Search results for: R. A. Lahmer

Authors: M. A. Lahmer, K. Guergouri

Abstract:

The ferromagnetic properties of carbon-doped ZnO (ZnO:CO) and hydrogenated carbon-doped ZnO (ZnO:CO+H) are investigated using the density functional tight binding (DFTB) method. Our results reveal that CO-doped ZnO is a ferromagnetic material with a magnetic moment of 1.3 μB per carbon atom. The presence of hydrogen in the material in the form of CO-H complex decreases the total magnetism of the material without suppressing ferromagnetism. However, the system in this case becomes quickly antiferromagnetic when the C-C separation distance was increased.

Keywords: ZnO, carbon, hydrogen, ferromagnetism, density functional tight binding

Procedia PDF Downloads 285

Authors: R. A. Lahmer, A. P. Williams, S. Townsend, S. Baker, D. L. Jones

Abstract:

Chitosan-arginine (Ch-arg) has been proposed as an anti-microbial agent to reduce the proliferation of spoilage and pathogenic bacteria within meat products destined for human consumption. In the current experiment its use as an antimicrobial packaging material was examined. Two different concentrations of chitosan-arginine (0.05 and 0.15 % w/w) were blended into a cellulose film (Ch-arg film). When placed in contact with chicken and beef juice inoculated with a lux-marked strain of E. coli O157, the film incorporating the highest Ch-arg concentration resulted in a small reduction of E. coli O157 in chicken juice; however, there was no effect of the Ch-arg film on E. coli O157 in beef juice. The lack of observed effect in the beef juice experiment we ascribe to insufficient surface-to-surface contact between the film and the bacteria in the beef juice and the greater presence of other Ch-arg reactive components in the juice (e.g. fats, blood cells). Results suggest that, in combination with other anti microbials, Ch-arg packaging may offers some potential for limiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria in foodstuffs; however, further research is needed to enhance their anti-microbial performance.

Keywords: cross-contamination, foodborne pathogen, polymer film, shelf life

Procedia PDF Downloads 410

Authors: M. A. Lahmer, K. Guergouri

Abstract:

In this work, Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method was applied to study the thermal stability of hydrogen in ZnO bulk and thin films. Our simulation includes different possible events such as interstitial hydrogen (Hi) jumps, substitutional hydrogen (HO) formation and dissociation, oxygen and zinc vacancies jumps, hydrogen-VZn complexes formation and dissociation, HO-Hi complex formation and hydrogen molecule (H2) formation and dissociation. The obtained results show that the hidden hydrogen formed during thermal annealing or at room temperature is constituted of both hydrogen molecule and substitutional hydrogen. The ratio of this constituants depends on the initial defects concentration as well as the annealing temperature. For annealing temperature below 300°C hidden hydrogen was found to be constituted from both substitutional hydrogen and hydrogen molecule, however, for higher temperature it is composed essentially from HO defects only because H2 was found to be unstable. In the other side, our results show that the remaining hydrogen amount in sample during thermal annealing depend greatly on the oxygen vacancies in the material. H2 molecule was found to be stable for thermal annealing up to 200°C, VZnHn complexes are stable up to 350°C and HO was found to be stable up to 450°C.

Keywords: ZnO, hydrogen, thermal annealing, kinetic Monte Carlo

Procedia PDF Downloads 341