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The surface condition of electrochemically H-terminated Si is compared with the situation at the first photocurrent maximum in dilute acidic ammonium fluoride solution where the divalent dissolution converts into the four-valence process. The first high spectral-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy data using synchrotron radiation of electrochemically hydrogenated Si are presented. A combined electrochemistry/ultrahigh vacuum surface analysis system, attached to the U 49/2 beamline at the synchrotron Bessy II, is used for photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) of the electrochemically conditioned samples. We analyze the Si 2p, O 1s, and F 1s core levels. A comparison of a density functional theory calculation of the reaction sequence, proposed in the dissolution model of Gerischer and co-workers, with the PES results supports this model. The anodized sample is characterized by a residual H coverage of 0.35 monolayers evidenced by a surface core level shift, Si-OH and Si-Fx species, F-, and a higher oxidized Si species. SiO2 is not found. Even on very well H-terminated surfaces, we find residual Si-OH complexes, fluoride and water. In situ atomic force microscopy shows a roughening with a root mean square roughness parameter of 2.6 nm. %A92003 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
The initial stages of porous Si formation on Si(111) in dilute ammonium fluoride solution are analysed by photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation (SRPES). The PES results in the por-Si formation regime partly support a recent dissolution model. The contribution from the Si 2p surface core level shift shows that 0.35 ML of the surface is still H-terminated after interruption of the conditioning process at the first photocurrent maximum. Two signals shifted in binding energy by 0.8 and 1 eV, respectively, are attributed to reaction intermediates expected from the proposed reaction mechanism and from theoretical calculations using density functional theory (DFT). A distinct roughening is found in in-situ AFM measurements, with a calculated RMS roughness parameter of 2.6 nm.
The oxide of Si(111) formed by electropolishing in dilute ammonium fluoride solution is analysed by photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. The oxidiclayer is about 3.1 nm thick and contains Si-F-x species as well as oxyfluorides. The oxyfluorides are found preferentially at the electropolishing layer surface. SiOHspecies are concentrated at the oxidic film/substrate interface. The full width half maximum of the Si 2p line indicates that the Si/electropolishing oxide interface issmoother than the Si/natural oxide interface.
We studied two novel electrochemical treatments of CuInS2 solar-cell absorber films, introduced to remove the deleterious segregated CuS phase. Their influence onsurface topography, chemistry and electronic properties was investigated using in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoclectron spectroscopy, performed inpart at the U49/2 undulator beam line at BESSY II. The results are examined in order to develop an improved understanding of the chemical-electrochemical surfacetransformation processes.
Atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide.1 In this context, the burden of CAD shows considerable regional heterogeneity at the national level. For example, age-standardized mortality rates varied between 106 and 178 deaths per 100 000 at the level of German federal states in 2019.2 The regional heterogeneity of cardiovascular mortality suggests that the residential environment should be considered as an important determinant for successful secondary prevention. Environmental features that were frequently drawn upon to explain regional inequalities of cardiovascular outcomes are spatial socioeconomic deprivation (SSD) and rurality.3 Rurality may impact cardiovascular health due to impaired access to healthcare services. Socioeconomically deprived neighbourhoods, on the other hand, exhibit restricted opportunities to eat healthy, exercise regularly, utilize health care, and avoid environmental hazards such as air pollution.
The Land Use and Climate Across Scales Flagship Pilot Study (LUCAS FPS) is a coordinated community effort to improve the integration of land use change (LUC) in regional climate models (RCMs) and to quantify the biogeophysical effects of LUC on local to regional climate in Europe. In the first phase of LUCAS, nine RCMs are used to explore the biogeophysical impacts of re-/afforestation over Europe: two idealized experiments representing respectively a non-forested and a maximally forested Europe are compared in order to quantify spatial and temporal variations in the regional climate sensitivity to forestation. We find some robust features in the simulated response to forestation. In particular, all models indicate a year-round decrease in surface albedo, which is most pronounced in winter and spring at high latitudes. This results in a winter warming effect, with values ranging from +0.2 to +1 K on average over Scandinavia depending on models. However, there are also a number of strongly diverging responses. For instance, there is no agreement on the sign of temperature changes in summer with some RCMs predicting a widespread cooling from forestation (well below −2 K in most regions), a widespread warming (around +2 K or above in most regions) or a mixed response. A large part of the inter-model spread is attributed to the representation of land processes. In particular, differences in the partitioning of sensible and latent heat are identified as a key source of uncertainty in summer. Atmospheric processes, such as changes in incoming radiation due to cloud cover feedbacks, also influence the simulated response in most seasons. In conclusion, the multi-model approach we use here has the potential to deliver more robust and reliable information to stakeholders involved in land use planning, as compared to results based on single models. However, given the contradictory responses identified, our results also show that there are still fundamental uncertainties that need to be tackled to better anticipate the possible intended or unintended consequences of LUC on regional climates.