Rippite, K2(Nb,Ti)2(Si4O12)O(O,F), a New K-Nb-Cyclosilicate from Chuktukon Carbonatite Massif, Chadobets Upland, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia

Rippite K2(Nb,Ti)2(Si4O12)(O,F)2, a new K-Nb-cyclosilicate, has been discovered in calciocarbonatites from the Chuktukon massif (Chadobets upland, SW Siberian Platform, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia). It was found in a primary mineral assemblage, which also includes calcite, fluorcalciopyrochlore, tainiolite, fluorapatite, fluorite, Nb-rich rutile, olekminskite, K-feldspar, Fe-Mn–dolomite and quartz. Goethite, francolite (Sr-rich carbonate–fluorapatite) and psilomelane (romanèchite ± hollandite) aggregates as well as barite, monazite-(Ce), parisite-(Ce), synchysite-(Ce) and Sr-Ba-Pb-rich keno-/hydropyrochlore are related to a stage of metasomatic (hydrothermal) alteration of carbonatites. The calcite–dolomite coexistence assumes crystallization temperature near 837 °C for the primary carbonatite paragenesis. Rippite is tetragonal: P4bm, a = 8.73885(16), c = 8.1277(2) Å, V = 620.69(2) Å3, Z = 2. It is closely identical in the structure and cell parameters to synthetic K2Nb2(Si4O12)O2 (or KNbSi2O7). Similar to synthetic phase, the mineral has nonlinear properties. Some optical and physical properties for rippite are: colorless; Mohs’ hardness—4–5; cleavage—(001) very perfect, (100) perfect to distinct; density (meas.)—3.17(2) g/cm3; density (calc.)—3.198 g/cm3; optically uniaxial (+); ω = 1.737-1.739; ε = 1.747 (589 nm). The empirical formula of the holotype rippite (mean of 120 analyses) is K2(Nb1.90Ti0.09Zr0.01)[Si4O12](O1.78OH0.12F0.10). Majority of rippite prismatic crystals are weakly zoned and show Ti-poor composition K2(Nb1.93Ti0.05Zr0.02)[Si4O12](O1.93F0.07). Raman and IR spectroscopy, and SIMS data indicate very low H2O content (0.09–0.23 wt %). Some grains may contain an outermost zone, which is enriched in Ti (+Zr) and F, up to K2(Nb1.67Ti0.32Zr0.01)[Si4O12](O1.67F0.33). It strongly suggests the incorporation of (Ti,Zr) and F in the structure of rippite via the isomorphism Nb5+ + O2− → (Ti,Zr)4+ + F1−. The content of a hypothetical end-member K2Ti2[Si4O12]F2 may be up to 17 mol. %. Rippite represents a new structural type among [Si4O12]-cyclosilicates because of specific type of connection of the octahedral chains and [Si4O12]8− rings. In structural and chemical aspects it seems to be in close with the labuntsovite-supergroup minerals, namely with vuoriyarvite-(K), K2(Nb,Ti)2(Si4O12)(O,OH)2∙4H2O.

Nanoscale organization of rotavirus replication machineries

Rotavirus genome replication and assembly take place in cytoplasmic electron dense inclusions termed viroplasms (VPs). Previous conventional optical microscopy studies observing the intracellular distribution of rotavirus proteins and their organization in VPs have lacked molecular-scale spatial resolution, due to inherent spatial resolution constraints. In this work we employed super-resolution microscopy to reveal the nanometric-scale organization of VPs formed during rotavirus infection, and quantitatively describe the structural organization of seven viral proteins within and around the VPs. The observed viral components are spatially organized as five concentric layers, in which NSP5 localizes at the center of the VPs, surrounded by a layer of NSP2 and NSP4 proteins, followed by an intermediate zone comprised of the VP1, VP2, VP6. In the outermost zone, we observed a ring of VP4 and finally a layer of VP7. These findings show that rotavirus VPs are highly organized organelles.

Nanoscale organization of rotavirus replication machineries

Rotavirus genome replication and assembly take place in cytoplasmic electron dense inclusions termed viro-plasms (VPs). Previous conventional optical microscopy studies observing the intracellular distribution of rotavirus proteins and their organization in VPs have lacked molecular-scale spatial resolution, due to inherent spatial resolution constraints. In this work we employed super-resolution microscopy to reveal the nanometric-scale organization of VPs formed during rotavirus infection, and quantitatively describe the structural organization of seven viral proteins and viral dsRNA within and around the VPs. The observed viral components are spatially organized as 6 concentric layers, in which NSP5 localizes at the center of the VPs, surrounded by a layer of NSP2 and NSP4 proteins, followed by an intermediate zone comprised of the VP1, VP2, VP6 proteins and the dsRNA. In the outermost zone, we observed a ring of VP4 and finally a layer of VP7. These findings show that rotavirus VPs are highly organized organelles.

Direct-write X-ray lithography using a hard X-ray Fresnel zone plate

Results are reported of direct-write X-ray lithography using a hard X-ray beam focused by a Fresnel zone plate with an outermost zone width of 40 nm. An X-ray beam at 7.5 keV focused to a nano-spot was employed to write arbitrary patterns on a photoresist thin film with a resolution better than 25 nm. The resulting pattern dimension depended significantly on the kind of underlying substrate, which was attributed to the lateral spread of electrons generated during X-ray irradiation. The proximity effect originated from the diffuse scattering near the focus and electron blur was also observed, which led to an increase in pattern dimension. Since focusing hard X-rays to below a 10 nm spot is currently available, the direct-write hard X-ray lithography developed in this work has the potential to be a promising future lithographic method.

Towards multi-order hard X-ray imaging with multilayer zone plates

This article describes holographic imaging experiments using a hard X-ray multilayer zone plate (MZP) with an outermost zone width of 10 nm at a photon energy of 18 keV. An order-sorting aperture (OSA) is omitted and emulated during data analysis by a `software OSA'. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy usually carried out in the focal plane is generalized to the holographic regime. The MZP focus is characterized by a three-plane phase-retrieval algorithm to an FWHM of 10 nm.

Efficient focusing of 8 keV X-rays with multilayer Fresnel zone plates fabricated by atomic layer deposition and focused ion beam milling

Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) recently showed significant improvement by focusing soft X-rays down to ∼10 nm. In contrast to soft X-rays, generally a very high aspect ratio FZP is needed for efficient focusing of hard X-rays. Therefore, FZPs had limited success in the hard X-ray range owing to difficulties of manufacturing high-aspect-ratio zone plates using conventional techniques. Here, employing a method of fabrication based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) and focused ion beam (FIB) milling, FZPs with very high aspect ratios were prepared. Such multilayer FZPs with outermost zone widths of 10 and 35 nm and aspect ratios of up to 243 were tested for their focusing properties at 8 keV and shown to focus hard X-rays efficiently. This success was enabled by the outstanding layer quality thanks to ALD.Viathe use of FIB for slicing the multilayer structures, desired aspect ratios could be obtained by precisely controlling the thickness. Experimental diffraction efficiencies of multilayer FZPs fabricatedviathis combination reached up to 15.58% at 8 keV. In addition, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy experiments at 1.5 keV were carried out using one of the multilayer FZPs and resolved a 60 nm feature size. Finally, the prospective of different material combinations with various outermost zone widths at 8 and 17 keV is discussed in the light of the coupled wave theory and the thin-grating approximation. Al2O3/Ir is outlined as a promising future material candidate for extremely high resolution with a theoretical efficiency of more than 20% for as small an outermost zone width as 10 nm at 17 keV.

Fabrication and Performance Test of Fresnel Zone Plate with 35 nm Outermost Zone Width in Hard X-Ray Region

A Fresnel zone plate (FZP) with 35 nm outermost zone width has been fabricated and tested in the hard X-ray region. The FZP was made by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching technique. The performance test of the FZP was carried out by measuring the focused beam profile for coherent hard X-ray beam at the beamline 20XU of SPring-8. The full width at half maximum of the focused beam profile measured by knife-edge scan method is 34.9±2.7 nm, that agrees well with the theoretical value of diffraction-limited resolution. Applications to scanning microscopy were also carried out.

Initial Stages of Growth of Gallium Nitride via Iodine Vapor Phase Epitaxy

ABSTRACTThin layers of GaN have been deposited on 1μm thick MOVPE GaN(0001) thin film substrates using a novel vertical iodine vapor phase epitaxy system. The system features three concentric flow zones that separate the reactant gasses until they reach the substrate. Hydrogen flows through the innermost zone to deliver iodine vapor from an external bubbler to the molten Ga maintained at ∼1050°C and GaI to the substrate; high-purity ammonia flows through the outermost zone; nitrogen flows through the middle zone to prevent reaction between the growth species at the GaI nozzle. GaN growth was found to be a function of time, with decreasing concentration of iodine the likely cause of a decrease in growth rate at longer growth times. The step-and-terrace microstructure of the MOVPE seeds was replaced with a smooth morphology film after the shortest growth experiment. Star-shaped features with hexagonal symmetry grew on the surface with increasing growth time. These features became the tops of hexagonal pyramids; these pyramids grew competitively and dominated the final growth surface. The surface of the films grown for the longest period contained a step-and-terrace microstructure; however, the density of steps of was lower than that on the surface of underlying MOVPE substrate.