This image represents periodically ordered gold (yellow) and silicon (blue) atoms within the surface-frozen monolayer of liquid gold-silicon eutectic alloy.

Aug. 21, 2006 -- Some of this week's stories:

Liquid alloy shows solid-like crystal structure at surface

Eva Sylwester

A substance used in nanotechnology contains unusual structures at its surface, a team of researchers led by Oleg Shpyrko, Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow, has learned.

The research results, developed at the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne, were published in the journal Science.

The substance in question is a gold-silicon eutectic alloy, 82 percent gold and 18 percent silicon. The term eutectic means that the combination melts at a temperature lower than that of the melting temperature of either of its components. For most eutectic alloys, the difference between the melting point of the alloy and those of its pure components is about 100 degrees Celsius; the gold-silicon eutectic alloy melts about 1,000 °C lower than either of its components, at 360 °C (680 °F).

But that's not the only unusual thing about the gold-silicon eutectic alloy. In a crystalline solid, atoms are arranged in an orderly, periodic fashion, and in a liquid, arrangements of atoms are disordered. It's been known for about 10 years that many metallic liquids show two or three distinct atomic layers near the surface, and usually there is no crystalline-like order within these layers. However, Shpyrko and his colleagues found that the gold-silicon eutectic alloy has seven or eight layers near its surface. In trying to understand this unexpected development, they found also that the top-most surface layer includes a crystal-like structure, similar to that normally found only in solid substances.

Understanding characteristics of novel surface phases like this surface-frozen monolayer is important for the growing realm of nanotechnology, in which the basic unit of measurement is a billionth of a meter.

“By the time you reduce the size of an object or device down to one nanometer, practically everything is surfaces and interfaces,” Shpyrko said. “We need to understand what the new laws of physics and chemistry that govern the surface structures are.”

Gold and silicon are especially important to understand because they are used in computer technology. Gold is an oxide-resistant “noble” metal that is easily shaped into tiny computer chip interconnects, and silicon is the principal component of most semiconductor devices.

“If you think about it, you have gold and silicon in contact with each other in about every electronic device,” Shpyrko said.

Shpyrko began the research as a doctoral student at Harvard University and finished it at Argonne. He used Argonne's Advanced Photon Source, which provides the most brilliant X-ray beams available in the Western Hemisphere, to perform several tests on the material: X-ray specular reflectivity, which provides information about atomic structure normal to the surface; X-ray grazing incidence diffraction, which provides information about in-plane structure; X-ray diffuse scattering, which provides information about waves and other dynamics at the surface; and X-ray crystal truncation rod, which measures thickness and structure of the crystalline surface layer.

Co-authors on the Science article were Reinhard Streitel, Venkatachalapathy S.K. Balagurusamy, Alexei Y. Grigoriev and Prof. Peter S. Pershan of Harvard University; Prof. Moshe Deutsch of Bar-Ilan University in Israel; Benjamin M. Ocko of Brookhaven National Laboratory; and Mati Meron and Binhua Lin of The University of Chicago.

This work was supported by the Department of Energy, through the Office of Science Office of Basic Energy Sciences, and by the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Jerusalem. Measurements at Brookhaven were also supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

Director's Award recipients to be honored

The Director's Award winners are selected from the past year's Pacesetter award recipients. Pacesetters honor extraordinary effort in meeting or exceeding difficult deadlines or other work demands, and outstanding innovations, discoveries, program development and cost-cutting suggestions.

Honorees will receive their awards at the Patent Award luncheon Aug. 22.

From Applied Science and Technology and Homeland Security, Joseph Aducci (EVS) and Robert Sullivan (EVS) will be honored for extraordinary effort and dedication in the design and development of two state-of-the-art systems that address radiological threats to U.S. national security and allow for country-by-country assessments of the relative risks from radiological materials that a terrorist might access, obtain, and deploy as a radiological dispersion device.

A large group of employees from the Office of the Chief Operations Officer will be honored for their extraordinary efforts during the transition of Argonne-West to the Idaho National Laboratory. The group includes Michael Bartos (OCF), Dennis Bugielski (OCF), Adam B. Cohen (COO), Tracy Ercoli (COO), Anne Frankowski (OCF), Robert C. Hischier (CIS), Joseph Ingraffia (OCF), Miriam Legan (LEG), William Luck (LEG), Kathryn Macal (TSD), Connie Markiewicz (OCF), Richard C. Martello (OCF), Elizabeth O'Connor (OCF), Carol A. Quinn (HR), Richard Rons (HR), Shannon Savage (TSD), Peggy Stepuszek (HR) and John Volmer (CIS). The success of this complex transition was in large measure due to the team's extraordinary efforts and expertise. These efforts are an essential contribution to DOE's vision for the future of nuclear energy research at INL.

Linda Winkler (MCS) represents Physical, Biological, and Computing Sciences. Winkler gained international recognition among her peers in the networking community for her efforts in designing and deploying major networking resources working with hardware vendors, various networking groups, and service suppliers. She has provided the expert advice needed to design and deploy critical networking equipment for such major projects as Starlight, I-WIRE, and the TeraGrid.

Another group, from Scientific User Facilities, will be recognized for its exceptional effort in the design and procurement of the components of the canted undulator front end for the Advanced Photon Source. This new design doubles the research potential of a single insertion device straight section. The group completed the design and fabrication in just 15 months while juggling a number of competing priorities. At the same time, numerous cost savings were realized over previous designs. The group includes Christa Benson (AES), Branislav Brajuskovic (AES), Loretta Cokeley (AES), Jeffrey Collins (AES), Mark Erdmann (AES), Joseph Gagliano (AES),Yifei Jaski (AES), Erika Rossi (AES), Oliver Schmidt (AES) and Emil Trakhtenberg (AES).

Combined Appeal campaign moving to May in '07

The Argonne Combined Appeal (ACA) Steering Committee and the Laboratory Directorate have decided to change the timing of the Argonne Combined Appeal campaign from October to May.

By making the change, the campaign will no longer coincide with the transition to the new fiscal year and performance appraisals. “The October timeframe is typically very busy for many employees and has detracted attention from the appeal,” said Sheila Rossi, co-chair of the ACA steering committee.

Avoiding the fiscal year transition will lighten the burden the campaign has had on Accounting/Payroll at that busy time. The ACA steering committee and directorate also hope that moving the campaign away from the busy month of October will increase employee volunteer involvement. Increased workloads during and near October have recently diminished the number of volunteers and the amount of time they are able to devote to the campaign.

Another factor considered in making the change is that in May, employees will already have information about their annual pay raises and can consider their raise in deciding the amount they wish to donate.

“Overall, we believe the change to the May timeframe will increase employee participation in the campaign, both in funds and effort,” said ACA co-chair Joe Kilar.

The next full campaign will be postponed until May 2007. This October, the ACA steering committee will conduct only a limited campaign.

Through employee donations, the ACA has benefited approximately 20 local health and welfare agencies each year. Over the past 11 years, the ACA has raised more than $4.5 million for these agencies. Employees' contributions provided food for the hungry, shelter for the homeless, sanctuary for battered women and children, education and training for those seeking a better life, living assistance for the physically challenged, treatment for the ill and research toward cures.

More information about the campaign schedule change and the October renewal process will be sent to employees in the coming weeks.

More information on the Argonne Combined Appeal is online.

Industrial research partner honors Argonne
for exceptional collaboration

Air Products and Chemicals of Allentown, Penn., has given Argonne its 4th annual External Collaboration Award.

The company created the award to recognize the results of external-partner collaborative research to demonstrate its commitment to building relationships and strengthening collaborations with external partners, and to stimulate the development of intellectual property with them.

The award recognizes the Battery Technology Department of Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division for its work in evaluating Air Products' new electrolyte salts, citing the group's understanding of the technology and needs of the lithium-ion battery industry, as well as the direction the industry is taking toward hybrid vehicles.

The company turned to Argonne, with its nearly four decades of experience in lithium battery research and development, for help in determining the salts' viability for use in lithium-ion batteries. Argonne confirmed that the salts work in lithium batteries, and demonstrated that they remain non-corrosive if they become contaminated with moisture. Moreover, Argonne identified several key additives and solvents that enable the company's new salts to be used with common lithium-ion electrodes, forming a promising new electrolyte for the lithium battery industry.

Argonne's Work-For-Others agreements are a convenient and effective way for industry to enhance its knowledge and capabilities and find answers to the most challenging questions about its technology. Contracts are tailored to meet the specific needs of the sponsor, built on Argonne's background research, and information is maintained in confidence.

“Argonne scientists work best at coupling basic science to applied technology,” said Steve Ban, director of Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer. “Certainly the development of new electrolyte systems for advanced lithium batteries fits that situation well and addresses a high priority need in energy — both are key elements of the Argonne mission.”

Federal Laboratory Consortium award nominations sought

The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) is soliciting nominations for the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) 2007 Awards for Excellence in Technology Transfer. These awards recognize laboratory employees for outstanding work in the process of transferring a laboratory-developed technology into use. Each laboratory may submit up to four nominations. OTT manages the preparation and submission for these awards.

The candidate technologies are evaluated based on the benefits offered by the technology, the role of the laboratory in its development and the technology transfer process used. The scoring emphasizes market impact and significance of the technology transfer process. Past winning submissions have typically involved a cooperative research and development agreement or WFO, but several have resulted from collegial interchanges, staff exchanges, etc.

If you have a technology that either has recently been, or is in the process of being transferred to commercial practice, and would like to learn more about submitting it as a candidate for the awards, contact Cynthia Wesolowski (OTT) at ext. 2-7694 or weso@anl.gov by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Lab joins effort to reduce chemical use

Argonne received recognition on Aug. 9 for its decision to participate in the National Partnership for Environmental Priorities (NPEP). NPEP is a voluntary program that fosters partnerships between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and manufacturers, commercial companies and federal facilities to reduce the use of 31 priority chemicals.

NPEP is a key component of the EPA's national Resource Conservation Challenge, which seeks to reduce waste and recover energy. In the EPA's Region 5 — which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin — the EPA seeks to cut the generation of 31 priority chemicals by 220,000 pounds per year for the next five years. At Argonne specifically, the goals are to reduce the inventory of mercury by 10 pounds by February 2008, and to cut the inventory of lead by 10,000 pounds by October 2008. The EPA will support this effort by providing site visits, technical information, resources, educational workshops and recognition. Contact Gregg Kulma, Argonne's Pollution Prevention/Waste Minimization Coordinator, for questions or more information about NPEP.

Weight Watchers plans meeting

Weight Watchers will hold an informational meeting Wednesday, Aug. 30, at noon in Building 200, Conference Room J183.

Employees will be able to register and prepay for a 17-week program. Cost is $176. Twenty participants are required for the program to move forward.

For more information, contact the Medical Department at ext. 2-2800.

In memoriam

Marion J. Benson, a retired librarian with 42 years of service, died Jan. 8. Her daughters, Louis Kickels (TSD) and Janet Bluis (DOE-CH), survive her.

Dana Berg, a retired senior technical editor with 17 years of service in EBR, died March 7. His son Don Berg survives him.

David Bleak, a retired chief technician with 24 years of service in FO, died March 23. His wife, Lois, survives him.

Dorothy Brewster, a retired scientific associate with 11 years of service in RER, died July 1. Her six children survive her.

Earl F. Caraghar, a retired manager in transportation services with 33 years of service in PS, died May 30. His wife, Lucille, survives him.

Albert Cop, a retired labor group leader with 19 years of service in PFS, died March 21. His wife, Lillian, survives him.

Edward W. Daniels, a retired biologist with 27 years of service in EIS, died June 30. His wife, Harriet, survives him.

Sherman Fried, a retired senior chemist with 33 years of service in CHM, died July 13. His wife, Lucille, survives him.

John Holman, a retired maintenance mechanic with 42 years of service in PFS-BM, died July 3. His wife, Brenda, survives him.

Richard Isenberg, a retired machine shop foreman with 25 years of service in CS, died June 3. His nephew, Roger Rehfeldt, and niece, Diane Isenberg, survive him.

Edward Kasmar, a retired forman with 32 years of service in PFS, died March 16. His wife, Fran, survives him.

Alberta R. Lang, a retired graphic illustrator with 17 years of service in GA, died June 24. Her husband, Allen, survives her.

Leopold P. Maes, a retired scientific technician with 31 years of service in CHM, died June 19. His daughter, Marilyn Amundson, survives him.

Lawrence J. Marek, a retired senior technician with 31 years of service in MSD, died June 29. His son, Paul, survives him.

Merle L. Smith, a retired maintenance specialist with 22 years of service, died July 4. His wife, Mary, survives him.

John L. Wahl, a retired guard with 19 years of service in Security, died April 11. His son, John B. Wahl, survives him.

Catherine Yack, a retired administration secretary with 25 years of service in RER, died May 5. Her son, Richard, survives her.

Argonne water in compliance with EPA standards

Argonne 's drinking water has very low or undetectable levels of contaminants and poses no known or expected risks to health, according to a report required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The U.S. EPA requires that water system users receive an annual Consumer Confidence Report listing detailed data on contaminants. The report contains details on the drinking water source, the level of detected contaminants and compliance with drinking water regulations.

Argonne gets its drinking water from the DuPage Water Commission, which gets Lake Michigan water from the City of Chicago 's Department of Water.

Chicago Water Department monitoring information for 2005 is summarized in the chart below. EPA-identified contaminants are monitored and analyzed using methods specified by the agency. The chart shows results for constituents that were present in high enough amounts to be detected; regulatory limits are included for comparison. All other monitored constituents were below detection limits.

All monitored concentrations were less than the applicable regulation-based maximum contaminant levels, which indicates the drinking water contaminant levels show no known or expected risk to health.

Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain small amounts of some contaminants. Their presence does not necessarily pose a health risk. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Those with compromised immune systems — such as those undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV, AIDs, or other immune system disorders, some elderly and infants — can be at risk from infections.

For more information, call Jim Heine (PFS-US) at ext. 2-7922. Questions on the analytical data should be directed to Norbert Golchert (EQO), at ext. 2-3912.

For information about EPA guidelines on ways to lessen the risk of infection from microbial contaminants, and information about contaminants and potential health effects, call the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

Key — NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit. ppm: parts per million. ppb: parts per billion. NA: not applicable. Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG): The level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLGs allow for a margin of safety. Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL): The highest level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to the MCLGs as is feasible using the best available treatment technology.

HR classes

These training opportunities are offered to support employees and their work at Argonne. Future courses are also online. To enroll, complete the registration form and forward to your Training Management System representative. Contact Betty Iwan at eiwan@anl.gov for more information.

Critical Conversation Series: “Resolving Conflict and Moving toward Solutions” (HR385) — Wednesday, Aug. 23, 9 - 11:30 a.m., Building 201, Conference Room 190.

“Presentation Skills” (HR284) — Tuesday, Aug. 29, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Building 202, Conference Room B169.

“The Supervisory Role in Managing Employee Issues” (HR643) — Wednesday, Aug. 30, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Building 401, Conference Room E1100. Cost is $25.