Nanoindustry

JSC Advanced Research Institute of Inorganic Materials named after Academician A.A.Bochvar, the peer of the Soviet and Russian nuclear industry, began its activity by solving material science and technological problems. Established as the Institute of Special Metals of the NKVD (this is its first of eight names), it took part in the most important state projects in the nuclear industry. Its scientific staff contributed to the first Soviet atomic project implementation. The Institute developed fuel for the first nuclear power plant in Obninsk, the first fast neutron reactor, and for the world’s first nuclear icebreaker "Lenin". In 1994, ARIIM was granted the status of the State Scientific Centre of the Russian Federation. On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Institute, which was named NII-9 in Soviet times for security reasons, Leonid Alexandrovich Karpyuk, Director General of ARIIM JSC, answered our questions.

The evolution of atomic force microscopy from an imaging method to a quantitative measurement tool highlights the problem of precise calibration. Traditional static standards do not provide the necessary versatility and accuracy at the subnanometer level. This paper presents a new approach to probe microscopy metrology based on the use of a dynamic measurement standard. This approach involves the use of a additional fourth piezomanipulator in addition to the three existing, strictly calibrated piezomanipulator, which moves the sample a precisely defined distance, creating a reference relief directly during scanning. This enables calibration of the scanning system along the X, Y, and Z axes without the need for special test structures, directly on the sample under study. The FemtoScan microscope’s vertical resolution, controlled down to 0.2 Å, is experimentally demonstrated, opening up new possibilities for precise nanoscale measurements.

In this paper shows the possibility of creating sensitive elements based on integrated optical technology and MEMS structures. A prototype of a pressure sensor operating on the principle of optical interference is presented. The sensor’s sensing element is based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, one of the arms of which is located on a deformable membrane. The optical scheme of the interferometer is implemented on Si₃N₄ integrated waveguides. In the course of the study, a theoretical assessment of the effect of membrane deformation on waveguide geometry was performed. The calculations performed were tested during experimental studies of models of a micro-opto-mechanical pressure sensor with different configurations of the interferometer arms. As a result of the research, a technological basis for integrated optical sensors based on silicon nitride waveguides and MEMS technology for the formation of membranes on silicon substrates has been developed.

As part of the study, a method for modifying materials based on nickel hexacyanoferrates (III) with nanoscale silver (HCF Ni–Ag) was developed. Nickel (III) hexacyanoferrate (HCF Ni) was obtained by chemical co-precipitation in aqueous solutions. The presence of a basic crystalline phase of nickel (III) hexacyanoferrate with a cubic face-centered crystal lattice (Fm3m) was found in the samples by powder diffractometry. For modification, nickel hexacyanoferrate (III) samples were doppled with silver. Silver nitrate, which was reduced with sodium borohydride, was used as a precursor. It has been established by powder diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy that silver on the surface of nickel (III) hexacyanoferrate is in an amorphous form and is detected only in Ni–Ag HCF samples with a silver content of 5 wt.% based on the results of scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.

As part of the study, a method for modifying materials based on iron hexacyanoferrates (III) with nanoscale silver (HCF Fe–Ag) was developed. Iron (III) hexacyanoferrate (HCF Fe) was obtained by chemical co-precipitation in aqueous solutions. The presence of a basic crystalline phase of iron (III) hexacyanoferrate with a cubic face-centered crystal lattice (Fm3m) was found in the samples by powder diffractometry. To modify iron (III) hexacyanoferrate samples with silver, silver nitrate was used as a precursor, which was reduced with sodium borohydride. It has been established by powder diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy that silver on the surface of iron hexacyanoferrate (III) is in the form of two crystalline phases – in the form of silver nanoparticles and silver hexacyanoferrate (III), which is formed as a result of the interaction of silver precursor with iron hexacyanoferrate (III) on the surface of a colloidal particle.