the modulation of luminescence wavelength.

Femtosecond Laser Fabricated Ag@Au and Cu@Au Alloy Nanoparticles for Surface Enhaned Raman Spectrosocpy Based Trace Explosives Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sree Satya Bharati, Moram; Byram, Chandu; Soma, Venugopal R.

2018-03-01

Herein we present results from our detailed studies on the fabrication of Ag@Au and Cu@Au alloy nanoparticles (NPs) using the femtosecond laser ablation in liquid technique. The NPs were obtained by ablating the pure Ag, Cu targets (bulk) in HAuCl4 (5 mM) solution. The absorption properties of the obtained NPs colloids were characterized using UV-Visible absorption spectrometer and their size, shape, and crystallinity were investigated using the XRD, FESEM and TEM techniques. The fabricated NPs were utilized for sensing of explosive molecules such as 2, 4, 6-trinitrophenol (PA), 2, 4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) and a common dye methylene blue (MB) using the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) technique. The detection limit in terms of weight was as low as few nano-grams in the case of nitroaromatic explosive compounds (PA, DNT) and few picograms in the case of a common dye molecule (MB). Typical enhancement factors achieved were estimated to be 104, 105 and 107, respectively, for PA, DNT, and MB. The significance of the present work lies in exploring the performance of the prepared NPs being used as SERS substrates for explosives detection using a portable Raman instrument. Such capability enables one to carry the spectrometer to the point of interest in the field and evaluate any hazardous samples within a short period of time.

Optimized Slag Design for Maximum Metal Recovery during the Pyrometallurgical Processing of Polymetallic Deep-Sea Nodules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedmann, David; Friedrich, Bernd

The steadily growing demand for critical metals and their price increase on the world market makes the mining of marine mineral resources in the not too distant future probable. Therefore, an enormous focus lays currently on the development of a viable process route to extract valuable metals from marine mineral resources such as polymetallic nodules. For a country with few natural resources like Germany, the industrial treatment of marine mineral resources could lead to a significantly decreased dependence on the global natural resource market. The focus during treatment of these nodules lies on the pyrometallurgical extraction of Ni, Cu and Co on one hand as well as the generation of a sellable ferromanganese and/or silicomanganese product on the other. All work is conducted in lab-scale SAF furnaces. The concept approach is zero-waste, which includes careful slag design, so that the produced slags adhere to environmental restrictions.

Enhanced flexibility and electron-beam-controlled shape recovery in alumina-coated Au and Ag core-shell nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vlassov, Sergei; Polyakov, Boris; Vahtrus, Mikk; Mets, Magnus; Antsov, Mikk; Oras, Sven; Tarre, Aivar; Arroval, Tõnis; Lõhmus, Rünno; Aarik, Jaan

2017-12-01

The proper choice of coating materials and methods in core-shell nanowire (NW) engineering is crucial to assuring improved characteristics or even new functionalities of the resulting composite structures. In this paper, we have reported electron-beam-induced reversible elastic-to-plastic transition in Ag/Al2O3 and Au/Al2O3 NWs prepared by the coating of Ag and Au NWs with Al2O3 by low-temperature atomic layer deposition. The observed phenomenon enabled freezing the bent core-shell NW at any arbitrary curvature below the yield strength of the materials and later restoring its initially straight profile by irradiating the NW with electrons. In addition, we demonstrated that the coating efficiently protects the core material from fracture and plastic yield, allowing it to withstand significantly higher deformations and stresses in comparison to uncoated NW.

Toehold-mediated DNA displacement-based surface-enhanced Raman scattering DNA sensor utilizing an Au-Ag bimetallic nanodendrite substrate.

PubMed

Kim, Saetbyeol; Tran Ngoc, Huan; Kim, Joohoon; Yoo, So Young; Chung, Hoeil

2015-07-23

A simple and sensitive surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based DNA sensor that utilizes the toehold-mediated DNA displacement reaction as a target-capturing scheme has been demonstrated. For a SERS substrate, Au-Ag bimetallic nanodendrites were electrochemically synthesized and used as a sensor platform. The incorporation of both Ag and Au was employed to simultaneously secure high sensitivity and stability of the substrate. An optimal composition of Ag and Au that satisfied these needs was determined. A double-strand composed of 'a probe DNA (pDNA)' complementary to 'a target DNA (tDNA)' and 'an indicator DNA tagged with a Raman reporter (iDNA)' was conjugated on the substrate. The conjugation made the reporter molecule close to the surface and induced generation of the Raman signal. The tDNA released the pre-hybridized iDNA from the pDNA via toehold-mediated displacement, and the displacement of the iDNA resulted in the decrease of Raman intensity. The variation of percent intensity change was sensitive and linear in the concentration range from 200fM to 20nM, and the achieved limit of detection (LOD) was 96.3fM, superior to those reported in previous studies that adopted different signal taggings based on such as fluorescence and electrochemistry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface structural evolution of AuAg/TiO2 catalyst in the transformation of benzyl alcohol to sodium benzoate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Yuanyuan; Wang, Ying; Fan, Kangnian; Dai, Wei-Lin

2013-08-01

A series of AuAg/TiO2 catalysts calcined at different temperatures were used for single-pot, solvent-free synthesis of sodium benzoate and benzoic acid through the green oxidation of benzyl alcohol. The best catalytic performance, which produced a sodium benzoate yield of up to 85%, was obtained over the AuAg/TiO2 catalyst calcined at 623 K. Systematic characterizations including BET, XRD, TEM, XPS, and UV-vis DRS and ICP were carried out to investigate the influence of calcined temperature on the structural evolution of the bimetallic AuAg/TiO2 catalysts. TEM images showed that both low (473 K) and high calcinations temperatures (973 K) resulted in larger particles. The smallest particles (8.2 nm) were obtained at 623 K. This decrease in particle size may have been induced by the re-dispersion and interaction of the bimetallic species. XRD and XPS results showed that proper calcination temperature (623 K) could promote interactions between the bimetallic particles and the TiO2 support as well as the dispersion of active bimetallic species. The higher catalytic performance of the 623 K calcined catalyst could be attributed to the smaller particle size and the synergetic interaction between nano-bimetallic gold and silver species.

Tunable energy transfer from d 10 heterobimetallic dicyanide(I) donor ions to terbium(III) acceptor ions in luminescent Tb[Ag xAu 1- x(CN) 2] 3 ( x = 0 → 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Haiyan; Yson, Renante; Ford, James; Tracy, Henry J.; Carrier, Alora B.; Keller, Aaron; Mullin, Jerome L.; Poissan, Michelle J.; Sawan, Samuel; Patterson, Howard H.

2007-07-01

We report on the heterobimetallic system, Tb[Ag xAu 1- x(CN) 2] 3 ( x = 0 → 1), in which sensitization of terbium luminescence occurs by energy transfer from [Ag xAu 1- x(CN) 2] - donor excited states. The donor states have energies which are tunable and dependent on the Ag/Au stoichiometric ratio. We report on their use as donor systems with Tb(III) ions as acceptor ions in energy transfer studies. Luminescence results show that the mixed metal dicyanides with the higher silver loading have a better energy transfer efficiency than the pure Ag(CN)2- and Au(CN)2- donors. The better energy transfer efficiency is due to the greater overlap between the donor emission and acceptor excitation.

Regional setting and characteristics of the Neoproterozoic Wadi Hamama Zn-Cu-Ag-Au prospect: evidence for an intra-oceanic island arc-hosted volcanogenic hydrothermal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd El-Rahman, Yasser; Surour, Adel A.; El-Manawi, Abdel Hamid W.; El-Dougdoug, Abdel-Monem A.; Omar, Sayed

2015-04-01

The Wadi Hamama area is a volcanogenic Zn-Cu-Au-Ag prospect. It is hosted by a Neoproterozoic bimodal-mafic sequence, which comprises basalt, dacite and rhyolite along with volcaniclastic rocks. The rocks have a low-K tholeiitic affinity and are enriched in large ion lithophile elements over high field strength elements, which indicated their formation in an intra-oceanic island arc tectonic setting. The area was intruded by a tonalite-trondhjemite body, which has an intra-oceanic island arc affinity and later by diorite, which has a cordilleran-margin geochemical affinity. These rock units were intruded by post-tectonic granite dykes, which have a within-plate geochemical signature. There is a quartz-carbonate horizon extending along the contact between the basalt and the volcaniclastic rocks, mainly banded and lapilli tuffs. This horizon is of exhalative origin and is underlain by a mushroom-shaped alteration zone extending from the horizon down to the massive basalt. The footwall alteration is characterized by a silica-rich core surrounded by a thick chlorite sheath. Both the quartz-carbonate horizon and the footwall-altered rocks enclose historical trenches and pits. Sulfide-rich core samples are enriched in Zn, relative to Cu, and in Ag, which indicates the low-temperature nature of the hydrothermal system. The prospect was affected by supergene processes, which led to the widespread occurrence of secondary copper minerals and gold enrichment relative to the leached base metals, especially Zn. The prospect formed through a limited rifting of an intra-oceanic island arc which resulted in the formation of a small-scale volcanogenic Zn-Cu-Ag-Au prospect.

The Shear Strength and Fracture Behavior of Sn-Ag- xSb Solder Joints with Au/Ni-P/Cu UBM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hwa-Teng; Hu, Shuen-Yuan; Hong, Ting-Fu; Chen, Yin-Fa

2008-06-01

This study investigates the effects of Sb addition on the shear strength and fracture behavior of Sn-Ag-based solders with Au/Ni-P/Cu underbump metallization (UBM) substrates. Sn-3Ag- xSb ternary alloy solder joints were prepared by adding 0 wt.% to 10 wt.% Sb to a Sn-3.5Ag alloy and joining them with Au/Ni-P/Cu UBM substrates. The solder joints were isothermally stored at 150°C for up to 625 h to study their microstructure and interfacial reaction with the UBM. Single-lap shear tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties, thermal resistance, and failure behavior. The results show that UBM effectively suppressed intermetallic compound (IMC) formation and growth during isothermal storage. The Sb addition helped to refine the Ag3Sn compounds, further improving the shear strength and thermal resistance of the solders. The fracture behavior evolved from solder mode toward the mixed mode and finally to the IMC mode with increasing added Sb and isothermal storage time. However, SnSb compounds were found in the solder with 10 wt.% Sb; they may cause mechanical degradation of the solder after long-term isothermal storage.

LSPR Tuning from 470 to 800 nm and Improved Stability of Au-Ag Nanoparticles Formed by Gold Deposition and Rebuilding in the Presence of Poly(styrenesulfonate).

PubMed

Cathcart, Nicole; Chen, Jennifer I L; Kitaev, Vladimir

2018-01-16

Stability and precise control over functional properties of metal nanoparticles remain a challenge for the realization of prospective applications. Our described process of shell formation and rebuilding can address both these challenges. Template silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) stabilized by poly(styrenesulfonate) are first transformed with gold deposition, after which the resulting shell rebuilds with the replaced silver. The shell formation and rebuilding are accompanied by large shifts in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak position, which enables LSPR tuning in a range from 470 to 800 nm. Furthermore, chemical stability of Au-AgNPs is significantly improved compared to AgNPs due to gold stability. Silver templates of different shapes and sizes were demonstrated to transform to AuAg composite NPs to further extend the accessible LSPR range tuning. Stabilization of template AgNPs with poly(styrenesulfonate), in contrast to commonly used poly(vinylpyrrolidone), was found to be a key factor for shell rebuilding. The developed Au-AgNPs were shown to be advantageous for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) detection and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) owing to their tunable LSPR and enhanced stability.

Tunable surface plasmon resonance frequency of Au-Ag bimetallic asymmetric structure thin films in the UV and IR region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Ruijin; Ji, Jialin; Tao, Chunxian; Zhang, Dawei

2016-10-01

Au/ZnO/Ag sandwich structure films were fabricated by DC magnetron sputter at room temperature. The tunability of the surface plasmon resonance wavelength was realized by varying the thickness of ZnO thin film. The effects of ZnO layer on the optical properties of Au/ZnO/Au thin films were investigated by optical absorption and Raman scattering measurements. It has been found that both the surface plasmon resonance frequency and SERS can be controlled by adjusting the thickness of ZnO layer due to the coupling of metal and semiconductor.

Isotopic composition of Pb in ore deposits of the Betic Cordillera, Spain; origin and relationship to other European deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arribas , Antonio; Tosdal, Richard M.

1994-01-01

The Betic Cordillera in southern Spain is a complex Alpine fold belt that resulted from the Cretaceous through Cenozoic collision of Africa with Europe. The region is illustrative of one of the characteristics of the Alpine-Mediterranean orogen: the occurrence over a limited area of mineral deposits with a wide variety of host rocks, mineralization ages, and styles. The metamorphic basement in the Betic zone is characterized by a nappe structure of superimposed tectonostratigraphic units and consists of lower Paleozoic to Lower Triassic clastic metasedimentary rocks. This is overlain by Middle to Upper Triassic platform carbonate rocks with abundant strata-bound F-Pb-Zn-(Ba) deposits (e.g., Sierra de Gador, Sierra Alhamilla). Cretaceous to Paleogene subduction-related compression in southeastern Spain was followed by Miocene postcollisional extension and resulted in the formation of the Almeria-Cartagena volcanic belt and widespread hydrothermal activity and associated polymetallic mineralization. Typical Miocene hydrothermal deposits include volcanic-hosted Au (e.g., Rodalquilar) and Ag-rich base metal (e.g., Cabo de Gata, Mazarron) deposits as well as complex polymetallic veins, mantos, and irregular replacement bodies which are hosted by Paleozoic and Mesozoic metamorphic rocks and Neogene sedimentary and volcanic rocks (e.g., Cartagena, Sierra Almagrera, Sierra del Aguilon, Loma de Bas).Lead isotope compositions were measured on sulfide samples from nine ore districts and from representative fresh samples of volcanic and basement rock types of the region. The results have been used to evaluate ore-forming processes in southeastern Spain with emphasis on the sources of metals. During a Late Triassic mineralizing event, Pb was leached from Paleozoic clastic metasedimentary rocks and incorporated in galena in strata-bound F-Pb-Zn-(Ba) deposits ( 206 Pb/ 204 Pb = 18.332 + or - 12, 207Pb/ 204 Pb = 15.672 + or - 12, 208 Pb/ 204 Pb = 38.523 + or - 46). The second

Effectiveness of Natural Field Induced Polarization for Detecting Polymetallic Deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

YANG, Jin; LIU, Zhaoping; WANG, Long

To validate the effect of Natural Field Induced Polarization (NFIP), a certain polymetallic deposit was chosen as the test site, where Induced Polarization (IP) using gradient array and the Magnetotelluric (MT) sounding were conducted simultaneously. Analysis and comparison of the data indicated that the anomaly of the Relative Percent Frequency Effect (RPFE) from the MT data and the anomaly of IP coincided well with each other in the extents of the anomalous site and anomaly magnitudes. The results showed that NFIP was effective in the exploration of polymetallic deposits, under certain conditions.

Cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag magnetic nanoparticles: a highly efficient SERS substrate for pesticide detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Mei; Zhao, Aiwu; Wang, Dapeng; Wang, Jin; Chen, Ping; Sun, Henghui

2018-04-01

As a novel surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) nanocomposite, cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized for the first time. Cube-like α-Fe2O3 NPs with uniform size were achieved by optimizing reaction temperature and time. Firstly, the cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2 with good dispersity was achieved by calcining α-Fe2O3@SiO2 NPs in hydrogen atmosphere at 360 °C for 2.5 h, followed by self-assembling a PEI shell via sonication. Furthermore, the Au@Ag particles were densely assembled on the Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs to form the Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag composite structure via strong Ag-N interaction. The obtained nanocomposites exhibited an excellent SERS behavior, reflected by the low detection of limit (p-ATP) at the 5 × 10-14 M level. Moreover, these nanocubes were used for the detection of thiram, and the detection limit can reach 5 × 10-11 M. Meanwhile, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specifies that the residue in fruit must be lower than 7 ppm. Hence, the resulting substrate with high SERS activity has great practical potential applications in the rapid detection of chemical, biological, and environment pollutants with a simple portable Raman instrument at trace level.

Anti p and anti Lambda production in Si + Au collisions at the AGS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Yue-Dong

1996-01-01

(anti (ital p)) and (anti (Lambda)) production in central Si + Au collisions has been measured by E589 at the BNL-AGS. Preliminary (ital m)(sub (perpendicular)) spectra are presented for (anti (ital p))'s and (anti (Lambda))'s. The (ital dn/dy) distribution for (anti (ital p))'s is also presented. Based on the (anti (ital p)) and (anti (Lambda)) measurements, (anti (Lambda))/(anti (ital p)) ratios are calculated in the rapidity range of 1.1-1.5.

Toward a modular multi-material nanoparticle synthesis and assembly strategy via bionanocombinatorics: bifunctional peptides for linking Au and Ag nanomaterials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Briggs, Beverly D.; Palafox-Hernandez, J. Pablo; Li, Yue

Materials-binding peptides represent a unique avenue towards controlling the shape and size of nanoparticles (NPs) grown under aqueous conditions. Here, employing a bionanocombinatorics approach, two such materials-binding peptides were linked at either end of a photoswitchable spacer, forming a multi-domain materials-binding molecule to control the in situ synthesis and organization of Ag and Au NPs under ambient conditions. These multi-domain molecules retained the peptides’ ability to nucleate, grow, and stabilize Ag and Au NPs in aqueous media. Disordered co-assemblies of the two nanomaterials were observed by TEM imaging of dried samples after sequential growth of the two metals, and showedmore » a clustering behavior that was not observed without both metals and the linker molecules. While TEM evidence indicated the formation of AuNP/AgNP assemblies upon drying, SAXS analysis indicated that no extended assemblies existed in solution, suggesting that sample drying plays an important role in facilitating NP clustering. Molecular simulations and experimental data revealed tunable materials-binding based upon the isomerization state of the photoswitchable unit and metal employed. This work is a first step in generating externally actuated biomolecules with specific material-binding properties that could be used as the building blocks to achieve multi-material switchable NP assemblies.« less

A ternary functional Ag@GO@Au sandwiched hybrid as an ultrasensitive and stable surface enhanced Raman scattering platform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Cong-yun; Hao, Rui; Zhao, Bin; Hao, Yao-wu; Liu, Ya-qing

2017-07-01

The graphene-mediated surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates by virtues of plasmonic metal nanostructures and graphene or its derivatives have attracted tremendous interests which are expected to make up the deficiency of traditional plasmonic metal substrates. Herein, we designed and fabricated a novel ternary Ag@GO@Au sandwich hybrid wherein the ultrathin graphene oxide (GO) films were seamlessly wrapped around the hierarchical flower-like Ag particle core and meanwhile provided two-dimensional anchoring scaffold for the coating of Au nanoparticles (NPs). The surface coverage density of loading Au NPs could be readily controlled by tuning the dosage amount of Au particle solutions. These features endowed the sandwiched structures high enrichment capability for analytes such as aromatic molecules and astonishing SERS performance. The Raman signals were enormously enhanced with an ultrasensitive detection limit of rhodamine-6G (R6G) as low as 10-13 M based on the chemical enhancement from GO and multi-dimensional plasmonic coupling between the metal nanoparticles. In addition, the GO interlayer as an isolating shell could effectively prevent the metal-molecule direct interaction and suppress the oxidation of Ag after exposure at ambient condition which enabled the substrates excellent reproducibility with less than 6% signal variations and prolonged life-time. To evaluate the feasibility and the practical application for SERS detection in real-world samples based on GO sandwiched hybrid as SERS-active substrate, three different prohibited colorants with a series of concentrations were measured with a minimum detected concentration down to 10-9 M. Furthermore, the prepared GO sandwiched nanostructures can be used to identify different types of colorants existing in red wine, implying the great potential applications for single-particle SERS sensing of biotechnology and on-site monitoring in food security.

Effect of the Fabrication Parameters of the Nanosphere Lithography Method on the Properties of the Deposited Au-Ag Nanoparticle Arrays

PubMed Central

Liu, Jing; Chen, Chaoyang; Yang, Guangsong; Chen, Yushan; Yang, Cheng-Fu

2017-01-01

The nanosphere lithography (NSL) method can be developed to deposit the Au-Ag triangle hexagonal nanoparticle arrays for the generation of localized surface plasmon resonance. Previously, we have found that the parameters used to form the NSL masks and the physical methods required to deposit the Au-Ag thin films had large effects on the geometry properties of the nanoparticle arrays. Considering this, the different parameters used to grow the Au-Ag triangle hexagonal nanoparticle arrays were investigated. A single-layer NSL mask was formed by using self-assembly nano-scale polystyrene (PS) nanospheres with an average radius of 265 nm. At first, the concentration of the nano-scale PS nanospheres in the solution was set at 6 wt %. Two coating methods, drop-coating and spin-coating, were used to coat the nano-scale PS nanospheres as a single-layer NSL mask. From the observations of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), we found that the matrixes of the PS nanosphere masks fabricated by using the drop-coating method were more uniform and exhibited a smaller gap than those fabricated by the spin-coating method. Next, the drop-coating method was used to form the single-layer NSL mask and the concentration of nano-scale PS nanospheres in a solution that was changed from 4 to 10 wt %, for further study. The SEM images showed that when the concentrations of PS nanospheres in the solution were 6 and 8 wt %, the matrixes of the PS nanosphere masks were more uniform than those of 4 and 10 wt %. The effects of the one-side lifting angle of substrates and the vaporization temperature for the solvent of one-layer self-assembly PS nanosphere thin films, were also investigated. Finally, the concentration of the nano-scale PS nanospheres in the solution was set at 8 wt % to form the PS nanosphere masks by the drop-coating method. Three different physical deposition methods, including thermal evaporation, radio-frequency magnetron sputtering, and e-gun deposition, were used to

Effect of the Fabrication Parameters of the Nanosphere Lithography Method on the Properties of the Deposited Au-Ag Nanoparticle Arrays.

PubMed

Liu, Jing; Chen, Chaoyang; Yang, Guangsong; Chen, Yushan; Yang, Cheng-Fu

2017-04-03

The nanosphere lithography (NSL) method can be developed to deposit the Au-Ag triangle hexagonal nanoparticle arrays for the generation of localized surface plasmon resonance. Previously, we have found that the parameters used to form the NSL masks and the physical methods required to deposit the Au-Ag thin films had large effects on the geometry properties of the nanoparticle arrays. Considering this, the different parameters used to grow the Au-Ag triangle hexagonal nanoparticle arrays were investigated. A single-layer NSL mask was formed by using self-assembly nano-scale polystyrene (PS) nanospheres with an average radius of 265 nm. At first, the concentration of the nano-scale PS nanospheres in the solution was set at 6 wt %. Two coating methods, drop-coating and spin-coating, were used to coat the nano-scale PS nanospheres as a single-layer NSL mask. From the observations of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), we found that the matrixes of the PS nanosphere masks fabricated by using the drop-coating method were more uniform and exhibited a smaller gap than those fabricated by the spin-coating method. Next, the drop-coating method was used to form the single-layer NSL mask and the concentration of nano-scale PS nanospheres in a solution that was changed from 4 to 10 wt %, for further study. The SEM images showed that when the concentrations of PS nanospheres in the solution were 6 and 8 wt %, the matrixes of the PS nanosphere masks were more uniform than those of 4 and 10 wt %. The effects of the one-side lifting angle of substrates and the vaporization temperature for the solvent of one-layer self-assembly PS nanosphere thin films, were also investigated. Finally, the concentration of the nano-scale PS nanospheres in the solution was set at 8 wt % to form the PS nanosphere masks by the drop-coating method. Three different physical deposition methods, including thermal evaporation, radio-frequency magnetron sputtering, and e-gun deposition, were used to

40Ar-39Ar dating of Archean iron oxide Cu-Au and Paleoproterozoic granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province, Brazil: implications for genetic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pollard, Peter J.; Taylor, Roger G.; Peters, Lisa; Matos, Fernando; Freitas, Cantidiano; Saboia, Lineu; Huhn, Sergio

2018-05-01

40Ar-39Ar dating of biotite from IOCG and granite-related Cu-Au deposits in the Carajás Mineral Province provides evidence for the timing of mineralization and constraints on genetic models of ore formation. Ages of biotite from greisen and quartz-rich vein and breccia deposits, Alvo 118—1885 ± 4 Ma, Breves—1886 ± 5 Ma, Estrela—1896 ± 7 Ma, and Gameleira—1908 ± 7 Ma, demonstrate the close temporal relationship between Cu-Au mineralization and subjacent A-type granites. Mineralization is hosted within granite cupolas (Breves) or in vein/breccia systems emanating from the cupolas (Estrela and Gameleira), consistent with a genetic relationship of mineralization to the B-Li-F-rich granites. Plateau and minimum ages of biotite from IOCG deposits, including Igarapé Bahia, Cristalino, Corta Goela, and GT34, range from 2537 ± 6 Ma to 2193 ± 4 Ma. The 40Ar-39Ar age of biotite from Igarapé Bahia (2537 ± 6 Ma) is similar to a previous SHRIMP 207Pb-206Pb age for monazite of 2575 ± 12 Ma when the uncertainties in the respective analyses and standards are taken into account. The age spectrum for biotite from Cristalino shows increasing ages for successive steps, consistent with post-crystallization Ar loss, and the age of 2388 ± 5 Ma for the last three steps is considered a minimum age for Cu-Au mineralization. The age of biotite from the GT34 prospect (2512 ± 7 Ma) coincides with a previously identified period of basement reactivation and may indicate the formation of Cu-Au mineralization at this time or resetting of biotite from an older mineralization event at this time. At Corta Goela, within the Canaã Shear Zone, the biotite age of 2193 ± 4 Ma lies between the ages of IOCG (2.57-2.76 Ga) and granite-related Cu-Au ( 1.88 Ga) deposits elsewhere in the Carajás district but is similar to previously reported 40Ar-39Ar ages for amphibole from Sossego, possibly indicating that mineralization at both Sossego and Corta Goela was affected by a thermal event at

Energy-resolved attosecond interferometric photoemission from Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambrosio, M. J.; Thumm, U.

2018-04-01

Photoelectron emission from solid surfaces induced by attosecond pulse trains into the electric field of delayed phase-coherent infrared (IR) pulses allows the surface-specific observation of energy-resolved electronic phase accumulations and photoemission delays. We quantum-mechanically modeled interferometric photoemission spectra from the (111) surfaces of Au and Ag, including background contributions from secondary electrons and direct emission by the IR pulse, and adjusted parameters of our model to energy-resolved photoelectron spectra recently measured at a synchrotron light source by Roth et al. [J. Electron Spectrosc. 224, 84 (2018), 10.1016/j.elspec.2017.05.008]. Our calculated spectra and photoelectron phase shifts are in fair agreement with the experimental data of Locher et al. [Optica 2, 405 (2015), 10.1364/OPTICA.2.000405]. Our model's not reproducing the measured energy-dependent oscillations of the Ag(111) photoemission phases may be interpreted as evidence for subtle band-structure effects on the final-state photoelectron-surface interaction not accounted for in our simulation.

The Genesis of Precious and Base Metal Mineralization at the Miguel Auza Deposit, Zacatecas, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Findley, A. A.; Olivo, G. R.; Godin, L.

2009-05-01

The Miguel Auza mine located in Zacatecas State, Mexico, is a vein-type polymetallic epithermal deposit hosted in deformed argillite, siltstone and, greywacke of the Cretaceous Caracol Formation. Silver-rich base metal veins (0.2 m to >1.5 m wide) are spatially associated with the NE-striking, steeply SE- dipping (70-80°) Miguel Auza fault over a strike length of 1.6 km and a depth of 460 m. A 2 km2 monzonitic stock located in the proximity of the mineralized zones, has previously been interpreted as the source of the mineralizing fluids. Four distinct structural stages are correlated with hydrothermal mineral deposition: (I) The Pre-ore stage is characterized by normal faulting, fracturing of host rock, and rotation of bedding planes. This stage consists of quartz, illite, chlorite, +/- pyrite alteration of sedimentary wall rocks. (II) The Pyrite-vein stage is associated with reverse-sense reactivation of early normal faults, dilation of bedding planes/fractures, and deposition of generally barren calcite + pyrite veinlets. (III) The Main-ore stage is related to the development of reverse-fault- hosted massive sulphide veins. During this stage three phases of mineral deposition are recorded: early pyrite and arsenopyrite, intermediate chalcopyrite, pyrite, arsenopyrite, and base metals, and late base metals and Ag-bearing minerals. Associated gangue minerals during the main ore stage are quartz, muscovite, calcite and chlorite. (IV) The Post-ore stage involves late NW-SE striking block faulting, brecciation and calcite veining. Later supergene oxidation of veins led to deposition of Fe-oxides and hydroxides, commonly filling fractures or replacing early-formed sulphide assemblages. The various vein types display classic epithermal textures including open space filling, banding, comb quartz and brecciation. The Ag-bearing minerals comprise pyrargyrite [Ag3(Sb,As)S3], argentotennantite [(Cu,Ag)10(Zn,Fe)2(Sn,As)4S13], polybasite-pearceite [(Ag,Cu)16(Sb,As)2S11], and

Nanobiophotonics for molecular imaging of cancer: Au- and Ag-based Epidermal Growth Factor receptor (EGFR) specific nanoprobes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucas, Leanne J.; Hewitt, Kevin C.

2012-03-01

Our aim is to create and validate a novel SERS-based nanoprobe for optical imaging of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Gold and silver nanoparticles (Au/AgNPs) of various sizes were synthesized and coupled to epidermal growth factor (EGF) via a short ligand, α-lipoic acid (206 g/mol), which binds strongly to both Au and Ag nanoparticles via its disulfide end group. We used carbodiimide chemistry to couple EGF to α-lipoic acid. These nanoprobes were tested for binding affinity using Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) and, in-vitro, using EGFRoverexpressing A431 cells. The nanoprobes show excellent EGFR-specific binding. Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry demonstrate the carbodiimide based linking of the carboxylic acid end-group of α-lipoic acid to one or more of the three (terminal, or 2 lysine) amine groups on EGF. ELISA confirms that the linked EGF is active by itself, and following conjugation with gold or silver nanoparticles. Compared with bare nanoparticles, UV-Vis spectroscopy of Ag-based nanoprobes exhibit significant plasmon red-shift, while there was no discernable shift for Au-based ones. Dark field microscopy shows abundant uptake by EGFR overexpressing A431 cells, and serves to further confirm the excellent binding affinity. Nanoprobe internalization and consequent aggregation is thought to be the basis of enhanced light scattering in the dark field images, supporting the notion that these nanoprobes should provide excellent SERS signals at all nanoprobe sizes. In summary, novel EGFR-specific nanoprobes have been synthesized and validated by standard assay and in cell culture for use as SERS optical imaging probes.

Application of gold compositional analyses to mineral exploration in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Antweiler, J.C.; Campbell, W.L.

1977-01-01

Native gold is a mineral composed of Au, Ag and Cu in solid solution and it usually contains one or more trace metals as lattice impurities, as mineral inclusions, in grain boundaries or in surface coatings. Alloy proportions of Au, Ag and Cu, together with certain other elements, can be thought of as constituting a gold "signature". Gold is associated with a great variety of ore deposits and has characteristic signatures for each of several types of ore deposits. Signatures for gold derived from igneous-metamorphic, hypothermal, mesothermal and epithermal deposits reflect conditions of ore formation by their content of Ag, Cu and characteristic associated elements. At higher temperatures of ore formation, gold has low Ag and high Cu content, and Bi and Pb are the most abundant trace elements. But at lower temperatures of ore formation, Ag is high, Cu is low, and Pb is the most abundant trace element. The same trend in gold signatures is observable in gold mining districts, such as Central City, Colorado, where zoning as shown by mineral assemblages indicates ore deposition at progressively lower temperatures as the distance from a central high-temperature zone increases. The signatures of gold may be useful in searching for porphyry Cu deposits. Signatures from Butte (Montana), Mineral Park (Arizona) and Cala Abajo (Puerto Rico), on the basis of limited sampling, are similar and distinctive. They are characterized by a similar assemblage of trace elements and are relatively high in both Ag and Cu. Another application of gold compositional data is in tracing placer gold to its bedrock source. For example, the Ag content of placer gold in the Tarryall district of Colorado differed from that of nearly all of the bedrock sources of gold found by early prospectors. However, one lightly prospected area peripheral to the Tertiary quartz monzonite stock at Montgomery Gulch contains gold with a Ag content similar to that of the placer gold. This area is the most likely

Geochronology of the Sleeper deposit, Humboldt County, Nevada: epithermal gold-silver mineralization following emplacement of a silicic flow-dome complex

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conrad, J.E.; McKee, E.H.; Rytuba, J.J.; Nash, J.T.; Utterback, W.C.

1993-01-01

The high-grade gold-silver deposits at the Sleeper mine are low sulfidation, quartz-adularia-type epithermal deposits, formed during the final stages of igneous hydrothermal activity of a small middle Miocene silicic flow-dome complex in north-central Nevada. There were multiple pulses of alteration and mineralization but all occurred within a period of less than 2 m.y. Later supergene alteration formed opal and alunite about 5.4 Ma but produced no Au or Ag mineralization other than some remobilization to produce locally rich pockets of secondary Au and Ag enrichment and is unrelated to the older magmatic hydrothermal system. The Sleeper deposit in the northern part of the Great Basin is genetically related to bimodal volcanism that followed a long period of arc-related andesitic volcanism in the same general region. -from Authors

Improvement in gold grade from iron-oxide mineral using reduction roasting and magnetic separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyun-soo; On, Hyun-sung; Lim, Dae-hack; Myung, Eun-ji; Park, Cheon-young

2017-04-01

Microwave has a wide range of applications in mineral technology, metallurgy, etc. It is an established fact that microwave energy has potential for the speedy and efficient heating of minerals and in a commercial context may provide savings in both time and energy. Microwave heating is being developed as a potential thermal pre-treatment process, because of its unique advantages over the differences of ore minerals in absorbing microwaves. The aim of this study was to investigate the improvement in Au grade from iron-oxide mineral using reduction roasting and magnetic separation. The characteristics of iron-oxide mineral were analyzed using chemical, XRD and reflected light microscopy. The reduction roasting using microwave and magnetic separation experiments were examined under various conditions (reducing agent and chemical additive). The results of XRD and reflected light microscopy showed that the iron-oxide mineral mainly composed of illite, quartz and hematite. The iron-oxide mineral had an Au, Ag, Fe contents of 6.4, 35.1 and 155,441.1 mg/kg, respectively. The results demonstrated that the improvement in Au by reduction roasting using microwave (frequency of 2.45GHz, intensity of 5kW) and magnetic separation (magnetic field intensity of 9,000 Gauss) were effective processes. The Au content in iron-oxide mineral from 6.4 mg/kg to 14.2 mg/kg was achieved within microwave exposure time of 10min (reducing agent(PAC) ratio = 50 : 50, 5% of chemical additive(Soda ash)). Acknowledgment : This subject is supported by Korea Ministry of Environment as "Advanced Technology Program for Environmental Industry"

Stability of M 3S 3 complexes on fcc M(111) surfaces: M = Au, Ag, Cu, and Ni

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Da-Jiang; Lee, Jiyoung; Windus, Theresa L.

Density Functional Theory is utilized to assess the stability of metal (M)-sulfur (S) complexes adsorbed on fcc M(111) surfaces, specifically considering S-decorated planar M trimers, M 3S 3. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy studies have identified structures proposed to be Ni 3S 3 on Ni(111), and Au 3S 3 on Au(111). In addition, Cu 3S 3 on Cu(111) has been suggested to facilitate enhanced Cu surface mass transport. Our analysis considers M 3S 3 complexes for M = Au, Ag, Cu, and Ni, assessing key measures of stability on surfaces, and also comparing behavior with trends in gas-phase stability. These surface andmore » gas-phase analyses are systematically related within the framework of Hess’s law, which allows elucidation of various contributions to the overall energetics. In all cases, the adsorbed complex is stable relative to its separated constituents adsorbed on the terrace. However, only for Ag does one find a negative energy of formation from excess S on terraces and M extracted from kink sites along step edges, implying spontaneous complex formation for this pathway. We interpret various experimental observations in the context of our results for energetics.« less

Stability of M 3S 3 complexes on fcc M(111) surfaces: M = Au, Ag, Cu, and Ni

DOE PAGES

Liu, Da-Jiang; Lee, Jiyoung; Windus, Theresa L.; ...

2018-02-08

Density Functional Theory is utilized to assess the stability of metal (M)-sulfur (S) complexes adsorbed on fcc M(111) surfaces, specifically considering S-decorated planar M trimers, M 3S 3. Scanning Tunneling Microscopy studies have identified structures proposed to be Ni 3S 3 on Ni(111), and Au 3S 3 on Au(111). In addition, Cu 3S 3 on Cu(111) has been suggested to facilitate enhanced Cu surface mass transport. Our analysis considers M 3S 3 complexes for M = Au, Ag, Cu, and Ni, assessing key measures of stability on surfaces, and also comparing behavior with trends in gas-phase stability. These surface andmore » gas-phase analyses are systematically related within the framework of Hess’s law, which allows elucidation of various contributions to the overall energetics. In all cases, the adsorbed complex is stable relative to its separated constituents adsorbed on the terrace. However, only for Ag does one find a negative energy of formation from excess S on terraces and M extracted from kink sites along step edges, implying spontaneous complex formation for this pathway. We interpret various experimental observations in the context of our results for energetics.« less

Cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag magnetic nanoparticles: a highly efficient SERS substrate for detection of pesticide.

PubMed

Sun, Mei; Zhao, Aiwu; Wang, Dapeng; Wang, Jin; Chen, Ping; Sun, Henghui

2018-02-09

As a novel SERS nanocomposities, cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag magnetic nanoparticles have been synthesized for the first time. Cube-like α-Fe2O3 NPs with uniform size can be achieved by optimizing reaction temperature and time. Firstly, the cube-like Fe3O4@SiO2 with good dispersity were achieved by calcining α-Fe2O3@SiO2 NPs in hydrogen atmosphere at 360 °C for 2.5 h, followed by self-assembling PEI shell via sonication. Furthermore, the Au@Ag particles can be densely assembled on the Fe3O4@SiO2 NPs to form the Fe3O4@SiO2@Au@Ag composite structure via strong Ag-N interaction. The obtained nanocomposites exhibit an excellent surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) behavior, reflected from low detection of limit (p-ATP) at 5×10-14 M level. Moreover, these nanocubes are used for detection of thiram and the detection limit can reach up to 5×10-11 M, while the rule of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specifies that the residue in fruit must be lower than 7 ppm. Hence, the resulting substrate with high SERS activity has great practical potential applications in rapid detection of chemical, biological and environment pollutants with a simple portable Raman instrument at trace level. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Influence of source distribution and geochemical composition of aerosols on children exposure in the large polymetallic mining region of the Bolivian Altiplano.

PubMed

Goix, Sylvaine; Point, David; Oliva, Priscia; Polve, Mireille; Duprey, Jean Louis; Mazurek, Hubert; Guislain, Ludivine; Huayta, Carlos; Barbieri, Flavia L; Gardon, Jacques

2011-12-15

The Bolivian Altiplano (Highlands) region is subject to intense mining, tailing and smelting activities since centuries because of the presence of large and unique polymetallic ore deposits (Ag, Au, Cu, Pb, Sn, Sb, Zn). A large scale PM(10), PM(2.5) aerosol monitoring survey was conducted during the dry season in one of the largest mining cities of this region (Oruro, 200,000 inhabitants). Aerosol fractions, source distribution and transport were investigated for 23 elements at approximately 1 km(2) scale resolution, and compared to children exposure data obtained within the same geographical space. As, Cd, Pb, Sb, W and Zn in aerosols are present at relatively high concentrations when compared to studies from other mining regions. Arsenic exceeds the European council PM(10) guide value (6 ng/m(3)) for 90% of the samples, topping 200 ng/m(3). Ag, As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Sb are present at significantly higher levels in the district located in the vicinity of the smelter zone. At the city level, principal component analysis combined with the mapping of factor scores allowed the identification and deconvolution of four individual sources: i) a natural magmatic source (Co, Cs, Fe, K, Mn, Na, Rb and U) originating from soil dust, resuspended by the traffic activity; ii) a natural sedimentary source (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Th) resulting from the suspension of evaporative salt deposits located South; iii) an anthropogenic source specifically enriched in mined elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn) mainly in the smelting district of the city; and iv) a Ni-Cr source homogenously distributed between the different city districts. Enrichment factors for As, Cd and Sb clearly show the impact of smelting activities, particularly in the finest PM(2.5) fraction. Comparison to children's hair metal contents collected in five schools from different districts shows a direct exposure to smelting activity fingerprinted by a unique trace elements pattern (Ag, As, Cu, Pb, Sb). Copyright © 2011

Role of electron-phonon coupling in finite-temperature dielectric functions of Au, Ag, and Cu

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Meng; Yang, Jia-Yue; Zhang, Shangyu; Liu, Linhua

2017-09-01

Realistic representation of finite temperature dielectric functions of noble metals is crucial in describing the optical properties of advancing applications in plasmonics and optical metamaterials. However, the atomistic origins of the temperature dependence of noble metals' dielectric functions still lack full explanation. In this paper, we implement electronic structure calculations as well as ellipsometry experiments to study the finite temperature dielectric functions of noble metals Au, Ag, and Cu. Theoretically, the intraband dielectric function is described by the Drude model, of which the important quantity electron lifetime is obtained by considering the electron-phonon, electron-electron, and electron-surface scattering mechanism. The electron-phonon coupling is key to determining the temperature dependence of electron lifetime and intraband dielectric function. For the interband dielectric function, it arises from the electronic interband transition. Due to the limitation of incorporating electron-phonon coupling into the interband transition scheme, the temperature dependence of the interband dielectric function is mainly determined by the thermal expansion effect. Experimentally, variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry measures the dielectric functions of Au and Ag over the temperature range of 300-700 K and spectral range of 2-20 µm. Those experimental measurements are consistent with theoretical results and thus verify the theoretical models for the finite temperature dielectric function.

The Improvement of Ion Plated Ag and Au Film Adherence to Si3N4 and SiC Surfaces for Increased Tribological Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalvins, Talivaldis

1998-01-01

A modified dc-diode plating system, utilizing a metallic screen cage as a cathode and referred as SCREEN CAGE ION PLATING (SCIP), is used to deposit Ag and Au lubricating films on Si3N4 and SiC surfaces. When deposition is performed in Ar or N2, glow discharge, the surface displays poor adhesive strength (less than 5 MPa). A dramatic increase in adhesive strength (less than 80 MPa) is achieved when plating is performed in a reactive 50% 02 + 50% Ar glow discharge. The excited/ionized oxygen species (O2(+)/O(+) in the glow discharge contribute to the oxidation of the Si3N4 or SiC surfaces as determined by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XTS) depth profiling. The reactively sputter-oxidized S3N4 or SiC surfaces and the activated-oxidized-metastable Ag or Au species formed in the plasma cooperatively contribute to the increased adherence. As a result, the linear thermal expansion coefficient mismatch at the interface is reduced. These lubricating Ag and Au films under sliding conditions reduce the friction coefficient by a factor of 2-1/2 to 4.

Secondary ion emission from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au surfaces under KeV Cs + irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Heide, P. A. W.

2005-02-01

Low energy mono-atomic singly charged secondary ion emissions from Ti, V, Cu, Ag and Au substrates during the initial stages of sputtering with Cs + primary ions have been studied. With the exception of the Ag - secondary ions, all exhibited exponential like correlations with the Cs induced work function changes. This, along with the lack of variations in the valence band structure around the Fermi edge, is consistent with resonance charge transfer to/from states located at the Fermi edge. The insensitivity of Ag - to work function appears to stem from the dominance of a separate ion formation process, namely charge transfer into vacant 4d states in the sputtered population, which themselves appear to be produced through collective oscillations. A similar excitation-mediated process involving different levels also appears to be active in the formation of other negatively charged transition metal ions, albeit to a much lesser degree.

Matrix Effects Originating from Coexisting Minerals and Accurate Determination of Stable Silver Isotopes in Silver Deposits.

PubMed

Guo, Qi; Wei, Hai-Zhen; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Hohl, Simon; Lin, Yi-Bo; Wang, Yi-Jing; Li, Yin-Chuan

2017-12-19

Except for extensive studies in core formation and volatile-element depletion processes using radiogenic Ag isotopes (i.e., the Pd-Ag chronometer), recent research has revealed that the mass fractionation of silver isotopes is in principle controlled by physicochemical processes (e.g., evaporation, diffusion, chemical exchange, etc.) during magmatic emplacement and hydrothermal alteration. As these geologic processes only produce very minor variations of δ 109 Ag from -0.5 to +1.1‰, more accurate and precise measurements are required. In this work, a robust linear relationship between instrumental mass discrimination of Ag and Pd isotopes was obtained at the Ag/Pd molar ratio of 1:20. In Au-Ag ore deposits, silver minerals have complex paragenetic relationships with other minerals (e.g., chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, etc.). It is difficult to remove such abundant impurities completely because the other metals are tens to thousands of times richer than silver. Both quantitative evaluation of matrix effects and modification of chemical chromatography were carried out to deal with the problems. Isobaric inferences (e.g., 65 Cu 40 Ar + to 105 Pd, 208 Pb 2+ to 104 Pd, and 67 Zn 40 Ar + to 107 Ag + ) and space charge effects dramatically shift the measured δ 109 Ag values. The selection of alternative Pd isotope pairs is effective in eliminating spectral matrix effects so as to ensure accurate analysis under the largest possible ranges for metal impurities, which are Cu/Ag ≤ 50:1, Fe/Ag ≤ 600:1, Pb/Ag ≤ 10:1, and Zn/Ag ≤ 1:1, respectively. With the modified procedure, we reported silver isotope compositions (δ 109 Ag) in geological standard materials and typical Au-Ag ore deposit samples varying from -0.029 to +0.689 ‰ with external reproducibility of ±0.009-0.084 ‰. A systemic survey of δ 109 Ag (or ε 109 Ag) variations in rocks, ore deposits, and environmental materials in nature is discussed.

XPS and Ag L3-edge XANES characterization of silver and silver-gold sulfoselenides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mikhlin, Yuri L.; Pal'yanova, Galina A.; Tomashevich, Yevgeny V.; Vishnyakova, Elena A.; Vorobyev, Sergey A.; Kokh, Konstantin A.

2018-05-01

Gold and silver sulfoselenides are of interest as materials with high ionic conductivity and promising magnetoresistive, thermoelectric, optical, and other physico-chemical properties, which are strongly dependent on composition and structure. Here, we applied X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Ag L3 X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) to study the electronic structures of low-temperature compounds and solid solutions Ag2SxSe1-x (0 < x < 1), AgAuS, and Ag3AuSxSe2-x (x = 0, 1, 2). Upon substitution of Se with S, a steady increase in the positive charge at Ag(I) sites and only minor changes in the local charge at chalcogen atoms were found from the photoelectron Ag 3d, S 2p, Se 3d, and Ag M4,5VV Auger spectra. The intensity of the Ag L3-edge peak, which is known to correlate with hole counts in the Ag 4d shell having a formal d10 configuration, was enhanced by 20-25% from Ag2Se to Ag2S and from Ag3AuSe2 to Ag3AuS2. The effect of gold is more pronounced, and the number of Ag d holes and the negative charge of S and Se notably decreased for Au-containing compounds; in particular, the Ag L3-edge peak is about 35% lower for AgAuS relative to Ag2S. At the same time, the Au 4f binding energy and, therefore, charge at Au(I) sites increase with increasing S content due to the transfer of electron density from Au to Ag atoms. It was concluded that the effects mainly originate from shortening of the metal-chalcogen and especially the Ausbnd Ag interatomic distances in substances having similar coordination geometry.

NaEuF4/Au@Ag2S nanoparticles-based fluorescence resonant transfer DNA sensor for ultrasensitive detection of DNA energy.

PubMed

Liu, Yuhong; Zhao, Linlin; Zhang, Jin; Zhang, Jinzha; Zhao, Wenbo; Mao, Chun

2016-12-01

The work investigates a new fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system using NaEuF 4 nanoparticles (NPs) and Au@Ag 2 S NPs as the energy donor-acceptor pair for the first time. The NaEuF 4 /Au@Ag 2 S NPs-based FRET DNA sensor was constructed with NaEuF 4 NPs as the fluorescence (FL) donor and Au@Ag 2 S core-shell NPs as FL acceptor. In order to find the matching energy acceptor, the amount of AgNO 3 and Na 2 S were controlled in the synthesis process to overlap the absorption spectrum of energy acceptor with the emission spectrum of energy donors. The sensitivity of FRET-based DNA sensor can be enhanced and the self-absorption of ligand as well as the background of signals can be decreased because of Eu 3+ which owns large Stokes shifts and narrow emission bands due to f-f electronic transitions of 4f shell. We obtained the efficient FRET system by studying suitable distance between the donor and acceptor. Then the FRET-based DNA sensor was used for the design of specific and sensitive detection of target DNA and the quenching efficiency (ΔFL/F 0 , ΔFL=F-F 0 ) of FL was logarithmically related to the concentration of the target DNA, ranging from 100aM to 100pM. We can realize an ultrasensitive detection of target DNA with a detection limit of 32 aM. This proposed method was feasible to analyse target DNA in real samples with satisfactory results. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantum tunneling in real space: Tautomerization of single porphycene molecules on the (111) surface of Cu, Ag, and Au.

PubMed

Kumagai, Takashi; Ladenthin, Janina N; Litman, Yair; Rossi, Mariana; Grill, Leonhard; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Persson, Mats

2018-03-14

Tautomerization in single porphycene molecules is investigated on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) surfaces by a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is revealed that the trans configuration is the thermodynamically stable form of porphycene on Cu(111) and Ag(111), whereas the cis configuration occurs as a meta-stable form. The trans → cis or cis → trans conversion on Cu(111) can be induced in an unidirectional fashion by injecting tunneling electrons from the STM tip or heating the surface, respectively. We find that the cis ↔ cis tautomerization on Cu(111) occurs spontaneously via tunneling, verified by the negligible temperature dependence of the tautomerization rate below ∼23 K. Van der Waals corrected DFT calculations are used to characterize the adsorption structures of porphycene and to map the potential energy surface of the tautomerization on Cu(111). The calculated barriers are too high to be thermally overcome at cryogenic temperatures used in the experiment and zero-point energy corrections do not change this picture, leaving tunneling as the most likely mechanism. On Ag(111), the reversible trans ↔ cis conversion occurs spontaneously at 5 K and the cis ↔ cis tautomerization rate is much higher than on Cu(111), indicating a significantly smaller tautomerization barrier on Ag(111) due to the weaker interaction between porphycene and the surface compared to Cu(111). Additionally, the STM experiments and DFT calculations reveal that tautomerization on Cu(111) and Ag(111) occurs with migration of porphycene along the surface; thus, the translational motion couples with the tautomerization coordinate. On the other hand, the trans and cis configurations are not discernible in the STM image and no tautomerization is observed for porphycene on Au(111). The weak interaction of porphycene with Au(111) is closest to the gas-phase limit and therefore the absence

Quantum tunneling in real space: Tautomerization of single porphycene molecules on the (111) surface of Cu, Ag, and Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumagai, Takashi; Ladenthin, Janina N.; Litman, Yair; Rossi, Mariana; Grill, Leonhard; Gawinkowski, Sylwester; Waluk, Jacek; Persson, Mats

2018-03-01

Tautomerization in single porphycene molecules is investigated on Cu(111), Ag(111), and Au(111) surfaces by a combination of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. It is revealed that the trans configuration is the thermodynamically stable form of porphycene on Cu(111) and Ag(111), whereas the cis configuration occurs as a meta-stable form. The trans → cis or cis → trans conversion on Cu(111) can be induced in an unidirectional fashion by injecting tunneling electrons from the STM tip or heating the surface, respectively. We find that the cis ↔ cis tautomerization on Cu(111) occurs spontaneously via tunneling, verified by the negligible temperature dependence of the tautomerization rate below ˜23 K. Van der Waals corrected DFT calculations are used to characterize the adsorption structures of porphycene and to map the potential energy surface of the tautomerization on Cu(111). The calculated barriers are too high to be thermally overcome at cryogenic temperatures used in the experiment and zero-point energy corrections do not change this picture, leaving tunneling as the most likely mechanism. On Ag(111), the reversible trans ↔ cis conversion occurs spontaneously at 5 K and the cis ↔ cis tautomerization rate is much higher than on Cu(111), indicating a significantly smaller tautomerization barrier on Ag(111) due to the weaker interaction between porphycene and the surface compared to Cu(111). Additionally, the STM experiments and DFT calculations reveal that tautomerization on Cu(111) and Ag(111) occurs with migration of porphycene along the surface; thus, the translational motion couples with the tautomerization coordinate. On the other hand, the trans and cis configurations are not discernible in the STM image and no tautomerization is observed for porphycene on Au(111). The weak interaction of porphycene with Au(111) is closest to the gas-phase limit and therefore the absence

Modification of the internal surface of photonic crystal fibers with Ag and Au nanoparticles for application as sensor elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pidenko, Pavel S.; Borzov, Victor M.; Savenko, Olga A.; Skaptsov, Alexander A.; Skibina, Yulia S.; Goryacheva, Irina Yu.; Rusanova, Tatiana Yu.

2017-03-01

Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are one of the most promising materials for biosensors construction due to their unique optical properties. The modification of PCF by noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) provides the SPR and SERS signal detection where as the application amino group-containing compounds allows efficient binding of biomolecules. In this work the internal surface of glass hollow core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCFs) has been modified Ag and Au nanoparticles using three different approaches. PCFs were treated by: 1) mixture of NPs and precursors for silanization (tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) and (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES)); 2) alternately deposition of polyelectrolytes and NPs, 3) mixture of chitosan with NPs. The shift of local maxima in the HC-PCF transmission spectrum has been selected as a signal for estimating the amount of NPs on the HC-PCF inner surface. The most efficient techniques were the chitosan application for Ag NPs and silanization for Au NPs. The obtaining PCFs could be useful for creating biosensitive elements.

Structure reactivity relationships during N2O hydrogenation over Au-Ag alloys: A study by field emission techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobs, Luc; Barroo, Cédric; Gilis, Natalia; Lambeets, Sten V.; Genty, Eric; Visart de Bocarmé, Thierry

2018-03-01

To make available atomic oxygen at the surface of a catalyst is the key step for oxidation reactions on Au-based catalysts. In this context, Au-Ag alloys catalysts exhibit promising properties for selective oxidation reactions of alcohols: low temperature activity and high selectivity. The presence of O(ads) and its effects on the catalytic reactivity is studied via the N2O dissociative adsorption and subsequent hydrogenation. Field emission techniques are particularly suited to study this reaction: Field Ion Microscopy (FIM) and Field Emission Microscopy (FEM) enable to image the extremity of sharp metallic tips, the size and morphology of which are close to those of one single catalytic particle. The reaction dynamics is studied in the 300-320 K temperature range and at a pressure of 3.5 × 10-3 Pa. The main results are a strong structure/reactivity relationship during N2O + H2 reaction over Au-8.8 at.%Ag model catalysts. Comparison of high-resolution FIM images of the clean sample and FEM images during reaction shows a sensitivity of the reaction to the local structure of the facets, independently of the used partial pressures of both N2O and H2. This suggests a localised dissociative adsorption step for N2O and H2 with the formation of a reactive interface around the {210} facets.

Multiphase formation of the Obří důl polymetallic skarn deposit, West Sudetes, Bohemian Massif: geochemistry and Re-Os dating of sulfide mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselovský, František; Ackerman, Lukáš; Pašava, Jan; Žák, Karel; Haluzová, Eva; Creaser, Robert A.; Dobeš, Petr; Erban, Vojtěch; Tásler, Radko

2017-10-01

The Obří důl Fe-Cu-As polymetallic sulfide skarn deposit is developed in a metamorphic series in the West Sudetes, Bohemian Massif. It consists of lenses of marble, calc-silicate rocks, and skarns. We studied the Gustav orebody, which is located few hundred meters away from the contact with a large, late-orogenic Variscan Krkonoše-Jizera Plutonic Complex (KJPC) emplaced into shallow crust. Mineralogical and fluid inclusion study evidence indicates that the main sulfide stage, dominated by pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite originated from aqueous hydrothermal fluids with salinity up to 8 wt% NaCl eq. with minimum homogenization temperatures ranging from 324 to 358 °C. These fluids mainly replaced carbonate-rich lithologies. Carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope data in Ca-rich rocks imply total overprinting by channelized metasomatic fluid flow, which is most probably related to the intrusion of the KJPC, whereas δ34S values of sulfides argue for a magmatic source of sulfur. The Re-Os age of arsenopyrite overlaps published age data for the KJPC and suggests synchronous formation of the main sulfide mineralization and pluton emplacement.

Multiphase formation of the Obří důl polymetallic skarn deposit, West Sudetes, Bohemian Massif: geochemistry and Re-Os dating of sulfide mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselovský, František; Ackerman, Lukáš; Pašava, Jan; Žák, Karel; Haluzová, Eva; Creaser, Robert A.; Dobeš, Petr; Erban, Vojtěch; Tásler, Radko

2018-06-01

The Obří důl Fe-Cu-As polymetallic sulfide skarn deposit is developed in a metamorphic series in the West Sudetes, Bohemian Massif. It consists of lenses of marble, calc-silicate rocks, and skarns. We studied the Gustav orebody, which is located few hundred meters away from the contact with a large, late-orogenic Variscan Krkonoše-Jizera Plutonic Complex (KJPC) emplaced into shallow crust. Mineralogical and fluid inclusion study evidence indicates that the main sulfide stage, dominated by pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, and chalcopyrite originated from aqueous hydrothermal fluids with salinity up to 8 wt% NaCl eq. with minimum homogenization temperatures ranging from 324 to 358 °C. These fluids mainly replaced carbonate-rich lithologies. Carbon, oxygen, and strontium isotope data in Ca-rich rocks imply total overprinting by channelized metasomatic fluid flow, which is most probably related to the intrusion of the KJPC, whereas δ34S values of sulfides argue for a magmatic source of sulfur. The Re-Os age of arsenopyrite overlaps published age data for the KJPC and suggests synchronous formation of the main sulfide mineralization and pluton emplacement.

A wide range optical pH sensor for living cells using Au@Ag nanoparticles functionalized carbon nanotubes based on SERS signals.

PubMed

Chen, Peng; Wang, Zhuyuan; Zong, Shenfei; Chen, Hui; Zhu, Dan; Zhong, Yuan; Cui, Yiping

2014-10-01

p-Aminothiophenol (pATP) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) have been demonstrated as an efficient pH sensor for living cells. The proposed sensor employs gold/silver core-shell nanoparticles (Au@Ag NPs) functionalized MWCNTs hybrid structure as the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate and pATP molecules as the SERS reporters, which possess a pH-dependent SERS performance. By using MWCNTs as the substrate to be in a state of aggregation, the pH sensing range could be extended to pH 3.0∼14.0, which is much wider than that using unaggregated Au@Ag NPs without MWCNTs. Furthermore, the pH-sensitive performance was well retained in living cells with a low cytotoxicity. The developed SERS-active MWCNTs-based nanocomposite is expected to be an efficient intracellular pH sensor for bio-applications.

Abyssal fauna of the UK-1 polymetallic nodule exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean: Cnidaria.

PubMed

Dahlgren, Thomas G; Wiklund, Helena; Rabone, Muriel; Amon, Diva J; Ikebe, Chiho; Watling, Les; Smith, Craig R; Glover, Adrian G

2016-01-01

We present data from a DNA taxonomy register of the abyssal Cnidaria collected as part of the Abyssal Baseline (ABYSSLINE) environmental survey cruise 'AB01' to the UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSRL) polymetallic-nodule exploration area 'UK-1' in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), central Pacific Ocean abyssal plain. This is the second paper in a series to provide regional taxonomic data for a region that is undergoing intense deep-sea mineral exploration for high-grade polymetallic nodules. Data were collected from the UK-1 exploration area following the methods described in Glover et al. (2015b). Morphological and genetic data are presented for 10 species and 18 records identified by a combination of morphological and genetic data, including molecular phylogenetic analyses. These included 2 primnoid octocorals, 2 isidid octocorals, 1 anemone, 4 hydroids (including 2 pelagic siphonophores accidentally caught) and a scyphozoan jellyfish (in the benthic stage of the life cycle). Two taxa matched previously published genetic sequences (pelagic siphonophores), two taxa matched published morphological descriptions (abyssal primnoids described from the same locality in 2015) and the remaining 6 taxa are potentially new species, for which we make the raw data, imagery and vouchers available for future taxonomic study. We have used a precautionary approach in taxon assignments to avoid over-estimating species ranges. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a region undergoing intense exploration for potential deep-sea mineral extraction. We present these data to facilitate future taxonomic and environmental impact study by making both data and voucher materials available through curated and accessible biological collections. For some of the specimens we also provide image data collected at the seabed by ROV, wich may facilitate more accurate taxon designation in coming ROV or AUV surveys.

Abyssal fauna of the UK-1 polymetallic nodule exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean: Mollusca

PubMed Central

Wiklund, Helena; Taylor, John D.; Dahlgren, Thomas G.; Todt, Christiane; Ikebe, Chiho; Rabone, Muriel; Glover, Adrian G.

2017-01-01

Abstract We present the first DNA taxonomy publication on abyssal Mollusca from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), central Pacific ocean, using material collected as part of the Abyssal Baseline (ABYSSLINE) environmental survey cruise ‘AB01’ to the UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSRL) polymetallic-nodule exploration area ‘UK-1’ in the eastern CCZ. This is the third paper in a series to provide regional taxonomic data for a region that is undergoing intense deep-sea mineral exploration for high-grade polymetallic nodules. Taxonomic data are presented for 21 species from 42 records identified by a combination of morphological and genetic data, including molecular phylogenetic analyses. These included 3 heterodont bivalves, 5 protobranch bivalves, 4 pteriomorph bivalves, 1 caudofoveate, 1 monoplacophoran, 1 polyplacophoran, 4 scaphopods and 2 solenogastres. Gastropoda were recovered but will be the subject of a future study. Seven taxa matched published morphological descriptions for species with deep Pacific type localities, and our sequences provide the first genetic data for these taxa. One taxon morphologically matched a known cosmopolitan species but with a type locality in a different ocean basin and was assigned the open nomenclature ‘cf’ as a precautionary approach in taxon assignments to avoid over-estimating species ranges. One taxon is here described as a new species, Ledella knudseni sp. n. For the remaining 12 taxa, we have determined them to be potentially new species, for which we make the raw data, imagery and vouchers available for future taxonomic study. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a region undergoing intense exploration for potential deep-sea mineral extraction. We present these data to facilitate future taxonomic and environmental impact study by making both data and voucher materials available through curated and accessible biological collections. PMID:29118626

Abyssal fauna of the UK-1 polymetallic nodule exploration area, Clarion-Clipperton Zone, central Pacific Ocean: Cnidaria

PubMed Central

Wiklund, Helena; Rabone, Muriel; Amon, Diva J; Ikebe, Chiho; Watling, Les; Smith, Craig R; Glover, Adrian G

2016-01-01

Abstract Background We present data from a DNA taxonomy register of the abyssal Cnidaria collected as part of the Abyssal Baseline (ABYSSLINE) environmental survey cruise ‘AB01’ to the UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSRL) polymetallic-nodule exploration area ‘UK-1’ in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), central Pacific Ocean abyssal plain. This is the second paper in a series to provide regional taxonomic data for a region that is undergoing intense deep-sea mineral exploration for high-grade polymetallic nodules. Data were collected from the UK-1 exploration area following the methods described in Glover et al. (2015b). New information Morphological and genetic data are presented for 10 species and 18 records identified by a combination of morphological and genetic data, including molecular phylogenetic analyses. These included 2 primnoid octocorals, 2 isidid octocorals, 1 anemone, 4 hydroids (including 2 pelagic siphonophores accidentally caught) and a scyphozoan jellyfish (in the benthic stage of the life cycle). Two taxa matched previously published genetic sequences (pelagic siphonophores), two taxa matched published morphological descriptions (abyssal primnoids described from the same locality in 2015) and the remaining 6 taxa are potentially new species, for which we make the raw data, imagery and vouchers available for future taxonomic study. We have used a precautionary approach in taxon assignments to avoid over-estimating species ranges. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone is a region undergoing intense exploration for potential deep-sea mineral extraction. We present these data to facilitate future taxonomic and environmental impact study by making both data and voucher materials available through curated and accessible biological collections. For some of the specimens we also provide image data collected at the seabed by ROV, wich may facilitate more accurate taxon designation in coming ROV or AUV surveys. PMID:27660533

Studies on electronic structure of interfaces between Ag and gelatin for stabilization of Ag nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tani, Tadaaki; Uchida, Takayuki

2015-06-01

Extremely high stability of Ag nanoparticles in photographic materials has forced us to study the electronic structures of the interfaces between thin layers of Ag, Au, and Pt and their surface membranes in ambient atmosphere by photoelectron yield spectroscopy in air and Kelvin probe method. Owing to the Fermi level equalization between a metal layer and a membrane coming from air, the electron transfer took place from the membrane to Pt and Au layers and from an Ag layer to the membrane, giving the reason for poor stability of Ag nanoparticles in air. The control of the Fermi level of an Ag layer with respect to that of a gelatin membrane in air could be widely made according to Nernst’s equation by changing the pH and pAg values of an aqueous gelatin solution used to form the membrane, and thus available to stabilize Ag nanoparticles in a gelatin matrix.

Interaction of Au, Ag, and Bi ions with Ba2YCu3O(7-y) - Implications for superconductor applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hepp, A. F.; Gaier, J. R.; Pouch, J. J.; Hambourger, P. D.

1988-01-01

Results are presented on the reactions of Au, Ag, and Bi ions with Ba2YCu3O(7-y) oxides and on the properties of the resultant materials. The results indicate that Au(3+) structural chemistry makes gold an excellent candidate for multiphase structures of the Ba2Y(Cu/1-x/Au/x/)3O(7-y)-type substituted superconductors. Silver is structurally and chemically compatible with the perovskite structure, but when it forms a second phase, it does so without the destruction of the superconducting phase, making silver a useful metal for metal/ceramic applications. On the other hand, bismuth was shown to degrade Tc phase or to form other phases, indicating that it may not be useful in applications with rare-earth-based superconductors.

Geology, S-Pb isotopes, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of the Zhaxikang Sb-Pb-Zn-Ag deposit in Southern Tibet: implications for multiple mineralization events at Zhaxikang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiang; Zheng, Youye; Pirajno, Franco; McCuaig, T. Campbell; Yu, Miao; Xia, Shenlan; Song, Qingjie; Chang, Huifang

2018-03-01

Several Au, Sb, Sb-Au, Pb-Zn, and Sb-Pb-Zn-Ag deposits are present throughout the North Himalaya in southern Tibet, China. The largest Sb-Pb-Zn-Ag deposit is Zhaxikang (18 Mt at 0.6 wt% Sb, 2.0 wt% Pb, 3.5 wt% Zn, and 78 g/t Ag). Zhaxikang veins are hosted within N-S trending faults, which crosscut the Early-Middle Jurassic Ridang Formation consisting of shale interbedded with sandstone and limestone deposited on a passive continental margin. Ore paragenesis indicates that Zhaxikang mineralization occurred in two main phases composed of six total stages. The initial phase was characterized by assemblages of fine-grained Mn-Fe carbonate + arsenopyrite + pyrite + sphalerite (stage 1), followed by relatively coarse-grained Mn-Fe carbonate + Fe-rich sphalerite + galena + pyrite (stage 2). The second phase was marked by assemblages of quartz + pyrite + Fe-poor sphalerite and Ag-rich galena + tetrahedrite + sericite (stage 3), quartz + Sb-Pb sulfosalt minerals mainly composed of boulangerite and jamesonite (stage 4), quartz + stibnite ± cinnabar (stage 5), and quartz ± calcite (stage 6). Sulfides of stage 2 have δ34SV-CDT of 8.4-12.0‰, 206Pb/204Pb ratios of 19.648 to 19.659, 207Pb/204Pb ratios of 15.788 to 15.812, and 208Pb/204Pb ratios of 40.035 to 40.153. Sulfides of stage 3 have similar δ34SV-CDT of 6.1-11.2‰ and relatively more radiogenic lead isotopes (206Pb/204Pb = 19.683-19.792). Stage 4 Sb-Pb sulfosalt minerals have δ34SV-CDT of 5.0-7.2‰ and even more radiogenic lead (206Pb/204Pb = 19.811-19.981). By contrast, stibnite of stage 5 has δ34SV-CDT of 4.5-7.8‰ and less radiogenic lead (206Pb/204Pb = 18.880-18.974). Taken together with the geological observations that the Pb-Zn-bearing Mn-Fe carbonate veins were crosscut by various types of quartz veins, sphalerite and galena of stage 2 underwent dissolution and remobilization, and that Sb-Pb(-Fe) sulfosalts formed at the expense of Pb from stage 2 galena and of Fe from stage 2 sphalerite, we argue that

Covellite CuS as a matrix for "invisible" gold: X-ray spectroscopic study of the chemical state of Cu and Au in synthetic minerals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tagirov, Boris R.; Trigub, Alexander L.; Kvashnina, Kristina O.; Shiryaev, Andrey A.; Chareev, Dmitriy A.; Nickolsky, Maximilian S.; Abramova, Vera D.; Kovalchuk, Elena V.

2016-10-01

Geological processes leading to formation of sulfide ores often result in precipitation of gold-bearing sulfides which can contain high concentrations of this metal in ;invisible; (or ;refractory;) state. Covellite (CuS) is ubiquitous mineral in many types of the ore deposits, and numerous studies of the natural ores show that covellite can contain high concentrations of Au. At the same time, Au-bearing covellite withstands cooling in contrast to other minerals of the Cu-Fe-S system (chalcocite, bornite, chalcopyrite), where Au exsolves at low temperatures. This makes covellite a convenient model system for investigation of the chemical state (local environment and valence) of the ;invisible; Au in copper-sulfide ores (copper-porphyry, epithermal, volcanogenic massive sulfide, SEDEX deposits). Therefore, it is necessary to determine the location of Au in the covellite matrix as it will have important implications for the methods employed by mineral processing industry to extract Au from sulfide ores. Here we investigate the chemical state of Cu and Au in synthetic covellite containing up to 0.3 wt.% of Au in the ;invisible; state. The covellite crystals were synthesized by hydrothermal and salt flux methods. Formation of the chemically bound Au is indicated by strong dependence of the concentration of Au in covellite on the sulfur fugacity in the experimental system (d(log C(Au))/d(log f(S2)) ∼ 0.65). The Au concentration of covellite grows with increasing temperature from 400 to 450 °C, whereas further temperature increase to 500 °C has only minor effect. The synthesized minerals were studied using X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (XAFS) in high energy resolution fluorescence detection (HERFD) mode. Ab initio simulations of Cu K edge XANES spectra show that the Cu oxidation state in two structural positions in covellite (tetrahedral and triangular coordination with S atoms) is identical: the total loss of electronic charge for the 3d shell is ∼0

Synthesis of Two-Electron Bimetallic Cu-Ag and Cu-Au Clusters by using [Cu13 (S2 CNn Bu2 )6 (C≡CPh)4 ]+ as a Template.

PubMed

Silalahi, Rhone P Brocha; Chakrahari, Kiran Kumarvarma; Liao, Jian-Hong; Kahlal, Samia; Liu, Yu-Chiao; Chiang, Ming-Hsi; Saillard, Jean-Yves; Liu, C W

2018-03-02

Atomically precise Cu-rich bimetallic superatom clusters have been synthesized by adopting a galvanic exchange strategy. [Cu@Cu 12 (S 2 CN n Bu 2 ) 6 (C≡CPh) 4 ][CuCl 2 ] (1) was used as a template to generate compositionally uniform clusters [M@Cu 12 (S 2 CN n Bu 2 ) 6 (C≡CPh) 4 ][CuCl 2 ], where M=Ag (2), Au (3). Structures of 1, 2 and 3 were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and the results were supported by ESI-MS. The anatomies of clusters 1-3 are very similar, with a centred cuboctahedral cationic core that is surrounded by six di-butyldithiocarbamate (dtc) and four phenylacetylide ligands. The doped Ag and Au atoms were found to preferentially occupy the centre of the 13-atom cuboctahedral core. Experimental and theoretical analyses of the synthesized clusters revealed that both Ag and Au doping result in significant changes in cluster stability, optical characteristics and enhancement in luminescence properties. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

4D Geomodeling: a Tool for Targeting New Potential Mineralization - Example of the Kupferschiefer in the Lubin Region, Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mejia-Herrera, Pablo; Royer, Jean-Jacques; Fraboulet, Jean-Gabriel; Zielinska, Agata

2013-04-01

Understanding the history of sedimentary basins is of paramount importance for reconstituting oil and gas migration, but also in mineral exploration for identifying brine pathways. Advanced modeling technology such as 3&4D geomodeling can be fruitfully used to explore with new eyes old matured mining field. The Polish Kupferschiefers, a sediment-hosted polymetallic (Cu, Ag, Au, PGE) deposit, is one of the most important sources for copper and silver in the world. Within the framework of the ProMine European project, the Lubin region (south west of Poland), was selected for modeling in 3&4D the geological formations in order to better understand the distribution of the Cu-Ag mineralization, and possibly to define new potential targets. A regional scale 4D reconstitution of the North European basin was undertaken to better understand the burial, deformation and natural hydro-fracturing history of the Lubin Kupferschiefer. It comprises the creation of a 3D model of the present geological formation including more than 200 wells coming from the mining exploitation of the Kupferschiefer, cross sections from seismic exploration and geological maps. This 3D model has been then restored and decompacted using the Kine3D-2 Gocad plug-in. The PetroMode 1D was then used to reconstitute the temperatures, pressures, fluid overpressure, and oil and gas maturation during the burying history of the Southern-Western Poland basin. Conditions for hydraulic fracturing were identified within the base of the Zechstein shales, during an inversion phase at the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene time. This up-lifting yields the conditions for hydrothermal recirculation of mineralizing brines explaining the location of Cu (Cu-Fe) sulfides ores in the area. The low permeable Zechstein series (including evaporite, clays and marls) seem to have played an important role as an impermeable cover confining the hydrothermal fluids in the pre-Triassic series. The 4D restoring-decompacting modeling allows

Induced accumulation of Au, Ag and Cu in Brassica napus grown in a mine tailings with the inoculation of Aspergillus niger and the application of two chemical compounds.

PubMed

González-Valdez, Eduardo; Alarcón, Alejandro; Ferrera-Cerrato, Ronald; Vega-Carrillo, Héctor René; Maldonado-Vega, María; Salas-Luévano, Miguel Ángel; Argumedo-Delira, Rosalba

2018-06-15

This study evaluated the ability of Brassica napus for extracting gold (Au), silver (Ag) and copper (Cu) from a mine tailings, with the inoculation of two Aspergillus niger strains, and the application of ammonium thiocyanate (NH 4 SCN) or ammonium thiosulfate [(NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 ]. After seven weeks of growth inoculated or non-inoculated plants were applied with 1 or 2 g kg -1 of either NH 4 SCN or (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 , respectively. Eight days after the application of the chemical compounds, plants were harvested for determining the total dry biomass, and the content of Au, Ag, and Cu in plant organs. Application of (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 or NH 4 SCN resulted in enhanced Au-accumulation in stems (447% and 507%, respectively), while either (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 +Aspergillus, or NH 4 SCN increased the Au-accumulation in roots (198.5% and 404%, respectively) when compared to the control. Treatments with (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 or (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 +Aspergillus significantly increased (P ≤ 0.001) the accumulation of Ag in leaves (677% and 1376%, respectively), while NH 4 SCN + Aspergillus, and (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 enhanced the accumulation in stems (7153% and 6717.5%). The Ag-accumulation in roots was stimulated by NH 4 SCN+ Aspergillus, and (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 + Aspergillus (132.5% and 178%, respectively), when compared to the control. The combination of NH 4 SCN+Aspergillus significantly enhanced the Cu-accumulation in leaves (228%); whereas NH 4 SCN+ Aspergillus, or (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 + Aspergillus resulted in greater accumulation of Cu in stems (1233.5% and 1580%, respectively) than the control. Results suggest that either NH 4 SCN or (NH 4 ) 2 S 2 O 3 (with or without Aspergillus) improved the accumulation of Au and Ag by B. napus. Accumulation of Au and Ag in plant organs overpassed the hyperaccumulation criterion (> 1 mg kg -1 of plant biomass); whereas Cu-accumulation in stems and roots also overpassed such criterion (> 1000 mg kg -1 ) by applying

Superexchange coupling and slow magnetic relaxation in a transuranium polymetallic complex.

PubMed

Magnani, N; Colineau, E; Eloirdi, R; Griveau, J-C; Caciuffo, R; Cornet, S M; May, I; Sharrad, C A; Collison, D; Winpenny, R E P

2010-05-14

{Np(VI)O2Cl2}{Np(V)O2Cl(thf)3}2 is the first studied example of a polymetallic transuranic complex displaying both slow relaxation of the magnetization and effective superexchange interactions between 5f centers. The coupling constant for Np(V)-Np(VI) pairs is 10.8 K, more than 1 order of magnitude larger than the common values found for rare-earth ions in similar environments. The dynamic magnetic behavior displays slow relaxation of magnetization of molecular origin with an energy barrier of 140 K, which is nearly twice the size of the highest barrier found in polymetallic clusters of the d block. Our observations also suggest that future actinide-based molecular magnets will have very different behavior to lanthanide-based clusters.

Frictional behavior and adhesion of Ag and Au films applied to aluminum oxide by oxygen-ion assisted Screen Cage Ion Plating (SCIP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalvins, Talivaldis; Sliney, Harold E.

1994-01-01

A modified dc-diode ion plating system, by utilizing a metallic screen cage as a cathode, is introduced for coating nonconductors such as ceramics. Screen cage ion plating (SCIP) is used to apply Ag and Au lubricating films on aluminum oxide surfaces. This process has excellent ability to coat around corners to produce three-dimensional coverage of the substrate. A dramatic increase in adhesion is achieved when plating is performed in a reactive 50 percent O2 - 50 percent Ar glow discharge compared to the adhesion when plating is performed in 100 percent Ar. The presence of oxygen ion assistance contributes to the excellent adhesion as measured in a pull-type adhesion tester. The Ag and Au film adhesion is significantly increased (less than 70MPa) and generally exceeds the cohesion of the substrate such that portions of the alumina are pulled out.

Using the concentration-volume (C-V) fractal model in the delineation of gold mineralized zones within the Tepeoba porphyry Cu-Mo-Au, Balikesir, NW Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumral, Mustafa; Abdelnasser, Amr; Karaman, Muhittin; Budakoglu, Murat

2016-04-01

The Tepeoba porphyry Cu-Mo-Au mineralization that located at the Biga peninsula (W Turkey) developed around the Eybek pluton concentrated at its southern contact. This mineralization that hosted in the hornfels rocks of Karakaya Complex is associated with three main alteration zones; potassic, phyllic and propylitic alterations along the fault controlled margins of the Eybek pluton and quartz stockwork veining as well as brecciation zones. As well as two mineralized zones were occurred in the mine area; hypogene and oxidation/supergene zone. The hypogene zone has differentiated alteration types; high potassic and low phyllic alteration, while the oxidation/supergene zone has high phyllic and propylitic alterations. This work deals with the delineation of gold mineralized zone within this porphyry deposit using the concentration-volume (C-V) fractal model. Five zones of gold were calculated using its power-law C-V relationship that revealed that the main phase of gold mineralization stated at 5.3083 ppm Au concentration. In addition, the C-V log-log plot shows that the highly and moderately Au mineralization zone developed in western part of deposit correlated with oxidation zone related to propylitic alteration. On the other hand, its weakly mineralization zone has a widespread in the hypogene zone related to potassic alteration. This refers to the enrichment of gold and depletion of copper at the oxidation/supergene zone is due to the oxidation/supergene alteration processes that enrich the deposits by the meteoric water. Keywords: Concentration-volume (C-V) fractal model; gold mineralized zone; Tepeoba porphyry Cu-Mo-Au; Balikesir; NW Turkey.

Highly differentiated magmas linked with polymetallic mineralization: A case study from the Cuihongshan granitic intrusions, Lesser Xing'an Range, NE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fei, Xianghui; Zhang, Zhaochong; Cheng, Zhiguo; Santosh, M.; Jin, Ziliang; Wen, Bingbing; Li, Zixi; Xu, Lijuan

2018-03-01

The genetic link between granitoids and polymetallic skarn mineralization has remained equivocal. The Cuihongshan skarn-porphyry W-Mo-Pb-Zn-(Fe-Cu) deposit in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt provides a unique example to address this issue. The major rock types in the mine area are Early Paleozoic intrusions composed of biotite syenogranite and biotite porphyritic granite and Early Mesozoic intrusions represented by porphyritic quartz monzonite, biotite monzogranite, and porphyritic granite. The diagnostic mineralogical and geochemical features indicate that the rocks belong to A2-type granites. The Early Paleozoic suite shows zircon U-Pb ages of 501 Ma, and εHf(t) values of - 4.4 to + 2.7 and + 2.4 to + 7.6, respectively. In combination with their coherent geochemical trends, these rocks are inferred to be products of in-situ differentiation. Although the Mesozoic suite shows crystallization ages of 194-196 Ma, εHf(t) values are in the range of - 2.5 to + 7.5 for the porphyritic quartz monzonite, the - 1.8 to + 4.5 values for the monzogranite and the + 2.3 to + 8.0 range for the porphyritic granite. The porphyritic quartz monzonite displays distinct mineral assemblage and shows significant compositional gap with the other two lithofacies. In contrast, the monzogranite and porphyritic granite have similar geochemical features, and are thus inferred to be co-magmatic. Considering the high SiO2 contents, variable εHf(t) (- 4.4 to + 8.0) and εNd(t) values (- 8.4 to + 0.28) for the two suites, we infer that both episodes of granitoid magmatism resulted from partial melting of crustal materials with a mixed source containing varying proportions of juvenile and Precambrian crustal components. The Early Mesozoic porphyritic granite shows a highly evolved F-rich geochemical affinity, and experienced magma-fluid interaction. Cassiterite from the calcic skarn and the magnesian skarn that coexists with magnetite orebodies shows a mean U-Pb age of 195

Development of a complex of instrumental nuclear-physical methods to detect PGE, Re, Au, and Ag in hard-to-analyze rocks and complex ores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolmogorov, Yu. P.; Mezentsev, N. A.; Mironov, A. G.; Parkhomenko, V. S.; Spiridonov, A. M.; Shaporenko, A. D.; Yusupov, T. S.; Zhmodik, S. M.; Zolotarev, K. V.; Anoshin, G. N.

2009-05-01

A system of methods to detect platinum group elements (PGE): Re, Au, and Ag in hard-to-analyze rocks and complex ores has been developed. It applies the SRXRF for Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ag and the INAA method for Os, Ir, Pt and Ag and implies mechanoactivation of probes to study. The results of measurement of standard samples of carbonaceous rocks and ores in order to PGE, gold, and silver confirm the possibility of detecting some of the above-listed elements with a detection limit of 10 ppb.

A tectonic model for the spatial occurrence of porphyry copper and polymetallic vein deposits - applications to Central Europe

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drew, Lawrence J.

2006-01-01

A structural-tectonic model, which was developed to assess the occurrence of undiscovered porphyry copper deposits and associated polymetallic vein systems for the Matra Mountains, Hungary, has been expanded here and applied to other parts of central Europe. The model explains how granitoid stocks are emplaced and hydrothermal fluids flow within local strain features (duplexes) within strike-slip fault systems that develop in continental crust above subducting plates. Areas of extension that lack shear at the corners and along the edges of the fault duplexes are structural traps for the granitoid stocks associated with porphyry copper deposits. By contrast, polymetallic vein deposits are emplaced where shear and extension are prevalent in the interior of the duplexes. This model was applied to the Late Cretaceous-age porphyry copper and polymetallic vein deposits in the Banat-Timok-Srednogorie region of Romania-Serbia-Bulgaria and the middle Miocene-age deposits in Romania and Slovakia. In the first area, porphyry copper deposits are most commonly located at the corners, and occasionally along the edges, of strike-slip fault duplexes, and the few polymetallic vein deposits identified are located at interior sites of the duplexes. In the second area, the model accounts for the preferred sites of porphyry copper and polymetallic vein deposits in the Apuseni Mountains (Romania) and central Slovakian volcanic field (Slovakia).

Thermochronology of the Cornubian batholith in southwest England: Implications for pluton emplacement and protracted hydrothermal mineralization

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chesley, J.T.; Halliday, A.N.; Snee, L.W.; Mezger, K.; Shepherd, T.J.; Scrivener, R.C.

1993-01-01

The metalliferous ore deposits of southwest England are associated with biotite-muscovite granites that intruded upper Paleozoic sediments and volcanic rocks at the end of the Hercynian Orogeny. The hydrothermal mineralization can be subdivided into four stages: 1. (1) exoskarns 2. (2) high-temperature tin and tungsten oxide-bearing sheeted greisen bordered veins and Sn-bearing tourmaline veins and breccias 3. (3) polymetallic quartz-tourmaline-chlorite-sulfide-fluorite-bearing fissure veins, which represent the main episode of economic mineralization 4. (4) late-stage, low-temperature polymetallic fluorite veins. U-Pb dating of monazite and xenotime and 40Ar 39Ar dating of muscovite were used to determine emplacement ages and cooling times for individual plutons within the Cornubian batholith, as well as separate intrusive phases within the plutons. In addition, 40Ar 39Ar ages from hornblende and secondary muscovite and Sm-Nd isochron ages from fluorite were employed to determine the relationship between pluton emplacement and different stages of mineralization. The U-Pb ages indicate that granite magmatism was protracted from ~300 Ma down to ~275 Ma with no evidence of a major hiatus. There is no systematic relation between the age of a pluton and its location within the batholith. The U-Pb ages for separate granite phases within a single pluton are resolvable and indicate that magma emplacement within individual plutons occurred over periods of as much as 4.5 myrs. Felsic porphyry dike emplacement was coeval with plutonism, but continued to ~270 Ma. The geochronologic data suggest that the Cornubian batholith originated from repeated melting events over 30 myrs and was formed by a series of small coalescing granitic bodies. Cooling rates of the main plutons are unrelated to emplacement age, but decrease from the southwest to the northeast from ~210??C myr-1 to ~60??C myr-1 with a mean of 100??C myr-1. These slow cooling rates appear to reflect the addition of

Thermochronology of the Cornubian batholith in southwest England: Implications for pluton emplacement and protracted hydrothermal mineralization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chesley, J. T.; Halliday, A. N.; Snee, L. W.; Mezger, K.; Shepherd, T. J.; Scrivener, R. C.

1993-04-01

The metalliferous ore deposits of southwest England are associated with biotite-muscovite granites that intruded upper Paleozoic sediments and volcanic rocks at the end of the Hercynian Orogeny. The hydrothermal mineralization can be subdivided into four stages: (1) exoskarns (2) high-temperature tin and tungsten oxide-bearing sheeted greisen bordered veins and Sn-bearing tourmaline veins and breccias (3) polymetallic quartz-tourmaline-chlorite-sulfide-fluorite-bearing fissure veins, which represent the main episode of economic mineralization (4) late-stage, low-temperature polymetallic fluorite veins. U-Pb dating of monazite and xenotime and 40Ar /39Ar dating of muscovite were used to determine emplacement ages and cooling times for individual plutons within the Cornubian batholith, as well as separate intrusive phases within the plutons. In addition, 40Ar /39Ar ages from hornblende and secondary muscovite and Sm-Nd isochron ages from fluorite were employed to determine the relationship between pluton emplacement and different stages of mineralization. The U-Pb ages indicate that granite magmatism was protracted from ~300 Ma down to ~275 Ma with no evidence of a major hiatus. There is no systematic relation between the age of a pluton and its location within the batholith. The U-Pb ages for separate granite phases within a single pluton are resolvable and indicate that magma emplacement within individual plutons occurred over periods of as much as 4.5 myrs. Felsic porphyry dike emplacement was coeval with plutonism, but continued to ~270 Ma. The geochronologic data suggest that the Cornubian batholith originated from repeated melting events over 30 myrs and was formed by a series of small coalescing granitic bodies. Cooling rates of the main plutons are unrelated to emplacement age, but decrease from the southwest to the northeast from ~210°C myr -1 to ~60°C myr -1 with a mean of 100°C myr -1. These slow cooling rates appear to reflect the addition of heat from

Matrix infrared spectroscopy and quantum-chemical calculations for the coinage-metal fluorides: comparisons of Ar-AuF, Ne-AuF, and Molecules MF2 and MF3.

PubMed

Wang, Xuefeng; Andrews, Lester; Brosi, Felix; Riedel, Sebastian

2013-01-21

The reactions of laser-ablated Au, Ag, and Cu atoms with F(2) in excess argon and neon gave new absorptions in the M-F stretching region of their IR spectra, which were assigned to metal-fluoride species. For gold, a Ng-AuF bond was identified in mixed neon/argon samples. However, this bonding was much weaker with AgF and CuF. Molecules MF(2) and MF(3) (M=Au, Ag, Cu) were identified from the isotopic distribution of the Cu and Ag atoms, comparison of the frequencies for three metal fluorides, and theoretical frequency calculations. The AuF(5) molecule was characterized by its strongest stretching mode and theoretical frequency calculations. Additional evidence was observed for the formation of the Au(2) F(6) molecule. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Origin of Zn-Pb-Sb-Au mineralization adjacent to the Paleoproterozoic Boliden Au-rich VMS deposit, Sweden: evidence from petrographic and oxygen isotope characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adomako-Ansah, Kofi; Ishiyama, Daizo; Allen, Rodney

2018-06-01

Adjacent to the world-class Boliden deposit, fine- to coarse-grained Zn-Pb-Sb-Au-rich sulfide-sulfosalt-bearing horizons occur within the base of a metasedimentary succession that has previously been regarded to stratigraphically overlie the Skellefte Volcanics and Boliden deposit. The metasedimentary succession comprises interbedded mudstone and normal-graded crystal-rich volcanic sandstone-siltstone units, interpreted to be low-density turbidity currents in a subaqueous environment below wave base. The sharp contact between the mineralized intervals and volcanic sandstone is concordant to the bedding planes and compaction foliation. Above and below the mineralization, the wall rocks contain well-preserved plagioclase crystals, partly enclosed by a weak alteration composed of bedding-parallel metamorphic biotite±sericite minerals. These observations are consistent with burial (or tectonic) compaction and diagenetic alteration that was overprinted by metamorphic biotite. The occurrence of biotite in the wall rocks and homogenization recrystallization of the sulfide-sulfosalt assemblage in the mineralized intervals are consistent with peak metamorphic conditions ( 350-450 °C, < 4 kbars) in the Boliden area. However, preservation of plagioclase and water-rock interaction under rock-dominant conditions suggest that high δ18O values (+ 10.7 to + 13.5‰) acquired during diagenesis were unchanged by the metamorphic overprint. The δ18O values yield low temperatures (< 150 °C), which indicate pre-metamorphic conditions. These data suggest that the Zn-Pb-Sb-Au-rich intervals formed as pre-metamorphic distal syn-volcanic exhalative mineralization during sedimentation of the Vargfors group metasedimentary rocks. This implies that massive sulfide formation continued even during Vargfors group time and, therefore, there is still potential for discovery of gold-rich base-metal ores in this part of the Skellefte field stratigraphy.

The alloying effect and AgCl-directing growth for synthesizing a trimetallic nanoring with improved SERS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Shuhua; Zhou, Guangju; Fu, Yunzhi; Ma, Ying; Xu, Li; Zou, Chao; Chen, Wei; Yang, Yun; Huang, Shaoming

2015-12-01

We report the synthesis of high quality trimetallic Au/Ag/Pt nanorings (TAAPNs) by using Au/Ag alloy decahedra (AAAD) as templates. The alloying effect and AgCl-directing growth have been investigated in detail during the formation of TAAPN. It was found that the doping of Ag in AAAD changes the surrounding environment of Au atoms and decreases the oxidization reduction potential (ORP) of [AuCl2]-/Au because of the alloying effect, resulting in the dissolved O2 molecules that serve as an effective etchant for oxidizing Au to Au(i). Ascorbic acid (AA) and chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) are weak acids which can accelerate the etching by increasing the concentration of H+. The AgCl selectively absorbs on {100} of the decahedra and induces the preferential deposition of H2PtCl6 here via their complexing interaction. AA reduces Pt(iv) and Ag(i) to atoms which grow on {100} facets. The formed Pt/Ag layer changes the etching direction from along [100] to [111] and generates the TAAPN. Besides, it has been noted that the TAAPNs exhibit good Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) performance.We report the synthesis of high quality trimetallic Au/Ag/Pt nanorings (TAAPNs) by using Au/Ag alloy decahedra (AAAD) as templates. The alloying effect and AgCl-directing growth have been investigated in detail during the formation of TAAPN. It was found that the doping of Ag in AAAD changes the surrounding environment of Au atoms and decreases the oxidization reduction potential (ORP) of [AuCl2]-/Au because of the alloying effect, resulting in the dissolved O2 molecules that serve as an effective etchant for oxidizing Au to Au(i). Ascorbic acid (AA) and chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) are weak acids which can accelerate the etching by increasing the concentration of H+. The AgCl selectively absorbs on {100} of the decahedra and induces the preferential deposition of H2PtCl6 here via their complexing interaction. AA reduces Pt(iv) and Ag(i) to atoms which grow on {100} facets. The formed

The Luanchuan Mo-W-Pb-Zn-Ag magmatic-hydrothermal system in the East Qinling metallogenic belt, China: Constrains on metallogenesis from C-H-O-S-Pb isotope compositions and Rb-Sr isochron ages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Hua-Wen; Zhang, Shou-Ting; Santosh, M.; Zheng, Luo; Tang, Li; Li, Dong; Zhang, Xu-Huang; Zhang, Yun-Hui

2015-11-01

The Luanchuan Mo-W-Pb-Zn-Ag polymetallic ore district is located in the East Qinling metallogenic belt on the southern margin of the North China Craton. Two ore fields (Nannihu and Yuku) are recognized in the district, and three types of deposits are identified from the two ore fields as follows: (1) the 6 proximal porphyry-skarn type Mo-W deposits occurring at the inner contact zone of the granite porphyries, (2) the 3 middle skarn-hydrothermal type Zn deposits, and (3) the 8 distal hydrothermal type Pb-Zn-Ag deposits at the periphery of the porphyry. We present C-H-O isotope compositions of hydrothermal quartz and calcite, S-Pb isotope compositions of sulfide minerals, and sphalerite Rb-Sr isochron ages from the 17 deposits. The geochemical and geochronological data from the two ore fields all show systematic temporal and spatial variation, and primarily lead to the following inferences. (1) The temperatures and salinities of the ore-forming fluids decreased during mineralization. The ore-forming fluids gradually evolved from magmatic water to mixed magmatic-meteoric water. (2) The metallogenic components were primarily derived from igneous rocks, with increasing proportions of the materials from the ore-bearing rocks. (3) The mineralization ages of these deposits are close (147-136 Ma), which correspond to the emplacement of the granite intrusions. (4) The three types of deposits and the ore-related late Mesozoic intrusives constitute a unified magmatic-hydrothermal-mineralization system. Finally, we also suggest exploration strategies for the Luanchuan ore district.

SHRIMP U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for relating plutonism and mineralization in the Boulder batholith region, Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, K.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Kunk, Michael J.; Unruh, D.M.; Zeihen, G.D.; Hodges, W.C.; du Bray, E.A.; O'Neill, J. M.

2002-01-01

The composite Boulder batholith, Montana, hosts a variety of mineral deposit types, including important silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein districts in the northern part of the batholith and the giant Butte porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage system and crosscutting copper-rich Main Stage vein system in the southern part of the batholith. Previous dating studies have identified ambiguous relationships among igneous and mineralizing events. Mineralizing hydrothermal fluids for these types of deposits and magma for quartz porphyry dikes at Butte have all been considered to be late-stage differentiates of the Boulder batholith. However, previous dating studies indicated that the Boulder batholith plutons cooled from about 78 to 72 Ma, whereas copper-rich Main Stage veins at Butte were dated at about 61 Ma. Recent efforts to date the porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage deposits at Butte resulted in conflicting estimates of both 64 and 76 Ma for the mineralizing events. Silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein deposits elsewhere in the batholith have not been dated previously. To resolve this controversy, we used the U.S. Geological Survey, Stanford, SHRIMP RG ion mic??roprobe to date single-age domains within zircons from plutonic rock samples and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to date white mica, biotite, and K-feldspar from mineral deposits. U-Pb zircon ages are Rader Creek Granodiorite, 80.4 ?? 1.2 Ma; Unionville Granodiorite, 78.2 ?? 0.8 Ma; Pulpit Rock granite, 76.5 ?? 0.8 Ma; Butte Granite, 74.5 ?? 0.9 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (I-15 roadcut), 66.5 ?? 1.0 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (Continental pit), 65.7 ?? 0.9 Ma; and quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy (Big Belt Mountains), 66.2 ?? 0.9 Ma. Zircons from Rader Creek Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dike samples contain Archean inheritance. The 40Ar/39Ar ages are muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Basin district), 74.4 ?? 0.3 Ma; muscovite, silver

Typomorphic Characteristics of Molybdenite from the Bystrinsky Cu-Au Porphyry-Skarn Deposit, Eastern Transbaikal Region, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kovalenker, V. A.; Trubkin, N. V.; Abramova, V. D.; Plotinskaya, O. Yu.; Kiseleva, G. D.; Borisovskii, S. E.; Yazykova, Yu. I.

2018-01-01

The paper presents pioneering data on the composition, texture, and crystal structure of molybdenite from various types of molybdenum mineralization at the Bystrinsky Cu-Au-Fe porphyry-skarn deposit in the eastern Transbaikal region, Russia. The data were obtained using electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Molybdenite found at the deposit in skarn, sulfide-poor quartz veins, and quartz-feldspar alteration markedly differs in the concentrations of trace elements determined by their species in the mineral, as well as in its structural features. Molybdenite-2H from skarn associated with phyllosilicates occurs as ultrafine crystals with uniform shape and texture; no dislocations or inclusions were found but amorphous silica was. The molybdenite composition is highly contrasting in the content and distribution of both structure-related (Re, W, and Se) and other (Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Ag, Cd, Sb, Te, Ag, Pd, Au, Hg, Pb, and Bi) metals. In the sulfide-poor quartz veins, highly structurally heterogeneous (2H + 3R) molybdenite microcrystals with abundant defects (dislocations and volumetrically distributed inclusions) are associated with illite, goethite, and barite. Some single crystals are unique three-phase (2H + 3R polytypes + amorphous MoS2). The mineral has a low concentration of all trace elements, which are uniformly distributed. However, individual domains with uniquely high Pd, Te, Ni, Hg, and W concentrations caused by mineral inclusions are found in some grains. Molybdenite from quartz-feldspar alteration is characterized by low concentrations of all trace elements except for Re and Se, which enrich some domains of the grains. Our data indicate that the compositional and structural heterogeneity of molybdenite from the Bystrinsky deposit are its crucial features, which obviously correlate with the types of Mo mineralization.

Environment-resistive coating for the thin-film-based superconducting fault-current limiter Ag/Au-Ag/YBa 2Cu 3O 7/CeO 2/Al 2O 3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, H.; Kondo, W.; Tsukada, K.; Sohma, M.; Yamaguchi, I.; Kumagai, T.; Manabe, T.; Arai, K.; Yamasaki, H.

2010-02-01

We have studied environment-resistive coatings (ERC) for the thin-film-based superconducting fault-current limiter (SFCL) Ag/Au-Ag/YBa 2Cu 3O 7/CeO 2/Al 2O 3. We evaluated nine candidate ERC materials by two accelerating-environment tests, and revealed that the shellac- and the fluorine-resin have a high environmental resistance. Especially, the shellac resin almost completely protected Jc of an element exposed to 60 °C saturated water vapor for 2 h (3.4->3.2 MA/cm 2). We also performed a practical operation test of SFCL using an element half covered by shellac, and found that the ERC does not diminish the current limiting properties similarly to the previous results of the Teflon-coated SFCL [1].

Geochemistry and petrology of the indium-bearing polymetallic skarn ores at Pitkäranta, Ladoga Karelia, Russia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valkama, M.; Sundblad, K.; Cook, N. J.; Ivashchenko, V. I.

2016-08-01

The historic mining district of Pitkäranta in the Ladoga region, Fennoscandian Shield, was exploited for Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb, Sn and Ag in the nineteenth to twentieth centuries. The Pitkäranta region is dominated by Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rocks, which, together with gneissic Archaean dome structures, constitute an allochthonous terrane complex that amalgamated to the Archaean continent during the Svecokarelian orogeny at 1.9-1.8 Ga. This crustal complex was intruded by 1.8 Ga Late orogenic granites, 1.54 Ga anorogenic rapakivi granites and 1.45 Ga dolerites. The polymetallic skarn ores of Pitkäranta extend over a 25-km-long zone in Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rocks and formed from hydrothermal solutions, which emanated from the anorogenic rapakivi granites and reacted with marble layers. Four major ore types are recognised after the dominating metal: Fe, Cu, Sn and Zn, respectively. These types are not restricted to individual mines or mine fields but represent end members in zonation patterns within each ore body. Pitkäranta was the second discovery site in the world for indium but has been without modern documentation for more than 75 years. The indium contents in the ores are up to 600 ppm, in most cases sphalerite-hosted. The only roquesite-bearing sample in this study had an indium grade of 291 ppm and an In/Zn ratio of 51 (close to the criteria for the limiting conditions for creating an In-rich mineral). The Pitkäranta ores have a potential for future small-scale exploitation, but all such plans are hampered by high contents if Bi, Cd and As.

Typing mineral deposits using their associated rocks, grades and tonnages using a probabilistic neural network

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, D.A.

2006-01-01

A probabilistic neural network is employed to classify 1610 mineral deposits into 18 types using tonnage, average Cu, Mo, Ag, Au, Zn, and Pb grades, and six generalized rock types. The purpose is to examine whether neural networks might serve for integrating geoscience information available in large mineral databases to classify sites by deposit type. Successful classifications of 805 deposits not used in training - 87% with grouped porphyry copper deposits - and the nature of misclassifications demonstrate the power of probabilistic neural networks and the value of quantitative mineral-deposit models. The results also suggest that neural networks can classify deposits as well as experienced economic geologists. ?? International Association for Mathematical Geology 2006.

Partitioning of V, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Mo, Ag, Sn, Sb, W, Au, Pb, and Bi between sulfide phases and hydrous basanite melt at upper mantle conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuan; Audétat, Andreas

2012-11-01

The partitioning of 15 major to trace metals between monosulfide solid solution (MSS), sulfide liquid (SL) and mafic silicate melt (SM) was determined in piston-cylinder experiments performed at 1175-1300 °C, 1.5-3.0 GPa and oxygen fugacities ranging from 3.1 log units below to 1.0 log units above the quartz-fayalite-magnetite fO2 buffer, which conditions are representative of partial melting in the upper mantle in different tectonic settings. The silicate melt was produced by partial melting of a natural, amphibole-rich mantle source rock, resulting in hydrous (˜5 wt% H2O) basanitic melts similar to low-degree partial melts of metasomatized mantle, whereas the major element composition of the starting sulfide (˜52 wt% Fe; 39 wt% S; 7 wt% Ni; 2 wt% Cu) was similar to the average composition of sulfides in this environment. SL/SM partition coefficients are high (≥100) for Au, Ni, Cu, Ag, Bi, intermediate (1-100) for Co, Pb, Sn, Sb (±As, Mo), and low (≤1) for the remaining elements. MSS/SM partition coefficients are generally lower than SL/SM partition coefficients and are high (≥100) for Ni, Cu, Au, intermediate (1-100) for Co, Ag (±Bi, Mo), and low (≤1) for the remaining elements. Most sulfide-silicate melt partition coefficients vary as a function of fO2, with Mo, Bi, As (±W) varying by a factor >10 over the investigated fO2 range, Sb, Ag, Sn (±V) varying by a factor of 3-10, and Pb, Cu, Ni, Co, Au, Zn, Mn varying by a factor of 3-10. The partitioning data were used to model the behavior of Cu, Au, Ag, and Bi during partial melting of upper mantle and during fractional crystallization of primitive MORB and arc magmas. Sulfide phase relationships and comparison of the modeling results with reported Cu, Au, Ag, and Bi concentrations from MORB and arc magmas suggest that: (i) MSS is the dominant sulfide in the source region of arc magmas, and thus that Au/Cu ratios in the silicate melt and residual sulfides may decrease with increasing degree of

Preliminary study on copper isotopes of the Zijinshan ore field, Fujian Province, SE China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Hai-Xiang

2017-04-01

Zijinshan Cu-Au polymetallic ore field is located in Southeast China, tectonically belonging to the Interior Cathaysia Block. It is a complete porphyry-epithermal mineralization system, including Luoboling porphyry Cu-Mo deposit, Zijinshan high sulfidation Cu-Au deposit, Yueyang low sulfidation Ag-Au deposit, Wuziqilong and Longjiangting transitional style Cu deposits, etc. Main ore minerals from Zijinshan and Wuziqilong deposits are covellite and digenite. Copper isotopic compositions of these two minerals were analyzed. Copper isotope ratios are reported in the standard delta notation: δ65 Cu‰¯[ (65Cu/63Cu)Sample/(65Cu/63Cu) ERM-AE633-1] ×1000. The overall δ65Cu values for the analysed samples vary from -2.76 to 1.33‰Ṫhe Zijinshan Cu-Au deposit show large Cu isotopic variability (-2.76 to 1.33), among which covellite samples range from -2.76‰ to 0.38‰ with -0.79‰ in average and digenite samples range from -1.8‰ to 1.33‰ with -0.11‰ in average. During the leaching process of hypogene sulphides, 65Cu was leached more easily and then trapped in the supergene enrichment zone. Therefore, enrichment minerals should be enriched in 65Cu and the leached cap enriched in 63Cu. Thus the relationship of δ65Cu values for different Cu reservoirs should be leached cap minerals < hypogene sulphides < enrichment minerals. Nonexistence of enriched δ65Cu values indicate that the major copper minerals (mainly covellite and digenite) in the Zijinshan Cu-Au deposit and Wuziqilong Cu deposit are of hypogene origin rather than secondary origin. At the Wuziqilong Cu deposit, Cu isotopes has narrow range from 0.16‰ to 0.43‰ with 0.31‰ in average, which is typically of hypogene origin. Two coexisting covellite -digenite fractionations (δ65Cu =δ65Cucovellite - δ65Cudigenite) are 0.27‰ and 0.18‰ relatively. For minerals of the Cu-S system, from chalcocite (Cu2S) to covellite (CuS), proportions of Cu(II) become higher and higher. The classical definition of

A review of silver-rich mineral deposits and their metallogeny

USGS Publications Warehouse

Graybeal, Frederick T.; Vikre, Peter

2010-01-01

Mineral deposits with large inventories or high grades of silver are found in four genetic groups: (1) volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), (2) sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX), (3) lithogene, and, (4) magmatichydrothermal. Principal differences between the four groups relate to source rocks and regions, metal associations, process and timing of mineralization, and tectonic setting. These four groups may be subdivided into specific metal associations on ternary diagrams based on relative metal contents. The VMS deposits rarely contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz). Grades average 33 g/t Ag. Variable Ag- Pb-Zn-Cu-Au ± Sn concentrations are interpreted as having been derived both from shallow plutons and by leaching of the volcanic rock pile in regions of thin or no continental crust and the mineralization is syngenetic. Higher silver grades are associated with areas of abundant felsic volcanic rocks. The SEDEX deposits rarely contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz). Grades average 46 g/t Ag. Silver, lead, and zinc in relatively consistent proportions are leached from sedimentary rocks filling rift-related basins, where the continental crust is thin, and deposited as syngenetic to diagenetic massive sulfides. Pre-mineral volcanic rocks and their detritus may occur deep within the basin and gold is typically absent. Lithogene silver-rich deposits are epigenetic products of varying combinations of compaction, dewatering, meteoric water recharge, and metamorphism of rift basin-related clastic sedimentary and interbedded volcanic rocks. Individual deposits may contain more than 15,600 t Ag (500 Moz) at high grades. Ores are characterized by four well-defined metal associations, including Ag, Ag-Pb-Zn, Ag-Cu, and Ag-Co-Ni-U. Leaching, transport, and deposition of metals may occur both in specific sedimentary strata and other rock types adjacent to the rift. Multiple mineralizing events lasting 10 to 15 m.y., separated by as much as 1 b.y., may occur in a single basin

Bismuth selenides from St. Andreasberg, Germany: an oxidised five-element style of mineralisation and its relation to post-Variscan vein-type deposits of central Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cabral, Alexandre Raphael; Ließmann, Wilfried; Jian, Wei; Lehmann, Bernd

2017-10-01

Carbonate veinlets at Roter Bär, a former underground mine in the polymetallic St. Andreasberg vein district of the Harz Mountains, Germany, host selenide minerals that are characterised as Bi-Ag-bearing clausthalite (PbSe), tiemannite (HgSe), guanajuatite (Bi2Se3) and a number of selenides of Bi, Zn, Cu, Ag and Pd. An unnamed Bi-Pb-Ag selenide species with some Hg and Cu, ideally Bi4Pb3Ag2Se10, is reported here. Specular hematite is disseminated within the clausthalite, at the marginal zones of which other selenide minerals are located. The occurrence of bohdanowiczite (AgBiSe2) and umangite (Cu3Se2) constrains the formation temperature to ≤120 °C, and the selenide-hematite assemblage (plus barite in the carbonate gangue) identifies highly oxidised conditions. Selenide assemblages of Pb, Bi, Ag, with and without Co and Ni, occur in many parts of the Variscan basement of central Europe (Harz, Erzgebirge, Schwarzwald and Bohemian Massif) and represent a high-oxidation variety of five-element (Ag-As-Bi-Co-Ni) veins.

New insights into micro/nanoscale combined probes (nanoAuger, μXPS) to characterize Ag/Au@SiO2 core-shell assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledeuil, J. B.; Uhart, A.; Soulé, S.; Allouche, J.; Dupin, J. C.; Martinez, H.

2014-09-01

This work has examined the elemental distribution and local morphology at the nanoscale of core@shell Ag/Au@SiO2 particles. The characterization of such complex metal/insulator materials becomes more efficient when using an initial cross-section method of preparation of the core@shell nanoparticles (ion milling cross polisher). The originality of this route of preparation allows one to obtain undamaged, well-defined and planar layers of cross-cut nano-objects. Once combined with high-resolution techniques of characterization (XPS, Auger and SEM), the process appears as a powerful way to minimize charging effects and enhance the outcoming electron signal (potentially affected by the topography of the material) during analysis. SEM experiments have unambiguously revealed the hollow-morphology of the metal core, while Auger spectroscopy observations showed chemical heterogeneity within the particles (as silver and gold are randomly found in the core ring). To our knowledge, this is the first time that Auger nano probe spectroscopy has been used and successfully optimized for the study of some complex metal/inorganic interfaces at such a high degree of resolution (~12 nm). Complementarily, XPS Au 4f and Ag 3d peaks were finally detected attesting the possibility of access to the whole chemistry of such nanostructured assemblies.This work has examined the elemental distribution and local morphology at the nanoscale of core@shell Ag/Au@SiO2 particles. The characterization of such complex metal/insulator materials becomes more efficient when using an initial cross-section method of preparation of the core@shell nanoparticles (ion milling cross polisher). The originality of this route of preparation allows one to obtain undamaged, well-defined and planar layers of cross-cut nano-objects. Once combined with high-resolution techniques of characterization (XPS, Auger and SEM), the process appears as a powerful way to minimize charging effects and enhance the outcoming

Descriptive and geoenvironmental model for Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks: Chapter G in Mineral deposit models for resource assessment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, John F.; Johnson, Craig A.; Causey, J. Douglas; Lund, Karen; Schulz, Klaus J.; Gray, John E.; Eppinger, Robert G.; Slack, John F.

2013-01-01

Additional geologically and compositionally similar deposits are known, but have average Co grades less than 0.1 percent. Most of these deposits contain cobalt-rich pyrite and lack appreciable amounts of distinct Co sulfide and (or) sulfarsenide minerals. Such deposits are not discussed in detail in the following sections, but these deposits may be revelant to the descriptive and genetic models presented below. Examples include the Scadding Au-Co-Cu deposit in Ontario, Canada; the Vähäjoki Co-Cu-Au deposit in Finland; the Tuolugou Co-Au deposit in Qinghai Province, China; the Lala Co-Cu-UREE deposit in Sichuan Province, China; the Guelb Moghrein Cu-Au-Co deposit in Mauritania; and the Great Australia Co-Cu, Greenmount Cu-Au-Co, and Monakoff Cu-Au-Co-UAg deposits in Queensland, Australia. Detailed information on these deposits is presented in appendix 2.

Stable Te isotope fractionation in tellurium-bearing minerals from precious metal hydrothermal ore deposits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornadel, Andrew P.; Spry, Paul G.; Haghnegahdar, Mojhgan A.; Schauble, Edwin A.; Jackson, Simon E.; Mills, Stuart J.

2017-04-01

The tellurium isotope compositions of naturally-occurring tellurides, native tellurium, and tellurites were measured by multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) and compared to theoretical values for equilibrium mass-dependent isotopic fractionation of representative Te-bearing species estimated with first-principles thermodynamic calculations. Calculated fractionation models suggest that 130/125Te fractionations as large as 4‰ occur at 100 °C between coexisting tellurates (Te VI) and tellurides (Te -II) or or native tellurium Te(0), and smaller, typically <1‰, fractionations occur between coexisting Te(-I) or Te(-II) (Au,Ag)Te2 minerals (i.e., calaverite, krennerite) and (Au,Ag)2Te minerals (i.e., petzite, hessite). In general, heavyTe/lightTe is predicted to be higher for more oxidized species, and lower for reduced species. Tellurides in the system Au-Ag-Te and native tellurium analyzed in this study have values of δ130/125Te = -1.54‰ to 0.44‰ and δ130/125Te = -0.74‰ to 0.16‰, respectively, whereas those for tellurites (tellurite, paratellurite, emmonsite and poughite) range from δ130/125Te = -1.58‰ to 0.59‰. Thus, the isotopic composition for both oxidized and reduced species are broadly coincident. Calculations of per mil isotopic variation per amu for each sample suggest that mass-dependent processes are responsible for fractionation. In one sample of coexisting primary native tellurium and secondary emmonsite, δ130/125Te compositions were identical. The coincidence of δ130/125Te between all oxidized and reduced species in this study and the apparent lack of isotopic fractionation between native tellurium and emmonsite in one sample suggest that oxidation processes cause little to no fractionation. Because Te is predominantly transported as an oxidized aqueous phase or as a reduced vapor phase under hydrothermal conditions, either a reduction of oxidized Te in hydrothermal liquids or deposition of Te from a

Reviews and new metallogenic models of mineral deposits in South China: An introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Rui-Zhong; Chen, Wei Terry; Xu, De-Ru; Zhou, Mei-Fu

2017-04-01

In South China, the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks were welded together along the Jiangnan Fold Belt during Neoproterozoic time (∼830 Ma). Large-scale mineralization in these two blocks occurred from Proterozoic to Cenozoic, making the region one of the most important polymetallic metallogenic provinces in the world. Of particular importance are world-class deposits of iron-oxide copper gold (IOCG), sediment-hosted Mn-P-Al-(Ni, Mo, PGE), syenite-carbonatite-related REE, felsic intrusion-related Sn-W-Mo-Cu-Fe-Pb-Zn, mafic intrusion-related V-Ti-Fe and Cu-Ni-PGE and low-temperature hydrothermal Pb, Zn, Au, and Sb (Fig. 1). In addition, the Ta-Nb, Hg, As, Tl and U deposits in South China are among the world largest of these kinds. Because of these deposits, South China has been a focus of researches for many years. Publications before 2005 were mostly restricted in Chinese. In the past decade, some case studies on some world-class deposits in South China are available in international journals. These recent studies have advanced our understanding of their mode of formation. However, some important issues regarding the timing, tectonic setting and mechanisms of metal concentration still remain poorly understood. This special issue brings together some of the latest information on these topics, including major review papers on specific types of mineralization and several papers dealing with some specific deposits in the region. We anticipate that this issue will generate more interests in the studies of mineral deposits in South China. In this introduction, we outline the tectonic framework and associated deposits.

Development of casting investment preventing blackening of noble metal alloys part 1. Application of developed investment for Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy.

PubMed

Kakuta, Kiyoshi; Nakai, Akira; Goto, Shin-ichi; Wakamatsu, Yasushi; Yara, Atushi; Miyagawa, Yukio; Ogura, Hideo

2003-03-01

The objective of this study is to develop a casting investment that prevents the blackening of the cast surface of noble metal alloys. The experimental investments were prepared using a gypsum-bonded investment in which the metallic powders such as boron (B), silicon (Si), aluminum (Al) and titanium (Ti) were added as oxidizing agents. An Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy was cast into the mold made of the prepared investment. The effect of the addition of each metal powder was evaluated from the color difference between the as-cast surface and the polished surface of the cast specimen. The color of the as-cast surface approached that of the polished surface with increasing B and Al content. A lower mean value in the color difference was obtained at 0.25-1.00 mass% B content. B and Al are useful as an additive in a gypsum-bonded investment to prevent the blackening of an Ag-Pd-Cu-Au alloy. The effects of Si and Ti powder addition could not be found.

[Spectral characteristics and implications of quartz from Heliao lead-zinc polymetallic ore district in the south of Qinzhou-Hangzhou joint belt].

PubMed

Lü, Wen-Chao; Yang, Zhi-Jun; Zhou, Yong-Zhang; Li, Hong-Zhong; Zeng, Xiang-Qing; Chen, Qing; Liang, Jin; Zeng, Chang-Yu

2013-05-01

The XRD, FTIR and Raman spectrum were employed to study the characters of quartz from three types of rock samples, which are mineralized rock sample, near ore body rock sample and far away from ore body rock sample in Heliao lead-zinc polymetallic ore district. The research shows that the quartz in the mineralized rock and far away from ore body rock is pure, while the quartz in near ore body rock contains a small amount of impurities. But such small amounts of impurities did not cause apparent change in the quartz lattice parameters. From far away from ore body rock-->near ore body rock-->mineralized rock, the crystallinity and order degree of quartz are higher and higher. And the quartz in the mineralized rock has a trend to change into low symmetry quartz. It's a unique to mineralized rock that the quartz's absorption peak at 1 050 cm(-1) was split into two strongest ones. It can be used as the signs of whether exists mineralization. The cause for the quartz microstructure changes may be related to the activities of late mineralized hydrothermal fluids. Late hydrothermal influence was very weak to the quartz far away from ore body rock. And through the impact of the multi-stage hydrothermal effect, the quartz in mineralized rock may be purified by recrystallization and structural adjustment. However the quartz in near ore body rock didn't have enough hydrothermal influence, so it's not pure. Genealogy research technology is a useful technique for in-depth exploration of study area mineralization process and metallogenic regularity.

Exploration case study using indicator minerals in till at the giant Pebble porphyry Cu-Au-Mo deposit, southwest Alaska, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eppinger, Robert G.; Kelley, Karen D.; Fey, David L.; Giles, Stuart A.; Smith, Steven G.

2011-01-01

The Pebble deposit in southwest Alaska (Fig. 1) contains one of the largest resources of copper and gold in the world. It includes a measured and indicated resource of 5,942 million tonnes (Mt) at 0.42% Cu, 0.35 g/t Au, and 250 ppm Mo (0.30% copper equivalent, CuEQ, cut off) and contains significant concentrations of Ag, Pd, and Re (Northern Dynasty Minerals 2011). The deposit remains open at depth. The Pebble West zone was discovered in 1989 by Cominco American. In 2005, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (NDM) discovered Pebble East, and in July 2007, NDM partnered with Anglo American to form the Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP). The U.S. Geological Survey began collaborative investigations with PLP in 2007 to identify techniques that will improve mineral exploration in covered terranes. The Pebble deposit is an ideal location for such a study because the deposit is undisturbed (except for drilling), is almost entirely concealed by post-mineral volcanic rocks and glacial deposits, and because its distribution is well constrained in the subsurface by PLP’s drill-hole geology and geochemistry. An exploration method developed by Averill (2007) that utilizes porphyry copper indicator minerals (PCIMR) in glacial till samples was applied at Pebble; samples were collected up- and down-ice (of former glaciers) from the deposit. The distribution of several PCIMs identifies the deposit, which suggests that PCIMs may be useful in exploration for other concealed porphyry deposits in the region. In this study, we compare the efficacy of PCIMs relative to that of pond and stream sediments also collected in the deposit area. The Pebble deposit is located 380 km southwest of Anchorage, in the Bristol Bay region of southwest Alaska. There is no road network and access to the study area is by helicopter. The deposit is situated in a broad glacially sculpted topographic low at the head of three drainages, Talarik Creek, North Fork Koktuli River, and the South Fork Koktuli River (Fig

Measurement of antiproton annihilation on Cu, Ag and Au with emulsion films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghion, S.; Amsler, C.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Bonomi, G.; Bräunig, P.; Brusa, R. S.; Cabaret, L.; Caccia, M.; Caravita, R.; Castelli, F.; Cerchiari, G.; Comparat, D.; Consolati, G.; Demetrio, A.; Di Noto, L.; Doser, M.; Ereditato, A.; Evans, C.; Ferragut, R.; Fesel, J.; Fontana, A.; Gerber, S.; Giammarchi, M.; Gligorova, A.; Guatieri, F.; Haider, S.; Hinterberger, A.; Holmestad, H.; Huse, T.; Kawada, J.; Kellerbauer, A.; Kimura, M.; Krasnický, D.; Lagomarsino, V.; Lansonneur, P.; Lebrun, P.; Malbrunot, C.; Mariazzi, S.; Matveev, V.; Mazzotta, Z.; Müller, S. R.; Nebbia, G.; Nedelec, P.; Oberthaler, M.; Pacifico, N.; Pagano, D.; Penasa, L.; Petracek, V.; Pistillo, C.; Prelz, F.; Prevedelli, M.; Ravelli, L.; Rienaecker, B.; RØhne, O. M.; Rotondi, A.; Sacerdoti, M.; Sandaker, H.; Santoro, R.; Scampoli, P.; Simon, M.; Smestad, L.; Sorrentino, F.; Testera, G.; Tietje, I. C.; Vamosi, S.; Vladymyrov, M.; Widmann, E.; Yzombard, P.; Zimmer, C.; Zmeskal, J.; Zurlo, N.

2017-04-01

The characteristics of low energy antiproton annihilations on nuclei (e.g. hadronization and product multiplicities) are not well known, and Monte Carlo simulation packages that use different models provide different descriptions of the annihilation events. In this study, we measured the particle multiplicities resulting from antiproton annihilations on nuclei. The results were compared with predictions obtained using different models in the simulation tools GEANT4 and FLUKA. For this study, we exposed thin targets (Cu, Ag and Au) to a very low energy antiproton beam from CERN's Antiproton Decelerator, exploiting the secondary beamline available in the AEgIS experimental zone. The antiproton annihilation products were detected using emulsion films developed at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics in Bern, where they were analysed at the automatic microscope facility. The fragment multiplicity measured in this study is in good agreement with results obtained with FLUKA simulations for both minimally and heavily ionizing particles.

Magnetite as the indicator of ore genesis for the Huangshaping polymetallic deposit, southern Hunan Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, T.; Ma, D.; Lu, J.; Zhang, R.

2017-12-01

Huangshaping polymetallic deposit, located in southern Hunan Province, China, hosts abundant W-Mo-Pb-Zn mineralization which linked with the skarn system located between late Mesozoic high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic granitoids and the Carboniferous carbonate in this deposit. In this study, concentrations of trace and minor elements of the magnetites from different skarn stages are obtained by in situ LA-ICP-MS analysis, in order to further understand the polymetallic mineralization processes within this deposit. The generally high concentrations of spinel elements, including Mg, Al, Ti, Mn, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Ga, Ge, and Sn, in all magnetites from this deposit suggest that these elements are incorporated into magnetite lattice by substituting Fe3+ and/or Fe2+. However, the various concentrations of Na, Si, K, Ca, and W elements in magnetites, combining the abnormal time-resolved analytical signals of LA-ICP-MS analyses, suggest that these elements are significantly affected by the fluid inclusions in magnetites. Two groups of magnetites can be further distinguished based on their trace and minor elements concentrations: Group-1 magnetites, including those in medium grain garnets and calcite, have obvious lower Na, Si, K, Ca, Sn, W, but higher Mg, Al, Ti, V, Co, Ni, Zn concentrations compared with Group-2 magnetites, which including those in coarse grain garnets, tremolite, and bulk magnetite ores. This suggests that the hydrothermal fluids where Group-2 magnetites precipitated are evolved magmatic fluids which have undergone the crystal fractionation during the early skarn stages (eg. Garnet and tremolite), the high Na, Si, K, and Ca in the hydrothermal fluids probably result from the dissolution of the host rocks, such as limestone, sandstone, and evaporite horizons in this deposit. However, the Group-1 magnetites probably precipitated in the hydrothermal fluids with low salinity, which result the low Na, Si, K, and Ca in these magnitites. Furthermore, these

Laser-induced transformation of supramolecular complexes: approach to controlled formation of hybrid multi-yolk-shell Au-Ag@a-C:H nanostructures

PubMed Central

Manshina, A. A.; Grachova, E. V.; Povolotskiy, A. V.; Povolotckaia, A. V.; Petrov, Y. V.; Koshevoy, I. O.; Makarova, A. A.; Vyalikh, D. V.; Tunik, S. P.

2015-01-01

In the present work an efficient approach of the controlled formation of hybrid Au–Ag–C nanostructures based on laser-induced transformation of organometallic supramolecular cluster compound is suggested. Herein the one-step process of the laser-induced synthesis of hybrid multi-yolk-shell Au-Ag@a-C:H nanoparticles which are bimetallic gold-silver subnanoclusters dispersed in nanospheres of amorphous hydrogenated a-C:H carbon is reported in details. It has been demonstrated that variation of the experimental parameters such as type of the organometallic precursor, solvent, deposition geometry and duration of laser irradiation allows directed control of nanoparticles’ dimension and morphology. The mechanism of Au-Ag@a-C:H nanoparticles formation is suggested: the photo-excitation of the precursor molecule through metal-to-ligand charge transfer followed by rupture of metallophilic bonds, transformation of the cluster core including red-ox intramolecular reaction and aggregation of heterometallic species that results in the hybrid metal/carbon nanoparticles with multi-yolk-shell architecture formation. It has been found that the nanoparticles obtained can be efficiently used for the Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy label-free detection of human serum albumin in low concentration solution. PMID:26153347

Rock geochemistry related to mineralization processes in geothermal areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kausar, A. Al; Indarto, S.; Setiawan, I.

2018-02-01

Abundant geothermal systems in Indonesia suggest high heat and mass transfer associated with recent or paleovolcanic arcs. In the active geothermal system, the upflow of mixed fluid between late stage hydrothermal and meteoric water might contain mass of minerals associated with epithermal mineralisation process as exemplified at Lihir gold mine in Papua New Guinea. In Indonesia, there is a lack of study related to the precious metals occurrence within active geothermal area. Therefore, in this paper, we investigate the possibility of mineralization process in active geothermal area of Guci, Central Java by using geochemical analysis. There are a lot of conducted geochemical analysis of water, soil and gas by mapping the temperature, pH, Hg and CO2 distribution, and estimating subsurface temperature based on geothermometry approach. Then we also apply rock geochemistry to find minerals that indicate the presence of mineralization. The result from selected geothermal area shows the presence of pyrite and chalcopyrite minerals on the laharic breccias at Kali Putih, Sudikampir. Mineralization is formed within host rock and the veins are associated with gold polymetallic mineralization.

Charge transfer process at the Ag/MPH/TiO2 interface by SERS: alignment of the Fermi level.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaolei; Sui, Huimin; Wang, Xiaolei; Su, Hongyang; Cheng, Weina; Wang, Xu; Zhao, Bing

2016-11-02

A nanoscale metal-molecule-semiconductor assembly (Ag/4-mercaptophenol/TiO 2 ) has been fabricated over Au nanoparticle (NP) films as a model to study the interfacial charge transfer (CT) effects involved in Ag/MPH/TiO 2 . Due to the interaction between Au NPs and Ag NPs, some distinct differences occur in the SERS spectra. We also measured the SERS of Ag/MPH (4-mercaptophenol), Ag/MPH/TiO 2 , and Au/Ag/MPH/TiO 2 assemblies at excitation wavelengths of 477, 514, 532, 633, and 785 nm. We found that the changes in the CT process, caused by the introduction of TiO 2 and Au, can be reflected in SERS. Then in combination with other detection methods, we proposed a possible CT process involved in the Ag/MPH, Ag/MPH/TiO 2 , and Au/Ag/MPH/TiO 2 assemblies. A Pt/Ag/MPH/TiO 2 assembly was also constructed to verify our proposed CT mechanism. This work not only provides more details about CT between metal-molecule-semiconductor interfaces but also aids in constructing nanoscale models to study interfacial problems with the SERS technique.

DNA origami based Au-Ag-core-shell nanoparticle dimers with single-molecule SERS sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prinz, J.; Heck, C.; Ellerik, L.; Merk, V.; Bald, I.

2016-03-01

DNA origami nanostructures are a versatile tool to arrange metal nanostructures and other chemical entities with nanometer precision. In this way gold nanoparticle dimers with defined distance can be constructed, which can be exploited as novel substrates for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We have optimized the size, composition and arrangement of Au/Ag nanoparticles to create intense SERS hot spots, with Raman enhancement up to 1010, which is sufficient to detect single molecules by Raman scattering. This is demonstrated using single dye molecules (TAMRA and Cy3) placed into the center of the nanoparticle dimers. In conjunction with the DNA origami nanostructures novel SERS substrates are created, which can in the future be applied to the SERS analysis of more complex biomolecular targets, whose position and conformation within the SERS hot spot can be precisely controlled.DNA origami nanostructures are a versatile tool to arrange metal nanostructures and other chemical entities with nanometer precision. In this way gold nanoparticle dimers with defined distance can be constructed, which can be exploited as novel substrates for surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). We have optimized the size, composition and arrangement of Au/Ag nanoparticles to create intense SERS hot spots, with Raman enhancement up to 1010, which is sufficient to detect single molecules by Raman scattering. This is demonstrated using single dye molecules (TAMRA and Cy3) placed into the center of the nanoparticle dimers. In conjunction with the DNA origami nanostructures novel SERS substrates are created, which can in the future be applied to the SERS analysis of more complex biomolecular targets, whose position and conformation within the SERS hot spot can be precisely controlled. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Additional information about materials and methods, designs of DNA origami templates, height profiles, additional SERS spectra, assignment of DNA

Timing of sediment-hosted Cu-Ag mineralization in the Trans-Hudson orogen at Janice Lake, Wollaston Domain, Saskatchewan, Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perelló, José; Valencia, Víctor A.; Cornejo, Paula; Clifford, John; Wilson, Alan J.; Collins, Greg

2018-04-01

The Janice Lake Cu-Ag mineralization in the Wollaston Domain of northern Saskatchewan is hosted by a metasedimentary sequence in the upper part of the Wollaston Supergroup of the Trans-Hudson orogen. The Wollaston Supergroup was deposited between 2070 and 1865 Ma in a foreland basin setting constructed over Archean basement of the Hearne craton. The Trans-Hudson orogen underwent final collision and peak metamorphism at 1810 Ma, during consolidation of Laurentia and its amalgamation with the Columbia supercontinent. Titanite is a common constituent of the post-peak metamorphic assemblages of Trans-Hudson lithotectonic units and accompanied disseminated sediment-hosted Cu sulfide mineralization at Janice Lake. Titanite crystals, intergrown with chalcocite over a strike-length of 2 km of Cu-bearing stratigraphy, were dated by the ID-TIMS and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb methods, returning an age range from 1780 to 1760 Ma and a weighted average age of 1775 ± 10 Ma. The titanite ages effectively date the associated chalcocite-dominated sediment-hosted Cu-Ag mineralization and its formation during initial post-orogenic uplift and cooling, 30 myr after peak metamorphism. The age-range and tectonic setting of the Janice Lake mineralization confirms that sediment-hosted Cu mineralization was an integral part of the metallogenic endowment of Columbia and that its emplacement coincided with the continental-scale Trans-Hudson orogeny rather than with diagenesis and extensional basin development 100 myr earlier.

On the nature of the {SO2-4}/{Ag(111) } and {SO2-4}/{Au(111) } surface bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patrito, E. M.; Olivera, P. Paredes; Sellers, Harrell

1997-05-01

The nature of sulfate-Ag(111) and sulfate-Au(111) surface bonding has been investigated at the SCF + MP2 level of theory. Convergence of binding energy with cluster size is investigated and, unlike neutral adsorbates, large clusters are required in order to obtain reliable binding energies. In the most stable adsorption mode, sulfate binds to the surface via three oxygen atoms (C 3v symmetry) with a binding energy of 159.3 kcal/mol on Ag(111) and 143.9 kcal/mol on Au(111). The geometry of adsorbed sulfate was optimized at the SCF level. While the bond length between sulfur and the oxygens coordinated to the surface increases, the sulfur-uncoordinated oxygen bond length decreases. This weakening and strengthening of the bonds, respectively, is consistent with bond order conservation in adsorbates on metal surfaces. Although a charge transfer of 0.4 electrons towards the metal is observed, the adsorbate remains very much sulfate-like. The molecular orbital analysis indicates that there is also some charge back-donation towards unoccupied orbitals of sulfate. This results in an increased electron density around sulfur as revealed in the electron density difference maps. Analysis of the Laplacian of the charge density of free sulfate provides a suitable framework to understand the nature of the different charge transfer processes and allows us to establish some similarities with the CO- and SO 2-metal bondings.

Controlling Magnetism via Transition Metal Exchange in the Series of Intermetallics Eu( T1, T2)5In ( T = Cu, Ag, Au)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mudring, Anja -Verena; Smetana, Volodymyr; Pecharsky, Vitalij K.

Three series of intermetallic compounds Eu( T1, T2) 5In (T = Cu, Ag, Au) have been investigated in full compositional ranges. Single crystals of all compounds have been obtained by self-flux and were analyzed by single X-ray diffraction revealing the representatives to fall into two structure types: CeCu 6 ( oP28, Pnma, a = 8.832(3)–9.121(2) Å, b = 5.306(2)–5.645(1) Å, c = 11.059(4)–11.437(3) Å, V = 518.3(3)–588.9(2) Å 3) and YbMo2Al4 ( t I14, I4/ mmm, a = 5.417(3)–5.508(1) Å, c = 7.139(2)– 7.199(2) Å, V = 276.1(2)–285.8(1) Å 3). The structural preference was found to depend on the cation/anionmore » size ratio, while the positional preference within the CeCu 6 type structure shows an apparent correlation with the anion size. Chemical compression, hence, a change in cell volume, which occurs upon anion substitution appears to be the main driving force for the change of magnetic ordering. While EuAg 5In shows antiferromagnetic behavior at low temperatures, mixing Cu and Au within the same type of structure results in considerable changes in the magnetism. The Eu(Cu,Au) 5In alloys with CeCu 6 structure show complex magnetic behaviors and strong magnetic field-induced spin-reorientation transition with the critical field of the transition being dependent on Cu/Au ratio. The alloys adopting the YbMo 2Al 4 type structure are ferromagnets exhibiting unusually high magnetic moments. The heat capacity of EuAu 2.66Cu 2.34In reveals a double-peak structure evolving with the magnetic field. Furthermore, low-temperature X-ray powder diffraction does not show a structural transition.« less

Controlling Magnetism via Transition Metal Exchange in the Series of Intermetallics Eu( T1, T2)5In ( T = Cu, Ag, Au)

DOE PAGES

Mudring, Anja -Verena; Smetana, Volodymyr; Pecharsky, Vitalij K.; ...

2017-11-24

Three series of intermetallic compounds Eu( T1, T2) 5In (T = Cu, Ag, Au) have been investigated in full compositional ranges. Single crystals of all compounds have been obtained by self-flux and were analyzed by single X-ray diffraction revealing the representatives to fall into two structure types: CeCu 6 ( oP28, Pnma, a = 8.832(3)–9.121(2) Å, b = 5.306(2)–5.645(1) Å, c = 11.059(4)–11.437(3) Å, V = 518.3(3)–588.9(2) Å 3) and YbMo2Al4 ( t I14, I4/ mmm, a = 5.417(3)–5.508(1) Å, c = 7.139(2)– 7.199(2) Å, V = 276.1(2)–285.8(1) Å 3). The structural preference was found to depend on the cation/anionmore » size ratio, while the positional preference within the CeCu 6 type structure shows an apparent correlation with the anion size. Chemical compression, hence, a change in cell volume, which occurs upon anion substitution appears to be the main driving force for the change of magnetic ordering. While EuAg 5In shows antiferromagnetic behavior at low temperatures, mixing Cu and Au within the same type of structure results in considerable changes in the magnetism. The Eu(Cu,Au) 5In alloys with CeCu 6 structure show complex magnetic behaviors and strong magnetic field-induced spin-reorientation transition with the critical field of the transition being dependent on Cu/Au ratio. The alloys adopting the YbMo 2Al 4 type structure are ferromagnets exhibiting unusually high magnetic moments. The heat capacity of EuAu 2.66Cu 2.34In reveals a double-peak structure evolving with the magnetic field. Furthermore, low-temperature X-ray powder diffraction does not show a structural transition.« less

Biological responses to disturbance from simulated deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining.

PubMed

Jones, Daniel O B; Kaiser, Stefanie; Sweetman, Andrew K; Smith, Craig R; Menot, Lenaick; Vink, Annemiek; Trueblood, Dwight; Greinert, Jens; Billett, David S M; Arbizu, Pedro Martinez; Radziejewska, Teresa; Singh, Ravail; Ingole, Baban; Stratmann, Tanja; Simon-Lledó, Erik; Durden, Jennifer M; Clark, Malcolm R

2017-01-01

Commercial-scale mining for polymetallic nodules could have a major impact on the deep-sea environment, but the effects of these mining activities on deep-sea ecosystems are very poorly known. The first commercial test mining for polymetallic nodules was carried out in 1970. Since then a number of small-scale commercial test mining or scientific disturbance studies have been carried out. Here we evaluate changes in faunal densities and diversity of benthic communities measured in response to these 11 simulated or test nodule mining disturbances using meta-analysis techniques. We find that impacts are often severe immediately after mining, with major negative changes in density and diversity of most groups occurring. However, in some cases, the mobile fauna and small-sized fauna experienced less negative impacts over the longer term. At seven sites in the Pacific, multiple surveys assessed recovery in fauna over periods of up to 26 years. Almost all studies show some recovery in faunal density and diversity for meiofauna and mobile megafauna, often within one year. However, very few faunal groups return to baseline or control conditions after two decades. The effects of polymetallic nodule mining are likely to be long term. Our analyses show considerable negative biological effects of seafloor nodule mining, even at the small scale of test mining experiments, although there is variation in sensitivity amongst organisms of different sizes and functional groups, which have important implications for ecosystem responses. Unfortunately, many past studies have limitations that reduce their effectiveness in determining responses. We provide recommendations to improve future mining impact test studies. Further research to assess the effects of test-mining activities will inform ways to improve mining practices and guide effective environmental management of mining activities.

Biological responses to disturbance from simulated deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining

PubMed Central

Kaiser, Stefanie; Sweetman, Andrew K.; Smith, Craig R.; Menot, Lenaick; Vink, Annemiek; Trueblood, Dwight; Greinert, Jens; Billett, David S. M.; Arbizu, Pedro Martinez; Radziejewska, Teresa; Singh, Ravail; Ingole, Baban; Stratmann, Tanja; Simon-Lledó, Erik; Durden, Jennifer M.; Clark, Malcolm R.

2017-01-01

Commercial-scale mining for polymetallic nodules could have a major impact on the deep-sea environment, but the effects of these mining activities on deep-sea ecosystems are very poorly known. The first commercial test mining for polymetallic nodules was carried out in 1970. Since then a number of small-scale commercial test mining or scientific disturbance studies have been carried out. Here we evaluate changes in faunal densities and diversity of benthic communities measured in response to these 11 simulated or test nodule mining disturbances using meta-analysis techniques. We find that impacts are often severe immediately after mining, with major negative changes in density and diversity of most groups occurring. However, in some cases, the mobile fauna and small-sized fauna experienced less negative impacts over the longer term. At seven sites in the Pacific, multiple surveys assessed recovery in fauna over periods of up to 26 years. Almost all studies show some recovery in faunal density and diversity for meiofauna and mobile megafauna, often within one year. However, very few faunal groups return to baseline or control conditions after two decades. The effects of polymetallic nodule mining are likely to be long term. Our analyses show considerable negative biological effects of seafloor nodule mining, even at the small scale of test mining experiments, although there is variation in sensitivity amongst organisms of different sizes and functional groups, which have important implications for ecosystem responses. Unfortunately, many past studies have limitations that reduce their effectiveness in determining responses. We provide recommendations to improve future mining impact test studies. Further research to assess the effects of test-mining activities will inform ways to improve mining practices and guide effective environmental management of mining activities. PMID:28178346

Fluid inclusion, rare earth element geochemistry, and isotopic characteristics of the eastern ore zone of the Baiyangping polymetallic Ore district, northwestern Yunnan Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Caixia; Bi, Xianwu; Liu, Shen; Hu, Ruizhong

2014-05-01

The Baiyangping Cu-Ag polymetallic ore district is located in the northern part of the Lanping-Simao foreland fold belt, which lies between the Jinshajiang-Ailaoshan and Lancangjiang faults in western Yunnan Province, China. The source of ore-forming fluids and materials within the eastern ore zone were investigated using fluid inclusion, rare earth element (REE), and isotopic (C, O, and S) analyses undertaken on sulfides, gangue minerals, wall rocks, and ores formed during the hydrothermal stage of mineralization. These analyses indicate: (1) The presence of five types of fluid inclusion, which contain various combinations of liquid (l) and vapor (v) phases at room temperature: (a) H2O (l), (b) H2O (l) + H2O (v), (c) H2O (v), (d) CmHn (v), and (e) H2O (l) + CO2 (l), sometimes with CO2 (v). These inclusions have salinities of 1.4-19.9 wt.% NaCl equivalents, with two modes at approximately 5-10 and 16-21 wt.% NaCl equivalent, and homogenization temperatures between 101 °C and 295 °C. Five components were identified in fluid inclusions using Raman microspectrometry: H2O, dolomite, calcite, CH4, and N2. (2) Calcite, dolomitized limestone, and dolomite contain total REE concentrations of 3.10-38.93 ppm, whereas wall rocks and ores contain REE concentrations of 1.21-196 ppm. Dolomitized limestone, dolomite, wall rock, and ore samples have similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns, with ores in the Huachangshan, Xiaquwu, and Dongzhiyan ore blocks having large negative δCe and δEu anomalies, which may be indicative of a change in redox conditions during fluid ascent, migration, and/or cooling. (3) δ34S values for sphalerite, galena, pyrite, and tetrahedrite sulfide samples range from -7.3‰ to 2.1‰, a wide range that indicates multiple sulfur sources. The basin contains numerous sources of S, and deriving S from a mixture of these sources could have yielded these near-zero values, either by mixing of S from different sources, or by changes in the geological

Field Integration of Worldview-3 as new Frontier of Mineral Exploration for Tropical Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahanta, P.; Maiti, S.

2017-12-01

Worldview-3 (WV-3) is a newly launched satellite program (2014) with total of 8 VNIR bands and 8 SWIR bands covering all possible absorption features of alteration minerals. Therefore integration of WV-3 dataset with conventional geological studies can be new frontier for mineral exploration. In the present study, we successfully accomplished that by identifying alteration mineral assemblage, field investigation, XRD, XRF and microscopic study etc. The chosen study area SPSZ, 120km long and 4-5km width corridor of highly sheared and deformed rock masses is unexplored in comparison to adjacent Singhbhum Shear Zone (SSZ). It demarcates the boundary between Proterozoic Chottanagpur Granite Gneissic Complex (CGGC) in north and Paleo proterozoic North Singhbhum Mobile belt (NSMB) in south. Discrete local studies indicated the presence of U, REE, Clay, Fe & Mn along with some Au and other polymetallic deposits of low concentration. Earlier attempts of remote sensing studies were hindered due to coarse spatial resolution, similarity between spectra of vegetation and alteration group of minerals like clay and mica, and lack of ground truthing with field spectra and laboratory analysis. Here involving WV-3, we identified and mapped alteration minerals kaolinite, montmorillonite, pyrophyllite, white mica, sericite, goethite, lemonite, hematite and quartz with better resolution and accuracy (78%). Further, field spectra and XRD analyses supports these results and confirm the presence of alterations. XRF analysis identified the presence of Cu (0.06±0.03), Ti (1.7±1), and V (0.03±0.02) anomaly pointing towards possible mineralization. Occurrences of alteration as vertically dipping and alternating with iron (red and black) and mica rich (white and gray) zones in hills as well as microscopic evidences of chloritization and sericitization of feldspars were collectively pointing towards their hydrothermal origin. Finally, we conclude that WV-3 will add a new direction to

Age and geodynamic setting of the formation of the dess gold-silver deposit (North Stanovoi metallogenic zone, southeastern fringes of the North Asian Craton)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchko, I. V.; Sorokin, A. A.; Ponomarchuk, V. A.; Travin, A. V.; Sorokin, A. P.; Buchko, Ir. V.

2010-12-01

This article discusses the results of 40Ar/39Ar geochronological studies on the age of the gold-silver mineralization of the Dess occurrence hosted by the granitoids of the Tynda-Bakaran rock complex, which is 129-128 Ma. This estimate coincides with the time of the formation of the Mo mineralization (125-122 Ma) hosted by the rocks of the same rock complex. This allows dating the Au-Ag and Mo mineralizations from the same ore formation period that manifests itself in the granitoids of the North Stanovoi metallogenic belt that were formed in the environment of a transform continental margin. There exists the following sequence of changes in the mineral occurrences from the south to the north: Au-Ag-Au-Mo(Au).

Composition and source of salinity of ore-bearing fluids in Cu-Au systems of the Carajás Mineral Province, Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xavier, Roberto; Rusk, Brian; Emsbo, Poul; Monteiro, Lena

2009-01-01

The composition and Cl/Br – NaCl ratios of highly saline aqueous inclusions from large tonnage (> 100 t) IOCG deposits (Sossego, Alvo 118, and Igarapé Bahia) and a Paleoproterozoic intrusion-related Cu-Au-(Mo-W-Bi-Sn) deposit (Breves; < 50 Mt)) in the Carajás Mineral Province have been analysed by LA-ICP-MS and ion chromatography. In both Cu-Au systems, brine inclusions are Ca-dominated (5 to 10 times more than in porphyry Cu-Au fluids), and contain percent level concentrations of Na and K. IOCG inclusion fluids, however, contain higher Sr, Ba, Pb, and Zn concentrations, but significantly less Bi, than the intrusion-related Breves inclusion fluids. Cu is consistently below detection limits in brine inclusions from the IOCG and intrusion-related systems and Fe was not detected in the latter. Cl/Br and Na/Cl ratios of the IOCG inclusion fluids range from entirely evaporative brines (bittern fluids; e.g. Igarapé Bahia and Alvo 118) to values that indicate mixing with magma-derived brines. Cl/Br and Na/Cl ratios of the Breves inclusion fluids strongly suggest the involvement of magmatic brines, but that possibly also incorporated bittern fluids. Collectively, these data demonstrate that residual evaporative and magmatic brines were important components of the fluid regime involved in the formation of Cu-Au systems in the Carajás Mineral Province.

New insights into micro/nanoscale combined probes (nanoAuger, μXPS) to characterize Ag/Au@SiO2 core-shell assemblies.

PubMed

Ledeuil, J B; Uhart, A; Soulé, S; Allouche, J; Dupin, J C; Martinez, H

2014-10-07

This work has examined the elemental distribution and local morphology at the nanoscale of core@shell Ag/Au@SiO2 particles. The characterization of such complex metal/insulator materials becomes more efficient when using an initial cross-section method of preparation of the core@shell nanoparticles (ion milling cross polisher). The originality of this route of preparation allows one to obtain undamaged, well-defined and planar layers of cross-cut nano-objects. Once combined with high-resolution techniques of characterization (XPS, Auger and SEM), the process appears as a powerful way to minimize charging effects and enhance the outcoming electron signal (potentially affected by the topography of the material) during analysis. SEM experiments have unambiguously revealed the hollow-morphology of the metal core, while Auger spectroscopy observations showed chemical heterogeneity within the particles (as silver and gold are randomly found in the core ring). To our knowledge, this is the first time that Auger nano probe spectroscopy has been used and successfully optimized for the study of some complex metal/inorganic interfaces at such a high degree of resolution (≈12 nm). Complementarily, XPS Au 4f and Ag 3d peaks were finally detected attesting the possibility of access to the whole chemistry of such nanostructured assemblies.

Determination of the structure and composition of Au-Ag bimetallic spherical nanoparticles using single particle ICP-MS measurements performed with normal and high temporal resolution.

PubMed

Kéri, Albert; Kálomista, Ildikó; Ungor, Ditta; Bélteki, Ádám; Csapó, Edit; Dékány, Imre; Prohaska, Thomas; Galbács, Gábor

2018-03-01

In this study, the information that can be obtained by combining normal and high resolution single particle ICP-MS (spICP-MS) measurements for spherical bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) was assessed. One commercial certified core-shell Au-Ag nanoparticle and three newly synthesized and fully characterized homogenous alloy Au-Ag nanoparticle batches of different composition were used in the experiments as BNP samples. By scrutinizing the high resolution spICP-MS signal time profiles, it was revealed that the width of the signal peak linearly correlates with the diameter of nanoparticles. It was also observed that the width of the peak for same-size nanoparticles is always significantly larger for Au than for Ag. It was also found that it can be reliably determined whether a BNP is of homogeneus alloy or core-shell structure and that, in the case of the latter, the core comprises of which element. We also assessed the performance of several ICP-MS based analytical methods in the analysis of the quantitative composition of bimetallic nanoparticles. Out of the three methods (normal resolution spICP-MS, direct NP nebulization with solution-mode ICP-MS, and solution-mode ICP-MS after the acid dissolution of the nanoparticles), the best accuracy and precision was achieved by spICP-MS. This method allows the determination of the composition with less than 10% relative inaccuracy and better than 3% precision. The analysis is fast and only requires the usual standard colloids for size calibration. Combining the results from both quantitative and structural analyses, the core diameter and shell thickness of core-shell particles can also be calculated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Porous Au-Ag Nanospheres with High-Density and Highly Accessible Hotspots for SERS Analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Bai, Yaocai; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Zhongbo; Fan, Qikui; Zheng, Haoquan; Yin, Yadong; Gao, Chuanbo

2016-06-08

Colloidal plasmonic metal nanoparticles have enabled surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for a variety of analytical applications. While great efforts have been made to create hotspots for amplifying Raman signals, it remains a great challenge to ensure their high density and accessibility for improved sensitivity of the analysis. Here we report a dealloying process for the fabrication of porous Au-Ag alloy nanoparticles containing abundant inherent hotspots, which were encased in ultrathin hollow silica shells so that the need of conventional organic capping ligands for stabilization is eliminated, producing colloidal plasmonic nanoparticles with clean surface and thus high accessibility of the hotspots. As a result, these novel nanostructures show excellent SERS activity with an enhancement factor of ∼1.3 × 10(7) on a single particle basis (off-resonant condition), promising high applicability in many SERS-based analytical and biomedical applications.

Identification of volatile biomarkers of gastric cancer cells and ultrasensitive electrochemical detection based on sensing interface of Au-Ag alloy coated MWCNTs.

PubMed

Zhang, Yixia; Gao, Guo; Liu, Huijuan; Fu, Hualin; Fan, Jun; Wang, Kan; Chen, Yunsheng; Li, Baojie; Zhang, Chunlei; Zhi, Xiao; He, Lin; Cui, Daxiang

2014-01-01

Successful development of novel electrochemical biosensing interface for ultrasensitive detection of volatile biomarkers of gastric cancer cells is a challenging task. Herein we reported to screen out novel volatile biomarkers associated with gastric cancer cells and develop a novel Au-Ag alloy composites-coated MWCNTs as sensing interface for ultrasensitive detection of volatile biomarkers. MGC-803 gastric cancer cells and GES-1 gastric mucous cells were cultured in serum-free media. The sample preparation approaches and HS-SPME conditions were optimized for screening volatile biomarkers. Volatiles emitted from the headspace of the cells/medium culture were identified using GC-MS. The Au-Ag nanoparticles-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes were prepared as a sensing interface for detection of volatile biomarkers. Results showed that eight different volatile metabolites were screened out between MGC-803 cells and GES-1 cells. Two compounds such as 3-octanone and butanone were specifically present in the headspace of the MGC-803 cells. Three volatiles such as 4-isopropoxybutanol, nonanol and 4-butoxy 1-butanol coexisted in the headspace of both the MGC-803 cells and the GES-1 cells, their concentrations in the headspace of the GES-1cells were markedly higher than those in the MGC-803 cells, three volatiles such as formic acid propyl ester, 1.4-butanediol and 2, 6, 11-trimethyl dodecane solely existed in the headspace of the GES-1 cells. The nanocomposites of MWNTs loaded with Au-Ag nanoparticles were prepared as a electrochemical sensing interface for detection of two volatile biomarkers, cyclic voltammetry studies showed that the fabricated sensor could detect 3-octanone in the range of 0~0.0025% (v/v) and with a detection limitation of 0.3 ppb, could detect butanone in the range of 0 ~ 0.055% (v/v), and with a detection limitation of 0.5 ppb, and exhibited good selectivity. The novel electrochemical biosensor combined with volatile biomarkers of gastric cancer

Identification of Volatile Biomarkers of Gastric Cancer Cells and Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection based on Sensing Interface of Au-Ag Alloy coated MWCNTs

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yixia; Gao, Guo; Liu, Huijuan; Fu, Hualin; Fan, Jun; Wang, Kan; Chen, Yunsheng; Li, Baojie; Zhang, Chunlei; Zhi, Xiao; He, Lin; Cui, Daxiang

2014-01-01

Successful development of novel electrochemical biosensing interface for ultrasensitive detection of volatile biomarkers of gastric cancer cells is a challenging task. Herein we reported to screen out novel volatile biomarkers associated with gastric cancer cells and develop a novel Au-Ag alloy composites-coated MWCNTs as sensing interface for ultrasensitive detection of volatile biomarkers. MGC-803 gastric cancer cells and GES-1 gastric mucous cells were cultured in serum-free media. The sample preparation approaches and HS-SPME conditions were optimized for screening volatile biomarkers. Volatiles emitted from the headspace of the cells/medium culture were identified using GC-MS. The Au-Ag nanoparticles-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes were prepared as a sensing interface for detection of volatile biomarkers. Results showed that eight different volatile metabolites were screened out between MGC-803 cells and GES-1 cells. Two compounds such as 3-octanone and butanone were specifically present in the headspace of the MGC-803 cells. Three volatiles such as 4-isopropoxybutanol, nonanol and 4-butoxy 1-butanol coexisted in the headspace of both the MGC-803 cells and the GES-1 cells, their concentrations in the headspace of the GES-1cells were markedly higher than those in the MGC-803 cells, three volatiles such as formic acid propyl ester, 1.4-butanediol and 2, 6, 11-trimethyl dodecane solely existed in the headspace of the GES-1 cells. The nanocomposites of MWNTs loaded with Au-Ag nanoparticles were prepared as a electrochemical sensing interface for detection of two volatile biomarkers, cyclic voltammetry studies showed that the fabricated sensor could detect 3-octanone in the range of 0~0.0025% (v/v) and with a detection limitation of 0.3 ppb, could detect butanone in the range of 0 ~ 0.055% (v/v), and with a detection limitation of 0.5 ppb, and exhibited good selectivity. The novel electrochemical biosensor combined with volatile biomarkers of gastric cancer

The solely motif-doped Au36-xAgx(SPh-tBu)24 (x = 1-8) nanoclusters: X-ray crystal structure and optical properties.

PubMed

Fan, Jiqiang; Song, Yongbo; Chai, Jinsong; Yang, Sha; Chen, Tao; Rao, Bo; Yu, Haizhu; Zhu, Manzhou

2016-08-18

We report the observation of new doping behavior in Au36-xAgx(SR)24 nanoclusters (NCs) with x = 1 to 8. The atomic arrangements of Au and Ag atoms are determined by X-ray crystallography. The new gold-silver bimetallic NCs share the same framework as that of the homogold counterpart, i.e. possessing an fcc-type Au28 kernel, four dimeric AuAg(SR)3 staple motifs and twelve simple bridging SR ligands. Interestingly, all the Ag dopants in the Au36-xAgx(SR)24 NCs are selectively incorporated into the surface motifs, which is in contrast to the previously reported Au-Ag alloy structures with the Ag dopants preferentially displacing the core gold atoms. This distinct doping behavior implies that the previous assignments of an fcc Au28 core with four dimers and 12 bridging thiolates for Au36(SR)24 are more justified than other assignments of core vs. surface motifs. The UV-Vis adsorption spectrum of Au36-xAgx(SR)24 is almost the same as that of Au36(SR)24, indicating that the Ag dopants in the motifs do not change the optical properties. The similar UV-Vis spectra are further confirmed by TD-DFT calculations. DFT also reveals that the energies of the HOMO and LUMO of the motif-doped AuAg alloy NC are comparable to those of the homogold Au36 NC, indicating that the electronic structure is not disturbed by the motif Ag dopants. Overall, this study reveals a new silver-doping mode in alloy NCs.

Catalytic activity of nanostructured Au: Scale effects versus bimetallic/bifunctional effects in low-temperature CO oxidation on nanoporous Au

PubMed Central

Wang, Lu-Cun; Zhong, Yi; Jin, Haijun; Widmann, Daniel; Weissmüller, Jörg

2013-01-01

Summary The catalytic properties of nanostructured Au and their physical origin were investigated by using the low-temperature CO oxidation as a test reaction. In order to distinguish between structural effects (structure–activity correlations) and bimetallic/bifunctional effects, unsupported nanoporous gold (NPG) samples prepared from different Au alloys (AuAg, AuCu) by selective leaching of a less noble metal (Ag, Cu) were employed, whose structure (surface area, ligament size) as well as their residual amount of the second metal were systematically varied by applying different potentials for dealloying. The structural and chemical properties before and after 1000 min reaction were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The catalytic behavior was evaluated by kinetic measurements in a conventional microreactor and by dynamic measurements in a temporal analysis of products (TAP) reactor. The data reveal a clear influence of the surface contents of residual Ag and Cu species on both O2 activation and catalytic activity, while correlations between activity and structural parameters such as surface area or ligament/crystallite size are less evident. Consequences for the mechanistic understanding and the role of the nanostructure in these NPG catalysts are discussed. PMID:23503603

Cytidine-stabilized gold nanocluster as a fluorescence turn-on and turn-off probe for dual functional detection of Ag(+) and Hg(2+).

PubMed

Zhang, Yuanyuan; Jiang, Hui; Wang, Xuemei

2015-04-22

In this study, we have developed a label-free, dual functional detection strategy for highly selective and sensitive determination of aqueous Ag(+) and Hg(2+) by using cytidine stabilized Au NCs and AuAg NCs as fluorescent turn-on and turn off probes, respectively. The Au NCs and AuAg NCs showed a remarkably rapid response and high selectivity for Ag(+) and Hg(2+) over other metal ions, and relevant detection limit of Ag(+) and Hg(2+) is ca. 10 nM and 30 nM, respectively. Importantly, the fluorescence enhanced Au NCs by doping Ag(+) can be conveniently reusable for the detection of Hg(2+) based on the corresponding fluorescence quenching. The sensing mechanism was based on the high-affinity metallophilic Hg(2+)-Ag(+) interaction, which effectively quenched the fluorescence of AuAg NCs. Furthermore, these fluorescent nanoprobes could be readily applied to Ag(+) and Hg(2+) detection in environmental water samples, indicating their possibility to be utilized as a convenient, dual functional, rapid response, and label-free fluorescence sensor for related environmental and health monitoring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distribution of Ag in Cu-sulfides in Kupferschiefer deposit, SW Poland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozub, Gabriela A.

2014-05-01

The Cu-Ag Kupferschiefer deposit located at the Fore-Sudetic Monocline (SW Poland) is a world class deposit of stratabound type. The Cu-Ag mineralization in the deposit occurs in the Permian sedimentary rocks (Rotliegend and Zechstein) in three lithological types of ore: the dolomite, the black shale and the sandstone. Silver, next to copper, is the most important element in the Kupferschiefer deposit (Salamon 1979; Piestrzyński 2007; Pieczonka 2011). Although occurrence of the Ag-minerals such as native silver, silver amalgams, stromeyerite, jalpaite and mckinstryite, silver is mainly present in the deposit due to isomorphic substitutions in Cu-minerals such as chalcocite, bornite, tennantite, covellite and chalcopyrite. The aim of the study was to define distribution of silver in Cu-minerals and correlate occurrence of Ag-enriched Cu-sulfides with native silver and silver amalgams. Identification of minerals and textural observation were performed using field emission scanning electron microscope. Analyzes of chemical composition of Cu-sulfides were performed utilizing electron microprobe. Silver concentration in Cu sulfides ranges from 0.1 to 10.4 wt.% in chalcocite, 0.2-15.8 wt.% in bornite, 0.1-2.9 wt.% in tennantite, 0.05-0.3 wt.% in chalcopyrite and ca. 0.4 wt.% in covellite. In general, distribution of silver in Cu-minerals is irregular, as indicated by high variations of Ag concentration in each mineral. Content of Ag in Cu-sulphides, in samples where native silver and silver amalgams are not found, is lower than in samples, where native silver and silver amalgams are noted. The chemical analyzes of Ag-bearing Cu-minerals indicate decrease of Cu content in minerals with high Ag concentration. In such case, decrease of Fe content is also noted in bornite. Lack of micro-inclusions of the native silver or silver amalgams in the Cu-minerals indicates that presence of Ag is mainly related to the isomorphic substitutions. This is in agreement with previous

Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks-A preliminary report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slack, J.F.; Causey, J.D.; Eppinger, R.G.; Gray, J.E.; Johnson, C.A.; Lund, K.I.; Schulz, K.J.

2010-01-01

A compilation of data on global Co-Cu-Au deposits in metasedimentary rocks refines previous descriptive models for their occurrence and provides important information for mineral resource assessments and exploration programs. This compilation forms the basis for a new classification of such deposits, which is speculative at this early stage of research. As defined herein, the Co-Cu-Au deposits contain 0.1 percent or more by weight of Co in ore or mineralized rock, comprising disseminated to semi-massive Co-bearing sulfide minerals with associated Fe- and Cu-bearing sulfides, and local gold, concentrated predominantly within rift-related, siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks of Proterozoic age. Some deposits have appreciable Ag ? Bi ? W ? Ni ? Y ? rare earth elements ? U. Deposit geometry includes stratabound and stratiform layers, lenses, and veins, and (or) discordant veins and breccias. The geometry of most deposits is controlled by stratigraphic layering, folds, axial-plane cleavage, shear zones, breccias, or faults. Ore minerals are mainly cobaltite, skutterudite, glaucodot, and chalcopyrite, with minor gold, arsenopyrite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, bismuthinite, and bismuth; some deposits have appreciable tetrahedrite, uraninite, monazite, allanite, xenotime, apatite, scheelite, or molybdenite. Magnetite can be abundant in breccias, veins, or stratabound lenses within ore or surrounding country rocks. Common gangue minerals include quartz, biotite, muscovite, K-feldspar, albite, chlorite, and scapolite; many deposits contain minor to major amounts of tourmaline. Altered wall rocks generally have abundant biotite or albite. Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary successions constitute the predominant geologic setting. Felsic and (or) mafic plutons are spatially associated with many deposits and at some localities may be contemporaneous with, and involved in, ore formation. Geoenvironmental data for the Blackbird mining district in central Idaho indicate that weathering of

Mineral and energy resources of the Roswell Resource Area, East-Central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartsch-Winkler, Susan B.; Donatich, Alessandro J.

1995-01-01

The sedimentary formations of the Roswell Resource Area have significant mineral and energy resources. Some of the pre-Pennsylvanian sequences in the Northwestern Shelf of the Permian Basin are oil and gas reservoirs, and Pennsylvanian rocks in Tucumcari Basin are reservoirs of oil and gas as well as source rocks for oil and gas in Triassic rocks. Pre-Permian rocks also contain minor deposits of uranium and vanadium, limestone, and gases. Hydrocarbon reservoirs in Permian rocks include associated gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, and nitrogen. Permian rocks are mineralized adjacent to the Lincoln County porphyry belt, and include deposits of copper, uranium, manganese, iron, polymetallic veins, and Mississippi-Valley-type lead-zinc. Industrial minerals in Permian rocks include fluorite, barite, potash, halite, polyhalite, gypsum, anhydrite, sulfur, limestone, dolomite, brine deposits (iodine and bromine), aggregate (sand), and dimension stone. Doubly terminated quartz crystals, called 'Pecos diamonds' and collected as mineral specimens, occur in Permian rocks along the Pecos River. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are hosts for copper, uranium, and small quantities of gold-silver-tellurium veins, as well as significant deposits of oil and gas, carbon dioxide, asphalt, coal, and dimension stone. Mesozoic rocks contain limited amounts of limestone, gypsum, petrified wood, and clay. Tertiary rocks host ore deposits commonly associated with intrusive rocks, including platinum-group elements, iron skarns, manganese, uranium and vanadium, molybdenum, polymetallic vein deposits, gold-silver-tellurium veins, and thorium-rare-earth veins. Museum-quality quartz crystals are associated with Tertiary intrusive rocks. Industrial minerals in Tertiary rocks include fluorite, vein- and bedded-barite, caliche, limestone, and aggregate. Tertiary and Quaternary sediments host important placer deposits of gold and titanium, and occurrences of silver and uranium. Important industrial

Ultrasensitive SERS detection of VEGF based on a self-assembled Ag ornamented-AU pyramid superstructure.

PubMed

Zhao, Sen; Ma, Wei; Xu, Liguang; Wu, Xiaoling; Kuang, Hua; Wang, Libing; Xu, Chuanlai

2015-06-15

For the first time, we demonstrated the fabrication of silver nanoparticle ornamented-gold nanoparticle pyramids (Ag-Au Pys) using an aptamer-based self-assembly process and investigated their surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) properties in the detection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Under optimized conditions, the SERS signal was negatively related to VEGF concentration over the range 0.01-1.0 fM and the limit of detection (LOD) was as low as 22.6 aM. The matrix effect and the specificity of this developed method were further examined, and the results showed that the superstructure sensor was ultrasensitive and highly selective. This developed aptamer-based SERS detection method suggests that it may be a promising strategy for a variety of sensing applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Excitation functions of parameters extracted from three-source (net-)proton rapidity distributions in Au-Au and Pb-Pb collisions over an energy range from AGS to RHIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Li-Na; Liu, Fu-Hu; Sun, Yan; Sun, Zhu; Lacey, Roy A.

2017-03-01

Experimental results of the rapidity spectra of protons and net-protons (protons minus antiprotons) emitted in gold-gold (Au-Au) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions, measured by a few collaborations at the alternating gradient synchrotron (AGS), super proton synchrotron (SPS), and relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC), are described by a three-source distribution. The values of the distribution width σC and fraction kC of the central rapidity region, and the distribution width σF and rapidity shift Δ y of the forward/backward rapidity regions, are then obtained. The excitation function of σC increases generally with increase of the center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair √{s_{NN}}. The excitation function of σF shows a saturation at √{s_{NN}}=8.8 GeV. The excitation function of kC shows a minimum at √{s_{NN}}=8.8 GeV and a saturation at √{s_{NN}} ≈ 17 GeV. The excitation function of Δ y increases linearly with ln(√{s_{NN}}) in the considered energy range.

A monoclinic, pseudo-orthorhombic Au-Hg mineral of potential economic significance in Pleistocene Snake River alluvial deposits of southeastern Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Desborough, G.A.; Foord, E.E.

1992-01-01

A mineral with the approximate composition of Au94Hg6 - Au88Hg12 (atomic %) has been identified in Pleistocene Snake River alluvial deposits. The gold-mercury mineral occurs as very small grains or as polycrystalline masses composed of subhedral to nearly euhedral attached crystals. Vibratory cold-polishing techniques with 0.05-??m alumina abrasive for polished sections revealed a porous internal texture for most subhedral crystals after 48-72 hours of treatment. Thus, optical character (isotropic or anisotropic) could not be determined by reflected-light microscopy, and pore-free areas were too small for measurement of reflectance. X-ray-diffraction lines rather than individual reflections (spots), on powder camera X-ray films of unrotated spindles of single grains that morphologically appear to be single crystals, indicate that individual subhedral or euhedral crystals are composed of domains in random orientation. Thus, no material was found suitable for single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. -from Authors

Diamond and Unusual Minerals Discovered from the Chromitite in Polar Ural: A First Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Bai, W.; Fang, Q.; Meng, F.; Chen, S.; Zhang, Z.

2007-12-01

Ultrahigh pressure (UHP) minerals, such as diamond, coesite, and pseudomorphs of octahedral olivine, and as well as about 80 other mineral species have been recovered from podiform chromitites of the Luobusa ophiolite, southern Tibet, and a new mineral, Luobusaite (Fe0.82Si2), has been approved recently by CNMMN. The UHP minerals from Luobusa are controversial because they have not found in situ and because ophiolites are currently believed to form at shallow levels above oceanic spreading centers. More detailed study and experimental work are needed to understand the origin and significance of these unusual minerals and investigations of other ophiolites are needed to determine if such minerals occur elsewhere. For this purpose, we collected about 1500 kg of chromitite from two orebodies in an ultramafic body in the Polar Urals. Thus far, more than 60 different mineral species have been separated from these ores. The most exciting discovery is the common occurrence of diamond, a typical UHP mineral in the Luobusa chromitites. Diamonds from Ural chromitite are clear, colorless, well-developed crystals with octahedral morphology, generally 0.2-0.3 mm in size. Attached with the diamonds and perhaps also occurring as inclusions within them are many minerals as chromite, MnNiCrFe alloy, native Si and Ta, corundum, zircon, feldspar, garnet, moissanite, confirming their natural origin and suggesting a long residence time in the mantle. Other mineral group include: (1) native elements: Cr, W, Ni, Co, Si, Al and Ta; (2) carbides: SiC and WC; (3) alloys: Cr-Fe, Si-Al-Fe, Ni-Cu, Ag-Au, Ag-Sn, Fe-Si, Fe-P, and Ag-Zn-Sn; (4) oxides: NiCrFe, PbSn, REE, rutile and Si- bearing rutile, ilmenite, corundum, chromite, MgO, and SnO2; (5) silicates: kyanite, pseudomorphs of octahedral olivine, zircon, garnet, feldspar, and quartz,; (6) sulfides of Fe, Ni, Cu, Mo, Pb, Ab, AsFe, FeNi, CuZn, and CoFeNi; and (7) iron groups: native Fe, FeO, and Fe2O3. These minerals are very similar in

The oxidation state of iron and manganese in polymetallic nodules from the Central Indian Ocean Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganwani, Girish; Meena, Samay Singh; Ram, Sahi; Bijlani, N.; Bhatia, Beena; Tripathi, R. P.

2018-05-01

The study of oxidation states of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) in polymetallic nodules were carried out by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic techniques. The polymetallic nodules were collected from different locations of the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB). The Mn/Fe ratio allowed the differentiation of these nodules from their origin: "hydrogeneous" or "hydrothermal". The binding energies of Mn 2p3/2 (ranging from 641.5 to 642.4 ev), Fe 2p3/2 (ranging from 711.0 to 711.8 ev) and O 1s (ranging from 530.2 to 530.9 ev) from XPS reveal that most of manganese is in Mn4+ and iron is in Fe3+ state.

Taxon-Function Decoupling as an Adaptive Signature of Lake Microbial Metacommunities Under a Chronic Polymetallic Pollution Gradient

PubMed Central

Cheaib, Bachar; Le Boulch, Malo; Mercier, Pierre-Luc; Derome, Nicolas

2018-01-01

Adaptation of microbial communities to anthropogenic stressors can lead to reductions in microbial diversity and disequilibrium of ecosystem services. Such adaptation can change the molecular signatures of communities with differences in taxonomic and functional composition. Understanding the relationship between taxonomic and functional variation remains a critical issue in microbial ecology. Here, we assessed the taxonomic and functional diversity of a lake metacommunity system along a polymetallic pollution gradient caused by 60 years of chronic exposure to acid mine drainage (AMD). Our results highlight three adaptive signatures. First, a signature of taxon—function decoupling was detected in the microbial communities of moderately and highly polluted lakes. Second, parallel shifts in taxonomic composition occurred between polluted and unpolluted lakes. Third, variation in the abundance of functional modules suggested a gradual deterioration of ecosystem services (i.e., photosynthesis) and secondary metabolism in highly polluted lakes. Overall, changes in the abundance of taxa, function, and more importantly the polymetallic resistance genes such as copA, copB, czcA, cadR, cCusA, were correlated with trace metal content (mainly Cadmium) and acidity. Our findings highlight the impact of polymetallic pollution gradient at the lowest trophic levels. PMID:29774016

Taxon-Function Decoupling as an Adaptive Signature of Lake Microbial Metacommunities Under a Chronic Polymetallic Pollution Gradient.

PubMed

Cheaib, Bachar; Le Boulch, Malo; Mercier, Pierre-Luc; Derome, Nicolas

2018-01-01

Adaptation of microbial communities to anthropogenic stressors can lead to reductions in microbial diversity and disequilibrium of ecosystem services. Such adaptation can change the molecular signatures of communities with differences in taxonomic and functional composition. Understanding the relationship between taxonomic and functional variation remains a critical issue in microbial ecology. Here, we assessed the taxonomic and functional diversity of a lake metacommunity system along a polymetallic pollution gradient caused by 60 years of chronic exposure to acid mine drainage (AMD). Our results highlight three adaptive signatures. First, a signature of taxon-function decoupling was detected in the microbial communities of moderately and highly polluted lakes. Second, parallel shifts in taxonomic composition occurred between polluted and unpolluted lakes. Third, variation in the abundance of functional modules suggested a gradual deterioration of ecosystem services (i.e., photosynthesis) and secondary metabolism in highly polluted lakes. Overall, changes in the abundance of taxa, function, and more importantly the polymetallic resistance genes such as copA, copB, czcA, cadR, cCusA , were correlated with trace metal content (mainly Cadmium) and acidity. Our findings highlight the impact of polymetallic pollution gradient at the lowest trophic levels.

Origin and tectonic implications of the Zhaxikang Pb-Zn-Sb-Ag deposit in northern Himalaya: evidence from structures, Re-Os-Pb-S isotopes, and fluid inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qing; Li, Wenchang; Qing, Chengshi; Lai, Yang; Li, Yingxu; Liao, Zhenwen; Wu, Jianyang; Wang, Shengwei; Dong, Lei; Tian, Enyuan

2018-04-01

The Zhaxikang Pb-Zn-Sb-Ag-(Au) deposits, located in the eastern part of northern Himalaya, totally contain more than 1.146 million tonnes (Mt) of Pb, 1.407 Mt of Zn, 0.345 Mt of Sb, and 3 kilotonnes (kt) of Ag. Our field observations suggest that these deposits are controlled by N-S trending and west- and steep-dipping normal faults, suggesting a hydrothermal rather than a syngenetic sedimentary origin. The Pb-Zn-Sb-Ag-(Cu-Au) mineralization formed in the Eocene as indicated by a Re-Os isochron age of 43.1 ± 2.5 Ma. Sulfide minerals have varying initial Pb isotopic compositions, with (206Pb/204Pb)i of 19.04-19.68, (207Pb/204Pb)i of 15.75-15.88, and (208Pb/204Pb)i of 39.66-40.31. Sulfur isotopic values display a narrow δ34S interval of +7.8-+12.2‰. These Pb-S isotopic data suggest that the Zhaxikang sources of Pb and S should be mainly from the coeval felsic magmas and partly from the surrounding Mesozoic strata including metasedimentary rocks and layered felsic volcanic rocks. Fluid inclusion studies indicate that the hydrothermal fluids have medium temperatures (200-336 °C) but varying salinities (1.40-18.25 wt.% NaCl equiv.) with densities of 0.75-0.95 g/cm3, possibly suggesting an evolution mixing between a high salinity fluid, perhaps of magmatic origin, with meteoric water.

A density functional global optimisation study of neutral 8-atom Cu-Ag and Cu-Au clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heard, Christopher J.; Johnston, Roy L.

2013-02-01

The effect of doping on the energetics and dimensionality of eight atom coinage metal subnanometre particles is fully resolved using a genetic algorithm in tandem with on the fly density functional theory calculations to determine the global minima (GM) for Cu n Ag(8- n) and Cu n Au(8- n) clusters. Comparisons are made to previous ab initio work on mono- and bimetallic clusters, with excellent agreement found. Charge transfer and geometric arguments are considered to rationalise the stability of the particular permutational isomers found. An interesting transition between three dimensional and two dimensional GM structures is observed for copper-gold clusters, which is sharper and appears earlier in the doping series than is known for gold-silver particles.

Pentacene on Au(1 1 1), Ag(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 1): From physisorption to chemisorption.

PubMed

Lu, Meng-Chao; Wang, Rong-Bin; Yang, Ao; Duhm, Steffen

2016-03-09

We measured the electronic and the molecular surface structure of pentacene deposited on the (1 1 1)-surfaces of coinage metals by means of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). Pentacene is almost flat-lying in monolayers on all three substrates and highly ordered on Au(1 1 1) and on Cu(1 1 1). On Ag(1 1 1), however, weak chemisorption leads to almost disordered monolayers, both, at room temperature and at 78 K. On Cu(1 1 1) pentacene is strongly chemisorbed and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital becomes observable in UPS by a charge transfer from the substrate. On Ag(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 1) multilayers adopt a tilted orientation and a high degree of crystallinity. On Au(1 1 1), most likely, also in multilayers the molecular short and long axes are parallel to the substrate, leading to a distinctively different electronic structure than on Ag(1 1 1) and Cu(1 1 1). Overall, it could be demonstrated that the substrate not only determines the geometric and electronic characteristics of molecular monolayer films but also plays a crucial role for multilayer film growth.

Noble Gas Isotope Evidence for Mantle Volatiles in the Cu-Mo Porphyry and Main Stage Polymetallic Veins at Butte, Montana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hofstra, A. H.; Rusk, B. G.; Manning, A. H.; Hunt, A. G.; Landis, G. P.

2017-12-01

Recent studies suggest that volatiles released from mafic intrusions may be important sources of heat, sulfur, and metals in porphyry Cu-Mo-Au and epithermal Au-Ag deposits associated with intermediate to silicic stocks. The huge Cu-Mo porphyry and Main Stage polymetallic vein deposits at Butte are well suited to test this hypothesis because there is no geologic or isotopic evidence of basaltic intrusions in the mine or drill holes. The Butte porphyry-vein system is associated with quartz monzonite stocks and dikes within the southwest part of the Late Cretaceous Boulder batholith. The Boulder batholith was emplaced into Mesoproterozoic to Mesozoic sedimentary rocks and Late Cretaceous volcanic rocks. The Boulder batholith and Butte intrusions have Sri and eNd values indicative of crustal contamination. Eu and Ce anomalies in zircon from Butte intrusions provide evidence of oxidation due to magma degassing. To ascertain the source of volatiles in this system, 11 samples from the Cu-Mo porphyry and 16 from Main Stage veins were selected. The isotopic composition of Ar, Ne, and He extracted from fluid inclusions in quartz, magnetite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, enargite, and covellite were determined. Helium isotopes exceed blank levels in all samples and Ne and Ar in some samples. On a 38Ar/36Ar vs. 40Ar/36Ar diagram, data plot near air. On a 20Ne/22Ne vs. 21Ne/22Ne diagram, data extend from air along the trajectories of OIB and MORB. On a 36Ar/4He vs. 3He/4He RA diagram, data extend from crust toward the air-mantle mixing line. The maximum 3He/4He RA values in the Cu-Mo porphyry (2.86) and Main Stage veins (3.46) are from pyrite and these values correspond to 36 and 43 % mantle helium. The Ne and He results show that fluid inclusions contain volatiles discharged from mantle magmas and that these volatiles were diluted by groundwater containing He derived from country rocks. Despite the lack of mafic intrusions in the Butte magmatic center, noble gas

DEFINITION OF MULTIVARIATE GEOCHEMICAL ASSOCIATIONS WITH POLYMETALLIC MINERAL OCCURRENCES USING A SPATIALLY DEPENDENT CLUSTERING TECHNIQUE AND RASTERIZED STREAM SEDIMENT DATA - AN ALASKAN EXAMPLE.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jenson, Susan K.; Trautwein, C.M.

1984-01-01

The application of an unsupervised, spatially dependent clustering technique (AMOEBA) to interpolated raster arrays of stream sediment data has been found to provide useful multivariate geochemical associations for modeling regional polymetallic resource potential. The technique is based on three assumptions regarding the compositional and spatial relationships of stream sediment data and their regional significance. These assumptions are: (1) compositionally separable classes exist and can be statistically distinguished; (2) the classification of multivariate data should minimize the pair probability of misclustering to establish useful compositional associations; and (3) a compositionally defined class represented by three or more contiguous cells within an array is a more important descriptor of a terrane than a class represented by spatial outliers.

Photocatalytic activity of undoped and Ag-doped TiO{sub 2}-supported zeolite for humic acid degradation and mineralization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lazau, C.; Ratiu, C.; National Institute for Research and Development in Microtechnologies, Erou Iancu Nicolae Street, 077190 Bucharest

2011-11-15

Highlights: {yields} Hybrid materials based on natural zeolite and TiO{sub 2} obtained by solid-state reaction. {yields} XRD proved the presence of anatase form of undoped and Ag-doped TiO{sub 2} onto zeolite. {yields} FT-IR spectra evidenced the presence on TiO{sub 2} bounded at the zeolite network. {yields} Ag-doped TiO{sub 2} onto zeolitic matrix exhibited an enhanced photocatalytic activity. -- Abstract: The hybrid materials based on natural zeolite and undoped and Ag-doped TiO{sub 2}, i.e., Z-Na-TiO{sub 2} and Z-Na-TiO{sub 2}-Ag, were successfully synthesized by solid-state reaction in microwave-assisted hydrothermal conditions. Undoped TiO{sub 2} and Ag-doped TiO{sub 2} nanocrystals were previously synthesized bymore » sol-gel method. The surface characterization of undoped TiO{sub 2}/Ag-doped TiO{sub 2} and natural zeolite hybrid materials has been investigated by X-ray diffraction, DRUV-VIS spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, BET analysis, SEM microscopy and EDX analysis. The results indicated that anatase TiO{sub 2} is the dominant crystalline type as spherical form onto zeolitic matrix. The presence of Ag into Z-Na-TiO{sub 2}-Ag was confirmed by EDX analysis. The DRUV-VIS spectra showed that Z-Na-TiO{sub 2}-Ag exhibited absorption within the range of 400-500 nm in comparison with Z-Na-TiO{sub 2} catalyst. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Z-Na-TiO{sub 2}-Ag catalyst is proved through the degradation and mineralization of humic acid under ultraviolet and visible irradiation.« less

Simulation of 6 to 3 to 1 merge and squeeze of Au77+ bunches in AGS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gardner, C. J.

2016-05-09

In order to increase the intensity per Au77+ bunch at AGS extraction, a 6 to 3 to 1 merge scheme was developed and implemented by K. Zeno during the 2016 RHIC run. For this scheme, 12 Booster loads, each consisting of a single bunch, are delivered to AGS per AGS magnetic cycle. The bunch from Booster is itself the result of a 4 to 2 to 1 merge which is carried out on a flat porch during the Booster magnetic cycle. Each Booster bunch is injected into a harmonic 24 bucket on the AGS injection porch. In order to fitmore » into the buckets and allow for the AGS injection kicker rise time, the bunch width must be reduced by exciting quadrupole oscillations just before extraction from Booster. The bunches are injected into two groups of six adjacent harmonic 24 buckets. In each group the 6 bunches are merged into 3 by bringing on RF harmonic 12 while reducing harmonic 24. This is a straightforward 2 to 1 merge (in which two adjacent bunches are merged into one). One ends up with two groups of three adjacent bunches sitting in harmonic 12 buckets. These bunches are accelerated to an intermediate porch for further merging. Doing the merge on a porch that sits above injection energy helps reduce losses that are believed to be due to the space-charge force acting on the bunched particles. (The 6 to 3 merge is done on the injection porch because the harmonic 24 frequency on the intermediate porch would be too high for the AGS RF cavities.) On the intermediate porch each group of 3 bunches is merged into one by bringing on RF harmonics 8 and 4 and then reducing harmonics 12 and 8. One ends up with 2 bunches, each the result of a 6 to 3 to 1 merge and each sitting in a harmonic 4 bucket. This puts 6 Booster loads into each bunch. Each merged bunch needs to be squeezed into a harmonic 12 bucket for subsequent acceleration. This is done by again bringing on harmonic 8 and then harmonic 12. Results of simulations of the 6 to 3 to 1 merge and the subsequent squeeze into harmonic

Quantitative Characterization Guidelines of Erionite Series Minerals for Regulatory Agencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dogan, A.; Dogan, M.

2013-05-01

erionite series minerals - the most carcinogenic minerals known - require a special attention from the mineralogical community, which is a prerequisite to establish their true carcinogenic properties. References: Dogan, A.U., Baris, Y.I., Dogan, M., Emri, S., Steel, I., Elmishad, A.G., and Carbone, M., 2006. Genetic predisposition to fiber carcinogenesis causes a mesothelioma epidemic in Turkey. Cancer Research, v. 66 (10), p. 5063-5068, this research paper is highlighted in Nature Reviews-Cancer, v. 6, p. 489. Dogan, A.U. and Dogan, M., 2008, Re-evaluation and re-classification of erionite series minerals, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, v. 30, p. 355-366. Dogan, A.U., Dogan, M., and Hoskins, J.A. 2008, Erionite series minerals: Mineralogical and carcinogenic properties, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, v. 30, p. 367-381.

Model of the porphyry copper and polymetallic vein family of deposits - Applications in Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drew, L.J.

2003-01-01

A tectonic model useful in estimating the occurrence of undiscovered porphyry copper and polymetallic vein systems has been developed. This model is based on the manner in which magmatic and hydrothermal fluids flow and are trapped in fault systems as far-field stress is released in tectonic strain features above subducting plates (e.g. strike-slip fault systems). The structural traps include preferred locations for stock emplacement and tensional-shear fault meshes within the step-overs that localize porphyry- and vein-style deposits. The application of the model is illustrated for the porphyry copper and polymetallic vein deposits in the Central Slovakian Volcanic Field, Slovakia; the Ma??tra Mountains, Hungary; and the Apuseni Mountains, Romania.

R 3Au 9 Pn ( R = Y, Gd–Tm; Pn = Sb, Bi): A link between Cu 10Sn 3 and Gd 14Ag 51

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Celania, Chris; Smetana, Volodymyr; Provino, Alessia

A new series of intermetallic compounds R 3Au 9 Pn ( R = Y, Gd–Tm; Pn = Sb, Bi) has been discovered during the explorations of the Au-rich parts of rare-earth-containing ternary systems with p-block elements. The existence of the series is strongly restricted by both geometric and electronic factors. R 3Au 9 Pn compounds crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system with space group P6 3/m (a = 8.08–8.24 Å, c = 8.98–9.08 Å). All compounds feature Au- Pn, formally anionic, networks built up by layers of alternating edge-sharing Au@Au 6 and Sb@Au 6 trigonal antiprisms of overall composition Aumore » 6/2 Pn connected through additional Au atoms and separated by a triangular cationic substructure formed by R atoms. From a first look, the series appears to be isostructural with recently reported R 3Au 7Sn 3 (a ternary ordered derivative of the Cu 10Sn 3-structure type), but no example of R 3Au 9M is known when M is a triel or tetrel element. R 3Au 9 Pn also contains Au@Au 6Au 2 R 3 fully capped trigonal prisms, which are found to be isostructural with those found in the well-researched R 14Au 51 series. This structural motif, not present in R 3Au 7Sn 3, represents a previously unrecognized link between Cu 10Sn 3 and Gd 14Ag 51 parent structure types. Magnetic property measurements carried out for Ho 3Au 9Sb reveal a complex magnetic structure characterized by antiferromagnetic interactions at low temperature ( T N = 10 K). Two metamagnetic transitions occur at high field with a change from antiferromagnetic toward ferromagnetic ordering. Density functional theory based computations were performed to understand the materials’ properties and to shed some light on the stability ranges. As a result, this allowed a better understanding of the bonding pattern, especially of the Au-containing substructure, and elucidation of the role of the third element in the stability of the structure type.« less

R 3Au 9 Pn ( R = Y, Gd–Tm; Pn = Sb, Bi): A link between Cu 10Sn 3 and Gd 14Ag 51

DOE PAGES

Celania, Chris; Smetana, Volodymyr; Provino, Alessia; ...

2017-06-05

A new series of intermetallic compounds R 3Au 9 Pn ( R = Y, Gd–Tm; Pn = Sb, Bi) has been discovered during the explorations of the Au-rich parts of rare-earth-containing ternary systems with p-block elements. The existence of the series is strongly restricted by both geometric and electronic factors. R 3Au 9 Pn compounds crystallize in the hexagonal crystal system with space group P6 3/m (a = 8.08–8.24 Å, c = 8.98–9.08 Å). All compounds feature Au- Pn, formally anionic, networks built up by layers of alternating edge-sharing Au@Au 6 and Sb@Au 6 trigonal antiprisms of overall composition Aumore » 6/2 Pn connected through additional Au atoms and separated by a triangular cationic substructure formed by R atoms. From a first look, the series appears to be isostructural with recently reported R 3Au 7Sn 3 (a ternary ordered derivative of the Cu 10Sn 3-structure type), but no example of R 3Au 9M is known when M is a triel or tetrel element. R 3Au 9 Pn also contains Au@Au 6Au 2 R 3 fully capped trigonal prisms, which are found to be isostructural with those found in the well-researched R 14Au 51 series. This structural motif, not present in R 3Au 7Sn 3, represents a previously unrecognized link between Cu 10Sn 3 and Gd 14Ag 51 parent structure types. Magnetic property measurements carried out for Ho 3Au 9Sb reveal a complex magnetic structure characterized by antiferromagnetic interactions at low temperature ( T N = 10 K). Two metamagnetic transitions occur at high field with a change from antiferromagnetic toward ferromagnetic ordering. Density functional theory based computations were performed to understand the materials’ properties and to shed some light on the stability ranges. As a result, this allowed a better understanding of the bonding pattern, especially of the Au-containing substructure, and elucidation of the role of the third element in the stability of the structure type.« less

Geogenic Factors as Drivers of Microbial Community Diversity in Soils Overlying Polymetallic Deposits.

PubMed

Reith, Frank; Zammit, Carla M; Pohrib, Rebecca; Gregg, Adrienne L; Wakelin, Steven A

2015-11-01

This study shows that the geogenic factors landform, lithology, and underlying mineral deposits (expressed by elevated metal concentrations in overlying soils) are key drivers of microbial community diversity in naturally metal-rich Australian soils with different land uses, i.e., agriculture versus natural bushland. One hundred sixty-eight soil samples were obtained from two metal-rich provinces in Australia, i.e., the Fifield Au-Pt field (New South Wales) and the Hillside Cu-Au-U rare-earth-element (REE) deposit (South Australia). Soils were analyzed using three-domain multiplex terminal-restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism (M-TRFLP) and PhyloChip microarrays. Geogenic factors were determined using field-mapping techniques and analyses of >50 geochemical parameters. At Fifield, microbial communities differed significantly with geogenic factors and equally with land use (P < 0.05). At Hillside, communities in surface soils (0.03- to 0.2-m depth) differed significantly with landform and land use (P < 0.05). Communities in deeper soils (>0.2 m) differed significantly with lithology and mineral deposit (P < 0.05). Across both sites, elevated metal contents in soils overlying mineral deposits were selective for a range of bacterial taxa, most importantly Acidobacteria, Bacilli, Betaproteobacteria, and Epsilonproteobacteria. In conclusion, long-term geogenic factors can be just as important as land use in determining soil microbial community diversity. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Geogenic Factors as Drivers of Microbial Community Diversity in Soils Overlying Polymetallic Deposits

PubMed Central

Zammit, Carla M.; Pohrib, Rebecca; Gregg, Adrienne L.; Wakelin, Steven A.

2015-01-01

This study shows that the geogenic factors landform, lithology, and underlying mineral deposits (expressed by elevated metal concentrations in overlying soils) are key drivers of microbial community diversity in naturally metal-rich Australian soils with different land uses, i.e., agriculture versus natural bushland. One hundred sixty-eight soil samples were obtained from two metal-rich provinces in Australia, i.e., the Fifield Au-Pt field (New South Wales) and the Hillside Cu-Au-U rare-earth-element (REE) deposit (South Australia). Soils were analyzed using three-domain multiplex terminal-restriction-fragment-length-polymorphism (M-TRFLP) and PhyloChip microarrays. Geogenic factors were determined using field-mapping techniques and analyses of >50 geochemical parameters. At Fifield, microbial communities differed significantly with geogenic factors and equally with land use (P < 0.05). At Hillside, communities in surface soils (0.03- to 0.2-m depth) differed significantly with landform and land use (P < 0.05). Communities in deeper soils (>0.2 m) differed significantly with lithology and mineral deposit (P < 0.05). Across both sites, elevated metal contents in soils overlying mineral deposits were selective for a range of bacterial taxa, most importantly Acidobacteria, Bacilli, Betaproteobacteria, and Epsilonproteobacteria. In conclusion, long-term geogenic factors can be just as important as land use in determining soil microbial community diversity. PMID:26341204

Barite-polymetallic mineralization of Zmeinogorsk ore district and some genetic aspects of its formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bestemianova, K. V.; Grinev, O. M.

2017-12-01

Zmeinogorsky ore district is located in the northwest part of Ore Altai megatrough, which has long-lasting history of its development and complicated geological structure. Within the ore district, which is the northwest part of the devonian Zmeinogorsk-Bystrushinsky trough, ore mineralization is associated with the system of northwest border faults and cross branch faults. There were four main stages and five phases of minerogenesis. The first stage is the stage of oregenesis beginning and quartz-chlorite-sericite wall-rock alteration rocks formation. Ore deposition and intense tectonics took place during the second stage. The third stage is the most longstanding and productive ore formation stage. There are five distinct minerogenesis phases within this stage. The fourth stage expressed in erosion development and supergene alteration of already formed ore bodies with oxidation zone formation. Main ore minerals are pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena. Minor minerals are tetrahedrite, bornite, tennantite and chalcocite. Precious metals minerals are acanthite, gold, electrum, gold and silver amalgams. Barren minerals are barite, quartz, calcite, gypsum. According to obtained data average isotopic composition of third stage sulphides is: pyrite -0,2‰, chalcopyrite 0‰, galena +0,5‰, sphalerite -1,2‰ for the first complex; chalcopyrite -1,9‰, galena -3,4‰, sphalerite -2,3‰, tetrahedrite -3,7‰ for the second complex; tennantite -12,8‰, bornite -8,9‰ for the third complex. Sulfur isotopic compoisiton variations indicate source inhomogeneity. Thus, there was dominant source change from mantle one in the beginning to crustal one in the end. Main oregenesis stages took place in the range of temperatures between 170 and 210°С and in the mineral-forming solutions salinity range between 3 and 10 wt % NaCl equiv.

Fabrication of Ternary AgPdAu Alloy Nanoparticles on c-Plane Sapphire by the Systematical Control of Film Thickness and Deposition Sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunwar, Sundar; Pandey, Puran; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

2018-06-01

In this work, a systematic study on the fabrication of ternary AgPdAu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) on c-plane sapphire (0001) is presented and the corresponding structural and optical characteristics are demonstrated. The metallic trilayers of various thicknesses and deposition orders are annealed in a controlled manner (400 °C to 900 °C) to induce the solid-state dewetting that yields the various structural configurations of AgPdAu alloy NPs. The dewetting of relatively thicker trilayers (15 nm) is gradually progressed with void nucleation, growth, and coalescence, isolated NP formation, and shape transformation, along with the temperature control. For 6 nm thickness, owing to the sufficient dewetting of trilayers along with enhanced diffusion, dense and small spherical alloy NPs are fabricated. Depending on the specific growth condition, the surface diffusion and interdiffusion of metal atoms, surface and interface energy minimization, Rayleigh instability, and equilibrium configuration are correlated to describe the fabrication of ternary alloy NPs. Ternary alloy NPs exhibit morphology-dependent ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) reflectance properties such as the inverse relationship of average reflectance with the surface coverage, absorption enhancement in specific regions, and reflectance maxima in UV and NIR regions. In addition, Raman spectra depict the six active phonon modes of sapphires and their intensity and position modulation by the alloy NPs.

Bio-mimetic Nanostructure Self-assembled from Au@Ag Heterogeneous Nanorods and Phage Fusion Proteins for Targeted Tumor Optical Detection and Photothermal Therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fei; Liu, Pei; Sun, Lin; Li, Cuncheng; Petrenko, Valery A.; Liu, Aihua

2014-10-01

Nanomaterials with near-infrared (NIR) absorption have been widely studied in cancer detection and photothermal therapy (PTT), while it remains a great challenge in targeting tumor efficiently with minimal side effects. Herein we report a novel multifunctional phage-mimetic nanostructure, which was prepared by layer-by-layer self-assembly of Au@Ag heterogenous nanorods (NRs) with rhodamine 6G, and specific pVIII fusion proteins. Au@Ag NRs, first being applied for PTT, exhibited excellent stability, cost-effectivity, biocompatibility and tunable NIR absorption. The fusion proteins were isolated from phage DDAGNRQP specifically selected from f8/8 landscape phage library against colorectal cancer cells in a high-throughput way. Considering the definite charge distribution and low molecular weight, phage fusion proteins were assembled on the negatively charged NR core by electrostatic interactions, exposing the N-terminus fused with DDAGNRQP peptide on the surface. The fluorescent images showed that assembled phage fusion proteins can direct the nanostructure into cancer cells. The nanostructure was more efficient than gold nanorods and silver nanotriangle-based photothermal agents and was capable of specifically ablating SW620 cells after 10 min illumination with an 808 nm laser in the light intensity of 4 W/cm2. The prepared nanostructure would become an ideal reagent for simutaneously targeted optical imaging and PTT of tumor.

The Technological Mineralogical Research of Molybdenum in Skarn-type Ore of Huangshaping Polymetallic Mining Area, Hunan, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, W. H.; Pan, J. Y.

2017-10-01

Huangshaping is one of the most important polymetallic deposits in the south of Hunan Province. Through field investigation, chemical analysis, observation under the optical microscope, energy spectrum analysis of the SEM and X-ray diffraction, the author made a technological mineralogical research of molybdenum on skarn-type ore, and the result shows that the ore containing molybdenum is mainly on the contact of the granite porphyry and the impure limestone in the lower carboniferous Shidengzi group. Besides molybdenum, the ore minerals contain scheelite, native bismuth, bismuthinite, magnetite and so on; and the gangue minerals are mainly andradite, fluorite and wollastonite. Part of the molybdenum exists in the scheelite in form of isomorphism, and there is an obvious negative correlation between MoO3 and WO3. The molybdenite granularity is mainly located in the 0.04~ 0.08mm area, which accounts for 29.5% of the total and is the finely disseminated ore. For samples of 70%, 90%, and 100% with the particle size of more than 200 meshes, the maximum recovery of the molybdenite are 75.15%, 86.45% and 91.25% respectively. So there will be a better use of molybdenum if we properly improve the grinded particle size of the comprehensive samples. As part of the molybdenum is distributed in the scheelite lattice, the actual recovery rate in this area may decline compared with the ideal value.

Halo-substituted azobenzenes adsorbed at Ag(111) and Au(111) interfaces: Structures and optical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, Zak E.; Baev, Alexander; Prasad, Paras N.; Walsh, Tiffany R.

2017-05-01

The adsorption of azobenzene (AB), ortho fluoro-azobenzene (FAB) and ortho chlor-azobenzol (ClAB), in both the cis and trans isomers, at the Au(111) and Ag(111) surfaces is investigated using plane-wave density functional calculations with the revPBE-vdW-DF functional. The resulting adsorption energies and internal structures of AB adsorbed to both metal surfaces are in broad agreement with available experimental data. In the gas phase, FAB and ClAB feature a significant reduction in the energy difference between the two isomeric states, compared with AB. This relative reduction in the energy difference is still significant for the adsorbed form of FAB but is only weakly apparent for ClAB. The absorption spectra of the molecules have also been calculated, with the halogen substituents generating significant changes in the gas phase, but only a modest difference for the adsorbed molecules.

Interaction of intermetallic compound formation in Cu/SnAgCu/NiAu sandwich solder joints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Yanghua; Lu, Chuanyan; Chang, Junling; Xie, Xiaoming

2006-05-01

The interaction between Cu/solder interface and solder/Ni interface at a Cu/SnAgCu/NiAu sandwich solder joint with various surface finishes and solder heights was investigated. The interfacial microstructure and composition of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The phase structure of IMC was identified by x-ray diffraction (XRD). It is found that ternary (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 IMCs form at both interfaces. The composition, thickness, and morphology of the ternary IMCs depend not only on the interface itself, but also on the opposite interface. That is to say, strong coupling effects exist between the two interfaces. Lattice parameters of (Cu,Ni)6Sn5 shrink with increasing Ni content, in agreement with Vegard’s law. The mechanism of ternary IMC formation and interface coupling effects are discussed in this paper.

Preparation of Pt Ag alloy nanoisland/graphene hybrid composites and its high stability and catalytic activity in methanol electro-oxidation

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

In this article, PtAg alloy nanoislands/graphene hybrid composites were prepared based on the self-organization of Au@PtAg nanorods on graphene sheets. Graphite oxides (GO) were prepared and separated to individual sheets using Hummer's method. Graphene nano-sheets were prepared by chemical reduction with hydrazine. The prepared PtAg alloy nanomaterial and the hybrid composites with graphene were characterized by SEM, TEM, and zeta potential measurements. It is confirmed that the prepared Au@PtAg alloy nanorods/graphene hybrid composites own good catalytic function for methanol electro-oxidation by cyclic voltammograms measurements, and exhibited higher catalytic activity and more stability than pure Au@Pt nanorods and Au@AgPt alloy nanorods. In conclusion, the prepared PtAg alloy nanoislands/graphene hybrid composites own high stability and catalytic activity in methanol electro-oxidation, so that it is one kind of high-performance catalyst, and has great potential in applications such as methanol fuel cells in near future. PMID:21982417

Theoretical investigation of thermoelectric and elastic properties of intermetallic compounds ScTM (TM = Cu, Ag, Au and Pd)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iqbal, R.; Bilal, M.; Jalali-Asadabadi, S.; Rahnamaye Aliabad, H. A.; Ahmad, Iftikhar

2018-01-01

In this paper, we explore the structural, electronic, thermoelectric and elastic properties of intermetallic compounds ScTM (TM = Cu, Ag, Au and Pd) using density functional theory. The produced results show high values of Seebeck coefficients and electrical conductivity for these materials. High power factor for these materials at room-temperature shows that these materials may be beneficial for low-temperature thermoelectric devices and alternative energy sources. Furthermore, elastic properties of these compounds are also calculated, which are used to evaluate their mechanical properties. The Cauchy’s pressure and B/G ratio figure out that these compounds are ductile in nature. The calculated results also predict that these compounds are stable against deforming force.

Critical elements in sediment-hosted deposits (clastic-dominated Zn-Pb-Ag, Mississippi Valley-type Zn-Pb, sedimentary rock-hosted Stratiform Cu, and carbonate-hosted Polymetallic Deposits): A review: Chapter 12

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marsh, Erin; Hitzman, Murray W.; Leach, David L.

2016-01-01

Some sediment-hosted base metal deposits, specifically the clastic-dominated (CD) Zn-Pb deposits, carbonate-hosted Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits, sedimentary-rock hosted stratiform copper deposits, and carbonate-hosted polymetallic (“Kipushi type”) deposits, are or have been important sources of critical elements including Co, Ga, Ge, and Re. The generally poor data concerning trace element concentrations in these types of sediment-hosted ores suggest that there may be economically important concentrations of critical elements yet to be recognized.

Computational materials design of negative effective U system in the hole-doped Delafossite of CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, Akitaka; Fukushima, Tetsuya; Uede, Hiroki; Katayama-Yoshida, Hiroshi

2015-03-01

In order to realize the super-high-TC superconductors (TC>1,000K) based on the general design rules for the negative Ueff system, we have performed computational materials design for theUeff<0 system in the hole-doped two-dimensional (2D) Delafossite CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2 from the first principles. We find the interesting chemical trend of TC in 2D and 3D systems; where the TC increases exponentially in the weak coupling regime (|Ueff (-0.44eV)|< W(2eV), W is the band width) for hole-doped CuFeS2, then the TC goes through a maximum when |Ueff (-4.88eV, -4.14eV)| ~ W (2.8eV, 3.5eV) for hole-doped AgAlO2 and AuAlO2, and the TC decreases with increasing |Ueff|in strong coupling regime, where |Ueff (-4.53eV)|> W(1.7eV) for hole-doped CuAlO2

Mineral deposit densities for estimating mineral resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Singer, Donald A.

2008-01-01

Estimates of numbers of mineral deposits are fundamental to assessing undiscovered mineral resources. Just as frequencies of grades and tonnages of well-explored deposits can be used to represent the grades and tonnages of undiscovered deposits, the density of deposits (deposits/area) in well-explored control areas can serve to represent the number of deposits. Empirical evidence presented here indicates that the processes affecting the number and quantity of resources in geological settings are very general across many types of mineral deposits. For podiform chromite, porphyry copper, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit types, the size of tract that geologically could contain the deposits is an excellent predictor of the total number of deposits. The number of mineral deposits is also proportional to the type’s size. The total amount of mineralized rock is also proportional to size of the permissive area and the median deposit type’s size. Regressions using these variables provide a means to estimate the density of deposits and the total amount of mineralization. These powerful estimators are based on analysis of ten different types of mineral deposits (Climax Mo, Cuban Mn, Cyprus massive sulfide, Franciscan Mn, kuroko massive sulfide, low-sulfide quartz-Au vein, placer Au, podiform Cr, porphyry Cu, and W vein) from 108 permissive control tracts around the world therefore generalizing across deposit types. Despite the diverse and complex geological settings of deposit types studied here, the relationships observed indicate universal controls on the accumulation and preservation of mineral resources that operate across all scales. The strength of the relationships (R 2=0.91 for density and 0.95 for mineralized rock) argues for their broad use. Deposit densities can now be used to provide a guideline for expert judgment or used directly for estimating the number of most kinds of mineral deposits.

Gold enrichment and the Bi-Au association in pyrrhotite-rich massive sulfide deposits, Escanaba trough, Southern Gorda Ridge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tormanen, T.O.; Koski, R.A.

2005-01-01

relationships of alloys in the Au-Bi system indicate that deposition of native bismuth and maldonite occurred at temperatures as low as 241??C. Bismuth droplets trapped in void space between main-stage mineral grains scavenged gold from ambient hydrothermal fluid to a greater extent than bismuth enclosed by late-forming pyrrhotite. The limited solid solution of Au in Bi can explain the apparent exsolution texture in which gold blebs are hosted by native bismuth. The electrum, native bismuth (with gold inclusions), and galena represent the last traces of gold mineralization from late main-stage fluids. During sea-floor weathering and the oxidation of pyrrhotite in the mounds and chimneys, secondary gold formed as aggregates of colloidal particles along pH gradients between acidic pore waters and ambient seawater. Gold was mobilized from earlier formed primary gold minerals and transported as aqueous chloride complexes. The reduction of Au(III) by residual Fe2+ in partly altered pyrrhotite and adsorption of colloids by Fe oxyhydroxides may have influenced the location of secondary gold grains within the alteration front. Solubility differences between gold and silver chloride complexes at low temperature account for the low Ag content of secondary gold grains. The high concentrations of Bi, and thus the association of Au and Bi minerals in pyrrhotite-rich massive sulfide, can be ascribed to the extensive interaction of hydrothermal fluids with sediment in the Escanaba trough. In contrast, the absence of the Au-Bi association in massive sulfides at other ridges, including other sediment-covered sites at Middle Valley and the Guaymas basin

Native gold from the Inagli Pt-Au placer deposit (the Aldan Shield, Russia): geochemical characteristics and implications for possible bedrock sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svetlitskaya, Tatyana V.; Nevolko, Peter A.; Kolpakov, Vladislav V.; Tolstykh, Nadezhda D.

2018-03-01

The Inagli alluvial Pt-Au placer deposit in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia, is linked to the Inagli massif, one of the several Uralian-Alaskan-type alkaline-ultrabasic complexes in the Aldan Shield. Gold from the placer is heterogeneous in composition and is represented by three types. Type 1 gold is the most abundant and is characterized by simple Au-Ag alloys with 4-34 wt% Ag, low Cu (up to 0.08 wt%) and negligible Hg, Pt, and Pd contents, and silver-tellurium sulfosalts (Ag-Cu-Te-S-As compounds) in the inclusion suite. Silicate inclusions are biotite, K-feldspar, Fe-Mg amphibole, chlorite, plagioclase, Fe-Mg pyroxene, zircon, and titanite. Distinctive features of this gold type are most similar to those derived from low-sulfidation systems linked to iron oxide copper-gold or iron skarn types of mineralization. The bedrock source of type 1 gold could be related with monzonite to syenite intrusions surrounding the Inagli massif. Distinctive features of type 2 gold include a wide discontinuous range of Ag content (1-18 wt%), elevated Cu (up to 0.5 wt%), and occasional Pd (up to 0.3 wt%) levels, non-detectable Pt and Hg contents, and rare inclusions of simple sulfides (digenite, pyrrhotite) and Na amphibole. Type 3 gold is distinguished by a narrow range in Ag content (5-8 wt%), elevated Hg (0.5-1 wt%) contents, negligible Cu, Pt and Pd levels, and Au-Pb compounds + K-feldspar inclusions. Microchemical characteristics of type 2 and type 3 gold are interpreted as suggestive of an alkaline-magmatic-related fluid. Based on the grain morphology and microchemical signatures, potential bedrock sources for both gold types could be related to the numerous alkaline veins and potassic alteration zones within the dunite core. A comparison of the Inagli and the Kondyor placer gold allows to generate distinctive generic signatures for gold from Uralian-Alaskan-type alkaline-ultrabasic complexes in the Aldan Shield.

Metal-ligand bond directionality in the M2-NH3 complexes (M = Cu, Ag and Au)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eskandari, K.; Ebadinejad, F.

2018-05-01

The metal-ligand bonds in the M2-NH3 complexes (M = Au, Ag and Cu) are directional and the M-M-N angles tend to be linear. Natural energy decomposition analysis (NEDA) and localised molecular orbital energy decomposition analysis (LMOEDA) approaches indicate that the metal-ligand bonds in these complexes are mainly electrostatic in nature, however, the electrostatic is not the cause of the linearity of M-M-N arrangements. Instead, NEDA shows that the charge transfer and core repulsion are mainly responsible for the directionality of these bonds. In the LMOEDA point of view, the repulsion term is the main reason for the linearity of these complexes. Interacting quantum atoms (IQA) analysis shows that inter-atomic and inter-fragment interactions favour the nonlinear arrangements; however, these terms are compensated by the atomic self-energies, which stabilise the linear structure.

Processes of high-T fluid-rock interaction during gold mineralization in carbonate-bearing metasediments: the Navachab gold deposit, Namibia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dziggel, A.; Wulff, K.; Kolb, J.; Meyer, F. M.

2009-08-01

The Navachab gold deposit in the Damara belt of central Namibia is hosted by a near-vertical sequence of amphibolite facies shelf-type metasediments, including marble, calc-silicate rock, and biotite schist. Petrologic and geochemical data were collected in the ore, alteration halos, and the wall rock to evaluate transport of elements and interaction between the wall rock and the mineralizing fluid. The semi-massive sulfide lenses and quartz-sulfide veins are characterized by a complex polymetallic ore assemblage, comprising pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and arsenopyrite, native bismuth, gold, bismuthinite, and bismuth tellurides. Mass balance calculations indicate the addition of up to several orders of magnitude of Au, Bi, As, Ag, and Cu. The mineralized zones also record up to eightfold higher Mn and Fe concentrations. The semi-massive sulfide lenses are situated in the banded calc-silicate rock. Petrologic and textural data indicate that they represent hydraulic breccias that contain up to 50 vol.% ore minerals, and that are dominated by a high-temperature (T) alteration assemblage of garnet-clinopyroxene-K-feldspar-quartz. The quartz-sulfide veins crosscut all lithological units. Their thickness and mineralogy is strongly controlled by the composition and rheological behavior of the wall rocks. In the biotite schist and calc-silicate rock, they are up to several decimeters thick and quartz-rich, whereas in the marble, the same veins are only a few millimeters thick and dominated by sulfides. The associated alteration halos comprise (1) an actinolite-quartz alteration in the biotite schist, (2) a garnet-clinopyroxene-K-feldspar-quartz alteration in the marble and calc-silicate rock, and (3) a garnet-biotite alteration that is recorded in all rock types except the marble. The hydrothermal overprint was associated with large-scale carbonate dissolution and a dramatic increase in CO2 in the ore fluid. Decarbonation of wall rocks, as well as a low REE

[Au]/[Ag]-catalysed expedient synthesis of branched heneicosafuranosyl arabinogalactan motif of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thadke, Shivaji A.; Mishra, Bijoyananda; Islam, Maidul; Pasari, Sandip; Manmode, Sujit; Rao, Boddu Venkateswara; Neralkar, Mahesh; Shinde, Ganesh P.; Walke, Gulab; Hotha, Srinivas

2017-01-01

Emergence of multidrug-resistant and extreme-drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) can cause serious socioeconomic burdens. Arabinogalactan present on the cellular envelope of MTb is unique and is required for its survival; access to arabinogalactan is essential for understanding the biosynthetic machinery that assembles it. Isolation from Nature is a herculean task and, as a result, chemical synthesis is the most sought after technique. Here we report a convergent synthesis of branched heneicosafuranosyl arabinogalactan (HAG) of MTb. Key furanosylations are performed using [Au]/[Ag] catalysts. The synthesis of HAG is achieved by the repetitive use of three reactions namely 1,2-trans furanoside synthesis by propargyl 1,2-orthoester donors, unmasking of silyl ether, and conversion of n-pentenyl furanosides into 1,2-orthoesters. Synthesis of HAG is achieved in 47 steps (with an overall yield of 0.09%) of which 21 are installation of furanosidic linkages in a stereoselective manner.

Synthesis by picosecond laser ablation of ligand-free Ag and Au nanoparticles for SERS applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazio, Enza; Spadaro, Salvatore; Santoro, Marco; Trusso, Sebastiano; Lucotti, Andrea.; Tommasini, Matteo.; Neri, Fortunato; Maria Ossi, Paolo

2018-01-01

The morphological and optical properties of noble metal nanoparticles prepared by picosecond laser generated plasmas in water were investigated. First, the ablation efficiency was maximized searching the optimal focusing conditions. The nanoparticle size, measured by Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy, strongly depends on the laser fluence, keeping fixed the other deposition parameters such as the target to scanner objective distance and laser repetition frequency. STEM images indicate narrow gradients of NP sizes. Hence the optimization of ablation parameters favours a fine tuning of nanoparticles. UV-Visible spectroscopy helped to determine the appropriate laser wavelength to resonantly excite the localized surface plasmon to carry out Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) measurements. The SERS activity of Ag and Au substrates, obtained spraying the colloids synthesized in water, was tested using crystal violet as a probe molecule. The good SERS performance, observed at excitation wavelength 785 nm, is attributed to aggregation phenomena of nanoparticles sprayed on the support.

Physiological and proteome study of sunflowers exposed to a polymetallic constraint.

PubMed

Printz, Bruno; Sergeant, Kjell; Guignard, Cedric; Renaut, Jenny; Hausman, Jean-Francois

2013-06-01

The new energy requirements of the growing world population together with the actual ecological trend of phytoremediation have made challenging the cultivation of energetic crops on nonagricultural lands, such as those contaminated with trace elements. In this study, phenotypical characterization and biochemical analyses were combined to emphasize the global response of young sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) grown in hydroponic media contaminated with different Cd, Ni, and Zn concentrations. Leaves and roots of sunflowers reaching the stage "2-extended leaves" and exposed to different trace metal concentrations were harvested and analyzed by 2D-DIGE in order to study in depth the molecular responses of the young plants upon the polymetallic exposure. Proteomics confirmed the observed global reduction in growth and development. If photosynthetic light reactions and carbon metabolism were the most affected in leaves, in roots significant disruptions were observed in proteins involved in respiration, oxidative balance, protein and gene expression, and in the induction of programmed cell death. Elemental analyses of the plantlets indicated a profound impact of the treatment resulting in misbalance in essential micronutrients. Altogether, this study highlights the sensitivity of the sunflower to a polymetallic pollution and indicates that its use as a remediative tool of trace element polluted soils is limited. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Magmatism, metasomatism, tectonism, and mineralization in the Humboldt Range, Pershing County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vikre, Peter

2014-01-01

Introduction The Humboldt Range, Pershing County, Nevada, predominantly consists of Mesozoic igneous and sedimentary rocks that were modified several times by magmatism, metasomatism, and tectonism, and contain a variety of metallic (Ag, Au, Pb, Zn, Sb, W, Hg) and non-metallic (dumortierite, pinite, fluorite) mineral deposits (Knopf, 1924; Kerr and Jenney, 1935; Kerr, 1938; Cameron, 1939; Campbell, 1939; Kerr, 1940; Page et al., 1940; Johnson, 1977; Vikre, 1978; 1981; Crosby, 2012). Early Triassic Koipato Group volcanic rocks, which are widely exposed in the range, have been altered to quartz, muscovite (sericite), chlorite, pyrite, and other minerals during emplacement of Mesozoic intrusions and by crustal thickening. Most hydrothermal alteration of volcanic rocks and formation of mineral deposits involved externally derived water and other volatiles, although some volcanic strata were apparently altered by pore or dehydration water. Cospatial hydrothermal mineral assemblages and associations, produced by events widely spaced in time, are difficult to separate because of common mineralogy (quartz, sericite, and pyrite), partial to complete recrystallization, thermally compromised Ar geochronology, and lack of comprehensive investigations of volatile sources and deformational fabric. Distinguishing between metasomatic and metamorphic processes that affected rocks in the Humboldt Range is not straightforward.

Comparison of secondary ion intensity enhancement from polymers on silicon and silver substrates by using Au-TOF-SIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kudo, M.; Aimoto, K.; Sunagawa, Y.; Kato, N.; Aoyagi, S.; Iida, S.; Sanada, N.

2008-12-01

The usefulness of the usage of cluster primary ion source together with an Ag substrate and detection of Ag cationized molecular ions was studied from the standpoint to realize high sensitivity TOF-SIMS analysis of organic materials. Although secondary ions from polymer thin films on a Si substrate can be detected in a higher sensitivity with Au 3+ cluster primary ion compared with Ga + ion bombardment, it was clearly observed that the secondary ion intensities from samples on an Ag substrate showed quite a different tendency from that on Si. When monoatomic primary ions, e.g., Au + and Ga +, were used for the measurement of the sample on an Ag substrate, [M+Ag] + ions (M corresponds to polyethylene glycol molecule) were detected in a high sensitivity. On the contrary, when Au 3+ was used, no intensity enhancement of [M+Ag] + ions was observed. The acceleration energy dependence of the detected secondary ions implies the different ionization mechanisms on the different substrates.

Aquatic ecosystems in Central Colorado are influenced by mineral forming processes and historical mining

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmidt, T.S.; Church, S.E.; Clements, W.H.; Mitchell, K.A.; Fey, D. L.; Wanty, R.B.; Verplanck, P.L.; San, Juan C.A.; Klein, T.L.; deWitt, E.H.; Rockwell, B.W.

2009-01-01

Stream water and sediment toxicity to aquatic insects were quantified from central Colorado catchments to distinguish the effect of geologic processes which result in high background metals concentrations from historical mining. Our sampling design targeted small catchments underlain by rocks of a single lithology, which allowed the development of biological and geochemical baselines without the complication of multiple rock types exposed in the catchment. By accounting for geologic sources of metals to the environment, we were able to distinguish between the environmental effects caused by mining and the weathering of different mineralized areas. Elevated metal concentrations in water and sediment were not restricted to mined catchments. Impairment of aquatic communities also occurred in unmined catchments influenced by hydrothermal alteration. Hydrothermal alteration style, deposit type, and mining were important determinants of water and sediment quality and aquatic community structure. Weathering of unmined porphyry Cu-Mo occurrences resulted in water (median toxic unit (TU) = 108) and sediment quality (TU = 1.9) that exceeded concentrations thought to be safe for aquatic ecosystems (TU = 1). Metalsensitive aquatic insects were virtually absent from streams draining catchments with porphyry Cu-Mo occurrences (1.1 individuals/0.1 m2 ). However, water and sediment quality (TU = 0.1, 0.5 water and sediment, respectively) and presence of metalsensitive aquatic insects (204 individuals/0.1 m2 ) for unmined polymetallic vein occurrences were indistinguishable from that for unmined and unaltered streams (TU = 0.1, 0.5 water and sediment, respectively; 201 individuals/0.1 m2 ). In catchments with mined quartz-sericite-pyrite altered polymetallic vein deposits, water (TU = 8.4) and sediment quality (TU = 3.1) were degraded and more toxic to aquatic insects (36 individuals/0.1 m2 ) than water (TU = 0.4) and sediment quality (TU = 1.7) from mined propylitically altered

Computational materials design of attractive Fermion system with large negative effective Ueff in the hole-doped Delafossite of CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2: Charge-excitation induced Ueff < 0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakanishi, A.; Fukushima, T.; Uede, H.; Katayama-Yoshida, H.

2015-12-01

On the basis of general design rules for negative effective U(Ueff) systems by controlling purely-electronic and attractive Fermion mechanisms, we perform computational materials design (CMD®) for the negative Ueff system in hole-doped two-dimensional (2D) Delafossite CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2 by ab initio calculations with local density approximation (LDA) and self-interaction corrected-LDA (SIC-LDA). It is found that the large negative Ueff in the hole-doped attractive Fermion systems for CuAlO2 (UeffLDA = - 4.53 eV and UeffSIC-LDA = - 4.20 eV), AgAlO2 (UeffLDA = - 4.88 eV and UeffSIC-LDA = - 4.55 eV) and AuAlO2 (UeffLDA = - 4.14 eV and UeffSIC-LDA = - 3.55 eV). These values are 10 times larger than that in hole-doped three-dimensional (3D) CuFeS2 (Ueff = - 0.44 eV). For future calculations of Tc and phase diagram by quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we propose the negative Ueff Hubbard model with the anti-bonding single π-band model for CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2 using the mapped parameters obtained from ab initio electronic structure calculations. Based on the theory of negative Ueff Hubbard model (Noziéres and Schmitt-Rink, 1985), we discuss |Ueff| dependence of superconducting critical temperature (Tc) in the 2D Delafossite of CuAlO2, AgAlO2 and AuAlO2 and 3D Chalcopyrite of CuFeS2, which shows the interesting chemical trend, i.e., Tc increases exponentially (Tc ∝ exp [ - 1 / | Ueff | ]) in the weak coupling regime | Ueff(- 0.44 eV) | < W(∼ 2 eV) (where W is the band width of the negative Ueff Hubbard model) for the hole-doped CuFeS2, and then Tc goes through a maximum when | Ueff(- 4.88 eV , - 4.14 eV) | ∼ W(2.8 eV , 3.5 eV) for the hole-doped AgAlO2 and AuAlO2, and finally Tc decreases with increasing |Ueff| in the strong coupling regime, where | Ueff(- 4.53 eV) | > W(1.7 eV) , for the hole-doped CuAlO2.

Fault geometry and fluid-rock reaction: Combined controls on mineralization in the Xinli gold deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Lin; Zhao, Rui; Wang, Qingfei; Liu, Xuefei; Carranza, Emmanuel John M.

2018-06-01

The structures and fluid-rock reaction in the Xinli gold deposit, Jiaodong Peninsula, were investigated to further understand their combined controls on the development of permeability associated with ore-forming fluid migration. Orebodies in this deposit are hosted by the moderately SE-to S-dipping Sanshandao-Cangshang fault (SCF). Variations in both dip direction and dip angle along the SCF plane produced fault bends, which controlled the fluid accumulation and ore-shoot formation. Gold mineralizations occurred in early gold-quartz-pyrite and late gold-quartz-polymetallic sulphide stages following pervasive sericitization and silicification alterations. Theoretical calculation indicates that sericitization caused 8-57% volume decrease resulting in the development/enlargement of voids, further increase of grain-scale permeability, and resultant precipitation of the early gold-quartz-pyrite pods, which destroyed permeability. The rock softening produced by alterations promoted activities of SCF secondary faults and formation of new fractures, which rebuilt the permeability and controlled the late gold-quartz-polymetallic sulfide veins. Quantitative studies on permeability distributions show that the southwestern and northeastern bend areas with similar alteration and mineralization have persistent and anti-persistent permeability networks, respectively. These were likely caused by different processes of rebuilding permeability due to different stress states resulting from changes in fault geometry.

Active control of methanol carbonylation selectivity over Au/carbon anode by electrochemical potential.

PubMed

Funakawa, Akiyasu; Yamanaka, Ichiro; Otsuka, Kiyoshi

2005-05-12

Electrochemical oxidative carbonylation of methanol was studied over Au supported carbon anode in CO. The major carbonylation products were dimethyl oxalate (DMO) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The minor oxidation products were dimethoxy methane (DMM) and methyl formate (MF) from methanol and CO(2). Influences of various reaction conditions were studied on carbonylation activities and selectivities. The selectivities to DMO and DMC can be controlled by the electrochemical potential. Electrocatalysis of Au/carbon anode was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV), stoichiometric reactions among Au(3+), methanol, and CO, and UV-vis spectra. The Au/carbon anode was characterized by XRD, SEM, and BE images before and after the carbonylation. These experimental facts strongly suggest that transition of oxidation states of Au affects changing of the carbonylation selectivities to DMO and DMC. Au(0) is the active species for the selective DMO formation by direct electrochemical carbonylation at low potentials (<+1.2 V (Ag/AgCl)). On the other hand, Au(3+) is the active spices for the selective DMC formation by indirect electrochemical carbonylation through Au(3+)/Au(+) redox at high potentials (>+1.3 V).

Supergene oxidation of epithermal gold-silver mineralization in the Deseado massif, Patagonia, Argentina: response to subduction of the Chile Ridge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sillitoe, Richard H.

2018-06-01

Radiometric ages for supergene alunite and jarosite effectively date the oxidation of former concentrations of pyrite and any associated sulfide minerals. These K-bearing sulfate minerals, formed under low-pH conditions, are uncommon supergene products in low-sulfidation epithermal deposits because of the general paucity of pyrite for acid generation. For this reason, the age of supergene oxidation—locally to depths of 200 m or more—in the epithermal Au-Ag deposits of the Deseado massif, located in the extra-Andean foreland of Patagonia, southern Argentina, has remained unknown. Although, theoretically, the oxidation could have taken place anytime between the Late Jurassic, when the Au-Ag mineralization formed, and Pleistocene, K-Ar ages for alunite and jarosite from two widely separated and unusually pyritic, Ag-bearing hydrothermal breccias (Lejano and Libanesa) show it to have been mid-Miocene, 13.8 ± 1.8 Ma. This is the time when the Deseado massif underwent appreciable regional-scale tectonic uplift and valley incision, following 140 myr during which the region was topographically subdued and the site of either fluvio-lacustrine or shallow-marine sedimentation. The uplift, combined with increasing aridity due to the orographic rain shadow caused by growth of the Patagonian Andes to the west and enhanced by global cooling, would have depressed regional groundwater tables, thereby promoting the supergene sulfide oxidation. The mid-Miocene uplift appears to have been triggered by development of a slab tear and slab window beneath the Deseado massif during early stages of subduction of the Chile oceanic-ridge spreading center at the Pacific margin. Supergene sulfide oxidation in both the Deseado massif and Atacama Desert of northern Chile was the result of Cenozoic uplift during progressive aridification, although the causes of these phenomena were radically different. However, when the supergene oxidation was taking place in the Deseado massif, up to 30 myr

Mineral and energy resources of the BLM Roswell Resource Area, east-central New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bartsch-Winkler, Susan B.

1992-01-01

The sedimentary formations of the Roswell Resource Area have significant mineral and energy resources. Some of the pre-Pennsylvanian sequences in the Northwestern Shelf of the Permian Basin are oil and gas reservoirs, and Pennsylvanian rocks in Tucumcari basin are reservoirs of oil and gas as well as source rocks for oil and gas in Triassic rocks. Pre-Permian rocks also contain minor deposits of uranium and vanadium, limestone, and associated gases. Hydrocarbon reservoirs in Permian rocks include associated gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, and nitrogen. Permian rocks are mineralized adjacent to the Lincoln County porphyry belt, and include deposits of copper, uranium, manganese, iron, polymetallic veins, and Mississippi-valley-type (MVT) lead-zinc. Industrial minerals in Permian rocks include fluorite, barite, potash, halite, polyhalite, gypsum, anhydrite, sulfur, limestone, dolomite, brine deposits (iodine and bromine), aggregate (sand), and dimension stone. Doubly terminated quartz crystals, called "Pecos diamonds" and collected as mineral specimens, occur in Permian rocks along the Pecos River. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks are hosts for copper, uranium, and small quantities of gold-silver-tellurium veins, as well as significant deposits of oil and gas, COa, asphalt, coal, and dimension stone. Mesozoic rocks contain limited amounts of limestone, gypsum, petrified wood, dinosaur remains, and clays. Tertiary rocks host ore deposits commonly associated with intrusive rocks, including platinum group elements, iron skarns, manganese, uranium and vanadium, molybdenum, polymetallic vein deposits, gold-silver- tellurium veins, and thorium-rare earth veins. Museum-quality quartz crystals in Lincoln County were formed in association with intrusive rocks in the Lincoln County porphyry belt. Industrial minerals in Tertiary rocks include fluorite, vein- and bedded-barite, caliche, limestone, and aggregate. Tertiary and Quaternary sediments host important placer deposits of

Oxidation of Cyclohexene Catalyzed by Nanoporous Au(Ag) in Liquid Phase

DOE PAGES

Dou, Jian; Tang, Yu; Nguyen, Luan; ...

2016-12-22

Nanoporous gold with minor silver content has been identified as a new type of gold based catalyst for selective oxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen in liquid. By oxidation of the leached nanoporous gold foils in ozone, the minor silver content was oxidized in this paper to form silver oxide nanoclusters on the surface of nanoporous gold. With further treatment in methanol, the surface silver oxide was reduced and surface alloy was formed on gold ligaments. Both nanoporous gold treated with ozone only and the one with ozone and then methanol are very active for selective oxidation of cyclohexene withmore » molecular oxygen in liquid of cyclohexene with a turn-over-frequency (TOF) of 0.55–0.99 molecules per surface Au atom per second under a solvent-free and initiator- free condition. The total selectivity for production of 2-cyclohexene-1-one, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, and cyclohexene oxide was increased from 57.5 % to 80.8 % by an additional treatment of nanoporous gold in methanol after activation in zone. Finally, the correlation of catalytic selectivity for the production of the three products and corresponding surface chemistry of ligament suggests that (1) the formed Au–Ag alloy surface is favorable for the formation of 2-cyclohexen-1-one, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, and cyclohexene oxide and (2) the surface silver oxide is favorable for the production of cyclohexenyl hydroperoxide.« less

Oxidation of Cyclohexene Catalyzed by Nanoporous Au(Ag) in Liquid Phase

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dou, Jian; Tang, Yu; Nguyen, Luan

Nanoporous gold with minor silver content has been identified as a new type of gold based catalyst for selective oxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen in liquid. By oxidation of the leached nanoporous gold foils in ozone, the minor silver content was oxidized in this paper to form silver oxide nanoclusters on the surface of nanoporous gold. With further treatment in methanol, the surface silver oxide was reduced and surface alloy was formed on gold ligaments. Both nanoporous gold treated with ozone only and the one with ozone and then methanol are very active for selective oxidation of cyclohexene withmore » molecular oxygen in liquid of cyclohexene with a turn-over-frequency (TOF) of 0.55–0.99 molecules per surface Au atom per second under a solvent-free and initiator- free condition. The total selectivity for production of 2-cyclohexene-1-one, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, and cyclohexene oxide was increased from 57.5 % to 80.8 % by an additional treatment of nanoporous gold in methanol after activation in zone. Finally, the correlation of catalytic selectivity for the production of the three products and corresponding surface chemistry of ligament suggests that (1) the formed Au–Ag alloy surface is favorable for the formation of 2-cyclohexen-1-one, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, and cyclohexene oxide and (2) the surface silver oxide is favorable for the production of cyclohexenyl hydroperoxide.« less

Coinage metal coordination chemistry of stable primary, secondary and tertiary ferrocenylethyl-based phosphines.

PubMed

Azizpoor Fard, M; Rabiee Kenaree, A; Boyle, P D; Ragogna, P J; Gilroy, J B; Corrigan, J F

2016-02-21

Ferrocene-based phosphines constitute an important auxiliary ligand in inorganic chemistry. Utilizing the (ferrocenylethyl)phosphines (FcCH2CH2)3-nHnP (Fc = ferrocenyl; n = 2, 1; n = 1, 2; n = 0, 3) the synthesis of a series of coordination complexes [(FcCH2CH2)3-nHnPCuCl]4 (n = 2, 1-CuCl; n = 0, 3-CuCl), [(FcCH2CH2)2HPCuCl] (2-CuCl), {[(FcCH2CH2)H2P]2AgCl}2 (1-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)2HPAgCl] (2-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)3PAgCl]4 (3-AgCl), [(FcCH2CH2)3PM(OAc)]4 (M = Cu, 3-CuOAc M = Ag, 3-AgOAc), [(FcCH2CH2)3-nHnPAuCl] (n = 1, 2-AuCl; n = 0, 3-AuCl), via the reaction between the free phosphine and MX (M = Cu, Ag and Au; X = Cl, OAc), is described. The reaction between the respective phosphine with a suspension of metal-chloride or -acetate in a 1 : 1 ratio in THF at ambient temperature affords coordinated phosphine-coinage metal complexes. Varying structural motifs are observed in the solid state, as determined via single crystal X-ray analysis of 1-CuCl, 3-CuCl, 1-AgCl, 3-AgCl, 3-CuOAc, 3-AgOAc, 2-AuCl and 3-AuCl. Complexes 1-CuCl and 3-CuCl are tetrameric Cu(i) cubane-like structures with a Cu4Cl4 core, whereas silver complexes with primary and tertiary phosphine reveal two different structural types. The structure of 1-AgCl, unlike the rest, displays the coordination of two phosphines to each silver atom and shows a quadrangle defined by two Ag and two Cl atoms. In contrast, 3-AgCl is distorted from a cubane structure via elongation of one of the ClAg distances. 3-CuOAc and 3-AgOAc are isostructural with step-like cores, while complexes 2-AuCl and 3-AuCl reveal a linear geometry of a phosphine gold(i) chloride devoid of any aurophilic interactions. All of the complexes were characterized in solution by multinuclear (1)H, (13)C{(1)H} and (31)P NMR spectroscopic techniques; the redox chemistry of the series of complexes was examined using cyclic voltammetry. This class of complexes has been found to exhibit one reversible Fe(ii)/Fe(iii) oxidation couple, suggesting the

The Tuscarora Au-Ag district: Eocene volcanic-hosted epithermal deposits in the Carlin gold region, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Castor, S.B.; Boden, D.R.; Henry, C.D.; Cline, J.S.; Hofstra, A.H.; McIntosh, W.C.; Tosdal, R.M.; Wooden, J.P.

2003-01-01

The Tuscarora mining district contains the oldest and the only productive Eocene epithermal deposits in Nevada. The district is a particularly clear example of association of low-sulfidation deposits with igneous activity and structure, and it is unusual in that it consists of two adjoining but physically and chemically distinct types of low-sulfidation deposits. Moreover, Tuscarora deposits are of interest because they formed contemporaneously with nearby, giant Carlin-type gold deposits. The Tuscarora deposits formed within the 39.9 to 39.3 Ma Tuscarora volcanic field, along and just outside the southeastern margin of the caldera-like Mount Blitzen volcanic center. Both deposit types formed at 39.3 Ma, contemporaneous with the only major intrusive activity in the volcanic field. No deposits are known to have formed during any of the intense volcanic phases of the field. Intrusions were the apparent heat source, and structures related to the Mount Blitzen center were conduits for hydrothermal circulation. The ore-forming fluids interacted dominantly with Eocene igneous rocks. The two deposit types occur in a northern silver-rich zone that is characterized by relatively high Ag/Au ratios (110-150), narrow alteration zones, and quartz and carbonate veins developed mostly in intrusive dacite, and in a southern gold-rich zone that is typified by relatively low Ag/Au ratios (4-14), more widespread alteration, and quartz-fissure and stockwork veins commonly developed in tuffaceous sedimentary rocks. The deposit types have similar fluid inclusion and Pb and S isotope characteristics but different geochemical signatures. Quartz veins from both zones have similar thermal and paragenetic histories and contain fluid inclusions that indicate that fluids cooled from between 260?? and 230??C to less than 200??C. Fluid boiling may have contributed to precious-metal deposition. Veins in both zones have relatively high As and Sb and low Bi, Te, and W. The silver zone has high Ca

SHRIMP and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for timing of plutonism and mineralization in the Boulder batholith

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lund, K.D.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Kunk, Michael J.; Unruh, Dan M.; Zeihen, G.D.; Hodges, W.C.; du Bray, Edward A.; O'Neill, J. Michael

2002-01-01

The 66 Ma age for the quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy and consideration of previous dating studies in the region indicate that small ca. 66 Ma plutonic systems may be common in the Boulder batholith region and especially to the east. The approximately 64 Ma porphyry copper systems at Butte and gold mineralization at Miller Mountain are indicative of regionally important mineralizing systems of this age in the Boulder batholith region. Resolution of the age and probable magmatic source of the Butte pre-Main Stage porphyry copper-molybdenum system and of the silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein systems in the northern part of the Boulder batholith documents that these deposits formed from two discrete periods of hydrothermal mineralization related to two discrete magmatic events.

On the mechanisms of cation injection in conducting bridge memories: The case of HfO{sub 2} in contact with noble metal anodes (Au, Cu, Ag)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saadi, M.; CNRS, LTM, F-38000 Grenoble; El Manar University, LMOP, 2092 Tunis

Resistance switching is studied in HfO{sub 2} as a function of the anode metal (Au, Cu, and Ag) in view of its application to resistive memories (resistive random access memories, RRAM). Current-voltage (I-V) and current-time (I-t) characteristics are presented. For Au anodes, resistance transition is controlled by oxygen vacancies (oxygen-based resistive random access memory, OxRRAM). For Ag anodes, resistance switching is governed by cation injection (Conducting Bridge random access memory, CBRAM). Cu anodes lead to an intermediate case. I-t experiments are shown to be a valuable tool to distinguish between OxRRAM and CBRAM behaviors. A model is proposed to explainmore » the high-to-low resistance transition in CBRAMs. The model is based on the theory of low-temperature oxidation of metals (Cabrera-Mott theory). Upon electron injection, oxygen vacancies and oxygen ions are generated in the oxide. Oxygen ions are drifted to the anode, and an interfacial oxide is formed at the HfO{sub 2}/anode interface. If oxygen ion mobility is low in the interfacial oxide, a negative space charge builds-up at the HfO{sub 2}/oxide interface. This negative space charge is the source of a strong electric field across the interfacial oxide thickness, which pulls out cations from the anode (CBRAM case). Inversely, if oxygen ions migration through the interfacial oxide is important (or if the anode does not oxidize such as Au), bulk oxygen vacancies govern resistance transition (OxRRAM case).« less

Exploring the work function variability and structural stability of VO2(1 1 0) surface upon noble metal (Ag, Au, Pt) adsorption and incorporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lanli; Cui, Yuanyuan; Shi, Siqi; Luo, Hongjie; Gao, Yanfeng

2018-08-01

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) has attracted great attention, with scientific and technological advances over the past few decades due to its reversible metal-insulator transition at 340 K. However, the high phase transition temperature (Tc) of VO2 limits its practical applications. Our first-principles calculations show that VO2(1 1 0) surfaces with adsorbed noble metals (Ag, Au, Pt) exhibit a lower work function compared with the clean surface and further induces a lower Tc due to charge transfer from the noble metals to the VO2(1 1 0) surface. However, the work functions of the VO2(1 1 0) surfaces after the incorporation of noble metals are higher than that of the clean surface. In addition, the results of formation energies of various configurations show that the VO2(1 1 0) surface with the adsorption and incorporation of Ag is energetically more favorable than those with Au and Pt. Therefore, it may be concluded that the adsorption and incorporation of noble metals can not only tailor the work function of VO2, in turn realizing the rational tuning of Tc of VO2, but also stabilize the structures of VO2 thin films. These results provide guidance for further exploration of VO2-based optical switching devices and smart windows.

The effect of copper and silver on the properties of Au-ZnO catalyst and its activity in glycerol oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaskow, Iveta; Decyk, Piotr; Sobczak, Izabela

2018-06-01

The goal of this work was to use ZnO as a support for gold and copper (Au-Cu system) or gold and silver (Au-Ag system) and comparison of the effect of copper and silver on the properties of gold and its activity in glycerol oxidation with oxygen in the liquid phase. The samples prepared were fully characterized by XRD, TEM techniques and UV-vis, XPS, ESR spectroscopic methods. It was found that the introduction of copper and silver changed the electronic state of gold loaded on ZnO by the electron transfer between metals. Three different metallic gold species were identified in calcined catalysts: (Au°)δ- (Au-ZnO), (Au°)η- (AuCu-ZnO) and (Au°)γ- (AuAg-ZnO), where δ-,η-,γ- indicate a different partial negative charge on metallic gold and γ > δ > η. The results showed that (Au°)η- centers (metallic gold with the lowest negative charge) formed on AuCu-ZnO were the most active in glycerol oxidation. The increase in the negative charge on metallic gold loaded on AuAg-ZnO reduced the gold activity in silver containing sample. The glyceric acid adsorption and desorption rate influenced the selectivity of the catalysts.

The chemistry of the superheavy elements. II. The stability of high oxidation states in group 11 elements: Relativistic coupled cluster calculations for the di-, tetra- and hexafluoro metallates of Cu, Ag, Au, and element 111

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seth, Michael; Cooke, Fiona; Schwerdtfeger, Peter; Heully, Jean-Louis; Pelissier, Michel

1998-09-01

The stability of the high oxidation states +3 and +5 in Group 11 fluorides is studied by relativistic Møller-Plesset (MP) and coupled cluster methods. Higher metal oxidation states are stabilized by relativistic effects. As a result, the hexafluoro complex of the Group 11 element with nuclear charge 111 and oxidation state +5 is the most stable compared to the other congeners. The results also suggest that AgF6- is thermodynamically stable and, therefore, it might be feasable to synthesize this compound. For the copper fluorides we observe very large oscillations in the Møller-Plesset series up to the fourth order. Nonrelativistic calculations lead to the expected trend in the metal-fluorine bond distances for the MF2- compounds, CuF2-<AgF2-<AuF2-<(111)F2-. However, relativistic effects change this trend to CuF2-<AuF2-<(111)F2-<AgF2-. Vibrational frequencies are predicted for all compounds. Where experimental data are available, they generally agree very well with our calculated results.

From the Surface to the Deep-Sea: Bacterial Distributions across Polymetallic Nodule Fields in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone of the Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Lindh, Markus V; Maillot, Brianne M; Shulse, Christine N; Gooday, Andrew J; Amon, Diva J; Smith, Craig R; Church, Matthew J

2017-01-01

Marine bacteria regulate fluxes of matter and energy essential for pelagic and benthic organisms and may also be involved in the formation and maintenance of commercially valuable abyssal polymetallic nodules. Future mining of these nodule fields is predicted to have substantial effects on biodiversity and physicochemical conditions in mined areas. Yet, the identity and distributions of bacterial populations in deep-sea sediments and associated polymetallic nodules has received relatively little attention. We examined bacterial communities using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments from samples collected in the water column, sediment, and polymetallic nodules in the Pacific Ocean (bottom depth ≥4,000 m) in the eastern Clarion-Clipperton Zone. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs; defined at 99% 16S rRNA gene identity) affiliated with JTB255 (Gammaproteobacteria) and Rhodospirillaceae (Alphaproteobacteria) had higher relative abundances in the nodule and sediment habitats compared to the water column. Rhodobiaceae family and Vibrio OTUs had higher relative abundance in nodule samples, but were less abundant in sediment and water column samples. Bacterial communities in sediments and associated with nodules were generally similar; however, 5,861 and 6,827 OTUs found in the water column were retrieved from sediment and nodule habitats, respectively. Cyanobacterial OTUs clustering among Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus were detected in both sediments and nodules, with greater representation among nodule samples. Such results suggest that vertical export of typically abundant photic-zone microbes may be an important process in delivery of water column microorganisms to abyssal habitats, potentially influencing the structure and function of communities in polymetallic nodule fields.

Copper-based alloys, crystallographic and crystallochemical parameters of alloys in binary systems Cu-Me (Me=Co, Rh, Ir, Cu, Ag, Au, Ni, Pd, Pt)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Porobova, Svetlana, E-mail: porobova.sveta@yandex.ru; Loskutov, Oleg, E-mail: lom58@mail.ru; Markova, Tat’jana, E-mail: patriot-rf@mail.ru

2016-01-15

The article presents the results of the analysis of phase equilibrium of ordered phases in binary systems based on copper Cu- Me (where Me - Co, Rh, Ir, Ag, Au, Ni, Pd, Pt) to find correlations of crystallochemical and crystallographic factors. It is established that the packing index in disordered solid solutions in binary systems based on copper is close to the value of 0.74 against the background of an insignificant deviation of atomic volumes from the Zen’s law.

Fluid evolution of Au-Cu zones in Um Balad area, North Eastern Desert of Egypt: Implications from mineral chemistry and fluid inclusions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd El Monsef, Mohamed; Salem, Ibrahim; Slobodník, Marek; Ragab, Ahmed

2018-07-01

Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Electron microprobe (EMPA) and fluid inclusion studies of the ore body, as well as geochemical analyses of country rocks were performed to determine the nature and characteristics of the mineralizing fluid responsible for Au-Cu deposits in Um Balad area, Northern Eastern Desert of Egypt. The Um Balad Au-Cu deposits are confined to well developed-quartz veins and veinlets cutting through the hosting country rocks. Petrographic and geochemical investigations of the hosting rocks distinguished between two main rock units; 1) metagabbro-diorite rocks with tholeiitic nature derived in island arc/continental margin tectonic regime, and 2) granodiorite rocks formed from calc-alkaline magma in continental margin regime. Wallrock alterations are represented by propylitic and argillic types. The mineralized quartz veins are striking in NE-SW direction and dipping between (35°-45°) in SE direction, other mineralized mafic dykes enriched with auriferous quartz veinlets are trending NE-SW and dipping 70°/SE. The main ore minerals are represented by gold, chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, malachite, covellite and goethite. While, geffroyite, cuprite, chrysocolla, pseudomalachite, britholite, wolframite, scheelite, hematite and rutile are detected as minor constituents. Fluid inclusions microthermometry and isochore calculations combined with chlorite geothermometry revealed that the Um Balad deposits were formed at temperature ranging from 305 °C to 325 °C and pressure between (100-500 bar). The mineralization had been developed in the shallow levels, beneath the water table at depth of 350-1760 m, rather than common mesothermal vein-type deposits in Egypt. Magmatic water have been suggested as the main source for the mineralized fluid. The transportation of the gold metal seems to be happen as bisulfide complexes in moderately acidic environment. The deposition was resulted from combination of changes in physico-chemical parameters

Hetero-diffusion of Au epitaxy on stepped Ag(110) surface: Study of the jump rate and diffusion coefficient

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benlattar, M.; El koraychy, E.; Kotri, A.; Mazroui, M.

2017-12-01

We have used molecular dynamics simulations combined with an interatomic potential derived from the embedded atom method, to investigate the hetero-diffusion of Au adatom near a stepped Ag(110) surface with the height of one monoatomic layer. The activation energies for different diffusion processes, which occur on the terrace and near the step edge, are calculated both by molecular statics and molecular dynamics simulations. Static energies are found by the drag method, whereas the dynamic barriers are computed at high temperature from the Arrhenius plots. Our numerical results reveal that the jump process requires very high activation energy compared to the exchange process either on the terrace or near the step edge. In this work, other processes, such as upward and downward diffusion at step edges, have also been discussed.

A kuroko-type polymetallic sulfide deposit in a submarine silicic caldera

PubMed

Iizasa; Fiske; Ishizuka; Yuasa; Hashimoto; Ishibashi; Naka; Horii; Fujiwara; Imai; Koyama

1999-02-12

Manned submersible studies have delineated a large and actively growing Kuroko-type volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit 400 kilometers south of Tokyo in Myojin Knoll submarine caldera. The sulfide body is located on the caldera floor at a depth of 1210 to 1360 meters, has an area of 400 by 400 by 30 meters, and is notably rich in gold and silver. The discovery of a large Kuroko-type polymetallic sulfide deposit in this arc-front caldera raises the possibility that the numerous unexplored submarine silicic calderas elsewhere might have similar deposits.

Tellurium, a guide to mineral deposits

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watterson, J.R.; Gott, G.B.; Neuerburg, G.J.; Lakin, H.W.; Cathrall, J.B.

1977-01-01

exponentially with proximity to known ore and suggest the presence of Summitville-type chimney deposits. Most of the gold- and silver-telluride ore in the Cripple Creek district, Colorado, is found in fracture fillings within a volcanic subsidence basin. Haloes of Au, Ag and Te all define the mineralized portions of the fissure veins. ?? 1977.

A Chemical, High-Temperature Way to Ag1.9Te via Quasi-Topotactic Reaction of Stuetzite-type Ag1.54Te: Structural and Thermoelectric Properties.

PubMed

Baumer, Franziska; Nilges, Tom

2017-11-20

Semiconducting silver tellurides gained reasonable interest in the past years due to its thermoelectric, magneto-caloric, and nonlinear optic properties. Nanostructuring has been frequently used to address quantum-confinement effects of minerals and synthetic compounds in the Ag-Te system. Here, we report on the structural, thermal, and thermoelectric properties of stuetzite-like Ag 1.54 Te (or Ag 4.63 Te 3 ) and Ag 1.9 Te. By a quasi-topotactic reaction upon tellurium evaporation Ag 1.54 Te can be transferred to Ag 1.9 Te after heat treatment. Crystal structures, thermal and thermoelectric properties of stuetzite-like Ag 1.54 Te (or Ag 4.63 Te 3 ) and Ag 1.9 Te were determined by ex situ and in situ experiments. This method represents an elegant chemical way to Ag 1.9 Te, which was so far only accessible electrochemically via electrochemical removal of silver from the mineral hessite (Ag 2 Te). The mixed conductors show reasonable high total electric conductivities, very low thermal conductivities, and large Seebeck coefficients, which result in a significant high thermoelectric figure of 0.57 at 680 K.

Lithologic and structural controls of limestone-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization in Chihuahua, Mexico

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lofquist, D.J.; Ruiz, J.

1985-01-01

The state of Chihuahua contains some of the most important limestone-hosted ore deposits in Mexico. The best example are Santa Eulalia and Naica which together have produced 53 million tons or ore averaging 7.7% Pb, 6.4% Zn, and 280 g/ton Ag. These deposits occur as mantos and chimneys often accompanied by calc-silicates. Among the most critical questions in this type of deposit is the control that the limestone-host exerts on the mineralizing process. Here the authors present the first detailed data on the stratigraphic and lithologic character of the limestone-hosts at Naica and Santa Eulalia. All ore at Naica andmore » Santa Eulalia is hosted by micrites, biomicrites and biosparites indicative of generally quiet marine deposition. The authors work suggests that the western edge of the this trough might be a low angle, east dipping ramp which extends below the Sierra Madre Occidental. The primary permeability of the limestone that hosts Naica and Santa Eulalia is in the micro to nanodarcy range. The effective permeability has been augmented by 3 or 4 stages of micro-fracturing. Most of the ore is controlled by these fractures and by felsic dikes, which in cases are mostly endoskarn. Stylolites also appear to have exerted a control on the mineralizing process. Numerous instances of alteration and recrystallization confined to one side of a horizontal stylolite have been noted. At Santa Eulalia, horizontal stylolites have controlled the emplacement of massive sulfide mantos, suggesting that the mineralizing process was rather passive.« less

Highly Efficient SERS Nanowire/Ag Composites

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

Ga2O3 nanowires was performed by the vapor- liquid-solid (VLS) growth in a tube furnace, using Si(100) and Si(111) substrates and a 20 nm Au film3. Ga...Rhodamine 6G/methanol and DNT/methanol dilutions. The Ga2O3 /Ag nanowire composite substrates are shown in Figure 1a. As can be seen, they consist of a...significant improvement over nanosphere-type SERS substrates. Conclusion: Randomly oriented Ga2O3 /Ag nanowire networks have been formed and we

Effect of toxicity of Ag nanoparticles on SERS spectral variance of bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Li; Chen, Shaode; Zhang, Kaisong

2015-02-01

Ag nanoparticles (NPs) have been extensively utilized in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy for bacterial identification. However, Ag NPs are toxic to bacteria. Whether such toxicity can affect SERS features of bacteria and interfere with bacterial identification is still unknown and needed to explore. Here, by carrying out a comparative study on non-toxic Au NPs with that on toxic Ag NPs, we investigated the influence of nanoparticle concentration and incubation time on bacterial SERS spectral variance, both of which were demonstrated to be closely related to the toxicity of Ag NPs. Sensitive spectral alterations were observed on Ag NPs with increase of NPs concentration or incubation time, accompanied with an obvious decrease in number of viable bacteria. In contrast, SERS spectra and viable bacterial number on Au NPs were rather constant under the same conditions. A further analysis on spectral changes demonstrated that it was cell response (i.e. metabolic activity or death) to the toxicity of Ag NPs causing spectral variance. However, biochemical responses to the toxicity of Ag were very different in different bacteria, indicating the complex toxic mechanism of Ag NPs. Ag NPs are toxic to a great variety of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa etc., therefore, this work will be helpful in guiding the future application of SERS technique in various complex biological systems.

Dissolution of Arsenic Minerals Mediated by Dissimilatory Arsenate Reducing Bacteria: Estimation of the Physiological Potential for Arsenic Mobilization

PubMed Central

Lukasz, Drewniak; Liwia, Rajpert; Aleksandra, Mantur; Aleksandra, Sklodowska

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was characterization of the isolated dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the context of their potential for arsenic removal from primary arsenic minerals through reductive dissolution. Four strains, Shewanella sp. OM1, Pseudomonas sp. OM2, Aeromonas sp. OM4, and Serratia sp. OM17, capable of anaerobic growth with As (V) reduction, were isolated from microbial mats from an ancient gold mine. All of the isolated strains: (i) produced siderophores that promote dissolution of minerals, (ii) were resistant to dissolved arsenic compounds, (iii) were able to use the dissolved arsenates as the terminal electron acceptor, and (iii) were able to use copper minerals containing arsenic minerals (e.g., enargite) as a respiratory substrate. Based on the results obtained in this study, we postulate that arsenic can be released from some As-bearing polymetallic minerals (such as copper ore concentrates or middlings) under reductive conditions by dissimilatory arsenate reducers in indirect processes. PMID:24724102

Dissolution of arsenic minerals mediated by dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria: estimation of the physiological potential for arsenic mobilization.

PubMed

Lukasz, Drewniak; Liwia, Rajpert; Aleksandra, Mantur; Aleksandra, Sklodowska

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was characterization of the isolated dissimilatory arsenate reducing bacteria in the context of their potential for arsenic removal from primary arsenic minerals through reductive dissolution. Four strains, Shewanella sp. OM1, Pseudomonas sp. OM2, Aeromonas sp. OM4, and Serratia sp. OM17, capable of anaerobic growth with As (V) reduction, were isolated from microbial mats from an ancient gold mine. All of the isolated strains: (i) produced siderophores that promote dissolution of minerals, (ii) were resistant to dissolved arsenic compounds, (iii) were able to use the dissolved arsenates as the terminal electron acceptor, and (iii) were able to use copper minerals containing arsenic minerals (e.g., enargite) as a respiratory substrate. Based on the results obtained in this study, we postulate that arsenic can be released from some As-bearing polymetallic minerals (such as copper ore concentrates or middlings) under reductive conditions by dissimilatory arsenate reducers in indirect processes.

Timing of porphyry (Cu-Mo) and base metal (Zn-Pb-Ag-Cu) mineralisation in a magmatic-hydrothermal system—Morococha district, Peru

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catchpole, Honza; Kouzmanov, Kalin; Bendezú, Aldo; Ovtcharova, Maria; Spikings, Richard; Stein, Holly; Fontboté, Lluís

2015-12-01

The Morococha district in central Peru is characterised by economically important Cordilleran polymetallic (Zn-Pb-Ag-Cu) vein and replacement bodies and the large Toromocho porphyry Cu-Mo deposit in its centre. U-Pb, Re-Os, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology data for various porphyry-related hydrothermal mineralisation styles record a 3.5-Ma multi-stage history of magmatic-hydrothermal activity in the district. In the late Miocene, three individual magmatic-hydrothermal centres were active: the Codiciada, Toromocho, and Ticlio centres, each separated in time and space. The Codiciada centre is the oldest magmatic-hydrothermal system in the district and consists of a composite porphyry stock associated with anhydrous skarn and quartz-molybdenite veins. The hydrothermal events are recorded by a titanite U-Pb age at 9.3 ± 0.2 Ma and a molybdenite Re-Os age at 9.26 ± 0.03 Ma. These ages are indistinguishable from zircon U-Pb ages for porphyry intrusions of the composite stock and indicate a time span of 0.2 Ma for magmatic-hydrothermal activity. The small Ticlio magmatic-hydrothermal centre in the west of the district has a maximum duration of 0.3 Ma, ranging from porphyry emplacement to porphyry mineralisation at 8.04 ± 0.14 Ma (40Ar/39Ar muscovite cooling age). The Toromocho magmatic-hydrothermal centre has a minimum of five recorded porphyry intrusions that span a total of 1.3 Ma and is responsible for the formation of the giant Toromocho Cu-Mo deposit. At least two hydrothermal pulses are identified. Post-dating a first pulse of molybdenite mineralisation, wide-spread hydrous skarn covers an area of over 6 km2 and is recorded by five 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages at 7.2-6.8 Ma. These ages mark the end of the slowly cooling and long-lived Toromocho magmatic-hydrothermal centre soon after last magmatic activity at 7.26 ± 0.02 Ma. District-wide (50 km2) Cordilleran base metal vein and replacement bodies post-date the youngest recorded porphyry mineralisation event at Toromocho

Solid-state voltammetry-based electrochemical immunosensor for Escherichia coli using graphene oxide-Ag nanoparticle composites as labels.

PubMed

Jiang, Xiaochun; Chen, Kun; Wang, Jing; Shao, Kang; Fu, Tao; Shao, Feng; Lu, Donglian; Liang, Jiangong; Foda, M Frahat; Han, Heyou

2013-06-21

A new electrochemical immunosensor based on solid-state voltammetry was fabricated for the detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) by using graphene oxide-Ag nanoparticle composites (P-GO-Ag) as labels. To construct the platform, Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) were first self-assembled on an Au electrode surface through cysteamine and served as an effective matrix for antibody (Ab) attachment. Under a sandwich-type immunoassay format, the analyte and the probe (P-GO-Ag-Ab) were successively captured onto the immunosensor. Finally, the bonded AgNPs were detected through a solid-state redox process in 0.2 M of KCl solution. Combining the advantages of the high-loading capability of graphene oxide with promoted electron-transfer rate of AuNPs, this immunosensor produced a 26.92-fold signal enhancement compared with the unamplified protocol. Under the optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a wide linear dependence on the logarithm of the concentration of E. coli ranging from 50 to 1.0 × 10(6) cfu mL(-1) with a detection limit of 10 cfu mL(-1). Moreover, as a practical application, the proposed immunosensor was used to monitor E. coli in lake water with satisfactory results.

Comparative analysis of cobalt oxide nanoisland stability and edge structures on three related noble metal surfaces: Au(111), Pt(111) and Ag(111)

DOE PAGES

Fester, Jakob; Bajdich, Michal; Walton, Alex S.; ...

2016-09-12

Here, metal oxide nanostructures and thin films grown on metallic substrates have attracted strong attention as model catalysts and as interesting inverse catalyst systems in their own right. In this study, we investigate the role of metal support in the growth and stabilization of cobalt oxide nanostructures on the three related (111) surfaces of Au, Pt and Ag, as investigated by means of high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and DFT calculations. All three substrates promote the growth of crystalline CoO x (x = 1–2) islands under oxidative conditions, but we find several noteworthy differences in the occurrence and stabilization of fourmore » distinct cobalt oxide island phases: Co–O bilayers, O–Co–O trilayers, Co–O–Co–O double bilayers and O–Co–O–Co–O multilayers. Using atom-resolved images combined with analysis of defect lines in bilayer islands on Au and Pt, we furthermore unambiguously determine the edge structure. Interestingly, the island shape and abundances of edge types in bilayers change radically from mixed Co/O edge terminations on Au(111) to a predominance of Co terminated edges (~91 %) on Pt(111) which is especially interesting since the Co metal edges are expected to host the most active sites for water dissociation.« less

ZnO/CuO/M (M = Ag, Au) Hierarchical Nanostructure by Successive Photoreduction Process for Solar Hydrogen Generation.

PubMed

Kwon, Jinhyeong; Cho, Hyunmin; Jung, Jinwook; Lee, Habeom; Hong, Sukjoon; Yeo, Junyeob; Han, Seungyong; Ko, Seung Hwan

2018-05-12

To date, solar energy generation devices have been widely studied to meet a clean and sustainable energy source. Among them, water splitting photoelectrochemical cell is regarded as a promising energy generation way for splitting water molecules and generating hydrogen by sunlight. While many nanostructured metal oxides are considered as a candidate, most of them have an improper bandgap structure lowering energy transition efficiency. Herein, we introduce a novel wet-based, successive photoreduction process that can improve charge transfer efficiency by surface plasmon effect for a solar-driven water splitting device. The proposed process enables to fabricate ZnO/CuO/Ag or ZnO/CuO/Au hierarchical nanostructure, having an enhanced electrical, optical, photoelectrochemical property. The fabricated hierarchical nanostructures are demonstrated as a photocathode in the photoelectrochemical cell and characterized by using various analytic tools.

ZnO/CuO/M (M = Ag, Au) Hierarchical Nanostructure by Successive Photoreduction Process for Solar Hydrogen Generation

PubMed Central

Kwon, Jinhyeong; Cho, Hyunmin; Jung, Jinwook; Lee, Habeom; Han, Seungyong

2018-01-01

To date, solar energy generation devices have been widely studied to meet a clean and sustainable energy source. Among them, water splitting photoelectrochemical cell is regarded as a promising energy generation way for splitting water molecules and generating hydrogen by sunlight. While many nanostructured metal oxides are considered as a candidate, most of them have an improper bandgap structure lowering energy transition efficiency. Herein, we introduce a novel wet-based, successive photoreduction process that can improve charge transfer efficiency by surface plasmon effect for a solar-driven water splitting device. The proposed process enables to fabricate ZnO/CuO/Ag or ZnO/CuO/Au hierarchical nanostructure, having an enhanced electrical, optical, photoelectrochemical property. The fabricated hierarchical nanostructures are demonstrated as a photocathode in the photoelectrochemical cell and characterized by using various analytic tools. PMID:29757225

A comparative study of the effects of Ag2S films prepared by MPD and HRTD methods on the performance of polymer solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Yong; Li, Fumin; Ling, Lanyun; Chen, Chong

2016-10-01

In this work, the Ag2S nanocrystalline thin films are deposited on ITO glass via molecular precursor decomposition (MPD) method and newly developed HRTD method for organic solar cells (ITO/Ag2S/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au) as an electron selective layer and a light absorption material. The surface morphology, structure characterization, and optical property of the Ag2S films prepared by these two methods were compared and the effect of the prepared Ag2S film on the device performance is investigated. It is found that the Ag2S films prepared by HRTD method have lower roughness and better uniformity than the corresponding films prepared by the MPD method. In addition, a more effective and rapid transporting ability for the electrons and holes in the ITO/Ag2S(HRTD, n)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cells is found, which reduces the charge recombination, and thus, improves the device performance. The highest efficiency of 3.21% achieved for the ITO/Ag2S(HRTD, 50)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cell is 93% higher than that of the ITO/Ag2S(MPD, 2)/P3HT:PCBM/MoO3/Au cell.

Reported industrial minerals occurrences and permissive areas for other occurrences in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania (phase V deliverable 88): Chapter R1 in Second projet de renforcement institutionnel du secteur minier de la République Islamique de Mauritanie (PRISM-II)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langer, William H.; Anderson, Eric D.; Horton, John D.

2012-01-01

This report contains the USGS results of the PRISM-II Mauritania Minerals Project and is presented in cooperation with the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Report is composed of separate chapters consisting of multidisciplinary interpretive reports with accompanying plates on the geology, structure, geochronology, geophysics, hydrogeology, geochemistry, remote sensing (Landsat TM and ASTER), and SRTM and ASTER digital elevation models of Mauritania. The syntheses of these multidisciplinary data formed the basis for additional chapters containing interpretive reports on 12 different commodities and deposit types known to occur in Mauritania, accompanied by countrywide mineral resource potential maps of each commodity/deposit type. The commodities and deposit types represented include: (1) Ni, Cu, PGE, and Cr deposits hosted in ultramafic rocks; (2) orogenic, Carlin-like, and epithermal gold deposits; (3) polymetallic Pb-Zn-Cu vein deposits; (4) sediment-hosted Pb-Zn-Ag deposits of the SEDEX and Mississippi Valley-type; (5) sediment-hosted copper deposits; ( 6) volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits; (7) iron oxide copper-gold deposits; (8) uranium deposits; (9) Algoma-, Superior-, and oolitic-type iron deposits; (10) shoreline Ti-Zr placer deposits; (11) incompatible element deposits hosted in pegmatites, alkaline rocks, and carbonatites, and; (12) industrial mineral deposits. Additional chapters include the Mauritanian National Mineral Deposits Database are accompanied by an explanatory text and the Mauritania Minerals Project GIS that contains all of the interpretive layers created by USGS scientists. Raw data not in the public domain may be obtained from the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines in Nouakchott, Mauritania.

Particle-Film Plasmons on Periodic Silver Film over Nanosphere (AgFON): A Hybrid Plasmonic Nanoarchitecture for Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Lee, Jiwon; Zhang, Qianpeng; Park, Seungyoung; Choe, Ayoung; Fan, Zhiyong; Ko, Hyunhyub

2016-01-13

Plasmonic systems based on particle-film plasmonic couplings have recently attracted great attention because of the significantly enhanced electric field at the particle-film gaps. Here, we introduce a hybrid plasmonic architecture utilizing combined plasmonic effects of particle-film gap plasmons and silver film over nanosphere (AgFON) substrates. When gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are assembled on AgFON substrates with controllable particle-film gap distances, the AuNP-AgFON system supports multiple plasmonic couplings from interparticle, particle-film, and crevice gaps, resulting in a huge surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effect. We show that the periodicity of AgFON substrates and the particle-film gaps greatly affects the surface plasmon resonances, and thus, the SERS effects due to the interplay between multiple plasmonic couplings. The optimally designed AuNP-AgFON substrate shows a SERS enhancement of 233 times compared to the bare AgFON substrate. The ultrasensitive SERS sensing capability is also demonstrated by detecting glutathione, a neurochemical molecule that is an important antioxidant, down to the 10 pM level.

Evidence of significant covalent bonding in Au(CN)(2)(-).

PubMed

Wang, Xue-Bin; Wang, Yi-Lei; Yang, Jie; Xing, Xiao-Peng; Li, Jun; Wang, Lai-Sheng

2009-11-18

The Au(CN)(2)(-) ion is the most stable Au compound known for centuries, yet a detailed understanding of its chemical bonding is still lacking. Here we report direct experimental evidence of significant covalent bonding character in the Au-C bonds in Au(CN)(2)(-) using photoelectron spectroscopy and comparisons with its lighter congeners, Ag(CN)(2)(-) and Cu(CN)(2)(-). Vibrational progressions in the Au-C stretching mode were observed for all detachment transitions for Au(CN)(2)(-), in contrast to the atomic-like transitions for Cu(CN)(2)(-), revealing the Au-C covalent bonding character. In addition, rich electronic structural information was obtained for Au(CN)(2)(-) by employing 118 nm detachment photons. Density functional theory and high-level ab initio calculations were carried out to understand the photoelectron spectra and obtain insight into the nature of the chemical bonding in the M(CN)(2)(-) complexes. Significant covalent character in the Au-C bonding due to the strong relativistic effects was revealed in Au(CN)(2)(-), consistent with its high stability.

Tuning the ground state of the Kondo lattice in UT Bi2 (T = Ag, Au) single crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosa, Priscila; Luo, Yongkang; Pagliuso, Pascoal; Bauer, Eric; Thompson, Joe; Fisk, Zachary

2015-03-01