Osseointegration of layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte multilayers loaded with IGF1 and coated on titanium implant under osteoporotic condition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xing H

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Helin Xing,1,* Xing Wang,2,* Saisong Xiao,3,* Guilan Zhang,1 Meng Li,1 Peihuan Wang,1 Quan Shi,1 Pengyan Qiao,1 Lingling E,1 Hongchen Liu1 1Institute of Stomatology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, 2Hospital of Stomatology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 3Department of Anesthesia, Dongzhimen Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Titanium implant is a widely used method for dental prosthesis restoration. Nevertheless, in patients with systemic diseases, including osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer, the success rate of the implant is greatly reduced. This study investigates a new implant material loaded with insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1, which could potentially improve the implant success rate, accelerate the occurrence of osseointegration, and provide a new strategy for implant treatment in osteoporotic patients. Materials and methods: Biofunctionalized polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs with polyethylenimine as the excitation layer and gelatin/chitosan loaded with IGF1 were prepared on the surface of titanium implant by layer-by-layer self-assembly technique. The physical and chemical properties of the biofunctionalized PEMs, the biological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs, and bone implant contact correlation test indexes were detected and analyzed in vitro and in vivo using osteoporosis rat model. Results: PEMs coatings loaded with IGF1 (TNS-PEM-IGF1-100 implant promoted the early stage of BMMSCs adhesion. Under the action of body fluids, the active coating showed sustained release of growth factors, which in turn promoted the proliferation and differentiation of BMMSCs and the extracellular matrix. At 8 weeks from implant surgery, the new bone around the implants was examined using micro-CT and acid fuchsin/methylene blue staining. The new bone formation increased with time in each group, while the TNS-PEM-IGF1

Obtaining and characterization of thin films polyelectrolyte with gold nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Popiolski, Tatiane M.; Crespo, Janaina S.; Silva, Renato B.

2011-01-01

Thin films of polyelectrolytes are manufactured via sequential adsorption of weak polyelectrolytes from aqueous solutions based on electrostatic interaction of oppositely charged polymers. Metal containing polymeric compounds are of particular interest to the production of materials with electrical interface and optical properties. In this sense, the objective of this study was to obtain thin films of weak polyelectrolytes and analyze the distribution of gold nanoparticles stabilized by sodium citrate and by poly (vinylpyrrolidone). The characterization was performed using UV-visible, X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. The techniques of UV-visible and X-ray diffraction was confirmed the presence of gold in the films, the atomic force microscopy images were used to analyze the morphology of the films and check the behavior of the diffusion of gold nanoparticles. (author)

Thickness and morphology of polyelectrolyte coatings on silica surfaces before and after protein exposure studied by atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haselberg, Rob, E-mail: r.haselberg@vu.nl [Biomolecular Analysis, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht (Netherlands); AIMMS Division of BioMolecular Analysis, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands); Flesch, Frits M. [Biomolecular Analysis, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht (Netherlands); Boerke, Arjan [Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508 TD Utrecht (Netherlands); Somsen, Govert W. [Biomolecular Analysis, Utrecht University, Universiteitsweg 99, 3584 CG Utrecht (Netherlands); AIMMS Division of BioMolecular Analysis, VU University Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2013-05-24

Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Atomic force microscopy is used to characterize polyelectrolyte coatings. •Coating procedure leads to nm-thick layers on a silica surface. •Polyelectrolyte coatings effectively prevent protein adsorption. •AFM provides the high resolution to investigate these thin films. •AFM results support earlier findings obtained with capillary electrophoresis. -- Abstract: Analyte–wall interaction is a significant problem in capillary electrophoresis (CE) as it may compromise separation efficiencies and migration time repeatability. In CE, self-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayer films of Polybrene (PB) and dextran sulfate (DS) or poly(vinylsulfonic acid) (PVS) have been used to coat the capillary inner wall and thereby prevent analyte adsorption. In this study, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to investigate the layer thickness and surface morphology of monolayer (PB), bilayer, (PB-DS and PB-PVS), and trilayer (PB-DS-PB and PB-PVS-PB) coatings on glass surfaces. AFM nanoshaving experiments providing height distributions demonstrated that the coating procedures led to average layer thicknesses between 1 nm (PB) and 5 nm (PB-DS-PB), suggesting the individual polyelectrolytes adhere flat on the silica surface. Investigation of the surface morphology of the different coatings by AFM revealed that the PB coating does not completely cover the silica surface, whereas full coverage was observed for the trilayer coatings. The DS-containing coatings appeared on average 1 nm thicker than the corresponding PVS-containing coatings, which could be attributed to the molecular structure of the anionic polymers applied. Upon exposure to the basic protein cytochrome c, AFM measurements showed an increase of the layer thickness for bare (3.1 nm) and PB-DS-coated (4.6 nm) silica, indicating substantial protein adsorption. In contrast, a very small or no increase of the layer thickness was observed for the PB and PB-DS-PB coatings

Rocket flight of a multilayer coated high-density EUV toroidal grating

Science.gov (United States)

Keski-Kuha, Ritva A. M.; Thomas, Roger J.; Davila, Joseph M.

1992-01-01

A multilayer coated high density toroidal grating was flown on a sounding rocket experiment in the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) instrument. To our knowledge this is the first space flight of a multilayer coated grating. Pre-flight performance evaluation showed that the application of a 10-layer Ir/Si multilayer coating to the 3600 l/mm blazed toroidal replica grating produced a factor of 9 enhancement in peak efficiency near the design wavelength around 30 nm in first order over the standard gold coating, with a measured EUV efficiency that peaked at 3.3 percent. In addition, the grating's spectral resolution of better than 5000 was maintained. The region of enhanced grating efficiency due to the multilayer coating is clearly evident in the flight data. Within the bandpass of the multilayer coating, the recorded film densities were roughly equivalent to those obtained with a factor of six longer exposure on the previous flight of the SERTS instrument.

Inverse gold photonic crystals and conjugated polymer coated opals for functional materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Landon, P.B.; Gutierrez, Jose; Ferraris, John P.; Martinez, I.L.; Giridharagopal, Rajiv; Wu, Y.-C.; Lee, Sergey; Parikh, Kunjal; Gillespie, Jessica; Ussery, Geoffrey; Karimi, Behzad; Baughman, Ray; Zakhidov, Anvar; Glosser, R

2003-10-01

Inverse gold photonic crystals templated from synthetic opals with a face centered cubic (FCC) crystal lattice were constructed by heat converting gold chloride to metallic gold. Tetrahedral formations constructed of alternating large and small octahedrons oriented in the zinc sulfide structure were created by controlling the infiltration of gold chloride. Silica spheres were coated with polyanilinesulfonic acid, polypyrrole, poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) and 5 nm colloidal gold. Ordinary yeast cells were coated with polyanilinesulfonic acid, polypyrrole and 5 nm colloidal gold. Spheres coated with MEH-PPV were dispersed in H{sub 2}O and coated with polyelectrolytes which recharged and sterically stabilized the colloidal surfaces. The recharged spheres self-assembled by sedimentation with a FCC crystalline lattice possessing 500 {mu}m wide and 1 mm long crystallites. Silica spheres with diameters as large as 1500 {mu}m were self-assembled along the [1 0 0] direction of the FCC crystal lattice. Opals infiltrated with gold and opals constructed from polymer coated spheres were co-infiltrated with polypropylene yielding inverse polypropylene composite photonic crystals.

Building a road map for tailoring multilayer polyelectrolyte films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ankner, John Francis; Bardoel, Agatha A.; Sukishvili, Svetlana

2012-01-01

Researchers are moving a step closer to a definite road map for building layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled polyelectrolyte films, with the assistance of the Liquids Reflectometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Spallation Neutron Source, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Scientists using the liquids reflectometer have successfully taken snapshots in close to real time of these multilayered structures for different applications when they modify the structure and function parameters. Polyelecrolytes are polymers that carry charge in aqueous solutions. They contain chemical groups that dissociate in water, making such polymers charged. Most polyelectrolytes are water soluble. They are important components in foods, soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics products. They show promise for such environmental work as oil recovery and water treatment. Polyelectrolytes are compelling because researchers can chemically modify how they interact with water for multiple applications. When two types of polyelectrolytes of opposite charge are assembled at a surface in a sequential way using the LbL assembly technique, 'the result is the forming of surface films, useful for coatings, biomedical implants and devices, controlling adhesion of biological molecules, and controlling delivery of therapeutic molecules from surfaces,' said Svetlana Sukhishvili of the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, the lead chemist on the collaboration. 'Medical doctors often prefer to deliver multiple therapeutic compounds from the coatings in a time-resolved manner,' Sukhishvili said. 'To assist them, material scientists need to learn how to build coatings in which polymer layering will not be compromised when exposed to normal physiological conditions.' 'Being able to control these properties, understanding how what you do to the materials affects their properties, this allows you to apply them to situations where interacting with an environment is very helpful, whether in a biological context or any other

Long term physical and chemical stability of polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Grooth, Joris; Haakmeester, Brian; Wever, Carlos; Potreck, Jens; de Vos, Wiebe Matthijs; Nijmeijer, Dorothea C.

2015-01-01

This work presents a detailed investigation into the long term stability of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) modified membranes, a key factor for the application of these membranes in water purification processes. Although PEM modified membranes have been frequently investigated, their long term

Biological responses of T cells encapsulated with polyelectrolyte-coated gold nanorods and their cellular activities in a co-culture system

Science.gov (United States)

Wattanakull, Porntida; Killingsworth, Murray C.; Pissuwan, Dakrong

2017-11-01

Currently, human T cell therapy is of considerable scientific interest. In addition, cell encapsulation has become an attractive approach in biomedical applications. Here, we propose an innovative technique of single-cell encapsulation of human T cells using polyelectrolytes combined with gold nanorods. We have demonstrated encapsulation of human Jurkat T cells with poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS)-coated gold nanorods (PSS-GNRs). Other forms of encapsulation, using polyelectrolytes without GNRs, were also performed. After Jurkat T cells were encapsulated with poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and/or PSS-GNRs or PSS, most cells survived and could proliferate. Jurkat T cells encapsulated with a double layer of PSS-GNR/PAH (PSS-GNR/PAH@Jurkat) showed the highest rate of cell proliferation when compared to 24-h encapsulated cells. With the exception of IL-6, no significant induction of inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-1β, and TNF-α) was observed. Interestingly, when encapsulated cells were co-cultured with THP-1 macrophages, co-cultures exhibited TNF-α production enhancement. However, the co-culture of THP-1 macrophage and PSS-GNR/PAH@Jurkat or PSS/PAH@Jurkat did not enhance TNF-α production. No significant inductions of IL-2, IL-1β, and IL-6 were detected. These data provide promising results, demonstrating the potential use of encapsulated PSS-GNR/PAH@Jurkat to provide a more inert T cell population for immunotherapy application and other biomedical applications.

Polyelectrolyte stabilized multilayered liposomes for oral delivery of paclitaxel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jain, Sanyog; Kumar, Dinesh; Swarnakar, Nitin K

2012-01-01

Paclitaxel (PTX) loaded layersome formulations were prepared using layer-by-layer assembly of the polyelectrolytes over liposomes. Stearyl amine was utilized to provide positive charge to the liposomes, which were subsequently coated with anionic polymer polyacrylic acid (PAA) followed by coating...

The effect of guanidinium functionalization on the structural properties and anion affinity of polyelectrolyte multilayers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cao, Zheng; Gordiichuk, Pavlo; Loos, Katja; Sudhölter, Ernst Jan Robert; Smet, Louis

2015-01-01

Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) is chemically functionalized with guanidinium (Gu) moieties in water at room temperature. The resulting PAH-Gu is used to prepare polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) with poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) via layer-by-layer deposition. The polyelectrolyte

Red blood cells and polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules: natural carriers versus polymer-based drug delivery vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolesnikova, Tatiana A; Skirtach, Andre G; Möhwald, Helmuth

2013-01-01

Red blood cells (RBCs) and lipid-based carriers on the one hand and polymeric capsules on the other hand represent two of the most widely used carriers in drug delivery. Each class of these carriers has its own set of properties, specificity and advantages. Thorough comparative studies of such systems are reported here for the first time. In this review, RBCs are described in comparison with synthetic polymeric drug delivery vehicles using polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules as an example. Lipid-based composition of the shell in the former case is particularly attractive due to their inherent biocompatibility and flexibility of the carriers. On the other hand, synthetic approaches to fabrication of polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules permit manipulation of the permeability of their shell as well as tuning their composition, mechanical properties, release methods and targeting. In conclusion, properties of RBCs and polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules are reported here highlighting similarities and differences in their preparation and applications. In addition, their advantages and disadvantages are discussed.

An electrochemical aptasensor for chiral peptide detection using layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte-methylene blue/polyelectrolyte-graphene multilayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Haixia; Liu Jiyang; Chen Chaogui; Wang Jiahi; Wang Erkang

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► An electrochemical aptasensor for selective detection of peptide is constructed. ► This aptasensor is based on grapheme multilayer via layer-by-layer assembly. ► Such multilayer facilitates electron transfer and provides more adsorption sites. - Abstract: Here we demonstrate for the first time that by physically adsorbing aptamer onto conductive film assembled via alternate adsorption of graphene/polyelectrolyte and methylene blue/polyelectrolyte, a label-free electrochemical aptasensor with high sensitivity and selectivity for peptide detection is constructed. Graphene multilayer derived from layer-by-layer assembly has played significant roles in this sensing strategy: allowing accumulation of methylene blue, facilitating electron transfer and providing much more adsorption site. As compared to previous electrochemical aptasensors, the current sensor based on graphene multilayer alternated with electroactive molecule layer offers extremely high capability for sensitive detection of target without interference of environmental surrounding. This electroactive probe-confined graphene multilayer confers great flexibility to combine with differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) together. In the presence of target D entiomer of arginine vasopressin (D-VP), the binding of peptide to aptamer block the electron transfer process of MB, leading to decreased current peak of DPV. By this way, this electrochemical aptasensor based on electroactive molecule-intercalated graphene multilayer provide highly sensitive and specific detection of D-VP with the lowest detectable concentration of 1 ng mL −1 and a wide detection range from 1 to 265 ng mL −1 .

Polyelectrolyte coatings prevent interferences from charged nanoparticles in SPME speciation analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zielińska, Katarzyna; Leeuwen, Herman P. van

2014-01-01

Highlights: • For the first time SPME fiber is coated with polyelectrolyte layer. • Sorption of nanoparticles on the solid phase surface is prevented. • Polyelectrolyte-modified fiber enables extraction of free analyte in presence of sorbing nanoparticles. - Abstract: In this work we present a new approach for protection of the fiber in solid phase microextraction (SPME) from interfering charged particles present in the sample medium. It involves coating of commercial poly(dimethylsiloxane) extraction phase with polyelectrolyte layer composed of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate). The modified fiber provides reproducible, convenient and fast extraction capabilities toward the model analyte, triclosan (TCS). A negatively charged polyelectrolyte coating prevents sorbing oxidic nanoparticles from both partitioning into the PDMS phase and aggregation at its surface. The results for the TCS/nanoparticle sample show that the polyelectrolyte layer-modified solid phase extracts just the free form of the organic compound and enables dynamic speciation analysis of the nanoparticulate target analyte complex

Human mesenchymal stem cell osteoblast differentiation, ECM deposition, and biomineralization on PAH/PAA polyelectrolyte multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Pattabhi, Sudhakara Rao; Lehaf, Ali M; Schlenoff, Joseph B; Keller, Thomas C S

2015-05-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEMU) coatings built layer by layer with alternating pairs of polyelectrolytes can be tuned to improve cell interactions with surfaces and may be useful as biocompatible coatings to improve fixation between implants and tissues. Here, we show that human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) induced with bone differentiation medium (BDM) to become osteoblasts biomineralize crosslinked PEMUs built with the polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and the polyanion poly(acrylic acid) (PAA). Degrees of hMSC osteoblast differentiation and surface biomineralization on the smooth PAH-terminated PEMUs (PAH-PEMUs) and microstructured PAA-terminated PEMUs (PAA-PEMUs) reflect differences in cell-deposited extracellular matrix (ECM). BDM-induced hMSCs expressed higher levels of the early osteoblast differentiation marker alkaline phosphatase and collagen 1 (COL1) sooner on PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. Cells on both types of PEMUs proceeded to express the later stage osteoblast differentiation marker bone sialoprotein (BSP), but the BDM-induced cells organized a more amorphous Collagen I and denser BSP localization on PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. These ECM properties correlated with greater biomineralization on the PAA-PEMUs than on PAH-PEMUs. Together, these results confirm the suitability of PAH/PAA PEMUs as a substrate for hMSC osteogenesis and highlight the importance of substrate effects on ECM organization and BSP presentation on biomineralization. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

POLYELECTROLYTE MULTILAYER STAMPING IN AQUEOUS PHASE AND NON-CONTACT MODE

Science.gov (United States)

Mehrotra, Sumit; Lee, Ilsoon; Liu, Chun; Chan, Christina

2011-01-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) transfer printing has been previously achieved by stamping under dry conditions. Here, we show for the first time, that PEM can be transferred from a stamp to the base substrate under aqueous conditions whereby the two surfaces are in a non-contact mode. Degradable multilayers of (PAA/PEG)10.5 followed by non-degradable multilayers of (PDAC/SPS)80.5 were fabricated under acidic pH conditions on either PDMS or glass (stamp), and subsequently transferred over top of another multilayer prepared on a different substrate (base substrate), with a spacing of ~ 200 μm between the stamping surface and the base substrate. This multilayer transfer was performed under physiological pH conditions. This process is referred to herein as non-contact, aqueous-phase multilayer (NAM) transfer. NAM transfer can be useful for applications such as fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) cellular scaffolds. We attempted to create a 3-D cellular scaffold using NAM transfer, and characterized the scaffolds with conventional and fluorescence microscopy. PMID:21860540

Polyelectrolyte multi-layers assembly of SiCHA nanopowders and collagen type I on aminolysed PLA films to enhance cell-material interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Baba Ismail, Yanny Marliana; Ferreira, Ana Marina; Bretcanu, Oana; Dalgarno, Kenneth; El Haj, Alicia J

2017-11-01

This paper presents a new approach in assembling bone extracellular matrix components onto PLA films, and investigates the most favourable environment which can be created using the technique for cell-material interactions. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) films were chemically modified by covalently binding the poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) as to prepare the substrate for immobilization of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) coating. Negatively charged polyelectrolyte consists of well-dispersed silicon-carbonated hydroxyapatite (SiCHA) nanopowders in hyaluronic acid (Hya) was deposited onto the modified PLA films followed by SiCHA in collagen type I as the positively charged polyelectrolyte. The outermost layer was finally cross-linked by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrocholoride and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide sodium salt (EDC/NHS) solutions. The physicochemical features of the coated PLA films were monitored via X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The amounts of calcium and collagen deposited on the surface were qualitatively and quantitatively determined. The surface characterizations suggested that 5-BL has the optimum surface roughness and highest amounts of calcium and collagen depositions among tested films. In vitro human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) cultured on the coated PLA films confirmed that the coating materials greatly improved cell attachment and survival compared to unmodified PLA films. The cell viability, cell proliferation and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) expression on 5-BL were found to be the most favourable of the tested films. Hence, this newly developed coating materials assembly could contribute to the improvement of the bioactivity of polymeric materials and structures aimed to bone tissue engineering applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Polyelectrolyte Multilayer onto PET Fabric for Highly Tunable Dyeing with Water Soluble Dyestuffs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shili Xiao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Poly(ethyleneterephthalate (PET is a multi-purpose and widely used synthetic polymer in many industrial fields because of its remarkable advantages such as low cost, light weight, high toughness and resistance to chemicals, and high abrasion resistance. However, PET suffers from poor dyeability due to its non-polar nature, benzene ring structure as well as high crystallinity. In this study, PET fabrics were firstly treated with an alkaline solution to produce carboxylic acid functional groups on the surface of the PET fabric, and then was modified by polyelectrolyte polymer through the electrostatic layer-by-layer self-assembly technology. The polyelectrolyte multilayer-deposited PET fabric was characterized using scanning electron microscopy SEM, contact angle, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS. The dyeability of PET fabrics before and after surface modification was systematically investigated. It showed that the dye-uptake of the polyelectrolyte multilayer-deposited PET fabric has been enhanced compared to that of the pristine PET fabric. In addition, its dyeability is strongly dependent on the surface property of the polyelectrolyte multilayer-deposited PET fabric and the properties of dyestuffs.

Colloidal micro- and nano-particles as templates for polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules.

Science.gov (United States)

Parakhonskiy, Bogdan V; Yashchenok, Alexey M; Konrad, Manfred; Skirtach, Andre G

2014-05-01

Colloidal particles play an important role in various areas of material and pharmaceutical sciences, biotechnology, and biomedicine. In this overview we describe micro- and nano-particles used for the preparation of polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules and as drug delivery vehicles. An essential feature of polyelectrolyte multilayer capsule preparations is the ability to adsorb polymeric layers onto colloidal particles or templates followed by dissolution of these templates. The choice of the template is determined by various physico-chemical conditions: solvent needed for dissolution, porosity, aggregation tendency, as well as release of materials from capsules. Historically, the first templates were based on melamine formaldehyde, later evolving towards more elaborate materials such as silica and calcium carbonate. Their advantages and disadvantages are discussed here in comparison to non-particulate templates such as red blood cells. Further steps in this area include development of anisotropic particles, which themselves can serve as delivery carriers. We provide insights into application of particles as drug delivery carriers in comparison to microcapsules templated on them. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Enhanced lifetime characteristics in flexible polymer light-emitting devices by encapsulation of epoxy/silica-coated gold nanoparticles resin (ESGR)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiu, Pin-Hsiang; Huang, Chien-Jung; Yang, Cheng-Fu; Meen, Teen-Hang; Wang, Yeong-Her

2010-01-01

This paper reports the effects of a new multilayer encapsulation for the lifetime of flexible PLEDs on plastic substrate. The multilayer encapsulation consisted of a novel epoxy/silica-coated gold nanoparticles resin (ESGR) as the pre-encapsulation layer and a SiO 2 layer as the encapsulation cap. The ESGR was prepared by mixing UV-curable epoxy resin and powders of silica-coated gold nanoparticles. The silica-coated gold nanoparticles is a necessity because the epoxy resin is not a good moisture barrier. The flexible PLEDs with multilayer encapsulation exhibited no dark spots after being stored for over 300 h at 25 deg. C and 60% relative humidity. Also, the operational half-luminance decay time of device was 1360 h, seven times longer than that of a device without encapsulation. These results confirmed that the multilayer encapsulation, which restricted the moisture that penetrated into the devices, could be applied to the encapsulation of flexible PLEDs.

Self-assembled graphene/azo polyelectrolyte multilayer film and its application in electrochemical energy storage device.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dongrui; Wang, Xiaogong

2011-03-01

Graphene/azo polyelectrolyte multilayer films were fabricated through electrostatic layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly, and their performance as electrochemical capacitor electrode was investigated. Cationic azo polyelectrolyte (QP4VP-co-PCN) was synthesized through radical polymerization, postpolymerization azo coupling reaction, and quaternization. Negatively charged graphene nanosheets were prepared by a chemically modified method. The LbL films were obtained by alternately dipping a piece of the pretreated substrates in the QP4VP-co-PCN and nanosheet solutions. The processes were repeated until the films with required numbers of bilayers were obtained. The self-assembly and multilayer surface morphology were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, AFM, SEM, and TEM. The performance of the LbL films as electrochemical capacitor electrode was estimated using cyclic voltammetry. Results show that the graphene nanosheets are densely packed in the multilayers and form random graphene network. The azo polyelectrolyte cohesively interacts with the nanosheets in the multilayer structure, which prevents agglomeration of graphene nanosheets. The sheet resistance of the LbL films decreases with the increase of the layer numbers and reaches the stationary value of 1.0 × 10(6) Ω/square for the film with 15 bilayers. At a scanning rate of 50 mV/s, the LbL film with 9 bilayers shows a gravimetric specific capacitance of 49 F/g in 1.0 M Na(2)SO(4) solution. The LbL films developed in this work could be a promising type of the electrode materials for electric energy storage devices.

GOLD's coating and testing facilities for ISSIS-WSO

Science.gov (United States)

Larruquert, Juan I.; Méndez, José Antonio; Aznárez, José Antonio; Vidal-Dasilva, Manuela; García-Cortés, Sergio; Rodríguez-de Marcos, Luis; Fernández-Perea, Mónica

2011-09-01

ISSIS imager has been thought as an open purpose instrument within the World Space Observatory (WSO) international space mission. The highest priorities of ISSIS, an instrument to be developed by Spain, are to guarantee high spatial resolution and high sensitivity down to the far ultraviolet (FUV). The paper displays the capacities of GOLD for multilayer deposition and FUV reflectometry, among other metrologies, for ISSIS optical elements. Deposition of coatings for ISSIS-WSO will be carried out in a new UHV system with a 75-cm diameter deposition chamber. The purpose of the new laboratory is the deposition of coatings satisfying the constraints for FUV space optics. The first target coating to be developed in this new laboratory is Al protected with MgF2, with optimum reflectance down to ˜120 nm. GOLD's existing reflectometer is able to characterize flat pieces both by transmittance and reflectance, and the latter from near-normal to grazing incidence, in the range from 12 to 200 nm. Other metrologies that will be available at GOLD for ISSIS's coatings and filters include optical thickness of filters to assure parfocality, filter wedge, and coating and filter scattering.

Antimicrobial coatings on polyethylene terephthalate based on curcumin/cyclodextrin complex embedded in a multilayer polyelectrolyte architecture.

Science.gov (United States)

Shlar, Ilya; Droby, Samir; Rodov, Victor

2018-04-01

Bacterial contamination is a growing concern worldwide. The aim of this work was to develop an antimicrobial coating based on curcumin-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film as a support matrix. After a pre-treatment aimed to provide sufficient electric charge to the PET surface, it was electrostatically coated with repeated multilayers comprising alternately deposited positively-charged poly-l-lysine (PLL) and negatively-charged poly-l-glutamic acid (PLGA) and carboxymethyl-β-cyclodextrin (CMBCD). The coatings had an architecture (PLL-PLGA) 6 -(PLL-PLGA-PLL-CMBCD) n , with the number of repeated multilayers n varying from 5 to 20. The CMBCD molecules were either covalently cross-linked using carbodiimide crosslinker chemistry or left unbound. The surface morphology, structure and elemental composition of the coatings were analysed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. To impart antimicrobial properties to the coatings they were loaded with a natural phenolic compound curcumin forming inclusion complexes with β-cyclodextrin. The non-cross-linked coatings showed bactericidal activity towards Escherichia coli in the dark, and this activity was further enhanced upon illumination with white light. Curcumin was released from the non-cross-linked coatings into an aqueous medium in the form of cyclodextrin inclusion complex. After the cross-linking, the coating lost its dark antimicrobial activity but retained the photodynamic properties. Stabilized cross-linked curcumin-loaded coatings can serve a basis for developing photoactivated antimicrobial surfaces controlling bacterial contamination and spread. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Salt Effects on Surface Structures of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers (PEMs) Investigated by Vibrational Sum Frequency Generation (SFG) Spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Aimin; Matsusaki, Michiya; Qiao, Lin; Akashi, Mitsuru; Ye, Shen

2016-04-26

Sum frequency generation (SFG) vibrational spectroscopy was employed to investigate the surface structures of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) constructed by sequentially alternating adsorption of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS). It was found that the surface structures and surface charge density of the as-deposited PEMs of PDDA/PSS significantly depend on the concentration of sodium chloride (NaCl) present in the polyelectrolyte solutions. Furthermore, it was found that the surface structure of the as-deposited PEMs is in a metastable state and will reach the equilibrium state by diffusion of the polyelectrolyte chain after an aging process, resulting in a polyelectrolyte mixture on the PEM surfaces.

Nanostructured natural-based polyelectrolyte multilayers to agglomerate chitosan particles into scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Miranda, Emanuel Sá; Silva, Tiago H; Reis, Rui L; Mano, João F

2011-11-01

The layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition technique is a self-assembly process that allows the coating of material's surface with nanostructured layers of polyelectrolytes, allowing to control several surface properties. This technique presents some advantages when compared with other thin film assembly techniques, like having the possibility to coat surfaces with complex geometries in mild conditions or to incorporate active compounds. Tissue engineering (TE) involves typically the use of porous biodegradable scaffolds for the temporary support of cells. Such structures can be produced by agglomeration of microspheres that needs to be fixed into a three-dimensional (3D) structure. In this work we suggest the use of LbL to promote such mechanical fixation in free-formed microspheres assemblies and simultaneously to control the properties of its surface. For the proof of concept the biological performance of chitosan/alginate multilayers is first investigated in two-dimensional (2D) models in which the attachment and proliferation of L929 and ATDC5 cells are studied in function of the number of layers and the nature of the final layer. Scaffolds prepared by agglomeration of chitosan particles using the same multilayered system were processed and characterized; it was found that they could support the attachment and proliferation of ATDC5 cells. This study suggests that LbL can be used as a versatile methodology to prepare scaffolds by particle agglomeration that could be suitable for TE applications.

Fibrillar films obtained from sodium soap fibers and polyelectrolyte multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zawko, Scott A; Schmidt, Christine E

2011-08-01

An objective of tissue engineering is to create synthetic polymer scaffolds with a fibrillar microstructure similar to the extracellular matrix. Here, we present a novel method for creating polymer fibers using the layer-by-layer method and sacrificial templates composed of sodium soap fibers. Soap fibers were prepared from neutralized fatty acids using a sodium chloride crystal dissolution method. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) of polystyrene sulfonate and polyallylamine hydrochloride were deposited onto the soap fibers, crosslinked with glutaraldehyde, and then the soap fibers were leached with warm water and ethanol. The morphology of the resulting PEM structures was a dense network of fibers surrounded by a nonfibrillar matrix. Microscopy revealed that the PEM fibers were solid structures, presumably composed of polyelectrolytes complexed with residual fatty acids. These fibrillar PEM films were found to support the attachment of human dermal fibroblasts. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Method for Suppression of Active Metal Leaching during the Direct Synthesis of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} by Using Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Young-Min [Kunsan National University, Kunsan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-04-15

In this study, two types of catalysts were prepared via conventional metal supporting method and encapsulation of metal nanoparticles in the polyelectrolyte multilayers constructed on support. The resulting catalysts were applied to the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, and the effect of catalyst preparation method on the catalyst life as well as hydrogen peroxide productivity was investigated. The catalytic activity was strongly dependent upon the acid strength of support regardless of the catalyst preparation methods and HBEA (SAR=25) with strong acidity was superior to other supports to promote the reaction. In the case of metal supported catalyst, while hydrogen peroxide productivity was higher than that of polyelectrolyte multilayered counterpart, the reaction performance was sharply decreased during catalyst recycling due to the metal leaching. On the other hand, construction of polyelectrolyte multilayers on support weakened the influence of acid support on the reaction medium and therefore resulted in the decrease of catalytic activity and the increase of hydrogen peroxide decomposition as well. It is noted, however, that the catalytic activity was maintained after 5 recycles, which suggests that the introduction of polyelectrolyte multilayers on the support is very effective to suppress the unfavorable metal leaching phenomenon during a reaction.

Spectroscopic properties of triangular silver nanoplates immobilized on polyelectrolyte multilayer-modified glass substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Rabor, Janice B.; Kawamura, Koki; Muko, Daiki; Kurawaki, Junichi; Niidome, Yasuro

2017-07-01

Fabrication of surface-immobilized silver nanostructures with reproducible plasmonic properties by dip-coating technique is difficult due to shape alteration. To address this challenge, we used a polyelectrolyte multilayer to promote immobilization of as-received triangular silver nanoplates (TSNP) on a glass substrate through electrostatic interaction. The substrate-immobilized TSNP were characterized by absorption spectrophotometry and scanning electron microscopy. The bandwidth and peak position of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands can be tuned by simply varying the concentration of the colloidal solution and immersion time. TSNP immobilized from a higher concentration of colloidal solution with longer immersion time produced broadened LSPR bands in the near-IR region, while a lower concentration with shorter immersion time produced narrower bands in the visible region. The shape of the nanoplates was retained even at long immersion time. Analysis of peak positions and bandwidths also revealed the point at which the main species of the immobilization had been changed from isolates to aggregates.

Formation and dielectric properties of polyelectrolyte multilayers studied by a silicon-on-insulator based thin film resistor.

Science.gov (United States)

Neff, Petra A; Wunderlich, Bernhard K; Klitzing, Regine V; Bausch, Andreas R

2007-03-27

The formation of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) is investigated using a silicon-on-insulator based thin film resistor which is sensitive to variations of the surface potential. The buildup of the PEMs at the silicon oxide surface of the device can be observed in real time as defined potential shifts. The influence of polymer charge density is studied using the strong polyanion poly(styrene sulfonate), PSS, combined with the statistical copolymer poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride-stat-N-methyl-N-vinylacetamide), P(DADMAC-stat-NMVA), at various degrees of charge (DC). The multilayer formation stops after a few deposition steps for a DC below 75%. We show that the threshold of surface charge compensation corresponds to the threshold of multilayer formation. However, no reversion of the preceding surface charge was observed. Screening of polyelectrolyte charges by mobile ions within the polymer film leads to a decrease of the potential shifts with the number of layers deposited. This decrease is much slower for PEMs consisting of P(DADMAC-stat-NMVA) and PSS as compared to PEMs consisting of poly(allylamine-hydrochloride), PAH, and PSS. From this, significant differences in the dielectric constants of the polyelectrolyte films and in the concentration of mobile ions within the films can be derived.

Fabrication of surfaces with extremely high contact angle hysteresis from polyelectrolyte multilayer.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Liming; Wei, Jingjing; Su, Zhaohui

2011-12-20

High contact angle hysteresis on polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) ion-paired with hydrophobic perfluorooctanoate anions is reported. Both the bilayer number of PEMs and the ionic strength of deposition solutions have significant influence on contact angle hysteresis: higher ionic strength and greater bilayer number cause increased contact angle hysteresis values. The hysteresis values of ~100° were observed on smooth PEMs and pinning of the receding contact line on hydrophilic defects is implicated as the cause of hysteresis. Surface roughness can be used to further tune the contact angle hysteresis on the PEMs. A surface with extremely high contact angle hysteresis of 156° was fabricated when a PEM was deposited on a rough substrate coated with submicrometer scale silica spheres. It was demonstrated that this extremely high value of contact angle hysteresis resulted from the penetration of water into the rough asperities on the substrate. The same substrate hydrophobized by chemical vapor deposition of 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane exhibits high advancing contact angle and low hysteresis. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Gold-coated iron nanoparticles in transparent Si3N4 matrix thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez-Marcos, J.; Céspedes, E.; Jiménez-Villacorta, F.; Muñoz-Martín, A.; Prieto, C.

2013-06-01

A new method to prepare thin films containing gold-coated iron nanoparticles is presented. The ternary Fe-Au-Si3N4 system prepared by sequential sputtering has revealed a progressive variation of microstructures from Au/Fe/Au/Si3N4 multilayers to iron nanoparticles. Microstructural characterization by transmission electron microscopy, analysis of the magnetic properties and probing of the iron short-range order by X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirm the existence of a gold-coated iron nanoparticles of 1-2 nm typical size for a specific range of iron and gold contents per layer in the transparent silicon nitride ceramic matrix.

Surface analysis monitoring of polyelectrolyte deposition on Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morales-Cruz, Angel L.; Fachini, Estevao R.; Miranda, Felix A.; Cabrera, Carlos R.

2007-01-01

Thin films are currently gaining interest in many areas such as integrated optics, sensors, friction, reducing coatings, surface orientation layers, and general industrial applications. Recently, molecular self-assembling techniques have been applied for thin film deposition of electrically conducting polymers, conjugated polymers for light-emitting devices, nanoparticles, and noncentrosymmetric-ordered second order nonlinear optical (NOL) devices. Polyelectrolytes self-assemblies have been used to prepare thin films. The alternate immersion of a charged surface in polyannion and a polycation solution leads usually to the formation of films known as polyelectrolyte multilayers. These polyanion and polycation structures are not neutral. However, charge compensation appears on the surface. This constitutes the building driving force of the polyelectrolyte multilayer films. The present approach consists of two parts: (a) the chemisorption of 11-mercaptoundecylamine (MUA) to construct a self-assembled monolayer with the consequent protonation of the amine, and (b) the deposition of opposite charged polyelectrolytes in a sandwich fashion. The approach has the advantage that ionic attraction between opposite charges is the driving force for the multilayer buildup. For our purposes, the multilayer of polyelectrolytes depends on the quality of the surface needed for the application. In many cases, this approach will be used in a way that the roughness factor defects will be diminished. The polyelectrolytes selected for the study were: polystyrene sulfonate sodium salt (PSS), poly vinylsulfate potassium salt (PVS), and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH), as shown in . The deposition of polyelectrolytes was carried out by a dipping procedure with the corresponding polyelectrolyte. Monitoring of the alternate deposition of polyelectrolyte bilayers was done by surface analysis techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), specular reflectance infrared (IR), and

Design of polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes for ion rejection and wastewater effluent treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Sanyal, Oishi

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) membranes present a special class of nanostructured membranes which have potential applications in a variety of water treatment operations. These membranes are fabricated by the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of alternately charged polyelectrolytes on commercial membrane surfaces. A large variety of polyelectrolytes and their varied deposition conditions (pH, number of bilayers etc.) allow very fine tuning of the membrane performance in terms of permeability and rejection. The first part of this thesis is about the application of PEM membranes to the removal of perchlorate ion from water. Being a monovalent ion, it is most effectively removed by a reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. However, these membranes inherently have very low fluxes which lead to high pressure requirements. In our work, we modified the surface of a nanofiltration (NF) membrane by the LbL assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The appropriate tuning of the LbL conditions led to the development of a membrane with significantly higher flux than RO membranes but with equivalent perchlorate rejection. This was one of the best trade-offs offered by PEM membranes for monovalent ion rejection as has been reported in literature so far. While PEM membranes have mostly shown great potential in ion-rejection studies, they have seldom been tested for real wastewater effluents. The second part of this thesis, therefore, deals with evaluating the applicability of PEM membranes to treating an electrocoagulation (EC)-treated high strength wastewater. Two types of very commonly used polyelectrolyte combinations were tried out -- one of which was an ionically crosslinked system and the other one was covalently crosslinked. Both the types of PEM membranes showed a high level of COD reduction from the feed stream with higher fluxes than commercial RO membranes. One major challenge in using membranes for wastewater treatment is their fouling propensity. Like many other

Figure correction of multilayer coated optics

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman; Henry N. , Taylor; John S.

2010-02-16

A process is provided for producing near-perfect optical surfaces, for EUV and soft-x-ray optics. The method involves polishing or otherwise figuring the multilayer coating that has been deposited on an optical substrate, in order to correct for errors in the figure of the substrate and coating. A method such as ion-beam milling is used to remove material from the multilayer coating by an amount that varies in a specified way across the substrate. The phase of the EUV light that is reflected from the multilayer will be affected by the amount of multilayer material removed, but this effect will be reduced by a factor of 1-n as compared with height variations of the substrate, where n is the average refractive index of the multilayer.

Preparation and analysis of multilayer composites based on polyelectrolyte complexes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petrova, V. A. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Macromolecular Compounds (Russian Federation); Orekhov, A. S. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Federal Scientific Research Centre “Crystallography and Photonics” (Russian Federation); Chernyakov, D. D. [St. Petersburg State Chemical Pharmaceutical Academy (Russian Federation); Baklagina, Yu. G. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Macromolecular Compounds (Russian Federation); Romanov, D. P. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Grebenshchikov Institute of Silicate Chemistry (Russian Federation); Kononova, S. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Macromolecular Compounds (Russian Federation); Volod’ko, A. V.; Ermak, I. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Elyakov Pacific Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Branch (Russian Federation); Klechkovskaya, V. V., E-mail: klechvv@ns.crys.ras.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography, Federal Scientific Research Centre “Crystallography and Photonics” (Russian Federation); Skorik, Yu. A., E-mail: yury-skorik@mail.ru [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Macromolecular Compounds (Russian Federation)

2016-11-15

A method for preparing multilayer film composites based on chitosan has been developed by the example of polymer pairs: chitosan–hyaluronic acid, chitosan–alginic acid, and chitosan–carrageenan. The structure of the composite films is characterized by X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. It is shown that the deposition of a solution of hyaluronic acid, alginic acid, or carrageenan on a chitosan gel film leads to the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex layer at the interface, which is accompanied by the ordering of chitosan chains in the surface region; the microstructure of this layer depends on the nature of contacting polymer pairs.

Functional polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes for water purification applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tripathi, Bijay P.; Dubey, Nidhi C.; Stamm, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► LBL film on the surface and in to the pores was prepared via flow through method. ► The membranes showed high rejection of Congo Red with sufficiently high flux. ► High antifouling ability in terms of both organic and bio fouling was observed. -- Abstract: A diverse set of supported multilayer assemblies with controllable surface charge, hydrophilicity, and permeability to water and solute was fabricated by pressure driven permeation of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) solution through poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched membranes. The polyelectrolyte multilayer fabrication was confirmed by means of FTIR, SEM, AFM, ellipsometry, zetapotential, and contact angle characterization. The prepared membranes were characterized in terms of their pure water permeability, flux recovery, and resistance to organic and biofouling properties. The antifouling behavior of the membranes was assessed in terms of protein adsorption and antibacterial behavior. Finally, the membranes were tested for rejection of selected water soluble dyes to establish their usefulness for organic contaminant removal from water. The membranes were highly selective and capable of nearly complete rejection of congo red with sufficiently high fluxes. The feasibility of regenerating the prepared membranes fouled by protein was also demonstrated and good flux recovery was obtained. In summary, the multilayer approach to surface and pore modification was shown to enable the design of membranes with the unique combination of desirable separation characteristics, regenerability of the separation layer, and antifouling behavior

Functional polyelectrolyte multilayer membranes for water purification applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tripathi, Bijay P., E-mail: bijayptripathi@yahoo.com [Department of Nanostructured Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Hohe Str. 6, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Dubey, Nidhi C. [Department of Nanostructured Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Hohe Str. 6, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Chemistry, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Stamm, M., E-mail: stamm@ipfdd.de [Department of Nanostructured Materials, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Hohe Str. 6, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Technische Universität Dresden, Department of Chemistry, 01069 Dresden (Germany)

2013-05-15

Highlights: ► LBL film on the surface and in to the pores was prepared via flow through method. ► The membranes showed high rejection of Congo Red with sufficiently high flux. ► High antifouling ability in terms of both organic and bio fouling was observed. -- Abstract: A diverse set of supported multilayer assemblies with controllable surface charge, hydrophilicity, and permeability to water and solute was fabricated by pressure driven permeation of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) solution through poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) track-etched membranes. The polyelectrolyte multilayer fabrication was confirmed by means of FTIR, SEM, AFM, ellipsometry, zetapotential, and contact angle characterization. The prepared membranes were characterized in terms of their pure water permeability, flux recovery, and resistance to organic and biofouling properties. The antifouling behavior of the membranes was assessed in terms of protein adsorption and antibacterial behavior. Finally, the membranes were tested for rejection of selected water soluble dyes to establish their usefulness for organic contaminant removal from water. The membranes were highly selective and capable of nearly complete rejection of congo red with sufficiently high fluxes. The feasibility of regenerating the prepared membranes fouled by protein was also demonstrated and good flux recovery was obtained. In summary, the multilayer approach to surface and pore modification was shown to enable the design of membranes with the unique combination of desirable separation characteristics, regenerability of the separation layer, and antifouling behavior.

Ordering of Polystyrene Nanoparticles on Substrates Pre-Coated with Different Polyelectrolyte Architectures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matthias Karg

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Adjusting the inter-particle distances in ordered nanoparticle arrays can create new nano-devices and is of increasing importance to a number of applications such as nanoelectronics and optical devices. The assembly of negatively charged polystyrene (PS nanoparticles (NPs on Poly(2-(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA brushes, quaternized PDMAEMA brushes and Si/PEI/(PSS/PAH2, was studied using dip- and spin-coating techniques. By dip-coating, two dimensional (2-D, randomly distributed non-close packed particle arrays were assembled on Si/PEI/(PSS/PAH2 and PDMAEMA brushes. The inter-particle repulsion leads to lateral mobility of the particles on these surfaces. The 200 nm diameter PS NPs tended to an inter-particle distance of 350 to 400 nm (center to center. On quaternized PDMAEMA brushes, the strong attractive interaction between the NPs and the brush dominated, leading to clustering of the particles on the brush surface. Particle deposition using spin-coating at low spin rates resulted in hexagonal close-packed multilayer structures on Si/PEI/(PSS/PAH2. Close-packed assemblies with more pronounced defects are also observed on PDMAEMA brushes and QPDMAEMA brushes. In contrast, randomly distributed monolayer NP arrays were achieved at higher spin rates on all polyelectrolyte architectures. The area fraction of the particles decreased with increasing spin rate.

Healable, Transparent, Room-Temperature Electronic Sensors Based on Carbon Nanotube Network-Coated Polyelectrolyte Multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Shouli; Sun, Chaozheng; Yan, Hong; Sun, Xiaoming; Zhang, Han; Luo, Liang; Lei, Xiaodong; Wan, Pengbo; Chen, Xiaodong

2015-11-18

Transparent and conductive film based electronics have attracted substantial research interest in various wearable and integrated display devices in recent years. The breakdown of transparent electronics prompts the development of transparent electronics integrated with healability. A healable transparent chemical gas sensor device is assembled from layer-by-layer-assembled transparent healable polyelectrolyte multilayer films by developing effective methods to cast transparent carbon nanotube (CNT) networks on healable substrates. The healable CNT network-containing film with transparency and superior network structures on self-healing substrate is obtained by the lateral movement of the underlying self-healing layer to bring the separated areas of the CNT layer back into contact. The as-prepared healable transparent film is assembled into healable transparent chemical gas sensor device for flexible, healable gas sensing at room temperature, due to the 1D confined network structure, relatively high carrier mobility, and large surface-to-volume ratio. The healable transparent chemical gas sensor demonstrates excellent sensing performance, robust healability, reliable flexibility, and good transparency, providing promising opportunities for developing flexible, healable transparent optoelectronic devices with the reduced raw material consumption, decreased maintenance costs, improved lifetime, and robust functional reliability. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Polyelectrolyte functionalized gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide nanohybrid for electrochemical determination of aminophenol isomers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xinchun; Zhong, Anni; Wei, Shanshan; Luo, Xiaoli; Liang, Yanjin; Zhu, Qiao

2015-01-01

A green chemical method for preparation of gold nanoparticles-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite is described. This can be readily accomplished through a two-step chemical reduction scheme by using poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride), a cationic polyelectrolyte as a common reducer. Polyelectrolyte here also serves to stabilize gold nanoparticles and is beneficial to electrical communication, leading to the formation of well-characteristic nanohybrid. The prepared nanomaterial showed remarkable electrocatalytic ability as a result of the rational conjunction of graphene and gold nanoparticles, which was demonstrated by direct electrochemical determination of three aminophenol isomers on a modified glassy carbon electrode. Effective peak separation of three isomers was achieved due to the favorable electron-transfer network perfectly assembled on the electrode surface, thus enabling the simultaneous assay of multiple components featuring analogous chemical structure without chromatographic separation. The modified electrode was further used to detect para-aminophenol in paracetamol tablets. The present method is simple, eco-friendly and holds potential for electroanalytical and biosensing applications

Gold-coated iron nanoparticles in transparent Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} matrix thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sanchez-Marcos, J. [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (Spain); Cespedes, E. [Keele University, Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine, Guy Hilton Research Centre (United Kingdom); Jimenez-Villacorta, F. [Northeastern University, Department of Chemical Engineering (United States); Munoz-Martin, A. [Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Centro de Microanalisis de Materiales (Spain); Prieto, C., E-mail: cprieto@icmm.csic.es [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (Spain)

2013-06-15

A new method to prepare thin films containing gold-coated iron nanoparticles is presented. The ternary Fe-Au-Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} system prepared by sequential sputtering has revealed a progressive variation of microstructures from Au/Fe/Au/Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} multilayers to iron nanoparticles. Microstructural characterization by transmission electron microscopy, analysis of the magnetic properties and probing of the iron short-range order by X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirm the existence of a gold-coated iron nanoparticles of 1-2 nm typical size for a specific range of iron and gold contents per layer in the transparent silicon nitride ceramic matrix.

Small angle neutron scattering study of polyelectrolyte brushes grafted to well-defined gold nanoparticle interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Haidong; Grillo, Isabelle; Titmuss, Simon

2010-05-18

Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been used to study the conformations, and response to added salt, of a polyelectrolyte layer grafted to the interfaces of well-defined gold nanoparticles. The polyelectrolyte layer is prepared at a constant coverage by grafting thiol-functionalized polystyrene (M(w) = 53k) to gold nanoparticles of well-defined interfacial curvature (R(c) = 26.5 nm) followed by a soft-sulfonation of 38% of the segments to sodium polystyrene sulfonate (NaPSS). The SANS profiles can be fit by Fermi-Dirac distributions that are consistent with a Gaussian distribution but are better described by a parabolic distribution plus an exponential tail, particularly in the high salt regime. These distributions are consistent with the predictions and measurements for osmotic and salted brushes at interfaces of low curvature. When the concentration of added salt exceeds the concentration of counterions inside the brush, there is a salt-induced deswelling, but even at the highest salt concentration the brush remains significantly swollen due to a short-ranged excluded volume interaction. This is responsible for the observed resistance to aggregation of these comparatively high concentration polyelectrolyte stabilized gold nanoparticle dispersions even in the presence of a high concentration of added salt.

Cellular immobilization within microfluidic microenvironments: dielectrophoresis with polyelectrolyte multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Forry, Samuel P; Reyes, Darwin R; Gaitan, Michael; Locascio, Laurie E

2006-10-25

The development of biomimetic microenvironments will improve cell culture techniques by enabling in vitro cell cultures that mimic in vivo behavior; however, experimental control over attachment, cellular position, or intercellular distances within such microenvironments remains challenging. We report here the rapid and controllable immobilization of suspended mammalian cells within microfabricated environments using a combination of electronic (dielectrophoresis, DEP) and chemical (polyelectrolyte multilayers, PEMS) forces. While cellular position within the microsystem is rapidly patterned via intermittent DEP trapping, persistent adhesion after removal of electronic forces is enabled by surface treatment with PEMS that are amenable to cellular attachment. In contrast to DEP trapping alone, persistent adhesion enables the soluble microenvironment to be systematically varied, facilitating the use of soluble probes of cell state and enabling cellular characterization in response to various soluble stimuli.

Wolter type I x-ray focusing mirror using multilayer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chon, Kwon Su; Namba, Yoshiharu; Yoon, Kwon-Ha

2006-01-01

A multilayer coating is a useful addition to a mirror in the x-ray region and has been applied to normal incidence mirrors used with soft x rays. When a multilayer coating is used on grazing incidence optics, higher performance can be achieved than without it.Cr/Sc multilayers coated on a Wolter type I mirror substrate for a soft x-ray microscope are considered. The reflectivity and effective solid angle are calculated for Wolter type I mirrors with uniform and laterally graded multilayer coatings. The laterally graded multilayer mirror showed superior x-ray performance, and the multilayer tolerances were relaxed. This multilayer mirror could be especially useful in the soft x-ray microscope intended for biological applications

Construction of multilayers of bare and Pd modified gold nanoclusters and their electrocatalytic properties for oxygen reduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Motoko Harada, Hidenori Noguchi, Nikolas Zanetakis, Satoru Takakusagi, Wenbo Song and Kohei Uosaki

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Multilayers of gold nanoclusters (GNCs coated with a thin Pd layer were constructed using GNCs modified with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs of mercaptoundecanoic acid and a polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH multilayer assembly, which has been reported to act as a three-dimensional electrode. SAMs were removed from GNCs by electrochemical anodic decomposition and then a small amount of Pd was electrochemically deposited on the GNCs. The kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR on the Pd modified GNC/PAH multilayer assembly was studied using a rotating disk electrode, and a significant increase in the ORR rate was observed after Pd deposition. Electrocatalytic activities in alkaline and acidic solutions were compared both for the GNC multilayer electrode and Pd modified GNC electrode.

Multilayer composition coatings for cutting tools: formation and performance properties

Science.gov (United States)

Tabakov, Vladimir P.; Vereschaka, Anatoly S.; Vereschaka, Alexey A.

2018-03-01

The paper considers the concept of a multi-layer architecture of the coating in which each layer has a predetermined functionality. Latest generation of coatings with multi-layered architecture for cutting tools secure a dual nature of the coating, in which coatings should not only improve the mechanical and physical characteristics of the cutting tool material, but also reduce the thermo-mechanical effect on the cutting tool determining wear intensity. Here are presented the results of the development of combined methods of forming multi-layer coatings with improved properties. Combined method of forming coatings using a pulsed laser allowed reducing excessively high levels of compressive residual stress and increasing micro hardness of the multilayered coatings. The results in testing coated HSS tools showed that the use of additional pulse of laser processing increases tool life up to 3 times. Using filtered cathodic vacuum arc deposition for the generation of multilayer coatings based on TiAlN compound has increased the wear-resistance of carbide tools by 2 fold compared with tool life of cutting tool with commercial TiN coatings. The aim of this study was to develop an innovative methodological approach to the deposition of multilayer coatings for cutting tools with functional architectural selection, properties and parameters of the coating based on sound knowledge of coating failure in machining process.

Uniformity of the soft-x-ray emissions from gold foils irradiated by OMEGA laser beams determined by a two-mirror normal-incidence microscope with multilayer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seely, John F.; Boehly, Thomas; Pien, Gregory; Bradley, David

1998-01-01

A two-mirror normal-incidence microscope with multilayer coatings was used to image the soft-x-ray emissions from planar foils irradiated by OMEGA laser beams. The bandpass of the multilayer coatings was centered at a wavelength of 48.3 Angstrom (257-eV energy) and was 0.5 Angstrom wide. Five overlapping OMEGA beams, without beam smoothing, were typically incident on the gold foils. The total energy was 1500 J, and the focused intensity was 6x10 13 Wcm -2 . The 5.8x magnified images were recorded by a gated framing camera at various times during the 3-ns laser pulse. A pinhole camera imaged the x-ray emission in the energy range of >2 keV. On a spatial scale of 10 μm, it was found that the soft-x-ray images at 257 eV were quite uniform and featureless. In contrast, the hard-x-ray images in the energy range of >2 kev were highly nonuniform with numerous features of size 150 μm. copyright 1998 Optical Society of America

The influence of polyanion molecular weight on polyelectrolyte multilayers at surfaces: elasticity and susceptibility to saloplasticity of strongly dissociated synthetic polymers at fluid-fluid interfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Cramer, Ashley D; Dong, Wen-Fei; Benbow, Natalie L; Webber, Jessie L; Krasowska, Marta; Beattie, David A; Ferri, James K

2017-09-13

We studied the interfacial mechanical properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer assemblies of poly(diallylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(4-styrenesulfonate)sodium salt (PSS) at the air-water interface using axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) during hydrostatic inflation as a function of aqueous salt concentration and two different polyanion molecular weights (M w ∼ 13 and 70 kDa). Surface elastic moduli (G s ) ranged from 50 to 300 mN m -1 . Using the measured film thickness, the bulk moduli (G) ranged from 10 to 90 MPa consistent with elastomeric solids. This solid-like interface was evidenced by a systematic departure of the inflated shape from the Young-Laplace equation, which assumes a liquid-like interface. Surface elastic moduli increased and bulk elastic moduli decreased with increasing nanomembrane transverse dimension, and multilayers with the lower molecular weight anion were more transversely compact than those of higher molecular weight and displayed a larger elastic modulus. The bulk moduli of both types of multilayer assemblies asymptotically approach a constant value for films with more than two bilayers of polyelectrolyte, consistent with the observed transition from a 'glassy' to 'rubbery' state. Both types of multilayer assemblies displayed plasticization with increasing sodium chloride concentration in the adjoining aqueous phase, i.e. saloplasticity, and exhibited a transition from elastic to plastic response to deformation. The restored mobility of the polyelectrolyte resulting from the shift from intrinsic to extrinsic charge complexation, restores fluidity to the interface and is evidenced by experimental observation of a liquid-like interface when loaded. The higher molecular weight polyanion multilayers plasticized at lower salt concentrations suggesting that the lower melting point of the higher molecular weight polyanion assembly is attributable to a lesser extent of electrostatic cross-linking underscoring the unconventional

Design, development and characterization of multi-functionalized gold nanoparticles for biodetection and targeted boron delivery in BNCT applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandal, Subhra [Department of Tumor Immunology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre (Netherlands); Bakeine, Gerald J., E-mail: Jamesbakeine1@yahoo.com [Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics-Section of Clinical Toxicology, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 10, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Krol, Silke [Institute of Neurology, Fondazione IRCCS Carlo Besta, Milan (Italy); Ferrari, Cinzia; Clerici, Anna M.; Zonta, Cecilia; Cansolino, Laura [Department of Surgery, Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, University of Pavia (Italy); Ballarini, Francesca [Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia (Italy); Bortolussi, Silva [Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia (Italy)] [National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pavia (Italy); Stella, Subrina; Protti, Nicoletta [Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia (Italy); Bruschi, Piero [National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pavia (Italy); Altieri, Saverio [Department of Nuclear and Theoretical Physics, University of Pavia (Italy)] [National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), Section of Pavia (Italy)

2011-12-15

The aim of this study is to optimize targeted boron delivery to cancer cells and its tracking down to the cellular level. To this end, we describe the design and synthesis of novel nanovectors that double as targeted boron delivery agents and fluorescent imaging probes. Gold nanoparticles were coated with multilayers of polyelectrolytes functionalized with the fluorescent dye (FITC), boronophenylalanine and folic acid. In vitro confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated significant uptake of the nanoparticles in cancer cells that are known to overexpress folate receptors. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesis of multi-labeled gold nanoparticles for selective boron delivery to tumor cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tumor selectivity is achieved through folic acid receptor targeting. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Optical fluorescent microscopy allows tracking of cellular uptake of the gold nanoparticle. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer In vitro tests demonstrate selective nanoparticle up in folate receptor positive tumor cells.

Adaptive growth factor delivery from a polyelectrolyte coating promotes synergistic bone tissue repair and reconstruction

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Nisarg J.; Hyder, Md. Nasim; Quadir, Mohiuddin A.; Dorval Courchesne, Noémie-Manuelle; Seeherman, Howard J.; Nevins, Myron; Spector, Myron; Hammond, Paula T.

2014-01-01

Traumatic wounds and congenital defects that require large-scale bone tissue repair have few successful clinical therapies, particularly for craniomaxillofacial defects. Although bioactive materials have demonstrated alternative approaches to tissue repair, an optimized materials system for reproducible, safe, and targeted repair remains elusive. We hypothesized that controlled, rapid bone formation in large, critical-size defects could be induced by simultaneously delivering multiple biological growth factors to the site of the wound. Here, we report an approach for bone repair using a polyelectrolye multilayer coating carrying as little as 200 ng of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and platelet-derived growth factor-BB that were eluted over readily adapted time scales to induce rapid bone repair. Based on electrostatic interactions between the polymer multilayers and growth factors alone, we sustained mitogenic and osteogenic signals with these growth factors in an easily tunable and controlled manner to direct endogenous cell function. To prove the role of this adaptive release system, we applied the polyelectrolyte coating on a well-studied biodegradable poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) support membrane. The released growth factors directed cellular processes to induce bone repair in a critical-size rat calvaria model. The released growth factors promoted local bone formation that bridged a critical-size defect in the calvaria as early as 2 wk after implantation. Mature, mechanically competent bone regenerated the native calvaria form. Such an approach could be clinically useful and has significant benefits as a synthetic, off-the-shelf, cell-free option for bone tissue repair and restoration. PMID:25136093

Lamellar multilayer hexadecylaniline-modified gold nanoparticle ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

standard Wilhelmy plate was used for surface pressure sensing. Multilayer ... carried out on a JEOL model 1200EX instrument operated at an accelerating voltage of ... the gold nanoparticles within domains (and reorganization of the domains ...

Using nanosphere lithography for fabrication of a multilayered system of ordered gold nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V.I. Styopkin

2017-07-01

Full Text Available New modification of nanosphere lithography has been realized to obtain multilayered systems of ordered gold nanopartciles (NP. NP have been formed using vacuum deposition of 5…60-nm layer of gold on ionic etched multilayered regular coating consisted of several layers of 200-nm polystyrene spheres. Optical study shows that spectra of NP depend on their thickness and may be changed by heat treatment. Increasing the NP thickness within the 5…20-nm range leads to a shortwave displacement of the plasmon resonance peak position, while the longwave shift is observed in 20…60-nm range. Heat treatment of NP brings narrowing and displacement of spectral bands, rising the extinction. It has been supposed that variation of the NP shape is the most substantial factor for changes of optical properties in the 5…20 nm thickness region, while electromagnetic coupling between NP in different layers becomes more important for thicknesses larger than 40 nm. Optical properties inherent to the obtained system of NP can be tuned by changing the polystyrene spheres diameter, extent of etching, thickness of gold layer and with the heat treatment. It may be used in design of nanophotonic devices.

Preparation and characterization of layer-by-layer self-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayer films doped with surface-capped SiO2 nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Guangbin; Ma, Hongxia; Yu, Laigui; Zhang, Pingyu

2009-05-15

SiO(2) nanoparticles capped with gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane were doped into polyelectrolyte (poly(allylamine hydrochloride), PAH, and poly(acrylic acid), PAA) multilayer films via spin-assisted layer-by-layer self-assembly. The resulting as-prepared multilayer films were heated at a proper temperature to generate cross-linked composite films with increased adhesion to substrates. The tribological behavior of the multilayer films was evaluated on a microtribometer. It was found that SiO(2)-doped composite films had better wear resistance than pure polyelectrolyte multilayers, possibly because doped SiO(2) nanoparticles were capable of enhancing load-carrying capacity and had "miniature ball bearings" effect. Moreover, heat-treatment had significant effect on the morphology of the composite films. Namely, heat-treated (SiO(2)/PAA)(9) film had a larger roughness than the as-prepared one, due to heat-treatment-induced agglomeration of SiO(2) nanoparticles and initiation of defects. However, heat-treated (PAH/PAA)(3)/(SiO(2)/PAA)(3)(PAH/PAA)(3) film had greatly reduced roughness than the as-prepared one, and it showed considerably improved wear resistance as well. This could be closely related to the "sandwich-like" structure of the composite multilayer film. Namely, the outermost strata of composite multilayer film were able to eliminate defects associated with the middle strata, allowing nanoparticles therein to maintain strength and robustness while keeping soft and fluid-like exposed surface. And the inner strata were well anchored to substrate and acted as an initial "bed" for SiO(2) nanoparticles to be inhabited, resulting in good antiwear ability.

Utilizing ultrathin DNA/poly-lysine multilayer films to create liquid/liquid interfaces: spectroscopic characterization, interfacial reactions and nanoparticle adsorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Hye Jin; Wark, Alastair W; Corn, Robert M [Department of Chemistry, University of California-Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States)

2007-09-19

Alternating electrostatic multilayer adsorption of poly-L-lysine (pLys) and DNA is used to create well-defined biopolymer multilayers for use as an ultrathin aqueous phase in liquid-liquid interfacial measurements. The molecular structure and thickness of the polyelectrolyte multilayers are determined using a combination of polarization modulation FT-IR reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PM-FTIRRAS) and FT-surface plasmon resonance (FT-SPR) thickness measurements. Electroactive species such as ferri/ferrocyanide ions can be incorporated into the DNA/pLys polyelectrolyte multilayers. The ion transport activity of these electroactive films when in contact with 1,2-dichoroethane is verified by electrochemical measurements. Micron-sized patterns of these multilayers are created by either photopatterning, vapour-deposited spot patterning or microfluidic stencil processing, and are used in conjunction with fluorescence and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI) to monitor (i) the intercalation of dye molecules into DNA/pLys ultrathin films, (ii) the electrostatic adsorption of gold nanoparticles onto DNA/pLys multilayers and (iii) the spatially controlled incorporation and reaction of enzymes into patterned biopolymer multilayers.

Engineering polyelectrolyte multilayer structure at the nanometer length scale by tuning polymer solution conformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Boddohi, Soheil; Killingsworth, Christopher; Kipper, Matt

2008-03-01

Chitosan (a weak polycation) and heparin (a strong polyanion) are used to make polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM). PEM thickness and composition are determined as a function of solution pH (4.6 to 5.8) and ionic strength (0.1 to 0.5 M). Over this range, increasing pH increases the PEM thickness; however, the sensitivity to changes in pH is a strong function of ionic strength. The PEM thickness data are correlated to the polymer conformation in solution. Polyelectrolyte conformation in solution is characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). The highest sensitivity of PEM structure to pH is obtained at intermediate ionic strength. Different interactions govern the conformation and adsorption phenomena at low and high ionic strength, leading to reduced sensitivity to solution pH at extreme ionic strengths. The correspondence between PEM thickness and polymer solution conformation offers opportunities to tune polymer thin film structure at the nanometer length scale by controlling simple, reproducible processing conditions.

Cell surface engineering with polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, John T; Cui, Wanxing; Kozlovskaya, Veronika; Kharlampieva, Eugenia; Pan, Di; Qu, Zheng; Krishnamurthy, Venkata R; Mets, Joseph; Kumar, Vivek; Wen, Jing; Song, Yuhua; Tsukruk, Vladimir V; Chaikof, Elliot L

2011-05-11

Layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films represents a bottom-up approach for re-engineering the molecular landscape of cell surfaces with spatially continuous and molecularly uniform ultrathin films. However, fabricating PEMs on viable cells has proven challenging owing to the high cytotoxicity of polycations. Here, we report the rational engineering of a new class of PEMs with modular biological functionality and tunable physicochemical properties which have been engineered to abrogate cytotoxicity. Specifically, we have discovered a subset of cationic copolymers that undergoes a conformational change, which mitigates membrane disruption and facilitates the deposition of PEMs on cell surfaces that are tailorable in composition, reactivity, thickness, and mechanical properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate the first successful in vivo application of PEM-engineered cells, which maintained viability and function upon transplantation and were used as carriers for in vivo delivery of PEMs containing biomolecular payloads. This new class of polymeric film and the design strategies developed herein establish an enabling technology for cell transplantation and other therapies based on engineered cells. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Film Coated Silver Nanorods: An Effective Carrier System for Externally Activated Drug Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Paramasivam, Gokul; Sharma, Varsha; Sundaramurthy, Anandhakumar

2017-08-01

Nanoparticle anisotropy offers unique functions and features in comparison with spherical nanoparticles (NPs) and makes anisotropic nanoparticles (ANPs) promising candidates in applications like drug delivery, imaging, biosensing and theranostics. Presence of surface active groups (e.g. amine, and carboxylate groups) on their surface provides binding sites for ligands or other biomolecules, and hence, this could be targeted for specific part or cells in our body. In the quest of such surface modification, functionalization of ANPs along Layer-by-Layer (LbL) coating of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes (PE) reduces cellular toxicity and promotes easy encapsulation of drugs. In this work, we report the silver nanorods (AgNRs) synthesis by adsorbate directed synthetic approach using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB). The formed ANPs is investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy revealing the shaping of AgNRs of 3-16 nm aspect ratio with some presence of triangles. These NRs were further coated with bio polymers of chitosan (CH) and dextran sulphate (DS) through LbL approach and used for encapsulation of water soluble anti-bacterial drugs like ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (CFH). The encapsulation of drugs and profiles of drug release were investigated and compared to that of spherical silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The added advantages of the proposed drug delivery system (DDS) can be externally activated to release the loaded drug and used as contrast agents for biological imaging under exposure to NIR light. Such system shows unique and attractive characteristics required for drug delivery and bioimaging thus offering the scope for further development as theranostic material.

Release of DNA from polyelectrolyte multilayers fabricated using 'charge-shifting' cationic polymers: tunable temporal control and sequential, multi-agent release.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Bin; Lynn, David M

2010-11-20

We report an approach to the design of multilayered polyelectrolyte thin films (or 'polyelectrolyte multilayers', PEMs) that can be used to provide tunable control over the release of plasmid DNA (or multiple different DNA constructs) from film-coated surfaces. Our approach is based upon methods for the layer-by-layer assembly of DNA-containing thin films, and exploits the properties of a new class of cationic 'charge-shifting' polymers (amine functionalized polymers that undergo gradual changes in net charge upon side chain ester hydrolysis) to provide control over the rates at which these films erode and release DNA. We synthesized two 'charge-shifting' polymers (polymers 1 and 2) containing different side chain structures by ring-opening reactions of poly(2-alkenyl azlactone)s with two different tertiary amine functionalized alcohols (3-dimethylamino-1-propanol and 2-dimethylaminoethanol, respectively). Subsequent characterization revealed large changes in the rates of side chain ester hydrolysis for these two polymers; whereas the half-life for the hydrolysis of the esters in polymer 1 was ~200 days, the half-life for polymer 2 was ~6 days. We demonstrate that these large differences in side chain hydrolysis make possible the design of PEMs that erode and promote the surface-mediated release of DNA either rapidly (e.g., over ~3 days for films fabricated using polymer 2) or slowly (e.g., over ~1 month for films fabricated using polymer 1). We demonstrate further that it is possible to design films with release profiles that are intermediate to these two extremes by fabricating films using solutions containing different mixtures of these two polymers. This approach can thus expand the usefulness of these two polymers and achieve a broader range of DNA release profiles without the need to synthesize polymers with new structures or properties. Finally, we demonstrate that polymers 1 and 2 can be used to fabricate multilayered films with hierarchical structures that

Stability of polyelectrolyte-coated iron nanoparticles for T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging

Science.gov (United States)

McGrath, Andrew J.; Dolan, Ciaran; Cheong, Soshan; Herman, David A. J.; Naysmith, Briar; Zong, Fangrong; Galvosas, Petrik; Farrand, Kathryn J.; Hermans, Ian F.; Brimble, Margaret; Williams, David E.; Jin, Jianyong; Tilley, Richard D.

2017-10-01

Iron nanoparticles are highly-effective magnetic nanoparticles for T2 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, the stability of their magnetic properties is dependent on good protection of the iron core from oxidation in aqueous media. Here we report the synthesis of custom-synthesized phosphonate-grafted polyelectrolytes (PolyM3) of various chain lengths, for efficient coating of iron nanoparticles with a native iron oxide shell. The size of the nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte assemblies was investigated by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering, while surface attachment was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Low cytotoxicity was observed for each of the nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte ("Fe-PolyM3") assemblies, with good cell viability (>80%) remaining up to 100 μg mL-1 Fe in HeLa cells. When applied in T2-weighted MRI, corresponding T2 relaxivities (r2) of the Fe-PolyM3 assemblies were found to be dependent on the chain length of the polyelectrolyte. A significant increase in contrast was observed when polyelectrolyte chain length was increased from 6 to 65 repeating units, implying a critical chain length required for stabilization of the α-Fe nanoparticle core.

Stronger multilayer acrylic dielectric elastomer actuators with silicone gel coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Gih-Keong; La, Thanh-Giang; Sheng-Wei Foong, Ervin; Shrestha, Milan

2016-12-01

Multilayer dielectric elastomer actuators (DEA) perform worst off than single-layer DEAs due to higher susceptibility to electro-thermal breakdown. This paper presents a hot-spot model to predict the electro-thermal breakdown field of DEAs and its dependence on thermal insulation. To inhibit the electrothermal breakdown, silicone gel coating was applied as barrier coating to multilayer acrylic DEA. The gel coating helps suppress the electro-thermally induced puncturing of DEA membrane at the hot spot. As a result, the gel-coated DEAs, in either a single layer or a multilayer stack, can produce 30% more isometric stress change as compared to those none-coated. These gel-coated acrylic DEAs show great potential to make stronger artificial muscles.

Multiple analysis of an unknown optical multilayer coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobrowolski, J.A.; Ho, F.C.; Waldorf, A.

1985-01-01

Results are given of the analysis at five different laboratories of an unknown optical multilayer coating. In all, eleven different analytical and laboratory techniques were applied to the problem. The multilayer nominally consisted of three dielectric and two metallic layers. It was demonstrated convincingly that with present day techniques it is possible to determine the basic structure of such a coating

Tribological behavior of in situ Ag nanoparticles/polyelectrolyte composite molecular deposition films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Yanbao; Wang Deguo; Liu Shuhai

2010-01-01

Multilayer polyelectrolyte films containing silver ions were obtained by molecular deposition method on a glass plate or a quartz substrate. The in situ Ag nanoparticles were synthesized in the multilayer polyelectrolyte films which were put into fresh NaBH 4 aqueous solution. The structure and surface morphology of composite molecular deposition films were observed by UV-vis spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Tribological characteristic was investigated by AFM and micro-tribometer. It was found that the in situ Ag nanoparticles/polyelectrolyte composite molecular deposition films have lower coefficient of friction and higher anti-wear life than pure polyelectrolyte molecular deposition films.

Gd-functionalised Au nanoparticles as targeted contrast agents in MRI: relaxivity enhancement by polyelectrolyte coating.

Science.gov (United States)

Warsi, Muhammad Farooq; Adams, Ralph W; Duckett, Simon B; Chechik, Victor

2010-01-21

Monolayer-protected, Gd(3+)-functionalised gold nanoparticles with enhanced spin-lattice relaxivity (r(1)) were prepared; adsorption of polyelectrolytes on these materials further increased r(1) and ligand exchange with a biotin-derivatised disulfide led to a prototype avidin-targeted contrast agent.

Performance of multilayer coated silicon pore optics

Science.gov (United States)

Ackermann, M. D.; Collon, M. J.; Jensen, C. P.; Christensen, F. E.; Krumrey, M.; Cibik, L.; Marggraf, S.; Bavdaz, M.; Lumb, D.; Shortt, B.

2010-07-01

The requirements for the IXO (International X-ray Observatory) telescope are very challenging in respect of angular resolution and effective area. Within a clear aperture with 1.7 m > R > 0.25 m that is dictated by the spacecraft envelope, the optics technology must be developed to satisfy simultaneously requirements for effective area of 2.5 m2 at 1.25 keV, 0.65 m2 at 6 keV and 150 cm2 at 30 keV. The reflectivity of the bare mirror substrate materials does not allow these requirements to be met. As such the IXO baseline design contains a coating layout that varies as a function of mirror radius and in accordance with the variation in grazing incidence angle. The higher energy photon response is enhanced through the use of depth-graded multilayer coatings on the inner radii mirror modules. In this paper we report on the first reflectivity measurements of wedged ribbed silicon pore optics mirror plates coated with a depth graded W/Si multilayer. The measurements demonstrate that the deposition and performance of the multilayer coatings is compatible with the SPO production process.

Characterization of multilayer nitride coatings by electron microscopy and modulus mapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pemmasani, Sai Pramod; Rajulapati, Koteswararao V.; Ramakrishna, M.; Valleti, Krishna; Gundakaram, Ravi C.; Joshi, Shrikant V.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses multi-scale characterization of physical vapour deposited multilayer nitride coatings using a combination of electron microscopy and modulus mapping. Multilayer coatings with a triple layer structure based on TiAlN and nanocomposite nitrides with a nano-multilayered architecture were deposited by Cathodic arc deposition and detailed microstructural studies were carried out employing Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Electron Backscattered Diffraction, Focused Ion Beam and Cross sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy in order to identify the different phases and to study microstructural features of the various layers formed as a result of the deposition process. Modulus mapping was also performed to study the effect of varying composition on the moduli of the nano-multilayers within the triple layer coating by using a Scanning Probe Microscopy based technique. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt on modulus mapping of cathodic arc deposited nitride multilayer coatings. This work demonstrates the application of Scanning Probe Microscopy based modulus mapping and electron microscopy for the study of coating properties and their relation to composition and microstructure. - Highlights: • Microstructure of a triple layer nitride coating studied at multiple length scales. • Phases identified by EDS, EBSD and SAED (TEM). • Nanolayered, nanocomposite structure of the coating studied using FIB and TEM. • Modulus mapping identified moduli variation even in a nani-multilayer architecture

Multilayer DLC coatings via alternating bias during magnetron sputtering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Fengji [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Zhang, Sam, E-mail: msyzhang@ntu.edu.sg [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Kong Junhua [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); Zhang Yujuan [Key Laboratory of Special Functional Material, Henan University (China); Zhang Wali [School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)

2011-05-31

To combat the high residual stress problem in monolayer diamond-like carbon coatings, this paper fabricated multilayer diamond-like carbon coatings with alternate soft and hard layers via alternating bias during magnetron sputtering. The surface, cross sectional morphology, bonding structures and mechanical properties are investigated. The atomic force microscopy images indicate low bias results in rougher surface with large graphite clusters and voids suggesting low coating density. The multilayered coatings demonstrate relatively smooth surface stemming from higher bias. The cross sectional images from field emission scanning electron microscopy indicate coating thickness decreases as substrate bias increases and confirm that higher bias results in denser coating. Delamination is observed in monolayer coatings due to high residual stress. The trend of sp{sup 3}/sp{sup 2} fraction estimated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is consistent with that of I{sub D}/I{sub G} ratios from Raman spectra, indicating the change of bonding structure with change of substrate bias. Hardness of multilayer diamond-like carbon coating is comparable to the coatings deposited at low constant bias but the adhesion strength and toughness are significantly improved. Alternately biased sputtering deposition provides an alternative when combination of hardness, toughness and adhesion strength is needed in an all diamond-like carbon coating.

Microneedle arrays coated with charge reversal pH-sensitive copolymers improve antigen presenting cells-homing DNA vaccine delivery and immune responses.

Science.gov (United States)

Duong, Huu Thuy Trang; Kim, Nak Won; Thambi, Thavasyappan; Giang Phan, V H; Lee, Min Sang; Yin, Yue; Jeong, Ji Hoon; Lee, Doo Sung

2018-01-10

Successful delivery of a DNA vaccine to antigen-presenting cells and their subsequent stimulation of CD4 + and CD8 + T cell immunity remains an inefficient process. In general, the delivery of prophylactic vaccines is mainly mired by low transfection efficacy, poor immunogenicity, and safety issues from the materials employed. Currently, several strategies have been exploited to improve immunogenicity, but an effective strategy for safe and pain-free delivery of DNA vaccines is complicated. Herein, we report the rapid delivery of polyplex-based DNA vaccines using microneedle arrays coated with a polyelectrolyte multilayer assembly of charge reversal pH-responsive copolymer and heparin. The charge reversal pH-responsive copolymer, composed of oligo(sulfamethazine)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(amino urethane) (OSM-b-PEG-b-PAEU), was used as a triggering layer in the polyelectrolyte multilayer assembly on microneedles. Charge reversal characteristics of this copolymer, that is, the OSM-b-PEG-b-PAEU copolymer exhibit, positive charge at low pH (pH4.03) and becoming negative charge when exposed to physiological pH conditions (pH7.4), allowing the facile assembly and disassembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers. The electrostatic repulsion between heparin and OSM-b-PEG-b-PAEU charge reversal copolymer triggered the release of DNA vaccines. DNA vaccines laden on microneedles are effectively transfected into RAW 264.7 macrophage cells in vitro. Vaccination of BALB/c mice by DNA vaccine-loaded microneedle arrays coated with a polyelectrolyte multilayer generated antigen-specific robust immune responses. These findings provide potential strategy of charge reversal pH-responsive copolymers coated microneedles for DNA vaccine delivery. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Enhanced corrosion protective PANI-PAA/PEI multilayer composite coatings for 316SS by spin coating technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syed, Junaid Ali; Lu, Hongbin; Tang, Shaochun; Meng, Xiangkang, E-mail: mengxk@nju.edu.cn

2015-01-15

Highlights: • PANI-PAA/PEI multilayers with controllable thickness were fabricated by spin assembly. • PAA matrix results in the homogeneous dispersion of PANI in the composite coatings. • Spin coating combined with heating assures the linear increase in thickness with n. • The corrosion protection property of PANI-PAA/PEI coatings were optimized at n = 20. • Enhanced protection owing to multilayer structure that lengthens the diffusion pathway of ions. - Abstract: In the present study, polyaniline-polyacrylic acid/polyethyleneimine (PANI-PAA/PEI) composite coatings with a multilayer structure for corrosion protection of 316 stainless steels (316SS) were prepared by an alternate deposition. Spin coating combined with heating assists removal of residual water that result in a linear increase in thickness with layer number (n). The combination of PANI-PAA composite with PEI and their multilayer structure provides a synergistic enhancement of corrosion resistance properties as determined by electrochemical measurements in 3.5% NaCl solution. Importantly, the PANI-PAA/PEI coating with an optimized layer number of n = 20 shows improved corrosion protection. The superior performance was attributed to the formation of an interfacial oxide layer as well as the multilayer structure that extend the diffusion pathway of corrosive ions.

Determination of gold coating thickness measurement by using EDXRF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meor Yusoff Meor Sulaian; Masliana Muslimin; Fadlullah Jili Fursani

2005-01-01

The paper relates a study on the development of an analysis procedure for measuring the gold coating thickness using EDXRF technique. Gold coating thickness was measured by relating the counts under the Au L? peak its thickness value. In order to get a reasonably accurate result, a calibration graph was plotted using five gold-coated reference standards of different thickness. The calibration graph shows a straight line for thin coating measurement until 0.9 μm. Beyond this the relationship was not linear and this may be resulted from the self-absorption effect. Quantitative analysis was also performed on two different samples of gold coated jewelry and a phone connector. Result from the phone connector analysis seems to agree with the manufacturer gold coating value. From the analysis of gold-coated jewelry it had been able to differentiate the two articles as gold wash and gold electroplated. (Author)

Additive controlled synthesis of gold nanorods (GNRs) for two-photon luminescence imaging of cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu Jing; Roy, Indrajit; Hu Rui; Ding Hong; Zhao Lingling; He, Guang S; Prasad, Paras N [Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-4200 (United States); Yong, Ken-Tye [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Swihart, Mark T [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260-4200 (United States); Cui Yiping, E-mail: ktyong@ntu.edu.sg, E-mail: cyp@seu.edu.cn, E-mail: pnprasad@buffalo.edu [Advanced Photonics Center, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096 (China)

2010-07-16

Gold nanorods (GNRs) with a longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peak that is tunable from 600 to 1100 nm have been fabricated in a cetyl trimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) micellar medium using hydrochloric acid and silver nitrate as additives to control their shape and size. By manipulating the concentrations of silver nitrate and hydrochloric acid, the aspect ratio of the GNRs was reliably and reproducibly tuned from 2.5 to 8. The GNRs were first coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers and then bioconjugated to transferrin (Tf) to target pancreatic cancer cells. Two-photon imaging excited from the bioconjugated GNRs demonstrated receptor-mediated uptake of the bioconjugates into Panc-1 cells, overexpressing the transferrin receptor (TfR). The bioconjugated GNR formulation exhibited very low toxicity, suggesting that it is biocompatible and potentially suitable for targeted two-photon bioimaging.

Additive controlled synthesis of gold nanorods (GNRs) for two-photon luminescence imaging of cancer cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jing; Yong, Ken-Tye; Roy, Indrajit; Hu, Rui; Ding, Hong; Zhao, Lingling; Swihart, Mark T.; He, Guang S.; Cui, Yiping; Prasad, Paras N.

2010-07-01

Gold nanorods (GNRs) with a longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peak that is tunable from 600 to 1100 nm have been fabricated in a cetyl trimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) micellar medium using hydrochloric acid and silver nitrate as additives to control their shape and size. By manipulating the concentrations of silver nitrate and hydrochloric acid, the aspect ratio of the GNRs was reliably and reproducibly tuned from 2.5 to 8. The GNRs were first coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers and then bioconjugated to transferrin (Tf) to target pancreatic cancer cells. Two-photon imaging excited from the bioconjugated GNRs demonstrated receptor-mediated uptake of the bioconjugates into Panc-1 cells, overexpressing the transferrin receptor (TfR). The bioconjugated GNR formulation exhibited very low toxicity, suggesting that it is biocompatible and potentially suitable for targeted two-photon bioimaging.

Additive controlled synthesis of gold nanorods (GNRs) for two-photon luminescence imaging of cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Jing; Roy, Indrajit; Hu Rui; Ding Hong; Zhao Lingling; He, Guang S; Prasad, Paras N; Yong, Ken-Tye; Swihart, Mark T; Cui Yiping

2010-01-01

Gold nanorods (GNRs) with a longitudinal surface plasmon resonance peak that is tunable from 600 to 1100 nm have been fabricated in a cetyl trimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) micellar medium using hydrochloric acid and silver nitrate as additives to control their shape and size. By manipulating the concentrations of silver nitrate and hydrochloric acid, the aspect ratio of the GNRs was reliably and reproducibly tuned from 2.5 to 8. The GNRs were first coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers and then bioconjugated to transferrin (Tf) to target pancreatic cancer cells. Two-photon imaging excited from the bioconjugated GNRs demonstrated receptor-mediated uptake of the bioconjugates into Panc-1 cells, overexpressing the transferrin receptor (TfR). The bioconjugated GNR formulation exhibited very low toxicity, suggesting that it is biocompatible and potentially suitable for targeted two-photon bioimaging.

The Effectiveness of the Controlled Release of Gentamicin from Polyelectrolyte Multilayers in the Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus Infection in a Rabbit Bone Model

Science.gov (United States)

Moskowitz, Joshua; Blaisse, Michael; Samuel, Raymond; Hsu, Hu-Ping; Harris, Mitchel; Martin, Scott; Lee, Jean; Spector, Myron; Hammond, Paula

2010-01-01

While the infection rate of orthopedic implants is low, the required treatment, which can involve six weeks of antibiotic therapy and two additional surgical operations, is life threatening and expensive, and thus motivates the development of a one-stage re-implantation procedure. Polyelectrolyte multilayers incorporating gentamicin were fabricated using the layer-by-layer deposition process for use as a device coating to deal with an existing bone infection in a direct implant exchange operation. The films eluted about 70% of their payload in vitro during the first three days and subsequently continued to release drug for more than four additional weeks, reaching a total average release of over 550 μg/cm2. The coatings were demonstrated to be bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus, and degradation products were generally nontoxic towards MC3T3-E1 murine preosteoblasts. Film-coated titanium implants were compared to uncoated implants in an in vivo S. aureus bone infection model. After a direct exchange procedure, the antimicrobial-coated devices yielded bone homogenates with a significantly lower degree of infection than uncoated devices at both day four (p < 0.004) and day seven (p < 0.03). This study has demonstrated that a self-assembled ultrathin film coating is capable of effectively treating an experimental bone infection in vivo and lays the foundation for development of a multi-therapeutic film for optimized, synergistic treatment of pain, infection, and osteomyelitis. PMID:20488534

Nanolaminated TiN/Mo2N hard multilayer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martev, I N; Dechev, D A; Ivanov, N P; Uzunov, T S D; Kashchieva, E P

2010-01-01

The paper presents results on the synthesis of hard multilayer coatings consisting of titanium nitride and molybdenum nitride thin films with thickness of several nm. The TiN and Mo 2 N films were successively deposited by reactive DC magnetron sputtering. These multilayer structures were investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), X-ray diffraction (XRD), cross-section scanning electron microscopy (CSSEM) and cross-section electron probe microanalysis (CSEPMA). The mechanical properties of the multilayer coatings, namely, hardness, Young's modulus and the coefficient of plastic deformation were measured. The adhesion was evaluated by the Rockwell-C-impact test. Coatings with different total thickness were examined with respect to adhesion to substrates of tool materials.

Tuning cell adhesion and growth on biomimetic polyelectrolyte multilayers by variation of pH during layer-by-layer assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Neha; Altgärde, Noomi; Svedhem, Sofia; Michanetzis, Georgios; Missirlis, Yannis; Groth, Thomas

2013-10-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers of chitosan and heparin are assembled on glass where heparin is applied at pH = 4, 9 and 4 during the formation of the first layers followed by pH = 9 at the last steps (denoted pH 4 + 9). Measurements of wetting properties, layer mass, and topography show that multilayers formed at pH = 4 are thicker, contain more water and have a smoother surface compared to those prepared at pH = 9 while the pH = 4 + 9 multilayers expressed intermediate properties. pH = 9 multilayers are more cell adhesive and support growth of C2C12 cells better than pH = 4 ones. However, pH 4 + 9 conditions improve the bioactivity to a similar level of pH = 9 layers. Multilayers prepared using pH 4 + 9 conditions form thick enough layers that may allow efficient loading of bioactive molecules. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Thermal stress prediction in mirror and multilayer coatings.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Xianchao; Zhang, Lin; Morawe, Christian; Sanchez Del Rio, Manuel

2015-03-01

Multilayer optics for X-rays typically consist of hundreds of periods of two types of alternating sub-layers which are coated on a silicon substrate. The thickness of the coating is well below 1 µm (tens or hundreds of nanometers). The high aspect ratio (∼10(7)) between the size of the optics and the thickness of the multilayer can lead to a huge number of elements (∼10(16)) for the numerical simulation (by finite-element analysis using ANSYS code). In this work, the finite-element model for thermal-structural analysis of multilayer optics has been implemented using the ANSYS layer-functioned elements. The number of meshed elements is considerably reduced and the number of sub-layers feasible for the present computers is increased significantly. Based on this technique, single-layer coated mirrors and multilayer monochromators cooled by water or liquid nitrogen are studied with typical parameters of heat-load, cooling and geometry. The effects of cooling-down of the optics and heating of the X-ray beam are described. It is shown that the influences from the coating on temperature and deformation are negligible. However, large stresses are induced in the layers due to the different thermal expansion coefficients between the layer and the substrate materials, which is the critical issue for the survival of the optics. This is particularly true for the liquid-nitrogen cooling condition. The material properties of thin multilayer films are applied in the simulation to predict the layer thermal stresses with more precision.

Passivation of Titanium Oxide in Polyethylene Matrices using Polyelectrolytes as Titanium Dioxide Surface Coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Vallejo-Montesinos

2017-05-01

Full Text Available One of the major challenges of the polyolefins nowadays is the ability of those to resist weathering conditions, specially the photodegradation process that suffer any polyolefin. A common way to prevent this, is the use of hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS are employed. An alternative route to avoid photodegradation is using polyelectrolites as coating of fillers such as metal oxides. Composites of polyethylene were made using titanium dioxide (TiO2 as a filler with polyelectrolytes (polyethylenimine and sodium polystyrene sulfonate attached to its surface, to passivate its photocatalytic activity. We exposed the samples to ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis light to observe the effect of radiation on the degradation of coated samples, compared to those without the polyelectrolyte coating. From the experimental results, we found that polyethylenimine has a similar carbonyl signal area to the sample coated with hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS while sodium polystyrene sulfonate exhibit more degradation than the HALS coated samples, but it passivates the photocatalytic effect when compared with the non-coated TiO2 samples. Also, using AFM measurements, we confirmed that the chemical nature of polyethylenimine causes the TiO2 avoid the migration to the surface during the extrusion process, inhibiting the photodegradation process and softening the sample. On this basis, we found that polyethylenimine is a good choice for reducing the degradation caused by TiO2 when it is exposed to UV-Vis light.

Near-infrared radiation curable multilayer coating systems and methods for applying same

Science.gov (United States)

Bowman, Mark P; Verdun, Shelley D; Post, Gordon L

2015-04-28

Multilayer coating systems, methods of applying and related substrates are disclosed. The coating system may comprise a first coating comprising a near-IR absorber, and a second coating deposited on a least a portion of the first coating. Methods of applying a multilayer coating composition to a substrate may comprise applying a first coating comprising a near-IR absorber, applying a second coating over at least a portion of the first coating and curing the coating with near infrared radiation.

From nanodroplets to continuous films: how the morphology of polyelectrolyte multilayers depends on the dielectric permittivity and the surface charge of the supporting substrate

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guillaume-Gentil, Orane; Zahn, Raphael; Lindhoud, Saskia; Graf, Norma; Voros, Janos; Zambelli, Tomaso

2011-01-01

Using atomic force microscopy, we investigated how the morphology of layer-by-layer deposited polyelectrolyte multilayers is influenced by the physical properties of the supporting substrate. The surface coverage of the assembly and its topography were found to be dependent on the dielectric

Highly efficient blazed grating with multilayer coating for tender X-ray energies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Senf, F.; Bijkerk, Frederik; Eggenstein, F.; Gwalt, G.; Huang, Qiushi; van de Kruijs, Robbert Wilhelmus Elisabeth; Kutz, O.; Lemke, S.; Louis, Eric; Mertin, M.; Packe, I.; Rudolph, I.; Schafers, F.; Siewert, F.; Sokolov, A.; Sturm, Jacobus Marinus; Waberski, C.; Wang, Z.; Wolf, J.; Zeschke, T.; Erko, A.

2016-01-01

For photon energies of 1 – 5 keV, blazed gratings with multilayer coating are ideally suited for the suppression of stray and higher orders light in grating monochromators. We developed and characterized a blazed 2000 lines/mm grating coated with a 20 period Cr/C- multilayer. The multilayer

Multilayer polymer light-emitting diodes by blade coating method

Science.gov (United States)

Tseng, Shin-Rong; Meng, Hsin-Fei; Lee, Kuan-Chen; Horng, Sheng-Fu

2008-10-01

Multilayer polymer light-emitting diodes fabricated by blade coating are presented. Multilayer of polymers can be easily deposited by blade coating on a hot plate. The multilayer structure is confirmed by the total thickness and the cross section view in the scanning electron microscope. The film thickness variation is only 3.3% in 10cm scale and the film roughness is about 0.3nm in the micron scale. The efficiency of single layer poly(para-phenylene vinylene) copolymer Super Yellow and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO, deep blue) devices are 9 and 1.7cd/A, respectively, by blade coating. The efficiency of the PFO device is raised to 2.9cd/A with a 2-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-5-(4-biphenylyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) hole-blocking layer and to 2.3cd/A with a poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4'-(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl))diphenylamine)] elec-tron-blocking layer added by blade coating.

Multilayer oxidation resistant coating for SiC coated carbon/carbon composites at high temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hejun; Jiao Gengsheng; Li Kezhi; Wang Chuang

2008-01-01

To prevent carbon/carbon (C/C) composites from oxidation, a multilayer coating based on molybdenum disilicide and titanium disilicide was formed using a two-step pack cementation technique in argon atmosphere. XRD and SEM analysis showed that the internal coating was a bond SiC layer that acts as a buffer layer, and that the external multilayer coating formed in the two-step pack cementation was composed of two MoSi 2 -TiSi 2 -SiC layers. This coating, which is characterized by excellent thermal shock resistance, could effectively protect the composites from exposure to an oxidizing atmosphere at 1773 K for 79 h. The oxidation of the coated C/C composites was primarily due to the reaction of C/C matrix and oxygen diffusing through the penetrable cracks in the coating

Primary Neuron/Astrocyte Co-Culture on Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Films: A Template for Studying Astrocyte-Mediated Oxidative Stress in Neurons**

OpenAIRE

Kidambi, Srivatsan; Lee, Ilsoon; Chan, Christina

2008-01-01

We engineered patterned co-cultures of primary neurons and astrocytes on polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films without the aid of adhesive proteins/ligands to study the oxidative stress mediated by astrocytes on neuronal cells. A number of studies have explored engineering co-culture of neurons and astrocytes predominantly using cell lines rather than primary cells owing to the difficulties involved in attaching primary cells onto synthetic surfaces. To our knowledge this is the first demons...

Polyelectrolyte coating of ferumoxytol nanoparticles for labeling of dendritic cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Celikkin, Nehar; Jakubcová, Lucie; Zenke, Martin [Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 20, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Hoss, Mareike [Institute of Pathology, Electron Microscopy Facility, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Wong, John Erik, E-mail: John.Wong@avt.rwth-aachen.de [Chemical Process Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Turmstrasse 46, 52056 Aachen (Germany); DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials Research, Forckenbeckstrasse 50, Aachen (Germany); Hieronymus, Thomas, E-mail: thomas.hieronymus@rwth-aachen.de [Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Pauwelsstrasse 30, 52074 Aachen (Germany); Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstrasse 20, 52074 Aachen (Germany)

2015-04-15

Engineered magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are emerging to be used as cell tracers, drug delivery vehicles, and contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for enhanced theragnostic applications in biomedicine. In vitro labeling of target cell populations with MNPs and their implantation into animal models and patients shows promising outcomes in monitoring successful cell engraftment, differentiation and migration by using MRI. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that initiate adaptive immune responses. Thus, DCs have been the focus of cellular immunotherapy and are increasingly applied in clinical trials. Here, we addressed the coating of different polyelectrolytes (PE) around ferumoxytol particles using the layer-by-layer technique. The impact of PE-coated ferumoxytol particles for labeling of DCs and Flt3{sup +} DC progenitors was then investigated. The results from our studies revealed that PE-coated ferumoxytol particles can be readily employed for labeling of DC and DC progenitors and thus are potentially suitable as contrast agents for MRI tracking.

Dynamic force spectroscopy of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte brushes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spruijt, E.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.; Gucht, van der J.

2010-01-01

Ion pairing is the main driving force in the formation of polyelectrolyte complexes, which find widespread use in micellar assemblies, drug carriers, and coatings. In this paper we examine the actual ion pairing forces in a polyelectrolyte complex between two oppositely charged polyelectrolyte

The interplay of nanointerface curvature and calcium binding in weak polyelectrolyte-coated nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Nap, Rikkert J; Gonzalez Solveyra, Estefania; Szleifer, Igal

2018-05-01

When engineering nanomaterials for application in biological systems, it is important to understand how multivalent ions, such as calcium, affect the structural and chemical properties of polymer-modified nanoconstructs. In this work, a recently developed molecular theory was employed to study the effect of surface curvature on the calcium-induced collapse of end-tethered weak polyelectrolytes. In particular, we focused on cylindrical and spherical nanoparticles coated with poly(acrylic acid) in the presence of different amounts of Ca2+ ions. We describe the structural changes that grafted polyelectrolytes undergo as a function of calcium concentration, surface curvature, and morphology. The polymer layers collapse in aqueous solutions that contain sufficient amounts of Ca2+ ions. This collapse, due to the formation of calcium bridges, is not only controlled by the calcium ion concentration but also strongly influenced by the curvature of the tethering surface. The transition from a swollen to a collapsed layer as a function of calcium concentration broadens and shifts to lower amounts of calcium ions as a function of the radius of cylindrical and spherical nanoparticles. The results show how the interplay between calcium binding and surface curvature governs the structural and functional properties of the polymer molecules. This would directly impact the fate of weak polyelectrolyte-coated nanoparticles in biological environments, in which calcium levels are tightly regulated. Understanding such interplay would also contribute to the rational design and optimization of smart interfaces with applications in, e.g., salt-sensitive and ion-responsive materials and devices.

Collective epithelial cell sheet adhesion and migration on polyelectrolyte multilayers with uniform and gradients of compliance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez, Jessica S. [Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (United States); Schlenoff, Joseph B. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (United States); Keller, Thomas C.S., E-mail: tkeller@bio.fsu.edu [Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306 (United States)

2016-08-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMUs) are tunable thin films that could serve as coatings for biomedical implants. PEMUs built layer by layer with the polyanion poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) modified with a photosensitive 4-(2-hydroxyethoxy) benzophenone (PAABp) group and the polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) are mechanically tunable by UV irradiation, which forms covalent bonds between the layers and increases PEMU stiffness. PAH-terminated PEMUs (PAH-PEMUs) that were uncrosslinked, UV-crosslinked to a uniform stiffness, or UV-crosslinked with an edge mask or through a neutral density optical gradient filter to form continuous compliance gradients were used to investigate how differences in PEMU stiffness affect the adhesion and migration of epithelial cell sheets from scales of the fish Poecilia sphenops (Black Molly) and Carassius auratus (Comet Goldfish). During the progressive collective cell migration, the edge cells (also known as ‘leader’ cells) in the sheets on softer uncrosslinked PEMUs and less crosslinked regions of the gradient formed more actin filaments and vinculin-containing adherens junctions and focal adhesions than formed in the sheet cells on stiffer PEMUs or glass. During sheet migration, the ratio of edge cell to internal cell (also known as ‘follower’ cells) motilities were greater on the softer PEMUs than on the stiffer PEMUs or glass, causing tension to develop across the sheet and periods of retraction, during which the edge cells lost adhesion to the substrate and regions of the sheet retracted toward the more adherent internal cell region. These retraction events were inhibited by the myosin II inhibitor Blebbistatin, which reduced the motility velocity ratios to those for sheets on the stiffer PEMUs. Blebbistatin also caused disassembly of actin filaments, reorganization of focal adhesions, increased cell spreading at the leading edge, as well as loss of edge cell-cell connections in epithelial cell sheets on all

Collective epithelial cell sheet adhesion and migration on polyelectrolyte multilayers with uniform and gradients of compliance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinez, Jessica S.; Schlenoff, Joseph B.; Keller, Thomas C.S.

2016-01-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMUs) are tunable thin films that could serve as coatings for biomedical implants. PEMUs built layer by layer with the polyanion poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) modified with a photosensitive 4-(2-hydroxyethoxy) benzophenone (PAABp) group and the polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) are mechanically tunable by UV irradiation, which forms covalent bonds between the layers and increases PEMU stiffness. PAH-terminated PEMUs (PAH-PEMUs) that were uncrosslinked, UV-crosslinked to a uniform stiffness, or UV-crosslinked with an edge mask or through a neutral density optical gradient filter to form continuous compliance gradients were used to investigate how differences in PEMU stiffness affect the adhesion and migration of epithelial cell sheets from scales of the fish Poecilia sphenops (Black Molly) and Carassius auratus (Comet Goldfish). During the progressive collective cell migration, the edge cells (also known as ‘leader’ cells) in the sheets on softer uncrosslinked PEMUs and less crosslinked regions of the gradient formed more actin filaments and vinculin-containing adherens junctions and focal adhesions than formed in the sheet cells on stiffer PEMUs or glass. During sheet migration, the ratio of edge cell to internal cell (also known as ‘follower’ cells) motilities were greater on the softer PEMUs than on the stiffer PEMUs or glass, causing tension to develop across the sheet and periods of retraction, during which the edge cells lost adhesion to the substrate and regions of the sheet retracted toward the more adherent internal cell region. These retraction events were inhibited by the myosin II inhibitor Blebbistatin, which reduced the motility velocity ratios to those for sheets on the stiffer PEMUs. Blebbistatin also caused disassembly of actin filaments, reorganization of focal adhesions, increased cell spreading at the leading edge, as well as loss of edge cell-cell connections in epithelial cell sheets on all

Ductile polyelectrolyte macromolecule-complexed zinc phosphate conversion crystal pre-coatings and topcoatings embodying a laminate

Science.gov (United States)

Sugama, Toshifumi; Kukacka, Lawrence E.; Carciello, Neal R.

1987-01-01

This invention relates to a precoat, laminate, and method for ductile coatings on steel and non-ferrous metals which comprises applying a zinc phosphating coating solution modified by a solid polyelectrolyte selected from polyacrylic acid (PAA), polymethacrylic acid (PMA), polyitaconic acid (PIA), and poly-L-glutamic acid. The contacting of the resin with the phosphating solution is made for a period of up to 20 hours at about 80.degree. C. The polyelectrolyte or the precoat is present in about 0.5-5.0% by weight of the total precoat composition and after application, the precoat base is dried for up to 5 hours at about 150.degree. C. to desiccate. Also, a laminate may be formed where polyurethane (PU) is applied as an elastomeric topcoating or polyfuran resin is applied as a glassy topcoating. It has been found that the use of PAA at a molecular weight of about 2.times.10.sup.5 gave improved ductility modulus effect.

Layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte-polyester hybrid microcapsules for encapsulation and delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Rongcong; Venkatraman, Subbu S; Neu, Björn

2013-07-08

A two-step process is developed to form layer-by-layer (LbL) polyelectrolyte microcapsules, which are able to encapsulate and deliver hydrophobic drugs. Spherical porous calcium carbonate (CaCO3) microparticles were used as templates and coated with a poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) layer containing hydrophobic compounds via an in situ precipitation gelling process. PLGA layers that precipitated from N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) had a lower loading and smoother surface than those precipitated from acetone. The difference may be due to different viscosities and solvent exchange dynamics. In the second step, the successful coating of multilayer polyelectrolytes poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) onto the PLGA coated CaCO3 microparticles was confirmed with AFM and ζ-potential studies. The release of a model hydrophobic drug, ibuprofen, from these hybrid microcapsules with different numbers of PAH/PSS layers was investigated. It was found that the release of ibuprofen decreases with increasing layer numbers demonstrating the possibility to control the release of ibuprofen with these novel hybrid microcapsules. Besides loading of hydrophobic drugs, the interior of these microcapsules can also be loaded with hydrophilic compounds and functional nanoparticles as demonstrated by loading with Fe3O4 nanoparticles, forming magnetically responsive dual drug releasing carriers.

Thick CrN/NbN multilayer coating deposited by cathodic arc technique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Araujo, Juliano Avelar; Tschiptschin, Andre Paulo; Souza, Roberto Martins, E-mail: antschip@usp.br [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), SP (Brazil); Lima, Nelson Batista de [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2017-01-15

The production of tribological nanoscale multilayer CrN/NbN coatings up to 6 μm thick by Sputtering/HIPIMS has been reported in literature. However, high demanding applications, such as internal combustion engine parts, need thicker coatings (>30 μm). The production of such parts by sputtering would be economically restrictive due to low deposition rates. In this work, nanoscale multilayer CrN/NbN coatings were produced in a high-deposition rate, industrial-size, Cathodic Arc Physical Vapor Deposition (ARC-PVD) chamber, containing three cathodes in alternate positions (Cr/ Nb/Cr). Four 30 μm thick NbN/CrN multilayer coatings with different periodicities (20, 10, 7.5 and 4 nm) were produced. The coatings were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The multilayer coating system was composed of alternate cubic rock salt CrN and NbN layers, coherently strained due to lattice mismatch. The film grew with columnar morphology through the entire stratified structure. The periodicities adopted were maintained throughout the entire coating. The 20 nm periodicity coating showed separate NbN and CrN peaks in the XRD patterns, while for the lower periodicity (≤10nm) coatings, just one intermediate lattice (d-spacing) was detected. An almost linear increase of hardness with decreasing bilayer period indicates that interfacial effects can dominate the hardening mechanisms. (author)

Barrier mechanism of multilayers graphene coated copper against atomic oxygen irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Haijing; Ren, Siming; Pu, Jibin; Xue, Qunji

2018-06-01

Graphene has been demonstrated as a protective coating for Cu under ambient condition because of its high impermeability and light-weight oxidation barrier. However, it lacks the research of graphene as a protective coating in space environment. Here, we experimentally and theoretically study the oxidation behavior of graphene-coated Cu in vacuum atomic oxygen (AO) condition. After AO irradiation, the experimental results show multilayer graphene has better anti-oxidation than monolayer graphene. Meanwhile, the calculation results show the oxidation appeared on the graphene's grain boundaries or the film's vacancy defects for the monolayer graphene coated Cu foil. Moreover, the calculation results show the oxidation process proceeds slowly in multilayers because of the matched defects overlaps each other to form a steric hindrance to suppress the O atom diffusion in the vertical direction, and the mismatched defects generates potential energy barriers for interlayer to suppress the O atom diffusion in the horizontal direction. Hence, multilayer graphene films could serve as protection coatings to prevent diffusion of O atom.

Gold-coated nanoparticles for use in biotechnology applications

Science.gov (United States)

Berning, Douglas E [Los Alamos, NM; Kraus, Jr., Robert H.; Atcher, Robert W [Los Alamos, NM; Schmidt, Jurgen G [Los Alamos, NM

2009-07-07

A process of preparing gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles is disclosed and includes forming a suspension of magnetic nanoparticles within a suitable liquid, adding an amount of a reducible gold compound and a reducing agent to the suspension, and, maintaining the suspension for time sufficient to form gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles.

Stress in tungsten carbide-diamond like carbon multilayer coatings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pujada, B.R.; Tichelaar, F.D.; Janssen, G.C.A.M.

2007-01-01

Tungsten carbide-diamond like carbon (WC-DLC) multilayer coatings have been prepared by sputter deposition from a tungsten-carbide target and periodic switching on and off of the reactive acetylene gas flow. The stress in the resulting WC-DLC multilayers has been studied by substrate curvature.

Polyelectrolyte-coated nanocapsules containing undecylenic acid: Synthesis, biocompatibility and neuroprotective properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Piotrowski, Marek; Jantas, Danuta; Szczepanowicz, Krzysztof; Łukasiewicz, Sylwia; Lasoń, Władysław; Warszyński, Piotr

2015-11-01

The main objectives of the present study were to investigate the biocompatibility of polyelectrolyte-coated nanocapsules and to evaluate the neuroprotective action of the nanoencapsulated water-insoluble neuroprotective drug-undecylenic acid (UDA), in vitro. Core-shell nanocapsules were synthesized using nanoemulsification and the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique (by saturation method). The average size of synthesized nanocapsules was around 80 nm and the concentration was 2.5 × 10(10) particles/ml. Their zeta potential values ranged from less than -30 mV for the ones with external polyanion layers through -4 mV for the PEG-ylated layers to more than 30 mV for the polycation layers. Biocompatibility of synthesized nanocarriers was evaluated in the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line using cell viability/toxicity assays (MTT reduction, LDH release). The results obtained showed that synthesized nanocapsules coated with PLL and PGA (also PEG-ylated) were non-toxic to SH-SY5Y cells, therefore, they were used as nanocarriers for UDA. Moreover, studies with ROD/FITC-labeled polyelectrolytes demonstrated approximately 20% cellular uptake of synthetized nanocapsules. Further studies showed that nanoencapsulated form of UDA was biocompatible and protected SH-SY5Y cells against the staurosporine-induced damage in lower concentrations than those of the same drug added directly to the culture medium. These data suggest that designed nanocapsules might serve as novel, promising delivery systems for neuroprotective agents. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor structures functionalised with a polyelectrolyte/enzyme multilayer: New strategy for enhanced field-effect biosensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abouzar, Maryam H.; Poghossian, Arshak; Schoening, Michael J. [Institute of Nano- and Biotechnologies, Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Juelich (Germany); Institute of Bio- and Nanosystems (IBN-2), Research Centre Juelich GmbH, Juelich (Germany); Siqueira, Jose R. Jr.; Oliveira, Osvaldo N. Jr. [Physics Institute of Sao Carlos, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Carlos (Brazil); Moritz, Werner [Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt University Berlin (Germany)

2010-04-15

A novel strategy for enhanced field-effect biosensing using capacitive electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor (EIS) structures functionalised with pH-responsive weak polyelectrolyte/enzyme or dendrimer/enzyme multilayers is presented. The feasibility of the proposed approach is exemplarily demonstrated by realising a penicillin biosensor based on a capacitive p-Si-SiO{sub 2} EIS structure functionalised with a poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH)/penicillinase and a poly(amidoamine) dendrimer/penicillinase multilayer. The developed sensors response to changes in both the local pH value near the gate surface and the charge of macromolecules induced via enzymatic reaction, resulting in a higher sensitivity. For comparison, an EIS penicillin biosensor with adsorptively immobilised penicillinase has been also studied. The highest penicillin sensitivity of 100 mV/dec has been observed for the EIS sensor functionalised with the PAH/penicillinase multilayer. The lower and upper detection limit was around 20 {mu}M and 10 mM, respectively. In addition, an incorporation of enzymes in a multilayer prepared by layer-by-layer technique provides a larger amount of immobilised enzymes per sensor area, reduces enzyme leaching effects and thus, enhances the biosensor lifetime (the loss of penicillin sensitivity after 2 months was 10-12%). (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Plasmonic properties of gold-coated nanoporous anodic alumina ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

gold-coated NAA is strongly quenched due to the strong plasmonic coupling. Keywords. Plasmon ... When coated by a thin film of gold, these templates can support surface plasmon resonance. ... 2.2 Equipment for characterization. Surface ...

Formation and Properties of Multilayer Films Based on Polyethyleneimine and Bovine Serum Albumin

Science.gov (United States)

Kulikouskaya, V. I.; Lazouskaya, M. E.; Kraskouski, A. N.; Agabekov, V. E.

2018-01-01

(Polyethyleneimine/bovine serum albumin) n ((PEI/BSA) n) multilayer films ( n = 1-10) are produced via the layer-by-later deposition of polyelectrolytes. It is shown that thickness and morphology of the formed coatings can be controlled by varying the solution's ionic strength during alternating adsorption of the components. (PEI/BSA)10 multilayer systems that contain up to 0.6 mg of antiseptic miramistin per 1 cm2 of film were created. It is established that the kinetics of miramistin release from (PEI/BSA)10 films in phosphate buffers and physiological solutions obey the Korsmeyer-Peppas equation with a high degree of accuracy ( R 2 > 0.95).

Oxidation behavior of Ru–Al multilayer coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Yung-I, E-mail: yichen@mail.ntou.edu.tw; Zheng, Zhi-Ting; Kai, Wu; Huang, Yu-Ren

2017-06-01

Highlights: • Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} multilayer coatings were fabricated using cosputtering. • Oxidation behavior of Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} coatings in 1% O{sub 2}–99% Ar was studied. • Internal oxidation of Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} coatings at 400–600 °C was multi stage parabolic. • External oxidation of Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} was conducted after annealing at 700–800 °C. - Abstract: Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} coatings were deposited through a cyclical gradient concentration deposition at 400 °C with a substrate-holder rotation speed of 1 rpm by direct current magnetron cosputtering. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the as-deposited coatings exhibited a multilayer structure along with the columnar structure. The oxidation behavior of the Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} coatings was examined through X-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Oxidation kinetics was measured using a thermogravimetric analyzer. Internal oxidation was observed for Ru{sub 0.63}Al{sub 0.37} coatings annealed in a 1% O{sub 2}–99% Ar atmosphere at 400–600 °C accompanied with activation energies of 72–84 kJ/mol. By contrast, external oxidation was observed after annealing at 700–800 °C, resulting in the formation of a continuous alumina scale consisting of crystalline δ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} domains, which can be attributable to the outward diffusion of Al.

Sustained, Controlled and Stimuli-Responsive Drug Release Systems Based on Nanoporous Anodic Alumina with Layer-by-Layer Polyelectrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Porta-i-Batalla, Maria; Eckstein, Chris; Xifré-Pérez, Elisabet; Formentín, Pilar; Ferré-Borrull, J.; Marsal, Lluis F.

2016-08-01

Controlled drug delivery systems are an encouraging solution to some drug disadvantages such as reduced solubility, deprived biodistribution, tissue damage, fast breakdown of the drug, cytotoxicity, or side effects. Self-ordered nanoporous anodic alumina is an auspicious material for drug delivery due to its biocompatibility, stability, and controllable pore geometry. Its use in drug delivery applications has been explored in several fields, including therapeutic devices for bone and dental tissue engineering, coronary stent implants, and carriers for transplanted cells. In this work, we have created and analyzed a stimuli-responsive drug delivery system based on layer-by-layer pH-responsive polyelectrolyte and nanoporous anodic alumina. The results demonstrate that it is possible to control the drug release using a polyelectrolyte multilayer coating that will act as a gate.

Ionically Paired Layer-by-Layer Hydrogels: Water and Polyelectrolyte Uptake Controlled by Deposition Time

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victor Selin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Despite intense recent interest in weakly bound nonlinear (“exponential” multilayers, the underlying structure-property relationships of these films are still poorly understood. This study explores the effect of time used for deposition of individual layers of nonlinearly growing layer-by-layer (LbL films composed of poly(methacrylic acid (PMAA and quaternized poly-2-(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (QPC on film internal structure, swelling, and stability in salt solution, as well as the rate of penetration of invading polyelectrolyte chains. Thicknesses of dry and swollen films were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry, film internal structure—by neutron reflectometry (NR, and degree of PMAA ionization—by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. The results suggest that longer deposition times resulted in thicker films with higher degrees of swelling (up to swelling ratio as high as 4 compared to dry film thickness and stronger film intermixing. The stronger intermixed films were more swollen in water, exhibited lower stability in salt solutions, and supported a faster penetration rate of invading polyelectrolyte chains. These results can be useful in designing polyelectrolyte nanoassemblies for biomedical applications, such as drug delivery coatings for medical implants or tissue engineering matrices.

Sprayed and Spin-Coated Multilayer Antireflection Coating Films for Nonvacuum Processed Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

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Abdullah Uzum

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Using the simple and cost-effective methods, spin-coated ZrO2-polymer composite/spray-deposited TiO2-compact multilayer antireflection coating film was introduced. With a single TiO2-compact film on the surface of a crystalline silicon wafer, 5.3% average reflectance (the reflectance average between the wavelengths of 300 nm and 1100 nm was observed. Reflectance decreased further down to 3.3% after forming spin-coated ZrO2 on the spray-deposited TiO2-compact film. Silicon solar cells were fabricated using CZ-Si p-type wafers in three sets: (1 without antireflection coating (ARC layer, (2 with TiO2-compact ARC film, and (3 with ZrO2-polymer composite/TiO2-compact multilayer ARC film. Conversion efficiency of the cells improved by a factor of 0.8% (from 15.19% to 15.88% owing to the multilayer ARC. Jsc was improved further by 2 mA cm−2 (from 35.3 mA cm−2 to 37.2 mA cm−2 when compared with a single TiO2-compact ARC.

Plasma Spray and Pack Cementation Process Optimization and Oxidation Behaviour of Novel Multilayered Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Feng

The hot section components in gas turbines are subjected to a harsh environment with the temperature being increased continuously. The higher temperature has directly resulted in severe oxidation of these components. Monolithic coatings such as MCrAIY and aluminide have been traditionally used to protect the components from oxidation; however, increased operating temperature quickly deteriorates the coatings due to accelerated diffusion of aluminum in the coatings. To improve the oxidation resistance a group of multilayered coatings are developed in this study. The multilayered coatings consist of a Cr-Si co-deposited layer as the diffusion barrier, a plasma sprayed NiCrA1Y coating as the middle layer and an aluminized top layer. The Cr-Si and aluminized layers are fabricated using pack cementation processes and the NiCrA1Y coatings are produced using the Mettech Axial III(TM) System. All of the coating processes are optimized using the methodology of Design of Experiments (DOE) and the results are analyzed using statistical method. The optimal processes are adopted to fabricate the multilayered coatings for oxidation tests. The coatings are exposed in air at 1050°C and 1150°C for 1000 hr. The results indicate that a Cr layer and a silicon-rich barrier layer have formed on the interface between the Cr-Si coating and the NiCrA1Y coating. This barrier layer not only prevents aluminum and chromium from diffusing into the substrate, but also impedes the diffusion of other elements from the substrate into the coating. The results also reveal that, for optimal oxidation resistance at 1050°C, the top layer in a multilayered coating should have at least Al/Ni ratio of one; whereas the multilayered coating with the All Ni ratio of two in the top layer exhibits the best oxidation resistance at 1150°C. The DOE methodology provides an excellent means for process optimization and the selection of oxidation test matrix, and also offers a more thorough understanding of the

Super Oxygen and Improved Water Vapor Barrier of Polypropylene Film with Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Nanocoatings.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Yixuan; Tzeng, Ping; Grunlan, Jaime C

2016-06-01

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is widely used in packaging. Although its orientation increases mechanical strength and clarity, BOPP suffers from a high oxygen transmission rate (OTR). Multilayer thin films are deposited from water using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is combined with either poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or vermiculite (VMT) clay to impart high oxygen barrier. A 30-bilayer PEI/VMT nanocoating (226 nm thick) improves the OTR of 17.8 μm thick BOPP by more than 30X, rivaling most inorganic coatings. PEI/PAA multilayers achieve comparable barrier with only 12 bilayers due to greater thickness, but these films exhibit increased oxygen permeability at high humidity. The PEI/VMT coatings actually exhibit improved oxygen barrier at high humidity (and also improve moisture barrier by more than 40%). This high barrier BOPP meets the criteria for sensitive food and some electronics packaging applications. Additionally, this water-based coating technology is cost effective and provides an opportunity to produce high barrier polypropylene film on an industrial scale. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electrochemical Formation of Multilayer SnO2-Sb x O y Coating in Complex Electrolyte.

Science.gov (United States)

Maizelis, Antonina; Bairachniy, Boris

2017-12-01

The multilayer antimony-doped tin dioxide coating was obtained by cathodic deposition of multilayer metal-hydroxide coating with near 100-nm thickness layers on the alloy underlayer accompanied by the anodic oxidation of this coating. The potential regions of deposition of tin, antimony, tin-antimony alloy, and mixture of this metals and their hydroxides in the pyrophosphate-tartrate electrolyte were revealed by the cyclic voltammetric method. The possibility of oxidation of cathodic deposit consisting of tin and Sn(II) hydroxide compounds to the hydrated tin dioxide in the same electrolyte was demonstrated.The operations of alloy underlayer deposition and oxidation of multilayer metal-hydroxide coating were proposed to carry out in the diluted pyrophosphate-tartrate electrolyte, similar to the main electrolyte.The accelerated tests showed higher service life of the titanium electrode with multilayer antimony-doped tin dioxide coating compared to both electrode with single-layer electrodeposited coating and the electrode with the coating obtained using prolonged heat treatment step.

Improvement of corrosion resistance of transparent conductive multilayer coating consisting of silver layers and transparent metal oxide layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koike, Katsuhiko; Yamazaki, Fumiharu; Okamura, Tomoyuki; Fukuda, Shin

2007-01-01

An optical filter for plasma display panel (PDP) requires an electromagnetic shield with very high ability. The authors investigated a transparent conductive multilayer coating consisting of silver (Ag) layers and transparent metal oxide layers. The durability of the multilayer sputter coating, including the silver layer, is very sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere. For example, after an exposure test they found discolored points on the multilayer sputter coatings, possibly caused by migration of silver atoms in the silver layers. In their investigation, they modified the top surface of the multilayer sputter coatings with transition metals to improve the corrosion resistance of the multilayer coating. Specifically, they deposited transition metals 0.5-2 nm thick on the top surface of the multilayer coatings by sputtering. They chose indium tin oxide (ITO) as the transparent metal oxide. They applied the multilayer sputter coatings of seven layers to a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film substrate. A cross-sectional structure of the film with the multilayer coatings is PET film/ITO/Ag/ITO/Ag/ITO/Ag/ITO. They evaluated the corrosion resistance of the films by a salt-water immersion test. In the test, they immersed the film with multilayer coatings into salt water, and then evaluated the appearance, transmittance, and electrical resistance of the multilayer coatings. They investigated several transition metals as the modifying material, and found that titanium and tantalum drastically improved the resistance of the multilayer coatings to the salt-water exposure without a significant decline in transmittance. They also investigated the relation between elapsed time after deposition of the modifying materials and resistance to the salt water. Furthermore, they investigated the effects of a heat treatment and an oxide plasma treatment on resistance to the salt water

Stable Aqueous Suspension and Self-Assembly of Graphite Nanoplatelets Coated with Various Polyelectrolytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jue Lu

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs with an average thickness of 1–10 nm present an inexpensive alternative to carbon nanotubes in many applications. In this paper, stable aqueous suspension of xGnP was achieved by noncovalent functionalization of xGnP with polyelectrolytes. The surfactants and polyelectrolytes were compared with respect to their ability to suspend graphite nanoplatelets. The surface charge of the nanoplatelets was characterized with zeta potential measurements, and the bonding strength of the polymer chains to the surface of xGnP was characterized with Raman spectroscopy. This robust method opens up the possibility of using this inexpensive nanomaterial in many applications, including electrochemical devices, and leads to simple processing techniques such as layer-by-layer deposition. Therefore, the formation of xGnP conductive coatings using layer-by-layer deposition was also demonstrated.

Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition in cylindrical nanopores.

Science.gov (United States)

Lazzara, Thomas D; Lau, K H Aaron; Abou-Kandil, Ahmed I; Caminade, Anne-Marie; Majoral, Jean-Pierre; Knoll, Wolfgang

2010-07-27

Layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes within nanopores in terms of the pore size and the ionic strength was experimentally studied. Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes, which have aligned, cylindrical, nonintersecting pores, were used as a model nanoporous system. Furthermore, the AAO membranes were also employed as planar optical waveguides to enable in situ monitoring of the LbL process within the nanopores by optical waveguide spectroscopy (OWS). Structurally well-defined N,N-disubstituted hydrazine phosphorus-containing dendrimers of the fourth generation, with peripherally charged groups and diameters of approximately 7 nm, were used as the model polyelectrolytes. The pore diameter of the AAO was varied between 30-116 nm and the ionic strength was varied over 3 orders of magnitude. The dependence of the deposited layer thickness on ionic strength within the nanopores is found to be significantly stronger than LbL deposition on a planar surface. Furthermore, deposition within the nanopores can become inhibited even if the pore diameter is much larger than the diameter of the G4-polyelectrolyte, or if the screening length is insignificant relative to the dendrimer diameter at high ionic strengths. Our results will aid in the template preparation of polyelectrolyte multilayer nanotubes, and our experimental approach may be useful for investigating theories regarding the partitioning of nano-objects within nanopores where electrostatic interactions are dominant. Furthermore, we show that the enhanced ionic strength dependence of polyelectrolyte transport within the nanopores can be used to selectively deposit a LbL multilayer atop a nanoporous substrate.

Ultra-short-period WC/SiC multilayer coatings for x-ray applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernández-Perea, Mónica; Pivovaroff, Mike J.; Soufli, Regina; Alameda, Jennifer; Mirkarimi, Paul; Descalle, Marie-Anne; Baker, Sherry L.; McCarville, Tom; Ziock, Klaus; Hornback, Donald; Romaine, Suzanne; Bruni, Ric; Zhong, Zhong; Honkimäki, Veijo; Ziegler, Eric; Christensen, Finn E.; Jakobsen, Anders C.

2013-01-01

Multilayer coatings enhance x-ray mirror performance at incidence angles steeper than the critical angle, allowing for improved flux, design flexibility and facilitating alignment. In an attempt to extend the use of multilayer coatings to photon energies higher than previously achieved, we have developed multilayers with ultra-short periods between 1 and 2 nm based on the material system WC/SiC. This material system was selected because it possesses very sharp and stable interfaces. In this article, we show highlights from a series of experiments performed in order to characterize the stress, microstructure and morphology of the multilayer films, as well as their reflective performance at photon energies from 8 to 384 keV

Temperature-induced changes in polyelectrolyte films at the solid-liquid interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steitz, R.; Leiner, V.; Tauer, K.; Khrenov, V.; Klitzing, R. v.

2002-01-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (film thickness 30-60 nm) were built on top of silicon substrates by layer-by-layer deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes from aqueous solutions. Three kinds of films were investigated: (A) films of a homo-polyelectrolyte and a diblock copolymer with a thermosensitive poly(N-isopropyl-acrylamide) block and (B) and (C) two reference systems built solely from homo-polyelectrolytes of opposite charges. Thermal behavior and subsequent structural changes of the functionalized films against D 2 O were investigated by neutron reflectometry. All films showed irreversible annealing effects upon heating. In addition, the thermosensitive films showed a decrease in thickness at elevated temperature (>30 C) while the reference samples, composed of thermo-insensitive polyelectrolytes only, did not. (orig.)

Polyelectrolyte multilayer assembly as a function of pH and ionic strength using the polysaccharides chitosan and heparin.

Science.gov (United States)

Boddohi, Soheil; Killingsworth, Christopher E; Kipper, Matt J

2008-07-01

The goal of this work is to explore the effects of solution ionic strength and pH on polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) assembly, using biologically derived polysaccharides as the polyelectrolytes. We used the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique to assemble PEM of the polysaccharides heparin (a strong polyanion) and chitosan (a weak polycation) and characterized the sensitivity of the PEM composition and layer thickness to changes in processing parameters. Fourier-transform surface plasmon resonance (FT-SPR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry provided in situ and ex situ measurements of the PEM thickness, respectively. Vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) provided details of the chemistry (i.e., composition, electrostatic interactions) of the PEM. We found that when PEM were assembled from 0.2 M buffer, the PEM thickness could be increased from less than 2 nm per bilayer to greater than 4 nm per bilayer by changing the solution pH; higher and lower ionic strength buffer solutions resulted in narrower ranges of accessible thickness. Molar composition of the PEM was not very sensitive to solution pH or ionic strength, but pH did affect the interactions between the sulfonates in heparin and amines in chitosan when PEM were assembled from 0.2 M buffer. Changes in the PEM thickness with pH and ionic strength can be interpreted through descriptions of the charge density and conformation of the polyelectrolyte chains in solution.

Effects of gold coating on experimental implant fixation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zainali, Kasra; Danscher, Gorm; Jakobsen, Thomas

2009-01-01

Insertions of orthopedic implants are traumatic procedures that trigger an inflammatory response. Macrophages have been shown to liberate gold ions from metallic gold. Gold ions are known to act in an antiinflammatory manner by inhibiting cellular NF-kappa B-DNA binding and suppressing I-kappa B......-kinase activation. The present study investigated whether gilding implant Surfaces augmented early implant osseointegration and implant fixation by its modulatory effect on the local inflammatory response. Ion release was traced by autometallographic silver enhancement. Gold-coated cylindrical porous coated Ti6Al4V...

Uptake of pH-Sensitive Gold Nanoparticles in Strong Polyelectrolyte Brushes

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Dikran Kesal

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The impact of electrostatic attraction on the uptake of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs into positively charged strong poly-[2-(Methacryloyloxy ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride (PMETAC polyelectrolyte brushes was investigated. In this work, PMETAC brushes were synthesized via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (Si-ATRP. PMETAC/AuNP composite materials were prepared by incubation of the polymer brush coated samples into 3-mercaptopropionic acid-capped AuNP (5 nm in diameter suspension. The electrostatic interactions were tuned by changing the surface charge of the AuNPs through variations in pH value, while the charge of the PMETAC brush was not affected. Atomic-force microscopy (AFM, ellipsometry, UV/Vis spectroscopy, gravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy (TEM were employed to study the loading and penetration into the polymer brush. The results show that the number density of attached AuNPs depends on the pH value and increases with increasing pH value. There is also strong evidence that the particle assembly is dependent on the pH value of the AuNP suspension. Incubation of PMETAC brushes in AuNP suspension at pH 4 led to the formation of a surface layer on top of the brush (2D assembly due to sterical hindrance of the clustered AuNPs, while incubation in AuNP suspension at pH 8 led to deeper particle penetration into the brush (3D assembly. The straightforward control of particle uptake and assembly by tuning the charge density of the nanoparticle surface is a valuable tool for the development of materials for colorimetric sensor applications.

Microstructure, mechanical and tribological characterization of CrN/DLC/Cr-DLC multilayer coating with improved adhesive wear resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Xudong; Liu, Jinyu; Zhang, Shuaituo; Yang, Jun; Hao, Junying

2018-05-01

Adhesive wear is one of the major reasons for the failure of components during various tribological application, especially for rubbing with viscous materials. This study presents CrN/DLC/Cr-DLC multilayer composite coatings prepared on a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) device with the close field unbalanced magnetron sputtering ion plating (CFUBMSIP) technique. SEM, XRD and Raman spectroscopy were used to determine the structure of multilayer coatings. It was found that the multilayer coatings are composed by the alternating CrN and DLC layers. Compared with the single CrN coatings, the friction coefficient of the CrN/DLC/Cr-DLC multilayer coating decreases about more than seven times after sliding a distance of 500 m. This helps to reduce the adhesive wear of multilayer coatings. Compared with the single CrN and DLC coating, the wear rate of the CrN/DLC/Cr-DLC multilayer coating is reduced by an order of magnitude to 7.10 × 10-17 (sliding with AISI 440C) and 2.64 × 10-17 (sliding with TC4) m3/(N m). The improved tribological performance of multilayer coatings mainly attributes to the introduction of lubricant DLC and hard support CrN layers, the enhancement of crack propagation inhibition, and the increment of elastic recovery value We (71.49%) by multilayer design method.

(3-Aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine End-capped Poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based Multilayer Films for Gene Delivery

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cuicui; Tzeng, Stephany Y; Tellier, Liane E.; Green, Jordan J

2013-01-01

Biodegradable polyelectrolyte surfaces for gene delivery were created through electrospinning of biodegradable polycations combined with iterative solution-based multilayer coating. Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol) end-capped with 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine was utilized due to its ability to electrostatically interact with anionic molecules like DNA, its biodegradability, and its low cytotoxicity. A new DNA release system was developed for sustained release of DNA over 24 hours, accompanied by high exogenous gene expression in primary human glioblastoma (GB) cells. Electrospinning a different PBAE, poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4,4′-trimethylenedipiperidine), and its combination with polyelectrolyte 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine end-capped poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based multilayers are promising for DNA release and intracellular delivery from a surface. PMID:23755861

(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine end-capped poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based multilayer films for gene delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cuicui; Tzeng, Stephany Y; Tellier, Liane E; Green, Jordan J

2013-07-10

Biodegradable polyelectrolyte surfaces for gene delivery were created through electrospinning of biodegradable polycations combined with iterative solution-based multilayer coating. Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol) end-capped with 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine was utilized because of its ability to electrostatically interact with anionic molecules like DNA, its biodegradability, and its low cytotoxicity. A new DNA release system was developed for sustained release of DNA over 24 h, accompanied by high exogenous gene expression in primary human glioblastoma (GB) cells. Electrospinning a different PBAE, poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4,4'-trimethylenedipiperidine), and its combination with polyelectrolyte 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine end-capped poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based multilayers are promising for DNA release and intracellular delivery from a surface.

Biocolloids with ordered urease multilayer shells as enzymatic reactors.

Science.gov (United States)

Lvov, Y; Caruso, F

2001-09-01

The preparation of biocolloids with organized enzyme-containing multilayer shells for exploitation as colloidal enzymatic nanoreactors is described. Urease multilayers were assembled onto submicrometer-sized polystyrene spheres by the sequential adsorption of urease and polyelectrolyte, in a predetermined order, utilizing electrostatic interactions for layer growth. The catalytic activity of the biocolloids increased proportionally with the number of urease layers deposited on the particles, demonstrating that biocolloid particles with tailored enzymatic activities can be produced. It was further found that precoating the latex spheres with nanoparticles (40-nm silica or 12-nm magnetite) enhanced both the stability (with respect to adsorption) and enzymatic activity of the urease multilayers. The presence of the magnetite nanoparticle coating also provided a magnetic function that allowed the biocolloids to be easily and rapidly separated with a permanent magnet. The fabrication of such colloids opens new avenues for the application of bioparticles and represents a promising route for the creation of complex catalytic particles.

Multilayered Zn-Ni alloy coatings for better corrosion protection of mild steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sadananda Rashmi

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A simple aqueous electrolyte for the deposition of anti-corrosive Zn-Ni alloy coatings was optimized using conventional Hull cell method. The corrosion protection value of the electrodeposited coatings at a current density (c.d. range of 2.0–5.0 A dm−2 has been testified in 5 wt% NaCl solution, as representative corrosion medium. The electrochemical behavior of the coatings towards corrosion was related to its surface topography, elemental composition and phase structure using scanning electron microscopy (SEM, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS and X-ray diffraction (XRD analyses, respectively. Among the monolithic coatings developed at different c.d.’s, the coating obtained at 3.0 A dm−2 was found to be the best with least corrosion current (icorr value. Further, the corrosion protection efficacy of the monolayer coatings were improved to many folds through multilayer coating approach, by modulating the cyclic cathode current densities (CCCD’s. The composition modulated multilayer (CMM Zn-Ni alloy coating with 60 layers, developed from the combination of CCCD’s 3.0 and 5.0 A dm−2 was found to be the best with 3 fold enhancement in corrosion protection efficiency. The formation of multilayer coatings was confirmed using cross-sectional SEM, and the experimental results are discussed with tables and figures.

Acoustically Triggered Disassembly of Multilayered Polyelectrolyte Thin Films through Gigahertz Resonators for Controlled Drug Release Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhixin Zhang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Controlled drug release has a high priority for the development of modern medicine and biochemistry. To develop a versatile method for controlled release, a miniaturized acoustic gigahertz (GHz resonator is designed and fabricated which can transfer electric supply to mechanical vibrations. By contacting with liquid, the GHz resonator directly excites streaming flows and induces physical shear stress to tear the multilayered polyelectrolyte (PET thin films. Due to the ultra-high working frequency, the shear stress is greatly intensified, which results in a controlled disassembling of the PET thin films. This technique is demonstrated as an effective method to trigger and control the drug release. Both theory analysis and controlled release experiments prove the thin film destruction and the drug release.

Influence of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes on the conductivity and morphology of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Valtakari, Dimitar, E-mail: dimitar.valtakari@abo.fi [Abo Akademi University, Laboratory of Paper Coating and Converting, Center for Functional Materials at Biological Interfaces (FUNMAT), Porthansgatan 3, FI-20500 Åbo/Turku (Finland); Bollström, Roger [Omya International AG, CH 4665 Oftringen (Switzerland); Toivakka, Martti; Saarinen, Jarkko J. [Abo Akademi University, Laboratory of Paper Coating and Converting, Center for Functional Materials at Biological Interfaces (FUNMAT), Porthansgatan 3, FI-20500 Åbo/Turku (Finland)

2015-09-01

Conductivity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) strongly depends on the film morphology, which can be altered by the presence of polyelectrolytes. Aqueous dispersion of PEDOT:PSS was studied with anionic sodium polyacrylate (PA) and cationic poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (pDADMAC) polyelectrolytes that are typically used in papermaking as retention aids and dispersing agents in the paper pigment coating formulations. Spin-coated PEDOT:PSS films on a PA coated glass formed non-uniform layers with lowered conductivity compared to the reference PEDOT:PSS films on a clean glass substrate. On contrary, spin-coated PEDOT:PSS on a pDADMAC coated glass formed uniform layers with good conductivity. These results point out the importance of surface chemistry when using renewable and recyclable paper-based substrates with the PEDOT:PSS films. - Highlights: • PEDOT:PSS polymer was studied in the presence of polyelectrolytes. • Uniform layers of PEDOT:PSS and polyelectrolytes were spin-coated on glass. • Cationic polyelectrolyte was found to be more susceptible to humidity. • Cationic polyelectrolyte improves the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS. • PEDOT:PSS forms non-uniform layers on anionic polyelectrolyte coated glass.

Influence of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes on the conductivity and morphology of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valtakari, Dimitar; Bollström, Roger; Toivakka, Martti; Saarinen, Jarkko J.

2015-01-01

Conductivity of the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) strongly depends on the film morphology, which can be altered by the presence of polyelectrolytes. Aqueous dispersion of PEDOT:PSS was studied with anionic sodium polyacrylate (PA) and cationic poly(dimethyldiallylammonium chloride) (pDADMAC) polyelectrolytes that are typically used in papermaking as retention aids and dispersing agents in the paper pigment coating formulations. Spin-coated PEDOT:PSS films on a PA coated glass formed non-uniform layers with lowered conductivity compared to the reference PEDOT:PSS films on a clean glass substrate. On contrary, spin-coated PEDOT:PSS on a pDADMAC coated glass formed uniform layers with good conductivity. These results point out the importance of surface chemistry when using renewable and recyclable paper-based substrates with the PEDOT:PSS films. - Highlights: • PEDOT:PSS polymer was studied in the presence of polyelectrolytes. • Uniform layers of PEDOT:PSS and polyelectrolytes were spin-coated on glass. • Cationic polyelectrolyte was found to be more susceptible to humidity. • Cationic polyelectrolyte improves the conductivity of PEDOT:PSS. • PEDOT:PSS forms non-uniform layers on anionic polyelectrolyte coated glass

Doxorubicin-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles coated with chitosan/alginate by layer by layer technology for antitumor applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Chai, Fujuan; Sun, Linlin; He, Xinyi; Li, Jieli; Liu, Yuanfen; Xiong, Fei; Ge, Liang; Webster, Thomas J; Zheng, Chunli

2017-01-01

Natural polyelectrolyte multilayers of chitosan (CHI) and alginate (ALG) were alternately deposited on doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) with layer by layer self-assembly to control drug release for antitumor activity. Numerous factors which influenced the multilayer growth on nano-colloidal particles were studied: polyelectrolyte concentration, NaCl concentration and temperature. Then the growth regime of the CHI/ALG multilayers was elucidated. The coated NPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and a zeta potential analyzer. In vitro studies demonstrated an undesirable initial burst release of DOX-loaded PLGA NPs (DOX-PLGA NPs), which was relieved from 55.12% to 5.78% through the use of the layer by layer technique. The release of DOX increased more than 40% as the pH of media decreased from 7.4 to 5.0. More importantly, DOX-PLGA (CHI/ALG) 3 NPs had superior in vivo tumor inhibition rates at 83.17% and decreased toxicity, compared with DOX-PLGA NPs and DOX in solution. Thus, the presently formulated PLGA-polyelectrolyte NPs have strong potential applications for numerous controlled anticancer drug release applications.

Fabrication of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Fiber Probes Using Ionic Self-Assembled Gold Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miao Wan

2010-07-01

Full Text Available An nm-thickness composite gold thin film consisting of gold nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes is fabricated through ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAM technique and is deposited on end-faces of optical fibers to construct localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR fiber probes. We demonstrate that the LSPR spectrum induced by ISAM gold films can be fine-tuned through the ISAM procedure. We investigate variations of reflection spectra of the probe with respect to the layer-by-layer adsorption of ISAMs onto end-faces of fibers, and study the spectral variation mechanism. Finally, we demonstrated using this fiber probe to detect the biotin-streptavidin bioconjugate pair. ISAM adsorbed on optical fibers potentially provides a simple, fast, robust, and low-cost, platform for LSPR biosensing applications.

Curcumin coated gold nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, cytotoxicity, antioxidant activity and its comparison with citrate coated gold nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elnaz Shaabani

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Biological applications of gold nanoparticles have limitations because of the toxic chemicals used in their synthesis. Curcumin can be used as reducing as well as capping agent in synthesis of GNPs to eliminate the cytotoxicity. Conjugation of curcumin to gold also helps in increasing its solubility and bioavailability. Materials and Methods: Here we report synthesis of gold nanoparticles coated with citrate and curcumin and of two different sizes via chemical routes. UV-Vis absorbance spectroscopy, Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy were applied to study the average particle size, size stability of the samples and zeta potential. Fourier transform infrared, Raman Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Spectroscopy were applied for detection of curcumin on the surface of GNPs. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using DPPH assay and Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay.Results: Particles were synthesized of 6 and 16 nm size. The average particle size was found to be 21.7 ± 5.7 by TEM. The zeta potential on the surface of Cur-GNPs was negative and larger than 25 mV which is a sign of their high stability. The stability of these particles (with different coatings but with similar sizes at different time intervals (up to 3 months and also in different media like cell culture medium, different buffers, glucose and at different pH conditions have been investigated thoroughly. Appearance of functional groups assigned to curcumin in FTIR and SERS spectra are sign of presence of curcumin in the sample. The quenching of the fluorescence in the presence of GNPs reveals the clear indication of the capping and binding of curcumin with GNPs. Cur-GNP1 (16 nm were found to exhibit highest antioxidant activity than other gold nanoparticles. Cytotoxicity evaluation using MTT assay on L929 cell line proved curcumin coated gold nanoparticles were non-toxic up to 40 ppm.Conclusion: The results revealed that larger curcumin

Plastic Deformation Induced by Nanoindentation Test Applied on ZrN/Si3N4 Multilayer Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhengtao Wu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available ZrN/Si3N4 multilayer coating that alternates with either nanocrystalline ZrN or amorphous Si3N4 interlayers was fabricated by reactively magnetron sputtering in an Ar-N2 mixture atmosphere. The thicknesses of the nanocrystalline ZrN and the amorphous Si3N4 interlayers are ~12.5 and 2.5 nm, respectively. The ZrN/Si3N4 coating exhibits a promoted hardness of 28.6 ± 1.2 GPa when compared to the binary ZrN. Microstructure evolution just underneath the nanoindentation impression of the ZrN/Si3N4 multilayer coating has been investigated. The result indicates that both ZrN nanograin rotations and plastic flow of the Si3N4 interlayers contribute to the permanent deformation of the multilayer coating induced by the nanoindentation. In addition, the introduction of the a-Si3N4 interlayers hinders both the initiation and propagation of microcracks when the multilayer coating was applied to the scratch test. The propagation deflection of the microcracks was observed attributed to the heterogenous interface, which produces the hardness promotion of the multilayer coating eventually.

Optics and multilayer coatings for EUVL systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soufli, R; Bajt, S; Hudyma, R M; Taylor, J S

2008-03-21

EUV lithography (EUVL) employs illumination wavelengths around 13.5 nm, and in many aspects it is considered an extension of optical lithography, which is used for the high-volume manufacturing (HVM) of today's microprocessors. The EUV wavelength of illumination dictates the use of reflective optical elements (mirrors) as opposed to the refractive lenses used in conventional lithographic systems. Thus, EUVL tools are based on all-reflective concepts: they use multilayer (ML) coated optics for their illumination and projection systems, and they have a ML-coated reflective mask.

Imprinting of metal receptors into multilayer polyelectrolyte films: fabrication and applications in marine antifouling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Puniredd, S.R.; Janczewski, D.; Go, D.P.; Zhu, X.; Guo, S.; Teo, S.L-M.; Lee, S.S.C.; Vancso, Gyula J.

2015-01-01

Polymeric films constructed using the layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication process were employed as a platform for metal ion immobilization and applied as a marine antifouling coating. The novel Cu2+ ion imprinting process described is based on the use of metal ion templates and LbL multilayer covalent

Deconsolidation and combustion performance of thermally consolidated propellants deterred by multi-layers coating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zheng-gang Xiao

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Both heating and solvent-spray methods are used to consolidate the standard grains of double-base oblate sphere propellants plasticized with triethyleneglycol dinitrate (TEGDN (TEGDN propellants to high density propellants. The obtained consolidated propellants are deterred and coated with the slow burning multi-layer coating. The maximum compaction density of deterred and coated consolidated propellants can reach up to 1.39 g/cm3. Their mechanic, deconsolidation and combustion performances are tested by the materials test machine, interrupted burning set-up and closed vessel, respectively. The static compression strength of consolidated propellants deterred by multi-layer coating increases significantly to 18 MPa, indicating that they can be applied in most circumstances of charge service. And the samples are easy to deconsolidate in the interrupted burning test. Furthermore, the closed bomb burning curves of the samples indicate a two-stage combustion phenomenon under the condition of certain thickness of coated multi-layers. After the outer deterred multi-layer coating of consolidated samples is finished burning, the inner consolidated propellants continue to burn and breakup into aggregates and grains. The high burning progressivity can be carefully obtained by the smart control of deconsolidation process and duration of consolidated propellants. The preliminary results of consolidated propellants show that a rapid deconsolidation process at higher deconsolidation pressure is presented in the dynamic vivacity curves of closed bomb test. Higher density and higher macro progressivity of consolidated propellants can be obtained by the techniques in this paper.

Cast iron cutting with nano TiN and multilayer TiN-CrN coated inserts

Science.gov (United States)

Perucca, M.; Durante, S.; Semmler, U.; Rüger, C.; Fuentes, G. G.; Almandoz, E.

2012-09-01

During the past decade great success has been achieved in the development of duplex and multilayer multi-functional surface systems. Among these surface systems outstanding properties have nanoscale multilayer coatings. Within the framework of the M3-2S project funded in the 7th European Framework Programme, several nanoscale multilayer coatings have been developed and investigated for experimental and industrial validation. This paper shows the performance of TiN and TiN/CrN nanoscale multilayer coatings on WC cutting inserts when machining GJL250 cast iron. The thin films have been deposited by cathodic arc evaporation in an industrial PVD system. The multilayer deposition characteristic and its properties are shown. The inserts have been investigated in systematic cutting experiments of cast iron bars on a turning machine specifically equipped for force measurements, accompanied by wear determination. Furthermore, equivalent experiments have been carried out on an industrial turning unit. Industrial validation criteria have been applied to assess the comparative performance of the coatings. The choice of the material and the machined parts is driven by an interest in automotive applications. The industrial tests show the need to further optimise the multi-scale modelling approach in order to reduce the lead time of the coating development as well as to improve simulation reliability.

Cast iron cutting with nano TiN and multilayer TiN-CrN coated inserts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perucca, M; Durante, S; Semmler, U; Rüger, C; Fuentes, G G; Almandoz, E

2012-01-01

During the past decade great success has been achieved in the development of duplex and multilayer multi-functional surface systems. Among these surface systems outstanding properties have nanoscale multilayer coatings. Within the framework of the M3-2S project funded in the 7th European Framework Programme, several nanoscale multilayer coatings have been developed and investigated for experimental and industrial validation. This paper shows the performance of TiN and TiN/CrN nanoscale multilayer coatings on WC cutting inserts when machining GJL250 cast iron. The thin films have been deposited by cathodic arc evaporation in an industrial PVD system. The multilayer deposition characteristic and its properties are shown. The inserts have been investigated in systematic cutting experiments of cast iron bars on a turning machine specifically equipped for force measurements, accompanied by wear determination. Furthermore, equivalent experiments have been carried out on an industrial turning unit. Industrial validation criteria have been applied to assess the comparative performance of the coatings. The choice of the material and the machined parts is driven by an interest in automotive applications. The industrial tests show the need to further optimise the multi-scale modelling approach in order to reduce the lead time of the coating development as well as to improve simulation reliability.

Selective emission multilayer coatings for a molybdenum thermophotovoltaic radiator

Science.gov (United States)

Cockeram, Brian Vern

2004-01-27

Multilayer coating designs have been developed to provide selective emission for a molybdenum thermophotovoltaic (TPV) radiator surface. These coatings increase the surface emissivity of a molybdenum TPV radiator substrate in the wavelength range that matches the bandgap of the TPV cells to increase the power density of the TPV system. Radiator emission at wavelengths greater than the bandgap energy of the TPV cells is greatly reduced through the use of these coatings, which significantly increases the efficiency of the TPV system. The use of this coating greatly improves the performance of a TPV system, and the coating can be tailored to match the bandgap of any practical TPV system.

Polymer multilayer tattooing for enhanced DNA vaccination

Science.gov (United States)

Demuth, Peter C.; Min, Younjin; Huang, Bonnie; Kramer, Joshua A.; Miller, Andrew D.; Barouch, Dan H.; Hammond, Paula T.; Irvine, Darrell J.

2013-04-01

DNA vaccines have many potential benefits but have failed to generate robust immune responses in humans. Recently, methods such as in vivo electroporation have demonstrated improved performance, but an optimal strategy for safe, reproducible, and pain-free DNA vaccination remains elusive. Here we report an approach for rapid implantation of vaccine-loaded polymer films carrying DNA, immune-stimulatory RNA, and biodegradable polycations into the immune-cell-rich epidermis, using microneedles coated with releasable polyelectrolyte multilayers. Films transferred into the skin following brief microneedle application promoted local transfection and controlled the persistence of DNA and adjuvants in the skin from days to weeks, with kinetics determined by the film composition. These ‘multilayer tattoo’ DNA vaccines induced immune responses against a model HIV antigen comparable to electroporation in mice, enhanced memory T-cell generation, and elicited 140-fold higher gene expression in non-human primate skin than intradermal DNA injection, indicating the potential of this strategy for enhancing DNA vaccination.

Polymer multilayer tattooing for enhanced DNA vaccination

Science.gov (United States)

DeMuth, Peter C.; Min, Younjin; Huang, Bonnie; Kramer, Joshua A.; Miller, Andrew D.; Barouch, Dan H.; Hammond, Paula T.; Irvine, Darrell J.

2014-01-01

DNA vaccines have many potential benefits but have failed to generate robust immune responses in humans. Recently, methods such as in vivo electroporation have demonstrated improved performance, but an optimal strategy for safe, reproducible, and pain-free DNA vaccination remains elusive. Here we report an approach for rapid implantation of vaccine-loaded polymer films carrying DNA, immune-stimulatory RNA, and biodegradable polycations into the immune-cell-rich epidermis, using microneedles coated with releasable polyelectrolyte multilayers. Films transferred into the skin following brief microneedle application promoted local transfection and controlled the persistence of DNA and adjuvants in the skin from days to weeks, with kinetics determined by the film composition. These “multilayer tattoo” DNA vaccines induced immune responses against a model HIV antigen comparable to electroporation in mice, enhanced memory T-cell generation, and elicited 140-fold higher gene expression in non-human primate skin than intradermal DNA injection, indicating the potential of this strategy for enhancing DNA vaccination. PMID:23353628

The Effect of Temperature Treatment on the Structure of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maximilian Zerball

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The study addresses the effect of thermal treatment on the internal structure of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs. In order to get insight into the internal structure of PEMs, Neutron Reflectometry (NR was used. PEMs with a deuterated inner block towards the substrate and a non-deuterated outer block were prepared and measured in 1% RH and in D2O before and after a thermal treatment. Complementarily, PEMs with the same number of layers but completely non-deuterated were investigated by ellipsometry. The analysis for the overall thickness (d, the average scattering length density (SLD and the refractive index (n indicate a degradation of the PEM. The loss in material is independent of the number of layers, i.e., only a constant part of the PEM is affected by degradation. The analysis of the internal structure revealed a more complex influence of thermal treatment on PEM structure. Only the outermost part of the PEM degenerates, while the inner part becomes denser during the thermal treatment. In addition, the swelling behavior of PEMs is influenced by the thermal treatment. The untreated PEM shows a well pronounced odd—even effect, i.e., PDADMAC-terminated PEMs take up more water than PSS-terminated PEMs. After the thermal treatment, the odd-even effect becomes much weaker.

Mechanical properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer self-assembled films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Xinhua; Zhang Yongjun; Guan Ying; Yang Shuguang; Xu Jian

2005-01-01

The mechanical properties of electrostatic self-assembled multilayer films from polyacrylic acid (PAA) and C 60 -ethylenediamine adduct (C 60 -EDA) or poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) wear experiments. Because of the higher molecular weight of PAH, the wear resistance of the (PAH/PAA) 10 film is higher than that of the (PAH/PAA) 2 (C 60 -EDA/PAA) 8 film; that is, the former is mechanically more stable than the latter. The mechanical stability of both films can be improved significantly by heat treatment, which changes the nature of the linkage from ionic to covalent. The AFM measurement also reveals that the (PAH/PAA) 2 (C 60 -EDA/PAA) 8 film is softer than the (PAH/PAA) 10 film. The friction properties of the heated films were measured. These films can be developed as potential lubrication coatings for microelectromechanical systems

Improving the tribological and corrosive properties of MoS2-based coatings by dual-doping and multilayer construction

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Kedong; Zheng, Shaoxian; Ren, Siming; Pu, Jibin; He, Dongqing; Liu, Shuan

2018-04-01

The pure MoS2 coating always performs high friction coefficient and short service life when used in high humidity or after long-time storage in humid atmospheric environment. In this study, the MoS2/Pb-Ti composite and MoS2/Pb-Ti multilayer coatings are deposited to improve the corrosion resistance in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution and tribological performance in high humidity condition. The electrochemical impedance spectra and salt spray test shown that the MoS2/Pb-Ti composite and multilayer coatings can inhibit the permeation of oxygen and other corrosive elements, thus resulting a high corrosion resistance. Furthermore, compared with pure MoS2 coating, the tribological performance of the MoS2/Pb-Ti composite and multilayer coatings is also improved significantly owing to the high mechanical properties and compact structure. Moreover, the heterogenous interfaces in MoS2/Pb-Ti multilayer coating play an important role to improve the corrosion resistance and tribological performance of coatings. Overall, the dual-doping and multilayer construction are promising approaches to design the MoS2 coatings as the environmentally adaptive lubricants.

Acute toxicity and pharmacokinetics of 13 nm-sized PEG-coated gold nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Wan-Seob; Cho, Minjung; Jeong, Jinyoung; Choi, Mina; Cho, Hea-Young; Han, Beom Seok; Kim, Sheen Hee; Kim, Hyoung Ook; Lim, Yong Taik; Chung, Bong Hyun; Jeong, Jayoung

2009-01-01

In general, gold nanoparticles are recognized as being as nontoxic. Still, there have been some reports on their toxicity, which has been shown to depend on the physical dimension, surface chemistry, and shape of the nanoparticles. In this study, we carry out an in vivo toxicity study using 13 nm-sized gold nanoparticles coated with PEG (MW 5000). In our findings the 13 nm sized PEG-coated gold nanoparticles were seen to induce acute inflammation and apoptosis in the liver. These nanoparticles were found to accumulate in the liver and spleen for up to 7 days after injection and to have long blood circulation times. In addition, transmission electron microscopy showed that numerous cytoplasmic vesicles and lysosomes of liver Kupffer cells and spleen macrophages contained the PEG-coated gold nanoparticles. These findings of toxicity and kinetics of PEG-coated gold nanoparticles may have important clinical implications regarding the safety issue as PEG-coated gold nanoparticles are widely used in biomedical applications

Architecture, Assembly, and Emerging Applications of Branched Functional Polyelectrolytes and Poly(ionic liquid)s.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Weinan; Ledin, Petr A; Shevchenko, Valery V; Tsukruk, Vladimir V

2015-06-17

Branched polyelectrolytes with cylindrical brush, dendritic, hyperbranched, grafted, and star architectures bearing ionizable functional groups possess complex and unique assembly behavior in solution at surfaces and interfaces as compared to their linear counterparts. This review summarizes the recent developments in the introduction of various architectures and understanding of the assembly behavior of branched polyelectrolytes with a focus on functional polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s with responsive properties. The branched polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s interact electrostatically with small molecules, linear polyelectrolytes, or other branched polyelectrolytes to form assemblies of hybrid nanoparticles, multilayer thin films, responsive microcapsules, and ion-conductive membranes. The branched structures lead to unconventional assemblies and complex hierarchical structures with responsive properties as summarized in this review. Finally, we discuss prospectives for emerging applications of branched polyelectrolytes and poly(ionic liquid)s for energy harvesting and storage, controlled delivery, chemical microreactors, adaptive surfaces, and ion-exchange membranes.

(3-Aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine End-capped Poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol)-based Multilayer Films for Gene Delivery

OpenAIRE

Li, Cuicui; Tzeng, Stephany Y; Tellier, Liane E.; Green, Jordan J

2013-01-01

Biodegradable polyelectrolyte surfaces for gene delivery were created through electrospinning of biodegradable polycations combined with iterative solution-based multilayer coating. Poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) poly(1,4-butanediol diacrylate-co-4-amino-1-butanol) end-capped with 1-(3-aminopropyl)-4-methylpiperazine was utilized due to its ability to electrostatically interact with anionic molecules like DNA, its biodegradability, and its low cytotoxicity. A new DNA release system was developed ...

C/SiC/MoSi2-Si multilayer coatings for carbon/carbon composites for protection against oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yulei; Li Hejun; Qiang Xinfa; Li Kezhi; Zhang Shouyang

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A C/SiC/MoSi 2 -Si multilayer coating was prepared on C/C by slurry and pack cementation. → Multilayer coating can protect C/C for 300 h at 1873 K or 103 h at 1873 K in air. → The penetration cracks in the coating result in the weight loss of the coated C/C. → The fracture of the coated C/C in wind tunnel result from the excessive local stress. - Abstract: To improve the oxidation resistance of carbon/carbon (C/C) composites, a C/SiC/MoSi 2 -Si multilayer oxidation protective coating was prepared by slurry and pack cementation. The microstructure of the as-prepared coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The isothermal oxidation and erosion resistance of the coating was investigated in electrical furnace and high temperature wind tunnel. The results showed that the multilayer coating could effectively protect C/C composites from oxidation in air for 300 h at 1773 K and 103 h at 1873 K, and the coated samples was fractured after erosion for 27 h at 1873 K h in wind tunnel. The weight loss of the coated specimens was considered to be caused by the formation of penetration cracks in the coating. The fracture of the coated C/C composites might result from the excessive local stress in the coating.

Selective Etching via Soft Lithography of Conductive Multilayered Gold Films with Analysis of Electrolyte Solutions

Science.gov (United States)

Gerber, Ralph W.; Oliver-Hoyo, Maria T.

2008-01-01

This experiment is designed to expose undergraduate students to the process of selective etching by using soft lithography and the resulting electrical properties of multilayered films fabricated via self-assembly of gold nanoparticles. Students fabricate a conductive film of gold on glass, apply a patterned resist using a polydimethylsiloxane…

Structural, mechanical and tribocorrosion behaviour in artificial seawater of CrN/AlN nano-multilayer coatings on F690 steel substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Fuliang; Li, Jinlong; Zeng, Zhixiang; Gao, Yimin

2018-01-01

The CrN monolayer and CrN/AlN nano-multilayer coating were successfully fabricated by reactive magnetron sputtering on F690 steel. The results show that CrN monolayer exhibits a face centered cubic crystalline structure with (111) preferred orientation and CrN/AlN nano-multilayer coating has a (200) preferred orientation. This design of the nano-multilayer can interrupt the continuous growth of columnar crystals making the coating denser. The CrN/AlN nano-multilayer coating has a better wear resistance and corrosion resistance compared with the CrN monolayer coating. The tribocorrosion tests reveal that the evolution of potential and current density of F690 steel and CrN monolayer or CrN/AlN nano-multilayer coating see an opposite trend under the simultaneous action of wear and corrosion, which is attributed to that F690 steel is a non-passive material and PVD coatings is a passive material. The nano-multilayer structure has a good ;Pore Sealing Effect;, and the corrosive solution is difficult to pass through the coating to corrode the substrate.

Enhanced Stability of Gold Magnetic Nanoparticles with Poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid): Tailored Optical Properties for Protein Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaomei; Zhang, Qinlu; Ma, Ting; Liu, Qian; Wu, Songdi; Hua, Kai; Zhang, Chao; Chen, Mingwei; Cui, Yali

2017-09-01

Gold magnetic nanoparticles (GoldMag) have attracted great attention due to their unique physical and chemical performances combining those of individual Fe3O4 and Au nanoparticles. Coating GoldMag with polymers not only increases the stability of the composite particles suspended in buffer but also plays a key role for establishing point-of-care optical tests for clinically relevant biomolecules. In the present paper, poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (PSS-MA), a negatively charged polyelectrolyte with both sulfonate and carboxylate anionic groups, was used to coat the positively charged GoldMag (30 nm) surface. The PSS-MA-coated GoldMag complex has a stable plasmon resonance adsorption peak at 544 nm. A pair of anti-D-dimer antibodies has been coupled on this GoldMag composite nanoparticle surface, and a target protein, D-dimer was detected, in the range of 0.3-6 μg/mL. The shift of the characteristic peak, caused by the assembly of GoldMag due to the formation of D-dimer-antibody sandwich bridges, allowed the detection.

Identification of second harmonic optical effects from vaccine coated gold microparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jumah, N A; Ameer-Beg, S M; White, N S; Prasad, K V R; Bellhouse, B J

2004-01-01

This study investigates the optical effects observed from uncoated and protein vaccine coated gold microparticles while imaging with two-photon excitation in the Mie scattering regime. When observed with time correlated single photon counting fluorescence lifetime microscopy, the emission from the gold microparticles appeared as an intense instrument-limited temporal response. The intensity of the emission showed a second-order dependence on the laser power and frequency doubling of the emitted light was observed for fundamental light between 890 and 970 nm. The optical effect was attributed to two-photon induced second harmonic generation. The vaccine coated gold microparticles had a much weaker second harmonic signal than the uncoated gold microparticles. Chemical analysis of the surface of the gold microparticles revealed that the vaccine coating decreases the surface charge thereby diminishing the observed second harmonic signal. These optical properties can be exploited to identify both the location of the protein vaccine coating as well as the gold microparticles in vitro and potentially to investigate the vaccine delivery kinetics in vivo

Structure, properties and wear behaviour of multilayer coatings consisting of metallic and covalent hard materials, prepared by magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schier, V.

1995-12-01

Novel multilayer coatings with metallic and covalent layer materials were prepared by magnetron sputtering and characterised concerning structure, properties and application behaviour. At first single layer coatings were deposited for the determination of the material properties. To evaluate relations between structure and properties of the multilayer coatings, different multilayer concepts were realised: - coatings consisting of at most 7 layers of metallic hard materials, - 100-layer coatings consisting of metallic and covalent hard materials, - TiN-TiC multilayer coatings with different numbers of layers (between 10 and 1000), - 150-layer coatings, based on TiN-TiC multilayers, with thin ( 4 C, AlN, SiC, a:C, Si 3 N 4 , SiAlON). X-rays and electron microscopic analysis indicate in spite of nonstoichiometric compositions single phase crystalline structures for nonreactively and reactively sputtered metastable single layer Ti(B,C)-, Ti(B,N)- and Ti(B,C,N)-coatings. These single layer coatings show excellent mechanical properties (e.g. hardness values up to 6000 HV0,05), caused by lattice stresses as well as by atomic bonding conditions similar to those in c:BN and B 4 C. The good tribological properties shown in pin-on-disk-tests can be attributed to the very high hardness of the coatings. The coatings consisting of at most 7 layers of metallic hard materials show good results mainly for the cutting of steel Ck45, due to the improved mechanical properties (e.g. hardness, toughness) of the multilayers compared to the single layer coatings. This improvement is caused by inserting the hard layer materials and the coherent reinforcement of the coatings. (orig.)

Multipactor suppression by micro-structured gold/silver coatings for space applications

Science.gov (United States)

Nistor, Valentin; González, Luis A.; Aguilera, Lydya; Montero, Isabel; Galán, Luis; Wochner, Ulrich; Raboso, David

2014-10-01

The secondary electron emission (SEE) from materials used in high power RF devices in space is the main trigger and sustaining mechanism of the resonant avalanche electron discharge known as the multipactor effect. It limits the attainable power of those devices. During recent decades, some scientific research has been focused on material properties for obtaining anti-multipactor coatings of low secondary emission yield (SEY). The European Space Agency (ESA) is leading a technological research on a new approach based on surface roughness that might perform as a kind of blackbody or Faraday cage effect. A multilayer coating structure was adopted for fulfilling the stringent requirements of the space. The surface of a standard silver plating was modified by a two-step treatment. First, a wet chemically etching process created a roughness of high aspect ratio, in the scale of microns. Secondly, the surface was coated with a protective 2 μm overlayer of gold, using magnetron sputtering. This anti-multipactor coating has been tested on several types of Ku-band WR75 waveguide transformers and band-pass filters, with excellent results. The multipactor effect was suppressed for two waveguides, even when applying the maximum available power levels. As for the other final four, the increase of multipactor power level was in the range of 4-6 dB. These results were obtained after more than one year of air exposure. In spite of the strong roughness, the insertion losses were diminished by 25% with respect to the values attained in the tests of the standard anti-multipactor coating, Alodine.

Single layer and multilayer wear resistant coatings of (Ti,Al)N: a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

PalDey, S.; Deevi, S.C.

2003-01-01

We review the status of (Ti,Al)N based coatings obtained by various physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques and compare their properties. PVD techniques based on sputtering and cathodic arc methods are widely used to deposit wear resistant (Ti,Al)N coatings. These techniques were further modified to improve the metal ionization rate and to eliminate macrodroplets from plasma streams. We summarize manufacture of target/cathode, substrate materials for deposition of coatings, deposition parameters, and the effect of deposition parameters on the physical and mechanical properties of (Ti,Al)N coatings. It is shown that (Ti,Al)N coatings by PVD enhance the wear, thermal, and oxidation resistance of a wide variety of tool materials. We discuss the wear resistant properties of (Ti,Al)N for various machining applications as compared with coatings such as TiN, Ti(C,N) and (Ti,Zr)N. High hardness (∼28-32 GPa), relatively low residual stress (∼5 GPa), superior oxidation resistance, high hot hardness, and low thermal conductivity make (Ti,Al)N coatings most desirable in dry machining and machining of abrasive alloys at high speeds. Multicomponent coatings based on different metallic and nonmetallic elements combine the benefit of individual components leading to a further refinement of coating properties. Alloying additions such as Cr and Y drastically improve the oxidation resistance, Zr and V improve the wear resistance, whereas, Si increases the hardness and resistance to chemical reactivity of the film. Addition of boron improves the abrasive wear behavior of Ti-Al based coatings due to the formation of TiB 2 and BN phases depending on the deposition conditions. Hafnium based nitrides and carbides have potential for resistance to flank and crater wear. The presence of a large number of interfaces between individual layers of a multilayered structure results in a drastic increase in hardness and strength. (Ti,Al)N multilayer super lattice coatings with lattice

Multilayered and composite PVD-CVD coatings in cemented carbides manufacture

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glushkov, V.N.; Anikeev, A.I.; Anikin, V.N.; Vereshchaka, A.S.

2001-01-01

Carbide cutting tools with wear-resistant coatings deposited by CVD process are widely employed in mechanical engineering to ensure a substantially longer service life of tool systems. However, the relatively high temperature and long time of the process make the substrate decarburise and, as a result, the bend strength and performance characteristics of a tool decrease. The present study suggests the problem of deteriorated strength of CVD-coated carbide tools be solved by the development of a technology that combines arc-PVD and CVD processes to deposit multilayered coatings of titanium and aluminium compounds. (author)

Zinc/manganese multilayer coatings for corrosion protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muenz, R.; Wolf, G.K.; Guzman, L.; Adami, M.

2004-01-01

Zn alloys are able to surpass the performance of electrogalvanised or hot-dip Zn (at same thickness) for corrosion protection of car bodies. In particular, vacuum deposited Zn alloy layers have higher protection power on non-painted steel surfaces as compared with pure Zn layers. In the present work the Zn-Mn system was investigated: Zn/Mn alloys of different compositions as well as Zn/Mn multilayers of 5-6 μm total thickness were prepared on low alloy steel by ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). The equipment contained two electron beam evaporators and a slit extraction ion source, delivering ions of 100-1500 eV energy. The corrosion behaviour of the samples was evaluated by standard salt spray tests (SST). The composition and microstructure of the coatings was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDX-depth profiling. The behaviour of the coating/substrate system is discussed in comparison with 'state of the art' Zn-coatings (EZ) produced by electrogalvanizing. Generally speaking, the performance of the optimised coatings is as good or better than the reference standard

Gold coated metal nanostructures grown by glancing angle deposition and pulsed electroplating

Science.gov (United States)

Grüner, Christoph; Reeck, Pascal; Jacobs, Paul-Philipp; Liedtke, Susann; Lotnyk, Andriy; Rauschenbach, Bernd

2018-05-01

Nickel based nanostructures are grown by glancing angle deposition (GLAD) on flat and pre-patterned substrates. These fabricated porous thin films were subsequently coated by pulsed electroplating with gold. The morphology and conformity of the gold coating were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Controlled growth of closed gold layers on the nanostructures could be achieved, while the open-pore structure of the nanosculptured thin films was preserved. Such gold coated nanostructures are a candidate for optical sensing and catalysis applications. The demonstrated method can be applied for numerous material combinations, allowing to provide GLAD thin films with new surface properties.

Exchange rate prediction with multilayer perceptron neural network using gold price as external factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Fathian

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the problem of predicting the exchange rate time series in the foreign exchange rate market is going to be solved using a time-delayed multilayer perceptron neural network with gold price as external factor. The input for the learning phase of the artificial neural network are the exchange rate data of the last five days plus the gold price in two different currencies of the exchange rate as the external factor for helping the artificial neural network improving its forecast accuracy. The five-day delay has been chosen because of the weekly cyclic behavior of the exchange rate time series with the consideration of two holidays in a week. The result of forecasts are then compared with using the multilayer peceptron neural network without gold price external factor by two most important evaluation techniques in the literature of exchange rate prediction. For the experimental analysis phase, the data of three important exchange rates of EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY are used.

Synthesis and characterization of pHLIP® coated gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniels, Jennifer L; Crawford, Troy M; Andreev, Oleg A; Reshetnyak, Yana K

2017-07-01

Novel approaches in synthesis of spherical and multispiked gold nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and pH Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP ® ) were introduced. The presence of a tumor-targeting pHLIP ® peptide in the nanoparticle coating enhances the stability of particles in solution and promotes a pH-dependent cellular uptake. The spherical particles were prepared with sodium citrate as a gold reducing agent to form particles of 7.0±2.5 nm in mean metallic core diameter and ∼43 nm in mean hydrodynamic diameter. The particles that were injected into tumors in mice (21 µg of gold) were homogeneously distributed within a tumor mass with no staining of the muscle tissue adjacent to the tumor. Up to 30% of the injected gold dose remained within the tumor one hour post-injection. The multispiked gold nanoparticles with a mean metallic core diameter of 146.0±50.4 nm and a mean hydrodynamic size of ~161 nm were prepared using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent and disk-like bicelles as a template. Only the presence of a soft template, like bicelles, ensured the appearance of spiked nanoparticles with resonance in the near infrared region. The irradiation of spiked gold nanoparticles by an 805 nm laser led to the time- and concentration-dependent increase of temperature. Both pHLIP ® and PEG coated gold spherical and multispiked nanoparticles might find application in radiation and thermal therapies of tumors.

Synthesis and characterization of pHLIP® coated gold nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer L. Daniels

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Novel approaches in synthesis of spherical and multispiked gold nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol (PEG and pH Low Insertion Peptide (pHLIP® were introduced. The presence of a tumor-targeting pHLIP® peptide in the nanoparticle coating enhances the stability of particles in solution and promotes a pH-dependent cellular uptake. The spherical particles were prepared with sodium citrate as a gold reducing agent to form particles of 7.0±2.5 nm in mean metallic core diameter and ∼43 nm in mean hydrodynamic diameter. The particles that were injected into tumors in mice (21 µg of gold were homogeneously distributed within a tumor mass with no staining of the muscle tissue adjacent to the tumor. Up to 30% of the injected gold dose remained within the tumor one hour post-injection. The multispiked gold nanoparticles with a mean metallic core diameter of 146.0±50.4 nm and a mean hydrodynamic size of ~161 nm were prepared using ascorbic acid as a reducing agent and disk-like bicelles as a template. Only the presence of a soft template, like bicelles, ensured the appearance of spiked nanoparticles with resonance in the near infrared region. The irradiation of spiked gold nanoparticles by an 805 nm laser led to the time- and concentration-dependent increase of temperature. Both pHLIP® and PEG coated gold spherical and multispiked nanoparticles might find application in radiation and thermal therapies of tumors.

The confinement of phonon propagation in TiAlN/Ag multilayer coatings with anomalously low heat conductivity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kovalev, A. I.; Wainstein, D. L., E-mail: d-wainstein@sprg.ru [Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Radio Str., 23/9, Bld. 2, Off. 475, CNIICHERMET, 105005 Moscow (Russian Federation); Rashkovskiy, A. Yu. [Surface Phenomena Researches Group, Radio Str., 23/9, Bld. 2, Off. 475, CNIICHERMET, 105005 Moscow (Russian Federation); National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Leninskiy pr-t, 4, 119049 Moscow (Russian Federation); Gago, R. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Soldera, F. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbruecken (Germany); Endrino, J. L. [School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing (SATM), Surface Engineering and Nanotechnology Institute, Cranfield University, College Road, Cranfield, MK43 0AL Bedfordshire (United Kingdom)

2016-05-30

TiAlN/Ag multilayer coatings with a different number of bilayers and thicknesses of individual layers were fabricated by DC magnetron co-sputtering. Thermal conductivity was measured in dependence of Ag layer thickness. It was found anomalous low thermal conductivity of silver comparing to TiAlN and Ag bulk standards and TiAlN/TiN multilayers. The physical nature of such thermal barrier properties of the multilayer coatings was explained on the basis of reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy. The analysis shows that nanostructuring of the coating decreases the density of states and velocity of acoustic phonons propagation. At the same time, multiphonon channels of heat propagation degenerate. These results demonstrate that metal-dielectric interfaces in TiAlN/Ag coatings are insurmountable obstacles for acoustic phonons propagation.

Bioresorbable polyelectrolytes for smuggling drugs into cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaganathan, Sripriya

2016-06-01

There is ample evidence that biodegradable polyelectrolyte nanocapsules are multifunctional vehicles which can smuggle drugs into cells, and release them upon endogenous activation. A large number of endogenous stimuli have already been tested in vitro, and in vivo research is escalating. Thus, the interest in the design of intelligent polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) drug delivery systems is clear. The need of the hour is a systematic translation of PEM-based drug delivery systems from the lab to clinical studies. Reviews on multifarious stimuli that can trigger the release of drugs from such systems already exist. This review summarizes the available literature, with emphasis on the recent progress in PEM-based drug delivery systems that are receptive in the presence of endogenous stimuli, including enzymes, glucose, glutathione, pH, and temperature, and addresses different active and passive drug targeting strategies. Insights into the current knowledge on the diversified endogenous approaches and methodological challenges may bring inspiration to resolve issues that currently bottleneck the successful implementation of polyelectrolytes into the catalog of third-generation drug delivery systems.

The Effect of Multilayer Gold Nanoparticles on the Electrochemical Response of Ammonium Ion Biosensor Based on Alanine Dehydrogenase Enzyme

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Ling Ling

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The use of multilayer of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs attached on gold electrode surface via thiol chemistry to fabricate an ammonium (NH4+ ion biosensor based on alanine dehydrogenase (AlaDH was investigated. The approach of the study was based on construction of biosensor by direct deposition of AuNPs and 1,8-octanedithiol (C8-DT onto the gold electrode surface. For the immobilisation of enzyme, 2-mercaptoethanol (2BME was first covalently attached to AlaDH via esther bonding and then followed by chemically attached the 2BME-modified AlaDH (2BME-AlaDH moiety onto the AuNPs electrode via the exposed thiol group of 2BME. The resulting biosensor response was examined by means of amperometry for the quantification of NH4+ ion. In the absence of enzyme attachment, the use of three layers of AuNPs was found to improve the electrochemistry of the gold electrode when compared with no AuNPs was coated. However, when more than three layers of AuNPs were coated, the electrode response deteriorated due to excessive deposition of C8-DT. When AlaDH was incoporated into the AuNPs modified electrode, a linear response to NH4+ ion over the concentration range of 0.1–0.5 mM with a detection limit of 0.01 mM was obtained. In the absence of AuNPs, the NH4+ ion biosensor did not exhibit any good linear response range although the current response was observed to be higher. This work demonstrated that the incorporation of AuNPs could lead to the detection of higher NH4+ ion concentration without the need of dilution for high NH4+ ion concentration samples with a rapid response time of <1 min.

Reversed preparation of low-density poly(divinylbenzene/styrene) foam columns coated with gold films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai, Yinhai; Wang, Ni; Li, Yaling; Yao, Mengqi; Gan, Haibo; Hu, Wencheng, E-mail: huwc@uestc.edu.cn

2016-06-15

Highlights: • A reversed fabrication of low density foam columns coated with gold films was proposed. • The uniformity in thickness and purity of gold film are easy to be controlled. • A compact layer is prepared through an electrophoretic deposition method. • A low density (12 mg/cc) foam column coated with gold film is obtained. - Abstract: This work aims to fabricate low-density, porous, non-conductive, structural poly(divinylbenzene/styrene) foam columns by high-internal-phase emulsion templating. We prepare these non-conductive foam columns coated with a thin gold layer by electrochemical deposition and the reversed preparation technique. As expected, the density of the foam obtained through this novel method was about 12 mg cm{sup −3}, and the thickness of the gold coating was about 3 μm. We performed field emission scanning electron microscopy to morphologically and microstructurally characterize the products and X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy to determine the composition of the gold coating.

Effects of layer nanodefects on the light transmission by optical elements with multilayer interference coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fekeshgazyi, Yi.V.; Syidenko, T.S.; Mitsa, O.V.; Barna, P.; Kyikyineshyi, O.Ye.

2011-01-01

The light transmission properties of optical elements with multilayer interference coatings have been studied. The reduction of transmittance maxima for optical elements with coating containing defects is found to be stronger for larger refractive indices of the substances that the defects are made of. The shape of transmittance curves is found to substantially depend on the defect dimensions along the direction of light propagation and the defect arrangement in the layer bulk. The results obtained are necessary for the developing of a technology aimed at manufacturing the optical elements with multilayer interference coatings for laser facilities and optical lenses.

HSA/PSS coated gold nanorods as thermo-triggered drug delivery vehicles for combined cancer photothermal therapy and chemotherapy

Science.gov (United States)

Tu, Ting-Yu; Yang, Shu-Jyuan; Wang, Chung-Hao; Lee, Shin-Yu; Shieh, Ming-Jium

2018-02-01

Drug delivery systems combined multimodal therapy strategies are very promising in cancer theranostic applications. In this work, a new drug-delivery vehicles based on human serum albumin (HSA)-coated gold nanorods (GNR/PSS/HSA NPs) was developed. The success of coating was verified by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), zeta potential and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, it is demonstrated that doxorubicin (DOX) is successfully loaded among multilayered gold nanorods by the electrostatic and hydrophobic force, and DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs were highly biocompatible and stable in various physiological solutions. The NPs possess strong absorbance in nearinfrared (NIR) region, and high photothermal conversion efficiency for outstanding photothermal therapy applications. A bimodal drug release triggered by proteinase or NIR irradiation has been revealed, resulting in a significant chemotherapeutic effect in tumor sites because of the preferential drug accumulation and triggered release. Importantly, the in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs, which combined photothermal and chemotherapy for cancer therapy, revealing a remarkably superior synergistic anticancer effect over either monotherapy. All these results suggested a considerable potential of DOX@GNR/PSS/HSA NPs nano-platform for antitumor therapy.

Reflectivity and surface roughness of multilayer-coated substrate recovery layers for EUV lithographic optics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nedelcu, I.; van de Kruijs, R.W.E.; Yakshin, A. E.; von Blanckenhagen, G.; F. Bijkerk,

2008-01-01

We investigated the use of separation, or substrate recovery, layers (SRLs), to enable the reuse of optical substrates after the deposition of multilayer reflective coatings, in particular Mo/Si multilayers as used for EUV lithography. An organic material (polyimide), known from other work to reduce

Formation and investigation of multilayer nanostructured coatings TiN/MoN for different layers thicknesses with c-pvd

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pogrebnyak, A.D.; Bondar, O.V.; Postol'nyj, B.A.; Andreev, A.A.; Abadias, G.; Beresnev, V.M.; Sobol', O.B.

2013-01-01

Multilayer coatings based on TiN/MoN were obtained using the vacuum arc evaporation cathode method (C-PVD). Multilayers thickness was in the range 6,7 ÷ 8,7 μm and monolayers thickness was 2, 10, 20 and 40 nm. Vacuum-arc unit Bulat 6 was used for depositions. For the analysis of multilayer structures and properties of nanostructured coatings XRD analysis method was used (D8 ADVANCE, Bruker). For elemental composition and morphology investigation of the surface layers and multilayered coatings SEM (JEOL-7001F) with EDX attachment was used. Also HRTEM method was used to analyze the phase composition. In addition, this article provides investigation of hardness by Micro-Hardness Tester CSM (Switzerland). AFM was used for additional analysis of the topography and surface roughness of these coatings. This investigation have revealed the relationship between the layers thicknesses, substrate potential, the annealing process, physical and mechanical properties of samples. (authors)

Anti-Oxidative and Antibacterial Self-Healing Edible Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Film in Fresh-Cut Fruits.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xuefan; Han, Wei; Zhu, Yanxi; Xuan, Hongyun; Ren, Jiaoyu; Zhang, Jianhao; Ge, Liqin

2018-04-01

The consumption of fresh-cut fruits is limited because of the oxidation browning and pathogenic bacteria's growth on the fruit surface. Besides, crack of the fresh-keeping film may shorten the preservation time of fruit. In this work, polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) film was fabricated by layer-by-layer (LBL) electrostatic deposition method. The film was made by carboxy methylcellulose sodium (CMC) and chitosan (CS). The as-prepared PEM film had good anti-oxidative and antibacterial capability. It inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria and the antibacterial rate was more than 95%. The stratified structure and linear increase of the absorbance in the film verified a linear increase of film thickness. The slight scratched film could self-heal rapidly after the stimulation of water whatever the layer number was. Moreover, the film could heal cracks whose width was far bigger than the thickness. The application of PEM film on fresh-cut apples showed that PEM film had good browning, weight loss and metabolic activity inhibition ability. These results showed that the PEM film is a good candidate as edible film in fresh-cut fruits applications.

Polyelectrolyte multilayer film-assisted formation of zero-valent iron nanoparticles onto polymer nanofibrous mats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiao Shili; Shi Xiangyang; Wu Siqi; Shen Mingwu; Guo Rui; Wang Shanyuan

2009-01-01

A facile approach that combines the electrospinning technique and layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly method has been developed to synthesize and immobilize zero-valent iron nanoparticles (ZVI NPs) onto the surface of nanofibers for potential environmental applications. In this approach, negatively charged cellulose acetate (CA) nanofibers fabricated by electrospinning CA solution were modified with bilayers composed of positively charged poly(diallyl-dimethyl-ammoniumchloride) (PDADMAC) and negatively charged poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) through electrostatic LbL assembly approach to form composite nanofibrous mats. The composite nanofibrous mats were immersed into the ferrous iron solution to allow Fe(II) ions to complex with the free carboxyl groups of PAA, and then ZVI NPs were immobilized onto the composite nanofibrous mats instantly by reducing the ferrous cations. Combined scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and thermogravimetry analysis demonstrated that the ZVI NPs are successfully synthesized and uniformly distributed into the polyelectrolyte (PE) multilayer films assembled onto the CA nanofibers. The present approach to synthesis ZVI NPs opens a new avenue to fabricating various materials with high surface area for environmental, catalytic, and sensing applications.

Imprinting of metal receptors into multilayer polyelectrolyte films: fabrication and applications in marine antifouling

OpenAIRE

Puniredd, S.R.; Janczewski, D.; Go, D.P.; Zhu, X.; Guo, S.; Teo, S.L-M.; Lee, S.S.C.; Vancso, Gyula J.

2015-01-01

Polymeric films constructed using the layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication process were employed as a platform for metal ion immobilization and applied as a marine antifouling coating. The novel Cu2+ ion imprinting process described is based on the use of metal ion templates and LbL multilayer covalent cross-linking. Custom synthesized, peptide mimicking polycations composed of histidine grafted poly(allylamine) (PAH) to bind metal ions, and methyl ester containing polyanions for convenient cross...

Study on the wear of TiN/Ti duplex and multilayer coatings in microabrasion tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores, M; De Las Heras, E; Ruelas, R; Rodriguez, E; Bautista, A; Pazos, L; Corengia, P

2008-01-01

Ionic nitriding, on steels, is used to harden the surface of components improving resistance to corrosion and wear and increasing the stress life. Duplex treatments are an alternative for resolving the limitations of very hard coatings on less hard substrates. In this case the duplex treatment consists of an ionic nitriding treatment followed by a single or multilayer coatings deposited by means of the PVD technique. This work presents the influence of the variation in the severity of contact on the kind of wear present in the microabrasion test used to measure the wear coefficient of duplex coatings, consisting of a layer nitrided by DC-pulsed plasma plus TiN coatings and multilayers of TiN/Ti deposited on non-nitrided and nitrided AISI 316L stainless steel and H13 steel. The severity of contact was modified by varying the charge (0.25 to 1 N). The abrasives used were a suspension of 0.1μm diameter diamond particles and a suspension of an average 5 μm diameter aluminum particles. The influence of the presence of relatively soft metallic layers on the determination of the wear coefficient was analyzed in the metal-ceramic multilayers. Two sphere revolving speeds of de 0.05 and 0.154 m/s were used on two microabrasion machines: one commercial and the other built in the UdeG laboratory. The wear marks were photographed and measured with an optic microscope. The value of the critical charge at which the transition occurs between the methods of wear of the substrates and the nitrited samples was determined. Resistance to the AISI 316L steel's microabrasive wear increases with the ionic nitriding treatment. The duplex coatings increase resistance to the wear from the nitrited samples. The wear resistance of the samples with multilayer coatings surpassed that of the duplex samples with multilayer coatings. The greater resistance of the multilayers may be explained by an increase in the resistance to the fracture and not by a increase in surface hardness. The transition

Fiber/matrix interfaces for SiC/SiC composites: Multilayer SiC coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halverson, H.; Curtin, W.A. [Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States)

1996-08-01

Tensile tests have been performed on composites of CVI SiC matrix reinforced with 2-d Nicalon fiber cloth, with either pyrolitic carbon or multilayer CVD SiC coatings [Hypertherm High-Temperature Composites Inc., Huntington Beach, CA.] on the fibers. To investigate the role played by the different interfaces, several types of measurements are made on each sample: (i) unload-reload hysteresis loops, and (ii) acoustic emission. The pyrolitic carbon and multilayer SiC coated materials are remarkably similar in overall mechanical responses. These results demonstrate that low-modulus, or compliant, interface coatings are not necessary for good composite performance, and that complex, hierarchical coating structures may possibly yield enhanced high-temperature performance. Analysis of the unload/reload hysteresis loops also indicates that the usual {open_quotes}proportional limit{close_quotes} stress is actually slightly below the stress at which the 0{degrees} load-bearing fibers/matrix interfaces slide and are exposed to atmosphere.

High Temperature Multilayer Environmental Barrier Coatings Deposited Via Plasma Spray-Physical Vapor Deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Harder, Bryan James; Zhu, Dongming; Schmitt, Michael P.; Wolfe, Douglas E.

2014-01-01

Si-based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) require environmental barrier coatings (EBCs) in combustion environments to avoid rapid material loss. Candidate EBC materials have use temperatures only marginally above current technology, but the addition of a columnar oxide topcoat can substantially increase the durability. Plasma Spray-Physical Vapor Deposition (PS-PVD) allows application of these multilayer EBCs in a single process. The PS-PVD technique is a unique method that combines conventional thermal spray and vapor phase methods, allowing for tailoring of thin, dense layers or columnar microstructures by varying deposition conditions. Multilayer coatings were deposited on CMC specimens and assessed for durability under high heat flux and load. Coated samples with surface temperatures ranging from 2400-2700F and 10 ksi loads using the high heat flux laser rigs at NASA Glenn. Coating morphology was characterized in the as-sprayed condition and after thermomechanical loading using electron microscopy and the phase structure was tracked using X-ray diffraction.

Distribution of PEG-coated hollow polyelectrolyte microcapsules after introduction into the circulatory system and muscles of zebrafish

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina Borvinskaya

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The use of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules as carriers for fluorescent molecular probes is a prospective technique for monitoring the physiological characteristics of animal vasculature and interstitial environment in vivo. Polyelectrolyte microcapsules have many features that favor their use as implantable carriers of optical sensors, but little information is available on their interactions with complex living tissues, distribution or residence time following different routes of administration in the body of vertebrates. Using the common fish model, the zebrafish Danio rerio, we studied in vivo the distribution of non-biodegradable microcapsules covered with polyethylene glycol (PEG over time in the adults and evaluated potential side effects of their delivery into the fish bloodstream and muscles. Fluorescent microcapsules administered into the bloodstream and interstitially (in concentrations that were sufficient for visualization and spectral signal recording both showed negligible acute toxicity to the fishes during three weeks of observation. The distribution pattern of microcapsules delivered into the bloodstream was stable for at least one week, with microcapsules prevalent in capillaries-rich organs. However, after intramuscular injection, the phagocytosis of the microcapsules by immune cells was manifested, indicating considerable immunogenicity of the microcapsules despite PEG coverage. The long-term negative effects of chronic inflammation were also investigated in fish muscles by histological analysis.

Niobium–niobium oxide multilayered coatings for corrosion protection of proton-irradiated liquid water targets for ["1"8F] production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skliarova, Hanna; Renzelli, Marco; Azzolini, Oscar; Felicis, Daniele de; Bemporad, Edoardo; Johnson, Richard R.; Palmieri, Vincenzo

2015-01-01

Chemically inert coatings on Havar"® entrance foils of the targets for ["1"8F] production via proton irradiation of enriched water at pressurized conditions are needed to decrease the amount of ionic contaminants released from Havar"®. During current investigation, magnetron sputtered niobium and niobium oxide were chosen as the candidates for protective coatings because of their superior chemical resistance. Aluminated quartz substrates allowed us to verify the protection efficiency of the desirable coatings as diffusion barriers. Two modeling corrosion tests based on the extreme susceptibility of aluminum to liquid gallium and acid corrosion were applied. As far as niobium coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering are columnar, the grain boundaries provide a fast diffusion path for active species of corrosive media to penetrate and to corrode the substrate. Amorphous niobium oxide films obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering showed superior barrier properties according to the corrosion tests performed. In order to prevent degrading of brittle niobium oxide at high pressures, multilayers combining high ductility of niobium with superior diffusion barrier efficiency of niobium oxide were proposed. The intercalation of niobium oxide interlayers was proved to interrupt the columnar grain growth of niobium during sputtering, resulting in improved diffusion barrier efficiency of obtained multilayers. The thin layer multilayer coating architecture with 70 nm bi-layer thickness was found preferential because of higher thermal stability. - Highlights: • Diffusion barrier efficiency of niobium, niobium oxide and their multilayers was studied. • The intercalation of niobium oxide layers interrupted the columnar grain growth of niobium. • The bilayer architectures influenced the stability of the multilayer coatings. • The thin layer multilayer coating with 70 nm double-layer was found superior.

Niobium–niobium oxide multilayered coatings for corrosion protection of proton-irradiated liquid water targets for [{sup 18}F] production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skliarova, Hanna, E-mail: Hanna.Skliarova@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell' Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); University of Ferrara, Ferrara (Italy); Renzelli, Marco, E-mail: marco.renzelli@uniroma3.it [University of Rome “Roma TRE”, Via della Vasca Navale, 79, 00146 Rome (Italy); Azzolini, Oscar, E-mail: Oscar.Azzolini@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell' Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); Felicis, Daniele de, E-mail: daniele.defelicis@uniroma3.it [University of Rome “Roma TRE”, Via della Vasca Navale, 79, 00146 Rome (Italy); Bemporad, Edoardo, E-mail: edoardo.bemporad@uniroma3.it [University of Rome “Roma TRE”, Via della Vasca Navale, 79, 00146 Rome (Italy); Johnson, Richard R., E-mail: richard.johnson@teambest.com [BEST Cyclotron Systems Inc., 8765 Ash Street Unit 7, Vancouver BC V6P 6T3 (Canada); Palmieri, Vincenzo, E-mail: Vincenzo.Palmieri@lnl.infn.it [National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Legnaro National Laboratories, Viale dell' Università, 2, 35020 Legnaro, Padua (Italy); University of Padua, Padua (Italy)

2015-09-30

Chemically inert coatings on Havar{sup ®} entrance foils of the targets for [{sup 18}F] production via proton irradiation of enriched water at pressurized conditions are needed to decrease the amount of ionic contaminants released from Havar{sup ®}. During current investigation, magnetron sputtered niobium and niobium oxide were chosen as the candidates for protective coatings because of their superior chemical resistance. Aluminated quartz substrates allowed us to verify the protection efficiency of the desirable coatings as diffusion barriers. Two modeling corrosion tests based on the extreme susceptibility of aluminum to liquid gallium and acid corrosion were applied. As far as niobium coatings obtained by magnetron sputtering are columnar, the grain boundaries provide a fast diffusion path for active species of corrosive media to penetrate and to corrode the substrate. Amorphous niobium oxide films obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering showed superior barrier properties according to the corrosion tests performed. In order to prevent degrading of brittle niobium oxide at high pressures, multilayers combining high ductility of niobium with superior diffusion barrier efficiency of niobium oxide were proposed. The intercalation of niobium oxide interlayers was proved to interrupt the columnar grain growth of niobium during sputtering, resulting in improved diffusion barrier efficiency of obtained multilayers. The thin layer multilayer coating architecture with 70 nm bi-layer thickness was found preferential because of higher thermal stability. - Highlights: • Diffusion barrier efficiency of niobium, niobium oxide and their multilayers was studied. • The intercalation of niobium oxide layers interrupted the columnar grain growth of niobium. • The bilayer architectures influenced the stability of the multilayer coatings. • The thin layer multilayer coating with 70 nm double-layer was found superior.

Multilayer coating facility for the HEFT hard x-ray telescope

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cooper-Jensen, Carsten P.; Christensen, Finn Erland; Chen, Hubert

2001-01-01

A planar magnetron sputtering facility has been established at the Danish Space Research Institute (DSRI) for the production coating of depth graded multilayers on the thermally slumped glass segments which form the basis for the hard X-ray telescope on the HEFT balloon project. The facility...

High-temperature oxidation of CrN/AlN multilayer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardi, U.; Chenakin, S.P.; Ghezzi, F.; Giolli, C.; Goruppa, A.; Lavacchi, A.; Miorin, E.; Pagura, C.; Tolstogouzov, A.

2005-01-01

Experiments are reported on sputter depth profiling of CrN/AlN multilayer abrasive coatings by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) coupled with sample current measurements (SCM). The coatings were deposited by a closed-field unbalanced magnetron sputtering. It is shown that after oxidation tests, performed in air at 900 deg. C for 2 h and at 1100 deg. C for 4 h, the layered structure begins to degrade but is not destroyed completely. Oxidation at 1100 deg. C for 20 h causes total destruction of the coatings that can be attributed to a fast diffusion of oxygen, nickel, manganese and other elements along defect paths (grain boundaries, dislocations, etc.) in the coating. There are practically no nitrides in the near-surface layer after such a treatment and all the metallic components are in the oxidized form as follows from the data obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to XPS and mass-resolved ion scattering spectrometry (MARISS), the surface content of Al in the heat-treated coatings has decreased in comparison with the as-received sample and that of Cr increased. Both XPS and MARISS data exhibit real increase in superficial concentration of the substrate materials (Mn and Ni) that is controversial if using SIMS alone. SCM turned out to be an informative depth profiling method complementary to more expensive and complicated SIMS, being particularly useful for structures with different secondary electron emission properties of the layers. SCM with predetermined SIMS calibration allows a routine characterization of coatings and other multilayer structures, particularly, in situations where the expenses of analysis can be justified

Layer-by-layer modification of high surface curvature nanoparticles with weak polyelectrolytes using a multiphase solvent precipitation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagaraja, Ashvin T; You, Yil-Hwan; Choi, Jeong-Wan; Hwang, Jin-Ha; Meissner, Kenith E; McShane, Michael J

2016-03-15

The layer-by-layer modification of ≈5 nm mercaptocarboxylic acid stabilized gold nanoparticles was studied in an effort to illustrate effective means to overcome practical issues in handling and performing surface modification of such extremely small materials. To accomplish this, each layer deposition cycle was separated into a multi-step process wherein solution pH was controlled in two distinct phases of polyelectrolyte adsorption and centrifugation. Additionally, a solvent precipitation step was introduced to make processing more amenable by concentrating the sample and exchanging solution pH before ultracentrifugation. The pH-dependent assembly on gold nanoparticles was assessed after each layer deposition cycle by monitoring the plasmon peak absorbance location, surface charge, and the percentage of nanoparticles recovered. The selection of solution pH during the adsorption phase was found to be a critical parameter to enhance particle recovery and maximize surface charge when coating with weak polyelectrolytes. One bilayer was deposited with a high yield and the modified particles exhibited enhanced colloidal stability across a broad pH range and increased ionic strength. These findings support the adoption of this multi-step processing approach as an effective and generalizable approach to improve stability of high surface curvature particles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plasmon-Organic Fiber Interactions in Diamond-Like Carbon Coated Nanostructured Gold Films

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cielecki, Pawel Piotr; Sobolewska, Elżbieta Karolina; Kostiučenko, Oksana

2017-01-01

Gold is the most commonly used plasmonic material, however soft and prone to mechanical deformations. It has been shown that the durability of gold plasmonic substrates can be improved by applying a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. In this work, we investigate the influence of such p......Gold is the most commonly used plasmonic material, however soft and prone to mechanical deformations. It has been shown that the durability of gold plasmonic substrates can be improved by applying a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. In this work, we investigate the influence...

A mechanical and tribological study of Cr/CrN multilayer coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arias, D.F., E-mail: diegomas@gmail.com [Grupo GEMA, Universidad Católica de Pereira, Pereira (Colombia); Gómez, A. [Laboratório de Fenômenos de Superficie, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali (Colombia); Vélez, J.M. [Escuela de Ingeniería de Materiales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín (Colombia); Souza, R.M. [Laboratório de Fenômenos de Superficie, Escola Politécnica, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo (Brazil); Olaya, J.J. [Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica y Mecatrónica, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá (Colombia)

2015-06-15

Multilayer Cr/CrN coatings with different periodicities were grown on silicon substrates by means of a magnetron sputtering technique. Thin films with only Cr or CrN were also grown, in order to use them as reference samples. Structural, morphological, mechanical and tribological characterization were carried out by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), nanohardness and nanoscratch techniques, respectively. The characterization results were analyzed as a function of the bilayer thickness (period). In general, the multilayer hardness value increased with the decrease in period. In addition, the validity of the Hall-Petch relationship was confirmed for grain sizes and period values greater than 146 nm and 333 nm, respectively. The coefficient of friction (COF) increased with increasing load, which indicates the contribution of the adhesion to the COF. - Highlights: • Multilayer Cr/CrN coatings with layer thickness between 200 and 1000 nm were grown. • Neither bias voltage not temperature were applied during deposition. • The hardness improves with the increase of the number of bilayers. • The wear rate decreases with the increase of the number of bilayers.

Multipactor suppression by micro-structured gold/silver coatings for space applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nistor, Valentin, E-mail: valentin.nistor@uam.es [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); González, Luis A. [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Aguilera, Lydya; Montero, Isabel [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (CSIC), Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Galán, Luis [Departamento de Fisica Aplicada, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Wochner, Ulrich [Tesat Spacecom GmbH and Co. KG,Gerberstr. 49, D-71522 Backnang (Germany); Raboso, David [European Space Agency (ESA), European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), 2200 AG Noordwijk (Netherlands)

2014-10-01

Highlights: • Total suppression of the multipactor effect was achieved for a specific configuration of a high RF power K{sub u}-band waveguide. • Secondary emission of electrons was decreased by surfaces of high aspect ratio. • Simple techniques were used in the manufacturing of metallic microscopical rough coatings. • Surface analysis of the treatment was performed. • The RF insertion losses were improved with respect to Alodine, the standard coating for space applications. - Abstract: The secondary electron emission (SEE) from materials used in high power RF devices in space is the main trigger and sustaining mechanism of the resonant avalanche electron discharge known as the multipactor effect. It limits the attainable power of those devices. During recent decades, some scientific research has been focused on material properties for obtaining anti-multipactor coatings of low secondary emission yield (SEY). The European Space Agency (ESA) is leading a technological research on a new approach based on surface roughness that might perform as a kind of blackbody or Faraday cage effect. A multilayer coating structure was adopted for fulfilling the stringent requirements of the space. The surface of a standard silver plating was modified by a two-step treatment. First, a wet chemically etching process created a roughness of high aspect ratio, in the scale of microns. Secondly, the surface was coated with a protective 2 μm overlayer of gold, using magnetron sputtering. This anti-multipactor coating has been tested on several types of K{sub u}-band WR75 waveguide transformers and band-pass filters, with excellent results. The multipactor effect was suppressed for two waveguides, even when applying the maximum available power levels. As for the other final four, the increase of multipactor power level was in the range of 4–6 dB. These results were obtained after more than one year of air exposure. In spite of the strong roughness, the insertion losses were

Multipactor suppression by micro-structured gold/silver coatings for space applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nistor, Valentin; González, Luis A.; Aguilera, Lydya; Montero, Isabel; Galán, Luis; Wochner, Ulrich; Raboso, David

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Total suppression of the multipactor effect was achieved for a specific configuration of a high RF power K u -band waveguide. • Secondary emission of electrons was decreased by surfaces of high aspect ratio. • Simple techniques were used in the manufacturing of metallic microscopical rough coatings. • Surface analysis of the treatment was performed. • The RF insertion losses were improved with respect to Alodine, the standard coating for space applications. - Abstract: The secondary electron emission (SEE) from materials used in high power RF devices in space is the main trigger and sustaining mechanism of the resonant avalanche electron discharge known as the multipactor effect. It limits the attainable power of those devices. During recent decades, some scientific research has been focused on material properties for obtaining anti-multipactor coatings of low secondary emission yield (SEY). The European Space Agency (ESA) is leading a technological research on a new approach based on surface roughness that might perform as a kind of blackbody or Faraday cage effect. A multilayer coating structure was adopted for fulfilling the stringent requirements of the space. The surface of a standard silver plating was modified by a two-step treatment. First, a wet chemically etching process created a roughness of high aspect ratio, in the scale of microns. Secondly, the surface was coated with a protective 2 μm overlayer of gold, using magnetron sputtering. This anti-multipactor coating has been tested on several types of K u -band WR75 waveguide transformers and band-pass filters, with excellent results. The multipactor effect was suppressed for two waveguides, even when applying the maximum available power levels. As for the other final four, the increase of multipactor power level was in the range of 4–6 dB. These results were obtained after more than one year of air exposure. In spite of the strong roughness, the insertion losses were

Fretting wear behaviour of TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-layer coatings at elevated temperature in gross slip regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hanwei; Huang Kunpeng; Zhu Minhao; Zhou Zhongrong

2005-01-01

Tic/Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-layer coatings are prepared on the 1Cr13 stainless steel substrate by the technique of Chemical Vapour Deposition, and the fretting wear behaviour of 1Cr13 stainless steel and TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN coatings are investigated and studied controversially from 25 degree C to 400 degree C in the gross slip regime. It shows that the temperature has great influence on the fretting wear in the gross slip regime for the 1Cr13 stainless steel but little for Ti/C/Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-layer coatings. With the temperature increasing, the friction coefficient and the wear volume of the 1Cr13 alloy decreases and the wear volume of TiC/Ti(C, N)/TiN multi-layer coatings is invariant. TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-layer coatings have better wear-resistant capability than the 1Cr13 stainless steel, but the wear volume of the substrate increases greatly because of the grain-abrasion resulted from hard debris when TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiN multi-layer coatings are ground off. (authors)

Searching for optimal mitigation geometries for laser resistant multilayer high reflector coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiu, S R; Wolfe, J E; Monterrosa, A M; Feit, M D; Pistor, T V; STolz, C J

2011-02-11

Growing laser damage sites on multilayer high reflector coatings can limit mirror performance. One of the strategies to improve laser damage resistance is to replace the growing damage sites with pre-designed benign mitigation structures. By mitigating the weakest site on the optic, the large aperture mirror will have a laser resistance comparable to the intrinsic value of the multilayer coating. To determine the optimal mitigation geometry, the finite difference time domain method (FDTD) was used to quantify the electric-field intensification within the multilayer, at the presence of different conical pits. We find that the field intensification induced by the mitigation pit is strongly dependent on the polarization and the angle of incidence (AOI) of the incoming wave. Therefore the optimal mitigation conical pit geometry is application specific. Furthermore, our simulation also illustrates an alternative means to achieve an optimal mitigation structure by matching the cone angle of the structure with the AOI of the incoming wave, except for the p-polarization wave at a range of incident angles between 30{sup o} and 45{sup o}.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers using catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sungwoo; Park, Jeongju; Cho, Jinhan

2010-01-01

We introduce a novel and versatile approach for the preparation of multilayers, based on catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (CAT-Au NP ), allowing electrostatic charge reversal and structural transformation through pH adjustment. CAT-Au NP , which are synthesized directly from CAT stabilizer, can be electrostatically assembled with anionic and cationic PEs as a result of the charge reversal of the catalase stabilizers through pH control. In particular, at pH 5.2, near the pI of catalase, dispersed CAT-Au NP are structurally transformed into colloidal or network CAT-Au NP nanocomposites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the layer-by-layer assembled multilayers composed of PEs and CAT-Au NP induce an effective electron transfer between CAT and the electrode as well as a high loading of CAT and Au NP , and resultantly exhibit a highly catalytic activity toward H 2 O 2 .

Tribological Behavior of Multilayered WC-Ti1-xAlxN Coatings Deposited by Cathodic Arc Deposition Process on High Speed Steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jung Gu; Hwang, Woon Suk

2006-01-01

Recently, much of the current development in surface modification engineering are focused on multilayered coatings. Multilayered coatings have the potential to improve the tribological properties. Four different multilayered coatings were deposited on AISI D2 steel. The prepared samples are designed as WC-Ti 0.6 Al 0.4 N, WC-Ti 0.53 Al 0.47 N, WC-Ti 0.5 Al 0.5 N and WC-Ti 0.43 Al 0.57 N. The multilayered coatings were investigated with respect to coating surface and cross-sectional morphology, roughness, adhesion, hardness, porosity and tribological behavior. Especially, wear tests of four multilayered coatings were preformed by using a ball-on-disc configuration with a linear sliding speed of 0.017 m/sec, 5.38 N load. The tests were carried out at room temperature in air by employing AISI 52100 steel ball (H R = 66) having a diameter of 10 mm. The surface morphology, and topography of the wear scars of samples and balls have been determined by using scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM). Results have showed an improved wear resistance of the WC-Ti 1-x 6Al x N coatings with increasing of Al concentration. WC-Ti 0.43 Al 0.57 N coating with the lower surface roughness and porosity with good adhesion enhanced wear resistance

Tunable thick porous silica coating fabricated by multilayer-by-multilayer bonding of silica nanoparticles for open-tubular capillary chromatographic separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Qishu; Liu, Yuanyuan; Shi, Wenjun; Yan, Chao; Tang, Xiaoqing

2015-06-19

A simple coating procedure employing a multilayer-by-multilayer process to modify the inner surface of bare fused-silica capillaries with silica nanoparticles was established. The silica nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the capillary wall via a strong electrostatic interaction between amino functional groups and silica particles. The thickness of the coating could be tuned from 130 to 600 nm by increasing the coating cycles from one to three. Both the retention factor and the resolution were greatly increased with increasing coating cycles. The loading capacity determined by naphthalene in the column with three coating cycles is 152.1 pmol. The effects of buffer concentration and pH value on the stability of the coating were evaluated. The retention reproducibility of the separation of toluene was 0.8, 1.2, 2.3, and 4.5%, respectively, for run-to-run, day-to-day, column-to-column, and batch-to-batch, respectively. The chromatographic performance of these columns was evaluated by both capillary liquid chromatography and open-tubular capillary electrochromatography (OT-CEC). Separation of aromatic hydrocarbons in the column with three coating cycles provided high theoretical plate numbers (up to 269,280 plates m(-1) for toluene) and short separation time (<15 min) by using OT-CEC mode. The method was also used to separate egg white proteins. Both acidic and basic proteins as well as four glycoisoforms were separated in a single run. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tuning Surface Chemistry of Polyetheretherketone by Gold Coating and Plasma Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Novotná, Zdeňka; Rimpelová, Silvie; Juřík, Petr; Veselý, Martin; Kolská, Zdeňka; Hubáček, Tomáš; Borovec, Jakub; Švorčík, Václav

2017-06-01

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has good chemical and biomechanical properties that are excellent for biomedical applications. However, PEEK exhibits hydrophobic and other surface characteristics which cause limited cell adhesion. We have investigated the potential of Ar plasma treatment for the formation of a nanostructured PEEK surface in order to enhance cell adhesion. The specific aim of this study was to reveal the effect of the interface of plasma-treated and gold-coated PEEK matrices on adhesion and spreading of mouse embryonic fibroblasts. The surface characteristics (polarity, surface chemistry, and structure) before and after treatment were evaluated by various experimental techniques (gravimetry, goniometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrokinetic analysis). Further, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to examine PEEK surface morphology and roughness. The biological response of cells towards nanostructured PEEK was evaluated in terms of cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. Detailed cell morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Compared to plasma treatment, gold coating improved PEEK wettability. The XPS method showed a decrease in the carbon concentration with increasing time of plasma treatment. Cell adhesion determined on the interface between plasma-treated and gold-coated PEEK matrices was directly proportional to the thickness of a gold layer on a sample. Our results suggest that plasma treatment in a combination with gold coating could be used in biomedical applications requiring enhanced cell adhesion.

Corrosion Resistance Of Electroless Ni-P/Cu/Ni-P Multilayer Coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhao G.L.

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Ni-P/Cu/Ni-P multilayer coatings were prepared by deposition of Cu layer between two Ni–P layers. The Cu layer was deposited by metal displacement reaction between Cu2+ and Fe atoms. Corrosion behavior of single-layer Ni-P coatings, double-layer Ni-P/Cu coatings, and three-layer Ni-P/Cu/Ni-P coatings were investigated by electrochemical tests in 3.5% NaCl solution. The three-layer coatings exhibited more positive Ecorr and decreased Icorr compared with conventional single-layer Ni-P coatings, which indicated an improved corrosion resistance. The polarization curves of the three-layer coatings were characterized by two passive regions. The improved corrosion resistance was not only attributed to the function of the blocked pores of Cu. The Cu interlayer also acted as a sacrificial layer instead of a barrier in the coatings, which altered the corrosion mechanism and further improved the corrosion resistance of the coatings.

Engineering functional nanothin multilayers on food packaging: ice-nucleating polyethylene films.

Science.gov (United States)

Gezgin, Zafer; Lee, Tung-Ching; Huang, Qingrong

2013-05-29

Polyethylene is the most prevalent plastic and is commonly used as a packaging material. Despite its common use, there are not many studies on imparting functionalities to those films which can make them more desirable for frozen food packaging. Here, commercial low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films were oxidized by UV-ozone (UVO) treatment to obtain a negatively charged hydrophilic surface to allow fabrication of functional multilayers. An increase in hydrophilicity was observed when films were exposed to UVO for 4 min and longer. Thin multilayers were formed by dipping the UVO-treated films into biopolymer solutions, and extracellular ice nucleators (ECINs) were immobilized onto the film surface to form a functional top layer. Polyelectrolyte adsorption was studied and confirmed on silicon wafers by measuring the water contact angles of the layers and investigating the surface morphology via atomic force microscopy. An up to 4-5 °C increase in ice nucleation temperatures and an up to 10 min decrease in freezing times were observed with high-purity deionized water samples frozen in ECIN-coated LDPE films. Films retained their ice nucleation activity up to 50 freeze-thaw cycles. Our results demonstrate the potential of using ECIN-coated polymer films for frozen food application.

Coating multilayer material with improved tribological properties obtained by magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Mateescu, A. O.; Mateescu, G.; Balasoiu, M.; Pompilian, G. O.; Lungu, M.

2017-02-01

This work is based on the Patent no. RO 128094 B1, granted by the Romanian State Office for Inventions and Trademarks. The goal of the work is to obtain for investigations tribological coatings with multilayer structure with improved tribological properties, deposited by magnetron sputtering process from three materials (sputtering targets). Starting from compound chemical materials (TiC, TiB2 and WC), as sputtering targets, by deposition in argon atmosphere on polished stainless steel, we have obtained, based on the claims of the above patent, thin films of multilayer design with promising results regarding their hardness, elastic modulus, adherence, coefficient of friction and wear resistance. The sputtering process took place in a special sequence in order to ensure better tribological properties to the coating, comparing to those of the individual component materials. The tribological properties, such as the coefficient of friction, are evaluated using the tribometer test.

Damping Oriented Design of Thin-Walled Mechanical Components by Means of Multi-Layer Coating Technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Catania

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The damping behaviour of multi-layer composite mechanical components, shown by recent research and application papers, is analyzed. A local dissipation mechanism, acting at the interface between any two different layers of the composite component, is taken into account, and a beam model, to be used for validating the known experimental results, is proposed. Multi-layer prismatic beams, consisting of a metal substrate and of some thin coated layers exhibiting variable stiffness and adherence properties, are considered in order to make it possible to study and validate this assumption. A dynamical model, based on a simple beam geometry but taking into account the previously introduced local dissipation mechanism and distributed visco-elastic constraints, is proposed. Some different application examples of specific multi-layer beams are considered, and some numerical examples concerning the beam free and forced response are described. The influence of the multilayer system parameters on the damping behaviour of the free and forced response of the composite beam is investigated by means of the definition of some damping estimators. Some effective multi-coating configurations, giving a relevant increase of the damping estimators of the coated structure with respect to the same uncoated structure, are obtained from the model simulation, and the results are critically discussed.

Multilayer stacks obtained by ion assisted EB PVD aimed at thermal barrier coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roos, E.; Maile, K.; Lyutovich, A. [Stuttgart Univ. (DE). Materialpruefungsanstalt (MPA)

2010-07-01

Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) using Electron Beam Physical Vapour Deposition (EB PVD) is widely implemented, especially for aero-engine turbine blades. Generally, multilayer stacks are used for these aims. For the additional improvement of intermediate layers with graded transitions to the initial Ni-based alloy, the use of accelerated ions in the EBPVD-process is advantageous. The effect of the substrate bias potential, ion current density and deposition temperature on the structure and properties of Ti and Zr intermediate layers are investigated. The morphology of the films is studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It is found that the surface morphology becomes smoother with rising bias potential and decreasing ion current density. Measurements of Vicker's micro-hardness performed on these coatings have shown its increase with higher values of the bias and its reduction with the growing temperature. This effect is caused by the observed decrease in grain size and higher porosity of the films. A multilayer coating system Ni (based substrate)-Si-Si{sub x}Al{sub y}-Al with graded transitions between the layers is obtained using ion assisted EBPVD. Architecture of a multilayer stack for TBC with graded transitions is proposed. (orig.)

Properties of POPC/POPE supported lipid bilayers modified with hydrophobic quantum dots on polyelectrolyte cushions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kolasinska-Sojka, Marta; Wlodek, Magdalena; Szuwarzynski, Michal; Kereiche, Sami; Kovacik, Lubomir; Warszynski, Piotr

2017-10-01

The formation and properties of supported lipid bilayers (SLB) containing hydrophobic nanoparticles (NP) was studied in relation to underlying cushion obtained from selected polyelectrolyte multilayers. Lipid vesicles were formed from zwitterionic 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (POPC) and negatively charged 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (POPE) in phosphate buffer (PBS). As hydrophobic nanoparticles - quantum dots (QD) with size of 3.8nm (emission wavelength of 420nm) were used. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) were constructed by the sequential, i.e., layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of alternately charged polyelectrolytes from their solutions. Liposomes and Liposome-QDs complexes were studied with Transmission Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-TEM) to verify the quality of vesicles and the position of QD within lipid bilayer. Deposition of liposomes and liposomes with quantum dots on polyelectrolyte films was studied in situ using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique. The fluorescence emission spectra were analyzed for both: suspension of liposomes with nanoparticles and for supported lipid bilayers containing QD on PEM. It was demonstrated that quantum dots are located in the hydrophobic part of lipid bilayer. Moreover, we proved that such QD-modified liposomes formed supported lipid bilayers and their final structure depended on the type of underlying cushion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Layer-by-layer assembled multilayers using catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Sungwoo; Park, Jeongju [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Kookmin University, Jeongneung-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-702 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Jinhan, E-mail: jinhan71@korea.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Korea University, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-701 (Korea, Republic of)

2010-09-17

We introduce a novel and versatile approach for the preparation of multilayers, based on catalase-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (CAT-Au{sub NP}), allowing electrostatic charge reversal and structural transformation through pH adjustment. CAT-Au{sub NP}, which are synthesized directly from CAT stabilizer, can be electrostatically assembled with anionic and cationic PEs as a result of the charge reversal of the catalase stabilizers through pH control. In particular, at pH 5.2, near the pI of catalase, dispersed CAT-Au{sub NP} are structurally transformed into colloidal or network CAT-Au{sub NP} nanocomposites. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the layer-by-layer assembled multilayers composed of PEs and CAT-Au{sub NP} induce an effective electron transfer between CAT and the electrode as well as a high loading of CAT and Au{sub NP}, and resultantly exhibit a highly catalytic activity toward H{sub 2}O{sub 2}.

Preparation of multi-layer film consisting of hydrogen-free DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC for conductive hard coating

Science.gov (United States)

Iijima, Yushi; Harigai, Toru; Isono, Ryo; Degai, Satoshi; Tanimoto, Tsuyoshi; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Yasui, Haruyuki; Kaneko, Satoru; Kunitsugu, Shinsuke; Kamiya, Masao; Taki, Makoto

2018-01-01

Conductive hard-coating films have potential application as protective films for contact pins used in the electrical inspection process for integrated circuit chips. In this study, multi-layer diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared as conductive hard-coating films. The multi-layer DLC films consisting of DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC (N-DLC) film were prepared using a T-shape filtered arc deposition method. Periodic DLC/N-DLC four-layer and eight-layer films had the same film thickness by changing the thickness of each layer. In the ball-on-disk test, the N-DLC mono-layer film showed the highest wear resistance; however, in the spherical polishing method, the eight-layer film showed the highest polishing resistance. The wear and polishing resistance and the aggressiveness against an opponent material of the multi-layer DLC films improved by reducing the thickness of a layer. In multi-layer films, the soft N-DLC layer between hard DLC layers is believed to function as a cushion. Thus, the tribological properties of the DLC films were improved by a multi-layered structure. The electrical resistivity of multi-layer DLC films was approximately half that of the DLC mono-layer film. Therefore, the periodic DLC/N-DLC eight-layer film is a good conductive hard-coating film.

Ion Diffusion-Directed Assembly Approach to Ultrafast Coating of Graphene Oxide Thick Multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaoli; Gao, Weiwei; Yao, Weiquan; Jiang, Yanqiu; Xu, Zhen; Gao, Chao

2017-10-24

The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly approach has been widely used to fabricate multilayer coatings on substrates with multiple cycles, whereas it is hard to access thick films efficiently. Here, we developed an ion diffusion-directed assembly (IDDA) strategy to rapidly make multilayer thick coatings in one step on arbitrary substrates. To achieve multifunctional coatings, graphene oxide (GO) and metallic ions were selected as the typical building blocks and diffusion director in IDDA, respectively. With diffusion of metallic ions from substrate to negatively charged GO dispersion spontaneously (i.e., from high-concentration region to low-concentration region), GO was assembled onto the substrate sheet-by-sheet via sol-gel transformation. Because metallic ions with size of subnanometers can diffuse directionally and freely in the aqueous dispersion, GO was coated on the substrate efficiently, giving rise to films with desired thickness up to 10 μm per cycle. The IDDA approach shows three main merits: (1) high efficiency with a μm-scale coating rate; (2) controllability over thickness and evenness; and (3) generality for substrates of plastics, metals and ceramics with any shapes and morphologies. With these merits, IDDA strategy was utilized in the efficient fabrication of functional graphene coatings that exhibit outstanding performance as supercapacitors, electromagnetic interference shielding textiles, and anticorrosion coatings. This IDDA approach can be extended to other building blocks including polymers and colloidal nanoparticles, promising for the scalable production and application of multifunctional coatings.

Enhanced antiadhesive properties of chitosan/hyaluronic acid polyelectrolyte multilayers driven by thermal annealing: Low adherence for mammalian cells and selective decrease in adhesion for Gram-positive bacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Muzzio, Nicolás E; Pasquale, Miguel A; Diamanti, Eleftheria; Gregurec, Danijela; Moro, Marta Martinez; Azzaroni, Omar; Moya, Sergio E

2017-11-01

The development of antifouling coatings with restricted cell and bacteria adherence is fundamental for many biomedical applications. A strategy for the fabrication of antifouling coatings based on the layer-by-layer assembly and thermal annealing is presented. Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) assembled from chitosan and hyaluronic acid were thermally annealed in an oven at 37°C for 72h. The effect of annealing on the PEM properties and topography was studied by atomic force microscopy, ζ-potential, circular dichroism and contact angle measurements. Cell adherence on PEMs before and after annealing was evaluated by measuring the cell spreading area and aspect ratio for the A549 epithelial, BHK kidney fibroblast, C2C12 myoblast and MC-3T3-E1 osteoblast cell lines. Chitosan/hyaluronic acid PEMs show a low cell adherence that decreases with the thermal annealing, as observed from the reduction in the average cell spreading area and more rounded cell morphology. The adhesion of S. aureus (Gram-positive) and E. coli (Gram-negative) bacteria strains was quantified by optical microscopy, counting the number of colony-forming units and measuring the light scattering of bacteria suspension after detachment from the PEM surface. A 20% decrease in bacteria adhesion was selectively observed in the S. aureus strain after annealing. The changes in mammalian cell and bacteria adhesion correlate with the changes in topography of the chitosan/hyaluronic PEMs from a rough fibrillar 3D structure to a smoother and planar surface after thermal annealing. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The anti-corrosion behavior under multi-factor impingement of Hastelloy C22 coating prepared by multilayer laser cladding

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Lin; Bai, Shu-Lin

2018-04-01

Hastelloy C22 coating was prepared on substrate of Q235 steel by high power multilayer laser cladding. The microstructure, hardness and anti-corrosion properties of coating were investigated. The corrosion tests in 3.5% NaCl solution were carried out with variation of impingement angle and velocity, and vibration frequency of sample. The microstructure of coating changes from equiaxed grain at the top surface to dendrites oriented at an angle of 60° to the substrate inside the coating. The corrosion rate of coating increases with the increase of impingement angle and velocity, and vibrant frequency of sample. Corrosion mechanisms relate to repassivation and depassivation of coating according to electrochemical measurements. Above results show that multilayer laser cladding can endow Hastelloy C22 coating with fine microstructures, high hardness and good anti-corrosion performances.

The detection of HBV DNA with gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle gene probes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xi Dong; Luo Xiaoping; Lu Qianghua; Yao Kailun; Liu Zuli; Ning Qin

2008-01-01

Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA probes were prepared, and their application for HBV DNA measurement was studied. Gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were prepared by the citrate reduction of tetra-chloroauric acid in the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles which were added as seeds. With a fluorescence-based method, the maximal surface coverage of hexaethiol 30-mer oligonucleotides and the maximal percentage of hybridization strands on gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticles were (120 ± 8) oligonucleotides per nanoparticle, and (14 ± 2%), respectively, which were comparable with those of (132 ± 10) and (22 ± 3%) in Au nanoparticle groups. Large network aggregates were formed when gold-coated iron oxide nanoparticle HBV DNA gene probe was applied to detect HBV DNA molecules as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and the high specificity was verified by blot hybridization. Our results further suggested that detecting DNA with iron oxide nanoparticles and magnetic separator was feasible and might be an alternative effective method

Single layer and multilayer vacuum-arc coatings based on the nitride TiAlSiYN: composition, structure, properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beresnev, V.M.; Litovchenko, S.V.; Nemchenko, U.S.; Srebnyuk, P.A.; Mazilin, B.A.; Sobol, O.V.; Mejlekhov, A.A.; Barmin, A.E.; Serenko, TA.; Pogrebnyak, A.D.; Ivanov, O.N.; Kritsyna, E.V.; Stolbovoj, V.A.; Novikov, V.Yu.; Malikov, L.V.

2017-01-01

Using high-technological vacuum-arc evaporation in the atmosphere of nitrogen with ion bombardment, single- and multilayer coatings based on TiAlSiYN with high mechanical characteristics were obtained: hardness of the coatings reached 49.5 GPa, resistance to wear, with the value of the critical point L_C_5 reaching 184.92 N. The peculiarities of radiation-induced effect at applying bias potential U_b were found: formation of nitride coatings based on fcc metallic lattice with the preferred orientation of crystallites with the texture axis [111], as well as simultaneous growth of hardness. Hardness of both single- and multilayer coatings increases by 40...50% at the increase of U_b from 50 to 200 V. Formation of silicon-containing layers of TiAlSiYN during the deposition contributes to reaching increased hardness, which, in the case of single-layer coating obtained at U_b = -200 V is 49.5 GPa, which corresponds to superhard state. The mechanisms of structure formation, defining the resulting mechanical characteristics of single- and multi-layer coatings based on TiAlSiYN nitride have been discussed.

Lubricated sliding wear behaviour of Ni-P-W multilayered alloy coatings produced by pulse plating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Panagopoulos, C. N.; Papachristos, V. D.; Christoffersen, Lasse

2000-01-01

The lubricated sliding wear behaviour of Ni-P-W multilayered alloy coatings sliding against hardened steel discs was studied, in a pin-on-disc set-up. The multilayered coatings had been deposited on mild steel pins by pulse plating and they consisted of ternary Ni-P-W layers of high and low W con...... lubrication regimes. The wear mechanisms in each lubrication regime were studied and in mixed lubrication regime, the effect of normal load and sliding speed on wear volume and friction coefficient was also studied. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved....

Thermally stable silica-coated hydrophobic gold nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanehara, Masayuki; Watanabe, Yuka; Teranishi, Toshiharu

2009-01-01

We have successfully developed a method for silica coating on hydrophobic dodecanethiol-protected Au nanoparticles with coating thickness ranging from 10 to 40 nm. The formation of silica-coated Au nanoparticles could be accomplished via the preparation of hydrophilic Au nanoparticle micelles by cationic surfactant encapsulation in aqueous phase, followed by hydrolysis of tetraethylorthosilicate on the hydrophilic surface of gold nanoparticle micelles. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles exhibited quite high thermal stability, that is, no agglomeration of the Au cores could be observed after annealing at 600 degrees C for 30 min. Silica-coated Au nanoparticles could serve as a template to derive hollow nanoparticles. An addition of NaCN solution to silica-coated Au nanoparticles led the formation of hollow silica nanoparticles, which were redispersible in deionized water. The formation of the hollow silica nanoparticles results from the mesoporous structures of the silica shell and such a mesoporous structure is applicable to both catalyst support and drug delivery.

Direct sputtering- and electro-deposition of gold coating onto the closed surface of ultralow-density carbon-hydrogen foam cylinder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luo, Jiaqiu; Yin, Jialing; Zhang, Hao; Yao, Mengqi; Hu, Wencheng, E-mail: huwc@uestc.edu.cn

2016-12-15

Highlights: • The surface pores of P(DVB/St) foam cylinder are sealed by CVD method. • Gold film was deposited on the surface of foam cylinder by magnetron sputtering. • Electroless plating was excluded in the present experiments. • The gold coatings were thickened through the electrodeposition process. - Abstract: This work aimed to fabricate a gold coating on the surface of ultralow-density carbon-hydrogen foam cylinder without electroless plating. Poly (divinylbenzene/styrene) foam cylinder was synthetized by high internal phase emulsion, and chemical vapor deposition polymerization approach was used to form a compact poly-p-xylylene film on the foam cylinder. Conducting gold thin films were directly deposited onto the poly-p-xylylene-modified foam cylinder by magnetron sputtering, and electrochemical deposition was adopted to thicken the gold coatings. The micro-structures and morphologies of poly (divinylbenzene/styrene) foam cylinder and gold coating were observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy. The gold coating content was investigated by energy-dispersive X-ray. The thicknesses of poly-p-xylylene coating and sputtered gold thin-film were approximately 500 and 100 nm, respectively. After electrochemical deposition, the thickness of gold coating increased to 522 nm, and the gold coating achieved a compact and uniform structure.

Plasmonic Switches and Sensors Based on PANI-Coated Gold Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Nina

Gold nanostructures have been received intense and growing attention due to their unique properties associated with localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The frequency and strength of the LSPR are highly dependent on the dielectric properties of the surrounding environment around gold nanostructures. Such dependence offers the essential basis for the achievement of plasmonic switching and sensing. While the plasmonic response of gold nanostructures is tuned by changing their dielectric environment, the external stimuli inducing the changes in the dielectric environment will be read out through the plasmonic response of gold nanostructures. As a consequence, plasmonic sensors and switches can be engineered by integrating active media that can respond to external stimuli with gold nanostructures. In this thesis research, I have achieved the coating of polyaniline (PANI) ' a conductive polymer, on gold nanostructures, and exploited the application of the core/shell nanostructures in plasmonic switching and sensing. Large modulation of the longitudinal plasmon resonance of single gold nanorods is achieved by coating PANI shell onto gold nanorods to produce colloidal plasmonic switches. The dielectric properties of PANI shell can be tuned by changing the proton-doping levels, which allows for the modulation of the plasmonic response of gold nanorods. The coated nanorods are sparsely housed in a simple microfluidic chamber. HCl and NaOH solutions are alternately pumped through the chamber for the realization of proton doping and dedoping. The plasmonic switching behavior is examined by monitoring the single-particle scattering spectra under the proton-doped and dedoped state of PANI. The coated nanorods exhibit a remarkable switching performance, with the modulation depth and scattering peak shift reaching 10 dB and 100 nm, respectively. Electrodynamic simulations are employed to confirm the plasmon switching behavior. I have further investigated the modulation of

Effect of gold nanoparticles on the structure and electron-transfer characteristics of glucose oxidase redox polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Cortez, M Lorena; Marmisollé, Waldemar; Pallarola, Diego; Pietrasanta, Lía I; Murgida, Daniel H; Ceolín, Marcelo; Azzaroni, Omar; Battaglini, Fernando

2014-10-06

Efficient electrical communication between redox proteins and electrodes is a critical issue in the operation and development of amperometric biosensors. The present study explores the advantages of a nanostructured redox-active polyelectrolyte-surfactant complex containing [Os(bpy)2Clpy](2+) (bpy=2,2'-bipyridine, py= pyridine) as the redox centers and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as nanodomains for boosting the electron-transfer propagation throughout the assembled film in the presence of glucose oxidase (GOx). Film structure was characterized by grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), GOx incorporation was followed by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and quartz-crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D), whereas Raman spectroelectrochemistry and electrochemical studies confirmed the ability of the entrapped gold nanoparticles to enhance the electron-transfer processes between the enzyme and the electrode surface. Our results show that nanocomposite films exhibit five-fold increase in current response to glucose compared with analogous supramolecular AuNP-free films. The introduction of colloidal gold promotes drastic mesostructural changes in the film, which in turn leads to a rigid, amorphous interfacial architecture where nanoparticles, redox centers, and GOx remain in close proximity, thus improving the electron-transfer process. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multiscale patterning of nanocomposite polyelectrolyte/nanoparticle films using inkjet printing and AFM scratching

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leigh, S J; Bowen, J; Preece, J A

2015-01-01

The fabrication of structured polymer/nanoparticle composite films through a combination of additive, subtractive and self-assembly methodologies is investigated. Consumer grade inkjet printing hardware is employed to deposit cationic polyelectrolytes on (i) hydrophilic and (ii) hydrophobised glass substrates. The hydrophobisation process controls the spreading of the droplets and hence the lateral size of printed features. The printed cationic polyelectrolyte regions are used as a template to direct the self-assembly of negatively charged gold nanoparticles onto the surface. Micro-scale features are created in the polyelectrolyte/nanoparticle films using AFM scratching to selectively displace material. The effect of substrate wettability on film morphology is discussed. (paper)

Structural and Morphological Difference Between Ti/TiN/TiCN Coatings Grown in Multilayer and Graded Form

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Restrepo, E.; Baena, A.; Agudelo, C.; Castillo, H.; Devia, A.; Marino, A.

2006-01-01

Thin films can be grown in super-lattice, multilayers and graded form, having each one advantages and disadvantages. The difference between multilayer and graded coatings is the interface. In multilayers the interface is abrupt and in graded coatings it is diffuse. The interface influences many chemical and physical properties of the materials, and its choice depends on the application. Graded coatings have the advantage of having gradual properties such as thermal expansion coefficient and lattice parameter, avoiding adherence problems due to good match between their component materials. In this work the comparison between some properties of coatings grown as multilayer and graded is performed. The materials are produced using the sputtering DC technique because of its facility to control the deposition parameters and generate a slow growth. The target is a disc of titanium and the samples are made of stainless steel 304. The working gases are argon, nitrogen and methane, which are mixed according to the material to be produced, i.e. Ti layer is grown with argon, the TiN film is produced with a mixture of argon and nitrogen, and the TiCN material is obtained mixing argon, nitrogen and methane. These materials are characterized with AFM in order to determine grain size and with XPS studying the chemical composition and performing depth profiles

Multilayer (TiN, TiAlN) ceramic coatings for nuclear fuel cladding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alat, Ece, E-mail: exa179@psu.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Motta, Arthur T. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Comstock, Robert J.; Partezana, Jonna M. [Westinghouse Electric Co., Beulah Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 1332 (United States); Wolfe, Douglas E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Applied Research Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, 119 Materials Research Building, University Park, PA 16802 (United States)

2016-09-15

In an attempt to develop an accident-tolerant fuel (ATF) that can delay the deleterious consequences of loss-of-coolant-accidents (LOCA), multilayer coatings were deposited onto ZIRLO{sup ®} coupon substrates by cathodic arc physical vapor deposition (CA-PVD). Coatings were composed of alternating TiN (top) and Ti{sub 1-x}Al{sub x}N (2-layer, 4-layer, 8-layer and 16-layer) layers. The minimum TiN top coating thickness and coating architecture were optimized for good corrosion and oxidation resistance. Corrosion tests were performed in static pure water at 360 °C and 18.7 MPa for up to 90 days. The optimized coatings showed no spallation/delamination and had a maximum of 6 mg/dm{sup 2} weight gain, which is 6 times smaller than that of a control sample of uncoated ZIRLO{sup ®} which showed a weight gain of 40.2 mg/dm{sup 2}. The optimized architecture features a ∼1 μm TiN top layer to prevent boehmite phase formation during corrosion and a TiN/TiAlN 8-layer architecture which provides the best corrosion performance. - Highlights: • The first study on multilayer TiAlN and TiN ceramic coatings on ZIRLO{sup ®} coupons. • Corrosion tests were performed at 360°C and 18.7 MPa for up to 90 days. • Coatings adhered well to the substrate, and showed no spallation/delamination. • Weight gains were six times lower than those of uncoated ZIRLO{sup ®} samples. • Longer and higher temperature corrosion tests will be discussed in a further paper.

Multilayered gold/silica nanoparticulate bilayer devices using layer-by-layer self organisation for flexible bending and pressure sensing applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shah Alam, Md. [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, Rajshahi 6204 (Bangladesh); Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, Asian Institute of Technology, 12120 Pathumthani (Thailand); Mohammed, Waleed S., E-mail: waleed.m@bu.ac.th [Center of Research in Optoelectronics, Communication and Control System (BU-CROCCS), School of Engineering, Bangkok University, Pathumthani 12120 (Thailand); Dutta, Joydeep, E-mail: dutta@squ.edu.om [Center of Excellence in Nanotechnology, Asian Institute of Technology, 12120 Pathumthani (Thailand); Chair in Nanotechnology, Water Research Center, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al Khoud 123 (Oman)

2014-02-17

A pressure and bending sensor was fabricated using multilayer thin films fabricated on a flexible substrate based on layer-by-layer self-organization of 18 nm gold nanoparticles separated by a dielectric layer of 30 nm silica nanoparticles. 50, 75, and 100 gold-silica bi-layered films were deposited and the device characteristics were studied. A threshold voltage was required for electron conduction which increases from 2.4 V for 50 bi-layers to 3.3 V for 100 bi-layers. Upon bending of the device up to about 52°, the threshold voltage and slope of the I-V curves change linearly. Electrical characterization of the multilayer films was carried out under ambient conditions with different pressures and bending angles in the direct current mode. This study demonstrates that the developed multilayer thin films can be used as pressure as well as bending sensing applications.

Substrate and coating defect planarization strategies for high-laser-fluence multilayer mirrors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stolz, Christopher J.; Wolfe, Justin E.; Mirkarimi, Paul B.; Folta, James A.; Adams, John J.; Menor, Marlon G.; Teslich, Nick E.; Soufli, Regina; Menoni, Carmen S.; Patel, Dinesh

2015-01-01

Planarizing or smoothing over nodular defects in multilayer mirrors can be accomplished by a discrete deposit-and-etch process that exploits the angle-dependent etching rate of optical materials. Typically, nodular defects limit the fluence on mirrors irradiated at 1064 nm with 10 ns pulse lengths due to geometrically- and interference-induced light intensification. Planarized hafina/silica multilayer mirrors have demonstrated > 125 J/cm 2 laser resistance for single-shot testing and 50 J/cm 2 for multi-shot testing for nodular defects originating on the substrate surface. Two planarization methods were explored: thick planarization layers on the substrate surface and planarized silica layers throughout the multilayer in which only the silica layers that are below one half of the incoming electric field value are etched. This paper also describes the impact of planarized defects that are buried within the multilayer structure compared to planarized substrate particulate defects. - Highlights: • Defect planarization significantly improves multilayer mirror laser resistance • Substrate and coating defects have both been effectively planarized • Single and multishot laser resistance improvement was demonstrated

Deformation sensor based on polymer-supported discontinuous graphene multi-layer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carotenuto, G.; Schiavo, L.; Romeo, V.; Nicolais, L.

2014-01-01

Graphene can be conveniently used in the modification of polymer surfaces. Graphene macromolecules are perfectly transparent to the visible light and electrically conductive, consequently these two properties can be simultaneously provided to polymeric substrates by surface coating with thin graphene layers. In addition, such coating process provides the substrates of: water-repellence, higher surface hardness, low-friction, self-lubrication, gas-barrier properties, and many other functionalities. Polyolefins have a non-polar nature and therefore graphene strongly sticks on their surface. Nano-crystalline graphite can be used as graphene precursor in some chemical processes (e.g., graphite oxide synthesis by the Hummer method), in addition it can be directly applied to the surface of a polyolefin substrate (e.g., polyethylene) to cover it by a thin graphene multilayer. In particular, the nano-crystalline graphite perfectly exfoliate under the application of a combination of shear and friction forces and the produced graphene single-layers perfectly spread and adhere on the polyethylene substrate surface. Such polymeric materials can be used as ITO (indium-tin oxide) substitute and in the fabrication of different electronic devices. Here the fabrication of transparent resistive deformation sensors based on low-density polyethylene films coated by graphene multilayers is described. Such devices are very sensible and show a high reversible and reproducible behavior

The structure and mechanical properties of multilayer nanocrystalline TiN/ZrN coatings obtained by vacuum-arc deposition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.V. Demchyshyn

2007-12-01

Full Text Available TiN/ZrN multilayered condensates on BK-8 carbide tips substrates (62 HRC were produced by the vacuumarc deposition technique, using Ti and Zr plasma flows in reactive nitrogen gas medium with working pressure of 6.6·10–1 Pa. The TiN/ZrN multilayered condensates consist of TiN and ZrN sublayers, which have a thickness of ~100 nm, controlled by the processing parameters of the used deposition technique. The obtained coatings have hardness of 45 GPa and Young’s modulus of 320 GPa. The obtained results show that mechanical properties of such multilayered composites are considerably improved in comparison to those for the single-component coatings, TiN and ZrN. The dependence of hardness and Young’s modulus of the composites on sublayer thickness within a range of 100 nm was determined. The investigated structure and improved mechanical properties of the TiN/ZrN multilayered condensates would be very good platform for finding their industrial application, such as hard coatings with different purposes.

Flame Retardant Multilayered Coatings on Acrylic Fabrics Prepared by One-Step Deposition of Chitosan/Montmorillonite Complexes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Federico Carosio

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Multilayered coatings deposited using the layer-by-layer (LbL assembly technique have attracted great interest in recent years as a sustainable and efficient solution for conferring flame retardant properties to fabrics. The unique structure and interaction established upon the coating assembly are the key factors for successful flame retardant properties. In this study we aimed at the deposition of multilayered coatings comprising chitosan and montmorillonite with a LbL-like structure and interactions by the simple processing of compacted chitosan/montmorillonite complexes obtained by the direct mixing of an oppositely charged solution/suspension. Upon drying, the prepared complex yielded a continuous coating characterized by a brick-and-mortar multi-layered structure, in which oriented clay nanoplatelets were held together by a continuous chitosan matrix. When deposited on acrylic fabrics these coatings were able to suppress the melt-dripping phenomenon, and at 10 and 20% add-ons achieved self-extinguishing behavior within a few seconds after ignition. Cone calorimetry testing revealed an increase in time to ignition (up to +46% and considerable reductions of the rates at which heat is released (up to −62 and −49% for peak of heat release rate and total heat release, respectively. A reduction in the total smoke release (up to −49% was also observed.

High temperature tribological performance of CrAlYN/CrN nanoscale multilayer coatings deposited on ?-TiAl

OpenAIRE

Walker, J.C.; Ross, I.M.; Reinhard, C.; Rainforth, W.M.; Hovsepian, P.Eh.

2009-01-01

This paper details the effect of temperature on the frictional behaviour of highly novel CrAlYN/CrN multilayer coatings, deposited by High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HIPIMS) on a Titanium Aluminide alloy used as fan blade material in the aerospace and a turbo-charger wheel in the automotive industries. The work was the first to discover the high temperature oxide 'glaze' layer formation which occurred on CrN multilayer-type coatings at higher temperatures and has received significant...

Intelligent saline enabled self-healing of multilayer coatings and its optimization to achieve redox catalytically provoked anti-corrosion ability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Syed, Junaid Ali; Tang, Shaochun; Meng, Xiangkang, E-mail: mengxk@nju.edu.cn

2016-10-15

Highlights: • Multilayer coatings were prepared with good self-healing and anti-corrosion ability. • The lifespan of SS is much improved and it is stable even after 120 h in 3.5% NaCl. • Multilayer structure with redox catalytic and self-healing ability leads to high P{sub e}. • Saline-triggered self-healing and anti-corrosion mechanisms were envisaged. - Abstract: To obtain a coating with both self-healing and redox catalytic ability to protect a metal substrate from corrosion under aggressive environment is strongly desired. Herein, we report the design and fabrication of intelligent polyaniline-polyacrylic acid/polyethyleneimine (PANI-PAA/PEI) multilayer composite coatings by spin assembly. The main influencing factors, including solution concentration (c) and disk rotating speed (ω) were studied in order to gain excellent performance. The resulting multilayer coatings with thickness in a range from 0.47 to 2.94 μm can heal severe structural damages and sustain a superior anti-corrosive performance for 120 h in 3.5% NaCl. The PANI-PAA layer enhances the anti-corrosion property and PEI layer contributes to the self-healing ability as well as their multilayer combination strengthens them. The improved self-healing ability is attributed to the rearrangement and reversible non-covalent interactions of the PANI-PAA and PEI layers that facilitates electrostatic repairing.

Multilayer coatings containing diamond and other hard materials on hardmetal substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koepf, A.; Haubner, R.; Lux, B.

2001-01-01

In order to improve the wear resistance of hardmetal cutting tools, coatings of hard materials were established. Especially the production of multilayer coatings, which combine useful properties of different materials was a topic of industrial and academic research. The present work examined the possibilities of combining diamond as basic layer with protective CVD layers of TiC, TiN, Ti(C,N) and Al 2 O 3 . All these combinations could be realized and some showed quite good adherence under strain, which offers possibilities for technical applications. (author)

Study of ion implantation in grown layers of multilayer coatings under ion-plasma vacuum deposition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voevodin, A.A.; Erokhin, A.L.

1993-01-01

The model of ion implantation into growing layers of a multilayer coating produced with vacuum ion-plasma deposition was developed. The model takes into account a possibility for ions to pass through the growing layer and alloys to find the distribution of implanted atoms over the coating thickness. The experimental vitrification of the model was carried out on deposition of Ti and TiN coatings

Coulombic interactions on the deposition and rotational mobility distributions of dyes in polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ye; Yip, Wai Tak

2004-12-07

We employed negatively charged fluorescein (FL), positively charged rhodamine 6G (R6G), and neutral Nile Red (NR) as molecular probes to investigate the influence of Coulombic interaction on their deposition into and rotational mobility inside polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films. The entrapment efficiency of the dyes reveals that while Coulombic repulsion has little effect on dye deposition, Coulombic attraction can dramatically enhance the loading efficiency of dyes into a PEM film. By monitoring the emission polarization of single dye molecules in polyethylenimine (PEI) films, the percentages of mobile R6G, NR, and FL were determined to be 87 +/- 4%, 76 +/- 5%, and 68 +/- 3%, respectively. These mobility distributions suggest that cationic R6G enjoys the highest degree of rotational freedom, whereas anionic FL shows the least mobility because of Coulombic attraction toward cationic PEI. Regardless of charges, this high percentage of mobile molecules is in stark contrast to the 5-40% probe mobility reported from spun-cast polymer films, indicating that our PEI films contain more free volume and display richer polymer dynamics. These observations demonstrate the potential of using isolated fluorescent probes to interrogate the internal structure of a PEM film at a microscopic level.

Brominated Tyrosine and Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Analysis by Laser Desorption VUV Postionization and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

University of Illinois at Chicago; Blaze, Melvin M. T.; Takahashi, Lynelle; Zhou, Jia; Ahmed, Musahid; Gasper, Gerald; Pleticha, F. Douglas; Hanley, Luke

2011-03-14

The small molecular analyte 3,5-dibromotyrosine (Br2Y) and chitosan-alginate polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) with and without adsorbed Br2Y were analyzed by laser desorption postionization mass spectrometry (LDPI-MS). LDPI-MS using 7.87 eV laser and tunable 8 ? 12.5 eV synchrotron vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation found that desorption of clusters from Br2Y films allowed detection by≤8 eV single photon ionization. Thermal desorption and electronic structure calculations determined the ionization energy of Br2Y to be ~;;8.3?0.1 eV and further indicated that the lower ionization energies of clusters permitted their detection at≤8 eV photon energies. However, single photon ionization could only detect Br2Y adsorbed within PEMs when using either higher photon energies or matrix addition to the sample. All samples were also analyzed by 25 keV Bi3 + secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), with the negative ion spectra showing strong parent ion signal which complemented that observed by LDPI-MS. The negative ion SIMS depended strongly on the high electron affinity of this specific analyte and the analyte?s condensed phase environment.

Improvement of Wear Performance of Nano-Multilayer PVD Coatings under Dry Hard End Milling Conditions Based on Their Architectural Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahereen Chowdhury

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The TiAlCrSiYN-based family of PVD (physical vapor deposition hard coatings was specially designed for extreme conditions involving the dry ultra-performance machining of hardened tool steels. However, there is a strong potential for further advances in the wear performance of the coatings through improvements in their architecture. A few different coating architectures (monolayer, multilayer, bi-multilayer, bi-multilayer with increased number of alternating nano-layers were studied in relation to cutting-tool life. Comprehensive characterization of the structure and properties of the coatings has been performed using XRD, SEM, TEM, micro-mechanical studies and tool-life evaluation. The wear performance was then related to the ability of the coating layer to exhibit minimal surface damage under operation, which is directly associated with the various micro-mechanical characteristics (such as hardness, elastic modulus and related characteristics; nano-impact; scratch test-based characteristics. The results presented exhibited that a substantial increase in tool life as well as improvement of the mechanical properties could be achieved through the architectural development of the coatings.

In vitro toxicity studies of polymer-coated gold nanorods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rayavarapu, Raja G; Petersen, Wilma; Manohar, Srirang; Van Leeuwen, Ton G [Biomedical Photonic Imaging Group, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500AE Enschede (Netherlands); Hartsuiker, Liesbeth; Otto, Cees [Medical Cell Biophysics, MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Twente, PO Box 217, 7500AE Enschede (Netherlands); Chin, Patrick; Van Leeuwen, Fijs W B [Division of Diagnostic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam (Netherlands); Janssen, Hans, E-mail: S.Manohar@utwente.nl [Division of Cell Biology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, 1066 CX Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2010-04-09

We evaluated cellular responses to polymer-treated gold nanorods, which were synthesized using the standard wet-chemistry method that utilizes hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The nanorod dispersions were coated with either polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) or polyethylene glycol (PEG). Two sizes of nanorods were tested, with optical responses peaking at 628 and 773 nm. The cells were from mammary adenocarcinoma (SKBR3), Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO), mouse myoblast (C2C12) and Human Leukemia (HL60) cell lines. Their mitochondrial function following exposure to the nanorods were assessed using the MTS assay. We found PEGylated particles to have superior biocompatibility compared with PSS-coated nanorods, which showed substantial cytotoxicity. Electron microscopy showed no cellular uptake of PEGylated particles compared with their PSS counterparts. PEGylated gold nanorods also exhibited better dispersion stability in the presence of cell growth medium; PSS-coated rods tended to flocculate or cluster. In the case of the PSS particles, toxicity correlated with surface area across the two sizes of nanorods studied.

Preparation and properties of DLC/MoS2 multilayer coatings for high humidity tribology

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xiaoyu; Lu, Zhibin; Wu, Guizhi; Zhang, Guangan; Wang, Liping; Xue, Qunji

2016-06-01

The DLC/MoS2 multilayer coatings with different modulus ratios were deposited by magnetron sputtering in this study. The morphology, structure, composition, mechanical properties and tribological properties were investigated using several analytical techniques (FESEM, AFM, TEM, AES, XPS, nanoindentation and high humidity tribological test). The results showed that the well-defined multilayer coatings were composed of densely packed particles in which many nanocrystallines with some kinds of defects were distributed in matrix. The incorporation of oxygen into the lattice led to the degraded chemical stability. The coating’s hardness and elastic modulus were almost in the same range. Moderate improvement on the high humidity tribological properties were obtained, which was important for the extension of the service life of MoS2 in humid air.

Determination of the fatigue properties of multilayer PVD coatings on various substrates, based on the impact test and its FEM simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouzakis, K.D.; Vidakis, N. [Aristotle Univ., Thessaloniki (Greece). Dept. of Mech. Eng.; Leyendecker, T.; Erkens, G.; Wenke, R.

1997-10-31

The coating impact test, in combination with its finite elements method (FEM) simulation, is used to quantitatively characterize the fatigue behaviour of thin hard physical vapour deposited (PVD) coatings as well as of multilayer ones. Successive impacts of a cemented carbide ball onto a plane coated specimen induce severe contact loads and strain superficially the layered compound. The fatigue failure mode of each specimen is classified by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations, microspectral analyses and profilometry. FEM simulating models of the impact test are used to determine the critical stress components, which introduce coating fatigue failure. The FEM computational results are correlated to the experimental ones and used to interpret them quantitatively. Herewith, critical values for stress components, responsible for distinctive fatigue failure modes of the coating substrate compounds are obtained and the fatigue limits of the examined multilayer coatings are inserted in general applicable Smith diagrams. Furthermore, the derived critical stresses are verified by investigating the same multilayer coatings on different substrates. (orig.) 14 refs.

Cucurbit[8]uril-Containing Multilayer Films for the Photocontrolled Binding and Release of a Guest Molecule.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicolas, Henning; Yuan, Bin; Zhang, Xi; Schönhoff, Monika

2016-03-15

The powerful host-guest chemistry of cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) was employed to obtain photoresponsive polyelectrolyte multilayer films for the reversible and photocontrolled binding and release of an organic guest molecule. For this purpose, we designed and synthesized a polyelectrolyte with azobenzene side groups. Then, CB[8] was associated with the azo side group to obtain a supramolecular host-guest complex that was further used as building block in order to prepare photoresponsive and CB[8]-containing polyelectrolyte multilayer films. Ultraviolet spectroscopy and a dissipative quartz crystal microbalance are employed to monitor the formation of the host-guest complex and the layer-by-layer self-assembly of the multilayer films, respectively. We demonstrate that the photoresponsive properties of the azo side groups are maintained before and after host-guest complexation with CB[8] in solution and within the multilayer films, respectively. A guest molecule was then specifically included as second binding partner into the CB[8]-containing multilayer films. Subsequently, the release of the guest was performed by UV light irradiation due to the trans-cis isomerization of the adjacent azo side groups. Re-isomerization of the azo side groups was achieved by VIS light irradiation and enabled the rebinding of the guest into CB[8]. Finally, we demonstrate that the photocontrolled binding and release within CB[8]-containing multilayer films can reliably and reversibly be performed over a period of more than 2 weeks with constant binding efficiency. Therefore, we expect such novel type of photosensitive films to have promising future applications in the field of stimuli-responsive nanomaterials.

Structure, mechanical and tribological properties of self-toughening TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings on Ti6Al4V prepared by arc ion plating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dang, Chaoqun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Li, Jinlong, E-mail: lijinlong11@126.com [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China); Wang, Yue; Chen, Jianmin [Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Related Technologies, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Marine Materials and Protective Technologies, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201 (China)

2016-11-15

Graphical abstract: Hardness and elastic modulus of TiSiN coating (C1) and TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings with different thickness of individual Ag layers of 33.87 nm (C2), 30.01 nm (C3), 26.67 nm (C4), 22.22 nm (C5) and 10.67 nm (C6), together with SEM micrographs of indention morphologies after Vickers indentation tests. Display Omitted - Highlights: • TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings design for microstructure was shown by cross-sectional SEM micrographs. • The TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings showed a significantly improved toughness compared with the TiSiN coating. • The individual Ag layers as a self-lubricating. • TiSiN/Ag multilayer coating (individual Ag layers of 22.22 nm) exhibits high hardness, H/E and H{sup 3}/E{sup *2} values and excellent wear resistance. - Abstract: The TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings deposited on Ti6Al4V alloy substrate using the multi-arc ion plating system. All multilayer coatings had a same total thickness of about 2.5 μm, and the TiSiN layer had a fixed thickness and the Ag layer had different thicknesses. Evidence concluded from X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microcopies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that nanocrystallites and amorphous microstructure of nc-TiN and amorphous Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} for individual TiSiN layers, where amorphous Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} around nanocrystallites TiN boundaries, and ductile nanocrystallites silver clusters and metallic silver for individual Ag layers which can limit continuous growth of single (200) preferential orientation coarse columnar TiN crystal. In addition, the TiN grain size presented a decreasing trend with the decrease of the thickness of Ag layers. The TiSiN/Ag multilayer coatings showed a significantly improved toughness compared with the TiSiN coating. The individual Ag layers of nano-multilayer coatings, not only as a self-lubricating but also as a barrier which inhibited micro cracks propagation, the formation of threading defects throughout all coatings, cause

Heparin-mimicking multilayer coating on polymeric membrane via LbL assembly of cyclodextrin-based supramolecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Jie; Liu, Xinyue; Ma, Lang; Cheng, Chong; Shi, Wenbin; Nie, Chuanxiong; Zhao, Changsheng

2014-12-10

In this study, multifunctional and heparin-mimicking star-shaped supramolecules-deposited 3D porous multilayer films with improved biocompatibility were fabricated via a layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly method on polymeric membrane substrates. Star-shaped heparin-mimicking polyanions (including poly(styrenesulfonate-co-sodium acrylate; Star-PSS-AANa) and poly(styrenesulfonate-co-poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate; Star-PSS-EGMA)) and polycations (poly(methyl chloride-quaternized 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate; Star-PMeDMA) were first synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) from β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) based cores. Then assembly of 3D porous multilayers onto polymeric membrane surfaces was carried out by alternating deposition of the polyanions and polycations via electrostatic interaction. The surface morphology and composition, water contact angle, blood activation, and thrombotic potential as well as cell viability for the coated heparin-mimicking films were systematically investigated. The results of surface ATR-FTIR spectra and XPS spectra verified successful deposition of the star-shaped supramolecules onto the biomedical membrane surfaces; scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) observations revealed that the modified substrate had 3D porous surface morphology, which might have a great biological influence on the biointerface. Furthermore, systematic in vitro investigation of protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, human platelet factor 4 (PF4, indicates platelet activation), activate partial thromboplastin time (APTT), thrombin time (TT), coagulation activation (thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT, indicates blood coagulant)), and blood-related complement activation (C3a and C5a, indicates inflammation potential) confirmed that the heparin-mimicking multilayer coated membranes exhibited ultralow blood component activations and excellent hemocompatibility. Meanwhile, after surface coating

Improved irradiation tolerance of reactive gas pulse sputtered TiN coatings with a hybrid architecture of multilayered and compositionally graded structures

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Wei; Yang, Jijun; Zhang, Feifei; Lu, Chenyang; Wang, Lumin; Liao, Jiali; Yang, Yuanyou; Liu, Ning

2018-04-01

This study investigates the improved irradiation tolerance of reactive gas pulse (RGP) sputtered TiN coatings which has hybrid architecture of multilayered and compositionally graded structures. The multilayered RGP-TiN coating is composed of hexagonal close-packed Ti phase and face-centred cubic TiN phase sublayers, where the former sublayer has a compositionally graded structure and the latter one maintains constant stoichiometric atomic ratio of Ti:N. After 100 keV He ion irradiation, the RGP-TiN coating exhibits improved irradiation resistance compared with its single layered (SL) counterpart. The size and density of He bubbles are smaller in the RGP-TiN coating than in the SL-TiN coating. The irradiation-induced surface blistering of the coatings shows a similar tendency. Meanwhile, the irradiation hardening and adhesion strength of the RGP-TiN coatings were not greatly affected by He irradiation. Moreover, the irradiation damage tolerance of the coatings can be well tuned by changing the undulation period number of N2 gas flow rate. Detailed analysis suggested that this improved irradiation tolerance could be related to the combined contribution of the multilayered and compositionally graded structures.

High-precision MoSi multilayer coatings for radial and 2D designs on curved optics

Science.gov (United States)

Kriese, Michael D.; Li, Yang; Platonov, Yuriy Y.

2017-10-01

The development of industrial infrastructure for EUV lithography requires a wide array of optics beyond the mask and the scanner optics, which include optics for critical instruments such as exposure testing and actinic inspection. This paper will detail recent results in the production of a variety of high-precision multilayer coatings achieved to support this development. It is critical that the optical designs factor in the capabilities of the achievable multilayer gradients and the associated achievable precision, including impact to surface distortion from the added figure error of the multilayer coating, which adds additional requirements of a specific shape to the period distribution. For example, two different coatings may achieve a ±0.2% variation in multilayer period, but have considerably different added figure error. Part I of the paper will focus on radially-symmetric spherical and aspherical optics. Typical azimuthal uniformity (variation at a fixed radius) achieved is less than ±0.005nm total variation, including measurement precision, on concave optics up to 200mm diameter. For highly curved convex optics (radius of curvature less than 50mm), precision is more challenging and the total variation increases to ±0.01nm total variation for optics 10-30mm in diameter. Total added figure error achieved has been as low as 0.05nm. Part II of the paper will focus on multilayer designs graded in two directions, rather than radially, in order to accommodate the increased complexity of elliptical, toroidal and hyperbolic surfaces. In most cases, the symmetry of the required multilayer gradient does not match the symmetry of the optical surface, and this interaction must be countered via the process design. Achieving such results requires additional flexibility in the design of the deposition equipment, and will be discussed with several examples in the paper, such as the use of variable velocity of an inline substrate carrier in conjunction with a shaped

Microstructure and mechanical properties of nanostructure multilayer CrN/Cr coatings on titanium alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiecinski, Piotr; Smolik, Jerzy; Garbacz, Halina; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof J.

2011-01-01

Five different nanostructured, multilayer coatings (CrN/Cr)x8 with different thickness ratio of Cr and CrN layers were deposited by PAPVD (Plasma Assisted Physical Vapour Deposition) vacuum arc method on Ti6Al4V titanium alloy. The microstructure, chemical and phase composition of the CrN and Cr sub-layers were characterized by SEM with EDX and Cs-corrected dedicated STEM on cross-sections prepared by focus ion beam. Besides, hardness and Young's modulus of the (Cr/CrN)x8 coatings has been measured. The adhesion has been tested by scratch test method. The obtained (CrN/Cr) multilayer coatings, 5-6 μm in thickness, have homogeneous and nanocrystalline structure, free of pores and cracks. The microstructures of Cr and CrN layers consist of columnar grains below 100 nm in diameter. The hardness and Young's modulus of these coatings depend linearly on thickness ratio of Cr and CrN layers. The decrease of the thickness ratio Cr/CrN 0.81 to 0.15 results in the increase of hardness from 1275 HV to 1710 HV and Young's modulus from 260 GPa to 271 GPa.

Single cell targeting using plasmon resonant gold-coated liposomes

Science.gov (United States)

Leung, Sarah J.; Romanowski, Marek

2012-03-01

We have developed an experimental system with the potential for the delivery and localized release of an encapsulated agent with high spatial and temporal resolution. We previously introduced liposome-supported plasmon resonant gold nanoshells; in this composite structure, the liposome allows for the encapsulation of substances, such as therapeutic agents, neurotransmitters, or growth factors, and the plasmon resonant structure facilitates the rapid release of encapsulated contents upon laser light illumination. More recently, we demonstrated that these gold-coated liposomes are capable of releasing their contents in a spectrally-controlled manner, where plasmon resonant nanoparticles only release content upon illumination with a wavelength of light matching their plasmon resonance band. We now show that this release mechanism can be used in a biological setting to deliver a peptide derivative of cholecystokinin to HEK293 cells overexpressing the CCK2 receptor. Using directed laser light, we may enable localized release from gold-coated liposomes to enable accurate perturbation of cellular functions in response to released compounds; this system may have possible applications in signaling pathways and drug discovery.

Laser Processing of Multilayered Thermal Spray Coatings: Optimal Processing Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Tewolde, Mahder; Zhang, Tao; Lee, Hwasoo; Sampath, Sanjay; Hwang, David; Longtin, Jon

2017-12-01

Laser processing offers an innovative approach for the fabrication and transformation of a wide range of materials. As a rapid, non-contact, and precision material removal technology, lasers are natural tools to process thermal spray coatings. Recently, a thermoelectric generator (TEG) was fabricated using thermal spray and laser processing. The TEG device represents a multilayer, multimaterial functional thermal spray structure, with laser processing serving an essential role in its fabrication. Several unique challenges are presented when processing such multilayer coatings, and the focus of this work is on the selection of laser processing parameters for optimal feature quality and device performance. A parametric study is carried out using three short-pulse lasers, where laser power, repetition rate and processing speed are varied to determine the laser parameters that result in high-quality features. The resulting laser patterns are characterized using optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and electrical isolation tests between patterned regions. The underlying laser interaction and material removal mechanisms that affect the feature quality are discussed. Feature quality was found to improve both by using a multiscanning approach and an optional assist gas of air or nitrogen. Electrically isolated regions were also patterned in a cylindrical test specimen.

A novel pulsed drug-delivery system: polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer coating of chitosan–alginate microgels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhou GC

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Guichen Zhou,1,2,* Ying Lu,1,* He Zhang,1,* Yan Chen,1 Yuan Yu,1 Jing Gao,1 Duxin Sun,3 Guoqing Zhang,2 Hao Zou,1 Yanqiang Zhong1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacy, East Hospital of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: The aim of this report was to introduce a novel “core-membrane” microgel drug-delivery device for spontaneously pulsed release without any external trigger.Methods: The microgel core was prepared with alginate and chitosan. The semipermeable membrane outside the microgel was made of polyelectrolytes including polycation poly(allylamine hydrochloride and sodium polystyrene sulfonate. The drug release of this novel system was governed by the swelling pressure of the core and the rupture of the outer membrane.Results: The size of the core-membrane microgel drug-delivery device was 452.90 ± 2.71 µm. The surface charge depended on the layer-by-layer coating of polyelectrolytes, with zeta potential of 38.6 ± 1.4 mV. The confocal microscope exhibited the layer-by-layer outer membrane and inner core. The in vitro release profile showed that the content release remained low during the first 2.67 hours. After this lag time, the cumulative release increased to 80% in the next 0.95 hours, which suggested a pulsed drug release. The in vivo drug release in mice showed that the outer membrane was ruptured at approximately 3 to 4 hours, as drug was explosively released.Conclusion: These data suggest that the encapsulated substance in the core-membrane microgel delivery device can achieve a massive drug release after outer membrane rupture. This device was an effective system for pulsed drug delivery.Keywords: polyelectrolyte, chitosan–alginate, microgels, layer-by-layer, pulsed

Influence of dielectric protective layer on laser damage resistance of gold coated gratings

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kepeng; Ma, Ping; Pu, Yunti; Xia, Zhilin

2016-03-01

Aiming at the problem that the damage threshold of gold coated grating is relatively low, a dielectric film is considered on the gold coated gratings as a protective layer. The thickness range of the protective layer is determined under the prerequisite that the diffraction efficiency of the gold coated grating is reduced to an acceptable degree. In this paper, the electromagnetic field, the temperature field and the stress field distribution in the grating are calculated when the silica and hafnium oxide are used as protective layers, under the preconditions of the electromagnetic field distribution of the gratings known. The results show that the addition of the protective layer changes the distribution of the electromagnetic field, temperature field and stress field in the grating, and the protective layer with an appropriate thickness can improve the laser damage resistance of the grating.

Electrochemical behavior of single layer CrN, TiN, TiAlN coatings and nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings prepared by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

William Grips, V.K.; Barshilia, Harish C.; Selvi, V. Ezhil; Kalavati; Rajam, K.S.

2006-01-01

The corrosion behaviors of single layer TiN, CrN, TiAlN and multilayer TiAlN/CrN coatings, deposited on steel substrate using a multi-target reactive direct current magnetron sputtering process, were studied in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The total thickness of the coatings was about 1.5 μm. About 0.5 μm thick chromium interlayer was used for improved adhesion of the coatings. The potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that for all the coatings the corrosion potential shifted to higher values as compared to the uncoated substrate. Similarly, the corrosion current density decreased for coated samples, indicating better corrosion resistance of the coated samples. The multilayer coatings of TiAlN/CrN exhibited superior corrosion behavior as compared to the single layer coatings. The Nyquist and the Bode plots obtained from the EIS measurements were fitted by appropriate equivalent circuits to calculate the pore resistance, the charge transfer resistance and the capacitance. These studies revealed that the pore resistance was lowest for TiN coatings, which increased for TiAlN coatings. TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings exhibited highest pore resistance. No significant change in the capacitive behavior of the coatings was observed, suggesting minimal morphological changes as a result of immersion in the electrolyte. This could be attributed to shorter immersion durations. These studies were confirmed by examining the corroded samples under scanning electron microscope. Preliminary experiments conducted with additional interlayer of electroless nickel (5.0 μm thick) have shown significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the coatings

A novel method for the synthesis of monodisperse gold-coated silica nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

English, Michael D.; Waclawik, Eric R.

2012-01-01

Monodisperse silica nanoparticles were synthesised by the well-known Stober protocol, then dispersed in acetonitrile (ACN) and subsequently added to a bisacetonitrile gold(I) coordination complex ([Au(MeCN) 2 ] + ) in ACN. The silica hydroxyl groups were deprotonated in the presence of ACN, generating a formal negative charge on the siloxy groups. This allowed the [Au(MeCN) 2 ] + complex to undergo ligand exchange with the silica nanoparticles and form a surface coordination complex with reduction to metallic gold (Au 0 ) proceeding by an inner sphere mechanism. The residual [Au(MeCN) 2 ] + complex was allowed to react with water, disproportionating into Au 0 and Au(III), respectively, with the Au 0 adding to the reduced gold already bound on the silica surface. The so-formed metallic gold seed surface was found to be suitable for the conventional reduction of Au(III) to Au 0 by ascorbic acid (ASC). This process generated a thin and uniform gold coating on the silica nanoparticles. The silica NPs batches synthesised were in a size range from 45 to 460 nm. Of these silica NP batches, the size range from 400 to 480 nm were used for the gold-coating experiments.

Effect of electroless nickel interlayer on the electrochemical behavior of single layer CrN, TiN, TiAlN coatings and nanolayered TiAlN/CrN multilayer coatings prepared by reactive dc magnetron sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grips, V.K. William; Ezhil Selvi, V.; Barshilia, Harish C.; Rajam, K.S.

2006-01-01

The electrochemical behavior of single layer TiN, CrN, TiAlN and multilayer TiAlN/CrN coatings, deposited on steel substrates using a multi-target reactive direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering process, was studied in 3.5% NaCl solution. The total thickness of the coatings was about 1.5 μm. About 0.5 μm thick chromium interlayer was used to improve adhesion of the coatings. With an aim to improve the corrosion resistance, an additional interlayer of approximately 5 μm thick electroless nickel (EN) was deposited on the substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to study the corrosion behavior of the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were used to characterize the corroded samples. The potentiodynamic polarization tests showed lower corrosion current density and higher polarization resistance (R p ) for the coatings with EN interlayer. For example, the corrosion current density of TiN coated steel was decreased by a factor of 10 by incorporating 5 μm thick EN interlayer. Similarly, multilayer coatings of TiAlN/CrN with EN interlayer showed about 30 times improved corrosion resistance as compared to the multilayers without EN interlayer. The porosity values were calculated from the potentiodynamic polarization data. The Nyquist and the Bode plots obtained from the EIS data were fitted by appropriate equivalent circuits. The pore resistance (R pore ), the charge transfer resistance (R ct ), the coating capacitance (Q coat ) and the double layer capacitance (Q dl ) of the coatings were obtained from the equivalent circuit. Multilayer coatings showed higher R pore and R ct values as compared to the single layer coatings. Similarly, the Q coat and Q dl values decreased from uncoated substrate to the multilayer coatings, indicating a decrease in the defect density by the addition of EN interlayer. These studies were confirmed by examining the corroded samples under

Resistive switching memory properties of layer-by-layer assembled enzyme multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baek, Hyunhee; Cho, Jinhan; Lee, Chanwoo; Lim, Kwang-il

2012-01-01

The properties of enzymes, which can cause reversible changes in currents through redox reactions in solution, are of fundamental and practical importance in bio-electrochemical applications. These redox properties of enzymes are often associated with their charge-trap sites. Here, we demonstrate that reversible changes in resistance in dried lysozyme (LYS) films can be generated by an externally applied voltage as a result of charge trap/release. Based on such changes, LYS can be used as resistive switching active material for nonvolatile memory devices. In this study, cationic LYS and anionic poly(styrene sulfonate) (PSS) layers were alternately deposited onto Pt-coated silicon substrates using a layer-by-layer assembly method. Then, top electrodes were deposited onto the top of LYS/PSS multilayers to complete the fabrication of the memory-like device. The LYS/PSS multilayer devices exhibited typical resistive switching characteristics with an ON/OFF current ratio above 10 2 , a fast switching speed of 100 ns and stable performance. Furthermore, the insertion of insulating polyelectrolytes (PEs) between the respective LYS layers significantly enhanced the memory performance of the devices showing a high ON/OFF current ratio of ∼10 6 and low levels of power consumption. (paper)

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND ANTIWEARABILITY STUDIES OF MULTILAYER THIN COATINGS ON CUTTING TOOLS

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2000-01-01

The nanoindentation fracture of multilayer hard coatings, such as TiN, TiN/Ti(C,N)/TiC, TiN/Ti(C,N)/TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiC and TiN/Ti(C,N)/TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiC/Ti(C,N)/TiC coatings, deposited on cemented carbide using a CVD technique are studied. It is found that these coatings have high hardness. Based on the analysis of the energy release in cracking, the fracture toughness of these coatings are calculated. The observations clearly establish a step occurs in the forcedisplacement curves at the onset of coating fracture and a straigh t line segment in the loadpenetration depth squared curves to identify the interfacial failure of coatings. The hardness, fracture toughness and antiwearability of these coatings are clearly compared. The results show that with the layes increasing, the fracture toughness and antiwearability are getting larger.

Exciton Emission from Bare and Alq3/Gold Coated GaN Nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, Fatemesadat; Kuhnert, Gerd; Hommel, Detlef; Schmitzer, Heidrun; Wagner, Hans-Peter

We study the excitonic and impurity related emission in bare and aluminum quinoline (Alq3)/gold coated wurtzite GaN nanorods by temperature-dependent time-integrated (TI) and time-resolved (TR) photoluminescence (PL). The GaN nanorods were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Alq3 as well as Alq3/gold covered nanorods were synthesized by organic molecular beam deposition. In the near-band edge region a donor-bound-exciton (D0X) emission is observed at 3.473 eV. Another emission band at 3.275 eV reveals LO-phonon replica and is attributed to a donor-acceptor-pair (DAP) luminescence. TR PL traces at 20 K show a nearly biexponential decay for the D0X with lifetimes of approximately 180 and 800 ps for both bare and Alq3 coated nanorods. In GaN nanorods which were coated with an Alq3 film and subsequently with a 10 nm thick gold layer we observe a PL quenching of D0X and DAP band and the lifetimes of the D0X transition shorten. The quenching behaviour is partially attributed to the energy-transfer from free excitons and donor-bound-excitons to plasmon oscillations in the gold layer.

Friction Modifier Using Adherent Metallic Multilayered or Mixed Element Layer Conversion Coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, Harry F. (Inventor); Defalco, Francis G. (Inventor); Starks, Lloyd L., Sr. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A process for creating conversion coatings and spin, drawing, and extrusion finishes for surfaces, wherein the conversion coatings and spin, drawing, and extrusion finishes contain potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and one or more non-alkaline metals and/or one or more metalloids. The process comprises forming an aqueous solution of water, phosphoric acid or sulfuric acid, ammonium hydroxide, an alkali metal hydroxide, and one or more non-alkaline metals and/or one or more metalloids. The aqueous solution forms an anti-friction multilayer conversion and/or mixed element coating or a spin, drawing, and extrusion finish on a surface when applied to the surface, either directly without the use of applied external electromotive force, or as an additive in lubricating fluids.

Surface self-organization in multilayer film coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Shuvalov, Gleb M.; Kostyrko, Sergey A.

2017-12-01

It is a recognized fact that during film deposition and subsequent thermal processing the film surface evolves into an undulating profile. Surface roughness affects many important aspects in the engineering application of thin film materials such as wetting, heat transfer, mechanical, electromagnetic and optical properties. To accurately control the morphological surface modifications at the micro- and nanoscale and improve manufacturing techniques, we design a mathematical model of the surface self-organization process in multilayer film materials. In this paper, we consider a solid film coating with an arbitrary number of layers under plane strain conditions. The film surface has a small initial perturbation described by a periodic function. It is assumed that the evolution of the surface relief is governed by surface and volume diffusion. Based on Gibbs thermodynamics and linear theory of elasticity, we present a procedure for constructing a governing equation that gives the amplitude change of the surface perturbation with time. A parametric study of the evolution equation leads to the definition of a critical undulation wavelength that stabilizes the surface. As a numerical result, the influence of geometrical and physical parameters on the morphological stability of an isotropic two-layered film coating is analyzed.

Coarse-grained simulations of polyelectrolyte complexes: MARTINI models for poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vögele, Martin [Institute for Computational Physics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart (Germany); Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Max Planck Institute of Biophysics, Frankfurt a. M. (Germany); Holm, Christian; Smiatek, Jens, E-mail: smiatek@icp.uni-stuttgart.de [Institute for Computational Physics, University of Stuttgart, Stuttgart (Germany)

2015-12-28

We present simulations of aqueous polyelectrolyte complexes with new MARTINI models for the charged polymers poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium). Our coarse-grained polyelectrolyte models allow us to study large length and long time scales with regard to chemical details and thermodynamic properties. The results are compared to the outcomes of previous atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and verify that electrostatic properties are reproduced by our MARTINI coarse-grained approach with reasonable accuracy. Structural similarity between the atomistic and the coarse-grained results is indicated by a comparison between the pair radial distribution functions and the cumulative number of surrounding particles. Our coarse-grained models are able to quantitatively reproduce previous findings like the correct charge compensation mechanism and a reduced dielectric constant of water. These results can be interpreted as the underlying reason for the stability of polyelectrolyte multilayers and complexes and validate the robustness of the proposed models.

Coarse-grained simulations of polyelectrolyte complexes: MARTINI models for poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vögele, Martin; Holm, Christian; Smiatek, Jens

2015-01-01

We present simulations of aqueous polyelectrolyte complexes with new MARTINI models for the charged polymers poly(styrene sulfonate) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium). Our coarse-grained polyelectrolyte models allow us to study large length and long time scales with regard to chemical details and thermodynamic properties. The results are compared to the outcomes of previous atomistic molecular dynamics simulations and verify that electrostatic properties are reproduced by our MARTINI coarse-grained approach with reasonable accuracy. Structural similarity between the atomistic and the coarse-grained results is indicated by a comparison between the pair radial distribution functions and the cumulative number of surrounding particles. Our coarse-grained models are able to quantitatively reproduce previous findings like the correct charge compensation mechanism and a reduced dielectric constant of water. These results can be interpreted as the underlying reason for the stability of polyelectrolyte multilayers and complexes and validate the robustness of the proposed models

Application of neutron activation analysis to the corrosion study of gold coated studs used for piercing ears

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saiki, M.; Rogero, S.O.; Costa, I.; Correa, O.V.; Higa, O.Z.

1998-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Gold is known as a metal having little or no toxicity and it has been widely used for coating studs for ear piercing. However, for some people gold coated studs have caused serious allergy and inflammation problems. After piercing, the studs are usually kept in the ear lobes for at least one week, and during this period the stud surfaces in contact with the body fluids have caused swelling, pain and redness of the skin. Consequently, it is of great interest to evaluate if elements from the metallic substrate underneath the gold coatings migrate to the body fluids due to the corrosion and the presence of defects in gold coatings. The solutions for corrosion test were obtained by placing the gold coated studs in contact with the solutions of NaCl and of culture medium. Elemental analyses of these solutions by radioanalytical method of neutron activation analysis indicated the occurrence of substrate corrosion since the elements Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn were found in these solutions. These elements are substrate material components of alloys used to make the studs and they were quantified by X-ray fluorescence analysis. The defects of the coatings were also detected by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis of the gold coated studs before and after the corrosion tests. Cytotoxicity studies indicated that after corrosion test the solution used was toxic in the culture cell assay. Among the elements quantified in the test solutions, Ni is considered responsible for most of allergic reactions. Results obtained in this work indicated the necessity to improve quality control of the coating process of studs and in the appropriate choice of material used as substrate

A thin gold coated hydrogen heat pipe -cryogenic target for external experiments at cosy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Bary, M.; Abdel-Samad, S.; Elawadi, G.A.; Kilian, K.; Ritman, J.

2008-01-01

A gravity assisted Gold Coated Heat Pipe (GCHP) with 5-mm diameter has been developed and tested to cool a liquid hydrogen target for external beam experiments at COSY. The need for a narrow target diameter leads us to study the effect of reducing the heat pipe diameter to 5 mm instead of 7 mm, to study the effect of coating the external surface of the heat pipe by a polished gold layer (to decrease the radiation heat load), and to study the effect of using the heat pipe without using 20 layers super isolation around it (aluminized Mylar foil) to keep the target diameter as small as possible. The developed gold coated heat pipe was tested with 20 layers of super isolation and without. The operating characteristics for both conditions were compared to show the advantages and disadvantages

Supramolecular Langmuir monolayers and multilayered vesicles of self-assembling DNA–lipid surface structures and their further implications in polyelectrolyte-based cell transfections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Demirsoy, Fatma Funda Kaya [Ankara University, The Central Laboratory of The Institute of Biotechnology (Turkey); Eruygur, Nuraniye [Gazi University, Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy (Turkey); Süleymanoğlu, Erhan, E-mail: erhans@mail.ru [Gazi University, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy (Turkey)

2015-01-15

The basic interfacial characteristics of DNA–lipid recognitions have been studied. The complex structures of individual unbound DNA molecules and their binary and ternary complexes with zwitterionic lipids and divalent cations were followed by employing lipid monolayers at the air–liquid interfaces, as well as by performing various microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic measurements with multilayered vesicles. The pressure-area isotherms depicted that Mg{sup 2+}-ions increase the surface pressure of lipid films and thus give rise to electrostatic and hydrophobic lipid–DNA interactions in terms of DNA adsorption, adhesion, and compaction. These features were further approached by using multilamellar vesicles with a mean diameter of 850 nm, where a metal ion-directed nucleic acid compaction and condensation effects were shown. The data obtained show the effectiveness of Langmuir monolayers and lipid multilayers in studying nucleic acid–lipid recognitions. The data provide with further details and support previous reports on mainly structural features of these recognitions. Biomolecular surface recognition events were presented in direct link with spectral and thermodynamic features of lipid vesicle–polynucleotide complex formations. The results serve to build a theoretical model considering the use of neutral lipids in lipoplex designs as a polyelectrolyte alternatives to the currently employed cytotoxic cationic liposomes. The supramolecular structures formed and their possible roles in interfacial electrostatic and hydrophobic mechanisms of endosomal escape in relevant cell transfection assays are particularly emphasized.

Supramolecular Langmuir monolayers and multilayered vesicles of self-assembling DNA–lipid surface structures and their further implications in polyelectrolyte-based cell transfections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demirsoy, Fatma Funda Kaya; Eruygur, Nuraniye; Süleymanoğlu, Erhan

2015-01-01

The basic interfacial characteristics of DNA–lipid recognitions have been studied. The complex structures of individual unbound DNA molecules and their binary and ternary complexes with zwitterionic lipids and divalent cations were followed by employing lipid monolayers at the air–liquid interfaces, as well as by performing various microscopic, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic measurements with multilayered vesicles. The pressure-area isotherms depicted that Mg 2+ -ions increase the surface pressure of lipid films and thus give rise to electrostatic and hydrophobic lipid–DNA interactions in terms of DNA adsorption, adhesion, and compaction. These features were further approached by using multilamellar vesicles with a mean diameter of 850 nm, where a metal ion-directed nucleic acid compaction and condensation effects were shown. The data obtained show the effectiveness of Langmuir monolayers and lipid multilayers in studying nucleic acid–lipid recognitions. The data provide with further details and support previous reports on mainly structural features of these recognitions. Biomolecular surface recognition events were presented in direct link with spectral and thermodynamic features of lipid vesicle–polynucleotide complex formations. The results serve to build a theoretical model considering the use of neutral lipids in lipoplex designs as a polyelectrolyte alternatives to the currently employed cytotoxic cationic liposomes. The supramolecular structures formed and their possible roles in interfacial electrostatic and hydrophobic mechanisms of endosomal escape in relevant cell transfection assays are particularly emphasized

Multilayer Protective Coatings for High-Level Nuclear Waste Storage Containers

Science.gov (United States)

Fusco, Michael

, as opposed to bare, mild steel. Passivation and passive breakdown was largely unaffected by the coating materials. Activation parameters were determined for corrosion rates and passive breakdown potential based on measurements performed between 20°C and 80°C to simulate elevated waste canister temperatures due to decay heat. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to study the metal-electrolyte interface and the passive film formed on types 304 and 316 stainless steel. Capacitance values were calculated by utilizing the constant phase element and a conversion technique proposed in the literature. This method was shown to remove the frequency dependence of the capacitance that is often seen in electrochemical analysis. The dielectric constant was estimated from impedance and potentiostatic current measurements, and film defect densities were calculated to be on the order of 1020 cm-3, which is consistent with highly-doped semiconductive films. EIS was also employed to study reactively-sputtered TiO2 films on stainless steel type 304, which was substantially thicker than initial TiO2 coatings. The impedance spectra of TiO2-coated stainless steel exhibited several distinctions from its uncoated counterpart and were clearly dominated by the dielectric coating material. Film defect density was on the order of 1017 cm-3, which is several orders of magnitude lower than the bare steel and is more consistent with solid-state semiconductors. This research shows the potential of these coating materials to alter the corrosion behavior of the outer surface of a HLW storage canister. Although the initial single layered coatings had little effect on the corrosion and passivity of the stainless steel substrates, it is possible that with a thicker multi-layered coating system the substrate may be sufficiently isolated from the environment. Moreover, the thin single layer coatings were able to reduce corrosion of A36 steel, showing the promise of these coating

Synthesis and characterization of thiolated pectin stabilized gold coated magnetic nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arora, Varun, E-mail: varun.arora3986@gmail.com [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16-C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078 (India); Sood, Ankur, E-mail: ankursood02@gmail.com [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16-C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078 (India); Shah, Jyoti, E-mail: shah.jyoti1@gmail.com [National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Kotnala, R.K., E-mail: rkkotnala@nplindia.org [National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Road, New Delhi 110012 (India); Jain, Tapan K., E-mail: tapankjain@gmail.com [University School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Sector 16-C, Dwarka, New Delhi 110078 (India)

2016-04-15

Core–shell nanoparticles, magnetic core and gold shell, were synthesized by reduction of gold chloride on the surface of magnetic nanoparticles; using tyrosine as a reducing agent. The formation of gold shell on magnetic nanoparticles was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The core–shell nanoparticles (CSn) were conjugated with thiolated pectin to form a stable aqueous dispersion. The hydrodynamic size of thiolated pectin stabilized core–shell nanoparticles (TP-CSn) measured by Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was 160.5 nm with a poly dispersity index (PDI) of 0.302, whereas the mean particle size of TP-CSn calculated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) was 10.8 ± 2.7 nm. The value of zeta potential for TP-CSn was −13.6 mV. There was a decrease in the value of saturation magnetization upon formation of the gold shell on magnetic nanoparticles. The amount of thiolated pectin bound to the surface of core–shell nanoparticles, calculated using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), was 6% of sample weight. - Highlights: • Use of side group of tyrosine (phenol) as a pH dependent reducing agent to synthesize gold coated magnetic nanoparticles. • Successful coating of gold shell on magnetic nanoparticles core. • Synthesis of thiolated pectin and stabilization of aqueous dispersion of core–shell nanoparticles with thiolated pectin. • The superparamagnetic behaviour of magnetic nanoparticles is retained after shell formation.

Development and production of a multilayer-coated x-ray reflecting stack for the Athena mission

Science.gov (United States)

Massahi, S.; Ferreira, D. D. M.; Christensen, F. E.; Shortt, B.; Girou, D. A.; Collon, M.; Landgraf, B.; Barriere, N.; Krumrey, M.; Cibik, L.; Schreiber, S.

2016-07-01

The Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics, Athena, selected as the European Space Agency's second large-mission, is based on the novel Silicon Pore Optics X-ray mirror technology. DTU Space has been working for several years on the development of multilayer coatings on the Silicon Pore Optics in an effort to optimize the throughput of the Athena optics. A linearly graded Ir/B4C multilayer has been deposited on the mirrors, via the direct current magnetron sputtering technique, at DTU Space. This specific multilayer, has through simulations, been demonstrated to produce the highest reflectivity at 6 keV, which is a goal for the scientific objectives of the mission. A critical aspect of the coating process concerns the use of photolithography techniques upon which we will present the most recent developments in particular related to the cleanliness of the plates. Experiments regarding the lift-off and stacking of the mirrors have been performed and the results obtained will be presented. Furthermore, characterization of the deposited thin-films was performed with X-ray reflectometry at DTU Space and in the laboratory of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt at the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II.

Water-resistive humidity sensor prepared by printing process using polyelectrolyte ink derived from new monomer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Min-Ji; Gong, Myoung-Seon

2012-03-21

A simple strategy was developed based on a new monomer containing both photocurable function and ammonium salt, N-(2-cinnamoyloxy)ethyl-N-(2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl ammonium bromide (CMDAB) to obtain photocurable polyelectrolyte ink and stable humidity-sensitive membranes by printing process. Humidity-sensitive membranes are photocrosslinked polyelectrolytes obtained from copolymers of [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] dimethyl propyl ammonium bromide (MEPAB), CMDAB and MMA. A flexible gold electrode/polyimide was pretreated with 2-(mercaptoethyl) cinnamamide (MEC) containing a thiol-coupling agent for the purpose of anchoring the humidity-sensitive polyelectrolyte to the gold electrode. The sensors using screen printing methods reduced the deflection of sensor characteristics showing humidity precision ±1%RH. The photocured copolymer MEPAB/CMDAB/MMA = 63/7/30 show good sensitivity (0.0586 logΩ/%RH) changing resistance approximately four orders of magnitude with relative humidity varying from 20% to 95% and fast response and recovery time. The resultant sensors showed acceptable linearity (Y = -0.04X + 7.0, R(2) = -0.9900) and small hysteresis. The reliability including water resistance and a long-term stability were estimated for the application of the flexible humidity sensor prepared by screen printing process.

Tunable swelling of polyelectrolyte multilayers in cell culture media for modulating NIH-3T3 cells adhesion.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Wei; Cai, Peng; Yuan, Wenjing; Wang, Hua

2014-11-01

For polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) assembled by the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique, their nanostructure and properties can be governed by many parameters during the building process. Here, it was demonstrated that the swelling of the PEMs containing poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) in cell culture media could be tuned with changing supporting salt solutions during the assembly process. Importantly, the influence of the PEMs assembled in different salt solutions on NIH-3T3 cell adhesion was observable. Specifically, the cells could possess a higher affinity for the films assembled in low salt concentration (i.e. 0.15M NaCl) or no salt, the poorly swelling films in cell culture media, which was manifested by the large cell spreading area and focal adhesions. In contrast, those were assembled in higher salt concentration, highly swelling films in cell culture media, were less attractive for the fibroblasts. As a result, the cell adhesion behaviors may be manipulated by tailoring the physicochemical properties of the films, which could be performed by changing the assembly conditions such as supporting salt concentration. Such a finding might promise a great potential in designing desired biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Establishing Antibacterial Multilayer Films on the Surface of Direct Metal Laser Sintered Titanium Primed with Phase-Transited Lysozyme

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Binbin; Wang, Haorong; Xu, Ruiqing; Zheng, Guoying; Yang, Jie; Liu, Zihao; Cao, Man; Wu, Mingyao; Song, Jinhua; Li, Neng; Li, Ting; Cai, Qing; Yang, Xiaoping; Li, Yanqiu; Zhang, Xu

2016-11-01

Direct metal laser sintering is a technology that allows the fabrication of titanium (Ti) implants with a functional gradation of porosity and surface roughness according to three-dimensional (3D) computer data. The surface roughness of direct metal laser sintered titanium (DMLS-Ti) implants may provide abundant binding sites for bacteria. Bacterial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation can cause unsatisfactory cell adhesion and implant-related infections. To prevent such infections, a novel phase-transited lysozyme (PTL) was utilized as an initial functional layer to simply and effectively prime DMLS-Ti surfaces for subsequent coating with antibacterial multilayers. The purpose of the present study was to establish a surface with dual biological functionality. The minocycline-loaded polyelectrolyte multilayers of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chitosan (CS) formed via a layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique on PTL-functionalized DMLS-Ti were designed to inhibit pathogenic microbial infections while allowing the DMLS-Ti itself and the modified coatings to retain acceptable biocompatibility. The experimental results indicate that the DMLS-Ti and the hydrogel treated surfaces can inhibit early bacterial adhesion while completely preserving osteoblast functions. This design is expected to gain considerable interest in the medical field and to have good potential for applications in multifunctional DMLS-Ti implants.

Establishing Antibacterial Multilayer Films on the Surface of Direct Metal Laser Sintered Titanium Primed with Phase-Transited Lysozyme.

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, Binbin; Wang, Haorong; Xu, Ruiqing; Zheng, Guoying; Yang, Jie; Liu, Zihao; Cao, Man; Wu, Mingyao; Song, Jinhua; Li, Neng; Li, Ting; Cai, Qing; Yang, Xiaoping; Li, Yanqiu; Zhang, Xu

2016-11-08

Direct metal laser sintering is a technology that allows the fabrication of titanium (Ti) implants with a functional gradation of porosity and surface roughness according to three-dimensional (3D) computer data. The surface roughness of direct metal laser sintered titanium (DMLS-Ti) implants may provide abundant binding sites for bacteria. Bacterial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation can cause unsatisfactory cell adhesion and implant-related infections. To prevent such infections, a novel phase-transited lysozyme (PTL) was utilized as an initial functional layer to simply and effectively prime DMLS-Ti surfaces for subsequent coating with antibacterial multilayers. The purpose of the present study was to establish a surface with dual biological functionality. The minocycline-loaded polyelectrolyte multilayers of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chitosan (CS) formed via a layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technique on PTL-functionalized DMLS-Ti were designed to inhibit pathogenic microbial infections while allowing the DMLS-Ti itself and the modified coatings to retain acceptable biocompatibility. The experimental results indicate that the DMLS-Ti and the hydrogel treated surfaces can inhibit early bacterial adhesion while completely preserving osteoblast functions. This design is expected to gain considerable interest in the medical field and to have good potential for applications in multifunctional DMLS-Ti implants.

A multilayer innovative solution to improve the adhesion of nanocrystalline diamond coatings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poulon-Quintin, A., E-mail: poulon@icmcb-bordeaux.cnrs.fr [CNRS, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F-33600 Pessac (France); Univ. Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F-33600 Pessac (France); Faure, C.; Teulé-Gay, L.; Manaud, J.P. [CNRS, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F-33600 Pessac (France); Univ. Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, F-33600 Pessac (France)

2015-03-15

Highlights: • Improvement of the NCD adhesion on WC-12%Co substrates for tooling applications using a multi-interlayer additional system. • Reduction of the graphite layer thickness and continuity at the interface with the diamond. • Transmission electron microscopy study for a better understanding of the diffusion phenomena occurring at the interfaces. - Abstract: Nano-crystalline diamond (NCD) films grown under negative biased substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) are widely used as surface overlay coating onto cermet WC-Co cutting tools to get better performances. To improve the diamond adhesion to the cermet substrate, suitable multi-layer systems have been added. They are composed of a cobalt diffusion barrier close to the substrate (single and sequenced nitrides layers) coated with a nucleation extra layer to improve the nucleus density of diamond during CVD processing. For all systems, before and after diamond deposition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has been performed for a better understanding of the diffusion phenomena occurring at the interfaces and to evaluate the presence of graphitic species at the interface with the diamond. Innovative multilayer system dedicated to the regulation of cobalt diffusion coated with a bilayer system optimized for the carbon diffusion control, is shown as an efficient solution to significantly reduce the graphite layer formation at the interface with the diamond down to 10 nm thick and to increase the adhesion of NCD diamond layer as scratch-tests confirm.

A thin gold coated hydrogen heat pipe-cryogenic target for external experiments at COSY

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel-Bary, M.; Abdel-Samad, S.; Elawadi, G. A.; Kilian, K.; Ritman, J.

2009-05-01

A gravity assisted Gold coated heat pipe (GCHP) with 5-mm diameter has been developed and tested to cool a liquid hydrogen target for external beam experiments at COSY. The need for a narrow target diameter leads us to study the effect of reducing the heat pipe diameter to 5 mm instead of 7 mm, to study the effect of coating the external surface of the heat pipe by a shiny gold layer (to decrease the radiation heat load), and to study the effect of using the heat pipe without using 20 layers of' super-insulation around it (aluminized Mylar foil) to keep the target diameter as small as possible. The developed gold coated heat pipe was tested with 20 layers of super-insulation (WI) and without super-insulation (WOI). The operating characteristics for both conditions were compared to show the advantages and disadvantages.

Cross-linked polyelectrolyte multilayers for marine antifouling applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhu, X.; Janczewski, D.; Lee, S.S.C.; Teo, S.L-M.; Vancso, Gyula J.

2013-01-01

A polyionic multilayer film was fabricated by layer-by-layer (LbL) sequential deposition followed by cross-linking under mild conditions on a substrate surface to inhibit marine fouling. A novel polyanion, featuring methyl ester groups for an easy cross-linking was used as a generic solution for

Characterizations of multilayer ZnO thin films deposited by sol-gel spin coating technique

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.I. Khan

Full Text Available In this work, zinc oxide (ZnO multilayer thin films are deposited on glass substrate using sol-gel spin coating technique and the effect of these multilayer films on optical, electrical and structural properties are investigated. It is observed that these multilayer films have great impact on the properties of ZnO. X-ray Diffraction (XRD confirms that ZnO has hexagonal wurtzite structure. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM showed the crack-free films which have uniformly distributed grains structures. Both micro and nano particles of ZnO are present on thin films. Four point probe measured the electrical properties showed the decreasing trend between the average resistivity and the number of layers. The optical absorption spectra measured using UV–Vis. showed the average transmittance in the visible region of all films is 80% which is good for solar spectra. The performance of the multilayer as transparent conducting material is better than the single layer of ZnO. This work provides a low cost, environment friendly and well abandoned material for solar cells applications. Keywords: Multilayer films, Semiconductor, ZnO, XRD, SEM, Optoelectronic properties

A hard X-ray telescope/concentrator design based on graded period multilayer coatings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Finn Erland; Joensen, K. D.; Gorenstein, P.

1995-01-01

It is shown that compact designs of multifocus, conical approximations to highly nested Wolter I telescopes, as well as single reflection concentrators, employing realistic graded period W/Si or Ni/C multilayer coatings, allow one to obtain more than 1000 cm2 of on-axis effective area at 40 ke...... that it is smaller than roughly 1 mm. The design can be realized with foils as thin (≤0.4 mm) as used for ASCA and SODART or with closed, slightly thicker (∼1.0 mm) mirror shells as used for JET-X and XMM. The effect of an increase of the inner radius is quantified on the effective area for multilayered mirrors up...

Crack Driving Forces in a Multilayered Coating System for Ceramic Matrix Composite Substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Ghosn, Louis J.; Zhu, Dongming; Miller, Robert A.

2005-01-01

The effects of the top coating thickness, modulus and shrinkage strains on the crack driving forces for a baseline multilayer Yttria-Stabilized-Zirconia/Mullite/Si thermal and environment barrier coating (TEBC) system for SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite substrates are determined for gas turbine applications. The crack driving forces increase with increasing modulus, and a low modulus thermal barrier coating material (below 10 GPa) will have no cracking issues under the thermal gradient condition analyzed. Since top coating sintering increases the crack driving forces with time, highly sintering resistant coatings are desirable to maintain a low tensile modulus and maintain a low crack driving force with time. Finite element results demonstrated that an advanced TEBC system, such as ZrO2/HfO2, which possesses improved sintering resistance and high temperature stability, exhibited excellent durability. A multi-vertical cracked structure with fine columnar spacing is an ideal strain tolerant coating capable of reducing the crack driving forces to an acceptable level even with a high modulus of 50 GPa.

NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO Coatings on Gold Sensors—a QCM Study of Hemocompatibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank K. Gehring

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The reliability of implantable blood sensors is often hampered by unspecific adsorption of plasma proteins and blood cells. This not only leads to a loss of sensor signal over time, but can also result in undesired host vs. graft reactions. Within this study we evaluated the hemocompatibility of isocyanate conjugated star shaped polytheylene oxide—polypropylene oxide co-polymers NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO when applied to gold surfaces as an auspicious coating material for gold sputtered blood contacting sensors. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM sensors were coated with ultrathin NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO films and compared with uncoated gold sensors. Protein resistance was assessed by QCM measurements with fibrinogen solution and platelet poor plasma (PPP, followed by quantification of fibrinogen adsorption. Hemocompatibility was tested by incubation with human platelet rich plasma (PRP. Thrombin antithrombin-III complex (TAT, β-thromboglobulin (β-TG and platelet factor 4 (PF4 were used as coagulation activation markers. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM was used to visualize platelet adhesion to the sensor surfaces. Compared to uncoated gold sensors, NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO coated sensors revealed significant better resistance against protein adsorption, lower TAT generation and a lower amount of adherent platelets. Moreover, coating with ultrathin NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO films creates a cell resistant hemocompatible surface on gold that increases the chance of prolonged sensor functionality and can easily be modified with specific receptor molecules.

Gold film with gold nitride - A conductor but harder than gold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siller, L.; Peltekis, N.; Krishnamurthy, S.; Chao, Y.; Bull, S.J.; Hunt, M.R.C.

2005-01-01

The formation of surface nitrides on gold films is a particularly attractive proposition, addressing the need to produce harder, but still conductive, gold coatings which reduce wear but avoid the pollution associated with conventional additives. Here we report production of large area gold nitride films on silicon substrates, using reactive ion sputtering and plasma etching, without the need for ultrahigh vacuum. Nanoindentation data show that gold nitride films have a hardness ∼50% greater than that of pure gold. These results are important for large-scale applications of gold nitride in coatings and electronics

Restraint deformation and corrosion protection of gold deposited aluminum mirrors for cold optics of mid-infrared instruments

Science.gov (United States)

Uchiyama, Mizuho; Miyata, Takashi; Sako, Shigeyuki; Kamizuka, Takafumi; Nakamura, Tomohiko; Asano, Kentaro; Okada, Kazushi; Onaka, Takashi; Sakon, Itsuki; Kataza, Hirokazu; Sarugaku, Yuki; Kirino, Okiharu; Nakagawa, Hiroyuki; Okada, Norio; Mitsui, Kenji

2014-07-01

We report the restraint deformation and the corrosion protection of gold deposited aluminum mirrors for mid-infrared instruments. To evaluate the deformation of the aluminum mirrors by thermal shrinkage, monitoring measurement of the surface of a mirror has been carried out in the cooling cycles from the room temperature to 100 K. The result showed that the effect of the deformation was reduced to one fourth if the mirror was screwed with spring washers. We have explored an effective way to prevent the mirror from being galvanically corroded. A number of samples have been prepared by changing the coating conditions, such as inserting an insulation layer, making a multi-layer and overcoating water blocking layer, or carrying out precision cleaning before coating. Precision cleaning before the deposition and protecting coat with SiO over the gold layer seemed to be effective in blocking corrosion of the aluminum. The SiO over-coated mirror has survived the cooling test for the mid-infrared use and approximately 1 percent decrease in the reflectance has been detected at 6-25 microns compared to gold deposited mirror without coating.

Improving the contact resistance at low force using gold coated carbon nanotube surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

McBride, J. W.; Yunus, E. M.; Spearing, S. M.

2010-04-01

Investigations to determine the electrical contact performance under repeated cycles at low force conditions for carbon-nanotube (CNT) coated surfaces were performed. The surfaces under investigation consisted of multi-walled CNT synthesized on a silicon substrate and coated with a gold film. These planar surfaces were mounted on the tip of a PZT actuator and contacted with a plated Au hemispherical probe. The dynamic applied force used was 1 mN. The contact resistance (Rc) of these surfaces was investigated with the applied force and with repeated loading cycles performed for stability testing. The surfaces were compared with a reference Au-Au contact under the same experimental conditions. This initial study shows the potential for the application of gold coated CNT surfaces as an interface in low force electrical contact applications.

Tailored adhesion behavior of polyelectrolyte thin films deposited on plasma-treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) for functionalized membranes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bassil, Joelle, E-mail: joelle.bassil@univ-lorraine.fr [Institut Jean Lamour (IJL), UMR CNRS 7198, Université de Lorraine, Parc de Saurupt CS50840, 54011 Nancy (France); Alem, Halima, E-mail: halima.alem@univ-lorraine.fr [Institut Jean Lamour (IJL), UMR CNRS 7198, Université de Lorraine, Parc de Saurupt CS50840, 54011 Nancy (France); Henrion, Gérard, E-mail: gerard.henrion@univ-lorraine.fr [Institut Jean Lamour (IJL), UMR CNRS 7198, Université de Lorraine, Parc de Saurupt CS50840, 54011 Nancy (France); Roizard, Denis, E-mail: denis.roizard@univ-lorraine.fr [Laboratoire Réactions et Génie des Procédés (LRGP), UMR CNRS 7274, ENSIC, Université de Lorraine, 1 rue Grandville, 54011 Nancy (France)

2016-04-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The surface of PDMS membrane was first modified by Ar/O{sub 2} plasma to increase its surface energy. • Subsequently, a homogeneous multilayer of the well-known couple of polyelectrolyte PDADMAC/PSS was deposited on the plasma treated PDMS. • The relation between the parameters of the modification processes and the morphology, wettability, structure and adhesion of the polyelectrolytes layers based PDMS membranes is investigated and enlightened. - Abstract: Completely homogenous films formed via the layer-by-layer assembly of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and the poly(styrene sulfonate) were successfully obtained on plasma-treated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates. To modify the hydrophobicity of the PDMS surface, a cold plasma treatment was previously applied to the membrane, which led to the creation of hydrophilic groups on the surface of the membrane. PDMS wettability and surface morphology were successfully correlated with the plasma parameters. A combination of contact angle measurements, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis was used to demonstrate that homogeneous and hydrophilic surfaces could be achieved on PDMS cold-plasma-treated membranes. The stability of the assembled PEL layer on the PDMS was evaluated using a combination of pull-off testing and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which confirmed the relevance of a plasma pre-treatment as the adhesion of the polyelectrolyte multilayers was greatly enhanced when the deposition was completed on an activated PDMS surface at 80 W for 5 min.

Plasmon-organic fiber interactions in diamond-like carbon coated nanostructured gold films

Science.gov (United States)

Cielecki, Paweł Piotr; Sobolewska, Elżbieta Karolina; Kostiuočenko, Oksana; Leißner, Till; Tamulevičius, Tomas; Tamulevičius, Sigitas; Rubahn, Horst-Günter; Adam, Jost; Fiutowski, Jacek

2017-11-01

Gold is the most commonly used plasmonic material, however soft and prone to mechanical deformations. It has been shown that the durability of gold plasmonic substrates can be improved by applying a protective diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating. In this work, we investigate the influence of such protective layers on plasmonic interactions in organic-plasmonic hybrid systems. We consider systems, consisting of 1-Cyano-quaterphenylene nanofibers on top of gold nano-square plasmonic arrays, coated with protective layers of varying thickness. We numerically investigate the spectral position of surface plasmon polariton resonances and electric field intensity, as a function of protective layer thickness, using the finite-difference time-domain method. To confirm the numerically indicated field enhancement preservation on top of protective layers, we experimentally map the second harmonic response of organic nanofibers. Subsequently, we characterize the plasmonic coupling between organic nanofibers and underlying substrates, considered as one of the main loss channels for photoluminescence from nanofibers, by time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. Our findings reveal that, for the investigated system, plasmonic interactions are preserved for DLC coatings up to 55 nm. This is relevant for the fabrication of new passive and active plasmonic components with increased durability and hence prolonged lifetime.

Multilayer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-dexamethasone and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonate-carbon nanotubes coatings on glassy carbon microelectrode arrays for controlled drug release.

Science.gov (United States)

Castagnola, Elisa; Carli, Stefano; Vomero, Maria; Scarpellini, Alice; Prato, Mirko; Goshi, Noah; Fadiga, Luciano; Kassegne, Sam; Ricci, Davide

2017-07-13

The authors present an electrochemically controlled, drug releasing neural interface composed of a glassy carbon (GC) microelectrode array combined with a multilayer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) coating. The system integrates the high stability of the GC electrode substrate, ideal for electrical stimulation and electrochemical detection of neurotransmitters, with the on-demand drug-releasing capabilities of PEDOT-dexamethasone compound, through a mechanically stable interlayer of PEDOT-polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)-carbon nanotubes (CNT). The authors demonstrate that such interlayer improves both the mechanical and electrochemical properties of the neural interface, when compared with a single PEDOT-dexamethasone coating. Moreover, the multilayer coating is able to withstand 10 × 10 6 biphasic pulses and delamination test with negligible change to the impedance spectra. Cross-section scanning electron microscopy images support that the PEDOT-PSS-CNT interlayer significantly improves the adhesion between the GC substrate and PEDOT-dexamethasone coating, showing no discontinuities between the three well-interconnected layers. Furthermore, the multilayer coating has superior electrochemical properties, in terms of impedance and charge transfer capabilities as compared to a single layer of either PEDOT coating or the GC substrate alone. The authors verified the drug releasing capabilities of the PEDOT-dexamethasone layer when integrated into the multilayer interface through repeated stimulation protocols in vitro, and found a pharmacologically relevant release of dexamethasone.

Residual stress, mechanical and microstructure properties of multilayer Mo{sub 2}N/CrN coating produced by R.F Magnetron discharge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bouaouina, B., E-mail: b.bouaouina@gmail.com [Department of physic, research unite UR-MPE, Boumerdes University 35000 (Algeria); Besnard, A. [Arts et Metiers ParisTech—LaBoMaP, 71250 Cluny (France); Abaidia, S.E. [Department of physic, research unite UR-MPE, Boumerdes University 35000 (Algeria); Haid, F. [CDTA, Plasma discharges Group, Baba hassen, Algers (Algeria)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Depositing of crystallized molybdenum nitride and chromium nitride multilayer at room temperature. • Correlation between stress measurement and the shift of the XRD diffraction peak (1 1 1) of Mo{sub 2}N. • Studied the effect of the bi-layer thickness on the mechanical properties. - Abstract: We have investigated the effect of the period thickness of the multilayer Mo{sub 2}N/CrN deposited on Si substrate produced by reactive magnetron sputtering. Mo{sub 2}N presents a face centered cubic structure and CrN an orthorhombic one. The residual stress of the coatings was determined by the measurement of the substrate curvature. The microstructure of the multilayer was investigated from the X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy (cross section images). The residual stresses resulting from the deposition of the different bi-layer thickness were measured and correlated to the structural properties of the coating as well as the nanoindentation analysis of the coating. The stresses are compressive and tensile for the individual Mo{sub 2}N and CrN layer respectively. The result shows that an increase of the multilayer coatings Mo{sub 2}N/CrN thicknesses induce an increase of the hardness and the elastic modulus, in the other hand the tensile stress increases. The shift of the XRD diffraction peak (1 1 1) of Mo{sub 2}N at high angle which means the reduction of the residual stress is in good agreement with the residual stresses measurements.

Ion distribution in dry polyelectrolyte multilayers: a neutron reflectometry study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghoussoub, Yara E; Zerball, Maximilian; Fares, Hadi M; Ankner, John F; von Klitzing, Regine; Schlenoff, Joseph B

2018-02-28

Ultrathin films of complexed polycation poly(diallyldimethylammonium), PDADMA, and polyanion poly(styrenesulfonate), PSS, were prepared on silicon wafers using the layer-by-layer adsorption technique. When terminated with PDADMA, all films had excess PDADMA, which was balanced by counterions. Neutron reflectivity of these as-made multilayers was compared with measurements on multilayers which had been further processed to ensure 1 : 1 stoichiometry of PDADMA and PSS. The compositions of all films, including polymers and counterions, were determined experimentally rather than by fitting, reducing the number of fit parameters required to model the reflectivity. For each sample, acetate, either protiated, CH 3 COO - , or deuterated, CD 3 COO - , served as the counterion. All films were maintained dry under vacuum. Scattering length density profiles were constrained to fit reflectivity data from samples having either counterion. The best fits were obtained with uniform counterion concentrations, even for stoichiometric samples that had been exposed to PDADMA for ca. 5 minutes, showing that surprisingly fast and complete transport of excess cationic charge occurs throughout the multilayer during its construction.

UV-durable superhydrophobic textiles with UV-shielding properties by coating fibers with ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Chao-Hua; Yin, Wei; Jia, Shun-Tian; Ma, Jian-Zhong

2011-10-01

ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles were fabricated by successive coating of multilayer polyelectrolytes and then a SiO2 shell onto ZnO particles. The as-prepared ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles were coated on poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) textiles, followed by hydrophobization with hexadecyltrimethoxysilane, to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces with UV-shielding properties. Transmission electron microscopy and ζ potential analysis were employed to evidence the fabrication of ZnO/SiO2 core/shell particles. Scanning electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis were conducted to investigate the surface morphologies of the textile and the coating of the fibers. Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry and contact angle measurement indicated that the incorporation of ZnO onto fibers imparted UV-blocking properties to the textile surface, while the coating of SiO2 shell on ZnO prohibited the photocatalytic degradation of hexadecyltrimethoxysilane by ZnO, making the as-treated PET textile surface show stable superhydrophobicity with good UV-shielding properties.

Multi-layered electroless Ni-P coatings on powder-sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Zhong; Ng, Alice; Yi Jianzhang; Chen Xingfu

2006-01-01

This paper has shown a successful protective coating scheme for powder-sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet using multi-layered electroless nickel (EN) deposition. A low-phosphorus nickel layer is plated with an alkaline EN solution first, followed by a high-phosphorus nickel layer plated with an acidic solution. An additional topcoat by medium-phosphorus nickel on the high-phosphorus coating is also explored. It is shown that the high-phosphorus nickel layer coated in acidic solution provides the best corrosion protection because of its dense amorphous structure. The medium phosphorus topcoat is also dense and is able to provide reasonable corrosion resistance. The low-phosphorus layer itself does not have enough corrosion resistance; its main role is to provide an intermediate coating on the powder-sintered magnet. X-ray diffraction measurement shows that the low-phosphorus coating consists of nano-crystallines, and the high- and the medium-phosphorus coatings are dominated by amorphous structure. Microscopic observation and scratch test on these composite coatings demonstrate good adhesion between the magnet and the coatings. Remanence and coercivity of the plated magnet decrease with the applied coatings, but measured values are still very attractive for practical applications among known hard magnets

Nanostructured 3D Constructs Based on Chitosan and Chondroitin Sulphate Multilayers for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Silva, J.M.; Georgi, Nicole; Costa, R.; Sher, P.; Reis, R L; van Blitterswijk, Clemens; Karperien, Hermanus Bernardus Johannes; Mano, J.F.

2013-01-01

Nanostructured three-dimensional constructs combining layer-by-layer technology (LbL) and template leaching were processed and evaluated as possible support structures for cartilage tissue engineering. Multilayered constructs were formed by depositing the polyelectrolytes chitosan (CHT) and

MULTILAYER COATINGS Ti/TiN, Cr/CrN AND W/WN DEPOSITED BY MAGNETRON SPUTTERING FOR IMPROVEMENT OF ADHESION TO BASE MATERIALS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakub Horník

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with evaluation of single and multilayer layer PVD coatings based on Cr and Ti widely used in tool application. Additionally, W and WN based coating which are not so widespread were designed and deposited as functionally graded material. The coatings properties were evaluated from the point of view of hardness and adhesion. The hardness measuring was carried out using nanoindentation method. The scratch test was performed to test adhesion. Moreover, the presence of metallic interlayer in functionally graded materials further increases the coating adhesion by gradually approaching its composition to the substrate. Coatings consisting of W and WN have showed very good adhesion. With regard to the results of the scratch test, the multilayer coatings of CrN, TiN and WN have increased adhesion and can be assumed to have their protective function improved. Results will be appliedin development of functionally graded layers for functionally graded materials.

Adhesive and tribocorrosive behavior of TiAlPtN/TiAlN/TiAl multilayers sputtered coatings over CoCrMo

Science.gov (United States)

Canto, C. E.; Andrade, E.; Rocha, M. F.; Alemón, B.; Flores, M.

2017-09-01

The tribocorrosion resistance and adherence of multilayer coatings of TiAlPtN/TiAlN/TiAl synthesized by PVD reactive magnetron sputtering over a CoCrMo alloy substrate in 10 periods of 30 min each were analyzed and compared to those of the substrate alone and to that of a TiAlPtN single layer coating of the same thickness. The objective of the present work was to create multilayers with different amounts of Pt in order to enhance the tribocorrosion resistance of a biomedical alloy of CoCrMo. Tribocorrosion tests were performed using Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) at typical body temperature with a tribometer in a pin on disk test. The elemental composition and thickness of the coating which behave better at the tribocorrosion tests were evaluated by means of RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy) IBA (Ion Beam Analysis) technique, using an alpha particles beam of 1.8 MeV, before and after the reciprocating motion in the tribocorrosion test. In order to simulate the elemental profile of the samples, the SIMNRA simulation computer code was used. Measurements of the adhesion of the coatings to the substrate were carried on by means of a scratch test using a tribometer. By taking micrographs of the produced tracks, the critical loads at which the coatings are fully separated from the substrate were determined. From these tests it was observed that a coating with 10 min of TiAlPtN in a TiAlPtN/TiAl period of 30 min in multilayers of 10 periods and with an average thickness of 145 nm for the TiAlPtN nanolayers had the best tribocorrosion resistance behavior, compared to that of the CoCrMo alloy. The RBS experiments showed a reduction of the thickness of the films along with some loss of the multilayer structure after the reciprocating motion. The adhesion tests indicated that the multilayer with the average TiAlPtN thickness of 145 nm displayed the highest critical load. These results indicate a high correlation between the adherence and the tribocorrosion behavior.

Recent Progress and Perspectives in the Electrokinetic Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ralf Zimmermann

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The analysis of the charge, structure and molecular interactions of/within polymeric substrates defines an important analytical challenge in materials science. Accordingly, advanced electrokinetic methods and theories have been developed to investigate the charging mechanisms and structure of soft material coatings. In particular, there has been significant progress in the quantitative interpretation of streaming current and surface conductivity data of polymeric films from the application of recent theories developed for the electrohydrodynamics of diffuse soft planar interfaces. Here, we review the theory and experimental strategies to analyze the interrelations of the charge and structure of polyelectrolyte layers supported by planar carriers under electrokinetic conditions. To illustrate the options arising from these developments, we discuss experimental and simulation data for plasma-immobilized poly(acrylic acid films and for a polyelectrolyte bilayer consisting of poly(ethylene imine and poly(acrylic acid. Finally, we briefly outline potential future developments in the field of the electrokinetics of polyelectrolyte layers.

Mechanical properties of multilayer Ni-Fe and Ni-Fe-Al2O3 nanocomposite coating

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Torabinejad, V.; Aliofkhazraei, M.; Rouhaghdam, A. Sabour

2017-01-01

properties and wear resistance of composite coatings were studied. The shear punch testing method was employed to evaluate the room temperature mechanical properties. It was shown that increasing the pulse frequency and decreasing the pulse duty cycle improved the mechanical properties of monolithic coatings......A sulfate-based electrolyte was used for synthesis of multilayer (ML) and monolithic Ni-Fe-Al2O3 coatings. The ML electrodeposits were achieved by consecutive alteration of duty cycle of pulsed current between two values of 20% and 90%. The influences of the ML microstructure on mechanical....... The electrodeposited ML coatings exhibited a pronounced improvement in microhardness, shear strength and wear resistance in comparison to the monolithic coatings. Pin-on-disk sliding wear tests revealed that the main mechanisms of wear are plastic deformation, fatigue crack of deformed layers and delamination....

Facile synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles with organosilicone-coated surface properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia Lijin; Yi Sijia; Lenaghan, Scott C.; Zhang Mingjun, E-mail: mjzhang@utk.edu [University of Tennessee, Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering (United States)

2012-07-15

In this study, a simple method for one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been developed using an organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77, as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using this method is rapid and can be conducted conveniently at ambient temperature. Further refinement of the method, through the addition of sodium hydroxide and/or silver nitrate, allowed fine control over the size of spherical nanoparticles produced. Coated on the surface with organosilicone, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles were biocompatible and stable over the pH range from 5 to 12, and have been proven effective at transportation into MC3T3 osteoblast cells. The proposed method is simple, fast, and can produce size-controlled gold nanoparticles with unique surface properties for biomedical applications.

Facile synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles with organosilicone-coated surface properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Lijin; Yi Sijia; Lenaghan, Scott C.; Zhang Mingjun

2012-01-01

In this study, a simple method for one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been developed using an organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77, as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using this method is rapid and can be conducted conveniently at ambient temperature. Further refinement of the method, through the addition of sodium hydroxide and/or silver nitrate, allowed fine control over the size of spherical nanoparticles produced. Coated on the surface with organosilicone, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles were biocompatible and stable over the pH range from 5 to 12, and have been proven effective at transportation into MC3T3 osteoblast cells. The proposed method is simple, fast, and can produce size-controlled gold nanoparticles with unique surface properties for biomedical applications.

Facile synthesis of biocompatible gold nanoparticles with organosilicone-coated surface properties

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Lijin; Yi, Sijia; Lenaghan, Scott C.; Zhang, Mingjun

2012-07-01

In this study, a simple method for one-step synthesis of gold nanoparticles has been developed using an organosilicone surfactant, Silwet L-77, as both a reducing and capping agent. Synthesis of gold nanoparticles using this method is rapid and can be conducted conveniently at ambient temperature. Further refinement of the method, through the addition of sodium hydroxide and/or silver nitrate, allowed fine control over the size of spherical nanoparticles produced. Coated on the surface with organosilicone, the as-prepared gold nanoparticles were biocompatible and stable over the pH range from 5 to 12, and have been proven effective at transportation into MC3T3 osteoblast cells. The proposed method is simple, fast, and can produce size-controlled gold nanoparticles with unique surface properties for biomedical applications.

Layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte films for contact electric energy harvesting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, X D; Helseth, L E

2015-01-01

We report how self-assembly of polyelectrolyte thin films alters the contact electrification of polyimide polymer films used in contact based triboelectric energy harvesting systems. Polyimide films of the same size do produce a very small current when brought into contact. However, by covering one of the polyimide films with a polyelectrolyte thin film terminated by positively charged poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), the current is reversed and a much larger current and voltage are generated upon contact with the other polyimide film. A similar increase in contact current is not seen for polyelectrolyte thin films terminated by the negatively charged poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate). The PAH-terminated Kapton films are used to create an energy harvesting system providing a voltage of about 60 V and a current of 10 μA. At an average power of 11 μW for a load resistance of 100 MΩ, the energy harvester is able to power several light emitting diodes. Further studies on the contact electrification of the polyelectrolyte demonstrate that nanostructuring of the polymer surface using reactive ion etching does not give rise to polarity reversal. This is explained as hidden pockets of charge not accessible to PAH molecules, but which become accessible when the polymer is put under stress. Although the current originating for a PAH-terminated multilayer film does initially have the opposite sign to that of bare polyimide, it is found that the polarity will switch after subjecting it to a periodical mechanical force. Characteristic changes in current signatures associated with the switch are found, and are interpreted as mechanical interpenetration of the charged layers. (paper)

Structural and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures electrochemically synthesized on AZO/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated polyethersulfone substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Dohyun; Yoo, Chanho; No, Youngsoo; Kim, Suyoun; Kim, Taewhan; Cho, Woonjo; Kim, Jinyoung

2012-01-01

ZnO nanostructures were formed on Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated flexible polyethersulfone (PES) substrates at low temperature by using an electrochemical deposition method. The resistivity of the AZO/Ag/AZO multilayer films decreased with increasing thickness of the Ag film. X-ray diffraction patterns for the ZnO nanostructures showed that the crystal structure of the ZnO was hexagonal wurtzite and that the orientation was along the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the ZnO nanostructures grown at current densities of - 1.0 and - 1.5 mA/cm 2 were ZnO nanorods with diameters of 150 nm and ZnO nanoflowers with a planar dimension, respectively. Photoluminescence spectra showed that the band-edge emission peak of the ZnO nanostructures dominantly appeared in the ultraviolet region. These results showed that ZnO nanorods and nanoflowers with high quality were synthesized on AZO/Ag/AZO-multilayer-film-coated PES substrates.

Simulation of an electrolytic bath for electrodeposition of multilayer shielding coatings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. A. Dolmatova

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In the work galvanic bath of Cu/(Ni+Cu multilayer shielding coatings formation from an acetate electrolyte containing 0,03 mol/L of CuAc2, 0,3 mol/L of NiAc2 and 1,66 mol/L of acetic acid. According to the results of polarization studies values of coatings deposition pulse mode current density have been chosen and current efficiency of copper and nickel during deposition of Cu-Ni alloy has been determined. To ensure a constant formulation of the electrolyte it has been proposed to use insoluble anodes made of stainless steel and continuous circulation of the electrolyte. The scheme of steams enabling the adjustment of the solution formulation with the use of an additional collecting vessel has been developed. The formulation of the correcting stream continuously fed into the collecting vessel has been calculated.

Polyelectrolyte Layer-by-Layer Assembly on Organic Electrochemical Transistors

KAUST Repository

Pappa, Anna-Maria

2017-03-06

Oppositely charged polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) were built up in a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly on top of the conducting polymer channel of an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), aiming to combine the advantages of well-established PEMs with a high performance electronic transducer. The multilayered film is a model system to investigate the impact of biofunctionalization on the operation of OECTs comprising a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) film as the electrically active layer. Understanding the mechanism of ion injection into the channel that is in direct contact with charged polymer films provides useful insights for novel biosensing applications such as nucleic acid sensing. Moreover, LbL is demonstrated to be a versatile electrode modification tool enabling tailored surface features in terms of thickness, softness, roughness, and charge. LbL assemblies built up on top of conducting polymers will aid the design of new bioelectronic platforms for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical diagnostics.

Polyelectrolyte Layer-by-Layer Assembly on Organic Electrochemical Transistors

KAUST Repository

Pappa, Anna-Maria; Inal, Sahika; Roy, Kirsty; Zhang, Yi; Pitsalidis, Charalampos; Hama, Adel; Pas, Jolien; Malliaras, George G.; Owens, Roisin M.

2017-01-01

Oppositely charged polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) were built up in a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly on top of the conducting polymer channel of an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), aiming to combine the advantages of well-established PEMs with a high performance electronic transducer. The multilayered film is a model system to investigate the impact of biofunctionalization on the operation of OECTs comprising a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) film as the electrically active layer. Understanding the mechanism of ion injection into the channel that is in direct contact with charged polymer films provides useful insights for novel biosensing applications such as nucleic acid sensing. Moreover, LbL is demonstrated to be a versatile electrode modification tool enabling tailored surface features in terms of thickness, softness, roughness, and charge. LbL assemblies built up on top of conducting polymers will aid the design of new bioelectronic platforms for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and medical diagnostics.

Enhancement of mechanical and tribological properties in AISI D3 steel substrates by using a non-isostructural CrN/AlN multilayer coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cabrera, G. [Thin Film Group, Universidad del Valle in Cali (Colombia); Caicedo, J.C., E-mail: jcaicedoangulo@gmail.com [Thin Film Group, Universidad del Valle in Cali (Colombia); Amaya, C. [Thin Film Group, Universidad del Valle in Cali (Colombia); Laboratory of Hard Coatings, CDT-ASTIN SENA in Cali (Colombia); Yate, L. [Department de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalunya (Spain); Munoz Saldana, J. [Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Unidad Queretaro (Mexico); Prieto, P. [Thin Film Group, Universidad del Valle in Cali (Colombia); Center of Excellence for Novel Materials - CENM, Calle 13 100-00 320-026, Cali (Colombia)

2011-02-15

Enhancement of mechanical and tribological properties on AISI D3 steel surfaces coated with CrN/AlN multilayer systems deposited in various bilayer periods ({Lambda}) via magnetron sputtering has been studied in this work exhaustively. The coatings were characterized in terms of structural, chemical, morphological, mechanical and tribological properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), electron dispersive spectrograph, atomic force microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, nanoindentation, pin-on-disc and scratch tests. The failure mode mechanisms were observed via optical microscopy. Results from X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the crystal structure of CrN/AlN multilayer coatings has a NaCl-type lattice structure and hexagonal structure (wurtzite-type) for CrN and AlN, respectively, i.e., made was non-isostructural multilayers. An enhancement of both hardness and elastic modulus up to 28 GPa and 280 GPa, respectively, was observed as the bilayer periods ({Lambda}) in the coatings were decreased. The sample with a bilayer period ({Lambda}) of 60 nm and bilayer number n = 50 showed the lowest friction coefficient ({approx}0.18) and the highest critical load (43 N), corresponding to 2.2 and 1.6 times better than those values for the coating deposited with n = 1, respectively. The best behavior was obtained when the bilayer period ({Lambda}) is 60 nm (n = 50), giving the highest hardness 28 GPa and elastic modulus of 280 GPa, the lowest friction coefficient ({approx}0.18) and the highest critical load of 43 N. These results indicate an enhancement of mechanical, tribological and adhesion properties, comparing to the CrN/AlN multilayer systems with 1 bilayer at 28%, 21%, 40%, and 30%, respectively. This enhancement in hardness and toughness for multilayer coatings could be attributed to the different mechanisms for layer formation with nanometric thickness such as the Hall-Petch effect and the number of interfaces that act as obstacles for the

Imatinib-loaded polyelectrolyte microcapsules for sustained targeting of BCR-ABL+ leukemia stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Palamà, Ilaria E; Leporatti, Stefano; de Luca, Emanuela; Di Renzo, Nicola; Maffia, Michele; Gambacorti-Passerini, Carlo; Rinaldi, Ross; Gigli, Giuseppe; Cingolani, Roberto; Coluccia, Addolorata M L

2010-04-01

The lack of sensitivity of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem cells to imatinib mesylate (IM) commonly leads to drug dose escalation or early disease relapses when therapy is stopped. Here, we report that packaging of IM into a biodegradable carrier based on polyelectrolyte microcapsules increases drug retention and antitumor activity in CML stem cells, also improving the ex vivo purging of malignant progenitors from patient autografts. Microparticles/capsules were obtained by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte multilayers on removable calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) templates and loaded with or without IM. A leukemic cell line (KU812) and CD34(+) cells freshly isolated from healthy donors or CML patients were tested. Polyelectrolyte microcapsules (PMCs) with an average diameter of 3 microm, fluorescently labelled multilayers sensitive to the action of intracellular proteases and 95-99% encapsulation efficiency of IM, were prepared. Cell uptake efficiency of such biodegradable carriers was quantified in KU812, leukemic and normal CD34(+) stem cells (range: 70-85%), and empty PMCs did not impact cell viability. IM-loaded PMCs selectively targeted CML cells, by promoting apoptosis at doses that exert only cytostatic effects by IM alone. More importantly, residual CML cells from patient leukapheresis products were reduced or eliminated more efficiently by using IM-loaded PMCs compared with freely soluble IM, with a purging efficiency of several logs. No adverse effects on normal CD34(+) stem-cell survival and their clonogenic potential was noticed in long-term cultures of hematopoietic progenitors in vitro. This pilot study provides the proof-of-principle for the clinical application of biodegradable IM-loaded PMC as feasible, safe and effective ex vivo purging agents to target CML stem cells, in order to improve transplant outcome of resistant/relapsed patients or reduce IM dose escalation.

The effect of polymer charge density and charge distribution on the formation of multilayers

CERN Document Server

Voigt, U; Tauer, K; Hahn, M; Jäger, W; Klitzing, K V

2003-01-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers which are built up by alternating adsorption of polyanions and polycations from aqueous solutions at a solid interface are investigated by reflectometry and ellipsometry. Below a degree of charge of about 70% the adsorption stops after a certain number of dipping cycles and no multilayer formation occurs. This indicates an electrostatically driven adsorption process. Below a charge density of 70% an adsorption can take place if the charged segments are combined as a block of the polymer.

Interaction between two parallel plates covered with a polyelectrolyte brush layer in an electrolyte solution.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohshima, Hiroyuki

An approximate analytic expression is derived for the interaction energy between two parallel plates covered with a polyelectrolyte brush layer in an electrolyte solution. The interaction energy has three components: electrostatic interaction energy between two brush layers before and after their contact, steric interaction energy between two brush layers after their contact, and the van der Waals interaction energy between the cores of the plates. It is shown that these three components are of the same order of magnitude and contribute equally to the total interaction energy between two polyelectrolyte-coated plates in an electrolyte solution. On the basis of Derjaguin's approximation, an approximate expression for the interaction energy between two spherical particles covered with polyelectrolyte brush layers is also derived.

EGF Functionalized Polymer-Coated Gold Nanoparticles Promote EGF Photostability and EGFR Internalization for Photothermal Therapy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catarina Oliveira Silva

Full Text Available The application of functionalized nanocarriers on photothermal therapy for cancer ablation has wide interest. The success of this application depends on the therapeutic efficiency and biocompatibility of the system, but also on the stability and biorecognition of the conjugated protein. This study aims at investigating the hypothesis that EGF functionalized polymer-coated gold nanoparticles promote EGF photostability and EGFR internalization, making these conjugated particles suitable for photothermal therapy. The conjugated gold nanoparticles (100-200 nm showed a plasmon absorption band located within the near-infrared range (650-900 nm, optimal for photothermal therapy applications. The effects of temperature, of polymer-coated gold nanoparticles and of UVB light (295nm on the fluorescence properties of EGF have been investigated with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence properties of EGF, including the formation of Trp and Tyr photoproducts, is modulated by temperature and by the intensity of the excitation light. The presence of polymeric-coated gold nanoparticles reduced or even avoided the formation of Trp and Tyr photoproducts when EGF is exposed to UVB light, protecting this way the structure and function of EGF. Cytotoxicity studies of conjugated nanoparticles carried out in normal-like human keratinocytes showed small, concentration dependent decreases in cell viability (0-25%. Moreover, conjugated nanoparticles could activate and induce the internalization of overexpressed Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in human lung carcinoma cells. In conclusion, the gold nanoparticles conjugated with Epidermal Growth Factor and coated with biopolymers developed in this work, show a potential application for near infrared photothermal therapy, which may efficiently destroy solid tumours, reducing the damage of the healthy tissue.

EGF Functionalized Polymer-Coated Gold Nanoparticles Promote EGF Photostability and EGFR Internalization for Photothermal Therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Catarina Oliveira; Petersen, Steffen B.; Reis, Catarina Pinto; Rijo, Patrícia; Molpeceres, Jesús; Fernandes, Ana Sofia; Gonçalves, Odete; Gomes, Andreia C.; Correia, Isabel; Vorum, Henrik; Neves-Petersen, Maria Teresa

2016-01-01

The application of functionalized nanocarriers on photothermal therapy for cancer ablation has wide interest. The success of this application depends on the therapeutic efficiency and biocompatibility of the system, but also on the stability and biorecognition of the conjugated protein. This study aims at investigating the hypothesis that EGF functionalized polymer-coated gold nanoparticles promote EGF photostability and EGFR internalization, making these conjugated particles suitable for photothermal therapy. The conjugated gold nanoparticles (100–200 nm) showed a plasmon absorption band located within the near-infrared range (650–900 nm), optimal for photothermal therapy applications. The effects of temperature, of polymer-coated gold nanoparticles and of UVB light (295nm) on the fluorescence properties of EGF have been investigated with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The fluorescence properties of EGF, including the formation of Trp and Tyr photoproducts, is modulated by temperature and by the intensity of the excitation light. The presence of polymeric-coated gold nanoparticles reduced or even avoided the formation of Trp and Tyr photoproducts when EGF is exposed to UVB light, protecting this way the structure and function of EGF. Cytotoxicity studies of conjugated nanoparticles carried out in normal-like human keratinocytes showed small, concentration dependent decreases in cell viability (0–25%). Moreover, conjugated nanoparticles could activate and induce the internalization of overexpressed Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in human lung carcinoma cells. In conclusion, the gold nanoparticles conjugated with Epidermal Growth Factor and coated with biopolymers developed in this work, show a potential application for near infrared photothermal therapy, which may efficiently destroy solid tumours, reducing the damage of the healthy tissue. PMID:27788212

Sintering Characteristics of Multilayered Thermal Barrier Coatings Under Thermal Gradient and Isothermal High Temperature Annealing Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Rai, Amarendra K.; Schmitt, Michael P.; Bhattacharya, Rabi; Zhu, Dongming; Wolfe, Douglas E.

2014-01-01

Pyrochlore oxides have most of the relevant attributes for use as next generation thermal barrier coatings such as phase stability, low sintering kinetics and low thermal conductivity. One of the issues with the pyrochlore oxides is their lower toughness and therefore higher erosion rate compared to the current state-of-the-art TBC material, yttria (6 to 8 wt%) stabilized zirconia (YSZ). In this work, sintering characteristics were investigated for novel multilayered coating consisted of alternating layers of pyrochlore oxide viz Gd2Zr2O7 and t' low k (rare earth oxide doped YSZ). Thermal gradient and isothermal high temperature (1316 C) annealing conditions were used to investigate sintering and cracking in these coatings. The results are then compared with that of relevant monolayered coatings and a baseline YSZ coating.

Corrosion behaviour in saline environments of single-layer titanium and aluminium coatings, and of Ti/Al alternated multi-layers elaborated by a multi-beam PVD technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merati, Abdenacer

1994-01-01

This research thesis reports the characterization of anti-corrosion titanium and aluminium coatings deposited on a 35CD4 steel under the form of mono-metallic layers or alternated Ti/Al multi-layers, and obtained by a multibeam PVD technique. The influence of different parameters is studied: single-layer thickness (5, 15 or 30 micro-metres), multi-layer distribution (5 to 6) and substrate (smooth or threaded). Layer nature and microstructure are studied by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), as well as corrosion toughness in aqueous saline environments. Coated threaded samples have been studied after tightening tests. It appears that titanium layers are denser and more uniform than aluminium layers, and that multi-layer coatings provide a better protection than single-layer coatings. The best behaviour is obtained when titanium is in contact with steel, and aluminium is the outer layer in contact with the corroding environment [fr

Construction of conductive multilayer films of biogenic triangular gold nanoparticles and their application in chemical vapour sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Amit; Chaudhari, Minakshi; Sastry, Murali

2006-05-01

Metal nanoparticles are interesting building blocks for realizing films for a number of applications that include bio- and chemical sensing. To date, spherical metal nanoparticles have been used to generate functional electrical coatings. In this paper we demonstrate the synthesis of electrically conductive coatings using biologically prepared gold nanotriangles as the building blocks. The gold nanotriangles are prepared by the reduction of aqueous chloroaurate ions using an extract of the lemongrass plant (Cymbopogon flexuosus) which are thereafter assembled onto a variety of substrates by simple solution casting. The conductivity of the film shows a drastic fall upon mild heat treatment, leading to the formation of electrically conductive thin films of nanoparticles. We have also investigated the possibility of using the gold nanotriangle films in vapour sensing. A large fall in film resistance is observed upon exposure to polar molecules such as methanol, while little change occurs upon exposure to weakly polar molecules such as chloroform.

Scaling Theory of Polyelectrolyte Nanogels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qu Li-Jian

2017-01-01

The present paper develops the scaling theory of polyelectrolyte nanogels in dilute and semidilute solutions. The dependencies of the nanogel dimension on branching topology, charge fraction, subchain length, segment number, solution concentration are obtained. For a single polyelectrolyte nanogel in salt free solution, the nanogel may be swelled by the Coulombic repulsion (the so-called polyelectrolyte regime) or the osmotic counterion pressure (the so-called osmotic regime). Characteristics and boundaries between different regimes of a single polyelectrolyte nanogel are summarized. In dilute solution, the nanogels in polyelectrolyte regime will distribute orderly with the increase of concentration. While the nanogels in osmotic regime will always distribute randomly. Different concentration dependencies of the size of a nanogel in polyelectrolyte regime and in osmotic regime are also explored. (paper)

Ultrahard Multilayer Coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrzan, D.C.; Dugger, M.; Follstaedt, D.M.; Friedman, Lawrence H.; Friedmann, T.A.; Knapp, J.A.; McCarty, K.F.; Medlin, D.L.; Mirkarimi, P.B.; Missert, N.; Newcomer, P.P.; Sullivan, J.P.; Tallant, D.R.

1999-01-01

We have developed a new multilayer a-tC material that is thick stress-free, adherent, low friction, and with hardness and stiffness near that of diamond. The new a-tC material is deposited by J pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) at room temperature, and fully stress-relieved by a short thermal anneal at 600 ampersand deg;C. A thick multilayer is built up by repeated deposition and annealing steps. We measured 88 GPa hardness, 1100 GPa Young's modulus, and 0.1 friction coefficient (under high load). Significantly, these results are all well within the range reported for crystalline diamond. In fact, this material, if considered separate from crystalline diamond, is the 2nd hardest material known to man. Stress-free a-tC also has important advantages over thin film diamond; namely, it is smooth, processed at lower temperature, and can be grown on a much broader range of substrates. This breakthrough will enable a host of applications that we are actively pursuing in MEMs, sensors, LIGA, etc

The (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer films for gene-eluting stent coating: Gene-protecting, anticoagulation, antibacterial properties, and in vivo antirestenosis evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Hao; Ren, Ke-feng; Zhang, He; Wang, Jin-lei; Wang, Bai-liang; Ji, Jian

2015-02-01

Vascular gene-eluting stents (GES) is a promising strategy for treatment of cardiovascular disease. Very recently, we have proved that the (protamine sulfate/plasmid DNA encoding hepatocyte growth factor) (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer can serve as a powerful tool for enhancing competitiveness of endothelial cell over smooth muscle cell, which opens perspectives for the regulation of intercellular competitiveness in the field of interventional therapy. However, before the gene multilayer films could be used in vascular stents for real clinical application, the preservation of gene bioactivity during the industrial sterilization and the hemocompatibility of film should be taken into account. Actually, both are long been ignored issues in the field of gene coating for GES. In this study, we demonstrate that the (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer film exhibits the good gene-protecting abilities, which is confirmed by using the industrial sterilizations (gamma irradiation and ethylene oxide) and a routine storage condition (dry state at 4°C for 30 days). Furthermore, hemocompatible measurements (such as platelet adhesion and whole blood coagulation) and antibacterial assays (bacteria adhesion and growth inhibition) indicate the good anticoagulation and antibacterial properties of the (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer film. The in vivo preliminary data of angiography and histological analysis suggest that the (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer coated stent can reduce the in-stent restenosis. This work reveals that the (PrS/HGF-pDNA) multilayer film could be a promising candidate as coating for GES, which is of great potential in future clinic application. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Characterization of Pulse Reverses Electroforming on Hard Gold Coating.

Science.gov (United States)

Byoun, Young-Min; Noh, Young-Tai; Kim, Young-Geun; Ma, Seung-Hwan; Kim, Gwan-Hoon

2018-03-01

Effect of pulse reverse current (PRC) method on brass coatings electroplated from gold solution was investigated by various plating parameters such as plating duration, the anodic duty cycle, the anodic current density and the cathodic current density. The reversed current results in a significant change in the morphology of electrodeposits, improvement of the overall current efficiency and reduction of deposit porosity. With longer pulses, hemispherical surface features are generated, while larger grains result from shorter pulse widths. The porosity of the plated samples is found to decrease compared with results at the same time-average plating rate obtained from DC or Pulse plating. A major impediment to reducing gold later thickness is the corrosion of the underlying substrate, which is affected by the porosity of the gold layer. Both the morphology and the hydrogen evolution reaction have significant impact on porosity. PRC plating affect hydrogen gold and may oxidize hydrogen produced during the cathodic portion of the waveform. Whether the dissolution of gold and oxidation of hydrogen occur depends on the type of plating bath and the plating conditions adapted. In reversed pulse plating, the amount of excess near-surface cyanide is changed after the cathodic current is applied, and the oxidation of gold under these conditions has not been fully addressed. The effects of the current density, pulse-reverse ratio and brightener concentration of the electroplating process were investigated and optimized for suitable performance.

Fabrication of dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid/chitosan multilayers on titanium alloy by layer-by-layer self-assembly for promoting osteoblast growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xinming, E-mail: xmzhang@tju.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Li, Zhaoyang, E-mail: zyli@tju.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin 300072 (China); Yuan, Xubo [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Cui, Zhenduo; Yang, Xianjin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Tianjin Key Laboratory of Composite and Functional Materials, Tianjin 300072 (China)

2013-11-01

The bare inert surface of titanium (Ti) alloy typically causes early failures in implants. Layer-by-layer self-assembly is one of the simple methods for fabricating bioactive multilayer coatings on titanium implants. In this study, a dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid/chitosan (DHA/CHI) bioactive multilayer was built on the surface of Ti–24Nb–2Zr (TNZ) alloy. Zeta potential oscillated between −2 and 17 mV for DHA- and CHI-ending layers during the assembly process, respectively. The DHA/CHI multilayer considerably decreased the contact angle and dramatically improved the wettability of TNZ alloy. Atomic force microscopy results revealed a rough surface on the original TNZ alloy, while the surface became smoother and more homogeneous after the deposition of approximately 5 bilayers (TNZ/(DHA/CHI){sub 5}). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the TNZ/(DHA/CHI){sub 5} sample was completely covered by polyelectrolytes. Pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on the original TNZ alloy and TNZ/(DHA/CHI){sub 5} to evaluate the effects of DHA/CHI multilayer on osteoblast proliferation in vitro. The proliferation of osteoblasts on TNZ/(DHA/CHI){sub 5} was significantly higher than that on the original TNZ alloy. The results of this study indicate that the proposed technique improves the biocompatibility of TNZ alloy and can serve as a potential modification method in orthopedic applications.

Fabrication of dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid/chitosan multilayers on titanium alloy by layer-by-layer self-assembly for promoting osteoblast growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xinming; Li, Zhaoyang; Yuan, Xubo; Cui, Zhenduo; Yang, Xianjin

2013-01-01

The bare inert surface of titanium (Ti) alloy typically causes early failures in implants. Layer-by-layer self-assembly is one of the simple methods for fabricating bioactive multilayer coatings on titanium implants. In this study, a dopamine-modified hyaluronic acid/chitosan (DHA/CHI) bioactive multilayer was built on the surface of Ti–24Nb–2Zr (TNZ) alloy. Zeta potential oscillated between −2 and 17 mV for DHA- and CHI-ending layers during the assembly process, respectively. The DHA/CHI multilayer considerably decreased the contact angle and dramatically improved the wettability of TNZ alloy. Atomic force microscopy results revealed a rough surface on the original TNZ alloy, while the surface became smoother and more homogeneous after the deposition of approximately 5 bilayers (TNZ/(DHA/CHI) 5 ). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the TNZ/(DHA/CHI) 5 sample was completely covered by polyelectrolytes. Pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on the original TNZ alloy and TNZ/(DHA/CHI) 5 to evaluate the effects of DHA/CHI multilayer on osteoblast proliferation in vitro. The proliferation of osteoblasts on TNZ/(DHA/CHI) 5 was significantly higher than that on the original TNZ alloy. The results of this study indicate that the proposed technique improves the biocompatibility of TNZ alloy and can serve as a potential modification method in orthopedic applications.

Efficiency calibration of the first multilayer-coated holographic ion-etched flight grating for a sounding rocket high-resolution spectrometer.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalski, M P; Barbee, T W; Heidemann, K F; Gursky, H; Rife, J C; Hunter, W R; Fritz, G G; Cruddace, R G

1999-11-01

We have fabricated the four flight gratings for a sounding rocket high-resolution spectrometer using a holographic ion-etching technique. The gratings are spherical (4000-mm radius of curvature), large (160 mm x 90 mm), and have a laminar groove profile of high density (3600 grooves/mm). They have been coated with a high-reflectance multilayer of Mo/Si. Using an atomic force microscope, we examined the surface characteristics of the first grating before and after multilayer coating. The average roughness is approximately 3 A rms after coating. Using synchrotron radiation, we completed an efficiency calibration map over the wavelength range 225-245 A. At an angle of incidence of 5 degrees and a wavelength of 234 A, the average efficiency in the first inside order is 10.4 +/- 0.5%, and the derived groove efficiency is 34.8 +/- 1.6%. These values exceed all previously published results for a high-density grating.

The interplay of plasma treatment and gold coating and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: On the cytocompatibility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novotná, Zdenka, E-mail: zdenka1.novotn@vscht.cz [Department of Solid State Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague (Czech Republic); Rimpelová, Silvie; Juřík, Petr [Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague (Czech Republic); Veselý, Martin [Department of Organic Technology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague (Czech Republic); Kolská, Zdenka [Faculty and Science, J. E. Purkinje University in Usti nad Labem, Usti nad Labem (Czech Republic); Hubáček, Tomáš [Biology Centre CAS CR, SoWa National Research Infrastructure, Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic); Ruml, Tomáš [Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague (Czech Republic); Švorčík, Václav [Department of Solid State Engineering, University of Chemistry and Technology Prague, Prague (Czech Republic)

2017-02-01

We have investigated the application of Ar plasma for creation of nanostructured ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) surface in order to enhance adhesion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (L929). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the interface between plasma-treated and gold-coated PE on adhesion and spreading of cells. The surface properties of pristine samples and its modified counterparts were studied by different experimental techniques (gravimetry, goniometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrokinetic analysis), which were used for characterization of treated and sputtered layers, polarity and surface chemical structure, respectively. Further, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to study the surface morphology and roughness. Biological responses of cells seeded on PE samples were evaluated in terms of cell adhesion, spreading, morphology and proliferation. Detailed cell morphology and intercellular connections were followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As it was expected the thickness of a deposited gold film was an increasing function of the sputtering time. Despite the fact that plasma treatment proceeded in inert plasma, oxidized degradation products were formed on the PE surface which would contribute to increased hydrophilicity (wettability) of the plasma treated polymer. The XPS method showed a decrease in carbon concentration with increasing plasma treatment. Cell adhesion measured on the interface between plasma treated and gold coated PE was inversely proportional to the thickness of a gold layer on a sample. - Highlights: • Gold-coating improved wettability of polyethylene in comparison with plasma-treatment. • Plasma-treatment increased the surface roughness while the subsequent gold-coating decreased the roughness. • Adhesion and growth of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (L929) were studied in vitro. • Low amounts of gold nanoparticles released in the medium promoted cell growth.

The interplay of plasma treatment and gold coating and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene: On the cytocompatibility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novotná, Zdenka; Rimpelová, Silvie; Juřík, Petr; Veselý, Martin; Kolská, Zdenka; Hubáček, Tomáš; Ruml, Tomáš; Švorčík, Václav

2017-01-01

We have investigated the application of Ar plasma for creation of nanostructured ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (PE) surface in order to enhance adhesion of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (L929). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the interface between plasma-treated and gold-coated PE on adhesion and spreading of cells. The surface properties of pristine samples and its modified counterparts were studied by different experimental techniques (gravimetry, goniometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electrokinetic analysis), which were used for characterization of treated and sputtered layers, polarity and surface chemical structure, respectively. Further, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to study the surface morphology and roughness. Biological responses of cells seeded on PE samples were evaluated in terms of cell adhesion, spreading, morphology and proliferation. Detailed cell morphology and intercellular connections were followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As it was expected the thickness of a deposited gold film was an increasing function of the sputtering time. Despite the fact that plasma treatment proceeded in inert plasma, oxidized degradation products were formed on the PE surface which would contribute to increased hydrophilicity (wettability) of the plasma treated polymer. The XPS method showed a decrease in carbon concentration with increasing plasma treatment. Cell adhesion measured on the interface between plasma treated and gold coated PE was inversely proportional to the thickness of a gold layer on a sample. - Highlights: • Gold-coating improved wettability of polyethylene in comparison with plasma-treatment. • Plasma-treatment increased the surface roughness while the subsequent gold-coating decreased the roughness. • Adhesion and growth of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (L929) were studied in vitro. • Low amounts of gold nanoparticles released in the medium promoted cell growth.

Biological response of HeLa cells to gold nanoparticles coated with organic molecules.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso Avila, P E; Rangel Mendoza, A; Pichardo Molina, J L; Flores Villavicencio, L L; Castruita Dominguez, J P; Chilakapati, M K; Sabanero Lopez, M

2017-08-01

In this work, gold nanospheres functionalized with low weight organic molecules (4-aminothiphenol and cysteamine) were synthesized in a one-step method for their in vitro cytotoxic evaluation on HeLa cells. To enhance the biocompatibility of the cysteamine-capped GNPs, BSA was used due to its broad PH stability and high binding affinity to gold nanoparticles. Besides, the widely reported silica coated gold nanorods were tested here to contrast their toxic response against our nanoparticles coated with organic molecules. Our results shown, the viability measured at 1.9×10 -5 M did not show significant differences against negative controls for all the samples; however, the metabolic activity of HeLa cells dropped when they were exposed to silica gold nanorods in the range of concentrations from 2.9×10 -7 M to 3.0×10 -4 M, while in the cases of gold nanospheres, we found that only at concentrations below 1.9×10 -5 M metabolic activity was normal. Our preliminary results did not indicate any perceivable harmful toxicity to cell membrane, cytoskeleton or nucleus due to our nanospheres at 1.9×10 -5 M. Additional test should be conducted in order to ensure a safe use of them for biological applications, and to determine the extent of possible damage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Roughness Influence On Macro- And Micro-Tribology Of Multi-Layered Hard Coatings On Carbon Fibre Polymer Composite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lackner J.M.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Goal of this work is the investigation of roughness influences on the abrasive wear behaviour of magnetron sputtered multi-layered, low-friction coatings on carbon-fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP. Higher coating roughness at similar CFRP quality was realized by higher deposition rates, leading to increased heat flux to the substrates during deposition. Thermal expansion of the epoxy matrix on the micro scale results in a wavy, wrinkled surface topography. Both in scratch and reciprocal sliding testing against alumina, the friction coefficients are lower for the smooth coatings, but their wear rate is higher due to low-cycle fatigue caused abrasion.

[Effect of sintering gold paste coating on the bonding strength of pure titanium and three low-fusing porcelains].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ya-li; Luo, Xiao-ping; Zhou, Li

2012-05-01

To study the effect of sintering gold paste coating of pure titanium on the adhesion of three porcelains following the protocol ISO 9693, and to investigate the titanium-porcelains interfaces. Sixty machined pure titanium samples were prepared in a rectangular shape according to ISO 9693 and divided equally into six groups. Half of the strips were coated with gold paste (Deckgold) and sintered. Three ultra-low-fusing dental porcelains (I: Initial Ti, S: Super porcelain Ti-22, T: TitanKeramik) were fused onto the titanium surfaces. A thin layer of bonding agent was only applied on the surfaces of uncoated gold specimens. The interface of the porcelain and titanium was observed with a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) after metallographic preparation and sputtered with a very thin carbon layer of the embedded titanium-porcelain interface. After three-point bending test was performed, optical stereomicroscope was used to characterize the titanium-porcelains adhesion and determine the mode of failure. FE-SEM illustrated intermetallic compounds of Au-Ti formed with some visible microcracks in the gold layer and the interface of gold layer and ceramic. All the uncoated gold titanium-porcelain system showed predominately adhesive fracture at the titanium oxidation, whereas the failure modes in all gold coated systems were cohesive and adhesive, mainly cohesive. The three-point-bending test showed that the bonding strength of GS and GI groups [(37.08 ± 4.32) and (36.20 ± 2.40) MPa] were higher than those in uncoated groups [(31.56 ± 3.74) and (30.88 ± 2.60) MPa, P 0.05). The gold paste intermediate coatings can improve bond strengths of Super porcelain Ti-22 system and Initial Ti system, which have potential applications in clinical fields.

Scattering by a conducting elliptic cylinder with a multilayer dielectric coating

Science.gov (United States)

Caorsi, Salvatore; Pastorino, Matteo; Raffetto, Mirco

1997-11-01

A solution to the electromagnetic scattering of a transverse magnetic plane wave due to a perfectly conducting elliptic cylinder coated by a lossless, nonmagnetic, and elliptic multilayer dielectric is proposed. Despite the lack of orthogonality of the eigenfunctions of the field inside different layers, an efficient recursive procedure for the computation of the solution is devised. It is based on series expansions of the fields in terms of Mathieu functions and on a Galerkin approach. An outline of the procedure is given, and some numerical results, concerning both the field quantities and the radar cross section per unit length, are provided.

Tuning smart microgel swelling and responsive behavior through strong and weak polyelectrolyte pair assembly.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Eunice; Lloyd, Margaret M; Chopko, Caroline; Aguiar-Ricardo, Ana; Hammond, Paula T

2012-07-03

The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolyte pairs on temperature and pH-sensitive cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-co-(methacrylic acid), poly(NIPAAm-co-MAA), microgels enabled a fine-tuning of the gel swelling and responsive behavior according to the mobility of the assembled polyelectrolyte (PE) pair and the composition of the outermost layer. Microbeads with well-defined morphology were initially prepared by synthesis in supercritical carbon dioxide. Upon LbL assembly of polyelectrolytes, interactions between the multilayers and the soft porous microgel led to differences in swelling and thermoresponsive behavior. For the weak PE pairs, namely poly(L-lysine)/poly(L-glutamic acid) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride)/poly(acrylic acid), polycation-terminated microgels were less swollen and more thermoresponsive than native microgel, whereas polyanion-terminated microgels were more swollen and not significantly responsive to temperature, in a quasi-reversible process with consecutive PE assembly. For the strong PE pair, poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride)/poly(sodium styrene sulfonate), the differences among polycation and polyanion-terminated microgels are not sustained after the first PE bilayer due to extensive ionic cross-linking between the polyelectrolytes. The tendencies across the explored systems became less noteworthy in solutions with larger ionic strength due to overall charge shielding of the polyelectrolytes and microgel. ATR FT-IR studies correlated the swelling and responsive behavior after LbL assembly on the microgels with the extent of H-bonding and alternating charge distribution within the gel. Thus, the proposed LbL strategy may be a simple and flexible way to engineer smart microgels in terms of size, surface chemistry, overall charge and permeability.

An update on coating/manufacturing techniques of microneedles.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarbox, Tamara N; Watts, Alan B; Cui, Zhengrong; Williams, Robert O

2017-12-29

Recently, results have been published for the first successful phase I human clinical trial investigating the use of dissolving polymeric microneedles… Even so, further clinical development represents an important hurdle that remains in the translation of microneedle technology to approved products. Specifically, the potential for accumulation of polymer within the skin upon repeated application of dissolving and coated microneedles, combined with a lack of safety data in humans, predicates a need for further clinical investigation. Polymers are an important consideration for microneedle technology-from both manufacturing and drug delivery perspectives. The use of polymers enables a tunable delivery strategy, but the scalability of conventional manufacturing techniques could arguably benefit from further optimization. Micromolding has been suggested in the literature as a commercially viable means to mass production of both dissolving and swellable microneedles. However, the reliance on master molds, which are commonly manufactured using resource intensive microelectronics industry-derived processes, imparts notable material and design limitations. Further, the inherently multi-step filling and handling processes associated with micromolding are typically batch processes, which can be challenging to scale up. Similarly, conventional microneedle coating processes often follow step-wise batch processing. Recent developments in microneedle coating and manufacturing techniques are highlighted, including micromilling, atomized spraying, inkjet printing, drawing lithography, droplet-born air blowing, electro-drawing, continuous liquid interface production, 3D printing, and polyelectrolyte multilayer coating. This review provides an analysis of papers reporting on potentially scalable production techniques for the coating and manufacturing of microneedles.

Low-emissivity coating of amorphous diamond-like carbon/Ag-alloy multilayer on glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiba, Kiyoshi; Takahashi, Toshiyuki; Kageyama, Takashi; Oda, Hironori

2005-01-01

Transparent low-emissivity (low-e) coatings comprising dielectrics of amorphous diamond-like carbon (DLC) and Ag-alloy films are investigated. All films have been prepared by dc magnetron sputtering. An index of refraction of the DLC film deposited in a gas mixture of Ar/H 2 (4%) shows n = 1.80 + 0.047i at 500 nm wavelength. A multilayer stack of DLC (70 nm thick)/Ag 87.5 Cu 12.5 -alloy (10 nm)/DLC (140 nm)/Ag 87.5 Cu 12.5 -alloy (10 nm)/DLC (70 nm) has revealed clear interference spectra with spectra selectivity. This coating performs low emittance less than 0.1 for black body radiation at 297 K, exhibiting a transparent heat mirror property embedded in DLC films

A comparison of iron oxide-rich joint coatings and rock chips as geochemical sampling media in exploration for disseminated gold deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Crone, W.; Larson, L.T.; Carpenter, R.H.; Chao, T.T.; Sanzolone, R.F.

1984-01-01

We evaluated the effectiveness of iron oxide-rich fracture coatings as a geochemical sampling medium for disseminated gold deposits, as compared with conventional lithogeochemical methods, for samples from the Pinson mine and Preble prospect in southeastern Humboldt County, Nevada. That disseminated gold mineralization is associated with Hg, As, and Sb is clearly demonstrated in these deposits for both fracture coatings and rock chip samples. However, the relationship is more pronounced for fracture coatings. Fracture coatings at Pinson contain an average of 3.61, 5.13, 14.37, and 3.42 times more Au, As, Sb and Hg, respectively, than adjacent rock samples. At Preble, fracture coatings contain 3.13, 9.72, 9.18, and 1.85 times more Au, As, Sb and Hg, respectively, than do adjacent rock samples. Geochemical anomalies determined from fracture coatings are thus typically more intense than those determined from rock samples for these elements. The sizes of anomalies indicated by fracture coatings are also somewhat larger, but this is less obvious. In both areas, Sb anomalies are more extensive in fracture coatings. At Preble, some Hg and Au anomalies are also more extensive in fracture coatings. In addition to halos formed by the Hg, As and Sb, high values for Au/Ag and Zn/(Fe + Mn) are closely associated with gold mineralization at the Pinson mine. The large enhancement in geochemical response afforded by fracture coatings indicates a definite potential in the search for buried disseminated gold deposits. ?? 1984.

Multilayer Antireflection Coating for Triple Junction Solar Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhan Feng; Wang Hai-Li; He Ji-Fang; Wang Juan; Huang She-Song; Ni Hi-Qiao; Niu Zhi-Chuan

2011-01-01

According to the theory of optical films, we simulate the reflectivity of antireflection coatings (ARCs) for solar cells of Ga 0.5 In 0.5 P/GaAs/Ge based on an optical transfer matrix. In order to provide sufficient consideration of the refractive index dispersion effect of multilayer ARCs, we use multi-dimensional matrix data for reliable simulation. After the reflection curves are obtained, the effective average reflectance R e is introduced to optimize the film system by minimizing R e . Optimization of single layer (Al 2 O 3 ), double layer (MgF 2 /ZnS) and triple layer (MgF 2 /Al 2 O 3 /ZnS) ARCs is realized by using this method for space and terrestrial applications. Effects of these ARCs are compared after optimization. These theoretical parameters can be used to guide experiments. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Gold nanoparticles: BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) coating and X-ray irradiation produce variable-spectrum photoluminescence

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Kuo-Hao [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Lai, Sheng-Feng [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Department of Engineering Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Lin, Yan-Cheng; Chou, Wu-Ching [Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Ong, Edwin B.L. [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Tan, Hui-Ru [Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, 3 Research Link, 117602 (Singapore); Tok, Eng Soon [Physics Department, National University of Singapore, 117542 (Singapore); Yang, C.S. [Center for Nanomedicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli 350, Taiwan (China); Margaritondo, G. [Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne (Switzerland); Hwu, Y., E-mail: phhwu@sinica.edu.tw [Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Advanced Optoelectronic Technology Center, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan (China); Institute of Optoelectronic Sciences, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202, Taiwan (China)

2015-01-15

We show that by using different x-ray irradiation times of BSA-coated Au nanoparticles (NPs) we can change their ultraviolet-stimulated photoluminescence and shift the spectral weight over the visible spectral range. This is due to the interplay of two emission bands, one due to BSA and the other related to gold. The emission properties did not change with time over a period of several months. - Highlights: • Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) coated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) are synthesized by x-ray irradiation. • BSA coated AuNPs with ∼1 nm size show strong photoluminescence in red by UV excitation. • The blue photoluminescence of BSA increase with x-ray irradiation. • Increase x-ray irradiation time during the synthesis shift the color of the colloid from red to blue.

Gold nanoparticles: BSA (Bovine Serum Albumin) coating and X-ray irradiation produce variable-spectrum photoluminescence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Kuo-Hao; Lai, Sheng-Feng; Lin, Yan-Cheng; Chou, Wu-Ching; Ong, Edwin B.L.; Tan, Hui-Ru; Tok, Eng Soon; Yang, C.S.; Margaritondo, G.; Hwu, Y.

2015-01-01

We show that by using different x-ray irradiation times of BSA-coated Au nanoparticles (NPs) we can change their ultraviolet-stimulated photoluminescence and shift the spectral weight over the visible spectral range. This is due to the interplay of two emission bands, one due to BSA and the other related to gold. The emission properties did not change with time over a period of several months. - Highlights: • Gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) coated with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) are synthesized by x-ray irradiation. • BSA coated AuNPs with ∼1 nm size show strong photoluminescence in red by UV excitation. • The blue photoluminescence of BSA increase with x-ray irradiation. • Increase x-ray irradiation time during the synthesis shift the color of the colloid from red to blue

Behaviour of human mesenchymal stem cells on a polyelectrolyte-modified HEMA hydrogel for silk-based ligament tissue engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Bosetti, M; Boccafoschi, F; Calarco, A; Leigheb, M; Gatti, S; Piffanelli, V; Peluso, G; Cannas, M

2008-01-01

The aim of this study was to design a functional bio-engineered material to be used as scaffold for autologous mesenchymal stem cells in ligament tissue engineering. Polyelectrolyte modified HEMA hydrogel (HEMA-co-METAC), applied as coating on silk fibroin fibres, has been formulated in order to take advantage of the biocompatibility of the polyelectrolyte by increasing its mechanical properties with silk fibres. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells behaviour on such reinforced polyelectrolyte has been studied by evaluating cell morphology, cell number, attachment, spreading and proliferation together with collagen matrix production and its mRNA expression. Silk fibroin fibres matrices with HEMA-co-METAC coating exhibited acceptable mechanical behaviour compared to the natural ligament, good human mesenchymal stem cell adhesion and with mRNA expression studies higher levels of collagen types I and III expression when compared to control cells on polystyrene. These data indicate high expression of mRNA for proteins responsible for the functional characteristics of the ligaments and suggest a potential for use of this biomaterial in ligament tissue-engineering applications.

Multi-layer coatings for bipolar rechargeable batteries with enhanced terminal voltage

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Joseph C.; Kaschmitter, James; Pierce, Steve

2017-06-06

A method for producing a multi-layer bipolar coated cell according to one embodiment includes applying a first active cathode material above a substrate to form a first cathode; applying a first solid-phase ionically-conductive electrolyte material above the first cathode to form a first electrode separation layer; applying a first active anode material above the first electrode separation layer to form a first anode; applying an electrically conductive barrier layer above the first anode; applying a second active cathode material above the anode material to form a second cathode; applying a second solid-phase ionically-conductive electrolyte material above the second cathode to form a second electrode separation layer; applying a second active anode material above the second electrode separation layer to form a second anode; and applying a metal material above the second anode to form a metal coating section. In another embodiment, the anode is formed prior to the cathode. Cells are also disclosed.

Scaling Theory of Polyelectrolyte Nanogels

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Li-Jian

2017-08-01

The present paper develops the scaling theory of polyelectrolyte nanogels in dilute and semidilute solutions. The dependencies of the nanogel dimension on branching topology, charge fraction, subchain length, segment number, solution concentration are obtained. For a single polyelectrolyte nanogel in salt free solution, the nanogel may be swelled by the Coulombic repulsion (the so-called polyelectrolyte regime) or the osmotic counterion pressure (the so-called osmotic regime). Characteristics and boundaries between different regimes of a single polyelectrolyte nanogel are summarized. In dilute solution, the nanogels in polyelectrolyte regime will distribute orderly with the increase of concentration. While the nanogels in osmotic regime will always distribute randomly. Different concentration dependencies of the size of a nanogel in polyelectrolyte regime and in osmotic regime are also explored. Supported by China Earthquake Administration under Grant No. 20150112 and National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 21504014

Encapsulation of Phase Change Materials Using Layer-by-Layer Assembled Polyelectrolytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qiangying Yi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Phase change materials absorb the thermal energy when changing their phases (e.g., solid-to-liquid at constant temperatures to achieve the latent heat storage. The major drawbacks such as limited thermal conductivity and leakage prevent the PCMs from wide application in desired areas. In this work, an environmentally friendly and low cost approach, layer-by-layer (LbL assembly technique, was applied to build up ultrathin shells to encapsulate the PCMs and therefore to regulate their changes in volume when the phase change occurs. Generally, the oppositely charged strong polyelectrolytes Poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC and Poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid sodium salt (PSS were employed to fabricate multilayer shells on emulsified octadecane droplets using either bovine serum albumin (BSA or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS as surfactant. Specifically, using BSA as the surfactant, polyelectrolyte encapsulated octadecane spheres in size of ∼500 nm were obtained, with good shell integrity, high octadecane content (91.3% by mass, and good thermal stability after cycles of thermal treatments.

High-Reflectivity Multi-Layer Coatings for the CLASP Sounding Rocket Project

Science.gov (United States)

Narukage, Noriyuki; Kano, Ryohei; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Ryoko; Kubo, Masahito; Katsukawa, Yukio; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Kobiki, Toshihiko; Giono, Gabriel; Auchere, Frederic;

Influence of PEG coating on the oral bioavailability of gold nanoparticles in rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Alalaiwe, Ahmed; Roberts, Georgia; Carpinone, Paul; Munson, John; Roberts, Stephen

2017-11-01

Metallic nanoparticles can be produced in a variety of shapes, sizes, and surface chemistries, making them promising potential tools for drug delivery. Most studies to date have evaluated uptake of metallic nanoparticles from the GI tract with methods that are at best semi-quantitative. This study used the classical method of comparing blood concentration area under the curve (AUC) following intravenous and oral doses to determine the oral bioavailability of 1, 2 and 5 kDa PEG-coated 5 nm gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Male rats were given a single intravenous dose (0.8 mg/kg) or oral (gavage) dose (8 mg/kg) of a PEG-coated AuNP, and the concentration of gold was measured in blood over time and in tissues (liver, spleen and kidney) at sacrifice. Blood concentrations following oral administration were inversely related to PEG size, and the AUC in blood was significantly greater for the 1 kDa PEG-coated AuNPs than particles coated with 2 or 5 kDa PEG. However, bioavailabilities of all of the particles were very low (bioavailability of AuNPs coated with PEG in the 1-5 kDa range, this study demonstrates the utility of applying the blood AUC approach to assess the quantitative oral bioavailability of metallic nanoparticles.

Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers

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Zhikang Deng

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A theoretical model for calculating the Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers with a coating is proposed, and validated by a three-dimensional (3D finite element (FE model using ANSYS parametric design language (APDL and atomic force microscopy (AFM characterization. Compared with typical theoretical models (Rayleigh-Ritz model, Euler-Bernoulli (E-B beam model and spring mass model, the proposed theoretical model can obtain Young’s modulus of multi-layer microcantilevers more precisely. Also, the influences of coating’s geometric dimensions on Young’s modulus and resonant frequency of microcantilevers are discussed. The thickness of coating has a great influence on Young’s modulus and resonant frequency of multi-layer microcantilevers, and the coating should be considered to calculate Young’s modulus more precisely, especially when fairly thicker coating is employed.

Simulation of reflectivity spectrum for non-absorbing multilayer ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Reflectivity simulation is an essential tool for the design and optimization of optical thin ... with the experimental results of the multilayer optical thin films grown by electron-beam evaporation ... beam splitters [4] and various optical filters. ... thickness (QWOT) layer AR coating and multilayer HR coating using electron- beam ...

Polyelectrolytes thermodynamics and rheology

CERN Document Server

P M, Visakh; Picó, Guillermo Alfredo

2014-01-01

This book discusses current development of theoretical models and experimental findings on the thermodynamics of polyelectrolytes. Particular emphasis is placed on the rheological description of polyelectrolyte solutions and hydrogels.

Material properties of novel polymeric films

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Gene

This dissertation will study the material properties of two types of novel polymer films (polyelectrolyte multilayer films and photolithographic polymer films). The formation of polylelectrolyte multilayer films onto functionalized aluminum oxide surfaces and functionalized poly(ethylene terephthaltate) (PET) were studied. Functionalization of the aluminum oxide surfaces was achieved via silane coupling. Functionalization of PET surfaces was achieved via hydrolysis and amidation. Surface characterization techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic contact angle measurements were used to monitor the polyelectrolyte multilayer formation. Mechanical properties of the aluminum oxide supported polyelectrolyte multilayer films were tested using a simplified peel test. XPS was used to analyze the surfaces before and after peel. Single lap shear joint specimens were constructed to test the adhesive shear strength of the PET-supported polyelectrolyte multilayer film samples with the aid of a cyanoacrylate adhesive. The adhesive shear strength and its relation with the type of functionalization, number of polyelectrolyte layers, and the effect of polyelectrolyte conformation using added salt were explored. Also, characterization on the single lap joints after adhesive failure was carried out to determine the locus of failure within the multilayers by using XPS and SEM. Two types of photolithographic polymers were formulated and tested. These two polymers (photocrosslinkable polyacrylate (PUA), and a photocrosslinkable polyimide (HRP)) were used to investigate factors that would affect the structural integrity of these particular polymers under environmental variables such as processing (time, UV cure, pressure, and temperature) and ink exposure. Thermomechanical characterization was carried out to see the behavior of these two polymers under these environmental variables. Microscopic techniques were employed to study the morphological behavior of

Using silicon-coated gold nanoparticles to enhance the fluorescence of CdTe quantum dot and improve the sensing ability of mercury (II)

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Jian; Chang, Hui; Li, Jian-Jun; Li, Xin; Zhao, Jun-Wu

2018-01-01

The effect of silicon-coated gold nanoparticles with different gold core diameter and silica shell thickness on the fluorescence emission of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) was investigated. For gold nanoparticles with a diameter of 15 nm, silica coating can only results in fluorescence recover of the bare gold nanoparticle-induced quenching of QDs. However, when the size of gold nanoparticle is increased to 60 nm, fluorescence enhancement of the QDs could be obtained by silica coating. Because of the isolation of the silica shell-reduced quenching effect and local electric field effect, the fluorescence of QDs gets intense firstly and then decreases. The maximum fluorescence enhancement takes place as the silica shell has a thickness of 30 nm. This enhanced fluorescence from silicon-coated gold nanoparticles is demonstrated for sensing of Hg2 +. Under optimal conditions, the enhanced fluorescence intensity decreases linearly with the concentration of Hg2 + ranging from 0 to 200 ng/mL. The limit of detection for Hg2 + is 1.25 ng/mL. Interference test and real samples detection indicate that the influence from other metal ions could be neglected, and the Hg2 + could be specifically detected.

Efficient light extraction from GaN LEDs using gold-coated ZnO nanoparticles

KAUST Repository

Alhadidi, A.

2015-11-01

We experimentally demonstrate the effect of depositing gold-coated ZnO nanoparticles on the surface of GaN multi-quantum well LED structures. We show that this method can significantly increase the amount of extracted light.

A tetraethylene glycol coat gives gold nanoparticles long in vivo half-lives with minimal increase in size

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Willett JDS

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Julian DS Willett, Marlon G Lawrence, Jennifer C Wilder, Oliver Smithies† Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA †Dr Oliver Smithies passed away on January 10, 2017 Abstract: In this study, we describe the experiments determining whether coating gold nanoparticles with tetraethylene glycol (TEG provides pharmacologically relevant advantages, such as increased serum half-life and resistance to protein adsorption. Monodisperse TEG-coated, NaBH4-reduced gold nanoparticles with a hydrodynamic size comparable to albumin were synthesized by reducing gold chloride with NaBH4 under alkaline conditions in the presence of TEG-SH. The particles were characterized by gel electrophoresis, column chromatography, and transmission electron microscopy. The nanoparticles were subsequently injected intravenously into mice, and their half-lives and final destinations were determined via photometric analysis, light microscopy (LM, and transmission electron microscopy. The TEG particles had a long half-life (~400 minutes that was not influenced by splenectomy. After 500 minutes of injection, TEG particles were found in kidney proximal tubule cell vesicles and in spleen red and white pulp. The particles induced apoptosis in the spleen red pulp but not in white pulp or the kidney. Some of the TEG particles appeared to have undergone ligand exchange reactions that increased their charge. The TEG particles were shown to be resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, as judged by gel electrophoresis and column chromatography. These results demonstrate that naturally monodisperse, small-sized gold nanoparticles coated with TEG have long in vivo plasma half-lives, are minimally toxic, and are resistant to protein adsorption. This suggests that a TEG coating should be considered as an alternative to a polyethylene glycol coating, which is polydisperse and of much larger size. Keywords

Solution Coating of Pharmaceutical Nanothin Films and Multilayer Nanocomposites with Controlled Morphology and Polymorphism.

Science.gov (United States)

Horstman, Elizabeth M; Kafle, Prapti; Zhang, Fengjiao; Zhang, Yifu; Kenis, Paul J A; Diao, Ying

2018-03-28

Nanosizing is rapidly emerging as an alternative approach to enhance solubility and thus the bioavailability of poorly aqueous soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Although numerous techniques have been developed to perform nanosizing of API crystals, precise control and modulation of their size in an energy and material efficient manner remains challenging. In this study, we present meniscus-guided solution coating as a new technique to produce pharmaceutical thin films of nanoscale thickness with controlled morphology. We demonstrate control of aspirin film thickness over more than 2 orders of magnitude, from 30 nm to 1.5 μm. By varying simple process parameters such as the coating speed and the solution concentration, the aspirin film morphology can also be modulated by accessing different coating regimes, namely the evaporation regime and the Landau-Levich regime. Using ellipticine-a poorly water-soluble anticancer drug-as another model compound, we discovered a new polymorph kinetically trapped during solution coating. Furthermore, the polymorphic outcome can be controlled by varying coating conditions. We further performed layer-by-layer coating of multilayer nanocomposites, with alternating thin films of ellipticine and a biocompatible polymer, which demonstrate the potential of additive manufacturing of multidrug-personalized dosage forms using this approach.

Electrochemical behavior of hydroxyapatite/TiN multi-layer coatings on Ti alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Eun-Ju [Department of Dental Materials, Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, Chosun University (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Yong-Hoon [Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Division of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); Choe, Han-Cheol, E-mail: hcchoe@chosun.ac.kr [Department of Dental Materials, Research Center of Nano-Interface Activation for Biomaterials, School of Dentistry, Chosun University (Korea, Republic of); Brantley, William A. [Division of Restorative Science and Prosthodontics, College of Dentistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

2014-12-01

The electrochemical behavior of hydroxyapatite (HA) and titanium nitride (TiN) multi-layer coatings on Ti–Nb–Zr alloys was investigated by a variety of surface analytical methods. The HA/TiN layers were deposited using a magnetron sputtering system. The HA target was made of human tooth-ash sintered at 1300 °C for 1 h and had an average Ca/P ratio of 1.9. From X-ray diffraction patterns, the Ti–29Nb–5Zr alloy was composed entirely of equiaxed β-phase exhibiting the principal (110) reflection, and the coating exhibited the (111) and (200) reflections for TiN and the (112) and (202) reflections for HA. At the coating surface the HA films consisted of granular particles, and the surface roughness was 4.22 nm. The thickness of the coating layers increased in the order of HA/TiN (lowest), TiN, and HA (highest). Potentiodynamic polarization measurements revealed that the corrosion current density was the lowest, and the corrosion potential and polarization resistance the highest, when the Ti–29Nb–5Zr surface was covered by the HA/TiN film, compared to solely HA or TiN films. - Highlights: • HA/TiN films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on a Ti–29Nb–5Zr biomedical alloy. • The corrosion current density for the HA/TiN films was lower than that of the non-coated alloy. • The polarization resistance of the HA/TiN films was higher than that of the non-coated alloy.

Electrochemical behavior of hydroxyapatite/TiN multi-layer coatings on Ti alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Eun-Ju; Jeong, Yong-Hoon; Choe, Han-Cheol; Brantley, William A.

2014-01-01

The electrochemical behavior of hydroxyapatite (HA) and titanium nitride (TiN) multi-layer coatings on Ti–Nb–Zr alloys was investigated by a variety of surface analytical methods. The HA/TiN layers were deposited using a magnetron sputtering system. The HA target was made of human tooth-ash sintered at 1300 °C for 1 h and had an average Ca/P ratio of 1.9. From X-ray diffraction patterns, the Ti–29Nb–5Zr alloy was composed entirely of equiaxed β-phase exhibiting the principal (110) reflection, and the coating exhibited the (111) and (200) reflections for TiN and the (112) and (202) reflections for HA. At the coating surface the HA films consisted of granular particles, and the surface roughness was 4.22 nm. The thickness of the coating layers increased in the order of HA/TiN (lowest), TiN, and HA (highest). Potentiodynamic polarization measurements revealed that the corrosion current density was the lowest, and the corrosion potential and polarization resistance the highest, when the Ti–29Nb–5Zr surface was covered by the HA/TiN film, compared to solely HA or TiN films. - Highlights: • HA/TiN films were deposited by magnetron sputtering on a Ti–29Nb–5Zr biomedical alloy. • The corrosion current density for the HA/TiN films was lower than that of the non-coated alloy. • The polarization resistance of the HA/TiN films was higher than that of the non-coated alloy

Optimization of Ni-Based WC/Co/Cr Composite Coatings Produced by Multilayer Laser Cladding

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Andrea Angelastro

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As a surface coating technique, laser cladding (LC has been developed for improving wear, corrosion, and fatigue properties of mechanical components. The main advantage of this process is the capability of introducing hard particles such as SiC, TiC, and WC as reinforcements in the metallic matrix such as Ni-based alloy, Co-based alloy, and Fe-based alloy to form ceramic-metal composite coatings, which have very high hardness and good wear resistance. In this paper, Ni-based alloy (Colmonoy 227-F and Tungsten Carbides/Cobalt/Chromium (WC/Co/Cr composite coatings were fabricated by the multilayer laser cladding technique (MLC. An optimization procedure was implemented to obtain the combination of process parameters that minimizes the porosity and produces good adhesion to a stainless steel substrate. The optimization procedure was worked out with a mathematical model that was supported by an experimental analysis, which studied the shape of the clad track generated by melting coaxially fed powders with a laser. Microstructural and microhardness analysis completed the set of test performed on the coatings.

Linear and Star Poly(ionic liquid) Assemblies: Surface Monolayers and Multilayers.

Science.gov (United States)

Erwin, Andrew J; Xu, Weinan; He, Hongkun; Matyjaszewski, Krzysztof; Tsukruk, Vladimir V

2017-04-04

The surface morphology and organization of poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs), poly[1-(4-vinylbenzyl)-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide] are explored in conjunction with their molecular architecture, adsorption conditions, and postassembly treatments. The formation of stable PIL Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers at the air-water and air-solid interfaces is demonstrated. The hydrophobic bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Tf 2 N - ) is shown to be a critical agent governing the assembly morphology, as observed in the reversible condensation of LB monolayers into dense nanodroplets. The PIL is then incorporated as an unconventional polyelectrolyte component in the layer-by-layer (LbL) films of hydrophobic character. We demonstrate that the interplay of capillary forces, macromolecular mobility, and structural relaxation of the polymer chains influence the dewetting mechanisms in the PIL multilayers, thereby enabling access to a diverse set of highly textured, porous, and interconnected network morphologies for PIL LbL films that would otherwise be absent in conventional LbL films. Their compartmentalized internal structure is relevant to molecular separation membranes, ultrathin hydrophobic coatings, targeted cargo delivery, and highly conductive films.

The effect of ion irradiation and elevated temperature on the microstructure and the properties of C/W/C/B multilayer coating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vlcak, Petr, E-mail: petr.vlcak@fs.cvut.cz

2016-03-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • C/W/C/B multilayer PVD coating was treated by 45 keV nitrogen ion irradiation. • The effect of ion irradiation and elevated temperature on microstructure was analyzed. • Formation of new compounds and degradation of carbon fraction were observed. • The causes of the observed changes in surface properties were discussed. - Abstract: C/W/C/B multi-layer PVD coating with a layer period of 10 nm and 500 nm in thickness was irradiated with 45 keV N ions at fluence of 1 × 10{sup 17} cm{sup −2}. Ion irradiation was performed at room temperature or at an elevated temperature of 500 °C. The microstructure was investigated by X-ray diffraction, by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and by Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that implanted N ions bond both with W atoms and with C atoms. N ion irradiation induced the formation of WC and WC{sub 1−x} phases. The energetic ions transformed the C bonds in defect sp{sup 2} and defect sp{sup 3} hybridizations, resulting in graphitization of the carbon fraction in the multilayer coating. Ion irradiation reduced the cohesive strength of the monolayers, reduced hardness of the C/W/C/B coating, increased its surface roughness and increased its friction coefficient. An elevated temperature during ion irradiation caused a better arrangement of the WC phase and further graphitization of the carbon fraction, in comparison with a coating treated by ion irradiation at room temperature. There is discussion of the causes of the observed changes in surface properties.

Adsorption of charged macromolecules at a gold electrode

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleijn, J.M.; Barten, D.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.

2004-01-01

Using an optical reflectometer with impinging-jet system, the adsorption from aqueous solution onto gold of three charged macromolecules has been studied: the strong linear-chain polyelectrolyte polyvinyl pyridine (PVP +), the fifth-generation poly(propylene imine) dendrimer DAB-64, which has a

Optimization study of direct morphology observation by cold field emission SEM without gold coating.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Dan; Fu, Cheng; Xue, Zhigang

2018-06-01

Gold coating is a general operation that is generally applied on non-conductive or low conductive materials, during which the morphology of the materials can be examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). However, fatal deficiencies in the materials can result in irreversible distortion and damage. The present study directly characterized different low conductive materials such as hydroxyapatite, modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) fiber, and zinc oxide nanopillar by cold field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) without a gold coating. According to the characteristics of the low conductive materials, various test conditions, such as different working signal modes, accelerating voltages, electron beam spots, and working distances, were characterized to determine the best morphological observations of each sample. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peptide-coated gold nanoparticles for modulation of angiogenesis in vivo

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Roma-Rodrigues C

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Catarina Roma-Rodrigues,1 Amelie Heuer-Jungemann,2 Alexandra R Fernandes,1 Antonios G Kanaras,2 Pedro V Baptista1 1UCIBIO, Departamento de Ciências da Vida, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal; 2Institute for Life Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK Abstract: In this work, peptides designed to selectively interact with cellular receptors involved in the regulation of angiogenesis were anchored to oligo-ethylene glycol-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs and used to evaluate the modulation of vascular development using an ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. These nanoparticles alter the balance between naturally secreted pro- and antiangiogenic factors, under various biological conditions, without causing toxicity. Exposure of chorioallantoic membranes to AuNP–peptide activators of angiogenesis accelerated the formation of new arterioles when compared to scrambled peptide-coated nanoparticles. On the other hand, antiangiogenic AuNP–peptide conjugates were able to selectively inhibit angiogenesis in vivo. We demonstrated that AuNP vectorization is crucial for enhancing the effect of active peptides. Our data showed for the first time the effective control of activation or inhibition of blood vessel formation in chick embryo via AuNP-based formulations suitable for the selective modulation of angiogenesis, which is of paramount importance in applications where promotion of vascular growth is desirable (eg, wound healing or ought to be contravened, as in cancer development. Keywords: angiogenesis activators, antiangiogenic, CAM assay, gold nanoparticles, peptide-coated gold nanoparticles, vascular development

Swelling characteristics of acrylic acid polyelectrolyte hydrogel in a dc electric field

Science.gov (United States)

Jabbari, Esmaiel; Tavakoli, Javad; Sarvestani, Alireza S.

2007-10-01

A novel application of environmentally sensitive polyelectrolytes is in the fabrication of BioMEMS devices as sensors and actuators. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) gels are anionic polyelectrolyte networks that exhibit volume expansion in aqueous physiological environments. When an electric field is applied to PAA polyelectrolyte gels, the fixed anionic polyelectrolyte charges and the requirement of electro-neutrality in the network generate an osmotic pressure, above that in the absence of the electric field, to expand the network. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of an externally applied dc electric field on the volume expansion of the PAA polyelectrolyte gel in a simulated physiological solution of phosphate buffer saline (PBS). For swelling studies in the electric field, two platinum-coated plates, as electrodes, were wrapped in a polyethylene sheet to protect the plates from corrosion and placed vertically in a vessel filled with PBS. The plates were placed on a rail such that the distance between the two plates could be adjusted. The PAA gel was synthesized by free radical crosslinking of acrylic acid monomer with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) crosslinker. Our results demonstrate that volume expansion depends on the intensity of the electric field, the PAA network density, network homogeneity, and the position of the gel in the field relative to positive/negative electrodes. Our model predictions for PAA volume expansion, based on the dilute electrolyte concentration in the gel network, is in excellent agreement with the experimental findings in the high-electric-field regime (250-300 Newton/Coulomb).

Multilayer CVD Diamond Coatings in the Machining of an Al6061-15 Vol % Al2O3 Composite

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Mohammadmehdi Shabani

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Ceramic cutting inserts coated with ten-fold alternating micro- and nanocrystalline diamond (MCD/NCD layers grown by hot filament chemical vapor deposition (CVD were tested in the machining of an Al based metallic matrix composite (MMC containing 15 vol % Al2O3 particles. Inserts with total coating thicknesses of approximately 12 µm and 24 µm were produced and used in turning: cutting speed (v of 250 to 1000 m·min−1; depth of cut (DOC from 0.5 to 3 mm and feed (f between 0.1 and 0.4 mm·rev−1. The main cutting force increases linearly with DOC (ca. 294 N per mm and with feed (ca. 640 N per mm·rev−1. The thicker coatings work within the following limits: DOC up to 1.5 mm and maximum speeds of 750 m·min−1 for feeds up to 0.4 mm·rev−1. Flank wear is predominant but crater wear is also observed due to the negative tool normal rake. Layer-by-layer wear of the tool rake, and not total delamination from the substrate, evidenced one of the advantages of using a multilayer design. The MCD/NCD multilayer diamond coated indexable inserts have longer tool life than most CVD diamond systems and behave as well as most polycrystalline diamond (PCD tools.

Broadband anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings on glass substrates for self-cleaning photovoltaic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Xiaoyu; He, Junhui; Liu, Weiyi

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: High performance broadband antireflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates, which can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. - Highlights: • Broadband anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated. • Transmittance increased to 99.0%, significantly higher than that of commercial solar glasses. • The performance of standard solar cells with the AR coating was enhanced as much as 6.6%. - Abstract: High performance broadband antireflective (AR) and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates by assembly of silica nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique, followed by calcination and hydrophobic modification. A porous poly(diallyladimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)/20 nm SiO 2 nanoparticles (S-20) multilayer coating with AR property was prepared first. The maximum transmittance is as high as 99.0%, while that of the glass substrate is only 91.3%. After calcination and hydrophobic modification, the coating became water-repellent while maintaining the good AR property. Such water-repellent AR coatings can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology and thickness of coatings. Transmission spectra and reflection spectra were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer. The surface wettability was studied by a contact angle/interface system

Adsorption of a linear polyelectrolyte on a gold electrode

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barten, D.; Kleijn, J.M.; Cohen Stuart, M.A.

2003-01-01

The adsorption of quaternized poly-2-vinyl pyridine (PVP+), which has a fixed charge per monomer, onto a gold electrode was investigated using reflectometry. The double layer charge and potential of the gold substrate were controlled by means of either the solution pH or by applying an external

Synthesis of dense TiO2 nanoparticle multilayers using spin coating technique

Science.gov (United States)

DeSilva, L. Ajith; Thakurdesai, Madhavi; Bandara, T. M. W. J.; Preston, Joshua; Johnson, Wyatt; Gaquere-Parker, Anne; Survase, Smita

2018-04-01

A stack of nine layers is prepared by sequential spun casting of commercially available colloidal TiO2 nanoparticles of average size of 10-15 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is employed to investigate the surface morphology of the multilayers. SEM micrographs exhibit formation of highly uniform and dense TiO2 nanoparticle layers. The uniformity and density is found to be increasing with layer thickness. Structural characterization is carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. XRD spectra indicate improvement in crystalline quality of all the layers with increasing layer thickness. All the layers are having mainly the anatase phase of TiO2. Optical characterization is carried out by UV-visible spectroscopy. The value of bandgap estimated on the basis of absorption coefficient is found to be 3.26 eV and approximately remains the same for the layers. The electrical characterization suggests that multilayer resistivity increases with increasing layer thickness. The good quality spin coated thin dense TiO2 layers have many applications in optoelectronics.

Chemosensors and biosensors based on polyelectrolyte microcapsules containing fluorescent dyes and enzymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazakova, Lyubov I; Shabarchina, Lyudmila I; Anastasova, Salzitsa; Pavlov, Anton M; Vadgama, Pankaj; Skirtach, Andre G; Sukhorukov, Gleb B

2013-02-01

The concept of enzyme-assisted substrate sensing based on use of fluorescent markers to detect the products of enzymatic reaction has been investigated by fabrication of micron-scale polyelectrolyte capsules containing enzymes and dyes in one entity. Microcapsules approximately 5 μm in size entrap glucose oxidase or lactate oxidase, with peroxidase, together with the corresponding markers Tris(4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) dichloride (Ru(dpp)) complex and dihydrorhodamine 123 (DHR123), which are sensitive to oxygen and hydrogen peroxide, respectively. These capsules are produced by co-precipitation of calcium carbonate particles with the enzyme followed by layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolytes over the surface of the particles and incorporation of the dye in the capsule interior or in the multilayer shell. After dissolution of the calcium carbonate the enzymes and dyes remain in the multilayer capsules. In this study we produced enzyme-containing microcapsules sensitive to glucose and lactate. Calibration curves based on fluorescence intensity of Ru(dpp) and DHR123 were linearly dependent on substrate concentration, enabling reliable sensing in the millimolar range. The main advantages of using these capsules with optical recording is the possibility of building single capsule-based sensors. The response from individual capsules was observed by confocal microscopy as increasing fluorescence intensity of the capsule on addition of lactate at millimolar concentrations. Because internalization of the micron-sized multi-component capsules was feasible, they could be further optimized for in-situ intracellular sensing and metabolite monitoring on the basis of fluorescence reporting.

Multilayer Films and Capsules of Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose and Polyhexamethylenguanidine Hydrochloride

Science.gov (United States)

Guzenko, Nataliia; Gabchak, Oleksandra; Pakhlov, Evgenij

The complexation of polyhexamethylenguanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) was investigated for different conditions. Mixing of equiconcentrated aqueous solutions of the polyelectrolytes was found to result in the formation of an insoluble interpolyelectrolyte complex with an overweight of carboxymethylcellulose. A step-by-step formation of stable, irreversibly adsorbed multilayer film of the polymers was demonstrated using the quartz crystal microbalance method. Unusually thick polymer shells with a large number of loops and tails of the polyanion were formed by the method of layer-by-layer self-assembly of PHMG and CMC on spherical CaCO3 particles. Hollow multilayer capsules stable in neutral media were obtained by dissolution of the inorganic matrix in EDTA solution.

Erythrocyte membrane-coated gold nanocages for targeted photothermal and chemical cancer therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Dao-Ming; Xie, Wei; Xiao, Yu-Sha; Suo, Meng; Zan, Ming-Hui; Liao, Qing-Quan; Hu, Xue-Jia; Chen, Li-Ben; Chen, Bei; Wu, Wen-Tao; Ji, Li-Wei; Huang, Hui-Ming; Guo, Shi-Shang; Zhao, Xing-Zhong; Liu, Quan-Yan; Liu, Wei

2018-02-01

Recently, red blood cell (RBC) membrane-coated nanoparticles have attracted much attention because of their excellent immune escapability; meanwhile, gold nanocages (AuNs) have been extensively used for cancer therapy due to their photothermal effect and drug delivery capability. The combination of the RBC membrane coating and AuNs may provide an effective approach for targeted cancer therapy. However, few reports have shown the utilization of combining these two technologies. Here, we design erythrocyte membrane-coated gold nanocages for targeted photothermal and chemical cancer therapy. First, anti-EpCam antibodies were used to modify the RBC membranes to target 4T1 cancer cells. Second, the antitumor drug paclitaxel (PTX) was encapsulated into AuNs. Then, the AuNs were coated with the modified RBC membranes. These new nanoparticles were termed EpCam-RPAuNs. We characterized the capability of the EpCam-RPAuNs for selective tumor targeting via exposure to near-infrared irradiation. The experimental results demonstrate that EpCam-RPAuNs can effectively generate hyperthermia and precisely deliver the antitumor drug PTX to targeted cells. We also validated the biocompatibility of the EpCam-RAuNs in vitro. By combining the molecularly modified targeting RBC membrane and AuNs, our approach provides a new way to design biomimetic nanoparticles to enhance the surface functionality of nanoparticles. We believe that EpCam-RPAuNs can be potentially applied for cancer diagnoses and therapies.

Recyclability of PET/WPI/PE Multilayer Films by Removal of Whey Protein Isolate-Based Coatings with Enzymatic Detergents

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizia Cinelli

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Multilayer plastic films provide a range of properties, which cannot be obtained from monolayer films but, at present, their recyclability is an open issue and should be improved. Research to date has shown the possibility of using whey protein as a layer material with the property of acting as an excellent barrier against oxygen and moisture, replacing petrochemical non-recyclable materials. The innovative approach of the present research was to achieve the recyclability of the substrate films by separating them, with a simple process compatible with industrial procedures, in order to promote recycling processes leading to obtain high value products that will beneficially impact the packaging and food industries. Hence, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET/polyethylene (PE multi-layer film was prepared based on PET coated with a whey protein layer, and then the previous structure was laminated with PE. Whey proteins, constituting the coating, can be degraded by enzymes so that the coating films can be washed off from the plastic substrate layer. Enzyme types, dosage, time, and temperature optima, which are compatible with procedures adopted in industrial waste recycling, were determined for a highly-efficient process. The washing of samples based on PET/whey and PET/whey/PE were efficient when performed with enzymatic detergent containing protease enzymes, as an alternative to conventional detergents used in recycling facilities. Different types of enzymatic detergents tested presented positive results in removing the protein layer from the PET substrate and from the PET/whey/PE multilayer films at room temperature. These results attested to the possibility of organizing the pre-treatment of the whey-based multilayer film by washing with different available commercial enzymatic detergents in order to separate PET and PE, thus allowing a better recycling of the two different polymers. Mechanical properties of the plastic substrate, such as stress at

Recyclability of PET/WPI/PE Multilayer Films by Removal of Whey Protein Isolate-Based Coatings with Enzymatic Detergents

Science.gov (United States)

Cinelli, Patrizia; Schmid, Markus; Bugnicourt, Elodie; Coltelli, Maria Beatrice; Lazzeri, Andrea

2016-01-01

Multilayer plastic films provide a range of properties, which cannot be obtained from monolayer films but, at present, their recyclability is an open issue and should be improved. Research to date has shown the possibility of using whey protein as a layer material with the property of acting as an excellent barrier against oxygen and moisture, replacing petrochemical non-recyclable materials. The innovative approach of the present research was to achieve the recyclability of the substrate films by separating them, with a simple process compatible with industrial procedures, in order to promote recycling processes leading to obtain high value products that will beneficially impact the packaging and food industries. Hence, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET)/polyethylene (PE) multi-layer film was prepared based on PET coated with a whey protein layer, and then the previous structure was laminated with PE. Whey proteins, constituting the coating, can be degraded by enzymes so that the coating films can be washed off from the plastic substrate layer. Enzyme types, dosage, time, and temperature optima, which are compatible with procedures adopted in industrial waste recycling, were determined for a highly-efficient process. The washing of samples based on PET/whey and PET/whey/PE were efficient when performed with enzymatic detergent containing protease enzymes, as an alternative to conventional detergents used in recycling facilities. Different types of enzymatic detergents tested presented positive results in removing the protein layer from the PET substrate and from the PET/whey/PE multilayer films at room temperature. These results attested to the possibility of organizing the pre-treatment of the whey-based multilayer film by washing with different available commercial enzymatic detergents in order to separate PET and PE, thus allowing a better recycling of the two different polymers. Mechanical properties of the plastic substrate, such as stress at yield, stress and

Wear behaviour of wear-resistant adaptive nano-multilayered Ti-Al-Mo-N coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Sergevnin, V. S.; Blinkov, I. V.; Volkhonskii, A. O.; Belov, D. S.; Kuznetsov, D. V.; Gorshenkov, M. V.; Skryleva, E. A.

2016-12-01

Coating samples in the Ti-Al-Mo-N system were obtained by arc-PVD method at variable bias voltage Ub applied to the substrate, and the partial pressure of nitrogen P(N2) used as a reaction gas. The deposited coatings were characterized by a nanocrystalline structure with an average grain size of 30-40 nm and multilayered architecture with alternating layers of (Ti,Al)N nitride and Mo-containing phases with a thickness comparable to the grain size. Coatings of (Ti,Al)N-Mo-Mo2N and (Ti,Al)N-Mo2N compositions were obtained by changing deposition parameters. The obtained coatings had hardness of 40 GPa and the relative plastic deformation under microindentation up to 60%. (Ti,Al)N-Mo2N coatings demonstrated better physicomechanical characteristics, showing high resistance to crack formation and destruction through the plastic deformation mechanism without brittle fracturing, unlike (Ti,Al)N-Mo-Mo2N. The friction coefficient of the study coatings (against Al2O3 balls under dry condition using a pin-on-disc method) reached the values of 0.35 and 0.5 at 20 °C and 500 °C respectively, without noticeable wear within this temperature range. These tribological properties were achieved by forming MoO3 acting as a solid lubricant. At higher temperatures the deterioration in the tribological properties is due to the high rate of MoO3 sublimation from friction surfaces.

An in vivo study on the effect of coating stability on osteointegration performance of collagen/hyaluronic acid multilayer modified titanium implants.

Science.gov (United States)

Ao, Haiyong; Zong, Jiajia; Nie, Yanjiao; Wan, Yizao; Zheng, Xiebin

2018-03-01

Aseptic loosening of implant is one of the main causes of Ti-based implant failure. In our previous work, a novel stable collagen/hyaluronic acid (Col/HA) multilayer modified titanium coatings (TCs) was developed by layer-by-layer (LBL) covalent immobilization technique, which showed enhanced biological properties compared with TCs that were physically absorbed with Col/HA multilayer in vitro . In this study, a rabbit model with femur condyle defect was employed to compare the osteointegration performance of them. Results indicated that Col/HA multilayer with favourable stability could better facilitate osteogenesis around implants and bone-implant contact. The Col/HA multilayer covalent-immobilized TC may reduce aseptic loosening of implant.

Stress analysis and microstructure of PVD monolayer TiN and multilayer TiN/(Ti,Al)N coatings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carvalho, NJM; Zoestbergen, E; Kooi, BJ; De Hosson, JTM

2003-01-01

Two PVD titanium nitride based coatings; monolayer TiN and multilayer resulting from the stacking of TiN and (Ti,Al)N layers were evaluated with respect to their stress state and microstructure. The TiN was deposited by triode evaporation ion plating, whereas the TiN/(Ti,AI)N was deposited using a

Elemental profiling of laser cladded multilayer coatings by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Lednev, V. N.; Sdvizhenskii, P. A.; Filippov, M. N.; Grishin, M. Ya.; Filichkina, V. A.; Stavertiy, A. Ya.; Tretyakov, R. S.; Bunkin, A. F.; Pershin, S. M.

2017-09-01

Multilayer tungsten carbide wear resistant coatings were analyzed by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. Coaxial laser cladding technique was utilized to produce tungsten carbide coating deposited on low alloy steel substrate with additional inconel 625 interlayer. EDX and LIBS techniques were used for elemental profiling of major components (Ni, W, C, Fe, etc.) in the coating. A good correlation between EDX and LIBS data was observed while LIBS provided additional information on light element distribution (carbon). A non-uniform distribution of tungsten carbide grains along coating depth was detected by both LIBS and EDX. In contrast, horizontal elemental profiling showed a uniform tungsten carbide particles distribution. Depth elemental profiling by layer-by-layer LIBS analysis was demonstrated to be an effective method for studying tungsten carbide grains distribution in wear resistant coating without any sample preparation.

N-halamine biocidal coatings via a layer-by-layer assembly technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Cerkez, Idris; Kocer, Hasan B; Worley, S D; Broughton, R M; Huang, T S

2011-04-05

Two N-halamine copolymer precursors, poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl methacrylate-co-acrylic acid potassium salt) and poly(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl methacrylate-co-trimethyl-2-methacryloxyethylammonium chloride) have been synthesized and successfully coated onto cotton fabric via a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. A multilayer thin film was deposited onto the fiber surfaces by alternative exposure to polyelectrolyte solutions. The coating was rendered biocidal by a dilute household bleach treatment. The biocidal efficacies of tested swatches composed of treated fibers were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. It was determined that chlorinated samples inactivated both S. aureus and E. coli O157:H7 within 15 min of contact time, whereas the unchlorinated control samples did not exhibit significant biocidal activities. Stabilities of the coatings toward washing and ultraviolet light exposure have also been studied. It was found that the stability toward washing was superior, whereas the UVA light stability was moderate compared to previously studied N-halamine moieties. The layer-by-layer assembly technique can be used to attach N-halamine precursor polymers onto cellulose surfaces without using covalently bonding tethering groups which limit the structure designs. In addition, ionic precursors are very soluble in water, thus promising for biocidal coatings without the use of organic solvents.

Highly sensitive and simple liquid chromatography assay with ion-pairing extraction and visible detection for quantification of gold from nanoparticles.

Science.gov (United States)

Pallotta, Arnaud; Philippe, Valentin; Boudier, Ariane; Leroy, Pierre; Clarot, Igor

2018-03-01

A simple isocratic HPLC method using visible detection was developed and validated for the quantification of gold in nanoparticles (AuNP). After a first step of oxidation of nanoparticles, an ion-pair between tetrachloroaurate anion and the cationic dye Rhodamine B was formed and extracted from the aqueous media with the help of an organic solvent. The corresponding Rhodamine B was finally quantified by reversed phase liquid chromatography using a Nucleosil C18 (150mm × 4.6mm, 3µm) column and with a mobile phase containing acetonitrile and 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid aqueous solution (25/75, V/V) at 1.0mLmin -1. and at a wavelength of 555nm. The method was validated using methodology described by the International Conference on Harmonization and was shown to be specific, precise (RSD < 11%), accurate and linear in the range of 0.1 - 30.0µM with a lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) of 0.1µM. This method was in a first time applied to AuNP quality control after their synthesis. In a second time, the absence of gold leakage (either as AuNP or gold salt form) from nanostructured multilayered polyelectrolyte films under shear stress was assessed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mechanical properties of nickel-coated single-walled carbon nanotubes and their embedded gold matrix composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song Haiyang; Zha Xinwei

2010-01-01

The effects of nickel coating on the mechanical behaviors of armchair single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and their embedded gold matrix composites under axial tension are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. The results show that the Young's moduli and tensile strength of SWCNTs obviously decrease after nickel coating. For armchair SWCNTs, the decreased ratio of the Young's moduli of SWCNTs with smaller radius is larger than that of SWCNTs with larger radius. A comparison is made between the response to Young's modulus of a composite with parallel embedded nanotube and the response of a composite with vertically embedded nanotube. The results show that the uncoated SWCNT can enhance the Young's modulus of composite under the condition of parallel embedment, but such improvement disappears under the condition of vertical embedment because the interaction between SWCNT and gold matrix is too weak for effective load transfer. However, the nickel-coated SWCNT can indeed significantly improve the composite behavior.

New multilayer coating using quaternary ammonium chitosan and κ-carrageenan in capillary electrophoresis: application in fast analysis of betaine and methionine.

Science.gov (United States)

Vitali, Luciano; Della Betta, Fabiana; Costa, Ana Carolina O; Vaz, Fernando Antonio Simas; Oliveira, Marcone Augusto Leal; Vistuba, Jacqueline Pereira; Fávere, Valfredo T; Micke, Gustavo A

2014-06-01

The aim of this study was to develop a new multilayer coating with crosslinked quaternary ammonium chitosan (hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan; HACC) and κ-carrageenan for use in capillary electrophoresis. A new semi-permanent multilayer coating was formed using the procedure developed and the method does not require the presence of polymers in the background electrolyte (BGE). The new capillary multilayer coating showed a cathodic electroosmotic flow (EOF) of around 30×10(-9) m(2) V(-1) s(-1) which is pH-independent in the range of pH 2 to 10. The enhanced EOF at low pH obtained contributed significantly to the development of a fast method of separation. The multilayer coating was then applied in the development of a fast separation method to determine betaine and methionine in pharmaceutical formulations by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The BGE used to determine the betaine and methionine concentrations was composed of 10 mmol L(-1) tris(hydroxymethyl) aminomethane, 40 mmol L(-1) phosphoric acid and 10% (v/v) ethanol, at pH 2.1. A fused-silica capillary of 32 cm (50 µm ID×375 µm OD) was used in the experiments and samples and standards were analyzed employing the short-end injection procedure (8.5 cm effective length). The instrumental analysis time of the optimized method was 1.53 min (approx. 39 runs per hour). The validation of the proposed method for the determination of betaine and methionine showed good linearity (R(2)>0.999), adequate limit of detection (LOD <8 mg L(-1)) for the concentration in the samples and inter-day precision values lower than 3.5% (peak area and time migration). The results for the quantification of the amino acids in the samples determined by the CZE-UV method developed were statistically equal to those obtained with the comparative LC-MS/MS method according to the paired t-test with a confidence level of 95%. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Examination of biogenic selenium-containing nanosystems based on polyelectrolyte complexes by atomic force, Kelvin probe force and electron microscopy methods

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sukhanova, T. E., E-mail: tat-sukhanova@mail.ru; Vylegzhanina, M. E.; Valueva, S. V.; Volkov, A. Ya.; Kutin, A. A. [Institute of Macromolecular Compounds RAS, 199004 Bolshoy Pr., 31, St.-Petersburg (Russian Federation); Temiryazeva, M. P.; Temiryazev, A. G. [Kotel’nikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (Fryazino Branch) Russian Academy of Sciences, Fryazino, Moscow region, 141190 (Russian Federation)

2016-06-17

The morphology and electrical properties of biogenic selenium-containing nanosystems based on polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) were examined using AFM, Kelvin Probe Force and electron microscopy methods. It has been found, that prepared nanostructures significantly differed in their morphological types and parameters. In particular, multilayers capsules can be produced via varying synthesis conditions, especially, the selenium–PEC mass ratio ν. At the “special point” (ν = 0.1), filled and hollow nano- and microcapsules are formed in the system. The multilayer character of the capsules walls is visible in the phase images. Kelvin Probe Force images showed the inhomogeneity of potential distribution in capsules and outside them.

In vivo integrity of polymer-coated gold nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Kreyling, Wolfgang G.; Abdelmonem, Abuelmagd M.; Ali, Zulqurnain; Alves, Frauke; Geiser, Marianne; Haberl, Nadine; Hartmann, Raimo; Hirn, Stephanie; de Aberasturi, Dorleta Jimenez; Kantner, Karsten; Khadem-Saba, Gülnaz; Montenegro, Jose-Maria; Rejman, Joanna; Rojo, Teofilo; de Larramendi, Idoia Ruiz; Ufartes, Roser; Wenk, Alexander; Parak, Wolfgang J.

2015-07-01

Inorganic nanoparticles are frequently engineered with an organic surface coating to improve their physicochemical properties, and it is well known that their colloidal properties may change upon internalization by cells. While the stability of such nanoparticles is typically assayed in simple in vitro tests, their stability in a mammalian organism remains unknown. Here, we show that firmly grafted polymer shells around gold nanoparticles may degrade when injected into rats. We synthesized monodisperse radioactively labelled gold nanoparticles (198Au) and engineered an 111In-labelled polymer shell around them. Upon intravenous injection into rats, quantitative biodistribution analyses performed independently for 198Au and 111In showed partial removal of the polymer shell in vivo. While 198Au accumulates mostly in the liver, part of the 111In shows a non-particulate biodistribution similar to intravenous injection of chelated 111In. Further in vitro studies suggest that degradation of the polymer shell is caused by proteolytic enzymes in the liver. Our results show that even nanoparticles with high colloidal stability can change their physicochemical properties in vivo.

Obtention and characterization of TiO2/TiN multilayers coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goncalves, Andre

2010-01-01

Nano science has emerged in recent years as one of the most important areas for future technological developments, especially in the area of electronic devices. Nanotechnology has an interdisciplinary character which includes knowledge from physics, chemistry, engineering, and biology. This technology is being used in the manufacture of microprocessors, pumps for dose of medicine, and coating materials, among others. The MOCVD technique has been used recently to obtain nanocrystalline coatings, and provide films of better quality than those obtained by conventional CVD or physical methods. Furthermore, the MOCVD technique presents itself as a competitive alternative because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to deploy compared to physical deposition methods. In this work multilayer coatings of TiO 2 /TiN were produced. During the experiment, the opening and closing of the valves of gases admission, requires from the operator manual ability to trigger the valve and controlling the deposition time, which creates the possibility of errors, leading directly into the thickness of each layer. Thus, the need of reducing the influence of the operator, and the possibility of using time intervals of less than a minute in the growths, created the opportunity to develop a computer program to manage the whole system. The software was developed using the 'State machine' concept for the process control and Hardware in the loop simulation. (author)

Durable Corrosion Resistance of Copper Due to Multi-Layer Graphene

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abhishek Tiwari

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Ultra-thin graphene coating has been reported to provide considerable resistance against corrosion during short-term exposures, however, there is great variability in the corrosion resistance due to graphene coating in different studies. It may be possible to overcome the problem of hampered corrosion protection ability of graphene that is caused due to defective single layer graphene by applying multilayer graphene. Systematic electrochemical characterization showed that the multilayer graphene coating developed in the study provided significant corrosion resistance in a chloride solution and the corrosion resistance was sustained for long durations (~400 h, which is attributed to the multilayer graphene.

Improving the oxidation resistance and stability of Ag nanoparticles by coating with multilayered reduced graphene oxide

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yahui; Zhang, Huayu; Wu, Bowen; Guo, Zhuo

2017-12-01

A kind of coating nanostructure, Ag nanoparticles coated with multilayered reduced graphene oxide (RGO), is fabricated by employing a three-step reduction method in an orderly manner, which is significantly different from the conventional structures that are simply depositing or doping with Ag nanoparticles on RGO via chemical reduction. The as-prepared nanostructure is investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected-area electronic diffraction (SEAD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results show that the obtained Ag/RGO nanostructure is observed to be a perfect coating structure with well dispersed Ag particles, which is responsible for the remarkable oxidation resistance. The results of XPS spectra indicate the content of metallic Ag is far greater than that of Ag oxides despite of prolonged exposure to the air, which fully demonstrate the excellent stability of thus coating nanostructure.

Gold nano-particles fixed on glass

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worsch, Christian; Wisniewski, Wolfgang; Kracker, Michael; Rüssel, Christian

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We produced wear resistant gold–ruby coatings on amorphous substrates. ► Thin sputtered gold layers were covered by or embedded in silica coatings. ► Annealing above T g of the substrate glass led to the formation of gold nano particles. ► A 1 1 1-texture of the gold particles is observed via XRD and EBSD. ► EBSD-patterns can be acquired from crystals covered by a thin layer of glass. - Abstract: A simple process for producing wear resistant gold nano-particle coatings on transparent substrates is proposed. Soda-lime-silica glasses were sputtered with gold and subsequently coated with SiO 2 using a combustion chemical vapor deposition technique. Some samples were first coated with silica, sputtered with gold and then coated with a second layer of silica. The samples were annealed for 20 min at either 550 or 600 °C. This resulted in the formation of round, well separated gold nano-particles with sizes from 15 to 200 nm. The color of the coated glass was equivalent to that of gold–ruby glasses. Silica/gold/silica coatings annealed at 600 °C for 20 min were strongly adherent and scratch resistant. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were used to describe the crystal orientations of the embedded particles. The gold particles are preferably oriented with their (1 1 1) planes perpendicular to the surface.

Polyelectrolyte Properties in Mono and Multi-Valent Ionic Media: Brushes and Complex Coacervates

Science.gov (United States)

Farina, Robert M.

Materials composed of polyelectrolytes have unique and interesting physical properties resulting primarily from their charged monomer segments. Polyelectrolytes, which exist in many different biological and industrial forms, have also been shown to be highly responsive to external environmental changes. Here, two specific polyelectrolyte systems, brushes and complex coacervates, are discussed in regards to how their properties can be tailored by adjusting the surrounding ionic environment with mono and multi-valent ions. End-tethered polyelectrolyte brushes, which constitute an interesting and substantial portion of polyelectrolyte applications, are well known for their ability to provide excellent lubrication and low friction when coated onto surfaces (e.g. articular cartilage and medical devices), as well as for their ability to stabilize colloidal particles in solution (e.g. paint and cosmetic materials). These properties have been extensively studied with brushes in pure mono-valent ionic media. However, polyelectrolyte brush interactions with multi-valent ions in solution are much less understood, although highly relevant considering mono and multi-valent counterions are present in most applications. Even at very low concentrations of multi-valent ions in solution, dramatic polyelectrolyte brush physical property changes can occur, resulting in collapsed chains which also adhere to one another via multi-valent bridging. Here, the strong polyelectrolyte poly(sodium styrene sulfonate) was studied using the Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) and electrochemistry in order to investigate brush height and intermolecular interactions between two brushes as a function of multi-valent counterion population inside a brush. Complex coacervates are formed when polyanions and polycations are mixed together in proper conditions of an aqueous solution. This mixing results in a phase separation of a polymer-rich, coacervate phase composed of a chain network held together via

Using a cover layer to improve the damage resistance of gold-coated gratings induced by a picosecond pulsed laser

Science.gov (United States)

Xia, Zhilin; Wu, Yihan; Kong, Fanyu; Jin, Yunxia

2018-04-01

The chirped pulse amplification (CPA) technology is the main approach to achieve high-intensity short-pulse laser. Diffraction gratings are good candidates for stretching and compressing laser pulses in CPA. In this paper, a kind of gold-coated grating has been prepared and its laser damage experiment has been performed. The results reflect that the gratings laser damage was dominated by thermal ablation due to gold films or inclusions absorption and involved the deformation or eruption of the gold film. Based on these damage phenomena, a method of using a cover layer to prevent gold films from deforming and erupting has been adopted to improve the gold-coated gratings laser damage threshold. Since the addition of a cover layer changes the gratings diffraction efficiency, the gratings structure has been re-optimized. Furthermore, according to the calculated thermal stress distributions in gratings with optimized structures, the cover layer was demonstrated to be helpful for improving the gratings laser damage resistance if it is thick enough.

Colloidal Gold Nanoclusters Spiked Silica Fillers in Mixed Matrix Coatings: Simultaneous Detection and Inhibition of Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Science.gov (United States)

Alsaiari, Shahad K; Hammami, Mohammed A; Croissant, Jonas G; Omar, Haneen W; Neelakanda, Pradeep; Yapici, Tahir; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor; Khashab, Niveen M

2017-03-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the infections that patients get while receiving medical treatment in a medical facility with bacterial HAIs being the most common. Silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully employed as antibacterial motifs; however, NPs leaching in addition to poor dispersion and overall reproducibility are major hurdles to further product development. In this study, the authors design and fabricate a smart antibacterial mixed-matrix membrane coating comprising colloidal lysozyme-templated gold nanoclusters as nanofillers in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(butylene terephthalate) amphiphilic polymer matrix. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles-lysozyme functionalized gold nanoclusters disperse homogenously within the polymer matrix with no phase separation and zero NPs leaching. This mixed-matrix coating can successfully sense and inhibit bacterial contamination via a controlled release mechanism that is only triggered by bacteria. The system is coated on a common radiographic dental imaging device (photostimulable phosphor plate) that is prone to oral bacteria contamination. Variation and eventually disappearance of the red fluorescence surface under UV light signals bacterial infection. Kanamycin, an antimicrobial agent, is controllably released to instantly inhibit bacterial growth. Interestingly, the quality of the images obtained with these coated surfaces is the same as uncoated surfaces and thus the safe application of such smart coatings can be expanded to include other medical devices without compromising their utility. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Colloidal Gold Nanoclusters Spiked Silica Fillers in Mixed Matrix Coatings: Simultaneous Detection and Inhibition of Healthcare-Associated Infections

KAUST Repository

Alsaiari, Shahad K.

2017-01-25

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the infections that patients get while receiving medical treatment in a medical facility with bacterial HAIs being the most common. Silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully employed as antibacterial motifs; however, NPs leaching in addition to poor dispersion and overall reproducibility are major hurdles to further product development. In this study, the authors design and fabricate a smart antibacterial mixed-matrix membrane coating comprising colloidal lysozyme-templated gold nanoclusters as nanofillers in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(butylene terephthalate) amphiphilic polymer matrix. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles-lysozyme functionalized gold nanoclusters disperse homogenously within the polymer matrix with no phase separation and zero NPs leaching. This mixed-matrix coating can successfully sense and inhibit bacterial contamination via a controlled release mechanism that is only triggered by bacteria. The system is coated on a common radiographic dental imaging device (photostimulable phosphor plate) that is prone to oral bacteria contamination. Variation and eventually disappearance of the red fluorescence surface under UV light signals bacterial infection. Kanamycin, an antimicrobial agent, is controllably released to instantly inhibit bacterial growth. Interestingly, the quality of the images obtained with these coated surfaces is the same as uncoated surfaces and thus the safe application of such smart coatings can be expanded to include other medical devices without compromising their utility.

Colloidal Gold Nanoclusters Spiked Silica Fillers in Mixed Matrix Coatings: Simultaneous Detection and Inhibition of Healthcare-Associated Infections

KAUST Repository

Alsaiari, Shahad K.; Hammami, Mohamed Amen; Croissant, Jonas G.; Omar, Haneen; Neelakanda, Pradeep; Yapici, Tahir; Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor; Khashab, Niveen M.

2017-01-01

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the infections that patients get while receiving medical treatment in a medical facility with bacterial HAIs being the most common. Silver and gold nanoparticles (NPs) have been successfully employed as antibacterial motifs; however, NPs leaching in addition to poor dispersion and overall reproducibility are major hurdles to further product development. In this study, the authors design and fabricate a smart antibacterial mixed-matrix membrane coating comprising colloidal lysozyme-templated gold nanoclusters as nanofillers in poly(ethylene oxide)/poly(butylene terephthalate) amphiphilic polymer matrix. Mesoporous silica nanoparticles-lysozyme functionalized gold nanoclusters disperse homogenously within the polymer matrix with no phase separation and zero NPs leaching. This mixed-matrix coating can successfully sense and inhibit bacterial contamination via a controlled release mechanism that is only triggered by bacteria. The system is coated on a common radiographic dental imaging device (photostimulable phosphor plate) that is prone to oral bacteria contamination. Variation and eventually disappearance of the red fluorescence surface under UV light signals bacterial infection. Kanamycin, an antimicrobial agent, is controllably released to instantly inhibit bacterial growth. Interestingly, the quality of the images obtained with these coated surfaces is the same as uncoated surfaces and thus the safe application of such smart coatings can be expanded to include other medical devices without compromising their utility.

ATHENA optimized coating design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ferreira, Desiree Della Monica; Christensen, Finn Erland; Jakobsen, Anders Clemen

2012-01-01

The optimization of coating design for the ATHENA mission si described and the possibility of increasing the telescope effective area in the range between 0.1 and 10 keV is investigated. An independent computation of the on-axis effective area based on the mirror design of ATHENA is performed...... in order to review the current coating baseline. The performance of several material combinations, considering a simple bi-layer, simple multilayer and linear graded multilayer coatings are tested and simulation of the mirror performance considering both the optimized coating design and the coating...

Study of 'liquid gold' coatings: Thermal decomposition and formation of metallic thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deram, V.; Turrell, S.; Darque-Ceretti, E.; Aucouturier, M.

2006-01-01

Organo-metallic solutions called liquid gold are largely used to obtain thin gilded films which are employed for decorative, technological and functional uses. However, these films often prove to be fragile with respect to use, resulting in loss of brilliance or even eventual film removal. An understanding of the behaviour of the layers requires good knowledge of the materials themselves. The present work was undertaken to better understand the evolution of the structural properties of liquid gold as it undergoes heat-processing. Accordingly, we followed the thermal decomposition processes of liquid gold coatings and the formation of the gilded metal layer using a combination of experimental techniques. First, thermal analyses coupled with mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy gave information concerning the decomposition of the organic medium. It has been found that the process of film formation can be decomposed into three steps, the second of which is an abrupt transition between 300 and 350 deg. C. Details on this transition have been obtained using real-time X-ray Diffraction and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry. Above 350 deg. C, the microstructure of the coating is reorganized to obtain a final layer which contains particles, of the size of a few hundreds nanometers, as shown by Transmission Electron Microscopy

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/caffeic acid electrospun fibrous materials coated with polyelectrolyte complex and their antibacterial activity and in vitro antitumor effect against HeLa cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ignatova, Milena G. [Laboratory of Bioactive Polymers, Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St, Bl. 103A, BG-1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Manolova, Nevena E., E-mail: manolova@polymer.bas.bg [Laboratory of Bioactive Polymers, Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St, Bl. 103A, BG-1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Rashkov, Iliya B. [Laboratory of Bioactive Polymers, Institute of Polymers, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St, Bl. 103A, BG-1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Markova, Nadya D. [Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Bl. 26, BG-1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Toshkova, Reneta A.; Georgieva, Ani K.; Nikolova, Elena B. [Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St, bl. 25, BG-1113 Sofia (Bulgaria)

2016-08-01

The purpose of this work was to investigate the possibility for the preparation of new poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based fibrous materials containing natural phenolic compound caffeic acid (CA) of diverse architectures, as well as to study the impact of the fiber composition on the in vitro CA release profile and on the biological properties of the fibrous materials. The application of the one-pot electrospinning enabled the fabrication of nanofibrous materials from PHB and PEG loaded with the CA. Materials with targeted design were obtained by coating with polyelectrolyte complex of alginate (Alg) and N,N,N-trimethylchitosan (TMCh). Three different processing paths were used to obtain coated mats: (i) with CA incorporated in the PHB/PEG core; (ii) with CA embedded in the Alg layer; and (iii) with CA included in the TMCh layer. The in vitro release of CA was modulated by controlling the composition and the architecture of the nanofibrous mats. The performed microbiological screening and MTT cell viability studies revealed that in contrast to the bare mats, the CA-containing nanofibrous materials were effective in suppressing the growth of the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and displayed good cytotoxicity against human cervical HeLa tumor cells. In addition, the proliferation of murine spleen lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages was increased by the prepared CA-containing nanofibrous materials. The obtained materials are promising for antibacterial wound dressing applications as well as for application in local treatment of cervical tumors. - Highlights: • New caffeic acid-loaded materials from PHB and PEG were prepared by electrospinning. • Different design is achieved by coating and formation of polyelectrolyte complexes. • The control on the architecture of the mats enables modulating caffeic acid release. • The caffeic acid-loaded mats suppress the growth of

Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate)/caffeic acid electrospun fibrous materials coated with polyelectrolyte complex and their antibacterial activity and in vitro antitumor effect against HeLa cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatova, Milena G.; Manolova, Nevena E.; Rashkov, Iliya B.; Markova, Nadya D.; Toshkova, Reneta A.; Georgieva, Ani K.; Nikolova, Elena B.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this work was to investigate the possibility for the preparation of new poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based fibrous materials containing natural phenolic compound caffeic acid (CA) of diverse architectures, as well as to study the impact of the fiber composition on the in vitro CA release profile and on the biological properties of the fibrous materials. The application of the one-pot electrospinning enabled the fabrication of nanofibrous materials from PHB and PEG loaded with the CA. Materials with targeted design were obtained by coating with polyelectrolyte complex of alginate (Alg) and N,N,N-trimethylchitosan (TMCh). Three different processing paths were used to obtain coated mats: (i) with CA incorporated in the PHB/PEG core; (ii) with CA embedded in the Alg layer; and (iii) with CA included in the TMCh layer. The in vitro release of CA was modulated by controlling the composition and the architecture of the nanofibrous mats. The performed microbiological screening and MTT cell viability studies revealed that in contrast to the bare mats, the CA-containing nanofibrous materials were effective in suppressing the growth of the Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and displayed good cytotoxicity against human cervical HeLa tumor cells. In addition, the proliferation of murine spleen lymphocytes and peritoneal macrophages was increased by the prepared CA-containing nanofibrous materials. The obtained materials are promising for antibacterial wound dressing applications as well as for application in local treatment of cervical tumors. - Highlights: • New caffeic acid-loaded materials from PHB and PEG were prepared by electrospinning. • Different design is achieved by coating and formation of polyelectrolyte complexes. • The control on the architecture of the mats enables modulating caffeic acid release. • The caffeic acid-loaded mats suppress the growth of

End-specific strategies of attachment of long double stranded DNA onto gold-coated nanofiber arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peckys, Diana B; De Jonge, Niels; Simpson, Michael L; McKnight, Timothy E

2008-01-01

We report the effective and site-specific binding of long double stranded (ds)DNA to high aspect ratio carbon nanofiber arrays. The carbon nanofibers were first coated with a thin gold layer to provide anchorage for two controllable binding methods. One method was based on the direct binding of thiol end-labeled dsDNA. The second and enhanced method used amine end-labeled dsDNA bound with crosslinkers to a carboxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayer. The bound dsDNA was first visualized with a fluorescent, dsDNA-intercalating dye. The specific binding onto the carbon nanofiber was verified by a high resolution detection method using scanning electron microscopy in combination with the binding of neutravidin-coated fluorescent microspheres to the immobilized and biotinylated dsDNA. Functional activity of thiol end-labeled dsDNA on gold-coated nanofiber arrays was verified with a transcriptional assay, whereby Chinese hamster lung cells (V79) were impaled upon the DNA-modified nanofibers and scored for transgene expression of the tethered template. Thiol end-labeled dsDNA demonstrated significantly higher expression levels than nanofibers prepared with control dsDNA that lacked a gold-binding end-label. Employing these site-specific and robust techniques of immobilization of dsDNA onto nanodevices can be of advantage for the study of DNA/protein interactions and for gene delivery applications.

Microstructure and interfacial evaluation of Co-based alloy coating on copper by pulsed Nd:YAG multilayer laser cladding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan Hua; Wang Aihua; Xu Kaidong; Wang Wenyan; Huang Zaowen

2010-01-01

Laser cladding defect-free coatings on copper is rather difficult. The purpose of this study is to fabricate high quality Co-based alloy coating on copper substrate by laser cladding. Powder preplacement with a thickness of 0.7 mm improves the absorptivity of copper substrate to laser effectively and generates defect-free coating. Microstructures, phase constitutions and wear properties are investigated by means of scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) with X-ray energy dispersive microanalysis (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as dry sliding wear test. Experimental results show that α-Co solution, Cr 23 C 6 , Ni 17 W 3 and Cr 4 Ni 15 W are the main phases in the Co-based coating. The Ni-based solid solutions (α-Co, Ni) and (Ni, Cu) are formed at interface, which generate metallurgical bonding by diffusion between Co-based coating and copper substrate. The average microhardness of the coating is 478HV 0.1 . Wear resistance of copper is significantly improved by laser cladding Co-based alloy multilayer coating.

Multilayer supermirrors: broadband reflection coatings for the 15- to 100-keV range

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Joensen, K. D.; Gorenstein, P.; Christensen, Finn Erland

1994-01-01

reflectivity for X-rays. For hard X-rays (>= 15 keV), the absorption, however, is low enough that it is possible to design supermirrors with 10 - 70% reflectivity in a band approximately equals 3 times the width of the total reflection regime. Supermirrors of W/Si and Ni/C have been successfully fabricated...... and characterized. The measured X-ray reflectivities are well accounted for by the standard dynamical theories of multilayer reflection. Hard X-ray applications that could benefit from X-ray supermirror coatings include focusing and imaging instrumentation for astrophysics, and collimating and focusing device...

Improved wettability and adhesion of polylactic acid/chitosan coating for bio-based multilayer film development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gartner, Hunter [School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (United States); Li, Yana [Mechanical Engineering College, Wuhan Polytechnic University (China); Almenar, Eva, E-mail: ealmenar@msu.edu [School of Packaging, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan (United States)

2015-03-30

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Surface tension between PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film modified by MDI. • Better wettability between PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film by increasing MDI. • Increased breaking strength by increasing MDI due to the increased H-bonding. • Increased number of physical entanglements between PLA/CS coating and PLA film. • Development of a suitable bio-based multilayer film for food packaging applications. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of methyldiphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) concentration (0, 0.2, 1, 2, and 3%) on the wettability and adhesion of blend solutions of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and chitosan (CS) when coated on PLA film for development of a bio-based multi-layer film suitable for food packaging and other applications. Characterization was carried out by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR), contact angle (θ), mechanical adhesion pull-off testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The θ of the PLA/CS blend shifted to a lower value (41–35°) with increasing MDI concentration showing that the surface tension was modified between the PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film and better wettability was achieved. The increase in MDI also resulted in an increased breaking strength (228–303 kPa) due to the increased H-bonding resulting from the more urethane groups formed within the PLA/CS blend as shown by ATR-FTIR. The improved adhesion was also shown by the increased number of physical entanglements observed by SEM. It can be concluded that MDI can be used to improve wettability and adhesion between PLA/CS coating and PLA film.

Improved wettability and adhesion of polylactic acid/chitosan coating for bio-based multilayer film development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gartner, Hunter; Li, Yana; Almenar, Eva

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Surface tension between PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film modified by MDI. • Better wettability between PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film by increasing MDI. • Increased breaking strength by increasing MDI due to the increased H-bonding. • Increased number of physical entanglements between PLA/CS coating and PLA film. • Development of a suitable bio-based multilayer film for food packaging applications. - Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of methyldiphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) concentration (0, 0.2, 1, 2, and 3%) on the wettability and adhesion of blend solutions of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and chitosan (CS) when coated on PLA film for development of a bio-based multi-layer film suitable for food packaging and other applications. Characterization was carried out by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectrometry (ATR-FTIR), contact angle (θ), mechanical adhesion pull-off testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The θ of the PLA/CS blend shifted to a lower value (41–35°) with increasing MDI concentration showing that the surface tension was modified between the PLA/CS blend solution and PLA film and better wettability was achieved. The increase in MDI also resulted in an increased breaking strength (228–303 kPa) due to the increased H-bonding resulting from the more urethane groups formed within the PLA/CS blend as shown by ATR-FTIR. The improved adhesion was also shown by the increased number of physical entanglements observed by SEM. It can be concluded that MDI can be used to improve wettability and adhesion between PLA/CS coating and PLA film

Deposition and characterisation of multilayer hard coatings. Ti/TiNδ/TiCxNy/(TiC) a-C:H/(Ti) a-C:H

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burinprakhon, T.

2001-02-01

Multilayer hard coatings containing Ti, TiNδ, TiC x N y , (TiC m ) a-C:H, (TiC n ) a-C:H, and (Ti) a-C:H were deposited on commercially pure titanium substrates by using an asymmetric bipolar pulsed-dc reactive magnetron sputtering of a titanium target, with Ar, Ar+N 2 , Ar+N 2 +CH 4 , and Ar+CH 4 gas mixtures. The microstructures, elemental compositions and bonding states of the interlayers and the coating surfaces were studied by using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The microstructure development of the multilayer coating was strongly influenced by target poisoning. As a result of the complete poisoning of the titanium target during the deposition of TiNδ and TiC x N y interlayers, the a-C:H interlayers containing graded titanium and nitrogen contents were found to develop successively to the TiC x N y interlayer without the formation of near-stoichiometric TiC. The (TiC m ) a-C:H interlayer consisted of nano-particles of distorted fcc crystal structure embedded in the a-C:H matrix. The (TiC n ) a-C:H and (Ti) a-C:H top layers were found to be a-C:H matrix without nano-particles. In the (Ti) a-C:H top layer there was no measurable amount of Ti observed, regardless of the variation of CH 4 concentration between 37.5 and 60 % flow rate in Ar+-CH4 gas mixture. The top layer (Ti) a-C:H was found to contain approximately 10 atomic % nitrogen, due to N 2 contamination during deposition caused by low conductance of N 2 through the nominally closed valve of the mass flow controller. The change of the CH 4 concentration during deposition of the top layer (Ti) a-C:H, however, showed a strong influence on the hydrogen content. The comparison of the fluorescence background of the Raman spectra revealed that hydrogen-less (Ti) a-C:H was deposited at a CH 4 concentration of less than 50 % flow rate in Ar. The hardness

Chemistry and stability of thiol based polyethylene glycol surface coatings on colloidal gold and their relationship to protein adsorption and clearance in vivo

Science.gov (United States)

Carpinone, Paul

Nanomaterials have presented a wide range of novel biomedical applications, with particular emphasis placed on advances in imaging and treatment delivery. Of the many particulate nanomaterials researched for biomedical applications, gold is one of the most widely used. Colloidal gold has been of great interest due to its chemical inertness and its ability to perform multiple functions, such as drug delivery, localized heating of tissues (hyperthermia), and imaging (as a contrast agent). It is also readily functionalized through the use of thiols, which spontaneously form sulfur to gold bonds with the surface. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is the most widely used coating material for these particles as it provides both steric stability to the suspension and protein resistance. These properties extend the circulation time of the particles in blood, and consequently the efficacy of the treatment. Despite widespread use of PEG coated gold particles, the coating chemistry and stability of these particles are largely unknown. The goal of this work was to identify the mechanisms leading to degradation and stability of thiol based polyethylene glycol coatings on gold particles and to relate this behavior to protein adsorption and clearance in vivo. The results indicate that the protective PEG coating is susceptible to sources of oxidation (including dissolved oxygen) and competing adsorbates, among other factors. The quality of commercially available thiolated PEG reagents was also found to play a key role in the quality and protein resistance of the final PEG coating. Analysis of the stability of these coatings indicated that they rapidly degrade under physiological conditions, leading to the onset of protein adsorption when exposed to plasma or blood. Paralleling the protein adsorption behavior and onset of coating degradation observed in vitro, blood clearance of parenterally administered PEG coated particles in mice began after approximately 2h of circulation time. Taken

Multi-layered silicides coating for vanadium alloys for generation IV reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathieu, S.; Chaia, N.; Vilasi, M.; Le Flem, M.

2012-01-01

The halide-activated pack-cementation technique was employed to fabricate a diffusion coating that is resistant both to isothermal and to cyclic oxidation in air at 650 degrees C on the surface of the V-4Cr-4Ti vanadium alloy that is a potential core component of future nuclear systems. A thermodynamic assessment determined the deposit conditions in terms of master alloy, activator, filler and temperature. The partial pressures of the main gaseous species (SiCl 4 , SiCl 2 and VCl 2 ) in the pack were calculated with the master alloy Si and the mixture VSi 2 + Si. The VSi 2 + Si master alloy was used to limit vanadium loss from the surface. The obtained coating consisted of multi-layered V x Si y silicides with an outer layer of VSi 2 . This silicide developed a protective layer of silica at 650 degrees C in air and was not susceptible to the pest phenomenon, unlike other refractory silicides (MoSi 2 , NbSi 2 ). We suggest that VSi 2 exhibits no risk of rapid degradation in the gas fast reactor (GFR) conditions. (authors)

Performance of Ti-multilayer coated tool during machining of MDN431 alloyed steel

Science.gov (United States)

Badiger, Pradeep V.; Desai, Vijay; Ramesh, M. R.

2018-04-01

Turbine forgings and other components are required to be high resistance to corrosion and oxidation because which they are highly alloyed with Ni and Cr. Midhani manufactures one of such material MDN431. It's a hard-to-machine steel with high hardness and strength. PVD coated insert provide an answer to problem with its state of art technique on the WC tool. Machinability studies is carried out on MDN431 steel using uncoated and Ti-multilayer coated WC tool insert using Taguchi optimisation technique. During the present investigation, speed (398-625rpm), feed (0.093-0.175mm/rev), and depth of cut (0.2-0.4mm) varied according to Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, subsequently cutting forces and surface roughness (Ra) were measured. Optimizations of the obtained results are done using Taguchi technique for cutting forces and surface roughness. Using Taguchi technique linear fit model regression analysis carried out for the combination of each input variable. Experimented results are compared and found the developed model is adequate which supported by proof trials. Speed, feed and depth of cut are linearly dependent on the cutting force and surface roughness for uncoated insert whereas Speed and depth of cut feed is inversely dependent in coated insert for both cutting force and surface roughness. Machined surface for coated and uncoated inserts during machining of MDN431 is studied using optical profilometer.

Multifunctional zirconium nitride/copper multilayer coatings on medical grade 316L SS and titanium substrates for biomedical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, D Dinesh; Kaliaraj, Gobi Saravanan

2018-01-01

Protecting from wear and corrosion of many medical devices in the biomedical field is an existing scientific challenge. Surface modification with multilayer ZrN/Cu coating was deposited on medical grade stainless steel (SS) and titanium substrates to enhance their surface properties. Structural results revealed that the ZrN/Cu coatings are highly crystalline and uniform microstructure on both the substrates. Dry and wet tribological measurements of the coated titanium substrate exhibit enhanced wear resistance and low friction coefficient due to the improved microstructure. Similarly, the corrosion resistance was exceptionally improved on titanium substrates, resulting from the high inertness of coating to the SBF electrolyte solution. Antibacterial activity and epifluorescence results signify the effective killing of pathogens by means of ion release killing as well as contact killing mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compositionally modulated multilayer diamond-like carbon coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Wei; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Jingmao; Kwon, Se-Hun; Wang, Qimin

2017-12-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping were prepared by a reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering with using a gas mixture of Ar and C2H2 as precursor. The composition, microstructure, compressive stress, and mechanical property of the as-deposited DLC coatings were studied systemically by using SEM, XPS, TEM, Raman spectrum, stress-tester, and nanoindentation as a function of the Ar fraction. The results show that the doping concentrations of the Al, Ti and Si atoms increased as the Ar fraction increased. The doped Ti and Si preferred to bond with C while the doped Al mainly existed in oxidation state without bonding with C. As the doping concentrations increased, TiC carbide nanocrystals were formed in the DLC matrix. The microstructure of coatings changed from an amorphous feature dominant AlTiSi-DLC to a carbide nanocomposite AlTiSi-DLC with TiC nanoparticles embedding. In addition, the coatings exhibited the compositionally modulated multilayer consisting of alternate Al-rich layer and Al-poor layer due to the rotation of the substrate holder and the diffusion behavior of the doped Al which tended to separate from C and diffuse towards the DLC matrix surface owing to its weak interactions with C. The periodic Al-rich layer can effectively release the compressive stress of the coatings. On the other hand, the hard TiC nanoparticles were conducive to the hardness of the coatings. Consequently, the DLC coatings with relatively low residual stress and high hardness could be acquired successfully through AlTiSi multi-doping. It is believed that the AlCrSi multi-doping may be a good way for improving the comprehensive properties of the DLC coatings. In addition, we believe that the DLC coatings with Al-rich multilayered structure have a high oxidation resistance, which allows the DLC coatings application in high temperature environment.

Glucose-coated gold nanoparticles transfer across human brain endothelium and enter astrocytes in vitro.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radka Gromnicova

Full Text Available The blood-brain barrier prevents the entry of many therapeutic agents into the brain. Various nanocarriers have been developed to help agents to cross this barrier, but they all have limitations, with regard to tissue-selectivity and their ability to cross the endothelium. This study investigated the potential for 4 nm coated gold nanoparticles to act as selective carriers across human brain endothelium and subsequently to enter astrocytes. The transfer rate of glucose-coated gold nanoparticles across primary human brain endothelium was at least three times faster than across non-brain endothelia. Movement of these nanoparticles occurred across the apical and basal plasma membranes via the cytosol with relatively little vesicular or paracellular migration; antibiotics that interfere with vesicular transport did not block migration. The transfer rate was also dependent on the surface coating of the nanoparticle and incubation temperature. Using a novel 3-dimensional co-culture system, which includes primary human astrocytes and a brain endothelial cell line hCMEC/D3, we demonstrated that the glucose-coated nanoparticles traverse the endothelium, move through the extracellular matrix and localize in astrocytes. The movement of the nanoparticles through the matrix was >10 µm/hour and they appeared in the nuclei of the astrocytes in considerable numbers. These nanoparticles have the correct properties for efficient and selective carriers of therapeutic agents across the blood-brain barrier.

Contact damage and fracture micromechanisms of multilayered TiN/CrN coatings at micro- and nano-length scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roa, J.J.; Jiménez-Piqué, E.; Martínez, R.; Ramírez, G.; Tarragó, J.M.

2014-01-01

In this study, systematic nanomechanical and micromechanical studies have been conducted in three multilayer TiN/CrN systems with different bilayer periods (8, 19 and 25 nm). Additionally, experimental work has been performed on corresponding TiN and CrN single layers, for comparison purposes. The investigation includes the use of different indenter tip geometries as well as contact loading conditions (i.e. indentation/scratch) such to induce different stress field and damage scenarios within the films. The surface and subsurface damage under the different indentation imprints and scratch tracks have been observed by atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam. Multilayer TiN/CrN coated systems are found to exhibit higher adhesion strength (under sliding contact load) and cracking resistance (under spherical indentation) than those coated with reference TiN and CrN monolayers. The main reason behind these findings is the effective development of microstructurally-driven deformation and cracking resistant micromechanisms: rotation of columnar grains (and associated distortion of bilayer period) and crack deflection of interlayer thickness length scale, respectively. - Highlights: • Nanomechanical and micromechanical study in TiN/CrN systems • TiN/CrN coated systems exhibit higher adhesion strength and cracking resistance. • Main deformation and cracking micromechanisms: columnar grain rotation and crack deflection

Contact damage and fracture micromechanisms of multilayered TiN/CrN coatings at micro- and nano-length scales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roa, J.J., E-mail: joan.josep.roa@upc.edu [CIEFMA — Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Eng. Metallúrgica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); CRnE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C. Pasqual i Vila 15, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Jiménez-Piqué, E. [CIEFMA — Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Eng. Metallúrgica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); CRnE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C. Pasqual i Vila 15, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Martínez, R. [Centro de Ingeniería Avanzada de Superfícies, Asociación de la Industria Navarra — AIN, Crta. Pamplona, 1, Edificio AIN, 31191 Cordovilla (Spain); Ramírez, G. [CIEFMA — Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Eng. Metallúrgica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Fundació CTM Centre Tecnològic, Avda. Bases de Manresa 1, 08243 Manresa (Spain); Tarragó, J.M. [CIEFMA — Departament de Ciència dels Materials i Eng. Metallúrgica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Avda. Diagonal 647, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); CRnE, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, C. Pasqual i Vila 15, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); and others

2014-11-28

In this study, systematic nanomechanical and micromechanical studies have been conducted in three multilayer TiN/CrN systems with different bilayer periods (8, 19 and 25 nm). Additionally, experimental work has been performed on corresponding TiN and CrN single layers, for comparison purposes. The investigation includes the use of different indenter tip geometries as well as contact loading conditions (i.e. indentation/scratch) such to induce different stress field and damage scenarios within the films. The surface and subsurface damage under the different indentation imprints and scratch tracks have been observed by atomic force microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy and focused ion beam. Multilayer TiN/CrN coated systems are found to exhibit higher adhesion strength (under sliding contact load) and cracking resistance (under spherical indentation) than those coated with reference TiN and CrN monolayers. The main reason behind these findings is the effective development of microstructurally-driven deformation and cracking resistant micromechanisms: rotation of columnar grains (and associated distortion of bilayer period) and crack deflection of interlayer thickness length scale, respectively. - Highlights: • Nanomechanical and micromechanical study in TiN/CrN systems • TiN/CrN coated systems exhibit higher adhesion strength and cracking resistance. • Main deformation and cracking micromechanisms: columnar grain rotation and crack deflection.

Tantalum-based multilayer coating on cobalt alloys in total hip and knee replacement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Balagna, C., E-mail: cristina.balagna@polito.it [Institute of Materials Engineering and Physics, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24,10129 Torino (Italy); Faga, M.G. [Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologia dei Materiali Ceramici, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Strada delle Cacce 73, 10135 Torino (Italy); Spriano, S. [Institute of Materials Engineering and Physics, Applied Science and Technology Department, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24,10129 Torino (Italy)

2012-05-01

Cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloys are widely used in total hip and knee joint replacement, due to high mechanical properties and resistance to wear and corrosion. They are able to form efficient artificial joints by means of coupling metal-on-polymer or metal-on-metal contacts. However, a high concentration of stress and direct friction between surfaces leads to the formation of polyethylene wear debris and the release of toxic metal ions into the human body, limiting, as a consequence, the lifetime of implants. The aim of this research is a surface modification of CoCrMo alloys in order to improve their biocompatibility and to decrease the release of metal ions and polyethylene debris. Thermal treatment in molten salts was the process employed for the deposition of tantalum-enriched coating. Tantalum and its compounds are considered biocompatible materials with low ion release and high corrosion resistance. Three different CoCrMo alloys were processed as substrates. An adherent coating of about 1 {mu}m of thickness, with a multilayer structure consisting of two tantalum carbides and metallic tantalum was deposited. The substrates and modified layers were characterized by means of structural, chemical and morphological analysis. Moreover nanoindentation, scratch and tribological tests were carried out in order to evaluate the mechanical behavior of the substrates and coating. The hardness of the coated samples increases more than double than the untreated alloys meanwhile the presence of the coating reduced the wear volume and rate of about one order of magnitude. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Thermal treatment in molten salts deposits a Ta-based coating on Co-based alloys. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Coating is composed by one or two tantalum carbides and/or metallic tantalum. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The coating structure depends on thermal temperature and substrates carbon content. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Coating is able to

Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline coated gold nanocomposites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zuber, Siti Nurzulaiha Mohd; Kamarun, Dzaraini; Zaki, Hamizah; Kamarudin, Mohamad Shukri [Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam, 40450 Selangor Darul Ehsan (Malaysia); Thomas, Sabu; Kalarikkal, Nandakumar [International and Inter University Centre of Nanoscience and Nanotechnoogy, Mahatma Ghandi University, Priyadarsini Hills Kottayam, Kerala India-686560 (India)

2015-08-28

Considerable attention has been drawn during the last two decades to prepare nanocomposites consists of conducting polymer and noble metal due to their potential ability to generate a new class of material with novel optical, chemical, electronic or mechanical properties for various applications. In this work, an attempt has been made to synthesize nanocomposite of polyaniline (PANI) coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) chemically with various types of surfactants such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) which act as stabilizing agents to help in stabilization of the PANI/Gold nanocomposites system. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by UV-Visible, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and particle size analyzer (PSA). The formation of finger like structure can be seen in the FESEM images when the AuNPs were incorporated into the polymer matrix. The EDX data showed that 18.66% and 12.67% of AuNPs atoms were present in the composite system thus proved the incorporation of AuNPs into the polymer matrix. A small red shift of the absorption peak in the UV-Vis of both PANI/AuNPs composites system may be due to the incorporation of AuNPs in the PANI matrix.

Synthesis and characterization of polyaniline coated gold nanocomposites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zuber, Siti Nurzulaiha Mohd; Kamarun, Dzaraini; Zaki, Hamizah; Kamarudin, Mohamad Shukri; Thomas, Sabu; Kalarikkal, Nandakumar

2015-01-01

Considerable attention has been drawn during the last two decades to prepare nanocomposites consists of conducting polymer and noble metal due to their potential ability to generate a new class of material with novel optical, chemical, electronic or mechanical properties for various applications. In this work, an attempt has been made to synthesize nanocomposite of polyaniline (PANI) coated with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) chemically with various types of surfactants such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) which act as stabilizing agents to help in stabilization of the PANI/Gold nanocomposites system. The synthesized nanocomposites were characterized by UV-Visible, field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and particle size analyzer (PSA). The formation of finger like structure can be seen in the FESEM images when the AuNPs were incorporated into the polymer matrix. The EDX data showed that 18.66% and 12.67% of AuNPs atoms were present in the composite system thus proved the incorporation of AuNPs into the polymer matrix. A small red shift of the absorption peak in the UV-Vis of both PANI/AuNPs composites system may be due to the incorporation of AuNPs in the PANI matrix

Stimuli-Responsive Polyelectrolyte Brushes As a Matrix for the Attachment of Gold Nanoparticles: The Effect of Brush Thickness on Particle Distribution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Christau

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The effect of brush thickness on the loading of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs within stimuli-responsive poly-(N,N-(dimethylamino ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA polyelectrolyte brushes is reported. Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP was used to grow polymer brushes via a “grafting from” approach. The brush thickness was tuned by varying the polymerization time. Using a new type of sealed reactor, thick brushes were synthesized. A systematic study was performed by varying a single parameter (brush thickness, while keeping all other parameters constant. AuNPs of 13 nm in diameter were attached by incubation. X-ray reflectivity, electron scanning microscopy and ellipsometry were used to study the particle loading, particle distribution and interpenetration of the particles within the brush matrix. A model for the structure of the brush/particle hybrids was derived. The particle number densities of attached AuNPs depend on the brush thickness, as do the optical properties of the hybrids. An increasing particle number density was found for increasing brush thickness, due to an increased surface roughness.

Preliminary coating design and coating developments for ATHENA

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jakobsen, Anders Clemen; Ferreira, Desiree Della Monica; Christensen, Finn Erland

2011-01-01

We present initial novel coating design for ATHENA. We make use of both simple bilayer coatings of Ir and B4C and more complex constant period multilayer coatings to enhance the effective area and cover the energy range from 0.1 to 10 keV. We also present the coating technology used...... for these designs and present test results from coatings....

Fabrication of black-gold coatings by glancing angle deposition with sputtering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alan Vitrey

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The fabrication of black-gold coatings using sputtering is reported here. Glancing angle deposition with a rotating substrate is needed to obtain vertical nanostructures. Enhanced light absorption is obtained in the samples prepared in the ballistic regime with high tilt angles. Under these conditions the diameter distribution of the nanostructures is centered at about 60 nm and the standard deviation is large enough to obtain black-metal behavior in the visible range.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of nano-multilayered Zr-O/Al-O coatings deposited by cathodic vacuum arc plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhitomirsky, V.N.; Kim, S.K.; Burstein, L.; Boxman, R.L.

2010-01-01

Nano-multilayered Zr-O/Al-O coatings with alternating Zr-O and Al-O layers having a bi-layer period of 6-7 nm and total coating thickness of 1.0-1.2 μm were deposited using a cathodic vacuum arc plasma process on rotating Si substrates. Plasmas generated from two cathodes, Zr and Al, were deposited simultaneously in a mixture of Ar and O 2 background gases. The Zr-O/Al-O coatings, as well as bulk ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 reference samples, were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The XPS spectra were analyzed on the surface and after sputtering with a 4 kV Ar + ion gun. High resolution angle resolved spectra were obtained at three take-off angles: 15 o , 45 o and 75 o relative to the sample surface. It was shown that preferential sputtering of oxygen took place during XPS of bulk reference ZrO 2 samples, producing ZrO and free Zr along with ZrO 2 in the XPS spectra. In contrast, no preferential sputtering was observed with Al 2 O 3 reference samples. The Zr-O/Al-O coatings contained a large amount of free metals along with their oxides. Free Zr and Al were observed in the coating spectra both before and after sputtering, and thus cannot be due solely to preferential sputtering. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the Zr-O/Al-O coatings had a nano-multilayered structure with well distinguished alternating layers. However, both of the alternating layers of the coating contained of a mixture of aluminum and zirconium oxides and free Al and Zr metals. The concentration of Zr and Al changed periodically with distance normal to the coating surface: the Zr maximum coincided with the Al minimum and vice versa. However the concentration of Zr in both alternating layers was significantly larger than that of Al. Despite the large free metal concentration, the Knoop hardness, 21.5 GPa, was relatively high, which might be attributed to super-lattice formation or formation of a metal-oxide nanocomposite within the layers.

Design of a high-efficiency grazing incidence monochromator with multilayer-coated laminar gratings for the 1-6 keV region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koike, Masato; Ishino, Masahiko; Sasai, Hiroyuki

2006-01-01

A grazing incidence objective monochromator consisting of a spherical mirror, a varied-line-spacing plane grating with multilayered coating, a movable plane multilayered mirror, and a fixed exit slit for the 1-6 keV region has been designed. The included angle at the grating was chosen to satisfy the grating equation and extended Bragg condition simultaneously. The aberration was corrected by means of a hybrid design method. A spectral resolving power of ∼600-∼6000 and a throughput of ∼2%-∼40% is expected for the monochromator when used in an undulator beamline

Consecutively spin-assembled layered nanoarchitectures of poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

An, Minshi; Hong, Jong-Dal

2006-01-01

The recently established spin-coating electrostatic self-assembly (SCESA) technique has been shown to facilitate not only the rapid fabrication of polyelectrolyte multilayer assemblies, but also allow each layer to be easily controlled on a monomolecular scale by minimizing the film thickness across a substrate surface. In this paper, the influence of polyelectrolyte concentration on the amount and thickness of spin-deposited polymer films has been examined for a multilayer system of poly(allyamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), when the washing steps employed for removing weakly bound polyelectrolytes on a resultant film on a substrate are excluded from the standard fabrication procedure of the SCESA method. The thickness of the spin-deposited PAH/PSS bilayer increased linearly for the PSS concentrations in the range from 1 to 10 mM with PAH constant at 1 mM, which demonstrates the uniform deposition of each layer material onto the thin film. The thickness of PAH/PSS bilayers increased from 1.43 ± 0.06 to 3.37 ± 0.08 nm as the PSS concentration increased from 1 to 10 mM, while the PAH concentration was kept constant at 1 mM. The multilayer films were found to be stable in a good solvent (H 2 O) for at least 30 h, without any noticeable loss of the adsorbed layer component of the polyelectrolyte. This improvement to the SCESA method (exclusion of washing steps) provides a convenient way to create multilayer heterostructures with the thickness of each layer being easily adjusted

Spin coating and plasma process for 2.5D integrated photonics on multilayer polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zebda, A.; Camberlein, L.; Beche, B.; Gaviot, E.; Beche, E.; Duval, D.; Zyss, J.; Jezequel, G.; Solal, F.; Godet, C.

2008-01-01

Polymer spin coating, surface plasma treatment and selective UV-lithography processes have been developed to realize 2.5D photonic micro-resonators, made of disk- or ring-shaped upper rib waveguides, using common polymers such as SU8 (biphenol A ether glycidyl), PS233 (polymeric silane) and SOG (siloxane Spin on Glass). Both oxygen and argon plasma treatments, applied to PS233 and SOG before spin-coating the SU8, improve substantially the grip of multilayer devices (SU8 / PS233 or SU8 / SOG). Surface energy components derived from contact angle measurements have been used to optimize the processing conditions. In such integrated photonic devices, the both single-electromagnetic-modes called transverse electric (TE 00 ) and transverse magnetic (TM 00 ) have been excited in a SU8 micro-disk, with a single mode propagation strongly localized near the edge of the disk (i.e. the so called whispering gallery modes)

Surface-stabilized gold nanocatalysts

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Sheng [Knoxville, TN; Yan, Wenfu [Oak Ridge, TN

2009-12-08

A surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst includes a solid support having stabilizing surfaces for supporting gold nanoparticles, and a plurality of gold nanoparticles having an average particle size of less than 8 nm disposed on the stabilizing surfaces. The surface-stabilized gold nanocatalyst provides enhanced stability, such as at high temperature under oxygen containing environments. In one embodiment, the solid support is a multi-layer support comprising at least a first layer having a second layer providing the stabilizing surfaces disposed thereon, the first and second layer being chemically distinct.

Fabrication of Gold-coated 3-D Woodpile Structures for Mid-IR Thermal Emitters

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shengkai; Moridani, Amir; Kothari, Rohit; Lee, Jae-Hwang; Watkins, James

3-D metallic woodpile nanostructures possess enhancements in thermal radiation that are both wavelength and polarization specific and are promising for thermal-optical devices for various applications including thermal photovoltaics, self-cooling devices, and chemical and bio-sensors. However, current fabrication techniques for such structures are limited by slow speed, small area capability, the need for expensive facilities and, in general, are not suitable for high-throughput mass production. Here we demonstrate a new strategy for the fabrication of 3D metallic woodpile structures. Well-defined TiO2 woodpile structures were fabricated using a layer-by-layer nanoimprint method using TiO2 nanoparticle ink dispersions. The TiO2 woodpile was then coated with a high purity, conformal gold film via reactive deposition in supercritical carbon dioxide. The final gold-coated woodpile structures exhibit strong spectral and polarization specific thermal emission enhancements. The fabrication method demonstrated here is promising for high-throughput, low-cost preparation of 3D metallic woodpile structures and other 3D nanostructures. Center for Hierarchical Manufacturing, NSF.

Ionic Conductivity of Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chen-Jung; Wu, Haiyan; Hu, Yang; Young, Megan; Wang, Huifeng; Lynch, Dylan; Xu, Fujian; Cong, Hongbo; Cheng, Gang

2018-02-14

Polyelectrolytes have many important functions in both living organisms and man-made applications. One key property of polyelectrolytes is the ionic conductivity due to their porous networks that allow the transport of water and small molecular solutes. Among polyelectrolytes, zwitterionic polymers have attracted huge attention for applications that involve ion transport in a polyelectrolyte matrix; however, it is still unclear how the functional groups of zwitterionic polymer side chains affect their ion transport and swelling properties. In this study, zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine acrylamide), poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine), and poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) hydrogels were synthesized and their ionic conductivity was studied and compared to cationic, anionic, and nonionic hydrogels. The change of the ionic conductivity of zwitterionic and nonionic hydrogels in different saline solutions was investigated in detail. Zwitterionic hydrogels showed much higher ionic conductivity than that of the widely used nonionic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate hydrogel in all tested solutions. For both cationic and anionic hydrogels, the presence of mobile counterions led to high ionic conductivity in low salt solutions; however, the ionic conductivity of zwitterionic hydrogels surpassed that of cationic and ionic hydrogels in high salt solutions. Cationic and anionic hydrogels showed much higher water content than that of zwitterionic hydrogels in deionized water; however, the cationic hydrogels shrank significantly with increasing saline concentration. This work provides insight into the effects of polyelectrolyte side chains on ion transport. This can guide us in choosing better polyelectrolytes for a broad spectrum of applications, including bioelectronics, neural implants, battery, and so on.

Oxidation protection of multilayer CVD SiC/B/SiC coatings for 3D C/SiC composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yongsheng; Cheng Laifei; Zhang Litong; Wu Shoujun; Li Duo; Xu Yongdong

2007-01-01

A CVD boron coating was introduced between two CVD SiC coating layers. EDS and XRD results showed that the CVD B coating was a boron crystal without other impurity elements. SEM results indicated that the CVD B coating was a flake-like or column-like crystal with a compact cross-section. The crack width in the CVD SiC coating deposited on CVD B is smaller than that in a CVD SiC coating deposited on CVD SiC coating. After oxidation at 700 deg. C and 1000 deg. C, XRD results indicated that the coating was covered by product B 2 O 3 or B 2 O 3 .xSiO 2 film. The cracks were sealed as observed by SEM. There was a large amount of flake-like material on hybrid coating surface after oxidation at 1300 deg. C. Oxidation weight loss and residual flexural strength results showed that hybrid SiC/B/SiC multilayer coating provided better oxidation protection for C/SiC composite than a three layer CVD SiC coating at temperatures from 700 deg. C to 1000 deg. C for 600 min, but worse oxidation protection above 1000 deg. C due to the large amount of volatilization of B 2 O 3 or B 2 O 3 .xSiO 2

Fabrication and characterization of gold nano-wires templated on virus-like arrays of tobacco mosaic virus coat proteins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wnęk, M; Stockley, P G; Górzny, M Ł; Evans, S D; Ward, M B; Brydson, R; Wälti, C; Davies, A G

2013-01-01

The rod-shaped plant virus tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is widely used as a nano-fabrication template, and chimeric peptide expression on its major coat protein has extended its potential applications. Here we describe a simple bacterial expression system for production and rapid purification of recombinant chimeric TMV coat protein carrying C-terminal peptide tags. These proteins do not bind TMV RNA or form disks at pH 7. However, they retain the ability to self-assemble into virus-like arrays at acidic pH. C-terminal peptide tags in such arrays are exposed on the protein surface, allowing interaction with target species. We have utilized a C-terminal His-tag to create virus coat protein-templated nano-rods able to bind gold nanoparticles uniformly. These can be transformed into gold nano-wires by deposition of additional gold atoms from solution, followed by thermal annealing. The resistivity of a typical annealed wire created by this approach is significantly less than values reported for other nano-wires made using different bio-templates. This expression construct is therefore a useful additional tool for the creation of chimeric TMV-like nano-rods for bio-templating. (paper)

Fabrication and characterization of gold nano-wires templated on virus-like arrays of tobacco mosaic virus coat proteins

Science.gov (United States)

Wnęk, M.; Górzny, M. Ł.; Ward, M. B.; Wälti, C.; Davies, A. G.; Brydson, R.; Evans, S. D.; Stockley, P. G.

2013-01-01

The rod-shaped plant virus tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is widely used as a nano-fabrication template, and chimeric peptide expression on its major coat protein has extended its potential applications. Here we describe a simple bacterial expression system for production and rapid purification of recombinant chimeric TMV coat protein carrying C-terminal peptide tags. These proteins do not bind TMV RNA or form disks at pH 7. However, they retain the ability to self-assemble into virus-like arrays at acidic pH. C-terminal peptide tags in such arrays are exposed on the protein surface, allowing interaction with target species. We have utilized a C-terminal His-tag to create virus coat protein-templated nano-rods able to bind gold nanoparticles uniformly. These can be transformed into gold nano-wires by deposition of additional gold atoms from solution, followed by thermal annealing. The resistivity of a typical annealed wire created by this approach is significantly less than values reported for other nano-wires made using different bio-templates. This expression construct is therefore a useful additional tool for the creation of chimeric TMV-like nano-rods for bio-templating.

Elasticity, biodegradability and cell adhesive properties of chitosan/hyaluronan multilayer films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Aurore; Richert, Ludovic; Francius, Gregory; Voegel, Jean-Claude; Picart, Catherine [Present address: Universite de Montpellier II, CNRS-UMR 5539, cc107, Place Eugene Bataillon, 34 095 Montpellier Cedex 5 (France)

2007-03-01

In the bioengineering field, a recent and promising approach to modifying biomaterial surfaces is the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique used to build thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films. In this work, we focused on polyelectrolyte multilayer films made of two polysaccharides, chitosan (CHI) and hyaluronan (HA), and on the control of their physico-chemical and cell adhesive properties by chemical cross-linking. CHI/HA films were cross-linked using a water soluble carbodiimide and observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) with a fluorescently labeled CHI. Film thicknesses were similar for native and cross-linked films. The film nanometer roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy and was found to be higher for cross-linked films. Cross-linking the films also leads to a drastic change in film stiffness. The elastic modulus of the films (Young's modulus) as measured by AFM nano-indentation was about tenfold increased for cross-linked films as compared to native ones. From a biological point of view, cross-liked films are more resistant to enzymatic degradation by hyaluronidase. Furthermore, the increase in film stiffness has a favorable effect on the adhesion and spreading of chondrosarcoma cells. Thus, the CHI/HA cross-linked films could be used for various applications due to their adhesive properties and to their mechanical properties (including stability in enzymatic media)