Far-infrared absorption spectra of small neutral and cationic niobium clusters containing five to nine Nb atoms have been obtained by multiple photon dissociation spectroscopy of their argon complexes. The experimental far-IR spectra are recorded in the 85-600 cm(-1) region and cover the range of the structure-specific vibrational fundamentals, i.e., the finger-print range, for these metal clus...

Niobium coatings deposited by magnetron sputtering were evaluated as a possible surface modification for stainless steel (SS) substrates in biomedical implants. The Nb coatings were deposited on 15 mm diameter stainless steel substrates having an average surface roughness of 2 μm. To evaluate the biocompatibility of the coatings three different in vitro tests, using human alveolar bone derived ...

The title compound, bis(ethylenediaminium) mu-oxo-bis[tetrafluorooxoniobium(V)], (C2H10N2)2[Nb2O3F8], is a novel organically templated niobium oxyfluoride. It consists of isolated [Nb2O3F8]4- octahedral dimers charge balanced by ethylenediaminium cations, two of which lie about inversion centres. Two NbO2F4 octahedra are fused through a common O atom to form the dimers. Characteristic short ter...

Three types of metallic nanostructures comprising niobium were investigated experimentally; in all three types, electric transport at very low temperatures was governed by Coulomb blockade effects. 1. Thin film strips of niobium could be tuned into resistor strips by an electrochemical anodisation process, using microfabricated masks and in situ resistance monitoring. These resistors showed a t...

Astronomical interest in observing phenomena within the terahertz frequency spectrum has driven demand for extremely sensitive heterodyne receivers. Traditionally, niobium-based SIS tunnel junctions are used by the radio astronomy community in such receivers for observations below 700GHz. Research on novel devices for heterodyne mixing aims to extend experimental capabilities of sensitive recei...

We report on the development of an enzyme-amplified sandwich-type immunosensor based on a thin gold film sputtered on an anodic nanoporous niobium oxide (Au@Nb(2)O(5)) electrode. The electrocatalytic activity of enzymatically amplified electroactive species and a stable electrode consisting of Au@Nb(2)O(5) were used to obtain a powerful signal amplification of the electrochemical immunobiosenso...

Neutral vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxide clusters are studied by single photon ionization employing a 26.5 eV/photon soft x-ray laser. During the ionization process the metal oxide clusters are almost free of fragmentation. The most stable neutral clusters of vanadium, niobium, and tantalum oxides are of the general form (MO2)0,1(M2O5)y. M2O5 is identified as a basic building unit for thes...

In Brazil there are many regions where the extraction mining and processing of ores containing elements of great economical importance as tin, niobium and tantalum. Some of these ores have uranium and thorium natural decay series associated. This study was carried out in a niobium mine, where is obtained concentrates of niobates-tantalates, cassiterite and zirconite. The aim of this study is th...